The Viking Brothers

ChibiMisu here! Wow, I think this was my fastest update ever!! *fanfare* ^_^v thanks again for all the great reviews!! You guys are the best and I just love you!! ^^ Enjoy the next chapter!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh


The Viking Brothers


Chapter 33: To Herrick’s Castle

Duke sat up in bed and undid his hair tie, letting the raven tresses spill down his back. His hair was all tangled and knotted from fooling around with Tristan earlier. He reached over to the end table and picked up the hairbrush there. Duke’s thoughts went back to earlier this evening as he began to brush his hair. Tristan had started throwing some hay at him playfully and it turned into a straw brawl. They had wrestled in the hay for quite awhile then ended up making love. Duke smiled as he remembered that part and giggled slightly. Being with Tristan was so much better than being with Keith. Tristan would make Keith jealous in that area.

Duke paused in his brushing as he heard one of the wooden steps creak. He listened again but heard nothing. He figured it was the wood settling or something and went back to his brushing. A few seconds later,hearheard the sound again and nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked over at the floor where the loft hole was, listening for the sound again.

This time, he heard it right after the second one and all the color drained from his face. His hand trembled and he dropped the brush on the bed. The sound came again but louder this time. Duke felt his heart leap in his throat and a chill run up his spin. Someone was coming up the stairs! His mind screamed at him. Was it Tristan? Should he call out to him? Tristan couldn’t be back already and he sure as hell wouldn’t take his time coming up the steps.

Duke jumped out of bed and blew out the candles, making the room as dark as it was outside. He hurried over to the other side of the room and hid behind a pile of hay bails. There was a small hole in between two of the bails and he peeked through it. The moon gave off some light to make out the other things in the room, but they were all darkened. His eyes were glued to the loft hole as the noise of the creaking steps came closer. He knew now that it couldn’t be anyone he knew or someone who worked at the castle because they would have said something. The only person he could think of that would come after him was- his eyes widened at the thought of the name.

“No...” he whispered low to himself. “It can’t be...he escaped?!”

A blackened figure suddenly appeared from the loft hole and Duke’s body froze with fear. His breath quickened and he covered his mouth with his hands, unable to take his eyes away from the figure. His mind was going a mile a minute, trying to think of something he could do to save his life. The room was small and it wouldn’t take long for Keith to find him. Duke’s biggest fear was what Keith would do to him when he found him. No doubt Keith was furious with him and will most likely kill him than take him back to his castle.

“I know you’re here, treacherous wench!” Duke heis bis breath as his entire body began to tremble. It really WAS Keith!! He had escaped from the dungeon and was right here in the loft! There was no way he could escape without being noticed. The room was open with only a few objects and furniture up against the walls. He would be spotted in an instant. Keith walked over to the bed and Duke watched as the room lit up brightly, casting Keith’s shadow on the far wall.

“Lets see now...if I were a bitch, where would I be?” Duke backed up to the wall and drew his legs up to his chest. He could feel the vibration of Keith’s movements and hear the heavy sound coming towards him. The boots stopped and so did Duke’s breath. His eyes shot upwards and met with the icey blue ones of Keith’s. “Boo.” Duke let out a scream and threw his body into the hay bails, knocking the pile down onto Keith. He made a break for the steps but screamed again when a pair of arms encircled his waist. “GOTCHA!”

Keith carried him over to the bed, kicking and screaming his lungs out. He knew now that Keith was going to kill him and there was no way he could escape. Keith threw him down on the bed and jumped on top of him, sitting on his chest. Duke gasped for air as the weight of Keith pressed down on his lungs. He flared his arms around, scratching and hitting anyplace he could reach on Keith. That was all he could do.

