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sweetestofchaos · 2 years

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TOTW Chapter 3

paring: ot7 x oc!hybrid rating/genre/au: Teen, Angst, Fluff, Parent AU, Hybrid AU, Non-Idol AU warnings: Crying, Strong Language, Alpaca!Seokjin, Pied-Bellied Shield Tail Snake!Yoongi, Human!Namjoon, Human!Hoseok, Human!Jimin, Human!Taehyung, Kangaroo!Jungkook, Quoll!OC wc: 7.2K

“Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” — Winnie the Pooh

a/n: @namjinsmoonchile is my awesome beta for this chapter. Thanks for working with me! Also, any bold text is someone speaking English.

taglist: @elliedearest @quirkybtsarmy

series masterlist 🌻character profiles

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Imani is very distressed when Namjoon enters her enclosure. The once tidy room is covered with ripped up blankets and destroyed toys. Imani’s growls and hisses are clear indicators that the little girl isn’t handling the trip from Las Vegas to South Korea well. Namjoon keeps his hands out in front of him so that his movements do not scare Imani. He is reminded of his first meeting with Imani and frowns.

The enclosure seems fit for a larger hybrid, and it bugs Namjoon. As a human, even he knows that smaller hybrids prefer smaller spaces. It makes them feel secure. Carefully, Namjoon gathers a few feathers from the slashed pillows laying around the room and he starts to make a nest with whatever he thinks Imani will like. He left the new article of clothing from Seokjin with Jungkook and Jimin so that they would hopefully be able to win Imani over.

Namjoon watches as Imani scurries across the floor, keeping her small body close to the wall to avoid the unwanted attention of Namjoon. He huffed a laugh and sat a good foot away from the messy nest. He knows that Jungkook will scold him for such a sloppy nest…even if Jungkook can’t do much better. Namjoon runs a hand through his blue hair and thinks; he sang before to Imani, and she seemed to like his voice. Maybe Jungkook and Jimin can do the same? Clearing his throat, Namjoon stares at the nest making sure to not look in Imani’s general direction.

“Hello, Imani. Do you remember me?” Namjoon scratches the back of his neck not sure what he should say to the little girl. “Seokjin is sorry that he wasn’t able to come today. He uh, he wasn’t feeling well. But-” Namjoon smiles softly as Imani pokes her head out from under a table. “I-If you don’t mind, he sent some friends to meet you. They even have a gift for you.” Namjoon looks over his shoulder at the door and licks his lips. “Is it okay if they come in to say hello?” Namjoon turns his eyes to Imani who is now sitting five feet away from the nest.

Namjoon slowly raises his arm and waves his hand for Jungkook and Jimin to come in. A few seconds pass before the door opens and Imani’s ears are standing straight up, her black beady eyes locked onto the two unknown men walking into the room. Imani blinks at the taller of the two men, she can see a large tan tail hanging between his legs and two long tan ears on his head…what kind of hybrid is he? His large brown eyes stare right at her and Imani growls lowly. A sudden rush of firewood fills Imani’s nose, a wildfire smothered down into bright glowing embers, warm, safe…the growls stop, and Imani’s ears flicker around on her head as she listens for the other man.

The smaller of the two men, he looks familiar, but something is different about him. He has extremely kind eyes, even if they aren’t fully open with the large smile on his face. Seeing that Imani is looking at him, Jimin slowly covers his face with his hands and Imani chirps as the man from the ice cream shop crosses her mind.

“Do you remember me, Imani?” Jimin drops his hands at his sides and Imani’s little body is quivering as she starts to release one cp-cp after the other. Jimin slowly walks over to Namjoon and sits beside him while Jungkook waits. He can smell the relief oozing from Imani at seeing a familiar friendly face. “I thought you might be missing, Seokjin Hyung…he misses you too.” Jimin looks back at Jungkook and motions for the younger male to sit with them.

Sitting on the other side of Namjoon, Jungkook carefully pulls one of Seokjin’s favorite shirts from the pocket of his hoodie and Imani’s nose starts to dance as the soothing lavender and vanilla fills the room. Jungkook’s nose scrunches up as he giggles, his large front teeth on full display as he adds Seokjin’s shirt to the lame excuse of a nest. Jungkook side eyes Namjoon wanting to tease him, but the moment is forgotten when Imani clambers into the nest and cuddles into Seokjin’s shirt. The tightness around Imani’s heart loosening just a little, the soreness of her throat eases and it doesn’t hurt as much to breath yet alone chirp. A million bright yellow sunflowers standing seemingly ten feet tall in a large, lush field invade Jungkook’s mind and he inhales deeply.

“She’s happy…” Jungkook’s voice is soft as he stares down at the little quoll tucked away in the nest.

