“Ken? Ken? Did you leave?”
Ken sticks his red head out of the bedroom. “No I’m right here. What’s up?”
“Oh it was quiet, I thought you left….”
“Nope, I wouldn’t leave without telling you. How do you feel?”
“Sore. Like shit. The icepack is helping though.”
Ken perks up. “Good! I’ll be in a minute with lunch. I found some cookie cutters in your kitchen so your sandwich is gonna be fun dino shapes! Yay!” he said with embellished enthusiasm to make his friend laugh, and he got the response he wanted.
“I’m 34, too old for dinos, Ken.”
“No you’re not. You’re also not too old for mac and cheese and apple bunnies.”
“…What’s an apple bunny?”
“You’ll see,” he said with a little smile. Ken moved to duck out of the room, but Jack felt a bolt of panic when he did.

“Ken wait wait.”
“What?”
“…Do you um, think I’m less of a man because I only got one ball now?”
It was a funny question, but Ken didn’t laugh. His face furrowed in question because Jack looked so distraught. “When you told me you had a lump, and it might be cancer, all the color went out of the room. You’ve been my best friend since you saved me from that bully in 7th grade. I don’t know how to live without you.”
“Aww shit, Ken, thanks, really.”
“You still have your cock. Plus, God put our balls outside our body in a soft squishy sac… he was smart enough to give us an extra for insurance. Once you get the implant, no one will be able to tell.”
Relief washed over Jack’s face. He relaxed. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right.” He slid his hand down between the sheets. “Yep the cock is still there.”

Ken chuckled. “You have a few minutes to appreciate it before I bring in lunch.” He ducked out of the room.

“Wait wait Ken.”
“Whaaaat you big baby?”
“Will you still take care of me when the chemo hits me hard and my hair falls out and I’m gross?”
“…Don’t be an idiot, I’m not going anywhere.” Ken tsked his bed-ridden friend.
“…Ken?”
“Yes?”
“You’re my best friend, but I swear, it’s like we’re married soemtimes.”
Ken blushed, furiously red across his pale face. “Yeah…it is like we’re married aren’t we…haha…ha.”
He quickly escaped out of the room, but not before he heard Jack mutter, “I think that’d be nice actually…”

Ken was too macho to turn back and open up that can of worms with Jack, because mostly he felt like he would agree with him. It would be nice. As he put together the rest of the lunch on a tray, Ken realized he wouldn’t feel awkward kissing Jack and wondered what it all meant.

Ken thought that he really should be spending this weekend at a girl’s place, not here taking care of Jack… well first Ken would have to find a girlfriend. It’d been a while. It’d have to be someone with a good sense of humor, someone who wouldn’t mind going hiking on the weekends. Maybe someone who appreciated a night in, watching a movie too. Someone ambitious. Someone cute. Well, really, someone like…. oh god.

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Text is fictional.