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iii woke slowly and leisurely before his body rudely made it known that he needed water because his mouth felt like it was drier than any desert. With slight irritation that his body still needed such things, he slunk out of bed and padded out of his room with bleary eyes. He noticed that the door that led into Vessel’s room was open, and that only warranted a brief pause.
Ves would be up at odd hours of day and night, sometimes communicating with Sleep, sometimes working on music, and sometimes just being the cryptid creature man that was adored so dearly by him, ii, and iv.
This time, though, the faintest notes of music became more and more clear as iii made his way through the house and to the kitchen for his much needed glass of water. Once his throat felt less like sandpaper, iii carefully slunk through the house toward the room that held their instruments and other equipment while not on tour.
The clear notes of the piano, along with the tones of Vessel’s voice had chills raise along iii’s arms and the back of his neck. He knew that tone of voice from Ves. The waver, the vulnerability. Coming to a stop at the doorway, iii paused to watch and listen just a moment. Soaking in the pure emotion from Vessel as he sang out the words, almost unaware of the world around him as he let the music flow out of him.
Noticing the fact that the mask was sitting on the piano, iii furrowed his brows just slightly. Shaking from the entranced pause and turning to catch sight of the side of Vessel’s face. Tear tracks traced surely down his face, and iii’s heart broke all over again. Carefully raising one hand, he lightly rapped his knuckles on the doorframe to alert Vessel to his presence.
In an almost beautifully discordant way, disjointed and halting, first Vessel’s voice choked off and then the last few notes of the piano echoed into the slowly silencing house. Eyes filled with swirling emotion turned and landed on iii’s frame in the doorway. Watching, assessing, taking in the world around him as it slowly filtered back to him.
It was so rare to see Vessel without his mask hiding his face that iii couldn’t help the way his gaze swept over the singers’ features. Taking them in again, refreshing the last time he got to see. Next, though, putting his tired mind back on track, he tilted his head just slightly and spoke up. Quiet, none of his stage mania and energy. “S’okay in here, Ves? Need me t’ come over there?”
Several more moments of silence passed, and iii was unsure if Vessel would even respond. Sometimes after an outpouring of emotion through song, words were simply… Too much.
Not this time, though. “… Please,” was the almost whispered response. As soon as he had permission, iii pushed off from the doorframe and was by Vessel’s side in a few long strides. Holding his hands towards the singer and waiting for him to initiate the contact first. When he grabbed the offered physical grounding, iii sat next to him on the piano bench and wrapped one lanky arm around him.
Vessel almost melted into the contact, angling his torso so he could press his face into iii’s shoulder. Silently, iii couldn’t help but compare the motion to a cat needing affection but only on his own terms. Mentally waving away that image, iii loosely sprawled one hand against the back of Vessel’s neck, a grounding touch that the singer had said helped when it felt like he was floating and disconnected from reality.
“Wanna talk about it?”
Vessel was silent again after the question. Keeping where he was for a solid minute or two before his voice rasped out again, shaking slightly. “Too much. Too many emotions,” he answered. “Feels like a lead ball weighing in my chest, dragging me deep into dark waters and far from reality. Had to sing. Had to ground myself. Get emotions out. Wasn’t helping. Don’t know how long- How long I’ve been down here…”
Humming out a little acknowledging noise, iii slowly pushed his fingers up through Vessel’s hair. Taking note of the way that the singer shivered and then melted further into the touch. “I getcha, Ves. Y’know you can come to me, to ii, or to iv if you need further grounding too, okay…? We love you and want to help when we can.”
A beat of silence, then the curl of an arm around iii’s waist from Vessel as he turned further to try and get as close as he could to the bassist was the answer. “C’mon you lug, let’s get you up and into a bed okay? Be better than th’ piano bench for sure,” after a moment, he added on, “if ya want, we can settle in my bed. So ya don’t gotta be alone.”
Receiving a nod and a low hum of acceptance, iii carefully and slowly stood up. Hooking an arm around Vessel and urging him to stand, and grabbing his mask with his free hand. Once they were up, iii directed them slowly back through the house, up the stairs, and towards his room. The whole time, he made sure to maintain at least one point of contact with Vessel. Not wanting to let one chance slip by that made Vessel feel like he was in freefall from reality again.
After the slow shuffling walk, iii guided Vessel into his room and very gently urged him to take a seat on the bed. “Will you be okay for just a sec while I grab you a nice soft shirt of mine an’ maybe a pair of sweats for you to wear?” Vessel’s eyes tracked iii as he moved, a slightly more present glint to them finally when he just gave a short nod in answer to iii’s question.
Not wanting to be separated from Vessel too long lest emotions drag him back down a spiral, iii hustled around his room to snag up his favorite shirt that was worn soft from years of wear, and a pair of sweats that he knew were equally soft. Stopping in front of Vessel once again, he offered up the clothing with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes up just a bit. “Here ya go, Ves. These work enough for you?”
Movements still slow, like he was pushing through water, Vessel reached up and accepted the clothes from iii. Giving another nod before rising to his feet and stripping out of his current clothes with no hesitation. It wasn’t like there was anything that iii hadn’t seen before. Still, to show respect, iii angled his gaze away until it was drawn back by Vessel reaching and grabbing hold of his hand. “Good, Ves?”
“Good… Thank you,” was the breathy murmur of a response. Smile turning softer still, iii couldn’t help but press a featherlight kiss to Vessel’s brow before urging him to lay down.
With some shuffling around and working around lanky limbs, they were finally settled in a tangle of limbs in such a way that it was hard to tell where iii began and Vessel stopped. Just the way the singer needed when he got like this. With a low hum of contentment in his chest almost like the purr of a cat, iii made a point of curling his fingers through Vessel’s hair as they lay together comfortably. A soothing repetition that had Vessel going nearly boneless into the embrace.
“There we go, Ves. I gotcha. Not gonna let you float away on my watch. Close your eyes, get rest. Sleep watch over you, as do I.” The briefest press of a kiss to his collarbone from Vessel had iii humming just slightly louder. Laying another kiss to the top of Vessel’s head in return. “Sleep, our songbird, sweet dreams…”