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The day didn’t start out well, it was only foreshadowing how it would end
II woke up this morning to the not so delicate sounds of the fire alarm going off. Jolting away from his slumber, out of the protective embrace of Vessel,also waking up to the blaring and high pitched noise.
As Vessel stood up to go into the kitchen,leaving the smaller guy alone,panic made its way in II’s chest, immediately bringing his hands to his ears. His noise canceling headphones had stayed in their living room all night long. Feeling the familiar sensation in his chest, he closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
As the alarm finally stopped hacking into his eardrums, Vessel came back to the room,appearing under the doorframe. A slightly taller figure was beside him, III. Pulling his hands from his ears, II spoke out,voice hoarse.
“What happened?” II said, sitting in his bed and wiping the sleep away from his eyes.
“I tried to make pancakes for breakfast” III spoke out, walking over to the bed. He sat on the side of the bed where II usually slept and wrapped his arms around him. II hugged him back and rested his head on his partner’s shoulder “I burned the last one. I forgot about them and went to have a smoke outside. I came back to Vessel holding the burned pan in the sink.” He laughed as he told his story.
Now that the cook of the day mentioned it, II could make out the smell of burned food mingling with the usual smell of cigarettes and conditioner on III’s hair. “I’m sorry for waking you up like this, I know how much you hate that damn alarm.” He apologized and squeezed II’s cheek before kissing it.
“It’s alright” II slurred out, glancing at the digital clock on his bedside table. It was 9 am, which meant that III must have woken up early to prepare this surprise. It was a rare thing coming from him, making a surprise pancake breakfast usually was Vessel’s doing.
“That’s a thoughtful gesture, I can’t be mad. Thank you by the way.” II smiled calmly at III, pecking his lips quickly. The pair stood up to walk to Vessel. He quickly hugged a slightly tensed II, rubbing his neck gently,a soothing gesture for him. The drummer smiled at the masked man in front of him.
The sound of their gate outside after the sound of a car coming into the driveway and the front door slamming was the signal that IV came back from his run to the art supplies store.
He’s been out of some material for a thing he’s currently working on and wanting to make the best out of their Saturday, he went early. II climbed down the stairs,peeped his head out to see IV holding a tray of coffees to go and a paper bag of fruits.
“I’m home! He said as he saw Vessel and II hugging in the door frame of II’s room, seeing them for the first time since he went out.
“Let’s go eat breakfast darling. Vessel told, planting a kiss on II’s temple. III was waiting for IV to come back from his errands.”
“Yeah, let’s go. I’m hungry.” II walked to their kitchen, IV walked up to him, placed a hand on the small of his back and rubbed his thumb gently.
“Hope he didn’t burn the house down while I was away.” IV spoke out, a mocking tone hiding in his words
“Hm… about that” II spoke out loud and then laughed. Vessel joined them as III was grumbling away.
“Don’t worry baby, IV told as he went up to their cupboards to grab plates and setting the take away cups on the table. You did great. IV set the table, Vessel grabbed the plate of pancakes, which looked really good despite them setting the alarm off, or so II thought.
The drummer sat in his designated chair, the one with the red corduroy pillow. He served the plates and the band happily started digging in their food. As the men talked about their plans for their day off, II thought that the day was going to be a productive and nice one,despite starting on the wrong foot.
Around 4 in the afternoon, the band decided to go out, realizing that their shared fridge was almost empty of food.
Vessel also wanted to grab some specific ingredients for a nice and warm home cooked meal. III had been begging the singer to make his famous curry that they all loved, a comfort food for them.
They all got dressed up, opting for comfortable clothes as they wouldn’t spend all day outside, plus being a devotee to an ancient deity had its perks, one of them being almost invisible to the public if they wanted to.
II put on a simple pair of black jeans and a hoodie on, one that belonged to IV but somehow made its way into his pile of clothing. (he was the one who did the laundry, he must have mistaken it as one of his, they all owned way too many black clothing)
He placed his earplugs in his pocket, a useful tool when they went out grocery shopping. He glanced at his earbuds for a while before grabbing them as well. Sometimes the earplugs weren’t enough to drown out the noises that triggered him the most.
As he went outside his room to go into their hallway, he faced IV, smiling as he saw the hoodie II was wearing.
