A/N: Towards the end, I’ve marked a paragraph with an asterisk, at that point I was switching between Y/n and Jimin’s POV. Didn’t want to throw off the chapter by putting that there in the chapter. So I’m warning you now!
Genre: hybrid!au. Fluff. ANGST.
Warnings: Mentions of sex. Hybrid/human. ANGST AF.
Summary: Bringing Jimin home is an adventure. He opens up to you a little bit.
ONE. TWO.THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX.
Dr. Ravi had given you a folder with tips, tricks, and other facts that you’d need to know about hybrids in general and even sugar glider specific information. You figured you’d do some reading tonight before bed. It didn’t seem like much inside and he assured you someone would always be able to answer any question on either phone line, if you’d thought of something that needed to be answered. Taking Jimin home was feeling surreal. It really made you wonder what karmic debt you’d payed off in order to receive this cutie.
As you waited for Jimin outside of the office, your mind wandered off to what home life would be. You were excited to make your own traditions and to have your days filled with a companion. When you heard footsteps coming from down the hall, you looked up to meet Jimin’s eyes locked on you. Jimin had changed into a pair of jeans and comfy t-shirt. He started to smile at you and you returned it as he made his way down the hallway. He seemed eager to catch up with you, walking ahead of the worker that was escorting him. She smiled at you as well and walked a little quicker to match his pace and meet up with you.
“See Jimin! I told you she was going to wait for you. Jungkook stayed behind because his new owner is working just down the hall.” She explained to the hybrid. Then she looked at you. “Hi, I’m Dr. Lizzy. Jimin here thought you’d leave before he finished packing. He got especially worried when he saw that Jungkook, who also got adopted today, was still here.” She looked at him assessing his reaction to her explanation, but he seemed to only pay attention to you.
He was fidgeting a little where he stood. You could tell he was still unsure of what was going to happen. You looked him in the eyes and tried to reassure him. “I’d never intentionally leave you. Especially since you choose me.” You punctuated this statement with a smile, one he quickly reciprocated.
He then looked over at the doctor, finally addressing her. “I-I knew she liked me… I just wasn’t sure if I’d go home with her today. I wanted to be sure.” Then he blushed as you made eye contact and it was so endearing you were practically having a cuteness overload. He looked down again and started to fiddle with his hands.
Jimin was once again hesitant towards initiating anything with you. For him being taller than you, it was such an endearing trait of his to look down at you with a question in his eyes. You knew he wanted to be close again, you were sure of it. You wondered if you should make him sweat a little bit, hoping he’d be interested enough to start any skinship he’d wanted to have with you.
You’d exchanged farewells with the doctor and she was already off to her next task.
So you smiled a sweet smile laced with mischief. “Jimin? Are you ready to go home?” You asked him in a soft voice and you saw his sugar glider ears atop his head twitch cutely as they picked up what you’d said. Then he nodded a quick yes. “Then let’s go.” Your hand went out to signal ‘let’s go’ and you turned to head out of the main entrance. He mistook it for you reaching out to hold his hand. You were already walking and unbeknownst to you, he was following behind you, but not very closely. You heard a slight whimper and looked back at him.
You realized you made a mistake by trying to push him further than he was ready to be pushed. He mistook your gesture for an invitation to be close. And then when you walked on it must have hurt him especially since he wasn’t sure of what was actually going to happen today. You had to remembered this was his first meeting with you and he wasn’t bonded or even truly fond of you yet. All you knew was that he liked your scent.
Maybe you were a little more used to Hobi’s sunny disposition and extroverted personality. You could toy with Hobi like this and he’d bounce back unphased by you. However, Jimin seemed too sensitive for even the slightest of teasing. Maybe it was simply because he didn’t know you yet?
Feeling bad about toying with Jimin caused you to stop in your tracks as you held out your hand behind you, and Jimin picked up his speed to link hands with you. His furrowed brows relaxed slightly and you realized this must be very stressful for him. You walked out of the front doors making your way to your car.
