Atem hastily washed his face and checked his clean reflection in the mirror before dashing out of the dressing room, ignoring the strange looks from a group of employees filing in through the front doors.

He pushed past them and stepped out into the harsh sunlight, palming his phone and slipping it out of his pocket to call Yugi. His phone buzzed in his hand, and he answered it hastily.

"Yugi?"

"No, it's me!" Anzu cried, sounding worried. "Where are you? We got through the line already! Did you get food?"

"No, I—" Atem swallowed thickly and moved to stand in the shade of the building to prevent the sun from beating down heavily onto his shoulders. "I'm by the balloon stand. Where should we meet?"

"The front gates because we're leaving?" Anzu suggested, and her voice was drowned out by the commotion on her side before she added, "because Yugi doesn't want to dine in the park. Let's go to…let's talk about it at the front! I can't hear!"

The call cut off, and Atem lowered the phone as he made his way to the front gates of the amusement part, his heart thundering in his ears. He had to tell Anzu about this.

This relationship was progressing in ways he wasn't prepared for. He wasn't sure if he could handle an Omega like Kaiba, and this new interaction showed that Kaiba was unpredictable in the worst ways.

Following a small crowd, Atem spotted Yugi and Anzu already standing at the gates under the shade of a tree, and he made a beeline for them, seeing Anzu wave at him.

"Atem—!" Yugi cried, and the dark look on Atem's face made his voice catch.

Something had happened?

Anzu noticed Atem's expression too and shook her head with a grimace, pointing at the gate, indicating they should talk about it outside, away from the crowds to avoid being overheard.

Nodding, Atem silently followed his friends, stepping into line behind everyone who was filing out through the barriers, all chatting excitedly, many people holding shopping bags bulging with cute merchandise while children's balloons were bumped and squished past the low roof.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they made it out onto the street, and Anzu led them to the shade of a nearby convenience store and let out a tight sigh.

"Okay, now tell us," she said, and Atem wasted no time quickly relaying the events of the dressing room, seeing Yugi's eyes widen when he mentioned the assault, and Anzu covered her mouth when he got the description of Kaiba's 'tantrum' in the dressing room.

"He let me touch him! His area!" Atem whispered furiously, trying convey his frustration. "He took my hand and… he put it underneath himself, showing me!"

Yugi clapped his hands over his ears and turned beet red.

"And? What did you say? Or do?" Anzu asked breathlessly, looking around them to make sure no one walking by would accidentally hear them.

Atem blushed harder than Yugi and muttered, "I asked him how he was doing that."

Anzu palmed her face and let out a groan, her ears bright red, and Yugi carefully lowered his hands from his ears, looking between them and asking, "are you done describing it?"

"No," Atem raged, his heart threatening to explode with frustration. "He then asked me to look at him down there, but Anzu said never to look at him there, so I didn't! He grabbed mine in his fist—"

"Oh, okay! Okay! We get it!" Anzu drew a dramatic X over her chest and Yugi turned away, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"Then I left as fast as I possibly could," Atem concluded, his stomach curling with guilt at Kaiba's enraged expression following him out the door. "And he looked angry."

"Yeah I bet!" Yugi cried, shaking his head. "You basically refused to acknowledge him!"

"Yep," Anzu said simply, and Atem's confusion rose.

"You said…not to look at him in the front, or touch his area, under any circumstances," Atem said slowly, his eyes burning with unshed tears of frustration.

"Yeah, if he doesn't want you to!" Anzu replied, exasperated, and Yugi nodded vigorously in agreement. "He was confessing to you just then, and you told him you wanted nothing to do with him!"

"I never said that," Atem said vehemently, his stomach twisting strangely with a horrible feeling.

"You…acted like it," Yugi said quietly, still unable to make eye-contact with him. "Need a metaphor, Atem? He gave you a basket of fruit. You reached in, and then said, 'no thanks.' That's what happened."

Atem's blood ran cold and he swayed violently on the spot, blinking rapidly.
No.
Had he messed up that badly?

"Are you going to lose your job?" Yugi demanded, his eyes wide with panic. "He's… your boss."

