[ In all the years since Endo grew self-aware enough to realize that he had a special talent for excelling in everything he bothered trying, he has rarely had one of his plans go awry. Whether he's waging war on a town or arranging a simple, well-timed birthday celebration, everything typically works out perfectly. There is the rare exception, usually involving Takiishi, but thwarted isn't a word that he's ever really had to apply to himself.
Which is why today is so damn annoying.
All he wanted to do was head to a specific shop a couple of towns over — a shopping district that has suffered due to an uptick in gang activity that rivals even some of the worst towns in Japan, but manages to retain enough business for a few specialty shops to remain open. One of them is a perfume store, and it's the reason Endo makes the journey. They have a nice selection of colognes, and he's in the mood for a new one.
The weather is unseasonably cold. They're barely into autumn and yet snow is predicted later in the day, a forecast that Endo should easily beat back home. The temperatures are expected to drop further, but not until the storm hits. Endo therefore dresses at the bare minimum of warmth, his outfit consisting of a turtleneck sweater, a light jacket, a sleek pair of gloves, and slacks, all of which give him the appearance of someone respectable, rather than a gang leader. That should have been more than enough coverage for the time he planned on expending on the shopping trip — and it would have been, were it not for a series of unfortunate mishaps.
First, the store was closed in advance due to weather. This rendered the entire trip useless, which skewed his overall day. He decided to stop for a bite to eat, which also was a mistake, because the sky began to look threatening while he was finishing his last bites. He still would have had enough time to reach home before the storm unleashed ahead of schedule, but as he left the restaurant, he ended up embroiled in a brawl with a bunch of rowdy kids. They were fresh high school students who were no way near as organized as Furin, and they were fighting over something stupid. Endo was going to leave them to it, but one of the kids decided to try to punch him, and well — he had to exert a little time and effort on taking care of that, as well as the backup team that ran to the area and identified him as an opponent they had to take down.
All in all, it was an easy affair, though one that Endo would have preferred to send someone else to deal with. The initial punch never made contact, and he wasn't touched thereafter. The only real consequence was the snow that started to fall quite heavily before he was done, and the temperature that dropped thereafter. What should have been an easy walk quickly became impossible as visibility plummeted and wet snow seeped into his jacket.
Now he has no choice but to take shelter from the wind in a random, run-down building that once housed a bar and now mostly contains litter, graffiti, and a distinct lack of anything that could make this detour a little easier on him. There are no blankets, no extra clothes — and there's no power, either. Which means no heat.
He has to take off his jacket and shoes because both are wet enough to be dangerous in these temperatures. His sweater and slacks aren't faring great either, but they aren't so damp that he'll freeze to death if he keeps them on. Just in case, he rolls up the legs of his slacks, keeping the wettest parts of the fabric off of his skin. In the end, he huddles in what was once a booth, more irritated than anything else. Stuff like this doesn't, and shouldn't, happen to him — and yet here he is.
And here someone else is, too, apparently, because the door creaks open. Though he's cold, Endo forces himself to stand and adopt his usual languid body language, that way he won't have to exert more energy by putting down someone who takes him to be an easy target. He also speaks before the (other) intruder gets any ideas: ]
Yeesh, can't a guy get some privacy? Who just goes wandering into abandoned buildings these days?
[ Clearly, Endo does. But just to drive home the point, in a more serious tone: ]
[ Nirei has made many mistakes in life and today is no different. The first one was wearing a flimsy hoodie and a threadbare sweater because 1, he runs hot and 2, he figured he'd be home early. The latest one is not recognizing Endo's voice right away because of the howling wind. So he steps in anyway despite the threatening tone, shuts the door to keep the cold from creeping inside even further, and politely greets who he thinks is just a defensive stranger in a bad town. ]
Sorry! I just want to wait out the storm. I promise to stay out of your way so please just... [ When his eyes finally adjust to the sparse light coming in from the dirty windows, his voice trails off into a squeaky little whimper. ] ...ignore...me...
[ His eyes dart around the decrepit bar then snap back to Endo. Then he blinks. Once, twice. When his worst nightmare doesn't disappear, when it finally hits him that this isn't some delirious hallucination brought on by hypothermia, a small part of him actually considers going back outside and letting the snow take him. The logical part doesn't even need to point out that's a bad idea because his legs aren't working no matter how much he wants to run. He can't even take a step back to press against the door. ]
I, um...I...oh no...
