Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's been years, and Heeseung still hasn't gotten used to this.

It was nearly 1 a.m. when he got the call. Heeseung had already been exhausted by working throughout the day and he was extremely relieved to finally get some shut-eye. But then, he was woken up again by the sound of his phone ringing. Heeseung knew better than to just ignore it.

The local authorities informed him that they had finally raided a building that had been stealing and reselling hybrids to unsuitable owners for months and months. Heeseung had gotten reports of it from people who'd heard about it, and he'd been trying his best to free all of them.

The man on the phone told him to reach the building as soon as he could as they needed an expert on the scene. Heseung had shrugged on a jacket, slipped on a pair of shoes, and ran downstairs to wake up Sunghoon too. 

And now, standing outside the building, he can only brace himself before going in. "Stay here, okay?," he tells Sunghoon. "I'll see what we're dealing with tonight first."

Sunghoon nods, alert and on guard. His black ears stand up straight like his tail as he surveys his surroundings with quick glances. "Got it."

Heeseung quickly steps inside the building. There's officers all around the place and some are escorting the accused men out. Heeseung sees the officer who called him and steps over to him.

The man tells him that most of the hybrids were unfortunately sold or relocated by the men as soon as they heard the building was going to be raided. But he assures Heeseung that they'll find them soon. A few who were rescued are being sent back to the facilities they were stolen from. 

"All of them?," asks Heeseung.

"We found one in the the ringleader's office, which is strange because the rest of them were upstairs in the rooms. We couldn't find out which facility he's from. So we were hoping you could take him in at your center for the time being, Mr. Lee."

Heeseung nods. That's his job after all. "Of course, officer. Where is he?"

The man shows him the way to office, so Heeseung briskly walks to it, already feeling anxious. He tells everyone that he should go in alone as to not scare the hybrid, so they agree.

Heeseung opens the door and steps inside, closing it behind him slowly. He runs his eyes over the space, but doesn't see anything. There's another door to the left which he finds strange, but he doesn't hesitate to open it.

Inside, he finds a small room with a few chairs, a desk, a television, a bed and some leftover food. It looks like a room where the men hung out very often. Right on top of the desk, Heeseung finds what he came for; a cramped cage containing a stolen cat hybrid.

With hushed footsteps, he walks over to it. He has to bend down a little to peer into the cage. Immediately, his heart twists at the sight. The hybrid seems to be asleep, as all the noise from outside couldn't have reached inside the hidden room. He has almost all of his face hidden behind his arms in what can only be described as a defensive sleeping position. He's curled up into a ball in the small space, having no room to move his legs.

Heeseung can only see his black hair, white cat ears and an equally white and fluffy tail curled around his thigh. He's only wearing a thin sweater and a pair of shorts, the clothes not nearly enough to keep him warm in such a cold month. 

The cage isn't locked, which means it was recently opened just before the building was raided. As quietly as he can, Heeseung reaches forward to open it. The creaky noise makes the hybrid's right ear twitch. Heeseung winces when the creaking only gets louder the more he opens the cage.

It's almost fully opened when the hyrbid's half-closed eyes peek out from behind his arms. As soon as they land on Heeseung, they widen and he backs up as much as the cage allows him to. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Heeseung says as gently as he can as he raises his hands up. 

The hybrid hisses at him from behind his arms, but it's a weak and quiet sound that only makes Heeseung even more sad for him. The hybrid's chest rises and falls with quick breaths, giving away how alarmed and frightened he is. 

"It's okay," Heeseung repeats, extending his hand for the hybrid to smell. "I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

Extremely cautious and unnerved, the hyrbid keeps looking at Heeseung's hand for a moment with his big, deep blue eyes, emitting another hiss when his hand gets too close. Heeseung wonders what he's gone through to be this wary and scared of strangers. 

"Don't worry," Heeseung assures calmly, keeping his voice down. "It's alright. I won't hurt you."

Finally, the hybrid begins to raise his head from behind his arms, revealing round cheeks, pink lips and pale skin. And now Heeseung can see why he's in here instead of the upstair rooms like the other hybrids. He's absolutely beyond ethereal. 

The hyrbid leans forward a little to sniff Heeseung's hand. His cold nose ghosts over his knuckles for a moment before he looks up at him and back away again. His posture relaxes a little, his ears stand straight instead of being folded back over his head, and he doesn't hide his face again. All good signs. 

"You can calm down now. You're going to be okay," Heeseung says with a smile he hopes is comforting for him. 

The hybrid remains quiet as he keeps staring at Heeseung with his shiny eyes. He still looks unsure and unsettled, but not as scared as before. Heeseung's scent was unthreatening to him, making him a little less wary of him. 

"This place hasn't been treating you well, right? You must have gone through a lot. But it's gonna be okay now that I've found you. What do you say? Wanna get out of here with me?," he asks, bending down even more to be at eye level with the hyrbid. 

He nibbles on his bottom lip, his tail curling tighter around his thigh in thought. 

"You'll be safe with me. I promise. Let me help you. You can trust me," Heeseung says. "It's a cold but pretty night out. Don't you wanna see for yourself?," He backs away to give him space if he wants to get out.

The hyrbid's eyes snap up to him again at the mention of going outside. After a few seconds, he nods his head timidly. 

Slowly, he crawls out of the cage. "I'll carry you out, okay? Is that fine?," Heeseung asks softly. It'll be better if he doesn't see so many people outside. It'll freak him out and make him even more anxious than he already is.

The hyrbid meets his gaze for a second and nods again. Gently, Heeseung hooks an arm under his knees and puts the other behind his back to lift him up. The hybrid sucks in a sharp breath and fists his hands in Heeseung's jacket tightly. His tail quickly wraps around his leg again. 

"I'll explain everything when we get out of here," he tells him. "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."

The hybrid lets out a quivering breath and clenches his eyes shut as he leans his forehead against Heeseung's chest. The action makes Heeseung's heart ache. He must be immensely distressed and unsure of what's to come, but he's still choosing to trust him. 

Heeseung can feel him shake in his arms as he carries him out to the lobby. As soon as all the noise outside reaches his ears, he tenses up immediately but keeps his eyes shut. 

"Got him. I'll take him to the center. He's gonna be okay," Heeseung tells the officer when he sees him outside.

"Ask him which facility he's from when he feels a little better, alright? He must be really shaken up right now. Poor thing," he says with a tsk as he looks at the hybrid who's clinging onto Heeseung tightly.

Heeseung tells him he will and walks out of the building briskly. He lets out a breath once they're outside. "You can open your eyes now," he says, looking down at the hyrbid. 

He slowly opens up his eyes and tilts his head up. A soft gasp leaves him when he gazes at the sky filled with distantly twinkling stars. His big blue eyes glimmer brightly, wide and amazed.

Heeseung smiles, looking up at the sky too. "Pretty, right?," he asks, making the hyrbid nod.

"What do we have here?"

Heeseung looks to the side, seeing Sunghoon walk up to them with a smile. He bends down to meet the surprised hybrid's gaze. "Hi there."

"We'll be taking him in for now, Hoon," Heeseung says. "This is Sunghoon. You can trust him," he tells the tensed up hybrid.

Sunghoon extends his hand, letting him sniff it. He does, but he looks more interested in Sunghoon's ears and sharp canines as he looks up at him. Sunghoon, being hyrbid himself, is great at keeping their rescues calm and relaxed. He's a tall, strong and effortlessly charming doberman hybrid who helps Heeseung at the center in various ways that a human can't.

"Nice to meet you, kitty. I hope we can get along well," Sunghoon says, giving his cheek a quick pat that makes him jump a little. 

"We'll be heading to my center. It's not too far away from here. I'll tell you all about it when we get there," Heeseung says as he carries the hybrid to his car to usher him in the backseat. He takes off his jacket to drape it over his shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

The hybrid keeps looking at him with his shiny eyes as he closes the door and stands outside to talk to Sunghoon for a minute.

"Wow," Sunghoon breathes out. 

"I know, right?," Heeseung agrees, sighing heavily.

"How long do you think he's been here?," Sunghoon asks, glancing back at the hybrid who's now fiddling with Heeseung's jacket. 

"Months, probably," Heeseung answers. "They were waiting for the highest bid they could get. I mean just look at him, Hoon. He's so different from other cat hybrids. He must've been trained to be sold for millions."

"You're right, hyung. I can't imagine how they managed to steal him," Sunghoon says, shaking his head. "He looks so sad and scared. I hope he'll settle in well."

"Let's head back to the center," Heeseung says. "He needs to calm down and rest first."

"Sure, hyung," Sunghoon agrees.

They try to make the hyrbid talk all the way to the center, but he doesn't say anything or even let out a sound. He only looks out the window, gazing at the shops, buildings, streetlights, billboards and signs they pass by. 

Most cat hybrids are not like this. Heeseung has been working with them for years to know they're immediately curious about their surroundings and the people they meet. They touch, poke and smell everything they see and usually talk his ears off when they first meet him.

But this one's completely quiet, listless and full of apprehension. He's not even moving anything else other than his head to gaze out the window. His fingers occasionally brush over Heeseung's jacket, but that's it. It's like he doesn't want to do anything wrong or draw any attention to himself. 

Heeseung knows it's going to be hard to make him come out of his shell, but he's sure he can help him. It's what he does best. 

After a few more minutes of driving, they finally reach the center. Heeseung gets out of the car and opens the door for the hyrbid. He startles at the sound and looks up at him with those same wide, anxious eyes.

"Come on. Let's get you inside," he says as he hauls the hybrid up in his arms again, making him emit a mostly muted gasp. 

"You're gonna like it here, kitty," Sunghoon says cheerily as he unlocks the main door and pushes it open. "You'll feel at home in no time."

Heeseung hums in agreement as he carries him inside. Sunghoon turns only a few lights on. They don't want to disturb or wake up anyone else at this hour. It'll be total chaos if they find out there's a newcomer here right now.

The hybrid looks around warily. There's the reception desk, a few chairs and couches, and the rooms to the left and Heeseung's office to the right. His nose twitches as he looks towards the multiple rooms, probably picking up on everyone's scents. 

"I'm gonna take you upstairs to my room," Heeseung tells him. "You can meet everyone tomorrow." He looks at Sunghoon and smiles gratefully. He's always such a big help on nights like these. "You should go rest now, Hoon. I'll take it from here. You did very well today. Thank you." If his hands weren't full, he would've given him a well-deserved pet on the head. 

Sunghoon smiles, happy at the praise. "See you tomorrow then, kitty," he says to the hybrid before walking over to his own room. 

"Everyone here is just as nice as Sunghoon," Heeseung tells the hybrid as he takes him upstairs. "You can trust us. You'll be safe here."

He reaches the room and opens the door, carrying the hyrbid inside. He runs his gaze around briskly, taking everything in. The new sights, smells and small sounds must be a lot to process right now, but he's doing quite well, surprisingly enough. 

"I'm gonna put you down now, okay?," Heeseung says, making him look up at him again. He waits until he nods once before he lets him down. "You can go take a warm shower and after that, you can maybe eat something and go to sleep."

He'd already put some warm clothes in the bathroom before leaving. They don't have any scents on them to help the hybrid scent them himself. Heeseung shows him where the bathroom is, so he nods again and scuttles inside, closing and locking the door behind him. 

After a few minutes, he hears the shower running, so he lets out a heavy breath and throws himself on the bed after taking his shoes off. All his previous exhaustion has left him, making way for nervousness and a new kind of stress. 

Heeseung doesn't know how long it'll take to make him trust him and open up to him. He'll try his best to be patient and understanding, but the sooner the hybrid trusts him, the sooner he can help him.

He was definitely stolen from a facility that sells only the most well-trained and exclusive hyrbrids that are supposed to be the perfect companions for humans, personalized to be exactly what their owners want them to be like. It seems like this hybrid was already being trained to belong to a specific buyer. Seeing how beautiful and unique he is, he was definitely going to be sold at a price Heeseung can't even fathom. 

He isn't completely against such facilities, as they're way better than average breeders, brothel runners or just straight up bad owners. Facilities have expert and highly trained caretakers whose sole purpose is to look after hybrids in every way. Still, the thought of it all makes Heeseung's skin crawl sometimes. They don't exactly see hyrbids as living breathing creatures with personalities and interests of their own. They simply train them to be what their buyers want. It just seems really exploitative to Heeseung. 

After about half an hour, he hears the bathroom door unlock. The hybrid slowly walks out without looking at Heeseung who has to bite back a smile at the sight. Because of his lithe frame, the clothes are a bit big on him, making him look even more small. His ears, hair and tail are damp so he so keeps shaking them to get the water out. 

He pads over to Heeseung and hands him his jacket, only glancing at him for a second. 

Heeseung takes it with a smile and puts it aside. "Feeling better?," he asks. The hybrid only flicks his tail before tucking it between his legs, meaning he's still anxious. "Would you like to eat something?," he questions gently.

He thinks over it for only a second before he shakes his head. Heeseung knows a hungry hybrid when he sees one, but he doesn't push him. He might not be able to stomach anything right now.

"That's okay," Heeseung says easily. "You can just try and get some sleep. It's been a long night, huh?" He gets up and unfolds the covers, waiting for the hyrbid to sit down. Hesitant and jittery, he takes a seat and slowly hauls his legs up. No matter how nervous he is, the idea of a warm place to sleep is just too tempting to ignore.

As soon as he sits down, Heeseung buries him under the heavy covers, making his eyes widen a bit. "See? Isn't that nice? It's way too cold tonight. I should get the heating in here checked out," Heeseung muses out loud to fill the silence as it seems to somewhat ease the hybrid. "These days, staying in bed is way better than anything else the world outside has to offer."

The hybrid timidly scoots back against the pillows. His ears, which had been straight and alert, slowly bend forward a little in a relaxed manner. 

"Do you want me to stay with you or would you like to be alone? I'll be totally okay with whatever makes you feel more comfortable," Heeseung says, adjusting the covers around the hyrbid's legs. 

He doesn't take long to think Heeseung's question over. He shakes his head again, glancing at Heeseung briefly. 

"You want me to stay?," Heeseung asks, earning an almost shy nod from him. "Then I'll stay," he says with a soft smile. He sits across him and crosses his legs. The hybrid looks fairly calm now, but an occasional shudder still courses through his body. 

"All of this must be lot to take in right now, isn't it?," Heeseung asks, keeping his voice low and soft. "But you don't have to be scared. For now, just relax and get some rest. You're gonna need it. This place isn't this quiet in the morning," he tells him with a chuckle. 

He just nods apprehensively, but seems to be listening to Heeseung attentively as his ears are pointed forward towards him. The keep flicking every few seconds as they're still damp and must be feeling heavy. They're white as snow and look ridiculously soft and fluffy. All Heeseung wants to do is give them a scratch and pet his head to oblivion, but they have a long way to go before he can start testing the waters. Sunghoon is way better in the physical touch department anyway. 

"We can you give you a proper tour and introduction tomorrow. You can say hi to everyone else yourself if you want to. I'm sure they'll be very excited to see someone new here. Especially Jake. He goes completely nuts for cat hybrids. He's a golden retriever hybrid, so you can pretty much guess what he's like," Heeseung says with a fond smile. 

He can already imagine Jake losing his mind as soon as he sees the hyrbid's fluffy ears and tail. Needless to say, he's the friendliest and well, noisiest dog hybrid at the center. He could be a little too much for the already on edge hybrid, but he could also be the one to make him open up sooner.

The hybrid nods again, looking sleepier and sleepier by the second. Whenever his eyes begin fluttering shut, he quickly opens them up again to look at Heeseung as he talks.

"But you should stick close to Sunghoon first. He'll help you adjust well. He takes care of everyone around here even better than me. We have different volunteers and helpers over everyday, so you'll see a lot of new faces and meet a lot of new people very often. But if you ever feel too overwhelmed, you can come here, go to Sunghoon's room or just stay in my office. We'll never force you or push you to be comfortable with something you're not while you're here. Everyone has a say in everything," Heeseung explains, making the hybrid's eyes shine in wonder. He looks much more calm now as he's close to sleeping. He burrows further down in the covers, looking at Heeseung imploringly to hear more of what he has to say. 