"You might need to resign after this," Anzu added unhelpfully, looking extremely worried. "I don't know how…Omegas behave when they've been rejected after being forcefully bonded."

Atem reeled and said nothing, trying to process the horrible words coming out of Anzu's mouth.

The only thing he could think to say was, "Kaiba…doesn't behave like any Omega I've ever met."

"Yeah, because you've got a great sample size of two Omega's you've ever known in your life?" Yugi scoffed. "They're our friends and are Marked Omegas. You can't say 'he's not like other Omegas' when you've never even been around other Omegas!"

"No, it because he moves with ease among Alphas!" Atem fumed, and Anzu shook her head.

"It's an act. Trust me, he'd rather be somewhere else than around a bunch of Alphas," she said seriously, shifting her purse to her other shoulder, looking tired. "Let's get some food and make a new plan."

Atem stiffened and refused. "No. No more planning," he insisted, his cheeks burning with a mixture of guilt and embarrassment at all the horrible, awkward moments he'd shared with Kaiba so far. "All we do is plan, and every time I act on it, it backfires or I fail."

"So you're just going to jump on him?" Anzu asked nervously, wringing her hands. "They're sensitive! You can't do that!"

"I haven't figured out what I'm going to do, but it will no longer involve elaborate planning!" Atem argued, feeling extremely hopeless. "Stop lumping him in with other Omegas. He's different! I will respond to his behavior accordingly!"

"Don't know what that means," Yugi muttered under his breath, shifting uncomfortably again. "God, Atem. What happened to your 'No Omega' rule?"

A person walked by and entered the convenience store beside them, so Atem waited until the person disappeared inside before he answered, "…I couldn't stop myself. I thought it was a manufactured scent. How many times do I have to explain it?"

"It already happened, and nature took it's path," Anzu said firmly, crossing her arms. "We have to deal with the problem in the present, but first, food, because I can't talk about this anymore with an empty stomach."

And with that, she turned to walk into the convenience store, leaving Yugi and Atem standing by themselves outside.

"…I didn't break my own rules on purpose," Atem continued, eager to explain himself but Yugi had already heard enough. He gave Atem a soft, kind smile and followed Anzu inside the convenience store.

Gritting his teeth, Atem slid his phone out of his pocket and hastily composed an email to Kaiba, choosing his words carefully because he knew Kaiba's secretary would read it first.

"Mr. Kaiba,

I've taken our most recent interaction into consideration and hope you will take my resignation seriously this time around. I want to deeply apologize for offending you if I have in any way.

I don't want to seem ungrateful or rude, but if there is a misunderstanding, I would like to clear it up with you in your office tomorrow morning if you have time.

Thank you.

Atem"

Reading it over nervously, Atem hit 'send' and sighed. Dealing with Omegas was stressful. Dealing with an Omega who was his boss, was stressful. Dealing with an Omega who was pretending to be an Alpha was stressful.

Everything was stressful.

Kaiba was sitting in his limo, enjoying the cool air inside when his buzzed, and he knew it was Atem. He couldn't explain how he knew, but the feeling was there.

He slid his phone out of his pocket, and sure enough, sitting in his work email was Atem's name at the very top of his notifications.

Hissing, Kaiba tapped it and read quickly, trying to read between the lines of Atem's vague language.

"I've taken our most recent interaction into consideration," meaning Atem was still thinking about it, and couldn't stop thinking about it.

"…hope you will take my resignation seriously this time around."

Kaiba grit his teeth so hard, he saw green.

Running away.
Atem wanted to leave the company, to leave him alone, to deal with the shitty, painful heat that was his fault to begin with.
Next line.

"I want to deeply apologize for offending you if I have in any way."

I wonder where he got that?! Kaiba thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he continued to read, his fury rising.

"I don't want to seem ungrateful or rude…"

Too late, Kaiba thought spitefully.

"…but if there is a misunderstanding…"

There was. You're an idiot, Kaiba added furiously.

"...I would like to clear it up with you in your office tomorrow morning if you have time."

