Queer As Tachi – Chapter 61
Bakura gratefully left school as soon as he could get away, tired and exasperated and wishing it wasn’t cutting into time best spent at other pursuits. He had errands to run on his way home, and Marik was waiting, but to add insult to injury, he had gotten in trouble for skipping class the day before. Even though he had called his professors to let them know he had an inescapable obligation, none of them were particularly happy that he took yesterday off and severely discussed reprimands or making up classwork. Ryo couldn’t escape there fast enough, and by the time he was breezing into the drugstore a few blocks away from home, he had shrugged off the frustrations of school and was thinking ahead to happier ideas. He didn’t know how he was going to broach the subject with Marik, or get either of them in the mood, but it didn’t have to be that night. Soon, though – and better off to be prepared ahead of time. He stuffed the bag with his purchases into his backpack and set off for home, weighed down by the books and extra work his day off had laid on his shoulders.
Marik glanced up when he heard the door and set aside the manga he had been paging through, tucking it slightly under a corner of the pillow on the couch so Ryo wouldn’t see that he had been reading it – it was a little risqué. Something Yugi had bought him, apparently. Marik pushed himself to his feet as Ryo closed the door behind him and slumped against it with a sigh. “That bad?” he wondered concernedly.
Ryo cast him a tired look. “It’s been a very long day,” he complained. “It’s a relief to be home.”
Marik went to him and held out a hand to invite him to come inside and relax. “What happened?”
Shrugging his backpack off his shoulder, Ryo left it next to his desk and stepped up to take the hand waiting for him. “Oh, just the usual,” he sighed. “Difficult assignments, boring lectures, not enough hours in the day to do everything they want of me. On top of that, I got in trouble for cutting class.”
“Oops…” Marik tried to smile. “Is it bad?”
“Not terribly,” Ryo said with a shake of his head, already beginning to smile at the feeling of Marik’s hands gently caressing his arms in comfort. “I got a stern talking-to from several professors, one after the other, and I’ll have to make up some classwork I missed, but…to be honest, nothing they said particularly worried me.” He twitched a shoulder. “What I did instead of being in class was wonderful, and I don’t feel the least bit bad for making that choice. I guess teachers no longer have the power of fear over me.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, I guess.” Marik continued to rub his arms and then set his hands on Ryo’s shoulders, smiling warmly at him. “Then, if you had such a bad day, there’s only one thing I can do to make it better.” He grinned slyly at the confused look in his companion’s eyes. “I want to take you out on a date. A real date.”
Brown eyes widened. “What? Marik…”
“Seriously.” Marik’s hands slid down Ryo’s arms to clasp his hands. “I know we went out yesterday with Yugi and the pharaoh, but I want to go out without them. With just you. Maybe take you out for dinner, at a nice place, with dessert and everything.” His smile intensified. “Would that help you feel better after your long day?”
“But…Marik…” Ryo stammered shyly. “I though you didn’t bring that much money to spend…”
Marik shook his head. “Don’t worry. You see, I’ve been out and about while you were in class.” His blue eyes shone with his happiness. “I took a walk and found a small trading-card shop that buys rare Duel Monsters cards. So, I sold some of mine, in order to have enough to take you out and really treat you.”
Ryo gasped. “You sold your cards? For…for me?”
“Oh, not any of the ones I was using,” Marik assured with a laugh. “Just some of the super-rare but useless ones I was still hoarding. Cards I wasn’t going to need in a deck but I figured would come in handy if I needed to trade or sell them off.” He smirked impishly. “It’s all part of my master plan.”
Ryo began to smile again. “Your fiendishly evil plan, I’m sure,” he teased.
“Oh yes,” Marik said flippantly, stepping back and drawing his partner along with him toward the bedroom. “Much of it involving spoiling you, making you happy, and getting myself a nice kiss out of it at the end of the day.”
Ryo smiled coyly and lowered his head, allowing himself to be dragged anywhere Marik pleased. “Who knows?” he said with a hint of suggestion. “If you play your cards right, you may get more than a kiss out of it.”
Marik’s eyebrows raised, but he only grinned and offered that maybe his boyfriend should change into something nice so they could go out. It was definitely time for dinner, and both were somewhat glad that they didn’t have to think about getting something cooked now, but they sidled shyly around each other as they picked out their nicest shirts and preened one by one in front of the mirror. Marik opted to leave most of his jewelry off, except for the gold rings in his ears, making him look rather low-key and quite sexy in one of Ryo’s button-up shirts. The restaurant was Ryo’s choice, and once he could be thoroughly convinced that money was no object, he led the way to an upscale eatery a few blocks from home that he had always walked past but never was in a financial position to try out. Upscale, and European, they found out, which suited a “real date” just fine. Secreted away at a corner table, they indulged themselves and basked in each other’s attention, spending the time between courses just holding hands across the table and admiring each other’s happy smile. Going out with friends had been fun, but now the ice had been completely broken and Marik and Ryo found themselves utterly comfortable with each other. Comfortable, and growing romantic. A rich chocolate dessert put the finishing touches on a perfect evening out, and sent them home after dark feeling full and content and all too happy to lean on each other with arms around each other all the way back. Marik quietly closed the door behind him as Bakura went to drop off his keys, and then turned to find a graceful hand interrupting his from turning on the main light. He gazed curiously at his partner, finding Ryo smiling in a soft, inviting sort of way. “Ryo?” the young Egyptian wondered.
“I like it this way,” Ryo purred, his dark eyes gleaming in the half-light – only his desk lamp near the door kept them from stumbling on anything in the flat. “It’s quiet…and peaceful…and we’re together, just us…”
Marik smiled warmly. Many a night like this over the past two weeks had led to them curling up on the couch and kissing themselves breathless. “You don’t have any homework you ought to be doing, do you?” he checked.
