“I’m going to leave.”

Jackson looked up from the video game he was playing and laughed, “Well, yeah,” he said, “This isn’t your apartment.”

Jaebum shook his head and plopped down on the couch next to his friend, “No, I mean I’m leaving. Like, a trip. For a week,” Jackson paused his game and Jaebum continued, “It’s just to visit my parents.”

The blond man sighed, “You’re so lucky your parents live in Korea. Do you want me to house-sit for you and stuff?”

It took less than two seconds for Jaebum to decide he trusted Jackson with everything except looking after his flat. “No.” Jaebum smiled, “But if you know a good cat-sitter, that would be great. I don’t want Nora dying on me while I’m gone.” He thought for a moment, “You know, I might need to have like a hired cat-sitter from now on. Since I got that new job, I’ve heard the company likes sending their employees on trips.”

Jackson scoffed, “You and your fancy job. What do you think I do, hang around old cat ladies all day? I mean, Youngjae could do it, but that guy’s allergic to everything that exists.”

Wait a second—“Are you saying I’m an old cat lady?”

The blond’s expression turned strikingly serious, “Yes.” He resumed his game, only to jump up and pause it again a minute later, “Wait! I actually might know someone! There’s this guy, Mark’s room-mate—”

“—Mark?” Jaebum questioned. There were only a handful of guys with English names in Korea, and Jackson somehow knew all of them.

“You know,” Jackson wiggled his eyebrows suggestively until they almost grazed the edge of his snapback, “Mark.” Ah, yes. Mark. “Anyway, his name’s Jinhyun or something and he’s a vet, I think. A real cat person. I could ask if you want next time I’m over there.”

Perfect. Nora was always Jaebum’s top priority whenever he vacationed, so maybe this new guy could become a regular cat-sitter. He’d once enlisted Jackson’s high-school age, money-hungry friends Yugyeom and BamBam (seriously, where did Jackson meet these people?) and it had ended in flames. That is, there was an actual fire. “Would you mind? I’d be gone from the fifth through the eleventh.”

“Fifth through the eleventh, gotcha. Now get me a drink or something. It’s the least you could do if you’re deserting me for a week.”

Jaebum had all his bags packed and had checked his luggage list at least five times. His parents didn’t live extremely far away; however, his mother would give him a hard time if even one pair of socks were forgotten. Nora was curled up on top of his suitcase. Cute. He was going to miss her. The only reason he hadn’t left ten minutes ago was because the cat-sitter was late to go over formalities like pay or feeding. When the buzzer finally rang, Jaebum opened the door to a sight he was not expecting.

The boy looked about sixteen. Surely he was not in college. He was tall, though, with wide eyes and an awkward expression. Jaebum was ironically reminded of a cat. “Hi, I’m Park Jinyoung,” Oddly, he had the same name as Jaebum’s boss. His voice was filled with obviously fake excitement, “Are you Im Jaebum?”

Jaebum nodded and gestured to the cat on his suitcase, “And this is Nora,” Interestingly enough, Nora was not a friendly cat. In fact, she hated most people besides Jaebum. But when Jinyoung gasped and immediately knelt down to pick up Nora —his Nora, his baby—she didn’t seem to have any problem with it and purred softly in Jinyoung’s arms.

The boy made a kissy face at Nora (disgusting, only Jaebum could do that) and said, “Aw, she’s so friendly and sweet!” Neither of those adjectives were ones Jackson had used before regarding Nora, and the blond had many scratches as justification.

“…Sure.” Jaebum should have left twenty minutes ago. “Now I really have to get going, so I’m just going to run through everything first. Here’s a key, and I made a checklist that has my number on it in case something’s wrong,” he handed Jinyoung a spare key and a lengthy sheet of paper, “Also, there’s an envelope with money for you on the counter. Feed her twice a day, no baths, she’s an indoor cat so don’t let her on the landing, if you want to play with her she likes feather toys the best, and—”

“—Woah, I’m only checking in on her once a day. Sorry, but I can’t just drop everything and live here for the week,” Jinyoung interrupted Jaebum, his full attention still on Nora. “Look, I’m in training to be a vet. You can trust me. I probably have more qualifications than you, at least,” Jaebum hadn’t been such a sweet-talker earlier, but this guy was borderline rude, “If you want, I’ll text you a CSA every morning.”

