Archive of Our Own

Darkness.

Pitch black. Surrounding, clawing, tearing at Beomgyu.

The small hybrid cried as he held his hands defensively over his head. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…please. Please forgive me…father…” 

“Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit!”

Tears slipped out of the boy’s eyes silently as he continued to shield himself. 

🖤

Beomgyu was now an adult; and yet he still lived with his father. The man believed he couldn’t handle a job at his age. He was never allowed to leave. One would assume he’d just try to kill himself to escape his situation; and it was up to him if he wanted to say he did try before, only to be stopped by his brother. But since that attempt, he knew it was futile.

He cleaned the front window of their house silently, a natural chore he was required to do every single day because of his father’s drunk habits. His sky blue eyes darted over to the door, senses picking up a figure walking toward their house. Probably one of his father’s friends again. He wiped his hands clean before walking to the door sullenly, uncomfortableness flowing through his body. 

A polite, light knock reverberates through their downstairs. Beomgyu sighed silently, putting on a smile as he opened the door. His eyes meet a beautiful woman, the man blushing as he tries to hide his bewilderment. 

The woman silently examined him, gazing at the injuries littered on the man’s body. A cut lip, a purple shin, and blue and red bruises on both of his arms. His apparel wasn’t much better either: he wore a white oversized tee with small holes littered throughout, and shorts that didn’t reach past his knees. 

It was a well known fact that thousands, if not millions, of hybrids were abused in their own households. It still wasn’t legal, and never would be, but there were at least hundreds of non-profit organizations in Korea that were committed to rescuing those hybrids from their home. 

“Hello. I work with Hybrid Associations of Seoul. I’ve…been informed there might be a mistreated hybrid here. Are you Choi Beomgyu?” 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened as they lit up, his ears appearing on top of his hair. His mouth opened to respond, only to be pushed to the side harshly. 

“May I ask what you’re doing on my property, ma’am?” Beomgyu’s father stood in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. 

“Hello, sir. My name is Lee Dahyun. I’m a representative of the Hybrid Associations of Seoul. I was wondering if we could perform an examination of hybrid Choi Beomgyu’s state for our records?” The woman smiled somewhat nervously as she clutched her clipboard tighter to her chest. 

“I’m sorry, but we're both very busy today. You should come back another day when we’re better prepared. With advanced warning of course.” His father smiled cunningly, sickeningly friendly tone in his voice. 

“Yes, sir. I understand, I’m so sorry. I’ll come back within a couple of days with one-day prior notice. Thank you for your time.” She spoke, somewhat sarcastically, defensiveness laced in her words. She bowed toward the man, a frustrated smile on her face. 

His father shut the door, immediately looming over the hybrid, Beomgyu curling into himself as he hid his ears and folded his hands together. He kicked the hybrid in the stomach, Beomgyu immediately falling to the floor as the wind left his lungs. 

“Never answer the door without my permission again, got it?” 

“Yes, father. I’m sorry, father.” He heaved, hand clutching his stomach. 

“And come see me in my office tonight after dinner.” He walked away, not facing the hybrid as he caught his breath and stood up. 

“Yes, sir.” He spoke softly. 

🖤

Beomgyu was cold. He crouched against the side of a random building, arms bunched around his stomach as she shook with a mixture of fear and hypothermia. Finally, after twenty-four years in that house, he plucked up his courage and ran. He ran and ran as far as he could, packing his belongings in a small backpack, never looking back. He had been on the street for a couple of hours so far, and he was miserable. Why did he think he could do this? He didn’t know where to go, what to do, how to function even. 

“Choi Beomgyu?” 

Beomgyu’s eyes silently widened as he turned to the source of the voice. There she was: Lee Dahyun. The non-profit worker that attempted to help him escape his house a week prior. 

His father somehow managed to avoid all of her attempts to visit, either relaying we’re too busy today, or Beomgyu is out running errands. He certainly was not running errands; he knew nothing but that house ever since he was born. His father would instead lock him up in their cellar for hours, not letting him leave, even to eat. 

Tears silently swelled in his eyes as she crouched next to him, face morphing into a concerned expression. Her hand hovered toward his shoulder silently, the hybrid tensing as he closed in on himself tighter. 

“Are you okay? What are you doing out here?”

“Please…don’t make me go back…” He whispered emotionally, tiredly. 

She silently relaxed, smiling warmly. Beomgyu sensed the warmth radiating off of her, causing him to unconsciously un-tense his body. 

“I won’t make you go back. Come on, I have something I want to show you.”

She held her hand out softly, the hybrid hesitantly grabbing it and holding it tightly. She led him through the nightlife of Seoul, expertly passing through the crowds as Beomgyu trailed behind her. After about ten minutes of walking, they reached a building that towered over Beomgyu. The hybrid stared at it with wide eyes, mouth slightly falling ajar. Dahyun entered, holding the door open for Beomgyu as he entered nervously. Dahyun scanned a keycard through a machine Beomgyu didn’t even notice until they were right in front of it, and the gates opened. His grip tightened against her hand as he shyly blinked toward the other workers in the building, before dipping his head and looking forward. 

“This is our headquarters, but I wanted to show you something on the highest floor. Follow me!” Dahyun smiled, leading Beomgyu to the elevator and pressing the “up” button. 

They soon arrived on the highest floor of the building, the roof. The doors opened to reveal a night sky littered with luminous stars. His eyes sparkled reverently, mouth falling ajar as he stepped onto the roof, immediately walking toward the railing, eyes reflecting the night sky. He was never allowed to look at the night sky in his house. His father would either be too busy abusing him, or Beomgyu would be asleep. It was so incredible, much more beautiful than he could even begin to imagine. 

He leaned over the edge of the railing, wonder crowding his mind as he yearned to see them closer. 

“Woah! Be careful! Don’t want you getting more hurt on my watch.” Dahyun smiled, standing next to him and holding her hand in front of his chest. 

Beomgyu smiled silently. Funny how she was worried about someone she barely knew. If she knew that Beomgyu was the dirt of the Earth he’s sure she wouldn’t be as nice to him. 

“Can I come back here?” He asked softly, genuine tone in his voice. 

“Of course. How about this? You come with me, and in return, I’ll let you come back here whenever you want.” 

Beomgyu’s eyes trailed to the ground, mulling over the offer thoughtfully. He didn’t want her to go out of her way to take care of him, but…he was cold. And a nice meal, and a warm bed sounded just like what he needed right now. 

Beomgyu bit his lip, proceeding to nod silently. 

“Great! Come on, I’ll take you to our facility that’s open 24/7 for runaway hybrids. We’ll treat your wounds there and get you taken care of. It’ll be nice. Sounds good?” 

Beomgyu nodded once more, before following her off of the roof. 

🩵

Dahyun was right. The facility was nice. Now, Beomgyu wasn’t a skeptical person by nature, but the only human he had ever known continually lied to him throughout his childhood and adolescence. He didn’t trust many humans; scratch that, he didn’t trust any human he knew. Except maybe Dahyun. Just a little. 

It wasn’t a very big facility, unlike the headquarters Dahyun worked at, but Beomgyu wasn’t complaining. He’s stayed in much worse places before (note: “His father would instead lock him up in their cellar for hours, not letting him leave, even to eat.”). Opposed to everything he’s gone through, this place was like heaven to him. 

Once they patched him up and did a general health check on Beomgyu, most of which was conducted with extreme caution; he wore multiple blue and purple bruises on his arms, along with a still-bloodied cut on his lip, and still-bleeding cuts from a stray dog Beomgyu was very hostile towards; they led him to his room for the time period he’d be staying there. The room consisted of a twin-sized bed with a tiny window and a desk to sit at. 

Beomgyu never had his own bed before. He was always either forced to sleep on the floor of his father’s bedroom or next to the couch. Beomgyu hesitantly reached toward the bed, hand slightly shaking as adrenaline filled his veins. His shaky hand pressed down on the blanket, eyes going wide with adrenaline as a blush covered his cheeks. His tensed body immediately relaxed upon contact, ears popping out from his white, fluffy hair. He purred softly as he fell on the bed ever so gently, laying down as a fluffy feeling overtook his mind. He smiled, genuinely, for the first time in a long time. He felt safe for the first time in his life, nothing could top this feeling. He soon fell asleep with the most content smile he had ever smiled. 

🩵

Little did Beomgyu know his small world would change drastically within the span of the next 24 hours. The facility Dahyun took him to actually doubled as a facility for runaways, as well as an adoption center for hybrids. Meaning people would come in every day and look at them while the hybrids were doing regular things. Maybe even adopt some of them.

Beomgyu was awoken by an equally beautiful woman as Dahyun the next morning. 

“Hi, Beomgyu! My name is Chaeyoung, I’m Dahyun’s friend who works here. Let’s go and get breakfast, and then I’ll show you around!” 

Beomgyu rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he rose from the bed gracefully, his white hair sticking out in embarrassing positions. To say Beomgyu had the best night of sleep ever in that bed would be an understatement. He yawned as he followed the woman out of his room. 

They soon arrived at the dining area of the building and Chaeyoung went to get Beomgyu a plate of food as he sat down. She soon came back with small dishes of kimchi, japchae, and pajeon. Beomgyu stared at the plate silently as past memories flashed through his mind. Beomgyu hasn't had breakfast since he was ten years old, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want a warm breakfast. 

Tears pooled in his eyes silently. His lips trembled as his head ducked toward the table, eyes closing as he composed himself and dried his tears. He began eating the food and instantly relished the taste and warmth of each dish. It’s like he was ten years old again, smiling warmly and stamping his feet lightly as he ate the delicious food. He quickly finished the food, relishing every bite of the various dishes. 

“Are you done? I can take that for you, Beomgyu.” Chaeyoung said with an easy smile on her face.

“Thank you very much. C–Chaeyoung…ssi.” He said shyly, blushing ever so lightly at her kindness. 

“Ah! None of that. Call me Chaeyoung-noona. Got it? Chaeyoung-noona.” She pouted, somewhat seriously, before smiling as Beomgyu nodded shyly in response. She gave the finished dishes to the chef in the kitchen before joining Beomgyu at the table once again. 

“Okay, Beomgyu. I’ll give you a tour first, but there really isn’t much to go over so it should be short. Then we’ll start on your profile and see if any families might be interested in you.” 

Beomgyu’s eyebrows furrowed. Profile? Families? 

“Sorry? Profile? I’m sorry– I’m confused.” He spoke unsurely, confused tone evident.

“Oh? Did Dahyun not explain to you? Of course she didn't, she always leaves this to me.” Chaeyoung said with a sarcastic tone as she rolled her eyes. 

She continued, “This is an adoption facility for hybrids. Usually, hybrids come to us out of their own will, but there have been cases such as yours where one of our workers finds a hurt hybrid and rescues them.” 

This was an adoption facility? Meaning humans would look at Beomgyu? Talk to Beomgyu? Interact with Beomgyu? Beomgyu didn’t know if he was ready for that. What’s to say the humans wouldn’t be exactly like his family? Maybe they put on a friendly smile when they adopted him and then treat him worse than Beomgyu could imagine. Beomgyu didn’t want to be adopted. He just wanted to live out his days blissfully by himself. 

He knew even that was close to impossible though. He barely knew anything about the real world. That house was all he had known for the twenty-four years he lived on this Earth. He studied every book in his father’s study whenever the other wasn’t home; the only thing that man did teach him was how to read and write so he wouldn’t have to worry if someone came over to the house for an “assessment”. It certainly made Beomgyu’s life a lot easier, so Beomgyu was actually sort of grateful toward the man. 