“I could take you right herd nod now, but I don’t like sloppy seconds.” Keith pulled out the rope from his belt and pushed past Duke’s arms. He lifted Duke’s head up by the hair enough to slip the rope behind and wrap it twice around his slim neck. Duke let out a choked scream as Keith pulled the ropes tight, cutting off his air. Duke tossed his head around in an attempt to struggle but only succeeded in having the rope cut into his skin. Keith grinned evilly and pulled the ropes tighter, enjoying the sight of Duke’s body writhing in pain.

Duke felt his breath shortening and his vision blurring. His mind was starting to become hazy as his struggles slowed. Duke could have sworn he saw the face of a devil rather than Keith’s and he thought it was a warning that he was going to die. No, he couldn’t die! He wouldn’t let himself be killed by Keith! He had just found happiness with Tristan and he wasn’t about to lose that now. With all the strength he could muster, Duke brought his hands up to Keith’s face and clawed at eyeseyes.

Keith roared in pain and fell back, clutching his eyes as they started to bleed. Duke began to cough as the pressure was off of his neck and chest. He took in big gulps of air and rolled off the bed, falling to the floor. Keith was still clutching at his eyes and shouting obsanities at him but Duke didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting out of here and finding help. He pulled the rope from his neck and staggered as he managed to make it to his feet. He nearly fell a couple of times as he stumbled towards the stairs, his vision and mind weakening.
uke uke felt something grab his ankle and yank it roughly, causing him to fall heavily to the floor. He looked back and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Keith there. He had one of his eyes closed and the other opened, but it was red and dripping with blood. He must not have scratched hard enough if Keith was still able to see. Duke tried to crawl away from him but Keith pulled him back further away from the stairs. He flipped Duke over and felt around for his neck. When Keith found Duke’s neck he wrapped one hand around it while the other felt for his face.

Keith brought his fist down but his vision was off and he hit the floor beside Duke’s head. He lifted his fist and brought it down again, this time it met with Duke’s face as intended. Duke clawed at his arm but Keith gave him a backhand with his fist, nearly knocking him out cold. Keith did the same to the other side of his face and he felt Duke’s hands slip from his arm. He let out a cracked laugh as his other hand came to join the one at Duke’s neck. He growled low in his throat and pushed his hands upwards so they were right beneath Duke’s jaw. Duke’s head flew back and his eyes shot open wide as the pressure from Keith’s hands threatened to snap his neck in half.

A thought managed to squeeze it’s way into Duke’s mind despite the haziness of it. It was his only hope. With a choked breath, he closed his eyes and stilled his struggles, all while holding his breath at the same time. He thought if he played dead Keith’s assault would stop: and luckily it did. He felt Keith’s hands slip from his neck as the man stood up, his breathing heavy and ragged.

“Gods damned bitch!” Keith sputtered out and spat at him before stepping over his body. It had worked! He heard Keith stumble down the steps and curse as he must have fallen to the floor. Duke heard the stable doors shut after a few minutes and he opened his eyes. His vision was still blurred and he couldn’t find the strength to move anything. He sucked in as much air as he could, coughing and choking at the same time. His entire body was aching horribly as he just laid there on the flbleebleeding. He could feel the blood dripping from his mouth and nose as well as his neck. The light in the room seemed to start fading as his eyelids wavered in exhaustion and pain.

“Hey Duke, I’m back with the ale!!” The sound of Tristan’s voice reached his ears and his heart swelled with hope and relief. He tried to call out to him, but his voice only managed to make a hoarse whimper. He heard Tristan come up the steps and something clatter on the floor. “OH MY GOD!! DUKE?!” Tristan ran over to him and crouched next to him, lifting him up by his shoulders. “WHAPPENPPENED, DUKE?! WHO DID THIS?!” Duke tried to get the words out but they were inaudible and weak with stress. The only thing he could manage were his tears as he was just relieved to see Tristan here with him. “Don’t worry love, I’ll bring you to the doctors! Hold on, Duke!”