“‘CSA’?”

“‘Cat Still Alive.’” He must have noticed Jaebum’s skepticism, because he continued, “Oh, come on, if you’re this worried then just take her with you.”

Jaebum sighed and gripped his suitcase handle. “Unfortunately, I can’t do that,” He reached over and Nora’s fur a few times as a good-bye. It was as if he were sending his child off to war. “So I’ll see her in a week, then.”

He left his apartment with a stranger on the inside, along with precious Nora. If he returned to find even one whisker out of place, Jaebum swore he would never trust Jackson’s advice again.

It was nice to be back with his parents. Jaebum rarely got to see them, especially after he finished high school. He’d forgotten how delicious his mother’s cooking was. Although it should have felt like a man visiting his parents on vacation, as soon as Jaebum sat down at the familiar dinner table, he was brought back to his childhood. To his surprise, his parents hadn’t arranged his food into a smiling face on the plate.

“It’s good to be home,” Jaebum said truthfully. “Living on my own is great, but the food can’t compare to this.”

Jaebum’s mother smiled at that. “Always a charmer. Now tell me all about your life—who are your friends? Are you getting enough sleep? Oh, and the most important question: Have you met anyone?”

His mother may have gained a few more wrinkles since he last saw her, but she was still the same woman. “Well my new job is great. I mentioned it to you, I’m sure—it’s an executive assistant job, so the pay’s pretty nice. I have two friends who I’m very close to, Jackson and Youngjae. Jackson’s from Hong Kong; he’s a very popular guy. And Youngjae’s his room-mate. As for my sleep, well, you can never get too much of that. But work comes first.” Jaebum’s mother looked both pleased and disappointed with the answer. “And no, I haven’t met anyone. Not in the way you’re thinking, at least.” His phone buzzed. Probably just Jackson drooling over Mark again. He checked it anyway.

6:33 P.M.

From: Unknown Number

            csa

Jaebum smirked and saved Jinyoung’s number. “Who’s that?” his father asked. The phone buzzed again.

            6:33 P.M.

            From: Park Jinyoung (not my boss)

            sorry if this is the wrong number

“No one.” Jaebum shoveled some food into his mouth. “You don’t have to worry about me being lonely. I always have Nora, you know?”

It was after Jaebum arrived back at his apartment that he decided he really didn’t like Jinyoung.

Jaebum had never been cheated on in his life. But he imagined that it had to feel like this. Like seeing cat toys on the floor, obviously used in Jaebum’s absence. Like how Nora smelled of another man. Like the note taped carelessly to the back of Jaebum’s door in handwriting he’d say was ugly if anyone asked:

Nora is too precious! She was a breeze to take care of as well. If you ever go on another trip, I’d sign up to look after Nora again in a heartbeat. She only threw up one time. I’m sure Nora missed you! You are so lucky to have a cat like her!

-JY

He pet Nora for at least a half hour longer than usual and tried to tell himself it was because he’d been away. Because Im Jaebum did not get jealous.

“So how did the thing with Nora go? Did I hook you up or what?” Jackson’s smile was a little too cocky for Jaebum’s liking.

“She’s still living and my house isn’t a mess. In other words, better than those weird high schoolers.”

Jackson pulled a face and Jaebum knew he’d screwed up when he heard footsteps too numerous to be just Youngjae. “What about weird high schoolers?” It was them. Those kids, coming from the kitchen with arms full of junk food. How long had they been there and Jaebum hadn’t realized? “Maybe we know them.” the short one (BamBam?) said. At least they were too dumb to get their feelings hurt.

Jaebum sighed. “You probably do. Anyway,” he turned back to Jackson, “that guy Jinyoung—is he always kind of rude?”

“Not that I know of,” his friend frowned. “But if I remember correctly, he’s like a single mom to the whole apartment complex. So I’m sure he’s bitter sometimes.”

That didn’t surprise Jaebum. From what he’d seen, Jinyoung was motivated, wanting to get as much done as he possibly could and not caring if he shut people down in the process. “I just got an uneasy feeling from him, is all.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, like what? He’s friends with Mark, so he can’t be that bad. Mark has great taste, after all.”

