Changhyun was overjoyed to be able to give the rest of his group the good news when they returned, pair by pair, though he had to wait.  Jonghyun was carrying the chest he’d originally discovered with him when he and Chanhee returned, a fact which earned him no small amount of grief from Minsoo, since he ‘could have fallen through the floor again’ with the added weight.

                “I would have had Chanhee help me but you didn’t want him putting too much weight on his ankle,” Jonghyun defended himself with a pout as he hung his head.

                “That’s not the point!” Minsoo huffed with a relieved and annoyed sigh.

                “Then you both might have fallen through the floor,” Daniel filled in helpfully, nodding along with his words.

                “Daniel!” Minsoo snapped before he deflated at the hurt look in his friend’s eyes.  He closed his eyes and forced a calming breath prior to speaking again.  “I’m just glad we’re all okay,” he murmured without looking at Byunghyun, trying to keep the mood positive.  Or at least patch it up so it didn’t decline any further.

                “About that!” Changhyun chimed in, a hesitant smile trying to appear despite the strange atmosphere.  All eyes turned to him and he flinched, not really expecting the immediate attention.

                “What’s up, Changhyun?” Chanhee prompted, settling beside the younger male in a comforting gesture.

                “Um… Byunghyun moved while you guys were out,” he explained as he lifted the covers to reveal their still clasped hands.  “Sort of,” he amended when it was only partially true.

                “Sort of?” Daniel frowned, confused by that.

                “He won’t let go will he?” Minsoo laughed once with a glance at them holding hands.

                Changhyun shook his head and shrugged helplessly.  “It’s getting sweaty,” he admitted with a slight grimace.

                “I’d imagine,” Minsoo agreed with a much lighter smile.  “But at least he responded.”

                “What did you do?” Chanhee asked, laying a light hand on Changhyun’s shoulder.

                “I just talked to him,” the younger male admitted, looking confused as to why that was a big deal.  “My brother used to hold my hand and talk to me when I wasn’t feeling good so I figured it couldn’t hurt,” he explained quietly.

                “You did just fine,” Chanhee smiled encouragingly, patting him reassuringly.

                “Oh,” Jonghyun murmured, squatting down to paw through the hastily opened chest.  “If you run out of things to say, you can try reading one of these,” he smiled, picking up a thin book from the interior and showing it off to the others.  ‘Mommy and Me.’

                “Children’s books?” Daniel asked, leaning close to get a better look in the dim light.

                “Some,” Jonghyun agreed though he frowned slightly when he looked at the contents again.

                Chanhee sighed and waved his hand.  “Looks like it was probably a memory box of some kind.  For their kids.  Whoever lived here before,” he murmured with a thoughtful expression.

                Minsoo looked between the two and even Daniel remained silent as the eldest leaned over to peer in the chest himself.  Stacks of photographs greeted him amidst the array of thin books, baby paraphernalia, and other such nick knacks that recalled them all of much happier times.  “Good find,” he whispered respectfully, reaching out to close the lid with a sense of reverence.  Few of them had any keepsakes left from before everyone died.  They had no use and were therefore left behind or tossed aside in light of carrying something for survival or practicality.  To find an entire container of such… memories struck home for them all.

                “How… how did the basement go?” Changhyun asked in a low voice, nervously trying to pry his hand free now so he could have the use of both limbs.

                Chanhee reached over to assist him and peeled the fingers back carefully, smiling wryly the entire time.  “He always has been tenacious.”

                Minsoo laughed lightly at the comment and Daniel opted to answer the original question.  “The really good stuff has already been taken but there were plenty of things worth salvaging with a bit of work and time,” he nodded, pumping his fist in a victory gesture.

                “Right.  And with him out for who knows how long, we might be able to actually utilize some of it,” Minsoo confirmed frowning slightly when he looked as if he was trying to remember something.  “Oh!  This,” he grinned, snagging the mostly empty sack they’d brought back up with them.  “Here,” he offered something to Changhyun, who frowned at it in confusion.

                “A pipe?” he asked with a curious head tilt while he accepted the slender, metallic rod that had a strange, curving end.

                Minsoo and Daniel shrugged at the same time while the latter explained, “There were some sink parts, I think, just lying around.  It’s not too heavy and it won’t break so it’s better than a wooden club,” he smiled, nodding towards the improvised weapon lying nearby.

