Bakura knew that Marik was upset the moment he came home from work on Monday night. It was subtle. Marik didn't throw his shoes off or storm through the house or make a fuss about whatever had upset him, but there was a jagged quality in his face that gave him away. Mainly, his lavender eyes, narrowed and tempestuous.

"What happened?" Bakura asked, leaning against the kitchen doorway.

"What?" Marik asked, throwing his coat onto one of the kitchen chairs.

"You look pissed, so what happened?"

Marik was silent for moment, as he turned from Bakura and headed toward the refrigerator.

"The Millennium Rod," he finally replied, picking something out for dinner. "I told Rishid and Ishizu what you told me. That the only way they'd be able to find the rest of the Millennium Items is if the previous owners found them. I told them I'd come up with the idea myself, of course- not that it came from you."

"And what did they say?"

Marik shrugged. "They're going to get in touch with Seto Kaiba and see if he'll find the Rod for them."

Bakura was silent as he absorbed this. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Marik a few days ago about the Millennium items. How interesting. He scoffed, saying, "Yeah, like Kaiba's just going to fly down here out of the goodness of his heart."

"They're going to pay him. I'm sure they know him well enough to at least offer him that."

"Well, I guess that's a start for them," Bakura said, still a little surprised by the news. "I just hope he doesn't see me when he comes here. I'm still going to be out stealing tokens, and the last thing I want is for him to recognize me."

"You've been good at avoiding people so far. I don't think it should be a problem for you."

Bakura fell silent, not knowing what else he could say about the new turn of events. Marik didn't look like he wanted to talk about the issue any further, as he started chopping up vegetables for what looked like koshari- Bakura wrinkled his nose at the thought of the vegetarian dish- and so Bakura left him to cook dinner and went to watch TV in the living room until Marik was done.

Not even twenty minutes into the TV show, however, Bakura heard a series of clangs coming from the kitchen. The sound of metal banging against metal. Marik was probably just putting away pots and pans, he surmised, and went back to watching the TV show.

But a moment later, a cupboard door was slammed. Then a crash of silverware into the sink.

Though it was probably nothing- Marik always made a lot of noise while cooking dinner, so this wasn't unusual- Bakura decided to go back into the kitchen to investigate.

And the sight that greeted Bakura when he peered into the kitchen wasn't unusual. Marik was washing something when Bakura came in, and didn't turn as he stepped in further.

Bakura wasn't sure what to say. Marik had come home frustrated and angry many times before, so it wasn't as if tonight was an exception. But something told Bakura that Marik wasn't just angry. There was something more to the erratic movements and the need to make so much noise. Marik was distracting himself, frantically moving as if he could get away from his thoughts and his distress. If Bakura didn't know any better, he would have sworn that Marik was on the verge of a breakdown.

Suddenly, Marik turned and saw Bakura standing near the counter top.

"Dinner isn't done yet," he said, eyes still narrowed and even more fiery than before.

"I know."

"Then don't bother me. I'll call you when it's ready."

Bakura didn't budge. Something compelled him to get to the bottom of this. As though it wasn't just Marik's problem to deal with, but his own.

"There's obviously something bothering you, and it's not me," he finally stated. "Does it have something to do with Seto Kaiba coming here?"

The result was like firing a bomb. Marik snapped back to him with a vicious stare, and if he wasn't holding a mere towel and plate in his hand, he might have looked intimidating.

"There's nothing fucking bothering me. Get the fuck out of the kitchen until I tell you to come back."

Bakura dared to smile a little. "Really? Nothing's bothering you?"

And then he knew he'd gone too far, because Marik's eyes flashed, and suddenly, he slammed the plate he was holding to the tile floor, shattering the china into a million pieces. Thankfully, he'd thrown it to the side and none of the pieces bounced back toward them.

"What the hell!" Bakura's smile was gone instantly as he stepped back. "What is wrong with you?"

"I told you to leave me the fuck alone."

Marik made to turn, probably to continue doing the dishes, but Bakura grabbed his arm before he could do so. He glanced at Bakura. They locked eyes, and the glare Bakura received didn't deter him.

