Wooyoung and San didn't let go of each other, even after the initial glee of their reunion had passed. San stared at Wooyoung's profile while the man talked with Yeosang. Every so often, Wooyoung got a glimpse of the wonder and glee shining in his eyes. Despite Wooyoung having promised him he would return, San still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he actually did.
Wooyoung found it endearing. For a person who didn't understand time travel and lived through the centuries unwillingly, meeting someone like Wooyoung must feel god-sent. The awe with which San regarded him with made Wooyoung feel fuzzy inside.
"We need your help with something," Wooyoung addressed San after the initial awkwardness of Yeosang's stares had lifted. He didn't mind their closeness, but he scrutinised it warily.
San looked at Wooyoung again. They had to detach their upper bodies so they wouldn't see double as their gazes connected again. Their position was unnecessarily complicated, but Wooyoung wouldn't detach any second earlier than San was ready to let go. He enjoyed being pressed against the man's firm chest.
"We're here because of a book that got stolen from Yeosang. Are you with the thieves?"
San nodded, unashamed. Wooyoung didn't mind him switching around the spectrum of morals. Through history, picking right and wrong choices must get boring and the lines blurred. San was still San. He knew what was important to him, and he had become no more or less savage than he was before joining the thieves.
Yeosang looked far more apprehensive. Yet, he kept any judgment for himself to let Wooyoung talk.
"What book is it? One you wrote?" When San's gaze brushed Yeosang, the man shrunk into himself a bit. No wonder. Wooyoung knew exactly how breathtaking that stare was. He had lost his train of thought because of it often enough.
"Yes," Yeosang replied. He exhaled when San's attention found back to Wooyoung. The immortal's hand brushed one of the long strands from Wooyoung's hair behind his ear. He was so busy staring and appreciating Wooyoung's features that Wooyoung giggled at the thought of San not even listening to them. Being stared at with so much adoration overwhelmed Wooyoung, but he wouldn't confront San with his feelings. Their understanding of how love and dating worked was too far off from each other right now.
"We were in Nottingham yesterday when a group of bandits broke in to steal it. It's about myths and legends. Ones that might interest you, too." Wooyoung lowered his voice around the last part to make it more private. Yeosang's thinned lips gave nothing away about his thoughts on the matter.
Warned by the direness of his mission, San nodded again. Idly, his fingers tapped on Wooyoung's waist.
"So you want me to get the book back?"
"Yes. Maybe it's best to bring it to the inn I will stay at. It's safer to access than passing Ada." Wooyoung glanced at Yeosang for confirmation. The man snickered but agreed.
"Consider it done. I will bring it to you by tonight," San promised. He nuzzled Wooyoung's ear to press a little kiss on the soft skin right in front of it. Charmed, Wooyoung retorted with a peck to San's cheek. When the thief finally stepped away from him, Wooyoung also dropped his arms.
"I will wait for you in the inn 'The Dozing Beaver.'"
"Then I will meet you there. Fear not, I will find a way to sneak off with the book that doesn't endanger your city any further."
San smiled at Wooyoung and Yeosang. Then he settled his hand on the hilt of his sword again to march off. Wooyoung looked after him and marvelled at how good he looked with that sword on his waist.
Meeting San through the times was like watching a child grow up very slowly. A child that was long grown. As the world progressed, San also did, and Wooyoung liked his development. San had lost the rank of a poor kid to become a well-liked person in society, had soon given up to seek popularity as fulfilment, became a warrior, became a thief... He tried out all the options available to him and Wooyoung couldn't wait to see how he would end up. San only got more and more attractive and Wooyoung's heart was weak for him.
As San returned to his camp, Wooyoung and Yeosang turned to make their way back to Nottingham. Wooyoung was proud that they had managed the situation without it escalating into getting caught and punished by the thieves. Although he was disappointed that he hadn't seen Robin Hood himself. But maybe it was better like that. He wanted to enjoy the Disney movies about the man still.
For a long while after they had returned to their path, Yeosang brooded in silence. It wasn't hard to guess that he digested the news he had learnt about Wooyoung's relationship with San. The cogs turning in his head were nearly loud enough to startle the birds out of the trees.
"How did you know him?" Yeosang asked in the end. Wooyoung kept quiet for a moment and pretended to relish in memories while he made up a fake scenario.
"I also got robbed by him once, before he joined Hood's group. He was by himself back then and stealing from lonesome travellers in the forest. When he found out I had nothing but a piece of bread on me, he grew sympathetic. We shared the same route for a while, so we walked together. As we got to know each other better, things led to each other. We parted thinking we wouldn't see each other again."
Wooyoung should start writing fairytales. Nobody lied better than he did.
Intrigued, Yeosang hummed into his chest. His fingers busily peeled the bark off his wandering staff instead of using it for its purpose.
"An impressive way to make friends. So you trust him not to trouble you?"
Wooyoung grinned at Yeosang. The other male was slightly taller than him, but nowhere as huge as Mingi and Yunho had been.
"You saw how close we are. If we are alone in a room later, who knows what might happen. We have a lot to catch up on."
