A/N: Hello! For those who didn't get the memo: the previous chapter 23 (her birthday segment) was tacked on to the end of chapter 22, so this is the new chapter 23 (what would have been chapter 24). It's for numbering purposes, so I hope it doesn't cause an inconvenience!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. So this story is drawing it's end, obviously. However. I've really fallen in love with the IAG verse, so- I've decided to do an It's All Greek, pt. II. It'll follow them through their lives in college, and perhaps beyond, and in it, I'm hoping to explore some more sides of their characters, delve into the regulars a bit more, and definitely get into the political nitty gritty dirty of high society. Corporate takeovers, wills and inheritances and oh my. It's not completely for sure, but I'm like, 95% sure I'll be doing the part ii, so if you could let me know in a review what you think and if you'd be interested in a part ii, that'd be amazing!

Let me know what you think of chapter 23 (this new one), too, because I'd love your feedback!

* there's a picture of Nanao's dress on my tumblr! the link is found at the top of my ffnet bio!

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.

It's three weeks until the seniors' graduation ceremony.

For typical teenagers, high school graduation is very much a large deal - it's a culmination of their primary education stages and a symbol of the beginning of their entrance into adulthood. It's when they stop being irresponsible and really start to think about their futures, about what life may have in store for them, about what things they might want to do and what they'd be good at. It's a sort of pivotal moment in which self actualizations are had and deep self introspections take place - at the very least, it's what's expected.

For Hyotei students, it's...a little different.

Graduation is still a celebrated event, certainly, but it's hardly more than yet another stepping stone towards their already-planned futures. Many are set to inherit some form of fortune from their parents, and really, they're teenagers who aren't very worried at all. They've had their lives and practically deaths planned out from even before they were born - private schools and upper echelon society meetings and careers hand-selected by their almighty parents, all in exchange for a very, very lavish and comfortable lifestyle.

Well, as comfortable as life got, as far as all things were considered.

We get everything we've ever wanted, everything anyone's ever wanted, all the diamonds and heels and fancy cars the world covets - all we do is have to sign away our souls, darling-

In fact, at Hyotei, graduation had always been more of an excuse for parties and champagne and graduation presents than any real sign of maturity, and this year's graduating class was no different.

The closer it was to graduation, the more frequent and more extravagant the society parties became.

This is exemplified by the invitations strewn across the tea table - all identical, but addressed to various recipients; all of the tennis regulars had received one, as had Nanao. It's the usual Sunday brunch of the tennis team, courtesy of the Atobe estate, and Nanao's been in almost-regular attendance for a while (though she did slip away on some Sundays to respect the regulars' 'bro-time'). They'd all received their invitations to the annual Hanazono yacht party earlier this morning.

There's an extra presence at the table today, though, one that has Keigo scowling into his cup of tea and Oshitari practically radiating smugness.

He's only been trying to get Minako to come for the past two months, after all. Typically she'd decline with a very smart "I'm afraid I have far more pressing plans - such as, say, not entertaining the company of divas and hyperactive acrobats." but he'd managed to cajole her into it today. If he had to lie and say that it'd be a private brunch with just the two of them and later placate her with a promise of the repeated theft of Elizabeth the Third (parked on the same property where they ate), well.

When she'd shown up, ten minutes late wearing a short skirt and lovely blouse and on Oshitari's arm, and looking particularly radiant, Keigo's cup had promptly slipped from his fingers and hit the table with a clang. Shishido had practically choked on his tea and Gakuto's macaron had fallen from his open mouth. Hiyoshi's not particularly concerned, only spares her a narrowed-eyed glance before resuming his breakfast, and Choutarou welcomes her with a pleasant greeting whilst Kabaji nods a hello.

"Fucking Yuushi," Gakuto spits.

"I can't say I'm upset to see her," Shishido says, and Gakuto shoots him a betrayed, wounded look. Shishido rolls his eyes. "We didn't all lose to her in tennis, Gakuto."

Gakuto sticks his tongue out at him.

Nanao beams, and her arm waves a very enthusiastic hello. "Hi, Yuushi-kun, Shigohara-san - I didn't know you'd be coming today."

"Considering she wasn't particularly invited, her presence is a surprise to me as well," Keigo snipes, pursing his lips and taking another thin sip of his tea.

