The team is so excited for this Germany trip. Oishi, after the two of you talk early Monday morning and clear the air between you two about last weekend, cannot stop talking about their upcoming trip.

"What do you think we should bring Tezuka from Japan?" he asks you one day after class.

You laugh. "I'm sure Tezuka would love anything you brought," you tell him. "But maybe pick up some of the coffee from that bakery near his house – I think he'll miss their Americanos."

Oishi visibly brightens up at your suggestion. "That's a great idea!" he grabs his phone to make a note of it. He looks up at you after. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes," you give him a tight smile. "It's a tennis team trip. I talked to Tezuka about it – you all miss him and he's missed you all too. I think you guys need some well-deserved time with him this weekend after all of Prefecturals without him."

"I know," Oishi sighs. "I know you miss him too," he mumbles.

"I do," you let out a soft laugh. "I'll see him when he comes back, Oishi. He's in physical rehab, not on his death bed. He'll be back eventually."

Oishi rests his chin in his hand. "I wish sooner than later, but I guess we'll see how his training is progressing when we're there."

You smile and pack the rest of your things away in your bag. "Tell him I said hi, okay?" you pat Oishi's shoulder. "He's going to be excited to see you all, and it was nice of you to bring his medal too."

Oishi gives you a small smile and nods.

You actually haven't heard much from Atobe since last weekend, so you're surprised to get home and find a large box with your name on it in front of your house. You lug it indoors to your room before you open it and gasp.

It is a beautiful gown with matching shoes. You don't need to check the price tag to know the items are expensive – you couldn't even pronounce the brand of either of them. There's no address or card on the items, but you immediately know who it's from.

You dial Atobe's number and he picks up. "Michi."

"What is this?" you put the dress back in the box. "This is insane."

"Is it?" Atobe drawls on. "I have a charity event tonight and I thought it would suit you quite well."

You glance again at the dress and hesitantly reach for it. You hold it up in the mirror and realize with some annoyance that he's right and it is, expectedly, gorgeous. "I can't …"

"You can," Atobe responds firmly. "Get ready, I'll pick you up at 7."

Your jaw drops when he hangs up. You glance at the clock and realize you only have an hour to get ready. You glance back at the box and touch the dress fabric again.

"Shit," you murmur, slowly removing the dress from the box and heading to the bathroom to get ready.

Atobe picks you up at 7pm sharp. His driver opens the door to the back of the limo and you see Atobe is already sitting there in his full dark maroon tuxedo. He glances up from his phone when the door opens and makes eye contact with you. His eyes glance over you and he smirks.

"I knew it would suit you," he murmurs as you sit down next to him.

"Hmm," you bite your lip to prevent the giggle that is bubbling up. "Let's try that again. How about 'you look stunning' or 'wow, your hair is gorgeous'."

Atobe lets out a laugh. He reaches over to grab your hand and kisses the back. "You look both stunning and gorgeous," he smirks.

"Thank you," you grin. "And you look very handsome."

He laughs again and the two of you fall into conversation about the week as the car ride continues.

You've never actually been to a charity event before. Atobe's car stops in front of a beautiful art museum and you step out with Atobe. He can sense your nervousness and gives you his arm so you can follow him in.

"Relax," he murmurs into your ear. "You're really squeezing my arm."

"I'm not relaxed," you mutter back. "I'm terrified of all these rich people and I know nothing about art."

He laughs. "I didn't think you were terrified of anything."

You glance around the lobby with the well-decorated centerpieces and flower arrangements. There are already a decent number of people wandering about, separated into smaller groups and mingling. You glance back at Atobe. "Well, surprise. I'm terrified of this."

Just as Atobe is about to respond, you both hear his name called and see an older couple you don't know approaching him. Atobe straightens his posture and introduces you.

"These are my parents' business associates," he tells you their names. "This is my date tonight, Michi Lita."

"Hmm," the older gentleman looks at you appraisingly. "From the Michi corporation?"

