Chapter Text
Yoongi was comfortably curled up on the soft velvety cushions of his sofa, wrapped in his favourite plush blanket, reading a Poirot novel. On the table beside him was a half empty glass of merlot, the same colour as his hair, and a mostly finished plate of cheese and crackers. It was the perfect Boxing Day evening.
He’d almost convinced himself of the guilt of none other than the butler when he was startled away from the scene by a log falling in the fireplace. He looked up from the book to see that the fire was dwindling away, and he had another four chapters left.
Well, that just wouldn’t do.
With some groaning not exactly befitting his age, he stood and ambled his way to the basket beside the fireplace where he kept the spare logs. Opening the basket provided a plot twist he hadn’t seen coming.
Empty.
This time the sound that left his lips verged on the petulant whine of a five year old. Yoongi could go from grandpa to baby in the span of seconds. Especially when unexpected walking was involved.
The spare logs were kept underneath the house, where they’d hopefully remained dry in the almost blizzard that had occurred earlier in the day.
The disgruntled man trudged over to the entryway cupboard and pulled out his coat, gum boots, a scarf and gloves. If he was going outside, he would be suitably dressed. If there was something Yoongi hated more than unnecessary movement, it was being cold.
“Alright Yoongi, let’s do this quickly. The faster you get the wood, the sooner you find out if Mrs Cunningham really was out of town on the night of the murder” he muttered to himself out loud, “and for heaven’s sake DO NOT slip”.
Sighing deeply, he swung his front door open. He carefully made his way down the steps, making sure to grip the hand rail tightly as he went.
Thankfully it had stopped actually snowing a few hours previously, but the temperature was cool enough that the snow had settled into a considerable blanket across the neighbourhood. He didn’t stop to observe the magical scene however; he was a man on a mission.
He stalked towards the back of the space beneath the house, eyes zeroing in on his target; a large hamper, which sat atop a thick blanket which supposedly stopped the damp from reaching inside.
He was reaching down into the hamper when he first heard it. A soft whimper. So soft that on a normal night he wouldn’t have heard it above the traffic. However, the deluge of snow meant there were less cars on the road and the night was still and near silent. He paused in his task to listen and heard it again. From the sounds of it, it was coming from pathway beside the house that connected his street with the one behind.
Now, Yoongi wasn’t fond of being in the cold but he wasn’t heartless. He closed the lid of the log hamper, dusted his gloves of the excess splinters and walked out from underneath the house. He rounded the corner and made his way to the path. It was completely dark out, but thankfully the path was lit by streetlamps. In the orangey light of the lamps Yoongi could make out a small lump on the ground about halfway up the lane. He furrowed his eyebrows, surely that wasn’t a person. He had been expecting a stray dog or lost kitten, but the size of the figure looked more human than anything. As he squinted his eyes trying to see better, the noise sounded out again. A whimper and then a clear word – “help”.
“Shit”, Yoongi cursed before jogging in the direction of the figure. If he’d stopped to think about it maybe he would’ve been more careful. Sought help before approaching, or called an ambulance. He’d heard about gangs using people’s natural saviour instinct to lure them into traps that ended violently. However, this thought did not occur to him as he hastened towards the person on the floor. All he could think was how cold it was and that this person must be seriously helpless to be on the floor in this weather.
When he reached the figure he squatted down and put a hand on, what he could now make-out as, blanket swaddled person.
“Hey, are you hurt?” said Yoongi, jostling the person a little to make sure they were conscious.
There was no coherent reply, only another whimper.
Yoongi took the initiative to pull back the blanket to see if he could identify any obvious injuries. What he found was a young man, probably similar in age or younger than him, who was completely naked.
His eyes bulged, “what the fuck, how are you not frozen to death”.
Then it clicked. If Yoongi didn’t move the boy, he probably would die. He wrapped the blanket back around the boy. Then, fuelled by what he can only assume in retrospect was a rush of adrenaline as he was not a strong man, he lifted him into his arms. He was stone cold, probably not far from hypothermia.