Ryo shook his head. “Nothing that’s due tomorrow. The rest of the night is ours to do as we please.”
Marik took his hands. “Shall we sit down and put our feet up, then?”
Another shake of his head. “I want you to come with me.” He tugged the hands clasping his, directing Marik that he should follow to the bedroom. Ryo stepped backwards slowly, his eyes entirely on his boyfriend. “Would you…lie with me? And help me…not be shy?”
Marik’s eyes widened in wonder. “Ryo…are you sure? I mean…are you asking me to…”
Ryo bit his lip nervously, and then smiled. “I’m ready. I want to make love with you.” Worry briefly passed through his eyes. “If…if you do, that is. I…I don’t want to pressure you.”
Marik’s hand came to rest on his cheek, preventing him from looking away. “It’s okay. I want you just as much. I was afraid I had pushed the boundaries too far the other night, but…” He raised an eyebrow. “No?”
Ryo grinned bashfully and shook his head. “No. You helped me to wake up, and see that I wanted it, too. And now, you taking me on such a lovely date and being so sweet to me…” He stepped closer and leaned in to whisper, “I think it would be a shame to waste the perfect mood we have going.”
“Mmm, perfect indeed.” Marik darted a quick kiss to his cheek, and then gave him a sheepish grin. “Let me just do one thing, first. Too much tea at the restaurant, I think.”
Ryo laughed cutely and stepped back to let him go. “Take your time,” he assured. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Giving him another smile, Marik turned and ducked into the bathroom for a moment. Ryo took the opportunity to sneak back into the main room and fetch his drugstore purchase from his backpack, stowing it temporarily in a niche in the shelf that served as the headboard of his futon-bed. He sat down in the middle of the bed on his knees, but before he could do anything else, Marik returned, clicking off the light. The front door was now locked, the desk lamp extinguished, and the small lamp beside the bed turned on to leave them a nice, soft, subtle glow by which to begin. Marik glanced aside briefly to note that the Millennium Ring was where it belonged, on the bureau and not anywhere near Ryo, before padding across to him and kneeling with him on the futon, capturing his attention with a smile. “We can take it slow,” he offered. “I know we talked about it, and neither of us has been with anyone before, so…we can take our time. Get to know each other’s tastes, you know?” He cocked his head curiously. “As long as you know what you’re getting into…”
“Oh…yes, of course I do,” Ryo assured him, clasping hands again and entwining their fingers. “But you’re right. We should…get to know each other. Take as long as you like,” he added with a knowing sort of sultry smile. “I’m fairly certain I’ll be happy with just about anything you want to try.” He then cocked the same curious look back at his partner. “And you know…what you’re doing…?”
Marik flushed in embarrassment. “Well…it’s highly illegal in my country, but…I have looked at pictures. On the internet,” he admitted. “I know a lot of that is silly and exaggerated, but, it was more to get a basic understanding.”
Ryo giggled. “It’s okay. That’s kind of funny, thinking of you surfing for porn.”
Marik made a disgruntled face. “Well, it’s not like you don’t own any.”
Ryo gaped. “What do you mean? I don’t…”
“The manga Yugi bought you yesterday?” Marik snorted wryly. “That’s some belated White Day present, all right.”
The gape turned into a gasp. “You read my manga?”
“Well, you left it out on the table.”
“I…” Ryo burst into giggles again. “Well, then. It’s good, isn’t it?”
“The story’s a little twisted,” Marik mused, “but the pictures are nice.”
“Mm…that they are.” Ryo sat back, curling his feet underneath him and clasping his hands in his lap. “Well, I suppose that means we both have the barest education in what potentially could be done.” He tilted his head casually. “I don’t feel all that much the wiser, though. Do you?”
“Not very,” Marik agreed, sitting forward with his weight on his hands. “But…that’s okay. I kind of want to find my way by myself. With you…you know?” A smile glowed on his lips. “I like the romantic stuff. That’s the way I want it to be with you – gentle, and nice, and worth waiting for.”
Breathing a soft sigh, Ryo smiled back. “As do I. I’m a horrible, hopeless romantic, and I’ve always dreamed of someone coming along and taking me into his arms, and laying me down and…” He suddenly looked sharply down, his face flushing brilliantly red at the thoughts that crossed his mind and nearly spilled off his lips.
He heard a soft chuckle in front of him, and glanced up at movement in his line of sight. Marik crawled forward on his hands and leaned in close, glancing his lips across Ryo’s cheek before nuzzling beside his ear and whispering, “Experience or no, you’ve thought about it. So have I. And it sounds like we both want the same thing.” He smiled calmly as Ryo’s eyes sought his with a question deep inside them. “You want to be romanced. I want to explore all of you. Sounds to me like a perfect fit.”
“You think so?” Ryo asked timidly.
Curling up to a seat beside him, Marik reached to touch his cheeks, feeling how warm they were when colored with a blush. “There’s no sense rushing into it. Let’s just take it slow. We have all night…” He turned Ryo’s face to him with gentle fingertips and kissed him softly, pleased to feel his eager response. They already knew well, by this point, how much they liked kissing each other. Beyond that was an open field, ripe for exploring.
