rapture of the deep ; seodo

✯ chapter 19 ✯

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Geonhak was fetched out of his dull trance, when Seoho gasped softly, his breathing picking up pace for the first time after he had struggled on end to find an endurable rhythm earlier on, and Geonhak suffered a scorching moment during which he couldn’t possibly know whether this change was good or a bad sign.

“Hey, what is it?” Geonhak urged as he placed his hands on the sides of Seoho’s head and motioned him to look at him, feeling the clammy sweat film under his palms.

“It-… I-… I think I can-…” Seoho stammered, visibly overwhelmed, before he threw his arms around Geonhak’s neck, voice lighting up in its usual delight and excitement, and Geonhak thought he had caught a glimpse of the starry twinkle in his eyes.

“My gills are fine, fuck-… Geonhak, I-…” Seoho laughed but his breathing was still so loud and heaving that Geonhak was scared he would spiral and hyperventilate.

Relief bloomed in Geonhak’s chest, slamming hard and cold and fast into his stomach with enough force to paralyse him.

“Are you sure? Does anything feel odd?” Geonhak rambled on and loosened his embrace around Seoho when he began to wind out of his hold.

“I-… yeah, I’m sure. Listen, Geonhak-…” Seoho trailed off as his unfocused eyes glazed over Geonhak’s face, “can we talk tomorrow? Everything’s kind of spinning and I’m so tired.”

Although Geonhak didn’t like the idea of Seoho passing out, it was during the dead hours of the night and Geonhak could see Seoho’s eyes drooping above his overwhelmed smile – and the fact that he could perfectly sympathise with the tiring aftermath of undergoing spiraquatica for several hours didn’t do much to deafen his own desires to find rest either.

“Of course. Sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow,” Geonhak eventually said despite himself, and the next moment, Seoho’s head lolled against his chest almost limply, a soft sigh that Geonhak deciphered to mean thank you leaving his parted lips before Seoho’s muscles slacked in his hold and he was out cold – Geonhak couldn’t help but wonder whether this was passing through as losing consciousness or falling asleep for that matter.

“Please be okay,” Geonhak whispered into the night and buried his nose in Seoho’s thick hair.

Geonhak, very well aware of the fact that he was far too shaken to find rest and peace of mind anytime soon, moved over to where the water would hardly reach past his hips when he was sitting and gathered Seoho in his arms.

Geonhak found comfort in the steady heave of Seoho’s chest and his strong heartbeat against Geonhak’s skin more than ever that night.

The night was warm and mostly windless; still, the cold had managed to creep under Geonhak’s skin and the fact that Seoho wasn’t radiating any body warmth wasn’t helping either, but he refused to leave Seoho’s side just yet – how could he after having been this close to losing him?

Geonhak had lost his sense of time a while ago but he guessed that only a few hours had passed when Seoho began to stir, head lifting from where it had stayed bedded against Geonhak’s chest.
“You’re still here,” Seoho yawned as he sat up and looked at Geonhak with an expression the younger couldn’t quite read – something astonished, grateful, tender.

“F’course.” Geonhak smiled but the chattering of his teeth betrayed his discomfort, which Seoho – attentive as he was – picked up on and sighed.

“And cold.” Seoho shook his head, this caring and yet accusing glaze over his eyes. “Get up, out of the water with you. You should have done that earlier, silly.”