Thinking back to the pairing room and realizing that there was still 2 hybrids that hadn’t been adopted yet. They seemed to be over people waltzing through looking for a match. Jimin must have endured lots of other possible pairings like this. And then there was the fact that no one got to choose the hybrid they wanted, it was the other way around. You could have just been the best smelling person to Jimin, not necessarily his bonded ‘mate’. You felt a little depressed at this thought, not feeling as special as you had earlier. You got to your car and pushed the button on your remote to open the trunk.
You told Jimin his bag could go here and he placed it down gently and then you lowered the trunk door. You walked around to the passenger side with Jimin still holding on to your hand. You opened the door for him, not sure if he’d ever ridden in a car.
Just then you felt his grip on your hand tighten and he was standing slightly to the side of you practically holding your arm to his chest. You barely heard his soft voice. “Are you sad that I chose you?” You stopped what you were doing and turned to make eye contact with Jimin. “You know how I’m feeling?” He nodded in confirmation and he hesitated before he continued on. “You smell sad, and a little bit like you’re reminiscing. Are you wishing that Jackson had chosen you? I saw that you looked at him first.” You were taken aback, feeling a little violated. Jimin’s nose was sniffing in your direction and he must have picked this up too. “Would you like to return me now? This was the closest to getting a mate I’ve ever been. Taehyung told me no one wants to adopt a hybrid that does weird things. None of my litter mates can sense emotions like me.” His explanation was a little emotional, making you want to try your best to tried to exude sympathy.
You gripped his hand back as tightly as he was holding on to yours and his eyes connected with your eyes. “You chose me Jimin. You must have liked something and I’m honored. I’m sad that I wasn’t being sensitive enough towards your needs earlier and I was wondering how good of an owner I’ll actually be for you. That might have been the regret you picked up.” He looked at you and the smallest smile tugged at his lips before disappearing. Yet again, he seemed hesitant. But you could see that he wanted to say something else. “You might not like this very much cause no one else did, but I can smell that you’re being honest.”
You were sure if it were possible your eyes would have popped out of your skull right then. He could smell your honesty? You were in awe of your tall, little fluffy who was also a lie detector. You let go of his hand and he whimpered at the loss of contact. It pulled at your heart a little and you felt bad although you only wanted to pull him in for a hug. You walked forward to close the distance between the two of you and gently place your hands on his shoulders, sliding them around his neck as you pulled him close to you. He acquiesced when he realized you were only trying to hug him and then his arms snaked around your back and he squeezed tightly. You rubbed his back with one hand and carded you fingers through his hair with the other. Staying away from his ears and not wanting to push him farther than you already had you simply enjoyed the embrace and let your feelings of happiness flow.
However, you were feeling a little peckish and pulled back from the embrace. Jimin relented too, but you were sure he wanted to stay right where he was. You brought your hands to cup his face and brought his forehead down as you rose on your tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his forehead and then one more on his nose because you just couldn’t resist. He smiled at the affection and his cheeks turned the palest of pinks. You’d be kissing him more often to see him blush like that.
He let you seat him in the passengers side and show him how to work the seatbelt. You walked over to the drivers side passing by the front of the car so Jimin could see you and not feel alone even for a second.
The drive home was pretty quiet. Jimin was thoroughly fascinated with everything that passed by his window and he asked only a few questions in a quiet voice. You were happy to answer them. He seemed fine on the car ride home, drinking in everything that there was to see. You reached over a few times to squeeze his knee or to link hands and he thoroughly enjoyed it. As you neared your house and turned on to your block Jimin must have sensed that you felt like you were at home because he announced it before you pulled into the driveway.
“We’re finally home!” He looked at you and returned your smile when he gave you the good news. You both exited the car and you noticed he walked a bit faster to meet up with you at the trunk. You opened it and he grabbed his bag. He was beaming and it seemed to be the first time that he wasn’t solely focused on you. Your front yard was nicely manicured with a stepstone walkway leading to the front door. You grabbed his hand and lead him to the front door and unlocked it.