"Oh, and there's a big outdoor area too. But it's a pretty noisy place as everyone prefers it over their rooms. Do you like being outside too?," Heeseung asks. The hybrid thinks for a moment before he shakes his head, albeit unsurely, like can't make up his mind.

Heeseung laughs softly. "I can understand. I'd much rather stay in and play video games. But I'm usually really busy, so it's not something I get to do very often. Maybe we can play together someday."

The hybrid nods sleepily, nearly asleep now. Heeseung keeps talking about whatever comes to his mind until he's sure he's sleeping. He scoots forward and tugs the cover up to his shoulders.

Cat hybrids don't usually feel safe sleeping around someone they just met, so he must be extremely exhausted to have fallen asleep without intending too. That must be why he wanted Heeseung to keep talking to him, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect. 

Heeseung is sure he's going to remain asleep til late in the morning, so he leaves the room to go downstairs to his office to begin writing his case file. That's when he realizes he doesn't even know his name or age.  

Heeseung sighs and runs a hand over his face tiredly before resting his head down on the desk. Perhaps the hardest part of his job is dealing with the emotional aspect of it. Seeing hybrids still be treated so cruelly almost every single day really takes a toll on him. 

All he can do is hope the hybrid feels better soon. He seems to be such a shy, gentle and sweet cat, just quietly going along with what Heeseung is saying like he doesn't even have the energy to do anything else.

It's extremely sad, but it also gives him a little hope that he'll begin trusting him soon. 

-

Heeseung wakes up to a finger tapping his nose. 

He wrinkles it up nose and brushes his hand against it, his eyes still closed. It stops for a moment, before the finger returns again, tapping his nose more incessantly. 

Heeseung groans, wondering why his bed feels so hard all the sudden. "Ten more minutes, Jake," he sighs. 

"Heeseung-hyung, you fell asleep in your office again," says a bright voice with a brighter giggle. 

Heeseung gets up and blearily looks around, seeing that he's indeed in his office. There's a blank case file in front of him. Jake, who'd so nicely woken him up is sitting right on his desk and looking at him with his usual happy smile. 

"Jeez," Heeseung breathes out, running a hand through his hair. "I really need to get it together, don't I?"

Jake laughs again, looking as active and hyper as ever. "Sunghoon told me to come get you. He saw you earlier in the morning too, but he let you sleep in. But he says you need to eat your breakfast now. I already ate mine. It was so good. I love bacon. What are you gonna eat, hyung? Can I join you?," he rambles, leaning closer to Heeseung until their noses almost touch. 

"Let me wake up first," Heeseung says through a laugh as he stretches his arms. "I had a rough night."

Jake's smile immediately turns into a frown. "What? Why? What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. But you have to promise to listen to me well, alright?"

Jake nods quickly, looking determined and attentive. "I will, hyung," he says. "Also, I can smell someone new. Do we have a new hybrid? Is it a cat? It is, isn't it? Can I see? Where is—"

"You'll meet him soon," Heeseung assures as he gets up and begins leading Jake out. Outside, everyone's already awake and doing their own thing. Some hyrbids are still eating breakfast while some are already outside playing or napping. "I think he's still asleep. I'll go check up on him, okay? Then I'll see if he feels like meeting everyone right now. You'll have to be very careful with him. He might still be ready overwhelmed and stressed out."

Jake makes a sympathetic sound. "Oh no. Is he okay?" 

"He will be," Heeseung says with a smile, petting Jake's head gently. He tells him to go back to what he was doing before he begins making his way upstairs. 

It's nearly 11 in the morning but he thinks the hybrid is still asleep. He reaches the room and quietly opens the door. Sure enough, he's still buried under the covers and fast asleep. He has his face hidden behind his arms again, but it's mostly visible. He looks really cozy and warm, so Heeseung lets him be. 

He pulls out a fresh change of clothes from his closet and goes over to the bathroom to shower. He sees that the hybrid had left the clothes he was wearing when he found him on the counter. They're folded neatly and sitting in the corner. Heeseung can't help but smile as the sight is oddly cute and endearing. 

After he's done showering and getting dressed, he walk out of the bathroom, seeing the hybrid still asleep. It's only when Heeseung's moving stuff around on the dresser to find his watch that he hears him shuffling around.

Heeseung looks over his shoulder, seeing him stretch his limbs languidly with his eyes squeezed shut. His ears give a little twitch in Heeseung's direction before he squints open his eyes. 

"Good morning," Heeseung says with a smile, watching him look around in mild confusion. "Did you sleep well?"

The hybrid looks at him, seemingly remembering everything. His puzzled expression relaxes, now turning a little abashed as he slowly sits up. He nods, glancing at Heeseung briefly. 

"That's good. I hope you're feeling a little bit better now," he says as he finally finds his watch as fastens it around his wrist. "Go wash up quickly, okay? Then we can go downstairs and have breakfast together. Sunghoon never eats without me, so he must be waiting too." 

The hybrid nods again and gets out of the bed. He pauses briefly when he looks at the door. His ears twitch again as he hears all the unfamiliar voices coming from downstairs. He begins walking towards the bathroom, but stops. Then he comes back to Heeseung, quickly bows in greeting and heads to the bathroom again. Heeseung laughs under his breath and shakes his head. 

When they begin heading downstairs together, all the noise make the hybrid's steps hesitate. Heeseung looks at him and smiles gently. "Don't worry. You don't have to meet everyone right away," he says. "Let's eat first and think about everything else later."

He nods and sticks close to Heeseung as he leads him to the kitchen where they see Sunghoon.

"Oh, finally," he sighs. "I thought you'd show up at dinner," he says. 

"And I'm surprised you woke up so early after last night," Heeseung says, sitting the hybrid down at the table gently. 

"You know how Jake is, hyung. He was in my room at eight to wake me up," Sunghoon tells him as he helps him set the table. "Morning, kitty," he greets with a smile. "You feeling alright?"

The hybrid nods once, looking slightly alarmed at the food that just keeps coming and coming. Heeseung doesn't know what he likes, so he just puts a bit of everything on the table to give him all the options. 

"Eat up well," Heeseung says as he's and Sunghoon sit down at the table too. "Then you can decide if you wanna go outside or back to mine or Sunghoon's room."

The hybrid nods again. He keeps looking down at the food silently before he hesitantly reaches forward to pick up the bowlful of berries and begins nibbling on them slowly. 

Heeseung holds back a sigh of relief and begins eating too. "I totally forgot to introduce myself last night," he says with a smile. "I'm Lee Heeseung, and I'm twenty-two years old. I own and run this hybrid care center with Sunghoon. It's been almost five whole years since I started this job. We rescue hybrids from brothels or neglectful and unfit owners and take care of them until they can go back to their facilities or be taken in by new owners." 

"Tell him about how you found me, hyung," Sunghoon requests eagerly, his tail tapping Heeseung's arm softly. 

"Hoon was my first rescue," Heeseung tells the hybrid who's listening to him attentively with wide, eager eyes. "I rescued him from breeders when I was only fifteen years old. We've been friends ever since. I couldn't have done all this without him," he says, scratching Sunghoon behind his ears softly and making his tail wag happily. "You can count on him for anything."

Sunghoon preens and nods. "Just come to me whenever you need anything. I'm always here to help." 

The hybrid looks at him and nods, picking out and eating all the raspberries from the bowl. "Can you tell us your name?," he asks the hybrid.

He looks down silently for a moment. Quietly, he mumbles, "Jungwon." 

"That's a pretty name. It really suits you," he says with a smile. The hybrid's voice is soft and sweet, making him wish he can hear more of it. "How old are you?" 

"Nineteen," he answers. After finishing all the raspberries, he begins separating the blueberries next. 

"That's cool. You'll fit right in. Most hybrids here are around that age. In fact, you're older than almost half of them," Sunghoon says brightly. 

"Right," Heeseung agrees. "I really think you'll like it here, Jungwon. This was just a small place when we first started it. But slowly, we managed to build it to be bigger and better. Like I said, you won't be forced to do anything you don't to here. If there's something that's bothering you, or if there's something you want to share with us, you can do so freely. You can talk to me, Hoon or any other hybrid you want to befriend."

Jungwon nods sheepishly. "Okay," he says shortly.

"I wish I could spend more time with you today, but I have somewhere to be," Heeseung says, standing up.

"Where are you going?," Sunghoon asks curiously, leaning into Heeseung's hand when he strokes his head lovingly. 

"Home," Heeseung answers. "Take care of everything for me, okay? I'll try to be back soon."

Sunghoon nods with a smile, earning another soft pet. "Okay, hyung. See you later then."

"I hope you have a good day, Jungwon," Heeseung says, smiling at the hybrid who's looking at him expectantly for some reason. "Remember, don't feel pressured to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. Stay with Hoon or go back upstairs to my room if you want to rest."

Jungwon nods, deflating a little when Heeseung just smiles again and leaves the kitchen. 

"He's always so busy," Sunghoon tells Jungwon, watching him looking at the door through which Heeseung just left. "He works really hard, so he has very little time to visit his family. I think he'll spend the day with them."

Jungwon lets out a tiny hum, continuing to eat the berries slowly. Sunghoon looks at him with a smile. He's seen a lot of cat hybrids before, but there's something so different about him. He wishes he would talk more, but knows that he needs more time to feel comfortable enough. "When you're done eating, we can go out and introduce you to everyone. Does that sound alright?"

Jungwon looks at him for a moment before he nods, much to his surprise. "Yes," he answers.

"I'm guessing Heeseung-hyung already told you about Jake," Sunghoon says. Jungwon nods again. "He's the first hybrid we introduce our rescues to. He's always the most curious out of everyone else. It's practically impossible to keep anyone hidden from him. Just don't let him convince you to sneak out. Or you'll get into big trouble with Heeseung-hyung. You don't want that, do you?"

Jungwon quickly shakes his head, his shiny eyes widening a little. "Good," Sunghoon says. "Only a few hybrids besides me can go outside. It's not exactly safe, you know that, right?"

Jungwon looks down sullenly, seemingly done with eating. The bowl is empty when Sunghoon sees it. 

"Would you like anything else?," Sunghoon asks. Jungwon only looks at the water, so Sunghoon pours him a glass which he finishes too. "Everyone eats lunch around one, but you can just tell me when you feel hungry. Okay?"

"Okay," Jungwon mumbles, making Sunghoon smile again. He didn't know a voice could sound so cute.

"Let's go out then," he says as he stands up. He thinks about offering Jungwon his hand, but decides against, not wanting to overwhelm him. Starting with small touches would be better. 

Slowly, Jungwon stands up too and follows him outside to the outdoor area. It's a wide space with plenty of room for everyone. As soon as Sunghoon steps out, all eyes fall on him and Jungwon. 

"Hoon, hey!," Jake calls out, waving his hand. He runs over to him and his eyes immediately go comically wide when they land on Jungwon who's now trying to hide behind Sunghoon. "Kitty!," he squeals, garnering everyone's attention too and making them run over to Sunghoon as well with eager eyes. 

"Everyone, this is Jungwon. He's gonna be living here with us now. Be really gentle with him, okay? He's very quiet and shy so don't be too loud or crazy around him and scare him off," Sunghoon states clearly, making everyone nod except Jake who's trying to catch a peek at Jungwon from behind Sunghoon. Sunghoon glances back at him and smiles encouragingly. "Go on. Say hi," he says, putting a soft hand on his back. 

Jungwon hesitantly steps out from behind Sunghoon and bows his head. "Hi," he says shortly, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Jake nearly screams again. "Hi, Jungwon! I'm Jake. It's really nice to meet you! I love your ears and your tail and your eyes and your nose. You're so pretty!," he rambles, his tail swishing behind him at a speed faster than light. "Do you have claws? Can I see?"

Jungwon shakes his head sadly and his ears droop down, making Sunghoon frown. It must be the doing of the men who stole him. They must've cut them in case Jungwon decided to use them. 

"Oh," Jake says, looking a little confused. "Do you have sharp teeth like me?" Jungwon shakes his head. "Well..can you hiss? Or growl?"

Jungwon thinks it over before he slowly shakes his head again. "I don't want to," he mumbles.

"Um..can you meow then?," asks Jake.

Jungwon is silent for a moment before he lets out the tiniest little mew. Sunghoon's sure his heart melts.

Jake coos loudly and proceeds to tackle Jungwon to the ground, making everyone else join in too. Jungwon lets out a startled squeak, flailing helplessly to escape. Jake excitedly sniffs at Jungwon's neck and behind his ears, making him squeeze his eyes shut with a quiet, distressed whine.

"Woah, woah! That's a little too much now. I told you to be gentle," Sunghoon tsks. He bends down and helps Jungwon up. He's breathing heavily and his ears have folded down against his head defensively. 

"Sorry," Jake laughs, not sounding sorry at all. "Come on, Jungwon! I'll show you around." He takes Jungwon's hand and begins pulling him his way. He looks back at Sunghoon with wide, panicked eyes as Jake happily leads him away. 

Sunghoon just smiles amusedly and lets them be. Jake may be a bit too much for Jungwon to handle, but being with him could also be good for him. If Heeseung was here right now, he would've told Jake to leave Jungwon alone, but Sunghoon knows interactions like these are necessary for hybrids as closed up as Jungwon. If he keeps avoiding everyone, he'll take even longer to open up and talk more. 

Deciding that Jake will take it from here, Sunghoon goes back to his room to get some well-needed sleep. He doesn't need to worry about oversleeping. Jake will most definitely wake him up at lunchtime. 

-

"So, what do think, Jungwon? It's a nice place, isn't it?," Jake asks as they reach the entrance of the center. The idea of leaving the doors always been extremely tempting to him, but he resists the urge. 

Jungwon nods, looking kind of weary and out of breath for some reason. Well, maybe because Jake tackled him out of nowhere everytime he did something cute or said even a single word. He's just so adorable to Jake, he literally can't help it. 

Jungwon is extremely quiet and reserved, just like Sunghoon told him. But he has the most expressive eyes Jake as ever seen, which make it easy for him to tell what he's thinking right away. 

"I'm sure you'll love it here, even if it can get a little bit boring sometimes," Jake says. "Heeseung-hyung said I'll be able to leave when he finds the right owner for me. I've been waiting for months. I really, really like living here, but being able to go out would be fun too."

Jungwon hums quietly but pensively. 

"It'd be so nice to have someone you'll be able to live with and love forever. And get loved in return. Heeseung-hyung said we have to be compatible with each other, otherwise we won't be able to adjust well. It's the reason so many hybrids are sent here. They get sold to the wrong owners who don't treat them well," Jake tells him, thinking about the house he came from. It's not something he wants to talk about too much so he smiles and changes the topic.

"Anyways, it's time for lunch," he says, tugging Jungwon over to Sunghoon's room. "Let's go and wake Hoon up. The volunteers will be here soon too."

"Volunteers?," Jungwon repeats, stumbling behind him.

"Heeseung-hyung doesn't keep any permanent staff here. He says he can't trust anybody too much. So he only accepts daily helpers and volunteers to come and lend him and Sunghoon a hand. We get to meet so many new people everyday! But..it doesn't really seem like your thing, right?," Jake asks. 

As expected, Jungwon shakes his head. "Right."

"Hey, speaking of lunch, what do you like to eat, Jungwon?," Jake asks curiously. 

Jungwon remains silent for a moment as he thinks. "Everything?," says diffidently. 

Jake laughs brightly. "I totally get that."

They reach Sunghoon's room and Jake opens the door without any hesitation and throws himself of Sunghoon's bed. "Lunchtime!," he yells at the top of his lungs, making Jungwon jump. 

Sunghoon groans, blindly petting Jake's head. "Alright, alright," he breathes out. He tries to sit up, but Jake just begins hugging him instead when he sees how warm he feels. "Won't you let me get up first?"

