It had been another long day at work, and when Marik got home, he made promptly for the kitchen. As he walked in, Bakura and Ryou glanced up at him from the kitchen table, two decks of cards at their elbows and a game in full swing.
"Duel Monsters, huh?" Marik said. "I hope you didn't let him make any bets, Ryou."
"What?" asked Ryou.
Marik smirked in satisfaction to see the slight blush spreading over Bakura's face.
"Never mind, Ryou. It's nothing," Marik said.
Ryou gave him a look of confusion, but didn't question him further.
Meanwhile, Bakura seemed to have regained his composure. "I attack you for 1,100 life points."
"Well, darn," Ryou said, throwing his cards down. "I guess I lose."
As Bakura began gathering up the cards, Ryou turned to Marik. "So, Marik, how was work? Did you hear anything yet?"
"Yeah, Ishizu talked to me," Marik said. "She said the officials have decided to let me try to find the Ring. She kind of let it slip that they didn't exactly come to the decision easily, though. Apparently, they were a little wary about asking me, after everything that happened with the fake."
Ryou looked a bit worried at the news that the officials were still suspicious of them. "So what made them decide to let you?"
"Well, Yugi stood up for us and said that I had nothing to do with the fake, and that you just made an innocent mistake anyway. He and my sister both told them that I'm trustworthy and that it would be best to let me search for the real Ring and prove your innocence by finding it. And in the end, they agreed."
"Well, that's good news," Ryou said, seeming relieved.
Marik turned to Bakura. "I know you hate Yugi, but if we didn't have someone so prominent in our corner, we'd all be screwed."
"We wouldn't have been in trouble in the first place if it weren't for that asshole," Bakura said darkly.
Marik furrowed his brow but didn't respond, unable to dispute what Bakura had said.
"I can't believe you're giving my Ring to Yugi. Again," Bakura suddenly said, shooting Marik an accusatory glare.
Marik sighed in irritation, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright, first of all, when I gave the Ring to Yugi three years ago, I thought you were dead. Secondly, I'm not giving the Ring to Yugi this time, I'm giving it to the museum."
Before Bakura could make a retort, Ryou quickly jumped into the conversation, wanting to prevent things from getting any more unpleasant. "When do you think you'll be digging, Marik?"
Marik looked grateful for the interruption and turned to Ryou. "Ishizu said they'll be calling me soon. I guess they'll let me know when they want me to dig when I talk to them."
"Well, I hope it's soon," Ryou said. He suddenly realized how that sounded, and quickly amended, "I mean, it's not that I haven't enjoyed visiting with you guys, it's just that I've been missing a lot of school...and my girlfriend..."
"I understand, Ryou, don't worry about it," said Marik. "We really appreciate you dropping everything just to help us."
"So, when's dinner?" Bakura broke in, not wanting to talk about any of this anymore. "I'm starved."
"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too," Marik said, happy enough to change the subject. "I guess I'll get started on it now."
He immediately got out the pots and pans, and while Bakura watched TV, Marik and Ryou cut up vegetables and cooked rice for a mahshi dish Marik had been wanting to make. Since Ryou was only with them for a short while, Marik figured it would be fitting to introduce him to some traditional Egyptian cooking, especially since he was a lot more receptive to vegetarian dishes than Bakura.
They had a quiet dinner- Bakura devouring his steak, as usual- and Marik was cleaning up when the phone suddenly rang. He frowned, picking up the receiver.
"Hello? Yes, this is him. Oh, of course, I'd be glad to. I'm honored that you asked me. Thank you. Yes, tomorrow after my shift will be fine. Yes. Goodbye."
Marik hung up the phone and turned to see Ryou looking at him expectantly.
"So, you'll be going to find the Ring tomorrow, huh?" asked Ryou.
"Looks like it," said Marik.
"How are you going to do it?"
"Well, it'll probably have to be hidden before I go out there to start looking for it," Marik said, biting his lip as he formulated a plan. "I can sense the Ring, so as long as it's at the dig site by tomorrow, I can find it for them."
"I'll hide it tonight, then," Bakura suddenly said, looking stoic.
Both Marik and Ryou turned to look at Bakura, surprised that he'd spoken up.
"What?" Bakura asked, noting their expressions. "I just want to get this over with. I'm not any more supportive of this plan than the moment you suggested it, but I don't see any other options, so I'll do whatever needs to get done."
Ryou nodded, giving Bakura a small smile.
