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Ukyo had never taken himself as someone indecisive. If there was something he wanted, he knew exactly what it was. However, for one of the first times in his life, uncertainty had befallen him, sitting in front of him with a smile on his face. How he had ever agreed to go out for coffee with Nanami Ryusui, he couldn’t fathom. Perhaps he felt obligated, knowing full well that he did technically save his life, but then again that had been nearly an entire year ago…
Ukyo shuffled his feet, continuing his efforts to avoid eye contact with him, as he looked down at the table with a hard stare. They had already ordered their drinks, and unfortunately, the menus were taken away, bringing along with it the comforting excuse of looking somewhere else in a natural way.
Ukyo could see Ryusui tapping the table with his fingers from the corner of his eye and for a moment, he felt a spark of guilt. Though he was well aware of the type of person Ryusui was from the news circulating of his subject—not to mention his personal experience with him up to date—he still felt bad. After all, he did go through all the trouble of remembering him and fulfilling a debt from over a year ago…
If he was truly so greedy and self-centered, why would he go out through the trouble of remembering him, and even going as far as finding him, just to fulfill a debt? With a frown, he narrowed his gaze. Maybe he was too quick to judge him. It wasn’t something he did often, and he wondered if all the social media influence had just gone up to his head.
He let out a small sigh. Why was he being so stubborn? If anything, the least he could do was let him pay back his debt. With that in mind, he raised his head. Ukyo's sudden movement prompted Ryusui to look at him--he had been gazing out the window--and stared at him in anticipation. The immediate response startled Ukyo a little, making his throat run dry. He was silent for a bit as he fidgeted with a loose string from his shirt until he finally swallowed back his pride and found the voice to speak.
" ...Thank you for taking the time to invite me. But really, you don't owe me anything. I don't deserve it. "
That was the truth. He wasn't sure if Ryusui had remembered the entire experience correctly; he had made it obvious during the two days they spent at sea that he had no intention to speak to someone like him. But yet, here they were, face to face. Ukyo peeked at Ryusui to find his expression and was surprised to find him with a smile on his face. It caught him off guard somehow.
After a moment, Ryusui replied. " I don't need any complicated reasons. My desire was to repay everyone on that ship for saving me; that included you. And, I believe I'd been told you were the one to spot me floating adrift. "
Ukyo was silent after that. He took a moment to think, but before he could say anything, the waiter serving them came back with their drinks. Distracted by the wafting aroma of the coffee, he momentarily forgot what he was going to say, and he began to drink. A strong yet mellow taste of robust, aromatic coffee filled his mouth, followed by a subtle taste of vanilla. For a moment he forgot himself, letting out a contented sigh, as a small smile came to his lips when he took another sip.
"It's really that good? " Ryusui asked, watching him with an amused smile as he picked up his own coffee cup.
Ukyo jolted and averted his gaze, wincing at the sudden display of emotion he couldn't help himself to. He didn’t say anything to reply to him, as he continued to sip at his cup. And for a long time, they sat in silence. A peculiar atmosphere had settled around them, as they both drank in silence, before Ryusui suddenly placed his cup down, exhaling a long sigh.
"You know, " Ryusui began, slouching onto his hand with a pensive look. Ukyo looked up at him, to which he responded with a small smile. " I am well aware of the image the rumours that spread with my name have given me. Even having known about them, I'm glad you still accepted my request. …It was enjoyable. "
Wait. Why did he sound like he was about to leave? Ukyo blinked at his words, still not having quite processed them, and almost seemed surprised to see Ryusui sit up and raise his hand up. " Excuse me! We can take the bill now. "
Ukyo could only stare dumbly as he called over a waiter. To top everything off, Ryusui let out a sigh, and he couldn't help the pit that developed in his chest. Had he really been that deliberately insensitive to him the entire time? He was always one to believe in second chances, so why not for him? Wasn't he being hypocritical?
" …How unfair, " he found himself saying with a frown. Ryusui only looked towards him slightly, with a sad look. Ukyo widened his eyes as he realized he had said that out loud, and his face flushed red. " Oh, god. Sorry, not you. I mean… "
He trailed off with a sigh, wincing at the position he had just placed himself in. Ukyo couldn't bear to look him in the eye. He reflected on his words first before speaking. " I've been unfair to you. I just went ahead and believed those rumours without bothering to listen to your point of view. You're the victim in all of this. "
Ryusui only let out a laugh and thanked the waiter after he finished paying. Once he had left, he turned back towards Ukyo, his eyes shining a little brighter than before. " Don't worry about it. Fortunately, it doesn't affect me very much. Though, thank you for feeling that way. "
" Still… " If anything, hearing that just made Ukyo feel ashamed. How many people had made bad assumptions about his subject like he did? He contemplated for a moment before he shut his eyes. His mouth went dry as he wondered if he'd regret what he was about to say. " …I want to make it up to you. "
As Ryusui widened his eyes, Ukyo couldn't help but cringe at his words. Why was he doing this? It wasn't that he pitied him at all, nor that he felt bad that he had gone out of his way to treat him to coffee. It was just… there was something about him. How his eyes were so sincere. Something in him told him that he deserved a second chance. Maybe there was more to Ryusui than the person in the rumours.