[ Unlike Endo, Nirei is far too used to things not going his way. So used to it, in fact, that he very rarely feels annoyed or devastated when things go wrong. Scared, yes, but he's used to that too and can push through it half the time. Like when his train was delayed and he made it to the town later than he meant to, when the shop he wanted to check out was closed because of the weather forecast, even when it started snowing and he got lost, he took it all in stride and forced himself to focus on getting from point A to point B. Sure, his phone didn't have any signal and the one place for shelter he found looked haunted, but he kept telling himself that soon this would all just be a bad memory and a morbidly funny story to tell his friends when he gets home.
Now he's wondering if he was evil in a past life or if his ancestors pissed off a god. Because what are the odds here? ]
...h-hello. [ Unsure of what else to say or do, he awkwardly takes his hand out of his hoodie's pocket and holds out the disposable handwarmer he's using. It's the cheap kind that's a bit less warm than body temperature and only lasts about an hour or so, but he figures it's better than nothing. ] Handwarmer? This brand's kinda bad, but it's...it's uh, it's all I got...sorry...
[ He tries not to cringe at how pathetic he sounds, at the fact that Endo just standing there is making him shake harder than the freezing cold. ]
Edited (rewrote some stuff that bothered me when I reread. sorry for the extra notif!) 2025-06-30 23:01 (UTC)
i hope he likes cuddles :') endo's been saving them up since his takiishi comment........
[ Although Endo isn't in the mood for Bofurin heroics — or fighting in general, given that even the slightest sheen of sweat could be dangerous in temperatures like this — Nirei is an unwelcome sight. He's probably one of the easiest students to manage, given that Endo could stand over him with a whispered boo and he'd likely fall to his knees immediately, but he's one of Sakura's more annoying friends. There's just enough gumption inside of him to hinder Endo's ongoing presence in Sakura's life, but not enough to be anything remotely close to a challenge. He's a babbler and runs his mouth without thinking, which means he'll be even more insufferable than the other non-entities that interrupted his fight with Sakura, and his self-preservation varies from reasonable to completely out the window. On most days, Endo would be more or less fine with going back and forth with him to pass the time, scare him a little, maybe drag some information out of him, but he's cold and in a genuinely bad mood — not the kind he adopts to intimidate, but one that has him seriously considering walking closer and closer to Nirei until he willingly turns tail and runs out the door.
But there are many problems with forcing him back in the storm to potentially freeze to death, namely the deal he made with Sakura: a promise for a promise. He has no intention of extracting himself from Sakura's life, which means that being the cause of injury or death to one of his friends is decidedly off the table, even if he doesn't lift a hand in the process. And there's also the more pragmatic consideration that is survival. He isn't going to accept dying here, but that means using everything at his disposal to survive — Nirei included.
Nevertheless, there's no warmth to be found — not in their shelter, and nor in Endo's demeanor. Although he allows his initial disdain to drain from his face, replaced instead by his typical lazy expression, there's an edge to it — sharper than it normally would be.
That does not, however, stop him from looking at the proffered handwarmer, held out to him like he's a common thug looking for lunch money. A beat passes, and then he laughs, abruptly but without any actual good humor. ]
C'mon, man. If I wanted to shake you up, I'd expect something better than that.
[ For example: info on Sakura. Umemiya's untimely disappearance. Whatever dry clothing he has on his back — though, that last one would probably be as useless as the handwarmer, considering how short Nirei is.
Then he sighs, running a hand through his damp hair. He isn't shivering yet, still running off of the meager warmth he maintained while huddling in the booth, but the longer he stands around, the more likely it becomes. ]
What a pain. Now I need to do something with you.
[ He isn't entirely serious — at least not in a clear-cut threatening sense — but he doesn't plan on letting him hang around without being of some use. ]
oh noo not the cuddles D: (>:3).......oh well what's one more harrowing humiliation on his long list
[ For a fleeting moment, Nirei's proud of himself for not flinching or falling backwards when Endo laughs suddenly. Then the vague threat pulls an embarrassing squeaky noise out of him and he's right back to hating himself and cursing his nonexistent luck for putting him in this situation. ]
R-right! Right. Got it. Of course. I...
