From fire to ashes for raijuuthunder
For: raijuuthunder
Title: From Fire to Ashes
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Kai, mentions of Chanyeol/Chen
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): just the language, character death and mentions of sexual themes
Length: 7.3k
Summary: The day that Chanyeol finally understand what Zitao meant is the day that he loves Jongin more than he’s ever loved anyone.
Author's note: So I kinda took your prompt and ran with it. I’m not quite sure about what you were going for, but all I can say is that I hope you like it and don’t hate me for it ^^;;;. / forgive me if it’s not exactly what you wanted/
~Winter of 1912
Chanyeol’s birth hadn’t been something that Joonmyun expected so quickly. Through a vivid display of color and flames, a small egg of bronze and cream emerged from the ashes. The egg was no bigger than a woman’s fist at the time. With the utmost care, it was quickly carried and placed in a chamber under heavy guard in order to wait for the day that it would hatch.
ᬩᬦᬩ
~Spring of 2112
Peering through the glass windows, Joonmyun stared at the egg, constantly praying and willing it to hatch. After two hundred years, the egg had not only grown tremendously in size, but had also changed in color. What was once bronze and cream was replaced by the colors of charcoal, gold, and a rustic rouge. The egg had grown to be nearly the size of a chair, still maintaining the original shape.
Joonmyun continues to stare at the egg watching for any signs of hatching, but no such luck ever came.
His health started depleting the evening of Chanyeol’s birth signifying that his rule would soon come to an end.
Whisking back around, Joonmyun placed his palm on the window of the chamber and examined the egg for anymore changes in the last 30 second since the last time he checked.
and yet..it yielded the same result… nothing…
Minseok appears next to him with his arms folded and eyes focused on the egg.
“It’s been two hundred years and nothing has happened. Maybe, it was the wrong egg.”
Joonmyun shook his head in disagreement, “No, it is the right one. I can feel it in my bones. As soon as he was born, my fire began to burn out. He is the one, Minseok.”
“Are you sure about this? The egg could be sitting in there rotted to the core.”
Joonmyun gave Minseok a hard look of displeasure before fixating his eyes back to the window.
‘I’ve never been more sure of anything,’ is what he wanted to say, but he would just wait for time to prove Minseok wrong.
But there were only two things that troubled Joonmyun at the moment: Would he live long enough to see Chanyeol hatch? And who would be the first person he saw?
◻◻◻
Later that evening, a thief ran through the halls away from the heavily armed guards carrying items more valuable than his own house all together. Rounding a corner, the thief pressed his back into the smooth stone praying that the guards would run the other way.
To his benefit, they did…
Wiping the sweat off his brow, he opened a bronze door and slipped inside, hoping to go completely unnoticed by anyone.
Upon entering, the thief automatically noticed the dramatic change in temperature.
“Fuck, it’s hot in here.” he cursed. Swallowing gulps of hot air, he stripped off his jacket and threw it off to the side.
Noticing the darkened window, Jongin went and pressed a hand to the glass. The heat emanating from the glass was completely unbearable.
“Fucking hell! That’s hot!” Jongin gripped his wrist and swung his hand back and forth trying to cool the hot, stinging pain.
The vibrations in his pocket drew his attention away from the heat.
“The fuck, Yixing! Why didn’t you tell me that this place was laced with guards and guns?! I could have gotten killed!”
“Oh calm down, Jongin. You’ve done jobs far more dangerous than this one. Besides, you’re the one who wanted to flex his thieving muscles at the meeting. So naturally, since you are the best, you were picked because you were the most qualified for it. Enough said.”
“I really hate you sometimes. Do you still have tabs on my location in the building? Because I ended up in some room in this mess of a house and now it feels like I’m being cooked inside a massive oven.”
“Give me a minute.” There’s clicking of a computer on the opposing end of the line, “Well, the computer says that you’re on the second floor of the,” Yixing pauses, “west wing?”
“Yixing! Why are you not sure of my location? You spent half a million dollars on this software and computer. You should be able to track me from halfway across the world.”
“Be nice to your hyung.” Yixing types away on his keyboard on the other end. “Besides,” he starts, “Parisia.” Jongin groans at the mention of the city.
“That was seven years ago and I was fourteen,” Jongin whines, “What did you want me to do?”
“Well, anything but running off with your tail between your legs would have been fantastic.” Yixing drawls.
“I didn’t run away and you know it. Now, give me a way out. It’s getting hot in here.” Jongin fans his face and tugs on his black tanktop.
“Well, if you go out the door and to the right, you should see a staircase about 200 feet ahead on the left side of the hallway, don’t take it because you’ll probably die down there, so go an extra 50 feet ahead and on the left, there should be another set so take those instead. Then about 100 feet to the right, you should see a pair of double doors. Use those as a way out into the gardens where a van will be waiting to pick you up. Got it?”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Jongin?”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Please try to be punctual. You have 10 minutes to get out and away safely.”
Rolling his eyes, Jongin clicked the phone off and shoved it into his pocket.
“You’re the one who got me lost, jerk,” Jongin mutters under his breath. He walks over to the other side of the room to retrieve his jacket. He’s nearly there when he trips on a loose stone and falls, swearing and landing on the floor with a dull ‘thud’.
“For a loaded family, they sure have a shitty floor.” Placing a hand on the ground to help steady himself back up, the stone sank into the ground and a flash of light appeared from behind Jongin, revealing the sight behind the hot glass.
On a gleaming marble pedestal sat the largest egg Jongin’s ever seen. Reaching into his pocket he quickly dialed up Yixing again.
“What is it, Jongin? Why haven't you moved? We don’t have time for you to hang around and admire the architecture.”
“I know that, but what would you say if I told you I just found the largest egg in the world?”
After a suspended moment of static, Yixing speaks, “You found a what?”
“A giant egg, Yixing. A giant egg.”
“I think you might be in an incubation chamber. And what you see is a phoenix egg. What color is it? That will tell me whether or not you would take it or leave it.”
“Uh,” Jongin pauses and observes the egg, “it looks like a mix and match of red, gold, bronze, and black? I think?”
There’s a few clicks of a computer and a moment of silence. Far too long for Jongin’s liking.
"Oh dear," Yixing says, "Jongin, get out of there."
"What about-" Jongin starts to say.
“Leave the egg,” Yixing interrupts, “you need to get out before it hatches. If it sees you, we’ll have more trouble than we already have. I can handle the guards. This thing, though,” Yixing pauses, “I won't be able to do anything.”
Before Jongin can even hang up the phone, a ground-shaking thud startles him and pulls his attention to the incubation room.
The large mass had rolled off from its original placement and onto its side. A noise resembling the scream of a boiling kettle came from the egg as massive cracks formed on the side of the egg. Steam poured out and smaller cracks started forming.
At this point Jongin should have booked it out of there, but there was something keeping him in the room. The doorknob was within his reach and his legs worked perfectly fine, but his mind was moving too fast to even consider any other forms of movement. Jongin couldn’t do anything but stand there and wait to see what emerged.
Several cracks form on the egg with steam pouring out of each and escaping into the surrounding air. Soon the whole egg in covered in cracks with steam flooding out of each.
In a moment, the steam ceases and it almost appears like nothing else could possibly happen.
But it does…
It always does…
There’s a bright flash of white light and the sound of thin glass shattering.
Shielding his eyes from the light, he stays like that until the noise ceases.
Looking through the steam towards the origin of the sound, Jongin sees a tall figure hunched over. To Jongin, it looks like the phoenix may be staring at his own hands, but when the figure turns and looks at Jongin, the glowing red eyes that meet his terrify him beyond comprehension. The figure fully turns and faces Jongin. The glowing red eyes seem even more terrifying through the steam.
As the figure walks towards him through the steam, large wings spread from the figure’s back, outspread and absolutely majestic.
The phoenix is shrouded in the steam and Jongin has no idea what it looks like, but the only things that are clear to him are the piercing red eyes that are boring holes into his soul and the exploding pain throughout his whole body before his vision is swallowed into darkness.
________________
Jongin dreams in black and white. His mind begins to swim with things he’s never seen before. People and things he’s never imagined of. Everything seems hazy, but only one thing is truly clear.
Red eyes
Those frightening red eyes pierce right through his soul and he can feel things that he’s never experienced before. Jongin can hear muffled voices in the distance.
The world he’s in begins to spin and everything morphs out of shape and position. The voices seem to be come clearer as his mind cleared up. His eyes fluttered as he tried to open them. His head bobbed back and forth like it had water sloshing around inside.
His vision was blurry and nothing is in focus. Everything looks like blobs of color and his head feels like it’s been kicked a hundred times. He tried to rub his face to clear some of the blurriness out, but he’s quickly snapped out of it when he realizes that his arms are bound in chains and he’s gagged.
Realizing the situation he’s in, Jongin begins to fight against the chains with any strength he can muster. He pulls at them until his wrists turn red from the strain and sweat drips down his forehead.
