Taehyung doesn't know how it happened; it was like he blacked out, and when he came to, he was between your squishy thighs, his hands holding your legs apart, tongue working you like a starved man.

And god was he.

You squirmed, sleepy eyes struggling to stay open. Fingers desperately reaching to grab and push at him. Taehyung only held you closer, tongue working in practiced motions. His face was dripping, his fingers digging into your soft flesh, pulling your lips open, and your hips rolled against his mouth desperately despite your fingers yanking his hair trying to remove him. Your body was so conflicted, and that only seemed to excite him more. Your eyes were glossy, tears threatening to spill as you choked out incoherent pleas. Whatever it is you begged for, it fell on deaf ears.

As your whines grew louder, Taehyung's actions grew more desperate. His tongue flicked and sucked frantically, his hips rolling into the mattress, stimulating himself. Tears now streamed down your cheeks, whimpering as you chanted “no no no,” the heel of your palm pressing onto his forehead in a weak attempt to get him off. Your struggle has more desperation to it.

Maybe if Taehyung wasn't so lost in the smell, the taste of you, then he would have pulled away from you. Listened to your sobs as you begged him to get away. But some sick, disgusting part of him, deep down, enjoyed it. Revelled in the way you cried, begged, and whined, withering beneath his tongue. If you were more awake, how would you react? Would you behave the same way? Beg for more. Plea with him to get off. The man shivered at the thought. Desperation flooded his veins. He needed more.

Taehyung shifted the position, a groan leaving your throat. Your hips are twisting in an attempt to roll away from him. Laughing softly, Taehyung's grip on your hips tightened. “Miss Y/n, you didn’t really think I’m done with you yet, right?” He teased as he rearranged himself. “You haven’t even cum for me.”

Pretty, blown-out eyes peered up at him. They flickered all over his face, as if trying to commit it to memory. He couldn’t help the childish grin that spread across his lips. You were so cute. Flushed cheeks, bright, raw red lips from how much you gnawed at them. He had never seen you so disheveled and sloppy. He could cum just looking at you. Fuck, he almost did.  Gasping, your hips jerked upward. Your spine curving and eyes wide in shock. Taehyung shuddered at the contact, a low groan leaving his throat. You were slick, a mixture of your own fluids and his spit, and it coated him so prettily. Taehyung continued his gentle thrusts, gliding over you but never going past what he had deemed the point of no return. He wanted you sober for his first time. He may have done just about everything else, but Taehyung was a virgin. Penetrative sex was the only thing he had yet to do; Jiyoo wouldn’t let him or Jimin. So the duo satisfied themselves in other ways.

The dusty pink tip of Taehyung’s cock was weeping, begging for stimulation. Leaning back onto the heels of his feet, Taehyung began to jerk himself off, staring down at your glistening pussy. By this point, you were limp, eyes shut, and breathing even, asleep. Taehyung shivered. The thought of unlimited access to your unconscious body was thrilling. Maybe a little too thrilling. The feeling mixed with pleasure and fear did something for Taehyung. His body stiffened for a brief second before shuddering, having pushed himself over the edge. He watches as he spills over her, the sticky substance coating Y/n/s stomach so prettily. It was truly a work of art.

For the following hour and a half, Taehyung had his way with your comatose body. Almost every inch of your bare skin is covered in him, marked as his. The thought alone was enough for him to cum for the umpteenth time. Heaving a sigh, Taehyung dropped down beside your warm body, snuggling close. The mixture of his scent and yours mingled together made his heart race.

Now he understands all the fuss Jeongguk makes.

______________

a/n: very short chapter! i apologise. I just wanted to give a lil insight into what happened between tae and y/n. this is my first time writing smut so pls be gentle with me lol. next chapter will be back to normal full length and proceeding on with the actual storyline.

taglist is still open! sorry if i missed anyone or it didnt work :(

Jiho had left the morning before, and the last of the signed paperwork slipped under your door before he left in the early hours. He had been so easy to convince, sure, he bickered a little, but you believed that was all for show, so he didn’t appear overly eager to dump the responsibility onto someone else. Your sister was another story. While she paid very little attention to the hybrids in her care, she had always been overly possessive of them. Jiyoo was difficult even as a child, just because she didn’t use something anymore didn’t mean she was willing to give it up. Especially if it was obvious that someone coveted it. It’s still hers. You just hoped she had matured just a smidge. Enough to hear reason and be willing to do the right thing.

Directly ahead of you was the tennis court. You sat with Jiyoo watching as Hoseok and Jeongguk played a match and Namjoon kept track of the score, occasionally having to play umpire. Off to the right, further away, were Taehyung and Jimin, the pair was sitting under a tree facing each other. You hadn’t seen the pair in two days; it seemed as if they were purposely avoiding you, and while usually you would be a little curious. This time you weren’t. In fact, you felt a sense of relief that you couldn’t explain. Despite the strange feelings you were sorting through, you were still determined to acquire ownership!

“Y/n, I don't know what you’re planning, but I have to ask, have you thought this through?” Jiyoo’s sudden question had you choking on your tea.

She could mean so many things. About Yoongi, about school, your job, or about the stupid thing you're doing with the hybrids. The answer to every single one of these things was a no. No, you hadn't thought it through. In all honesty, there's probably not a single thing you've ever done that's truly been thought through thoroughly. Everything was spontaneous, sudden. Maybe that's why none of it had ever ended well.

You ran away from home with no plans, only your enrollment to University. You moved into the apartment that you couldn't afford, meeting Yoongi and developing some weird dependency on him that you often mistook for romantic feelings. You studied only to hate the career and never work in it, hopping from job to job in hopes of finding something you enjoyed even the teeniest bit. Then you returned home for a wedding, only to find yourself back in feelings you tried so hard to run from, to hide from.

And now? Now your stupidass was trying to do the exact opposite of what every organ in your body begged you not to do. Adopting the 6 men that invaded your teenage years and left you a terrible mess.

So whatever Jiyoo was talking about, the answer was no. No, you have not, and no, you will not think about it either. The more you think about things, the worse you get.

“What exactly am I planning?” You questioned, trying your best to be nonchalant. There was no doubt you looked like an idiot; your original reaction to the question had already been exposed enough.

Jiyoo gave a look that confirmed your thoughts. Idiot, idiot, idiot. That's what her face screamed.

“Jiho told me that you adopted the ferret and dog.” Jiyoo’s eyes were back on the tennis court, following the back and forth of the ball.

“They have names--and a dog? Namjoon is a dingo.” You corrected, ignoring the fact that Jiho had already snitched. God, you hoped he hadn't opened his fat mouth to your parents.

Snorting, Jiyoo didn't even look away. Eyes trained forward as the ball flew past Jeongguk, rattling the metal fencing. Hoseok cheered gleefully, arms thrown in the air before breaking into a celebratory dance. Hoseok's delight seemed to rile Jeongguk up, triggering his competitiveness. Pointing the dark blue racket at Hoseok, his lips curled up in a sneer, silent words fell from his lips. You could only guess he was demanding a rematch, and judging by the loud laughter from Hoseok, it wasn't asked nicely.

“I'll sign them over to you; that's not an issue. I don't care for them, and honestly, Y/n, I don't think I ever really did.” She sighed, finally facing you again. “All I ask is that you tell me what you're planning so I know you'll be safe.”

The surprise on your face couldn't be suppressed. Never in all your years had you seen or heard any words of concern from your sister. She had never been one to care or worry about your well-being, what you were doing, or the aftermath of any of the stupid choices you made. Your sister wasn’t anything like you saw on TV or read in books; hell, she wasn't even like your friends' sisters. Jiyoo seemed to despise your existence and yet now, here she was showing some kind of sibling comrade. If it could even be called that.

“I don't have a plan.” You admitted, rubbing your sweaty palms over your jeans. “All I know is it can't continue like this, Jiyoo.”

She nodded, a contemplative look on her face, and for a second, you were certain you fucked up your chance of getting her to sign off on them.

“Bring me whatever paperwork by tonight, and I'll sign it all. But Y/n, you have to be careful. Don't trust them.”

The confused look on your face was enough for her to continue.

“They're weird, Y/n, and I don't mean that in a bitchy way. I mean it like, there is something deeply fucking wrong with those guys. All of them. Jiho never noticed; he's a man. But I'm sure you did.” Her words were harsh, and they were true.

While you hadn't ever noticed any strange behaviour from the others, Jeongguk had always sent alarm bells ringing. But if he gets along with the boys, you can only assume they have similar tendencies. You are the company you keep after all. In saying that, you truly didn't want to lump them all into one category. Maybe for once the saying wasn't right.

Jimin wasn’t an idiot. It was obvious that Taehyung had been avoiding everyone. For the first few days, Jimin just assumed it was because of the cut on his head and the bruise to his cheek. But even once they had practically disappeared, he still kept a distance. It was odd considering how much of a social butterfly his friend is. He had tried to mention it a few times now, but every time he was dismissed. But not today. This time, Jimin was determined to find out what exactly was going on. That was why he had picked the spot they were resting at. While everyone else was together, closer by, socialising and playing games, Jimin and Taehyung sat further away from the rest. Still within eyesight, but just far enough for the other hybrids to need to actively pay attention to hear the conversation.

It was Jimin's favourite spot. Under a large tree, the grass beneath them and the sun partially blocked by the leaves, with only gentle rays peeking through. It was usually a spot Jimin could relax, but for the first time ever, he found himself anxious in the only place that had ever made him calm.

“Taehyung, what's going on?” Despite the sternness of his name, the question was soft and full of worry.

The dirty blonde looked at his friend with false confusion, tilting his head to really play into his act. “We're just sitting outside, aren't we?”

Jimin felt his annoyance spike. Did he think so poorly of him? Did everyone just see him as some sort of idiot? He has eyes; he can see something strange is going on. Taehyung is definitely avoiding someone or something. They were supposed to be best friends, and yet here he sits playing dumb. Lying. What sort of friend is that?

He wanted to yell, shake him, and demand the truth, but that would only bring attention, and the last thing he needs is Jiyoo, or worse, Y/n, looking this way and thinking they were having an altercation. Poor Y/n has seen enough since she arrived.

“You're lying,” Jimin said point-blank. As soon as the words left his mouth, Taehyung’s face dropped. “You keep saying nothing's wrong, pushing whatever it is aside. Stop it. Talk to me.”

Taehyung made an expression that Jimin had never seen before. He didn't even know how to describe it. Guilt? Fear? But something else. Confidence, maybe? Like he was certain in himself, in whatever was happening, despite knowing it was something bad.

“If I tell you, can you promise not to be upset?”

A promise he shouldn't make, but if it means getting to the bottom of Taehyung’s strange behaviour, then so be it.

With a stiff nod, Taehyung seemed to relax. He rolled into a sitting position, legs crossed tightly as he stared his friend down with a seriousness that was completely foreign. There seemed to be hesitation in his eyes; whatever it was that Taehyung had to share clearly wasn't something that would have Jimin jumping for joy.

After a few seconds, Taehyung seemed to deem it safe to speak, and Lord did he. The words started spewing past his lips, rambling and upbeat. As the story progressed, Jimin found himself realizing why Taehyung was so hesitant to talk. By the end of his spiel, Jimin didn't know what to say or feel. He knew for certain he felt sick to his stomach.

This was very, very bad.

​“You’re upset.” Taehyung huffed, leaning back on his elbows.

​Jimin’s jaw dropped. “Taehyung!” He hissed, rubbing his palms over his face in frustration. “Of course I am. If Jeongguk finds out you are dead.”

​What Taehyung did was wrong; it was assault. Y/n wasn’t in love with him, and he was certain she hadn’t given any signs, and if she had? She was drunk. Whatever signals he thought there were should’ve been ignored, just like Master Jiyoo taught them. If Jeongguk finds out that Taehyung has done this, and whilst Miss Y/n was unconscious, there is no stopping what he may do and from what little Jimin has managed to learn about Yoongi, he has no doubts that the snake hybrid will help Jeongguk out.

​“We can’t let anyone find out,” Jimin murmured, chewing on his nail anxiously.

​Taehyung clenched his jaw, fingers digging into the soil under his hands. Why isn’t Jimin happy for him? After that night, everything had clicked into place for Taehyung. It hadn’t been obvious, but fate worked in mysterious ways. He and Y/n were supposed to be together, it’s why you came back. All signs point to this.

​“Find out what?”

Looking over his shoulder, Jimin instantly recognised the eldest member of the hybrids towering over his seated form. “Jin Hyung!” The panicked greeting did little to hide suspicion.

“What have you guys done now?” He pressed, ignoring the greeting. When the two below him stayed silent, he quirked a brow. Silently asking if they seriously wanted to do this. The further silence only made him sigh. “Don’t make me call Joonie over.”

The mention of the dingo hybrid had the fox and coyote looking at one another, Jimin’s eyes pleading with Taehyung’s. Taehyung was hesitant. He wasn’t an idiot. What he had done wasn’t right; he definitely went about it the wrong way, but he couldn’t help himself. Taehyung knew he could trust Jimin to keep everything a secret, but it made him feel guilty. He didn’t want to get Jimin in trouble. He was innocent in all this after all. He just knew a bit of information; he shouldn’t be scolded for that. Sighing deeply, Taehyung gave in. Jin wouldn’t get the full story, of course, Taehyung would just tell him an easier, more palatable answer.

“We haven’t done anything, Jin Hyung,” Jimin assured, forcing a cheerful smile onto his lips. His excuse was pushed aside as Taehyung cut in.

“We're talking about Y/n.”

