Preparations for the remainder of Prefecturals keeps everyone busy. Oishi steps into the role of temporary captain while Tezuka is out, and you in turn end up finding yourself trying to fill in for whatever extra work needs to get done to keep the team running smoothly. That usually means most days you are at practice with the team.

It is just another day after practice two weeks later when you are helping gather some of the extra balls lying around the courts with the freshmen. The regulars have all finished and have left for the locker rooms already. You hear the whispers first and look up.

Standing at the edge of the tennis cages are three men dressed in the Hyotei uniform. You recognize them from your recent match with Hyotei. It is Oshitari, Shishido, and Gakuto. They are clearly looking for you. Oshitari smirks when you make eye contact with them.

"Michi?" he asks, although it is clear he knows who you are.

You leave your basket of tennis balls on the ground and get up. You're a little annoyed – what was it with Hyotei members interrupting Seigaku tennis practice? – but you're also confused at why the three of them are here. You head around the outside of the cages where they are waiting.

"What do you want?" you cross your arms.

Oshitari chuckles and puts his arms up in a placating gesture. "We're not here to cause any trouble," he gives the redhead next to him a pointed look who, in turn, rolls his eyes back. "We just wanted to talk to you for a second."

"About what?"

"You have to talk to Atobe," Shishido blurts out.

You flinch. Oshitari sighs. Gakuto jumps in. "Yeah, that man is a monster right now," he adds. "He's been a literal terror not just at tennis practice, but even in the school!"

Your eyes widen. "I don't … understand," you respond slowly.

"Whatever the hell you said to him two weeks ago," Shishido huffs impatiently. "Can the two of you just apologize and get over it or something? If I have to run another fifty laps at practice because 'your racket is too loud' again, I will murder him."

"Practice is going on for twice as long!" Gakuto moans. "It feels like it's just never-ending."

Your jaw drops. "I don't think you have the right person," you blink. "I didn't … we didn't … get into a fight."

Oshitari sighs. "Listen," he pushes his glasses up. "We all know Atobe very well. Whatever went down between the two of you two weeks ago, it's bothering him, and in turn, he's taking it out on the entirety of Hyotei. He's not a monster, Michi, I think you know that more than anyone."

You think back to your last conversation with him when you called him just that. You had been so angry at him, but he was right – everything he had said about your insight, Tezuka's shoulder, your feelings.

Hate me if you will, he had told you. I've heard people don't enjoy having their weaknesses pointed out to them.

You swallow. Oshitari sighs again. "Look, I'm going to tell you this behind Atobe's back, because you don't know him like we do. Atobe cares – his fatal flaw is sometimes that he cares too much. He will do anything for those around him if he knows it's the right thing," he pauses. "Your first date – at the café? He rented out the entire space for the afternoon because he didn't want some eavesdropper to overhear your conversation. His tennis courts? He always has an extensive ball crew and service individuals around, but he cleared them out because he didn't want it to be overwhelming for you. But he's prideful and arrogant and he will never admit to any of it. And now he's hurting, so all I'm asking is that you do something for him. Talk to him."

Your jaw drops. "I had no idea," you mutter.

Oshitari pulls out a sheet of paper. "This is my number. Atobe's … not picking up," he finishes wryly. "Call me and I'll take you to him. At least think about it, okay?"

You nod dumbly and take the paper. The three Hyotei members leave and you stare blankly in front of you, trying to process this new information.

You end up spending all night thinking about this and it shows the next day at school. You're caught spacing out in class and Oishi shoots you a sympathetic look when you get extra classroom cleanup duties at the end because of it.

"I can take care of practice today," he tells you and pats your shoulder. "Get some rest."

The only good news is that the Seigaku-Rikkaidai finals game that was originally this weekend ends up getting pushed one more week out given the massive storms.

You absentmindedly put more pieces of chalk away as you think about the training camp that Oishi and Ryuzaki-sensei have brought up. You glance out the window and see the Seigaku tennis team practicing. It has barely started drizzling, but you get a feeling they're trying to get as much outdoor training as they can before the weekend storm comes in.

Your mind drifts to Oshitari's last conversation with you yesterday. Hyotei was now out of the Prefecturals – eliminated by your team. What exactly was Atobe doing, pushing them to practice twice as long and hard as before?

You reach into your pocket and pull out Oshitari's number. Well, Oishi did say that he could take care of practice by himself today, and you'd be out all weekend for the training camp. No time like the present.

You dial the number and are nonetheless surprised when Oshitari picks up on the second ring.

"About time, Michi," he drawls.

You don't want to know why he knows it's you – you've clearly never given him your number. "Did you mean it when you said I should talk to Atobe?"

Oshitari sighs. "Yes I did," he gets cut off when there is some commotion in the background.

You hear Atobe's voice shout, "Yuushi, get off the phone. You're at practice! Then go take ten laps."

You wince. "Shoot, sorry, bad timing," you apologize.

"You're fine," Oshitari chuckles. "Hold on," you hear him muffle the microphone. You hear him shout something back but you can't make it out.

You hear Atobe growl. "Make it twenty, Yuushi."

Oshitari chuckles again and you hear him unmuffle the microphone. "Does that answer your question?" he asks, sounding very amused for how many laps he's about to run.

