when you talk to me (my whole world lights up)

chapter four

"yoongi, seriously."

hoseok folded his arms across his chest, staring down his friend. yoongi was currently checking everything in the house for what seemed like the billionth time that day. today was the day they brought the new hybrid home, and yoongi was acting weirder than usual.

"yoongi. everything is fine." hoseok tried again, to no avail. yoongi only flitted to the other side of the room, ignoring hoseok's pleas. he needed to be absolutely sure that the new hybrid would be comfortable in the house, and the others needed to be on their best behavior, and-

"yoongi!"

hoseok grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around so they were facing each other. yoongi's eyes went wide as he gripped hoseok's arms, stabilizing himself from the sudden jerking.

"look, you've done everything you can to make sure our house is as ready as possible. all you're going to do is stress yourself out, and that's not the yoongi we know." hoseok looked him dead in the eyes, making sure that yoongi knew he was serious. the two of them were quiet for some time until yoongi's grip on hoseok loosened.

"you're right. i'm sorry." yoongi whispered, patting his friend's arm lightly. hoseok smiled at him, giving his shoulders a squeeze. "i'm just a little nervous."

"we know, yoongs." hoseok pulled him to the couch, turning to him. "this is something we've gone through many times, and we're all here to support you."

yoongi smiled softly, giving hoseok's knee a light pat. this was a big step for him, everyone knew it, and they were all on edge with anticipation and excitement. it was going to be an adjustment, mostly for the hybrids themselves, but somehow they'd manage.

hopefully.

it wasn't long before yoongi's phone lit up, ringing loudly into the house. he shot up from where he was resting against hoseok, enjoying the calm before the storm, so to speak. hoseok, who was snoozing against yoongi's head, looked at him sleepily. yoongi looked back with worry in his eyes.

this was it. this was the call.

yoongi answered the phone tentatively, turning away from the ever-growing stares he was getting. the other hybrids and humans had finally gathered in the living room after deeming it safe from yoongi's cleaning spree.

"hello? yes, this is him."

the air in the room hung tense as yoongi listened to the person on the other side of the call, nodding (mostly to himself) as they spoke. eventually he said thank you, dismissing the call, before just standing in the same spot for what seemed like forever. hoseok opened his mouth to say something before yoongi turned around, a toothy grin on his face.

"they're ready."

the three hybrids crouched back a bit as the humans all yelled out in excitement. they were finally bringing a new hybrid home! they were stoked about the newest addition, but would the hybrids feel just the same?

that didn't matter at the moment. for now, it was time to go get their new friend! hoseok and yoongi practically stumbled over each other as they rushed out the door, briefly stopping to wave goodbye at the others before venturing out into the world.

it was a quiet ride back to the shelter, consisting of hoseok making small talk with himself while yoongi stared out of the window. he was still nervous, to say the least, but the excitement seemed to dull it just enough.

and that was all he needed.

hoseok pulled into a parking space in front of the familiar building, putting the car into park. he looked over at yoongi, who's normal blank expression was just barely holding him together. he was a wreck, but hoseok was going to make sure everything went smoothly.

hoseok reached over, taking yoongi's hand in his. the older boy looked over at him, blinking away any trace of that void expression. hoseok smiled softly at him, squeezing his hand in reassurance. yoongi smiled back, returning the gesture before taking a grounding breath.

"are you ready to do this?" hoseok asked, still holding his hand. yoongi didn't respond for a bit of time, still doing his grounding techniques namjoon taught him in a time of need.

finally, yoongi reached for the door handle, wrapping his fingers around it before looking to hoseok. "let's do this."

they left the car, only walking inside after hoseok made sure it was unlocked. yoongi fidgeted the entire time they talked to the worker, who ironically was the same one from the other day. he only smiled at the blond, knowing full well what he was feeling.

"just hang tight here, i'll go get them." he nodded his head before heading off towards the back. he had brought them to their separate room, the one where they can transition from the shelter to their new home. hoseok keeps his hand on yoongi's back as they wait, too anxious to sit down. the gesture gives yoongi something to focus on, other than his racing thoughts. it wasn't long before there was a knock on the door, and then it opened.

the hybrid was revealed first, eyes downcast and ears pinned slightly. they looked uncomfortable, tail twitching slightly behind them. it wasn't until yoongi took a step forward that they finally raised their gaze, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. they stepped forward, hands twitching like they wanted to reach out to him before they realized there were other people. emitting a low growl, they turned away, arms folding across their chest as they glared at the wall in front of them.

the door swung the rest of the way open, revealing the worker, who had an apologetic smile on his face. "i know you'll take great care of them. call us if you have any questions."

yoongi reached out his hand to the hybrid, a soft smile on his face as they turned to look at him. narrowed eyes and a piercing gaze met his relaxed one, fighting a silent war that could only be felt by them. it wasn't long before they finally took his hand, the corner of their lips twitching like they almost wanted to smile.

but they couldn't allow that just yet.

yoongi and hoseok bowed to the worker, who handed hoseok the small bag of the hybrid's things. they left the shelter quietly, walking towards the car. when they reached it, the hybrid stopped in their tracks, causing yoongi to almost fall backwards from the force. he turned around to look as hoseok got the car started, peeking around the car to see what the issue was.

"are you okay?" yoongi asked softly, turning to take their other hand in his. the hybrid didn't respond, only stared at the car with something akin to mild fear. their ears were flicking back and forth, like they were trying to listen to something. like something was about to happen.

yoongi went into protective mode instinctively, releasing their hands to raise his to their face. he touched them lightly, hesitating when they flinched away before finally cupping their face in his hands.

"hey. it's okay." yoongi spoke gently, turning their face so they were looking at him. the hybrid blinked a couple times, staring at yoongi with a hint of confusion. "no one's going to hurt you. we're taking you home. somewhere safe."

before yoongi could even finish, the hybrid pinned their ears flat against their head, nipping at one of yoongi's hands. they missed, albeit not by much, but it caused yoongi to retract his hands super fast. yoongi hardened his stare just the slightest, holding their gaze steady. neither of them spoke for a short time, the hybrid finally being the first to move. they brushed past yoongi, pushing him out of the way in the process before clambering in the back of the car.

"yoongi?" hoseok called from where he stood. the older boy turned back, an almost bewildered look on his face. "are you good?"

"yeah... yeah." yoongi responded, shaking himself off. he was in for a wild ride.