[ He swallows, resists the urge to lick his freezing lips, and pockets the handwarmer. He's not sure yet if getting to keep it is good or bad, but something in his gut tells him he should lean on bad just to be safe. Endo's unpredictable — unhinged, really, but not even Nirei would say that out loud — and the only thing about him that can be counted on is his obvious need to survive this.
Now that the initial shock is wearing off, Nirei's all too aware again of how cold he is, how wet his clothes are, and he forces his legs to function again and take him to the booth furthest from Endo's. Contrary to his reckless and self-sacrificing ways, Nirei doesn't secretly want to die. He especially doesn't want to die in a crusty old building with nothing but the dust and a madman as witness. So fear be damned, he's not going to wait for permission to stay. He physically can't. ]
I'm sorry. I uh, I understand, but I'm reeeally not worth the waste of energy. So please just- [ He looks at Endo from the corner of his eye as he walks, hunched over and careful like an anxious dog. ] -just sit down and ignore me. Please. Please.
[ Once he's close enough, he begins emptying his pockets onto the dirty table — the shitty handwarmer, a few small packs of gummi candies, his phone — and starts stripping off his snow soaked hoodie. He's still half-focused on Endo through it, like looking away for too long will make him materialize closer. A millisecond glance while laying the wet fabric on the booth's backrest, another while stepping out of his soggy shoes, another while double-checking if his socks are dry enough to keep on.
If Endo's watching Nirei back, it's plain to see that his laughably thin clothes are not where his use will lie.
His socks are safe, thankfully, but his pants are too wet from slipping in the snow earlier to just roll up. Nirei makes a face, then sighs and gets on with unbuckling his belt. This time, he doesn't look anywhere but a random wall as he steps out of his pants and hangs them next to his hoodie. It's not like he's never undressed in front of someone before, but changing near his friends and family is completely different from standing in a damp sweater, star patterned boxer briefs, and old gym socks around his worst fears personified. ]
[ Outside, the wind is howling. The storm doesn't sound like it will let up any time soon. The amount of snow buildup will be an issue, too, potentially trapping them in this dilapidated building even after the storm ends. And while trying to wrap himself in his meager body heat without the aid or a blanket or better clothing is not the best approach to surviving, Endo stands by his original assessment: this is a real pain, and it's only going to get more irritating.
He's quickly running through some possibilities for using this opportunity to his advantage as Nirei babbles. He could force him to do another sweep of the building; his own search was thorough, but putting Nirei to work would mean getting some peace and quiet — and the (unlikely) possibility that Nirei could find something that he missed. There's also the roof, difficult to access but it should be the best location for trying to get cell phone service. Endo could make him try that, though the chances that they get a signal are slim — and it doesn't solve the problem that is his promise to Sakura and the very specific way in which his hands are tied.
It only takes the few seconds of Nirei's stuttering reaction and subsequent decision to turn around for Endo to internally raise those ideas and then dismiss them. Like all things that have happened on this day, his lack of a real plan — other than the one obvious solution, which he puts at the far bottom of the list — is unusual. As is someone so unwisely dismissing a conversation with him, and thus: ]
Hey. [ His tone isn't quite as serious as before, venturing back into his more typical unhurried arrogance, with a threat less apparent but still underscoring his words. ] You got a death wish? I wasn't finished with you.
[ He watches Nirei's back as he says this, opting to put his hands in his pockets as they're starting to hurt. Plus, returning back to his languid body language is more intimidating that standing around with enough tension to make his inner state obvious. He has no real barrier against the cold, and this is better than nothing; it'll help a small amount until he returns to his own booth.
Nevertheless, upon making that movement, he gives way to a shiver and sniffs, though the latter sounds more disdainful than functional.
With that, he steps closer to Nirei's chosen table — not quite enough to lay his menacing vibe on so thick that Nirei stops his task, but near enough that he looms behind him while he gets a good luck at the junk he's been carrying around. Not much, it seems, but the gummies will be useful if they're stuck for more than a couple of hours.
All Endo has is his phone and his wallet, and the former might as well be a brick in this rundown area.
