A cloud of dust pools the air and rises up in a great, dark cloud. Chanyeol sputters and feels his shoulders begin to ache. Everything hurts. It’s dark all around him, the only light he can see through the dust is from himself. A small glow of red and bright orange from the palms of his hands and around his finger. His wings feel tight, and roughed up, he might have gotten a few scratches, who really knows. He grunts as he pushes himself up into a sitting position, tries to make something out and-

 

“Jongin?”

 

He’s gone. He swears the kid was behind him just a second ago. Chanyeol’s throat feels like it’s been ground down with sandpaper and his head hurts too much to make out any clear surroundings. To think everything was going to go smoothly was an understatement. He calls out for the male again forcing some kind of a yell out into the thick black that swarms around him. He groans audibly as he pushes himself off the ground, stumbling a bit as he does so when he tries to catch his balance. Even now, still silent as ever. It throws Chanyeol off, makes his heart start to beat more out of fear and panic than anger. They were trapped in a mass of chaos and shooting and fighting just minutes ago. For things to be so quiet, that’s not right. Did he mess up? Has it been more than just a few minutes?

 

No way, the dust is still fresh, so are his wounds. But Jongin, where did he go? Chanyeol had his hand wrapped around his wrist, Jongin was there, with him, he was-

 

“Jongin?” He calls out unconsciously again, hoping for some kind of answer, something. He can’t just lose Jongin, that’s throwing away the balance of the entire literal universe out the window.

Chanyeol swore from the moment he was created and sent into this vast place that he would protect Jongin until he was fully capable of handling himself and still, somehow, all these years later, Jongin has still barely gotten the hang of it. Chanyeol was created for a single purpose; Protect Jongin. Why? The Universe is evil and if she somehow wraps her hands around Jongin’s neck the entire balance of everything among everything ever known will be thrown off. Straight down to the smallest details.

 

Chanyeol is passionate about his mission to protect Jongin, he has been ever since the kid was born. Chanyeol watched him get stolen away from human life for his marking, and sentenced and created into an immortal god who was raised and trained to maintain balance among the Universe. Jongin doesn’t know anything but this life, and surely, after all these years, he must know his purpose and that’s not to leave Chanyeol’s side under any given circumstances unless he literally wants to face his impending doom.

 

Jongin is a smart kid, but there’s certain forces that lie among the stars that are far too strong for him. He’s sensitive, easily shaken, and his power is still a stranger to him. Anyone that happens to catch Jongin and pull him under their side, will ultimately destruct the perfection that lies among life in the many vast galaxies and sectors of life for millions and trillions of light years away. There’s a reason he’s so passionate about his mission to protect the younger.

 

His breath is shaky and he can feel his skin starting to heat up again, a side effect of the adrenaline. The night is quiet as he listens closely for some kind of movement, watches carefully through the darkness for any stirring. Chanyeol eyes catch the band wrapped around his fourth finger. It glows a bright, fiery red, meaning that Jongin is around somewhere, but whether he’s dead or alive is still the mystery.

 

It’s woven to Jongin’s marking, in a way. It helps keep them connected. “Connected” meaning it helps Chanyeol to find Jongin when Jongin remains unnoticed in situations like this. It’s not really for them, but Chanyeol likes to make himself feel better by thinking so. It’s mostly for his own benefit, but Jongin does have a habit of messing with it when he gets nervous, so maybe it serves its own little purpose for them both, just different perspectives.

 

Chanyeol’s eyes narrow trying to make something out through the thick. He opens his mouth to call out for Jongin again. Maybe he isn’t yelling loud enough, maybe his throat is to dry from all the dust and previous yelling and fighting. Maybe he isn’t yelling in the right direction, but with there being so much dust and mess around him, his whole mind feels a little clouded. He’s about to force it out, a loud yell. His palms are bright red now and burn with anticipation but then he something breaks it.

 

It’s quick. But it’s loud, it’s painful, it’s scared,

 

It’s Jongin.

 

So he is alive. He called for Chanyeol, he called for him and he’s closer than Chanyeol thought and even though that makes him ecstatic, it also makes him incredibly infuriated, because that means someone has Jongin. His Jongin, and will do potentially terrible things to him, making him use his power for all the wrong reasons. Chanyeol can feel himself really ignite this time. Red flame and wings outstretched as far as they can possibly go. He feels his fingers curl tightly into his palms and the whole world around him suddenly becomes refocused, enhanced, clear as day. It takes a second, less than that, even, for the dust to clear and yet everything remains the same. Black, quiet, and too unsettling for Chanyeol to bear any longer.

 

He can see, but only so far in darkness like this. His eyes pan across the open horizon, across rocks and rubble and piles of smoldering debris to look for that one something that must be shuffling around somewhere. When it comes to moments like this, Jongin is smart enough to find safety until Chanyeol can get to him, this happens to be one of them. His feet shuffle forward, no clear direction of where he’s going, just a way to try and get his mind back together so he can finish this.

 

Chanyeol meant for his voice to be louder when he finally sees it, a faint glimmer in the distance. When he tries to speak out Jongin’s name again it falls merely as a whisper across his lips, barely loud enough for his own ears to hear and he finds himself rushing forward towards the faint glimmer in the distance without a second thought. He reaches over his shoulder, finds it’s still there, and pulls. A striking, glowing, heating katana, enveloped in red flame.

 

There’s no doubt the small distant glow is Jongin He can make out the figure, but the closer he gets the more he feels his heart start to ache, his blood start to boil, it all happens so quickly that Chanyeol never fully processes every moment. Moments like this, when he’s face to face with a stranger with a glowing, zapping staff raised in their hand, pointed straight at Jongin, Chanyeol can only focus on the purpose that causes him to move like this. The force behind the flame that flows through his hands and the blaze that erupts from his wings when they extend and thrash forward, sending an inferno of heat and fire forward.

 

He hears Jongin call him from behind, he does, but he can’t stop. Chanyeol only sees red now as he clashes with the being in front of him and simultaneously loses within his own flames.

 

There’s silence for a split second and Chanyeol only picks up the direction of the attack last second. He feels a paralyzing puncture plunge straight through his left wing, a deep slash follows straight behind it, a deep one at that. There’s enough force behind the boot to his back to send him forward and straight to his knees and into the ground, weapon falling from his hands and sliding across the ground, flame and glow disappearing from it as soon as it falls from his weak grasp.

 

Jongin is louder now, and Chanyeol can feel a deep vibration within the ground. There’s another hit, a hard blow right into the side of his head, sending him into the ground. He’s still awake, of course he is.  Nothing is enough to take this Phoenix out, not when he still has work to do.

 

Chanyeol’s breath is heavy, it falls in deep, shaking pants that beg for a break. He catches a glimpse of the younger before he’s lifted back onto his knees by a fistful of hair. The male is scared, shaken, he can practically feel Jongin’s spastic heartbeat from just a few meters away, yet still, Chanyeol has the audacity to smile a weak, forced, painful smile to Jongin just as he receives another hard blow to the side of the head and sends him back down into the dirt and rubble.

 

He tastes blood in his mouth, it’s hot and thick, he feels it running down his wings, sticking his feathers together, it’s uncomfortable, it’s painful, but it’s not enough. The figure approaches again, staff in hand and raised to pierce straight down into Chanyeol’s heart. There’s a brief second of hesitation, Chanyeol’s eyes are focused directly on the greenish ones of the creature above him. He watches at it lets out a snarl, and send it straight down.

 

Jongin screams very loudly before he can realize that Chanyeol has the staff in his grip mere inches above his chest. His palms are bright red and orange, his eyes illuminate a striking yellow, Chanyeol can feel the static of the staff nipping at his skin, if he can just hold it off a few seconds longer, then he just might be able to pull this off. The electricity flowing through his body is uncomfortable, he isn’t used to it being able to charge up his embers at a rate like this. His muscles ache as he grips the staff tighter, his eyes squeeze closed and he grits his teeth as he uses whatever remaining strength he has left in his body to charge himself up, and simply disappear with as little trace as possible.

 

It’s a blurring flash of flames and sparks, Chanyeol grants himself just barely enough space to flash under the staff and appear behind the creature, elbow crooked and ready to send a blow into the neck. He’s too slow though, his elbow gets caught in the things grip and it throws his arm back, causing the Phoenix to stumble backwards. There’s enough left, he still feels the buzz of the electricity, if he can just save enough to get his katana back and make it back. He can feel himself fading, it’s been a long night and Chanyeol’s embers can only take so much.

 

His eyes catch the band on his finger, the eyes of Jongin who is still tucked away, and he groans, he can spare enough. He has to.

 

One quick flash sends him over to retrieve his weapon which ignites with enthusiasm as soon as his fingers grip the handle. He faces the figure face on now, he feels the electricity settling deep within his veins, it feels good, it feels different. He exhales as he lets his wings stretch outward, his grip tightens on the sword, and he becomes the inferno itself that suffocates the entity that dares try and steal away his purpose.

 

And then it’s quiet again, and it’s dark again.

 

Chanyeol doesn’t remember ever being created, and he doesn’t remember the exact moment in which he was shaped by the Universe to become whatever it is that he is. A Phoenix whose only purpose is to protect the foundation in which it lies upon from the hands of greed and power. He doesn’t know who created him, or what. Maybe the stars did. Maybe the Gods did. After all, someone, something sent him to Jongin. Or sent Jongin to him.

 

He wasn’t created to be a rock who feels no emotion, Chanyeol was meant to have feelings. That’s why he feels sad when he sees Jongin sad, or his heart gets a little mushy when the younger laughs really hard, or angry when things like tonight happen, when people try and use Jongin’s kindness and innocence to pull him into using his power for the worst.

 

He’s spent his whole life with Jongin, he knows nothing but Jongin, and then he sends himself into feeling frustration, because out of all the great creatures in this vast, open Universe, of all the powerful life forms and species that exist, there’s Chanyeol. One Phoenix with one purpose who isn’t even sure if he’s fulfilling said purpose at all. Him and the younger have fallen into so much trouble over recent years that at this point, Chanyeol is just wondering if the Gods are doing this just to make him suffer as punishment for doing a lousy job at the one task he was assigned.

 

His eyes burn from the light when he finally opens them. It takes a moment to adjust, to take in his surroundings, to fully realize where he is and feel the pain finally start to make itself apparent. He’s home, in his own bed, wrapped up in bandages and blankets. Probably Jongin’s doing, judging by how messy the cloth is wrapped around his arms. He glances around at the mess of his own room as pale, gray light begins to settle in through the window and faded curtains.

Jongin must have brought him back, there is no other way. No one would be able to get them here this fast unless it was Jongin himself who did it.

 

That’s when he catches the pale glow next to him. Chanyeol slowly pushes himself up, groaning from the pain as he does so, and sits up to lean back against the headboard of his bed. Jongin’s size compared to Chanyeol doesn’t show much difference most of the time. Other than the fact that Jongin’s body is more slender and petite compared to Chanyeol’s broadness and wingspan. But curled up like this, their sizes are less comparable as Jongin makes himself look as small as possible, all while his gangly limbs shamelessly steal more of the open bed space, leaving Chanyeol with very little.

 

His shirt is loose and hardly buttoned, obviously thrown on last second out of exhaustion. The soft white material falls over the side of his shoulder, revealing the opal glow that shimmers softly from the spirals that trace down the male’s shoulder. It’s comforting to look at. He’s comforting to look at.

 

The way the light begins to strike his skin, making traces of gold and bronze strike out against the white of his shirt and marking. Chanyeol chuckles wearily, glancing back out to the window again. The light is starting to settle now, leaving soft golden strips across his room through the open space of the curtains and making the pale walls and Chanyeol’s clutter strike out more.

 

It’s quiet, it feels nice. Feeling Jongin curled up next to him and listening to the sounds of the outside through their little confined walls begin to stir makes him feel a little more at ease. It releases the tension in his muscles, settles his embers a little more, and makes his eyes fall shut again.

 

Maybe he’s too worked up. Maybe he’s expecting too much of himself. After all, Jongin is next to him, mumbling in his sleep and stirring every now and then. Jongin is next to him, back pressed against Chanyeol’s and he can feel the rise and fall of his breaths. Jongin is safe, Jongin is okay, and he made it out unscathed, and that’s really all that matters in the end. If the ounger were to ever get hurt or injured in any sort of way Chanyeol would find it hard to ever forgive himself. That would mean he’d gone against his orders and hurt Jongin, and that’s something he could never do. The bandages around his arms and wings are uncomfortable, his head hurts, and his muscles are sore, but he’ll be okay. As long as Jongin is okay, he will be too.

 

He turns back over, back facing the window and hovers for a moment, leaving a few centimeters of space between him and Jongin before he finally decides to settle down again, arm draped loosely around the younger’s waist. Jongin has expressed about a million times before how warm Chanyeol is. Literally. He’s a firebird, so of course his body heat is that way above any other creatures. So Jongin opts to sleep with him instead. Saying something along the lines of Chanyeol not only being his guardian but his own personal heater. It’s as close to being endearing as Jongin can get. Chanyeol will take it.

 

Life without Jongin isn’t really life at all. Jongin is his purpose, and having no Jongin doesn’t really leave a lot of purpose.

 

Jongin is the first to wake up this time. Sort of wrapped loosely in a blanket that he doesn’t need but still uses for the extra comfort anyways. Chanyeol is behind him, barely awake from the sudden heavy stirs that indicate Jongin’s consciousness. His hands reach up to his face and rub at his eyes before they fall with dead weight back on the mattress. Chanyeol is slightly more awake now, eyes prying open to adjust to the blurry figure in front of him and he can almost feel it now, his energy, or lack thereof.

 

Jongin used a lot of power to bring them all the way back home. Using his power to try and hop long distances is hard enough, but trying to do it with what was likely a giant phoenix slumped over both shoulders is harder. Chanyeol watches the younger as he stretches out, readjusts the shirt on his shoulders, the silky white material now covering his marking as he curls up again.