Surprised, Jin silently urged him to continue. He had expected it to be about her strange behaviour over the last few days. She had been avoidant, going back and forth from the study and arguing with Yoongi almost every night. Despite their advanced hearing, they hadn’t quite figured out what the pair were disagreeing so vehemently about.

“Y/n and I are in a relationship.” Taehyung’s nonchalant tone left Jin (and Jimin) speechless, jaws hanging.

“Excuse me?”

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AS ALWAYSSSSS feedback is welcome and begged for! ily <3

a/n: hello everyone!!! thank u for all your patience. it means a lot! life was has been hectic. i recently have been dealing with mental health issues, medication adjustments and work. I work full time and also foster cats so I have very little free time these days :(

The sound of your head hitting the dining table had Seokjin jumping in his seat. The otter hybrid had noticed you were off from the moment you stepped into the kitchen. He had prepared a big breakfast, easy on the stomach, for the family when they finally woke up. He had been surprised to see you in the kitchen so early. You had walked right past the fresh fruits he had just finished dicing up and poured yourself a bowl of cereal instead before disappearing back out of the kitchen. You didn’t say a word. Something was off, different, about you. But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. You had showered, scrubbing roughly, judging by the redness of your skin and the weight of the soap on your skin. It clung to your skin like it had soaked into your bloodstream. Yet something lingered, a smell he wasn’t familiar with when it came to you.

“Miss Y/n, are you alright?”

The softness of Jin’s voice had a twitch of a smile pulling at your lips. Are you alright? Absolutely not. But how could you explain any of that to him? You didn’t have that kind of relationship with him, or anyone in this house. Sure, you were close to Yoongi, but not in the sort of way that you could have a heart-to-heart with him. That just wasn’t the sort of friendship you had with him. Besides, you still weren’t on speaking terms with him. How were you supposed to tell Jin that no, you weren’t okay? You woke up in the same dress, but your Spanx were missing, which, sure, maybe you had removed them yourself, but you were also in your bed, and you were at least 70% certain you never managed to get yourself there last night. Your body had a certain lightness to it despite the sick hangover feeling you were experiencing. Something had happened last night, you just don’t know what.

“Just hungover.” You lied, lifting your head from the table to give him a tight-lipped smile.

The man deadpanned you, but said nothing. Nodding, he went back to his own food.

An uncomfortable silence fell on the two of you, and you so desperately wanted to leave, but the doorway was quickly being crowded by the hybrids. Namjoon, Hoseok, Jimin, and Taehyung had poured in, conversation flowing a little too loudly for your liking. It quickly went quiet, 3 sets of eyes falling on you before drifting over to Taehyung, who had steeled his face with ignorance and made his way to where the eldest was seated.

Seokjin’s eyes flittered from the coyote hybrid that was picking at his food, and then back to you. You had gone pale, looking like you were going to throw up. But you stayed seated, eyes glued to the mush you had created. Your brows were creased, deep in thought.

The smell that lingered on you was clinging to Taehyung. It was far stronger on him than on you.

“Food is in the kitchen, boys,” Jin informed the group, smacking Taehyung’s hand away from his plate. “Eat before everyone wakes up.”

The men didn’t wait around, quickly disappearing behind the kitchen doors. Seokjin had noticed that the others had picked up on what he had; the soft questioning in the kitchen was just loud enough for him to pick up on, but you did not notice at all. Although he was sure that even if they were speaking louder, you wouldn’t have noticed, you would be too deep in your thoughts.

“Miss–”

You cut Jin off, rising from your seat. “I’m finished.”

As you rushed out of the kitchen, you bumped into Yoongi, your face colliding with his chest. Instinctively, his hands raised to wrap you into a hug, but he froze. Your heart was hammering so hard he could feel it against his own, and you trembled against him as you quickly pushed your hands against his chest to put some distance between you. A barely audible apology tumbled past your lips as you rushed off.

Yoongi watched as you sprinted away, shouldering past Jeongguk, who had just stepped off the stairs. The younger man frowned, watching you go up the stairs before turning to Yoongi, his eyes zeroing in on him.

“What did you do?” He accused.

Yoongi rolled his eyes. “Nothing, kid.”

Nodding a silent greeting to the otter hybrid, Yoongi rounded the table to where you had been sitting. He dragged your bowl over and started to eat the mush that had once been cereal. The taste of your saliva was still on the spoon; it made his spine shiver.

There was something off about you today. Your anxiety seemed to be peaking again. There was also the matter of the smell that was barely clinging to your skin, your soap almost overpowering the scent. You had hooked up last night. With whom, he wasn’t too sure. He had lost track of you at some point; he knew you were still in the house, so he felt comfortable enough to call it a night. He regretted that decision now. There had been so many men eyeing you last night, but he didn’t think you would actually talk to any of them, let alone spend the night. You had gone out a million times and never done something like that. What changed?

The scent that remained on your skin was well familiar to Yoongi. The walls were thin back at the apartment, and you didn’t date. So you spent a lot of time with your fingers. It had very quickly become one of Yoongi’s favourite scents. He heard you most nights of the week, usually after 1 a.m. It was like you were waiting for him to fall asleep. It was sweet. Honestly, Yoongi loves to sleep and used to go to bed as early as he could; most nights, he lied and said he was going to bed early. But after hearing you for the first time, he had been staying up every night until he heard your breathing even out. He still remembers the first night he heard you. Inexperienced and determined. It was cute. Clearly, it hadn’t been something you did often, or at all.

Heavy footsteps broke Yoongi from his reminiscing. The panther hybrid had finally moved away from the stairs, his aggressive steps purposefully done to alert the room to his poor mood.

“Don’t call me kid– Is that Masters?” Jeongguk’s jaw dropped, watching as Yoongi shoved another spoonful into his mouth. He didn’t answer verbally, only nodded.

His mouth was touching where your mouth had been.

Before the younger boy could rile himself up further, the other men returned with full plates. Namjoon raised a questioning brow to the fuming panther hybrid, but before he could question him on it, a dish flew past him. The sound of it shattering had the group frozen in place. Even Jeongguk was surprised, wide eyes turning to the snake hybrid who was now standing. The bowl that he had been eating from only seconds ago had disappeared.

Jeongguk looked back toward his housemates, his brow raising at Taehyung, who now stood covered in soggy cereal. A large cut on his forehead from where the bowl had connected with him.

“Yoongi–”

The snake hybrid cut the eldest off with a glare. Returning his eyes to the coyote, who refused to look up from the floor, milk and blood dripping onto the floorboards, Yoongi rounded the table. The younger boy refused to look up. His body so tense up, Jeongguk wondered if he could move. Yoongi looked absolutely livid. His chest was heaving, and his fangs had made an appearance, something Jeongguk had noted to be uncontrollable if the worm got too worked up.

Pale fingers laced into Taehyung’s hair, yanking the man's head up to meet Yoongi’s eyes. “Touch her again, and I’ll snap your dirty fuckin’ fingers off.”

Taehyung’s jaw clenched, trying to hold himself back. Who does this guy think he is? Yoongi’s grip disappeared, giving the coyote one last hard look. He turned on his heel and began to leave the dining room. The snake was almost gone when Taehyung decided he was brave.

“What if it wasn’t my fingers?” He huffed softly, glaring into the back of Yoongi’s dark mess of hair.

That seemed to be all that Yoongi needed, moving across the room with agility that left even Jeongguk impressed. His pale knuckles connected with Taehyung's mouth. The younger boy stumbled back, Hoseok catching him. It didn’t take long for Yoongi to land another hit, then another and another. His next blow was intercepted by Namjoon, the taller man finally snapping out of shock and grabbing Yoongi’s wrist.

“Stop. The humans are upstairs.” The reminder had Yoongi’s muscles freeze for a second, as if considering if that was enough for him to actually stop.

“Let go.” He sneered, looking up at the blond. When Namjoon shook his head, it only seemed to infuriate the snake further.

Behind them, Hoseok and Jimin were tending to their friend. His face was bruised and swollen, his mouth bloody. Seokjin had disappeared into the kitchen to grab a cloth to wipe his face and some ice. Whilst Jeongguk watched it all. Yoongi was particularly heated, and he couldn’t quite understand WHY, but it clearly had something to do with you. He wasn’t going to step in just yet; he needed details.

“You’re all as sick as him.” Yoongi seethed, tugging his wrist from Namjoon’s hold. His eyes were dark and hateful as he looked over the six men before locking back in on Taehyung. “But you're the worst. Fucking rapist.”

Yoongi spat on the floor, barely missing Taehyung’s bare feet before he stormed out of the room.

After emptying the contents of your stomach for the third time this morning, you took your second shower and scrubbed yourself raw once again. Your skin ached, but at least you felt clean. You brushed your teeth for a second time before wrapping a fresh towel around yourself and running across the hall back to your room. Finding a fresh set of sweats and a hoodie, you redressed. You don’t have time to wallow in whatever this is. You need to find Jiho and talk to him about Namjoon and Hoseok. Your older brother leaves tomorrow afternoon, which doesn’t leave you with a whole lot of time to convince him to hand over the legal rights of his hybrids. Although now that you're about to commence with your plan, you were having a lot of pullback. Your brain and gut were screaming at you to drop it. Leave it be and just go home.

But leave it be wasn’t something you could do! Your guilt grew by the day, and you needed to fix it before you were swallowed whole.

Finding Jiho had been easier than expected. He was in the kitchen finishing up breakfast and chatting with Seokjin. The conversation had seemed stiff; Jiho’s relief when you asked for him was poorly hidden. You had led him away from the house, out to the garden to walk with him and talk. You didn’t want anyone else to overhear the conversation. Jiho hadn’t questioned you too much when you had asked to talk; he had simply followed you out to the yard, making small talk about his son or Yunhee’s current pregnancy. You listened half-heartedly until you made it to the little gazebo your father had built for your mother. It was a cute little structure. White and green paint with vines limply wrapped around. A small white outdoor setting was in the centre of the building, looking like it hadn’t been used in quite a while.

“So, what is it?” Jiho cut the silence first, leaning back in his seat.

You fiddled with your fingers, anxiety bubbling in your stomach. Maybe you should have written up a speech or something. You have no idea how to bring it up naturally, or in a way that wouldn’t piss him off. Jiho’s temper had always been something you tried to avoid as a teenager. Your parents usually just gave in to whatever he demanded to make life easier. In the long run, it had done the opposite. Meeting Yunhee had seemed to calm his outbursts significantly, and for that, you were grateful toward her. But that seemed to be her only redeeming quality. Letting out a slow breath, you just went for it. Launching into a rambly rant to your brother. You made sure to leave out the part about rehoming the boys once you had legal ownership. While you weren’t the brightest tool in the shed, you weren’t a complete idiot, and you knew that mentioning that little piece of information would end the conversation then and there.

“No way.”

“Seriously, Jiho!” You scoffed, slamming your palms on the table. “You haven’t seen them in God knows how long, and who knows when you’ll be back again.”

He rolled his eyes. “Like you’re any better, Y/n.”

Narrowing your eyes, you felt your headache returning. Arguing with Jiho was like bickering with a brick wall. The man was exhausting. What was supposed to be an easy conversation, something you didn’t think would turn into an argument, and yet here you were, at each other's throats. He kept pointing out that what he’s doing is no different from what you had, and you had done it first. As if you didn’t know that already.

Sighing, you pressed your palms into your eyes. You need to find a different approach.

“Jiho,” You leaned back into your seat, trying to relax. “You’re about to have 2 children. You live hours away, and you already don't have time for them. Yunhee is allergic. It’s for the best.”

He clicked his tongue, arms crossing over his chest, still looking unconvinced.

“I’m trying to help you, Jiho.”

The familiar feeling of your mattress against your spine was heavenly. You never knew you could appreciate and miss something so much. The mattress back at your apartment was a single, and so soft you felt the bedframe whenever you lay down. You could already feel several years of back issues healing.

The stick-on stars of your roof were covered by a thick stack of papers. ​Namjoon and Hoseok are officially yours. Convincing Jiho had been far more difficult than you had anticipated. And this made you a little anxious. You had believed him to be the easiest to convince, but he was digging his heels into the dirt the entire time. Why? You haven’t got a clue. All that matters is that he signed everything at the end.

“Y/n?”

Dropping the papers to your chest, you lifted your upper body up onto your elbows. Your eyebrows jumped in surprise; the last person you had expected was Yoongi, and yet there he stood, shrunk into himself in your doorway. He had a baggy long-sleeve shirt and slack sweats, making him look much smaller than he actually is.

“I’ve been looking for you.” He shifted where he stood. He was contemplating coming closer, but he decided against it.

Something was off with him. Despite the anxious way he stood there, you could tell there was something else bubbling in his eyes. Something you had only seen on your first night here. Resentment. It wasn’t directed at you; otherwise, it would’ve been the first emotion you noticed on his pretty face. Yoongi looked stressed, chewing at the skin around his thumbnail. That's how you noticed the fresh set of bruises on his knuckles. It hadn’t been long since his last bruises had healed.

Pushing off the bed, papers discarded to the side, you rushed forward. Gently, you pulled his hand away from his lips and assessed the bruising. Judging by how red his hands still were, it must’ve happened in the last hour or so. Grazing your thumb over lightly, you looked up to him with a glare. You couldn’t help but wonder if he had done it on purpose. Was he purposefully trying to upset you? Was this the only way he could think of to get your attention?

“What did you do?” The anger is not quite making it into your tone.

Yoongi’s jaw clenched, his fingers linking with yours and dropping to his side. “He deserved it.”