He suddenly stops at the turning of keys in the heavy wooden door in front of him. His mind told him that he should stop fighting this and just let nature take its course, but his body began to fight even harder. His body thrashed and pulled at the chains and only pebbles fell as a result of his feeble attempts to gain freedom.
The door swung open and the banging of the door against the wall resonated loud enough to wake the dead. People shrouded dark clothing floated into the room followed by several phoenix clad in white cloaks with golden accents.
“You can stop your fussing. No matter how hard you fight against those chains they will never break, although it’s quite amusing to watch you try and break free.”
Jongin looked up through the hanging strand of hair, “Fuck you.” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Watch your tone, Kim Jongin or we might have a problem and a lesson in manners will be taught.”
Jongin found the threat to be very weak and pathetic and it made him chuckle.
“You actually think you can scare me into being compliant? That’s rich coming from you Kim Minseok. I’ve seen people more terrifying than the likes of you.”
“Oh so you know my name, do you? Good saves me the hassle of introductions because if you know my name then you know the head of this family is-”
“Kim Joonmyun. Yes. I’m very familiar with the face and name, but, sadly, I don’t see him here. Why?”
“Well, I’m sure you remember the hatching like it was yesterday, but you’ve been unconscious for about a,” Minseok tilts his head to the side like he’s calculating something in his head, “week? Which is really unusual for humans, they’re usually unconscious for months. But Joonmyun is tending to his son.”
“That red eyed monstrosity I saw come out of the egg was his son?!” Jongin raised his eyebrows in question and shock.
Mere seconds later, a swift blow across his jaw is delivered by a leather boot, knocking him into the wall. The taste of copper in his mouth was bitter and foul, but nothing unfamiliar.
“FUCK that hurt, you asshole!” Jongin spat as he wiped blood on his shirt.
“Good it was meant t-” the assailant was hauled backwards towards the wall by two people.
“Keep Kris back!” Minseok commanded. “We don’t know the extent of the bond yet and if Joonmyun sees bruises form on his son, he will kill us all. Now,” Minseok crouched down in front of Jongin and cupped his bruised jaw between his fingers and moved Jongin’s head around examining his features.
“Mph, not bad features, but these eyes, Joonmyun would love these. I think he’ll make an excellent mate for the kid, however he’s human. Chanyeol will outlive him by two hundred years. What a pity that you’re not a pheonix. You could have had a good life.”
“Sure and what kind of life would that have been, huh? Like where I am now? Bound in chains and kicked in the face? Thanks, but no thanks I think I’ll-” All thoughts stopped from coming out of Jongin’s mouth as his head began to spin. In a blinding flash, a face momentarily presents itself and disappears and eventually lolled forward.
Jongin could hear the curses and words of hate spewing from their mouths, but when he opened his eyes to see everything again, he was no longer where he expected himself to be. Looking around he saw nothing but blue. Looking down he saw the world and induced panic.
‘FUCK FUCK FUCK! What the hell am I doing two thousand feet above the world??!!!!’ he thought
“Who's there? I can hear you? Why can I hear you?” a deep voice seemed to appear out of nowhere.
‘WHOA WHOA WHOA… What the fu-..what is this?!
“Obviously, I would like to know to. Now who are you and why can I hear and talk to you?”
‘Fuck if I know. But maybe you can tell me why I’m flying and not on the ground??’
‘Well, that I can answer. You’re not flying, but I am. Wait are you the boy from the chamber??? Ah, yes finally.’ a deep laughter rumbled clear as day, ‘I’ll explain this when I land. I’ll see you soon, Kim Jongin.”
Upon the last word, Jongin’s eyes fly open as he gasps for air. His body feels like it hasn’t felt a breath of oxygen for hours. Frantically searching the room, only Minseok stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
Jongin. That voice knows his name.
“Well, at least you’re not dead, but the connection is much stronger than I anticipated. Shit…” Minseok stormed out and slammed the door shut. Through the door, Jongin could hear Minseok giving the guards orders not to let “him” out of the cell and to report should any “unusual happenings” occur.
‘Unusual happenings? Like me passing out again and hearing voices like a psycho? Yeah, sure how are you going to report that if you don’t know it’s happening?’
Scoffing at the dumb thought in his head, he just ran a hand through his sweat dripping hair before he felt it. It was like a churn of emotions. It stung, burned, and crashed throughout his body.
He felt angry? no that’s not it… more like agitation and frustration. But it’s not his own. He could feel it, but it’s distant and fast approaching. Then he could hear the sound of running feet and the closer the noise got, the stronger the feeling. He should be more scared or confused as to why they haven’t killed him yet, but why frustration and agitation? This isn’t his own. This isn’t his own body experiencing these emotions, but whose are they? He shouldn’t be feeling this at all.
“Chanyeol! Chanyeol! You can’t go in there! He’s dangerous! You could get killed!” Jongin didn’t recognize the voice speaking.
“I can go in and I will, just back off, Kyungsoo! Jeez. Step aside, Kris. Now.”
The turning of keys drew Jongin’s attention to the door and, more importantly, the person who would be on the other side waiting for him.
________________
1 hour earlier
After waking up, Chanyeol felt...different. His own thoughts didn’t feel like his own. Looking out through the windows of his bedroom, the sunlight flooded in and the dust floated in the room, sparkling like fairy dust in the light. And for some reason, it seemed so...magical to him. Sparkling and beautiful.
A slow, sleepy smile spread across his face at how beautiful it appeared to be.
A knock on the wooden doors averts Chanyeol’s attention away from the floating fairy dust to the person who would interrupt such a perfect fantasy.
Joonmyun had knocked in hopes of Chanyeol wanting to fly.
With much hesitation, he, indeed, wanted to fly, but sadly, he wasn’t really sure of how to? And quite frankly, he’s embarrassed about it, but he still agrees to go. Grabbing his cloak out of the closet, he follows Joonmyun outside to the main gardens.
________________
‘Just spread your wings and let go of everything’ Joonmyun had said.
‘How hard can this be?’, Chanyeol thought.
Less than two hours later, Chanyeol finds himself flying above and through the clouds. Shakey and still unsure of how to approach some things. Overcoming certain difficulties, Chanyeol likes flying and to him it’s the most natural thing in the world. Like he was born to fly and see the world from a new perspective that humans can only dream of.
Flying is truly an experience that everyone should feel. The wind glossing over his skin and breezing through his hair. It almost feels like being enveloped in silk, having it flow over like water, just softly passing over. It’s an otherworldly sensation, completely unlike anything else.
What was considered supernatural and unrealistic was the string of curses that started simply as a mere whisper, almost non-existent, like a passing and fleeting moment of time where it just seemed to stand still, but in that moment he saw a face. It was fleeting, yes, but the image was strong and crystal clear.
Strong jaw, bronze skin, deep brown eyes
Chanyeol wonders how those things manage to work so well together to form such an attractive face. But Chanyeol likes it. He likes it very much and it seems familiar.
Chanyeol is extremely confused by the conversation that’s going on inside his head.
He tries to think while dodging birds and nodding, pretending to be listening to Joonmyun’s lecture on proper flying technique.
Chanyeol begins to think back on the day he hatched and the memory begins to flood in. He remembers the boy from his chamber. He remembers the burning sensation upon seeing him for the first time. But he also remembers his face, how terrified he looked when the boy saw him for the first time and he never wanted to be looked at like that again. It made Chanyeol feel like a hideous being. A monster and he didn’t want to be that. Ever.
Recalling bits and pieces from the first lecture, Chanyeol recalls that telepathic communication is, according to Joonmyun, completely natural and so is empathy which is why he felt terror and uncertainty for no reason at all.
Chanyeol let out a deep chuckle and Joonmyun simply looked on while lecturing. He knows the boy’s name and his face. But Chanyeol wants to meet him in person.
When Chanyeol finally lands, he rushes back inside his home, heading directly to the basement. He replays the name inside his head like a mantra.
Kim Jongin
Chanyeol rushes past Kyungsoo, who is too busy to notice his passing because he’s flirting with the housemaid, Lulu, about how dirty of a girl she is.
The conversation nearly makes Chanyeol gag.
Halfway down the stairs, Chanyeol can hear Kyungsoo hot on his trail, calling his name. Knowing what Kyungsoo was going to do if he caught up, Chanyeol picked up his speed.
Making it to the landing, he can feel Jongin’s presence growing stronger by the minute.
Chanyeol makes his way to the end of the hallway where the only door is shut and guarded by the strongest man he knows. Determined and driven, even Kris couldn’t stop Chanyeol from seeing the person he was bound to be with for the rest of his life, regardless of the consequences.
Driving his way past Kris and Kyungsoo, Chanyeol throws open the door, gazing upon the person that he’s fated to spend the rest of his life with.
The more that Chanyeol stares, the more enthralled he is with the beauty of the boy kneeling on the stone floor, chained to the wall. When Jongin looks up into his eyes, Chanyeol could feel that this was right and he prays that Jongin might feel the same.
