Jimin's Pet | Park Jimin (a hybrid story)

~~Eighteen^.^

Poppy~
I was so tired this morning that I fell back to sleep in the car. But Hobi quickly woke me up, and he has such a sunny, fun personality it wasn't long before I was fully awake and energized. Even the cup of coffee he got at the drive-thru window and shoved into my hands didn't have quite the effect on me that he did.

I wasn't sure what we could do at dance practice without Jimin, but Hobi was a slave driver and he had me on my toes for hours.

I'll admit before I met Jimin I didn't know anything about dance. I knew the few times I had heard music my body had reacted with movement, but I wouldn't have called it dancing. 

Until Hobi came to practice with us, I was unaware there were different styles of dance. What Hobi does, when he is dancing for himself, is completely different from how Jimin dances. Both styles were difficult; both styles were mesmerizing to watch; both styles filled me with delight.

The things Hobi was teaching me today were more along the lines of what he does; he called it street dancing. The moves were completely at odds with what Jimin had been teaching me, where every move was smooth and precise, every extension long and perfectly in line. Street dancing was faster, more aggressive, the movements more unrestrained, while still being every bit as technical. I was having fun learning new things, like popping and how to glide.

"Hey Hobi," I called to him as he stood in front of me watching my every move with eagle eyes. "Why are you teaching me this stuff anyway? It's not like Jimin and I are ever going to do dances like this. He wants to compete in contemporary dance."

He shrugged as he bobbed his head, mentally counting off my steps. "It's always good to learn new things," he said, never taking his eyes from my feet. "You never know when it will come in handy. Jimin can do all this too, you know."

No, I didn't know. I was quickly coming to the conclusion that I didn't know much of anything. I may have been the smartest cat hybrid they'd ever had at the facility, but out in the real world I felt like a dumb bunny.

"He can?"

"Sure," he said, coming over to join me in front of the mirror. "Learn everything you can, Tiger. Not just in dance, but in every part of life. There's so much you need to know—cooking, self-care, financial things like banking and investing. I can't even begin to list everything you need to learn, not only out in the world, but also about yourself."

I crinkled my nose, and watched in the mirror as he adjusted my body more to his liking, straightening my back to the point of pushing my chest out. "What do you mean about myself? You think I don't know myself?"

"I guarantee you don't," he said, chuckling.

A love song started playing over the speakers and he surprised me, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me firmly against him. He led me around the room in a simple, carefree frolic, dancing with me until we were both breathless and laughing.

By the end of the song though, we were just swaying back and forth in the center of the room, his eyes never leaving mine. 

"Poppy, what do you love? What's your passion? Jimin loves dancing. Jungkook loves singing and photography. Jin loves eating. Yoongi loves sleeping and making music. But those are their passions; you need to find your own, that one thing you can't live without. Everyone's is different. That's what makes people unique," he said, pausing for a second.

Sighing, he continued, his voice softening to a low murmur. "If you never explore different options... if you just stay on the first path you come across, you might miss out on something mind-blowing."