Byunghyun didn’t even realize he’d lost consciousness again until he recognized that he was moving with the aid of someone else.  His body bounced along the hard plane of a figure’s back while hands gripped his thighs tightly, fingertips digging into his hamstrings.  His own arms rested with his elbows locked over his carrier’s shoulders while his head nodded in time with the steps.  All the bouncing was putting a lot of painful pressure against his chest though and his throat ached.

                “Ugh…” he groaned, fingers twitching with a tingling sensation.  Feeling hadn’t been lost but having his arms hanging over shoulders wasn’t conducive to equal sensation.

                His rescuer panted and then finally slowed when he heard Byunghyun coming around.  “You awake, Byungie?” That had to be Minsoo’s deep voice rumbling in his ear.

                “Not really,” Byunghyun grumbled, trying to make sense of what was going on through the general fugue in his body.  His throat continued to burn as he came around and the rest of him was still bloody tired, but he knew that Minsoo was carrying him.  So where did that put the others?

                “Too bad,” Minsoo chuckled roughly, slowing down enough to come to a stop as he leaned forward, letting go of Byunghyun’s thighs so he could rest his palms against his knees, gasping for breath.

                “Soo?” Chanhee called raggedly as the eldest pulled up, drawing near and laughing once when he realized Byunghyun was conscious again.  “You are one tough little ,” he cackled in relieved delight with a hand placed against Byunghyun’s back, the contact firm but happy.

                “Shut up,” Byunghyun groaned, weakly trying to ease himself off Minsoo’s back so that he could stand on the ground with wobbly legs and no coordination.

                “Byunghyun!”  That was a welcome cry.  And Byunghyun was not expecting the breath stealing hug that surprised him.

                Suppressing a groan, Byunghyun wrapped his arms around the young figure and blinked once.  “Changhyun?” he confirmed, raising his arm when the younger male pulled his head back enough to look at Byunghyun, a huge, relieved grin on his face.  It did nothing to distract him from the bruised fingerprints on his companion’s throat though.  “Are you okay?” he asked immediately as a flood of worry and protectiveness washed over him.

                “Yes,” the youngest gasped, ducking his head in obvious embarrassment to hide the marks.

                “We should be asking you the same thing,” Minsoo murmured, stepping close to place one hand against Byunghyun’s shoulder and the other against his throat as well.

                Instinctively, Byunghyun reached to test his own neck, gently feeling along the skin for wounds he only suspected.  The flesh beneath his fingertips was tender and soft, making him grimace upon his exploration.  Though he remembered quite well how he’d got them.  Swallowing roughly, he tightened his other arm around Changhyun and looked to Minsoo for answers.  “What happened?  Where were you guys?” he demanded, an edge of anger in his voice.

                Minsoo shook his head almost apologetically.  “We stayed too long in one place.  People came looking as they sometimes do,” he admitted softly, obviously disappointed in himself.

                For the briefest moment, it seemed as if Daniel and Jonghyun were jockeying to see who would get to speak first, hands and expression determined, but then the latter fell back just a step and Daniel stepped forward.  “We were doing just fine!”

                “We even found food in one of the houses,” Jonghyun interrupted anyway, stealing the spotlight for a brief second while Minsoo glanced between the two, his brow furrowed.

                “And then those s showed up,” Daniel scowled, hands bunching into fists as he glowered.

                “There were more weren’t there?” Byunghyun asked preemptively as he sought out Minsoo instead, though his one arm remained wrapped around Changhyun’s shoulders for comfort as much as anything else.

                “There were,” the eldest nodded.  “We had to take refuge and were only lucky they didn’t find us when they went by,” he admitted with a scowl.

                “There are a lot of places to hide in the wreckage,” Jonghyun explained heavily.

                “But they split up,” Chanhee murmured, fingertips brushing against his throat tentatively.  For the first time, Byunghyun paused enough to look closer and saw a dark bruise against Chanhee’s neck.  A hand hadn’t caused that but it was possible his own weapon had based on the marking.

