Stepping out of the shower a moment later, Atem heard an odd noise coming from his room. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself, wrapping it around his waist and, leaving his hair down, allowing it to hang past his shoulders, he walked into the hallway and slowly opened the door, peeking inside. "Marik? Are you awake?"

Marik had backed himself against a wall, hugging his knees against his chest and forehead resting on his knees. He was sobbing, broken and tearful on the Pharaoh's floor. And now the last he wanted was happening. The Pharaoh was seeing him defensless, totally vulnerable and bawling his eyes out, miserable and hurt.

He didn't bother to look up, he didn't want Atem to see his his tear streaked face, "I'm up..." He managed to mumble, body shaking and knuckles white as he dug his nails into his arms, trying to drown out the feelings of pain and being dirty not only outside, but inside. Like he was tainted and was unfit for Atem's eyes, much less the hands that had stitched him up.

Gently walking to his friend, Atem hated seeing him like this, and immediately wanted to take all of his pain away. Kneeling in front of Marik, Atem reached out to gently take his hand, speaking softly and comfortingly in their native tongue. "It's alright, Marik. I'm here, my friend. Now, come on. Up you get." Standing slowly, he gently lifted Marik to his feet, smiling lightly, their hands still linked.

Marik shivered at the soft sounds of Atem's voice in their own language, his eyes tracing Atem's face. Each feature was perfect, soft eyes, defined nose and noble brow, lips shaped beautifully into a gentle smile that warmed Marik's insides. He looked away, blushing as he cried, replying to him in that soft tongue, "I feel dirty... I wish you wouldn't touch me. You might be tainted..." He pulled his hands away, hugging himself and trying to stop crying, eyes cast down as if he weren't worthy of looking at Atem's face.

"Hush, Marik. You are not 'dirty' in any way." Gently tilting the broken man's head up to look into his eyes, Atem lightly brushed away the tears with a calloused thumb, smiling gently. "I am only glad that Ra saw fit to guide me to you in time. If I-we had lost you..." He could not seem to finish the sentence, as the emotion of seeing Marik's bloodied body came back to him. Atem had been known for his calm, unshakable will in his past life, but all of that meant nothing, as tears pricked at his eyes.

Marik felt comfort in the touch, leaning into it and pressing his cheek against Atem's hand, "I need a shower..." He didn't want to leave Atem's presence and the hesitation in his words made that obvious. He looked up into Atem's eyes, the pain of his experience and the need for comforting attention visible. With some mental restraint left he resisted the urge to fall into Atem's arms and cling to him, instead leaning up on his toes to brush his lips against the taller man's cheek in a tiny kiss, moving away from him quickly to hide the blush and the want for a more intimate embrace. He kept up his walls, moving around the man and heading toward the door, pushing himself toward the shower. He walked with a slight limp, the pain between his legs becoming nearly unbearable as he leaned against the door frame, cursing his body for failing him and forcing him to stop and show weakness in front of the Pharaoh. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it to the shower without help, but he didn't have the courage to turn and ask Atem for it, not wanting to appear weak and needy to the frighteningly attractive man staning in the room.

Smiling knowingly, Atem gladly walked toward the man and helped him into the bathroom. Once there, he gently let go, stepping back a pace. "I'll be in my room, so if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask." Placing a hand on his shoulder, Atem nearly whispered, his voice calm and soothing. "You need not be afraid to ask for help, Marik. Though 'Pharaoh' was a title I once held, it is mine no longer. I am now a common man. I have always been a common man at heart. You may call me Atem if you wish." Nodding politely, he turned and left the room, hoping his words had comforted the other somewhat.

Marik felt a warm sensation run through his body at Atem's touch, nearly fainting at how gentle the man was with him. He was sure that he was dreaming up that the pharaoh was taking such wonderful care of him. He had never felt that way about a person, let alone another man, and it confused him slightly. Thinking once again that he wasn't worthy, after all he had no experience with relationships, no experience with being with a man, and he had never even had the chance to gain experience in bed unless it was with his own hands.

He removed his clothing carefully, afraid of what he might find as he peeled away the cloth. Dark bruises in the shape of fingers were scattered down his legs from where the man had grabbed him the night before and squeezed, holding him in different positions. his arms had the same patterns of bruising as did his hips and sides. He noticed several places where the man had bitten and sucked on his neck, chest, stomach, and he even found one on the inside of his thigh. Bruised areas even ran over his rear where the man's boney hips had hit him repeatedly and tendrills of dried blood formed a network down his legs from his behind. He felt disgusted with himself, looking at his injuries and marks of sex in the mirror, fingers running over several of the marks on his chest.

Unable to look at himself any longer he turned the shower on and washed himself down with body wash several times, shampooing his hair a few times for good measure. He ignored the painful sting of the soap as it ran over the abrasions on his palms and knees. When he had finished washing his body many times he stood beneath the spray for a long rinse beneath the boiling water. When he felt that he was clean enough he turned the shower off, feeling a bit light headed from the heat, his cheeks flushed from it as he dried himself off and wrapped one towel around his waist and held one around his shoulders to hide the marks on his body, wanting to keep Atem from seeing them.

