The next day was Sunday. Marik awoke slowly, feeling strange at having Bakura in his bed for the second morning in a row. Marik threw off the covers and dressed while Bakura continued sleeping. He padded across the room and went to the kitchen to fix breakfast.

Just as Marik began oiling the skillet, Bakura trudged into the kitchen.

"I'm making breakfast," said Marik.

"For me too?" asked Bakura groggily.

"Yeah," said Marik.

"Thanks," said Bakura, falling heavily into his chair.

Bakura didn't say another word as Marik finished cooking their meal. Soon enough, the two were sitting across the table from each other, starting in on their food.

They ate in companionable silence for a while before Bakura suddenly said, "So what are you up to today?"

"Nothing, why?"

Bakura shrugged. "I was just thinking we could play another card game."

"Sure," Marik said, pausing for a moment as he chewed on his food thoughtfully. "It's too bad it'll be a while before you feel well enough to bet again, though."

"You do realize that when you play in the tournament you won't get blowjobs for winning, right?" Bakura asked, smirking.

Marik looked down at his food, his face turning slightly red. "Shut up." He hadn't really meant to bring up their betting. It was just too early in the morning for him to think straight. He stabbed the fork a little too forcefully into his meal, trying to clear his head of the whole thing, but when he glanced up, he found Bakura looking at him questioningly.

"What?" Marik asked.

"Nothing," Bakura said, nonchalantly going back to his meal.

"No, tell me," Marik pressed. Judging by the look he'd seen on Bakura's face, it seemed like something had just dawned on him.

"It's nothing, really." Bakura said. "I was just wondering...does anyone around here even know that you're gay?"

Marik looked surprised at the question. "Why should it matter?"

"Just wondering, that's all." He could have said more, but he sensed Marik's defensiveness, and he wasn't really up for a fight that morning.

"Well, Rishid knows," Marik finally answered. "He's known for a long time."

"I figured," said Bakura. "So does Ishizu know?"

"I think she probably suspects," said Marik. "But I haven't actually told her directly."

"Why not?" Bakura asked.

"There was never any reason to discuss it," said Marik. "I was never with anyone, I mean not before th- I mean, I'd never had-" Marik broke off, seeming nervous, not knowing how to complete his thought, and so he was grateful when Bakura spoke again.

"Would she care if she did know?"

Marik thought for a moment. "No...no, I don't think so."

"Oh? So nobody's counting on you to produce an heir for your clan?"

"There would be no point," Marik said. "The job of the tomb keepers is done. There's no longer any need for an heir."

"I suppose that's true," said Bakura. "So she wouldn't have any...other problems with you being gay?"

"Bakura, I'm a murderer and a thief and a former gang leader, and she still accepts me," said Marik. "Me being gay isn't a big deal in comparison to all that."

Bakura laughed. "So why not just tell her? Why not tell everybody?"

"You do realize that we're in Egypt, right?" said Marik, glaring at Bakura. "That sort of thing isn't exactly accepted here."

"Of course," said Bakura dully. "So I take it you aren't planning on telling anyone else. Because of your reputation."

"Yes, because of that," Marik said crossly, his tone making it clear that, as far as he was concerned, the topic was closed.

"Fine," said Bakura, shrugging to indicate that it didn't matter to him. "It's your life."

There was silence for a moment, and then Bakura said, almost to himself, "But I do wonder..."

Marik looked up in annoyance. "What."

"Just curious about what you'll do after I'm gone," said Bakura casually. "I mean, if you're not going to tell anyone you're gay, how will you ever find anyone else to suck you off? Like I said, you won't be getting blowjobs for winning games in the tournament."

Marik looked surprised for the second time, and answered without thinking. "I haven't really thought about it." And he hadn't. But now that it had been brought up- well, honestly, it was a little weird to think about doing...things...with anyone besides Bakura. He couldn't really imagine being comfortable enough with anyone else to...but he quickly shied away from that train of thought, and shook his head to clear it, as if he could physically shake off the thoughts.

"Of course you haven't," Bakura said. Then he simply turned his attention back to his food without another word, working on finishing the last scraps.

