Sleeping With Sleep

II

"Holy shit, what the fuck?! How are- What is- How did- I don't-" Vessel hurriedly shushed me and wrapped a hand over my mouth.

"What the fuck, you promised not to panic!" I rambled against his palm, excusing my reaction. He shushed me again.

"Ok, ok, I get it! But... You're not afraid of me, are you?..." He looked terrified. I paused. I took a second to really look into each and every eye. All a different shade of green. All surrounded by disgustingly gorgeous, dark lashes. All full of concern and genuine care.

I slowly reached up and pulled his hand from my mouth. His eyes were beautiful, just in more sets than I was used to. My eyes shifted to his lips. Having never been this close, I never knew how soft they looked, despite all the paint. Some of the paint had come off from him getting drinks of water during intermissions earlier and I could see his lips were a warm, soft pink.

"N-no... I'm not afraid... Not used to it, sure, but not afraid. Your eyes are amazing..." I raised my right hand to cup his cheek gently and I felt Vessel tense up for a second, before melting into my touch, all of his eyes relaxing closed. He smiled softly, raising his hand to hold mine against his face.

"I haven't felt something like this in years..." I softly laughed, a warm, content smile on my face.

"Well, I'm here now... And unless you want me to, I don't plan to leave." His eyes opened again, almost startling me. I could see he had a new fire behind them.

"Y/n... Will you be mine?..." A wide, goofy smile spread across my lips and I nodded vigorously, bouncing on my toes.

"Yes, Ves. I've wanted that for years." Vessel smiled a full, wide, grin, showing off more of his sharp, shiny teeth. Very sharp...

I pulled my lip between my teeth and glanced at his lips, then back to his eyes. There's something I've been thinking about since I walked in. I raised my other hand and rested it on the side of Vessel's neck. I dropped my right hand from his face to match my left. Vessel's eyebrows furrowed a little, but relaxed when he realized my intentions. He arched his shoulders so he was closer to my level and settled his hands around my waist. I was wearing black, so neither of us were worried about the paint still on his palms. His eyelids drooped slightly and I shivered as I watched his tongue slip out of his mouth and pass over his lips. I tilted my head a little and my lips parted in anticipation.

Vessel raised his right hand to my neck and slid his long fingers into my hair. My breath sped up and my face was burning hot with the blush that filled my cheeks. It felt like eternity had passed, but after a few seconds, his lips met mine ever so gently, almost teasingly. I returned the kiss and let my arms relax around his neck. Our lips sealed together perfectly and his felt so plush and warm. As gentle as the kiss was, my face wasn't the only thing that began to warm up and I grabbed a fistful of the hood on his cloak. My eyebrows knit together and I felt Vessel reacting the same in response. His fingers were pressed firmly into my exposed skin from the cut-outs in my dress. In fact, it almost hurt, like something sharp was digging into me, but it was a good sting.

I could feel Vessel's breath getting rough and he pulled my hips closer to him, our chests meeting. I could feel the heat radiating off of him through my clothes. His lips parted further and he ran the tip of his tongue across my bottom lip. I immediately opened up and he pressed his tongue to mine. He tasted sweet, like coffee with vanilla creme, but also spicy and bitter, like a fresh-lit cigarette. It melted what sense of my surroundings I had left and all I could focus on was Vessel. My hips couldn't help but push closer to his, almost begging for attention. He took note and slowly walked me backwards to meet the wall on the opposite side of the green room. Once there, he raised an arm over my head, trapping me in. He kept his left hand on my waist and pressed his thigh between mine, seeking out the source of violent heat. With Vessel positioned like this, I could feel the solid erection pressing against my thigh. And god damn was that going to hurt in the future. He then made the glorious decision to roll his hips and grind his thigh against my core in time with every swirl of his tongue around mine. I was in absolute bliss.

But after only a few short seconds, I started to become more and more aware of the sharp pain coming from Vessel's hand on my waist. It was really starting to sting and it was becoming distracting. I was about to ask him to let up when I felt the pressure of what seemed to be Vessel's teeth on my lip. A lot of pressure. And then pain. Pain. I dropped my arms from around his neck and rested my palms on his chest and gently pushed. He didn't budge. I pushed again, harder. A growl?

"Mm- Ve- mm- Vessel- Th- ow-" I pushed again, using the leverage I had from my back on the wall. I was able to make him take a step back, pulling him out of whatever strange headspace he was in. He immediately backed off and hid his hands behind his back, pressing his lips together.

"S-sorry I-... No, there's no excuse, I'm sorry..." I smiled softly and shook my head.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm ok. Just... I think you were digging your nails into me or something..." I turned to look at my side where I figured he was just pressing his nails too hard. Blood. I had five small puncture wounds that were bleeding slightly. Puncture wounds?

"Huh... And um... You bit my lip kinda hard..." I felt of my lip, but it seemed alright, just covered in his black paint. I look back up at Vessel and he looks almost fearful.

"Hey... You ok?... You look scared... What happened?" Vessel shook his head and pulled his arms further behind his back.

"Ves... What's going on?... You have six eyes, there's not much else that'll freak me out."

Vessel hesitated, but slowly pulled his arms out and held them out in front of himself. Each of his fingers had gotten slightly longer and had turned fully black, not just with the paint. Every fingertip was dagger sharp and curved like claws. His hands were shaking. I slowly reached out and set my hands in his.

"It's alright. Honestly. Not as crazy as six eyes." I offered a goofy smirk to lighten the mood, and when he returned a wide grin, I saw that all four of his canine teeth had tripled in size and were sharper than ever. My eyebrows shot up and I leaned in closer.

"Whoa... That's pretty sick actually..." He snorted and shut his mouth, a small smile still left behind. I nodded and took a breath.

"So. Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on, or are there more fun, crazy things you can do?" Vessel gulped and looked towards his mask. I tilted my head, confused. He just stepped back and slipped it back on and just like that, the black claws receded and his teeth went back to their normal size and shape.

"Uh-huh... So, the mask does it?..." He shook his head.

"Come. Sit." Vessel gently grabbed my hand and led me back to the couch. I watched him settle into his seat expectantly.

"So... You know how during the intermissions there's that conversation between me and Sleep?..." I nodded, confused.

"Yeah... But that's just like... You and III with voice effects, isn't it?" Vessel just blinked at me, unmoving.

"Ah... Wait, wait, wait- So, Sleep is.. Real?" Vessel chewed his lip silently.

"Oh... Oh fuck... So, wait... It's all real...?" Vessel gulped and slowly nodded.