necrostar

[necrostar]

Hi everyone! Long time no see, let's have a brief talk!

I just haven't had the motivation for the past couple months. Burnout happens to everyone. Plus, I've had a major life change: I got a new job! So being here really isn't a huge priority.

I'll be here when I find the motivation and when I can, but activity is going to be very, very sporadic. It may take more than a month (it probably will) for things like replies. I'm 26 years old. I'm an adult with adult responsibilities. This is just a silly little hobby I do in my free time.

See you on the flip!

🍒 Cherry 🍒

[necrostar]

(( heyo im alive. just been doing a TON of iconing and playing tcg card game shop simulator. have i ever mentioned how much i love card games. more rambling under the cut

(( anyway if i owe you a reply (or a starter) i will get to them!! this week or next, hopefully. im not ignoring you i just have one (1) brain cell and sometimes you need to just come in my dms and throttle me bc i can and do forget !! (( and, y'know, i have a life too. im a busy bee just like all of you! anyway if you're new hi and hello! i'm cherry and this is my dragon's hoard of self indulgent bullshit and wherever my hands decide to take me. please feel free to peruse and send in a meme on whatever one of my blogs you want, idc. or im me to chat. whatever fits your vibe. if we're moots you can ask for my discord i fw that (( i also owe a friend a commission so my presence this week is gonna be slim. i also really should set up my queues ive been forgetting about that (( see y'all on the flip <3 ))

[necrostar]

It did? Ah, shit. He had no recollection of that happening. They must be fucking with him. Had to. No other explanation for this nonsense.

"Maybe? But my head's kinda spinning right now. I'll get it when I can see straight." Bakura didn't have the damndest clue what had happened to cause this. Thief King starting something seemed to be the most likely culprit, all things considered. He always was a little shit. 

And Atem commenting on an accident further solidified his suspicions.

"What did the King of Thieves do to my clothes?!" He was too mad to even care that the accused was protesting and claiming complete innocence. "That little shit! Don't tell me you had to clean it up."

"It's...about...nearly eight...I think." He checked his phone. "...Seven forty six." So yes, a lot of time had passed. As for the food... "You don't remember? It came in, but you were too sick to eat it, so yours is in the fridge waiting for you. How are you feeling? Do you think you can nibble at it now?"

As for his clothes...he sighed a bit and averted his gaze. "Well...they're yours. You have two brand new sets of clothes. Your other clothes were...unfortunately...involved in a bit of an accident and had to be disposed of."

[necrostar]

Oh, even Atem was dressed differently. And wow, he wasn't sweating anymore. Holy shit, the apartment was actually comfortable. Crazy. As his one open eye adjusted to the light, the other soon joined in. Alright, that's actually a tolerable amount of light. He can deal with this.

"What time is it?" Gods, wasn't it, like, noon last time he checked? "Did that food ever come in?" When did he order that, again? Fuck. So much had slipped from him; it was going to take a bit to gather the pieces and determine what he missed. 

"Also..." He ran a hand over his shirt. "...Whose clothes are these?" Not Atem's, since they fit Bakura just fine. Never felt these before in his life. Did the Thief King change his clothes, again? How many times did he have to tell that moron to quit messing with his stuff?! Where did these even come from??

"--The living room." Atem answered without hesitation. "Couch. Garbage can next to you if you need it." He was currently looking at something on his phone (also known as, ordering more decorations to put in with his jumping spiders), but he set it down next to him as Bakura started to stir.

Unfortunately, the light wasn't even on and the shades were drawn--so Bakura was just seeing the bare bit of light of the sunset coming in through the sliding glass door to the balcony, which unfortunately didn't have curtains.

Atem was dressed in a different set of clothes than Bakura had previously seen him wear--a sweater, in particular. And he might notice that--for Atem's apartment--the temperature was more of what would be considered normal to someone who wasn't from Egypt.

He was freezing his ass off, but he was /trying/.

[necrostar]

He had zero idea any of this was transpiring. Too busy arguing with Zorc and the Thief King about the day's events. Of which there were a lot. They were never out of this control, what the hell are they thinking?! Can't have one good day in his life, can he?

Bakura would love to believe he finally beat some sense into them, but that was as good as a pipe dream. All of them hated each other, none of them communicated. Might be their first problem, truth be told. Wanted nothing more than to smack the shit out each other.

