Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

9

Wooyoung could still feel San's lips on his as he started the long swim home. He kept lifting his hand up to run his fingers over them and the memory would flash in his mind.

He was almost thankful things ended when they did. As much as he had wanted it to continue, his skin had been starting to itch and he knew he had been running out of time.

It had taken longer for it to happen though, so he hoped that maybe he could stay in his human for longer if he got used to it and practiced.

The thing that was the most puzzling, though, was just the action as a whole. He didn't know what it is called, but it was something that merpeople had never done.

Wooyoung knew that it was his human body that liked the sensation, but even now he felt like he would like it if San did it again.

The merman smiled and gave a few hard flicks of his tail to speed up. It was getting late and he knew that Yunho was probably waiting for him again at the edge of the city. But Wooyoung didn't think even they could dampen his mood right now.

He and San had had a moment together! Something special that was shared with just the two of them. Plus, he had learned so much about the human world.  Bathrooms were still odd and Wooyoung's mind strayed back to his discovery about human anatomy, but it just gave him motivation to do more research when he could.

Besides San, Wooyoung also loved that he had learned so much about human food. There were so many different flavors and textures available, it was incredible.

Wooyoung twisted his tail so he could spin in a tight spiral and started humming to himself, and he didn't stop, even when he saw a familiar shape sitting on a rock outside the city.

Yunho straightened up as soon as he saw Wooyoung.

The younger braced himself for another scolding. He slowed himself to a stop and saw that Yunho looked distressed. Surprisingly, the blue-tailed merman just let out a long sigh and shook his head before turning around and swimming back inside.

Wooyoung paused for a moment and then hung his head. He was definitely in trouble if Yunho wasn't even going to speak to him.

Which meant Mingi was going to unleash a different kind of furry.

He swam forward and followed the blue tail through the carved corridors and disappear through the seaweed in front of the room he shared with Mingi.

For a moment, Wooyoung debated going the other way and pretending he had never seen Yunho, but he wouldn't be able to get away with it. So he swam forward slowly and stopped right outside the arch. "Mingi?" He asked, his voice small and pathetic. Wooyoung closed his eyes and started playing with his own fingers.

Guilt was an awful thing...

The seaweed in front of him fluttered for a moment before it was drawn aside and Mingi appeared. His face was blank as he stared down at Wooyoung. The silence was deafening.

Wooyoung found his gaze drifting to the sand below him. "Mingi, I—"

"Just don't. It's obvious you don't care about our feelings, so do what you want. We aren't going to wait for you forever. If avoiding us is your way of giving us your answer then so be it." Mingi's throat bobbed as he swallowed. There was no anger or pain in his eyes. They were just dull.

Which hurt Wooyoung even more. He didn't want to hurt his friends like this...

"Good night, Wooyoung."

The dismissal was clear, although Wooyoung stayed in place for several minutes just watching the seaweed sway back and forth. He didn't want his friends to hate him but...