#j hope hybrid au

[goldenmadam]

Jung Hoseok Profile | A Cure for Us

Jung Hoseok Character Profile

Age: 30

Species: Asiatic Cheetah

The light within the pack and motivator for the company.

His domain is mainly within the entertainment department of the company, but uses his talent for reading moods and body language to his advantage with the company and their behind the scenes activities.

His energy inspires those to achieve success. Although there were some incidents in the past, that led to employees being wary around him and rightfully so.

He hates when employees fail to complete a job, his angry expression giving those around the company whiplash. However, due to these extreme moods, he's been banned from disciplinary action within the company, unless it's for extreme cases or to help Yoongi with his activities.

He has no patience for failures especially ones made by humans.

[jinnie-ret]

FIC RECS

Ok so someone in my asks box asked me for some fic recommendations and I tried to add some gradually but my asks have been so weird recently so I've had to make a new post for them!

First of all ty anonnie you words were really sweet, I hope you stay healthy too!

Also just to preface I will list sfw and nsfw recs so pls if you are a minor, do not explore the nsfw recommendations, these blogs will most likely have a mdni statement so pls respect that and don't go against that :)

Now, enjoy!

SFW

Enough for you - @mixtape-racha (poly ot8 angst comfort)

We love an angst comfort fic and this is one of my faves. Take caution reading this one and read the content warnings at the top just in case! But this one is simply amazing and I wish I wrote it the end.

The Field Trip - @dreamescapeswriting (Seungmin X reader)

Seungmin and reader are teachers in this and if you follow me you may have seen me reblog this one before bc I love it and want this, also this blog has so many imagines you will be fed for days

Warm blankets - @jiniret-writings (3 parts, hurt comfort poly ot8 x reader)

I felt so emotionally invested in this story when I read it, like I felt readers pain 😭 gorgeous

jack-in-the-box -@junicai (angst, ninth member reader)

Set in kingdom. We hate mnet. Skz are very protective and reader gets the comfort she deserves in the end, love this sm!

@hyunjinsbelovedamericano - lots of headcanons and reaction type fics on their MASTERLIST, give it a look!!

Simptober 2023 - @skz-streamer

Fluff for days!!! pookie rly worked hard on this one so go and show some love because you've got so much to read here

Skz text aus - @channiesbakery

These are so so funny I cannot cope. Also explore the other fluff posts too bc they're really cute!

More text aus - @diddybok

Same goes for this blog too, explore their other stuff!

@hannahhbahng has some rly cute fluffy reads on their masterlist

@hanjiquokkaaa check out their skz reactions! My pookie slays every time

Skz fluff fics - @wooahaes

So much fluff to pick from! I fall in love every time!

Warm milk and honey - @horanghoe (poly skz x reader)

One of my fav skz comfort fics of all time, it's so so good, recommending again bc I should

In his arms, unexpectedly yours - @cheesemonky (Hyunjin x reader series)

This is a new series which I'm excited to see my pookie write !!!

@astraysimp for dad skz!!!

Nicholas Ross - @dean-a-mean-tae (skz ninth member male oc)

Love their ninth member writings so definitely check it out if you're looking for male!oc who is the ninth!

In my past, I find you and in the future, I still have you - @yangbbokari (Chan x reader)

Heartbreaking, like so angsty but it's gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

Princess treatment with SKZ - @j-oneproduces

Each individual member x reader has a drabble and I love it so so much, very accurate imo

@skzoologist read their imagines on their ninth member oc Bae! They also have a fic called unfamiliarity using the same oc :)

I like the view - @mirisss (hybrid ot8 skz X reader)

I rly need to reread this one because I loved what I read so far on it!!!

NSFW

Rabbit hybrid reader - @authorofdanger (hybrid skz x hybrid reader)

I've linked a masterlist, I'd recommend the fic dominance and then the first few fics which are to do with reader as a rabbit hybrid! slight warning that woojin is mentioned

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Red Moon - @lixiepeach (omegaverse series)

this is one of the first skz omegaverse fics I read and it is done so beautifully, as it says in the description of the series, it deals with more adult content than just smut, and the way it is explored is written so well, couldn't recommend highly enough!

Inked Petals and Message Tones - @leviackermanscleaningbuddy (poly smau with real life)

this is an ao3 skz fic which changed my life. I can't explain how much I love this, it had me on an emotional rollercoaster fr fr like it's amazing!

n.h.i.e mini series - @hyungszn (smut ot8 x reader)

damn this one really has me on my toes like the chapters are chefs kiss and it's such a good read!

Bold - @hyunsvngs (American footballer minsung x reader)

Wow wow wee wow. This one made my brain go brrr and evaporate and melt and wow the storyline in it is so so good too. Juno rly has such a good relationship with anonnies and moots and it's so lovely to see. A jupiter stan right here!!

Sanguis Limerence - @jl-micasea-fics (vampire skz x reader)

This is one of the first series I was fully committed to reading on this all and constantly checking. It's insanely amazing, I can't put it into words and now I wanna read it all back again 😭

waiting for us - @kkami-writes (smau poly ot8 X reader)

I'm in love with this!!! Perhaps my fav skz smau like the character development as well is really nice to see and it's an easy read if you find it easier to read it in text messages form

Anger management - @2chopsticks2eyes (minsung x reader)

This is so hot and the way the storyline progresses as well is beautiful

@1-800-shedevil I'm in awe of her and her blog. Gorgeous writer, gorgeous writing. Her posts about body positivity rly are so helpful and her words are so comforting

Sharing = caring - @cbini (ot8 X reader)

This is unbelievably good and if you haven't seen it yet? Do you even Tumblr? Love how ems has such a good relationship with moots and in answering asks too! cbinian for life

Better than revenge - @lixie-phoria (smau Jeongin x reader)

I'm so obsessed with this series so far, putting it here bc there's smut to be added in the future. But I'm in love with it so far wow!!!

[spookyserenades]

Trouvaille - Chapter Six

Pairing(s); BTS OT7 x Reader

Genre/Themes; Hybrid!AU, themes of the supernatural and the occult, religious themes, violence, hurt/comfort, horror, romance

Rated; 18+ for swearing, violence/gore, future sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Word Count; 20.9k

Trouvaille Masterlist

Trouvaille playlist

Updates on the 7th of each month

Happy June my darlings! This is an update I've been eager to share with you all for quite some time, and there's a lot that goes on in it. This chapter is tamer in respects to the paranormal, and delves more into interpersonal relationships between the hybrids and Y/N herself. There is indeed another scenting scene in this chapter, which is certainly heated, reader discretion advised! This chapter ends on a critical plot twist and cliffhanger, and I hope you all find it both shocking and entertaining. The taglist is open still (shoot me a message or comment to be added), and as always, I adore hearing back from readers; whether it be questions, reviews, theories, submissions, or gushing over the hybrids together <3 Enjoy, lovelies!

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Y/N’s vision only faded to black for mere seconds, feeling like she was floating and the only anchor tethering her to reality were the arms wrapped around her waist. Quivering as she came down from what she could only describe as blissful euphoria, she blinked, eyes focusing on a painting of pink peonies nailed to the wall above Seokjin’s dresser. At once, remembering where she was, she jolted on Seokjin’s warm thighs as he nuzzled his nose against the tender mark he had made, murmuring too quietly for her to make out the words– or was he purring? Y/N’s entire body flushing at her position, straddling the jaguar hybrid’s lap, her arms limply hanging off of his broad shoulders, she squirmed in his arms, his hands fisting in the material of her sweatshirt. 

“J-jin?” Y/N breathed, another shiver rolling through her body as Seokjin pressed his face further into the crook of her neck at the sound of his nickname. “Are you alright now?”

Humming in assent against her skin, Seokjin nodded, the damp strands of his blue-black waves tickling her cheek with the movement. Weakly, Y/N chuckled with relief; the image of him curled up on the floor moaning in pain when she returned home frankly scared the wits out of her. Unable to help herself, Y/N reached up to toy with Seokjin’s hair while he exhaled slowly into her neck, her fingers running through the silky waves and carefully avoiding his sensitive ears. 

Pulling away from the crook of her neck, Seokjin’s hands dropped from her waist down to her hips lightly, rearing his head back so he could dopily smile at Y/N with his teeth. Overwhelmed by both the action and viewing his gorgeous face from inches away, Y/N swallowed nervously, squeaking when Seokjin squeezed her hips playfully. 

“You probably want to shower after your long day out, hmm?” Seokjin mused, cocking his head to the side lazily as he scanned her flustered expression. Biting her lip, she returned his gaze suspiciously. 

“Is that you subtly trying to tell me I stink?” Y/N teased, shock settling over Seokjin’s beautiful face. 

A growl rumbled from the back of his throat, getting a better hold on her hips as he bent his knees and got to his feet, scooping her up in one graceful moment. Scrambling to get a hold around his muscular neck, Y/N cursed, instinctively hooking her legs around Seokjin’s waist as he began to walk out of his bedroom. Out of the corner of her eye and amongst the overwhelm, she caught her copy of Lord of the Rings laying open on his bed. 

“No, you could never stink,” Seokjin insisted, Y/N thankful that he couldn’t see her iron-hot face while he carried her down the stairs. “The water will soothe your marks,” Seokjin continued softly, Y/N not missing the way he had included Namjoon’s bite with his comment. 

Thinking of the wolf hybrid sent a strange shock of pain down her spine, Y/N was saddened by the fact that he hadn’t come out of his bedroom to say goodbye to her that morning. She considered the possibility that Namjoon was feeling embarrassed with how he came into her bedroom the previous night, though he had nothing to be bashful about in her book. Even as Seokjin passed by Namjoon’s bedroom door shut-tight, Y/N’s heart sank, somehow knowing he was locked away in there rather than enjoying the last of the sunny afternoon outside. 

Once reaching her bedroom, Seokjin gingerly lowered Y/N to her unsteady feet, seemingly reading her conflicted expression. Moving his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, Seokjin offered her a half-smile. 

“You’re worried about Namjoon,” Seokjin murmured, his orange eyes flickering to the bruised spot on her neck the wolf hybrid had made, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone comfortingly. Leaning into the touch naturally, Y/N sighed, eyes downcast. 

“He’ll come around, don’t worry,” Seokjin encouraged, his voice dulcet as he dropped his hand from her cheek. 

Nodding, Y/N perked up a degree, not wanting to make Seokjin uncomfortable with her excess of worry. Perhaps he was right, maybe she was reading too much into Namjoon’s absence– he could have been absorbed in the books and his paranormal theories. 

“You’re right, it’s probably best to just leave him be for now,” Y/N agreed, subconsciously brushing her fingers over the wolf hybrid’s bite. To her surprise, the wound was painless, and she was desperate to change the subject under Seokjin’s scrutiny. 

“Jesus, it’s already Wednesday evening… I’ve done almost nothing to prepare for the cookout,” she lamented quickly, all at once recalling how her mother had badgered her about place settings earlier in the day. 

“We’ll all help out! Yoongi mentioned earlier that he wanted to talk to you about cooking the food, and even Taehyung has expressed some excitement about it out of the blue,” Seokjin grinned, Y/N completely taken aback by how quickly he had recovered from writhing on the floor in pain by simply biting her. 

“You guys are Godsends…” Y/N muttered under her breath, thankful that she’d have several pairs of hands to assist her in all of the tasks she had saved to the last minute. “Alright, I’ll wash up and come find you all in a bit. I know you wanted to watch more Masterchef today, so we can do that too.”

Smiling at her fondly at her remembrance, Seokjin nodded once, shyly heading towards her door with his rounded ears fluttering the whole way. Y/N didn’t know where his shyness was coming from all of a sudden, when he had just carried her down the stairs as if she were a sack of flour. Shutting the door behind him, Y/N hurried to the bathroom, steam filling the room as she prodded at both painless marks on her neck. 

Snorting at herself in the mirror as she mentally compared them to vampire bites, she thought to do a little more research on the act of scenting itself. At the very least, she could arm herself with information; about potential cues for when hybrids should scent before discomfort, primarily. Thinking back to the stupefying sensation that she felt after each bite, Y/N felt that she should read a forum about that, as well, considering she had no rational explanation as to why that sensation would occur. Stepping into the shower with haste, Y/N scrubbed at her skin harshly, eager to catch up with her hybrids after her day without them. 

By Thursday morning, Y/N was hoping that the panic she was experiencing wasn’t registering on her face and filling the room with negative energy. She had a mile-long grocery list after consulting with Yoongi the previous evening about the menu, unable to resist indulging his every whim as he came up with dish ideas. The staircase was still unfinished– Y/N worried it would get scuffed if guests wanted to explore the house and see her newest renovations of the second-floor bedrooms– she had to hit the liquor store for booze and pick out her outfit. Then there was the preparation of the backyard by stacking wood for the fire pit, dragging out chairs to put around it, and cleaning off the picnic table. Additionally, she had to take the hybrids to the mall, forgetting she had scheduled haircuts for them a while back, and she figured they could pick up outfits of their own while they were there. 

Stirring her coffee by the slider door in the kitchen, her eyes glazed over as she gazed out at the backyard, wondering why the hell she didn’t move the cookout to the following week after all that had happened recently. Y/N supposed that it was too late to cancel it, Ben already texting her about how eager he was to meet the hybrids in her group chat with him, Laura, and Alice– the other two reacting to his message with emphasized thumbs-ups. The hybrids themselves were practically bouncing off the walls as well, or at least the ones present in the kitchen. 

“Yoongi, you’ve been sharpening that knife for five minutes. I think it’s sharp enough now to cut through bone,” Hoseok complained from his seat on the barstool, rubbing his temples as he slumped over his coffee mug, drooped ears and all. Y/N noticed Hoseok wasn’t exactly a morning person over the past few days. 

Turning, Y/N watched Yoongi put the knife-sharpening steel down on the granite island, his upper lip curled up in a snarl at the fox hybrid’s comment. She knew Yoongi was secretly anticipating cooking for such a large amount of people; he had even got up early to make several soup stocks in large pots, the herbal concoctions simmering away on the stove. Jeongguk, lounging on the breakfast nook booth, was totally wrapped up in reading something on his phone, his feet kicked up on the seat so no one else could sit with him. 

“Yeah? Using a dull knife is a surefire way to A) do more work, and B) slice off a finger,” Yoongi calmly shot back, returning the knife back to the block by the stove. 

Hoseok grumbled something Y/N could not hear from her spot by the door, eyeing Jeongguk sideways to see if he was listening to the antics. One of his tapered ears flickered in her direction, though he did not tear his eyes from whatever was holding his attention on his phone. Swirling the remnants of her now-empty mug of coffee, Y/N slouched her way to the carafe, knowing that she’d need to be sufficiently caffeinated to get through her long day. 

In the middle of pouring another healthy mug of dark roast, Y/N caught movement from the entrance to the kitchen from the foyer, Taehyung shuffling into the room sleepily in his black hoodie, hands in his pocket and hood pulled over his head, mouth dropped open mid-yawn. Delighted to see him so early, Y/N pulled out an additional mug for the Kodiak hybrid, the one with Sailor Moon on it, filling it generously as Taehyung dragged his feet to her side. 

“Morning, Tae,” Y/N greeted gently, the knowledge that he liked the nickname she gave him so much tucked in her back pocket. Nudging her hip with his own, he accepted the mug quickly, adding cream to his coffee with a small smile on his lips. “How’d you sleep?”

“Slept well. You?” Taehyung’s sleep-thickened voice struck her like static shock, even while the sleeves of his sweatshirt were slipping over his hands as he sipped his coffee. 

“As well as I could, today is pretty packed so I was tossing and turning throughout the night,” Y/N answered truthfully, leaning against the coffee bar as her to-do list haunted her mental space. Humming throatily at her response, Taehyung bent down to face her, trying to get a good look at her face. 

“Don’t stress. You have help,” Taehyung replied simply, sending her a wink. Blushing, Y/N nodded, noting how often Taehyung seemed to get in her face these days.

After a drawn-out breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, Jimin and Seokjin joining her and the others in the kitchen eventually, Y/N waited by the front door for everyone to get ready to head to the mall. Her spirits were somewhat dampened, considering she had only caught glimpses of Namjoon the previous night sneaking into the kitchen for a package of chips and a water refill, wondering if he’d even bother coming along with her to the mall. Part of her wanted to march into his locked-up bedroom and demand to know what was going on with him, but the larger part of her was still very much intimidated by the wolf hybrid. The longer the stretch of time went on since he had scented her, the more awkward she felt about confronting him again. Still, she ached to see his face, to hear his deep, rich voice responding to her inquiries. 

It was another sunny day, the skylight bathing the foyer with dusty sunshine. The house was pretty warm, and Y/N remembered she could turn on the new A/C units since they had been installed the day she picked Namjoon up from the shelter, so she did so promptly to keep her hands busy as they all idled by the door. Adjusting her thin tee shirt uncomfortably, she scanned the grocery list in her other hand as she listened to Hoseok and Seokjin bicker by the stairs. 

“Jinnie, you’ve barely put a dent in that book even though you’ve been carrying it around everywhere. Are you trying to pick up girls at the mall?” Hoseok teased, staring pointedly at the copy of Lord of the Rings tucked under Seokjin’s arm. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Seokjin spit through his teeth, using his free hand to punch the fox hybrid on the bicep with enough force to send Hoseok stumbling back a step. “I told you to stop calling me ‘Jinnie’, are you becoming hard of hearing?” 

Jimin, from beside her, rolled his eyes so hard Y/N was worried they would fall out of his skull, waiting patiently for everyone to arrive by the door so they could leave. Taehyung, too, was leaning against the door with a bored look painted across his features, unimpressed by the noise coming from the two across the room. Jeongguk stomped down the stairs with a heavy tread, eyes still glued to his phone and almost missing the last step before catching himself on the wobbly banister. 

She was just waiting on Yoongi and Namjoon, the former bravely knocking on the wolf hybrid’s bedroom door and slipping inside, mentioning that he’d ask Namjoon if he was going to the mall for Y/N, which warmed her heart dangerously. After a few painstaking moments of burning a hole through Namjoon’s door, Yoongi emerged, the wolf hybrid reluctantly in tow. Finally getting a good look at him since he had scented her, Y/N choked on her intake of breath, Namjoon looking better than ever in light wash jeans and a navy tee shirt Y/N had ordered for him. 

Thankfully, Jimin had encouraged everyone to the car, Y/N stiffly sliding into the driver’s seat next to Namjoon, who was fastidiously ignoring her by sticking his face into the library copy of Wuthering Heights and his ears flat against his skull. Not exactly expecting such a chilly demeanor from the wolf hybrid, Y/N switched on the radio, doing her best to ignore him right back. It was difficult, an almost gravitational-like pull begging her to reach out and grab a hold of his hand resting on his thigh. Gritting her teeth, Y/N set her navigation for the mall a town over, feeling Taehyung from behind her fiddle with a lock of her hair through the gap of the headrest. She temporarily forgot about the wolf hybrid brooding beside her, Taehyung’s curious touch distracting her as she began to drive down the street. 

Forking over a fistful of cash at the Auntie Anne’s counter, Y/N shook her head with amusement as Hoseok noisily slurped a Salted Caramel Chocolate Frost beside her, his tail brushing her leg as it swished back and forth happily. The others were similarly enjoying pretzel dogs, nuggets, and large slushy drinks, clumped around a bench nearby the counter. Taking a bite of her own cinnamon-sugar dusted nuggets, Y/N sat beside Jeongguk on the bench. The elk hybrid had a bit of hot salsa cheese dip on the corner of his mouth, chewing his roasted garlic and parmesan pretzel quite ravenously. Giggling, Y/N wanted to wipe his face for him, but didn’t want to risk the possibility of him running away to the opposite end of the mall. 

The mall was fairly empty, considering it was a Thursday afternoon, much to Y/N’s relief. There was still some time before the haircut appointments, Y/N surveying the salon beside a Victoria’s Secret several yards away. Munching thoughtfully, Y/N considered buying some new undergarments while everyone was getting their hair done, but shivered at the thought of any of them catching her pick out panties. A hand snuck in between her and Jeongguk, a pinched-off piece of a classic pretzel being waved in her face. Craning her neck upwards, Seokjin offered her a goofy, affectionate grin as Y/N accepted the piece from his fingertips, trading it with one of her cinnamon-sugar nuggets. 

“So, your appointments are in about ten minutes, I suppose I should check you all in,” Y/N tossed her empty pretzel cup into a garbage can by the mall fountain, accidentally interrupting a conversation between Yoongi and Jimin while they sat on the ledge of the fountain. Both hybrid’s ears perked up at the sound of her voice cutely. “Where the hell did Namjoon go,” Y/N muttered, scanning the immediate area for the wolf hybrid. 

Tapping her shoulder lightly, Taehyung pointed a little ways away from the pretzel counter, Y/N spotting Namjoon reading the mall directory map while sipping on his lemonade. Without Y/N saying anything to him, Taehyung took off in Namjoon’s direction, and after several moments the wolf hybrid followed the former towards the salon with great distaste painting his features. Namjoon really seemed to dislike Taehyung, Y/N thought. The others trailing behind her into the humid salon like students to a teacher on a field trip, Y/N caught Hoseok sniffing the hairspray-scented air with a slightly nervous expression. 

The young woman working at the reception desk assessed the large number of people crowding her waiting area with poorly disguised shock, scrambling for the appointment book. 

“Good afternoon, I’m sorry… Did you make an online appointment? And for whom?” The woman pulled her eyebrows together, squinting at the appointment book with a flush settling over her cheeks. 

“Stacy, you have to start recording the online appointment requests in the book. It’s a good thing all of the stylists can check the online bookings too. These are the seven hybrid cuts, the appointment was made over the weekend,” A tough-looking woman came around the corner leading into the main part of a salon, her rockstar-style pixie cut dyed a vibrant purple. Spluttering, too busy staring at Taehyung beside Y/N unabashedly, Stacy didn’t seem to hear the other woman. 

“Mm-hmm. I’ll start doing that,” Stacy responded dreamily, moving on to ogle at Seokjin with equal admiration. 

Grinding her teeth, Y/N watched the woman with the purple hair, presumably a stylist judging by the apron tied around her waist, roll her eyes at Stacy. Y/N knew all of her hybrids were extremely handsome, but something about Stacy’s excessive coyness all of a sudden bothered her, even when she offered them all coffee sweetly. 

“Alright gentlemen. All of the stylists are ready, we scheduled a good block of time to do your cuts since we didn’t have too many details about styles on the form. Fault of the form, of course, not you, hun,” the purple-haired woman assured Y/N quickly. “We really need a new online system. I’m Karlie, by the way.”

“Karlie, nice to meet you. Is it alright if I mill around the mall while they’re here?” Y/N asked, not keen on cramming her ass into one of the stiff-looking plastic chairs in the waiting room for an extended period of time. She also had a side mission: looking around for gifts for both Jeongguk and Namjoon’s upcoming birthdays. 

“Go right ahead, we’ll send them on their way once they’re done and I’ll shoot you a text, since you’ve already paid for the cuts online beforehand. I’m sure they’ll be able to find you,” Karlie waved her hand, motioning for Jimin, who was closest to her, to shuffle into the main room of the salon. Jimin stalled, staring at Y/N with wide eyes. 

Each hybrid looked a tad bewildered that Y/N was leaving them there, Karlie and Stacy giving them a moment in the waiting room before their appointments. Even steely Namjoon had his jaw set in trepidation, looking entirely out of place in the flowery salon. 

“I’ll stay on the first floor, so you won’t have to worry about me straying too far from the salon here. It’ll be nice, I promise– they’re all trained to work with hybrid’s hair, you’ll feel fresh and relaxed after. I think they do hot towel treatments here, I read it online,” Y/N patted Jimin’s back gently, trying her best to comfort them all earnestly. “And afterwards you guys should pick out some clothes, too. I’m sure you’ve been wanting to get things in your own styles.”

“Ready, gentlemen?” Karlie popped her head around the corner, Y/N getting the feeling she was listening in the whole time. “You’re in good hands, several of the stylists themselves have hybrids at home.”

Still looking somewhat unconvinced, Y/N watched her seven hybrids disappear around the corner into the salon’s main room, Karlie attempting to make small talk with Jeongguk cheerily. Rocking on her heels, Y/N felt remorseful as an intrusive thought popped into her head– perhaps they thought she was going to ditch them at the salon and return home without them. Of course, that would never happen in a million years; Y/N already couldn’t picture her life and future without any of them in it. 

Circling the first floor a couple of times in search of a store to look for gifts, Y/N mumbled to herself, nothing quite striking her as uniquely Jeongguk or Namjoon. She put down the pack of sparkly silver earrings that caught her eye for Jeongguk in an accessory store, deciding they were a bit too flashy for him. Usually, she was quite good at picking out birthday gifts for her loved ones, but the two she was shopping for at the moment were tough nuts to crack. 

She found herself in a shoe store across from the salon, searching for a new pair of slippers for herself since her current pair had a hole by the big toe. Waiting for the sales clerk to ring up the pair she selected, Y/N checked her watch, not believing such a little amount of time had passed. It was startling how much she missed the hybrids even after less than a half hour, Y/N trying to peer into the large door of the salon as if she’d be able to catch a glimpse of them. All she saw was Stacy at the desk, talking on the phone and twirling a lock of glossy brunette hair around her finger. 

Swinging the bag with her slippers around in her hand, Y/N strolled into the bookstore one door down from the shoe store, hoping she could pick up something in there for Namjoon at the very least. Unsurprisingly, as she had zero impulse control in a bookstore, Y/N filled up her basket at lightning speed. Towards the back of the store, Y/N located the slim shelf with the occult books, sliding her finger along the spines as she read the titles. She had many of the books, but some of the titles were from new occult authors she had never heard of before. Scooping up a thin paperback of protection spells, Y/N promptly dropped it into her basket without much of a thought. She picked out a couple other occult books she thought Jeongguk and Namjoon might like– The Paranormal Investigative Field Guide and Spirits, Entities, and Cryptids: a Comprehensive Collection of the Supernatural. 

Inching towards the journals, Y/N spotted a beautiful black leather one sitting on the shelf, with carved filigree on the front and an elegant clasp to keep it shut. The paper was almost linen-like in texture, the whole journal practically screaming Jeongguk, whose current journal was looking a little worse for wear. Grinning to herself, Y/N selected a set of inky pens to go with it, happy with her choices so far. She was thinking about heading to the electronics store the following week for a video camera, thinking a whole “paranormal investigation” theme for the elk hybrid would be perfect for him. 

As for Namjoon, with just one book for him in her basket, Y/N knew she’d have to think about what else to get him for a few more days. She simply didn’t know enough about him yet, she concluded, with a pang of sadness. Part of her wanted to call her mother for any ideas, but didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of hearing Y/N admit she knew less about her hybrid than she did. The thought of her mother bragging about how wonderful the wolf hybrid was, or scolding Y/N for not being more observant of Namjoon’s interests, sent a shiver down her spine. 

After having the cashier carefully wrap up the books, Y/N lugged the heavy bag to her car, moving as quickly as she could from the parking lot back into the first floor of the mall, praying that none of them had been looking for her within the five minutes she had popped out. Settling a palm over her racing heart, Y/N checked her phone for any messages from Karlie, discovering nothing from the stylist, but instead a single text from Hoseok. 

Curiously, Y/N tapped on the notification, snorting loudly at the attached image the fox hybrid sent. It was a somewhat-blurry candid of Jeongguk, sitting grumpily in a styling chair with a cape velcroed around his neck, under a hair dryer with a shower cap stretched over his conditioner-caked hair. The shower cap had several holes cut into it to accommodate his antlers and ears, his eyes downcast as he stared at his phone with clear annoyance. Saving the image, Y/N sent Hoseok back several laughing emojis, amused that the hybrids were getting so pampered at the salon. It made her want to return to Stacy at the front desk to schedule a haircut for herself. 