Tristan lifted his lover up in his arms and Duke’s head fell limp against his chest. He dashed down the steps and flew through the stables doors, heading for the castle. When he reached it he entered through the kitchen door, scaring everyone who was in there at the moment. They watched as he ran through the room and nearly knocked half of them over. Tristan hurried down tallsalls and up the flight of stairs to where the doctor’s quarters were. He lifted his foot and kicked it against the door, making the heavy piece of wood fly open and startle the doctor.

“Help him, doctor!! He was attacked and is badly wounded!” The doctor hurried over to the bed and turned the covers down.

“Bring him here!” Tristan brought Duke over to the bed and laid him down gently on the mattress. Duke looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and dried tears. The look of Duke’s battered and bleeding body made his heart sink to his stomach. His own tears started to fall from his eyes and land on the bed sheets next to Duke.


“Will he be alright, doctor?!” The doctor wrapped a wet cloth around Duke’s neck and used another to wipe off the blood from his face.

“He’s pretty banged up but he’ll live. His breathing is slow and labored but that’s from the rope and exhaustion.”

“Rope?” Tristan questioned.

“Yes, rope. The assailant clearly tried to strangle him with rope and it cut into his skin. Then they beat him and tried to strangle him again by the looks of it, but this time with their hands. I could see bruised marks from fingers on his neck also.” Duke tried to talk again but the words came out in a strangle whisper.

“What are you trying to say, Duke? Who was it that did this to you?!”

“K...Ke...” Duke tried again to form the words but it hurt to talk.

“Keith?! Was it Keith?!” Duke’s eyes widened and he nodded slightly. “He’s escaped!?” Duke nodded again but wrenched in pain as the movement stung his neck. The doctor turned to Tristan.

“I’ll take care of him from here. You go and alert Master Yami, and Master Seto! Hurry!”


Yami’s Room:

Yugi laid in their bed with his back to the door, waiting to hear Yami enter the room. At first when Yami told him he was going away for awhile, Yugi felt depressed and vulnerable. But now, he was actually angry. Well, angry wasn’t exactly the word...more pissed off than angry. Yami knew Yugi needed him here by his side, but Yami just went along with his plans anyway. He knew it was strictly for business reasons but he could have still tagged along! There was nothing wrong with him riding with Yami and he’d take Annar with them. It was only a three day ride. The door suddenly open and his body tensed. Yugi glared slightly at the wall, not bothering to look over at Yami. He had decided to give Yami the cold shoulder and make him go away with a knot in his stomach.

“Good evening, little one.” Yugi ignored the greeting and pretended to be asleep. “Yugi, I know you’re not asleep. When you sleep, your breathing is very slow and light, but now it’s too fast. What’s wrong, love? Are you mad at me?” Yugi still didn’t answer him and Yami rolled his eyes. ‘He’s making a statement now’ Yami said to himself. ‘He’ll get over it.’

Yami was actually hoping that Yugi would be in a good mood so they could make love before he left. He wasn’t going to see Yugi for awhile, and as his vows have it, he doesn’t belong sleeping around with others. It was going to be a long trip for him...Then a furious knock came at the door, startling them both.

“Lord Yami, it’s an emergency!”

“Enter!” Yami shouted and a guard hurried into the room.

“My lord, I’ve just been informed that Keith has escaped!” Yugi gasped and hid himself beside Yami, despite the fact that he was suppose to be ignoring him.

“Escaped?! How long ago?!”

“Couldn’t have been more than an hour and a half ago! He attacked Duke brutally and he’s in the doctor’s care now.”

“Is Duke alright?”

“I don’t know, sir, but Tristan said that Duke muttered Keith’s name, and even one of the guards came up from the dungeon saying Keith was missing!!” Yami jumped out of bed and reached from his sword.
“Sen“Send out a search party right away!! Search all night if you have too! I want that bastard back in my custody!” The guard stood up and nodded.

“Yes sir, I’ll pass the orders to Seto right away!” With that the guard hurried out of the room and Yami turned to Yugi who was trembling in the bed.

