Minor TW for PTSD event closer to the end. I actually had to tone it down because when I originally wrote it, I couldn't get through to edit it without triggering cycling anxiety in myself.

"Why am I in the back seat again?"

"Because my vehicle, my rules. And my rule right now is that anyone shorter than me sits in the back," Malik replied irritably to the smaller Ishtar.

"I'm not that much shorter…" Marik grumbled as he folded his arms and looked out the window. "You just don't want me up front where you have to look at me."

Malik groaned but didn't say anything.

They rode in awkward silence for several minutes before Atem spoke up.

"So…Marik, how was school?" he asked, trying to fill the awkwardness with something else.

Marik stopped his pouting and turned his focus to the Pharaoh beside him.

"Honestly, better than expected. Imhotep didn't get flocked by Yugi-fans, and thankfully the notes Kat did finish came in handy when we had a pop-quiz." He thought for another moment. "Oh, and we all got to see Bakura rile up Ra," he added with a chuckle.

Malik looked at him through the rearview mirror. "Ra dared to show himself?!" he growled.

"He showed up as a falcon, but Bakura had some pretty neat tricks up his sleeve," Marik replied, sounding impressed.

"Pretty neat? You think illusions and transformations are 'pretty neat'?" Malik questioned disdainfully.

"Well, yeah. I think it'd be cool to be able to do something like that," Marik stated.

Malik mumbled something incomprehensible, his mood appearing more bitter than before. Atem and Marik opted for silence after that.

"Did you seriously just order a bunch of pork dumplings and nothing else?" Marik asked in repulsion as he stared at the pile on Malik's plate.

Malik narrowed his eyes and glared across the table at the young Tomb Keeper. "You don't hear me complaining about what you chose to order." He didn't blink as he shoved an entire dumpling in his mouth.

Atem remained silent, content to stay out of the line of fire between the two as he ate his bowl of ramen.

"I grew up underground where meat was scarce. Even when it was available, everything had to be used immediately or it went to waste. I never liked the idea that an animal's only purpose in life was so that it could be slaughtered," Marik stated bitterly.

"Reality check: That is their purpose. Why do you think they exist?" Malik questioned pointedly.

Marik scowled. "I could ask the same thing about you."

Malik opened his mouth to reply, then quickly closed it, his eyes shifting back and forth as he contemplated the point. "Fair enough," he said with a casual shrug.

"I swear, you're as bad as Bakura when it comes to meat. At least Kat has the decency to limit its consumption in front of me," Marik stated irritably.

"Fine, next time I'll get a salad. Would that make you happy?" Malik asked, appearing annoyed.

"You would eat a salad?" Marik asked skeptically.

Malik grinned. "Oh absolutely! A grilled angus and portobello salad with swiss, grilled onion, and untoasted croutons, topped off with a nice and creamy garlic pepper dressing," he said sarcastically.

Marik's face fell. "That's called a mushroom-swiss burger…"

Malik popped another dumpling into his mouth. "It has lettuce, therefore it counts as a salad," he argued casually.

"You're being annoying on purpose, aren't you?" Marik asked flatly.

Malik smirked sarcastically as a reply.

"Don't take what he does to heart," Atem said casually from his place off to the side. "Malik is probably just still sore about the fact that you banished him to the Shadow Realm then forfeited the duel," he added while still focusing on his meal.

Malik turned to face Atem with an intense scowl, resting one arm on the table and the other across the back of his chair. "I'm sorry…could you repeat that? I fear I may have misheard what you just said," he growled bitterly.

Atem glanced smugly over at the irritated Ishtari. "It must be embarrassing. You helped him get all the way to the final duel, and he was in a position of actually winning…and then he just threw all that hard work into the Shadows."

Malik's hand tensed as his claws extended through the table. "Embarrassing? Embarrassing?! You think I am embarrassed by something like that?!" He retracted his claws and pointed a finger in Atem's face. "Marik worked hard to get to where he did. He broke millennia of tradition, gathered and led the equivalent of a small army, hunted down the location of his rival while simultaneously learning the ways of a world that was foreign to him, planned and executed a series of strategies that ensured his goal would be met, and defeated an unknown adversary when he was on the brink of losing his very life. I am not embarrassed. To me, those are great feats of courage and strength. I am proud of everything he has managed to accomplish. Can you say the same of your own heirs?" Malik was breathing heavily at this point as he tried to keep his emotions reigned in.

"You're…proud of me?" Marik asked in astonishment.

Malik's eyes widened, having realized that the Pharaoh had manipulated him. He took a calming breath before glancing over towards Marik.

"Isn't that what I just said? Or would you prefer that I repeat it directly to you?"

Marik smiled softly and shook his head. "No, I won't press my luck."

"Good. Now if you don't mind, I have a Pharaoh's life to threaten." Malik cast a glare back at Atem. "I hate when Katrina does that shit. She can kick my ass, and I know it. You, however…" He held up a hand and flexed his fingers simultaneously so that his claws extended quickly to emphasize the point. "Do it again and I won't hesitate to remind you why I was referred to as 'Maahes'."