Trying to find a comfortable place to sit for a bit, Y/N wandered by the food court, spotting a new boutique that must have opened recently, boasting an end-of-summer sale on a window sign. Intrigued, Y/N breezed into the store, the bright interior still holding a lingering paint smell in the air. Leafing through the sales rack, Y/N stopped at a beautiful lavender sundress marked half off. Pulling it off the rack, Y/N admired the simplicity of the patternless fabric. Likely falling mid-thigh, the waist fitted and skirt flared out, the dress was held up by spaghetti straps and had a sweetheart neckline with ruching and a bow holding the fabric across the bust together. Delighted, the tag reading that it was, in fact, her size, the material wispy and soft, Y/N knew she had found her outfit for the cookout, having the perfect sandals at home to go with the dress. 

With her outfit in hand, Y/N’s spirits were soaring, finally looking forward to having an opportunity to dress up and have fun with all of her friends. Perhaps she was being a little bit cynical earlier in the day dwelling on all of the things she had to accomplish before she could enjoy herself at the cookout, but as Taehyung had said, she now had help. 

Sitting at a large table in the food court by herself, Y/N gently set down the two trays of boba milk tea she was able to score from the counter that usually had a line wrapped around the food court. Again, part of her felt like she wasn’t really encouraging healthy choices as far as food and beverage, but she wanted to get the hybrids an extra treat for enduring such a lengthy appointment while she twirled around the mall by herself. 

Scrolling through her Twitter feed, Y/N hummed to herself, simultaneously stabbing the wide straw through her boba lid. Her phone buzzed in her hand while she watched some sort of mindless Tik Tok on kitchen organization, grumbling as she opened up the message. It was Karlie, letting her know that a couple of her hybrids were all set and on their way. Straightening up in her seat, Y/N scanned her surroundings, trying to remember what everyone was wearing as she squinted at a passing group of elderly women power walking in sneakers. As she drummed her fingers against the table, Y/N checked her watch– over an hour had passed since she had left them at the salon. She wondered if they’d return with highlights, with all that time. 

“Y/N, my darling! There you are, did you get me another sugary drink? Is this your way of apologizing for subjecting me to an hour of hairspray inhalation?” Hoseok’s loud voice came from her right, Y/N whipping her head around as he slid into the booth next to her with a wry grin on his face. 

His mahogany hair was neatly trimmed now, cropped in the back and around the sides in a sort of bowl-cut manner, his waves parted down the middle and gleaming brilliantly even under the unflattering fluorescent lighting of the mall. Her mouth had dropped open to accuse him of teasing her again, but her tongue turned to stone now that she could see his face so clearly. Winking at her speechlessness, Hoseok pried one of the boba cups out of the paper tray, diving in promptly. The metal screech of the chair across from her had her squeaking, tearing her eyes from Hoseok to land on Yoongi standing over them, eyes narrowed at Hoseok with peevishness. 

“Stop bitching. I was sure you were going to start moaning when they put that hot towel over your head, Foxy,” Yoongi countered, his silky black hair still long and beautiful, but the sides above his human set of ears were shaved neatly, offering a more edgy look than when it was entirely overgrown. 

“Are you picking a fight with me Yoongi?” Hoseok’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, though didn’t seem particularly bothered by Yoongi’s comment. Hoseok, Y/N had noticed, tended to let things glide right off his shoulders. 

“I wouldn’t dare,” Yoongi scoffed, tilting his head contemplatively as he accepted a cup from Y/N. 

Y/N caught his eyes zeroing in on the sides of her neck as she leaned away from him, where the lilac bruises were watercoloring the skin where Namjoon and Seokjin had scented her. Flushing violently, Y/N tried to maintain eye contact with the leopard hybrid, his irises like a kaleidoscope of greens and golds, and it was hard to dissect the thoughts behind them. 

“So it went well? Any hiccups?” Y/N cleared her throat, breaking her eyes away from Yoongi’s feline stare with difficulty by swirling around the boba in her cup. 

“You mean, did anyone cause a scene? No,” Hoseok replied through a mouthful of tapioca pearls. 

“Come on, Hoseok, you’re putting words in my mouth,” Y/N nudged him with her shoulder softly, though he did see right through her pretty accurately. “I was wondering more along the lines of if anyone ended up with a shitty haircut.”

“I don’t know about that. Jeongguk got some weird shaved style, but I guess it’s all about preferences. My tastes are more classic,” Hoseok puffed out his chest, always taking an opportunity to make fun of the elk hybrid when he could. 

“Yeah, Foxy. The salad bowl cut is very classy,” Yoongi teased, crossing his arms over his hoodie-clad chest. Hoseok called Yoongi ‘Fabio’ under his breath, Y/N’s head spinning as she tried to keep up with the antics. 

“Oh, Seokjin is close by,” Hoseok perked up, chin tilted towards to the right as he gazed off into the distance. Brow cocked, Y/N tried to see whatever it was that he could, but only caught a glimpse of the elderly women lapping around the first floor again. 

“Jimin and Taehyung, too,” Yoongi added, his tone disinterested as he picked at his nails. 

“How do you kn–” Y/N began, Yoongi chuckling at her, making the words die on her tongue before she could finish. 

“Their scents, silly girl. How do you think we found you, in the first place?” Yoongi drawled, a smirk pulling the corner of his mouth. Appalled, Y/N gawked at Yoongi with disbelief, wondering when he had gotten so bold. She preferred when she made him flustered. 

“Stop teasing her, Yoongi, she got you a drink, after all,” Hoseok chided distractedly before waving his hands in the air enthusiastically, spotting Seokjin several feet away with Jimin and Taehyung in tow. Pot calling kettle, Y/N thought with minor amusement.

From where she was sitting, it appeared that Seokjin had gotten a very similar haircut to Hoseok, though his curls were tighter than the fox hybrid’s and his bangs were longer, skimming right under his eyebrows. He hurried over to the table once he saw Hoseok’s exaggerated arm flailing, Y/N placing the bag with her new sundress on the floor to clear the spot on her other side. Seokjin predictably slid into the booth as soon as it was vacated, bringing a light floral scent coming from his hair when he shook it out with a content sigh. 

Jimin was next to arrive at the table, Y/N hoping her eyes weren’t bugging out of her head when he smiled at her brightly, his honey-blonde hair cropped short neatly and styled in a slicked back way, a single strand falling on his forehead like Clark Kent. Nearly choking on a tapioca pearl, Y/N couldn’t believe how much Jimin looked like a model, the entirety of his sculpted face perfectly visible now. She felt Hoseok’s shoulders shaking with laughter next to her, which she actively ignored when Taehyung took his seat beside Yoongi. 

“What is this?” Taehyung asked curiously, inspecting the drink Yoongi passed to him warily. “What’s the stuff at the bottom?”

Taehyung cocked his head at Y/N, apparently speaking to her, his curly dark hair bouncy and trimmed now to frame his face, the bulk of it that clung around his neck shaved to expose the elegant column of it. Even his ears were more visible now, they were rounded and small, and it made her want to squeal upon seeing them. Y/N was completely overwhelmed; perhaps she should have just allowed the hybrids to walk around like mountain men now that she saw them with runway styles. 

“It’s milk tea. The stuff at the bottom is tapioca pearls, they’re soaked in a sweet syrup, I think you’ll like it,” Y/N answered as succinctly as she could, cringing as she watched him try to peel the plastic off the top of the cup. 

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi snatched the cup away again, stabbing a straw into the plastic lid for Taehyung before returning it like an impatient parent. The whole table watched the Kodiak hybrid take a tentative sip, his garnet eyes narrowing at the taste contemplatively. Y/N gave him a thumbs-up, which he returned after a moment, draining the cup about a quarter of the way– she thought it was safe to say he was enjoying it. 

“The other two are almost done, Miss Y/N. I think it was a little difficult for the stylist doing Jeongguk’s hair to navigate around his antlers and piercings,” Jimin volunteered helpfully after a few beats, leaning back in his chair comfortably. Hoseok nodded in agreement, a smirk ghosting his lips as he processed Jimin’s subtle condescending tone towards the elk hybrid. 

“Okay, as soon as they get here we’ll head up to the second floor. There’s a huge hybrid clothes store up there– so you all can pick out clothes for yourselves, you know, express your personalities and whatnot,” Y/N fiddled with her straw while she spoke, trying to conjure up images in her mind of what styles they might all gravitate to. 

“I already have more clothes than I’ve ever had,” Seokjin started to giggle from beside her, apparently making a joke. Trying not to react to another clue into Seokjin’s past, reminded of his time at the shitty circus company he had been sold to, Y/N shook her head sadly. 

“Jin, I’ll help you pick out some things. You definitely don’t strike me as someone with a developed fashion taste,” Hoseok reached behind Y/N’s back to pat Seokjin’s shoulder with excessive force, the jaguar hybrid grumbling with agitation. 

“Do they have shoes? I’m probably going to need some boots when I work outside…” Jimin traced a fingertip over his chin in thought, one of his sandy ears twitching. 

“They do, but if you don’t find anything you like, there are other shoe stores around,” Y/N replied, noticing that Yoongi’s ears had perked up in the same direction as Jimin’s. She had a feeling Namjoon and Jeongguk were due at the table at any moment. 

“Here come the gray clouds,” Yoongi muttered under his breath, Y/N resisting the urge to kick his shin from under the table. 

Y/N placed her hands on Hoseok’s arm to push him out of the booth so they could get a move on, keeping in mind that they still had to hit the grocery and liquor stores before they went home. Hoseok leaned into her touch, grinning cheekily as he hauled himself off the vinyl seat, Seokjin graciously handing Y/N her almost forgotten shopping bag containing her new sundress. 

As she turned around after thanking Seokjin, Y/N almost slammed face-first into a broad chest directly behind her, stumbling backwards to prevent the collision somewhat inelegantly. Reeling, Y/N registered Namjoon in front of her, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. His ears were turned downwards against his skull, his silvery strands swept up to reveal his forehead for the first time with the shorter cut he had opted for. Dazzled, Y/N forgot all about how he had been ignoring her, a stupid smile stretching across her face as she took in how lovely the wolf hybrid was. 

“Hi Namjoon,” Y/N offered him one of the final milk teas with a cheerful expression, encouraged when he took it without hesitation, craning her neck to peer around his shoulder to greet Jeongguk. 

The elk hybrid, looking the most dramatically different compared to when he had arrived at the mall with a head of shoulder-length shaggy hair, appeared both a touch exasperated but mostly smug. The sides of his head were shaved into an undercut, the tops and back of the style maintaining some of the length of his chestnut locks. The style almost emphasized the way his antlers encircled his head like a crown, Y/N barely even recognizing him with the shiny gel holding the strands in place– he was holding a jar of gel in his hand that he had purchased from the salon. 

Holding out her bag with her sundress in it, Y/N urged Jeongguk to drop the jar inside of it, trying her best not to shrivel up under his cocky, confident expression directed right at her. Luckily, Jimin extended an olive branch by giving the elk hybrid the last milk tea, and they were all on their way to the second floor without much fuss. 

“My stylist was so nice. She told me she had a calico cat hybrid at home, named Ruby,” Seokjin, from his spot in front of her on the escalator, announced. “She said I had ‘pretty eyes’.”

Chuckling, stepping off of the escalator with care, Y/N took the chance to admire Seokjin’s vibrant orange eyes rimmed with thick black lashes in appreciation. His stylist wasn’t wrong. 

“Yeah, it was actually relaxing. I didn’t know what to expect, at first. I thought she was just going to shave my head,” Yoongi commented, his fingertips brushing Y/N’s wrist as she led the way to Hybrid Outfitters. “My old barber on the North End never listened to me. I always walked out of there with something crazy… he was like eighty, not like I could say anything to him.”

Reaching the front of the store, Y/N scratched her head, making sure everyone was present. Growing hot all over, she felt like she needed to check the original appointment booking to see if she had over generously tipped considering how beautiful all of their haircuts had turned out. Swallowing hard, Y/N shifted from one foot to another as they walked into the shop in one big huddle. Everyone was looking at her expectantly when she didn’t tell them to split up, her nerves getting the best of her as she revealed part of her inner monologue impulsively. 

“All I can say is… you all look very handsome,” Y/N blurted, half wanting to pay a compliment and half unable to hold herself back. “Go ahead and pick out anything you like, I’ll just hang out near the fitting rooms!” 

Cringing from her lack of a filter, she sped further into the store without waiting for the hybrid’s reactions to her comment. Thankful that none of them had chased after her, Y/N let out a ragged sigh as she sunk into the worn cushions of the sofa next to the fitting rooms. Gritting her teeth, she glued her eyes to her phone to temper her embarassment, trying to read the long thread of messages in the groupchat that she had missed. 

Ben Alpin: Just picked up the cupcakes. The boxes barely fit in the back of the Lexus

Alice Santos: Is it necessary to mention the fact that your car is a Lexus each time you’re in it

Ben Alpin: Yes, it’s in the manual

Laura Santos: I picked up some outdoor toys for Kai and Daisy today, bubbles and chalk mostly. Y/N, do you still have that kiddie pool in the garage? 

Ben Alpin: Laura, you’re an angel!

Alice Santos: That kiddie pool must be from WWI, didn’t we throw it out when we helped clear out your grandma’s hoard of old shit?

Ben Alpin: It has Barney on it, for Christ’s sake Al. It can’t be older than me

Y/N: I think it’s still in the garage, I’ll check when I’m back at home. Took the hybrids out for some new clothes, and to help with the grocery shopping

Alice Santos: Oh, so you haven’t been killed by the seven men living in your house?

Laura Santos: Al, tone it down!!!

Y/N: NO!! I told you, they’re sweethearts. See for yourself tomorrow. BTW – they heard the whole phone call from the other day :(

Ben Alpin: Did you guys have another Facetime without me

Alice Santos: Yes

Laura Santos: I’m sure they knew we were just concerned, Y/N! 

Y/N: That’s what I explained to one of them. He has a bit of a penchant for interrogation

Ben Alpin: We don’t even know their names yet, care to enlighten

Laura Santos: Or what TYPES of hybrids they are! Ben told me they were ‘exotics’ ?? 

Taking a deep breath and crossing her legs, Y/N tried her best to keep up with the constant stream of text messages rolling in, deciding it was only fair to give her friends a little bit of background instead of having them come to the cookout flying blind. 

Y/N: Ok, ok 

Alice Santos: ???

Y/N: There’s Seokjin, a jaguar hybrid, Taehyung who’s a Kodiak bear. Hoseok, a red fox, and Jimin is a coyote hybrid

Ben Alpin: Holy shit. Like those giant bears from Alaska???

Alice Santos: Which one has the ‘penchant for interrogation’

Y/N: That’s Namjoon, he’s a Northwestern wolf hybrid. 

Laura Santos: And the other two?

Y/N: The youngest, who’s about the same age as me and you girls, is Jeongguk. He’s an elk hybrid. The last is Yoongi and he’s a leopard hybrid… though I swear, I feel like I’ve met Yoongi before, it’s the strangest thing. He used to work at some bar under the table in Boston before I adopted him

Ben Alpin: Maybe you tried slipping him your number during a blackout bar-tour one Friday night in grad school. You DO love your cute bartenders

Laura Santos: LOL very possible for her

“Y/N? Does this look alright?” A quiet voice in front of her distracted Y/N from sending an expletive response to Ben’s dig at her. 

Looking up, Taehyung was standing next to a fitting room, trying on silky ruby colored short-sleeved button down and a pair of baggy black cargo pants, his fingertips tugging on the hemline of his shirt contemplatively. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Y/N got to her feet, approaching Taehyung, motioning with a finger to have him turn in a circle. He did so obediently, holding his arms out wide, a playful smile on his lips as Y/N assessed the look. 

“Looks very nice. Maybe tuck in the front of the shirt into your pants? Do the pants fit right, or are they too big?” Y/N tilted her head, wondering if they sold belts. 

  “No, they’re supposed to be loose. Should I wear this tomorrow?” Taehyung tucked in his shirt as she suggested, casting a look into one of the full-length mirrors behind him. 

“Yeah, why not? That shirt brings out the pretty red in your eyes,” Y/N replied, ignoring her phone buzzing a hole into the back pocket of her jean shorts. 

“Pretty!” Taehyung exclaimed, surprise coloring his features as he turned back to stare at Y/N with shock. “You’re bold today, aren’t you?”

Placing her hands on her hips, Y/N shook her head, unable to deny the accusation. 

“Just speaking my mind. It’s not like I can lie to you all, now that I know you can sniff it out,” Y/N teased, poking him on his shoulder with a smile. Taehyung was fun to tease; his cheeks flushed brilliantly and it was an opportunity to see his cute toothy smile. 

“That’s right. No more secret-keeping for you,” Taehyung leaned down to level his face with her’s, Y/N almost rearing back before Taehyung poked the fleshy apple of her cheek in retaliation. “I have a few more things to try on. You should help the wolf, he looks lost.”

Spluttering, she watched Taehyung’s shoulders shake as he turned and disappeared into his fitting room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Y/N to place a hand over where his fingertip had been. Remembering she was in public,Y/N frantically made sure no one was staring at her, spotting Hoseok holding up a thin sweater against Seokjin’s chest with a contemplative cocked brow towards the front of the store. Nearby, Jeongguk was sifting through a pile of black tee-shirts on a table. 

Trying to locate Namjoon, Y/N weaved her way further into the store, waving to Jimin and Yoongi by the jeans, finally finding the wolf hybrid by the sales racks at the back of the store. Humming, Y/N watched Namjoon’s ear twitch while his back was turned to her, Y/N running her fingertips over a caramel-colored crew neck sweater, the thread impossibly soft. Plucking it off the rack, Y/N held it up, noting that it was in Namjoon’s size. 

“This would look nice on you,” Y/N commented nonchalantly, watching the wolf hybrid’s shoulders stiffen out of the corner of her eye. 

At a glacial pace, he shuffled over to her, assessing the sweater with narrowed eyes. Reaching out to grasp one of the sleeves, he ran a thumb over the material, his eyebrows lifting in what Y/N perceived to be consideration. 

“It’s my size,” Namjoon mumbled, taking the sweater from her gingerly. “How did you know?”

“I pretty much have all of your sizes memorized. They were on your information sheets back at the shelter, and I wrote them down on my phone so I could place that online order of clothes over the weekend,” Y/N explained, brushing off the fact that Namjoon’s tone was on the side of accusatory. Namjoon grunted in response, returning to pawing through the section with his sizes, seemingly gravitating towards earth tones as he piled up a couple of items in his arm. 

Y/N suggested a few more items, and Namjoon surprisingly accepted each one, though he didn’t reply to her verbally any further. It was like she was back to having a one-sided conversation with him in the shelter while he was still shifted into wolf form, Y/N feeling remorse flood through her body. She thought she had been making progress with cracking through his tough exterior, but it seemed they had taken one step forward and two steps back. She missed his insightful responses to her questions, and most painfully of all, she noted that he took extra care to avoid physical contact with her– always standing a good two feet away from her proximity. 

After a while, Yoongi and Jimin sought her out after paying for their clothes, each with large bags swinging from the crooks of their elbows. Thankful to have two hybrids that actually wanted to speak to her, Y/N watched Namjoon make his escape to the checkout line, where all of the others were waiting to pay for their armfuls of clothing. 

“Did you find some boots Jimin?” Y/N asked the coyote hybrid, walking between him and Yoongi, to wait outside of the store for the others. Yoongi was so close to her, she could feel his body heat as the three of them leaned against the railing overlooking the first floor of the mall. 

“I did, they had some real nice ones, too. They’re not roper boots, but they’ll do,” Jimin shook one of his shopping bags lightly, his closed-lip smile making his eyes scrunch up into slits. 

“That’s good! And you both found some clothes, that makes me happy,” Y/N sighed, muscles melting into the metal railing they were leaning against. Her back was killing her, and her day wasn’t even halfway over. “Two more stops to make, the grocery and liquor stores. Then we can go home.”

Yoongi inched even closer to her, if that was even possible, as she spoke. Eyeing him, she watched him pick his nails again, noting he was particularly fidgety that afternoon, as well as sharper of tongue. Thinking that it would be wise to do her extensive research on scenting later, Y/N wondered if Yoongi was beginning to feel the discomfort of not doing so. Leaning her shoulder into his upper arm, Yoongi looked down at her curiously, a strand of his inky hair falling forward into his face. 

“Our piano lesson is tomorrow,” Y/N reminded him excitedly, enjoying the soft smile that bloomed across his face. “You think we’ll be able to squeeze it in between cooking and the actual cookout?” 

“For sure. I’ll just teach you some basics to get a foundation, after we get some of the prep done for the food. We’ll do the lesson earlier in the morning, after breakfast,” Yoongi replied after a few moments, drumming his fingertips along the metal banister of the railing. “I’m sure if you delegate certain tasks to the other guys, they’d be more than happy to help out. Hey Jimin, can you chop wood?”

Jimin made a choked noise, his reverie of watching a clump of young children race each other on the first floor interrupted, apparently not listening. 

“I can,” a voice from behind had the three leaning against the banner turn, Taehyung emerging from the store with his lengthy receipt and three shopping bags. “That was pretty much my whole job before I got here.”

“There you go. Taehyung, won’t you help Y/N with the firewood for that old firepit in the backyard?” Yoongi urged, Y/N shrinking in embarrassment against Yoongi’s arm as Taehyung’s eyes shifted from her to the leopard hybrid with confusion. 

“Of course,” Taehyung returned without hesitation, stiffening as Hoseok and Seokjin appeared, flanking his either side. 

Embarrassed to even ask for help in the first place, Y/N wanted to step on Yoongi’s foot when he asked Taehyung to perform a task for her, even though she knew the leopard hybrid was trying to get everything to run smoothly for the next day’s event. She refrained from stamping down on his toes as she stared at the floor, not wanting to risk him backing out of teaching her piano in the morning. Most of all, Y/N didn’t miss the way Taehyung had accidentally given her a clue into his past workplace, making her wonder when exactly she’d learn more intimate details.

When Jeongguk and Namjoon finally joined the rest of them, Y/N chatted with Jimin and Hoseok on the way back to the car about some of the guests they’d be meeting. She summed up the list of people as best she could, glaring at a middle-aged woman rudely gawking at the group of them in a judgemental manner in the parking lot. Catching the interaction, Hoseok gave her a gentle pat on the back, his lips pressed into a ‘what are you going to do?’ smile, opening her car door for her. 

Clambering in, she thanked Hoseok as he gently shut the door, starting up the car as everyone piled in. Once again, Namjoon returned to his book beside her, though Y/N could feel his eyes on her every so often as she drove to the grocery store. One step forward, two steps back. 

The rest of Thursday passed by in a whirlwind. Grocery shopping was a breeze with eight people to scatter around the store for specific items, and hauling crates of liquor into the house was even easier– no one allowed her to carry in a single bag, apart from a carton of eggs. Taehyung and Jimin immediately went to the backyard with the keys for the garage, milling back and forth with lawn furniture, wood from the woodshed, and axes.

After a while, Namjoon went outside to help with the furniture and hosing off the picnic table with Jimin to avoid too much contact with Taehyung, only after reading a large chunk of Wuthering Heights in the breakfast nook. To her great astonishment, Namjoon must have been listening to her talking about dragging the kiddie pool out from the garage on the way home, settling it on the grass and filling it with the hose. After Y/N watched them for a bit, Hoseok and Seokjin volunteered to help her with applying a quick-drying varnish to the staircase. She was hoping that it would dry before those who slept on the second floor went up to bed.

 Y/N spent the evening with most of the hybrids in the kitchen, eating leftovers, prepping vegetables with Yoongi and and to her great surprise, Jeongguk. Somewhat begrudgingly, the elk hybrid offered to scrub potatoes. Y/N was merry, enjoying her company while they listened to a playlist Hoseok created on the portable speaker she couldn’t locate earlier in the week; she found out he had it in the basement the whole time. Everything she was worried about that morning had pretty much been taken care of, Yoongi’s methodical approach to prepping and cooking leading her to believe they’d be enjoying themselves outside with the guests the next day sooner than she thought. 

On Friday morning, Y/N woke up with the sun. Nerves awoke her more than anything, but the promise of Yoongi’s piano lesson after breakfast brightened her mood significantly. After her shower, Y/N shimmied into her new sundress, shocked to see how good it looked on her in the full-length mirror as she did a little twirl. Taking some extra time to style her hair to cover the fading injury on her forehead and apply some makeup, Y/N grinned at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the reflection staring back. It had been a while since she dolled herself up, between long hours at the veterinarian hospital and lazy weekends spent renovating. Slipping on her sandals clumsily while she fastened earrings into her lobes, Y/N gave herself a spritz with a light perfume before skipping out of her bedroom. 

Noises in the kitchen gave away the fact that she was not the first one up and about, even Namjoon’s bedroom door wide open and empty as she passed by. The cookout wasn’t until 12:30, but apparently the hybrids were keen on getting an early start, as Y/N heard Hoseok’s cheerful whistling from the kitchen. The third beautiful day– weather wise– in a row, Y/N enjoyed the light flooding into the house, following the scent of toasted everything bagels to the kitchen. 

To her great surprise, everyone was already in the kitchen still dressed in pajamas, the chaos of seven different male voices clashing at once. None of them seemed to notice her as she hesitated at the threshold of the kitchen, Seokjin and Hoseok arguing loudly by the toaster oven, Yoongi by the stove with Jimin lurking behind, and everyone else glued to their phones at the breakfast nook. 

“Morning!” Y/N waltzed into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee bar.

Immediately, all noise ceased in the room, Y/N cringing as a loud clatter of a knife was dropped onto the granite countertop cut the sudden silence. Hand stilling against the coffee carafe, she turned abruptly, trying to make sure no one lobbed off a finger. Heart plummeting to her stomach, the blood drained from her face as Y/N was met with seven pairs of eyes boring holes into her in various expressions of astonishment, each hybrid frozen in space like they were carved from marble. As if she was transported back into high school, Y/N wondered if the skirt of her dress was tucked into her panties, her fingertips brushing the circumference of the hemline automatically. Clearly not the issue, as she felt the skirt flow freely against the tops of her thighs, Y/N chuckled nervously. 

“What?” She blurted, feeling extremely self-conscious that all seven of them were staring at her so intensely, tugging on the material of the sundress. “Oh fuck, is the dress hideous? I thought I had decent taste without Ben being there to help me, Jesus. I should have sent him a picture before I bought it.”

Scrambling for the dropped knife, Yoongi attempted to resume chopping the mound of peeled potatoes beside him, Hoseok hissing by the toaster oven as his hand landed on the hot grates of the rack. Several voices piped up at once in the meantime, frantically. 

“N-no, it’s pretty–” Jimin started hoarsely, fumbling with the potato peeler he was gripping with white knuckles. 

“Who’s Ben?” Came Taehyung’s voice urgently from the breakfast nook simultaneously. 

“You look beautiful,” Seokjin blurted from the toaster, all three responses taking her off-guard. 

Forgetting about the coffee, Y/N felt her confidence bump up exponentially, standing up a bit straighter. Namjoon’s library book was dropped clumsily by his feet, finally making widened eye-contact with her for the first time since the night he scented her, his mouth dropped open a fraction. Even Jeongguk’s dark eyes trailed her form from head to toe, not unlike when he had assessed her the day she had picked him up from the shelter. 

“Stop r-really– I mean, thank you,” Y/N corrected herself, reminded of her mother scolding her for not accepting compliments. “I guess I forgot to tell you about Ben, universe forgive me. He’s been my best friend since we were kids, and he’s actually the reason I came to adopt you all in the first place. I went with him and his fiance to adopt their daughter Daisy the night I found you guys at Gerry’s,” Y/N explained, attempting to pour herself coffee normally in order to distract herself from being watched so closely. 

Wanting to break up whatever energy that had manifested with her arrival in the kitchen, Y/N brought her coffee mug over to Yoongi’s free side, balking at all the work he had already done. It was still so early in the morning, but she felt like she had overslept, seeing that Yoongi had already made two vegetable sides and had a chili simmering away on the stove. 

“Yoongi, did you get up at three or something? I’m not going to have anything to do at this point!” Y/N complained, her lower lip jutting out as she realized the leopard hybrid had already made the salad dressing recipe she showed him on her phone the day before, the jar sitting on the island all sealed up. 

“I got up once I heard your shower running,” Clearing his throat roughly, Yoongi trained his eyes on the potato he was cutting, the knife shaking with his unsteady grip.

