Luxor International Airport heaved with activity, like a hive of angry bees, even at the ungodly hour Ryou and Marik had woken up at to see Ryou off safely back to Japan. Bakura had refused to go, in mute disbelief that such a time in the morning even existed, choosing to simply roll over and go back to sleep.

"Do you have everything, Ryou?"

"Yes, Marik, you've asked me a thousand times now."

"Well, the last time you came here, you somehow left behind one of your shoes and I didn't see you again for four months!"

"I'd forgotten about that," Ryou laughed, scratching his head. "I guess it's good that you keep checking up on me. No, but I definitely have everything, shoes and all."

Marik glanced up at the departure board, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "You should head for the terminal. Security checks were a pain in the neck last time."

"That's true." Ryou shouldered his laptop bag and held out his arms for a hug, which Marik fell into eagerly, hooking his fingers into Ryou's belt loops and hanging on tight. Ryou's hugs were always warm and welcome. "Take care of yourself, Marik," he murmured, nuzzling his ear. "If anything happens concerning the Ring, you'll let me know, won't you?"

"Not if I'm in a prison cell," Marik laughed weakly.

"You won't be. We didn't leave any traces. Really, the only way you'll get caught out now is if Bakura walks around outside with it in plain view, and he's not that stupid."

"No, he really is that stupid."

Ryou giggled into Marik's hair. "I'll have a room ready at home for him when he arrives next week. Any ideas on when you'll be coming too?"

"I don't know, honestly. Within the year. I need to be close to Ishizu while Rishid's away on his business trip."

"Of course. Hopefully you and Bakura won't be away from each other for too long."

Marik gave a little shiver, trembling in Ryou's arms, and the pale young man tightened his grip on him, uttering soft noises of comfort. "Hey now…I know it must be hard, letting him go when he's only just come back into your life…but it won't be forever, you know that, right?"

"Doesn't stop it sucking any less," Marik muttered bitterly.

"I know. I promise I'll look after him till you can take over." Ryou pressed a gentle kiss to both of Marik's cheeks and drew back, smiling. "I'd best go. Thank you for having me, as always."

"You're always welcome here, honey," Marik smiled back. "Go on, go now before you miss your flight. Call me when you get back."

"I will, I promise!" Ryou hurried off towards the terminal, waving. "Bye, Marik! I'll miss you!"

Marik raised his hand in farewell, waving till Ryou was out of sight beyond the heaving crowd. Only then did he turn on his heel and make for the airport exit. His apartment was around an hour and a half's walk away, but he felt he could use the time to think over his options. So, hands deep in his pockets and wishing for his warm bed, he started off for home.

He could go with Bakura next week; that was the first option. Ryou would be happy to put him up in one of his spare rooms for a while until he found his own place. That way, he could be with Bakura faster.

Alas, the wellbeing of the other members of his family had to come before the man who'd tumbled back into his life less than 72 hours prior.

Ishizu was pregnant with her first child, and currently alone at home, as Rishid had been abroad in America for the last two months. Risking potential uproar, they had married not long after the Pharaoh's departure for the afterlife, realising that nothing but their forced familial bonds had kept them from admitting their true feelings for one another. To Marik, it made no difference, simply glad that they were happy, and now he could call Rishid his brother by marriage rather than adoption into a fucked up, underground cult.

Ishizu was strong, and highly independent, so she rarely called on Marik for anything, but with her due to go into labour any day now, he wanted to be on hand for her, and, depending on how she was coping afterwards, remain close by until Rishid came home. As it stood, they didn't know when that would be yet.

I could be here for months without Bakura.

The thought made him deeply miserable. He hadn't intended to get attached so quickly, but with Bakura clearly reciprocating his feelings, it had been almost impossible not to.

Waking up in his arms after their passionate session the day before had been heaven on earth for him, and he refused to let Bakura out of bed, clinging to him and smothering him in kisses till he gave in and allowed himself to be dragged back under the covers for a lengthy, intense make-out until Ryou came back to the apartment. It was rather obvious he had gone out for the day to give them some time alone, and he had left them to it for a while, but whenever Ryou was around, Bakura wanted to play video games with him, so Bakura soon jumped out of bed to attempt to beat him at Tekken, leaving Marik to sigh and get dressed.

