Jin POV:
The transition with Hoseok had gone smoother than I expected. When the four of us arrived at the apartment, Jungkook helped Hoseok set up his side of the room, the large beds taking up a good portion of the space. While they took care of that, Namjoon and I moved my stuff into Y/N's room, putting my clothes away in the drawers she had cleared out for me. The moment we walked into Y/N's, and now my bedroom, I could see the look of absolute bliss on Namjoon's face from the way her scent filled the air. You could smell it throughout the apartment, but it was strongest here because of it being her space and I knew it brought him comfort in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.
As Jungkook and Hoseok worked in the other room, I couldn't help but notice that Jungkook seemed a little off. He smiled and laughed like normal but it wasn't nearly as happy sounding as it had been before. However, I knew that if I asked him about it, he would just shut down. When, or even if, he was ready to talk about it, he would.
After we got Hoseok set up, we called in for take out, ordering from one of our favorite restaurants. We sat there in the living room, getting to know each other, while we waited on the food and it made my heart full to see three of my mates here, smiling and happy, even if Jungkook's smile was a little dimmer than usual. It got better as the evening went on, but I could still see there was something bothering him, something that he was holding in and refusing to share with us. Part of me felt hurt knowing that my mate wouldn't confide in me, but the other part of me understood his need for space and time to process his own thoughts.
Once the food arrived, the conversation continued on, turning a little more serious when Jimin and Taehyung were mentioned. I could see right away that both Hoseok and Namjoon had unpleasant encounters with the two of them from the way Namjoon's eyes narrowed and Hoseok's smiling mouth turned into a straight line, something I had not seen yet. And seeing the reactions of the two around Y/N, I knew right away it had something to do with Jimin's comments about her and the knowledge of her being his mate.
"You know as well as I do that we can't force Jimin to accept her. He has already made it clear that he is rejecting the bond." I tried to keep my voice neutral, but I couldn't help but feel irritation that Jimin had this preconceived notion about Y/N, who was undoubtedly the most caring person I had ever met in my life, both human and hybrid. It made me undeniably frustrated that he wasn't even willing to give her a chance, let her in and take the opportunity to get to know her.
Hoseok nodded, but I could see it was hard for him as well. He had just met Y/N only a few days ago, but you could see the adoration for her in his eyes every time her name was mentioned. "I know we can't force him and I would never try, but he won't give her a chance. He won't even talk to her." Hoseok sighed and I could sense the underlying sadness in his voice, the way his bushy tail dropped and his fuzzy ears laid flat on his head. "I want... I want all my mates to be with me, happy with me, but Jimin won't let that happen and I just don't understand why." His last words came out soft and he buried his face in his hands, letting out a small frustrated sob.
Namjoon moved over to sit next to him, gathering the sad fox in his arms, his own bushy tail wrapping around him in a sweet display of comfort, an action I was happy to see, knowing my mates already felt comfortable enough with each other to show this level of affection. "I know you do. We all do, but we have to respect his decision." I was just about to agree when Namjoon's voice changed. "And he will have to respect ours. I don't want him near our mate."
My mouth dropped open at his words and I went to protest, but Jungkook jumped in first, surprising me since he had been quiet after the discussion about Jimin and Taehyung had started. "W-what do you m-mean? You can't do that. She's his mate too."
Shaking his head, Namjoon's eyes went to our youngest mate, raising an eyebrow in defiance. "No. Jimin wants to reject her, which is his decision, but we also need to protect her from him. I... I don't trust him with the way he is. He really hates her and I..." Namjoon's voice trailed off and I could see he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself instead.
Hoseok nodded in agreement. "I still accept those two. I will not reject them, but I'm not going to sacrifice my bond with Y/N for them either. She... she protected me from another hybrid, showed me that kindness when she didn't need to. And she offered me a home before she even knew who I was to her."
Jungkook stood up, pacing back and forth. "I get where you're coming from, but Y/N is his mate too. You can't just tell him he can't see her."
Namjoon crossed his arms over his chest. "Look Jungkook. I don't know what Jimin and Taehyung said to you to make you want to leave her, but I will protect my mate at all costs. I refuse to let her be hurt, let her suffer because someone's dumb fucking pride and misconceptions about humans got in the way. And right now, I'm protecting her from Jimin. I'll accept Jimin and Taehyung but I don't want them near my mate."
Jungkook turned to Namjoon, his eyes fiery. His fists clenched at his sides and I could see Namjoon's display of possessiveness over Y/N had irritated him, knowing he felt like he had the claim over her first. "Y/N's my mate too."
I couldn't help but scoff at his words, the sheer hilarity of them spilling over. "I love you Kookie, I really do, but at this point, I don't know if you can really call her your mate. You've been pushing her away the last few days and I don't understand it. What happened? You were fine with her and we were happy."
