Hala Hala ||| Ateez

48

The drive home wasn't tense, but it wasn't comfortable either.

Hongjoong kept San sedated the entire ride. None of them knew what he would be like when he woke up, and having Yunho there would be the best bet to help keep him calm.

He had asked Yeosang to start working on another headband immediately.

The Wolf Pack must have been working on hacking into the system for them to be able to override the other one. San had been doing so well, so they knew the headband worked.

Hongjoong sighed as he worked to stay focused on the road, but his eyes kept drifting the the backseat.

Jongho and Seonghwa were on the ends of the row, while Wooyoung was sitting between them with his head on Seonghwa's shoulder. San was laying down on their lap with his head in Jongho's lap.

He was surprised to see how close Wooyoung and Seonghwa had become and he knew there had to be a story there, but whenever he made eye contact with the older, he just got a sad shake of the head.

It was obvious that Seonghwa was beating himself up too right now, for letting his father get away.

Hongjoong pursed his lips. What a sticky situation this was turning out to be.

And now they were on a time limit. The Wolf Pack would be doing everything they could to get their machine up and running within the 48 hours, which was now 45. And would be 44 by the time they got back to the ranch.

Yeosang had assured him that he was still following them and keeping an eye on where they ended up so they knew where to go.

Time was not their friend right now.

When they finally pulled up to the ranch, Yunho was waiting for them on the porch, looking anxious.

Despite the couch, he ran down the steps and pulled San into his arms to carry inside.

The rest of them unloaded their gears so they could go through what they had used and what they might need to bring.

The wonderful smell of grilled meat met Hongjoong's nose the second he stepped inside. His stomach growled and he turned not where Yeosang had set out a bunch of food for them. "I thought you could take this chance to refuel before we head out. You all need to try and rest as much as possible."

"Yeosang w-"

The hacker held up a hand. "I'm still programming the headband for San, and they haven't stopped yet. Hongjoong you will need your strength." He said with a firm tone.

Hongjoong sighed and gave him a crooked smile. "You're right. We can eat and sleep a little. Hopefully they don't go too far away."

"So far it looks like they may be heading back to the main base, but it's hard to say." Yeosang ran a hand through his hair. Then his head turned to the side when Jongho entered the room and he ran to the fighter's side.

The couple embraced each other while Yeosang let out a few sobs. "I was so scared for you." He muttered into Jongho's neck.

A deep chuckle came from behind Hongjoong and he turned to see Mingi smiling at the couple while also pulling Hongjoong away. "I'm glad they made up." He whispered. Then he held up a pair of chopsticks, offering Hongjoong a slice of meat.

He accepted gladly and hummed, now realized how hungry he was.

Mingi worked on making plates for everyone and delivering them.

In the other room, Yunho had San situated on a pile of blankets on the floor and had his head resting on a pillow, just watching him while waiting for Yeosang to finish the headband.