“Beomgyu? Are you okay?” Chaeyoung’s hand touched Beomgyu’s shoulder carefully, so as not to upset the hybrid with an already sour expression. Beomgyu flinched away, heart jumping as Chaeyoung immediately lifted her hand from his shoulder, a regretful expression on her face yet eyes still trained on his expression. 

Beomgyu gulped loudly and then bit his lip. Chaeyoung smiled silently toward the younger, it was hard to hide his true feelings. 

“It’s okay, Beomgyu. We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with right now. We can wait until later.” She nodded understandingly, encouraging smile on her face.

Beomgyu flinched silently, slightly curling into himself; he didn’t want her to go out of her way to make him feel comfortable. He was a people pleaser at the end of the day. 

“No, it’s okay C––Chaeyoung-noona. I was just a little confused. Let’s go on with the tour.” 

Chaeyoung’s eyebrows furrowed in worry, but she smiled and nodded. “Okay. But…let me know if you change your mind at all, okay?” She smiled comfortingly, peeking at his unsure gaze. Beomgyu nodded silently, the smallest smile on his face. 

Chaeyoung showed him through the facility and the various resources they had for hybrids; a laundry room for temporary residents, a large kitchen, multiple private rooms, a nurse’s station, and even a common room with a TV, board games, and multiple couches for lounging around. Afterward, they started Beomgyu’s profile in Chaeyoung’s office. 

Name: Choi Beomgyu

Age: 24 years old

Gender: Male

Hybrid Crossing: Siamese Cat 

Mannerisms: Shy, Quiet, Emotional

 Strengths: 

• Can read and write Korean

• Cooks and cleans

• Quiet

• Don’t need much to survive

• Stays indoors

• Plays guitar & piano 

 Weaknesses:

• Not much knowledge of the outside world

• Never been outside before 

• Nervous around most humans

• Easily moved

Once Beomgyu finished writing his profile, he handed the paper back to Chaeyoung so she could check it. Her heart twinged in sadness upon reading his strengths and weaknesses, her eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the last point of his weaknesses, thinking the fact that he’s easily moved is a weakness to him? How did his previous owners treat him to make him feel like that? She shook her head and resolved to think about it later, and possibly bring it up if anyone was interested in adopting him. 

“Do you want to go to the common room? You can watch TV, play games with others, or even just relax. What do you want to do, Beomgyu-ah?” She smiled, slightly tilting her head.

“You don’t need me to do any chores? Like…clean the windows or tidy up anywhere?” He fiddled his fingers, blush gracing his cheeks.

 Chaeyoung’s smile slightly flickered before she said, “No, Beomgyu, you don’t need to do anything like that here. Come on! I’ll introduce you to the others.” 

Beomgyu hesitatingly nodded, before following her out of the chair and into the common room. 

🩵

It was only a couple of hours after Beomgyu finished his breakfast that he was already meeting a family that was interested in him. 

Well, sort of. It was actually four men that lived together; two older than Beomgyu and two younger. They immediately took note of him as he played a board game in the common room with some other hybrids who were nice enough to let him join them.

“Hello! Welcome to the Hybrid Association of Seoul’s adoption center! Are you here to just look around today, or hopefully adopt?” Chaeyoung greeted the group of young men, energetic smile on her face. 

“Um…hopefully adopt. We’ve been to a couple of other locations, but we haven’t really found a hybrid that fits our group quite yet.” The tallest of the group nodded as he looked at the others, all of them nodding simultaneously. 

“Okay then! Well, we have a wide variety of hybrids currently, so I think you guys will find what you’re looking for today. Most of them are probably in the common room right now, so if you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you to them!” 

They all smiled warmly, nodding silently before following her down the hall. “So…do you have any preferences for a hybrid?” 

“Not in particular. Mm…I guess generally well-mannered, someone who wouldn’t mind living with four other people.” The shortest of the group laughed, lightening the atmosphere. 

“I see! Well, here we are. If you’ll wait right here I’ll get some profiles on hybrids I think would fit your group well.” 

Each man looked through the window into the common room, immediately taking note of Beomgyu’s white hair. They all looked at each other silently, small smiles on all of their faces as they all thought the same thing. The oldest took notice of the bandage on his face, along with his tattered clothes, slightly frowning before turning to the group of men.

Chaeyoung soon came back with a stack of folders, warm smile on her face. “So, I have some profiles of hybrids here I think you might like, but–”

“Uh, actually–we were curious about that hybrid over there. With the white hair.” The tallest of the group pointed to Beomgyu, Chaeyoung instantly delighting. 

“Beomgyu, yes. He actually just came in last night, but he seems very well-behaved. He’s very sweet.” Chaeyoung found his folder, handing it to the man before they looked through it, all of them crowding together and reading the paper curiously. 

“Can you follow me to my office for a minute? I have a matter about Beomgyu that I’d like to discuss privately.” Chaeyoung spoke softly, somewhat indiscreetly in case prying ears were around. They all nodded silently, somewhat serious yet still curious expression on their faces.  

Once in her office, they all sat down in her chairs as she put the folders back into her filing cabinet. She sat behind her desk, a serious expression on her face as she slipped a paper out of one of her drawers. 

“I didn’t put this in his folder because it felt too personal…but when he arrived, we conducted a health check on him, like we do with every hybrid we get in. You might’ve seen earlier, but he is heavily injured right now. We suspect it might be because of abuse from his old owner. We also suspect he might have heavy psychological damage from his past as well. I wanted you guys to know the situation because he really is so sweet, and he’s been greatly hurt. I obviously don’t know the whole story about his past, but I do know that I don’t want to see him get hurt again.” Chaeyoung slightly pouted, sensitive tone in her voice as she faced the men. 

They all looked at each other silently, before nodding simultaneously, serious expressions on their faces. “We’re sure. We want to give him the love he deserves. No, actually, we will do it, no matter what. We’ll provide him with what he needs, forever.”

Chaeyoung looked at the men silently for a minute, before smiling and nodding silently. 

“I trust you will. Okay, I’m going to get him so you guys can officially introduce yourselves to him. Stay here for a minute.” She stood up from her desk, excited smile on her face as the others nodded silently. 

🩵

“Beomgyu-ah, I need to talk to you for a minute. Can you come with me?” 

The hybrid nodded silently, standing up from the floor and waving shyly to the other hybrids he was playing with. Beomgyu silently followed her out of the room and into the hall before they stopped at the door to her office. 

“I’m gonna be honest, Beomgyu-ah. There’s a group of four men in my office that have expressed interest in adopting you. I know you feel nervous around new people, but why don’t you just come in and meet them?” 

There were people here? Interested in him? Four of them on top of that? Beomgyu felt like he was dreaming. It was hard not to get a little excited about all of this. Despite his past, someone wanted him. They wanted to willingly take him in and care for him. 

“Really? They wanna meet me?” Beomgyu whispered, eyes glimmering curiously. 

“Y–yeah! They seem really nice. Let’s go meet them, okay?” Chaeyoung nodded, encouraging smile on her face. 

Beomgyu nodded silently, precious smile on his face. 

She opened the door, Beomgyu following in behind her, fiddling with his fingers. There the four men sat, smiles on all of their faces as Beomgyu walked in behind Chaeyoung. They set out a foldable chair for Beomgyu to sit in, the hybrid sitting down shyly, blush on his cheeks as he found his gaze flickering all over the room, surely not resting on the other men. 

“Well, this is Choi Beomgyu. Beomgyu, can you introduce yourself to them?” 

Beomgyu folded his overheating hands together, nervousness evident in his body language. He turned to the four men, eyes widening as he took in each of their features; sharp jaws on each of them, accompanied by perfectly shaped noses, and lips and eyes that suited each of the men somehow. What beautiful men. 

“H–hello. My name is Choi Beomgyu. I’m a cat hybrid. I–I promise to do my best with whatever you might need from me. It’s nice to meet you all.” He bowed, a shy expression on his face. 

Each of them smiled widely at the hybrid’s mannerisms, already fond of the man greatly. They all started to introduce themselves one by one, starting with the man who sat next to Beomgyu. 

“Hello, Beomgyu-hyung! My name is Huening Kai, but you can call me Kai. I’m 23 years old, so you’re my hyung! It’s nice to meet you!” The youngest of the group smiled brightly, a light, airy tone in his voice. Beomgyu smiled at the man shyly, automatically reacting to the warmth radiating from Kai. 

“N⎼nice to meet you too, Kai…ssi.” Beomgyu bit his lip, hoping his addressing of the man was okay. Kai’s heart twinged in sadness upon hearing the way Beomgyu addressed him, but he quickly settled himself and turned to the others. 

They quickly moved on, the person next to Kai going next. 

“Hi, Beomgyu-hyung. My name is Kang Taehyun. I’m also 23. It’s really nice to meet you.” The man with big doe eyes smiled toward Beomgyu as he stood up from his chair, holding his hand out for Beomgyu to shake. The older instantly complied, shaking his hand, albeit a little hesitantly. The tall man next to Taehyun smiled widely, before he took that as his cue to introduce himself. 

“My name is Choi Soobin, Beomgyu-ah. I’m 24 years old. I hope we get along in the future.” The tallest of the group smiled sweetly, reminding Beomgyu of a bunny as his dimples popped out. 

“Likewise. It’s very nice to meet you, Soobin-ssi.” Beomgyu showed him the tiniest smile he could muster, suddenly feeling tired. 

Finally, the last man, also the furthest from Beomgyu, took his cue to introduce himself. 

“Hi Beomgyu, my name is Choi Yeonjun. I’m 26 years old, the oldest of our group. I look forward to getting to know you.” He smiled warmly, slender facial structure reminding Beomgyu of a desert fox. 

“Nice to meet you too, Yeonjun-ssi. Um…I’ll be in your care for the foreseeable future. I look forward to it.” Beomgyu smiled, mind relaxing as he faced all of them nervously. They all smiled at the man widely; gosh how was he so cute?

“Okay, so we have a few more steps you’ll need to go through to fully adopt Beomgyu. First, we’re gonna run a quick background check on each of you, and then we have to do a home inspection. First of all, though, I’ll need to see all of your ID adoption cards to make sure you’re certified.” Chaeyoung folded her hands together, bright smile on her face. 

“Of course. I carried them with me today. Here you go.” Yeonjun handed Chaeyoung four ID cards with pictures of each man and their general info. She inputted the information into her computer before handing the cards back to the four men. 

“Perfect. Um, I’m not technically supposed to inform you of this, but Yeonjun-ssi…the limited warranty on your card has almost expired. You should renew it before next year if you want to adopt another hybrid after Beomgyu.” 

“Oh, okay. Thank you for letting me know. I’m not sure we’ll adopt again…but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Of course. Now, I'm going to run the background checks through our contracted agency. They should be done in a couple of hours if you’re willing to wait. Our agency is usually very quick with these sorts of things, so it shouldn’t take too long. You can also spend time with Beomgyu if that’s something you’d all be interested in.” 

They all looked around at each other silently, mulling over their answers. Beomgyu sat in his nervousness, fiddling with his fingers. 

I guess it would be a good idea to get to know them a little. It might not be so bad to show them some respect either; they are my new owners after all. 

“If it’s okay with Beomgyu, we’d love that.” Soobin smiled, looking at the hybrid hopefully. 

Beomgyu’s eyes lit up with excitement as he nodded silently, a surge of adrenaline rushing through him. It was hard not to get excited about all of this–– and the face that it was happening so fast only increased that excitement. After years of not being paid attention to, receiving all of this attention all at once was a little overwhelming, but also incredibly gratifying to Beomgyu; they also all thought it was adorable how Beomgyu couldn’t hide his true feelings well. 

“Great! Beomgyu, why don’t you show them your room to talk and get to know each other better.”

