Chapter Text
Y/N POV
“I don’t want to adopt a hybrid, Soo Yun!” I whispered, trying to keep our argument discreet. After much convincing, my friend had brought me along with her to a hybrid adoption centre to pick up her new dog hybrid. Turns out, she had also called ahead to say that I wanted to take a look at the hybrids myself.
I hated these centres. The chemical smell made my nose hairs burn off. It was all so spotless, almost un-lived in.
If you look past the fancy decorations and the performances they put on, you’ll see it’s really equivalent to a prison. The glimpse of steel bars I got through an ajar door labeled ‘staff only’ made me shudder.
I’ve signed plenty of petitions and donated a lot of money trying to make hybrids independent, but there are always too many who see them as inferior.
“Come on, Y/N! You work from home in that unreasonably big house with so much empty room in it. You could give one of them a home, a safe one. Please, just consider it.” She protested.
It wasn’t like she was wrong, I just hated the idea of—oh, god, there’s that word people throw around—“owning” a hybrid. They are just people with ears and a tail, not codependent little kids who need to be watched 24/7. I really don’t want to endorse the system… but Soo Yun’s puppy dog eyes do some serious mind manipulation.
“Fine, fine. I’ll look. But only look!” I finally relented. She squealed a little in excitement and I couldn’t help but grin at her childish behavior. With her dragging me by the hand, we followed an older female worker into what she called the “showing room”—another phrase I decidedly hated.
It was a big room, similar in appearance to a school gymnasium. It contained shifted hybrids of all kinds. Wolves, mice, snakes, spiders, birds, big cats and more. Only one hybrid was comfortable enough to be in human form: a small girl, no older than ten or eleven. She was dressed in what looked like a white prison jumpsuit.
“Ari!” Beckoned Soo Yun excitedly. The girl ran up to Soo Yun with an enormous smile and engulfed her in a rather forceful hug, which Soo Yun reciprocated. The worker scolded the girl and Ari apologized, but at the rate her tail was wagging she'd only said it because it was expected of her.
“Today’s the day!” Soo Yun informed her, “you’re coming home with me!” They bounced up and down together in joy and I could already see what a great fit they were going to be for each other. Many of the hybrids stopped what they were doing to watch them with either longing or envy. Both ways, I was sad for them.
“Now you, dear. What kind of hybrid were you looking for?” The lady turned to me. I froze, having forgotten about that entirely, too entranced in watching all the hybrids. Too many ears perked up at her words, and I felt too guilty to tell her the truth in front of all of them.
“I-I… uh, I’m not really sure,” I managed, wringing my hands nervously, “there’s a lot of options.”
“Indeed. We brought out almost every one of them for you, seeing as your friend here wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
They must be awfully desperate to find a hybrid I’ll take.
“The choices are overwhelming,” I gulped honestly.
“If you want to have a look around, I’ll leave you to it while I go get Soo Yun’s paperwork finished. I recommend you read some of the pamphlets by the door, they’ll help you figure out which kind of animal you want. If anything happens, there will be staff right outside the door, just call for help and they’ll be right in.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, and with that the trio left the room. I hesitated, surveying the space. Most of the hybrids continued playing, only looking up occasionally to see if I was watching them. I let out a stressed sigh and turned to the door where the pamphlets were. I picked up the one on cats and began reading to look like I was actually trying to find a match.
“Are you looking for a cat?” A voice appeared behind me. I jumped a little bit, not expecting any hybrids to shift forms. I turned around to see a brunette cat hybrid standing only a foot away from me. He was still tugging on one of the jumpsuits, which I presume he went and got from the bin at the side of the room. Thank goodness I hadn’t turned around sooner.
“Uhh…” the surprise took over and I fumbled for thoughts.
“I am a Burmese cat, which means I am great at conversation. Plus, low shedding.”
“Oh wow, that sounds great… but, uh, I’m not sure I’m looking for a cat, per say.” I was trying hard to let him down gently.
“A rabbit, then?” Another voice appeared behind me. I turned to see a tinier female bunny hybrid with black ears to compliment her dark complexion. Her jumpsuit was barely covering her as she began to speak.