                “We couldn’t double back until they’d moved on at least a little bit,” Minsoo admitted with a pained expression as he glanced over the three he’d left behind.  Another glance confirmed that none of them had emerged unscathed.  While Chanhee had the thick bruise on his throat, Changhyun had fingerprints as well and it was likely that Byunghyun did too, if that that tackled him was any indication.

                “We didn’t do too bad by ourselves,” Chanhee forced a smile, purposefully dropping his hand so he wouldn’t draw attention to his neck.

                “What did you do, Changhyun?” Byunghyun asked, recalling that something the younger boy had done kept his attacker from strangling him to death.

                Minsoo coughed into his hand and drew attention back to himself.  “He found your weapon.”

                “My bat?” Byunghyun blinked, clearly confused.

                “Yep.  It was stuck in that dude’s head like hardcore,” Daniel flailed with excitement and a hefty amount of respect, though he fell silent when he realized how much it apparently bothered Changhyun who lurched against Byunghyun’s frame.

                “I didn’t want to!” he gasped, the sound muffled by Byunghyun’s torso as the equally short male awkwardly held him close.

                “It’s okay,” Byunghyun soothed, holding his head with one hand while he rubbed the younger male’s back with the other, still slightly disoriented upon waking up to all of this.

                “You guys did very good,” Minsoo admitted tensely, stepping close to clap a hand on Byunghyun’s shoulder firmly.  It was obvious he was worried about them and the fact he wasn’t able to be there frightened him considerably.

                “You pretty much passed out when they got back,” Chanhee explained with a hand resting lightly on Byunghyun’s arm.

                “Yeah.  But it was a good time to move,” Jonghyun nodded as he shifted the pack on his back, allowing them all to hear the slosh of liquid in the container tied in place under the sack.

                Byunghyun looked to Minsoo for further explanation, as usual, and wasn’t disappointed.  “We packed up what we could and got out of there as soon as it was safe.  They’ll likely find the bodies in the basement eventually but we’ll be long gone by the time they do.”

                “They were going to kill us,” Changhyun whimpered, holding tighter to Byunghyun so the elder male groaned plaintively.  He normally wouldn’t mind the younger male holding onto him but he hurt…  There was no getting around the fact he was still injured.  “Sorry!” Changhyun gasped, finally realizing what he was doing.

                “S’okay,” Byunghyun coughed, holding his ribs with one hand and waving his hand with the other.  He pulled at his shirt experimentally and glanced at Chanhee first.

                “I figured you could use the newest modified stuff,” Chanhee shrugged, stepping close to tap the shirt that was inlaid with protective layers of bracing built into the interior.

                Byunghyun laughed once and glanced down at the clothing speculatively.  “Thanks,” he smiled, looking up just enough to meet the slightly elder male’s eyes.

                “You’re welcome,” Chanhee smiled, rubbing his fingers across the bottom part of his throat again.

                His reaction gave Byunghyun a flash of guilt that he hadn’t been able to do more but he at least had stopped the one guy from doing anything else.  It was likely the second one he’d strangled that had hurt Chanhee.  And Changhyun for that matter.  Any of the reluctant thoughts he had about the faded abruptly when he saw the finger marks on Changhyun’s throat as he finally stood up again.  They were stark and easy to see against his pale skin which only served to piss him off more.

                He tensed up unintentionally when Minsoo stepped close to grab his arm in a firm hold.  “You guys really did do well back there,” he murmured so Byunghyun alone could hear him.  “I’m glad you were there for them,” he admitted with another firm squeeze on his arm.  By the comment, Byunghyun could only presume they’d told Minsoo about what had happened.  He was only embarrassed by the fact he’d passed out when the others arrived.  But that was what led them to where they were now and it was better than being in the house where the rest of the group might have found them as well.

                “So what’s next?” he asked, brushing at himself reflexively and feeling utterly without any sort of weapon at his side.