"You can't honestly expect me to believe you after doing that," Bakura said. His voice was softer than he intended it to be.

For a moment, Marik said nothing. They stood like that, Marik backed into the kitchen counter while Bakura had a firm grip on his forearm. And suddenly the glare became something else entirely. As if disarmed, Marik's glower faded, and was replaced by a troubled look.

He opened his mouth several times before finally beginning.

"I'm not pissed about Kaiba getting involved," he said, and as he did, Bakura released his arm. Marik took a deep breath. "It's the fact that my brother and sister asked for him to begin with. They didn't even ask me, their own fucking brother. They didn't even bother giving me a chance to find the Rod, even though that would be easier and cheaper for them."

Bakura frowned. "Okay, I can see why you'd be mad about that. But I thought you didn't want to look for the Rod. You told me that it'd bring back a lot of bad memories for you if you found it."

Marik seemed to have forgotten that he'd told that to Bakura. They exchanged a long look before Marik suddenly turned and sat down at the table. He ran a hand a through his hair, and then rubbed his eyes, looking tired and lost.

"I did tell you that," he said. "And I guess you're right. I should just let Kaiba find it since it's not like I even want to look for it."

Bakura joined him at the table.

"Is that the only thing bothering you? That your brother and sister don't trust you enough to let you help?"

"Not just that," Marik said. He played with a frayed edge of the tablecloth. "Even if I'm not the one looking for the Rod, I still know it's going to be dug up and brought back. And that makes it hard not to think about...things."

"Things? Your childhood, you mean?"

"Yeah," Marik sighed.

"Are you talking about killing your father?" Bakura asked. "Because I already told you that it wasn't your fault. That bastard deserved it, and you shouldn't keep feeling sorry about it."

Marik shook his head. In the background, something simmered quietly and a gust picked up outside, throwing tree branches against the window, but neither of them noticed.

"It's a lot more than that," Marik said. "I mean, I lost a huge part of my childhood because I lived in a goddamn tomb. I never went outside. I never even had friends other than my brother and sister, and they didn't really understand. And I was expected to live like that my whole life? Carrying out ancient duties for a Pharaoh I didn't give a damn about? Rishid and Ishizu didn't have the same burden I had."

"But you're out of there now," Bakura said. "You're done with that."

Marik scoffed. "I guess you could say that, but that doesn't mean I can forget it. You ever have nightmares about things you experienced a decade ago? Or things carved into your skin that won't ever go away? Those are the kinds of things I can never forget, even if I wanted to."

"But look at what this is doing to you," Bakura said, frowning. "What happened to you was wrong. But the way you're dealing with it is stupid and destructive. I mean, you still won't even take your shirt off when you have sex with me, and I know it's because of those scars."

Marik looked surprised that Bakura had brought that up. "Well, of course I won't. I don't want anyone to see them."

"Why not?"

"Why would you want to?" Marik looked revolted. "They're disgusting. They're ugly."

"I wouldn't say they're ugly," Bakura said, and Marik gave him a strange look. "You know, I had scars in my past life too, and I never thought of them in a bad way."

Marik glanced at him curiously, instantly forgetting his own scars.

"How else would you think of them?"

"I've always thought of them as a symbol of strength. It meant that I wasn't going to give up. I never saw them as ugly or disgusting."

Marik was silent for a moment, as it dawned on him how much Bakura had suffered, too. He was familiar with the massacre in Kul Elna, and he knew that Bakura- like him- had been just a boy when it happened.

"The Millennium Items," Marik started, not sure where he was going with the thought, "now that they're being brought up, they must be affecting you, too. They must remind you of your past life and of Kul Elna."

Instantly, Bakura's eyes narrowed, and his sympathetic expression was gone.

"No, they don't," he said. "I don't really think about my past."

Marik frowned, wondering why the topic of Bakura's life had such a sudden and sour effect on his mood. But then Marik realized that Bakura didn't like to admit when he was troubled, or when he had his own issues and memories to work through.

"Don't give me that crap," Marik said, "I know you well enough to know that you're lying."