Shit shit shit.
Yoongi straightened up and rushed back towards the house. He needed to get the boy warm and quickly.
Once in the house he made to bundle the boy up in the blanket he’d previously been cocooned in himself. First he removed the blanket that he’d found him in, knowing that it would only serve as a barrier between the boy and the warmth of the dry cover. As he pulled the snow-dampened blanket from the boy he was met with a surprise; a long calico stripy cat’s tail. The fuck?
Calm Yoongi, calm. He’s a hybrid, so what? That’s not that uncommon. You need to calm the fuck down man. Now.
Yoongi stared at the form until a little whine snapped him from his panic. Right, he still needed to stop the boy from freezing to death, hybrid or not.
He wrapped him in the blanket and then pulled the extra throw from the back of the sofa and placed it over him as well. He pushed the sofa closer to the fire, accidentally knocking the coffee table in the process and spilling red wine on the carpet. “Ah, crap!”
Then he did the only other thing he could think of; he ran a bath. He made it warm but not hot, knowing that to the hybrids freezing skin anything above 30 degrees was going to feel like it burnt. He did however leave room to top it up with more hot water when the boy had adjusted.
When finished he ran to back to the lounge room. It seemed that he had lost consciousness. Yoongi checked to ensure he was still breathing, and when he felt warm poofs of air against his hand he sighed in relief and lifted the hybrid again, carrying him to the bathroom.
“I’m going to put you in the bath now, it’ll warm you up” he said to the boy in his arms.
He pondered trying to wake him, but decided that his first priority should be increasing his temperature. He removed the blankets and gently lowered the hybrid into the water. He half expected that this would jolt the boy awake, but his eyes remained closed.
Yoongi considered calling an ambulance at this moment, but ultimately knew that being a hybrid with no discernible owner meant they’d unlikely take him but instead would refer him to the pound.
He bristled with anger at the thought. Hybrids were closer to human than they were their animal counterparts. Their treatment as pets to be owned and discarded rather than beings to be cared for was disgusting. Even so, if he’d found an actual cat he’d treat it with more dignity than the government deemed fit for hybrids.
Yoongi knelt beside the bath and reached to check the boy’s temperature. He felt warmer than before, but was still covered in goosebumps. His experience with heating people who were at risk of hypothermia was slim (let’s call it nill) but he decided that he was probably safe to increase the temperature of the water now that the boy’s skin had reasonable time to adjust. He turned on the hot water tap, making sure that the stream wasn’t directly hitting the hybrid.
He was frustrated that the water wasn’t heating fast but then figured that the hybrid’s body was likely working like a giant ice cube to slow the process. He decided that he’d fill the tub and perhaps release half the water and refill later if he thought it necessary.
Staring at the towel rack in frustration at the situation gave him an idea. He ran to the linen closet, chose his fluffiest towel and then went to his room to find a spare pair of pyjamas. Once he’d chosen his blue plaid flannelettes, some bed socks and a beanie for good measure, he took the collection to the tumble dryer to warm up. His mother had done the same thing on particularly cold winter’s mornings when he was a child.
He then ran back to the bathroom to ensure that the hybrid hadn’t drowned in the bath water while unconscious. His fears were for nothing however, since he returned to a pair of wide, dazed brown eyes staring at him.
Until this moment Yoongi hadn’t really taken in the boy’s appearance in a way other than clinically. His blonde hair was wet and dirty, and his smooth skin still had a blue-ish twinge but he realised that the hybrid could only be described as adorable. His chocolate eyes were more akin to those of a puppy than a kitten, large and expression-filled, his pink lips were plump and his cheeks were full, giving him the appearance of someone much younger. His tail was curled protectively around his waist and his cat ears were pricked to attention.
“Master?” the hybrid said in a questioning tone, head tilting to one side. His voice was soft and airy.
“No no no, I’m just Yoongi” he rushed out, “I found you outside kitten, in the snow”.
The hybrid looked thoroughly confused, mouthing “snow” as he frowned down at his own hands.
