Queer As Tachi – Chapter 32
A surprise birthday party for Mai would be a fantastic way to enjoy Yami’s next day of freedom, the lovers thought between themselves in the intervening days. Absolutely nothing was happening otherwise, particularly not on the Millennium Items front. Once in a while Marik would brief him on what was going on internationally, but none of it was particularly exciting or illuminating. The American smuggler had gone underground, perhaps having gotten wind of pursuit, so much of the time there really wasn’t anything happening to report. It didn’t relax Marik’s vigilance any; on the contrary, he and Odeon were quite alert, and one or the other would drop by the game shop on alternating days just to be a guardian presence. It was Odeon’s contention that the longer they received only silence from overseas, the more likely their enemy would suddenly surface in Japan despite all precautions to stop him from doing so, and thus as protectors he and his brother needed to keep a diligent eye out. Yugi thought they were just being very mysterious and over-cautious, but he let them do it anyway. He wasn’t about to take their assumed duty from them. They let him go about a normal life without feeling like he was being watched, and seeing how Yugi considered Marik a friend now that he had changed so drastically, the occasional visits were worth it for being able to hang out like a couple of young gamers should.
Even though Joey was making all the arrangements for a birthday bash to end all bashes, he needed some assistance from his best friend, so as the weeks flew by leading up to the party and the full moon, Yugi found himself fielding phone calls and picking up things to decorate in order to help Joey keep it all a surprise. He may have been setting it all up, but it would be up to Yugi and Tristan – and anyone else they could con into helping them – to get the private arena at Duke’s game shop ready for a party. And then, with the days growing short, Tristan dumped the rest on Yugi because he apparently was going to be part of an elaborate scheme to get Mai down to Duke’s. Being as the party was not on her actual birthday but a few days later, they didn’t know how to get her to go along with Joey and not suspect party as the motive. The actual idea had come from Serenity, Joey’s sister, who was planning to come into town for the event. All Yugi knew was that it involved going out with Tristan and making phone calls later in the evening to rescue them – he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the rest of it. Yugi figured that when he went down there to set up, he would have Yami plus Marik and Odeon, more than enough extra hands to make up for Tristan bailing on him. Yugi sprang the news on Marik during one of his visits to the shop to check in, after Marik related that there was absolutely no new information on the fugitive smuggler or the Items. The young tombkeeper looked startled. “A party?” he repeated. “But I…I won’t know anyone…”
“Of course you will,” Yugi assured him, “you’ll probably know most of the people there. Joey, Mai, Tristan, Duke…well, at least they’ll all know you,” he added with a sheepish giggle.
“Yes, but will they want to see me?” Marik stared hard at the floor. “I hurt most of them, in one way or another.”
“Considering none of them shoved you out of the helicopter on the way back from KaibaCorp Island,” Yugi said airily, “I think you have nothing to worry about.”
Marik sighed and shook his head. “I suppose this is that eventual moment I knew I’d have to deal with,” he mused, looking away. “I can’t hide any longer. That’s the day the pharaoh will be out of the Puzzle, there’s no way Odeon and I are letting you two go anywhere without us.”
“I know – and I’m glad,” Yugi admitted. “We know so little about the effects of the ritual, I don’t even take the Puzzle off at all when Yami’s out of it. It would be the worst time for someone to pop up out of nowhere and try to steal it.”
“Exactly my thought,” Marik nodded. “We’ll go with you to this party, but don’t be surprised if we stay skulking in a corner all night. Especially if Mai and Joey aren’t happy to see me.”
Yugi made a thoughtful face, staring at the floor between his feet. “Joey said he would make sure Mai knew, so it wouldn’t be a surprise at the party,” he mentioned, “but I don’t know if he’s actually done it. I haven’t heard from Mai at all.”
At that point, Grandpa Muto came from the back room of the shop carrying a long mailing tube. “Yugi,” he called to his grandson, “I think you might want to open this one.”
“Hmm?” Yugi took the tube from him and spun it in his hands to find the address label. “Oh! Industrial Illusions – this must be the new posters for the tournament!” he realized.
“Oh, I want to see this,” Marik grinned.
Yugi fished a packing knife from under the front counter and pried the cap off the tube so he could slide the rolled-up posters out. There were a couple of very large posters and some smaller, flyer-sized ones that could be handed out to customers. Yugi unrolled the large one and just stared at it for a little bit, not at all sure what to think. Information on how to sign up to compete in regional elimination rounds took up most of the poster, but there was still enough room for a full-figure photo of him, cards in hand, splashed across the left side of the graphic. “Wow,” Yugi said after a moment of contemplation. “I really do look more like Yami when we’re bonded. I never noticed it before.”
“That’s right, you said you made him help with the photos.” Marik scrutinized the picture. “It’s subtle, but yes, I can see the difference. Very nice,” he added suggestively.
“Shut up,” Yugi pouted. “I can’t believe they made me pose like that.”
“You make Duel Monsters look so sexy,” Marik laughed. “Smirking over your cards that way?”
“Shut up!” Yugi sighed as he held the poster unrolled. “And I have to put this up in here. Great. Now everybody’s going to see it.”
“And not just here in Domino,” Marik smirked. “They’ll be all over the world.”