 

Where they live isn’t exactly in plain sight. They have to pass through a specially created barrier that hides them from the eyes of the outside worlds, making them quite literally hidden in plain sight. The Gods did this to protect them both until Jongin can harness his abilities and prove himself to them face to face. But until then, they’re stuck in the center of the Universe for who really knows how long.

 

It’s Jongin’s punishment. Mostly for being born human, the other half being hand chosen to bring balance among the Universe by the God of Time himself. Neither he had a say in, and will remain without one for ne next few hundred years maybe. It’s a little confusing. He’s even asked Chanyeol about it before, about his human life and what it was like and Chanyeol had never really given him a direct answer.

Not that he isn’t allowed, but it would be useless. Jongin wouldn’t remember, he has no recollection of having human parents or living a life on Earth. Jongin would just go into more depth with more questions, and Chanyeol isn’t sure how many he’d really have the answers to. He changes his excuse every time, just so he isn’t leading Jongin on with the same sorry one, but it still never does enough, and he knows it never will. The kid is going to continue asking and Chanyeol will have no choice but to tell him at some point. It’s just Jongin’s reaction that he isn’t sure he’d be able to face.

 

Chanyeol’s face scrunches at the sight in front of him, the feeling it leaves in the pit of his stomach, and Chanyeol suddenly feels burdensome. The amount of fatigue and weakness that Jongin radiates is enough to make him squirm. He definitely overdid it, it’s obvious in the way he looks. But then again, if he hadn’t Chanyeol would have likely turned into a pile of dust on sight, and he isn’t willing to burn out just yet.

 

It’s quiet as ever when he steps outside, a change considering the fact that the only other living organisms around are animals of different species. There’s no telling how long they’ve slept, how long Jongin is going to sleep, or what kind of questions he’s going to ask when he wakes up but Chanyeol is ready to face it all.

 

He takes a deep breath, the air carries is still familiar scent of sweetness that he’s so used to. Glancing up at the sky, his eyes narrow against the light of day as he watched the two moons that hover over them. One larger than the other, a dull white, the other a pale blue, the crescent of it barely seen in a thin sliver. Even from millions of miles away they still look enormous in size as they hover over their small planet. Apparently that’s where the gods live. It’s like their Olympus. Anyone in this system of the galaxy can see it. It’s always there. Always watching.

 

A symbol of worship, a symbol of a better life beyond this, a symbol of creation. It has different meanings among the other planets in this system but they all carry the same, watered down versions of the gods descending upon them when the planets collided and overlapped and lead them towards the Exodus.

 

Chanyeol came from there. Maybe, he isn’t really sure, that’s just what his heart and mind tell him. He has the same marking as Jongin, charcoal and ash colored swirls that trace along his shoulder. Though it doesn’t glow and sparkle opal like Jongin’s, he has one identical to the younger’s.

Jongin came from the gods, he was chosen by them. Chanyeol is his protector, so he must be from them too. That’s his reasoning. He isn’t necessarily worried about where he came from as opposed to the younger, but an idea would be nice. He doesn’t have any memory of parents or a childhood… He’s always just been Chanyeol who has known nothing but Jongin.

 

He sighs, eyes the two colored masses in question. No one has even been there, to either of the moons. They’re surface is hidden by deathly gasses and toxic clouds, solar storms so heavy that they’re impossible to penetrate. No one has ever dared to go, for that matter. They’re sacred. They hold deep symbolism for many, why taint the very surface that hold the power of time, balance, creation, and existence itself?

 

His eyes catch the group of birds that fly by in the distance. Their long elegant bodies cutting through the horizon, they squawk and chatter among one another, filling the quiet landscape with something among the the breeze and quiet pings of the chimes that hang off the edge of their worn deck. Jongin made it out of shells when he was a child. Chanyeol is surprised to see they’ve held up this long after everything that’s happened to them. They’re a memory of when times were easier, but also a reminder for the future.

 

He barely notices the weight that sinks in between his wings until a quiet hum vibrates through his body.

 

Chanyeol doesn’t need to turn around at all to know it’s Jongin.

 

“Awake already?” He smiles, resting his hands on the beaten rail of the deck. The male hums weakly, and Chanyeol chuckles.

 

“Y’know you overdid yourself, right?”

 

Another hum, more displeased than before. Chanyeol can feel Jongin leaning more and more of his weight against him to the point he’s almost afraid Jongin might fall right over any second.

 

“Jongin,” Chanyeol starts, pausing for a response, a clipped gruff is all he gets to continue, “Why are you awake?”

 

It takes another couple of seconds before he gets an answer, it’s muffled and hard to hear, “ ‘Were warm”

 

Chanyeol is the one to hum acknowledging Jongin this time, but to his surprise the younger continues. “I was worried… You’re hurt.”

 

Chanyeol smiles and lets out a soft chuckle as he turns around, quickly taking Jongin by both shoulders to hold him upright and immediately feels his heart drop at the sight of the boy in front of him. Jongin’s eyes are red and his cheeks stricken with dry tears. His eyebrows are pressed together in worry and his dark hair is sticking to his face.

 

Chanyeol doesn’t have words. He doesn’t know what happened to make Jongin feel like this, and the fact that he can’t even mutter a question makes his heart squeeze.

 

“You… Jongin…” He sounds like an idiot. He knows he does yet his whole mind can’t seem to process the sight in front of him. So instead all he does is bring Jongin into him, wrapping his arms tightly around his frame and stands there holding him close in silence.

 

“I was scared.” He mutters, the words muffled and soft in his neck.

 

Scared is probably an umbrella term for the things he was feeling. What happened last night was scary, terrifying, even. It was rough and violent, and what happened to Jongin beforehand is very likely still set in the front of mind solid as rock. There’s not a doubt in Chanyeol’s muddled mind that things were messy and a lot of blood was shed on both sides. Jongin has a right to be utterly terrified, and a little pissed too, for that matter. Even if he hasn’t said anything, expressed anything, Chanyeol knows it’ll come when Jongin has the energy to even stand up straight. Jongin hates seeing Chanyeol get violent, he hates seeing him go full blown Phoenix on another creature. He’s made it very clear before.

 

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol says finally.  “I didn’t know things would get that bad Jongin, really.”

 

It’s quiet for a moment, both of them feeling too tired to initiate the conversation further. They stand quietly feeling the cool, sweet breeze pass by them. It ruffles Jongin’s hair, the slick black strands flick up across the side of Chanyeol’s face. He’s quiet, which is common, but at the same time, he’s used to Jongin being full of life and energy. He has a good balance of the two but when it’s like this, it only makes Chanyeol worry. Makes his heart sink and fall apart as opposed to feeling warm and content.

 

“Are you okay? After everything last night?” The phoenix asks quietly. He hasn’t really seen Jongin, much less checked his condition since they were back. The younger hums quietly and Chanyeol can tell he’s slipping back into sleep. It’s impressive, if his head didn’t feel like it weighed a ton of bricks he would probably be doing the same.

 

Jongin sighs into Chanyeol’s neck, arms latching around Chanyeol’s waist, just under the base of his wings. It wasn’t really an answer, at least not one he was looking for. It was more of a monotone sound of acknowledgement to what he asked. Close enough.

 

He stands there with Jongin a little longer, feeling him slipping all the more as he does. He sighs and leans back against the railing, careful not to disturb the now fully unconscious male whose head is buried in his neck, now sleeping soundly. His hand traces up Jongin’s back and threads into his hair, fingers combing gently through the now windblown strands. The sky is lilac and gray, illuminated faintly by golden light rising higher over the horizon. It’s just starting to peak over the roof of their place, casting honey colored rays down into the field below.

 

Chanyeol can’t help but to feel somewhat remorseful for the things that happened to Jongin. He can’t help but to think that maybe if he was more careful, kept a more watchful eye on Jongin, then maybe he could have gotten them home safely. It’s all still very fuzzy when he thinks back on what happened that lead them into that situation, but is the leading cause for every case like this they find themselves in.

 

Case being that Jongin’s marking is very easily recognized.

 

It glows, it’s noticeably large in size, and… Oh yeah, It ing glows.

 

It’s noticeable even when Jongin has it covered, which he did, thankfully.

Besides that, Jongin’s appearance isn’t one that typically goes unnoticed unlike most. He’s a literal god. What Chanyeol got involved in last night was barely an example of the struggle they both face when it comes to protecting Jongin daily. Being inside of the field is barely enough to aid in their protection the more Jongin begins to discover his power. Because of this, Chanyeol typically ventures outside the barrier alone when he needs to get things. He’s just a Phoenix. No one cares about a six foot clumsy bird man with a twelve foot wingspan. Sure he’s kind of an eye sore, but it’s tolerable compared to having Jongin around.

 

Creatures from all over know him. He’s been spoken as the next coming of Light for centuries, and even longer than that. Jongin is written as the boy born from the sun and inscripted by the moon. A human shaped from the crystal of the stars and graceful as the rotation of planets. He is made entirely from the universe itself and it was chosen to be that way by the god of time even before Jongin’s family was apart of the picture.

 

The glowing skin, midnight black hair and eyes that show depth beyond the galaxy cannot be mistaken for just anyone.

 

And with a personality like his? Jongin is recognizable from the ends of the universe.

 

Jongin can only be content inside the field for so long. It’s empty outside their place. It’s just miles of field and wildlife and rivers. No one else remains inside other than themselves. They’re hidden out of sight from the rest of the world and it was meant to be that way. Jongin knows that, but he treats it as if he doesn’t. It gets stuffy for him, Chanyeol has seen it happen to him more than once.

 

Over the years, Jongin developed a habit of venturing outside the field and going to places he was constantly told he shouldn’t. He’s (usually) logical enough to not go around villages but even in remote areas, he’s still incredibly susceptible to danger.

 

Jongin did manage to slip out again this time. Deliberately, of course.

 

The only difference from this time compared to last is that Jongin actually got caught.

 

And captured.

 

Chanyeol, being blessed with the ability to sense when Jongin is in danger and under stress, realized immediately that something wasn’t right, and had to go and break Jongin out by force.

 

It ended much worse that’s either of them thought. Jongin ended up venturing incredibly far and wandered straight into the perimeter of the nearest kingdom to the east which controls many of the surrounding territories within this region of their planet. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the fact that there is a heavy possibility of a bounty looming over both their heads, Chanyeol doesn’t have the energy to scold Jongin at the moment. Especially when he knows the younger is too tired to even listen.

It’s not like it would do any good anyways. He’s gone through this with Jongin before and has hardly any luck getting him to understand the consequences of going out alone. He doubts he’ll listen even if last night was a perfect lesson, bringing up the bounty’s and warrants out for them will just go straight over his head.

 

The chain of events happened so quickly that Chanyeol still has a hard time remembering but he still feels an incredible amount of guilt anyways. It’s a feeling that weighed on him since he woke up. That heavy heart and weighed in chest that knows something isn’t right. Jongin is not meant to defend himself, not yet anyways. Stupid gods, he thinks. Making the poor kid suffer only because he was born human and punishing him to learn how to control himself and his power on his own. If Chanyeol could ever talk to one of them he’d give them an earful.

 

Chanyeol’s hand falls away from Jongin’s hair, falling down his back and stopping just at the small of it. In this position, he has no idea how he’s going to get him inside without waking him up. He sighs, a faint smile ghosting over his lips over the silliness of it before he reaches both hands down, making sure he has a firm grip under Jongin’s thighs and pulls him up so he’s off the floor, and both legs dangle on either side of Chanyeol’s waist.

 

He stirs just a little bit, but nothing more comes out of him as Chanyeol carries him back to his room. If there’s anything he knows Jongin will stay awake for, its food.

 

It’s almost like Chanyeol has known Jongin longer than the stars, because it works. It takes a minute or two for Jongin to come to life. He whined and made many bad attempts at swatting Chanyeol away, but once his sense of smell kicked in, he started to come out of it.

 

Now they both sit in the window of the study, the highest room of the house. Jongin leaned lazily up against Chanyeol with a bowl of hot soup in his lap, one leg hanging dangerously out the window with the other brought up to his chest as the breeze drifts inside. He’s still quiet, still exhausted, but he’s awake and moving, and that’s more than enough for Chanyeol to feel content for right now.

 

Chanyeol is still very much in pain though. His wings feel throb heavily with pain and his head still feels like a sack of bricks and he’s too nauseous to eat anything. He tries to ignore it and concentrate on the outside, and on Jongin, forming sentences and ways to try and talk to him without the younger getting too frustrated.

 

“It’s so quiet today.” the phoenix says, breaking the silence among the both of them.

 

Jongin hums, not turning is head away from the scenery outside, “It’s always quiet, Yeol.”

 

“Yeah, but I mean… More than usual.”

 

Jongin is quiet for a minute, then nods slowly. “Guess your right.” he says, brining a spoonful of soup to his lips.

 

He’s angry. Chanyeol can tell from his clipped sentences and he isn’t sure if now is a good time to let him spill or not. He doesn’t want to waste any more of his energy but making him hold it in doesn’t seem fair either. Even if he did get himself captured, he has a right to be angry at Chanyeol for killing not one, but multiple servants of the Emperor. Despite the gods having a long, drawn out history of war and violence, Jongin hates the idea of it. Moreso, the idea of Chanyeol doing it.

 

Chanyeol worries on his bottom lip, still contemplating the idea when Jongin suddenly speaks up.

 

“Just say it already.” He groans. Even though Chanyeol can’t fully see Jongin’s face, he can sense the irritation in his voice. Sometimes Chanyeol hates that he and Jongin know each other so well. The phoenix hums in question, asking what he means.

 

“Yell at me for going out again. Tell me that how I’m never supposed to wander outside the field, how I’m risking my life and the balance of the universe relies on me and the gods are watching. C’mon, Yeol.”

 

Chanyeol scoffs, Jongin knows the routine already, that little punk. “You have it down already.” He smirks,  “No need for me to scold you. Thanks to you we now have a bounty over our heads from every region within the eastern Empire.”

