Mists of Celeste - an Ateez Fanfic

act five ➻ part eight

warnings: explicit smut

"Ahem, I hope I'm not interrupting?"

You jerk your chin up at the sound of the new voice entering San's cramped clinic room, and your voice dies in the back of your throat when none other than Hyunjae enters. The book in your lap falls shut, page lost when your fingers don't catch the place quickly enough.

"Ah, no, you're not interrupting anything!" You speak through a smile as you slip off the edge of San's bed, and the man's hand escapes yours as you move. "Sorry, I found this book on your shelf and borrowed it, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, please feel free to peruse the books as you see fit! I just came to let you know that Nightingale won't be here for another two or three hours. I know I said he was on his way, but apparently, he got a surprise lead he had to go after right away. He said he'll come straight here after he's done though." The doctor drags a hand through his neatly parted locks, mussing the way it sits around his forehead. "I'm sorry for not having much for either of you to do in the meantime."

"Actually, do you have a bath of some sort?" San inquires as he pushes himself up on the bed a little. Both you and Hyunjae watch the motion warily like San might fall apart otherwise, but he manages to sit up just fine on his own. "I'm dying to get clean and wash up some. And I think both of you are being a bit too polite in insisting I don't smell that bad."

A laugh bursts through Hyunjae's lips, and he waves a hand in front of his face as though to dismiss the notion.

"I won't insist any longer then. I do have a room just down the hall with a bathtub, yes; however, you are barely a day past getting shot, so you shouldn't be walking or moving around all too much, especially twisting at the waist."

"I — I can help him get washed up, if that helps," you offer. It comes out surprisingly stable, words only catching in your throat once before you get them out fully. San hums from your right.

"I was hoping you'd suggest that. You promised to wash my hair, after all." The smile on his lips is borderline infectious, and you find yourself biting down on your tongue to keep from mimicking his dimpled grin. If Hyunjae has any thoughts about the two of you, he doesn't share them or let them slip through on his expression.

"Hm, alright then. San, you hold tight for a moment, I'll show Y/n to the bathroom." You move to follow the man when he heads out of the room, hot on his heels as he leads the way through the clinic. "He can be fully submerged in the bath since I did laser surgery and there'll be no open wounds anymore. The wound will be sore more than anything else at this point, but being careful is key since we still don't know the full extent of the nerve and tissue damage. If he's in pain of any sort, just call for me and I'll be right there to help, okay?" You barely get the chance to nod before Hyunjae is speaking again, hand pushing a door open to reveal a bathroom not much different than the one you were in this morning. The sole difference lies in the tub that's in place of where your shower was. "I'll help get San out of bed and into a wheelchair, then bring him down here. When you're done helping him with the bath, just help him into a gown and call me back in so I can get him back to bed, okay? You can go ahead and get the water going while I get him."

"Okay," you exhale, but Hyunjae is already back out the door and down the hall before he even hears your response. To your benefit, the bath is relatively simple to figure out and you only flounder with the handles a few times before finding a good temperature that's neither too hot nor too cold. The water fills slowly, and Hyunjae hasn't come back with San yet, leaving you alone with your thoughts and the running water. The metal is black, made in a way that prevents it from being reflective, and when you blink down at the sheen of water inside, all you can see is a wavering reflection of your own face.