Everything hurt.
Yeosang couldn't even explain how much pain his body was in.
But not on the surface.
All his pain rested in his veins, his chest and his heart. His eyes were scorched with the image of Seonghwa slipping away, of blood soaking his skin.
"Seong...hwa?" Yeosang croaked out, throat dry. His eyes slowly forced open to be met with San and Pistachio staring at him.
"Hey, I am glad your awake." San gently brushed Yeosang's hair away from his forehead. There was a remaining redness around San's eyes, and a stain of grief to his cheeks. San helped Yeosang sit up slowly, and Yeosang only then realised their were at Byeongkwan's house.
"Where's Seonghwa?" Yeosang's voice was scratchy, and each word hurt. But he had to know if Seonghwa was ok.
But San still didn't answer.
"You need a drink, right? Here." A cup was eased into Yeosang's hands, and he begrudgingly drank it all.
"Seonghwa." Yeosang was glad to find his voice returning to normal. "Where is he?"
"He's... not in good shape." San finally said, shifting so Yeosang could see a still sleeping Seonghwa. Yeosang couldn't see what the problem was. There wasn't a single visible injury, and he only looked to be sleeping. "He won't wake up."
"What?" Yeosang was alert now, scrambling to get out of the bed of fabrics and to Seonghwa. He seemed so peaceful. Yet Yeosang touched the back of his hand to Seonghwa's head and jolted back from the feverish heat. "Shit, the wound is likely infected. Get me a rag and bowl of water now." San went off after Yeosang finished speaking.
He'd seen this countless times before.
Yeosang lifted Seonghwa's shirt again, shocked. The outer layer of skin was healed, yet those sickly colours still flowed below the surface. And beyond that, so faint it would go unnoticed unless it was known to be there, was a faint yellow tinge.
Definitely infected.
Yeosang knew how to fix this, the problem was that he didn't know if he'd be allowed. Ateez had entered the room by that point, and Yeosang was dragged back slightly as Wooyoung hugged him.
"Jesus Christ Yeosang you scared me!" Wooyoung was crying, badly. So Yeosang allowed himself a moment to give his family a hug before San got back. They'd all evidently been crying, and Yeosang felt tears well in his own eyes.
"What the Hell happened?" Mingi finally asked, but Yeosang shook his head.
"Seonghwa comes first." Just as the words left Yeosang's mouth, San rushed over with what Yeosang requested. Yeosang then pulled a rather thick needle from his waistband, placing it in the water for a moment.
"It is the poison, it partially repels magic. I can't get it out." San explained frantically.
"Who's the least squeamish?" Yeosang turned to look at everyone. If it were anyone else who was hurt like this, he would have chosen San. Yet he couldn't expect San to watch what was about to happen to his brother. So Yeosang stared at Wooyoung. "Woo, ring out the rag and place it over Seonghwa's forehead. Now, I need you to keep him still. If he moves it could go really badly. And keep track of his fever for me too."
"Got it." Wooyoung kneeled close to Seonghwa's head. Yeosang then turned to everyone else in the room.
"If any of you get grossed out easily, leave." Yeosang then focussed all his attention to Seonghwa. He only had the one cloth, so he removed his shirt and had it at the ready.
(If you guys are squeamish then maybe this ain't for you. I'll tell you when it's over.)
Yeosang grabbed the needle, using his free hand to prod Seonghwa's skin. Eventually he found the largest concentration of what he could only assume was puss and old blood. As well as poison. From what he could tell San's magic could only stop it from spreading, not get rid of it completely.
With one last warning glance to Wooyoung, Yeosang shoved the needle into Seonghwa's skin.
Immediately thick yellow-green puss seeped out of the puncture wound, just barely missing Yeosang's hand as it bubbled over Seonghwa's skin. Yeosang hastily used his shirt to soak up as much of the gloopy fluid as possible, needing to see what was going on.
"Hongjoong please get me gloves!" Yeosang didn't expect so much puss, and he definitely didn't want it on his hands. Immediately their leader ran off to their bags. There were always surgical gloves in the first aid kits. "Mingi I'll need you to hold the needle still while I get the gloves on."
