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#vessel x you
eternal-kosmo-ghoul · 5 months
Note
can you write something w vessel praising reader like super lovey sex 🥺
❝sweet little bunny❞
➵ “you’re doing so good for me” —❤︎
pairing: vessel x gn!reader
theme: smut ❣︎
a/n: ofc i can ♡︎ the vessel stans have really flocked to my page now huh? hope you enjoy !!
cw: penetration. pet names. praise kink. no gendered language for reader’s body.
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oh my god, fluffy sex with vessel??? yes please holy shit??
this man is intimidating as fuck, but goddamn can he be an absolute sweetheart in the sheets
whenever he’s in the mood for something more vanilla, he’s a lot more quiet
short breaths and gasps, letting out long, deep sighs when he cums, whispering your name like a sacred prayer whenever he’s close to climaxing
goddamn this man sounds heavenly when he’s making you feel good
vessel’s voice is also a lot more soothing, with a twinge of poetic flair to his words whenever he’s praising you
always being so gentle with you <33 we love to see it
he always puts your pleasure first too. drilling his cock into you in such a sensual manner that has you seeing stars
and you can still feel the intimacy and affection from him, it’s such a surreal experience
“that’s it, baby. you’re taking me so well…”
you could only softly whine as you felt vessel’s hard shaft move deep inside of you. his movements were slow and sensual, but his rhythm had you on edge, and writhing underneath his grasp, begging for more.
“there… i got you.. fuck you look so good like this, taking my cock like the good little bunny you are.” he hissed out in pure euphoria, his hips pistoning inside of your hole in a way that had you seeing stars.
your wrists were being held tightly to the mattress by vessel, and you could only squirm in a lustrous need as he moved inside you. “vess… vess please..”
“shhh, it’s okay… i’m right here..” vessel whispered in a reassuring manner, dipping his head between the space in your neck to affectionately nip at your soft skin, leaving love marks as he trailed down.
his hands moved from your wrists to your hands, his fingers interlocking with yours, squeezing your hands with a loving grasp.
that simple action was enough to make you whimper in pure ecstasy, it was almost enough to distract you from how his dick was buried deep within your love canal.
vessel lived for this kind of pleasure.
this was the kind of love he loved to give to you.
he wouldn’t be this affectionate and attentive to anyone else but you. if it were anyone else, he couldn’t give less of a damn… but you… oh you were just a different story.
your presence was just so captivating, entrancing vessel in a dreamlike state every time he made love to you. you were his drug, so sweet and addicting.
and he was going to show that to you no matter what.
“shit, baby. you’re so tight around me… fuck.. i love it so much..” he moaned softly into your neck, his hips moving slightly faster. “i love you so much.”
his sweet words had you moaning like crazy. you couldn’t help it, the way he spoke to you like you were some kind of ancient deity was enough to get your legs shaking.
“f-fuck… vessel.. please..”
“please what, honey? tell me… tell me what you want.”
looking through the slits of vessel’s artistic mask, you could see nothing but pure love and lust clouding his eyes, and that just made the arousal in your core grow stronger.
“please.. harder..” you begged breathlessly, voice barely above a whisper.
vessel cursed silently at your words, and his hips rolled into you slowly, hitting a spot that had your legs spasming.
he smiled softly, and bent down to capture your lips in a loving kiss, before whispering. “of course, darling.”
and he moved even faster.
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Fall For Me (Poly! Sleep Token x Fem! Reader) - Part VI
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Why hello there! I am finally back with an Eepy Boi update!! Sorry it took me so long to get around to posting this, between the holidays and my work schedule being all over the place and a heap of other junk it took me a bit, lol. We're taking a little jump back? Forward? In time this chapter, the Fall Festival is finally upon us... Maybe a little bit of tension starts to occur? This is going to be a very fun chapter hehe. Thank all of you so so much for your continued support during my hiatus, I see every single note, reblog, and kudos on this fic, I read every single comment I get, all of you are absolutely wonderful, again, thank you. If you would like to be added to my tag list for this fic, please let me know! If you ever want to come be crazy over the Sleep Token boys with me, shoot me an ask or a message! Now onto the good stuff, I hope you enjoy!
WARNINGS: None, fluff, not proofread
My Masterlist! ~ A03 Link!
Part V - Part VI
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“Absolutely not.” Vessel responds blankly as he flips through one of the magazines by the register.
“Ves, come on.” You groan. “It's one night.”
“Yeah, one night with a whole group of people that want to run us out of town.” He retaliates in the same bored tone as he turns another page.
“Everyone's going to be wearing costumes, no one will know it's you.” You offer as you start bagging his purchase.
“They've seen pictures of us, love.”
“What? Those blurry, grainy sasquatch looking photos from the paper?” You sigh, handing him the bags. “Listen, I know you're worried. I know you just want to keep everyone safe, but you hiding yourselves away is only going to make people more suspicious.” You could feel his eyes studying your face.
“I get the slightest feeling that something is wrong we leave, do we have a deal?” He sticks out his hand to you, you clap your own into his without hesitation, giving it a firm shake. “I agree that people might be more comfortable with us being in town if we can exist in the same space without an issue… I just hope you're right about this.” 
“I'll be right by your side the whole time.” You exchange a soft smile.
“Are you closing early that day?” He asks.
“Of course, I have to get into costume myself.” You giggle. “I'll be closing at noon that day, but I can always reopen if you guys want to stock up afterwards.” You offer.
“It’s not that, I wouldn't want to trouble you.” He chuckles. “I was thinking maybe we could meet here before the festival.” 
“I'd like that.” 
“Then it's a date.” He bows his head slightly in dismissal before pushing out the door.
The next day the store was abuzz with excited children picking out glow sticks, mother's buying ingredients for their bake sale items, and last minute costume necessities for all the town's residents. “Miss (Y/N)!” You can't help but smile as a young boy with messy brown hair and a gapped tooth smile rushes up to the counter.
“Daclan, she's busy-” his mother starts, a bubbly school teacher you had gotten to know quite well since she had moved to town.
“Don't worry about it, Siobhan.” You chuckle, pulling the bucket of candy out from behind the counter and discreetly offering it to him. You lean down slightly, “if you don't tell the other kids I'll let you take two.” You whisper with a wink. He shoves his hand into the bucket before quickly and triumphantly retrieving his candy.
“Miss (Y/N), are you coming to the Fall festival?” He asks excitedly.
“Of course I am, I wouldn't miss it for the world.” You smile. “What's your costume going to be this year?” He starts rambling on about his skeleton costume as you ring the two of them up.
“Woah! Mom, look at him!” Your attention flashes over to the door to see Vessel frozen in place as every pair of eyes in the store land on him. As quickly as he caught their attention it was gone, the bustling energy returning once more as everyone continued their shopping. You motion him closer with a wave of your hand. Declan stared up at the large masked man in amazement. “What are you supposed to be?”
Vessel gives you the briefest of looks, not exactly sure how to respond at first. But, seeing the boy's bright smile and lack of fear, it warmed his heart. He leans down, resting his elbows on the counter to bring himself closer to eye level. “The Grim Reaper, pretty scary, right?” He says with a grin.
“Awesome!” Declan exclaims in response. “Mom, can we make a costume like his next year?” Vessel chuckles at the young boy’s excitement.
“Sure thing, honey.” She ruffles Declan’s hair. “Come on, let’s let Miss (Y/N) close up so she can get ready.” You exchange goodbye’s with her, Declan telling you that he hopes you get to see his costume before hurrying out the door.
“So far so good.” You remark as you lean against the counter, you and Vessel shifting to more easily face each other. “I promise tonight will be fun.” You reach out, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Well, if you talk so highly about this festival, I can't see any harm in giving it a shot.” You wait for your last few customers to file out of the store before locking up.
“Where's everyone else?” You ask, looking out in the empty lot for their truck.
“They're in back, I hope you don't mind.”
“Not at all.” You click off your open sign with a smile, motioning with a nod for Vessel to follow you out the front door. Your keys jingled in your hand as you struggled with the lock. “You'd think after all this time I wouldn't mess this up.” You sigh. The front door had a tendency to not shut fully unless things were maneuvered a certain way; the keys had to be slid into the lock a certain way, you had to push the door fully shut with your shoulder, you felt your cheeks start to burn as you struggled with something so simple in Vessel’s presence.
“Mind if I give it a try?” He offers quietly. You shuffle out of his way, the heat of his body noticeable against yours as he slid a little too close behind you. He jiggles the key slightly, slamming his shoulder into the glass pane’s metal frame, managing to slide the deadbolt into place. He pulls on the handle a couple times, making sure it's fully secure, before turning to you with a proud smile. “There, that should do it. He follows you out back, the other three members of the usual group lounging in the cab of the truck. IV was the first to notice you, perking up in his seat when his eyes landed on your approaching form. He nudges II, who looks up immediately from the book he was reading at the mention of your name.
“Where's your costume?” III asks in mock annoyance. He hops down from his place situated in the bed of the truck, his long strides allowing him to approach you quickly and pull you into his arms. He pulls back slightly, his blue eyes finding yours and making you freeze under their warm gaze. “Promise me I'll get you to myself for at least a little while tonight.” You could hear the smile he was wearing under his mask lace it's way through his words. Before you had a chance to respond the passenger door of the truck was kicked open, IV practically falling to the ground as he scrambled out. Your eyes darted up to three, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gazed down at you. He gives you a quick wink before he steps back, satisfied with your flustered state. 
IV bounds up to you, excitedly taking your hands in his. “I can't wait to see your costume.” You jump slightly as a warm hand if placed against your lower back, you caught the sight of II in your peripheral.
“Well we have to let her go get changed into it first.” He chuckles. “It's good to see you, love.”
“Come on guys.” You chuckle, motioning for the four of them to follow you. “You can hang out upstairs while I get ready.”
It always made your heart swell every time they were all together in one place. The warm, me jovial energy that filled your apartment had you practically skipping to your room to get changed. You could hear the four of them continue to talk in the living room, just quiet enough to make it so you couldn't hear. You opened your closet, pulling out the neatly packaged bag that contained your costume. You shimmied into the tight dress, the stretchy fabric hugging all of your curves just right. Was this the most original costume in the world? Absolutely not. But, considering you were hoping to catch the attention of some masked men in particular this evening, you figured it wouldn't hurt to be a little cliche. You did your makeup as quickly as you could, a dark smokey eye that was finished off by you drawing a little black nose at the tip of your own with eyeliner. You grabbed the headband from your vanity, adjusting it perfectly atop your head before giving yourself one final once over in the mirror and heading back out to your waiting guests. The room fell silent the second you stepped through your door, four pairs of eyes locked on your small form. All of the sudden attention made you feel self conscious about your costume choice, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. You wrapped your arms around your torso, your cheeks warming as you looked between the four. “Does it look ba-”
You didn't have a chance to finish your question before they were all scrambling out of their various seats towards you. All of them reassuring you that you looked fantastic and apologizing for staring. Your small group prepared to head out, III hung back to wait for you, his monstrous form taking up most of the doorway. You smile up at him as you straighten up from pulling on your shoes. “You look beautiful.” He compliments you softly, making your cheeks warm.
“Thank you.” He slips his hands into yours, his lips warm through his mask as he places a soft kiss to your knuckles.
“Ready to get going?” You nod, letting your hand reluctantly fall from his.
You piled into their truck, you were currently squished in between Vessel and II, III and IV curled up in the bed. “So, you're all excited about this festival, what are we even going to be doing?” Vessel asks suddenly, breaking the silence in the truck.
“Well,” you start, “there's going to be a lot of food, hay rides, a costume contest, lots of vendors from around the town, a few rides, a haunted house. It's nothing spectacular, but I’m hoping it will make you guys feel more at home here.” You noticed him and II exchange a look over your head. It wasn't long before you pulled into the bumpy dirt parking lot of the fair grounds. III vaulted out of the truck, his heavy boots landing on the ground with a loud thud. You notice II shove him back slightly as he holds out his hand to help you out of the truck. He gives your hand a soft squeeze before dropping it, you were quickly surrounded by the four men, all of you chatting happily as you made your way up to the festival. The four froze, taking in the chaotic sight before then. IV reached out, slipping his hand into yours.
“There's a lot of people, huh?” He asks, startling back slightly as a child rushes past his legs.
“The whole town’s probably going to show up.” You explain. You lean on closer to him, “you alright big guy? We can always turn around and go back to my place if this is too much.” You squeeze his hand reassuringly.
“I think I can handle it if you're by my side.” You noticed his features soften as he smiles under his mask. Your cheeks warm, your eyes darting to the ground in an attempt to try and hide your flustered expression.
“Where should we start?” III slips an arm around your shoulder, you instinctually lean into his side.
“You're the expert, love, lead the way.” Vessel shoots you a sharp grin. The group stayed close to your side, forming a buffer between you and the rest of the crowd. You wandered from booth to booth, letting the boy's childlike wonder take over as they excitedly showed you small trinkets and hand made gifts they stumbled across. The booth of old ladies selling goat milk soap cooed over how adorable all your costumes were, slipping sweets into all your hands as you made your way out. You paused in front of a vendor selling handmade jewelry, you jumped slightly as a hand came to rest on your waist.
“That would look very pretty on you.” II’s gentle voice meets your ears.
“You think so?” You ask through a flustered giggle. II asked to see the necklace in question, the beautifully wire wrapped crystal sparkling in the gradually setting sun. “It is really pretty.”
“How much?” He asks without hesitation. The young woman running the stand told him the price, to which II shocked you by immediately purchasing the necklace. He steps behind you, your hand raising to the unfamiliar weight as it falls around your neck. “A beautiful necklace for the most beautiful woman in the world.” His warm breath bounces off your cheek as he speaks, sending a shiver down your spine. You glance over your shoulder, your eyes immediately finding his bright blue ones.
“You know you didn't have to buy me anything.” You see the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles.
“What if I wanted to?” You didn't miss the teasing tone that had laced its way into his words. You traced a finger along the cool metal wire, fully turning yourself to face him. You glance up at him through your lashes, struggling to find the right words to say to thank him. You pushed yourself up onto your toes, quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“Well, I think that’s very sweet. Thank you, II.” You perk up at the sound of one of the others calling your name, III appearing at your side and slipping his hand into yours.
“Mind if I steal her from you?” He quickly asks II.
“Not at all.” He holds up his hands with a soft chuckle. “I'm sure I'll manage to snag her back later.” He winks at you, making your cheeks grow warm.
“What a shame,” III leans down to murmur quietly in your ear, “looks like I'm going to have to beat them off with a stick to get you to myself.”
“Careful, you're all going to make me think you have a crush on me or something.” You tease in response, shooting him a playful smile of your own.
“Only a pretty little thing like you could handle something like that.” He winks. “I want to make sure you eat before IV gets over excited and drags you off to the rides.” He jokes with a smile. He tucks you safely into his side, helping you avoid the bustling crowd that surrounded you.
“Are you having a good time?” You ask him softly. He glances down at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles.
“Yeah, I’m spending time with you, of course I’m having a good time.” You let out a bashful giggle, quickly turning away as you feel your cheeks grow warm. 
As the evening carried on you couldn't help but notice II grow more fidgety with every passing hour, occasionally leaning into Vessel to whisper something only for the taller man to clap him on the shoulder and give him a reassuring grin. You were currently sat in a circle on the ground, finding a nice place in the open field to settle down and have some good together. You laughed as IV expertly stole a bite of your corn dog faster than you could comprehend what had happened. “What's your favorite ride?” II suddenly chimes in from his position sitting across from you.
“I'm personally a big fan of the haunted house, I think all the cheap jump scares are fun.” You respond with a laugh.
IV makes an intrigued noise. “We should all go on!”
“Only two people can ride together, unfortunately.”
“Well, how about you ride with me then?” II winks at you, making you blush.
“If you think you can handle it.” You tease in response. II stands, offering you his hand which you eagerly accept. He hoists you from the ground, pulling you into his side and slinging his arm across your shoulders. Vessel tagged along with IV, knowing it would be the only way to stop him from complaining about how he wanted to go too, III elected to stay back to save your spot. You all chatted happily as you stood in line, the slow creeping pace allowing them to see a little of what the ride had in store for them.
Brown metal buggies horribly painted to look like wood creaked along the track, bat shaped hood ornaments were barely recognizable after years of dings and chipped paint.A repeating track of over dramatic screams and ghoulish moaning looped from the speakers. “Next in line, please!” The ticket collector barked, IV and Vessel stepped up first, IV practically vibrating with excitement as he waited for the all clear to get on. II’s arm slid around your waist as you stepped forward, waiting patiently for the next cart to wheel itself into place. “Y’all have fun.” He waves you on. II helps you step into the cart, your body thudding against the thin, leather covered padding on the seat.
“You’re not going to get all scared on me now, are you?” You ask in a playful tone.
“Oh, don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll be right here to protect you.” He returns with a smirk. Your body lurched slightly as the buggy started to move. You were hit with a blast of cold air as you crept into the dark space, II’s arm wrapping around your shoulders, you found yourself instinctually snuggling into his side. You jumped slightly, giggling over being startled by the second air cannon you had rolled past.
You rolled past a growling werewolf, “Look, you can see the wires.” You nudge him slightly, pointing upwards.
“I personally think it adds to the experience.” He chuckles, you can’t help but laugh yourself. “You’re so beautiful.” You feel your breath freeze in your lungs at his compliment. You clung to him as something shot out of the darkness at you, it took you a moment to recognize the plastic skeleton’s limbs rattling at you. Your eyes are drawn back to him as you feel a warm hand slip over your cheek. “And you thought I was going to be the one getting scared.” He chuckles, his eyes flashing briefly to your lips. “Cute.” He fidgets with the edge of his mask for a moment, stretching the black fabric away from his neck. “Can- can I, um…” He swallows thickly, his confidence immediately crumbling as you continue to cling to him for comfort. “Can I kiss you?” You nodded, your wide eyes glimmering in the dim light. Without hesitation II lifts his mask, his lips slotting perfectly against your own. Your hand slides over his chest, you could feel his heart pounding under your palm. As quickly as the kiss had started it was over, II’s mask already neatly back in place by the time your eyes fluttered open. You hide your face against his neck, hoping he hadn’t noticed your flustered appearance. “That was nice.” He suddenly chimes in, making you giggle. You both reluctantly shuffle away from each other as the exit opens in front of you, squinting under the bright lights. II offers you his hand to help you from the cart, your eyes meeting his as he smiles. Your pinky wraps around his as he lets his hand slip out of your grasp. You hear him laugh softly at your actions, allowing your fingers to stay linked.
“That wasn’t even scary.” IV groans as you approach.
“I never said it was scary, I just said I liked it.” You respond. Vessel smiles down at you.
“How was riding with II?” He asks with a chuckle. Your cheeks immediately warm at the question.
“We had fun.” You get out through a nervous giggle. 
“Well, look who’s back.” You can’t help but smile at III’s cheerful tone. He hoists himself up from his position on the ground with a soft groan. “How was it beautiful?” Your eyes trailed after the people that were starting to gather in the open field.