Shaking your head, you didn’t push it. To be honest, you didn’t really want to know. Leaving your fingers laced together, you pulled Yoongi back to the bed, dropping onto your back and yanking him down into the same position. It was quiet as you both stared at the ceiling. Yoongi’s thumb ran along your knuckles soothingly. This was the first time you had spent a moment with Yoongi since the night you arrived. You were still hurt, and it needed to be discussed at some point. But how? Yoongi didn’t owe you anything. You weren’t entitled to be told every detail of himself. Especially something like this.

Yoongi didn’t appreciate the silence for once. It felt heavy. Whilst you still seemed off, you didn’t seem to know why he was upset. Were you foreigning ignorance? Or were you truly clueless? Either way, what Yoongi knew was that you had spent the evening with Taehyung. Whether you knew that or not, he didn’t know. Judging by how hungover you had been this morning, you must have been pretty drunk. Taehyung had definitely been sober. Just by that simple math, Yoongi knew that whatever had happened wasn’t consensual.

“You were looking for me?”

The question tore the hybrid out of his thoughts; his usually cool skin was starting to feel hot. He shifted, wanting to sit up to ask you about last night, but the crinkling of paper under his weight caught his attention instead. Yoongi ignored your question, holding the papers you had tossed aside up to his face. His brows drew in as he scanned over the papers. You quickly attempted to snatch them off him, but he jumped off the bed, putting some distance between you both.

Jeongguk had changed. Not just physically. Sure, he had gotten taller, much taller. And his hair had been left to grow out; cute little curls had even formed. Had his hair always been curly? He had bulked up, no longer a scrawny teen approaching adulthood. Jeongguk, physically, had become a man. But his mentality still seemed far behind. Childish. The combination of a man's body and an immature mind had your chest aching with anxiety. Jeongguk had seemed to become more confident, more desperate. He had never approached you like that. Never begged with so much need.

Jeongguk has become desperate, and that is a problem. It had never been something you wanted to acknowledge, but there was something deeply wrong with the panther hybrid. You had wanted to pin it down to puberty, to the new life he had been given. He needed to prove himself to not only you, but also your family, to be accepted as a permanent fixture in the home. You realize now that that was never the case. Jeongguk had never cared for your family's acceptance. The look in his eyes tonight had confirmed everything you had feared. Jeongguk is unbalanced.

Too lost in your own buzzed thoughts, the broad body in front of you didn’t catch your attention until it was too late. The man barely budged from the impact. His hand quickly wrapped around your arm as you stumbled backward, catching your heels in the hem of your dress. “Whoa, you okay?”

The gentle grip on your bicep had your heart rate tripling. The voice was unfamiliar, but the touch was far too similar to the hold you had just been caught in.

“Hey, hey– it's alright.” They cooed, their fingers releasing their hold on your arm. “I’m sorry.”

Your skin tingles where the man had held you, making you subconsciously rub at the spot. This was so embarrassing. You could feel the heat on your cheeks, and the longer the man stared down at you, the hotter it burned.

“Did I hurt you?” His voice was soft, concern lacing each word.

Shaking your head, you finally pushed your embarrassment aside to finally get a proper look at the man who saved you from falling on your ass. He was cute. Roughly around Jimin’s height, but muscular like Jeongguk and Namjoon. He was exactly the kind of guy you would have crushed on during your school days. His thick lips were pulled in a shy smile, dimples denting his cheeks. His attention seemed to be solely on you, and you were sure by now you had turned completely red.

He was exactly your type.

“I’m so sorry.” You spluttered, your brain short-circuiting. This whole thing was beyond embarrassing. You were humiliating yourself in front of the man of your dreams.

He laughed softly, his fingers leaving your skin once he was sure you were stable on your feet. Taking a small step back so he wasn’t crowding your space anymore, he cleared his throat and held out his hand. “I’m Chan.” He introduced.

His hand was warm in yours, fingers wrapping gently around yours. The heat that flushed into your cheeks embarrassed you further. For whatever reason, you felt embarrassed, and you hated it. It wasn’t like you didn’t have any experience with men. You had gone on dates, had a few relationships that didn’t last very long, but you weren’t a total hermit.

“Y/n.”

You only lasted another two hours amongst the other guests, having overdrunk in an attempt to calm your nerves. Instead of your nerves easing, you only felt more on edge, eyes fluttering across every inch of the room, desperate to catch sight of Jeongguk, to have real evidence that he was spying on you. Instead, you had made yourself hysterical. Jeongguk was nowhere in sight, and now neither was Yoongi. Your parents were still in the same spot, Chungho’s parents having closed in the gap Yoongi had left behind. How long has he been gone? You were sure you had seen him when you returned from the kitchen. Jeongguk had left you so frazzled that you couldn’t remember what had happened after leaving the kitchen, and the shots coursing through your system weren’t helping either. Chan had left about 30 minutes ago, and that was when your anxiety had spiked. He had been like a comforting wall, blocking away all the invisible eyes you had convinced yourself were pinned to you. You had both drunk a copious amount, turning it into a competition until he had to be hauled away by his sister to get back to their motel. As soon as he left, it felt like eyes were burning into your skin again.

The crowd had started to dwindle, and you finally deemed it appropriate for you to slink away to the comfort of your bedroom. Your legs were jelly, shaking with every attempted step. Your fingers clung to the wall to keep you upright. The last thing you needed was to fall over and have your sister accusing you of trying to steal her spotlight.

The staircase proved its enemy status once more, your heels long forgotten as you crawled on all fours up the stairs, pleading to whatever entity was watching over you that you’d make it to bed in one piece. Making it to the top platform had you ready to collapse and sleep where you kneeled. But instead of giving in to your weak body, you pushed forward. Staying on all fours, you crawled your way into the bathroom, thankful that the toilet had its own separate room. The bathroom you shared with your sister was steamy, making you assume maybe Yoongi had already showered and gone to bed.

Not having to face Yoongi for another day was relieving, but also disappointing. Seeing your roommate sleeping on a makeshift ‘bed’ on the floor made your heart ache. You invited him here, and now you have ignored his existence. You know your actions were justified, but the guilt still ate away at you. Things have gotten so complicated, and it is only going to get worse before you can try to make it better.

Huffing, you pushed off the doorway you had used to keep yourself upright. The steam felt heavy in your lungs, and you were unsure if you stayed too long, you would throw up. Grabbing your toothbrush, you got to work. You just needed to brush your teeth, change, and make your way back to bed without throwing up or falling. Easier said than done.

Taehyung was frozen. You were clearly drunk. Very drunk. Because how else could you have missed all the signs of an occupied bathroom? Sure, the bathtub was connected to the shower and had a curtain drawn around it, shielding him from your sight, but the clothes he left littered everywhere and the steam that filled the room should be evidence enough?

It felt like his lungs had locked in a permanent intake, his eyes glued to the roof as he attempted to release the breath stuck in his chest. It's not like he had done anything wrong. In fact, you were the one who intruded. Sure, he isn’t supposed to use this bathroom and had been warned by Jin and Namjoon multiple times, especially now that everyone was home, but he couldn’t help himself. He has to share a bathroom with 5 other men! And, they don't have a tub. So, yes, maybe he took advantage of it sometimes. That's not a crime! He wanted to relax, too.

Your gentle off-key singing echoed off the walls, muffled by your toothbrush. He couldn’t quite make out the words, and he wasn’t sure if it was even a real song or something you were making up on the spot. It was endearing. The singing turned to humming, your bare feet tapping against the tiles to the terrible rhythm. Taehyung was certain you were making up your own little song; the beat your foot made was all over the place, and the humming didn’t match. It had him snort out a laugh before he could realise. He froze, and the humming stopped.

Shit shit shit.

“Taehyung?” Your voice was barely a whisper, and it sent shivers down his spine.

He didn’t answer, sinking lower into the water. How long would it take to drown himself? You called his name again, slightly louder. He couldn’t tell if it was because you were moving closer or raising your voice to be heard better. Either way, it had his body locking up in fear.

Huffing, your fingers curled around the curtain. “You're in here, aren’t you?” The teasing knowingness.

“No! Don’t!” He yelped, trying to reach for the curtain. Unfortunately, he couldn’t move quickly enough, slipping slightly and sending water over the edge of the tub. Your eyes connected with his, and you laughed, your face blazing red (much like his likely was.)

Before you could say anything, Taehyung was scrambling. Despite feeling humiliated about the state he was in, the panic he felt about being scolded overpowered that. Yanking the curtain from your fingers and all the way open, he stumbled out of the tub and onto the floor, pressing his forehead to the tiles.

“Forgive me, Master, I was impudent. Punish me however you see fit.” The words were perfectly rehearsed, drilled into his tongue from years of training. They were taught that most humans would dish out their punishments swiftly, mostly in beatings. But your prolonged silence had every nerve on edge. Why weren’t you saying anything?

Taking a risk, he peeked up at you. You towered over him like this. It was a strange change. You weren’t short by any means, but you weren't incredibly tall either. Yet this position made you loom over him like a God. Perhaps you were. You certainly looked the part right now. The tight-fitting dress you had worn for the wedding hugged your body perfectly. He was certain you outshone everyone– including his owner, the bride. You looked at him, but it seemed like your eyes weren’t registering his presence. The glazed-over look in your eyes snapped him out of his admiration. He slowly slid across the tiles, pressing his lips to your foot.

“Master, please.” He choked out, the anxiety in his chest starting to get too much. Never in all his years in this home with his Master Jiyoo. Not even in the training facilities and adoption centres did he feel this way. The fear of disappointing a human. Not even HIS human. He was scared of disappointing you. To have upset you. The thought of being the reason you're experiencing any sort of negative feelings made his stomach twist so uncomfortably that he feared he was going to throw up the wedding cake Jimin and he had pinched earlier.

The kiss seemed to do the trick, your eyes widening in horror. You quickly pulled your foot away from the crouched man. Taehyung felt some relief wash over him as you quickly grabbed a towel, throwing it at him with flaming cheeks, begging him to cover up. He was quick to do as instructed, the towel tightly held around his waist.

“I’m not going to punish you, Taehyung.” You said after a few beats, your voice soft and slurred. The embarrassment you had seemingly experienced moments ago had cleared, now replaced with pity.

You looked at him with pity.

The look pissed him off. Another first. Taehyung didn’t get pity often– if at all. He can’t really recall a time he had gotten it before. But seeing it oozing from your eyes irked him beyond belief. There was nothing happening in this moment for you to look at him like that.

“You will do it tomorrow?” He asked, brow raised. You shook your head. No? No punishment tomorrow? Are you going to make him wait? Did you need time to think up something? A punishment to fit the crime.

You seemed to know he was thinking. Stepping forward, you gripped his biceps. “Not at all. Never.” Your words were stern and final.

Taehyung frowned. No punishment? It made no sense. He had purposefully disobeyed rules, and worse, was caught. How did this not warrant punishment? Something like this could lead to a hybrid being returned to its ‘manufacturer’ and put to rest. A defiant hybrid is a useless hybrid.

“Please punish me.” You stayed silent. “Please.”

He could feel it. The borderline hysteria. The panic. His chest was constricting, his airflow cutting off. The cool tiles were back against his knees, back hunched over as he tried to beat the air back into his lungs. This isn’t how it's supposed to go. This isn’t what's supposed to happen. He has to be punished. He needs to be. Was this your way of punishing him? It had to be. Or maybe you truly weren’t going to. Maybe you were going to tell Jiyoo and leave the decision up to her. He couldn’t let that be the case. It had been years since Jiyoo had been home, and he hadn’t even seen her yet. She would be furious to know he had broken a rule– been breaking rules.

The sound of knees popping had Taehyung looking up through his soaked hair, your hazy eyes coming into view. Soft hands cupped his cheeks, forcing him to maintain eye contact. You looked at him sadly, your thumb stroking his cheek. “It’s okay, TaeTae, slow breaths.” You cooed, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it after a few seconds. “Like that, yeah?”

Nodding, Taehyung followed your instructions. Deep breath in, hold, and release (slowly, slowly!) and then repeat. It went on like this for a while, only the mixed sounds of his breath and yours filling the room. The steam had long faded, making it a little easier to breathe. Your eyes were shut, your legs finally giving way to the uncomfortable squat you had been in. Dropping onto your ass, you rested your head against the wall. Taehyung didn’t say a word, just watched. Your breathing evened out, and your body went lax. You had fallen asleep. He hadn’t seen you sleep before, but he had heard Jeongguk talk about it a lot. Jeongguk had been absolute when he said that his Master was the prettiest sleeper on the planet. You looked so relaxed; the peaceful expression was unusual to see. It was a pleasant change.

Taehyung took advantage of the moment to give you a proper look over. Your dress was a dark wine red, tight-fitting at the bust and waist before flowing out over your legs. There was a long slit up the side of the dress that had parted widely, showing off your pretty long legs. Taehyung's fingers twitched by his side. He shouldn’t. It was bad enough that he had already been caught breaking into your shared bathroom; he can’t push his luck.

And yet here he was. Pushing his luck.

You were soft under his palm. He was taking his time, freezing whenever you twitched under in his hold. Starting from your foot, Taehyung slowly moved higher and higher. Your skin gets smoother and smoother the higher he gets. It was exhilarating.

