Chapter 8
Yugi and Kaiba had parted shortly after ten on Friday evening, without making any strict plans to meet up again. So, it was a complete coincidence that Kaiba spotted his dinner companion the very next day on the streets of Domino. And despite himself, the CEO found his eyes lingered on the duellist, without the inclination to go up and announce himself.
Yugi was alone, wearing a long purple scarf that laid heavily over a grey wool coat, his hair as wild as ever. He was strolling down a street in West Domino, a good distance from his home but an area populated with little restaurants and amazing pastry shops that attracted a good number of the city's residents – no-matter how far away they lived. He was carrying a small brown box and a coffee cup, the steam racing out of the lid's lip and into the cool air.
Kaiba suddenly came around to the fact he had stopped beside his car, gloved hand still on the door handle, the other gripping his briefcase. No doubt his driver was wondering what on earth he was doing. Yugi, however, didn't notice that he had a singular audience observing him from across the road.
Pulling open the car door, the tall man stepped inside and out of sight in one quick motion, stowing the briefcase beside him. The engine instantly started, but he halted his driver.
"Wait. I want to look over some things before heading back." It was a complete lie, but naturally none of his employees would question him.
"Very good, sir. Let me know when you are ready."
The were parked in a secure spot, outside of the restaurant Kaiba had just had a quick lunch meeting in – he hadn't been impressed when the date had been pushed back from last Thursday to a Saturday and even less so when it was over lunch. But he wanted the event over and done with, so he had agreed to the time and place begrudgingly and the singular investor who had been bemoaning over one incident after another was now satisfied – peace restored, for the moment at least.
But now the impromptu appointment had led to an indirect encounter with Yugi.
Taking out his phone, Kaiba brought up the last message between them. It was sent that very morning.
The King of Games had thanked him for having dinner with him the night before, which Kaiba had yet to respond to. His eyes drifted up to the window, Yugi was almost beyond his line of sight.
He momentarily felt strange, looking at the man in question and back down at the one-sided conversation. Before he could dissect his actions, he opened the opposite car door, climbing out and allowing a car to pass by before he spoke.
"Yugi," he called, not shouting, but loud enough for the other man to do a full turn, surprise blossoming on his face.
"Hi," Yugi said as he got a little closer, still standing on the far sidewalk, his coffee cup raised in greeting.
Kaiba crossed, briskly, standing tall when he was in front of him.
"What are you doing on this side of town, Kaiba? Anything nice?"
Kaiba huffed out a breath that sent a mist of disdain into the cold air. "Hardly. A meeting in the restaurant across the way. I rarely allow for lunch meetings, let alone in tiny restaurants that can't even make a decent coffee."
Yugi looked both sympathetic and amused, his lip turned up on one side and his head cocked.
"At least it's done now, right?"
The blue-eyed man made a noise of agreement, shooting the restaurant in question a side-eye glower.
"Are your Saturdays always so…" Yugi trailed off, his eyes suggesting the word 'unpleasant' to Kaiba.
"Yes, they are," the other confirmed. "Although, I limit the number of appointments at the weekend. I have one more in twenty-five minutes, but that's it. Who knows how long it will run on though."
Yugi gave him a small smile, aware that this was the beginning of the end of this brief encounter, especially if Kaiba had to get back across town.
"Well, hopefully the next one won't be too painful?"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow, scepticism so evident in his expression that Yugi couldn't help but laugh.
"Speaking of which, I had better go," the CEO announced.
Yugi nodded, his laugh falling into a small smile. Kaiba turned back to cross the road, but Yugi suddenly stepped forward.
"Oh, here! Since your last one was so unsatisfactory."
Kaiba felt the warm cup of coffee being pushed into his left hand, his leather glove closing around it automatically.
"It's from the chocolatier around the corner," Yugi said, not registering the look of surprise on the taller man's face. "But their coffee is even better than their hot chocolate. No sugar, with a dash of milk – I hope that's ok? I only had two sips. Enjoy!"
And with that, Yugi was waving in goodbye, expression particularly bright.
Kaiba stood there for a beat too long, before he pulled himself together, looking down at and gripping the drink in his hands more firmly. He made his way back to the car, instructing his driver to hurry despite it being him that caused the delay. It was only when they were safely on the road that he focused his attention on the drink Yugi had given him. It was a gesture that was so typical of Yugi, but so unfamiliar for him to be on the receiving end of. Raising it to his mouth, he took a sip, having no qualms about drinking from the same cup as the other, especially considering they had now kissed numerous times.
The caffeine hit was instant and as rich as one could hope for. There was a faint chocolatey hit in the flavour, but it was absolutely divine. He both savoured and devoured it, bringing the empty cup with him to his office for reasons he couldn't really fathom, but determined that it would serve as a reminder to get in touch with Yugi sooner rather than later.
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Yugi set down the box of chocolates he had picked up on the kitchen counter, next to the groceries he had fetched on the way back, reflecting on his chance encounter with Kaiba as he put them away.
When his task was complete, he popped open the chocolates and selected a Turkish delight from inside, popping it into his mouth. As he chewed, he thought over what Kaiba had said about chocolate the night before, his hand unconsciously reaching for the collar around his neck, blushing slightly at his bold move of removing it for the CEO. For some reason the action felt very intimate.
