Yoongi POV:
"Yoongi? You got a minute?" I turned at the sound of my name to see Michael, the hybrid who owned the music school standing behind me.
"Sure. What's up?"
Michael tucked his hands in his pockets. "You know that Fine Arts Festival coming up? The one where your students are performing at?" I nodded my head, curious as to where this was leading. "Well... the committee contacted me and asked if we had any adult musicians who would be willing to perform. I know it's only a few days away and it's not much time, but I would really like you to perform."
My mouth dropped open at his words. "You want what?"
Michael gave me a smile, one that was reassuring. "I overheard you playing in the studio the other night after Tammy left. You have a raw talent Yoongi and it's something I think you should share with the world. As much as I love having you here, you deserve bigger and better things. This might be enough to get your name out there, get your talent out there."
Stunned by his words, I stood there for a moment, not sure what to think, what to say. Michael was a talented musician in his own right, performing locally with a couple of his friends in a small band. For him to say I was talented meant something to me, meant more than I wanted it to. "Are... are you sure?"
Nodding his head, Michael grinned. "Absolutely. You're so good with the kids, but I can't help but think that you should be on a stage somewhere, performing in front of crowds."
Touched by his words, I ducked my head. "I've... I've never had any official training. I just... just taught myself to play."
"And that's what makes you so good. Your talent is so pure and natural, unlike anything I've ever seen and I've seen some of the best. You could be one of the best." Michael ran a hand through his hair. "The committee needs an answer by tomorrow. So will you take tonight and think it over? Let me know in the morning?"
"Of course."
Michael grinned and placed a hand on my shoulder. "And I mean it Yoongi. I want to see you on the stage. Not sitting in the wings." Giving me one last smile, Michael headed back towards his office, leaving me standing alone in the hallway, surprised by what had just taken place.
Walking back into the practice room, I packed up my bag, ready to head home and see my mates. I wanted to share the news with them, get their take on it, and see what they thought about it all. Would they agree that I was good enough? Shaking my head, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. None of my mates had ever heard me play. If I performed at the Fine Arts Festival, it would be the first time they saw me. Would they like it? Would they be disappointed in me? Would I embarrass them? I couldn't help but worry as I walked out of the school.
Unlocking my car, I tossed my bag in the backseat then climbed in, starting the engine. As I drove home, I thought about how my life had changed so drastically just in the last few months. I had gone from being alone in the circus, abused, starving, and lonely. Now I had seven mates who I loved completely. There was no shortage of love and affection, no shortage of attention. I could climb in anyone's bed and feel completely welcome, feel completely loved and I knew I wouldn't trade this life for anything.
The idea of being recognized for my music scared me. Would it take me away from my mates? Would they decide they didn't want me anymore? I shook my head at my own silly thoughts. They loved me. I knew they did. Although I had been worried about it in the beginning, I needed to trust them, to know that they wouldn't leave me, that when they said they loved me they meant it, that their words were sincere.
Shaking my head to clear the negative thoughts, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home, eager to see the people who owned my heart completely, eager to see the people that made me feel loved and needed. The drive home was short and before I knew it, I was pulling into the driveway. Since I had late classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jin or Jimin usually cooked dinner on those days, while Y/N and I did together on other days. I loved the routine, loved the way things always seemed the same. I knew things were going to be different when we brought the little koala, Noah, home, but after meeting him, there was no way I was going to leave him there. As I thought about him, I couldn't help but feel excited. Today was the day we found out if our application to adopt him was approved. We wanted to get it approved before we brought the idea up to the little guy. We didn't want to get him excited, just to have it taken away from him.
Parking the car, I cut the engine, grabbed my bag and exited, heading inside to see my mates. When I stepped through the kitchen door, there was a general sense of anxiety and nervousness hanging over the room and I knew they were waiting for me to get home before Jin shared the news with everyone. When I stepped fully in, the scent of all my mates hit me at once and I felt the feeling of love wash over me, knowing I was home.
"Yoongi's here!" Taehyung's voice was excited and I grinned when he bounded over to me, sweeping me into a hug. Jimin and Jungkook followed him quickly and I grinned, giving my youngest mates hugs and kisses. After our talk, my relationship with Jimin had flourished and when I kissed his lips gently, he melted into me, just like he did with everyone else.
After releasing him, I gave Hoseok the same attention, grinning when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Oh my goodness. I'm so glad you're home. Jin refused to tell us anything until you got here. Said he wanted to talk to us all at once."
"That's what I figured. Where is Jin?" I looked around to see my marten mate missing, along with our wolf and our pretty human.
Hoseok laughed. "Um... well... Y/N wouldn't stop bothering Jin about what happened so him and Joon decided to distract her."
Raising an eyebrow, I let out a sound of amusement. "Y/N impatient? No way!" My voice was filled with sarcasm and Hoseok pinched my side.
"Hey! Don't make fun of my mate like that." Hoseok's eyes were filled with laugher and I hugged him close to my side.
"But he's not wrong." Jimin turned from the stove, where he was stirring something. "It's why I got stuck cooking dinner by myself." I could tell from the smile on his face that he wasn't really upset.
