"Y/N!".

Namjoon and I barely have time to enter the shelter that Yoongi is already picking me off my feet to spin us in circle, his face burrowed into my neck with a deep inhale of my scent, his own peppermint bursting with happy pheromones that make me giggle happily.

Namjoon walks around us to join Jin's side, a handshake shared between the two of them before they bring their gaze back to us, one pair of eyes with a little drop of jealousy within while the other's simply content to see friends reunited.

"I missed you, a week felt like an eternity since I was so used to seeing you everyday" the cat complains as he finally settles me back on the floor, hands cupping my cheeks with a pout on his cute lips, eyes shining with relief because Namjoon didn't lie, he really brought me here to see him.

I allow myself to lean into his warmth with an eye smile that makes the cat's stomach flutter, then step back with an excited jump, too eager to show him my new things to stay still.

"I missed you too, Yoonie. But look! Namjoon took me shopping today and now I have my own clothes! And I have a phone! And a necklace that serves as a tag since he didn't want me to have a collar like most hybrids!" I chirp while twirling in front of him and Jin to show off because I'm just so excited!

Yoongi feels his soul sway with endearment as he watches me twirl with pride, my beauty somehow increasing whenever he sees me, he doesn't know how I do it but he doesn't tire of it, he could never.

Jin chuckles at the sight, he never misses the adoration that flashes in the cat's eyes whenever he gazes at me and he can see the same in Namjoon's eyes, it makes him happy, maybe even gleeful, he can't help but feel curious about what the future may hold for us.

"You look beautiful, honey. I take it that things went well between the two of you? You look comfortable together" the human muses gently, words that put an end to my twirling before I stare at him with a frown, feet stomping his way before I stop in front of his towering body.

"You not letting him know beforehand caused me a lot of stress, Jin! I only shifted yesterday because I wasn't sure how he would take it and even then, he caught me before I was ready to show myself, it was scary! You shouldn't do that again, it's not good" I scold him seriously and he loses his smile slowly as I make my anger known to him.

Jin glances at Namjoon who meets his gaze with a pinched smile, it indeed could've been handled better. He wouldn't have refused me upon hearing that I'm a hybrid, he simply would've prepared a little bit more so that he would welcome not a dog, but a person into his home.

He still feels bad about the dog food.

"Ah... right, I didn't think about how you would feel. I'm sorry, Y/N, I shouldn't have done that. I just had a feeling that Namjoon was the one for you so I didn't think much of it, I'll be sure to be careful from now on" he apologizes sincerely with a hand on my head and I calm down slightly, it did end up going well after all so... I can probably forgive him this time.

"You shouldn't do that for other hybrids, Jin, don't do it again, okay?" I still utter, just to be sure, and he promises with a smile and a ruffle to my hair before having a look at my necklace, the gold medallion engraved on both sides, one with Namjoon's contacts while the other shows a flower that I chose myself, a pretty tulip.

"This is lovely, honey, it fits you, as does your outfit. You look happy" he states softly before stepping back to have a look at me and my owner, a grin on his lips when the latter wraps a protective arm around me to keep me close when Yoongi hovers near, hands jittery as he tries to get a hold of me again, which bothers Namjoon greatly.

Yoongi liked the giant human when he said that he would bring me here again, but now he's not so sure anymore. Why did he pull me away from him with such a possessive squeeze of my waist?

Who is he to keep Yoongi from loving me?

The cat frowns at Namjoon before grabbing my hand anyway with a little pull that catches my attention, ears twitchy as I notice his insistent pout. Yoongi doesn't like being ignored for too long and this is exactly what's going on here, it makes me step slightly out of Namjoon's hold, something that displeases the man yet pleases the cat.

I turn to look at Namjoon with a smile. "I'll go play with Yoongi, that's why we came here, right? I can go?" I ask, and though his guts urge him to keep me within sight, his instincts stating that Yoongi isn't seeing me as a simple friend - he should've noticed that first day - he plasters a small smile over his face anyway before nodding his head.

It would be weird of him to change his mind when he was the one offering to come here so I could see the cat. He'll just have to suck it up for now.

"Sure, you can go, sweet pup. I'll stay here with Seokjin so... you know where to find me" he says halfheartedly and I quickly rub my cheek against his bicep before running off with Yoongi glued to me, our hands linked as we head to his room where we usually spend most of our time.

