Hierarchy

Coffee Shop

The sun shone outside the window of the coffee shop, bright weather in Domino for the first time in months. Kaiba sat at one of the small tables, anxiously tapping his fingers on the table top and against the side of his cup, hearing the little 'ding' each time. He was tittering, anxious as he glanced around and almost hoped Ryo wouldn't show up. They had agreed over the phone to meet for coffee - which neither of them really liked - to discuss their issues in a controlled and civil environment. Kaiba scoffed. There was nothing civil about this. This was pure need; he needed closure with Ryo. He needed a real breakup or to get back together, not just a weird, cryptic fight in a dressing room over a cigarette burn on the carpet. He drank some of his coffee, wincing at the bitter taste he associated with rigid and polite business meetings, faceless and each with a hidden agenda. He wondered what Ryo's agenda was. Or if he was just being silly.

He heard a small gulp from above and looked up to see Ryo standing there, faintly blushing and very uncomfortable, wearing his cute dark green dress shirt with the scratchy beige sweater over it. Kaiba had always made fun of that outfit, said it made Ryo look like an old man, now he couldn't be happier to see it again. Ryo looked at him with a mixture of guilt, apprehension and...need? Kaiba shrugged it off, gesturing to the seat opposite and the milk-coloured coffee across from him. "I wasn't sure how much milk you took in your coffee. So I added it all,"

"I don't actually like coffee," Ryo admitted with a small smile as he sat down, shrugging a little to dismiss it as anything important.

"Thank Ra," Kaiba growled, shoving his own cup away from him with enough force to have some of the dark brown liquid splash on the tablecloth. He snarled at it in disgust. "Now I don't have to pretend to,"

"Why would you suggest meeting in a coffee shop if you don't like coffee?" Ryo giggled.

"Saw it in a movie," Kaiba admitted.

Ryo wanted to laugh but didn't, realising how serious he was supposed to be acting. "So...why did you want to meet?"

Kaiba sighed. "No point in putting it off then. I like you Ryo. I might actually love you. I was stupid and blind. I didn't notice that you were getting a hard time from the others. I'm sorry,"

"They were right to give me a hard time. You cast me in the main role without even giving me an audition," Ryo reminded, frowning at the memory.

"I gave you that part because I know you can handle it, I know you're one of the best actors we have. I wouldn't have given you that part if you weren't one of my best. You think I'd jeopardise this company's reputation by casting an inadequate actor in the main role?!"

"I guess not," Ryo relented with a dry laugh. "If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that the art trumps everything,"

"So can we try again?" Kaiba asked with a hopeful look in his eyes, almost pleading to Ryo, like he wanted to show how truly human he could be despite how cold he seemed. "Please Ryo-kun?"

"Fine, let's try again...Seto,"

^

There was a collective turning of heads and bemused glances as Kaiba and Ryo walked into the theatre together the day after holding hands and smiling together, their loving expressions rivalling those in the sappiest romance movies. The others frowned or exchanged muttered insults, but Bakura sauntered over with Mariku. "I see you finally came to your sense Kaiba," Bakura observed.

"Me and Jou are still the cutest couple in Domino though," Mariku reminded with a smirk and a wink. He cast a knowing but concerned glance to Ryo, who just gave him an affirmative nod as if to say 'everything's good'. He has always been overprotective and still didn't trust Kaiba all that much, but so far he hadn't seen any employee abuse and nobody who actually knew him had but kind word for the guy. He was a bit...intense, but he knew that Ryo liked intense.

Kaiba looked u to the other employees lounging around the stage, their eyes cast downwards or to their phones, no doubt complaining on twitter about the boss and his relationship. Almost the whole city knew about their break-up, but now they got their reconciliation. Kaiba smirked. "Right. Ryo, your costume should be all ready in he dressing room. Let's start rehearsing,"

^

That night, Kaiba sat outside on the roof of his mansion, gazing at the bright constellations overhead, the stars and planets and galaxies being so vivid, so bright. He heard clambering from inside, the warm light from the attic shining upwards just to his side, obscuring the tree branches and thick leaves that surrounded the mansion, sheltering it from view of the street outside. Kaia would go up onto the rooftop, hold himself in his pyjamas and almost just wait for something to come to him. Some epiphany or inspiration. Even if didn't come, it was never wasted evening. He could relax up there. Through the warm light Kaiba saw shadows until a head of white hair poked up from inside the attic.

"So that's where you are," Ryo observed, hoisting himself up and onto the roof beside Kaiba, taking the wine bottle off the taller man and taking a small drink himself, feeling the expensive liquid run down his throat and burn the rim of his mouth. "Do you just sit up here and drink all might or do you actually do anything?"

"Mostly just sit up here and drink," Kaiba admitted with a goofy, lopsided smile and eyes that gazed unfocused at the trees. "I was telling the truth you know,"

"Huh?" Ryo asked in his innocence.

"About loving you. I really do love you Ryo,"

Ryo looked at the floor, before letting an uncharacteristic smirk creep onto his features. "Wanna have some make-up sex?"