It was late by the time Marik got home from the dig site. He saw that Bakura was already passed out on the couch. Since he didn't see Ryou anywhere, and the bedroom door was closed, he assumed that Ryou was in there, also already asleep. He figured there was no reason to wake them; he'd promised that he'd tell them immediately if he had any important news- if anything went wrong at the dig site- but luckily, everything had gone perfectly.

Marik hadn't had much trouble locating the Ring. It wasn't as easy as the first time he'd dug it up- that time, he'd found it immediately because Bakura's spirit was actually inside, calling to him. But still, it hadn't been very difficult to find. He'd just closed his eyes and tried to sense where the Ring was. His senses had led him to the general area, he'd started digging, and soon, he came up with the Ring. Yugi was on hand to verify its authenticity, and then it had been immediately handed over to the museum officials.

He would have been home much sooner, but he'd gotten caught up talking to Yugi and the officials, and he didn't think it would have looked very good if he'd tried to excuse himself from the conversation. And anyway, it was good that he'd had the conversation- the museum officials actually seemed to be treating him with a new respect, now that he'd found the real Ring and turned it over. For the first time, they had talked to him almost as if he were an equal. So really, he should have felt overjoyed- this was the start of everything he'd been waiting for. But he didn't really feel anything except tired. He supposed it was just because he'd had such a long day, combined with all the stress of the past week or so.

He wanted to just fall straight into bed, but he was covered in dirt from the digging he'd done, so he really needed to wash. So he trudged into the bathroom and took a quick shower. By the time he was done, he was absolutely bone-tired, and he thought he would fall asleep the moment he laid down on his little pile of blankets on the floor.

Instead, though, he tossed and turned, feeling restless, and unable to get comfortable. He supposed the stress of recent events was still getting to him. Not to mention the fact that the floor was very hard, and the blankets didn't do much to soften it. It seemed that each time he slept on the floor was more painful than the last. Every time he slept there, he woke up with an ache in his back that was worse than the one he'd had the previous morning.

He really wished he could just sleep on the couch with Bakura again. The couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was infinitely better than the floor, and not nearly as painful. The previous night had definitely been the best sleep he'd had since Ryou had gotten here. But he knew Bakura would be mad if he woke him up. So he stayed on the floor, shifting around irritably and trying to find a better position. But several minutes later, sleep still hadn't found him, and soon, he was already starting to feel a twinge of pain in his back.

Finally, he gave up, and crawled up onto the couch next to Bakura. He knew Bakura would be annoyed, but he wasn't going to fight about this. If Bakura didn't like it, he could take the floor.

As soon as Marik's weight settled onto the couch, Bakura awoke with a start. "What's wrong? Did-"

"Ssh, Ryou's asleep. And nothing's wrong. Everything went fine. I just can't sleep on the floor another night. It's killing my back."

"Not my problem," said Bakura. "And fuck you for waking me up."

"Well, it is your problem, because you're a guest here, and this is my couch. I can sleep on it if I want to. And I'm way too tired to argue about this. I'm fucking exhausted. I just need a good night's sleep."

Bakura didn't say a word in response; instead, he just grabbed Marik's shoulders and tried to push him away. So Marik leaned toward him hard, putting all his weight into it, until Bakura was pinned against the back of the couch, their bodies pressed close together. When Bakura didn't react further or try to shove him away again, Marik let himself relax, and then he slid an arm around Bakura's waist, only because he found it uncomfortable to have both his arms trapped between their bodies. With the extra room now between them, Marik shifted a little closer, closing his eyes as he settled comfortably into Bakura's warmth.

"Marik-" Bakura said. "Why- why are you doing this to me?"

Bakura sounded almost breathless, though Marik couldn't figure out why. It wasn't as if he was rubbing against Bakura this time, or doing anything at all to turn him on. He was only lying next to him. And it really shouldn't have been that much of an imposition.

"What?" Marik asked. "What am I doing to you? Not wanting to sleep on the floor in my own house?"

"Nothing," Bakura said in a dull tone, sounding resigned. "You're not doing anything to me."

"Then quit complaining and let me go to sleep."

And for a wonder, Bakura did. He only sighed, a sound that seemed almost bittersweet, and Marik felt Bakura's arms wrap around him just as he finally drifted off to sleep.

When Marik got home from work the next day, he found Ryou standing in the kitchen, his bags packed and ready.

"Ryou! I'm glad I caught you before you left. I wanted to see you off."

