So maybe propped up against the door wasn’t exactly the best way to keep watch, or fall asleep for that matter, but it definitely had the effect of waking Minsoo up with a start when someone opened it from the inside.  In a panicked moment of uncertainty, Minsoo managed some sort of garbled yell as he flailed to catch hold of something and managed to smack Jonghyun wide awake in the process.

                “Ah!” the younger male yelped, bounding to his feet at the upset, leaving his brother floundering on the floor in dazed befuddlement.

                “Sorry,” Chanhee winced from the small space in the doorway, a grimace on his face as he managed to keep it from opening further with his foot as an improvised stopper.

                It didn’t take Minsoo more than a couple seconds to realize what had happened and he shifted forward so Chanhee could finish opening the door without depositing him unceremoniously in the room.  “My fault,” he waved with one hand while his other came up to scrub at his still tired face.  He hadn’t exactly meant to fall asleep but it had been one hell of a day…

                “You guys alright?” Chanhee asked in a quiet whisper, stepping out so he could ease the door shut behind him carefully.

                “Yeah,” Jonghyun grumbled while he rubbed his chest where his brother had smacked him.  “Is it morning already?” he asked, squinting in the irritably dark space.  Someone had obviously thought to blow the candle out last night.  That or it had managed to extinguish on its own.

                “Near as I can tell,” Chanhee admitted with a sigh.  “Hang on a sec,” he urged, opening the door to duck back inside, returning shortly with a tiny, flickering light ensconced in a cracked glass cup.

                Taking a deep breath, Minsoo pushed himself to his feet, feeling every ache in his overworked body, and exhaled.  “How they doing?” he murmured with a glance at the door behind his friend.

                “Still sleeping.  All of them,” he added when he caught Minsoo’s concerned gaze.  “I’d swear he was dead if he wasn’t still breathing,” Chanhee admitted with a shake of his head.

                “Is that a good thing?” Jonghyun asked uncertainly, a frown evident on his face as his hands reflexively wandered to the knives at his hips, resting his palms on the pommels of the weapons.

                Chanhee hissed thoughtfully between his teeth, the sound slightly raspy in his dehydrated state.  “It’s too early to call.  It could mean he’s just resting and his body is doing the best it can to heal him or it could mean he’s in a coma,” he muttered unhappily, the last few words a reluctant possibility.  They’d shocked his system all to hell last night…  “We simply won’t know more until he starts to come around,” Chanhee finished explaining in a subdued voice, his free hand rising to rub at his opposite arm in a nervous gesture.  The evident ‘Or not’ was an unspoken possibility none of them cared to voice and they avoided it stolidly.

                “Alright,” Minsoo inhaled determinedly, keeping the tremor out of tone with amazing success.  “With Byunghyun the way he is, we aren’t going anywhere yet.  So that means we’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure this place is secure.”

                “Is that even possible?” Jonghyun asked with a frown at the rest of the building.  Arguably, what was likely three or four levels, if you included the attic, would make it tricky to lock down under the best of circumstances.  Then again, the worst problem they had currently was that stupid hole in the floor.

                “It’s better than outside,” Minsoo reminded him evenly.  Jonghyun pursed his lips and grimaced but didn’t complain.

                Edging away from the door as he made his way slowly towards the kitchen area, Chanhee spoke, “So what’s the plan then?”

                For a moment, Minsoo watched him in confusion and then realized he was going for the cooked food they’d stored in the fridge for safe keeping.  Of course the power was out and it wouldn’t keep stuff from spoiling for any length of time but it had been mostly cleaned out already and was as secure a location as they were going to find to keep smells to a minimum.  He was just glad Chanhee had the forethought to wrap the leftover snake in something beforehand.

                Jonghyun looked at him expectantly as he waited for an answer but Minsoo held off until Chanhee came back with a double wrapped shirt full of cooked meat.  “For now,” he started to speak, feeling the weight of all their lives resting on his shoulders just then.  “We buckle down the house as best as possible, salvage everything we can in the meantime, and be ready to leave.”