________________
Their first meeting was less than what they both expected. Jongin was slightly confused as to how this was the same person who came out of the egg. The large out spread wings with flames licking the tips and red eyes flashed before him and made his breathe shutter ever so slightly.
Chanyeol could sense that Jongin was still very hesitant about their meeting. The fact that he saw him right after hatching when he still had his eyes and wings probably terrified him to where the mere thought of being around him made him squirm inside.
Honestly, that hurt Chanyeol more than any of his past lives mates. Chanyeol lived through thousands of lives with a mate during each one, but none of them held a flame to Jongin. He’s been with guys and girls before, but never anyone like him.
All of his previous lives had been planned out for him. Right from the first person he sees and imprints on to the very first meal that he eats. This is the first life that Chanyeol actually feels like he has control over. Of course, imprinting on a human was a small mishap, but still, Chanyeol finds it so very exciting.
“Kim Jongin? It’s finally nice to meet you. My name is Park Chanyeol and you are fated to be mine.”
________________
Of course, Chanyeol shouldn’t have said things like that so bluntly for this very reason. As soon as the words sunk in, Jongin became even more confused than before.
“Yours? You think that I’m suppose to be yours? Like a husband or mate sort of thing?”
“Essentially, yes. Before you ask anything else, shall I try and elaborate a little more for you in the study? I’m sure it would be more comfortable than sitting on the ground bound in chains.”
“You want me to come with you to the study so you can try and explain to me what you meant by that last statement?”
Jongin wants to say no and just let him sit here, but he, very reluctantly, nods ‘yes’.
Moments later, Kris unchains Jongin and large, strong hands hoist him up to his feet.
With much hesitation, Jongin follows Chanyeol after seeing his oddly charming and goofy smile and big ears that somehow make him appear friendlier than Jongin thinks.
When they arrive at the study, Jongin is surprised at the vastness of the study. The study walls are decorated with stories upon stories of shelves that display all sorts of articles, scrolls, and books. He’s even more impressed with the decor of the room. It’s modern and vintage mixed together to create a classy yet comfortable look.
Chanyeol chuckles at Jongin’s expression. It reminds him of a little kid seeing the ocean for the first time. So full of wonder and surprise, something that Chanyeol hadn’t seen in hundreds of years. Spreading his hidden wings, Chanyeol takes off to the top shelves of books in search of the one book he needs. That one book could make all the difference in whether or not Jongin will see things the way Chanyeol wishes for him to.
The gleaming gold binding flashes just in the corner of Chanyeol’s eye and it is the material that he needs.
Plucking the book from the shelves, Chanyeol quickly descends. Maybe a little too quickly because before he can prepare to feel the ground, his legs give and he stumbles a bit before gripping the table to steady himself.
Chanyeol peers over his shoulder and sees Jongin trying to suppress a hysterical fit of laughter. This just makes him flush an even deeper shade of red. Folding his wings back under his clothes, Chanyeol makes his way to Jongin who is sitting in a lounge chair admiring the painting above the fireplace.
Chanyeol understands why Jongin might be fascinated with the painting. The painting is intricate with new details that are discovered every time Chanyeol looks upon the painting. And depending on the way someone thinks, it tells hundreds of new stories and there’s no painting in the world like it.
Chanyeol’s just as lost in the painting as Jongin, until he drops the book and the noise reverberates throughout the whole library, pulling them both out of the painting.
“So are we going to talk or sit in silence and gawk at a massive painting?”
“Just waiting on you. So, here it is. Everything important about a phoenix is in this book, from birth to death.”
Chanyeol tosses the book on the table and begins to flip through the pages scanning for a particular section, “Right here. Read this and you should have a small glimpse into the life of a phoenix.”
Jongin takes the book and begins to read the page:
Pheonix of nobility differentiate from phoenix of commonality. Nobles only hatch when they sense their desires are close. More commonly said as their potential mate is close and approaching. Upon the birth of a new phoenix of this descent, the first individual that the new hatchling sees becomes the mate and imprint of the phoenix. As time passes, bonds will continue to grow in strength which will come with unusual gifts as a result.
Jongin continues to stare at the page, taking it all in. What the hell was he doing here? He just wanted a quick get rich scheme, not become the mate of a fucking phoenix. Jongin’s eyes roam the page and he almost misses the little asterisk at the bottom.
“Chanyeol what does this-” Jongin is beyond startled when the large doors are thrown open in a hasty fashion creating a resounding ‘bang’ throughout the room.
Standing in the doorway is someone that Jongin doesn’t know at all, but Chanyeol is very familiar with.
Minseok stood in the doorway completely out of breath, like he had just finished running a marathon.
“Chanyeol,” Minseok continued to suck in air, “It’s Joonmyun, he’s- GOD just come on and hurry! We have no time to waste! Bring him with you. He needs to see this.”
In that moment, Jongin sees a very noticeable change in Chanyeol’s expression. One of horror and shock.
“Wait, wha-” Jongin doesn’t finish the sentence before he feels his feet leaving the ground with arms wrapped around him, holding him up as he’s whisked away down hallways and corridors. Finally arriving in front of a pair of large white double doors, Chanyeol
The doors opened from the inside. The first thing that Jongin sees is Joonmyun, head of the household and one of the oldest, most powerful phoenix in the world. But that’s not what shocks him. It’s the state he’s in.
Chanyeol rushes past Jongin to Joonmyun’s side. He takes his hand and feels the rising temperature inside him. Chanyeol looks upon him with wide eyes. Sweat caked his blonde hair to his forehead and eyes are hooded and breathing heavy.
Chanyeol knows. But he doesn’t want to know. He’s not ready to let go.
“It’s not possible. Joonmyu- how is it time already? There are still things you haven’t told me about the new era, how to-”
“Chanyeol, there is nothing more that I can teach you. I’ve taught you everything and told you everything over the lifetimes that you’ve lived. Just remember the most important thing I’ve taught you about being a phoenix. I’ve already instructed Minseok to take care of anything you might need. So you will be okay. I promise.” By now, Chanyeol is in tears
Before Chanyeol can even utter a sound, Joonmyun’s skin begins to glow a fiery orange. He begins to rise out of bed, wings outspread as the fire begins to change colors. Vivid colors of red, yellow, and blue; all simply creating a beautiful display of color and fire.
Chanyeol looks up at Joonmyun and sees him smiling down at him with a single tear running down his cheek.
Jongin has never seen anything like this before. The heat is nearly unbearable, but he endures it for the stunning beauty.
With one last heavy glance down, Joonmyun’s fire burns hotter and his head tilts back. The sight is majestic and if Chanyeol and Jongin didn’t know what was happening, they would have deemed it one of the many wonders of the world. Joonmyun’s outspread wings wrap around him and fire rings begin to surround his body before there is a flash of bright light.
‘He’s gone.’ Chanyeol thinks. Jongin can hear the two words, but he says nothing.
Lying on the floor in a pile of ashes was Joonmyun along with a part of Chanyeol’s heart.
________________
About a month after Joonmyun’s burning, no egg had emerged yet and it appears that there’s no sign of one ever emerging yet.
Chanyeol grieved heavily after Joonmyun’s death. For days, he didn’t come out of his room or eat. All he wanted was to talk to Jongin about anything and everything.
Jongin was given all of his stuff back and he could have ran away from this place, but he couldn’t for two reasons. The guards were even tighter on security and it just didn’t feel right about leaving Chanyeol like this. Jongin hated seeing Chanyeol in this kind of state. When he would look at him his eyes were just red and swollen from crying.
Over the past few weeks , Jongin had felt the bond grow even stronger. He could feel everything that Chanyeol felt. All of his grievance. Pain and suffering. Loss and sadness. Jongin wanted to comfort Chanyeol, but he wasn’t quite sure how to. He could see through the others eyes. Literally. He would close them and then be looking at himself through the others eyes.
Chanyeol could hear Jongin’s thoughts. He knew how sorry he was for the loss of Joonmyun. How much he cared about Chanyeol not to leave him in his deepest need. Chanyeol was happy that Jongin cared, but he still couldn’t let go of Joonmyun long enough to tell him that. Chanyeol would be slowly letting the string go and then a memory comes back and it just makes his grip even tighter.
But eventually he had to let go if he wanted to be happy
So he did
________________
As time continues to pass, Chanyeol and Jongin discover new sides to each other. Both are surprised by what they discover about each person. Firstly, Jongin is a hard and very sarcastic person, but he’s squishy on the inside.
But, regardless of the fact that Jongin is a thief, Chanyeol still trusts him enough.
And Jongin isn’t sure when this happened, but he felt different about Chanyeol. Much different than the first time he saw him. Jongin doesn’t necessarily like men, but he likes Chanyeol.
Jongin never thought that he would fall for someone other than another boring human girl what just likes him for his looks. None of the girls he’s met actually wanted to take the time to get to know him. But Chanyeol did. Chanyeol actually knows enough about him to know what he likes and what is repulsive to him. He uses that knowledge to make Jongin happy regardless of the fact that he has a compulsive need for pizza and beer all the time.
