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After the rooftop fight, Endo starts preparing for the move. His and Takiishi's shared apartment is filled to the brim with boxes and trash bags. Endo huffs, sorting through their closet. He was peacefully getting into the zone, getting into a groove while sorting out the items when suddenly Takiishi's phone rings from the other side of the house.
When the ringing comes to abrupt stop, he assumes that the red head ended the call.
Weird, Takiishi never really gets calls…
Endo shrugs it off. It's probably just a prank caller, he thinks to himself. He sorts all the clothes into boxes, labeled for donation and labeled for moving.
Endo picks up the boxes, turns around and—
Takiishi is right infront of him, handing him a phone.
"Umemiya Hajime wishes to speak with you." Takiishi said in his monotone voice. He impatiently waves the phone around.
'Crazy. Takiishi definitely knocked him a few screws loose when they had the fight on the rooftop.'
Endo sighs and is barely able to get a word out before Umemiya yells into the phone.
"Endo! Why don't you and Takiishi come over to Furin before you leave, hm?" Umemiya says in that bubbly voice of his. Endo hates it.
He hates Umemiya.
Endo sighs internally. Can this guy take a hint?
"This could've been a text, you know?" Endo pinches the bridge of his nose. "No, we can't go to Furin–we're busy packing!"
"Endo Yamato, let's spare a few hours. I'm in no rush to move." Takiishi hummed.
Endo takes a deep breath in. If Takiishi wants to go, he has no other choice but to go.
"Sakura is going to be here when you guys come over!" Umemiya adds. "It'll be fun. Furin and Makochi have changed a lot since you guys left."
Well, Endo has no choice but to agree. He tries convincing Takiishi to move that night and disregard the meeting but to no avail.
'Well, I guess I can spend time with Sakura.'
Never in a million years did Endo think that he'd be on Furin's rooftop, alone, with Umemiya.
He was supposed to tour Makochi with Sakura and Takiishi—but instead, he's up here with this disgustingly positive man. Although the situation is less than undesirable, the weather and the view is just perfect. It's around noon, so the sun is high, and the wind is cool, so it isn't that hot. Just right.
Endo would rather be experiencing this view and weather with Takiishi, but no. Umemiya just had to make Sakura and Takiishi hang out on their own. Something about "Those two are very similar". Endo looks around, looking for any excuse to escape Umemiya but sees none.
He sighs, turning around to face Umemiya. "Okay, so what do you need to show me?". He crossed his arms and watched as Umemiya ran to get something from the other side of the roof. The school roof is actually pretty spacious, but most students just stay in the area with all the cabbages.
While Umemiya was fetching the thing he wanted to show Endo, the other was thinking.
Sigh. I could've been with both Takiishi and Sakura right now.
What did I do to deserve this? I mean what specifically?
Endo pouts, looking at the ground and kicking rocks.
Well, on the bright side, Takiishi will get to know Sakura. Umemiya was sort of right about them being similar.
The thoughts in Endo's head come to a halt when Umemiya hands him a plant. More specifically two azalea bonsais intertwined in one pot; one with red flowers and one with pink flowers. The two bonsais wrap around each other and the flowers are a perfect blend of red and pink, making the plant look alive. The trunks of the bonsai look perfectly and carefully wrapped together like the twist of a rope.
Endo blinks.
"Is- Is this for me?!"
Endo knows the pain of trying to maintain a bonsai, and to get two trunks intertwine with each other is a whole other level. He can't imagine the time this must've took.
'Just how much effort did that stupid Umemiya put into this?!'
The tattooed man's mouth opens and closes like a fish. "You're crazy, genuinely crazy! This—did you grow this yourself?"
"Mhm!" Umemiya nods enthusiastically.
"I almost destroyed Makochi— I- I beat up your underclassmen-" Endo runs a hand through his hair. "And you're giving me this??? This–"
"–Do you like it? It's for when you move into your new home with Takiishi." Umemiya simply smiles. He looks a little like a puppy right now. "C'mon, just take it! We're friends now, right? We can put all of that in the past."
