Chapter Text
He couldn’t see the surface, but he knew that it was a beautiful day.
Beep
The joyous laughter of his brothers could always cure his migraines, no matter how severe, and the feeling of his fingers gliding through the grass soothed the aching in his bones; they were playing a game, just the five of them he recalled, together, alone, in the space built for them.
Ssssss
The ground was shaking underneath them. A wall of dust cascaded over his shoulders as the ceiling began to crumble; he could barely keep his footing, his wrist held tightly in her hand as she pulled him along, through the thick cloud of haze -- there was a scent in the air, burnt and unwelcoming, and he felt his lungs sting.
Click
Thunder followed them and lightning flashed. His throat burned as he coughed, tears running down his dust-covered cheeks. His foot caught on his ankle, and he was sent tumbling down down down, until his cheek collided with the floor; he could feel the skin shred, and his ears began to ring until-
Ba-dump
Soobin gasped softly as his eyes opened, an electric-like shock rippling through his veins — he had felt it in his chest before it had burst, expanding throughout his whole being from his toes to every strand of his hair. As air entered in through his mouth, he could feel how dry his lips were, and as it billowed into his lungs, he could tell how deprived they had been; his upper torso burned and ached as his brain began to awaken, jumpstarting his existence once more.
It was a harsh process, one Soobin had never before experienced, and he couldn’t help but groan as pain surged through his head, replacing the tingling sensation his awakening had given him.
He brought his hands up to his eyes, which only allowed him to open halfway. They were heavy and blurred from their lack of use, and they stung as he rubbed them. The sudden pain made him hiss. He squinted through the fog of his vision; it was yet to clear, but he could tell that his hands were discolored, smeared with a sickly grey; and as he looked down at the rest of him, tattered and dirty, he felt another jolt in his body, though it was of emotional shock and worry.
Soobin sat up hastily. His head was light but his limbs were heavy, and he felt as if every one of his joints popped as his bones all shifted back into place, creaking uncomfortably under his skin. He looked around, squinting as he tried to make out the different shapes in the room; where was he? This couldn't have been the Sleeping Quarters, nor was this any of the lab rooms he had seen before -- and why did he ache all over?
Thinking that he must have been in a recovery room of sorts, Soobin attempted to call out, but all his voice manifested was a pathetic croak. He cleared his dry throat and tried again -- his voice was heavily scratched, but he managed to say, “Hello?”
The room was empty, so his voice carried throughout it.
He waited for a response, and as silence followed, he figured that no one had heard him.
With his vision beginning to come into focus, he found it safe enough to push himself to his feet. He had a little difficulty shimmying down that of which he sat, his knees cracking painfully as he attempted to bend them, and he was about to make contact with the ground when-
“Oh, my mars,” A voice from somewhere behind him spoke. Soobin turned his head; although he wasn’t able to see who it was because they were embracing him within a blink of an eye, he knew who it was just based on their unique voice -- the aching in his body from the hug subsided as quickly as it came.
Yeonjun pulled away, though still held Soobin, cupping his face gently within his hands. His eyes gleamed, almost watering as he said, “You’re finally awake.”
Seeing such a look of relief on his older brother surprised Soobin. He found himself unable to speak, but Yeonjun filled in the blank space.
“Are you okay?” He asked, looking him over. “How do you feel? Can you hear me? Oh, you’re bleeding.” Yeonjun ran his thumb over Soobin’s cheekbone. Alarmed at how badly it stung, Soobin raised his own hand to his face; sure enough, when he looked down at it, it had taken on a crimson color.
“I…” he began, then shook his head as it began to ache. “What happened?”
“What hap- do you not remember?” Yeonjun’s eyebrows knitted together as his head tilted in concern.
He blinked in thought. “Did I faint?”
Soobin didn't know how to properly describe the look of immense dread that weighed down Yeonjun’s features, which now appeared just as torn and tattered as Soobin was as his eyesight completely cleared; he looked as if he had been buried alive and dug himself back out using nothing but his hands and nails, his face smudged with dirt and his usual blue hair an ash grey.
He swallowed hard.
“Yeonjun?” He asked, though he received no words as a response; instead, Yeonjun turned his head and Soobin mirrored him.
He felt his heart rise, then plummet into the pit of his stomach as he looked over the row of their younger brothers, laying as still as a coffin in the dirt -- and just like that, pain sprouted from the back of his head as all that had happened came flooding back to him at once: the shock, the adrenaline, the feeling of his fists striking the glass, the absolute fear and dismay as all that they had grown to love crumbled; a white coat disappearing into the dust, the agonizing feeling of abandonment and hopelessness.
