Chapter Text
Chan absolutely hated humans. He'd only interacted with them a few times, and he avoided it as much as possible.
His hatred of humans stemmed from years of bulling, and discrimination. People glared at him as he walked down the street. Some tried to catch and tame him, but he refused to listen. Chan wasn't like most of the hybids Humans were used to, he was what they would call a 'class one' hybrid. Meaning that he wasn't crossed with an animal that came from years of domestication. While most Hybrids were considered pets, the ones like him were considered wild animals. People feared them, tried to kill them. Heck, if they were rich enough, tried to buy them into submission, Flaunting them as even more exotic as the other humans held captive around them.
But that hatred reached it's peak when he found the first member of his "pack." Seungmin had run into the woods, right past Chan's small cabin. He had sensed the fear ages before the boy passed and immediately caught up to him. "Are you okay?" he asked once he had caught up to the boy.
"Don't-Don't hit me," he said, hiding his face. That's when Chan noticed the bruising around his arms and neck, there was probably even more not visible. Chan noticed a red spot on his leg and his instincts kicked into over drive.
"Come with me, I promise, no one is ever going to hurt you again." He didn't really give the boy a choice, picking him up and taking him back to his home.
Seungmin looked at Chan with wide eyes, no one had taken him in so easily, that's when he noticed the ears and unfamiliar looking tail. He squinted a little in his shock filled, and, lets be honest, dizzy state. That's when the details like yellowish eyes, and longer canines stuck out to him. Suddenly it all made sense "Y-You're a class one?"
Chan Visibly winced at being called that, it made it seem like he was superior,"I'm Chan, and I'm a wolf hybrid. I can clearly tell you're a class three, but I'd rather know your name." He said as he sat the boy down on a chair and went to get first aid supplies.
The collie hybrid stuttered for a second,"I-I'm Se-Seungmin."
"Well, Seungmin, do you mind telling me what happened here?" He crouched down, pulling up the boys pants leg to reveal a large cut.
Seugnmin looked away,"My owner got sick of me, this is usually what happens to us before we get sent to the shelter. I didn't want another owner, but I was scared of the one I had. He got really angry when I asked him if he could let me go, but just started hitting me, so I ran at the first chance I got."
Chan felt himself growl protectively, his anger growing at Seungmin's owner. He quickly shook his head and helped Seungmin with his wound. "You're staying with me now." It wasn't a question. Seungmin was a class three, he wouldn't be able to make it by himself or surrounded by humans. Chan can barely do it and almost everyone is scared of him. He's heard the stories about what they do to people like him and he wasn't letting Seungmin go back out there.
Seungmin was perfectly happy about that. He didn't want to go back, and his instincts wouldn't let him leave Chan anyway. He had this feeling at the back of his mind, like he was going to be a burden because he didn't have as much of the strength that Chan did. He was just happy to have a home with someone who wouldn't treat him like a pet. "Thanks," he said quietly, turning red as his stomach growled loudly.
Chan just chuckled at that, finishing up with Seungmin's cut before going and grabbing him some food.
Just when he thought he couldn't hate humans any more he met Jeongin.
Seungmin shook Chan awake, there was a loud banging on the door and Seungmin thought it was his owner coming to get him. Chan groggily raised an eyebrow at him. Seungmin had been living with him for 6 months, most humans would stop hunting by then. He did pull himself out of bed because the banging wouldn't stop.
All he was going to do was bare his teeth at whatever human was disturbing him, but his expression immediately softened at the boy in front of him. He didn't look like Seungmin or Chan, that led them to believe Jeongin was a class two, not domesticated, but could be if the owner had enough resources. So his story could be anything.
Jeongin visibly softened when he saw two people that were like him. "Help me," he said faintly, looking like he was about to cry.
The two on the other side of the door looked at each other before pulling him inside. Chan immediately checked for injuries, while Seungmin tried to calm the boy down,"What happened?"Seungmin asked, leading him to the couch to sit down.
"They keep trying to take me," Jeongin said, letting his tears fall,"They see me as a pet, but I don't want to be, I don't care if I'm a two." he said, instantly burying his head in Chan's shoulder when he offered. He continued, his voice muffled,"Usually they just try to bribe me off, but then these...men, came and tried to grab me. they almost got me into their truck, but I was able to run away in time."
Chan soothingly rubbed his back, his protective instincts starting to kick in. "You're really brave, you know that? What's your name?"
"Jeongin," He said, if it wasn't for their hearing, they might not have heard him.
"Jeongin, you should get some sleep," Seungmin said, taking him from Chan's hold. "You can room with me," he smiled kindly, guiding the younger into the room Chan had set up for him all those months ago.
He was about to go back to sleep, but another knock on the door forced him to stand up. Chan opened the door quickly, almost pulling it off the hinges. "What?"he said aggressively.
The man at the door just bowed before holding out his hand to shake awkwardly, putting it back when Chan refused to accept it. "Hi I was wondering if you-"
"Not interested, go away." Chan said, closing the door on him.
The man stooped him from closig the door, "Sir lets be civil here. One of my clients wants a more exotic-"
Chan scoffed,"Do you hear yourself? You call me sir and ask me to be polite to someone who wants to treat me like a pet. You know I'm mostly human, so why are you trying to bribe me?"
The man Smirked before lungeing at Chan, knocking him back into the house. Chan easily shoved him back outside, far away from the house, he was stronger and faster than most humans but I guess this dealer forgot that. Chan jumped on top of him, wrapping his hands around his throat, nails digging into the flesh of the mans neck. "I'm not for sale." He growled,"And if you come back i'll draw blood." he emphasized it by tightening his grip.
The man quickly ran away, if he had a tail it'd be between his legs.