“How do you know?” Jimin questions, he can’t tell that Imani is happy but she for sure looks a lot less tense then when they first walked into the room.

“She smells like wild sunflowers; the scent of mildew is gone.”

Namjoon smiles at Jungkook’s words and he reaches into the nest to lightly scratch behind Imani’s ears. Imani chirps and crawls into Namjoon’s lap, her nose flush against Jungkook’s hand since it’s a nice mix of his scent and Seokjin’s.

“Would you like to hold her?” Namjoon offers and Jungkook’s large eyes widen comically as he stares between Namjoon and Imani. “Pup…Jungkookie would like to hold you? You’ll be safe with him, I promise.” Imani nudges her nose against Jungkook’s hand, wedging her snout in between the thumb and index finger making Jungkook freeze. Her little nose is warm but the dampness on the tip is cool. “Go head, pup.” Namjoon gives Imani’s bottom a gentle push and she climbs into Jungkook’s lap, her tiny claws gripping onto his jeans as she makes herself comfortable on his thighs.

Jungkook’s heart feels like it’s about to explode. How can Imani be so cute? She is the tiniest thing he has ever laid eyes on let alone held in his arms. Jungkook reaches down and strokes Imani’s back, her fur is soft to the touch, the white spots sit pretty against her black fur. Jungkook’s body goes taunt as Imani starts to cluck quietly in his lap, her tail curling around his wrist lightly. Should he breathe? What if he breathes too hard and scares her?

“You can breathe,” Jimin laughs softly from the other side of Namjoon and Namjoon rubs Jungkook’s back with a smile on his face.

“Breath, Kookie. You’re doing just fine.”

Taehyung sits in the nest with the rest of Bangtan, his foot bouncing up and down as he waits for the inspectors to finish looking over the house. As the pack alpha, Yoongi is showing the home while the others stay in the nest out of the way. Seokjin has thankfully shifted back into a human, the new blanket that the guys’ brought home was heavily soaked in Imani’s scent and the fact that three of his packmates smelt like the little girl put Seokjin’s mind at ease that she was safe. Seokjin has been in contact with Mister Fentin, pleased that the older man was a hybrid like himself. Seokjin listened to everything that the older man had to say, and he sat with Taehyung late into the night to help come up with Imani’s room design.

As much as the guys wanted to decorate, they held off on Seokjin’s say so. He wanted the little girl to feel like she had a say in things, that she had control over some major parts of her life. Her room had the basics in it. A bed, a nesting corner, a simple white oak dresser and matching vanity with a small toy box. They kept the walls bone white for the time being, it was a softer tone that didn’t overpower anything. They removed the more mature furnishings and gave them to friends and family. It didn’t occur to any of the guys that they have yet to let any of their parents know about Imani. It wasn’t until Taehyung’s mother called him today that he realized she had no idea she was going to be a Halmeoni.

A hand on his thigh pulls Taehyung from his mind and he looks to see that Jimin is frowning. “What’s got you looking so intense?” Jimin quips and Taehyung sighs.

“We still have to tell our parents about Imani.”

Hoseok’s eyes widen and Jungkook chokes on his banana milk making Seokjin whine and pat his back. Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose and Jimin just bites his lower lip. Good. Now Taehyung doesn’t feel as bad knowing that all of them really did forget about their families. Seokjin pushes some hair from his face and waves off Taehyung’s words.

“We can worry about that later. No one will be upset once they meet Imani,” Seokjin assures his pack and Jimin pulls out his phone.

“What are you doing, Mini?” Taehyung hooks his chin over Jimin’s shoulder and stares down at the phone in Jimin’s hand.

“Well, what if we do an adoption announcement? We could let everyone know what’s going on without saying anything about Imani. Once the adoption is finalized, and she’s all settled in we could throw a party.”

“What, like a baby shower?”

“Yeah, but it would be an adoption shower!” Jimin grins as he holds his phone up for Taehyung to see the pretty photos on Pinterest of all the different ideas. Taehyung smiles, his mind already racing with different designs for the dress that he would love to create for Imani. Oh! Maybe they could all wear complementary outfits to make Imani’s dress stand out.

Namjoon laughs seeing the way Taehyung’s eyes are sparkling. “Why don’t we wait to get Imani settled in before we start planning any parties.” Ever the voice of reason, Namjoon looks around at everyone and they nod in agreement. Though Jimin and Taehyung share a look with each other that everyone else sees.