"Oh!," Jake exclaims, letting him go. "Come on! I need to find him what Jungwon likes the most," he says, pulling on Sunghoon's arm to make him get up. 

Sunghoon yawns and stretches, letting Jake pull him out of bed. He looks at Jungwon who's still standing in the doorway and smiles sleepily. "Hey, kitty. Having a good day so far?," he asks. Jungwon nods, following him and Jake out.

"I gave him a tour of the entire center. And I told him about the volunteers. But I don't think he'll like being around so many people. So can we eat in the kitchen? Or in my room?," Jake asks, his tail wagging slowly in anticipation. 

"Sure, I don't see why not," Sunghoon says easily, making Jake grin and hug him again. 

"Thank you!," he says happily, dragging an already worn-out Jungwon to the kitchen before he can even process what's going on. 

In the kitchen, Jake begins pulling everything out of the fridge to dump it on the counter, making Jungwon's eyes widen in surprise.

"Heeseung-hyung told me to try a bit of everything when it was my first day here. I'd only ever eaten meat before, so I didn't even know what anything else tasted like. I still like meat the most, but I also really like rice, bread and cake," Jake tells Jungwon. 

Jake begins with giving Jungwon a few more berries to ease him in when he tells him that's what he had for breakfast. Jungwon eats the raspberries first, then the blueberries, strawberries, and lastly the cranberries. For the rest of the fruit, Jungwon only likes grapes and the cherries. He looks mildly interested in the mango yogurt, but Jake doesn't think he should give him any dairy stuff without asking Heeseung or Sunghoon. So far, Jungwon likes bread with strawberry jam, cherry tomatoes, carrots, blueberry muffins, and surprisingly, lettuce leaves. 

It's when Jake makes him try meat that Jungwon really gets interested. His tail gives a few excited swishes behind him when Jake puts it all in front of him. He likes pork, he loves beef, he's scarfs down the chicken and he doesn't even seem to chew the tuna before he practically inhales it. 

"Hey, I was wondering..what happened to your claws?," Jake wonders out loud when Jungwon's finished eating. "Don't get me wrong! You're really pretty without them too! I was just curious about why you don't have them."

Jungwon doesn't meet his inquisitive gaze. He looks kinda sad all of a sudden, making Jake regret asking. It must be something he doesn't want to share with anyone yet. 

Before Jungwon can answer, Sunghoon walks in, making them turn their heads. He pauses when he sees the absolute mess they've made on the counter. He sighs and crosses his arms. "Jake?," he voices. 

Jake grins sheepishly. "Yes?," he squeaks.

Sunghoon should make him clean up like Heeseung would, but he doesn't feel like being too stern today. "Go eat your lunch outside, okay? I think Jungwon needs a little break now."

Jake lets out a sad sound but nods and gets up to leave the kitchen. "Alright," he mumbles. "Can I see him later?"

"Of course," Sunghoon says and pats his head when he walks past him. Jake waves at Jungwon with and impish smile before leaving. 

Sunghoon tsks and shakes his head as he walks up to the counter to begin cleaning up. "What am I gonna do with him? He's such a troublemaker," he says. "Did you eat already?," he asks.

Jungwon nods and attempts to help him, but it's more of just him picking up and eating things that smell good to him. Sunghoon smiles and lets him. In a way, he's cleaning up too.

"What were you two talking about?," Sunghoon asks, putting back some things in the fridge. Jungwon shrugs, nibbling on the few lettuce leaves left. "I'm assuming Jake did most of the talking then," he chuckles. "He seems really happy and cheerful all the time, but he's had a pretty rough past."

Jungwon looks up at him, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. 

"He was from a normal facility, nothing too big or high-end. But he got sold at a pretty young age. Then he got resold by humans multiple times. He's never known what a normal, stable life is like. We found him almost ten months ago. His owners were pretty neglectful and obviously didn't know how to take care of him. So we took him in. He was actually really quiet when he first came here. But he opened up almost immediately in only two days," Sunghoon tells Jungwon who's listening to him with wide eyes, his head titled to the side a little. 

"Everyone has stuff they can never forget or get over. Even me. But we can still try and make the most out of our lives despite our pasts. I don't know what you went through, but I can assure you that you're going to be okay now that you're here," he says with a smile. 

Jungwon averts his gaze and remains silent, but Sunghoon can see that he really understands what he's trying to tell him. 

Sunghoon finishes up with cleaning and lets out a conclusive sound. "There," he says. "I'm sure Jake tired you out. Do you wanna take a nap?"

Jungwon looks at him with a faint frown. "What about you?," he asks in his soft voice. 

"I'll eat later, don't worry. I'm not really hungry. I'll get you settled in my room, then I'll go help out the volunteers. I'll eat after that," Sunghoon says. "Let's go."

Jungwon trails after Sunghoon out the kitchen. When all the noises from outside reach his sensitive ears, he sticks close to him, almost glued to his back. It's endearing to know that he has already began to trust him and sees him as someone who can protect him and keep him safe. But Sunghoon also hopes he can stop being so scared and hesitant to make some more friends. 

"Here we are," Sunghoon announces as they enter his room. He leads Jungwon inside and closes the door so it's quieter. He would've taken him upstairs to Heeseung's room, but he feels more comfortable keeping him close to himself for now.

Sunghoon is the only hybrid who gets his own room, as he works here as well. It's a well established fact that he's an authoritative figure at the center. 

As soon as he has Jungwon settled in his bed, the hybrid's eyes start getting droopy. "You can sleep here for as long as you want," Sunghoon tells him. "I'll be right outside if you need me. Okay, kitty?"

Jungwon nods, but he looks like he wants to say something. He gazes at Sunghoon with his gleaming eyes, as if waiting for him to understand what he means. 

"Do you want me to stay?," Sunghoon asks, surprised. 

Jungwon is nodding before he has even finished his question. Sunghoon has to be outside to make sure everything's going well with the volunteers. But making sure Jungwon isn't uneasy or feeling unsafe is also his responsibility that Heeseung entrusted him with.

"Sure. Whatever you want," Sunghoon says with a smile. He walks up to bed and gets in beside Jungwon, making his eyes widen a little. He keeps his distance, but he also stays close enough to let the hybrid know that physical closeness isn't always a threat. 

Sunghoon props his elbow up on the pillow and leans his hand against his fist as he turns on his side to face Jungwon. He really is a sight for sore eyes. If his irresistibly fluffy ears weren't cute enough, his glistening blue eyes and soft looking cheeks just top it all of, making him adorable yet immensely pretty at the same time. Sunghoon's sure he's going to be very popular among volunteers and also potential owners once he's ready to come out of his shell. 

Their proximity makes Jungwon visibly nervous but he gets eased in surprisingly quickly. 

"So, what do you think, kitty? Could you settle in well here?," Sunghoon asks, keeping his voice soft.

Jungwon nods once, albeit unsurely. Which is fine, considering this is just his first day. Most hyrbids take at least three or five days to get fully comfortable. Jungwon seems like he won't take any less than a whole month. 

"It's pretty overwhelming, right? But don't worry. You can take your time. No need to rush or push yourself if you don't want to," Sunghoon says gently. 

Jungwon nods again. He curls up and puts his arms under his head, cozying up. 

"You know, when Heeseung-hyung first took me in, I was just as scared and quiet as you are. In fact, I was even kinda aggressive and violent at times," Sunghoon tells him, recalling the first few days he spent with Heeseung. "I didn't know if I could really trust him. I thought he'd hurt me too. But I soon realized that he only wanted to help me. He gave me my space, and made sure I knew he was someone I could trust. He's a really good person, Jungwon. I know you must be wary of humans, but Heeseung-hyung is different. He'll do anything he can to keep you safe and happy. You can trust him and talk to him about anything that's on your mind."

Jungwon listens to him silently, taking in every word. 

"He should be back by six, I think. You can sleep til then if you want. He'll be here when you wake up." 

Jungwon hums, closing his eyes. Sunghoon thinks about reaching forward to stroke a hand between his ears, or maybe give him a brief pet, but he doesn't know if he'll be okay with that. So he decides not to. Maybe it's best to wait until Jungwon seeks out physical touch himself. That way, Sunghoon will know if it's something he's open to. 

Soon enough, Jungwon begins dozing off, so Sunghoon quietly leaves the room and closes the door behind him. Already, he can tell that Jungwon is slowly but surely making a room in his heart. 

-

As soon as Heeseung takes a step inside the center, he's greeted by at least twenty excited hybrids. 

He doesn't even know whose head he's petting and whose ears he's scratching as he walks in with a fond laugh. 

Eventually, he manages to give everyone the attention they demand and goes to find Sunghoon. But as soon as he takes a step in the direction of his room, an all too familiar squeal reaches his ears and he's being tackled to the ground before he can brace himself.

"Hyung, you're finally back!," Jake yells, hugging him tight enough to knock the breath out of his lungs. 

"Yup, I'm here," Heeseung chokes out, patting Jake's back. "You're squeezing my ribs, Jake."

Jake just giggles and lets him go after giving him one last tight hug. "Where were you? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Oh! I met the cat hybrid you told me about! I gave him a tour and then I made him try everything in the kitchen. I haven't seen him since then 'cause Hoon said he's sleeping. But I think we're friends already," Jake rambles in one breath, his brown eyes sparkling and his tail swishing rapidly. 

Heeseung chuckles and stands up, pulling Jake up with him. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear that." He tells Jake he'll bring Jungwon out soon, then he goes to Sunghoon's room to look for him. 

He enters the room and sees both Sunghoon and Jungwon asleep on the bed. Jungwon doesn't stir, but Sunghoon soon wakes up when he picks up on Heeseung's scent.

"Long day?," Heeseung laughs softly, walking over to him to stroke a hand over his head. 

Sunghoon groans and sits up to lean his head against Heeseung, seeking more pets. "It always is where you aren't around, hyung. I just came in here to nap after lunch when the volunteers left. I guess I just..dozed off."

"Don't worry about it, Hoon," Heeseung says easily. After all, looking after over fifty hybrids alone isn't an easy job. "How's he been?," Heeseung asks, referring to Jungwon.

"He spent most of his time with Jake. Ate well too. He's been asleep since then. I think he gets tired really quickly, hyung," Sunghoon tells him. 

"Send him to my room when he wakes up, alright? I'll need to talk to him," Heeseung says.

If Heeseung's being honest, he'd been thinking of nothing but Jungwon the entire day. Today was supposed to be a nice, relaxing day with his friends and family, but he was too stressed out to enjoy himself.

He really doesn't know what Jungwon's life has been like. The officers who called him yesterday say nothing related to Jungwon was found in the entire building. He was thinking about giving Jungwon more time to open up to him, but the immense concern he feels won't let him relax. 

Heeseung reaches his room and changes his clothes. He cleans up a little to pass the time, but doesn't have to wait long. After about half an hour, he sees Jungwon standing in the doorway when he turns around. 

"Oh, hey. Come on in," Heeseung says with a welcoming smile. 

Jungwon steps in and just stands there for a moment before Heeseung tells him to sit down. "Did you have a nice day?," Heeseung asks as he shuffles through the drawers on the nightstand to find something he forgot to give Jungwon sooner. 

Jungwon nods, watching him with his big, beady eyes. "You?," he asks hesitantly.

Heeseung smiles again. "I had a pretty good day too. Thank you for asking." From the drawer, he takes out a green and blue wristband with a few numbers and the name of his center on it. He hands it to Jungwon. "Here. It's yours." 

Jungwon looks at it blankly before titling his head questioningly. Heeseung chuckles at the effortlessly cute action. He takes it from the hybrid to slide it on his wrist. "It's just a formality at this point. This place gets pretty crowded at times, so it's hard to keep up with everyone. This just makes stuff a little easier for volunteers and the people who come here as potential owners," he explains. 

Jungwon blinks, looking down at it intently. "Oh, okay."

"Listen, Jungwon," Heeseung begins as he sits down across him. "I know you've heard this from me and Sunghoon too many times already, but you really are safe here. There's no need to be scared of anything or anyone now. We'll take care of you." 

"But," Heeseung adds, "In order to help you, I need you to tell me everything that happened before I brought you here. You can just answer my questions with a yes or a no for now. Does that sound okay?"

Jungwon nods once and scoots a little closer to him. 

"You don't have to answer stuff you don't want to," Heeseung says. "But just know that you'll have to tell me someday soon."

Jungwon nods again, his tail swishing slowly before he puts it in his lap. "I'll tell you," he says.

"Okay, let's start then," Heeseung says with a smile. "Do you remember which facility you were stolen from?," he asks.

Jungwon's eyes widen a little as he nods quickly. "Pryme," he answers. He pulls up the sleeve of his sweater to show Heeseung his upper arm.

Heeseung leans forward to look at the logo of the company on Jungwon's skin. He makes a surprised sound. "Really?," he asks. Pryme Hybrids is known for being the most exclusive and high-end hybrid facility, where only the best bespoke and perfectly trained hybrids are found. "Isn't the security system really tight there? How could they let someone in?" 

Jungwon's ears droop down a little as he rolls down his sleeve again. He keeps rubbing his upper arm where the logo is. "It was..one of my trainers. He was bribed by the guys at the building you found me in," he tells him, the most he's said since yesterday.

"Oh..I see," Heeseung hums. Slowly, he reaches forward to lower Jungwon's hand when he keeps scratching his arm. "I guess even places like Pryme aren't all perfect as they seem. How long were you at the building?" 

"Not too long," Jungwon answers, shaking his head. "Just a couple months..I think." 

"Can you tell me a bit about your time at Pryme before everything happened? Only if you want to, of course," Heeseung says, trying to sound as non-intrusive as he can to not make Jungwon close up again. This is the most he's heard him speak and he wants to keep it that way in order to get as much information as he can from him. 

Jungwon nods. "I was almost ready to go home with the person I was being trained for. I was..really happy. I don't know why it had to be me," he says sullenly. "All the trainers there were really nice to me, I had a lot of friends and I was excited to finally meet the person who chose me out of all the other hybrids. But then.." He trails off, looking down at his hands. 

Heeseung feels the sudden urge to reach forward and comfort him in some way. Maybe pet his head, squeeze his hand or scratch his ears. But he doesn't. The last thing he wants to do is make him even a little bit uncomfortable now that he's finally easing in. 

"You'd never met that person?," Heeseung asks. 

"No," Jungwon answers. "I was supposed to, in a day or two. But I'd heard about him. They said he was some celebrity, an idol, I think. It's been so long since then..he must've picked out someone else by now." 

That's most definitely the case, Heeseung thinks, but doesn't voice his thoughts lest he worsen Jungwon's already sad state. "Don't worry about that, Jungwon. I'll make sure you find an even better owner no matter what. Everyone will be all over you once they see how pretty you are. Even I've never seen someone like you before."

Jungwon raises his head and meets his eyes for just a few seconds before looking away again, his cheeks turning pink at the sudden praise. 

"I bet you want your claws back too, right?," Heeseung asks, noticing the way Jungwon keeps fiddling with his fingers. 

Jungwon nods eagerly. "I do. It..really hurt when they cut them off. And they had to do it every other week."

Heeseung takes this as the chance to gently take his hand. Whoever cut them sure was rough about it as some of his skin is also littered with small cuts. Jungwon tenses up at the touch but doesn't pull away. "Some supplements will do the trick just fine," he says with a smile, making Jungwon's ears perk up. 

That's all Heeseung sought out to know for now. So he smiles again and lets his hand go. "Thank you for telling me everything, Jungwon. I mean it. It must've been hard for you."

"Thank you too..Heeseung-hyung. I promise I'll be good here," Jungwon says, looking at him with his glimmering blue eyes. 

His words make Heeseung laugh fondly. "I know you will," he says. He stands up and stretches his arms with a sigh. "Enough sad stuff. Let's go do something fun," he suggests. "You remember those video games I mentioned yesterday?"

"Yes," answers Jungwon, his tail swishing slowly behind him. 

"Let's go downstairs and play some. Jake will go absolutely crazy," Heeseung says with a laugh. 