Beomgyu nodded toward Chaeyoung silently, an excited smile on his face. Beomgyu left the room silently, the others following after him. They soon reached Beomgyu’s room, the hybrid scrambling to find places for them all to sit without getting dirty. He couldn’t let his masters sit on the dirty floor, no matter what. 

“Um…I know it’s small, but um…three of you can fit on the bed and one of you can use this chair so you don’t have to get dirty on the floor.” Beomgyu pointed to each spot in the room, before facing them with a shy smile on his face.  

“No, no! Don’t worry, Beomgyu. We’re not worried about getting dirty. We’ll sit on the floor, you can sit on your bed.” Soobin smiled, looking into Beomgyu’s eyes, mesmerized by the darker blue hue in the man’s eyes. How pretty. 

“Oh, no. I can’t do that to my masters. Please, uh, sit down. I’m okay, really.” Beomgyu shook his head, waving his hands in the air. 

Soobin’s smile faltered a little, before he turned to the others silently. 

“Mm…how about this? Let’s all sit on the floor, that way everyone is on the same level!” Kai energetically suggested, nodding silently toward the rest of the men. 

Beomgyu’s eyes lit up in curiosity, before he nodded silently once more. Soobin’s smile widened upon seeing the man’s eyes sparkle, a tiny blush forming across his cheeks. Gosh, how was this man so simply pretty? 

They all sat in a circle on the floor, Beomgyu looking at each of them silently. After a few moments of awkward silence, the oldest of the group broke out of their stupor. 

“Okay, so…this might sound really serious, and I swear that’s not my intention, but I feel like I should say this. We should set some ground rules before Beomgyu comes to live with us. I feel like it’ll be easier for all of us.” 

They all nodded silently, looking at each other with expressions that read: so who wants to make them?

“Okay…I guess I’ll lay a ground rule down first. I thought of this earlier when I was talking to you Beomgyu, but please don’t call us anything like ‘ssi’ or ‘master.’ It makes us feel uncomfortable, so just start calling us ‘hyung.’ Is that okay with you?” Soobin suggested, the others immediately nodding in agreement. 

Beomgyu’s eyes silently widened, a surprised expression overtaking his face. It made them feel uncomfortable? Beomgyu certainly didn’t want the older men to be uncomfortable around him, even if it made him uncomfortable using ‘hyung.’ 

“I understand…Soobin-hyung. I’ll use the term ‘hyung’ when I address you and Yeonjun from now on.” 

They all smiled widely at the hybrid’s obedient response, causing Beomgyu to smile unconsciously as well. 

“Oh! I have one. Generally, we split up our chores each week, so don’t feel like you have to clean up or do anything strenuous unless one of us asks you to, sound good?” Yeonjun nodded towards Beomgyu, an encouraging smile on his face. 

Beomgyu bit his lip nervously as he looked into his lap. He didn’t have to do anything? That didn’t sit right with Beomgyu. 

“Hyung? Is that okay with you?” Kai asked, a slightly concerned expression on his face. 

“I––I won’t work? It won’t…bother you at all?” Beomgyu looked around at everyone, nerves eating at him. 

“Of course not, hyung. You could never bother us because of something like that. It’s good to take breaks too. I guess––what I’m trying to say is that you’ll never have to worry about something like that with us. Okay?” Taehyun held his hand with a small smile as he stared into Beomgyu’s eyes. 

Tears automatically pricked in Beomgyu’s eyes, silently falling onto his cheeks. Ever since Beomgyu learned how to walk, he had always done the chores in that household. He never got a break; even on holidays, anniversaries, or his birthday. Chores were just a natural part of Beomgyu’s life since he was a child. He never thought he had a choice to not do something. 

He lifted his hands to his eyes, attempting to shield himself from his own emotions. The four men stood frozen around the hybrid, silently looking at each other with wide eyes. He continued to cry silently, fingers wiping tears from his eyes as more continued to well up. 

Suddenly, a pair of warm arms wrapped around Beomgyu’s smaller frame. Beomgyu flinched as he opened his eyes, gazing at the tip of Hueningkai’s hair in his range. He closed his eyes once more as he melted into the man’s large frame and hugged him back tightly. 

Once Beomgyu composed himself once more, they finished going over some general rules of their household. After that, they started to get to know each other, sharing how they all became roommates; luckily, they didn’t pressure Beomgyu to share his story at all, which made the hybrid of the group grateful to the men. Just as Beomgyu was thinking of getting lunch in the cafeteria, a knock reverberated in the room. He stood up from his spot in the circle and opened the door to see Chaeyoung with a tired smile on her face.

“Hello, everyone. Sorry that took so long, we had a situation arise at our agency. But, we finished your background checks and I’m proud to say nothing looks wrong! Now we just need to do a home inspection to make sure Beomgyu’s living quarters are appropriate. I took the liberty of contacting the office in charge of that and they told me there’s an opening tomorrow morning at 8am! Does that work for you? We only need one person home to show us around.” 

Hueningkai answered, “I’m free at that time tomorrow, so I can show you around our house. So…will Beomgyu-hyung accompany you tomorrow or will we pick him up after the inspection is over?” 

“If the inspection goes well tomorrow, you will come back and pick Beomgyu up from this facility.” Chaeyoung replied with a friendly smile on her face. 

Beomgyu smiled silently, glad he still had time to see Chaeyoung and Dahyun before his life changed forever. At least, that’s what Beomgyu thought would happen. He really didn’t know what was in store for him within the next few days in his life. 

The others nodded before bidding their farewells to Beomgyu, the hybrid bidding farewell to them as well. 

🩵

The next day came a lot sooner than Beomgyu thought it would. He naturally assumed he wouldn’t be able to get much sleep–– a mixture of nerves and excitement. But, surprisingly Beomgyu fell asleep at an un-abysmal hour of the night. 

When he awoke, he looked exactly like he did the previous morning, white hair sticking up in unusual spots. However, unlike the previous morning, his ears awoke with an unexpected ringing and his forehead stung with a sharp pain that caused Beomgyu to groan loudly as he woke up. 

“Beomgyu? Kai is here to pick you up. Are you ready to leave yet?” Chaeyoung knocked on the door, voice coming out muffled. Beomgyu squinted his eyes open, head spiking in pain as he curled into himself. 

“Five more minutes…” He gurgled out, eyes squinting once more. 

“Beomgyu? Do you want to keep him waiting?” Chaeyoung joked, a somewhat uneasy tone in her voice. 

Beomgyu flinched awake, sitting up in his bed with wide eyes. Kai was here? Already? What time is it? Beomgyu looked at the analog clock on the wall, reading the time, 8:45. He clambered out of bed, changing into the outfit he prepped the night before and putting his pajamas in a disposable bag. He pressed down his hair with his hands, figuring it would probably be a mess. He slightly dizzied, zipping up his bag and looking around his room quickly, head suddenly throbbing in pain. He groaned lightly, slightly curling into himself before grabbing his bags and stepping towards the door. 

He breathed carefully, in and out. Nervousness and excitement flowed through his fingertips as they laid on the door handle. He clicked the door open, immediately locking eyes with Chaeyoung. She smiled widely as she stepped to the side, revealing the person behind her. 

There Hueningkai was, smiling widely, radiating that same friendly and warm energy he radiated when he first met the hybrid. Beomgyu smiled shyly, cheeks pink as he felt calmed by the presence. 

Lost in his thoughts, Beomgyu heard a faint laugh. He focused back on Hueningkai, whose mouth was now covered by his hand in an attempt to hide his smile. He laughed a little louder, not being able to hide it anymore. 

“I––I’m sorry, hyung. It’s just––your hair––PFFT HAHAH I’M SORRY HAHAHAH.” He laughed loudly as he bent over, clutching his stomach. 

Beomgyu tried looking at his hair, patting it down, thinking, does it really look that bad? Once Kai composed himself, he smiled widely at the hybrid.

“Here, let me help.” He lifted his large hands to the side of Beomgyu’s head and carefully patted the parts of Beomgyu’s hair that were sticking up. 

Beomgyu flinched silently, eyes going wide as his cheeks grew pinker and his ears popped up from his hair. 

“Your ears! Oh my god, can I touch them??” 

Beomgyu nodded, hesitantly, lips curling as warmth spread through his chest. He could usually control when his ears popped up, but whenever someone physically touched him, it was hard to control them. Large fingers softly pressed against Beomgyu’s black ears, adrenaline rushing through Beomgyu’s body as he felt himself overheating. He purred lightly, closing his eyes in contentment. 

Hueningkai’s eyes widened silently as Beomgyu continued to purr. His hands flinched away from the hybrid’s ears, freezing in place as his cheeks turned into a deep pink hue. He bit his lip and brought his hand up to his face in an attempt to hide his expression. 

“Um…let’s get going. You’re probably a little tired anyway. We can get you settled in back home.” Kai scratched the back of his neck with his hand, a nervous habit of his. 

Beomgyu felt the adrenaline quickly leave his body, soon replaced with a terrible headache. He slightly grimaced, before dismissing it with an excuse such as it’s because I haven’t eaten yet. He clutched his bag tighter before following the younger man out of the hallway and into the front lobby. 

Once in the front lobby, Beomgyu was immediately greeted by the daylight, which caused him to squint silently, still not fully used to the sight. Finally, they stepped out of the building, and Beomgyu’s eyes widened silently as he looked at the street around him. 

He had never been out like this during the daylight before; he did run away from his home at night after all. He had only ever seen a sliver of sunlight through the cracks of their curtains in his previous home, not daring to open them any more. Of course he knew not to stare at the sun too long, unless he wanted to permanently damage his beautifully perfect eyes. 

“Come on, hyung! It’s only a ten-minute walk home! Oh…have you eaten yet?” 

Beomgyu yawned as he shook his head. To be honest, he wanted to get home and just sleep some more. 

“Got it. Well, we have a little time till Yeonjun-hyung is back home, so let’s go get breakfast and then maybe we can go shopping for your room, if that’s okay with you.”

Beomgyu hesitantly nodded, not wanting the younger man to think he was a good-for-nothing who didn’t want to hang out with him. So, the hybrid followed Kai to the local shopping market where they could eat and shop for clothes, along with other items to go into Beomgyu’s room. 

“Do you want any specific type of food, hyung? I know they have a jjajangmyeon place here, a pajeon place here, and a hot dog place here.” 

“Jjajangmyeon? What’s that?” There was no recipe like that in the cookbook’s Beomgyu had read over the years.

Hueningkai looked at him with wide eyes, before smiling as he tried to explore the hybrid’s intrigued expression. 

“Well, now we have to go there. And…I guess it’s pretty appropriate since you are moving in with us.” (A/N: in South Korea, when someone moves to a new house they usually eat jjajangmyeon to celebrate.)

“O––okay then. Let’s go get jjajangmyeon then, K–Kai.”

Hueningkai grabbed the hybrid’s hand and ran into the market, the older of the two trailing behind him. They soon arrived at the restaurant, and Beomgyu opened the menu to see what they had before a hand quickly snatched the laminated paper away from him. He lightly flinched, before looking at the culprit, Kai wearing a smirk on his face. 

“We don’t need this. I’ve been here so many times I know it by heart. Anyway, what do you want to drink?” 

“Um…I think I’ll just have water. Thank you, Kai.” Beomgyu said with a tiny smile on his face as the younger smiled toward the hybrid. 

“Owner! We’re ready to order over here!” Kai waved the owner over to their table as a sweet-looking older woman walked over to their table. 

“Alright, what’ll it be boys?” 

“Two regular jjajangmyeons and one tangsuyuk. With one water and one coke please.” 

“Got it, boys. I’ll get that ready for you two right now!”

“Thank you, ma’am.” 

Beomgyu slightly bowed to the owner as she walked away, before turning back to Kai. The younger was on his smartphone, seemingly texting someone with how quick his fingers were moving. 