“Yugi, I want you to stay here and go to sleep. Just do as I say, okay? I should be in later.” Yugi watched as Yami lehe rhe room to attend to the escape, leaving him there all alone. Yugi thought about Duke and wondered if he was going to be okay. Yugi wanted to leave the room and go see Duke, but he remembered Yami’s orders so he stayed in bed. He wanted to disobey him, but Yugi was actually afraid to leave the room in case Keith was out there somewhere. He laid back down on the bed and waited for sleep to come.

Doctor’s Room:

Yami entered the doctor’s quarters and saw Tristan standing by one of the beds with the doctor. The two looked over at him as he came into the room. He noticed Duke on the bed, his face bruised and swollen. The doctor placed his finger to his lip, signaling that Duke was asleep and to be quite. As he walked over to the bed, Yami placed a hand on Tristan’s shoulder.

“Sorry about what happened to Duke, Tristan.” Tristan hung his head with a sigh.


“Thanks Yami, but I’m the one who should be sorry.” Yami raised a brow at him.

“Why should you be sorry?” Tristan lifted his head again as new tears pooled in his eyes.

“I wasn’t able to protect him again. This has to be the third time Duke got hurt and I wasn’t there for him. I left him alone to get some warm ale for us and when I came back he was on the floor, bleeding. I shouldn’t have left him alone!! I should have taken him with me! It’s all my fault he’s like this now!”

“No Tristan, it’s not your fault. No one knew that Keith had escaped and Duke just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Maybe so, but I still can’t help feeling guilty about leaving him alone. All I want is to protect him and treat him with the love he deserves. But I’m so useless sometimes. To tell you the truth, I don’t even understand why Duke puts up with me. I try so hard to make him happy but it always blows up in my face.”

“There’s your problem, Tris. You’re trying to hard. Duke puts up with you because he loves you and he knows you love him. You should stop trying so hard and just be yourself. I’m sure Duke would like that.” Tristan ran a hand through his hair.

“Duke is just like Jou, he wants a “Knight in Shining Armor”. We all know that Seto is the knight for Jou and I want to be the knight for Duke, but I’m always screwing up.” Yami gave him a pat on the back and flashed a smile.

“You’re his knight, Tristan, and he knows it. You’re just a...unique knight.” Tristan smiled slightly at Yami’s words and chuckled.

“That’s funny, Yami.” Yami looked down at Duke and frowned. Who was he going to take with him to Herrick’s castle now?

“I guess it’ll just be Davin and I who are going then.” Yami had an idea. “Unless you would like to come along, Tristan?” Tristan looked at him.

“You want me to go? What help would I be?”

“I need someone else other than Davin with me. What do you say?” Tristan shook his head and looked down at Duke.

“Sorry Yami, but I can’t go with you. I want to stay here and watch over Duke in case Keith comes back to finish the job. Do you understand, Yami?” Yami nodded and turned around, ready to head back to bed.

“I do, Tristan. I’m going to retire back to bed now. There’s nothing I can do until the search party reports back. If you hear anything, please let me know. Goodnight Tristan.” Tristan watched as Yami left the room then turned his attention back to Duke.

“I’m going to stay with you all night, Duke. Please be okay.”


The next morning, Yami and Davin readied their horses for the trip to Herrick’s castle. Yami was a little depressed that Yugi wasn’t out here to see him off. His brothers were out there along with Seto, Malik, Jou, and Ryou. Duke was still recovering in the doctors quarters but he had sent his goodbye with a servant earlier this morning. Yami looked up at his room window, hoping to see Yugi’s figure there. He felt his heart skip a beat as Yugi was not even at the window. He really was mad at him.

“Yami, are you alright?” Davin’s voice cut in to Yami’s thought.

“Huh? Oh, yeah I’m fine. I’m just thinking about Yugi and how guilty I feel leaving him here.” Seto spoke to him next.