Jungwon nods and stands up, leaving the room to go downstairs with him. "I've never played any before. They barely let us play games or watch tv back at the facility," he tells him, sticking close to his back like he did in the morning. 

"Really? What did you do for fun there?," Heeseung asks.

"Most of my day was spend with the trainers. But I liked to read and play with my friends when I had the time. I'm really fast and athletic, hyung," he says excitedly. 

Just as Heeseung thought, Jungwon is quick to open up to him now that he has talked to him properly. But that also means he'll get attached to him only at first. And it'll be hard for him to connect like this with anyone else. 

"I'm sure you are," Heeseung says. "But I'm gonna have to see that to really believe you."

Jungwon looks up at him, and Heeseung can physically feel his heart do a thing when he sees that he has the sweetest, tiniest, cutest smile on. 

Downstairs, Heeseung tells Sunghoon to gather everyone around for a surprise game night. It doesn't take long for the common room to fill up with excited, chattering hybrids.

Jake immediately spots Jungwon and is quick to tug him away from Heeseung, rambling something about how much he missed him. Heeseung can see Jungwon visibly tense up and his tail wrapping around his thigh. He looks at Heeseung in alarm, clearly wanting to stay with him. 

Heeseung has to steel himself and not go after him. It's important for Jungwon to interact with someone else other than him, and Heeseung trusts Jake to take care of him well.

"So, how did it go?," asks Sunghoon later when everyone's settled in and doing their own thing. 

"It went well," Heeseung answers, watching Jungwon and Jake glued to the tv. Jake seems to be teaching Jungwon how to play and the latter seems fully engrossed. Heeseung can see him say a few words here and there. 

He tells Sunghoon everything Jungwon told him. "I don't think Pryme will take him back," Heeseung admits with a sigh. 

"Yeah," Sunghoon breathes out. "It sucks, but you're right. It's not like there's anything wrong with him, but I bet the guy he was trained for has forgotten about him." 

"How can people move on so quickly?," Heeseung wonders out loud. He sees Jungwon turn his head, his eyes searching for Heeseung. Heeseung meets his eyes and smiles, raising his hand in a wave. Jungwon seems like he wants to rush over to him, but Jake wastes no time in regaining his attention when he sees him looking away from him.

"It looks like he already likes you," he says with a grin when he observes the small exchange. 

"I don't want him to get close to me only," Heeseung says, shaking his head. "It'll make it hard for him to leave when eventually he has to."

"You're right. But he really needs you right now," Sunghoon says. Then, he smiles impishly and nudges Heeseung's arm with a wink. "He's really cute, huh? Would it really be a bad thing?"

Heeseung makes an indignant sound and narrows his eyes. "Just what are you trying to suggest, Hoon? That's never gonna happen." 

"I'm just saying, hyung," Sunghoon says, laughing. "You do have a type, I've noticed." 

Heeseung rolls his eyes. "I do not." 

Sunghoon just laughs again and walks away to join Jake and Jungwon. 

Heeseung leans against the wall and watches them, wondering how his life just suddenly turned ten times more stressful.

Chapter Text

It has been a whole month since Heeseung brought Jungwon to the center.

His progress has been slow, like Heeseung expected, but he's also steadily getting better as the days go by. He still doesn't talk with anyone as much as he does with Heeseung, and he's the only person he seeks out physical affection from. He does spend time with Sunghoon, Jake and a few other cat hybrids, but he never seems fully comfortable or at ease with them.

Heeseung sometimes sees him reading or chatting with Sunghoon, and he often finds him and Jake chasing each other around in the outdoor area. But it's more of just Jake sneaking up on Jungwon and tackling him in unexpected hugs. Jungwon does try to retaliate but always ends up going easy on Jake.

What Jungwon prefers the most is staying with Heeseung in his office to birdwatch, catnap, watch him work, or just ramble about anything that comes to his mind. Heeseung does like his company as Jungwon is unbelievably sweet and cute, but the hybrid's growing attachment to him isn't something that'll turn out well. When Jungwon does find a suitable owner, leaving Heeseung will be immensely hard for him and he'll never be able to adjust well in a new environment.

Now that he has warmed up to Heeseung, he has also discovered how cuddly and clingy Jungwon can be at times. Heeseung is happy to know he feels safe enough with him to initiate physical closeness, but overdoing it won't be good for the hybrid. Having to pull away from Jungwon always hurts Heeseung's heart a little, but it is for his own good.

Jungwon has also started to stop being so wary of volunteers, but he doesn't really interact with them too much. The same goes for most of the people who come to the center to meet other hybrids as potential owners. Jungwon's shy, quiet personality combined with his overwhelmingly pretty face has already made him quite popular among humans.

Heeseung has lost count of how many times he's heard, Ooh, who's that? Hey, is he available? Has he been booked already? Can I have him? Every single time, he has to put on a patient smile and say that Jungwon is not ready for an owner yet and it'll stay that way for at least a few months.

The sudden attention always freaks Jungwon out, but he manages to put up with it. If he already has this many people interested in him, Heeseung can only imagine how chaotic it'll be when he finally opens up ownership requests for him.

Such thoughts take up his mind as he's sifting through ownership request forms he recently received. He tends to get really focused on his work, so when a knock on the door reaches his ears, Heeseung jumps a little.

"Yes?," he calls out.

"Can I come in, please?," comes Jungwon's soft voice from behind the door.

Usually, Heeseung would say he's busy and that he can talk to him later, but he hasn't seen Jungwon since yesterday evening, so he decides to let him. "Of course, Jungwon."

As soon as the words leave him, Jungwon pushes open the door and scuttles inside. "Hyung, I have something for you," he says with a secretive smile, his hands hidden behind his back.

"Oh, really?," Heeseung asks, beckoning him over to the desk. "Let's see it then."

Jungwon's smile grows and his tail swishes excitedly behind him as he reveals his cupped hands. Slowly, he puts down something on Heeseung's desk.

Just as Jungwon removes his hands, Heeseung back away quickly. "Woah!," he exclaims, looking at the small, chirping bird Jungwon put down with wide eyes. It fruitlessly flaps its wings, but is still too young to fly.

"I hunted it for you!," Jungwon tells him with a proud grin. "Do you like it?"

Heeseung tries to smile, but it's more of a grimace. He expected some sort of treat or the small flowers Jungwon usually brings for him, but it's the first time he's ever brought a living creature, so Heeseung is a bit taken aback. "Uh..thank you, Jungwon. This is really sweet of you," he says with a quiet, bemused laugh. "But..this is still a baby, you see? I can't keep it in here, it'll miss his home," he explains.

Jungwon's smile drops at the same time his ears do. "Oh!", he gasps. "I'm sorry, hyung. I..didn't think of that," he mumbles, picking the bird back up carefully. "The big ones are harder to catch. They do not like me."

Heeseung chuckles. Jungwon never fails to surprise him with his random words and antics. "That's okay. Now I know you're really as fast you say."

Jungwon giggles, walking over to the window to open it. He leans out and lets the bird jump off his hands. "I'll go get you something else," he announces, closing the window.

"Wait a sec," Heeseung says before he can leave.

Jungwon turns his head towards him, titling it questioningly. "Hm?"

Heeseung gets up and walks over to him to lead him out. "Let's take a walk outside together. It's a pretty day, isn't it?"

Jungwon smiles brightly and nods, happy to have Heeseung's attention. "It is," he agrees. "But you always say you like staying inside more."

Heeseung laughs, giving him a brief pet on his head. "You got me there. But I wanted to talk to you about something," he says. They reach the outdoor area, and Heeseung greets everyone who comes over to him patiently. "So will you listen to me well like you always do?," he asks Jungwon when he's done.

"Of course, hyung," Jungwon says easily. "What is it?"

"Let me tell you something first," Heeseung begins as they walk under the shady trees. "When I was younger, what always scared me the most was getting old and realizing I hadn't really done anything with my life when I had the chance. Even now, I still wonder if I'm doing everything right, you know? That's something that still scares me."

Jungwon hums, listening to him closely. "Will it always?," he asks.

"I think so," Heeseung answers honestly. "But I really hope it doesn't," he says. "What about you then? Is there something you fear?"

"There's loads of stuff," Jungwon mumbles, looking down. "I'm scared of being taken away to someplace scary again. And I'm scared of making people mad at me. I wanna be nice and good like I was always trained to be, and I'm scared of not being able to be like that. It won't make anyone like me," he tells Heeseung with a sigh.

Heeseung stops by a tree and guides Jungwon to sit down beside him. "I understand. Everyone wants to be wanted, and you're not wrong to want people to like you. But you don't always have to worry about being perfect. Someone might even like you for not being perfectly good."

Jungwon puts his tail in his lap and runs his fingers over it to smooth his fur out. "Really?," he asks, seeming unsure.

"Really," Heeseung says with a smile. "Don't stress yourself out too much. I promise you you're doing fine here. Many people like you already."

Jungwon smiles shyly at that. "You're doing well too. You don't have to worry," he says, softly patting Heeseung's arm twice.

"How can I even worry anymore when I have such a sweetheart like you here?," Heeseung says with a fond grin, reaching forward to give Jungwon a quick scratch behind his fluffy ears. "You're too cute for your own good."

Jungwon laughs prettily and leans into the touch. They're sitting close enough for Heeseung to hear the beginnings of a purr from Jungwon. So he decides to continue scratching his ears gently. Jungwon all but melts, his eyes falling shut as he leans forward and drops his head on Heeseung's lap.

"Hey, we're not done talking here," Heeseung says through a soft laugh, gently rubbing the base of Jungwon's ears.

Jungwon happily purrs away in his lap, stretching his limbs languidly yet with effortless grace. "I'm listening," he says with a relaxed exhale.

Heeseung sighs, not having it in him to deny the affection he always seeks out. Jungwon tilts his head up a little, so Heeseung complies and gives him slow scratches under his chin. "You sure?," he asks, smiling fondly. Jungwon hums and nods, nudging his head against Heeseung's hand when he stops for even a second.

"You've been getting closer with Jake, right?," Heeseung asks, stroking his hand between Jungwon's ears. "Especially now that you're roommates."

"He's nice," Jungwon says with a short shrug. "I think we're good friends. But he likes Sunghoon-hyung more."

"I'm sure he adores you a lot, Jungwon. He's always asking me about you to make sure you're alright. He cares about you," Heeseung says. Near the back of the outdoor area, he sees Jake and Sunghoon laying in the sun together, talking and laughing about something. "I wish you'd let him know you see him as your friend, and that you appreciate his presence."

Jungwon opens up his eyes to look up at Heeseung with a slight frown. "He doesn't know that?"

"It would be nice if you told him," Heeseung says. "Just like you, he tends to worry about not being liked enough. A little reassurance goes a long way, don't you think? I hope you understand what I mean."

"I do," Jungwon says.

"In a month, it'll be a whole year since he's been here. He's been waiting for a perfect owner ever since I brought him here. I want it to be worth the wait, it's the only reason it has taken me so long," Heeseung says, caressing Jungwon's cottony ears softly. "And now I think it's about time he starts meeting the potential owners I've chosen."

Jungwon looks up at Heeseung with wide eyes as he slowly stops purring and sits up again. "He's gonna leave?," he asks quietly.

"When he chooses the right owner for himself, yes. It could take a few days or weeks. But not more than a month. It all depends on Jake and if he likes any of the people I chose. If he doesn't, then it'll take some more time to pick out new ones," Heeseung explains.

"Oh," Jungwon breathes out. "He always talks about how much he wants to find a nice home someday. Did you tell him?"

"I will today," Heeseung replies. "I told you first so you two can spend the time you have left together well. I don't want you to feel like you never got to know him. So just..keep what I said in mind, okay?"

Jungwon nods, scratching his upper arm. Heeseung reaches forward to take his wrist and lower his hand. It's a habit Jungwon has yet to let go of. He only does it when he's unsure or anxious about something.

"Everything alright?," Heeseung asks, keeping his hand down.

"I guess it would get a bit lonely when he's gone," Jungwon says, looking over at Jake. As if sensing him, Jake also turns his head. He catches Jungwon's gaze and waves at him with a bright grin. Jungwon does the same with a small smile. "I don't have too many friends here," he mumbles.

"You can always make some," Heeseung says. "I'm sure Sunghoon will miss Jake a lot too. You could be there for him, it'll mean the world to him."

"Okay, hyung," Jungwon says. "Whatever you say."

Heeseung smiles. He raises up Jungwon's hand and presses the tip of his index finger to make his claw protrude. "They're coming in nicely," he says, checking the rest of the four too. They're neat and sharp but not too long, as Jungwon takes immensely good care of himself and is always perfectly presentable.

Jungwon beams, giddy at the praise as always. "Thank you. Sunghoon-hyung said so too."

"You get prettier everyday," Heeseung says, brushing a hand through Jungwon's soft black hair. It's gotten long enough to fall in front of his eyes, but it just makes him look even better. "So many people want you already. What am I gonna do if you leave me so soon, huh?"

Heeseung's words were meant to be light-hearted, but Jungwon's smile dulls down and his tail curls up in his lap. "When..will I have to leave?," he asks slowly.

"Whenever you and I feel like you're ready," Heeseung answers. "You don't have to worry about it right now. Just remember what I told you."

"I will," Jungwon says, nodding.

Heeseung gives him one last pat on his cheek and stands up. "Good. I'd better get back to work then. Go join Jake and Sunghoon." Jungwon agrees and sullenly lets him leave.

As much as seeing Jungwon already get sad at the possibility of having to leave him someday worries Heeseung, he can only hope he learns to feel safe without him.

-

Sunghoon looks up, seeing Jungwon walk over to him and Jake to sit beside them. "Hello," Jungwon says with a little smile.

Jake shoots up into a sitting position, only to tackle Jungwon to the ground in a hug. "Jungwonie!," he squeals, rubbing his head in the crook of Jungwon's neck.

Jungwon falls over with a surprised sound, but he's gotten used to this. Still, Sunghoon sighs and pulls Jake back. "When will you ever stop doing that?," he groans, helping Jungwon sit up again.

Jake just laughs and wraps his arms around Sunghoon instead. "What were you and Heeseung-hyung talking about, Jungwon?," Jake asks, curiously peering at him.

"You," Jungwon answers, letting Sunghoon smooth over his fur which had gotten messed up by Jake.

"Me?," Jake asks, puzzled.

"Did you want to tell us something, kitty?," Sunghoon interrupts quickly before Jungwon accidentally ruins the big surprise. He's terribly honest, and Sunghoon is sure he would've told Jake if he asked him about it any further.

Heeseung had told Sunghoon earlier in the morning that Jake was supposed to start meeting his potential owners from tomorrow, and that he'll tell him that himself after dinner. He also asked Sunghoon to spend more time with Jungwon as he's worried he'll grow way too attached to him only.

Jungwon looks at him with his shiny blue eyes and nods once, turning a bit abashed. "Uh..yeah, I guess," he mumbles, fiddling with his fingers.

"Go on," Jake says, leaning forward, his tail swishing slowly in anticipation.

"Well..I–I wanted to let you two know that..I see both of you as my only friends here. And I..really hope I can get even closer to you. I know I..don't talk too much, only because I'm afraid of saying something wrong, but I'll try to be better," Jungwon says quietly, meeting their eyes shyly.

Sunghoon smiles, resisting the urge to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go. Jake almost explodes with happiness, as Sunghoon knows this is something he's been wanting to hear from Jungwon ever since he met him.

Jake lunges forward to hug Jungwon again, but Sunghoon gently holds him back when Jungwon instinctively flinches. So Jake takes in a deep, calming breath and smiles widely, patting Jungwon's arm. "Thank you for saying that, Jungwonie. Don't worry about being quiet, it just makes you cuter to me."

"You're doing alright, kitty," Sunghoon assures with a chuckle as he pets Jungwon's head softly. "I'm sure we'll get closer in no time."

Jungwon's lips tug up into a sweet smile as he scoots closer to them and joins their previous conversation.

