“You know.  When I said I’d always be there for you, I didn’t exactly mean to keep loaning you money when have such a knack for losing it,” Jinki shook his head with a long suffering sigh as he handed an envelope of bills to his long-time friend Jonghyun.

The shorter male gave him a chagrined smile and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he accepted the packet of funds.  “I know, Jinki.  But I promise I’ll pay it all back, just as soon as I hit it big.  You’ll see,” he assured his friend excitedly, spiky black hair moving slightly in his exuberance.

“We’ll see indeed,” Jinki chuckled softly and quirked an eyebrow at him.  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Jong?” he asked after a brief pause, liquid pools of milk chocolate regarding his friend in concern as he brushed his wavy brunette locks back out of his face.

“Of course I do!” Jonghyun retorted quickly, placing one fist on his hip in offense.  “I’ll get lucky one of these days and then we’ll both be set,” he grinned, the familiar and confident dinosaur-smile making its predictable appearance while he accompanied it with a happy thumbs-up.

Jinki just threw his hands up and groaned, though he was smiling, and stated, “I swear, I’m just going to have to wash my hands of you.  That or actually hire you so you can start paying me back before we both become ancient,” he teased lightly, pointing at his shorter companion with his finger intently.

“Feh.  You’re already ancient so I guess I’m off the hook,” Jonghyun smirked, yelping when Jinki swiped at him in amused outrage and promptly chased him around the living room of his private townhouse.

Being a moderately successful owner of a pleasure yacht company gave Jinki several privileges that he’d worked hard to obtain; not the least of which was the privacy and comfort of his own home just a bit removed from the majority of people so he didn’t have to worry about interlopers or the occasional bothersome guest.  He wasn’t averse to guests, but he preferred quiet unless he was seeking something else, or whenever Jonghyun opted to make an appearance.

“Aish.  You would think you two were mortal enemies with as much noise as you make together,” a new voice laughed, surprisingly deep coming from the slender frame that descended down the stairs from the second floor.

“Sorry, Kibum,” Jinki flushed lightly, stopping his chase and immediately hurrying over to the poised young man who was watching him with interest.

“Whoops! Busted,” Jonghyun laughed, moving to join the pair in the hallway and wiping the smile from his face when he caught sight of Kibum’s infamous glare.  “Sorry!” he added instead, bowing with the envelope of money held behind him.

Kibum rolled his maple colored eyes and ran his fingers through slightly mussed blonde tresses, unusually straight for once.  “So what brings you here today, Jong?  Please don’t tell me you’re borrowing more money,” he asked him archly, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Jinki a sidelong glance.

“I can’t just stop by to say hi?” he asked, dodging the question though he kept his hand with the envelope hidden behind him.

Jinki wrapped his arms around Kibum’s waist and perched his chin on his shoulder, resting his head against the other’s with a smile on his face.  “Don’t be mad, Kibum.  He will pay it back,” he assured his lover confidently, holding him tighter against his body.

“I knew it,” Kibum grumbled, giving Jonghyun a cross expression before he unfolded his arms to rest his hands against Jinki’s.  “Must I remind you he hasn’t paid you back from the last time he borrowed funds…”

“I’m aware,” Jinki murmured in response, kissing the side of Kibum’s head and cringing slightly so that only Jonghyun could see it.

“It’s the last time though,” Jonghyun promised both of them quickly, stepping close and bowing.

Kibum regarded him with a deadpan expression and blinked, “We’ve heard that before.”

“Kibum,” Jinki murmured softly, adjusting his grip to hold the other male closer.

“Seriously this time, guys,” Jonghyun continued, holding out his pinky for the other to take.

Jinki smiled at the gesture and nodded, freeing one arm to accept the physical promise.  “We’ll see,” he shook his head and hugged Kibum closer while he locked pinkies too.

“I’ll hold him to it if I have to, Jinki,” the blonde warned quickly, reaching back to pat the taller male’s cheek tenderly.  “And don’t you forget it, Jong,” he eyed the shorter man in front of them once more.

“Come on!” he gestured openly, shoulders slumping forward in disappointment.  “Since when have I broken a pinky promise?” he asked, standing upright again and scratching his head, stuffing the envelope into his back pocket so he had free use of both hands.

Kibum opened his mouth to say something but Jinki promptly covered it with one of his hands, chuckling at the muffled, outraged cry that emerged from beneath as he answered, “Never.  And I’m counting on it, dear,” he removed his hand, braving the icy look to steal a quick kiss that melted the cold glare slightly.

“Ugh!  Fine,” Kibum surrendered reluctantly, leaning back against his lover in contentment.  Perceptibly, his mood shifted and he smiled at the other male in front of him.  “So Jong.  Are you going to stay for a little while or will you be off to lose those funds too?”

“Ouch!” Jonghyun cringed, placing his hands over his heart and pretending to faint.  “You’re so mean, Kibummie…” he pouted, standing upright abruptly with a confident smile when he saw that his performance was earning him no sympathy whatsoever.

“You were going to stay for a bit, right?” Jinki asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Of course!” Jonghyun agreed, following the opening swiftly.

“Good,” Kibum nodded, patting Jinki’s hands contentedly.  “You need more company dear.”  He leaned forward slightly and spoke in a lower tone of voice, “He spends far too much time here by himself.  When he’s not with me of course,” he winked unrepentantly, a knowing smirk on his lips.

“Ack!  I didn’t need to hear that,” Jonghyun groaned, rubbing at his ear while Kibum slipped from his lover’s arms and headed for the kitchen.

