Chapter Text
“Hyung, look here.” Taehyung takes his older boyfriend by the arm and drags Namjoon over to the next window. They’re in the hallway of a hybrid adoption centre, trying to pick which hybrid to adopt into their family of six. The hallway consists of room after room of classes where there are different lessons carried out by the staff of the centre. Painting, dancing, yoga and many others, all full of adorable hybrids trying their best to gain a new skill.
Namjoon lets himself be pulled to the next window where they can see a baking class taking place. The rooms are built in such a way so that there’s a large two-way mirror on one side where prospective buyers can survey the hybrids without the hybrids knowing that they are being watched, it helps the buyers see how the hybrids behave under normal circumstances. Namjoon follows the point of Taehyung’s fingers and he sees a beautiful cat hybrid sitting just beside the window and sifting flour into a large bowl. The hybrid’s skin is fair and Namjoon can tell it’s soft and smooth just by looking at it and his hair is a very light blond, fluffy and falls over his brows as he leans down to check the flour. The hybrid’s tail is the same colour as his hair but speckled with white spots and it hangs long and beautiful behind him. He looks like an angel , Namjoon thinks.
“I see you’ve got your eyes on Jimin,” The staff who is accompanying them smiles as she approaches, “He’s a popular pick among our buyers but most drop out and never did end up adopting him.”
Taehyung looks over, “Oh? Why?”
“He’s been given up by his old owner. It’s not through any fault of his though,” The staff takes in a deep breath, “Some owners are just incapable of giving proper care and love to a hybrid so they send the hybrids to us. We take in strays and abandoned hybrids too as I’m sure you know so we’re more than happy to take Jimin in.”
As they watch, another hybrid who’s working at the same table as Jimin comes up and boops Jimin’s nose with a flour-stained finger. The dog hybrid then leans in and licks it off the cat hybrid’s nose which makes Jimin blush a very pretty pink, it almost makes Taehyung swoon and Namjoon knows there’s no use looking at the other rooms. They’ll be adopting Jimin for sure.
“But that still doesn’t explain why other people would drop out of buying him.” Taehyung says.
The staff smiles, “Yes, well. Some prefer hybrids that are ‘brand new’ for lack of a better term. They refuse to adopt a hybrid that’s been abandoned even if those hybrids are usually just as sweet and well-behaved as our facility-raised hybrids are.”
“How shallow.” Taehyung responds.
The staff can only smile sadly as she nods in agreement.
“Would you like to move on to the other rooms? We have-” She’s cut off as Namjoon turns and smiling apologetically, he says, “I think we’ve made our decision, right babe?” He turns to Taehyung and the younger man nods.
“If it’s Jimin, I’m afraid I’ll have to brief you a bit before I can let you meet him. I’m sorry but he gets very sad whenever a potential owner backs out of the purchase. I’ll need to make sure you understand what adopting him will entail.” She smiles and asks, “Would it be alright if we have a chat in my office first?”
“Yes, of course.” Namjoon says and he follows the staff down the hallway.
“Jimin still has another half an hour before his leisure time, if all goes well you can still meet him today.” She says as she leads the two men down a corridor and up a flight of steps where she opens the first door to the right and gestures for the men to step inside.
“Would you like coffee?”
“No thank you, Miss Lee.”
“Call me Soomin. You sure you don’t want anything to drink?” She asks as she moves toward her desk and sits across from the men.
“Yep, we’re sure.” Taehyung confirms.
“Alright then,” Soomin swivels her chair around so that she’s facing the floor to ceiling shelf in her room and retrieves a file, “I’ll let you know the basic info on Jimin and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.” She opens the file and Namjoon can see a headshot of Jimin smiling up at him on the first page. He finds himself smiling at the picture and Taehyung sniggers beside him, “Looks like we’ve both got it bad.”
Namjoon doesn’t even have a comeback for that so he reaches a hand out to hold Taehyung’s hand in his. It feels unreal that they’re finally doing this after discussing about it for so long.