Taehyung wasn’t completely clueless when it came to women. Jiyoo often had friends come over throughout their teen years, and they were all keen to experiment and learn. Jiyoo was happy to share. Every weekend and most days after school, Jiyoo had friends over, usually the same ones, but occasionally a new one would come for an hour or so, only to never be seen again. It had started off harmless enough, easy things. Just teenage girls wanting to practice kissing. Taehyung and Jimin had happily obliged; it was what their Master wanted after all. They did the same thing with her all the time as well. But as Jiyoo got older, she wanted to explore further. She didn’t want to come across as inexperienced to her crushes, and so she used Taehyung or Jimin as a way of ‘self-exploration’. Taehyung wasn’t comfortable with it in the slightest, but he didn’t have options. Jimin, however, wasn’t entirely opposed. He was just as curious as it seemed. They had done just about everything but penetrative sex with their Master.

It was odd. The feeling he had now was vastly different from how he felt all those years ago. Back then, he had felt dirty and distressed, but right now his stomach was tight yet fluttery. His nerves were buzzing, and his hands trembled in anticipation as they reached higher. He stopped, not because he wanted to. Your thighs were pressing together, preventing higher access. Frowning, Taehyung had a moment of clarity. He should stop. He needs to stop. But, he won't. He just has to move carefully. No rushed movements.

With almost professional experience, Taehyung gently glided his hand between your thighs. Pausing when you shifted slightly. The movement worked in his favour as he managed to slide higher as you shifted to find a more comfortable position. Impossible, really, you were drunk, asleep on the bathroom floor. Taehyung couldn’t help but think how lucky you were that it was him who found you, his thumb stroking gently on the meat of your thigh. What if some perverted creep found you? There were so many strangers milling around the property still, you could’ve been lured away.

A shuddering breath broke Taehyung from his thoughts, his hand freezing. In his lost thoughts, he had absentmindedly found himself in a position where he couldn’t go any higher. His knuckles had brushed against the fabric that covered your most intimate part. Your thighs had tightened around him, leaving his hand trapped against you. What a wonderful blessing.

The wedding had gone by well enough, the ceremony had managed to conclude before the weather turned for the worse. The house had been transformed, all the furniture being moved to the basement, leaving the home empty except for a few chairs and tables that your parents had rented to keep their furniture safe from the drunks. All your family photos had been removed from the walls, and stored away in boxes alongside the furniture. It was jarring to see your family home look so unfamiliar.

The house was crowded, feeling more like a club than the afterparty of a wedding. The vibe seemed to match your sister and her new husband well. They were at the center of the crowd, drinks in hand, jumping along to the loud music that vibrated the walls. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, meanwhile, you were giving off the ‘female lead of a Wattpad fanfic who isn’t like other girls.’ You desperately wanted to join the crowd, you had definitely drunk enough to have the confidence to embarrass yourself. Maybe if you had come here alone you would have. Instead, you had glued yourself to the wall, eyes stuck on your roommate. Yoongi’s face had healed quickly, within a few days you couldn’t tell his face had been busted. His ribs, however, were still achy. Namjoon had guessed it wasn’t just bruising, and he had probably broken a rib or two. The suggestion of a visit to a hospital had been quickly shot down, Yoongi had paled at the suggestion of it. Despite the pain he was still in, Yoongi moved around easily. If you didn’t know any better you would never have guessed that your roommate was hurt.

Yoongi wasn’t the most social guy around, and you now wondered if that was because that's just who he is, or if it was for his own safety. The dark-haired man seemed to be the life of the conversation between your parents and your sister's new in-laws. The five of them were all laughing, your father's hand gripping Yoongi’s shoulder as he threw his head back at a joke. Your parents hadn’t seemed to question Yoongi’s identity, they too seemed to buy into the lie that Yoongi was 100% human. You weren’t sure if you found comfort in the fact that your family was deceived as well. Were you all just clueless idiots, or was Yoongi just really good at what he does?

Yoongi seemed to sense your eyes drilling into him, his dark eyes briefly flickering toward you. He raised a questioning brow to you, the usually smug look he would send your way when he caught you staring was missing. Probably because the two of you hadn’t spoken since the night of the fight. Not for a lack of trying on his end. As childish as it may seem, you just weren’t ready to talk to Yoongi– or any of them– yet. The way that night had unfolded had left you uneasy. You weren’t ready to talk to them yet.

You assumed it was Namjoon keeping Jeongguk away from you over the last few days, the leopard hybrid had yet to be seen. You hadn’t seen anyone. Once your parents and siblings had arrived at the house, things had gotten so hectic you didn’t even notice the hybrids' absence. Not even Jimin had been sighted, you would have expected him to make an appearance to greet the owner he seemed to be missing so much. Your parents had sought out Seokjin the morning after they arrived, taking him out to breakfast, but after that, they had been too busy attending to your sister's many breakdowns, they didn’t have time to spend any further time with the otter.

Your brother and his wife had come up two days before the wedding, their son staying with Yunhee’s family. Jiho hadn’t made any effort to seek out his hybrids and hadn’t mentioned them either. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have thought he had spent most of his teens and early adulthood owning two hybrids. There didn’t seem to be a single thought in his mind of the two hybrids. This was a good thing in your mind, if Jiho didn’t have any attachment to Namjoon and Hoseok surely he wouldn’t put up a fight to keep them in his name? Signing the pair over should be a piece of cake.

Speaking of cake…

Peeling yourself off the wall you slinked through the crowd, your fuzzy brain on a mission. Making it to the kitchen was easy enough, the blindingly bright room was where your mother had moved the leftover slices. The kitchen had been deemed off-limits, and you were thankful to have a moment of peace. The music wasn’t as loud in here, the ringing in your ears easing. The music reminded you of what clubs played, you heard it often on your way home. You had never enjoyed clubbing, you went once, maybe twice, a year with your colleagues to celebrate another successful year. You were always the first to leave, desperate to scrub the sweat from your body and crawl into bed. It wasn’t that you didn’t have fun, you always did, the problem was you drank too much too quickly, and quickly lost interest in the party and wanted to sleep away the queasy feeling that would settle in your stomach.

Swinging out the fridge you found the few slices of cake that were left over, your stomach twisting painfully in hunger. You had avoided eating, sucking on ice instead, to make sure you fit into the dress your sister had picked out for you. It had been so long since you had seen each other last so your family was unaware of just how much weight you had gained. Sacrificing a week's worth of meals in favor of ice and the world's tightest pair of Spanx had worked a treat, allowing you to squeeze into the tight-fitting dress. The dress was pretty, and you were thankful your sister had gone for something in your style, considering the two of you had very different aesthetics. The silky red dress clung to your body, loosening around your legs. The top half of the dress ended up being a little more chestier than anticipated, your boobs having nearly doubled in size with the healthy weight gain. There was a slit on the side of your dress that ended at mid-thigh, thankfully it only showed off your legs when you were moving around. If you stayed still your legs remained covered. Jiyoo had wanted the dress code to be as formal as possible, so all the guests were dressed to the nines and you were to be no exception.

“Master?”

Your fork froze midway to your lips, the familiar voice sending your body ridged. Cursing quietly, you dropped your fork onto your plate. You were still safely tucked away from view in the fridge, and yet Jeongguk knew it was you. You had done so well avoiding the seven men this last week, why did your luck have to run out now? There couldn’t be a worse time. Your body was running on ice and cocktails, you didn’t have enough brain function to deal with any of them right now. All you wanted was to enjoy a sweet treat in shame, was that too much to ask for? Apparently so.

Dipping yourself back slightly, you peeked past the refrigerator door meeting eyes with the leopard hybrid. His brow was raised a confused look on his pretty face. As much as you disliked Jeongguk, you weren’t blind. He was attractive, and that's what infuriated you more. Such a pretty face ruined by such an ugly personality.

“Hey Jeongguk,” You greeted, forcing a cheerful tone into your words. “Fancy seeing you here.”

A strange look passed over the hybrid's face, his arms crossing over his chest. “Are you drunk, Master?”

A scoff fell past your lips, slightly offended. Did he think you have to be drunk to be nice to him? You can be nice. Hell, you’re always nice! You weren’t even drunk, maybe a little tipsy, but you weren’t close to calling it a night. Huffing, you slammed the fridge doors shut, cake now forgotten. With your arms crossed over your chest, you glared up at the leopard hybrid who regarded you with a bored expression, which only pissed you off further.

“So what if I was?” You challenged.

Jeongguk set his jaw, ignoring the pain of the fracture that was still trying to heal. “Do you think it's smart to get drunk when dressed like that, Master?” His eyes flickered over your revealing outfit.

The lingering of his eyes on your chest didn’t go missed, and Jeongguk liked that you noticed. The way your cheeks went from a light flush from the alcohol in your system, you burning red in embarrassment. Pride welled in his chest. He made you react like that, nobody else. Alongside his pride, was a sense of relief. It had been so long since he last saw you, what if you didn’t like how he looked now? He had spent the last seven years working on improving himself physically. You didn’t seem to like him scrawny and weak. The centers kept everyone underweight, that way their hybrids come across as less intimidating despite the obvious physical differences even when malnourished.

Jeongguk had hoped that by bulking up, maybe you would like him more. You liked Namjoon Hyung, you were happy to spend your evening's shoulder to shoulder with him under the guise of ‘homework’. Jeongguk knew better. He could see the way you looked at him, the way he looked at you. This was more than a relationship between a tutor and his pupil. Jeongguk was sure if he bulked up, and became more manly, maybe you would see him as a man, not a little boy, and then he could have you all for himself.

But then you left.

As heartbroken as he was, he didn’t let it deter him. You would come back, the bond between the two of you would always bring you back to him, and it did. Sure it was with a worm, but that couldn’t be helped. Jeongguk would just have to make you see the obvious answer, that he was far better than that slimy liar.

“Jiyoo picked my outfit, there’s nothing wrong with it!” You defended, lips pursing in annoyance. It was a habit Jeongguk had noticed early on and by far one of his favorites of your many habits.

“Of course not Master, you look beautiful.” He agreed, stepping closer. His heart doubled in speed when you didn’t step back like you always do. You were holding your ground. “I’m sure all eyes have been on you.”

You rolled your eyes, a scoff falling past your pursed lips. Once again your cheeks ignited red, making the leopard grin. Even after all these years, you still hated the thought of any attention on you. Jeongguk was glad you felt the same way as he did. Seeing you in that dress had his blood buzzing, but he needed to be on his best behavior. He had already gotten enough scolding from the others, he didn’t need another week of it. If Jeongguk could have it his way, he would be out amongst the party shoving his thumbs into every man's eyes.

“Eyes were on the bride, Jeongguk, not me.” You said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jeongguk ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, inhaling deeply through his nose. You were still as naive as ever, and he wasn’t sure if he hated or loved the trait– it was frustrating at times. Just to what extent were you so clueless? You disappeared for years, who knows what happened during your time apart? Did you date, or have flings? Did you fall in love with someone else? What is Yoongi to you? These thoughts had kept him up for the past week, leaving him antsy and agitated.

“Not everyone.”

A perfectly shaped brow quirked up, silently pressing him to continue. If it hadn’t been for the events that happened eight days earlier, Jeongguk would have spat out his words quicker. He wouldn’t be hesitating like this. The leopard hybrid had never been so desperate for something in his life, he needed you to grow positive feelings toward him, he was yours after all, and you, his. That is how this works. You own him, everything he has, everything he is, is yours. He refuses to go to his grave without having the same ownership over you.

“Master,” he sighed, his brain struggling to stay focused. “Every man in that room, including that worm, stared at you like starved animals.”

Shaking your head, you ran your fingers through your hair. Jeongguk was being ridiculous right now. Nobody had met your eyes other than Yoongi a few times, and you assumed that was him just checking you were still in the room. You had been focused on just about every person in the room at some point, not a single soul was paying attention to you. Even if they were, how would Jeongguk have known? He hadn’t been in the room. None of the hybrids (with the exception of Yoongi) had been involved in the wedding or the after-party. Had Jeongguk been hiding somewhere spying on you? It wouldn’t be far-fetched, it was something he did when you were younger. If by some miracle you had managed to get away from him for a few hours, he always somehow knew what happened, where you went, who you were with. It was like he was right beside you the whole time, even though you were sure to have left him behind. You spent the last of your teen years on edge, even after moving away you were terrified he would pop up. It took three years for your nerves to settle.

“His name is Yoongi, and he isn't a worm. Please don't speak about him like that.” You sighed, choosing to ignore everything else he had said. The lively buzz you had been experiencing earlier was settling into something nauseating. The lack of food in your system was making the tequila hit much harder than it usually would. All you wanted was to stuff your face with cake and go back to the party. Why did Jeongguk have to show up and spoil your mood?

“Why do you always defend him, Master?” Jeongguk snapped, his jaw clenched so tightly you were sure he was going to worsen his healing fracture. “You own me, not him. You’re supposed to be on my side, defend me.”

The frustration and hurt in Jeongguk’s voice took you by surprise. If he had reacted in anger, that would have been more on brand for the leopard hybrid, after all, it seemed to be the only emotion he could express. As much as you wanted to process whatever the hell was happening right now, the liquor that had been doing its rounds in your veins finally seemed to have seeped into your brain, your muscles going lax and the stream of thoughts you had just been trying to seek through had turned to mush.

Shaking your head at the shaking man in front of you, you stepped in front of him, resting your hands on his shoulders. “Jeongguk,” The seriousness of your tone forced his eyes to meet yours, an alertness shining. He was ready for whatever you instructed him to do, so obedient.

It’s sad.

“I don’t want to own you.” The words sounded harsh, much worse than you intended them to. You felt Jeongguk’s muscles tense under your fingers, a brief and unfamiliar emotion passing through his eyes before they returned to their usual hardness. “People shouldn’t own people.”