Umemiya holds out the plant expectantly, waiting for Endo to take the plant. He had carefully took care of this plant and nurtured it, trimmed it when needed, watered it religiously, and whispered words of affirmation to the plant so that it grows well.
And maybe, just maybe, Endo will take the hint.
Endo looks at Umemiya like he's a crazy person, but nonetheless he takes the bonsai and carefully holds it.
'Pink like Sakura blossoms, red like Takiishi's hair. Did Umemiya pick this intentionally?'
Endo blinks. He shakes the words out of his head.
'Nah, there's no way.'
Umemiya smiles as Endo takes the plant, not knowing that Endo had completely misread his intentions. It was pink for umeboshi leaves, and red to symbolize luck and love.
"Okay, okay! Time to show you the rest of the plants here on the rooftop!" Umemiya beams, taking Endo's hand. The tattooed man stumbles as Umemiya drags him over to see other plants. He clutches the bonsai, afraid that it might fall.
They stop at the cabbage patch. Umemiya proudly shows his work to Endo, putting his hands on his hips. "So, what do you think? You haven't been here in a while, so I want to hear your thoughts. Have I improved?"
Umemiya waits for Endo's answer.
"…When Takiishi and I left Furin, there were only a few cabbages here. Now, there's enough to feed the school." Endo says, his shoulders relaxing as he reminisces of the time when he attended Furin.
Maybe if he wasn't so blinded by Takiishi's blaze, he would've stayed.
…
Not that he regrets it, though.
They walk around for a bit, and Endo smiles softly. He could get used to this. The company— Ehem. The air is nice and comforting. He doesn't remember the last time he just relaxed and walked around without someone trying to beat him up for something he did. It's nice.
And of course, Umemiya being as observant as he is, notices the slight smile on Endo's lips. And it makes his heart skip a beat.
Umemiya's intentionally brushes his shoulder against Endo's, nudging him slightly. Umemiya braces for a shriek or a slap from Endo, or even a snarky comment. To his surprise, he doesn't receive anything. He smiles, getting a little closer to Endo.
"Wanna go around town?" Umemiya suggests as they reach the door that leads to the staircase. "Not a lot has changed since you left, but I figured it'd still be nice to walk around. We could get some food too!"
"Lead the way." Endo says as he places the bonsai somewhere safe.
They walk around for a bit, basking in the cozy atmosphere of the town.
Last time Endo was here, it wasn't this cozy–it wasn't even cozy at all. It was dark. Every man for themselves. But that's what Takiishi liked. Takiishi liked the challenge, the thrill, the blaze. And Endo lived to see the blaze in those eyes.
Then Umemiya brought the light.
Endo reminisces about his time in Furin. He'd hate to admit it, but in some way, it brought him joy. He'd hate to admit it but in some way, Umemiya brought him joy. Umemiya brought Takiishi joy. Joy that he could never give. And so, he was grateful. And surprisingly, one of his most fond memories in Furin surprisingly enough doesn't include Takiishi at all.
In that memory, Endo was just going to get some food when Umemiya popped up and invited himself over to eat with Endo. He begrudgingly ate next to Umemiya, and of course, they bantered, all the way up to paying the bill and walking out of the restaurant.
"Gosh, you just follow me everywhere, huh? No matter what you say, you're not changing my mind." Endo flicked Umemiya's forehead. Just as Umemiya was about to retort, it started to rain, the kind of rain someone would do an angry confession in.
Both of them ran under the bus stop, looked at each other, and Umemiya laughed.
"Bwahaha! You look like a wet cat!" Umemiya smiled, his eyes turning into crescent moon shapes. "Well—You look like a wet dog!" Endo held back a smile. He'd hate to admit that Umemiya looked a little cute like that. As it rained, they still bickered. Endo remembers the smell of the rain and the sound of Umemiya's voice so well.
