consumingly | open post

............

[Endo's remark is simple, unsurprising, and yet Accelerator feels himself hit with a wave of uncomfortable anxiety. Maybe he shouldn't have come back. This is the kind thing to do, the good thing, and he isn't a good person. He won't even pretend to be, so maybe this was all a big, stupid mistake? Except he's here now, so at the very least he needs to drop that goddamn phone off before running like a total coward. At least he has a can of coffee he can chug, that will make him feel a little better.

All of that runs through his head as he steps into the room and his gaze (irritated, as usual) turns from Endo over to the jug. Okay, water, he can do that.

He sets two bags down on the table next to the jug. One is clearly a paper bag from an Apple store, containing the new cell phone. The other is a plain plastic bag containing his can of coffee. With his hand freed up, he grabs the jug and pours Endo a cup of water.]

What did the doctors say?

[That's information he could at least use. His own analysis earlier hadn't been all that in-depth and he can't replace a real doctor and medical equipment, so he's curious as to how bad the injuries are. Being stuck at least one night in the hospital for monitoring wouldn't surprise him at all. Surgery might be a little more extreme, he isn't totally sure his wings did that much damage, but that wouldn't really surprise him either.

Setting the jug down, he grabs the cup to hand it over, not thinking anything of it. Obviously if Endo wasn't allowed any fluids he'd be following the orders of health professionals, obviously, so Accelerator doesn't question the request.]

[ At first, Endo doesn't even look at the bags. He only has eyes for the cup, which he grabs with a little too much enthusiasm — partially due to thirst, partially due to the drugs lowering his inhibitions just enough to make him forget to consider the optics of desperation. He downs the water immediately. ]

Fuck, that's good.

[ It's just water. Nothing special about it. But right now, it might as well be the most precious drink on earth. He wants more, but while he may be completely disregarding the doctor's orders, he won't ask for seconds. He'll restrain himself for now.

Maybe.

Belatedly, and distractedly: ]

They're seeing if I need surgery. We're waiting on results.

[ His attention is on Accelerator, and it's a little intense. He's subdued by the meds, but not as effectively as he should be. They take away an edge that Endo considers very important, because where as he should now revert to teasing, or demanding the new phone, or easing his way further into "friendship" with Accelerator, he blurts out: ]

Are you gonna sit?

[ And, y'know, stay? Endo doesn't need company, but Accelerator's making him feel a little — unsettled, because he's just standing there like he's aiming to have one foot out the door.

For that same reason, it comes out phrased as a question, rather than an assertion of what Accelerator should do. Endo rubs his face, trying to wake himself up some more. ]

[There's a tiny, miniscule little thing that happens within Accelerator in the short span of time between him pouring and handing the water to Endo, and Endo drinking it. He's quiet, waiting for an answer and therefore not doing much aside from watching the relief flood the other boy due to getting a drink, even though it's about as basic as you can get.

He feels nice. Good, even, for being able to help with something so simple.

It's a flicker of emotion, not enough to make Accelerator's expression shift. This is a rare feeling for him, a monster like himself typically doesn't feel good about something, and he's surprised by it. It's only water, so why should it even matter? Is it the fact that it is such a small thing that makes it feel significant? He's so used to hurting people that doing something kind when it isn't out of a sense of obligation is enough to affect him?

He isn't sure, and with Endo's answer he decides not to dwell on it, blinking as he snaps out of his thoughts. Surgery? Hopefully it doesn't come to that. The question has him pausing as well, and he grabs the Apple bag, dropping it into Endo's lap, followed by his wallet. There, the main two reasons he showed back up are done, so he no longer has any obligation to stick around. He can leave and not feel bad about doing so. Except....

Except doing something nice not out of any sense of obligation isn't such a bad thing. Grabbing a nearby chair, he drags it over to the side of the bed. Then he takes his convenience store bag and sits down. To give his arm a break he's going to let go of his crutch, leaving it standing on its own next to the chair.

