Yesteryear

Outlook

After Wooyoung had roused to one of the deepest nights (or rather mornings given how late they came back from their carriage adventure) he found the bed void of any gorgeous earls. He got dressed in no more than pants and a shirt he didn't bother to tuck in or even close entirely.

Groggy, he trudged out of the bedroom. His tummy was exposed to the warm air of the room as he stretched and blinked around in the far too bright setting.

San sat at the dinner table with a bag of fresh pastries in front of him on the desk. He had made tea and the second cup steaming seductively had Wooyoung stumbling closer like a moth to a lamp. As he sleepily dropped into his chair, San smiled at him over his newspaper.

"Finally awake? Noon has passed already."

"I don't know how you can be up any earlier given we basically returned home at dusk," Wooyoung yawned. He warmed his hands on his cup. His body was sated and relaxed after being held all night by San, and the spread of warmth further alleviated his jellied limbs. The warm aroma smelled of fruit and cinnamon.

"Somebody had to get breakfast, and I knew I wouldn't get you moving today," San shot back. His grin turned smug when Wooyoung kicked at him under the table and missed. Blissed out by the domestic atmosphere of their shared morning, Wooyoung slurped his tea while San rustled with the pages of his paper. Wooyoung wasn't interested in asking him about the newest societal and political issues. They were so fleeting and minor in both of their understanding of time that San likely read them just to be updated for friendly debates.

Wooyoung rubbed his neck where San's bites still throbbed mildly under his skin. He hid his smile in his cup as he emptied it.

Far more awake after his tea, Wooyoung turned to look at San. At his prying gaze, the man lowered the newspaper to look at his lover.

"Yes, dearest?"

"How about I unexpectedly move today? I am craving to fence with you to test my skill. I pride myself on my talent for it but I wanted to seek the thrill of battling you."

San's eyes lit up with intrigue. So far, Wooyoung hadn't shown a lot of fighting spirit when San was around to protect him. This new side on Wooyoung had him close the paper to put it away on the desk. He considered Wooyoung with those foxy eyes over the rim of his cup.

"Do you wish we put up stakes? Or just a duel between two gentlemen?"

Wooyoung grinned at him. When San lifted the teapot with one hand, Wooyoung offered his cup for a refill. More refreshing fragrance spread in the air as they drank a second cup together.

"It depends on the stakes. I would love to battle you for a prize, but depending on what you imagine, our time might not suffice. I should leave soon to prepare for you arriving in my time." Wooyoung said it with a coy tilt of his head, the invitation clear. When San bared his teeth at him, ready to growl because he still had to wait a few years, Wooyoung giggled into his tea.

"Then let's fight for kisses. If you win, I have to kiss you. If I win, you have to kiss me."

"Isn't that rather a win for me then?"

San smiled at Wooyoung's flirting. When he leaned over the table to be closer, Wooyoung automatically moved in, too. They were still a few centimetres too far apart for their noses to brush, but the small table came in their favour.

"A mutual win, I dare say," San purred. When Wooyoung playfully touched the tip of his nose to San's, matching smiles spread on their faces.

"I like that. Then where can we battle? It's a nice day out today." Wooyoung threw a glance at the window and the sun beaming through it to throw distorted window-shaped patches of light on the floor of San's kitchen.