He entered his new home mimicking your behavior as he was unsure of what to do. He followed suit as you took off your shoes in the entryway and when you dropped your keys in your catchall bowl and hung your purse on your rack he followed suit with his duffle bag. It was cute and made him feel a little more at peace you supposed. You also couldn’t help but notice he was mesmerized and couldn’t stop looking around. His eyes were darting back and forth between every possible thing there was to see. Maybe he was so used to the sterile black and white environment of the lab that your house felt like an explosion of color and personality for him.
You placed your hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “You can look around and make yourself at home or I can show you the house? Either way is fine with me.” He hadn’t stopped looking around even though you addressed him and the only thing that alerted you to knowing he heard you was that his ears had twitched in response to your voice. The furrow of his brow suggested that he was contemplating between the two options. This was a difficult decision for him it seemed. He wanted to see the house of his own accord and yet he wanted you with him. You realized you the options might have seemed as though he had to choose. To make it easier on him you reached for his hand and told him to lead the way.
His furrowed brow relaxed as he led you into the living room. The couch was plush and cozy and it seemed to call out to him. He ran his free hand over the fabric and as he walked further into the room looking at everything displayed and your large mural of an ocean floor seemed to catch his eye for a few quiet moments.
He continued into the kitchen and admired the room. He went straight to the fridge to investigate it. You helped him out by opening it and showing him that it kept food. He was enthralled, sharing that he was only ever brought food, not knowing that it could be kept. He got bored of the fridge quickly, his attention pulled to the appliances that were neatly displayed on your counters. As he finished looking them over, his line of sigh moved to the french doors that overlooked your pride and joy. He was enthralled by the warm and inviting picture of going outside.
He looked down at you as if asking permission and you showed him how to unlock the door. You let him try it and he did so with ease. This time you grabbed his hand and led him outside, not wanting any repeats of earlier moments of uncertainty on his part.
Jimin was enraptured by your garden and you let his hand go. “Why don’t you go and smell the flowers? Explore a little bit. I’m going to be right behind you.” He hesitated, but his curiosity won this time, walking to the edge of the flowerbed and bending over to sniff at the wildflowers. After following behind him for a little, you were a bit warm. You wanted to cool off under some shade.
“Jimin!” You whispered, knowing he’d hear you. He looked back as you pointed to the swing. He nodded and you made your way to the wooden swing, taking a seat in the shade and watching him enjoy the beauty you created.
After a few minutes, he walked to the swing taking a seat. You were seated at the far end of the double seater swing and Jimin was at the other end. You were wondering if he was just testing your patience. He must have sensed the slight annoyance radiating off of you, because he you saw his shoulders slump inwards. Sighing more at yourself than him, you would just have to learn to keep your emotions in check. “Jimin. If you want to be near me, I don’t mind. You don’t have to sit so far away.” He finally made eye contact, unsure of what he would see reflecting in your eyes. He saw a small smile on your face and he mustered the first round of courage to scoot over a little bit. You smiled at his attempt. So you scooted over too, making sure to not touch him. And then he closed the distance stopping when your thighs touched. You noticed he really liked skinship, wondered if that would be in the file, or if it was just a Jimin thing.
With a slight breeze and the swing set lazily moving in a steady pace you felt that wonderful hazy feeling from being outside. Jimin must have felt it too. He was leaning on you and he looked as if he was ready for a nap.
Closing your eyes, you felt like you could drift off. And you felt bold enough to ask a question that had been on your mind. “Why did you choose me today? You told me you liked how I smelled, but I think there’s more to it.”