It's fine, is what he tells himself. It's worth sticking about to see what the doctors conclude, if surgery is needed. Making more of an effort towards someone he's hurt isn't a bad thing either, and besides, his opinion on hospitals hasn't changed. Being stuck in one all alone sucks. Keeping Endo company, even for a little while, is the right thing to do.]

What's with all the credit cards with women's names on them?

[While he asks that Accelerator pulls out his can of coffee, popping it open and taking a long sip. That was something he noticed earlier when poking around his wallet, and he's curious.]

[ Normally, Endo would grab the bag, look inside, and make a comment or two about the phone choice, depending on the brand and model Accelerator picked. Instead, he allows the bag to sit on his lap unopened and his wallet to rest beside it untouched. He's too busy tracking Accelerator's movements to determine if he is going to leave — and trying to decide what he'll do if he does. Being hydrated helped wake him up a little, but Endo's still feeling a little too slowed down to make a plan beyond calling out, Hey, don't go yet.

So it's a good thing that Accelerator drags that chair over and settles into it with a drink of his own. Endo relaxes, feeling that restless energy begin to drain. Which, in turn, allows him to answer somewhat brightly: ]

Those are from the women I'm dating.

[ — as he grins, still a little sleepily. ]

Or were dating, before.

[ Sometimes only for a night, sometimes he gets a short-term thing going. Depends on what he needs, how much fun he's having, and how much money she has to spare. ]

Don't worry, I didn't steal 'em. They gave 'em to me.

[ And they can cancel them at any time, if they get tired of seeing charges build up. But they don't! They keep paying their bills, which means that whenever they're in town and looking for a little fun, they have a nice excuse to call him up. Endo visits with them, stays the night, and the next thing he knows, his credit limit has gone up. It's a nice system. Win-win.

And whenever one of them falls off the grid or does cancel her card, Endo goes and picks up someone else. This cycle keeps his pockets buffered, elevating his lifestyle beyond gang profits. He and Takiishi have expensive tastes, after all.

He shifts as best he can, moving closer to Accelerator's side of the bed, to add a teasing: ]

Jealous?

[ But even after saying the word, he stays lying along the edge of the bed, choosing to settle right there. He can't invade Accelerator's space while hooked up to machines, but he uses his physical presence as best he can regardless. ]

[Accelerator wishes Endo had stolen them. That would be a much more straightforward answer. He's scum and mugs women on the street for credit cards. That's it, dead simple, and petty theft is something Accelerator has no problem understanding. He's encountered it more times than he can count, so it's not that big a deal.

But dating. Dating. Accelerator hears that and freezes, stunned (even though objectively speaking, it's not some huge bombshell). This is an area of life in which he has exactly zero experience: practically every person he's ever known his own age is either terrified of him or wants to fight him, with a tiny handful of exceptions, and adults have only ever flirted with him because to provoke him. He doesn't even have friends, the idea of relationships beyond that are completely alien to him.

So Endo says that, and gives further explanation that doesn't help at all (he really wishes it was just theft). He makes it all sound like it's perfectly normal and hell, maybe it is for him. He's already proven that he's bizarre in other ways, why not this, too? But Accelerator, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is stuck sitting there attempting to process this information as if it never could have occurred to him. Mostly because it didn't. Then there's the real kicker, with that very teasing "Jealous?", and that's when Accelerator notices he's shifted over to the edge of the bed.]

Huh?

[He heard that right? He heard that right.

Alright, anyone with two eyes can see that Endo is an attractive person. Even Accelerator (reluctantly) won't deny that. But anything beyond that is causing his brain to stall out, and before he can stop himself he's bristling and snapping back.]