The jostling and movement elicited absolutely no response from him. Not a movement, not a change in breathing, nothing. Except maybe the occasional slip of blood from his lips, but that was going to be common for a little while. Had his insides absolutely wrecked from an unwanted intrusion, after all.

Not that the Kaiba brothers would know. And gods willing, they never would. They're some of the last people he wanted knowing about this.

Eventually, luckily, he came to. Just as he always did. But his head was absolutely pounding, his limbs felt like jello, and he felt like he was either falling or floating. Who gave a shit, he felt awful.

"...'Tem?" Hello? New boyfriend? Are you still there? Slowly, he cracked one eye open. Oh, gods, it was fucking blinding. It was like somone put the sun right in front of his face. As muddled as everything was... he definitely wasn't wearing this earlier. The fabric didn't feel right and he actually had a shirt on.

"...Where am I?" Whose clothes are these, why is the sun so bright, what year is it, the questions could go on. But it was important to stop and start with the basics. One thing at a time, Bakura. One thing at a time.

A lot of things happened while Bakura was asleep. First of all, Seto Kaiba arrived with his cleaning lady.

There was a lot of cursing and thankfully, the lady knew better than to question Seto Kaiba--she probably thought it was a crime scene and she probably had cleaned those up before. It wasn't like Seto Kaiba hadn't tried to kill people in the past. Wouldn't surprise him if he still did.

The mattress was discretely exposed of and Bakura moved to a bathtub. Seto had made a face as he carried the man into the bathroom, only to be followed by a /threat/ that if he treated Bakura's body roughly Atem would reveal all of Seto's weird eating habits to the press.

...And beat his ass with his cane. But he always did that.

Atem of course had to dispose of the clothes he was wearing and put on new ones. As for Bakura's clothes, those were also unfortunately disposed of. Mokuba was sent to the store with Seto's debit card and Bakura's clothing size to get a few sets. Atem felt guilty about it, but there was /no/ saving those clothes. They were all thoroughly soaked in blood.

Speaking of blood...getting it off of Bakura's skin was a terrible experience. Mokuba had offered to bathe Bakura for him considering how difficult it would be for Atem, but the former Pharaoh declined. While they were meticulously cleaning up the bedroom and throwing Bakura's new clothes in the wash, Atem was scrubbing his boyfriend's skin gently, knelt down by the tub.

It hurt. It hurt so badly. Sweat was covering the back of his head and his forehead from the pain, but he ignored it all. It took quite some time, but eventually Bakura was dressed in some new clothes with the help of Mokuba and was moved to the couch...the garbage can relocated next to him just in case.

Atem sat in his living room chair after they all left, Bastet in his lap. His bedroom was clean, his bath was clean, he had a new bed and new sheets and pillows and everything had been disposed of.

[necrostar]

Oh, those clothes were as good as gone. He was motionless, borderline lifeless, with his face pressed upon the sheets. And his own thighs. Not a movement, not a twitch, nothing. Any attempt to move him would have no resistance. Just the scent and limpness, like someone in a deep sleep.

He needed to internally recover from the absolute throttling that Zorc had accidentally inflicted upon him. Shouldn't a Dark God be better at restraining themselves?

Bakura wouldn't wake up for at least several hours. Well into the night, most likely. Or the next day. Who knows with him. Point being, if he felt like he got run over before, this was going to top that by a landslide.

Before he could even muster a reply, Zorc was gone and the bloody Bakura was faceplanting into his lap, Atem pulled himself up and stared emptily at the blood soaking through his sheets to his mattress.

He pulled up his hand and stared at the blood coating it. "...If you believe that, then it's proof you know little about me." Figures, even the dark entity had bought into the /mask/ he had worn for most of his life.

After a moment, he reached out to grab his phone, dialing the number on speed dial with his non blood covered hand.

Once the person on the other end picked up, he spoke quietly, "...Hey, sorry about this, but I need a new mattress...and probably a few new sets of sheets...and some pillows...and if you could call the cleaning lady to my place, with a preface that it looks like a murder scene but isn't, that would be great."

Swearing could be heard on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah I know, you're sick of my magic mumbo jumbo. Will you do this for me or not?"

The voice turned gruff.

"Yeah see you in an hour. I can't make it to the door right now, so let yourself in."

