King of Stars Volume 1 (An interstellar ATEEZ Hongjoong fanfiction)

Part Twenty One: In Which Monster Reveals His True Intentions

~Ten's POV~

Once we broke the surface I noticed that the storm overhead had finally dissipated. Waves that had been warmed by the two burning suns in the sky lapped gently against the platform we stood on. It had, for the most part, a calming effect on the crew to know that the seas we're finally at peace. San and Wooyoung stood huddled together on one side talking amongst themselves and Mingi exited the hull behind me taking a deep breath of fresh air. The Star King was still in the ship down below trying to establish contact with the others.

Once the water level had gone down it took the crew nearly an hour to pry the grate away far enough for me to squeeze through. Since then the Star King hadn't looked me in the eyes and I could feel that he was angry with me. I could also tell he wasn't the only one when I finally cast my eyes over towards San and saw him glaring back.

"A hundred percent chance Ten?!" Came his distraught voice over the ocean. The translator clenched his hands looking furious as he came to stand over me. I squinted against the mirror reflection the suns made on the sea and looked up at him. His sharp eyes were swollen from crying and his dark hair was plastered wetly around his forehead. A steady stream of tears ran down his face as he narrowed his eyes at me. "San? Are you inju—" I began before being abruptly yanked forward.

Startled, my face mashed into his chest as he pulled me into a tight hug that pinned my arms in front of me. He was breathing heavily into my hair as his chest rose and fell in rapid pants.

"Don't you ever lie about something like that again..." He ordered hotly.

My eyes went wide with surprise at his words but I could only nod my head. It was impossible to respond because of how hard he was squeezing me. He held me there for what felt like hours until his breathing finally calmed. I wriggled uncomfortably and whimpered into his chest.

San finally pulled away and saw that some of my blood had stained the front of his shirt. "Oh shit Ten I'm sorry!" He apologized with worry thick in his voice.

"It's alright San," I said trying to give him a small smile. I was still in pain but his obvious concern for me took the edge off of it. "I'm sorry I lied to you..."

I saw Wooyoung come stand beside his friend and he loudly cleared his throat. "What you did down there cyborg—" He began awkwardly before casting his eyes to the floor. He scratched the back of his head and never looked me in the eyes. "I guess what I want to say is thank you..."

I just stared at him feeling even more perplexed. After a moment of silence he huffed and the same indifferent look he always seemed to have settled into his features. "What the hell are you staring at?"

I shook my head suddenly feeling bashful. "I was just surprised you had something nice to say to me..."

San began laughing loudly which made me jump and I saw Wooyoung's cheeks turn crimson. He huffed again before pushing his silver hair back, the action making his earrings catch the light. "Well don't get used to it..." He grumbled.

When I finally managed to step away from the two of them I felt Mingi's large hand cradle the side of my head and pull me to him. My cheek settled softly against his chest and I stopped to crane my neck up and looked at him. His amber colored eyes were hard as they met mine but I could see something kind within them as well. His embrace was far less demanding than San's but I could feel he was every bit as upset with me.

"I'm sorry Mingi..." I said quietly. He hummed before mussing my wet hair, making my head wobble back and forth. "Look we all know you're tough Ten, but as part of the crew you need to learn to rely on us a little more," He told me with a smile playing on his lips. "Its the kind of thing you do when you're a family."