"Random people keep recognizing me whenever we're out," Taehyung whispers to you, "Is this what being famous feels like?"

The cat Hybrid's sensitive ears pick up Taehyung's comment.

"Random?" he exclaims, looking offended, "Taehyung-ah... Don't you recognize me?" At Taehyung's head shake, the cat Hybrid adds, "It's your Yoongi-hyung." Yoongi scratches the back of his head, a perplexed look on his face. "It's only been seven years... I didn't change that much, right?" He sighs. "Seriously, how many black cat Hybrids with mismatched eyes do you even know?"

You look at Yoongi's bright blue left eye, and his right eye that's a scarlet red, and think that this probably is uncommon, even among cat Hybrids.

"Uhh, Yoongi-ssi?" Namjoon says, catching Yoongi's attention. "My name is Kim Namjoon, an agent sent out by the Hybrid Rights Association." Namjoon smiles, flashing those charming dimples, but Yoongi just eyes him warily. "If you could spare us some of your time, we can explain everything to you. And we would also like to ask you some questions, if that's alright."

Yoongi stares at Namjoon at length, as if measuring the agent. Then, finally, he responds.

"Fine. But I'm only doing this for Taehyung, and not for anyone else." Yoongi glances around. "This neighborhood is a nosy one." He starts walking away, gesturing for all of you to follow. "Let's talk somewhere more private."

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"You're so much taller than me now, Taehyung-ah," you hear Yoongi tell Taehyung as they walk side-by-side.

None of you really know where the cat Hybrid is taking you, but you all decide to put your trust in him. After all, you don't have much of an alternative at the moment. This is as good a lead as you could have asked for, and you're definitely following it.

"How old was I when you last saw me, hyung?" Taehyung asks Yoongi.

"I think you were 18 or 19 at the time," Yoongi responds.

You're walking right behind the two Hybrids, and you surreptitiously study the newest addition to your group. You find yourself having to squint your eyes at the sunlight reflecting off of his porcelain skin. You wonder if all cat Hybrids have skin this pure, or if it's just Yoongi.

Everyone seems to be staring at your little group as you walk past. You bet that if you tell them these boys are a newly formed idol group, and that you're their manager, they would believe you, no questions asked.

Suddenly realizing you're surrounded by seven insanely good-looking men, you regret not putting more effort into your looks that morning.

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"Welcome to my humble abode," Yoongi says, leading you all into a small but neat studio-type apartment. The furnishings are very spare, and quite monochrome. Somehow, you feel like it suits the cat Hybrid living in it. "Make yourselves at home..." he adds, as you pile around the living area.

"I will, thank you!" Jimin chirps, promptly hopping into the bed tucked into one corner of the room, draping himself across the mattress comfortably.

"...but not too much," Yoongi finishes, glaring at Jimin pointedly. Jimin takes the hint and scooches himself to the edge of the bed, sitting primly.

"Anybody want something to drink?" Yoongi offers.

"Hyung! Do you have lemon kombucha?" Jungkook asks.

"What do you think?" Yoongi asks back

"Y...e...s...?" Jungkook responds uncertainly, looking at Yoongi's expression for clues.

"No," the cat Hybrid says curtly, dashing the maknae's hopes, "And who said you can call me hyung?"

Seokjin pretends to cough into his hand, while actually telling Yoongi, "You'll get used to it."

"Do you have coffee?" Hobi asks their host.

"Yeah," Yoongi says, bending to rummage inside a drawer behind him. "Oh wait, no. I just ran out." He straightens up, turns back to Hobi, then shrugs nonchalantly.

"Okay, how about this?" Seokjin says, looking mildly exasperated, "Just tell us what you do have."

Yoongi thinks for a moment, then says, "Water."

"Okay!" Hobi says brightly, "I'll have some water, please!"

"Yoongi-ssi, what snacks do you have?" Jimin asks.

Yoongi just stares pointedly at Jimin, while Jimin brightly smiles back, unfazed. Yoongi stares harder, while Jimin smiles brighter. Their odd staring contest goes on for a while, while everyone else awkwardly waits for the outcome.

It's Jimin who finally gives in.

"Water it is then!" he says, smile not cracking in the slightest.

Yoongi distributes glasses to everyone, and sets a pitcher of water down on a table in the middle of the room. Jungkook takes a seat beside Jimin on the bed, while the rest of you congregate around the small table, sitting on the floor.

"So..." Yoongi drawls, turning to Namjoon, "HRA agent, huh?"

"Yes," Namjoon confirms.

"Fancy," Yoongi comments sardonically. Then, he turns to Taehyung. "Taehyung-ah, you trust this guy?"

"I do, hyung!" Taehyung answers brightly.

Yoongi nods, one sharp nod, before training his piercing stare back on Namjoon.

"That's good enough for me." The cat Hybrid shrugs, then looks around at everyone else. "So what brings you all here?" he asks, "And why the hell doesn't Taehyung remember me?"

