“You don’t have to do this.”

   Though he was told countless times that the past wasn’t much different, the future was nothing like Minjun would have ever expected. When he had been awakened, the utter lack of familiarity wrecked his brain, forcing his mind to search for answers to questions he couldn’t even remember. Who was he? The face that looked at him in the mirror was his, but it was unrecognizable, and achingly so. It had taken weeks to master simple motor skills, like snapping his fingers, or whistling.

   The day he awoke from his five-hundred year sleep would forever be marked as the most horrifying experience of his existence; after his body thawed from the cryonics, the burning sensation started. It spread through him like he was on fire, his throat raged with air for the first time in centuries, his vision took days to adjust to the light. It was as if he had suddenly begun thinking, feeling, existing. Like he had started anew. In many ways, it was exactly as such.

   His memories returned slowly, in bits and chunks, but always in sepia. A certain smell would remind him of a song he knew the lyrics to but neither the name nor singer. Some memories haunted him in a taste or texture that made him feel something so unreasonable, traces of longing hidden away in some unknown part of his mind under lock and key.

   Apparently, he had once been a famous musician, diagnosed with some incurable illness and had jumped on the cryopreservation bandwagon that had taken place in the early twenty-first century. Though much of that life was a blur, now. By the time he adapted to this new life and could function on his own, the file he was given at his awakening was etched into his memory, as if in an attempt to convince himself of who he was supposed to be.

   Kim Minjun.

   Aged 28 yrs.

   Blood type A.

   Citizenship, Republic of Korea.

   Diagnosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

   Declared dead, December 31^st 2016.

“Hyung.” A deep voice called to him from far away, he couldn’t respond, but he wanted to. He was fading, surrounded by emptiness but still clutching on to the sound of that honey-like voice until there was nothing to grasp at anymore.

   Minjun woke with a gasp for breath that ached his chest and left his heart racing. Sitting up, he kicked the covers away from his sweat drenched body and let the dizziness subside before glancing at the clock on the table beside his bed. He woke up every night at exactly two o’clock, and tonight was no exception. There was medication for it, but he didn’t take it; he felt that every dream brought him closer to the answers he sought.

   Though they often left him wondering and restless.

“Welcome to Siju Academy, my name is Taecyeon.” The smile plastered on the face of the cadet that stood before him was catching, to say the least. “Let’s get along well.”

   Minjun looked at the outstretched hand before him for a while before extending his own limb and shaking the appendage. He eyed the size of the man the hand was attached to, and pulled his own hand back without a word before clearing his throat and bowing, more out of programming than respect. “Kim Minjun, pleasure to meet you, Teacyeon.”

   Taecyeon’s toothy smile turned into a cheesy grin and Minjun flinched when the beastly looking guy in front of him suddenly turned into a giant teddy bear and placed a hand on top of his head, ruffling Minjun’s amber colored locks of hair. “You can call me Taec, we’re roommates after all. We should speak to each other as friends do.”

   Friends.

   Considering that he was from another time period, he never thought making friends would be so easy. Maybe Taecyeon would prove him wrong.

Minjun furrowed his brown in concentration, typing away at the computer screen on his desk as he followed along to the lecture their professor was giving on the topic of anti-time carrier wave distributors and how they actually allow us to travel backwards though the space-time continuum.

   With a quiet sigh, he muttered under his breath. “Sounds like something from Star Trek.”

   “Do you have something you’d like to add, Cadet?” Professor Nichkhun questioned, and Minjun clenched his jaw in embarrassment as all eyes in the class were suddenly directed towards him.

   Sitting back in his chair, he shook his head, ready to apologize when Taecyeon spoke up beside him.

   “I believe he was referring to a twenty-first century television program, where a theory of hyper dimensional time travel was used in many of the plots surrounding a crew of starship officers who traveled the universe…Sir.” The giant said, that typical ‘I know everything’ smile making it difficult for Minjun to resist the urge to kick the oversized teeth out his head.

   Nichkhun narrowed his eyes before directing his gaze back to Minjun. “Well perhaps, since Cadet Kim is so interested in television, he should have went back to being an entertainer, rather than wasting everyone’s time in my classroom talking about fantasy TV.”

   “I apologize, Sir.” Minjun said promptly, hearing the snickers from around the class and sulking back in his chair.