“No Yami, you have no reason to feel guilty. Yugi would be nothing but extra baggage for you and this can’t be delayed. Don’t worry, he’ll get over it soon enough. You’re doing the right thing in leaving him here.” Yami nodded and jumped onto the saddle of his horse.

“I guess you’re right, Seto, but still...”

“Yami,” Bakura started “You heard Seto right, he said not to feel guilty. Focus on your mission, okay? We’re all here and nothing’s going to happen to Yugi so just be on your way. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get back, yes?”

“You’re both right.” Yami flashed them a small smile, but he was still feeling guilty. “Come on men, let’s ride.” He said to Tristan and Davin who had settled themselves on their horses. “Hold the fort, Seto!” Seto nodded and gave a smirk.

“They’re all in my boot camp now, Yami. Have a safe trip.” The three said their goodbyes once before riding off. Yami looked back at his home, hoping it would still be there when he got back. He had only wished that Yugi would have been there to say goodbye, but he couldn’t dwell on this anymore. Seto and Bakura were right, he had business to attend to for everyone’s sake and his mind couldn’t be led astray. He’d deal with Yugi when he got back.

Yami’s Room:

Yugi pretended he was still asleep so he didn’t have to face Yami. Yami had gotten up and stroked his cheek lovingly before he left, but Yugi still pretended to be asleep. He hadn’t gotten any sleep all night long, worrying about Yami’s trip. What if something were to happen to him on his way there? No, he wouldn’t think about that! Yami would go and do what he had to do and then come back home. He had to think positive.

“I’m just overreacting.” He said out loud to himself. A gentle cooing from the crib caught his attention and Yugi slipped his robe on after he got out of bed. He walked over to the crib and picked Annar up to cuddle him close. Annar was the only thing he had breathing of Yami right now and all he wanted to do was hold him. There were some voices coming from outside and Yugi hurried over to the window to see who it was. The only thing he saw were three men on horseback riding towards the woods.

“Yami...” Yugi whispered his name and waved at the retreatiigurigures. He took Annar’s arm in his hand and waved it. “Say “bye bye daddy. Bye bye.” Yugi’s eyes welled up with tears as he watched the three until they were out of sight.


Later that day, Malik and Ryou left the castle to do a little shopping in the market place. They had snuck out without being noticed with Marik’s money bag. Malik had wanted to go shopping for quite some time but Marik was always “to tired” or “to busy”, so he went without him. Ryou came along because he couldn’t stand to be around Bakura and needed to get out a bit. Malik said a good shopping spree would clear his head.

They decided to have lunch before they did any shopping and stopped at a tavern. Malik picked out a table for them in the corner and ordered some ale while Ryou ordered wine. Malik just loved to annoy Marik in any way possible, knowing he could weasel his way out of it somehow. The only time he wouldn’t be able to was if he slept with someone else. But he would never do that again, Marik made that quite clear to him.

“Malik, I need your advice.” Ryou asked almost timidly.

“What is it, Ryou? It has to do with Bakura am I right?”

“Am I that obvious?” Malik smiled at his friend and reached across the table to place his hand overtop of Ryou’s.

“No Ryou, you’re not. It’s just that I know you are going through a troublesome time and it’s main cause is Bakura. What was wrong with you yesterday afternoon? You were crying and ignored me completely. Was it something Bakura said?”

“Yes. I...I talked to Yugi about this and asked his opinion. He said that Bakura might not be the right man for me and I should try looking elsewhere. He said that if make Bakura so angry all the time and that he hates me, then I should be able to ask him for a leave of absence. It sounded like a good idea so I tried it, but it only made Bakuragh agh at me. Bakura said that I wasn’t allowed to be with any other man other than him and slapped me as usual. I want to leave him, but he won’t let me! What should I do, Malik? Is there some way I can get out of this or is there a chance I can still have Bakura return his feelings for me?” Their drinks came and Malik took a sip of the ale before he answered Ryou.

