It was late Saturday morning when the bedroom door suddenly burst open and Marik walked in carrying a breakfast tray. Bakura was startled awake by the sound of the door slamming open and watched blearily as Marik placed the tray on a night stand.
"Is this for me?" Bakura raised his eyebrows.
Marik just nodded shortly and sat down on the bed beside Bakura, moving the tray onto the bedspread between them. Bakura eyed the steak on his plate, and feeling his stomach rumble, he immediately dove into the meat without another word.
It was still a little awkward between them after the conversation they'd had the day before, and Bakura's imprudent fight with the duelist. Marik silently ate his plate of ful- a bean stew he'd learned how to make from Ishizu- and a type of bread called aysh. Bakura wrinkled his nose at Marik's vegetarian food but he refrained from making any comments since Marik had made him steak.
They ate in silence. Marik glanced at Bakura's wounds, and realized that he'd have to change the bandages and reapply medicine to his cuts. It was really dumb the way Bakura had just attacked the stranger for his token. Dumb and unnecessary, since Bakura hadn't even gotten the token.
After toying with the last of his food for a while, Marik finally turned toward Bakura.
"How did this even happen?" He nodded at Bakura's wounds.
Bakura gazed at Marik levelly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how did you even get hurt this badly? Did you just walk up to the guy and start punching him, or what?"
"Well, yeah." Bakura shrugged nonchalantly. "I went over to him and demanded his token, and then when he wouldn't give it to me, I started punching him."
Bakura's bravado wasn't helping his case. Marik narrowed his eyes, set down his fork, and moved the tray aside.
"That was really stupid of you," he started, and Bakura shot him a dirty look. "First of all, you got hurt. If you'd been careful and not gone starting fights with strangers, you probably wouldn't be in this condition right now."
Bakura opened his mouth to protest, but Marik continued.
"Second of all, you're not even supposed to be drawing attention to yourself like this. If someone had caught you, or if you'd managed to beat up the guy and won, someone might have found out, and that would've been my ass on the line, too."
"No one even saw me," Bakura said, his hands clenched around the bedspread and his knuckles bony and white. "You should give me a little more credit than that. It's not like I attacked him where people could see us."
Marik ignored him, continuing. Now that he'd started talking, all the thoughts that had been tumbling through his mind all morning were coming out.
"You still attacked him in the middle of the street. Plus, I told you that I don't want you to hurt people. I don't want you starting trouble for no reason-"
Bakura suddenly threw his hands up, and pointed at his own face and shoulders. "Are you seeing this? I wasn't the one who hurt him."
"Clearly not, but you intended to hurt the guy. If he hadn't had the pocket knife, you could have seriously hurt him, and I already told you I don't want you doing that."
Bakura opened his mouth to retort, but Marik cut him off again.
"And another thing," he continued. "Why didn't you take the Ring with you? You left the house all furious and in a hurry, and just left the Ring. That guy could've killed you, do you realize that? I don't want you to use the Ring to hurt anyone, but if you get yourself into a dangerous situation like that, you need to be more prepared."
There was really no logical thing for Bakura to say to that, so he just glared at Marik, his hands still clenched into fists.
"Would you quit your bitching already?" he finally snapped. "I'm still in pain, and your nagging isn't really doing anything to help."
"Well, don't you agree with that I'm saying? It was all your fault that you're even in this much pain to begin with-"
"Seriously, Marik, if you don't shut up about it, I'm just going to throw this food on your precious carpet."
Marik realized that Bakura had nothing else to say. They both knew he'd made a mistake the night before, but Bakura was too proud to admit it outright.
"Fine," Marik finally said. "Just don't go out trying to hurt people again."
Bakura didn't respond, but Marik knew that he agreed.
After that, Marik put away the breakfast tray, and they decided to have a duel. Bakura was still irritable after the fight they'd had over breakfast, but neither of them brought up the subject again.
They started the duel, and for a while, neither had the upper hand for too long. They had agreed not to bet for anything, so they were mainly playing to give Marik some practice. After some time, the score stood at 4,000 life points for Bakura, and 5,200 for Marik, and it was Bakura's turn.
"I attack your face-down card with my Darkfire Soldier," Bakura said, putting his newly-summoned monster on the field.
Marik smiled, flipping over his face-down card. It was the 4-Starred Ladybug of Doom, which destroys all four-star monsters, and so Bakura's Darkfire Soldier along with two of his other monsters went to the graveyard. Bakura swore under his breath, since he now had no monsters on the field, and ended his turn.
