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Takiishi pops a pill out of the plastic, swallowing it with a gulp of water.
In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembers the conversation he had with Endo Yamato earlier this morning.
He was awoken out of his sleep by a hand shaking his shoulder insistently; And obviously, he responded by kicking the owner of the hand's leg. The other person must have expected it since they didn't react to the pain. Could just be desensitization throughout the years though.
"Takiishiiiii," Endo Yamato softly hissed under his breath, stroking the ankle of Takiishi's leg that he kicked out with, "Ya gotta let me go. I have to buy your aspirin."
Takiishi grumbled, ignoring the hand that's now patting his arm slung over Endo Yamato, "No. Why didn't you buy it the day before?"
"Because you were adamant that you wanted to go home and take a bath, remember?"
He did remember. It was cold, and snowing, and his hair felt wet, and every time strands made contact with his face, chills would break out down his neck and it would feel uncomfortable.
Endo Yamato was walking them to the konbini when Takiishi had declared that he wanted to go home instead. Endo Yamato had tried to coax him into compliance by saying that it was only five more minutes away, but Takiishi's stubbornness won in the end.
He got to soak in a nice, hot bath, and Endo Yamato did too. Takiishi vividly remembers the long, drawn out, sigh he let out as he leaned his head back against the rim of the tub and the ends of his curls dipped into the water. So obviously, it was a good decision for everybody.
Then why was it coming back to bite him in the ass now?
"Come on— you're not gonna like waking up with a headache, so let me go, ok?" Endo Yamato had urged softly.
And Takiishi had released his hold on him, allowing Endo Yamato to go procure his medicine. He was still upset about it, but Takiishi knew that he'd appreciate the medication in the morning when the voices of prayers and wishes would inevitably flood his mind, overwhelming his mortal brain's capacity.
Right now, he truly was glad the pain striking his brain askew was dampened by the pills.
Endo Yamato even left a piece of cherry flavored hard candy to chase away the bitterness of the medicine.
As the sugar from the sweet melted, the fruity taste coated his tongue, neutralizing the cringe-inducing sensation the aspirin spread throughout his mouth. It was like the comfort of a bandage tightly wrapped around a wound after it was disinfected. The heat of a warm bath after the water's sting against open wounds split apart by rough knuckles.
Takiishi left the glass of water half-full, content to prolong the artificial marble of cherry rolling around behind his teeth. He played with it, nudging the ball left and right, creating a satisfying sound that was pleasant to the back of his brain.
The high pitched sound of a boiling kettle gave his mind something else to focus on aside from the multitude of requests. It led Takiishi's feet towards the kitchen, where Endo Yamato was getting out a glass mug and placing a teabag inside.
He watched as Endo Yamato poured the boiling water atop the teabag and the flowing liquid turned from crystal clear as it fell, to a rich, but transparent, orangey-yellow in the glass. Steam rose from the cup, weaving the floral aroma throughout the open space in the kitchen.
Endo Yamato turned around, his face lighting up in delight when he spotted Takiishi.
"Good mornin', Takiishi! I made you tea in case the meds weren't effective enough."
Endo Yamato drizzled honey into the tea and mixed it around before gingerly placing it in front of Takiishi.
"Ya gotta wait a few minutes fer it to steep properly though," Endo Yamato said, still with that dopey smile on his face, "Here's some heat patches you can pudd'on your neck in the meantime."
A box of one-time-use heating pads are tossed through the air by Endo Yamato's hand, arcing in a semicircle, and landing perfectly nestled in Takiishi's palm.
Takiishi sits down on the chair nearest the cup of tea, ripping open the cardboard box's tear-off tab and applying a fresh strip to the back of his neck. He stares mindlessly at the greyish stream trailing off the tea and into the air. It looked like the tail of some mythical creature.
"Do you wanna go to the shrine today?"
Takiishi glared at Endo Yamato, curling his fingers around the hot cup before him.
"Wait— wait— never mind! We don't have to go!"