Footsteps catch Seokjin’s attention, the ears on top of his head tilting in the direction of the steps that lead to the lower levels of the house. The sound of the front door opening catches everyone’s attention and Seokjin can hear Yoongi talking to the inspectors, but he can’t make out what is being said. The door closes and Yoongi sighs, resting his forehead against the cool wood. They sent two hybrids to do the inspection, an omega Yorkie, and an alpha Bearded Dragon…Yoongi expected them to send out humans. Both hybrids were kind enough to wear scent blockers and Yoongi was thankful that they were extremely thorough with their inspection. Yoongi didn’t want to take any chances with Imani’s safety.

Before the two left they gave Yoongi a list of things that needed to be fixed before Imani could come to live with them. He had two days and on the third day they would be back. If they passed, Mister Fentin would bring Imani to them that very same day. Pulling away from the door, Yoongi glances over the list and nods his head. It’s all minor things. Locks need to be added, some things need to be put up higher, child proofing somethings that they didn’t think needed to be child proofed. Yoongi heads to the fourth floor and when he reaches the top of the steps, he can feel everyone’s eyes on him.

“Well?” Seokjin’s voice is tense, his body quivering as he stares with wide eyes and bottom lip raw from being chewed on.

Yoongi holds up the list in his hand. “There are a few things that we missed that need to be fixed within the next two days. On Friday, they will be back and if we pass-” Yoongi looks around at his pack as they all hold their breath. “We’ll have Imani come home.”

“Really?!” Seokjin’s eyes start to tear up and everyone wraps their arms around him as he cries loudly. Yoongi licks his lips and smiles, at least these are happy tears this time.

“What do we need to fix?” Hoseok asks and Yoongi walks into the nest, handing over the list.

Hoseok reads everything out loud, and the guys divide the work between themselves equally.

“Two days? We can get this done by tomorrow!” Jungkook’s grin is large as he stares down at the list. This is nothing, he could honestly do everything by himself. “Hyung, why don’t the three of us-” Jungkook points to himself along with Jimin and Yoongi. “knock this out? The others can finish setting up some things in Imani’s room since the stuff from the states is coming tomorrow too.”

“Ashii!” Namjoon scratches his chin, a little bit of stubble starting to grow. “I forgot that it was being delivered tomorrow. What do you think Yoongi, hyung? Jin hyung and Taehyung can set up the room while Hoseok and I clean up?”

“Everyone agrees?” Yoongi looks around and everyone nods their head. “Great…now what should we order for dinner?”

Mister Fentin cannot stop the smile from slipping onto his face as he parks his car in front of the Min pack’s home. It’s a large white building, six stories high that is nestled between two brick homes. The exterior is beautiful with a small spiraling staircase that leads to the front door where there is a tiny balcony with two potted plants. Below the balcony, a large white door leads into Hoseok and Seokjin’s shared business, a nail and hair salon with a massage parlor. Mister Fentin is impressed, he knew that the Min pack was well off, but this beats his expectations.

“Okay, dear. Let’s get you nice and settled in, yes?” Mister Fentin grabs the carrier that Imani is sitting in and exits his car. He walks up the wooden steps, making sure to hold onto the iron railing as he goes. Standing in front of the front door, Mister Fentin schools his face and knocks on the door three times before he takes a step back. Imani whines from her carrier and Mister Fentin tuts at her softly. “Easy, dear. This will be your new home; the Min pack will take good care of you. Your pack all live here together.”

A cold wetness plops into Mister Fentin’s ear on top of his head and he flinches. Tilting his head back, Mister Fentin yelps when another cold drop lands on his cheek. Just as the front door opens it starts to pitter down and Mister Fentin rushes in to keep himself dry from the sudden downpour.

“Looks like I made it just in time,” Namjoon laughs softly, and Mister Fentin nods his head, wiping the raindrop from his face. “Right this way. Everyone is on the fourth-floor waiting.” Namjoon starts to head towards the steps, but he stops. “Would you feel more comfortable using the lift?” Namjoon offers as he looks down at the carrier in Mister Fentin’s hand.

“The lift would be splendid, thank you Namjoon.”

Namjoon nods his head and leads Mister Fentin over to the personal elevator that is hidden behind a set of sliding doors. He lets Mister Fentin enter first and follows him, “Any luck with shifting?”

“Not that I was informed. However, the orphanage had informed me before I left that Imani wasn’t in the best of moods this morning.”

Namjoon frowns at the news and presses the number four as the doors shut. He wonders what could have made Imani upset before she left the orphanage. Hearing the elevator rising, Seokjin starts to fidget with a loose strand of string on his oversized sweater. Smelling the sour scent, Jungkook wraps his arms around Seokjin’s waist and kisses the back of his neck, “Don’t worry, hyungie! Imani is gonna love you!”

“God…please don’t let me shift.” Seokjin’s heart is pounding in his chest twice as fast as usual. He feels faint and the blood rushing behind his ears is so loud. Is he having a heart attack? Yoongi grabs hold of Seokjin’s hand and squeezes lightly.