His POV

I stare at the doorway for a bit longer before moving my gaze to Seokjin when I hear him chuckle to himself, knowing eyes creasing at me as he crosses his arms over his chest, his weight leaning over the edge of his desk.

"Isn't she the sweetest? She's got character but she's fun, right?" he muses and I huff lightly before nodding my head, that she sure is.

"She's full of energy and she's always got a comeback to hit you with, that's true, but she's also adorable no matter what she does, she's perfect" I admit, to which his smile widens with a pleased hum.

"You're already starting to fall for her, aren't you? I saw the way you stared at Yoongi, how you tried to keep her from him, without success must I add. The kitten is tenacious, he won't give up on her just because you adopted her" he chirps and I grumble under my breath, tongue swiping against the inside of my cheek as I stare at the empty doorway once more.

This man is too observant, I'd rather not have him poke at my feelings like this before I can even do it myself, but since he approached the subject first...

"What about her? Does she like him too?" I ask lowly, eyebrows furrowed under the weight of concern, my nerves acting up against my will because it's possible that he says yes, but to that, he simply shrugs in dismissal.

"I'm not sure. Y/N is affectionate but she doesn't really have such a good understanding of her own emotions sometimes, I put the blame on the childhood she had. If you're kind with her, she'll naturally be more inclined to be cuddly with you, but I don't know if she can make the difference between romance and friendship when it matters.

So does she like Yoongi the way he likes her? Perhaps, she always lets him get his way with her, even when he's being an annoying brat while I get scolded for behaving the same way, she's a big softie for him" he says with a chuckle, words that make my heart sink in my stomach, have I already lost before I could even begin?

"But" he adds before staring at me with interest.

"She has those soft, pretty little eyes when she stares at you. I can see that you make her feel safe, cared for, yet at the same time, you need her, which must make her want to take care of you as well. That's different from what Yoongi gives her. I'm not diminishing the affection she has for the cat, her emotions are valid whether she understands them or not, I'm just saying that you have a part of her heart too. As I said the first time, Y/N has a lot of love to give".

I sigh and nod my head, it's true that her reaction to Seokjin isn't the same as the one she had to Yoongi when we first came in, I guess that's why I felt the need to keep her closer and away from him. She melted in his touch the same way she melts in mine and I felt threatened.

She has such a tight grip on my heart already when it's only been a day of knowing her a hybrid, what will it be like in weeks? Months? Will she gain the power to break me apart if she decides to leave me behind to love Yoongi one day?

"Don't worry too much, Namjoon. Dogs are loyal, her being half-human doesn't erase those traits, quite on the contrary. She won't leave you behind, you're already most likely the most important person to her right now. You're her owner, and dogs always end up falling in love with their owner" Seokjin states so calmly that it makes me frown in contemplation.

"Always? So what, even if I treated her badly, she would still end up loving me?" I ask bitterly, such a scenario one I know to happen way too often in too many houses, it's a question that makes his face fall into a saddened expression.

"Always, Namjoon. That's why it's important for people like me who own hybrid shelters to make sure they end up in deserving hands. It's so, so easy to make them into miserable hybrids if their owner isn't chosen carefully" he murmurs with a gaze that lets me know how serious he is about this, he only wants the best for the hybrids under his care and... it does make a hint of pride flutter in my chest because I was chosen for her, he didn't hesitate about me.

He turns his gaze my way and gives me a small, worried smile.

"Just... don't go thinking that her love for you isn't sincere for the simple reason that it was going to happen anyway. Y/N loves with her whole heart and soul, but it in turn makes her that much more fragile. She was abandoned once already, she'll most likely be a little bit more careful before she reaches the point of trusting you blindly so please don't dismiss her love for some basic animal instincts, she's much more than that".

I remain silent at his gentle plea, his care for her obvious in the way it creates soft creases on his face. It's true that knowing that this love would grow either way does disturb me a little but... he's also right in the way that she's much more than simple animal instincts.

I'll just have to focus on the fact that she'll get to love someone who will treat her right, someone who will take good care of her more than I should focus on the fact that she would still find it in her to love an abusive owner.

There's also the matter of her being abandoned once that bothers me.

I think back to earlier at the mall, to the way she kept looking at me with a nervous twitch of her ears whenever there would be distance between us, and even before we entered the mall, the terrified glow in her eyes enough to make me hold a protective stance around her.