[necrostar]

Wow, this wasn't even fun anymore. He was willing to just roll over like that and take it? Where was the fight? The will to survive? He wasn't even worth it like this.

And quite frankly, this body can't handle much more of him being in control. It's starting to fall apart. Just look at how much of him is coating his clothes and the sheets! Slowly, he sat up properly and held up both hands, as though he were trying to calm down a raging bear.

"You are hardly worth my effort if you cave so easily. I want my prey to have fight left in them." He found this so... so... "You disgust me. Acceptance of ill will with not an ounce of strength is ill-fitting for you." Yeah, that's the word. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he inched away from Atem, who was lying too close to him for comfort.

"Have some kind of pride. It is all you have left." And, with that, he gave the reins right back to Bakura. How could Atem tell? Simple: he just crumpled, right then and there. Fell face forward onto his own lap and didn't move.

Come back in a couple hours.

Yes, that was a disgusting amount of blood. The stench filled the room. It would have been terrifying, if he did not know what he now knew about Bakura's body. It also reminded him vividly of dying, how that blood stench had coated his nostrils before his senses faded away--

But he was calm still.

"...Zorc, as selfish as it is, I care not what you do to me." He spoke quietly. "Rip me to shreds if that is what you see fit. My original goal in life was to cease existing and considering that has been ripped away from me /twice/ now, I would hardly complain about being sent properly to Ammit."

Something that would probably horrify Bakura, but--

It was how he had always felt deep down. That had not changed.

[necrostar]

He growled when Atem dismissed him like that. You mean to tell him that this fool actually managed to see past what generations before him had drilled into every single mortal that had been lined up for that coveted position?! Between gritted teeth, more of that sludge slid out. It even started dripping from his nose. Good thing he didn't need to breathe.

The lights in the room, if they were on, went out.

Atem's not the only person who has access to that kind of thing.

"How dare you scoff at me." Zorc was beginning to find that in this state, his own emotions were more difficult to properly regulate. "Remember who it is that you are addressing, Atem." Oh, how he was growing closer and closer to going through with the murder idea. "How lucky you are that you were given the privilege to breathe in my presence. I can revoke that at any moment, remember that." The front of his shirt was long since soaked; it was getting all over his pants. The sheets, too. The stench had grown tenfold since the confrontation started.

That actually got a bit of a scoff out of Atem. "Deity descendant...such nonsense. Whatever they believed, whatever they continue to believe...I was merely a human being labeled as a God because it was convenient for those around me. If it were that easy for humans to ascend to Godhood, I would not be here in front of you now in the state I am. It would be laughable. I would be among the stars."

The Gods surely wouldn't have sent him back like this.

"...Besides....I am under the belief that someone of that magnitude has to do something to earn it. I merely followed the expectations laid out for me. You see where that got me. There's no use in thinking about such frivolous things."

[necrostar]

Is--

Is he for real?

He could hear the giggling and laughter in the back of his mind, and it angered him. How dare they mock a deity. That smile disappeared, lips pressed tightly together. Nothing he was saying was having any effect on this man. He missed it when it was easy to get into his head.

"As if I have any need for petulant emotions like 'loneliness'." He dismissed Atem's line of thinking with a flick of his free wrist. "I thought you were supposed to be a deity descendant. What use do you have for such things? A severance from your time and title does not erase what has already transpired, no?"

"Whether it's of my own design....whether he is just mimicking me deep down or not...I honestly don't mind. That's okay. Either way, his eyes are on me, and he feels it. I don't expect nor do I need anything else from him."

Far from making him doubt, Atem seemed to be wholly content. The gentle smile on his face was warm as he thought of Bakura--

"...Although, as for my reasoning...somehow I doubt that a being such as yourself would understand it even if I tried to explain it to you. I sincerely doubt you've ever felt loneliness, Zorc. Have you?"

[necrostar]

The admission caught him a little off guard. Cold eyes widened, but only for a brief moment. This is Zorc Necrophades, after all. He has a reputation to keep. Expression reset, eyes staring deep into the ex pharaoh's soul. Unmoving. Unblinking.

"A fool's errand, my pharaoh," his hand shifted to rest on his cheek instead, "but so be it. Do not cry to me when you find more than what you bargained for." A small smile twitched at his lips after a brief moment of contemplation.