Everyone else in the room was significantly dumber than Jaebum. The two village idiots were still standing in the middle of the living room, stuffing their faces, waiting to hear some gossip that nobody else would care about. “I dunno, I just felt like he wanted something but didn’t say what it was.”

“That’s ‘cause your cheap probably didn’t pay him enough, you penny-pinching bastard.”

Jaebum wasn’t going to disagree with that.

The most important time of the year was arguably Nora’s birthday. Jackson made fun of Jaebum for it every spring, when he began the week-long ritual of pampering his cat excessively. Nora’s body weight probably increased 25% due to the sheer number of treats Jaebum pushed her way.

Naturally, the best place to start any birthday was with gifts. And the best place to buy gifts for a cat was at a pet store. Jaebum just hadn’t expected, when he’d made a bee-line for the cat aisle and started loading up on catnip-infused everything, to see the owner of a vaguely familiar stock of sleek black hair chatting with another customer.

“Oh. Jaebum?” Yes, that was exactly who Jaebum had thought it was.

“Jinyoung.” Jaebum smiled slightly and began grabbing random items off the shelves. “I didn’t know you work here.”

The shorter man let out a laugh, “I didn’t know you shop here.” He was too quick for Jaebum. In a way, it was refreshing compared to a typical conversation with Jackson. “How’s Nora?”

Jaebum almost said, She’s fine, but caught himself. That would imply that Jinyoung had done a good job watching Nora. Which he had. Jaebum just didn’t want to admit it. So he said, “Her birthday’s coming up.”

Jinyoung nodded. “And you’re buying all of that for her? You must be loaded, to spend so much money on your cat.” Was he mocking Jaebum?

“Not all of this, I was just… browsing.” Looking down at the assortment of cat products in his arms, did Nora really need a new hairbrush and a fancy laser pointer? “And speaking of me being loaded, which I’m not, did I pay you enough?”

Was that a blush he saw? “Well, I never asked you to pay me,” There went 30000 won Jaebum would never get back. “but I wasn’t going to complain.”

Jaebum really didn’t like Jinyoung.

Apparently he wasn’t done talking. “You know too much catnip is unhealthy, right? It makes your cat high.”

Jaebum did not know that. “I know. My Nora’s not an addict. I grabbed this on accident.”

“I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s certainly not addictive. Other treats might be better, though.” Jinyoung reached over to an endcap and handed Jaebum a brochure, Caring for Your Feline Friend. As if he hadn’t been raising Nora for five years. “This might help give you some ideas. There’s a page on diet, I think.”

He wanted to shine the laser pointer in Jinyoung’s eyes, but refrained. “Thanks.” Perhaps that was too much refraining. “I’ll just get her a new collar for now.”

Jinyoung smiled. Jaebum hated the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. “If you come back for more, I’ll probably be here.” He didn’t like the way that sounded. "Tell Nora I said Happy Birthday!"

He didn't tell her.

In college, Jaebum minored in psychology. He loved it—figuring people out, imagining what was going on inside their brains.

He just couldn’t figure out Park Jinyoung.

Jinyoung had such good intentions, something that Jaebum was reluctant to admit at first. He was always looking out for others, but made it seem like a burden at the same time. Jaebum tried to imagine what Jinyoung was like once he opened up a bit. And then he made it a goal: to have Jinyoung drop his defenses and let Jaebum get a good look into his mind.

Jaebum didn’t know why he wanted to understand Jinyoung so badly. There was this pull, this aura around Jinyoung that was for some reason interesting to Jaebum. It was just a curiosity. He didn’t have an exact plan to infiltrate Jinyoung’s mind, besides keeping a safe enough distance and just seeing how things played out, but it was a definite objective.

Besides, he needed to know exactly who he was trusting Nora’s life with.

“I have a question.” Jackson asked while Jaebum was snuggled into the couch and Youngjae was taking his sweet time picking out a movie.

“Go for it.”

Jackson ignored Youngjae’s internal monologue of Am I in a drama mood? Or do I want to see things explode? to ask, “Why do you call him Jinyoung?”

The older man deliberated before answering, “Because his name is Jinyoung?”