Meaning what? Did he want to try to fuck again, one last time to see if they were compatible? Or was it to apologize for being a clueless idiot?

Clenching his jaw in frustration, Kaiba quickly replied, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed, choosing to address Atem formally to throw him off.

"Director,

I will see you in my office tomorrow morning, 6 AM sharp.

I will not accept a resignation from you, so stop asking.

If you ask again, you will be demoted instead of promoted.

Yes, there was a misunderstanding, and yes you read the situation correctly.
I am very angry.
I suggest you take this weekend to do some research and enlighten yourself.

Come to me with your findings (or not, I don't care), but if I see another resignation letter on my desk from you, you will find it very difficult to change your title and position while working here at Kaiba Corporation."

Deciding not to sign it, Kaiba set it with a vengeance and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Good thing he'd caught that email before his secretary asked questions about it.

He had expected his sudden bond to Atem to be a physical, violet, rape-filled struggle, but instead, it was a struggle to be understood and accepted as an Omega. Either Atem was truly dense, or he had an agenda, one which wasn't clear.

Either way, it was fucking annoying, and Kaiba realized his hole would leak wetly every time he thought too much about it.

Absolutely infuriating.

Atem nearly choked on his food when he felt his phone buzz, and he struggled to get it out of his pocket while he set his chopsticks down, biting back a cought.

"Slow down!" Yugi grinned, unaware of his distress. "Hey, let's order another appetizer!"

Atem's eyes watered as he reached for the water, took a sip, and glanced down at his phone, reading the email Kaiba had sent seconds ago.

It was cryptic… or not?

"Is it him?" Anzu asked perceptively, holding her hand out. "Show us."

Atem read the whole thing over twice before handing Anzu his phone, and he aimed his gaze out the convenience store windows, seeing the tips of Kaiba Land rollercoasters in the distance.

"Okay let's break this down," Anzu said, pointing at the first line. "He calls you by your title and not your name, means he's not attached to you, or he is, and this is an extreme reaction."

"Oh boy," Yugi muttered darkly. "We're getting into Omega Language. I can't deal with this anymore."

Both Atem and Anzu ignored him as they continued to dissect the email.

"Then, 'I will see you in my office tomorrow morning, 6 AM sharp,' means he's not opposed to meeting me first thing in the morning?" Atem added hopefully, and Anzu grimaced, thinking for a while before saying, "No, maybe he just wants to see you as soon as possible, to work it out, because read the next line: 'I will not accept a resignation from you, so stop asking.'"

"Means Atem should not resign, keep his job, and keep getting paid!" Yugi cried, rolling his eyes. He was ignored again.

"He doesn't want me to leave?" Atem asked hopefully, gazing into Anzu's thoughtful face.

"Or he wants to keep you around…for his own good," Anzu said slowly, her frown deepening. "You're the reason he's like this in the first place, remember? So he wants to keep you close, without caring about you, because he addressed you as 'Director', and not your name."

"I see…" Atem's heart fell into his stomach and he instantly lost his appetite. Right. Because Kaiba was a ruthless Omega, who only did self-serving things, like surround himself with the most powerful Alphas in the business world and make them all work for him.

"Or maybe," Yugi piped up impatiently. "…He just called you Director because you are a Director, and this is a company email, and he doesn't want to say anything incriminating!"

He was ignored again for the third time as Anzu and Atem bent over the table to stare into the phone.

"Oh my gosh, Atem! 'If you ask again, you will be demoted instead of promoted.' Were you up for a promotion?" She squealed, her eyes shining, and Yugi snapped his head up too, his mouth pouched full of food.

"I was not aware of that," Atem said slowly. This was another metaphor for something. Was this a promotion in Kaiba's personal life, or his professional life? The distinction was hard to make….

"Sounds like a threat. You guys are all reading too much into it," Yugi said dryly, setting his chopsticks down and pulling out his phone to mentally exit the conversation at the table.

"He says he's angry very bluntly. You've made him mad," Anzu declared, giving Atem a look. "See? I was right."