Nirei's phone is probably similarly useless, but while he's busy wiggling out of his wet clothes and proving that he is as useless as Endo expected, Endo finishes the short walk to the table and picks it up. He turns to Nirei with it in his hand, on the verge of saying something, but takes one long look at him and bursts out laughing again. This time, a hint of real but no less unnerving amusement makes its way into the sound. ]
What the hell? I thought you were part of Furin.
[ As in trying to play it hard and run around with the big boys. Pattern boxers fit his overall demeanor, sure, but it's still surprising that he wears underwear that pings him as a first-year junior high student, rather than a tough member of Bofurin.
Don't get Endo wrong. He isn't typically in the business of judging people by what they wear. Takiishi's taste in clothing wouldn't be considered standard by most people's views, after all, and his preferred outfits don't paint him as the dangerous person that he is. It's just that Nirei isn't doing himself any favors by bolstering his weak — and even childish — image. ]
Haaah — [ A long exhalation. ] I really got a bad roll today.
[ All of Sakura's friends are meddlesome brats and none of them would be welcome in this space, but at least some of the others are serious. This guy's just laughable — as pathetic as Endo originally labeled him. ]
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@dandelionheart
Which is why today is so damn annoying.
All he wanted to do was head to a specific shop a couple of towns over — a shopping district that has suffered due to an uptick in gang activity that rivals even some of the worst towns in Japan, but manages to retain enough business for a few specialty shops to remain open. One of them is a perfume store, and it's the reason Endo makes the journey. They have a nice selection of colognes, and he's in the mood for a new one.
The weather is unseasonably cold. They're barely into autumn and yet snow is predicted later in the day, a forecast that Endo should easily beat back home. The temperatures are expected to drop further, but not until the storm hits. Endo therefore dresses at the bare minimum of warmth, his outfit consisting of a turtleneck sweater, a light jacket, a sleek pair of gloves, and slacks, all of which give him the appearance of someone respectable, rather than a gang leader. That should have been more than enough coverage for the time he planned on expending on the shopping trip — and it would have been, were it not for a series of unfortunate mishaps.
First, the store was closed in advance due to weather. This rendered the entire trip useless, which skewed his overall day. He decided to stop for a bite to eat, which also was a mistake, because the sky began to look threatening while he was finishing his last bites. He still would have had enough time to reach home before the storm unleashed ahead of schedule, but as he left the restaurant, he ended up embroiled in a brawl with a bunch of rowdy kids. They were fresh high school students who were no way near as organized as Furin, and they were fighting over something stupid. Endo was going to leave them to it, but one of the kids decided to try to punch him, and well — he had to exert a little time and effort on taking care of that, as well as the backup team that ran to the area and identified him as an opponent they had to take down.
All in all, it was an easy affair, though one that Endo would have preferred to send someone else to deal with. The initial punch never made contact, and he wasn't touched thereafter. The only real consequence was the snow that started to fall quite heavily before he was done, and the temperature that dropped thereafter. What should have been an easy walk quickly became impossible as visibility plummeted and wet snow seeped into his jacket.
Now he has no choice but to take shelter from the wind in a random, run-down building that once housed a bar and now mostly contains litter, graffiti, and a distinct lack of anything that could make this detour a little easier on him. There are no blankets, no extra clothes — and there's no power, either. Which means no heat.
He has to take off his jacket and shoes because both are wet enough to be dangerous in these temperatures. His sweater and slacks aren't faring great either, but they aren't so damp that he'll freeze to death if he keeps them on. Just in case, he rolls up the legs of his slacks, keeping the wettest parts of the fabric off of his skin. In the end, he huddles in what was once a booth, more irritated than anything else. Stuff like this doesn't, and shouldn't, happen to him — and yet here he is.
And here someone else is, too, apparently, because the door creaks open. Though he's cold, Endo forces himself to stand and adopt his usual languid body language, that way he won't have to exert more energy by putting down someone who takes him to be an easy target. He also speaks before the (other) intruder gets any ideas: ]
Yeesh, can't a guy get some privacy? Who just goes wandering into abandoned buildings these days?
[ Clearly, Endo does. But just to drive home the point, in a more serious tone: ]
This spot's taken.