                “And yes, we can give you a crash course in the basics of wielding it,” Minsoo chuckled at the worried expression on their companion’s face.

                “Clubs are easy,” Jonghyun confirmed with a dismissive wave of his hand.  “We taught him to use a hammer after all,” he winked as he pointed his thumb towards Chanhee.

                The elder male caught it almost too late and scoffed, “It’s pretty self-explanatory!”

                “Says the one who couldn’t hit a nail,” Daniel teased in amusement, promptly hiding behind Minsoo when Chanhee glared at him.

                Watching the way they interacted, Changhyun couldn’t help but smile as he scratched at his palm.  It really had been sweaty, but he didn’t want to pull his hand away in case Byunghyun thought he was leaving him.  He looked like he was sleeping easier now, so that was something.  He jumped when something Daniel said irritated Chanhee and the elder male shifted as if to smack him.

                “Easy guys,” Minsoo chided, holding them apart with a roll of his eyes.

                “Sorry,” Chanhee mumbled with a chagrined look on his face as he settled back. 

                “Me too,” Daniel huffed while he looked down at his lap where he was playing with his fingers.

                “It’s alright,” Minsoo urged between the two of them, forcing a smile as he regarded the group as a whole.  “We’ve got a pretty good thing set up for now and I know we’re all probably a bit more worn out than usual from the past couple days.”  Reluctantly, but almost unanimously, he saw nods from the rest of the group.  “Okay.  We all know what works for us for getting comfortable and winding down.  I’m going to go back and see if I can’t start working on some of those modifications we mentioned.  I will need a volunteer but the rest of you are free to do whatever.”  He hastily had to add, “As long as you’re with someone.”

                “Yes, dad,” Chanhee smiled wryly with a slow shake of his head.

                Changhyun was as surprised as the others when he found himself raising his hand.  “I’ll go with you.”

                “Really?” Minsoo asked reflexively, pursing his lips as soon as the word escaped.

                “Yes,” he nodded with a shrug before he picked up his new weapon.  “I feel like I haven’t really been able to do much so I’d like to help if I can.”

                Chanhee grinned and ruffled his hair before capturing him in a hug.  “Oh, you’re so cute!”

                When Changhyun’s eyes got really big as he looked for some sort of explanation, Minsoo chuckled and added, “It can be hard to find volunteers sometimes.”

                “Ah,” Changhyun nodded in understanding, relaxing marginally as he started to smile sheepishly when Chanhee took a moment to let go.

                “Here.  Make sure you guys take some water before you go,” Jonghyun urged, handing off his hard leather canteen.

                “Thanks,” Minsoo grinned, accepting the token before he offered a hand to help Changhyun up.  “Come on.  We’re heading for the basement.  It’s safe enough if we close the door behind us and block the hole,” he promised.  “Call me if something comes up, alright?” he paused to look around the rest of the group and they dutifully nodded in response.

                Changhyun honestly had no idea what he was getting into, but at least he was able to help with the task Minsoo had in mind.  When the elder male explained Byunghyun’s shin guards, it wasn’t hard to piece together where he was going with it, but none of them had adopted the practice wholesale because it was damnably uncomfortable and they could all attest to how marked up their companion’s limbs were from having to adjust them from the slung together materials he’d managed.  In the basement, Minsoo and Daniel had located a fair bit of that tubing material from the automatic dryer and the best find ever: duct tape.

                Minsoo could cut the tubing open with his machete to make it adjustable to all of their legs and they could then reinforce the inside with padding from the cloth in the closets upstairs and support the outside with the wood and debris Byunghyun would have used himself.  Likewise, he also admitted the closet was an excellent source to raid to simply repair their own ragged stores of clothes.  Changhyun was highly amused when the elder male seemed rather delighted upon finding a mostly used box of large trash bags.

                “Improvised ponchos,” he grinned, holding the box next to his head like a commercial ad.

                “Seriously?” Changhyun giggled, having a hard time envisioning it for a second.

                “Yeah.  Cut a hole in the top and the corners for your head and your arms and tada!” he posed again for effect.

                “I see!” Changhyun nodded in understanding, pausing when they both heard the sound of hammering above them.

                “What are they up to now?” Minsoo frowned, listening.  With a shrug, he disregarded the sound and continued his search, adding the find of a spool of thin wire to his collection.  “Just as good as rope,” he explained at the curious look from Changhyun.

