Chapter Text
Namjoon sits in his cage all day long. Not bothering to ask the people that work here in the shelter if he can interact with the other hybrids since they all deem him as dangerous, which is true. Namjoon doesn't trust himself, nor does he trust others to be near him. He's like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off. It's been five months now when they dropped him off. They… they didn't want him. They couldn't handle him to be more precise and that's okay, he understands but it still hurts. It hurts to be abandoned by the people you call family.
The sound of other hybrids yelling mashed into one captures his attention. His body tensing and his ears are pointed up in alert. What's going on? Is there something happening? He can feel his body hair rise, his tail up but not moving and his shoulders hunch a little. Namjoon stands at attention, one foot in front of the other in case he needs to run. Run where? This cage is keeping him in place! He can't do shit in here. The walls are made out of bricks, there's a ceiling which he can't jump over the walls, the wired door fence is thick (he chewed up the wire which caused him to bleed. When the people that worked here noticed the small hole he was creating they reported it and they threw him in another cage so he needs to start all over again. This cage is his fifth one and now he's muzzled which means he can't protect himself.), and his lock is a three-inch thick chain keeping the door closed. He's a sitting duck here. He can feel the walls closing in. He can feel his heartbeat speed up and he's sure his breathing is in sync with his heart. The loud sounds and smell of desperation of other hybrids fill his senses. It's overstimulating him making his knees give out. He watches than feel his body connecting to the ground. He can't escape which means he needs to take cover. So he quickly pulls the small blanket that the workers here gave him over his body.
---
"I'm so glad that someone is finally here to adopt one of our abandoned hybrids. We have many here so I'm sure you'll find one to your liking. Can I ask why though?" The lady beside Seokjin asks a leash in one hand in preparedness to leash the hybrid that he's going to adopt. As they pass by cage after cage, Seokjin examines each hybrid. Most of them trying to capture his attention.
"I have other hybrids at home and they begged me to get another one so the family can be complete." Seokjin replies, the memory of Taehyung and Jimin making a presentation for Seokjin to reason why they should add someone to the family. It was cute but not very effective. Seokjin doesn't need another hybrid to help out on the farm. Everyone doing their jobs nicely without trouble. But when he was met with eager eyes of Jungkook, Hoseok, and even Yoongi, Seokjin finally gave in. Why not? A little bit of extra help wouldn't hurt.
"Awe, well ain't that cute. We have many other hybrids that play well with others-"
Seokjin stops in his tracks when he's in front of a cage of a hybrid shaking under a blanket. This poor scare hybrid is having a fucking panic attack. He was about to take a step forward when a hand pulls him back. Pissed, Seokjin looks back to see the lady immediately retreat her hand back.
"I'm sorry sir but you need to be careful." The lady apologizes, sticking her hand out to point at something. Seokjin follows her pointing to see a sign with red letters that read 'Dangerous Keep Distance'. How can this little guy be dangerous?
"Can I have his info?" Seokjin asks, crossing his arms over his chest so he won't try to reach out again.
"Um…" The lady looks uncertain but she grabs her work phone and types in the hybrid's code number.
"His name is Namjoon and he's 27 years old. It says here that Namjoon was dropped off by his owners' family. They say that Namjoon is a former Military Working Dog. The reason why he's here is cause he and his handler went through an accident while on duty. His handler is in a coma and the family can't keep him because he was showing signs of aggression towards them. He's been here for five months now and he's been on parole. What we have seen, Namjoon is very dangerous to everyone around him. Last month we finally sedated him and found out his left eye is no longer working and he's also hard of hearing but other than that, he's healthy."
As the lady finishes, Seokjin feels his heart being broken to pieces. His mother is a formal U.S. Marine and thankfully she's unharmed physically. Emotionally though… Seokjin remembers last month when his mother called him in panic, asking if he's okay because the enemies have taken his father. Seokjin was on the phone with her for four hours, calming her down and explaining that she was no longer active and that his dad was probably out getting them breakfast. Seokjin examines the hybrid in front of him. The poor hybrid is probably having an episode of PTSD. Namjoon may be aggressive because no one is here to explain to him that he's no longer on base. Everything that's going on here is safe. Especially since the hybrid has damaged his senses that help him in everyday life to keep him and his handler safe.
"Did the family report why he lost half his sight and hearing?" Seokjin asks, kneeling down to at least get a look at the hybrid but to no such luck. The scared male has a death grip on the blanket. Seokjin then realizes that the hybrid didn't have a bed nor toys like the other hybrids here. His eyes then land on the thick chain keeping the slanted wired door shut. No wonder the hybrid is so aggressive. They are making the other feel like he's been captured by the enemy or something.