                Daniel seemed to notice it first.  Not surprising since he was carrying Byunghyun’s weapon at his waist anyway, the head of the bat covered in layers of cloth so it wouldn’t stab him while he ran.  “Thought you might want this back,” he explained, handing it off to the shorter male with a shrug.

                “Yeah,” Byunghyun laughed once, testing the swing of it in his hands lightly.

                “You good to run on your own now?” Minsoo asked, still lingering close by.

                “Not a problem,” Byunghyun shot back quickly, though he wasn’t sure in the least.  He was damn well going to give it his best effort though.

                “Alright then.  We’ve gotta put as much distance between us and the house as we can,” Minsoo urged, holding his hand for his pack which he’d given to Jonghyun to carry while they were running.

                The younger male gave it back without argument and grinned.  “Bout time you carried your weight.”

                “I offered him to you,” Minsoo smirked as he settled the bag over his shoulder.

                “He’s so tiny he doesn’t count,” Jonghyun snorted with a glance at Byunghyun who frowned at the descriptor.

                “If that was the case I would have taken him,” Daniel scoffed out loud, earning himself another sort of glare from Byunghyun.

                “I am right here you know,” the shorter male grumbled, brushing off his chest reflexively.

                “Oh?” Chanhee joined in the teasing with a careful grin.  “I didn’t really see you there,” he added, winking at Byunghyun.

                “Why you…” Byunghyun grumbled, stepping forward to raise his fist towards Chanhee who shrieked and bounced away, hiding behind Minsoo.

                “Alright, alright,” the eldest chuckled, waving his hands in a soothing gesture.  Even if the humor was a bit strained and rude, it was better than the depression that had threatened a moment before.  “We don’t know if we’re being followed so let’s keep it up.  Maintain a sharp watch and call out if you see anything.  We’ll stop if we find a place to rest or the light fails.  Either or,” he instructed firmly with a gesture in the direction they’d been heading.

                All members grumbled quietly and resettled what gear they’d been hauling.  Minsoo took his share and Byunghyun was left feeling shorted when he didn’t get anything to carry other than his weapon.  He would have been more irritated by it except for the fact that he tired much quicker than the others when they started moving.  Really, he knew he should have expected as much but it still .  And he absolutely refused to call a break even when it was hard to breathe and he started lagging behind.

                Changhyun fell back just a little bit and grabbed Byunghyun’s hand to help pull him along while Daniel brought up the rear and murmured encouragement.  Granted, half the time it was teasing and irritating but it worked enough to keep Byunghyun moving while the rest of the group was.

                Much to Minsoo’s dismay, the light failed before they found anything worth staying in and he wasn’t happy about it but neither did he care to risk the group in blind territory.  Reluctantly, he called a halt and set his pack down, walking around the group with a careful eye as he took stock of the situation.  Byunghyun didn’t even have breath to argue.  He simply plopped down on the ground and laid out like a starfish in the first available patch of ground.  His chest burned, inside and out, and he was exhausted.

                “You okay?” Changhyun asked while settled on the ground beside him, not even bothering to remove his pack since it was one of the lighter ones.

                “Sure,” Byunghyun tried to sound reassuring but the word came out as more of a breathless gasp.  “Just give me a sec,” he panted in a quick stream, waving at the younger male with his hand.  He heard Minsoo taking stock of everyone else quickly.

                “Jonghyun.  How’re your ribs?” he murmured, drawing close to his younger brother.  Byunghyun knew he got a positive response of some kind before Minsoo moved on to the next target.  “Chanhee.  Your ankle holding up?”

                “Yep.  Just sore.  But that’s to be expected,” he responded, settling in place to massage the abused appendage with his hands.

                “Daniel?” the eldest asked, wandering close to the tall young man.

                “I’m good.  A bit winded but I think I’ll survive,” he chuckled, dropping his pack to the ground noisily and slumping in relief.  “Why is that thing so heavy?”

                “At least you weren’t carrying the water,” Jonghyun grumbled as he kicked the container with his foot, hearing the sound of the liquid inside sloshing.