“Deep breath, Hyung.” Yoongi instructs Seokjin through a small breathing exercise and by the time the elevator doors open, Seokjin doesn’t feel as lost.

Namjoon holds the door for Mister Fentin to exit first and Yoongi lets go of Seokjin’s hand, stepping forward to shake the older man’s hand.

“Ah! Mister Min, it’s nice to finally meet you, young man.” Mister Fentin shakes Yoongi’s hand firmly, the smile on his face putting Yoongi at ease as the older hybrid moves on to meet the rest of the Min pack.

Sunflower petals bloom in Seokjin’s lungs and his eyes dart to the small cage in Mister Fentin’s hand. Everything around him fades into the background, he can hear Imani’s heartbeat and it’s beating rapidly just like his. He can smell her curiosity and fear tangled together as Mister Fentin sets the carrier onto the floor.

“Is there somewhere you would like me to release her?” Mister Fentin looks around, and everyone looks to Seokjin who is frozen. Mister Fentin smiles, he knows that look very well. It’s the look of a new parent meeting their baby for the first time. Seokjin is a bundle of nerves with nothing but stars in his eyes, this is the perfect pack for Imani to join.

“Hyungie…” Yoongi whispers Seokjin’s name affectionately, pulling him from his trance. “Did you want Imani in the nest or her room?” Yoongi questions and Seokjin swallows, once, twice…he clears his throat and motions towards the nest.

Slowly, Seokjin steps towards the carrier, leaving about a foot between himself and Imani. Seokjin lowers himself into a squat and pushes out his lavender and vanilla scent, hoping to ease some of Imani’s fears. Imani’s nose twitches from the scent and it’s not faint like all the other times, it’s much stronger. Imani starts to chip in the carrier, her cries pulling at Seokjin’s heart as she begs to be let out.

“P-Please…” Seokjin’s voice is just above a whisper, but Mister Fentin hears him loud and clear. Smiling, Mister Fentin opens the carrier and Seokjin holds his breath as he stares into the darkness. A pink nose is the first thing to come into view, followed by two large round watery black eyes and all of Seokjin’s strength leaves him. He drops to his butt, his knees bent awkwardly apart as he stares at Imani’s little furry body coming closer and closer towards him. Her nose is twitching like crazy, and she hasn’t looked away from him at all, it’s like all she can see is Seokjin. Seokjin’s hands drop to the floor between his legs, his lower lip wobbling as Imani's snout touches the pad of his middle finger. “Cria.”

The word is shaky, filled with such deep love that it hits everyone’s ears as if Seokjin screamed it at the top of his lungs. Imani’s small paws press into Seokjin’s hands, her claws grazing the skin lightly. Imani fits entirely in the palms of Seokjin’s hand and he starts humming, pulling the small quoll to his chest, and nuzzling his nose into the soft fur of Imani’s neck and back. Imani answers Seokjin’s soft cries with her own cp-cps and everyone is misty eyed at the sight. Finally. Finally, Imani is in Seokjin’s arms where she belongs. Yoongi clears his throat and blinks his eyes a few times, sniffling before he turns his attention to Mister Fentin.

“Would you like something to drink? Wait it out a little for the storm to lighten up?” Yoongi offers and Mister Fentin declines politely.

“This is your time with Imani. Enjoy it to the fullest.” Mister Fentin looks down at Seokjin and sighs happily. “Take care, my dear. Min pack, it was wonderful to meet you all. I hope your days are filled with endless joy.” Mister Fentin takes his leave, shooing away Namjoon as he offers to walk the man out. Namjoon is quick to tell Mister Fentin to grab an umbrella on the way out and Mister Fentin nods his head, disappearing into the elevator.

“Hyung…” Hoseok is the first to speak now that they are all alone. “Let’s get in the nest, yeah?” Hoseok motions for Jungkook to help him and together they carefully help Seokjin to his feet and lead him into the nest with Imani in his arms. Seokjin starts to cry the moment his head touches one of the pillows and Imani licks at his scent gland, her little nose twitching as she tries to draw out more of the soothing scent that is known as Seokjin.

“I’ll plate up some snacks,” Yoongi announces as everyone crowds into the nest. Hoseok and Taehyung keeping the most distance away from Imani since she isn’t completely acclimated to their scents. The storm outside picks up, the rain pelting the windows harshly and painting the sky a deep, dark grey. Namjoon stares out the window and frowns, he hopes that Mister Fentin makes it back to his hotel okay. Jungkook and Jimin curl around Seokjin while Namjoon sits by his head, stroking his hair away from his forehead and every once in a while, scratching lightly behind Imani’s ears. Taehyung and Hoseok are by Seokjin’s feet, cuddled into each other as they watch Seokjin fall more in love with Imani with smiles on their faces.