Tiny, thought Yoongi.
“I’m going to check your temperature okay? You lost a lot of body heat out there”
As if the mention of it reminded the poor thing, the hybrid shivered. “Cold” he said, still to his hands.
Yoongi approached the bath and placed a hand on the boy’s forehead. He was better, but still a long way off warm. Yoongi checked the water and clicked his tongue. No wonder; it was barely lukewarm. He found the plug and let the water drain to halfway, before turning the hot tap back on.
“Lay down kitten, you’ll heat up better if you’re completely in the water”.
The hybrid did as he was told with no questions, lowering his upper body back into the bathwater, letting out a sigh of relief as the hot water caressed his skin.
“I’m going to go and heat some soup for you, stay right here okay?”
There was no answer, and Yoongi was hesitant to leave the boy alone. He didn’t seem particularly with it, however he thought that putting some hot food in the hybrid’s stomach would likely help along the warming process a good deal.
He dashed to the kitchen and pulled out the leftovers of the soup he’d had with his dinner that night. He poured it into a saucepan and placed it on the stove. He also grabbed a bread roll, quickly buttering it and placing it and a side plate on a tray.
On his return to the bathroom he stopped by the tumble dryer and removed the towel and clothes.
“Okay, I think we’d best get you out now” he said as he walked into the room. Followed swiftly by, “ah” as he realised the hybrid had fallen back asleep.
“Right” he said to himself, “now what?”
He approached the tub again, draping the towel across his knees as he squatted down.
“Kitten” he said to get the hybrids attention; acutely aware that he still didn’t know the boy’s name, “we need to get you out and dry you off, wake up now”.
The boy stirred, eyes barely peaking open, “huh?”
“You’re getting out now, can you stand?” Yoongi asked gently.
The hybrid slowly sat up, blinking blearily at his surroundings. No he could not, Yoongi decided.
“Okay, I’m going to lift you” Yoongi said, throwing the towel over his shoulder and reaching for underneath the boy’s armpits. He hoisted him upwards and hauled him over the lip of the bath. He then one-armedly steadied him while wrapping the towel around his form, before guiding him to sit on the lid of the toilet.
He rubbed at the towelled sides and then pulled the hair-dyer out from a drawer beside the sink. Wet hair wouldn’t do right now. He dried the hybrids hair, being careful around his cat ears which were twitching as the boy himself sat with his eyes closed and a soft purr emanating from his throat. The warm air was seemingly appreciated.
When he’d finished he addressed the hybrid again, “Okay, I’ve left some clothes here” he waited for the kitten to open his eyes and then pointed to the pyjamas on the counter, “put them on and then I’ve got some food for you out there”.
The hybrid looked at the clothes and nodded sleepily. Yoongi took this as understanding and left to go and check on the soup.
He was carefully scooping the food into a bowl when the boy wandered out into the living space. He looked like a child had dressed him. The pyjama top was held together by only three of the buttons, which had been put in the wrong buttonholes. The beanie was inside out, and from the weird way the fabric was bunching at his front, the trousers were likely on backwards. The boy’s tail had been stuffed down one of the pant legs and was wiggling to escape. The socks were nowhere to be seen.
How could he get is so wrong?
“Uhhhh”
Let it go Yoongi, he’s dressed, that’s all that matters.
His fingers twitched, his perfectionist personality demanding that the buttons be righted for the sake of all humanity.
Remain calm.
“This is almost ready, you can go sit on the sofa while I dish up”.
The boy ambled over to couch, his movements restricted by the pyjama bottoms.
Yoongi placed the bowl of soup onto the tray with the bread, grabbed a spoon from the drawer and then carried it over to the coffee table beside the sofa. He dragged it as close to the boy as possible.
The boy peered down at the food with a curious look on his face.
“It’s uh, just leftovers from my dinner but hopefully it’ll help you warm up” said Yoongi.
“Fish?” the kitten questioned.
“Uhhh no, it’s a kimchi base with pork”
The hybrid looked up at him confused, “human food”
“Yes” Yoongi said, not comprehending the problem.
