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A safe place for all hybrids.
Apple Juice and Washing Machines
Over the course of the next week, Jimin had participated in every activity the shelter had to offer and had chosen his new favorite room in the shelter. As soon as he attended one of Hoseok’s dance classes, no one could pull him out of the studio room, even after the class. He was the first one to show up and always the last to leave.
He had begun to open up more, as well, not just to Jungkook either. Seokjin had learned that he didn’t like the scent of mango because it reminded him of an attic he was once kept in after asking Jimin to to help cut one for lunch. Jackson had learned that Jimin once had a pet puppy that resembled Jackson both in looks and in personality after they saw a girl walking her dog outside the shelter. And Jimin….he learned that he liked pink. No. He loved it, and no one told him it was wrong.
No one even batted an eye when slipped on the pink sweater Yoongi had left for him Sunday this morning instead of the white shirt Jungkook had given him when he arrived. They had tried to give him different clothing each day, but Jimin refused to take them. These clothes were perfectly clean. Why did he need to change? The sudden change of hue on the cat was a surprise to everyone because they couldn’t even get him to take another shelter-issued outfit, let alone go shopping for his own.
Jimin had also been trying to determine a way to thank Yoongi for the sweater had had been wearing all week, but he couldn’t decide on one. He tried to draw something for him, but he couldn’t get it quite right. He wanted to try a dance for him, but he knew he wouldn’t pick it up fast enough. He even tried to cook him something, but he burned his hand on the stove. Nothing was working, and Yoongi would be here soon!
He pondered over his options all day since he woke up this morning. Yoongi had arrived just before lunch time with some takeout boxes from the cafe they went to last weekend. Soon, Youngjae had downed a bowl of macaroni and was working on another.
Jimin was still refusing to use chopsticks or even a spoon and continued opting for his hands to pick the meat and vegetables out of his soup before he drank it. Luckily, today’s meal wasn’t too messy. A simple bowl of noodles with some meat and a cup of juice.
Jin told him it would be a bit before they could customize cups and utensils for him to use like the others because they wanted to get to know what he liked first, like colors and styles. Today, they gave him a red plastic cup without a lid. He was confident he wouldn’t spill any, but he made sure to be very careful when taking a sip.
He watched across the room as Jin rearranged some things on a board, Namjoon picking up a picture that Seokjin had dropped. Jin smiled as he pinned the picture back up before thanking Namjoon was a kiss on the cheek, but the moment was interrupted by a loud yelp from Jimin, whose cup had slipped out of his hands and spilled all over his lap and precious sweater.
Jin sighed and began to approach Jimin, but he didn’t get far as yoongi had already made it to the cat and was on his knees in front of him, dabbing at the spill with a towel as the younger started to cry.
"I ruined it! I ruined it!“ he squeaked with tears starting to streak down his face, “I’m sorry!”
Yoongi had dealt with many crying hybrids before, so he knew exactly what to do, putting on a soft smile and a gentle voice. However, this was different. Normally, he’d be annoyed and would have to fake it, but it cam naturally with Jimin. The only other people he was like this with were his best friends.
"Shh, it’s okay,“ Yoongi smiles, "We can clean it.”
Jimin hiccups and looks down at Yoongi, watching him pat the sweater with the towel gently. He sniffles and wipes his eyes with his messy hands.
"W-Weally?“ he mumbled in amazment, "It’s not ruined? You’re not mad?”
Yoongi smiles and shakes his head, moving his hand lower to dry Jimin’s lap as best he could, “Of course not. It’s just some apple juice.”
Jimin’s eyes mimiced saucers, and his cheeks could be mistaken for cherry tomatoes as Yoongi’s big hands pressed down on his thigh. Jimin couldn’t help the inappropriate thoughts developing in his mind, especially after Yoongi’s hand not-so-subtly pressed down directly on his crotch to dry the liquid. He bit his lip for a moment to keep the surprised gasp in his throat before returning to the same doe-eyed expression as before when Yoongi looked up at him.
"Let’s go get you some new clothes,“ he grinned as he stood up, holding out his hand, "and Jin can clean up here.”
Yoongi shot Jin a sly smirk as jimin wrapped his small hand around Yoongi’s, which was significantly larger. Jin glared in response. He didn’t think Yoongi alone with any hybrid was a good idea, especially Jimin. They barely knew the boy, and it was obvious that Yoongi had uncharacteristically developed an interest in him in two short days.
