Kintsugi // ATEEZ [Ishihara Sequel] ✔

50 Gone

Wooyoung pulls the blanket towards him, grumbling with his eyes closed about how the weather is too cold nowadays. He smiles as he wraps the blanket around him, but shouts out in pain as he feels a smack on his head from Yeosang beside him, as the latter says he needs to stop hogging the blanket all to himself. He wakes up, tugging the blanket closer to him before the doctor does the same, and they struggle to pull it to themselves as they slap each other's hands.

"Can both of you stay quiet and not fight for a day?" Mingi drawls as he pulls the blanket he's sharing with Hongjoong, but the latter doesn't realize that it's completely off his body because he's too deep in his sleep. "It's not even 7 in the morning yet."

"Yeosang won't stop annoying me," Wooyoung complains.

"I just want my fair share of the blanket," Yeosang deadpans as he rips the blanket off Wooyoung's hand. He rolls himself into a burrito and holds on the ends tight, not wanting to let it go to the latter.

"Kang Yeosang, it's cold!"

"That's why you need to learn how to share!" Yeosang shouts back, but even as he wants to smack Wooyoung, he can't do so as his hands are stuck under the blanket. Instead he just brings his head forward and uses it to headbutt Wooyoung.

As soon as he does it, the chaos starts as both of them fight, pillows and blanket flying everywhere, the sheets crumpling up as Mingi sighs heavily, Hongjoong beside him unaware of what's happening. Wooyoung smacks Yeosang's face with a pillow and he rolls on the bed, body stuck as a burrito before the former smacks him again with the pillow multiple times. Yeosang wiggles his hands out from under the blanket before stopping the pillow, reversing his attack on Wooyoung. Even though they're fighting for the blanket, the piece ends up falling on the floor as they end in a laughing fit, entangled with each other before they fall quiet.

Wooyoung sighs as he puts his arms around Yeosang, who firstly tries to wiggle free out of his grip, but the former stops him and asks him to stay put. "I wish we can find a cure for San soon."

Yeosang rests his head on Wooyoung's arm. "It seems bleak, but at least it's a step forward when Seonghwa is cured. We just need a little bit more time to find it." After a thought he adds, "Whatever it is."

"Weren't you guys cold a few moments ago?" Mingi asks as he leans against the headboard, bundling himself up in the blanket.

"It's not cold if you cuddle," Wooyoung offers, before he beckons the taller to join them. "Come and cuddle with us so we can share the warmth and think about how we're going to cure San."

Mingi chuckles, looking like he's refusing to join in but does anyway as he slowly drags himself to the other bed. He throws the blanket over Hongjoong, who barely moves, before he plops down next to Yeosang. He joins in the cuddling session as he circles his arms around both Yeosang and Wooyoung.

"So," Mingi starts. "Do we really need to think about this?"

"It hurts my brain to even think about it," Wooyoung mulls. "How did we even get here?"

"Do you think..." Yeosang starts, "that the witch is hiding something from us? Why cure only one and not the other?"

Mingi thinks for a bit before shrugging. "She did say that's as far as her capability is; maybe the curse is too strong for her when it comes to San."

"But isn't she like," Yeosang offers, "an immortal? Why would an immortal be afraid of some curse?"

Wooyoung gasps. "You're right." His eyes go wide as he stares at Yeosang, then Mingi. "Do you think that she's lying to us? That there's a bigger reason why she doesn't want to help San?" He puts a finger to his chin before he lowers down his voice, "What if..." As the other two lean in to hear, he continues, "what if they were acquainted before and she's now looking to get revenge on San? So she pretends to not know anything before she just," he drags a finger across his neck, "kills him off under the pretext of getting rid of the curse?"