A blush dusted the apples of Yeosang's cheeks when understanding dawned upon him. For a moment, his fingers fiddled with more nervosity, then he lowered the staff to use it for walking again.
"That's good then. In that case, do you want to eat together today, too? I will help Ada once I return, but I'm not too hurried to slave away for her."
Wooyoung laughed at that statement.
"Then let's eat together. And tomorrow in the morning, I will bring back your book so we can work on it," Wooyoung promised. Satisfied, both of them picked up their walking pace to return to Nottingham as soon as possible and to reward their stomachs for a job they hadn't needed to do anything for. The sun travelled with them, reminding them they should arrive before the afternoon if they wanted to find seats in any tavern.
"Anything special to eat in Nottingham?" Wooyoung asked Yeosang. On their way back, he admired the same orange leaves he had found pretty on their way to the bandit camp once more.
"Not that I know of. Have you tried ale?"
Wooyoung shook his head. Despite his habit of trying out everything he got to experience history, he had yet to indulge in another alcoholic drink.
"Then we will drink ale later," Yeosang decided, satisfied. Wooyoung suspected the other man rarely had the courage to go out to drink but had so much fun with Wooyoung last time that he wanted to try again. It honoured Wooyoung.
"Ale it is."
-
They had eaten at the inn Wooyoung planned to stay at. Both of them had been hungry after their long walk and by the time their food arrived, the sun had already set. This time, they agreed to drink less since Yeosang needed to be up and about again soon to make up for his research losses. Still, Yeosang's nose and cheeks had taken on an adorable pink blush after one jug of ale too many. He told Wooyoung stories of the city and cursed the existence of the robbers (excluding Wooyoung's 'extracurricular activity' as he put it in a long digression in his insult.) After a few hours of peaceful conversation, Yeosang had bid Wooyoung a good night and had danced off into the night to go home. Unsure if the man would find his house in the dark, Wooyoung had told the owner of the inn behind the counter that he would be back in a while and took Yeosang home.
It had taken Wooyoung a while to detach Yeosang from his body. Under whines and complaints that he didn't want to face Ada's wrath, Yeosang had stuck to him like a stubborn octopus. Struggling in their mass of limbs, Wooyoung huffed at him. He didn't have the time to play with Yeosang. San would come to him soon.
"You are like a piece of gum, come on!"
At that, Yeosang's face fell into a sulk. He muttered under his breath about being called a piece of gum and how insulting it was until Wooyoung remembered that gum and its idioms weren't a thing yet.
Still, Yeosang had stomped off to sleep his drunkenness off and to forget anything Wooyoung had ever said tonight. With a shrug, Wooyoung turned on his heel to get home.
In the night of Nottingham, some animals rustled in their confinements of their houses or called out for each other. Only a few torches burnt and they made the imposing mansion of the unnecessary sheriff loom over the city like the ominous residence of an evil queen. Shivering, Wooyoung hurried back to the warm and lit inn that bustled with life even at this hour. The drunks inside either kept to themselves and behaved, or the inn owner kicked them out. It was a pleasant atmosphere, and some tension dropped from Wooyoung when he returned there.
A kind maid serving at the inn had showed Wooyoung his room. When she had reminded him that breakfast was included in his rent with a wink, Wooyoung had promised to make good use of it. After she had left him alone, he got cosy in his room.
The modest inn room came with a bed tucked into a corner, a bunch of candles and nails to wake him if he had business in the morning, a fireplace with a little stack of wood next to it, and a dresser. The blankets were thin and Wooyoung had got more sensitive to the cold after having been to Norway, but they would be enough for this time of the year.
Since he had nothing else to do, Wooyoung worked out in his room for a while to tire his body of the day's excitement and sort his thoughts. Meeting San again had filled his heart with glee and smug smiles brushed Wooyoung's lips occasionally when he thought about him remembering Wooyoung and about Yeosang's puzzlement. After the three times he had met San now, Wooyoung had finally left such a lasting impression on him that San had memorised details about him. Where had he been the past five hundred years? Had he thought about Wooyoung often? Missed him?
Wooyoung wanted to put more time into research next time he got home. San had to exist in some records. If Wooyoung figured out the name he used in Wooyoung's time, they could meet there and go on a proper date.
After he had washed up with the bowl filled with water on his dresser, Wooyoung slipped into his bed. While the moon cast elongated squares through his window on the floor, he thought about what San would like on a date. Most activities probably had long since got boring to him since he tried them all already. Maybe there was a new movie coming out, or they could cook together.
Before Wooyoung finally settled down, he timed the candle by his side for about four hours; then it would be morning. After he had jammed the nail through the wax to wake up once it dropped onto its metal tablet, he huddled into his blanket tightly.
If San didn't show until morning, Wooyoung would go to the camp again to check on him and get Yeosang's book back. Otherwise, he was sure San would wake him with some noise as soon as he was there.
Caught up in his dreams about San, Wooyoung fell asleep later than planned. Once San arrived to give the book back, they would likely stay up all night so Wooyoung wanted to make use of the rest of the night. His nervous heart betrayed his tired mind and kept him up for a while, but he appreciated the little sleep he got in. Even more so because he dreamt of San.