The next few months passed rather smoothly. The main issues sorted through, Marik and Akefia were back to the way they used to be, laughing and joking, gaming and stuffing their faces. Now that that line had been set, Marik had taken to dancing around it, testing Akefia's various limits. When they were out together and Marik wanted sex, he would find his way to Akefia's side and moan in his ear, gasp, and somehow, invariably, his hand would find his way to the front of the other's pants. Annoyed and irritated though he would react, it never failed to end with the two of them catching their breath in Akefia's large bed.

In private, Marik instead teased him by planting big sloppy smooches on his lips, making a show of it in a very 'because I can' type of way. He would laugh and Akefia would scowl and wipe the saliva from his lips, shoving him playfully away. Sometimes, the joking sloppy smooches would result in hardcore make-out sessions; something which both of them seemed pretty darn okay in exploring the possibilities of.

But for the most part, they were back to being inseparable best friends, sex generally out of their minds when they were together. Friendship was first, sex was second. And, as Marik never failed to interject, food was third.

Bakura also was placated, a purring kitten, much more good-tempered now Akefia wasn't a ball of nerves every day. They would spend random nights together, Marik far from a topic of conversation. Happy in the role of 'fuckbuddy', neither of them inquired too much into the other's life, beyond what they were willing to share. They met, fucked, chatted, parted ways. It was a fairly regular occurrence, happening at least five times a month. Despite one of the suggestions Marik had given when they first discussed what they would do, Akefia didn't really venture to anyone else for sex or companionship. He had his best friend and his occasional lover – his life was full. He was happy.

Or, that's what he would tell himself. There were nights he was alone, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts to himself. Those were the nights he hated. His thoughts didn't particularly make him at ease. When he glazed over them, took stock of his life, he was content. But looking deeper… He knew there was still something off. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, only that he was uneasy. Something was rocking his boat. But what on Earth could it possibly be?

Whichever way he looked at it, there didn't seem to be an answer. There was no one thing he was discontent with, he was feeling didn't live up to his expectations. Work was going fine – he was on top of things and due for a performance evaluation at the end of next month, which would result in a raise more likely than not. His social life was dandy, the occasional party or night out that he would partake in more than filling his need for extra human contact. He was eating fairly well, fast food being a once a week thing and the rest of the time being small packs of food that were generally balanced out. There was no real family to speak of, so it wasn't bad blood with them (can you have a bad relationship with a dead person?). Bakura was flirtatious and gorgeous, Marik was debonair and striking, and they were both his. What the fuck was his problem?

Scowling at himself, Akefia rubbed at his eyes and sat up in his bed. There was no easy answer that was going to come to him it looked like. But with the constant nagging feeling in his stomach, he couldn't quite settle down for sleep. Pushing himself out of the warm cocoon of blankets into which he had embedded himself, the man walked down the hall in his boxers, going to open his rarely opened closet door. In the small, cluttered space, he reached up and grasped a box fairly worse for wear. The contents rattled as he took it down and into his large hands, soft lavender eyes frowning down at them. Inside were a figure and many things of paint, as well as a small switchblade knife and paintbrushes. A figurine he was in the middle of carving.

He had stopped once he landed his job and his work demands took a toll on him so great that he had to suspend progress on it. The object had been out of his mind for months – but now, it was calling to him. 'Open me, play with me,' it called. His hands, itchy, twitching and restless, wanted to obey.

Taking the figure out of its dusty box, he looked it over, memories of hours spent whittling away at this thing flooding back to him. It was a mythological creature, one whom he always found utterly fascinating when he was a boy, a teen, and a student. Isis. The beautiful goddess of Egyptian mythology. Egypt, his parents' homeland.

Her body was carved in a rough and imprecise manner, her wings a vague shape. He still had hours and hours to spend on this, to bring out the inner beauty of her he could sense under his fingertips when he traced the wood.

Before he knew it, he was sitting at his kitchen table, a trashcan at his feet, the knife in one hand and the wood carving in the other. As if no time had passed, he began carving again, starting with her sides and large hips. Soon, she would be beautiful.

It wasn't until his alarm went off that he realized he'd been working all through the night.

