The room was completely silent and empty, save for the sound of soft puffs of air escaping the plump lips of the man resting on the lone bed in the middle of it. His eyelids were pressed closed serenely, looking as if he were merely asleep and resting. Everything about him seemed so angelic to the point that it'd be a sin try and wake him up. He looked at peace. 

Until his eyes shot open. 

He sat up and gasped out for air, placing a hand on his head when he felt a stinging sensation there. As he looked around frantically, he tried to make sense of his surroundings, but at the moment everything was still blurred and hazy. When he swallowed in shock, it was only then did he realise that he needed something to drink. He was absolutely thirsty. Whenever he was in, it was scorching hot. 

'Okay. . . What era am I in this time?' He wondered while steadying his breathing. 

When his vision finally cleared, he saw that he was in some sort of clinic facility, only this one looked as if it was plucked right out of some ancient period of time. He tilted his head and took a look out the opened window and, to his surprise, everything looked like it were from the—

"No way," Kyungsoo muttered in shock. "I'm in the 17th damn century. . ." 

Did that mean he'd be running into rowdy and stupid cowboys? Those guys from the movies that seemed so damn ignorant and annoying? If that were the case, he did not like the simulation Junmyeon had given him today. . . Except, why was he in this simulation again? He couldn't remember exactly. . . 

Do Kyungsoo was what you called a time traveller, someone who visited different time periods in order to fix aberrations or, in other words, altered moments caused by other time bandits or criminals that would change the flow of history, may it be for the better or for the worse (it usually leaned more on the latter option). 

​​​​​However, time travellers like him needed his fair share of training too before facing the real deal. Although he's already gone through many missions in the past, Kyungsoo liked to hone his skills and wits via simulations, real-life situations that took place in random time periods. Usually, he'd already be briefed on what the mission in a simulation would be, but at that moment he could not remember a thing. 

The door suddenly flung open, interrupting Kyungsoo from his train of thought. Surprised, he flinched and shrank back into the bed, raising his arms to shield his face. 

"Oh, you're awake!"

When the stranger spoke, Kyungsoo found himself frowning. 'Hold on, that voice is familiar. . . ' He thought. His voice sounded like it was made out of honey ; it was so smooth, yet it was blended into just the right amount of huskiness to make it sound like it was owned by some fairytale prince. 

He looked up to see who the newcomer was, only to have his jaw drop unto the floor and have his arms go slack. Standing in front of him was a tall, lean young man with beautiful bronze skin, bright eyes and plump lips curved into a smile. There was a pistol snug on his hip and a cowboy hat crowning his head for good measure. 

Except, this one didn't look like one of those cowboys who had a missing tooth, or like he hadn't bathed in days. Nor did he seem like a those arrogant cowboys with weird accents. No, no. . . This man was a damn model. 

If he was thirsty before, he had no idea what he was feeling at that moment. 

"O-Oh. . . Hello?" Kyungsoo said, though it ended up sounding more like a question. 

Something deep inside Kyungsoo made him feel lile the knew this person. His gut could just feel it! Everything about him was familiar. The most logical explanation Kyungsoo could think of was that, whoever this was, it was someone he knew in reality but wasn't allowed to remember for the sake of the simulation, whatever the reason for that may be. He was sure Junmyeon would explain why after he finished up his mission. 

"Mornin', beautiful. I'm glad to know you're awake, you've been knocked out for some time now. I'm Jongin by the way, if you didn't know that already," the man said cheerfully, taking slow and causal steps towards him

"I-I'm Kyungsoo," he replied. Kyungsoo swallowed as Jongin helped him out of the bed, heaving him up carefully. His body felt a bit wobbly, but after a few practice steps he was able to regain his usual balance and strength. "Thank you," he whispered to him. 

"Much obliged," Jongin replied. He didn't miss the tan male's wink and he helplessly felt his cheeks heat up ; he must have be positively burning.

And it must have been because the man was scorching hot.

Jongin nodded his head to the door and started walking, so Kyungsoo figured that he was supposed follow. Once they walked out the door, he gasped when he realised that he was currently in a Wild West saloon, full of loud cowboys and pretty waitresses, some playing cards and others merely lounging by the bar. It was lively, but in a sense still calmer than what he had imagined. 

'But what the hell? Why's there a clinic in a saloon?' He wondered. The idea was bizarre, but since it was Junmyeon who engineered this simulation with the help of Baekhyun. . . Well, some things were bound to not make sense. 

"So," Jongin said, looking down at him curiously. "Where d'you come from, cutie? I certainly haven't seen you 'round these parts."