What — why the hell would I be jealous of them?? [Endo is teasing him, like he did before when he said he was interested. That's all this is, and he's falling for it even with that awareness. Wait, is he supposed to be jealous of the women, or Endo? Fuck. Accelerator inwardly curses at himself and tries to relax even though it's too little too late, scowling as he sinks lower in the chair.] Why the fuck are you dating them, anyways? Aren't you in high school like me? Can't they find men their own age??

[Yeah, that's the issue here. Adults being irresponsible isn't anything new to him — hell, one time back home he ran into some idiot high schooler in a relationship with a pregnant teacher — but that doesn't mean he has to like it. With all the crap adults have put him through over the years that's a power dynamic he's never going to abide by.]

[What happens to a soccer player who fails out of Blue Lock completely? Some are scooped up by international soccer clubs. But others are brought to a secret facility run by the fat cats that funded the project in the first place, hoping to recoup their investments in less than wholesome ways.

Yukimiya is one of those, particularly as in his current condition, he's not much use for soccer. He had a degenerative eye disorder before arriving at Blue Lock, and the strain of training and games had made his eyesight worse, particularly at the periphery. He's wasted potential in the highest degree. But he's pretty, so very pretty. He'd been asked to model once or twice when younger, before declaring soccer his true life's goal.

The boys for sale are kept in small cells, still dressed in soccer kits, so those buying them could marvel at having genuine article Blue Lock players. Sitting on the floor of his, Yukki glares straight ahead. He wouldn't be able to see those coming to gawk at him, otherwise.]

[ Truthfully, Endo's never cared all that much about Blue Lock.

For a while there, he used the popularity of the sport to gather bets and make a profit — for himself, and for a bored old man who backed anything that Endo told him to. That old man kept the money flowing as long as Endo was capable of paying him back dividends, which Endo of course was, and so they had a good thing going for a while. But the old man eventually grew bored and moved on to other illegal betting venues, and Endo himself lost interest in keeping his side venture going while his other "businesses" were doing so well, so he ultimately stopped following the sport — and caring about it at all.

Until, that is, the old man contacted him again and told him about this highly illegal auction and its new bounty of Blue Lock players. Endo's technically here on his behalf, but his eyes start to wander for himself instead. He's big on recruiting for Noroshi in an entirely different manner, but this wouldn't be about that. He has enough members in his gang. This is entirely selfish: there's something to be said about holding someone's freedom entirely in his hands, like a hummingbird enclosed in his fist. Someone he doesn't have to release, unlike everything else he's ever wanted to keep close.

He texts the old man pictures and notes, while keeping tabs for himself, until he gets to a particular cell — where he takes one look, stops, and then pockets his phone entirely.

The old man can wait. ]

Hey.

[ He speaks quietly, a small smile playing upon his lips while he surveys the guy on the floor. Endo decides to squat in front of him to get a good look. ]

Take off your glasses.

Excuse me?

[It's not really the oddest thing someone's asked of him today; more than once, someone's wanted to know if he's a virgin. But still, this is a demand for him to make himself more vulnerable, and he's still trying to pretend he has enough agency to keep his dignity about him.

It's not that he doesn't realize what sort of situation he's in. He's fully aware he's fucked.

But he doesn't want to give in, not just yet.]

Heh. You're not really in a position to refuse are ya?

[ Endo leans forward, grabbing the bars even though that puts him in striking reach. He has no idea if this guy is one of the bad-tempered, violent soccer players, or if he's polite and would never hurt a fly, but he tempts him all the same. ]

Or are you curious to see what happens if you do? Hmm, what'll happen if I call someone over...

[ Even if he weren't dulled by pain medication, Endo wouldn't necessarily temper the excited smile that takes over his face as Accelerator processes this information — and his quip. He might've been more careful about it, though — more measured, or better in timing, or even not that intense, since too much too fast is only going to scare Accelerator away. It's not like Accelerator's fully comfortable around him yet. Endo's positive that he considered leaving earlier; meds aren't to fully turn off his tendency to analyze people.