Jeongguk’s lip twitched downward, struggling to maintain a neutral expression. . It was obvious you had never considered that maybe he wanted to be owned. Maybe he wanted to be yours. It might sound dramatic but Jeongguk would rather die than belong to anyone else. The thought of anyone else resting their hands on him, their thumbs brushing over the sensitive skin of his neck like yours are doing now.. Nobody could touch him like this, he wouldn’t allow it. He would rather tear off his own flesh. His flesh and blood were only for you. Jeongguk isn’t a person, he is a hybrid. His entire existence was made to serve you, to serve humans. A hybrid and a human are as different as they are the same. But, at the end of the day hybrids are vastly better than humans, it was a known fact. Genetically, hybrids are superior in every possible sense. Everyone knew it, and yet Jeongguk couldn’t help but worship you, a weak and useless human.

If you didn’t want to own Jeongguk, then he would have to own you.

“Own me."

The softness of your skin against his neck had his muscles melting, it had been seven years since he felt your skin against his. This was the first time you had initiated skinship, and it was thrilling. Jeongguk could feel every single one of his nerves spasming under his skin as your thumbs slid over his skin, were you trying to comfort him? Your touch left his skin burning, all the desperation he ached with over the last ten years slowly dissipating with each graze of skin to skin. Jeongguk was certain that he couldn’t survive another day without feeling your skin on his.

If Yoongi’s abilities to go up against Jeongguk in a fight weren’t enough evidence that he wasn’t all human, the fangs that dropped from his gums were enough to cement Jeongguk’s claims. The newly debuted ivories your roommate of seven years was sporting had your jaw close to the floor. Pearly white fangs that were needle-thin, seemed to be oozing. His pupils were blown wide, and the murderous look on his features had a chill running over your spine. The other hybrids hadn’t made a move toward the scene, some even seemed excited by the violence. It was only when Yoongi began gnashing his teeth, trying to bite into the male on top of him, that the other men seemed to jump into action. Your view was quickly blocked, Namjoon along with Jimin and Taehyung, attempting to drag the leopard off, for whose safety you weren’t entirely sure. Gentle bony fingers gripped onto your shoulders, steering you away from the scene that seemed to be getting worse rather than better as the three struggled to separate the fight. Too stunned by the turn of events, you didn’t protest as you were pulled out of the dining room and into the brighter kitchen, the only other doorway blocked.

As your eyes struggled to adjust to the lighting difference, you squinted at the cup being held in your direction. Following the length of the sleeved arm, you weren’t surprised to land on a concerned Seokjin. The Sea Otter hybrid was always very nurturing, taking over much of your parent's responsibilities to help look after you and your siblings without actually being seen. Whilst you hadn’t been close to him, you had always pitied him. He thrived with your parents around, always cheerful. Once they started traveling, he seemed to grow depressed. The sparkle that had been in his eyes had seemingly disappeared overnight, but as of right now, it had returned tenfold. You couldn’t help but wonder what had made him so happy again, perhaps the closeness he and the others had seemed to develop. Even the most unsocial hybrid breeds needed socialization, friendship, and affection. Most people were encouraged to adopt two hybrids if they lived a busier lifestyle.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” He asked softly, eyes scanning over you in worry. Relief flooded over his creased features when you shook your head, a smile settling onto his plump lips. “Good.”

Seokjin’s eyes stayed glued to yours, drinking in every inch of your matured face. The last time he had seen your face, it had been almost sickly. Your face had been thin and pale, your eyes sunken in, and your hair thinning. You had been so brittle he was sure a light breeze would have knocked you off your feet. Seeing you again, healthy and seemingly happy, it had warmed his chest. As much as Yoongi bothered the otter hybrid, he owed him thanks for taking such good care of you over the years.

The kitchen door squeaked open, finally breaking the uncomfortable eye contact you had been trapped in, a thick head of hair popping in. You didn’t recognize the shaggy-haired male at first, it took his eyes meeting yours and his one-of-a-kind grin to kick the cogs in your brain into gear; Hoseok. You hadn’t ever seen his hair so long, he and Namjoon were always kept well-groomed with the same undercut styles since you had known them. Your brother had always wanted them to look how he deemed ‘fashionable’, keeping himself up to date with all the top trends for men. Your sister had been the same, but was a little more willing to experiment with her hybrids, wanting to see what styles they suited best. You had just left Jeongguk to figure it out himself, you didn’t care how he looked.

The ferret hybrid didn’t say anything as he stepped into the kitchen, a smile still glued to his lips. His long legs strode over to where you sat at the kitchen counter nursing a now room-temperature glass of water. Hoseok had kept a little more distance from than Seokjin had, choosing to stand behind the elder male and peer over his shoulder. Similar to Seokjin, his eyes looked you over any concern he may have felt wasn’t shown before he met back to your eyes, his smile only growing.

“Sorry about Jeongguk Miss, he’s just excited to have you home.” Hoseok apologized, a look of pity being sent to the door he had just come through.

A scoff fell from your lips before you could stop it, catching both the men by surprise. “I don’t think you can call it excited.” You mumbled, earning a chuckle from Seokjin. Neither of them denied what you said, only shrugging their shoulders.

The silence in the kitchen had given you a chance to hear the situation just outside the door. You could hear Namjoon’s usually calm voice raised, although muffled, you could roughly make out the harshness of his words. Jeongguk was biting back, arguing with the dingo, although his words sounded slurred compared to earlier. The two in front of you seemed to notice the concentration on your face as you strained to hear the conversation outside, Hoseok’s smile returning wider, whilst Seokjin quickly stepped in to cover up the outside noise.

“Yoongi mentioned you wanted to eat, would you like me to plate you up something Miss?” the otter offered, already making his way to the refrigerator. You watched as he shuffled through the contents, his tail swaying as he hummed a song you didn’t know.

You had always been slightly put off by the sight tails. The thick muscles seemed to have a mind of their own. For the most part, hybrids usually appeared to be humans, depending on where they were ‘created.’ Depending on the breed, most hybrids had only their animal counterparts' ears, but in Seokjin’s case, otters had such small ears that it was deemed off-putting to some, so they were modified to have human ears as well, although they were more decoration than anything else. Hybrids like Jeongguk, or Namjoon, had only their animal counterparts' ears. It was all so strange, and as a teen, you often fell into wormholes trying to look into hybrid creations, leaving yourself more and more put off by them from an ethical stance.

Pulling your eyes away from his tail, you look up to Hoseok who had been staring at you intently. Setting your now empty glass on the counter, your arms crossed over your chest. Fixing a stern glare on the ferret, he quirked a brow, a small laugh being choked back as if the sight in front of him was humorous.

“Something wrong, Miss?”

The way Hoseok spoke, the tone, had your nerves on fire. You could feel your stomach knotting itself as he spoke, his eyes boring into your soul. The way the ferret looked at you left you feeling uncomfortable, intruded upon in your own skin. You wonder if he was like this around your brother, and if so, how did he cope with the invading feeling?

“Is Yoongi okay?”

Hoseok’s brows raised, a thoughtful look crossing his eyes before he shrugged limply. “If I’m being honest with you Miss, I’m not sure. I was more worried about tending to Gukkie, I think the snake broke his jaw.” He sighed, his hand absentmindedly rubbing at his own jaw.

A pang of pity hit your heart but was quickly brushed away. Whilst Yoongi definitely shouldn’t have laid his hands on anyone, Jeongguk’s behavior was also inappropriate. He had been aggressive toward Yoongi from the moment the two of you had arrived, and whilst you were used to who Jeongguk was as a person, Yoongi wasn’t. But you would be a liar if you said you hadn’t noticed the taunting look in Yoongi’s eyes when he had seen the leopard hybrid. Whatever was going on with the two, you wanted no part of.

Hearing Hoseok refer to Yoongi as a snake had you suppressing a shiver. How had they all known what Yoongi was? You had known the man for seven years and hadn’t a single inkling he was anything but human.

Seokjin reappeared, announcing your dinner was ready before you had to think of a real response for Hoseok who had been staring at you expectantly. Grateful for the distraction, you sent Seokjin a noticeably forced grin before looking at the bowl set in front of you at the counter. You eyed up the easy meal of rice, fried eggs, and sausage, your stomach aching at the sight. Once again, your mind drifted back to Yoongi, he hadn’t eaten yet…

“Thank you Seokjin,” You hummed, quickly digging your utensils into the dish. The man only hummed in response, his hands urging you to dig in.

The room fell into a somewhat comfortable silence, even Namjoon’s scolding voice seemed to disappear from the neighboring room. You wondered if they were still there. The two hybrids that still lingered close by watched you intensely, especially Seokjin. If you hadn’t been so hungry you probably would have felt more uncomfortable, self conscious in the way you inhaled the contents of your bowl. When you had reached nearly the end of your bowl, Seokjin had cleared his throat, smiling in what you assumed was supposed to be a comforting way.

“Y/n, were you truly unaware of Yoongi’s species?”

You paused, eyeing the man. There wasn’t a hint of judgment, he didn’t look at you as if you were an idiot for having not realized something so obvious. The honest answer to his question was no, you hadn’t. Yoongi had managed to keep any physical traits hidden from you, all his cute little habits now made sense, but even if he wasn’t a snake hybrid, it was easily dismissable. Anything odd about your roommate was always met with reason, there was no reason for you to suspect him of anything. Yoongi always had a reason for his behavior. The revelation had made a lot of things click into place, the reason why Yoongi wasn’t on the lease, why he paid for everything in cash, why he didn’t have a bank account, and why he was so hesitant to leave the house. You had always just assumed he was a bit paranoid, like those crazy conspiracy people you saw all over the internet.

Instead of answering, you shrugged your shoulders hoping to hide your embarrassment. Yoongi’s grown-out hair and constant use of beanies must’ve been to hide his ears, or what may be a lack of. The gauze and bandages that were scattered over his body were probably to hide scales, not irritated skin. But these were little things, not everything had seemed suspicious at the time. Yoongi had found a way to blend into society as a human, and you couldn’t help but wonder how he got to where he was. As awful as it sounds, hybrids couldn’t be without owners. So how Yoongi had managed to survive so long without being found out, or dobbed in, was impressive.

Part of you felt betrayed. For almost seven years Yoongi had hidden something huge from you. Did he not trust you to help him, to protect him? Did he think you would turn him over if he told you the truth about who he was? Was he really your friend, or was this all fake to keep himself safe? You wanted to be understanding, you knew he had done it all for his own survival, but it still left a bitter ache in your chest. The friendship you had spent years nurturing was crumbling between your fingers.

“Sneaky snake,” Hoseok snorted, leaning his elbows onto the counter. “What’re you gonna do with him now, report him?”

You looked up at the ferret hybrid in shock. The thought hadn’t even crossed your mind once. While you were pissed at him and would need some time away from him to come to terms with everything, you weren’t pissed enough to report the guy. That would just prove Yoongi right, all his mistrust in you would have been rightly placed.

“Hoseok!” Seokjin scolded, smacking the younger man's shoulder. The younger man grunted, rubbing at the abused spot.

“I’m just asking!” He whined, ignoring the hard stare the otter had on him to focus back on you.

For what felt like the millionth time since entering the kitchen, your shoulders shrugged. “I’m not reporting him.” You confirmed, foot tapping anxiously against the bar stool. Everything had become far more complicated than you anticipated. You had assumed Jeongguk would be a little pissy toward you, maybe a little cold toward Yoongi… you hadn’t expected anything to unfold the way it had. You hadn’t even been home for 24 hours and everything had turned to shit, your gut feeling had been right about coming home. You wanted to go back to your apartment and pretend none of this happened.

Despite not being a fan of the arrogant snake, Seokjin couldn’t help but feel relieved to hear you had no intentions of turning the hybrid over to authorities. It wasn’t natural for a hybrid to be without a human, it did things to their mind. Seokjin could only assume Yoongi had been without an owner for quite some time, or perhaps never had one with the way he acted, it left the otter slightly nervous to leave the male alone with you. Who knows how far his mind has gone? Seokjin had seen enough during the fight to know he wasn’t all there, no normal hybrid would act in such a feral way.

“The boys have cleared out to clean themselves up, why don’t we go to the living room?” Seokjin suggested, once again saving the day with a change of subject.

Nodding eagerly, you lead the way. The dining room was still a mess, with fallen chairs and scattered dishes, and a red substance splattered over the floor and walls that you were choosing to ignore. The living room was slightly more lit up, the light from the TV giving the room a more blue hue rather than the warm orangey yellow it had been earlier. Sitting on the edge of the sofa was your sister's fox hybrid, who had sprung to his feet the second you entered the space. The look on his face was enough to make your stomach knot in guilt.

Jimin was always so well put together, whether it was by his own accord or your sisters you weren't too sure. But right now Jimin looked rough. If you hadn’t known better you would have assumed he was the one involved in the fight. His chunky bottom lip was split and bruised, dry blood was caked to his throat. His eyes mirrored the same guilt that yours did. His worried amber eyes flickered across your form, just as the other two men had done earlier, a sense of relief flooding over his tense stance when he found not a hair out of place.

“Miss Y/n, I am so sorry–Jeongguk isn’t usually like that!” His words tumbled past his lips so quickly it sounded like he was choking.

