“What you want is a pet, Jimin, no one could give you as much attention as you need.”

Then the door was slamming shut and Jimin had found himself boyfriendless and coincidentally petless.

A night of sobbing had ended with him declaring to his best friend Taehyung that maybe he /would/ get a pet, one that would love him all the time and not just when they were each other's .  

It was how he found himself at the pet store the next day staring at a room filled with hybrids. The woman beside him was chattering on about how the hybrids inside were particularly young but they would mature quickly and a few years would see them capable of doing most things an adult could do.

She spent a little longer talking before leaving him to watch the room. There were at least twenty of them, scampering around the room. Dogs, cats, and a few more rare breeds, like deer and rabbits.  After watching for almost a half an hour he decided he had no idea what he was doing.  Even if that little bunny was adorable he had no idea how to take care of it.

He ended up leaving without a pet and with the firm intention to learn more about hybrids before he tried to come back.

Instead he forgot all about it even though he spent the whole weekend with Taehyung and his two hybrids. He was around them so often that he usually forgot they were hybrids at all, unless Taehyung was teasing him about how Jin, his hamster hybrid, was even taller than he was. Jin was not only taller than Jimin, he was just as tall as Taehyung’s Great Dane hybrid, Namjoon. The three of them were unfair towering giants.

Their apartments were less than a block apart but Jimin hadn’t been home to his since Friday morning, and when he got inside he knew something was off.  He entered the apartment and was immediately hit with a wave of warm air, it was cold outside, but inside was like a sauna. Maybe there was something wrong with his thermostat?

Jimin tiptoed his way to check it and was startled to find it on 80 degrees. He wasn't sure a mechanical error could cause that, but he turned it back down and turned around to find a trail of crackers leading back into his bedroom. It didn't occur to him to be scared, maybe because he had never heard of a murderer who wanted to speed up the decomposition process, but regardless he headed back into his bedroom only to find a large lump under his covers and a bath towel on the floor.

He was quiet for a few minutes and when he determined that the lump was asleep he sighed, “Didn't even hang the towel up, they get musty if you don’t dry them right.”  He bent down to pick the towel up and debated how to approach the situation as he hung it up.

When he came back and the lump was unchanged he chewed on his lip and reached out to push at the bed with his foot, “Hey! Hello? Are you alive?”

The lump went rigid and Jimin took a step back, “It’s okay, whoever you are, I’m not going to hurt you, I just… You know, you're a stranger and you're in my bed…”

The lump moved again and then curled tighter under the blanket.

“Are you hurt? Do you need food?” Jimin tried again, “I could look up some… Um halfway houses…?”

“No,” the response was quick and nearly growled.

Jimin took another step back, “Okay… Just come on out and talk to me.”

“No.”

“Well you can't stay in my bed all night,” Jimin argued, a little annoyed at not knowing what to do.

There was a silence from under the covers and then the lump stretched out, “Don’t call the shelter or the police, I’ll leave, I’m sorry.”  The covers drew back from a bleary eyed man, white blonde hair a half damp mess on top of his head and two black triangle ears poking out of the fluff.

Jimin gasped, “You’re a hybrid.”

“Yeah, in’ whoopdeedo,” the man glowered, bright blue eyes squinting, climbing out of the bed with a full body shiver, tail rigid behind him, “Don't call anyone,” he warned again as he stepped into a pair of shoes Jimin hadn't noticed before.

“But- are you okay? Do you need food? Do you have a place to stay?” Jimin found himself asking.

“You don't care, go away,” the man swatted at the empty air next to him and headed back towards the front room.

“No, seriously, you’re so skinny, have some food before you go,” Jimin tried again, following after him.

The man froze, ears swiveling in Jimin’s direction, glancing down at himself and then back at Jimin, seemingly debating with himself before he caved, “Wh-what do you have?”

“I’ll order in, what do you like?” Jimin asked with a tentative smile.

“That takes too long, how do I know you didn’t call someone while I was sleeping…?”

