hydra | svt

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

wonwoo

orbit cafe has never seemed so inviting as we pile in, covered in dirt and blood.

thankfully, there aren't many customers as we collapse into an empty booth and release the tension from our stiff joints. with mingyu's assistance, jun hobbles behind the counter and orders for the immediate close of the cafe; whether he's allowed to do so or not is none of my concern as his coworker timidly tells a couple sharing a milkshake that they must leave. as they begin to protest, jun swoops in and takes full responsibility, finally charming them with his handsome features and a free cake on the house the next time they decide to eat here. the barista also dismisses his coworkers, using the excuse of a fast approaching closing time and that he's more than happy to close up for the day.

we barely utter a word to each other as this occurs: hansol is staring glumly out of the window, chin resting in the palm of his calloused hand, minghao has his head on the table, gently massaging his temples and joshua just glares vacantly at nothing.

there's so many things to address yet none of the words coagulate into sentences on my tongue; the whirr of the espresso machine makes us jump and jun's purple hair peeks out from behind it. he refuses to let his ankle hinder his movements as he whirls around the space, pouring, stirring and garnishing six americano coffees with milk and sugar on the side.

not trusting him to carry them all to the table safely, mingyu stoops in to lend a hand and balances the weighted tray in his hands. in addition to the hot drinks and the kick of caffeine, jun also puts together a plethora of baked goods, probably knowing how much we crave the solace of refined sugar at a time like this.

we take a cup each. the warmth spreads through my hands like sun-rays grazing a meadow and i take a tentative first sip, relishing in the bitterness.

"so, what do you want to know?" mingyu asks, setting his mug down and reaching for a chocolate cookie, inhaling it without much of a second thought.

joshua's hands clench around the ceramic and he exhales deeply, wondering where to start.

"who are you guys? and why do i feel like we've known each other for much longer than we have?"

we unanimously agree to let mingyu handle this one, merely lifting the corners of our mouths and he introduces us - except for hansol, who looks pained with his hands clutching his torso. whilst mingyu tells joshua about our magic alternate universe, hansol constantly squirms in his seat, though he's trying desperately to not make a fuss. soon, he reaches his limit.

"sorry guys...i'm going to the bathroom, excuse me." i slide out of the booth to let him pass, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. we watch him disappear into the toilet with expressions of worry for his wellbeing.

"is..is he gonna be okay?" joshua whispers. no one replies.

"um... we understand if you're feeling frustrated right now, or maybe in denial. but i swear on our hearts that everything i've said is true." mingyu quickly jumps in to fill the awkward silence that had settled over us and conclude his monologue. surprisingly, joshua smiles.

"no. i think if i hadn't seen that god i wouldn't have believed you guys. when i found out what other people saw instead, i knew something was up. and now that you've said it, i can't really remember anything about myself from more than a year ago."

we nod in silence and i swallow harshly. i reach for a cookie to give my hands something to do but my throat is hoarse and the crumbs stick.

after almost ten minutes, hansol still hasn't reappeared; it's making us all uneasy.

"should i check on him?" joshua asks. we aren't opposed to the idea and watch him enter the toilet too.

"hey jun, you're closed until 6 now, right?" i mumble, placing the remaining half of my cookie on my saucer.

he hums, sipping on his drink. "yeah, i think we should stay here until then. and until hansol is okay."

"i'm gonna get the box of rings. i'll be back in fifteen."

they don't try and stop me as i pull my jacket around my shivering figure. the moment i've turned the corner, i break out into a full sprint, though my body screams for a chance to recover. there's no one at home when i let myself in, which hardly phases me anymore. i grab the box, now considerably lighter than before, and tuck it under the fabric of my jacket to protect it as i hurry back, taking exactly fifteen minutes to return to the warmth of the coffee shop.

upon my return, hansol has now rejoined the others. however, his skin is too pale to be healthy and his forehead beads with sweat. joshua has taken it upon himself to watch over him, forcing him to sip some water as junhui nudges the plate of cookies towards him as a silent plea to eat something. i feel like my timing is awkward, coughing as perch on the end of the booth.

"oh wow, that was quick!" mingyu holds onto the remainder of the happy atmosphere with an iron grip as he sends a strained smile across the table. i nod silently, producing the box from underneath my jacket. joshua is someone who's fascinated by whimsical objects and is immediately interested; his eyebrows shoot into his hairline as i undo the latch with shaky hands and push the box towards him.

"think of it as initiation," i say in a small voice.

he hesitates at first, glancing at hansol who's laying back with his eyes closed. but he must've been listening in still as the water mage nods ever so slightly, prompting joshua to lift the lid. he's overwhelmed by the array of metal, raking over them in awe.

"just choose the one that you're naturally drawn to," i explain. his fingertips graze each ring before pausing over the third one in on the top row. he waits a second as if to be sure before pulling it loose - the velvet releases it smoothly, meaning he's made the right choice. he observes as it catches the remaining light of the setting sun before slotting it onto his pinky finger.

then, everything goes black.

minutes later i awake, as do the rest of my friends. more accustomed to the dull headaches now, i merely squint as my eyes readjust to the light and check on the others: joshua and mingyu are slumped forward and not moving whereas minghao and jun are relatively okay. hansol's rhythmic breathing tells me he's fallen into a well-deserved nap and so i drape my coat around him and let him sleep.

"are you all okay?" minghao asks. jun and i nod silently, eyes still trained on the unconscious joshua and mingyu. suddenly, the latter jolts out of his seat in a panic, glaring at the harsh LED lights above us and cursing them with his eyes. minghao pushes a glass of water towards him.

"does that happen every time?" the marionette mage asks, gulping down the cool liquid in an attempt to soothe the pounding. seeing how we all nod in unison, he groans.

"don't worry, it gets more bearable each time."

mingyu continues to whine about his headache, his volume gradually increasing until it wakes joshua up too.

hansol is as still as a rock.

the minute the american has adjusted to his surroundings and realised who and where he is, his eyes brim with tears. it's hard to move with the six of us cramped into a booth and hansol's dozing figure but he does his best to hug us, squeezing us tightly as if to transfer to us all the feelings he can't put into words. he seems a little disappointed that hansol isn't awake to witness this but he places a hand to his forehead in true motherly fashion, wrinkling his nose and commenting on his feverish temperature.

after addressing mingyu, joshua turns to me and the next words that leave his mouth are ones that render me totally speechless.

"you've done so well, wonwoo."

not even the mage has praised me for the work i've done to get to where i am now, and in such a finite amount of time too. the words sound foreign as they hang in the air between us and all i can do is smile and nod, uttering a small word of thanks to which joshua's eyes soften.

my lips are stretching into a smile before i can stop them.