Minho didn't have a pure hatred of Humans. He hated how they treated his kind and wanted equal rights and all that stuff, but he loved all the things they had. He had a small apartment as high up as he could get, money to buy things to make his life easier, and they had coffee, the only thing keeping Minho from running away at this point. Most humans just thought of him as a normal cat hybrid, that was until they tried to scare him. He couldn't count how many times he reflexively punched someone, something normal cats don't do.
Minho refused to become someone's pet, he could fend for himself. He had a job at some grocery store, usually he worked in the back but sometimes he worked the register. He hated it because he saw all the class three hybrids walking around, looking at him with jealousy, maybe even some hope, before their owners dragged them away.
The few laws that Hybrids had in their favor still varied among the classes and Minho hated it. Class one and two hybrids could get jobs and live independently, without much stress or paperwork. The thought process behind that was dumb.
If you're not going to be domesticated, try being a functional member of society.
Oh how it pissed them off so much, they're only seen as human when people can't get what they want. They couldn't just live in peace as they were, because the animal side of them was so weak that they still had human needs, wants, and desires. Apparently, humans don't understand that, and treat them worse than actual animals. They just need a group to oppress because equal rights for all people is a concept that most don't like.
Just then a police officer waked in and Minho rolled his eyes, tail waving in annoyance. Sure, he could hide his tail and ears but things like that were his little acts of rebellion. Yes, it does absolutely nothing, but to him, it keeps him from feeling like he's trying to hide who he is.
"Class three's cannot work in these kinds of environments without an owner present." He sighed, clearly just as tired of doing this as Minho was.
Minho just nodded and rang up the next customer,"I know."
"So, where's your owner?" He said in a 'duh' tone, waiting for Minho to hand him some papers or something.
"Have a nice day," Minho said to the customer that was leaving before answering,"I don't have an owner."
He stopped the next person in line from moving up to the register, forcing Minho to look at him,"I'm going to need to see your identification card."
Minho felt himself growing angrier, but took a deep breath to calm calm down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID, handing it over to the cop.
He handed back the card and walked away, going into the store, finally. No apology for holding up the line and wrongfully accusing him whatsoever.
Once his shift for the day was up, he sighed in relief, grabbing his bag from the break room and heading home. He hated walking down the street the most, all the stares he would get, some of hope, some of, pity, some of jealousy, and some of disgust. His instincts said he needed to hide, have the upper hand, and be ready to attack. In reality, he was venerable, alone, and the center of attention.
His apartment wasn't glamorous, it was large enough that it wouldn't cause his natural claustrophobia to kick in but still relatively small. Sometimes he wishes he was just a class 3, they love enclosed spaces, while Minho can't stand them. This makes life difficult for him, he doesn't like elevators, bathroom stalls, storage closets, and most cars. He has to close his eyes to keep his heart rate under control, his fist are always clenched tight to keep from kicking and screaming out of fear.
Minho let out a breath of relief as he slumped down on his couch, throwing his bag next to him. He was about to get up and get ready for bed when he heard yelling from outside.
"Here, kitty," the voice said loudly, not loud enough for humans but he was practically screaming to Minho. He quickly got up and rushed to the window. He saw a boy with orange ears and a tail slowly backing away from a man that was clearly intoxicated. He could see the boy's tail moving anxiously and knew this wouldn't end well.
"Please go away," He said weakly, a small gasp falling from his lips as his back hit the wall. He looked as though he wanted to melt into it.
The man just smirked and pulled him closer,"What's wrong Felix? Isn't this what all you hybrids are good for?" he tilted his head slightly before forcing his lips onto the other's.
At this point Minho was halfway down the fire escape, he'd been looking for someone to punch and now he had a reason. He landed on the ground behind them, clearing his throat to get the man's attention. "Leave him alone," he said calmly.
The man just scoffed and turned around,"And what's a little kitty like you going to do about it?" He looked Minho up and down, laughing slightly.
Minho ran forward, throwing the man off guard, Minho winced as he heard his victim's head hit the brick wall but he quickly got over his pity. He punched the man a few times, probably giving him a black eye and a bloody nose. "If I catch you do shit like this again, I'll do much worse," He said to him. He quickly kicked the man somewhere he'd never forget and practically threw him out of the alleyway.
Minho's eyes were still a deep blue instead of their normal grey, he was panting and the rage of what had just happened hadn't settled yet. He quickly calmed down when he saw Felix flinch away in fear. He waited a few seconds before he spoke,"I'm Minho, do you want to come inside?"
Felix frantically nodded, following Minho back up the fire escape. He was a little clumsier than Minho, climbing up but that was how it was supposed to be. Surprisingly the first thing he asked was,"Why is your bed in the living room?"
Minho smiled slightly at his curiosity before going to the kitchen. "I'm part lynx and they hate enclosed spaces. Do you want something to eat?"
Felix nodded, standing awkwardly outside the kitchen,"thank's for what you did back there," he said, messing with his hands. "that guy, wanted to take me home, since I had just gotten out of the shelter."
"Don't you have to have been there at least 5 times before you're allowed that?" Minho raised a brow curiously.
Felix nodded,"I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do. No one hires class threes, and it's hard to get a job already! It's clear that I can't get adopted either, I'm going to be homeless," he said, starting to cry.
Minho quickly grabbed the younger's shoulders,"listen to me, I'm not going to let you live on the street. You can stay here as long as you like, do you want that?" he asked hopefully.
Felix nodded and wiped his tears away,"you're not going to kick me out?"
"I'm not going to kick you out." Minho reassured. He was actually kind of excited to have a roommate. He was extremely lonely and refused to get close to people. He knew that if he could talk to Felix this easily then maybe his loneliness wouldn't be as extreme.