As soon as Hongjoong got back Mingi came forward, gently holding the needle. Thankfully Seonghwa hadn't started thrashing around just yet, so Yeosang felt confident when he let go and quickly pulled the gloves over his hands.
By this point Seonghwa was starting to move around.
"Mingi let go." Yeosang made sure he had a firm grip on the needle before Mingi stepped back again. Yeosang carefully moved the needle tip around the infected area, pressing down on the surface of Seonghwa's stomach to force the ooze out. Eventually the sickly yellow became tinted with dark blue, meaning Yeosang had finally reached the old blood. It thankfully also hadn't clotted, making his job easier.
Yellowed goop coated the surgical gloves when Seonghwa finally started moving.
He thrashed around in subconscious pain so suddenly Yeosang almost stabbed something important. Wooyoung only just managed to catch Seonghwa, pinning him by the shoulders. Mingi had to step forward too, holding Seonghwa's legs.
There was still so much left.
The shirt was absolutely soaked in filth, now useless to them.
"Shit Wooyoung just give me the cloth." Yeosang held out a hand, immediately using the material to soak more puss. The poison was finally coming out too, though Yeosang had to press on specific veins to force it out. "I'm gonna need to stab him again elsewhere."
"What? Are you insane?" Wooyoung was struggling to hold down Seonghwa. "He's just going to move around more."
"I won't be able to get everything out unless I get all the little infections. So suck it up and keep him still." Yeosang then gently withdrew the needle, using the extra space to force more puss out. His hands felt sticky, yet he needed to ignore that for now.
And Yeosang stabbed Seonghwa for a second time.
This time he had to focus on a large concentration of very important looking veins. So one wrong move and he could definitely kill Seonghwa.
"San can you please make him stop moving?" Yeosang glanced behind him to see a horrified San. But he also saw a sleepy Yunho. "Yunho help us out please! Can you use vines to hold him down?"
Yunho immediately did as asked.
Mingi and Wooyoung gently let Seonghwa go, glad when the Atiny could barely even move a muscle.
"Ok, that's better." Yeosang sighed, getting ready to work again. Unfortunately he'd have to individually stab each vein, pushing the poison out and moving on to the next one.
It was an awful green.
The poison poured over Seonghwa's chest. Yet thankfully Wooyoung had the sense to mop up the excess fluids so Yeosang could focus. Mingi had run off shortly after letting Seonghwa go, returning with a bunch of rags.
It took maybe half an hour for Seonghwa to be clear of the vast majority of the infection.
(All good now!)
"He should be all clear now. Not sure when he'll wake up, but he'll definitely survive at least." Yeosang took off the gloves, glad when his hands were actually clean. San went to heal the small puncture wounds, but Yeosang stopped him. "No, it's not worth the magic. They'll be fully healed in a few days anyway.
It was about an hour til Seonghwa woke up.
The others were upstairs with Sehyoon and Byeongkwan. Apparently Hwasa had heard Yeosang was alive and wanted to detain him as fast as possible. So they were planning what to do next.
"Yeosang." Seonghwa eased up, helped by Yeosang. The wave of relief that crashed into Yeosang was almost unimaginable as he hugged Seonghwa.
"Never scare me like that again you asshole." Yeosang was surprised when Seonghwa just hugged him back.
"Now can you please explain what happened to all of us?" Seonghwa stood shakily, not even mentioning the stab marks on his stomach. They hobbled upstairs, where they were met with even more hugs.
Eventually Yeosang was seated on the couch, staring at everyone nervously.
"I didn't kill them." He started, taking a deep breath. "They'd wanted to talk to me. About how happy they were... that I'd befriended Seonghwa. They asked me to take care of him, because they didn't want to see him hurt. And I did, I promised. But..."
Yeosang didn't know how to break the news...
"They were gunned down by a group of humans..." Yeosang tried to force the words out, but they were caught in his throat.
"It's ok Yeosangie. Just say it." Yunho pat Yeosang's back reassuringly.
Guilt swam around Yeosang's stomach.
"Wooyoung... I'm so sorry..."
Understanding flickered over Wooyoung's eyes.