Yugi groaned in annoyance. “I know. That’s Pegasus’s ploy – he’s using me as bait to attract the world’s best duelists, anyone who wants an honest shot at knocking me out of the place of world champion. I can’t imagine these things being up in every game store from here to America and back,” he added. “It’s too weird.”
Marik read over his shoulder. “Regional finals are taking place at Duke Devlin’s store?”
“Yeah, because he has dueling arenas. He can run several arena matches and also open duel disk matches at the same time.” Yugi laid the flyers aside to let them uncurl from being rolled in the tube and set about looking for something to tack up the poster on the wall near the Duel Monsters cards. Once it was up, he gave it another resigned sigh. “I’m going to have to stare at it for the next month,” he complained, “until the regionals are over and the advertisements for the finals come out.”
“Are you going to have to go down for another photo session?” Marik wondered.
Yugi groaned. “Probably. Now that you mention it.”
Marik gave the poster another once-over and smiled faintly. “Well, I suppose if fate allows that I’m still in town when they happen, I’ll have to go watch. Battle City wasn’t a normal tournament, at least not for me. I’d like to see one played for fun.”
“I still think you should enter,” Yugi prodded. “You were runner-up in Battle City, after all.”
“I don’t know.” Marik’s brow creased with a frown. “I think there might have been more than a few extenuating circumstances. I would have lost to Joey if he hadn’t fainted.”
“Kaiba’s tournament rankings don’t count extenuating circumstances,” Yugi pointed out, “it only matters who won and who advanced. You’re not a bad duelist, Marik. This could be your chance to prove yourself.”
“I don’t know.” Marik clapped him on the shoulder as he turned away from the poster. “Maybe I want to put it all behind me and just be a fan for once. If there’s anything I have to prove, my dueling skill isn’t it.”
Yugi knew what he meant. “You don’t have to prove anything to me or Yami,” he said more quietly. “He understands. He’s told you a million times.”
“Yes, but…” Marik followed him with his eyes as he went back to the counter and tried to re-roll the flyers to make them uncurl faster. “I’m still humbled by the way he treated me. It’s not the same as the others – my rebellion against the pharaoh was the culmination of half my life hating him. He may be quick to forgive, but it’s not so easy for me to be as quick to forget.”
Yugi lifted his head, and to Marik’s surprise, he was smiling very sweetly. “Then, if it’s hard for you to listen to him, try listening to me instead. I know him, I know his heart, because I’m close to it every minute of every day. He doesn’t just say nice things about forgiveness because he wants to make you feel better, he honestly thinks and feels that way. He wants you to forget, and just move forward with your life, because he doesn’t want to see you eaten up by your regrets. You may not be able to tell when you hear his voice instead of mine, or see his eyes, but he really does care about people. It’s just hard for him to express it because he’s so reliant on me to be his conduit.”
Marik nodded slowly, accepting but not quite agreeing. “Then, I suppose…it may be different when he has a body of his own.”
“It might be,” Yugi conceded. “Then you’ll know that whatever he says comes from his heart, and isn’t influenced by me at all.”
Marik gave him a wry smile. “I think by now, the relationship you have with him influences him no matter what body he takes.”
Yugi smiled shyly back. “Maybe.”
Marik stepped up to the counter and leaned his elbows on it so he could speak confidentially to Yugi. Grandpa Muto had gone back into the storeroom, but he wouldn’t have wanted to overhear anyway. “How did you two manage to have a relationship before Shadi brought you the ritual? I know you loved each other but…there’s other aspects of relationships…”
Yugi shrugged as though it were obvious. “Inside the Puzzle,” he answered in the same low tone. “There’s a whole world there, a world of the spirit, where we can be together. It’s so cool,” he added with an excited hush. “When we first started to meet there together, and think about how we could…be intimate…a new room formed inside the Puzzle’s world, like the room of his recent memories. Only this one was a room for us, a special place where he imagined a bed and a nice romantic setting…a place where we could be together comfortably.”
Marik nodded in understanding, his eyes lighting up. “His mind is so linked to the power of the Puzzle, I can see how that would be possible. It’s a very special kind of magic, Yugi. Until the pharaoh can restore his memories and tap into the full power he possesses, you shouldn’t take it for granted.”
“Oh, I don’t, believe me.” Yugi blushed faintly. “We do still see each other in the Puzzle once in a while, though not as often now that we know he gets a body every full moon.”
“And everybody knows?” Marik glanced at the ring on Yugi’s hand, which laid on the counter between them. “How serious it is?”
“Oh, yeah. And everyone’s been really good about it.” He cocked his head curiously. “Come to think of it, apart from surprise, you didn’t seem that taken aback by it yourself when I told you.”
Marik looked genuinely confused. “I don’t know why you think I should be. I was surprised that the spirit of the pharaoh could be so involved with someone living, but it’s starting to make sense. I’m sure it’ll all click when I see him with my own eyes.” He leaned in close again, his blue eyes shining with wonder. “Is it possible…I mean, I don’t want to intrude on something so private, but…is there any way I could maybe…witness the ritual? I’m really curious how it works. I’m no stranger to shadow magic, I want to see it. But only with your permission – I don’t want to intrude.”