Nodding, Y/N bent low, trying to catch the leopard hybrid’s eyes to convey a sense of gratitude playfully, but he remained stonily focused on his task. Growing uncomfortable with the eerie silence in the kitchen, Y/N began to nervously hum to herself while starting on a fruit salad, picking up a strawberry draining in the colander in the sink and cutting it on a smaller board next to Yoongi. 

“Hoseok, is your hand alright, honey? Do you need some burn cream?” Y/N paused her strawberry-slicing, the fox hybrid looking like a deer in headlights as she addressed him. 

“Oh, uh no thanks, I’m fine,” Hoseok answered, his voice a pitch higher than normal as he inspected his left hand. 

“Okay, good. Why don’t you put that playlist back on, I really liked it,” Y/N scraped a pile of sliced strawberries into a large bowl with the flat of her knife, hoping that a bit of music would cut the tension. 

Maybe they didn’t like her perfume, or she had interrupted an important conversation by her arrival in the kitchen? Whatever it was, each and every one of them were behaving strangely; even Jeongguk, who had migrated from the breakfast nook to the barstool directly across from where she was slicing fruit, watching her with rapt interest. She perked up a degree as Hoseok switched on the speaker to a punchy 80’s song, grateful for the noise. 

To her great relief, Seokjin struck up a normal conversation with her from his spot next to Jeongguk as he munched on his bagel, asking all sorts of questions about her friendship with Ben. She didn’t mind filling Seokjin in on her childhood spent running around the backyard with Ben, seeing it as an opportunity to describe her best friend to the hybrids before they met the fiery lawyer that afternoon. Y/N knew Ben would have a bulleted list of queries for each hybrid when he got there, the thought making her bite down on her lip. She hoped Ben wouldn’t be too hard on them, worried that he’d meet his match when it was Namjoon’s turn to be grilled. 

Taehyung excused himself from the kitchen to shower and change shortly after she had finished mixing the fruit salad, only after the conversation about Ben turned into a discussion of Laura and Alice. Y/N wondered if she was losing it or if she had detected a jealous spark in his eyes when she was talking about her friends– or perhaps it was something else entirely, Taehyung could definitely be difficult to read at times. Shortly after Taehyung left, Hoseok, Namjoon, and Jimin cleared out similarly to get showered and dressed, each of them scrambling from the room like they saw the Babadook. 

“I think we’ve done everything we can until people arrive,” Yoongi announced, skimming a palm over the sparkling granite Y/N had finished wiping down, all of their hard work either chilling in the fridge or gently simmering away on the stove. “What’s everyone else bringing?” 

“My dad makes a ‘famous’ mac and cheese– it’s very good, but don’t say anything, it gets to his head. My parents will bring the meats and the black bean burgers for the grill, too. Laura and Alice have this family sangria recipe that they always make for the cookout, but I’m warning you now. Don’t have more than two glasses,” Y/N shook her finger at Seokjin, who definitely had a weakness for wine-based cocktails. “Sal’s family will bring some pizza or ziti, the neighbors usually bring wine. Oh, and Ben ordered a ton of cupcakes.”

“Okay, so nothing we already made… that’s good,” Yoongi leaned against the refrigerator, his face flushed. It must have been from standing over the stove for so long, laboring over a giant batch of the most delicious mashed potatoes Y/N ever tasted. 

“How long does this… thing usually last?” Jeongguk asked somewhat indelicately, pushing up the sleeves of his sleep shirt to his elbows, Y/N once again trying to make out the forms inked onto his skin. She wondered if she’d ever get the chance to look at them more closely. 

“Well, it goes on until nightfall, and for a while after that,” Y/N met Jeongguk’s dark eyes, the sweet rounded shape of them contradicting his entire demeanor. “You don’t have to be around for the entire thing, at all, you can hang out and watch movies in the parlor if you want. Just grab some food, and maybe say hi to a few people… I’m not going to force you to be out there all night or anything.”

Seokjin grimaced as she spoke, shooting the elk hybrid a reproachful look. At that point, Y/N was more than used to Jeongguk’s cynical way of speaking, truly unfazed by it, especially with the toothpaste stain he was sporting on his sleep shirt. Besides, Jeongguk’s question didn’t really bother her. The last thing Y/N wanted was any of the hybrids to feel pressured into doing something they didn’t want to, no matter what. Whether she could find the words to express that in a future conversation was another story entirely. 

“Okay… I guess I’ll just see how it goes,” Jeongguk muttered, pushing himself off of his barstool with a grunt, his forearms flexing as he used the granite countertop as a brace. “See you in a bit, then,” he added, a touch more gently as he locked eyes with Y/N a final time before he left the room. 

“Insufferable kid,” Seokjin ran a hand through his hair, one of his ears twitching in annoyance as he watched the elk hybrid slink away. “Every time he opens his mouth, I’m worried you’re going to start throwing punches, Yoongi.”

Darkly chuckling by the fridge, Yoongi used his shirtsleeve to dab at his dewy hairline, Y/N beginning to grow concerned that he was coming down with a fever with how pink his cheeks were. 

“The thought has crossed my mind,” Yoongi sighed, earning a snort of laughter from Seokjin as the latter began to get up from his seat. “It’s a shame, too. We’d match up pretty well in a fight.”

“I’d prefer if we kept the fighting to a minimum,” Y/N placed her hands on her hips as she walked the two hybrids to the staircase, Seokjin’s thick lower lip jutting out into a pout. “I’d hate to have to patch up those pretty faces of yours.”

“Y-you!” Seokjin choked, tripping over his own foot trying to ascend the first step, his tail going ramrod straight in surprise. “You–”

“I’d say the chances of an actual fight breaking out are slim to none, so you don’t have to worry about our ‘pretty faces’,” Yoongi cut Seokjin off abruptly, lightly shoving the jaguar hybrid up a few steps so he could ascend them as well. “Give me a half hour, and I’ll meet you at the piano, silly girl.”

Tutting at Yoongi’s preferred nickname for her, Y/N watched the two hybrids hurry up the stairs, Yoongi nudging the still-reeling Seokjin along with gritted teeth. The leopard hybrid was certainly feisty that morning, Y/N wondering if the late nights and early mornings were getting to him, or if anticipation for the cookout was setting him on edge– or as she had speculated at the mall the previous day, he was beginning to feel the discomfort of not yet scenting her. Worrying her lip with her teeth, Y/N tried not to read into it too much, remembering that Yoongi had promised her he’d tell her when he’d need to scent. Shaking her head, Y/N began to head upstairs herself so she could take a few moments to herself in the music room. 

Y/N spent some time organizing the chaos in the music room, sliding vinyls into a shelf neatly when she found them strewn around the table with the dusty record player. She discovered that Taehyung had made a trip to the garage to check out her uncle’s old records, after all– tucking a frayed Pink Floyd album into place with a small smile. From down the hall, she could hear Seokjin singing in the shower, his voice deep and sweet. 

Perching on the worn leather sofa by the record player, Y/N scrolled on her phone for a bit, deciding to take a few minutes to do some more investigating on scenting. This time, she went on a forum, those who posted on it being hybrid owners, experts, and researchers. Finding the drop-down menu, she scanned through multiple topics: predator hybrids, understanding behavior by species, scenting– bingo. A rather long post was pinned to the top of the page once she tapped on it, written by a person who studied hybrid behavior. 

Many new hybrid owners often ask the question: what exactly is scenting, and why do hybrids do it? The answer to the second query is not clear as of yet, though there have been several theories. Scenting itself is the act of a hybrid displaying a sense of ownership over their adoptive human. Depending on species, the hybrid will likely initiate the act of scenting within days, sometimes hours, within their adoption. In some cases, hybrids ignore their urges to scent their adoptive human for a multitude of reasons; the most common is the fear of being abandoned after the scenting process, as many hybrids are returned to shelters for not living up to expectations for people unfit to adopt hybrids in the first place. 

If a hybrid ignores the instinct to scent for too long, it will affect them physically. First, behavior becomes agitated, quick-tempered, and the hybrid will display jealousy towards others around their adoptive human. Other hybrids may become increasingly clingy, seeking out physical contact whenever possible. Second, the hybrid will begin to feel ill, the symptoms ranging from a feverish temperature, intense headache, and decreased control over their strength. It is important to monitor these kinds of reactions in your hybrid, as the discomfort can become dangerously overwhelming for them. 

The act of scenting allows the hybrid to “claim” their adoptive human. Hybrids have incredible olfactory senses, and will become extremely sensitive to their adoptive human’s scent. When the hybrid scents, they often search for a spot on their human where the scent is most concentrated– the neck and wrists, for example. The actual ritual includes a bite, usually painful for a moment, before it is soothed by an enzyme in the composition of the hybrid’s saliva and the mark will become painless almost immediately. 

Hybrid canine teeth coat themselves with yet another enzyme once the skin of the human is punctured, which enters the bloodstream, which is the true purpose of scenting. This particular enzyme will live in the bloodstream of the human for a certain amount of time, infusing the human’s scent with the hybrid’s. While the mark is soothed and healed by the enzyme in the saliva, the enzyme coating the hybrid’s teeth is the one that does the actual scenting. After soothed, the mark will become painless. After a stretch of time (length of time depends on species), the ritual will have to be repeated. 

Often, I receive questions about the sensation humans experience during the ritual of scenting. The sensation is most commonly described as euphoric, leaving the human giddy and their muscles becoming lax. The soothing enzymes in both the hybrid’s saliva and the coating of their teeth are both to blame for this. I am led to believe, based on my research of hybrids the past forty years, that the enzymes attempt to calm the human’s natural fight or flight instinct. It would only be natural for a human being to withdraw from such a ritual, so I believe that this is an evolutionary result in hybrids to set their humans at ease. The sensation is harmless, and wears off after several minutes. 

“What are you reading?” Yoongi’s gravelly voice frightened her enough to flinch upwards to her feet, dropping her phone on the leather couch with a flop. “Whatever it is, I’ve never seen you so concentrated.”

The leopard hybrid was leaning against the threshold into the room, eyeing her with mild interest, the damp strands of his long black hair neatly combed back. He was wearing a brand-new outfit; a satiny black button down patterned with red roses, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of black slacks, and shiny, new black loafers. It was unbelievable how good he looked, Y/N getting the feeling he knew it, too, with the cocky arch to one of his brows. 

“Just some article!” Y/N blurted, smoothing the skirt of her dress down nervously, watching Yoongi stifle a chuckle as he made his way towards the grand piano, spotted tail curling languidly behind him.

As he got closer, Y/N noted that his cheeks still had a pinkish tint to them. She watched, rooted to her spot, as Yoongi placidly lifted the fallboard to reveal the sepia toned-keys on the ancient piano. His elegant fingertips skimmed the ivory with reverence,  Y/N almost feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. 

“Let’s get started,” Yoongi began, tucking a stray lock of his hair behind his ear that had fallen onto his cheek. “Come here, take a seat,” Yoongi motioned towards the piano bench with two fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion, settling himself on the edge of it. 

Shyly, Y/N joined him, trying to give him enough space on the bench as she sat beside him, the warmth of his leg through his pants as it pressed against hers sending goosebumps over the bare skin of her thigh. Apparently unaffected, Yoongi began to flip through pages of the beginner’s book he purchased at the music store, eyebrows pulled together in contemplation. Nervously, Y/N twiddled her thumbs in her lap, praying that she wouldn’t totally suck and let Yoongi down. 

“Here, we’ll do this one first,” Yoongi nestled the booklet on the shelf above the keys, Y/N curiously scanning the page before scoffing in disbelief. 

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Seriously?” Y/N whined, Yoongi snickering at her bewilderment. 

“What, did you think we were going to start with Chopin? I’ve gotta establish a baseline with you somehow,” Yoongi replied, his right hand moving to play the simple, short melody. 

“Fine, so how do I play it?” Y/N studied the way his fingers danced on the keys, trying to memorize the sequence at which he pressed down on them. Humming, Yoongi pointed to a particular key. 

“This is what we call ‘Middle C’. Think of it as the halfway point between the higher and lower notes on the piano. The song starts with two C notes. Go ahead and hit them,” Yoongi requested, an encouraging expression on his flushed face. 

Doing as she was told, Y/N cringed as her fingers plunked the key a little too harshly, making Yoongi flinch into her shoulder with a hiss. Shaking his head, Yoongi placed his hand over hers, using his index finger to apply the correct pressure to use. 

“The keys are weighted. The more pressure you apply, the louder the sound. You don’t have to hammer down onto the keys, unless the score calls for it,” Yoongi explained patiently, a tone of amusement coloring his raspy voice. 

“How will I be able to tell? Sheet music looks like hieroglyphics,” Y/N felt Yoongi draw his hand away, staring at him with exasperation. She didn’t expect to be such an impatient student, but Yoongi was a more than obliging teacher– he didn’t seem to mind her brattiness. 

“You’ll learn, not today though. If we can get through this melody, I’ll teach you some music theory next week,” Yoongi murmured, scanning the pout on her face thoughtfully. “Okay, let’s keep going. The next note is G.”

For about half an hour, forbearing Yoongi answered Y/N’s every question, demonstrated how to play the melody over and over, and even indulged her request to play a favorite tune of hers. Eventually, Y/N could play the melody all the way through, albeit a tad clumsily. The first time she finished the song without mistake, she was nearly vibrating with excitement, Yoongi passed his hand over her back with pride, squeezing her shoulder with a grin on his face. 

“Against all odds, I did it!” Y/N leaned into Yoongi, practically ready to throw her arms around him for being patient enough to teach her. 

“You did, I’m very proud of you. You’re an exemplary student,” Yoongi declared, Y/N clocking the sweat that began to dew around his hairline, and the way his arm had moved down to encircle her waist firmly. Feverish. Clingy. 

“Don’t butter me up too much, Yoongi. What if I get lazy and don’t practice enough because you’re too easy on me?” Y/N leveled her face close to the leopard hybrid’s, his pupils dilating from her proximity, throat bobbing as he swallowed thickly. Assessing him, she continued gently. “Yoongi… are you okay? You’ve been flushed all morning.”

He didn’t answer, holding intense eye contact as Y/N moved her hand to brush hair out of his face, using the back of her hand to press against his forehead to check his temperature. Exhaling through her teeth sharply, his flesh practically sizzled under her touch, Yoongi’s eyes fluttering shut at the sensation. In the back of her mind, she knew what was wrong with him, an animalistic noise beginning to rumble from the back of the leopard hybrid’s throat. Y/N was spellbound by how her touch affected him, the grip he had around her lower waist tightening as his fingertips wound themselves into the fabric of her sundress, appearing to make an attempt at controlling his breathing pattern. 

“I–” Yoongi’s hoarse voice shot a lightning bolt through her, his free hand reaching up to snatch her wrist before she could pull it away, his eyes snapping open. Freezing, Y/N felt her own eyes widen, his grip delicate but unyielding. “I know you know. You’ve been eyeing me like that all morning… yesterday, too.”

A light gasp escaped her lips as Yoongi adjusted his grip, closing his eyes once more to run the tip of his nose against the sensitive flesh of her inner wrist. He shuddered, pulling her flush into his arms as he inhaled deeply, Y/N’s wrist limp in his hand as she processed his words dripping with meaning. She practically melted in his embrace, something sounding close to a purr coming from Yoongi’s chest as she found herself bracing her uncaptured hand on his thigh. 

“You n-need to–” Y/N began, stiffening as she felt the soft petals of Yoongi’s lips brush over her pulse point, the skin tingling in response, unable to break away from his lidded gaze. 

“You smell so good,” Yoongi groaned softly, nuzzling her wrist against his face distractedly. Stomach flipping over, Y/N felt her knees turn to jelly, thankful that she was seated and supported upright in Yoongi’s arms. “Hell. ‘s driving me crazy.”

Her breath began to quicken, barely recognizing the dangerous look in Yoongi’s hazel eyes as his lips brushed her skin with every word. Gripping his thigh with urgency, Y/N pressed her wrist closer to his mouth eagerly, feeling utterly possessed as her heart hammered around in her chest. A dark chuckle coming from the leopard hybrid had a shiver rolling down her spine. 

“Yoongi,” Y/N heard herself whine as if she was a third party looking on, anticipation filling every cell of her body. At the sound of his name, Yoongi moved his hand from her waist to cradle her cheek, cooing at her.

“I know, sweetheart. It’ll only hurt for a second,” he whispered, Y/N leaning into his rough palm as she felt the hot brush of his tongue lave over her pulse, sending her heart rate galloping. 

Discovering it impossible to tear her eyes away from the leopard hybrid’s attention on her wrist, Y/N held her breath as Yoongi pressed an open-mouth kiss to the tender area, once again moving his hand away from her cheek and back to around her middle. It was almost all too much, his tail mindlessly curling around her lower back as he gently traced his incisors over her skin. Still, she was reeling from the pet name he used on her, even as he started to quiver with the heady concentration of her scent overwhelming his senses. 

As his sharp teeth pierced her skin, more gently than Namjoon or Seokjin had done so, Y/N still couldn’t stop the small yelp from escaping her lips at the sting. Protectively, both Yoongi’s arm and tail curled tighter around her waist. Y/N became completely boneless, her body sagging into Yoongi’s chest as the cloudy haze descended onto her. Dazedly, she watched a drop of her blood dribble down the length of her wrist, Yoongi pulling his teeth from her skin urgently to collect the trail of blood with a drag of his tongue. It was almost erotic, watching him shiver with relief as he soothed the aching bite with a series of soft kisses and small swipes of his tongue, Y/N trying her best to squash down the thought as best as she could while her head began to swim. 

Sighing dreamily, Y/N closed her eyes as Yoongi’s grip on her wrist softened, the feeling of either his eyelashes or the tips of his hair tickling the fresh, painless bite. With his slackened grip, Y/N felt herself free to move, curling herself further into Yoongi, loopily threading her arms around his waist once he freed her wrist, nuzzling her face into his collarbone. His chest vibrating with a soft purr, Yoongi allowed Y/N to hug him in her delirious state, using one hand to card through her hair fondly. 

“Take it easy for a minute to come down, sweetheart,” Yoongi murmured against her hair, Y/N giggling as she pressed her cheek into the satiny fabric of his button down. He smelled sweet, like vanilla and cloves. “I tried to be gentle… I don’t think you’ll bruise.”

“Hmm… that’s okay even if I do. You were gentle,” Y/N limply attempted to lift her head from her chest, not wanting to make the leopard hybrid uncomfortable with her prolonged clinging. 

Still feeling dizzy, Y/N used the piano as a brace, three clashing notes ringing out as her palm pressed into the keys, snapping Yoongi out of his reverie of twisting a lock of her hair around his index finger. He wasn’t flushed anymore, the crease between his eyebrows that had appeared 24 hours ago gone completely. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Y/N broke eye contact, pulling the cover over the piano keys to prevent herself from smashing any more keys in her slight stupor. 

“Come on, I’ll help you downstairs. There’s a few more things you wanted to do before people arrive, no?” Yoongi urged, getting to his feet with one of his hands stretched out towards her. Taking his hand shakily, Y/N allowed him to pull her up and support some of her weight with his arm slung around her upper back. 

“Mmm, yeah. Gotta set the table, start up the fire, turn on the backyard lights,” Y/N slurred, descending the stairs at a snail’s pace with Yoongi’s assistance. “But the cooking is done. Thank you for helping so much. You really are quite the chef.”

Yoongi belly laughed, his eyes scrunched up in half-moons as he led her down the last step, arm sliding from her body as she became more stable on her feet. Thankfully, she had regained feeling in her knees, though now that she had a clearer head, looking Yoongi in the eye was difficult. A wave of bashfulness washed over her, Yoongi seeming to sense it as he smiled at her softly, linking his pinky finger with hers to pull her to the kitchen. 

“Oh, what did you two get up to?” Hoseok was coming in from outside at the kitchen slider, the plastic wrapper of the tablecloth Y/N got at the grocery store crumpled up in one of his fists, his eyes narrowing at Yoongi. 

“Don’t ruin my good mood, Foxy. Did you put out that tablecloth?” Yoongi broke the link of their fingers, making his way to the glass slider to peer outside. Hoseok frowned at Yoongi, one of his ears twitching with agitation. 

Hoseok looked fantastic, somehow pulling off a colorful aquamarine Hawaiian short-sleeved button down and white shorts, his shirt hanging loose to reveal a white tank top under it. Almost immediately, his chocolatey eyes focused on Y/N’s wrist as she approached him to peek outside, Y/N pretending not to notice as the fox hybrid stared at Yoongi’s mark. 

Outside, Jimin and Namjoon were busy carefully placing cutlery on the long wooden picnic table, the string lights already illuminated. The grill was on, waves of heat coming off of it and tools placed on the side burner. And by the firepit, Taehyung in his outfit he picked out yesterday was prodding at the beginnings of a bonfire with an iron stake, adding a split log with practiced ease. 

“Wow, you guys did everything! What did I do to deserve you all, seriously,” Y/N exclaimed, genuinely taken aback with the sheer amount of work all of them did to help her host a party with many guests they hadn’t even met yet. “Ah, we’re going to have so much fun. I’m going to fill up that old tin basin out there with ice for the beer and seltzers.”

Both hybrids beside her had gone stoically silent with the first half of her statement, appearing a touch taken aback. Tearing her eyes from Jimin, clad in a pair of very well-fitting blue jeans, Y/N attempted to make haste to the freezer for the ice bags, Hoseok promptly catching the crook of her elbow. 

“Way ahead of you. I already took care of it,” Hoseok cocked his head, his dimples appearing cutely when he grinned at her. “You know, while you were tackling the complicated melody of Twinkle Twinkle.”

“Hey! I tried my best, Hoseok,” Y/N lightly shoved Hoseok with her hand on his forearm, finding it impossible to be insulted. She was beginning to think that Hoseok could read her mind, or at the very least he shared a brain cell with her. His humor was something she genuinely enjoyed, reminding her of Ben in many ways. “Thanks, by the way. I guess I should ask what else should be done, even though it seems you all have it under control.”

“What time is it, anyways?” Y/N wondered, checking her watch distractedly. Shit. “Christ almighty. We have like forty minutes!” “Relax, darling. Almost everything has been taken care of, we’re just waiting on the two still primping upstairs. Want a drink, or something?” Hoseok strolled over to the island, where someone had set up a sort of DIY cocktail bar. “How about a French 75? First cocktail I ever learned to make. Although, it might not match up to Yoongi’s bartending skills.”

Yoongi scoffed from beside Y/N, rolling his eyes peevishly. Giving Y/N a squeeze on her shoulder, Yoongi slid the glass door open to head outside, scooping a Budweiser out of the ice bucket on the patio before checking on the grill. Jumping as she heard the loud pop of Hoseok uncorking a champagne bottle, Y/N brushed it off as she skipped over to the fox hybrid.

“Okay, I’ll have one, but only if you have one too,” Y/N helpfully placed two fluted glasses in front of the fox hybrid, his shoulders shaking with amusement. “It’ll take the edge off. Don’t let my mother corner you tonight, I’m worried she’ll scare you away.”

Hoseok’s hands stilled while he was peeling a twist of lemon with a knife, staring at her incredulously. One of the traditions of the annual cookout was her mother pulling out tarot and oracle cards by the fire, guests able to get small readings from her if they wished. Y/N’s fear was that one of the hybrids would get trapped into a reading, especially if both their and her mother’s inhibitions would be lowered by the flowing alcohol. The last thing she wanted was her mother creeping them out with her startlingly accurate predictions. 

“Your mom is sweet,” Hoseok replied simply, vigorously shaking the metal cocktail shaker. “It’ll take a lot more than her telling me about your awkward teenage years to scare me away.”

“Hoseok! You enjoy teasing me, don’t you?” Y/N exclaimed, refraining from smacking him on the arm with a scowl as he strained the liquor into the flutes. 

“Just a little. You make it too easy,” Hoseok topped off each cocktail with champagne and his lemon twists, gently handing her one of the glasses with a sly smirk. “Cheers!”

Muttering, Y/N clinked her glass with his, watching him take a small sip with narrowed eyes. The drink was sweet and refreshing as it hit her taste buds; perfectly balanced. She found it easy to forgive his teasing. 

“Okay, let’s bring these outside. I’m going to set up the lawn games, unless that’s been taken care of too,” Y/N dragged Hoseok by the elbow to the slider, the fox hybrid playfully putting up a bit of resistance as she towed him to the door. 

The lawn games had not been set up yet by the hybrids, much to her relief. With a task she could finally accomplish on her own, Y/N let Hoseok and Jimin follow her into the rickety garage for the bin containing everything she’d need. Sneezing upon entry to the dusty building, Y/N fumbled her way through the darkness to yank on the metal chain attached to an ancient lightbulb, illuminating the space with amber glow. Distantly, she contemplated whether or not hybrids had some kind of night vision as many animals did, considering none of them bothered to turn on any lights while they dragged furniture out of the garage all day. 

The French 75 coursed through her bloodstream potently as she stacked hand-stitched bean bags beside a weathered cornhole board on the lawn, listening to a playlist she had sent Hoseok to stream onto the outdoor speakers. She was beginning to feel jittery knowing that people were going to be arriving any moment, even though everything was in place exactly how she pictured. Earlier in the week, she couldn’t have imagined that she’d be in such a good position; plagued by worries about the hybrids getting along, tasks being forgotten. Y/N didn’t know if her seven hybrids were putting on a front to help her out with the event or avoiding conflict between each other, but regardless she had never felt more excited to introduce them to the circle of her closest loved ones and friends. Truly, she believed the event would further loosen them up, and maybe break down some of the walls most of them had put up– not that she could blame them. 

“Are we the first ones here? Oh, Y/N, help Grandmother,” Y/N’s mother made her grand entrance from the backyard gate propped open by Taehyung, with her father and grandparents in tow. Her mother was in a whimsical, drapey maxi dress, her willowy elbow interlocked with Y/N’s grandmother’s. 

“Grandmother, I’m so happy you’re here,” Y/N rushed to the tiny elderly woman’s side, genuinely tearing up at the sight of her– in the backyard of the home she once commanded. 

Y/N hadn’t seen much of her grandparents for the past month, an uptick of emergencies at the animal hospital preventing her from making visitations with them at her parent’s house. Her grandmother, a woman of incredible wit and strength, was amongst Y/N’s favorite people. While she was quite old, age never dimmed her brilliance, her round eyes brimming with that probing all-knowing. Y/N could only assume that her mother had filled her grandparents in on her adoptions after their excursion at the shops on Wednesday, as neither of them seemed jarred at the sight of seven hybrids milling around the backyard awkwardly. 

Hooking her elbow with her grandmother’s, she happily received a kiss on her cheek from her easy-going grandfather, watching her mother and father hurry towards the kitchen slider with their bags full of provisions. Promptly, Jimin sprung into action, relieving her father of two bags as they stepped into the house. Her mother trailed behind more slowly, Seokjin approaching her hurriedly to grab her woven purse hanging from her wrist precariously. The jaguar hybrid looked positively heavenly, like a Jane Austen hero in his loose-fitting white button down and straight leg black slacks, grinning at her mother politely. 

“So, these are the hybrids you’ve adopted, my dear. All men?” Her grandmother murmured slowly, Y/N grimacing as she caught Namjoon’s eyes by the picnic table, his long fingers poised between leaflets of the pages of Wuthering Heights. 

“I’m sorry, Grandmother… I should have told you sooner,” Y/N felt her cheek burn in both shame and embarrassment, aware that her hybrids could hear every utterance. “It all happened so quickly, but I think you’ll like them all once you get to know them.”

Snickering throatily, her grandmother sat comfortably in a cushioned lawn chair with Y/N’s help, her spry grandfather wandered off nearby to check on his clump of rose bushes he had planted beneath Namjoon’s bedroom window decades ago. Pulling her light blue cardigan tightly around her body, her grandmother grasped Y/N’s hand with purpose.

“The house looks very nice. You’re caring for it well, my love,” her grandmother remarked, stroking the back of Y/N’s hand with a weathered thumb. “It’s about time all those bedrooms got some use again.”