"It was my father, wasn't it?" Wooyoung just stared at Yeosang. There was no distinguishable emotion on his face for the longest time.
"Yes." Yeosang admitted gently.
~~~
He's dead.
Captain Jung was dead to him.
Wooyoung felt every ounce of his body swarm with pure rage.
"He's gonna fucking pay for this." Wooyoung could feel his blood boiling in his veins.
"Hey, there'll be plenty of time for that later. But for now we have to figure out what to do about Hwasa wanting to kill us all." Hongjoong ruffled Wooyoung's hair, comforting him before turning to everyone.
"She doesn't want to kill all of you now, only Yeosang. Wonho to,d me before I escaped." Seonghwa explained. So that was a relief, at least.
But then Wooyoung had an idea.
"Why don't we just take Yeosang to them?" No one seemed to know how to respond. "Trust me, I know it's risky and stupid, but give me a chance here. So we tie up Yeosang and go to Hwasa. Yeo, you'll be loosely tied just in case. Pistachio will be near by, making sure no one hurts Yeosang. We tell her what's happened, we figure it out from there." Wooyoung knew his plan was rather faulty, but he didn't see any other choice.
If Moonbyul and Solar were to have a funeral, San and Seonghwa deserved to be there.
"I agree." Yeosang nodded thoughtfully. His dark eyes rested on Seonghwa. "You tie me up, got it?"
"Alright then, let's get ready to go." Hongjoong went to stand before frowning again. "What do we do about Jongho?"
"Shit that's a good question." Mingi finally spoke up. He and Yunho had simply kept to themselves that afternoon, more comforted by each other's company.
"We'll take care of him for you. No one would dare come here anyway." Sehyoon smiled encouragingly, gently holding Byeongkwan's hand.
It was only after everything was ready and they'd set off for the Ahn village that the full gravity of the past few days settled onto Wooyoung's shoulders. As well as the events that were to come.
Wooyoung fell into step beside Mingi.
Yunho and San were at the front of their group, with Seonghwa and Yeosang. So this gave them a great opportunity to talk.
"They're not gonna let us leave, are they?" Wooyoung muttered calmly. However inside he felt the blinding pain of fear seep into his bones. Mingi made eye contact for a moment, before his gaze shifted to the ground sadly.
"Nope, definitely not. So either we go back, or they send people after us." There was a pause, a silent resignation, before Wooyoung spoke again.
"We leave tonight, once everyone's asleep." Wooyoung decided. Mingi nodded once, faintly, before they eased into what could only be considered a normal conversation. All the while it was clear they both felt that same terror.
It was reaching nightfall by the time they made it to the Ahn village.
Guards pointed their spears, people scampered away.
Yeosang remained unmoving.
"Have you bought him here to die?" Hwasa stepped forward, clad in her funeral attire already. It consisted of a long pale grey robe, tied by a bright red ribbon. Her feet were bare, to draw connection to the planet itself. Her hair was loose, tumbling around her shoulders. Everyone wore the same thing.
"We have bought him here to tell the truth." Seonghwa said, head held high. Hwasa sneered, anger flaring in her gaze. Just as she were about to speak Yeosang cut her off.
"Do you want to know who actually killed your loved ones? Or are you going to execute the wrong person?" There was a tense silence as Yeosang stared down Hwasa.
"If you're innocent, then why are there stab wounds on my nephew's body that clearly belong to one of your needles?" She indicated to the collection of tiny puncture wounds over Seonghwa's chest and stomach. Yet Yeosang just rolled his eyes.
"One of your own people stabbed him with some sort of poison branch thing." Hwasa looked to Seonghwa for confirmation. "I had to puncture his skin to get the bad stuff out."
Hwasa narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Alright. Tell me what's happened."
So Yeosang told his story all over again.
By the end Hwasa's eyes had filled with guilt.
"We'll discuss this further after the funeral. There are funeral clothes in the mourning hut. We begin after the last ray of sun disappears from the sky." Hwasa then gave her family members a hug, lingering on Seonghwa and San. Wooyoung noticed that the other clans had come to share in the grief. And the other human groups too.
Everyone had come to say their goodbyes.
They all dressed properly, got themselves ready, and joined the other Atiny.