Endo Yamato scrambled to where Takiishi was standing up, and put his hands around the fingers wrapped on the walls of the cup, lightly pushing to encourage him to drop the glass back down, "That's the last teabag we have, so please don't throw it. I'm sorry."
Takiishi still looked conflicted, seeming to weigh his options before placing the tea back on the table.
SLAP
Once the scarce beverage was no longer in danger, Takiishi swung his hand at Endo Yamato, knocking his head sideways. Red bloomed on his cheek where their skin made contact, a blue bruise dotting his stinging cheekbone.
Takiishi turned his attention back to the cup of tea.
Endo Yamato took that as an indication that Takiishi had now forgiven his wrongful words, and walked back into the kitchen to begin mixing himself some coffee with a packet of instant caffeine. The rich, earthy smell of the powder entwines with the floral sweetness of the chamomile. The pleasant scent is simultaneously calming and stimulating.
Takiishi takes a sip of his tea. The subtle taste of flowers washes over the cherries staining his tongue. Warmth cascades down his throat, heating up his stomach and soothing his mind.
Takiishi looks up, observing as Endo Yamato dissolves ice cubes into his drink with a spoon so that it doesn't scald his mouth.
"Endo Yamato. Do you have a wish?"
The rhythmic clink, clink, clink ceases.
Endo Yamato looks over his shoulder at Takiishi, his pupils lingering on the whites of Takiishi's eyes, as if he wanted to avoid eye contact without actuallyavoiding eye contact.
"..If I tell you…" he began slowly. Whether this awkward, ambling pace was the result of consideration or reluctance was unclear. "Would you fulfill my wish..?"
Takiishi didn't need to think about his answer. He was never motivated by anything other than his own whims.
"If I feel like it."
Endo Yamato started fidgeting with the spine of the spoon in his hand, running the pads of his fingers over the embellishments, tracing rounded flower petals and the veins of leaves, his eyes filled with anxious hope.
"Could we go to the shrine then?… I want to make my wish properly."
Takiishi frowned, "Why can't you say it right here?"
"… I.." Endo Yamato hesitated, a pink flush dusting his cheeks, before swallowing and fixing his rigid posture. He relaxed his shoulders, took his hand off the stainless steel spoon, and plastered an easy smile onto his face, changing the atmosphere around him in an instant, "It'd be a new experience for you, wouldn't it? Maybe you'll like it."
Endo Yamato chuckled softly, "It is your shrine after all."
Takiishi eyed the fake expression Endo Yamato was wearing. It wasn't often that Endo Yamato lied to him. So uncommon in fact, that it never happened.
Takiishi had heard all kinds of absurd prayers before, ranging from 'Please make me beautiful' and 'I wish my ex and her new boyfriend died' to 'Please strike down my father if he goes gambling again' and 'Please make me smart enough so that I never have to study'. What kind of wish could it possibly be that warranted this reaction?
Takiishi downed his tea; it burned a little as it trail-blazed down his throat.
"Alright," the empty cup thumped as it was set back down on the wooden table, "Let's go then, Endo Yamato."
-
The bustle of a large crowd of people was just as grating as he thought it would be.
The only saving grace was that too many voices overlapping meant that not a single conversation stood out over the rest.
Well— that's not quite true.
There was one voice that stood out over the rest.
"What're you gonna pray for, Takiishi?"
What a ridiculous question.
The look on Takiishi's reveals to Endo Yamato his inner thoughts.
"Since you're here, you might as well get the whole experience, shouldn't you?"
Takiishi wasn't too keen on having the 'whole experience'.
What god prays at their own shrine? He'd be the first to do something so nonsensical.
Whatever. Not like it really matters if he makes a wish or not. Everything Takiishi wants, he can get himself, or is handed to him on a silver platter by Endo Yamato. He'd have better luck getting his wish fulfilled by speaking it aloud rather to himself.
"I'll think about it when I'm up there." He really couldn't think much with half his brain stuffed in by unintelligible noise. The sensation of sound flooding in from both inside and outside felt weird.