Marik said nothing to that, but the instant Bakura was done eating, Marik suddenly snatched the empty plate from him. "Anyway, it's none of your business what I do after you're gone," he said, more viciously than he'd intended. "You won't be here, and like you said, it's my life."

"True," Bakura said, and his careless tone somehow irritated Marik even more, but Marik only grabbed his own plate and took it along with Bakura's to the sink, turning his back on him.

Marik scrubbed the dishes a little more forcefully than was strictly necessary, and then he finally burst out, "And I suppose you've told everyone about your sexuality?"

"No, but that's different," said Bakura, his calmness infuriating. "I don't talk to anyone else. I don't have any family, or any other friends."

Marik winced, stiffening a little, but he refused to allow himself to feel guilty for his comment. "So nobody else knows," he said steadily.

"Well, I suppose Ryou knows, but only because we shared a mind link, not because I told him."

Marik suddenly turned around, on the offensive again, just having realized something. "Why haven't you told Ryou that you're back?"

"Because he's better off without me. So it's better for him that he doesn't know."

Marik didn't know if that was the truth or just an excuse. He decided not to bother trying to figure it out, and he turned back to the sink. "Everyone would be better off not knowing you."

"Surely," Bakura agreed.

Marik grimaced, but Bakura couldn't see it, and there was silence as Marik finished washing the dishes.

Marik's mind was still half on their previous conversation when he heard the chair scrape as Bakura got up.

As he rinsed off the last soap suds, Marik turned to see Bakura fiddling with the knots in his bandages.

"Are you untying them?" Marik asked, frowning.

"Yeah," Bakura said. "I haven't showered since Friday with these things on, so I figured I could do that now that it doesn't hurt as much."

"Do you need help with that?" Marik asked, disarmed now, unable to stifle the concern he felt as he saw Bakura struggling and wincing in pain.

Even though his fingers clumsily fumbled across the knots, Bakura merely scoffed. "Of course not."

And with that, he turned from Marik and left the kitchen, heading toward what Marik presumed was the bathroom. Marik put away the rest of the dishes and cleaned up. As he walked back toward his bedroom, he suddenly heard a ripping noise and a loud Fuck! reverberate across the apartment.

Marik opened the bathroom door to see a pants-less Bakura with one of his arms hanging from the shower curtain by the knot in his bandage. It appeared that he'd tried to move aside the curtain and had somehow gotten the bandage stuck in one of the curtain's hooks.

Marik burst out laughing, even as Bakura shot him a glare and continued to yank the bandage out of the hook, ripping the fabric even further.

"I don't think you're in any position to refuse my help now," Marik said, smiling as he approached Bakura.

He sullenly allowed Marik to remove the bandage from the curtain hook, freeing his arm.

"Will you at least let me get the rest of these bandages off of you?"

"I can get them," Bakura snapped.

But Marik insisted, and before Bakura could protest any further, Marik grabbed the hem of Bakura's shirt and carefully took it off. He untied the rest of the knots and let the bandages pool at their feet. The moment all the bandages were off, Bakura turned away. He haphazardly took off his boxers and stepped into the shower, and then drew the curtain sharply so that Marik couldn't see him.

But the moment he got in and the water began flowing, Marik heard Bakura's feet skid across the tile and it sounded like he was dangerously close to slipping and falling down.

Marik drew the curtain back, and was met with a glare.

"Will you just leave me alone?" Bakura growled.

"No," Marik said flatly. "You're going to break your neck at the rate you're going."

As he spoke, Marik began taking off his shirt.

"I'm not going to- wait, what are you doing?" Bakura asked, frowning.

Marik unbuttoned his pants and let them drop to the floor, now only standing there in his underwear.

"I'm getting in with you."

"You're getting into the shower?" Bakura sounded disbelieving, as if the idea of having Marik in the shower with him was just crazy.

"Yes. I'm getting in so I can help you," Marik said, throwing off his boxers. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes, there's something fucking wrong with that."

"What?"

"It's fucking weird."

"Why?"

"It's just-" Bakura started, looking for something more definitive. "It's weird."

"Of all the things we've done, you think this is weird?" Marik rolled his eyes. "Turn around. I'm going to wash your back."