"They haven't, no."
Seokjin nods, pushing himself off the floor and turns his attention to the female with a serious expression.
"I'll adopt him." The lady blinks in surprise, not really knowing what to do. Her boss says he wanted the hybrid out of the shelter since the hybrid has been trouble when he first got here but her team members say that the hybrid is unfit to be adopted. Yet she can get a raise from her boss for getting rid of the hybrid.
"Of course, I'll call people to help out getting the hybrid into a crate." With that, the lady calls her team members.
Seokjin watches as they sedate the hybrid with trouble, which isn't really a surprise since the hybrid is trained by the military. When they put him in the crate and in Seokjin's truck, Seokjin took the time to examine the hybrid. The hybrid is a Dutch Shepherd. His right ear long and pointy while the left ear nicked at the side which almost looks like the top is barely hanging on, tail long and slightly bushy at the end. His fur a mixture of black and dark brown that only pops out in the sun. His face is beautiful, slender with slightly chubby cheeks, lips all pink (he told them to get rid of the disgusting muzzle), and his nose small. When they pulled out a crate for the hybrid, Seokjin was surprised how tall the other is. He was sure that Namjoon is going to be the tallest out of everyone back at home, including himself. At the drive back, Seokjin keeps looking back at the crate making sure the dog hybrid is still asleep.
As Seokjin turns on a dirt road his heart does a flip when the crate bangs on the side of the truck so he slows down more. When he finally drives up to the house, he can see Jungkook and Hoseok get out of the barn with big excited smiles. Finally near enough, Seokjin parks and gets out to be tackled by the two.
"Your finally back! What's his name? What kind of breed is he? What-" Seokjin puts his hands on Hobi's shoulder to calm down the other. Jungkook jumping slightly in place to show that he's reaching his limit on keeping sane.
"Finally!" The three looks over to see the rest of the pack running out (Yoongi was being pulled and pushed) with big bright smiles on their faces (except Yoongi but the wag of his curly tail tells a different story). When they all hug their human in welcome, they all search for the new hybrid.
"So where is he?" Jimin asks, his floppy ears lifting as much as they can. Seokjin sighs, an indication for everyone to lower their voices so their owner can speak.
---
Yoongi's tail stops wagging, sensing something wrong. He's the first hybrid of Seokjin, meaning he lived with the elder the longest which came in handy since he knows Seokjin's emotions better. This sigh that the elder gave out is one of worry hesitance. The same one he let out when Seokjin gave out once he told Yoongi that he wanted to adopt another hybrid. The same one when he told them that they all needed to wear a collar when they went out because the cops threatened him to take them all away if they didn't. It's nerve-wracking because Yoongi knows it's important and not to be taken lightly. This is a serious issue that it's not to be discussed since Jin already made up his mind. Jin knows what's best for them and thankfully his choices haven't wavered their trust in their owner. Either because it's the right choice or because it's in their biology to stay loyal.
"I'll tell you all about him later but right now… we have to… chain him up to the disciplinary pole." Yoongi's mouth hangs open in shock. Chained up? Why? Shaking his head to get back to reality, Yoongi looks at the others to see them are also frozen in shock.
"Where is he?" Yoongi asks, ready to follow orders from his owner. His question grounding the others back to reality.
"Over here." Seokjin gestures for them to follow to the back of the truck. He opens the door and there is a passed out tall dog hybrid. Jungkook and Hoseok step up since they're the strongest of the pack and help Seokjin carry the crate to the side of the house. A big lamp post that's at least 14 feet tall stands with a chain wrapped around it. The disciplinary pole is rarely used since Seokjin is soft-hearted. The only time it was used was when Yoongi punched someone in the face (which Yoongi feels no guilt to this day) and Jungkook got too close to biting Seokjin. It's not as bad as the other punishments from what other hybrids experience in the park say. Good thing he was adopted by Jin. He wouldn't know what he'll do if he was adopted by someone else.
Seokjin pulls out the giant of a dog hybrid (is he a Great Dane?) and cusses.
"Can one of you guys go get a collar from the kitchen?" Seokjin asks, kneeling over the hybrid who started to stir from its slumber.
"I'll get it!" Jimin yips, running into the house. The unknown hybrid groans, eyes slowly blinking to gain sight.