You fill him in on everything that happened, starting from when Hobi found Taehyung unconscious in an alleyway, all the way to Namjoon unearthing Taehyung's hometown, and your purpose for coming there.

"So, you're the one who adopted Taehyung..." Yoongi tells you. He turns back to Namjoon. "You're an HRA agent..." Then, he looks at Hobi. "And you're the one who found Taehyung, on top of being his psychologist from the orphanage." Yoongi gestures towards the rest of the group, perplexed. "Who are all these other people, then? Why the hell do you have so many people with you?"

"I'm wondering that very thing myself," Seokjin mutters.

"Wait," Namjoon interrupts, regaining Yoongi's attention, "you still haven't explained how you're related to Taehyung."

"We're childhood friends," Yoongi answers, "We grew up together."

"Pretty much like us, it looks like," you whisper to Seokjin, nudging his arm with yours. He nods at you, smiling.

"To be honest," Yoongi continues, "I was really surprised when I saw Taehyung."

"Why?" you ask.

 "All these years..." Yoongi huffs out a breath, "I really thought he was dead."

'So that's why he looked like he'd seen a ghost...'

"W-why, hyung?" Taehyung asks, aghast.

"You were gone for so long..." Yoongi pauses, and you can tell he's grappling with some strong emotion, but trying his best not to show it. "I started losing hope."

"Hyung..." Taehyung says softly, sadly.

Yoongi clears his throat, obviously feeling awkward with the display of emotion.

"Hey, I can take you to the farm!" he says, changing tack, "Maybe that'll trigger some memories for you."

"Farm?" Taehyung asks.

"Your grandparents' farm," Yoongi explains, "They were farmers, Tae."

"'Were'?" Taehyung frowns, puzzled. "What are they now, hyung?"

"Dead," Yoongi answers simply.

Taehyung once again looks shocked, and you wonder how many more times he's going to be shocked today, and just how well he can take it.

"Sorry," Yoongi apologizes, realizing he might have been a little too blunt with the news, "I believe in ripping the band-aid off..."

"It's okay," Taehyung assures his hyung, though you can see his eyes are wet with unshed tears. After hesitating for a moment, he asks, "What were they like?"

"They were good people, Tae," Yoongi says in a surprisingly gentle voice, "They loved you a lot." Yoongi looks away, and you can tell his mind has gone someplace else, an old memory. "It broke their hearts when your mother took you away. They had me over often after you left, asked me to help out at the farm, fed me, clothed me..." Yoongi clears his throat once more, and you notice that he's trying to hold back tears as well. "I think it's because I was the closest link to you that they had left. They treated me like their own..."

"Hyung, you... loved them too, didn't you?" Taehyung says softly, peering into Yoongi's face.

"You and your grandparents were the only family I had," Yoongi says, voice filled with emotion. "It wasn't just their hearts that broke when you left."

You look away. It's almost like eavesdropping on a private conversation. You wonder if it's right for you to be witnessing such a vulnerable moment between two people who obviously mean a lot to one another.

"And then they left too... permanently," Yoongi finishes in such a quiet voice you weren't sure he even spoke at all. Then, he shakes his head, clearing his throat loudly. "Ah, what's this? Why am I being so weird? It's because you're the first people I've spoken to in months, that's why. Hah."

Taehyung suddenly tackles the other Hybrid into a bear hug.

"L-let go of me!" Yoongi protests, pushing at Taehyung weakly. You're surprised and delighted to see that the cat Hybrid's porcelain cheeks are stained red. He gives off a cold, intimidating vibe, but this reveals an unexpectedly cute side to him.

Taehyung finally lets go of Yoongi, who grunts and glares as his childhood friend.

"You really haven't changed at all," he says. Taehyung just giggles, and Yoongi can't help but chuckle. The mirth is contagious, and soon you're all laughing... but you're sure there wasn't a single dry eye in that room.

"Come on," Yoongi says, standing up, "let me take you to the farm before the world descends into chaos."

You shoot Taehyung a worried glance.

"You sure about this, Tae?" you ask, "You don't have to go if you don't feel ready."

"I'm sure, [Y/N]ie," Taehyung replies, resolute, "I want to do this." A pause. "I need to."

"This is what we came for after all, right?" Namjoon affirms.

"But don't pressure yourself, okay?" Jimin says, smiling at Taehyung.

"No matter what happens," Hobi chimes in, "we're here for you."

"We all are," Seokjin adds, to your surprise, "We're... family now."

You smile up at your best friend gratefully, and he smiles back, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's like what I said," Jungkook chirps, "'Strength in numbers'!" He pumps his fist. "Lezzgetit!"

You turn back to Taehyung and hold out your hand. He takes it, smiling happily. Taehyung looks around at the people who are now his family. Then, he pulls on your hand gently.

"Let's go!"

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A/N: Hey-ho, off to the farm we go! What do you think you'll find there? And more importantly, do you think Yoongi is trustworthy?

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