Liberashipping (Marik x Yugi)
Marik had never given the vessel a second glance. He hadn't been important to him. It was all about the pharaoh – the vessel was just unlucky enough to have gotten in the way. And in some way, wasn't Marik doing him a kindness by removing the parasitical spirit from his body? Provided the vessel didn't die in the process, of course, but that was collateral that Marik had been willing to gamble on.
And then he saw the boy's eyes meet his.
It wasn't truly a face-off, as Marik was looking through Jonouchi's eyes at the time, but he could see that gaze just as clearly as if he was there. Violet eyes, round like a child's but roiling with fire and determination. Not unlike the pharaoh's eyes...but there was a difference.
There was a gentleness.
He tried to forget about those eyes. Tried being the key word.
He wasn't particularly surprised to find the young boy waiting for him outside his room in the blimp, as they sailed away from Alcatraz and watched the Battle City finals disappear behind them.
Marik hesitated. His eyes dropped.
"Hi," Yugi said.
"...hello."
Marik's hands rolled up into fists and relaxed again. He repeated the motion, a bit nervously. What was Yugi here for?
"I...I was hoping we could start this over."
Marik blinked. He glanced up from the floor – he didn't have to lift his eyes too much, the boy was barely at his chest. How had he ever thought that small frame imposing?
Yugi had his hands clasped behind his back, his large, child-like eyes looking right at him. He didn't seem in the least bit nervous or even angry.
"What?" Marik said. "I mean..."
"Start over," Yugi repeated. "I was hoping we could try this again."
"Uh..."
Yugi smiled.
"Hello," he said. "I'm Yugi Mutou. Nice to meet you."
He paused.
"I never really got to introduce myself to you in the first place, did I? So I guess we're not really trying anything over again, are we...?"
He looked vaguely confused by his own train of thought, and shook his head lightly. Marik couldn't help it. It brought a small smile to his face. Yugi's expressions were so much different from the pharaoh's – even in relaxation, the pharaoh seemed to have a regality about him. Not so with Yugi. He felt so much calmer.
Marik found his hands relaxing.
"You're right...we haven't really introduced ourselves."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed about doing this, but...
"I'm Marik Ishtar," he said.
Yugi smile widened.
"It's really good to meet you," he said.
Marik started to smile. But then it fell away. His hand dropped back to his sides.
"But is it?" he said. "Is it really, Yugi? If I had never shown up in your life...things would have been different. Yugi, I tried to kill you. I made you fight to the death against your best friend. My alter ego probably would have stabbed you all in your sleep if he had won the tournament. How can you look at me and say 'nice to meet you?'"
His voice got a little harsher with each sentence, until it finally cracked at the end. He put a hand over his mouth and looked away.
"Godamn," he muttered.
Yugi was quiet for a long moment.
"Marik-kun," he said. "Are you...sorry about what you did?"
"Of course I am," Marik said, still not meeting Yugi's eyes. "But what difference does it make? I can't take it back. I did absolutely horrible things to you, and you just want to – "
"Then I forgive you."
Marik stopped. His eyes flickered up to Yugi's. He wasn't smiling, he was just, looking at him. Waiting. Expectant.
"You...what?"
"I forgive you, Marik. It happened. It's over. Nothing will change that. But you're sorry. So I forgive you. That's what friends do."
"You – you think we're..."
Yugi reached up and put a hand on Marik's shoulder. He almost had to get on his tip toes to do so, but that didn't stop him. He caught Marik's gaze. He held it.
He smiled again.
"We can start being friends right now," he said. "It's not hard, really. I promise."
Marik didn't have any words. He thought his voice had left him. His shoulders started to shake quietly.
He hadn't cried in five years. He hadn't let himself.
He cried now.
And Yugi, the one that he had ignored, the one he had tried to look through, tried to pretend didn't matter, didn't leave. He stood right in front of him, looking him head on, and stayed.
He stayed.
A/N: I feel like I could have done a much better job, but there you go, here it is, have some fluff. I'm actually not against this pairing. Sounds cute and has potential. I'll always be a Peachshipper, though. Next is Lessonshipping (Noa Kaiba x Leonhart von Schroeder).