It's times like now that they both feel envious of the hybrids in their pack. What do they all smell like right now? What do their heart beats sound like together at this very moment? Are they beating as one or creating a whole different sound of life? Taehyung’s eyes crinkle as Imani yawns, a small squeak coming out at the end as she shakes her head. Jimin giggles and smooths his hand down the length of Imani’s tail, watching with bright eyes as she crawls across Seokjin’s chest and drops down onto the pillow. Imani buries herself into the crook of Seokjin’s neck and makes a blanket out of his brown hair making Jungkook flash that bunny-like smile as he chuckles.

“Sleep well, my cria.” Seokjin’s voice is feather soft as he speaks and his eyes flutter close, exhausted from this week’s ups and downs. His body melts into the nest and he snuggles into Imani’s fur. Hearing Yoongi moving around in the kitchenette making something for everyone to snack on puts a smile on Seokjin’s face and he falls into a peaceful slumber.

It’s going on day three of Imani being in the Min pack’s care and she refuses to shift, yet alone leave Seokjin’s shoulder. Imani has claimed Seokjin as hers and whenever one of the guys gets too close, she hisses at them and looks less than pleased. Seokjin doesn’t mind, he coos at Imani and presses kisses to the top of her head while telling the guys it will pass. Seokjin isn’t worried that Imani hasn’t shifted yet, he is sure that it will happen soon. He thinks that Imani still has to get used to all the unfamiliar scents in the house. For the most part, Seokjin has spent most of his time in the nest and Imani’s room since a lot of her mother’s scent is lingering on her things.

Yoongi on the other hand, is fighting his alpha to not force Imani to shift. He is worried that the longer she says in her animal form the more damage she is doing to herself. There are horror stories of hybrids not shifting back and going feral or losing the ability to shift back at all. Sitting in his office on the parlor level of their home, Yoongi stares at the computer screen in front of him with a frown. His request to work from home has been approved but his workload has seemingly doubled. He scoffs and leans back in his chair, closing his eyes with a sigh. He really doesn’t feel like working right now but he must, otherwise he will be behind on all his projects. As a management analyst, Yoongi cannot fall behind on any of his projects.

Thunder clashes outside and lightning streaks the sky just before the rain pours down from the skies. Yoongi’s frown deepens. This is the second day of heavy rain and it’s putting him on edge. Their street has already gotten seven inches of rain which was a pain in the ass. Who knows how much will come with this second wave of the storm. Yoongi’s phone pings from the desk and he sits up, grabbing the device to see that Jungkook texted him. He discovered that he was out of his vitamins and drove to the store to get some more along with a few things for the house. Looks like he’s stuck at the store because the power went out and the doors won’t open. Yoongi tells Jungkook to stay safe and keep him in the loop if anything major happens. Yoongi does a quick mental checklist to remember what all Jungkook said he was going to get and thankfully it’s nothing that Seokjin or Imani needs at this time.

Thinking of the little girl, Yoongi glances at his computer screen and shakes his head. He will have to do this another time when his mind isn’t so foggy. Saving what little work has been completed, Yoongi turns his computer off and leaves his office, making sure to shut and lock the door behind himself. Looking at the steps, Yoongi decides that he should get some kind of leg workout for the day. Walking up the three flights of steps, Yoongi’s tongue flicks out as he reaches the top of the steps. Seokjin’s scent isn’t heavy in the air and Yoongi can hear the water running in the bathroom. Walking over to the nest, Yoongi sees that Imani is curled up into a small ball, tucked away in the corner of the nest out of harm's way.

A smile pulls at Yoongi’s mouth as he watches Imani’s ears twitch in her sleep. He wonders what she’s dreaming about. Footsteps catch Yoongi’s attention and it’s just Namjoon coming from downstairs. His blue hair is sticking up and fluffy, letting Yoongi know that the man has just woken up from a midday nap. Namjoon smiles at Yoongi and comes to stand by his side at the edge of the nest.

“Still no shift?” Namjoon frowns and Yoongi sighs. “How long are you going to wait?”

Yoongi nibbles on a piece of dry skin in the corner of his lower lip. He knows that Imani’s time is ticking, he really doesn’t want to risk her health. “If she hasn’t shifted by the end of the week-” Yoongi inhales defeatedly and tilts his head. “I’ll have to force a shift. I don’t care how healthy her screenings were. This shit is dangerous for any age.”

Namjoon nods his head in solemn agreement with Yoongi’s words and pats the snake hybrid on his back. “Where’s Seokjin hyung?” Namjoon asks, finally noticing that the older male isn’t within his line of sight. Yoongi nods his head towards the showers and Namjoon smiles. “Looks like he’s adjusting well to parenthood.”

