Rania Barakat ܫ Bastet (sacredfeline) wrote in mythologs, @ 2012-06-10 02:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | anubis, bastet |
[completed/closed]
Characters: Anubis (dogofthedead) & Bastet (sacredfeline)
Date/Time: June 6th
Location: Anubis' home
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none.
Summary: Bastet deals with Anubis being alive again.
Coming home hadn't been bad. Actually he'd been terribly happy to come home and to see his dog again. Sam was ever the welcoming presence. It was him more than anything that had helped him relax. He had admittedly hugged the dog to him and hadn't cared who was aware of it. It had been far too long of a separation.
At the moment, he was stretched out on the couch, staring at the ceiling as the TV played some old movie he'd meant to watch. His attention just wasn't on it. It was on everything else. Most especially on Bastet. She'd called. She was coming to visit. He could have said no but the truth was that he didn't want to say no and it wouldn't have been fair to say no. Plus he wanted to apologize whether he actually needed to or not. If she got upset, then he'd try to fix it but he didn't want to make her more upset. Anubis sighed, turning to look at the TV again before turning over on his side and scratching idly behind Sam's ears. "You're going to be on your best behavior today, okay?"
The visit should have happened so much earlier than this. It should have been when they had come home but she had delayed it, denied it to herself and had selfishly curled up. It had been wrong, she knew it but maybe it was the cat in her that behaved so badly. She had to make it right regardless. There was no true excuse for her what she'd done.
Except she had been at his door for ten solid minutes, just standing there and listening to the sounds inside. The television was easy to hear, the very faint sounds of a voice but she couldn't tell if it was Anubis or someone else. Bastet at gnawed on her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She should knock, be allowed in and see him. It was a simple plan but not so easy when facing someone who had been killed right before her.
This was harder than facing Horus and he had come over. Finally, after the eleventh minute of standing there, she knocked and forced herself to remain still. To not step back or she knew she might scurry off.
The knock alerted Anubis to Bastet's arrival. That and the bark from Sam. "Shh..." He scratched the dog's head before getting up slowly and making his way to the door. This was fine. It was. It wasn't like his heart was racing (it was) or anything. There were absolutely no nerves involved and he certainly wasn't lying to himself. Not at all. He peered out the peep hole just to be sure before opening the door. "Bastet," he started...which he didn't think was a particularly witty beginning, but...he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say, so he stepped back to let her in.
"How have you-" But he cut himself off, awkwardly noting that that was maybe not the best question. She'd been dealing with the aftermath of Rome. She wasn't going to be okay. Well, she might've been...but he had a feeling she wasn't. "I'm so-" He watched her quietly for a moment before glancing down. "I'm glad you came. Sorry for...before."
Augh, a dog. Bastet had enough manners in her to not stare at Sam or show her teeth but she also choose to focus entirely on Anubis, who was looking very much alive. And real. And he was right there--
"UGH!" Arms would be thrown around him in the one step she took to come inside, face pressed to his shoulder (she was in heels, this was easy). A small shriek was muffled against it before words were worked out, though they were likely no better than the shriek. "Don't apologize, you jerk! It wasn't your fault!"
Anubis' arms instinctively wrapped his arms around Bastet in return, eyes closing. He wouldn't mention it but he'd sort of wondered what it would have been like being married without having to worry about whether he was going to die or not. He hadn't gotten a chance to figure that out, but he wouldn't press the issue and the fact that he was being called a jerk...
He laughed quietly. "Habit..." It wasn't funny, but laughing was the only real response he could manage. He bit down on his lip to keep from apologizing again. Apparently there wasn't any point. He wouldn't bother pointing out her silence either. Truth be told, Anubis wasn't entirely sure what to say. There wasn't a handbook but he thought there should be. Maybe it could be titled: So You've Returned From the Dead? How To Talk To Your Friends and Family. Instead of saying any of the number of things that came to his mind, he remained quiet, kept his eyes closed. At least until he could figure out the right thing to say.
Shoulders drawn up the moment she was enclosed in his arms, she fought call him a jerk again for calling his apologizing a habit. It would hardly make sense and calling him that once was more than enough. He had done no wrong. Hell, even coming back to life wasn't his choice. It happened to him the way death had.
It made her feel so terribly sad for them all. To be jerked like puppets, to have no say in anything, to live such mortal, helpless lives. And for what? For a better tomorrow that wasn't coming? For a future that was flooded with games and torture? Bastet was the last to think suicidal thoughts and she wasn't even going there now but she did not feel cheery or optimistic at that moment about what was waiting for them.