“I agree. It’s been a long time since the house has been this lively,” Y/N smiled softly, smelling her grandfather’s minty aftershave as he settled into a chair beside her grandmother, his white handlebar mustache curling up when he grinned at her benignly. “Can I get you two a drink? The usual?” 

“WhistlePig?” Her grandfather brightened up, grasping a hold of her grandmother’s hand. 

“I picked some up yesterday,” Y/N winked, straightening up. “You haven’t met him yet, but one of the hybrids, Jimin, loved that bottle of Farmstock Rye you brought on the 4th. I got a few more bottles of it just for you two.”

“Very good, my dear. You send that Jimin my way, he sounds like an alright fellow,” her grandfather rasped in response, Y/N spiriting away to make her grandparents drinks quickly, knowing that more people would be arriving at any moment. 

“Now, Seokjin, dear… do you like to read? I host a book club with hybrids at the Boston Public Library bi-weekly! Sweet Namjoon has been a part of the club for a couple of months, so you’d already have someone you know there. The next meeting is on Monday, you’re more than welcome to join, We’ll be starting a new book the meeting after next,” her mother rambled while pouring a healthy glass of white wine for herself and the jaguar hybrid, while her father and Jimin nursed bottles of Budweiser as they slid packages of hamburgers into the fridge. 

“Yes, ma’am, I love reading. Is it really okay to join the book club? Will I be behind?” Seokjin replied somewhat timidly, gingerly accepting his glass of wine as he caught sight of Y/N standing nearby mixing up a gin martini. 

“Of course it’s alright, sweetheart. You won’t be behind at all! Our meeting Monday will be to discuss the book we finished, and you can get a feel for how the club is set up. If you enjoy yourself, you can check out a copy of the next book we’ll read for the following meeting and you can truly participate next time,” her mother explained, Y/N marveling at how much of a liking her mother had taken to Seokjin. Truthfully, Y/N thought the book club would be a good thing for Seokjin; an opportunity to make friends and perhaps get closer to Namjoon. 

“If you’re up to it, Jin, I’ll drive you into the city with Namjoon on Monday. The three of us could pick up dinner takeout afterwards,” Y/N added, her mother perking up with Y/N’s encouragement. Seokjin’s cheeks rounded out with his small grin, his tail curling around behind him in response to all of the attention. 

“Okay, that sounds nice,” Seokjin agreed shyly, sipping his wine with a pleased expression. He was really too sweet for his own good, Y/N thought. 

“Oh, you’re going to restore that old stable? I wish I had better carpentry skills, I could give you a hand, Jimin.” Y/N heard her father lament, the coyote hybrid shaking his head with his signature heart-stopping smile. 

“That’s quite alright, sir. I’ve done a fair share of work on stables before. Not much needs to be done in order to have it suitable for boarding,” Jimin leaned back on the countertop by the fridge, Y/N’s eye catching a bright glint from the gold belt buckle threaded through the loops of his blue jeans. 

He was wearing a simple sky blue fitted tee shirt, tucked into his jeans and showing off his lean figure. Trying not to stare, Y/N tore her eyes from the coyote hybrid’s form, balancing the two drinks in her hands. From outside, she heard her grandfather exclaim in delight, cutting off both of her parents' separate conversations with Jimin and Seokjin so they could peer out the window. Where her grandparents were seated by the firepit, Taehyung had added more wood to the dying bonfire, grinning ear to ear as her grandfather clapped with glee. 

Startled that Taehyung had taken it upon himself to introduce himself to her grandparents, as he was usually so avoidant when it came to speaking to people other than Y/N herself, Y/N made a beeline outside with the drinks so she could witness the spectacle. On her heels, Seokjin trailed after her, ditching Jimin in the kitchen with her parents. Y/N had the feeling the coyote hybrid could hold his own against them. 

Taehyung, kneeling beside her grandmother and poking the bonfire with an iron rod, was nodding along with something she was saying, Y/N unable to process the words as she approached the clump of chairs. Gingerly, she handed her grandfather his tumbler of whiskey, the large ice cube clinking around in the cup as he took it with a shaky hand. Placing her grandmother’s gin martini on the table beside her, Y/N cocked her head at Taehyung, who blinked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. 

“So you’ve met Taehyung,” Y/N raised her voice a decibel to accommodate her grandfather’s dim hearing, giving Seokjin an appreciative rub on his arm as he appeared at her side with an open can of vodka seltzer for her. “This is Seokjin!”

“What did you say? Tae-hyung? The young man introduced himself as Tae,” her grandfather croaked loudly, confusion coloring his face. Snorting, Y/N felt her insides warm, Taehyung looking at the ground bashfully as her grandfather repeated his nickname. “Nice to meet you, Seokjin, why don’t you take a seat, son.”

Cheeks red, Seokjin obediently plopped down in a chair beside her grandfather, tracing his fingertips over the condensation coating his wine glass. Taking a sip of her seltzer, Y/N scanned the immediate area, spotting Jeongguk at the edges of the untrimmed hedges smoking, his hair slicked back with the new gel and predictably dressed in all-black. Squinting, Y/N made out the material of the complicated pants he had on, straps circling his legs; was that leather? Thinking it was far too hot to be wearing leather, Y/N smirked, perching herself on the armrest of Seokjin’s chair. 

Hoseok was filling up a second basin with ice he had located in the garage by the picnic table, apparently having an urgent conversation with Yoongi as the leopard hybrid placidly handed him bottles of Corona from a box set on the table. Again, Y/N wondered where Namjoon had wound up, not able to locate him in the vicinity. 

Feeling Seokjin flinch behind her before actually hearing a familiar car honk, Y/N got to her feet, knowing it was Sal and his family, getting ready to haul trays of ziti into the house. 

“Dear, is that Sal? Was little Tony coming this year?” Her grandmother perked up, directing her attention to the gate into the backyard. 

“Yeah, he said he could make it. Though, he’s not little anymore, Grandmother, Tony’s in high school now. He’s on the football team,” Y/N explained, grasping Seokjin’s hand to drag him to the gate for assistance, motioning Taehyung to follow as well. 

Making a noise of surprise, Seokjin swiftly set his wine glass down before she could pull him away, adjusting his grip so he could intertwine his fingers with Y/N’s, the action triggering butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. His thumb skimmed Yoongi’s mark accidentally, a strange tingle shooting up from her wrist to her elbow. Taehyung unlatched the gate, Y/N inspecting the slightly excited expression that had appeared on his face. Y/N was hoping Taehyung could become friends with Anthony, considering he hadn’t quite warmed up to any of the other hybrids enough yet. 

“Oy, give us a hand here, Y/N?” Angie called, standing by the back of the van with a big stack of foil trays. Hurrying to her aid, Y/N let go of Seokjin with a touch of remorse. “Pretty dress, hun. So happy to be here.”

Angie made air-kissing sounds as Y/N took a couple of the trays from her, Y/N quickly introduced the two hybrids to Angie, Sal Jr., and Sal himself as they handed them tray after tray. The passenger door of the van swung open, Anthony hauling himself out while precariously balancing a large box of what Y/N presumed to be cannolis. 

“Hey Tae, man! How you doin’?” Anthony greeted the Kodiak hybrid, after he smoothly said hello to Y/N with a cute kiss on her cheek. “Sick outfit, bro.”

“Thanks, you too,” Taehyung replied, his tone on the side of unsure. Anthony always dressed well off the clock, though Y/N thought the kid took a little too much inspiration from The Sopranos with the colorful striped button downs. 

With equal excitement, Anthony began to introduce himself to Seokjin while the clump of people filed into the backyard, Y/N grateful that Anthony now had so many guys to chat with during the cookout. In years past, there were often a larger number of women at the cookout in comparison to young men, mostly her mother’s friends. 

After carting all of the food from Sal into the house, things had already become pretty noisy with the Italian family’s arrival. It set her at ease now that the attention wasn’t entirely focused on her own family, thankful that they had shown up and breathed life into the afternoon. Finally, she had located Namjoon: he was sitting in the grass under a large tree beside the picnic table, though hidden from view from others in the backyard. Breaking away from Taehyung and Seokjin for a few moments as they were preoccupied with whatever Anthony was explaining to them with wild hand gestures, Y/N made her way to the wolf hybrid once she had spotted the silvery fur of his tail beside the tree. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Y/N blurted, as Namjoon immediately put his book down upon hearing her approach, his eyebrows raised in expectation. “Just checking on you. Here.”

Wordlessly, Namjoon accepted a Corona from her, Y/N purposefully picking out a lighter beer for the wolf hybrid. He looked impossibly handsome, with hunter green drawstring pants and a tan short-sleeved shirt with tortoiseshell buttons clasping them shut, his moonlight hair swept off his forehead and the sun reflecting the iridescence of the strands. Carefully, Y/N lowered herself down beside him, noting the way he stiffened a degree at her proximity, watching her peer down at the open book on his lap. He was almost finished with Wuthering Heights, Y/N registered as she took a sip of her seltzer. 

“What do you think about the book?” Y/N attempted to initiate conversation once more, quite frankly sick of not being able to speak with him like she could before. She could only pray that he responded, as he popped the cap off of the beer and sniffed it with mild interest. Several emotions played across his features, Y/N almost able to see him sorting through his thoughts.

“Hmm… I remember your mother saying it's one of your favorites, correct?” Namjoon murmured, bringing the bottle to his lips to take a sip contemplatively. 

“That’s right. You won’t offend me if you hate it, if that’s why you seem so torn,” Y/N giggled, biting her lip as she brushed off an inchworm that was mapping a path up Namjoon’s forearm. “I’ve been missing your insight on things.”

Y/N admitted the last part of her sentence nonchalantly, though she was surprised she was able to confess that so easily. Namjoon was startled, either by her words or the fact that she’d touched him, fiddling with the pages of the book as he processed.

“It’s not that I hate it. The characters, Cathy, Heathcliff, they’re all insufferable, sure. The whole time I’ve been reading it, I was struggling to understand why you like it so much,” Namjoon answered after a few moments, Y/N nearly fainting with relief that he was actually speaking to her with more than just a short, forced sentence. 

“Well, it’s just that. None of the characters are particularly likable, Nelly as the narrator is incredibly biased, following the timelines can be confusing especially because there are two Cathys. I think that for a young woman to write a book so vulgar and brutal all those years ago is an impressive feat. The inherent darkness of the story is what hooked me in the first place, and it keeps me coming back. I’ve probably read it five times over the years,” Y/N attempted to sum up her reasoning for loving Emily Bronte’s masterpiece, but found it difficult with Namjoon’s rapt attention on her face while she spoke. 

“So you like stories with darker subject matter,” Namjoon mused, seeming to recover from her earlier comment. “It’s beautifully written, I just didn’t expect so much moral corruption from the characters. I’ve read Jane Eyre by Emily’s sister, which has its fair shares of thematic shock and darkness, so I half-expected this novel to be similar. I was pleasantly surprised, I’ve never read anything like this.”

Delighted, Y/N gave Namjoon the brightest smile she could muster, thrilled to have someone she now lived with to discuss some of her favorite novels. Eyes widening a fracture at her enthused reaction to his words, Namjoon took a swig of his drink, diverting his eyes back to the pages. 

“They made a decent Jane Eyre movie adaptation back in 2011. We could watch it sometime, if you’re interested,” Y/N offered, beyond pleased that he was speaking to her again. 

It was like she had entered a little bubble with just her and Namjoon in it, the chaos of the cookout behind her temporarily forgotten. She was taken aback further when Namjoon nodded and chuckled airly, a dimple appearing in his cheek with her idea. Resisting the urge to poke the crater in his cheek, Y/N giggled with him, taking his response as agreement. A cool breeze rolled by, ruffling Namjoon’s silky hair and carrying the scent of honey with it. He stopped laughing when his bitten ear fluttered, leaning forward to look over Y/N’s shoulder curiously. 

“I think more of your guests have arrived,” He whispered due to his close proximity, Y/N able to feel the heat coming off of his body. 

Straightening up, Y/N could hear the babbling of a child’s voice from the driveway, suspecting Ben and his family were about to join them. Wobbly, she got to her feet, Namjoon peering up with her with an expression softer than he had afforded her in days. With a happy sigh, Y/N extended her hand to help Namjoon up, the wolf hybrid tentatively sliding his palm against her’s, standing up to his full height with ease. 

“Could you come with me and help out with getting all of the cupcake boxes out of Ben’s car please? You can go right back to reading after, promise,” Y/N asked, releasing his hand as soon as he had his footing.

“Sure. I think I’ll save the ending for tomorrow,” Namjoon acquiesced, his dimples still indenting his cheeks cutely. While Y/N was learning that Namjoon could be moody, she didn’t mind, especially if she got to see those dimples every now and again. 

“Jesus, Y/N. You really don’t realize what seven hybrids look like until you see them all clumped together back here,” Ben muttered in Y/N’s ear, setting a bag filled with children’s toys down on the grass by the kiddie pool. 

After a slightly awkward exchange between Ben, Namjoon and herself hauling boxes of cupcakes into the garage refrigerator, Ben assuming his stony lawyer disposition and Namjoon being his usual chilly self, Namjoon had escaped to get himself another beer while Y/N and Ben caught up for a moment. Roy, who had broken up the awkward tension a degree by parading Daisy around on his hip, was introducing the little rabbit hybrid to enthusiastic Hoseok and Jimin, the former who was talking to her in a silly voice. 

“Yeah, there’s quite a few of them, each of them special in their own ways,” Y/N leaned into Ben’s side, grateful that he seemed to be so tame that day. Tutting, Ben pointed across the yard at Jeongguk reading something in his journal, drinking from a Red Solo cup with a cigarette burning between the fingertips grasping the glass.

“I’ve never even seen an elk hybrid, who was that again? He looks like a manager at Hot Topic,” Ben remarked, a hand on his hip. 

“Hush, Ben, I don’t want you ticking any of them off,” Y/N managed, though it was incredibly difficult to stifle a laugh crawling up her throat. “That’s Jeongguk, the youngest.”

“Okay, well so far I like the two being nice to my daughter. That wolf hybrid was a little, uh. Unfriendly,” Ben scratched his close-cut red beard, squinting at Namjoon shuffling towards Yoongi for a word. 

“He’s not. They’ve all been through a lot, I think it’s only natural for them to have cautionary walls up,” Y/N reminded Ben, watching him swirl his cocktail around in his glass. 

“Look at you, Y/N! I feel like you’ve finally matured in a matter of a week, maybe this was a good thing for you, after all,” Ben snorted, used to Y/N’s petulant behavior when with him. 

“Wish I could say the same about you. Daisy looks so cute, by the way. I remember when you bought that sundress,” Y/N slowly circled towards the gate with Ben, watching her neighbors flood in, ushered by her mother and father. 

“She was so excited to come today. I actually stopped by Laura’s earlier this week to introduce her to Kai. They get along well, even though Daisy is a bit older. She couldn’t stop talking about the ‘hybrids from the gray place’ too, which I’m assuming are your guys,” Ben confessed, waving at Daisy chasing after Hoseok, who was running away from her slowly so she could catch him by his tail, laughing wildly. “Alright. I’m going to make my rounds. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the questioning to a minimum, I want to have a good time and that includes not pissing you or Roy off.”

Left by herself, Y/N watched Hoseok and Jimin joyfully play with Daisy, giving Roy a break to chat with her grandmother. Downing the rest of her second drink, Y/N fished out another seltzer from a nearby ice bucket, jumping in surprise once she stood up and registered Jeongguk in front of her, the scent of smoke coming off of him powerfully. 

“Hey, Jeongguk, how’s it going? Did you meet some new people?” Y/N pressed her free hand to her irregular heartbeat, Jeongguk adjusting the neckline of his new band tee shirt with The Cure on it. He really did look like a manager at Hot Topic, though it worked on him, Y/N thought. 

“I said hi to your parents, and the dude with the little bunny. Your mom started pulling out her tarot cards, she’s roping Yoongi into a reading,” Jeongguk replied, eyes on the open gate. “More people here than I thought, the jaguar seems a little overwhelmed.”

Making a noise of exclamation, Y/N scanned the backyard for Seokjin, finding him hanging back by the tree Namjoon had been earlier pulling at his shirtsleeves. Calling his name gently knowing that he could hear easily, she motioned for him to come to her, his ears flattened to his skull anxiously. Jeongguk, shockingly, stayed with her as Seokjin approached, a neutral expression on the elk hybrid’s face. She’d never tell him, but she thought it was pretty sweet of him to tell her about Seokjin’s unease. 

“You alright, honey?” Y/N asked, running her hand down his back soothingly. Seokjin’s broad shoulders sinking down a bit at her touch. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just have to get used to the crowd, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed,” Seokjin flashed her a little smile, ears perking up at some sound she could not hear. Jeongguk, too, was focused on a spot behind her. 

“If it gets to be too much, you can always go in the house and relax. I’ll sit with you for a bit, too, if that makes you feel b-better,” Y/N encouraged, stuttering when Seokjin pulled her in for a side-hug. 

“Thanks, sweets,” Seokjin’s voice was muffled by her hair, his lips pressed into it comfortingly. 

Blushing furiously once he released her, Seokjin smiled at someone behind her, a series of surprised gasps coming from the guests. Spinning on her heel, Y/N couldn’t stop the squeal coming from her lips, Alice strolling through the gate in bell-bottom jeans and a white ruched crop top, and a large bucket full of icy sangria in her arms. Close behind was Laura, her thick braids skimming her collarbones as she shifted Kai in her arms, his tiny fists full of the material of her green polka-dotted sundress, followed by her husband Tyler carrying a comically large box of Truly seltzers. 

Immediately dumping the sangria on the table with the ice bucket, Alice flung herself into Y/N’s arms, her caramel perfume wrapping her in a warm hug. Laura joined in on the embrace as soon as Tyler’s arms were free to hold Kai so he could bring him over to Daisy and Roy, all three girls squeezing the life out of each other. It had been far too long since she had seen them, Y/N thought tearfully, Laura stroking her hair gently as they pulled away. Jeongguk cleared his throat uncomfortably, Alice’s eyebrow shooting up into her hairline once she realized the two hybrids were standing there. 

“Oh shit. Sorry to keep you waiting, sir,” Alice quipped, Jeongguk turning pale at the title and taking a sip of his drink to hide it. Snorting into her hand, Y/N realized she probably should have warned the hybrids a bit more about the twins. “Let me guess. Jeongguk?”

“H-how? Did you know my–” Jeongguk choked on the sip of his drink, Seokjin’s shoulders shaking with laughter as Alice held up a finger. 

“Y/N debriefed us of all your names already, it was only fair,” Alice cut him off, eyeing the elk hybrid from head to toe. “Hmm… and you. You’re either Yoongi or Seokjin, kitty,” Alice redirected her attention to Seokjin, amusement vanishing from his face to be replaced with astonishment. 

“That’s Seokjin! Cool it, Al,” Y/N spoke around a gasp of laughter, trying not to enjoy the mortification washing over Jeongguk and Seokjin’s glazed-over eyes. 

“Nice to meet you boys, hope you’ve been nice to our Y/N,” Laura extended a hand, assuming her motherly tone of voice as Seokjin robotically took her hand to shake it. 

“Laura,” Y/N whined, cringing as Jeongguk shook her hand with white knuckles.

“Are the Santos twins here? Come here, my girls!” Y/N heard her father shout from the picnic table, bouncing Kai on his knee with glee. 

Giggling, Y/N felt herself get dragged to the table by Alice, Seokjin close behind as they left Jeongguk reeling by the gate. As she caught up with the twins and her father, Yoongi approached them, politely introducing himself to the twins, both of whom immediately took a liking to. Similarly, Jimin seated himself across from Y/N’s father, sipping on some whiskey as he joined the conversation. Between the group of them, it was pretty amicable, Y/N blushing when Yoongi pulled her close to brush an eyelash off of her face. 

Y/N kept a close eye on her mother doing readings by the fire, performing a couple on her neighbors before moving onto Anthony followed by Taehyung, who hadn’t left each other’s sides since the former’s arrival. After a while, Alice pulled Y/N away, asking if she could show her the cupcakes Ben had brought. 

Once they were in the dark garage, Alice began to laugh uncontrollably. Confused, Y/N shut the door to the fridge, staring at Alice with confusion. Alice pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to stop the onslaught of laughter rippling through her. 

“Okay, now I get it. They’re all hot,” Alice gasped, wiping a tear from her eye. Heart plummeting to her stomach, Y/N lobbed a cocktail napkin at Alice that was wrapped around her newest French 75 Hoseok delivered to her with pink cheeks from chasing Daisy around. 

“Alice! That is so not the reason why I adopted them! As a matter of fact, they were in their animal forms when I happened to find them at the shelter,” Y/N whisper-yelled, praying to the sky none of the hybrids could hear her between the walls of the garage, the music from the speakers outside, and the commotion from all of the guests. 

“Whatever! Regardless, you failed to mention they were so handsome. I like that one in the Hawaiian shirt, the fox hybrid… good with kids. Hoseok, I think?” Alice calmed down, watching Y/N’s face carefully. Y/N knew when Alice liked to read her expressions, though she had become a master at concealing them from her. 

“Yeah, Hoseok’s great. You two would really get along, both of you get off on making me squirm,” Y/N followed Alice back outside, her friend’s bouncy curls shaking with laughter as they stumbled back out into the bright sunshine. Several drinks in, and Y/N was already feeling a tad loopy. 

“You know Laura and I were just worried about you with all these guys in your house. Especially when we found out they were all men… but they seem like really sweet hybrids. Rough around the edges, but I think they found the right home,” Alice declared in a sobering tone of voice. 

Pulling Alice in for another hug with the relieving sensation of one of her closest friends approving of her hybrids, Y/N could hardly believe how different her life was compared to exactly a week ago. Then, she was preparing to eat a hummus wrap on her lunch break, thinking about her home renovation schedule, and was very much alone. Now, she was enjoying herself with friends and family on a beautiful August afternoon, with seven hybrids that would still be with her even when the party was over. 

Only a tad tipsy, Y/N hooked her elbow with Alice’s, ready to follow the path into the backyard from the garage with glee. She had been meaning to check on Seokjin, even though he seemed much more at ease since he had sat in a lawn chair beside her grandmother, striking up a conversation while they sipped their beverages together.

“Y/N, honey. Can I have a word?” Her mother interrupted Y/N’s inner monologue, Alice blowing both of them a kiss before skipping into Hoseok’s direction in the backyard. 

No idea how her mother had slipped away from the clumps of people waiting to get their cards read by her, Y/N presumed whatever she had to say was important. Hoping that it wasn’t an announcement that she had forgotten to prepare something for the cookout, Y/N allowed her mother to pull her closer to the driveway and completely out of earshot– Y/N could hardly even hear the playlist Hoseok had made for the cookout. 

“Honey, I received messages for you. I know you hate when I do this, but it's important,” her mother rushed out, taking a hold of Y/N’s forearms firmly, a serious glint in her eyes. “I was just reading cards for our guests, your hybrids, and I had a strong vision.”

Swallowing, Y/N began to sweat, more than well aware her mother’s visions came true ninety percent of the time. Possibilities raced through her mind’s eye as she registered her mother’s words; did she see an upcoming conflict, a new ‘love match’, or something darker– was the entity that Jeongguk and Namjoon banished still lurking? The way her mother’s face was pinched indicated that whatever it was, the message wasn’t pleasant. 

“Mom, what is it? You’re scaring me,” Y/N whispered, her mother’s hand curling around her forearm urgently. She appeared disturbingly conflicted, eyebrows pulled together and mouth twisted into a grimace. 

“Honey, I was just reading cards for Taehyung,” her mother began, her eyes unfocusing, Y/N recognized that she was receiving another vision. “Oh my G-!”

“Hey, hey! Oh, are you alright? What happened? Is Tae okay!?” Y/N steadied her mother, feeling ice-cold panic flood through her. Shuddering, her mother regained her strength after a few beats, Y/N biting her lip raw. Finally, she was able to articulate, her voice misty and eyes faraway. 

“Taehyung, you need to be careful around that man. Full of vengeance, bitterness, betrayal,” her mother dug her fingernails into the flesh of Y/N’s forearm desperately, Y/N getting the feeling it wasn’t entirely her mother alone speaking to her at the moment. Y/N could sense the presence of something else. “Though, I don’t think he’ll hurt you. But he has secrets.”

“What are you talking about?” Y/N pressed desperately, trying to pry off her mother’s ironlike grip on her forearms, her next response causing Y/N to still, frozen in utter horror. 

“That young man… Taehyung. He hides many things, shares with no one. The seven of swords, a knife. Always on the run, he’s found his place to hide. He’s killed before– he’s killed a man.”

Taglist; @blancflms @grazysf @sbromp @jaxavance @sunderlight @ot7nem @mageprincess7 @wittyreader @drenix004 @mayla548 @skyys-universe @ddaeng-angmoh @trtlthts @exfolitae @kalala22 @xiusmarshmallow @bangtans-momma @zae007live @paigetj @singukieee @serendididy @lilacdreams-00 @dreamerwasfound @ninjacups @osakis-gf @itwillbealways-d @xthefuckerysquaredx @momowantscats @molshole @gooooomz @uarmyhore @lopprhe @molshole

Please do not repost or translate my work. Thank you!

[laura1633]

Hi Laura! ❤️

I have a crazy Lestappen au idea. I hope no one judges me. 😅

All kinds of lineups have already been discussed (eg omegaverse, sub/dom, mafia, etc.). BUT I thought what if Maxy was a cat hybrid (like Jimmy and Sassy and the combination of their personalities) and Charles was a dog hybrid (like Leo)? A world where hybrids can live comfortably, but they are rarely present in sports. That's why guys would be the focus. Dogs and cats are enemies in the mind, aren't they? Maxy and Charles would deny that.

How about? Of course, you can add any idea, I just thought I'd throw it in as a novelty. 😇

(sorry for my bad English 🙇🏻‍♀️)

Love-J

I love this idea so much (oh and your English is very good 🥰)

When Max and Charles are young (during their karting days) their hybrid forms would be more like a kitten and a puppy so they would clash because they are both so full of energy and so excitable. 

This would also explain why Max was so upset during the “inchident" where Charles pushed him into a puddle in val d’argent - his hybrid cat form HATES water!!

It would be fun for that hybrid personality to also come out when they are giving interviews or when they have to see the stewards - Maybe Max is quite sassy sometimes whereas Charles tries to make puppy dog eyes to get out of penalties 😂

Everyone expects Max and Charles to be polar opposites and not get on because of the traditional cat versus dog but they definitely have this sort of vibe...

[candlewaxandp0lar0ids]

Masterlist || candlewaxandp0lar0ids

OTHERS

Ao3 profile

How to Leave Comments on Fanfiction (Advice Post)

BTS

★ Namjoon

↳ Lazy Day // fluff. domestic!AU, established relationship. 549 words

★ Jin

↳ Don't Go Baking My Heart // fluff. bakery!AU, strangers to lovers. 14.7k.

You fall in love with Kim Seokjin’s bakery after wandering into it to take advantage of the post-Valentine’s Day discount on the chocolates. Maybe it’s the owner’s bad jokes, maybe it’s the other regulars, maybe it’s the delicious pastries. Or maybe there’s something more that keeps you coming back to that shop.

★ J-Hope

↳ For the First Time (What's Past is Past) // fluff, light angst, smut. neighbors!AU, strangers to lovers. 15.7k

After your eight years relationship comes to a brutal end, you don’t really see yourself getting back into dating — ever, probably. And then, your new neighbor who has the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen needs to borrow a corkscrew, and you don’t realize it just yet, but your resolve doesn’t stand a chance.

★ Jimin

↳ Fly to my room // fluff. college!AU. 1k

↳ good for you // PWP, smut. friends with benefits!AU. 2.9k

★ Jungkook

↳ I Don't Like a Gold Rush // fluff. college!AU, strangers to lovers. 17.3k

Jungkook is the golden boy, an excellent student, the star of you college’s football team. Rumor has it, there’s simply nothing he can’t do. The same cannot be said about you, but you’ve never had an issue with that. You’re happy with your small group of friends and your lack of talent in sports. And then, Jin befriends Jungkook, and you find yourself spending a lot of time with him. Before you know it, you’ve taken an interest in him — and you’re sure you shouldn’t. There’s no way this can end well for you… right?

