Kris couldn't say he was back to normal yet but he was as normal as he'd been in the past few months. 

Part of it, of course, was his vendetta against Evil – killing his clones had given him a sense of closure, in a way. Karen's death had haunted him and he'd always blamed himself for not protecting her, not being able to save her. Killing Evil's clones was a little late but he did it for her. His mate deserved at least that much. 

 A major chunk, though, was because of Chen.

Kris had opened his eyes inside the new HQs, a place he hadn't visited for a long while now and had been greeted by the huge set of teeth, his -eating grin as -eating as ever, looking alive and healthy – like he hadn't been bedridden and comatose for the past so many months, like Kris hadn't failed him as he'd failed Karen, like all of those nightmarish months in between were nothing but. 

He'd pulled the Legend down into a bone-crushing hug, ignoring his protests and struggles to get free and sobbed his heart out. He didn't care if it made him look weak or if anyone else was looking – this was between Chen and him, between the leader and his subordinate. 

Chen knew when to be an and when to be nice. And he'd been nice then, hugging him back and letting him reassure himself that this wasn't another hallucination, another trick of mind Evil was playing. 

Afterwards, he'd proceeded to make fun of Kris's weird way of crying – holding the bridge of his nose like that would stop his tears and making fun of his deep voice while he cried, Baekhyun joining in eagerly. Kris didn’t mind – not if it meant Chen was alive.   

The rest of the Legends had been mostly welcoming. He'd gotten a few snappish retorts from Luhan, the elder showing him he didn't like Kris's taking off and Suho being a little cautious around him, like he wasn't really sure if Kris was back for real or not. The rest acted like he'd never left. 

But there were two glaring exceptions: Tao and of course, Chanyeol. 

Tao used to worship the ground he walked on and it was kind of strange not to have the cub – an elder now, really – look at him with that kind of reverence but regard him with frank hostility and hurt instead. The boy was never one to hold back his emotions and he'd let Kris bear the full brunt of the hurt he'd inflicted by taking off like that. 

But after determinedly ignoring him for a week or so, he'd stopped leaving the room every time Kris entered. And last night, he'd even passed the bowl to Kris when

Angel asked him to. He'd made a face then but he hadn't looked away when Kris smiled his thanks so he knew they were good. Not like before, perhaps, but they were good. 

With Chanyeol, it was quite another story. 

His Shadow wasn't one to hold grudges usually – he didn't normally lose his temper either, too happy and bright for that but if he did, he was quick to cool down. But what had happened – Kris taking his powers and then taking off to chase Evil, leaving him useless for the field – it had driven a wedge between them that wasn't going away soon. Kris knew he'd hurt Chanyeol – their Shadow link was back and functioning and as Chanyeol wasn't very good at keeping his own emotions at bay (something he'd forgotten following Karen's death), resentment and hurt slipped into him whenever they came face to face or when Kris was mentioned. 

He had just been too fixated on his own grief, his own guilt – it was still there but less like a knife to his heart and more like a constant thorn in his side and he figured that was as good as it got – and he'd forgotten that he had people other than his lost mate and it had taken the near-death of all his brothers to make him realize there was something he feared even more: losing them as well. 

He'd vowed, squeezing Chen's breathe out of his body with the force of his hug, that he would make things right with them. He'd let Evil play with him enough, given him too much liberty to destroy everything he cherished, so it was about time he took things in his own hands.

He'd apologized to his brothers, collectively once and individually as well, except Chanyeol and Tao. He supposed he deserved the anger they held towards him – he had abandoned Tao and he had taken Chanyeol's powers… Chanyeol was nothing but action and not having his powers, having to stay behind had to have driven him crazy. A Legend's powers defined them and he'd taken away his identity, so of course Chanyeol was angry. 

And if it hurt him, well then they were even, weren’t they? He would give him all the time he needed and be there until he was ready to accept him back. 

In the meantime, he'd do anything he could to support the guy behind the scenes. 

Which was why he was now employed at the university as the visiting faculty, teaching language to the undergrads and grads as well as overseeing the basketball training. Being in the university grounds increased the number of Legends present in the field at any given time, strengthening their defense and also provided him escape from Suho's not-so-subtle attempts at seducing Angel. 

Not that he blamed the leader – the poor guy was still in the honeymoon phase and with so many people crowded in the small, nondescript hotel they were currently hiding in while Suho tried to revamp their Headquarters, he hardly had any privacy. In fact, Kris doubted they'd even consummated their relationship because Baekhyun had hidden alarms all over their bedroom on the wedding night and spent the entire night pressing different buttons and cracking up over the ingenuity of his plan. 