"I'm glad, too," said Ryou. "My taxi should be here in about ten or fifteen minutes, so we have a little time."

"Well," said Marik, "I know I've said it before, but...really, I just wanted to thank you again for everything you've done for us."

"You're welcome," Ryou said. "It really wasn't much trouble, and I've enjoyed visiting with you guys."

"Well, you can always come back and visit me again sometime," Marik said. "It'd be great to see you again."

"That would be nice," said Ryou. "Though, preferably next time, it won't be during the school year."

"Yeah," agreed Marik. "Well, anyway, I'm really glad you enjoyed your stay."

"I did," said Ryou.

Then Ryou paused for a moment, a thoughtful look coming over his face. He was struggling with something, debating whether or not he should voice his thoughts. Finally, he decided to plunge ahead.

"Though, I feel bad about taking the bed from you and Bakura this whole time," he said, doing his best to sound casual. "You really should have just told me about your situation, and let me sleep on the couch."

Marik looked startled. "Ryou, I told you, we don't-"

"Marik," Ryou said, gently but firmly. "Last night, I woke up, and I was thirsty, so I came out into the kitchen to get a drink of water, and on my way there...I saw you two sleeping on the couch together."

"Oh," Marik said, a blush starting to spread across his face. "Well, that doesn't mean-"

"There's no reason to be embarrassed about it," Ryou said. "Why didn't you just tell me? Did you think I'd care?"

"No, I just- I don't normally talk about this kind of thing to anyone because...well, nobody really knows that I...you know, like guys."

"Um," said Ryou.

"What?" asked Marik.

Ryou averted his gaze. "Nothing."

"Come on, just tell me," said Marik.

"I kind of already knew," Ryou finally admitted. "For quite a while now."

"What? Since when?"

"Since you first met Bakura, pretty much."

"Seriously? How?" asked Marik.

"Well, you know-" Ryou started. He nearly said something about the way Marik had always acted toward Bakura, but thought better of it at the last second. Bringing up whatever Marik had with Bakura again might be pushing things too far.

"What?" Marik prodded.

Ryou tried to think of something else to say. "Um...well...I really don't mean to be stereotypical...but honestly, Marik...I've never in my life seen a straight man wear a lavender belly shirt."

"Oh," Marik said again, his blush deepening. He was suddenly thankful that he hadn't worn that thing in three years.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. I know it's none of my business," said Ryou quickly. "I just brought it up because- it's just- I just think you'd be happier if you were a little more honest with people, Marik."

"Now you sound like Bakura," Marik said, letting out a slightly exasperated sigh.

Ryou smiled. "Would it be weird if I took that as a compliment?"

"Yeah, kind of," Marik said, but now he couldn't help smiling too.

With that, the tension between them seemed to dissipate, and Ryou took the opportunity to change the subject. "Anyway, like I said, I really enjoyed visiting. Please keep in touch. Call me anytime. I'd love to hear from you."

Marik nodded. "I will."

Marik shifted on his feet for a moment, feeling something else was needed. He wasn't used to hugging people at all, but a mere handshake seemed a little too cool and formal, after everything Ryou had done to help them. Finally, he leaned in and gave Ryou a quick hug, which Ryou returned.

"Well, I hope you have a good flight home," Marik said. Then he turned toward the living room. "Bakura, Ryou's about to leave! Get your ass in here and say goodbye to him!"

A few moments later, Bakura shuffled into the kitchen. "Bye, Ryou."

Marik elbowed Bakura. "Gods, you can do better than that. You fucking lived inside him. The least you can do is give him a proper goodbye."

Bakura rolled his eyes. Marik took that as his cue to leave the room- it would probably be easier for Bakura to say his goodbyes to Ryou if Marik wasn't standing there hovering over them. So Marik gave Ryou a final promise that he'd call him soon, and then headed off to the living room.

"Well," Bakura finally said. "I guess I should thank you."

Ryou smiled. "No problem. And remember, I meant what I said about you being welcome to visit me anytime."

Bakura shrugged. "Maybe I will." After a pause, he hesitantly added, "I- I guess it's not so bad hanging out with you."

Ryou beamed at him, and just then, a car horn sounded outside. Presumably, it was Ryou's cab arriving.

"Well, see you-" Bakura started.

Without warning, Ryou leapt into Bakura's arms and gave him a fierce hug. "I'm really glad you came back, Bakura."

Bakura was so startled he stumbled backward a bit, but then, tentatively, he reached around and patted Ryou awkwardly on the back. "Yeah, sure," he said.