   “Next time you speak up in my class, I advise you add something of value to the lesson.” Nichkhun motioned to the entire classroom, who now sat in silence. “Many people applied for the seat you’re currently in and were rejected. I will not tolerate anyone belittling that.”

   He clenched his jaw and nodded his head. “It won’t happen again.”

   Now that he was quite thoroughly humiliated, Nichkhun turned back to his lecture. “In the year two thousand seventy-eight, Dr. Sergio Kristof proved the shape of the universe to be a four dimensional hypersphere in which time flows in all directions, causing the constant expansion of the universe. Additionally, it is impossible to travel in time and alter the events which have already occurred in this dimension. Instead, if one attempts to time travel in order to stop a particular scenario from happening, they would simply create a new parallel universe and return back to the reality in which they originated. Furthermore, the farther back in time you go, the more anti-time carrier waves are needed to travel and the shorter the journey will be.”

   Nichkhun turned to the wall sized computer screen behind him and started scribbling away with a rubber pen that left notes on the screen for the class to see. “Can anyone name the four most reliable ways to generate anti-time carrier waves?” Without even looking back to see Taecyeon’s hand raise slowly into the air, he added. “You may put you hand down, Mr. Ok, all of us here are all well aware of the fact that you will ace this class.”

   Minjun only smirked at the look of hurt on his roommate’s face when the giant went back to doodling on the touchscreen of his computer.

   Once class was dismissed, Taec was by his side in a heartbeat, already talking about their next class on metaphysics and reminding him of the report that was due in less than two weeks in which Minjun hadn’t even begun writing. “Do you know what I was thinking, what if someone could generate a continuous carrier wave that used its’ own anti-matter to generate a never ending supply of anti-time?” Taecyeon asked as they stepped down from their desks and headed towards the exit. “Wouldn’t that mean there would be no limit to how long someone could stay in the past, or even that they could travel back to the theoretical time before the big bang?”

   “I believe what you just described is the base argument on Dr. Jang’s theory of reverse time travel.” Nichkhun interrupted as they walked passed him. “Perhaps I’ll recommend you for one of his classes in your senior year. “

   Minjun raised his eyebrow at the way Taecyeon’s eyes seemed to shine in wonder, and then turned to leave for his next class, only to be stopped by their professor.

   “A moment, if you would, Cadet?” Nichkhun waited for Taec to take the hint to leave them and once the two of them were alone in the now empty classroom. Nichkhun was known for his harsh criticism of his students, and many of the cadets referred him as ‘the judge’ of Siju Academy, due to his ability to scare away any cadet who wasn’t completely dedicated.

   Minjun stood there, his head held up and ready for whatever harsh words were about to come his way. “I understand this is a new and difficult experience for you.” Nichkhun started. “And I want you to realize that I do not think lesser of you, because of the fact that you are from a time where humanity held a lesser knowledge of the universe. I know you’ve been through much, it took a great strength for you to choose this path…

   And that’s why I expect you to work harder at it than the others. Because you have already proven yourself steadfast.” There was a tone the professor used that Minjun had never heard before. The commonly arrogant way that Nichkhun spoke was tinted in a glaze of admiration, and acceptance, though his eyes were determined and unyielding as ever. “If you feel that this class is too much for you to comprehend, then I suggest you resign the idea of becoming a time travel technician and find a new career. You are dismissed.”

A shadow loomed over him as he sat in the university garden with a sketchbook and a set of charcoal pencils.

   Minjun didn’t even look at Taecyeon, and just kept shading in the soft shadows under the eyes of the face he was drawing. Large almond eyes stared back at him from the paper, hovering over a soft nose and full lips. He blew away the access dust from the page and set his pencil down after adding a few finishing touches.

   “Who is he?”

   Staring down at the face he had dreamed of nearly every night for a month, his throat tightened in subdued anxiety and he shook his head. “I have no idea...”

Minjun looked up at the dark vast of space, after so many times of repeating the same action, he found out that if you stared long enough, you could see the rippling pattern on the force field from the thousands of micrometeorites that were constantly falling down to the moon’s atmosphere. In the middle of the black sky, day end and day out, and surrounded by the billions of tiny flickering dots that scattered across the visible galaxy, was that big blue planet that he would soon call ‘home’ once more.