"I'm not," Bakura snapped.

"I just admitted to you that I still remember my past and that it still bothers me and you can't even admit to thinking about yours? That's obviously a lie."

Suddenly, Bakura stood up from the table, letting the chair scrape back behind him. He looked furious. Marik knew that it was hard for Bakura to acknowledge his own feelings, but he seemed incredibly defensive this time.

"I'm not fucking lying to you and I'm not fucking upset about my past the way you seem to be. I don't live the way you do, regretting killing that son of a bitch of a father and trying to live your life for other people."

Marik glared, but he tried not to let the insults get to him. Bakura was just lashing out, shielded like a cornered animal.

"If your past doesn't bother you, then why are you getting so upset about it?"

Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to think better of it, and suddenly stormed out of the kitchen, knocking the chair back even further as he left.

A moment later, Marik heard the TV click on and the blare of music and voices. He sighed, and decided that angering Bakura further was probably not the best idea. Marik couldn't deny that talking to Bakura about his past and his current problems at work made him feel a little better about things. He was grateful, and he didn't want to leave things bitter between them.

Marik walked into the living room and found Bakura staring at the TV intently, not moving a single muscle. He didn't even turn to look at Marik as he sat down at the far end of the couch.

"Bakura," Marik started.

He didn't reply. Instead, Bakura continued to watch whatever channel he'd flipped to.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Marik took the remote that was lying on the couch between them and pressed the off button.

Bakura still didn't react.

"Look," Marik started again, and this time he was greeted with silence instead of the blaring noises. "I know you're upset. And it's alright to be upset about your past. You can't have gone through what you went through without remembering it, and thinking about it from time to time."

Bakura glanced away, keeping his gaze far from Marik's.

"I know it must be hard for you with the items being brought up again, and denying it isn't going to do you any good."

Finally, Bakura looked Marik in the eyes, and the expression Marik saw was heartrending. He was still frowning, but his eyes said so much more. Marik could tell that his words were appreciated, no matter how much Bakura denied them.

"It's definitely hard for me with the Rod coming back, and it must be even harder for you, since all of these items mean something to you, and remind you of your people."

Bakura glanced away again, but he no longer hid the expression on his face.

"Alright," he finally said. "The items did mean a lot to me. They were my people. They were made from the blood of my people."

Marik listened intently, hoping that now that he'd finally gotten Bakura to talk, he would continue.

"And it wasn't just the fact that they died, but that I watched them die." Bakura looked disgusted and horrified, as though he was reliving the moment as he recalled it. "Can you imagine being a little kid and watching your entire family and village get killed? In one single night, I lost everything."

Marik didn't know what to say to that. But really, what was there to say? Saying sorry wouldn't fix anything. And so, tentatively, Marik scooted closer to Bakura and placed an arm around him, hoping that the touch wouldn't be unwelcome.

Bakura stiffened at first, but then imperceptibly leaned back against him.

"And watching them die wasn't the end of it," Bakura continued, his voice sounding distant. "After that, it was vengeance. I wanted to kill them all. Every single fucking guard and palace official who thought it would be okay to murder a whole village just to create those items. I dedicated thousands of years to it, and I never..."

As Bakura trailed off, Marik leaned closer, wrapping a second arm around him until he was hugging him, and Bakura let himself be embraced.

"You told me a while back that you understood me because we're the same," Marik said as he pulled back. "Well, that works both ways."

Bakura glanced at him, and slowly, his lips turned upward into a small smile.

And Marik meant that, every single word of it. He and Bakura had needlessly suffered, and had gone after revenge to destroy the same people who had destroyed them. Not destroyed them physically, but mentally, in the most damaging way possible. And here they were now, two people who had gone through horrifying experiences, reliving them together.

They locked gazes, and before he knew what he was doing, Marik leaned forward.

He couldn't explain the sudden, overpowering feeling, but he wanted the proximity right now. He wanted the connection that was both mind and body, and he couldn't help suddenly tilting his head forward until they were nearly nose to nose, and then pressing his lips to Bakura's.