Slowly he stepped back into the room, eyes down cast after finding so many disgusting injuries on his own body, especially sickened by the blood on his legs that had come from his rear. Marik closed the door to Atem's room behind him, staring down at the floor as he spoke in the soft tongue that made them different from the others that lived in the city, "My clothes are dirty... Is there something I could borrow?" Shy violet eyes lifted to find the Pharaoh, Marik's back pressed against the door for stability with his shaking legs and also because he felt terribly shy at standing before the man with only towels covering his body.

Nodding as he smiled, he pulled out a pair of his old clothes. A sleeveless black shirt and dark pants, handing him a pair of shoes. "Here, these should fit." He turned to give the other privacy as he changed, though his conscience was nagging at him to just take one peek, he maintained his composure and refused, saying to himself that it would be highly dishonorable. Once Marik was finished changing, Atem turned and his jaw nearly dropped at the sight. He looked great. "You-You look..." Atem rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he fought the blush that quickly crept onto his cheeks.

Marik felt a little flush in his cheeks when Atem looked at him, tugging at the hem of the shirt as he looked down. He knew what Atem meant by the way he fidgeted, a tiny smile crossing his soft lips, "Thank you..." The sleeveless shirt revealed all of the bruises on his arms, making him feel a little uncomfortable as he hugged himself, rubbing his arms. He moved slowly around Atem and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his feet, "You've done so much for me, today... I feel a little helpless."

Sitting beside Marik, Atem looked compassionately at the man. "I was only too glad to help you, Marik. It was the least I could do and seems insignificant in light of all your family has done for me over the centuries." Gently easing Marik onto his back, he smiled down at the man. "Get some rest. I'll be here when you awake with something to help hide the bruises."

As Marik's eyes closed and his breathing evened out, Atem leaned down, kissing the younger Egyptian's forehead before lightly standing to go talk to the others. Stepping outside, Tea walked up to him, speaking quietly. "How is he?" Her voice laced with concern.

Smiling, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's fine. Still bruised, and those will take some time to heal. I imagine the emotional aspects will take time to get over as well. He's sleeping at the moment, though." Nodding, Tea sighed. "We'll cancel the camping trip. Marik needs us right now and we can't abandon him."

Nodding, he thanked Tea as she went over to the others to relay Atem's news. Seeing this, Atem walked back into the shop and to the bathroom, grabbing a light concealer to mask the bruises. Walking back into the bedroom, Atem smiled at the peaceful look of his friend as he slept. Pulling up a chair, Atem sat quietly, waiting for him to wake.

A few hours of sleep was just what he had need, curling up into a tight little ball in Atem's bed and mumbling in his sleep. He clung to the pillow, using it more as a teddy bear than a pillow and muttered Atem's name, a little blush appearing on his cheeks as he slept. When he finally woke, his soft violet eyes fell on Atem's face, the blush only getting brighter, "Did... Did you sit with me the whole time...?" Marik knew that he had a tendency to talk in his sleep and the dream he had was more than enough to induce a little embarrassing sleep talk.

He sat slowly, laying the pillow in his lap for obvious reasons and stretched a bit, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders and facing Atem.

Smiling, he shook his head. "No, I came back just before you woke." Though, Atem knew that wasn't the complete truth, and felt bad about lying to him. He had been there since Marik had began to speak and had heard everything. Though he consciously decided not to tell him. Instead, he gently stood, walking over to the boy. "Here. I have something to cover the bruises." Cracking open the bottle of concealer, he made sure it matched his skin tone before gently and evenly applying it to each bruise. "There we go."

Marik blushed, nodding and holding his arms out, "Nn... Go ahead." He nearly melted at Atem's gentle touch, his hands calloused, but so tender against his skin. The concealer matched his skin perfectly, though he wished it would just remove the bruises totally. When Atem had finished Marik sighed and flopped back onto the bed, the borrowed shirt sliding up and revealing his stomach covered in dark marks where the man had sucked on his skin and bitten him. Unaware that Atem could see, Marik lay still, eyes half closed, "I don't understand why this happened... Why did it have to be me? Yesterday was... Wonderful and then, this..." He closed his eyes the rest of the way, shivering a bit, "I'm sorry you had to see me this way..."

"Sometimes, things happen that we simply have no control over. Everything happens for a reason." Spotting the bruises on his stomach, Atem sighed as he took up the bottle of concealer once again, lightly applying it to the remaining marks. Oh, he wished he could find the one that did this and make him pay... "For instance, my return. It is physically impossible and yet, by the will of the Gods, it happened. I do not know the reason, or if I ever will find out. But there must be a reason."