"That's a good boy. Take your time waking up." Seokjin coaxes, running his fingers through black/dark brown highlighted hair of the tall hybrid. A growl startles Seokjin, stopping his movement which made the growling come to a halt. Seokjin looks at us in worry.
"No Hyung, it's not aggressive, its a pleasure growl." Taehyung chuckles out, tail wagging hard and fast that you can hear his tail slapping his pants. Seokjin lets out his own smile and starts to pet the other more thoroughly making the sluggish hybrid do the growl again. It's strange. Yoongi never heard of such growl before but he instantly recognizes it as a good one.
"Here you go Seokjin Hyung." Jimin pants out, handing his owner a chained collar. Probably thinking it's the best choice for someone on the disciplinary pole. Seokjin thanks the other and puts the collar on the still sluggish dog hybrid and clips on the chain.
"Okay guys, let's move back some more then I'll answer your questions." As Seokjin promised, he answered everyone's questions as best as he could. Yoongi looks back at the now alerted hybrid. Namjoon seems to gain his surroundings but his actions are slow so the boy sits there, leaning on the pole. Watching them with a tired look. Yoongi can't help but feel pity for the other.
"So we can't play with him?" Jungkook asks to make sure that the other hybrid is off-limits.
"No going near him until I gain his trust. You can speak with him of course so we can speed up the process." Seokjin says, petting the pitbull's light brown hair. The pup leaning into the touch, tail wagging happily from the attention of their owner.
Most people stay away from the pup, scared of his breed which is stupid. The pup is just an attention-seeking whore but in a good way and it's cute. The time he almost bit Seokjin was because the pup is now fully grown and is getting into the headspace of testing their Alpha (Seokjin, even though he isn't a hybrid). It's funny to watch but at the same time, it reminded him of his own time where he tried to out Alpha Seokjin. To say it was embarrassing is an understatement. Anyway, now that Seokjin put Jungkook back to his place, Jungkook is seeking out the next big thing which is second in command and in other words, Yoongi. Which annoyed him but biology runs all hybrids bodies and Yoongi doesn't look forward to it. Like, come on. Would you bet on him, a Basenji, or Jungkook, a pitbull? Even Yoongi won't bet on himself. The only reason why Yoongi stayed at the top on second on command is that Hoseok's poor Vizsla heart is fragile. When it came to the King Charles Spaniel hybrid called Jimin, all Yoongi had to do is push him around since the boy is around his height. A fair fight as you can say. Taehyung on the other hand, that Bull Terrier knows how to push Yoongi's buttons but thankfully, Taehyung stepped down because he didn't want the responsibility. Now that he thinks about it, Yoongi is going to deal with the pitbull's dominance streak and the unstable…
"What Namjoon's breed?"
---
"Oh, he's a Dutch Shepherd." Namjoon barely hears the human say. So they were talking about him. Namjoon can feel his muscles flex in response from his brain to get up but it was useless. The sedative still coursing through his body and he hates it. His working eye keeps going out of focus so he closes his eyes for a second. Smells of different things coming at him from left and right. It's new but similar. He remembers that his owner (he gets to call him owner when their off duty and then back to handler when they are back to working) like to explore different routes every time they are left on new land. He remembers in Canada that his nose caught fresh maple from a tree. His owner gave him a big treat and a belly rub session from discovering it. He can still feel the tingle of the male petting him. Like he just petted him not a few couple minutes ago… when is he coming back to pick him up?
Namjoon jumps at the sound of a door slamming. Oh! Is it time for patrol? Namjoon jumps to his knees, kneeling perfectly still so his handler can clip his leash on him- Namjoon falters back. His eye-opening to see that he's not in his kennel. He's not in the base. Nor is his owner anywhere at sight. Instead, it's a tall male looking at him in understanding that was glazed with worry. It's the human that he saw interacting with the other hybrids. He looks around to see that the hybrids are all gone. His heart picks up when the human started making his way towards him. A stranger, possibly a threat. Namjoon needs to stand his ground. So he quickly stands up and bares his teeth showing his canines. His growl low in warning. The human falters in his steps, but still makes his way towards him. The sudden dominance of the other makes Namjoon take steps back. His mind questioning on what he should do. He needs his handler to tell him to attack, to scare the guy, or to sit. He doesn't- where is his handler- his owner- who-
Namjoon makes a dash, away from the other only to choke when he has met the end of the chain restrictions. He grabs the chain and pulls only to be met with the same outcome but he doesn't care. He needs to go. He needs to find his owner. So he pulls and pulls.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." The voice met his ears making him stop so he can hear better. His heart thumping in his chest like bulls are stomping on a red cape. His breathing coming in shallow pants. His whimpers halting when he realizes that he's making them. His eyes meet the human's who is standing where Namjoon left him. Namjoon stays where he's at, counting how far away the other is. A good couple of feet away.