Really, this all depends on how much Ishizu needs me. I don't want to leave her on her own with a new baby…not that I would remotely know what to do with a small, wailing thing, but I have to do my best.

Bakura's soft snores met his ears when he finally made it home, but he stirred and awoke when Marik slipped quietly into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed to tug his clothes off. He made to find something loose and comfortable to change into, but Bakura's gentle grip on his wrist stopped him. "You don't have to do that," he murmured sleepily.

"I don't want to make you self-conscious," Marik replied, turning and laying a kiss on Bakura's cheek.

"That's my problem, not yours. Get in bed, Marik."

"If you insist." Marik couldn't help a little smile forming as he slipped under the covers with Bakura, who immediately curled up to his side, sighing. His little puffs of breath tickled Marik's ear pleasantly, a constant reminder that he was here, he was alive, and he wanted their closeness as much as Marik did. He rolled over and gathered Bakura into his arms, kissing him lovingly. "I'm going to miss you so damn much when you go," he whispered.

"I know," Bakura replied, already half asleep again. "You understand though, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"You'll be right behind me?"

"Forever."

Bakura smiled, nuzzling Marik's shoulder. "You're so fucking soppy, Marik."

"Only for you."

"And Ryou. You're such a slut for him."

"I am not!"

"Pfft, you keep telling yourself that."

"Fuck you."

"In due time. Let me sleep for now."

Marik suppressed a chuckle as he kissed Bakura's forehead and rolled over again, facing away from him. Bakura slung an arm over Marik's waist and yanked him backwards a few inches, burying his face in sandy hair and ostentatiously assuming the position of big spoon. The flood of warmth from Bakura's chest against Marik's scarred back felt wonderful, and Marik couldn't hide his sigh of bliss, snuggling down and drifting off to sleep in ultimate comfort.

Near midday, when they both felt adequately rested enough to function, Marik suggested the motorcycle ride they had discussed back in Kul Elna.

Bakura's eyes lit up at the thought. "Fuck yes," he grinned. "I've been looking forward to that ever since."

"Awesome. I've got a spare helmet you can borrow," Marik replied. He was perched sideways on Bakura's lap, one arm round his shoulders and the other resting on the kitchen table, hand wrapped around his third mug of coffee. "No leathers though…I kind of suck at wearing protectives."

Bakura snorted. "Like you'd wear leather anyway."

"True, but anyway, where's the fun if there's no risk?"

"You're thinking my style," Bakura replied, laughing. He leaned forward, nosing his way through Marik's hair till he reached his neck, nuzzling it affectionately. "Got anywhere in mind? I'm not so familiar with the surrounding areas anymore."

"How about somewhere further afield? There's a lovely city called Aswan a few hours down the Nile. The Coptic Church there really is something to behold."

"Sure thing."

"Okay. Just let me finish this coffee and we'll go."

"Finish it somewhere that isn't sat on me, you're bloody heavy." Bakura tipped Marik off with a little shove. "I'm the one who's skin and bone here."

"Pfft, you're still comfy." Marik pouted at him reproachfully. Bakura rolled his eyes, but a little smile played around his lips as he stood up to go and find his shoes. Marik knocked back the last of his coffee and began the search for his spare helmet, finding it shoved somehow down the back of the sofa.

Being with him is such bliss. Gods, I'm so torn. In the short space of time that he's been here, I've felt complete. I don't want him to go…but I can't go with him, not yet.

"Marik?" Bakura lingered in the doorway, arms folded over his chest and hair tied back in a loose braid to keep it out of his face while they were riding. "You've spaced out."

"Oh…sorry. Here you go!" Marik held the helmet out to Bakura. "Should fit you alright."

Bakura slipped it on and rapped his knuckles against the top. "I feel like an idiot."

"Better than cracking your head open, and then you'd feel dead."