It's never been easy to let go of any hybrid here once they find their perfect owner, and Sunghoon's sure it's gonna be hard for him to say goodbye to Jake once he leaves.

But he guesses having to take care of Jungwon now will take his mind off it well enough.

-

The eagerness filling up Riki's chest is something he's been feeling since last week when he was told by the hybrid center's owner that he can come visit today.

Owning a hybrid is something he's been wanting since what feels like forever. He was told that he has to be at least 18 years old to have one. His birthday was just three weeks ago, and the first thing he did that day was fill an ownership request form at the most well-known care center in the city.

Buying one from a facility just didn't feel right to him, so this was his only wish. Having a forever friend he can love and take care of and have fun with sounds like an absolute dream for Riki, who had to leave his best childhood friends when he moved here three years ago.

When he enters the center, he's greeted by a tall male with a tired but warm and pleasant smile who he faintly recognizes. "Hello, you must be Riki. You're right on time," he says, shaking Riki's hand gently. "I'm Lee Heeseung, the owner of this place."

"Oh, I remember you," Riki says, bowing in greeting. "I saw you that day I came here for the first time."

Riki remembers Heeseung being friendly and welcoming, yet professional, deligent and methodical. Riki has known about him and the center for a good while now and he actually really admires him for taking on the role he has.

"I have to say, it's quite calmer here than I was expecting it to be," says Riki with a smile as Heeseung leads him further inside to a wide lobby.

Heeseung lets out a quiet laugh. "Everyone's just had lunch, so it'll be quiet for an hour or so," he tells him. "Would you please wait here for a minute? I'll bring your hybrid out."

Riki nods readily. "Yes, of course," he agrees.

Heeseung tells him he'll be right back before he starts heading towards the right where Riki saw a spacious common room. He takes a seat and pulls out his phone to pass the time.

He doesn't notice another new presence until he hears a soft yet eager voice. "Heeseung-hyung? Are you in here?"

Riki looks up, and briefly pauses when his eyes land on the cat hybrid looking around the lobby. When he sees Riki, he stops and his eyes go a little wide in surprise.

Riki has seen quite a fair amount of cat hybrids, but he's never seen one as different as the one in front of him. He has the softest looking white ears and an equally fluffy tail, and these big, shining deep blue eyes that he could honestly stare at for hours.

"Oh," the hybrid says quietly, then bows quickly in apology. "I–I'm sorry, I didn't know–"

"It's okay," Riki interrupts with a smile as he stands up. "Don't worry about it."

The hybrid's expression turns into one of curiosity as he looks at him. He keeps looking at Riki's hand, and only then he remembers the first thing one's supposed to do when meeting a hybrid.

He extends his hand and lets the hybrid sniff it, which he does after taking a few short steps forward. "I'm Riki," he says, finding it hard not to stare at such a pretty face. "It's nice to meet you."

The hybrid meets his eyes and puts on a small smile. "I'm Jungwon. You're here to see Jake-hyung, right?," he says, his tail moving behind him slowly.

"Hmm, yes. Heeseung-ssi did tell me I was supposed to meet him today," Riki says, recalling the possible hybrid options he received a few days ago. One of them was a dog hybrid named Jake, and he was the most fitting to Riki's preferences.

"Heeseung-hyung will be here with him soon," Jungwon tells him, looking in the direction where Heeseung went. "I should..leave you guys alone."

"Wait," Riki says quickly, putting a hand on Jungwon's arm before he can start turning away. "I didn't see you here the first time I came."

Jungwon tenses up a little at the sudden touch but relaxes soon. "I've only been here for a month and a half. I didn't really..come out much at first," he says with a short, shy laugh. "I'm kinda still working on that."

"Oh, I see," Riki says, taking back his hand. "I just wanted to make sure, because I know I wouldn't have forgotten someone like you." He smiles again, his words making Jungwon's cheeks go slightly pink.

He breaks their eye contact and wraps his tail around his own arm. "W–Well I hope you have a good day with Jake-hyung," he says without looking at him.

Before Jungwon can begin leaving again, Riki sees Heeseung walking over to them.

He smiles widely when he sees Jungwon, who immediately rushes over to him and gets glued to his side. "Oh, I see you've already met our Jungwonie," he says, patting Jungwon's head softly.

"He's lovely," Riki praises with a gentleness he honestly didn't know he was capable of. Seeing how relaxed and comfortable Jungwon looks with Heeseung and the way Heeseung naturally showers him with affection makes Riki wonder something. "Is he yours?"

"Ah, no, no," Heeseung chuckles with a shake of his head, rubbing Jungwon's back when he leans his head against his shoulder to seek scratches. "He just tends to get a little clingy sometimes."

Riki lets out a relieved breath. If he knew about Jungwon before, he would've definitely requested to meet him without a second thought. Hybrids as strikingly pretty as him are not something you see everyday, leading Riki to believe he's most probably not from a regular facility or a mere breeder. 

"That's cute," he says with a smile, reaching forward to softly scratch under Jungwon's chin with his index finger. The hybrid lets him, but he's still looking at him with that curious gaze. "Does someone have their eye on him already?"

"Well, he isn't really–"

The rest of Heeseung's answer is interrupted by the sounds of quick footsteps coming towards them. Riki looks to the right, seeing who he actually came here to meet. 

"Sorry I'm late," Jake says, stopping next to Heeseung with a wide smile. He looks at Riki and his tail starts swishing quickly in visible excitement. "You're Riki, right? I'm Jake. Heeseung-hyung told me you'd be coming today. It's so great to finally meet you!"

Riki grins, readily accepting the sudden big hug Jake engulfs him in. The hybrid's happiness and energy is extremely infectious, reminding Riki of why he'd been so excited to find a hybrid who suited his preferences so perfectly. "It's nice to meet you too, Jake."

"I'll leave you two to spend your time together however you'd like," Heeseung says. "Please come see me in my office whenever you're ready to leave, Riki. Jake will show you the way."

Heeseung is about to leave with Jungwon when Riki stops him. "Actually," he says, making Heeseung turn his head inquisitively. "Can Jungwon join us?"

Jake gasps with an eager little jump. "Hey, that's a great idea! Come on, Jungwon!" Jake skips forward and takes Jungwon's hand, ready to tug him towards himself. 

For some reason, Heeseung seems unsure about it. He looks at Jungwon and asks, "Does that sound okay?" 

Jungwon looks taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He seems like he'd rather stay with Heeseung, but then Jake gives his hand a little tug and puts on the most perfect puppy eyes Riki has ever seen. 

That, combined with Jungwon's obvious curiosity about Riki makes him nod once. "Sure," he says with a little smile.

Jake cheers happily and wraps his arm around Jungwon's shoulders to lead him out along with Riki who seems more than happy to have both of them with him. 

As hesitant as Heeseung is about it, he still tries to be hopeful and optimistic. On one hand, he doesn't want Jake to share his special moment that he's been waiting on for years. And on the other hand, he's happy to see Jungwon finally be open to spending time with another human. 

Riki is the third potential owner Jake has met over the course of the past weeks. He's the person Heeseung sees as a nearly perfect match for Jake. Riki is young, active and enthusiastic, all the while very mature for his age. He knows how to take responsibility and he seems like he could take very good care of Jake and give him the love and attention he deserves. 

But, Heeseung still feels like he shouldn't have let him see Jungwon too. Everyone wants Jungwon as he's just not the kind of hybrid you can see and easily ignore or forget about. He has faith in Riki and knows he's not going to shift all his attention to Jungwon instead of Jake. Jungwon's not even available yet so it won't even be possible. 

Heeseung sighs and shakes his head, returning back to his office. He can trust Sunghoon to look over the three of them for the next few hours. 

He sometimes really wishes he'd stop worrying so much about everything. 

-

Sunghoon stretches languidly on the soft grass under him and turns over a page of the book he's reading. 

Evenings are his favourite time of the day. It's the only time other than night when he has some time to rest. As much as he loves interacting and spending time with everyone, he also likes being on his own sometimes.

Having stayed with Heeseung at the center for so long, he's gotten quite used to being around so many hybrids and humans everyday. Before meeting Heeseung, Sunghoon was even quieter than Jungwon is. Now, he's always happy to have a conversation with anyone and spend some quality time outside with Heeseung. 

A few minutes later, Sunghoon hears the sounds of footsteps coming towards him. He looks up, seeing Jungwon walking over to him. 

He's been playing with Jake and Riki for hours and hours. Sunghoon thinks he saw them play about twenty variations of catch and ten different forms of fetch. 

As agile and athletic as Jungwon is, he is definitely no match for Jake and Riki who are still going strong after hours. Sunghoon heard him ask for breaks many times, but Jake and Riki would just pull him back.

"All gamed out?," Sunghoon asks with a chuckle, patting the space next to him invitingly.

Jungwon slumps down next to him, panting heavily. "I don't think I've ran this much in my entire life, hyung," he says, trying to catch his breath. "They have so much energy."

"I can see that," Sunghoon says, brushing out the small bits of grass caught in Jungwon's hair. "Did you have a good time?"

"I did," he answers with a nod. "I'm older than Riki, but it really didn't feel like it," he says with a soft laugh. "I think Jake-hyung really likes him. They fit together so well. He must be so happy."

Sunghoon hums in agreement, watching Jake and Riki now sat on the grass and laughing brightly about something. "You're right." 

Jungwon frowns slightly and scoots closer to Sunghoon, catching onto his sullen demeanor. "Sunghoon-hyung? Are you okay?," he asks quietly, trying to catch his gaze.

"I'm alright," Sunghoon answers. "It just..never gets easier to let someone go," he sighs. 

"Oh..I understand," Jungwon says, toning down his own happy mood for Sunghoon. "I'm gonna miss Jake-hyung a lot too. We just got to being such good friends, it's sad that he's not gonna be around anymore."

"I guess I should just be happy for him. Riki seems like a good person. I'm sure Jake's gonna choose him out of all the others he met," Sunghoon says.

Jungwon seems in thought for a second before he puts on a smile and leans closer to Sunghoon.

"Hyung, you know what? Back at Pryme, I had a trainer who believed I could actually smell what humans are like. I didn't believe him at first, 'cause he'd always joke around with me like that. But the more he said it, the more I thought he was right."

Sunghoon glances at him with a smile, absently running his fingers through his hair gently. "Is that so? Sounds like some sorta superpower."

"Right?," Jungwon giggles. "It sounds silly, but, I don't know– I still sometimes think he was right. When I first saw Heeseung-hyung at that building and he offered me his hand..he just..smelled safe to me. I just knew he was a good person who'd never try to hurt me."

"And when I smelt Riki," Jungwon continues, "At first he smelled..mysterious. But he also smells warm and cozy and sweet. I don't think he'd ever even think of treating Jake-hyung badly. If Jake-hyung chooses him, I just know they'll make each other happy. So..you don't have to worry too much about him, Sunghoon-hyung. He'll be alright."

"I believe you then," says Sunghoon after a while, letting his words sink in. He knew Jungwon is sweet and immensely empathetic, but he could've never guessed how mature he can be when the need arises.

Jungwon smiles widely and carefully leans into Sunghoon's side who easily pulls him closer. "You still have me, hyung. I won't let you get lonely," he promises.

"Yeah, I still have you," Sunghoon says, mostly to himself. He softly pets Jungwon's head, feeling him relax against him. 

It's only a matter of time before Sunghoon has to let go of Jungwon too. But for now, he lets himself live in the moment. If he keeps thinking about the day he'll have to see Jungwon leave too, he'll never be able to appreciate his presence right now.

It's truly amazing how quickly Jungwon can make anyone feel better and infinitely calmer in just a few seconds. Perhaps it has a lot to do with how he was trained. Or maybe this is just who he is. 

Either way, Sunghoon feels like whoever will get the chance to be Jungwon's owner is gonna be the luckiest person ever.

-

Heeseung is just about to leave his office to find Sunghoon when he hears a knock on the door that he was expecting soon.

"Come in," he calls out, clearing up his desk. 

The door opens up and he sees Riki step inside, looking way more happier than he did when Heeseung saw him earlier. 

"Sorry," Riki says with an abashed laugh as he fixes his disheveled clothes and hair. "I know I'm way more late than I should be. But Jake really didn't want me to leave."

Heeseung smiles and gestures for Riki to take a seat across him. "Don't worry about it. I'm more than happy to know you two had so much fun together. Nothing makes me feel better than that, really," he says. "So, should we get right to it?"

"Yes, please," Riki says quickly with a nod. 

"Would you like to become his owner?," asks Heeseung with a knowing smile.

"More than anything," Riki replies without missing a beat. "He's..He's perfect. I don't think I've ever had a good day in my life ever since I left my hometown. Being with him just..made me forget everything so easily. I never thought someone would ever make me this happy. I'd be extremely lucky to have him."

Nothing compares to the relief Heeseung feels every time he hears someone say that. "That's wonderful to hear, Riki," he says. "I'm sure Jake feels the same way about you. I just want the best for him, so if you don't mind, could you please give him the rest of this day to think about it one last time? Though I'm sure he has already made up his mind, I just wanna make sure he's completely ready to leave with you."

"Yes, yes, of course," Riki agrees readily. "I wouldn't want to be selfish and rush him either. He can take his time if that's what he wants. I don't mind that at all."

"Alright then," Heeseung says conclusively. "You can come back here tomorrow if you'd like and take him out too. There's some paperwork to do, it'll only take a day or two. After that, he'll be all yours," he tells Riki with a smile. 

"Thank you so much, Heeseung-ssi. I couldn't be happier," Riki says, grinning brightly. "I promise I'll take good care of him."

"I'm sure you will, Riki. I should be thanking you too. You're a dream come true for Jake," says Heeseung.

Riki thanks Heeseung again and says he'll definitely come tomorrow to spend his day with Jake outside and take him somewhere fun. Heeseung says that'd be great and Jake would absolutely love that. 

He thinks that'll be all, but then Riki scoots forward in his seat, shifts a little and says, "Heeseung-ssi..there's something else I wanted to ask you." 

"Go ahead," Heeseung says.

"About Jungwon..Could I have him too? It's just that– Him and Jake seem really close. And..he's just so sweet and pretty, I really like him as much as I like Jake. If it's possible..I want to own both of them," says Riki slowly, an earnest look in his eyes.

Heeseung has to bite back a wince at that. He was really hoping Riki wouldn't say that. As much as Heeseung likes Riki and trusts him, this is just a little too much to ask for right now.

He has let a few people take two hybrids together a couple of times before, but those were mostly cases of siblings or closely bonded hybrids. Besides, Riki is supposed to be Jake's person. It would make Jake beyond happy to be with Jungwon, but it just won't feel right to Heeseung.

Along with all that, Riki seems to live quite an active life and Heeseung's not sure if Jungwon could keep up with that either. 

"I don't doubt you, Riki. But..Jungwon has barely been here for two months. He still has trouble fitting in sometimes. I really don't think he's ready for an owner yet," Heeseung explains as gently as he can. 

Riki sighs sullenly. "Alright," he mumbles. "I understand. But..whenever you think he's ready, please do consider me. He's not the kind of hybrid I can forget. I really, really want him."

"I will definitely talk to him about it," Heeseung says sincerely. If it's something Jungwon and Jake will be open to, then Heeseung doesn't think he should let his own feelings get in their way. "No one has ever received so many ownership requests as much as he has in such a short time. I won't trust just anybody when it comes to him. You seem like a very good person, Riki. So I'll keep you in mind."

"When will you officially open requests for him?," Riki asks. 

"A few months later, maybe," answers Heeseung. "It all depends on him. But don't worry. You'll be on the list," he says with a reassuring smile. 

"Thank you, Heeseung-ssi. You're like– the best. Honestly," Riki says with a wide smile as he stands up. "I won't take up any more of your time. I'll be here tomorrow at around 3. Is that fine?"

"Absolutely," Heeseung replies. "I'll see you then." 

Riki thanks him one last time and tells him he'll be off then. Heeseung thanks him for coming and tells him to have a good night ahead.

