Kris’s eyes trailed towards Yixing, who was almost unconscious, who was bleeding, who had burnt skin, whose hair was soaked in his own sweat. “Y-Yixing?” Kris managed to blurt out, barely a whisper.

Yixing, with all his strength, lifted his head up and turned it towards the older. His lips curled up as he forced a smile to not worry his ge, unintentionally showing his blood-stained teeth, as several drops of tears fell from his eyes. “H-hyung,” The younger whispered. Kris’s heart broke into a thousand pieces upon seeing Yixing like this. How was Yixing still able so smile?

Kris’s eyes then trailed towards Taecyeon, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Wooyoung had also taken a step backward, skin turning as pale as the moon upon seeing Kris right infront of his eyes.

“What have you done?!” Kris charged towards Taecyeon, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up. Taecyeon gasped for air as he tried to push Kris’s hands away.

From the corner of his eye, Kris saw how Wooyoung was about to charge towards them, so he threw several flames towards Wooyoung’s direction—one grazing past his skin. Wooyoung immediately screamed in pain and fell on the floor, panicking and hysterical. Kris rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Taecyeon.

“How dare you touch him,” Kris hissed through clenched teeth. “Do you want to die?” He tightened his grip on Taecyeon’s collar, making sure to cut Taecyeon’s air supply. “Do you?”

Taecyeon struggled to breathe, trashing his feet frantically as he shook his head, unable to speak.

Kris didn’t take his eyes off Taecyeon. His hands were trembling with anger, and he made sure Taecyeon was to see that.

 Or maybe feel it.

Kris—with all is strength—threw Taecyeon in the ground, causing the latter to smash against the floor with a painful thud. Taecyeon groaned in pain but Kris didn’t care. This wasn’t enough.

Kris threw a punch, hitting Taecyeon right straight in to the jaw. Taecyeon fell back, not even being able to register what had just happened because Kris then grabbed him by the collar again and pushed him straight into the wall—Kris’s fingers wrapped tight around his neck.

“You touch Yixing one more time, I swear to hell I will break your neck and burn your body into ashes.” Kris warned, voice stable and clear as he pulled Taecyeon’s collar and slammed him—hard—against the wall before dropping him to the ground, unconscious.

Kris took a deep breath to calm himself down before he realized that Yixing needed immediate help. “Yixing!” Kris shouted before turning around and seeing the boy now unconscious.

Kris ran towards Yixing, kneeling down infront of the younger as he let out stifled sob. He brushed Yixing’s damp hair aside, staring at Yixing’s even paler complexion, dark circles and lips with tiny smudges of dried blood. “What have they done to you?” Kris whispered before trying to remove the rope without causing further damage to Yixing.

Kris decided to just burn parts of the rope until it breaks and take Yixing home and then maybe there, they can do whatever it is to heal Yixing’s wounds.

Yixing was gently scooped up into Kris’s arms, before Kris looked around to find an exit.

“I better just wait for Jongin outside,” Kris finally decided before taking a step forward.

“Did you really think,” Kris stopped on tracks and turned around only to see Chanyeol standing infront of him—with eyes darker and much more filled with anger than before, “that I would let you take Yixing hyung with you?”

Kris took a step back. He couldn’t fight with Chanyeol. Not right now, not like this. Not with Yixing dying and in need of immediate help.

“Chanyeol, please—“

“Hyung.” Chanyeol cut him off. “Do you know how hard it was to bring Yixing-hyung from home—“ Chanyeol said ‘home’ a little bit to bitterly, Kris noticed, “—to here?”

Kris’s eyes moved around, trying to find an exit or if worse comes to worst, somewhere safe to place Yixing.

Chanyeol took a step forward. “All they need is for hyung to heal Chansung,” Chanyeol explained while looking at Kris straight into the eyes.

“I know,” Kris stalled.

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “You do? Then why not just hand hyung over and—“

“Can you not see what you have done, Chanyeol?!” Kris snapped. “Because of you—because of your hard-headedness and selfishness, because you’re being blinded by your hatred towards me—Yixing is hurt! Look at what you’ve done to him! Look at how you’ve almost killed your hyung—your hyung that had been patiently looking over you ever since we were kids. Your hyung who would always heal your burns when you were still practicing. Is this how you repay him? I know you hate me, Chanyeol. But leave Yixing out of this.”

Chanyeol’s lips quivered. The memories of his childhood were starting to come back, flashing right before his eyes. Why did he hurt Yixing? Why Yixing of all people? Why the most fragile? Why the one who had always taken care of him?

Somehow, Chanyeol felt a small portion of his heart hurting.

“Do you know what they’re going to do to Yixing? They won’t let Yixing go after he heals Chansung. They’re going to keep him with them forever. You know how Yixing’s condition is, right? You know how—”

“Chanyeol,” Wooyoung shouted. “Chanyeol don’t listen to him!”

Kris hissed as he threw another fireball towards Wooyoung, making sure to hit his leg—earning another scream of pain from the latter.

Whatever it was that was making Chanyeol have second thoughts suddenly disappeared into thin air. They needed Yixing.

Chanyeol took a step forward, eyes fixed on Kris. “Give him back.”

Kris took a cautious step backward. “Chanyeol, please—“

“I said give him back!” Chanyeol shouted and opened his palms, where huge flames started to light up.

Chanyeol charged towards Kris and Kris started panicking. He can’t just drop Yixing on the ground—nor can he attack Chanyeol.

Kris looked around, not knowing what to do as he hissed and ran to the left side, dodging Chanyeol’s grasp.

It was harder for Kris to move as he was carrying Yixing with him, moreover, he had to carry Yixing without inflicting more pain on the younger.

“Chanyeol—“

Kris was sure he heard Chanyeol growl and when he turned around, Chanyeol’s eyes were filled with even more anger.

It wasn’t until they heard the sound of thunder that Chanyeol got distracted and muttered “crap,” under his breath. “You brought them with you?!” He shouted towards Kris.

Even before Kris was given the chance to answer, Chanyeol started charging towards them again and Kris was sure he wouldn’t be able to dodge this one. Kris turned around so that no matter what Chanyeol throws towards them, it hits his back and not Yixing.

Kris shut his eyes close and waited for whatever pain it is to hit his back but all he heard was Chanyeol stopping on his tracks.

Kris finally opened his eyes and found his surroundings completely dark. With a sigh of relief, Kris smiled the slightest. “Baekhyun,” He whispered.

When he felt someone touch his shoulder, Kris jumped from shock and panicked. Chanyeol still found them?

Only when his surroundings started to change did he see that they were back home.

“Hyung,” Baekhyun called out and stared at Yixing with worry. “Hyung what have they done to him?”

Jongin, who was just beside Baekhyun (that explains everything, Kris thinks), choked out an “I’ll get Luhan hyung,” with wide eyes before running outside the door.

Kris looked down again and saw Yixing’s condition getting worse. Even Kris’s clothes had been smothered with blood and there was this burnt smell in the air—mixed with something not so pleasing to the nose—that made Kris’s insides churn.

“Baek, go get Suho. I don’t know how to clean his wounds up. We might need uhm—lots of water. Please.”

Baekhyun nodded before sighing out loud and heading out the door.

“Hang in there, Xing,” Kris whispered as he lowered his head an unconsciously, tears started to fall from his eyes.