You were hoping he’d give you some insight of his life at the clinic. “I wasn’t let outside often. But it was really fun when I did go. I really liked the flowers because they smelled so good. I’d pick them and this one doctor, her name was , showed me how to make a flower crown when I was little. I really liked her, but I think something happened and I didn’t see her after a little while. She told me I deserved to be treated better. And the other doctors didn’t like it. So after she left I always made them to remind me of her. But I stopped after I met the rest of my litter. They made fun of me for it, calling me a girl because I could sense emotions. They made fun of my soft voice and that I was quiet. They told me no one would want a hybrid like me, they wanted a happy and entertaining hybrid to keep them company. It hurt cause they told us that we needed to get adopted, that we were failures if we couldn’t be appealing to someone, and some of the doctors didn’t like that I could tell when they were lying to us and told me the same things.” He exhaled shakily, pouring out his past.
You leaned over to rest your head on his shoulder and wrapped both of your arms around his arm and held on to him. You didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. You also felt bad as you had sparked this conversation.
He sighed and leaned his head a top yours, inhaling deeply and continuing his story. “It stopped one day though. They didn’t use that against us anymore. Something must have happened. But I did have a friend, Seulgi, we met a few years ago. Since a few of her litter mates had died they introduced our litters. She was nice to me. Told the others to leave me alone and stood up for me. We did everything together. I think she might have liked me as a mate and I started to think of her as my mate. She was fierce and assertive and I’m so quiet and soft spoken that we made a good match. And she cared for me so much. almost as much as I cared for her.” Jimin inhaled and the top of your head started to feel a little damp. His breathing speed up a little and you were still at a loss of what to do, you just held on to him rubbing small circles on his hand to comfort him.
“But she didn’t make it. Didn’t have enough human in her I guess and one day I went to the learning room and she never showed up. The ones that died in the clinic before were ready to be adopted, they didn’t have enough human DNA. Something happens on the inside and their body refuses the hybrid genes.” Your’e expression went blank at his simple explanation, not realizing that hybrids weren’t a perfect species. they were crafted and mistakes were sure to happen. You comforted yourself more than him by pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder and then nuzzling into him again. You hoped his story got happier somewhere along the way.
After a deep breath he continued, “I felt really sad afterwards. It’s been a little while, but the hole she left in my life was so huge. Everything reminded me of her. Except for today because when I smelled you, I smelled flowers again. I remembered how I loved the smell of the flowers when I was little and I couldn’t help but smell you. After I sniffed at you, for the first time in a long time all the pain went away. I just remembered the flowers and my crowns and my time daydreaming in the sun. Seulgi took good care of me. And I felt that maybe you could do the same.” Jimin exhaled deeply, a physical sign that he had gotten a lot off of his chest. You sniffled, affected by the story and wondering what you could ever do to make him feel better again. You had no clue, so you nuzzled into his neck and placed a soft kiss against it. Then another as you held him tightly.
You couldn’t let him go. Not after what he shared with you. He had felt true comfort with you for the first time in a long time. It meant so much to you that it pained you to think about the what-if’s. So pushed them out of you mind and enjoyed Jimin’s warmth as you really began to embrace him wanting to make him a permanent part of your life.
The sun was low in the sky and it had passed lunch time by a few hours, closer to dinner time. Your stomach growled at your realization of skipping lunch and Jimin slowly leaned off of you. You held his hand and pulled him off the swing and with you, heading towards the back door and back into the house. Your neck was a little stiff and so was you back from staying in the same position for a few hours. The slight discomfort was worth it. You felt much closer to Jimin after his somber answer.
You sat Jimin at your dining table and made your way to the fridge. There was some ground turkey that you could thaw quickly to make a meat sauce with. “Do you like pasta?” You asked, as you made your way to the sink with the package. His hesitancy to answer spoke more and his answer. “I had it a few times. It’s um.. it’s okay.” You knew he probably had those gross sterile tv-ish dinners from the labs and you knew immediately that your pasta would be a hundred times better. You smiled over your shoulder at him, “My pasta will be amazing.” You said it with such confidence, Jimin smiled back as he smelled it waft off of you, hoping that it would be as delicious as you claimed it would be.
