(Continued directly from foreword)

The different colored orbs of light on the ground may have once been pretty, but as they’ve gone on for hundreds of miles, night after night, their charm has worn off. The planes that pass by are a distraction, an obstacle. Kris is allowed to be seen by one person, and one person only.

As he gets closer to his destination, Kris begins circling; slowly decreasing his speed, slowly lowering himself below the layer of clouds. He keeps his movements to a minimum. The less he moves, the more likely a human who had seen him flying about will dismiss the sight as an illusion, the more likely they’ll blame it on bad eyesight, lack of sleep.

Since he’s trained for so long, keeping vigilant and aware of his placement in the sky isn’t difficult. Amateurs might land on the first roof they came across to rest, but Kris’ talons never brush the tiles of the houses he scans, searching for the correct address, the right window.

His instincts tell him when he passes over the place.

It’s a small ledge. His transformation begins as he dips down to land, his torso shrinking, his claws dulling, his skin softening. His wings fold and tuck into his back as he touches down, halfway on the windowsill, halfway hovering on empty air.

Peering through the window, Kris braces himself for his next job.

He already resents this child for whatever it is that it needs. If it’s anything like the last kid, he'll be smothered in tears and problems that he'll be expected to fix.

Becoming aware of the scowl that was ever-present on his face, Kris regains his composure and gets ready to look as presentably happy as he can. The clock on the kid's wall opposite the window lets him know this will be the last stop in his shift for the night, so long as it doesn't end too quickly. He doesn't want to have to go to another brokenhearted teenage girl's room and have to work overtime.

But the way humans work, they don't seem to care whose time they waste.

Kris waves his hand over the windowpane, unlocking it by just the power of his will. He slips his nail through the crack and it clicks open easily. As he gently pushes, the window doesn’t squeak. He lets out a sigh of relief. There were many times when the window or door he was entering through would be noisy, and the ungrateful child that resided in the house would be upon him, shouting questions and disturbing the silence of the night.

And then Kris would get in trouble for causing disruption and almost getting caught.

Kris would have to work the Monday shift.

Kris would have to take extra training.

Kris hates squeaky windows.

Much like a schoolchild looking both ways before he crosses the road, Kris crouches, his nose the only part of him in the room, watching. No one’s in his way, so he advances, leaning into the small opening in the side of the building, sharp ends first.

Once he slides into the bedroom and lands softly on the carpet, Kris closes the window so it’s resting on itself, glaring at the hinges as if daring them to creak.

He brushes a cobweb off of his shoulder and scans the room again, evaluating his placement.

He is so done with this.

Done with his duties, done with hiding, done with being a Dragon.

Not a giant, fire-breathing, village-destroying, livestock-devouring reptile that lives in children’s stories or fantasy video games. A Dragon.

He can fly. His fire-creating abilities sure aren't up to par, but they’re there. The whole 'Dragon' thing is just a title. A category he fits into.

But the purpose in life for all of his kind is the same.

Help humans.

Kris hears the kid he’s come to visit, but has no means of seeing him in the darkness. He maneuvers around blindly, giving himself a mental reminder to be sympathetic to the child; at least he keeps his room clean and free of obstacles. Kris is prohibited from turning on any lights, making any noise. The clear floor is a rare gift.

He follows the sounds of the sobbing carefully. As soon as he can tell the crying boy is directly in front of him, Kris creates his own light in order to present himself to the figure hunched on the floor.

It’s the aura that follows Dragons everywhere. It seeps through their very pores and hair in a cascade of hues. Kris’ veins become a bright, pulsing red, shadows flick around his face and his outspread wings, making his cheeks appear to be even more gaunt than they actually are, but his face is peaceful. To someone unaccustomed to this transformation, he might have appeared to be on fire.

Some of the kids have definitely been frightened when Kris shows himself, but this is the first human to scream.

Kris instinctively cowers and dims himself; the scream revealed that that was no child curled up in a ball at his feet.

He slowly lights himself up again, staying low to the floor and trying to look as harmless as possible. “Don’t be afraid,” he says cautiously, lowering himself to the man’s level.

Kris’s light reflects off of the shining eyes facing him. The man backs himself farther into his corner and looks absolutely petrified.

Kris sighs and sits cross-legged at a safe distance from the wall, raising his eyebrows impatiently at the crying boy. He permitted him a moment of silence. “What’s your name?” He finally asks, crossing his arms and jerking his head expectantly.

