Mists of Celeste - an Ateez Fanfic

act five ➻ part one

"Wooyoung." The voice is soft on your ears, and you revel in the peace it provides while you can, mind bringing the comforting image of San's feline features without hesitation. Merely the sound of his voice fills your chest with warmth. It's something that blossoms and spreads throughout your whole body as you begin to slip into consciousness. "Wooyoung, get up. They brought us some food."

Wooyoung.

A hand clamps down hard on your shoulder. Your eyes open against your will, fluttering lashes that reveal a dimly lit scenery around you. The same scene you saw before with it's cold, metal walls and rattling chains that rupture with noise every time someone shifts a muscle. It hits at that moment. This is not your body, you are not seeing with your own eyes or hearing with your own ears; you are merely looking through a piece of foggy glass and watching this dream – if it can even be called that – unfold with no control. At first, you had a sliver of control over the body and you moved on your own, but now it's like you are merely a ghost inhabiting Wooyoung's body alongside his consciousness.

That lack of control is terrifying, to say the least. Seeing things happen and not being able to help or do anything at all. You felt this fear once before, when you were trapped in prison and watching your team unravel and come apart because of your actions. Now, you are witnessing the repercussions of your identity in a whole new light.

San's sharp features fill your vision. A hand reaches up between your bodies and cups the man's cheek, turning his head left and right as your eyes flit over his face in search of something.

"Bruises are worse today." It's Wooyoung who speaks, soft and mellifluous tone falling from what should be your lips but isn't. The entire situation is a bit baffling because you can't reconcile where your consciousness ends and Wooyoung's begins.

"I'm fine. They brought us some water. You should use it to clean your cuts before they get infected."

Wooyoung waves the Spectre's concern off and shakes his head.

"I'm fine. My knee is the only thing still bothering me. Once they take the chains off I'll be able to set it properly. Ribs okay today?"

"Peachy," San murmurs, hand coming up to rub at the mentioned spot subconsciously. "I've broken plenty before. This is no different."

"Except you haven't had proper treatment. I don't even know if it's a stable or transverse or oblique fracture... could even be comminuted for all we know." Wooyoung lifts a shaky hand to his hand and combs through the charcoal-colored strands with no direct purpose. "I-I don't know – I don't know how to treat broken ribs. Yunho didn't – I never asked him h-how to and I—"

"It's fine, Wooyoung. I won't die from a broken rib."

"And if one of the bone shards is lodged in your lung? Think you can survive a hole there? Just... j-just let me know if anything changes. I don't know what I can do if you start coughing up blood but I'll figure something out."

San is silent for a moment. His gaze shifts to the dirtied floor where thick iron chains weave crude patterns over the tiles. They cling to his wrists and ankles, a bit too loose but not enough for him to slip out of them. Wooyoung bears the same kind along with Mingi off in the corner. The Spectre seems to debate something for a moment before he glances up at the ceiling for a half-second, then he pulls closer to Wooyoung to mutter in his ear.

"They've been watching us for days. If we can break the cameras then I can use my abilities to—"

"To what, San?" Wooyoung interrupts. He shakes his head ever so slightly and heaves a deep sigh before speaking again, this time quieter than before. "The second a camera feed goes dead, they'll send someone here to investigate. Mingi is too weak and injured to fight, you can hardly move or stand up straight with that rib, and what am I going to do? I can't fight as well at you two, and I certainly can't defend all of us, not with these chains and not on my own. Besides, the collars you and Mingi have are specially tailored to your class. They'll restrict your usage of your abilities and you'll only get hurt worse if you try using them."