Minako's sharp ears catch it (of course they do) and she sends hm a winning, stunning smile as she takes a seat next to Oshitari. "Yuushi was rather insistant that I come - perhaps your company was beginning to bore him to the point he had to ask me to come along." She takes a cup of coffee from the attending maid, pointedly ignores Keigo's indignant splutter as she delicately pours cream into the china. "Lovely gardens, Atobe."

Keigo parts his lips to say something vicious in return, but Oshitari glances at him with a look in his eyes and Nanao presses her finger into his side, so he graciously sends her a lovely smile in turn. "I'm glad the Atobe estate is to your liking," he murmurs. Oshitari looks at him with a thankful expression, and Keigo rolls his eyes.

"So, Atobe. How is Elizabeth the Third? She was a darling to ride." Nanao can swear she hears a purr when Minako speaks, and she glances at Keigo, who is turning a worrying shade of purple.

"You-"

This particular Sunday brunch doesn't turn out all that pleasant.

"I trust you've submitted the proper paperwork already?"

Keigo stands in the center of his father's office, and it's always a sort of deja vu experience, being called in for one of the meetings they often have. The acceptances to Tokyo University were revealed last week - they'd all assumed they'd gotten in, when 'Tokyo U' had been an engraved part of their patented life plans since their birth (and how could they not, when they've had every resource and advantage handed to them on a silver platter?), but they'd still shown up to check the board out of formality.

Nanao had breathed a sigh of relief, much to his amusement, and Oshitari had taken hardly a second to glance where his number ought to be and resumed reading his book. Shishido had snorted and Gakuto'd huffed a "Thank god, my mom woulda killed me," and Choutarou, who had come along with Hiyoshi for 'moral support,' teared up just a little. He'd even seen Minako for a moment, just long enough for her to blink disinterestedly at her number on the board and whisk back into the car that had driven her there.

They'll all be attending Tokyo U next year, of course.

For a split second, Keigo is slightly irritated, can't help but to be reminded at what little control he has over his life when his father just assumes he'd go on to attend Tokyo U, even if it is old news. It had been so accepted and expected, in fact, that his parents had hardly thought his acceptance worth mentioning at all- just a "Don't forget to submit your paperwork on time and make arrangements."

But he swallows down the dredges of bitter resentment, reminds himself that- the keys to the kingdom are yours, your soul is not but you can't quite buy castles and beachhouses with that and nods once. "They have."

"Good. Will you be riding with us to the Hanazono party on Saturday or...?"

There's a pause there, and Keigo knows what the other option is. He clears his throat, "I'll be escorting Suzuki Nanao."

His father makes a noncommital sound in the back of his throat. "I see."

The seconds drag on.

"See to it that you're wearing something suitable for page 9."

When the photographers (who are always present at these high-society functions and gatherings) inevitably take pictures, when they zero in on the Atobe heir and the Suzuki girl, their picture is likely to once again grace the so-coveted spot on the society pages of the Sunday paper. (He won't admit it, but Keigo thinks that Yuushi and Shigohara have a very real chance of making it too, with his charming smile and her leggy figure).

His father isn't particularly pleased at his relationship, but the positive attention it receives has him placated for now. He'd take a resting lion to a lunging one, so he nods smoothly. "Of course."

Nanao's parents throw her a small celebratory party in their home for her acceptance. It's just a little bit of streamers and balloons and a banner with cake, and just their family and extended members, but she feels happy and smiles a mega-watt grin whenever someone congratulates her. She's proud, is the thing, feels accomplished and likes this feeling in her chest.

But towards the end of the night, when she remembers how her father had laughed and said something like "Of course you got in" to her siblings when they received their acceptances, her smile dims a little and she idly twirls a streamer in her hand.

Megumi notices and comes closer. "You okay?" she whispers.

Nanao musters up a smile, but Megumi's always been able to tell when something's wrong, so Nanao's shoulders droop once more. "I'm- I'm okay, but- did you guys think that I'd get in? To Tokyo U?"

Megumi pauses for a second, and Nanao's expression falls.

"No, sweetie, no don't be sad, of course we thought you'd get in," Megumi rushes to say, envelops her little sister in a hug. "We just- we just weren't absolutely sure, but how can anyone ever be absolutely sure about anything?"

"They were absolutely sure about you and Jun-nii," Nanao murmurs quietly.

And it leaves Megumi speechless for a moment, long enough for Nanao to pull away and excuse herself.