"By yourself?" Jungkook crossed his arms in mock annoyance. "I've been helping you!"
"Me too!" Taehyung's voice broke in and I couldn't help but laugh. "Minnie just wants pity because he wants attention."
Hoseok released me and went up behind our rabbit mate, wrapping his arms around him and placing his lips on his neck. "Is that right, bunny?" I could see Jimin shiver in Hoseok's arms, but before he could say anything, the sound of footsteps on the stairs had us all turning to see Jin coming down, followed by a flushed Y/N and a grinning Namjoon.
"Finally!" Y/N's voice was relieved and I couldn't help but laugh when Namjoon swatted her ass.
"Really? We didn't distract you enough? I thought my cock in your..." Namjoon's words were cut off when Y/N placed a hand over his mouth.
"Okay." Y/N hurried over to me, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Hello my sweet kitty."
Nuzzling into her neck, I took in the scent of home, the scent that I loved so much. "Hi little mate."
"How was work?" Y/N's question reminded me of the conversation I had with Michael before I left.
"Um... actually it was really good. Michael wants me to perform at the Fine Arts Festival." I stared down at the floor, afraid to see their reactions, but my worries were wiped away almost immediately. The kitchen was silent for a moment before I was enveloped in hugs from my mates, all of them chattering excitedly.
"What? Are you serious?"
"I'm so happy for you!"
"Our musical superstar mate!"
The congratulations were flooding in over me and I couldn't stop the tear that leaked down my cheek. Hoseok caught sight of my face and leaned back. "Yoongi? You okay?"
Nodding my head, I laughed as wiped the tear. "I'm fine. I was just worried about how you... you were all going to react."
Y/N hugged me tightly, pressing her lips to my cheek. "Oh my sweet kitty. Of course we are proud of you. You mean so much to us. Don't ever doubt that."
Soothed by her words, I grinned and nodded. "Okay little mate. Okay."
Rubbing my head, Jin grinned. "Looks we have two things to celebrate tonight."
Namjoon POV:
My heart stuttered at Jin's words. "Does... does that mean we got approval to bring him home?" I thought of the little koala hybrid who was alone at the clinic, the one who had hugged me when I met him, knowing he would be safe with me.
Jin nodded, a grin on his face. "Yes. As long as Noah agrees, we got the okay to bring him home when he's released."
Holy shit! Stunned by Jin's words, I didn't know what to say, how to react. If Noah agreed, he would be coming home to live with us, to be a part of our family. I couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he didn't want to? What if we all got our hopes up and he decided he didn't want to come with us? What would we do then? I didn't want to admit that the little boy had stolen a piece of my heart already.
"When can we go talk to him?" Taehyung's voice was excited as he bounced on his heels, clearly ready to run out of the house and head right to the sanctuary.
Jin looked around the room. "Well... he won't be released for two more days. If we go see him tomorrow and he agrees, he can home with Y/N and me after work. We would have to do some room arranging, give him his own space."
"What about the office down here?" Y/N pointed towards the little room we rarely used. We had set it up as an office, but when Y/N and I did charting, we usually sat at the kitchen table. Same thing with Yoongi. When he was going over piano music, he would sit on the sofa. "It's not very big for an adult, but I think it would be plenty of space for a little boy. We can get him one of those cool loft beds that have dressers underneath and that would give him even more space."
Hoseok nodded in agreement, putting an arm around Y/N's shoulders and kissing her temple. "That's such a good idea. Our little mate is so smart."
The rest nodded in agreement and I grinned. "Well I am off tomorrow. I can start cleaning out that room. Move the stuff into the garage until we figure out what we want to do with it. After the others get off, we can meet you at the sanctuary and talk to Noah. If he says yes, we can go shopping for his room right after." I could see the excitement in the eyes of the others and knew if Noah said no, they would shatter. I could only hope that things would go our way.
***
The next afternoon, I paced back and forth in the living room of the house, waiting for Jimin and Hoseok to get home. Yoongi had arrived a little while ago, along with Taehyung. They were upstairs showering, getting ready to go. Jin had gone to pick up Jungkook since the gym he worked at was not too far from the sanctuary. Checking my watch for what felt like the tenth time, I let out a sigh of impatience. I was anxious to leave and talk to the little guy who had the potential to change all of our lives.
The front door opened and the scent of key lime pie and orange dreamsicles filled the room, letting me know my final two mates were home. "Hey Joon!" Hoseok's voice was excited, filled with happiness.
"Hey guys. Hurry up and go get showered so we can go." Jimin grinned at my gentle command and saluted me. "And no funny business."
Their laughter trailed behind them as they hurried up the stairs and I flopped down on the sofa and pulled out my phone, trying to keep myself occupied. The scent of sugar cookies hit my nose and I looked up to see Yoongi making his way down the stairs in black jeans and a black button up, the sleeves rolled up over his toned arms. His footsteps were hurried and from the way he fiddled with his fingers, I could see he was nervous.
Sitting down next to me, he laid his head on my shoulder and I reveled in the closeness of my mate. "Are... are you worried?" Yoongi's voice was soft, hesitant and I hated hearing the tone, the one that indicated he doubted himself.