                Both his companions looked uncomfortable when he didn’t specify when Byunghyun got better but it was preferable to the possibility of if he didn’t, so they left it at that.  “What about Byungie?” Chanhee had to ask though.

                Minsoo worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he ran the possibilities through his sleep deprived head, frowning with narrowed eyes when it was taking longer than usual to come up with something that should be simple.  Eventually, he gave up on specifics and threw his hands in the air to either side of him.  “We need to have someone with him at all times.  We’ll take turns keeping an eye on him during the day.”  When both nodded in agreement at his plan, he continued on, “The rest of us can see what we can find to salvage.  I know we haven’t touched the attic.  The basement might have something and there was that shed out back too.”

                “I suppose there are worse things,” Chanhee grumbled with a glance at the hole in the floor.  Another irritated grimace crossed his face before he nodded towards the fireplace.  “Should we get that going again?”

                Both Jonghyun and Minsoo shook their heads at the same time, making him frown.  Minsoo let his brother answer while he poked his head into the room next to them.  It wasn’t like he could see anything but at least it was quiet as he listened to the response.  “The fire last night could be brushed off as coincidence.  Light a fire in the same place for a second time, it becomes fact.”

                They could practically feel Chanhee’s aggravation.  “Ugh!  Why do people ?!” he scowled, turning to nudge Minsoo out of the way so he could go about rousing the sleepers.

                Not surprisingly, his tone was softer than usual and he wasn’t quite as forceful as he could be in shaking Daniel and Changhyun awake before he found another candle to light for extra illumination.  Damn.  They were going to need to find more or some sort of battery powered something if they wanted to keep this up.

                Morning was subdued as they all crowded into the one room and ate what they could of the leftover meat.  It had a strange smell from being in the fridge, which wasn’t exactly rosy, but it didn’t look or taste bad.  To be fair, when they cooked anything, it was well done so there shouldn’t have been much chance for it to spoil either way.  A couple swallows of water helped to get the rest of it down and then it was time for them to start moving around.

                Minsoo claimed Daniel as his partner for the first part of the day and Chanhee grumbled when he was relegated to watching Byunghyun sleep.  Changhyun looked absolutely surprised that he was being recruited at all and didn’t seem to know how to take that news.  “Are you sure?” he asked in a strained and tiny voice, wringing his hands nervously.

                “Yep.  We don’t need you walking around by yourself on that ankle yet,” Minsoo pointed towards Chanhee with a stern look.

                “It’s getting better!” he grouched with his arms crossed over his chest.

                “I know.  And we want it to stay that way,” Minsoo reminded him with a raised brow.

                “Can’t have anybody else falling through floors and all that,” Daniel teased with a significant glance at Jonghyun.  The look he got in return was enough to make him hum under his breath and pretend he was focused very intently upon his well worn pants, picking at the fabric with blunted fingernails.

                “But I can’t even use a weapon,” Changhyun blinked, still in a state of mild shock.

                “You’ll be fine,” Minsoo urged, distractedly looking around for his own in the meantime.  “There it is,” he grumbled, leaning out the door to see the machete lying by the doorframe.

                “Don’t worry.  We’ll find you something,” Jonghyun nodded confidently, shaking his fist in front of him with a determined air.

                “Aish.  Just… keep the door open or something, alright?” Chanhee huffed, though his hand rested gently upon Byunghyun’s shoulder, the gesture tender and concerned despite his words.

                “Of course,” Minsoo chuckled, flashing him a quick grin before he eyed his brother intently.  “How are your ribs today?”  Reflexively, Jonghyun shrugged and Minsoo rolled his eyes, waving his younger brother over so he could take another look.

                Fussing over his sibling didn’t take long, nor did getting situated and ready to wander through the house either.  Both pairs were given a candle, much like how Chanhee had managed to secure them: in cups so they wouldn’t risk falling over haphazardly if they needed to set them down.  The goal was simple.  All they needed to do was find and secure every way into or out of the house, which applied most strongly to the ground floor but it didn’t hurt to play it safe for the upper floors either.

