A/N:

NEED A MOMENT TO FANGIRL OVER THIS CHAPTER IMAGE! *struggles to breathe*

Okay, I'm okay. Enjoy the story~~~~~

 I rolled over and sleepily stretched my arm out, feeling the empty bed next to me in confusion. I frowned and opened my eyes, looking around for Kris. When he wasn't in the bedroom I stood up and wandered to the kitchen, finding him bent over a glass of something green and frozen. 

    "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice rusty and clogged from sleep. Kris turned around with a smile and kept stirring quickly. 
    "I thought your mouth would hurt, so I made you this." Kris said, handing me the glass. I stared at it blankly before lifting it to my face and smelling it. 
    "What...what is it?" I asked, taking a small sip. The rich taste of mint and chocolate slid down my tongue and cooled the ache in the side of my mouth. 
    "Mint milkshake." Kris smiled, wiping up the counter next to him and stepping forward. His arms looped around my waist as he inspected my mouth, frowning softly.
    "For breakfast?" I asked with a giggle.
    "Yes, for breakfast." Kris laughed. "You've got to live a little." 
    "Thank you, Kris." I smiled, taking a bigger gulp. The cold feeling of ice cream on my nose made me reach up to wipe it off, but Kris was faster, leaning forward and it off softly. 
    "Kris, that tickles!" I whined, covering my nose and pouting. Kris laughed and turned around, fiddling with the dishwasher until it started humming softly. 
    "Kris, I'm supposed to be at work!" I said suddenly, setting the milkshake down and beginning to panic. 
    "No you're not, I called you in sick to let you sleep." Kris said, rolling his eyes softly at my panicked expression.
    "Oh...thank you." I smiled sheepishly. Kris just laughed and tugged me to the living room, sitting down on the couch with me in his lap and turning on the tv. 
    "I thought we could just watch old movies all day." Kris asked, looking up at me with a lazy smile. I shifted so I was curled with my knees over his lap and my arms around his chest, nodding happily. 
    "That sounds great!" I smiled. Kris pulled a blanket over us and leaned back farther into the couch, selecting a movie and relaxing. I focused on the screen, smiling when Kris' hands played idly with my hair while he watched. 
    We both dozed off sometime around noon, and I woke a few hours later to Kris moving off the couch. I whined and looked after him, wondering where he was going.
    "Where are you going?" I asked sleepily, half-sitting up with one eye still shut. Kris turned, forcing a smile on his face. 
    "Just getting a drink of water." Kris' voice was shaky and there were dark circles under his eyes, making me stand up.
    "Kris, come here." I said, walking to him and reaching my hand out. Kris' skin was burning up when I touched it and he shivered, sweat beading his forehead. 
    "Tao, I'm fine." Kris muttered, turning away. The ridges of his wings were larger, and he rolled his shoulders impatiently. 
    "Kris, you look anything but fine!" I said. Kris got a glass of water and I followed him, watching him gulp it down and fill another. 
    "It's just my wings." Kris shook his head, giving me a forced half-smile. "I'll be fine."
    "Nope. I'm going to see halmoni." I said firmly. She might have answers, but I hate to leave Kris like this.
    "Can you change forms?" I asked, planning on just slipping him onto my wrist and calling it a day.
    "No. Changing now might hurt my wings." Kris panted, bracing his arms on the counter. I frowned, trying to decide between staying here and giving him energy, or leaving and finding a way to ease his pain. 
    "Okay, Kris. I'll be gone maybe twenty minutes. Okay? Can you do that?" I asked, nodding when Kris nodded.
    "Yes." Kris said. I pulled him back over to the couch and sat him down, covering him with a blanket and slipping on my shoes. 
    I sprinted out the door and ran as fast as I could to halmoni's shop. It was open, thankfully, and I opened the door. 
    "Halmoni?! Halmoni!" I called, walking quickly to the counter. She came hobbling down the stairs, squinting at me curiously before sliding on a pair of glasses. 
    "Zitao? What is it? Calm down!" Halmoni said, giving me a stern look. I nodded, panting and attempting to calm down.
    "Kris is getting his wings and I don't know if there's something I could do to help or...I don't know anything really!" I admitted, tears pooling in my eyes. I was scared for Kris and confused and overwhelmed, my heart racing in my chest. 
    "Okay, okay, take a deep breath." Halmoni said soothingly. "Hundreds of dragons have gotten their wings, and hundreds of masters have felt exactly the way you feel. You're going to be just fine."
    "How can I be just fine if I don't know anything about Kris?" I asked. I sunk down gratefully into a chair halmoni pulled out, watching her sit across from me on her counter. 
    "Well...tell me what you know already." Halmoni said, giving me a gentle look. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to remember everything. 
    "Umm...dragons draw energy from physical contact...dragons have three forms...getting your wings is not fun." I summed up, realizing everything I knew came from my last talk with halmoni.
    "Kris hasn't told you anything?" Halmoni said, her eyes narrowing in motherly disapproval. 
    "Nothing. Is that bad?" I asked in a small voice.
    "He hasn't even told you his name?" Halmoni's voice was shocked, and she shook her head as she picked up a half-knit sweater and starting knitting it distractedly.  
    "Of course, his name is Kris!" I said, already thinking of Kris back at the apartment alone. Halmoni shook her head, frowning.
    "No, it's not. Dragons have one true name, and they only tell that name to their master. Only one other person is supposed to know it, and Kris didn't even tell his old master. He should've told you by now." Halmoni said.
    "Wait, so he lied to me?" I said, my voice falling. Kris lied to me about something as small as his name?
    "Now, about his wings. The fact he is finally getting them is good, but long overdue." Halmoni sad, ignoring my question while her knitting needles clacked together softly. 
    "I assume he hasn't marked you yet?" Halmoni said, peering at me through her glasses. I shook my head in confusion, frowning. 
    "Marked me?" I asked. 
    "When dragons mate with someone, usually their master, they'll bite the master to mark them. It makes the dragon stop aging, and it seals the master's bond. It's like the dragon equivalent of marrying someone." Halmoni said.
    "So, he lied to me, and he hasn't marked me." I said, feeling hurt and anger start to mix in my chest. 
    "The only way to remove all pain from getting his wings, would be to have him mark you." Halmoni said. She set her knitting down and turned, beginning to walk up the stairs, signaling our time was over. 
    "Thank you!" I called distractedly, turning to leave. I walked out the store with my hands in my pockets, walking back home.
    The more I walked the angrier I got. Not only did he not mark me or tell me the truth, he didn't even tell me about anything. I fitted the key in the lock with trembling fingers and slammed the door open, kicking off my shoes and looking at Kris on the couch.
    He looked better now, his skin no longer grey, and he looked at me in confusion. I stalked over to where he was sitting and glared at him for a good minute.
    "How was it?" Kris finally asked, looking fearfully at my glare.
    "'How was it'? Really? That's all you have to say, Kris?" I spat. 
    "What are you talking about?" Kris sat up in confusion.
    "Of course, that's not really your name, is it? Kris?" I said. Kris' face flitted from confusion to understanding to horror in a matter of seconds. 
    "Tao, I can explain!" Kris said, jumping to his feet and then giving a soft whimper at the pain in his back.
    "You lied to me about something as simple as your name." I said, in a voice that commanded silence. 
    "Tao—" Kris started.
    "Let me talk!" I snapped. "If you lied to me about something like that, how do I know you didn't lie about more things?"
    "Peach—"
    "Did you not trust me? Did you think I would /tell/ someone?" I hisse