Summoning the Gravekeeper's Assailant, Marik then attacked Bakura's empty side of the field with the Assailant, which had 2,000 attack points due to the additional 500 from the field card Necrovalley, and used his Ladybug to take out an additional 800 life points, leaving Bakura with a total of 1200.
Bakura gritted his teeth, watching his points dwindle, while Marik threw him a self-satisfied smirk, and said, "I'd say I'm getting a little better now, wouldn't you?"
They continued dueling for a while, and after Bakura got the upper hand again, they started talking about things other than the duel. They returned to the subject of the previous day, when Ishizu had mentioned that Yugi might be contacted to find the Puzzle.
"I can't believe they're going to bring that stupid kid over here," Bakura grumbled, picking up a card. "It was bad enough that they had to bring Kaiba, but now Yugi, too?"
Marik shrugged. "Just ignore Yugi if he does show up. It should be easy enough for you to stay out of his way until he leaves again."
Bakura didn't look assuaged.
"Well, are you actually going to invite him to the apartment?"
Marik looked up at Bakura, sensing the anger laced so thinly in his words.
"Well, it would be polite of me to invite him over if he shows up. I don't have any reason to say no if he wants to visit me."
Bakura looked down at his cards, saying nothing, and Marik noticed that his fingers were pressed more tightly against the plastic cards.
"You don't want him over here at all," Marik stated.
Bakura's gaze was glacial.
"Obviously."
The next turn went by in silence. Bakura's face was tense and his lips were drawn thin. He was putting so much effort into looking focused on the game that Marik knew this conversation must really be bothering him.
Suddenly, Marik placed down his cards, and asked, "Why do you hate Yugi so much anyway?"
Bakura didn't even look up. He glanced through his hand, and placed a card face-down in the trap and magic area of the field, ignoring Marik's question.
"What has that kid done to get you this upset, even years later?"
Bakura scoffed. "You really think that brat's upsetting me? He's just a snotty-nosed little runt who can't even duel for himself. Why the hell would I care enough to be upset?"
If the tone of the conversation wasn't so serious, Marik would have laughed. It was so obvious that Bakura cared. He cared so much that having Yugi in the same city- in the same apartment- as Bakura was too much for him to bear.
"I don't know," Marik said, crossing his arms. "You tell me."
But Bakura kept his mouth shut. They continued dueling, but the subject of Yugi wasn't closed yet. It was still a gaping, gloomy hole between them, waiting for either one to approach it again. At one point, Marik nearly wiped out all of Bakura's points with the monster Jirai Gumo, and Bakura nearly flipped his chair as he stood in anger. His eyes were bright, feverish. His jaw was clenched and his whole body was tense with fury.
"What's all this about, Bakura?" Marik finally said when Bakura had sat back down. "You're not angry about the duel. You're angry about something else. So what is it?"
"I'm not fucking angry."
Bakura was shaking.
"Right. Because getting this upset over a duel where we're not even betting is not being 'fucking angry.' You're still pissed about Yugi and I want to know why. Clearly, this kid did something to get you this mad-"
"Would you just leave that alone?" Bakura burst out.
"Does it have to do with your revenge? Are you upset that he and his stupid crew stopped you in the end?" Marik continued. He knew that the only way to get Bakura to talk was to prod him. He had to keep asking questions, keep making guesses, because otherwise Bakura would hide the anger inside himself. He would keep it locked up tightly, would dwell on it, would let it linger like poison in his veins.
"Are you upset that he-" Marik started again.
"Yes!" Bakura finally snapped. "Of course I'm pissed that he stopped me. I'd been chasing vengeance for thousands of years, and then along comes a brat like Yugi and takes away any chance that I had."
Bakura took a deep breath, and Marik knew that he'd finally succeeded in getting him to talk.
"Do you have any idea how long I was stuck in the Ring? I spent millennia trapped in there, and all I could do was plan. I thought about every step I needed to take. I dreamed about the moment I would finally be free to avenge my people. And all it took was one person, one dark game, to waste the thousands of years I spent planning."
The fury in Bakura's face gave way to a grimace. It hurt him to talk about this. The bitterness was streaked across his face like tears.
"And in the end, he was the big hero," Bakura continued. "He was the one who succeeded, and I got trapped in the Ring for another three years because of him. I waited thousands of years for my chance to get vengeance, and it all ended with him."