                Changhyun nodded at the confirmation and then frowned when he noticed a container of something sitting on the shelf.  It looked vaguely familiar and when he approached, stepping out of the way so Minsoo’s flickering light could reach it, he brushed the blue toned side off and chirped in surprise.  “Crisco.  Minsoo,” he called, grabbing the can to pull it free, except his fingers brushed something sticky at the back and he jumped away with a muted squawk, flailing in place frantically as he brushed at his hands.

                “What?!” Minsoo cried, jerking around with his machete drawn.

                “Spider web,” Changhyun whined as he finally got a hold of himself and exhaled.

                “Is there a spider too?” Minsoo asked, looking between the boy and the spot he’d jumped away from.

                “I don’t know,” he admitted in a hushed whisper.  “I didn’t check…”

                “Aish,” Minsoo snorted before he shifted close to nudge the container out of the way, grimacing when he did so.  “Yep…”  His confirmation resulted in Changhyun doing another shorter spider dance while Minsoo angled the tip of his blade through the space to stab the eight legged critter with a shudder inducing crunch.  He cringed at the sound and groaned, “I hate it when they do that.”  He retracted the weapon to show the large arachnid curled around the tip of his weapon like some hellish claw.

                “Yah!” Changhyun gasped upon seeing it relatively up close, taking a step back.  “It’s huge,” he whispered in a horrified tone.  He’d heard about them plenty but hadn’t had much chance to see one up close.  Now he kind of wished he hadn’t.

                “Yeah.  And a pain in the ,” Minsoo muttered as he found an edge to free it from his weapon.  “Now what were you calling about?” he asked, returning to the topic at hand.

                “Huh?  Oh.  The Crisco can,” he pointed meaningfully, reluctant to get close to it again.

                “What about it?” Minsoo asked, not seeing the significance.

                “You can turn it into a candle if there’s anything in it,” he explained.  “We just need a bit of string and it’ll work,” he nodded, gesturing again when Minsoo raised a brow at him.

                “That’s not an old wife’s tale?” he asked, retrieving the tub to take a peek inside, stepping away from the shelves as he did so.

                “I’ve never actually tried but it should work.  Can’t hurt to give it a shot,” he shrugged, standing on tip toe to see inside if he could.

                “Eh.  Might as well,” Minsoo conceded with a nod, smacking the lid back in place before he handed it off to Changhyun.  “Your idea.  Your candle,” he winked, taking one last quick look around the place before he nodded to himself and gathered their spoils to head back upstairs.

                Once there, they discovered that Chanhee and Daniel were busy working on dismantling some of the larger pieces of furniture for smaller pieces to work with.  “Hey guys,” Daniel waved when he noticed them first, jerking back with a yelp as Chanhee knocked another beam from the back of the most recent chair.

                “What are you guys up to?” Minsoo asked as he held his goods close with one arm and the light in the other.  “And where’s Jonghyun?”

                Chanhee answered the first question quickly as he explained, “There are plenty of clothes upstairs as well and I figured we could make protective gear by sewing, well, stuff between them.  Mostly wooden bits and such but in a fight it would help.  I think.”

                “No.  That’s good,” Minsoo nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed.  “Sew with what though?” he asked, considering they didn’t have a needle or thread.

                “There was a small kit hiding in the bottom of the chest actually,” Daniel explained with a glance at the room.  “And Jonghyun’s laying down,” he added as he tapped his ribs with a frown.  “He thinks he’s invincible some days,” he rolled his eyes before he picked up the plank and shuffled over to drag the side table to Chanhee next.

                “Aish,” the eldest sighed.

                “Did he hurt himself again?” Changhyun asked in concern.

                “He overdid it with carrying the chest by himself,” Minsoo explained, gesturing for Changhyun to follow while they stepped in to check on the two in the room.

                With a glance at Minsoo, Changhyun knew he wasn’t the only one to experience a slow smile at seeing the two young men on the bed.  Byunghyun hadn’t moved at all, as far he could see, but Jonghyun was balled up next to him like Changhyun had been earlier, his hands lightly curled and resting gently against the other male’s arm.  “He must have been tired,” Changhyun murmured as he set the can of Crisco down and drifted over to tug the curtain they’d turned into a makeshift blanket over his form.

