Deep night settled over Rome and brought tranquillity to the busy streets. The occasional night swarmer passed Yunho's and Wooyoung's path to duck in the shadows beyond the rims of torches lighting the street corners. Every so often the soothing clacking of the guards' armour as they patrolled the pavement reached Wooyoung's ears to startle him before he relaxed back into Yunho's side.

The tall man smelled of rosemary and, despite his unfamiliar identity, his grip was delicate and his words quiet when he muttered for Wooyoung to take care of the uneven terrain. They barely talked since Wooyoung was still choked up from pain and shock. He could feel the bruise on his cheek forming already and cooed inwardly over the temporary loss of his beauty.

The walk up the hill was steeper than Wooyoung's weakened body could handle. Every step stabbed at his damaged side like a needle and had him grit back pained whines. He tripped over a loose stone once, bad enough that agony flared in his side. His teeth bit back a whimper.

"Are you alright? We'll be there in a bit, then you can rest," Yunho hurried to assure him. Wooyoung didn't want to put too much of his weight on the taller male, so he remained stubborn through the pain. When a dog suddenly barked at them from the shadows between two buildings, Wooyoung didn't even startle. They dragged each other up the hill and down the street that the lady at the inn had described to him before. When they finally slowed in front of a building, Wooyoung's relieved exhale interrupted the night.

Two massive pillars towered next to the entrance to the large mansion. The Minerva statues guarding them stood towering and proud in pieces of priceless marble art. Their bronze spears were taller than Wooyoung.

To the right, some noise rang from the ample gardens that Linus' neighbour owned. Since thick hedges framed the entire place, Wooyoung couldn't peer in and listened instead. An amused male voice spun absurd stories that could be straight from a book about ridiculous hero sagas from the past.

"I once knew a man with feet longer than my spine. Wherever he stepped, he left massive footprints that caused the people in the area to fear he was a monster. We called him Magnus Pes, and he is famous for the terror he spread among the lands by his presence alone!"

The giggle of multiple women replied. Wooyoung subconsciously stuck to the sound as Yunho hauled him up the stairs to open the right door of the double-leaved entrance.

"Then what did you do, dominus? Wouldn't the dread of your people concern you?"

"Well, I hunted him down, of course. That's how I knew he was just a fellow with enormous feet. Loneliness broke his poor spirit, so I told him to find a village to befriend people in instead of scaring them with his lurking. He left off, and I was celebrated a hero."

"Ohh, so humble! No, what a man." The woman sighed dreamily. It went quiet as they most likely either continued a meal or cosied up together. Since Wooyoung stepped into the foyer of the other villa, he lost his interest. While Yunho pushed the door shut behind them, Wooyoung carefully glanced around the atrium.

The building had a luxurious entrance hall held in a deep ochre colour that decorated the walls. White pillars carried the high ceiling and between them, statues of various goddesses watched upon an indoor pool. Rather than for swimming, it had colourful fishes floating around in lazy circles under the water surface adorned by lilies and flower petals.

Yunho accompanied Wooyoung to the left, and they passed a bright corridor with many windows that had insects come in to pump against the lamps.

They entered a room together that reminded Wooyoung of a changing room in a thermal bath. Two ornate stone benches with curled edges offered a seating space and baskets with laundry stood around in a corner.

Yunho helped Wooyoung to sit down and rolled his shoulder before he stood back up. From a cabinet to their right, he collected pre-prepared pieces of cloth as a makeshift bandage and a soothing ointment. When he uncapped the clay jar to apply it, Wooyoung smelled herbs.

Once Yunho had knelt down on the ground in front of Wooyoung, he tipped his fingers into the mixture. Warm brown eyes found Wooyoung's as he rose them to his face.

"Please hold still. May I?"

Wooyoung grunted in response and curled his hands around the bench upon the first touch. The balm was cold and stung on the bruise, but it eased the angry throbbing in a welcoming numbness. Yunho's touches were as polite as he could muster, but Wooyoung felt the rough texture of his slender fingers against his raw skin.

"What brought you to seek us out?"

Once Yunho was done, he motioned Wooyoung to undress his upper half. After a bit of a struggle, Wooyoung exposed his side while his clothes bunched around his belt. He hissed upon the touch to his already darkening ribs. With attentive patience, Yunho spread the balm and let it dry before he reached for the bandages.

"I'm a travelling scientist and I am interested in immortality. Through a coincidence, I heard you had something to do with the topic."

With big eyes, Yunho stared up at Wooyoung. His fingers stilled in wrapping the bandages around Wooyoung's comparatively narrow body.

"How did you know that?" Yunho breathed in surprise. "I only ever talked to my friends about that."

"We must have a shared friend then," Wooyoung assured him with a pained smile. He would like to act better, but his nerves about being attacked in the street were laid bare.

"I see. Well, yes. I did some thinking about it but it's nowhere near important enough to be shared with others, especially not a studied person." Yunho's voice dropped to a murmur. Strained to hear him, Wooyoung sat motionless as the man tied up the bandages.

"I won't carry your theories anywhere you don't want them to be. But I would enjoy hearing them to broaden my mind." Wooyoung gave him a winning smile when Yunho stood up. After he had adjusted his clothes, Wooyoung carefully felt over the tight bandage. It dulled the pain and kept a secure layer between him and other objects.

