Chapter Text
Rang didnt sleep properly through the night since he had gotten to the apartment.
and Yeon, who seemed to be the most uninterested of all, was actually keeping track of all this.
Yeon’s room shared a wall with Rang’s, so he heard every sob, sniffle, sneeze, growl and thud.
It was already the third night in a row of Lee Rang not sleeping, and Yeon had enough. Lee Rang was already malnourished, injured from head to toe, and completely shut out to the world around him. If he stopped sleeping the way he was now- Rang wouldn’t survive.
Yeon got up, throwing on a light jacket before making his way to Yuri’s room and Shinjoo’s room.
He woke them both up, gathering at the entrance and exiting through the front door- as loudly as they all could.
Lee Rang heard them leave, and immediately came out of his room to scour the apartment in case someone stayed.
Those three would sit in the car outside the apartment, quietly watching Rang through home surveillance. It was mostly Lee Yeon and Yuri in charge of watching- Shinjoo had been long gone the moment he laid down in the backseat.
The younger boy moved throughout the rooms, his ears flat on his head as he digged around the closets, seemingly looking for something. Yeon raised an eyebrow, watching closely as his brother basically pulled all his clothes out of Yeon’s closet.
His eyes widened as he saw his old robe in Rang’s hands. It was his old traditional wear- from when he was still a mountain god. Yeon watched as his younger brother splayed out his robes on the floor of the closet, and slowly settled down to sleep.
The oldest was speechless.
Yuri explained to Yeon that it was definitely Lee Rang’s instincts. Rang had been especially wary of Yeon since he got to the apartment. He didnt remember them, but as they watched him on the cameras, they became sure this was habitual.
Rang was seeking comfort- and he found it in his Hyung’s clothes, finally falling asleep to his familiar scent.
It had been quite the night.
When the trio came back in to the apartment, Rang was right where they left him.
Yeon pretty much almost broke the doorknob trying to make their entrance as noticeable as possible, and it worked- they soon saw Lee Rang drag the robes away into his room and shut the door.
Yeon and Yuri felt a bit better that Rang had been able to rest for nearly eight hours. Definitely process.
The older fox felt calm enough to take a quick nap, even if the mess in his room made by his little brother drove him crazy.
Yuri however, had a much harder time resting.
She spent nearly every second of the day watching Rang’s door, hoping that the boy would regain his memories and trust her with taking care of him..but all she could do was watch from the outside..
They had planned for Shinjoo to sedate Rang again to treat the remaining injuries on his body- most of them were closed, but there was no telling if they would be infected, as the younger fox had not been properly cleaned up yet for the sake of not shocking him.
The problem with that plan came the moment Shinjoo opened Lee Rang’s door-
and found the boy choking on his breaths.
Sobs wracked through his body as his eyes darted desperately. His small figure convulsing and his arms nearly bleeding from scratching at them- his neck in the same condition.
Shinjoo knew he couldn’t scream for help. It would absolutely worsen Rang’s condition.
He approached the younger very slowly, but also hastily. Agile on his feet- until he realized how gone Lee Rang’s stare looked. As if Rang wasn’t there- or aware of anything around him.
Shinjoo’s eyes widened.
“Lee Yeon-nim!” He shouted urgently, dropping to his knees next to the younger fox almost immediately. His hands planting themselves on the smaller’s shoulders to keep him from hurting himself any further.
Rang wasn’t present.
His eyes dull as they stared into nothing, his mouth opening and closing with every silent cry that left his tattered lungs.
Yeon rushed into the room, falling on his knees besides his little brother.
“Whats going on with him?!” He asked, panic slowly bleeding into his voice, examining his brother with his own two eyes- the scratches, the inability to breathe and the very, very quiet mumbling that came through between the silent sobbing. He could clearly make out the younger almost begging- ‘no’ ‘please’ over and over.
Shinjoo looked at the pair of brothers, hearing the way Rang’s heart nearly raced out of his chest.
“Hug him” he whispered in disbelief.
Shinjoo didnt exactly know what the reasoning behind that suggestion could be, but it just felt right. Especially with what they saw earlier through cameras.
Yeon eyed the door, before swiftly taking his baby brother in his arms. He firmly held his head with his left arm, and wrapped his right arm around the younger’s back, mindful of his injuries.
He guided Rang’s head into his shoulder, by his neck.
Smell.
Whatever this was- Yeon had the same hunch Shinjoo did. Smell must play a part in getting Rang to come back to them.
Yeon held Rang firmly in place, making sure the younger could feel the older’s chest rising and falling against his own- to try to get him to copy.
“Come on..breathe..” Yeon whispered softly, a worried look making itself at home in Lee Yeon’s eyes.
Shortly after, the oldest felt Rang’s heart slow, his body slowly relax as his erratic breaths became more stable- the younger’s eyes now closed.
Yeon didnt dare move.
“A flashback..what Lee Rang-nim just went through was a trauma flashback- I have no idea what triggered him” Shinjoo explained, his voice exasperated as he tried to find the trigger to the flashback.
Yeon filed away the information for later, focusing on his baby brother who was now resting in his arms. They didnt hug very often- but Yeon could tell how much weight the younger had lost compared to the other times they’ve hugged.
He noticed how long the younger boy’s nails were, and how his skin had dulled from not bathing. Rang’s skin had been sensitive his entire life, especially after the fire in the mountain- so Yeon was certain his skin itched him like crazy. It would explain the scratches all over him.
“I have to bathe him..” He mumbled mindlessly, looking over at Shinjoo.
“Could you sedate him for the treatment? Im going to bathe him, and then you can dress his wounds. I think he would be more at peace if hes cleaned up” Yeon stated, his eyes casting down to the boy in his lap.
Shinjoo nodded, carefully administering the sedatives to Lee Rang, and leaving to draw the water for the younger’s bath.
Yuri walked into the room, her hair messy and face disheveled. She was so exhausted, she had slept through everything.
She watched Yeon holding Rang against him, a small smile creeping onto her chapped lips.
Even if it was only possible due to him being sedated, the fact that Rang was being taken care of still brought comfort to Yuri.
She knew, that this is all Lee Rang had ever wanted from his Hyung.