   They finally made it.

   Five years at the academy and they were finally graduating.

   He could hear his classmates laughing a ways away, their excitement unable to be quelled, but for some reason, he just couldn’t seem to get into the same celebratory mood as the rest of them. So he stood far away, where no one would bother him, until the ceremony begun.

   Well, almost no one.

   He heard footsteps in the artificial grass and knew it was the only person who ever went out of their way to socialize with him. He no longer cringed at the feel of fingertips wrapping around his own, and rather welcomed the warm hand that surrounded his. Somewhere throughout their time together, Minjun had become accustomed the sense of companionship it brought. It was the only time he ever felt like he wasn’t completely alone.

   “Hyung.” Taecyeon said once he was beside him in a proud voice so deep it sounded sent chills down his spine.

   The body next to him radiated warmth as they stood together, both looking up at the dark sky. Their fingers were intertwined so perfectly, he swore he could feel their hearts beating in unison. “Hyung.” That honey like voice he loved more than any other sound forced his attention, and when he looked over, all he could see through the darkness was the subtle outline of that soft smile.

   That perfect smile.  

   That smile that was turning into a frown as his name was repeated for a second or third time.

   Minjun blinked as his senses returned to normal, and looked down sadly at his hand that was squeezing Taecyeon’s a little tighter than he had intended. “You went to that other place again, didn’t you?” His best friend asked, and he could say nothing in reply.

   He wanted to apologize, but for what, he didn’t even understand.

   As if reading his mind, the giant beside him reached his free hand up and poked his forehead with a dramatic sigh. “Yah, stop pouting.” The taller male pulled him into a forced hug that Minjun didn’t even have the strength to push himself out of. “This is a happy day…You’re one step closer to your answers, aren’t you?”

   Minjun looked up at the chocolate brown eyes that always seemed to soften whenever their gazes met. He didn’t move, not even when the face before him leaned closer and stole their first kiss.

   And, for a tiny infinity, he felt content with never receiving those answers.

Taecyeon was nervous, he could feel it from where the larger man stood beside him.

   They were both nervous, which was to be expected, only Minjun hid it better.

   It was only minutes away from their departure time, their first jump, and they were lucky enough to be given clearance to go together. For the last few weeks, they had been preparing, cramming seemingly useless knowledge into their heads about random facts of the past, most of which Taecyeon already knew and that Minjun felt that he should have known, considering they were jumping back to the same century that he came from.

   The point of the trip was simple, exploration. Nothing more than a simple recreational journey. At least, that’s what they told their superiors. But Minjun saw this as something so much more.

   “If something goes wrong…” Taecyeon started to say, but Minjun shook his head to shush him.

   “Nothing will go wrong.” He said, feeling the other calm down substantially.

   Thin lips pressed into a small line before a sigh fell from his lips. “But if it does.”

   “It won’t.” This time, Minjun reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “But I’ll be right here.”

   Taecyeon looked at him for a long while before nodding, reaching forward and punching in the sequence for their landing. “I’m entering the coordinates now...” He watched the other clench his jaw as he typed in the precise location, knowing that if they were off by even one thousandth of a decimal, it could mean death for them both. “Preparing for departure...Destination three seven point five two five seven two two by one two seven point zero five zero five eight seven.”

   Minjun double checked the location as Taecyeon read it off, just as they were trained, entering his security code once everything checked out. “Engaging carrier wave generators, reaching full power in thirty-five seconds.”

   “Arrival date,” Taec paused for a moment. “Ten, eighteen, twenty thirty-eight.”

   In those final moments it took the generators to power up, their eyes met, and all the nervousness seemed to dissipate. There was nothing, nothing except the countdown of the computer, the look of determination in the dark orbs that stared so lovingly at him as he initiated their departure the moment the containment field around them stabilized.

   In a flash of light, they were gone.

He knew the moment they landed that something was not right.

   Minjun looked to his left, where Taecyeon was previously standing beside him, just as the larger body collapsed to the ground like a dead weight. “Taec!”

   He rushed to his partner’s side and crouched on the concrete pavement, the monitor connected to Taecyeon’s heart was beeping at an alarming rate and when he carefully turned the limp body over, his eyes widened. Taecyeon’s entire left leg, up to his hipbone was severed, as if burned away, and was nowhere to be seen around them. As well as the arm on the same side, halfway to his elbow.