Cue the internal fluttering in his chest. 'Oh my god, don't call me that. Why am I like this? Calm down, Soo, calm down. Jesus. . . ' Kyungsoo cleared his throat as he tried to brush off his most recent nickname. "It's not a very important or renowned place, but it's definitely a long time away from here," he replied in the calmest voice he could muster. It wasn't exactly a lie ; Kyungsoo lived in 2046 and it's definitely a long time away from the seventeenth century. 

"Ooh, mysterious. And do you know where you wish to be in?" Jongin asked, most likely referring to the place Kyungsoo wanted to go to. However, Kyungsoo's mind seemed to interpret it differently, and before he even got a chance to think his answer through, it was already leaving his lips. 

"Your heart."

'What'

"NO!" Kyungsoo quickly said when his words sunk in. "Your. . . Heart of the town! I have to-to check the whole place and see if I'm in the right place and if this is the place I'm supposed to be in—" He cut himself short and sighed. 

'Okay, Kyungsoo? You have the right to remain silent.'

Meanwhile, Jongin merely chuckled in amusement, a sound that made Kyungsoo weak-kneed but confused. How was he not fazed by Kyungsoo's cringe-worthy awkwardness? 

"Alright, I'll take you there," he told him. 

"Oh! You really don't have to—" 

"So, I assume you'll be able to find your way around 𝖺 town you haven't been 𝗂𝗇 before?" Jongin interrupted him, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the bar with an amused smile. 

"I—" Kyungsoo stopped and huffed. "Fine, do what you want. Thank you." 

They exited the saloon and walked the streets of the unknown town side-by-side. Jongin was humming a merry tune while Kyungsoo did his best to keep himself from staring. Everything about him was freakishly endearing and his eyes were automatically drawn to him, more often against his will than with it. They passed by loads of citizens who greeted Jongin when he passed them by, and the tan male courteously greeted them back. 

"'Ello to you, too!" Jongin said with a smile and tipped his hat in the process. 

Kyungsoo glanced at the guy that had greeted him, noticing how happy and honored he was to be able to even just speak to Jongin. "Well, someone's quite popular, huh?" He commented, watching the guy walk off with a skip in his step. 

Jongin chuckled and shrugged, "Nah, everyone's just friendly." He turned to Kyungsoo and grinned. 

Kyungsoo hummed thoughtfully and was about to face back front when a slight glimmer on Jongin's chest caught his attention. His eyes widened when he spotted that shiny golden star on his shirt, the word 'Sheriff' clearly written on it.

"Wait," he said in shock. "You're the sheriff of this town?" 

Jongin looked at him curiously and followed his gaze, then upon seeing that he was looking at the golden star on his chest, he let out a light laugh as he flicked his badge proudly. "Yeah, I sure am. I s'pose that's another reason why these folks are so friendly." He shrugged again. 

"That's really cool," Kyungsoo remarked, eyes not leaving his smiling face. 

Jongin laughed again and faced the front. The two continued to walk while being enveloped in a comfortable silence. It gave Kyungsoo the opportunity to think for a bit. First thing's first, he had no idea what his mission in this simulation was. Second, he had no idea what he'd be doing once he reached the heart of this town. And third, he was really enjoying his experience with the mysterious cowboy Jongin more than he should be. He's never been on a simulation this lax before. . . 

"We're here, sweetheart!" Jongin announced when the reached some sort of town's square.

𝖨t was buzzing with life and activity, having several stands selling trinkets and food and numerous shops around its perimeter. People were laughing and joking around, some of which were men trying to impress some unlucky ladies who didn't give a damn about them. There were children crowding the stand selling toys and such, accompanied by mothers and fathers alike. The whole place was drowned in that sea of bodies, it was impossible to find a break in this place. 

However, none of this seemed to register to Kyungsoo. 

'Sweetheart?!' Kyungsoo screeched inwardly. How could Jongin say that so causally?! He cleared his throat to hide how much the word affected him. "Wow, this place's lively," he commented, even though his gaze was fixated on the ground. 

Jongin opened his mouth to reply, but before he even had a chance to utter a single word, three loud gunshots rang in the air. The cowboy got into action quick, grabbing Kyungsoo by the shoulders and pulling the both down to the ground. The citizens screamed and made a run for it, so the whole place was suddenly filled with chaos. 

'What the hell just happened?' 

"GET OUTTA' OUR WAY, BASTARDS!" One of the bandits roared. The people obliged and scattered, clearing the whole square and leaving Jongin and Kyungsoo in the middle. 

"Kyungsoo, go!" Jongin commanded him urgently, but the doe-eyed male reacted a tad too late. 

