It's a strange word for him as well. It sounds right when describing his team but to a person...? Hm. He hopes it didn't sound forced when he said it.

What Kaiba does and says next though causes him to stare, eyes widened and his mouth open slightly. The other teen isn't one to beat around the bush, he already knew that. And he knew about his possessiveness. But to hear it applied to him, to have that arm around him. Human contact. Human affection. Unfiltered emotions. Everything feels so muted nowadays to him. His highs and lows never last long, almost immediately mellowing out. There's a reason he's begun to stagnate while in this place although he doesn't know what it is.

This is the first time in what seems like forever that he's feeling something deeper than usual. Are those...? Ugh. No. His eyes are beginning to tear up. Of all the stupid emotions to leak through, why did it have to be this? Marik bites his lip, looking away to clench his eyes shut and to try and calm himself down. He lets out a huff and turns back to Kaiba, having recovered quickly enough, offering a slightly awkward smile.

"Yeah... Friends." A pause followed by a quiet chuckle. "... Honestly never thought I'd use that word to describe someone in my life, you know?"