   He took the younger male’s face in his hands and looked into the teary eyes that gleamed up at him in a heartbreaking mixture of pain and anxiety, trying to shush Taecyeon’s fruitless attempts to speak. “Shhh, it’s gonna be okay.” Minjun tried to speak calmly, but the hand that clutched his shirt jolted his nerves.

   The safeguard on Taecyeon’s transporter kicked on the moment his body started convulsing as his heart failed and he went into shock.

   “Emergency transport in five…four…three…two…”

   And in that instant, he was gone, leaving Minjun shivering on the ground as a gust of wind blew against him.

   He cursed under his breath, looking around him for the first time since landing, his senses on high alert as he took in his surroundings as quickly as possible. It was nighttime, he was in a secluded area of the city, he heard a dog bark somewhere several blocks away and his breath fogged in front of him in misty huffs. Following protocol, he tapped the computer device strapped to his arm.

   “Computer, where am I?” His breath huffed out in a puff of white steam in front of him as he reminded himself to remain calm.

   The device answered back immediately. “Current location: Gangnam district, Seoul.”

   “What’s the date?”

   “October eighteenth, two thousand and eighteen.”

   Damn, they overshot their destination by two decades.

   Minjun ran a hand through his hair and held his computer up, tapping away at his transporter logistics, calculating how long it would take for him to generate enough power to make the trip back home.

   After only a short moment, he remembered that their backup carrier wave generator was in Taec’s pack.

   Which was now in the future.

   He rolled his eyes and cursed again, louder this time. “Computer, how long before my auto-transport safeguard kicks in?”

   “Approximately seventy-one hours, eleven minutes and forty-two seconds.”

   A little less than three days, that’s how long he had to survive for.

Minjun tucked his hands in his pockets as he walked through the streets, towards nowhere in particular. He was fascinated by how different the world was in this time, the billboards and lights of the city – you could actually see the sky over many of the buildings – and the cars. Everything was different from the future, yet he felt a strange familiarity with the city that surrounded him, like coming home for the first time in years.

   He knew that he had walked these streets before.

   But it wasn’t until some drunk sod stopped him in front of what looked like a pet store that he truly understood how much he belonged here. “You look just like that singer!” The guy stumbled towards him, asking for a handout. “C’mon man…You’re rich, you can afford to spare ‘sum change…Just enough for a drink!”

   He was just about to hang the man a few bills when a small guy with purple hair came up and shoved the drunkard away. “Yah! I keep telling you to stop begging in front of my place, don’t make me call the police again!” The short guy shot a nasty glare at the drunk, who just stumbled away grumbling about abuse of senior citizens.

   Once it was quiet again, Minjun looked at the guy who had just shoed away the beggar. “Sorry about that.” The stranger’s substantially small eyes suddenly went wide and his mouth fell open slightly. “Woah, he was right…You look just like him!”

   He froze, not wanting to give away his identity, considering the fact that (in this timeframe, at least) he had ‘officially’ died a little more than ten months ago. But before he could say anything, the shorter guy grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the store he had come out of moments ago. “Follow me! There’s someone you have to meet!”

   Minjun made to protest, but as he followed the purple head of hair through the storefront, something in him told him that this wasn’t a pet store. No, there was something different. And once he looked around, he realized that it was an animal shelter or a veterinary clinic or possibly both. One he had been in before.

   By the time they made it down the short hallway, he looked at the doorknob with anticipation as the stranger who had snatched him from the street just barged right in without knocking. “Look what I found outside!” The short boy with small eyes yelled rather animatedly as they entered what was obviously an office, scarcely decorated and cluttered with folders.

   A man sat at a computer desk with his back to them, the typing on his keyboard ended abruptly and was replaced with a loud sigh. “Junho, I swear.” A deep voice that Minjun could recognize anywhere said. “If it’s another stray cat…” The office chair spun around and the face that stared back at him made his heart rush.

Wide eyes gazed at him from only a few feet away, looking away for a few moments at a time and then stealing another glance, as if they were still unsure as to whether or not what they were seeing was reality. The one called Junho had retreated from the room after a few awkward moments of silence, leaving Minjun standing there in a staring competition. A few times, the man in the white coat parted his lips, only to press them back together, deep in thought.