Beomgyu never had a cell phone; his father never let him leave their house so he didn’t have any use for one anyway. He remembered how his brother got one when he was 14 and when Beomgyu asked why he couldn’t get one his father beat him for hours on end. That’s when Beomgyu decided to never bring it up again. 

He wondered if now that would be different. 

Who was he kidding, though? He’s never even experienced the real world, much less gone to school, or had a job. All he knew how to do was cook and clean, and he was even mediocre at that. Can that even be a real job? Beomgyu didn’t know much of anything about the real world; only the things he read from the books in his father’s study, but even those had their limit. 

Beomgyu silently fiddled with his fingers as he gazed between Kai’s phone and the expression on his face. The younger’s eyebrows furrowed as he sighed heavily. He continued typing on his phone, before looking to his side, causing Beomgyu to look to their side as well. A customer passed them by, thanking the owner before exiting. Beomgyu looked back at the table to see the younger looking at him with semi-wide eyes. The man smiled silently, before setting his phone down on the table. 

“Sorry about that, hyung. Someone from work texted me. Um…this might be crossing a line, but I just have to ask you. So can you like…um…control when your ears come out?” 

Beomgyu’s eyes silently widened before he nodded with a proud smile on his face. 

“Yes. My father didn’t usually like seeing them so I learned to control it when I was about five years old, I think. But, um…” Beomgyu hesitated, his smile growing smaller. “Hm…when someone touches me it gets hard for me to control it. That’s why they came up earlier when you fixed my hair.” Beomgyu’s cheeks tinted a bright pink, embarrassed by the fact. 

Before Beomgyu ran away, no one in his household touched him with an ounce of affection. Only his father really touched him, and we all know how that went by now. Beomgyu became lost in his thoughts of his past silently, lips unconsciously frowning. 

“So…if I do this will they come out?” Kai patted Beomgyu’s curtain bangs lightly, a tiny smirk on his face. 

Beomgyu was jolted out of his thoughts suddenly as he bit his lip and his cheeks grew a deeper pink. His black ears immediately popped up from their spot in his hair, flickering in surprise. Hueningkai gasped as his lips curled up in amusement. 

“Success!! Haha…aww, you’re so cute, hyung!” Kai pressed the hybrid’s ears softly, affectionate tone in his voice. 

Beomgyu’s blushed deepened, covering his whole face as it dipped into his lap out of embarrassment. His lips shook and curled as pure excitement flowed through him. No one had ever shown this much enthusiasm towards one of his appendages––scratch that, someone had never shown Beomgyu this much enthusiasm ever. It was a warm welcome to the hybrid. 

“Oh…sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean cute like––uh, I just––your ears––uh.” Kai flailed nervously, thinking he upset the hybrid by calling him cute. 

Beomgyu looked at the younger with a wide smile on his face as his eyes sparkled in amusement. He shook his head slowly, before composing himself once more. 

“No, Kai. It doesn’t make me mad. No one’s ever…shown this much excitement around me before. I’m just…happy.” Beomgyu spoke shyly, smiling, buzzing from the excitement. 

Kai instantly perked, smiling widely at the hybrid, happy he wasn’t upset at him. Then, their food came, and they ate like there was no tomorrow; a mixture of excitement and starvation at their helms. 

Once they finished their breakfast, they journeyed deeper into the market to search for a department store that sold necessary items for both of them. Once they found a suitable one, Beomgyu silently marveled at the size of it.

“Okay, hyung! We’re here! Don’t hesitate if you see anything you might want, okay? I put aside money just for this occasion.” 

Beomgyu bit his lip silently upon Kai’s declaration. He didn’t know the younger man was saving up just for this occasion. It must’ve taken him a really long time if they were going to a store as big as this. Did Beomgyu deserve to waste Kai’s hard earned money? That’s it, he resolved himself, I won’t waste any money of his and only get what I need. It’s not like I need much to survive anyway. 

Beomgyu nodded silently, before shyly grabbing Kai’s hand. He looked at the younger with a nervous expression, the younger man’s face lighting up with the biggest smile. “Let’s go!” Hueningkai skipped forward, the older man's hand still in his, unintentionally pulling the hybrid forward. Beomgyu followed behind silently, chest a little stuffy and mind mostly blank. 

The first shop they entered seemed to be a popular clothing shop with a steady flow of customers entering and exiting. 

“Okay, Beomgyu. I guess we should start with the shirt section first. Oh…I didn’t ask you this earlier, but how many outfits do you have?” 

Beomgyu held up five fingers silently, a little embarrassed. All of his clothes weren’t even technically his; they were clothes his brother got sick of and gave to Beomgyu. Even the white oversized shirt he was wearing right now–– the one with holes littered throughout it, also the one he met Dahyun in–– had been with him for over half of his life now. Considering that fact, it was a surprisingly durable shirt. 

Kai’s eyes widened upon the older man’s answer to his question. 5 outfits in total? For a 24-year-old? That didn’t sit right with Kai. And so, he put on a smile and nodded. He grabbed a large basket from the corner of the store and started shopping with the older man’s in the shirts section. He carefully picked out multiple shirts for the man, holding them up against him before going off to collect more. In total, he found five he thought would suit the man. So, he ushered the older off into the dressing room with the five shirts before deciding to choose five pants that would suit the shirts well. 

“Okay, hyung. I’m going to choose some pants for you. I’ll be right back!” 

“Okay, Kai.” 

Beomgyu hesitantly took his oversized shirt off; it had been a while since he saw himself in the mirror. He hoped he had looked a little better than the last time, but he doubted it. 

He slightly sighed upon seeing his ribs still protruding into his stomach area. He slightly shivered as the air conditioner above him blew. He took the first shirt off of the hanger and quickly put it on, looking at himself in the mirror. The shirt held a cat and some words in English on it as a graphic design, but it wrapped around his tiny waist nicely. For the first time in his whole life, Beomgyu wore a shirt that fit him perfectly. Not that most of his shirts didn’t fit him now, but once upon a time, because Beomgyu was a lot tinier than his brother the shirts that got passed down to him would always fall on the long side. 

Now, Beomgyu was fully intent on checking the prices of the shirts to make sure they weren’t too expensive, but blame it on the worsening headache he was experiencing or the tired feeling overtaking his body, he didn’t end up checking the prices at all. 

He tried the next shirt on, a nice dress shirt that was a little big on him (but it’s not like he was complaining anyway). He took the shirt off and tried the next one on; not seeing anything wrong with it, he nodded to himself and took the shirt off. Just as he was about to put the last shirt on, the curtain covering him swung open. Beomgyu curled into himself as he looked to the side, wide-eyed. His eyes met Huening’s and he relaxed greatly. 

“Oh, hey. Do you have more clothes, Kai?”

Kai’s eyes silently trailed down to Beomgyu’s figure, heart clenching in pain as he immediately took note of the ribs protruding into his stomach area. He quickly tore his eyes away from the scene, looking into Beomgyu’s eyes. He nodded with a small smile on his face, moving into the dressing room and hanging the pants he got. 

“I’ll wait outside until you’re done. Let me know if you need anything else, okay, hyung?” 

Beomgyu nodded silently before changing into the various pants and shorts Kai got for him. After he finished trying on all of the clothes, he carefully folded them before putting his clothes back on and leaving the dressing room. Kai was on his phone, presumably texting someone once again. 

“Kai?”

The younger immediately looked up from his phone, smiling and sliding it back into his pocket. 

“You’re good? Do they fit you well?” 

He nodded silently, a sweet smile on his face. 

“Okay, then! Let’s shop a little more, then we can get going to the next shop.” 

Beomgyu nodded hesitantly, following Kai to the undergarments section of the store. After they finished shopping there, they finally finished with some jackets that went along with Beomgyu’s outfits, before proceeding to the checkout. Beomgyu flinched as he gazed at the price of all of the clothes. 132,870.15 won (A/N: about $105 USD). Beomgyu’s eyebrows furrowed in worry as he looked at Kai, the younger one pulling out his card to pay. He silently shook his head, grabbing onto Kai’s arm to stop him from paying. Kai turned to the older man silently, wondering why he was stopping him. 

“I’m gonna put some stuff back…” Beomgyu whispered. 

“What? No, hyung, it’s fine. I have enough money, don’t worry about it.” 

“But––”

“No ‘buts’. I’m not sparing any expense for my favorite hyung. Don’t tell the others though.” Kai smirked, winking silently. 

Beomgyu silently disappointed, but nodded all the same. Kai inserted his card into the machine before the older protested anymore. After they finished paying, they walked out with a big bag and moved onto the next store quickly. 

“Okay…Soobin-hyung asked me to get some sheets for your bed and any furniture you might want. I’m pretty sure there’s a furniture store around here somewhere, so it shouldn’t be too much longer.” 

“I…I get my own bed?” He slightly whispered, eyes widening silently. 

Hueningkai’s eyebrows furrowed as he nodded silently. 

“Of course you do. Um…you have your own room. You know that, right?” 

Beomgyu’s overgrown bangs shadowed over his eyes as he held his head in embarrassment. 

Kai immediately took note of the older boy’s reaction, his heart clenching in sadness. Has he never gotten his own room before? 

“S––sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I just––sorry. I forgot you were raised differently than all of us for a minute.” 

“It’s…okay, Kai. It was a weird question anyway. Just forget I asked.” 

“No, it wasn’t weird, hyung! It was something normal to ask in your circumstances. You have nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I’m sorry about my weird response.” 

Beomgyu looked into Kai’s eyes for a minute, before smiling widely and nodding. 

“Let’s just both forget this happened. It’ll be easier for both of us.” 

The younger man nodded silently, before grabbing the hybrid’s hand tightly. They made their way through the market, soon locating the furniture store. After shopping for a couple of hours, they ordered it to be delivered to their house. Once they fully finished shopping, multiple bags in both of their hands, they finally made their trek up home. 

🩵

Finally, the moment arrived. The moment he would come home. 

Unfortunately, Beomgyu was now exhausted, and while a warm welcome would be appreciated by the hybrid, he really just wanted to collapse into the bed they prepared for him. Beomgyu and Kai stood in front of the large house, the older of the two staring at it with wide eyes and his mouth ajar. 

This is even bigger than my old house. I didn’t think there was a house like that. 

“Are you ready, hyung?”  Kai smiled excitedly. 

Beomgyu nodded with a small smile on his face, nervous but also excited. 

Kai unlocked the door with his key, simultaneously making a mental note to talk to his hyungs about getting a key for Beomgyu as well. 

“Welcome to our humble abode, hyung!” Kai smiled as he opened the door excitedly. 

The younger walked in first, turning the lights on, the older boy following behind him silently. 

Suddenly, the other three of the group came out from secret locations on the first floor of the house, simultaneously yelling, Welcome home Beomgyu! As streamers and fanfare went off. 

Beomgyu flinched back, covering his ears with his hands as he closed his eyes tightly and automatically curled into himself. Memories flashed through his mind as his body lightly shook. He quickly composed himself, shakily taking his hands off of his ears and looking around the room. Everyone walked towards him, hesitant expressions on their faces. Beomgyu sighed a sigh of relief as his nerves lessened, looking around nervously, everyone now looking at him concernedly. 

“Sorry, hyung. We didn’t think you’d be surprised by that. Guess our plan backfired…” Taehyun apologized, guilty smile on his face. 

Beomgyu shook his head, “No…I’m sorry. I’m just really surprised by loud noises. I should’ve told you yesterday.” He smiled ever so slightly, a guilty smile on his face as well. 

“No, Beomgyu. It’s not your fault. It’s on us, we should’ve checked earlier. Let’s go check out your room!” Soobin smiled generously, easing the hybrid’s nerves. 