Jongin manages a phone call to Yixing who screams at him when he picks up the phone and hears his voice for the first time in a month. Jongin explains to Yixing the situation he’s in which results in Yixing wanting to assemble a team and bust into the house to rescue him, but before Jongin can tell him “no” Yixing is already gone.
Jongin blows it off as Yixing being overly protective and shoves his phone back into his pocket.
________________
Chanyeol wakes up one morning with the memory of Joonmyun’s burning fresh on his mind. He thinks about what he said to him about the most important thing about being a phoenix. Chanyeol doesn’t want to believe that it’s true. But he’s always wondered why Joonmyun was alone without his mate beside him. Had she died without him? Or was she the reason he was born?
Chanyeol remembers what Joonmyun meant. Rushing to the library, he found the book right where he left it weeks ago. Chanyeol remembers that Jongin was trying to ask him something about a section in the book when Minseok interrupted them. Chanyeol looks upon the page and sees what might have triggered Jongin’s interest. The last line of the page made Chanyeol’s heart sink.
Tears slip past his eyes as he reads the sentence because it’s already starting to happen.
“Chanyeol, you must understand. We are phoenix and phoenix are meant to imprint on other phoenix. There’s a reason why you haven’t seen Zitao in over 600 years. He died because she was human and he loved her, but that was the problem.”
________________
Days pass and Chanyeol manages to shove all the awful things in the back of his mind and he feels happier than ever. Jongin brought laughter and happiness into his world with his unusual sense of humor and desire to refurnish the entertainment room with more modern technology.
Chanyeol simply laughed and admired the way that Jongin began to explain how much the world had changed in the 200 years since his last birth. The developments in technology shocked him because the last time he was alive, Back then, they were trying to find a suitable source of providing light to homes and now they want to harness the power of the atomic bomb in the form of a canister no bigger than a soup can.
Chanyeol had seen all of these develop in small flashes of the present happening while he was still in the egg. He saw the advances through another set of eyes. While the world was changing and he was growing inside the egg, he watched from a worldly perspective. He just didn't understand what it was or did, but because of Jongin, he understands the modern advances.
________________
Later that night, Chanyeol dreams of Jongin. He sees him undressing in the bathroom, all muscle and bronze skin. Even more riveting is the sight of water droplets rolling down the curvature of his back as he runs his hands through his hair. Head tilted back and lips parted. The sight was enough to make Chanyeol wonder what it would be like to be there with him. To feel it against his own skin.
The steam of the shower begins to build up even more, but Chanyeol can’t seem to lose the erotic image. And frankly, he doesn’t want to.
________________
The next morning, Jongin wakes up to the sound of flapping wings outside of his window.
Peering outside, he sees Chanyeol leisurely soaring through the sky with a gentle smile on his face. The sight of it makes Jongin wonder what it would be like to fly. To feel the freedom of no limits while the breeze flows over his skin.
Lost in his own thoughts, Jongin doesn’t notice that Chanyeol’s smiling face is right in front of his, separated by a glass window. Pushing the window open, he let’s Chanyeol in who gracefully glides in and lands sitting in the plush chair in the corner of the room.
“Must you show off, Chanyeol?”
“Why, I’m offended that you think I’m showing off. I’m merely sitting because my wings hurt from my morning flight.”
“Oh please.” Jongin pouts.
“Why Kim Jongin, is that jealousy I detect in your voice?” Chanyeol teases.
“No, why would I be jealo-” Jongin is cut off when Chanyeol picks him up and soars out the window and straight up into the sky.
“Holy shi-Chanyeol! What are you doing?!” Alarm and panic begin to spread throughout Jongin’s mind.
Jongin looks down and sees nothing but white and realizes that he’s flying through a cloud. The fine mist feels cool against his face, but once out of the cloud, Jongin panics even more when he sees that he’s high enough off the ground to where the house looks like a speck of dirt.
“See? Not so bad. Just relax and enjoy the view and stop squirming. You’re making it very hard to hold on when you do that.”
Jongin immediately stills in fear of being dropped, but when he finally calms his nerves enough to enjoy the scenery he finds it beyond spectacular.
The one things that keeps Jongin from squirming is not the fear of being dropped, but the warmth and security of being pressed against Chanyeol. If someone told Jongin that he would be flying a thousand feet in the air, he would have said they were out of their mind, but being in the situation that he’s in, he likes it. Alot.
________________
Neither of them are entirely sure of how they ended up in the situation that they're in. But after flying, they spent the rest of the day making nothing into something. Pure unadulterated bliss and joy came out of thin air just by spending time together and both of them enjoyed it. In fact, they loved it.
Chanyeol likes listening to Jongin talk about anything and everything he wanted to. Jongin enjoyed the interesting history behind the phoenix and what it’s like to be one. Chanyeol describes in vivid detail all the things that he has experienced in the past lives he’s lived. From seeing through the others eyes to feeling their emotions as their own. Even the fact that every so often, they could hear each other’s thoughts and see the others past and future.
Chanyeol has yet to see Jongin’s past because there’s a block in his mind that won’t allow him in. Yet, Chanyeol wants Jongin to see into his past. He wants to see everything that he’s seen over the thousand years of his life. What it was like to live when he did. He’s 1,293 years old and he wants to share every second of that with Jongin.
All of his past mates just stumbled upon that by accident. Most of the time, Chanyeol wasn’t ready for it to happen and he felt bare. It was like all of his privacy has dissolved into nothing and left him feeling so vulnerable. But Chanyeol is more than ready for Jongin to see everything. Yes, the past mates had been attractive enough with decent personalities, but none of them really matched Chanyeol like Jongin does. The only mate that Chanyeol was ever truly comfortable with was his last, Jongdae.
Jongdae was a gentle and tender soul. He always smiled and warmed Chanyeol’s heart like Jongin. But Jongdae did things that made Chanyeol feel like he loved him out of obligation, not that he didn't love him at all, but Chanyeol could tell that it took effort for Jongdae to love him. Its understandable with Jongdae though. He was engaged to be married in the fall of that year, but when he imprinted on him, he lost her. That’s the one thing that Chanyeol hates about imprinting. Once he imprints on someone, they lose most of their freedom to love anyone else.
Luckily, he’s been fortunate enough that most loved him and accepted their fates, but there was the exception. Once about 400 years ago, Chanyeol’s mate was a young woman who couldn’t bear the thought of never being able to love her husband, so she jumped and then Chanyeol burned into ash.
That’s the only time that Chanyeol burned before he was suppose to and it hasn’t happened since.
________________
It was simply a quiet afternoon in the library and Chanyeol was reading while Jongin sipped on tea and read through everything about the phoenix that he could get his hands on.
Chanyeol had put the one book back that would destroy Jongin if he read it and he could never let him read it. None of the other books held that particular fact, nor did they hint at it.
________________
Chanyeol loves Jongin. More than anyone else that he’s meant in the past. Chanyeol had made love with past mates, but Jongin makes him want more than that. He wants to see Jongin beneath him.
________________
They’re walking down the hallway and the windows are open letting the sunset’s glow inside. Chanyeol’s looking at Jongin when he passes by the windows. The warm glow of the sun makes Jongin look even more attractive, if that’s even possible.
When they arrive in front of Jongin’s room, Chanyeol gazes at him and realizes how much he really likes him. The warm sun’s glow creates beautiful shadows on Jongin and Chanyeol wants to taste them.
Not wanting to push Jongin too far, he settles for a warm embrace. Chanyeol loves Jongin's scent. It's warm, masculine, and comforting. He gently runs his hand up Jongin's back, playing with the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
Jongin hums softly at the feeling of Chanyeol's fingers in his hair. He feels cherished by the gentle gestures and no ones treated Jongin like Chanyeol does
When Chanyeol pulls back from Jongin, he just stares at him with a gentle expression, watching as Jongin’s eyes darken with the dimming light and a slow, sleepy smile spreads across his lips.
Chanyeol’s glad that he’s been given the chance to spend this time with Jongin because soon, he won’t ever be able to. Chanyeol finally understands why Zitao did what he did. He loved her and was willing to sacrifice everything for her. Chanyeol wants to spend a life with Jongin, but if that means never being able to love him like he deserves to be, he doesn’t want this life. He’d rather burn one hundred times over than never be able to love Jongin.
That night Chanyeol loves Jongin like no other. Every touch and every kiss leaves Jongin wanting and breathless. So much intense fervour and passion flies between them that night. Jongin’s memory still burns brightly.
Soft whispers of ‘I love you’ were blown into his ear. Their interlocked fingers holding on as if the other might disappear if they let go or loosened their grip. Jongin knows that he has Chanyeol’s heart and he has no intentions of letting go. That night, Chanyeol rocked into Jongin with love on his lips and that was something that Jongin never regretted.
Even if the brightest star of his life now lies in a pile of ashes, he knows that one day he will meet Chanyeol again and they will love just the same.
Final author's note: So I hope this wasn’t too bad and I hope that you enjoyed it to some extent!