“You think?”

Namjoon runs a hand through his messy hair and nods. “Don’t most parents of newborns take showers when the baby is sleeping?” Yoongi grunts, a nonverbal acknowledgement of Namjoon’s words before he heads towards the kitchenette. “Can you grab me some tea?” Namjoon glances down at Imani and squats with a yawn. He could go for another nap; this rainy weather is doing nothing for his energy. A sudden clap of thunder rumbles in the sky making Namjoon jump and tumble face first into the nest. Thankfully, Imani isn’t too close by and Namjoon quickly lifts himself to a sitting position. His cheeks are on fire even though no one is around to see it. Another clap of thunder and the lights go out making Namjoon sigh while Yoongi curses. From the bathroom, Seokjin cursing up a storm can be heard, and Namjoon is thankful that the older male will be just fine with his enhanced eyesight.

A whimper catches Namjoon’s attention and he squints in the dark, “Imani?” Namjoon calls softly and he reaches a hand out slowly in the direction that he remembers seeing the little quoll sleeping in. A sudden force crashes into Namjoon’s chest, sending him onto his back with a loud cry of surprise. Hot wet liquid soaks through his shirt and the weight on his chest is something that he is not used to. The fabric of Namjoon’s shirt at his stomach is twisted tightly and Namjoon’s arms freeze in the air above the little body on top of him.

“Y-Yoongi!” Namjoon’s voice is as level as it can be with a touch of urgency to it. Namjoon slowly brings his arms down and cradles the teeny tiny body to him. One hand on Imani’s lower back and the other smoothing down her hair. “Y-You’re okay, pup.” Namjoon’s voice is thick as the weight on his chest sinks down and settles on his heart. He feels, well, Namjoon isn’t sure how he feels as Imani cries into his chest, shifted into a human.

Above them, Yoongi rushes from the kitchenette and the bottle of water in his hand crashes to the floor as Yoongi takes in the sight before him in the dark. There in the nest, Namjoon holds Imani in his arms as the little girl cries. Before he can say anything, the lights flicker back on as the backup generator kicks on and Yoongi can now clearly see that Namjoon is crying right along with Imani. Yoongi places a hand over his heart and rubs at the tender organ beneath his skin, it feels like the muscle is going to jump out of his chest. He can’t recognize this feeling as he watches Namjoon comfort Imani with soft and sweet words. Namjoon’s movements are jerky as he pats Imani’s head and tries to rock from side to side while on his back.

Yoongi blinks twice before it dawns on him. Imani shifted. She’s shifted! Pulling his phone from his pocket, Yoongi opens his camera and starts recording what he will remember as Namjoon’s first moment with Imani. Pleased with the video, Yoongi sends it to the group chat and shortly after the sound of feet running up the steps as well as the bathroom door being yanked open fill the air.

“I-Is she really-” Seokjin’s words are lost in his cries as he stops dead in his tracks a good distance away from the nest. Hoseok, Taehyung and Jimin are all staring at the scene with large wide eyes unable to believe what they are seeing. Jimin starts to cry, happy that Imani has finally shown her true self and Taehyung holds him tightly, fighting back his own tears.

Hoseok wipes at his misty eyes and clears his throat, “We should make her something to eat, right?”

“C-Clothes! She needs clothes!” Seokjin spins on his heel and rushes towards Imani’s room wanting to swaddle the small girl in the softest fabric. The omega in him screams to protect Imani’s naked form from the raging storm outside, even if Seokjin knows logically it cannot harm her while she’s inside.

“I’ll help Hoba,” Yoongi announces as he looks around the room. “Joonie, do you need anything?”

Namjoon turns his head to look at Yoongi and shakes his head with a frown, “I’m good.”

Yoongi picks up the water bottle that he dropped and tosses it to Taehyung who is quick to catch it. “Make sure he drinks that once Seokjin comes back.”

As Yoongi heads over to the kitchenette to help Hoseok, Seokjin hurries over to the nest with an outfit for Imani in hand. Entering the nest, Seokjin starts to hum, the soft sound vibrating the air and catching Imani’s attention as he pushes out his scent, the fresh scent of lavender stronger than the soft vanilla. Imani pulls away from Namjoon’s chest and reaches out for Seokjin, a weak chirp falling from her lips making Seokjin coo and pull Imani into his arms. Happy with Imani in his lap, Seokjin starts to fuss as he hums, checking over every inch of Imani’s face and body for any marks or signs of discomfort.

“Hyung…why don’t you give Imani a bath? I think that will soothe the both of you.” Taehyung offers and Jimin’s face twists into a small frown.