                With slightly more light and in a better rested state, the ground level was tackled easily.  Blinds and curtains were pulled away to let in as much of the pale, natural light as possible.  All manner of tables, shelves, and any other sort of solid furniture was put to good use in blocking the glass portals while chairs were stuffed under door handles to make sure the locks would hold.  The hole that was their nemesis was finally covered by hauling a bed, the frame and mattress both, from upstairs to lay over it, blocking the opening completely.

                When they were finished, they regrouped to make sure that everyone was good and ready enough for the next part.  Honestly, it didn’t take them very long and it was well before time to stop for lunch so Minsoo called a brief break so they could check back with Chanhee and go from there.

                “How you guys doing?” he asked, leaning in to see Chanhee smoothing out a damp cloth on Byunghyun’s forehead.  A quick look around showed he’d tidied the place up while they were busy but was now attending patiently to their injured friend.

                “Running a little hot but he’s responsive at least,” Chanhee managed, offering a shaky smile, though he managed to keep his voice steady.  “He didn’t actually wake up though I did get some water in him,” he promised tightly, swallowing once as he tugged at the light sheet lying over the mostly still form.

                “That’s good then!” Daniel exclaimed, peeking in the other side of the door so that his hair swayed gently from the motion.

                “Does that mean he’ll wake up soon?” Changhyun asked, using Minsoo’s shoulder as a prop to pull himself up enough to look over.

                “Possibly,” Chanhee nodded hesitantly with a bemused grin.  Minsoo glanced at the young man whose face was remarkably close to his and laughed once.

                “Oh…” Changhyun trailed off, stepping back and to the side so he could awkwardly peer between Daniel and Minsoo instead, completely unaware of Jonghyun giving him a wry smile behind him.

                Minsoo took that opportunity to lean in a bit further and nodded.  “We’ll poke around until about midday and if you’re up for it, we can switch out then, alright?”

                Chanhee’s smile in response was grateful.  “Thanks,” he agreed, relieved to be counted as useful beyond babysitting.

                “So are we splitting up now?” Daniel asked while he continued to lean in the doorway, the top of his head nearly brushing against Minsoo’s shoulder.

                “Yep.  Come on Changhyun,” Jonghyun urged, plucking the back of his shorter companion’s shirt and dragging him after slowly.

                “Yah!” he flailed, whipping around to wrench himself free with a startled laugh.

                “You two head upstairs,” Minsoo urged with a nod towards the second floor.  “Daniel and I will hit the shed and then the basement if time allows.”

                “Why are we going outside?” Daniel pouted, stealing into the room to snatch his golf club up and hold it close, both hands wrapped around the slender metal support.

                Minsoo just chuckled at the question before he gave the equally tall male a shove to get him moving.  His mouth tugged into an amused smile when Daniel yelped which almost hid the sound of Jonghyun breaking the leg off a chair to give Changhyun an improvised bludgeoning weapon for now.  “You’ll be fine,” he murmured as he tried to hide the still amused smile.  “Come on.  Maybe there will be something useful after all,” he sighed, heading for the back door on quiet feet so he could peek out the dusty window carefully.

                “Like what kind of useful?” Daniel asked while he hedged close, practically pressing up against Minsoo as he tried to look out the window too.  He grunted when the elder male nudged him in the stomach with a gentle elbow.

                “I guess we’ll find out,” Minsoo smirked before he opened the door in the quickly vacated space.

                “Jerk,” Daniel grumbled with a pout, though he stayed almost uncomfortably close when they stepped into the backyard with wary eyes, one hand brushing against Minsoo’s back lightly.

                Nothing much had changed since the other day: there were some tracks on the ground from the rats that had fled; the wreckage at the edge of the property line was somewhat disheveled from Jonghyun taking out the snake; and the shed itself was still mostly untouched.  Unfortunately, he ran into the same problem Byunghyun had the other day and he didn’t trust the pungent smell of what was likely gas on the inside.  Frowning at the structure, he stepped close to push at the roofing without moving into the interior.  The doorway was still propped open but he grinned as he realized the whole structure wasn’t as secure as it should be.

                “Daniel.  Help me lift this,” he urged, pushing at the edge of the roofing which gave when he tried.

