I know what you mean, because I have similar things happen between my strays and also between my two house cats.
What I do is, if the shy one goes off, I go off with him on some occasions, and not in other occasions. Or I compensate later with extra attention to him when the other isn't around.
Also, cats' dynamics and hierarchies are not always permanent. Cats love both strict routine and novelty, so their relationships can change after some time. You can reinforce the change by trying to re-create circumstances that caused them to relate the way you want. Eg: when Prince takes off from the bedroom because Princess doesn't let him on the bed, I lift the duvet and cajole Prince to come back and lie under the duvet. She is on the duvet, so a layer separates them and they tolerate each other that way.
Another thing I do is, while I pet the dominant disrupter, I maintain eye contact (slow blinking) with the shy one, so he doesn't feel left out.
Another thing to try is - cats have very different needs according to personality. It may be very important for one cat to steal your lap, and for the shy cat something else may be very important, so it evens out.
What I do is, if the shy one goes off, I go off with him on some occasions, and not in other occasions. Or I compensate later with extra attention to him when the other isn't around.
Also, cats' dynamics and hierarchies are not always permanent. Cats love both strict routine and novelty, so their relationships can change after some time. You can reinforce the change by trying to re-create circumstances that caused them to relate the way you want. Eg: when Prince takes off from the bedroom because Princess doesn't let him on the bed, I lift the duvet and cajole Prince to come back and lie under the duvet. She is on the duvet, so a layer separates them and they tolerate each other that way.
Another thing I do is, while I pet the dominant disrupter, I maintain eye contact (slow blinking) with the shy one, so he doesn't feel left out.
Another thing to try is - cats have very different needs according to personality. It may be very important for one cat to steal your lap, and for the shy cat something else may be very important, so it evens out.