BREAK

In the months that passed, Marik finally landed a job. Not just any job, but a job he actually loved doing. Somehow, he managed to find a western thematic restaurant in town in need of a new raw meat and various foods prepper. Essentially, he worked most days from 10 am to 7 pm, slicing, chopping, treating, rubbing, baking, skewering, and grilling various meats and vegetables for the restaurant. When he was outside with the barbeque, he was even permitted to smoke a cigarette. It was not unusual to see him with black markings on his hands, forearms and face, and for his already wild hair to be even moreso with the flames and charcoal he needed to keep the various fires going. He would go home, smelling of chicken, beef, and potatoes, and it wasn't long until his normally lanky arm muscles gained tone. He loved it all.

His demeanor improved immensely, noticeable especially to Malik (beyond Akefia, of course). Malik knew nothing of his new arrangement with Akefia, and frankly, he did not wish to. If Marik was happy and keeping out of trouble, that was all he needed to know. But he would be lying if he said anything other than how relieved he was to see a smile on his brother's face once more.

The free leftover meat he would sometimes get to bring home wasn't a bad addition, either. Marik picked up the skills very quickly. In no time at all he was grilling and slicing meat with ease, often humming along to whatever song on his iPod he had chosen to play that day. The kitchen was a large one, and Marik had the entire back portion to do whatever it was he liked. All he had to do was prep the meat and set it in a warming oven, or put the vegetables in the giant cooler, wherein the other chefs would come and use it in their various dishes.

The other cooks were okay, in Marik's opinion. Some were stuffy and didn't like him there, they were generally the elder ones, and the others were sort of annoying, but they joked around with him during work hours and didn't hesitate to help him make food when he was scheduled for lunch. Yes, this job was all around better than his horrid office job. The boss he had here barely showed up for work, and when he did, he kept far from Marik, save asking him a few routine questions about meat temperature averages and stocking needs. He didn't ask that the stock tables be done on seafoam paper, or that the temperatures be taken in triplicate. No – here, Marik was free. Happy.

The previous week, Marik had the pleasure of finding that the empty lot next door was being taken over by a construction company – the one to which Akefia was associated. This was absolutely perfect; he wouldn't have to hunt him down when he turned his phone off. As Akefia got to work a great deal earlier than Marik, and Marik left a good deal later than Akefia, there really was no way for them to meet after they both were done. At least not at either place of business.

Lunch however, was something they could do at the same time. On the first day of Akefia's working nearby, Marik took off for lunch at around one, making two meals while his boss' back was turned, and hummed to himself as he strutted off for the skeletal building. The iron framework and beginnings of glass and sheetrock were installed, and so Akefia was still doing run-throughs, double checking with architects, informing construction workers, taking photos, and making plans and estimates as to how much wiring they would need.

He stood in a construction hat, white tank top, and dusty work jeans, boots, and gloves, pointing out a portion of the building to two other people dressed exactly the same as him.

"Hey dumbass, I brought food for you," Marik grinned, calling at the small group from a short distance away. Recognizing the voice, Akefia turned around, throwing him a grin, before turning back and saying something to the men that Marik could not hear. They departed fairly soon after that, leaving Akefia to stroll over to Marik, his hands in his pockets.

"Tracked me down already, huh?" he grinned, folding his arms over his chest and looking at the other. One was covered in dirt and grease, the other in charcoal and animal blood. Perfect for eating food.

"Of course. You doubt my skills?" Marik raised an eyebrow mock-challengingly, holding up a folded over brown paper bag. "It's a surprise what's inside. I threw a bunch of good sounding stuff in there together. Hope it's good, because there's no more where that came from."

Akefia just snorted, taking the bag from him and peering inside. There seemed to be four lumpy foodstuffs inside, wrapped in tin foil. He prodded at one of them briefly, finding it still warm, and shrugged his approval. "Come on," he hummed to him, jerking his head. "We can eat it at one of the break tables."

'One of the break tables' turned out to mean a bench and a wooden table set up beside one worker's truck. Marik had zero qualms with this and settled himself beside him on the bench, wiggling in contentment. "Got you some of the good stuff. Nothin' burned."

"Flattered," he responded, dumping out the paper bag's contents and setting out the various packages on the wooden surface. "So what are they?"

"That's a charbroiled burger I made right before I came over… That one is steak fries. This is a – uh – country fried steak? Dunno, just make the meat on that. They do some weird shit with it. That last one iiiis…" Frowning, he prodded the last one, forgetting what he put inside of it for a moment. "…. That might be another burger, but a triple."