                “Oh!” Daniel beamed, bouncing over to the other side to assist as best he could.

                It made a fair bit of noise when they managed to pry the ruffled piece of material off and they cringed at the same time, but eased up when nothing else moved in the vicinity except what was probably a disgruntled roach they barely noticed as it skittered away.  With the ceiling open, Minsoo poked his head inside and stepped back out to shudder, brushing at his arms reflexively.  “Spider,” he frowned in distaste, exhaling in a gusty sigh.  He had never minded the little ones so much; they were a pain but manageable.  These bastards were as big as his hand…

                “Kill it!” Daniel urged aggressively, holding his golf club back as if he was ready to hit something.

                “Give me a second would you?” Minsoo muttered, smoothing his hair down with his free hand as he readied his machete.  He could only hope there would be the one if nothing else.  Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the shed of possible terror.  If he hit a spider web, he would be so out of there.

                While there ended up being three spiders living in the general vicinity of each other, all sharing a massive roach between them, which had Daniel in near hysterics as he caught sight of it, the shed was relatively clean.  There was indeed a mostly empty gas can under the bottom shelves, but more importantly, Minsoo found a ransacked tool box that had a couple items still stored inside.  He left it to Daniel to paw through and continued poking around the interior cautiously.

                Between the two of them, they managed to find a couple interesting items to take back in the house, opting to discuss their spoils with the rest of the group as it was pretty much midday and neither really wanted to brave the basement yet.  Lunch brought them together with another update from Chanhee about Byunghyun drinking more but little else.  Jonghyun and a jumpy Changhyun could report to finding a chest in the attic that they’d need to unlock to see more of, but they’d left it alone in the meantime.

                After eating the last of the leftover snake, they split up again to tackle the rest of the house.  Jonghyun took Chanhee upstairs so the latter could try his hammer on the lock and Minsoo took a reluctant Daniel to the basement.  That left Changhyun looking in on Byunghyun when everyone split off.

                Chewing his bottom lip, Changhyun listened as the rest of the guys shifted out of sight and then focused his attention on the pale young man sleeping beside him.  He honestly looked like crap but the gentle rise and fall of his chest under the off color sheet accompanied by a tiny puff of air against his bare palm assured Changhyun that he was still alive.  Unable to help himself, he peeled back the sheet to blink at the awkwardly applied cloths that were meant to cover the wound.

                “Are you going to be okay?” he whispered at last, tugging at the nearest edge with a frown.  He gave up immediately when it stuck, likely caught on one of the scabs.  Changhyun bit his lip while he leaned closer to peer under the fabric as best he could, frowning when he just saw the edges of crusty scabs and angry colored skin.  At least it wasn’t yellow.

                Tentatively, he tested the piece of damp cloth on the sleeping man’s forehead with his bare palm and sighed.  It was warm and getting fairly dry.  A quick look around let him see the cup that Chanhee had partially filled nearby so that he wouldn’t have to tilt the entire container.  Good thinking.  He snatched the cloth and dunked it in the liquid, wringing it out before he placed it back on the sticky skin of his forehead.  His black hair was sort of clumped together and it needed to be brushed but Changhyun didn’t see a comb nearby.  Carefully, he leaned over to make sure no one was able to see him before he started carding his fingers through the rough strands, working out the worst knots.

                “You really don’t look like much of an angel, you know?” he sighed, recalling what Byunghyun had said his first words to him were.  “But I don’t think I’d be here if you hadn’t found me,” Changhyun admitted in a whisper, one hand untangling knots while the other drew the sheet back up to the smudged chin.  “Does that make you my angel then?” he asked with a tentative smile, feeling both stupid and rather pleased by the thought.

                Byunghyun didn’t respond, though Changhyun hadn’t expected him too.  He simply continued to lie like the dead, breathing one shallow breath after the next.  Changhyun frowned when he noticed his lips were really chapped right now and starting to crack.  That wasn’t good.  Shifting back to retrieve the glass of water from a moment ago, he stared at his fingers and huffed, trying to wipe the worst of the grime off on the sheet.  Better than nothing.  Using his mostly clean fingers, he dipped them in the water to smooth them over the dry skin carefully.

