"Yifan...?"

The dragon's head snapped up at the faint and careful voice of Tao who was looking at him with worry swimming in his bright orbs.
Blinking away his negative thoughts, he gave the human a small smile and ruffled his hair.
"It's alright. Just go ahead, don't mind me."
For a few seconds he seemed to hesitate, before turning around and catching up with the phoenix.
They had been traveling for more than three moons and had come across several places like this already. But the heavy smell of desperation, captivity and death in the air was something he could never get used to. As a dragon, he fed off freedom. And even though he himself was free now, the conscience of so many beings that hadn't made it was a little depressing, to say the least.
So many who had been locked away like him and his mate. But none of them had been as lucky as them. Because Tao was one of his kind, Yifan thought as he observed him quickly trailing after Chanyeol with his hood fluttering in the wind.
He was a kind soul trapped in a human body, not fit for the cruel lifestyle they led.
Humans should not be trusted, that much was evident. Not because most of them were cruel and hostile towards anything non-human. Mostly because they were fickle, vain beings. Wavering easy as a leaf in the wind.
But Tao was different.

He watched the young boy run over to a huge metal cage where a bunch of pitiful creatures had been left to spend the rest of their lives - slowly starving and suffering, yet never dying. He could already spot a few crumpled bundles of clothing. The only remains of those who had decided to end their life on their own, instead of withering away and turning into a pitiful shell of their former, glorious selves.
If Tao realized that, he didn't say a word about it. Instead, he busily fumbled with the lock, knowing the human technology by heart and undoing the complex mechanism in a short amount of time.
All the while Chanyeol, his mate, was standing closely behind Tao and already directed a few words at the prisoners to prove their good intentions.
Whenever Yifan's gaze so much as grazed over his frame, he felt a sense of tingling comfort. He and Chanyeol had been through a lot already. If it weren't for the phoenix, he might have vanished by now as well, leaving behind nothing but his hood in that dark, constricted cellar.

He stepped closer and saw two mermaids, both so weak he barely felt them as magical creatures anymore. When Tao stepped inside their cage, one of them hissed loudly, clearly frightening the boy. Instinctively, Yifan stepped forwards to snake an arm over his chest in a protective manner.
"Stop it," Chanyeol commanded in a calm, but final tone.
"He's a human!" one of them croaked defensively whilst trying to crawl away from them.
"He's with us," Chanyeol argued.
Tao still didn't make another attempt at entering the cage and lightly pressed against Yifan's chest instead. He could feel that the human was a little dejected and it pricked his heart. So he embraced him a little tighter and left his free hand to run through his inky black hair. He quietly leaned into the touch, and Yifan felt his insides twitch for a different reason altogether.
Chanyeol undid the chains and gave the dragon a look over his shoulder.
"Fan, could you possibly take them to the sea?"
With a curt nod and a last caress of the bronzed cheek Yifan stepped back, stepped out of his garments and stretched his muscles languidly before calling out to his inner self. Instantly, a prickling sensation rippled through his body as it began to accommodate to that of a dragon.
Whilst transforming, he kept his gaze on Tao, reveling in the way his eyes still brightened in wonder and admiration at the sight of his wings.
Clearly, he would have loved to climb on his back alongside the mermaids but he was aware of the fact that they would highly disapprove. So he stayed back with Chanyeol, who assured Yifan that they would wait for him.

It was a quiet ride. As it was common for their species, the mermaids were terrified of height and desperately clung onto each other.
Even though coming off as harsh and unlikable, they showed deep gratitude once they reached the shore and Yifan let them down into the water.
Finally trusting him, even though a human was keeping them company, they told him about another creature being kept imprisoned a couple miles to the south. They seemed to have taken a great liking to him and asked Yifan whether they might look out for him as well. While it was difficult to compare different species, it was a well-known fact that dragons harbored the greatest physical strength and he would surely have nothing to fear, according to the awed mermaids.
Of course they didn't know that those supposedly weak humans had already gotten a hold of him once.

On his way back he thought back to that moment. Even though of great strength, dragons still remained an easy target to attack. The complete opposite of phoenixes. Gifted with a calm nature and void of aggressiveness, they were quick and evasive, and the moment Yifan was forced to his knees his mate was still buzzing around, completely unharmed.
The desperate cry of agony by the flaming bird had carved itself into his heart for all eternity.
Yifan had known in that exact moment that he could never give up on his life and leave his mate behind. He had tried to accuse him of following him into captivity, but it was halfhearted. For he knew that he would have done the same thing.
Chanyeol would be able to live on without him. But their connection was deep, and if he left him, he would leave behind a certain emptiness that could never be filled again.