"My name is Seokjin. Kim Seokjin." The human, Seokjin, introduces himself. Namjoon swallows, his eye taking in the other. The male is tall, taller than his owner. His shoulders broad but doesn't look as fit as his owner. His hair is pink which will get him punished if he was at the base. His owner thankfully got overlooked when he decided to dye his hair blonde once. His face is very different from his owner but both are handsome in their own ways.
"I'll get you something to eat." Seokjin fills the silent air. As Seokjin enters the house, Namjoon finally takes a step forward so he can breathe easily. Hands dropping at his sides. A loud animal call startles him, making him look over to see a big barn. How did he not notice that? He twists his ears forward to seek out any more calls but strangely he hears nothing. Is it empty? Why would they have an empty farm? Namjoon remembers his owner talking to his mother about buying a ranch so he can ride a horse and let Namjoon run loose. He remembers his owner's mother pointing out that he needed to take care of those horses and groom them. They needed more care than Namjoon since they're not a hybrid that can speak nor their height is the same. He remembers agreeing with his owner before and after the sudden change of heart on buying a ranch.
"Namjoon." Namjoon stands at attention and looks at Seokjin who just called him. A plate of spaghetti and a cup is in the human's hands.
"Here, ask for more if-" Namjoon's ears didn't pick up the rest. He eyes Seokjin's lip in concentration but to no valid since the other stopped talking as he puts the food down on the ground. The smell of it makes saliva fill his mouth and he quickly swallows it so he won't drool. He gets on his knees, restraining himself from getting closer. Seokjin is standing there. Maybe it's a trick? He watches as realization crosses the human's face and he backs away, far from the food. Namjoon eye's the other, crawling forward inch by inch. When the sun is barely hanging does Namjoon finally have the plate of spaghetti in his grasp. He sniffs it at every angle to smell nothing but goodness. He can feel his tail thump the ground a little. He takes a big bite and hums in content.
---
Seokjin watches as the hybrid quickly shoves food in his mouth, drinking water when he was choking. Movement caught his eyes long ago when he sees his hybrids in the house peeking at the new addition (Seokjin is sure that Namjoon hasn't noticed them since the house was on his left side, Namjoon's blind spot) with curiosity and alert. When they all heard the warning growl that the other gave out, they almost ran outside to protect their owner but they stood put since they knew that Seokjin is safe. Namjoon is chained up and the human kept his distance. They saw the panic in Namjoon's eye when he realizes that he can't go any further from Seokjin. It wasn't a pretty sight but they kept checking on Seokjin in case if something did happen.
When Namjoon finally finishes, he downs the cup of water and places it on the plate and backs away to where he was the furthest from Seokjin. Seokjin took that as his cue and collect the plate. He finally takes his leave, entering the cool house with a sigh.
"It's gonna take some time," Seokjin mumbles out, passing by the Bull Terrier and Pitbull hybrids that were watching tv and into the kitchen to see Yoongi still peeking out the window, watching Namjoon uselessly pull on the chained leash.
"Why not call your mom?" Seokjin raises an eyebrow at the suggestion from the Basenji.
"Why? She didn't work with military dogs." Seokjin responded, starting to wash the dishes. It was his turn to wash them anyway so he can't complain. "But she is from the military. Maybe she can give you a few pointers." Yoongi finally looks away from the Dutch Shepherd. Seokjin hums, thinking about it which is enough for Yoongi since he left the kitchen, leaving Seokjin alone. Turning off the sink, he wipes his hands on a towel quickly and grabs his phone from his pocket. He dials the first contact. It rings a few seconds. "Hello?"
"Hey mom, how are you doing?" Seokjin asks, pulling a chair from the dining table so he can sit down. "We're all fine here sweetie. How did today go? Did you get a new hybrid?" His mother asks. Seokjin hums in confirmation, "Yeah… uh, I was just wondering if you have any tips for… military working dogs?" Seokjin asks, scratching his neck in nervousness. He doesn't hear anything from the other line. Oh god. Did he send her into an episode? Shit, this is a bad idea-
"I'll be there first thing in the morning Jinnie, bye!"