“It was fun.” You felt a pang of guilt in your chest as you thought about kissing II. “See anything interesting while we were gone?”
“There’s a pretty good band playing over there.” He nods somewhere behind you. “Want to go check it out?”
“Sure.” You can’t help but smile as you feel the warmth of III’s hand brush against yours. The two of you lazily strolled in the direction of the music that floated through the air. A local folk group was currently performing under a gazebo, a small dance floor set up in front of the stage. You laughed as III took your hand and spun you around in time with the music, pulling you to him and swaying you in his arms.
“Do you know how to dance?” He asks with a grin.
“Not very well,” you giggle in response, “but I feel like with you that won’t matter too much.” You found yourself easily falling into a rhythm with him, every small misstep and teasing comment from him made you both crumble into fits of laughter. You both paused, looking up at the sky with the rest of the crowd as fireworks started going off overhead. III continues to hold you close, your arms sliding over his shoulders as the two of you watch the display. He fully encircles your waist with one arm, his hand sliding over your cheek, turning your face in order for his warm lips to find yours. Unlike the kiss with II, III took his time letting the sensation of kissing you sink in. You felt so small in his arms, the gentle dominance he had over the kiss allowing your body to fully relax into his embrace as your eyes fluttered shut. He traces a thumb along your jaw before hesitantly pulling away.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He rushes to apologize, his body relaxing at the sight of the soft smile that had laced its way across your lips. Your eyes meet his, bright blue irises scanned your features with an adoration you had never seen. “I really like you.”
“III-”
“There you guys are!” He jolts back from you, the sudden lack of warmth making you shiver. “We’ve been looking all over the place for you!” It was IV, he jogged up to you. “Vessel wants to get going.”
You found yourself in the cab of the truck between Vessel and IV, II and III electing to sit in the bed for the ride back to your place. Your mind raced as you played over both men kissing you over and over again in your head. You didn’t know what to do. On one hand there was II, his silent charm and the undeniable intimacy the two of you have has drawn you in from the beginning. But then there was III, who made your heart race and dominated every aspect of your senses whenever you were with him. Who, despite his monstrous size, was always so gentle with you. You were absolutely torn. You rumbled into the store’s parking lot, Vessel parking the truck around back. You stood at the bottom of your stairs in a small circle. “Well, I hate to admit it, but that was pretty fun.” Vessel grins at you, there were murmurs of agreement amongst the group.
“Do you guys want to come up for a bit? There’s, um, there’s kind of something I need to talk to you about.” You fidget with your hands as you nervously put the statement out there. You were going to deal with feeling conflicted the only way you knew how, by facing the problem head on.
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251 notes · View notes
34tmyh34rt · 3 months
Text
Sleep Token Shenanigans
Smut ahead!!!
A/n: I can’t stop thinking about Vessel eating pussy 😫
Tags: gn reader, afab reader, no pronouns except for ‘you’, vessel x reader, eating out, overstimulation
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Vessel eating you out like he hasn’t eaten in days. You’ve came more times than you’d like to admit, stuck with his head between your thighs and muscular arms hooked around them so can’t they move an inch.
You whimper and whine, weakly bucking your hips in an attempt to cease the constant stimulation - it’s so hard to stay still when he’s so rough with your most sensitive parts - but he just can’t get enough of your pretty little pussy
It feels so amazing your brain is practically melting - he’s so good at making your belly flutter and your pussy gush
Your hands dig into his hair and pull, he lets out a low grown at the tug and it almost makes him more aggressive. You try to grab anything you can, your sheets, your own hair, him - anything to ground yourself. You can feel his spit and your slick drip down and mix onto the sheets.
Your legs are shaking and you’ve practically lost your voice from all your cute moans. But your perfect boy won’t move until you can’t think of anything but his tongue in your messy cunt <3
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a/n: Omg omg lmk what you thiiiiink. This is so short but it’s my first post so
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writethrough · 3 months
Note
How about a comfort fic with Vessel/reader? Your choice on if Vessel comforts the reader or the reader comforts Vessel!
Just Like Rain
(Vessel x Gender Neutral Reader)
Synopsis: Your anxieties overtake you, and Vessel is there to guide you through them.
Warnings: Self-deprecation, thoughts of unworthiness and self-hatred, language, unintentionally cathartic for me
Word Count: 1557
A/N: Thank you so much for requesting this, anon! I'm so excited for you to read my first Vessel fic!
A little housekeeping for those who have read through my Request Guidelines, and may be confused about me writing for a real person when it says I don't. That is still the case, but Vessel is a character when it comes down to it. So, I feel comfortable writing for him, especially in the way I've written him here.
Also—and I hope this goes without saying—I will not entertain theories and rumors about any of Sleep Token's identities.
Enjoy the music for what it is, as the band intended. And I truly hope you enjoy my interpretation of Vessel.
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The burn felt good. The steam made you breathe heavier, but you didn’t want this to be easy. You wanted to feel every inhale—stand under the water until you were seared from within; until it felt like you were in your body and not a whisper away from being dragged into oblivion. 
You choked back a sob; still so fearful someone would hear you when you were the only one home. 
There was no reason for you to cry. 
So many people had it so much worse. 
But here you were, on the verge of panic because you didn’t feel like yourself. You didn’t even feel human. 
You wished you could put a name to it, but you couldn’t. 
What was wrong with you? 
Why did you have to feel like this? It came out of nowhere. Like you were struck by a fucking semi. 
You just wanted it to stop. You wanted to feel normal, to not have these sudden bouts of...of what? Melancholia? Sadness? Anger? No word seemed strong enough for it. 
All you wanted was to rip it out. 
Your tears fell harder. 
The water cooled. You turned the knob further. 
And then there were arms around you. 
You tensed, choking back your sobs and covering your mouth as if you could hide what he had already seen. 
Slowly, carefully, as if you would break, Vessel turned you to face him. 
Without a word, he cupped the back of your head and brought it into the crook of his neck. 
You refused to remove your hand. 
All it did was make your shoulders tremble. 
His fingers traced up and down your arm, more of a breeze than a touch. His other hand slid down to the back of your neck. The pressure of it spread through your body. 
Your hand dropped from your mouth and tentatively found its way to his chest. And as he inhaled, you let your hands travel to his back as you stepped closer. 
He held you there, head resting atop yours. 
It was only when you shivered that you realized he had turned you, blocking you from the piping hot spray. 
You sniffled, finally looking at him. 
He cupped your cheeks, brushing away the tear tracks, then pressed his forehead to yours. 
Let us go to our room, my love. 
His words passed into your mind. You nodded. 
He stopped the water, helped you out of the shower, and dried you both. 
He guided your limbs into your sleepwear and covered himself with loose black pants. He looked almost...human...like this. 
You couldn’t help thinking that he was more human than most everyone out there. 
---
Your day started out fine. 
You woke from a wonderful dream—one Vessel had created. A peaceful afternoon beneath a willow tree, snuggled into his side, his fingers trailing along your forearm, down to your fingertips. 
He had tilted your face toward his, kissing your forehead. You had closed your eyes, and when you opened them, you were in bed, his lips still pressed to your skin. 
You got ready for work, Vessel watching as you moved through your room to the bathroom and back. He enjoyed observing you. The personal rituals you did for different occasions, different times of day. Perhaps the one he enjoyed the most was when you asked for his opinion when your ensemble was complete. 
He’d stand from his perch on the foot of your bed and step toward you as if in a trance. 
“You are breathtaking, my love.” He always spoke it. He wanted you to hear the power in the words—the power you held over him. 
You left, and Vessel would gather with the others. You’d ask him about his day, but admittedly, you were still confused about everything they could do—everything they were charged with doing. 
Maybe that was where is started.
You didn't understand. Could never understand.
And a chasm opened.
You were so fucking stupid.
You deserved to feel like this.
Insignificant.
Unneeded.
Unwanted.
Everyone was better off without you.
He’d be happier without you. 
All these fucking noises.
Why was everything so goddamn loud.
Dogs barking. Cars honking. That fucking clock that wouldn’t shut the fuck up! 
It all made you so angry. Why were you so angry? 
You had to make it stop. 
That’s how you ended up in the shower. At least there you could control the noise. You could feel it mark you. Let the heat punish you. 
A hand on your back pulled you back to reality. 
Let me see you, darling. 
You didn’t move, wished you didn’t need to breathe.  
He didn’t deserve this. He needed someone as extraordinary as him, someone who could understand. You could barely wrap your mind around how vast he was; he was everything, and you were—
“You are my heart.” 
A sob escaped. You had forgotten. Too consumed in your own thoughts that you forgot to keep them from him, to stop projecting them. 
He whispered your name, and all you heard was his heartbreak. 
You refused to look at him, covering your mouth to keep your cries back. 
“Please,” he urged. “Please believe me. You are the most precious to me. Do not think of yourself with such loathing.” 
His hand rested on your side, a silent plea to face him. When you didn’t, he forced you to. He never did that—used his strength against you—but this was an exception. 
“I am the one who does not deserve you. My existence is burdensome to you...but I am too selfish. I cannot lose you. I will not leave you willingly. I...I will stay by your side...until you demand otherwise.” 
It pained him to imagine it. He was so bad at hiding his emotions. And yet, it was what you needed. That break in his voice parted your darkness. The thought of him ever not being here scared you.
“I don’t—” You hiccupped. “I don’t want you to leave.” 
“Darling,” he breathed, sympathy and relief in that one word. “Come here.” 
You wrapped your arms around his waist while his settled over your shoulders. 
“My place is by your side,” he said. “Thank you for allowing me here.” 
Squeezing, you nuzzled your face into his neck. The edges of his mask-like features settled you into reality. He was here and so were you, and you were together. 
You sniffled; throat too thick to speak. 
I love you. 
His mouth pressed into your crown. 
You are the one I cherish most. 
At the end of your exhale, relaxation enveloped you—a heaviness only he could instill. 
You didn’t want to talk. You didn’t need to. You just needed this day to be over. 
Sleep, my beloved. And awake anew. 
--- 
You didn’t dream that night, and you were grateful. It was the kind of emptiness you needed. 
When you opened your eyes, you were facing Vessel. Your fingers were touching, bodies apart but connected, always. 
Sometimes it was difficult to tell if he was awake. Even facing one another, the spaces where his eyes should be neither opened nor closed. His breathing was what gave him away. But not this morning. Today, it was the way his pinky finger wrapped around yours. 
Dearest one. 
It moved through your mind like a gentle breeze, and it sounded like “good morning.” 
He seemed to move before you did, anticipating you shifting closer, so his arm wrapped around you and his hand caressed the back of your head. 
You are rested? 
You hummed. He always asked when you both knew he didn’t need to. His insecurities needed the reassurance that he had helped you.
Yes. Thank you. 
You punctuated it by gliding your lips along his throat and placing a kiss above his Adam’s apple. 
The purr that erupted pulled the corner of your mouth up. He was always responsive in the mornings, less guarded before the walls of your bubble faded. 
What are you feeling? 
Not “how,” but “what.”  
Inhaling, you took stock of yourself. You recalled your pain from yesterday, but that already felt so long ago. Like your mind was trying to protect itself after what it put you through.
All you really felt was him. 
Safe. 
His head tilted downward so your foreheads touched. 
That pleases me. 
You rubbed your nose with his. Content to simply feel him. 
The others and I have decided I shall remain with you today. 
It had taken you a while to get used to the connection him and the rest shared. Honestly, you were a bit jealous. After all, how convenient it was to cancel plans just by thinking about it. He probably did it in the seconds before you woke up. 
So, what should we do? 
Anything that will make you happy. 
That sincerity always made you pause and scrutinize him. How could anyone truly mean that? 
Yet somehow, he did. Every time. 
And if I said this? 
You traced curves and swirls onto his back, reveling in the strength you felt within. Sometimes you swore his power was tangible. 
���Then I shall continue to warm your bed.” 
Your flush was instantaneous, and you knew he could feel it against his neck. But before you could stutter a reply, your stomach growled. 
“Perhaps breakfast first?” he asked. 
You nodded. “Definitely.” 
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Taglist: @steph-speaks because one of my only points of pride is introducing you to ST.
Comment or message me if you wanna be tagged in future Vessel fics!
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fritz-federleicht · 1 month
Text
Friends to Lovers/ Vessel x reader
Summary: A close friendship evolves into love after a show.
Words: 633
FLUFF
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You and Vessel have been really good friends for many years.
There's always been a certain level of intimacy and trust between you. Sometimes a cuddle on the shoulder, sometimes a gentle rub of the thumb over the cheek or a kiss on the hair.
His bandmates tease you, claiming Vessel and you are in a relationship and you both just don't know about it yet.
"I'm so tired." You mumble, dropping onto the black leather sofa in the backstage area, exhausted. A sigh of relief escapes you as you watch Vessel out of the corner of your eye as he removes his white mask with the red details in front of a mirror
"What about me?" He asks with a grin and opens the clasp at the back of his head. "You just stood next to the stage and watched. I gave it my all and sang."
"And danced." You add with a grin.
"Yes, and danced." Vessel replies with a soft chuckle and places the mask next to the black charcoal he applied to his body before his performance... or rather, you applied it.
"I could sleep through a whole year after the tour." He says and watches his charcoal-stained face in the mirror for a moment.
You lean your head back against the soft backrest of the sofa and look up at the ceiling with a grin. "You say that every time and then you sleep just like you did on tour, maybe an hour longer." You say playfully.
Vessel laughs softly and sits down right next to you. His shoulder brushes yours as he leans back with a relieved sigh.
You tilt your head to the side and look at him.
It doesn't take him long to notice your gaze and he turns his head towards you. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen an alien."
A grin creeps onto your lips. "I just find it amusing how messed up you look after every show." You say with a shrug and raise your hand to brush your fingers across his cheek.
He rolls his eyes playfully and gently clasps your wrist. "Go ahead and make fun of me." He says, rubbing small circles on your skin.
You look at each other in a moment of silence, his gaze darts from your eyes to your lips.
And finally, the other Sleep Token guys would be standing next to you cheering, Vessel slowly moves his face closer to yours.
You can literally imagine III's cry of joy as your lips meet in a gentle kiss.
Butterflies ignite in every fiber of your body. Your lips melt together as if they were made for each other.
But they part far too quickly.
You open your eyes as Vessel leans back. "That was..." You whisper.
"It was perfect." Vessel says softly in a husky voice. His thumb circles your wrist gently.
"I never thought..." A smile forms on your lips. "...that this would ever happen between us."
"It just felt right to do it." He looks into your eyes and can't help the playful tone in his voice. "And besides, we're already very intimate with each other anyway."
You grin softly and answer playfully. "Basically, it's the same as before."
"Exactly." He leans closer to you. "Except now I'll kiss your lips more often instead of just your forehead."
Vessel looks at you with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Is that okay?"
"Mhm." You hum, which is enough of an answer for Vessel as he gently presses his lips back to yours.
If III knew what was happening next to his room... he'd probably jump for joy, just like your heart leaps in your chest as you gently return Vessel's kiss.
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velvet-paradox · 1 year
Text
Intense
Fandom: Sleep Token (Band) Pairing: Vessel x Female reader x III Length: Long Summary: Your eepy roommates suggest they can help you out. Warnings: NSFW 18 + ONLY, LISTEN UP PUNK I know what I'm about ok and I shouldn't even have to to explain this but for ffs this is for funsies, fictional purposes only. I don't know these British men and I don't claim to! But am I having an absolute ball listening to them everyday day since I heard Dark Signs??? Absolutely. I have not and will not know peace on Earth ever again so with that being said... my lizard brain wants to shoot my shot and get sandwiched between Vessel and III (purely based off their on stage personas) and I'm pretty sure all us worshippers would enjoy kneeling and begging for forgiveness for all the eepy guys. DON'T LIE TO ME; I'll know. ;) One late night thot lead us down this path so here ya' go, we've got: strong language, explicit content, MFM relations, polyamorous activities, kissing, oral (m receiving), p in v, protected sex, unprotected sex (don't do it!), double vaginal, dirty talking, creampie III is a mess, Vessel is along for the ride and you're indulging in the spoils of detailed smut. Tagging: @synnersaint my ride or die
ENJOY!!!
You stare at the red numbers on the clock next to your bed. You blink.
Unfortunately unfazed by the hum-drum pace and the position you've found yourself in.
Ugh, how did this happen again?
The man on top of you, circling his hips against your own, balls deep in your cunt should be fun, exciting, a turn-on at least but you just laid there, once again, taking it but not getting anything out of it. You faked it the last three times just to get him to get off you, out of your apartment and out the door so you could finish yourself off with some post nut clarity. Which is what you should've done in the first place.
The first time you had sex with him, you chalked it up to nerves. It'd been a few months for him and a bit longer for you at this point. The second time you excused it as you did go out for drinks earlier in the night and the last one was just plain awful. No foreplay, bit your neck too hard and pretty much gave you a titty-twister which was not fun; at all.
But he's nice! And funny, easy to talk to you and here you are, making more excuses for a man who can't even get you off. This is just pathetic, girl.
You felt bad faking your enthusiasm but even as you moved in unison with him, hearing him huff and grate out oh my fucking god for the fifth time, he didn't even have a clue.
So you dialed it up, two more minutes had passed with him just thrusting inside you, he didn't even notice you weren't as wet as before. What a fucking disaster.
You sighed and made your O face, biting your lip and holding his waist, the slapping of skin sped up briefly before he pulled out with a groan of your name, panting as he jerked himself, tore off the condom and came on the inside of your thigh.
Fucking finally.
Your date was quick to get dressed, mentioning something about an early shift change. He gave you chaste kiss on the corner of your mouth, cupping your face as an afterthought as you followed him out of your bedroom.
"I'll text you when I get home. I-- oh!"
You bounced against his back, stunned as to why he's just stopped like that when you peer around his frame. There on the couch in your living room sat your roommates.
"Oh my-- what are you guys doing home?" You asked, frantically looking between the two sober faces and their luggage by the front door. Well more like the painted chin of one and the eyes of the other. You were hyperaware of the drying cum on your leg and crossed your fingers and toes they didn't hear your activities or what remained to be seen.
"We live here, remember?" Vessel waved one of his hands, III nodding along.
"When you said you had roommates I just assumed they were other girls." Your bedfellow side talked to you as to not alert your boys.
"Is that a problem?" You asked.
"No I just uh," he looked at III when he stood, an attempt to intimidate. "It's fine um... I'll call you."
"Well that was rude," Vessel announced, joining his brother after he left. "Didn't even introduce himself."
"He won't be around for long. I wouldn't worry about it." You dryly chuckled before embracing both of them. Vessel cupped the back of your head, pressing his chin into your hair before letting III swoop you up in his gangly arms and gave you two solid spins. "Put me down! You reek."
"Ah, the mask has seen better days I'm afraid. Can't wait to get a hot shower and something in my belly. Road livin' ain't what its' cracked up to be, ya' know?" III admitted.