"Ok!" Endo Yamato, seeing that there would be nothing more to discuss, changes topic, "What'd'ya wanna eat for lunch? We haven't made reservations for anything yet— unless you wanna eat at home?"
"I want to eat out."
"Hmmm… There was a sushi restaurant a couple streets away from here. We passed it when we were walking over — the one with the super long line leading out of the entrance, so it's definitely good. I can pay to have 'em put us at the top of the list if ya want," Endo Yamato suggested, pointing a thumb back behind him to refer to the shop's location.
Reaching the front of the handwashing line, Endo Yamato grabs the ladle and fills it with the water streaming out. He holds his left hand out, gesturing for Takiishi to give him his.
"It's cold outside," Takiishi replied dismissively, placing his hand atop Endo Yamato's.
Endo Yamato washes both their left hands with the water before switching the ladle over to his clean hand and motioning for Takiishi's right.
"Haha! That's true! It's pretty strange to have sushi today."
The people behind look at them strangely. One child lifts up his arm and turns to his mother, clearly intending to point at them and ask why they were doing it weirdly. The mother clasps a hand over the little boy's mouth, shushing him and telling him not to stare.
Water sluices down both their right hands.
"Somethin' warm and soupy then?"
Endo Yamato swaps the ladle over to his right hand and pours half of the water left into a cupped palm. He tentatively brings his pooled hand up to Takiishi's mouth.
"Mm."
Something warm and soupy sounds good.
Endo Yamato's eyes widen as Takiishi takes a sip of the water. The water level lowers with every drop he pulls onto his tongue until his lips make contact with Endo Yamato's hand. The suction pulls a sliver of skin into Takiishi's mouth.
It was soft and cold.
Like mochi ice cream.
But also a little callused, so not really.
Takiishi rinses his mouth and spits the water out onto the rocks below the fountain.
Endo Yamato's hand quivers, creating multiple rippling rings on the surface of the water in his hand. Takiishi looks up at his face, only to find it bright red. Steam seems to be coming out of his ears.
How is he overheating? It's winter.
Endo Yamato stares intently at his hand. Little droplet of water fall down his hand and onto the rocks.
The splatting of droplets as one diverges off into many smaller, all landing in different locations seem to snap him out of his trance as he rushed to press his lips against the spot where Takiishi had drank from, taking a full sip from the same place himself. It looks a tad bit awkward since his chin gets dipped in the water.
After ten seconds, the water still sits in Endo Yamato's mouth. His eyebrows are furrowed and the corners of his eyes narrow, as if he was battling some deep inner conflict.
Takiishi looks at him impatiently, finally snapping, "Hurry up, Endo Yamato."
Endo Yamato settles whatever indecision he was dealing with in a split second. His Adam's apple bobs, moving down and then back up, before he spits out the water in his mouth.
The amount that hits the rocks is strangely little, barely making a splat.
Water runs down the ladle's handle as the inky hand holding it tilts inwards.
Endo Yamato flashes a toothy, boyish smile, wiping the dribbles on his chin with a sleeve, "Let's go make our prayers now!"
Takiishi glances down at the rocks for a brief moment before turning around and walking towards the offering box.
Whatever. He's more curious about the wish that Endo Yamato wants to make than the mystery of where all that water went. Not that it's really much of a mystery in the first place. You'd have to be an idiot to not catch on to something so obvious.
Half a step behind him, Endo Yamato made quiet clicking sounds as he sucked on his own tongue, rubbing it on the roof of his mouth and gliding it across his teeth. The cherry candy from this morning must have been transferred over to the water that Takiishi drank from.
Standing in front of the big box, Takiishi shoves his hand into Endo Yamato's pocket, fishing out a coin to toss in.
Takiishi lazily inclines his head twice, looking more akin to someone casually greeting a familiar face in passing than actually showing respect.
In contrast, next to him, Endo Yamato does a full 90 degree bow, bending properly at the waist.
Two claps barely resound from his hands as the person to his left produces the crispest and clearest claps Takiishi has yet to ever hear.