“What about her hair?” Jimin whispers to Taehyung, noticing that Imani’s long dark hair is frizzy, knotted and matted. He winces knowing that it will not be an easy job to get Imani’s hair back to the cute curls that they saw in Vegas.

Seokjin hugs Imani closer to him and guilds her face to his neck to reach his scent gland better. Jimin has a point, sadly none of them have anything in the house currently that he thinks will help with Imani’s hair. He glances down at the crazy mess on top of Imani’s head, frowning when he can’t see her black ears.

“Get Hobi and have him meet me in the bathroom. Maybe we can catch Jungkook before he leaves the store to pick up a few things.” Seokjin stands and Namjoon helps him out of the nest, keeping his hands up in case Seokjin falls backwards, not used to moving around with Imani’s new weight. “Come on, cria. Let Jinnie get you nice and clean. Would you like that? Huh?” Seokjin nuzzles his nose against Imani’s temple and smiles. “Yoongiah and Hobi are making a yummy snack that we can eat after. Are you hungry?”

Imani wiggles in Seokjin’s hold, her eyes peeking over his shoulder as she glances over at the kitchenette where she can see two people moving around. Her silence makes everyone look at each other and it dawns on Namjoon, “She might not understand Korean.”

“What?” Seokjin panics. He can speak some English but it’s not his strong suit. “Her file said that her-” Seokjin stops himself, not wanting to mention Imani’s parents in front of her.

“Hungwy.” Imani answers Seokjin’s question in English, her voice is pinched and airy from not being used in a while and Seokjin frowns while Namjoon’s eyebrows furrow together. They will have to figure out what language Imani is best at…after she gets settled. Wordlessly, Seokjin grabs the bottle of water out of Taehyung’s hands and continues his way towards the bathroom that is large enough to fit a full grown alpaca and kangaroo inside together.

“We’ll eat right after a bath.”

In the bathroom, Seokjin moves about getting everything ready while holding Imani in his arms. She keeps her little arms locked around the back of Seokjin’s neck and he mummers little words of praise as he goes about getting the tub set up. Once in the oversized tub, Imani doesn’t let go of Seokjin’s right hand, making it difficult to properly wash her. Thankfully, Hoseok comes in and he helps with Imani’s bath, taking note of the type of hair she has and calling Jungkook to let him know what he needs to grab from the store before he comes home. Jungkook is heartbroken that he has missed Imani’s first shift in person, but he is determined to make it up by getting everything on the list that Hoseok texts him. Plus, now that Imani has shifted, Jungkook can spoil her with sweets!

“I’ll do her hair when Jungkook comes back. Doing anything right now will just make it worse and I really don’t want to cut her hair if I don’t have to,” Hoseok explains to Seokjin as he holds up a large muted green towel that has a frog hood attached. Seokjin lifts Imani from the tub and Hoseok carefully wraps Imani up in the large towel, pulling the hood over Imani’s head before he steps back and lets Seokjin take over.

Hoseok takes his time cleaning up the water on the floor and draining the tub, looking over at Seokjin and Imani with a smile on his face. Seokjin is completely in love with the little girl, it’s obvious to anyone who has eyes. Seokjin’s actions are so soft, and he moves with a patience that Hoseok hasn’t even seen Seokjin use with the maknaes. Seokjin speaks slowly in English with Imani, words of praise as she lets Seokjin take care of her. Once Imani is all dried off, Seokjin gets her dressed in an orange creamsicle colored cable knit two-piece jogger set with white and light orange poke-a-dot soaks that have little rubber tangerines on the bottom of them to match. Hoseok cannot remember the last time he has seen someone look so cute. He just wants to scoop Imani up and shower her in all the love possible, but he holds himself back. He doesn’t want to overwhelm the poor girl.

Leading the way out the bathroom, Hoseok smiles when he sees the guys sitting at the table waiting for them. Hoseok takes the empty seat beside Yoongi and Seokjin places Imani into her own seat that has a booster attached before he sits in the chair closest to her. On the table Yoongi has laid out a few different dishes, jangjorim, white rice, tteokbokki, egg rolls with seaweed and ham, beef cabbage soup, yeonkeun jorim, and a few other dishes. Imani looks at everything on the table with wide eyes and Namjoon wonders if she has ever tried Korean food.

“Imani-” Namjoon decides to speak in English. After Seokjin took Imani to the bathroom, he double checked her file, and it said that Imani may only understand some Korean since her father died when she was younger. “Do you like Korean food, pup? Did you try any of this with your…mommy?”