Marik kept his Harley under a sheet round the back of the apartment block, where there were private parking spaces. Bakura just raised an eyebrow at it when uncovered, clearly not having the same passion for them that Marik did, but the minute he was seated on the back and holding onto Marik's waist to keep from flying off, he was laughing and shouting pleased curses over the roaring wind.

"Holy fuck, Marik! How could anybody ever get tired of this?! This is fucking amazing!"

"I knew you'd like it!" Marik called out over his shoulder. "Hold on tight, gorgeous! I'm kicking it up a notch!"

The expertise with which Marik wove through traffic at high speed reminded Bakura of the ancient dance rituals the women of his village would perform during festivals and celebrations, and he couldn't figure out if the roads were made for Marik, or if he were made for the roads. Either way, it was clear that there was nowhere else Marik would rather be; pure unadulterated joy radiated from him with every second they rode.

Soon they found themselves speeding down the desert road connecting Cairo and Aswan. Lush greenery stretched out endlessly on their right; on their left, the sparkling waters of the Nile and the rugged landscape of the Valley of the Kings, and beyond that, Kul Elna and Luxor. Beyond the horizon was road and more road, and it seemed like they had been riding forever, but Bakura was in his element as much as Marik was, barely able to contain his excitement, and knew he would never tire of this exhilaration.

Is this how life should be? Bakura thought to himself, clinging onto Marik a little tighter. Enjoyable? Thrilling? I might fall off the back of this damn thing any minute, but I don't even care. This is…perfect.

"You alright back there?" Marik called.

"Never better!" Bakura replied.

Yeah...definitely perfect.

They really could have ridden forever, just so long as Bakura could hold onto Marik for the duration.

By the time Ryou dragged himself through his front door, he was exhausted. The flight had been 18 hours, stopping in Cairo, then Copenhagen before touching down in Tokyo, then he had to travel back to Domino by a train that was incredibly delayed. Nearly 24 hours later, he was ready to drop, and indeed he did, not even bothering to put away his luggage before he found himself upstairs and face-first on his bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Scraping and clattering woke Ryou in the morning, and the sound of lively humming. A sleepy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pulled himself out of bed and practically collapsed into the shower, wanting to at least appear presentable even if he had been smacked round the face by jet lag.

Fifteen minutes, later, dried and dressed, he went downstairs, finding his suitcases neatly tidied away under the stairs and his laptop charging on the sofa. The humming continued from the kitchen, a sound that represented the epitome of all that Ryou's life had become; love, joy, a sense of deep contentment that he hoped nothing would ever take from him again.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Yugi beamed, walking through to the living room with two mugs of tea, which he set down beside the sofa. Ryou smiled and held his arms out, bringing Yugi in for a tight embrace and kissing him fervently. The King of Games was warm, soft, so incredibly loving, overflowing with an affection Ryou never tired of, but most of all, he was his, entirely his.

"I missed you," Yugi murmured against Ryou's lips. He didn't have to crane up to reach Ryou now; in their final year of high school there had been almost a ten-inch height difference between them, but Ryou hadn't grown any further since then, whereas Yugi now stood at a modest five feet seven, and merely had to tilt his head a little to reach his beloved's addictive mouth.

"I missed you too," Ryou whispered, stroking Yugi's cheek. "You didn't have to come and tidy the place up. I could have done that."

"I wanted to let you sleep," Yugi replied. "I figured you'd settle back in a little better if you could move a metre in all directions without tripping over a suitcase. Why do you have so much stuff? You didn't go shopping every day with Marik again, did you?"

Ryou laughed, scratching his head. "Not every day."

"He's such a bad influence on you," Yugi grinned. He gave Ryou's lips another quick kiss and gestured to the sofa. Ryou flopped down onto it with a yawn and reached for one of the mugs of tea, taking a deep swallow of the burning hot liquid and sighing. "Jeez, Ryou, I will never understand you and your asbestos throat," Yugi laughed as he curled up beside Ryou and laid his head on his shoulder.

"It's the Englishman in me," Ryou replied, chuckling. He passed the other mug over to Yugi, and they sat in happy silence, enjoying their drinks.

