"I don't want you to be angry with me." Jimin's nearly unintelligible response came in the form of a low murmur.

Hoseok tilted his head to the side, his brain taking a moment to process what was said at such a low volume. "No one is angry. You didn't do anything wrong. You can come home." He reached forward subconsciously to tuck a small tuft of Jimin's hair up into his warm beanie. Jimin blushed lightly at the action even through his body's shivers. There was an audience here watching him act like a pile of goo from nothing but Hoseok's sweet words and actions.

"You're still our good boy." Jimin's eyes widened tremendously at the words, and the ringing in his ears blocked out the low gasp he let slip. Hoseok watched the reaction and was encouraged to continue. "You can't leave us now, not when we've gotten attached to you. I was hoping you'd be a good influence on TaeTae- you're so obedient and kind and polite. You're so good Jimin- we couldn't imagine living without you."

(Taehyung knew not to get offended that Hoseok was playing favorites here and practically putting him down in the process. Hoseok would definitely give him belly rubs later to make up for it.)

Jimin nodded slowly when Hoseok was nearing the end of his declaration. "I want to come home," he whispered quietly, hands reaching out to grab at Hoseok's sleeves decisively.

Taehyung grinned widely even though neither Jimin nor Hoseok were looking at him at the moment. He glanced up at the hybrid he didn't know to see him and his human watching from a respectible distance with an odd look of pride in their eyes. Taehyung tore his eyes away to focus on the other two just in time to see Jimin pulling in Hoseok, who met him in the middle with open arms.

"Come on," the human encouraged. "Let's get you out of the cold. We can go home now." He pulled Jimin up so he could stand, and the hybrid struggled a little on his feet with his now throbbing ankle. "Do you want me to carry you to the car?" Hoseok asked sympathetically after noticing his discomfort.

Jimin only shook his head, though. Youngbae had seen him be vulnerable enough tonight, he didn't need to show him any more weakness.

"Okay, come on Tae. Let's go." Hoseok directed his hybrid to walk Jimin to the car before turning towards Jiyong. He could only mouth the words 'thank you' with the incredible rush of emotion bubbling out of him. He knew he'd gotten attached to Jimin but since they'd adopted him, he hadn't allowed himself even once to consider life without him until tonight. 

"Don't mention it," Jiyong said, shooing him towards his car while Youngbae picked up their emergency duffel bag. "Just give us a call later in the week and we'll come check up on him. He can keep the blanket until then. Go on now." Hoseok bowed gratefully before jogging to catch up to his two hybrids. Jimin was obviously trying not to limp and Hoseok wished he could be open and honest about his pain, but he figured they made enough progress tonight.

Hoseok was helping Jimin into the backseat of the car with Taehyung sitting across from him when the frightened hybrid locked eyes with him again. "Will you punish me when we get there?" he asked without hesitation- only underlying fear. 

"Of course not," he assured. Even if they wanted to discipline him, his night alone and afraid outside in the dead of winter was punishment enough. Hoseok pulled the blanket from Jimin's shoulders and tried to ignore the look from the hybrid as he buckled him into the car and then laid the blanket back over his front. The human pressed a soft kiss to Jimin's cheek and closed the car door before hopping into the front of the vehicle. While he started the car, the heat, and phoned Namjoon, Jimin drew his baffled gaze away from the back of Hoseok's seat over to Taehyung sitting next to him. Taehyung had just finished buckling his own seatbelt and then glanced up to see Jimin looking right at him. He smiled softly seeing the other bundled up in his own seat.

Jimin was silent for the rest of the drive. He avoided Namjoon's eyes and questions when they picked the human up from where he was out looking for Jimin (unbeknownst to the hybrid himself). Jimin held himself together quite well until they were back in the parking deck of their apartment complex. 

The hybrid waited quite childishly for Hoseok to come unbuckle him from his seat. He knew it was silly and he was fully capable of getting out of the car himself but he loved the attention Hoseok gave him--not that he'd ever say that out loud. The human did come for him, leaving the blanket in the backseat of their car when Jimin quietly requested "carry me?"

Hoseok allowed Jimin to climb onto his back and cling to him the entire walk back without a single complaint--even when Jimin stuck the freezing tip of his nose into the warm skin of Hoseok's neck. The moment they entered after Namjoon and Taehyung, Jimin heard Jin shout his name in relief.

