Vessels || Dustin Bates

Die For You

My bedroom. Rarely used. I found myself in Shay's room typically. My room didn't even feel like mine. It had very little of me in it. It wasn't like I didn't have an identity outside of Shaylee. I just hadn't spent much time in my room after the first two months of being with The Messengers. At that point, I spent almost every night with her. She was terrified of waking up one morning and me being gone. I guess that's what happens after watching the person you love the most nearly die.

"Dr. Bates, could you please report to the Control room?" My comlink went off, yanking me out of the memory of her eyes filled with tears as she leaned over me. I sighed, pressing the button on the device in my ear.

"Yes. I will be there in a few moments." I let go of it, the beep showing that the conversation with the Communications Man was over. I walked out of my room, taking the box of stuff over to Shay's room and grabbing my jacket off our bed. We had finally decided just to share a room to make life easier and to free up another room in the hallway.

I pulled my jacket over my white dress shirt and bowtie, zipping it up to cover them. I put my hands into the pockets of them and walked out, shutting the door behind me before making my way to the heart of the base. I walked into the bustling room, the chatter of people nearly deafening. I looked over to the glass room in the corner of the room where my family sat waiting.

Shay and Ron were sitting across from each other, flicking a folded triangle of paper at each other. Adam sat reclined back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling while Brock chattered to him about something he probably didn't care about. Aston sat at the head of the table, a page of open on Swipetech that he sat critiquing. It was probably the newest mission he had for the team. I walked in, not bothering to knock.

"Oh! Dustin! How nice of you to show up." Aston looked up from his work, smiling curtly. I was apparently late. I leaned down to kiss Shay's cheek as I walked by her to sit in the open chair at the other end of the table from Aston. She smiled over at me, winking. I smiled back, shaking my head at her gesture. "Now, if you two would stop flirting, I'd like to get to the issue at hand." We all focused our attention on Aston.

"Now, one of our Allies, the Adens, have come under attack, currently under FEC rule. We need you all to go help our branch of Messengers, just to bring them back or destroy the compound. Whichever happens first." He instructed, leaning over the table.

He swiped what he had been working on up to the screen in the middle and to our swipetech watches so we would have the blueprints. We all listened intently to his guidance before we walked back to our rooms to get ready.

Once securely inside our room, I let out a sigh.

"What?" Shay didn't look back at me as she got out her armor.

"Nothing. Just not excited about this. I understand that it's our job, but it's an FEC infested planet, and we're going to blow up a Messenger base there, and maybe potentially saving a couple of Messengers." I went and grabbed my armor from the box I had brought over.

"I understand. I don't really want to do this. I'd be content in continuing your flying lessons for the rest of the day." She sighed, pulling her top off.

"Well, that's one step closer to cuddling, so I'd take it." I took off my jacket and my dress shirt, leaving my undershirt on.

"Oh, so cuddling is the term. Ron and I were arguing about what it was called the other day." She slipped on her white, long sleeves top, sliding her pants off next. "I explained it and he said sex first, but I contested that I knew what that was, but this one, clothing is optional because we've done it with and without clothes." I froze, turning bright red.