Beomgyu nodded silently, head stretching in pain. They led Beomgyu to the second floor of the house, which held all of their bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a storage room. 

“Okay, so Yeonjun-hyung’s and my room are at the end of this hall. If you ever need anything, come to us first, sounds good?” 

Beomgyu nodded along as he made a mental note of Soobin’s instructions. 

“Okay. Taehyun and Hyuka share a room too, theirs is right next to yours. There’s a bathroom in mine and Yeonjun-hyung’s room, but there’s also one right next to your room. Hm…we use this room mostly for storage, so you don’t need to worry about that. Yeonjun-hyung already told you yesterday, but we split chores up every week. I think that’s about it. And now…without further ado…your room!!” Soobin opened the door to the room next to Taehyun’s and Kai’s room to reveal Beomgyu’s room.

The hybrid looked around with wide eyes, tears instantly swelling in his beautiful blue eyes. It was a little simple, but still very spacious. It held a large desk, with an even larger bed, including a large window with a dresser across from it, already holding a TV.

“How do you like it? Soobin-hyung designed it!” Kai smiled, turning to the older as Soobin rubbed his neck. 

“Well, I can’t really say design, I just put stuff in here––” Soobin humbled himself, wide smile on his face. He was immediately cut off by the hybrid, Beomgyu wrapping his arms around the older tightly. 

“Thank you. It’s perfect.” The hybrid whispered, eyes swelling with tears. His body fully relaxed, eyes silently closing as his body fell limp. He moaned lightly. 

“Beomgyu? Beomgyu, are you okay?” Soobin questioned as the hybrid leaned in closer to him. 

Beomgyu’s hearing filtered in and out as Soobin spoke to him, before he fully drifted off into unconsciousness. 

Soobin held his arms around Beomgyu tightly as his knees buckled under Beomgyu’s sudden shift in weight. 

“Beomgyu? Beomgyu-ah!” Yeonjun came to support them from behind, laying his hands against Soobin’s back so the taller wouldn’t fall with Beomgyu. He immediately felt Beomgyu’s forehead, soon realizing he was burning up. 

“He’s burning up! Move him to the bed, I’ll get a washcloth!”

Soobin immediately went into action, picking the hybrid up princess-style and laying him on his bed. Beomgyu groaned softly, face turning into a grimace as he curled into himself. 

“It’s okay, Beomgyu-ah. Taehyun, go get the medicine from our bathroom. Kai, go get a glass of water downstairs.” Soobin instructed the two, pushing Beomgyu’s sweaty bangs back from his forehead. Taehyun and Kai nodded simultaneously before leaving the room. 

Soobin patted Beomgyu’s face worriedly, whispering, “Why didn’t you tell us, Beomgyu-ah?” 

Soon, Yeonjun came back with a basin of cold water and a dry washcloth. He dipped the cloth in the basin, before wringing it out and placing it on the hybrid’s forehead. The younger boy’s grimace slightly lessened upon contact with the cold thought, but he still wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Soobin looked at his Yeonjun-hyung worriedly, the older of the two immediately sensing his worry for the hybrid. He smiled silently, grabbing Soobin’s hand. “He probably didn’t want to worry us. Remember, he’s been conditioned like this his whole life. He never had anyone else to rely on. But we’re going to change that. Just be patient.” 

Soobin nodded silently as Taehyun and Kai came back in with medicine and water for the hybrid. 

“Beomgyu-ah, here. It’s medicine. Drink it, you’ll feel better.” Yeonjun lifted the hybrid’s head up ever so gently, so as not to upset his already fragile condition. Beomgyu complied, drinking the medicine down, grimace fully returning as he laid his head back onto the soft pillow. 

“Come on, guys, let’s give him some time to rest. We’ll check up on you later, okay Beomgyu?” Soobin kissed the boy’s forehead softly, before standing up from the floor. The others bid their farewells as well, patting and kissing the hybrid’s head softly. 

🩵

A couple of hours after Beomgyu collapsed in Soobin’s arms, the hybrid awoke with an even worse headache and the feeling of bile quickly rising in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand before clambering out of bed and to the closest bathroom. He slammed open his door, before running to the nearest toilet and emptying his stomach harshly, heat radiating through his stomach as he heaved. Soobin walked across the hall quickly as Kai and Taehyun made their way upstairs, both of them stopping as soon as they saw Soobin. The tallest of the group bent to the ground, laying a comforting hand on Beomgyu’s back. Beomgyu flinched, silently, before emptying more of his stomach contents into the toilet. 

“It’s okay. Let it all out. You’re okay, Beomgyu-ah.” 

“I––I––I’m s––s––sorry.” The hybrid cried over the toilet as his stomach clenched in pain. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Beomgyu-ah. Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. Just focus on my voice.” Soobin rubbed circles on the hybrid’s back softly, Beomgyu’s nerves dying with his words. 

“It’s okay, Beomgyu. It’s all okay. Just let it all out. You’re safe here. No one will ever yell at you. I promise.” 

After a few minutes, Beomgyu finished emptying his bowels, almost on the verge of passing out again as he breathed heavily against the seat of the toilet. Luckily, he made it back into his room and onto his bed, even if Soobin all but basically dragged him back. Just as the older was about to leave, Beomgyu’s hand gripped the older’s tightly. 

Soobin smiled silently, settling back onto the floor next to his bed instantly. He sang a soft lullaby next to Beomgyu, the boy soon lulling into sleep once more. 

🩵

When Soobin awoke, he looked around the dark room, and then at the sleeping hybrid. He pried Beomgyu’s curled fingers from his gently, before grabbing the thermometer on the desk in his room. Yeonjun must’ve come back in, seeing as the water basin now held ice. He took Beomgyu’s temperature; it wasn’t better than before, but at least it wasn’t worse. Soobin sighed worriedly, before quietly exiting the room. 

“Oh, Soobin-hyung. Is Beomgyu-hyung feeling better?” Kai smiled hopefully, a glass of water in his hands. 

Soobin looked at the younger seriously, before shaking his head. “His fever hasn’t gotten better yet. I’m gonna wait a couple of hours and see if it breaks, but if not I’m gonna call that hybrid doctor who met Taehyun last week.” 

“Okay, hyung. Let me know if you need anything. I’m working from home this week so I can take care of him if you can’t get off too.” 

“Thanks, Kai. I’ll let you know.” Soobin kissed the younger one on the cheek affectionately. Kai nodded silently, a sweet smile on his face. 

“I’m gonna try and get some sleep, while I still can. Can you just peek into Beomgyu’s room every so often and see if he’s okay? And wake me up if he isn’t.” 

“Got it, hyung. Try and get as much sleep as you can, okay?” Kai smiled encouragingly, Soobin nodding and smiling tiredly. 

After his day, he felt he deserved some much-needed cuddles with his oldest boyfriend. So, he made his way to his bedroom, smiling widely when he saw Yeonjun scrolling on his phone in their shared bed. He instantly dove onto the bed, quickly wrapping himself in the covers and cuddling up next to Yeonjun. 

“You okay, Bin?” 

Soobin sighed against the older’s chest, inhaling his faint cologne. 

“He’ll be okay, right?” He whispered, ever so unsure about his question. 

“Of course. We’re all here to take care of him if anything happens. And if he doesn’t get better quickly, we’ll call the doctor. Simple as that. I promise…we’re all gonna do our part. We’ll all do whatever it takes to make him feel better.” 

Soobin nodded silently, immediately trusting the older man's words. He soon drifted off to sleep in the older’s arms. 

🩵

When Beomgyu awoke once more, the bottom of his eyes were wet from tears previously shed as he was dreaming. Not that he could remember what he was dreaming about anymore, but he had a suspicion it wasn’t good. His whole body seared in pain as his consciousness returned to him, tears slipping out of his eyes silently as he breathed raggedly. He shut his eyes painfully again as he heard the soft click of his door open. He slightly wheezed as the figure came closer to him on the bed. 

“Beomgyu-hyung?” He recognized the voice to be Kai’s, even without opening his eyes. 

He wheezed out, tears searing into his skin. His wheezing increased as he continued to cry, every part of his body screaming at him. 

“Beomgyu-hyung, tell me what’s wrong. Where does it hurt?” Kai lifted his hands to the hybrid’s cheeks, Beomgyu squeaking out in response. “Sorry, sorry. T––tell me where it hurts. Please, Beomgyu-hyung, let me help you.” Kai despaired, sensitive expression on his face. Beomgyu continued to cry, breaths becoming rampant by the second. “Y––your legs? Your back? Your stomach? It––it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna get you some painkillers, just hold on.” Kai stood up from the floor, immediately entering the bathroom and grabbing painkillers from the medicine cabinet. 

Once he returned, Beomgyu’s breathing had evened out, ever so slightly, but his fever was still evident in his demeanor. 

“Here, Beomgyu-hyung. Take these, you’ll feel better.” Kai helped the hybrid swallow the pills, Beomgyu immediately grimacing as he swallowed the pills and sank deeper into his pillow. “There you go. Get some rest. I’ll be back.” Kai whispered, rubbing his thumb along Beomgyu’s cheek before standing up. 

He quietly left the room, standing against the door silently for a moment. He silently dried the tears brimming in his eyes, before walking to his Yeonjun and Soobin-hyung’s room. Upon entering, he immediately took note of Soobin curled into Yeonjun’s frame, sleeping peacefully. Yeonjun held his finger over his mouth with a small smile, Kai cautiously walking over to the older man. 

“I’m gonna call the doctor. Beomgyu-hyung just woke up crying from muscle pain. I noticed this when we were shopping earlier, but… I could see his ribs protruding from his stomach. I gave him painkillers, so I’m just hoping he’ll fall back asleep soon.” 

Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrowed, silently, before he nodded and leaned toward Kai. “Okay. Maybe try to feed him something small before the doctor comes. There’s samgyetang in the freezer, left over from when Taehyun was sick. Heat it up in a pot downstairs, just don’t feed him too much. It might make him more sick.” 

Kai nodded, before leaving and pulling his phone out. He quickly dialed the doctor’s number, hoping he would pick up quickly. 

“Hello? Seungmin-hyung? It’s Kai. We sort of have a situation over here…” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, looking towards Beomgyu’s door silently. 

“Oh? Is Taehyun sick with the flu again?” 

“N––no, hyung. Um…long story short, we adopted a hybrid. He came home today, but he collapsed with a fever around six hours ago. He also threw up three hours ago, and woke up from some really bad muscle pain. We’re all really worried about him. We were wondering if you could come for a house call? Of course we’d pay whatever is necessary. When’s the fastest you can be here?” 

“Hm, let me see. It…looks like I have an opening tomorrow morning at 9am, does that work for you?” 

“That works for me! Thanks, Seungmin-hyung. See you tomorrow.” 

🩵

When Beomgyu awoke once more, his senses were overwhelmed with a strong aroma. He slowly turned his head to his side, muscles still aching, just a little. He noticed a bowl sitting on the edge of his desk, still warm judging from the small amount of steam rising from it. He lazily blinked, slowly removing the covers from his legs and sitting up slowly, so as not to aggravate his brittle condition. His legs tingled somewhat unsteadily as he came into contact with the cold floor. He slowly walked over to his desk, vision blurring as he walked the short distance. When he arrived, he sat in the chair accompanying his desk, exhaustion evident in his short, rapid breaths. 

He looked into the bowl, stomach tightening as he stared at the chicken leg soaking in broth, including various vegetables as well. A note accompanied the meal. Try and eat when you wake up, okay, hyung? Luv u <3 feel better soon 😄 –– Hyuka

He smiled at the younger man’s thoughtfulness, carefully laying his hands on the side of the bowl. A little lukewarm now, which would’ve been fine with Beomgyu if a deep chill didn’t run through his body at the moment, causing him to ache in pain. The last thing he needed right now was a bowl of cold soup. Beomgyu debated seriously whether or not to just crawl back into his bed and not eat it or go downstairs and heat it up. 