 

Jongin says nothing, instead responds to Chanyeol by silently turning his head back out the window.

“Jongin,” The phoenix sighs, “I’m not mad…”

His sentence trails a bit at he tries to find the right words to say. He isn’t really mad or upset with Jongin, but the kid was right about the whole balance of the universe relying him part. Chanyeol plays that card just about every time they find themselves in this situation, and every time, Jongin never really seems to care and replays the scenario all over again. All he wants is for Jongin to take this responsibility, even if it’s still small, a little more seriously.  

 

Chanyeol pauses again, taking a shallow breath, “I know you feel trapped in here. I just don’t want you to fall into the wrong hands you’re-”

 

He stops himself before he can say anything else. Jongin, despite his more intimidating external features, is soft on the inside. He hates being reminded of it too, almost as if it’s a bad thing. Chanyeol has told him, many times, that it isn’t, but Jongin throws back an argument about how the gods aren’t like that. How they don’t feel anything and how they’re all strong as star cores.

 

Jongin groans loudly, head thumping against Chanyeol’s chest. “Chanyeollll,” He whines.

 

“You played yourself this time, Jongin.” The phoenix quickly changes the subject back, “You actually got caught this time. Now they’re sending out full on hunting parties for the both of us. Imagine what they’ll do to you if they find you the next time.”

 

“Imagine I could to them!” He exclaims, pushing off of Chanyeol and sitting against the opposite pane of the window to face Chanyeol “I could end them with a single glare, Yeol.”

 

“And then what? Risk every other empire this side of the planet sending their best out for you? If they find you, you’ll end up in the wrong hands and I’ll have defeated my purpose of being here to protect you. I would have failed the gods, myself, and you, especially.”

 

Jongin seems a bit taken aback for a second, then shakes his head, and sits up a little straighter in the window, setting his bowl down, he’s riled up. “What can they do? It’s not like-“

 

“It doesn’t matter if they’re inferior to you, Jongin.” Chanyeol cuts, “Even if you had more power than over a million of them combined you will be disobeying the gods reasons for choosing you and balance will be thrown off.”

 

Chanyeol exhales, trying to ignore the creeping uncomfort of his body temperature falling. He’s stressed, exhausted, and hurting all over. So much for trying to take things slow, now they’re in a full on match and the more they keep this going, the more stress it puts on both of them. “Yixing chose you for a reason don’t dishonor him by-“

 

“If anything he's dishonored me.” The younger snaps, “Choosing me as a human to keep balance just to ban me from the very planet where I’m supposed to learn.”

 

Chanyeol doesn’t respond, he turns his fixed gaze away from Jongin towards the horizon. Jongin has a point, but Chanyeol’s seems to be going over his head.

 

“I don’t even have a family to call my own.” he breathes a frustrated sigh. “The least they could have done when they ripped me away from Earth was given me something of a family.”

 

Chanyeol still remains silent. So maybe that hurt just a little. He can’t be everything for Jongin, he knows that. But he’s at least tried. After all it’s not like Jongin is his sole purpose to live or anything…

 

Chanyeol blinks. Maybe he was right, maybe he isn’t enough. Just a Phoenix. Just Chanyeol. Just Jongin’s… Protector. If he can even call himself that anymore. He knows Jongin can’t help his ever growing curiosity for the outside world, and more than anything he wishes he could grant Jongin the ability to explore and meet others as much as his heart pleases, but the Universe is not prepared to witness a sight like Jongin. The chaos that will erupt through the system will be larger than that of any force and if Chanyeol can’t protect him from that…

 

Their whole conversation had taken a very abrupt turn, and Chanyeol isn’t too sure how to respond anymore. His whole body feels stuck in place. He can hardly think a coherent thought as he stares at the horizon in tense silence. He clenches his jaw, his grip tightens around Jongin’s loose shirt, the pain from last night is just getting worse and he’s had yet to tend to any of his wounds and it keeps becoming more and more apparent. He’s been so distracted by Jonign that he’s ignored the aches and pains up until now. His wings feel like they’re being ripped off of his body and his core is continuing to fall to very uncomfortable temperatures.

 

The longer Jongin drags this out, the more stress Chanyeol is putting onto himself, which leads to his embers falling in temperature. One would think that the more stress inducing activities a Phoenix would be put through would cause their body temperature to rise, but instead it feels like he’s being doused in ice water. He’s made of fire, his body temperature is meant to be kept up, not fall.

 

There is nothing he can distract himself with either. Not anymore. No sounds to listen to, nothing he can look at, he can’t even move his own fingers so that’s out of the question. Jongin is far too moody to be dealt with at this point but if he doesn’t fix it his temperature will keep falling and-

 

“Are you even listening?”

 

Jongin was talking?

 

How did he not hear him? His eyes are open, they’ve been open.

 

Chanyeol sighs, remaining silent. There’s nothing more for him to say at this point. If there’s anyone who isn’t listening, it’s Jongin.

 

“I mean seriously, get real for a second, Chanyeol-”

 

“No,” Chanyeol starts, his voice feels dry but he keeps talking anyways, “You get real. If there’s anyone here that isn’t listening Jongin, it’s you. No matter how many times I’ve tried to tell you that this isn’t about your power, this isn’t about the gods or me, it’s about you and your empathy. You’re so clueless as to how societies outside exist that you think everyone will just submit to you or pass you by but they know. If they can somehow touch you, it’s over. For both of us.” Chanyeol watches as Jongin sits in absolute shock in front of him. “You’re absolutely blind to what kind of evil lays out there. You don’t get it Jongin, you never will because you don’t think. You read all these books but as soon as you step out of the field that sense ceases to exist and you let yourself become manipulated. And guess what? The more you let it happen the worse it’ll hurt in the end. You want to go out there and watch everything you’ve been holding up fall apart? Go ahead. It’s not like it’s stopped you before.”

 

Jongin huffs a quiet ‘fine’ and swings his legs over the window walking towards the door. Chanyeol is heated, maybe not physically, but certainly emotionally. Maybe he was a little rough, but Jongin won’t listen any other way.

 

“And all this stuff about your family? Cut it out. They’re dead Jongin, the gods killed them after you were born so they wouldn’t have to live with the fact that their son was taken from them. They didn’t give you one either because they wanted you to learn how to think for yourself. Apparently they succeeded.”

 

Jongin stops dead in his tracks in front of the door, his hand wrapped tightly around the knob. He turns his head over his shoulder and gives Chanyeol a cold glare as she swings the door open. For a second, Chanyeol could have sworn he saw tears glistening in the male’s eyes before he slams the door shut behind him.

 

He exhales, listening to Jongin rush down the stairs and slam the front door shut. This wasn’t how he imagined telling Jongin the truth, everything just fell from his lips all at once until there was nothing else to say. He meant to set Jongin up for this beforehand. Give him an idea of what he was about to say so Jongin wouldn’t do what he just did but Chanyeol couldn’t stop himself. Jongin has a way with feeling too much of what others are feeling, and has a habit of giving all of himself over to those who need it resulting in him just being taken advantage of. Chanyeol has seen it happen too many times before when he’s snuck out and Jongin just gets hooked more and more each time. As happy as it would make him to see Jongin going outside the field to explore and enjoy and immerse himself in all kinds of new things, it isn’t possible. It’s all a fantasy in Jongin’s head and he doesn’t seem to want to let that idea go. Those who are powerful enough will try and reel Jongin in by making those fantasies reality and Jongin will follow.

 

Chanyeol tries to push himself from the window only to be sent off balance by a wave of dizziness and sent into the floor. His vision is blurry as he blinks and tries to make out the study, everything is doubled, it feels colder.

 

He grunts as he uses whatever remaining strength he has to push himself off the floor and fall against the wall, breath heaving in heavy pants.  Chanyeol, in most cases, is able to heal himself from minor injuries effortlessly in a flash. But, he also isn’t full phoenix, meaning that when his injuries are severe enough, like now, he needs to treat them before things get potentially fatal.

 

Jongin’s half-assed job only did so well for so long. I+He should have treated them when he woke up, he knows. Jongin has never had to actually treat Chanyeol for major injuries before, it makes sense if he didn’t know what he was doing or if he didn’t know if it was safe to use magic or not. Chanyeol tries to hide the severity of most of most of his injuries so Jongin won’t have to worry, and thankfully, Jongin won’t be here to witness the torture Chanyeol is about to put himself through.

 

He has to try and steady himself against the wall as he moves slowly down the stairs, and to his surprise, he makes it to the last one before he falls. The impact against the floor sends a few feathers into the air, which is never a good sign. His head feels like it’s being hacked into and he’s freezing. Teeth chattering at this point as he tries to crawl to where he has the salves stored, he’s close. His muscles hurt with every stretch forward, they feel like they’re being ripped from end to end to the point he needs to stop for a minute and catch his breath. His fists tighten and his jaw clenches, he hasn’t felt pain like this in a while.

 

He reaches out again, or tries to. He’s exhausted, his vision is hazy, he doesn’t even know what part of their own house he’s in. He feels like he’s being suffocated and tries to call out well knowing there’s no one around. He can’t tell if he makes any sound or not, but he tries with his best attempt, to call out for the only name he knows.

“Jongin.”

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

 

Chanyeol was almost as surprised to wake up alive as he was to see Jongin next to him.

 

The sunlight set just behind his figure, making only his silhouette noticeable. Hair strewn all over the place and his head buried in his arms next to Chanyeol. The kid didn’t even bother to get a chair or climb into bed next to him. He just kneeled next to Chanyeol and likely fell asleep.

 

“Nini?” Chanyeol’s throat is sore as he speaks it, he reaches out to pat Jongin’s arm, attempting to wake him and moves up to weave his fingers through the younger’s hair. He stirs and lifts his head up, blinking a few times and eyeing CHanyeol in confusion for a moment before his face falls in realization and he has it hidden again.

There’s a sniffle, then another, followed by another. It takes a moment or so for Chanyeol to realize he’s crying.

 

“You know,” Chanyeol says quietly among Jongin’s muffled sobs, voice rough and tired

“I really thought…” He swallows, “I really thought I was going to lose you last night.”

 

Jongin says nothing, not that he expected him to, he just keeps crying.

 

“It wasn’t your fault, Jongin.” Chanyeol whispers. He’s being truthful.

 

“Shut up,” The younger speaks up quietly, voice still muffled. There’s a sniffle, “You know it was. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me being so selfish .”

 

He sits up, Chanyeol is just able to make his face out through the dim evening light, his hand falls from his hair to the base of his jaw, his thumb gently tracing over the cheekbone, wiping away at the stray tears. Jongin’s eyes convey a million different emotions. He feels a million times better than this morning. He feels a little bit of aching still, but nothing compared to the constantly increasing pain he’s felt since the previous nights fight. Jongin did something incredible since the time he passed out to now, whatever it was, he’s grateful.

 

“You weren’t selfish , Jongin.” He smiles, “You can’t help it.”

 

Jongin scoffs, putting his head back down, letting his hair fall over his face. The atmosphere is the lightest it’s been all day, and it’s nice, finally being able to enjoy Jongin’s company without worrying about what to say.

 

Jongin sits back up again to stand up. He looks at Chanyeol in question for a moment, his lips in a small pout as he sets a knee into the bed, then extends his other leg over Chanyeol, and falls into bed next to him. He’s immediately buried himself in Chanyeol’s side, head resting on his shoulder.

 

“How do you feel? I… My books didn’t tell me a lot on your kind so… I just used my power to heal you but…” Jongin is a little lost on what to say. He seems unsure, typical. Jongin never usually heals living things. Well, he has, but mainly animals that he’s found exploring. Never living, speaking creatures like Chanyeol.

 

“I feel amazing, Jongin. Thank you.” He smiles, free hand finding its way back into Jongin’s hair, “You did very well.”

 

He ears Jongin hum quietly and can feel him smiling proudly of his accomplishment. “If you hadn’t have come when you did I would have faded right the front hallway. Can you imagine how the plants would have felt?”

 

Jongin chuckles at this and it makes Chanyeol’s shoulders feel a little less heavy. Chanyeol would have been seriously pissed if he died trying to heal himself because he didn’t bother to earlier in the day, much less have Jongin help. Dying in front of Jongin’s growing exotic plant collection would have been a bummer too. He loves those plants.

 

“Speaking of,” Chanyeol says, “How did you… You know…”

 

“What? Find you?” He smiles cheekily,  “My marking, it… It was hurting. It hurts when you’re in danger. Yours doesn’t?”

 

“Natural instincts tell me when you’re in danger.” The Phoenix replies coolly, “I never knew it was almost the same for you.”

 

“Well, yeah…” He mutters, eyes meeting Chanyeol’s in curiosity, “What makes you think it wasn’t?”

 

Chanyeol shakes his head, breaking the eye contact and breathing a quiet ‘nevermind’. He’s never really been in enough danger for Jongin to have to come and help him. He can’t imagine how he must have felt last night when Chanyeol was getting thrown around left and right. He never really thought there was a strong enough bond between them that Jongin carried the same ability to feel when the Phoenix was in danger. Chanyeol thought it was just something he was given for the sake of protecting Jongin. This raises questions, but he keeps his mouth shut. It’s not like anyone has answers.

 

“Chanyeol,” Jongin breaks the silence again, Chanyeol glances down at him. His room is growing darker the further down the sun sets, making Jongin’s marking glow softly, a colorful, light hazy blue from under his under his shirt. Jongin opens his mouth to speak, but hesitates for a moment before any words actually find their way out.

 

“I… I’m sorry…” Jongin’s voice quivers when the words fall. When Chanyeol tries to catch a glimpse of his face, Jongin turns it so no expression can be read. Chanyeol can feel it though. His guilt, his pain, everything he’s feeling. Where ever Jongin stormed off to in such a hurry earlier must have cleared his head a little, made him realize a few things.