Suddenly, Ryou leaned in toward Bakura's ear and whispered, "Just tell him, Bakura."

Bakura's body immediately went rigid. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said stiffly.

Ryou finally let go and stepped back. "I think you do," he said. The horn of the cab blared again. "I have to be going. Think about what I said."

Ryou didn't say another word, just picked up his suitcases and exited the apartment. Bakura stood there for a moment, feeling a bit stunned. Then he turned at the sound of Marik coming back into the kitchen.

"I think I'm really going to miss him," Marik said thoughtfully. "We should call him sometime soon. I told him I'd keep in touch."

Bakura shrugged. "Sure, I guess we can do that."

"Though, one good thing about him being gone," Marik said. He hesitated. "I kind of want to..."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Bet?"

"Yeah," Marik said, a little sheepishly. "It's kind of been a while."

"If you really want to," said Bakura. He was obviously trying to sound nonchalant, but from the look in his eyes, Marik thought he was as eager to bet again as he was.

"Now?" asked Marik.

"Alright," said Bakura.

With that, the two grabbed their decks from the cabinet and sat down at the table.

Once their decks were shuffled and their hands dealt, Marik asked, "Loser gets fucked, I assume?"

"Yeah, but let's make it a little more interesting," Bakura said. "Winner gets to choose the position."

Marik shrugged. "Alright, I see no problem with that."

They picked up their cards and started the game. It was fairly even between them for a while, and either the game seemed to drag on, or they were both too anxious to get started with the bet. Half an hour later, Bakura glanced up at Marik, smirking.

"Marik, do you know what I'm going to do to you if I win?"

Marik looked at him warily. "What?"

"Do you remember what you said to me the first time I fucked you?" Bakura asked. "You said you didn't want to be fucked from behind like a dog. If I win, that's what I'm going to do to you. I'm going to have you down on your hands and knees."

"Oh, you bastard!" Marik cried, blood rushing to his cheeks, making his face red with anger.

Bakura smirked at him. "Your fault for agreeing to the bet."

Marik furiously grabbed his next card, aiming to prove Bakura wrong. In his next turn, he managed to knock out 500 of Bakura's life points with Gravekeeper's Assailant, but they still had a long way to go before the end of the game. Bakura was just barely in the lead at 5,100 while Marik was at 4,800 life points.

A dozen turns later, they were still neck and neck, and Bakura had just managed to destroy Marik's powered-up Hayabusa Knight by using Snipe Hunter's special ability. He had rolled a two using a six-sided die, which allowed him to destroy a card on the field while discarding one of his own.

Marik glanced at Bakura angrily, but said nothing. He needed to find a strategy to beat Bakura, and avoid getting riled up.

"I really don't know why you even agreed to this bet," Bakura said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you get to choose the position, it doesn't really make a difference to me. You've already had me on my hands and knees. I don't mind that position," said Bakura. "I mean, of course I'd rather be the one fucking you, but if I have to get fucked, I really couldn't care less about you doing it from behind."

Marik set a card face down, glaring at Bakura all the while.

"So, if you win, there's not really much in it for you," Bakura continued, smiling maliciously. "But if I win, I get to completely humiliate you. So it was kind of dumb of you to take the bet."

Marik gripped his cards tighter. "My mistake, I guess," he said through gritted teeth, and Bakura smirked.

A few turns later, Marik had finally figured out his strategy. They were close to the end now, and Marik had the slight advantage of 600 life points while Bakura had 400. Marik had the fiend monster Abaki on the field, which had the ability to inflict 500 damage to both players when it was destroyed.

"Well, say goodbye to the rest of your life points," Marik said, sending his Abaki to the graveyard, and effectively wiping out Bakura's life points.

"Damn it," said Bakura, throwing his cards down. "Well, might as well get this over with."

Bakura was already up and heading toward the bedroom, so Marik followed. As soon as they got inside, they both began undressing.

"Well," Bakura said thoughtfully as he stripped off his shirt, "I guess I shouldn't be too upset about losing. Like I said, there's not much you can really do to me by choosing a position."

An evil smile began to spread over Marik's face. "Oh, Bakura, that's where you're wrong."

Bakura looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Lie down on your back," Marik said. "You're going to watch me while I fuck you. You're going to be looking at me when I take you."

All the color drained out of Bakura's face, his eyes going wide. "Oh, you asshole."

Marik smirked. Judging by Bakura's reaction, his guess that this position would be the most intimidating for Bakura was obviously correct.

