Jinki never returned to the veterinary clinic, after all he had no reason for it and besides he wanted to avoid Minho anyway, what had happened that day was fresh in his memory and Jinki did not know how to react to it.

Minho tried to kiss him, he said he wanted to love him and...

He shook his head ruffling his own hair, Jinki could not stop thinking about Minho, could not keep his heart beating faster when he thought of Minho. Why now? Why him?

Jinki did not believe in that kind of thing, he never believed and why now Minho is breaking all the barriers he had built around himself? Why?

He could not falter, not now, if he gives himself to Minho, if he lowered his guard, for sure Minho would do like his mother did, he would leave him without even saying goodbye. Jinki could not go through it again, he could not bear it again.

And so it was that Jinki resolved never to see Minho again, never to return to that clinic was the best decision. These mixed feelings would fade with time.

Jinki crossed the street thoughtful when bumped against Taemin who was dragging his feet while crossing the street.

"Taemin-ssi?"

"Oh, hello Jinki-ssi." He said with a smile a little forced.

"Hello, are you all right?"

Taemin shook his head and began to cross the street, Jinki followed him and they both stopped on the other side, in front of the veterinary clinic.

"Not really, Minho is sick, he apparently caught my cold and now he is on bed."

"Is he okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Not much, he can't be alone so my sister is with him, but she is so annoying and poor hyung, he should be suffering with she there."

Jinki's eyes widened. "H-he can't be alone? So it's something serious?"

"Not much, just a fever and stuff."

"Oh, I'm sorry for him."

Taemin smiled suddenly making Jinki narrow eyes, the smile seemed a child would do something bad. "You could go there to visit him and save him from my sister, you know. He's probably trying to get some sleep and she can't stop talking and, oh, she is terrible cook, he should not even be feeding right. I would go there if I didn't have to open the clinic." He said nodding.

Jinki blinked looking at Taemin, the boy was suggesting that he was visiting Minho and take care of him? Oh no, no way.

"I can't, I need to... do some things."

"Oh, that's a shame, I'm sure he would be happy and would improve faster if you were there, because, you know, he likes you and everything."

Jinki gasped coughing and Taemin smiled even more. "W-what?"

"Don't pretend you did't know that Jinki-ssi, hyung is quite obvious when it comes to showing his feelings. He likes you since he saw you walking right here in front of the clinic one day. "

"He saw?"

"Yes, and since that day he would not stop talking about you, you must realize how happy he was after you left here that day you brought Dubu?"

Jinki blinked a little shocked. Minho liked him?

Suddenly Minho's words came back to his mind. 'It's hard not to notice you Jinki-ssi.'

Sighing he looked at Taemin who looked back at him expectantly. "I'm really busy, so sorry, I must go." He said turning and leaving without waiting for a response from Taemin.

He could not do it, he could not give himself like that, he could not... let his feelings out, he could not.

The door opened and Taemin looked up from his phone, a smile appearing on the boy's lips. "Jinki-ssi."

"Okay, what is his address?"

Taemin laughed and wrote the address on a piece of paper handing Jinki. "Not far from here, ten minutes train and you're there."

Jinki nodded putting the paper in his pocket and thanking Taemin left the clinic. Maybe he had to go to the library to do some research, but that could wait.

The door opened and Jinki blinked shocked, or Taemin had teleported or he had a twin sister.

"You're Lee Jinki?"

He nodded slowly still shocked at the girl standing in front of him. "Y-yeah."

"My brother called telling that you were coming."

"What?"

She smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything to oppa."

"Ah."

"I'm Lee Taeyeon, as you can see Taemin's twin sister, but much prettier, of course."

Jinki smiled nodding, the two seemed so much so that the only difference between them was a tiny skirt that Taeyeon was wearing. Minho is gay, right? Because he was a little worried now.

"So you will come in or not? I'm kind of dying to get out of here, ugh, Minho is handsome and all, but take care of a sick person is not really for me." She said rolling her eyes.

"Oh okay, I'll..."

"Great, so... good luck there." She said sliding out of the house putting her boots in and leaving.

Before even Jinki close his mouth Taeyeon had gone down the street and he stood there at the door without knowing much to do. Maybe it would be better if he had brought something to Minho eat, a soup or something, or some medicine.

Jinki sighed entered and closing the door, he stood there not knowing where to go, not knowing what to do. The smell of something burning caught his attention and following the smell Jinki entered in the kitchen, the thick drops that looked like from a soup ran down the pan dripping on the stove and hence the burning smell.

Running until there he lowered the fire and smiled when he saw all those things boiling, smell good up in the air, he took the egg that was beside the stove and put it there waiting to finish cooking.

Humming to himself Jinki grabbed the bowl that probably Taeyeon had left and as soon as the soup was ready, he put it in the bowl.

Taemin had said that his sister could not cook, or an angel had been there and cooked everything or Taemin was a big liar.

Jinki just chuckled putting things on the table, now he just needed to find Minho and bring him to the kitchen to eat a little bit.

"Minho-ssi?"

The sound of someone coughing traveled down the hallway and Jinki followed, Minho was sitting on the bed and Jinki sighing, the doctor looked so tired and worn.

"Minho-ssi?"