Imani looks at Namjoon and looks back to the food on the table. The fat white noodles (tteokbokki) and the pretty flower (lotus root), Imani knows that she likes a lot. Pointing to the two dishes, Imani smiles showing off her tiny white teeth and everyone’s breath catches in their throats. Imani has one single, lone dimple on her right cheek! Namjoon can’t help but smile back, his own dimples on display. Seokjin grabs Imani’s plate and passes it to Jimin who is more than happy to put a little of everything on it. He makes sure to add a little more of the tteokbokki and lotus root, too. As everyone starts to eat, they joke and mess around with each other. The ears on top of Imani’s head are flicking at every voice, as she tries to match each voice to its person.

Imani counts the men at the table and frowns. “Where-” Imani tries to remember the man’s name. It’s something so easy to remember. “Cookie! Where Cookie?”

The guys all stare at Imani shocked. Not only is she asking for Jungkook, but she knows him by name. Seokjin smiles and pats Imani’s head before he wipes some sauce from the corner of her mouth.

“Jungkookie is at the store.” Seokjin answers Imani’s question and he realizes that he spoke in Korean. Before he can correct himself, Imani frowns and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Cookie, come home, now!”

“Wha!”

“Ah!”

Everyone is shocked once again. Looks like Imani does understand Korean and Namjoon thanks Lisa Jackson silently once again for keeping her late husband’s culture alive with Imani. Taehyung calls Jungkook to check on the status of his whereabouts and thankfully Jungkook is on his way home, with the rain he will be there in ten, possibly fifteen minutes. Taehyung chooses not to inform Jungkook that Imani is asking for him, so that he will drive home safely and not risk his life.

“Kookie is coming. Now come on and eat, Imani. You are doing so well!” Seokjin holds out his chopsticks and Imani eats the food offered happily now that she knows Jungkook will be home soon.

Yoongi watches Imani and scratches his chin, maybe Seokjin was right after all. Imani just needed to get used to their scents. While in her animal form all she did was hiss but maybe it was to warn them. Maybe hissing was Imani’s way to tell everyone to back off while she tries to figure out what’s happened to her. Yoongi takes a sip of his water and clears his throat, calling for everyone’s attention without having to use his words.

“Namjoon. Tomorrow, you need to inform the caseworkers that Imani has shifted. They will most likely want her to get an exam and some work done. So, I want Seokjin and Jungkook to take her to the doctor before lunch if you can.”

“Why before lunch?” Jimin questions and Seokjin answers.

“She always takes a nap right after eating lunch for at least forty minutes. We don’t really know if that will change or not since she shifted.”

The sound of the front door catches Imani’s attention and she stops eating. “What’s wrong?” Taehyung looks up from his plate worried about Imani’s sudden action.

“Cookie home!” Imani pushes her plate away from herself and Seokjin is quick to stop her struggling to unbuckle herself from the booster seat.

“Wait a second, cria. Let Kookie get up the steps.”

The elevator starts up and Imani starts to chirp making everyone laugh. Carefully, Seokjin unbuckles Imani from the booster seat and sets her on the floor. Imani tries to make a run for it, but Seokjin grabs her hand, forcing her to stay in her place.

“Wait. You don’t want to make Kookie trip, right?”

Imani pouts at Seokjin’s words but it doesn’t last long. When the elevator doors open and Jungkook steps onto the nesting floor, Imani chirps happily and shouts, “Cookie, home!”

Hearing his name come from the little girl, Jungkook freezes and stares with wide eyes. “S-She said my name?” Jungkook’s mind is racing. She knows him. She knows him! Grinning, Seokjin releases Imani’s hand and Jungkook is quick to drop the bags in his hands as the little girl runs across the room to greet him. Jungkook drops to his knees and opens his arms wide, catching Imani easily as she throws herself into his chest.

“Cookie, home!” Imani’s arms wrap around the back of Jungkook’s neck, and he wraps his arms around her, making sure to support her butt with his forearm before he stands up with Imani in his arms.

“Look at you! Aren’t you the cutest little girl in the whole world?” Jungkook pinches Imani’s cheek making her giggle and his nose scrunches up as he smiles. He loves the outfit that she has on, and the socks just make his whole day. “I’ve missed your lil face! Did you miss me?”

“Yesh! Now, Cookie eat!” Imani points over to the table and Jungkook notices for the first time that everyone is in the middle of eating what he would consider brunch.

Beaming, Jungkook walks over to the table with Imani in his arms and he puts her in the booster seat, locking her in before he pats her wild hair. “I really missed you…” Jungkook taps Imani’s nose with his finger and sighs happily before he goes to sit beside Namjoon. “Best day ever,” Jungkook comments and the others agree with him as he starts to load his plate with food.

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#bts parent au #bts hybrid au #bts fluff #bts a/b/o #poly!bts x oc #bts fanfic #totw ch 3 #soc bts #divider by saradika

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