Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! I wouldn't be here writing fanfics, believe me. So, in short: I don't own anything; I'm not making money from this silly things, etc.

The corridors of the blimp were deserted by now, being everyone too tired from all the events that happened in the past hours. Marik walked alone, not really knowing what to do now. He was truly glad that the madness had ended at last. The hatred and resentment he harboured towards Yugi and the Pharaoh had finally vanished for good, like that other dark personality he used to have. The memories alone of being unable to do anything as he witnessed that other part of him taking control were enough make him shiver. Maybe his initial intentions weren't good, but the truth is he never wanted to go that far into the destruction path.

A smile came to his lips when he remembered Ishizu's happiness and relief when his dark side was finally defeated. His sister was really worried for him, even after all the chaos and hurt he had brought to their family, and there was no else he could blame for that. Nevertheless, she had forgiven him, like the good sister she was, and Odion was out of his coma now. Marik thought he should be happy, but apologizing to everyone was a bitter task. It wasn't like Ishizu forced him to do it; she just suggested that perhaps he would feel in peace with himself after doing so, but she had been really persistent with the issue. It turned out that his sister was damn right, as always. Not to mention that he even he admitted to himself that he had acted like a real jerk all that time.

First of all, he had gone to see Yugi. Apologizing was never easy and it hurt Marik's pride, however, he felt considerably better after being forgiven. In fact, Yugi turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Encouraged by that positive first experience, he went to talk with Téa, since she had acted as an unknowing host for his soul when his darker side tried to banish him. Then, snippets of his encounter with Kaiba came to Marik's mind…

"So you decide to go all psycho and use my Battle City Tournament to fulfill your plans, but when it comes too much for you to handle, you use that Shadow Magic excuse and blame it all on an split personality disorder." the CEO coldly commented, leaving the blond Egyptian speechless.

"I… It's true that I used your tournament for my purposes, but I…" Marik began explaining, trying to make Kaiba understand what truly happened on the finals.

"Look, you probably endangered all of us because of your vengeance plan, but I don't care about the reasons behind all what you did. Just be a man and take responsibility for it instead of hiding behind lame excuses." Kaiba cut Marik in mid-sentence. Then he left, not even giving the other boy a chance to reply.

… Marik had stopped in his tracks in the middle of the empty corridor, clenching his fists in anger as he recalled the events. No one had ever treated him with such cold indifference and superiority. He had done nothing directly to Kaiba or his brother, at least as far as he remembered, yet the CEO had been harsher than anyone else. What bugged him the most was that a part of him agreed with Seto, after all it was himself who created that other Marik, an incarnation of all his hatred. Marik was forcefully taken out of his musings when someone bumped on him from behind.

"Ouch! Hey pal, what are you doing standing like a scarecrow in the middle of the corridor?" the unfortunate boy complained.

"I didn't see you coming…" Marik explained, turning around to face his speaker "… Joey."

"I kinda guessed that, pal" Joey chuckled "So, what are you doing in here?" he asked while making a gesture that encompassed their surroundings, making obvious that it was a damn strange place to be.

"Actually, I think I forgot where I was going" the tanned blond confessed. Seemingly uncomfortable with the silence, Joey thought of something to say.

"Yugi told me you actually can be nice if you want" the merry duelist told him without really thinking much. Marik flinched slightly at that.

"Yeah, about that, I want to say I'm sorry, Joey, for kidnapping you and your friends, for using you as a mind-slave and force you to duel Yugi to death…" his voice trailed off at this point, before he took a deep breath "… and also for all the damage you took in the Shadow Games. I'm really sorry." Marik finished his list looking at Joey's eyes, like defying him to disagree. Joey stayed silent for a moment, which only served Marik to grow nervous. Of all the people in this blimp, Joey was probably the one with more reasons to hate him.

"It's ok, after all, everything's back to normal again." Joey reassured the Egyptian with a smile "Thank goodness, no one was permanently harmed and your other half, the batshit crazy one that did all the worse stuff, is gone now, right?"

"He might have acquired a separate personality, but he was a part of me… in some way, he was me, since I created him. I have no rights to excuse myself, it was all my doings and my ideas and I shall take the responsibilities." Marik ranted without even noticing how that sounded.

"Dude, do you want me to forgive you or not? Cause that's not very flattering for your cause!" Joey laughed "Besides, you do sound like Kaiba." Marik smiled sheepishly; Joey was right, it looked like his brief conversation with the rich CEO had affected him more than he thought. "Lemme guess, you met him and moneybags hasn't been very receptive to what you had to say. We all know how he is." At this point, he had an arm around the shoulders of the other boy in an oddly familiar way, like an old friend would do.