Title: From Fire to Ashes
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Kai, mentions of Chanyeol/Chen
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): just the language, character death and mentions of sexual themes
Length: 7.3k
Summary: The day that Chanyeol finally understand what Zitao meant is the day that he loves Jongin more than he’s ever loved anyone.
Author's note: So I kinda took your prompt and ran with it. I’m not quite sure about what you were going for, but all I can say is that I hope you like it and don’t hate me for it ^^;;;. / forgive me if it’s not exactly what you wanted/
~Winter of 1912
Chanyeol’s birth hadn’t been something that Joonmyun expected so quickly. Through a vivid display of color and flames, a small egg of bronze and cream emerged from the ashes. The egg was no bigger than a woman’s fist at the time. With the utmost care, it was quickly carried and placed in a chamber under heavy guard in order to wait for the day that it would hatch.
ᬩᬦᬩ
~Spring of 2112
Peering through the glass windows, Joonmyun stared at the egg, constantly praying and willing it to hatch. After two hundred years, the egg had not only grown tremendously in size, but had also changed in color. What was once bronze and cream was replaced by the colors of charcoal, gold, and a rustic rouge. The egg had grown to be nearly the size of a chair, still maintaining the original shape.
Joonmyun continues to stare at the egg watching for any signs of hatching, but no such luck ever came.
His health started depleting the evening of Chanyeol’s birth signifying that his rule would soon come to an end.
Whisking back around, Joonmyun placed his palm on the window of the chamber and examined the egg for anymore changes in the last 30 second since the last time he checked.
and yet..it yielded the same result… nothing…
Minseok appears next to him with his arms folded and eyes focused on the egg.
“It’s been two hundred years and nothing has happened. Maybe, it was the wrong egg.”
Joonmyun shook his head in disagreement, “No, it is the right one. I can feel it in my bones. As soon as he was born, my fire began to burn out. He is the one, Minseok.”
“Are you sure about this? The egg could be sitting in there rotted to the core.”
Joonmyun gave Minseok a hard look of displeasure before fixating his eyes back to the window.
‘I’ve never been more sure of anything,’ is what he wanted to say, but he would just wait for time to prove Minseok wrong.
But there were only two things that troubled Joonmyun at the moment: Would he live long enough to see Chanyeol hatch? And who would be the first person he saw?
◻◻◻
Later that evening, a thief ran through the halls away from the heavily armed guards carrying items more valuable than his own house all together. Rounding a corner, the thief pressed his back into the smooth stone praying that the guards would run the other way.
To his benefit, they did…
Wiping the sweat off his brow, he opened a bronze door and slipped inside, hoping to go completely unnoticed by anyone.
Upon entering, the thief automatically noticed the dramatic change in temperature.
“Fuck, it’s hot in here.” he cursed. Swallowing gulps of hot air, he stripped off his jacket and threw it off to the side.
Noticing the darkened window, Jongin went and pressed a hand to the glass. The heat emanating from the glass was completely unbearable.
“Fucking hell! That’s hot!” Jongin gripped his wrist and swung his hand back and forth trying to cool the hot, stinging pain.
The vibrations in his pocket drew his attention away from the heat.
“The fuck, Yixing! Why didn’t you tell me that this place was laced with guards and guns?! I could have gotten killed!”
“Oh calm down, Jongin. You’ve done jobs far more dangerous than this one. Besides, you’re the one who wanted to flex his thieving muscles at the meeting. So naturally, since you are the best, you were picked because you were the most qualified for it. Enough said.”
“I really hate you sometimes. Do you still have tabs on my location in the building? Because I ended up in some room in this mess of a house and now it feels like I’m being cooked inside a massive oven.”
“Give me a minute.” There’s clicking of a computer on the opposing end of the line, “Well, the computer says that you’re on the second floor of the,” Yixing pauses, “west wing?”
“Yixing! Why are you not sure of my location? You spent half a million dollars on this software and computer. You should be able to track me from halfway across the world.”
“Be nice to your hyung.” Yixing types away on his keyboard on the other end. “Besides,” he starts, “Parisia.” Jongin groans at the mention of the city.
“That was seven years ago and I was fourteen,” Jongin whines, “What did you want me to do?”
“Well, anything but running off with your tail between your legs would have been fantastic.” Yixing drawls.
“I didn’t run away and you know it. Now, give me a way out. It’s getting hot in here.” Jongin fans his face and tugs on his black tanktop.
“Well, if you go out the door and to the right, you should see a staircase about 200 feet ahead on the left side of the hallway, don’t take it because you’ll probably die down there, so go an extra 50 feet ahead and on the left, there should be another set so take those instead. Then about 100 feet to the right, you should see a pair of double doors. Use those as a way out into the gardens where a van will be waiting to pick you up. Got it?”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Jongin?”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Please try to be punctual. You have 10 minutes to get out and away safely.”
Rolling his eyes, Jongin clicked the phone off and shoved it into his pocket.
“You’re the one who got me lost, jerk,” Jongin mutters under his breath. He walks over to the other side of the room to retrieve his jacket. He’s nearly there when he trips on a loose stone and falls, swearing and landing on the floor with a dull ‘thud’.
“For a loaded family, they sure have a shitty floor.” Placing a hand on the ground to help steady himself back up, the stone sank into the ground and a flash of light appeared from behind Jongin, revealing the sight behind the hot glass.
On a gleaming marble pedestal sat the largest egg Jongin’s ever seen. Reaching into his pocket he quickly dialed up Yixing again.
“What is it, Jongin? Why haven't you moved? We don’t have time for you to hang around and admire the architecture.”
“I know that, but what would you say if I told you I just found the largest egg in the world?”
After a suspended moment of static, Yixing speaks, “You found a what?”
“A giant egg, Yixing. A giant egg.”
“I think you might be in an incubation chamber. And what you see is a phoenix egg. What color is it? That will tell me whether or not you would take it or leave it.”
“Uh,” Jongin pauses and observes the egg, “it looks like a mix and match of red, gold, bronze, and black? I think?”
There’s a few clicks of a computer and a moment of silence. Far too long for Jongin’s liking.
"Oh dear," Yixing says, "Jongin, get out of there."
"What about-" Jongin starts to say.
“Leave the egg,” Yixing interrupts, “you need to get out before it hatches. If it sees you, we’ll have more trouble than we already have. I can handle the guards. This thing, though,” Yixing pauses, “I won't be able to do anything.”
Before Jongin can even hang up the phone, a ground-shaking thud startles him and pulls his attention to the incubation room.
The large mass had rolled off from its original placement and onto its side. A noise resembling the scream of a boiling kettle came from the egg as massive cracks formed on the side of the egg. Steam poured out and smaller cracks started forming.
At this point Jongin should have booked it out of there, but there was something keeping him in the room. The doorknob was within his reach and his legs worked perfectly fine, but his mind was moving too fast to even consider any other forms of movement. Jongin couldn’t do anything but stand there and wait to see what emerged.
Several cracks form on the egg with steam pouring out of each and escaping into the surrounding air. Soon the whole egg in covered in cracks with steam flooding out of each.
In a moment, the steam ceases and it almost appears like nothing else could possibly happen.
But it does…
It always does…
There’s a bright flash of white light and the sound of thin glass shattering.
Shielding his eyes from the light, he stays like that until the noise ceases.
Looking through the steam towards the origin of the sound, Jongin sees a tall figure hunched over. To Jongin, it looks like the phoenix may be staring at his own hands, but when the figure turns and looks at Jongin, the glowing red eyes that meet his terrify him beyond comprehension. The figure fully turns and faces Jongin. The glowing red eyes seem even more terrifying through the steam.
As the figure walks towards him through the steam, large wings spread from the figure’s back, outspread and absolutely majestic.
The phoenix is shrouded in the steam and Jongin has no idea what it looks like, but the only things that are clear to him are the piercing red eyes that are boring holes into his soul and the exploding pain throughout his whole body before his vision is swallowed into darkness.
________________
Jongin dreams in black and white. His mind begins to swim with things he’s never seen before. People and things he’s never imagined of. Everything seems hazy, but only one thing is truly clear.
Red eyes
Those frightening red eyes pierce right through his soul and he can feel things that he’s never experienced before. Jongin can hear muffled voices in the distance.
The world he’s in begins to spin and everything morphs out of shape and position. The voices seem to be come clearer as his mind cleared up. His eyes fluttered as he tried to open them. His head bobbed back and forth like it had water sloshing around inside.
His vision was blurry and nothing is in focus. Everything looks like blobs of color and his head feels like it’s been kicked a hundred times. He tried to rub his face to clear some of the blurriness out, but he’s quickly snapped out of it when he realizes that his arms are bound in chains and he’s gagged.
Realizing the situation he’s in, Jongin begins to fight against the chains with any strength he can muster. He pulls at them until his wrists turn red from the strain and sweat drips down his forehead.
