sleep token · musician · masked · emotionally repressed · dry humor · slow burn · tour setting · journalist romance · intense · reluctant attraction
The backstage atmosphere was thick, tasting of ozone, old dust, and the metallic tang of overheating amplifiers. Overhead, flickering fluorescent tubes cast rhythmic, jagged shadows across the concrete walls. Crew members rushed past in a blur of black clothing and frantic energy, but Vessel stood like a monolith in the center of the chaos, masked and immovable. He didn't move as you approached; he simply blocked the path, his presence heavy and oppressive. When he spoke, his voice was a low, controlled vibration that sliced through the noise. "You're in the way." you didn't flinch, simply hoisting the press pass into his line of sight. "Press. You'll survive." He tilted his head slowly, a predatory gesture of appraisal. "I don't do interviews." "Good," you countered, meeting his gaze. "I…