Minseok could see the panic set in, Lu Han’s eyes darting around the room like he was looking for an escape. It was infinitely amusing to see the man like this, suddenly bashful and unsure when a half an hour before he had been ranting, all but shouting about Minseok ruining his life. Gone was the confidence, in its place settled a dusting of pink on Lu Han’s cheeks.

Minseok leaned forward in his chair, delighting in the way Lu Han squirmed in his seat – like he could get away when they were seated across from each other, only inches separating the pair. “I’m here. I’m listening. Woo away,” he drawled, stifling laughter when Lu Han opened his mouth to speak then shut it again.

After a few awkward seconds of silence Minseok made a move, having too much fun to stop now. He stood up and forward, resting his hands on each side of Lu Han, caging him into the chair with his arms. Their faces were only inches apart, Lu Han pressing back to create more space and Minseok chasing him to bridge the gap. “Do you want to kiss me, Lu Han?”

He heard Lu Han swallow. He could sense his uneven breath. It was fun to toy with Lu Han like this. How long had it been since he had kissed anyone? Or cared to kiss anyone? And did he really care now…he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that this was too amusing a situation to pass up.

Lu Han was nervous but he hadn’t entirely discarded the bizarre confidence that Minseok knew him for. He took a deep breath and then pressed forward, hands grabbing for Minseok’s forearms as he angled up to press their lips together.

It was soft, chaste...interesting. Minseok kissed back, pressing harder. Lu Han was the one who parted his lips first but Minseok was soon to follow, losing himself in the kiss. His tongue slid into Lu Han’s mouth, caressing teeth as their breathing mingled. He hadn’t expected Lu Han to kiss like this – gentle, still a little hesitant. It was a heady feeling, coupled with his lack of sleep it was slightly disorienting.

When they broke apart a blanket of awkwardness set in. Minseok retreated back to his seat, smirking at Lu Han, who looked equal parts mortified and afraid.

“You’re off to a good start, dare I admit,” Minseok chuckled. “Wooing, I mean.”

Lu Han cleared his throat. “Yes. Very good then.”

Minseok scooted his chair back and stood, unable to hide his smile. “We should get back to work.”

Lu Han nodded, his cheeks still red.

The candles burned low, casting a dim light in the study. Minseok sat at his desk, checking his calculations for the umpteenth time. A soft snoring could be heard behind him – Lu Han passed out in the corner chair. He had claimed he wasn’t tired, that he would stay to help (and by help he meant be the sounding board for Minseok’s rambles). It wasn’t long before he fell asleep and Minseok didn’t care to wake him.

It was an oddity, this man who came from a place in which Minseok had achieved much more than he ever could have hoped. This man who was suspicious yet honest…or so Minseok hoped. He had kissed him, dare he be a consummate liar who would cause his downfall? Minseok shuddered to think of it.

He lost himself in his thoughts, pen hovering over the page as he stared into the void and debated what he had done hours before. Was this what made him a so-called psychopath? He looked over his shoulder, towards the sleeping time traveler. He looked utterly at peace in his sleep, something Minseok could never hope for.

Images of his mother flashed before him. Hope. Disbelief. Insanity. A shiver racked his body. No, he decided, it was never going to be the same way for him. And this man who claimed he would woo him, claimed many things…he was different than his mother, no? He knew about the curse, believed in it unlike the mother Minseok watched fall into madness when the truth became too much. Minseok stared at Lu Han for how long he did not know, a realization setting in.

Morning light broke over the nearly deserted streets, the fog still heavy, obscuring the carriages that periodically rambled over the cobblestone. Minseok hugged his cloak tightly around him, forever weary of the chill that permeated the city at that time of year.

It was relatively quiet at that time of day – the shops were not open for business, the members of society were only now collapsing into their beds after another night of see and be seen. Servants busied themselves, up long before the masters of their households, readying their places of employ while the family’s slept. Minseok nodded to a few of the servants who made eye contact as they darted past, eschewing the social order of the day.

He walked for a little under an hour in the breaking dawn, only slowing his steps when he spotted the twisted iron fencing of the kirkyard. His boots pressed into the dew drenched overgrowth of the small cemetery, a maze of weeds and vines that would disorient a person if one did not have a destination in mind upon entering the place.

Minseok found the grave easily. He had memorized the number of steps from the gate to the weather worn tombstone.

Kim Jongin

1694-1741

He brushed away the foliage that covered the tombstone, tracing the name with his index finger. He sat back on his haunches, reading and rereading the name.

It had occurred to him a few years back that this may be the start of it all but he had no proof. A great-grandfather…a likely candidate. A man he hadn’t met in any of his travels. A man who lay beside an unmarked grave, both surrounded in wrought iron fencing like the world was trying to keep them contained, keep them out, and keep them at bay.

“I met an interesting man,” Minseok whispered. “Dare he give me hope?”

The birds began to stir, the city waking up, noise drifting into the desolate cemetery.

“I kill him, or so he says.” Minseok wondered what could be under his feet. Nothing, probably nothing. An empty grave, a symbolic gesture like all of his ancestor’s graves. “Do I trust him?”

There would never be an answer no matter how long he waited. After a few minutes Minseok stood, pulling his cloak around him he left without a backward glance. It was a fruitless effort like always.

“Am I at least well fed as a rat?” Baekhyun asked, voice raising a pitch as he energetically questioned his supposed future existence.

“I think so...I guess I’m not sure,” Lu Han admitted.

Minseok entered the drawing room to find Baekhyun had arrived and Lu Han had woken up.

“Where were you?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend’s early morning outing.

“The cemetery,” Minseok admitted freely, smirking when Lu Han’s face went pale.

“W-were you…” Lu Han trailed off.

Minseok knew what he was thinking. “I was not digging up bodies for experimentation. I leave that to people like Baekhyun.”

“I would never!” Baekhyun protested, launching into a tirade about his respectability.

Minseok took a seat on the settee next to Lu Han, the adventurer giving him a smile at Baekhyun’s antics. Minseok returned the smile, feeling his chest tighten, an odd feeling overcoming him at the near secretive gesture.