It was honestly amazing what a little bit of salt could do to make something taste good and Byunghyun was no exception to that when he thoroughly enjoyed his snake steak, eating the relatively flaky meat with his fingers.  Changhyun bounced happily beside him as he chewed his portion and Jonghyun smiled in amusement, slowly making his way through the bit he’d reserved for himself.

                “I take it the cupboards weren’t completely bare then?” Byunghyun asked with interest, carefully swallowing his mouthful.

                “Mostly.  What humans didn’t get, the rats did,” Jonghyun responded, taking a deep breath and wincing slightly.

                For a moment, Byunghyun tapped his piece of meat with one finger thoughtfully and then smirked, “A bit bruised are you?”

                Jonghyun snorted at the question and lifted the hem of his well-worn shirt to reveal a toned expanse of abs just starting to bruise over with deepening shades of purple and blue along his ribs and chest.  “You could say that,” he nodded, laughing at Changhyun’s slack-jawed expression.

                “, Jonghyun,” Byunghyun winced sympathetically.  His chest hurt like hell too but for an entirely different reason.

                “Eh.  Better than falling through to the cellar,” he shrugged, letting the shirt slide back into place as he raised a brow at Changhyun’s face.

                “Sorry,” he ducked his head in chagrin, pursing his lips before he nibbled on another bite, pointedly not looking at either of them.

                Byunghyun frowned at the younger male and blinked in confusion, glancing between Jonghyun and Changhyun.  He couldn’t make his mind up whether the kid was more surprised about the bruising or the enviable physique.  He was well aware of how nice Jonghyun’s body was from the brief glimpses he’d gotten while they continued to live together; not that he was actively spying or anything.  Raised shirts and various states of undress happened, but he also knew he was relatively scrawny in comparison, and while it didn’t normally bother him around the other guys, since they weren’t even remotely interested in him, it did now.

                He felt Jonghyun’s gaze on him before the younger male looked at Changhyun and shook his head.  “It’s alright.  That’s what happens when you walk across weak floorboards and you’re not a beanpole,” he winked, the tail end of the comment indicating he was speaking about Daniel.

                “Shoulda let Daniel go first,” Byunghyun mumbled, nibbling on another bit of food as he pretended interest in what was left.

                “I did,” Jonghyun chuckled ruefully.

                “Oh,” the injured male sighed, stuffing the last bite into his mouth as he itched at his chest again, making a face around the mouthful.

                “You okay?” Jonghyun asked, shifting to move closer as he reached for the wrapping curiously.  “You’ve been messing with that a lot,” he added with a frown.

                Mumbling in a garbled tone, Byunghyun waved him off and shook his head as he forced himself to swallow the food early, making him wince as it dragged harshly against his throat.  “I’m fine,” he rasped, gesturing for Jonghyun to stay where he was.

                “Are you sure?” Changhyun asked, edging closer while he peered around and tentatively gave a try himself.  “We should probably check it,” he nodded, lips pursed into a thoughtful frown.

                “Eh…” Byunghyun trailed off as he brought his hand up to hold the wrappings in place, ducking his head with a slight flush forming on his cheeks.  “It’s fine.  I’ll just have… Chanhee or Minsoo help me later,” he promised, not looking at either male.  He winced when he heard footsteps approaching before the door swung open to admit the other three members of their group.

                “Help you with what?” Minsoo asked, leading the way as Chanhee followed behind with Daniel bringing up the rear.

                “His bandages,” Changhyun offered helpfully, settling back in his spot with a smile at the newcomers.

                “They’ve been itching,” Jonghyun murmured to his sibling who grunted in the back of his throat.

                “It’s fine guys,” Byunghyun denied while he lamely tried to wave off their concern as he itched at his chest hypocritically, the warm flush creeping over it aggravating the wound further.

                “Uh huh,” Chanhee snorted with a roll of his eyes before he knelt at the foot of the bed and speared the injured male with a stern expression.  “Let’s see it,” he sighed, handing the plate of meat off to Jonghyun who didn’t seem to know what to do with it.

                “No,” Byunghyun frowned, holding the wrapping closer.

                “Eh.  Can we eat first?” Daniel asked, stealing a bit of meat from the plate with a hesitant look.  “It might look gross,” he reminded them uncertainly when all eyes turned to him.

