Yay, Oshitari and Atobe~~! I know there's quite some disputes regarding whether Atobe is seme or uke, but his tear mole is just... too cute!! So I had to make him uke... and I would really love to hear Suwabe voice uke once...
I'm trying to go the light-hearted route for this collection, hope you like it.

Chapter 2 – Competitive Love

There's nothing Atobe Keigo hated more than losing, especially to people who couldn't stand a chance against his glorious and magnificent existence.

More specifically, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku's Sanada, Seigaku's shortie, and Tezuka.

Tezuka, oh Tezuka. He admit the Seigaku's captain was a very talented tennis player, but for a person who was mute, had his facial expression nervous system all withered away, and maintains a horrendous sense of taste, it truly should be listed in one of the world's greatest mysteries why Tezuka had higher popularity than ore-sama himself.

Atobe's sense of mortification over this fact was challenged to another level, when rumors had it that Teuzka was starting to date Seigaku's prodigy, Fuji Shuusuke.

Now, that was unacceptable.

He had always stayed single, simply because his charm and beauty shouldn't be something that belonged exclusively to someone, but shared with the rest of the world. Such as simple logic, and his rivals couldn't see it. Now that one of them was dating, how would it reflect on him? That Atobe was unattractive, and couldn't even find a girlfriend? That his charm wasn't as strong as Tezuka? That he had lost?

That, was very, very unacceptable.

He was going to find a girlfriend, and she would be a hundred times better than Fuji Shuusuke. The partner he would have will put the Seigaku perfect pair to shame!

At this, Atobe paused and contemplated. Fuji wasn't the strongest in tennis, but already enough to freak out the professional world. He was above average in terms of appearances, slender, harmless-looking (at least the mask was), with a soothing voice. These probably made him popular with girls too. He wasn't rich, but had good academics.

From these characteristics of Fuji, Atobe concluded the following of his to-be girlfriend:

1) Be even more freakishly good at tennis than the prodigy
2) Top class looks that would make Fuji dull in comparison
3) Be the second most popular person in Hyotei (Atobe himself was first, of course)
4) Have brains
5) Be filthy rich (that's practically everyone in Hyotei)

It didn't seem too hard stated this way. Yeah, right, who's he fooling. All the rest were ok except for the tennis part. As the captain of the high school department of Hyotei Gakuin, he knew perfectly well the potential of every member. And the girls' tennis team was good for nothing except drowning out the opponent school's cheerleading during a match. He'd tried instructing them, but alas, none of them could concentrate with this divine presence. Ah, being too handsome is such a crime.

So that leaves him the male tennis team's regulars to choose from. Argh! Why in the world did Tezuka had to be gay?

Atobe started running through the faces of his teammates in his head.

Kabaji: disqualified. His looks said it all.

Shishido: no way. Not only was he just plain-looking and had average grades, most importantly he just pissed Atobe off. It wasn't anything particular he did, but there is this type of people who Atobe knew from the first sight, that he wouldn't come to like them in a million years.

Ootori: a slim chance, if Shishido didn't spoil it for him. Anyone who reeked like Shishido was absolutely out.

Hiyoshi: disrespectful brat. His "Gekokujou" thing was seriously making Atobe consider kicking him out of the club just for being arrogant. That'll teach him.

Taki: too weak in tennis to even secure a permanent position in the regulars.

Mukahi: weird fashion sense. But even if it was not for that pinkish-purple hair, the way his body moves simply grossed Atobe out. Human are vertebrates, not slugs that can bend in any direction.

Akutagawa Jirou: hm… that's not too bad. He's not too noisy or annoying (because he's sleeping most of the time), and had a cute face, and was rather popular among girls despite his apparent uselessness and lack of interest in life.

Oshitari Yuushi: … The gears in Atobe's mind grinded to a halt. He's tall and handsome, definitely, except for the little unrefined image that came with Kansai-ben. But for those who didn't know, Oshitari was probably the other most talented and sophisticated guy in Hyotei other than Atobe. His marks were amazing, played the violin wonderfully, and most of all, Hyotei's genius on the tennis courts. His slightly long dark hair and piercing eyes could probably send any female population into a dizzying reverie.

However, Atobe faltered at the idea of confessing to Oshitari. It just… didn't seem right, as if a gulp of air was chocking his air pipe. Oh well, guess he didn't habour too many good impressions for Oshitari after all. Jirou would have to do, then.

That decided, Atobe set out immediately, finding Jirou sleeping on the bleachers while all other tennis club members ran the track. After a couple of kicks in the shin that failed to wake up the sleeping beauty, Atobe decisively stepped on Jirou's abdomen.