"Um, let me get changed and I'll make you guys some food," you jogged out of the living room, calling over your shoulder. "Lord knows what you boys eat on the road!" ....
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," You paused the movie and turned to face Vessel on the chaise lounge part of the couch, long limbs sprawled out, ankles crossed and rocking. "What's up?"
Vessel twisted his painted mouth before asking an out of pocket question. "Why do you torture yourself?"
Taken aback you wondered what he meant and crossed your legs. "What? What do you mean?"
"I think you know what I mean." When you showed your genuine confusion, he sat up. "Your little boy toy. Not that III and I have been cheeky little perverts and eavesdropping on your late night escapades but... we can't help but be concerned. Either you're a silent climaxer, some people are and that's totally fine and we're bold to assume or your partner isn't doing it right."
"Excuse me?"
"We've only been home a few weeks and we've heard him far more than we've heard you," Vessel explained, ignoring your anxious fidgeting and cuticle picking. "What we have heard though, is a lot of buzzing after your friend leaves."
Oh. My. God.
Your heart is hammering in your chest, desperate to get out of, out of your body and on the run. Blood pounds in your ears at the audacity of this whole conversation. Your roommates have heard you getting off, know you have toys, know your friends with benefits is lacking the benefits part and that you'd not been taken care of. You wished it was still cooler out and you could grab the usual throw off the back of the couch and hide away underneath.
"What are you guys talkin' about?" III popped in, holding a glass of chocolate milk, an absurdly long and coiled straw was hidden beneath his mask as he sucked dramatically.
Vessel smirked. "Oh just Y/N and how her new beau can't get her off."
"Oh finally! I've been dying for this conversation," III exclaimed and excited plopped down next to Vessel, scooching closer and leaning forward as he drank some more. "So what gives? Give us the goods."
"I don't... he knows what he's doing, it's just--"
"It's just he's bad at it." III giggled.
"I can get off, okay?"
"Yeah, we know that. Just not with him."
"I... fine. It might not even be him you know," you tried. "Maybe it's me. Maybe I can't get out fast enough."
Vessel quirked his mouth. "Get out of what exactly?"
"My own head. I think too much, you know that. I need to feel everything in order to shut my brain off and not worry about how many loads of laundry I need to do, when I need to switch out my sheets, did I pick up my towel in the bathroom? What should I have for lunch tomorrow."
The boys looked between themselves, shrugging and looking bewildered. "You... you think about all that stuff all while having sex?" III snorted and shook his head. "You're a madwoman, you know that?"
"I'm trying not to think of those things!"
"That's what I was afraid of," Vessel took III's now finished drink away from him and set it down. "If you want, we could help you out. Save you the trouble and the energy and uh, some battery power."
You chuckled. "You're joking. You two are gonna' help me out."
"Just say the word and we belong to you," Vessel crooned, licking his top lip. The pink of his tongue was such a juxtaposition to he obsidian black that covered his face, his arms and hands, his body. "This could be a one time deal, if it's not up to your standards, we don't have to mention it ever again or... it could be a three times a week sort of thing."
"Three times a week?!" You screeched.
"That's up to you."
....
"So uh have you guys like... done this before?" Your voice doesn't even sound like your own, shaky, breathy, uneven and higher pitched. You pointed between the duo and yourself. You hadn't but your incognito search history might say you've looked at it a few times.
They admitted their deep rooted feelings about you. Your stomach flipped for Vessel's breathy pet name of Duchess, your toes curled for III's Sweetness. 
With the way they looked at you, you couldn't even remember his name at this point.
Vessel shrugged. "Just with you."
"Just me?" You balked, you knew the guys were close, sometimes skin tight so to find out they'd not acted out was stunning and a major green light. "Oh um, I'm flattered. iI think."
"You should be. III isn't much of a talker, speaks his mind when need be."
"Unless its' dirty." III piped up with a shrug of his own, with the way his eyes wrinkled you could tell he was all smiles under that mask.
"A little tact there, brother!" Vessel scolded him, giving a backhand to his arm. "Don't scare her off."
"What? She should know. You should know. I am dripping with sin."
"III!"
"What? We're all adults here, right? An' we're talking about fucking each other so who cares?! And she might even like it. Do you like dirty talk, sweetness?" III asked with a tilt of his head.
"Uh I um... I. Well..."
"Do you," III stood and got closer, much closer, swaying his way to close the gap between you. He stood with his legs on the outside of your own. He tilted his head the opposite way and kept his eyes trained your face, the heat from the eye contact made you hot. His painted thumb touched your chin. "Like that?"
You'd never felt this kind of intimacy, this heightened level of attraction and arousal and it made you nervously laugh at the thought that it was radiating off your friends like a fucking forest fire.
You swallowed. "Yes."
"Aha! Knew it. Those pretty eyes and that fucking mouth are hiding plenty of secrets, yeah?" III pointed, that thumb of his traced along your jaw before pushing gently on the underside, making you look all the way up at him.
If they wanted to play, you thought, I guess... let's play.
"Maybe."
"Oh! Now we're getting somewhere," III chuckled and looked over at Vessel before touching your shoulder, moving the strap of your sleep shirt back and forth. His hands were hot, scorching your skin as he touched the light fabric. "Should I undress you or should you undress me? Or maybe Vessel wants to unwrap us both. What do you think?"
"I think--" your throat constricted before keeping his ardent eye contact. "I think I want to undress you first."
III liked that idea, he wiggled his shoulders and raised his arms. "I'm all yours, mama."
....
His hoodie is the first thing to go, floating down to the floor. A black compression shirt separates flesh and bone, it comes off easily over his head. He's only half painted there. You can see streaks of his skin, soft and smooth, hidden from view. His stomach tightens when you trail your hand down his chest, foreign to your hands.
"I think about you, ya' know? Not to be pervy or bold but... you are the prettiest thing we've ever seen."
His compliments make you warm, you clench around nothing.
He suddenly grabs your hand and moves it higher. "Feel that. You make my heart fuckin' pound like crazy. The first time I saw you in that green sundress, you know, the one with the little daises on it... fuck me," III admitted and dramatically bit his fist. "I've never been so hard in my life!"
You know the dress in question. It's hanging in the front of your closet. Guess it'll be making a debut and turn III on once again. 
"Oh yeah? Well maybe next time I wear it... I won't wear anything underneath."
III made the deepest of groans, moving your hand down his ribs while he undid his belt. "Fuckin' hell, don't tease me woman."
"You don't like that?"
"I like it too much! That's the problem."
His zipper was so fucking loud, it cut through the room like a hot knife. Smooth and seamless, even Vessel had to clear his throat. You looked over at him on the chaise, legs wide spread, lithe arms outstreatched over the back cushions. With three separate eye holes in his mask, it was hard to tell where he was looking but in this moment you felt them boring straight into your own.
"Keep going," he hummed and visibly bit his lip. " 'm enjoying the show."
With III was just in his boxers, it was your turn. Your disrobing would be a lot quicker as you were in a light pajama set and crew socks. You mmiiced III and raised your arms above your head, his nimble fingers danced over your sides, dragging the material up and over your head. He tossed to Vessel, who out of your peripheral, had inhaled your scent on it. He did the same with your shorts. The rush of cool fan air make your skin prickle, your clit throbbed when you fully noticed the outline of III's cock. Jesus. 
III got on his knees and lifted one your feet, gripping your ankle.
"No. Keep them on." Vessel spoke, pushing himself up off the couch and sauntered over to you, fully nude and on display. He embraced your face, pressing his forehead to yours before slinking behind III when he stood.
Vessel's painted arms looped around III's, locking them behind his back. III made a noise.
"Take him out," Vessel instructed with a low gasp. "Take him out and see what you do to him. Same as what you do to me. Hell, all of us, duchess."
ALL OF US?!
Before you got on your own knees, you touched III's hips, hooking your thumbs just beneath the fabric and dragged them down. His cock made the softest and prettiest thud against his lower belly. Your eyes bounced from their faces, down to his leaking cock and back again.
"He wasn't lying," Vessel chuckled, his chin now draped over III's shoulder. You met his eyes. "You make him rock fuckin' hard, love. Want her to take all o' that? Nah... you need her to take care of that, don't you?"
"Fuck yes." III whined. "Please."
"How are you gonna' help our good boy, love?"
III shook before your even touched him, you on your knees before him was enough to have him looking frantic. Completely at your and Vessel's mercy, you took him in your hand first, getting familiar with his length before dipping your head in worship, opening your mouth. You hesitated for the briefest of moments before angling him deeper and further into your mouth.
It was a good thing Vessel was holding him up because you felt and saw III's knees wobble once you got your stride, gliding your hands up and around his thighs, arching closer with your fingers reaching his ribcage. Your palms against his skin felt every twitch, every jolts, every fucking sigh. The noise that strangled out from his throat when you dragged your nails down his stomach had you clenching around absolutely nothing.
"That's it, you're doing such a good job, love bug. Atta' girl, get 'em off real good, yeah?"
"Yeah yeah, fuck yeah," III whined and bucked his hips, "Your mouth feels so fucking good. Suckin' me off real sweet, mama. Give it to me."
"She's good with that mouth, hmmm?"
"Oh fuck V...wait 'til she oh shit, right there-- wait 'til she's gaggin' on you. O-oh my God."
When III took the Lord's name in vain it sounded so sweet in comparison to your other lover. You could feel yourself getting wetter, more powerful than you ever had with him. You took their words of praise, locked them in a little safe in the back of your mind for safe keeping.
"You're lucky I don't shove your ass out of the way then." Vessel teased and III mewled with delight.
....
III made grabby hands at you, wiggling his fingers as he laid out on the chaise part of the couch. He wiggled, tapped and pointed towards his mouth too.
When you climbed on top of him, his arms engulfed you, bringing you chest to chest. You kissed his face over his mask, startled when he suddenly pulled the chin part of it up to his nose and kissed you for real. You whined and kissed him back harder and faster, tasting his mouth, licking inside of it. He smacked and grabbed your ass, groaning against your lips.
"You two are fuckin divine," Vessel breathed, shouldering off his robe finally, unzipping his own jeans. "Fuckin’ hell, what a sight."
You turned your head to his silky voice, watching him stroke himself.
You were in big fucking trouble.
III nipped your arm. "Want you. I want you so fucking badly. Think it'll fit? Think you can take it?"
You took a breath and held his cock, hot and ready against your pussy. Rocking against the crown, splitting your lips to ready you for him. You licked your lips and lowered down on it, your mouth instantly opening. "Fuck yes."
"Good God!" 
"Shit... a little more, love and you'll take him all the way in. That's it." Vessel cooed and pet your head, then your face. "Kiss him again."
With his heavy hand on your head you kissed III tongue first, the sounds of you two kissing had Vessel praising both of you, leaving him breathless.
III grabbed your hips, rolling and fucking up into you, breathing you in.
You and III stilled at the sudden dip of the couch.
Vessel's hand on your shoulder, his other ghosted and trailed over III's mask and vulnerable chin and mouth behind you. He lost it at that, whimpering against your cheek, a new flood of arousal coating your walls.
"Just relax pretty girl. We've got you, we got you."
"What are you--"
Vessel's thick fingers reached around your front, pressing and swirling down around your clit. "We're both gonna' fit. Just remember to breathe for us, ok?"
Holy shit. This was intense.
III's arm surged up and over your shoulder to touch Vessel, ghosting over his naked hip, gripping his bare skin.
"I've got you both. Trust me."
It was your idea to lift up, empty of III only to arch and take a deep push of Vessel. You frowned and touched III's face when Vessel pulled completely out. You both gasped when he spat. III squirmed and whined, the sudden intrusion of Vessel lining them both up against your hole, wedging their cocks inside you.
It didn't necessarily hurt, more pressure than anything and for fucks sake, you'd never felt so full in your life. 
"Fuck V! Give us a warning, holy fuck." III breathed when the frontman started to rock and move. After a few minutes of fucked out bliss, it seemed like Vessel was fucking III through your body.
He smeared his face along your spine, your shoulder, leaving wet open mouthed kisses along your neck and ear.
"Good fucking God duchess, you are absolutely soaked for us, aren't you? Can feel you really start to open up for us now, yeah? Fuck you're amazing. Isn't she?"
"Ye-yeah yeah. Positively sweet," III's eyes sparkled in an amorous way. You kissed him hard. "Can't wait to have a taste of you, sweetness."
The thought of him working his mouth on you made you keen and fuck down on them.
Limbs twisted and tangled, Vessel nipped a small, incredibly sensitive spot behind your ear before licking the shell of it. Humming and praising you with that gravely timber. He was touching you, holding onto one of your tits for stability and III did the same, using just the pad of his thumb to pebble your other nipple.
You would never recover, that much you were sure of. They were out for pain and pleasure.
On a particularly hard thrust from III your moan slipped into sex drunk chuckle. "I think she likes it."
"I'm in fuckin' heaven." You breathed, reaching back to touch Vessel's thigh, digging your nailbeds in deep.
"That's it, you fuckin' naughty thing." His hand left your breast and found a new home around your throat, turning your head to face him and receive a sloppy kiss. III moaned at that.
"You two are fuckin-- ah shit. I'm close, fuck. Give it, give it to me."
Vessel's laugh against your lips made your walls constrict.
"Just like that!" III practically yelled, digging his fingers into your thighs, alternating to your hips, changing the tortuous pace. "Fuck, 'm gonna' bust, sweetness. Fuckin' cum inside you all nice and deep. Make it stick."
"Fuck me." You hung your head and rode it out, nothing but pure pleasure and bliss was shared between the three of you. And it was worth it. "Oh you guys... aha! I'm gonna' cum."
You couldn't remember the last time you came that hard with a partner and never with two! They both rubbed their hands and mouths over your skin, groping over your sandwiched body. Vessel's chest stuck to your back like glue, III grabbed and pushed both of your breasts together as he came shortly after with a grunt of your name, stringing along a beautiful array of obscenities. 
"I've got you, I've got you both in my clutches now." Vessel's voice sounded like silk on glass next to your ear as he continued to thrust, spearing III's load all over your gummy walls. III reached out a lazy hand and Vessel took it, lacing their fingers together over your shoulder. 
Skin on skin on skin.
III leaned up for another smooch with you greedily enjoyed, smacking your spit and lips together until all you could feel and hear was Vessel shudder behind you.
....
Vessel couldn't stop smiling as you giggled, helped to your bedroom, wedged between them on your bed as they cleaned you up. You would certainly need to clean up that side of the couch later. III was careful of your more tender bits, being stretched out and filled, removing black grease paint of where they were.
He drummed his fingers over your arms when he was finished, molding his body to yours. His head against the side of your neck. III soon joined in the snuggle, jumping into bed and under the covers with you. He gave you another kiss before pulling his mask back down, and pet Vessel's head.
Your phone buzzed when your boys had fallen asleep, you had a feeling of who it might be and if this is how the future looked; there was no way you were gonna' give this up.
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x-reader-theater · 7 months
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In Your Sleep, In Your Dreams {1}
summary: You find solace in another being when you dream.
pairing: Vessel x Gender Neutral!Reader
word count: 1491
warnings: None.
a/n: requests are now open. please see my rules here for more information. this will be a series but if you really want you can read this as a standalone.
In Your Sleep, In Your Dreams series: {Chapter 1}, (You can also use the tag #in your sleep in your dreams series as well if you don't want to use links)
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Chapter 1: Meeting. Worship
You look around a darkened space. It’s not black, like the absence of light, but a deep grey, like the moon is illuminating the area. But, when you look up, the sky is the same deep grey as everything else. It’s a little dizzying. You feel yourself being pulled towards something, like there’s a string in your chest, and a puppet master is pulling you toward them. When you look down, you see nothing.
You let your chest guide you, your feet stumbling after it. You feel floaty, like if you jumped you could fly, however, at the same time, you don’t think you could jump if you tried. You’re unsure how long you walk, no aches or pains as you walk to note how far you’ve got, no panting, you barely feel yourself breathing, but if you concentrate enough, you can feel your heart beating in your chest and through your veins, like you’re even more aware of it now than you normally are.
Eventually, you see something. It’s a stage, surrounded by impossibly tall curtains. The stage itself is empty, save for a figure. It’s hard to make out the figure at first, looking more like a black blob of a human, but the close you get, the more details you can make out. The first thing you notice is the smoke like skin, dark grey like the world around but with texture, not quite patterned, but not uniform. It’s definitely a masculine person, his chest bare underneath an open hooded, knee-length sweater of some sort that seems thin, like it’s meant for looks and not for warmth. The pants he wears are loose fitting and made from that same thing material, and he’s not wearing shoes. The thing that stands out the most, however, is the white mask, with six eyeholes, a red symbol painted on the centre, and red spiral detailing around a cutout for his mouth that almost looks like viscera. You take a couple steps forward and the man leans down over the edge of the stage, his feet half hanging off it. He extends a hand, and you can’t help but reach out and take it.
You shiver as ice immediately lances through you, the man’s skin is incredibly cold and while you want to pull away, it’s like you just got a shot of pure adrenaline and everything is finally coming into focus. The man in front of you looks sharper than he once did, you can feel his soft his skin is, and you don't have to concentrate on your heartbeat any more to feel it pounding away in your chest and through your veins.
“Hello,” the man says, his voice deep and clear and almost hypnotising.
“Hello,” you respond. “Where am I?”
“You’re in a dream,” the man says, crouching down, so his eyes are more level with yours. “Sleep brought you here to me.”
“Oh,” you say, still not fully aware of yourself in this dream. “Why?”
“Because you’re special,” he explains.
“Oh,” you say plainly again. “Who are you?”
“I am a vessel of Sleep, chosen to speak for him, and to worship,” the man, Vessel, explains.
You nod like you understand any of it. In a way, you kind of do. Information about the entity known as Sleep drifts lazily into your mind, as well as information about Vessel, and three other Vessels that are not as loved as this Vessel, but still loved nonetheless.
“Okay,” you say, slightly dazed. “Why am I here?” You ask again.
Vessel laughs. “Because you’re special. Because Sleep wanted you here, for me, and for yourself,” Vessel explains, reaching out with his older hand to grab the one dangling at your side, heavy and tingly. “Sleep knows you’re lonely. Sleep wants to help. Sleep wants to give you a purpose.”
You think about this. About your life. About your job that you hate and coworkers that hate you. You think of your lonely apartment, devoid of life. You can’t even keep a plant alive, how are you expected to keep a pet alive too? You have no one and nothing.
Except now, maybe you do.
“This isn't real,” you say matter-of-factly.
Vessel chuckles. “Does this feel real?” He moves one of his hands from you, which drops back limply to your side, and reaches out, touching your face. You shiver again as the cold flesh brushes against you, but you feel how soft his skin is, especially as he starts to rub his thumb over your cheek. You lean into the touch and shake your head, your lips brushing against his palm over and over.
He moves your head up, tilting it towards him, and he brings the hand he's still holding up to his lips. They’re just as cold as the rest of him, but this time, when you shiver, it's not because of how cold Vessel is. You've got used to that now.