They continued kissing even while Marik’s hand roamed down Ryo’s cheek to his neck, and then to his shirt, blindly seeking out the top button and fumbling to undo it. It didn’t want to come open for him, and both broke the kiss at the same time with a little chuckle. Lowering his head, Marik patiently unbuttoned each one and then stroked the center of Ryo’s chest, that little peek of bare, pale skin revealed to him between folds of the shirt. The tenderness with which he chose to proceed gave Ryo the confidence he needed to not just sit and tremble in anticipation, emboldening him to reach back and comb his fingers through Marik’s straw-blond hair. They leaned in to resume kissing, and this time Marik’s hands found their way into Ryo’s shirt, sliding it down off one shoulder and pulling it out of his waistband. He used the momentum to keep pressing Ryo gently back, until he willingly laid back on the bed and stretched out with his newfound boyfriend on top of him. Still they kissed, exploring each other’s mouths, tasting one another’s hot breath. Marik broke away and nibbled at Ryo’s chin and neck, making his way to the shoulder laid bare and pressing his lips there, warm on cool skin. He felt Ryo’s body beneath him expand with a gasp, and then wilt with a soft sigh of contentment. Encouraged, Marik continued to kiss him wherever he could, throat, chest, shoulder. His hands groped under the open shirt and stroked Ryo’s flanks, finding the curves of his body and tracing along them in silent admiration of his body’s shape. Ryo’s hands were under his hair, stroking the back of his neck, pressing a little harder whenever Marik’s lips found a sensitive spot that wanted to be exploited. Lifting his head, Marik crawled alongside him and settled to kiss his soft lips again, letting his hands do the exploring while they just indulged in each other for a long while. After a bit, needing to catch their breath, he glanced down to see what strange little blemish his fingertips had found. He was stroking the center of Ryo’s chest, his fingers running over the ragged track of a scar about where his racing heartbeat could be felt. A soft, sad moan escaped him as he realized why it was so fresh, so hard and raw compared to the rest of his partner’s skin. “This is it, isn’t it?” he asked gently.
Ryo tilted his head down to verify that the cool, sensitive spot on his chest was what Marik was touching. “That’s it,” he confirmed just as gently. “That is my reminder of my mistake. My failure to kill myself with the point of the Ring.” He laid his head back into the pillow and gave Marik’s worried look a peaceful smile of reassurance. “I’ve never been so happy to have failed at something.”
Marik smiled back, and then stretched to place a feather-light, reverent kiss to the scar. That done, he leaned his weight on one elbow while his hand resumed its long, sweeping caresses across Ryo’s body. Ryo gingerly brushed his fingers along Marik’s neck, toying with the collar of his shirt and moving gradually to unbutton it for him. Marik chuckled to see it, and let him get the first couple undone, before pushing himself up and just pulling the shirt over his head. Watching Marik’s lean, tawny body stretch and flex, and the way he sat and shook out his hair after tossing the shirt aside, made Ryo moan involuntarily. Marik laughed as he laid back down beside him. “What? See something you like?”
“Very much so,” Ryo breathed, curling an arm around his partner as they settled back into position as before. More kissing, touching, caressing, and moaning followed, both of them content with the slow buildup and in no hurry to press each other to take another forward step. The gentle pace suited them fine, though the right touches in the right places were making their bodies ache with need, be it Ryo’s fingers circling behind Marik’s ear or Marik’s lips on Ryo’s neck. Edging a little more on top of Ryo, Marik smoothed his hand around the curve of his partner’s shoulder and nudged his shirt off it. Ryo willingly lifted his shoulders and arched his back to allow assistance in getting his shirt out of the way, lying back with a coy little sigh that made Marik purr and descend on him with a little more urgency. Lips fastened over his nipple, making Ryo twitch and give a sharp gasp, but with Marik’s weight on top of him he couldn’t recoil. The delicious feeling of lips and tongue tasting and stroking his sensitive flesh sent a blush all through Ryo’s body, his breath escaping him in a soft moan. Marik folded strong arms around him and kissed him everywhere, returning now and again to a nipple to savage sensuously, but seeking out other fun spots to tickle and taste, across Bakura’s lean chest, soft belly, and slender torso. Nuzzling the smooth skin of his stomach made Ryo giggle, and then sigh happily. He draped his arms over Marik’s shoulders, his fingers stroking in short paths at the nape of his neck and then downward, brushing the hair from his shoulders. The feel of his touch made Marik purr under his breath, and then push himself up to meet his boyfriend’s kiss. Ryo’s arms slid fully around him, hugging him tightly as they kissed each other breathless, the closeness and heat of their bodies and breath on each other’s lips inflaming their desire tenfold. Chest to chest, skin to skin, arms clutching to each other’s backs, they kissed with wild abandon, until Marik’s lunge to kiss Ryo’s throat once more was met with an unrestrained cry of passion. He held on for dear life as Marik savaged his throat and chest with wet, hot kisses, no longer swallowing his cries for shyness’ sake. They had wordlessly crossed a boundary, from every other night spent just curled up together making out, to the knowledge that they wanted each other, fully, body and soul. Tonight would indeed be the night.
As Marik slowed to try to catch his breath, Ryo’s hands swept along his back, and he awoke slightly from the haze of passion at the feel of the bumpy, scarified texture beneath his fingertips. Up until the past couple of nights, Marik had slept with a tank top on, but Ryo had thought once or twice, catching him going into the bathroom or rolling over in his sleep, that there was something odd about his back. Feeling it now, he was immensely curious, but because it felt like the scars of an old and probably traumatic injury, he wasn’t sure he could ask without ruining the mood. Marik seemed to sense some kind of change, for he lifted his head and regarded the puzzled look in his partner’s eyes. Ryo’s hands stilled. “What?” Marik asked him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You can feel my back, can’t you?”
“What…is it?” Ryo hesitantly asked. “Or…should I not ask?”
“It’s not a bad thing,” the young tombkeeper assured, settling comfortably down against him. “But I can explain it all later.”
Ryo lifted an eyebrow at him. “They’re scars, aren’t they?”
“Mhm.” Marik tilted his head, looking coy and sweet with a peaceful light in his blue eyes. “And there’s a long story behind them. But I wasn’t in any kind of horrible accident or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
A soft sigh escaped Ryo. “Well, yes, that was kind of what I was thinking.” He tentatively brushed his fingers across them again, feeling that some of them were straight, some were oddly shaped, but all were roughly the same depth and, by their smoothness, very, very old. A thought came into his mind unbidden, but he banished it – asking anything further about it would just kill the mood completely. He settled for smiling up at Marik’s handsome face. “Well, since you don’t look too disturbed about it, I won’t press. But I admit, it’s made me very curious.”