When he's gone, he lets out a heavy sigh and leans back in his seat, closing his eyes for a moment. Outside, he can hear Sunghoon calling for everyone to come inside, followed by the sounds of the common room filling up for dinnertime. 

As relieved and happy as he is for Jake, he now has Jungwon to worry about. There's just something about him that attracts people like crazy. Heeseung understands that he's immensely pretty and unique, but he's also sweet, affectionate, kind and extremely loving and loyal once you get to know him.

For that reason, Heeseung really hopes he opens up to more humans soon so he can find someone who likes him for more than just his appearance. Riki does seem to like him a lot, but Heeseung believes he should give him more options.

He sighs again and gets up to leave his office. He guesses he's skipping dinner tonight. These days, he finds himself more tired than usual, so he decides to just go upstairs to his room and get some sleep.

Outside in the common room, he sees Jake, Sunghoon and Jungwon sitting together and talking happily amongst themselves. Jungwon looks up and sees Heeseung, raising his hand to wave at him with a warm smile.

Heeseung smiles back and waves too. He'd told Jungwon they'd share a nice cup of tea together in the evening, but he'd gotten preoccupied with Riki and Jake. Heeseung will definitely remember his promise tomorrow, but for now, he's just too sleepy.

Jungwon's smile fades just a little bit when Heeseung doesn't come over or call him, but he quickly gets distracted by Sunghoon again. 

Sometimes, like Heeseung told Jungwon, he wonders if he's doing this right. There's many things he thinks he can and should be doing better, but he just can't help and think he keeps falling short somehow. 

If only he could have someone to share all his troubles with. He has Sunghoon but Heeseung doesn't want to burden him with all that when he already helps him so much. 

Maybe keeping everything to himself is better for now.

Chapter Text

The incessant noise of Heeseung's alarm ringing reaches his ears. He groans wearily and blindly extends his arm to snooze it. 

He stretches his arms and legs and turns over, burying his head in the pillow. Even after going to sleep way earlier than he usually does, he still feels incredibly tired. He also hasn't been eating that well and he guesses much of his weariness is because of that fact. 

Heeseung sighs deeply and slowly sits up. He picks up his phone from the nightstand to check for any texts or calls he may have missed. He has a text from his mom, asking him to visit again next weekend, a few social media notifications from his friends, and a whole lot of new ownership requests. 

Deciding to deal with everything later when he's a bit more awake, Heeseung yawns and gets off the bed. The coldest days of the year have passed by, making way for slightly chilly mornings, pleasantly sunny afternoons and cozy evenings. Heeseung has always preferred summers at the center, when he doesn't have to worry about anyone getting sick and catching colds. 

He takes a long, warm shower, and takes his time getting dressed and ready to head downstairs. Heeseung is certainly no stranger to getting super stressed and overwhelmed due to the nature of his work. He's done this long enough to not let it all get to his head. 

When things get too stressful and busy, Heeseung thinks the best thing he can do is stay calm and takes things slow. If he gets too frantic to get everything done on time, he'll never be able to do anything right. So he decides to have a slow, relaxed day today.

As soon as Heeseung starts heading downstairs, he hears the sounds of quick, excited steps coming towards him, followed by a cheery call of, "Heeseung-hyung!"

Heeseung looks to the right, and a smile instantly blooms on his face. "Good morning, my Jungwonie. How are you feeli–" Before he can finish, he has his arms full of a warm, cuddly hybrid.

"Hyung, where did you go last night?," asks Jungwon with an exasperated huff as he looks up at him. "I thought you'd come back down for dinner. I even waited up for you after everyone else went to sleep."

"Aw, really?," asks Heeseung, petting his head gently. "I'm sorry, I was just really tired." 

Jungwon's sullen expression quickly fades away at the touch, getting replaced by a bright smile. "It's okay! You need to rest well too."

"What about you?," asks Heeseung like he always does. "You doing well?"

Jungwon nods. "Yeah, I'm alright," he answers. "Can you believe Jake-hyung is still sleeping? He's usually the one waking me up by jumping up on my bed. Or on me." 

Heeseung laughs softly. He can totally picture that. "I guess all the excitement finally got to him," he says. "He should rest up though. He's supposed to be going out with Riki today after lunch."

Jungwon gasps, his ears going up with it. "Really? He must be so happy."

"I bet he is," Heeseung agrees, giving him one last pet between his ears. "I promised you tea yesterday, didn't I?" Jungwon nods quickly with a grin. "Well then let's go have breakfast together." 

"Okay!," Jungwon agrees easily like always, trailing after him to the kitchen. 

"Hey, where's Sunghoon?," asks Heeseung, confused. He supposed he'd find him in the kitchen, but it's empty. 

Jungwon makes a questioning sound as well. "I think he's still sleeping too," he replies. "He was up late last night. I came here to get a snack and saw light coming from his room. I asked him if he wanted to talk or do something fun with me, but he told me he was fine, so I went back to my room. I didn't want to annoy him or something."

The thought does concern Heeseung, but he doesn't let it show. He'll definitely be talking to Sunghoon later. 

"What did I say about the late night snacking, hm?," chides Heeseung without any real heat. 

Jungwon smiles sheepishly. "It was only like– the second time this week."

Jungwon is a little crazy when it comes to food, even though he insists that he's not. He'd told Heeseung that he was always kept on very strict diets at Pryme to be in the best shape possible and maintain his slender body. And now that he can eat whatever he wants and whenever he wants to, he tends to do exactly that. 

Heeseung would never ever stop him, but he just wants him to take care of himself in every way. Despite being able to eat however much he wants, Jungwon is still careful to not go overboard.

Him and Jungwon work together to prepare the food while talking about random stuff to fill the otherwise comfortable silence. It's always nice to see him be calm and content, Heeseung will never get tired of it.

"You know, this reminds me of your first morning here," Heeseung says later when they're sat at the table. He takes a sip of the warm, sweet tea, thinking he should do this more often. He actually would've preferred some coffee to really wake him up, but the strong scent is a bit much for Jungwon's sensitive nose.

Jungwon hums, eating his usual bowlful of colorful berries. He picks out the raspberries first and puts most of them in Heeseung's plate for him. "I don't know why I was so scared back then," he says. "I guess because everything was just so..new." 

"It's okay to be scared of change," Heeseung says with a slight shrug. "It's good to see you look so happy and relaxed now. You're doing so much better. You eat well, sleep well, you've been learning how to open up more, and you're not as scared of humans as you were before. It makes me very happy."

Jungwon smiles in that shy but proud way he does whenever Heeseung praises him in any way. He sips the tea after sniffing it closely and makes a tiny, happy sound at the taste.

"I really do like it here," he tells Heeseung. "Pryme was nice too, but I didn't really feel calm there. There was always so much pressure on me to be perfect. I still feel it sometimes, but..not as much as I did back then." 

"I'm glad to know that," Heeseung says. He finishes the raspberries Jungwon gave him, so he starts picking out the blueberries for him next. Heeseung should tell him to have some too, but the visible happiness Jungwon feels when he watches Heeseung eat makes him hold back his words. 

"It's all thanks to you, hyung," says Jungwon. "The only reason I started feeling safe here was you. I wouldn't have been able to be okay again if I didn't have you. I mean– you saved me. I don't know what my life would've been like if you hadn't found me that night," he mumbles, his hand reaching up to scratch his upper arm. 

Heeseung patiently leans forward to lower Jungwon's hand likes he's done many times before. He doesn't know how or when Jungwon developed that habit. But he does hope he gets over it soon. The anxious action sometimes makes Jungwon's sharp claws come out, and Heeseung always fears he'll someday end up tearing his skin open if he's not around to stop him. 

"Don't think about stuff like that," he says, squeezing his wrist gently as a reminder before letting go. "You won't have to worry about being treated that way ever again. I promise," he states.

Jungwon holds his gaze and nods once, releasing a breath. His tail, which had curled up tightly around his leg, relaxes and settles in his lap. "Okay, hyung. I trust you," he says with a little smile. 

Heeseung gives him a reassuring smile. There's a comfortable stretch of silence between them for a few minutes as Heeseung contemplates how to tell Jungwon what he actually wanted to talk about. 

Jungwon's busy trying to find more blueberries for Heeseung when he clears his throat to get his attention. Jungwon's ears spring up at the sound.

Heeseung leans forward and crosses his arms on the table. "I wanted to talk to you about something," he begins, "It's a bit..important."

Jungwon nods and listens to him attentively. "Yes?" 

"What did you think about Riki?," Heeseung asks, making Jungwon tilt his head questioningly. 

"Riki?," he repeats with a little frown. "He's cool," he says shortly.

"And?," Heeseung coaxes. 

"Well..It seems like he likes Jake-hyung a lot. I think they would be very happy together. And–"

"But what did you think about him?," Heeseung interrupts, leaning closer to Jungwon. "I know he likes Jake. I want to know how you feel about him, Jungwon."

Jungwon looks a bit confused by his insistence, but he doesn't ask about it. He gathers his thoughts for a moment while fiddling with his fingers. 

"He's really nice. And kinda funny too. He's fun to be around and..I had a good time with him yesterday. He seems like a very kind and caring person. I don't think he'd ever hurt anyone. He's someone I think I could trust," Jungwon says with a conclusive nod.

Heeseung will remember that. "I guessed I should ask you that before telling you this," he says. "Yesterday, before leaving, Riki came to see me in my office to talk about becoming Jake's owner. And he asked me if he could have you too," he tells him as casually as he can. If he talks about it like it's a big deal, which it kinda is, Jungwon will definitely clam up and probably leave too. 

Jungwon's tail gives a sudden twitch. "He did?," he asks in surprise.

Heeseung nods. "Yes. I thought you should know."

Jungwon breaks their eye contact and his hands slide off the table to play with his sleeves absently. "What did you say?," he asks quietly. 

"I told him you're not ready yet. But I said I'd talk to you and Jake about it. If it's something you both want, then I'll make it happen," Heeseung says clearly, keeping his voice free from any strain or apprehension. 

"Oh," Jungwon breathes out. He remains silent after that.

"Don't worry. You don't have to make a decision right now. I told him he'll probably have to wait for a few months and he was fine with that. He really does like you, Jungwon. So I said I'd consider him once I open up ownership requests for you officially," Heeseung explains calmly.

Jungwon listens to him quietly, his ears pointed forward towards him. "Did you talk to Jake-hyung about this?"

"I will today. I don't think he'd be opposed to it. If anything, it'll make him even more happy to know he can stay with both you and Riki," he answers with a smile. "But of course, it's all up to you. Whatever you want."

"Um..I don't know, hyung," Jungwon mumbles, looking a little uneasy. "I wouldn't want to mess up Jake-hyung's dream. But..if it's something he wants too, then I–I guess it doesn't sound that bad," he says, his voice getting lower and lower towards the end.

"You'll meet more people too when you're ready for an owner, of course," Heeseung says. "Riki will be a choice too. If no one sounds better than him for you, you can always choose him." 

Jungwon nods once. "Alright. Thank you for telling me this. I'll keep it in mind" he says.

"Good. But don't think about it too much," Heeseung advises.

The last thing Heeseung wants is for Jungwon to feel pressured and say yes to something he doesn't really want. Jungwon very rarely ever disagrees with anything he says, as he was most probably trained that way. It means it is highly unlikely that he'll ever speak out about something he doesn't like or want. That fact worries Heeseung to no end and he wishes Jungwon learns to speak his mind more often.

A few minutes later, they see Sunghoon trudging in, looking weary and half-asleep. 

"Good morning, Hoon," greets Heeseung cheerily, patting the empty chair beside him.

"Good morning!," follows Jungwon, smiling widely when Sunghoon gives him a quick pet as he walks past him. 

"Morning," Sunghoon groans sleepily. He slumps down beside Heeseung and rests his head against his shoulder with a huff. 

"I thought you'd be sleeping in today," says Heeseung, giving him slow, gentle scratches behind his ears. 

"I couldn't," Sunghoon sighs, his eyes falling shut. "But I'm so tired."

Heeseung hums, catching Jungwon's concerned gaze. "Jungwon told me you were up late too last night. Is everything okay?," he asks. 

"I don't know," Sunghoon mumbles. "I'm just..tired."

Jungwon makes a sympathetic sound, reaching forward to gingerly pat Sunghoon's arm. "It's okay to need a break sometimes, Hoon-hyung. You've been working so hard for so long," he says. "It must get overwhelming sometimes being around so many people and hybrids too." 

Heeseung nods in agreement. He has seen Sunghoon get like this a few times in the past too. Sunghoon never says a word until he gets completely exhausted. He knows this has much to do with how a good number of hybrids have left the center with their new owners in the past weeks. Having to say goodbye to so many hybrids must've drained him. 

"I agree. How about you take a few days off? You can spend some time away from here if you want," Heeseung suggests. 

"That's a great idea," says Jungwon with a bright grin in hopes of cheering Sunghoon up. "Hyung, you can visit all those cool places you told me about yesterday. I'd love to hear about them from you when you come back."

Jungwon's enthusiasm is unsurprisingly effective and it makes Sunghoon's tail swish slightly in interest. "Sounds fun, doesn't it?," Heeseung asks with a smile.

Sunghoon raises his head from Heeseung's shoulder and rubs his eyes with a yawn. "I guess so. I'll think about it," he says, but looks a bit better than before. 

"No need," Heeseung says. "You can take as much time off as you'd like. Starting today."

"Today?," Sunghoon repeats.

"Yup. You can spend the day by yourself or go out, if you want," Heeseung says. Sunghoon cracks a tiny smile and says that'd be nice. 

Looks like today's off to a good enough start already. 

-

Riki is a little out of breath by the time he enters the center. He checks the time on his phone, seeing that he's only ten or so minutes late. 

He was told by Heeseung to spend his day with Jake however he'd like, so he plans to make the most out of their time together. Then, in a day or two after all the paperwork is done, he'll finally get to take him home.

Surprisingly, the first voice that greets him this time is Jungwon's.

"Riki!"

Riki turns his head, grinning widely when he sees Jungwon jogging up to him. "Hey there. I was hoping I'd get to see you again," he says, petting his head softly. Jungwon smiles prettily, accepting the affection. "You look extra happy today," he adds. 

"I do?," Jungwon asks. "I guess I am," he says with a little laugh. 

Riki wonders if Heeseung told Jungwon about what he said yesterday. He's not sure, so he doesn't ask him about it, even though he's dying to know what Jungwon said. "Where is Heeseung-ssi?," he asks, looking around. 

"He's in his office with Jake-hyung. They're talking about..something. He's been waiting for you so he asked me to tell you he'll see you there," Jungwon says. 

"Ah, okay," says Riki with a nod, but doesn't leave yet. "I'm supposed to take Jake out today. You wanna come along?," he asks Jungwon with an impish smile as he leans closer to him.

Jungwon's tail wraps around his arm again as his eyes go round. "That–That sounds fun. But Heeseung-hyung wouldn't let me. Besides, I want you and Jake-hyung to spend your time together," he says, briefly rubbing his upper arm. "I'll see you when you get back," he adds with a smile. 

If Riki's being honest, he actually didn't hear half of what Jungwon said. He was too distracted by the way the afternoon sun is shining in his eyes and the way his unbelievably soft tail briefly grazed his hand. 

He only snaps out of it when Jungwon frowns and waves a hand in front of his face. "Riki?"

Riki blinks and clears his throat, wondering why his cheeks feel so warm all of a sudden. "Huh? What did you say?"

"I said I'll see you when you get back," Jungwon repeats. "If..that's okay."

Riki nods jerkily. "Yes, yes. Sure. Of course," he rambles. "I–I'll see you then." He gives Jungwon a quick clumsy pat on his head before he scuttles away to Heeseung's office. 

Jungwon tilts his head, confused. He shrugs to himself and skips back to Sunghoon's room. He's keeping him company and watching him clean the space and pack some stuff as he's going to be away for a couple of days.