↳ if i can never give you peace // series. angst, eventual smut. mafia!AU, hybrid!AU, enemies to lovers, slow burn. in progress.

It starts like quite a few stories do, in your world. Girl meets boy, who happens to be a hybrid, girl buys him at an auction where hybrids are sold, boy falls in love with her, girl gets bored of him. Then it’s not so typical anymore, when the boy ends up forced into illegal fighting rings, until he makes a wrong move and the girl’s father decides he needs to be killed. Where does that leave you? Well, you’re the one who handled Jungkook’s fight and generally organized his life, and, when the girl’s father, your boss and mafia leader, tells you he wants him ‘put down’, you’re the one who has to get it done. Except, instead, you let him escape, and everything turns out fine. Until he comes back.

0 · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · Interlude · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 ·

STRAY KIDS

★ Bang Chan

↳ all your friends are so cool, you go out every night // smut. college!AU, friends with benefits!AU, jealousy. 5k.

↳ hoodie season // tooth-rotting fluff. established relationship AU. 1.4k.

★ Lee Know

↳ when he sees me // smut, fluff, angst. neighbors!AU. 13.3k. in progress.

Interacting with others has never been easy for you, whether it is talking to them or, worse, flirting with them. As a result, relationships, but also any form of sexual interactions have always eluded you. You had no reason to think that was going to change anytime soon. And then your hot neighbor’s cat shows up in your apartment, and you think that things just might change. Even if it’s only on one front.

↳ kinda wanna throw my phone across the room // fluff. college!AU, coffee shop!AU, strangers to lovers, jealousy. 4.9k

★ Changbin

↳ wanna be you so bad // angst? college!AU, academic rivals!AU, jealousy. 4.3k

★ Hyunjin

↳ you're so gorgeous it makes me so mad // PWP, smut. college!AU, established relationship. 4.4k

↳ comparison is killing me slowly // hurt/comfort, smut. college!AU, established relationship, jealousy. 5.2k. same couple as you're so gorgeous it makes me so mad.

★ Han

↳ i'm so sick of myself // fluff, angst. college!AU, friends to lovers. 4.2k

↳ something's waiting now to pounce // angst, light horror, thriller. high school!AU, slasher!AU, friends to lovers. 6.3k.

★ Felix

↳ felix navidad // fluff, angst. christmas evel!au, strangers to lovers. 16.4k

You keep seeing Felix around. First he falls in your courtyard on Christmas Eve, then you see him hiding chocolate eggs in a park, and then he appears on the staircase behind your apartment, in the middle of the night. It’s unusual, and you have no idea what it means. What you do know, though, is that you’re absolutely fascinated by him, who he is, and the light and joy he seems to bring with him everywhere he goes. Even if you have no idea who or what he is, all that you want is to find out more — and get to spend a little more time with him.

↳ rather be anyone else // angst. college!AU, friends to lovers, jealousy. 3.7k

↳ wouldn't you like to see something strange? // angst, suggestive. urban fantasy, roommates!AU. 4k.

★ Seungmin

↳ i think i think too much // fluff, suggestive. college!AU, established relationship, jealousy. 3.7k

↳ everybody make a scene // fluff, angst (both light). coworkers!AU, convenience store!AU, friends to lovers. 4k

★ I.N.

↳ all i see are girls too good to be true // fluff, light angst. college!AU, idiots to lovers, jealousy. 3.9k

↳ take a chance and roll the dice // fluff. coworkers!AU, bar!AU. 3.7k

[nctsworld]

GIFSETS: 148 FANFICS: 3 FOLLOWERS: 10K+ STATE OF MIND: SURPRISINGLY GREAT!

this will be a modified version of what people have been tagging me as i'm inconsistent with posting and i'm a hybrid cc.

thank you so much to @bethereforme (lia's year in review), @jjsungie (angi's year in review), @lee-minhoe (mel's year in review), @ambivartence (siyuan's year in review), and @fadedinmysong (n's year in review) for tagging me! love you all ♡

TOP GIFSETS THIS YEAR:

mark on expectations for him vs. his brother - nct 127: the lost boys ep. 1

mark + the compression sweater // mix&max choreo-record

xiaojun // nct nation: tokyo

xiaojun // i'll pick you up [the show 230704]

johnny on taeil's role in nct 127 - nct 127: the lost boys ep. 2

johnny x longines x esquire korea

doyoung in the black turtleneck for anadktfab series

mark - golden hour || favourite lyrics

j³ + glasses // dream loop: the last midnight #1

jaemin - areanahomme+ china behind

SETS THAT DESERVE MORE LOVE:

jeno x the black tank top // nct nation 2023

johnny + yangyang + jaemin from nct connection 2023 (it never showed up in the tags T_T)

mark's birthday set

best nct 127 album

quick workout with jaehyun!

that one renjun fancam for anadktfab series

NOTES ON GIFSETS THIS YEAR:

as y'all can tell, i make the most sets during my break time from work LMAO i cannot believe i've made almost 150 sets this year! during summer, i'm pretty sure i made almost 1-3 on average a day haha. as many have mentioned, it's disheartening to see the notes on the sets, but we do it cause we love to, right?

FICS THIS YEAR:

fever pitch - pro!baseball player mark

at your earliest convenience - in which haechan asks convenience store clerk!reader on a date

8:38pm - dance and college au with jisung (pwp)

NOTES ON FICS THIS YEAR:

i am so happy that fever pitch got so much love because it took me two years since beautiful mv came out to finish it. it's now officially my second most popular fic on this blog! i'm also pleased people enjoyed ayec; it was just a cute little fun fic. i really hope i continue writing the connection series and i hope to post at least one christmas fic soon! (i also have a slytherin!yangyang fic in the works too...)

LAST NOTES:

a big thank you for all of you who follow me and support me, whether it be for my gifs or stories or both! i can't believe i hit 10k followers this year - that's crazy! i know i had the celebration, but i honestly had only 2-3 requests, so it was a bit disheartening and a little embarrassing for me to want to do it TT nonetheless, i love you all! have a safe, happy holidays and i wish you the best for next year ♡

TAGGING (if you've done this already, ignore my tag + on the flipside, if you decide to do this, please see the other year in reviews i linked for a different version!):

@huangrenjuns @hyuckworld @hy-ck @neocitycafe @neoneun-au @sehunniepot @twiceland

[jimin-jungshook-over-literalbae]

Blinding Light Chapter Three

Hey guys! Back again with Chapter Three. Guess I’m just plowing through the writing of these. I haven’t felt this inspired in a while. It’s odd. I’m pretty excited to be writing this so we’ll see how everything goes. Hopefully, I can stay somewhat consistent. I’ve gotten some wonderful encouragement while writing this au.

Hybrids: Munchkin Cat Y/N (Omega), Fox Jin (Omega), Panther Yoongi (Alpha), Golden Retriever J-Hope (Beta), Wolf RM (Alpha), Calico Cat Jimin (Omega), Tiger V (Beta), Bunny Jungkook (Beta)

Word Count: 4, 274

Description: Y/N has spent the past seven years trapped in a hole in the floor. Forced in horrible situations she wished nothing more than to escape. When escape presents itself in the form of a group of seven hybrids, surely she must have finally snapped. Now, she has to figure out how a normal life works after being trapped in perpetual hell with her suddenly appearing mates.

Masterlist

Previous Chapter, Next Chapter

The next morning, I’m able to sneak out of the bed much easier than the morning before. I had promised Taehyung that I would meet him in his art studio to get the coffee mug for Yoongi. I try to sneak as quietly as I can, still wanting it to be a surprise. I open the door to the studio, only to be surprised to see a room lined with bookcases. All kinds of books sit on them, all shapes, sizes, and colors. Namjoon lounges on a couch, a book open in his hands. I blush as he looks up at me.

“Sorry, I thought this was Tae’s art studio,” I admit bashfully. He sets his book down, marking his page.

“It’s no problem. It’s two more doors down,” Namjoon offers me a smile, his dimples on display.

“I-Is it okay if I take a look around?” I chew on my bottom lip. I had never been in a library before. None of my owners were ever big readers so I hadn’t spent a lot of time around books. I can feel his eyes on me as I wander the room, looking at different books.

“You can borrow any books you want, whenever,” This comes from right behind me and then his chest is against my back as he pulls a book from the shelf. I can’t help but blush,” Try this one. You might like the story.”

“Can I ask you a question?” I glance over at him, the book clasped to my chest,” Are you okay with me being here? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“What would make you ask that?” He pauses, giving me a confused look.

“I just… it seems like you might not like me very much and we haven’t really spent any time around each other,” I admit. I can’t help but think about him being at the back of the group in my room last night.

“I don’t dislike you,” He folds his hands and rests his chin on them,” I just wanted to give you time. This must all be very overwhelming for you and I didn’t want to add to your stress. Plus, I figured you might need a break from seeing me, seeing as I’m the one that keeps interrogating me.”

I think his words over for a minute. In the two time I had spent time with Namjoon, they had both been high stress situations. I’m sure that didn’t give him the best impression. Plus, he’s heard the more intimate details of my times. I’ve been fairly good at blocking that from my mind. I’m just trying to be normal. I’ll have to deal with those memories and emotions at some point, but I have time.

“I don’t dislike you either,” I say finally, giving him a bright smile,” I hope we can spend some time together in the future. To become more comfortable with each other.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Namjoon gives me a dimpled smile and returns to his book. I go two more doors down to meet Taehyung. He yawns, stretching and scratching his head. He seems half asleep. I feel kind of bad for making him wake up so early so I could get the cup before breakfast. Tae brightens up upon seeing me.

“It’s ready. I double checked to make sure it was solid and it should be good,” He holds the cup out to me and I cradle it gently in my hands. I set it down gently on the table and jump into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you!” He seems stunned for a moment but then quickly hugs me back. I pull back and pick the cup back up,” I have to get back before Yoongi wakes up.”

I run back to my room, sitting the cup on the night stand and hoping onto the bed. I land partially on Yoongi, who grunts. He blinks for a few moments before focusing on me. My face hovers over his as I smile down at him.

“I have a present for you!” I announce, hoping out of his reach before he can wrap his arms around me and try to go back to sleep. I pick up the cup and put it behind my back,” Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

He does as I say, his eyes closing quickly. It warms my heart that he listened so quickly. I place it in his hands gently, trying to contain my excitement. I really hope he likes it. This is the first gift I’ve ever given someone, let alone one that I’ve made.

“Open,” I say softly. His eyes open and immediately fix on the coffee cup,” Tae showed me how to make pottery yesterday. I noticed you drink a lot of coffee and I thought you might li-“

He pulls me toward him, interrupting me words as his lips press to mine. A whine is trapped in my throat as his lips consume mine. His hands are at my waist as mine rest on his cheeks. It feels like home, comfort, sunlight, a warm that builds in the soul. It’s like I can feel our souls being knit together. The idea of being away from him, of never being able to see him again, would tear me apart. Is this what being mates means? He finally pulls away, both of us breathless. His lips are a little red and I can’t help but think of how they got that way.

“Thank you,” His smile is gummy and sweet. His hands now rest on my hips,” I love it. I hope I wasn’t too forward or anything.”

“It’s fine, really,” I give him a quick peck on the lips before dancing out of his reach,” Jin is gonna have breakfast ready soon.”

“We can still cuddle before breakfast,” He whines.

“Nuh-uh. No way. We’ll never make it downstairs,” I open the door again, the delicious smell of breakfast wafting upstairs,” I’m gonna go see if I can help him with anything. If you’re not downstairs before breakfast is on the table, I’m sending the chaos twins.”

I watch him rolls his eyes before I close the door and head downstairs and to the kitchen. He’s fully focused on his cooking, seemingly unaware of my presence. He’s flipping pancakes and humming to himself. It’s strange to think that the professional doctor I saw that first night is this same man. I clear my throat and he jumps a little, nearly dropping a pancake on the floor.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” I rush forward, feeling immediately guilty.

“I just startle easily,” He laughs jovially, throwing the pancake back in the pan,” Breakfast won’t be done for a few more minutes.”

“I know, I just had a question for you,” I chew my bottom lip nervously. I’ve really got to stop doing that.

“Ask away, darling,” He keeps cooking but he glances up at me from time to time.

“My… previous owner had me on a heat suppressant. I took it daily. I don’t know if there are any bad effects to being off of it this long, if I should stay on it or what we should do,” I trail off, not sure where I’m going with this, now.

“Well, it’s not great for a Hybrid to be on suppressants. They can have some pretty nasty side effects while you’re on them. That being said, they aren’t a medicine that makes you sick, going cold turkey. It lingers in your system for about 2-3 weeks, depending on the dosage. We’ll just have to keep track of your cycle while you’re coming off of it,” I help him set the various plates on the table,” We have a den on the first floor we use for our heats. I’ll have Namjoon get it ready in case you go into your heat early. It’ll probably be a really short one, at first. Your next one would be normal, though.”

“Okay. I just wanted to make sure. Would you guys… prefer if I stay on them? I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable or make them feel obligated to help me with my heats. I’ve gone through them alone before so it’s not a big deal,” I’m glad no one has come in yet, or I would feel way more embarrassed.

“That one is up to you. We would obviously never make you have help. That being said, don’t ever feel like you can’t ask any of us for help. Any one of us would be glad to help and it would never be trouble,” Jin shoots me a smile and wink before yelling at everyone to come to breakfast. We all eat before it’s time for everyone to split off for the day. Namjoon and Jin head to work, Namjoon dragging Jimin and Taehyung with him. Hoseok and Yoongi are off next, leaving me and Jungkook.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me for the day,” He grins broadly, his bunny teeth on full display,” I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” My eyebrows furrow.

“Would you like me to teach you some self defense?” His question catches me off guard,” With us not catching your owner and with what happened in the van, I feel like you knowing self defense might come in handy.”

“That would actually be really great,” I’m surprised that the idea makes me happy.

“I know it’s hard, as an Omega, to picture yourself hurting someone else. Jimin was the same way,” Jungkook gets up from his seat to help me stack the dishes and put them in the sink,” But I know everyone would be more comfortable leaving you by yourself if you had some kind of defense.”

After we finish the dishes, we head upstairs to get changed into more work out style clothes. Another pair of bicycle shorts and a t-shirt that was left on my bed and smells like Yoongi. There’s a new pair of tennis shoes sitting in the closet too, so I throw those on. Jungkook waits for me the in the hallway, leading me into a room that turns out to be his gym. He does some quick rearranging, laying some mats on the floor.

“Stand here,” he motions his hands to the spot in front of him,” So, your advantage is that you’re almost always gonna be smaller, so you’re faster and can get out of tight spots easier. However, if you get hit, it’s gonna hurt. Almost everything I’m going to show you is going to be a move that can be used to help you escape.”

He takes me through a lot of different moves, practicing each one until I feel comfortable with it. He shows me how to position my hands and feet, how to move my body and avoid injury. We break after a couple of hours to eat some sandwiches and catch our breath. There’s something enjoyable about just moving your body. Not having to think and just moving.

“Now, if you ever have to punch someone, it comes from your hips. You move your whole body with it, or it doesn’t have the impact you want. Show me your fist,” I hold it up for him. His hands cover mine as he readjusts them,” You want to hold it like this to avoid breaking anything. If you send a punch from your elbow, it’s gonna hurt like hell. Watch me.”

He demonstrates a punch and I try to copy his movements. He stands behind me and guides my movement. His hands are warm, even on my fevered skin. We run through a few more stances and movements before we finally call it a day.

“You did great! I was worried you wouldn’t want to learn them but I’m glad you were okay with it,” Jungkook chugs water from a bottle he got from the mini fridge. He tosses one to me, which I catch,” I’d still prefer if you were around one of the other guys if shit goes down, but at least I know you can hold your own.”

“I’m sure real situations will be much different and I doubt I’ll perform as well as a rehearsed situation,” I sit cross legged on one of the mats. Yoongi’s shirt is so long on me that it goes to my knees.

“That’s what I’m here for. I can practice with you whenever you want,” He still seems quite energetic despite our hours of work. He pauses for a second before his eyes widen,” Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you. Lets get cleaned up and then I’ll meet you in the living room.”

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I make my way to the living room. Jungkook is on the phone when I head downstairs. I wait patiently on the couch while he finishes up. Once he’s done, he collapses on the couch next to me. His hair is wet and he now wears jeans and a t-shirt. After a moment, he straightens up again.

“Okay, so I have to go and meet Namjoon to get some work done. We wanted you to have this,” He holds out a phone,” I’ve programmed everyone’s numbers in. I can show you how to use it real quick.”

He walks me through setting up my new phone, including the Face ID and passcode. He also shows me texting and informs me that he’s added me to a group chat with the guys. Apparently, they use that as a main method of communication with each other. I nod along, unsure of what I would even say.

“If you need anything, give one of us a call. We’ll probably pick up some kind of take out for dinner since we all had to go out today,” Jungkook catches me off guard by pressing a quick kiss to my forehead,” I’ll see you when I get back.”

And then I’m alone. For the first time in three days, I’m completely alone. Thoughts and emotions rush through me all at once. Too many to process, or even comprehend. I suddenly feel more exhausted than I did before, curling up on the couch with my face pressed into a pillow. There’s a blanket on the back of the couch that I pull around me. It smells like Jimin.

I’m not sure how long I dozed off but a loud sound brings me from my sleep. The sound of glass breaking is jarring in the empty house. Before I can even process the sound, I’m on my feet and running. I scramble up the stairs and into a random room, trying to close the door as quietly as possible behind me.

The smell of Jin swirls around me. I run into his closet and pull myself up the shelves like a ladder, pressing myself flat against the top shelf. My small form shouldn’t be visible from below. I can hear footsteps on the landing, and voices.

“We have to be fast. We don’t know how long they’re going to be gone,” The voice is rough and sends a shiver of fear down my spine.

“They should be gone long enough for us to find the girl. Although, this house is fucking massive,” Another voice grumbles,” We’ll have to search every room.

I hear the door to this room open and it feels like my heart is going to beat out of my chest. I have to hope that being surround by Jin’s clothes is enough to cover my scent. Omega’s tend to have more aggressive scents, they are naturally off put more. I can hear crashing in the room and I can feel my anxiety rising. When I hear the footsteps come toward me, I hold my breath. It feels like eternity but then they’re leaving this room and moving to the next.

I scramble back down the shelves and press my ear to the wall to see what I can hear. I peek out the door and, seeing the hallway empty, dash quickly down to Jungkook’s gym. I shut the door quietly and grab the bar from the bench press machine. It’s heavy but not too heavy for me to lift of swing. I hide behind the stacked mats. Jungkook must have cleaned up in here before his shower. I hold the bar close to me, ready to swing if I need to.

I feel a slight buzz in my pocket and remember the phone Jungkook had given me. I pull it out to see I have missed a couple calls and texts from the boys. I open my phone to the group chat and type just a few words. ‘There’s someone in the house.’ Then it goes back into my pocket. I’m glad that it was on silent.

It feels like forever before I hear the door to the gym open. Once again, things are crashing around. Then, the sound that sends shiver down my spine, the mats are being pulled out of the way. Then I’m face to face with a large black bear hybrid. His Alpha scent is aggressive. I swing before I can think, hitting him across the face. We’re both stunned for a second.

“Did you just-“ He’s cut off again as I stand to my full height and swing again. This one has my full strength behind hit. This time, he hits the ground hard, his head bouncing off the hardwood. I watch him for a few moments, waiting to see if he moves. He doesn’t get up, seemingly unconscious. Blood trickles from the spot on his head where the bar hit. I drop the bar, looking around the trashed room. I race out of the room, trying to think of where the best place to hide is. I don’t really want to deal with a pissed off bear when he comes to. Before I can make it to the stairs, my path is blocked by a different hybrid. I stop in my tracks, a leopard hybrid standing before me. He takes a step toward me and I step back, my eyes flicking around for a quick way to escape.

I leap up onto the bannister beside me, jumping down to the floor below, moving on instinct. I pitch forward in a roll, leaping to my feet and running into the kitchen. I can hear the leopard hit the floor behind me. I grab a knife from the knife block, clutching it tightly in both hands. He raises both hands, approaching me slowly.

“You wouldn’t want to do that,” He’s the grumbly voice from earlier,” We both know that you don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Then leave,” There’s so much venom in my voice that it even surprises me. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through me.

He leaps at me and it’s like everything slows down. His body slams into the knife, the knife piercing through without any effort on my end. He must have thought I was bluffing, that I would drop the knife and try to run. I let the knife go but it stays in his stomach, his hands going to it as he collapses to the floor.

There’s blood on my hands. Seeing that sends me over the edge. The panic hits me hard and fast, and suddenly, it’s hard to breath. Tears well in my eyes and I can’t stop them, I can barely focus. I curl into a ball, moving as far away from the collapsed man as possible.

“Y/N!” The voice sounds far away. I can’t even focus enough to tell who it is.

Hands touch me and I flinch. I glance back to see a familiar shade of pink and the smell of spiced apples wraps around me. He wraps his arms around me, carrying me away from the man. Someone is crouched next to the man but I can’t see through the tears.

“Shhhh…. You’re okay. I’m right here. It’s okay,” Jimin coos, rocking me back in forth in his arms. It takes a long time, but his tight hug and gentle humming eventually pull me out of the panic attack. I’m so exhausted I can barely move. By the time I come out of it, everyone is here. Jungkook is dragging a very pissed off bear downstairs while Jin hovers over the stabbed leopard.

“I stabbed a man,” My voice is shaky and weak.

“Shhhh….. It’s fine. You did it to defend yourself. No one is mad at you,” He nuzzles my cheek.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” The words flow out of me without my permission. I think I’m in shock. I can’t focus on anything other than the knife stabbing into the leopard.

Jimin just holds me for a while, humming softly. I doze off in his arms, the exhaustion finally crashing into me full force. When I wake up, I can hear voices. I keep my eyes closed, listening.

“Is she okay?” Yoongi asks, concern in his voice.

“She was in shock. She stabbed someone, so I can’t blame her. She’s asleep right now, though,” Jimin’s voice is soft, his breath brushing my ear.

“They must have been keeping watch. They waited until we were all gone,” Jungkook this time. I can hear pacing footsteps.

“We can’t leave her alone again. I’m not giving them another opportunity,” Namjoon this time.

“It’ll have to be one of us then. Jin and Tae have actual jobs. They can’t skip days like the rest of us,” Hoseok speaks up.

“We’ll trade off. It doesn’t matter who stays, as long as someone does. They trashed most of the rooms, but a few are still intact,” Namjoon answers this time. “I would like to know how she knocked out that massive bear,” Jungkook laughs a little. His voice is close.

I open my eyes slowly, peering up at the underside of Jimin’s jaw. I shift a little to alert them that I’m awake. I can feel all eyes focused on me and it makes me nervous. I sit up in Jimin’s lap, lifting myself up to sit next to him, between him and Yoongi. I lean into Yoongi’s side.

“Baby, what happened?” Jungkook is the first to speak up.

“I was taking a nap on the couch and I heard glass break. I ran upstairs and into Jin’s room. I climbed the shelves in the closet to the top and laid flat. After they checked it, I snuck out and down to Jungkook’s gym room. I grabbed the bench press bar and hid behind the stacked mats. When he pulled the mats aside, I hit him with the bar. Twice. I tried to run downstairs but the leopard confronted me before I could get to the stairs. I jumped down from the bannister and ran into the kitchen. I held the knife in front of me and he jumped at me. I don’t know if he expected me to drop it, but I didn’t. I… stabbed him,” My voice chokes on the last few words. Yoongi rubs his hand up and down my back in a calming manner.

“It was self defense. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Hoseok’s voice is gentle.

“He’s going to be just fine. He just needed a few stitches and a blood transfusion. You didn’t hit any vital organs and the wound was relatively shallow. He’s already started to heal,” Jin gives me an encouraging smile as he speaks.

“Honestly, you didn’t even really stab him. The idiot just ran into your knife,” Jungkook pipes up,” Who jumps at someone holding a knife, hoping they’ll drop it? That’s dumb.”

“A few of the rooms survived the onslaught. Y/N’s, Tae’s, and mine. Looks like we’re bunking up for the night, guys. The cleaning crew will be here in the morning,” With that, everyone starts to get up from their spots on the floor. Yoongi gets up and then turns to help me up.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” My words are nearly whispered but his ears flick and his arms wrap around me. He presses a gentle kiss to my lips.

“Of course. I can even share if that will make you more comfortable,” He rests his forehead against mine for a moment before pulling back. I nod, already knowing who else to invite.

“I’ll meet you upstairs,” I turn and run off, looking for a specific person. It takes me some time, but I find him outside his room, peering through the door at the damage.

“Hey,” My voice is soft. He turns to face me.

“Hey,” His lips quirk up in a smile.

“I- would you mind…?” I trail off, my nerves becoming too much. I take a deep breath,” Would you mind staying with me tonight? I-I mean, Yoongi will be there too. I-I just-“

“Of course,” He gives me a bright smile.

“Really?” I can’t help but feel shocked. We hadn’t gotten to spend much time together so I was surprised that he agreed so quickly. He’s just so comfortable to around, like Yoongi.

“If it will make you more comfortable, than I really don’t mind. I might even enjoy it,” His tone is teasing this time.

“Thank you, Hoseok,” I feel breathless. Somehow, I’m nervous that he’s going to be staying with me.

“Call me Hobi. Everyone else does,” He throws an arm around my shoulders,” Come on, before Yoongi finds a way to take up the whole bed.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Chapter Four soon!!

[blackmaylovesfries]

Korean line - Danger at Home

Words: 1434

Sinopse: Seventeen Hybrid AU - A mission goes wrong and the government loses the custody of a criminal that knows who you are… What a way to test your hybrids’ hearts, right?

Notices: Not so good English. J-Hope(BTS) and Jingyoung (GOT7) are going to the army, I don’t know why it connects with the chapter, but… ^^

Solo stories’ destiny

Masterpost

Previous / Next

After your birthday and the crazy paperwork your everyday missions resulted in, your days were as peaceful as can be with 13 men running around your house and work. The routine made you totally forget that the complication in the scarlet mission still wasn’t completely resolved. It was a sunny and beautiful day, most of the boys were at home, just the foreigners hybrids decided to check some friends at the center, when you received The call.

“What did you just say?” You screamed as you got up and slammed your hand on the table. Ren’s voice trembled.

“I.. I’m really sorry, Y/n… Baeko and Jr are already heading your way! But… Miles Blackwell escaped custody.” The poor blonde flinched with the noise you made of pure hate. “I don’t think he can reach you before our official forces get him but you should be prepared…”

“Y/N!” Jeonghan, who almost never screams, yelled your name with so much desperation your face paled instantly.

“Y/n?” Ren also sounded scared but your silence was his font of fear.

“Too late, Ren… I think I’m going to need backup.” Before he could react, you hung up the phone and ran downstairs, where the hybrids were clearly distressed. “What happened?” All 9 heads turned to you. They were obvious at edge, with tense stances and aggressiveness signs.

“Someone is coming in the direction of the house. They are fast and there are a lot of them.” Hoshi was the nearest to the window, but most of them nodded their heads to confirm his words. “I smell danger.”

—

“Do you all understand the situation?” You asked as you distributed the guns of your arsenal.

“Yes.” Seungcheol responded. "Psychopath with support of other government found info on people in the center, you included, and now is coming here to kill you and kidnap us.” If the situation wasn’t this dire, you would have laughed. But you just nodded.

“They are here.” Jeonghan was looking out the window of your last floor and saw near 15 people trying to sneak into your property. Normally you would not be that worried, since your security system is quite good but against someone with that kind of backing, you were sure they wouldn’t stop before death.

“Ok, boys. Here is the plan.” You rushed them. The movement sensors outside the house started to blow up your phone. “I need you guys to stay here, in the weaponry. They probably won’t be able to enter the house at all but better safe than sorry, I guess. Although you guys never trained with a gun, Seungcheol and Mingyu know the basics, so just in case something goes wrong.” You heard a loud noise on the first floor.

