Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

53

Wooyoung could feel himself getting weaker as the seconds dragged on. Every ounce of his magic was being forced into San, slowly draining his own life.

But he didn't care.

He didn't want to live in a world without San...

"Please!" He shouted, startling some of the fish still swimming around him. "Please, Mother Ata, please!!"

The low, thudding whoosh of something hitting the surface came from somewhere above him, followed shortly by his protective barrier breaking apart as Yunho and Mingi swam toward him.

"Wooyoung!" they both called, panic evident in their faces.

"M-Mingi, hurry!" The younger sobbed, unable to take his eyes off San's face.

It was unfair... how peaceful he looked... as if he was merely sleeping.

"Are you crazy?!" Mingi said, his voice harsh. One more flick of his tail rocketed him into Wooyoung, where he immediately cupped the younger's cheeks and forced his head up. "Why wou-"

"HELP HIM!" Wooyoung wailed, ripping his head away. He sent another pulse of his own magic into San, needing this to work.

By now, Yunho had reached them as well. He took a second to look at both San and Wooyoung. His shoulders fell. "Woo..."

"No!" Wooyoung's screech grew louder as he held San closer to him. Another, more powerful pulse of magic left him.

Mingi's eyes widened and he grabbed Wooyoung's hand. "Stop! You can't change this, Wooyoung. He's de-"

"NO!!"

The fish around them started to swim faster, almost like they were getting worked up into a frenzy...

"Wooyoung..." Yunho held out a hand, his lower lip trembling slightly. The sudden movement made the water around them swirl, mixing in and diluting San's blood even more.

"No! You can save him!" Wooyoung pleaded, looking at Mingi as if he held all the answers in the world.

His prince frowned and whispered "Woo..." He glanced at San again and pure pain flashed in his eyes. "You know magic doesn't work like that."

Each word broke Wooyoung's already shattered heart even more.

He sent yet another pulse of magic into San's body.

"Stop it, Woo." Mingi's voice grew hard again. "You're going to kill yourself if you keep going!" He reached for the couple in front of him, but Wooyoung pumped his tail furiously to move away.

"Then let me die!" His voice cracked, his throat burned, his vision blurred. "Let me die with him!"

"Youngie! Don't say that!" Yunho shook his head, his blue hair glowing in the light of the jellyfish, although it was getting dimmer.

Wooyoung thought he saw dark shadows closing in out of the corner of his eyes, but he couldn't be sure, nor did he really care.

All he could focus on was the... the body... in his arms.

"M-Mingi, please..."

When silence was the only answer he got, Wooyoung cried out with such force he felt like he should have displaced all the water without him.

It was a horrible, crushing, soulless sound that silenced any other sound in the ocean.

And it just wouldn't stop.

Wooyoung pulled San to his chest, clinging to him and still trying to deny the truth he could feel in the way San wouldn't hug him back...

"I..." Mingi swallowed and crossed his arms over his stomach. His voice was thick, full with his own emotions. "I'm so, so sorry."