                “It can’t be that bad,” Byunghyun frowned, raising a brow at Daniel skeptically.

                “You didn’t see it when they first cleaned it,” he shot back victoriously, though he ducked his head in embarrassment when Chanhee continued to eye him with a glare.  Curious now, Byunghyun peeked down and pulled the edge away to try and get a better look himself, to Daniel’s dismay.  “Yah!” the standing young man yelped, turning around to eat his piece determinedly.

                “Brat,” Chanhee smirked, slapping Byunghyun’s uninjured leg and wincing when he hit the guards still in place around his shins.  “Ow,” he laughed once, shaking his hand out before he waved at Jonghyun to give him back the plate.

                Exhaling in relief, Minsoo plopped himself down on the other side of Byunghyun and gave him a knowing look.  “We can heat some water up and clean it better when we’re done,” he confirmed, turning his gaze upon his brother who ducked his head sheepishly.  “That includes you too.”

                “I know, I know,” he exhaled, handing the plate down the line of people so Minsoo could grab a bite as well.

                Byunghyun didn’t miss the way that Changhyun laughed at the chagrined response and wrinkled his nose as he crossed his arms over his chest.  He was slightly mollified however when Changhyun piped up excitedly, “Oh!  Byunghyun’s going to teach me how to fight or something like that.”  His uncertainty about just what that would entail was endearing and he practically beamed at the injured male who relaxed enough to uncross his arms, relieving the pressure against his chest.

                “Is he now?” Minsoo chuckled with a significant glance at the other man’s injuries, drawing Byunghyun’s annoyed glare.

                “You might want to start with ducking or dodging,” Daniel teased, far enough away that he could speak without fear of the other hitting him.

                 Muttering darkly under his breath, Byunghyun looked around for something to throw.  “You’re one to talk,” he frowned, sighting on the candle nearby which was portable enough to toss just fine.  For a moment, he contemplated grabbing it and just as quickly dismissed the idea.  Fire was dangerous to play with carelessly and he subsided, simply retreating into his own silence instead.  Fingers scratched idly at the wrappings again as conversation picked up around him, carried by Chanhee who asked about the food to change the topic.

                He paused when Minsoo’s hand rested atop his, stilling his attempts to alleviate the itching, though the older man wasn’t looking at him.  “We should see if there are any more seasonings in that cabinet of yours, Jonghyun,” he chuckled, removing his hand before anyone could take too much notice.

                “Yeah!  If you hadn’t fallen through the floor, we might not have found it,” Daniel grinned, patting the younger boy on the back enthusiastically.

                “Those things never go bad,” Chanhee agreed with a nod, happily polishing off his last bit of snake.  “Not that I’m sure when we’ll get to use it again,” he frowned.  They all knew their lucky streak of fresh meat would end before too long and they’d be back to relying on the canned goods then.

                Byunghyun fidgeted in place, not particularly enjoying the restrictions of staying put.  It felt wrong to be on the bed really, though it was comfortable.  He also wasn’t sure about their watch arrangements that evening.  He wasn’t in much condition for anything but he wanted to pull his weight all the same, even if he was ridiculously tired with a full stomach and exhausted from the day.  Stupid snake.  A frown settled on his face as he grumbled over his injuries and tuned out the rest of the conversation.

                It really had been a near thing.  If the snake had actually gotten a hold on him instead of the weapon, there was no telling what would have happened.  A shudder caught him at the thought he might well have died because Changhyun was pretty much useless in the attacking department.  Though he had kept him from falling into the spider house.  There was that at least.  What was a good weapon for him to train with?  He couldn’t handle anything too big but he was reluctant to give him anything particularly sharp either.  He’d probably manage to cut himself with-

                “Byunghyun?” the soft voice called near his ear, snapping him out of his thoughts.

                “Yeah!” he jumped, sitting upright hastily and jarring his body in the process.  “Ack…” he groaned.

                “Sorry!” Changhyun murmured, placing both hands on his upper arm.

                Minsoo grasped his shoulder on the other side and leaned closer.  “Chanhee was trying to get your attention,” he prompted, catching Byunghyun’s eyes as he flushed in embarrassment.