You bit your cheek to stop yourself from snorting. Has everyone forgotten that you had been forced to spend every day with the man for three years? Jeongguk absolutely is like that, and you had very little confidence that he had changed during your time away. The leopard hybrid had always been weirdly possessive of you, and you had first thought maybe that's just how hybrids were, so you had paid closer attention to the way your siblings and their hybrids had interacted with each other, hoping to learn how to deal with the behavior, but it was easy to see that they didn’t seem to have some aggressive claim over your siblings. They were supportive, pushing for your siblings to have friends and partners, and had no qualms with any potential love interests being around. Jeongguk wouldn’t let you be in the same space with the opposite sex unless it was completely unavoidable. He was aggressive toward anyone who had your attention. Jeongguk had forced you into a lonely hole in the ground, and you’d be damned if you let him do it again.

“Jimin, you have no reason to be sorry.” You assured the fox, hoping the smile you forced onto your lips looked genuine. In all honesty, you wanted to avoid talking about the night's events. Your main concern as of now was the wound on Jimin’s lip that had reopened during his rush to defend the leopard hybrid.

“Hoseok,” You called over your shoulder, the ferret instantly perking up at the sound of his name. “Can you please find me something to clean up Jimin’s lip, please?”

Nodding eagerly, Hoseok took off down one of the halls. Turning your attention back to Jimin, you choked down a laugh at the redness of his cheeks. Rounding the sofa, you urged the fox to sit down. He seemed to debate whether or not he should, but Seokjin’s bony hand tugged the male down onto the cushions with him. You sat on the coffee table across from Jimin, your eyes accessing the cut on his lip, curious about who did it and how it happened. You could only guess it happened whilst trying to separate the brawl.

Jimin shifted uncomfortably under your gaze, trying to suck his bottom lip into his mouth to hide the wound, only to wince and release it at the sharp sting. Hoseok returned quickly, holding some damp face towels, an apologetic look on his face.

“It seems the first aid kits are all being used at the moment, Miss, I hope these will do?” He frowned. Hoseok was sure you had wanted a first aid kit, but there were only two and it seemed Namjoon and Taehyung had taken them to tend to the other men. Feeling your eyes on his hands that held the damp cloths, he was starting to second guess himself. Maybe he should’ve just demanded a kit from one of the boys.

“Of course, this is perfect. Thank you, Hoseok.” You smiled, making real eye contact with him for what you think may be the first time. A shy smile pulled at his lips, his head ducking.

You got quick into work with Jimin’s face. Deciding to first start with cleaning up his neck when you noticed the wary look in his eyes, you didn’t want him to be too scared of you touching the wound on his lip, so you made sure to be extra gentle on his neck despite there being no wounds there. The blood came off easily, thankfully it hadn’t dried too much into his skin. Your gentle swipes at his skin were enough to remove the substance. Trying to distract yourself from the silence that filled the room, you tried to think of a time you had ever been so close to Jimin, you had quickly concluded; never. You were sure you had never spent so much time around any of the three around you in your life.

“I’m gonna clean your lip now, okay?” You warned the fox. A small grin tugged at your lips at the way Jimin peeked at you from his tightly shut eyes, he nodded stiffly giving you his okay. Up close you could see just how pretty Jimin was. Hybrids were always pretty, it was part of the ‘charm’, but Jimin was on a whole other level, even his pores were pretty. He seemed to glow, even with his bruised face.

Trying to keep the shake out of your hands, you got to work. You decided not to go straight for the wound. You started by wiping his jaw and chin, around his bottom lip. You were trying to ease your way toward the wound. Jimin’s body was ramrod straight, you could see the way he tensed up as you got close to the cut. You mumbled out an apology as you lightly dabbed at the cut, your eyes narrowed in focus. Jimin’s head subconsciously pulled back after the second dab, whining at the sting. Shaking your head, your free hand moved to the back of his neck, pulling him close. The action made Jimin’s eyes fly wide open as he choked on his tongue. You didn’t seem to notice, or maybe care, too focused on addressing his mouth. Jimin melted in your hold, his mind too focused on the feeling of your skin against his to care about the burn of his lip.

Jimin could feel his cheeks heating up as the older men watched the scene before him, he felt a bit shy. Having you so close to his face, and your hand on the bare skin of his neck, it felt intimate. Jimin had been around plenty of women before, his owner mostly, but also her gaggle of girl-friends. But it had been a long time since then, if his memory is right it had been about 5 years since he had been around a woman close to his age.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

Jimin’s eyes flickered up, softening at the sight of the youngest boy. The left side of Jeongguk's jaw was bright red, in the beginning stages of bruising. His right eye was already darkened with a bruise, and the cut above his brow was cleaned up neatly with a butterfly stitch put over the wound to keep it from bleeding any further. His hands were tightly wrapped around the knuckles, the bandage hiding the wounds. Despite all that had occurred and the wounds littering his body, Jeongguk looked ready for round two when he saw how close Jimin’s face was to his Master.

Why was she here tending to Jimin instead of him? Jeongguk was hers, not Jimin. The familiar churning of jealousy in his stomach reappeared, and if it hadn’t been for Namjoon’s heavy hand on his shoulder Jeongguk probably would’ve been the one starting a fight this time around.

“Miss Y/n was just cleaning up Jiminie’s lip,” Seokjin explained calmly, looking toward the newly crowded hallway. He hadn’t expected everyone to return, he honestly had thought they would’ve retired to their bedrooms after being cleaned up.

“That’s very kind of you.” Namjoon chimed in, giving Jeongguk’s shoulder a warning squeeze before making his way to the sofa, first aid kit dangling from his fingers. It wasn’t missed by the dingo hybrid when your body had locked up at the sound of Jeongguk’s voice. You hadn’t turned to acknowledge the voices behind you or the footsteps, and you had only grunted at Namjoon’s words.

Taehyung was quick to throw himself into the empty spot beside Jimin, his hand finding its way into Jimin’s fingers, squeezing tightly. “Does it hurt?” He worried, watching as your hands fell away from his friend. Jimin almost whined at the loss of contact.

“Not anymore, Miss Y/n took excellent care of me.” He assured his friend, squeezing his hand back.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, hands resting in your lap. You hadn’t really done anything, only cleared away any blood. You were sure Namjoon would do all the real work seeing as he was the one with the disinfectants. But instead of voicing up the obvious, you gave Jimin a weak smile before shifting out of the way so Namjoon could take your place. The dingo hybrid sent you a thankful smile before dropping in front of Jimin and jumping right into work. Hoseok sat beside Seokjin, helping the otter hybrid dig through the first aid kit to find what Namjoon had requested. Taehyung was whispering into Jimin’s ear, a grin on his lips when his friend elbowed him in the ribs. The coyote’s whispering mustn’t have been quiet enough for the others' heightened hearing, Jeongguk finally leaving his spot in the hallway entrance to take place uncomfortably close to you. Grimacing, you shifted slightly to keep yourself from brushing up against the leopard.

“You’re making her uncomfortable.” The familiar lazy tone had your neck snapping back to the hallway that was empty only a second ago.

All your disappointment towards the dark-haired man melted away when you caught sight of his battered face. Climbing over the ottoman to avoid squeezing past Jeongguk, you rushed over to Yoongi, throwing yourself into his chest. It felt silly, the way your heart hurt at the sight of his damaged body, or the way your eyes welled up with tears when his hand rubbed your back comfortingly as if you were the one hurt right now. Guilt was wrapped around your heart so tightly you were sure it had ceased pumping blood to your body. You could feel the stiffness in Yoongi’s movements, and the shudder of every breath. Your only friend was hurt because of you. If you had just come alone, or not at all, Yoongi wouldn’t be in this position. If you had been smarter, and more observant, you might have realized Yoongi wasn’t a human like you, everything could have been avoided.

“Y/n, are you okay?” He whispered, ignoring the warning sound Jeongguk sent his way.

Your neck craned upwards awkwardly, your watery eyes narrowed in on Yoongi’s dark ones in disbelief. “Are you seriously asking me that? Yoongi, look at yourself!” You hissed, pulling away from his body. You waved your arms around his body as if to prove a point.

Yoongi only grinned, the cut on his upper lip restricting him slightly. “I’m fine.”

Clenching your jaw, you pinched the bridge of your nose trying to calm your breathing. He was so obviously not okay, but you weren’t about to argue with the man in front of the six others who were doing a terrible job at pretending not to be watching the two of you. Although you were sure, judging by the harshness of it, Jeongguk wasn’t even trying to pretend he wasn’t watching. The hybrids seemed to have noticed your quick glance over your shoulder and quiet chatter quickly fell over the room, allowing you to turn your attention back to Yoongi. Your poor roommate was all bruised up, his top lip split, and a cut over his nose as well. Judging by the way he was breathing, you could only assume his ribs were bruised up as well.

“Fuck, what if these don’t go away before the wedding.” You worried, gently turning Yoongi’s jaw between your fingers to assess the damage.

“Miss Y/n,” Taehyung shyly voiced. “Are you marrying Yoongi?”

Whilst you choked, Yoongi burst into a fit of laughter that only grew louder at the similar choked sound Jeongguk made. Your reaction had Taehyung’s face turning red, looking at Jimin who only shrugged, feeling just as clueless.

“N-no! Oh my god, no.” You coughed out, gently shoving Yoongi who only laughed harder. “No, it’s Jiyoo’s wedding.” You explained, watching as the confusion on the grey-haired man grew.

“Master is getting married?” He frowned, pouting his lips.

Jimin shook his head, looking up at you. “Master would tell us if she was getting married.”

This time you frowned, looking up at Yoongi who had his lips pulled into a thin line, something he did when he was uncomfortable. Did the two really not know about the wedding? That couldn’t be right.

“Are you calling my Master a liar?” Jeongguk huffed, shooting a dirty look at the fox.

Jimin quickly shook his head, looking between you and the leopard before settling on you. “Of course not..” He mumbled, sending you an apologetic look. “It’s just…”

His words fell short, but you had a good idea of where he was going.

“I think the wedding was short notice,” You admitted, hoping to ease the upset on the foxes' features.

“Shotgun wedding.” Yoongi piped up, looking down at you with a grin when you groaned.

“S-Shotgun wedding?” Taehyung repeated, sounding horrified.

The only one who seemed to have any idea what Yoongi was talking about was Namjoon, judging by the snicker. You shifted uncomfortably on your feet, not wanting to explain that Yoongi was insinuating that your sister was getting married due to pregnancy. Yoongi didn’t seem to mind explaining, quickly cutting you off before you could reign the conversation back to the topic.

“It means Dear Master is trying to get married before birthing a bastard child.” He explained, looking to you for confirmation.

“She’s pregnant!” Jimin’s voice raised a few octaves, making you flinch.

“Yoongi is joking!” You quickly cut in, shooting the laughing male a glare. “Well, maybe. We don’t know.”

Jimin sunk into the cushions of the sofa, a look of disbelief sinking into his delicate face. Taehyung was quick to comfort his friend, gluing himself to his friend's side as he mumbled low enough that you couldn’t catch onto what he said.

“I think he’s just surprised,” Namjoon spoke up, sending Jimin a sad look. “They haven't seen Miss Jiyoo for some time now, this is big news.”

You raised a brow, looking at the two curled up on the couch before going back to Namjoon. You were curious what they were all doing here, but hearing they hadn’t seen Jiyoo in ‘some time now’, what exactly did he mean by that? How long is ‘some time’? Namjoon seemed to catch onto what you were thinking, shifting his weight on the coffee table so he could look at you better. He was staring at you expectantly as if waiting for you to ask.

So you did.

“How long has it been since you saw Jiyoo or Jiho?” You questioned, not skipping over your brother's absence.

“Hoseok and I haven’t seen Jiho in,” He paused, his lips pursed as he thought. “Coming up four years now?” His eyes flicker to Hoseok, earning a confirmation nod.

“Five years for us,” Taehyung answered, not looking away from Jimin.

You frowned, your mind doing the mental maths. Four years ago Jiho and his wife, Yunhee, found out they were pregnant with your nephew Jiwon. As for Jiyoo, she met her fiance Chungho five years ago, the two moved incredibly fast, moving in together within two months of dating. Was it just a coincidence that the hybrids hadn’t seen their owners since then? You felt a bit hypocritical judging the high possibility of your siblings abandoning their hybrids, but in your defense, Jeongguk was nothing like the other four. Your siblings' hybrids had been kind and doting, and best of all, friendly. They weren’t Jeongguk.

Namjoon gave you a tight smile, rubbing his palms over his sweatpants. “Master Yunhee wasn’t comfortable having hybrids around the baby.” He explained with a shrug.

“Pregnancy allergies,” Hoseok added, seeming more bitter about it than Namjoon.

You rolled your eyes, earning a grin from Hoseok. Much to Namjoon’s scolding, Hoseok never believed the allergy line. He was certain it was used as an excuse to convince Jiho to get rid of them. Master Yunhee had always been put off by hybrids, she would constantly complain to Jiho about something he or Namjoon would do, once even claiming that he had made a ‘pass’ at her! She was so desperate to be rid of them that she gave up her childfree lifestyle choice to have an excuse to kick them out. And it worked. Exactly three months into the pregnancy Jiho dropped both men off at his parent's home and never came back.

“Master's boyfriend doesn’t like hybrids, he said it's perverted.” Taehyung snorted, finally giving Jimin some space. “He said we were damaging his image, so Master dropped us off here until she can convince him that we aren’t a threat.”

Taehyung’s last words seemed to be more of a comfort directed toward Jimin, who nodded in agreement. As much as you wanted to point out that if in five years Chungho hadn’t changed his stance on hybrids, you doubt it would happen at all. But you kept your lips shut, Jimin clearly needed to hold onto the delusion of a miracle happening.