No, you shiver because he touches your face so tenderly, a feeling you haven’t felt in a very long time. He leans into your space, and you lean into his, needing to chase that feeling of being wanted. You feel his lips press against yours, and you melt into the touch. His lips are as soft as the rest of his skin, and that feeling returns. Vessel kisses you, and you feel love and purpose flowing between the two of you, back and forth, longing turning into satisfaction, hope turning into true, unfiltered, love. You don’t know if that love comes from Vessel himself, or if it’s Sleep filtering through Vessel’s lips, but it doesn’t really matter to you. For the first time in a very, very long time, you feel wanted.
Vessel pulls away, and you realise you had closed your eyes without noticing, and you slowly blink them open, You don’t know if you could see Vessel’s eyes beneath the mask before, but now you can see all six, blinking at you in synchronicity.
“Why me?” you breathe into the still air. Well, you think there’s air. Vessel said this is a dream, so it could very well be that there isn’t any air at all.
Vessel’s soft lips quirk into a smile. “Because Sleep knows you need purpose. Sleep knows you are lonely.” Vessel pauses, before leaning in again, his hand still on your cheek, his lips brushing against yours as he whispers, “Sleep knows how I am lonely.”
You surge forward, your nose smashing into Vessel’s mask, but you ignore the feeling as you deepen the kiss. You open your mouth and allow Vessel’s tongue to lick and prod, feeling around. When he pulls his tongue back, you extend yours, licking into Vessel’s mouth. You feel your legs give out when you brush your tongue across a sharp fang.
Vessel pulls back and reaches out, grabbing you before you can fall to the ground. He wraps his arms around you and with a strength no man should have, easily lifts you onto the stage, chuckling. Then again, apparently, this is a dream, and anything can happen in dreams.
“Careful,” he admonishes, and you laugh breathlessly along with him as you find your feet underneath you once again.
You throw your arms around Vessel’s neck, his lithely muscled arms wrapped around your waist, pressing your body to his. You stand like that for a moment, resting your head in the crook of Vessel’s neck. “I know this is a dream, but it feels so real…” you trail off into Vessel’s neck.
You feel the press of a kiss on the top of your head and Vessel’s arms constrict around your middle, pressing you closer to him. “It’s real if you want it to be.”
You chuckle. “Isn’t everything real if you make yourself think it is?” you ask dismissively.
Vessel chuckles. “I suppose so.”
You pull back, staring into the black voids of Vessel’s eyes and bring a hand up, placing it on his cheek underneath the mask before your eyes slip closed, and you lean in to kiss him again, that heartbeat that you can feel so strongly in your bloodstream quickening, and you sigh into the kiss.
You and Vessel stand like that for a few minutes, kissing, touching, and just generally enjoying each other and the feeling of closeness. You pull away eventually, when you feel breath in your lungs, lungs that are panting from lack of air.
“You’re waking up now,” Vessel explains.
“I don’t want to go,” you beg, breathlessly, finally feeling the breath that is leaving you.
“I know,” Vessel says with a sad smile. “You’ll be back. When you dream again, Sleep will bring you here.”
You lean up, going to kiss Vessel, but when you think you’re going to kiss him, you move past him, his form turns to smoke, and you wake up, the smell of rain and cigarette smoke filtering in through your window.
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heartbreakgrill · 1 month
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Delicate: Vessel (Sleep Token); Pt. 6, "I don't wanna share."
“Ok, I need to bring you back down to Earth for a sec, Daisy.”
An audible groan passed through my lips as I rolled my eyes, “Here we go.”
“No, listen,” Sasha poked at my bicep, which was propped up so I could hide behind my arms just a little bit, “listen, listen. You obviously need to hear this-”
“You were the one telling me that I needed to let loose! This is me- letting loose! Going with the flow. Being chill!” I sounded exasperated, which didn’t help my defensive case. I didn’t know how many times I could reiterate the same point until the words didn’t carry any meaning.
“Yeah, no, I did say that!” She gestured with her pretty pink nails, “but letting loose and being in a situationship are not the same things. In fact, I would argue that they are complete opposites.”
“And I would argue,” I looked to her, pointedly, “that they are not. That this isn’t even a situationship in the first place.”
Sasha snorted, eyes crinkling shut for a moment. Then, she remembered herself and got a little more serious. “Ok, listen,” she shook her shoulders, “do you have feelings for him?”
There was no question here. I didn’t have to think about it. I knew I had feelings for him from the moment he had kissed me in that hallway, the air conditioning humming like a taunting melody beneath our breathless sighs. Despite how quickly the confirmation fell through my lips, little flashes of memories reeled at the front of my mind.
Oliver and I in his hotel room, his gentle hands wetting a towel and carefully, like I was glass, swiping my skin clean.
Oliver and I in the shower, supple kisses on my collarbones and the back of my neck as he lathered soap through my hair.
Oliver and I on the roof, the bright lights of Paris and the faint sounds of a violin playing on the streets below us guiding our hips through a dance that felt as natural as the air that blew through my hair.
Oliver whispering my name into my ear, Oliver tucking me into his bed, Oliver throwing out his cigarettes and being one week clean. Oliver begging me to come to a show, promising to show me some of his new music if I’d just come.
Oliver telling me that if I came to the show this Friday, he’d let me sign my name across his ribcage, and paint over it with midnight black, sealing clean a secret that burned for our eyes only, barely visible beneath what looked to be the night sky on his skin.
“And does he have feelings for you?” Sasha hummed in response.
“I…don’t know. I think so…”
Oliver’s words in my memory-
“You’re so fucking pretty…pretty like a flower. I can smell the pollen in your skin. It makes my nose tingle,” His nose in my neck.
“Everytime you smile at me, I feel it, Daisy. The moment you walked out of that airport…I- just. I’m stuck in this vicious cycle, and you’ve thrown me for a loop,” his fingers on my cheeks.
“Do you dress up for Halloween? Go to any University parties? I swear, all you need is a white dress and some angel wings, and you’re set. You better send me photos if you fulfill my idea. I’d build a fucking shrine for it, for you…bring down heaven, so they can reclaim you,” his hands in my hair, tracing a halo between my temples…
“Probably.”
Sasha pursed her lips, raised her brows, as she watched me question myself, “Girl. From what you’ve told me? Hmph. Anyways…he doesn’t want to be with you-”
“Can’t,” I looked away, almost shamefully. Then, my voice was quiet, “can’t be with me.”
“Okay,” she scoffed, more or less under her breath, to help me save face. But I heard it. I rubbed my hands together slowly, as if prodding at my skin would somehow help my confidence in the situation.
Sasha took a slow sip of her coffee, only pushing me further to the edge of my seat in anticipation as she analyzed my situation more and more. Then, finally, the big question, the gut-punch, the lemon in my papercut, “Why?”
The same question I’d been asking myself for…nearly two months now? Yeah. Two months. 8 weeks. Three cities (four?) The lines were beyond blurred. I was beyond blurred, eyes bleary, head cloudy. I thought that seeing Sasha would help me clear my mind a little bit. But, she had the same thoughts I did- though hers were a little more on the offense than mine. A little more verbal than I allowed my own to be. She seemed to be clear on the fact that what Oliver was asking of me was wrong. And I didn’t agree.
It’s not like he was manipulating me or taking advantage of me. He asked for my consent just about every time he even breathed in my direction, ensuring I was okay more times than was probably necessary. Besides, I was a mature, independent, smart adult- I wouldn’t allow myself to be put in a situation that would jeopardize my well-being and mental health.
(So why did it still feel so wrong?)
I was incredibly antsy to see Sasha all summer. We’d been internet friends for nearly 10 years and had only hung out once, when she visited the states 5 years ago. Now, here I was- in her home country for a whole entire month. And, luckily, she had a little bit of free time on the weekends and evenings to entertain me. In her own words, her goal over the next month was to get me on her side, to change my point of view. I just wanted to eat some croissants and buy expensive cheese. We had very different ideas of fun.
“Why, Daisy.” A statement because she knew the answer, too, and was trying to force me to come to terms with it by vocalizing it.
“Girl, I don’t know,” I settled for humor.
Sasha blew a bubble of air from between her lips, the ends of her styled side bangs ruffling about. She crossed her eyes as she peeled a strand from her bottom pout, all stuck in her lip gloss. Meanwhile, she replied, “Get real. You have a degree in analyzing human behavior. You read people like a book after just one glance in their direction. Why? Just tell me. You know it. Why-”
“Because he has an attachment disorder. Debilitating anxiety and depression. Terrible coping mechanisms. The tendency to victimize himself intentionally for attention. And I’m feeding into it. I’m giving him what he wants. I’m catering to his insecurities by fucking babying him and treating him like glass.”
In another universe, I said all that. I confronted the issue at hand and told Oliver no when he later texted me to come over.
But, in this timeline-
I shrugged. Sasha got frustrated with the situation and moved on, to shoes or shopping or something else.
I went back to the hotel. Ate dinner with everyone.
Oliver texted me. At his beck and call, I went up to his room. A dog to a bone. A dog to a dead bird, in my teeth.
And I ignored what I knew was true for about a week. It was easy, up until that point. The way he touched- the way he silently loved me- it was all enough to hold nothing against him.
Yet, enough to despise him for everything he was putting me through.
-
“Daisy…”
His words were a whisper on the back of my neck, awakening me with a sharp inhale of breath between my lips.
I gained my bearings as my eyes flew open. My tired vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings of Oliver’s hotel room, a familiar sight, sure, but never at this time of day.
I was sent into a frenzy from the realization that it was the morning time and I was still in his room, sleeping at his side, with his arm tucked securely around my waist.
“Wha-” I sat up slightly, leaning the back of my shoulder blades against the headboard. Oliver’s arms slid over my lap, his skin cold against the edge of my stomach. “What time is it?” I looked down to him, expecting a panic to be apparent on his face.
He just smiled up at me, “Only 10.”
My eyes widened. The beat of my heart picked up its pace as I instantly thought of my brother, my empty bed in our room. He was more than awake at this time of day and probably panicked, looking for me. Soon enough, he’d come knocking on Oliver’s door and we’d be found out.
I knew this would happen. We’d been pushing our luck far too much these past few weeks, as the tour traveled from Germany to Paris. It was like being in the city of love had heightened our cravings. Oliver’s, especially, were feral. He treated me, sometimes, like a prey that needed hunting. That all-consuming affection was so filling, so much so that I forgot how unhealthy it could end up being. No matter- we were having fun. But, my brother and his friends were still somewhat of a threat. Who knows how they’d react? Who knows what it could mean for Oliver and I?
Oliver noticed my panic and sat up so he could cradle my chin in his hands, “Hey, hey, hey- love, we’re okay. Sam stopped by like an hour ago to tell me he and Ronnie were going to Versailles for the day. Said to look out for you cause you were probably traipsing around the city with Sasha.”
I took a deep, relieved breath, resulting in my shoulders to slouch just a bit. I leaned my face into Oliver’s palms more, feeling his breath fan out across my face. I liked him so much, I didn’t even care about morning breath.
“Oh, thank God,” I squeezed my eyes shut.
Oliver let out a deep chuckle before pecking my lips, “You know what that means?”
I met his gaze, eyeing his sly smile, “What does that mean?”
“We have the entire day to spend in the city. Together. Just you and I. No sneaking around in the dark or hanging out in this dingy hotel room.”
“Wait, really?” I sat up with excitement. Oliver’s hands slid off my face and he fumbled around with my hands.
He squeezed them gently, grinning as he watched the smile grow on my lips. A slow nod, “Really! We can be classic, cringey tourists! Don’t have to worry about running into your brother. Nor Cy, Adam, and Max. They’re all running some stuff at the venue. So- hurry! Get ready! We have so much time to spend and we’re wasting it in bed!”
“Oh, my God, I’m so fucking excited!” I shoved the covers off my body, standing to haphazardly tug on my clothes.
Oliver moved slowly, as he always did, just watching my buzzing body with a sweet grin. “Yeah?”
“Yes! I love spending time with you no matter where, but now we can finally be in the light of day together, like normal people! Like a nor-” I stumbled over my string of thoughts, coughing up something other than what I wanted to say, “like normal, human people!”
Like a normal couple.
That’s what I wanted to say. A Freudian slip- how silly of me!
We weren’t a couple. And what we had was anything but normal.
Oliver pretended like I didn’t choke over the letter c. Instead, he presented his own ideas for our day, “I think we should at least start with Cafe de Flore.”
My brows furrowed. My heart swelled. My stomach fluttered. I knew why it would be a good idea to start there. I knew I’d told him about it- just in passing- weeks ago, maybe even months. But, how did he know that?
“Why’s that?” I quizzed.
Oliver looked at me with an expression I can only describe as, ‘duh.’ “Because it’s gorgeous and historical and you’ve been wanting to go there all summer? We’ll grab breakfast.”
I distracted myself with verbalized, rambled lists and lists of everything we could do today. I couldn’t give into the emotions swirling all throughout my frenzied body. It would only spiral into overthought anxiety and confessions of a stupid fucking word I did not want to feel.
“Of course, we’re gonna have to walk all over the city to do all of this. I don’t wanna tire you out too much. I’ll pick, like, a section of the city and we’ll stick to it. Is that a good idea? Would that be oka-” I looked to him for approval, but he was scooping me into his arms, palms low on my waist, forehead dipping towards mine.
“I would walk a million miles for you, Daisy Hallett.”
I didn’t have time to think too much about his affectionate words before he was kissing me.
And, fuck, did he kiss me.
-
Oliver let me hold his hand.
Well, he didn’t let me hold his hand. It wasn’t some kind of permission-based ordeal.
He offered me his hand.
When he stopped by the hotel room to pick me up, I opened the door, he complimented me, leaned in for a sweet kiss, then offered up his hand.
I latched on, keeping distance between our shoulders. As we walked, though, he inched his body closer, ensuring we brushed against each other, especially as we stepped out into the crowded streets. When the sidewalks were too busy, he’d let go, only to protectively guide me through the crowds with a hand on the small of my back. The moment his hand could safely be back in mine, he’d swipe it up my spine, over my shoulder blade, down my bicep, forearm, to my fingers.
It was all so…
I was feeling lucid, for lack of a better word to articulate my feelings. I was lucid. This was a dream. Paris cast some sort of love sick spell on every single person who walked through its sparkling streets.
But, I’d latch onto any ounce of love I could get from him.
We hit the cafe first, as he promised we should. He paid, though I literally tried to shove him away from the card machine. There weren’t any tables available, of course, but there was a gorgeous park nearby, so we walked over, sat by the river Seine, and ate our breakfast.
I hadn’t seen him in such visible, bright lighting in so long. I’d nearly forgotten the way his eyes turned velvety in the sunlight. The way they glinted, the way that gold shone through the undertones. He even kept his hood down, so I was able to fully appreciate the way his brown hair had a faint reddish tint to it, the pale sparkle to his sharp jaw.
I caught myself staring at him far too often as he talked about the most casual of things. How he took Spanish in grade school, how his mom made fun of him when they had a banquet for their class because he couldn’t pronounce some of the words correctly. How he joined the school band when he was 10 and knew that all those piano lessons his grandma had forced him into would surely pay off.
Our conversations didn’t cease then, and they only became more intimate as the day rushed past. We visited museums, bookstores that were tucked away in intimate side streets. We nearly got robbed when walking past the Eiffel Tower, and I was nearly tricked into giving a stranger $500 when Oliver excused himself to find a restroom in that same area. But, his height alone cast this protective shade over me. All he ever had to do was step in front of me, shadow over whoever approached us with a pointed gaze. They’d scurry off and he’d grin down at me.
I didn’t pay for a single thing. The postcards and keychains I picked out- Oliver would shuffle me aside at the register, overpowering my average stature with his dominant one. The food we ate- he wouldn’t even let me reach for my wallet by filling my hands with his things, too. Even a dress that I picked out when we visited one of the boutiques. It was expensive, and I wasn’t even going to waste a penny on it- but he insisted. Insisted…more, like, when we were a block away, he told me to stay where I was, turned back, bought it, and swept my hand up in his in passing without another word.
Things only got better as the day passed.
He kissed me on every street, sweet, gentle, long kisses that I felt in my toes. He’d stand behind me in lines, arms wrapped around my torso, fingers splayed across my stomach. When we’d sit somewhere, he’d be practically on top of me, hand on my thigh, pulling my leg up onto his. If he had it his way, I’d probably be in his lap.
And the things he was saying to me- beyond the intimate details of his life that he was sharing…Oliver would whisper in my ear how beautiful I was, how much he loved the time we were spending together. After our light lunch, he started calling me, “My love.”
It happened so casually that I thought I’d misheard him.
He held the door of the restaurant open for me and I thanked him as I passed. I reached my hand out for his and he easily took it in his.
“Anything for my love.”
We were back in the crowds, back in the thick of Paris, with the tourists and the shouting and the traffic and noise. His words were a muffle of murmured lips to my eyes.
But I knew I’d seen the way that the ‘v’ punctured his bottom lip, white teeth sinking into pink skin.
“What did you say?” I pushed up onto my tiptoes to hear him better, dragging my eyes up his face.
Oliver had been looking around, trying to decide which direction we’d head in next. When I spoke, he started to turn his attention back to me, brows unfurrowing. “Um…huh? What?”
“What did you say?” I wiggled my fingers slightly, attempting to be playful, though I was melting on the inside.
Oliver noticed the grin rising to my lips and leaned into my affections. He wrapped his arms around my side, squeezing me tight to his chest, and rocking us about. His cheek squished against my head, muffling his words, though I heard him more clearly this time. “I said anything for my love! For my sweet, beautiful, flowering Daisy!”
My.
His.
I was his.
I was his love. He had laid ownership to me. He had spoken the words I’d begged so long to hear. He’d claimed me. Laid it all out on the table and waited for me to pick it up.
I was clutching on to it.
-
The day ended too quickly. A candlelit dinner, a singular rose prickling my fingers with it’s thorns. We watched the lights on the Eiffel Tower sparkle for far too long, entranced with each other, with the sights.
I counted down each and every second, checking the lock screen on my phone each chance I had. When the minutes added up, rolling over into each new hour, my heart would drop further into my stomach. I knew that once the sun set, once we snuck back into the hotel, this would all be over. All of the longing stares would get locked away behind his hotel room. All of his pet names and secrets he shared would end.
We’d go back to the start.
I tried to memorize every inch of every moment, each touch, gaze, kiss, even the chaste ones, when his lips grew chapped in the afternoon and I had to shove a tube of lipstick into his hands. His scent lingered on the tips of my fingers, the smell of his shampoo, and I kept my hands balled towards the end, refusing to touch almost anything. I had to keep his skin on my skin, even if all that was left there were ghosts of memories and dead cells.
It was all made worse when, in those final moments outside of the Eiffel Tower, some street photographer managed to scam us into a mini-photoshoot. Oliver began to argue with the guy, not wanting to spend nearly one hundred US dollars. Then, the photographer shoved his camera just beneath Oliver’s nose and I watched his brown, doe-y eyes light up.
