Jinki grabs the phone and has it to his ear without much thought, voice cracking as he answers. “Hello?”

          “I know it’s like three am but Garcons isn’t breathing very well and he’s being really lethargic and and the closest 24-hour vet is like two hours away Jinki and-”

          “Whoa whoa whoa Bum hold up.” Jinki pushed off the bed with his elbow, rubbing his eyes before squinting at his alarm clock. Sure enough, it was 3:15 am on a Saturday morning. “Slow down.”

          “Garcons is sick.” Kibum took a shaky breath, “I don’t know what to do Jinki.”

          “Go to my clinic.”

          “What?” Kibum sniffles harshly, “It’s not open.”

          Jinki threw his blankets from his legs, swinging them off the bed as he quickly sat up. He smacked his mouth a few times before he stretched. “It will be in about twenty minutes or so when I get there. He’s going to be okay Kibum.”

          “Th-thanks Jinki.”

          “Get off the phone and get your baby to me, Kibum.” For once, the man did as he was told.

-----

          Jinki manages to cut his usual forty five minute commute to sixteen. His hair is a mess, slippers shuffling against the wood of the clinic’s floors, and eyes barely open as he makes his way to the small coffee pot in the office in the back. He hadn’t taken the time to change from his pajamas, just thrown a hoodie over his bare chest and called it a day. Night, technically… morning maybe. To be honest, he was only thinking of coffee. Sweet, sweet coffee. As it brewed he found his lab coat on the hook by the patient files and wiggled his arms through the holes.

          He was sipping his big cup, the one with cats all over it that Kibum bought him when he graduated from vet school, feet up on the front desk as he waited. It was a few minutes later he spotted Kibum’s white car pulling into the parking lot. In his arms was a tiny black bundle, and Jinki frowned deeply at how upset Kibum looked. He quickly detangled himself from his lounging position and walked around the desk as Kibum stepped through the door. One more sip of his coffee and he placed it on the counter before opening his arms. Garcons gently his chin as he was passed over causing Jinki to smile a little. “Lock the door. There’s coffee on the counter.”

          “Jinki-”

          “Trust me Kibum.” And with that, he turned to walk down the hall toward the examination rooms.

----

          Kibum hadn’t taken the time to pour himself a cup of coffee, picking up Jinki’s instead. He sat in the receptionist’s chair, slowly turning around and around as he nervously waited for Jinki to return. He could go in the room, but he figured Jinki would work better and quicker if he wasn’t hearing Kibum panic over his puppy just beside him.

          He wasn’t sure how long Jinki was, but soon he was stepping out of the hallway, Garcons held securely in his arms. There was a sweet smile on his face as he gave the puppy a kiss on the top of his fluffy head. “Is it bad?”

          “He just has the flu.”

          “The flu?”

          “Yeah. He’s young and probably is just showing the symptoms quicker than Commedes. Here,” After passing the small dog over Jinki noticed his empty coffee cup. He rose an eyebrow. “Thirsty?”

          “I was stressed.”

          “He’ll be okay. I gave him some medicine to help with his symptoms and I have some for Commedes too.” Jinki rummaged in the big pockets of his coat before lifting out two large pill bottles. He held up one, “These are antibiotics to help with any bacterial infections they can get with the flu. Just, make sure to give the right dog the right dose.”

          “Thank you Jinki, I’m so sorry I woke you for nothing.”

          Jinki was hanging up his lab coat before he shook his head. “It wasn’t nothing, Kibum. You were worried and that’s enough for me.”

          Kibum looked up from Garcons, hand still running over his fur. “How much do I owe you?”

          He squinted as he finished cleaning up the coffee maker. “If you think I’m taking a dime from you, I’m offended.”

          “But-”

          Jinki yawns then, eyes going back to being barely open as he scratches his tummy. “If you really wanna pay me… I’d like some eggs please.”

          “Alright, come on Sleepy.”

          Kibum led him to his car by the man hooking his arms around his own, following him through the mostly empty streets to his apartment.

-----

          Jinki pushed the plate that had his eggs on toast onto the coffee table in front of him before resting back against the couch. In his lap were both dogs, somehow, as he leaned his head to the left onto Kibum’s shoulder. His eyes were beginning to close as he slowly petted both dogs’ heads. He hummed as Kibum spoke. “Thank you… I know how much your sleep means to you.”

          “Yeah,” Jinki’s eyes fully closed as a sleepy smile pulled on his face. “But you mean more, Bummie.”

          Kibum’s throat is a little dry as he shifts as subtle as possible to look at him, but then he realizes Jinki had already fallen asleep and all he could do is chuckle. He gets Jinki settled on the couch with a pillow and a thick quilt, smiling as both his dogs jump on the curled up lump of his best friend. “Goodnight you three.”

          He’d have to wake him up in a few hours so he could go and take care of all his animals, but until then he’d let the man sleep.

-----

          “You really don’t have to help me.”

          “You promised me a horse ride.” Kibum quips as he struggles to pull on the pair of extra boots Jinki has. “We can’t do that until your morning chores are done.”