" Why? " Ryusui asked, his expression now slightly amused. " Is saving my life not enough? "
Ukyo let out an exasperated sigh, his face caving into a smile. Somehow, it was hard to stay stiff around him. " I just changed my mind. I've always been one for second chances. Ah. In this case, I suppose it's your third, though. "
" So… you want me to redeem myself? " Ryusui asked, leaning into his hand again, watching him with an incredulous smile as Ukyo shrugged. " You have an interesting way of thinking. "
Ukyo sulked--he wasn't able to tell if it was meant as an insult or not--and looked away. " Will you take my offer or not? I could change my mind again. "
" Sure, " Ryusui said with a shrug of his own. Not bothering to mask his smile, he extended his hand out, and as Ukyo eyed it curiously, he let out a laugh. " What, no one's ever offered to shake hands with you? "
He rolled his eyes before taking Ryusui's hand firmly. They exchanged a solid handshake, as Ukyo raised a brow. " Of course I have. I work in the military. Though I can't say I know why we're doing this. "
" To commemorate our first real meeting, " he said with a light expression as he let go of his hand. This time, curiously, Ukyo found he seemed freer. Not just in his words, but in his face as well. Ryusui, seemingly not noticing his change in demeanour, simply continued on. " We've both been indebted to each other, and now, we're equal. Let's start from zero. "
What in the world… He didn't expect him to take him that seriously. Unable to help himself, he attempted--and horribly failed--to stifle his laughter, as Ryusui watched him with a joyfully exasperated, albeit confused, expression on his face. " …Was that really all I needed to do for redemption? "
The voice Ryusui had spoken in was one Ukyo had never heard from him before, and somehow, it caught him off guard. It was so natural, free from his usual subtle formalities. It was almost… endearing. Ukyo was unable to hide his nonchalantly smiling tone. " As if life is that simple. Try a bit harder, and we'll see where that takes you. "
At his comment, Ryusui raised a brow with an intrigued expression, as he looked away from the car waiting for him outside. He was back to his usual self. " Life is much simpler than you might think, Ukyo. There are no complicated reasons behind anything. Simply desires. "
Ukyo let out a bemused chuckle at his reply as he looked down at his watch. Certainly, Ryusui had quite an outlook on life. Though, as Ukyo looked back up, he suddenly stilled as he made a realization. …Didn't Ryusui just call him by his first name? He had barely noticed, but now, somehow, his name felt so foreign. It prompted an incredulous smile to come onto his face.
Ryusui seemed to have witnessed his changing expression, and as he got up from his chair to adjust his coat, held a smile of his own. " What, are you that happy to see me leave? "
" No, just, you called me by my first name. Isn't it strange to leap straight into it? " Ukyo asked, shifting in his seat. He had an almost amused expression. " After all, we started from zero; we're practically strangers. "
Ryusui let out a small laugh at this and looked down at him. Ukyo nearly averted his gaze, until he noticed the sparkling in Ryusui's eyes. He seemed to be enjoying their banter. " I hardly need an introduction. And I've heard about you before. You should come work for Nanami Corp. We would be glad to have someone like you in our midst. "
A job offer, huh? " Unfortunately I'll just have to turn down your offer, " Ukyo said, looking away and staring at the car outside. The driver seemed to be getting impatient. " But if we could meet again at some point, I'd be happy to have a proper discussion with you. "
" I expected that of you, " Ryusui said with a small laugh. " That's good. Stay true to your desires. But either way, I would like us to meet again. "
Ukyo watched as he bent down and took a spare napkin, jotting something down quickly before offering Ukyo the paper, along with a pen. " I've written my personal number here. "
" Oh, right, " Ukyo said, slightly fumbling as he took the paper and put it in his pocket as he wrote down his own on another.
There was a brief moment of silence as Ukyo finished writing the last of his number down before he offered it to Ryusui who took it with a smile. " Thank you. For taking the time to meet me today. "
" I should be the one thanking you, Ryusui, " Ukyo said with a small sigh, moving to scratch behind his ear. But as he did, he suddenly paused, and he widened his eyes slightly. He had just referred to Ryusui by his first name. Granted, it was a slip of the tongue, but the sheer fact of it made Ukyo warm with embarrassment.