“I – Who… What are you?” The man stutters, eyeing the way the veins on Kris’ arms are glowing as if filled with magma.

Kris closes his eyes and sighs. “I was sent here to help you. My name is Kris. I’m a Dragon. It’s – “ He says in a monotone, repeating the speech he uses for every child he was sent to visit.

The kid doesn’t seem calmed by his introduction. “ - A dragon?” He sniffs skeptically, interrupting. “Except for the wings, you don’t look like a dragon,” he wipes his eyes.

“I don’t know, it’s what I am,” Kris says sharply, irritated by answering the same questions he got every time he visited someone new. And the kid had interrupted him. He changes his mind about liking him. “It’s my duty to make you feel better.”

The boy turns his face away and tucks his knees in, picking at his fingernails. “Oh, I – I’m fine, I don’t need your help…” He trails off. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

Kris rolls his eyes. “It’s my job. Obviously you’re not fine; otherwise I wouldn’t even be here.” He pauses. “So what’s your name?” He asks, sounding more like a statement than a question.

“I’m Tao.”

“Hi Tao. Now. I’m stuck here until I help you, so you might as well tell me what’s wrong.”

Tao’s lip quivers and more water pools in his eyes. “What do you mean, you’re stuck here?” He asks with difficulty through his overly-active tear ducts.

“I was sent, wasn’t I?” Kris finally sits down all the way from his squatting, which had become increasingly uncomfortable. He senses that he’s going to spend overtime in Tao’s bedroom. “The people who sent me, they know when I show up, they know when I leave. They know when to send one of my kind, and they know when a kid’s left unsatisfied.” He says simply. “It’s not much of an excuse to say ‘oh, sorry boss, my kid wouldn’t tell me what was wrong, so I just left.’” He mocks in a stupid voice, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Tao’s window. “Someone did that, and their kid wound up taking their own life.” He lowers his voice, shaking his head. “It’s an important job, I guess.” He admits. “And if I mess up, I’ll get in trouble.”

Tao examines every part of the other man’s – or creature’s – body that he could while avoiding his eyes. He pushes himself into an upright sitting position against the wall. “I’m sorry, I –“

“Don’t be,” Kris snarls and looks away. “Well, like I said, I’m stuck here until I help. You might as well tell me what’s wrong now instead of later. I don’t want to have to sing you to sleep or anything.”

“How long does it usually take you to help people?” Tao diverts his attention from Kris’ bitterness.

“On good nights? An hour.” Kris estimates. “But obviously tonight isn’t a good night.” He pushes his hair back moodily and starts examining his long nails.

Tao recoils.

Kris finishes picking at his thumbnail and raises his bushy eyebrows, getting more and more impatient by the second. “Look –“

Tao wipes his eyes before he speaks, taking a deep breath and cutting Kris off. “There’re some guys at school… They were making fun of me for crying today.”

“Can’t imagine why…” Kris mumbles, just loud enough for the teenager to make out. Tao sniffs again. “Why were you crying?”

“Because they were making fun of me!” Tao yelps unexpectedly. He erupts into a new set of tears, hiding his reddening face in the crook of his elbow.

Kris cringes at his outburst, and the noise it makes. He lets Tao sober up before prodding him for more information. “So…” His deep voice catches in his throat and he grunts to clear it. “Do –“

“They bother me all the time!” He interjects, almost shouting, his quiet demeanor overcome with his desperate need for someone to vent to. “I can’t even eat in peace, someone’s always near me and calling me names!”

“How old are you?” Kris asks nonchalantly.

Tao gapes at the tone of his voice, how much he didn’t seem to care. “Sixteen.”

Kris examines Tao closely for the first time. Sure, the kid seems kind of soft. He isn’t very impressive in stature, especially not when curled up against a wall. Though Kris has never seen Tao’s eyes be anything but watery, they have a softness to them that doesn’t scream manliness. Naturally, his lips curl into a very feline shape. Maybe that’s why the ridicule started. Tao’s really feminine. Really pretty.

Kris nods at Tao, urging him to continue.

“Well, that’s it,” he shrugs and rubs at his eyes with the palm of his hand. “They won’t leave me alone.”

Clucking his tongue, Kris tries to think of some solution. “Haven’t you told anyone?”

Tao shakes his head. “You. No one else would want to listen. And even you’re just here because you have to be.” His voice wavers.