"Um, no, sorry," you give him a small, uncomfortable smile.

"That's enough," his wife scolds him gently and smiles at you. "It's nice to meet you," she nods and turns back to Atobe. They start discussing something about an upcoming vacation as your eyes wander around the room.

You spot Oshitari with a girl on his arm you don't recognize. He's talking to a silver-haired male you've never personally met, but recognize from the tennis team as Ootori Choutarou. Oshitari glances to his left and spots you. He raises an eyebrow but gestures for you to join them.

You murmur something to Atobe and head over to their group in the corner.

"What a pleasant surprise," Oshitari smirks. "Michi. This is Ootori – you probably already recognize him. This is Aino Hina," he gestures to the girl next to him and introduces you as well.

"Hi," you greet, and Ootori quickly bows slightly in greeting.

The girl on Oshitari's arm giggles. "You're so cute!" she squeals. "I don't recognize you – you're not from Hyotei. Are you Atobe-sama's date tonight?"

"I –" you're a little caught off guard at her enthusiasm. "I guess I am?" you give Oshitari a confused look.

"Hmm," she gives you a glance over. "I don't think I've seen you at any of these events before." She pauses. "What did you say your name was?"

"Hina," Oshitari interrupts. "Why don't you find us some drinks. I'll meet you in the art gallery in a second."

"Of course!" she giggles at him again and walks off.

You give Oshitari a strange look and he laughs. "She's my father's business partner's daughter. We're not dating. It just makes coming to these events less boring to bring someone."

"Oh," you nod, even though you don't fully understand.

"I see you came with Atobe," he gives you a smirk like he knows something you don't. "And the dress."

You narrow your eyes suspiciously and suddenly feel both a little self-conscious and out of place. "What do you mean?"

Oshitari looks like he's going to reply, but Aino calls him from the side and instead he sighs. "Well, my date calls. I'll see you both later."

He leaves and you see Oshitari offer his arm to Aino, who giggles again and leans in to whisper something into his ear. He nods and gives her an indulging smile before they leave to what you presume are the remaining rooms in the large event space.

You turn to Ootori, who has been standing so politely beside you this entire time. "It's nice to meet you," you tell him. "Did you … come with someone?"

"N-no," he gives you a nervous laugh. "My family is close with Atobe-senpai and Oshitari-senpai's." He gives you a small smile. "We see each other a lot at these events."

You take that as some code that he is also insanely rich. "I see," you glance around and see Atobe is currently speaking with a group of older gentlemen. You don't know any of them and you don't particularly feel like joining. Instead, you glance back at the door Oshitari left through.

"Do I …" you cringe slightly. "Do I look like that?"

Ootori gives you a confused look. "What?"

"That woman, Aino," you pause. "The way she just fawns over him when he has no interest in her. Do I look like that?"

Ootori pauses. "I don't understand," he responds slowly. "With Atobe-senpai?"

You blink once, then twice, and realize how inappropriate this question was to ask someone you literally just met. "Oh god, I'm so sorry," you cringe. "Ignore that. Sorry, I just meant … never mind." You take a deep breath. "How is the tennis training going? I saw your Scud Serve at Prefecturals. It was impressive."

"Thanks," he looks a little bashful. "I'm still working on getting it right."

"For Nationals?" you ask, and he nods. "We're excited to play your team again."

Ootori smiles and is about to respond when Atobe appears at your side. Instead, Ootori gives him a slight bow and murmurs a greeting. Atobe turns to you.

"What are we talking about here?" he drawls.

"I was just telling Ootori that Seigaku was going to kick your asses at Nationals again," you grin.

Atobe smirks. "Seigaku can't beat us twice," he gives Ootori a look and the second-year excuses himself.

"Hey, that was rude," you frown.

Atobe shakes his head. "He needs to make his rounds with his aunt."

You have no idea what that means. "Are you … done?" you ask, a little confused.

"For now," he sighs and you realize he sounds a little tired. "Let's go."