Pity for his fellow leader aside, his teaching job also afforded him the perfect opportunity to gather information about the pretty librarian Chanyeol had been pining after, Nara. She was in one of his classes, a genius at research and there mainly to learn the social use of conversation; he'd managed to find her work schedule and sneakily passed it on to Baekhyun so they could help Chanyeol get his girl. Anything to get back in his Shadow's good graces. 

Things were going pretty smoothly for him, if he did say so himself. 

Until, that is, he was summoned to go check in the old girls' gymnasium where, apparently, some sort of gang war was taking place inside the basketball court. 

He didn't get it – what could he do in that scenario? As far as the principal was concerned, he was just another regular human, so why was he asking him to go?

'Just… look intimidating and tell them we don’t want any trouble on the premises,' the man pleaded, looking nerve-wracked. 'The Beagles will probably listen to you.' 

Oh, the Beagles. 

He nodded his head once and headed out, sighing. He supposed he could pull the old alpha-glare on them – it used to work pretty well on Chen and Baekhyun before he'd ruined it by crying all over Chen's shoulder. He didn't think they'd take him seriously now but he could try – the principal had looked close to tears. 

He didn't envy the guy his job.
…………………………

The flash of red was the only warning they had. 

Chanyeol leaped from his slouch against the wall and bounded towards the bleachers, leaving a trail of fire behind him. There were yelps as someone stepped into the flames, fire latching onto the fabric eagerly and then, it was utter chaos on the court. 

Not that it had been any better before but now, it was total, absolute turmoil. 

The thing about Chanyeol's flames, Luhan remembered him boasting, was that it could set anything on fire. Like literally. And that's exactly what happened. 

The fire latched onto the boots, travelled over to the basketball – which was being kicked around like a football but then again, they were footballers – and set the floor on fire wherever it went, eating everything and growing larger by the second. Within moments, the basketball court was one big raging inferno, and everyone was panicking, trying to run out and bumping into each other, transferring flames and literally adding fuel to the fire. 

Which was all well and good – or not – but it was the least of Luhan's worries because he'd seen the look in Chanyeol's eyes – burning red and blind to everything but his prey – as he moved, the intent to attack clear in the predatory crouch he dropped in when he landed. 

His eyes were fixed on the bleachers. On one girl, specifically, who stood looking mesmerized, instead of panicking and running away like a normal person and her gaze seemed to inflame Chanyeol even more. Smoke puffed out of his nostrils as he breathed, a deep growl building inside his chest as he stared at the girl. 

Fire , sudden, hot and devouring, all over his body and where he'd been dressed in tacky shorts and tank top, he was now left in nothing. Not that it mattered, because with all the flames engulfing him, it was kind of difficult to see his body. 

Difficult but not impossible. 

Luhan concentrated on his legs as his muscles tensed and before he could jump, he hit Chanyeol with telekinetic blow, hard enough to knock him unconscious. 

Or well, it should have knocked him unconscious but apparently, the beast wasn't ready to go down yet. 

He bounded back on his feet with a snarl, focusing on his attacker instead of the human. 

Luhan hoped the other Legends were doing what they were supposed to – stopping time so no one will know what happened, preventing collateral damage and stuff like that – because he sure as hell didn't have time to check any of it as Chanyeol regained his footing and attacked.  

The blow seemed to have driven the beast insane and Luhan barely had time to pull up a shield in front of him before the ball of fire hit him. It blasted, like one of Chanyeol's party sparklers, only much more intense. The force of the blow pushed Luhan back several paces and then, he was kept there as Chanyeol kept attacking, the fire behind him increasing and devouring everything that came into its path. 

'Take the girls outside!!!' He yelled, hoping Tao or Sehun had done that already because if the mates were in danger…

'I'm not going anywhere without you!!!!' Mei screamed back instead, a jolt of fear travelling through their link. 'I'm not leaving you again!' 

There wasn't enough time to argue, not the way Chanyeol was destroying everything, so Luhan resigned himself to it and extended his shield to include those who remained inside. There was no time to land another blow either as the attacks continued relentlessly and Luhan gained a new appreciation for the level of control Chanyeol usually exhibited. With this kind of arsenal at his disposal, it was a wonder he wasn't always destroying something. 

He just hoped Chanyeol would tire out soon because with the way fire was constantly striking at his shield and blocking his view of everything but smoke, he was completely stumped. There were running steps behind him and Mei's scent hit him before he felt her arms wrap around his waist, hugging him, her face buried into his back. 

He sighed, unable to get angry at her when he could sense her fear – for his life, for his safety – so clearly. 'Mei…'

'Luhan…' she mumbled, tightening her hold.

'Just… stay behind me.' 

He didn't know how long he stood there, trying to keep Chanyeol's fire from spreading out of the court and onto the bleachers – he'd extended his shield to form a box around Chanyeol to contain the destructive flames – when the door opened behind them, a gust of cool, fresh air whooshing in. 