“Okay, so Park Jimin is a cat hybrid as I’m sure you’ve noticed and he recently turned 18 years old. Just last week in fact. He’s been with us for a year and 4 months.” She looks up at the men then and her expression is now no longer the friendly staff that had shown them around earlier, now she looks sad and even a little angry.
“He came to us over a year ago with nothing but the clothes on his back and a backpack with a letter slipped inside. The letter said for us to take Jimin in and accept the cheque included as payment for all that he might need, the person had given us a lot and even if he hadn’t we would have still taken Jimin in but with the money comes an unspoken agreement that we’re to be discreet about it. It’s obvious that Jimin’s been abused, there were bruises all over him and he was visibly scared and shaken.” She rubs her face tiredly, “Some of the staff had wanted to go to the police of course, hybrid abuse is outlawed and has severe repercussions but for reasons I can’t disclose, we were forbidden to do so. So we took him in and we cared for him and trained him just like we’d do with any hybrid that came to us.”
“He’s very sweet, I really have no other words that would describe him best.” Soomin smiles as she flips through the pages of Jimin’s file, “He’s quite independent too although like any other hybrid, he still needs constant care and affection. He’s good with children and pets so you won’t have to worry about him not getting along with your kids, if you have any. Only, he takes a while to get used to new people. He’s very shy and I think his past abuse has made him a bit distrustful of humans in general.” She takes a deep breath before continuing, “The reason I’m telling you this is for you to know that Jimin’s been hurt before. We don’t know to what extent since he never would talk about it but sometimes he still wakes up from his sleep crying and some days he’s more subdued. If you do adopt him, you need to be able to care for him and assure him continuously that he’s okay. He worries a lot, he’s asked me before if the reason he was thrown out and nobody would adopt him is because he’s not good enough.”
“Oh,”
Namjoon gives Taehyung’s hand a squeeze as he hears the sound of a sniffle. He knows Taehyung’s always been sensitive and often cries when he sees others crying, even when he doesn’t know the reason for it. He asks Soomin, “When he first came, was he dropped off here or?”
“No. He had to walk. The only thing he would tell us was that his old owner told him to get out and come here. He was told to get on a bus but I don’t think he’s ever been out on his own before. He got lost and a few highschoolers found him crying at the back of the bus so they helped him out and brought him to us. I don’t like to think of what would have happened had they not helped him.”
Namjoon can feel himself getting angry just thinking about the poor hybrid getting lost and afraid all on his own. What kind of person would do that to a harmless hybrid? , he thinks. “Do you know how long he was with his old owner? And how they got to adopt him in the first place?” Namjoon asks.
“No, Jimin won’t talk much about his old owners and we don’t like to pry since it makes him sad. We have a database that connects all the hybrid centres in South Korea, you can enter a hybrid’s name and find to which centre they belong to. We tried that but nothing came up for Jimin so we’re guessing that he was born as one of the sons of his old owner’s hybrid but that’s just a guess, of course. Nobody really knows and maybe one day you can ask Jimin for yourself.” Soomin closes Jimin’s file and looks at the two men in front of her, “Well, would you still like to adopt him? It’s completely fine if you want to back out now since Jimin hasn’t met you yet and there are many other hybrids that you can choose to adopt.”
Namjoon knows it’s a yes for him but he still wants Taehyung’s input so he looks at his boyfriend and the younger man looks up and smiles.
“Of course, we’d love to have him.” Taehyung says and Soomin beams at him.
“We’ll have to send a few staff over at your home to make sure it’s in good condition for Jimin. Nothing much, just making sure he has a proper room to sleep in and a comfortable home. Is it just the two of you?”
Namjoon looks sheepish and he says, “No, there are four others. We all live together.”
Soomin just looks open-mouthed at Namjoon for a while before she realises that she’s staring for too long and she abruptly closes her mouth and plasters her professional smile back on her face.
“Sorry,” She laughs, “It’s just I rarely hear of it.”
“Don’t worry, we understand.” Taehyung smiles.
“Well, you’ve all discussed and agreed on adopting a hybrid right?”