“You can check my phone, the last person I called was my grandma.”

The man stiffened again, “Your grandma…?”

“Yeah, my grandma, yesterday,” Jimin nodded.

The man’s ears flattened and his tail spasmed behind him before curling around his waist, “Fish, I miss fish…”

Jimin nodded and pulled his phone out to find a place that might deliver fish, “Is sushi okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

Jimin sat at the table to pick his own food and then slid his phone to the edge of the table for the hybrid to pick.

The cat sat on the far chair, right on the edge like he was poised to run as he picked one, quickly sliding the phone back to Jimin.

“So… I’m Jimin, what’s your name?” He asked as he finalized his order, doubling the dish the hybrid had asked for.

“I’m… Why are you asking? Why are you being so nice?” He demanded, ears perked forward again.

“My best friend has two hybrids that he lives with, they’re good friends of mine.  If they were lost I’m sure he would want someone to treat them with respect.”

The hybrid’s hair fluffed slightly, “I'm not lost.”

“No, but someone is looking for you,” Jimin nodded, “Or else why would you be avoiding shelters? They take in hybrids without owners all the time.”

“My owner is dead,” the hybrid all but hissed and Jimin frowned softly.

“I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be. I’ll be gone after I eat, you don't have to care.”

“But I do care… And you're hurting…”

The hybrid stood up and then sat back down again, “Stop talking.”

“I’ll give you a two minute reprieve if you tell me your name,” Jimin offered with a soft grin.

“I… I haven't chosen a new one yet.”

“You don't want to keep your name from your last owner?”

“No one… Says it the right way,” he admitted with a huff of annoyance, “So it may as well be a different name anyway.”

“Let me try,” Jimin smiled.

The hybrid was quiet for a long while before he sighed, “It’s Sugar,” the name sounded forced and he shrugged, “But she said it ‘Suga’...”

“Suga,” Jimin repeated a smile tugging at his lips again when the hybrid’s eyes widened slightly, “She was from the east, huh? My family is too.”

“Y-yes, we lived in Daegu…”

“How’d you get all the way here?”

“Her daughter… lives here.”

“You ran away?”

“She’s not my owner.”

“Suga… Was she mean to you?”

“Drop it,” the hybrid hissed, shoulders hunching in.

Jimin nodded, “I’m sorry… I just don't want her to do anything bad to someone else.”

“It wasn't like that… Drop it.”

Jimin nodded and looked down at his phone, “Would you like to stay the night?”

“No,” Suga hissed once more.

“What were you expecting when you broke in?” Jimin asked curiously.

“I thought you were out of town,” The hybrid admitted, ears flattening again.

“I was at a friend’s house for the weekend, with the two hybrids,” Jimin nodded, perking when his doorbell rang.

Suga literally jumped from his seat and was halfway down the hallway before Jimin’s words registered and he slowly peeked back out to watch Jimin’s back as he paid and brought the food to the table.

Jimin set the food out and didn't even comment as Suga crept back out to sit in front of his food. “Eat up, it’s really cold out there, you’ll need all your energy.”

Suga grumbled and paused before he took his first bite, “This is free right? You don't want anything in return?”

Jimin shook his head, “It’s free.”

Suga nodded and took a bite, sighing softly.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

“When was the last time you sat down for a meal like this?”

Suga glanced up at him with his mouth full, “What does it matter? Two months?”

“This is perfect,” Jimin nodded, “You should stay.”

“Stay? Perfect?!”

“Yes, you need my help and I… Well I was looking into a pet- It would be like a crash course before I commit, and you could stay until you get back on your feet.”

Suga set down his next bite and stared at Jimin uncertainly, “You realize that there is no ‘on your feet’ for a hybrid right? We’re property… Objects… In fact I might be considered stolen property, that you are now in possession of…?”

Jimin waved a hand through the air, he had never been one for overthinking things and he shrugged, “Well I’m not about to tell the police, are you?”

Suga stared, ears forward in disbelief, “On my feet would be… Owned again.”