                “Yep!” Chanhee added, waving at the young man in their midst.  “Come on.  We need to clean your wounds again,” he urged, sliding closer despite Byunghyun’s grumbling.

                “They’re just itchy,” Byunghyun denied, not wanting to be so exposed or vulnerable.  It was different when he was unconscious, but awake was another matter entirely.

                “You reason with him,” Chanhee laughed with a pointed glance at Minsoo as he pushed himself to his feet and hobbled to Daniel.  “Come on.”

                “What?  Why me?” Daniel asked in response, the amused grin falling away quickly as he was singled out.

                “Because I need help carrying the hot water,” Chanhee responded without hesitation while he reached to tug on Daniel’s arm.

                “Yah…” Daniel groaned petulantly, getting to his feet at last.  “Eh!  Why are you stripping?!” he demanded while he walked past Jonghyun who was pulling his shirt over his head to get a better look at the bruising that was continuing to spread.  Mutely, the younger male pointed at the discolorations with a wry smirk and Daniel fell quiet.  “Right.”

                Minsoo took a deep breath and wandered over to get a better look for himself, gently prodding with his fingertips as he spoke quietly to his brother.  When Jonghyun looked up to see both Byunghyun and Changhyun staring, the pair glanced away hurriedly and he laughed once.

                “Byunghyun?” Changhyun asked as he edged closer again, staring at the wounded chest before he met the injured male’s gaze.

                “Yeah,” he responded, wondering what in the world he wanted.

                “Thank you for saving me,” he smiled as he bowed awkwardly at the waist, making Byunghyun flush at the praise.

                He wasn’t used to people bowing to him and it made him distinctly uncomfortable.  “Sure,” he swallowed, catching Changhyun’s shoulder to push him upright firmly.  “Anybody would have done the same,” he explained dismissively with a shake of his head.

                Changhyun looked uncertain about the comment but didn’t respond.  His glance shifted to Jonghyun and Minsoo who were busy ripping one of the sheets they’d found into thick strips so they could bind the younger boy’s ribs.  They weren’t paying the other two any direct attention, for which Byunghyun was grateful, and he focused on Changhyun’s words when he started to speak again.  “When you get better-”

                “Hey!  I’m not sick you know,” Byunghyun interrupted him with a quick laugh.

                “When you heal!” Changhyun corrected himself with a smile, gesturing towards the injured male’s person frantically.

                “Yeah, yeah,” he waved with a smirk, amused at how easy it was to fluster his companion.  “What were you saying?” he prompted when Changhyun just looked at him with an amused and annoyed expression.  It was adorable.

                “When you’re better, I promise to do my best in learning to defend myself,” he continued determinedly, making a fist in front of his person and nodding along with his declaration.

                “Okay,” Byunghyun nodded while he leaned towards Changhyun, still looking into his face intently.  Just as the boy started to edge away from him uncertainly, he reached out with his hand to flick him in the forehead with his finger.

                “Ow!” Changhyun yelped, clapping both hands to his head defensively.  “What was that for?” he demanded with a slightly betrayed look.

                “I thought we were starting now,” Byunghyun managed a mischievous smirk as he tried vainly to push the resultant guilt to the back of his mind.

                “I said when you’re better!” Changhyun reminded him plaintively, rubbing at the offended bit of skin.

                Still trying to play it innocent, and failing, Byunghyun shrugged.  “No time like the present?”

                “You could at least warn me next time,” the younger boy pouted, finally pulling his hands away with a wounded air about him.  Byunghyun declined to remind him there wouldn’t be such a thing in the wastelands and simply nodded in silent agreement, ducking his head from Minsoo’s raised brow as Jonghyun deftly put his shirt back on.

                He was more than glad when Chanhee and Daniel returned so he could stop feeling at least a little bit guilty.  Though when he had to take his shirt off and lie back on the bed, he felt all manner of embarrassed all over again and kept wanting to cover his chest with his arms while Chanhee bent over him with a relatively clean, moist cloth.  Ugh.  It really did look terrible with the punctured skin red and crusting over where he’d been impaled.  By the way it hurt when Chanhee was washing it off, he could have sworn his bone had been dented or something and every new swipe made him wince and cringe, trying not to whimper at the treatment.

                “Sorry,” Chanhee apologized as he saw how much it hurt.

