Your Anoying (Vessel x III)

5. "I-I love you.~"

"Do you have any feelings for me?" Vessel remained quiet as he pondered III's question.

III froze when he heard Vessel's silence. He couldn't believe it, all those nights he'd spent thinking about Vessel and whether they had feelings for each other. All that time worrying he'd imagined everything and the one question he dared not ask had just gone unanswered.

"Y-You're quiet," he said as his grip on Vessel's hand tightened. His eyes went from Vessel's face to the floor. The bassist couldn't believe he never picked up on Vessel's feelings for him but the signs had been there, right? If he could go back in time just to touch his lips again...

Vessel flinched as III's grip tightened on his hands, the pain evident on his face.

III felt his heart break as he watched Vessel flinch in pain. His grip loosened and He immediately let go of Vessel's hand, his own eyes wide as he studied the singer's face, hoping for some sort of reaction. But there was nothing. III could feel how much Vessel was hiding now and a sick feeling washed over him.

"I-I'm sorry."

He couldn't look at Vessel anymore. The other man had to share those same feelings. Vessel couldn't just let III's confession of feeling for him go unanswered. Not after everything they had been through together, the small hints he had missed. Their kiss, the blowjob. The way Vessel made him feel. It couldn't have been for nothing.

He could read Vessel like a book and something inside him had changed. Vessel's eyes remained fixed on the floor as the bassist stood up as quickly as he could.

"I have to go," III muttered as he backed towards the entrance. He couldn't believe what was happening. Vessel must've known...

"III!"..." Vessel spoke in a broken, raspy voice as tears started to well up in his eyes.

III stopped at the sound of Vessel's voice. As the bassist turned around to look at Vessel, he could already see how vulnerable he was. Vessel was always so protective of his feelings but something deep inside of III wanted to fight for him. But was it worth it? Or had their time passed?

"Vessel... I-I'm sorry. I just..." He didn't even know what to say, all he knew was that things might be over. If Vessel just spoke for once maybe III could fix things. Maybe he could make things better.

He tried to keep the pain out of his voice but there was nothing he could do. Vessel was tearing his world apart right now. This was a bad dream. He wanted to wake up or run down the street and never see Vessel again.

"P-please sit back down... I have to confess," Vessel said quietly.

III paused and took a deep breath as he considered what Vessel might say next. He didn't want to sit back down but he knew he had to, he had to hear Vessel out. Even now, a part of the bassist believed there was still hope. For a second he stood still until his legs decided to walk back to his seat. His eyes met Vessel's, his whole world now in his bandmate's hands.

"Tell me..."

"I-I'm not... available. I-I'm in love with you, yes, but I'm already in a relationship... for a while now."

III froze. He was expecting a lot of things from Vessel but he was not expecting those words. His heart sank into his stomach. Vessel was already in a relationship. The bassist was shocked, but somehow a part of him already knew. The air in III's head felt thick. He felt like he was drowning.

Vessel was in love with him, III knew it now. But Vessel had been in a relationship with someone else this whole time? Someone he never knew about? Someone else he'd never known about? How long had it gone on for? What was the relationship even like? What was he supposed to say to that?