Kris feels like he should be saying something to contradict him, but he knows the kid would be able to sense him lying. “Even a teacher or something?” He scratches the back of his neck. “It’s their job.”

“It’s your job too, and look what you’ve been able to do!” Tao’s face scrunches up until he’s no longer pretty. “You think telling an adult would help? You think I’d feel better for being a snitch?” He draws his knees up to his stomach and clutches to them. “They’d torment me more than ever!”

Kris flinches at Tao’s insult. He wishes he hadn’t told Tao how he was bound to him; otherwise he could just tell him that he doesn’t have to be here, that it’s his choice to stay to help. He’d played the impatience card too early. “Okay, okay, okay.” He sighs and crosses his legs. “Don’t you have any friends? If the bullies work in packs like you say –“

Tao’s head snaps up and he looks directly into Kris’ eyes for the first time, trying to glare. He’s enraptured by the Dragon’s eyes immediately. The edges are strikingly white compared to the obsidian of his iris, and small embers within the black brighten and dim and move as he’s staring. Tao only gets more infuriated in reaction. “I don’t have any friends.” He tries to look as menacing as possible so the Dragon would back off, but it doesn’t have the desired effect.

Kris’ heart sinks a bit. His remedies are running out. Thinking desperately for another solution, he stands up and starts tracing the cracks in Tao’s headboard with a nail. “What about your parents? They could –“

“Hah!” Tao laughed bitterly, “Like they would care. They’re the ones that put me in my new classes. They separated me from my best friend.”

“Why would they do that?” Kris’ eyebrows knit together in confusion. Human parents were known to be overly doting, usually confessing to them was the solution.

Tao pauses, making a face to show how much he disagrees with his parents on the matter. “He was gay,” he scratches at his head roughly. “That was the only reason.”

Kris slowly sits back down, tilting his head. “… Luhan?”

“What?” Tao is caught off guard; he’d been ready to continue his ranting.

“Was that your friend’s name?”

“Yeah, how –“

“I visited him before. He was upset about it too...” Kris says softly, remembering the doll-faced teenager instantly. He’d met him maybe a year ago, when he was a bit more sympathetic towards kids and their emotional issues, and had talked him through the abrupt end to his friendship.

“I couldn’t even explain to him why...” Tao drops his head between his knees, and when he speaks again his voice is muffled. “So now I’m at a school where everyone calls me gay, and there’s no one to help me do anything about it.”

Kris chewed at his thumbnail that was more like a claw and tried his best to keep from glowering, trying to remember that humans forgot about the obvious when they were upset. “Well I’m here, and I’m trying to help –“

The window squeaks as it’s pushed open.

Tao doesn’t notice the light pouring in the room at first since his head is down, but Kris’ head shoots up. As Tao realizes what’s happening, his eyes widen. Dimming his self-produced light immediately, Kris stands up carefully to receive the Phoenix who has just climbed in through the unlocked window.

“Wu Fan?” The Phoenix asks, reducing the amount of light he was producing since he’d already announced his presence.

“Yes?” Kris answers, ducking his head.

“Huang Zitao?”

Tao looks at Kris for some support or guidance and nods slowly.

“Wu Fan, you – you know why I’m here?” The Phoenix stutters, smiling carefully.

Kris pushes his hair back and looks at the floor, not meeting the new creature’s eyes. “Yes…”

“Okay, um… You can go home now… And you’ll – you’ll get instructions upon your arrival.” The Phoenix says, still seeming to have trouble stringing his words together. He’s smiling awkwardly despite what his interference means for Kris.

Kris nods slowly, but doesn’t leave.

“Huang Zitao, my name is Chanyeol.” He steps forward and kneels a safe distance from the human, dimming his light further so he’s less imposing. “Wu Fan has to leave now, but I’m going to stay with you.”

Tao is obviously confused and disoriented, and even though he wasn’t fond of Kris before, he looks to him for help.

Kris clears his throat. “Yeah, you’ll be safe with Chanyeol. He’ll help you work out your... Yeah. Okay. Um.” He nods briskly before he’s out the window, completely transformed once again into his shadowy form.

The icy air of the night does little to cool him down.

They had to send a Phoenix.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I've had the idea for this for months and finally finished enough to start posting ^^
I'll try to update maybe weekly, but it'll really depend. Let me know what you think, I hope you'll stick around with me to see this through ^-^