Breathless
Ryou smiled as he hugged Malik. Malik ran his long fingers through his lover's hair watching each strand slowly fall back into place.
"How are you feeling, Ryou?"
"After resting for a while, I'll be fine. My doctor said there's no reason for me to stop my daily activity. I just don't want to do too much."
Malik brought Ryou's face down for a kiss. The boys kissed deeply as Malik's tongue infiltrated Ryou's mouth to curl around Ryou's. Ryou's skin was warm against Malik's as they moaned into the kiss. Ryou's breathing began to pick up as he rubbed his hand along Malik's chest and his abdomen.
"I missed you, Malik. I missed you and Bakura so much. When you guys left me in the hospital, I was so lonely." They could feel each other's heart beat as their fingers entwined. Malik gasped breathlessly as Ryou kissed Malik's neck gently heating up Malik's skin with his kisses. Enjoying the affection, he threw his head back and arched into Ryou. He began to writhe under Ryou's body trying to gain as much contact with him as possible. Ryou pulled back and heaved for breath.
"Ryou, are you Ok?"
"I'm fine. It's hard not to be breathless when I'm sitting with such perfection. It's hard not to be breathless around you."
Malik pressed his lips against Ryou again running his hands up Ryou's shirt when they heard their yamis return.Malik kissed Ryou's neck sending shivers up Ryou's back. The kisser was brought closer to Ryou's chest.
Bakura put the groceries away downstairs and told Marik to place Ryou's medication by his bedside in case he needed it in an emergency. Marik believed their lovers were still sleeping and went upstairs slowly. He came to the door and heard a whimper coming from within.
"I love you, Malik. I love you, baby," Ryou's voice heaved.
Marik stood there shocked. If Ryou and Malik were doing what he thought they were doing, Ryou couldn't be in that much pain. Marik opened the door and found Malik clutching Ryou close to him. Ryou turned around to see Marik.
"Back so soon?" Ryou asked as he climbed off of Malik. "Does Bakura need help downstairs?"
"Ryou, you just got out of the hosp-."
"Yes, Ryou. If you can handle it, go help Bakura," Marik said putting the medicine by Ryou's bed. Ryou put on his bathrobe and walked out of the room. Marik shut the door and looked at Malik on the bed pulling down his shirt.
"We didn't expect you home for a while, yami."
Marik stood there looking at Malik almost as if they were far away from each other. Downstairs, they heard Bakura and Ryou laugh.
Marik slowly advanced on the bed, his lip almost trembling and curling at the same time. Malik slowly moved further away not knowing if Marik was going to go into one of his tantrums or collapse on the floor crying. Marik sat on the bed and turned to Malik.
"Come here." The hikari was frozen by the tone. "Come here, Malik."
The yami grabbed Malik's hand. "I love you, Malik. You know that, right?"
"I…I know you do. I'm yours, Marik, you know that," Malik said brushing his yami's cheek. The yami turned to look into Malik's eyes.
"I wish I could believe that."
Malik moved closer to Marik on his knees. "Believe that, yami. You will always have a special place in my heart."
"Then why are you neglecting me? We used to do what you and Ryou were doing. Do you love Ryou more than me now?"
"I may love Ryou, too, but that doesn't mean I hate you, yami. It doesn't mean I'm angry at you. You didn't act this way before when I admitted to sleeping with Ryou."
"You weren't ignoring me."
"I'm very sorry, yami." Malik kneeled in front of Marik and brought his yami's head to his chest. "Do you hear my heart beat, Marik? It beats only for you."
Marik sighed against his hikari's chest and wrapped his arms around Malik. Malik tilted Marik's head to look into his eyes. "I do not love you any less than I did before Bakura and Ryou came to live with us. Ryou belongs to Bakura. That is the way it shall always be."
"Don't you know you maybe interfering with their marriage? Ryou's a married man, Malik."
Malik released Marik. "I'm not trying to come between them. I'm not trying to steal Ryou away from Bakura. Nothing like that would ever cross my mind. Ryou wants to be with Bakura and I let him because I want to be with you. You are important to me, Marik."