He paid for exactly three photos. The man printed them quickly from his streetside contraption. Oliver wrapped an arm around me, murmured some sort of, “Let’s go.” All the while, he clutched those pictures delicately, yet to show me,
Soon, though, we were just a few feet from the front of the hotel. He slowed us, there on the sidewalk. A cool breeze shivered across my skin. He held my hand a little tighter, head dipped low as he lifted those photos from his side. I looked up at him, brows a little furrowed. I watched the corners of his lips quirk up, like he was keeping some sweet little intimate secret with just himself and the wind.
Then, Oliver held out the pictures. They were spread out, like cards, like he wanted me to pick one and see if he guessed the number correctly. I’d lie and say yes. Anything for him.
I took them. My breath caught in my throat. It was a series of moments, like a film reel, all captured within seconds, now still in this paper frame. It pictured Oliver and I from behind, watching the Eiffel Tower, his arm wrapped around my waist, my head leant on his shoulder. The next second, we turned our heads towards each other, smiling cheekily. If I squinted, I could see the looks in our eyes- smitten. Delusional. Caught-up. The shine of the tower shown across our faces like spotlights, exposing us for what we were:
In love.
The final photo was us kissing, all wrapped up like a pair of strings, tangled and entwined. My fingers became sweaty and I had to clutch the photos a little tighter. I felt sick- yet elated. Like I was being spun around a million times.
“I want that one,” Oliver spoke so quietly that I nearly didn’t hear him. Then, I felt his hand close overtop of mine, fingers gliding down the photo to gently pull it from my clutches.
I held onto the other two like an oath, trying hard not to gape up at him. He grinned, first at the photo, then to me. I needed to kiss him then and there, looking at him looking at our love. I needed to consume him, take him home with him, keep him in a shirt pocket, next to my heart, for the rest of time, long after my bones have rotted and I’m a pile of dust in a hole somewhere.
He wanted it, too- I knew it.
We leaned towards each other, lips pulled together like magnets, when our names were called from somewhere down the street.
Oliver and I snapped apart, putting nearly a small field between the tips of our toes. I hastily shoved the pictures into the bottom of my purse. Oliver tucked his photo away somewhere I didn’t see and probably wouldn’t ever.
Ronnie led the group, bounding towards us with the fervor of only someone who was somewhat tipsy. Sam tried to keep up behind her with this grin on his face that I recognized all too well. He tried to slow her down, calm her, as she nearly skipped towards Oliver and I, pushing through crowds, traffic.
Adam, Cy, and Max were at the tail of the group, following slowly, talking amongst themselves. And, Ronnie reached us a moment later.
She looped her arm through mine, leading me away from Oliver, towards the hotel, with some conversation about the bar they’d just visited. I was listening to her, but I managed to overhear Sam greet Oliver, a pat to his shoulder, a brotherly grin overwhelming Sam’s formerly lovesick one.
“Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Ollie.”
The nickname was so boyish it made my stomach flip. Sometimes I forgot he was a human being, too caught up in the emotionality of everything to ground myself in his bones and brain.
“Course, dude. She was off with Sasha most of the day. Just caught each other on my way back from the venue,” he lied so naturally. Created a false narrative within a singular breath. I tucked it into my back pocket in case someone asked about it.
I guess we needed to have our story straight, just in case someone dared to think we were anything more than acquaintances.
-
“What did you get up to yesterday?” Sasha pushed the rest of the eggs on her plate around, her stomach more than likely being full considering we just feasted on the hotel breakfast while gossiping for an hour straight. Food become like air when conversing with friends, especially girlfriends.
The question made my movements slow, for just a moment, as I reached for my glass of tea. My eyes flicked to Sasha’s, who wore an engaged smile. “Uh…just kinda walked around. Perused. Ya know- touristy shit.”
“Not too much touristy shit, I hope. That’s what today’s for!” Sasha did a little dance in her seat. She had an entire itinerary printed out in her front pocket. She was going to be taking me to all of the best spots in Paris- all of the spots I’d already been to with Oliver.
She continued, another pre-planned outing for us on her tongue, “Oh, and, tonight we’re gonna go see Sleep Token. Adam invited us. Said you still haven’t even been to a single show? Which is unbelievable considering you fucking love concerts!”
Fuck.
This was the last thing I needed.
I already sported a lovesick expression each time Oliver so much as breathed the same air as me. Pair that with him shirtless, on stage with his famous band, singing, and wearing a mask?
Jesus Christ. Why did I put myself in these situations?
I wanted to say, “Yeah, there’s a reason I haven’t gone.”
Alas, I was on a stubborn mission to try to convince Sasha that a.) I didn’t really care for Oliver that much, and b.) I was cool as a cucumber.
So, I hid my feeling of being set-back and fibbed, “Shit, yeah. I keep forgetting those guys are actually in a band. I’ve been meaning to get to a show. Let’s do it!”
And so we went.
-
I wondered if I should tell Oliver that I was coming to the show. I didn’t wanna throw him off or anything, though I knew he took on a whole new persona when he wore that mask. I was mostly worried he’d be angry with me, if he saw my face in the crowd and hadn’t gotten any time to warn his senses. It wasn’t that I expected him to throw up or anything. I just knew that unexpected things always threw me for a loop.
Then again, I didn’t really owe him any sort of warning. I’d been invited to every single concert, every single day they were scheduled. Hell, my brother and Max had been basically begging me to come to a show this entire tour. So, Oliver already had a warning. I could show up wherever, whenever I’d like.
I don’t know why I felt like such a bad ass, no informing him of my presence later that evening. But I think it was combined with the sort of learned independence that I was gaining from Sasha. Throughout this week, this day especially, she’d been slipping in little comments about me and Oliver’s situation, with enough force that I was starting to believe them.
If we really were no strings attached, then how come I was holding so tightly to these cords?
Tonight, I was who I really was, who I deserved to allow myself to be: a regular, fun girl, free as the wind, attending concerts when I wanted to, sleeping with who I craved, wearing what I truly felt like.
That had been the whole point of this trip. I’d let myself get confused by Oliver’s affections. Let myself get distracted, pulled off track. There had been times, especially at the beginning of the summer, when I’d been true to myself; when I went out, and wore short skirts, when I sat on the roof and told Oliver, truthfully, that I wanted to live.
And, then, I’d let him consume every inch of me and become the center of my focus when he should’ve just been something fun to do.
Sasha was really influencing me, and I was grateful.
Now it was just a test of how long I could stick to my guns.
-
“God, I hate platforms,” Sasha groaned, leaning her elbows atop the barricade that separated us from the stage.
I was lodged between her back, the person next to me’s shoulder, and someone’s chest. Contrary to her own statement, I was actually grateful for the black platforms lifting my height up a little bit. Without these- granted- uncomfortable shoes, I would not be able to see past Sasha’s wild curls and the tall head of the man standing beside us.
I kept a hand on Sasha’s elbow as more and more attendees filed in, worried I’d get swept up in the tide that was the crowd of so-called worshippers and wash up somewhere off-shore.
I replied, the volume of my voice a little higher than normal, “My feet are burning, but at least I can see!”
She threw a short laugh over her shoulder, “Fair!”
It wasn’t until the opening act was about to come in that the crowd sort of settled- if settling was what you could call this. I’d been to all kinds of concerts, thanks to my music-devoted family and my connections-based older brother. But, none were ever as intense than the metal concerts I attended. And, this was no different than those.
I wasn’t annoyed, just stressed, since people kept pushing into me, bumping me like the infamous carnival ride cars against others. The man beside Sasha, sort of in front of me, was getting an ear full of apologies each time I hit his bicep with my shoulder. He would- half-annoyedly- toss a look over his back, but offered up a somewhat understandable smile.
After the third or fourth time, he turned around all the way, seemingly ready to give me an earful, “Okay, listen-“ but paused when we made eye contact.
He stared at me for a moment longer than I was comfortable with, examining my eyes, my face, dragging his gaze down my body for a moment. “Uh, sorry,” he shook his head to clear his breath of whatever he was about to say. He started over, “Listen, we're gonna bump into each other. And I’d take you bumping into me over any one of these other people.”
He peeled one more look over my body. I squinted my eyes, over analyzing the situation in my head. He was a creep- I could already tell. But…a cute creep. A cute creep who obviously thought I was attractive. I could…entertain this.
I giggled at his lame joke, setting a hand against his bicep and leaning my body towards him. “Thank God! I felt so bad just flailing myself into you every two seconds. Good to know you’re as okay with it as I am.”
I saw a flicker of approval flash in his eyes. He straightened his posture a bit. The man looked around his body, to what I assumed were his group of friends to his right, back to me.
“Here,” he moved to the right a bit, creating a gap between himself and Sasha. She glanced over to witness the rest of what was to occur.
The man held out his arm as if to herd me in, gesturing with a nod of his chin for me to step forward, to fill the space he’d made. “Let’s get you a better view.”
It really was a nice thing to do, and I was so used to being treated pretty awfully by men. So, the situation made me gush.
I moved up beside him, our shoulders pressed together. We fell into a conversation so naturally, up until the opener finally came on stage. He made points of conversation throughout their performance, drawing laughter from my stomach and goofy grins to my face. We danced during one of the songs, all gangly limbs and off-beat hips.
When the opener finished, he offered to go get us drinks. I took him up on the offer, if only he promised to leave my can of Twisted Tea unopened until he got here. He made some joke about drugging me, we shared another laugh, and he was off with his friends.
Sasha finally had the opportunity to gush with me. “Oh, my God, he’s so cute!”
I nodded excitedly, feeling the rush of the moment finally settle on my chest. I was giddy, yet still nervous, especially considering Oliver and the band would be out soon.
Oh.
Oliver.
I had nearly forgotten about him.
Or…had I?
No. He had been at the forefront of my memory. Every move this man made reminded me of him. His lanky height- though nowhere near as tall- his crinkled smile, the flecks of gold in his eyes.
Matter of fact, he looked almost exactly like Oliver.
So, I had a type.
Sue me.
Or…
Or I was stupid.
It didn’t matter.
I was going to have fun. Maybe I’d fuck this guy. Maybe we’d get married. Or maybe we'd never speak again. Who knew, who cared?
“Invite him out tonight!” Sasha continued.
I furrowed my brows as I drew myself from my thoughts, “Out where?”
Sasha oh’ed, as though she’d forgotten something, “I didn't tell you. Adam said everyone’s going out after the concert.”
I deflated a little as I worried that Oliver had found out I was here. I’d wanted it to be a surprise, wanted to stall him. If Adam knew I was here, Max knew. And if Max knew, he was excited. Oliver had to be aware.
But, I guess I still had a trick up my sleeve…this new guy, whose name I apparently didn’t even know.
“We’re gonna go to the bar.”
I smiled a little, confident in my newfound plan, “I think I’ll ask.”
Sasha nudged me all cutesy. “Good.”
And, so I did. He joked about how we didn’t know each other’s names and I flirted back that that was arbitrary. But, he told me his was Evan. I told him mine. He said a flowery name was fit for someone like me, sweet and suckle.
It sounded better when Oliver said it.
Oliver’s hands felt better on my waist, but Evan had wrapped one around my back, bracing us against the barricade.
Oliver smelled better. Evan wore something cheap, something overdone and…lingering. Oliver’s scent was something sacred, to me, to the world. It kissed my skin long after I’d been with him.
I tried to push all these terrible things away. How awful of me to be entertaining someone else, when I was so clearly infatuated with Oliver? I either needed to cut ties with Oliver or learn to be able to put him in a box.
I wanted neither option. I wanted him to be all over me, staining me.
I didn’t have to want much, though, because he already was.
Evan was getting much more comfortable with me while we waited for the band, leaning down to whisper flirtations in my ear, ghosting his fingers across the bare strip of skin poking out beneath my corset top. He brought us both two shots- each- and an unopened can of alcohol, as he promised. It didn’t really matter now, considering I’d taken the shots and was letting him basically tongue my neck.
Then, the overhead lights dimmed. A hue of blue hushed the crowd. Murmurs resounded in place of what had been a loud hum of conversation.
Cheers bellowed, though, when a masked figure took a seat at the drum kit. Then, the lights faded out again. Because we were so close, I could see Max and Adam, finding their places on stage. They were masked, too, Max’s hands painted red, their bodies cloaked in darkness. Even just thirty seconds into their performance, long before any music had even begun, I cursed myself for having not come any sooner.
The lights came up again and Oliver was standing there, behind the center-stage microphone, his Vessel persona painting his body. Had I not known he was in this band, I really wouldn’t recognize him. I examined for any signs of my Oliver, only really identifying his lean torso in this dim lighting.
Then, he began singing, and any man I had once known was now a vessel for siren-like music. And I was a ship out at sea. A lamb for slaughter.
I entranced for most of the first song. Evan rocked out beside me, bouncing on his heels, singing the words. I, of course, didn’t know the lyrics. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t able to draw up a single thought, speak a single utterance. I was infatuated, completely gone. A zombie amongst this crowd of busy bodies.
The only thing that snapped me out of my frozen state was Oliver himself. The second song had begun and I think he’d finally noticed me. I didn’t know how he’d missed me- I was center stage, thanks to my brother and the other crew members.
But, Oliver was so focused on his craftsmanship that I went unnoticed. And I didn’t even blame him. This really was like worship. Only, he was my altar. I was his sacrifice.
Blood on both our hands.
When he noticed me, I felt like a giddy teenage girl at a concert. He was singing, dancing around the stage with his lanky legs, when he stopped before Sasha and I. I couldn’t see any flashes of recognition on his face because it was covered up. But I watched the slits of his mask tilt like eyelids, watched him pause, watched his lips rub together like they always did when he was nervous.
Then, I watched him grin.
His teeth were bright white against his blackened skin, edges of his lips pink from the paint that was rubbing off. I could almost see the dimple in his cheeks, almost see the wrinkles by his eyelids. He dipped his chin as if to say, “I see you, darling.”
His smile was nothing compared to mine. I lit up entirely, shoulders straightening, posture lifting. Evan’s hand slipped from around me during my adjustments and he shuffled to move it back.
This caught Oliver’s attention. He glanced to my right, noticed the stranger with his fingers on my skin. The bottom half of his face hardened. He stepped back a bit, as if offended.
In response, like it was second nature, I wriggled out of Evan’s hold. He glanced over at me, concern lacing his features, but then the music drew his attention back in. I shot Oliver an apologetic smile.
He tilted his head to the side, boring the gaze of his mask into my own with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t read his face, couldn’t see his soul through those dark brown eyes, but I could feel the jealousy, could smell it, oozing off of his skin.
He was mad. Not at me- no. He could never be mad at me. He was mad- pissed off at Evan. For touching me. For even breathing in my direction.
And I fucking loved it.
Oliver shook his head, ever so slightly, as if to warn me for what was to come. For I had sinned against him. And the fruit outside of the garden would never taste as good as it did in Eden.
The show couldn’t end soon enough.
I’d completely forgotten about Evan, now only indulging in conversation with him when he’d repeat himself, lean closely down into my ear, and badger me until I responded to him. I was too focused on Oliver, on the excitement of what was to come.
So, as soon as the lights went down, I latched onto Sasha’s wrist, “Let’s head backstage.”
We moved to the left, slipping behind the retreating crowd, which was trickling out of the venue at a steady pace. It didn’t take much momentum for us to get out of the pit, to the side of the barricade where a security guard was stationed.
We flashed our badges and he stepped aside to let us through. Then, he motioned for us to walk back down from where we came, between the barricade and the stage, until we reached the other side of the venue.
We did so, beginning our usual debrief. Sasha went first, gushing about the rhythm section, “Cy is just, like…so fucking talented. And, Oh, God- I don’t know what it is. I’ve never really been into it. But, Daisy…”
She gave me a look, a look I’d seen a million times before. I went to respond, beginning my sentence by saying, “They’re so hot-“
But we were interrupted. Evan had called out my name. Sasha and I turned to him, not far from the backstage entrance. He was on the other side of the barricade still, of course. His friends were grouped behind him, conversing, waiting for him.
“Hey,” he let out a breath, as if he had run to get here, when we were literally only ten feet from where we’d been all night. “Where are you running off to?”
Sasha poked my side, as if encouraging me to engage in his flirtations. I wiggled in response, tickled by her touch. I tried not to make my smile to Evan seem so painful, though it was. Couldn’t he take a hint by now?
“Just heading off.”
Evan chuckled, “Well, yeah. But, where to? You partying with the band or what?”
“Oh, um,” I looked to Sasha, hoping she could read the pleading in my eyes. “My brother’s on the crew. So.”
“Sick,” Evan replied. “Listen, we’re going to the bar. You guys should join us. You could bring your brother, the band, though I’m not sure they’d want to party with us. But, yeah, anyways. You should come. I’d love to buy you another drink.”
God, finally, he was finally starting to lose hope that anything would come between us, evident based on the way he was stuttering a little bit. I didn’t mean to be rude or prudish, but…as a person, I was allowed to flirt with someone and then not want to engage in anything more with them. Sure, it was a little shitty to lead him on like that, but that didn’t matter. I was allowed to change my mind.
“Oh, uh…” I, myself, couldn’t seem to get the words out properly. But, I needed to, if not to save face, but also to respect him and his side. “That’s okay. Look, I had fun. But, I’m not really looking for anything right now. I appreciate you, though. And I hope you guys have fun tonight. Yeah?”
Evan seemed shocked by my confession, but understanding enough to nod, though it was slow. He then stepped back, warily moving away from us. “Hey, that’s okay. Uh, listen, if you change your mind…” he was hesitant, self-conscious, but handed me a piece of paper, “here’s my number. We could have some fun together. Call if you change your mind.”
I offered him my most sincere apology, appreciative of how things worked out. Sometimes, men would get overly offended, their egos wounded, and insult you for flirting and not following through with it. He was doing the bare minimum, sure, but it was kind.
I turned back towards where we had been heading, already bracing myself for the mouthful that Sasha would surely give me. She touched my arm to gain a glance from my eyes.
She frowned, “I’m sure one day I’ll understand. But, right now…I just don’t get why you’re putting yourself through this. I won’t badger anymore, I promise. I just…I think you’re worth more than this. I wish you believed in that like I do.”
She left me standing there, her words milking into my bones like acid, only making me feel worse than I did. I wanted to bite back, but feeding the fight would only cause an issue between her and I. I wasn’t about to lose her because of some stupid boy.
I just wish she’d stop saying it all like I was dumb, like I didn’t understand the complexity of the situation. I did- it was complex. I was a complex. I knew it better than anyone.
I shook off the frustration she left me to sit in and followed after her. I caught up and latched onto her arm, springing into some conversation about the show. I was a little upset with her and her incessant need to try to change my mind, but I really wasn’t gonna let it affect our evening.
We ran into my brother and Ronnie on our way back. Ronnie was overjoyed to see the both of us, leaping from her spot to offer hugs. “Oh, girls! I’m so glad you made it out tonight! Daz…I see you’ve finally graced us with your presence?”
