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"Young-ah…"
It was a miracle he even heard his name over the buzzing in his head, the persistent whine that hadn't left ever since they'd returned to the bunker.
Technically, the mission had been successful. Not in Wooyoung's eyes though, not since Yunho was in the medic bay, fast asleep and his pain dulled by the weight of whatever drugs that Yeosang had given him. Not with the fear that continued clawing its way up from his heart to his throat despite the steady beeping of the vitals machine that told him that Yunho was fine.
He didn't realize he was even gasping for breath until Yeosang tilted his head up to make eye contact.
"Wooyoung," Yeosang's voice was gentle, soothing in the way that he always needed it, making sure that the younger kept his attention on him. His hand was grasped in the other's before it was pressed flat against Yeosang's chest, "follow my breathing."
It's difficult to focus on following the instructions that he was given, his eyes wanted to dart back to Yunho's silent figure, afraid that if he looked away that something worse would happen.
"It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself." A deep breath in that he tried to follow, counted to three in his head before they both breathed out. Again, in and out.
He doesn't know how long they were like that, Yeosang standing in front of him, his hand pressed against the other's torso and breathing as if he'd just ran a marathon. It felt like it was hours and yet not long enough at all.
"It was my fault," he frowned, his words able to come out stable despite the way his heart still beat against his ribcage.
"You couldn't have predicted that it was a trap, none of us could have, not even Hongjoong." Yeosang's words were soft spoken, trying to provide the younger man a grace that he wasn't willing to give for himself. He could see the way that Wooyoung was beating himself up over Yunho's injuries.
"But h-he—"
"He's okay," he was quick to cut off Wooyoung's continued protests, "Look, he's breathing and he's here under my watch, the Android Guardians can't get him from here." Yeosang brushed away the hair that fell in front of the brunette's face, his touch as tender as his words.
Wooyoung didn't know how to reply to that — the fear still tearing through his system, the sweet and delicate way that he's being handled as if the slightest breeze would knock him over. A non-committal hum was all that he managed, knowing that Yeosang deserved more for all of his assistance, but unable to bring himself to give that energy.
"Will you let me take care of you now?"
"I don't need medical," he muttered as he waved the other's hand away. He didn't need to be babied for a few scrapes, it was barely a drop in the ocean compared to what happened to Yunho. Wooyoung can still hear the sizzling sound of the laser gun as it went off, the following gasp of pain as Yunho crumbled to the ground in front of him. After that, he's not sure what happened. Instinct took over and he was dragging the larger man behind cover and the Cromer brought them back to the bunker as soon as Wooyoung was able to safely use it.
Yeosang chewed on his lower lip before he continued on his mission to patch up Wooyoung, "You're still bleeding, at least let me wash the blood off." He stood before Wooyoung could argue further, knowing that the younger would have a rebuttal ready to volley back and escaping before he could say it.
He knew that Yeosang was ignoring him, it was easy to tell from the way the other moved through the medical bay without a hint of worry that Wooyoung would get up and leave. A part of him was thankful for the so-called tough love, deep down he knew it was needed, but on the surface he didn't think that he deserved it.
It was his fault, no matter how much Yeosang denies it (and Yunho would too if he was awake). It was his plans that convinced Yunho to join him, his plans to not wait for any of the others to come back from their own missions, his plans that caused them to rush in without a solid plan, his plans that lead them into a trap set up by Z. It was because of his plans that Yunho stepped in front of the laser beam and took the hit for him.
How could he not feel guilty after that? How could he not blame himself?
He's lost in his thoughts again when Yeosang finally comes back and manipulates him into sitting back into the chair next to Yunho's bed. His body moved without protesting, greedily missing the soft touches the moment that they disappeared.
He even felt guilty for that.
A shaky breath was pulled into his lungs when the blonde knelt in front of him and a damp white rag pressed against his forehead. 'How stupid for the rag to be white,' he thought as he stayed as still as possible. At least focusing on staying still helped him to ignore the pain each time the rag brushed too hard against his skin — though it didn't take much pressure at all for him to feel it.
When the rag was finally pulled away from his face, it's dotted in various spots with shades of reds and pinks that betray how injured he really was. Wooyoung only had a moment of relief before a stinging pain shoots through him, a yelp startled out from his mouth without a second to stop it.
"What was that for?!"
"Disinfection."
"Disinfection," Wooyoung repeated mockingly, anything to get rid of the stinging sensation. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long as Yeosang was applying the clear butterfly bandage to the few places he needed them. A few single placements around his chin and cheeks and an additional grouping over the cut on his forehead.
"You look as good as new," Yeosang smiled before he pressed a small kiss to the tip of Wooyoung's nose, laughter spilling out as he dodged the hand that swiped at him. He wasn't the least bit surprised that the younger had been caught off guard by the action — that had been his entire point in doing it.
"Y-you," he sputtered, trying to contain his own giggle at being caught unaware. It wasn't often that Yeosang initiated affection like that, so Wooyoung hadn't thought something like that would happen. He loved it though. He loved being doted on, he loved being the center of affection from the people that meant the world to him.
