Yesteryear

Celebration

The cork of the champagne bottle popped out of the bottle with a resounding noise. Seungyoun ducked with a squeal when instead of hitting Wooyoung as planned, the cork came right back at him. Wooyoung laughed about the spooked look on his features.

As the adult he was, Yongguk took the bottle from Seungyoun and poured their drinks. Seungyoun's and Wooyoung's childish bickering drowned out after a few moments.

Once everyone had received their glasses and was ready to toast, Yongguk rose his drink first.

"Here's to the successful wrap-up of Wooyoung's duties. Congrats on a job well done."

Wooyoung toasted with a clink of their glasses, delighted over the praise he got. Seungyoun gave a celebratory hoot before they all sipped from their drinks. Tingling in his throat, the fancy drink passed Wooyoung's mouth. Yongguk had brought the bottle, so it was a good one.

Seungyoun smacked his lips at the taste and giggled when Wooyoung glared at him in disgust. To distract him, Wooyoung got the honours of cutting the chocolate cake they had got him at the bakery around the corner. With a struggle, he divided the pieces off and put them on the plates the three of them had prepared.

"So, how do you feel? Hold a little speech," Seungyoun suggested. At the roll of Wooyoung's eyes, his smile broadened.

"Nothing much to say. I'm glad it's over, but I had fun doing it." With a shrug, Wooyoung tried his cake. The chocolatey delight melted on his tongue.

"You met San, though," Seungyoun pointed out.

"Yeah, that was the best part of it."

Yongguk sat by their side in quiet content as he ate his cake slowly. He hadn't sent Wooyoung's reports off to the people in the pharmaceutical industry yet that eagerly awaited their reply to mix potions. When he had asked Wooyoung about his confidence in his conclusion in the privacy of his office earlier, Wooyoung had confessed his hesitation. Maybe Yongguk would keep the report for now and hand it back if Wooyoung came up with something else. They were researching something huge, after all. No need to rush.

"I can't wait to meet him. I heard so much about the dude; he feels like that one coworker who never comes to group outings," Seungyoun giggled. He ate his cake twice as fast as Yongguk and reached for a second piece while their boss still cumbersomely worked through the first half of his.

"I'm ready. I will give him the card I wrote tomorrow and then he is free to drop by whenever he can. I told him to keep his distance before so him lingering here for twenty years to get in wouldn't look suspicious on his not-ageing face." Proud, Wooyoung grinned to himself. All preparations were finished now. He just needed to know whether San might need more time after the wars. If he wanted to meet in ten years after a long holiday in Asia, then Wooyoung would wait for him just how San had waited for Wooyoung.

It was the least he could do for his lover.

"No breaks?" Yongguk asked, as expected. The gaze he gave Wooyoung over the rim of his glass was that of a worried parent.

"I miss him too much for breaks. I will tell him to come two weeks after the time I return, though. So I really get to set my flat up for him. Unless he wants his space, of course. I would be heartbroken if he seeks distance depending on how he made it through the wars... I only have limited time, after all." Wooyoung frowned at his plate.

Seungyoun's hand patted his shoulder brotherly.

"Don't worry. You two are so close to each other now. I'm sure he is so into you he wouldn't miss out on the chance to meet you as regular boyfriends. There are more than a hundred years in between, too. He can rest in that time."