Happily, he grinned at his friend, unaware or uncaring at the completely odd assortment of food he had procured. Akefia looked back at him with a straight face for a few moments, before he snorted, picking up the last package and starting to unwrap it.

"This will be my lunch and dinner tonight. In any case, thank you, I appreciate it," he chuckled, taking a bite of the lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese dripping burger. It was greasy, not the sort of thing he was completely used to outside of McDonalds, but it was very good all the same. He chewed slowly, not wiping off the flecks of ketchup on the corners of his lips, and said nothing as Marik began doing the same.

They made small talk halfway through their meals, wherein Marik asked what he was doing with the building that day, and Akefia in turn asked how work was going for him. The chatter was meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but they both were fairly contented with the simple exchange, happy in spending some time together.

"Well," Akefia said eventually, cracking his back and stuffing the remainder of his food into the bag. "I think it's high-time I get back to work. Isn't your break over by now?"

Marik blinked and stole Akefia's wrist, looking at the watch underneath one of his gloves. "Huh. Shit. Yep, my break ended fifteen minutes ago. They're probably wondering where the fuck I am." He shrugged and stood as well. "Back to work, then."

Akefia gave him a smirk. "Thanks for the food, appreciated it. You cook some mean meat."

"There's a sexual innuendo somewhere in there, I think," Marik chuckled. Akefia smacked him in the back of the head.

Laughing, Marik waved, starting off for the back of his restaurant. Watching him go, Akefia paused a moment, then strode after him. Marik barely had time to register the noise of the footsteps before he felt a firm hand grasping his rear. He jumped. "Akefia -?" He started to chuckle.

"Call me when you get off work, eh?" Akefia grinned in his ear, playfully groping him again before letting go. "Sort of feeling like doing something. We should buy a new video game."

"Yes. Video games is exactly what I thought you had in mind," Marik laughed, shooing him away. "Yes, yes, that sounds fine. I have to go and see my brother for awhile first, then I'll give you a call." Grinning, he lightly shoved the other away. "Go back to work. Do your job~" he teased.

Giving an over-the-top bow, Akefia turned and walked purposefully back to the group of men he was supposed to be talking with, not giving Marik another glance. Marik only snorted again, heading back to the kitchen.

Video game time did sound like a good idea, he thought to himself, scrubbing up and catching up on what he missed during his elongated break. But… maybe a good idea for another night. He was feeling rather energetic this particular night, and he doubted simply playing video games would curb it.

BREAK

The front door slammed predictably as the other got home. Malik rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly subtle in his comings and goings in their apartment, but at least now he was coming at relatively normal hours. "Back already, are you," he called from his place on the moth-eaten couch, folding down the corner of the book he was reading.

"Eyep," Marik answered, walking in and standing with arms folded across his chest to Malik's side. "Had to stay late, actually."

"I didn't notice," Malik shrugged, closing and putting the book to the side. "Did you happen to bring any food? I'm starving."

His twin brother nodded, jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the front door. "Got a bag of stuff. Just patties and fries today, though. We got buns?"

Malik shook his head, pushing himself to stand and making his way to retrieve the aforementioned bag. "No… But I can do without."

"We got anything around here," Marik asked, frowning and glancing at the kitchen. "I had this shit for lunch, I don't really want any more. My heart might explode."

"What a tragedy," he responded offhandedly, taking the bag to the kitchen. "You might find some cereal or waffle mix or something. I wasn't kidding. There's almost no food here. We'll have to do shopping this weekend…" He continued talking to himself, grabbing one of the last few clean dishes from a cabinet.

Marik pulled a face. "Eugh. I guess it's going out and eating for me. You eat whatever's in there, though. It's all for you anyway."

"Thanks," Malik genuinely thanked him, putting the patties on a plate and the plate (along with a cup of water to keep the meat from getting soggy again) in the microwave. "Where are you intending on going?"

"Dunno," Marik yawned, stripping his shirt over his head. "Akefia wanted to meet up and do something. I'm thinking I'll get noodles somewhere and then go to a bar," he shrugged.

Malik rolled his eyes at him. "Is that all you ever do."

"Hey, don't look at me like that. At least I do things. When was the last time you left here to go do something fun?"

Malik opened his mouth to retaliate, and then shut it again. "…." It was true. Malik did very little in the way of having 'fun'.

