Just like the rain
CW: soft!Vessel x fem!reader, slightly self-doubt thoughts, crying, sad feelings, nicknames.
summary: Vessel comforting you <3
The rain had started as a whisper.
By the time you realized how long you’d been sitting on the stone steps outside the chapel, it had turned into a steady, soaking fall that plastered your clothes to your skin and turned the world into a blur of gray. You hadn’t meant to stay out here this long. You hadn’t meant to let your thoughts spiral like they had.
You just… hadn’t been able to go back inside.
Your chest felt tight. Too tight. Like the air itself was heavy and wrong. Your fingers trembled where they were laced together in your lap, knuckles pale from how hard you were holding on. You told yourself you were fine. You always did.
But tonight, the lie wouldn’t hold.
You didn’t hear him at first over the rain. You only realized you weren’t alone when a warm weight settled over your shoulders. His coat.
You blinked, startled, and looked up. Vessel was kneeling in front of you.
Even without the mask, even without the paint, you would’ve known him. The way he moved—quiet, careful, like every step he took was a question instead of a demand. His hands came up slowly, cupping your cheeks as if you might shatter beneath his touch.
“Hey…” His voice was soft. Lower than usual. Almost afraid to be too loud. “Hey, sweet girl… why are you out here in the rain?”
You tried to answer. Nothing came out.
Your throat felt tight. Your eyes burned. And suddenly the tears you’d been fighting slipped free, mixing with the rain on your cheeks.
Vessel’s expression changed instantly. Not panic. Not frustration.
Worry. The kind that sank deep into his bones “Oh, baby…” he murmured, thumbs brushing under your eyes. “You’re freezing.”
You shook your head, but your body betrayed you with a shiver. He didn’t argue.
He slid his arms around you and pulled you into his chest in one smooth, careful motion, like you were made of glass, porcelain he couldn’t break. His coat wrapped around both of you now, shielding you from the worst of the rain as he tucked your head under his chin.
You could hear his heartbeat: Steady. Grounded. Real. Something you could hold on for a moment
His hand came up to cradle the back of your head, fingers threading into your damp hair, holding you there.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered. “I’ve got you, hun. You don’t have to hold it together right now.”
And that did it. The sob that tore out of you was ugly and loud and completely out of your control. Your hands fisted into his shirt, clutching him like he was the only thing keeping you upright.
He didn’t flinch, questioned or tried to understand what was happening immediately, he just held you tighter because he knew that was what you needed now.
“It’s okay,” he murmured into your hair. “Let it out, good girl. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
You cried until your chest hurt. Until your breaths came in broken little gasps. Until the weight you’d been carrying all day, all week, maybe longer, finally started to crack.
Vessel never rushed you.
He just rocked you gently, back and forth, slow and rhythmic. One hand rubbing circles between your shoulder blades. The other still cradling your head like something precious.
When your sobs quieted into soft hiccups, he leaned back just enough to look at you. His thumbs brushed your cheeks again, wiping away what he could. “Can you tell me what happened?” he asked quietly.
You shook your head. “I don’t… I don’t even know,” you whispered. “It’s just… everything. Too much.”
He nodded like that made perfect sense. You knew it didn’t but you just couldn’t feel the strenght to explain, to organize your thoughts in a coherent sentence.
“Okay,” he said softly. “Then we don’t have to name it. We’ll just make it smaller together.”
Your lip wobbled and you nodded. He stood carefully, keeping you bundled in his coat, and lifted you into his arms without a word. You let out a small, surprised noise, but you didn’t protest. You were too tired. Too drained. Arms instantly wrapping around his neck as a way of grounding.
He carried you inside like you weighed nothing.
Inside the chapel, it was dim and warm. Quiet. Safe. He set you down on one of the old couches and immediately disappeared, only to return with a thick blanket. He wrapped it around you, tucking it under your legs, around your shoulders and fussing with it until you were properly cocooned.
Then he knelt in front of you again. His hands came up, resting lightly on your knees as if he was trying to bring you back to your senses.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured. “Poor thing…”
You gave him a watery smile, not sure of what to say “I’m sorry.”
His brow furrowed instantly.
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he said gently. “Not for this. Not to me.” His hand slid up to cup your cheek again. “You’re allowed to fall apart sometimes, love. You don’t always have to be the strong one.”
Your eyes filled again, but this time it wasn’t from panic. It was from relief. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to yours, locking eyes so you couldn’t focus on anything else besides his way of making you feel seen. Tears fell down your cheeks and he made sure to dry every single one of them with soft kisses, slowly drifting your thoughts away from the pain you were feeling.
“You’re so gentle with everyone else,” he whispered. “Let me be gentle with you.”
Your hands came up, resting over his wrists. Holding him there.
He stayed like that for a long moment. Just breathing with you. Letting you match his slow, steady rhythm. Your body gradually followed while he was inhaling and exhaling, guiding you softly until you felt like yourself again.
When he pulled back, his expression had softened into something almost unbearably tender. “There she is,” he murmured. “My sweet girl.”
You felt your shoulders finally drop. Finally relax. He brushed a thumb across your cheek one last time and gave you a small, warm smile. The smile that could melt every doubt you had about being undeserving of his love.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let’s get you warm, dry, and tucked in. I’ll stay with you as long as you need. All night, if that’s what it takes.”
You nodded, closing your eyes for a second, already feeling the exhaustion settling in now that the storm inside you had passed.
As he helped you up, keeping one arm around you like he was afraid you might disappear if he let go, you realized something: You didn’t feel like you were drowning anymore. You felt held, secure. Taken care of. That was something you never thought you would feel, but Vessel made it seem like it was the easiest task.
And for the first time that night, you believed him when he whispered: “I’m not going to lose you, sweet angel. Not on my watch.”
