The Hybrid Whisperer KTH+JJK

Three

A/N So as a compromise with myself I have decided to uptate when I finish a chapter, maintaining a four chapter margin just in case I get the old writer's block. So enjoy while my creative juices are still flowing.

Taehyung sat cross legged on the edge of his neatly made bed, hair still slightly damp from his nightly shower, his outdated laptop whirring noisily on his lap. Out of curiosity, he'd googled hybrid training. After the truly concerning number of pornography results he kind of wished he hadn't. So he refined his search to hybrid behaviour instead. The resulting articles were thankfully less sexual in nature.

He'd been correct, hybrids were well beyond his realm of expertise. He was great with animals, but hybrids were complex, intelligent creatures with more in common with humans than the subspecies of animal their genes contained. Sure, Jeongguk was displaying the typical stress responses of a rabbit, but the reason behind the behaviour was more than just confusion over who was the 'alpha' in the household. The boy obviously missed his friend. That wasn't going to get better just because Mrs Kim was taking him for regular walks and taught him how to sit.

Honestly, Taehyung felt kind of bad for the kid. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned by the ones you loved. Being lonely sucked. But that didn't change the fact that this whole job was well above his paygrade.

Sighing, he closed the laptop and tucked it away in it's case. Then he climbed into bed, turned off the lamp and waited for sleep to claim him.

He woke up to his alarm the next morning at seven am. He didn't have a class until noon, but he wanted to get a head start on studying for the exams that would be coming up in the next few weeks. He didn't like leaving things to the last minute.

As soon as he hopped out of bed, he remade it. He was a firm believer in cleaning as you went. A place for everything and everything in it's place, as his mother used to say. He felt a pang at the unbidden thought of his mother, but quickly distracted himself with his morning routine.

Once he was showered, shaved and caffeinated he settled on the edge of his bed again in lieu of a sofa. He really missed having a couch. The only furniture he had in his sparse apartment was the queen sized bed (his one indulgence) and a battered, second hand bedside. The place had come with a tiny, temperamental fridge and a hotplate, but that was about it. Even his linen closet doubled as his regular closet. But it didn't matter, it was his place and no one tried to force him into their tired, square shaped mold, no one looked at him with bitter disappointment. Better couchless and alone than the alternative.

Coffee in one hand, he opened and freed his laptop from it's case with the other in one practiced motion. He frowned a little. The machine was quiet. Too quiet. Usually the start up of the practically archaic computer was a buzzing, rumbling affair. He gave it the old double tap to it's side in the hopes of kick starting the tired innards but this resulted in an alarming series of beeps.

"No." He whispered in mounting horror. "No, no, no, no, no. Come on. Please don't do this." He begged under his breath.

He set the coffee on the floor beside him, focusing his full attention on the malfunctioning laptop. His fingers found the power button, holding it in for a slow count of thirty before releasing it. The heavy whirring of the fan made his eyes light with hope. "Please, please, please." He prayed to the oft fickle gods of technology.

Then he heard the sizzle of static and the acrid scent of burning and his hopes plummeted. "No! This can't be happening!"

His entire life was trapped in what was now essentially a glorified brick, all his assignments, his note transcriptions, but more importantly the few pictures he'd managed to keep of Eonjin and Jeonggyu. What was he going to do now? He certainly didn't have the money to take it in for repair.

He felt tears prick his eyes and blinked rapidly as anxiety caught a hold of him. Wrapping his arms around his dead laptop, he fought for control. His breathing became irregular and panting, his stomach knotted sickeningly as dread settled heavy and acidic within it's lining. "No, no, no, no, no." He breathed, his knuckles white around the plastic casing. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening."

Breathe. He reminded himself. In, two... three... four... Out, two... three.. four... five... Over and over again until that grey, dizzy feeling subsided. He slowly and deliberately loosened his grip on the laptop, setting it down on the bed gently. He got to his feet and began pacing, turning sharply as his arms wrapped around himself for comfort, rubbing at his unnaturally cold flesh.

Stop freaking out! He ordered himself. Stop being so pathetic! It's just a laptop for Christ's sake. Get a hold of yourself. So stupid. Crying like an idiot. Useless. Stupid. Weak. Pathetic. Disgusting. He made a low sound of distress as the hurtful but familiar litany ran through his head, his mother's voice, his father's voice, his own.

Blue. The cup at his feet was blue. He counteracted with the grounding exercises his therapist had taught him. Back when he could afford to see a therapist. The duvet cover was white with small purple flowers and mint green leaves. The hot plate was orange. His jacket hanging by the door was navy blue and red. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five. He could smell coffee and the shaving cream he'd used this morning. In two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five. He could hear the traffic outside his window; the beep of the air pump from the gas station next door; the faint melody of his neighbour's music. Name that song? He strained his ears, cocked his head. Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, finally calming down, although the hot, sick feeling didn't completely abate. His laptop was broken, but it wasn't the end of the world. Most of his stuff was saved online. And he could get it fixed. The university had computers he could use. It was going to be ok. Money was tight, but...

He closed his eyes. He was going to have to take the Kim job. Qualified or not, the fact remained that Jeongguk needed a trainer and he needed the money. Even without this setback he'd needed the money. He couldn't afford to turn down paying work. So he was just going to have to suck it up and do the best job he could for both their sakes.

A/N My poor baby!

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Don't forget to vote.

I purple you!