Looking back on it, Souji never thought he'd be the type to become addicted to some blogging website dedicated to, well, just about anything, actually. Now, he couldn't imagine not being addicted to it. He could post his writing whenever he liked, and even if it didn't get notes, it was nice to have it out there somewhere other than in the long forgotten notebooks lining his bookcase. He could reblog as many cat pictures and videos as he wanted, and he'd gain followers because of their undeniable cuteness. And if he was in the mood to post other things, it wouldn't matter. It was a wonderful way to express yourself, and sometimes your interests would bring you to others far more compatible with your personality than those in the flesh. Not to mention the fact that it was perfect for the far too many sleepless nights that held him captive.
On a particularly off day for the grey-haired male, he'd come home from one of his part-time jobs and curled up in bed with a cup of coffee and his laptop. He wanted to drown out everything, but nothing in his music library was appealing to him at the moment, so Souji set to searching through tags on Tumblr until coming across a particular song title that made him laugh for the first time that day. It couldn't hurt to give it a listen, and it was definitely not a mistake, because the song was wonderful. Light and comical, with an upbeat and catchy tune. And the person singing had a voice so warm and inviting that Souji thought he could listen to it forever.
He clicked on the username and the tag they used for their music and ended up falling asleep halfway through the eleventh song.
When he woke the next morning with a yawn and a stretch, Souji glanced at his still-open laptop. Odd, since he always shut it down at the end of the night and would usually just use his cell to scroll through his dashboard if he couldn't sleep. It only took him a few confused moments to remember the music and a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. Deciding to let the musician know he really enjoyed his work, Souji found the link to the other's askbox and typed out a quick message before shutting down the computer and rushing to shower and grab coffee before heading to another of his jobs.
He checked his inbox on his lunch break, not really expecting anything, but wanting to see if he'd gotten a reply from the artist. Turns out they had in fact replied and Souji found himself hiding a smile behind his hand as his eyes scanned over the words a few times.
||| infinite-headphones answered you:
|||||| the-cats-meow asked: Hello. I just dropped in to say that I really enjoy your music. I stumbled across it last night and it actually made my night a whole lot better. Thank you for your hard work, and I hope to continue hearing more of your wonderful voice.
||| ah really? wow dude thanks! i'm surprised bc not a lot of ppl like my stuff usually. oh but i don't think my voice is all that good but if it made your night better then i'm pretty glad. don't need to thank me though. i hope you're doing better today!
The fact that the person behind the music seemed to be very kind and optimistic even out of song appealed even more to the writer. Souji swiftly - or as swiftly as his phone's internet would allow - sent another ask before returning for the second half of his shift.
His thoughts were filled with this stranger, wondering if maybe they'd be able to converse more and possibly even become friends. Sure, he'd only just come across this person the previous night, but there was something that drew him in more quickly than he would usually allow. Most of the friends Souji had made from middle school up until now weren't really what you would call friends at all. The majority of them only wanted him around to better their grades. Other than that, he'd been an outcast. Made fun of for his choice of hairstyle and the way he alienated himself within the confines of a book or his writing.
Once he had graduated from high school and moved into an apartment of his own, attending university and holding onto multiple part-time jobs, he didn't really have time for friends. Or that's what he told himself at least. It was more that there wasn't anyone who struck his interest here, and Souji didn't exactly put himself out there when it came to the other students or his coworkers. Really, it was alright this way. He'd always done just fine on his own, with his parents always away due to work and only seeing them three times a year if he was lucky. But he'd been taken care of. Always had a roof over his head and clothes on his back and food in his stomach. But it was lonely. Unbearably so. And Souji had developed a nasty case of depression from the combination of it all.
These days, he was handling things better. Probably. Maybe. He wasn't sure most days, but he kept too busy to really think about it all that much. It was better that way. So when he listened to this person's music and it lifted all those thoughts Souji had kept at bay during the day and cleared his mind - even making him smile a bit in the process - it was somewhat alarming. For the longest time, reading and writing had been the only thing that had even remotely had the same effect.
Shaking his head slightly, Souji moved to the back to clock out for the night. He was probably just overthinking everything. It was just music, right? But, no, he didn't believe that. Songs were just another way to tell a story, and they were no small deal. Especially when there were people out there who put their heart and soul into whatever they were singing about. They were admirable, just like this musician he'd only came across by accident. And there was something about that voice and his lyrics that seeped their way into Souji's heart. How were you supposed to ignore something like that?
When he checked his phone again and saw another reply from infinite-headphones and another smile sneaked its way onto his features, Souji knew that he would try to keep a hold of whatever this was.