Now for the wish…
I want hotpot for lunch.
Takiishi is in the middle of nodding to the box one last time when a wish rings loudly in his head.
Out of the sea of countless prayers and wishes, the one addressing him personally by name drowns out the noise of all the others.
Takiishi! Please pay attention to me more!!
The man beside him bowed respectfully one last time before slowly lifting his eyelids from where they squeezed — clenched shut until the skin at the corners of his eyes developed folds.
The first thing Takiishi thought after hearing the wish was: What the hell?
That was what you were too timid to say?
So Takiishi hardened his eyes and opened his mouth, a scoff already halfway up his throat—
Until he saw the expression Endo Yamato was wearing.
The tips of Endo Yamato's ears— no, his entire ear was tinted red. His face, all the way up to his hairline, was that same shade of scarlet which rivaled the the cherry hard candy Takiishi had this morning. It persisted down his neck, disappearing under his cashmere scarf, and probably traveled much further down his body. The bruise on his cheekbone from this morning stood out starkly, like the moon appearing in the sky in the middle of the day (Takiishi had the small, inexplicable urge to hit him again).
For the first time in all their years of knowing each other, Endo Yamato was avoiding his eyes.
Not that it helped to hide the earnestness and hope webbing behind them. Nor the pleading and embarrassed face the wind blowing his bangs back revealed.
He kept those green irises glued the ground, not yet having the courage to lift them. He'd probably stay stuck like this, muscles as stiff as stones, until Takiishi responded. Or perhaps anxiety would get the better of him and he'd begin crying right in front of the offering box while the people behind them watched yet another spectacle, gaped, and that little boy would have to be shushed by his mother again.
Flushed even more from the cold icy wind, Endo Yamato looked innocent, shy, and much more his age. He seemed even more jittery and seconds away from melting into a puddle on the ground than when he presented Takiishi with the tattoo that he designed. Takiishi couldn't understand why he was so nervous that day. Endo Yamato had never been bad at anything, and he himself knew it too.
Takiishi found that he couldn't scoff when Endo Yamato showed such a vulnerable face.
Something weird curls around each of his ribs, twisting and coiling around each individual bone, and when dragged up, what escaped his throat was instead, "Fine."
And it wasn't even accompanied by a mocking tone.
But in his head, an onslaught of complaints shouted over the prayers of faceless people.
You are the first person I see when I wake up, and the last person I see before I go to sleep. I spend more time with you than I spend alone. Haven't you been making good work of your declaration of 'I just wanted to be with you'? You are constantly, always, with me. Even your wishes get more attention than anyone else's. How much more attention is there even left for me to give you?! And what's up with the childish phrasing? I've heard more eloquent words from five-year-olds!
His bleached eyebrows creased, frustration leaking through.
Unbeknownst to the grievances being listed in Takiishi's mind, Endo Yamato's face transformed into one of unadulterated happiness.
Any traces of shame melted off his features until all that was left was the purest form of gratitude and joy
-
Takiishi pinched a slab of silky tofu between his chopsticks, submerging it underneath the broth.
The subsequent vegetables of bok choi, napa cabbage, spinach, and shiitake mushrooms all fall of Takiishi's ceramic plate and into the boiling soup.
They were all the ingredients that Endo Yamato liked.
While they were picking out their ingredients, Endo Yamato had idiotically asked, "..You… remember what I like?…"
He looked at the green leaves, brown mushroom tops, and smooth tofu blocks as if they were something wondrous, so Takiishi jabbed him in the stomach with the tongs he was holding.
How many times have they had hotpot together? Twenty? How would Takiishi not pick up on what he liked after that many times?
"Here, Takiishi!" Endo Yamato passed over a plate of raw ribeye steak, "They just brought it out!"
Endo Yamato looks like an overeager little kid from where he sits across Takiishi; like he's teetering towards the edge of cupping his face, twirling his hair, and giggling while swinging his legs under the table.
Takiishi adds the meat Endo Yamato hands him along with the platter of brisket sitting on the table into the pot.