Bakura stopped, breathing fast. He ran a hand through his hair, and the effort of speaking about his past showed.
"Is that it?" Marik asked. "Is that the only reason?"
Bakura took a moment to gather himself, and slowly shook his head.
"I don't care about Yugi- I really don't. But having him over here is going to remind me about it all over again. And do you really think I want that? I don't want anything to do with Yugi or any of his friends. I just want to forget about all that, and live my life."
Bakura gave Marik a long look, his jaw still set.
"So, I guess that leads me to asking you again: are you going to invite Yugi over to the apartment if he shows up here?"
After hearing Bakura's side of the story, Marik couldn't outright say yes. The pain was still clear in his eyes. Bakura couldn't bear having to be near Yugi.
"I won't invite him over," Marik replied. "If Yugi decides that he wants to visit me, I'm just going to suggest that we meet up somewhere other than the apartment."
That seemed like a good concession, though all Bakura said was, "Just keep him away from me, whatever you do."
Despite Bakura's gruff reply, Marik knew that he was thankful. It was clear by the way that Bakura's shoulders relaxed imperceptibly as they picked up the duel again.
Sometime later, Marik finally won. He defeated Bakura with an overpowered Jirai Gumo, which was equipped with both Rush Recklessly and the Deal of Phantom. When Marik made a comment about getting better at dueling, Bakura only said that he was just tired and in pain, so it was no wonder that Marik had won.
After the duel, Marik checked on Bakura's bandages. He unfurled the gauze and cleaned out the wounds again, reapplying a new set of bandages after that. Bakura grimaced whenever Marik touched his cuts, but otherwise, he looked grateful.
"Does it feel any better?" Marik asked.
"Not really," Bakura replied. Not surprisingly so, since it had only been a day since he'd gotten hurt, and some of the cuts still looked fresh.
"Well, if you want, you can keep sleeping in my bed until you feel better. After all, the couch isn't really the best place to sleep."
Bakura shrugged, and responded, "I guess that would be more comfortable."
The rest of the day was uneventful. That night, when it got late, and Bakura and Marik were both tired, they started getting ready for bed.
Once Marik had finished brushing his teeth, he headed to his bedroom. Bakura had already stripped down to his boxers and a T-shirt and climbed into the bed, but he was clearly still wide awake. Marik pulled off his jeans, shut off the light, and climbed into bed next to him.
Bakura looked over curiously. "What the hell is that?"
"What?"
Bakura motioned to the lamp sitting on the bedside table. It was off, but its translucent base still glowed with a dim luminescence.
"Oh, that. Um. It's a lamp?"
"I know that, idiot! I mean, why is it still partway on?"
"The base automatically lights up a little when you turn it off," Marik said. "It's not very bright. It shouldn't bother you."
Bakura laughed. "Are you telling me you sleep with a nightlight?"
"It's not a nightlight!" said Marik defensively. "Besides, you've never said anything about it before."
"I would have if I'd noticed it before," Bakura said. The few times he'd stayed in Marik's bed, he'd already been asleep by the time Marik turned out the light. "And if it's not a nightlight, then what else would you call it?"
"I- shut up! I just don't like the dark, alright?"
"You're scared of the dark?" Bakura laughed again. "This is too funny. Little Marik can't sleep with the lights off!"
"I'm not scared of it, I just don't like it," Marik said. His voice sounded angry, but a blush was creeping into his cheeks. "And- and if it bothers you that much, you're welcome to go and sleep on the lumpy couch!"
Bakura rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine," he said, turning over and facing away from Marik. "I won't say anything else."
Marik settled back down, and there were a few moments of silence.
Then Bakura snickered. "A nightlight," he said mockingly, almost under his breath.
Marik sat up quickly. "Shut up!"
"I didn't say anything," said Bakura, trying to sound innocent.
"You know, you wouldn't like the dark much either if you'd spent most of your life trapped underground," Marik snapped. "Aren't you afraid of anything?"
Bakura rolled back over and faced Marik. "Of course not."
"Sure you're not," said Marik. "Fine, then, isn't there anything that you just don't like?"
"There are lots of things I don't like." Bakura started ticking them off on his fingers. "Your disgusting vegetarian food, your weird fixation on keeping your ugly carpet clean..."
"Oh, fuck you," said Marik. "You know what I mean. I mean something that makes you really uncomfortable."
Bakura rolled his eyes. "You're not going to let this go now, are you? I wish I'd never started this conversation."