Not wanting to make him more nervous, but not wanting to lie, I nodded. "A little. I never really had a family and I... I guess I've always been anxious to start one."
"Does it mind you that the first child is not one of ours?"
I thought about his question and shook my head. "No. When I met Noah, there was something about him that stole my heart immediately. He... he already feels like one of ours."
Yoongi nodded. "I know what you mean. I was worried that I wouldn't want... wouldn't accept him, but when he hugged me, it felt like... like home."
I squeezed him tighter in agreement, knowing exactly what he meant, exactly how he had felt since it was the same things I had felt. "Can you believe Y/N is willingly going to live with eight hybrids?"
Laughing at my question, Yoongi shook his head. "It really shows just how fucking special our mate is. The way she accepted us all so easily? She really is amazing and I can't believe how lucky I am to have her in my life, to have her as my mate."
The sounds of footsteps on the stairs, along with the scent of strawberry shortcake, had us both looking up to see Taehyung heading down. His golden blond hair was brushed back from his face and he had changed from his work clothes into khakis and a patterned shirt. Just like Yoongi, he looked extremely handsome and I once again realized how lucky I was to have such handsome mates.
Taehyung snuggled into Yoongi's other side and we just sat there for a moment, basking in each other's presence, waiting for the other two to come down. Soon enough, their scents grew stronger and Jimin hurried down the stairs, followed by Hoseok. Jimin had changed into jeans, like Taehyung, paired with a dark blue sweater, while Hoseok had on black jeans and a white button down. The excitement was clear on their faces and when Jimin rushed over to us, I could see he was barely holding it all in.
"Do... do you think Noah is going to say yes?" Jimin's voice was worried and he chewed his bottom lip, causing Yoongi to gently tug it from between his teeth.
"I think so. He seemed to like all of us." Yoongi's voice was calm, so different from how he was with me and I knew he was trying to soothe our anxious rabbit. "It's going to be okay."
Jimin gave him a grateful smile and once we grabbed our things, we hurried out of the house and out to my car. Taehyung sat in the front seat with me, while Jimin, Yoongi, and Hoseok climbed in the back. The conversations the whole way to the sanctuary were filled with anticipation and I could only hope that Noah would agree to come home with us, to let us give him a family. Within moments, we were pulling into the sanctuary and exiting the car.
As we approached the doors to the sanctuary, I could feel the nerves beginning to take over. The doors opened and we stepped in. I felt my body tense up when I saw Sehun standing by the desk, a pretty girl I recognized as his mate, Evie, standing by his side. She looked up as we approached and I didn't miss the look of disgust in her eyes. Her movement caught Sehun's attention and he turned towards us.
"What... what are you guys all doing here?" Sehun's voice was curious and I could see he had no idea what was happening.
I didn't know what to say, but I didn't have to worry about it. The scent of peppermint, banana milkshakes and chocolate covered cherries grew strong and I looked over to see Y/N coming down the hall, Jin holding one hand and Jungkook holding the other. Jimin and Taehyung hurried to her side, giving her hugs and kisses, covering her in their scent. "Come on guys. Let's go talk to Noah."
"Jin? What's going on?" The confusion was clear in Sehun's voice and even though he spoke to Jin, his eyes were on Y/N.
"The Human Resources department has approved my application to adopt Noah. If he agrees, we are taking him home tomorrow after he is released." Jin's voice was stiff and I could see he was still angry with Sehun, angry with Evie for what happened with a new patient just the day before.
Sehun's mouth dropped open and I could see the hurt in his eyes. "You're adopting Noah? I didn't... I didn't even know."
Jin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I didn't realize I had to tell you. Since he was moved to the pediatric wing, it was approved by Dr. Lawrence."
"You're adopting a hybrid? That dirty little kid that came in here?" Evie's voice was shocked and I could see Jungkook's hand tighten around Y/N's, clearly preventing her from attacking the other nurse.
"Do you have a problem with that Nurse?" Y/N's words came out almost in a sneer and I flinched from the look of absolute hatred that was directed towards the other woman. A look I was happy I would never be subjected to.
Evie let out a laugh. "Ugh. You don't need to get so testy. Do what you need to do."
Part of me wanted to shake Sehun, shake him out of his love induced stupor and make him realized just how the woman in front of him was, but it was clear that he couldn't see it, didn't want to see it. Sehun rubbed his mate's arm. "It's alright love." Turning to Y/N, his eyes narrowed and I could see he wanted to say something to her, but Y/N turned her attention to the rest of us.
"Are you ready to go see Noah? See if he wants to come home with us?" Y/N's voice was soft as she spoke to us and I could see she wasn't going to let Sehun get to her. From the way she completely brushed him off, I could see that if he didn't figure out something soon, the relationship he had with Y/N would be irreparable. If it wasn't already.
Yoongi moved to her side and slid an arm around her waist. "Of course little mate." As he directed her past Sehun, I could see the way Sehun's eyes darted to the arm around her, his fuzzy tail puffing out in obvious agitation. Even though he pushed her away, Y/N was still biologically his mate and I was curious to see how things would play out. But for now? We had a little koala to see first.