"Thank you," he added as he stood up. Yunho bowed respectfully, his hair falling in front of his eyes.

"I am honoured that you are interested in me, then. I will have you meet my master and you can discuss it with him. He will surely give his permission." Yunho's flickering eyes betrayed his anxiety about the topic. Wooyoung didn't doubt that Linus would grow wary of him when he heard about the attention his slave attracted. Wooyoung would heed his words when it came down to that debate.

"Then please lead the way. I presume I will see him in the morning?"

Yunho held the door open for him before they stepped back out. They returned to the pool area and went for the larger door right ahead this time.

"Better now. He should still be awake and I don't want him to be surprised by your unannounced presence."

Yunho motioned Wooyoung to wait as he dipped into the next area for a moment to check with his master. A few minutes later he was back to welcome Wooyoung in.

They crossed the inner yard adorned by more stylistic pillars, statues, and bushes cut in round shapes to reach the master's chambers. When Yunho let Wooyoung in, he waited in front of the door.

The lord of the house lounged on a divan in his dining area. Opposite of him laid his wife, who filled her red-painted lips with dark berries and grapes. When Wooyoung entered, both of them looked up at him.

"Ah, here's our guest. Welcome in, friend. Take a seat." Linus was a greying man with an orderly trimmed beard and bright eyes. Once Wooyoung had sat down on the free chair in their round stiffly, Linus sat up to talk with him on one level. His wife continued to loiter and watched them silently.

"Yunho told me you sought for us. May I inquire why?"

Wooyoung put his hands on his thighs to officiate his proposal.

"I have an interest in Yunho," he began. Maybe he could give away as little as possible about Yunho's secret hobby of studying immortality.

"I will sell him off to you only hesitantly," Linus said. He motioned to their meal of fruit and bread, but Wooyoung shook his head.

"I don't plan to demand that. I require his help in matters that brought me to Rome. His birthplace interests me and I merely want to ask him a few questions," Wooyoung lied without batting an eyelash. Understanding, Linus hummed at him.

"In that case, ask him everything you want. You are welcome to stick around until you'll have to return to your origin." Careless, Linus waved Wooyoung off. With a breath of relief, Wooyoung bowed to him.

"Thank you, milord. I wish you two a pleasant evening."

He left as soon as possible and rejoined Yunho outside. The slave stood in a corner, wringing his hands nervously. When Wooyoung approached him, his eyes drew together with insecurity.

"What did he say?"

"He allowed me to ask you questions. I didn't give your interest on the matter away." Wooyoung tried a smile and even when pain ached in his cheek for it, it calmed Yunho. With a nod, he dropped his fidgeting hands.

"Thank you. Please let me provide any of my wisdom to you that might be of worth."

"I will after I have rested. Visit me whenever you find the time among your duties," Wooyoung pleaded. His gentle approach worked. Gradually, Yunho accustomed to his soft demands that were so unlike to the brusque orders he must be used to.

"Of course, let me show you your chambers."

Yunho hurried ahead to direct Wooyoung to the guest room. They passed decorative vases and jugs in the corners. Linus kept his home tidy. Nobody but them scurried through the one-story mansion in the night.

When they had arrived at Wooyoung's temporary stay, Yunho signalled for him to enter. He took one of the oil lamps from the corridor halls to fasten it on the hook in Wooyoung's room. Once it was lit, Wooyoung glanced around fleetingly. A wooden bed took in most of the space, and Wooyoung also got a desk under a window and a drawer he wouldn't need.

"Feel comfortable and tell the servants if you need anything. I will inform them of your presence."

Wooyoung didn't need to explain to Yunho that he would rather do things himself. He knew it was a lost effort. In here, meddling with the servants' affairs would only make him look more suspicious.

"Thank you, Yunho. Good night, then."

"Good night, milord."

Yunho shut the door behind him as he wandered off. For a moment, Wooyoung just stood in the room and let go of a breath he had been holding ever since he had entered this unfamiliar setting in pain. He hadn't been ready for the attack and his acting right after. His effort had been low, and he could have been thrown out as a lowly bum all too easily. Thankfully, fate had blessed him with luck in his dark hour.

Glad that it had turned out well, Wooyoung sat down on the bed. His hand pressed to his side as if to support his throbbing ribs. Despite his drunkenness, the man had packed a good punch. The rest of Wooyoung's stay in Rome would unlikely be a happy frolicking. Yet, he undressed under pain and shut off his lamp. His window had a wooden shutter that he could slide over the window openings to keep the curious gazes of the inner yard outside. He shut it mostly to leave only a sliver of the brilliant night sky in sight.

When Wooyoung finally laid down to sleep, he twisted and turned for a while. No position was comfortable for his ribs, and his fatigue frustrated him. In the silence of his room, he still heard the women in the neighbouring garden giggle even when the man's voice had lowered to a hum that Wooyoung couldn't understand in its details.

The night sky reminded Wooyoung of his night in the gardens of Babylon. As he played out an alternative universe in his head where he kissed Suusaandar under the shining light of stars not interrupted by light pollution, he finally fell asleep.