Bakura clearly didn't have any coherent reason to disagree, so he did as Marik said. His wounds were still fresh. It still hurt to move around too much. As he finally turned, the water hit the top of his head and slid down in streams, cascading across his shoulders and dripping down his body. He felt Marik's soapy hands on his shoulders, moving slowly down his back. He would never voice the thought, but the way Marik so smoothly worked his hands down Bakura's back was soothing. His muscles relaxed. For a moment, he forgot the pain in his torso and the gashes on his arms.

The steam rose quickly all around him. He felt nearly featherweight, light against Marik's hands. Then Marik grabbed the bottle of shampoo and squeezed some against Bakura's scalp, and then both of Marik's hands were tangled in Bakura's hair, working through the long white strands. It felt strange. Marik was careful, winding his hands through Bakura's hair and then running them down his back again. Next, he felt Marik's hands moving over his arms, and then his legs, gingerly washing his cuts.

And then Marik's movements changed. He stepped closer, and Bakura felt his arms reach across his hips and land on his chest, where Marik stroked him slowly with soapy hands, dragging his fingers down Bakura's torso until he slowly grasped Bakura's firm cock.

Bakura breathed in sharply, the steam still clouding his senses. He hadn't even realized how turned on he'd gotten until he felt Marik's hand run up and down his length.

Marik went on slowly, slowly, wanting to draw the experience out for Bakura, to let him forget his pain for a little longer, and when he released him to lather his hands with more of the slippery soap that made his ministrations more pleasurable, Bakura turned around, and Marik took the opportunity to use one hand to pin Bakura's hip against the wall of the shower, his other hand sliding over Bakura's erection again.

Bakura gasped and tried to thrust forward, but Marik held him fast against the wall, still stroking as slowly as ever, and Bakura moaned softly. Marik supposed he was trying to be nice to Bakura, doing this as a favor for him, but that wasn't all of it. Really, he couldn't help wanting to touch Bakura, and it was worth it just for the reactions he got- he loved seeing Bakura's eyes clouded with desire and hearing his shaky breathing and knowing he was the cause of it.

When Marik's thumb swirled around the tip of Bakura's cock, Bakura inhaled sharply and tried to push forward again, so Marik put more pressure against his hip, holding him still.

"Marik-"

The sound of his name almost made him want to give in, but he kept up the slow pace, feeling Bakura throb inside his fist, and feeling him try to move towards him, and still Marik used his other hand to push him against the wall, preventing him from moving.

Marik continued to stroke him languorously, and one time he stopped again to reapply the soap that had washed away in the stream of the shower, but then he held him back again, keeping him from thrusting into his hand.

It went on, and Bakura whimpered in desperation, all of his restraint now gone, and still Marik continued in that way, absolutely loving the sight of Bakura like this, all flushed and needy and panting and drowning in sensation from Marik's touch. Marik kept on until finally he could tell that Bakura's desire to move against him was beyond need, so he removed his other hand from Bakura's hip and wrapped it around his cock, letting Bakura thrust into both of his hands as he finally sped up the pace, and he enjoyed the cry of pleasure he heard from Bakura when he was at last able to release, spilling his come over Marik's hands.

Marik quickly turned away, under the pretense of rinsing his hands in the flow of the shower, hiding his own erection.

"So, I guess you can get out now," Marik said, trying to keep his voice from quavering. "I still need to wash."

Bakura, still shaky from his orgasm, didn't notice the tone of Marik's voice, just as Marik had expected and hoped.

So Bakura got out of the shower and toweled off, his back turned, the shower curtain drawn, and he didn't see when Marik reached down between his own legs.

AN: Sorry for the long wait! Like we said before, Tae is busy with her summer internship, and I had to go to DC visit my FWB and my other friend...unfortunately, the chapters will still be coming slowly, because Tae is still doing her internship, and I'm going out of town again in a few days to visit my cousins and my friend from high school...but we absolutely promise that we WILL keep updating this fic until it's finished, even if the updates aren't too frequent.

Oh, and guess who's going to be in chapter 20? So not the next chapter, but the chapter after that. Guess! OK I'll just tell you. Ryou! Major plot developments will start happening pretty fast after that, so we're trying to take this time to develop Marik and Bakura and their relationship...sort of a calm before the storm.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and let us know what you think!