“No, his real name is Jinyoung. I was just over there yesterday and I was all, ‘Hey, Jinyoung,’ and he was like, ‘Nah, man, everyone calls me Junior.’” Junior. Jaebum doubted that Jinyoung had been that casual with Jackson, and he didn’t want to call Jinyoung ‘Junior’. The name Jinyoung sounded… fine. “And Mark calls him Junior, too.”

Jaebum shrugged, “He introduced himself as Jinyoung. He’s in my phone as Jinyoung—” he dismissed Jackson’s ‘You got his number?’ “So I’m going to call him that. Not that we see each other often.”

They were five minutes into the explosion-heavy film Youngjae had selected when he asked, “Wait. Who’s Jinyoung?”

“Hey,” Jaebum spoke into the receiver, an oddly nervous feeling washing over him.

“Um, hi?” Jinyoung’s voice sounded different over the phone. “Do you need something?” Of course. Why else would Jaebum be calling a man he had no intention of liking or trusting other than that he needed something?

Jaebum chuckled, even though it wasn’t funny. “I do. I think Nora’s sick.” He knew Nora was sick.

The panic on Jinyoung’s part was almost heard through the phone. “Oh, no. What are her symptoms?”

“Lethargic, bad breath, vomiting, not eating…”

“You can either take her to a vet, or I can be there in thirty minutes with medicine.”

Jinyoung showed up at his door in twenty-eight minutes with a bag full of cat-specific tablets Jaebum had never heard before. “I have to go to work soon, just for a couple of hours,” Jaebum said, “I don’t care if you’re here while I’m not; I just want Nora to stop hurling on my carpet.”

Jaebum wasn’t expecting Jinyoung to still be in his apartment when he returned two hours later. But he was, and he was sleeping as well, curled up with Nora in a plush chair. The only reason the word ‘cute’ flashed repeatedly in Jaebum’s brain like a siren was because of Nora.

He didn’t want to wake Jinyoung; the man seemed so comfortable. But he was probably getting drool on Jaebum’s chair, so he reached over and nudged the vet’s shoulder. “Jinyoung,” It was like waking a child. “Wake up.”

Jinyoung latched onto Jaebum’s arm and grinned as if he were intoxicated. Jaebum guessed he’d been having a good dream. “Just a few minutes.” There was no way he’d made his voice that low intentionally.

“Jinyoung,” Jaebum scooped Nora off the man’s lap with his free hand, trying to ignore how warm Jinyoung’s legs were. “If you want to sleep, go home.”

The man’s head snapped up at that and he released Jaebum’s arm. “Geez, sorry. I just…dozed off, I guess.”

“I could tell.” Jaebum honestly wasn’t trying to be rude. Just something about Jinyoung always made him say the first thing that came to mind, which was more often than not mean-spirited. “How’s Nora, did you fix her?”

His guest laughed. “She’s not a robot, Jaebum. I didn’t spay her, either, if that’s what you mean.” Jinyoung would be the death of him. “But I did give her medicine and encouraged her to eat a bit.”

Jaebum sighed in relief. “Did it work?”

“No.” Jinyoung reached up and gathered Nora back into his arms. The poor sick cat had just entered a game of tug-o-war. “She threw up twice.” Upon seeing Jaebum’s pained expression, Jinyoung added, “But I cleaned it!”

Five minutes later saw Jinyoung pulling things out of Jaebum’s fridge in the quest for a snack. Jaebum should have kicked him out as soon as he woke up. “I’m no nutrition expert,” Jinyoung turned his head to frown at Jaebum, “But I’m pretty sure a balanced diet does not consist of just,” he glanced at the two items that had just exited the fridge, “Organic protein juice and lactose-free yogurt.”

Jaebum laughed, “That’s not me, that’s for when Jackson and Youngjae come over. I usually just heat up frozen meals at 2 A.M.”

“Fair enough,” Jinyoung began undoing his work, shoving everything back into the fridge. “I gave up on food.” But Jaebum wanted to pay him somehow. He hated that his mind went to shameful places.

Jaebum had at some point regained possession of Nora, and set her on the counter, hoping she wouldn’t fall into the sink.

“Have you ever read Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Truman Capote?” Jinyoung asked suddenly.