"You're right, he didn't believe a word. But it can be sort of understandable. I mean, creating a separate entity of yourself that holds all your bad emotions thanks to Shadow Magic and a Millenium Item? Even I admit that it sounds like the tale of a fucking lunatic." Marik finally laughed without much humour, shaking his head. He didn't notice that Joey was gently guiding him down the corridor.

"Hey, I think you'll do fine among us!" Joey affirmed "Yugi has the spirit of a Pharaoh inside his Puzzle, and Bakura sometimes goes all psycho because of another spirit living in his Ring. So I've gotta tell you that considering all this, you should try to be more original!" Joey joked, causing Marik to laugh, and this time it wasn't forced.

They arrived at a door, and when it opened Joey made a gesture inviting the Egyptian boy to enter in the room. Marik noticed some scattered clothing in the floor, next to the bed, and a backpack carelessly thrown on the small couch. Someone was a little untidy. Joey approached him with two glasses, handing him one.

"Here, let's drink a toast to the end of this damn tournament!" The golden liquid smelled quite strongly, but Joey emptied his glass at once, so Marik followed his example.

"What's that?" The beverage was indeed strong and it caused the young Egyptian to cough lightly.

"Just a shot of whisky" Joey replied nonchalantly "In fact, I'm not a fan of it, but there's a lot of good stuff in the mini-bar all courtesy of moneybags, so it will be a shame if we left it here." he finished chuckling.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Marik asked with feigned concern, trying not to smile. He had to admit it, he felt rather comfortable being with Joey.

"Nah, I was just trying to lift up your spirits. You were looking like shit moments ago in the corridor." Joey explained "Just don't loose your sleep over it, everyone deserves a second chance. Look at me, before I was friends with Yugi I was in a gang full of idiots, and I wasn't better than them." It took a moment for the information to sink in, then Marik nodded, that made sense and helped him understand Joey a little better.

"A gang, uh?" the tanned boy began with a sly tone "So you were a typical bad boy."

"Yeah, but all that stuff you see in the movies of the bad guys getting heaps of girls is pure bullshit, you know?" They both laughed at this point. Realizing they still held the empty glasses, they left them on the nearest available surface, which turned out to be a small table covered in magazines. "Lemme ask you a thing, did you ever used the power of the Rod to get a girl?" The question earned him a surprised look from Marik.

"Uh, actually I prefer boys over girls, but the answer is no, in case" the Egyptian answered, looking intently at Joey. "That means that you would have considered the option if you were in my place?"

"Hmm, I don't know… I suppose that no." the blond duelist pondered "So you prefer boys… no wonder all your hunters were men."

"Gah, Joey that's disgusting!" Marik complained "Did you really spare a glance at those jerks? I'm not desperate!"

"Yeah, right. You probably can get anyone you want, you're pretty like a girl" Joey stated while looking appraisingly at the other boy.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." a confused Marik said, trying to decide if that was a compliment or not. "Do you really think I look like a girl?" Joey just shrugged as a response. An awkward atmosphere fell upon them, Joey's gaze fixed on Marik's blond, silky hair was making the latter slightly uncomfortable.

"Actually, there's a thing I want to try…" Joey finally broke the silence, advancing slowly towards his companion. He briefly looked at Marik's questioning eyes before pressing their lips together. The contact startled the tanned boy, who stood still until he felt Joey's tongue softly probing at the corners of his mouth. Then he instinctively put his arms around Joey's neck, deepening the kiss. He heard a moan, but did not know which one of them was the one making those sounds. To be honest, he didn't care. Since stop breathing forever wasn't an option, they eventually had to break apart.

"What was that?" Marik asked panting. The kiss had been pleasant, no point in denying that, but also completely unexpected.

"I always wanted to know how it feels kissing another boy" was the answer he received. It made some sense, he supposed it was better to try that with someone who was amicable enough with him but not very close, in case it ended up badly. Joey's attitude was between shy and flirting, it made an odd yet strangely cute mixture, in Marik's opinion.

"So, now that you've tried it, what do you think?" Marik questioned, feeling surprisingly fretful about the answer.

"It was different… not bad… no, not bad at all" Joey tried to explain his experience, unconsciously licking his lips. "Maybe I need to try again to be sure about how I feel about it."

"Careful, Joey, you may end up being addicted…" Marik smirked as said other duelist grabbed him by the shoulders. He offered no resistance at all when Joey led him towards the bed, kissing him all the way, and then slowly pushed him down on it.