Atem paled and quickly nodded. "Noted."

"Are you sure you didn't have a problem with being forced to serve him?" Marik asked skeptically.

Malik retracted his claws and returned to his original sitting position then resumed eating his meal.

"Like I said before, no. My reasons for disliking him are personal," he said between bites.

"Five thousand years and you're still sore that he stole your betrothed?"

"Actually, that doesn't bother me anymore," Malik replied casually. He then glared bitterly off to the side towards Atem. "It was being forced to hear things like 'Atem, that doesn't go there!' followed by giggles and moaning night after night."

Atem's face fell. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

"To watch you suffer," Malik replied, taking another bite. "I'm certain the Runt can help with that," he added with a smirk.

Atem groaned and scowled before looking away. "I liked it better when you were a lurking shadow. At least you didn't talk."

"Oh, I talked…just not to you."

"Can we go back to that?"

"Nope."

Marik glanced slowly between the Pharaoh and the Ishtari. "I take it you two haven't really spent a lot of time together in a casual sense?"

"Nope." Malik replied as he devoured another dumpling. "Honestly, I don't like the Pharaoh. Never did, never will. I simply tolerate him. And I'm certain the feeling is mutual."

"I never said I didn't like you," Atem stated, his face expressing mild confusion as to why Malik felt that way.

Malik looked at him boredly. "You have never viewed me as anything more than one of the 'lucky few' of your servants that actually had both a face and a name. News flash: That doesn't make us 'friends'."

"Then why bother with right now?" Atem questioned.

Malik continued his bored expression. "Because I'm mentally fucked up and, as much as I would have loved to watch you struggle, years of obligation forcefully ingrained into me at a young age means I often find myself compelled to do things I dislike doing."

"Wow…that sounds awfully familiar…" Marik commented in a mocked tone.

"Hmmm…I wonder why?" Malik questioned sarcastically.

"Maybe because a certain Ishtari for some inane reason or another thought I was safer with an underground cult than within the barrier of a literal palace…" Marik replied nonchalantly.

Malik scowled. "You remind me of a very annoying little mouse," he said irritably.

Marik looked at the Ishtari with a doubtful expression. "A mouse?"

"Yes…a mouse. A very annoying little thing that fell on top of the head of a lion."

"And by 'lion' you mean yourself?" Marik asked skeptically.

"No. By 'lion' I mean an actual lion." Malik stated in sharp defense.

"So you're going to…what? Recite to me the tale of 'The Lion and the Mouse'?" Marik asked boredly. "Kinda pointless seeing as I can recite the majority of Aesop's fables…in Latin no less."

One of Malik's eyes twitched in irritation. "Well, my version is a bit more interesting…and can be recited in Latin as well if it's of any consequence."

Marik looked over at Atem. "I dunno, Pharaoh. Should I indulge him?"

Atem gestured in a way that said 'I'm staying out of this'.

"Alright. I guess I'll listen to your version," Marik stated reluctantly.

"I don't know if I want to tell you now. You don't actually seem interested," Malik huffed while folding his arms across his chest and looking away.

Marik clenched his jaw and attempted to hold his tongue. "I would appreciate hearing your version of the fable."

Malik appeared to contemplate for a quick moment, before he fully leaned onto the table, appearing pleased that the Tomb Keeper had shown an interest in his version of the tale.

"Alright, since you've asked so nicely," he said with a grin. "So, my version is that one day a lion was walking through a series of…caves…when out of nowhere a mouse fell on his head." He paused, his eyes shifting nervously as though he were afraid someone would read more into the story.

Marik narrowed his eyes. "Caves? A mouse just happened to fall from the ceiling of a cave?"

Malik scowled. "That's what I said. And yes. The mouse fell from the ceiling. Truth be told, it nearly gave the poor lion a heart attack because he thought the ceiling was falling in on him."

"Riiiight…the 'lion'…who probably had been buried alive in a 'cave' once…"

Malik scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Have you heard this version?"

"No. It was a wild guess."

Malik paused then shrugged. "It was a very good guess. Anyways, the mouse was lost and didn't know which way home was, sooo…the lion was nice and showed her the way."

"Her?"

"It was a girl mouse. Is that a problem?" Malik asked in annoyance.

Marik held up his hands. "Nope. Continue."

"Well, the lion thought that was the end of it, but no. The mouse managed to find him again…and again…and again…" Malik's face fell, appearing simultaneously annoyed and exhausted. "It was very irritating. The lion tried to talk some sense into the mouse, but she was very persistent."

Marik leaned his chin into his palm and rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. The lion eventually grew to like the mouse?"

"Are you sure you haven't heard this version?"

"Nope. But I have a very strong feeling I know how it ends."

"Oh?" Malik tilted his head in curiosity.

Marik sighed boredly. "I'm going to guess that somehow the mouse and the lion end up with a child and then the mouse dies and the lion vanishes without a trace and leaves that child to live a life of literal pain and suffering."