He suddenly stops at the turning of keys in the heavy wooden door in front of him. His mind told him that he should stop fighting this and just let nature take its course, but his body began to fight even harder. His body thrashed and pulled at the chains and only pebbles fell as a result of his feeble attempts to gain freedom.
The door swung open and the banging of the door against the wall resonated loud enough to wake the dead. People shrouded dark clothing floated into the room followed by several phoenix clad in white cloaks with golden accents.
“You can stop your fussing. No matter how hard you fight against those chains they will never break, although it’s quite amusing to watch you try and break free.”
Jongin looked up through the hanging strand of hair, “Fuck you.” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Watch your tone, Kim Jongin or we might have a problem and a lesson in manners will be taught.”
Jongin found the threat to be very weak and pathetic and it made him chuckle.
“You actually think you can scare me into being compliant? That’s rich coming from you Kim Minseok. I’ve seen people more terrifying than the likes of you.”
“Oh so you know my name, do you? Good saves me the hassle of introductions because if you know my name then you know the head of this family is-”
“Kim Joonmyun. Yes. I’m very familiar with the face and name, but, sadly, I don’t see him here. Why?”
“Well, I’m sure you remember the hatching like it was yesterday, but you’ve been unconscious for about a,” Minseok tilts his head to the side like he’s calculating something in his head, “week? Which is really unusual for humans, they’re usually unconscious for months. But Joonmyun is tending to his son.”
“That red eyed monstrosity I saw come out of the egg was his son?!” Jongin raised his eyebrows in question and shock.
Mere seconds later, a swift blow across his jaw is delivered by a leather boot, knocking him into the wall. The taste of copper in his mouth was bitter and foul, but nothing unfamiliar.
“FUCK that hurt, you asshole!” Jongin spat as he wiped blood on his shirt.
“Good it was meant t-” the assailant was hauled backwards towards the wall by two people.
“Keep Kris back!” Minseok commanded. “We don’t know the extent of the bond yet and if Joonmyun sees bruises form on his son, he will kill us all. Now,” Minseok crouched down in front of Jongin and cupped his bruised jaw between his fingers and moved Jongin’s head around examining his features.
“Mph, not bad features, but these eyes, Joonmyun would love these. I think he’ll make an excellent mate for the kid, however he’s human. Chanyeol will outlive him by two hundred years. What a pity that you’re not a pheonix. You could have had a good life.”
“Sure and what kind of life would that have been, huh? Like where I am now? Bound in chains and kicked in the face? Thanks, but no thanks I think I’ll-” All thoughts stopped from coming out of Jongin’s mouth as his head began to spin. In a blinding flash, a face momentarily presents itself and disappears and eventually lolled forward.
Jongin could hear the curses and words of hate spewing from their mouths, but when he opened his eyes to see everything again, he was no longer where he expected himself to be. Looking around he saw nothing but blue. Looking down he saw the world and induced panic.
‘FUCK FUCK FUCK! What the hell am I doing two thousand feet above the world??!!!!’ he thought
“Who's there? I can hear you? Why can I hear you?” a deep voice seemed to appear out of nowhere.
‘WHOA WHOA WHOA… What the fu-..what is this?!
“Obviously, I would like to know to. Now who are you and why can I hear and talk to you?”
‘Fuck if I know. But maybe you can tell me why I’m flying and not on the ground??’
‘Well, that I can answer. You’re not flying, but I am. Wait are you the boy from the chamber??? Ah, yes finally.’ a deep laughter rumbled clear as day, ‘I’ll explain this when I land. I’ll see you soon, Kim Jongin.”
Upon the last word, Jongin’s eyes fly open as he gasps for air. His body feels like it hasn’t felt a breath of oxygen for hours. Frantically searching the room, only Minseok stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
Jongin. That voice knows his name.
“Well, at least you’re not dead, but the connection is much stronger than I anticipated. Shit…” Minseok stormed out and slammed the door shut. Through the door, Jongin could hear Minseok giving the guards orders not to let “him” out of the cell and to report should any “unusual happenings” occur.
‘Unusual happenings? Like me passing out again and hearing voices like a psycho? Yeah, sure how are you going to report that if you don’t know it’s happening?’
Scoffing at the dumb thought in his head, he just ran a hand through his sweat dripping hair before he felt it. It was like a churn of emotions. It stung, burned, and crashed throughout his body.
He felt angry? no that’s not it… more like agitation and frustration. But it’s not his own. He could feel it, but it’s distant and fast approaching. Then he could hear the sound of running feet and the closer the noise got, the stronger the feeling. He should be more scared or confused as to why they haven’t killed him yet, but why frustration and agitation? This isn’t his own. This isn’t his own body experiencing these emotions, but whose are they? He shouldn’t be feeling this at all.
“Chanyeol! Chanyeol! You can’t go in there! He’s dangerous! You could get killed!” Jongin didn’t recognize the voice speaking.
“I can go in and I will, just back off, Kyungsoo! Jeez. Step aside, Kris. Now.”
The turning of keys drew Jongin’s attention to the door and, more importantly, the person who would be on the other side waiting for him.
________________
1 hour earlier
After waking up, Chanyeol felt...different. His own thoughts didn’t feel like his own. Looking out through the windows of his bedroom, the sunlight flooded in and the dust floated in the room, sparkling like fairy dust in the light. And for some reason, it seemed so...magical to him. Sparkling and beautiful.
A slow, sleepy smile spread across his face at how beautiful it appeared to be.
A knock on the wooden doors averts Chanyeol’s attention away from the floating fairy dust to the person who would interrupt such a perfect fantasy.
Joonmyun had knocked in hopes of Chanyeol wanting to fly.
With much hesitation, he, indeed, wanted to fly, but sadly, he wasn’t really sure of how to? And quite frankly, he’s embarrassed about it, but he still agrees to go. Grabbing his cloak out of the closet, he follows Joonmyun outside to the main gardens.
________________
‘Just spread your wings and let go of everything’ Joonmyun had said.
‘How hard can this be?’, Chanyeol thought.
Less than two hours later, Chanyeol finds himself flying above and through the clouds. Shakey and still unsure of how to approach some things. Overcoming certain difficulties, Chanyeol likes flying and to him it’s the most natural thing in the world. Like he was born to fly and see the world from a new perspective that humans can only dream of.
Flying is truly an experience that everyone should feel. The wind glossing over his skin and breezing through his hair. It almost feels like being enveloped in silk, having it flow over like water, just softly passing over. It’s an otherworldly sensation, completely unlike anything else.
What was considered supernatural and unrealistic was the string of curses that started simply as a mere whisper, almost non-existent, like a passing and fleeting moment of time where it just seemed to stand still, but in that moment he saw a face. It was fleeting, yes, but the image was strong and crystal clear.
Strong jaw, bronze skin, deep brown eyes
Chanyeol wonders how those things manage to work so well together to form such an attractive face. But Chanyeol likes it. He likes it very much and it seems familiar.
Chanyeol is extremely confused by the conversation that’s going on inside his head.
He tries to think while dodging birds and nodding, pretending to be listening to Joonmyun’s lecture on proper flying technique.
Chanyeol begins to think back on the day he hatched and the memory begins to flood in. He remembers the boy from his chamber. He remembers the burning sensation upon seeing him for the first time. But he also remembers his face, how terrified he looked when the boy saw him for the first time and he never wanted to be looked at like that again. It made Chanyeol feel like a hideous being. A monster and he didn’t want to be that. Ever.
Recalling bits and pieces from the first lecture, Chanyeol recalls that telepathic communication is, according to Joonmyun, completely natural and so is empathy which is why he felt terror and uncertainty for no reason at all.
Chanyeol let out a deep chuckle and Joonmyun simply looked on while lecturing. He knows the boy’s name and his face. But Chanyeol wants to meet him in person.
When Chanyeol finally lands, he rushes back inside his home, heading directly to the basement. He replays the name inside his head like a mantra.
Kim Jongin
Chanyeol rushes past Kyungsoo, who is too busy to notice his passing because he’s flirting with the housemaid, Lulu, about how dirty of a girl she is.
The conversation nearly makes Chanyeol gag.
Halfway down the stairs, Chanyeol can hear Kyungsoo hot on his trail, calling his name. Knowing what Kyungsoo was going to do if he caught up, Chanyeol picked up his speed.
Making it to the landing, he can feel Jongin’s presence growing stronger by the minute.
Chanyeol makes his way to the end of the hallway where the only door is shut and guarded by the strongest man he knows. Determined and driven, even Kris couldn’t stop Chanyeol from seeing the person he was bound to be with for the rest of his life, regardless of the consequences.
Driving his way past Kris and Kyungsoo, Chanyeol throws open the door, gazing upon the person that he’s fated to spend the rest of his life with.
The more that Chanyeol stares, the more enthralled he is with the beauty of the boy kneeling on the stone floor, chained to the wall. When Jongin looks up into his eyes, Chanyeol could feel that this was right and he prays that Jongin might feel the same.
