#until he wasn't alone anymore because of his friends and all that guilt resurfaced

[thethee]

Couldn't celebrate day of the dead with my family this year and it got me thinking abt Knuckles because of course it did. Like imagine if his tribe had a similar tradition of honoring and remembering those who have passed, using their old belongings or something along those lines. Knuckles knows of the tradition but he can't exactly celebrate because he doesn't actually remember anyone, and it makes him feel bad.

[ddaeng-angmoh]

Shelter Blues-

You had always enjoyed working at the Hybrid Shelter, you had a chance to help hybrids that were unloved find homes. You had always treated the hybrids as if they were your own and never had an interest in adopting your own because they were always enough. At least that was before you found the ill-tempered hybrid in your bosses office. The russian blue was rude, invasive, and crude. You had a way of getting him angry, and you never realized why until it was too late.

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She was supposed to be the typical hybrid lover, but there's too much of that. So here's an unedited first chapter to boost those moods out there.

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"You're late." Yoongi said as he looked up from his phone. His tail flicked behind him, the fur was puffed from his agitation. It was reminiscent of a winter scarf, instead of portraying fear, it gave feelings of comfort and warmth. His eyes, they didn't focus on You long. Within seconds he had shuffled himself back onto his seat. His desk served as a valuable hideaway, protecting You from seeing anymore of his tail. It was a relief when he started to hide his more feline traits at work. The thought of a mutt working for a company was shock enough without him showing off. Every forbidden part of him was a blaring reminder of the blunders of humanity. How knowledge could warp what had been pure and right.

"Am I?" With a smile You removed your scarf and bundled it up. "The weather was so cold, I thought I might slip if I went too fast. I'll have to apologise later. It's a good thing I'm only volunteering." Your lip twitched down when You saw the fur of his ears pushing out from his toque. A shudder worked its way down Your spine as you averted your gaze. The scent of the inhabitants within was enough to turn you around. If agitated animals smelt bad, You were sure that hybrids smelt worse. The sweat of humans and the pheromones of animals was never meant to mix so intimately, of this the scent assured You. "Tell Jimin to buy bleach. I'll clean this building myself if I have to," You said as you dropped your coat on Yoongi's desk. You heard no response as You walked towards the backroom. Safety was a mere hall away from the animals. The sound of Your entrance hadn't awoken the hybrids, but as soon as You opened the door to the back room, the starts of tired mewls filled your ears. Disgusting. It was a task to hide Your revolution towards the mutts. It wasn't easy finding work in the city, and every job looked for Hybrid Activists. With a snort You pushed earbuds in and turned up Your music. Everybody made it their job to accept the abominations into society, and so you had to wear that mask as well. If it wasn't so valued, You would already be working Your way to a happy retirement. Instead You learnt empty compliments.

Look at your tail! It suits you!

Aw, your fluff is so cute!

Given away? How could they, you're so sweet!

You heaved a dusty box of papers onto the table as a scowl disfigured Your face. Every day You volunteered at the Park Feline Shelter was a nightmare. The dream of a job tortured You daily as the creatures smiled at You, trying to play and talk. They had no business pretending to be human. Yet You had to play along. It was a cruel game meant to torture the right of mind into the insanity of the Hybrid craze. But you couldn't fall into it, You couldn't be weak. Someone had to be strong and remember the truth, that those animals weren't human.

"Y/N?" Yoongi opened the door, his dark eyes were fixed on You and You had no doubt he smelt your distaste on the air. Their disturbing knack for scenting human pheromones was enough to send sensitive women red. His slender fingers played at the edge of the door, as if he were waiting for Your permission to speak. Uncharacteristic. If anybody else saw him they wouldn't believe it, but it was all You knew of him.

"Yes?" You said, and a flat look was directed at the secretary. Pretend? With him? No, he didn't matter. Jimin wouldn't believe a word the troll said. But, there was something unsettling in his eyes. You couldn't escape the feeling that he clung to Your every move. "Or are you just here for tea," a growl ripped at your throat, and his fingers gripped the door frame tightly. Your nose flared when his lips parted, another odd expression was on his face. It was as though he were taunting you, every emotion he displayed was foreign to You. It fit, however, when You remembered that he was just a glimpse of a human, not truly right. Unlike You, of course.

"Jimin wanted me to tell you that the files he wanted you to digitalize are on his desk. Those were already done." Yoongi's chin jutted towards the box you had, before he tilted his head. "I could get them?" He questioned. Soft, his voice was far too gentle for Your ears. You saw how obstinate he could be, he had chewed out a volunteer for getting water on his desk once. It was his drink but that hardly mattered. Yoongi had yelled at another human once for getting in his way- he had no problem speaking out. Yet he always curled in on himself when You looked his way.

"Don't bother." You said with a grimace. It was with reluctance that You looked at him directly again. The familiar feeling of discomfort settled in Your stomach as his eyes brightened.