   Minjun stared at the name that was embroidered over the other man’s pocket. “Chansung?”

   The already wide eyes grew larger at the sound of his name, but he still didn’t miss the twinge of agony behind the glossy dark eyes. With no warning, those almond eyes closed, causing a few crystal clear droplets to fall down Chansung’s cheeks before he hastily wiped them away. “This is impossible.” His voice was broken, but just as deep as Minjun remembered it to be.

   “Do you know who I am?” He asked the tall male who was now shaking his head clenching his jaw tightly. “You know what happened to me, don’t you?”

   Chansung let out a heavy breath, shaky and seething with despair. “This is a cruel joke!” He hissed angrily, shoving him back towards the door. “Get out! Get out right now!”

   Without any thought, Minjun acted on instinct and grabbed the hands that hit his chest, expecting the struggle that came like a storm beating and pushing him away. But the more the other fought him, the more pitiful and tired he looked; and the urge to console this crying boy became too strong for Minjun to ignore. “Please listen to me.”

   “Get away from me!” The young brute pulled away, with substantially less force than before. “…This isn’t funny.”

   When Chansung finally settled, giving in to the elder’s embrace and crying silently against his shoulder, Minjun let his hand fall on top of the short blonde hair that grazed his cheek, like he was comforting a child. “I don’t remember who you are, or whatever happened between us in the past…” He murmured into the other’s ear. “But I’ve been dreaming of you for four hundred years.”

   Chansung looked at him, his eyes pensive and his cheeks slightly flushed as he bit the bottom of his lip in thought.

   “Why you?” He asked the younger. “Why do I know you, and nothing else…no one else…?”

   He didn’t want to say it. He wouldn’t risk jinxing anything, or making a fool of himself with assumptions, but in the back of his mind, he felt he already knew. It was obvious.

   It had to be love.

He followed Chansung back to a high-rise apartment, fifteen minutes from the animal shelter by train. As they entered, Chansung flicked the light switch and the space lit up in soft light, revealing the lavishly decorated interior.

   Minjun was instantly hit with a cold sillage of unnamable emotions.

   Walking through the spaciously sized apartment was Déjà Vu at its finest.

   His eyes followed Chansung into the main room of the apartment, and his body moved as if on its own. He stopped as he passed several plaques on the wall, beside a shelf holding numerous trophies and awards, each engraved with the same name. His name.

   He couldn’t help smiling, reaching up to pick up the one trophy that stood out to him most, the golden colored metal shined brilliantly and he let his thumb brush over the title of ‘Album of the Year’.

   Sensing a presence next to him, he put the award back, and glanced over at the boy beside him. “Sorry…” He muttered. “I’ve just…always wanted one of these.” The nod he received made him sigh, tucking his hands in his pockets and looking around the place again. “Did we live here together?”

   For a moment, it looked as if Chansung didn’t want to answer, but eventually the younger shook his head. “You kept asking me to move in…but I was stubborn.” The blonde headed boy said the last part with much regret tinging his voice.

   “Why do you stay here now, then?”

   “Because I miss you.” The younger of the two picked up a framed photo off of the grand piano and sat down on the sofa, staring at the picture behind the glass in silence. Minjun sat beside him, waiting for the other to speak again, and after a while, Chansung handed him the picture frame. “How is it possible for you to be here, what about your illness?”

   Minjun stared at the picture in the frame, it was a photo of them, smiling adoringly with their faces close together on a bed of pillows and sheets. It broke his heart, realizing that even after seeing this, he couldn’t remember any of it. “They cured me…” He whispered, still staring at the picture that represented the happiest time of his existence, as well as the time that he no longer was a part of.

   He looked away from the photo, and into the large eyes of the one sitting next to him, and told him everything.

Contrary to his expectations, Chansung seemed to handle everything Minjun had told him relatively well, the one exception being his completely casually and totally not exclusive semi-relationship with Taecyeon. “What about you?” He asked the younger. “It’s been almost two years for you, wasn’t there anyone else?”

