The Pinnacle

Eita's Epilogue

The phone rang twice, then a click, "Hello, this is Tendou." He sang. "Shirabu? Hey, what's up?"

A moment of silence, then he glanced at me. "No, not really. Eita and I were about to grab lunch." Kind of odd for Shirabu to call Tendou out of the blue like this. Tendou and I ended up going to the same university so he's basically been attached to my hip for the last three years. But Shirabu hadn't really kept in touch since graduation. I wonder if this is about that thing...

"Right now?" Another glance to confirm if I was okay with the change of plans, I nodded "Yeah sure, where? Alright, we'll meet you there." He hung up the phone and turned to me, "You catch all that, Eita?"

"Yep, where are we headed?"

We met up with Shirabu at a cafe nearby. He caught us up with everything that happened after the last get together and bumping into Tendou afterwards.

"So you and Ushiwaka finally got back together? Thank god." Tendou leaned back, stretching his arms out over the back of the chair.

I chimed in as well, "What a relief."

Shirabu looked at me embarrassed. He still wasn't completely settled with the idea that we all knew what was up with him and Ushiwaka. "Don't get me wrong," he said sheepishly, "I'm grateful for your concern and all but, why?"

"That guy's been off ever since you dumped him. Why else would we have gone to so much trouble to set you guys up?"

"You what?"

"What? You thought we were actually trying to 'get together and catch up like the good old days' or whatever?" Tendou scoffed. "Since when would we ever do sappy shit like that? We're not Karasuno." Yeah, I don't miss those guys. "I was trying to do the old pal a favor. He was so miserable. And I imagined you weren't much better off either."

I suppose I should have expected Shirabu's complete cluelessness but it was still a little irritating. "He was miserable?"

"Yeah, that's usually what happens when you get dumped by the guy you're in love with?" Is he for real right now?

"I already said, it wasn't like that. I didn't dump him exactly." Shirabu protested.

"Potato, Potahto. Point is, the guy had been totally in love with you since you joined the team. So obviously getting abandoned hurts, dude."

"Since I joined?"

Tendou and I looked at Shirabu like he was dumber than a doornail. "You're kidding, right? I think the better question is, how could you not tell?" I scoffed, "I mean, the way he looked at you. It was painfully obvious." I had to lean back and contemplate a clearer way to explain it to him. Clearly, Shirabu wasn't getting it. "How should I put it, it was like he was saying... 'mine'. He's been looking at you that way since the first set you ever gave him." Tendou nodded in agreement. "What? Did you think I was just giving up my setter position that easily?"

"Eita's still so salty." The redhead sniggered, which earned him a smack right up the backside of the head.

"There wasn't anything I could do about it." I shrugged, "The way Ushiwaka looked at you, it couldn't have been anyone else."

Shirabu sank his head, "I'm sorry Eita." I didn't mean to make him feel guilty about it or anything.

"I'm not upset. I understood. Even if you guys weren't together at the time, you still would have been chosen as the setter. Because that's what Shiratorizawa needed to win. A setter who was completely dedicated to the ace, and an ace who completely trusted his setter."

Tendou chimed in with a ~bingo~.

"I never realized that even back then, Wakatoshi..."

"Wow Shirabu, don't take this the wrong way but... I never realized how dense you actually are. You guys are made for each other." He furrowed his eyebrows at me for just a moment. But then, the three of us just broke out in laughter. I kind of missed this feeling, high school. We were so young...

After catching up on some other things like college classes and such, Shirabu went on his way. Something about meeting up with Ushiwaka at the train station. Grotesquely sweet, I guess that's to be expected during their honeymoon phase. We stood at the entrance, sending our little birdie off into the middle distance. Even though his back was to me, I felt Tendou's emotions emitting like steam from hot water. Big idiot. "Are you sure that's okay?"

It took an extra moment before he responded, "What do you mean?" He was trying to play it off but he knew exactly what I meant.

"You liked him too, didn't you?" I stated bluntly.

"Who are you talking about? Shirabu or Ushiwaka?"

I'll bet he thought he was being coy. But I knew the truth. Ever since high school, I knew that he was watching more closely than anyone. Even if no one else noticed it. Which was why it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him when I answered, "Both."

He frowned, very much displeased by my forward and all-too-accurate answer. "My, my, how annoying observant of you. It's like you've been paying extra attention to me or something." He made a suggestive smirk at me. But my stern gaze told him clearly that I wasn't just going to let him shrug off the issue with a joke.

He turned back around, watching Shirabu walk away one last time. "It's better this way," That's what he said before smiling back at me. But I had never seen a more painful smile.

It takes a good man to sacrifice himself for someone else's happiness. A good man or an insane amount of love. "You know Tendou, you're actually a pretty nice guy."

"Don't you go falling in love with me now." he sniggered.

Idiot, I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, that's never going to happen,"

"So cold," He was back to normal but that sad smile would resurface again someday. At least for a while until he was ready to let go.

"Come on, let's go." I threw an arm around his shoulder, "Drinks are on me today."