"Hyung, I was right," Jungwon says, strolling in and perching up on his bed. "It was Riki."

They had made a bet to see who could tell he's here first. Sunghoon had actually heard his footsteps before Jungwon told him he could smell him, but he decided to let Jungwon win. "You win again. When are you going to give me a chance, huh?," he asks, ruffling up Jungwon's hair and making him giggle. 

"He asked me if I wanted to go out with him and Jake-hyung. But I said Heeseung-hyung hasn't allowed it," Jungwon tells him. He stretches his legs and turns over on his stomach, propping up his face in his hands as he watches Sunghoon. 

"He did?," asks Sunghoon, raising an eyebrow. "He must really want you, kitty."

Jungwon makes a surprised noise, his ears springing up straight. "Heeseung-hyung told you too?," he asks. 

"Of course he did," Sunghoon replies. He finishes packing up his clothes and starts arranging his closet neatly. "What did you tell him?"

Jungwon sighs heavily. "I just said I'd think about it. I'm not sure, Hoon-hyung. Riki's really nice, but he's supposed to be Jake-hyung's, you know? I'd just feel like I'm..messing it up for both of them or something," he mumbles.

"I understand you, kitty. You have loads of time to think about it. No need to stress yourself out," Sunghoon says.

Jungwon hums quietly, seemingly in thought. "I wonder how Jake-hyung's feeling. He must be really happy, but wouldn't it be kinda hard for him to leave too? I mean..he would miss you and Heeseung-hyung and all his other friends a lot."

"I think the thought of finally getting what he's wanted for so long outweighs everything else. That's what makes me happy for him instead of just being sad about him leaving," Sunghoon tells him. "I'm sure Riki will let him visit from time to time. We'll still get to see him every once in a while."

Jungwon brightens up at that. "Oh, that's good to know," he says with a smile. 

For the next few minutes, Jungwon just watches him work while occasionally humming random tunes under his breath. Then, he shifts a bit and speaks up again. "Can I ask you something, hyung?," he questions slowly and uncertainly.

"Of course," Sunghoon replies easily. 

"Um..I don't know if you'd want to answer so..it's alright if you don't. I–I don't want to make you feel–"

"Don't worry about it, kitty. Go ahead," Sunghoon interrupts with a shrug. 

Jungwon fiddles with his fingers and doesn't look at him. "I was just wondering why you don't have an owner. Haven't you ever wanted one?," he asks quietly. 

Sunghoon isn't too taken aback by the question. But it is kind of surprising to know Jungwon's been thinking about that. Only a few people have asked him that before, so he takes a few seconds to gather his thoughts. 

"I guess it just doesn't suit me. I wasn't raised like most hybrids, so having an owner isn't something I'd ever thought of. And when it comes to Heeseung-hyung, I just see him as my closest friend. If I'd ever want to eventually settle down or something, I'd just choose to stay with him or on my own," Sunghoon explains. 

Jungwon emits a little ooh, peering at him with his big, awed eyes. "That's really cool, hyung. You're so brave," he praises.

Sunghoon huffs out a soft laugh. "If that's what you wanna call it, sure."

"I really mean it. It must be so nice to know you'll never have any worry about being good enough for anybody but yourself," Jungwon says, his lips forming into a small pout. 

"If you think you're enough, then that's all that matters. And if I'm being honest, I have no idea why you worry so much. You're supposed to be one of the best bespoke hybrids anyone can get. You were literally made to be perfect, kitty," Sunghoon says pointedly.

"I dunno, hyung. Ever since that happened to me, I've just been so unsure and scared. I lost the person I was being trained for since what felt like forever. Now I just feel so weird about myself. I wish that changes soon," Jungwon says with a sigh. He folds his arms and rests his chin atop them. 

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Jungwon. It's okay to feel that way. It must be pretty devastating to have all that taken away from you. But it'll pass, I promise," Sunghoon says, reaching over to pat his head comfortingly. 

Sunghoon finishes up with cleaning and lets out a breath. "All done. I guess I should head out tomorrow morning." 

"When will you be back?," Jungwon asks as he sits up when Sunghoon slumps down beside him. 

"Soon enough. I'll feel bad for leaving all the work to Heeseung-hyung, so I'll be back in about three days," Sunghoon replies. 

Jungwon makes a sad sound and lays down next to him, resting his head against his chest. It's not too often that Jungwon initiates physical closeness with him, so it's always a pleasant surprise. "I'll miss you. I don't wanna be all alone again," Jungwon huffs. 

Sunghoon chuckles, scratching his nape gently. "What do you mean alone? You'll get to have Heeseung-hyung all to yourself. Isn't that what you want, kitty?," he asks with a smirk. 

"What?," Jungwon squeaks out, his tail puffing up. 

"What's the matter? Am I wrong?," asks Sunghoon teasingly, keeping his expression unfazed.

"Uh..I mean..I don't– I really like Heeseung-hyung too, b–but..you..you know I'd just miss you too. I–"

Sunghoon laughs and lets him out of his misery, watching his cheeks turn redder with every word. "I'm just messing with you, Jungwon," he says, patting his back. 

Jungwon looks at him for a moment before he narrows his eyes and proceeds to rant his ears off.

-

"Well, Jake, I guess this is it. Don't miss us too much," Heeseung says with a laugh. 

Four days later, he's standing near the entrance of the center to see Jake and Riki off. 

Yesterday night, after Sunghoon came back, Heeseung had a long talk with him, Jake and Jungwon to make sure nothing got left unsaid between them. That is perhaps the only reason no one is bawling their eyes out right now. 

Jake nods, giving him a quick, tight hug. "Thank you for everything, hyung. I will never forget you."

"We'll visit every other week," says Riki, wrapping his arm around Jake's shoulders. "You won't even get a chance to miss each other." 

"That'd be great," says Heeseung with a smile. He tells Jake to go say bye one last time to Sunghoon, Jungwon and everyone else outside, as he has to talk to Riki about something.

"The first few days are pretty important for both of you. If it's possible, make sure you stay with him for most of the day for at least a week. And it'll be best if you start introducing him to your friends and family soon too. He's super friendly, so it won't be too much of a problem," Heeseung states. "Just give me a call if you need any sort of help."

Riki nods. "Of course. I'll take good care of him, I promise. You don't have to worry about a thing," he assures. 

"I trust you, Riki. He's been waiting for this for a long time. I just want him to get all the love he deserves," Heeseung says. 

He wonders what it's going to be like to not get tackled by Jake in nearly crushing hugs everyday, to not get woken up in the middle of the night just because he's feeling bored, to not find stray golden fur on his clothes every other week.

It's sure going to be odd, but it's okay. He's glad to know Riki will get to experience the happy, crazy whirlwind of a hybrid that is Jake. They'll make each other beyond happy.

"I already feel super attached to him. I can't wait to finally take him home," says Riki with a smile. 

"Just give him loads of attention and hugs and he'll be happy as ever. Don't let him drive you too crazy though," says Heeseung with a chuckle.

"Too late," Riki jokes. He glances outside and catches sight of Jungwon. Heeseung can tell what his next words will be. "And Heeseung-ssi, please don't let anyone have Jungwon before considering me, okay?" 

"Don't worry, I won't," Heeseung assures him patiently for the nth time. 

When Heeseung told Jake that Riki asked to own Jungwon too, he barely contained himself from bouncing off the walls. Jake absolutely adores Jungwon since day one and told Heeseung that getting to stay with him and Riki would be a dream. But Jake could also understand the fact that it would be a little hard for a calm and quiet hybrid like Jungwon to keep up with him and Riki. 

The decision is Jungwon's in the end anyways, so none of them can actually guess how things might end up. 

Riki thanks Heeseung profusely one last time before he says he should get going now. Outside, Heeseung can see Jake waving at him with a big, happy smile. 

Heeseung smiles and waves back, sighing to himself as he watches him leave the center with Riki.

He'll miss him a lot, of course, but he needs to look after many more hybrids now. 

-

Softly singing under his breath, Heeseung sorts through the piles of files cluttered on his desk. A big number of hybrids have left the center with their new owners recently, so he's putting all their case files in the storage room so they don't get mixed up. 

Outside, it's a gloomy day with heavy rain and the occasional rumble of thunder. Next to the window, Jungwon's asleep on the couch, looking super cozy and comfy. 

A few minutes ago, he'd been watching the rain and chatting away with Heeseung before he started getting sleepy. It's nice having his company and Heeseung has always been too weak and soft to turn him away. Also, Jungwon has had a slight cold for the past three days, so he's been preferring to stay in here where it's warm and quiet as opposed to the common room or the outdoor area. 

It has now been eight whole months since Jungwon has been at the center. He's still just as sweet, calm, quiet and gentle as he has always been. The only difference is that he is now way more social and open to making friends with other hybrids. But he still hasn't lost that little bit of shyness when it comes to seeing new humans. That's just a part of who he is, and to Heeseung, it just makes him even more endearing than he already is. 

Heeseung never thought he'd be this fond of a hybrid. Sure, he cares about every single hybrid he has ever had at his center, but no one tugs at his heartstrings quite like Jungwon does. He never fails to make Heeseung melt into a pile of glitter and rainbows with his words or actions. He's incredibly compassionate and extremely attuned to everyone around him. And that makes him a source of endless comfort for anyone who's lucky enough to be close to him. 

The fact that he's almost always seen with Heeseung makes everyone think he's his owner, and that sometimes makes him weirdly flustered. Despite being around hybrids for so long, Heeseung has never thought about owning one of his own. He simple does not have the time. He wouldn't be opposed to it or something, but he just doesn't think he can properly take care of one with how busy he is. 

He's pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the office phone ringing. He quickly puts down the stuff in his hands to answer it lest the noise wakes Jungwon up. 

"Good evening, how can I help you?"

"Hello, am I speaking to Lee Heeseung?," asks a deep but gentle and warm voice belonging to a male. Upon receiving the confirmation, he says, "I'm Park Jay. You might have received an email from me a day or two ago."

Heeseung's eyes widen a little and he slips straight into the chair in front of his desk to fire up his laptop. "Yes, certainly," he says. He finds the email quickly, just to check. It's a copy of the visitation form that was sent to him after being filled online. He reads it over again briskly. 

The reason he's being so thorough and attentive to the man on the phone is because he's the Park Jay; an immensely famous and well-known model. When Heeseung received the email two days ago, he had to confirm if it was really him as he was so surprised.

Heeseung thinks it's very admirable that Jay decided to get a hybrid from the center instead of buying a bespoke one from a facility. So he's going to be extra careful to make sure Jay gets someone as close to his preferences as possible. 

"I was supposed to visit your center this weekend, but something came up and now my schedule's all over the place," Jay tells him with a chuckle. "So, will it be okay if I can come on let's say..Wednesday?"

In two days? Heeseung has to suppress the urge to disagree with that. He really can't say no to Jay, but that's not nearly enough time to...

Heeseung looks at Jungwon, who's still fast asleep. He occasionally sniffles through his stuffy nose or flicks his ears. 

How's Heeseung supposed to get him ready to meet his potential owner in only two days while also making sure he isn't too sick or mentally unprepared? 

"Of course. You can come over whenever you'd like," Heeseung ends up saying with a wince. 

"Wednesday it is then. I'm sorry if this is too last minute. I really can't predict when I'll get to catch a break," Jay says apologetically. 

"Don't worry about it. It's totally fine," Heeseung says with a wobbly smile. Jay thanks him and says he'll be looking forward to seeing him and the hybrid he chose for him soon. 

As soon as he hangs up, Heeseung drops his head down on the desk with a loud groan. He instantly regrets not telling Jay to come at least next week. But he didn't want to make him mad or upset or something. After all, Jay's not the only one he wants the best for.

Heeseung lifts his head up again and looks at Jungwon. The only thing left to do is get straight to work. He briskly walks over to him and squats down next to the couch to shake his shoulder as gently as he can. "Jungwonie, wake up. Come on. Wake up," he says urgently. 

Jungwon lets out a weary whine and covers his eyes with his arm, clearly in no mood to be disturbed. But Heeseung has to tell him before the day ends so he can spend tomorrow letting everything sink in. "I have to tell you something really important. Get up," Heeseung says, tugging his arm back down.

"Later," Jungwon groans.

"Jungwon," he says again, making his voice a bit firmer to let Jungwon know he's being serious. 

With a tired huff, Jungwon slowly drags himself up to sit. He rubs his half-closed eyes when his fist, his ears resting down against his head. "What is it?," he mumbles, yawning. 

Heeseung tries not to instantly feel bad. Jungwon looks so tired and under the weather, he should be able to rest as much as he wants right now to get better. But he doesn't have that choice anymore, unfortunately. 

Heeseung sighs and reaches forward to pet his head softly. He feels the inside of his ears, finding them slightly hot under his fingers. "How are you feeling?," he asks. 

"Gross," Jungwon answers with a sniffle. "My head hurts."

"Did you take your pills?," Heeseung asks. Jungwon nods. He should be taking them again in about an hour, but Heeseung gets up to bring them. "I'll be right back. Don't fall asleep again."

He leaves his office to go over to Jungwon's room, finding the pills next to his bed. After grabbing them, he quickly goes to the kitchen to get him some water too. He then returns to find Jungwon looking half asleep again.

"Hey, no sleeping yet," Heeseung reminds, sitting down next to him. 

"Sorry," Jungwon sighs, turning towards him. 

"Here you go. You'll be alright by tomorrow," Heeseung assures.

Jungwon frown a bit when he looks down at the pills. "Two? I only took one earlier," he says, looking all kinds of sullen. 

"Two will help you get better sooner," Heeseung says, handing him the water too. Reluctantly, Jungwon down the pills in one go, making a queasy face after. "Bad aftertaste, right?," he laughs softly, rubbing Jungwon's back comfortingly. 

Jungwon lets out a weary breath. "It's terrible," he groans. 

"You're gonna be fine. Take a warm shower before sleeping and make sure to stay in bed afterwards with extra blankets. You'll be all better in the morning," Heeseung says with a smile, running a hand over his head. 

"Okay, hyung," Jungwon says. He nudges Heeseung's hand when he lowers it to ask for more pets, which Heeseung readily provides. "What did you want to talk about?," he asks, looking at him with his droopy eyes.

Heeseung tries to keep his demeanor and expression unchanged. They're going to have this conversation right now whether they want to or not. There's no way around it. He believes that Jungwon has grown and gotten better enough to take the news well. Still, if it's something he does not feel like he can deal with yet in any way, Heeseung will try his best to think of something else that'll work for both him and Jay. 

"I opened up ownership requests for you a week ago, remember?," Heeseung begins calmly. Jungwon nods. "You already have more than forty."

Jungwon's eyes widen despite his sleepy state. "Really?" 

Heeseung nods with a quiet laugh. "Really." He doesn't tell Jungwon that he last checked them yesterday. The number has definitely increased by now. "Picking out only three or five people wasn't easy, but I eventually got done with it three days ago. One of them was supposed to meet you this weekend but..he just called me and told me he'll be here the day after tomorrow," he explains. 

"O–Oh, that's..that's so soon," Jungwon says, looking up at Heeseung with nervousness swimming in his eyes. "Who is it?"

Heeseung tells him all he knows about Jay. When he first read the form he sent, Heeseung thought it was pretty different from the ones he normally receives. But the more he thought about it, it kinda made a lot of sense. Being who he is, it's quite apparent what Jay might be looking for in a hybrid of his own. 

And Jungwon couldn't be closer to what he wants. Even here at the center with so many other hybrids, Jungwon is used to getting the prince treatment he was always meant to be showered with. He loves drowning in attention, praise, affection and care, and Heeseung always tries to make sure he doesn't feel lonesome. 

Jay seems like someone who'd be more than willing to indulge Jungwon in whatever he so much as thinks of. The fact that he's from Pryme just tops it all off perfectly. They're the perfect match for each other. Heeseung is sure he can trust Jungwon with Jay. 

Jungwon breathes out deeply, looking down. "Are you..sure he'd want me, hyung?," he asks unsurely.