Soobin looked back toward Yeonjun. He didn’t bother trying to mask all of what he was feeling.
“I know,” Yeonjun said solemnly. “I was hoping that it was all just a nightmare -- well, it was, but unfortunately not one my mind made up.”
“So are… are they all…?”
“I don’t know. I, uh… I haven’t really looked around," he admitted. "I didn't want to go alone."
"How long have you been up?"
"Three hours." Soobin raised his eyebrows in shock, his mouth gaping open. Yeonjun fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt as he glanced around. “I’ve been waiting for you guys to wake up. I didn’t know how long it would take. I was beginning to think you all were…” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
Soobin gazed out over the three remaining creations. “Help me up,” he said, grabbing onto Yeonjun’s shoulder as he tried to pull himself to his feet. Yeonjun did as he was told, though his strength was scarce and he nearly sent both of them tumbling to the floor; Soobin winced as Yeonjun gripped his arm tightly, and it wasn't until then did he truly realize just how weak his body was, his legs shaking underneath him and head swimming. Yeonjun let Soobin lean on him.
"Take it easy," he told him with a little strain in his voice. "Don't rush yourself."
Soobin pointed to the nearest time capsule. "Walk," he demanded pathetically. Yeonjun gave him a look, but before he could protest, Soobin continued with, "I just want to see them." And so Yeonjun obliged, though somewhat reluctantly.
Walking felt awkward. Every step felt as if he were walking on jello; it was difficult to keep his balance, like he was just learning to use his legs all over again, and he couldn't help but wonder just how long it had been -- every part of his body seemed to protest against him, and the short distance between his time capsule and the next felt like they had just crossed the fabled Sahara that they had heard about time and time again. It was a place Soobin had always wanted to visit. He had always wanted to feel just how hot the sun could be, and although they were buried deep underground, he began to sweat as if his wish had already been granted.
Soobin placed his hand on the time capsule, his breathing heavy and legs already tired. Yeonjun kept a secure arm around his waist.
They looked down at Beomgyu, who laid unmoving. He looked frail, just a scintilla of honey present in his cheeks, and if Soobin wasn't looking directly at his chest, watching it rise and fall with short, sporadic breaths, he wouldn't have been able to tell that he had been living at all.
Soobin gently felt for a pulse. He found one nestled right under Beomgyu's jaw, but it was faint and hardly noticeable.
"I released the hatches as soon as I could," Yeonjun explained, running his fingers along the panel on the time capsule. "That was about two hours ago. I didn’t realize how long it would take for our bodies to expel the Frost."
“How long do you think we were like this?”
“I have no idea, but that's the first thing we need to find out." He looked over his shoulder at the heavy steel door, which was still attached by the hinges and the only reason this room still stood -- the only reason the five of them weren't flattened amidst the chaos of that night. "We should go to the Universals room as soon as we're all up and moving -- hopefully the Great Grandfather Clock is still standing."
Although he highly doubted that that was the case, Soobin didn’t say it out loud. He could tell that that was what Yeonjun was thinking as well: it was evident by the way he pressed his lips together after he spoke, as if preventing himself from saying any more empty promises, as all that would lead to would be further disappointment -- and if this was the only vain hope that they have left, Soobin didn’t want to take it away from them.
He was desperate himself, after all; he didn't want to accept the fact that everything he had known may be gone, not yet. Not until he saw it all for himself, no matter how agonizingly heartbreaking it might be.
Soobin was a realist, but when it came to having to tuck his own family away in the past, he couldn't bring himself to face the facts, not even when each and every one of them knew that this had always been a possibility.
He examined the remaining three, subconsciously stroking Beomgyu’s hand; Taehyun had the most color back to his skin, and although he was positioned the furthest away, he could see Kai’s eyebrow twitch.
Taehyun took a sharp and deep breath in before exhaling, a white mist gathering at his lips. Soobin recalled how it felt when it had entered his lungs. He recalled how he had felt as it shrouded him, encasing him in an inescapable panic, and he remembered how helpless he was as his body began to shut down, freeze as the Frost fully covered him from the inside out.
Soobin looked at Yeonjun, who looked back at him. Their eyes reflected one another's worries.
They tried to smile, but the corner of their mouths wouldn’t move.