Marik leaned down and kissed him tenderly on the lips. “I’ll show you later, I promise,” he breathed. “It’s a secret I’m willing to share with you.”
Ryo purred into the kiss that followed. “You trust me that much,” he noted when they parted.
“Yes, I do.” Marik kept his arms wrapped around his lover and rolled onto his side, pulling Ryo with him. They settled down together with bodies meshed, so Marik could curl his arms behind Ryo’s back – smooth, and soft, by comparison – and comb through his long, silky silver hair. Ryo rested comfortably in that safe shelter, resting his hands gingerly on the odd-feeling scarified skin of Marik’s back and ducking his head to kiss along Marik’s neck and collarbone. Now that they lay side by side he could reciprocate, and tease Marik with some of the nice things he had been treated to already tonight. Marik held him, stroked his hair, and sighed contentedly at the feel of gentle, cautious lips tracing the lines of his muscles and blessing his broad chest. Ryo was a delicate white shadow wrapped in his lover’s tanned embrace, tawny limbs entwined with pale, and both of them noticed it with some delight. Each was exotic and rare to the other, and both lifted a hand to press flat to the palm of the other, and then lace their fingers together and look at how funny and cute it appeared to mingle their different skin tones. But the sight of it only made them want even more of their bodies entwined, and before too long Ryo was clutching Marik’s face and kissing him hotly while Marik’s hands groped down between them and unbuckled his belt. The rustle of clothing was punctuated with the sound of a zipper, loud in the otherwise still room, and then Ryo’s long, heavy sigh as a hand slunk into his pants and clutched him firmly for the first time.
Ryo hid his face in the crook of Marik’s neck and breathed heavily, clinging to his lover’s shoulders while the hand on him stroked slowly, as if just investigating what it had found. Having been an adolescent boy, naturally Ryo was rather familiar with his own body, but the sensation of someone else touching him, in a completely different, exploratory way, made him shudder and flush hot and lean his body closer to encourage more. Marik’s hand slid around his hip, working his pants a little lower, and then resumed caressing him with deliberate patience. The sighs in his ear made him smile to himself, and wet his lips in anticipation. “Is this all right?” he breathed softly.
Ryo’s only reply was a purring moan, as he lifted his face and glanced a kiss across Marik’s cheek. He wilted and laid back again, opening himself wider to accept the intimate caress. Marik laid beside him, resting on one elbow with his arm under Ryo’s head, and worked him free of his pants so as to not only touch but see and experience his lover’s growing erection fully. Ryo smiled uncomfortably at being so exposed, but then the tanned hand came around him and stroked him firmly, thumb dancing around the head, making him gasp and forget all about being embarrassed. To be held so, with a smile glowing down at him from Marik’s lips, made everything all right. Marik continued to caress him for a while, gentling his touch so as not to just crudely jerk him off right then and there, but when Ryo began to writhe and gasp a little more raggedly, his hips surging into the hand stroking him, he backed off and let his partner rest. With one arm flung over his head, the back of his hand resting on his forehead, Ryo glanced up to see why he was stopping. Marik pushed himself up on his hands, leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend sweetly, and then sat up, reaching for the waistband of his own pants. Brown eyes widened in interest as the prostrate Ryo was treated to an over-indulgent strip show, as Marik undid the button and slowly pried back his pants to reveal himself, his slender torso flexing just right as he wormed his way out of his clothing and knelt completely naked – and erect – before Bakura. Ryo sat up a little as he stared in wonder at the prize waiting for him, finding his heart racing and his body aching just looking at the lean, muscled body displayed before him, broad chest, slim hips, tawny skin, straw-blond hair cascading over his shoulders, and a decadent, smoldering smirk in those pale blue eyes. Marik allowed himself to be ogled for a few minutes before prowling forward on his hands. Ryo pushed himself up to meet him, reaching to touch his face as if afraid he would vanish like a mirage. Marik’s smile glowed even stronger as he felt fingertips on his cheek. “What do you think?” he murmured. “I’m not pushing too fast, am I?”
Ryo’s hand slid down his cheek to his shoulder, and then roamed across his chest. “No, not at all,” he breathed. “This is…right. You are…” His eyes flicked downward, and quickly back up with an expression of guilty pleasure. “You’re very beautiful. I can’t believe you’re really here, and we’re really going to…”
Settling back onto his knees, Marik reached for the hand gracefully caressing his body and clasped it briefly. “I want it too,” he said encouragingly. “I want you so much. I can honestly say I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” He let go of Ryo’s hand and sat back, shoulders squared and a dark, desirous look in his eyes. “I want you to have me. I’m yours, all of me. Don’t be afraid. Just take it. Whatever you want, I’m not going anywhere and I’ll never hold anything back from you.”
Ryo sat up fully and turned toward him, gingerly drawing a fingertip down the middle of Marik’s chest in preface. “You want me…that much?” he asked in a gentle tone.
“I love you that much,” Marik clarified. He nodded at the look of startled surprise that received. “Yes, I mean it. I am in love with you. The fact that we’re here tonight…well,” he said with a glance down at himself and a wry smirk. “I’m not the kind of guy to just…bare my all before anybody.”
