Before the snide doctor leaves, he emphasizes the strict screening process and mountain of contracts that come with adopting a hybrid. It doesn't do a single thing to discourage me. I answer his remarks with a simple smile and agree to wait for the contracts to arrive.

I have all the time in the world to fight with this doctor. I am determined to repay my debt to Jimin and it will take more than a few rude comments to stop me.

The other nurses, thankfully, leave with the doctor and the weight of their eyes lift off my chest like magic.

The moment the door closes, Jimin curls up beside me and clings to my arm. He rests his narrow chin on my shoulder and presses his soft cheek against the side of my neck. His eyes are sleepy, his body feels relaxed as he cuddles.

I listen to his soft breathing and the occasional moan of exhaustion escaping his full-shaped lips. I school my expression to remain neutral and pretend that I am unaware of his warm presence. I make no move to encourage or adjust him away from me.

I think he's exhausted from the stress of the hospital, considering the dark circles under his eyes. I doubt he's slept in days, so if he feels safe enough to sleep on me, I'll let him. It's a good thing that he is calm, and I won't disturb that.

The door opens and a handsome man walks into the room. He approaches the bed with a kind look and bows politely. "Hello, my name is Lee Hyun. I work for AGE, I'm a resident hybrid representative. I'm here to interview you and talk about adopting Jimin."

Jimin opens his eyes and half-listens to the man, still focusing on getting rest. I give Lee Hyun my undivided attention so this process can go smoothly.

Hyun asks us questions about the nature of our relationship and how we met, and I answer most of them. I give most of the details and emphasize our newfound friendship during our recovery. It seems enough to convince him because he decides to show us the contract requirements.

To adopt a hybrid, one must be over the age of twenty-one, able to sustain a stable income, be able to care for the hybrid as if it were your child, and more. The requirements are extensive and detailed, leaving no room for interpretation or loopholes. The rules place a heavy emphasis on treating the hybrid as a person, not as a pet. He describes the ethical issue of using the term "own" instead of "adopt" and makes a firm point on how I will become Jimin's guardian, not an owner.

It's impressive, and I am happy they put so much effort into ensuring the hybrid's safety and humanity.

When he finishes, he shows me the contract and allows me to read it. I notice a section marked as benefits and I point it out to him, wondering what it means.

He explains that the government provides funds for new hybrid guardians in order to help support their needs such as clothes, food, and other necessities. The money is only valid when buying items from government and AGE-approved shopping sites made specifically for hybrids. This ensures that the money is being used for the hybrid's needs, not the guardian's.

Included in the benefits section is an option to attend free therapy sessions for mental care and relationship training. I plan on looking further into that in the future.

Finally, we come to the signing of the contract. I agree to sign without hesitation, knowing I made a promise to Jimin and I won't break it. I sign my name on the tablet and allow the sensor to scan my fingerprint to confirm my identity. When I finish, I give Jimin a hopeful smile, "Almost there."

Jimin sits up from his resting position and stares at the contract with awe. "You did it. You're really doing it..." He turns to me with deep respect in his eyes.

I hand him the stylus pen and motion for him to sign beside my name. "Of course. Your turn."

Jimin awkwardly holds the pen before carefully lowering it on the screen. He attempts to sign his name but it is illegible. He scowls in frustration.

I rest my hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. Nobody can write on these things," I reassure him.

Jimin hands the pen back to Lee Hyun and he gives us a dashing smile. "Congratulations," he bows, "I hope you have a wonderful time together. I will send my contact information to your email address. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. We will be in touch with you in a few days for your check-up."

I bow in return and lean against Jimin's shoulder. "Thank you so much."

The man bows to Jimin as well, "You're quite welcome. I hope to see you two soon. Goodbye." With that, he walks out of the room and leaves us in peace.

The second the door shuts, Jimin lets out an excited shout and scares the daylights out of me. He raises his hands into the air and cheers. "Yes, yes! You did it!" He tackles me and hugs me tightly, burying his face into my shoulder, "Thank you!"

Pain lances through my body and I feel my breath hitch. I muffle my pained cry and force myself to smile, unable to scold him for his joy. "No—, no problem," I choke out, trying to keep my voice light.

