I just realized the reason why Hiroto had a crush for Endou during season 2-3 (or why he was so obsessed with him, not just bc this alien is fucking impressed by his performance on the field)
Endou is cute, funny, charismatic, loves sakka and basically everyone feel something for him. And Hiroto likes him because, while his father uses him a tool to play soccer and turn his favorite sport into a bad thing, Endou shows him that it's still possible to have fun and enjoy it.
Ik it might sounds idiot bc it seems obvious but since I've never been interested in Enhiro I never took the time to understand why Hiroto could developp feelings for this silly boy :/
I think he just missed this feeling, maybe it reminded him his childhood, when dad didn't care about all this stone shit and when he could play with, his friends/family. In these dark times, Endou brought him hopes ( has he did for everyone here and that's why we love him)
Moreover, his relationship with his teammates and others during Alius were just hypocritical. Endou reached out to him somewhat naively- but I think it was this sincerity and trust that attracted him. For the first time in a long time, someone was genuinely smiling at him. No coldness, just tenderness and believe me he desperately needed it. So yeah Endou was the only one who brought him a little light / joy and something true. Since Eisei kids aren't allowed to show affection they all must be in lack of love... So when a cool, cute, funny, and charismatic boy, full of joy and just as passionate of soccer, came to talk to Hiroto, he ended up starting to fall in love.
But I like to think it was a crush, the kind of "this teenage girl who discovers love" not LOVE if you get what I mean.
IDK IF TUMBLR ATE MY ASK BUT PLSS YAP ABT ENDOU X HIROTO PLEASEEE THEYRE SOOOO AAAAAAAAAAA
OMG???! AN ENHIRO ASK???? DYING AND THROWING UP
more under the cut cause I was straight rambling
ANYWAY SO LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING THAT endou is who hiroto was supposed to be, or who he wants to be.
Endou is pure of heart, and knows no corruption. He always keeps going forward without dirtying his hands and losing sight of who he is deep down. Hiroto, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He's given love but its purely conditional, situational and manipulative. Hiroto's had to destroy who he is in order to please his "father" and fulfill someone else's prophecy, regardless of his own feelings.
That's why he "falls in love" with Endou's eyes: despite Endou being weaker than Hiroto at this point in time, he still shows no sign of giving up and surrendering, and is instead willing to break himself completely before he turns back on his word, on his morality.
Also, Endou is free in a way that Hiroto was never able to be prior to meeting him. He's been chained to Seijirou, completely devoted to carrying out his evil plots just to earn his favor and deem him worthy and necessary. He assumes that the only way for him to have any value at all is to be wanted by Seijirou, to be deemed the successor of the "Genesis" title — the strongest team.
I also see their first meeting as Hiroto sizing Endou up and dissecting him. He studies him, almost slyly, never providing any clear details about himself, only answering vaguely with nothing concrete to fall back on. It felt like he was playing with his food, just toying around. Hiroto feels amused, or perhaps curious is the better word, and wants to know more about him because Endou is an enigma in his eyes. The more he watches him and observes him during the games, the fonder he grows to be of him.
During their last confrontation before the final game between Raimon and Genesis, Hiroto's colder. Distant. More resolute and thick-skinned. He knows that now that the time has come and everything is on the line, he's going to have to choose sides. Clearly, he chooses to remain by his father's side until the end itself.
Hiroto denies who he is entirely, and chooses to refer to himself as "Gran". He's throwing aside everything about him that is not needed by Seijiro anymore (empathy, kindness, humanity) and instead fully adopts Gran, the manufactured identity that he's been battling under all this time against the other orphans for the title of Genesis.
At the end of the match, Hiroto realizes what exactly Endou's power is. It's not his physical abilities, or his mentality. It's his ability to connect with others, it's the ability to reach out and touch their hearts, to fully accept them and understand them, or at least try to. He's the shield and the others are the sword, he always makes sure to protect everyone and give them a second chance.
Hiroto sees Endou as everything he couldn't be, and that's why he's drawn to him the way a moth is drawn to a flame. Because Endou will always welcome him with open arms, exactly the way he is.
