Chapter Text
Koda Koji tried to see the best in everyone. He knew that appearances and first impressions could be deceiving. People saw him and thought he was intimidating and aloof, instead of just shy.
He was glad his classmates at UA had tried so hard to get to know him.
So he tried not to let people's exoskeletons and mannerisms influence how he treated them.
But Aoyama made it difficult to get to know him. He projected such a clear image of who he was, flashy and flamboyant, confident and attention-seeking, that Koda couldn’t look beyond his flashy shell.
He realized now that Aoyama didn’t stand out in the way a peacock does, trying to gain favor with a mate. He stood out like a colorful butterfly- a warning to stay away. They just didn’t see it- because the warning worked.
His flair was a form of camouflage- telling them that they knew all there was to know about him- so they didn’t dig any deeper.
But without his defensive flair, who was Aoyama Yuuga?
Aoyama Yuuga was a lot of things, Koda thought. He was a criminal. He was a victim. He was a traitor. But he didn't know much beyond that.
Koda wanted to see the best in everybody- see what others might not- but he didn’t want to forgive Aoyama.
Koda didn’t spend as much time socializing outside of class. He preferred searching for wildlife on campus or spending time with Yuwai (and she made sure he had plenty of work to do.) So of course he hadn’t spoken to Aoyama since his return. Even his classmates who tried to seek him out had barely spoken to him.
Koda wasn’t really a morning person, but he’d been hearing an owl near the dorms recently and wanted to see if could get a glimpse of it before the sun came up.
But while Koda wasn’t particularly crepuscular, it turns out Aoyama had adapted to behave in such a way.
And now the two of them were standing awkwardly in a doorway, each blocking the other.
“Ah- désolé-, ” Aoyama said, “Let me step out of your way.”
But Koda had already stepped back to let Aoyama through. Seeing that, Aoyama stepped forward to go through the door. But Koda had walked forward to move through.
Eventually, they’d worked out the situation and Aoyama was in the dorms, while Koda was standing outside.
“You usually aren’t up this early, is everything alright?” Aoyama asked.
“Owl,” Koda quietly responded. He didn’t want to scare it off it was near. “Wanted to see it.”
Aoyama seemed to brighten upon hearing that. He pointed to the left of where Koda was standing.
“I heard a strange bird in that direction, perhaps you might find it there?”
Koda nodded, then turned around and headed where Aoyama had directed him.
Aoyama was right. He managed to catch sight of the owl before he had to get ready for classes.
Koda didn’t forgive Aoyama for what he had done, but still decided he couldn’t be that bad a person either.