“Not for me?” The boy said pointing at the dish to clarify.
“No, it is” Yoongi said, “I’m sorry it’s all I have. You just need to get something in your stomach. It’ll warm you from the inside”.
This seemed to appease the hybrid, who leant over, stuck his face in the bowl and lapped at it. He flung back into the seat, spluttering, eyes crinkled up in discomfort and red soup dripping from his nose.
Yoongi tried not to laugh, but the way the hybrid had started rubbing at his tongue to try and remove the soup was endearingly comical.
The boy looked over at him, pouting with watery eyes, “you tricked me”.
Yoongi’s eyes widened, “No no no, sorry! It really is for you! You just looked so cute with the soup on your nose. Here…” he said, reaching for a tissue from the coffee table, leaning closer to the boy and dabbing the liquid off of his face, “all better”.
The boy’s eyes followed Yoongi’s movements, and he went adorably cross-eyed when the tissue met his nose. He then looked at the soup again suspiciously.
“Seriously, it was probably just a little hot still from the stove” Yoongi said grabbing the spoon and taking a mouthful of the stuff himself to show it was safe, “see, it’s good”.
He handed the boy the spoon and watched as he took tentative mouthfuls. He looked like he’d never used a spoon and Yoongi wondered idly if that was the case. He’d heard of people who treated their hybrids like actual pets rather than companions. That would explain the lapping and also the ineptitude at dressing. Yoongi decided that was a conversation for another time however. He still didn’t even know the boy’s name.
“I’m Yoongi by the way” he said, smiling.
“Hello Yoongi” said the boy, cheeks now prettily flushed from the fire, Yoongi noted happily.
When the hybrid didn’t automatically offer it, Yoongi asked, “And what’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Jimin” he said pointing at his neck and then squeaking in confusion when he didn’t find anything there. He stood up suddenly and started looking around himself as if he’d lost something.
“Woah there, what’s up?” said Yoongi, standing up automatically in response.
“My collar” said Jimin, turning to Yoongi with a trembling lip.
Yoongi grimaced. It was looking increasingly like Jimin was not a lost kitten but rather an abandoned one.
“You didn’t have one when I found you kitten” he said softly, placing a reassuring hand on his arm.
“No collar?” Jimin asked incredulously, “but, my owners they…” he trailed off. “They’ll find me somehow right?”
Yoongi didn’t know what to say. He wanted to assure the cat that he’d see his owners again but he also didn’t want to lie. He also wasn’t exactly of the opinion that his owners deserved to have him back anyway, or that people should ‘own’ hybrids in general.
“I’m sure everything will work out” he said instead, giving a gentle squeeze and guiding the boy to sit back down on the sofa.
“I’ll go get some bedding for you and then I think you should get some sleep. Things will seem better in the morning”.
With that he made his way back to the linen closet and pulled out a spare quilt and pillow. He also ducked into the bathroom and found the abandoned bed socks.
When he returned the kitten was licking the soup bowl clean. He smiled at the sight, and then cleared his throat, lifting the bedding to show that the cat should lie down. Jimin placed the bowl on the coffee table and then curled up on the couch. Yoongi placed the pillow at one end then covered the boys form with the quilt.
“You forgot the socks, best to keep your toes warm so they don’t fall off”
Jimin’s eyes bulged dramatically and he quickly shot his feet out of the covers towards Yoongi, who chuckled softly. He knelt in front of the kitten and carefully pulled the fluffy socks on for him. He saw Jimin wriggle his toes experimentally before drawing them back under the covers.
Yoongi took the tray back to the kitchen and then paused at the light switch of the room, “lights on or off?” he asked.
“Off please” said Jimin from where he was snuggled under the blankets, “Goodnight mast- uh, Yoongi”.
“Night Jimin-ah” he said, flicking the switch off and walking to his bedroom.
As he lay in bed trying to sleep his mind was going a hundred miles a minute, and for once not because he was trying to figure out who-dunnit in his latest novel.