“So you guys have just been here, alone?” You question, trying to keep the worry out of your voice. You weren’t too stressed about Seokjin and Jeongguk being without human care seeing as your parents would come home for a few days every month before taking off for their next adventure, but six of them alone? The thought had every cell in your body screaming ‘bad, bad, bad.’

“Well not always!” Seokjin laughed, arms crossing over his chest. “Master Ma and Master Pa come home.”

The creasing in your forehead was going to age you ten years by the end of the night, you were sure of it. Seokjin didn’t seem to care about the look you were sending him, his wide shoulders rising and falling casually. Your parents rarely made a return home, they didn’t even come home for holidays and birthdays anymore. They only returned home for big events, weddings, and babies. You don't imagine they spent much time with Seokjin for the little time they were home, let alone five other hybrids that weren’t technically their responsibility. This had all clearly gotten out of hand, there were six abandoned hybrids in your parent's home and your siblings didn’t seem to have any intentions of bringing them back home, and you definitely had no intentions of reclaiming Jeongguk. The men were clearly well-fed and somewhat entertained by the home gym and gaming systems your brother had left behind, and sure they were socializing with one another, but from what little information you had retained during your teen years, Hybrids need humans. You can’t remember why exactly, but you just recall the huge emphasis all the articles had put on it.

Refraining from making a snarky comment, you sent Seokjin a tight smile. You felt like this was all somewhat your fault. Maybe if you hadn’t just abandoned Jeongguk here, your siblings wouldn’t have done the same. Maybe they would have dropped them off at an adoption center, and maybe that would have removed any false hopes of them ever coming back to a home that no longer welcomed them. Maybe you should have done that for Jeongguk, if you hadn’t been so immature, maybe you could have found him a home where he could have thrived, found him a home with someone who actually wanted to spend all their time with him.

With newfound determination, you had a goal. You were going to convince your family to give up their ownership of the hybrids and hand it over to you, which should be easy enough to convince them of, and you would find each and every one of them a perfect home. You are going to fix your mistakes.

For three years you had shared a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with your two roommates. The original leaseholder, a woman named Hana, and the eldest amongst the trio, and Yoongi. Once again, you were the youngest. Whilst Yoongi was always quick to help you, with little gestures, Hana would grow frustrated with your lack of capabilities and did only what she deemed necessary when it came to helping you. She would explain it to you once, and then throw you to the wolves.

Hana was the first on the lease. So she had taken dibs on the master bedroom before renting out the remaining bedrooms. She had the biggest room, a decent-sized walk-in wardrobe, and a small bathroom to keep to herself. Meanwhile, you and Yoongi had come along shortly after Hana. Taking the room furthest down the hall, Yoongi’s bedroom ended up two doors down from yours, the bathroom in between your rooms. You had gotten the final room and the smallest. You were sure it wasn’t even a bedroom, but you didn’t complain. Part of the reason you believed your room wasn't supposed to be used as a bedroom was the thin walls. While Yoongi was sure he couldn’t hear a thing through the walls when in his own room, you could hear everything. It was like the walls were paper.

You never developed any kind of relationship with Hana, she was eager to keep to herself and you weren’t going to push into her bubble, you did however, quickly form a friendship with Yoongi.

Yoongi was incredibly handsome, and you had found yourself shy around him in the first few months. He was always ready to help, doing little things for you that had your heartbeat speeding up. Hot drinks prepared, a warm breakfast, and lunch, are all ready for you in the early hours before you head off to University. Small reminders on the fridge, any food you were running low on added to your grocery lists. Yoongi often even brought you home snacks after his own food shopping, he was quick to notice your favorite snacks.

Aside from the amazing personality you had gotten to know over the years, Yoongi had topped it all off with his good looks. Dark shaggy hair that was more often than not covered with some kind of hat or hood, and pale skin that compliments his pink lips. He was very soft-looking. No matter the weather, Yoongi often wore long-sleeved shirts and sweatpants. During the summer you always fretted over him, worried he was about to give himself heatstroke. He seemed to have considered your worry, swapping his hoodies and long-sleeved shirts out for shorter sleeves. You had noticed the few times that he had worn t-shirts he had large patches stuck onto his skin, it resembled the care process for someone with fresh tattoos. Yoongi was quick to explain it was to treat his eczema. Special creams and homemade remedies are slathered over the irritated skin and kept wrapped up to soak into the inflamed skin.

During your final year of studies, Hana moved out, leaving the apartment lease to you. It didn’t go over your head that Yoongi wasn’t listed on the agreement, and when you had bought it up he had quickly dismissed it.

Now approaching your seventh year living with Yoongi, and adult life in full swing. Whilst you still hadn’t tried to find work in the field you had studied (education), you had found plenty of employment over the years. You liked to think of yourself as the most employable person in the city, you had experience in almost every possible field it was hard to look past your strong work history. Yoongi, on the other hand, had stuck to the same job over the years. You weren’t entirely sure where he worked, the man always elusive when it came to the finer details of his life, had never shared where he worked or what it was he exactly did, giving you a half-assed answer of something with repairing damaged ‘things.’

“Y/n, mail,” Yoongi called out, the sound of the front door slamming shut.

Looking over your shoulder, you watched as Yoongi stumbled slightly as he kicked off his boots, one hand against the wall and the other holding up the pile of letters. Shifting on the sofa so your chest was resting against the back cushions, you wiggled your fingers for the delivery. Yoongi grinned, shaking his head as he dropped the paper into your hands before he fell onto the couch, his legs hanging over the back. Patting his shin, you dropped onto your ass beginning to flick through the small pile. Most of it was ignorable, bills you had already paid and reminders for work that would be commencing on the apartment building in two weeks, advising residents of the noise that would come with the work. Only one envelope caught your attention, the quality better than the rest. Your name was written neatly, the penmanship familiar. The contents felt firm like it was an old photo.

Carefully ripping along the top of the envelope, you plucked out the glossy printing paper. Purple flowers crowded the paper, cursive writing in the center. A groan fell past your lips as sequins were pulled out along with the card, scattering over the couch and rug.

The nonchalant expression you sported melted away so quickly, that even Yoongi raised a curious eyebrow. Your bubbling panic wasn’t due to the short notice, nor the encouragement of a plus one, it was the address. The panic must have been obvious, Yoongi’s body shifting into a sitting position beside you. You could feel the heavy weight of his palm on your shoulder, his thumb rubbing along your clothed collarbone in an attempt to soothe your distress. As if the words would change, your eyes flew over the invite desperate to find any changes to the location, but nothing changed.

We invite you to celebrate

L/N Jiyoo

And

Ahn Chungho

Love in a ceremony

xx/xx/xxxx

Your sister was having her wedding in less than two weeks, at your childhood home.

Yoongi must’ve read the invitation over your shoulder, trying to clue himself into what was causing your reaction. An amused hum tumbled out of his throat. “Shotgun wedding, huh?” His words hold no judgment, only humor.

Plucking the invitation from your fingers, Yoongi gave it a closer look before dropping it beside him, shifting his weight slightly so he could see your face. “Is it too soon, are you worried about finding an outfit?” He asked, his worry lessening when you shook your head.

An outfit was the least of your worries. For the first time in six years, the memory of Jeongguk’s corybantic eyes locking on yours in the rearview mirror remerged into your mind. You felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped over your head. Not a single thought of the hybrids you left behind had invaded your mind since you left, you weren’t supposed to ever see them again. See Jeongguk again. None of the hybrids had been brought along to Jiho’s wedding three years prior; he had married his wife overseas. Not that you had asked about it, your mother had launched into a rant about how hard it would have been to organize traveling passports for the hybrids and how disappointed she was in the process. She had looked into it years ago for Seokjin when they had first started traveling. You didn’t have the heart to tell her that you had been relieved that none of them had attended, that you wanted to keep as much distance between yourself and them as possible. Instead, you gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and told her there was always the next wedding– God you wish you could go back in time and kick yourself in the teeth.

“Yoongi, you should come with me.” The words left your lips before the thought had fully formed.

The sudden proposition had the male beside you locked in place, a nervous laugh awkwardly falling from his lips. Yoongi could feel the desperation bleeding out of you, your fingers gripping the sleeve of his sweater as if you were scared he was going to run away. If you weren’t holding onto him, he was sure he probably would’ve fumbled out some excuse to get away. With your skin so close to touching his, only the fabric putting a barrier between your skin and his, Yoongi could feel any resolve he had against you cracking. It was always hard to turn down any requests you sent his way, they happened so rarely. Yoongi was always desperate to be of service to you, and usually, he was more than happy to accept whatever requests you sent his way… But this seemed like something so out of his depth.

He knew he couldn’t help you, his heart hurting at rejecting you. “Of course sweetheart.” The words tumbled from his tongue before he could stop them.

Before Yoongi could backtrack, your body collided with his, your arms carefully wrapping around his neck as you rested your face in his shoulder. Yoongi could feel the tension melting out of your muscles as you wrapped yourself around him, his arms wrapping securely around your hips. He couldn’t help the way his body relaxed against yours, affection from you was so rare. Not that he would ever admit to it, but Yoongi loved skinship and often found himself touch starved. Over the years, Yoongi had been told he had a ‘resting bitch face’, and it was often hard to approach him. Your interest in him had taken him by surprise, but he was quick to reciprocate it, desperate for a friend. It wasn’t until Hana moved out that Yoongi’s feelings started to develop into something different. He wanted more than friendship from you, but his fear of losing you completely was enough for him to keep his lips shut.

Your words sounded muffled to Yoongi’s ears as you launched into planning mode. The warmth of your body leaving him as you jumped off the sofa, pacing in front of the TV listing off everything that would need to be done before leaving.

“You’re a lifesaver Yoongi, thank you!” You breathed, the anxiety in your chest already oozing away.

This might just work out.

As the brick of your childhood home came into view, you were surprised to find not a single thing had changed. The gardens were still immaculately maintained, the details remaining the same after all this time. The only obvious change you could pick up on was the fresh coat of white paint on the window frames. The driveway was void of any cars, just like it was the morning you left. Unlike then, it filled you with a different base for your anxiety. Leaving had felt so much easier than returning.

The slowing crunch of the cab's tires on the gravel had your heart rate doubling, the familiar sick feeling returning. Your fingers tightened on Yoongi’s, his hand having held your sweaty one the entire two-hour drive. Usually, you would have been embarrassed about the disgusting amount of sweat your palm was able to produce, but you were so wrapped up in your own anxieties to spare even a thought toward it. Besides, by some miracle, Yoongi seemed completely unphased by his soaked hand, his thumb rubbing mindlessly against your knuckles as his eyes took in the scenery. However, his grip did seem to tighten as the cab stilled.

Not wanting to keep the driver waiting, you forced your fingers away from Yoongi’s before stumbling out of the vehicle, running your palms over your jeans to remove some of the sweat, and hopefully some of your embarrassment. Yoongi didn’t move from the car, eyes glued to the house. The driver, however, was quick to leap out of his seat and round the car to pop the trunk for you. Thanking him sheepishly, the driver made a move to grab your bags, not bothering to wait for Yoongi.

“I’ll retrieve Master's bags.”

The familiar voice had your throat drying up, and your skin heating up. Keeping your eyes glued to your bags, trying your best to avoid eye contact with the hybrid that stood on the front porch. Jeongguk’s voice seemed to snap Yoongi out of whatever daze he had been in, his door swinging open with a surprising amount of force. From where you stood, you didn’t see the smug grin on his lips as he eyed up the hybrid.

“No need, I’ve got it.” He chirped, passing the driver before Jeongguk could make a move for the steps.

Yoongi wasted no time getting to your side, giving your hand a quick squeeze before lifting the two large suitcases out of the trunk with ease, shooting the driver a thankful smile before his eyes locked onto you with an unfamiliar giddiness in his eyes. Choosing to ignore the unusual behavior of your roommate, you turned your attention back to the driver. Digging through your purse, you counted the bills before handing them over, thanking the driver once more before leading Yoongi away from the cab.

It wasn’t until the cab was out of sight that your muscles felt too heavy for your body, the weight of your stress making you feel like you were sinking into the earth. You could feel Jeongguk’s fiery eyes locked onto you, the anger emitting from him felt different, worse, than what it had been before Yoongi had stepped out of the cab. While you hadn’t any desire to move from where you stood, Yoongi’s gentle nudge into your bicep had the gears in your joints creaking into action. Your movements were stiff, forced, as you made your way to the porch where Jeongguk still stood, arms crossed over his chest that had somehow managed to widen since you last saw him. All of his body seemed to have grown. His legs and arms are thicker, his shoulders wider, his waist slimmer. The physical changes had made him all the more intimidating.

Paused at the bottom of the steps, your eyes looked anywhere at the hybrid's face. You could feel Yoongi’s chest against your back, his chest rising and falling with ease, you wondered if he was looking at Jeongguk, and if so, why didn’t he seem to feel the same fear as you? You can’t imagine the look on his face is the friendliest. The muscles in your body seemed to have stopped working, unable to move up the steps. It seemed too final. You had hoped to make it into the house, to your room, before Jeongguk had found you. His keen sense of smell and hearing had betrayed you.

“Jeongguk, who is it– Miss Y/n?”

The unfamiliar voice had your neck snapping upward, instantly regretting it as your eyes connected with Jeongguk who looked filthy. You couldn’t help but wonder if you had forgotten what his glares had looked like, felt like, or if he had spent the last six years practicing for this exact moment.

The eyes peeking over Jeongguk’s shoulder were wide in surprise. Whilst the voice hadn’t been familiar, the amber eyes that locked onto you were. You instantly recognized your sister's hybrid Jimin, who had now slipped around Jeongguk, standing in front of him. If only he had been a little taller he could have shielded you from the leopard's burning eyes.

