Work Text:
At a park, MC and Sayori rested on a blanket, eyes aimed skyward. White, polka-dot clouds decorated the atmosphere, drifting along with the wind. The pair watched these clouds, immersed in the sight. At some point, Sayori broke out of her trance, shifting her gaze to MC. She gently tapped his shoulder, breaking him out of his spell and getting him to look at her.
"So, are you feeling inspired yet~?" she teased, her question accompanied by a sly smile.
MC's usual blank stare became one of confusion as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Now, Sayori began to look confused, and almost concerned. "We came here because you wanted to find some inspiration for a poem! Don't tell me you're starting to lose your memory."
"Oh… right." MC looked back at the clouds, mainly to avoid eye contact. "These clouds… they're… nice," he said, a mediocre comment made only to get Sayori off his back. When he moved his gaze back to her, he noticed a rather adorable scowl on her face. She wasn't buying it. "What? I'm not lying. They look nice."
The scowl remained on Sayori's face as she looked at the clouds again. Almost instantly, her expression lit up. MC was not wrong. They were very nice clouds. "They're really nice. Especially that one."
She pointed to one of the clouds, dark gray in color with long, jagged edges. It was a total contrast from the small, round cells that were in near-perfect parallel rows. MC chuckled in disbelief. "That gray one?" he looked at Sayori, who had a smile on her face as she stared at the cloud.
"Mhm! I like it! I think it's my favorite."
MC was in total bewilderment. He couldn’t believe that Sayori would pick that gray cloud over the dozens of far nicer-looking clouds in the sky as her favorite. His brows furrowed, trying to figure out a possible reason. Coming up short, he had no choice but to ask, "Why?"
Sayori looked at MC with an open-mouthed expression for a few seconds before her gaze returned to the sky, eyes latched onto the gray cloud. Her smile reappeared as she answered, "I don't really know. It's just my favorite."
It was such a Sayori answer. MC wasn't sure why it surprised him in any way. Having no reason for liking something had been an occurrence for Sayori since they were kids. Usually, he would brush it off, but this time it irked him. He started to stare at the cloud in contempt. This is such a beautiful sky, and the gray cloud is ruining it. Why would Sayori choose that cloud as her favorite? How did she find beauty in something so dour?
The longer he spent his time with the literature club, the more he noticed that Sayori was fond of the bittersweet. Her poems always had a gloomy theme masked by a bright subject. MC would have to read those poems multiple times just to understand what they were really saying. It made him wonder what it was like to see the world through her eyes. Eventually, he realized that he had to look at the world through her lens when writing his poems. His own sense of the world was dull, while Sayori gave it life and meaning. Perhaps now was one of those times to try and see the world in her lens.
In an array of white clouds, a dark gray cloud stuck out in both color and shape. A rain cloud, something that Sayori once used as a metaphor for her depression. He recalled the day she left the club early. She didn’t feel well that day. She said it was just a little rain cloud in her head, and she left without explaining it further. The problem turned out to be something more than just a bad thought. Shortly after, MC learned it was depression, and he had no idea.
MC did his own research afterward, but he ended up with a single conclusion: He would never be able to fully understand Sayori's condition. It was an experience unique to her, and no amount of research or explanation could paint a complete picture for him. The rain cloud metaphor was the best way for him to understand her depression.
With these memories in mind, he began to notice other details about the gray cloud. He paid close attention to its movement, which was slower compared to the white clouds. It must have been because of all the rain it had inside of it. Despite how slow it was moving, the cloud kept going. It didn't stop for a second, just continued moving with the rest of the clouds.
His thoughts on the gray cloud began to change. What he first saw as a distraction now became a depiction of Sayori herself. Like the cloud, she was weighed down, not by rain, but by her depression, an endless battle that went on in her head. Despite that constant war, which caused her to question whether it was even worth getting out of bed, she would get herself up and make it to school, even if she was late. Just like the gray cloud, she moved forward, even if it was at a slower pace than most.
MC looked to the sun. It was bright and warm, shining on all the clouds. Even the gray cloud was made a little more vibrant thanks to the sun’s light. He thought about the day Sayori confessed her love for him. He realized at that moment that she was the most important person to him, that he would be there for her no matter what troubled her. He promised that he would always be by her side and get her through those burdens. That was when their bond blossomed into something romantic.
His eyes were glued to the sight of the sun, peering out from behind the gray cloud. All the white clouds were practically glowing from the sun's light, but MC only had eyes for the gray cloud.
At some point, that cloud will rain. It won’t be able to hold in all of that water forever. But once it rains, the sun will be there throughout it all, ready to shine when it finishes.
Even if Sayori was having a bad day, he would be there for her, waiting for those rain clouds in her head to dissipate, waiting for her to smile. That was what he promised her.
"…MC? Earth to MC…"
He blinked and shook his head, finally getting back to the real world. "What happened?"
"You were deep in thought. You started to hold my hand at some point~."
"Did I—" MC's eyes quickly darted to their hands. Their fingers were interlocked, held in a snug grip. He just as quickly looked away from their hands, trying to hide the blush that splashed his cheeks.
Eventually, the two let go of each other's hands, beginning to stand up and stretch after lying down for so long. Without saying a word, they started to pack up their things, then fold the blanket Sayori brought for them to lie on, tastefully decorated with rain clouds.
When everything was packed, MC looked at Sayori, who was checking her bag one last time, making sure she didn't forget anything. As soon as she stood up, he stepped a little closer to her.
"Alright, I think I got every—oh… MC?"
He held her in a hug, one that was eventually reciprocated. When he felt Sayori's arms wrap around him, he tightened his hold, which caused her to do the same.
"Uh… MC? Are you okay? Why the sudden hug?" she asked, puzzled at the sudden affection.
There were hundreds, thousands of reasons why MC decided to hug her. If he had the time, he would have gone through each one in detail. Instead, he quietly said, "I don't really know," before letting go of her. "I just wanted to."
They smiled at each other before grabbing their things and beginning the quick journey home. Taking one last look at the sky, the clouds had moved into the horizon, leaving the sun alone in the empty blue.
While they walked, Sayori looked at MC. "Thanks for taking me on this date, MC. I'd love to do this again!" she said with her typical cheery smile.
Right. This was a date. All that nonsense about finding inspiration for a poem was just an excuse for MC to have an outing with Sayori. Just the two of them. Alone. Now, he was comfortable with being honest about his intentions. They went on a date, and they both enjoyed themselves. He looked down at their hands, clasped together, fingers interlocked.
"Me too," he said with a smile.