Flopping down on the sofa, Jungkook leaned his head back and closed his eyes, the frustration clear on his face. "She's a human Jinnie. A human. Jimin is right. What... what if she decides she doesn't want us? She doesn't feel the bond like we do. What kind of human would want to be mated to six hybrids? What if she becomes disgusted with us? What if she changes her mind? What... what if she leaves us?"
Although he was my mate, at that precise moment in time, I wanted to kill Jimin for putting the thread of doubt in Jungkook's head, but at the same time, I wanted to throttle my youngest mate for letting those same threads of doubt cling to him like a thorny bush, digging into his skin, refusing to let go. "I've known Y/N for twenty years and have lived in this apartment with her for seven. I know her better than anyone and not once has she ever showed any kind of behavior that would suggest she was in the least bit repelled by me. She has never been anything but kind and caring."
"But it doesn't change the fact that she is a human and doesn't feel the bond like we do. She can reject us so easily. What... what if she meets a human that she falls in love with? Someone that she thinks is better for her than us? Someone that is better for her." Jungkook stood up again, pacing back and forth across the room, the frustration clear on his face. It hit me in that moment that Jungkook wasn't rejecting her because he didn't want her; he was rejecting her because he was afraid of her rejecting him first. He wanted to break the bond before she could, leave her before she could leave him and it made my anger with him fade just a bit and a sad sort of pity sink in. He was breaking his own heart so she couldn't.
Namjoon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You talk about her rejecting us? You let Jimin put those thoughts in your mind, but who is the one rejecting whom? He didn't even give her a chance and immediately rejected her and now you're doing the same. You're automatically thinking the worst of her without any reason to believe that way. You're letting someone else's opinions control your feelings about your mate and you want to talk about her hurting one of us? You're hurting her and she probably doesn't even understand what she did."
From the look on Jungkook's face, I could see that he knew Namjoon was right. Y/N never even made the suggestion of rejecting any of us, but Jimin rejected her right away, without even getting to know her. And instead of talking to her, instead of telling us all what he was feeling about the whole situation, Jungkook let Jimin's words get into his head and he attempted to break the bond himself. All of this could have been prevented if Jungkook had talked to us, told us how he was feeling, but unfortunately his pride would never let him admit he was wrong, would never let him admit that he fucked up. Unfortunately, knowing Y/N the way I did, she was going to let Jungkook go. She was going to put his happiness before hers, even if it meant shattering her own heart in the process.
Hoseok POV:
That evening, I lay in my bed in the room I shared with Jungkook. I thought about everything that happened between the last couple of days. Three days ago, I had stood at the gravesite of my former owner, saying goodbye to the nice old lady who had taken care of me. Within hours, her son had told me that he didn't want to be left with a worthless hybrid. After leaving the room to pack what little I had, he had grabbed me by the back of my shirt and had hit me in the back of the head with something before dragging me outside.
I had made my way out of the neighborhood before blinding pain had overtaken me and I had collapsed on the street. When I woke up, I was being strapped to a bed by another hybrid and I couldn't help but lash out. Then an angel had appeared, her scent filling my nose like the sweetest dessert and had changed my life forever.
I couldn't help but feel giddy as I thought about my human mate, the caring girl that had seen more than just a hostile hybrid, but had instead looked past and had seen the fear instead. Even though Y/N had been unhappy with the other hybrid for the way he had acted with me, there had never been any indication that he had been in danger. I had seen the absolute pleasure in his eyes when she had reached over and stroked one of his long bunny ears, providing a sense of comfort to overtake the irritation. Although I had not liked it when my mate touched another, it had given me an indication of the sweet and gentle nature of her personality, something I was looking forward to getting to know more of.
Turning to face Jungkook, who was asleep in the other bed, I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment for the way three of my mates were behaving. I understood that Jimin had manipulated Jungkook into thinking that Y/N was going to leave him, but he should have put more faith in our sweet human mate. I was so unbelievably angry with Jimin for not even being willing to give Y/N a chance, not even taking the opportunity to get to know her, to talk to her. She hadn't been given the chance to prove herself before Jimin rejected her. I sighed then turned onto my back. I was angry with Jimin, but not enough to reject him. That was something I could never imagine doing, knowing it would hurt too much. Even the idea of pushing any of them away made a wave of pain wash over me, filling up my lungs with the bitterness of loneliness. It made me wonder how Jimin could even stomach the sensation.
At some point I must have dozed off because I was startled out of my sleep by the sound of something metal and jingly hitting then floor then a quiet curse. Although the voice was soft, I recognized it immediately as Y/N, my beautiful human mate.