He could already spot the campfire when he was still far above ground. Of course both Chanyeol and Tao loved campfires, and he remembered the delighted look on his mate's face when Tao made one for the first time.
Soundlessly, he sank to the ground and changed to walk the last meters.
Around the campfire he saw their blankets spread out on the ground, and Chanyeol and Tao were comfortable seated on them while kissing each other, deep and languid.
The sight was not exactly a shock, but his heart still twitched.
He hesitated, just for a second, but it was a silly thing to do since Chanyeol had probably felt him from a mile away already.
So he proceeded to sink onto the unoccupied blanket next to them, causing his lover to break their kiss and lean towards Yifan, swiftly pressing their lips together.
"You're back. I'm glad you're safe."
He could still taste Tao on his lips, but it was a pleasant feeling nonetheless, so he stole another brief kiss.
Chanyeol drew away a little with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"I was just playing a little with Tao. You want to play along?"
Kris merely shook his head.
"I'm a little tired. You go on without me."
Nodding in understanding, Chanyeol sat up straight again, and Tao handed him his clothing.
"You'll get s-sick."
"Creatures don't get sick easily."
But since Tao was genuinely worrying about him and Yifan knew that being made humans uncomfortable, he took the clothing anyway.

For a while, Yifan lay on his side with his eyes closed, dozing off to the sounds. Tao's breathless sighs and quiet moans, all soft and restrained. It took some time, but soon he felt Chanyeol leaning into him while lying on his back so he could still keep an arm around an exhausted and sleepy Tao.
The phoenix pressed a soft kiss to Yifan's cheek, knowing very well that he was still awake.
"Are you alright...?" he quietly murmured as not to wake the boy cuddling into his other arm.
Yifan opened his eyes and tried to look believable as he hummed lightly.
Of course he could never fool him. Chanyeol looked at him with a slightly tilted head and an imploring look written into the brown orbs, before he decided to snuggle into his neck, offering him physical comfort instead.
With a light sigh, Yifan finally managed to fall asleep at last.

Of course everything was alright. Or at least it should be.
It was nothing to be unsettled about. Creatures like him and Chanyeol had different values regarding physical affection than humans. And they both knew that humans craved it more desperately. Which is why they once in a while would do Tao the favor of pleasuring him.
Just simple things, like using their hands or tongue to make the shy thing elicit those tiny, pretty noises.
It was merely something they did out of affection for their fragile, human companion - even though Tao seemed rather ashamed at first, especially over the fact that they did this more out of friendliness than any form of need.
Everything was perfectly alright.
Until Yifan began to feel the spark.
Until he felt like he wanted to receive pleasure. From Tao.
And that was the beginning of his problems.

The next day brought a blue sky and soaring sun.
It was a weather they all thoroughly enjoyed, and for a while they kept lying there, cuddled together as they lazily watched the early morning sun rise.
But soon Tao got hungry and his stomach rumbled quietly, causing a sheepish smile to spread across his features.
Chanyeol a little about it, but soon the three packed up their stuff and left to take a route through the woods in hopes of finding something edible.
Tao was very lucky it seemed, and even though technically the two others didn't need any food, he insisted on sharing his berries - Yifan was once more reminded of the time he had fed them bread.
Back then, they had pondered whether the boy was just naive and conceited.
Only when Chanyeol had tried to actually frighten him and he showed no signs of fear or regret were they both convinced of his pure intentions.

"Can I ask you something...?" Tao carefully asked into the comfortable silence as they strolled through the forest.
"Sure. What is it, Tao?" Chanyeol immediately replied in a friendly tone.
"How did you two meet?" he asked with curiously sparkling eyes, forgetting his shyness in favor of getting excited.
"Oh? You would like to know that?" the phoenix replied, a little amused.
"Well, let me tell you then. When I was something you humans would define a young adult I met Yifan here at the dragon's home, high in the mountains in the east. He was such a grumpy young dragon-"
"Not true," Yifan threw in but was swiftly ignored.
"-who was already behaving like a century-old being. Really, he was no fun at all-"
"Well, you were too much fun to handle! You behaved like a little fledgling, all loud and fidgety!"
Chanyeol's grin didn't cease a tiny bit as he continued with his melodious voice dancing along the syllables, tinged in playfulness.
"And well, something about that grumpy dragon really caught my interest. And soon I found out that he was only that moody because he was a sweet and careful being on he inside."
A little flustered, Yifan shook his head at him with a small smile on his lips.
"And from then on, the crazy little phoenix followed me around everywhere. The whole den was laughing at us."
"And very soon," Chanyeol continued with an arm around Tao's shoulder as if telling him a secret, "I could feel our bond forming."
Tao tilted his head in curiosity.
"How does it work, a bond? Is it like love?"
Nodding pensively, Chanyeol hummed.
"You could say that. It's a little different from human love though. Because once someone like us feels a bond, it's like a deep connection that will remain for the rest of our lives. A bond can never be severed."
At this Yifan felt another prick of guilt, reminded of the way he was thinking about the beautiful human lately.