________________
Their first meeting was less than what they both expected. Jongin was slightly confused as to how this was the same person who came out of the egg. The large out spread wings with flames licking the tips and red eyes flashed before him and made his breathe shutter ever so slightly.
Chanyeol could sense that Jongin was still very hesitant about their meeting. The fact that he saw him right after hatching when he still had his eyes and wings probably terrified him to where the mere thought of being around him made him squirm inside.
Honestly, that hurt Chanyeol more than any of his past lives mates. Chanyeol lived through thousands of lives with a mate during each one, but none of them held a flame to Jongin. He’s been with guys and girls before, but never anyone like him.
All of his previous lives had been planned out for him. Right from the first person he sees and imprints on to the very first meal that he eats. This is the first life that Chanyeol actually feels like he has control over. Of course, imprinting on a human was a small mishap, but still, Chanyeol finds it so very exciting.
“Kim Jongin? It’s finally nice to meet you. My name is Park Chanyeol and you are fated to be mine.”
________________
Of course, Chanyeol shouldn’t have said things like that so bluntly for this very reason. As soon as the words sunk in, Jongin became even more confused than before.
“Yours? You think that I’m suppose to be yours? Like a husband or mate sort of thing?”
“Essentially, yes. Before you ask anything else, shall I try and elaborate a little more for you in the study? I’m sure it would be more comfortable than sitting on the ground bound in chains.”
“You want me to come with you to the study so you can try and explain to me what you meant by that last statement?”
Jongin wants to say no and just let him sit here, but he, very reluctantly, nods ‘yes’.
Moments later, Kris unchains Jongin and large, strong hands hoist him up to his feet.
With much hesitation, Jongin follows Chanyeol after seeing his oddly charming and goofy smile and big ears that somehow make him appear friendlier than Jongin thinks.
When they arrive at the study, Jongin is surprised at the vastness of the study. The study walls are decorated with stories upon stories of shelves that display all sorts of articles, scrolls, and books. He’s even more impressed with the decor of the room. It’s modern and vintage mixed together to create a classy yet comfortable look.
Chanyeol chuckles at Jongin’s expression. It reminds him of a little kid seeing the ocean for the first time. So full of wonder and surprise, something that Chanyeol hadn’t seen in hundreds of years. Spreading his hidden wings, Chanyeol takes off to the top shelves of books in search of the one book he needs. That one book could make all the difference in whether or not Jongin will see things the way Chanyeol wishes for him to.
The gleaming gold binding flashes just in the corner of Chanyeol’s eye and it is the material that he needs.
Plucking the book from the shelves, Chanyeol quickly descends. Maybe a little too quickly because before he can prepare to feel the ground, his legs give and he stumbles a bit before gripping the table to steady himself.
Chanyeol peers over his shoulder and sees Jongin trying to suppress a hysterical fit of laughter. This just makes him flush an even deeper shade of red. Folding his wings back under his clothes, Chanyeol makes his way to Jongin who is sitting in a lounge chair admiring the painting above the fireplace.
Chanyeol understands why Jongin might be fascinated with the painting. The painting is intricate with new details that are discovered every time Chanyeol looks upon the painting. And depending on the way someone thinks, it tells hundreds of new stories and there’s no painting in the world like it.
Chanyeol’s just as lost in the painting as Jongin, until he drops the book and the noise reverberates throughout the whole library, pulling them both out of the painting.
“So are we going to talk or sit in silence and gawk at a massive painting?”
“Just waiting on you. So, here it is. Everything important about a phoenix is in this book, from birth to death.”
Chanyeol tosses the book on the table and begins to flip through the pages scanning for a particular section, “Right here. Read this and you should have a small glimpse into the life of a phoenix.”
Jongin takes the book and begins to read the page:
Pheonix of nobility differentiate from phoenix of commonality. Nobles only hatch when they sense their desires are close. More commonly said as their potential mate is close and approaching. Upon the birth of a new phoenix of this descent, the first individual that the new hatchling sees becomes the mate and imprint of the phoenix. As time passes, bonds will continue to grow in strength which will come with unusual gifts as a result.
Jongin continues to stare at the page, taking it all in. What the hell was he doing here? He just wanted a quick get rich scheme, not become the mate of a fucking phoenix. Jongin’s eyes roam the page and he almost misses the little asterisk at the bottom.
“Chanyeol what does this-” Jongin is beyond startled when the large doors are thrown open in a hasty fashion creating a resounding ‘bang’ throughout the room.
Standing in the doorway is someone that Jongin doesn’t know at all, but Chanyeol is very familiar with.
Minseok stood in the doorway completely out of breath, like he had just finished running a marathon.
“Chanyeol,” Minseok continued to suck in air, “It’s Joonmyun, he’s- GOD just come on and hurry! We have no time to waste! Bring him with you. He needs to see this.”
In that moment, Jongin sees a very noticeable change in Chanyeol’s expression. One of horror and shock.
“Wait, wha-” Jongin doesn’t finish the sentence before he feels his feet leaving the ground with arms wrapped around him, holding him up as he’s whisked away down hallways and corridors. Finally arriving in front of a pair of large white double doors, Chanyeol
The doors opened from the inside. The first thing that Jongin sees is Joonmyun, head of the household and one of the oldest, most powerful phoenix in the world. But that’s not what shocks him. It’s the state he’s in.
Chanyeol rushes past Jongin to Joonmyun’s side. He takes his hand and feels the rising temperature inside him. Chanyeol looks upon him with wide eyes. Sweat caked his blonde hair to his forehead and eyes are hooded and breathing heavy.
Chanyeol knows. But he doesn’t want to know. He’s not ready to let go.
“It’s not possible. Joonmyu- how is it time already? There are still things you haven’t told me about the new era, how to-”
“Chanyeol, there is nothing more that I can teach you. I’ve taught you everything and told you everything over the lifetimes that you’ve lived. Just remember the most important thing I’ve taught you about being a phoenix. I’ve already instructed Minseok to take care of anything you might need. So you will be okay. I promise.” By now, Chanyeol is in tears
Before Chanyeol can even utter a sound, Joonmyun’s skin begins to glow a fiery orange. He begins to rise out of bed, wings outspread as the fire begins to change colors. Vivid colors of red, yellow, and blue; all simply creating a beautiful display of color and fire.
Chanyeol looks up at Joonmyun and sees him smiling down at him with a single tear running down his cheek.
Jongin has never seen anything like this before. The heat is nearly unbearable, but he endures it for the stunning beauty.
With one last heavy glance down, Joonmyun’s fire burns hotter and his head tilts back. The sight is majestic and if Chanyeol and Jongin didn’t know what was happening, they would have deemed it one of the many wonders of the world. Joonmyun’s outspread wings wrap around him and fire rings begin to surround his body before there is a flash of bright light.
‘He’s gone.’ Chanyeol thinks. Jongin can hear the two words, but he says nothing.
Lying on the floor in a pile of ashes was Joonmyun along with a part of Chanyeol’s heart.
________________
About a month after Joonmyun’s burning, no egg had emerged yet and it appears that there’s no sign of one ever emerging yet.
Chanyeol grieved heavily after Joonmyun’s death. For days, he didn’t come out of his room or eat. All he wanted was to talk to Jongin about anything and everything.
Jongin was given all of his stuff back and he could have ran away from this place, but he couldn’t for two reasons. The guards were even tighter on security and it just didn’t feel right about leaving Chanyeol like this. Jongin hated seeing Chanyeol in this kind of state. When he would look at him his eyes were just red and swollen from crying.
Over the past few weeks , Jongin had felt the bond grow even stronger. He could feel everything that Chanyeol felt. All of his grievance. Pain and suffering. Loss and sadness. Jongin wanted to comfort Chanyeol, but he wasn’t quite sure how to. He could see through the others eyes. Literally. He would close them and then be looking at himself through the others eyes.
Chanyeol could hear Jongin’s thoughts. He knew how sorry he was for the loss of Joonmyun. How much he cared about Chanyeol not to leave him in his deepest need. Chanyeol was happy that Jongin cared, but he still couldn’t let go of Joonmyun long enough to tell him that. Chanyeol would be slowly letting the string go and then a memory comes back and it just makes his grip even tighter.
But eventually he had to let go if he wanted to be happy
So he did
________________
As time continues to pass, Chanyeol and Jongin discover new sides to each other. Both are surprised by what they discover about each person. Firstly, Jongin is a hard and very sarcastic person, but he’s squishy on the inside.
But, regardless of the fact that Jongin is a thief, Chanyeol still trusts him enough.
And Jongin isn’t sure when this happened, but he felt different about Chanyeol. Much different than the first time he saw him. Jongin doesn’t necessarily like men, but he likes Chanyeol.
Jongin never thought that he would fall for someone other than another boring human girl what just likes him for his looks. None of the girls he’s met actually wanted to take the time to get to know him. But Chanyeol did. Chanyeol actually knows enough about him to know what he likes and what is repulsive to him. He uses that knowledge to make Jongin happy regardless of the fact that he has a compulsive need for pizza and beer all the time.