   Chansung shifted a little from the position he had taken, curled up on next to Minjun with his head on the elder’s shoulder as they talked. “I tried dating a few people…but never anything serious. It just…”

   “…always felt wrong.” He finished the sentence and Chansung just smirked.

   “You can still read my mind. That makes me happy.”

   Minjun blushed when soft fingertips touched his face and curious eyes studied him closely. “What?” He asked out of nervousness.

   “You’ve aged.” Chansung’s smirk grew sultry and Minjun clucked his tongue in disapproval at the way the younger laughed quietly, but it sounded like music, like angels or some beautiful thing like that.

   “I spent five years training to be a technician, before that it took a couple years of muscle therapy before I could even pass the physical get accepted into the academy.” He explained. “Am I too old for you now?”

   The red tint that adorned the younger male’s cheeks was enough of an answer. “I might like older men.”

   After a moment of quiet between them, Chansung sat up, looking at him seriously. “Hyung,” The boy nearly climbed into his lip, to which Minjun’s hands found their rightful place at his hips. “Can you really not remember?”

   Swallowing his guilt, his stared at the face of the boy in his lap before letting his eyes fall closed as he answered quietly. “Some things are blurry...” Looking up at Chansung’s waiting face he felt calmer, he felt confident telling the truth. “I remember your laugh, and the smell of your pillow…I can’t eat bananas without seeing your face in my mind.”

   They laughed together and he felt a kind of wholeness filling the missing spaces in his memory.

   However, the revelation was short lived, as he was quickly reminded of one crucial fact that he didn’t know how to accept; he couldn’t stay here.

   Before he could voice these thoughts, Chansung kissed his unprepared lips. “Your mind is reeling…”

   “What makes you say that?” He asked, now successfully flushed and heart racing with something like passion.

   “Your brow creases when you’re thinking too seriously about something.” The larger male murmured against his lips and he welcomed the second kiss, as well as the third. Just as he welcomed the hands that clung to his shoulders and knitted their way into his hair like vines growing on a fence. He welcomed Chansung’s taste, and the subtle way the boy shifted in his lap so that he could sit his entire weight on him as their tongues danced together in an attempt to melt into one. “Don’t think about any of that, hyung…” The boy nearly begged him once they were breathless, lips numb from the friction, yet already craving more.

   As Minjun cupped his lover’s cheek with one hand, he fell victim to the face he had been dreaming of, more beautiful than his faded memories gave credit. There was nothing in the entire universe that could compare. “I can’t stay forever.” Those words were the hardest he’d ever spoken before.

   Chansung’s doe eyes reflected his own regret, but eventually, the younger grabbed his wrist and Minjun felt the stubble growing around the boy’s lips as the skin on his inner hand was pressed to them, oh so tenderly.

   “Then stay, for now.”

Minjun watched the moonlight crawl across the black bed sheets, illuminating the bare body that slept tangled beside him. It was a little after two, and his eyes had fluttered open several minutes earlier. He couldn’t go back sleep, he didn’t want to, in fear of missing a single moment looking at the sleeping beauty in the bed with him.

   So he aptly took to listening to Chansung’s slow breathing, watching the rise and fall of his milky chest, the soft curve of his shoulders and all the way down to the small trail of black hair that grew under his navel.

   “Go back to sleep.” The ‘sleeping’ boy murmured tiredly.

   “Sorry,” He whispered back. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

   Chansung squinted his eyes open to peek at him. “What do you mean? You always wake up at this time,” He blindly reached for Minjun’s hand, and once he grabbed it, rolled over on his side and pulled him into his arms. “…and I always hold you, just like this.” Chansung kissed an invisible line across his shoulder and Minjun felt his body relax into the touch, his eyes closing as Chansung’s lips found his in the dark. “Go to sleep.” The younger commanded him in a husky voice that made his heart flutter and his body reacted.

   Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by the giant holding him, and the younger male’s lips turned up at the corners as he felt a muscular thigh pushing its way between his legs.

   They made love with their hands intertwined that time. Connected, like pieces of the puzzle that made up their hearts, which together pulsed as one.

Time was running out for him.

   Every minute that passed brought Minjun closer to his departure from this world he was in, from the boy who was still sleeping in their bed as the moon steadily rose higher in the early night sky, reminding him of the inevitable fleetingness of reality.