“I’ll go and monitor the situation, maybe I can take some of them even before the backup arrives.” You smiled to calm down a little. “Don’t open the door. No matter what you listen to, don’t open the door. I’ll call you when it’s all done, ok?” You let a second phone with them before exiting the room and hearing they lock it.

—

The boys, now locked inside the weaponry, exchanged looks. All of them knew the situation was grave but they also believed you and the security of their home. Still… None of them were comfortable with your line of thinking, since preparing them for an emergency could mean there was the possibility of said emergency happening.

They all had some hand-to-hand combat training but none of them really knew how to be effective with a gun. Minghao and maybe Vernon were the only ones who were able to fully understand and really help you in a situation like that. So none of the Korean hybrids were naive enough to protest your instructions and decisions.

Jihoon, Jeonghan and Wonwoo kept looking outside the window through the curtains, trying to see something but also to not draw attention to the third floor. Dino, Seungkwan, Hoshi and Seokmin were passing around, studying the room they almost never enter and trying to calm down their energy. S. Coups and Mingyu thou sat in front of the door, listening with attention to all the movement outside.

Inside the room, no one was talking, but their nerves were relaxing as there were no alerting noises and the intruders seemed to still be stuck trying to enter the house. But everything changed when they heard a shot and you screamed. All of them were ready to unlock that door and run to your side.

“Stop!” Chan held the door with his back to stop his hyungs. “She said to wait for her call!”

“Did you just miss her literally screaming?” Seungkwan animal instincts almost took over. “Do you not smell her blood?” All 9 of them could practically feel your distress. Chan just had time to shake his head before there were more gunshots… They held their breath… The shots were coming from inside the house.

They all were full alert, some with flashbacks already creeping beyond all their work in therapy these last months while others were shaking and getting away from the door. As they couldn’t hear or capture any sign of you and your wellbeing, their trauma response took control, with their survival as the only goal.

Suddenly the heavy door received a hard blow from the other side. The younger ones whimpered. This made the older ones wake up a little, deciding that they had to get out of there safely before going after you… They would be useless if dead. So Wonwoo opened the curtains of the only window.

“Oh, they are all inside here!” A greasy and excited voice sounded from outside. Jeonghan and Jihoon got the guns you had put on their hands before everything started. The two passed them to the bigger ones, Mingyu and Seungcheol, both were trembling but did their best to point the guns to the also shaking door.

“Hurry, they are all inside, I guess they think all 13 are here…” Wonwoo whispered, screaming, to the others. “There is no lookout outside, we can go down by the roof and run to the center.” The feline hybrid grabbed Dino by hand to get him to move. The others followed, with Jihon helping. “Don’t look back, just run and be careful not to be seen.”

Just as Jeonghan turned around to help the two with the guns to climb on the roof, the door broke out of its frame, revealing numerous big men in black and with bigger guns.

“Found you.” The leader sang as he faced the terrified hybrids. Coups started to scream and just shot randomly in their direction, with Mingyu following suit. The men cursed. “Don’t kill them! They’re rare ones!” A voice soared above all the gunshots.

“Run! Go!” The two wild hybrids screamed to the cat one, who was already crying but listened to them, running after the youngsters. He could hear shouts and shots behind and below him but, for a miracle, Jeonghan arrived almost without a scratch at the path that led to the center. He just had to go a few meters before finding the boys, with government backup.

Baeko and Jr, who all of them knew, were dumbfounded to see the desperate hybrids. They were always super full of energy, so it was normal to not understand what they were saying but this time… It broke the hearts of the humans…

They could get the general idea of what happened, guiding the boys to behind their trucks, so the soldiers could raid and secure the house. Only after promising to bring you back, they didn’t specify if dead or alive, the diplomats were able to actually do their work.

Back at the house, Seungcheol and Mingyu didn’t last for long with their firearm power. The duo was actually able to incapacitate some of the men who decided to stay instead of going after the others. But they soon had their guns pulled from their hands. There was more cursing and some wrestling, which would be easier for the boys to escape if they weren’t so terrified.

“We just need you alive, no one will care if you’re losing some teeth or an arm.” The leader was pissed and fighting Seungcheol. He and Mingyu started to lose their respective fights. They could feel hope leaving them as the humans pounded their fists in their heads. Mingyu was ready to close his eyes and give up when two shots were heard.

“I’m so sorry!” They could barely respond to you through their tears.

Previous / Next

Hello everyone! How are you?? I wanted to thank all the cute and lovely messages on the forms <3

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[ghawst37]

Non-pgr CamuRo AU

but what kind of au is it? I'm not sure, I just had a vision while on my way to class, made the sketch for this during //and I lied to myslef that it would be a quick draft, it's been five days ever since 0(-( //anyway, CW: mention of violence, abuse, there will be a TLDR if you still insist on reading ( ღ’ᴗ’ღ )

Story time: (just quote straight from what I told a friend, just with some adjustment)

The vision I had was young Roland buying steam buns and bringing them to Camu who's been hiding in the alley way near the stall, and Roland would settle down next to him, feeding him the steam bun because Camu's hands are injured at that moment and couldn't touch the hot steam buns by himself. Where they are at that time is some kind of underground slum, messy, crowded and cramped, pipes all over the place, all that kind. The world in this AU is also a bit of a futuristic dystopia(?) where most of the rich lives above ground, isolating the majority of the population that is the poor. The existence of human traficing is a norm, and for all sort of purpose, to flex their assets, slavery, entertainment, hybrid experiements, canibalism, etc... Camu escaped a human experiment facility above ground, with little to no memory prior being sold. After his escape to the underground, he's always on the run from the bounty that has been put on him by the people of the organization, and they want him back alive for the experiments to continue. The harsh experiments and environment has given Camu inhuman stamina, anyone came his way received a beating and, or have died. To fill his stomach, the bounty hunters that have came after him instead became the bounties. Despite that, Camu wanted to be free from the shackles of a runaway hybrid. He then accept a request of an underground organization to bring back a target, a celebrity specifically, doesn't matter dead or alive, in trade for his bounty to be removed completely, earn him a free life. Camu agreed, if it's a life of freedom, he doesn't care if it's a famous person or of importance or whatever the employer wants to do with them. Eat them? Sure, not his business.

But the celebrity named Roland that he needed to brought back, killed or alive, is no other than a child. Camu's hesitation to strike blew his cover, as he attempt an escape bringing Roland with him, the child became surprisingly obedient, even clinged onto Camu before turning back to look at him in the eyes, *"please save me from here,"* he begged, desperately, further confirming Camu's determination to just get them both out of that place, unscathed. The securities tracked them for a while, and for a brief moment there were gazes of curious children from within the place - to Camu's surprise, not much older than Roland. They escaped the chase before going down a narrow path leading down to the underground, blocked with scrap and garbage to clog the poor from going upward. The employer was more than satisfied with Camu's work, bringing back Roland in one piece. Celebrities, whether born from the poor or rich, after living the life of luxury from the above will bound to be a fulfilling meal. Roland, after being "saved" by Camu just to be tied up like a captured prey, his eyes filled with betrayed hope. Camu on the other hand, didn't care much of the employer's rambling, decided to cut him mid-way, asking of the deal. The employer laughs, before summoning in their underlings to surround them both. Of course, the way to get rid of a bounty target is to just deal with that target, the prize on Camu's head isn't cheap either by all means. In rage, Camu mauled through waves of people, injured the employer, no point in keeping a betrayer wandering around if the deal is broken. He staggers from the wounds, looting the valuables from the place - and of course, Roland - before making an escape. At least he's compensated a portion out of that shithole. The child does still seems to have some value anyway.

Not like he could just sneak back to the place and put the child back like he belonged in a doll house anyway, he mumbles to himself. Or maybe just leave him to some people, Camu would suddenly feel so kind as to not sell him. Roland would disprove at the options, that he would rather let be a stray than be in the hands of complete strangers; they would just sell him to someone else right away.

Camu scoffs, "sold? Wouldn't it be smarter to just keep then return you? They would be compensated a lot returning you to your mommy and daddy than selling you." Roland interrupted him after hearing that. "You would be mistaken," hands covered in scratches and dirt rubbing away a layer of foundation and make up, revealing a bar code on his left cheek. Only trafficked people would have this kind of bar codes, the moment one is marked with it, they've lost all rights to be human, much an object, transacted from one owner to the other, valuing less every time. Camu also has one on him. "I will just be send into another one of those place again, if you pity me brother, please let me go with you.." Didn't he just give Camu the eyes of a bretrayed puppy earlier? "I promise to not be a burden!" "What's with the change of heart? I'm not babysitting you." "Aren't you wanted? What if we make a deal..?" Roland beams at him, "I will take care of all your side tasks, I'll ensure they won't catch you just for doing those idly chores!" Bringing another stomach would be annoying, but being chased around just because he went out of hiding for a meal is also a hassle. Camu sighs, maybe he'll find an oportunity to get rid of the kid.

Camu is now also wanted above ground, anyone who caught the kidnapper of the imfamous child celebrity will be compensated handsomely. Even then, most underground people doesn't know of Roland from the information clogage. And while his face has yet to be plastered on every alley way in the underground, Roland take the chance to fulfill his part of the deal, including buying meals for the both of them from the sold valuables and bounty rewards, and getting supplies for Camu's injuries fending off others who are after their heads.

TL;DR: non-pgr Camuro AU, trope: some grumpy dude with ptsd and this random child he picked up because he suddenly bad leaving them alone (obviously) //In this AU, Camu is 17, Roland is 12, the age that me and said friend speculated were the age they were change into constructs in the game

Thank you for reaching this far into the ramblingヾ(◍’౪`◍)ﾉﾞIf anyone has anything you want me to know about this (like take it down because it's cringe-) feel free to let me know(?) //idk how do you end things like this, it's my first time //I personally just a sucker for this overused trope lmao

[promisesox]

Worth Saving pt. 4 / hybrid!au - Hoseok

1. 2. 3. 4. | Jungkook | Taehyung | Yoongi | Seokjin | Jimin

The key turned the lock open, allowing you access to the now familiar home you’ve been accustomed to. You peeked your head in, eyes darting straight to the kitchen area in search of your noisy roommate. The apartment was silent and bare of any human in the living room area, a relieved exhale passing your lips as you carefully entered the home with bags of groceries on your arms. You closed the door behind you gently and clicked the lock back into place before scurrying over to the kitchen to set the bags carefully on the table counter. You would set out in the early morning before the birds would wake up, doing a little shopping for the apartment now that it was occupied by two. Hoseok never really kept too much in the refrigerator until you came along, but you wanted to keep yourself busy and help out where you could. 

For the first week you kept yourself locked in the house, afraid to step outside due to the trauma of being caught by hybrid control. You were like a scared little pup, keeping to yourself and exploring your surroundings when Hoseok would leave for work. You familiarize yourself with everything in the house so you wouldn’t have to continuously rely on him, stuffing your nose in every garment and object taking a big whiff. You found whatever cleaning products he had hidden underneath in the cabinets and closets and cleaned the house from top to bottom. You managed to whip something up in the kitchen whether it was simple sandwiches or miso soup, all in time to scurry back over to the couch and pretend you were asleep when he arrived home. You wanted to keep yourself scarce, but he was still so full of energy when he came home from work to bother you. No, it was more like he still managed to wear a smile on his face when he came home all to greet you and stay by your side. You realized he was breaking the line you set out between you two, trying in his own way to get you comfortable in your new profound home. 

You kept your haunting thoughts at bay as best as you could. When Hoseok wasn’t at home to distract you you could hear the whispers of doubt in your head, battling with your nerves to keep yourself calm. You had to keep reminding yourself that you were in a safe place, but at some point you would have to leave. So when you would sneak out at the crack of dawn to shop, you also spent the time job hunting. First step was to earn money, have a steady income to save for the future. So you found yourself right on track when you returned home, a light breeze of air tickling the back of your legs.

Your sharp ears picked up the sound of movement coming from the bedroom. Hoseok was finally stirring awake, the sound of the mattress creaking underneath his body. You kept at your task in front of you by putting the groceries away while listening to Hoseok in the other room start his morning routine. His bare feet would touch the cold floor and he would groan, stretching his limbs in the air with a yawn. He would get up and make his way to the adjoining bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, trying to hurry himself so he could come out here and greet you. You caught on to his small little actions, growing used to them and understanding his intentions. It was hard to admit that he was rubbing off on you, the pull at the corner of your lips evident. 

“Good morning.”

His tired voice greeted after the drag of his feet into the kitchen, your body spinning around at the counter as you felt the light swish of your tail.

“Morning, I went shopping again.” 

“Mmm, I told you to wake me up so I can go with you.” The grumble in his voice made your body tingle, your ears flattening back as excitement bubbled in your throat.

“Guess who found a job.”

He paused from rubbing his eyes, peeking one open and raising his eyebrows at you. “A job?”

You bounced your head happily, your hands holding the edge of the counter behind you. “Yes. It’s a bartending position. So I’m going to be making tips along with receiving a paycheck.” 

The glee in your voice died with every word, picking up on his expression as he listened to you carefully. You knew Hoseok to be bubbly and jumpy whenever you shared good news, but there wasn’t a smile on his face. He wore a serious gaze, pulling away to think it over in his head as he hummed. “Okay. I would like to see this-”

“Why?”

You instantly asked the question, almost retracting back when his eyes perked up in surprise at you. You didn’t mean to cut him off or ask why to his request, you wanted to know why he wasn’t excited for you. A yearning pulling at your heart strings, frustrated that he didn’t show a bit more enthusiasm for you. 

He let out a breath, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. “To know what area you’re in and if I ever need to pick you up or-”

He paused to glance at your face, reading your expression as he quickly changed his tone with an apology. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just scared if something happened to you I wouldn’t know where to find you.” 

You held your breath, the sound of his voice caressing a whine to spill from your throat. He was only worried for you, and here you were already on your guard. You took a breath in, exhaling it through your nose and took a step forward with a soft smile growing on your face.

“It’s okay. I’ll write down the address for you. I’m really happy that I got a job and I’m really grateful that I found it because it’s hybrid friendly. Meaning I don’t have to hide my-”

You didn’t even get to get out the rest of your sentence, already in his arms and holding on tight as he swung around in a circle with his noise of excitement mingling in with your giggles. His body was warm against yours and his scent flooded your senses. It was like you found the source of all of the things in the house that you spent sniffing and familiarizing yourself with. It was a comforting smell, soft and earthy and...all things wonderful that you still couldn’t but a name on. Or maybe you were still afraid to.

He set you down on your feet, arms still wound around you tightly as you tried not to melt in his hold. He pulled away a moment later with hands cradling your face, the smile on his face matching yours as he gave a toothy grin.  

“I am so very proud of you, and I’m happy you’ve found a job that makes you feel good to work at.” The sound of his voice caressed your ears, your white tail hitting the back of your legs as he continued. “I’ll support whatever decision you choose for yourself, Chaesol. Always.”  

Your eyes casted downwards, nodding in understanding as a weight tugged at your heart. “I need this job to get out of here.”

“You don’t have to-” 

Soft brown eyes blinked up at him, watching as he thought his words over in his head. He sighed, the pads of his thumbs tickling the top of your cheeks. “Leave. You don’t have to go anywhere, you can stay right here with me. And I’ll take care of you.” 

You realized it then and there, not wanting to admit the feelings that had been created between the two of you. It felt like you’ve been here for too long but then it felt like you needed more time to stay. You were more than grateful for Hoseok, but there was so much more that he didn’t understand. This internal battle that you were facing everyday by being here, all the while trying to move forward with yourself and strive for more. He didn’t understand that it was you, the problem was you, and you weren’t going to ruin him. 

You placed your hands on top of the ones on your cheek, pulling them down and grasping them with a squeeze. You breathed in through your nose and forced the best smile you could muster on your face, one that wouldn’t worry him. And took a step back. Drawing the line once again.

[oxhaven]

Worth Saving pt. 4 / hybrid!au - Hoseok

1. 2. 3. 4. | Jungkook | Taehyung | Yoongi | Seokjin | Jimin

The key turned the lock open, allowing you access to the now familiar home you’ve been accustomed to. You peeked your head in, eyes darting straight to the kitchen area in search of your noisy roommate. The apartment was silent and bare of any human in the living room area, a relieved exhale passing your lips as you carefully entered the home with bags of groceries on your arms. You closed the door behind you gently and clicked the lock back into place before scurrying over to the kitchen to set the bags carefully on the table counter. You would set out in the early morning before the birds would wake up, doing a little shopping for the apartment now that it was occupied by two. Hoseok never really kept too much in the refrigerator until you came along, but you wanted to keep yourself busy and help out where you could. 

For the first week you kept yourself locked in the house, afraid to step outside due to the trauma of being caught by hybrid control. You were like a scared little pup, keeping to yourself and exploring your surroundings when Hoseok would leave for work. You familiarize yourself with everything in the house so you wouldn’t have to continuously rely on him, stuffing your nose in every garment and object taking a big whiff. You found whatever cleaning products he had hidden underneath in the cabinets and closets and cleaned the house from top to bottom. You managed to whip something up in the kitchen whether it was simple sandwiches or miso soup, all in time to scurry back over to the couch and pretend you were asleep when he arrived home. You wanted to keep yourself scarce, but he was still so full of energy when he came home from work to bother you. No, it was more like he still managed to wear a smile on his face when he came home all to greet you and stay by your side. You realized he was breaking the line you set out between you two, trying in his own way to get you comfortable in your new profound home. 

You kept your haunting thoughts at bay as best as you could. When Hoseok wasn’t at home to distract you you could hear the whispers of doubt in your head, battling with your nerves to keep yourself calm. You had to keep reminding yourself that you were in a safe place, but at some point you would have to leave. So when you would sneak out at the crack of dawn to shop, you also spent the time job hunting. First step was to earn money, have a steady income to save for the future. So you found yourself right on track when you returned home, a light breeze of air tickling the back of your legs.

Your sharp ears picked up the sound of movement coming from the bedroom. Hoseok was finally stirring awake, the sound of the mattress creaking underneath his body. You kept at your task in front of you by putting the groceries away while listening to Hoseok in the other room start his morning routine. His bare feet would touch the cold floor and he would groan, stretching his limbs in the air with a yawn. He would get up and make his way to the adjoining bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, trying to hurry himself so he could come out here and greet you. You caught on to his small little actions, growing used to them and understanding his intentions. It was hard to admit that he was rubbing off on you, the pull at the corner of your lips evident. 

“Good morning.”

His tired voice greeted after the drag of his feet into the kitchen, your body spinning around at the counter as you felt the light swish of your tail.

“Morning, I went shopping again.” 

“Mmm, I told you to wake me up so I can go with you.” The grumble in his voice made your body tingle, your ears flattening back as excitement bubbled in your throat.

“Guess who found a job.”

He paused from rubbing his eyes, peeking one open and raising his eyebrows at you. “A job?”

You bounced your head happily, your hands holding the edge of the counter behind you. “Yes. It’s a bartending position. So I’m going to be making tips along with receiving a paycheck.” 

The glee in your voice died with every word, picking up on his expression as he listened to you carefully. You knew Hoseok to be bubbly and jumpy whenever you shared good news, but there wasn’t a smile on his face. He wore a serious gaze, pulling away to think it over in his head as he hummed. “Okay. I would like to see this-”

“Why?”

You instantly asked the question, almost retracting back when his eyes perked up in surprise at you. You didn’t mean to cut him off or ask why to his request, you wanted to know why he wasn’t excited for you. A yearning pulling at your heart strings, frustrated that he didn’t show a bit more enthusiasm for you. 

He let out a breath, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. “To know what area you’re in and if I ever need to pick you up or-”

He paused to glance at your face, reading your expression as he quickly changed his tone with an apology. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just scared if something happened to you I wouldn’t know where to find you.” 

You held your breath, the sound of his voice caressing a whine to spill from your throat. He was only worried for you, and here you were already on your guard. You took a breath in, exhaling it through your nose and took a step forward with a soft smile growing on your face.

“It’s okay. I’ll write down the address for you. I’m really happy that I got a job and I’m really grateful that I found it because it’s hybrid friendly. Meaning I don’t have to hide my-”

You didn’t even get to get out the rest of your sentence, already in his arms and holding on tight as he swung around in a circle with his noise of excitement mingling in with your giggles. His body was warm against yours and his scent flooded your senses. It was like you found the source of all of the things in the house that you spent sniffing and familiarizing yourself with. It was a comforting smell, soft and earthy and...all things wonderful that you still couldn’t but a name on. Or maybe you were still afraid to.

He set you down on your feet, arms still wound around you tightly as you tried not to melt in his hold. He pulled away a moment later with hands cradling your face, the smile on his face matching yours as he gave a toothy grin.  

“I am so very proud of you, and I’m happy you’ve found a job that makes you feel good to work at.” The sound of his voice caressed your ears, your white tail hitting the back of your legs as he continued. “I’ll support whatever decision you choose for yourself, Chaesol. Always.”  

Your eyes casted downwards, nodding in understanding as a weight tugged at your heart. “I need this job to get out of here.”

“You don’t have to-” 

Soft brown eyes blinked up at him, watching as he thought his words over in his head. He sighed, the pads of his thumbs tickling the top of your cheeks. “Leave. You don’t have to go anywhere, you can stay right here with me. And I’ll take care of you.” 

You realized it then and there, not wanting to admit the feelings that had been created between the two of you. It felt like you’ve been here for too long but then it felt like you needed more time to stay. You were more than grateful for Hoseok, but there was so much more that he didn’t understand. This internal battle that you were facing everyday by being here, all the while trying to move forward with yourself and strive for more. He didn’t understand that it was you, the problem was you, and you weren’t going to ruin him. 

You placed your hands on top of the ones on your cheeks, pulling them down and grasping them with a squeeze. You breathed in through your nose and forced the best smile you could muster on your face, one that wouldn’t worry him. And took a step back. Drawing the line once again.

[ariana-winchester95]

New Work

Hi guys, I have a new work available to read, but due to receiving so many hearts and no comments on my previous works on Tumblr, I unfortunately won't be posting full fics on here any more. I will be posting just teasers, little snippets. You will be able to find the full work on my ao3 and Wattpad. The links to my profiles are in my bio.

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Original Female Character

Warnings: Werewolf shifter Hoseok, painful shifting during full moon, mentions of blood, breeding season, mating cycles/in rut, breeding, Hobi loves the chase, biting, claiming, licking, significant size difference when he's shifted, Hobi has a big knot, size queen oc, multiple orgasms, blacking out, oral, vaginal penetration, bestiality (fucking in his wolf form), fucking in the woods, purely fictional, I do not condone this, possessive behaviour, dark, knot tied, soft Hobi at the end, slut calling, rutting, dry humping, dirty talk, aftercare at the end, strangers to lovers

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary:

Yuri wanders into the woods alone to see if the stories are true, If the beast really is as bad as they say. She finds out more than she bargained for. Teaser/Snippet:

The sounds of branches and twigs snapping underneath books echoed throughout the woods. Sharp edges cutting at flesh, red running down and soaking into socks. Thick mist blocking visibility in every direction, making it easy for even the most experienced trackers lost. The full moon shining brightly, high in the sky provided very little light. Beams of soft light, coming through the naked branches of the trees, made the mist that much more eerie.

Yuri tried her best not to make too much noise, not to draw the attention of the beast that is said to live in these very woods. She had heard a number of rumours surrounding the beast, stating that it kills anything that dares to enter its territory, another had said that the beast is a cursed prince waiting for true love's kiss to set him free. Yuri had become curious, wanting to find out the truth for herself by foolishly wandering into the dark, misty woods. Alone. When the moon is full and at its highest. How foolish. 

Yuri hissed as a sharp branch tore through her skin, feeling the crimson plasma run down her flesh, Yuri stopped for a moment, leaning against a boulder. A howl sounded through the woods, causing Yuri to break into a run, not caring as more branches cut into the skin of her arms and thighs. She gasped as a growl came from within the mist, too close for comfort, Yuri ran faster. Never stopping, even though her thighs were screaming at her, she kept running, hearing twigs crushing underneath another set of books and heavy breathing getting closer behind her. Yuri had only barely looked over shoulder before she was tackled to the ground. Leaves and dirt mixed with her blood, brown dirt smeared her palms, knees and cheeks, almost copping a mouth full of the forest floor.

A firm body pressed her into the harsh forest floor, twigs digging into her body uncomfortably. She could feel the body all over, pressing against her as large human hands harshly pinned her hands down and muscular thighs pressed against her own. The beings chest rapidly pressed against her back with each deep inhale. Puffs of air disrupted her hair, fanning over her ear as the thing holding her down breathed heavily. She let out a surprised gasp at the wirey fur tickling the back of her thighs as it swayed from side to side. A tail. A hybrid.

[angelicyoongie]

Abundance (II)

— summary: You never expected that you would end up adopting a hybrid, and if someone had told you that you would end up with seven? Well, you would have thought they were crazy. But here you are, with three different packs of hybrids that don't get along – but all want to stay with you. Yeah, turns out crazy is an understatement.

— pairing: hybrid bts x human f!reader

— genre: fluff, angst, eventual smut

— word count: 7.7k

— tag list: @keijaycreates @xsmilebitesx @ditttiii @ayoo-bangtan @see3milyblog @faithsummers11 @narcissism-iskey @sp3ak-yours3lf @cesthoney @imluckybitches @multifandomgirl29 @moon-2seok​ Part: I / III / IV / V / VI / VIII / IX / X / XI / Find the rest of the chapters here!

You feel like you’re about to pass out from the force behind Hoseok’s hug, his arms practically squeezing the air out of you as he presses himself even closer. “Maybe don’t kill her before she’s even had the chance to take you home, Hobi.” You hear Yeonjun chuckle from where he’s stepped into the room behind you.

Hoseok takes a small step back at his words, ears drooping a little as he looks at you sheepishly. “It’s okay.” You reassure him, giving his shoulder a squeeze before you let him go. He seems reluctant to step away from you but a small yip from the other side of the room diverts his attention elsewhere for a second, allowing you to create some space.

You watch as a man with deep orange hair and fox ears runs over, skidding to a stop right in front of you. You feel like you might go cross-eyed from how close he’s standing, the soft unruly hair on his head tickling your forehead as his eyes fly over your face. Something soft brushes against your hand, and you’re guessing that’s his big fluffy orange tail despite not being able to look down at it. “Hi.” The deep voice sends an unexpected shiver down your spine and it seems like such a juxtaposition to the wide boxy grin he gives you. “You must be Taehyung.” You smile, trying to inch backwards to properly look at him. You have already looked at his name and picture in the files you got to take home but even from the little you can see now, you can tell that he’s even more handsome in person. However getting a proper look at him proves to be hard, as his face seems to follow yours like a magnet, not letting you create any more distance between the two of you.

“Yup!” He chirps, a puff of air hitting your lips as he speaks. His nostrils flare slightly, his head tilting just enough that his bangs sweep across his eyes. You make a mental note that they’re all due for a haircut pretty soon.

“Hyungs, I like her.” Taehyung hums, deep brown eyes looking at you warmly. Soft fingertips brush against your other hand in agreement, and you see Hoseok hovering close out of the corner of your eye, while still allowing Taehyung some space to greet you on his own.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve earned that yet, Taehyung.” You let out a kind laugh, a little embarrassed by how open he is about his feelings. You see his chest puff out slightly at the mention of his name, his eyes scrunching up under the pressure of his own smile.

Someone clears their throat, and your attention immediately flies away from Taehyung over to the last hybrid in the room.

He’s watching you with calculating eyes, the aura around him so cool and collected that you find your own back subconsciously straightening to meet his gaze. It doesn’t take two to figure out that this is the alpha of the pack, and if he doesn’t like you, then there’s no way you’re adopting today.

“Namjoon?” You ask. His gray wolf ears twitch in response to your voice, and you can see how he seems to be meticulously scanning you from head to toe before he answers.

“That’s me.” You think you would find Namjoon’s voice calming and relaxing if it wasn’t for how nervous this whole situation makes you feel.

He watches as his pack turns to him with big pleading eyes, both Taehyung and Hoseok’s energies practically begging him to accept you.