Whenever he was sick in his previous house, he seemed like more of a burden than anything else. That’s why he never told anyone when he was sick, and instead just powered through it. Even if it seemed like he was on death’s door, he simply took a handful of medicine and kept working. 

But, he wasn’t in his previous home anymore. He was in a home with four men who actually cared about him and loved him. He could feel it in their soft smiles; their pats on his head; their notes; every minute spent with him was filled with warm, affirming love. 

Beomgyu decided to take a risk. If they got mad at him for heating his food up, he was prepared to be punished. 

He breathed heavily, clicking his door open carefully. He didn’t realize this before, but the sun was already long set. How long had he been asleep? What time was it? He headed down the stairs, leaning against the wall as he walked down slowly. 

Once he finally made it to the kitchen, stopping twice because of the dizziness overtaking him, he checked to see if anyone was on the first floor. After confirming no one else was there, he heated up the soup, fiddling with his fingers as he stood in front of the microwave nervously. Just as the microwave was about to go off, Beomgyu opened the door, not wanting to wake anyone up. He carefully grabbed the bowl from the microwave, slightly flinching back before grabbing it with the palms of his hands as the temperature cooled. He sat down in a chair at the kitchen table, breathing to himself for a moment. He shakily held up his spoon, nervousness evident in his expression. 

I really hope I can keep this down. 

He sipped the soup off of the spoon quietly, instantly relishing the taste. He smiled unconsciously, before continuing to eat. When he finished the bowl, he cleaned it, before looking around the different cabinets until he found the one the bowl belonged to. He set it in the cabinet, before he made his way back up the stairs slowly, wood creaking under the pressure of his feet. Finally, he made it back to his room, breathing heavily as he opened the door and relaxing as he fell into his bed once more. 

When he awakes a couple of hours later, he feels a familiar bile rising in his throat. His face grimaces as he runs to the bathroom once more, not heeding any mind to his door swinging open behind him. He soon emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet, tears welling up in his eyes. 

He’s thrown up before, but it’s never been this intense, and never twice in one day. Tears fell on his cheeks as he breathed harshly. What’s wrong with me? Why me? He gags as more bile rises in his throat, hunching over the toilet once more. Suddenly, he felt two hands press against his sweaty back. He turns his head to the side shakily, gazing into Taehyun and Kai’s concerned eyes. 

It’s okay. He’s safe here. He has people he can trust. There are people that want to be there for him. 

Beomgyu gags once more, except the bile doesn’t rise in his throat like last time. He pants heavily, eyes closing as his vision blurs and swims. How was he still this exhausted after sleeping most of the day away? 

He tried standing up from his position on the floor, hand slipping on the toilet as sweat coated his body. Taehyun and Kai instantly resolved to help Beomgyu, wrapping their arms around his back and lifting him from the floor. 

“S––sorry. Uh…c––can I––s-sleep with you guys…? I––I don’t…sorry. J––just forget it.” 

“Let’s go, hyung.” Taehyun smiled, leading him back to their shared room. Beomgyu’s panting continued as he closed his eyes intermittently. 

When they arrived at Taehyun and Kai’s shared room, the two helped Beomgyu into their shared bed together. They slid in on both sides of him, careful not to upset the sleepy hybrid. Beomgyu soon fell asleep, huddled by the warmth of the two men next to him. 

🩵

The next morning came a lot slower than Kai had hoped; after he and Taehyun found Beomgyu in the bathroom, Kai had a hard time falling back asleep. Instead, he found himself patting Beomgyu’s hair softly, curling the ends of his bangs around his slender fingers. He only managed to nod off to sleep around 3 am, which meant he would need to meet the doctor in six hours. Kai could only hope he wouldn’t sleep through it––Yeonjun and Soobin were out working that day, and while he and Taehyun were working from home, Taehyun was extremely busy and really didn’t have time to meet with the doctor and answer all of his questions. 

When Kai awoke, he immediately checked his phone. 8:41 am…I better get ready. He gazed at the hybrid next to him, still sleeping silently. He smiled silently, moving off the bed and moving to their dresser to change out of his pajamas. He went through the motions of his normal morning routine, finding five spare minutes before the doctor arrived at their house. 

Soon, their doorbell rang, and Kai ran down the stairs, half anticipation-half nervousness to see the doctor once more. This was the second time the doctor had been to their house; the first time happened when Taehyun got sick two weeks ago with the flu. Taehyun exited from his study, before noticing Kai answer the door, smiling to himself before entering his study again. 

“Thank you for coming in today. We really appreciate it.” Kai smiled, shaking the doctor’s hand.

“Of course. I brought my hybrid nurse with me today. Jeongin, introduce yourself.” Seungmin moved to the side, his fox hybrid smiling softly. 

“My name is Yang Jeongin. It’s nice to meet you!” 

“It’s nice to meet you too. My name is Kai. Um…shall we proceed?” Kai nodded along, inviting them into his house. 

“Yes, of course. He’s upstairs I assume?” 

“Yes. He’s currently in Taehyun and I’s bed; he got sick again this morning, and we didn’t want to leave him alone.” 

“Got it.” 

They walked upstairs, Taehyun greeting them on the stairs as they all walked up. When they arrived at their bedroom, Seungmin set his medical bag on the floor next to the bed, lifting the covers and nodding to himself silently. 

“Okay. Sorry, but we’re gonna need some privacy.” Seungmin turned to the two men, serious expression on his face. 

“Of course. Let’s wait outside, Taehyun.” Kai nodded, seriously concerned tone in his voice. 

Seungmin went to work quickly, pulling a stethoscope out of his bag and pushing the covers off of Beomgyu’s body, lifting his shirt and measuring his lung quality, eyes closed. He opened his eyes silently, fearing his worst conclusions appeared true. He silently grimaced, sighing to himself audibly. 

“Hyung?” Jeongin stepped forward, gazing at Beomgyu for a moment before flinching back. He sighed heavily, a pained expression forming on his face. “A––are those…” He whispered, tears drowning his eyes. “His ribs. And…lacerations. Most likely from a whip.” Seungmin sighed, sensitive tone in his voice. 

Seungmin removed his stethoscope silently. “I was afraid this was the case. He just has a simple cold, but his body is tearing itself apart. With enough malnutrition, when you get sick your cells attack each other to defend your microbiome. In turn, this causes extreme muscle pain, fevers that are hard to break, and stomach uneasiness…most of all in the form of throwing up. I’ve read of cases like this before, but I’ve never seen one in real life” Seungmin rationalized, mostly talking to himself. 

“So…is there anything we can do for him?” Jeongin asked, sensitive tone in his voice. 

“Mm-hm. Go get the IV from my car and the parenteral nutrition tube.” 

“Yes, hyung.” Jeongin nodded, a small smile on his face. 

Seungmin jotted his notes down on a clipboard, before laying the covers over the man again and opening the door of the room. Kai and Taehyun instantly locked eyes with him, eyebrows furrowed worriedly as they held each other’s hands. Seungmin showed them a serious expression before sighing deeply. 

“From my examination, I have concluded that he has a common cold.” 

The men sighed a sigh of relief, which made Seungmin not want to continue. 

“However, because of the state of his body, and the progression of his severe malnutrition, he’s rejecting any form of medicine and all forms of food. His body is attacking itself to preserve its current condition, it’s mostly concerned with surviving right now. To remedy this, we’re going to put him on a vitamin IV drip and a parenteral nutrition tube for two weeks.” He folded his hands together as he held his clipboard, a sympathetic expression coating his face.

“Until then, you can’t feed him anything or give him any medicine. His immune system is extremely fragile right now, so if you do anything it could possibly aggravate his condition. I’m going to have Jeongin come in every morning to change the tube and drip. But, for now, the best thing you can do for him is to let him rest. But please, make sure you’re still checking on him every hour or so to see if his condition has improved or worsened. Call me immediately if it has worsened at all.” 

Kai felt tears silently swell in his eyes as Seungmin spoke, hand clutching Taehyun’s tightly. Why does Beomgyu have to go through something like this? What did he ever do? 

Taehyun felt sick to his stomach. You were telling him that the loveliest hybrid in the world had to be connected to not one, but two different things to keep him living? Why did this have to happen to him? He never did anything to deserve this. Taehyun was sure the world was too incredibly cruel to this precious hybrid. Taehyun sighed deeply as he tried to compose himself. “Thank you for telling us. We’ll be sure to tell Soobin-hyung and Yeonjun-hyung when they come home.” 

Soon, Jeongin came back with the equipment for Beomgyu’s drip and tube, Taehyun and Kai helping him up the staircase. 

“Jeongin, set it up in the room next to theirs. They’ll probably want their room for the next two weeks.” Seungmin smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Jeongin nodded silently in response. 

Taehyun went back into their room to remove Beomgyu from their bed, lifting their covers and furrowing his eyebrows as he noticed an object protruding through the bottom of his shirt. When he lifted the shirt to investigate, he flinched back, tears instantly welling in his eyes as he gazed at the hybrid’s almost-visible ribs and the scars across his chest and torso. His lips quivered emotionally as he looked to the side, hand covering his mouth as more tears swelled in his eyes. 

He sighed, audibly, before drying his eyes and composing himself once more. He picked the sleeping hybrid up from the bed, face twisting in pain as he thought the man’s weight was way too light for his age. He sighed, before carrying Beomgyu back to his room, setting the sleeping hybrid in his bed as carefully as he could. He kissed Beomgyu on the forehead softly, before moving away from the bed, letting Jeongin work his magic and attach the drip and tube to Beomgyu. Taehyun closed his eyes, crossing his arms, as a single tear fell from his eye. 

After Kai finished paying Seungmin for his time and equipment, the doctor and nurse took their leave. 

A couple of hours later, Soobin came home from work early and Kai, who was working on his desktop in his room, exited his room as he heard Soobin walk up the stairs. He smiled tiredly at the older, Soobin’s heart tingling in sadness. He kissed his younger boyfriend on the cheek tenderly, a small smile on his face. 

“You okay, baby?” Soobin grabbed his hand softly, Kai sighing emotionally. 

“I called the doctor because Beomgyu-hyung isn’t getting better. He…he said his body is attacking itself. They had to hook him up to a feeding tube and an IV drip.” The younger of the two whispered emotionally, eyes swelling with fat tears. 

Soobin sighed heavily, eyes swelling with silent tears as well as his arms wrapped around Kai. 

“How long?” He whispered, tears slipping out of his eyes. 

“2 weeks.” The younger answered, fragile tone in his voice. Soobin gasped out, more tears slipping out of his eyes and onto Kai’s nape. 

Kai silently hugged his Soobin-hyung tighter as his heart enveloped in pain. Kai inhaled through his nose, unintentionally smelling Soobin’s shampoo. He relaxed upon taking in the vanilla-like smell, the scent instantly calming his nerves. He grabbed the older’s hand softly, a hopeful smile on his face. 

“I think it’ll be okay though, Soobin-hyung. He has us.” 

Soobin looked at the younger, nodding, soft smile filling his face. “Should I go see him?”

“If you want. He was sleeping last I checked though, so try and be quiet.” 

Soobin nodded silently, setting his bag in his room before walking back to Beomgyu’s bedroom somewhat cautiously. He opened the door quietly, not sure he was ready for the sight he was about to see. His face twisted in pain as he immediately locked onto the man connected to two different bags of fluid. He sighed heavily as he brought his hand to his chest, eyes stinging with unshed tears. 