“Miss Y/n, what are you doing here?” The fox hybrid asked brightly, attempting to move down the steps only to be stopped. You could see the fabric of his white shirt being tugged back, you had no doubt Jeongguk’s fingers were wrapped up in the material keeping the elder man in place.

Clearing your throat, you shifted awkwardly on your feet. Did your parents not tell the hybrids you were coming home? Had you got the dates mixed up, or was this all just a trick to get you back home?

“We’re here for the wedding next week,” Yoongi answered, eyes looking down at you. “Aren’t we, sweetheart?”

Your cheeks heated up at the feeling of his breath so close to your ear, a shiver running up your spine. Your neck cracked as you nodded in agreement with Yoongi's words, not wanting to leave him hanging. Any words you had seemed to die on your tongue, your throat closing up when Yoongi’s hand rested on your hip.

“If you boys don’t mind, Y/n and I would like to settle in,” Yoongi spoke up again, covering your ass for the thousandth time today.

Jimin seemed to hesitate, looking up at Jeongguk before looking back at you. The hybrid's eyes seemed to mirror the anxiety you were currently experiencing. But he said nothing. Not even when Yoongi gently nudged you forward with his hip, picking the bags up again. A silent push to get moving. Not wanting to put Yoongi through any more strained conversation (if it could even be called that) you made a move for the steps. Jimin seemed to have picked up on your weariness of Jeongguk, turning himself into a barrier as you squeezed past him. It was an awkward squeeze, Jeongguk standing almost on top of the doorway, but you managed to get through without touching him. Yoongi kept close behind, although you doubt it was because he was nervous, an almost taunting thanks thrown over his shoulder as he jogged after you.

You had found your room with ease, ushering Yoongi in before slamming the door behind you. The man didn’t seem to pick up on your urgency, stalking around your room. His lithe fingers dragged along your walls, dark eyes dancing across every detail of your room. The room looked almost exactly as you had left it, and if you hadn’t been such a particular person you probably wouldn’t have noticed the tiny differences. The scratches on your flooring as if the furniture had been moved, a few missing photos and posters from your walls, the chip in your bed posts, and the curve to the leg of your desk. While you didn’t usually like to accuse people of anything without proof, you were almost 100% sure that someone had been in your room, and you were certain that it had been Jeongguk judging from the damages. You can only assume the hybrid had thrown a fit when he realized you had run off.

“Cute room.” Yoongi’s raspy voice cuts you out of your thoughts, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

“Yeah, for a child.” You snorted, finally pushing away from your door.

Yoongi watched you closely, the tension still clear as day as you tried to joke around. He watched as your palm connected to your mattress, a relieved look crossing your face as no dust sprung into the air. A laugh fell from Yoongi’s chest as you fell face-first into the mattress. Yoongi followed in your lead, only he fell onto his back, staring up at the crisp white roof.

“I didn’t know you had hybrids.” He said after a beat, keeping his tone even.

Your ribs shuddered as you sighed, turning your neck so you finally faced the pretty boy beside you. “It’s complicated.”

Yoongi could feel his interest peak, rolling onto his side and holding his head up with one hand. He grinned at the laugh you let out when he quirked a brow, silently egging you on. Your eyes fluttered shut, but the thoughtful look remained on your features. Yoongi could practically hear the cogs turning in your brain as you looked through memories.

“I suppose, legally, I own a hybrid.” You sighed, your eyes staying shut. “My parents got all of us hybrids when we turned 16. My parents gave me Jeongguk, I just wanted a house cat– not him.”

Yoongi had to force his free hand into a fist, trying to keep himself from reaching out to ease the crease between your brows. “So there's, what– three of them?” Yoongi wondered aloud.

“Six.” You corrected bitterly. “My parents adopted one first. My brother and sister adopted two each, and I have..” You trailed off with a sigh, moving into the same position as Yoongi.

“I don’t know why Jimin is here, Jeongguk and Seokjin should be the only ones here.” The crease between your brows deepened as you fell into your thoughts.

Before you had left home, your brother had already moved out, taking Namjoon and Hoseok with him. Your sister still lived at home, moving out two years after you. From what you had been told she took Taheyung and Jimin with her, so the only two that should still be here would be Seokjin, your parent's hybrid, and Jeongguk. With Jimin being in the house, you wondered if Taehyung was lurking close by. The pair were also glued side by side, never straying too far from one another. You can’t imagine Jimin being so cheerful whilst being separated from his friend. Even when the two were fighting, they still orbited. You didn’t know much about any of the hybrids outside of your own, but even with Jeongguk you were clueless, you weren’t blind to the dynamics that had formed in your home over the years.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in bed. You took a well-needed nap, Yoongi joining you. One of Yoongi’s favorite hobbies, if it could even be considered one, was sleeping. He worked odd hours, so most of the time he was home was spent in a sleep so deep you often wondered if he was dead. Before Hana moved out, Yoongi’s naps had been strictly in his room. But once the woman moved out, Yoongi could be found napping all over the house. It was a cute sight to come home to, especially on the days you come home to him sleeping hunched over the dining table soaking up the sun like a lizard.

Yoongi had been the one to wake you from your nap, a sheepish smile on his pink lips when your bleary eyes connected to him. It took a moment for your eyes to focus in the darkness of the room, you didn’t remember closing the curtain, but maybe Yoongi had done it before he fell asleep. As your eyes trailed around the room, landing on your window, panic shot through your nerves. The curtains were wide open, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The moon had taken its place.

“Shit Yoongi, what time is it?” You groaned, heaving your body up.

“Almost 8.” He grinned, watching you wince. “I would’ve left you to sleep, but I'm hungry.”

Guilt washed over you, what a shitty host you were turning out to be. Your mother would be horrified.

Pushing yourself off the bed you shuffled across the room, flicking the light on. As the light washed over the room, Yoongi grunted, his arm shielding his eyes. You laughed softly, making your way to your suitcase desperate to get your jeans off. Finding a matching sweater and sweatpants, you excused yourself into your wardrobe to quickly change. It was too late to order food from the nearest town, they often closed early on weekdays, and you weren’t sure what the state of the kitchen was. In all honesty, you weren’t even sure if you would be able to navigate your way around the kitchen and its appliances. The most you had ever prepared in the kitchen here had been cereal, otherwise, meals were always prepared by a chef your father had bragged about personally picking.

Leading Yoongi through the house, you gave a brief tour. Making sure he knew where all the necessary parts of the home were, something you should have done before falling asleep. The house was surprisingly well lit, not only were lights on but candles as well. You didn’t miss the tidy-up that had been done throughout the halls and living room as you passed back through, any clutter that you had seen that morning was gone. Knowing Seokjin, he would have been running around trying to make the house look neat and presentable for guests.

As Yoongi asked questions about the home and your childhood, you couldn’t help but wonder if it would be rude to get Yoongi’s help to prepare dinner. He was excellent in the kitchen and was the main cook in your apartment. But here he was a guest, and you were sure your mother would prefer you served up hot coal than ask a guest to cook. It was embarrassing to consider, but you were also starving, and all shame seemed to fly out the door at the thought of a meal prepared by Yoongi.

The lights in the dining room blared through the doorway, and the sound of multiple voices had your hair standing on edge. It sounded like there were more than just the four hybrids you had been expecting. Whilst your pace had slowed significantly, Yoongi had maintained his, desperate to get to the food he had smelt before waking you up. Before you could grab onto the loose fabric of his sweater Yoongi had already presented himself to the busy dining room. The previously loud voices had fallen silent, an uncomfortable feeling washing over the space. Your old socks suddenly become slippery against the wooden flooring as you stumble to catch back up to your roommate.

“Yoongi,” You hissed nervously, eyes peeking over his shoulder.

To your surprise, all six of your family's hybrids were seated at the dining table, eyes narrowed in on your friend. Your fingers tangled into the fabric of Yoongi’s sweater, desperate to pull him away from the furious gazes. Instead, Yoongi’s hand reached around his back, locking onto your wrist as he tugged you forward to his side. His hand dropped your wrist, now settling on your waist. Yet another smug grin was on his lips as he eyed up the six men across from him, and to no surprise, Jeongguk looked ready to jump the table and throttle the newcomer. As the sound of Jeongguk’s chair scraped along the hardwood floors, Namjoon was quick to jump in.

“Miss Y/n, welcome home. It’s been a while.” He greeted smoothly, pulling himself up from his seat.

Swallowing thickly, you forced a smile onto your lips. Not long enough. A fumbled agreement fell past your lips, your throat feeling too tight to speak.

“I’m Namjoon,” The dingo hybrid introduces, turning his attention to your grinning roommate. “We weren’t aware another hyb–”

“Min Yoongi,” You quirked a brow at Yoongi, surprised. In all the years you had known him, you couldn’t think of a single time he had cut anyone off.

You didn’t miss the way Namjoon’s jaw tensed, his tongue poking his cheek in annoyance. This reaction surprised you as well. Not only had Namjoon not used any formal titles on Yoongi, but he was displaying expressions that you had never seen him do before, at least toward humans. The only one of the hybrids that seemed to lack proper training was Jeongguk, but even he never disrespected anyone aside from you.

Yoongi looked down at you smiling sweetly, his hand squeezing your hip gently before looking back at the hybrids. Maybe if you hadn’t melted into a puddle at the smile from your roommate, you would have noticed the looks being sent his way.

“Y/n and I have just come down to eat, we’ll be out of your way–” This time it was Yoongi being cut off.

The sound of a chair hitting the wall broke your eye contact from Yoongi’s side profile, finding Jeongguk practically tearing across the dining table. The five around him were quickly trying to grab onto his clothes and limbs to keep him in place.

“How dare you speak master’s name!” He spat, blindly clawing at the hands that gripped onto him. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Jeongguk’s reaction seemed to excite Yoongi, his grin widening and his eyes going wildly large. Pointing a pale finger into his chest, silently asking the leopard hybrid ‘Me?’ This only seemed to infuriate Jeongguk further, his nails tearing into the wood of the table leaving chips and scratches. The whole situation had your brain spinning, you couldn’t understand why Jeongguk was so angry. Your ears were ringing as Jeongguk hurled insults toward Yoongi, who cackled beside you, not a single hint of fear on his face, only humor. Namjoon was scolding the youngest of the men, his hands wrapped around the collar of Jeongguk’s black shirt. Everything seemed to slow down when Jeongguk’s eyes found yours, locking on. Your body froze up, unable to pull your gaze away from his. For the first time, Jeongguk looked at you with a swirl of emotions, disgust and hurt. The stare had you shifting awkwardly, your brain begging your muscles to move, to look away.

“Master, you replaced me with a fucking worm?” Jeongguk laughed, with disbelief on his face. The confusion on your face must’ve been evident, the leopard's eyes flickering over to Yoongi who looked like he had just had his own mother disrespected. It was the first time since getting to the kitchen that Yoongi wasn’t smiling anymore, instead a warning look was firm on his usually soft features.

This time, Jeongguk looked thrilled. His body went limp, pulling back off his hands. He sat on the back of his heels, eyes moving between yours and Yoongi’s, grinning like a man handed the keys to the universe. You had never seen Jeongguk smile, the sight had your stomach churning.

“Master, what is Yoongi?” He asked, ignoring Namjoon warningly calling his name.

You looked up to Yoongi, confused. The pale man looked paler than usual, his jaw set in anger. You had never seen Yoongi look so furious, his grip on your hip tightening, his bony fingers digging into your skin despite the thick cotton of your pants.

“My roommate?” You answered although it came out more like a question. Shaking your head, you looked around at seven different sets of eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand, what's happening?”

Jeongguk shook his head, his smile turning gleeful. In any other situation, you would have thought he looked cute, but right now it had your nerves on edge.

“But what else master?” He pressed, crawling across the table. At this moment, Jeongguk had never resembled the predator in his DNA more.

You guessed that the five other hybrids didn’t see Jeongguk as a threat anymore, their hands falling away from his limbs. You wished they hadn’t, you feared him more now than you did when he looked like he was going to rip Yoongi to shreds. Looking up at Yoongi, you noticed the way his tongue pushed against his cheek, a warning look searing toward Jeongguk going ignored.

“You gonna tell Master, or am I Wormy?”

Namjoon answered instead. “Jeongguk, drop it.”

The leopard's eyes finally broke away from yours, meeting Namjoon's with a glare. “Why should I?” He scoffed, eyes meeting yours once again. “Master deserves to know.”

Jeongguk’s games were starting to frustrate you, for whatever reason everyone was beating around the bush. You just wanted to eat, but now all you could think about was get the fuck out of the room. Desperate for everything to be over with, you shifted out of Yoongi’s grip, gently shoving his hip with your fingertips. Obeying, Yoongi shifted his attention to you, smiling weakly. The anger had melted away once he found your eyes, instead, he looked guilty. The look had your heart hitting your ribcage.

“What's he talking about?” Your words sounded more desperate than you would have liked. Yoongi began to shake his head as if he was about to brush everything off. Tell you to forget everything they said, what had happened, and you would have. Coming here was a mistake.

Before Yoongi could find his words, Jeongguk shoved him. The elder man stumbled, hitting the doorframe. You weren’t surprised when Yoongi did nothing in return, because what could he do? The strength of a human compared to a hybrid was immeasurable. Hatred pooled into his dark eyes as he stared at the side of Jeongguk’s head, his hands balled up at his side as if he was contemplating swinging.