So lost in thought as he was, Yugi didn't hear his grandfather enter the room, having come up from the shop downstairs. He jumped out of skin when Mr Muto placed a hand on his shoulder, whirling around in horror to see the elderly man's laughing face.
"Grampa!"
"What has my grandson so distracted, hm?" he asked, the question so simple that Yugi's spluttering response immediately raised questions.
Yugi pushed the box of chocolates in his direction as a blatant diversion, but his grandfather fell for it, delight on his face, busying himself with avoiding the coffee-flavoured treats in favour of the strawberry and mango options. Yugi let him, shaking his head in amusement and exasperation, but glad to have ended the conversation that was clearly brewing. Well, perhaps 'ended' was too optimistic? Delayed might be a better way to describe it.
"Any plans for the rest of the day?" his grandfather finally asked, three chocolates later. Yugi shrugged. "Not really, do you want me to watch the shop? I don't mind."
Mr Muto shook his head, declaring that he was fully capable.
Yugi's phone then beeped from his pocket and taking it out he saw Kaiba's name flash on the screen. He looked up just in time to see his grandfather leaning over without an inch of subtlety to see who it was from. Yugi ducked out of view, leaving the kitchen as the other Muto huffed a laugh at his expense, opening the message in the privacy of their living room.
'Thank you for the coffee.'
Yugi's grin was immediate and he was suddenly very glad that he had given it to the man. He sat on the sofa and placed his phone down, letting his head fall against the soft backrest. He knew that any sort of friendship with Kaiba would be unusual, but this was surprisingly easy. Neither of them knew what the heck was going on, that was true, but things seemed to be playing out nicely. Without forcing it, they spent time together – though Yugi was careful not to haunt the other with constant messaging, as he knew how busy and how private his ex-rival was. Yet, Yugi didn't mind the casual approach they had to whatever was going on. Frankly, it was nice. And if he were being completely honest with himself, catching Kaiba's attention had always been a thrill. Sure, it was a little dangerous in the beginning, all those years ago. But when Kaiba became Atem's rival, it was thrilling to go up against him – even when Yugi himself had a backseat in their interactions.
A second beep had Yugi sitting up, attention immediately drawn to the screen once more.
'I'll need the name of the place that coffee came from.'
Yugi laughed. It would seem he had found Kaiba's new favourite caffeine dealer. He sent on the name and address and heard no more for the evening.
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The shop was closed for the night and his grandfather had gone out. Yugi attempted to ask where he was going, but Mr Muto claimed that if Yugi was allowed have secrets, the elderly man was permitted to keep his own. Not wanting to delve any further into that, Yugi had backed off. But judging by the orders not to lock him out, his aging family member wouldn't be late. The clock had just struck nine when Yugi sat down to watch a movie, pulling a ridiculously large grey house jumper over his t-shirt. Cosy and soft, the warm fabric fell almost as far as his knees, making it perfect for lounging.
He had just picked up a bowl of grapes he had prepared and popped one in his mouth when the bell rang for the front door. Jumping slightly, he sat up and paused the opening credits. Did his grandfather forget his key?
Pulling another grape off of the vine, he hopped up and made his way towards the stairs.
Undoing the lock, he pulled back the door, peering around it into the night with a little trepidation.
"Kaiba?"
Yugi was a little stunned, but there the man was, dressed in the same pristine charcoal suit he had been wearing earlier that day, a new, and obviously hot, coffee clutched in his hand. Had he only come from the office now?
Kaiba's face was stern, but he nodded his head in greeting, his expression shifting slightly as his eyes dropped down Yugi's body, taking in the woolly jumper that was at least four sizes too large.
"Nice jumper, Yugi."
The spikey-haired man instantly looked down at himself in slight horror upon realising what he was wearing, before standing up straight and squaring his face into a serious and unsuccessfully neutral expression.
"Ah, yes. Well… it's comfortable."
"It must be," Kaiba said quietly, a smirk growing on his lips. "You could fit at least two other people in there."
Yugi crossed his arms defensively, but the effect was completely ruined by the additional length on the sleeves, which fell far over his actual hands and when he folded them, looked like some sort of bizarre, backwards straight-jacket.
Noticing this, Yugi cracked a smile, giving into the less-than-tidy picture he currently presented. At least his hair looked perfect. It would be a different story if Kaiba had called in the early morning.
"You can come in if you promise to banish this jumper from your mind forever?" Yugi bargained, standing aside regardless.
The CEO didn't budge.
"Not worth it. That jumper is forever embedded in my brain. Anyway, I can't stay. I just dropped by to give you this."
The drink was almost shoved into Yugi's hand, the warmth immediately coming through the biodegradable cup to heat up his palm pleasantly. Yugi looked down at it, unsure of what was going on. It suddenly dawned on him that it was a coffee from the very place he had been earlier today – the same as the one he had given to Kaiba. A quick sip confirmed it. A drop of milk, no sugar. Just how they both liked it.
The King of Games looked up in surprise just to see Kaiba turn away slightly, heading back to his car.
"Thanks for the recommendation, Yugi. I'll see you soon, I'm sure."
He was gone before Yugi closed the door, leaving the smaller man smiling on the doorstep.
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