Ryo chanced a smile in return. “And it’s a nice all, if I do say so myself,” he teased, sliding his touch a little lower before overcoming his shyness and stroking his fingertips along the head of his partner’s erection. Marik closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, leaning back a little to allow Ryo to see and touch all of him. For now, though, Ryo only explored him in fascination, touching gently but not really moving to tease or arouse him further. Marik sat patiently, letting him go as slowly and cautiously as he needed, for he was also somewhat shy about opening himself up to another person in this way. Considerably less so than Bakura, but some part of him still giggled like a schoolboy at the sight of his lover’s hand palming his cock and circling it with slow, testing motions. Ryo then moved to stroke his flanks, his stomach, his thighs, any other part of him near to his reach that he felt like brushing his hand over. In return, Marik caressed his arms, from wrists up to shoulders, wordlessly communicating his appreciation and encouragement for this to never end. At last, Ryo sat back and took a hold of his waistband, locking a demure smile on his partner as he pushed his pants down and worked his way out of them. Marik helped with the last step, his hands gentle on Ryo’s hips and thighs as they settled back onto the bed and found themselves facing each other, steadying each other, naked and aroused and at a complete loss as to how to progress from there.
Feeling shyness creeping over him again, Ryo laid back and nestled into the bed, an arm curled around himself as if to hide his bare chest from the blue eyes gazing heatedly down at him. Marik chuckled softly under his breath as he leaned down, supporting his weight on his hands. “Your whole body is blushing,” he noted, nodding towards Ryo’s exposed skin flushed red from nose to toes, obvious against his pale tone.
“Is it?” Ryo absently wondered, turning his eyes bashfully away. “It sure feels like it…”
“It’s nice.” He sidled even closer, smiling even more amusedly. “I think it’s cute.”
Ryo turned his head back in order to meet the gaze hovering above him, as Marik was crawling up alongside him, over him, prowling in to seduce him. Brown eyes, wide and shy, met blue. “So, I’m cute, am I?” Ryo breathed, partially in disbelief. The hand reaching across to his own shoulder slid further up to his neck to cover himself.
Marik’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and then he lowered himself beside Ryo, curling up next to him so their bodies touched, skin to skin. “Not just cute,” he said in a happy purr. “Sexy.” His hand brushed flat across Ryo’s stomach, making him shiver. “You have such a nice body. I can’t stop touching it.”
Gasping softly, Ryo drew back his arm to open himself once again to being ogled, and slid his hand onto Marik’s near shoulder. Marik smiled at the soft touch, and tilted himself even closer, so his erection would glance across his partner’s hip and tease him with its nearness. It made Ryo tremble even more, but he didn’t shrink away. With his hand still roaming, looking for places to caress, Marik laughed a little to himself. “It’s strange. I want you so much, more than ever, but now that I’ve got you here, ready, waiting, I…I don’t know what to do. I mean,” he quickly added, his cheeks flushing, “I know the mechanics of it. I’m not that innocent. I just…don’t know how I should take the next step.”
Ryo blinked at him, comforted to hear that he wasn’t the only one paralyzed by uncertainty. “Well, I…I don’t think there are any rules of operation to go by,” he offered cutely. “Whatever comes into your mind…or inspires you.”
“Do you know…?” Marik continued to gently stroke his abdomen, making lazy circles just below his navel. “…whether you want to…how do they say it? Give, or receive?”
The body beside him blushed all over again. “Oh…whatever you want is fine,” Ryo stammered, trying not to look away. “I’ll go along with it.”
Marik laughed. “No, come on now. We can’t lay here all night going, ‘you first,’ ‘no, you first.’ Once of us has to decide.”
Ryo giggled at him. “Well…you’re more confident than I am. Perhaps you should take the lead.”
“It has nothing to do with confidence,” Marik said wryly. “It’s only about whether you want me inside you, or not.” He met Ryo’s bashful gasp with a sultry smile and leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice to a murmur. “You’re not totally naïve, are you? You’ve touched yourself before, right?”
Biting his lip to stifle an embarrassed giggle, Ryo nodded. “As much as any teenage boy,” he admitted.
“When you do…” Marik leaned in all the way now, his face mere inches away, his breath hot on his partner’s flushed cheeks. His eyes, half-closed, gleamed with sensuality. “…what do you think about?”
Ryo’s eyes widened briefly. “What?”
“To get yourself going…to get in the mood. What do you think about?” Marik’s lips curved in a delicious smile. “And don’t tell me you don’t. Everyone does.”
With his lover so close, resting an arm on his chest, and the obvious hardness prodding him in the hip, Ryo couldn’t help but be captivated by the heavy-lidded gaze and charmed into spilling all his private secrets. “Sometimes,” he breathed, “it’s about people I know, but most of the time…I just dream of a stranger coming up to me, maybe the clerk in the bookstore or the teacher’s assistant at school, and he always takes me somewhere quiet and…” He suddenly laughed under his breath. “Come to think of it, I’m always the receiver in those fantasies. The one seduced, treated like a fragile flower by some caring gentleman who wants to give me everything I need…”
“Ahh…I see…” Marik’s smile took on a knowing glow. “Then, if you want it that way, I would be happy to have you. I’ve thought of us making love, and what it would be like to have you beneath me, and me inside you.”
“Have you?” Ryo purred, no longer shy. “That sounds nice. I think I’d like that.”