Marik kissed Malik's neck. "I just don't want you to leave me, Malik. I know I can be rough at times and may even lose my temper. But that does not mean I don't love you." Marik buried his face in Malik's chest. "I can't be the gentle lover you want. I don't know why or how."
"I don't want you to change, Marik. I love you how you are and I don't want you to change because of me.
I love you just the way you are."
Marik smiled and held his hikari closer. The hikari brushed his fingers through his yami's blonde hair. Downstairs they heard Ryou giggling again.
“I was afraid you didn’t love me anymore,” Marik sniffled. “You mean a lot to me, hikari. I just want you to be honest with me. That’s all I want.”
Malik rubbed his yami’s back and kissed his forehead. “I always will be, yami. You mean everything to me and I would never betray your trust.” Malik leaned down and rubbed his cheek against his yami’s hair.
Marik turned his head and gently kissed his hikari’s lips. Contrary to prior experiences, Marik’s kiss was gentle, soft, and passionate. Marik breathed in Malik as their mouths kissed. Malik continued to rub his yami’s back creating a warm friction of skin on skin under Marik’s shirt.
Malik pulled back from Marik. The hikari brushed away a tear that fell down Marik’s face. “Are you crying? Marik, please don’t cry.”
Marik hiccupped as he sobbed in his hikari’s arms.
“Marik, are you angry at me? Sad? Tell me what you’re feeling, please. I don’t want to see you cry.”
“I’m not angry at you. I just don’t want you to forget about me. I love you, Malik. I may not always show it, but I do love you.”
Malik wrapped his arms around his yami again as he sobbed. “I never want to hurt you, yami. I don’t want you to hate me or be angry with me.”
“Do you love Ryou more than me?”
Malik looked at Marik. “I love both of you. I would do anything for either of you.”
“Choose.”
“Choose?”
“How many times did you sleep with Ryou?”
“One by ourselves and during the time with all four of us. Honestly.”
“You didn’t just sleep with him now?”
Malik began to back away. His yami was becoming defensive. He didn’t realize his yami could pull such a fast change of face. “Ryou just got out of the hospital. I didn’t want to hurt him so I didn’t sleep with him so we just kissed. That’s all we did.”
Marik rose to his knees in front of Malik. “Positive?”
“Yes, I didn’t want to hurt Ryou. I told you I slept with Ryou before. Don’t you remember? We were in the kitchen. I kneeled before you and cried. I even bowed before you. You didn’t mind. You said it was ok. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Marik grabbed Malik’s shoulders tightly. “Because I want to know that you still love me! That’s why! I have to know that you are still mine!”
Malik’s heart began to race as his yami held him tightly squeezing his arm. “Don’t you trust me?"
"Say, it, Malik!"
"Say what?"
"Say that you love me!"
Marik pushed Malik on the bed, the hikari's eyes widening. "I do love you," Malik cried tears coming down his face. "What is with you today? Two minutes ago you were crying in my arms and now look at this!"
Bakura and Ryou were in the kitchen and looked at the ceiling. "They're at it again, yami," Ryou said sipping his tea.
Bakura narrowed his eyes. It didn't sound like Marik was encouraging his partner. It sounded different. "I don't like the sound of that."
Ryou followed Bakura up the steps. They could hear a whimper through the door and a choking cry. "What's going on in there, Bakura?" Bakura and Ryou creeped to the door and they put their ears to the door to listen.
"You love Ryou more than me? Yes or no?"
"I love you both! Dammit, I love you, Marik!"
"You want to know how I feel? I just feel like you've tossed me aside! I feel like I've been replaced!"
"You told me that you and Bakura were lovers in ancient Egypt! I never questioned you about details! I accepted it because I love you too much to let it destroy our relationship! Please, Marik, don't do this to the one who loves you the most." Malik struggled with his yami. "I am yours, yami! Always will be! You're hurting me! Get off of me!"
Ryou was the first to open the door at Malik's pleading cry. Marik had Malik pinned to the bed holding the hikari down by his arms. Bakura jumped forward pulling Marik by the collar.
"What's gotten into you, Marik?" Bakura said pinning Marik with his body against the pillows.
Ryou wrapped his arms around Malik looking stunned at his yami, terror spreading across his face panting heavily.
"This is between hikari and yami, Bakura."