Someone from behind them grabbed Kyungsoo and pulled him back, kicking Jongin away in the process. The tan male was back on his feet in no time, but Kyungsoo was already being held by two bandits. Their grip was tight and secure, and for some reason Kyungsoo's body refused to fight back. It was as if something was making his body freeze and just stand there dumbly. It was definitely frustrating on his part. Usually he'd be able to free himself from this kind of situation but something was different this time, it was as if he had no control over his limbs at the moment. 

The other bandit, the leader, Kyungsoo assumed, loaded his pistol and cocked it then placed its muzzle snug on his forehead. The doe-eyed male froze when he felt the warm metal on his skin and swallowed nervously. 

"Why the hell would you do this?!" He hissed, trying to make himself move. But alas, his body didn't respond. 

"Because why not," the bandit snarled, pressing the muzzle into his forehead even deeper. 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and made a mentak note to beat Junmyeon and Baekhyun up for throwing him into that kind of simulation in that situation. Why couldn't he move?! 

'Stupid ​Junmyeon and his simulations that make zero ing sense!' 

"Let him go!" Jongin yelled. It sounded painfully similar to your typical protagonist, who shouts for the bad guy to let the hostage go when it's obvious that they're not planning on doing that. 

"Look, you're handsome as hell and I like you a lot for some reason and all, but they're not just going to let me go!" Kyungsoo screeched before his mind even got to process the words he had just said. 'Shoot, hope he didn't hear that. . .? ' he thought as a follow-up. 

Jongin didn't seem to notice and curled his lips in a snarl, something that made him look agonisingly hot for Kyungsoo to watch. "I challenge you to a quick draw!" He told the bandit leader. 

Kyungsoo's eyes widened when he realised what was about to happen next. "You can't do that! You might die! You can't die!" He exclaimed. He didn't have the faintest idea why he cared so much for this guy, but something in him told him that in real life, this man must have held some sort of significance to him. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll get you out of here!" Jongin said in determination.

Kyungsoo groaned. "One, don't you dare die! And, two, stop calling me those petnames because it's doing things to my heart!" He rambled unwittingly.

'Oh my god? Why am I blurting out everything that comes to mind even if I know it'll lead to my embarrassment which will lead to my imminent death?! What the hell has Junmyeon done to my cognitive state?!' He closed his eyes and heaved an exasperated breath. "He and Baek definitely messed with my brain, goddammit," he muttered. He was starting to think that there was no mission after all. 

Jongin didn't seem to hear him, yet again. However, the bandit who held a gun against his head withdrew and sneered at Jongin. "If that's what you really want, pretty boy," he cackled. 

A crowd quickly formed around them, men and women alike watching in anticipation as they witnessed their sheriff and a bandit have a face-off but weren't they running away sh*tless a while ago?! 

He took a few steps towards Jongin before stopping a good distance away, giving them a good amount of space for their quick draw. They glared daggers at one another, burning holes into the other. Jongin's eyes were narrowed in focus, his hand hovering above the pistol on his hip. He stretched his fingers in anticipation, silent and unmoving. 

Suddenly, the signalling click of a camera got them into action.

In a split second, Jongin had grabbed his pistol and spun it flashily in his hands, something every cool person from a Wild West movie always did ('oh my god he's so perfect. Why? '). He aimed in a split-second and fired confidently. He had moved so fluidly and didn't miss a beat. It got everyone gasping out in both shock and awe combined.

The bandit was hit, indicating that Jongin had won. Kyungsoo would have cheered but. . . 

. . . The gun fired ketchup? That wasn't right. Even Kyungsoo knew that that wasn't right. 'The hell is happening? ' He thought with a cringe. 

"There's a malfunction in the machine! Get him out now​​​​​​!"

Kyungsoo frowned when he heard the odd, distant voice in his head. That definitely wasn't normal.

Suddenly, everything blurred and his breath was knocked right out of his lungs, causing him to stumble forward. Black creeped into his peripheral vision, edging closer and closer to devouring all the light he could see. He felt his consciousness slipping away, and it wasn't long until he succumbed to the darkness. 

 

 

 

He shot up and gasped out for breath, eyes wide as he frantically looked around. He felt a particular ache slice his head open and he winced, paired with the annoying buzzing that echoed in his poor ears. Common side-effects of waking up after a simulation sleep.

Kyungsoo looked around and blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to all the light flashing around him. Memories came flooding back into his head with startling and dizzying speed about the simulation, as well as memories that were erased from his mind when he entered the machine and—

He let out a horrified gasp. 

"."

He did know Jongin after all.

" indeed," he heard someone giggle beside him.

Kyungsoo looked at his direction and found Junmyeon seated there with a stupid grin of his face, something that he felt a strong urge to punch. He tried doing just that, but Junmyeon leapt out of the way and ran out of the simulation room at the speed of light, still laughing. 