Marik heard him speak, then sat up like a shot, grabbing Atem's wrist and wrapping an arm around his stomach, hissing in pain. He hadn't meant to be so ungreatful, but the touch had not only startled him, but some of the bites had peirced the skin just barely and the concealer against the raw layer of flesh stung. He squeezed Atem's wrist, doubled over on the bed and tensed like steel, only aware of the pain. After a moment he spoke in their language, that being the tongue he used to curse so no one could understand him and think him rude, but Atem understood it. He let out a great long line of curses, biting his lip and trying to wipe the make up from his softly defined stomach.

"I'm sorry, Marik, I..." Taking a rag, he gently wiped the makeup from the man's stomach. "We'll just have to let those heal on their own, I suppose." Sighing heavily, his voice was immediately laced with anger, growling in his native tongue. "By the power of the Gods themselves, if I find the bastard that did this to you..." Taking a deep breath, he sighed heavily, returning to English. "I'm sorry..."

Marik shook his head, "You didn't know..." He looked down and released Atem's wrist, bowing his head and wrapping both arms around his stomach. He felt the tears again, body shaking as he began to cry all over again, the rays of twilight bathing his body in their soft glow and even as he cried, tears washing his cheeks, he looked beautiful. He held himself, shaking and trying to keep the tears in, biting his lip to keep from whimpering.

Feeling his breath catch, Atem could not help but sit on the bed and pull the crying man into his arms, not saying a word. Just holding him and rocking gently. Soon enough, Marik was asleep in his arms. Rather than laying him down, Atem felt content to lay down himself, merely holding Marik close.

Some time around midnight, with moon high and stars shimmering, Marik awoke. He lay still for a moment, trying to discern between reality and that dream like state one enters when just waking. He pressed close to whatever it was giving him warmth, not knowing that it was Atem that he was pressing back against. He rolled slowly, turning to face his heat source and instantly froze, his entire body burning at the sight. His lips were barely an inch from Atem's, his body contoured and pressed in every possible way to the older man's, their legs even tangled together beneath the sheets. Even though he was exactly where he had wanted to be, he felt terrified, not knowing what might happen or what he might do if Atem woke as well. Something inside his body told him that if the older man decided to make an advance, Marik wouldn't refuse. He would gladly take the invitation for intimacey, wanting something like love after the events of the night before. Marik already knew that he loved Atem, he just didn't know how the Pharaoh felt about him and didn't want to chance being shot down. He attempted to roll back over without waking Atem, though he wouldn't complain if Atem would still want to hold him that close when he was awake... Would he? If Atem woke would he still keep Marik in that warm grasp, pressed against his body in an oddly sensual, yet comforting way.

Sensing Marik attempt to roll away, Atem groaned softly, frowning as he lightly tightened his hold on the boy, mumbling softly in his native tongue. "Marik... Merwet... ek..."(Love you...). Slowly, Atem's eyes opened, and rather than be embarrassed and pull away, the former Pharaoh simply reached up and brushed the other male's hair from his face. His hand still resting on the other's chek, Atem leaned over and lightly brushed his lips against Marik's own. Surprisingly, Atem found his lips to be soft and smooth, his skin smelling of the desert sand and Egyptian spices.

Marik's eyes widened when he was held closer, the words making him blush even brighter. He could feel a shiver run down his spine at Atem's hand against his cheek, eyes slowly closing as he was kissed. With butterflies going crazy in his stomach and his cheeks hot, he slowly wrapped his arms around Atem's neck and began to kiss back, body pressed shyly to Atem's. A few moments later he pulled back, having to breath and calm his heart. He was pressed so tightly against Atem that he could feel everything, every perfect muscle, every thudding heartbeat, every deep breath, "Atem..." He blushed, looking up into the man's eyes, whispering softly, "I... I love you, too..."

Leaning down, Atem captured the younger man's lips with his own once again, moaning softly against Marik's lips. Slowly pulling back when air became necessary, Atem smiled lovingly as he rested his forehead against the other man's, whispering soft, sweet words of love in their native tongue, content to hold Marik close, never wanting to let him go.

Marik's blush only intensified, his body tensing slightly as Atem moved to kiss him again and hold him tight. He held tightly to Atem, a soft whimper the response to his moan, and as they broke the kiss once again he stared up into the man's loving eyes. Softly, he spoke in their language, the gentle tone making his words loving as well as seductive, "Don't let me go..." He leaned up, kissing Atem heatedly, an unknown passion collecting in his chest. Each little burst of kissing making him crave the Pharaoh's lips even more, his hands wandering down the older man's muscled back, "I love you... Atem, I want to be with you... Please, never let go..."

Reaching up to stroke his love's cheek, Atem smiled as he looked into Marik's eyes. seeing the love burning in the reflected in his own as he nodded, vowing to the younger man with all of his heart. "I'll never let go, my love. I'll always be with you. By the Gods, I swear to protect you with everything I have." Leaning up, Atem sealed his vow with a sweet, passionate kiss, taking Marik's hand in his own.