“I watched the movie once.”

Jinyoung thought for a moment. “This is kind of like that.”

He smiled, “Oh yeah? Which one am I, Tiffany or Fred?”

There was a long pause before Jinyoung doubled over in laughter. “Oh, my, God, there’s no character named Tiffany! But you can be Holly, since you live here with Nora.” Jaebum wasn’t used to feeling like an idiot. Jinyoung really brought out the worst in him.

“Well what are we going to do about it, kiss in the rain with Nora suffocating between us?”

It only shut Jinyoung up for five seconds. Then he said, “They don’t end up together in the book.” He sighed. “Fred’s gay.”

Well.

It had sounded like fun, at the time. “You should come out and drink a bit with me and Youngjae on Saturday.” Jaebum rarely ever went out; he was no partier. Neither was Youngjae, but Jackson had experienced his fair share of bars and clubs. So Jaebum had figured, why not—his calendar was open and he didn’t want Youngjae to haul Jackson’s drunk back to their flat by himself.

Jaebum just hadn’t expected Mark to be there. Or Jinyoung.

The whole situation was awkward—Youngjae sitting there because he didn’t know Jinyoung or Mark, Jaebum strategically spaced as far from Jinyoung as possible, and Mark and Jackson’s faces glued together by the fourth drink. “Do you do this often?” Jaebum turned his head. Apparently his plan of not sitting by Jinyoung had failed. “Go to clubs, I mean.”

“I don’t.” Jaebum figured he would indulge Jinyoung for a few hours. “My social life is dull, even if I’m friends with Jackson.” He sipped on his rum-and-coke, not because he was thirsty, but because he didn’t want to look weak. Jaebum didn’t even like beer, let alone rum-and-coke. “You?”

Jinyoung laughed. Maybe it was the alcohol, but Jaebum wanted him to do it again. “I can’t say that I do.”

“You two seem to be getting along nicely, yeah?” Jackson stood up and leaned across the table so Jaebum could hear him. “Then Mark and I are gonna dance a bit, ‘kay?” He grabbed Mark’s hand and dragged him to the dancefloor.

Youngjae coughed. “So, Junior, how do you know Jaebum?”

Jaebum’s ‘He doesn’t.’ was unfortunately drowned out by Jinyoung’s “I watched his cat once. Twice, actually.”

Youngjae’s eyes widened. “Wow, Jaebum, you let a stranger touch your special princess Nora?”

This was not what Jaebum needed at 9 P.M. when he could have been alone, watching TV in his apartment. “I’m in training to be a vet. How is she, by the way?”

Jaebum hated this. That the one thing Jinyoung never failed to mention to Jaebum was Nora. He wanted to know how Jinyoung’s day was, what he’d been up to since Jaebum last saw him. But all he ever got was, How’s Nora? “She’s better.”

Sometime after the fifth drink, Jaebum decided that he needed to stop drinking. Youngjae was giving him that look, the I’m-the-DD-so-please-make-my-job-easy look, but Jackson had just stopped by and called them the ‘No-Fun Table’. So Jaebum kept drinking.

Which was a terrible idea. Because his fingers kept finding Jinyoung’s forearm all on their own and when Jinyoung laughed breathlessly and put his head in Jaebum’s shoulder, Jaebum leaned right back into him. And he could see Youngjae in his peripheral, pretending not to notice how Jaebum’s lips brushed Jinyoung’s hair when he talked.

Jaebum sober was different than Jaebum drunk. Sober, he hated Jinyoung’s voice and his sense of style and the way his eyes almost sparkled. Drunk, he had no problem thinking that Jinyoung smelled wonderful, or sharing his drink, or wondering how Jinyoung’s skin felt.

Jinyoung wasn’t much better. It didn’t take long for Jaebum to figure out that drunk Jinyoung was a cuddler.

There was something between them. They were too drunk and too slap-happy but Jaebum could still tell through the alcohol that there was something. At one point Youngjae had fallen asleep and Jaebum and Jinyoung stopped drinking long enough to dance. The way their hips bumped together and Jinyoung’s hand moved up Jaebum’s neck and their faces were too close…Jaebum felt like a sinner, but he wanted it. He wanted to have Jinyoung pressed against him every day, enjoying himself, and he wanted to enjoy Jinyoung.