“Then see if you like it here with me,” Jimin smiled brightly.

“You’re insane,” Suga muttered, but he began eating once more.

“Stay the night at least?”

“No.”

“But you were going to before, why not now?”

“Now you’re here,” Suga pointed out.

“Why would I feed you first if I was going to hurt you?”

“So I struggle less?” Suga shrugged, “Maybe you have a locked room ready for me.”

Jimin was quiet for a moment before he glanced over to Suga again, “Did she have a locked room? The daughter?”

Suga stiffened and scowled, “Why don't you stop asking about it.”

“You should sleep in my room,” Jimin nodded, “It has a lock on the /inside/, so you can keep me out if you want.”

“You have the key.”

“I’ll give it to you.”

“You’re unbalanced aren't you?”

Jimin sighed a little, “You’re so suspicious. I really don't want to hurt you.”

Suga put down another piece of sushi and stared Jimin down, “There are lots of ways to hurt someone.”

“I won’t mean to hurt you, if I do, and I would regret it.”

“The people I left… Her daughter and her husband… They would insist they hadn't hurt me. They would insist they were helping me.”

Jimin frowned softly and watched Suga, not sure what to say to that.

“They took me in with a smile when she passed. They took care of me, but I heard them talking about how /great/ their new toy was going to be, and they were talking about /me/,” Suga took a shuddering breath in, “When I refused her first advances she flushed my suppression medicine down the toilet and locked me in a room to wait until I was the one begging her.”

“Oh no,” Jimin gasped, unable to stop himself as he leaned forward, “Thank god you got away from there. Did you- did you make it before she…”

Suga scowled, “Before they touched me? Yes, but that doesn't mean I don’t know… the things they /wanted/ to do, and it feels just as disgusting.”

“Of course, I’m not trying to say you can’t feel that way,” Jimin back tracked immediately, “People are despicable…”

Suga picked at his food with a scowl, ears flattened into his bright hair, “I’m just a part of her property, they were only holding onto me until they could figure out what the will had said about me. Who was going to receive me… But the will didn't say anything about me, she let me read it once, and it didn't mention me at all, so I got out, before they decided to leave me with the daughter forever.”

Jimin listened without interruption this time, trying to piece together what Suga was saying, and positive he was the first to ever hear it.  He wondered if the meal two months was with those people or if it had been some other random encounter.

“Hybrids are cheaper than live in nurses, did you know?” Suga smiled slowly, “They bought me to watch her die… They bought me because none of them could take time to visit their own mother. If I had a mother I wouldn't leave her to die like that… Alone…”

“She wasn't alone, she had you,” Jimin pointed out.

“She wanted her children,” Suga sniffed, “She called me her grandson, she… She lasted three years longer than any of those ungrateful ers expected, because… Because she had me taking care of her, but she… They never taught me how to /save/ her, they didn't teach me CPR and when she needed me I let her down too…”

Suddenly Suga was crying, heart wrenching sobs and Jimin closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around his smaller frame, “It’s okay, it’s okay…”

“It’s not- it’s not okay, she’s gone and I’m nothing but a misplaced piece of ing inventory again, and she’s gone!”

Jimin shook his head as the hybrid melted into his arms, “You’re not inventory, you’re not a thing…”

Suga shook his head, clutching at Jimin’s shirt, “She’s the only person who thought that, and she’s gone. It doesn't matter… Shouldn't have run away, at least in there I knew they weren't going to kill me… out here I have no idea.”

“Stop… It’s okay, you’re safe… I don’t think you’re a thing, and you’ll be safe tonight. You’ll be safe as long as you’re with me,” Jimin soothed, listening as the hybrids gasping sobs quieted slowly.

It was ten more minutes before Jimin realized that Suga was out cold, the crying having sapped the rest of his energy.  He frowned when he lifted the cat, surprised at how light he was, and he took him to the bedroom, tucking him in once more and putting the key to the room on the bedside table.

He put the food away and barely had time to wonder if he was making a bad choice or not before exhaustion took him under too.