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ii did not wake so much as feel himself pulled from slumber. His eyes opened to darkness and the vaguely outlined forms of the others in the bed. It was quiet, and everyone else was asleep, but it was Vessel he could hear breathing: slow and heavy, not quite a snore. Deep and peaceful.
The vague outlines slowly resolved into defined forms. ii had been sleeping on his front, his chest and head resting on iv’s chest rather than a pillow. Vessel was next to the two of them: also on his front, partially uncurled from falling asleep on his side, one arm tucked under the pillow. On the far side of the bed was iii, probably on his back. It was a little too far away to see that far in the dark, and ii’s attention was drawn much more toward Vessel. His eyes tracked the shadow of Vessel’s shoulder, the slope of muscle that led up to the length of his neck. He had fallen asleep watching the muscles shift in Vessel’s back while he breathed. In the twilight state just before sleep, when his conscious mind felt most connected to the deity, he had reached out: Tonight?
The answer had arrived in Sleep’s voice, but with the sureness of Vessel’s consent: Tonight.
Vessel breathed, and ii imagined the way his lips shaped the exhale. This was the most tense part, every time. Even knowing what was coming next, the instinctual fear of waking someone accidentally, of being caught, was impossible to shake.
Slowly, ii lifted his head and shifted his weight off of iv. iv snorted and murmured something. ii paused for only a second, then kept moving, silent and slow as a panther. One knee lifted over iv’s torso, then the other, a short crawl that landed ii at Vessel’s side.
ii reached for the arm closest to him, the one Vessel had tucked under the pillow. He hooked a hand over the bicep and pulled down, gentle but firm, bringing the arm to Vessel’s side. He reached for Vessel’s shoulder, guiding Vessel to flip and lie on his back. Now he could see the dim gleam of white teeth through parted lips. Now he felt Vessel’s breath on his forehead.
ii lowered his forehead to Vessel’s sternum, sending thanks to Vessel and Sleep. Vessel’s skin always smelled the same, but it felt different while he was sleeping. Softer, every muscle relaxed. ii curled the fingers of one hand around one of Vessel’s wrists and held on tight.
A long time ago, he had wrestled Vessel into bed. It had been planned and agreed that ii would be the one to pin down Vessel for a change. ii had done his best to enjoy the opportunity, and while he couldn’t say he had a bad time, something about it had left him unsatisfied. He had felt how Vessel was holding his strength back, letting him win. It was exactly what ii had wanted, but it turned out to be a reminder that Vessel could always overpower him. As long as he was awake.
Since then, with the help of Sleep, they had come up with a new arrangement. Anyone who wanted a turn could have one, but ii always went first.
ii nudged Vessel’s legs open enough that he could settle his hips between them. His cock hardened against the slack muscles of Vessel’s thigh, through the fabric of both of their joggers. ii curled his fingers into the waistband of Vessel’s, savoring the angles of those prominent hip bones before tugging down. He could only get partway through the work before he was compelled to slip his hand inside to feel. Under the patch of curly hair, his fingers found a mons pubis and soft folds. ii breathed out hard through his nose and felt the warm air bounce off of Vessel’s chest and back to his face.
Vessel moaned. It was a light, gentle sound, made louder by the relative silence. Again, the worry that ii might be interrupted arose, but this time it was quickly hushed by a soothing sensation in his mind. Sleep was casting his shadow over all of them. ii felt it like the comfort of a warm and heavy blanket. He spread his fingers to press against and around Vessel’s clit and started stroking. His other hand went to Vessel’s shoulder, pinning it hard enough to support ii’s weight. Holding himself by one arm, anchoring Vessel’s body to the bed with one hand, ii already felt stronger than he ever did in his waking life. He dared to make a sound himself, a single half-suppressed “ fuck ” as his fingers continued to work. Vessel kept breathing slowly and easily, but the flesh under ii’s fingers was starting to warm.
Tired of working around the fabric, ii pulled Vessel’s joggers all the way off and tossed them off the end of the bed. As he started pulling down his own, there was motion in the edge of his vision: iii was shifting around, groping for the blanket that had been displaced by ii’s movements. ii moved faster to get his sweats off and tossed them away so he could settle into a horizontal position, guiding the blanket toward iii’s hand. iii let out a murmur that might have indicated wakefulness, but a second later he had settled back into slumber.
ii took one of Vessel’s wrists in his hand again, picked it up, and laid the arm bent across Vessel’s chest. He did the same with the other hand, crossing Vessel’s arms and spreading his fingers to hold both in place. He continued his work, then, his fingers finding heat and slickness as they returned.