                “You volunteered!” Daniel shot back with his finger pointed at the younger male.

                “And you could have helped,” Jonghyun fired back, drawing close.

                “Hey!” Chanhee snapped from his vantage on the ground, making everybody flinch.  “Shh,” he reminded them in irritation with a finger over his lips.

                “Oops,” Daniel winced, quieting down with chagrin while Jonghyun did the same.

                “You guys know the routine,” Minsoo urged, waving them off to take care of themselves before he drifted closer to Byunghyun and Changhyun.  “How you holding up, Byunghyun?” he asked, folding onto the ground beside the splayed out male.

                “Alright,” he responded quietly, slowly pulling himself into a more contained position.

                “Chanhee and Changhyun filled me in a bit on what happened while we were gone,” he explained, reaching out to place a hand on Byunghyun’s shoulder lightly.  “I’m sorry we weren’t there.”

                Byunghyun snorted at the comment and forced himself into a sitting position, ignoring his complaining abdomen.  “Could have happened to any of us,” he waved dismissively, though thoughts of the attack continued to rattle him.

                “But it happened to you guys,” Minsoo murmured, touching the mute Changhyun gently to reassure the boy as well.

                “We managed,” Byunghyun exhaled, not looking up to meet anyone’s eyes.  He didn’t need to add that it was a near thing.

                Minsoo nodded in uncertain agreement.  “That you did,” he breathed, not sure what else to add.  “Listen.  We’ll be eating light again tonight.  We didn’t find as much as we wanted to and those s showing up kept us laying low much longer than intended.  But you’re sleeping tonight.  No watch duty.  You hear?” he explained firmly.

                “I’m fine, Soo,” Byunghyun complained immediately, directing his glare towards the eldest.

                “Right,” Minsoo snorted as he reached out to push Byunghyun’s shoulder firmly, sending the injured male rolling onto the ground when his overworked body declined to answer him.  “Rest Byunghyun,” he reiterated before standing up and heading off to check on the others.  He paused before he could get very far and called back, “And make sure one of us checks your wound, alright?”

                “,” Byunghyun growled after him, though he stayed on the ground with a weary smile as he waved at Minsoo dismissively.  One hand came up to rub at his injured chest and aching torso, running up and down slowly.  It didn’t take long for him to realize he was being watched.  “You doing alright, Changhyun?” he asked, turning his head to focus on the younger male.  He saw the outline of a head nod in response.  It wasn’t enough of an answer for him and Byunghyun held out his hand towards the younger male, waiting patiently.

                Changhyun hesitantly slipped his hand into the downed male’s and held tight, allowing himself to be pulled closer.  “I’m okay,” he murmured softly, obviously trying to put on a brave front.

                “Help me sit up,” Byunghyun grumbled as he pulled on the hand determinedly, slowly forcing himself into an upright position with Changhyun’s help.  Once up, he took a slow breath and then leaned close to the younger male, squinting at his throat.  Carefully, he reached over and brushed his fingertips against the exposed flesh where he could just make out different shades of shadows on his skin.  “That er,” he growled under his breath where he could still see the finger marks.

                Defensively, Changhyun pulled back and hid the marks with his hand.  “It’s nothing,” he whispered, his voice strangely distressed.

                “Changhyun,” Byunghyun whispered quietly, not sure what to do.  After a moment of recollection, he realized that the boy had killed someone today, just like he had.  He couldn’t imagine that was particularly easy for him.  “You saved my life today,” he murmured, letting his fingertips trace against the back of Changhyun’s hand.

                “And you saved me,” Changhyun responded in kind, his voice subdued and quiet.

                “Then we’re even,” Byunghyun forced a smile, keeping his fingertips in contact.

                “I didn’t want to kill him,” Changhyun admitted with a distant tone.

                “I know,” Byunghyun nodded in quiet agreement.  It was always hardest to kill people.  They weren’t like going up against animals that just wanted to eat you after all.