Yugi blinked at him in surprise for a moment, but before he could consider a response, he heard the pharaoh’s voice in his mind. “I think that would be a good idea. I won’t be embarrassed if Marik is there to witness.”
“Really?” Yugi turned his attention inward. “Are you serious? But…we’ve always been alone for it, just you and me. Because of what usually happens right away after you wake up…”
“I know,” Yami said patiently, “but Yugi…lately it has been affecting you. You’ve been knocked out twice now. I’m worried about you.”
A strange feeling jolted through Yugi’s heart as he contemplated this. “You want him to be there so he can watch out for me, not watch the ritual.”
“It is because I love you and I don’t want to see you suffer,” the pharaoh insisted. “If a third party can witness what happens in that final moment of the ritual, the point at which you’ve been losing consciousness, perhaps we can find something to prevent it from happening.”
Despite his momentary flash of discomfort bordering on jealousy, Yugi understood and sighed internally. “All right. If it’ll ease your mind…”
“It will indeed,” Yami said gratefully. “Very much so.”
Yugi returned to the present and the hopeful gaze Marik was giving him across the counter. “Yami said it’s okay,” he replied as if to explain his brief silence. “He wouldn’t mind you being there to witness it.”
Marik straightened up with a little gasp. “Thank you,” he breathed. “It would be my honor. Has anyone else ever been allowed to see it happen?”
“Joey did, once,” Yugi remembered, “but that was well over a year ago. It’s been just the two of us ever since. I warn you, though.” Yugi couldn’t help but blush. “He comes out of the Puzzle naked.”
Marik blushed as well as he gave a start. “Oh! Well…I won’t look,” he promised. “I feel very honored, thank you both.”
Yugi smiled kindly, but did not tell Marik of Yami’s true motive for having a witness. Some part of him hoped that his spiritual partner was merely exercising his right to be overprotective, and come the night of the ritual everyone would see that there was nothing to be worried about, but somehow not even Yugi believed it himself.
Some days before the party Yugi finally got the phone call he had been expecting for nearly two weeks. He had just gone upstairs after a shift when Grandpa yelled up to him that Mai was on the phone, so Yugi hurried to pick it up, guessing that Mai was calling him from work. “Hey, Yugi,” she said, sounding friendly but with a tone of polite restraint he could barely discern. “Listen, I’m sure Joey’s told you by now – tomorrow’s my birthday,” she began. “He and I are going to do something just the two of us, but I thought maybe in a few days when Yami is out and about again, we could all go out. Like, a double-date or something.”
“Oh,” Yugi said in surprise. His mind scrambled to come up with an excuse that didn’t sound hollow; this wasn’t part of Joey’s plan! he fretted. “You noticed it was the full moon, huh?” he stammered into the phone.
“Yeah. I thought it would be kind of nice, you know? Joey’s sister is coming into town to visit this week, but she has some kind of date with Tristan that night, so it would just be the four of us. Joey said if I wanted, I should give you a call and find out whether you had plans already.”
But Joey told me…oh no. What do I say? “Um, well…no,” Yugi said without thinking, “we don’t yet. Yeah, I…I knew it was your birthday coming up soon but I didn’t want to go making plans if you wanted to keep it just between you and Joey…”
“Nah,” Mai said with a tiny chuckle. “That’s tomorrow night. So, what do you say?”
“Um…there’s just one little problem,” Yugi said uncomfortably.
Mai’s voice went immediately serious. “Yugi, I know about Marik being here. Joey told me everything. Including how you’re in danger of being stalked or mugged or something over your Millennium Puzzle!” she added with a concerned cry. “You be careful, kiddo!”
“I am, I am,” Yugi assured her. “That’s why Marik is here.”
“Yeah, so I hear. He’s your bodyguard now or something.” Mai sighed shortly. “Look, Yugi, it’s all right. You don’t have to be worried about me. I can handle the occasional unpleasant reminder of the past, it’s not going to make me freak out or run for the hills or anything. If you have to drag Marik along so he can guard you, that’s all right. I’ll deal with it just fine.”
She sounded as firm and self-confident as ever, Yugi knew to trust Mai when she was so certain of herself. Even so, he wanted to be sensitive to her feelings. “Are you sure, Mai? I wouldn’t want to put you on the spot. Unfortunately, Marik seems to want to stick to me and Yami like glue while Yami’s…out. He’s afraid of what might happen if anyone were to catch us in that position.”
“Well, he’s not stupid, I’ll give him that,” Mai said wryly. “Seriously, Yugi. It’s all right. As long as he’s okay with being a third wheel…or a fifth, I guess, technically.”
“Okay,” Yugi said hesitantly. “As long as you’re sure.”
They made plans as if Yugi expected to keep them, knowing full well in his heart that somehow Joey’s big elaborate scheme with Serenity and Tristan and Duke was going to render those plans moot and they’d all be partying down at Duke’s anyway. Joey called him the morning before it was all to happen to confirm that Mai had made plans and assured Yugi that it was just all part of the ruse and he should just go with it. All that remained before their day of fun, then, was the ritual.