Jimin pulls back sharply and freezes, his eyes are wide with guilt. "Oh no, are you okay?"

"No I'm okay, just a little bruised," I reply tightly. "Don't worry about it."

His beautiful eyes fill with sorrow. Jimin gently cups my cheek in his hand and leans close. "I'm sorry... You're hurt, I should have been more careful..."

In a subtle movement, I lean away from his touch and feel uncomfortable with the sudden intimacy. "It's alright, Jimin."

"No it's not," he argues stubbornly. "I'll be more careful, I swear."

I relent and finally nod. "Okay." The pain echoes throughout my body in waves but it is slowly ebbing away.

I look over the empty room and wonder if we are free to leave now. I search the bed and locate the call button. I press it in hopes it brings a nurse here. "Let's see if you can leave now."

Jimin nods and leans back against the headboard of the bed. He reaches down and pulls his tail out from under the blanket. He holds it in his hand and smoothes the fur with a distracted look in his eyes.

It only takes a few moments for a nurse to appear and immediately ask what was wrong. I explain that I adopted Jimin and ask when we can leave.

"I'm not sure... I'll have to talk to the doctor," she replies skeptically. She casts a judgemental look over her shoulder as she leaves, "That was rather quick."

I merely shrug.

The nurse leaves us to ourselves once again and returns with a doctor five minutes later. Thankfully, it's a new doctor. He explains the discharge process and debriefs me on Jimin's condition.

Jimin appears unbothered by the doctor's description of his "unstable" condition and only draws closer to me.

I listen carefully and work to memorize keywords of his condition such as PTSD, nightmares, refusal to eat, and malnutrition.

Slowly, I begin to realize I've taken on a difficult challenge, especially considering my current mental health. I begin to worry that we might trigger each other's trauma like what the doctors predicted, or if the memories become too painful to handle.

What if we are both trapped in a nightmare? What if we can't wake each other up?

I wonder if I agreed to the terms and conditions too easily. I was so caught up in fulfilling my promise to Jimin that I didn't stop and think about if I was ready to take responsibility for him. One should always be cautious when agreeing to the terms and conditions.

The doctor finishes talking about Jimin's condition and tells us that Jimin can leave with me. We will use the hospital shuttle to return to my apartment together and begin our shared life together.

Jimin brightens at the prospect of leaving and grins wide enough to cause his eyes to squeeze together. He sighs in relief and leans against me again, "Finally, we're getting out of here."

My heart jumps at the sound "we" on his lips. I feel myself pull towards him, relieved I have somebody to stay by my side. It's a strange connection; it doesn't feel like it should be real.

I never believed in instant connections or understood how trauma can bring people together. Yet I find myself experiencing these strange emotions with Jimin.

My mind continues to remind me that we understand each other, despite only meeting two times prior. It tells me that we are safer when we're together. It tells me to stay by his side no matter what or face the dire consequences of being attacked again.

Is this healthy? I am not sure if this is normal.

On the other hand, we were anxious to be apart from each other for too long. Jimin also appears calmer with me around. I feel at ease knowing he's okay and I am sure he feels the same.

But is that healthy?

Regardless of this, it's too late to turn back now. The contract has been signed.

Jimin is now part of my life and I need to follow through.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Jimin stays close to me and scowls at the nurse leading us out of the hospital. Meanwhile, I take deep breaths to ignore the flare of pain in my side as I walk, unable to focus on Jimin's jittery energy.

We enter the lobby and the room opens up around us. The high ceilings stretch tall and the glass panels lining the walls allow pale rays of winter sunshine to illuminate the room. The windows are decorated with swirling patterns of frost and fog, obscuring my view of the parking lot beyond it.

Jimin and I are matching, with our hospital pajamas, and are unprepared to walk into the cold. We look like a couple of insane asylum escapees, fresh from the padded isolation room. My eagerness to return to my apartment increases as I sense the eyes of every person in the room land on me. I'd give anything to be in my normal clothes again.

"Where are we going?" Jimin asks quietly as if he didn't want the nurse to overhear.

"Oh." I realize I haven't explained the next part of my plan to him. "We're going to my apartment. You'll be staying with me for a little while, at least until you can support yourself."