"I will wear your gratitude with pride, however. A rarity that an old enemy would bestow that unto anyone, never mind someone such as myself." Kind of liked that, Atem bending to his will. If only because he had someone so beloved as a hostage.

"And you truly believe yourself capable of giving a construct, malleable by design, your love and admiration? And expect the reciprocation to not be of your own design?" Oh, how he loved to sow the seeds of doubt. "Are you truly that sure of yourself?"

Atem was quiet as he listened. Maintaining a form....so Bakura really wasn't like him. He didn't have a proper human body.

Zorc probably expected him to be horrified.

Instead, Atem's expression softened in a smile. "I see. Thank you for telling me." As for the blood--

Well, he had been about to offer a handkerchief to try and wipe it off when Zorc--

His expression forcefully blanked. It. He hated that so much. But this was not the Thief King. This was a powerful force that very well could be pushed to kill him if he forced it. So he listened.

"...Hm...." He hummed a little at the other's question. "...If that is the way I am to die, then so be it. At least this time I will die giving love to someone else. That sort of life is one I will not regret. I think I can live with that."

Probably not the answer Zorc was looking for.

[necrostar]

Ah, so it was about that. Had a feeling someone was going to notice sooner or later. Just hadn't bet on it being the pharaoh of all people. Curious how mortals continue to find ways to surprise him.

"Maintaining a form takes energy, you know. Of which is finite. Some things are unnecessary when not public facing. As I am sure you can understand." The response was curt, laced with faux cordiality. As he always spoke, truth be told. How he would kill to be the great god that struck fear into the hearts of others and not... doing this just to stay alive.

Once Atem pointed it out, he raised a hand to touch the black sludge that leaked from his lips. Two fingers pressed into it, holding it at arm's length to examine. It was thick, black, and reeked of decay, metal, and blood. It stuck to everything it touched.

"So that is what I look like." He mused quietly, almost curious and intrigued by the substance. Cold, lifeless eyes flickered back to his current target, wiping the stuff on his shirt. That was probably never coming out of that poor t shirt.

"I must congratulate you for holding your affections for it for this long. Even after its faults have been laid bare for you." Wasn't quite planning on showing himself this early... but Bakura pissed him off so here they were. "I find amusement in watching you writhe. Knowing that I lay within." More of the sludge slid out from his mouth as he spoke, further coating his face and shirt. That beloved jacket should be counting its lucky stars. "Able to come at any time. And slay you where you stand. Do you not think of that, my pharaoh? Does it ever cross your mind?"

So he wasn't going to kill him. That was good news at least. He wanted to stay by Bakura's side as long as he could. He didn't want to leave Bakura alone in this world, no matter how many times he had fought to leave it in the past.

"...When he goes to sleep...his heart stops and he doesn't breathe anymore. But he's still alive."

And also..

"You're bleeding." All over his bed, but Atem wouldn't even be able to be angry about it. It wasn't Bakura's fault.

"....Is that normal for you?"

[necrostar]

"And waste precious energy?" He looked the other up and down one last time. "Why, my pharaoh," Zorc purred, choosing to lie next to his enemy instead of, y'know, taking this golden opportunity to just kill him already. "Did you not know that I, too, enjoy playing with my food?"

Which was to say, no he wasn't. Shockingly.

Zorc turned to one side, resting his chin on the back of his had to admire the current state of affairs. Oh, how good it would be to just slay the source of his problems where they lay. But that took energy he just didn't have. Damn his precarious situation.

"A little insect told me that you had concerns over this body. Does that stand to be true?"

He was still asleep when that figure sat up. But only for a few moments. The moment the stench of blood hit his nostrils, he snapped awake with a gasp.

And froze, one single eye locked upon the body that was supposed to be his boyfriend--

But that was not Bakura looking at him.

Slowly, a blank stare covered Atem's face and unbelievably, his body relaxed into the sheets. "...So...are you going to kill me?"

He knew that nothing he could do or say would be enough to destroy Zorc. If it was, Zorc wouldn't be here in the first place.

[necrostar]

"What do you mean you knew?!"

            "I felt little reason to tell you."

"No reason?! I nearly gave him a heart attack, asshole!"

            "Oh, do not gaze upon me so! Your little plaything still seems to adore you all the same, no?"