I giggled into her shoulder. She clutched me against her side and squeezed me, teasing my absence from the tour thus far. I patted her hip sweetly, “I knooooow. I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
Sam ruffled my hair, “Bet you regret now, huh?”
“Oh, my God,” I shoved his hand away from me. Ronnie peeled herself off of me. I nodded enthusiastically, “That was fucking insane. I, like…I don’t even know. That was probably the best fucking concert I’ve ever been to.”
“Now that is the highest compliment we have ever received!” Max’s voice boomed from somewhere behind me. I didn’t have time to turn around because he wrapped his sweaty body around me and lifted me into the air.
I cackled horrendously as he shook me about. “Max! Put me down!”
Adam and Cy came from either side of us, wide grins and cheers. Adam was giddier than I’d ever seen him, “You really liked it that much?”
A hush of silence overwhelmed our group as everyone awaited my response. I’d never realized how much I meant to these guys, how much they valued my approval. “I fucking loved it!”
Everyone cheered, loudly. Max set me back on my feet and I turned to give him a proper embrace. Adam and Cyrus patiently waited their turns, squeezing me tight. They moved onto greeting Sasha. I straightened out my black leather skirt and, in the process, noticed that their red and black paints had smeared across my forearms. I easily rubbed it off with the edge of my skirt and it disappeared.
We stood there for a minute or two, discussing the show, before Max demanded we go back to the dressing room and share a round of shots. Sasha was right- everyone was going out here in an hour or two, after the boys showered, after Sam and Ronnie helped finish tearing down. The two of them joined us for a drink before returning to do so. Max, Adam, and Cyrus usually shared a dressing room with Oliver. So, I was anticipating seeing him when we finally made it to the room. Yet, he was nowhere to be found. Twenty minutes had even passed by, twenty minutes of me trying to not stare at the door. And there was no sign of him.
I finally settled onto the couch beside Max, who was rambling about the crowd. He was so happy that it made my chest flutter. I loved these guys so much. It made the situation with Oliver worse. Things would never work out between us- and I could only pray that that wouldn’t affect my relationship with the rest of the band.
Too much had passed for me to stay comfortable like this. I needed to find Oliver, if not to just tell him how fucking insane his show was, but to fulfill whatever he had promised me with that look he had had on stage.
I glanced at the door for the millionth time, knee bouncing rapidly. Adam, who was seated across from us, with Sasha and Cy on the other couch, leaned forward. He touched my knee to garner my attention away from the door. We had little privacy from the rest of the group, but they were so involved in conversation that they didn’t even notice when he said, “Ollie’s down the hall. To the left.”
I flinched at his words, a frown embedding itself into my cheeks. I shook my head side to side as I tried to deny whatever it was he was suggesting. Adam just raised his brows at me, pursed his lips. “Daz, you’re good. Just go.”
I finally breathed again, having stopped as soon as Oliver’s name left his lips. Then, I gave him this half-hearted, tired smile. And I excused myself from the group.
I couldn’t even overthink whatever had just happened between Adam and I as I flew down the hallway. I stopped before the door on my left, bracing a hand on the handle. I wondered if I should knock, though I didn’t think I really needed to. From the sound of Adam’s tone, Oliver was…waiting for me.
I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.
Before I knew it, I was opening the door.
Oliver was standing at the dressing table, hands on either side of the Vessel mask as if he were about to take it off. However, he heard me enter the room and quickly turned to face me. His hands fell to his sides, pink skin poking out of the smeared, fading paint.
I nearly stepped out of the room, somewhat frightened by how predatory he seemed. His shoulders were squared, his chest pushed out. He was frowning, like he was disappointed in me or something. One of his hands traced the countertop as he turned his body to face me. I tried not to squirm at the look of his fingers, delicate, yet so…fit to kill.
“Hi,” I breathed out. The door fell shut behind me and the loud click made me flinch. The room was silent otherwise. Oliver wasn’t saying anything, there wasn’t any low humming of any machinery. I couldn’t hear a single person in the hallway. It was like we had been transported to a different place.
“Um,” I didn’t really even know what to say. Should I apologize for looking at another man? Should I compliment him for the show? Yeah, that’s what I would try.
“I loved-”
“Who was that?” His voice was deeper, hoarse from the performance. It sent a shiver down my spine.
I thought for a moment, carefully planning out my next turn of phrase, “...I don’t even know. Just some guy. I-”
“So, you think it’s okay to flirt with other men right in front of me?” He took a step forward. The movement made me push myself back, against the door. I wasn’t afraid, not in a bad way. I just felt like…prey. Like I was being stalked, methodically being coerced towards a trap, only to be skinned and eaten alive.
“No-no. I don’t think-”
“So you agree?” He took another step. The distance between us was slowly but surely being squashed.
I furrowed my brows, swallowing thickly, “Agree…agree to what? Oliver, I’m so confused-” I let out a breathy laugh.
He silenced me again, another step. “You agree that you behaved poorly. You were a bad girl, darling. I think it’s quite clear. Bad girls need to be punished.”
I didn’t say anything- wasn’t able to say anything else as he moved closer. After a moment, Oliver’s chest was against mine, his breath hot as it blew down over my face. I tried to breath properly, but failed, especially as he trailed his fingers up over my thighs, across my hips, to my waist. One hand found my throat, the other came to rest on my hips.
And, I realized…this wasn’t Oliver, not anymore. This was Vessel.
And, Vessel pressed me harder against the door as our lips met, tongues clashing against teeth, hungrily. We moved together so easily, entranced by the other’s taste. I gripped at his sides, pulling me into him, arching my back to press my chest against his. Vessel’s hold tightened, too, and he ground my hips against his.
I felt him get hard, quickly, the loose material of his pants allowing his erection to fully grind against my thigh. He was whiney, all gasping breaths, low moans, as I drug my fingers down his chest, dipped them through his waistband. He made such big claims about how I apparently needed to be punished, but turned into mush when I got a hold of him.
I nearly got to wrap a hand around him, but Vessel grabbed my fingers harshly in his, slamming my hand against the door, above my head. My eyes shot back open in surprise, though I didn’t even remember closing them. “S’all about you right now, darling,” he demanded, words against my lips. “Have to remind you why I’m better than him. That I know your body better than he ever could.” Vessel shoved his head into the crevice of my neck, nipping and tonguing at my flesh. My eyes dropped shut again, head hitting the door in a way that would probably hurt tomorrow. I had a feeling all of me would hurt tomorrow. But, I didn’t care. This was what I had been craving since the beginning of the concert.
Vessel drug his fingers up my arms, leaving goosebumps in his path, trails of black paint like a roadmap amongst my freckles. He slid the straps of my shirt down past my shoulders. Then, he kissed his way down to the arch of my breasts. He rolled the material between his teeth and sunk to the floor as he drugged it down my body. His hands quickly found my skirt, too, unzipping it and tugging it off. Now, Vessel was on his knees below me.
Vessel looped an arm around either of my thighs, nearly pulling my entire weight onto his shoulders. I clutched onto the top of his head, feeling some of his hair slip out from the cap he wore beneath his mask. It was soft, like I remembered it being, though just a bit sweaty. He glanced up at my bare breasts, smirking devilishly now. I tugged on his hair, like I know he always liked, but he refused to give in.
He admired my desperate face as he said, “Besides, darling, I watched you worship me all night. It’s my turn to pray at your altar.”
My head hit the door again as Vessel sunk his tongue into me. He had managed to tear my underwear down with his teeth and they were now somewhere laying across the room. I ground my hips into his face, back arching each time his nose would then rub against my sweet spot. I tried to be quiet at first, though small gasps and moans slipped from my bitten lips.
But, then, Vessel stopped, eliciting a whine from me. He chuckled, lips slick from me. He darted his tongue out, smirking as he cleaned his mouth. He tilted his head in disappointment, “You’re usually so loud for me, darling. Don’t get shy now, just because you’re feeling guilty. I want him to hear how good I make you feel. I want to hear how desperate I am making you feel. Me. Not him. Me."
I nodded, dazed, brows furrowed, fingers digging at his hair. The cap covering his hair had fallen off his head at this point, but the mask managed to stay on. I was grateful it did. He was like a different person, which only blazed these primal desires we shared. Vessel watched my face as he pressed his tongue back up into me, running the tip of it down my entire core. I moaned, loudly, back arched into the cold air, nipples hard from the temperature and arousal. He chuckled deeply into me, making my thighs shake around his head. Vessel pried me back open with his fingers, nearly bruising my skin. He continued on and on and on until I was close. I vocalized my point of no return, and he hurriedly spoke, “Don’t. Be a good girl and wait. For me, okay? Don’t want to make things worse for yourself, darling.
I nodded wildly, clenching my stomach to deny myself of the orgasm. Vessel gently set my feet back on the ground. He guided me by the hips towards the counter. Easily, he picked me up and set me on it. It was freezing cold against my bare skin, but his warm hands, tongue, were on me soon enough. I took the opportunity to unlatch his belt, fingers moving hurriedly. Vessel moved to help me, tugging the pants down his thighs.
Vessel then pushed me back from him, taking control again. He pushed my legs open further with his bare knee. Then, he grabbed me by the hips and tugged me down till my back was flat against the counter. His hand splayed across my thigh as he pushed himself inside of me.
He was sloppy, quick in desperation as he fucked me. But, every thrust he pushed into me was strong, deep. Vessel wrapped my legs around his waist, securing me by the hip. His other hand drug itself up my chest until his fingers were wrapped around my throat. Black paint smeared most of my skin. There was even a ring around his mouth where the paint had transferred from his skin to my own. I don’t know how we would manage to keep this rendezvous a secret from everyone else with the state we were both in. But, right now, I couldn’t care. We always figured it out.
Vessel leaned himself overtop of me, his forehead against my chest. Though he was dominating me, he was so caught up in the pleasure that he was starting to quickly come undone. I touched his back, nails digging into his skin. He tossed his head back at the sensation, neck exposed to me. I eyed the veins protruding from his skin. He smirked at me when he noticed I was staring at his neck. He growled, “Take a bite. Leave your mark. I am yours, darling. And you are mine.”
I held one hand, tightly, to his shoulder, keeping him steady as he fucked me. I couldn’t overthink what he had just said to me, though I nearly lost concentration as the thoughts swirled in my brain. But, I gripped the back of his head with the other, steadying my reality. I was slow at first, nipping at his neck gently. Vessel’s thrusts were becoming sloppy with each bite I took. I was close, too. So, I opened my jaw further, taking a pinch of his skin between my upper and lower canines. I bit down, hard.
“Fuck!”
He quickly pulled out and came on my stomach, as he normally did. As he came undone, my body shook from my own climaxed desire. Vessel pressed his forehead against mine as we rode out our high. We came down from the top and he gave me a sloppy kiss. It was stupid, but the small show of affection meant more to me than anything he’d ever done.
There was a bitter cold left on my skin as he stepped back. I hugged myself, finally taking in the black paint covering my skin. “Oh, god,” I laughed.
Vessel pulled his pants up. He looked at my body, grinning, “Fuck. That’s so hot. Darling, if we had more time…”
“I know,” I smiled up at him. “Hey, we have the rest of the summer.”
“God, don’t tempt me. Here, Daz, there’s a bathroom over here,” this was Oliver now. He finished buckling his belt before peeling off his mask. Sweat dripped down either side of his face and he wore this cheesy grin. Oliver offered me his hand.
I followed him into the side room. He found a washcloth on the side of the sink, clean and unused, and wet it with warm water. Oliver gently pried my hands from covering my body and busied himself with wiping down my skin. He focused on what would be visible: My arms, neck, hands, face. I watched him while he worked. It was fucking hot when he was dominating, disgustingly dirty. But, this, this caring demeanor? This was the Oliver I loved.
Oh, God. I loved Oliver. I was starting to feel a little sick.
When he was finished, he rounded up my dress, shoes, and underwear. Oliver watched sweetly, even helping when I stumbled over my own feet. We giggled into each other’s mouths practically as his hands found my hips and he steadied me. I wondered if he’d bring up Evan again, or if he even cared that much. Maybe it was just a prompt for sex, a situation that allowed him to dominate me. Maybe he hadn’t even meant it when he said he was mine. But I knew I’d always be his.
As we giggled into each other, I was finally able to take in Oliver’s face and had to cover my mouth to stifle the cackle that tickled my throat. He frowned, slightly, confused by my laughter. “What? What is it?”
I touched his shoulders, forcing him to face the mirror. His head pulled back in shock at his appearance.
I kept laughing and Oliver peered down at me with a tilted head. “Keep laughing, darling.”
“I’m sorry, Ollie” I shrugged, “it’s just so fucking funny.”
“What’s funny?”
I yelped, trying to duck out of the way as he jolted towards me. He caught me by the waist, rattling me around in his hold. I giggled, loudly against his chest, trying to twist out of his hold. His mouth was near my ear as he teased me, “Not so funny now, huh?” I rested my forehead to his shoulder in my fit of laughter. Oliver calmed his movements, just holding me against him now. “It just goes to show the mess you make out of me,” he murmured against my ear, lips pressed to the shell of it.
I looked up at him and pointed a warning finger, “Don’t do that.”
“I know,” he huffed as he tossed his head back in frustration. “We should be getting back. Don’t want anyone to suspect anything still. We nearly got caught the other day.”
“Sadly,” I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to ignore what else he had said. About getting caught. He acted so offended by the thought, as if I were a stain to his reputation, a whore to his royal highness.
Oliver, however, seemed to be able to read the deflated energy in my tone. He leaned around to meet my eyes, touching my chin with his finger, “Darling, I think we should talk.”
Oh, here we go. Here was the dreaded conversation. He was probably going to end things. I was being…too much. I was taking this relationship too seriously, pinning all my hopes and dreams on a man who just wasn’t able to love somebody. He was too full of darkness, too hurt to find the capacity to love me like I deserved. He was ‘going through things.’ He was ‘broken.’ He needed ‘space.’ It wasn’t me- it was him. It was always him. Him. Him. Him. Oliver.
I knew this would happen eventually. I braced myself for impact as I watched him take a breath. I couldn’t find the space in my lungs for any air and it burned my veins. My stomach churned. My brain hurt, so, so badly. I was…tired. I just wanted him to say it already, to kill me, to twist the knife. Get it over with. I was tired of the games, tired of the back and forth. If it was going to end- could it just be now? Before he kissed me again and I fell even more in love with him?
Oliver loaded the gun, aimed, and fired, “I don’t like the idea of you sleeping with other people. I know that’s selfish and loaded and…I don’t know. I meant it when I said you were mine. And I…I am yours, Daisy. I need you, only you…and I need you to feel the same. But, I understand if you cannot because of the way our relationship still has to stand. Nothing really has changed on that end. And it’s so shitty of me. I want to…I want it to be different. But it can’t. I don’t know, I just…I need you to say something before I lose my mind…”
I twisted in his arms, finally finding the ability to breathe. My jaw was slack, my brows furrowed together as I took in everything he had just said. I didn’t know, exactly, what to say, so I tried to just focus on my breathing. This wasn’t some big love confession, no, not the one in the pouring rain, or beneath the sheets of his hotel bed that I had been wishing for. But, it was something. In fact, this was horrible. This was…selfish. Like he had said. Selfish and loaded and bullshit. But…it was something. It was…him. Him and I. It was him admitting his feelings, in his own twisted way. He was mine. He had said it, clear as day, had demanded it of me, too, in a desperate, breathless confession. He was mine- I was his. We belonged to each other, even if that didn’t change any of the strings between us. It was something for me to hold onto.
It was something for me to worship, to pray to, to hope on. A star in my Northern sky, a hand around my throat and heart…Oliver’s. Oliver. My Oliver.
That was when I truly knew how devastating things would be when they ended. I could see the fire from there, could feel it licking at my skin. Yet, all I did was smile through the burning, lean up, and kiss the flame.
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altrodent · 3 months
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Cycle
Part I: Vessels Vixen
Pairing: (Poly!) Sleep Token x (F!)Reader
Genre/Warnings: This chapter is mainly Vessel x Reader for lore build up!! Fluff, a made up character for plot is womanizing, flirtatious Vessel, decent amount of cursing
Summary: After kicking out a bunch of jerks at your work place, you become the savior of a certain masked man
(A/N): I’ve tried rewriting a story involving Sleep Token at least a dozen times now, and this is my last attempt for the first part and probably the best, so I hope you enjoy! 🥲🩷
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It’s very common to find me working for extremely long hours as well as doing all the chores while blasting my ears off with an old pair of headphones. I do work in a record shop anyways, so what else would I be doing? Once I moved out and on my own I’ve had nothing to do, so I help this elderly couple maintain their shop so they can enjoy their- what should be- retirement.
The town we live in is decently small, but still big enough to include fascists and douche bags of every variety. More specifically, a group of men called the ‘Southwind Snakes’ by the men and just plain ‘perverts’ by the women- me included. Almost every day they end up either trying to wreck the shop, wrecking the shop, or trying to fight with other customers- which those fights usually end up leading to the shops wreckage. Today wasn’t any different.
As the climate got colder, the rain got heavier, and when the weather is shitty, so is the amount of patrons. The elderly couple were packing their bags, ready to go home before asking me“Are you sure you don’t want to just close up early, sweetie? The storm’s looking pretty bad.” Shaking my head, I respond “It’s alright, I’ll hold down the fort. Have a good day you guys.” I wave them off as they head out into the curtains of rain, just as they’re about to pull out I hear one of the worst sounds in the world; the ‘Southwind Snakes’ shit mobile. It’s the ugliest pick up truck I’ve ever seen, and of course it’s sitting front and center in the swamping parking lot. Josh and his goons enter the store and make a beeline straight for my counter. I groan, putting my headphones aside “How can I help you?” He puts one of his greasy hands on the counter “You can help me in more than one ways, doll” he smirks cockily, moving his one hand out to the side so one of his accomplices can five him. “If it doesn’t include helping you find something, or jamming a stick up your ass, then I can’t help you.” I blink blankly at him, his face turning into one of offense “Whatever, prude. Do you have the CD’s we ordered?” I roll my eyes, walking to the back wall, and bending over to grab a box from the lower shelf. All I hear is inappropriate giggles from the childish men, I frustratingly clench my teeth before walking back and handing him the box of CD’s. “Here you go. Need anything else?” He takes the box, “I could always use your number, if you’ll give it to me this time” he winks sloppily “Yeah, no. If you don’t need anything else from the store then have a good day.” He huffs loudly, exiting as his goons follow.