He felt Joey's hands gently roaming at his sides while the blond boy attacked his neck with small, soft bites. Marik frowned; despite what Joey might think, he wasn't a girl. And he liked it rougher, so Marik flipped them over. Now he was straddling Joey's hips, a naughty smirk appearing on his face as he felt something rather hard poking at his ass. Marik leant forward and returned the attentions he received earlier, kissing Joey's neck, only to bite him not so gently when the other was unaware. He was rewarded with a moan. Probably, the constant grinding of their groins against each other had also something to do with that moan.

"How far are you willing to go with your… experimentation?" Marik whispered on Joey's ear, his breath ghosting over the heated skin.

"Mmm… I'd hate to stop it now" Joey confessed, playfully squeezing the Egyptian's ass.

"Alright…" Marik mumbled, settling between his partner's legs. He had to lift Joey's shirt to get to the buckle, quickly undoing it before finally unzipping the jeans. Joey lifted his hips, allowing Marik to slid the trousers down. The blond Egyptian grabbed the thick, hard cock in front of him, experimentally giving it a few strokes.

"Ahh… Hurry up!" Joey grunted, not really knowing what he exactly wanted Marik to do. But Marik apparently had an idea of what Joey wanted, cause when he licked at the tip, teasing his companion, he felt Joey's fingers tangling in his hair, urging him to go further. He decided to humour Joey, so he took it in his hand, stroking it leisurely a couple of times. He then pushed Joey's dick flat against his stomach, licking the underside before taking as much of his cock in his mouth as he could; his tongue flickering along the hardened flesh while he bobbed up and down.

"Fuck, you're good at this" Joey grunted, obviously pleased. He might not have a long list of experiences in this field; however, as far as Joey was concerned, this one was one of the best. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, panting wildly when Marik sucked just at the head, using his hand to pleasure him at the same time. At the moment that his partner suddenly stopped his ministrations Joey opened his eyes, only to find Marik ridding himself of his trousers, fully exposing his well toned lower body.

"Come here" Marik ordered, lying down on the bed. Joey understood what he wanted and wasted no time in climbing on top of him, his cock dangling over Marik's face. He let his hands roam along the tanned thighs under him, until he reached the hard cock in front of his face. Joey grabbed it with one hand, feeling it under his fingers and carefully licking it at the sides. Marik took a hold of Joey's hips, pulling him down a bit, just enough to held the head of his cock in his mouth, slowly licking it while he used his hands to jerk off his companion.

Joey grew bolder and decided to give a lick at the crown, even suck it, tasting the droplets of precum that appeared. He was rewarded with a long, nice moan around his cock, the vibrations spreading quite nicely. Joey cupped the already tightening sack with one hand, stroking the hard member with the other while tracing the pulsing vein on the underside with his tongue. Marik moaned again and this time it was too much for Joey, who thrusted his hips down, forcing his dick a little further into Marik's mouth before he came. The action took Marik off guard, making him instinctively move his head to the side in an attempt to not choke, so Joey's release landed all over Marik's lips, chin and cheeks. Sensing his partner's momentary confusion, Joey turned around to apologize.

The truth is that he forgot anything he was going to say, Marik looked so damn hot right now, like taken out of a porn movie. It didn't help much when he whipped the pearly fluid of off his mouth with the reverse of the hand and then proceeded to lick it clean. Seeing that Joey was still spellbound with his little show, Marik spread his legs a bit further, moving his pelvis like a wanton slut, hoping that Joey would catch the hint. Actually, it worked.

"Hmm… sorry about before" Joey finally said, gripping the engorged, slightly curved upside cock. He fisted the throbbing flesh, applying more pressure and increasing the pace; he flicked his thumb across the head one time, some more vigorous stroking, rubbing the crown again… and then Marik whimpered and came, the semen dripping over Joey's fingers.

* * * *

After fishing for their pants on the pile of clothing scattered around the bed and a funny moment when Joey tripped over while dressing, they were finally dressed and clean again.

"That was good for being just experimentation, don't you think?" Joey mused aloud, breaking the silence.

"Well, if you want, we can always repeat the experience." Marik stated all flirty.

"Actually, that makes a good point for forgiving you." Joey jested.

"I hope that not everyone wants an apology like this one!" And with this, Marik left the room laughing softly.

The corridors of the blimp were deserted by now, being everyone too tired and probably asleep by now. Marik walked alone, sneaking back to his room, thinking. Ishizu was right, maybe apologizing hadn't been a bad idea.

A/N: Ok, first time writing about them... I think I didn't get their characters as much on spot as I wanted... Well, as always, your opinion is always greatly appreciated. So go ahead if you liked the story, or if you didn't like it, or if you have anything to say XD