Sharp Teeth - Sleep Token/Vessel FF

Chapter XV

Vessel started playing Moonlight Sonata. His piano playing was breathtaking, the most beautiful music I'd ever heard. His fingers changed from violent strikes to delicate touches, his emotions pouring out as he played.

During the slow, haunting part of the song, I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me, each note touching deep within my soul. This place somehow intensified my emotions, making them hit me like an avalanche. I felt my connection to Vessel growing stronger by the minute, an almost telepathic bond forming between us.

When the music reached its agitated part, I opened my eyes to see his fingers dancing across the keys with inhuman speed. The urge to move overtook me, and I twirled around him with open arms, laughing and dancing until the final note faded.

"Come sit next to me, Ava," he said, scooting over on the large piano stool.

"But I don't know how to play, Ves."

"It doesn't matter. I want you close while I play for you."

As I sat there, feeling the warmth of his body next to me, he began playing another song. It took me a few seconds to notice the familiar melody – Take Me Back To Eden, one of my favorites. The combination of his voice and the piano, without any other instruments, was a heavenly experience. He kept his eyes focused on the keys as he sang.

My, my, those eyes like fire
I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre
Come now, bite through these wires
I'm in waking hell and the gods grow tired
Reset my patient violence along both lines of a pathway higher
Grow back your sharpest teeth, you know my desire
I will travel far beyond the path of reason
Take me back to Eden

His gaze met mine as if he was singing this specific part to me, and I felt a chill in the back of my head. His voice was powerful and mesmerizing. I gently removed his hood, brushing my fingers through his hair and feeling all his emotions.

When we were made
It was no accident
You know my desire
We were tangled up like branches in a flood

When the song ended, he held my hand close to his chest. Tears filled my own eyes, my emotions hitting me like an avalanche.

"What's wrong, Ava?" he asked softly, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"It's nothing, really," I stammered. "It's just... no one has ever made me feel this way before. I'm scared it won't last, scared Sleep will take you from me."

"No one will take me away from you, I promise you. I've waited an eternity to have you by my side, and I won't let that slip away." He embraced me, his strong arms comforting me. "Ava, I hope you understand what you mean to me. I would endure another eternity under Sleep's control for one more minute with you."

He lifted my chin and kissed me gently on the lips.

"This night was supposed to cheer you up, not make you cry. Come on, I have more to show you."

He led me upstairs, and the second floor was even more stunning than the first. A long corridor with the same marble floor led us to a navy blue door. He took a golden key out of his pocket and unlocked it, revealing a room with a glass ceiling. Moonlight streamed through, illuminating a crackling fire in the fireplace and a pile of soft pillows scattered across the carpeted floor.

"This is my sanctuary," he explained. "Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I come here to watch the stars." He sat down on the floor and patted the spot beside him.

We settled down together, my head resting on his shoulder as we looked up at the night sky.

"You see that bright star over there, next to the moon?" he pointed.

"The one on the left?"

"Yes, that one. It shines as brightly as your eyes. How about we call it 'Ava?'"

"I don't think I deserve such a comparison," I said shyly.

"You're right, you're not a mere star. "You're my Sun, you light my soul." He pulled me into a deep kiss, his body pressing closer to mine.

I blushed and smiled at him, tracing the mask with my fingers. We spent the night talking and kissing each other until I fell asleep in his arms.