                With all members accounted for and plenty to do between them, the rest of the day passed quickly.  The only injuries to report by the time they settled in for a dinner of cold canned food were the splinters Chanhee and Daniel earned for their efforts and the nicks and scrapes on Minsoo and Changhyun’s hands from their endeavors.  Minsoo kept casting curious glances at his brother but Jonghyun slept through most of the rest of the afternoon and he let him.  Changhyun realized he would just have the first watch if nothing else.

                Rather surprisingly, a persistent Chanhee was able to rouse Byunghyun enough to drink some water on his own and get a couple bites of food in him before he sort of faded back into unconsciousness.  “It’s a start,” he smiled, feeling their injured friend’s forehead with the backs of his fingers and nodding to himself.  “He’s not warm anymore which is definitely good.”

                “When do you think he’ll wake up?” Changhyun asked intently, looking at Byunghyun as if in doing so, it would rouse him right then and there.

                They all shrugged uncertainly.  “I really can’t say.  None of us are doctors after all.”  His expression flickered then, just the barest hint of change before it was gone, but his mood was dampened slightly.

                “She taught you well,” Minsoo reached out to comfort Chanhee, placing a hand on his nearest knee.  The younger male nodded weakly and both glanced over at Jonghyun who needed to eat as well.  Taking a breath, Minsoo leaned the other direction and swatted his brother’s thigh, the sound muted by the fabric.

                “Yah!” Jonghyun yelped, sitting upright with bleary eyes as he tried to figure out what happened.

                Daniel snickered at the response and even Changhyun had a hard time keeping a straight face when Minsoo explained, “Dinner time.”

                “Okay,” the youngest mumbled, wiping at his eyes with both hands, rather unflustered by the rude awakening.

                “Here,” Chanhee offered a half can of green beans to the sleepy male who took it without complaint and dutifully started eating it with his fingers, careful about the rough edges.  They never had been able to find a good can opener yet.

                With Minsoo calling out watch arrangements and done rationing out the water, the group was more than ready to call it a night.  They were unused to staying in one place for any length of time but the extra bit of work they’d been doing had made all of them more than ready for rest.  Minsoo’s shift was in the middle of the evening, after Chanhee’s but before Daniel’s, and he was just grateful for another uneventful evening when he went to wake the latter up, taking his place on the bed beside Byunghyun with Changhyun on the far side, furthest from the door.  He would have the last watch in the morning.

                As he moved to settle in, he couldn’t help but notice the way Byunghyun had turned towards the younger male slightly.  Minsoo scratched his cheek thoughtfully and waited for Daniel to leave and everyone else to settle back into undisturbed sleep as he stared at the ceiling, more wide awake than he cared to be.  Eventually, when his eyes were starting to get heavy again, he felt the bed shift slightly and heard the sound of someone breathing in a manner that didn’t mimic sleep.

                “Byunghyun?” he murmured softly, wondering if the male was coming around this time instead of the forced half-consciousness Chanhee had been able to get out of him earlier.

                “Mmm,” was the only muted response he got.  Well, that and another bit of slight shifting as he sort of inched into a different position.

                “You awake?” Minsoo asked to confirm, well aware he could just be answering based on partial consciousness.

                A deep breath followed by a quiet, “Yeah,” assured him he really was coming around.

                “Welcome back,” Minsoo murmured as he reached a hand to squeeze Byunghyun’s arm lightly, the contact warm and reassuring.

                “How long?” Byunghyun whispered, groaning when he lifted a hand to touch his face.  He was probably still pretty sore.

                “All day,” Minsoo supplied to his companion’s annoyance.

                “Feh…” he muttered darkly and exhaled, now trying to stay as still as possible.

                “You doing alright?” the eldest asked, though he knew the answer already.

                “No.”

                Well that was a surprise.  He’d certainly been expecting a yes.  “You’re not ‘fine’?” he gently prodded, knowing it was just as likely to get a cutting response as anything else.  But he figured the other male’s usual guards might be down more than usual, all things considered.  It was a low blow, but Minsoo was getting rather tired of hearing that statement from him when he clearly wasn’t.

                “Maybe tomorrow,” Byunghyun grumbled wearily, most of the fight still lying in front of the fireplace likely.

                Minsoo took a small breath and rolled onto his side so he could better face the shorter male’s direction.  “Why do you always say that?”

                “Maybe tomorrow?” Byunghyun asked in confusion.

                “No,” Minsoo chuckled once.  “That you’re fine.”  For a long moment, he didn’t get any sort of response but he did feel Byunghyun still beside him.  By that alone, he knew the other man was thinking long and hard about what he might or might not say.