Until his terrible best friend tapped Jaebum rudely on the shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?” Jaebum shot him a look, but it was missed by Jackson’s glazed-over expression. “What? I need to get to know Junior as much as you have!” He grabbed Junior’s arm and twirled him around dramatically. “So I’ve been dying to ask: D’you call your Junior Junior?”

Jaebum heard Mark laughing even over the loud music. He decided it was time to wake up Youngjae and go home.

He’d had the realization at exactly 3:42 A.M. At a time so exhausting, Jaebum knew he could only call one person: Youngjae. Because one, Lord knew what Jackson was doing at 3:42 in the morning. And two, Youngjae never got angry.

Surprisingly, he picked up. “Jaebum?” The poor man had obviously been sleeping. “You need somethin’?”

Jaebum took a deep breath. “Actually, yes. Sorry to wake you, but I’ve recently had a revelation. I think… I’m jealous.”

There was a long pause on the other end. “Of who? Me?”

“No.” He’d wanted to avoid ranting, but it was inevitable. “It’s about Jinyoung and Nora. I don’t like how attached to him she is. And he always asks about her. She could have opened up to any stranger, but Jinyoung? I don’t think—”

“—Hold on a sec. Are you jealous of Junior or Nora?”

Jaebum hesitated. The choice was almost too easy. Jinyoung, of course. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Youngjae yawned, “I mean do you wish you were Junior or do you wish you were your cat?”

Youngjae always knew how to ask those questions. The ones that made Jaebum think when they shouldn’t. “Why would I want Jinyoung to hold me and give me attention?”

“Beats me. From the way you two were at the bar thing, I just guessed you like each other. Now I’d love to help you with your problems until I’m actually supposed to wake up, but—” No. Youngjae couldn’t leave Jaebum like that, with so many thoughts in his head. “I have a music theory test tomorrow I don’t wanna fall asleep in.”

Jaebum wanted to scream. Instead, he said, “Sure. ‘Night.” And after he hung up, Jaebum buried his face in his pillow and actually did scream. Because even though he’d been half-asleep, Youngjae was right.

Jaebum found himself looking for an excuse to see Jinyoung. He didn’t come up with any ideas; the only thing they had in common was Nora. “Maybe you don’t need an excuse,” Jackson had said, although Jaebum hadn’t exactly asked, “Maybe you could just be like, ‘Hey, dude, I like you. May I please your ?’ You have to be super polite about it. That’s word-for-word what I said to Mark and look how happy we are.”

But Jinyoung wasn’t Mark. Luckily, Jaebum didn’t need an excuse after all. Because he had a legitimate reason to see Jinyoung. And that reason was another trip, this time to the other side of the country for some business deal his boss just needed Jaebum to tag along for. Technically, he could leave out enough food and water for Nora to survive on for three days and trust that she would be okay. He still found himself texting Jinyoung:

4:17 A.M.

To: Park Jinyoung (not my boss)

            next saturday through monday i’m out of town can you check on nora

            4:21 A.M.

To: Park Jinyoung (not my boss)

please

And it was sad, because he had Jinyoung come over in order to leave. He wanted to see Jinyoung, but the only way Jaebum felt it would work was if he were on his way out the door. When Jinyoung did show up at his door, ready to take care of Nora, Jaebum felt a guilty sense of relief. The relief that he hadn’t changed, that he was smiling a little wider each time he saw Jaebum.

The “CSA” texts were more frequent than when he’d visited his parents. Jaebum took it as Jinyoung was spending more time at his apartment. He remembered meeting Jinyoung for the first time, meeting the boy who had claimed he wouldn’t check on Nora every day, yet Jaebum was receiving a “CSA” every day. When his phone would buzz at lunch or out getting coffee for another Park Jinyoung, Jaebum’s heart felt a sort of ache to see the three familiar letters light up his screen.

That wasn’t the last time he went on a business trip. They became more frequent, sometimes twice a month. And each time, he texted Jinyoung to watch Nora, and each time Jinyoung said yes. It wasn’t even about looking after Nora at that point. Jaebum just wanted more interaction with Jinyoung. He just wouldn't admit it until everything became too much to handle.