 

Chanyeol also said some things. Things he wasn’t really supposed to. Things that should not have been said for the sake of winning an argument and making Jongin realize is mistakes. He knows how sensitive Jongin is when it comes to the topic of who he is and his history before coming here. Chanyeol used the truth against him. How Jongin can even be sitting here so calmly as if none of that ever happened…

 

“Stop,” Chanyeol says, “I told you not to apologize.”

 

There’s a few beats of silence before Chanyeol says quietly, “If anything I should be saying sorry.”

 

Jongin’s head perks up some, “About what?” he asks, eyebrows pressed together until he remembers, face falling and muttering a quiet, ‘Oh yeah…’ before he sinks down again, hiding his face just like before.

 

“Have you always known?” Jongin mumbles. Chanyeol turns his attention from outside the window to Jongin.

 

“What? About your parents?”

 

Jongin hums, nodding once. Chanyeol hesitates a second before telling him honestly, “Yes.”

 

“You should’ve told me earlier.” He says, sitting up and facing the window. “Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much and I wouldn’t have wasted my time trying to search for the truth this whole time.”

 

Chanyeol turns his attention back outside. Then sun is still casting a reddish glow inside. Strange, considering it’s usually set by now. The glow contrasts nicely with Jongin’s light, a faint swirl of opal being cast behind him. Telling Jongin the truth would have lead him to hurt and search anyways, no matter when he told him. It wouldn’t have solved anything, Jongin wouldn’t be satisfied with the answer he got. Instead he’d work to try and find it for himself.

 

“You weren’t ready.” is all Chanyeol can respond with. He doesn’t want to start up another argument again, he’s still tired, Jongin even more.

 

“That’s what stopped you, huh.” The younger huffs. “Have I ever been? Look at me, Yeol. I almost got us both killed because I can’t follow simple directions.”

 

Chanyeol was about to respond but to his surprise, Jongin keeps pushing.

 

“You should have just let me die last night. It’s not like the Gods would care. I don’t get it, Yeol. Everyday I try, I push myself to read and write all this stuff and work all this magic but for what cost? I hate it. I hate being here. I hate the fact I was chosen to make everyone around me suffer. I hate that the living have to die because of my choices. Even if they’re the right ones communities still suffer, empires still complain,why? Why can’t I do things right? Why am I being forced to this all by myself when I didn’t even ask?”

 

Jongin is fuming, Chanyeol can feel Jongin’s breaths sputtering, he’s holding back so much. That’s the thing about Jongin. He puts out so much and doesn’t get enough in return that he doesn’t know his strong points, he feels as if he doesn’t have any. Chanyeol is one Phoenix who can only do so much for Jongin’s sake, but it’s not enough. It never is.

Jongin deserves more than he could ever realize and Chanyeol wants to give it all to him. Give him so much more than just praises or holding him close when the seasons change. Chanyeol wants to give him the happiness and confidence he deserves, that he’s dedicated his whole life to but he isn’t sure if Jongin would accept it in the same way.

 

Jongin sniffs, “Why doesn’t anyone want me?”

 

Now that, that’s what sends Chanyeol’s heart ice cold. Hearing Jongin say something like that is what makes him want to go straight up to those two, stupid hovering moons and give the Gods a piece of his mind. Chanyeol has seen Jongin absolutely wrecked from overworking himself. He’s seen Jongin go on full rampages that included him yelling and screaming and throwing his books off the shelves. He’s burned countless notes just to rewrite them and has injured himself from trying to perform outrageously hard magic.

 

He wants to respond. His heart says to in actions, but his logical side says that’s a bad idea in this situation. He can’t say what he wants to either because he doesn’t want to make it sound strange.

 

Chanyeol can feel hot tears staining his skin. It burns, it hurts to see Jongin break under so much pressure like this. It hurts knowing that there’s nothing he can say or do to make Jongin feel better, he’s absolutely powerless in this situation.

 

Chanyeol hates himself for just sitting there while Jongin sobs into him. Choked curses and swears falling every now and then, hiccups and hot tears, it hurts.

 

Chanyeol sits up slowly, adjusting Jongin as he does until the younger is fully cradled in his lap, head buried in his neck, still crying. He lets his hands fall to Jongin’s waist to keep him in place as he encloses the two of them within his wings. It’s warmer, it feels safer. He’s always done this with Jongin, ever since he was a child. Sad, scared, angry, Chanyeol’s natural instincts kick in and tell him to protect, and so he does, by wrapping his wings around him. Jongin’s glow illuminates the space, makes it not so dark, secures them, bonds them together, makes them complete.

 

There are stories of there being another Exodus that were scripted when the gods were summoned for the first one. It was written that the balance of the universe would be thrown off and made uneven. The stars would close together and both of the moons would align in perfect unison and it would only take the boy born from the sun to fix it. Only then they would come greet them to grant him into reign.

 

Chanyeol worries about what happens after that. He knows Jongin will handle it with ease when the time comes around. But it’s after the matter that he doesn’t like to think about. When Jongin mentioned the second Exodus he started asking old questions that he’s pushed to the dark corners of his mind.

 

What happens to him when Jongin goes? Does he… Disappear? Does Jongin forget about him? Do they forget about each other? The day Jongin doesn’t need to rely on Chanyeol, the day Chanyeol ultimately loses his purpose, he doesn’t want to know what comes next. Jongin will, as much as he hates admitting it, be a full God one day, and they’ll both part ways. Jongin won’t need Chanyeol.

 

He won’t… Need Chanyeol.

 

That’s a sentence that replays in his mind as Jongin sleeps soundly in his lap. It took awhile to get the younger to finally sleep, lots of coaxing and being gentle until he caved eventually and let himself go. Chanyeol, on the other hand, has been dozing in and out of consciousness since then. Waking up after not remembering falling asleep in the first place, thinks himself to exhaustion, and repeats the process.

 

Things will hopefully be back to normal tomorrow. Chanyeol will be spending his day making potions to trade next week, Jongin will either be holed up in the study or roaming around outside, maybe even sleeping the day away.

 

There’s no doubt Jongin will take a while to come back from all this. He’s used way too much energy within the last two days alone for the sake of keeping Chanyeol alive and with him finally knowing the truth about his past, he’s going to be a little slow. Chanyeol wants him to rest, wants him to think this all over, and wants him to take as long as he needs just getting himself back on track. Jongin hates being unproductive, but Chanyeol needs to get it through to the younger that working himself to death won’t make his problems go away, and it won’t make things easier. Seeing how things have gone in only one day alone, he needs Jongin to know it’s okay to step back for a minute.

 

Jongin stirs a little, bringing Chanyeol back to a hazy reality. Despite his physical condition he’s the opposite of exhausted. He can’t seem to stop his mind from racing and asking questions and putting himself down. He hates over thinking like this. He never does it all that much, he doesn’t have a lot to worry about in the first place. Why is he suddenly feeling like this? Why is he suddenly feeling so much all at once?

 

Stupid. He’s being stupid. There’s no way. Push that thought back into oblivion and never go back to this topic ever again. Just go to sleep, he thinks.

 

He doesn’t.

 

Chanyeol ends up having sleepless night after sleepless night. Thinking too much and waking up himself up again in panic. Nightmares keep him on edge and have him waking up in a cold sweat that he can’t seem to shake off. They’re oddly consistent nightmares too, a flipbook of flashing images and sounds that he can’t decipher, so much as remember. He doesn’t have anything significant to his past that has ever made him have nightmares, they just happen. Despite him not being able to remember any of what happens after, he’s still left feeling alone, scared, and somehow, not himself.

 

It’s been a few weeks or so since the last time Jongin has run off. Since then he’s been in and out of the house. Taking books with him on his little adventures and sulking back to his room for the rest of the night. Chanyeol attempts to make their time together worth it and tries to ease Jongin’s mind by playing around with him. His response is typically a glare and a emotionless huff before he storms off and slams the door behind him. It’s not that Chanyeol doesn’t understand, he just doesn’t want Jongin overthinking himself to death.

 

“Sounds like you’re dealing with a child more than a God.”

 

Chanyeol scoffs, he took time to himself to leave West and do some trading. He’s racked up more than he thought he could this week without any sleep. Baekhyun, a baker and Nemean Lion hybrid, is leaning against his counter watching passerby’s outside. The Western Empire is so much nicer than the East in terms of its people. Chanyeol doesn’t mind the distance being farther, they’re usually much easier to trade with and less picky with what he presents.

 

He’s been trading with Baekhyun for years, they’ve known each other for as long as Jongin has been alive. He’s a hybrid too, a protecting type like Chanyeol, they share many of the same qualities. Baekhyun is a good person to talk to, like family if anything. He’s the only person who has known about Jongin being under his care before their recent appearance in the East. He’s really the only person Chanyeol can trust. Baekhyun is very open minded and isn’t afraid to share his opinion on anything, no matter the topic. He’s very outgoing for a baker who’s little shop is tucked away under towering buildings. Usually when Chanyeol comes around to trade he’s Baekhyun’s last customer before he closes. By that time the male pulls out a bottle from under the counter and they drink (responsibly) until it gets dark.

 

“I don’t mean to make it sound like an insult it’s just… I dunno,” He shrugs, and runs his fingers through  his golden hair, “I don’t know the kid but from what you tell me it sounds like he’s worrying over the wrong things and putting more stress on you in the process.”

 

Chanyeol throws his head back and takes another shot from his glass. He doesn’t like blaming Jongin for things he can’t help. If anything Jongin has no idea that he’s thrown Chanyeol for a complete loop the past few months with him being so reckless. Chanyeol knows Jongin well enough to know it’s just in his nature, but at the same time, it’s been years that he’s been doing this and he’s only gotten worse. It’s like he wants to get caught.

 

“It’s alright. I just seems like the longer I’ve known him the less I understand who he is.” Chanyeol sighs, and glances up pitifully at the male across from him, “Does that make sense?”
 

Baekhyun chuckles, pours the two of them another shot and shakes his head, “You never make any sense.” He pauses then adds, “Except for today. I’ll give you an exception for your troubles and I’ll try.”

 

“If you really want my take on all this,” Baekhyun smirks, “I think you’re having trouble with your… Personal feelings.”

 

Chanyeol sends the male a glare in response. “Shut it,” he clips, “There are no romantic feelings… It’s not like that.”

 

“Hey, who said anything about romantic feelings?”

 

Oh no.

 

“By the way,” Chanyeol clears his throat, suddenly changing the topic and contemplates the question for a second before finally letting it slip, “Have you been having weird nightmares lately?”

“Nightmares?” Baekhyun repeats, he hums thoughtfully for a moment “Not really nightmares, I’d say, but yeah… I guess I’ve been having some pretty vivid dreams lately. Why?”

 

“I dunno… I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.” He takes down another shot, Baekhyun following and asking,“You think this means anything? Does Jongin… Does he know anything?”

 

Chanyeol rests his head on his palms, pouting his lips and thinking. Jongin may not be the most organized, but he does have a method to keep track of his days and sessions, planet and star rotations, and the two moons. One plan for the larger ones phases and one for the smaller. He has them all charted in the study, it’s a total mess but it’s his way of keeping it together with deep anticipation for the next Exodus. Jongin says he doesn’t care, but anyone could tell he does.

 

Chanyeol only shrugs. Really, he doesn’t know if Jongin knows the significance of what he even has written down. The kid takes in so much information on a daily basis that Chanyeol doesn’t even know if he retains anything anymore.

 

Okay, not really. Jongin has to have caught onto something by now, he’s far too observant to miss it. Maybe he’s kept it hidden from Chanyeol for… Godly reasons or whatever. It doesn’t matter, if Jongin comes around he’ll be sure to ask him. After all, no one knows more than him.

 

Baekhyun groans, pushing himself from the counter and walking to the large window of his shop, pulling the strings of the window shades down, “The moons must be phasing or something,” He says, “The sun has been setting awfully slow these past few weeks.”

 

Chanyeol nods, mostly to himself. He has a lot of things he should really ask Jongin about, there’s no telling what  he may know and what he may be hiding out of fear or out of pride.

 

Baekhyun finally takes a seat next to Chanyeol, offering him a few pastries that he had to pull at the end of the day. The guy really is too nice for his own good. Chanyeol wishes there was more he could do for him, he deserves it. He lost his source of protection a while back. Chanyeol had met Baekhyun just a bit after it had happened. His job was to guard the temple who housed the guardian of a tablet that was incredibly precious to one of the first emperors of their territory.

 

It wasn’t his fault, like everyone, including Baekhyun himself thinks. It was an accident, Baekhyun was against the odds and his personal treasure was gone in an instant, along with the tablet itself, both never to be seen again.

 

Sehun was his name. Baekhyun never said what exactly happened after that, what made him start a bakery and smile as if he doesn’t feel any of his pain from the past. He’s joked about it on occasion, saying he was made to be impenetrable to suffer the consequences of his mistakes. It was said in a lighthearted tone with a pained, drunken chuckle following, but there was more hurt in that sentence than Chanyeol has ever heard from the man.

 

It’s nice to know Chanyeol can be there. Baekhyun is always so curious to know about Jongin and his life and what he does because, wow, he’s pretty much a god. Chanyeol thinks it’s that protector instinct. So much desire to know more about someone so small, yet so important that it sets the heart aflame with desire. A need to protect. Chanyeol doesn’t see the harm in telling him, after all, he’s pretty much considered family.

 

Silence was heavy and thick between them for a while. Neither of them saying anything, barely touching the pastries and simply staring off into nothing. Maybe because Chanyeol couldn’t stop thinking about what it was Baekhyun was not so shamelessly hinting at. Maybe because he couldn’t help but think about Baekhyun and his life without a reason to serve his purpose. When Jongin leaves… What if that’s him?

 

Not to say that Baekhyun’s life is bad. He loves to talk to all kinds of people and loves his little shop and his bread and sweets and making them. But he has such a large piece of him missing. He was created for a purpose, but it’s not like anyone can just move on so easily.