Marik sat in Yugi’s desk chair in his room, watching him pace and listening with amusement to tales of the pharaoh’s exploits in the flesh while they waited for it to be midnight. Yugi fiddled with his special ritual safety pin, turning it over and over between his fingers, while he rambled about long walks in the park and ice cream dates, shooting the clock occasional glances. “Well, if the ritual really is so the pharaoh can interact with the living world again, and remember what it’s like to be hot or cold or hungry or tired or any of the things people are,” he mused, “then I think we’re still using it for the right reason. We may have had a selfish idea at the core, but really…you can only make love so many times before you get tired.” He grinned at Marik. “After that, we have to go out in the world, and experience life.”
Marik grinned back. “I wouldn’t know, I don’t have much experience in that department.”
“I’m sorry…” Yugi clapped a hand over his face in embarrassment. “You don’t want to hear me talk about sex, I’m sure.”
“No, it’s okay,” his friend assured him. “I may not be experienced but I’m a lot more…how should I say it? Worldly…? Than my sister or anyone in the town where we live,” he explained. “I’ve been around the block, I’m no prude. I know about things that would probably make Ishizu blush and leave the room.” He lowered his gaze, looking pensive and wistful with his eyes shadowed beneath thick lashes. “I’ve had to think about it a lot. Now that I’m not chasing around the world like a power player and am trying to settle down to a normal life…”
Yugi paused in front of him, smiling kindly down at him. “Looking around your town for a girl to settle down with?”
“That’s just it…” Marik was sitting sideways on the chair, and folded his arms on the back of it. “Odeon made some kind of joke about meeting a wife last year and I felt…strange, like…uncomfortable, almost.”
“Well, you are young,” Yugi pointed out. “You’re what, eighteen, nineteen?”
“Eighteen. I’ll turn nineteen in December.”
Yugi shrugged. “I know traditions in some countries are different, but that’s way too young to get married in my opinion.”
“It wasn’t that,” Marik murmured, resting his chin on his arm and looking away. “I just couldn’t see myself getting to know a girl and all that. I’m not really that interested in them.”
Yugi cocked his head curiously, his hands going still for once, the pin held precariously between his thumbs. “What about guys?”
Marik lifted an eyebrow in his general direction. “I hadn’t really thought about it too deeply. But…I guess that’s possible. Isn’t it?”
“It’s not that unusual. I mean, look at me – I never thought I’d be in this situation, where I’m in love with another guy. It just happened, and I’m comfortable with it now. But, I don’t know whether that’s taboo in your part of the world or not…” Yugi added sheepishly.
Marik raised his head and laughed a little. “I’m not a Muslim, Yugi,” he said plainly. “I was brought up by my family with the idea of the pharaoh and the ancient gods of Egypt. I guess you could say I don’t subscribe to any belief system,” he added, giving a little shrug. “Since the pharaoh is real…and we’re a few minutes away from being able to touch him.”
“Yeah,” Yugi breathed, unable to stop himself from grinning excitedly. “Well, in that case…I guess, give it some thought. It may be no more complicated than you just not being ready for a relationship with anyone right now, boy or girl, and there’s no sense pushing it. Just be yourself and enjoy your life, and someday the right person will come along to share it with you. Even if that person…well, happens to be a boy.” He glanced at the clock by his bed and gave a small start. “Oh! It’s almost time. Let’s get ready.”
He fetched the pocket watch that he used for the exact countdown to midnight and went to kneel in his usual spot on the floor. Marik pried himself out of the chair and stepped around him. “Where do you want me to be?”
“Hmm…well, Yami usually materializes right across from me,” Yugi murmured, “so…maybe come sit next to me. Marik,” he added as the young tombkeeper crouched beside him, “there is an important reason Yami wanted you to be here…”
Pale blue eyes widened. “What is it?”
“You see…the past couple of months, when we perform the ritual, I…I’ve fainted at the end of it.” Yugi faced his friend with solemn eyes. “Yami is worried about me. He wanted you to be here to watch over me, and make sure it goes all right.”
“Well…yes, of course, Yugi,” Marik said immediately. “Anything you need me to do.”
Yugi glanced at his watch. “Just catch me if I fall, I guess,” he said with a wry grin before focusing completely on the seconds ticking away. It was time to begin.
Marik crouched on one knee beside him, watching, listening, enraptured. The incantation spilling from Yugi’s lips filled him with a familiar warmth, as if a portal had been opened to the desert sands of his youth to give him the tiniest glimpse of home. He had never heard or read this spell before, but he could catch a few of the words here and there, from his studies and his knowledge of the ancient scriptures. It was that more than anything that awed him, for a surge of light and power emanating from the Eye of the Puzzle was certainly nothing new or unusual to him. He noticed almost right away why there was concern about the ritual, because he could see Yugi growing breathless, drops of sweat beading on his brow, and noticed his hands trembling as they held the Puzzle. Marik was distracted for only a moment by the streams of energy now pouring out of the Puzzle, collecting into a whirling galaxy that gradually coalesced into form, but he heard Yugi take a big gulp of air before completing the final line of the incantation, and looked in time to see the Puzzle explode with light. He could feel it in his chest, as the power shot through the room, but then Yugi was falling backwards and Marik had to lunge in to catch him. Yugi collapsed into his arms senseless, his head flopped back and eyes closed. Marik called his name, trying to reach him, but it was clear Yugi was out cold. Then, he felt the presence of another person in the room, and barely glanced up when he realized someone was falling to his knees beside him, nudging him out of the way in order to gather Yugi to himself. An indescribable astonishment paralyzed Marik as he looked to behold the pharaoh for the first time.
