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

chapter five

the ride home seemed quieter than it was on the way to the shelter. hoseok and yoongi made small talk, planning out the events for the rest of the day, and into the week. it wasn't very late, the clock on hoseok's dashboard reading half past ten in the morning. not to mention it was only tuesday. it was early in the week, and yoongi knew it was going to be rough.

"-ya think? yoongi?" hoseok's questioning tone snapped him out of his thoughts, pulling his attention towards his friend.

"ah, sorry." yoongi scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. hoseok raised an eyebrow at him briefly before turning his attention back to the road. "what did you ask?"

"i asked if you thought barbecue sounded good for dinner tonight." hoseok repeated, coming to a stop at a red light. yoongi recognized the area; they were close to home.

"yeah. 's fine with me." yoongi turned to the hybrid in the back, who'd been staring out the window the entire ride, arms folded over their chest with an almost pout-like expression on their face. "what do you think, viv? does that sound good to you?"

the hybrid's ears twitched at the nickname, probably not used to hearing it. they glanced over, orange eyes narrowed in some sort of threat. yoongi only smiled softly at them, waiting for some sort of answer. he noticed their tail twitching rapidly on the seat, as if annoyed, before they finally nodded in agreement. yoongi's smile grew bigger, gums on full display before he turned back to hoseok, feeling revived in a sense.

"barbeque it is then!" hoseok grinned at the hybrid in the rear view mirror, earning pinned ears and a growl before they folded into themself. the rest of the drive was short, only taking around ten minutes before they finally got to the house. hoseok pulled into the driveway, next to seokjin's car, putting the car in park and turning off the ignition. he glanced at yoongi, who shared a semi-worried expression before they both turned to the hybrid.

the fox in question was currently pressed against the other side of the car, staring up at the house in awe. yoongi wasn't surprised; he had the same reaction when hoseok first brought him here. seokjin had inherited the house from his parents, bringing namjoon with him. it had only been them for some time before they ran into hoseok, who brought yoongi, and they all ended up moving in together.

and then they invited the three hybrids with them.

yoongi remembers that day so well. hoseok had met taehyung at a dance event, and the two had hit it off almost instantly. he was so well composed that if they hadn't spotted the tiger ears, they would've never known he was a hybrid. taehyung introduced them to jimin and jeongguk, and over time the seven of them became one big group. which resulted in all of them living in the same house.

yoongi could only praise the universe for the house being so big.

fading his thoughts out, yoongi refocused his attention on the awe-struck hybrid. he smiled softly, one he was used to giving, reaching over to tap the back of hoseok's chair in an attempt to get their attention. the sudden noise seemed to startle them, however, as they jolted into the door and pushed it open. the two humans scrambled out as well, yoongi rounded the car, approaching the fox who was currently on the ground, staring at him with wide eyes.

"hey, i'm sorry." yoongi stopped at a safe distance, crouching down to be level with them. "i didn't mean to startle you."

the hybrid only pushed themself back, ears pinned in warning despite the fearful expression on full display. yoongi cringed a bit, this really wasn't how he wanted this to go.

"vivian." yoongi murmured, giving hoseok a glance that meant to stay away. "hey, you're safe. it's okay. i just wanted your attention, that's all. i really didn't mean it."

as yoongi continued to whisper positive reinforcements to the hybrid, they slowly started to relax a bit. yoongi had their full attention from the moment he said their name, judging by the way their ears swiveled forward towards him. offering a soft smile, he reached a hand out to them, waiting patiently while they decided to take it or not.

after what seemed like an agonizing period of time - something yoongi has quickly grown to deal with - they took yoongi's hand, allowing him to pull them off the ground. almost immediately, yoongi started dusting them off, making sure any twigs or stray leaves weren't sticking out of their tail.

the fox obviously wasn't used to the attention, ears flattening back once more. they didn't move, hoseok noticed absentmindedly, watching the ordeal. no, instead, their entire face flushed into a sort of pink that matched the springtime cherry blossoms. hoseok huffed out a soft laugh, watching as they turned to weakly push yoongi away.

"alright, alright. i'm done." yoongi softly took their hands in his, gaining their attention as he did. "now, i'm going to let you know now. we do have three other hybrids and two other humans here. one of them was with us at the shelter the other day."

yoongi watched as something indescribable flashed in their eyes. it was fleeting, as it was soon replaced with a blank expression. yoongi quirked an eyebrow up, a pang of worry hitting him. was this a mistake?

"i have my own room, which you can stay in with me until you get more comfortable. all us humans share rooms with our hybrids at times, but that's only because we've known each other for so long." yoongi continued, hoping they wouldn't be too antsy or uncomfortable here. "the hybrids can sometimes be overwhelming, taehyung especially. he's kind of loud-" yoongi leaned in a bit closer, lowering his voice. "which is why he and hoseok are paired."

the two shot a glance at hoseok, who only looked at them with a smile. the hybrid's lips twitched, like they wanted to smile. yoongi squeezed their hands gently. "i've done absolutely everything i can to make this home for you. all you have to do is let me know when something is too much. or not enough."

the hybrid glanced back at yoongi, staring up at him. it was quiet, the only sound being the wind rustling through the trees. finally, they nodded, grip on yoongi's hands tightening slightly. they were afraid, he could tell, but he didn't blame them at all.

"alright. let's go." yoongi smiled, pulling one of his hands away to take the bag from hoseok. they made their way up the stairs, hoseok turning the handle and opening the door for the other two. they stepped into the room, toeing off their shoes as the three finally made their way into the main room, where the other five were waiting for them.

the minute yoongi and the hybrid rounded the corner, the hybrid's instantly reacted. jeongguk let out a sort of yelp as he scurried off to seokjin's room, the slam of the door vibrating through the house. jimin was rooted to the spot, tail limp against the floor and ears halfway pinned back. taehyung's eyes went so wide yoongi thought they were going to pop out of his head. he could see the shift in his demeanor as his tail bristled, muscles bunching under his skin as he prepared to pounce. the air hung thick, time seeming to slow down once more as taehyung launched himself at the hybrid, hands outstretched to grab them on impact.

yoongi felt their hands get ripped apart, staggering to the side as there was a loud thud before they went rolling into the wall. they bumped against it, ending up in a position where taehyung had the fox pinned to the floor by their shoulders, teeth bared in attack. the four humans all looked between each other for a split second before yoongi sprung into action.

"taehyung!"