 

“Hey, Baek.” Chanyeol finally breaks the silence, tracing his fingers along the grains of the wooden countertop.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Can I ask you something a little personal? You don’t have to answer it… I just- I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

 

“Sure,” He says, “Anything.”

 

Chanyeol bites his tongue before asking, this was something that means a lot to him, maybe he should just swallow it instead.

 

No, he can’t. This is too important and if he doesn’t talk to someone about it he’s going to go insane. it.

“How did you manage to… Move on after everything that happened?” He doesn’t really know how to word it without coming off as invasive or judgemental. He’s genuinely curious. He needs to hear it from someone who lost everything as quicker than they could realize how precious it truly was.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes fall, along with his grin at the sudden memories. He smiles sadly, huffs, and shrugs. “I dunno. To be honest, when it all happened, I kind of thought I was done for. That I’d evaporate and wouldn’t have to stay and face the backlash of others but I woke up like…” He looks himself over, “Well, like this and… I cried. A lot. I felt shame, I did a lot of regrettable things and eventually just came to accept my faults, my failures, and here I am.”

 

“Wait are you saying that you weren’t always…” Chanyeol drags the last of the sentence, looking over Baekhyun’s figure with searchin eyes trying not to say ‘hybrid’ outloud and Baekhyun catches him, nodding in understanding.

 

“I couldn’t protect a temple looking like this, stupid.” He laughs. “I was a pure Nemean lion, I turned into this hybrid mess after the incident. I’m not really kidding when I say I was meant to live with this pain.”

 

“Anyways,” The male sighs, “I tried to forget, move on. I did a lot of really harmful things to myself to try and do just that. It’s haunting.” He pauses for a moment. Chanyeol doesn’t want to push him.

“I think about him everyday. I haven’t really moved on either, I just think I have to try and ease the pain.”

 

He pauses again. There’s no telling how many emotions he’s trying not to show. Baekhyun smiles a light, sad smile, “I think forgetting about him, about everything, would hurt worse, honestly. Erasing such an important part of myself… He doesn’t deserve that. No one does. I want to think about the good things I did while serving him, about all the things I did protect him from, and about all the things he showed me, too.

“I had my purpose. I can’t forget why I’m here and I can’t really move on from it. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how hard I try, I have no choice but to accept it and love it for who was behind it. It’s hard to explain. I just hope you don’t ever have to experience it, Yeol. In the meantime, love Jongin with everything you have. For tonight, for eternity, even longer than that. Accept your feelings even if you try and deny them. You have the ability to speak. I didn’t.”

 

Chanyeol sees himself out just as it starts to get dark. Baekhyun had given him a rather plentiful helping of goods from the shop for Chanyeol’s troubles and all the way out the door as if he just hadn’t confessed his love for Sehun and didn’t scold Chanyeol for being a baby who is afraid of his own feelings.

 

“If you don’t come back with Jongin attached to your hip next time you can kiss your ancient northern loaves goodbye, birdy.”

 

Chanyeol just laughs and shakes his head, catching a glimpse of Baekhyun’s smiling face as he adjusts his bag on his shoulder. He doesn’t feel anymore at ease. His mind is still a monsoon of ‘what ifs’ but talking it out, hearing what someone like him had to say, it eases his heart just a little, at least.

 

Everything Baekhyun told him repeated on his way back home. He left a lot later than he wanted, usually he’s off from Baekhyun’s around dusk, but tonight was one where he stayed far longer than intended but all with good reason. The other male made it sound easy to just talk. But there was so much more to it, so much more to whatever this is Chanyeol is feeling that words really don’t begin to describe it. It just leads him to deny himself more and push those thoughts away, just like he intended to from the beginning. He was hoping Baekhyun would have been able to tell him something of use but explained his situation to be the same as Chanyeol’s.

 

He figured maybe Baekhyun would tell him what he wanted to hear, that he was insane and just getting too invested into Jongin’s emotions rather than the opposite.

 

It was a long trip home. Longer than usual even when taking the normal route. Too many thoughts, too many feelings, Chanyeol had completely lost himself. Figuratively, that is.

 

Something in the air didn’t feel right even before he made contact with the wall. He felt his stomach drop and a shiver pickle up his spine for him to immediately understand something was wrong and very out of place. Chanyeol groans, he feels totally drained of his energy and to feel his instincts starting to go haywire at a time when he really feels like collapsing is, in all honesty,frustrating. If Jongin roamed outside again, Chanyeol is going to give him more than an earful. If only he could have just stayed put for a few more minutes.

 

Even despite his childish frustration, Chanyeol finds himself stumbling inside the door out of breath and desperately calling out for Jongin only to be greeted with a sorrowful, heavy silence that only ends him further on edge. He still calls out for him and he opens the door to every room, holding his breath each time a new door swings open only to be faced with the disappointing reality that Jongin is nowhere to be seen.

 

The ring around his finger glows dimly as he investigates the small, cluttered rooms of their shared home until he gives up and lets his senses take over. Immediately, Chanyeol is out the door with a blade strapped to his back and he’s penetrating through the field that keeps them secluded. His heart is pumping as he comes into a region unlike any he has ever seen before. A barren, earthy mass of land with no visible signs of life anywhere to be found among the rocky caverns that rise and fall. He doesn’t deny his instincts, but how would Jongin have ever managed to find a place like this, and why?

 

He scans the place for a while, trying to make out any visible signs of distress but it’s eerily silent. Even with a birds eye view over the place, it just looks like a sad, gray mass but he finds himself closing in towards the surface to scope it out anyways. His ring is furiously red, telling him that Jongin is still alive and around here somewhere and his senses have spiked a considerable amount, there’s something wrong here, and even though it may not look like it, Chanyeol can absolutely feel it.

 

He’s cautiously reaches a hand up to the hilt of his blade. Everything is still and silent, but he can feel Jongin lingering. He can sense his presence looming like aftershocks of an earthquake. His grip tightens and his jaw clenches as he carefully draws his blade. He doesn’t want to disrupt the presence of whatever is keeping Jongin hidden away, much to his disliking, he keeps his mouth shut.

 

A good, fiery sweep of the place will draw out whatever is hiding among the rocks. He raises his blade and his free hand, releases the pent up breath he’s been holding and draws back another. He feels his core temperature rising as he steadies himself for the release, and just as he closes his eyes, waiting for his muscles to relax and let his arms fall, a cry falls telling him to wait.

 

He opens his eyes knowing the voice isn’t Jongin’s, and stares at the figure in front of him. Small but well built and dressed head to toe in black clothing with a thin red collar adorning his neck. A single red eye peers at him with an outstretched hand and concern in his features. His eyes are absolutely recognizable from anywhere and Chanyeol feels his fury rise even more than it already has. It’s a being from the underrealm, standing clear as day right in front of him.

 

“Is he yours? The boy?” The male asks suddenly, slowly letting his hand fall to his side as he watches Chanyeol lower his blade with a heavy glare. He doesn’t answer, he doesn’t make any movements that would signify so much as one either. He remains completely still as if he didn’t understand the question.

 

The male chuckles, “Of course he is. You’re his little guardian aren’t you? I can’t understand how you’d let someone as precious as him wander all alone like this.” He takes a few steps forward, grinning mischievously as he comes to a stand still, “Some guardian you are.”

 

Chanyeol’s face scrunches in disgust, he’s kept Jongin out of trouble this long… This time won’t be any different.

 

“Quiet one you are…” The male trails mischievously, smirking as he tilts his head to one side.

 

“You don’t need to hide it, Chanyeollie. I know who the two of you are. He’s the boy from the sun and your the Phoenix created to protect him. It’s cute, getting him here was so easy, he walked right into the palm of my hand. He’s helpless.” He spits, eyes doing a quick once over of Chanyeol as he stands up a little straighter.

 

“You want him back right?” He asks, he waits for the silent response and chuckles, “I like him, he’s quite cute. A determined little thing though. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since I bound him up. In fact, if you listen closely I think he’s still down there pleading your name.”

 

The man clicks his tongue, bringing his fingers up into the air and for a moment Chanyeol loses focus. A split second of the world going fuzzy, he blinks once, twice, until his vision clears to see Jongin, tied up and bound in the man’s grasp. He looks up, meeting eyes with Chanyeol, tears streaming down his face, his soft brown eyes pleading and sorry. His shirt is ripped apart and his skin is scratched and bruised, covered in sweat and dirt and dried blood, showing obvious signs that he put up a fight.

Jongin pulls violently attempting to escape. His muscles flexing as he desperately tries to free himself only to fail. There’s a difference between being bound by another Universal creature as opposed to a spiritual manifestation. The main difference being that Jongin can withstand anything and usually escape it effortlessly, but not something like this. If it’s created by a god, or a direct servant of one, there’s nothing he can do. He just doesn’t have the power at that point.

 

The mans red eye glistens as he watches Chanyeol stand by, helplessly trying to think of a plan while trying not to act out harshly. This could go a number of ways, meaning Chanyeol needs to tiptoe around this until he’s confident in making a move sure enough to send this thing back where it came from. Even with a plan as simple as that there’s still a number of challenges.

 

“It’s a shame I have to do this, Channie. But if Suho won’t take him,” He yanks Jongin’s head back, exposing the youngers bare neck and looking into his eyes fondly, saying, mostly to himself,  “Then I will.”

 

He turns back to Chanyeol’s direction, both eyes now piercing red among the lightness of his skin, “The name’s Minseok, by the way.”

 

Chanyeol feels his heart turn ice cold. This isn’t just a damned soul from the underrealm. It’s the ruler of the underrealm himself. Suho’s brother, the one who caused the first Exodus all those years ago, the previous holder of balance among the Universe, the reason Jongin had to be chosen when he was.

 

Chanyeol’s jaw clenches. He doesn’t have anything to say to him, and he knows Minseok is ready for him to make a move already. They’ve been dragging this out long enough anyways. This is one of the biggest reasons Chanyeol is meant to protect Jongin. Minseok is highly tempting and knows the sweet spots to be persuasive. He’s always been known for his straight-forward charm when he wants something and he knows exactly how to get his way. He’s powerful and a force not to be tampered with for a reason, but Chanyeol can take him. He just needs to get to Jongin first, if he still has the energy to open a portal, Chanyeol will have no trouble sending him back. He can’t let him take Jongin, there’s no telling what’s going to happen if he does.

 

“It’s cute how all of this played out.” He says, smirk still plastered to his face as he runs a finger along Jongin’s jaw, “My brother really tried to bring some sad, pathetic human into all this just to spite me when he banished me.”

 

Jongin’s tense, but he doesn’t react anymore than that. He doesn’t try and pull away or make an escape anymore. He’s patient, waiting, watching Minseok with fearful eyes as the male turns back to Chanyeol again.

 

“You gonna make your move yet, loverboy? I can feel you getting off on this. To see so much patience, especially form a phoenix your size, you must really care about your little Jongin, right? Even after what you’ve seen him do, after what you did to his parents all those years ago? Do those feelings never falter knowing the evil that you’ve truly committed?”

 

Jongin whines at this, pulling at the males grip weakly. Chanyeol is furious, he’s on the edge of his patience, and if he has to hear one more word from Minseok he’s going to lose it. His grip tightens more around the hilt of his blade, as if it couldn’t tighten anymore. His wings are itching to push him forward and it’s taking so much energy to keep his whole body in place. The only thing going through his mind is Jongin, Jongin, Jongin, Jongin.

 

It’s absolutely eating him alive. He may be immune to a lot of things, but Jongin is just not one of them.

 

It felt like a breath of fresh air. He couldn’t take it anymore and released all the fury and rage he pent up inside him with a single swipe, sending waves of red hot flame through every single object in range. It was instinct, pure out of reflex. The conscious part of him knows that without direct touch he won’t do any damage.

It only takes the flick of Minseok’s slender fingers to send it all back in the direction it came from, instead directing it to Chanyeol, who stands solid and more steady than the mountainous rocks around him, wings shielding his front side as heat and flame rush past him and disappear into the air around them.

 

When it clears, Minseok, with his grip still around Jongin, chuckles. The two of them stand within a perfect ring of grey, the ground surrounding them covered in ash and char. Even Chanyeol himself stands in a small ring from his own protection, but nothing compared to the size of the demon’s.

 

“Strong one aren’t you? It’s not often you meet a such a pretty Phoenix with that much fury.” He smiles.

 

Chanyeol tries again, sweeping his blade through the air without thought to send forward another surge of flame, this time moving within the fire itself to get closer, only to get knocked backwards from a flick of sheer, unrelenting power. It knocks him back, but it doesn’t throw him off balance, the benefit of being blessed with a pair of giant wings.

 

He catches himself midair and finds his bearings, taking the chance to fly a few feet higher, raising his blade directly above his head and targeting the small figure down below.

Chanyeol will not let this be the end, not when Jongin is so close to getting where he’s always wanted. He refuses to go down against Minseok without a fight. Now with both sword and hand pointed towards the sky, he dives straight down, waiting, watching, holding his breath before he extends both arms outward, disappearing once again into his flame.

 

With a straightforward approach like this, he’s able to take Minseok out from the air, forcing him to release his grip around Jongin and freeing the male of his tight binds. As long as Minseok kept his grip around Jongin, his binds would have stayed on.

 

Chanyeol barely has enough time to catch the man as he releases an aggressive freezing blow in his direction, defending himself with a small wall of fire just as it closes is on him.

 

Ever since Minseok was banished from holding balance above, he was sure to make chaos and insure suffering for those sent to him down below. Everything he rules is his own organized messy. It’s exactly how he wants it, with everything in its place. Yet above all there’s a theme that sticks among those sent and that’s to freeze the souls of said creatures so they can never leave his grasp. It’s his way of keeping them bound to him, even on the surface he’s able to channel their energy to manifest in the form of a painful, powerful frost.