He silently kneeled to the ground, grabbing the sleeping man’s hand softly, flinching as Beomgyu’s overheating hand came into contact with his. He pulled the covers down from his chest, going to wipe at the man’s sweat. When he lifted his shirt up, he hiccuped, flinching back as he gazed at the scars and ribs across the man’s stomach. Tears instantly swelled in his eyes, dragging down his cheeks as the man in the bed stirred and breathed heavily. The hybrid shook gently from the newfound cold spreading through his body. Soobin rushed to cover him in the blanket once more, wiping his tears dry. Beomgyu squinted his eyes open as warmth spread to his chest once more. He immediately locked eyes with Soobin, smiling silently as he relaxed. 

“Soobin-hyung…” He whispered, clearly tired. Soobin smiled emotionally, pushing back the tears brimming in his eyes. 

“Hey, Beomgyu-ah. How are you feeling?” Soobin whispered, scooting closer to his bed. Beomgyu tiredly blinked his gaze towards his hand, immediately taking note of the IV drip in his arm, rubbing it carefully before looking up to Soobin in a confused haze. 

“Hyung…what’s…” he blinked towards the IV, before blinking back to his Soobin-hyung. His gaze trailed to the pole next to his bed, Soobin looking at the hybrid worriedly. 

“It’s okay, Beomgyu. It’s an IV. You probably don’t remember, but we had a doctor visit you. He said your vitamins are depleted, and that you couldn’t handle normal meals right now, so we’re feeding you like this. Don’t worry! I know it’s a little overwhelming, but it’s helping you. Slowly but surely. It’s gonna help for the next two weeks. Don’t worry. I’ll be right here to help you.” Soobin encouraged the hybrid, grabbing his hand and clasping them in his warm hands. 

Beomgyu looked at Soobin, before nodding slowly, vision swimming. He fought off sleep as he closed his eyes intermittently; he still wanted to talk with his Soobin-hyung. 

“Just go back to sleep, Beomgyu. You’re going to be okay. I promise.” Soobin whispered encouragingly, a sweet smile on his face. The hybrid soon drifted back off to sleep, huddled in the warmth of his hyung’s encouraging love. 

🩵

Beomgyu didn’t seem to get better for a while after that. Now, the boys weren’t exactly impatient, but in a situation like this, patience didn’t help one bit. They were extremely worried to say the least, especially Soobin, who checked on him every hour or so to take care of him. The tallest of the group was ready to rush Beomgyu to the hospital if his condition worsened even the slightest bit. 

It was a hard and emotional two weeks for all five of them. When Taehyun told Yeonjun of Beomgyu’s condition the night after he came home, the oldest of their group cried as his boyfriends surrounded him. That was the first time in three years the eldest of their group had cried. No one could deny it; these four men were unhealthily attached to the hybrid as soon as they met him. This incident only solidified that fact. 

They all coped in their own ways with the sickly man–– some more on hand than the others. Taehyun was only able to get one week off of work for the man, so he showed his support by staying in his room whenever he got the time, talking, even reading to the man. When Beomgyu was awake he appreciated it greatly. Beomgyu wasn’t able to stay awake very long for the first week though; on a good day, 4, maybe 5 hours at a time on the best day. 

In Kai’s case, he chose to pour all of his time and energy into his work. That was the only way he would stop crying; distracting himself from the pain. Sure, he might’ve been working through the night instead of sleeping because the image of Beomgyu with his IV was etched onto his eyelids, but he was fine. He sure as hell was doing a lot better than the hybrid was. And, when he did finally manage to fall asleep, everyone else had left for work, so he could get all the peace and quiet he needed. 

But then, as he passed by Beomgyu’s room, he noticed the door slightly cracked open. He went to shut it, unintentionally gazing into the room. He took note of Beomgyu’s heavy breaths, head turning and washcloth falling off of his forehead. He silently bit his lip, grip on the handle tightening. He hesitantly entered the room, fiddling with his fingers as he walked closer to the bed. 

He gently removed the washcloth from his pillow, dipping it into the basin next to his bed silently and wringing it out. After placing it back onto the man’s forehead, he went to change the water out, liquid starting to become warm. Once he filled it in the kitchen and put a fresh batch of ice in it, he carefully brought it back up to the hybrid’s room, serious expression on his face. He set the basin down silently, sighing out before turning around to take his leave. 

“Don’t…go…” Beomgyu whispered, breathing still labored. 

Kai flinched, turning around and gazing at the hybrid. He appeared to still be sleeping, a single tear falling from his closed eyes. Kai hesitantly turned fully to the hybrid, eyes glancing in between the liquid IV and Beomgyu. His heart stung. He sighed out, instantly lacing his fingers with Beomgyu’s as tears brimmed in his eyes. 

“It’s okay, Beomgyu-hyung. I’m right here.” He whispered, holding his hand up to his lips. 

As for Yeonjun, when he came back from work, he set his bag in his bedroom, and then visited the hybrid in his individual room. Beomgyu was usually already sleeping, but Yeonjun still liked to watch over him all the same. It was the third night after Beomgyu came home that Yeonjun discovered the younger’s night terrors. His heart ached upon gazing at the hybrid panting heavily, turning his head back and forth with a frantic pace and a nervous expression. He hesitated to grab the hybrid’s hand, worried of the possibility of scaring him further. He shakily grabbed the hybrid’s hand, interlacing his fingers in Beomgyu’s. He relaxed as the man’s thrashing instantly calmed, head stopping as he panted heavily, a mixture of fever and nerves. Yeonjun smiled silently as he sighed relievedly. 

Soobin, on the other hand, didn’t visit the hybrid at all. At least for the first week. When he got home from work each evening, he drowned his sorrows with soju. Blame his overly caring nature, or maybe the side of him that felt like a sort of mother towards Beomgyu, but Soobin just wanted to loathe in his pain and forget this situation ever happened. Soobin cared about Beomgyu so much, maybe even more than his boyfriends combined. He didn’t know how to describe it, but as soon as he saw the hybrid through the window of the common room, his heart automatically clicked into place. 

Soobin wished he wasn’t so emotional; he wished he didn’t rush head-first whenever he saw someone he was attracted to, but he couldn’t help himself. His unwavering loving nature would be the death of him. The other men knew this all too well– which explained why he would drink as soon as he stepped into the door– it was just Soobin’s way of coping. 

Soobin had the weekend off from work, which he spent mostly rotting in his bed, scrolling through his phone and taking intermittent sips from his bottle of soju from last night. Before he knew it, he finished the bottle, sighing as the sweet taste of nothing didn’t burn his throat. He went to the bathroom attached to their bedroom, washing his face silently. God, did he look like a mess. He sighed, before walking out of the room, deciding to fill his stomach with something to eat. As he was walking down the hall, he noticed a bedroom door open. He went to close it before accidentally peering into the dark room, immediately taking note of the hybrid in his bed. 

Oh. It’s Beomgyu’s room. 

He hesitantly reached out, before pushing the door further open, the door slightly creaking. Soobin silently grimaced as the man on the bed moaned. He walked into the room carefully, sitting down next to the bed carefully so he didn’t wake the sleeping man. 

The man’s appearance was sobering to Soobin. He hesitantly reached his hand out to cradle the man’s cheek, tenderness radiating through his chest. The tips of his fingers landed on the man’s cheek, Beomgyu’s face silently turning towards Soobin. His cheek felt hot; too hot for his own good. Soobin didn’t register the tears swelling in his eyes until the hybrid opened his eyes. A tear flowed down Soobin’s cheek, Beomgyu tiredly stretching his arm to cradle the older’s cheek delicately. 

“Don’t cry…Soobin-hyung…” Beomgyu whispered, breathing heavily in between his words. More tears flowed out of Soobin’s eyes as he cradled Beomgyu’s hand next to his cheek. How was he still so incredibly kind despite everything he’s gone through?

“It’s okay…I’m okay…Soobin-hyung.” Beomgyu’s hand patted Soobin’s cheek carefully, the man smiling tiredly at the older. 

“I’m…sorry, Beomgyu-ah. I’m so sorry.” Soobin apologized, sucking in a fresh breath of air. 

When Taehyun entered Beomgyu’s room later to check on the hybrid’s condition, the sight he was met with made him smile widely. There Soobin was, head resting on Beomgyu’s bed, Beomgyu peacefully asleep as well. Taehyun smiled, pulling his phone out as he closed in on the bed, taking a picture of the two with the fondest smile on his face. 

Beomgyu only started to feel better around the second week of being connected to his drip and feeding tube. Of course, he was still bedridden for the majority of the two weeks, but he was able to stay awake a lot longer during his second week of treatment. The first major change to occur was on the sixth day of his treatment, when his fever finally broke for over an hour. On account of his still-building-up immune system, it was a feat in itself. The boys were relieved greatly to say the least, with some even crying in relief. 

A week had now passed. Beomgyu was in his room, antsy as he looked around silently. Taehyun had gone back to work two days ago, and the others were busy with their own jobs. Beomgyu was thirsty. He finished his water an hour ago and was pretty sure no one was home. It would be okay, right? It’s not like he would pass out as soon as he stood up, right? Plus, if he felt like he was gonna pass out he could just hold on to his pole holding his IV and feeding tube. 

Beomgyu hesitantly grabbed the pole holding his IV bag and feeding tube. His arm shook as he tried standing up, legs shaking like a baby giraffe. He willed himself to push through, both hands holding onto the pole as he pushed himself off of his bed. He breathed heavily as his shaky legs fully stood up, sweat coating his face as exhaustiveness filled his body once more. He had to do this though; if he did, it meant he was improving, and that would make the others smile. 

He took one step forward, panting with a small, determined smile on his face. He continued stepping slowly until he was close enough to open his door, a smile gracing his face. He walked through the hall, before reaching a new challenge. He stared down the staircase silently, a determined expression forming on his face. It was only about ten steps, a pretty short staircase when you really thought about it. But those ten steps were about to be one of the biggest challenges of his life. 

He inhaled audibly, before exhaling as he mentally prepared himself. He took one step down, toes curling at the cold of the hardwood floor. He sighed relievedly, his other foot stepping onto the same stair. He slowly stepped down each step carefully along with his pole, not taking any chances of slipping when no one was home. 

Once he fully made it down the stairs, he smiled widely, proud of his accomplishment. He walked to the fridge a little quicker than before, excitement at his helm. He opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and moving to the couch, deciding he earned a nice rest. Before he knew it, he had completely fallen asleep, only a few sips taken out of his water. 

The first one back home was Kai, only a mere hour after Beomgyu fell asleep on the couch. The man immediately noticed a foreign pole in their living room, immediately setting his bag down at the front door and going to investigate the scene. His eyes widened as he saw the hybrid sleeping on the couch with a bottle of water in his hand. Did he come all the way down by himself? Even though his fever just broke yesterday? He crouched down next to the couch, taking a look at the sleeping hybrid. His eyes sparkled as his hand covered his smile, gears turning in his mind. Even down the staircase? 

The hybrid felt a presence next to him, slowly peeling his eyes open and looking to the side silently. When he was met with Kai’s curious eyes, he smiled warmly. 

“Beomgyu-hyung! Did you walk down here all by yourself?” 

Beomgyu bit his lip, nodding somewhat nervously. “I was thirsty…” He rationalized, trying to justify his actions. Kai stared at him with wide eyes. He held his head as his smile silently widened. 

Is he mad? Is he going to hit me? Beomgyu silently braced himself, overly nervous expression on his face. Kai brought his hand up from his side, Beomgyu instantly closing his eyes, bracing for the harsh incoming impact. When he was met with a soft pat instead, he flinched, eyes opening as Kai affectionately combed through Beomgyu’s curtain bangs. Kai wore the widest smile Beomgyu had ever seen on his face, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. 