                “It’s alright,” he hissed back through gritted teeth, grabbing onto the sheet under him with both hands.  Byunghyun was surprised when he felt hands clasp around his clenched fist and he saw it was Changhyun who was watching with sad eyes, swallowing thickly.  “This is nothing,” he wheezed, the last syllable tapering off into a breathless hiss as the cloth snagged again on broken skin.

                “Almost done,” Chanhee soothed while he continued to work, a grimace forming on his lips at the dirty and bloodstained outcome of the cleaning cloth.  He narrowed his eyes at the yellow tint beginning to form around a couple of the holes but refrained from speaking, to Byunghyun’s relief.  It wasn’t like there was much they could do about it anyway.

                By the time he was finished, Byunghyun was sweating and even more exhausted than before, but the itching at least was reduced, if not banished entirely.  He endured another round of cleaning with his foot before Chanhee finally relented and quite happily stayed exactly where he was on the bed, eyelids drooping when he was released from the necessary torment.  He blinked sleepily as a familiar face appeared above him, looking down in concern.

                “You alright?”  Damn Changhyun and that stupid question.

                He laughed through his nose and managed a weary smirk.  “I will be.”

                “You two go ahead and lie down,” Chanhee urged while he rested his palm against Byunghyun’s shin.  “I’ll let the others know we’re done,” he smiled and got up to shuffle out the door.

                Byunghyun hadn’t even realized they’d stepped out and was grateful to whoever had made that call.  Probably Minsoo.  It usually was.  Overly caring bastard.  Right now he was rather indebted to him though and finally took as deep a breath as possible.  As he exhaled, he paused and held very still when he felt Changhyun settle into place beside him, curling against his body rather contentedly.  Trying to roll onto his side was very ill advised so he awkwardly adjusted his arm to offer it as a makeshift pillow and couldn’t hide the smile that came to his lips when Changhyun hummed happily under his breath.

                He was just dozing off when he heard the door open again.  When he chose to ignore their entrance, and what was likely to include teasing from Daniel, Byunghyun fell quickly into unconsciousness.  Strange dreams followed though, giving him little rest in the haven he wanted so badly.

                A hand shaking his shoulder woke him with a start and he gasped, stiffening on the bed as a chill traveled through his body, making him shiver.  “Byunghyun,” a soft murmur to his left called and he looked over, blinking stupidly at the speaker.  His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream but the coiled constrictor was faster still, launching forward with its gaping maw to engulf his head before it swallowed him whole.

                “Byunghyun!” a familiar voice hissed urgently.

                For the second time, his eyes snapped open and fluttered frantically as he tried to focus on… someone’s face above him.  Swallowing around a tongue that felt too thick for his mouth, he panted for breath and stared at the person who settled gently beside him now that he was awake.  “Nightmare,” he croaked, still shaking.

                “I figured,” Minsoo answered, confirming Byunghyun’s thoughts as the older male laid the back of his hand against his forehead.  “You’re warm,” he exhaled with a hint of worry in his tone.

                “Really?” Byunghyun laughed nervously, still able to feel the snake biting his head.  “I feel cold,” he responded with another shudder, trying to remain still so he didn’t wake whoever was still sleeping on his other side, though they shifted in their sleep.

                “Damn,” Minsoo whispered as he adjusted quietly, pulling away just a hair.  “We should look at your wound again,” he explained, pausing when Byunghyun reached out to catch at his arm blindly.

                “Don’t wake the others,” he pleaded while he battled an unreasonable fear of being seen as weak.

                “Byunghyun,” the elder male exhaled with frustration as he gripped his friend’s arm in return.

                They both knew what the symptoms probably meant and neither was eager to voice it.  “I’ll be fine,” he whispered into the silence, hoping he was right.  Considering the state of his weapon, an infection wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was also something to fear.

                 It felt as if Minsoo would leave him alone for a moment and then the atmosphere shifted.  “No,” he responded, removing his hand to fish for something.  Byunghyun heard a mechanism click and saw a spark in the darkness and he realized Minsoo was using his lighter.  Another click and the flame came to life before it spread to the wick of a candle.  “Let me see,” he urged while he leaned close, concerned face catching strange shadows in the flickering light.