"I …" you pause. "Okay. Go run your laps. Text me what you need from me when you're done with practice."

"Will do," you don't know him very well, but you can imagine him giving you a mock-salute.

Oshitari ends up telling you he's sending you a car to the Atobe estate. You truly cannot believe how rich these Hyotei students are, especially when you step out of Seigaku and you realize this isn't Atobe's car he sent – he sent his own. It is pouring rain though, and you've forgotten your umbrella, so you are eternally grateful of the umbrella the driver holds up for you as you get in.

You twiddle your thumbs on the drive over to Atobe's and contemplate what you're going to say. When you arrive, the driver again lets you out and one of the maids greets you at the door to lead you to a room on the second floor. She knocks twice.

"Enter," you hear Atobe's voice.

The maid opens the door for you and bows. You thank her briefly and step in. You see Atobe is currently sitting at his desk, in what you presume to be his office. He's currently facing the window and his back of his chair is you. It is currently raining, but you realize he probably saw Oshitari's car come from out front.

"Yuushi, I'm not in the mood for whatever nonsense you're here for," Atobe starts, sounding clearly annoyed and turning the chair around. He stops when he sees you instead. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Hi," you bite your lip, suddenly questioning if this was a good decision at all. "I'm sorry. I can come back later."

"Wait," you stop and see him stand up, coming around the desk. "What are you doing here?" he looks at you closely. "You're wet."

You brush some of your wet bangs aside and wince slightly – you had hoped you had mostly dried on the way over, but he is right – your Seigaku uniform has patches of rain on the shoulders and your hair is very clearly wet as if you had just run through the rain. You shiver in the air conditioning in the room.

"I'm fine," you tell him, nonetheless. "Oshitari … he asked me to speak to you."

Atobe narrows his eyes and for a second, you wonder if he will dismiss you just as cruelly as he did after the Seigaku game. Then, he sighs and his posture relaxes.

"Okay," he acquiesces. He gestures at a maid in the hallway, who nods and disappears. You also relax a little bit when you realize he is no longer glaring at you with those icy blue eyes. "We'll use the sitting room."

You nod and follow him. The maid reappears and hands you a warm towel just as another one comes with a tray of hot drinks and follows you both to a nearby room. Atobe takes a seat in one of the armchairs. You glance around and decide a spot on the sofa is safe. The towel helps keep you warmer and you thank the maid who leaves the hot drinks on the coffee table before you.

Atobe crosses one leg over the other and leans his elbows onto the armrests. He looks at you. "What are you actually here to for?"

You purse your lips. "I came to apologize," you mutter. "I'm sorry for how I treated you after our game. I shouldn't have shoved you or called you a monster."

Atobe laughs but it sounds hollow. "I told you, Michi. I'm not easily offended. Think of me as you will, I did what I knew I had to. You think I'd be bothered by your opinion?"

You tense up. Here again was that version of Atobe that scared you. You take a deep breath and think back to Oshitari's words. This was his defense mechanism.

You take a deep breath. "You are," you tell him evenly, trying to hide your fear. You think back to when you were on the Seigaku tennis team, so angry and scared after your ankle injury, just trying to make it from game to game. "You are bothered by what other people think about you, Atobe," you repeat.

His eyes narrow but he doesn't say anything.

You put your drink down so you can focus. "I'm sorry I didn't see at the game," you swallow. "I should have, and you're right, I was blinded by my feelings for Tezuka," Atobe's eyes narrow further but again, he stays silent. "But I shouldn't have said that to you," you bite your lip. "I should have trusted you."

"You don't know me, Michi," Atobe tells you coldly.

You frown, undeterred. "I think I do," you stand up so he has to look up at you. "This Atobe here now? He wouldn't have talked to me about my insight so I wouldn't feel alone. He wouldn't have coached me in tennis for a week until the fear of picking up my racket no longer gave me panic attacks. That's the Atobe I know," you lift your chin and make direct eye contact with him.

You wonder if you've successfully made Atobe speechless for the second time in his life. You can't read what's swirling in his eyes, but his expression betrays very little.

"You do this -" you continue. "You make yourself the villain in everyone's story so they can defeat the big scary dragon and go home a hero. But you … you're not a big scary dragon."

"Tch," Atobe jerks his head to the side and scowls, and you tense up, wondering if you're about to get thrown out. He doesn't say anything, just keeps his eyes glued on the fireplace and his posture rigid. You take a tentative step forward but he doesn't react at all – even after you're standing right in front of him.

You crouch down until you're back at his eye level. His eyes trail back to meet yours. "You're not the villain in my story, Atobe," you tell him plainly. "You're my friend."

There is a good pause as the two of you simply look at each other before Atobe sighs. "Okay," he responds softly, and you know that is as much acknowledgement as you will get from him and his arrogance.

"Okay," you repeat back at him, giving him a small smile. You get back up. "I need get back – the Seigaku team has a training camp this week I need to help pack for."

He nods and watches you grab your bag. You neatly fold the towel for him and leave it on the side of the couch before making your way to the door.

"And Michi," you hear and pause. "Thank you."

You hide the smile on your lips as you leave.