“And you are?” Namjoon moves closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. He doesn’t want Taehyung and Hoseok to get too attached in case you change your mind. Packs normally aren’t that popular to adopt, and the last time they got their hopes up, it absolutely crushed them when it inevitably fell through.

“Oh, sorry! I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.” You thrust your free hand out in Namjoon’s direction with a kind smile. Hoseok still has his fingers loosely wrapped around your other hand, and his presence is enough to keep your nerves under control as Namjoon steps up to you.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/N.” Namjoon’s mask finally seems to crack, a soft smile gracing his face as he takes your hand in his. You hear Taehyung and Hoseok both softly whisper your name under their breaths, but you can’t help but notice just how big Namjoon’s hand feels around your own as he gives it a shake.

Once you finish greeting Namjoon, Yeonjun places a hand on your back to steer you over to the seats in his office. “Let’s sit down on the couch so that you guys can talk and get to know each other a little better!” 

You’re too busy determining which seat to take to notice the little snarls Taehyung and Hoseok send Yeonjun at the contact. Yeonjun just snorts, not taking it to heart at all. While he’s unfazed by their behaviour, he’s a little surprised that they’ve taken such a strong liking to you already.

You choose the middle seat of the small couch, and Taehyung and Hoseok doesn’t waste any time in claiming the space on either side of you. Your cheeks grow warm as they both press their bodies flush against yours, thighs and arms more or less glued together by how close they're sitting. Namjoon takes a seat in the chair on the opposite side, and you can feel the hybrids at your sides stiffen as his gaze rests on you.

Yeonjun gives Namjoon on a pat on the shoulder as he moves past to sit at his desk. He’s obviously giving you a chance to chat somewhat privately until you’ve made a decision, and it soothes some of your nerves to know that he’s there in case something goes wrong.

“So Y/N .. Why do you want us?”

Hoseok lets out what sounds like an embarrassed whine at Namjoon’s direct question, but you find you prefer it to just beating around the bush. It’ll make everything easier on all of you.

“To be honest, I’m lonely. I have a high-pressure job, and I just want someone to come home to and relax with. I want friends – or a family, if you will.” You find it hard to meet Namjoon’s unwavering gaze as you deliver your little speech, but you have a feeling the wolf hybrid will respect you more if you do.

He nods at your answer, and you feel the tension drain out of Taehyung and Hoseok.

“Yeonjun told us this is your first adoption. Don’t you think a pack is a little too much?” You gulp at his words. Taehyung lets out a small whine next, fingers creeping over to your clasped hands to intertwine them together.

“Of course a pack is more work than just one hybrid, but I think it’ll be better for all of us. You won’t be by yourself in a new house with a new person, and I won’t have to feel bad about leaving you at home alone. I know it might be unconventional, but I’m really determined to make this work.”

Hoseok takes a hold of your other hand as you speak, grasping it tightly between his own.

“But only if you let me. Please, do what you think is the best for your pack.”

You didn’t know it, but those words seals the deal for Namjoon. His heart swells with the knowledge that you recognize his importance as the alpha of the pack, and that you put him and his packmates well-being before your own wants and wishes.

Namjoon shares a look with both Hoseok and Taehyung to make sure they both want to go home with you, but based on the desperation and excitement that has been rolling off them both ever since you walked in, he feels very confident in his decision.

You look up in surprise as Namjoon rises from his seat, long legs carrying him around the small coffee table between you. He pauses for a moment as he stops in front of you, eyes scanning over your form one last time. You squeak in shock as he drops down to his knees, your occupied hands reaching out to make him stand up again. He grasps your fingers before you get a grip on his arms, covering Taehyung and Hoseok’s with his own as he looks up at you.

“Please take us home.”

He looks at you with so much hope and vulnerability that your heart stutters, the calculating look long gone from his face. With his alpha’s agreement, Hoseok suddenly snuggles closer to your side, face pressed against your shoulder to peer up at you with big eyes. Taehyung uses the opportunity to bury his face into your neck, soft whines rumbling from his chest as his bushy tail wraps around your side. You mind goes a little blank at the amount of contact, your heart hammering so loud in your chest that you fear that even Yeonjun might hear it. You know the hybrids can, with their heightened senses, but you’re so overwhelmed at the moment that you can’t even being to feel embarrassed about it.

Namjoon gives your hands a squeeze; the silence having stretched on for so long he fears you might have changed your mind. The pressure brings you out of your own head enough to stutter out a reply. “L-let’s go.”

You can feel the hybrids practically vibrating behind your back with excitement as you turn the key to the front door. It didn’t take long to sign the papers and gather their things, and they all behaved perfectly on the way home. Namjoon kindly explained on the way that they’re all used to moving around outside on their own, and it makes you happy to think that the boys will be able to come and go since they’re already used to the world outside of the shelter. While you technically have ownership over them, you would never treat them as anything less than yourself, and giving them freedom is one of the things you deem the most important.

You open the door and step inside, the boys hot on your heels as you enter your house. They don’t waste any time in removing their shoes and jackets, their shelter provided duffle bags piled neatly near the door before they turn to you. “Ah, welcome home?” You say, taking a few steps back to lead them into the first room. It feels a little foreign to say, but their excitement drowns out any lingering nerves. All the boys have blinding smiles on their faces as they peek into the living room, and you can’t help but grin yourself when you see how quickly Namjoon and Hoseok’s tails are wagging behind them.

“Please feel free to explore the house as much as you want to – this is your home now too.”

Taehyung is off as soon as the words leave your lips, tearing down the hallway to look into the first bedroom he finds. Namjoon gives you an embarrassed chuckle at his packmate’s enthusiasm as he passes you, but you can tell he’s holding himself back from doing the same thing with how he hurriedly walks down the hall. Hoseok seems to be anxious to go and explore like the rest of his pack, but he hasn’t moved from his spot next to you.

“Don’t you want to go and have a look around?” He perks up even more when your sole focus is on him, his tail wagging so fast it almost looks like a blur behind his back.

“No, I want to! I just ..” He pouts, eyes flickering uncertainly to the hallway behind you, “Can I hug you first?”

Oh. You were not expecting that. You feel a warmth rise in your cheeks just as Hoseok’s turn a little pink, but the hybrid refuses to look away to lessen the awkwardness.

“I – uh, sure?” The moment you open your arms, Hoseok is wrapped around you like he did back at the shelter. He rests his head in the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent as you run your hands up and down his back. You know from reading his file that he’s an affectionate hybrid, you just didn’t expect him to warm up to you so quickly. But you can’t complain, not when hugs are one of your favourite things, and frankly, something you’re a little depraved of after living by yourself for so long.

Sure, you get the occasional hug from Jihyo, but it’s far from enough by your standards.

You brush off the first time his lips ghost against your neck, thinking nothing off it as he presses himself closer. You’re a little distracted by watching his tail wag, the motion almost a little hypnotising, and you don’t really register that he’s doing something out of the ordinary until you feel something wet against your skin. You freeze, arms locked around Hoseok’s body as it happens again. He drags his nose against your throat, inhaling the calming scent that surrounds you. The smell makes him feel like Namjoon’s head rubs does, all nice and relaxed.

You let out a startled sound as he drags his tongue up your neck again, and you finally manage to make your arms work enough to detangle yourself from Hoseok’s grip. He whines as you wrestle yourself away.

“What was that for?” You grimace despite the furious blush that’s settled on your face, hand reaching up to wipe away the saliva on your skin.

“I’m sorry! You just smell so good." Hoseok pouts, ears drooping down at the slightly harder tone of your voice, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Your heart tugs at the dejected look on his face, his tail tucked under his legs as he stares sadly down at the ground. Of course it made you uncomfortable that someone you just had accepted into your home was licking your neck, but you know there was no ill-intent behind his actions, and so you find it hard to stay annoyed at him.

“It’s fine, Hobi. Let’s just keep the licking to a minimum, okay?” You say. Hoseok brightens up immediately, tail starting to slowly wag again as he nods.

“Okay!” He gives you a big smile. You hear Taehyung let out an excited yip from one of the bedrooms, and Hoseok stares longingly over your shoulder, feet tapping against the floorboards as he fights to keep himself still. You shake your head with a smile at his impatience, stepping aside to give him more room.

“Go.” You gesture to where you hear Taehyung’s voice is coming from.

“Thank you, I promise I’ll be good!” Hoseok has barely enough time to finish his own sentence before he takes off down the hallway, feet skidding against the floor as he turns to enter the same room as Taehyung.

You decide to get dinner going as you let them roam around and explore the house in peace. You’re halfway through cutting up the vegetables when you hear footsteps entering the kitchen, and a glance over your shoulder confirms that it’s Namjoon.

“Did you finish looking around?” You ask with a smile, gesturing for him to take a seat.

“Yeah, it’s a lovely home.” Namjoon nods as he pulls out one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

“Good! I’m glad you like it.” You turn back to the cutting board in front of you, hands skillfully dicing up the potatoes and carrots. The kitchen is quiet aside from the rhythmic chop chop chop filling the air as your knife slices through the food and hits the board underneath. You can feel Namjoon’s eyes burning into your back, tracking your movements as you finish prepping the ingredients. The silence feels suffocating, especially when you have no idea what he’s thinking about.

You turn around with a sigh after you shove the dish into the oven, meeting Namjoon’s gaze head-on. His eyebrows are pinched, lips pressed into a thin line, and you can tell he’s thinking hard about something.  

“What’s wrong?” You ask, moving over to pull out a chair next to him.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I keep waiting for the catch." He grimaces as he finally tears his eyes away from you to stare down at the table in front of him.

“The catch?” You frown.

“Yeah. We’ve done this before. Twice, actually,” Namjoon’s eyes turn stormy as he says, “The first time we never even made it out of the shelter, the lady turned around as soon as she got to know us.”

You frown. You can’t believe anyone would do that to a pack this lovely.

“The second time, we .. escaped. Turns out the guy who adopted us wasn’t after platonic hybrids.” Namjoon’s jaw is tense as he mumbles out the last words, ears flat against his head as he remembers the way his pack was treated.

“I’m so sorry, Namjoon.” You whisper.

Your heart squeezes painfully at the thought of the sweet hybrids being forced into a situation they never wanted to be in. You can’t help it as you grasp one of his hands in yours, running your thumb over his knuckles in a way you hope is comforting.

Namjoon tenses slightly as your skin connects with his, but it melts away before you have a chance to remove your hand. You can see his tail twitch behind him, a weak wag back and forth.

“That’s why I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. This seems too good to be true.” He gives you a sad smile.

You don’t mind it when he gently removes his hand from your hold; it’s obvious that he’s more reserved than the rest of his pack, and it’s clearly with good reason.

“I understand that it might be hard to trust me, and that’s okay. You’re welcome to stay here, or you’re welcome to leave if you don’t think I’m the right fit for you and your pack. But please give me a chance? Let me prove myself.” You say, determination in your eyes as you hold Namjoon’s gaze.

The calculating look he had earlier is back, and you have to fight the urge to squirm as his dark eyes study you intently. You try your best to steady your heartbeat, knowing that he’s probably listening to it. You don’t want him thinking that your heart is racing because you’re lying, when you’re actually just nervous to be the centre of his attention.

“Okay.” You see his shoulders drop, his posture relaxing as he leans back in the chair. The faint indent in his cheeks makes your stomach flutter pleasantly. He looks tired, and you realize it’s probably hard for him to both be the alpha and put his pack first, when he also needs to care for himself.

“Thank you.” You smile. “Why don’t I show you your room? Maybe you can start unpacking or just lay down for a while.”

They all settle in surprisingly quick. Taehyung seemed especially pleased with the garden, and Hoseok seemed to absolutely love the large shower upstairs. Dinner went well, the boys scarfing down the food you made like they hadn’t been eating in weeks, and your ego definitely got a little boost because of it.

You were all tired after a long day of new impressions, and you all retreated early to your rooms to get some rest. Namjoon gave you a kind smile before he entered their bedroom, while Hoseok and Taehyung both wrapped you up in a quick hug, small giggles shared between them as they hurried after their alpha.

You crashed as soon as your head hit your pillow, and you didn’t even stir until your alarm went off the morning after.

You’ve taken the week off work to get to know all of the hybrids and get them settled in before you need to return. So, since you picked up the first pack yesterday, you’ll pick up the second pack tomorrow on Wednesday. At least that way you’ll have a full day to get each pack settled in before you pick up the next.

You quickly wash up before tugging on your favourite hoodie and sweatpants, trying your best to silently creep down the stairs. You’re not sure just how good their hearing actually is, but you don’t want to disturb them while it’s still fairly early. A peak out the window confirms that the weather is gloomy, dark clouds looming on the horizon with the promise of rain.

You frown, the plans for the day going down the drain as you watch the clouds roll closer. You really wanted to spend the day outside in the garden, maybe do a little makeshift picnic to get to know them all better. But since the weather seemingly disagrees with those plans, you’ll just have to figure out something else instead.

You quickly get breakfast ready, a small selection of different breakfast foods you’ll think they’ll enjoy based on their folders spread out on the kitchen table. You hesitate before walking over to their door, not really sure if it’s okay that you wake them up or not. You’re sure this must be a shock to their senses in a way you can’t really fully understand as just a normal human. They’ll probably need more sleep than you to process it, but you can always ask?

You gently knock on their bedroom door, giving them a few seconds before you take a chance and peek in. The sight that greets you almost makes you coo, as you find the whole pack cuddled up in bed together, Taehyung and Hoseok glued to Namjoon’s side in the large bed. They look absolutely adorable all squished together like that, and it pains you to have to wake them up.

“Guys?” You softly call out, but the only response you get is one of Namjoon’s ears twitching in your direction.

You take a few steps into the room, calling out to them again, but they seem to be pretty dead to the world. You consider letting them just sleep until they wake up by themselves, but you really want to serve them a hot meal.

“Hobi?” You’re closest to the golden retriever hybrid, and so you decide to target him first.

You slowly give his shoulder a little shake, but he just shrugs you off and snuggles closer to Namjoon’s side. You let out a low snort, and Taehyung’s orange ears twitch in response. You swear you just saw his tail move a little. Narrowing your eyes, you momentarily give up on Hoseok to move over to your next victim.

Taehyung’s breathing is slow and steady, but you’re confident you saw his eyes squeeze closed as you rounded the bed.

“Taehyung?” You grin as his ears fully turn your way despite the peaceful expression on his face, his animal parts giving away his ruse. He’s lying on his back, one arm intertwined with Namjoon’s and the other thrown over his head. You crouch down on the floor next to his face, bringing a finger up to poke his cheek.

“Taehyung.” You call a little louder, and his nose crinkles in response, the corner of his mouth twitching as you let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Well, that’s just too bad,” You try to sound disappointed despite the amused smile on your face, “I guess all the food will just go to waste then .. And I even made your favourite, Tae.”

The nickname you heard Namjoon and Hoseok call Taehyung the night before slips out before you can think stop it. Taehyung suddenly bolts up in bed, and the motion startles you so much that you fall back flat on your ass. Taehyung truly looks like a wild fox with his messy orange hair sticking everywhere as he stares down at you.

“Tae?” He says, rubbing his eyes that still are a little puffy with sleep.

“O-oh sorry, I didn’t realize.” You stammer. You feel embarrassed by the slip up, and you’re sure he can hear how fast your heart is beating by the grin that adorns his face.

“Say it again.” He scrambles over to the edge of the bed, and you have to tilt your head up to look at him.

You almost choke on your own breath as you meet his eyes. There’s a certain glint in them that almost makes him seem predatory by the way he’s hovering over you.

“Say what?” You sputter, mind embarrassingly blank from just meeting his gaze. Lips tugged up in a smirk, he leans down even closer, hands gripping the edge of the bed to keep himself from toppling over.

“The thing you said.” He teases, not allowing your flustered mind to catch up at all.

“What? Tae?” You say, and judging by the way his whole face lights up, you’ve hit the jackpot.

He jumps out of bed to quickly climb across your legs, his thighs straddling your knees as he plops himself down into your lap. You’re leaning back as far as you can on your hands, trying to put some space between you while your heart feels like it’s about to break out of your chest at the close proximity. He takes a deep breath as if he’s about to say something, but he pauses, head tilted to the side as he looks at you in confusion.

“Why do you smell like Hobi hyung?” He sniffs the air, his fluffy tail perfectly still behind him as he tries to figure out where it’s coming from.

“Do I?” You lean your face down to your shoulder to take a whiff, but all you can smell is the detergent you normally use. You’re not sure how you can smell anything like Hoseok.

“Yeah, you do.” Taehyung suddenly places his hands on your shoulders, keeping you still as he leans in closer and inhales your scent. He sniffs around until he finds the spot he’s been searching for, the place where Hoseok licked your neck the day before. You blush as Taehyung drags his nose along the marked skin, a low rumble sounding from his chest as he takes in the mixed scent of you and Hoseok.

“He marked you.” The way Taehyung’s lips move against your neck as he speaks sends a tremor down your spine, the act feeling way too intimate.

“He did .. what?” You try to pull back, but his face stays buried in your neck, tail swishing against your leg.

“He–“ Taehyung is interrupted by Namjoon grumbling as he tosses on the bed. You can see his gray wolf ears stick up over Taehyung’s shoulder, and you use the distraction to squirm away from Taehyung’s hold. Namjoon looks at you in confusion as you suddenly emerge from the floor, his head is still so groggy he wonders if he’s still dreaming.

“Oh, uh, breakfast is ready!” You shoot him a flustered smile and hurry out of the room as quick as your feet can carry you. You don’t dare look back on Taehyung as you hastily close the door behind you, retreating back to the kitchen.

Thankfully, Taehyung is the last person to actually arrive at the table, and it gives you some time to collect your mind and calm down. You’re happy to see that the boys enjoy the food you've dished up for breakfast as much as they did with dinner the night before.

You struggle to enjoy it just as much though. Taehyung keeps stealing glances at you while you eat, and it makes you nervous. You have no idea what he’s thinking or what he meant about Hoseok marking you, and judging by the intense look in his eyes, you’re guessing it isn’t something he’s just going to brush off.

As the boys help you clearing away the dishes, you suddenly remember that you need to get some papers ready for the next pack you’re picking up tomorrow.

“Ah crap, I can’t believe I almost forgot.” You shake your head, annoyed with yourself for losing track of something so important.

“Forgot what?” Hoseok is at your side in seconds, a curious look on his face as he peers down at you.

“The adoption papers for tomorrow!” You sigh as you clean off a plate.

Hoseok stills next to you, his wide eyes meeting Namjoon and Taehyung’s equally shocked expressions. You don’t notice how the room has fallen silent until you turn around to grab another plate, but instead find them all much closer than they were before. Hoseok has moved slightly behind Namjoon, and you can see that the wolf hybrid’s jaw is tense as he looks at you.

“Adoption papers?” He asks, eyes narrowing as you nod in response. “For who?”

“The other pack of course! I’m picking them up tomorrow and the last one on Friday.” Your smile falters as you hear Hoseok whimper. Taehyung refuses to meet your gaze when you try to catch it.

“Yeonjun was supposed to tell you. He did tell you, right?” A low rumble comes from Namjoon’s chest in response, the hybrid suddenly appearing much taller than he was just a minute ago.

“Right?” You echo, voice small and unsure.

Namjoon shakes his head. His hands are clenches into tight fists by his side, and you can see how he seems to be putting back up the shield he barely lowered yesterday.

“Fuck.” You whisper, dragging your hand through your hair in exasperation. You were sure Yeonjun were going to tell them, that they all knew and agreed to the fact that they had to share a house with other packs before you took them in. You can’t believe it slipped his mind.

“Why?” Hoseok whimpers. “Are we not good enough?”

There’s nothing you want more at that moment than to hug him, but Namjoon’s defensive stance tells you to not even think about it.

“No no no, it’s nothing like that!” You lean heavily against the counter behind you, not really sure how you can explain it without accidentally hurting anyone’s feelings.

“I felt this .. pull?” You wince, the words sounding too awkward for how important they are. “To all of you. I don’t know how to explain it; I just knew that I couldn’t leave any of you behind. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want you, or that you aren’t good enough. I just really wanted to give you all a new home, a new chance. Especially when I have the means to do so.” You weakly gesture to the house around you.

“I thought Yeonjun had made that clear before I arrived to pick you up.” You give them a pained smile. You’ve only been with the pack for a day, but you absolutely can’t stand the thought of them leaving and going back to the shelter. Your chest feels uncomfortably tight as you watch their downcast expressions.

“So you still want us?” Taehyung rests his head on Namjoon’s shoulder, fluffy tail wrapped around his leg as he watches you sadly.

“Of course,” You breathe. “I understand if you want to go back, but please know that I would love for you to stay.”

“I want you to stay.” You add, and you catch a glimpse of Hoseok’s tail wagging at your words. Namjoon is still staring you down, the stoic expression on his face telling you nothing. He sighs, ears drooping down against his head as he looks down at his feet.

“We want to stay too.” He mutters. The tight feeling in your chest lets up a little at his admittance, but you know you still have a long way to go to make sure they feel comfortable and wanted. The air is still awkward though, and you rack your brain trying to come up with something to make it go away.

“I’m glad,” You smile. “How about we move to the couch for a bit? I have some games we can play if you’re feeling up to it.”

That seems to brighten up their moods a bit, Taehyung pushing the other two out of the way to run to the living room. Namjoon follows after him with a smile of his own, Hoseok only lingering behind long enough to grab your hand and drag you after them.

You make sure to send a quick furious text Yeonjun and remind him to inform the other packs before you pick them up. You don’t want a repeat of what happened today. The thought of any of them turning you away makes you feel terrible, but you would never blindly force them into house with other hybrids if they didn’t want that themselves.

Luckily, playing some of the various board games you have seem to make everyone feel a little better. The rain is softly pattering against the big windows in the living room by now, but it feels cosy to be snuggled up on your couch and playing games to pass the time.

“This is boring.” Taehyung calls after a while, throwing his cards down with a huff as Hoseok wins another round.

“That’s just because you’re losing.” Hoseok snorts, gathering the cards to shuffle them.

“Can’t we do something fun? Oh! Let’s bet!” Taehyung’s tail shudders as his excitement rises.

“The winner can get a prize?” He grins. Namjoon watches him warily.

“I suppose so.” He shrugs, sharing a look with Hoseok that you don’t quite understand.

Taehyung shuffles closer to the table, face suddenly serious as he looks at his dealt cards.

“I’m gonna win.” He announces.

You let out a light laugh at his confidence. Considering he’s lost ten times in a row, you don’t really have much faith that he’ll flip it around. But the way his lips pout with concentration is too adorable to say anything against, and so you just sit back and shuffle through your own, not really thinking much of his comment.

Taehyung wins.

You stare down at his cards with confusion. You were sure you had the best cards, or that you would at least come second, but somehow Taehyung flipped it completely around. You’ve never lost a round harder than what you just did.

“How?” You mutter. Namjoon just shrugs again before he leans back against the couch with an uneasy smile.

“He has his ways when he wants something.” Hoseok adds, a faint frown on his face as Taehyung just broke his winning streak.

“I want my price now.” Taehyung’s expression shifts from gleeful to serious so fast it knocks the air out of your chest.

You’re next to each other on the couch, Namjoon and Hoseok being sprawled out on the other. Your lungs burn as he shuffles closer, and he doesn’t stop until his knees knock into yours. You feel like asking is dangerous, but the way he’s looking at you so expectantly makes you do it despite your gut yelling at you to stay quiet.

“What do you want?” You throw a glance at Namjoon and Hoseok, both of them watching you with rapt interest. Hoseok has a faint blush on his cheeks likes he knows what’s going to happen, while Namjoon just looks a little lost.

“I want to mark you too.” Taehyung gives you a sweet smile, the words such a stark contrast to the innocent expression on his face.

“Y-you what?” You stammer, fingers automatically gliding up to touch the part of your neck that Hoseok licked. Taehyung follows the moment with sharp eyes, his ears pointed and tail swishing slowly back and forth behind him. He reminds you of a fox that’s about to pounce on his prey.

“Taehyung.” Namjoon warns, the hardness in his voice making the hair in the back of your neck stand on edge.

“What? Hobi hyung has already done it!” Taehyung whines, throwing his body against the back of the couch dramatically as he glares at the golden retriever hybrid over your shoulder.

“Hoseok!” Hoseok smiles sheepishly when Namjoon turns to him in shock. You can see he cowers slightly from Namjoon using his full name; it seems to be reserved solely for when he either has to scold them or has to be serious.

“Please?” Taehyung’s face pops up next to yours, his warm breath hitting your cheek, as Namjoon seems to be staring Hoseok down with disappointment. “Can I mark you too?”

“If you tell me what it’s for first.” You give his shoulder a light push, and he leans back easily.

“You don’t know?” Namjoon looks like he’s ready to snap Hoseok in half as you shake your head.

“Sorry, Joonie! It was instinct.” Hoseok whimpers. Namjoon mutters something under your breath that you can’t pick up, but you see Hoseok’s ears twitch, and he looks ashamed as he sinks deeper into the couch.

“Scenting is when hybrids rub their body against yours to make sure you smell like them. It’s called scent marking, and it normally lasts for around eight hours. It’s instinctual for us to want to make our owners smell like us before they leave the house. It’s basically to let any other hybrids know that you’re taken.” Namjoon clears his throat, seemingly a little flustered to be explaining it all to you.

“Marking, on the other hand, is stronger. It happens when a hybrid uh, licks, your scent glands,” Namjoon winces. “So that means either your neck or your wrists. The scent can stay for as long as up to two days unless you wash it away. It’s also more, uhm, comforting, for the hybrid that does it. It makes us feel like we have a claim on you in the same way that you ‘own’ us.”

Namjoon shoots Hoseok a look, but the dog hybrid refuses to look up from where he’s petting his tail. You let Namjoon’s words sink in. Of course, you knew that the hybrids would eventually scent you, but you didn’t know that there were different ways of them doing it. You also didn’t think they would feel the need to do it so soon, but then again, everything you know is just from reading half-assed articles online and they obviously didn’t cover anything that was actually important.

“Oh .. That’s fine.” Hoseok and Taehyung perk up at your words, the fox hybrid leaning back in to rest his head against your shoulder.

“If it makes you more comfortable, then I don’t mind. Just .. tell me before you do it, maybe? At least until I get used to it.”

Namjoon considers your words before he nods.

“Y/n,” A deep voice brings your attention back down to your shoulder, Taehyung looking up at you with big eyes. “Can I mark you?”

You pray they can’t hear the slight increase in your heartbeat as Taehyung’s words wash over you.

“Sure.” You choke, a blush rising to your cheeks as you feel the soft orange hair tickling your chin.

Taehyung noses against your neck in the same way Hoseok did, deeply inhaling your scent as his tail shivers pleasantly. You have the most unique smell he’s ever come across on a human before.

You bite down on your lip as you feel his tongue drag against your skin, eyes flying around the room to find something to distract yourself from the wet sensation on your neck. He chooses the opposite side from Hoseok, and you can’t help but sneak a peek at the two other hybrids while Taehyung marks you. Namjoon is staring hard out of the window, his shoulders hunched as he hears the happy rumble from Taehyung’s chest. Hoseok is watching you two so intently he almost looks jealous, his golden hair looking a little wild as he keeps running his fingers through it.

“Thank you.” You feel the ghost of a kiss against your skin before Taehyung pulls back, a big grin on his face as he pats your knee. He pulls back to his original spot on the couch, and you almost find you miss the feeling of his body pressed against yours, the room suddenly feeling a little colder than before.

“Uh, you’re welcome.” You think your smile probably looks a little off, but Taehyung doesn’t seem to mind it.

“Another round?” He calls. The rest of you scramble to pick up your cards, eager to dispel the heavy atmosphere in the room.

You stifle a yawn. You’re currently on your third movie of the day, and your normally pretty big stash of snacks is mostly non-existent by now. The boys all seem enraptured by the action scene that’s going on, so you try to carefully creep out of the room to not disturb them.

Namjoon’s eyes flicker to yours as you pass him, but he just offers you a tight smile and lets you pass. He’s been on edge ever since Taehyung marked you. He keeps throwing you worried glances he thinks you won’t notice, and you’re pretty sure he’ll end up breaking a tooth if he keeps grinding his jaw so hard every time Hoseok or Taehyung brush up against you.