On Tuesday, Nanao arrives home from school to find a piece of mail addressed to her. She picks it up from the centerpiece table in the foyer and slips up to her room; when she turns it over, her eyes flit over the sender's name and her heartbeat quickens, just a bit.

Friday afternoon finds Nanao quietly working on the last remnants of paperwork in the student council room. She's alone in the office, diligently reading over the clauses and signing her name and stamping the seal where necessary, and when five o'clock rolls around, the door swings open to reveal- Keigo and Yuushi-kun, hair still damp from post-practice showers and deeply content (but tired) expressions (that's how they always look, though, after tennis practices; Minako kind of has the same expression, but muted).

Keigo rounds the corner of furniture and settles himself beside her on the sofa, their sides pressed together from knee to shoulder and his weight half leaned against her. She waves a hello to Yuushi, who's draped himself into the armchair across from them, before turning her head to face Keigo.

His own head is right there in too-close proximity for it to be comfortable for most, but he only leans in, sliding the side of his head against the sofa's velvet, until his forehead touches hers. He closes his eyes and she breathes in the air that he exhales, and she murmurs a soft "Hi." He makes a small noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat, doesn't open his eyes, only presses in further until their noses are touching, too.

Nanao traces the lines of exhaustion around his eyes. Her gaze flickers over the small shadows on his features that'd appeared recently, the way his posture is tense and buzzing with tightly-wound control, and she doesn't know what it is, because there are still things he doesn't tell her but she's at least learned to notice the little quirks that shows he's bothered by something.

She lets her pen roll quietly onto the table in front of her and then moves her body so that it shifts completely, facing Keigo, tucks her legs in underneath her and grasps one of his hands with one of hers. Nanao knows better than to ask are you okay (and she hates the fact that 'okay' is an awful way to describe life to begin with, and that Keigo isn't even that, sometimes), so instead, she presses a comforting weight against him. "You should get some sleep," she murmurs, and she knows it can't be solved with sleep, but that's always been her way of saying I'm worried about you and I know you're not okay, but please take care of yourself.

"I will," he says, but Nanao hears I'm not okay now but I will be, later, and it's enough for her.

Yuushi tastefully remains quiet. They've always been remarkably comfortable sharing the same space, after all, shifting around and moving to accommodate each other's curves and edges and jagged points - physically, and metaphorically. He sometimes thinks it might be because of the strange way their relationship had started to begin with, that things like physical space aren't a large issue between them (because if he ever held himself as close to Minako on such a consistent basis the way Keigo and Nanao did, there would be very, very different things occurring in that space).

But it's different with them, it's not- it's not the way he and Minako are, it's because...because Suzuki Nanao is a soft person (if that makes any sense at all), pliant and warm and gentle, feather-light fingertips and delicate smiles. And Keigo's never been one to express himself with words, not when it mattered, even if he may be blaring completely irrelevant things through a megaphone; he expresses his tiredness in the way he droops his shoulders just a little in her presence, conveys that he's upset in the way he presses up against her and closes his eyes against the lights that makes his head ache.

They're comfortable, is the thing, familiar and comforting and they share air and space like two people who were born for the same sphere of existence. She inhales when he exhales, moves back when he moves forward, shifts to the right if he shifts left, and with the number of things they murmur quietly between them- things just for the two of them, even if they're trivial things, like what he ate for breakfast, it's for each other, and no one else- it's sometimes like watching invisible walls being discreetly erected whenever they're occupying the same space, creating something impenetrably private between them.

"I'm going to move out for college - I swear it on my own grave. A dorm room, a flat, a house, even. Tokyo U ought to have some nice properties nearby," Keigo finally murmurs, a slight edge to his otherwise light tone. Anything to reduce the number of stifling meetings in suffocating mahogany-walled rooms, even if by just one or two.

Nanao laughs, though, and Yuushi's chuckle makes the situation much more lighthearted than the reason he'd said it to begin with. "Are you moving into the dormitories?" Keigo asks, voice half-muffled by Nanao's shoulder. She pauses, before giving a nod.

"Probably."

Keigo makes a sound of disgust and rolls his eyes. "Dorms are such a...plebeian thing. Communal bathrooms and shared hallways and-" he can't even finish the sentence in all his resentment.