   The surface looked so different than what he was used to seeing in the future. It was so bright and quite breathtaking, one of the many wonders he would soon be leaving behind in this time. Trying not to dwell on the possibilities, he fumbled with the device in his hand before tapping the screen. “Computer, how much time do I have left before my auto-transport?”

   “Two hours, seven minutes and twenty-one seconds.” The machine replied back.

   The last two days he had spent with Chansung, they weighed on him like heavy hands pulling him down and making every movement harder and harder. Not that he regretted it, he was far too selfish to regret any of it, but he couldn’t stop the worry in his mind. He wondered what would happen, once he returned.

   Would he ever be allowed to come back to this place that held everything he loved?

   Before now, he had been content to deal with the repercussions of deviating from proper protocol and going against the safety regulations once he returned to the future, but as he got closer to his return time, he felt a dreaded fear of it.

   There was nothing back there for him.

   There was no one.

   He flinched at his own thought, knowing full well that a pair of chocolate eyes and big ears would most likely twinge in pain if they ever knew the truth of how he felt, but it was a sad fact that Minjun was tired of trying to adjust. He was tired of feeling so out of place and now he had finally found something that felt like home. In just a couple dozen hours, his entire life became engulfed in the existence of one person he barely knew, yet he couldn’t stay with.

   Even if he did come back, no matter how many times he would come to this place, he would have to return.

   With last glance at the bright orange orb illuminating the sky, he left the apartment patio and slid in bed, into his sleeping lover’s arms. There was a strange comfort, in the way Chansung instinctively reached for him, even in sleep. Minjun inhaled deeply, like he was trying to drown himself in the scent of sandalwood shampoo and dried sweat, the leftover traces of their lovemaking that had put the younger boy in his arms to sleep some time ago.

   It wasn’t until he heard the computer speak that he realized he had fallen asleep.

   “Auto-transport sequencing…”

   “…Three…two...one...”

Minjun stared at the computer tablet that was handed to him, displayed on the screen in bold red letters where the words ‘Notice of Ninety-Day Suspension’; only to be expected from an ensign that failed to follow safety protocol and deviated from the guidelines of a mission. It was actually a light punishment, considering the fact that a fellow crewmember was injured during a jump that he was navigating.

   He had been expecting a court-martial, but once they had finished being questioned, Taecyeon insisted on taking full responsibility of the incident as the superior reigning officer and designated captain of their mission.

   Taecyeon was beside him, standing unwaveringly at ease, until another notice of suspension was handed to the tall officer, who took it in his left hand without hesitation.

   For a small moment, Minjun let his eyes linger on the artificial limb his partner would wear for the remainder of his life. The shape of it was a perfect mirrored image to Taecyeon’s right arm, except for the sleek titanium color. It even twitched like a real hand, curing metallic fingers around the suspension notice so tight it cracked the screen. Taec’s eyes widened at his own actions, before he bowed and said softly, with a kind of well-practiced apathy that lingered with traces of deep hurt. “My apologies, Sir . . . I’m still adjusting to the implants.”

   A shiver ran down Minjun’s spine as he turned away once they were dismissed, leaving the room before he could suffocate in the tension that grew thicker the more he tried to breathe.

   It was shameful to do as he was, to run away from discomfort, from difficult words and heated emotions. But Minjun himself, was really quite shameful, in his entire existence. Four hundred years ago, he ran away from an incurable disease, now he was trying to run back. Only, he ended up at his quarters, not once sparing a glance behind him, at the body that followed him like a guard dog. A really big, dorky and emotional guard dog who shoved a metal arm in the way just as he was about to close the door.

   “Damn it, Jun! Why are you ignoring me?” Taecyeon yelled as he pushed the door open and barged in like a juggernaut.

   Was he ignoring him?

   Yeah, probably. But it wasn’t intentional. Though, it wasn’t exactly not intentional either. It was more or less a very complicated subject that Minjun truly didn’t feel like getting into at that particular moment and just before he could say so, a lifeless hand landed on his shoulder and he stared at the appendage in regret for some time before his eyes looked up into the fiery ones staring at him so ardently.

   “I’m sorry.” He finally whispered.