'What…?' Kris appeared at a loss of words. 

Before he could get another word out though, Chanyeol sensed him and Luhan's mind went oh .
………………………...

They blamed it on the gangs.

'They were trying to send a message – don’t mess with us or something,' Kris explained, holding his shirt wrapped around his burnt arms. The principal looked even more terrified than he had before. 

'From what I could gather, they threw in a bunch of Molotovs from that window…' He pointed to the charred wooden frame and the man gulped. 'I-I see.'

'Yes, but the Beagles acted quickly, they managed to get everyone out in time, so no casualties.'

'Thank goodness for that,' he muttered, staring at the old gymnasium with a kind of terrified fascination. 'I… I guess we owe the students' lives to them, in that case.'

Kris rather thought the man was afraid of holding the Beagles accountable, for fear they'd set his office on fire as well. He nodded in agreement and tuned out the man as he chattered on about honoring the heroes and stuff like that, grunting at the appropriate times. 

'Oh but you're injured!' He seemed to notice the blood seeping through Kris's shirt. 

'It's nothing.' Kris waved him off, smiling to show he was fine. He didn't think his grimace could pass for a smile but the principal seemed satisfied. 'Have it looked at, though – the medical center…'

'I'll do just that,' Kris nodded and took his leave. 

Lay fell in step with him soon as he got away, concern and reprimand written on his face as he motioned at Kris to remove the makeshift bandages and let him heal.

'It's nothing,' Kris repeated but couldn't stop a grimace as the dried blood stuck to the cloth, the rough fabric pulling at his burnt skin. It hurt but it was nothing, really… 

'I'm sure he didn't know…' Lay muttered, seeming to sense his thoughts in the weird way he had. 

Kris disagreed though – Chanyeol, or rather the beast, knew exactly who he was; it was why he'd attacked. 

When Kris had stepped inside, he'd been confronted with the scene vaguely reminiscent of Luhan's first fever, except this time it was his own Shadow, taken over by the beast's insane urge to mark and claim, destroy anything and anyone who tried to hurt him or get in his way. 

Luhan was doing a pretty good job, not letting the fire spread out and Tao had put almost everyone else who remained inside the gym into time freeze, so it wasn't going to be a problem. 

The problem, it turned out, was Kris stepping into the court. His presence distracted the beast from its relentless attack on Luhan, only to be directed at his Shadow and the first blast had been so powerful, it had actually broken through Luhan's hastily erected shield around him. 

Kris had raised his arms to protect his eyes and they'd taken the brunt of it, the skin eroding as hot air blasted around them long before the actual flames reached. Thankfully, the redirection gave Luhan time to reorient and he'd managed to enclose Chanyeol into a box he pushed steadily smaller, aided by Sehun who tried to keep fresh gusts of wind coming in so they wouldn't suffocate in the heat. 

They waited for Chanyeol to tire out because even D.O couldn't knock him out without touching him and that was out of the question. It was painful, to say the least, even though they all knew the flames weren't really hurting him and they all sighed in relief when the flames died down, leaving Chanyeol weakened and sprawled on the ground amidst ashes, sooty and blackened but whole. Kai teleported him away and the rest busied themselves cleaning up the best they, settling on the story they were going to stick with. 

Lay clucked his tongue in disagreement again and pulled him to a stop, helping him take out the small threads that had managed to get stuck in the wounds. 'You should've let me heal you,' he muttered, eyes narrowing in concentration. 

'It's okay, it's no-'

'This isn't nothing.' Lay gently cut him off, blowing on the wound to clear away the debris. 'Okay, ready?'

Kris didn't say anything, just waited for him to do his magic and bit his tongue as heat travelled across his arms, knitting the cuts together and new skin forming, replacing the damage. 

'Thanks,' he said, flexing his fingers to assure the worried healer his powers had worked. 

Lay's smile was warm and reassuring, as if things were on the right track. And maybe they were. Chanyeol had attacked him – gone from ignoring him to acknowledging him in a way and that, in Kris's book, was progress.   

Kris found himself unconsciously smiling back 
…………………………… 

A/N

I changed the picture because I felt the chapter was more serious than lighthearted... I hope that works. Hope you enjoyed the update, let me know what you guys think. I also have questions regarding the flow and pace of the story so far... I tried to keep the tempo as natural as possible but I couldn't help but wonder if things felt rushed... or if the plot wasn't progressing as it should... so if you any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear it. 

Alright then, later :)

Oh and have Mr. Hot Park Chanyeol before I leave ;) ;) ;) they don't bother me at all, nope noope nope T___T who am I kidding? these boys have ruined me T___T

 (Xiumin living out our fantasies... smack it boi)

 No but seriously, when did this happen? O_O