As I was returning to my work, I hear him yelling outside, “Jesus Christ, what now…” I run to the window, to see him berating a person who must’ve run into him. I usually don’t want to get involved in that douche’s antics, but when he starts hurting people verbally or physically I’m usually keen to stepping in. I walk outside in the frigid rain, by the time I get outside, Josh has already turned it from a verbal altercation into a physical one. “Get the hell out of here Josh, leave ‘em alone!” He seethes at me before hopping in his fuck truck. “Hate that fucking guy… are you okay?” I turn to the person, and offer them a hand. Through the thick sheets of rain I see the person look up at me, wearing what appears to be some sort of white facial covering. Looking down I see their hand, painted in some sort of black material snail into mine, obviously shaken by the situation. I help them up, “come on inside, I’ll get you warmed up.” They nod as I lead them into the store, the sudden warmth enveloping our now freezing and soaked skin. I wipe the rain off my face, “I’m sorry you got caught by Josh, he’s so damn rude all the time.” The person takes the cloak like garment off their shoulders, revealing a set of well toned shoulders. “You shouldn’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault, I should actually be thanking you.” He turns to me, I advert my eyes as best as I can, but it’s not helping that there’s now a shirtless man in my store, dripping with the aftermath of the storm. I get a decent look at his intricately beautiful yet grotesque mask, and catch myself before I end up staring for too long “I- uh I think we have some extra towels in the back, stay right here, I’ll be back!” He nods, giving me a comfortable smile, I quickly turn on my heel and head to the back.
Is there really towels in the back? Probably not, but I needed to get out of there before my face explodes from all the heat. But, lo and behold, the owners do keep some decently clean towels in the supply closet, so I grab one for each of us. I take one more heavy breath before heading back into the stores floor. Almost immediately as I enter, he asks “Is this you?” My brows hitch before I hand him a towel, “what do you mean?” His splotchy arm points toward a picture of me and the owners a few years back hosting a huge metal concert. It was like our states Coachella, or Sick New World. “Yeah that’s me, in all my… goth glory.” I giggle softly, I had done mine and the couples makeup in a goth style. “They love matching with me, and they always thought my makeup was ‘pretty’” I smile softly, his eyes gently weaving into my distracted appearance “I think you look ethereal” Blinking obliviously at how naturally he complimented me, “I’m sorry, what-?” He turns to me, still entirely topless “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate of me to l say wasn’t i-“ “No! No-“ i interrupt, flustered “Sorry- no, you’re fine! I’m just honestly not used to compliments…” he tilts his head “‘Not used to compliments’? Do you not get complimented often?” With hands on my hips, my cheeks puff slightly as I exhale “In this town? Not really.” He take a step forward “Well, maybe that’ll change…” his black painted mouth smirks cheekily, one of my brows raise in confusion “Me and my friends just moved into town, if they like you as much as I do, they’ll be all over you.”
I blink rapidly, obviously confused, my face heating with blush still trying to figure out what he means by ‘like me as much as he does’ and ‘all over me’. I stand still, overcome with confusion, he laughs brightly, stepping ever so closer “You’re very cute, I don’t know how people here don’t tell you more…” our faces become extremely close, all my senses disappear, the only thing being processed is the extreme volume of my hearts rapid beating. He leans in slowly- oh my god, it’s really happening. I only met him today, but I mean hey- *Honkk* we both snap out of our trance. He laughs softly “That must be them.” I back away, embarrassed “I’ll see you again, right?” I nod warmly “Good” he quickly kisses my cheek, my hands go numb at the surge of romantic energy coursing through my system. He pulls back smiling, some of the paint on his lips now transferred to my cheek, making him chuckle. He turns to leave, putting his cloak on when I speak, “(Y/N)…” his head turns slightly “I know you didn’t ask, but that’s my name…” I smile awkwardly, what if he didn’t know your name- “Beautiful…” he whispers under his breath “I’m Vessel.” He walks out to the parking lot, leaving me alone. I think I’m in love.
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iwantmystupidlifeback · 6 months
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Vessel x reader (touch me)
His dark lips gently moved over my face not like a kiss but the way a cat will rub against your legs. He was feeling you in such an intimate way. Nothing of lust or greed or out of gain in his game. Your body rest across his right arm bend having your head in his forearm his Palm felt your hair and held your bare neck not in a grip but in a way to keep you still. Other hand was moving along your body over your shoulder to your hip. He was like an archeologist. As if he has discovered an ancient item but an item of gold. He worshipped his goddess sleep with nothing but loyalty with an undying love. But as you laid before him. He felt a connection a need. Nothing to gain or lose. He understood his goddess and even tho he could never hold her or see her he valued the women she brought to him. He was loyal but wanted more and to have you here made him so hypnotized,lost, lured into a dangerous dangerous trap. He refused to speak. The way you laid so relax so trusting so beautifully made a faint very very faint smile rest on his lips. From the color of your eyes down to the color of your hair to the length it was if the goddess herself had laid in his arms. He held no power no goal nothing. Just you letting him touch you letting his dark lips hands and body touch you felt like a sin you giving an aura of white then him head to toe in blackness. He could only marvel at you. He desperately wanted to sink into you. A need he never knew until now as everything around him was blurry your face was all his focus. He felt ashamed to even look to your body in amazement. If you were a statue he put you on the same alter as his beloved goddess ask the goddess to use you as a vessel for his own selfish desires. He knew his thoughts were selfish. He knew his mind was pledged with very unclean and dangerous thoughts. A possession comes over him as he leans closer lips kissing your cheek following down to your shoulder. Your soft skin against his lips made him so so greedy. He wanted to kill for you or die for you. He wanted to speak but his tongue was so trapped by you and you laid here silent in his arms not even speaking or looking at him managing to leave him speechless a man with so much to say and sing about left wordless to your presents. He wanted to beg to you. He held you in the flesh and bone and yet he needed to know you were real that you were alive. He brought his hand up speaking lowly “ open your eyes” when you listened he next to wanted to tell you to close them again his chest tightened and he felt overwhelmed by you. You know looking up at him made his mind blank his face under the mask complete in awe of you. Knowing you allowed a man who is far from what you need hold you made him just so possessive but angry you so much better,so so beautiful, so prefect. It made him angry to know you aren’t kept locked away like how people put gold in safes how countries hide their relicts in big building keeping guard to protect what is so precious. How he wished to keep you like this forever. His eyes meet yours. Hid with no color but wanting to absorb your color eyes. He lean closer inches from your face. You could hear him breathe you could read his eyes completely understand him, gently you touch his mask moving to connect lips with him the motion alone almost made him fall. But he returned the kiss., kissing you like as soon as he let go death herself was going to grab him by the robe dragging him away to a darker realm. His hand held the back of your neck possessively as his other cup your cheek. He held his breath just wanted you to never pull back but you do with a gasp and a smile that brought him almost to tears. He never tell a soul if he could keep you. He write in the holy text of your control of your beautiful soul. How he wished you to know his goddess and how he wished his goddess was you.
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haddonfieldwhore · 7 months
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take me back to eden - vessel
the apparition part 2
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vessel (sleep token) x gn!reader
part one
warnings: angst, inhuman?vessel, not lore accurate, i think that’s it
word count: 2.4k
a strange sense of deja vu washed over you as you felt the breeze tickling your skin. the water of the pond your feet splashed in was warm as you looked around the open field of grass and flowers surrounding you, the nearest trees far off in the distance. had you been here before? you couldn’t remember, but it seemed so familiar but not at the same time. a hooded figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, suddenly walking towards you when you turned your head, and you felt an even stronger wave of emotion, although surely you would remember meeting this person before? his appearance so unique, the white mask that covered his face and the black paint that coated his skin.
“hello,” you greeted the stranger with a warm smile, although he didn’t return it.
“hello,” he replied softly. “may i join you?”
“sure,” you smiled, and this time vessel found it hard not to smile back, your kind expression contagious as he admired your features. “what is your name?”
“you may call me vessel,” he replied, his heart aching as once again he realized you did not remember him. why was he cursed to relive this nightmare over and over? what had he done to deserve this? whatever it was he would repent and scream his forgiveness until he lost his voice if it only meant he never had to come back to this place. “what brings you to this place, my dear?”
“i….” you began to reply, but suddenly couldn’t remember. why were you here? how did you get here? then as if a switch had been flipped, the feeling of confusion left and a sense of ease washed over you, a smile returning to your face as you replied. “oh, i’m just visiting.” vessel tilted his head slightly at you, but didn’t say anything. “what about you?” what was he supposed to say? he couldn’t very well tell you that he was here as some sort of punishment, that he was cursed to relive this encounter over and over in exchange for the powers sleep had granted him. if he could go back in time was immortality worth the pain it caused him to be so close to you, but have you just out of reach? no, he decided immediately. nothing was worth this pain.
“i’m looking for… a friend of mine,” he answered cautiously. “i thought i might find them here.”
“oh! would you like me to help you look for them?” you offered, and vessel found himself smiling again at your willingness to help someone you (at least thought) you had just met.
“that is very generous of you,” he beamed. “but i’m sure they will find us here. why don’t we stay here for a bit?” he suggested, and you nodded.
“i would like that.”
“is the water warm?” vessel asked, sitting down in the grass next to you and reaching forward to touch the surface of the sparkling water. your hand reached out to mimic his action, your fingertips bumping into his as you watched the water ripple around your hands. you grasped his hand in yours, lifting it out of the water and examining it, and vessel felt a familiar pain in his chest at the feeling of your touch.
“the paint….” you spoke softly, in awe of how it remained on his skin, unaffected by the water. vessel couldn’t help himself, and intertwined his fingers with yours, holding your hand tight, as if you would drift away if he were to let go. his heart pounded in his chest, worried that you would pull away, or be offended by the gesture? but you didn’t, instead wrapping your other hand around your connected ones. “your hand is so cold,” you spoke. “are you okay?”
“you need not worry about me,” he replied, his irregular body temperature something you had always pestered him about, always asking if he was sure he was warm enough, or insisting on cuddling into him at night even though he was nearly freezing.
“you might be warmer if you got in the water,” you suggested, and you began to stand up to walk into the long, pulling him with you. vessel almost let you drag him out into the water before he stopped, memories of the last time he had dreamt of this place flooding his mind; how you had disappeared after he kissed you in the water.
“forgive me-“ he stopped, and you turned back to look at him with a worried expression. “i think i would prefer to stay on the shore if that is alright with you.”
“of course!” you smiled, unfazed by the nervous tone in his voice. you walked back to the edge of the pond and sat down again, vessel jointing you. “do you not like the water?”
“it is not that,” he answered, unsure of what excuse to give you as to why he didn’t wish to enter the water. “i just do not wish for my clothes to get wet.”
“i understand. here, maybe if we sit closer together you will warm up,” you said innocently, scooting closer until your sides were touching and you could rest your head on his shoulder. vessel felt his body tense in surprise, but he soon relaxed, the familiar scent of you close to him relaxing him, and he allowed himself to close his eyes. he felt a tug on his necklaces, and looked down to see your fingers entangled in them, examining the delicate charms and beading of the jewelry, something you did often. “these are so beautiful.”
“thank you,” he hummed. vessel carefully wrapped an arm around your waist, holding you tight against him.
“the grass is so soft it’s like a blanket,” you laughed, and vessel gasped softly as you pushed him over playfully until you both lay in the grass. it was indeed soft against his skin, and vessel glanced to the side to admire you as you stared up at the fluffy white clouds that passed overhead. vessel couldn’t stop himself from reaching over to gently touch your cheek, and you allowed him to turn your head towards him. “wouldn’t it be nice to stay here forever?” you asked happily, and vessel couldn’t help but feel saddened by the idea. it was a bittersweet thought, how he would love to stay like this with you forever, but this was a you that did not remember him, or the love that you shared.
“it would,” he said anyway, only partly lying.
“will your friend be wondering where you are?” you asked, and vessel thought for a moment. how could he explain that it was you he had been looking for? he had dreamed of this place hundreds, maybe thousands of times, and had never tried to tell you of the life you couldn’t remember. would it change anything? he thought surely it couldn’t hurt to try, he would just relive the same torturous dream again tomorrow night.
“i was actually looking for you.”
“for me? i don’t understand…” you sat up, looking back at vessel as he did the same, longing to regain the feeling of your touch, even just the feeling of you being next to him.
“you do not remember, but we have met before.”
“i don’t-“ you mumbled nervously, your eyebrows knitting together as you stared at him in confusion.
“this is a dream,” vessel spoke, and in the distance you could hear approaching thunder, and the wind changed to being a chill through the air. “this is not real. we have a life together, in consciousness you are mine, and i yours.”
“that’s impossible. how could that be true if i don’t remember any of it?” vessel reached forward to hold your hands in his, as the sky above turned grey, the thunder louder now as heavy rain began to fall from the now dark clouds that covered the sun.
“each night i dream of this place, where you do not know who i am. it is a curse that i would not wish upon even my greatest enemy. but it is worth it to spend my existence with you.”
“vessel….” the rain poured down onto the two of you now, and you began to shake from the sudden cold. “i want to believe you, i really do. i know that i feel safe with you, but this is a lot to process.”
“i know. i am sorry, my darling. i did not intend to overwhelm you. let us find somewhere to hide from the rain.” you allowed him to pull you up to your feet, and vessel slid his detailed coat off of his shoulders and draped it over you, leaving him in an open black shirt that quickly also became soaked through from the rain.
“thank you,” you smiled, wrapping the heavy material around your body as the two of you reached the trees you had seen in the distance earlier. hadn’t they been further before? and you hadn’t remembered seeing any birds before, but you could hear them chirping in the branches above you as you found a dry patch of grass to sit in below a large tree. vessel sat behind you? his back against the trunk as he pulled you into his arms, unable to resist nestling you into his chest.
“what happens before you wake up?” you asked, and vessel was taken aback. he had not expected you to ask such a question.
“you disappear,” he answered solemnly.
“i am still confused. why do you have to go through that - this - every night? and is it really worth it just to be with … me?” the words felt funny coming out of your mouth, still baffles by the idea of this being all a dream, of having a life you couldn’t remember.
“it is the price i pay to be what i am, to be with a human. but there is no pain or suffering on earth that would be enough to keep me from you, my love. even one moment with you is worth a thousand lifetimes of anguish.”
“you mean.. you are not human?” you asked but he did not reply. “how can i be so lucky and not even know it? how did i end up with someone as incredible as you, and how dare i forget it,” you asked, feeling tears forming in your eyes as you looked up at him.
“how could i be so lucky to have you, my dear. it is not your fault, there is a greater force involved.”
“will i remember any of this when i wake up? or tomorrow night when you return?”
“i am not sure. i do not think it is likely,” vessel replied, and you nodded sadly. “i am sorry.”
“what are you sorry for? i am the one who does not remember us… i can’t imagine having to live through that over and over again.”
“i promise you, i would not trade our love for anything, even if i must suffer the consequence.” vessel spoke, and you couldn’t help but cry, burying your face in the crook of his neck as his arms encircled you, holding you impossibly close. “get some rest my love. i will see you again.”
“what if i don’t remember any of this?”
“then i will just have to remind you again.”
“have you told… me- the me when you’re awake?” you asked.
“i never wished to burden you with this.”
“but then you are carrying it all on your own,” you protested. “you should tell…well me.” you laughed lightly, and you felt vessels chest shake with a slight chuckle.
“i will consider it,” vessel agreed. “get some rest my love.”
“i want to remember you,” you mumbled sadly, and vessel stroked your head softly.
“does it bring you peace to know that in the real world, i have never felt a love from another being like i feel from you?” he asked, and your heart skipped a beat.
“it does. thank you, vessel. i hope you always feel that way when you’re with me.”
“i will, my dear. sleep now, we will meet again soon.”
vessel closed his eyes, only to open them again to find you gone, only his coat left draped over his lap in the place where you had been just seconds before. he sighed, holding the material close to him, your scent still lingering in the fabric, his eyes closing again. this time when they opened again, he was awake, staring up at the ceiling of your shared bedroom. vessel began to panic when he noticed you were not in bed next to him, but he breathed a sigh of relief when you appeared in the doorway. you noticed the worries look on the parts of his face that his mask didn’t conceal, and crawled back into bed next to him.
“what’s wrong, ves?” you asked. “bad dream?”
“yes, but not the same one as usual.”
“do you have the same dream often?” you asked, allowing him to pull you into his arms, laying down with you on his chest.
“it is a long story, but yes. each night i dream of the same thing, a world where you don’t remember us,” he admitted, though he still wondered if telling you was the right decision.
“vessel how long has this been going on? is this something to do with you being-“
“a long time. and yes, it is the cost for my choice to spend my life with you. but do not feel guilt or worry for me. nothing in this existence could ever change how i feel about you, or take me from you.”
“i wish you had told me sooner, i had no idea you were dealing with this. i knew you had nightmares but vessel-“
“i am okay. so long as i have you,” he kissed you softly, and you held him tighter.
“you will always have me. is there anything i can do?” you asked, knowing it was a silly question. even after all the years you had spent together, the extent of vessels abilities remained a mystery to you, you just knew he was more than human, granted that state of being by something higher.
“just do not disappear this time, my love,” he replied, and you kissed his collarbone softly.
“i won’t, i promise.”
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eternal-kosmo-ghoul · 5 months
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⭒❃.✮:▹ holiday hoes
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“so if you’re keen to listen, here’s an offer i’ll propose. let me work and i’ll provide you with a touch o’ that gold!” —liquid gold, lackadaisy
❝for the christmas spirit I’m going to be doing something… special, this year~
for the following days, i’ll be challenging myself to write an nsfw prompt that’s holiday related, based on the prompt list i gave myself. the masterlist will be posted soon enough, so stay tuned~❞ —kosmo
the list will update as each day passes. all fics are NSFW and must be read with caution!
ALL readers are gender neutral, however some fics may have gendered body language.
┅✦┅
✿ prompts ✿
1. “all dolled up” — phantom x reader, lingerie
- you wanted to look extra pretty for phantom on the holiday season
2. “a different kind of warmth” — swiss x reader, cockwarming
- when the icy cold temperatures hits, swiss has his own unique way of warming you up
3. “gingerbread houses” — aurora x reader, food play
- what a fun little activity to do with aurora! surely she won’t have any other ideas in mind… right?
4. “red ribbon” — rain x reader, bondage
- there was leftover ribbon from gift wrapping that you decided to use, and maybe you’re just the best gift for rain
5. “naughty list” — terzo x reader, spanking
- how sad… you ended up on the naughty list, looks like papa terzo will have to ingrain some discipline into you
6. “candle queen” — sodo x reader, wax play
- the scent of the candles just made this year extra cozy, maybe sodo has some tricks up his sleeve for how to make things cozier
7. “frosted windows” — cirrus x reader, mirror sex
- the fogged windows are perfect places to trace pretty little shapes on, cirrus however has a different shape in mind
8. “come watch me play” — vessel x reader, exhibitionism
- vessel likes to put on a show for the christmas cheers. what kind of performance does he have in mind?
9. “unwrap your present” — cumulus x reader, stripping
- you came home from a long day of work, just finally getting that well deserved vacation. cumulus has a pleasant surprise waiting for you
10. “festive little fantasies” — copia x reader, toys
- your gift for copia surely got him excited….