                “There,” he nodded with a smile, making a strangled sound in the back of his throat when he realized he didn’t even know if the water was particularly clean.  Gasping, Changhyun held it to his face and squinted into the liquid, dragging the candle over to get as good a look as possible.  It didn’t look like there was anything in it…  He exhaled plaintively and set both to the side before just looking at Byunghyun.  “Please wake up,” he urged quietly, extending his hand to rest his palm on top of Byunghyun’s through the sheet.  It felt weird not being able to touch his skin so he reached under to wrap his fingers around the unresponsive hand instead, holding tight.

                Another glance up to make sure that no one was nearby had Changhyun chewing his lip again.  He really didn’t know what else to do.  Was he doing something wrong maybe?  He knew that was a silly thought because there wasn’t really anything he could mess up but he remembered when he was scared or hadn’t been feeling well and their parents were busy or away like they usually were, Seunghyun had always held his hand and talked to him.  It was strange how he couldn’t remember anything he’d said but he would never forget the sound of his voice: deep and calm and unwavering.  He knew he couldn’t mimic it by any means but maybe words would be enough after all?

                Flinching from the sound of one of the guys moving something down below, Changhyun laughed at himself and held Byunghyun’s hand tighter.  Reassured they were still alone, he started to talk, keeping his voice low but constant.  He told Byunghyun about their dogs, Fancy and Jumper, the latter of which was too fat to do more than waddle.  He spoke of his favorite books, which he didn’t have anymore, and told the sleeper all about their plots just because he could.  He spoke of all the trouble he and his sister used to get into pestering Seunghyun.  Happy tears stained his cheeks before he knew it as he recounted how Seunghyun would tickle them until they cried, and then he couldn’t stop himself from crying as he saw how still Byunghyun remained.

                “I miss him,” he admitted softly, lying down to curl up next to the sleeper with a trembling bottom lip, his fingers still wrapped determinedly around the nearest hand.  “I barely even know you, so don’t make me miss you too,” he demanded pitifully, curling his other hand up under his chin to glare at Byunghyun’s profile with watery eyes.  A piece of hair stuck irritatingly to the skin of his temple and Changhyun couldn’t help but reach out to brush it away, snorting once.

                For a long moment, he studied the features of his face, eyes narrowed as he took in the almost delicate features, though he did have a strong jaw from this angle.  His nose was kind of pointy and his lips… and there was no reason for him to be looking this hard.  Frustrated by his own helplessness, Changhyun pushed himself up and took a deep breath.  How much time had gone by since the others had been gone?  He paused to listen and could vaguely make out the sound of Jonghyun and Chanhee above.  His eyes narrowed thoughtfully when he thought he caught a couple words from Minsoo or Daniel down below but it was impossible to understand completely.

                His eyes scanned the rest of the room and Changhyun decided he really didn’t like the way the closet was cracked.  He knew nothing was in there, since it had been thoroughly investigated already, but it bothered him.  Sighing to himself, Changhyun gathered his feet under him, getting ready to stand, but as soon as he tried to pull his hand free, he froze and blinked, certain he was feeling things.  Uncertainly, he stared at their hands under the blanket and gave a very gentle tug again, gasping in surprise when the tension remained firm.

                “Byunghyun?” he whispered, inspecting the unresponsive face hopefully.  Changhyun’s look turned skeptical when nothing changed but as soon as he lifted the sheet to see their hands, it was obvious that Byunghyun had curled his fingers around his as well.  He’d moved on his own!  The thought sent a strange bolt of joy through Changhyun and he allowed a smile to creep over his lips as he settled back in place again.  “Alright.  I’ll stay,” he promised, thinking it wouldn’t hurt him to leave the closet door cracked for a little longer indeed.  Wiping his still damp eyes with his other hand, he forced a small laugh and offered, “Would you like to hear about the time my cousin got stuck in a tree then?”

(a/n: Yay!  Got an update and just a little more fairly one-sided RickJoe time!  haha  I hope you've enjoyed it so far and thank you so much for reading!  Thank you and happy reading!)