“I was looking for that one! Didn’t know you had it“ he said gently, grabbing the car keys and his balaclava. He already had his shoes on.
“didn’t know either, to be honest. II smiled at his partner, grabbing his own pair of doc martens and putting them on. He should invest in a new pair, he thought to himself. The cherry red shoes, although well loved and cherished over the years, had seen better days.
Soon III and Vessel came into the hallway, III tying his hair in a small bun before putting his balaclava on, their own cape of invisibility of sorts, the cloth blessed by the powers of Sleep.
Vessel was already wearing his mask,different from the other but which had the same powers. He was holding some reusable grocery bags in his hands. As the four of them were now ready, they made their way to the car.
IV got in the driver’s seat, he was their designated driver, III driving as if he had nine lives and prone to road rage, Vessel being the straight opposite and driving like a eighty year old grandma, always so close to the steering wheel while II just… never drove.
He was the designated passenger princess. That suited him greatly (and how would he get his driver’s license if he looked like a rotten corpse anyway?)
IV turned the key into ignition, maneuvering the car out of their creaky gate opened by III, only getting the car once he closed the gate back.
Revving into the road,II plugged the aux cord into his phone to play their shared playlist, which ranged in different genres, from bossa nova to black metal.The occasional party songs from the 2010’s made their way into the playlist,mostly Vessel and III’s doing.
As Silvera by Gojira played into the car,they drove into town.
A good thirty minute drive later, accompanied by III’s singing, they finally arrived in front of the grocery store.
Grabbing a cart as well as their bags, they entered the grocery store.
II suddenly regretted coming here: noise of children screaming everywhere, neons shining,even flickering in some areas and- was that the smell of vinegar? II was now glad that he was wearing his balaclava, it filtered some smells but not all of them. He took out his earplugs right away, knowing that the grocery store was going to be a sensory nightmare.He slipped his hand under his balaclava, putting them on quickly.
Seeing from the corner of his eyes the scene unfold,IV came up to him, stretching his hand to him.
II looked at who was offering his hand to hold. He would have been content with any of the boys of course. But since he didn’t get to spend time with IV yet today, he was glad. He smiled, a mixture of genuine gratitude and distress visible even under the mask.
“Thank you. That place is a nightmare today” the shorter man spoke out,voice muffled by the cloth on his lips.
“Of course honey. He rubbed his thumb on his knuckles. We didn't choose the optimal day for quiet.” he admitted, smiling apologetically.
“Yeah.. it’s fine, it will be fine. I went with you guys because I wanted to go out as well after all.
I want to grab some snacks for when we get back home. We need to continue our game with III.” he followed
“Ah yeah, I forgot about your game. He admitted as he placed a pack of coke bottles into the cart, pushed by a turbulent III running in the aisle. Vessel was nowhere to be found,most definitely stuck comparing the prices of various pasta (he overly analyzed those for some reasons, himself didn’t even know why)
The shopping trip went up as smooth as it could go, II squinting his eyes pretty much all the time as the light was bruning into his irises. He made his way through the fish aisle, restarting himself to not breath in the fishy smell of the animals. It was too strong of a smell, the one that made him want to retch the morning pancakes on the floor. He ran past it and everything went alright. After a couple of minutes spent pacing around,He saw Vessel in his peripheral vision choosing some vegetables for tonight’s dinner. IV was picking up rice and III was buying some kind of meat. II frowned at the sight of the meat cuttings, being the token vegetarian of the bunch. He turned his head to grab the snacks he was looking for: some candies and chocolate chip cookies.
He jumped at the sudden sensation of a hand on his shoulder. He had no reason to get this spooked, it was only III putting some products he was holding in his hands, dropping them in the cart.
“No need to get this scared of lil ole me! We are the only ones who can see you, you know?” he playfully punched II’s shoulder. II smiled at his boyfriend’s antics and placed his own stuff in the cart too.
“You scared me! I was lost in thought and you just interrupted them!”
“Ah,my bad, sorry love. He grabbed his hand in place of IV now weighing his vegetables. What were you thinking anyway?” the taller man asked
“Oh, nothing much, perhaps of how much I hate grocery shopping on saturdays; He sighed. There’s just too much going on.”