He couldn't stop the large smile that slowly spread across his face despite the bandages that pulled at the stretch. After everything that had happened, he felt like things might actually be okay.
"Can I…" He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say, his cheeks colored pink as he worried about how his question would come off.
"Hmm?"
"Would it be fine if I," he sighed, looking down at his hands and getting a flash of red as if they were still stained with blood, "Will I hurt him if lay in the bed?"
"Young-ah… there's probably not enough room for you both." Yeosang hated denying Wooyoung when it was clear how much the other wanted to hear a yes.
His body moved immediately, deflating at the response, sinking into the chair like it had given up completely. He just wanted to be close to Yunho while they waited for him to recover and the chair wasn't satisfying the itch inside of him. Laying on the bed had been a long shot, but he'd gathered the courage to ask at least, that had to count for something, shouldn't it?
"Yeah, you're right… it wouldn't work." He couldn't stop the pout on his face, no matter how hard he tried to keep from sounding disappointed.
There's rustling next to him as Yeosang checked over the oldest, moving the few wires connected to him into a different position and making sure that everything was still reading properly on the machines.
"You can get in." The words were soft enough that Wooyoung almost missed them.
"What?"
"I said, you can get in," Yeosang repeated his words as he motioned to the bed and the space that he'd created in the last few minutes. Wooyoung hadn't even realized that that's what Yeosang had been doing the whole time he'd been fussing over Yunho. "Only for a bit and you'll need to be careful of his shoulder."
The other man barely finished his words before Wooyoung was scrambling up and onto the bed, settling beside the taller man's body the best that he could with the limited space that he had to work with. Laying next to Yunho wasn't unfamiliar, but where they were, the reason that they were, and how they were was strange. It felt more like a quick fix than anything lasting.
Yeosang pressed another kiss to his head before he disappeared somewhere into the bunker, saying that he'd be back when it was time to let Yunho rest without interference. He was thankful that the other man was giving him some space, they'd all been together for so long that it was easy to figure out each other's needs without having to always vocalize them. Wooyoung wiggled down so he could rest his head in the crook of Yunho's arm where it met his torso, curled on his side against him so that he could steal as much contact as he could. For some reason, his brain wouldn't let him relax until he had Yunho under his touch.
He laid there and listened to Yunho's heart beating underneath his ear, the steady thumping sound a comfort that drowned out the medical equipment that matched the rhythm. It was more tangible to know that Yunho was safe when he could actually feel, see, hear everything himself and not whatever computer generated nonsense was spit out by machines. The rise and fall of the elder's chest combined with the repetitive rhythm of his heartbeat quickly lulled Wooyoung to sleep. He'd already been exhausted from the fight and the use of the Cromer, so now that things were quiet and his mind wasn't racing, he let his body succumb to the alluring pull of darkness.
It felt like minutes later when feather-light touches ran through his hair and tried to drag him into consciousness.
"Mmm, not yet Sangie," he mumbled, still half asleep and too comfortable to want to leave.
His head was jostled a bit as the body beneath him moved slightly, though the hand remained a comforting presence that never left. The movements further stimulated his mind into waking up, though he wouldn't be himself if he didn't continue to complain.
"Just 5 more minutes and then I'll go," his words were slurred with the tell-tale sign of sleep, though anyone that knew Wooyoung as intimately as they did would be able to understand him.
However, his requests went unanswered and the hand continued to stroke his head until he finally lifted it to glare at the medic, only to be met with the soft eyes of Yunho in front of him instead.
"Hi," Yunho's voice was gruff with misuse from the time he'd been unconscious from the fight.
"Hi," the word squeaked out of Wooyoung unnaturally higher pitched than normal before he cleared his throat and tried again, "how are you feeling?"
"Better now that I get to see your face."
'Obnoxious, stupid, romantic idiot.' That's what Wooyoung thought at least, but he actually said, "You could've seen it a lot sooner if you hadn't taken a laser beam for me."
"I would suffer through a lot more than that to continue to see you smile," Yunho smiled as he slowly brushed Wooyoung's hair behind his ear, the wince as he moved his injured arm didn't go unnoticed by the other.
"Yeosang will be mad that you're moving your arm already."
"He's not here to see anything." The smirk on Yunho's face the familiar playfulness that Wooyoung loved.
It didn't ease the quickening of his heart as the guilt he'd buried earlier came rushing back all of a sudden. He tried to ignore, to remember what Yeosang had said and that it wasn't his fault, but now that Yunho was awake, it was just a reminder of how he was the reason for his injuries.
"Hey, what's wrong?" This time his face was brushed with Yunho's good hand or he was pretty sure that he'd start sobbing for causing the older man pain again.
"I just, it's m-my fault. I-I'm the reason you're here." He couldn't control the way his voice hiccuped, able to escape without spilling any tears and only stumbling over his words. "I was so scared that I lost you…"
Yunho pulled him down against his chest, both of them avoiding the injured shoulder as best as they could and yet both of them needing to be held. The taller man's good hand found Wooyoung's hair again, resuming the way it had stroked it while he'd been asleep, a comfort that he knew he'd never take for granted again.