“Hm, you’re in a tough spot, Ryou. If I were in your shoes, I’d fight him tooth and nail, but ts nos not how you are at all. Yugi’s idea was a good one, but not the right one for a man like Bakura. Hm...let me think about this for a few minutes.” Ryou sat patiently and sipped his wine, waiting for Malik to think up an answer. He hoped with all his might that Malik could come up with a reasonable answer to end his suffering. Malik was his last hope now.

“I have an idea!” Ryou’s heart fluttered at those four words. Malik took hand and again in both of his and squeezed gently. “Listen, I thought up a plan that may help you, Ryou!” Ryou’s eyes sparkled with tears of relief.

“Please tell me, Malik!”

“Listen closely now, this involves you, me, and Marik.” Ryou blinked his eyes at the mention of Marik’s name.

“Marik? What can he do?”

“I’m getting there. Now, we all know how much Marik and Bakura are at each other’s throats, right?” Ryou nodded “And they enjoy picking on the other constantly, yes?” Another nod. “Then all the more reason to have Marik help us. Here’s what we’ll do. I want you to spend your time with Marik and I whenever you get the chance. We want to show Bakura how much fun you are having with us and he’ll start to suspect something else other than just friendship between the three of us. Should things get out of hand, we’ll have Marik on our side who can protect you from Bakura if he decides to go berserk on you. Maybe if he sees you having much more fun with the two of us it would make him realize his feelings for you. I suspect that Bakura does have true feelings for you, but is unable to express them because he doesn’t know any better.”

“Yes, Seto said the same thing. Bakura can be really nice to me at times, but other times he’s just flat out mean.”

“I know, and that’s why I think he’s scared of feeling something for you. We see how he has a hard time warming up to his own brothers, and they’re family! If hels uls uncomfortable around them, then he sure as hell feels the same way with you. With a little jealousy and a push in the right direction, we may have Bakura admit his feelings for you.” Ryou frowned sadly.

“But what if he doesn’t have any feelings for me? What then, Malik?”

“Then we talk to Yami and get you away from Bakura. You’ll have Yugi on your side to plead with Yami, so it should be quite easy. I’m sure Seto will be on your side also, and he’s just as important as Yami. Either way, we can’t loose. What do you say, Ryou? Will you feel comfortable being around Marik and I? We are a bit...well, strange together.” Ryou shook his head and smiled, letting a single tear of joy slip down his cheek.

“No, I’ll feel fine around you two. Your plan is a wonderful idea, Malik, and I don’t know how to thank you! You’re such a good friend, you and Yugi.” Malik smiled and let go of Ryou’s hand.

“That’s what friends are for, Ryou. We only want to see your smile rather than your frown. Now, what do you say we drink to the plan and go wild with shopping!” Malik asked him and lifted his mug. Ryou grinned and lifted his mug as well as the two clanged together.

Marik’s Room:

Malik and Renteentered Marik’s room where he was lounging on the bed reading a book. It wasn’t often when Marik would decide to read, but when he did, you couldn’t take him away from it. Malik walked over to the bed and snatched the book from Marik’s hands. Marik kept his hands in the same position as if he was still holding the book and reading. It took Marik a second to realize that there was no book and he blinked his eyes in confusion. Malik bopped him on the head with the book, gaining his attention.

“Give me back my book, he-wench!” Marik growled out at him.

“He-wench?! Is that a new nickname for me, porcupine head!?” Marik flashed him sad puppy dog eyes.

“Et too, Malik?” Malik smiled at his victory over Marik’s “he-wench” comment. Of course, some ct hat had to go to Bakura who told him to use that insult. Bakura said that when they were little, the other kids used to tease Marik by calling him “porcupine head” because of his hair. He had to remember to use it more often.

“Anyway, I have a proposition for you which I KNOW you’ll like.” Marik sat strait up in the bed, his eyes now shining with excitement. “Well, we were talking about Bakura and how mean he is to Ryou all the time. Ryou is obviously still in love with him and he wants Bakura to express his feelings for him. We have reason to believe that Bakura loves Ryou already, but is confused about his feelings and doesn’t know how to show it. So that’s why we came to you with this plan in mind and I hope you will not refuse us.”