"Where?" you ask, but follow him anyways.

He ends up leading you both around the corner where you realize the event room leads into the remainder of the art gallery. There is a large room open with large paintings displayed and fewer people in it. He stops in front of one of the paintings and looks at you.

"I … I don't know too much about art," you admit sheepishly.

He smirks. "Okay, tell me what you see."

You glance back at the painting. It is a gold backdrop with vibrant dark blue flowers painted across the page.

"Irises?" you respond.

"It's one of the most famous series of iris paintings," Atobe tells you. "When I was seven, my father took me to New York to see the corresponding painting at The Met. He wanted to show me the world of art extended beyond international borders, so that when we moved from England to Japan, it was something I could recognize and relate to despite being in a new country."

"Oh," you turn to the right, where a large painting of bamboo stretches across a scroll. "And this one?"

Atobe follows you towards the painting. "I've been told bamboo is the symbol of resilience."

"The bamboo that bends beats the oak tree that resists," you recite and he looks amused. "Hey, I pay attention in class."

"We learn from our failures to rise again," Atobe murmurs.

You turn to stare at him carefully. You think back to that video you saw of him defending Shishido after his loss to Fudomine. How he pushed you – pushed Tezuka – again and again in tennis to rise to your full potentials. How he led his tennis team past their loss to Seigaku to secure the last lottery spot to Nationals. He turns back to you, amused at your critical gaze.

"I think I understand," you tell him. "I think it's easy to see how Tezuka leads his team as captain, but I understand how you became the captain of Hyotei."

Atobe raises an eyebrow, interested.

You shake your head. "I'm just telling you. You're not the Hyotei captain because you're their best player, Atobe. You're their captain because they all chose you."

"Oh?" Atobe is watching you carefully now. You think he might even have his insight on, but you cannot tell. It's a look you haven't seen on him before.

The two of you stand there in silence for a second before your phone suddenly goes off. It feels loud in the silence of the art gallery, and you quickly fumble in your purse to silence it. You glance quickly at the screen to see it is a text notification from Fuji.

You glance at Atobe and he motions for you to check it. He is looking at some of the remaining paintings beside you. You open Fuji's message. It's a group picture with the entire tennis team, including Tezuka, in front of some building you don't recognize. There's something so wholesome about the picture – and seeing the entire tennis team together again in their casual clothes – that makes you smile.

"Arn?" you glance up and see Atobe is back at your side. "What are you looking at?"

You tilt your phone screen so he can see. His eyes narrow at the picture. "What is the Seigaku team doing in Germany?"

"Visiting Tezuka," you respond and try to type back a quick response to Fuji as well. "It's their celebration after the recent Prefectural win."

Atobe pauses for a second and you glance back up from your phone at him. He's looking at you carefully. "Why aren't you there?"

You purse your lips. "It was for the tennis team. They really needed it, and they missed him."

"And you?" Atobe raises an eyebrow.

"I –" you pause. "I miss him too, of course," you grimace. "But it didn't feel right to go."

Atobe doesn't respond, but you can tell his demeanor shifts. "Because you're still angry with Tezuka?" his eyes narrow. "Is that why you're here tonight? To spite him?"

"What?" you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. "No, that's absurd." He doesn't look as convinced as you would have expected so you take a step towards him.

His gaze narrows and you can tell he's angry. "Then why are you here?"

"Because I want to be!" you tell him, exasperated. "I'm here, with you, right now, because it felt right!"

You are standing right in front of him now, face to face. Even with your heels on, he is still taller than you, but you try to not let that intimidate you. Atobe's eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips, and that's really the only warning you get before he takes one step forward and kisses you.

You startle a little but he stabilizes your head with the hand he has on your chin. You're surrounded by the smell of his cologne and you feel yourself melt against him as he walks you backwards until your back hits the wall, careful of the surrounding priceless paintings. Your hands reach up and cup his face as you respond to his kiss.