"Not when it entails pinning your hikari to the bed until he cries. What did you do to him?"
"I had to settle things with Malik. This is between me and him."
Ryou clutched Malik to him closer.
Bakura grabbed Marik's collar. "I will not have you upset my Ryou as well."
Marik pushed Bakura away. "If you have to know what this was about, I had to know if Malik still loved me."
Malik avoided Marik's gaze and curled up beside Ryou.
"I love Ryou and Malik, Marik. I have also loved you. That doesn't mean that I pinned my hikari to the bed once I discovered he slept with Malik."
Marik buried his face in his hands. "I don't know what came over me."
"I love Ryou and I know that Ryou would never leave me."
Ryou kissed Malik's forehead and turned to Bakura. “Bakura, I need to talk to Marik for a minute.”
Bakura nodded and lead a crying Malik out of the room.

Ryou’s POV
Marik watched me closely and scruitinized my every move. I could tell he was tense as I sat beside him.
“I wanted to tell you, Marik, that though I do love Malik, I would never dream of coming between you and Malik. I love Bakura with all my heart. I never wanted to hurt you. Nor did I want to drive you away from Malik.”
Marik looked at me a little calmer.
“If I had to choose between Malik and Bakura, I would choose Bakura. I know you love Malik. You also love Bakura. I want you to be happy and I know you are happiest when you are with Malik. You are dark and light. Nobody should separate the light from the dark.”
“Then why did you do it?”
I shrugged. “When all four of us were together, you had no problems sleeping with me. I want you and Malik together. If I have hurt you I apologize. Don’t blame Malik for one indiscretion. It is a mistake all of us make from time to time. But as I said, I would chose Bakura over anyone else in this world. I know that if Malik had to choose anyone else in the world, he would also choose you because he loves you desperately.”
I actually heard Marik sniffle. He wiped a tear from his eyes. “I know he loves me………..and look how I treated him.”
"I love Bakura and he trusts me enough to know that I will tell him the truth. He doesn't need to pin me to a bed. I love Bakura with all my heart and there is no one else I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. You love Malik, do you?"
Marik put his head on my shoulder. “I love him, Ryou. I just didn’t want to lose his love. He means everything to me. I’m guilty of the same crime he is. Not once did he yell at me for sleeping with you when we were together. Malik is so patient…and I’ve treated him like a monster.”
“Tell Malik how you feel. He needs to hear that you love him. Bakura, bring Malik inside.”

Normal POV
Bakura brought Malik inside. "I love you, yami," Malik cried. "I'm sorry I hurt you."
Marik looked up and saw Malik shaking in Bakura’s arms. "You're right. I'm such a jerk! Before you and Ryou moved in, Bakura, I had Malik all to my own. I always had him to myself."
"I'm not trying to take Malik away from you, Marik," Ryou said quietly trying to calm himself down and the other crying hikari in his arms.
Bakura backed away. "It's like you always told me, Marik. We have to care for our hikaris. We have to protect them and love them."
Malik rubbed his eyes. "I forgive you, yami."
Marik came to his knees and grabbed Malik's hand and pulled him up to his knees. "I'm sorry, Malik. I'm so sorry." Marik kissed Malik's forehead crying into the strands of blonde hair.
Ryou pulled Bakura outside. "We should let them have time alone." Ryou took a step away, but Bakura held onto his bathrobe.
"We have to find a way to get them together again, Ryou." A smile played around Bakura's lips.
Ryou read his message as his yami mischieviously raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"
"Are you up to it? I don't want to hurt you so soon."
Ryou caressed his yami's cheek softly. "You've never hurt me, yami. You are always so gentle with me. There were nights I laid awake dreaming of you in that hospital room. Wishing you could be there beside me."
"Malik stayed with me while you were gone. He's beautiful like you are, Ryou. I consider myself the luckiest yami of all because I have you."
Ryou smiled and gently kissed his yami's lips. "I love you so much, yami. So very very much."
Bakura wrapped his arms around his lover and sighed with relief as he felt the warmth radiating from him. Ryou rested his head on his yami's shoulder with a smile.
Bakura walked Ryou downstairs and they sat in front of the window under a blanket watching the sunset together planning their strategy on how to bring Malik and Marik together again.