“Well done, Beomgyu-hyung. I’m so proud of you.” He whispered, an emotionally warm tone in his voice. Beomgyu’s ears popped up from his hair as tears formed in his eyes. Kai’s smile widened and Beomgyu wondered if that was even possible. Beomgyu sighed audibly, before wrapping his arms around the younger man carefully, tears flowing down his cheeks. Kai immediately melted into the hug, laying his hand on the back of Beomgyu’s hair. 

“I love you so much, Beomgyu-hyung.” 

After they left each other's embrace, Kai helped Beomgyu back to his room. That night, as Beomgyu slept in his room, Kai gathered all of his boyfriends in their master bedroom, telling the others of how he found Beomgyu on the couch, energetically telling them how much better he was already getting. They all celebrated joyously, mostly silent in their endeavors as they didn’t want to wake the sleeping hybrid. 

🩵

A couple of months had passed since that incident. To say Beomgyu was thriving under their care would be an understatement. Of course, it took him a while to get used to the constant affection from the four men. After being deprived of it for years, Beomgyu was shook that four people could love him so easily. And, of course, it was only a matter of time until Beomgyu started to feel the same about them, but in a much more romantic way. 

Was it weird that he was in love with four different people at the same time? Beomgyu thought it was weird. He didn’t think he deserved to, after all he put them through. He just liked spending his days with them, that was good enough for him. 

They had their good and bad days with each other. After Beomgyu found out they were all dating each other, a small part of him felt bitter. What would he have to do to get that? To join in their affectionate, warm, bubble of love? Sure, they were plenty affectionate with Beomgyu already. But their affection was different. It came from a more tender, a more genuine love of each other. Beomgyu wanted that so bad. But, he never crossed the line, despite himself. 

After Beomgyu got over his sickness, the boys took him out for the first time ever. They wanted to really get him warmed up to the idea of personal freedom. At first, it was small. One would invite him to eat out with him; another would ask to run an errand with him. Over time, Beomgyu became more and more confident in going out on his own. And so, he did. While he loved relying on the others, he knew he needed to become more independent. He still had aspirations despite the years of abuse he went through. Soon enough, Beomgyu started working too. He found a local job cleaning peoples’ houses that paid pretty nice; it allowed Beomgyu to buy the things he needed and still have enough money leftover to buy the things he wanted. 

And then, the five-month-anniversary of when Beomgyu came home came up. Unsurprisingly, all of the men had work that day except for him, so he decided to make their gift. 

The only problem was they didn’t have any arts and craft supplies in their house; the men had never really been much for arts and crafts, so they never sought the need for supplies. He left their house late in the late afternoon, maybe two, three hours before the men arrived home. He really should start employing a better sleep schedule into his routine, but that would definitely not happen today. 

He locked the door behind him, tote bag on his shoulder as he smiled surely. He walked to the ring-making studio closest to him, excitement at his helm. Once he made it there, they started the process immediately, knowing it would most likely bleed into the late hours of the night. Beomgyu couldn’t wait to get home and give it to the other men. After hours of hard and tedious work, he and the instructor wrapped each gift individually, Beomgyu writing notes for each of the men. 

It’s okay. It’s not like it’s a confession gift anyway. It’s just for the anniversary of me coming home. He put the notes into their gift bags, before putting the rings in the bags along with some tissue paper. He smiled to himself, before checking the time, quickly realizing he should get home. 

He ran home, a mix of excitement and anticipation for the other men’s reactions to his gift. Once he reached his home, he unlocked the door with his key and hid the bags behind his back. He slipped his shoes off at their threshold, announcing he was home. He noticed one of them on the couch, quickly realizing it was his Yeonjun-hyung. He walked closer to the older man, not noticing the serious expression on his face. 

“Hi, Yeonjun-hyung! How was your––” 

“And where have you been?” Yeonjun crossed his arms, facing the younger with a serious expression as he stood up from the couch. Beomgyu flinched as his grip on the bags tightened. He bit his lip nervously, picking up the scent of alcohol off of Yeonjun’s body. 

“I was…out. Doing something.”

“Do you know how late it is? How worried we were about you?” Yeonjun spoke pointedly, critical tone in his voice. 

“I–I’m sorry, Yeonjun-hyung. I was…um…” Beomgyu’s body tensed as he held his head, curling into himself. 

“Well? You were what?” 

“I–I’m sorry, hyung. It’s nothing.” Beomgyu bitterly spoke, uncomfortable expression on his face

“Just tell me where you were, dammit!” Yeonjun slammed his fist down on the coffee table, Beomgyu flinching back and dropping the bags behind his back. Tears instantly swelled in Beomgyu’s eyes, memories flashing through his mind. 

“I–I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He whispered, curling into himself as he ran to the staircase, a horrified expression on his face. 

Once in the safety of his own room, he curled to his knees, shaking steadily as his chest contracted heavily. Salty tears fell from his eyes, the boy trying to calm his heart. After a couple of minutes, he settled down, crawling to his bed and curling into his covers, just wanting this night to be forgotten in the back of his mind. 

Yeonjun sank back onto the couch. “Shit. What am I even doing anymore?” He whispered, hand covering his eyes. He silently flinched, noticing a clump of unfamiliar bags on the ground. He stood up, vision slightly blurring, his drunkenness becoming quite clear to the oldest of the group. He picked a singular bag up, his name written on the outside. He peered into the contents, lifting a small box out of the bag. He opened the box, eyes widening as he stared at the gift. A ring with a small fox head decal in the middle. Tears silently swelled in his eyes, quickly falling from his eyes. He opened the card accompanying the ring. 

Dear Yeonjun-hyung,

I can’t believe we’ve already lived together for five months already! I know there were a lot of hard moments; moments we both thought we would never find perfect harmony with each other; moments you were certainly less than eager to listen to my never-ending bickering and mocking. But…I think this dynamic really works for us. It’s playful, but we still love each other all the same. At the end of the day, I still love you all the same as the others. Thank you for teaching me I could be more than what I was. Thank you for everything. I truly love and appreciate you hyung.

From, 

Your kitty Beomie >0<

More tears instantly fell from his eyes. His lips quivered silently as he frowned, grief swallowing his heart. He put the ring on his ring finger, fitting perfectly. He instantly stood up from the couch, walking upstairs silently. He carefully knocked on the hybrid’s door, before opening it to see the hybrid sleeping in his bed. He held his head regretfully, “I’m sorry, Beomgyu. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” He whispered, before shutting the door silently. 

Beomgyu didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. For once, he woke up just as the others were about to leave for work. He walked downstairs, yawning as he scratched his stomach and entered the kitchen. 

“Wow, he’s awake for once. It’s a miracle.” Taehyun smiled sarcastically, drinking from his coffee mug. 

“Shut up. Can you make me some of your special coffee, Soobin-hyung?” Beomgyu complained, bags under his eyes increasing as he sat in his chair. 

“I figured you’d probably want some since you have work today.” Soobin set a mug full of his own coffee in front of Beomgyu, smiling warmly. Beomgyu immediately took note of the ring on his finger, smiling before looking at Soobin silently. He looked towards Taehyun’s hand as well, lighting up as he gazed at the ring on his ring finger. Beomgyu smiled silently, blush coating his cheeks. 

“Well, I should get to work. Oh, and Beomgyu-hyung? Thanks for the present. It’s perfect.” Taehyun smiled, rubbing the hybrid’s hair as Beomgyu’s ears flickered in pleasure. He thought back to last night, subduing his smile and slightly curling into himself. 

“Do you wanna go shopping with me after work, Beomgyu?” 

“Um…no, hyung. It’s okay. I kinda just wanna rest today after work.” 

“Oh. Um, okay then. Let me know if there’s anything you need from the store, okay?” 

Beomgyu nodded hesitantly, before taking a sip of his coffee and sighing softly. 

Soobin could immediately tell that something happened to Beomgyu. It wasn’t like the hybrid of their group to refuse a shopping trip, especially when Soobin was offering as he always spoiled him. If the younger was declining, he was either sick or upset. He resolved to talk about it with Yeonjun after he came home from work. 

When Yeonjun came home that night, Beomgyu walked on eggshells around him. It was evident in his mannerisms towards the oldest man of their group. The others took note of how Beomgyu and Yeonjun barely talked to each other instead of bickering with each other like they always did. It continued like this for a whole week until the others felt a need for an intervention for the two. 

And that’s exactly what happened. If they weren’t going to solve this themselves, they’d give them the guidance they needed to solve this. 

“Okay. I’m sure everyone knows why we called this family meeting. You two.” Soobin crossed his arms, pointedly staring at Yeonjun and Beomgyu, the two sitting on the far ends of the couch, in between Taehyun and Kai. Beomgyu silently untensed, head dipping into his lap. 

“I–um…I’m–I’m sorry, Yeonjun-hyung. I–I didn’t mean to–” 

“Why are you apologizing when this is all my fault?” Yeonjun shook his head, emotional tone in his voice as he looked at Beomgyu. Beomgyu looked at Yeonjun silently, bitter expression on his face. Taehyun and Kai looked at each other silently, before leaving the couch and standing next to Soobin silently. 

“W–wait. What exactly happened between you two?” Soobin shook his head, confused expression on his face. 

“I–I hurt Beomgyu. And I don’t think I can ever forgive myself for it.” Yeonjun held his head, fists clenching in his lap. The others’ eyes widened silently, before they turned to Beomgyu silently. 

The hybrid stood there emotionally, eyes swelling with unshed tears. “No, hyung. I–” 

“Just let me finish, Beomgyu. The night before you guys saw your gifts, Beomgyu came home late. I got worried and stayed downstairs…and drank a little too much. And then Beomgyu came home, and I–I got mad at him for a stupid reason and hurt him. And I feel so shitty about it and think no matter how many times I apologize he’ll never forgive me.” 

“Hyung, I was never mad at you! I mean…sure, it made me sad, and a little scared of you for a minute. But–but I know you’d never intentionally hurt me. I love you, hyung.” Beomgyu tilted his head, grabbing Yeonjun’s hands tightly. 

Yeonjun looked at Beomgyu tearfully, whispering, “I love you too, Beomgyu. More than you could ever imagine.” He held his hands to Beomgyu’s cheeks, cradling them softly. Beomgyu squeaked, nodding silently in response. “Oh, I can’t take it anymore! Can I just ask him?” Yeonjun turned to the others, eyes red with unshed tears. The others smiled silently, nodding silently. Beomgyu looked in between the others and Yeonjun, confused expression on his face. “Beomgyu, will you be our boyfriend?” Yeonjun smiled hopefully, blinking back tears as he stared at the hybrid. Beomgyu’s eyes widened as his ears flickered softly, blush coating his cheeks. The four men laughed softly at his reaction. How was he so incredibly cute even after their emotional experience? 

“Like…boyfriend boyfriend? T–the kind that…kiss, and cuddle…and…stuff like that? That boyfriend? Because I’ve really been hoping you’d ask me that someday ‘cause I really love you guys, and I–I wanna be in a relationship with you guys forever. Is that okay, are you guys–” Beomgyu emotionally ranted, blubbery tone in his voice. 

“Yes, Beomgyu, yes! We love you. We want you. That’s it. We just want you.” Yeonjun laughed, sparkle in his eye as the man blubbered. He kissed Beomgyu on the lips softly, smiles coating both of their faces as their tears dried. They all looked at each other silently, before taking turns kissing the hybrid on the lips softly. 

That night, they all squished together into Yeonjun and Soobin’s king-sized bed and snuggled close to each other. As Beomgyu drifted off to sleep, he thought about how lucky he was to find his soulmates in these four men. 

Fin