"You're always right," Atem said seriously, thinking his friend had never gone wrong with friendship advice…until now, which further proved how different of an Omega Kaiba was. He didn't fit Anzu's predictions at all.

"Well, he wants to see you this weekend. Possibly tomorrow," Anzu said firmly, tapping the screen and reading the line aloud. "'…Take this weekend to do some research and enlighten yourself. Come to me with your findings (or not, I don't care),'… he cares and wants you to come over. Also, 'you will find it very difficult to change your title and position while working here,' is just a threat like Yugi said."

Yugi looked up and then looked back down at his phone when he realized Anzu and Atem were still talking about Kaiba.

"So… He wants to see me this weekend," Atem said, struggling to believe Anzu. "When he says he doesn't care, he does care, and he's threatening me with a demotion."

"Yep. He's saying, 'come over or else,' basically," Anzu replied, frowning. "Want to ask a second opinion? From another Omega?"

"No!" Atem shook his head furiously. "I trust your opinion. I'll do as you say and arrive unannounced at his property tomorrow."

"Wear a camera button for security," Yugi muttered, wondering if Kaiba would try to kill his twin.

"I just might," Atem replied seriously, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. Kaiba was dangerous. That was the truth, plain and simple. Now, he just had one question left before they dropped the subject for good.

"Should I wear something nice?" Atem asked desperately, and Yugi sighed.

"Just wear what you normally wear, Atem. You want to appear non-threatening, right?"

"Or you can wear something nice to show you respect him," Anzu added, and Yugi shrugged, adding, "but he already wears 'nice stuff' to work."

"Because it's required," Anzu said stiffly, and Yugi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then wear shorts and a t-shirt and see what happens. You can borrow mine."

"So which is it?" Atem asked impatiently, looking between Anzu and Yugi for a solid answer.

"A casual tie."

"Shorts and a t-shirt."

Anzu and Yugi replied simultaneously, and Atem bit the inside of his cheek. So a casual tie with shorts?

"Or show up naked. Are we done with this topic?" Yugi fumed, tapping his phone irritably.

"Please, Aibou, this is very serious," Atem said anxiously, but Anzu and Yugi seemed to have lost interest and were already picking up their food trays to throw away.

There was one problem he'd forgotten add, but Atem figured he should deal with it himself. He was already wearing his friend's patience thin because of his Omega blunder.

Pulling out his phone, he replied to Kaiba's email and sent it after nervously reading it over three times.

It should be fine. Kaiba was a formidable opponent and should be treated as such, Omega or not. His status was irrelevant now.

Kaiba had just stepped out of the shower when he heard his phone buzz across his desk, and his heart skipped a nervous beat, the way it always did whenever Atem did anything near him.

That had to be a message from Atem.

Draping the towel over his head, Kaiba realized their bond may have deepened so much that he could feel when Atem was trying to contact him.

Snatching his phone up, Kaiba scanned the email hungrily, his heart thundering in his ears as he read it in Atem's voice.

"Mr. Kaiba,

Once again, allow me to apologize in person at your place of residence. I want to show that I'm worthy of the promotion, or at the very least, worthy of keeping my position here at Kaiba Corp.

Thank you.

Atem"

Yeah, you don't have my address, so I don't know how you're going to do that! Kaiba thought dryly, biting back a laugh.

But points to Atem for trying. And it seemed his angry appeal in the previous email had been heard so he hastily composed a reply.

"Director,

I'm glad we understand each other. I will send a car to your residence at 9AM. See you tomorrow."

Sending it without a care in the world, Kaiba tossed his phone aside and walked back into the bathroom, feeling like he'd won a long, silent argument.

Once Atem arrived tomorrow, the struggle to behave accordingly would begin again. He was openly inviting an Alpha into his house, willingly. But this Alpha was harmless, and Kaiba was sure that this weekend would prove that Atem would not lay a finger on him, even if his hole was wide open and leaking.

Author's note:

lmao clearly in this universe, in-office relationships are not discouraged. Also, Atem is legit scared of Kaiba.

Lets hope our boys have a good weekend with zero communication problems!