"I see. I can't have one, then... but-but I won't stop liking you. I know it!" Tao tumbled out clumsily, but determined nonetheless.
Laughing, Chanyeol ruffled his hair.
"You're here now, right? That's all that counts."
"Why do I feel like you don't believe me," Tao pouted, when he suddenly remembered something.
"So, you said you felt the connection... but Yifan didn't? Doesn't it happen simultaneously?"
"Well, actually not. Now that's a little like human love - just because you feel affectionate towards another, there's no guarantee it will be reciprocated."
Nodding, he shot a worried glance to Yifan.
"So... only Chanyeol has a bond?"
The dragon vehemently shook his head at that.
"Of course not, why would you even question that?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
Again, Chanyeol laughed as he threw his free hand over Yifan's shoulder, driving them forward in an awkward tangle.
"Dragon's are a little slow, you know? They bond very, very slowly unlike a phoenix."
Relief was written all over Tao's cat-like eyes as he looked at Yifan and claimed how nice it was that they had a mutual bond.
And there was the guilt again.
And Chanyeol felt it, tightening the hold around Yifan's shoulder in a worried manner.

It was like the mermaids had told him. On a clearing in the forest they found a deserted wooden barn. When Chanyeol carefully opened the door, a stream of sunlight flooded the dark room and fell on a chained young man that both of them immediately recognized as a unicorn, his aura being strong and unbroken. Since unicorns had a healing ability, the humans had locked him away in solitude, in fear of him aiding the others. A unicorn could of course uphold its own existence like that. But to be truly happy, a unicorn had to feed off harmony and this had become a rare gift nowadays.
Immediately, Tao rushed forwards and knelt beside the man who looked at them with interest, seemingly not very affected by being tied down.
"I'll open those, please wait a little more," Tao politely mumbled before getting to it.
His chains were more complicated than those of the mermaids - human technology, made to keep down creatures. Luckily for them, their human had quite a knack for opening those, and after a few minutes of fumbling, they heard the tell-tale click of them opening.
"There, there. They're gone," he said with a smile, and the man rubbed his wrists in mild surprise.
"You saved me," he softly said, his voice obviously not used to speaking in the human tongue.
Tao only smiled and they both got up, though the unicorn was still a little shaky on his legs.
"I have to thank you. I didn't think there were many of us still free - I'm really lucky you were around."
Smiling warmly, Chanyeol dismissed him.
"It's a matter of course. Do you have a place to go?"
The man seemed to ponder his choice of words.
"Not actually a place to go, but... I have a mate, you know? It's a human woman. I don't know whether she is still alive or whether she still wants to see me, for that matter. But I think I will search for her."
Yifan nodded in understanding. Even if that woman would reject him, he could not go on without clarity. It was an agonizing feeling he could easily empathize with.
"If you ever need a home... be it for you alone or the two of you," he calmly spoke up, "you are always welcomed in the mountains of the east. The tallest of them all was once the dragon's den. I do not know how many survivors there are, but tell them Yifan send you. They will welcome you warmly."
The man smiled gratefully, and he seemed already a little brighter than when they had found him.
"I might actually do that. Thank you for the offer. I will take my leave now. Since you were so kind, I'd like you to know that my name is Yixing."
"A beautiful name indeed. I'm Chanyeol, this is Tao and you already know Yifan's name."
They left the stuffy barn, Yixing bowed curtly, and they bid their farewell to him. Before he left, he turned around once more though, itching to say one last thing.
"You have a really kind soul young human, no, Tao. You three are very lucky, indeed," he said with a mysterious little smile.
With a final pat on the raven-black hair (that was very carefully observed by both Yifan and Chanyeol), the unicorn turned around and began his very own journey.