For a moment, Bakura's mouth opened to him. Marik moved closer, pressing gently against his , Bakura pulled back suddenly, and turned away from him.

Marik was momentarily shocked that he'd allowed himself to do this again, but tried not to think anything of it. The kiss had been sudden, and not exactly intended. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and then, to distract himself from the strange feeling settling in his chest, he grabbed the remote again and turned the TV back on.

One of their favorite shows was on, and after a few minutes of watching it, they fell back into their regular banter, all thoughts of horrifying pasts banished for the night.

A few nights later, Marik came home with only one thought running through his head: that he really, really wanted to have sex.

The conversation he and Bakura had had on Monday night was still on his mind, and every day that he went to work, he was reminded again and again why he'd gotten so upset that evening. It was hard to face his brother and sister at work every day when he knew how little they trusted him. He was burdened with thoughts about the Rod, and Kaiba, and his siblings, and it became overwhelming. He wanted to get his mind off of the whole thing, and the only thing he could think of was sex.

He wanted the skin on skin contact, and the pleasure and the sweat. He just wanted it as a distraction, and nothing more.

"I want to bet," Marik said after dinner.

Bakura glanced up. "You do? I guess you must be getting comfortable with betting on weeknights now."

"I guess so," Marik said, not thinking much of it. He took a moment to realize how habitual their activities had become. "Plus we haven't done anything since the weekend."

"Okay," Bakura said, and left to get the cards. They stored them in a cupboard over the sink since they used them so frequently now. "Wanna bet on loser gets fucked?"

"Sure," Marik said easily, and then he smirked, thinking of the last time they'd fucked. "But why even bother with that? You clearly like it better on the bottom."

Bakura immediately flared up. "Fuck you! I only said that when you had me in a...compromising position. I don't actually like it that way!"

Marik's smile widened, but he decided not to push too many buttons.

"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up about it," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Let's just duel for loser getting fucked."

Bakura glared at him again before he sat down to set up the cards.

They started the game, and after flipping for it, Bakura went first. He set two cards face down and a monster face down in defense mode.

Marik had created a new deck during the week in between his off hours at work- if he considered it, he would realize that this had been another technique to get his mind off of his problems- and decided to test out the monsters in tonight's game. He summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and attacked Bakura's face down monster.

"You should know better by now," Bakura laughed, and revealed his monster. Its flip effect allowed him to send Marik's Manju back to his hand. "My turn, then. I summon Rescue Cat, and use its effect to summon Tree Otter and Lock Cat."

Marik watched with a sour look on his face. Tree Otter had the effect of raising its own attack points by 1,000 if there was another Beast Type monster on Bakura's side of the field, which was why Bakura had also brought out Lock Cat.

"I attack you for 3,400 damage with Lock Cat and the Tree Otter."

Marik swore under his breath.

"Oh, and I play this magic card that takes 500 life points from me and 1,000 from you."

"Fucking hell," Marik said again. The only good thing about this battle phase was that Bakura's monsters were automatically destroyed at the end of his turn due to Rescue Cat's effect.

Marik managed to bring out Manju again, and then played Curse of the Masked Beast, allowing him to Ritual Summon the Masked Beast. He tributed his Manju and Nuvia the Wicked from his own hand to summon the Masked Beast.

"That's 3,300 attack points," Marik said smugly, eyeing his eight-star monster. That strategy hadn't been easy to come up with, but a few turns of using this powerful monster would be enough to wipe out Bakura's life points, or at least bring them back on equal footing. "And since you have no monsters on the field, I attack you directly."

"Don't get so cocky," Bakura said easily, flipping over a face down card.

It was Sakuretsu Armor, and Marik's heart sank at the inscription. Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy the attacking monster.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he burst out. "I get this fucking eight-star monster out on the field and I can't even use it for a single attack!"

He begrudgingly threw the Masked Beast into his graveyard. All that strategy gone to waste with Bakura's single armor card. Well, now Marik had no monster out on the field, and Bakura activated Necrovalley on his next turn and summoned Gravekeeper's Assailant, which now had 2,000 attack points thanks to the Necrovalley spell card.