Namjoon, however, though it was amazing. They were always trying to get him to socialize with the other hybrids to find one that would work with him, and this was getting more and more interesting the longer they watched. He knew there was something special about the cat since he first saw Jin holding him out in the rain. He couldn’t quite see it, but he knew it was there. He wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder and kissed his temple.
"Let it play out,“ Namjoon smiles, "He knows the rules.”
Jin bit his cheek and sighs, watching the two leve the room. They had rules for a reason, and Yoongi had never broken any of them as he was the one who helped establish them years ago. Namjoon rubs Jin’s ears before sending him off to console a crying Youngjae who was thrashing around in Jaebum’s arms, trying to break away to Yoongi, and yelling ‘oppa! oppa!’ over and over.
Away from the scene in the kitchen, Yoongi leads Jimin down the hall to a laundry room. They kept all the clothes they use in emergencies in a closet off the room. Yoongi lets go of Jimin’s hand to open the closet door to reveal shelves of the only other in tact outfit Jimin owned: a loose, white, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. Jimin marveled at them as Yoongi plucked a set off a pile on the bottom shelf.
"Do you need help changing or can you do it by yourself?“
Jimin’s eyes snapped to Yoongi’s. A shy as he was, he wanted to say he could do it by himself, but he didn’t want to be alone. The sounds of the washers and dryers scared him. They reminded him of cold, lonely nights, curled up and listening to the clothes being tossed around to block out the sound of the storm.
"Jimin?” Yoongi asked softly, “Do you need help getting cleaned up?”
Jimin looked away from him, focusing on a washing machine slightly shaking a few feet away as he considered declining the offer, but he nodded his head.
"Okay,“ Yoongi smiled, setting the clothes on a machine beside them that wasn’t on, "we’ll start with your sweater then. Arms up.”
Jimin looked up at the taller and slowly raised his arms up as high as he could get them, allowing Yoongi to lift the sweater up and over his head.
"Good job!“ Yoongi praised with a pat to Jimin’s head as he tossed the sweater in an unmarked laundry basket, "Now, your shorts.”
A light shade a red flushed over Jimin’s face with those words. He looked down at them and then hid his face in his hands, making Yoongi chuckle.
"It’s okay, I’m not going to do anything bad,“ he assured, "Just gonna clean you so you’re not sticky.”
He reaches up to a shelf to pull down some baby wipes while joking to make Jimin feel better, “No one likes a sticky kitty, now do they?”
Jimin smiles a bit and shakes his head as he pulls down his shorts and steps out of them, “No one wikes a sticky kitty.”
"There you go,“ Yoongi grins, tossing them in the basket with the sweater, "Now, we can get you all cleaned up and get you some chocolate.”
Jimin’s smile grew with the mention of the sweet treat that him and Yoongi shared last week. Yoongi found himself on his knees again, rubbing the wet cloth on Jimin’s thighs to get any possible juice that had seeped through his shorts. Next, he cleaned off Jimin’s hands and face before moving onto his stomach. He was positive none of the juice had gotten through the sweater, but it was an excuse to touch Jimin’s newly forming abs. Yoongi wasn’t one to let it show, but he was just as mesmerize by Jimin as Jimin was by him.
After a moment of them both staring into each other’s eyes, Yoongi realized how low his hand was getting and so did Jimin. Yoongi cleared his throat as he pulled his hand away, breaking both of them out of the trance they were seemingly caught in. He threw away the wipe before turning back to Jimin with a smile.
Jimin smiled at the clean feeling and watched Yoongi open the new pair of shorts at his feet.
"Hold onto my shoulders and step into the one at a time.” Yoongi explains.
Jimin hesitantly let his tiny hands grip onto Yoongi’s shoulders before placing his right foot in the piece of clothing, following suit with his left. Yoongi pulled the shorts up to cover the red boxers Jimin had on. A blush crept across his cheeks as Yoongi’s hands brushed over his butt and rested on his hips.
"There we go.“ Yoongi smiles up at Jimin, "Personally, I think you should just go shirtless.”
The older topped his whispering with a playful wink and a cocky smirk, making Jimin’s eyes go wide again. He stuttered a bit, his blush growing darker, as he tried to find something to say, but he couldn’t even put two words together. He, instead, smiled and looked away, reaching for his shirt when a loud buzzing noise came from a dryer behind them. Jimin shrieked in fear and threw himself in Yoongi’s arms, burying his face in the other’s chest to get away from the noise. Yoongi was surprised by the sudden action, but he wrapped his arms around Jimin immediately and rubbed his back.
"Jimin,“ Yoongi said quietly, "are you okay?”
Jimin whimpered and nodded, refusing to pull his head up. A sigh fell from Yoongi’s lips. He knew Jimin was lying;it was obvious.