You hurry to the bathroom to do your business, taking a moment to just breathe after you wash your hands. This is the first time you’ve been alone all day after the boys woke up, and while you enjoy it, it’s draining in a way you never imagined. You know it’s just because everything is so new and you don’t know each other well yet, but you can’t wait to jump into bed and sleep. You tut at your own tired reflection, tapping your cheeks to wake yourself up. You’ll have to make it out the movie at least.

You bump into a hard chest as soon as you turn around after closing the bathroom door, big hands reaching out to steady you before you tumble.

“Sorry, Y/n.” You look up to find Namjoon peering down at you, his gray ears slightly pulled back.

“Oh, that’s okay Namjoon! Do you need to use the bathroom?” You try to move out of the way, but Namjoon’s grip keeps you in place.

“No.” You can see the flush in his cheeks despite the dark hallway.

“I was wondering if I, uhm, could mark you too?” You see his adam’s apple bob as he swallows thickly.

You feel a little dumb for not realizing it before. There’s no wonder Namjoon felt on edge if his whole pack except himself, the alpha, hasn’t marked you.

“Of course.” You try to keep your voice as steady as possible, making sure he knows it’s nothing to be shy about asking for.

Instead of going for your neck like the others, Namjoon delicately brings your wrist up to his nose, inhaling deeply as he finally gets to smell the scent the two others have been quietly raving about all day. Even though he smells you everywhere in the house, it’s nothing compared to the strong scent that hits him when he’s got you so close.

You stare up at the ceiling as Namjoon licks your wrist, not daring to look. You know the sight will look intimate even if it isn’t, and you just aren’t that used to it yet. You’ll definitely make an embarrassing sound if you lay your eyes on it. You chew down on your lip as Namjoon nips against your skin with his teeth, soothing the flushed skin by running his tongue over it.

“There,” He gently places your hand down by your side, his tail wagging softly now that he’s finally marked you too, “Let’s go back and finish the movie.”

He motions for you to move first, and you just pray he can’t hear how fast your blood is rushing in your veins as you stumble into the living room.

“Don’t go.” Hoseok clings to your arm, giving you his best puppy dog eyes to make you stay. It’s time to pick up the next pack of hybrids, and the boys obviously aren’t too happy about it.

“I’ll be back in a few hours tops, I promise.” You ruffle his golden hair, biting back a smile as he pushes his head harder against your palm.

The hybrids all seem uncharacteristically off today, and you doubt it’s just because of the new pack. They all seemed so happy last night as they hugged you goodnight, all rubbing against the spot they marked and reveling in how nice it was to have your scents mixed properly.

You feel your damp hair tickling your cheek, and the reason hits you before you can ask. You washed off their mark. You didn’t even think twice about hopping in the shower this morning, so there’s no wonder they would feel upset that you’re leaving to pick up new hybrids when their claim is gone.

“Do you want to scent me before I leave?” You’re not sure if you’re supposed to ask, but you have a feeling they won’t unless you show them you’re comfortable with it first.

You see three sets of ears all perk up at your comment and Hoseok snuggles closer to you with a nod immediately.

They all give you a hug each, and while it does have a bit more of head rubbing against your neck and shoulders than you’re used to, it’s still nice. Namjoon has to physically hold Hoseok and Taehyung back as you quickly hurry out of the house, the younger hybrids not really willing to let you go despite having marked you to the best of their abilities.

You’re nervous about picking the new pack up, but at least you know that Yeonjun has actually told them about Namjoon, Taehyung and Hoseok beforehand this time. Considering they still wanted to meet you, you take that as a good sign.

The drive to the shelter feels like it passes by in a blur, and in no time you find yourself outside of Yeonjun’s door like you were only a few days ago.

“They’re ready for you.” Yeonjun gives you a gentle nudge, and you suck in a deep breath.

Here goes nothing, you think.

Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Abundance! This is the OT7 version of desolate, so if you like cat hybrid!yoongi, then you might want to check that one out too. :)

Who do you think y/n is picking up next?

See you all soon, stay safe!  <3

[hollyhomburg]

Reasons Wretched and Divine (Pt.7) (YoonMinJoon x Reader)

 *(Sneak Peak)* 

Summary: You live on an isolated but sprawling farm with your abusive husband, but things start to change for the better when your husband adopts a retired police dog, a hybrid named Kim Namjoon.

Tags: pregnant! Reader, mentions of emotional/physical abuse, mute characters, allusions to past sexual abuse, themes of recovery, bullying, makeouts, frottage, hand kink, fingering, implied exhibitionism, implied polyamory,  

W/c: 8.0k (ish)

A/n: more warnings to come, are you guys excited for some smut? and to meet jungkook? 

Sneak Peak: (warning: nsfw content below) 

- Namjoon heaves you up onto the edge of a bench and then gets on his knees. Gently lifting your leg over his shoulder. He’s always mindful of how much you can move in your swollen state and as always he checks to make sure he’s not bending your hips in an uncomfortable way. 

- You put your hands back on the dusty bench to  stabilizing yourself as you lie back, Namjoon wastes no time in pressing his face close to your cunt and inhaling, His nose prodding at the thin fabric of your underwear. One of his ears caught on the hem of your dress. his fingers digging into the plushness of your thighs- so full and healthy. 

- He’s slow with the appreciation of your thighs and hips. Hands gripping and moving on to touch and feel like you have all the time in the world. but you hear voices outside the tool shed you’ve commandeered and you could just slip out and go back up to your house- but somehow you like this better. The thought of being discovered stirring an unsure heat in your stomach. 

- You can hear taehyung's voice, and then- like a shock through your core- you hear Jimin’s. Namjoon can feel your jolt. and you realize- his sensitive ears must have known they where near far before your own human ones did. He chuckles- teasing his fingers along the hem of your underwear, almost daring to slip inside.

- You almost whine when you think about what you’re being denied- the harsh pull of his fingers that you’re so addicted too, how thick his fingers and knuckles feel (almost as nice as his cock) when they pull out and push in.

- Namjoon is alway so gentle with you because of your condition, but you find your hips jerking with want. His fingers still when he feels the way your wetness has spilled out the sides. His thumb pressed over your clit teasingly. “So wet my love, are you thinking about them?” 

- “Y-yes” you confess, and Namjoon growls, nipping at you through the fabric, the feel of his teeth brushing you, over the sensitive skin. The fabric cushioning the feeling, makes you almost gush, and you know you’ll be shaky legged by the time he lets you get down. “Gotta clean you up for them, if they smelled you like this- then they’d know wouldn’t they?” 

- “What if I-” you whisper- gasping quietly as namjoon drags the fabric to the side and glides a delicate lick over your folds. “what if I Want them to know?”  the pleasure thrumming through your body as Namjoon licks up your slit. Namjoon stills, ears perked, eyes flashing in the half light. The snarl against your cunt loud and echoic.

- The voices outside fall silent, and Namjoon doesn't stop his ravenous licking no matter if you have to bite your lip to keep your noises in. One of your hands scrambling to pull at his hair. Jimin is the first one to puncture the silence, “What was that?” 

~ Coming Saturday at 6 pm EST ~

Series masterlist

[flurrys-creativity]

Wabi - sabi 3

(n.) [a concept] the japanese art of finding beauty within imperfection

Pairing: Kim Taehyung (BTS) x Fem!Hybrid!Reader; Genre: Hybrid AU, Angst, Romance; Wordcount: 3.249; Rating: sfw, NC-17; Warnings: Blind!Reader, mentions of mental health issues, mentions of starvation, blood, open wounds, mentions of selfharm, panic attack, anxiety; Based on the blind hybrid prompt of @hybridfanfiction​

Summary: Being a failure in the eyes of science you hadn’t much hope for being permanently adopted as a blind hybrid. Instead you focused on music, the only thing that brought you joy. Until a stranger with the deepest and most beautiful voice you ever had heard wanted to adopt you. Would he really keep you for more than three days?

Chapter:  [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]  [9]  [10]  [11]  [12]  [13]  [14]  [15]  [16]  [17]  [18]  [19]  [20]   [21]  Epilogue

“How bad is it?” Taehyung blurted out before Hoseok could close the door behind him.

The manager was nowhere to be seen and Hoseok mused he was looking for the files. “I can´t say how bad it really is.” He said calmly. “The good thing is that she is actually physically healthy. Well healthy enough to be not concerned. What´s concerning is her mental health. I can´t say for sure but with the information you gave me it´s a logical explanation. Bullying messes up someones mind a lot.”

Taehyung nodded listening intently to every word his friend said. “I don´t think bullying is the only issue.” He mumbled remembering the way you flinched at loud words or how scared you got after speaking up. “Hopefully the files will give us more information.”

“By the way how did you even got him to follow your request?” Hoseok asked with a curious glint in his eyes.

“I called Namjoon-hyung. Pretended to talk to a lawyer, asked for a searching warrant.” Taehyung shrugged with his shoulders grinning from ear to ear.

“Good one. What did Namjoon say?”

“He wants an explanation the next time we meet up.”

“Understandable.”

Before Taehyung could say something else the manager rushed through the door and back to the two men. “Here! I got the files.” He panted carrying a large box with your name scribbled on it. “Those are all the statements of her previous owner, her health record, complaints, other incidents and the general informations.”

Hoseoks eyes almost plopped out of his skull after seeing the box and hearing the loud thud when the manager dropped it on the ground. “What on earth..” He couldn´t even phrase this overwhelming feeling that spread inside of him.

Taehyung instead kneeled instantly down opening the box and fishing the file with the general informations out of it. He flicked through it until he found a page with a short statement on her condition scanning over it before he handed the file to Hoseok.

While Hoseok carefully read the statement and gathered other informations on you as well Taehyung scrambled through more files growing agitated with each new file he got. Hoseok glances down to his friend noticing the change in his demeanor. His jaw was tense, his whole body stiff and his hands slightly trembling in anger.

Whatever he was reading pissed him off. So far Hoseok could see it was only a list with names but he didn´t question it further only noticing the large number on the top of the page. “Is that the number of her adoptions?” He asked bewildered.

The manager nodded and wanted to say something but got cut of by Taehyung. “That are at least two adoptions per year since her early childhood.” He gritted out between his teeth. With closed eyes he took several deep breaths to calm himself down again. “Hyung, have you read the statement? What do you think?”

Hoseok shook his had the huge number still haunting his mind. “Yeah, yeah I did. I need to bring her to the clinic immediately.”

“What?” The manager blurted out. “Why? We can do whatever is needed with our doctors as well!”

Taehyung tensed once again at his words. But before he could explode Hoseok stepped in front of him. “She will be brought to my clinic. There is nothing you can do about that.”

“She is one of our hybrids and up for adoption. We can´t just give her away when there are potential new owners who could want her.”

“You really want to put Y/N up for adoption in that state? She will be returned immediately and I can tell from those numbers that this would be her last chance. You are willing to ruin her last chance?” Hoseok growled now. “I am taking her to my clinic now. I am not waiting for another failed adoption.”

The dispute was interrupted with a loud thud coming out of your room. All three heads turned around instantly, looking at the closed door. Another heartbeat took place before Taehyung jumped up and stormed through the door.

The manager wanted to follow him but Hoseok blocked his way and closed the door behind Taehyung. While those two started to argue again Taehyung stared at the sight in front of him.

You sat up between Hoseoks stuff that was splayed all around the floor. Your ears flicked behind you noticing the other person in the room. Immediately your whole body started to tremble and panic rushed through your veins. Your hands got clammy and cold sweat ran down your back. Despite your ragged breathing you tried to listen to your surroundings. Afraid the person would use your state as an advantage to grab you and force you to follow.

You had heard what they were talking about in front of your door. Heard the voice of a stranger demanding to take you to a clinic. You knew what a clinic meant for you and you weren´t ready for that. Silent tears streamed down your face. You wished you had gone with Taehyung. How could you be so stupid and deny him. 

‘That´s what you get for being stupid.’ The small voice in your head taunted. ‘Now they get rid of you because you weren´t obidient anymore. Because you spoke up. Because you aren´t adoptable anymore.’

You shook your head. Pressing your hands against your skull. “No.” You whimpered and silently begged the voice to leave you. 

Taehyung had watched you quietly trying to piece everything together. He mused you stumbled over Hoseok´s bag and fell down. He knew you had heard him enter but he didn´t understand that you didn´t try to get back up again. Carefully he took a step towards you and was shocked to see your reaction.

As soon as you heard the step your body went into flight mode. A scared whimper left your lips before you scrambled away from the person. You didn´t halt when he spoke, too consumed in your fright.

Noticing you were beyond normal conversation Taehyung hurried after you before you could hurt yourself. In last minute he grabbed your hand and pulled you against him before you placed it on a scalpel. Carefully he sat down pulling you along into his lap and mumbling soothings words.

You went stiff as soon as you felt the touch. A reflex from your hybrid side when everything else befordehand didn´t work. It wasn´t that you played dead like a possum. Everyone knew you were still alive but most of the times they lost interest in you after that mechanism. This reaction of your hybrid side would maintain until you were left alone or the situation was deemed as save.

Therefor it took a while for your brain to register the gentle rocking and the low humming. It took you even longer to recognize the person holding you. While your muscles relaxed with that realisation your heartbeat quickened. He was here. Holding you tight. He really came back for you.. “Taehyung?” You croaked out, scared your mind was playing tricks on you.

The rocking stopped and you felt him breathing deeply in and out before he answered you. “Hey little one.” He tightened the hug and carefully stroke your arm. “I´m here. Sorry for being late.”

Confused you cocked your head to the side. “Late? I don´t understand.” As soon as you said those words you ducked down. In a panic you tried to rephrase your words. “I am sorry that I don´t understand. I don´t remember you said a specific time when you would visit me again. It´s not like you left me waiting. I mean of course I was waiting for you but you are a human and free to come and go whenever it pleases you. You don´t have to please me. Oh no, wait, I didn´t say that. As a hybrid I should please you. There is no need for you to apologize. You don´t need to worry about someone like me.” You brabbled in a mere whisper.

Taehyung frowned seeing you being this franzy and nervous. He couldn´t fathom what you must have gone through to react and say something like that. It dawned upon him that his words carried a heavy weight and that he had to be careful what he would say next. “May I explain myself further?” He asked gently and waited for your nod before he continued. “I am sorry for being late because I couldn´t save you from that asshole who hurt you. I wasn´t fast enough to reach you and I hadn´t planned to come this late to visit you but I had troubles to choose a pair of shoes I wanted to give you.”

For a moment you could swear your heartbeat paused briefly before starting irregularly again. Did you hear correctly? This man, who barely even knew you, went out of his way to get you something. The only time you ever got something were the clothes provided by the shelter. Of course previous owner bought things for you to wear as well saying these were the essentials to live with them but noone ever said they got something specifically for you.

You took a deep breath to prevent yourself from crying out of gratefulness. The breath only reminded you of the unknown scent within your room and the thing you stumbled over. Remembering why you even got in this situation, you tensed once again.

Taehyung, who immediately noticed the change in your demeanor, gently caressed your arm. “What´s wrong?” He asked, concern layered his voice.

Your hands started to tremble and you clutched them tightly together pressing them against your chest. “I don´t want to get euthanized.” You whispered thickly, your throat tight from threatening tears.

“Why would you think that´s about to happen?”

Instead of answering Taehyungs question you curled more into his arms, shaking your head vigorously no.

“Y/N? Would you kindly enlighten me with your thought process? Please speak your mind. There is nothing to worry about. I am here with you and I guarantee you are save with me.” Taehyung pleaded with you, lightly nudging your head with his nose.

Slowly you lifted your head swallowing the lump in your throat. “I didn´t mean to eavesdrop but when I woke up I heard this person outside my room.” You whispered kneading your fingers anxiously. When Taehyung didn´t blow up after hearing this fact you carefully explained more. “I heard him say that he wanted to take me to his clinic and that he wouldn´t wait for my next failed adoption.” Again you stopped for a moment waiting for the big blow up that didn´t come. “After I got in a fight with another hybrid again I thought it was decided I couldn´t be up for adoption anymore. I thought they decided to give up on me.” You confessed quickly hiding your face once again behind your hands.

Taehyung went over your words again, realising how Hoseoks words had impacted you. He waited a few more seconds making sure you didn´t want to add some more.

“Ah.” He hummed while gently stroking your arm. “Hyungs words were a little untimely, I guess. He didn´t meant it that way though. I can assure you that he wants to help you and just wants to get you out of here. Hoseok hyung is a hybrid doctor and one of my best friends. I called him after you collapsed and after I brought you to your room. Honestly, I would trust him with my life. That´s why I called him because I knew he could help you.”

“He wants to get me out of the shelter?”

“Yeah. Since you didn´t want to be adopted my options to get you out were a little limited but as a doctor hyung had the possibility to force the shelter to set you free. It would take a lot of paperwork and we would need help of someone else but it could work this way. Of course an adoption would be easier and you wouldn´t have to stay at the clinic.”

“Do you still want to adopt me?” You interrupted his explanation curiously. Scolding yourself silently a few seconds later when Taehyung stayed quiet. Afraid you had offended him you wanted to apologize but he beat you to that.

“I´m sorry. Did it seem I wouldn´t want you anymore? Of course I still want to adopt you. I would love you to join my little family.”

“Family?”

“Yeah, well, we´re not blood related but I kind of live together with my six best friends and I try to visit my parents often even though they live pretty far away and then there is my son, Yeontan.” Taehyungs chest swelled with pride.

“Oh. What about his mother?” You asked.

“There is no mother.” Taehyung stated. “I am a proud single father.” You could basically hear his big grin while he said that.

A knock on the door interrupted your conversation. “Taehyung? I could use your help again.” The voice of Hoseok sounded through the door. “This man demands to be let in and now he went away to get some guards or something like that.”

Gently Taehyung nudged your side trying to relax you a little. “Would you do me the honour and let me adopt you?” He asked lowly, his breath fanning over your skin.

A shiver went down your spine. Just now you realised how close you two were. Something you never felt before. You swallowed audibly but nodded. Despite your anxious voice telling you, you didn´t deserve an owner like him and that you were doomed to fail, you wanted to be selfish for once. Wanted to stay with him, stay with a voice that instantly calmed you and let you feel protected.

Taehyung sighed out of relief. A small smile tugging at his lips. “I´m glad.” He mumbled before he told Hoseok to come in.

You heard the door open and feet shuffling followed by a shocked breath. “What happened?” The man, that must be Hoseok, asked with a strained voice.

“I´m sorry.” You trembled again after imagining what the floor looked like. When you tripped over the suitcase you had heard a lot of things scatter around the floor. You were afraid that something broke because of that. Scared you leaned more into Taehyung hiding yourself in his arms.

“No, no. Don´t worry. Did you get hurt?” Hoseok asked a lot calmer now.

Silently you shook your head.

“Good. Seems like I forgot to close the bag once again. Silly me.” He chuckled and you heard him carefully moving around picking things up and placing them in his bag.

Carefully you sniffed the air. He didn´t seem angry or annoyed with you instead he kind of gave off a playful vibe. Unsure of the situation you turned your head, channeling your senses on this man. 

Taehyung watched you with an amused grin. He found it rather cute seeing your ears flick every now and then to pick up the movements of his friend. You were still placed on his lap and your fingers still had fisted his jacket tightly but you ever so slightly leaned towards Hoseok trying to catch his scent.

“Hyung would you mind and introduce yourself?”

Hoseok stopped in his tracks. “Oh! Of course! I am so sorry. I completely forgot about that!” He exclaimed and rushed towards you crouching down in front of the two of you. “I am Jung Hoseok, a good friend of Taehyung and here to help him. And you of course.” He reached out his hand and waited for you to take it.

Taehyung stiffled his laugh earning a confused look from his friend. “Little one, would you give me your hand?” He asked gently tugging at your right hand. With your palm in his he extended his arm until he reached Hoseoks hand replacing his with the palm of his friend.

Still a little confused Hoseok shook your hand carefully. “Nice to meet you.” He said grinning widely even though the confusion never left his eyes.

“I´m sorry.” You whispered lowering your head.

“Don´t be sorry, little one.” Taehyung chimed in. “Never be sorry for being you. Hyung will learn but he needs to know to actually be able to.”

Slowly you turned your head towards Hoseok taking deep breaths. The whole time you had your eyes closed as usual. Hoseok had wondered about that but didn´t pay it to much attention until you opened them. “Ah!” He made and you grew anxious again. Were your eyes scary? Or ugly? You knew they didn´t look like other eyes. 

“I am beyond curious.” Hoseok stated while observing you. “Have you been born blind?”

“I..” You hesitated for a moment, closing your eyes again. “Actually I don´t know. But as long as I can remember I have been blind.”

“Do you happen to know, if there is a connection to your hy..?”

“The only thing I know is that my blindness is a curse.” You cut in sorrow lacing your voice.

“What do you mean by that?” Taehyung asked after only observing the conversation before.

“My blindness is the reason I got adopted in the past. But at the same time it is more often than not the reason I was send back as well.”

As soon as you said those words the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. At least your mind told you it was uncomfortable since you once again spoke freely and even interrupted someone. For the nth time you wanted to apologize but felt too scared to do so since they shot you down every time you did. Should you apologize this time or was it once again a situation where it wasn´t expected? You had absolutely no idea what was the correct move making you feel trapped.

Before your anxiety could consume you completely Taehyung pulled you closer to his chest rubbing your shoulder quietly. “You didn´t say something wrong, if you were worried about that.” He whispered in your ear. “It´s just an overwhelming information. I feel anger because I despise those humans that limited you on one trait. I feel sadness because it pains me to see what you must have gone through to say that, to feel like that. I feel lost because I don´t know how to take your sorrow. And I swear, if you could see Hoseok hyung, you would probably laugh out loud. He is about to burst into tears at any second.”

“Don´t reveal that! It´s embarrassing!” Hoseok whined, playfully shoving Taehyungs shoulder. “Anyway, we should get ready to head home. Y/N, do you have anything we should pack up as well?”

Home. The way Hoseok phrased it, it sounded like it was your home as well. Warmth spread through your chest and a small smile tugged on your lips. You liked this feeling. “I don´t have stuff here anymore." You said trying to wriggle your way out of Taehyungs lap. "I am ready to go."

Hoseok helped you on your feet and seconds after you stood you felt Taehyungs body heat right next to you. Gently taking your hand he guided you out of the room. “Let´s go home.”

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© all rights reserved

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

6/4: Working From Home (Mongoose Hybrid!Hoseok)

Rating: G

Characters: Mongoose Hybrid!Hoseok x Reader (any gender)

Notes: Day 4 of my birthday surprise series. This is part of the Misunderstood Hybrid headcanons I wrote for BTS a while back. Please note that working from home can refer to anyone who does this and it does not specifically reference the current events. I got the idea to write short blurbs after seeing some comical pictures and moments in video conference calls of pets “helping” their owners work. All content is fictional. Please do not repost anywhere!

                                                  ————–

“Y/N it’s almost 7! Shouldn’t you be on the road by now?”

You looked up from pouring coffee into your mug to see Hoseok standing in the entrance to the kitchen. He pointed to your clock on the microwave screen, which reflected it was a minute past 7 AM.

“Sorry Hobi, I forgot to tell you I’m working from home today,” you confessed as you started to pour his coffee into a second mug. You passed the mug to him across the counter and he caught it.

He slowly raised his mug and cradled the hot drink in both hands. He was quiet for a few moments, then he asked if you were serious. “You’re staying? You’re not running out of the house like normal?”

You shook your head and he threw his free arm up, whooping excitedly at the news. You nervously eyed his mug, but thankfully, no coffee came sloshing out.

You took a tiny sip from your mug and pointed to your office space. “I’m going to get to work now, but you can always knock on the door if you need me.” You began making your way to your office and Hoseok frowned as he looked around for signs that you had eaten.

You pointed to the trash can and explained you ate a protein bar before he got up. He frowned and murmured that wasn’t really breakfast in his mind.

“I have meetings in a couple of minutes,” you explained. “Needed something quick. Don’t worry, we can do lunch together.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but you already slipped inside the office and closed the door behind you. He sighed as he put his coffee down and started to make himself some breakfast.

                                                  ————–

Hoseok kept himself busy after he finished breakfast, choosing to clean the whole kitchen instead of just the breakfast dishes he used. He wiped down counters and emptied the toaster crumb tray into the sink. He passed by the door to the office and pressed his ear against the door, only to move away when it sounded like you were super busy.

As it got closer to lunch time, he noticed you still hadn’t emerged from the office for a break. He checked the clock in the kitchen and opened the fridge to assess what you had available to make for lunch. He frowned when he saw it was mostly fruit, some leftover pasta salad that he wasn’t fond of, and a head of lettuce that looked like it was a bit wilted. He closed the fridge and bit his lip as he tried to think of something he could do. He didn’t know how to drive, so that ruled out driving to the grocery store or someplace to buy food. Also he was struggling to remember how close the grocery store was, walking distance-wise.

He glanced at the office and made up his mind to knock and ask what you wanted to do about eating. He pressed his ear against the door to check and all he heard was a clicking sound, followed by tapping with some pauses in between.

“Y/N? I’m sorry to bother you, but it looks like we don’t have anything to make lunch for the both of us,” he called out.

You paused from typing a reply to a colleague and stood up from your seat. You groaned as you stretched your arms and legs out, before walking over to the door.

“Hey Hobi, thanks for checking,” you replied. “How about we order food and they can deliver it to us.” You retrieved your phone from your desk and passed it over to him after unlocking it. You pointed to the square for your favorite food delivery app and told him how it worked.

“You press this square and you can search for any type of food you want to eat,” you explained. “It will give you a list of restaurants that are delivering in the area and you can choose one, then order your food. It will tell you how long it will take to deliver to your address and all you’ll have to do is answer the door once they come.”

Hoseok nodded as he took your phone and began searching through the app. He peered up at you and asked if you had a preference. You told him to choose and thanked him as you closed the door again and got back to your e-mail.

                                                  ————–

The app was overwhelming for him. So many options to choose from and all of them sounded tasty. He selected a place known for their Korean BBQ and saw they were doing a to-go special that included two cuts of meat, rice, spicy tofu soup, black bean noodles, and mochi ice cream. His fingers tapped on the choices quickly and he hit the Place Order button on the screen. He put your phone down and noticed it was running low on power.

Hoseok hurried to the bedroom to retrieve your charger and cord and plugged your phone in on the kitchen counter. He looked in the cabinets for the pans you used for indoor grilling and placed one on the stove. While it would be 40 minutes before the food showed up, he wanted to be prepared once it arrived.

The moment he got notification that the delivery was in the area, he stepped outside your place to keep an eye out for the driver. His hope was to intercept the delivery before the person could ring the bell and possibly bother you while you were working. He scanned the area and spotted a car pull up and the driver looked at her phone.

“Delivery for Y/N?” the driver asked.

He smiled brightly and walked toward the car. The driver handed over the food in a large brown bag and thanked him, before driving off. Hoseok carried everything inside and started unpacking the contents. He placed the side dishes on the table with utensils for serving and began to open the containers of meat to start cooking.

                                                  ————–

“Hobi, are you cooking?” you asked as you emerged from the office, smelling meat.

He whipped around and nodded as he gestured to the pan. “Yup! Driver came a few minutes ago and I’m grilling all of the meat for now and later. Take a seat, I’ve got this.”

You sat down at the table and watched as the mongoose hybrid piled cooked pieces of meat on a plate. He plucked a small piece from the top and held it out.

“Try that.”

You took the piece from him and popped it into your mouth. You flashed him a thumbs-up and he grinned as he turned back to the pan.

“Do you have a lot of work left to do?” he asked. Part of him worried that this would be a rushed meal, but he understood that you were trying to get as much done as possible.

You shook your head and relaxed in your seat. “Actually, I sent my last e-mail a few minutes ago. I wanted to start working early so I could finish sooner and enjoy the rest of the day with you.”

Hoseok carried over one plate of meat and he encouraged you to start eating, while he worked on grilling the second meat.

“So we can have a relaxed lunch?” he asked.

“Yes, except with all the food you ordered...I think this is lunch and dinner!”