“I was just about to make lunch if you boys are interested,” he called over his shoulder, pausing in the doorway with one hand resting on the frame.

“What were you thinking, love?” Jinki asked, following along and pausing to rest his hands on the slender waist while he looked in.

“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” he smiled, grabbing one of his hands and dragging him the rest of the way into the kitchen.  Whether by design or by default, Jinki practically stumbled into Kibum ahead of him, laughing all the while and clinging to the slender frame for balance.

“Really guys?” Jonghyun asked, shaking his head with a resigned sigh.  He still wasn’t sure if Jinki was just naturally clumsy or preternaturally good at making it appear that way since even when he did stumble, good things usually happened in the end.

Lunch by Kibum was exceptional, as always, and Jonghyun stayed longer than he had intended to enjoy the remainder of the meal and a pot of tea the former insisted upon sharing.  “I still say you need to come by more often.  For friendly visits,” Kibum clarified, giving him a quirked eyebrow to show he still didn’t approve of him borrowing funds like he’d been doing.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jonghyun grinned, blowing on the tea since it was still steaming in front of him.

“It’s alright, Kibum.  He’s always been a free spirit,” Jinki smiled, nodding his head in understanding at Jonghyun.  “At least I can count on him when I need it though.”

“Yeah!” Jonghyun responded immediately, raising his fist into the air in victory.

Kibum appeared nonplussed by his reaction and finally shrugged, his shoulders shifting fluidly.  “So what exactly are you trying to win big at?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

“Ah.  That,” Jonghyun laughed embarrassedly, folding in on himself on the barstool chair.  “Poker.  It’s mostly just for fun,” he explained quickly.

“Ugh!  You have a terrible poker face.  No wonder you keep losing,” Kibum groaned with a shake of his head.

“Hey!  I’m getting better,” he retorted, crossing his arms over his chest in indignation.

“Slowly,” Jinki added with a half-smile, shrugging his shoulders at his friend’s look of annoyance.

“Don’t you start too,” he grumbled, unbending enough to pick up the tea again and take a large gulp, nearly choking when it was still warmer than expected.  “Yah!” he cried, hopping up and bouncing in place as he fanned his mouth, awkwardly setting the cup back on the table so he didn’t risk dropping it.

Kibum and Jinki devolved into helpless laughter while the latter managed to compose himself long enough to cough, “Careful, Jong.”

“I warned you,” Kibum reminded him smugly.

Grimacing from the aftereffects, Jonghyun groaned, “No you didn’t.”

Kibum started to bristle at being countered and Jinki quickly stepped in, tapping the top of the table with his fingers, “It’s hot tea, Jonghyun.  I would imagine it’s fairly self-explanatory,” he winked, reaching over to run a hand down Kibum’s back soothingly.

“Feh…  It was good tea at any rate,” he belatedly offered in thanks, waving as he got ready to head out.

“I know,” Kibum nodded, mildly mollified.

“You leaving us?” Jinki asked, eyeing Jonghyun knowingly as the shorter male edged towards the door.

“Neh.  It’s getting a bit late after all and I should be heading on,” he nodded, giving them both a confident grin despite the shaky words.

“I’ll see you out then,” Jinki smiled, standing up and pausing to give Kibum a light peck on the cheek.

“Don’t forget the dishes, Dubu,” he smirked knowingly, sipping his tea with a satisfied expression when his lover winced and grinned at him apologetically.

“I will, Kibummie,” he urged, gesturing with his hands before he jogged to catch up to his friend.  They made it to the front door before he said anything.  “It was good to see you again, Jong.  Even if you only seem to come by when you need something,” he reminded him with a gentle jab, though the smile took the sting out of his words.

“Sorry, Jinki,” he apologized quickly, taking a deep breath on the top of the steps and looking up the darkening sky.  “It is good to see you again,” he grinned in the next instant, the familiar dinosaur smile back on his face.  “And next time I come by it’ll be because I just want to say hi,” he saluted with a cheerful wink.

Jinki laughed at the promise, not positive that would be the case but willing to go on a little faith.  “That would be nice,” he simply commented, reaching out to pat the shorter male on the shoulder.

“Neh.”  He retrieved the envelope from his back pocket and waved it lightly in front of him.  “Thanks again, Jinki.  I really will pay you back.”

“I know, Jong.  I know,” the other nodded, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.  “Money aside, you know I’m always here for you, right?” he asked, meeting the other’s gaze intently.

Jonghyun placed his hand over Jinki’s on his shoulder and just looked at him, completely serious.  “You have no idea how often I’ve counted on it.”

Jinki offered him a pleased smile and pulled the shorter male into his embrace, slapping him on the back and feeling his companion do the same to him.  “Yah!” he cried in defeat as they pushed away, Jonghyun grinning as the obvious victor.  “One of these days,” he chuckled, brushing his wavy bangs back distractedly.

“Hah!  In your dreams,” he laughed, waving at him once more before he skipped down the steps and jogged over to his car, a bright red jaguar.

Jinki merely saluted him as he stayed long enough to watch the younger male slip into the car and drive away, tearing down the road and leaving skid marks in his wake.  “Every time,” he sighed to himself, stepping back inside and closing the door softly behind him.

(a/n: So the updates are going to be a bit shorter than my norm, but thank you for checking out the first one.  I'm waiting for a poster now so once that has been taken care of, I'll be adding more updates.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the intro chapter and please look forward to more.  ^_^)