Mists of Celeste - an Ateez Fanfic

act one ➻ part nine

The air is hot and stagnant around you, and the black ecosuit over your body isn't helping block that heat in the slightest. You shift on the sand under your body. Sweat trickles down the crown of your head, and the muscles around your left eye are already tired from you squinting so much. There is no movement in your scope; it's a clear and still area in front of the warehouse below. Yeosang is on your right, squatted beside where you are lying down on the cliffside and watching the ground as you do.

"Nothing," you say as you pull away from the scope. Glancing up at Yeosang, you await his next order but it's not for you.

"San, Jongho. You are clear to drop down. Good luck." Yeosang releases his wristband after giving the order and pushes a loose clump of blonde hair off his forehead. "Stay put and watch the front door from this angle. I'm doing to wrap around to the other side of the cliff and watch the back entrance. I'll keep in contact with you over the headset. Here's a pistol in case of emergencies but try not to use it without telling me you're in trouble first. Keep your eyes and ears open."

"Will do," you mutter in response, bringing your chin back down so you can stare through the scope again. When you pull up and check your right side again, Yeosang is gone. The only evidence that he was ever near you is the lone pistol at your side. You snag the weapon and pull it under your body, eyes trailing over the landscape surrounding you.

It's the first time you've ever been to Medra, but you were expecting much more than what you are currently faced with. The area you're in is pretty much just a rocky desert, filled with small cliffs and shallow canyons at every turn. Even in the dead of night, there is no breeze. The air isn't cool either despite the sun being gone from sight. Of course, it doesn't help that Yeosang landed the transport ship a couple miles back out of fear of being seen by someone, so you already worked up a sweat from that.

You shift your weapon to aim the scope at the roof of the warehouse. Two bodies move quickly across the flat surface – San and Jongho – dark shadows over the roof, and you follow them with your scope for a few moments before returning to the main entrance. Your earpiece crackles to life as you do, and Yeosang's voice carries over.

"Do you see anything?" He asks. You sigh, reaching for your wristband and speaking against the metal.

"No, it's quiet on my end. All I see is San and Jongho."

"It's clear on my end too," Yeosang mutters back. You pull away from the scope and heave another deep sigh.

"How long is this supposed to take?" You ask. A chuckle comes in response at first, and you press your lips into a thin line as you wait for proper response.

"Are you impatient already, Y/N?" You neglect to respond to his snarky remark, prompting him to keep talking. "It should take two hours at most. One hour if we're lucky."

"What do you mean by lucky?"

"I mean if San can keep his head screwed on the right way then there will be no trouble." There's a hint of venom in Yeosang's words, and you are quick to pick up on it.

"You don't seem to like San all too much," you say in a quiet tone. Yeosang releases another laugh.

"You do realize that San can hear us both over the comm? We didn't switch channels."

"You're the one who insulted San's abilities," you counter. His tone and attitude cause a twinge of annoyance to stir in your gut, but you push that aside and refocus your attention on the scope before you.

Yeosang makes a sound somewhat like clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"You're quite defensive of San, aren't you?"