          “Chores,” Jinki laughed over the clucking of the chickens around his feet, sprinkling feed as he took small steps around. “You make me seem like a child.”

          He huffed loudly as he finally managed to get the boot all the way on and leaned back on his hands, the wood of the back porch cool against his palms. “Well, what would you call it?”

          “Being a parent,” Jinki smiled widely at his chickens, “Yes, yes there’s some for everyone.”

          Kibum forgets he’s basically staring at the man until Jinki looks fully at him, arm holding the bucket going limp at his sides as his expressions shifts to one of concern. Kibum shakes his head softly before heaving himself up with a little smile. “Daydreaming. Let’s get going. What do we got first?”

          “Hay.”

          “Hey yourself, but what’s first?”

          Jinki snorted as he walked over to the barn, pushing the door open all the way and gestured further in. Kibum followed his arm and pressed his lips together, realizing, as Jinki laughed. “Hay.”

          “We are never talking about this again.”

          He had to threaten to poke Jinki with the pitchfork for him to stop laughing.

-----

          Kibum flexed his fingers on the reins as his gaze shifted from the view before him over to the man to his left. Jinki had his eyes closed, a relaxed smile on his face as the breeze blew through the meadow. “You know, I often forget the amount of land you have.”

          “It’s not that much.” Jinki grinned as his eyes opened, meeting Kibum’s gaze. “It’s still nice, don’t you think?”

          “I also understand why you moved out here from the city,” He was looking at the few cows in the distance grazing, humming as he replied. “It’s… peaceful.”

          “Race ya back?”

          Before he could reply, Jinki was already turning his horse around and running back down the hill. “Cheater!”

          He could hear his laughter over the wind rushing past his ears as he tried to catch up.

----

          “Taemin, please stop snooping.”

          The man’s head lifted a little, humming, but his eyes were still scanning the dry erase calendar Kibum had on the wall in his small kitchen. “Did Jinki have something to do tonight?”

          “No, why do you ask?”

          Finally, Taemin looked over. His light hair pushed off his forehead and a mischievous smirk on his face. “Isn’t he usually your first choice?”

          “Not all the time.” As Kibum slipped on his dress shoes, his voice was muffled as he said. “He doesn’t like art like that.”

          “Are you dating Jinki?”

          Kibum can’t stop the burst of laughter from billowing out at such an absurd thought as he walks into the kitchen to grab his keys from the tray on the counter. “No. He’s my best friend Taemin.”

          Taemin follows him into the next room, leaning against the wall leading from his front door. “I don’t know if that’s all he is Kibum.”

          With his hands on his hips, Kibum turned. “What are you trying to say Taemin? That I’m dating Jinki and don’t know it?”

          “I mean,” Taemin shifted, arms crossing over his chest, “You practically have a date night every Saturday. You sleep over there. You text him all the time.”

          “So do best friends.”

          “Your dogs listen to his commands. You have a toothbrush in his bathroom. The master. Bathroom.” Taemin grinned, “Besides, he got up at 3 am on one of his only days off to treat a dog flu. You’re practically dating. He’s literally watching your dogs, who you call sons and trust with literally no one, right now.”

          Kibum froze after finally finding his cell phone, blinking rapidly as it dawned on him. “Oh my god, I am practically dating Jinki.”

          “You’re practically married, honestly.”

          Taemin got a pillow to the face, hard, as Kibum walked past him to leave.

-----

          The next time Jinki is dog sitting, he invites Jonghyun over to keep him company. They had had plans to go out for drinks before Kibum asked for him to watch his dogs at the last minute. Jinki glances up from feeding Commedes and Garcons when he hears Jonghyun’s voice coming from the hallway. “Who’s toothbrush is in your master bath?”

          He didn’t fail to notice the wiggle of his eyebrows. Running a hand over the dogs’ heads, he quipped, “What are you doing in my master bath?”

          “You have nice smelling hand soap in there.” Jonghyun huffed quietly as he fell against the couch. “And stop deflecting. Who you ing?”

          Jinki just snorts, rolling the small bag of the dogs brand of food and placing it on the bottom of his pantry next to the cats’ food. “It’s Kibum’s. Get your head out of the gutter you fiend.”

          Jonghyun is up on his knees, leaning on the back of the couch, staring at him blankly. “Kibum has a toothbrush in your bathroom? Not the guest bathroom… yours.”

          Once he has the bottle of juice from the fridge he pauses before pouring. “Well yeah. Why would I put it in the guest bathroom when he sleeps in my room? He’d have to walk across the house to get his toothbrush.”

          “For 's sake,” He barely hears Jonghyun mumble, before he raises his voice. “You’re dating.”

          “We are not shut up.” Jinki grabs his cup of juice after putting the bottle back in the fridge. He’s stepping around the couch to sit in his old recliner as he continues. “You’ve never slept in the same bed as your best friend?”

          “Yeah, but I only have one bedroom apartment with a ty couch that as a human being, I don’t have the heart to let a human sit on for long periods of time, let alone sleep. You have a three bedroom house and a comfy as couch.” Jonghyun smiles a little as he continues, “And when I sleep over, I get the guest bedroom.”

