*Note: this is a double update

Lu Han gasped, as Minseok's formerly upright body fainted in his arms and slunk to the floor between Lu Han's outstretched arms. 

"What the devil!?" he shouted, already crouching down. Minseok's face was contorted, his eyes closed shut. Small whimpers turned into loud groans. Lu Han tried scooping him up, but Minseok's body was uncooperative. He thrashed about for all the world like a madman, groans turning into soft cries of fear. 

Suddenly Yixing was by his side. "What happened?"

"I don't know?" said Lu Han. "One minute he was standing here talking to me, the next he just collapsed! Did he fall asleep? Can he fall asleep just like that?"

Yixing nodded. "It's happened before, but like this is particularly rare. Help me get him to his bed before he hurts himself."

Between the two of them, and Baekhyun who also ran into the room with a little shriek of surprise, they got Minseok to his room. Junmyeon did not assist but watched from the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest, yawning and tutting at this most indecorous display of manners. 

"What now?" asked Lu Han. "Do you have anything to stop it? Medicine? Anything?"

Yixing snorted and stared at Lu Han dumbfounded. "Have you forgotten everything already? The bulk of Minseok's pills and potions were lost in the fire. No, now we just wait."

"Wait?" cried Lu Han. 

"Yes, wait." His voice dropped to a whipser. "And I'll let you two do it because I don't trust Junmyeon to be left alone."

Baekhyun hummed softly. "About that, weren't you going to remain at the estate?" 

Yixing rolled his eyes. "That was the plan, yes, but..." His eyes darted fearfully towards the door, as if worried Junmyeon might come through them directly. "I'll tell you later when it's safe." 

He left, and Lu Han and Baekhyun just stared at one another. Minseok lay between them, body rocking side to side, legs and arms still thrashing. After one particularly violent outburst where he smacked Baekhyun right in the nose, Lu Han sighed. 

"Enough of this, I'll just wrestle him to sleep." 

Baekhyun's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" 

But Lu Han was already kicking off his shoes and throwing back the covers. He crawled right into Minseok's side and turned him to fit within his arms, big spoon, little spoon. He threw his leg over Minseok's hips, and folded the man's flailing arms across his chest. Then he nuzzled into the back of Minseok's head, close enough that Minseok couldn't hurt him too bad whenever he threw back his head. Lu Han would be bruised in no time, no doubt, but already the other man thrashed less. His groans did not cease, however, and from time to time he would jolt as if hit by an explosion. He began to mutter. Baekhyun sat up on the other side of the bed and held his shoulder, petting his hair. 

"I can't tell what he's saying, can you?" said Baekhyun. 

Lu Han shook his head. "No." 

Minseok's babbling continued, for how long Lu Han couldn't say. They heard only syllables, half phrases, shouts, and cries. 

"Noo-

"Can't go on-

"Great-

"Can't breathe-

"Look out!

"Nooo!"

Then, suddenly, Minseok began to cry. Baekhyun looked positively alarmed. Lu Han only felt the droplets where they fell upon his hands, tightly bound up with Minseok's hands. Baekhyun leaned forward to wipe them away. 

"He's going through hell, isn't he?" he asked. 

Lu Han grumbled. "Sounds like it." So he changed the subject, anything to distract them both. "So, what were you doing in Versailles anyways? How was... Marie Antoinette?" He smiled. 

Baekhyun practically smoldered at him. "Not as beautiful as the portraits make her out to be." 

"Hmm, I figured," said Lu Han. "Guess I'll find out someday." 

Baekhyun shook his head. "Yeah, this is so weird. I can't figure it out. How do you guys even do this kind of thing? One minute I'm a perfectly handsome human being, then I'm rat-"

"Which, I heard was your fault."

"Ehhh, right. Mostly. Anyways. Now I'm human again but I'm dreaming?! That doesn't make sense. I'm not even blood related. I mean, I don't think I am? Oh dear sweet mother of mercy, you don't think I or someone in my family could be a..." he lowered his voice and his eyes darted fearfully towards the door, "a...a.. bastard?" 

Lu Han laughed. "Given this family lineage and all their quirks, I'm sure it's possible." 

Baekhyun groaned. But any further inquiry Lu Han thought to make about Baekhyun's personal lineage was cut short when Minseok once again began to shake. He held him tighter, ignoring the fear in his gut over whatever Minseok must be going through right now - and also what would happen when he awoke. 

They didn't have to wait long. Minseok gave one last low shriek and jolted upright with such force Lu Han was pushed backwards. Baekhyun tried to grab him, but Lu Han whispered a loud, "Wait! No!" 

He sat up, pushing back the blankets as he took in Minseok's posture. He was still, sitting upright. His body no longer shook, and his eyes were open. He looked unusually calm, but he began to move his limbs sluggishly around, lifting one arm and looking at it, then the other. He did the same with his legs, touching himself with wonder as if he couldn't be sure they were there or not. Finally, he held his hands to his heart and pressed down.

"I'm alive," said Minseok, soft with wonder. "I'm not dead. I'm not dead. I'm not dead. I'm not-" 

"Minseok," said Lu Han softly. The man's head jolted around to look at him, and Lu Han did his best to seem reassuring. "You're not dead, you're fine. You're perfectly fine."

It took a moment for his eyes to focus. Lu Han could see the actual moment when Minseok recognized him. Then he looked at Baekhyun and also recognized him. He hopped off the bed with no warning. 

"Minseok, wait! You need to rest. You just had a terrible dream!" 

While Baekhyun tried to hold him back, Lu Han jumped off the bed and hurried around it to Minseok's side. He brushed his arm, but Minseok hissed and threw him off. He rounded on Lu Han, and he stared between them both. "A terrible dream?! Is that what you want to call it? A dream?! I was just blown to smithereens by a bomb after watching my entire squadron die in the exact same way! And you want to lecture me about a dream? No!" 

He pushed Baekhyun aside, but Lu Han grabbed him from behind, around the middle, in strangely the same position where this entire episode began. "Minseok! Wait!" he shouted, interlocking his fingers and holding on tight. Minseok struggled for only a moment, and then the fight went out of him. 

"Let me go, Lu Han," he said instead, almost sadly.

"Not until you tell us what happened. It's the not the first time that kind of thing has happened, right? Tell us what's different. And where you're going right now."

Minseok was silent, but he did not move. Instead he sighed and his body slagged the tiniest bit. Lu Han took that as a sign it was going to be okay, and he released his arms. It was only then he realized Minseok was still crying. 

"It's not just my squadron who died... I saw... I saw someone else there, someone I've never seen before." Still he seemed distracted. "What kind of place has jungles? What kind of war has weapons like that? They dropped them from the air, and there were these massive flying engines, like metal birds. And the bullets, and the smoke, and the smell..." 

Lu Han sat him back on the edge of the bed, Baekhyun on his other side, and they hugged him for a long time. Until Minseok finally said, "It was my great grandther. Kim Jongin. He was... shot right in front of me. And I watched him die, slowly. But he knew me. He talked to me in his last moments and it was the most horrible thing ever but he said he'd seen my entire future, every future, and... it wasn't long enough. We should have had more time. He was dying so painfully. But he told me... he told me where I could find him again, if I just look in the right places. He's the key, I always knew he was the key. The first of us to wander." 

He stood up again, but this time he didn't dart off. 

"The time machine. Right now. We've got to fix it. We've got to use it. Come on Lu Han, you signed a contract to help me. And this time I'm going to see to it that you do." 

Come talk to me.