Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

5

"Where have you been?" Yunho snapped. His tail flicked back and forth in irritation, making him bob up and down in place.

Wooyoung paused and wished he could just disappear. It was near impossible to upset Yunho, he was a bundle of sunshine, even when he was supposed be serious while on guard duty.

But now... it was written all over his face. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were narrowed. "Well?"

"I was just out." Wooyoung said, scrambling for some kind of excuse that would make sense.

"All day? Mingi and I have been looking for you for hours! You went outside our borders, didn't you?" Yunho snapped.

"Why does it matter?" Wooyoung balled his hands into fists at his side. He was tired of feeling like he had to be watched all the time. He was very fond of both Yunho and Mingi, but this was getting ridiculous.

He watched the older merman open and close his mouth several times before he shook his head. "Woo... Please, I don't want to fight. You know we care for you and we just want to know that you're safe." Yunho's voice dropped as he spoke and he bowed his head. "Just..." He rubbed the back of his head.

Wooyoung nodded. Guilt started to bubble up in him when he thought about how many rules he had broken today. If something had happened to him... They would have no idea.

And yet he couldn't wait to go back and see San again.

He knew there wasn't anything he could do right now, so he swam forward and tried to go past his friend without saying anything, but Yunho grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

Wooyoung felt himself tense for just a second, then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Yunho's waist. "I'm sorry for worrying you." He whispered, turning his head to lean it against Yunho's shoulder. Their tails moved in sink while the two of them just floated there.

"It's ok. Let's go see Mingi, he's worked himself up to the point where he's almost sent out a search party." Yunho chuckled and rotated so the two of them could swim inside the city walls.

It was late enough now that everything was quiet. The magic flame they used for light had been dimmed and changed to a soft purple so that it was easy on the eyes.

The palace was still lit up by some bright yellow lights though. Someone was always awake within the golden walls.

They swam right past the library. Wooyoung glanced at it and bit the inside of his lip to keep himself moving. A few turns and long hallways later and soon found himself dreading the open arch that stood in front of him.

Long strands of seaweed had been grown a certain way so that they covered the opening, acting like a barrier between rooms to offer a semblance of privacy. There were none of those strange things that humans called 'doors' here. Every house had some kind of plant barrier that was easy to swim through.

Yunho pulled some of the seaweed aside and motioned for Wooyoung to go through.

The younger sighed and did as requested, swimming into the room that Yunho and Mingi shared.

For being the crown prince, Mingi really was a simple merman. Neither he nor Yunho were crazy about a lot of color, so there were only a few decorations in their room, mostly consisting of shells or neat rocks. In the corner was a large rock that had been carved out and covered with layers of moss to provide a soft padding for the couple to sleep on. It took up about a third of the room, only because it was made big enough for three...

As soon as he saw movement, Mingi turned around from where he'd been staring out the window. The extra fins on his tail swirled around him at the sudden movement. He rushed forward and brought Wooyoung into his arms, holding him like he never intended on letting go again. "Thank Ata you're ok. Where have you been? No one has seen or heard from you all day! After our fight..."