“What is this, “master plan” you speak of?” Marik asked him, curious as to what they had in mind that involved his brother. That part peeked his interest even more.

“We’re going to let Ryou spend more of his time with us than Bakura.” Marik frowned at the “master plan”, that was it?

“So that’s it?” Malik shook his head and held up his hand to prevent Marik from saying anything else.

“No, that’s not all of it. What we plan to do is make Bakura so jealous that hopefully he’ll admit his feelings for Ryou. However, YOU have tiggeiggest part in all of this. I’m giving you permission to openly flirt with Ryou every second you get. Bakura would HATE to learn about how YOU of all people can make Ryou laugh, smile, etc. etc. We need to show Bakura how much fun Ryou has with the both of us. Also, we’re going to try and HINT at a relationship beginning between the three of us. Did you get all that in your head?” Marik threw his head back and laughed hysterically. The other two just looked at each other, completely confused with his behavior. They didn’t see what was so funny.

“That’s rich, Malik!!” He said finally when his laughter died down. “I’m allowed to walk around with two lovely males hanging off my arms? Why would I refuse THAT request? Also, anything that involves pissing off Bakura to the point where he wants to scream is my favorite pass time! I will gladly join you in this little plot. When do we begin?”

“Tomorrow morning at breakfast. Ryou knows his part and I know mine, now I only hope you will play your part right.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t play the part right? I’m a good actor!” Malik crossed his arms and arched his hip to the side.

“What I mean is, you can only kiss or hug Ryou here and there, but nothing more. He can’t give you head nor can you fool around with him.” Marik snapped his fingers angrily.

“Aw shit, that’s what I was hoping for!!” He turned pleading eyes to Malik. “Can we at least have a threesome?” Malik growled low in his throat at the question making Marik cower a bit. He could actually see flames sprouting out from his lover’s hair and eyes.

“Absolutely not!!” Malik screamed and slapped Marik outside the head. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, porcupine head!” Marik hmphed and rubbed his aching temple.

“Ah, Ryou’s probably not that good anyway.” Ryou blinked in surprise at that, but then glared evilly at Marik.

“How dare you say that about me, Marik! Maybe I can’t do acrobats like Malik can,” Malik frowned at that comment. “But I’m every bit as good in bed!!” Marik laid back on the bed and placed his hands behind his head.

“But you haven’t had a real man in your bed yet. Bakura’s just average and Davin’s a pussy.” Malik looked over at Ryou and shook his head.

“Don’t listen to him about the “real man” part, Ryou. It’s not impressive.”

“That’s not what you said the other night, minky mink. Don’t I always make you walkokedoked afterwards?” Malik blushed angrily and stomped his foot. “Ah see? You’re just saying that because you’re angry at me. You know I’m right.”

“Well...well...!” Malik couldn’t think of anything to say so he growled and turned around so his back was facing Marik, blushing wildly.

“Aw, don’t be upset, Malik. Come and lay with me a bit, and Ryou too.” Malik glared at him over his shoulder but Madidndidn’t waver this time. Ryou began to feel atle tle uncomfortable being around these two, but he was determined to make this plan work!

“Come on Ryou, lay with us.” Ryou heard Malik’s voice and it snapped him from his train of thought. He looked to the bed where Malik had laid down beside Marik, cuddling up to him. Marik smirked at him and patted the spot on the other side of him. Ryou blushed a bit but walked around the bed and slowly settled himself next to Marik. He felt Marik’s strong arm wrap around his waist and yank him close, almost crushing him as he did so. “Are you alright, Ryou?” Malik asked “He’s not holding you too tight, is he?”

“No, I’m alright.” Marik sighed and huggled the two close, feeling quite pleased with himself.

“Ah, this is the life.”

End chapter 33