Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

56

The sperm whale made getting to the surface so much faster, which Wooyoung appreciated because he could see the change in San's mood progressively get worse.

He went from marveling about getting to ride on a whale, to staring at any sea creature they passed with wide eyes, to falling silent with worry etched on his face.

Wooyoung knew he was thinking about Yeosang, and while he was too, he was also starting to fear that San would change his mind.

What if Yeosang convinced San to stay on the surface with him?

If that happened... Then Wooyoung would stay with him, no questions asked.

San was his mate now. Nothing would ever change that.

When they finally reached the surface, Wooyoung used his magic to search the surrounding area for any threats. His biggest concern was running into Seonghwa again, but the human wasn't anywhere within his magic's range.

He did pinpoint where their friends were, though, so he led San in that direction after they both said goodbye to the whale.

As they approached the beach, Wooyoung knew something was wrong. His skin tingled, urging him to stay alert. But it also told him that his friends needed him.

San followed him to the beach, stopping in the shallow water while Wooyoung shifted and started leaving him behind. "Woo, how..."

"Oh," Wooyoung paused and turned to his mate. "Right. I guess you get a crash coarse on magic today. Picture yourself turning into a human. You'll feel when the magic starts to work. Trust it and let it do most of the work."

"You make it sound so easy," San pouted. "What if I don't have any magic?"

Wooyoung giggled and shook his head. "Sannie, to be a merman you have to have magic. We can't survive without it."

San's face grew dark and Wooyoung knew he was remembering the times San had witnessed him low on magic.

With a firm nod, he closed his eyes.

Wooyoung bit his lip, ready to assist using his magic if necessary, and watched at San's tail started to shine.

He truly was a merman now. There was no doubting it, especially when his body started to rise from the water. Then his magic sent out a bright, pulsing flash of light, and San had legs again.

Although... he forgot to envision clothes.

Wooyoung cackled and slapped a hand to his mouth when San covered himself in embarrassment. "Sorry! I forgot to mention that part." He kept laughing while waving his hand, conjuring a simple t-shirt and shorts onto San's body.

"Yeah, that would have been nice to know." San grumbled as he trudged through the shallow water. Yet he still came over to pull Wooyoung into a hug.

They stayed there for only a few seconds, then started running down the beach as fast as they could.

That's when they heard a horrible cry, full of pain and sheer agony.

San instantly paled. He didn't hesitate before running faster, spraying sand behind him from how hard he was pushing himself forward.

Wooyoung did the same. He could sense five people ahead of them, two were wounded and one was weak.

A pang of guilt made his stomach twist into ugly knots. He knew that... all of this... was his fault in one way or another.

He'd been the one to come to the surface.

He'd been the one to get caught by humans.

He'd been the one to sacrifice himself and be taken by Seonghwa.