A satisfying sizzle softly resounded as the cold meat entered the boiling broth.
He pokes it deeper with his chopsticks so that it would cook faster.
Takiishi fills a bowl with a shallow amount of pork-bone soup, lifting up a spoon to collect a mouthful of both.
Takiishi is reminded of why he hates mushrooms. It overpowers and dampens the flavor of everything else. Endo Yamato always made sure not to get any after that disastrous first hotpot meal they shared together.
Just as he's about to abandon the spoon to sitting in the soup, a tattooed hand stops him.
"I'll take it if ya don't like it," the owner's hand enthusiastically says. Those sea foam eyes sparkle opportunistically.
Takiishi wonders briefly if he's justifying it to himself or to Takiishi.
Endo Yamato clamps the head of the spoon between his teeth and slides the bowl over to his side of the table.
His lips move around the metal as if he were extracting flavor from it.
Endo Yamato looked like the most accurate depiction of happiness as he drank from the bowl that previously belonged to Takiishi. Cartoonish flowers, colorful stars, and a shining glow seemed as if they would suddenly materialize in the air surround him.
How can you get this happy from drinking second-hand soup?
A glass of water is pushed towards him. Takiishi sloshes it around between his teeth, cleansing his mouth of the lingering taste of mushrooms and fungi.
Endo Yamato picked up the ladle in the other portioned off half of the hotpot, scooping the bright red liquid into an unused bowl, picking out pieces of meat, squid, and vegetables.
"I got all your favorites!"
When do you ever not?
Takiishi took the outstretched bowl and settled it on the table.
Endo Yamato then holds out the empty bowl that he was drinking from with both hands, his eyes glittering with expectancy.
Takiishi takes it from him, piling vegetables and tofu inside. He checks the color of the meat, making sure that it's cooked fully through before adding it to the bowl. He passes it back to Endo Yamato, whose hands are practically vibrating. A few beads of soup splash over the edge, dripping across Endo Yamato's inked Roman numerals.
A breathy whisper that Takiishi could have easily missed tickles against his ear, "..Thank you."
Endo Yamato has his head bowed, bangs falling over his face and hiding his eyes as he picks up his chopsticks and takes a bite of the ribeye. He chews slowly and carefully before swallowing.
It's strangely quiet as they eat, not hearing a single noise from Endo Yamato, but the atmosphere doesn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Some form of contentment floats through the air around them, encircling the two in a bubble of satisfaction. They've had silent meals where all they did was simply eat with one another while sharing the same table and food before, so this wasn't the least bit awkward.
Spicy capsaicin warms Takiishi up from the inside, heating up his stomach and radiating outwards to his arms and legs, while he stews in the pleasant ambiance they've created.
Lunch was good. Endo Yamato had fulfilled Takiishi's wish as he always does, booking them a private room for hotpot. Takiishi was one step closer to fulfilling Endo Yamato's.
In the back of Takiishi's head, someone wishes to be able to enjoy a meal with precious company.
-
Fluffy, white frost began descending from the sky on the way home. The air became drier and the temperature dropped from how it was earlier this morning.
The cold bit and gnawed at any skin exposed to the environment.
Beside Takiishi, Endo Yamato's teeth chattered.
It should've deterred him from talking, but instead, Endo Yamato chittered on and on even more than usual. For the past eight minutes, not a second went by where a gap of silence was able to persist for any notable amount of time. It gave Takiishi something else to focus on rather than the unintelligible prayers ringing in ears, so he had no intention of telling him to stop anytime soon.
Could he become this energetic simply due to Takiishi serving him bowls of hotpot?
He did finish all the broth. The entire half of his side of the pot was emptied completely.
Endo Yamato smiled sunnily, as if he thought the warmth he exuded could melt any falling snow that consistently landed on him.
Perhaps unbeknownst to him — it couldn't. The smattering of little white dots of ice all over his curly hair and coat could attest to that.
He was shivering from head to toe like the victim of a electrical live wire. Practically spasming.
