---

After a bit more chatting, they all decide to set up camp in the woods near Seulgi's home for the night (as to not impose any longer). But, just as they're all saying their goodbyes to her and turn to leave, Seulgi suddenly remembers something and stops them.

"Wait--don't go just yet!" she exclaims, a hand extended out towards them all. They stop and turn to look at her with confusion and she looks right at Luhan who's currently being carried by Chanyeol. "Luhan, do you have any body-chargers with you right now?"

"Um, yes?" Luhan responds, eyes wide. "Why?"

"Oh thank the stars..." she breathes. "Okay, so it's to do with your new heart...Its inner codes and such are so vastly different from your old one and so, even though they're both made from the same material, your current chargers won't be able recognize your new heart and join up until I can make their codes...meet halfway, so to speak."

Luhan lets out an Oh, okay at that and asks if it'll take long to rework them, and she informs him that it should only take a moment. So, Luhan then politely asks Minseok if he can get his portable chargers from his pack for him, and Minseok lets out a Sure and goes to search for them while Chanyeol sets Luhan back down on the cot.

A few seconds later, Minseok retrieves both chargers and then hands them over to Seulgi for her to work her magic. And with a smile, she then goes over to her crafting table to work on them and before Luhan can even blink twice, she's already coming back and presenting the chargers to him with an eye-crinkling grin and sweat dripping down her forehead.

Luhan thanks her as he takes them and then immediately begins examining them--noticing that nothing has really changed about them appearance-wise except for a new attachment at the bottom of his hair bun shaped charger. Now, instead of a flat design like before, there's a soft yellow protrusion shaped like a sun pin at the front of it.

"Do you like it? Or um is it too much--'cause I can take it off right quick if you hate it, ya know," Seulgi says.

Luhan shakes his head and smiles. "No, no I love it."

"Ooh, can I feel it--can I feel it?" Zitao asks, the stars on his cheeks glowing as he grins. Luhan then half-smiles and offers it to him. "Oh wow, even the hair feels real..."

Then, as a few of the others move closer to feel his hair bun charger too, Luhan looks over at Seulgi again and frowns when he sees her suddenly yawn and cover with her hand. So, without wanting to impose any longer, he announces that he wants to try his new and improved body-charger now.

A few of the others look at him with furrowed eyebrows and Chanyeol lets out an Uh, okay. But then, before Luhan can even lower his body-charger towards the tiny port in his back, Seulgi calls out another Wait!

Luhan flinches and almost drops the charger at that, and she tells him with raised eyebrows that because it's an improved version--the first power surge will cause his happy levels to drastically spike.

"You'll be pretty much hysterical for a few minutes--I-I just wanted you to know that before-hand," she adds. "And uh sorry to have caused you a fright."

Luhan just blinks at that and thanks her for the information again before he looks at his companions for a moment. Worry's etched on pretty much all of their faces, and Luhan finds himself almost wanting to forgo using his new charger as he looks down. But, he knows that he absolutely needs to charge himself to make sure that his systems stay at their normal levels...

"Hey," Kyungsoo says, getting him to look back up. "We'll be right here if anything happens, okay?"

The others let out Yeah's and such in agreement and so, with a small growing smile, Luhan nods his head. Then, after curiously glancing at a frowning Minseok, he takes in a deep breath before inserting his body-charger into his port and stiffening up as he feels a huge surge of energy suddenly rush through him. Instantly, his companions all come closer and worriedly call out his name, but Luhan can only scrunch up his face and close his eyes.

Then, when he opens his eyes again a few seconds later, he looks over at Minseok first before his lips part and a loud gleeful laugh bursts out.

Minseok's eyes quickly go from concerned to confused to both, and Luhan finds that he can't stop laughing to even talk, and just ends up clutching at his stomach as he continues laughing.

Then, Minseok and the others quickly turn to look at Seulgi, and Jongin asks her if there's anything that they can do to help. She only shakes her head though and tells them that any interference during this process would cause Luhan to short-circuit. Minseok and their other companions look at Luhan with wider eyes at that, and Luhan just continues laughing to the point of crying.

True to her word though, another minute passes by before Luhan abruptly stops laughing and bends over to catch his breath. Then, as he bends back up to look at his worried companions, he feels his eyelids start to flutter and finds his head's center of balance getting...thrown off...

"Luhan!" someone shouts.

And just like the last time, as his eyes close and he falls into the thankfully familiar abyss, he vaguely feels a cold hand tightly reach for one of his own. And unbeknownst to him, as his chest starts rising up and down, a collective sigh of relief sounds out from his companions.