Minho jumped in bed looking up scared. "Jinki-ssi?" He said hoarse more than normal.

"Hey, I... hm... came here to take care of you?"

"You came?"

"Yeah, you know, Taemin told me you were sick and Taeyeon... well, she needed to leave, so I came."

Minho blinked for a few seconds. "You're really here, or am I dreaming?"

Jinki smiled, Minho dreamed of him? No, wait, he can't be thinking of these things now, he was just there to take care of the doctor, that's all.

"I'm here and Taeyeon made soup, spicy tofu soup."

"Oh, you're really here." He said smiling.

"Do you need help go to the kitchen?"

Minho stood up slowly and sighed when he finally stood straight. "No, I can go by myself."

Jinki nodded and followed behind Minho who walked slowly, but went to the kitchen sitting at the table.

"Wow, that smells really good. Although I hardly smell it, since my nose is stuffy." He said with a shrug and sniff to prove his point.

"You know, there's an ointment that you put in your chest before going to sleep that helps with that."

"Really?" He asked sipping the broth from the spoon and making a cute expression when he felt the taste of the soup.

Jinki smiled watching Minho eat, how a man could look so manly and... yeah, hot and seem like a cute child at the same time?

"You're staring."

He blinked back to reality and realizing he was there looking like a fool. "F-forgive me."

Minho laughed. "You'll not eat too?"

"Hm? Oh no, I'm fine."

"Please eat hyung."

Jinki turned a bright shade of red when that word rolled off Minho's lips. Hyung, hyung? He was Minho's hyung?

"Hyung?" He whispered still a bit stunned.

"You told me you was born in 89, right?"

"Yes."

"I was born in 91, so you're my hyung." He said smiling brightly.

"Oh."

"So, you are going to eat with me hyung?" He asked blinking cute.

"I..."

"Should I give to you?" He asked lifting the spoon toward Jinki.

"Oh no, I'm not really hungry Minho-yah." He said sheepishly.

Minho smiled. "You're really cute." He said putting another spoonful into his mouth.

Jinki was still redder and Minho laughed again continuing to eat the soup.

"So why did you come here hyung?"

"I told you, Taemin told me you were sick."

"And you decided to come here? Even after having spent all these days doing nothing but ignoring me? "

"I was not ignoring you."

Minho's eyes narrowed and Jinki sighed.

"Okay, maybe I was, but because... you know... after that day I..."

"I scared you."

Jinki nodded. "A little. Can I be honest with you?"

"That's all I want."

"You remember what I told you about my mother?"

"Of course."

"So after she left I began to see that love was not true, that people said to love, but it was a lie. So I never believed in love, never believed anyone could love and be loved, everybody lies."

Minho sighed. "You can't put the blame on everyone else for something one person did. I don't know why your mother did it and I will not try to defend her also, but only because she was wrong doesn't mean that no one will love you. Your grandmother, I'm sure she loved you."

"Maybe." He said with a shrug. "But even so, I stopped believing and started to avoid people touching me more than necessary."

"You never loved?"

"N-no."

"So you never had a date or kissed anyone?"

Jinki lowered his head in shame. "No."

"Hey, hyung."

He lifted his head and saw that Minho was smiling softly at him. "Y-yeah?"

"I'll rephrase my question then. Let me teach you about what love is, let me show you what love is and that you can be happy with me."

"Minho-yah..."

"We can start slow, okay? I will not press you and I will not go anywhere, you can take your time, I'll wait."

Jinki smiled and nodded, anyway he likes Minho and after thirteen years alone, he deserves that chance, he deserves to try to be happy.

"Okay."

Minho almost jumped in the chair of happiness and Jinki laughed with his enthusiasm. "Can I hold your hand?" He asked reaching for Jinki.

Jinki looked at Minho's hand on the table and bit his lip nervously. It's not as if he had never held in someone's hand, it was only now it was different, this hand was the hand of the man who liked him and he liked back, it was the hand of the man who said he would wait for him.

Shyly he put his hand on Minho's who closed his fingers squeezing Jinki's hands lightly. The doctor's hand was soft but slightly calloused, fingers were long and thin and a bit too hot – probably because of the fever – totally different from his fingers were short and thick. Hands seemed to fit.

"One step at a time, okay?"

He looked once more into the hands of them together and then looked at Minho who smiled at him so sweetly that Jinki realized that yes, he could be given the chance to love and be loved, he want it.

"Okay.

It had been two months now that Jinki was officially dating Minho, things were progressing slowly just the way the doctor had said, now they hold hands and they hugged too.

They were sitting on the couch of the Jinki's apartment, Minho's arm was resting on his shoulders as his fingers caressed the skin over the thin fabric of the shirt that Jinki wore. He looked to the side looking at Minho who was watching the movie that was playing on the television and stared at the lips of the doctor, what if they kissed?

Minho looked at him and smiled. "What?"

"I'm just thinking."

"What is that?" He asked looking at the television again and frowning with something that was going on.

"Minho-yah."

"Hm?"

Jinki was silent and Minho looked at him with a worried expression. "Something wrong?"

"Kiss Me."

Minho smiled and did just that.

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An epilogue is coming, wait for it. (•ˇ‿ˇ•)