"You have only yourself to blame," Marik said, smiling. "This bet was your idea."

"Fuck," Bakura said to himself under his breath. He couldn't even argue with that.

As Bakura finished undressing, he looked down, and around, and at anything but Marik. But once they were both naked, he had no choice but to get on the bed, lying on his back as Marik had instructed.

Marik climbed on top of him, straddling him. He reached to grab the bottle of lube with one hand, his other hand resting on Bakura's thigh for support. He couldn't help but notice how tense Bakura's leg felt under his palm- his muscles were as hard as stone. Looking more closely, he could see that Bakura's entire body had stiffened, almost as if he were waiting for a blow. It seemed the only part of him that wasn't rigid was his cock.

"Well, it's going to hurt if you can't relax," Marik said. Bakura just glared at him.

Marik sighed and squeezed some lube onto his fingers. Bakura expected Marik to begin preparing him, but instead, his hand gripped Bakura's cock.

"What are you doing?" Bakura demanded.

"Getting you turned on," Marik said. "I'm not even going to be able to get in if you're this tense."

Bakura growled low in his throat, but didn't protest Marik's ministrations. He knew Marik was right, and besides, he didn't really want to be ripped apart when Marik finally started.

Normally, Bakura would be hard the instant Marik touched him, but that wasn't the case this time. Still, Marik's hand was slippery and wet and squeezing in all the right places and his thumb kept brushing over his sensitive tip and stroking along the ridge, and eventually the sheer physical sensation was irresistible and Bakura stiffened in Marik's hand.

Marik nodded to himself, letting go of Bakura and squeezing more lube into his hand. Then he slid a single finger inside, going a little more slowly than usual.

"Relax," Marik said.

Bakura only shot him an icy look, but when Marik added a second finger and found the right spot inside of him, Bakura couldn't help gasping in pleasure.

"I h-hate when you do that."

"If this is an alternate universe where 'hate' means 'love,' then yes, you do," Marik smirked.

Bakura tried to look annoyed, but Marik's fingers kept brushing over that little bump in just the right way, not so fast as to desensitize or become painful, but fast enough that Bakura could never catch his breath between the jolts of pleasure that shot through his body and seemed to settle right between his legs, and soon his eyes were closed and his lips parted as his breath came faster.

Marik added a third finger, and Bakura couldn't contain a groan at being stretched even further, instinctively bending his knees to give Marik more access.

"I think you're ready," Marik smiled.

Bakura opened his eyes only halfway and nodded his assent.

As Marik coated himself with the lube, he couldn't help staring, loving the sight of Bakura all spread open and ready for him. Once he'd gotten his cock sufficiently slippery, he got into position, leaning over Bakura and beginning to press forward. But as soon as the tip of his erection touched Bakura's hole, Bakura's eyes opened all the way, and some of the nervousness came back to his features.

"It's alright," Marik said, trying to make his voice sound soothing. "I'm going to make this good for you."

"Just get on it with it, you brat."

Marik sighed and began to push in, going as slowly as he possibly could. Bakura still looked a little apprehensive, but Marik saw no pain on his face, and Bakura didn't protest, so Marik continued until he was as far as he could go. Then he waited, not moving, giving Bakura extra time to adjust.

Eventually, he couldn't wait any longer, the urge to move inside the tight heat of Bakura's hole just too great. So he started, but he forced himself to keep his thrusts slow at first. Then he began to adjust his angle, and it took him a little longer than usual to find the right place in this unfamiliar position, but eventually Bakura's sharp intake of breath let him know he'd gotten it right.

As Marik began to speed up a little, hitting the spot every time, he reached up to tilt Bakura's face toward him. "Look at me," he said.

Bakura did, and Marik saw his features, his eyes narrowed but his lips parted as quick little pants escaped them, as if Bakura was having an internal war between annoyance and pleasure. Marik figured he probably was.

As he started to go a little faster, Marik lowered his body in order to get his arms into a less stressful position. He thrust in harder, his body now pressed fully against Bakura's, and Bakura made a sound that was almost a squeak, as if he'd tried to contain the noise and failed.

It took Marik a moment to understand, but then he realized what he'd done and pressed their bodies together even harder, drawing a strangled cry from Bakura that confirmed Marik's notion: Bakura's cock was still slick with lube, and Marik's body was sliding against it over and over with every movement, pushing against it and creating a pleasurable friction for Bakura.

So Marik kept on in that way, and soon Bakura's body began to tremble as the sensations overwhelmed him, being stretched and filled while Marik's stomach incessantly rubbed up and down his slick erection.