Ryusui also seemed slightly taken aback from hearing his name spoken at first, but rather, his face grew into one of nearly childish bliss, and began to laugh. Ukyo watched him laugh for a moment. It was so free. Though, at the time, Ukyo was unsure of what had provoked such a reaction and looked away with a furrowed brow. “ …Nanami. Sorry. It was a slip of the tongue. “
" Ryusui is just fine as well. You can drop the formalities with me, " Ryusui said after a moment, ending his fit of laughter as he subtly cleared his throat. " It's refreshing to hear my name. I don't mind it. "
Though Ryusui himself had said that, Ukyo found the idea of referring to someone so important by first name too misplaced. Then again… if he did, the Ryusui he had gotten a glimpse of before--a Ryusui free of stiff formalities--would present itself to him again. If that were the case, he wasn’t sure the image he had held of him before would last. Perhaps, that was exactly what Ryusui wanted. Relaxing his shoulders a little, Ukyo showed him a little smile. Perhaps, he didn’t mind either. " If you insist. Then, I'll see you again. "
Ryusui's expression was overjoyed. He cast his gaze down softly. " It was a pleasure to meet you, Ukyo. "
Those were the last words he spoke before he walked towards the door. Ryusui paused for a moment and signalled a single nod to him with a small smile. Then, he stepped out of the door. Ukyo watched Ryusui enter his car and followed it as it drove off into the distance, before looking down at the table and at the two glasses in front of him. A sudden speechlessness came over him as he sat and stared.
Though he had long realized the situation, Ukyo still had no idea how he had managed to speak to such a high-profile person as Ryusui. He even shared a casual coffee with him and had his personal number. The more he thought of it, the more he furthered himself into a state of disbelief. …Oh, right, his number. Ukyo slipped a hand into his pocket and found the napkin Ryusui wrote on, staring at his intricate handwriting for only a moment before adding the number to his phone. As he moved to put it back, a small card with a minimalist design fell out from between the folds. Though, as Ukyo picked it up, he let out an amused chuckle when he figured out it was a business card for Nanami Corp. When had he slipped that in?
Ukyo sunk into his chair as he replayed the memories of the last couple of hours, and of his recent change of perspective of Ryusui. He thought back on his once negative view of him and felt a certain guilt rise in him again. The next time, Ukyo felt he would really have to redeem himself. Yet, even though he saw him in a new light, Ukyo couldn't read him well. He was--to a certain degree--still wary of him.
Well, no matter. All they'd have to do is meet again, and Ukyo would redeem himself and be able to get a more solid interpretation of his character. There was just something about him. Something told him that Ryusui was a hard person to hate; there was already so much more to him than what he showed on the surface. If he were to fully get rid of his bias towards him, perhaps, they could even be friends. He dismissed the thought with a laugh. …As if.
Ukyo brought up the coffee mug to his lips, hiding a little smile behind the rim of his cup. What a ridiculous idea. Who did he think he was, thinking to be casual friends with such an important figure? He rolled his eyes at this before taking a large sip of coffee. Surprisingly, it was still decently warm, and Ukyo melted in the vanilla tones of his coffee.
He thoroughly indulged with his last few sips, and as he finished he made a mental note to come back one day. As he got up, he threw on his coat and straightened it out before leaving through the doors.
The mellow breeze outside lightly caressed his cheeks, and as he began his walk home, Ukyo lost himself in thought. Once again, it baffled him how his inner hatred of him had disappeared almost completely. Ukyo laughed inwardly at how his opinion was able to change in such a short amount of time. Though, with a small smile, Ukyo realized it would be the same for anyone who had the chance to talk to him personally. It was undeniable that now he could no longer see Ryusui as the man he was portrayed as in the media. Anyone else would think the same once they spoke to him. After all, even Ryusui was only human.
Still… the thought of the rumours that surrounded his subject now began to settle in his chest with a bitter feeling. How could a person be so misunderstood? Was this the fate he had to succumb to just because he was born to a fortunate family? It was all so unfair… Ukyo's thoughts began to drift to the Ryusui he was able to see today, with such raw emotion.
Perhaps, the next time they would meet, he would find how to see that side of him again. Ukyo couldn't help but smile fondly at the image. If possible, he wanted him to be able to smile more freely. It was a weird thought to him, but that was what Ukyo wished for. If he would be able to make Ryusui smile freely and forget momentarily of the rumours, it was the least he could do to redeem himself.