“I don’t know.” I admitted. “Actually, I don’t really know if I… if I even want a hybrid.” I said the last bit in a hushed tone, as if it were illegal to say. Their faces fell and I apologized, to which they assured me it was alright.
The bunny hybrid transformed back and returned to playing, leaving the jumpsuit crumpled on the floor. The Burmese cat also shifted and then sulked his way over to a group of various other animals, which were quick to console him with cuddles. The wolf of their group growled and stared me down.
The lady, Ari and Soo Yun returned to the room right in time.
“So, a cat?” The worker gestured to the pamphlet in my hands. “I saw Jimin took an interest in you. He always sells himself well, but his pack remains the constant dealbreaker. Would you like to meet with him privately?”
Reluctantly, I had to explain that I did not want a hybrid after all. The thought of one of them thinking they depended entirely on me was becoming too much.
“But what else are you going to do in that giant empty house by yourself?” Soo Yun complained. I went to speak, but the lady cheerfully cut me off.
“Big house? In that case, you may want to look into a pack, after all! One of them ought to suit you well. They’re much more independent in groups. You wouldn't have to worry about socialization or mental stimulation as much, if that’s a problem for you.” The worker proceeded to explain that a pack was a group of already bonded animals that typically didn’t need much more than the basics.
After some discussion and more of Soo Yun’s mind control, I finally decided that I could help out more than a few hybrids with the size of my house, and with the obvious overcrowding of this facility it would be cruel and selfish of me to leave alone.
The staff member lead me into a separate "meet and greet" room while Soo Yun went to arrange payment with the receptionist. One at a time, the staff member brought in and introduced me to some different packs and my previous confidence quickly diminished. The first were a group of rottweiler brothers that were around my own age. They turned out to be a little too grabby with me despite the workers trying to 'discipline' them.
The next was a group consisting of mostly boys and a leading girl, but the girl immediately decided she did not want another female with them and that was that.
Packs weren’t desperate to get out and therefore could afford to be picky. They didn’t feel as though they needed to find a family, as they already had one.
But when the next group entered the meeting room, the Burmese cat hybrid from before was the first one in and practically pounced onto me. Squeezing me in a tight embrace, Jimin exclaimed, “I could smell you from down the hallway! I knew you’d keep looking. And I– no, we– dibs you, so I hope you like us!”
His outburst made me laugh, but I was rudely interrupted by a growling at the doorway.
“No.” The large grey wolf hybrid from earlier stopped in the doorway, already tense and glaring. "Absolutely not."
The rest of the hybrids, all already having entered the room before him, turned to face the wolf with saddening and surprised expressions.
“But Joonie, she wants us! We’ve been waiting for someone wanting a pack for so long.” Jimin made his way over to the snarling wolf, hands clasped together in pleading.
“She doesn’t care for your feelings, Jimin. I don’t like her.”
“Give her a chance now, Namjoon. Be nice,” The worker said sternly, but I was quick to correct her comment.
“No, he’s right. I was inconsiderate with getting Jimin’s hopes up with my indecisiveness before. I’m sorry, Jimin.” The wolf hybrid, Namjoon, didn't know what to say to this but continued glaring at me.
“Well boys, come say hello,” the lady took the opportunity to introduce us.
“I’m Hoseok,” A bouncy golden retriever hybrid said, shaking my hand in sync with his wagging tail.
“Taehyung.” A red fox hybrid was next to speak. He merely nodded his head at me from where he stood beside Namjoon, who was clearly the alpha of the pack.
“Yoongi,” Some sort of black panther hybrid smiled at me lazily.
“Seokjin.” Whom I guessed was a sugar-glider hybrid said.
“And I’m Jungkook,” Stated a giant rabbit hybrid, leaning in for a polite side hug.
“Nice to meet you all, I’m Y/N,” I concluded, smiling at their slowly incliningly welcoming attitudes.
“Now,” the lady started flipping through papers on her clipboard, “there are some behavioral issues I’d like to warn you about, amongst other things. First, Min Yoongi has a history of reacting aggressively when he is being woken up, so be careful when rousing him.” The panther hybrid laughed gently, clearly recalling a certain memory.