After a good few minutes of just soaking in his presence, the once-feline goddess tilted her head back. "I'm sorry. For everything. For calling you a jerk. For not seeing you sooner and for being an idiot and for letting you go through all that alone."
The quiet wasn't unwelcome and it was what had drawn him to his father's presence, what hadn't bothered him about the idea of his mother's presence. Quiet. But it didn't last forever and he knew it wouldn't, but that was okay, too. Not everyone dealt with this the same way. He knew well enough.
"You needed time," he said calmly, evenly. What fault could he find in that? Hadn't he also asked for time? Of course, his parents hadn't been made to follow that. For one, he was in the same hospital Nephthys worked. It wouldn't have been fair to make her work more complicated for the peace of time. "It wouldn't be fair to have asked for time and expected everyone else to not need the same."
He gave her a small smile. "You're here now. That's what matters."
A small huff was offered to his smile but her own would follow shortly, faint but real. It was so very...doggy of him to be assuring and comforting. Selfless and good. No, it was more than just dog-like, it was just him and everything he was. A god who minded after the dead, like his mother and father, and had such a quiet, strangely dignified way.
"You're a sap, hon. I should have still done something. I was stupid and selfish and it was wrong. Don't go and make excuses me for me when I'm apologizing. Jeez, we've got the damn door open still." She twisted a bit to see if the dog was still inside. If it was important to Anubis, she could offer up some concern for it as well. "Where's your dog?"
There was a laugh at her words, this one far more genuine than the first. "Forgive my terrible behavior," he joked, doing his best to fight against the urge to smile. It was a fairly poor display, however. "So we have..." His gaze moved to the door before glancing behind him. Sam was curled up by the end of the couch. Luckily he'd long since got past the 'trying to run out the door' phase. "Right there. I doubt he'll go anywhere."
He moved to shut the door to avoid any odd stares from his neighbors should they feel like peeking or listening or...whatever. Perhaps it had escaped his notice before, but now that she'd alerted him, he was a little glad. Neighbors were notoriously nosy creatures and he liked them far less than Bastet. "Can I get you anything?" A cursory glance was spared for Sam again. "He's actually very well behaved so...I wouldn't worry...about him. If you are."
"I'll forgive you only because my own behaviour's been pretty rotten." She gave him a pat on the shoulder and moved away before he handled the door. A flippant little wave of her hand was given as she moved to seat herself. "Dogs make me a little antsy but it's ok. I can deal with them."
Despite the remark, she picked a seat away from Sam, just in case. "You don't need to get me anything. Just come sit down and tell me how you are and everything. Just talk to me. Tell me if you've been alright, if you need something."
"Good." He watched Sam for a moment before doing as she asked and sitting down next to her. He'd be the buffer between her and Sam. He was used to Sam and he was one of the most behaved dogs he'd known. Then again, he was pretty good with them no matter. "I'm alive," he started simply. Which was the truth. "I don't...really know what to say to people about it, though." Another truth. "Horus and I aren't talking about it." But then they both preferred it that way. "Probably for the best."
Anubis shrugged slightly. "It's more the jarring change from alive to dead to alive again that's caused much issue." His voice grew quiet as he spoke. Perhaps he should avoid talking about it a little longer. Not that it would get easier. "It could have been worse for me. I don't know that I could have..." He cleared his throat before shaking his head. "No. I know I couldn't have..." And yet finishing that sentence was so much more difficult than talking about his death. If he'd been in Horus' position, he'd have probably killed himself before killing Horus...but he couldn't say that. "But it's...okay, I think. I'm okay. Better."
She was the last to say anyone should be talking about it or anything. If not going there worked for them, so be it. There was no way Bastet was going to poke that content little bubble. But she'd really have to talk to Horus sometime soon. Just assure him she didn't hate him or anything. Try to get back to something normal.
"Don't think about it too much. Not unless you want to." Her fingers found his knee and she gave it a squeeze. "Okay is good. Better is good. I just am a million times happy to see you." She was. Despite all her worries and the pessimism in her head, he was a good sight. "And when you're even better than better, we'll go out. Either you and me or us and everyone for a big dinner. I mean, we'll probably ditch Set because he's a toad and he'll probably cause trouble or something. But you know what I mean."
"Yeah." He was glad she didn't expect him to talk about it too much. He was dealing with it in his own ways but she was checking and he wanted to try. Maybe it was avoidance but...whatever. "I'm happy to see you, too." He'd missed her. It was weird to miss getting poked at about things when before he'd been annoyed with it. Bastet was Bastet and he couldn't help but enjoy being around her even when she got him into horrible or awkward situations.