"Ouch! W…who did that?!" Jirou was finally jolted up, looking around with sleepy eyes, "oh, it's you, Atobe-bucho. What's up?"

Atobe looked down at him condescendingly. Honestly, Jirou wasn't his type, but still good enough for a show. "Jirou, go out with me." Atobe announced, just like ordering people to run around the courts. Nobody should ever disobey him.

"Huh?" Jirou blinked, dumbfolded. "Are you finally out of your mind, Atobe?"

By this time, quite a few people had gathered around them, and Atobe faintly registered the excited chattering of some girls, that how envious they were, and a pair of heated gaze boring into him. Atobe sharply turned his head around, and there Oshitari was, standing a head taller than his peers, and calmly pushed his decorative spectacles so that the light reflected off the glass blocked away his eyes. There was something with him that made Atobe vaguely uneasy.

Tearing his eyes away from the distractive presence, Atobe faced Jirou again, and in an impatient tone, "You heard me right. Be my boyfriend."

Jirou chuckled, finding this very interesting. "And why should I agree to you? First, I'm not gay, and second, I don't even like you." As if to prove his words, he stuck out his tongue. Very mature.

Atobe was getting irritated. "Because I'm Atobe, and I said so. You should be honoured."

"So you've never been refused before?" Jirou opened his eyes wide, "Hmm… it certainly is an honour to me, that I could be the first person ever to refuse Atobe Keigo."

The captain narrowed his eyes. That Jirou… He couldn't be meaning it… could he? Atobe felt a flash of panic, just thinking what humiliation it would bring. Over two hundred tennis club members had already swarmed around them by now, a dark mass like a black cloud from an explosion.

Atobe looked down at Jirou, still lagging on the bench, but no sense of superiority came from the leverage. Instead, he felt something akin to pity from the way Jirou smiled up apologetically at him. "Sorry, Atobe. I don't like you romantically."

Hushed whispers broke out from the crowd, and Atobe steeled himself look gentlemanly about the rejection, and parted the gossipers to head to the safe isolation of the club room. He kicked the door shut behind him, but somehow there wasn't a bang. Turning around, Oshitari had just caught the door, and jammed himself into the room to Atobe's annoyance.

"What are you here for? To laugh in my face?"

Oshitari leaned against the door, blocking the exit. "Just to quench my curiosity, why did you confess to Jirou?" He asked calmly.

Atobe's hands were itching to fidget on something at the high tension in the room, but he forced out a laugh. "I need a boyfriend, and Jirou seems appropriate, that's all."

Oshitari's brow arched with a nice curve, "A boyfriend? And you need that because…"

"Didn't you hear that Tezuka's dating Fuji? How do you think I'd look if I don't have one?" Atobe rebutted.

Oshitari stared hard, then burst out laughing. "Oh my God, how old are you? I though we've already gotten out of the stage in life where you compare whose lunch box is prettier."

"What do you know!" Atobe jumped up and grabbed Oshitari by the collar. "There'll always be those factors that decide and show your social status, and like it or not, I'm born in a vanity fair, and I want to live as glorious as possible."

Lightly clasping Atobe's clenched fists, Oshitari smiled, the same way Jirou had done just minutes ago. "That's probably the worst confession I've ever seen. Oh, maybe it's not meant to be one, but rather another ridiculous order from a heartless bastard like you, Atobe."

That stung, like the prickling stingy feeling when someone just sprinkled salt on a fresh wound. And pain could only cause infuriation. Atobe pulled his taller teammate down to his eye level and jeered, "What, don't tell me you are still reading those romance manga, believing that people still hang 'I love you' on the tip of their tongues? Who's expecting love anymore nowadays? Don't make me laugh."

"I still do." Oshitari's charcoal black eyes with the slightest hint of blue bore into Atobe, raising his heart frequency by quite some beats per minute. "I still believe in saying 'I love you', no matter how unstylish and out of fashion it seems. How pathetic, that the love in you is out of date." With that, Oshitari unwound Atobe's fingers from his collar quite easily, and walked out of the club room, closing the door with a quiet click.

That sound was like a switch, turning off the inflation device that had kept Atobe standing, leaving the captain to slump ungracefully onto the bench like a deflated doll. Atobe gulped for air, as his heartbeats resounded in his ears. The uneasiness was tempting him to shout, to kick around, to vomit out the disgusting feeling in his chest, but in the end he just sat there, until his heart rate returned to normal half an hour later.

Atobe didn't want to show it, but his heart was fritting like a fish out of water. Ever since that disastrous confrontation, he had been acutely aware of Oshitari's presence, and was sure that the object of his secretive attention was obviously ignoring him.