"Perhaps not everyone can afford to be as luxurious as yourself, Keigo, opting to buy an entire second manor nearby the college for himself," Yuushi says, a teasing lilt in his voice, and tilts his head in half-amusement.

"And what, you're saying you're going to live in the dorms too, then?" There's a high note of disbelief in Keigo's voice.

Yuushi's expression turns decidedly sultry. "Building a love nest for myself and Minako, perhaps. Decorate it with roses and dim lights and a thousand candles on every surface with a claw-footed bathtub-"

Keigo makes this anguished, strangled sort of sound in his throat that's quite alarming to Nanao, and it effectively cuts off the rest of Yuushi's words.

The Hanazonos are one of the higher-ranked families in their little coterie of jewels and money and power. Their prestige comes from generations of money and the luxury cruiseliners they're famous for; in both a homage to where their fortune began, as well as a means to celebrate, they host the notorious 'yacht party' every year around the same time.

'Yacht' doesn't really do it justice.

They pluck one of their largest, most luxurious cruiseliners - levels upon levels of swanky ballrooms, lounges, bars, suite rooms and every other imaginable amenity - and take it out for a night (and early morning) of very, very expensive debauchery. One can easily obtain a key card to one of their plush suites if he has enough importance, and the champagne overflows on almost every floor; the deck is strewn with fairy lights and a jazz band and a full casino floor is riddled with mighty tycoons gambling away their finest racehorses and coveted vacation villas in the name of a good game.

For anyone who's anybody at all, the Hanazono yacht party is a tradition - for children, teens and adults alike.

Keigo swings by to pick Nanao up at seven o'clock, sharp (because the party begins at seven, and the ship wouldn't dare leave without the Atobes - so of course he has to be at least fashionably late). He's wearing an Armani suit that looks like it was custom made to tailor to his figure, hanging off of his shoulders and making him look as though he's a model that's just stepped off of the runway for the very designer.

Nanao had found a familiar glossy black box on her bed when she'd come home Friday night, wrapped in a satin blue ribbon.

Megumi found it a little odd, she'd said, that he continually dressed her- doesn't it imply that he doesn't want you being yourself? He's being offensive, or that you're not a doll, Nanao, he can't jut order you to wear these things-

But that's not it, not to Nanao, and she doesn't think that's how Keigo means it, either. This is just- this is just another one of the little quirks that are theirs. This is them, this is a tradition, and Nanao would almost go as far as to say that if she ever had a party to attend wearing a dress Keigo hadn't picked, she'd feel almost...bereft.

He likes picking out clothes, has far better taste than Nanao's ever had, and the way he picks up dresses for her is no different from the way he picks up different picture books for Kabaji when he sees things he thinks he'd like, the way Gakuto randomly comes home to find an exotic new sweet imported from Germany. It's just what he does, picks up knicks and knacks on whims because his friends are constantly on his mind; for Nanao, he picks up dresses.

Megumi and Jun are in the foyer - she's wearing a slinky, pristine white number that reminds Nanao of a grecian beauty, and Jun is wearing a new Prada suit that Megumi had gifted him earlier that year. They're tossing little digs at each other, sibling things, when Nanao clicks quietly down the staircase - they both pause.

Megumi still seems a bit dubious at the way Atobe seems to be playing dress up with her little sister, but Jun - always the easygoing one - smiles sweetly and cards a hair through Nanao's deeply waved hair. "You've gotten so pretty, Nana - and Atobe-kun knows how to pick a dress."

It's a bold red number, a color he hasn't quite dressed her in yet - but he'd said something about it's a casino, Nanao - one must be bold and adventurous, and then she'd found a beautiful dress that was sheer in some areas and not in others, perfectly tailored to her figure and the kind of shape that was oddly flattering on her in a way she'd never thought of.

That's precisely when Keigo rings the doorbell.

Jun feels as though he ought to give the big brother speech, ask Nanao to not date any boys (when had she grown up so fast?) until she's at least twenty five, but she's already found a boyfriend and he's here - in fact, Nanao just beams at them with this silly little happiness and presses a kiss to their cheeks, then practically whisks out the door on Atobe's arm.

When the door closes behind them, Megumi huffs. "Our baby gets a boyfriend and suddenly it's Atobe this and Atobe that, doesn't even ride with her siblings to the yacht party-"

"Well," Jun muses. "I do suppose if Atobe Keigo was my boyfriend, I'd rather ride with him than my older sister, too."