Indulging him with another smile, Marik shifted and slid over on top of him, forcing Ryo to part his legs to give him room to lay. Bakura sucked in his breath sharply, but made himself stop recoiling at every new sensation or position and just accept it, looking up eagerly to find Marik poised over the top of him, weight on his elbows, slowly lowering himself so their hips and erections touched. He lowered his head and kissed Ryo hotly, glad to feel his partner respond with the same eagerness, tongue darting from between his lips to tease at Marik’s and draw him into a deeper kiss. It worked splendidly. Marik pressed him down into the bed, slinking one arm beneath his head to cradle him, grinding his hips down into Ryo’s and thrusting ever-so-slightly against him. Ryo gasped and whimpered with his lips still firmly pressed to Marik’s, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as his whole body trembled with anticipation. This went above and beyond his boyish fantasies, this was just what he wanted – needed – and now. Marik had been nothing short of sweet, gentle, and romantic, leading them both to this point where they could let go and find the other side of lovemaking, the hot and fierce and urgent, driven need they both felt somewhere in the pits of their abdomens. Marik was gorgeous and sexy, there was no doubt about that, and as he felt his lips and throat being ravaged all over again, Ryo opened his eyes just enough to gaze at the slinky, sinewy body stretched out over the top of him and sighed hard in eagerness. He did want that body taking him, filling him up, and looking so beautiful doing it. He clutched at Marik’s shoulders and let his head loll to the side to allow access to his neck, seeing as Marik was doing such a good job at favoring it with hot, wet kisses. But it was the slow, rhythmic grinding of their cocks against each other that inflamed them both, as Marik braced his knees and surged his hips forward, pressing just enough to tease and not oppress, and Ryo spread his legs even more to encourage him. At last, Marik slipped or shifted, and instead of Ryo’s hip or stomach, his erection slid beneath him and prodded against the soft, hot place just beneath his sack, making him jerk suddenly with the realization of how close it was to…. The gasp left him and before he could stop himself, he whimpered, “Yes, please…please…”
Marik lifted his head. “You like that?” As long as he was in position, he thrust against Ryo again, enjoying the way it felt to rub against him.
“Oh…” Ryo closed his eyes and let his head fall back, belatedly noticing that he wasn’t anywhere near the pillows. “It’s so close, Marik…I want it. I’m ready. Please…” He breathed a deep sigh and looked up earnestly at his partner’s wry smile. “Please?”
Marik chuckled. “You hardly need to ask.”
He began to slide his hand down Ryo’s hip, and around to his ass, when Ryo squeezed his arm lightly. “But…before you…before we go all the way,” he added in a breathy whisper. “Could you…I mean, would you start slow? With…your fingers?” He smiled sheepishly. “I…I want to get used to the feeling.”
“Mm…sure.” Marik kissed his cheek, nibbling softly along his jawline. “Anything you want.”
Chuckling a little deep in his throat, Ryo stretched and writhed beneath him, reaching back over his head for the shelf above the bed where he had tucked the supplies earlier. Marik laid in place and watched to see what he was getting, understanding after seeing it and agreeing with the suggestion. Ryo gave a small, embarrassed giggle at the condoms and stuck them back on the shelf. “I only wanted one, but they come in packs. I had to get them that way.”
Marik gave him a curious look. “You don’t think we need more than one?”
“Well…” Ryo surreptitiously pressed the tube of lubricant into his hand. “We are both virgins. We technically don’t need them at all. But I thought…perhaps, the first time, at least. Just until we get used to it. And I wouldn’t want to be irresponsible,” he added with an adorable grin.
Marik smiled back and kissed him sweetly. “That’s just like you,” he remarked. “Being responsible. Very well.” He gave another long, lingering kiss and then turned his attention to the tube in his palm, glancing over the label and figuring out how to get it open. The lubricant felt like nothing else he could think of, but Marik knew as he rubbed some between his fingers that it would do the job nicely, moreso than “whatever was handy.” He smiled down to signal that he was ready, and Ryo responded by crooking his leg, spreading himself wide to invite exploration. Cool, slick fingers found hot flesh, circled around for a moment, and then probed delicately at the opening. Biting his lip, Ryo tried not to flinch, no matter how surprised he was to be finally feeling the touch he had waited so long for. Marik’s eyes met his and smiled down on him while his hand felt its way beneath him, hesitantly rubbing along the outside before finally getting up the courage to press a fingertip to the opening, and then inside. Ryo’s eyes closed as his face contorted with the brief flash of discomfort, but he mentally reminded himself to relax and just breathe, and let it happen. It felt weird, but not distasteful, and the more Marik gently pushed in and out, slowly caressing with just one finger, the more he started to think he liked it. It helped that every movement of Marik’s hand made his arm brush against Ryo’s erection just a tiny bit. Then, two fingers at a time, leaving Ryo gasping and tilting his hips upward in a desperate thrust. Marik was gasping just as much, aroused nearly to the breaking point by the heat of Ryo’s skin where their bodies touched and the feel of his actions driving his lover to such heights of pleasure. He lowered his head and kissed across Bakura’s stomach, tasting sweat. “So what do you think?” he murmured huskily with his lips still grazing across his partner’s body. “Do you like it? Do you want me to keep going?”
Ryo gave a little cry. “Yes…oh, Marik, please,” he begged breathlessly.
Chuckling darkly, Marik pushed his fingers a little deeper and then crooked them, making Ryo recoil up against him, pressing his hips and erection completely against Marik’s chest. Marik held him tight, one arm beneath his back, the other still doing its marvelous work, though both were gasping now and writhing against each other eagerly. He kissed Ryo’s stomach savagely, leaving wet trails from his lips across taut muscles, his fingers inside groping a little more roughly. A hand clenched in his blond hair, and he glanced up to see Ryo with his head thrown back, panting, eyes closed, a vision of beauty in all his innocence and grace. Growling appreciatively, Marik dropped his head again and bared his teeth, biting Ryo gently on his stomach, just above his navel. The unexpected nip made Ryo jerk upward in surprise, but as he looked down along the length of his body to see whether Marik had damaged him, the sight which met him nearly caused him to lose all control on the spot. To see Marik lying between his legs, arms wrapped around and under him, his own erection standing alert and waiting, pushed away all shyness for good. It was time. His hips surged up, driving his hardness insistently into Marik’s shoulder. Marik stroked in time with it, and then withdrew his fingers as Ryo settled back onto the futon. “Does this mean you’re ready?” he asked teasingly.
“I think so,” Ryo breathed. “Just…go slow.”