As the two men assure her that they have, she goes on, “I’ll have you have a bit of a chat with Jimin after this. Then, you can keep coming back to the centre to visit him before you bring him home. It might all take a while as we do need to run some background check on all of our hybrids’ potential owners so all six of you will have to be present when our staff pays a home visit. Would that be possible?”
“Definitely.” Namjoon affirms.
“Great! I’ll let you know when we’ll be going. Shall we move to the Lounge? I’ll bring Jimin to meet you there.”
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Jimin hangs up his apron on the hooks available at the back of the room and after giving his thanks to the staff who had taught them how to bake chocolate cake, he leaves the room with his hybrid friends. He sees Soomin waving him over and he walks over to her with a smile.
“Hey, Jimin. Had fun baking?”
“Yes nuna. We made chocolate cakes and Geuntae hyung said we’ll eat them for desserts tonight!”
Soomin scratches the base of the hybrid’s ears fondly and laughs as Jimin leans even closer to her so he can get it done for longer. Jimin really enjoys ear scratches and Soomin makes a mental note to relay the information to his future owners.
“Jimin-ah, a couple adopters would like to see you.”
Jimin looks up at Soomin in unconcealed excitement, “Really?”
“Mhm, they’re in the lounge. Let’s go.”
Jimin follows Soomin down the hallway and into another area of the centre where there’s a large hall with multiple doors lining the walls that each leads to different lounge rooms. It allows for a space where the potential owners can have a chat and interact with their hybrids personally before the adoption. As they near one of the doors, Jimin suddenly feels nervous and Soomin can tell that he is just from the way he’s looking downwards and how he seems to have lost the cheerful energy he had earlier. They stop outside the door and Soomin rubs Jimin’s arm endearingly, “You ready? You don’t have to be nervous, they saw you baking just now and fell in love.”
Jimin feels heat creeping up his face and he smiles softly at Soomin before nodding to show that he’s ready. Soomin opens the door and they enter a large room with couches and sofas arranged in clusters so that multiple adopters can meet their hybrids comfortably but still with careful supervision from the staff who’s available for any questions or requests. The staff generally stay off to one side of the room where they supervise without looking too overbearing and they only intervene if they see a hybrid gets visibly uncomfortable or if an adopter is being too touchy. There’s only two other groups in the room currently. One is a pair of adopters with a bunny hybrid whose tail is twitching in excitement and another is a couple of men whose faces brighten as they see Jimin.
Soomin leads the hybrid towards Namjoon and Taehyung and they stand up as Jimin and Soomin approach.
“Hi again,” Soomin smiles, “Jimin, this is Mr. Kim Namjoon and this here is his boyfriend, Mr. Kim Taehyung. Come, say hello.” Soomin gently extricates the hybrid from behind her where he’s peeking out from the side of her legs while clutching at her pants. The hybrid glances at the two men before his shyness takes over and he bows before saying, “Hello, I’m Park Jimin. Nice to meet you.” His face blushes as he does so and he keeps his eyes trained on the floor out of nervousness.
Namjoon and Taehyung are beside themselves with fondness for the shy little hybrid and they feel like taking him home right that instant. The hybrid's wearing black shorts with a white t-shirt that has a logo of the centre on the back, it's what all the hybrids there wear and even though it's a uniform, it's cute as heck. The centre is careful to tailor the outfits to ensure it shows just the right amount of flesh while still being conservative to allow the hybrids' adorable and innocent side to seep through. They thank Soomin as she excuses herself and then it’s just them and Jimin.
“Jimin? Would you like to sit down?” Taehyung asks as he pats the sofa spot next to him. Namjoon is sitting on the couch next to the sofa and it will be a good way for them to sit close to the hybrid without overcrowding him. Jimin nods and sits with a soft thank you .
Namjoon doesn’t really know what to say or do, he’s never had any experience with hybrids before and the main reason they had all agreed to take in a hybrid is because it’s something that Jungkook and Taehyung had been begging for for ages. Of course they’re all aware to pitch in and care for the hybrid together but the maknaes of the group are the more knowledgeable ones when it comes to hybrids.
“Have you finished your baking class?” Taehyung asks.