Can hybrids live alone? He isn't a full hybrid but I think there are laws saying that they can't live alone...

"What are we doing to do?" Jimin questions with a note of urgency in his voice. "When we get there, what are we doing?"

I smile weakly at him and nudge my hand against his, "Let's talk more in the car, okay?"

Jimin's eyes widened with realization. "Right, right," he says dismissively and looks away.

We exit the building after I sign a few more forms to confirm our release. I breathe in the fresh winter air only to regret it when the wind picks up. I grimace as the brisk wind hits my face and I turn against the wind, beginning to shake from the cold.

Jimin appears completely unaffected by the cold and stares off into space, relishing his freedom.

I clench my chattering teeth as I scan the hospital parking lot. "I wonder when they'll come..." I search for the shuttle car and see no sign of it. "Should we wait inside?" I ask.

Jimin snaps out of his daze and gives me an odd look. "Huh?"

"It's cold," I gestured to the air, "should we wait inside?" I wrap my arms around myself but am careful not to squeeze. I shiver as another gust hits us, my pajama sleeves flap in the wind.

Jimin's gaze softens with understanding. He opens up his arms and welcomes me into a hug. We're practically the same height allowing us both to rest our heads on each other's shoulders. I welcome his body heat without question and ignore the intrusive thoughts of possible romance running through my head.

This is platonic. Nothing else.

With that thought, I wrap my arms around his waist and lean into him. I close my eyes as I feel a wave of exhaustion fall over me. My head already hurts from the pure snow reflecting the sun. It feels like the forces of nature are out to get me today, that or I'm getting a migraine.

"Eden, when we go to your apartment..." Jimin begins quietly, "what are we going to do?" he asks again.

"Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know."

I think about it for a moment, wondering what he wants me to say. When I can't think of anything, I decide to tell my honest opinion instead of trying to cater to his wants. We're going to begin this relationship on the right foot, I need to start by being honest with him.

"I need to be careful with myself, you should too. I'm probably going to rest and order some real food. Do you have a favorite food?"

Jimin is quiet for a beat.

"Jimin?"

He makes a soft noise in the back of his throat. He pulls away from me and looks over my face with an unreadable expression. "I don't. I haven't..." his eyes fell to the ground, "I haven't exactly had real food in a while..."

I feel a kick in my stomach.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry," I rush trying to pull out of his arms, reeling with guilt.

I forgot he hasn't been able to live a real life in years. He was kidnapped and turned into a hybrid. He finally escaped two days ago.

I'm so dumb.

Jimin bristles at my sudden movement and immediately grabs my wrists to keep me close. "No you're okay," he reassures, "stay here. You don't need to go."

I hesitate and glance down at his hands around my wrists. "I should be more sensitive," I apologize, "I'll remember next time, I promise."

Jimin's lips part with brief shock before he nods. "Alright."

"With that said... we should talk about living conditions soon," I continue as I carefully ease my wrist from his hands. I wrap my arms around him again and welcome him into another heat-saving hug. "Where you sleep, what you want to do, a job... I'm not exactly sure what to do next, to be honest. Maybe we should take it one step at a time."

Jimin's gaze is far away but he nods anyway.

I wonder what he's thinking about.

The shuttle car finally arrives and we rush inside, welcoming the breath of warmth against our cold skin. I tell the driver the address of my apartment before relaxing in my seat, happy to be finally going home.

Maybe everything will make sense at home.

During the drive, I can't help but notice Jimin's distant gaze. It's as if he isn't physically here with us. His mind is elsewhere.

I want to ask him about it when we return home when we're finally away from the eyes of strangers. If we are going to live together, we can't have secrets. We need to be able to share our worries and concerns, it will make things easier in the future.

Everything will be okay when I go home. Everything will be okay.

Won't it?

A/N: You might want to hold onto something, dear reader. This is my second heads-up to prepare yourself! On another note, I am excited to move on to the second part of this story! We are heading straight for the action! I am beginning to feel more comfortable with this writing style so I hope you enjoy it!

And remember, your mental health is so important. Please remember to take care of yourself when you are stressed or upset. If you feel sick, don't hesitate to take a break. Be gentle with your beautiful self, don't push yourself when you feel weak. It's always okay to rest and recover. <3