Pulling on the shirt I had discarded before settling down for the night, I climbed out of bed and left the room, following the scent of chocolate and peppermint into the living room. My mate was sitting on the sofa, still in her scrubs, head in her hands, her pretty hair loose from the ponytail she had it in earlier. I stood there for a moment, admiring her before I noticed her shoulders shaking in a silent sob. The panic rushed over me at my distraught mate and I hurried to her side, dropping to my knees in front of her. "Y/N? W-what happened?"
Startled by my unexpected approach, Y/N flinched before settling her gaze on me. My heart broke at the tears that streamed down her cheeks, flowing as quickly as an open faucet, as free as a river after the spring melts the snow on a mountainside. Her pretty eyes were puffy, her nose was read, and her mouth was turned down in a devastated frown. "We... we couldn't save her. She... too many injuries. She didn't make it."
Her words came out in broken phrases and I didn't understand what was going on. A noise behind me had me turning and I saw Jin standing at the doorway, rubbing his tired eyes. When he saw Y/N's demeanor, he rushed over to her, sitting on the sofa next to her and gathering her in his arms. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. I'm sure you all did whatever you could." He rubbed her back gently as I sat there in confusion while she sobbed into his shoulders, the sounds tearing me apart. "It's okay. Come on. Go take a shower and get into bed. You'll feel better after some sleep."
Without saying anything or even arguing, Y/N nodded and Jin led her into their shared bedroom, sitting her on the edge of the bed, while I followed helplessly. I stood at the doorway while he pulled clean clothes from a drawer then moved into the bathroom. I heard the shower start and a cabinet open. He came back into the room, took her hands and led her to the bathroom. At the door, she gave him a watery smile then stepped in and closed the door.
Confused, I said nothing, but when Jin looked up, he motioned for me to follow him into the living room. He flopped down on the sofa and I seated myself next to him, waiting for him to speak. After a moment, I couldn't wait any longer. "What... what just happened Jin?"
Jin sighed and leaned his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes. "When... when she's like that? It can only mean that she lost a patient during her shift."
My mouth dropped open at his words and I could feel the pain for my hurting mate. "A patient? You mean someone didn't... didn't make it?"
Nodding his head, Jin opened his eyes and turned his head to look at me. "Yeah. We all take it hard when it happens, but Y/N? It hits her the most, especially if it's due to abuse or something similar. She... she told me once that she keeps thinking it could be me in that position and it kills her."
The idea of my sweet caring mate going through so much devastation, so much sorrow hurt me in more ways than I could describe. "Why does she continue to do it if it hurts her so bad?"
Jin gave me a small smile. "Y/N loves her job, loves being able to help the hybrids who need her the most. You were her patient. Sehun calls her the hybrid whisperer. Y/N tends to bring out the best in people. She can... she can calm someone down when no one else can." He ran a hand down his face and I could sense his frustration. "It's what makes this issue with Jimin so frustrating. Hybrids who are complete strangers to her, with no link whatsoever, see the goodness in her, but one that has a bond with her won't even give her a chance."
"How can I help her?" I wanted nothing more than to go in there and hold my mate, let her know I was there for her and always would be. Let her know she didn't need Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook. Tell her that I would take care of her since they wouldn't.
Sighing, Jin gave me another small smile. "Tonight she will try to sleep it off, but the morning is going to be hard. She's going to want to be close to you. It will help assure her that you're okay and not in the same position as the lost patient. Kookie... he was really good at taking her mind off the death of the hybrids. He would cuddle her and it just seemed to help. She probably won't eat much, but at least get her to drink some water and try to limit her coffee."
As Jin talked, I could see this was something he was used to and it hurt knowing that my mates had gone through this on more than once occasion, way too many it sounded like. "W-will she let me hold her?"
Jin nodded. "You'll be lucky if you can escape her koala hold. Sometimes I wonder if she's actually a koala or python hybrid with the way she hangs on. On a good day, it makes me laugh, but when it's because of something like this? It definitely hurts my heart. I got Joon's number before he left so she may want to call and check on him, check on me just to make sure we're all okay. Last time she probably texted me more than a dozen times. Just quick hellos to check on me. Kookie got just as many, if not more since he doesn't work at the sanctuary."
I spoke to Jin for a moment more before tiredness finally took over so I said goodnight. I grabbed a glass of water before heading into mine and Jungkook's shared bedroom. As I passed their room, I could hear the soft sounds of my mate's sobs as she cried in Jin's arms and I knew I would do whatever I could to help her in the morning.
As I got in bed, Jungkook stirred in his bed. "Is everything okay Hobi?" His tired voice was husky and filled with worry.
Knowing that Jungkook was trying to pull away from Y/N, I didn't want to make him feel guilty about not comforting her. "Yeah. Just something with Y/N but Jin and I are taking care of it. Don't worry about it." With that final statement, I fell into a deep sleep, knowing I would need to take care of my hurting mate.