But as before, the medication is just enough to shave off an edge to Endo's actions, and therefore he beams at Accelerator, entirely charmed and very pleased with his reaction — and himself. Because truthfully, Endo was teasing without putting a whole lot of forethought into his phrasing, thanks to the drugs, and he hadn't even meant to imply that Accelerator should be jealous of the women. Elated, Endo doesn't correct him. He keeps it to himself like a treasured little secret, absolutely reveling in the fact that Accelerator took it that way. This means that he's grown on Accelerator more than he anticipated.

He's in a really good mood now, so he happily chatters away. ]

I'm dating 'em 'cause I like 'em. And 'cause they're loaded. Why else?

[ Like it's the most natural thing in the world for a teenager to spend evening hours with women who're a good bit older than him. ]

And no, man, I'm not in high school anymore. I dropped out over a year ago. But I was dating 'em when I was a first-year, too. A couple of 'em would drive me to school in the mornings.

[ He drifts in thought a little, remembering one in particular, but then he snaps his attention back to Accelerator again to assure him: ]

Don't worry. It's all casual. I'm a free man.

[ Is it casual? Yes. Is Endo a free man? Not at all. But as he is right now, he doesn't intend it as a lie. Takiishi is separate, and he's loaded up on enough pain meds to avoid any deep thoughts about him. He's just happily in the present moment. ]

[Is there such a thing as a polite soccer player? At least, one who made it anywhere within Blue Lock?

...maybe. Yukimiya lets out a heavy sigh, taking the glasses off and staring at the blur of dark and light that Endo becomes, his eyes a rather striking shade of brown, almost orange in the harsh fluorescent light of the cell.]

I'm not going to be much use to anyone unless I'm wearing them.

Maybe that's what I want.

[ Someone helpless, vulnerable, all alone in the dark — or maybe Endo just wants someone who'll do what they're told without much fanfare. Because, if he's really gonna take a slave home for himself, he'll have a lot on his plate, training him to be loyal, dependent, and entirely his own. He doesn't deal in half-measures, and it'll be a hell of a lot easier to go all-in if he isn't working around attitude from the get-go.

Not that he minds a little motivation in the form of threats. He just doesn't want full defiance for the particular purpose he has in mind. ]

Give them to me.

[ He slips one hand between the bars, then opens it, palm up. ]

[It really is an effective way to kneecap Yukimiya, and to rub into his face exactly how vulnerable he is right now. But this time, he doesn't talk back, only hesitating a moment before placing the glasses...well, first in the air above Endo's hand, and then there's a little sort of flailing about. His eyesight is really bad.

He had hoped to make it big in time to earn the money to save it.]

[ In doing this, Endo gets a sense of just how well he can see without them; it also pushes the boundaries of obedience a little further, testing to see how much he can get away with so soon. Once the glasses are in his possession, Endo could easily smash them, or steal them, or hand them off to someone else. But he does none of these things; he simply holds them off to the side.

Only now is he actually a little interested. Only now does he allow himself to really look at this unfortunate former soccer player. ]

I bet a lot of the guys who come through here tell you you're pretty. But none of 'em stick around. They take a good look at you and move on. Am I right?

Mm. Or they say it to the staff, like we're at an animal shelter and I wouldn't understand their words. 'Oh, this one's cute.' But you're right, I don't seem to have garnered any serious interest.

[Until now? Until now. Which is worse, being chosen or being overlooked? Yukimiya truly isn't certain yet.]

Some of the others sold pretty much the moment they hit the floor.

[Endo gives a smile that could light up an entire room and right away Accelerator knows he's said the wrong thing. He's torn between wanting to crawl into a hole to die and wanting to smash this entire hospital into rubble. Unfortunately for him, societal expectations mean he has to wrangle his feelings and he settles for scowling, cracking open his can of coffee and downing a large gulp. It's cold and bitter, and that's a comfort. The familiar taste of this exact brand (UCC Black Unsweetened, that's all he's been drinking for the past two weeks) helps settle his nerves.