“Jimin can have a real attitude despite his charming nature, so disciplinary methods must be very strict with him.”
'Disciplining' a fellow adult, what a disgusting concept. She talked about them as if they weren’t there, and Jimin’s cheeks tinted red despite him trying to act as if they hadn’t.
“Chicken breast is a must for these ones, they eat a lot of it.” That wouldn’t be a problem, as when my parents died long ago, they had not only left me the estate but multi-millions in savings. A shopping spree was in order.
“Also, you should be warned that they haven’t taken kindly to any owner since they became a pack. With that said, are you still interested?”
“Of course, shouldn’t be a problem.” I answered to which Jimin squealed, hugging Jungkook who was busy bouncing around in glee.
“Alrighty then, it should be three to four days of processing before your paperwork goes through. We will try our best to be speedy.” The atmosphere changed as we all realized they would have to stay for a few more days in this place before I could bring them back to the house.
“You do the paperwork here?” I asked.
“Yes. Me and a few other staff do it in between caring for the hybrids.”
“How long does it really take to do, if you were to start it now?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We have many other adopters who need their paperwork processed as well.”
“Not even if I were to make a donation?”
She seemed to contemplate this for a minute. “Of how much?”
“How much would make it happen within the hour?”
“I… Umm, a few thousand? On top of the adoption fees, of course.”
“Works for me.”
“I’ll… go and get the payment ready, then.” She seemed to be testing if I was serious.
“Perfect, thanks,” I replied with a courteous smile. At this, she scurried out of the room, muttering to herself excitedly. The boys were now staring at me with suspicion.
“What do you do, exactly? That you have all this money to be spending just like that?” Taehyung questioned me.
“I’m an editor.” I responded, answering with truth but also as little information as possible. It would be a long while, if ever, before I told them about my parents. They all shared a look, realized that none of them knew what that was, and decided to just go with it.
“That’s a very respectable career,” Hoseok contributed, looking to Namjoon to see if he’d made a fool of himself and Namjoon nodded slightly in encouragement.
I couldn’t help but giggle at their act, replying “thank you.” Considering it was only just after eleven in the morning I figured I’d ask, “are you guys up for shopping today, or would you rather wait until tomorrow or the next day?”
“Shopping? For what?” Jungkook inquired.
“Well, what do you guys want?” They all looked at me with unbelieving expressions. “We could start with clothes? Those prison-white jumpsuits look awfully uncomfortable,” I offered up.
“Sure, whatever you want,” Jungkook agreed while nodding his head rapidly.
“We’ll need to go grocery shopping, too. I, uh… wasn’t really expecting to be taking anyone home with me today. There are a few guest bedrooms in the house that are already furnished, though you’ll likely have to share. They each have a queen-sized bed, so I hope it’s not much of an issue for you guys.”
“Not an issue at all, we already share beds here anyway,” Jimin cooed. He hugged me once again, this time as if he was trying to prove to himself that I was real.
“What else would you guys want?”
“We’ll need proper collars,” Namjoon piped up, his voice testing, “it’s the law. We have to wear them in public.”
I swallowed hard and straightened at the thought. “I know. You can each pick out ones that you like. I’m sure we’ll find something comfortable enough.” I took his silence as a positive sign.
“Do you live far away?” Jungkook asked nervously, “because I get motion sick sometimes.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jungkook. It’s not too far, only about twenty-five minutes on the highway. Do you want me to get some medication for you to help with that in the future?”
“Yes, please.” He still seemed not too keen about the idea of a car ride.
“I take it you’ve never had a hybrid before.” Taehyung noted.
“No, you all will be my first hybrids. I’ve had lots of friends who had them when I was growing up, though.”
“Like Ari?” Hoseok questioned, “I saw that lady pick her up today. Is she your friend?”
“Yes, Soo Yun actually has quite a few hybrids. You guys could come and hangout with them next time I visit her.”
“Pass,” Yoongi stated bluntly, “that dog is too stinky.”