          Jinki is staring at the rim of his juice as he mutters. “One room is for the cats.”

          “Pardon the therapizing, but,” Jonghyun clears his throat then, hands folded in his lap. “Maybe the reason you haven’t been in a relationship, let alone a serious one, in almost three years is because everyone who’s expressed interest in you is not Kibum. I think deep down you know you’ve always had feelings for him. You don’t like things being unresolved.”

          “If I wanted to be therapized by you, I’d have made an appointment.”

          Jinki really wants to hit the eating grin on the man’s face. “You’re not denying it.”

          “What do you want me to say? That I have romantic feelings for Kibum?”

          “Yes.”

          “That was rhetorical.”

          “Jinki.”

          He puts his juice on the table then, fidgeting with the end of his shirt, and avoiding Jonghyun’s gaze. “We’ve been friends since undergrad Jonghyun. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never had romantic feelings for him, but I like what we have now and I’m not going to change it.”

          “Come on Jinki. Live a little. You’re almost 35.”

          “What, am I almost out of my prime?”

          “As long as I’ve known you both, you are the one thing that is constant in his ever-changing, ‘I get bored easily’ life.” Jonghyun leans forward in his seat, soft, understanding smile on his face. “He gets annoyed so quickly on his dates. He’s been through what, 12 people in the last two months? But he’s never gotten tired of you.”

          The silence that falls between them is short in time, but feels like so much more before Jinki utters, “We are practically dating, aren’t we?”

          “Yep,” Jonghyun happily chirps, “Just without the stuff as far as I know.”

          “Shut up.”

          “I’ll think about it.”

-----

          Jinki finds in the next couple months that while doing their normal things, he’s all of a sudden dissecting it with a more romantic lense, and he knows Kibum has to be picking up on the off feeling in the room. Especially when most of his wine is still in his glass and the salmon on his dish has barely been touched. “Is the food alright? I tried a different sauce and-”

          Kibum gives him a tight smile as he places his fork down on his napkin, “The salmon is just fine Jinki. I just..”

          “Just what, Kibum?” He softly asks.

          The man visibly takes a deep breath as his gaze falls to his lap. “I was talking with Taemin and he said some crazy idea that what we’re doing is basically dating.” His tongue runs over his lips quickly before he finally looks up at Jinki. “And the more I think about it the more I start to think he’s right.”

          “I see.” Jinki takes a sip of his wine before wiping his fingers on his napkin in his lap. “Is the idea that it could be seen as a date bothering you?”

          “No, no that’s not it Jinki.” Kibum rushes out, shaking his head and hand reaching out to land on Jinki’s own before he just as quickly removes it. “I just- I think I may have been in love with you for years and it’s why nothing ever worked out because they never met my standards because they weren’t you?”

          His voice had increased in pitch with each word, his hands visibly shaking from the limited view of his lap Jinki has. There had been very few times in their friendship he had seen Kibum look so nervous and he softens, “It might calm you to know that I think the reason I haven’t fallen for someone deeply in so long is that I was already so deeply in love with you.”

          “What have we been doing all these years?” Kibum breathes out a laugh, running his fingers through his hair. “I have a toothbrush in your bathroom like we’ve been sleeping together.”

          “I always thought we made great friends and I didn’t want to risk losing that.”

          The corner of Kibum’s lips curves up then. “The only difference between us now and dating is I’ve yet to kiss you.”

          Jinki’s head dips, cheeks pink as he shyly asks. “Do you want to?”

          “A lot… actually.”

          “Well eat your food. Maybe you can have one as dessert.”

          Kibum’s smile grows as he flirts, “Are you saying your kisses are as sweet as that pie over there?”

          Jinki shrugs, sipping his wine slowly. As the glass is gently placed on the table he gives a little grin. “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

----

          The movie’s opening credits are playing when Kibum lets his hand fall softly on Jinki’s knee beside him, causing the man to slowly look over him. It’s not the first time he’s admired or noticed at all, Jinki’s beauty. He’s so attractive then, brows lifted and a little whisper of a smile on those plush lips of his. His brows are falling for just a moment before Kibum’s hand is cupping his cheek and he’s blessed with the rose shade across Jinki’s cheeks. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

          “Yeah.” The kiss is simple and quick at first, but as they part with wide eyes realizing fully what they had done, it wasn’t weird as they expected it to be. It felt… nice. Before either of them can overthink it, Jinki’s eyes are closing once again as he leans in. Both of his hands are pushing into Kibum’s hair as he presses their lips together. When he parts again, he’s smirking. “If you’re gonna kiss me, do it properly.”

          Kibum’s heart thumps loudly in his chest as he gazes at him. Jinki giggles before quietly asking. “Did I break you?”

          He raises his hand and shows a tiny space between his finger and thumb. “A little bit. It was a sweet kiss.”

          Jinki kisses his cheek before laying his head on Kibum’s shoulder, getting comfortable to watch the movie. The small display of affection is one Jinki had done so many times before, but as he curled their fingers together Kibum felt so warm and content in a way he hadn’t before. He rather liked this.