Marik noticed that despite what he said, Bakura looked incredibly tense. "Alright, so you'll hide the Ring at the dig site tonight, and once I find it and give it back to the museum tomorrow, we'll be out of this whole mess."
There was a moment of silence, before Ryou said, "Well, now that everything's settled, I think I'd like to book my flight home. Do you mind if I use your computer, Marik?"
"Sure, go ahead," said Marik.
Ryou started to head for the computer, but then he glanced back at Bakura. He was clutching the Ring so tightly his knuckles were turning white.
"I know this is hard for you, Bakura, but don't worry so much," Ryou said. "You'll get it back soon."
"I know," said Bakura, still gripping the Ring as hard as ever.
Ryou gave Bakura a sympathetic look, but couldn't think of anything else to say. He shifted on his feet for a moment, and then finally left the room.
"Well," Marik ventured, "there is one upside to all this."
"And what the hell would that be?" asked Bakura.
"You won't have to worry about stealing any more tokens without the use of the Ring," said Marik.
Bakura looked at him in surprise. "What? Why?"
"Haven't you been paying attention to how many you've stolen?" asked Marik. From the look on Bakura's face, Marik could tell that he hadn't. "Well, I guess it's understandable with everything that's been going on lately. But that last token you got for me- that was the last one I needed. I didn't get to thank you for it because you were asleep when I woke up and found it on my pillow. Anyway, you don't have to steal any more, because now I have enough to get into the tournament."
"Yes, and that's always been the top priority, hasn't it?" Bakura spat. "It's the only reason I'm here, after all. Making sure you get into that stupid tournament has always been the most important thing to me."
Marik sighed. "Bakura, I know you're upset about giving up the Ring, but the tournament is coming up in just a couple weeks. You'll have it back in no time."
"A couple weeks," repeated Bakura, sounding bitter. "Just a couple of weeks without the Ring. And then I'll have it back and you'll never have to see me again."
Marik's features clouded. "I really do feel bad about you having to give up the Ring, but it's not my fault, so I wish you wouldn't take it out on me-"
"You really don't see what's right in front of your face, do you, Marik?" Bakura snapped. "Or maybe you just don't care."
Marik looked at him in confusion, and before he could respond, Ryou came back into the kitchen.
"Well, I've got my flight set for the day after tomorrow," Ryou said as he reentered the room. "So I'll still be here tomorrow while you're at the dig site. Assuming everything goes well, I'll be flying out the next evening."
"Will you need a ride to the airport?" Marik asked.
"No, I'll have to head out right around the time you'll be getting home from work. I'll just get a cab."
The moment Ryou said that, Marik realized that tonight was probably the last time all three of them would be together before Ryou had to leave for Japan. Since Marik would be at the dig site most of tomorrow night, and then had to work again the next day, they didn't have much time left.
"Marik, what's wrong?" Ryou suddenly asked, and Marik realized he must have looked deep in thought.
"I just realized we probably don't have much time left before you leave for Japan. Why don't we do something fun for the next few hours? I have some whiskey left over from a while back."
Ryou laughed. "I'm not much of a drinker, but sure. It'll be good to get our minds off of things."
Marik took out the bottle of whiskey he and Bakura had drunk what seemed like forever ago, and poured them all drinks. He had no intention of getting drunk, but merely wanted to diffuse the atmosphere.
The next hour was spent talking over everything but the dig site and the Ring. Marik wriggled out some interesting things about Ryou's girlfriend, and the current state of his relationship, as well as his plans after college. It was amazing how well Ryou knew himself, and what he wanted. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty. For someone who initially came off as being insecure and meek, Ryou was anything but those things.
Bakura loosened up a little too, but Marik could tell he was still on edge. He drank the least out of all three of them, and after an hour passed, he got up and said he needed to hide the Ring. Marik and Ryou stayed rooted to the kitchen table, and continued talking after Bakura left.
At one point, Ryou placed a finger on his lips, as if deep in thought, and looked at Marik seriously.
"Marik, I don't want to put you on the spot, but I feel like you keep dodging something."
"What?" Marik frowned, taking another gulp of his drink.
"Whenever I say anything about Bakura..." he started, and then drifted off.
"Bakura?" Marik asked, glancing away, not meeting Ryou's eyes.
Ryou laughed. "That's exactly what I mean. You always seem so uncomfortable and evasive whenever the subject of Bakura and you comes up."
"Bakura and me?" Marik asked again, shifting around awkwardly.