"Why did he call us lucky? Because we're free?" Tao inquired a little confused.
Generously ruffling his hair, Chanyeol pinched the pouting human's cheek with one hand.
"Cute little Tao... I won't ever let you go!"
"Whayy ah yu makin fun of meeh-" Tao mumbled indignantly as he made a show of struggling without actually doing so.
The phoenix suddenly pressed a soft kiss to his nose.
"He meant that we're lucky to have each other."

That moment, Yifan felt something that made him freeze in his tracks.

He barely heard Chanyeol telling Tao to check their surroundings for any traces of humans.
What he did feel, was the warm embrace of his partner, hugging him from behind with his chin resting on his shoulder.
"Yifan. Tell me what's wrong," he murmured quietly, pressing himself a little closer.
When he didn't answer immediately, he felt a kiss pressed to his cheek.
"What's going on, Fan? I thought you trust me."
"I-I do," he hurriedly said, the prospect of hurting his phoenix scaring him. "It's just..."
Chanyeol hummed, nuzzling their cheeks together.
"...I'm scared," he mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Why would you be scared?" the phoenix immediately asked.
Yifan sighed. It was no use keeping it to himself. This was Chanyeol, after all. His friend, mate, lover, his Chanyeol.
"Lately... I have been feeling weird. I felt like I... wanted Tao. Just now I felt his excitement over your affection. It's like a bond forming."
He hastily turned to press his face against Chanyeol's to leave a kiss, desperate for his understanding.
"But I swear I love you. Really. I swear I'm faithful to you. Please believe me. Please..." he mumbled, a tinge of panic in his otherwise so stoic and calm eyes.
Chanyeol blinked and looked at him in surprise. Then he smiled widely and began to mouth along his ear as he spoke up in a purposefully low voice, causing a shiver to run down his spine.
"You know I would never leave you. Even if you were to lose the bond which is not actually possible I think. I would still follow you around as your crazy, little phoenix," he ended with a security in his voice that made Yifan exhale in relief.

"Besides, you're such a silly, slow dragon. What would you do without me?" he teasingly added.
"W-what do you mean?"
"I have felt my bond for Tao a long time ago, back down in the cellars. I don't know whether humans can actually form a bond if it's with a creature like us, but-"
"B-but we, aren't we-" Yifan interrupted him, and the phoenix only put a finger to his lips to silence him.
"Of course we're still bonded. I told you our connection was irreversible, you should know that. It's what we've always been taught - a true bond can never be severed. However, no one has ever told us we could only have one bond."
"But still. For both of us to bond to the same individual is-"
"Natural? I think it's not strange. I even think our affection spurred on the other one's, since we're bonded already. Of course we like whomever the other cherishes."
Yifan still seemed a little guilty at actually doubting what they had, and the phoenix peppered his side with more calming kisses.
"Anyway, I can clearly feel Tao getting attached, too. Not sure if you can call it a true bond, but let's name it that. And he recently developed it for me. But it will probably make you happy to hear that he had one for you first."
At this Yifan was utterly surprised.
"Me? Are you sure?"
"Do not doubt my senses, little dragon."
Yifan had always thought that Tao would prefer his mate's presence over his. It was unexpected, to say the least.
Chuckling, Chanyeol raised his voice.
"Tao?"

"Yes?"
The slim figure of Tao appeared from somewhere in between the trees and shuffled closer.
Yifan tensed a little, and he could feel Chanyeol's smugness.
"Remember how you told me you were afraid of Yifan not liking you all that much?"
Blushing, he nodded, his unsure gaze wavering between the two of them.
"Turns out that you simply misunderstood him. I guess it's even the opposite, and he felt like you'd favor me over him..." he trailed off with a wide grin, observing how Tao's eyes widened at the statement.
"N-no! No, I don't! I like both of you, really."
"Aaah, but FanFan was so lonely," Chanyeol further teased while the dragon was getting more and more flustered.
Tao shook his head with vigor, looking a little shocked.
"No, I didn't mean to make you feel lonely!"
Then he stepped forward and placed a shy kiss on Yifan's lips.
“Please don't be lonely.”
Silently the dragon stared at him, slightly dazed at the sudden turn of events.

"You can kiss him a little more. I'll make sure he doesn't run away," the phoenix suggested with a cheeky grin.
Not that Yifan tried.

Hello everyone~ ♥

Since a few of you asked for a sequel and I was itching to delve into their relationship a little further... Here it is :D
I hope you're not disappointed~

This time it's all kinda written from Yifan's point of view, since I focused on him the least in the first chapter.
Once again I'd like to thank everyone for supporting this story and encouraging me to write a sequel - I'll definitely write an OT3 story again in the future~

Love,
Sugar-and-Salt ♥