He scored another mark in the already worn-in table, scowling at the continuously growing tally.

217.

217 times he had failed.

“I would have thought you’d break and give up by now” the all too familiar voice behind him made him wince

“I broke a long time ago” Kyungsoo sighed, “but I’m not giving up anytime soon”

“You’re wasting away” the man said quietly, “you’re tearing yourself apart physically, mentally…emotionally. You can’t keep this up forever”

“Then help me oh brilliant Time Lord. I’ve been in pain since the day he died, I don’t care what happens to me” Kyungsoo hissed

“You know I can’t do that, it’s against the laws of time. Everything you’re doing here is illegal in my realm”

“Then why haven’t you stopped me? Taken away the hourglass? Why are you just hanging around? You’ve watched me fail 217 times now” Kyungsoo growled, frustrated

Silence. Kyungsoo scoffed.

“Admit it” he said, turning a wry smile on the tall Time Lord, staring down the sharp, cat-like eyes, “you’re curious”

Still no answer. Kyungsoo shook his head.

“To believe you give cats nine lives but you won’t deny fate for a boy”

“I’m only extending and giving time to life, postponing fate if you will” the Time Lord defended

“Then do the same for Jongin!” Kyungsoo cried, “give him a fuller life! Let him grow old with me! Let him see the future”

Dark eyes wandered the floor, unable to meet Kyungsoo’s, “I can’t extend someone’s time if it’s already ended” he whispered, looking up, “but I can give you all the time in the world”

Kyungsoo turned his back on him, “I don’t need time. I don’t want time. I want Jongin”

He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair, fists clenching as he leaned his elbows against the table. He heard the sound of the Time Lord morphing behind him, like sand brushing against stone in the wind. A black cat leapt up onto the table, sitting before Kyungsoo and staring purposefully at the tally.

He frowned at the cat and lifted his head, “I told you. I won’t give up” Kyungsoo pushed himself off the table and straightened up, “You can offer me all the time in the world but I’ll never take it if I have to spend it alone”

The Time Lord’s sleek body stood as he narrowed his eyes at Kyungsoo

You don’t have to spend it alone, you have me.

Kyungsoo watched as the cat silently scrutinised him before turning his heel and striding off, only pausing momentarily in the doorway.

“And, Tao”

The cat perked its ears

“Get off the table”

***

Kyungsoo tinkered with the machine, maintaining its condition so that it wouldn’t breakdown between years, days or minutes. Tao hovered close behind, pretending not to know the term ‘personal space’. Kyungsoo’s lips curled when it got to the point he could practically feel his breath hitting his ear.

“You’ve already created a time machine, what more do you need to do to this thing?” Tao’s words rang in his ear, louder than he would like

“Oh for the love of all that is good and merciful in this world please take a step back” Kyungsoo growled

“There’s not a lot of good and merciful things in this world” Tao snickered

“All the more reason to appreciate the things that are” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and stepped back from the machine, bumping into Tao who had, of course, not listened to him.

Kyungsoo turned and side-stepped him, walking over and placing his tools on the workshop table he picked up the hourglass, admiring the white, iridescent sand the seemed to move more like water. Twisting it in his hand he watched the sand reflect the colour of the rainbow as it turned in the light, like a white oil.

Tao stared at him with an incomprehensible expression, seeming deep in thought.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Tao asked

Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow at him. Do Time Lords come with a mute button?

“No” Kyungsoo answered bluntly. He didn’t want to remember.

“Of course you do! What was it? Seventy…sixth attempt?” Tao reminisced with a smirk

Kyungsoo’s hands tightened around the hourglass but remained silent

“The first time you took Jongin to the future~ you really thought it would work too” Tao sighed, chuckling “Though I’m surprised you didn’t try it earlier”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference” Kyungsoo spat, brushing past Tao and inserting the hourglass into a slot in the machine

Tao’s face immediately darkened, “Kyungsoo, you aren’t going back already are you? You aren’t ready”

He held Kyungsoo’s shoulders, pulling him away from the machine. He knew very well that humans weren’t meant to time travel, they were made to pass with time, not against it. Tao could the feel bones of Kyungsoo’s shoulders that his skin so tightly clung to. He didn’t need to see his face to know it was growing gaunt. He didn’t need to hear his voice to know he was growing weak.

“What do you care?” Kyungsoo said as he struggled against Tao’s grip in vain

Tao’s eyes softened, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, “I...I’m…sorry” breathed, “I shouldn’t have mentioned it, I just wasn’t thinking…” about Jongin. I was thinking about us, about the first time I really saw you “please, just rest first. Take a break, sleep, eat. Do human things for once”

Kyungsoo stopped struggling but swatted Tao’s hands away, leaving him to warily watch his back whilst Kyungsoo stared at the machine, weighing up his options. He hung his head, removing the hourglass from the machine and placing it on the workshop table.

“I do remember” Kyungsoo suddenly said, still not facing the Time Lord

Tao snapped his head up, a smirk on his lips. But Kyungsoo was less than impressed by the memory

“I hated you”

***

Sunlight streamed through the window, hitting the soft brown mess of hair and a face so peaceful Kyungsoo had to wonder if he had died again. Birds sung softly outside and a slight breeze made the pale curtains dance across the floorboards. Is this what it would’ve been like? Staring down at Jongin’s face, only inches from his own, Kyungsoo didn’t need to wonder. This was the future they would’ve had. Maybe they could still have that future together.

Kyungsoo lightly brushed the hair away from Jongin’s eyes, smiling as his breath continued to peacefully flow from his lips. He’s alive, Kyungsoo had to tell himself, he’s here. A small smile curved his lips as he savoured the image.

He blew at the few remaining strands of hair falling over Jongin’s face. Jongin scrunched his nose and grumbled some sort of incomprehensible complaint before going back to sleep. Kyungsoo chuckled lightly, some things don’t change. Kyungsoo blew on Jongin’s face again and watched his nose scrunch again, groaning as he buried himself in sheets

“Kyungsoo, stop~”

Kyungsoo’s smile widened and he planted a kiss on his forehead.

“You don’t belong here”

Kyungsoo jumped, startled by the intrusion, turning to see a tall stranger standing at the edge of the bed, dark cat-like eyes directed at Jongin in annoyance. Kyungsoo instinctively put himself between the stranger and the clearly alarmed and wide-eyed Jongin.

“What the hell are you doing in here? Who are you?!” Kyungsoo shouted in panic

The stranger ignored the question and turned his deadly gaze on him

“And you have played with my hourglass for long enough”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at him; he knows about the hourglass. His heart tightened at what he might have come here for, what could happen to Jongin, what might have already happened by bringing him to the future with him.

The stranger’s eyes were looking past Kyungsoo once again, a smirk plastered on his face

“Times up” he sneered

Kyungsoo turned around.

The first thing he saw was Jongin’s round, panicked eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked like a boy, lost and helpless, searching for the answers Kyungsoo didn’t have. What he saw next was what made his throat tighten. Ash. Fingers, shoulders, chest fell away, turnin to ash right before his eyes as Jongin’s body deteriorated.

“Kyungsoo” Jongin choked desperately, “what’s happening?”