"I think the biggest lesson with this new deck of yours is that you can't rely on a single powerful monster to do all the damage for you," Bakura said, as he recorded Marik's score of 3,600. Bakura still had 7,500.

"Don't lecture me," Marik snapped, drawing a card.

Bakura smirked. "The point of these games is to teach you how to play better, so that when you get to the tournament finals, you can actually beat top opponents."

Marik didn't reply, as he placed Insect Knight on the field, and raised its attack to 2,900 with the Mask of Brutality.

"I attack your Assailant with the Insect Knight for 900 damage," he said. He just had to start slow, and then he'd get the upper hand again.

Bakura shook his head, looking at him mockingly. "Didn't I tell you not to rely on powered-up monsters?"

He flipped up Defense Draw, and although Bakura's Assailant was destroyed, he received zero damage at the end of the battle phase.

"My turn, then," Bakura said, while Marik glared at him from the other side of the table. "I'm setting two cards face down and this monster face down in defense mode. Your turn."

Marik felt pained to do so, but he paid 1,000 life points to keep the Mask of Brutality, and summoned Melchid the Four-Face Beast, attacking the face down monster with it. He had no other choice but to attack, unless he wanted to allow Bakura to summon a slew of monsters each turn without doing anything to stop them.

Bakura flipped over his monster.

"Gravekeeper's Commandant has 2,000 defense because of Necrovalley, and your monster only has 1,500 attack points, so you lose 500 life points," Bakura said.

At that point, it hit Marik that there wasn't really anything in this new deck of his that he could use to stop Bakura. He relied on his high-powered attack monsters, but the moment Bakura destroyed them, he had nothing else to counter with.

"I attack your monster with my Insect Knight," Marik said, realizing too late that he should have just used the Knight to attack his face down card to begin with.

But there was really nothing Marik could do now. In the next turn, Bakura managed to wipe out the Insect Knight, and attacked Marik's remaining life points with another Gravekeeper monster.

When Bakura finally won the duel, Marik gave a long sigh, and stood up from the table. He really hadn't wanted to lose this game. The bet came back to him, and the implications hit him full force. Loser gets fucked, after all.

Bakura glanced at him, gauging his reaction.

"You're okay with doing it now?" he asked, putting away the cards.

"Yeah," Marik replied. He'd agreed to the bet- had initiated it, actually- so there was no reason to postpone it until later. Whether it was him or Bakura doing the fucking, it was still what he wanted. The sex. The distraction. Though, of course, he would have enjoyed it a lot more if he was the one fucking Bakura, not the other way around.

Ten minutes later, they had made it to the bedroom and had fully undressed, although as usual, Marik still kept his shirt on. Marik lay down against the sheets, still looking tense after the duel, as Bakura coated his own hands with the bottle of lube. He worked the slippery lubrication over his fingers, feeling the tendrils of anticipation grow in the pit of his stomach.

"Ready?" Bakura asked, crawling up on the bed beside Marik.

Marik's eyes flashed to Bakura's wet hands before he nodded.

He drew closer to Marik, rustling against the sheets, and started to stretch him out. His hand brushed against Marik's inner thigh before he slipped one finger into his asshole, moving inward slowly and carefully.

Marik immediately tensed up, but Bakura took his time and pushed his finger in and out in a suggestive motion, feeling himself grow hard at that action alone. It was so warm inside. Warm, and wet, and soft. He was impatient to get in, but he needed to be sure that Marik was ready first. The last time he'd fucked Marik, he hadn't seemed to enjoy it all that much.

Bakura slipped in a second finger, making the same slow and thorough motion, coating him with the slippery lubrication, and watched as Marik's breath caught, and his hands clenched and unclenched of their own accord.

"Okay- I think I'm ready," Marik said shakily, and Bakura pulled his hand out.

He lubricated his own cock next, pumping up and down the length a few times to make sure he was as hard as he could get. He didn't miss the way Marik glanced down at him and watched fixedly.