"You say that as if he'd want to come to a big family dinner." Anubis was pretty sure that Set was forever against family gatherings. "And I don't know if 'toad' is a good enough descriptor." But it was pretty close. "I don't want to be around him anyway." His father was one thing. He liked his father. Set was an entirely different story. "Someone should just lock him in a closet somewhere and leave him. But...that sounds good otherwise. The doing things." Normalcy would be good.
"True." Her free hand stroked her chin. "A closet is what's too good for him. And he'd probably hate being around all of us and would turn the invite down anyway. I don't even think Daddy could get him to come." But her father was young and had yet to establish himself as a power among them. It would take time and some great influence before her poor father was in the position he had been before. No doubt it had to frustrate Ra at times to not be in the seat he once had been even if she thought the world of him.
Sighing, she shifted on closer and, with all the ease of someone taking over both couch and person on the couch, she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "We'll do things. And we'll put it all behind us and something will work out." She had her doubts and she had her displeasure with how life was going but she wasn't going to unload on him. Not now. She wanted to be encouraging. Bastet would worry about what she really wanted to say later.
"I'm glad you're glad to see me. I hope that never changes."
"Probably." They could probably find somewhere worse to lock him. He'd worry about where one day. "Ra? I don't know. Does Set even listen?" Because...well...he was Set. Since when did he listen anyway? But he didn't know anything about Ra and Set. He was just glad not to be so young still. He was glad he didn't know till that time had passed. If he'd known then what he knew now, he'd probably have been more bothered by it.
"We'll be okay," he agreed. They had to be okay. If they weren't...He didn't want to think about that. They'd come to that when and if they had to. Otherwise there was no reason to focus on it. "And I don't see why I should stop being glad to see you." Anubis smiled a little, shifting a little. "Even if you're usually very pokey." But she hadn't been as much today. "And...how are you? Since we already talked about me...If you want. You don't have to answer."
"Someone has to make Set listen. He used to be good to Daddy once." She huffed and kicked off her shoes before drawing up her legs beneath herself. "Ugh, whatever. I don't want to talk about that guy anymore." There was no point in talking about a man as complicated and weird as Set. God help his siblings deal with that mess if they wanted to.
"I'm ok. I'm usually ok and I'm better now and I know I'm pokey. I'm pokey because that's my right and someone has to poke you. If I didn't, you'd probably still not know yourself and be wandering around all lost. And I'm going to be pokey again. I will. I'm going to plan out your whole week when you don't have to be at home resting or at work. And I'll make you tired and wish that you never said I was pokey even if it's true."
Someone should punch Set in the face. But he'd leave that unsaid. Plus, Bastet didn't seem keen on staying on the subject of Set, so he'd let it slide until he was talking to Horus or someone.
He smiled a little as she talked, laughing shortly after. "I am absolutely terrified." Alright, so he wasn't entirely certain he shouldn't be a little concerned, but if this meant more time with Bastet, he wouldn't complain about it. "Probably going to spend a while preparing myself for this supposed torture." Once again, if it involved Bastet, he didn't really see the torture. He could joke, though. It meant things were normal...ish.
His knee was slapped lightly. "Damn straight you should be terrified. I'm not joking. I'm seriously going to take over your life and you will deal with it because you deserve this. You need someone to take charge and make sure you live more than a little." Her lashes lowered as she muttered, "Torture my foot. You won't see the inside of your house until I decide you can."
'Normal-ish' would be had. She'd make it happen.
Anubis couldn't stop himself from laughing again. "Okay. Okay." He just hoped that this would...allow for time spent with Sam. He was a creature of habit. "Just so long as we're going to allow for walks. Sam can't stay cooped up forever." Unless Osiris or Horus wanted to take him...but it was better to keep him. "Sam doesn't do cooped well...even if he is very well behaved." Looking at her quietly for a moment, Anubis wrapped an arm around her. "I've had worse. And you'll be there...so..."
One eye opened and the dog was eyeballed from where she was. "We can allow for walks. I should get used to him anyway since I'm going to dominate your life." Maybe she could find a way to build a trust and friendship with the mutt. There had to be a way and probably through his stomach. Dogs were so easy.
Wriggling closer now that he had his arm around her, she peered up at him, both eyes opened now. A peck was offered without reserve or hesitation to his chin. "Yeah, I'll be there from now on. Don't worry about that ever."