And nobody was supposed to be able to ignore Atobe. Especially to ignore Atobe to flirt with Mukahi. Admitted, they are doubles partners and all, but that did not give them the excuse to laugh so loud at each other's jokes that the whole school could probably hear them, nor the way Mukahi was almost dangling off Oshitari's arm. Atobe huffed, and made up his mind to chase Oshitari from his thoughts. Two can play this game.

"Atobe-san?" A couple of girls from the female tennis club approached him carefully, their cheeks flushed.

See? Nobody could escape from his abundant charm. "Yes?" Atobe replied, his voice a tad louder than normal.

"We just want to tell you that…" A girl stuttered, and took a deep breath, "Don't feel depressed that Jirou-sempai refused you! Atobe-sama has our full support, and we know a guy who looks just like Jirou-sempai in a nearby high school. If you want…"

Atobe tried maintaining his ever elegant smile, however hard it was to do when Shishido was snickering like a hyena behind his back. "No, it's ok."

"So Atobe-sama has someone else he likes?" The girls looked up with persistent shining eyes, and Atobe realized it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell them that he didn't really believe in liking somebody…

"Yeah, I have someone I like very much." So stop bugging me anymore!

The girls obviously didn't take the hint. "This person is so lucky! He must be really pretty and gentle, just like that Fuji Shuusuke of Seigaku."

Atobe wrinkled his nose as if hearing something distasteful. "He's a hundred times better than Fuji. He's taller than me, and has absolutely gorgeous dark eyes. And he's really good in tennis. I have confidence that he won't lose against Fuji the next time Hyotei and Seigaku meet in the district match." Atobe blabbed on, totally unconscious of how big a slip he'd just made.

"So it's Kabaji-sempai?"

Atobe chocked on his own breath. "What?! Of course not! It's –" and he quickly clamped a hand on his mouth.

The girls blinked. "But then, Ootori-san is with Shishido-sempai, and Oshitari-sempai's dating Mukahi-sempai, aren't they? So that only leaves Kabaji-sempai –" But before they could finish, Atobe had already stormed off, hurling a whole basket of tennis balls into the air on the way. And after the dust finally cleared, Oshitari was also nowhere in sight.

"What's this whole thing about you dating Mukahi?" Atobe demanded, almost slamming Oshitari onto the door after dragging him into the club room, second time this week.

Oshitari smirked, asking back in full smugness, "What's with the rage? And what does it have to do with you anyway?"

Atobe was literally at his throat. "You made me look like a fool out there! Now everyone will think that I like Kabaji!"

"So you were describing me when you said you have someone you like?" Oshitari was acting like the cat that ate the cream. Atobe paused, then the meanings sank in, and his face started burning. From humiliation, of course. There was no such thing as embarrassment for Atobe.

Oshitari laughed, and stretched out his hand to press Atobe at the small of his back, bringing their bodies into intimate contact. "The shy Atobe-sama is really cute, you know?" He practically purred, and that was the first time Atobe found that even Kansai-ben could be sexy.

With Oshitari exhaling hot puffs of breaths against his ear, Atobe couldn't really find the strength to put up a real struggle. Shit, his ear was becoming warm, and so did his face, most probably. Ok, that was an understatement, he was literally burning up on every inch of skin.

But as the king of Hyotei, he certainly wasn't going to show that. "So you've fallen for ore-sama's charm too, eh?"

Oshitari stared at him, and leaned an inch loser. Atobe moved back an inch, only to feel the firm hold the other had on his waist, which didn't budge at all from his movements. Oshitari went forward another inch, and Atobe sadly realized that his waist couldn't bear the stain much longer, and his arrogant front was threatening to fail on him. Oshitari forced another inch, and Atobe started holding his breath. "I'm not saying it before you do."

And they went like that for half a minute.

Until Atobe couldn't live without oxygen anymore, his waist and spinal cord were starting to have cramps, and his survival instincts took over. Pushing Oshitari back against the door, Atobe kissed him solidly on the lips, passion and heat and all. No tongues, yet. That would just be ungraceful for the first time. He should at least fight for the initiative, after being pushed back like a helpless schoolgirl.

Finally letting go, Atobe dragged Oshitari away from blocking the door, and was in full satisfaction at the little dazzled expression on Oshitari's face.

"That'll teach you for playing tricks with me." Atobe proclaimed with the triumph of a winner, and turned to leave. Just before the door slowly pulled shut, one last sentence floated in through the gap.

"I like you, and don't dare refuse it."

As a result, the Hyotei tennis team had to deal with a laughing Oshitari for the whole day.