“I will.” Marik brushed his hand flat across his partner’s stomach and then stretched up to find the box of condoms, now that he knew where they were. They probably could have done without, but being as he had never done this before either, he agreed that it might help them get used to it. He reclined next to Ryo for a moment while trying to get the little square packet open and determine exactly how to put the thing on, a long moment which left them both blushing and giggling until everything was in place and Marik was reaching for the lubricant again. Ryo quieted, accepting more of the wet, slick touch to prepare him for what was to come. He knew it would be uncomfortable, painful, for Marik’s cock was considerably larger than two fingers, but just thinking of it in those terms made him want it all the more. Much of Yugi’s advice to him was starting to fade into the blank haze of ecstasy, but he remembered enough to know to get his body positioned in such a way as to let them both manage easily. It wasn’t as difficult or awkward as he expected to slide his foot over Marik’s shoulder, and as Marik leaned in and pressed against him, he noticed that they were indeed positioned just right. Marik braced his hand on the bed and slid the other around Ryo’s leg to his hip, pausing to gaze down at him and verify that he was not about to suddenly pull away and say no. The nervous smile he received was signal enough, and with a sigh, Marik groped with his hand to find the opening and held Ryo steady as he pushed inside. Ryo’s body resisted at first, but then gave way, and Marik plunged into him.
The flash of pain left Ryo gasping, but Marik held still, giving him a moment to catch his breath. Then, slow movement, out and back in, and this time Ryo’s breathy cry contained nothing but pleasure. His hand closed on Marik’s arm, gripping tightly. Lowering his head, Marik took a breath and flexed his back, and then began to thrust, gently at first, but gradually building in intensity. Back in his bad old days he had carried himself with an air of sensuality, like a prowling beast, knowing he was beautiful and if he had cared then, could have had anyone he wanted, male or female. Most of that had vanished after his redemption, replaced by the shyness and gentleness of the boy he had been before corruption, but the raw sensuality was still deep down in there somewhere. Now that they had overcome their shyness and taken the final step, Marik tapped into that well of sexual desire, knowing fully that he had it in him to take Ryo all the way, over the edge, and bring them both to screaming ecstasy. The barest of dominant smiles flashed across his lips as he bent low and pushed in, committing his whole body to the effort. Bakura’s hands groped and found his partner’s arms, clinging to him desperately as he felt himself being ground down into the futon. The more they became used to the friction, the easier it was to take, and soon Ryo had loosened up enough to allow Marik to quicken the pace. With one arm braced on the bed, the other clutching a handful of Ryo’s ass, he drove himself deep, panting with exertion. Ryo’s eyes squeezed shut, his mouth fallen open to let out every gasp and cry, but he was holding on and even pushing back, eager to hasten the conclusion. His body was tightening in expectation, but he wasn’t there yet, and much as he wanted to encourage his partner, he had lost the ability to form words. This was just what he wanted, just what he had been waiting for his whole adolescent life. Not just someone to love, but someone to take him, to have him and enjoy him, someone he was happily willing to give himself to. He forced himself to open his eyes and look, and behold Marik in all his glory.
The time for beauty and romance had passed them, they were both consciously in the final stage of sheer passion, disheveled and sweating and yet somehow still beautiful. Panting, eyes hazy, Marik was staring down at him, watching him, and still bucking against him with full, long strokes. Sweat glowed on his tanned skin in the golden light of the lamp, and strands of his blond hair were sticking to his forehead. Biting his lip, Ryo used the momentum of the thrust to shift himself a little more, tilting his hips up just a bit, and it became suddenly easy for Marik to push deeper, and faster. Much as instinct made him want to close his eyes and fall back and let it all come, Ryo locked his gaze on Marik, curious and excited to see him positioned there between his legs, having sex with him, and so close to the end. Feeling vaguely like he couldn’t keep it up much longer, Marik let go of his lover’s ass and clenched his fist around his erection instead, jerking him roughly without much finesse to make sure he was just as ready to come. Ryo twitched, and suddenly screamed as he came immediately, splattering them both across the abdomen. A wild grin broadened on Marik’s face, and he thrust a few more times, fast, hard, eager to catch up now that he had been passed in the race. His actions only prolonged Ryo’s orgasm, and he kept crying out with each breath until at last Marik stiffened and let out a high, breathy moan. The punishing thrust froze, and his body shuddered with climax. He wilted, and braced his palms on the bed so as not to crush his partner. He was breathing as hard as any runner after a sprint, and the electricity running through his limbs to the tips of his fingers and toes was very slowly subsiding. Ryo whimpered beneath him, and they looked to each other to make sure they were in agreement that that was good. The hand on Marik’s arm tightened, and there was pain – fingerprints bruised into his skin. He was starting to catch his breath, and practical need crowded past the delirium to nag at him. He started to pull out, but paused. “Uh…” He darted a worried look to Ryo. “What do I do now?” he whispered.
“Oh! Um…” Ryo looked just as embarrassed. “Bathroom?” His eyes shifted briefly to the side to indicate the dark doorway beyond.
“Oh…” It took some delicate handling, but Marik figured out how to safely escape and duck into the bathroom. A minute or two later he was back, his steps a little wobbly thanks to the exertion, but smiling as beautifully as ever. Ryo hadn’t moved, he was still sprawled in the middle of his bed trying to catch his breath, but glanced to see his lover’s naked body and smiled back. Marik stepped back onto the futon and knelt beside him, and then crawled forward to stretch himself out and take Ryo into his arms. First, they kissed, as softly as any romantic moment of the past two weeks, and then they gazed at each other for a long time. “Well,” the young Egyptian tried to begin.
Ryo reached and brushed a lock of hair out of Marik’s eyes. “Thank you.”
Blue eyes widened curiously. “What for?”
Ryo snuggled closer and laid his head on Marik’s shoulder. His breath was warm on Marik’s skin. “I have never felt this way before. I don’t want it to ever end.”
Wrapping his arms around his lithe partner, Marik pressed a gentle kiss to his temple. “What way is that?” he purred.
Ryo stirred a little, but only to nuzzle his way to a more comfortable position. “Wanted. Sexy. Like…I’m not a child, or a geek, or anything anymore. Like the rest of my life has been nothing but shadows, and I’m finally stepping out into the light.”
