It hurts. With each tear drop, the pain dissipates, smoke rising from the wound that's mending itself right back up in front of everyone's eyes. However, Yifan's chest tightens with each precious tear that trails down those warm cheeks of his lover, the hurt and worry resonating through his watery brown orbs looking back at the dragon. Yifan's heart hurts the most.

"Why did this happen to you?" Chanyeol's shaky voice rings in Yifan's ears as he barely nods his head, words refusing to come out. He would never be able to lie to his mate and the phoenix has to understand that sometimes, even beings with power have their weak moments and get injured and shouldn't have beautiful creatures like Chanyeol waste any more tears on him. Instead, the dragon reaches out with his uninjured hand, warm trickle of blood running down his neck with each movement, to brush the younger's tear soaked cheek.

The large eyes are taking in all of Yifan's form through the haze, jumping from one injury to another, from one cut to another, from one limb to a lack of another, unsteady fingers coming up to clasp the large hand on his cheek. The dragon is growing colder and Chanyeol's not used to this. They are both beings of fire and smoke, eternally in flame, but his other half is dying, slowly and painfully. A sad smile pulls at his lips.

"Is this how you always feel?"

Yifan returns the smile to his best ability, his vision is failing him, darkness enveloping his peripherals, so he wills all his attention on the face he wishes to look open for the remaining time. Chanyeol shakes his head, mouth opening to speak but Yifan can’t hear anymore. He feels strength leave his body, eyelids turning heavy and a gentle pressure lowering itself on him, bringing a strange sense of peace over his entire battered body.

Only his heart is not at peace, the throbbing of sorrow and regret is hard to ignore when the last image before the darkness takes over is that of your love’s tearful, desperate face. He knew death would be painful, filled with regret of never seeing Chanyeol again. At least, peace is rumored to come, from what he’s heard from the phoenix, but the constant thumping in his chest is persistent, like his heart is refusing to give out. The sensation spreads out, reaching his throat, constricting but forcing air in, sending painful pulses through his body.

Yifan wants to move, wants the feeling to end and for death to take him but something is wrong. There are whispers around him, he feels the familiar fire flicker on in the depths of his stomach, an itch crawling through his veins. It’s too tortures that he feels like giving up, to beg for it to stop. The whispers get louder, solid words going in and out of his ears until a heavy weight hits him in the guts and Yifan opens his eyes and mouth gasping for air.

He’s confused, looking up at familiar but strange faces, body aching in all places, breathing becoming more like a forced chore than anything.

“Yifan!” Voices shout. “He’s alive!” Yifan hears. “Quick, bring General Suho!” He turns his head slightly, muscles refusing to move, as he sees a friend break through the mass and drop down to kneel by Yifan’s body.

“Yifan,” Suho says, voice steady but with sadness and an uncertainty in his eyes, “you’re alive.”

“What,” the dragon tries to speak but his throat, much like the rest of his body, doesn’t seem to know how it works, “What happened? What’s going on?”

Suho’s eyes drop at the question, body beginning to slightly shake, fingers tightening around the hem of his shirt. Yifan looks around himself, jumping from one face to another, desperation growing with each unwanted face that doesn’t lead him to the one he’s body is aching for. A sudden dread washes over him, body turning cold in fear.

“Chanyeol.”

The general shakes his head, swallowing thickly, a single tear running down his cheek. Just like Chanyeol. Yifan doesn’t know what’s going on anymore, his hands are moving, pushing his body up, tearing through the pain. His eyes drop down to the ground around him and a sob breaks free, throat constricting, lungs crushing, heart crying.

All Yifan sees is ash. Soft gray ash pooled around him, some on his shirt, between the creases and tears. His fingers reach down, the breeze tickling, uprooting the embers to twirl around then to drop down like it wants to be touched, to be cared for, to be missed.

“I tried to stop him, Yifan. I really did.” Suho’s whisper sounds apologetic, “I begged him. But he wouldn’t listen, he said he was the weak one. He said he wouldn’t be able to let you go. He said that unlike him, you wouldn’t be able to come back to him. He kept calling for you and apologizing for being weak. He said he was the weak one. Yifan,” he raises his arm but stops, “I truly am sorry.”

Yifan hears nothing. There’s a low hum in his mind, body numb to everything but the painful throbbing of his heart. Long fingers sink into the ash, there’s still a slight heat trapped underneath, it must have not been that long ago that Chanyeol was still next to him. Touching him. Crying his heart out.

Empty eyes turn back to Suho, sending a shiver down the man’s body. They remain silent until the dragon open his mouth to say the only thought that’s running through his mind.

“How long, how long do I have to wait this time?”

Suho can’t answer that.

“How long do I have to wait until Chanyeol is back in my arms?”

Suho wishes he could answer that. He wishes he could never see his friend’s face covered in silent tears again. He wishes Yifan doesn’t hurt anymore.    

But it hurts. Yifan's heart hurts.

Hello my dear readers!

If you've read my previous stories, you probably know that I love writing happy, cliché, fluffy stories; however, I've been wanting to write this story for a while now and expand my writing style to see if I'm able to create this genre. I will apologize up front if this goes down in flames (pun not intended) but thank you for sticking through this and with me as I go on this journey! I truly appreciate every one of you wonderful readers!!!!

PS: For those who are waiting for my other story, please wait a little more! It's coming to it's conclusion and I want to end the story well so I really don't want to rush it out! Thank you for understanding and keep cheering me on!!!   

 <3