 

Chanyeol is able to counterattack just in time, sending a small burst of flame before lunging forward and managing to throw a heavy punch on the man. Minseok is playing childrens play, he’s letting Chanyeol build his ego first before he truly dives in and shows the real side of him. He carries so much power, he’s not even showing a fraction of what he’s truly made of.

 

“C’mon little Yeollie, that all you got? After all those compliments I just gave?” The man laughs, holding a porcelain white hand out in front of him, red eyes narrowed into piercing slits. Chanyeol catches Jongin out of the corner of his eye. He lays nearby collapsed on the ground. He’s awake, but he’s fading, Chanyeol can feel the youngers weakness. His body is heavy and his breaths are weak. Minseok must have found a way to drain him of what little energy he had left.

 

“Surely a pretty bird like you packs a little more of a punch than that.” He tuts, a soft white beginning to form around his extended palm. Despite the number of hits he’s taken already, Chanyeol feels like he’s on Cloud 9. The fire burning through his entire body, his veins eagerly pumping adrenaline, he feels absolutely invincible. His katana feels like it’s melted into his grip and his palms are hot enough to melt steel, glowing a bright red and illuminating the ground around him.

 

Minseok is the first to throw the punch this time. An icy, burning burst of energy and soulful evil. It’s so much altogether that the feeling it leaves when it throws Chanyeol backwards in searing, leaving him hissing and arching his back in pain, static and paralyzed for a moment until is body can properly react, healing the wound silently in barely enough time before a steel cold grip is around his throat, pulling him up, up, up, making him lose focus in the bright white that begins to pool his vision and the painful screams that begin to invade his ears just he falls limp as a fake out long enough to disappear into the air into a flicker and burst of flame and sparks until he’s safe on the ground again with his weapon safely back in hand.

 

The phoenix’s eyes fall to the band wrapped around his finger. It’s still bright red and full of life, meaning that Jongin is still holding on over there. His eyes flicker back up to Minseok, who is standing patiently without a single mark on his body. He looks like he could do this forever and never get tired.

 

The two stand silently for what feels like an eternity among the dust. Eyes focused intensely on each other.  Even in the darkness, Minseok’s red eyes are visible and still narrowed on him, anticipating Chanyeol’s next move. The air smells earthy and bitter from the intensity of the flame striking the ground repeatedly and the sky is covered in a haze of black smoke and dust, making it impossible to see the stars or moons anymore.

 

Short seconds feel like a lifetime as Chanyeol raises his fingers and blows a billowing gust of flame forward, surging in a wave of red and orange as it collides with the icy white sheet from the other. Chanyeol can taste the sweat falling down his face and feels his heart beating in his ears while his body heats up like a furnace to try and overpower the growing icy force. He can feel Minseok’s energy and will to continue and it only makes Chanyeol feel more determined to take him out, not any weaker despite the brutal hits he’s taken.

 

Chanyeol counts it, times it perfectly as his wings part and he sends himself soaring up into the air just high enough to let them close in front of him,parting them the second they touch, sending a gust of hot air down to the surface, forcing the spew of hot flames forward and curling upwards leaving Chanyeol with just enough time to strike the ground and send all of the energy forward, along with the rocks and earth that stand in his way.

 

Chanyeol feels a boost of confidence and in a flash, and engulfs himself in the surge until Minseok is within his reach.

There’s something different about the way Chanyeol manipulates his element this time compared to the others. He feels so confident, so new and still so much like himself. Pulses of energy pund through every cell of his body leaving his veins a soft, subtle orange. His wings are shimmering yellow and red and orange through the shadows of their will and his senses feel beyond that of anything he’s ever felt before.

 

As soon as Chanyeol’s hand wraps around the man’s neck, arm out and ready to deliver a deep slash with his weapon, his surroundings flicker out into pure oblivion. An icy, white hand grips Chanyeol’s neck, both of them in now in each other’s grasp. The phoenix attempts to make his move once more but fails when he’s thrown viscously, sending him skidding across the rocky terrain. He shakes off the shock and makes a move to stand only for his weight to kicked out from under him immediately after.

Another sudden burst of energy and Chanyeol is being forced into the dust and dirt beneath him, hands paralyzed as his body struggles to find an escape only to remain stiff and stuck into place.

 

“Do you really think I’d let you get the best of me, birdy?”

 

A shock of pain runs down Chanyeol’s spine as he tries desperately to disperse under the tortuous hold the man is forcing on him, only to fail and be faced to look into those red eyes that beat down on him from above.

 

“Surely you must know how much I despise losing,” Minseok hums, The grip he’s manipulating onto Chanyeol is freezing cold. He knew Minseok’s plan all along and he still let himself fall for it.

 

He coughs and sputters for air as the hold around his neck tightens, disabling his ability to speak or call out. Chanyeol still finds himself trying to retaliate against the energy. Trying to push back with just as much heat as his body can produce but what chances does a phoenix have against an actual god?

 

“Don’t be so sure of yourself, my dove. I can see right through you.”

 

Both sides of Chanyeol know that submitting to Minseok will be a defeat that will easily earn him a place right next to him in the underrealm. Even with how his outcome is looking, Chanyeol refuses to let Minseok over power him so easily. Especially knowing that Jongin is still so much a part of this.

 

It’s almost like his mind was read. Even while Chanyeol is still trying to force out enough energy to escape the other’s grasp for just long enough, a wave of deep, heavy energy surges from behind them, temporarily leaving the two powerless.

 

Just as Chanyeol focuses his eyes and feels himself piecing back together, he can make out a slouched figure in the ash and cloud.

 

“Jongin,” He croaks. The first words he’s said the entire night.

 

Jongin stands quietly, swaying from side to side and stumbling on his feet. He tries to choke out a few words but fails and only gasps for air before falling into the ground once more. Chanyeol almost feels himself go rigid at the sight. Jongin knew. He defended Chanyeol using whatever ability he had left.

 

He trusts Chanyeol enough to carry this out all the way.

 

Of course he won’t fail now.

 

He can’t.

 

He takes their moment of shock and vulnerability to get himself back on track before he acts out. He will not let absolutely anything stop him at this point. Minseok may see right through him, but he won’t be able to take down what’s already there. His palms ignite with excitement and he takes the chance to dodge any possible lunges form the other almost immediately.

 

He quickly retreats his blade before making his next move into the air once more, igniting the blade as hot as he can possibly make it before diving straight back down again. He anticipates Minseok’s next defense reacting to pull back when a white mass lurches towards him and slicing straight down, sending a curl of flame into the ground.

 

Chanyeol immediately follows it up by retracting the flame towards him and send it back out with an even heavier gust. Jongin must have done something. He feels a completely different energy than before, something staticy prickling his veins, making him want to keep pushing forward, to expand his boundaries a little. There’s something inside him that wants to be unleashed.

 

He advances forward, sending with him another spew of fire only to be met with a strong white wall from the other. Something, or rather someone, tells Chanyeol this is it. This is his time to end this. It’s got a cute, encouraging voice and a soft little smile to go with it.

 

Minseok, on the other hand has channeled something even deeper and swallows the flame in dust and frost almost as quickly as it started. That’s when Chanyeol feels a sudden pull. He doesn’t think to counter it, but instead fall into it, let it take him.

 

So he does. He counts it again. This time a little more steady, taking even breaths as he does despite the deep exhaustion that lies deep in his bones. He feels it entangle him, embrace him, roam over his skin and graze his wings and feels it all over again; That confidence, the sudden boost that made him chanel something completely foreign in his ability. This time he takes it all in, let’s himself practically sink into it as he feels his body react and suddenly he loses every conscious side of himself.

 

He ignites into something purely out of texts. Chanyeol becomes the embodiment of the greatest stars. A giant, flaming, unstoppable force moving in swift motions of of hot blue and yellows. Something that can only be created through belief and the trust that lies between him and Jongin. Not forcing him, but encouraging him with one single, simple action to let him serve the purpose he was meant to. To let him take control and feel that gratitude through manifesting into something that was said to never have existed.

 

He feels remade completely. Compressed so close together until his body found that perfect fit and sent it all in motion, creating a great piece of legendary work that has ceased to exist until now. Even being out of touch with the details, he still understands that there is something there, something worth fighting for, a deep passion that ignites his core trillions of degrees. He feels its voice glide across him and it sends him storming into the air in a great glowing mass before accelerating straight down, plummeting into the ground without a single fear or thought in mind. He can sense the evil, he knows where it hides through muddled blue vision and he takes a hold of it with pride.

 

He soars down, straight down, feeling the intensity of the heat as it surrounds him, putting him into pure euphoria. It’s absolute bliss as he feels the blue flames ignite his skin and the marking on his shoulder smolders and comes to life, smelting and burning intensely for the very first time in his life. He catches glimpses of soft smiles and light hearted giggles, lingering touches and words hesitating to be said and then never spoken.

He sees soft lips turn up into a smile and feels the sting of hot tears and the way young delicate hands wrap around his body to take in the warmth.

 

He continues forward. Surging past the painful, deafening sound of devastated souls, the vicious clawing hands ripping and tearing along his body and desperately trying to take him into their freezing grips until he’s reached a barricade, his body reacting purely on it’s own and sending him straight back up where the last thing he sees is two full moons.

 

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

 

Chanyeol’s eye’s pry open against harsh light from overhead. He’s alone, body heavy as he pushes himself up from the rocks and dirt to get a view of his surrounding only to see… More rocks and dirt.

 

It takes another second for him to realize where exactly he is, and why he’s there. He lies in the very center of a deep, sunken crater where he faced Minseok just last night. It doesn’t feel real, it still feels like some hallucination but this moment seems to state otherwise.

 

He groans as he sits up, stretching out his limbs and wings. Everything that happened after seeing Jongin standing weak and wobbly to now are a mystery to him. He doesn’t remember what happened after that or what lead him here but there’s only one mission on his mind anymore, and that’s to find Jongin.

 

He’s hurling himself out of the crater with hardly a second more to think, eyes furiously scanning the devastated surface as he plants himself on the ground. It’s empty. Barren except for some dust and rocks that still remained standing after the events of last night.

 

He calls out, his voice is raw and dry, and dirt and sweat still cling to his skin. The moons are both still full and illuminating the sky brightl just as he remembers faintly from last night, proving all over again that it was real, that this did happen, only Jongin is nowhere to be found.

 

Chanyeol turns around in a circle, eyes scanning the land only to come up empty. He pauses. Breahts falling quietly on the stale air, and he turns in the direction of their home, and begins forward. Something tells him Jongin is there, that he went back for some reason. Chanyeol continues forward a small, distant figure finally emerges within sight on the horizon of an open flower field.

 

Chanyeol follows it with curiosity, carefully pushing through wildflowers as he does until he reaches Jongin, who sits quietly staring at the horizon.

 

Chanyeol is a little hurt knowing Jongin left him out on the middle of nowhere with zero explanation of what happened last night, but he’ll bite his tongue for now.

 

“Go away,” He mutters, bringing his knees in to his chest and hiding his face.

 

“Not until you give me a little refresher on what happened. You aren’t hurt, right? You’re okay?”
 

“No, Chanyeol, do I look alright?” He snaps, brown eyes meeting Chanyeol’s from his position on the ground.

 

Jongin doesn’t even get a chance to continue before Jongin is speaking again, voice cracking as he does, “Last night…  I didn’t go out by myself, I swear, alright? Someone told me to go there. It wasn’t Minseok, it wasn’t me, it was someone else. I was told to go there and I did and I-” He takes a breath to steady himself and keep his composure, “Minseok… The moons they- Chanyeol, I’m scared.”

 

Chanyeol exhales a tired sigh and smiles, taking a seat next to Jongin and throwing an arm over his shoulders, “Do mind if I ask why? Last time I checked you were sick of this place.”

 

Jongin hums, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this… I mean, you heard Minseok last night, right? I’m useless, Yeol. Just some pathetic human they chose to spite Minseok. They don’t care. They want to watch me suffer while I try to fix the problems I’m causing.”

 

“You know that’s not true Jongin. There was a reason you were chosen and I can see it in your eyes. You want this, you’ve had this in the bag for years. You’re letting minor failures complicate your ethic and passion for something you were hand chosen for. You know who you are, you’re just having a hard time accepting it.” The older says, his voice calm and level. He watches Jongin’s eyes dance across the horizon in thought. Chanyeol can see the wheels turning and working together in his head.

 

“You’re so much  more than you give yourself credit for, Jongin. I want you to know that, always.” He says, letting the words fall warmly as he runs his hand up and down the younger’s back. Jongin leans into his touch, letting himself sink in against Chanyeol’s side. The Phoenix doesn’t usually come out here as often as Jongin does, but he can see why the younger loves it. It smells sweet of fresh flowers and the grass is cool.

 

“You were really awesome last night, you know.”

 

Chanyeol huffs, smiling a genuine smile, “Yeah, I know.” He says.

 

They sit quietly for a while. They both lost track of time just sitting like that and watching the flowers and the grass sway, Jongin dozing off from time to time and laughing about random stupid things that came across his mind, finally forcing the two of them (but mostly Chanyeol) to move back to home when Jongin started mentioning food. Lots of it.

 

The younger left Chanyeol in silence as soon as they walked in side. Maybe the the phoenix said something that finally made some light bulbs go off in his head. He was off to the study in a heartbeat and only came around when Chanyeol came by with a hot meal.

The phoenix was working on trading business for the next weeks trade when a sudden eruption of yelling throws off Chanyeol’s concentration. He hears the door to the study swing open, followed by Chanyeol’s name being called, follow by what almost sounds like Jongin falling down the stairs until he appears in Chanyeol’s room, out of breath and eyes full of excitement.

 

“Jongin what happened did you-”

 

Chanyeol can’t get another word out before Jongin’s got an iron grip around his wrist and is pulling him silently upstairs, leaving Chanyeol totally clueless.

 

“Look,” He says, swinging open the door to the study. The sunlight that pours in the room casts a golden, hazy glow along the papers are scattered along the floor, books are open, notes and pictured cover the walls.