"I thought you hadn't heard this version," Malik growled.

"Like I said, wild guess."

Malik smirked. "But you skipped the part where the lion had offered to eat the rat king."

Marik sat up straight, looking thoroughly confused. "The rat king?"

Malik grinned darkly. "Yes. He was the king of the rats that scurried about the caves. You see, the mouse had been betrothed to him, and the only reason she fell on the lion's head in the first place is because she had attempted to run away. But there were rats outside of the caves as well that frightened her, causing her to flee back home. The rat king was not kind to the mouse, and when the lion discovered this, he wanted to eat the rat king. But the mouse begged him not to, so he didn't."

Marik blanched. "The lion wouldn't have actually eaten him…right?"

Malik chuckled. "Oh, the lion very much would have. And the lion still wishes he had. The lion has never been fond of eating rats…but at the time he was very willing to make an exception." He leaned in, his grin darkening as his fangs elongated and his eyes shifted to amber. "Want to know a secret? Had the lion not been trapped inside the body of a certain mousling, he would have done far more than flay the rat king's brand from his body. He would have slowly devoured his limbs in front of his very eyes. He would hav-"

"STOP!" Marik shouted as he quickly rose from his seat and stumbled backwards, causing several people to look over in their direction. His eyes were wide with fear of the Ishtari, and he struggled to hold back the tears that stung and threatened to show the intensity of his fear.

Malik's maddening grin faded as he blinked rapidly a few times and looked around. He slowly brought himself back and away from the spot he had leaned into, his own eyes showing fearful remorse. "W-...we should go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Marik stated sharply, his voice quivering.

Malik nodded slightly in understanding. "Right…I'll call for a cab to take you back," he said quietly.

"I can do it myself. Just leave."

Malik took a deep breath and nodded again, then stood and left.

Atem had stood as well, placing a light hand on the shoulder of the shaken Tomb Keeper. "Marik, are you going to be okay?"

Marik nodded and quickly exited the building, Atem following closely behind. Once they were outside and down the street a bit, Marik ducked into a nearby alley where he leaned against one of the buildings and slid down its wall as he broke down in tears.

Atem sat next to the Egyptian teen, not certain how to comfort him. It was just like the night Marik had come back from Bakura's soul room all over again. He had counted on Yugi to comfort the Tomb Keeper at the time, but that wasn't something he could do now. He had to figure out how to do this on his own.

"Marik, I'm…here…if you need to talk," he said hesitantly.

"You don't have to pretend to care," Marik said between sharp inhales, his face buried into the knees that were hugged tightly to his chest.

Atem took in and released a deep breath. "Marik, you and I might not be what one would consider 'friends'...but that doesn't mean that my concern for how you are currently feeling is false. I'm just…not very good at this sort of thing. In case it wasn't obvious with Katrina, I'm actually very terrible at it…but I'm trying to change that."

Marik sighed deeply and raised his head, tears still trickling down his face. "That thing is what was inside of me. That thing is what I thought I had permanently cast deep into the Shadow Realm. That thing…" His eyes widened momentarily before he closed them tightly as a new wave of tears sprung forth. "That thing is my…my…" He buried his face back into his knees, and squeezed his arms even tighter around them.

Atem gently placed his hand on Marik's shoulder again, being careful of its placement so as to not apply any pressure on the tips of the wings hidden beneath the Tomb Keeper's shirt.

"I think it will be okay if you decide against thinking of Malik as something…other than what he is biologically," Atem said, stumbling over the best way to word things so that it wouldn't sound insensitive.

Marik lifted his head and faced Atem, appearing suddenly angry. "You don't get it! I want to be able to think that way of him! I have a fucking father! One that cared enough to take on a GOD for me! One that didn't count down the days until he could butcher me! But he's...he's..." Marik choked on the sob he had attempted to hold back. He swallowed hard, continuing his attempt at holding back how he felt. "You don't understand," he said a bit more calmly. "You are probably looking forward to the day Yugi calls you 'father'...and you already know he won't be afraid of you. Malik detests the idea…and he has reminded me that I'm still somewhat terrified of him."

"I don't think he intended to frighten you."

"I know he didn't…but you saw how much he enjoyed the idea of slowly torturing someone."

Atem removed his hand and looked away. "If that is how you feel about Malik, then perhaps you should be reconsidering your relationship with Katrina."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw how she toyed with Anubis," Atem said in reminder.

"She can't help it. It's just part of her Isfet."

Atem raised his gaze and looked back at Marik with a sad expression. He shook his head. "No. She has always been like that. Even before her Awakening."

The 'Burgers are salad' argument is from an actual conversation my sister and I had over messenger. Would also like to add, that if pasta can be a salad, then why not everything else?

I actually started a one-shot that goes into greater detail about how Malik met Marik's mom in this AU, but I never finished it. I'm hoping to one of these days I will, but just gotta be in the right headspace for it. Brain has been fickle as of late.