Seonghwa rarely left the safety of his room, but for their testing purposes, he got to come out. Jongho made sure every other entrance was tightly sealed, and no one needed to leave in the next few hours. Then, Mingi held the door for him as Jongho carried the laptop in ceremonious hands. Wooyoung lugged his battery along. Apparently, the device would die if it spent a prolonged period without it, and while that wouldn't delete Seonghwa, he hated not knowing how much time passed while he was plunged into darkness.

Everyone gathered in the enormous cavern that trapped the water orb below the earth. They placed Seonghwa safely on a crate against a wall and waited for his commands. Earlier, they retrieved every rope and chain they could find inside the shelter and piled them together. Now, as soon as Seonghwa worked his magic, they would try to pull the water from the air. Once it was far enough down, the gravitational pull of the earth should reverse it to its original state.

Though Wooyoung couldn't fathom the physics behind all that, he was thrilled to be part of this. He cheered Seonghwa on whenever insecurity overcame him. As if he were a youngster on his first raid, his voice was meek with his instructions as Jongho positioned him.

Jongho's leg had mostly recovered. He walked almost fine now, getting rid of the crutches, though he avoided any strain on that leg. The wounds scabbed over and he diligently slathered ointment on them twice a day.

Wooyoung waited, leaning against the wall. He was ready for this adventure. Since he didn't need it, he left his trusty new gun in his room and his eyes mindlessly followed San through the cave as he inspected the water orb from all sides. They rarely got so close since water gatherers were best avoided during their work, but up close, the orbs looked most peculiar. They constantly shifted and morphed with water so dark it seemed gray. The surface was almost smooth to look at, but if touched, it rippled like any other liquid. Its constant flow was mesmerizing under the bright lights Wooyoung set up in the corners.

"Do we need to do anything?" Jongho asked once Seonghwa was happy with his angle. His screen faced the floating ball, seizing it up.

"The ball's gravity should be weakened by my force field. I will uphold it, so you can start pulling. Physically, it should fall apart by itself once it's close enough to Earth's gravity core."

Rolling his shoulders, Wooyoung got to his feet. He didn't understand the science, but he understood the order to pull. When he threw San the other end of the rope, the same thought reflected on the other raider's face.

It took them a few tries, but they managed to throw two ropes across the ball and weighed them with the iron chains. Because of the tension within its core, the chains didn't weigh enough to cut through the spheres. They couldn't wedge against a proper surface, but it was enough balance.

San and Wooyoung held one chain, Mingi and Jongho the other. In each corner of the room, they awaited Seonghwa's signal.

No visible change occurred, but the laptop hummed in satisfaction.

"Everyone pull at once," he ordered them and Wooyoung wasted no time. He stemmed his feet into the ground and yanked with all his might. His weight hauled him along.

The other three did the same. San's bare arm bulged under his vest as he slung the chain over his shoulder and drew with all his might. A tremble went through his body, and his hair hung in his distorted face.

Jongho and Mingi struggled similarly. Everyone groaned with the exertion, but they didn't let up. They stubbornly burrowed into the chains.

Seonghwa had spoken the truth. Though slowly, the sphere lost its spot tucked against the ceiling. It trembled, the water rushing even wilder when Seonghwa's field disrupted its molecules. The laptop didn't seem strained, so Wooyoung tugged harder, using every muscle in his body to force the chain toward the ground.

Since Wooyoung copied San's posture because it seemed more successful in utilizing his full strength, he couldn't help his occasional peeks. His awe at the ball changing distracted his steely ignorance, and San, unfortunately, related.

Ever since Wooyoung had such an intimate encounter with his body, he looked at San differently. He remembered the heat of those brawny limbs, the press of his hips, and the grip of his hands. Though half of him was covered in bandages that kept making Wooyoung forget about his rashes and they scratched his skin whenever they touched, San's looks weren't so bad. Where his gruff personality and past illness warded people off, Wooyoung saw the appeal in his healthy parts.

And especially now, with the chain wrung around his non-dominant arm as sweat dripped down his temples, Wooyoung's throat was dry. San was different from Yunho. Where Yunho tickled Wooyoung's heart with his giggles and bashful hugs, San turned his world upside down with an intensity Wooyoung didn't think possible in their bleak surroundings. Even now, he drew on that chain as if his life depended on it. His passion for things was... refreshing. It was the opposite of Wooyoung's ever-so-present hopelessness.

Reminding himself to focus, Wooyoung stemmed his weight into the chain. The ball was so near now, but their grunts signaled their waning strength. Wooyoung shook his hair from his eyes and gritted his teeth as he mobilized his last effort.

Then, all at once, the ball plummeted. Wooyoung stumbled and landed flat on the ground when it suddenly dropped, chains falling along. It raced towards the earth, down into the mid of sprawled men.

The second it touched the ground, it burst apart. Fresh water filled the dip of the cavern, spreading out into a lake. It wasn't so high to drown them, but more than Wooyoung had ever seen in one place. Upon its momentum, it splashed over the edges, dousing the four surprised faces.