 

Chanyeol stands dumbly in the doorway, looking around at Jongin’s mess. This must have been what he was up to all these hours since they’ve been back. “What… What am I looking at exactly, Jongin?”

 

The male sighs, “Hyung,” He starts. This means he’s desperate. He never calls Chanyeol ‘hyung’ unless he really needs something.  “Have you been feeling strange lately? Restless? On edge?”

 

Chanyeol is taken by surprise from the question. He’s been feeling a lot of things lately but they’re all out of Jongin’s explanation. He hums, “Yeah… I’ve been having some pretty intense nightmares the past few weeks…” He shakes his head, “Jongin-”

 

“No, Chanyeol I need you to explain everything in full detail. Please.” Jongin drags Chanyeol further into the study and sits him into a chair. Jongin grabs his notebook from the desk and sits on the floor, staring up at Chanyeol like a child waiting to hear their favorite story. Eyes full of excitement and curiosity. This is the most emotion Chanyeol has seen from Jongin since the night he escaped.

 

“Can you at least explain to me what in the gods name is happening? I just got back-”

 

“No, there’s no time, I need to hear everything. All of it, please.” He pleads with a tired breath.

 

Chanyeol sighs and leans back into the chair. He doesn’t really know where to start but he does his best to explain it all. From things as obvious as the nightmares to the smaller details, like the sun setting and how time feels off. He even mentioned what Baekhyun said earlier too.

 

Jongin scribbles it all down. His pen doesn’t stop moving for a second while Chanyeol is talking. Even though his eyes are averted away from him, Jongin’s full attention is on Chanyeol. When the Phoenix finally runs out of things to say, Jongin is still furiously scribbling. He looks so concentrated. The tips of his fingers are white from the grip around his pen and his brows knit together in concentration, lips stuck out in a pout. It makes Chanyeol smile.

 

“So-”

 

Jongin shushes him without a second thought, making Chanyeol roll his eyes. Jongin is mumbling to himself and flipping back and forth through pages furiously scrawling things down. His dark hair falls in front of his face but he doesn’t move it. He continues writing like his life depends on it and stops suddenly. He breaths something quietly and stands up, and moves frantically around the room, looking through books, papers, pictures, anything that may possibly be of any help.

 

“Chanyeol, I think I’ve got it.”

 

The Phoenix says nothing, instead raises his brows in question, waiting for Jongin to continue.

 

“Listen, I’ve been observing a lot lately. That’s…  Why I’ve been sneaking out so much. I needed to make sure you aren’t the only one… That this isn’t only affecting you but a whole number.”

 

He’s pacing, notebook and pen still in hand, just in case. His marking is glowing unusually bright. It’s not just because he’s stripped of a shirt either. Even when he is (which is often), his marking still glows a dull colorful opal. His glow is intense right now, he’s never seen it like this.

 

“People in the east, they’re driven wild by this, it’s fascinating. But that’s not the point.” He shakes his head wildly trying to direct himself back on the right track.  “The point is, it’s not just the moons phasing, Yeol, it’s the constellations too. They’re shifting and the seasons have yet to change…”  

He pauses, taking a deep breath, “I think I get it now. ” He’s quiet for a moment, he’s stopped in place and bouncing on the balls of his feet, “It’s… It’s because of me.”

 

No.

 

“What?” Chanyeol’s voice falls more shaky than he thought it would’ve.

 

“I haven’t been affected by any of this at all. I’ve been recording the phases of the moons and the planets rotation patterns since I came here, just like I was supposed to. But ever since recently things have started to feel… Off? The nightmares, the odd silence out in the fields, the sun setting… No one is going crazy. It’s the star patterns messing up the behavioral patterns on living things. Even when  Yixing’s moon started phasing! It’s grown slightly larger in size since two months ago… FOr it to just appear out of nowhere though,” He taps his pen to his lips, “This isn’t supposed to happen.”

 

“Not happen as in… What exactly?”

 

“Not happen as in this is dangerous because it’s literally impossible. The stars changing in pattern despite the seasons and rotations? Yixing’s moon growing substantially larger in two months and suddenly it just appears in full? What does this tell you?”

 

Chanyeol stares blankly at Jongin, who looks back at him with pure, fear ridden eyes. Jongin tears his gaze away to outside the window, “Yixing’s planet has aligned perfectly with Suho’s.”

 

There’s a pause and he laughs dryly, failing to try and lighten the tense atmosphere between them. “Ever since last night with Minseok, too. He tried to take me, Yeol and someone told me to go to him and what I did to you…”

 

“I shouldn’t be able to feel like this yet.” His voice breaks as he rests his palms on the window sill, his shoulders arching up into finely cut crescents,  “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not now, not ever. None of my data says this was supposed to happen, none of the scrolls say this was supposed to happen, none of anything says this was supposed to happen. But guess what? Here I am.”

 

Chanyeol remains silent, he can’t tell what Jongin is getting at. There’s something he’s making clearly obvious but it’s flying right over Chanyeol’s head.

 

Jongin turns away from the window, eyes landed back on Chanyeol’s again. His shoulders shake, his jaw is clenched shut, he wants to speak.

 

Finally, after another moment of silence Jongin chokes out, “I messed it up, Yeol. I screwed this up. I did something wrong.”

 

“You? How? What? Jongin you aren’t making sense.”

 

“Of course not! It’s too hard to explain, it only makes sense in my head but… Trust me. I did something. No one else has the power to screw this up besides me, right? I mean, I’m the only one living person in this entire universe with enough power to manage to do this, right? If a phenomena like this is impossible, who else would be the root of it?”

 

Chanyeol is having a very hard time trying to piece this together. That, or he’s just refusing to believe the other bright possibility of what this could mean. Everything is off balance.

 

Jongin says it’s his fault. It couldn’t possibly be… Could it?

 

“Not only that but… The field. It’s wearing.” Jongin stops, stands still, and let’s his eyes fall onto Chanyeol. “Do you get it now?”

 

Chanyeol doesn’t like when his emotions take over his actions. It makes things a lot harder to deal with but being logical, being factual when Jongin is making things totally crystal clear for him right now… It’s too much.

 

The next Exodus is upon them. In most cases, that’s something to rejoice over.

 

But this means Jongin is discovering his power.

 

He has no idea what to think, he hasn’t even come to terms with what’s going happen after all of this. Not only that, but Jongin hasn’t even fully discovered the effects his power has on the lives of every creature through the entire Universe. If the moons are aligning here, he can’t even begin to imagine the things going on in other parts.

 

Chanyeol thought his reaction to the next Exodus would have been more on the lighthearted side. That he would be happy for Jongin continuing forward to do what he was destined to. Not the opposite. He should be encouraging Jongin to fix this, to clean up the mess he (supposedly) started, recite the whole “boy from the sun” passage but he can’t. All he can do is worry about himself. His stupid, narrow-minded selfish self.

 

He doesn’t move, he just sits in the chair with a blank look on his face, almost as if he didn’t hear anything.

 

“I mean… That’s not to say it is… It’s just my deduction. I mean, the stars are all still here after all, so that’s a good sign, right?”

 

There’s so much yet so little to say. Chanyeol feels like cotton has been stuffed in his mouth. It’s dry and no words can seem to find their way out no matter how much he wants to speak his mind.

 

“Hey, Yeol, say something…” The younger pads a little closer to Chanyeol, trying to inspect the emotion etched into his face and tense posture.

 

Don’t be selfish, Jongin needs help.

 

He needs Chanyeol, and Chanyeol has to be there for him, just like he always promised. Even if the outcome isn’t something he wants. If it means Jongin’s life, his future, his happiness, he’ll be there. He’ll do whatever it takes. That’s why he was made, right? That’s his purpose. But now it’s more meaningful than ever, because this is Jongin’s time to move forward, to do better, to serve his purpose.

 

“Chanyeol?”

 

The male is closer now, standing patiently right in front of him. Chanyeol’s mind is racing at the speed of sound and he isn’t sure if he should act, speak or continue to stay silent. Nothing he does will be able to speak loud enough for how he feels, he doesn’t even know how he feels.

 

He’s feeling too much to really portray anything even through his actions. Jongin is too close for him to think straight. If Jongin is talking really is talking about the Exodus, about his future, about his role in maintaining the balance in the universe, setting things right and moving forward to continue doing so, then Chanyeol’s future remains shrouded.

 

“You have the ability to speak. I didn’t.”

 

It was out of reflex. A heat of the moment sort of thing. He would have gone off the deep end if he had opened his mouth to speak and his body felt as if it had been trapped in ice. Numb all over, too many thoughts to really find the right thing to say, and too many feelings to really express anymore.

 

Chanyeol didn’t mean to, not as a response to what Jongin had said prior, but here they are.

 

Chanyeol’s hand is wrapped tightly around Jongin’s to pull him closer, his other hand is threaded through the thick black strands of his hair, and Jongin’s lips are pressed against his.

 

“Love Jongin with everything you have. For tonight, for eternity, even longer than that.”

 

Chanyeol’s purpose is to serve Jongin. Chanyeol, from the very beginning was always meant to stay by Jongin’s side. To protect him from any and all evil forces, show him the world and who he is meant to be, recite awful, cheesy scriptures to him, make him food, wipe away his tears and put up with his occasional tantrums, carry him to bed when he’s spent all day long exhausting himself trying to make himself the best be can possibly be, he’s seen every side of Jongin since he was young. He’s grown alongside Jongin, he’s become one with one Jongin,

 

He loves Jongin.

 

Chanyeol isn’t being selfish for himself, but for Jongin.

 

He wants to keep him close. Chanyeol doesn’t want to let Jongin go and do stupid universe things. He wants to keep Jongin right by his side and show him everything that he should have seen from the moment he came here. It’s stupid, it makes Chanyeol angry that he pushed these feelings aside for so long out of fear and blindness only to finally realize them at the worst time possible.

 

There was a bit of shock at first, a moment of hesitation and a split second thought of pulling away but as soon as Jongin sunk in and he felt the younger relax, there was no turning back.

 

There was no movement, no heat, just the static, standstill moment of their lips pressed. The both of them trying to take this in, test the waters, make sure this felt right. Chanyeol was the first to pull away only to feel everything crashing down on him again, all this negativity, his selfishness, his burdens. Maybe it was a bad idea to make such a bold move. After all, neither of them really know this kind of intimacy. It’s only some distant fantasy they’ve read about or Chanyeol has seen on the streets when he’s gone trading.

 

There was some hesitancy when Jongin inched his face closer to Chanyeols. Lips parted and delicately trembling as he presses them against the Phoenix’s. Chanyeol is still somehow taken by surprise despite everything being in what feels like slow motion. Jongin’s body finally seems to react as well. His lips move flush against Chanyeol’s and the hand supporting his weight on the chair moves just above the Phoenix’s shoulder in order to bring his body closer.

 

Chanyeol can’t feel anything but Jongin now. Nothing else exists around him. No burdens or anything to weigh him down but Jongin’s body that’s now closely pressed against his. No what if’s or trying to predict the future but memorizing the curves and dips of Jongin’s body as his hands graze over the warm surface of his skin. Carefully, lightly, almost afraid he would break him if he pressed down any harder. Chanyeol can feel the younger tense up in reflex under the tips of his fingers and for a split second Chanyeol almost wants to push away because this really isn’t right considering their situation at the moment but Jongin, the key factor in all of this, doesn’t seem to care anymore and only puts more force into the kiss.

 

It could be worse, considering neither of them really have a clue of what their doing, it doesn’t stop them. Jongin especially. He’s full straddle on top of Chanyeol, fingers digging into his shoulders and lips moving hastily and almost thoughtlessly, occasionally bumping heads with the Phoenix and smiling into his lips.

 

So what, he thinks. So what if this is the end. So what if Jongin is lost forever, so what if he doesn’t like that he can’t know the future. All that matters is Jongin can live a life that was meant for him, a life that means he won’t be held back anymore, a life that means he can be confident in what he does and not have to be so afraid of himself anymore.

 

A life that means, even without Chanyeol in the picture, Jongin is truly happy.

 

The moons stay in their position for weeks. Never once moving, Jongin keeps a steady eye on them while still remaining incredibly close to Chanyeol. He can feel it happening, Jongin knows it’s close and so does Chanyeol.

 

At this point, Jongin has run out of excuses for what’s happening, his only one remaining “But the stars are still here!”

 

Everything is feeling off, Chanyeol hates the feeling. The nightmares are still bad, worse even. He relives the entire night against Minseok all over again. The sweat, the cold, the screams, he dreams about losing Jongin that night, what would have happened. It’s strange to wake up to Jongin right next to him rather than by himself like he’s so used to. And instead of accepting the feeling of Jongin embracing him, he wants to reject it. He doesn’t want to feel so much of this elated feeling knowing it’s all slipping between his fingers.

 

He doesn’t show it though. Jongin needs him, and he’s going to be there until they reach the final stage.

 

Chanyeol hates himself for watching as everything falls so perfectly into place at the last minute. Time doesn’t even feel real anymore, nothing does. Even the kisses he shared with Jongin seem to feel numb on his lips and he isn’t sure if it’s because they can’t stop or if it’s because he doesn’t want to feel anything anymore. It leaves a pit in his stomach. He can feel Jongin’s energy radiating from him even when he isn’t inside the house. The feeling of where where Jongin’s tongue traced across his lips sting and yet he can’t help but want to feel more of it.

 

Chanyeol is holding so much back and he genuinely can’t tell if he’s even recognizable anymore.

 

He did, in a spur of the moment, take Jongin outside of the field himself as a reward for actually staying inside and just for kicks. Baekhyun and Jongin finally met and Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s seen either of them ths giggly and smiley in a long time. For a few hours he finally got himself to drop things for a moment and not think so much about his own fears.

 

He watched Jongin indulge on way too many pastries while Baekhyun went on and on sharing old stories that kept Jongin on the edge of his seat the whole night they were there. Despite his never fading smile during their few hours there, Jongin’s mind finally seemed to open up and consider Chanyeol’s perspective of the Exodus.

