Finally! Minho thought as he pulled into a parking spot at D&E’s Animal Clinic and Supplies and shut down his motorcycle. The last of his trip to his new home seemed to take forever since he was worried about the two in the cooler behind him, but as soon as he unstrapped it and took off the lid two heads popped up and two sets of eyes blinked at the sudden brightness.

  “Oh, thank goodness you two are alright. Well, not worse anyway. Well come on, let’s go in and see what can be done for you two.”

  Carefully, Minho scooped his passengers up and headed up to the clinic, where a short, good-looking man that was a few years older than he was had already opened the door and was waiting.

  “Hello Stranger! Welcome to, ELDERS! WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE TWO!?! HYUKKIE! HYUKKIE COME QUICK!!”

  The man quickly pushed Minho inside, still shouting for whoever “Hyukkie” was, when another, slightly taller man came running out of the back and skittered to a stop.

  “Hae, what’s so, Elders! What on earth?” This man seemed calmer than the other, but still stunned at the bloody mess Minho was protectively cradling. He also wondered what the “Elders” thing was all about, but guessed it was some local habit or something.

  “I’m not sure to be honest. I was at that little rest area twenty minutes outside of town or so, and I found these two in the long grass. There was so much blood I couldn’t just leave them to get eaten by something. I had to clean out the cooler a friend packed for me so I had some way to transport them since I’m on a motorcycle, and as injured as they have to be under all that they had very healthy appetites. Puppy here even tried to take my hand when I didn’t think it should have the sausages, and Birdie I swear ate its weight in soaked bread and berries.”

  Had Minho been paying attention to the animals rather than speaking to the two men, he would have noticed “Puppy” staring very intently at the taller of the two, who finally nodded.

  “Okay, bring them into the back. We’ll give them a bath and see what we’re working with, but I doubt I’ll find many injuries. They probably just seem so hurt because of the mess. Oh, and Kibum is a fox, not a puppy, and he and Jinki are both male.” He turned to the other man, who seemed to be waiting expectantly.

  “While this gentleman and I clean these two up, will you get them a care package put together? Some of Grandpa’s grain free high protein for Kibum, and a nut, seed and berry suet brick and, hmm.” He looked at Bir, no Jinki, who cocked his head.

  “Which would you like better, crickets or mealworms? Or do you prefer scraps of regular people meat?”

  If a blood-coated bird could look disgruntled Jinki managed it, but finally chirped three times, and Minho was finally able to make a contribution.

  “He seemed to like dried squid before, so maybe he likes seafood?”

  Jinki started chirping as though he meant to say “not quite” then started trying to peck at himself.

  “Chicken then maybe?”

  The little bird started chirping excitedly then, which made the older man laugh.

  “Hey, it’s not an exact science you know! We’re still learning. Okay, let’s get you both cleaned up. Oh, introductions. I’m Hyukjae, and that is my husband Donghae. If you have a problem, there is the door and we’ll take care of these two.”

  “Whoa, I never said I have a problem. Love is love as long as everyone is legal and consents. And, how did you know who these two were? Are they local legends or something?”

  Hyukjae deflated, when Minho hadn’t even noticed the older man had puffed up to begin with. “Sorry about that Minho, you are Minho right? Bad breakup, just bought Baekhyun’s cottage in the woods? I can’t think of another reason for anyone to be on that road or end up here. It’s a tiny village with few outside influences so get used to everybody knowing everything about you. Good place when you need a break from the world at large. I’m so used to defending my relationship when not dealing with the locals that I forget not everyone is a judgmental . As for these two, I’ve met Kibum before and everyone’s heard about his, unusual choice in mate. Foxes are usually monogamous, so when he was spotted with a fluffy bird rather than a vixen, that is lady fox, it sparked some local interest for a while. I had no idea they were in back in this area though. They also travel instead of Kibum taking a territory for himself.”

  “So you two are kind of famous?” Minho asked his armful, neither of whom seemed to feel the need to comment as the three of them followed Hyukjae into what turned out to be a laundry room with a large utility sink.

  “Sorry. We live above the clinic/store and it’s just more convenient to have this stuff accessible while attending patients since I’ve had to deal with dog fight survivors, losers to the local wildlife, the wildlife itself, skunk victims, all kinds in desperate need of a bath. You notice we don’t have more help. It’s just us here. There aren’t many people in town, though if there’s a major catastrophe everyone pitches in. Did Baek think to explain what’s available here, without having to leave to the next city over?

  Hyukjae, who had been letting the water in the spotless utility sink run finally seemed satisfied and plugged the drain while he rummaged in the cupboard above, finally pulling out a bottle of what seemed to be ordinary baby shampoo, a soft washrag, and a couple of towels which he arranged on top of the washer before reaching for Kibum, who seemed willing enough to be handled and settled into the slowly filling sink. Minho realized he’d been watching rather than answering and swallowed in embarrassment before responding.

  “He told me about this place, the gas station, and the grocery/gardening store.”

  “That’s about it, though if you’re not a fan of cooking I know a couple people who do home cooked meals for cheap. That’s how we live since we can’t cook for squat. Wookie does about everything and makes amazing desserts as well but every so often has to disappear for a few days. He and his lovers Kyuhyun and Jongwoon are something else though. I’ll give you his address, along with Jungsoo’s. He’s usually busy, but is always willing to make time, especially for a new face. His fiancé Heechul is actually Hae’s stepbrother/best friend.”

  “Is everybody here gay?” Minho asked curiously. He wasn’t disgusted by the thought. In fact, if he didn’t see human females for a while it wouldn’t bother him that much. It wasn’t that he blamed women for his broken relationship. What might have been still hurt too much, and seeing happy ladies with their husbands and children just rubbed the wound more raw. Plus, now that he was away from everyone and everything he knew he could finally acknowledge to himself, that deep down he’d always been just a little curious as to how it would be with a man, even if he’d never found one he wanted to explore with. He wasn’t about to run off and find himself a boyfriend either, but maybe if he had questions somebody might be willing to answer them?

  Hyukjae laughed, even as he gently soaked Kibum’s fur and started working baby shampoo into the little fox’s coat. “Not everyone, but there are all kinds who look for a safe haven here in Hideaway until they can move on. Sure, a few are permanent, but people of whatever flavor are not meant to stay shut away from everything forever. Okay, while I get Kibum here cleaned up, why don’t you assist Mister Jinki there? Since he didn’t hop in the water before I started soaping Monsieur Kibum I’m assuming he’s the type of bird who likes to splash around under rather than in. So, slow the stream down to little more than a fast drip, make sure it’s, I’d say tepid, and just hold him in your hands under it. The running water will take care of a lot of it and he’ll do the rest himself. Don’t be tempted to rub, and soap could make him really sick okay?”

"Okay" was all that Minho said, his head too full even as he followed Hyukjae's directions.