Aurora - You are my light (Ateez x reader)

THIRTYSIX

My footsteps echoed dully on the wooden floor of the ship's corridor as I rushed forward. With each hurried step, the hallway seemed to stretch further, as if desperately trying to hold me back. The door to the captain's cabin loomed ahead, inching closer with agonizing slowness, and a cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought of leaving Yeosang alone with San for any longer than necessary. Knocking didn't even cross my mind. Without hesitation, I yanked down the handle and nearly stumbled into the spacious room.

Hongjoong sat, as usual, behind his heavy desk on a sturdy wooden chair. Seonghwa stood beside him, hands pressed firmly against the tabletop for support. Both were engrossed in a nautical chart I'd never seen before, but that was irrelevant now. Hongjoong's head snapped up at my sudden entrance, his mouth already open-likely to scold me for my rudeness-but the words caught in his throat as he saw me.

Their eyes scrutinized me skeptically as I caught my breath, hands on my hips. The last few minutes had drained my strength and oxygen. Seeing something was wrong, Hongjoong abruptly jumped to his feet, his chair scraping back with a squeal. "What about San?!" he demanded sharply.

Seonghwa had already circled the desk, his eyes wide with concern. "Good God, Aurora. What happened?" He reached out to touch my temple, but the pain from his gentle touch made me hiss and pull back.

"San," I rasped, my voice still raw and weak from the ordeal. "He's awake!" Hongjoong quickly moved out from behind his desk, his eyes full of questions and worry. "What about him? How is he?"

"He's not himself," I managed, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "We don't have time for details. Yeosang's alone with him. We need to get back before it happens again." Both men nodded solemnly.

"Seonghwa, alert the crew. We'll meet at the infirmary!" The blond was already out the door, and I followed Hongjoong in quick strides to the place that now felt like the scene of a nightmare.

A short time later, the entire crew had gathered in the infirmary. Wooyoung sat on the table, surrounded by a chaotic mess of medical supplies. Mingi and Yunho had taken the chairs from the bedside and moved them to the other side of the room. Yunho had one leg crossed over the other, nervously bouncing his foot, while Mingi, sitting backward on his chair, anxiously tapped a finger against the wooden backrest.

Yeosang leaned against the wall next to me, one foot casually pressed against it and his arms crossed over his chest. But despite his apparent calm, I could feel the tension in him, like an invisible cord binding us all. Hongjoong paced restlessly around the room, coming dangerously close to the bed where San still lay motionless. A deep furrow had formed between his eyebrows as he muttered to himself, as if speaking in a foreign language-or maybe it was just too quiet for me to understand.

Seonghwa was the last to burst into the infirmary, closely followed by a visibly exhausted Jongho. Jongho had probably just fallen into a deep sleep when he was called back. He pushed aside a few small bottles with various liquids and sat down next to Wooyoung on the table, while Seonghwa leaned against its edge, arms crossed and one leg over the other. Now everyone was here, and the crew's eyes turned expectantly to Yeosang and me. To my surprise, it was Hongjoong who silently, but gently, pressed a cloth to my temple, motioning for me to take over.

Even the light pressure burned intensely. San-or whatever that thing was-had given me quite a hit, and the pain only now became clear to me as the adrenaline wore off. I winced as I took the cloth from Hongjoong's grip. When he pulled his fingers away, they were red and glistening, but he seemed unfazed, wiping his hand nonchalantly on his way-too-fancy waistcoat. In all the fear and stress, I hadn't even noticed I was bleeding.

"So, what exactly happened? Don't leave out a single detail!" Hongjoong's eyes bore into me, and the rest of the crew followed suit. My throat still burned, and I wasn't sure if my voice would hold out. If necessary, Yeosang would have to finish the story.