They weren't allowed to have any jewellery or accessories, so those were left at Hwasa's house.
San and Seonghwa were to be at the front, so they bought everyone else for support.
Wooyoung watched in shock as the Atiny began to sing.
Everyone in their tribe, and those of the neighbouring tribes, stood up and sang their hearts out.
Many had tears in their eyes, and many voices wavered. But together their voices were strong.
It was as if the world mourned too.
San was a sobbing mess, him almost being unable to breathe through all the tears and sadness. But he still sang, though he couldn't stand on his own, leaning against Wooyoung for support. Glowing particles began to lift from the bodies...
and eventually Moonbyul and Solar vanished.
As soon as he stopped singing, San collapsed to the ground, Wooyoung following to envelop him in a hug. Hwasa and Wheein stood before everyone, hands clasped together and dressed in traditional Atiny funeral clothes. Hwasa held out a hand to gain everyone's attention.
"On this day, we have been forced to say goodbye to two of our best. Moonbyul and Solar... they were kind. They never hurt anybody, and took in two boys who lost everything. They have never hesitated to defend anyone in need, and now they are gone. Even when they were small, Moonbyul spoke of marrying Solar. She didn't care if she was young, or if people told her she couldn't. She always loved Solar, and died to defend her, even if it didn't matter in the end. When we say goodbye today, know that they will never truly be gone. These girls, my family, will continue to live on through the Glow. They belong to our planet now, and every time our sun sets, their essence will help our plants and flowers glow brightly. They will become one with the nature around us, like all of those before them. Now they will always be together, I have no doubt. On their behalf, I take in San and Seonghwa, and I promise to care for you in their place. Now, w-we say goodbye one last time..." Hwasa began to cry. She hugged Wheein with all her strength and sobbed harder. San refused to let Wooyoung go, and even Seonghwa gently held Yeosang's hand.
"Mom, mama, I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you." San said, voice only just a whisper. Wooyoung could never even begin to understand how San felt at that moment, but knew San needed him. Something had changed, and now those who were willing needed to do something about it.
"My father will regret the day he sanctioned that order San, I'll make sure of it." Wooyoung held San closer, pressing a kiss to his temple and smoothing down his hair. Wooyoung felt tears trickling down his own cheeks, and knew then and there that he, Wooyoung, was no longer Captain Jung's son.
~~~
Hongjoong was filled with a new kind of determination.
All of the teams he worked with had left the compound. News of what happened had spread, most knowing it was something the Captain would do. So they'd packed up and left.
All of the humans sat in the human building. There was all the original team members. Silence enveloped everyone, the grief from what happened to Moonbyul and Solar raw in all of their hearts. They all were thinking back to the meals bought to them, the clothes made for them. Those two women deserved so much better than human cruelty.
"They have to pay for what they did..." Taeyong stared at Hongjoong with hard determination, and Hongjoong nodded.
"They started a war, and we must choose our side." Hongjoong said, his usually small voice carrying throughout the whole room. "I side with the Atiny, who's with me?"
Everyone raised their hands.
"Ok... ok. Taeyong, NCT can get weapons ready and train anyone you can, they'll need it. Team up with the Atiny and help them any way you can. Jaebum, you need to organise Got7 to help any wounded for when the time comes. Now, I want Monsta X and my team, Ateez, to work on relations with the Atiny, because this is still a political matter in the end. And we can't help them as well if they don't trust us. When the time comes, we all fight for these people, understood?" Hongjoong yelled, and everyone cheered in response. He'd come so far, from the meek leader who never stood up to his teammates to a strong force to be reckoned with.
"I petition to make Hongjoong our new human leader." Taeyong said, a huge smile playing at his lips. And before Hongjoong could say anything everyone cheered again. "That settles is, Chief Joong." Taeyong was laughing, and everyone else did too.
This is by far the most unexpected choice for them to make.
Hongjoong stared blankly at everyone for a moment.
"Ah... ok... let's go then." Hongjoong hastily walked over to Ateez.
"Congrats Hongjoong!" Wooyoung and Mingi both latched onto Hongjoong, nearly toppling him over.
"Thanks..."