Megumi is rather snippy after that.

He takes a moment to glance her up and down, the way the fabric folds and swishes around when she moves, the bright red of her dress and the way she smiles at him.

"That's a nice dress," he smirks.

"Isn't it?" she laughs, half-sheepishly.

When they step into a party, they have a very precise routine. It's taken them a few balls and galas to get this right, but they have, and it's so perfect it makes Nanao's fussy little nature happy.

Keigo walks in with Nanao, his elbow crooked slightly and her small hand wrapped around his arm; everyone always takes immediate notice of the Atobe heir, adults and teens alike, and the two take a moment to make a general greeting to the crowd, perhaps say hello to certain specific people.

He's a gentleman, after all, so he first makes sure to drop Nanao off with acquaintances or friends, where she's more than happy to converse with the people she often used to before she'd met Keigo.

And then, Keigo makes his rounds.

It's different for him than it is for Nanao. At every party, small or not, he has expectations, duties - to make himself scarce except to an elite privileged few (even in the upper circles there are still levels to be found), but to make it be known that he was here. He partakes in light conversations about politics and upcoming art exhibits, makes sure to chat with the people who matter, and doesn't quite have time for those who don't.

Exclusivity, after all, is the whole point of this entire charade.

He doesn't take Nanao with him, because for one, she wouldn't enjoy it - she's not that kind of a girl, and she's so bad at concealing her emotions that it'd probably do more harm than good. This is something that he does, one of the few things that's an individual thing rather than something covered under the umbrella of them.

When he's done moving about, doing his social obligations, he usually finds himself in the company of one of the regulars, and eventually, he and Nanao find one another again at some point throughout the party at an acceptable time. And if he's being honest, he kind of likes it, that they spend time apart, because when he relocates her and she notices, there's this expression on her face-

-where she lights up, beaming openly and wearing her heart on her sleeve, and he doesn't think he's ever had someone so genuinely pleased to see him.

It's nearing nine thirty and he's finally finished - a major shareholder had held him in a conversation about the upcoming stock projections for nearly thirty three minutes - he feels a bit exhausted, so he goes to find one of the regulars, instead of making nice with their peers. He finds Kabaji, and he's always been a soothing presence; people don't always get it, why Atobe Keigo is such good friends with Kabaji Munehiro, but the people who are too daft to understand aren't the ones who matter, anyway.

He spends a good deal of time with Kabaji at a roulette table, where Hiyoshi is losing terribly and Kabaji has a strange stroke of luck that has a pile of chips growing in front of him. At 10:14, Keigo pulls away to scan the room.

He hasn't caught a glimpse of Nanao in nearly two hours, and it's half worrying, to be quite honest, just because that girl is so prone to tripping and getting herself into inexplicable messes. Keigo has half a mind to call her (this damn ship is so large it'd be impossible to find her if she'd left the casino level), when he bumps into Yuushi, who's carrying a sizeable stack of chips himself.

He quirks a brow.

"It's only 500,000 yen," Yuushi drawls, and Keigo quirks his lips into a smirk. "I'm not a serious gambler, you know; just looking for a little fun." A pause. "And you're looking for...something else, I presume?"

He's wearing this knowing smile, and it stabs at Keigo's side with a bit of irritation. But he gives a long suffering sigh instead, and deftly swipes one of Yuushi's chips to glance at it with half-interest. "Where is she." And it's a statement not a question, because Keigo knows Yuushi knows where she is, if he's wearing that insufferable expression.

"I was heading over there now anyway, dear, if you'll be so kind as to be a gentleman and accompany me."

The fact that Yuushi's specifically aiming for the location that Nanao is at can really only mean one thing-

"Fucking Shigohara," he murmurs under his breath.

He stumbles upon a scene known only in his wildest nightmares.

The she-devil is leaning casually over Nanao's shoulder, murmuring quietly in her ear, as Nanao holds up a selection of cards in her small hands. Nanao looks decidedly confused even while she's trying to conceal her emotions, and Keigo watches her run her tongue along her lower lip, the way she does when she's studying a concept she doesn't quite understand. But Minako isn't ruffled at all, eyes glancing sharply around the table to assess each player's expression-

Oh hell no.