Unable to take the constant movement, and growing impatient of waiting for Endo Yamato to finally realize his predicament and do something about it, Takiishi took off his scarf.
"Endo Yamato. Stop shivering," he demands as he throws the strip of fabric at Endo Yamato's face. It obstructs his eyes entirely, making Endo Yamato have to pause in his step lest he risk tripping over something unseen or slipping on a patch of frozen water and sending himself to the hospital to start the new year. Chances are, he'd catch himself, but definitely not unscathed.
Endo Yamato hastily wraps it around his neck, layering it atop his own scarf. His gloved fingers are careful as they loop the ends, hooking it securely.
The way he looks can only be described as ridiculous. The two scarves stacked together forming a tiny mountain that covers half of Endo Yamato's face. But he's stop trembling all over, and that's all Takiishi cares about.
The two eyes that Takiishi can still see begin turning watery. The circles of his irises transform into disfigured blobs and tears collect at the corners of his eyes, a few falling.
Endo Yamato is quite the emotional person.
"Thanks, Takiishi!" Endo Yamato wetly replied, burying his nose deeper into the knitted design, inhaling a lungful of the scent attached to the fibers. Which doesn't really make any sense, since they use the same detergent, body wash, and shampoo, so Endo Yamato shouldn't be able to smell anything.
Regardless, it seems cover from the cold doesn't make his face any less red. The whites of his eyes resemble blood-stained marble tiles as he sob-less-ly cries.
Endo Yamato continues his ramblings. He wanted to go strawberry picking some time later this month.
The off-white and peachy colored strawberries are cool to look at. Nothing beats the original red in terms of taste though.
Takiishi presses himself closer to better make out the plans Endo Yamato is making. No draft of cold air is able to pass between their bodies.
"It'll rain the afternoon, so we should go earlier in the day," Endo Yamato suggests, voice slightly muffled behind the barrier of cloth.
"I don't want to wake up early," Takiishi quickly shoots down.
"But it's gonna be all muddy, cold, and gross if we go any later."
"That's fine."
"Oh, well ok then! I'll get out our rain boots. Do you want gloves?"
Endo Yamato presses himself closer to Takiishi as well.
Takiishi tries to add more input to the conversation than he usually would. More "why's" and "when's" and "mn's".
Takiishi looked at Endo Yamato as he spoke. Every word or sound of Takiishi's would make the corners of Endo Yamato's mouth lift up higher and higher. Occasionally, when his mouth formed taller vowels, his upper lip would peak out from behind the scarves. They were still a little inflamed from when he impulsively ate a chili from Takiishi's broth.
Interestingly enough, he had a bit of a stutter at the beginnings of sentences, and he'd speak faster as he kept going. His cheeks would flush an even brighter red than they already were — especially when Takiishi's eyes flicked back up from where they lingered on the outline of his lip.
He's always slightly pink when he talks to Takiishi, but it's different right now.
He looked like the strawberries they'd be picking soon.
Guess Endo Yamato was very enthusiastic about the topic.
Something weird strung itself through Takiishi's ribs again. Maybe his mortal vessel had succumbed to something.
He'd have to tell Endo Yamato to get medicine from the pharmacy. They should go right now so that Endo Yamato won't have to get out of bed early in the morning again.
"How long should we sta—" Takiishi hastily pulled Endo Yamato back, bunching his hand into the folds of the scarves. The soles of Endo Yamato's boots skid across the rough sidewalk concrete.
A white truck zoomed past, stirring up the air and lifting the ends of their coats. Heavy fabrics flap around in the wind.
"Oh. T-Thanks, Takiishi," Endo Yamato stuttered, leaning into Takiishi's hand still gripping the cashmere, his eyes shifting to where Takiishi's arm rested on his back.
"So about how long we'd be staying there—" he picked up from where he's been interrupted.
Takiishi yanked the scarf as hard as he could, making Endo Yamato fall backwards onto the concrete below.
"Takiishi?" The smile on his face finally dropped; the corners of those lips disappearing entirely. Those rosy and tear-filled eyes now turned sober and confused.