"You don't want this position, do you?" Yeosang saw right through Hongjoong, immediately pointing out his feelings. There was a moment of silence before Hongjoong nodded. "You're the best person for this job though. So please don't let your worries and self consciousness get the better of you."
"I-I'll try. But for now we actually gotta rest and get ready. Something tells me tomorrow won't be as easy for us." Hongjoong gently set up the beds for his teammates, making sure Yeosang's was extra soft to further irritate his newly healed skin.
It didn't take long before most of the humans were sound asleep.
~~~
Yeosang awoke from the screams of suffering with a jolt.
His nightmares had been particularly cruel that night, no longer kept at bay by warm lights and the comfort of Seonghwa's charm.
Then he noticed that people were missing.
Wooyoung and Mingi's beds were empty, only a hastily written note left behind. Yeosang gently took hold of the paper, using a small torch to light the inked words. They still shone damply, so the note was only freshly written.
Dear Hongjoong and Yeosang.
It didn't take long for Mingi and I to come to terms with the fact that our fathers would come looking for us. So we have decided to simply hand ourselves in and save everyone the trouble of an early fight.
We promise to stay safe no matter what.
Please don't be angry at us, this is really for the best.
From Wooyoung and Mingi.
Yeosang stared at the paper for a moment, deep in thought.
Then he simply folded the paper and placed it back where he'd found it. If he woke Hongjoong up now the boys would be caught and bought back, judging by the ink dryness. And Yeosang understood their point. If there was one thing both of there fathers were, it was possessive of their children.
Yeosang simply drifted back into uneasy sleep.
He awoke once more to Hongjoong lightly shaking his shoulder.
Hongjoong explained what had happened, and Yeosang acted shocked. They didn't know when they'd see Mingi or Wooyoung again. But Yeosang knew that Wooyoung was strong, and a master at knife combat. And that Mingi could easily use his ability to morph his body to his advantage.
He knew they'd be able to survive.
"They'll be ok Hongjoong." Yeosang assured, placing a hand on Hongjoong's shoulder. "But we have more pressing matters at hand here. There is a war coming, and we have to be ready, right? What use would we be to them if we have no strategy for winning."
"You're right..." Hongjoong still didn't quite look convinced, but Yeosang knew it was at least known he had a point.
"We must go meet Hwasa and discuss what to do next." Yeosang helped Hongjoong to his feet. It didn't take long for the leader to regain his thought process, setting to work gathering the other leaders to meet the Atiny.
Soon Yeosang sat on the floors of the great hall, surrounded by war plans and chattering leaders. Seonghwa was also there, stealing small glances at Yeosang. The younger knew what this was about, and felt a bubble of nerves settle into his chest, closing over his airways.
Yeosang quietly excused himself from the room, not even slightly surprised when Seonghwa followed shortly after. They sat beside a pond, silent for what felt like the longest time.
"You can do better than me." Yeosang finally said, not even portraying how he felt in the slightest. On the outside he tried to seem cold and uncaring. On the inside he hoped with all his heart that Seonghwa wouldn't see him for the monster he really was.
"What if I don't want to?" Seonghwa turned to look Yeosang in the eyes. The determination and adoration that blazed within those grey irises made Yeosang's stomach do flips, though he tried his best to ignore it.
"Look Seonghwa, why would you want me? I have no good qualities. Hell, I don't even know who I am." Yeosang shook his head as he practically spat his words as though they were poison, not knowing quite what to do. Seonghwa was so much better than him, and insecurity ate at his self-image like acid, tearing down any shred of confidence he'd learned to build within his looks and characteristics.
Because Seonghwa was, in the barest minimum of words, gorgeous.
And Yeosang was nothing compared to that.
Yet Seonghwa didn't even flinch at his outburst, instead encasing Yeosang's hands within his own considerably softer ones. Though both had calluses, Yeosang's had become more prominent after years of burning his hands on ropes or the leather of his knife hilts. Seonghwa always treated Yeosang like he was made from cracked glass, which Yeosang suposed he was.
A man of broken shards and imperfect surfaces.
