To The Surface
Vessel always finds himself plagued by nightmares around the anniversary of his death. Even though he won't ask for comfort, choosing instead to suffer in silence, II takes notice, taking it upon himself to watch over him through the night.
II always has and always will protect Vessel, even if it means breaking one of their sacred rules.
Word Count: 855
a/n: It is implied here that Vessel and II knew each other prior to becoming vessels for Sleep. For a little context here, each member has died and been resurrected by Sleep, meaning Vessel's suicide attempt was successful. This is my first non-silly foray into writing for Sleep Token, it's just a little something I wrote last night, but feedback is greatly appreciated🖤
AO3
He was drowning again.
The water was prying at his lips, taunting his nostrils, begging him to give in, to slip away. He knew it was easier not to fight it, to let his body sink to the bottom and succumb to the darkness.
He began to part his lips, the water clawing its way in when he heard it, so faint he swore he had imagined it. Then he heard it again, louder, clearer.
His name.
He hadn’t heard it in so long, so long he had almost forgotten it entirely. It belonged to the face beneath his mask, the face he tried so desperately to forget. The face he concealed by his mask.
The familiar voice cut through the water, wrapping itself around his torso and dragging him to the surface, his name echoing through his mind as he broke through to the air above…
Vessel gasped, shooting up in what he could vaguely recognize as his bed, sending someone toppling off the side onto the floor below. His chest heaved as he blinked furiously, trying to gain awareness of his surroundings. Tears spilled down his cheeks as sobs racked his body.
Then he heard it again, the same voice from his dream, whispering his name. A gentle hand came to his shoulder accompanied by another soft utterance of his name as he trembled, a pair of warm arms wrapping around him.
II kneeled on the bed beside Vessel and pulled him into his chest, letting him bury his face in his neck, rubbing soothing circles on his back as he sobbed. His nightmares had been getting worse recently, and II was starting to seriously worry about him. He knew that Vessel was often too embarrassed to come to any of them for comfort, even after all they’d been through together. So for the past two weeks he’d been setting alarms throughout the night to come check on him and make sure he was safe. Tonight, when he peeked into his bedroom, the sight of Vessel thrashing against the covers had sent him into a panic. He tried waking him, but nothing seemed to be able to snap him out of it.
II knew he shouldn’t have done it, knew Sleep would likely be angry with him even if Vessel forgave him for using his true name. They were no longer the men they were, only vessels for Sleep, they had no name. But one look at the anguish on Vessel’s face pulled it from his lips involuntarily, a desperate attempt to help him.
And it worked.
They stayed like that for the better part of an hour wrapped in each other, the room silent except for the heart wrenching sounds coming from deep within Vessel’s chest. Finally, Vessel tugged his face away from II’s neck, blinking away the tears as he sniffled. II brought his hand up to cup Vessel’s face, gently rubbing his thumb against his cheek.
“You said my name,” Vessel croaked. “You really shouldn’t do that.”
“I tried not to. But you… you wouldn’t wake up.” II whispered, the concern evident in his voice. Vessel sighed, his eyes falling closed as he leaned his forehead against II’s shoulder.
“They’re getting bad again.” He said after a moment of silence.
“Are they all the same?” II asked. Vessel had told him once about the nightmares that plagued him around this time of year. Vessel nodded as he pulled away again, his eyes falling to his trembling hands.
“But this one was…” Vessel trailed off, swallowing thickly. II gently took his hands, offering a reassuring squeeze. “Normally it’s silent, I’m just alone in this… nothingness. But this time, I could hear something. I could hear you.”
“Me?”
“I could hear you calling my name, and it felt like you were pulling me out of it. Like you were… saving me.” Vessel confessed, bringing his gaze back up to meet II’s eyes.
The vulnerable look in Vessel’s eyes snatched the words from his throat, he was already a man of few words even in less emotionally charged situations. So instead of speaking, he just wrapped his arms around Vessel’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug, clutching him tightly against his body. II felt Vessel’s arms wrap around his middle, the tension in his body slowly melting away as he let himself relish in II’s comforting embrace.
“I’m always going to save you.” II mumbled, holding back tears of his own. Vessel began to pull away, and II reluctantly released him.
“Would you stay with me? Just tonight?” He asked quietly, his lip quivering, and II immediately nodded.
“Of course.”
They laid facing each other, II’s hand running along Vessel’s side as they spoke in hushed whispers about nothing at all until Vessel’s eyes began to flutter closed. II smiled to himself as he watched his face relax as a peaceful slumber overtook him. He lifted his hand to brush the hair from his face, saying a silent prayer to Sleep to protect him from the darkness this time. He still laid awake until the sun rose though, just to make sure.
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what were the headcanons for scourge?
Oh there were a few that me and Hunnie were giggling about to each other. Here's some of my headcanons I shared:
- Scourge keeps a childhood toy he's had since toddlerhood with him at all costs
-Man can cook and take proper care of himself but chooses not to.
-He's probably eaten glue at least once in his life
-He's incredibly lonely. God is he lonely and so touch starved but refuses to seek that comfort cause of his own walls
-If he ever became a father (*cough* Ribbon *cough*) to any child, he'd probably be extremely overly protective yet distant.
-Scourge might have been raised by the staff 'round the castle (cause he's prince) so he had some kind of safety net at some point in his early life.
-The amount of chaos he causes and the grief he brings Sonic, Shadow, and anyone with in a 10 mile radius is amazing.
-Despite being a "cool dude with an attitude", he has nervous ticks such as kneading (like making biscuits), biting his nails, self hugging, and running in circles. He tries to play them off but anyone who knows him long enough can see that he's tensing.
-He's a light sleeper so he's probably miserable most days
Here's one I haven't shared but I'm willing to change it:
Scourge has two phobias: Thalassophobia and Claustrophobia. Unlike Sonic, he likes swimming but he has a deep fear of drowning and going any deeper than waist deep water.
The Claustrophobia stems from two places, his time in jail and probably something maybe happening in childhood. He doesn't like being in small cramped areas or indoors for long either. An apartment, a house, any living space is too "small" so he prefers to sleep outside or in temporary housing to keep himself warm. Eventually he does find some kind of living that makes him feel safe but usually he's on the run.
Those are some of mine but I'm always up for hearing more ^^
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