"This feels good, doesn't it?" Marik asked, managing to sound smug despite his own pleasure at being enveloped by Bakura.

"N-no..." Bakura could barely speak.

"No?"

And suddenly Marik decreased his speed, dragging his body slowly over Bakura's and causing Bakura to take in a shaky breath. He did it again, and Bakura squirmed underneath him, and then he did it again, and again, until Bakura unwittingly whimpered with need.

"Faster?" asked Marik quietly.

At first, Bakura didn't answer, but finally he nodded, a blush spreading over his cheeks. At that, Marik immediately went harder and faster, going as deep as possible now, and he could tell that Bakura was quickly beginning to lose control, feeling Bakura's erection throb between their bodies with every movement.

"You're going to come while I fuck you, without me even touching you," Marik whispered, smiling.

Bakura screwed up his eyes and shook his head violently in negation, and Marik just laughed and thrust again, making Bakura's eyes pop open as he sucked in breath. Marik continued his movements, driving in and out and pressing their bodies as close together as possible, his stomach sliding along Bakura's erection again and again, and soon Bakura's entire body was quivering uncontrollably, as if he was trying intensely to hold back.

Marik loved seeing him like this, his eyes half-lidded and clouded with lust, his body trembling as he was completely overwhelmed by pleasure, all because of what Marik was doing to him. It turned Marik on even more to see how Bakura was obviously fighting for control of himself, trying desperately not to come. Marik knew how humiliating it would be for Bakura if Marik made him come like this, with Marik inside him, looking right at him, and not even directly touching him- and he knew it was the good kind of humiliation, the kind that came from the giving up of control that Bakura would never admit how much he enjoyed and craved, something he wanted from Marik and only from Marik, and that thought seemed to go straight to Marik's cock, as well as give him a strange fluttery feeling in his chest that he tried to disregard.

After a particularly hard thrust, Bakura's body shook a little harder, and he bit his lip to hold back a moan as he unwillingly raised his hips towards Marik a tiny bit, obviously wanting him deeper, and his actions made Marik's breath hitch.

"Gods, you're so close," Marik whispered, almost in awe at how completely undone Bakura was becoming, and how near to the brink he was.

"N-no I'm n-not," Bakura managed to get out, and then Marik thrust again and Bakura cried out and unthinkingly grabbed onto Marik's hips, digging in his fingernails hard enough to draw blood.

Marik leaned down and nipped gently at Bakura's neck, feeling every inch of Bakura's flesh tremble underneath him, and hearing the tiny sounds of pleasure that Bakura was unable to hold back.

"Bakura, let go," he whispered. "Let yourself go...I want to give you pleasure."

Marik felt a shiver run through Bakura, his body quivering harder than ever. He lifted his head up and looked at Bakura's face, one hand coming up to brush his hair back. Bakura was panting hard, his mouth open, his cheeks flushed. Marik was getting breathless himself, Bakura's tightness gripping him and making every movement almost unbearably pleasurable, but he managed to say, "I did this because...because I wanted to look at you...to see your face...to see you when you come with me inside you..."

At Marik's words, Bakura moaned softly, another shudder wracking his body. "Oh...oh, gods, Marik..."

Suddenly, Bakura's hands were on the back of Marik's head, tangled in his hair, pulling him down, and Marik's lips met Bakura's open mouth just as he felt the first spasms of Bakura's orgasm and the warm liquid beginning to spread between them. Marik parted his lips, and Bakura moaned into his mouth, the sound sending vibrations throughout Marik's body as Bakura arched into him, losing himself in the throes of what was obviously an incredibly intense climax. That sent Marik over the edge too, and the vibrations of his own moans mingled with Bakura's as he began to come inside him. Then Bakura's tongue slid into his mouth, and Marik responded in kind, exploring, really tasting him for the first time. Their tongues slipped around each other as Bakura's orgasm finally finished, and Marik pressed his face in closer as his own orgasm neared its end.

Suddenly, Bakura's hands were gone from Marik's head, and were on his shoulders instead, and then Bakura shoved him hard, separating their bodies and forcing Marik to roll off of him.

Marik was dazed for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Bakura only laid there, breathing heavily and trying to recover. Before Marik could think of anything to do or say, Bakura got up and started putting on his clothes. Marik remained silent as Bakura left the room without a word.

AN: OMG I was so high when I wrote this sex scene.

Anyways thanks for reading, please review!