Chapter Text
Ivy walked through the quiet car park, the early morning air crisp, the sky having faded from midnight blue to a soft peach. He hadn’t planned on getting up this early, but after a restless night, wandering aimless circles around a car park seemed preferable to staring at the ceiling of his bunk.
After a bit, he saw Vessel emerge from the tour bus, and lean against it, his hand wrapped around a steaming flask of tea. He was staring down at his phone, hood down, his eyes glassy, as if lost in thought. Ivy paused for a moment, watching.
Walking forwards, Ivy's trainers kind of tapped against the tarmac, making the kind of quiet sound that was loud in the stillness of the morning. Vessel heard it, and looked up in his direction.
Their eyes met, and for a moment everything went still like the world had shrunk down to just the two of them. Vessel's gaze softened, a little surprised.
Ivy smiled without meaning to, and Vessel did the same.
"Morning," his voice was low, gravelly, "didn't expect anyone else to be up yet."
Ivy smiled and shrugged, not trusting his voice yet. It couldn't be much later than 5am, this jetlag was no joke.
Vessel gestured to the space beside him. "Wanna chill for a bit?" he asked.
Without thinking, Ivy slid against the bus next to him, the warmth of Vessel's body just inches away.
Vessel started chattering away about details of the day, load in, warm up, what his rider requirements would be. The conversation flowed effortlessly from there, and Ivy talked everything and nothing, what album he was listening to most at the moment, agreeing on the best places to get coffee in the next city, how the rain always shows up just as you leave the bus without a coat.
"Surely two Brits can think of something more interesting to discuss than the weather," Vessel teased.
The bright sound of Ivy's laughter filled the half empty car park.
And then, Vessel did something totally unexpected. He reached across, brushing his fingers lightly against Ivy's cheek as he pushed a stray hair behind his ear a little clumsily. Ivy froze for a split second, and in an instant realised how hot his face felt.
"Was in your face." Vessel said quietly, his gaze searching. Ivy smiled, not sure how to respond, awkwardness hanging around them like a large clumsy elephant.
Vessel shifted slightly closer to him then, his knuckles brushing against the hand hanging by Ivy's side. He stretched out his pinky, carefully testing the waters, before taking Ivy's hand and quickly interlocking his fingers with his.
And Ivy let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in for years.
*
The next few nights passed in a blur, and Ivy wasn't sure whether to blame his whirlwind emotions or the chaos of daily tour life. Something had shifted between him and Vessel, their time off stage now charged with anticipation.
Every time he saw him, Ivy couldn't help but feel a hammer in her chest, the kind of feeling that left him thinking about Vessel late at night long after a show had ended.
One afternoon, after the kind of morning which seemed to slump by in slow motion, he found solitude in one of the backstage rooms, curled up with an acoustic guitar, strumming mindlessly.
His thoughts kept drifting away from the music, and he closed his eyes for just a moment, letting the quiet background sounds of load in wash over him.
Before long Ivy felt as if he was being watched, a presence in the room which wasn't there a moment ago. He let his eyes flicker open, wincing as he adjusted to the light.
Vessel was standing by the door, dripping wet for some reason, his phone clutched in his hand like an afterthought. His eyes met Ivy's for the briefest of seconds, just long enough. He smiled, a small, shy curve of his lips, and Ivy's stomach flipped.
Vessel looked away quickly, almost embarrassed, and made his way to the sofa opposite, his trainers leaving faint wet marks on the floor. Ivy tried to look back down at his guitar, tried to focus, but his thoughts were now tangled in something else.
Vessel stretched out like a cat, and Ivy walked his eyes over the wet white t-shift which stuck to his abs. He glanced back at Ivy briefly before stretched back again, this time the hem of his t-shirt lifting up just enough to reveal a toned adonis belt, and Ivy found himself thinking about licking it.
*
The bus crawled steadily through the next city, rain tapping against the windows, blurring the streetlights into streaks of amber.
Ivy leaned his head against the glass, arms folded in his lap, watching the storm.
Vessel slowly woke up from his seat next to him, giving a big yawn and shaking his head. A faint smile tugged at Ivy's lips, reflected in the window before he turned to face him.
"Sleep well?"
"Have you been awake this whole time?"
"Yep. Been enjoying the view."
Vessel leaned closer, slow enough to give Ivy time to pull away if he had wanted to, but he stared him down, his eyes lit up.
"I like my view better." Vessel murmured. Ivy's breath caught, just enough to betray him.
Vessel shook his head, a small laugh escaping, before his hand lifted, hesitating briefly before brushing a loose strand of hair behind Ivy's ear. His touch was light, but he lingered, his fingertips grazing his skin as though he was memorizing the feel of it.
Ivy searched his face, as if trying to find something uncertain there, some reason to hold back.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The rain smacked against the window, filling a silence which didn't feel awkward this time.
Then Vessel reached for him.
His free hand found Ivy's, fingers threading together as if they'd done it a hundred times before instead of just that once.
"Is this okay?" Vessel said softly.
Ivy leaned closer, his forehead almost touching his. "Yes. You're thinking too much."
Vessel exhaled, something unspoken finally settling between them. "I know."
This time, when he leaned forward, there was no hesitation.
Their first kiss was warm, unhurried, but brief. Less like a spark and more so something that had been burning quietly in the background for a long time.
*
The door of the green room clicked shut behind them after the show, and for a moment neither of them moved.
The rest of the band and some of the team were already heading to the bus, so they didn't have long.
Ivy kept his back resting against the door, his fingers still curled around the handle as if he might need to steady himself.
Vessel stood a few steps away, turning to face him, his features guarded.
"Are you just going to stare at me," Ivy asked breathlessly, "or actually do something."
His breath hitched slightly, but it was enough. In two strides, Vessel closed the gap.
His hands found Ivy's waist, firm but careful, as though he was still giving him time to change his mind.
He wasn't going to. If anything, Ivy leaned into him, his fingers gripping the front of his hoody, pulling him down until there was no space left between them.
"You could kiss me more on stage, y'know," Ivy murmured, his lips just brushing Vessel's.
"I know," he said, voice low, "but I thought you liked the tease."
This time when he kissed him, it wasn’t so innocent.
It was heat and want and something deeper unspoken underneath, something that had been building between them for too long. Ivy responded instantly, like he'd been waiting for permission he didn't need, his hands sliding up to his shoulders, then into his hair, holding him there.
Every sensation felt amplified, the way Vessel's thumb traced slow circles at Ivy's side, almost digging in. The way his breath hitched when Ivy tugged his hair a bit, the quiet sound he made which Ivy felt more than heard.
Vessel pulled back just enough to look at him, his eyes searching. "Is this okay?"
Ivy responded by pulling him back in, kissing him slower this time, intentional, savouring it. Vessel's hands lifted, brushing along Ivy's jaw, down his neck, pausing just enough to to make him shiver.
"You have no idea what you do to me." Ivy panted, resting his forehead up against Vessel's, their breathing falling into sync.
Vessel let out a low chuckle, but it didn't break the tension. If anything, it only worked in his favour. Ivy found him equal parts intimidating and adorable.
"Dangerous." Ivy nearly stumbled over the word.
Vessel kissed him again, softer this time, but no less intense, almost squeezing his throat. Ivy could feel his saliva pool just as Vessel ran his tongue across the seam of his lips before slipping inside his mouth, tasting him one more time before they had to head to the bus.
*