Shigohara Minako is not going to be teaching Nanao to play poker, thank you very much, no no, quite not. He doesn't need Nanao learning more things from that terrible woman - just the other day, Nanao had mentioned perhaps asking Shigohara to teach her some tennis, and hadn't that been a terrible, terrible idea?

Keigo whisks forward, cleanly slots himself on the other side of Nanao and drapes an arm around her shoulders before leaning forward to murmur in her ear, "Nanao."

She visibly jolts, half-squeaks, even, in surprise, wide eyes darting to his face. She'd been so focused on Minako's directions and the cards and learning to 'read people' (she wasn't very good at it, though), that she hadn't noticed his presence at all. But he takes a smug sort of satisfaction when he sees the way her lips stretch into a wide, bright smile, impossibly happy, and how she leans slightly forward towards him.

"Hey," she greets. "Did you have fu-"

"Nanao," Minako chides, and Nanao's attention is immediately snapped back to the girl. "Focus. Now-"

For a moment, Keigo is utterly horrified, because had Shigohara just addressed Nanao by her first name-?

Ten minutes after Keigo had arrived, Minako had given him this little smirk and told him to sit down; twelve minutes after his arrival, he narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin and did just that - Keigo never could resist a challenge, especially when it came from Minako. Nanao had given him her seat at the table, and for a moment, had entertained the idea of flitting to Jun and Megumi for a while.

But then, Keigo's fingers had laced through hers, loosely and concealed underneath the poker table. "Do you want me to tell you you're my lady luck to get you to stay?" he'd murmured quietly enough that she was the only one to hear, and there'd been a clear teasing note in his words. Nanao had bitten her lower lip to keep from laughing, but she'd sat down in the little stool beside his anyways.

"No," she'd said. "That's more like Yuushi-kun to say to Minako-san." He'd made a face at the mere mention of Minako.

They play.

They raise their bets so high that everyone else folds, and Nanao watches, wide-eyed, as Keigo declares himself all in, watches the pile of chips in the center grow ginormous. "Keigo," she tries to say, worried. "Are you sure-"

"Hush, Nanao."

And then he bets Elizabeth the Third, and Nanao really doesn't think this is a good idea, but when had he ever listened to her? So he bets it all, demands that Minako shave her head if she lost, and this whole thing makes her want to puke, really, with all these high stakes.

They reveal their hands.

Uh-oh.

Right after the game ends, Nanao gets pulled away by Megumi for a few minutes when her sister arrives at the poker table, expression half-frantic, half-urgent and confused. Nanao goes willingly, but not before pressing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

When she returns, she pales, because it seems that Minako and Keigo had gotten into one of their verbal spats over the stakes of the game. He's lost Elizabeth the Third, officially, to the hands of Minako.

They seem to be at a standstill, because Minako is wearing this- this awfully upset expression on her face that Nanao hasn't quite ever seen before, and Yuushi-kun is standing in front of her, his own features set into a hardened line that she'd never seen him level at Keigo. Hesitantly, Nanao takes a step forward.

Keigo is very, very still, staring at Yuushi with a mixture of disbelief and irritation and- something else she can't quite place.

...Just what had happened?

"...Keigo? Yuushi-kun, Minako-san-" Nanao doesn't know if this is her place to enter, but the three people she'd always known to be flawlessly perfect at schooling their expressions into nonchalance are wearing these upset, unhappy expressions, and it frightens her. So she does, she takes a step forward, hesitantly places her fingers on Keigo's arm. "What's happened-"

But none of them say a word, and in the next moment, Minako stalks away, looking wretchedly beautiful even in the way her features are twisted into something displeased. Yuushi glances one last time at Keigo, who stares straight back, before going after Minako.

Nanao's fingers drop from his arm. "What's wrong?" she half-whispers.

He doesn't say anything. Her heart starts to beat a little faster. "Hey," she nudges. "Talk to me." Because Nanao can tell the difference by now, when she can push and when she can't, what subjects he really does not want to talk about, and which ones he just needs someone to ask him to tell them about. And she doesn't like the way that he looks so upset, because even if his face is impassive, the tight set of his jaw and the slight furrow in his brow implies otherwise.

Nanao shuffles a little closer. "Hey," she murmurs, and he finally turns to look at her, both her hands clutching his and their bodies bowed towards one another.

He exhales deeply.

He leans his forehead on hers and she draws little patterns on the back of his hand.