Jimin was in shock. He didn’t know pasta could be so delicious. He watched you make it, fascinated with the intricacies that went into this dish. He was sure the scientists and lab tech skipped many of these steps. The food in his mouth was really tasty.
You giggled as his face was a clear giveaway to how much he was enjoying dinner. He slurped and ate and you watched, happy that you made him feel good. He must have sensed the happiness rolling off of you in waves because in the middle of shoveling more noodle in his mouth, he made eye contact and gave you the sweetest smile he could muster. It made you blush and return to your food.
20 minutes later and you were taking your plates to the sink. Jimin was enjoying seconds and you were hoping that he ate his fill and that his gorgeous cheeks would round out a little bit so you could pinch them. He was already so cute. You finished washing your cutlery and plates along with the pans you’d used to make such a delicious dinner, placing them on the rack to dry. As you turned around you were greeted by Jimin bringing in his used items. You smiled at him and tried to take it out of his hands.
He refused you, “I think I can clean them, if you show me how.” You smiled and explained how much soap to use and the semantics of dish washing. There wasn’t much room to be bad at washing and he did well. You showed him how to clean the sink and sponge after he washed something and to wipe the counters with the disposable wipes you had. He was taking it all in. Listening and hanging off of your every word. “Y/n, so is this my job?” His ears were wiggling slightly and he seemed a little nervous.
You were unsure of what he was referring to, so you decided to dig a little deeper and figure out what was going on. “Well, we could make it your job, if you want one?” You’d take it slow, give him some room to breathe.
“Taehyung said that you probably wanted me to help with chores. Since I’m not really good at anything else.” There is was again. His litter mates really had it out for him. Instilling doubt in him and making him feel bad about himself. They must have been jealous of him for some reason causing his self worth to drop. “Well, I honestly thought you’d be better at other things. That’s why I wanted a hybrid.” Jimin visibly gulped and stiffened, making you realize the unintentional innuendo you made. You blushed slightly as you tried to correct yourself. “Like keeping me company, and helping to fill my day with someone to care for and such.” He relaxed slightly and you decided to grab his hand and lead him to the living room, not ready to make eye contact with him. “Well, I don’t really do anything interesting.” You looked his way and quirked an eyebrow at him as you sat on the plush sofa patting the free space next to you. “I happen to think you are very interesting. Did you think I brought you here do work around the house?”
He was seated next to you and looking straight ahead. His ears had a pronounced droop in them and his body language spoke volumes. “Jimin, is there anything I can do to show you that I want you as a companion, that I really do like you?” He turned your way and he smiled a little but it didn’t reach his eyes.
You reached for the remote to switch on the tv and then moved to lay on the couch. You stretched and felt comfortable, tummy filled with good food and now you needed to relax, opting to lay on your back. You reached for Jimin’s hand and he placed his hand gingerly in yours. You pulled lightly and he obliged by laying down. He was molding himself to the back of the chair as you scooted slightly forward to give him some room. It was a little awkward, but you would make it work. He was holding himself up with the arm beneath him, either being respect or sacred and not touching unless it couldn’t be helped.
“I want to cuddle. Pweese!” You tried to be cute and Jimin laughed at your horrible attempt. “You can rest your head on my stomach, it’s fine.” He seemed hesitant so you helped him get into position. “I’ve never cuddled with anyone before. I feel weird.” His admission was a surprise to you. He seemed to enjoy holding hands and receiving your attention throughout the day. Now he felt weird. That was strange. “We don’t have to cuddle. I just want you to feel comfortable.” He sat up straight away and there was now no contact between the two of you.
You turned on your side and pulled you knees up so that there was definitely no chance of contact. Jimin must have noticed the disappointment and feelings of rejection you were feeling, but he refused to say anything to you. He sat pretending to be enraptured by the tv when you were catching him turning your way every so often through your peripherals. You were now uncomfortable and you hadn’t even thought of the fact that your hybrid might have been made uncomfortable by you.