"I mean," Ryou said, "I don't think I'm reading into things too much, but it doesn't seem like either of you are excited about Bakura leaving after the tournament-"
Suddenly, Marik got up from the table. "Alright, I'm putting this away," he said, stowing the whiskey and placing the glasses in the sink. "I think you've had enough. We both have."
Ryou opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He got up from the kitchen table, and quietly helped Marik clean and put away the rest of the dishes. It was clear that these were not questions Marik wanted to answer, and for now, he would leave it at that.
In the next hour, Ryou bid Marik goodnight and went to bed, and Marik lay down on the couch. He was tired from the day's work, but his mind was still abuzz with thoughts. He really hoped their plan would work tomorrow, and he'd finally put this whole issue with the Ring to rest.
Marik was just drifting off when he heard the front door open, and Bakura walked in. He hung up his coat, and approached the couch.
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought I was sleeping on the couch."
"You can have the floor tonight," Marik mumbled, digging deeper into the covers.
Bakura scowled and stubbornly sat down on one end of the couch, effectively sitting on top of Marik.
"I don't think so. I'm the one who just risked getting caught by a guard by going out there tonight and hiding my own Ring. I deserve the couch a lot more than you do."
Marik tried wriggling out from beneath Bakura. "Well, I've got a long day tomorrow at work and then being at the dig site, so you're out of luck. Floor for you tonight."
At that point, Bakura moved to straddle Marik, taking up more of the couch. "Well, I'm not moving."
Marik rolled his eyes, but even as he did so, he noticed that the weight of Bakura on top of him was arousing. They hadn't had the chance to bet in a while, so maybe this was worth exploring. He grabbed Bakura's wrists, shifted his hips, and in one swift motion, managed to flip them both over so that Bakura was lying on his back, and Marik was straddling him instead.
Bakura grunted, dismayed at the way he'd been manhandled so easily. But then Marik rocked his hips against Bakura's, and Bakura briefly closed his eyes, lost in the sensation of their cocks rubbing together through their clothes.
"You know I'm definitely not moving now, right?" Bakura asked, his eyes still closed.
Marik smirked, suddenly finding the situation even more enticing. He had Bakura on his back and could elicit any sort of responses he wanted. Using one hand, he reached down to Bakura's pants and slowly undid the zipper. Pulling the jeans down his hips, he grabbed Bakura's cock through his boxers, and slowly ran his hand up and down.
Bakura's breath quickened and he writhed quietly, trying not to let on how much Marik's touch was affecting him. Soon, Marik's hand moved faster, and Bakura couldn't help the small groan that escaped his mouth. He was getting close quickly. He and Marik hadn't been all that physical since the whole mess with the Ring started, and his body was now quick to respond.
Suddenly, Marik removed his hand, but before Bakura could protest, his hips were back on top of Bakura's, and he started a slow grind that nearly pushed Bakura over the edge then and there. There were still layers of clothes between them, but the fact that Marik was moving so languorously, and the fact that it was Marik who was making these motions were too much, and suddenly, Bakura's heart was racing and his mouth was open in a gasp as he clutched Marik's arms, and he finally came.
Marik could tell that Bakura had reached his climax, and that thought alone pushed him over, and he gave one last thrust before he finally came, too. There was a thin sheen of sweat on Bakura's face, especially his upper lip, and Marik was tempted to reach down and- what? Kiss him? He wasn't sure. He watched as Bakura's eyes fluttered shut, and in mere minutes, his breath had evened out, and he appeared to have fallen asleep. It had been a tough day for both of them, and Marik didn't have the heart to shove him off the couch when he looked so peaceful.
Although Marik was practically falling off the edge of the couch, he laid his head down and let his eyes close, and then he shifted a little closer to Bakura, just to get some more room. At that, Bakura sighed softly, his arms momentarily tightening around Marik, and Marik instantly felt a strange quiver at the bottom of his stomach, though he didn't know why. But he was too tired to think about it much, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
AN: Sorry for the long wait, Tae has been really busy traveling around the country checking out job sites since she's in her last year of college and getting job offers. And I just had random problems- some stray cat ran into my door when I opened it and attacked my cat for no reason. My cat just wanted to smell him, and he started attacking him, so I had to take him to the emergency vet. He's going to be fine, it was just upsetting and a big hassle. Then my car broke down and I didn't have a car for a while.
Anyways, hope you liked the chapter, please review and let us know what you think! And the wait for the next chapter won't be very long at all- it's been nearly done for a while now.
And same sex marriage is now legal in (probably) 3 more states! Yay!