Yami’s attention was purely on his partner. “Yugi…Yugi,” he called softly, touching the young one’s face. “He’s fainted again,” he sighed. “I knew this would happen. Yugi…”
Marik pushed himself to his feet to be out of the way, leaving Yugi in Yami’s care, though he merely stood aside and stared in wonder. Despite his promise some time ago, he couldn’t help but look upon the pharaoh’s naked form, though the way he crouched with Yugi in his arms hid anything embarrassing from view. Collecting himself, Marik did the only thing he knew how to: he stepped around Yami and went to the bed where the bathrobe had been laid out, and draped it around the pharaoh’s shoulders.
Yami glanced up as he felt the softness and warmth of the garment being laid on his shoulders, and smiled wanly at Marik. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, Yugi was my first concern.”
“It’s understandable,” Marik said with a shake of his head. “You should take care of him.”
Yami stroked Yugi’s cheek delicately. “He’s not waking up,” he said worriedly. “Marik, can you tell me…what happened? Was there anything strange about the ritual’s end that you noticed?”
“No…not really,” Marik replied. “When he completed the incantation, there was a burst of power from the Puzzle…and he fell back unconscious. That was it…I jumped in and caught him, so I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention to your appearance.”
“It isn’t me who causes this,” Yami said darkly, frowning. “It’s the ritual itself, then.”
“Is there anything else I can get you…my pharaoh?” Marik asked timidly.
Yami remained silent for a moment, cradling Yugi in his arms. “No,” he murmured, “thank you. It’s all right, Marik…” He glanced over his shoulder to where Marik stood shyly waiting. “You and I are friends. I don’t need a servant.”
“All the same…”
At that moment Yugi took a deep breath as he awoke. Yami held him tighter, bending his head over him. “Yugi? Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“Yami…?” Yugi blinked up at him drowsily. “Did it happen again?”
“Yes,” Yami said seriously. “You’ve been unconscious for over a minute.”
“Oh…” Yugi closed his eyes again and sighed. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t worry about me. Are you all right?”
“I think so…” Yugi pushed himself up with Yami’s help, and sat there for a moment blinking and regaining his balance. While he rested, Yami slipped his arms into the sleeves of the robe and settled it properly onto his shoulders, wrapping it around himself to cover his nakedness in front of a guest. At last, Yugi was able to look up and remember that Marik was there with them. “I guess Yami was right,” he said with a woeful little smile. “It’s a good thing we took the precaution.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Marik asked him worriedly. “I haven’t felt something that strong in a very long time. This ritual is tapping into some very deep shadow magic, powers I could only dream of.”
“I’m fine,” Yugi assured. “My head is clearing, I feel okay. You think it’s the shadow powers that are doing this?”
“Maybe.” Marik frowned thoughtfully at him. “But you’ve been to the shadow realm before, you’ve survived shadow games just fine.”
“Not all of them,” Yugi sighed. “It’s just…this only started happening recently. We did it just fine for so long, there weren’t any adverse effects at all.”
Yami offered his hand and helped his young love up to his feet, so they could face Marik directly. “The truth is, we know so little about the ritual,” he said in a dark tone. “Almost anything is possible.”
As Yami straightened up beside him, Marik suddenly averted his eyes shyly. “You should be careful,” he said, more to Yugi. “These powers aren’t to be taken lightly.”
“I don’t take them lightly,” Yugi said seriously. “Yami and I both know what we’re getting into, and why. I just have to get tougher.” He lifted his face to his lover and gave a cute smile. “You’d think that after all the times I’ve been inside the Puzzle, I’d be in much better shape mentally. Falling into that trance is easy.”
Yami smiled back and then leaned in to kiss him, for the first time that night. “You are much stronger than you used to be,” he encouraged. “We’ll see. Perhaps there is something I can do to work with you and strengthen your spirit.”
Yugi leaned into him, accepting the arms that came around him, but glanced aside at Marik still standing there with them, studiously keeping his gaze lowered. “Well, there you have it,” Yugi said softly. “That’s the ritual. And here’s Yami.”
Marik lifted his gaze very cautiously, taking in the couple with some interest before focusing solely on the pharaoh and the gentle smile on his lips. He gave a small gasp and just stared, not thinking at all about how much Yami resembled Yugi, or how much he didn’t, only on the fact that he was gazing at the personage his ancestors had served and hoped would return someday, finally revealed in his own form. Yami reached and laid a hand on Marik’s shoulder, firm and solid, and Marik nearly wilted to the floor in his awe. Five thousand years of history had finally been made flesh right in front of his eyes. Somehow, he couldn’t remember how or why he had ever rejected this person and tried to destroy him. He found tears springing to his eyes, but blinked them away. “Pharaoh,” he breathed reverently. “It really is an honor.”
“Please, Marik. Just call me Yami, as Yugi does.”