An hour had passed as you lazily watched the show. Somewhere along the way Jimin stopped looking at you and accepted his spot on the couch. You sat up and stretched, feeling in your bones that it was past your usual bedtime. You could sleep in tomorrow and it’d be fine. You only had some write ups and they weren’t expected until 4pm. “I think it’s bedtime.” You looked at the hybrid who finally looked your way. The previous feelings you had felt so strongly had all wafted away and you were simply looking at him and waiting for his reply.
Since you received none you got up. Your standing and completing a second round of stretches had Jimin looking away. He stood up and followed you to the hallway after you switched off the tv and flipped the lights off. The dark always scared Jimin a little bit and he followed closely behind you. He had wanted to reach out and hold you to feel more secure, but he felt that it would have been wrong. You were so upset and dejected earlier that he was sure he was going back to the lab tomorrow.
You led him to a room, switched on the lights and after taking a look around he realized this was your room. It smelled strongly of you. And there was a huge, unmade bed and lots of pictures and other items to give away that the room was used often.
He got a little nervous. He knew that people could have sex with hybrids and that it wasn’t wrong. But he didn’t feel that from you. He was still getting to know you and who knew what you’d do to him. He looked and found you on your knees, rummaging through a drawer. You pulled out some forest green sweatpants and large t-shirt. You stood and handed them to Jimin. “I’m not sure if you have sleep clothes, but either way you can wear these to bed. I’ll take you to your room.” He relaxed as he realized you wouldn’t be sharing a bed. He was glad for it.
You led him a few steps down down from your room and on the opposite side of the hall was what he guessed was going to be his. The room you led him to was actually not a bedroom. It was an office. Jimin has seen many of these. He was curious as to where you’d make him sleep, on the floor perhaps, since he’s refused you earlier. His question was answered when you walked over to a sofa and removed the cushions and started to pullout the bed. You layed the cushions to the side and left the room momentarily, returning with a few blankets in your hands. As you made the bed, Jimin helped you as best as he could. You left again to grab some pillows from your bed and brought them back and then exited once more only to return with a quilt and two really cozy looking blankets, placing them on the bed. You faced Jimin and he seemed oddly sad. You were unsure if he was unhappy at the prospect of not having an actual room, but you didn’t have real time to prepare for him.
Tomorrow would result in you guys shopping for necessities to make him feel at home. You were sure he’d feel better then. “It’s a little cool and I don’t know if you get cold at night or not, but there’s extra blankets. I’ll let you change for bed and I’m just a few steps away if you need me. Good night and sweet dreams.” You took this as a good time to make your way to your bed. You were tired and mentally exhausted from trying so hard to please and get to know Jimin. You hoped it would get easier as the days went by.
Jimin changed into his own night clothes, opting to lay the clothes you gave him next to his pillow, which was really your pillow. He got into bed and wrapped himself in a cocoon of blankets as he felt that the night would only get colder. You made him feel good about himself and he felt so bad rejecting you, but he couldn’t gather the strength to tell you that he had gotten hard when you laid down in front of him. As if you were ready for him to claim you.
And then he got nervous in your room wondering if you’d try to claim him. He was very confused but definitely attracted to you. He was told and he knew from experience that there were things he should want, like sex and companionship, they were natural. He also know that human women had expectations and his litter mates had told him early on that he wasn’t what anyone had wanted. They made fun of his body and him and he knew they played a big role in his self doubt and insecurities. He felt the hot tears roll down his face and he decided to stop thinking and tried to let sleep overtake him.
He felt like he should feel closer to you. He let you know things he’s never told anyone else. But he was also scared of losing you as he seemed to lose those he loved. Jimin let himself fall asleep and he slept peacefully for the first time in a long time. He was surrounded by the most comforting of scents and he was warm and felt cared for. He hadn’t felt this good in years and the last thing he wanted was to lose it but it seemed out of his control.
ONE. TWO.THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX.