Takiishi glared, jaywalking passed him , "Pay attention to yourself. I'm not doing it anymore."
He didn't want to see Endo Yamato's soul anytime soon.
Endo Yamato scrambled up from his position, fingers scraping the ground, as the pedestrian light changes icon, and people pass by, obstructing Takiishi's shrinking figure, "Takiishi! Wait—"
-
Endo Yamato poked his head into the living room, "Takiishi! I'm gonna order dinner for—"
The phone he was holding up rang, cutting him off. Endo Yamato quickly hit the red decline button, not even sparing the contact name a glance.
"I'm gonna order dinner fer us. Is there anything in particular yo—"
The phone rang again. Endo Yamato declined the call once more.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Udon."
The call screen flashed yet again.
A shadow swept over Endo Yamato's face, his jaw tightening.
This time, he accepted the call.
"Do you mind ordering dinner? I'm gonna take this real quick," Endo Yamato asked, pulling another phone out of his pocket.
"Go. That sound's annoying." Takiishi held out his hand, poised to catch.
"Thanks!" Endo Yamato flashed a smile before leaving.
"What is it? I was in the middle of something important," the end of his sentence fades out as he retreats into another rooms.
Takiishi turns on the phone, opening up the food delivery app.
He fumbled around with the website, having to figure out how to navigate it first.
This is irritating. He shouldn't have told Endo Yamato to leave. Why do all these icons have so many sub-sections inside them???
Unfamiliar with the online ordering system and because the button for customization is so small, it takes him a while to figure out how to add items to the cart. It's a good thing Endo Yamato's credit card information was already saved.
By the time he's finished, Takiishi is half exhausted, and Endo Yamato still hasn't come back from his phone call.
Takiishi listens to some of the wishes that he receives to pass the time. They've slowed down to a manageable pace by now, with only one coming every three or five minutes. New Years would be ending smoothly it seemed. Before junior high, he used to spend every January first in bed trying to sleep through the headache. It'd never work, and he'd pick fights with people on the streets the day after to blow off his frustration. Things have really changed since Endo Yamato.
One thing that hasn't changed though, is the type of wishes that he gets.
'Please let my best friend and I get into our dream university!'
And how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Get in using your own skills. If you're untalented then dream smaller. How stupid... And what the hell is 'university'?
'My dad has been down recently. I don't know why, but please cheer him up somehow.'
Takiishi sends this person a dream in which she and her father beat up a bunch of street thugs. That ought to help her dad release some steam. It's very relaxing.
"Deal with them however you want. It doesn't matter to me long as they pay up," Endo Yamato's voice seeps through the closed door of their bedroom. It's curt and cold, his tone laced with annoyance. It's a night and day difference compared to how he speaks with Takiishi.
Takiishi doesn't mind. If you're upset, then there's nothing wrong with acting upset. He's doing the same thing after all, and Endo Yamato encourages it.
The doorbell rings. Probably their food.
Takiishi gets up from the couch to retrieve the noodles.
There was a man with an ugly cap and uniform standing on their doorstep, holding a white plastic bag filled with food containers jutting out.
"Hello—"
Takiishi grabs the plastic bag out of the man's hand, shutting the door in his face before he has the time to finish his greeting.
Heat from the styrofoam containers inside the bag emit a wave of warmth through his shirt and into his stomach.
Takiishi sets the food down on the dinning table, going towards their bedroom to tell Endo Yamato to come eat.
He turns the doorknob, stepping a foot into the room, "Endo Yamato," the curly head of hair by the window turns to the sound of the name, "Food's here."
Endo Yamato smiles, his face molding from something flat and bored into something soft and sweet, "Alright. I'm coming’."
"Umm… Endo-san..?" A slightly staticky voice speaks up from Endo Yamato's phone, confusion ringing clear.
Endo carelessly hangs up the call, throwing the phone onto their bed. He must have folded the blankets and straightened the pillows at some point; it wasn't messy and rumpled anymore.
He quickly walks over to where Takiishi stands, "Let's go eat!"
