Promise (Ateez au)

Chapter XXIV

"Please, I know you can help me. You have to help me." San begged the man that was standing in front of him. They had only met a few times before, but that was enough for San to make sure he wanted it. No, he needed it.

"You know you've hurt both my children a lot, right? So why should I help you?" The man asked, not convinced on helping the brunette out.

"I'm incredibly strong right now, so chances are bigger that I'll hurt someone now. As a human, I might not be able to. I just ... I want to risk it all, sir. I know you want to have answers if this works too. So I'll let you use me to test on. If I don't survive, it's my own stupid fault." San told, needing to persuade the older man.

"Alright then, I'll do it. But don't hurt my children ever again. They're very kind and don't deserve to suffer because of you. Follow me." He walked away, up the stairs to a small room. It has only a bed in it and a wall covered with a desk filled with test tubes and weird liquids.
San sat down on the bed, knowing that would be his place. He put his whole life in this random dude's hands, but he didn't mind. As long as it would get rid of these uncontrollable feelings.

"Relax, okay. It'll probably hurt a bit, but you'll be able to endure it. You're a strong boy after all." The man took one of the tubes and mixed it with a few other liquids.

"Does Wooyoung know?"

"About what?"

"About all of this. That you possibly found a cure and ... That you're treating me?" San questioned, a worried expression on his face.

"He knows I'm working on this, but he doesn't even know I've met you. I'm not planning on telling him, so he just has to find out himself." The man didn't turn to San. He poured the liquid into two syringes, but finally started to question himself.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I really don't want to kill you. I know it would break Wooyoung's heart if he found out and-"

"Just do it. I won't die." San demanded, having waited for this for so long now.

"Lay down, that's easier." The man hesitated for a moment, still not sure if he should do this. But the hopeful eyes of the boy made that decision for him. "Brace yourself, the first needle is going in."

"I'm not feeling anythi-" A sudden gasp made him stop mid-sentence. "F-fuck."

"And ... Second one." It hurt him to see the pained expression on the boy's face, but it surprised him that he wasn't showing the pain he was in more. "Are you okay?"

His response was just a quick nod. San was holding the blanket tightly, his nails digging into it. He was biting down on his bottom lip so hard, that it was starting to bleed. He held his eyes closed tightly, tears forming under them.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!" The door suddenly flew open, a sweaty Wooyoung running in. "Stop it!! San!!" He hurried to San, holding his hand tightly. "San, I'm sorry I'm so late! Give me a towel, he's sweating!"

"Wooyoung, I'm just trying to help him." He tossed a towel at his son. "He asked me, not the other way around. It'll work, Wooyoung. I'm sure it will."

Wooyoung started wiping away the sweat from the boy's forehead, staring at the pained expression on his face.

"I-I'm sorry, Woo. I ... I did this for y-you ... B-because I l-love you." San stuttered, finally starting to lose his consciousness.

"San, don't go. San!" Wooyoung tried to keep the boy with him, but he was already slipping away to a very dark place. "If he doesn't survive this, I'll never forgive you." Wooyoung whispered, the words meant for his father. He put his hand on San's chest, feeling a much humanlike heartbeat. Maybe it was working? San did feel warmer ...
But that faint beating went away just as quickly as it came. And the warmth turned into ice-cold.