"Plaything?! That's my boyfriend! How dare you talk about him like that!"

            "How dare I? How dare YOU speak to me like that, you insolent worm. Remember who owns you the next time you open your waste of a mouth. MOVE ASIDE AND LET ME REMIND YOU WHO IS IN CONTROL."

The body did grow cold, but only for a moment. Icy, in fact. It stuck to the other's skin; the faint scent of blood and death leaving its traces there. It felt almost . . . liquid. And just as quickly, it warmed and solidified. Where it had stuck, there was now something sticky and black in its stead.

How long it had been was anyone's guess. What was certain now was that there was movement on the bed. The body sat up, opened its eyes. That same black sludge trailing down the corner of his lips. It looked about the room for a moment, and settled its gaze upon Atem. And it was anything but loving.

He was doing his best to ignore the fact that his partner was essentially clinically dead next to him. As long as Bakura didn't go cold...he kept his eye closed, trying to focus on his own thoughts instead.

/My magic harmed him. I should do my best not to do that again...even if it means putting up with that bastard...but...Bakura seemed happy that I did it./

He was torn.

He ended up dozing off.

[necrostar]

He didn't believe that for a second, but if Atem insists that it'll be okay... Have faith in your partner, Bakura.

As soon as he was settled and comfortable, being gently lavished in affection and comfort, it took very little time to fall asleep. And just as before, the breathing and heartbeat quit. Looks like it wasn't a one-time fluke.

But he'll come out of it, just as he had before. Just with answers this time, gods willing. Depends on how willing the Dark One and King of Thieves are to talk.

"--As terrifying as that is still for me...now that I know you'll come out of it, or at least I've seen you come out of it once, I think I'll be okay. I just have to trust that you'll come back to me."

He nuzzled his head against the other, giving him a gentle kiss to the cheek.

"...For now, just worry about feeling better. We can handle everything else later."

He didn't admit that he was a bit frightened to go to sleep himself. Best let Bakura not worry about him right now.

[necrostar]

"Right." He mumbled, inching just a little closer. Had to go by feel considering he was blocking his own sight. Once he found himself comfortable, he snaked his arms around his new boyfriend. Yeah, get comfortable. He can do that just fine. However...

He didn't forget about earlier.

"And do you promise not to panic if I fall asleep?" He had no idea if it was going to happen twice. And that kind of scared him. But, well, he was going to have to see if they knew anything about it. Bakura's found that more often than not, they did. And just, y'know, decided not to tell him. Typical.

"Hmph. Somehow, I don't think 'excitable' is quite the word you're looking for there, love." He spoke quietly, concerned for Bakura's well being. "Don't worry about anything. If anything happens, I can just call my cleaning lady." She was employed by Kaiba Corp and was paid a hefty sum to come and clean his home, as well as lead part of the cleaning efforts for Kaiba's, so she was used to being summoned at any given time.

He closed his eye for a moment, finally resting his fingers on the other's arm.

"No matter what...I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. So please just rest."

[necrostar]

"Damn right it has." Felt like he was on top of the world when Atem had told him what he was dying to hear... and then fell right off when the King of Thieves decided to force his way through. And he's been rolling down that hill ever since, hitting everything there was to hit on the way down. 

As soon as he felt that pillow, it was pressed right against his face to push out the light. Most of it, at least. Needed a little bit to not send himself into a panic. 

"Listen, it's not your fault." Didn't blame Atem in the slightest for lashing. It was a good feeling, knowing he had someone else in his corner. "He's just..." Selfish? Annoying? Stupid? "...excitable." And that was being nice.

Besides, lying in bed with Atem? Feeling his hands on his face? The gentle massage? Cloud nine again. Even if his insides felt like they'd been liquified. 

"...Thanks. Might need that." Sooner rather than later, if the fish he ate have anything to say about it.

"...I sincerely wish I could. I hate them for hurting you." Just like he hated himself right now for having caused this particular attack. When Bakura tightly closed his eyes and reached for a pillow, Atem grabbed one of his extra ones and gave it to him.

"...It has been a rollercoaster of a few days, hasn't it? But...this is your safe place." He reached out and gently rubbed Bakura's temple.

"I know it's difficult, but try to relax. If you feel sick, I brought a trash can over."

[necrostar]

Send my muse “What would you do if...” scenarios.