"Are you sure?" Yoongi lowered his gaze and stepped away from the door, already anticipating when You would push by him to get the paperwork. "He said there is a couple hours of work in it- it will be a few boxes. They might be heavy." He said as he flinched, hearing the screeching of Your chair when You stood up was enough to make him curl up again.

"If I needed help, I would ask. Go do your job." Disgust dripped from your lips as You made Your way to pass him. Instead of shrinking back, Yoongi seemed to lean in as You passed. "Keep your distance." The thought of him sniffing Your scent was enough to make You feel sick. It had crossed Your mind before, what they smelt- Was it lemons? Cookies? Flowers? The descriptions You had heard for human musk bordered on ridiculous at the best of times. Yet the thought still resurfaced. Whenever Yoongi's nose twitched You wondered what his twisted nose smelt. A shudder worked it's way down Your spine and you fastened a glare on the hall before you.

Was it worth it to work around all the hybrids? In the past, the answer might have been yes, it might have even been something you would have loved to do. But the feeling of Yoongi's eyes on you reminded you of what made them monsters. They were mere animals hiding in the skin of a human.

"I can taste it." Yoongi's voice was soft and tentative. "How much you hate me." It almost made you pause, but you promised yourself you wouldn't fall for it. You promised yourself you wouldn't make the same mistakes your friend did.

Maybe he didn't deserve it. The fear from your bigotry pulled on your shoulders, and it screamed in your ears. It was weakness that you still hated them, weakness that you still cried at night after your shifts. You had to be strong, and fight to remember why you were so angry- "Maybe I don't hate you." You spoke up after you shook the anxiety from your body. "Maybe it's what you are."

 Maybe he was exactly what you feared. The mere idea of him being a threat, seemed both uncanny and terrifying. So when you opened the office door to get the files, you turnd and glared at the offending feline. "Stay away from me, I mean it."

His eyes darkened as he looked away. Yoongi wasn't offended, not like he usually was. There was no angry words or seething quips. Instead he sent a wilted smile toward you, one that tried to stir up remnants of guilt. "Of course." He said. He didn't push, and you didn't settle until you heard his steps go further away.

It was later that day when he started to show himself again. Your volunteering session was almost over, and the boxes of papers to be digitised had been worked through fairly well. It had been a silly hope that you would leave unnoticed, one broken when the door creaked open to show a familiar hybrid. "Jimin wants you working with hybrids tomorrow." He said as his slender fingers tugged his toque down. His dark eyes drifted up, and he watched your expression, waiting for a sign of your distaste.

"I'm supposed to stay to paperwork." Dismay tore through you, leaving a frightful mess or nerves and stress. "I'm not ready yet," it was barely a whisper, but you could feel his eyes focus on you. His silence felt disturbingly knowing, as if he knew why you hated him, hated his kind, and hated your few moments alone.

"He likes your hardwork," his sneakers squeaked against the ground as he kicked at the air.

"If you have something to say, just say it." You spoke bitingly, hoping he would leave. Instead he flinched and regarded you with a meek frown pulling at his lips. "You're going to play that game again?" Frustration pulled at your heart as you glared up at him. "I know you're not some coward, I see you with everyone else. If you have something to say, I'm not going to wait any longer."

"Ah-" Yoongi's head jerked down, and he had finally stopped squeaking his shoes, resorting instead to biting his lip. "I'm not some push-over. I promise," there was something coy in his eyes when he looked back up at you.

"Tell that to somebody who cares." With an aggravated sigh you stood up and shoved your phone in your pocket. Your volunteering work didn't feel worth it anymore. Not when he was looking at you so seriously.

"You care," his voice wavered as he spoke, and he gulped at the frustrated glare you sent his way. "I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N." Yoongi left the door open behind him as he stalked down the hall. You couldn't help but watch his tail as it curled around his thigh. A shudder shook you again as you averted your gaze, it just wasn't right. It wasn't natural, and you wished that for once somebody would listen to you.

"I hope not." It was a useless thing to hope for. As the receptionist he was always there, lurking and watching for something to get involved with. It always left a bitter taste in your mouth when he focused his attention on you, there was something about him that made you feel small and insignificant. It didn't matter that he would cower and shy away, what mattered was that he would watch you till the end. Every time you tried to hide a sneer or choked out a compliment he would watch. He never told anyone, instead he seemed-

"I don't care," you said as you forced your way through the room. Even speaking out loud, you couldn't convince yourself of it. The memory of his gaze felt like it was burning into you. Was it normal for someone's eyes to sear their way under your eyelids? You refused to dissect him, and his curious gazes. It was better to leave that behind. And so, you closed the door behind you and rushed your way to the entrance of the shelter. The doors to the kennel clicked shut as you passed it, a curious Jimin watched your rushed departure with curiosity. He didn't spare a second glance through the door's window, and instead continued on. He wasn't aware of the fear that was growing in you, or how close you were to falling apart.