Marik shook his head furiously. “I can’t,” he complained. “I just can’t. You’re the pharaoh. You’re the one my family has been waiting for all this time. How is it that I’m the one who finally gets to look upon your face? I…I betrayed you. I hated you…”
Touched, Yami let go of Yugi and placed both hands on Marik’s shoulders, forcing him to face him. “You’ve seen me before,” he reasoned. “You and I have faced each other and spoken to each other many a time…”
“But that was through Yugi. He was still part of you, or you part of him, either way,” Marik argued. “This time…it’s just you. All you. Like you should be.” He placed a hand over the one on his right shoulder, as if that was all the further he could bring himself to touch Yami. “You aren’t just a spirit, a memory, a fleeting hope…you’re flesh. You’re real.” He laughed weakly. “Ishizu would have fainted a long time ago just from being able to see you. Let alone touch you…”
Yami lifted one hand from his shoulder and placed it on his cheek instead. “And here I thought being able to touch me would be proof that I’m just like you or Yugi or anyone else – I’m not better in any way.” He smiled wryly. “So much for that idea.”
“I’m sorry.” Marik shook his head. “I’m trying not to be weird about it, I really am. I can’t help it. Watching you materialize through a ritual to free you from the Puzzle makes you a lot more real than you were before, I didn’t realize how much until I stood before you. And now I know my place. I am your servant.”
“I told you, I don’t need servants,” Yami insisted, taking him by the shoulders again. “I need friends. I know you’re here to protect me, but do it as my friend, not out of duty.”
Marik lowered his head, but still managed to keep his gaze. “Would you mind if I stayed here tonight, then? Now that you’re here, I want you to be protected every minute of the day, asleep or awake.” He glanced at Yugi, who stood aside watching with a little smile. “I’ll just sleep on your couch. As long as I can stay within reach of the pharaoh.”
“Sure,” Yugi answered him. “I don’t mind. I kind of figured you’d want to stand guard anyway. As long as you do get some sleep, and don’t actually stand guard.” He suddenly blushed furiously. “Because I’m feeling a lot stronger now and I think maybe Yami and I might be…awake…a while longer…”
Marik held up his hands in caution. “No, no, I’ll leave you two alone,” he assured frantically. “I’ll go sleep out there, I won’t intrude. Really. I just feel like I need to fulfill the duty I came here to perform – to protect the pharaoh.”
“Whatever pleases you,” Yami said kindly.
Marik hurriedly wished them a good night, and Yugi brought him a blanket so he could curl up nice and warm on the couch in the living room and sleep the rest of the night away. Only then could he escape to his room and the loving embrace of his partner, who had been waiting eagerly for them to be alone. As much as he would have liked to just go to bed and allow Yugi some time to rest and recover, Yugi insisted he was fine and proved it by instigating a rather hot and heavy makeout session. That was all he got, though, for the longer they took to touch and hold and kiss and explore, the later it got, and the sleepier Yugi became. Eventually, he curled up on his side in Yami’s arms and allowed his tiredness to get the better of him after securing a promise that no matter what time they woke in the morning – and regardless of Marik being in the next room – they would make love like they hadn’t in months. Yami glanced to see a pair of purple satin ropes tied lovingly in a bow around Yuki’s neck, as he sat in the little shelf above the head of Yugi’s bed watching over them, and smiled. Oh yes, he vowed, they would certainly make love in the morning. And then some.
Grandpa Muto was not entirely surprised to find Marik curled up on the couch under a warm blanket in the morning, looking rather angelic with his unruly straw-blond hair framing his face as he slept peacefully. He had finally forced the true, complete story of the Egyptians’ extended visit out of his grandson not long ago, and was not so dumb as to be unable to connect Marik’s presence to the full moon ritual. Grandpa puttered about taking care of his morning coffee and the paper and getting ready to open the shop, leaving Marik to sleep since the door to Yugi’s bedroom was still closed and not a sound came from beyond it. Even so, Solomon was still in the kitchen when he heard a soft stirring and glanced through the door to see Marik sitting up and stretching. Marik gave him a contrite look as Grandpa Muto appeared in the doorway, cradling his mug of coffee. “I hope Yugi didn’t keep you up too late,” he smiled.
“No,” Marik sighed, “I went to sleep after the ritual was over. I’m sorry – I hope I’m not imposing…”
“It’s all right,” Grandpa Muto assured with a wave of his hand. “I understand why you’re here. You may as well come in here and have some breakfast – knowing those two, they’ll be in bed a while longer. Sleeping in,” he added in explanation. “I give Yugi the full moon days off of work, so he can spend time with Yami.”
“Ah,” Marik nodded, though he had admittedly thought of the pair doing other things in bed besides sleeping in. “You know everything about their relationship, then?”
“Of course I do.” Grandpa gestured for Marik to come with him as he returned to the kitchen and went about taking dishes out of the cabinet for his guest to use. “I know Yami is an ancient pharaoh with a great weight on his shoulders, but he also happens to be my grandson’s boyfriend. He’s a part of our family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Marik smiled kindly and thanked him for his hospitality, and then added, “I’m here to protect them both, you know. I’ll make sure nothing happens to Yugi.”