"I know who you are." Seonghwa gently smiled, his face close to Yeosang's. "You're a boy who likes books and romance, though you wont admit it. You poke your tongue out when you're focused. You hate the dark and have more bad memories than good, yet you also refuse to let them hurt you as badly as they could. You tap your fingers against your leg when you're nervous and you secretly love the colour pink. When you fall asleep you curl up like a 'burrito' and become so small. You're simply Yeosang. And there is no one more stunningly strong than you. You're absolutely beautiful, so never think otherwise."
Yeosang starred in shock for quite some time.
"If we make it through this war alive." Yeosang started. "How about we go on a date? See if we can make this work?"
"I'd love that."
Seonghwa smiled, bright and bold like a supernova.
As the day edged on, San became more restless.
He knew of where Wooyoung was, and to say he was unhappy was an understatement. He'd been almost sick with worry, praying for Wooyoung's safety at every chance he got. Yeosang felt bad for him, the guilt only growing as the day passed by.
So when San asked for his help there was no way he'd refuse.
"Can you get the note into the human building to Wooyoung?" San gave Yeosang a neatly folded slip of paper, a pleading look to his eyes. Yeosang gently took the paper, asking Pistachio to deliver it.
"He'll be ok, you know that right?" Yeosang gave San a reassuring smile. Yet San only looked close to tears.
"How could you know?" San asked before walking away quietly, leaving Yeosang to his thoughts.
~~~
Wooyoung immediately went to leave after reading San's note.
San asked to meet Wooyoung, in the tallest tree near Ateez's house. The Captain had been busy that day. Hence, Wooyoung was essentially left alone the whole time. Yeonjun came to visit him and Mingi, asking how Yeosang was doing. So they'd explained everything to Yeosang's friend, who immediately joined their side.
There was a war coming, and Wooyoung wasn't at all ready for it.
Wooyoung gently held the necklace from San, given to him all those months ago. Back before he knew who he was. Before he knew what it meant to be cared for.
Before he knew what it meant to fall in love.
As surprising as it was to him, even now, Wooyoung could safely say San loved him. And he could say the same for San. Part of him belonged to San, and it always will.
Wooyoung slipped quietly through the halls, surprised when he made it to the door with no trouble. Yet as he reached the entrance he spotted someone he honestly would have rather died than to have seen again.
"Little brother." Yoojin smiled wickedly. In all honesty, his sister epreminded Wooyoung strongly of a witch.
"Don't even try to stand in my way. I'm going to see San, and you can't stop me." Wooyoung went to push past her. Yet she gripped his wrist, pulling Wooyoung closer to whisper into his ear.
"I told father, and he's angry. Be sure to say goodbye to that gorgeous little Atiny while you can." She then stood and walked off like it was nothing. Yet Wooyoung knew now what would await him when he made his return to the compound.
Yet still he felt excitement bubble in his heart as he began to climb the tree.
He could already see the brightness of San's bioluminescence, urging him to climb faster. All the regret he had for having to return to the Captain resurfaced. Yet when San saw him the other just hugged him tightly. As San let Wooyoung go all they did was sit. Silence was all they needed for now.
Firefly like bugs swarmed from the bronze tree leaves. Their bodies were shaped like a butterfly's, their wings encasing glowing veins.
But what was truly beyond beautiful about this scene was San.
His longish cobalt blue and blue-purple hair also glowed lightly, some strands brighter than others and gently swaying in the night breeze, no braids in it this time. There were also small glowing white dots on San's neck, where freckles were found in the daylight. Then there were his irises, shining the same curious purple as when they first met. He was still the prettiest person Wooyoung had ever seen.
"What are you thinking about?" San asked as he swung his legs. The branch didn't even sway, reassuring Wooyoung that it wasn't going to break below them. And even if it did, San would catch him.
"When we met. You really saved me back there." Wooyoung said, a wide smile overtaking his features as San smiled back at him.
"Because you were dumb. And ignorant. And arrogant. And-" "Ok that's enough..." Wooyoung chuckled as he cut San off.
"But you changed. And now you know who you are." San said, gently entwining their fingers. His were warm but rough from years of labour and climbing, but Wooyoung loved it. The way their hands just... fit.