                “But you didn’t come back and I saw him on top of you.  I thought you were going to die,” he whimpered, turning his hand over to grab Byunghyun’s tightly.

                “I would have,” he murmured quietly, not even hiding his gratitude.  If Changhyun hadn’t done what he did, his attacker would have choked the life out of him.  And probably Changhyun too after that.  “You did the right thing,” he promised, squeezing his hand tightly.

                “It doesn’t feel like it,” the younger male admitted softly, scooting closer to Byunghyun.

                “Trust me.  You did,” Byunghyun reassured him before daring to inch closer himself and awkwardly draw the younger male into his arms.

                Changhyun tried to pull away for a brief second, fighting his conscience about it, but then gave up and latched onto Byunghyun’s slender frame, wrapping skinny arms around him.  “I’m scared,” he admitted into the other male’s shoulder, swallowing audibly.

                “Me too,” Byunghyun admitted with a forced smile.  “But it’s okay to be scared,” he whispered just loud enough for the boy to hear.  “It’s what helps keep us alive,” he admitted, tightening his arms around the trembling frame.

                He tensed up when he heard Chanhee clearing his throat nearby and had to fight not to jump away from Changhyun.  “I thought you guys might like some dinner,” he urged, handing off a single can to them to share.  “We’re on short rations,” he explained apologetically.

                “It’s alright,” Byunghyun waved his concern off, taking the can and handing it to Changhyun.  “I guess that just means I’ll have to go hunting soon then,” he forced a grin, hiding the wince his laugh caused.

                “So long as it doesn’t end up like you against the snake,” Chanhee grumbled, eyeing Byunghyun’s still tender chest with annoyance before he drifted close of his own accord and started peeling layers back to get a better look.

                Byunghyun waved off the comparison with a snort and subjected himself to Chanhee’s inspection with a roll of his eyes.  “That was a fluke.  And it still got us food,” he pointed out determinedly.

                “That was a fluke too,” Chanhee reminded him with one brow raised while he pulled away the wrapping which was sticking to the healing wound.

                “It still counts!” the injured male defended himself in a tone that was a bit shriller than usual, whistling at Jonghyun to get his attention.  “Technically, I bagged the snake didn’t I?” he asked, waiting for an answer while he winced and grimaced as Chanhee poked and prodded.

                “Technically,” Jonghyun admitted around a mouthful of food.

                “See,” Byunghyun gloated proudly, the effect marred by another shift against his wound.

                “I still had to kill it before we could bring it in,” Jonghyun added with amusement.

                Byunghyun scoffed at the response and frowned.  “It was going to die anyway so it doesn’t count.”  Chanhee leaned back to get some of the water so he could wipe the wound down and Byunghyun hissed at the sensation, his eye twitching all the while.

                “Of course it does!” Jonghyun laughed, slapping his knee.

                “Even with a mouthful of metal, it was still an ornery bugger,” Daniel laughed, being a merry distraction for Byunghyun.  “Didn’t it hit you with its tail?” he exclaimed, pointing at Jonghyun.

                “What?  No!” Jonghyun denied immediately, scowling at the accusation.

                “Yes it did!” Daniel gasped, bouncing in place.  “It totally whacked you when you got close and then you freaked out and finished it with your knives.”

                “I didn’t freak out!” Jonghyun grumbled, stuffing his mouth with more food to avoid having to answer.

                “See.  I bagged it,” Byunghyun pointed out in a tense but smug voice to Chanhee who chuckled under his breath and simply shook his head before finishing his cleaning and wrapping the wound back up with a deft touch.

                “You’re hopeless,” he snorted and dusted his hands so he could stand up to walk back towards the rest of the group.

                “And right!” Byunghyun called after him, subsiding when he looked at Changhyun almost sheepishly.