"You are incorrigible! Genuinely—If it wasn't for you—"
Endo's words fell on deaf ears as the grey haired man fumbled in his sopping wet bag to find a towel–which was already wet. "Ah..." Umemiya rubbed the back of his neck, and that was the first time Umemiya heard Endo laugh.
"Is that supposed to dry us off? God, you're stupid." He laughs. Even though Umemiya was being insulted, he couldn't help but feel happy that he's made Endo laugh.
At present, they pass by that very same bus stop, unaware that they're both thinking about the same memory.
"Do you remember—" They say in unison, and they look at each other at the same time. Endo's cheeks turn pink. "…Nevermind." He looks away, and Umemiya just smiles at him.Umemiya got the confirmation that he needed, and that was enough.
Through the years, Umemiya has deciphered Endo's movements, body language, and small tells. You learn a lot about someone when you love them, even if they don't say anything explicitly. One of Umemiya's favorite tells about Endo is the way Endo's ears get red when he's embarassed, but Endo would always try to play it off.
"There's a restaurant near here, right?" Endo huffs, avoiding eye contact with Umemiya's big puppy eyes. Smiling, Umemiya nodded. "Mhm! Let's go!"
They entered the small restaurant. It was a self-serve restaurant with not a lot of waiters. If you wanted something, you order then wait for it at the claiming area. Endo took a seat while Umemiya ordered. This was his chance to bolt out of the restaurant and find Takiishi and take him home—but for some reason his legs stayed planted to the ground. For what reason?
It may be the fact that Endo had never actually hated Umemiya at all.
'Cause it would be easy. It would be so easy for Endo to leave, but he doesn't. Because for once, he let's himself feel. It's about time, isn't it? Why hang himself time and time again on the same tree when he can just stay on the ground? And so, he waits for Umemiya. (Just as Umemiya waited for him.)
"Sitting all by yourself, handsome?" Umemiya jokes as he brings the food to the table. He brings a tray of appetizers to the table. Edamame, gyoza, etc. But Endo's eyes immediately drift to the kaarage. Snatching it for himself, he takes a bite of the chicken and suddenly he gets a rush of memories of Furin.
In his joy, he doesn't notice Umemiya staring at him with fondness. To be honest, Umemiya never thought that he would be able to sit with Endo like this. He spent most of his highschool life longing for Endo to join his side, and now that it's about to end, he's finally had Endo.
"Hey, hey. Slow down. We still have ramen and katsus to eat." Umemiya laughs softly. "We can order some more karaage for you to take home later."
"Mhm. Sounds good," Endo says, mouth filled with food. He kinda looks like a squirrel. They converse for a good while, reminiscing about the past.
"Oh my god, remember that one time when Tsubaki and Takiishi fought over the last bottle of red hair dye in the store?" Endo laughed. "That was the closest someone has been to ever beating Takiishi in a fight."
"Oh, the closest???" The other rolled his eyes. "I seem to recall that just last week I almost beat Takiishi."
"Not even close."
"It ended in a draw! How was that not close???"
This was probably the first time Endo saw Umemiya all worked up over something, and it was kinda cute. But you didn't hear that from Endo.
"Takiishi won by a landslide." He smiled, taking the gyoza from Umemiya's plate while he hasn't looking. Umemiya huffed and turned away. "I'm gonna get the rest of the dishes. You better recall that fight the best you can because I totally almost won!"
Endo's eyes followed Umemiya's figure, and he recalled the fight. The blood, the beauty in their eyes, how Umemiya still found it in himself to smile afterwards, how Takiishi said their names…
…Takiishi.
He doesn't know what he feels about Takiishi anymore. Yes, he's hopelessly devoted to Takiishi. That might never change—but the unrequited love Endo has for Takiishi is fading. or maybe it never really existed in the first place? He doesn't know. But what he does know is that when he's with Umemiya, he feels the same hurt in his chest that he has when he's with Takiishi.