When Jaebum was so desperate as to ask Jackson Wang for advice, he knew there was a problem. Jackson gave him a very hard time of it, as well. “Didn’t you study psych? Be like that one guy and psychoanalyze yourself if you want to find inner peace or whatever.”

“You mean Freud? It’s not that easy, Jackson. I need help.”

Jackson smirked, and Jaebum knew what that meant. “Fine, tell me I’m the best person ever and you could only dream of getting help from me.”

“I’m not doing that, Jackson.”

The man’s smile didn’t fall for a second. “It was worth a shot. I’m a best friend before I’m an . Now what do you need help with?”

What did Jaebum do to deserve a friend like Jackson? “I think I like Jinyoung,” It was hard to say almost; the words felt like a medicine tablet on his tongue. “I like Jinyoung.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “I know. You mean you two aren’t ing?”

On second thought, Jackson was awful. Jaebum never liked when rumors were spread about him, especially dirty ones. “No. Who told you that?”

“Well I just assumed. Mark said he’s been going to you place and staying there for like, days at a time.”

So Jaebum’s suspicions were correct. “Never mind. What do I do about it?”

The blond shrugged. “Drop a bunch of really obvious hints? Just straight up tell him? How am I supposed to know what kind of screwed up relationship you two have?”

“Forget I asked.”

He’d never been away from home for more than two weeks. It was a bit daunting, then, when Jaebum’s boss rang and said, “I’m hosting an exhibition in Macau soon and might need an errand boy, can you tag along?” Jackson was jealous, of course, but it wasn’t like Jaebum would be sightseeing.

Jinyoung came over to get the key a few hours before Jaebum was due at the airport. “Have fun,” he said, “Stay safe. I’ll see you in…two and a half weeks, was it?” As if he didn’t know.

“Yeah,” Jaebum petted Nora goodbye from her spot in Jinyoung’s arms. “I’ll see you.”

The first week was easy. He floated from task to task, making time for business drinks at night and ironing his best shirts in the morning. It just got harder from there. His fingers itched, wanting to text Jinyoung something other than to check in on Nora or his flat. He wanted to hear his voice. Jaebum left his phone in the hotel room one day so he wouldn’t get anxious about the impending “CSA”.

Jackson called him halfway through the second week. He seemed concerned. “Do you know what’s up with Junior?” Those words sent little warning sirens off in Jaebum’s head. “Because I was over there yesterday and Junior was too and he looked so tired. Just exhausted. Mark gave me this look like, ‘Yeah, that’s how he is lately,’ but I was just wondering if you knew.”

Jaebum took a deep breath. “I’m sure he’s alright. Probably just had a long day.” If it was true for Jaebum, it was true for Jinyoung.

After the second week hit, Jaebum’s night became a challenge. He would stay awake until four, trying to blink away the quiver of jetlag, and just think. He wanted to get drunker than just a few beers with co-workers, but never did because he didn’t want to picture what his inevitable drunk texts to Jinyoung would read. Because out of everyone—Jackson, Youngjae, Nora, everyone—he missed Jinyoung the most. Too much, in fact. One pre-dawn thought session led Jaebum to realize the line between ‘I miss him’ and ‘I need him’ was thin.

A few days later, Jaebum was done. He was supposed to be done. But Park Jinyoung—the other Park Jinyoung who he didn’t want to talk to and hold and kiss and just see again—came up to Jaebum at a bad time when he couldn’t say no and asked, “How about you stay for a few more days? I scheduled a meeting last-minute. And you’ll be paid, of course. Unless you have someone waiting for you at home?”

Jaebum gave him a tired smile. “No, sir. Just my cat.”

The next day, he called Jinyoung. There was no preparation, no thought involved, he just picked up the hotel phone and called Jinyoung for the first time since Nora had gotten sick. “Hello?” His voice was soft.

“Jinyoung,” It was all Jaebum could think to say for a moment. “I… it’s Jaebum.” I just wanted to talk to you again.

He heard Jinyoung take a breath. “Jaebum. Aren’t…you getting on the plane soon?”