"He's never not taken my side before," he finally admits, and it's the smallest sentence, but it's such a large confession for someone who hates to even say that he's bothered at all, by anything. And it only takes the one sentence for Nanao to get it, to understand - she might not have seen what happened, but she can kind of infer, and she pulls him into one of her too-tight hugs.

"Well," she says, slowly, carefully. "I think- You're always going to be his best friend, but- this is Shigohara Minako, and it's so lovely, the way they look at each other, don't you think?"

Keigo snorts, but there's less tension in his shoulders, now.

"He wasn't- he wasn't picking her over you, Keigo. I'm sure that there's more to the story, and...I mean. You'll be okay, you know? You don't need him to take your side, but- maybe Minako-san's never really had people like Yuushi-kun to hold her hand and support her, so I think it's nice. That he took her side. Everyone needs someone to take their side, I think."

Keigo's quiet for a heartbeat. Then: "I mean- I'll take your side, so then- it's even, right?"

He can't help but to quirk his lips into a small smile at that, roll his eyes and press his lips to her forehead. "And what help are you going to be?" he huffs, but it's affectionate and without much heat.

After that, they dance for a little bit in the ballroom, because as terrible as Nanao is at it, she gets this giddy look on her face when Keigo twirls her around the floor. She thinks it's an awful lot of fun, and if he can't help the fond light in his eyes when she stumbles a bit, well.

And at some point on the dance floor, he locks eyes with Yuushi, who's expertly spinning a graceful Minako who's deadly in heels - and they're alright. They've been alright since Keigo tossed his car keys to Minako without much of a fight in his way of calling a truce, and really, Yuushi'd said mildly, they've been friends for so long that it's healthy to be upset with one another once in a while.

Later, Keigo acquires the key to the presidential suite on the cruiseliner and the four of them traipse on in; he's a bit tired from the constant scrutiny of the adults and their sharp-toothed peers, and Nanao's feet are aching in her heels, so he decides that it's about time that they take a break.

He settles in on the couch and Nanao drops down beside him, and their feet tangle together, just a little bit.

The four of them just talk in low murmurs for a little while, about teachers and the latest gossip at Hyotei, sips of wine and champagne in between. Halfway through, though, Minako rises to fetch something else from the bar in the room and Yuushi accompanies her; they take their time.

Nanao sighs, tired and content and relaxed. "Did you manage to talk to Shitani-san today?" she asks.

He'd mentioned at some point that it'd be nice if he exchanged a few words with the oil tycoon during the party, and he feels this bubble of deep appreciation, that she actually listens to him even when he's rambling about things she has no interest in. There's just a lot of things about her that he likes, and he thinks that even if they weren't like this, weren't romantically involved, it'd be alright, because-

-they'd always been better friends than a couple, because they'd cared for each other as friends before they saw each other as romantic interests. He has Kabaji and Yuushi, but Nanao's different, and just as important.

"Mm," he replies. He wraps a lock of her hair around his finger, glancing idly at the way it curled. "I'm glad we're finally graduating. Tokyo U will be a nice change of scenery."

Nanao murmurs her assent. "I think so too. College is exciting-"

Yuushi and Minako return, then, and they fall into a little debate on who's going to get to give the valedictorian's speech.

The party's dwindling down and the boat is on its way back to shore. Finally, finally done with all the socializing his father expected of him, Keigo lets Nanao lead him to a little secluded deck-balcony she's found. When she closes the door behind them and the sound of orchestras and jazz music disappears with it, he finds himself leaning against the railing with a small breath of relief. Nanao leans back against it, too, but she's facing the other way while he stares calmly at the lapping water ahead.

"Keigo," she starts. "I have something to say."

He laughs at her a little bit, because she always makes everything sound so serious. "I'm sure you do."

Nanao frowns petulantly until he nudges her with his shoulder, still staring out at the water.

"I, um. I want. I want to go overseas."

"Okay."

Nanao blinks. "It's- okay? Really?"

He still hasn't turned to look at her, but he wrinkles his nose and frowns in bafflement. "It's not a big deal, Nanao." A pause. "I have some board meetings the week after graduation, though, so it'll have to be after then. Yuushi and I have been toying with the idea of stopping by China since a few weeks ago - we haven't been in a while."

Nanao freezes for a few moments. She finds her voice eventually. "No, I meant- I didn't- that's not what I wanted to say. I...I want to go- alone."