“That’s good.” Grandpa gave him a smart look. “Keeping him out of trouble may be too much to ask, but at least someone else has an eye on him besides me.” He picked up his mug and gestured with it in the general direction of the living room. “The remote should be on the table if you want to watch TV or something. Maybe the noise will wake those two sleepyheads up.”
“Thank you,” Marik said, “but I really only need one thing. If I could use your phone to call my brother and let him know everything is all right here…”
“Sure. It’s in there.” Grandpa Muto smiled as he headed out of the kitchen and down to the game shop. “I wouldn’t get too anxious waiting for them to come out of the bedroom if I were you. It’ll be a while.”
As of that moment, Yugi was in a position he rather liked, his arms splayed out on the bed and lashed securely down with the purple play ropes. They had finally found a way to tie them to the frame of the bed, lacking bedposts for convenient bondage, and were fully engrossed in elaborate foreplay. Yugi was doing his best not to cry out too loudly, in case someone in the next room heard him, but Yami was taking his time getting them both worked up to where restraint would be required and likely very difficult. At least both partners were already naked. With Yugi tied down beneath him, his fingers curling and uncurling into loose fists, Yami crawled over the top of him and lovingly tortured him with kisses to every part of him. Yugi’s lithe little body arched into his touch, seeking as much of his warmth and kiss as he could get, since the ropes made it impossible for him to clutch and hold and wrap himself around his lover. Yami held him down with firm hands on his hips, lavishly kissing his stomach and abdomen and moving lower to lick teasingly at the tip of the erection jutting impatiently up towards him. Yugi threw his head back and gasped out loudly. “Yes,” he whimpered, “please, Yami…”
The pharaoh chuckled deeply at the reaction and licked him again, a little more roughly. “Like this?” he murmured, his tongue darting out to wet his own lips.
“Oh…yes…” Yugi breathed hazily, writhing underneath his lover in such a way as to lift his hips yearningly towards him.
Yami’s hands slid along Yugi’s thighs as he reclined on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows in order to get good position for a lengthy session. He toyed with his lover first, kissing and licking along the insides of his thighs, first one side, then the other, leaving wet trails running down towards the center. Yugi had to clench his jaw to keep from crying out, his arms straining against the bonds holding him in place. Placing his hands gently on Yugi’s thighs to push his legs wide, Yami descended onto his erection, licking and tasting first before closing his lips around the head and suckling indulgently. Yugi stretched and strained, gasping, as Yami’s weight on his hips held him down completely while he greedily sucked him off. Every so often, the pharaoh’s elegant violet eyes would open just enough to glance up and give Yugi a sensual look, though his lips and mouth never left Yugi’s cock for a second. Whether from his youth, his impatience, or his simple joy at finally being pleasured by his lover again, it didn’t take long for Yugi to come, biting his lip to hold back his voice as he felt himself quake and explode into the waiting mouth. Yami swallowed with a decadent purr and licked his lips, though a trace ran down his chin and dripped onto Yugi’s abdomen. He prowled over Yugi, lowering his head and nuzzling along his chest, neck, and up to the hollow of his throat. “Don’t think I’m done with you yet,” he murmured. “We’ve only just begun.”
Yugi turned his head enough to kiss the lips hovering over him, nibbling at them and licking Yami’s chin clean. “Promise?” he whispered into the space between them.
Growling playfully, Yami clutched his neck and tilted his face up for a ravenous series of kisses, stopping only when he felt the need to reach down and close his hand around Yugi, to tickle and tease him back to hardness. He knew it was working when Yugi tried to thrust up into his hand, his whole body heaving with the effort until he huffed a short sigh and groan. Yami’s hand slid even lower, his fingers slicked with his lover’s essence, and probed testingly at his opening. “Gently,” he warned with a smile. “You’re so impatient.”
“Yami,” Yugi panted, “let me go. I want to…I want to touch you…”
The pharaoh nuzzled him and nipped at his earlobe. “I thought you wanted to be tied down.”
“I know,” Yugi sighed. “Sorry. Just let me loose. Please?”
Without a word Yami reached up and fumbled with the knots binding Yugi’s wrists, one after the other, and freed his hands. Yugi slumped for a moment to catch his breath, and then was reaching out, splaying his hands eagerly over his lover’s bare chest. Moaning softly, Yami fell down onto him, and the two wrapped each other up in their arms, kissing and snuggling. Yugi pulled his partner into him and desperately clutched at his back, stroking his fingertips across the pharaoh’s smooth, perfect skin as if it were the finest silk that he couldn’t stop touching. He could feel the hard shaft poking him in the abdomen, and slid his hands down around Yami’s ass in order to pull him into himself, encouraging a teasing thrust. Yami obliged without hesitation for a while, rubbing himself against Yugi until he was dangerously close to climax, his lover’s fingers groping fiercely across his ass. Both were properly aroused now, and after a moment’s pause to properly lubricate, Yami sat back on his knees. Yugi laid back willingly to receive, though now that his hands were free, he could repay the teasing by stroking himself in full view of his partner, moaning temptingly. Yami seemed to be in a savage mood, for the tease only made him chuckle darkly under his breath and grab Yugi’s legs, pushing them wide and back, tilting his hips up to receive. Yugi’s eyes widened, but he had asked for it and panted eagerly as he saw he was going to get it. He rested his legs against his partner’s shoulders as Yami leaned forward, making penetration a natural and easy next step for them both. He grabbed for Yami’s muscled arms as the pharaoh’s hands clutched around his ribs, each bracing himself against the other. Yami rested himself against the ready opening, shifting Yugi’s whole body up and back with a push, and thrust his way inside.