   All of the stress drained from Taecyeon’s face almost instantly, replaced with a soft shake of his head as he smiled. “It wasn’t your fault . . .” The giant said to him. “Accidents happen and I knew what I was getting myself into beforehand–”

   “That’s not it.” Minjun cut him off before the rambling could start. “I’m just sorry . . . I’m so sorry.”

   He had always felt a connection to the tall man who suddenly seemed to understand the implications of his apology, the rejection that went along with several years of friendship, and forced another smile, this one far more broken but equally beautiful. “I know, Jun . . .” Taec’s voice creaked out. “I’m okay with that.”

He stood before the great glass window looking out into the dark void that seemed to surround him. He once questioned who in the world would decide to put a library on top of a tower overlooking space, but after many visits and study sessions, he had come to understand that the thirst for knowledge went hand in hand with the search for light in the dark. So now, when Minjun came to the library, he would sit in front of the window and stare out into the star speckled black canopy that wrapped around the entire galaxy indefinitely, its complex emptiness reflecting perfectly the feelings and anxieties that he struggled with on a daily basis.

   Two months had passed since his suspension, Taecyeon was granted forgiveness after thirty days, which meant that Minjun was spending a lot more time staring out the library tower, usually attempting to ignore the floating blue orb that hung three hundred and eighty-four thousand kilometers away.

   Today he was here for a different reason, a reason that left him fidgeting, until a presence cleared their throat and he spun around, taking in the sight of the person he was meeting.

   A small man stood behind him, looking unfocused and rather un-kept, compared to how he imagined Dr. Jang Wooyoung, the leading expert on time-particle physics to be. The small guy with a disheveled undercut walked up to him and pushed the thick glasses up the bridge of his nose to observe him before his thin lips curved into a smile. “Were you expecting some old guy in a suit?”

   Minjun merely rose his brow and then shrugged. “Can you blame me?”

   The other laughed, shoving his hands into the pockets of the full length sweater and sat beside him near the window. “I only agreed to this meeting because you’ve inquired with my assistant incessantly and frankly . . . it’s gotten annoying.”

   Straight to the point, he couldn’t help his subtle smirk of approval. “I want to know everything you know about regenerative anti-time carrier wave technology.”

   “I know it’s a theory I came up with years ago,” The doctor said, crossing his arms and giving a smug snort. “And even if you studied for as long as I have, the academy refuses to invest funding in researching . . . No one wants to risk a practice jump, myself included.”

   “I’ll do it.”

   The Dr.’s eyes widened only slightly before he rolled them. “Are you suicidal? Do you even know the first thing about what you’re trying to get involved in?”

   “I ranked in at number twelve on the T3 exam last year, my squad captain was number one.” Minjun pleaded.

   “And both of you were suspended after your first mission.” The doctor said, harshly at first. “. . . How much are you willing to risk?”

   He didn’t have to think about it, the answer came naturally, with absolutely no hesitation. “I have nothing to lose.”

“This is risky.” Taecyeon warned them for the umpteenth time as he clicked away at his computer screen, jaw tensed as he focused on finding the perfect algorithm to input into the anti-time carrier wave generator.

   “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Wooyoung said – over the last week, Minjun had taken to calling the man by his first name, per the doctor’s order request – to the giant from his own work station.

   Minjun watched his best friend pause, looking up at him with an uncertain kind of resistance in his eyes.

   “Jun . . . is this really what you want?” Two big catlike eyes watched him as he strapped his anti-time belt around his waist and slid the small computer control onto his arm. “You’re not even off of your suspension yet, what if something goes wrong . . . ?”

   There was no certainty that this would work, so to say that he wasn’t scared was a falsehood, but he wanted this to work. He needed this to work. “I’ll stick to the plan this time.” He smiled encouragingly, or at least he tried to, until Wooyoung interrupted them.

   “You ladies ready yet?”

   Minjun stepped into the carrier wave containment barrier that had been set up in the middle of Wooyoung’s office. He double checked the destination on his computer and gave the confirmation to the two others, Taecyeon watched as Wooyoung set the countdown to sixty seconds.

   A briefcase sized capsule was handed to him, and Minjun took it in his arms, looking at the time capsule and then to the man who was standing at the edge of the barrier. “Let us know if . . . when you arrive.” Wooyoung told him, and he nodded, taking a deep breath.

   “Departure in three . . . two . . . one . . .”