Was she left on her own in that kind of environment? Left alone in a sea of strangers with no way to find her way back home?

"How..." I hesitate on how to formulate the entire question, it feels so wrong to say, the words ones that my soul rejects wholeheartedly, how could anyone do such a thing to a sweet pup like her?

"You want to know how I found her" Seokjin asks for me and I release a breath, that's a much better one than what I had in mind. The man sighs before looking up with a shake of the head, like the memory still angers him.

"Strangely enough, it was at the grocery store, from when I went on a vacation two years ago. Where was that... ah. Jeju Island. Figured the sea would be a nice change of scenery from the forest surrounding our town, you know? Anyway, one day when I went to buy food for the week, I found her crying on her own in the middle of the shop.

She was wearing those... old, dirty clothes and walking around every aisles searching for her owners with that little box of pasta in her hands. I helped her search for them and then waited with her for an hour, that's when I understood that she was probably brought there so they could get rid of her by asking her to go get something before fleeing, she was... heartbroken".

I clench my fists tightly at the mention of her pain, face neutral as I glare at the wall, chin jutted out as I grit my teeth together. That explains a few things then.

"Did you ever find out who were her previous owners?" I ask somberly and when he nods, I make sure to remember every single words he's going to say because I'm sure as hell not letting this go unpunished.

"It wasn't that hard to find out, there was only one place where you could find hybrids in that town, a family of breeders who kept the hybrids outside like animals. I heard from some locals that they would force her mother to get pregnant once in a while from a different male before sending him away to bring in another one. I think Y/N was too rowdy for them, she was playful and would often engage into fights with her siblings to pass the time, that's probably why they got rid of her. They saw her as problematic, she could... damage the goods.

I went there near the end of my stay and got them to sign a paper stating that they gave me full permission to take her back with me, I wanted to make sure they wouldn't start a legal fight when they were the ones who abandoned her in the first place, then I brought her here with me. Yoongi was thrilled to get company and he was also the only one who could match her level of playfulness. He helped her to get over her pain like only he could, I saw her cry many times in his arms before she started to get better".

Y/N's giggles as she runs away from a chasing Yoongi reach our ears and I exhale deeply, jaw relaxing as I try to clear up the messy knot forming in my heart. Of course she would get attached to the cat if he was the one to take care of her at the time.

I run a hand through my hair before nodding lightly, the matter of the heart one that can wait for later. For now... I'll be sure to deal with that family sometime this week, they won't have a single clue what hit them when morning comes.

Y/N suddenly comes running into our room before spinning around me, her breathing loud as it merges with laughter, hands grabbing onto my own while she hides behind me when Yoongi stops in front of us, out of breath and with a wide gummy smile on his face, eyes bright with joy.

I can't help the huffed laugh that leaves me at the sight, his ears standing tall on his head and his tail waving excitedly behind him, I guess he looks kind of cute when he's smiling like this.

"Yoongi is threatening me with tickles, Namjoon, you have to save me" my sweet pup demands and I feel my lips twitch into a grin. "He won't give up until he's tickled me until I pee and I don't want that, I can't even tickle him to defend myself because he's not ticklish" she continues at my silence, her body shifting around me when the cat begins to circle me.

"That would be terrible indeed, what do you want me to do?" I ask her with a hum, and she squeals with a jump when Yoongi makes a quick step forward to scare her, his giggles echoing in the room while Seokjin stares at us with a strange light in his eyes as he observes from a distance.

"Pick me up, pick me up" she stresses into a screech with her hands clinging onto my arms when Yoongi finally manages to touch her waist, and it's with pure delight that I pick her up before holding her to my chest, her legs closing around my hips and a yelp past her lips when Yoongi doesn't let that stop him, mischief in his eyes as he begins tickling her sides, and occasionally mine when his fingers slip.

I make the mistake of hissing at his touch once, my nerves tingling at the feather touch that is his and Yoongi suddenly decides to make me part of his 'tickling until you pee' mission as well, which has me beginning to run away from him with a screaming Y/N in my arms, a ridiculous scene that makes the only calm person in the room laugh in amusement from the safety of his desk.

"I'll protect you, sweetie - oh shit that really tickles - I'll- I'll protect you" I promise as I become the sole victim of his dangerous fingers, my dislike for the cat melting like sugar over fire as their laughter fills the room with happiness.

Yeah, I'll worry about this heart of mine later. For now...

This isn't so bad.