"It's your own fault," Marik said. "If you don't want to tell me, I bet I could take a guess."
Bakura sighed. "Fine, I suppose I don't much like being trapped," he finally said.
"Because of all the time you spent trapped in the Ring?"
"Yes, that's why," Bakura said flippantly. "There, now we're even. You don't like the dark because you were stuck underground for years, and I don't like being trapped because I was stuck in the Ring for years. Happy now?"
"I suppose," Marik said slowly.
"Good." Bakura flipped over again, putting his back to Marik.
But Marik thought Bakura had agreed with him about the Ring much too quickly, as if he just wanted to brush off the question and get away from the subject.
"It's not just because of the Ring, is it?" Marik said suddenly, leaning over Bakura.
"What are you on about now?" Bakura sounded irritable.
"When you were trapped in the Ring, you were basically helpless. You had no power, no control," Marik said thoughtfully, working it out as he spoke. "But that's not the first time you were in a situation where you felt like that. The worst thing that ever happened to you...you felt the same way then."
"Shut up, Marik," said Bakura. "I don't want to hear your stupid theories."
Bakura's tone sounded dismissive, but Marik could tell by the look on his face that he'd struck a nerve.
"That's what you're really afraid of," Marik said, understanding lighting his eyes. "Not being trapped, exactly; you're afraid of being helpless. You're afraid of losing control."
Bakura suddenly jerked himself into an upright position and glared at Marik. "You're one to talk about being afraid to lose control," he spat. "That's your fear. You hate letting someone else have control more than you hate anything."
Bakura might have expected Marik to get defensive at the intended jab, but Marik only shrugged.
"I have no problem admitting that I like to be the one in control," he said. "That's not exactly a secret. I think I made that plain from the moment I met you. And if it wasn't obvious then, I'm sure it's become obvious since we started fucking."
Bakura growled, irritated that his words hadn't had the intended effect, and somehow even more irritated that Marik was indirectly bringing up his dislike of letting Bakura fuck him. Bakura looked like he was about to get up and just walk out of the room when Marik spoke again.
"You, on the other hand..."
Bakura froze. He looked at Marik in the dim light, and saw that his eyes were sparkling, as if he were trying to suppress a smile about whatever he'd just thought of.
"You love letting me take control of you as much as you hate it," Marik said smugly. "You love it because you hate it. It excites you as much as it terrifies you."
Bakura's eyes went wide. "I do not like that!"
"You do, though," Marik said, his confidence not shaken a bit. "I think it's freeing for you. To be able to let go in a situation where you know nothing bad will happen. You love it when I make you completely lose control of yourself."
"What?" Bakura sputtered. "You've never made me lose control!" His eyes were on fire.
Marik just laughed softly. "Not even the time I made you ask for it and you begged me to fuck you?"
Bakura looked stricken. "I- I never did that," he mumbled.
Even in the scant light, Marik could see that Bakura was starting to blush.
"Bakura, you said, Fuck me, please, I need you inside me."
Bakura turned his head away. "I...don't remember anything like that. It never happened."
Marik rolled his eyes. "You won't admit what you said because you're so scared to let yourself be vulnerable. But you want to be."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Bakura still wasn't facing Marik.
"You know, you let me be the one in control from the very start of our partnership, when we first met. I'm not sure you'd allow that with anyone else," Marik said. "But I never actually made you totally lose control of yourself until we started having sex. I wonder if anyone besides me could make you all willingly helpless and get you to lose control like that?"
"Of course no- I mean, I told you, you've never made me lose control and-" Bakura was getting more and more flustered, and didn't even seem to know how to respond anymore.
When Marik laughed again, it seemed to snap Bakura out of it, and he turned to Marik with anger in his eyes. "I wonder if you'd let anyone else besides me touch your scars," he said maliciously.
Marik reeled back in surprise. "OK, we're done with this conversation."
"Don't like it when it's turned back around on you, do you?" asked Bakura caustically.
"You know, none of this would have happened if you would have just shut up about the stupid lamp."
Bakura threw his hands up in defeat. "You know what? You're right. I will never, ever mention your dumb little nightlight again."
"It is not a nightlight!"
AN: Sorry for the wait! The chapters will probably be coming out a more slowly for a while, because Tae is really busy and I'm going on vacation soon. But don't worry, we're definitely going to continue posting chapters until it's done! Anyways, as always, thanks for reading and please let us know what you think!