Jongin manages a phone call to Yixing who screams at him when he picks up the phone and hears his voice for the first time in a month. Jongin explains to Yixing the situation he’s in which results in Yixing wanting to assemble a team and bust into the house to rescue him, but before Jongin can tell him “no” Yixing is already gone.
Jongin blows it off as Yixing being overly protective and shoves his phone back into his pocket.
________________
Chanyeol wakes up one morning with the memory of Joonmyun’s burning fresh on his mind. He thinks about what he said to him about the most important thing about being a phoenix. Chanyeol doesn’t want to believe that it’s true. But he’s always wondered why Joonmyun was alone without his mate beside him. Had she died without him? Or was she the reason he was born?
Chanyeol remembers what Joonmyun meant. Rushing to the library, he found the book right where he left it weeks ago. Chanyeol remembers that Jongin was trying to ask him something about a section in the book when Minseok interrupted them. Chanyeol looks upon the page and sees what might have triggered Jongin’s interest. The last line of the page made Chanyeol’s heart sink.
Tears slip past his eyes as he reads the sentence because it’s already starting to happen.
“Chanyeol, you must understand. We are phoenix and phoenix are meant to imprint on other phoenix. There’s a reason why you haven’t seen Zitao in over 600 years. He died because she was human and he loved her, but that was the problem.”
________________
Days pass and Chanyeol manages to shove all the awful things in the back of his mind and he feels happier than ever. Jongin brought laughter and happiness into his world with his unusual sense of humor and desire to refurnish the entertainment room with more modern technology.
Chanyeol simply laughed and admired the way that Jongin began to explain how much the world had changed in the 200 years since his last birth. The developments in technology shocked him because the last time he was alive, Back then, they were trying to find a suitable source of providing light to homes and now they want to harness the power of the atomic bomb in the form of a canister no bigger than a soup can.
Chanyeol had seen all of these develop in small flashes of the present happening while he was still in the egg. He saw the advances through another set of eyes. While the world was changing and he was growing inside the egg, he watched from a worldly perspective. He just didn't understand what it was or did, but because of Jongin, he understands the modern advances.
________________
Later that night, Chanyeol dreams of Jongin. He sees him undressing in the bathroom, all muscle and bronze skin. Even more riveting is the sight of water droplets rolling down the curvature of his back as he runs his hands through his hair. Head tilted back and lips parted. The sight was enough to make Chanyeol wonder what it would be like to be there with him. To feel it against his own skin.
The steam of the shower begins to build up even more, but Chanyeol can’t seem to lose the erotic image. And frankly, he doesn’t want to.
________________
The next morning, Jongin wakes up to the sound of flapping wings outside of his window.
Peering outside, he sees Chanyeol leisurely soaring through the sky with a gentle smile on his face. The sight of it makes Jongin wonder what it would be like to fly. To feel the freedom of no limits while the breeze flows over his skin.
Lost in his own thoughts, Jongin doesn’t notice that Chanyeol’s smiling face is right in front of his, separated by a glass window. Pushing the window open, he let’s Chanyeol in who gracefully glides in and lands sitting in the plush chair in the corner of the room.
“Must you show off, Chanyeol?”
“Why, I’m offended that you think I’m showing off. I’m merely sitting because my wings hurt from my morning flight.”
“Oh please.” Jongin pouts.
“Why Kim Jongin, is that jealousy I detect in your voice?” Chanyeol teases.
“No, why would I be jealo-” Jongin is cut off when Chanyeol picks him up and soars out the window and straight up into the sky.
“Holy shi-Chanyeol! What are you doing?!” Alarm and panic begin to spread throughout Jongin’s mind.
Jongin looks down and sees nothing but white and realizes that he’s flying through a cloud. The fine mist feels cool against his face, but once out of the cloud, Jongin panics even more when he sees that he’s high enough off the ground to where the house looks like a speck of dirt.
“See? Not so bad. Just relax and enjoy the view and stop squirming. You’re making it very hard to hold on when you do that.”
Jongin immediately stills in fear of being dropped, but when he finally calms his nerves enough to enjoy the scenery he finds it beyond spectacular.
The one things that keeps Jongin from squirming is not the fear of being dropped, but the warmth and security of being pressed against Chanyeol. If someone told Jongin that he would be flying a thousand feet in the air, he would have said they were out of their mind, but being in the situation that he’s in, he likes it. Alot.
________________
Neither of them are entirely sure of how they ended up in the situation that they're in. But after flying, they spent the rest of the day making nothing into something. Pure unadulterated bliss and joy came out of thin air just by spending time together and both of them enjoyed it. In fact, they loved it.
Chanyeol likes listening to Jongin talk about anything and everything he wanted to. Jongin enjoyed the interesting history behind the phoenix and what it’s like to be one. Chanyeol describes in vivid detail all the things that he has experienced in the past lives he’s lived. From seeing through the others eyes to feeling their emotions as their own. Even the fact that every so often, they could hear each other’s thoughts and see the others past and future.
Chanyeol has yet to see Jongin’s past because there’s a block in his mind that won’t allow him in. Yet, Chanyeol wants Jongin to see into his past. He wants to see everything that he’s seen over the thousand years of his life. What it was like to live when he did. He’s 1,293 years old and he wants to share every second of that with Jongin.
All of his past mates just stumbled upon that by accident. Most of the time, Chanyeol wasn’t ready for it to happen and he felt bare. It was like all of his privacy has dissolved into nothing and left him feeling so vulnerable. But Chanyeol is more than ready for Jongin to see everything. Yes, the past mates had been attractive enough with decent personalities, but none of them really matched Chanyeol like Jongin does. The only mate that Chanyeol was ever truly comfortable with was his last, Jongdae.
Jongdae was a gentle and tender soul. He always smiled and warmed Chanyeol’s heart like Jongin. But Jongdae did things that made Chanyeol feel like he loved him out of obligation, not that he didn't love him at all, but Chanyeol could tell that it took effort for Jongdae to love him. Its understandable with Jongdae though. He was engaged to be married in the fall of that year, but when he imprinted on him, he lost her. That’s the one thing that Chanyeol hates about imprinting. Once he imprints on someone, they lose most of their freedom to love anyone else.
Luckily, he’s been fortunate enough that most loved him and accepted their fates, but there was the exception. Once about 400 years ago, Chanyeol’s mate was a young woman who couldn’t bear the thought of never being able to love her husband, so she jumped and then Chanyeol burned into ash.
That’s the only time that Chanyeol burned before he was suppose to and it hasn’t happened since.
________________
It was simply a quiet afternoon in the library and Chanyeol was reading while Jongin sipped on tea and read through everything about the phoenix that he could get his hands on.
Chanyeol had put the one book back that would destroy Jongin if he read it and he could never let him read it. None of the other books held that particular fact, nor did they hint at it.
________________
Chanyeol loves Jongin. More than anyone else that he’s meant in the past. Chanyeol had made love with past mates, but Jongin makes him want more than that. He wants to see Jongin beneath him.
________________
They’re walking down the hallway and the windows are open letting the sunset’s glow inside. Chanyeol’s looking at Jongin when he passes by the windows. The warm glow of the sun makes Jongin look even more attractive, if that’s even possible.
When they arrive in front of Jongin’s room, Chanyeol gazes at him and realizes how much he really likes him. The warm sun’s glow creates beautiful shadows on Jongin and Chanyeol wants to taste them.
Not wanting to push Jongin too far, he settles for a warm embrace. Chanyeol loves Jongin's scent. It's warm, masculine, and comforting. He gently runs his hand up Jongin's back, playing with the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
Jongin hums softly at the feeling of Chanyeol's fingers in his hair. He feels cherished by the gentle gestures and no ones treated Jongin like Chanyeol does
When Chanyeol pulls back from Jongin, he just stares at him with a gentle expression, watching as Jongin’s eyes darken with the dimming light and a slow, sleepy smile spreads across his lips.
Chanyeol’s glad that he’s been given the chance to spend this time with Jongin because soon, he won’t ever be able to. Chanyeol finally understands why Zitao did what he did. He loved her and was willing to sacrifice everything for her. Chanyeol wants to spend a life with Jongin, but if that means never being able to love him like he deserves to be, he doesn’t want this life. He’d rather burn one hundred times over than never be able to love Jongin.
That night Chanyeol loves Jongin like no other. Every touch and every kiss leaves Jongin wanting and breathless. So much intense fervour and passion flies between them that night. Jongin’s memory still burns brightly.
Soft whispers of ‘I love you’ were blown into his ear. Their interlocked fingers holding on as if the other might disappear if they let go or loosened their grip. Jongin knows that he has Chanyeol’s heart and he has no intentions of letting go. That night, Chanyeol rocked into Jongin with love on his lips and that was something that Jongin never regretted.
Even if the brightest star of his life now lies in a pile of ashes, he knows that one day he will meet Chanyeol again and they will love just the same.
Final author's note: So I hope this wasn’t too bad and I hope that you enjoyed it to some extent!