Aurora - You are my light (Ateez x reader)

SIX

My heart was still racing with shock, and I could only slowly digest what had just happened. Did I really do that? Did he really do that? Almost reflexively, my tongue ran over my lips, tasting the salty broth that now ran over my hair, soaking my face and dress at the shoulders and neckline.

Frustrated, I kicked my feet. Did I always have to push things to the limit and make them worse? Who knows, maybe San would have just provided me with soup, satisfying my hunger, and then quietly disappeared if I hadn't spat at him. And yet, I was so hungry. I closed my eyes in despair, pondering how to proceed with my plan. That had definitely backfired.

"Aurora," a gentle voice spoke to me, and as I opened my eyes, I looked into the kind face of Seonghwa. "I'm sorry for what just happened. San shouldn't have lost his temper like that." He looked sympathetically at the mess covering my body.

"It... it's sorry?" I asked incredulously.

"A princess shouldn't be treated like this," his gaze softened again as it rested on me.

"If you have so much sympathy for me, then you could at least untie me."

"Unfortunately, that's not within my power. But..." he set down a bucket of water he had been holding the whole time and knelt before me, "at least let me clean you up."

I scoffed. "Are you now my designated handmaiden?" He chuckled softly and began gently wiping the soup from my face with a wet sponge. My skin tingled where the sponge touched me, and for some odd reason, I wished the sponge didn't obstruct direct contact between his fingers and my face.

As he carefully cleaned my neck, brushing away my wet hair with his other free hand, I couldn't help but hold my breath. The direct contact with his skin made it hard for me to think clearly. What was wrong with me? My stomach started to rebel. He continued washing my shoulders until he reached where the ropes lay around my body.

The ropes partially covered my chest, revealing the beginning of my neckline beneath the wet fabric, yet accentuating what was visible in such a way that it couldn't be ignored.

When his gaze fell on the starting swell of my breasts, which were now quite discernible under the damp fabric, he swallowed hard and averted his eyes shyly.

I felt a sudden heat rush through me, struggling to suppress my emerging emotions. And then something happened that definitely shouldn't happen in such a situation.

I vomited. Seonghwa instinctively reacted, swiftly grabbing the bucket to hold it in front of me. Since I hadn't eaten anything in a while, my vomit consisted mostly of bile and stomach acid. Tears streamed from my eyes as I retched, and my throat burned as I gagged for the last time.

Exhausted and ashamed, I looked into Seonghwa's concerned face. "I... I'm sorry," I croaked from my aching throat.

"Are you seasick?" he asked, gently stroking my hair. I shook my head. Growing up in Arkanthia, I had been familiarized with fishing from a young age, as it was the main source of income for my foster parents and me. I'm probably sick with worry.

Tears continued to flow down my cheeks, which Seonghwa repeatedly wiped away with his thumb. My stomach clenched with pain, and if it weren't for the ropes and the mast at my back, I would have surely collapsed.

"This has to stop!" With sudden determination, Seonghwa sprang to his feet and rushed below deck, as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I was truly not feeling well. I only came to when the pressure of the bonds around my upper body loosened, and I was lifted by two strong arms. San.

He carried me below deck and laid me on a makeshift bed in a cabin, where I immediately curled up in pain and held my stomach. I groaned and made pained noises, while a hand, which I couldn't identify, soothingly stroked my back.

I heard a voice I didn't recognize before. "What's wrong with her?"

"We don't know," Hongjoong said thoughtfully. Seonghwa came rushing in and brought a cup of liquid to my lips. "Here, drink this, it's for the pain." I timidly swallowed the bitter-tasting liquid, and instantly my body relaxed slightly.

"Seonghwa!" Another one of the Eight hurried into the room. I could only see his large silhouette blurred. "Here are the cold towels."

"Thank you, Yunho," and then I felt a pleasant coldness on my forehead.

"San, please go on deck and keep watch with Jongho, Wooyoung, and Mingi. Yeosang and Yunho, stay with her and get help immediately if her condition worsens. I need to talk to Seonghwa," Hongjoong's voice sounded serious, and everything became blurry to me.

Yunho then took Seonghwa's place and gently changed the cloth on my forehead. "San, can't you do something?" he asked, and San stopped in the doorway, turned around, and shook his head. "Not in this state," then he left the cabin.

What did he mean by that? I struggled to keep my eyelids open and drifted into a deep sleep after some time.

- Hey there, we're right in the thick of it, and the story is starting to pick up! Seonghwa always seems to be in the right place at the right time to take care of Aurora, just like the maternal instinct in him ;) But what could be causing Aurora's pain? Hopefully see you soon :) -