“Yes, Mr. Kim.”
“Oh, call me Tae.”
Jimin looks up in surprise, “But, you’re older than me.”
“It doesn’t matter. I really prefer Tae.” Taehyung smiles and he reaches out a hand to swipe the hybrid’s cheeks where there’s a spot of flour, “You’re really cute.”
Jimin blushes again and he swipes his cheeks in alarm, how could I not have noticed? , he thinks.
“It’s okay, it’s all gone now. What did you bake?” Namjoon asks as a way to make the hybrid less self-conscious. He’s close enough to smell the hybrid’s sweet scent of honey it seems. It’s intoxicating when mixed with the bakery smell that clings to Jimin’s skin from his cake-baking session. Jimin looks up at Namjoon and smiles slightly, “Chocolate cake.”
“Do you like baking?”
“Yes, Mr. Kim. I like it a lot.”
“Call me hyung, Jimin.” Namjoon smiles, “You don’t have to be formal with us, it’s okay.”
Jimin just smiles and looks down at his lap again. His tail is wrapped around himself and Taehyung knows that to mean that the poor thing’s feeling anxious. Taehyung realises that up close, Jimin’s even more beautiful and his side profile is immaculate. His cheeks are cherubic and rosy and his plump lips look beautiful. His eyes are also soft, a hazel colour that somehow compliments his soft blond hair. Everything about him exudes innocence and gentleness but the hybrid seems to have a certain alluring quality as well. Taehyung leans in to Jimin, “Can I touch your ears?”
He can’t help it. The cat ears look so pretty, the same colour as the hybrid’s hair with white around the edges. He waits for Jimin’s permission and as the hybrid nods (turning a soft pink again as he does so), he gently strokes the hybrid’s ear before scratching the base like how he had seen a caretaker do to one hybrid earlier. Namjoon watches as Taehyung’s gentle scratches seem to relax the hybrid and ease his tension, Jimin’s eyes are now closed and he looks at peace instead of anxious like he was before. As Taehyung continues, both men can hear contented purring coming from Jimin and they smile at each other in delight.
Taehyung slowly eases his scratches before stopping and Jimin opens his eyes to find both men staring at him. He moves his small hands to cover his face and Namjoon laughs softly, “Jimin, it’s okay. Do you like getting your ears scratched?”
The hybrid nods while still hiding his face and Taehyung gently pulls the hybrid’s hands away, “Don’t do that, we’d like to see your pretty face.”
“What other classes do you take here?” Namjoon inquires, he knows that the hybrids take a bit of everything with a couple or three focuses on certain classes that they enjoy. He’d like to know what Jimin likes doing most.
The question distracts Jimin from his embarrassment for purring earlier and he goes on a spiel of the classes he’s taking. He enjoys learning and the centre offers almost everything that the hybrids can do from beginner’s guide to cooking to chef level and others too like sketching, gymnastics and singing. They have everything to ensure that the hybrids can pick up a broad range of skills that would impress potential owners.
“I take a lot but the centre lets me focus more on cooking, dancing and baking since I like those best. I like cooking too but it’s more difficult and Yeonjun hyung says I’m too clumsy so he wouldn’t let me move past the beginner’s level yet.” Jimin blushes slightly as he divulges this information and he looks up at Namjoon shyly, “Can I also bake if I live in your home?”
Taehyung has to cover his mouth for fear he would let loose an audible swoon and he’s beaming at Namjoon who’s staring in delighted surprise at Jimin, he’s glad that the hybrid has already asked about his future life with them.
They take a tad too long to answer which makes Jimin backtracks in shame, “I’m s-sorry. I didn’t mean to ask that, you’re still deciding and-”
“No, we’ve decided. We’re definitely taking you home and yes Jimin, you can bake all you want.” Namjoon says, taking the hybrid’s small hands in his and squeezing them assuringly.
“In fact, Seokjin hyung’s a chef. He’s gonna have so much fun teaching you lots of stuff in the kitchen.” Taehyung adds and Jimin turns around to face him, “Who’s Seokjin hyung?”