 

“Yeol,” He starts, “I’m gonna take you with me when I go. Baekhyunnie too.”

 

Chanyeol smiles weakly at the words, his only response is carefully looping his pinky finger around Jongin’s, who hums in delight at the action.

 

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot, you know. Don’t think I can’t tell you haven’t been either.” The younger says, tugging lightly at Chanyeol, who refuses eye contact.

 

“You’ve done a lot for me Chanyeol, thank you, seriously. I don’t really know what I’d do without you.”

 

Chanyeol huffs, turning his face away to hide the creeping blush on his face, “Don’t say that Jongin.”

 

“No, seriously. I feel like I don’t ever thank you enough for doing what you do. If I was in charge of protecting me I’d hate it.” He chuckles.

 

“Why are you saying such nice things, shut up.” Chanyeol smiles, stealing a glance at Jongin’s finger wrapped around his.

 

“I just felt like being thankful to you. Baekhyunnie opened my eyes a lot tonight, I should thank you more.”

 

Chanyeol stops and stands still in his tracks, unlacing his loose grip around Jongin. The male walks a few steps in front and pauses to turn to Chanyeol.

 

“Chanyeol? Are you-”

 

Chanyeol swallows the lump in his throat. Stupid, stupid feelings. Jongin is going through enough already, he doesn’t need any of Chanyeol’s input to drag him down and hold him back from his task at hand.

 

Chanyeol waits until Jongin is back in front of him to wrap his arms tightly around his slender frame, and bring him in close. He tries to hide the tears, asking a soft and shaky, “You’ll always remember me, right?” into Jongin’s shoulder. The younger tightens his grip, saying, “How could I forget the reason I’m alive?”

 

Chanyeol keeps them like that for a while. Hugging and silently crying out all the feelings he’s kept pent inside of him for so long. Jongin seems to understand even though he stays silent.

 

Chanyeol’s life has been a long one, but never one he has complained about until now. He’s seen Jongin grow, he’s protected him from creatures not part of this Universe and has observed and picked up on all of Jongin’s bad habits and nervous ticks and how he is an uncontrollable force when he finds something he’s interested in.

 

Chanyeol has spent so much time watching Jongin become the great person he is that he hasn’t had enough time to truly think about the consequences that would follow. With Jongin nothing ever did feel like it was forced. He never felt like Jongin was ever too much despite his constant urge to sneak out when Chanyeol wasn’t looking. He never felt like Jongin tried to hide anything from him despite his miserable attempts to do so, he never felt like Jongin has ever asked for too much.

 

Everything with Jongin has been rocky, they’ve fought and argued and have shared their worries and tears and have laughed so hard their sides hurt and had they had to wipe tears from their eyes. Jongin has been the center of his life from his very first moment, and he just hopes he has been the center of Jongin’s.

 

Chanyeol ends up rereading old scriptures from the first Exodus, seeing all the different hints about Jongin being brought to them after Minseok’s defeat. He smiles to himself, hoping that he’s made the gods proud in building Jongin up into who he is now. A boy who is unafraid of himself and his capabilities and who understands the soul with a single look.

 

Chanyeol has no idea what the future brings but he reminds himself over and over that he’ll look up into the sky with a whole different perspective than before. Knowing Jongin is still somewhere there, knowing he’s still with him, if helps Chanyeol’s mind feel a little more at ease until the day comes.

 

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he doesn’t remember waking up either. The only place he finds himself starting is outside their place, starting up the the sky, and watching as their barrier trickles away. He stares up into a pitch black blanket of nothing above him and he can no longer tell if he’s blinking or not.

 

The stars are gone.

 

Chanyeol calls out for Jongin and is greeted with an eerie, unsettling silence that makes him nauseous. His eyes try an scan what’s left of his surroundings until he catches a trail of opal dusted and scattered along the ground in an uneven trail.

 

He feels his heart thrumming in his chest as he shakily begins to follow it. It shimmers in soft pinks and blues as he comes upon the meadow, stopping when he sees Jongin hunched over, his marking shining a blinding white, covering his whole body in a glittery sheen.

 

Chanyeol calls out again, forcing Jongin to turn his head in his direction.

 

“Go away, Chanyeol! It’s- Get out of here, I can’t let you be here.”

 

Jongin should know that’s a really stupid order to try and give. This happening for real now, this is it and Chanyeol isn’t letting Jongin go through this alone.

 

The ground is rumbling deeply as Chanyeol holds his place, keeping his distance but still holding a careful watch over the younger as he visibly struggles under the pressure.

 

The stars are closing together, and Chanyeol never imagined it would have been like this, all within Jongin. He feels his heart twist and his muscles tense up as Jongin cries out in pain. He wants to do something but getting any closer to Jongin will disrupt him.

 

It’s loud, somehow. Despite everything being silent just a few moment ago, there’s a loud whirring, placed alongside the deep rumbling from within the earth, Chanyeol can barely hear himself think. There are voices, a sudden eruption of soft whispers that run through the air causing Chanyeol to look around in question. Jongin is ever so brighter, his fingers dig into the ground grabbing a handful of dirt and grass, Chanyeol can’t imagine the pain he must be in.

 

As quickly as it had happened, Jongin disappears in a ball of white light suddenly, everything goes quiet.

 

The whispers and the rumbling and whirring of everything stops, leaving a static feeling in the air. Chanyeol’s eyes open, blinking to adjust to the darkness. He hadn’t even realized they were closed.

 

Jongin comes into focus soon, his chest rising and falling is the only indicator he’s even alive. His head is head hangs down, shieling his eyes under a curtain of black hair and his arms hang limp at his sides. He takes a few more breaths before he falls over into the ground. There’s something holding Chanyeol in place that makes him paralyzed in his his spot. He wants to rush over to Jongin but something inside him tells him not to. He glances up the sky, notices it’s still black, and feels a chill run down his spine when he sees Jongin once more.

 

 

Jongin’s chest feels like it’s been crushed under mountains. His muscles are crying out in pain and he wants to scream but can only pant and try to catch his breath. He’s so close, he’s so, so close he can feel it. The stars are inside of him, woven into every fiber of his being. He will not let this fail, yet there’s something that feels like it’s drowning him, leaving him a mess of panic and hurt, he can’t seem to concentrate.

 

A hand threads through his hair and pulls his head up. He almost hopes it’s Chanyeol for a moment. He wants to see him. But it isn’t, instead he meets a pair of soft eyes that look down on him harshly.

 

“You’ve grown well Jongin.” The stranger says, his voice soft and calm, but his eyes say otherwise.

 

He knows that voice. It takes a moment for him to recognize where he’s heard it. It was the voice that told him to go to Minseok that night. The one that he’s heard his dreams all these restless nights.

 

“Suho,” he mutters, his voice dry and rough.

 

“I’m impressed, when I requested you to go and meet Minseok the other night I didn’t expect Chanyeol to put on such a show.”

 

“But, I’m afraid you’ve been missing something, Jongin.” He whispers, running his fingers through the males sweaty, knotted hair.

 

Suho’s finger trails down the side of his face, down under his chin, tilting his head back up to the sky. He watches with his breath caught in his throat. He watches as a small glow illuminates from the man's palm. He reaches out and takes a grip around Jongin’s throat. He lets out a scream of pain. His body is electrified, he thrashes out in pain and tries desperately to withstand the pain that courses through his body. It closes in on him and he can’t stand it anymore.

Jongin waits for it, ready to let it all it rain down on him but something stops it.

 

Strong arms wrap around him from behind and a face buries itself into his neck. “Chanyeol,” He breathes.

 

The Phoenix’s grip loosens around him but he keeps his position. His breathing is heavy, he doesn’t say a word, and Jongin know’s what happened.

 

“No,” He mutters, ignoring the sting in his eyes as he forces himself from the male’s grip, lying him on his back, holding his head in his lap. This isn’t real. It’s not, there’s no way that this is the end. HE can’t go forward alone. Chanyeol is the only one he has.

 

“That…” Chanyeol breathes, “Was awesome.”

 

Jongin’s lips tremble as tears stain his vision again, this a dream, he thinks. It’s just a stupid dream. He’ll wake up and Chanyeol will be next to him and he’ll be okay, Chanyeol will tell him everything will fine.

 

But he doesn’t wake up. Instead he feels his chest boil up and throat tighten. Chanyeol’s light brown eyes turn into a soft, pale blue. This is wrong, “You weren’t-” Jongin in a breath, “You shouldn’t have done that.” He sniffs, running his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair.

 

“What?” Chanyeol smiles, “Was I supposed… To stand… And watch?”

 

It’s quiet for a moment, Jongin unable to find any words. He wants this to be a nightmare, to wake up and feel Chanyeol beside him. His skin is pale, only becoming lighter and lighter, Jongin can feel his temperature cooling down, lower and lower.

 

“Yeol, please. Chanyeol you can’t- I can’t” Jongin chokes, trying his best to speak through the rocks in his throat, “I can’t do this without you, please-”

 

“Jongin,” Chanyeol whispers, “I’ll be back.”

 

“It’s not the same.” He cries, pulling Chanyeol closer as if he could somehow save him. There’s no way out of this. Even if Chanyeol does come back, what can he do? Jongin is barely cut out to help bring balance to the universe.

 

Chanyeol hushes him softly as Jongin cries. He doesn’t want it to end like this. Chanyeol was supposed to be here, next to him, ready to move forward with Jongin in this next step. Jongin can’t see any of his future without Chanyeol next to him. Protector or not, Chanyeol is apart of Jongin. They make eachother, and now Jongin is watching a piece of him crumble right before his tear stained eyes.

 

“Jongin,” Chanyeol whispers again. The younger lifts his head to meet eyes with him. If it wasn’t for his voice, Jongin wouldn’t have recognized him, his hair silver and his skin is soft and white. His feathers are tipped black and dark gray. His entire life is falling apart.

 

“Remember something,”

 

Jongin laces his fingers with Chanyeol’s. His hands are still soft as they’ve ever been. He’s going to miss holding them like this.

 

Jongin can hardly see past the tears falling onto the older below him, but he stares into his eyes anyways.

 

“I love you, Jongin. Always.” He smiles. His eyes flutter shut and Jongin is left gasping for air as he watches Chanyeol, starting from the wings, break and crumble into ash. He sobs loudly, it’s not like anyone is around to hear him anyways. His chest heaves and chokes for air, calling out Chanyeol’s name into the darkness. He’s gone.

Jongin cries out into nothing, it wasn’t supposed to go like this. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this at all. There was supposed to be so much more to this. It wasn’t supposed to end so tragically, but here he is. SOmething inside him breaks. As his fingers brush through the soft ash in front of him.

 

He can’t quite pin the feeling, but it’s invigorating. He feels his blood begin to pulse through his veins, he feels himself ignite with something from the inside as he stares up into the sky, thinking about what he’s done. To himself, the gods, to Chanyeol. His chest rises and falls as he feels himself sink within the ocean of the sky. Feels it swallow him whole as he thinks about his parents, his birth parents. His mind wanders back to his childhood, so, so much of it filled with Chanyeol. He remembers that stupid little wind chime he made from shells that one day and how Chanyeol refused to get rid of it despite his protests.

 

He remembers the night he took down Minseok. How great he looked when he become a blue Phoenix, reaching his ultimate form and how he disappeared into a ball of light inside the earth.

 

He feels it, he feels Chanyeol’s embrace, the heat of his skin and softness of his voice. Jongin’s eyes snap open and his body is on fire. His everything inside of him is screaming and clawing for a way out as Jongin tries to keep it under control. He feels it wrap around him and prance along his skin and tumble through his veins. He embraces it, just for a moment, he lets himself go, just long enough to feel the sensation that tugs at his chest and fuels him from the inside. He lets it possess him and pull at him, he lets it all throw him under it’s wave as his eyes roll back and he sees his entire life flash before him in a burst of light and sounds that explodes and sends waves of force soaring far and beyond what the eye can see.

 

When his eyes focus, he’s greeted with a sense of safety. Stars in the sky, and just to his right, one large moon, a small, thin crescent beside it and above and in between the two, a small, golden orb.

 

Jongin looks around him, out of breath and tired, the remains of Chanyeol lie nearby and he feels it all wash over him again. He did it. He found it, and he feels himself smile through tears that threaten to fall once more.

 

“Do you understand why he did that?” a soft voice asks from behind, making Jongin jump and turn to see two figures now, dressed in white and staring at him with fond smiles. He recognizes them from his dreams, from the scrolls, standing close next to Suho is Yixing.

 

Jongin sniffs, wipes at his running nose and says, quietly “I loved him.”

 

“You still have a chance, Jongin.” Yixing says, glancing at the smoldering pile of ash and embers behind him. Jongin squeezes his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears back. He isn’t ready, he doesn’t know if he can handle the emotional stress that will come with what follows this. Jongin will never be the same.

 

He thinks of Baekhyun, the Nemean Lion who was dedicated to protecting his temple and how he fell in love with the boy sometime after. He thinks of the heartbreak that he feels day after day, he thinks of the heartbreak he will feel if he decides to go alone. How Chanyeol will feel when he arises new again.  

 

“You’re strong, Jongin. If there’s anyone who can handle this with grace it’s you. You know what you want, Jongin.” Yixing coaxes.

 

Jongin feels like an utter fool for choking and sobbing right in front of his own makers, but he can’t help it. Chanyeol went to the ends of the universe for him, it’s Jongin’s turn to repay him for everything, to give him hi all just as Chanyeol did for him.

 

He doesn’t hear the ember’s rustle or the ashes whistle. He only feels a small weight press against his back, small arms not even able to wrap around his frame all the way.

 

“Jongin-ah, where are we?” A small, raspy voice asks.

 

Jongin glances up at the two men in front of him with teary eyes and trembling lips, never turning his gaze away as he smiles, “We’re home, Chanyeollie.”