"You didn't lose me, you got both of us out of there as quickly as you could," his soothing voice was loud enough to be heard without issue, "And I already feel better thanks to Yeosang."
"I see you two are talking about me?"
Wooyoung startled slightly at the new voice, he hadn't even heard the medic come inside the room since he'd been so focused on Yunho.
"Only good things, I promise." Wooyoung didn't even need to look to know that Yunho's words were accompanied by a wink to the other man. A small scoff left his own lips in response as he sat up so that he could look between the two.
It was nice to see both of them at the same time — alive. He didn't have to worry that one of them would slip between his grasp and he'd be left with one less person in his life to love. They were both here, together, solid beneath his fingers as he grabbed Yeosang's hand once he was close enough to do so and his other rested on Yunho's chest still.
"Are you going to make me leave now?" He didn't stop the pout this time, hoping that maybe now that Yunho was awake that he'd help convince Yeosang to let him stay.
"Yes, Yunho needs his rest — a proper rest without you hogging the space or blankets." Yeosang leveled him with a stare when he opened his mouth to protest, they all knew what Wooyoung was like when he was asleep.
"It's okay, Youngie, it's just one night. I'll be back in our bed tomorrow." Yunho didn't know if Yeosang would actually clear him that quickly, but he wasn't going to stay in the medical bay for two nights in a row. Not when his bed included the two men in front of him who meant the absolutely world to him.
"Only tonight?"
"I promise, only tonight."
"Yun—"
"Only tonight." Yunho cut off Yeosang's protest before it even had a chance to start. It was obvious that they had different ideas about how healed he would be by tomorrow, but he would take a few uncomfortable nights next to the people he loved rather than being alone for however many days were needed.
Yeosang sighed and shook his head, knowing that there was no arguing with the other when he made up his mind — he was almost as bad as Wooyoung in that manner.
"Alright, you both have 5 more minutes together while I refresh the medication before Wooyoung and I are leaving," he paused, taking in the look between the two who had matching grins on their faces, "Nuh-uh, do not even think about it. There's no such thing as a quickie when it comes to you two and I mean it about 5 minutes." His words earned echoing groans that dissolved into laughter just as quickly as they started.
Wooyoung really was glad that Yunho was safe and on the road to recovery and he was beyond thankful that Yeosang was a wizard at healing someone.
"I'm sorry again, I love you," he said, looking at Yunho and cataloguing the new scars that he'd have from the fight.
His hand was tugged forward to meet soft lips briefly before a second tug pulled him even further down into an embrace. He felt lighter than he had in hours, the weight of guilt evaporating under the constant persistence from his partners. It was easy to believe their version of things when they spoke them so absolutely and without a sliver of doubt making their voices waver.
The kiss was, unfortunately, chaste per Yeosang's earlier directions, despite how Wooyoung tried to deepen it while still being conscious of Yunho's shoulder. Yunho broke the kiss with another run of his hand through Wooyoung's hair, already missing the feeling of it between his fingers.
Wooyoung being on the bed also made it more difficult for Yeosang to perform his checks, so he was forced to get off and sit in the chair again, resigned to only holding Yunho's hand for the rest of their time together tonight. If it was up to him, he'd spend the entire night curled uncomfortably on the medical bed with Yeosang on the other side of Yunho so that all three of them were there. He knew that wasn't practical, let alone doable, but he still wished it were.
Knowing that Yunho was in the bunker and that he wouldn't be coming to their room tonight was difficult to come to terms with, it was such a rare occurrence that Wooyoung had never had a chance to get used to it before. Even on the nights that kept one of them busy for most of the night, they still wound up spending a few hours tucked under the blankets with all of them together.
"Time to say goodnight," Yeosang smiled at them before he attempted to step back to allow them some space. His hand was caught by Yunho's before he could get too far, keeping him close to say goodnight as well.
"Don't miss me too much and don't have any fun without me," Yunho pouted playfully before a grin cracked through. He pulled each of them down to give them a kiss of their own and a whispered 'I love you' that was meant for their ears only.
"Goodnight, I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow, all of your favorites!" Wooyoung stole one last kiss — partially reassurance that Yunho was, indeed, okay and the other part greed.
"If you need me, the buzzer is on the table here," Yeosang pointed to where the intercom was hard-wired into the table next to the bed which was conveniently connected to his personal comms device. "I'll make sure he gets his rest too." He knew that Yunho would worry over Wooyoung just as much as the younger had been worried over Yunho, but he hoped that he could ease their stress by taking care of both of them.
"I don't need to be babied," Wooyoung complained, his arm falling over Yeosang's shoulder and frowning between the two older men.
"No? So you don't want Sangie cuddles either?" Yunho teased.
"Wait, no! That's not what I said!"
"C'mon Young-ah, let's go."
"Do I still get cuddles? I took it back…"
The sound of their voices echoed back into the medical bay from the hallway until they were out of range, but there was a comfort in Yunho's heart with the way that things were back to normal now despite being alone for the night.