Nirei: fuck my stupid baka life
Sorry! I just want to wait out the storm. I promise to stay out of your way so please just... [ When his eyes finally adjust to the sparse light coming in from the dirty windows, his voice trails off into a squeaky little whimper. ] ...ignore...me...
[ His eyes dart around the decrepit bar then snap back to Endo. Then he blinks. Once, twice. When his worst nightmare doesn't disappear, when it finally hits him that this isn't some delirious hallucination brought on by hypothermia, a small part of him actually considers going back outside and letting the snow take him. The logical part doesn't even need to point out that's a bad idea because his legs aren't working no matter how much he wants to run. He can't even take a step back to press against the door. ]
I, um...I...oh no...
[ Unlike Endo, Nirei is far too used to things not going his way. So used to it, in fact, that he very rarely feels annoyed or devastated when things go wrong. Scared, yes, but he's used to that too and can push through it half the time. Like when his train was delayed and he made it to the town later than he meant to, when the shop he wanted to check out was closed because of the weather forecast, even when it started snowing and he got lost, he took it all in stride and forced himself to focus on getting from point A to point B. Sure, his phone didn't have any signal and the one place for shelter he found looked haunted, but he kept telling himself that soon this would all just be a bad memory and a morbidly funny story to tell his friends when he gets home.
Now he's wondering if he was evil in a past life or if his ancestors pissed off a god. Because what are the odds here? ]
...h-hello. [ Unsure of what else to say or do, he awkwardly takes his hand out of his hoodie's pocket and holds out the disposable handwarmer he's using. It's the cheap kind that's a bit less warm than body temperature and only lasts about an hour or so, but he figures it's better than nothing. ] Handwarmer? This brand's kinda bad, but it's...it's uh, it's all I got...sorry...
[ He tries not to cringe at how pathetic he sounds, at the fact that Endo just standing there is making him shake harder than the freezing cold. ]
i hope he likes cuddles :') endo's been saving them up since his takiishi comment........
But there are many problems with forcing him back in the storm to potentially freeze to death, namely the deal he made with Sakura: a promise for a promise. He has no intention of extracting himself from Sakura's life, which means that being the cause of injury or death to one of his friends is decidedly off the table, even if he doesn't lift a hand in the process. And there's also the more pragmatic consideration that is survival. He isn't going to accept dying here, but that means using everything at his disposal to survive — Nirei included.
Nevertheless, there's no warmth to be found — not in their shelter, and nor in Endo's demeanor. Although he allows his initial disdain to drain from his face, replaced instead by his typical lazy expression, there's an edge to it — sharper than it normally would be.
That does not, however, stop him from looking at the proffered handwarmer, held out to him like he's a common thug looking for lunch money. A beat passes, and then he laughs, abruptly but without any actual good humor. ]
C'mon, man. If I wanted to shake you up, I'd expect something better than that.
[ For example: info on Sakura. Umemiya's untimely disappearance. Whatever dry clothing he has on his back — though, that last one would probably be as useless as the handwarmer, considering how short Nirei is.
Then he sighs, running a hand through his damp hair. He isn't shivering yet, still running off of the meager warmth he maintained while huddling in the booth, but the longer he stands around, the more likely it becomes. ]
What a pain. Now I need to do something with you.
[ He isn't entirely serious — at least not in a clear-cut threatening sense — but he doesn't plan on letting him hang around without being of some use. ]
oh noo not the cuddles D: (>:3).......oh well what's one more harrowing humiliation on his long list
R-right! Right. Got it. Of course. I...
[ He swallows, resists the urge to lick his freezing lips, and pockets the handwarmer. He's not sure yet if getting to keep it is good or bad, but something in his gut tells him he should lean on bad just to be safe. Endo's unpredictable — unhinged, really, but not even Nirei would say that out loud — and the only thing about him that can be counted on is his obvious need to survive this.
Now that the initial shock is wearing off, Nirei's all too aware again of how cold he is, how wet his clothes are, and he forces his legs to function again and take him to the booth furthest from Endo's. Contrary to his reckless and self-sacrificing ways, Nirei doesn't secretly want to die. He especially doesn't want to die in a crusty old building with nothing but the dust and a madman as witness. So fear be damned, he's not going to wait for permission to stay. He physically can't. ]
I'm sorry. I uh, I understand, but I'm reeeally not worth the waste of energy. So please just- [ He looks at Endo from the corner of his eye as he walks, hunched over and careful like an anxious dog. ] -just sit down and ignore me. Please. Please.