11. “picture perfect” — iv x reader, aphrodisiacs
- ivy was not expecting this little christmas get together to get all.. steamy.. but now he has you all to himself
12. “not so angelic” — omega x reader, corruption kink
- the little angel that came down from heaven to spread the joyous spirit… surely omega won’t try anything
13. “holiday blow” — iii x reader, blowjob
- as iii is writing letters to his loved ones, you decided to give him a little treat underneath his desk
14. “stuffed like a present” — mountain x reader, cum bulge
- mountain wants to give you something that’ll leave you completely filled
15. “nice list” — secondo x reader, praise kink
- what a good pet you’ve been… and it looks like secondo has taken notice
16. “blind to the light” — ii x reader, blindfolding
- ii wanted to add more spice to the bedroom for this year, and spoil you prettily for his holiday affairs.
17. “give you more” — zephyr x reader, overstimulation
- you decided to be extra generous to zephyr, and assist him when he’s in dire need of some love and affection
18. “my special gift” — sunshine x reader, thigh riding
- sunshine has a special way of showing off what’s hers.
19. “miss me on holiday season” — aether x reader, sexting
- aether is away for the festive spirits, that doesn’t stop you from missing him though
20. “just this once” — ifrit x reader, hate sex
- stuck in a log cabin with an old enemy, except ifrit’s been feeling extra lonely this christmas
21. “take me to church” — swiss x reader, blasphemy kink
- christmas is all about celebrating the birth of jesus… swiss wants to show you off to him
22. “forever ingrained” — vessel x reader, photography
- a new polaroid camera? vessel is getting a few ideas on what to do with it…
23. “christmas tree” — phantom x reader, public sex
- while searching for the perfect christmas tree, phantom finds himself needing some attention
24. “sharing is caring” — sodo and rain x reader, threesome
- sodo and rain learn to share their special gift
25. “merry christmas” — all era iv ghouls x reader, fuck party
- the ministry is all decorated in festive decor and it truly feels like the holidays are in season! now… what do these ghouls want to do with you?
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wispmotherr · 6 months
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ive finally finished this weird story that was meant to just be a one shot written in a perspective i’d never worked with before and i’m at peace with it haha.
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writethrough · 1 month
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Vigilance
(Vessel x Gender-Neutral Reader)
Synopsis: Vessel contemplates what you mean to him while you're laying together.
Warnings: Maybe a little self-deprecation on Vessel's part, but besides that...?
Word Count: 599
A/N: This one really came out of nowhere. The first half is part of this dream I had, then I filled in the ending. Short, kinda fluffy, but in a serious way. If you've read "Sun Daze," "Morning Blue," or "Found You," it's that vibe.
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You felt his presence before you were truly conscious. Sitting on the edge of your bed, he watched you. You’d gotten used to it by now. It was reassuring. His constant vigilance—a protective bubble that embraced you. 
His nimble fingers grazed your side, trailing to the small of your back. “Rest, my love.” 
Humming, your eyes remained closed, enjoying his feather-light touches. You had shoved the blankets off you in your sleep and were rewarded when his skin caressed yours. 
The bed shifted, then his lips brushed the side of your head.  
“Lay with me?” Though it escaped as a statement, you meant it as a question. One you knew he’d never refuse. 
He slipped behind you, one arm sliding beneath your head, and the other around your middle. You threaded your fingers through both of his hands, needing to be as close to him as possible. With his exposed chest pressed against your back, you relaxed into him, head resting in the crook of his shoulder. 
This was your safe place. Nestled in his hold where no one else existed.  
You took in every part that connected to him and wished you could stay like this forever. 
“Ease now, beloved. I am with you.” He pressed his mouth to your shoulder, lingering to feel more of your skin.  
He would stay like this until you woke next. Until you had to move. Until you indicate otherwise. He would remain.  
He could not follow you into blissful unconscious, but this almost seemed better. The trust you put in him, the way you let him embrace you, how openly you received every part of him—he witnessed it all in these moments. As you drifted, your walls receded. He saw you for who you were and vowed himself to you. Even if you didn’t know the extent of his allegiance to you, it didn’t matter. You belonged to one another. He would ensure your happiness, your safety, your peace—because they were his own.  
The scent of your hair enveloped him. You were home to him. He could not determine the last time he had a home, but the word was fitting. In all his travels, in all his life, he had glimpses of reprieve, but with you he had gained more than that. You had given him more than he ever had in the centuries before you. And for that he owed you his existence. 
Every time he looked at you, spoke to you, touched you, was like the first. You did not want anything from him—like so many others—you simply wanted him. So, he gave you all, every piece of darkness within himself, every memory from before, every task he was given, because he wanted to make sure. Was this what you wanted? Was he what you wanted? 
In response, you showed him all of you. Your regrets and failures, your hopes and dreams, your fears—and they were beautiful. You were...everything. 
For that, he had pledged to be yours. He had proclaimed his love, and you returned it.  
So, he would remain by your side, in every sense of the word. In ways he could not explain. 
He matched his breathing to yours, steady and deep. Once your fingers had slackened, he curled his a little more to keep you connected. And his eyes closed, letting your skin warm his and your scent fill him. 
This was as close as he could follow you, but it was enough. You were with him. This was all he needed. His greatest treasure. His love. His meaning.  
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Taglist: @steph-speaks, @themultiverseofmars
Let me know if you want to be tagged in future fics!
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m0rbidmacabre · 8 days
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Exploring Pain
An upcoming fanfiction by yours truly. Featuring Vessel X You
This is gonna get raunchy, it's gonna get raw. I'm going for Vessel turning you into his pagan goddess, for his own worship, This is going to be written from two perspectives. I'm excited to give you an offering of the introduction. A little introduction to our characters.
Feel free to drop your names below for tagging.
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Introduction
Vessel was just a mere mortal, and like all of us that feel too much. it took him a long time to get over his pain, along time to heal. It wasn’t weeks or months but years. The physical aching in his soul may have gone, the kind that ruptures your bones and leaves you pleading for death. The wanting may have subsided, the kind that makes you want to drastically do anything to be near the person your soul aches for but the self hate remained.  His life had been very different before, he was on a head on collision with death and it didn’t bother him. The thought of death sounded like a break, the thought of traveling the stars for an eternity in complete blackness sounded like his idea of heaven. That was until he met you.
There was nothing typical about you, tattoos marked your skin of every life experience. Your lost loves, your life’s joys, everything made a mark some how.  Your body was your own and you made sure to make others worship it after all, you deserved it after a life of pain and self hate.
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velvet-paradox · 10 months
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Heartstrings (Part One)
Fandom: Sleep Token (Band) Pairing: eventual Vessel x Female reader Length: Medium Summary: Memories haunt our beloved frontman, some he'd like to forget and some he's been hiding. Warnings: eventual NSFW, 18 + ONLY, strong language, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, supernatural (no, not the show) element, a twisted little game. Tagging: @synnersaint as always, @megangovier20 
NOTES: I’ll be reposting to @roman-is-a-horse as well as that’s my little hole in the wall for all things masked men and Sleep Token
ENJOY!!!
He's exhausted. He's all sweat and grit, dirt beneath his fingernails, mud on his boots. 
He could care less. 
What he needed was sleep. Glorious, pillow soft sleep. And the deity let him. 
He dreamt of monkey bars, chipped green paint, orange creme popsicles, a dizzy tire swing blurring in the distance, a familiar face hanging upside down from a wound up swing set. The air is light and the sun is high. He learned why ancient Egyptians rimmed their eyes with kohl. Learned the proper pronunciation for Persephone. Had his first kiss. Got into his first of many, fist fights and tasted blood and why you don't pick at knuckle scabs. The taste of woodchips. 
And then he met you.
Vessel woke with a jolt, restless leg syndrome, jerking him at the worst of times but helpful on the stage. 
"You're pretty when you cry." That silky voice that lulled him to the dreamworld sang down to him. Above his head, resting oh so carefully upon his pillow was Sleep, taking the form of a smoky red cat with six black slits for eyes. The deity grinned sharp, bone white fangs before leaping into the air at Vessel's recognition that he was indeed crying, his cheeks and lips streaked with salt. Sleep hung in the air above him, wagging its tail.
"Bad dream?" Sleep asked, resting its face on its paws like some teenager, coiling the phone cord, awaiting the latest hallway gossip.
"I'm fine," Vessel sniffled and turned on his side, an attempt to ignore his maker.
Sleep rolled onto its' back, little red paws pointing up to the ceiling before floating in front of his face and purred. "That's not what I asked."
Vessel blamed it on his uncomfortableness, the bed was cold and the sheets icy against his bare legs. Sleep wasn't buying it, squinting all six eyes at him as he tossed and turned for the rest of the night. ....
"That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, brother, get used to it."
"You big troll, that's the last can!"
"Watch it you little gremlin or I'll step on you and put you out like a light."
Brotherly threats floated up stairs along with the smell of someone cooking breakfast. Cinnamon butter, scrambled eggs, no doubt since his heathen brothers refused to eat them any other way. Roasted earthy mushrooms, peppered bacon.
Vessel clung to the staircase watching three others maneuver around someone's rented home in the highlands. Through a large bay window he could make out the silky green grass and sparkling yellow daffodils dancing in the wind.
SpaghettiOs. 
III and IV were giving II shit in between grabbing plates, poor thing was jumping up and missing terribly the can of the tomato sauced rings. Vessel shook his head and jumped down the last two steps before they all stuttered to a stop, III hid the can behind his back as if he were about to be scolded.
"Never gets old, huh?" He asked and snagged a piece of less burnt bacon.
"Not a chance." III resumed his taunts until II gave up, growling low in his throat and angrily shut off the stovetop, marching outside into the daylight.
"Package came for you this morning." IV mumbled through a mouthful of eggs as he found him out on the porch swing. Vessel took the box with more questions than answers.
"Who knows we're here?"
IV shrugged and joined him on the bench, crossing his legs as the wooden slats swayed.
Vessel looked it over. Just a standard brown box, wrapped in a weeks worth of clear packing tape. Just several stamps -international corners, a beating or two in a mail office dented one of the boxes sides. He took the switchblade IV handed him, scoring the edged until it came loose.
He shook whatever was hidden, another box came tumbling out into his lap along with a folded piece of cardstock. He handed it over. Though as he dug around inside, he should've looked at the note first because IV's eyes, already on the large spectrum, had bloomed into bright blue saucers.
"What? What is it?"
"Look and see."
Vessel dropped the note to the ground as it were on fire. Explosive. A grenade of nostalgia and pain, if not sudden death.
ARE YOU GAME?
No.
No no no no no.
He could feel IV's eyes on him as he fumbled with the spare box, careful with the folds, peeling back the layers on carefully placed and wrapped tissue paper. His fingers ghosted over the jewelry or what was left of it before holding it up in the afternoon sun.
Vessel began to panic, anxiety was never far from him as he thumbed over one of the personally laid coins like a treasured rosary and if he were totally honest; it was just that. ....
Vessel had recently gotten into a band called Immortal the previous summer, expressing himself in a similar manner of covering his face (still experimenting with paint on his hands, he was always on the look out for the best greasepaint his first high school job could afford), in black and white paint, cut off jackets and ripped denim. Had attempted to look as cool as possible with a cigarette behind his ear. He never smoked it, just toyed with his mothers' addiction. The girls dug it so there was always that.
His friends chased squirrels until the popular girls noticed them, could've been a dare, could've been a prank but that didn't stop them from turning and chasing them instead. Their shrills squeals of laughter sang through the halls, tickled pink for attention in the back of classrooms.
The boys had ditched him once again as they left him at the playground, holding on to his bullet belt as he made his way, by foot, across town towards his job. He was going to be late, but the owner of the coffee shop couldn't care less; he was probably a few beers in as it was only three that Saturday afternoon. 
Louie could really pound them down.
He was almost there when he stopped short. There on a park bench were a pair of shapely legs. Just sitting there in the air. Torn fishnets with shin high striped socks and boots, scuffed and beat up, much like his own when he looked down.
He crept by slowly, curious if they were a mannequin's legs or if they were real or, God forbid they were just that. No body attached! How scandalous! 
A murderer on the loose and Vessel would be the first witness to the crime. His stomach had flipped at that.
But still, the young man proceeded forward, cautiously now as he left his usual path and got closer, squinting when he saw one of the ankles twitch. 
Vessel made calculated steps around he bench and saw- gratefully of course, that the legs were indeed attached to a body, the body of a girl his age that he'd never seen before. She was laying upside down with her eyes closed, arms bent and on the ground beneath her head so she wouldn't roll off and crack her skull. An opened can of SpaghettiOs sat next to her, along with a sad looking purse.
"What are you doing?" 
"What's it look like I'm doing, smart guy? 'm thinkin'." Was her response. She didn't even bother to open her eyes and acknowledged him. Foreigner for sure, he thought.
"Upside down?"
"I get all the cobwebs out better this way," then she cracked one eyes open, searching for him in this state and she smiled, the brightest smile he'd ever seen on a person. Stunning. Absolutely fucking stellar. "You should try it."
"Doesn't all the blood rush to your head like that?" Vessel turned his head to see her face better.
"That's the point, silly! When my brain talks to much the best way to shut her up is to rush her out, let her out. Come on, try it. There's plenty of room." She quipped and wiggled over in the bench, using her hands for leverage.
Vessel looked at his watch; twenty minutes until his shift started and he'd need to be there and get his apron on and punch in his timecard and Louie might not be drunk and waiting for him patently at the doors with a pained expression and angry, uncaffeinated patron waiting to get their fix.
He had trouble moving his body and wincing when one of the bullets jabbed his hip bone, but all in all he managed her similar position. Fucking wild. His jacket creaked when he moved his hands to the earth below, mimicking her position.
"Good job. Now watch me. Just breathe in and out like this, don't think about anything other than that and you'll be clear as a Koi fish pond."
He frowned but went along with it, looking at her as instructed he slowly shut his eyes, long legs growing tired he let them hang over the back of the bench instead and controlled his breathing.
He wasn't thinking about school or work, his thesis he had yet to start that was due in two weeks time. Not what he was going to have for dinner or which skirt II was trying to get under this week. Probably Jessica. II was always after Jessica.
"See. How do you feel now?" She asked. 
Vessel couldn't even answer her at first, too caught up in the sensations, more aware of her perfume when his senses kicked into overdrive with his heartbeat pounding in his ears like this.
"Weightless. Clear." He mumbled.
"Exactly."
Then her hand was on his, carefully he opened his eyes and his world felt like his house of cards were about to tumble down if he breathed too loudly. 
"I'm Y/N." ....
He thought about you as he ran the rest of the way to coffee shop, the little blue and white striped awning coming into view as his boots pounded pavement. He was just seconds away from being late, clocking in just in time and wrapping a brown apron around his jacket in the backroom.
He thought about as he rang up a pretty dark skinned girl, fresh faced and smiling at him.
He thought about you when a crotchety old woman barked her order and waited too close to the counter until he could brew it, which she made him do it twice. He thought about you when a regular by the name of Johnny Two-Step came in, grooving to the beat of whatever song which was playing softly in the background. 
He thought about you on the walk home, every park bench he passed by, with his hands in his pockets were shockingly empty.
Would he ever see you again?
Where you from? What were you doing here in this small seaside town? And why were you eating cold SpaghettiOs right from the can like a cat with a tin of tuna? ....
"Straight from the can?!" III asked the following day, sitting on his roof with an open notebook, ready for some action along with a stolen can of his father's beer. It would go unnoticed. They always went unnoticed.
III's dad would give a shrug and mumble about needing to slow down though he never did, he just went out and bought more, stocking the fridge in the garage for the next day.
"Never seen anything like it."
"I would hope not! Sounds like she's a screw or two loose."
"Maybe."
Maybe you did. Maybe you were what his mother would call 'quirky' or carefree, the possibility of being a hellion might be written in the stars for you too. Either way Vessel was into it.
"No no no, that's not how you do it. Here, you're just gonna' make a mess of it. Now look, you take the can like this..."
Vessel couldn't help be drawn into the kitchen of a house party a few weeks later, he'd toyed with the cigarette again, holding between his two front teeth as some girl in an obscenely short dress chatted him up outside. He told her to hold that thought and maneuvered through the bodies. Sweat and beer lingered on the air, music pulsed and couples and a possible throuple but Vessel's standards were making out in a dim corner.
The snap of a beer can had him joining the little circle around the sink. A few guys cheered. A few girls made noises, he couldn't decipher whether it was a good or a bad thing at the moment.
Vessel towered over the group, watching II wipe his mouth over the sink before slipping his trusty balaclava back up over his nose. He saw someone and when he looked, his eyebrows shot up to his hairline in an instant.
It was you.
It was really you!
You cheered in delight, gave him a high five and grinned.
"Whose next? How about you pretty lady?" You waved Jessica over, who was shy at first but followed your lead in her pink and yellow bellbottoms and halter top.
After your next shotgun you hugged Jessica who looked worse for wear and slumped against II who was more than happy to help her stand and move out out of the kitchen. II passed him in the doorway, giving him a fist bump to the shoulder, talking to his love interest, lost in the haze of beer and clouds of weed smoke.
"You! There you are you big tall drink of water."
Vessel turned just in time to see you, focused and barreling straight towards him, a look of drunken excitement on your face. You weren't stopping and then you were lunging at him, embracing him in a hug that should feel all sorts of foreign and wrong but... was welcomed and warm and you smell like floral perfume and beer foam.
You looked up at him with silly grin. "Hi."
"Hi yourself. Having a bit of fun I see."
"Wanna' shotgun a beer with me?"
"Maybe later. How many have you had already?"
You made a goofy sound in your throat, released his waist and took his wrist in your hands, dragging him outside. Something made of glass shattered somewhere inside the house as you two ducked out and sat down in a little gazebo on the property. Vines and little white flowers coiled up and around the lattice.
"You gonna' smoke that?" You asked, digging those same weathered boots into the dirt.
"You want it?"
"Can I share it with you?"
"You can have it. I actually don't smoke."
Your expressions ranged and rivaled those of a comic strip as you looked at him. "What the what?! You don't smoke, yet you just casually have a cigarette behind your ear?"
Vessel shrugged. "It's just an accessory at this point."
"Next thing you'll be telling me is you're not a real jester!"
"A jester?"
"The makeup! You're not a clown either? Some practicing mime? Although if you were a mime you wouldn't be talking, would you?" You drunkenly mused and Vessel wondered how many beers you’d already rushed into your bloodstream.
Vessel snorted and shook his head. "Afraid not. I'm just a guy."
"A handsome guy." You huffed and lit up the cigarette, leaning back on your elbows as you smoked.
Vessel snorted, unaffected by the tobacco hanging around your heads as you both looked up at the moon. Tethered to it's soft glow over the treetops. "I've been called a lot of things, but handsome ain't one of them."
You bolted upright, cigarette renting space between your teeth and burning his eyes as you grabbed his face like you were old friends. 
"That's a damn shame. I'm going to make it my mission to tell you everyday I see you how good you look. Even if you are talking mime!"
Part Two Part Three
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