---

An unknown period of time later, Luhan wakes up and finds himself back on the wagon, sitting at the edge while covered by a warm blanket and surrounded by snow-covered trees and his companions who are all crowded around and looking at him.

Before he can even say anything though, they greet him first and his original four companions (as well as Baekhyun and Zitao) all hug him one after the other again. Then, when they pull away, Jongin ends up telling him that they'd all left Seulgi's cabin last night after he fell asleep. They didn't want to impose any longer (and apparently Chanyeol was getting pretty heated after imagining him not waking up again).

Luhan just lets out a hum and slowly tries to ease off of the wagon before he feels a cold hand suddenly rest on his arm and looks up. The hand naturally belongs to Minseok, who tells him that he shouldn't be standing anytime soon, and Luhan can't help but stare at him, so many things he wants to say running through his mind.

Minseok then looks down at his own hand then back up into Luhan's eyes before he seems to realize how long he's had his hand on his arm and quickly removes it. Everyone looks between the two of them with slight amusement and Luhan finds himself blushing.

"So...um," Kyungsoo says, seeming like he wants to hold in his smile. "How're ya feeling, Luhan?"

Luhan looks from Minseok to him before saying, "Um, I'm feeling...okay?"

"Just okay? You don't feel like tired or anything?" Chanyeol asks.

Luhan shakes his head.

"Hm, how about that new heart? Getting used to it yet?" Jongin then asks.

And just as Luhan opens his mouth to say Yes, he feels a sudden sharp pain shoot from the left side of his head, and winces before clutching his left temple. Immediately, the others ask him what's wrong and Luhan ends up murmuring that it's an unfortunate headache.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kyungsoo asks, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"Yeah, like you name it--we'll get it for ya, man," Chanyeol adds.

Luhan just shakes his head and ends up smiling a bit. "Oh, thanks but there's--there's no need--I-I should be fine in a moment."

"Alright, but let us know if it gets worse, okay?" Kyungsoo replies.

Luhan just smiles wider and nods at that, warmth filling his new heart, and they all end up quietly chatting with him and each other to pass the time.

---

Some time later, the headache finally goes away but as soon as it dissipates, fatigue quickly seeps through his system and he ends up falling into the abyss once again.

And when he finally wakes up once more, the sun looks like it's just about ready to disappear below the horizon. But, what captures his attention even more than the pretty orange-purple sky is Minseok's side-profile as the latter sits there at the opposite edge of the wagon. And from the way that Minseok's shoulders are low and relaxed and the way that he's looking up--he must be reminiscing about something.

Luhan really wishes that he could see his face fully from his current position and ends up letting out an Uh...? to grab his attention. Instantly, Minseok's shoulders tense up and he whips his head to him, and Luhan quickly opens his mouth to apologize before getting awed like usual because of Minseok's beauty.

"Hey, Lu," Minseok gently says, a small smile on his face now, and Luhan's new heart starts beating faster. "How're ya feelin'?"

Luhan just stares. "Um, b-better."

Minseok then fully grins at that, his eyes crinkling and all, and Luhan feels like he's staring at the sun right now. "I'm glad," Minseok replies.

Luhan feels butterflies appear in his stomach and smiles back at that, and they stay like that, smiling at each other for a few more seconds until Luhan remembers the others and asks where they are. Now that he's focusing, he can only hear a few of their voices and laughter nearby.

"Oh, uh they're close by. Like, some are fishing at a lake nearby while Kyungsoo's making some stew with Jongin...Oh! And uh Chanyeol and Yifan are feeding the horses right now." Minseok then seems to hesitate before asking. "...Um, do you want me to call for one of them?"

"No!" Luhan blurts out without thinking and Minseok's eyebrows raise. "I..." He starts rubbing the back of his own neck as he blushes. "I-I want you to stay...Can you stay with me please?"

In response, Minseok just cutely blinks at him for a few seconds before he lets out a soft Okay, his own cheeks getting red as well. And so, they sit there side-by-side in silence for a short moment again before Minseok asks him if he wants to hear a tale to pass the time.

Luhan readily agrees, and as Minseok begins his tale, he tries not to think about how warm and comfortable he'd feel if Minseok's strong arms were wrapped around his body right now.

-------

At some point during his story-telling, Minseok ends up flinching when he feels Luhan's head suddenly rest on his shoulder. Luhan quickly lifts his head back up while apologizing and Minseok tries to calm his own rapid-beat