Them and Us | Ateez

Unforseen struggle

Cold crashes down on him like an earthquake. He can taste salty water. It drips down his cheeks. His mind clears out like a desert, leaving only the vast chill. There are no howls, growls or snarls anymore.
Shaking the heavy head, Wooyoung finally pays attention to his surroundings.
It's freezing outside in the forest. After many hours he has finally become human again. Or has he?

The blonde's eyelids are hefty as he blinks slowly. A brown pine lands on the grass in front of him and he steps backwards, staggering along the way.
A hand supports his back. Its warmth tries to shake off the shivers.
"Hey." a voice greets.
The blond male flinches away from the touch, turning towards the other man. He can't lift his eyes higher than San's jawline and frankly, he doesn't want to see him at all. Wooyoung notices how San takes a step in his direction. His head is immediately shaking as he retreats, creating a bigger distance between them.

A sharp sound cuts through the air with pain crawling on Wooyoung's foot. He moves away from the squeezed pine yet at the same time his ankle decides to give up on him. Losing strength in his leg, the male falls down.
The thump is quiet when he hits the ground, grass touching his hands. It hurts - the thought makes Wooyoung laugh because he is in no place to say that.
"Woo..." San's voice comes from somewhere above. The male's brown eyes are conflicting as he watches the werewolf cry his insides out.

Wooyoung's insides are burning yet only cold reaches him from the outside as his mouth is open to let every little embarrassing sound out.
It is like having a fever dream, one he can't wake up from without falling back asleep and not noticing when reality ends and dreams start.
The black haired werewolf pulls the male in a hug, letting him rest on San's knees. He is warm but Wooyoung can only hiccup as tear drops leave his blue eyes like melting paint. He coughs before forcing his vocal cords to work for the first time in hours.

"You were right, I am scared to try, it's too scary, I don't want to, I don't want to be a werewolf, I better be a human all my life, I don't need this." Wooyoung cries, snuggling deeper into San. His scent of burnt wood soothes the other like nothing else and he inhales more of it just so his mind would stop losing its footing.
"You didn't mean to, it was an accident." the steady voice assures him.

San's arms wrap around him, muscles squeezing him closer tightly. He rubs his chin on Wooyoung's blond hair strands.
"He was scared, really really scared of me. He tried to stop me and when he placed his hand in front of me I saw his blood, the palm was soaked in blood. You didn't see his expression when he understood it's his, I hurt him, I did and what if he doesn't wake up, what then? Did I kill my friend? Just like that? Because I couldn't control it? He's dead because I couldn't keep that monster inside of me?"

"She's not a monster-"
"She killed Mingi! The air reeked of blood!"
The male squeezes Wooyoung, trying to shush him.
"He is fine, others took care of him. A bit of help and Mingi will be back on his feet, you'll see."
"It stinks of it so much." he wails. His breath grows loud and rapid.

San presses the body in his lap completely against him. One of his hands tangles in Wooyoung's hair as it guides the male's nose towards his neck. The blond male gulps down burnt wood like a thirsty man. His breathing grows slower while San's voice enters his ears more clearly than before.
"Focus on your breathing, pup. What does my scent remind you of?"
The werewolf doesn't have to search long for an answer.

"Wood that's just been burned to a crisp and is warm and crunchy like bacon."
San chuckles.
"Bacon sounds good. Do you eat it regularly?"
Wooyoung shakes his head, the hair making white noise as they rub against the other man.
"No, once in a while. It's tasty when cooked well though." the male answers, his thoughts wandering back home where his family always pitched in every possible thing for the big saturday breakfast.