Aurora - You are my light (Ateez x reader)

THIRTYEIGHT

The next morning, I was up early. The evening and night with Yeosang had given me strength and energy, so at least I felt prepared for the day ahead. This time, it was me who had to drag Yeosang out of bed. We had forgotten to check our injuries yesterday—well, we had preferred other things.

Now I felt guilty because I knew he must be in pain, judging by the bruise on his stomach. And we still didn't know if injuries caused by dark magic could lead to even worse consequences. So, we definitely had to catch up on that.

Checking Yeosang for visible injuries wasn't hard. He was still lying next to me, in all his natural glory, sleepily grumbling into the sheets as I tugged on his arm to get him up. That already gave me a good look at his body. The bruise on his abdomen had now turned a deep purple and blue, topped off with red marks I'd given him in the heat of the moment last night. I felt ashamed for not being gentler, but he seemed to enjoy it, so I had kept going.

I also noticed a few nasty bruises on his back, which I was only really seeing now in the daylight. These must have been from hitting the shelf. As I gently ran my fingers over the dark patches on his skin, Yeosang hissed.

"So much for 'I'm fine,'" I muttered, swinging my legs out of bed. But I didn't get far, as Yeosang quickly pulled me back, so I half-landed on top of him and found myself staring into his dark eyes, now open. "You're worse off," he mumbled sleepily, glancing at my temple before carefully brushing a few strands of hair out of my face. "I'm no doctor, but I don't think it needs stitches." He smiled drowsily.

His hand drifted lower, gently skimming my neck, which still ached and bore marks from San's iron grip, then shifted the robe I'd slept in slightly off my hips. His gaze fell on my exposed hips, which shimmered in all the colors of the rainbow, thanks to San's relentless hold.

"Are you in pain?" he asked, worry in his eyes. I shook my head. "I'm feeling better already." I kissed him softly on the lips to reassure him and sat up. "I'll make us a herbal salve to help with the healing. Other than that, there's not much we can do about the bruises."

Luckily, my "walk of shame" in the bathrobe to my cabin went unnoticed. I got dressed, as yesterday's clothes were ruined by San's blood anyway. Since my schedule was packed today, I opted for a simple white dress—no corset or jewelry, because I didn't want to feel restricted, and practical clothing seemed the way to go. I tied my hair into a loose braid and slipped into black, lace-up ankle boots.

A short while later, I had packed some herbs from Wooyoung's kitchen into a pouch and grabbed two steaming cups of coffee and Elaria's recipe book, heading to the infirmary. The thought of her still made my heart flutter with joy but also weighed it down. If she were here, we'd have fewer worries. I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and pushed open the infirmary door.

The sight was, thankfully, much the same as when I had left it the night before. Hongjoong sat to San's left, Mingi to his right. San lay peacefully on the mattress, unchanged. The bandage was neither soaked with blood nor had it shifted. Finally, a small sign of improvement.

Both Hongjoong and Mingi had exhaustion written all over their faces, but when I handed them the two steaming cups of coffee, they lit up with gratitude, their faces beaming as they accepted the cups.

"How are you doing?" Hongjoong asked after taking a few sips of his coffee. "Better," I replied curtly, spreading out the herbs I'd brought on the counter and opening Elaria's recipe book to the right page.

"No strange dreams?" The Captain's voice sounded sluggish, yet I could hear the concern in it. I shook my head.

"Any news?" I asked, glancing at San. Both men shook their heads. "Thankfully, the night was uneventful," Hongjoong muttered. My eyes fell on Mingi, who was staring at me intensely, slightly shocked—specifically, at my arms. "What?" I asked him.