“No. No, there was a change of plans. I’m leaving in three days.” When Jinyoung didn’t say anything, he continued, “I just wanted to let you know.” There were so many things he had to stop himself from saying. When did I start wanting you like this?

“Oh. I can look after Nora for a few more days, yeah.” 

He knew Jinyoung understood that wasn’t why he’d called. “Great. That’s—that’s great. I’ll see you.” And Jaebum hung up before he said something stupid.

All the lights were off when Jaebum got home at 5 in the morning. That didn’t mean he couldn’t see Jinyoung’s form outlined on the couch, or hear his breathing in the darkness. Jaebum dropped his bags and made for the couch as quickly as he could. It was almost surreal to see Jinyoung again.

“Jinyoung,” He pat the man’s shoulder tenderly, hearing the sharp intake of breath as Jinyoung was brought back to consciousness. “Wake up.”

Jinyoung’s gentle hands found Jaebum’s arms easily. “Jaebum?” He wondered if Jinyoung really knew it was him, or if he just said the name absently. Once he truly registered that Jaebum was home, however, he man was on his feet in seconds, nearly tripping over a hazardous throw blanket and Nora in the process.

He wanted to hug Jinyoung. Wanted to run his fingers through dark hair, to feel the skin under his T-shirt, wanted him to be there the next morning. Instead, they just looked at each other for a long time while Jinyoung blinked the sleep out of his eyes. They were almost the same height, Jaebum standing slightly taller, his eyes cast down to meet Jinyoung’s. Then slowly, so slowly, Jinyoung’s fingers inched their way up to the back of Jaebum’s neck. It was intimate in a way, something private just for the two of them.

Jaebum wasn’t brave enough to kiss Jinyoung then. But he’d known since the moment he met Jinyoung that the man was far less of a coward. “I missed you,” Jinyoung whispered it, like a secret, the last thing he said before he stepped forward and then his lips were on Jaebum’s.

It was not a shy kiss, nor was it innocent or even particularly romantic. But it was slow and heavy and everything Jaebum needed. He did all he could to pull Jinyoung closer, taste him easier. It was months and months of lacking the contact he said he didn’t want, months of only drawing so much out of Jinyoung, that let him feel along Jinyoung’s hips with no hesitation and Jinyoung’s thoughts right from his mouth. His hands were trembling. When they broke apart for a breath, Jaebum slipped out an, “I missed you, too,” and that was enough to make Jinyoung kiss him again.

It took Jaebum two weeks to convince Jinyoung that he should keep the spare key. And honestly, that was a shorter amount of time than Jaebum expected. Suddenly, it became normal for Jinyoung to walk into Jaebum’s apartment unannounced, because “I wanted to get out Jackson and Mark’s hair”.

He spent a lot of time texting Jinyoung while they were apart and kissing Jinyoung while they were together. Soon enough, he realized he’d figured out Jinyoung’s mind quite some time ago, but had been too intimidated to look inside. Jinyoung was an open book, really. He had no problem telling Jaebum exactly what was on his mind. And one thing that always seemed to be on Jinyoung’s mind, well, Jaebum never had an issue helping him with that.

Sometimes he was worse than Jinyoung. The man’s swollen lips after half an hour of kissing Jaebum made that evident. They had something nice. Because Jaebum could argue with Jinyoung all morning, bother him over text all day, and sleep with him all night. When they sat together on the couch with Nora, it felt so comfortable.

He always had something to look forward to after a long business trip. “Woah, we have innocent eyes watching.” Jinyoung mumbled while Jaebum slid Jinyoung’s shirt up and mouthed down his neck. Jaebum’s head turned to see Nora in the doorway, unintentionally shattering the mood they’d created.

Jaebum laughed against his neck and snuck a look at his face. Only Jinyoung would get embarrassed and red about indecency in front of a cat. “She’s fine,” he breathed, “If Nora’s so traumatized, she can leave.” and melted into Jinyoung again.

Because they had something nice. And Nora was not about to interrupt that.

Yay, it's done! I mentioned this on AO3, but I was seriously ready to give up on this story. I'm glad I didn't, though, because it turned out nicely. With "CSA", it's a term my mom's friend uses when she looks after our two cats. Please let me know of any errors I made with anything. Hope you all liked!