It doesn't get rid of the mental image of Endo going out on dates with rich older women out of his head, but it helps.]

Tche.

[He isn't worried, is he? If Endo is running his own gang then he's clearly got some capability in handling people, especially people who might normally be difficult in some way. Banjo was a good indicator of that, along with the way the guy got into his head to bring his black wings out. But then on the other side of things, speaking of the wings.... this is also the idiot who looked like he would've embraced them if given the chance, no matter how obviously dangerous they are, so he isn't exactly responsible....

Endo's ability to judge situations is questionable. Accelerator isn't sure if that lack of ability extends to actual people. Should that even matter to him? He knows that he's a monster, so Endo's opinion of him doesn't change his view of himself. Beyond that, it shouldn't be any of his business when it comes to other people, so by that logic he shouldn't be worried. Despite that, there is still the niggling thought, the irritation of adults screwing around with the power dynamic for their own selfish whims. He's seen that far too many times outside the context of dating that he still feels skeptical. Surely dating can't change it that much?

Maybe he's overthinking all of this. His brain wants to start jumping to concepts like attachment theory, or better yet, nonlinear dynamics and he's pretty sure that trying to understand Endo's love life using mathematical models is a rabbit hole he should not go down. Even for someone who defines his reality through mathematical calculations that's kind of ridiculous.

He puts an elbow up on the arm of his chair, so that he can rest his forehead in his hand.]

What the fuck do you do if they start getting too attached? You can't expect adults who date kids to be emotionally stable people. What do they get out of the deal?

[All of that feels safe to ask, at least. There seems to be far too much potential for interpersonal drama to easily pop up he can't see how that kind of dating would be worthwhile. Of course his questions and skepticism may just be borne out of his own bias, finding all forms of interpersonal connections to be varying amounts of terrifying and exhausting, but still. He feels the need to ask.]

[ Endo clicks his tongue in a way that could be chiding, though it's up in the air as to whether it's directed at Yukimiya or the people who've been dismissing him. He pauses a moment, and then: ]

Wanna know why?

[ He makes an idle circle with Yukimiya's glasses, even though the guy probably can't track the movement. ]

Because I'm a product that's going to diminish in value quicker than the others?

[Not that he wants to view himself as a product, but it's true, isn't it?]

[ Endo stares at him in surprise for a moment, then bursts out laughing. ]

Man, that's one way to put it! I was just gonna call you boring.

[ He reaches between the bars again and tosses the glasses into his lap. ]

[There's a quick scramble to put the glasses back on, not wanting to be so exposed in front of this stranger.]

My deepest apologizes for failing to be sufficiently entertaining while locked in a cage. Might I suggest a songbird, instead?

[He actually manages to make that sound like a polite suggestion. The sarcasm isn't in his tone at all.]

Edited 2025-08-22 03:38 (UTC)

You're apologizing to the wrong guy. I'm looking at you, aren't I? Besides...

[ He grins brightly now that it'll have the appropriate effect. ]

I bet you sing just fine.

[Wow, that grin is horrifying.]

I haven't figured out if you looking at me is a good thing.

Better decide fast. I gotta move along.

[ He's going to leave the decision in Yukimiya's hands, for his own amusement. With a little time pressure, to kick things up a notch. ]

But I'll buy ya, if you choose right now.

What will you do with me?

[Soccer players are, usually, good with time pressure. But without information, Yukimiya's working blind. Erm, blinder than usual. Still, there's something to be said for someone noticing him, taking the time to talk to him.]

I don't share trade secrets until there's a contract in place.

[ Not that slaves get contracts, but he gets the idea. ]

Choose now, or choose never.

[ With a shrug: ]

It's up to you.

[ And whether he wants to risk getting bought by another, far more ugly and lecherous guy. Go for it, if so! Clearly Endo is entirely generous and not at all unhinged — he's giving him a choice and everything! ]

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