Ryou lived on his own. His father still popped in on very rare occasions, and Yugi was there so often he might as well move in, but for the time being he remained with his grandfather and mother at the game shop. The young men had discussed moving in together, but their own personal lives kept getting railroaded by work or some other important thing that needed handling first.

Ryou finished his tea within two minutes, and got up to make another. When he came back, they switched positions, Ryou leaning on Yugi and snuggling close with a smile. "How's Marik?" Yugi asked. There was a hint of tentativeness in his voice.

"Good," Ryou replied. "He's quite nervous over the prospect of becoming an uncle soon."

"I can imagine. Makes me glad I don't have siblings. I'm not cut out for small children."

"You were five feet tall not long ago, love, so don't even start on small children."

"True," Yugi smiled, but it looked forced.

"Yugi, love? What's wrong?"

"Ah, um…" Yugi sat up properly and swivelled to face Ryou, taking his free hand in both his own. "Have you seen the news recently?"

"No, Marik doesn't often have the TV on unless he's playing games. Why?"

"Oh, because, well…there was a break-in at the museum in Cairo, and the Millennium Items were targeted. The Ring was taken and a fake left in its place." Yugi squeezed Ryou's hand. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you, and I know you'd probably rather not associate yourself with that accursed thing ever again, but – "

"Yugi…if I may…" Ryou felt the bottom of his stomach practically drop out with nerves. "I must confess something to you…"

But at that moment, Ryou's phone started ringing, and he held a finger up to Yugi so he could answer it, putting it on loudspeaker. "Oh, hi, Marik."

"Ryou! You said you'd call me when you got back!" came Marik's accusing tone on the other end of the line.

"Sorry…I was so tired, I fell asleep as soon as I came in."

There's no way I'm doing this alone. Marik has to face up to Yugi sooner or later, so he might as well help me confess to what we did.

"I was worried," Marik sighed. "Please keep in touch with me next time, honey."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Honey?" he laughed.

Marik spluttered in shock. "Holy crap, am I on loudspeaker? Who's that?"

"Hello, Marik!" Yugi chirped. "Long time no speak! Take a guess."

There was silence for a few moments. Then Marik's voice returned, a little shaky. "H-Hi, Yugi. Um…"

"Calm down, Marik," Ryou smiled, "Yugi knows you're a horrendous flirt."

"Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, the best, in fact. We have something to tell Yugi, don't we?"

"We?! Why are you dragging me into this?!"

"Because we did it together?"

Yugi's amethyst eyes darted between the phone and Ryou nervously. "Am I about to find out you've been cheating on me, Ryou?"

"No!" both Ryou and Marik shouted at the same time. "No, nothing like that – " Marik began.

" – But we did kind of…steal the Millennium Ring for ourselves," Ryou finished.

Yugi just blinked at Ryou, not quite taking in what he said. Then his mouth dropped open. "You did what?!" he hissed. "You did fucking what?!"

"I am so not dealing with this," Marik groaned. "Ryou, I love you, but I don't much like being part of your lover's quarrel."

"Stay on the line or I swear on Atem's soul, I will spam you with 1870s cat memes and Roflcopter over MSN. And every single one of my replies will be in leet speak."

"…You are such a git. Fine."

"Will one of you actually explain to me what's going on?!" Yugi exploded.

And so, the long and drawn-out process of confessing their crime to Yugi began. He sat in silence, sipping his tea with a stoic expression, but he was completely unreadable throughout. Yugi was by no means an unreasonable man, but Atem's departure had rendered him a little fragile and he was prone to outbursts of emotion from time to time, so Ryou was concerned he might get very angry. But the only flicker that crossed his face was a slight twitch of the eyebrow towards the end of their story.

"So…" Yugi said quietly, after they had finished explaining, "you made this plan for weeks without telling me, flew out to Egypt, broke into the museum, hacked into the system, and stole the Millennium Ring? For what? To bring back a 3,000-year-old spirit that made our lives hell for years? Marik, I would have expected it of you, but Ryou? I don't know what to say. Did you even manage to bring him back?"

Marik sighed gently. "Taeal huna, ya amar."

"Bialtabe la!" came the rough growl on Marik's end, and Yugi sucked in a breath, eyes widening. Even when speaking Arabic, the voice was unmistakeable.