"I will murder you in your sleep one day and get away with it!" He yelled, eyes narrowed and glaring at their idiotic leader. 'Just you wait until I get my hands on you. . . I can't believe they schemed this whole thing!' 

"So. . ." Another voice said from his other side.

Kyungsoo froze in his tracks and turned his head to that side slowly. '.'

Staring at him with red-tinted cheeks was none other than Kim Jongin himself, his ultimate crush since the very beginning, who sat there in all his regal poise in glory. By the looks of it, it also seemed that he the one who was tasked with administering his simulation. 

Which meant he saw everything. 

Which meant that he was ed. 

Kyungsoo gulped, "So. . ." 

Jongin smiled shyly, although there was a hint of amusement in that beautiful gaze of his. "So I'm hot, huh?" He remarked casually. 

Kyungsoo groaned in embarrassment and covered his face, suddenly wishing for the ground to swallow him up. " you," he muttered in a puny attempt to salvage his pride. 

Jongin gasped as if scandalised. "Damn! I like you back and all—" Kyungsoo felt fireworks exploding in his chest. "—but don't you think that's too fast?"

Kyungsoo merely glared at him in embarrassment, not trusting himself enough to speak. Glaring at people made him cope with embarrassment or annoyance, but as of the moment it was because of the former. He was also certain that he was blushing, judging by the way his cheeks felt like they were burning up. 

Jongin chuckled and looked down, shyly migjt I add, and told him in a soft voice, "I'm kidding. Don't worry, the feeling's mutual, cutie." He gave a small smile but suddenly paused. "Oh, I should stop calling you petnames right? The things they do to your heart. . . " He nodded solemnly, almost apologetically. 

Almost. 

Kyungsoo huffed and crossed his arms. "Cocky bastard," he muttered.

The tan male laughed lightly. "I've been called worse." 

"Right. . . What could be worse than that?" 

"Some people call me Adonis? Like, do I look like an Adonis to you?" 

The doe-eyed mate could only stare. "You're kidding right?" 

 "Why would I joke about this? I hear it so often!" 

Yep. Kyungsoo's sure the universe was mocking him. Of course Jongin had to rub it in his face, about how regal and handsome he was. And without even meaning to! Life wasn't fair sometimes. 

There were more important matters to attend to, though. "Anyway. . . Did you mean what you said? About, y'know. . ." Kyungsoo averted his gaze with a nervous purse of his lips. 

"Soo. . ." Jongin started in a gentle tone. "Of course I did, I like you so much. For a long time now too, actually. I just never had the guts to ever really spell it out loud, but I'm pretty sure I was obvious though. . ." 

"Obvious? Well, not to me." Kyungsoo let out a huff but he then proceeded to smile up at him both happily yet shyly, maybe with a bit of relief thrown in there too. However, his expression morphed into something more on embarrassment and seriousness right afterwards. 

"Don't you dare let this whole situation get out though. No one can know, especially Chanyeol and Jongdae they are never going to shut up about it. And I'm dying of embarrassment right now so I'd appreciate it if you don't make it worse with your teasing, please? I like you so much and maybe even more but—oh my god, can someone bury me alive because I just want to disappear—"

Jongin merely grinned and leaned forward, planting his lips just beside Kyungsoo's, not really on them but not exactly not on them either. It was somewhere in between. It shut the doe-eyed male up effectively, making him stutter out in shock and the other male giggle.

"That's-that's not fair," Kyungsoo stammered, looking away from Jongin who was smiling so widely and brightly that even Kyungsoo himself couldn't help but feel his spirits being lifted by a simple thing. He was so whipped. 'The things you do to me.' 

"I couldn't stop myself," he replied honestly, his smile shifting into that charming grin of his. "Also because you wouldn't have shut up if I didn't do that." Jongin chuckled.

Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile, feeling his heartbeat quicken even more at the thought of Jongin wanting him as much as he wanted him. He plucked up enough courage and looked at him straight in the eye and, without much thought about it, he said, "well, if you're going to kiss me, at least do it right."

Jongin was taken aback by the bold statement, arching an eyebrow, but in the end he smirked to show that he liked that idea very much, successfully setting Kyungsoo's heart aflutter once more.

"How can I say 'no' to that?" He said fondly, raising his finger to tilt Kyungsoo's head up by the chin. 

Kyungsoo couldn't quite believe that this was actually happening, that his crush actually reciprocated those well-kept yet strong feelings of his and with the same amount of vigor at that, who was currently staring down at him so intently that it sent tingles down his spine.

Jongin leaned in at once, but this time Kyungsoo met him halfway.