Maybe Umemiya wasn't so bad after all.
They ate their meal and they went back to the rooftop, sitting next to each other on the thick ledge. The bonsai was affectionately placed between Endo's legs, with Endo's hands holding it close as they watch the sunset. The sky had turned into beautiful hues of orange and purple.
"The sunset is beautiful, but the sunrise is even more beautiful. Do you want to come see it tomorrow?" Umemiya fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "And we can watch the pink camellias bloom…"
Endo's shoulder brushes against Umemiya's as he shifts in his seat. "…That sounds good."
"Really? You'll be here tomorrow?"
"It's not like I'm in a rush to move. But I do have one question though," Endo turns to look at Umemiya. "Pink camellias? Why those?"
The other shrugs, "They're pretty. No other reason."
Because I long for you.
The unspoken words rest upon Umemiya's heart, not daring to say the words he's been wanting to say for three years.
Ever since he met Endo, he wanted him. Umemiya was similar to Endo in some way, he wanted to
"Do you want some to bring home? Like—after they bloom, of course." Umemiya asks, hoping that Endo would take this as a sign of his affection.
"I'll ask Takiishi."
Umemiya huffs quietly, putting his hands in his pockets. "Great…"
"So… You're really going to move to Tokyo, huh?" Umemiya says softly.
Endo nods. "What about you?" he turns to look at Umemiya. "Are you going to stay in Furin forever?"
'Oh, right.'
Umemiya forgot about that. He never even dreamed about leaving Furin, but he has to. He has to let his underclassmen grow. Just like plants, if you give something too much affection, they'll die off.
"Maybe I'll follow you in Tokyo." Umemiya suggests, he waits for Endo's reaction. He's been leading his whole life. People have been following him ever since he was a first year; maybe it's time for a change.
Endo almost laughs but sees that Umemiya is serious. "Well… I wouldn't mind." Endo traces patterns on the plant pot, almost surprised that he's actually saying these things to Umemiya.
He backtracks, "—But Takiishi would probably mind."
'Aaaand there it is.' Umemiya huffs.
"You've really turned this place around, huh?" Endo says. "Not that I care–it's none of my business. I'm just glad Sakura has this new Furin."
"Mhm, sure." Umemiya laughs. "Your next line is: 'I only care about Takiishi and Sakura, I couldn't care less about Furin.', am I right?"
Endo has half a mind to start punching Umemiya, and half a mind to tell Umemiya the truth.
That's how it's always been with him and Umemiya. He always had to pick the former.
But now?
…
"…I care about you too." He says quietly. So quiet that its almost carried off by the wind. So quiet, Umemiya almost doesn't hear it—but thank god he did.
Taking Endo's free hand in his, he looks in Endo's eyes. "Say it again. Say that you care. Or tell me I'm being an idiot, just—just say it again, please."
After all these years, Umemiya has got the confirmation that he needed. Albeit it was a sort of half confirmation, it was a confirmation nonetheless that Umemiya's feelings were reciprocated by a small margin.
Endo cheeks flush with this beautiful pink color, and Umemiya swears that its his new favorite color, and he would do anything to see that color again. He would do anything to stay in this moment with Endo.
"…I'm only going to say it one more time. If you don't hear it this time, it's not my fault."
…
"By some miracle, you got me to care about you. Congrats. Don't let it get to your head."
"Too late!" Umemiya smiles brightly, throwing himself at Endo. They crash onto the floor of the rooftop and the pot of the bonsai cracks. "Hey-! Get off of me-" Endo squirms, but he and Umemiya both know that if Endo really wanted to push Umemiya off of him, he could've done it in a heartbeat.
"The bonsai—"
"I can get you another pot, just stay like this." Umemiya says into Endo's jacket.
You have no idea how long I've wanted this—how long I've wanted you.