Marik frowned. He had been about to mock his brother further, but that really didn't seem very tactful. Even to him. "… You could come with us," he suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"No thank you. I dislike that friend of yours," he wrinkled his nose. "He's rather brutish."

"Brutish," Marik repeated, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, brother of mine. The offer still stands."

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Marik turned away and covered one of his ears, dialing Akefia's number and leaving Malik to stand there, looking conflicted and disgruntled.

The phone rang as Marik made his way to his bedroom, shimmying out of his pants in the process. Ring, ring… Ring, ring…

Finally, a voice picked up on the other end. "About time. I was beginning to think you died in a grill or something."

"Cool way to die, but no, I'm very much alive," Marik grinned, rifling through his drawers.

"Pity. Do you want me to pick you up, or meet me somewhere?"

"Pick me up," he hummed, grasping a pair of black jeans and stepping into them carefully.

"Think of what game you want to buy?"

Marik paused, frowning before answering him. "Actually, I was thinking we could save that for another night. I'm feeling too energetic to sit and play a game."

There was silence, then, "Alright, I suppose. What did you want to do instead?"

"I want to swing by a place for food, then head to a bar. I'm thinking I'll find a gal and shit. Don't worry, I'll go to her place so you don't have to escort your date and me and mine around." He hummed, picking out a shirt.

Silence again. Akefia opened his mouth to answer, but quickly had to put his hand over the phone's speaker and cough, a loud, deep cough that sounded as though he had a respiratory problem.

"Akefia?" Marik asked after a minute, paused in his dressing at hearing the slight sounds of the cough. "Are you alright?"

The other cleared his throat, "Mm, nm, ah, no, actually. I feel rather ill, suddenly… I actually might throw u—" he paused again, a stabbing pain in his stomach keeping him from answering. "Gh. I think I can't go out, after all…."

Marik was frowning hard, holding the phone to his face. "Are you sure? Do you want me to come over, bring you some medicine? That was rather abrupt…"

Akefia coughed again. "No, no… Maybe I ate something funny…" He murmured, forgetting he had eaten Marik's cooking earlier and not realizing he was being a tad insulting. "I will just have to rain check for the time being… I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"…. Yeah. Sure," Marik sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Feel better."

The line went dead. Disappointed, Marik pocketed the device and ruffled his hair. There went his evening's plans. … Unless.

"Hey, Malik?" He called, returning from his bedroom to look for his brother. He was right where he left him; leaning on the kitchen counter and eating some of the food he had given him.

"Mm?"

"Akefia cancelled on me. Why don't the two of us go out? It could do you good."

Malik blinked, slightly taken aback. The two of them never hung out together. But as he thought the idea over while chewing a large cut of meat, he really couldn't see anything wrong with it. It even sounded… fun.

"… Sure. I'll just have to change first."

A half-grin on his face, Marik nodded, returning to his room to finish getting dressed. Well, if Akefia was sick, that was unfortunate, but he wouldn't have to waste his evening after all. He and Malik could pick up girls together. Some dug the identical twin thing.

BREAK

As he hung up on the other, Akefia turned around from his place in his own kitchen and retched into the sink. What could have made him so ill so quickly? He lifted a hand to his forehead, moving the hair away from his sticky skin. Stomach bug maybe?

Retching again, he pushed himself away from his sink and stumbled for his bathroom. In the safety of the enclosed area, he let himself vomit into his toilet, one hand holding back his hair, the other wrapped tightly around his midsection.

Panting and flopping back when he no longer felt quite so ill, Akefia shakily reached for a washcloth, patting his face dry once more. He felt… Better. Not 100%, but better. Something was still making his stomach churn, but he did not feel as though he would be sick again. Not just now, at least.

Standing and washing his face and brushing his teeth, Akefia looked at himself in the mirror. He looked paler than usual. Frowning, he glanced at his bed out of the corner of his eye.

Without realizing what he was doing, his hand was going to his phone, flicking through his contacts until he found the number he wanted.

"Come over here. Right now. No questions."

He fell onto his bed and waited for Bakura to arrive. He couldn't explain it, but right now, he needed Bakura. He needed to see her, grasp her, hold her, fuck her. Right now.

He lay there, eyes closed, mind mercifully blank as the shaking in his body and sweats in his face went down, going away completely once he heard that front door open.