“What? I’m sure she’ll shower at Soo Yun’s.”
Seokjin jumped in to explain, “he means she smells like an outsider, too different from the pack.”
“Plus, I hate border collies,” muttered Yoongi.
“Speaking of smells, you wouldn’t mind showering once we arrive at your house, would you? You smell too strongly of those terrible rottweiler boys.” Jimin propositioned smoothly.
“Oh, of course. I didn’t think of that at all, I’m sorry.” I shifted away from them a tad, but Jimin stopped me with a hand on my elbow.
“It’s fine now, just… the sooner their smell’s off of you, the better.”
“Oh… alright.”
“What do you know about caring for hybrids?” Namjoon interjected, clearly not anywhere near ready to be done judging me.
“Well, scientifically and legally, I know quite a bit about hybrids. I’ve definitely done my research there. In terms of care, though… less so. I know the laws but I’m not so familiar with the basics.” I laughed anxiously.
Namjoon chuckled wryly. “You don’t even know how to care for a hybrid, so you decided to adopt seven of them? Wow.”
“Hey! I’m just trying to get some of you out of here, and my house can easily fit a pack. Besides, I’ll learn.”
We continued to talk for a short while whilst we waited for the lady to finish; mostly about what kinds of clothes and toys they wanted. I assured them that price would not be a hold-back and to make sure they get whatever is right for them when we are shopping later.
“Everything’s almost ready to go,” The lady explained as she reentered the room, “we just need a few things from you.”
I signed on a few lines, filled out my contact and residence info, and wrote the check that I promised her, plus an extra thousand. This place certainly needed it.
“Oh, thank you greatly, dear.” She smiled upon seeing the number on the check so largely that her eyes halved in size. “Just a heads up, we’ll be performing a house check in 6 days, then again in 3-5 weeks, just to be sure the hybrids are adjusting well. And that you still want them, of course.”
“Great, thanks,” I replied curtly, standing up and turning to the door.
“Umm, ma’am, they’ll need their collars first.” She informed me, pulling a bunch of cheap collars out from her pocket. “These are the shelter-provided ones. Of course, they are not intended for long-term use, but they will suffice until you can get to a store.”
“Thanks, we’ll put them on in the car.” Hoseok saw my unease at the idea and moved forward to grab them from the lady. She handed them to him with a hesitant expression, looking to me for confirmation.
I nodded. “Good idea, Hoseok. Thank you.” I patted his shoulder in gratitude. His tail wagged lowly, in a way that was clear he was trying to mask it.
We left the room and soon enough we were a step away from the parking lot exit. And just to my luck, it had begun raining.
“Damn,” I cursed under my breath, “Sorry guys, I don’t have any umbrellas or anything.”
I turned to see Jungkook and Seokjin looking outside distastefully, as well as a fully shifted golden retriever by my feet.
“He loves the rain,” Taehyung scoffed at Hoseok, picking up his abandoned jumpsuit, “crazy dog.”
“Before we go, at least three of you are going to have to shift forms; I only have four extra seats. The trunk’s pretty big, but, uh... probably not wolf sized.” I looked at Namjoon and almost saw a grin peeking out.
“We’ll shift,” offered Seokjin, grabbing Jungkook’s arm.
“If you do it now, I can tuck you in my coat so you don’t get wet?”
“Yes please!” Exclaimed Jungkook. Thank goodness my coat was oversized because Jungkook was even larger than Jimin. Namjoon picked up the remaining two jumpsuits and I thanked him.
We all made a dash for the car.
Namjoon got shotgun and Taehyung, Jimin and Yoongi hopped in the backseat. I opened the trunk and lowered Jungkook and Seokjin down gently. Hoseok then hopped up and shook off, which got the whole back of the car wet. Everyone else's eyes whipped around to stare at him, then froze.
“Hoseok!” Warned Namjoon, looking at me for my reaction. Hoseok lowered his ears and tail.
“It’s fine, it’s just water.” I laughed it off, patting his head before closing the trunk and getting in the driver’s seat.
“So, where to first? The mall, the grocery store, or the house?”
Jimin was quick to answer, “Mall!”