[ Once he's close enough, he begins emptying his pockets onto the dirty table — the shitty handwarmer, a few small packs of gummi candies, his phone — and starts stripping off his snow soaked hoodie. He's still half-focused on Endo through it, like looking away for too long will make him materialize closer. A millisecond glance while laying the wet fabric on the booth's backrest, another while stepping out of his soggy shoes, another while double-checking if his socks are dry enough to keep on.
If Endo's watching Nirei back, it's plain to see that his laughably thin clothes are not where his use will lie.
His socks are safe, thankfully, but his pants are too wet from slipping in the snow earlier to just roll up. Nirei makes a face, then sighs and gets on with unbuckling his belt. This time, he doesn't look anywhere but a random wall as he steps out of his pants and hangs them next to his hoodie. It's not like he's never undressed in front of someone before, but changing near his friends and family is completely different from standing in a damp sweater, star patterned boxer briefs, and old gym socks around his worst fears personified. ]
no subject
He's quickly running through some possibilities for using this opportunity to his advantage as Nirei babbles. He could force him to do another sweep of the building; his own search was thorough, but putting Nirei to work would mean getting some peace and quiet — and the (unlikely) possibility that Nirei could find something that he missed. There's also the roof, difficult to access but it should be the best location for trying to get cell phone service. Endo could make him try that, though the chances that they get a signal are slim — and it doesn't solve the problem that is his promise to Sakura and the very specific way in which his hands are tied.
It only takes the few seconds of Nirei's stuttering reaction and subsequent decision to turn around for Endo to internally raise those ideas and then dismiss them. Like all things that have happened on this day, his lack of a real plan — other than the one obvious solution, which he puts at the far bottom of the list — is unusual. As is someone so unwisely dismissing a conversation with him, and thus: ]
Hey. [ His tone isn't quite as serious as before, venturing back into his more typical unhurried arrogance, with a threat less apparent but still underscoring his words. ] You got a death wish? I wasn't finished with you.
[ He watches Nirei's back as he says this, opting to put his hands in his pockets as they're starting to hurt. Plus, returning back to his languid body language is more intimidating that standing around with enough tension to make his inner state obvious. He has no real barrier against the cold, and this is better than nothing; it'll help a small amount until he returns to his own booth.
Nevertheless, upon making that movement, he gives way to a shiver and sniffs, though the latter sounds more disdainful than functional.
With that, he steps closer to Nirei's chosen table — not quite enough to lay his menacing vibe on so thick that Nirei stops his task, but near enough that he looms behind him while he gets a good luck at the junk he's been carrying around. Not much, it seems, but the gummies will be useful if they're stuck for more than a couple of hours.
All Endo has is his phone and his wallet, and the former might as well be a brick in this rundown area.
Nirei's phone is probably similarly useless, but while he's busy wiggling out of his wet clothes and proving that he is as useless as Endo expected, Endo finishes the short walk to the table and picks it up. He turns to Nirei with it in his hand, on the verge of saying something, but takes one long look at him and bursts out laughing again. This time, a hint of real but no less unnerving amusement makes its way into the sound. ]
What the hell? I thought you were part of Furin.
[ As in trying to play it hard and run around with the big boys. Pattern boxers fit his overall demeanor, sure, but it's still surprising that he wears underwear that pings him as a first-year junior high student, rather than a tough member of Bofurin.
Don't get Endo wrong. He isn't typically in the business of judging people by what they wear. Takiishi's taste in clothing wouldn't be considered standard by most people's views, after all, and his preferred outfits don't paint him as the dangerous person that he is. It's just that Nirei isn't doing himself any favors by bolstering his weak — and even childish — image. ]
Haaah — [ A long exhalation. ] I really got a bad roll today.
[ All of Sakura's friends are meddlesome brats and none of them would be welcome in this space, but at least some of the others are serious. This guy's just laughable — as pathetic as Endo originally labeled him. ]