Jin hoped that the car ride back to their apartment wasn't awkward for the younger hybrid; he tried to make sure it wasn't. Namjoon drove and Jin sat in the backseat with Jimin so he didn't feel lonely. The radio was turned off so that they could hear one another talk, but there wasn't much talking. Instead, Jimin was pressed against the door and was looking out the window seemingly fascinated at the sights of the city. It was better than the first couple minutes of the ride when he sat with his eyes downcast and wringing his tail gently in his lap with nervous hands. Now, those hands were perched on the door and his breath fogged up the glass a bit.

Jin couldn't stop smiling at the sight and Namjoon would occasionally glance through the rear-view mirror to check on the two in the backseat, always returning his gaze to the road with a grin on his face.

"Jimin, do you want me to open the window?" Namjoon asked, startling the young hybrid whose eyes widened in excitement as he nodded. Namjoon grinned as he shifted to the controls on his door to lower the backseat windows. Jimin moved his face away a little when he noticed the glass moving and inhaled deeply when he caught scent of the outdoor air.

The car was moving pretty slowly seeing as they were in the middle of the city in a fair amount of traffic, but the light breeze was ruffling the young hybrid's hair and the fur on his ears as he leaned his head just outside the car. Jin laughed quiety as he watched, the pink rosiness on Jimin's cheeks from the cold obviously not bothering him. Jimin squinted his eyes as the car picked up a bit of speed and the wind was blowing harder into his face, but he didn't mind it. It felt nice.

Jin and his owner briefly locked eyes in the rear-view mirror, both reminded of the way Taehyung makes them suffer through car trips together by rolling the window down no matter the weather and sticking his head all the way out to watch his ears flop around in the air. Jin wasn't a fan of open windows in the car because it always messed up his perfectly styled hair, but while he had no issue with complaining about Taehyung's habits, he couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed this time.

Taehyung would probably complain of a double standard if he knew that they let Jimin ride all the way home with his feet tucked up under himself and his head out the window without complaining once, but if anything, this is good for Taehyung. The next time they're all in the car together, he'll have someone on his side that no one else can say no to.

"So Jimin, have you had dinner yet?" Namjoon asked from the front, breaking the silence.

"No sir," he replied absentmindedly, not looking away from the people on the sidewalk as they drove by.

"Call me hyung," Namjoon said, reminding himself to be patient with their relationship. "Hoseok and Taehyung are making fried rice with kimchi for dinner, is that something you like?"

Jimin pulled his head inside and looked up towards the front seat with hopeful eyes. "Kimchi?"

"Yeah, you know what that is?"

"Yes sir, Miss Suzy gave it to me lots. I like kimchi."

"Ah, good," Namjoon grinned tightly, trying not to be upset at the continued use of the title 'sir' he was getting from the hybrid. Be patient. He has time to learn. "You'll like dinner tonight then." 

Jimin hummed and was moving to put his head back out the window when Jin spoke up, leaning towards him and speaking quietly so his owner didn't hear what he was saying.

"Jimin-ah, I think Namjoon would be very happy with you if you called him hyung now. It makes him feel good to be a hyung because I'm older than him."

Jimin hummed and nodded slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of having a human be his friend. He knew that Namjoon had asked him to call him hyung multiple times now, but it still felt uncomfortable every time he tried to form the word when referencing Namjoon. But he really did just want to be a good pet, and if Jin says that this is what it will take for Namjoon to be happy with him, he should probably try harder.

By the time Jimin had time to process what Jin had told him, they were already pulling into their apartment building's parking garage. Namjoon scored a good spot close to the entrance, and soon enough, the three were unbuckling their seatbelts and getting out of the car (after Jin had insisted that Jimin wear his seatbelt so he could be safe--something he was not used to even though he'd ridden in cars before--Jimin had placed his teddy bear in his lap with the seatbelt over it so that it could be safe too).

Jimin hobbled in between the other two with the help of his crutch that he still felt so awkward using. Nonetheless, he made it to the elevator where they went up to the 8th floor. When they arrived at their front door, Jimin glanced excitedly at the two on either side of him, heart warming when he noticed Jin holding his bear delicately and Namjoon sending him a smile before unlocking the door.

"Honey, I'm home," Namjoon calls out in a joking voice that has Jin laughing and encouraging the younger hybrid to follow his new owner inside. He felt a little more stable with Jin's arm helping to hold him up; he probably noticed how Jimin had been huffing at the effort of moving around on a single crutch with his other arm still in a sling...

Jimin looked down at the wood flooring with a shy smile as Jin led him past some of the other occupants of the apartment straight to the kitchen table where he sat the younger down gently and moved his crutch to rest against the side of his chair. Jimin smiled gratefully. Even though it was hard for him to mentally accept the help he was offered, it was pretty damn easy to accept it physically--at least when it's coming from Jin.

Jimin looked over the spread at the table, a large pan of the promised fried rice in the middle with stacks of plates and utensils beside them. The smell was washing over him, and he was certain he'd never smelled anything so flavorful before. His mouth was watering before he even realized that his stomach was growling.

"Welcome home!" Jimin turned his head to see Hoseok coming over to the table with a tall glass of water. The younger smiled softly at the greeting, loving hearing the word home. He'd heard that word a lot in the past, but it never really felt like this.

"Hi," he mumbled back, brightening up even more when Hoseok handed him the glass of water. Jin watched the encounter with a tight feeling in his chest at the way that the young hybrid seemed so happy to be pampered and have things done for him. The poor kid had probably spent too long being simultaneously oppressed and forced into having more responsibility than any 19 year old human should have, much less a hybrid animal.

He began drinking the water as Hoseok sat in the chair next to his.

"Are yo