Yesteryear

Last Goodbye

"Shall we go out today or stay in?"

Wooyoung glanced at the mist outside the window. London had returned to its cold and wet ways and the outside world looked less than attractive. Like one massive puddle, it sat around them with its wetness.

Wooyoung dropped his unwilling head back on San's chest. Chuckling, the man buried his fingers in Wooyoung's hair once more.

It was Wooyoung's last day in London. He planned to leave in the evening at last and return home relatively on time so they could squeeze in as much work as possible before San would come to the institute. His wish to stay with San as long as possible contrasted with his need to finish his work. Yongguk could wait a while longer.

Yet Wooyoung knew that delaying his departure further wouldn't get him anywhere. He would only want to stay until all eternity.

This time, at least, he had the comforting knowledge that San would be with him soon. There was no need for a long time of waiting between now and their next final meeting. Their step in Munich was more of a safety precaution and then, after so much waiting, they got all their time to themselves. The card that Wooyoung would bring San with their address in the future written on it would get decorated with every glittery pen and childish sticker Wooyoung could find.

"Let's just do nothing and drink tea today. I don't want to see anything else but your face today," Wooyoung grumbled into San's neck. Amused, the man tilted his head to look at Wooyoung.

"Just my face?" His teasing undertone carried a faint disappointment.

Wooyoung gently whacked his skin.

"You're insatiable," he complained without fire behind it. Not as if that time wasn't wisely spent.

"You'll have to blame that on yourself. How am I supposed to resist when I have you gorgeous person here right in my arms?"

Buttered up by San's charming voice, Wooyoung smooched a kiss against the man's neck before he pushed himself up. The covers slipped from his naked shoulders as he stretched. San lingered on the sheets, enjoying the view while his fingers caressed Wooyoung's thighs.

They finally got out of bed long after morning had passed. San's open shirt proudly showcased the pendant on his skin.

As the two men sat in the kitchen to fuel their bodies with tea and some soup that Wooyoung whipped onto the table on a whim using everything he found in the cabinets, the mood was sombre. They bickered as before, but the looming threat of Wooyoung having to leave soured their mood. None of his jokes could quite lift the heaviness of San's gaze.

They spent their day in peace, as Wooyoung had suggested. Just leaned against each other; they read and quietly discussed trivial things. Neither work nor their parting had to be mentioned.

The sun raced over the skies as if it wished to see them suffer. By the time it set behind the buildings, Wooyoung sat with his head buried in San's shoulder on his lap on the couch. They clung to each other stubbornly, as if that would defy Wooyoung's own rules.

"You need to go, Woo," San reminded him with a whisper against Wooyoung's scalp. He had already packed Wooyoung's things an hour ago and Wooyoung dodged the sight of them next to the door leading outside.

Lingering just made their goodbye so much harder.

As much as Wooyoung had hoped to frolic about this goodbye since it would allow them to meet so soon, he now found it incredibly difficult to wait the last few days until it was time. Time never dragged on for so long.

"I hate to leave you waiting... Now you will look forward to meeting me so much. Will know that I exist already somewhere but that it's unsafe to visit before the date I will tell you since I wouldn't recognise you."