Keigo blinks, but nods quickly enough. "I can lend you my villa in China- I have one in a few other places, if you-"

"No," she blurts, and it stops him half-way through his sentence. Finally, he turns to look at her, because what is wrong with her right now? What's with all the fuss? His expression must say as much, because quite frankly, he's a bit bewildered.

"Keigo." There's this apprehension in her eyes, and it makes something cold curl in the bottom of his stomach. "I meant. I want. I want to study. Overseas. Not- not Tokyo U."

...What?

"I'm going to Barcelona."

There's a momentary pause. The moment, however, expands and continues to fill the air, squeezes into the crevices between them until it's stifling, until she feels as though it's strangling her and suddenly it's awkward in a way it's never quite been between the two of them. Nanao takes a sharp breath. "In Spain. Barcelona, Spain-"

"I know where Barcelona is," Keigo snaps, shifting out of his silence for the first time in minutes. "This isn't a fucking geography lesson right now."

Nanao falls quiet, fumbles with her fingers until they're rubbed raw and red, and she can't look at him, can't even move her eyes from where they're fixated on his second button. The silence stretches on, until she musters enough courage to pull her lips into a weak little smile, attempt a: "No hay mal que por bien no venga?"

The look he levels her is positively thunderous, and her attempted smile drops and shatters on the floor. "Did you actually just try to use a Spanish proverb on me in this situation-" He cuts himself off, inhales deeply through his nose the way she knows he does when he's annoyed or upset. "And god, your Spanish pronounciation is even worse than your Greek, I don't even understand-"

Nanao frowns a little defensively. "I've been practicing with Rosetta Stone for a while."

And Keigo's just about had it, then, because for fuck's sakes, how had this night suddenly turned into Nanao's confession of her usage of the goddamn Rosetta Stone?

"And Dora the Ex-"

"Don't finish that sentence," he hisses, and Nanao shuts her mouth immediately.

He takes a deep breath, pinches the bridge of his nose, because for all of the silence, for all of his trying, he doesn't fucking understand. Barcelona? Spain? Not Tokyo U- He doesn't understand why, doesn't really get what's happening, here.

"Why are you even-"

"There's this architecture program," she struggles to say. "And I hadn't known I'd get in, and then I did, and I've- I've been thinking of it for a while now, and at first I was kind of scared but I figured-"

Barcelona. Architecture program. For a while. These words ring in his head with a somber tune, and the claws of disbelief and anger are rising up in his throat like bile. Architecture? He hadn't- She'd never even mentioned architecture to him, had never said anything about designing fucking buildings, and now he finds that she's going to whisk off to Barcelona to study architecture?

"You don't- you don't even like architecture," is all he can say at the moment, past his numb haze.

Nanao swallows. "I- I do. I didn't- I've been falling in love with it this year, and I think it's wonderful, and I've been visiting these museum exhibits and reading these books and-"

What books? What exhibits?

When had she-

"For a while. So this. This isn't- this isn't sudden, this has been going on for a while."

There's this dangerous, flat tone to his voice, and it makes her take a small step back. "I just-"

"We've been talking about Tokyo U like nothing's changed, like it's obvious that we're going, and all this time, you've been booking a flight to fucking Spain without ever saying a word?"

He's angry.

"What, were you just going to fly off and drop me a little line once you're there? Or not even that - would I have found out on our first day, when I realize you're not on campus for school?"

Words. Where are her words? She needs to say something, fix this, fix the way he's looking at her with this aching betrayal in a way she'd never meant to make him feel-

"This is-"

"Are you mad?" she whispers.

He freezes, looks at her, and abruptly schools his expression into one of an icy cool - the one he's always worn, but never around her, never like this. It makes her feel a little sick.

"Of course not," he murmurs. "It's your life. Do what you will. Congratulations, Nanao - I wish you the very best. In Spain."

She's not going to cry. She's not.

The boat pulls into the harbor, slowly, and they can hear the whistle of the engine faintly in the background.

"...The driver will take you back home."

What? "You're not- you're not going back with me?" she asks.

He gives her a beautiful smile, and it makes her want to hurl, just a little bit. This isn't- this isn't really his smile, it's not the genuine, crooked one that she likes, and she feels a little like she's drowning. "I'll be catching a ride with Yuushi. If you'll excuse me," he murmurs, painfully polite, and goes back inside.

She can't breathe.

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