                It wasn’t much illumination but Byunghyun was able to see Changhyun still slept beside him while Chanhee and Jonghyun were curled around the foot of the bed.  Daniel must have been on the other side of the door keeping watch…  Swallowing his fear, Byunghyun pried at the wrappings around his chest, wanting to see the heated skin beneath and not at the same time.  Acknowledging it meant it was real and not something he could pretend didn’t exist.  He hissed when the cloth pulled away reluctantly, taking a scab or two with it.

                Beside him, Minsoo inhaled quickly as he inspected the revealed flesh, a frown of worry crossing his face upon seeing that a couple of the puncture holes were tinted yellowish with a gross film of puss pooling in them.  “Byunghyun,” he winced, resting fingertips against the outer edge of the inflamed, wounded area.

                “,” Byunghyun laughed bitterly, biting his bottom lip hard as he leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling with a pained expression, fighting the burning sensation in his eyes.  Infection.  That was so not good…  “I guess I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” he exhaled, trying to play it off while another shiver ran through him.

                They both held still when Changhyun moved beside them, feeling eyes watching.  “What’s wrong?” the young boy murmured as he blinked sleep blurred eyes, obviously well awake.  His gaze dropped to the exposed wound, even while Byunghyun hastily tried to cover it, and gasped.  “It’s getting worse isn’t it?”

                Byunghyun just swallowed, reluctant to speak, and Minsoo nodded for him.  “Yeah.  And we don’t have any supplies to disinfect it,” he admitted tensely, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

                “You know first aid kits were the first thing to go,” Byunghyun hissed in a tight voice, his eyes alighting on Changhyun’s face uncertainly.

                He looked thoughtful and somewhat nervous.  “Would alcohol help?”

                The two older boys blinked in confusion at the question.  “Probably.  But we don’t have any,” Minsoo went on, brow furrowed.

                Changhyun swallowed and nodded his head in contradiction.  “In the closet.”  At their dumbfounded looks, he had to explain himself, “Mom hated it when dad drank but he got good at hiding it around the house.  I saw a small bottle in the closet when I was looking for clothes.”

                “Show me,” Minsoo urged, getting to his feet so he could make his way across the room.  Byunghyun wanted to complain but he was still stunned that Changhyun had found something they didn’t.  Supposedly.  Go figure.  At the renewed commotion of movement, Chanhee and Jonghyun stirred in their sleep and started to come around, blinking in befuddled confusion.

                “Minsoo?” Jonghyun grumbled as he plaintively groaned while he sat up, tracking him with half-closed eyes.

                The door creaked open and a candle flickered into view with Daniel’s face hovering behind it.  “Everything alright in here?” he asked, obviously concerned about the noise.

                “Byunghyun’s wound is infected,” Minsoo exhaled as he waited for Changhyun to show him where the alcohol was hiding.

                “Dammit,” Chanhee hissed with a scowl.

                For all the attention his stupid wound was causing, Byunghyun just wanted to pull the sheet over his head and disappear, but even he couldn’t deny it felt hot and really itchy in comparison to the rest of him, which felt entirely too cold, despite Minsoo’s comment.  There was no way that dream had been normal either, so he just kept his mouth shut and tried to think about something else.

                Practically inside the closet, Changhyun pointed up towards the top above the sliding door frame and Minsoo reached to grasp what appeared to be a pint of clear liquid.  “Vodka,” he murmured with a crooked frown.

                “Bleh,” Byunghyun groaned, not sure if he should be glad or not that they found something.  The stuff tasted vile by itself and was only good when mixed with something.

                “Better than nothing,” Minsoo sighed with a pained expression as he looked at his friend before he made his way back over towards the downed male, unscrewing the cap.

                “Man,” Byunghyun exhaled with a worried frown.  “This is gonna .”

(a/n: This went a rather different direction than I intended.  lol  Not half as many RickJoe moments as I was aiming for but they're there.  Sort of.  I'm debating how I'm going to approach the next update though.  There might be a POV switch so we'll see.  I'm hoping I managed to give a bit more insight into the dynamics of the group though I still haven't managed to work in much Minsoo time.  -_-  lol  Some characters really are just easier than others.  Maybe I'll write from his perspective in the next one.  hah  That would be an interesting change up!  Thanks for reading though and I hope you look forward to the next one!)