"Yep, thanks to you." A strong breeze passed by, tree leaves rustling like hundreds of wingbeats. Silence dawned over the boys for a moment, Wooyoung knowing San could hear his accelerated heartbeat. And he knew San's heart was also racing, and that thought bought him joy. When they were alone, it was like the world's problems were so far away. All the tension between their peoples didn't exist, just the two of them.
"Thank you for choosing me." San severed the quiet air, other hand wrapping around Wooyoung's toned arm as his head fell onto Wooyoung's shoulder.
"You're very welcome, and thank you for not giving up." Wooyoung said, not looking San in the eyes. They'd been through so, so much to get to this point in their lives, but it'd all been worth it. Now they had one another.
"I never would have. You just needed your time." San said. He gave Wooyoung's hand a squeeze and moved their clasped hands closer to himself. Before Wooyoung could ask what he was doing, San gently moved Wooyoung's shirt so he could see his shoulder. Their tattoo was still present; an accident neither regretted. In the time they'd know each other, both had made some pretty dumb mistakes. But then they tried their best to fix them and grow as people. Wooyoung went from impulsive and stubborn to hardworking and accepting of help. San went from naive and childish to more mature and strong. Their changes made their lives easier, but also bought them together.
"What do you think happens next?" Wooyoung asked, seeing San's people preparing weapons and painting their skin with war patterns. San followed his gaze and tensed, knowing what was to come. He felt the familiar sting of tears in his eyes, letting his fears fill them as they trickle down his face. For Wooyoung it was almost impossible to miss the glowing liquid that carved it's paths down San's face, their colour like the Earthen sunset. Gently using his other hand to wipe them away, Wooyoung allowed San to cry.
"I-I don't know. I'm scared..." San admitted. He held Wooyoung closer, turning his head so he wouldn't have to see the people preparing for battle. Wooyoung knew he should be heading back to his team, but desperately didn't want to leave San.
"You don't have to be. Because no matter what happens, we have each other. I won't ever let you get hurt, not ever. This isn't our fight, but we have to fight it. So, I'll protect you, no matter what. I just know things will be ok, and I won't let you convince yourself otherwise. Don't fret Sannie, ok?" Wooyoung said, feeling a small smile tug at his lips when he felt San nod against his shoulder. When the sight of the war preparations got too much for him, Wooyoung angled his head to the night sky instead. The stars glinted brightly miles away, at peace and perfect in their solitude. Wooyoung wished that he and San were amoungst the stars, far far away from the problems troubling them. But unfortunately they were here, on the edge of war and trying desperately to reassure one another of how much they cared.
"Tomorrow, I refuse to fight." San decided, holding Wooyoung tighter.
"So do I."
"Where's Mingi now?" San asked suddenly, slightly shocking Wooyoung.
"He's in the compound, why do you ask?" There was a strange look to San's eyes, one that quickly faded to assurance.
"I haven't seen Yunho today, so I thought he went looking for Mingi. He should return shortly though." San smiled, kissing Wooyoung on the cheek to calm his nerves.
The moon had edged to the centre of the night sky.
"I'm going to have to leave soon." Wooyoung couldn't hide the regret from his voice. Yet San cupped his cheek, shaking his head.
"Don't feel bad. I understand Wooyoung." San gently guided their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Then San sealed their lips together.
This kiss was unlike the others they had shared. Unlike the easygoing love that was usually exchanged between them, this kiss deepened with the intensity of desperation. There was no telling when Wooyoung would see San again.
All was so uncertain.
So as Wooyoung drew San impossibly closer he made a promise to himself. To return to San no matter what. He no longer cared about what the Captain had to say, nor his cruel sister.
All he cared for was the man wrapped up in his arms, kissing his lips like it might just be the last time.
Wooyoung couldn't bring himself to speak as he pulled away, beginning his journey to the compound.
Where, upon arrival, he was to receive the worst beating he'd experienced throughout his entire life.
Hey lovelies! I hope you like this latest chapter, and I'm sorry for any mistakes. This story is actually about three chapters from ending, believe it or not. I'm surprisingly happy with this story, and I'll miss writing it when it's over.
Thank you all so much for reading!