The pharaoh’s sinewy body shuddered with the force of his thrust, as he bent his back and pushed forward, lifting Yugi nearly off the bed. Yugi’s mouth fell open and his eyes squeezed shut as he gasped audibly at the mix of pain and pleasure that came at the start, as it did every time. He tried to hold on, but as Yami braced himself and began a slow rhythm, Yugi’s arms fell away and he was soon groping across the sheets for a handhold, his body bent in submission. Yami thrust roughly into him, his head bowed, his back tensed, his shoulders pushing against Yugi’s thighs as he rested his hands on the bed to give himself more leverage. As the body beneath him grew adjusted to his intrusion, he found it easier to slide in, and thrust with even more power, quickening his pace. He could feel the knot growing inside him that wanted release and rocked faster, harder, trying to push himself to that point. Yugi could no longer stop himself from giving short cries at each thrust, though they were light and breathy enough to escape notice unless someone were right outside the door. Yami felt the touch of sweaty palms on either side of his face, and glanced up to see Yugi demanding his attention, cupping his face so they could meet each other’s gaze. A hazy, eager smile dashed across the pharaoh’s lips, and he bent himself just-so in order to keep that promise, to stare straight into Yugi’s eyes as he held on and watched and felt himself being brought to the brink of orgasm. With his hands braced on the bed on either side of Yugi’s shoulders, Yami didn’t think he could go any faster, but he could try harder, using his entire body to thrust forward and up into his lover. Yugi’s hands tightened around his face, the violet eyes across from him widening as he felt the first hint of release sear through his abdomen. The toes over Yami’s shoulders began to curl. Filling his chest with a deep breath, Yami lifted a hand and fisted Yugi’s erection, stroking hard as he reared back and gave a few last thrusts, his body trembling and pulsing with electricity as he gave in and let himself come. Even as he stiffened and held himself in place, buried deep in Yugi while his body emptied itself, his hand continued to give Yugi’s erection short jerks until Yugi caught his breath and then gave a cry of release. Hot, wet, and sticky, they both slumped, and let go.
Yami pulled out and fell onto his back beside his lover, his hand dripping, his stomach splattered, his bangs disheveled. Yugi rolled over and climbed on top of him, moving the Millennium Puzzle out of the way so he could lower himself fully onto Yami and wrap his arms around him, kissing his neck and chest for a while until they had both caught their breath enough for a prolonged kiss to the lips. Yugi curled his arms around the pharaoh’s neck and nuzzled him tenderly, breathing in the mingled scents of sex and sweat that clung to his skin like perfume. “Wonderful,” he murmured with his face pressed into Yami’s shoulder. “That was so wonderful.”
Yami held him close and buried his face in his young love’s wild hair. “So much for my idea with the ropes…”
“It’s okay. We don’t need them.” Yugi nuzzled and kissed him some more. “It was just as good without the help. Mmm…you’re so wild today.”
“Is it any wonder?” Yami kissed his forehead. “With such a delicious and beautiful lover throwing himself at me?”
Yugi lifted his head with a little purr. “Maybe I’ll throw myself at you more later,” he suggested with a naughty smile. “Duke said he’s got some kind of DJ coming in for the party.”
“Oh?” Yami’s brow lifted in curiosity, and then a cool, eager smile replaced it. “Sounds like a good time. I can’t wait.”
“Later, though.” Yugi laid his head back down on his lover’s chest and snuggled into him. “Let’s not get up yet. I want to be all hot and sweaty together for a while.” He tilted his head just enough to give Yami’s collarbone a little lick. The pharaoh chuckled and tightened his embrace, sliding his hands all the way down to Yugi’s ass in order to caress and fondle him to his heart’s content. After quite a long while, when getting up to shower started to sound like a rather decent idea, Yugi breathed a deep sigh of contentment that sent a warm draft across Yami’s chest. Then, he shifted his head and made a little noise like the clearing of his throat. “Uh oh.”
“Hmm?”
“I hope we haven’t annoyed Marik by leaving him all alone.”
Yami gave him a slight grin. “Marik who?”
Marik sat on the couch leafing through the morning paper, looking for news from overseas, when he heard a door down the hall creak open. He glanced up to see two figures creep into view and pause just long enough to discover his location and give him a smile. Yami wore the bathrobe again, Yugi had his pajama top hastily thrown on – and buttoned askew – and was blushing as he noticed Marik. “Um, we’ll be right out,” he said sheepishly. “We’re going to take a shower, first.”
“That’s fine,” Marik said. “Take your time.” He looked past Yugi to where Yami stood, and noticed the pharaoh looking rather rumpled and a little flushed about the cheeks. Yami gracefully guided Yugi along with an arm around his shoulders, flashing Marik a subtle smile before they both disappeared down the hall to the bathroom. Only then did Marik grin knowingly, and a little enviously, before returning to the newspaper.