                “Hungry?” Changhyun offered, handing over the partially eaten can of food.  More green beans.  Yay…

                “Thanks,” he sighed, accepting the can resignedly.  He was definitely hungry, or at least would be once he started eating, but he already knew it wouldn’t be enough to fill him up and would simply whet his appetite for more.  Stupid limitations.  One of these days, they would find a place where they wouldn’t have to worry about living day to day.  They might even be able to figure out a spot where they could grow their own food.  If they were hidden enough anyway.  God.  Fresh food…  Other than meat, he never thought he’d miss fresh vegetables – and fruit – so much.

                The rest of their evening wound down rather quickly.  They were all tired from the run and the adrenaline high they’d experienced.  Byunghyun was lucky enough that he didn’t have nightmares, for a wonder, but as they were lying near each other, he did wake up to Changhyun being twitchy as he slept.  Bleary eyed, he waved the current person on watch off – he thought it might have been Daniel – and simply pulled Changhyun close so that he could rest in the circle of his arms.  Logical thought had no place in the dead of night and he really didn’t want the boy to be scared.  As he figured, Changhyun quieted down pretty much immediately and snuggled closer into his body, providing much desired warmth in the meantime.

                Miraculously, he was saved from any potential ribbing in the morning when Minsoo woke him with a firm hand and squinty eyes.  “Byunghyun,” he grumbled, shaking the sleeper awake while he dug crusty stuff out of his vision.

                “I’m awake,” Byunghyun mumbled with his eyes still closed and his arms wrapped rather snuggly around somebody.

                “Should I wake Changhyun first?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice since it was obvious he didn’t believe the young man.

                Byunghyun reluctantly pried open his very sticky eyes and glanced down at said person still nestled against his chest.  “Erm…” he trailed off, glancing around in a near panic as he sought to make sure the others weren’t awake and watching.

                “Relax,” Minsoo chuckled, ruffling Byunghyun’s head lightly.  “I’ll wake the others in a minute.  We’ve got some distance on the people from the other day so we’ll be taking it slow this morning.  Might be a good chance to work with Changhyun on his weapons,” he suggested, patting Byunghyun’s arm with his hand before he stood up and started shuffling around, still waking himself up further after his shift on watch.

                With a sigh, Byunghyun watched him walk off and then glanced down at Changhyun, realizing for the first time that his chest was hot and itchy.  He needed to check the bandages again apparently…  Inching back so that they weren’t still quite so close together, he gently shook Changhyun while he stifled a yawn.  As luck would have it, that was also when Changhyun decided to open his eyes.

                Still foggy from sleep, he saw Byunghyun’s yawning mouth only partially covered by a hand in the dim lighting and jerked back with a muted cry.  “Byunghyun…” he trailed off when he realized belatedly what it was.

                “Sorry,” Byunghyun murmured, retrieving his arm which was experiencing a moment of pins and needles as it woke up too.  He frowned at the limb and shook it with his good hand, groaning quietly as he did so.

                “Eh?” Changhyun blinked, sitting up as well while he rubbed his eyes with both hands and glanced around.

                “My arm fell asleep,” Byunghyun smiled, pausing to fan his shirt and shrug his shoulder at the same time.

                “Because of me?” Changhyun blinked, still trying to figure out his situation.

                Byunghyun waved his concern off and shook his head.  “I think you were having a nightmare,” he explained without looking at him directly.

                “I was,” Changhyun admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck and then chaffed his arms to try and wake up more with added warmth.  “But I think you chased em off,” he smiled innocently, the expression going straight through Byunghyun.

                “Yeah,” he nodded once, glancing out of the corner of his eyes.  “I’m glad,” he added, peering down his shirt with a frown.

                “Your injury okay?” he asked, leaning forward worriedly.

                “Yeah.  Why don’t you see what Minsoo’s got for breakfast and I’ll wake Chanhee up to give me a hand?” he urged, pushing himself to his feet before stumbling over to the other sleeping male.  Why was waking up some mornings so much harder than others?

(a/n: So it took me a moment to find my footing with the beginning but after that it came together pretty well.  Some more RickJoe and trolling Niel and Changjo and all sorts of reactions in the aftermath.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update.  ^_^)