Marik chuckled deep in his throat. “I didn’t know I was that good.”
“Mmm…you were very good,” his lover whispered. “But it’s more than that.” He opened his eyes, and blinked up at Marik’s puzzled gaze. “No matter what I fantasized, I never thought this day would ever come for real. Not just…giving of myself, but…giving to someone I care about.” He blinked back tears and lowered his head again, cuddling close. “Thank you.”
Stunned, Marik just held him tightly, hugging him to his chest. He didn’t know what to say to that. They laid together for a while, hardly moving, content to feel the warmth of their entwined embrace and the bashful eroticism of the stickiness and heat lingering between their legs. They needed to get up and clean up, and perhaps change the bedding now that they made a mess of the topsheet, but they needed this even more first. Closeness, tenderness. Knowing that it wasn’t just mindless passion, but an expression of everything they didn’t know how to say in words. Marik stroked his fingertips lazily up and down Ryo’s back, content to feel a reciprocating touch caressing small circles on his bare shoulder. At last, when the option was either to fall asleep right there or to rouse themselves and take care of basic needs, he pried himself away and combed a hand through Ryo’s hair, brushing the sheaf of bangs away from his eyes. “There is one more thing,” he noted in a gentle tone.
“Hm?” Ryo looked up at him.
Reluctantly drawing himself out of the cuddly, warm embrace, Marik stretched and then rolled onto his stomach, reaching behind him to pull his long hair out of the way. “You wanted to see this. And I wanted to tell you about it.”
Interested, Ryo sat up beside him and leaned over to look, gasping under his breath when he saw that the scars he had felt formed pictures. Recognizable pictures, at that. Blue eyes watched from over Marik’s shoulder, but when he spoke again, there was no trace of pain or anger in his voice. “You said you don’t remember anything from Battle City, when I made pacts with the spirit of the Ring, so you probably never heard about this. This is the secret I have always guarded, the pharaoh’s secret, my whole purpose for even existing. This is the legacy of the tombkeepers, handed down from father to son since the days of Egypt when the pharaoh lived. I was born in order to carry it on my back, and if the pharaoh still hadn’t come in my day, to pass it on to my own firstborn son.”
Ryo stared for a long time, but at last, dared himself to reach out and touch the lines of the scars. They were very old, but too deep to heal completely, making them still visible and understandable after all this time. A million questions crowded his mind, but the one that made its way out first showed the depth of his caring for this young man in his bed. “Did it…did it hurt?”
A shadow momentarily dimmed Marik’s eyes. “Yes. A lot. It took me days to recover, and I had to lay on my stomach for a long time even after they scarred over because it hurt to rub against the bed linens.”
Tears shimmered in Ryo’s brown eyes. “How old were you when they did this to you?”
Marik glanced down at his arms folded on the bed. “Very young. Just a boy. I don’t know exactly, maybe…eight?”
“Oh!” Ryo clapped a hand to his mouth in shock. “Marik!”
“It’s all right.” Marik rolled onto his side and then sat up, reaching to take his lover’s other hand. “I couldn’t have done anything about it. I was just a little kid, with all this stuff about duty and heritage and the pharaoh being pounded into my head by my clan. My father was very proud of being able to carry this on his back, he thought I should be too. But I wasn’t. I hated them all for doing this to me, for hurting me, and I hated the pharaoh for not coming – or for all I knew, not existing in the first place – so that I couldn’t escape it. And that,” he said with a helpless shrug, “is how I got to be a bad guy.”
Ryo caressed down his companion’s arm and took both his hands. Pure, liquid sympathy gleamed in his eyes. “How do you feel about it now? Does it still bother you?”
Marik shook his head slowly. “My eyes are wide open. I’m honored, now, since the pharaoh is here, and everything will finally come to pass in my lifetime. I won’t say that carving these marks into my back was ever a good thing, no child should have to put up with that no matter what their destiny is, but…I’ve come to accept it. I’ve done what I was born to do, I’ve given the pharaoh these scriptures, so now anything else I do in his service is my choice alone.” He stroked the backs of Ryo’s hands with his thumbs. “I’m free, now. I can live any kind of life I want, go anywhere, be anything…love anyone.” He smiled warmly. “I don’t have to worry about passing this legacy on to any child, no one has to bear it any longer. I’m the last, and I’m okay with that. Especially since it lets me be here, now, with you.” He leaned forward and kissed Bakura sweetly.
Ryo lowered his head bashfully. “I suppose. If not for the pharaoh and your duty, we never would have met.”
“It’s too bad we had to take a long and rocky road to get here.” But Marik was still smiling. “It’s all right. I love you, and I want you to be comfortable knowing everything about me, right down to my darkest secret. Since, if we keep doing this,” he added with a blushing glance down at their nakedness, “you’re probably going to keep feeling those scars.”
“It doesn’t hurt when I touch them, does it?”
“No. I hardly even notice, I’m used to them being there.”
“All right, then.” Ryo mustered a smile for him. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything like all the horrible scenarios I had thought up. I thought you had gotten hurt in an accident, or maybe been whipped as punishment or abused or something.”
“No, nothing anywhere near so awful,” Marik laughed. “And it’s all worked out for the best. Now, it’s just a strange little curiosity about me.”
Ryo leaned in and kissed him, first on the lips, then on the cheek. “Thank you for showing me. I shall treat your scars with all the respect due to them.” They kissed once more, and then wordlessly helped each other up to go into the bathroom and prepare for bed, now that they were fully worn out. Somewhere inside Ryo’s mind, a dark spirit forced by his own word to stay out of it was not as dormant as he should have been. Despite his complaints about being forced to watch love, sap, cuteness, and now sex, he had finally found a reason to allow Marik and Ryo to be together.