As the youngest of our Cat-Boy (and one human) family, Jungkook was rightfully fawned upon the second we got home. He filled out with good food and happy companionship and his eyes lost the haunted quality they’d taken on in the auction house. Taehyung in particular adored him and followed him around with his ball of yarn, trying to entice him to play with him.

“So do you love me for getting you a pet?” Minra shrugged off her coat and handed me Bean’s too. Bean was looking around eagerly for a playmate and I stifled a snicker at the thought of the six waiting from behind the door.

“Oh yeah,” I said seriously. “You definitely made my life interesting.”

Minra smirked. “See, I told you. Can I see the little cutie?”

I smirked back. “Sure. Taehyung!”

Scampering feet. More than one pair. Taehyung burst into the room shouting that he’d been quiet this whole time, and promptly tripped on Hoseok’s tail. Hoseok howled and Namjoon, thinking that was funny, howled along with him. Yoongi strolled in after Jimin and both waved hello to Bean, who looked ecstatic at so many playmates.

The seven of them promptly began chasing each other around the house, leaving me to deal with Minra, who was currently staring at me, unsure of what on earth to think of me.

I smiled innocently. “Well, you did say I needed a life. So I got one.” I closed when she didn’t do it herself.

Then she smiled. “I knew you’d love him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Taehyung!” Minra's friend Riseul calls out behind her. Her eyes have widened slightly from before, and I’m not sure why. She has a mischievous sort of scent to her that I can’t quite put my finger on.

The mystery is solved quickly when not one, but six scampering pairs of feet come from the living room and Taehyung (the orange striped Cat-Boy I’d met before) comes running out with five other hybrids at his tail. I glance quickly at Minra to make sure I’m not supposed to be frightened. She looks surprised for a minute.

“Well, you did say I needed a life. So I got one.” Riseul closes Minra's mouth and I hide a snicker behind my hand.

Minra cracks the sort of smile I recognize from when she gets annoyed at customers and hides the products from them and I relax. That means there is nothing to be afraid of. “I knew you’d like him.”

Taehyung grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room, and I meet Namjoon (he looks kind of scary, why are his fingernails like that?), Yoongi (I think he is going to fall asleep right there standing up), Jungkook (MY GOSH HE’S ADORABLE), Jimin (Taehyung can’t stop pinching his cheeks), and Hoseok (I think his face is going to break in two with how widely he’s smiling).

“Hi.” I wave at them. “I’m Bean.” Namjoon comes closer and sniffs at me. I do the same; he smells of earth and fresh air, not unpleasant, just different. He must have deemed me acceptable because he taps me.

“Tag. You’re it.” This is everyone else’s cue to bolt away. How on earth did they know this is my favorite game? They don’t know how good I am at it, though, and it only takes a little while before I’ve tagged everyone out.

“Why are you so fast, Bean?” Jungkook complains. I just smile at him and put my nose in the air.

“Minra and Riseul are having cereal.” I announce.

Taehyung looks impressed. “How’d you know that?” He sniffs too. “I can’t smell anything.

Namjoon and Hoseok have surrounded Yoongi, who looks like he’s ready for a long nap (“don’t worry,” Taehyung says. “He always looks like that.”). I watch them as I tell Taehyung, “Minra always has cereal. I always know when she’s eating it.”

We lay in the patch of sun by the french doors in the back of the living room. Yoongi’s constant tired look is contagious. I watch Jimin and Jungkook jump onto the top of the couch and have a pushing contest. Jungkook wins.

I glance outside behind Taehyung and I feel my ears perk up. He notices.

“What is it?”

“Look.” I point to the scraggly figure in the backyard.

Taehyung bounces over to the door and opens it. The figure jumps and tries to run away, but trips over a tree root. Jimin and Namjoon come over to see what we’re doing.

"It’s okay!” Taehyung calls. “We won’t hurt you!”

The figure sits up and rubs a dirty hand through his hair. We notice right away how his ears flop back over his hair. He’s a hybrid.

His ears are two different colors--one is black and one is white, and his tail is black and white stripes. I feel sorry for him. His clothes are all ripped and dirty and Namjoon purrs softly under his breath, like he knows what that feels like. This hybrid must be a stray.

Taehyung is still talking to him. “What’s your name, kitty?”

It looks like the hybrid is too scared to talk, but when Namjoon sits next to him, he looks at us and says,

“Seokjin.” He took a deep breath and just looked so relieved. “But some people call me Jin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow that took me a while to finish...

Hope you enjoyed!

~ ELF