"Thief King?" Yugi asked quietly. "Is that you?"

"…Yes." There was a scuffling sound and an annoyed protest from Marik, which Ryou took to mean that Bakura had barged his way into the conversation by sitting on his lover. "And just for the record, I still hate you."

"The feeling is mutual, believe me," Yugi muttered, tapping his fingers irritably on his mug.

"Well, we'd better get used to each other, because I'm moving in with your boyfriend in a week."

"And you were going to tell me this…when?" Yugi asked Ryou.

Ryou groaned. "This is not going how I imagined."

"Relax," Bakura laughed, "it's only till I get my own place, and then I'll be out of your stupid spiky hair. Yes, Ryou and Marik plotted behind your back, stole my Ring and dragged me out of the Shadow Realm, and really, can you blame them? I am amazing, after all."

"Shut up, Bakura, you self-absorbed prat," Marik hissed.

"Fuck you, Ishtar."

Yugi shook his head. "He hasn't changed at all, has he?"

"Well…about that…" Ryou laughed nervously.

Bakura gave a deep warning growl, then spoke in English, "Ryou, whatever it is you're going to tell your fuck buddy about me, I don't need to hear it, so we're going…right…about…now. See you next week." Bakura hung up the phone with a click.

"What did he say?" Yugi asked, unable to understand the language. "Ryou? For the love of Osiris, tell me what's going on. I am not impressed by the amount you've been hiding from me."

"I'm sorry," Ryou sighed, twisting his hands in front of him. "I thought you'd get upset, so I didn't want to tell you until afterwards."

"I'm not upset…I'm just disappointed that you didn't feel you could trust me." Yugi reached out and took Ryou's hands again, squeezing them. "Okay, I'm very upset that you broke into the museum, but I'm not going to chastise you further for it, I'm not your father. You had your reasons, and I don't agree with them, but you did what you thought was right for Marik, and I know he means a lot to you. You'd bend over backwards for him if you were flexible enough."

"So…I'm not going to wind up single by the end of the day?" Ryou asked.

"No," chuckled Yugi.

"And…you're not bothered by us taking the Ring and not the Puzzle as well?"

The sudden look of surprise Yugi gave Ryou was like a burst of refreshment after the awkwardness they'd all just had to endure. He blinked his huge bush-baby eyes at his lover, mouth slightly open. "What? No, of course not. Atem's time here is done. He's earned his rest, and I've moved on. Bakura is an entirely different story though. He'll want to stick around and cause mischief for all eternity. But tell me what's changed about him. I'm interested now."

"Well, Marik didn't want to bring him back just so they could be friends, if you catch my drift."

"I had an inkling," Yugi murmured. "Marik was very close to him. Are they a couple now?"

"Not exactly. I guess so, if you had to say yes or no for definite. I don't think even they know what they are. But one thing is for sure, I have never seen Marik this happy until now." Ryou shuffled closer to Yugi, situating himself in his lap, straddling him and curling in close. Yugi wrapped his arms around Ryou and rested his head on his chest, closing his eyes and listening to his heart beating. Being pressed up so close to each other quickly invoked their flames of passion after being apart for a week, though neither moved just yet despite the stirring in their trousers.

"And Bakura, he's…softened," Ryou continued. "He's free of Zorc and all the horrible guilt and pain he carried around for thousands of years. He's free now, Yugi. He really won't be ruining things for us anytime soon. I made my peace with him long ago, and now he just wants to enjoy his life. Will you give him a chance?"

Yugi was quiet for a time, stroking Ryou's hip absently. Then he nodded ever so slightly, but Ryou felt it, and with it, the soaring of his heart. He jumped up, grinning broadly, and pulled Yugi with him. "So, I believe I owe you a proper apology, and I'd like to do that the best way I know how."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"Well, it involves our bed and a handful of new toys I bought in Luxor…"

"Say no more. I am making "I am disappointed in you" sex the new angry sex. Now get your ass upstairs."

Rough translation -

"Taeal huna, ya amar - " Come here, my moon.

"Bialtabe la! - " Absolutely not!