Marik is honestly surprised that Kaiba reacts in a positive manner to his touch. Neither are particularly familiar or comfortable doing those sort of things. He himself usually sees it as a sign of weakness. It's a useful tactic when trying to get someone to lower their guard. But both of them are open right now. There's nothing selfish to gain from this. It's not... weak. Being able to unload like this has helped him feel lighter, something he hasn't really felt since his split personality was banished to the Shadow Realm. It seems to have helped Kaiba as well.

The blonde grunts in agreement, looking down at the floor for a time before returning his gaze to his companion. Chenzira watches the two with a small smile. Marik's hand returns to Kaiba's shoulder.

"Thank you, Kaiba."

Speaking of duelists, if their cards are on the table right now...

"... You're the first real human friend I've had." He worded that carefully on purpose. Marik cherishes all of his pokémon, especially Chenzira, but there is still a small disconnect.

His grip tightens a bit on the other teen's shoulder out of reassurance. "I promise I won't let you down and... that I've got your back, no matter what happens."