Wooyoung spluttered and wrung his hair from his eyes. He glanced at Seonghwa first, but he was safe in his niche on the wall. Then, his eyes found back to San.

In a similar surprise, the other man sat on his knees. His bandages were drenched and his clothes clung to his body. Wet hair darkened his forehead, but his expression was light with joy.

"We did it!" Jongho squealed. Mingi scrambled forward to cup his hands into the water. In disbelief, they stared at the mass of it. It could quench their thirst for so long, could allow all of them to bathe at once.

This much water just floated in the air everywhere?

If it weren't up there, would the desert still be so dry? Wouldn't the plants strive?

San whipped around to Seonghwa.

"You did it! You can heal this world!"

Just as baffled, Seonghwa took a moment to reply. In the meantime, Jongho and Mingi splashed water at each other merrily.

"I... I can. I truly can," Seonghwa replied, voice crumbling with shock.

Wooyoung shuffled forward to touch his grimy hands into the priceless good. The water was cool inside the cave and felt so much more cleansing than anything else he knew. It was so clear and pure, inviting for a dip.

"We have to take a bath! Or bring another one inside! If we take the jeep-" Mingi sprouted more and more ideas, so excited now that Seonghwa's power had become tangible. Wooyoung still sat stunned, and his gaze kept flicking to San. To the thrill on his features, the dimples hugged by soaked bandages.

Hope sure was beautiful.

Usually, Wooyoung would shake it off but he wanted to linger in this moment. Wanted to appreciate the glow of everyone's faces for as long as he could.

"Bath first!" Mingi suggested and Jongho joined his giddiness.

"No, no, bottles first! It's so clear and delicious now!" To demonstrate, he lifted the cup of his hands to his lips. He gasped from the refreshing experience and the others hurried to copy him.

Wooyoung never drank water that tasted so clean. With the time spent in plastic bottles out in the heat, the water he knew was stale, though uninfected. This time, he could taste the iron lingering on his hands and the earth stuck to his fingers. However, the water was refreshing and light as it rushed through his throat. It invited him to another gulp and another, so clean and healthy. He wanted to dunk his head in and never stop drinking until it all was gone. Water trickled over his chin and down his throat, cooling him off.

And he didn't have to be mindful of his every sip. There was so much of it now, an almost infinite supply.

Mingi and Jongho raced off to retrieve some bottles while Seonghwa still stuttered in awe about his own calculations being right. When San stood up to praise him, his dimpled grin was unfairly charming.

"Shit," Wooyoung cursed to himself when he noticed he couldn't rip his eyes away. They drank up San's every step, marveled at the energy in his body.

What was going on? How was he so handsome all of a sudden? How were the ugly rashes and his mocking smirks all forgotten?

Yunho, Yunho would shine like the brightest star if he were here.

But he wasn't. There was only San and now he circled around the new pool to steer at Wooyoung and fuck, fuck, fuck, Wooyoung couldn't move. He should spring up to brush it off and return to his room until San reverted to normal. But he could only sit and stare as that handsome devil came closer with his cargo pants clinging to his legs. He crouched by Wooyoung's side with that blinding grin.

"Shaken up, are we? I also can't believe it worked."

As incredible as this was, and as grand as this reveal would be for their future and Seonghwa's purpose, Wooyoung's emotional turmoil disregarded all those facets. Only the churning of his stomach which was both entertaining and offensive occupied his mind.

Wooyoung nodded but no word would come over his lips. When San turned towards the pool, Wooyoung was as if bewitched by that dimple. How did it feel to the touch? To kiss? Would Wooyoung see more of it on their journey? His heart might not be equipped for that.

San's bandages were stained from the rusty iron chain. He dipped his free hand into the water and watched how its surface distorted the shape of his fingers. When he pulled back, he flicked the few harmless droplets at Wooyoung's face.

Flinching when one hit him in the eye, Wooyoung startled back awake. He frowned at his personal torturer and San beamed back at him.

"Come on, enough dawdling. Let's help the other two so Seonghwa can go back to safety before he overheats. We don't want him to get in contact with this much liquid."

It was almost... nice. Almost playful. As if they were a proper group, proper friends. And perhaps this was normal for San, but it wasn't for Wooyoung.

In a rush, he scrambled to his feet. He took the bottles from the others to distract himself while the trio brought Seonghwa back into his room. On their way, they gushed to him about his abilities and about how they could depart anytime now. They left Wooyoung to his devices as Seonghwa chattered back about how he was overjoyed that he could help. The pressure on him would increase as their hope depended on his abilities.

Wooyoung filled the bottles, and his mind was blissfully empty.

They found the key to curing the world. To lift the clouds from the sky and bring the water back to the earth so the plants could come back to life and the humans wouldn't turn into fouls anymore. Seonghwa could fix it all if only he made it to that facility.

Yet all Wooyoung could think about was San under the rush of water, his wet hair, and his surprised smile.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself once more, for good measure.

This was a matter he was afraid Seonghwa couldn't repair.