(He sounded like a woman in a drama that Jimin remembered watching with Taehyung once who found her love again after being seperated for quite some time, but Jimin didn't think that was appropriate--or even necessary- to bring up.)

Hoseok lowered Jimin down from his back, but before Jin could even reach him, he found himself being pulled into a hug from none other than Jungkook. Jimin was shocked and didn't know where to put his hands, but the affection was not at all unwelcome. Jungkook seemed to realize Jimin's slight discomfort, because he pulled away immediately and averted his gaze as he blushed heavily. 

"I- uh... I just... I wanted to thank you, hyung." Jungkook stuttered to Jimin's surprise. He thought that might be the first time since he was in the hospital that Jungkook has called him hyung and it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He was glad to see that the young cat hybrid was okay, but the exclamation of gratitude was unecessary in Jimin's eyes. The odd behaviour from the other was also stirring something inside of Jimin.

He glanced around the room, finding Yoongi slowly approaching to stand behind Jungkook, and Jin also moved closer while Hoseok, Namjoon, and Taehyung remained by the door. He felt a bit overwelmed at all the attention, and while he appreciated the concern in small doses, he felt tiny under everyone's eyes. He caused so much disturbance to them all tonight. Whether or not they planned on punishing him for his initial actions, the tear tracks under Jungkook's eyes and the bags under Yoongi's were enough of an indication that he'd caused a great deal of disorder in their lives.

Jimin's face fell as he tugged the beanie off of his head and wrung it in his gloved hands self-consciously. He tucked his tail between his legs and pressed his ears down flat; tears were building up in his eyes (though Taehyung almost didn't notice them with how focused he was on the messy fluff of hat-hair sitting atop the other's head), and he was hardly able to stammer out an "I'm sorry" with the way his throat was already closing up. Jimin hated crying in front of other people, and the fact that he couldn't hold back right now was frustrating him even more.

The hybrid sniffed harshly, anxiously bringing his arms up to hide his reddening, tearful face behind the hat in his hands. He heard someone tut compassionately before he felt himself being pulled gently into their strong arms. He didn't let out a single sob until his face was buried far into that person's chest to muffle the pathetic noise. He couldn't help but feel so remorseful for his actions and the way they affected the people he had come to love. Despite having his face pressed up against this other person, the gasping breaths in between sobs didn't allow him enough time to smell who was holding him.

Jimin couldn't remember a time in his life when he felt more ashamed--not even when he was being put down mercilessly by his master, chained up in a dark, moldy basement, or muzzled and thrown into a cage in clothing that was nothing more than tatters and expected to defend his master's honour by throwing his own down the drain. Somehow, that couldn't compare to the thought of having caused these people--who have shown him nothing but kindness and forgiveness--to cry. His stomach twisted itself into painful knots at the feeling of deep-seated shame of having brought nothing but problems to their lives. He wasn't deserving of them, but Hoseok still called him a good boy. The consideration he was receiving in return for his stream of disobedience was baffling and Jimin couldn't understand it. He's felt guilt and discomfort in this house before for the exact same reason, but it seemed to have caught up to him entirely in this moment as a culmination of the past few weeks' events. His other 'bad behaviours' didn't measure up to this last mistake.

Still, there were arms holding him tightly, one hand threading fingers through his unruly, knotted hair and the other placed firmly between his shoulderblades. Jimin lowered the beanie from his face so he could feel the other more closely; he felt less overwhelmed when he pretended it was just the two of them in the room. At this point, Jimin knew he was wetting their shirt with his ceaseless tears, but instead of complaining, the person simply hummed and removed the hand from his back to help him take off the gloves Jimin still had on. The other tossed them to the floor with the hat carelessly, and Jimin forgot about them in an instant when he normally would have picked them up and put them away.

The hybrid was still sniffling harshly, rubbing his head side-to-side against the other's shoulder to rub his irritated eyes. Whoever was holding him let out a small noise of sympathy when Jimin closed his eyes tightly and whimpered (it was the same whimper Taehyung made when begging for extra dessert, but it sounded so different in this context). In a moment, there was another hand on the small of his back, prompting Jimin to pull his head away to see what was happening. Through watery eyes, he