“We’re done anyways , don’t worry dear. We’ll go home soon, we’ll unpack everything and we’ll play while Vessel reads and IV draws. It’ll be over soon.”
When he said this, IV and Vessel came back.
“Shall we go check out? Vessel asked.” Are you okay II?”
“Oh.. yeah, a bit overwhelmed that’s all.” II hushed out.
“Alright then, let’s get everything checked out.” IV started to push the cart, full of good things to drink and eat. They always got groceries to last them at least two weeks as they weren’t big fans of going out in the open.
In this specific grocery store, in order to go to the checkout lanes, you have to pass by the alcohol aisle. An aisle that isn’t one that II frequented as he didn’t drink. He despised with a burning passion the smell of alcohol.
Hell he couldn’t even kiss one of his boyfriends if they had previously drunk alcohol. He knows that something happened before he became a vessel that made him hate alcohol all together. There was no way for him to know that,of course, but truthfully he didn’t want to know.
Smelling the distinct scent of spilled vodka on the floor wasn’t something he planned on today.
They all turned their heads to the aisle to see what caused such a foul smell.
A broken bottle of Vodka was resting on the ground, its content spilled on the tiled floor. II turned away, as if it would shield him from the smell that was now impregnating his nostrils. They all turned to face him. IV reached out for the car keys in his pockets, handing them to II.
“Go sit in the car, don’t want you to have a sensory nightmare. Vessel nodded at what IV was saying.”
“But i-” he got cut off by III “You helped us already by just coming here. Go unwind a bit in the car, you deserve it”
His tone left no room for II to debate with him, choosing to grab the keys from IV and then leave the grocery store, not before apologizing for not helping.
He opened the car and sat in the passenger seat, breathing in and out deeply. He couldn’t get the smell of Vodka out of his nose. Rummaging into the glove box to find a small bottle of a generic cologne, a sample he never brought back to the manor, always forgetting it.
II pulled his sleeve up and sprayed some cologne on his wrist, two sprays to be exact and brought it to his face. The familiar smell of the cologne making him feel at ease, the smell of vodka finally fading away. He relaxed into his seat, scrolling away on his phone as he heard the voice of Vessel approaching the car.
The trunk door opened in a swift motion. IV opened the driver’s door and smiled at IV.
“Vessel and III are loading the car. Is everything alright darling? IV asked gently, rubbing the arm of the man in front of him.
“Today is…. Overwhelming to say the least..” II stated,fidgeting with the sleeve of the hoodie he was wearing.
“I see that.. We’ll be back home soon,don’t worry.” he inched closer to his boyfriend and kissed his lips, still clothed as they were both wearing their balaclava still.
“You could have taken your balaclava off at least” III piped in, sitting in the backseat.
“As if you took time to take off yours on some occasions. You like it way too much” II retorted,smirking as he did. IV chuckled.
“Fuck yeah I do” he smirked before looking at Vessel now getting in the car. He had to put the shopping cart back to its place. He looked quizzically at all of them before III spoke again “I mean, how could I not enjoy it? Have you seen the video clips all over social media? Of fucking course I do”
“What are we talking about?” Vessel asked as he put his seatbelt on
“The liking for mask of III” II told, also putting his seat belt on.
“Oh, that can be applied to everyone here…” Vessel grinned, proud of his reply.
They all crackled like hyenas. Vessel was absolutely right
After they got back home, put away the groceries and changed into comfortable clothes, II and III sat in front of the TV, holding controllers and playing their game on the TV. IV was sitting at their dinner table, gluing things on a notebook. He took on the task of starting a scrapbook after collecting receipts,train tickets and flyers he collected while on tour. The table was cluttered by all sorts of trinkets and pretty tape to stick things onto the paper. That’s what he got this morning, II thought to himself.
Vessel was chopping his vegetables mindlessly , a mix of eggplant, bell peppers and sweet potato (to III’s request).
The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board rhythmically was filling the room, alongside IV’s humming and tearing paper. III was talking to IV, something about a TV show they were watching, as he gathered up some resources in their game.
II was trying as best as he could to focus on the game he was currently playing with one of his boyfriends. But the events from the previous hours, the mindless chatter, the knife hitting the board and the sound of the paper tearing was too much.