Bakura then moved closer to Marik, and grabbed one of his thighs to keep steady, using the other hand to guide himself. He pushed in slowly.

Marik's body clenched, and he grimaced as Bakura worked his way in.

"You're fine?"

"I'm fine," Marik breathed.

As Bakura slid in deeper and deeper, the feeling of finally being inside Marik again overtook him. His cock pulsed as he settled inside, and Bakura could tell that Marik felt it, as he gripped the sheets on either side of him.

It was incredible. Bakura still couldn't believe how amazing this felt. He pulled back slightly and pushed back in, starting a slow rhythm as he gripped the back of Marik's thighs to steady them both. Keeping it slow was tearing him apart. It was all he could do not to slam hard into Marik, but he didn't want it to end as fast as it had last time.

Marik suddenly groaned as Bakura's pace picked up and he was thrusting in earnest now, though Bakura knew that it was still in pain, or discomfort at least. Marik's cock was a bit hard already, but he still didn't look like he was really enjoying it.

Bakura adjusted, trying to look for that perfect angle. By Marik's reaction, he still couldn't seem to find it. His hands slipped up and down Marik's thighs, caressing him, as he started thrusting harder and harder. He couldn't help it. The sensation of Marik's warm asshole, wrapped so tightly around his cock, was driving him crazy. Slippery, hot, and wet with each thrust, and he needed to be deeper.

Marik's breath came out in a short gasp suddenly, and Bakura could tell that he was at least a little more turned on now. He experimented with thrusting at a different angle again, but he couldn't manage to get Marik to gasp like that again.

Finally, Bakura couldn't take it anymore, and he gave himself over to the feeling, slamming into Marik so hard and fast now that lights bounced behind his eyelids. The bed creaked beneath them with each thrust, and the sheets became a frenzied mess as Bakura began to reach his peak, that sense of being right on the edge and pleasured beyond belief.

Then he came inside Marik, exploding so quickly that he let out a moan before he could help it. He rode out his orgasm and continued thrusting, gradually slowing down, until he stopped completely and finally slipped out.

Immediately, he noticed that Marik was truly hard now. His face was flushed, and he still clutched the sheets tightly as he eyed Bakura.

"Do you want me to-" Bakura started, looking down at Marik's cock indicatively.

Marik looked like he wanted to scream yes! at Bakura, but instead he said, still catching his breath, "You don't- don't have to, it- it wasn't part of the bet."

But Bakura smirked at him, before moving closer again and wrapping his hand around the base of Marik's cock.

"You did it for me once, when it wasn't part of the bet."

Plus, Bakura thought, he couldn't help doing it anyway. Marik looked incredibly hot right then, his face still flushed and his blond bangs partly covering his eyes as he stared at Bakura.

Marik had nothing to say to that. The moment Bakura's fingers wrapped around his cock and he started stroking him, Marik squeezed his eyes shut, and squirmed with each stroke. Bakura's hand was still slippery from the lube as he rubbed his fingers up and down Marik's length, and Marik seemed to appreciate the sensation as he quietly moaned.

It didn't take more than a minute for Marik to come. He opened his eyes and watched as Bakura pumped him until he was completely done.

"Thanks," Marik said, still breathless, and laid back against the sheets, closing his eyes again and relaxing.

Bakura felt bone-weary himself. He thought he should probably get dressed and leave Marik's bedroom, but he was too tired to move. He rolled onto his back beside Marik, and sighed deeply.

Marik shifted, and Bakura listened as his breath evened out, and soon enough, Marik fell asleep.

He thought he should probably leave now, but the sheets were warm and smooth against his back, and he didn't even want to stand up long enough to collapse onto the couch in the other room.

He closed his eyes, and soon enough, he was asleep too.

AN: Tae wrote this whole chapter because I had to become a stripper in order to prevent myself from becoming homeless, and I was too upset about stripping to write anything about romance or sex. Thanks Tae (tries to draw heart like I always do on Tumblr when I mention Tae, but it doesn't work on ff dot net because it deletes the carat)

See, Tae, I told you all serious problems become funny when you connect them to Yu-Gi-Oh yaoi XD