They make their way into the kitchen, where Endo Yamato unties the knot keeping the noodles within safely secured, opens the bag, and uncovers the contents inside.
When his eyes land on the yaki-udon with a mix of shiso, browned chicken, caramelized onions, thinly sliced carrots, shiitake, strips of bell peppers, and green cabbage, Endo Yamato freezes, his hand stiffening where it rests on the hook of the box.
After a few seconds, he finally collected his thoughts enough, "…You remember this too..?"
"Mm," Takiishi hummed, pulling his own noodles towards him and tearing the paper wrapping off the chopsticks, prepared to start eating.
He takes a bite of the egg on top. The vibrant yolk trickles down the egg white, falling onto the Parmesan and fried bacon. Takiishi doesn't understand why it's considered an unconventional udon dish; the combination works well together and there's nothing off-putting about it.
A flash goes off in front of Takiishi.
When he looks up, Takiishi is greeted with the sight of Endo Yamato taking pictures of the yaki-udon.
Flashes continuously flicker as Endo Yamato snaps more and more pictures from varying different angles, wearing an open-mouthed smile with shining eyes. Takiishi focuses his attention back to his udon.
How delicious. He'll tell Endo Yamato to send this restaurant money again to make sure they don't go out of business. The shop is always so dilapidated when they go in-person. There's mold growing on the ceiling and the tables are chipped and peeling. The owners really should fix that soon.
Endo Yamato eventually sits down and begins eating.
"You know that one nail salon we went to a couple months ago?" Endo Yamato began.
Guess this wasn't going to be a quiet meal like lunch was.
"No? That's fine. Anyways, I walked past it the other day, and apparently it closed down. I had a chat with the employee there that was picking her stuff up," he waved his chopsticks around as he talked, "and she said the owner had a massive gambling problem, and eventually decent into debt with her mother, in-laws, friends, and even some of the nail techs she hired."
He tallied off the listed individuals as he spoke.
"You get a lotta prayers from people hoping to win the lottery, right?"
Takiishi's never talked much about the wishes that he receives; Endo Yamato wasn't wrong though.
He continued his tangents, switching from one line of thought to another through seemingly almost nonexistent correlations.
It's a wonder how he can understand what Takiishi's answer would be even though he never responds. Does he blink a certain way when he means 'no'?
Endo Yamato seems to always know impossible things, even if his way of thinking to get to the answer is flawed.
Like how he found out about Takiishi's divinity.
When Endo Yamato first looked at him with starry-eyed holy reverence, Takiishi was taken aback. He thought that perhaps his human vessel was detective or cracking. Fortunately, continued observation revealed that Endo Yamato was simply a lunatic with strange delusions — though by some miracle, those delusions turned out to be reality.
Maybe Takiishi really did send him a revelation without knowing.
What a strange human.
When they're done with the food, Endo Yamato begins packing up the leftovers, and cling wrapping them to put into the fridge to eat at a later date. Probably breakfast tomorrow.
Takiishi watches him as he lays out the plastic, humming a little made up tune as he cuts it to the appropriate size.
He seems happy, gently smiling and ambling about with a pep in his step, practically skipping on the kitchen tiles.
"Let's go to sleep now, Takiishi," Endo Yamato chirps as he approaches, heading towards their bedroom.
"Oh! Your heat pad is lifting," careful fingers gently rub a line on his nape, flattening the edges of the patch. Endo Yamato's fingertips feel cold when he accidentally skims them across the thinner skin at the back of Takiishi's neck.
The heating patch starts to work better than it has been for the past hour. Takiishi's neck feels aflame.
"Don't touch me," Takiishi slaps Endo Yamato's hand away. The back of his hand where they made contact also begins to burn. Is it because Endo Yamato didn't spit out all the water at the shrine?
"Sorry, sorry. I'll brush your teeth for you. Don't be mad, ok?" Still with that carefree smile, Endo Yamato held up his inked hands placatingly.
Without acknowledging what he offered, Takiishi wordlessly started for the bathroom.