This was the only way he could assert this kind of power over Vessel, with supernatural aid keeping Vessel in complete helplessness, and yet – it was enough. ii’s middle finger probed within Vessel’s cunt, the heat of Vessel’s clit pressed against his palm. Vessel made another noise, another soft sigh, and ii started his work in earnest, rocking his wrist and flexing his finger. The warmth grew and ii spread the slick around Vessel’s clit before pressing in again with a second finger. The air grew hazy, Sleep’s presence and approval filling the room. ii felt his own body and mind relax that much more in the presence of their god, half-closed his eyes and leaned down until his lips brushed Vessel’s stomach as he whispered:
“I know you like it.” He kissed the soft skin directly south of Vessel’s ribcage and felt the slow rise and fall of the breath against his eyelashes. The hand holding Vessel’s arms in place tightened until he could feel the contours of the bones beneath the skin. “I know you fucking like it.”
A few meandering kisses turned to toothy nips at the flesh. With his neck bent to reach the side of Vessel’s waist, ii dared a bite, a hard clamp with his teeth followed by tender sucking on the skin. Sleep’s approval shuddered through his mind. Vessel sighed, harder than before. ii answered with a sigh of his own, even though he knew it wouldn’t be heard. Through the ministrations of ii’s fingers, wrist, and mouth, after a time, Vessel’s back arched up from the mattress, his breath hitching before turning into a whine. ii drew his hand from between Vessel’s legs and wrapped his fingers around his cock, stroking himself to full hardness. His left arm was starting to ache from holding Vessel’s arms in place.
“Mmnf – want you like this.” He rose onto his knees, pulling the blanket all the way over to iii’s side before reaching for Vessel’s waist and starting to turn him. It was easy enough to roll him onto his side, to lift one of his legs laterally. ii could see the shape of Vessel and the slumbering forms on either side of them clearly, although the light in the room hadn’t changed. He straddled Vessel’s thigh and sank inward, fucking slow and rough. The lifted leg felt like a tree trunk, but with the knee bent over ii’s shoulder, he was strong enough to hold it.
“All mine.” ii rolled his hips to sink as deep as he could in this position. His balls squeezed against Vessel’s inner thigh as he pulled back, sending a shock of pleasure up his spine. ii let out a shuddering exhale and sped up, holding on to Vessel’s leg for stability.
He could only go so deep in this position. ii slipped out, flipped Vessel onto his back, and lifted both of Vessel’s legs over his shoulders. He sank in again, found Vessel’s clit with his thumb, and stroked while he thrusted.
The bed creaked under ii’s knees. Vessel whined, his teeth flashing white in the darkness as his lips curled and his head rolled, the rest of him entirely limp. Sleep’s haze settled lower in the air. ii grabbed onto Vessel’s hip with his free hand and pulled in time with the rhythm of his thrusts. He lifted his chin toward the ceiling, eyes shut, chest proud.
“Got you.” His short nails dug into the muscle over Vessel’s hip. “I’ve got you – guh –” His rhythm turned rapid and shallow, briefly, then two more long strokes, and the orgasm crashed through him.
ii stayed there for a while, caressing Vessel’s ass and clit, reveling in the heat and pressure and the texture of sweat and cum on his fingers. Once he’d fully caught his breath, he pulled out, crawled backward toward the foot of the bed, and lowered his head for one more act of worship, cleaning Vessel with his lips and tongue.
He eventually found his way to Vessel’s side – the other side of him now, iii’s side – curled up next to him, almost draped over him the way he had started draped over iv. There was motion at his back, the feeling of the blanket moving.
“Whatthe–” iii’s words bled together through half-sleep, and he sniffed loudly. “Did I miss sex?”
ii’s index finger traced criss-cross lines over Vessel’s chest. “You want a go, or what?”
The first thing Vessel felt was the soreness in his hip, the feeling that it had been stretched just to the edge of his flexibility. The second thing he felt was the ache between his legs and the presence of lingering sweat that wouldn’t have simply accumulated during the night.
The others were nestled around him. The curve of iii’s spine was brushing his side, iv’s shoulder was nudged up to the hand of one outstretched arm, and ii – ii was nestled up under that arm, his head on Vessel’s left pec.
Vessel lifted his hand until he could curl the fingers into ii’s hair, and brush his thumb through the short strands. ii sighed through his nose. Sleep’s presence was drawing back with the light filtering through the curtain edges, but ii and the others were still slumbering peacefully.
Vessel shifted his hips, positioning himself more comfortably and savoring the lingering sensations. His only regret was that he had no memory of what happened at all.
Maybe tonight, he hoped, Sleep would send him a vision so he might have some idea.