                “Because she told me I would be,” he finally admitted in a voice so low Minsoo almost didn’t hear him.  “So I am.  I have to be,” he murmured with a curiously odd voice.

                “Your mom?” the eldest asked carefully, reaching a cautious hand to find Byunghyun’s arm again and press down lightly.  Minsoo was about to ask if he wanted to talk about it when he was surprised again.

                “Dad was among the first to die.”  His tone was bleak and resigned.  “Weak heart.  Accidental friendly fire on the base he was stationed left him crippled so they discharged him.  He never got better.”  There was latent anger there but it was the only emotion that emerged from his otherwise dead tone.  “Sickness hit the cripples like him first.”  Bitterness now and he sniffed softly, trying to be discrete.

                Minsoo dare not speak for fear of breaking whatever spell it was that was making Byunghyun speak.  But he did tighten his hold in silent support.  He was not alone in losing people he loved but he was the only that had not shared their passing and Minsoo’s heart felt for him.

                “My sister couldn’t make it home.  She was studying abroad.  Flights were canceled.  Never did see her again,” he explained in short sentences, his tone clipped and strained.  “Mom…”  His voice trailed off and Minsoo felt him shift again with both hands sliding inward.  He got the impression he was clasping his hands or hugging himself.  It was too dark to see either way.  “Didn’t try to run.  Faced it head on.”  There was a sad sort of pride in his tone then, when it wasn’t drowning in the near tears he wouldn’t shed.  “Watched her waste away to nothing.  Held her hand to the end.  ‘You’ll be fine,’ she whispered.  ‘You’re strong,’ she said.”

                “Byunghyun,” Minsoo whispered then, unsure of what else to say.

                Byunghyun sniffed once again and his hand blindly sought Minsoo’s in the dark.  “Did you watch them suffocate when their lungs just stopped working?” he asked in that dead, unfeeling tone again that told Minsoo he hurt so much more beneath the false control.

                Despite the fact he knew the other man was still injured, Minsoo pulled him into his arms anyway and held Byunghyun against his chest where the finally worn down young man could muffle his cries against the fabric.  “I’m sorry,” Minsoo whispered as he simply held him and felt the slender frame shake in his embrace while bony, fiercely strong fingers clung to his shirt with dread tenacity.  “I’m so sorry,” he offered again.

                At least they had been spared that.  Had either of his parents said anything to him in their final moments, he might have done almost anything to make it a truth too.  But they hadn’t.  They’d simply all gone to sleep one night and only he and his brother woke up the next morning.  That had been bad, but what Byunghyun had gone through…

                He waited until the shorter male started to collect himself and pull away, a gentle refutation of the embrace.  Already, he was trying to put his defenses back up.  The thought made Minsoo smile and he was glad the other couldn’t see it.  “Here.  You should have some water,” he urged, feeling blindly behind him for where the waterskin Daniel had was resting.

                “Thanks,” Byunghyun murmured, taking a small sip.

                “Another,” Minsoo chided him, listening to be sure he did.  Stubborn.  “You should get some more rest,” he whispered after a moment, taking the waterskin and setting it aside once more.

                “I’ve slept long enough,” the still injured male denied quickly.

                “You’re still healing.  Besides, if you got up now, you’d probably wake Changhyun up,” he added slyly, waiting to hear what sort of response that would get him.

                “Fine,” Byunghyun muttered in reluctant acceptance before he pointedly turned his back on Minsoo by the sound of him shuffling in place.

                Minsoo knew he wasn’t going to be facing him just then, which also made him smile.  Almost on a whim, he tossed out the question, “Do you like him?”  When he received no immediate response, he knew it wasn’t a no.  When he received no response at all in the next several breaths, it was as good as saying yes and he wasn’t entirely too sure what to do with that information.  Eventually, he conceded it was between Byunghyun and Changhyun and left it at that.  It didn’t change what they needed to do later on that day, or any day after for that matter.  “Rest Byunghyun,” he whispered instead, giving up on sleep himself.  After Byunghyun’s story, he’d probably just have bad dreams anyway.

(a/n: Finally!  An update and the answer to why our Byunghyun tries to be so strong all the time.  T_T  Yes, I'm trying to get creative with all the things they can play with while they're dismantling the house that might make their position easier when they start moving on as well.  Thank you for reading and for being patient and please look forward to the next update!)