“He’s going to be your owner too. There’s six of us but the rest couldn’t make it because they have work.” Taehyung explains and he ruffles Jimin’s hair fondly, “Don’t worry though, you’ll get to meet them soon enough.”
“You do want to come home with us, yes?” Namjoon asks.
“Yes, hyung!” Jimin exclaims, face flushed with excitement but then he looks down again and says in a much softer voice, “I-If you want me to that is.”
“Of course we want to, that’s why we’re here. Namjoon hyung couldn’t stop smiling when he saw you baking just now,” Taehyung ignores the death stare that Namjoon gives him and caresses Jimin’s cheek gently, “You really are the prettiest hybrid we’ve ever seen.”
Jimin’s heart feels like it would burst from all the kindness that these two men are giving him. However, there’s a small, more stubborn part in his heart that keeps telling him not to get carried away. How many times has he been disappointed by past adopters? They always say the same thing, ‘We’d love to take you in Jimin, but we’re not sure we can give you the care that you need.’ The sadness he feels everytime upon hearing those words hurts to think about. He wonders if these two men would also back out after knowing about his past.
Soomin comes over then and she apologises for interrupting their time together.
“Jimin needs to go now, we give them a couple hours of leisure each day before dinner so they won’t get too frazzled with all the activities.” She explains as she sits herself down on the adjacent couch while another staff member leads Jimin away. The hybrid stands and he bows to the men and says, “Goodbye, thank you for talking to me.” before leaving with the staff.
The men watch as he leaves and they can’t help feeling sorry for him. He seems to be happy just now but they know he’s wary and trying not to let himself hope too much. Taehyung also notices how the hybrid’s beautiful tail lies limp behind him as he walks away, a sure sign of unease and sadness.
“How was he?” Soomin asks.
Namjoon smiles, “He’s adorable. Just as sweet as you mentioned but he also seems,” Namjoon looks at Taehyung for help and the younger man pipes up, “He seems sad. Although maybe he’s just shy, I don’t know. I feel like he doesn’t really believe us when we told him we’re taking him home.”
Soomin nods and she sighs, “Yes well, that’s something we hope you’d help Jimin with. It’s hard for a hybrid to be abandoned cruelly like he was to learn to trust again but he’s a sweetheart, I’m sure in time he’ll be happy with your family.” She checks her watch and looks up at them, “My shift is about to end, can we continue this in my office? There is some paperwork you’ll need to sign, nothing definite of course. It’s just your agreement for us to visit and inspect your home and also I’ll hand over Jimin’s file to you so you can read up the more personal aspects of him. Shall we?”
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“Jimin’s a virgin.” Taehyung says as he flips through the hybrid’s file in the car.
“Oh?”
“Mhm, guess we’ll have to be his first.”
Namjoon swats Taehyung lightly on the arm, “Perv. You could’ve at least controlled yourself just now. Asking to scratch his ears.” Namjoon huffs in amusement.
“As if you didn’t enjoy the sexy purr he let out when I did that.” Taehyung objects and Namjoon just laughs because it’s true, he finds Jimin to be both innocent yet enticing. It’d be fun to see how the rest of his boyfriends would react upon meeting the hybrid. They’ve got tons of photos of Jimin that the centre included in the file but beautiful though the pictures are, nothing can compare to seeing the hybrid face to face.
“Junseok, drop me off at the firm first please.” Namjoon says to his driver and he smiles apologetically at the look of disappointment that Taehyung gives him, “I’m sorry Tae, a client insists I meet her today. I’ll try to be back before dinner. Don’t tell them about Jimin yet, I want to be there when you do.”
“Hmph, fine. You better not be late, I can’t wait to see how Kookie would react to this.” Taehyung holds up a photo of Jimin smiling sweetly at them with a Santa hat on top of his fluffy hair. The centre celebrates festivities with the hybrid and they’ve seen a couple photos of the hybrid wearing a wolf costume for Halloween and another of him painting eggs for Easter.
“Aish, I could just eat him up.” Taehyung swoons as he unearths some more photos in one of the files that Soomin had handed to them.