"Are you scared of the washing machines?“ he asks curiously.
Jimin nodded again but didn’t make a sound. Yoongi thinks for a moment before an idea forms in his head.
Jimin nodded again without hesitation. Yoongi pulls away to stand on his feet, Jimin looking up at him with big, confused eyes. Yoongi offers his hand which Jimin quickly takes in his own. Yoongi slowly walks Jimin a few steps, then turns to him, quickly lifting him up and placing him on a still machine before Jimin could process what’s going on.
Once he felt the slight vibration from the neighboring machine and the cold metal against his skin, he wasn’t happy. He wanted down. Now. Fear swept over Jimin’s face as panic shot through his body. He began to claw at Yoongi to get away from the contraptions. He whimpered and wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s neck as he hooked his legs around his waist, whining in fear. Yoongi shushed him and rubbed his back soothingly.
"Shh,“ he coos, "it’s okay. It’s not gonna hurt you.”
Jimin just held on tighter.
"P-Promise?“ he asks, his voice small and muffled.
Jimin takes a moment to process Yoongi’s promise before loosening his grip on the man. He takes a deep breath and pulls away to look up at Yoongi’s smiling face.
"There’s the brave kitty.“
Jimin smiles widely and looks down at the machine currently washing one of the other hybrid’s clothes. he hesitantly reaches out a shaky hand to place his palm on the lid of the machine.
"No scawe.” he mumbles to himself, “Bwave kitty.”
Yoongi watches with a proud smile, rubbing the bit of Jimin’s hips that poked out above the waist band of the short with the pads of his thumbs. Jimin shifted his gaze back up to Yoongi, his hand still on the metal lid. He looked over Yoongi’s face as he remembered the exchange between Jin and Namjoon earlier. Before he could shy away from the thought, he quickly leaned up and pecked Yoongi’s cheek.
"Thank you.“ he whispered as he pulled away, refusing to look back up at him in fear he didn’t appreciate the bold gesture of gratitude.
"You’re welcome.” Yoongi beams, returning the gesture by placing a kiss on Jimin’s cheek.
The young cat blushed brightly as he looked up in awe at the human. Yoongi then unfolds the shirt and bunches it at the top.
"Let’s get back out there and get you some chocolate, yeah?“ Yoongi grins, making Jimin’s face light up, and pulls the shirt over his head.
Namjoon had managed to convince Jin to keep his thought to himself until they could discuss it alonce, preferably with Hoseok as a mediator. Seokjin settled for consistent glances at Yoongi to observe his bahavior, which seemed normal for the rest of the day until Jin lost track of him. Much to Jin’s dismay, he couldn’t leave his group alone to search for Yoongi. However, he found out where the human slipped off to later that night after bedtime.
Jin looked over the adoption form that had Yoongi’s name at the top and small note from him at the bottom: “I already scheduled a metting with Jimin on the 16th. Check your laptop.”
Jin almost pushed Namjoon away from the computer so he could pull up Namjoon’s schedule. Sure enough, there was a meeting between the three scheduled for ten in the morning Monday.
"What in the hell does he think he’s doing?!“
"Babe. what’s wrong with him seeing Jimin? You’re always trying to get him to see the other hybrids.”
"I have a bad feeling, okay?!“ Jin squeaks, "He barely knows the boy, and he’s that quick to jump to the rescue?!”
"He was just trying to help.“ Namjoon sighs.
"And when have you known him to be like that?”
"Not with us!’ Jin snaps, knowing Namjoon knew exactly what he meant.
"You know it’s not like that.”
"You know what it’s like.” Namjoon states calmly, “You know what happened.”
Jin immediately softens, remembering the day Yoongi told him of the accident and how he blames himself for its occurance. That’s why he’s so uneasy around hybrids he only comes once or twice a week to make sure Youngjae, Jaebum, and Jinyoung are okay. It’s why he has strict rulles for them when he takes them out. It’s why he doesn’t get along with Seokjin or the rules Namjoon has for him.
"I’m sorry.“ Jin mumbles, looking at his feet.
Namjoon pulls him into his lap and wraps his arms around Jin’s waist.
"It’s okay, kitten,” Namjoon says softly, resting his chin on the older’s shoulder, “Just give him a chance, okay?”
Jin sighs and looks over the form again, inspecting each of his answers like they were clues to an unsolved murder and he was the detective desperately trying to crack the case.
"Okay,“ Jin agrees, "but you watch him.”
"I will,“ Namjoon chuckles, kissing Jin’s cheek, "I promise.”
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