Eventually, you do need to breathe and Atobe leans back just slightly so your lips part. Your eyes flutter open slightly and you see him also slightly out of breath, his dark blue eyes looking almost black in this light.

"Atobe," you whisper.

"Keigo," he corrects. "My name is Keigo."

"Okay," you bite your lip but your giggle escapes anyways. "Keigo," you reach up and card your fingers through the side of his hair.

He groans and kisses you again.

Oishi comes back Monday morning in a much better mood that you've probably seen him in weeks. It makes you laugh a little when he sets his bag down and immediately hops over to your seat before class starts.

"How was your trip?" you ask him.

"It was so fun." He pulls out his phone and starts showing you all the pictures. Sure, Fuji had sent you some of them, but Oishi shows you his entire album of surprisingly mostly candid shots of the team enjoying their weekend.

You laugh at some of the chaos you see documented in photos. Unfortunately, the bell signaling the start of class interrupts you both before he can get much further.

"I'll show you at lunch," he promises.

"Of course," you smile and let him go back to his seat.

Lunch does roll around eventually, and you find yourself surrounded by most of the third-years of the tennis team looking through Oishi's photos. Kikumaru and Oishi are excitedly narrating the entire trip and you and Fuji listen attentively.

"We do still wish you had come," Oishi tells you. "Tezuka wanted me to thank you for the coffee."

You laugh and wave off his comment. "No, I'm glad you guys had fun, and that was a present from you, Oishi. I told you he would like it."

The conversation slowly shifts to the Junior Selection Camp coming up. You don't know too much about it – there hadn't been a correlate on the women's side previously – so you just listen while they talk about the players in the selection pool.

"Are you helping with the Junior Selection Camp?" Kawamura asks, turning to you.

"I don't think so," you laugh. "I don't think you'll need it – all of you will be in the shuffle with the best teams in Tokyo for the spots."

"Will you at least come watch?" Kikumaru asks excitedly.

"Hyotei will be there too," Fuji adds cooly. You narrow your eyes at him while the rest of the individuals give him a confused look.

"Of course," you smile chillingly back. "Tell me when the invitational is, and I'll watch you guys play."

"What does that mean?" you hear Kikumaru whisper to Oishi, who nudges him in the ribs back to shut him up.

"This would be about Michi dating Atobe Keigo, I believe," Inui responds quietly, pushing his glasses up.

Both you and Oishi's jaws drop, likely for very different reasons.

"How did you know?" you ask at the same time Oishi exclaims, "What?" He then turns to you after your exclamation. "Wait, is this true?"

"It's not –" you pause when suddenly all five pairs of eyes are on you. "Calm down. We're not dating. It's just – I've just gone on a few dates with him."

"What?" Kikumaru joins in. "When?"

"The Hyotei rumor mill is very interested in the one from last Friday," Inui tells the group.

"Last Friday?" Even Fuji looks a little confused at this. "What happened last Friday?"

"There was a charity event at -" Inui starts.

"Inui!" you cut in, roughly elbowing him enough that it makes him flinch. "Will you shut up?"

Inui purses his lips and pushes his glasses up. He says nothing.

"I went to a charity event with Atobe last Friday, okay?" you stand up, trying to avoid eye contact from all directions. "It's not a big deal – like I said – I've just been on a few dates with him."

"What about Tezuka?" Oishi asks quietly, and by the look on his face, you can tell the words have tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"What about Tezuka?" you narrow your eyes at him, challenging him.

The entire table is dead silent. Luckily, the bell signaling the end of lunch rings immediately and you see Kikumaru and Kawamura scramble so fast to get of the room. You and Oishi stand up as well and slowly head back to your seats in the front.

"Is this why you didn't go to Germany?" Oishi asks quietly.

"No," you shake your head. "I meant what I said to you that night. I think I just need some time and space away from Tezuka for a little bit."

Oishi gives you puppy eyes. "Can I just say that Tezuka … I think he was really disappointed to not see you."

You give Oishi a tight smile. "I think he can tell me that himself when he's ready."