He felt like he was going insane— the sounds directly hitting his eardrums, he looked around him—— the light was too bright,why did they turn on the big light? They never did, then he remembered IV needed to see something as he was working.
The familiar yet annoying sensation of a migraine made its way into his head, his temples and eyes. Like a metal pipe resting on his face. The food that he loved had too strong of a smell, usually a comforting one but now it just fed his migraine and upcoming sensory overload coming
He put the controller down, closing his eyes to filter out the light.
III noticed right away, his game partner resting his elbows on his crossed legs
’’II, you alright?’’ As III asked this, IV and Vessel stopped their ministries, putting down the knife and scissors.
II just shook his head sideways. He might be the most silent one but him not verbally replying was never a good sign.
III paused the game and spoke softly to II
‘’are you having a meltdown?’’ His only answer was a shy nod, II still hiding his face in his hands.
IV stood up and turned off the “big light” at the mention of the word “meltdown”. Over the years they’ve shared their lives together,it wasn’t a rare occurrence. II’s meltdowns could range from happening once in a blue moon to three in a week. It’s always been like this, a sensory russian roulette as Vessel called it. But it was alright,although exhausting and sometimes bordering on awkward for II, his partners couldn’t care less. They were a team, a band and boyfriends who went through traumatic experiences,they could handle II being non verbal for a day or two. although it made their heart swell, seeing him in distress)
As IV turned the overhead light, opting to light up fairy lights instead, he saw Vessel washing his hands then crouching to II’s height, still sitting in front of the TV.
“Alright darling, Vessel spoke, bringing his hands to II’s shoulders (II always having a kick for physical affection and deep pressure hugs in general,especially when he was in this state.) Do you want to go to your room?”
II raised his head to him and nodded. He looked tired and on the verge of crying. Vessel smiled warmly at him, holding out his hand, which II grabbed onto to use it as leverage. In a quiet movement of heads, III also got up to his feet,going towards II’s room. He closed the curtains, drawing them to dim the room of the little amount of light outside. He put on the TV, also dimmed to his favorite TV show.
Climbing down the stairs in a swift movement, he nodded in the direction of IV. IV took the place of Vessel (not before the leader placed a kiss on the shorter man’s temple). He was the best caretaker of them all, being the designated one when II was in such a state and when Vessel got too much in his head. He was also the mediator of III’s anger outbursts (which rarely happen now, thank Sleep)
IV led him to his room, he made him lay on the bed, wrapping him under the covers and his weighted blanket. II did as shown.
“Okay, do you need anything? He started out. Something to eat?”
II shook his head. “You’re right, Vessel is doing his cooking. Curry is your favorite, that should act as a fix-me-up” he smiled at his bundled up lover. “Do you want me to bring your water bottle?”
This time, II nodded.
“Alright, I’ll bring that to you. I’m going to tell the boys to be quiet and leave us alone okay? I’ll be here in less than two minutes''
Indeed he was fast, making his way to the living room to fetch the red water bottle. IV muttered something about II’s state to the two boys downstairs. III now building a lego he never finished and Vessel still cooking dinner. Climbing the stairs two by two, he entered the room, II was watching an episode of The Walking Dead, a surprising choice for a comforting show. But who was he to judge? He couldn’t care less about it. To each their own choice.
He rested under the covers with II, immediately resting on IV, the latter wrapping a protective arm around his lover, mindlessly playing with the stray hairs resting at the nape of his neck.
Well into the second episode, II whispered
“I’m sorry” IV looked at him wide eyed “what do you mean you’re sorry?”
“We were having a nice moment and I ruined everything” he looked at IV.
“Honey , hey, no need to apologize for this! We’ll have plenty more evenings like this! Remember what I say to you when things happen,”
II stayed silent before admitting “...That I’m not a burden. And that I’m loved”
IV grinned before pecking his forehead. “I must have been a therapist in a past life.”
II smiled softly before cuddling back into his side, returning to his show.
A couple of hours later, III and Vessel went to check up on the couple cooped up into the room, only to see II fast asleep and IV watching the show. When he heard the sound of the door creaking slightly, IV’s head turned to face it. He telepathically communicated with the two men, smiling at the sight of a calm II
“Guess the curry will wait until he wakes up.” he told them as he smiled