Heeseung catches Jungwon's hand before it can travel up to his arm. "He'd want no one but you. I'm sure, Jungwon," he promises. "Do you think you could meet him when he comes? It's okay if you don't feel like it right now. I can get him to reschedule."

Jungwon nibbles on his bottom lip for a moment before he shakes his head. "I'll meet him," he says.

Noting his anxious demeanor, Heeseung asks, "What's wrong? You can tell me." 

"I just..I know you told me I'd be meeting everybody soon. But I didn't think it'd happen this suddenly. It's not that I don't want to. I'm just a bit..nervous," Jungwon tells him, his tail wrapping around his thigh loosely. 

"Hey, look at me." Gently, Heeseung cups his face to tilt his head up. "You don't have to do something you don't want to. We can always wait until you feel ready," he says, his thumbs stroking over Jungwon's soft cheeks.  

Heeseung doesn't take enough time to realize how close they're sitting and how perfectly Jungwon's pretty face fits in his hands. All he can really think about is making sure he's alright and not feeling like this is something he must agree to.

Something about Jungwon has always evoked a need in Heeseung to keep him safe and happy. The thought of having to let go of him soon does make his heart twist a little, but this is just a part of his job. He can't let his feelings ruin this for Jungwon. 

Jungwon meets his eyes again, his lips tugging up into a small, soft smile at the touch. "I trust you, hyung. I know you've already thought everything through. I'll be okay," he assures. "I just need to get rid of this cold first," he laughs. 

Heeseung smiles and reluctantly lowers his hands. He stands up and offers Jungwon his hand to help him up to his feet too. "Let's go have an early dinner so you can go rest sooner," he suggests, but in reality he just wants to keep him near himself for now. Jungwon easily takes his hand, letting him lead him out. 

Heeseung definitely saw this coming. He just didn't think it'd hit him this hard.

-

Jay lets out a breath when he finally reaches the center. 

He was supposed to be here an hour ago but an urgent meeting with the representatives of a brand he agreed to model for came up in the morning. It wasn't over yet, but Jay had to cut it short when he noticed how late he is.

He's been wanting to get a hybrid for so, so long it isn't even funny anymore. But he's just been so unbelievably busy that he couldn't find the proper time. His managers and assistants offered to go look at some from Pryme Hybrids for him, but it didn't feel right to him.

A friend of his had told him about a care center a few minutes away from his apartment. He said the center is filled with hybrids who deserve a home more than anything and would be incredibly lucky to have a second chance at finding their owners. And Jay's heart kinda shattered. 

That's why he's been wanting to come here for ages. When he finally got some time to himself, he filled out the form without giving it a second thought and emailed it directly to the center's owner. 

He knows choosing a hybrid is something that requires a lot of time, especially if it's a cat like he wants. They don't trust just anybody and forming a bond with them takes plenty of effort. But this is something Jay wants more than anything, and he's ready to make as much time as he can. 

When he enters the center, he's greeted by a male who smiles at him brightly. "Park Jay, it's nice to meet you," he says warmly. "I'm Lee Heeseung. Big fan, by the way."

Jay laughs demurely, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you as well. Sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I didn't mean to be so late, but something came up, as usual," he says with a sigh. 

"It's no problem at all," Heeseung says amiably, waving a hand. "You chose the right time, actually," he adds jokingly. As if on cue, loud, happy shouts and laughs follow Heeseung's words from the outdoor area, making them both laugh. "It tends to get a bit noisy around four." 

"I can see that," Jay chuckles. It seems like a really happy and hopeful place, and it must be all thanks to Heeseung who looks more than capable of taking care of all the hybrids here. 

"Let me go see where your hybrid is," Heeseung says, looking towards the right. "He's been a little sick these past few days, so he must be in his room."

"Sick?," Jay repeats with a concerned frown. "Is he alright now?," he asks. 

Heeseung tells him he's much better but still a bit drowsy, which is why he must be resting up. He tells him to wait just a minute before he walks over the where the rooms are. 

Jay only has to wait for a couple of seconds before he comes back. And when he sees the hybrid behind him, he has to do a double take. Twice. 

"This is Jungwon," Heeseung says, patting the hybrid's head. "He's nineteen years old but he'll be turning twenty in just a few days. He's from Pryme Hybrids. I bet you can tell right?," he laughs softly. 

Jungwon looks up at Jay with big, shiny blue eyes before he smiles and politely bows his head in greeting. "Hello," he says, his voice light and breathy but still immensely pleasant. "It's nice to finally meet you." 

Jay can't really form words anymore, as he's just had his breath taken away by the absolute work of art in front of him.

"I'll leave you two to it then," Heeseung says with a knowing smile. "Come to my office before you leave." With that, he leaves.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Jay-ssi," says Jungwon with another pretty smile, his tail slowly swishing behind him as he looks up at him with sparkly eyes. "When Heeseung-hyung told me about you, I was so surprised." 

Jay releases an almost shaky breath, forcing himself to snap back to reality before he ends up embarrassing himself. "Well," he begins, "Aren't you the most beautiful thing I've ever seen?" 

Jungwon's tail gives a slight twitch before he wraps it around his arm. He lets out a light laugh and scratches his nape. "I guess that must mean a lot coming from a model," he quips, making Jay laugh too. 

"A mere model can't possibly compare to an angel now, am I right?," Jay retorts, smirking when he sees the slightest hints of pink crawl up to Jungwon's cheeks. Deciding to leave all the teasing for later, he says, "Heeseung told me you've been sick, are you feeling okay?"

Jungwon nods. "Mhm! I'm all good now, thank you," he replies with yet another sweet smile that's enough to melt Jay's heart. 

Jay would've loved to go take a nice walk with him outside, but he decides against it as Jungwon still seems to be recovering from his cold. So he lets Jungwon take him to his room instead. 

He tells Jay that he's had four different roommates since he came to the center almost eight months ago. His last one just left two weeks ago, so he's had the room to himself since then.

"What's it like living here?," asks Jay, sitting cross-legged across him on his bed. 

"It's really nice," Jungwon answers, hugging a pillow to his chest cozily and resting his chin on it. "I feel really safe here. Heeseung-hyung takes care of all of us really well. But.." He trails off, his smile fading a little.

"Go on," Jay says, scooting closer to him. 

"It's sometimes hard to see my friends leaving. I..have a hard time getting close to others so..when they leave, I get kinda sad," Jungwon says with a sigh. 

"I can totally understand that," Jay says. "I'm always super busy, so I don't have any time to make close friends either. And whenever I do, it just feels so..forced, in a way. It feels like they're trying way too hard to be extra careful around me. I had a lot of friends when I was younger but we just..drifted apart when I started my career," he tells him. 

He hasn't talked about this with someone for a good while and it feels extremely nice to let it out. Along with that, he's not used to having conversations in places other than his apartment, meeting rooms, cafés or restaurants. But he finds that this is a hundred times better. The room is nice and cozy, Jungwon's bed is soft and warm and he actually seems interested in what he has to say instead of just listening to him for the sake of it. 

"Did they never try to reach out to you again?," Jungwon asks in surprise. 

"Nope," Jay answers, shaking his head. "So I didn't either. I didn't think it'd be worth the effort. Sometimes it's just better to let things go, you know?" 

"Hmm, I guess so," Jungwon says pensively. "Heeseung-hyung once asked me if I'd want to go back to Pryme when they told him they'd be willing to take me back, which is something facilities never do. But I decided not to. I just felt like it would be too weird."

"Do you miss it?," Jay asks. He doesn't ask Jungwon how he ended up here, it doesn't feel like his place to know that yet. But he guesses he must've either gotten stolen or sold to the wrong people.

Jungwon thinks for a moment before he shakes his head. "No, actually," he replies. "They should've taken better care of me if they ended up wanting me back in the end," he says, pursing his lips. 

"Damn right," Jay says with a laugh, making Jungwon smile widely.

"Anyways, what's it like being a model, Jay-ssi? I'm so curious! It must be nice being so famous and liked by everyone," Jungwon says, looking up at him with his eyes glimmering in wonder. 

Jay has to hold back a bitter sound. "It's not so fun once you get used to it. It's just like any other job; demanding and tiring. I've been working like crazy ever since I started almost seven years ago." 

"What made you wanna do it?," Jungwon questions. 

"Well, hearing everybody say I have a nice face definitely helped," he jokes, earning an adorable giggle from Jungwon. "No but seriously, I just thought it would be easy and that it'd make me a lot of money quickly. I was wrong, of course. It took a lot of work to get where I am now. I didn't want to do something boring like everyone else, and does have its perks. I get to travel a lot and being recognized wherever I go feels pretty good sometimes. But other than that, it's just a job," he explains. 

Jungwon nods along, listening to him closely. "You must not have much time to yourself. It could get lonely sometimes." 

"Definitely," Jay affirms. "I still have trouble getting used to living alone. I don't have any siblings either, so there's no one I can invite over to my place except for a few friends. Coming back to an empty apartment every night is just..hard, to say the least. That's actually why I've been wanting to get a hybrid for a while now."

Jay doesn't have the time to actually commit to a relationship no matter how hard he tries. So he decided not to pursue anyone until he's ready to take an indefinite hiatus. Still, it's not easy for him to stay alone anymore. 

Being someone who has a whole lot of love and money that's just waiting to be spent, nothing sounds better to Jay than having a pretty thing to spoil and look after forever, all the while receiving unconditional love in return.

And something tells him he's looking at what he's been wanting for forever. Heeseung really is good at his job. 

"Why didn't you just get a bespoke one from a facility?," Jungwon asks, sounding somewhat puzzled. 

"I did consider it. But it felt kinda..I don't know– off, I'd say," Jay replies. "Besides, someone told me the hybrids over here should get a well-deserved second chance," he recalls. "I'm glad I listened to him."

"So am I," Jungwon says with a smile.

Jay spends the next whole hour talking with Jungwon about anything and everything their conversation leads to. The immediate connection and attraction he feels towards the hybrid is honestly something he didn't expect. But there's something about Jungwon that sets his heart at ease. He's never met someone so effortlessly pretty and charming. 

The way he's giving all of his attention to Jay and making him feel heard and understood even though they just met is what's really warming him up inside and out. He never knew what he was missing out on. 

So later, when he reluctantly has to leave, Jay can't help but want to take him right home with him. 

"Well, it was great meeting you, Jungwon. But I should get going now," Jay says with an apologetic smile. 

Jungwon's invitingly pink lips jut out into a pout. "Alright," he mumbles. "When will you be back?"

"I'll try my best to see you again tomorrow," Jay answers. Unsurely, he extends his hand to pet him behind his ears. He's never done this before, so he's a bit uncertain if he's doing it right or not. But to his relief, Jungwon smiles and accepts the touch. "If..that's alright with you, of course."

"Of course," Jungwon agrees easily. 

After thanking him for giving him his time, Jay says he hopes Jungwon quickly gets fully over his cold so he can take him out next time. 

And later, when Jay goes to see Heeseung in his office, he asks him how it went and if he thinks he could take the responsibility of becoming Jungwon's owner. Jay can tell that Heeseung seems to care a lot for Jungwon and that he's clearly being extra cautious when it comes to him.

So Jay says he'll make his decision after spending a few more days with Jungwon and that he'd like to get to know him better before giving him a definite answer.

But in his heart, Jay thinks letting a hybrid like Jungwon go to someone else would be something he'd regret forever.

Chapter Text

Almost stumbling over his own feet, Sunoo briskly enters the café. He quickly runs his gaze around to spot his friend he's here to see. 

To his left, near the window, Sunoo sees Heeseung waving his hand with a smile. Sunoo grins sheepishly and scuttles over to the table, slumping down in the seat with a huff.

"Hey, hyung. Sorry I'm late," Sunoo says apologetically. "I slept through like– three alarms."

"Don't worry about it," Heeseung chuckles. "I just got here too," he says. "So, how've you been?," he asks with his usual warm smile.

"Stressed," Sunoo sighs. 

Being a senior university student, almost all of Sunoo's life revolves around studying for tests and exams, preparing assignments, projects or presentations, or drowning in textbooks, research papers and reports. It doesn't help that he's somewhat of a perfectionist who can't get a wink of sleep until he's done with everything that's due. He's still trying to decide if that's a good thing or not.

He just got done with a week full of work and finally got some time to meet with Heeseung, one of his best friends since he was in school. Sunoo only has a few casual friends in his class, as he's a total introvert who honestly sees maintaining friendships as just another source of stress in his already demanding life. 

The only reason he's still friends with Heeseung after so many years is because they're both very low maintenance and equally as busy almost all of the time. Heeseung is extremely understanding and laid-back and he never takes Sunoo's occasional phases of ghosting him for days personally. He's someone Sunoo's immensely grateful as he doesn't have many people he can trust or lean on when things get a bit too much for him.

"Everything going well?," Heeseung asks, folding his arms on the table. 

"Well enough, I guess," Sunoo replies. "There's still a lot of time til finals, so everything's fairly easy for now, or as easy as it can get," he says. "What about you, hyung? How are things at the center?"

Sunoo was there when Heeseung opened the hybrid care center years ago. He helped him set it up and he also assisted him as much as he could the first few months until it began running smoothly. He's not as good as Heeseung is when it comes to taking care of hybrids, but he still did his best to help his friend. 

He really wishes he wasn't so busy with his studies so he could visit the center often. It's a happy, cozy and welcoming place and it's perfect for when Sunoo wants to forget about everything and just relax for a while. 

"Pretty good, I'd say," Heeseung answers. "It's actually been really quiet lately. A bunch of hybrids got returned back to their facilities this week, so we've been having calm, slow days. You should come around someday before everything gets crazy again," he suggests. 

"I think I'll be free this weekend. I'll definitely visit. It's been so long," Sunoo says. 

A few classmates of his recently got hybrids of their own, and they've been gushing about them everyday. When Sunoo occasionally overhears some of the stuff they say about them, he wonders if owning a hybrid is actually as lovely as they make it out to be. 

He guesses it must be kind of nice to have someone to talk to and hang out with when he doesn't feel like putting any effort into other people. Not to mention the fact that hybrids are known to be unconditionally loyal and loving once they fully trust you. Sunoo also has a terrible weak spot for cute, pretty things, and that's sort of a given when it comes to hybrids.

"Hey, what're you thinking about?," Heeseung asks, leaning forward to catch his eyes. 

Sunoo blinks rapidly and shakes his head, realizing how he'd zoned out for a moment. "Oh, nothing. Sorry," he says with a breathy chuckle. 

The conversation shifts away to another topic, so the sudden thoughts Sunoo had been having get pushed back into his mind. 

-

"Heeseung-hyung!" 

That's the first thing Heeseung hears when he returns to the center. It's Jungwon, of course, who runs up to him with a wide smile to throw himself in his arms.

Heeseung laughs softly, running his hand over Jungwon's head as he returns the hug. He'd only been gone for a couple of hours, but it seems like Jungwon missed him all the same. "Hello, my Jungwonie. How was your morning?," he asks, brushing Jungwon's hair away from his glimmering eyes as the hybrid looks up at him. 

"It was good! Sunghoon-hyung and I had breakfast in his room, then we went outside to read together," Jungwon tells him. "What about you, hyung? Did you have a good time with your friend?," he asks curiously. 

"Mhm. It's always nice catching up with Sunoo," Heeseung replies, walking ahead with Jungwon to his office with his arm around his shoulders. He has something he needs to discuss with him. "He might give us a visit this weekend." 

Jungwon's ears spring up when he hears that. "Really? I'd love to meet him. He sounds nice." 

That's a really good thing to hear, Heeseung thinks, as it's great to know Jungwon's open to meeting more people now. Seeing how much he's grown since he came here is always wonderful. Heeseung couldn't be happier for him. "I'm sure he'd be very happy to meet you too," Heeseung says, making Jungwon smile. "Jay will be here to see you again after lunch. You remember, right? Don't let me catch you napping again like yesterday."

It has now been two whole weeks since Jay has been coming to the center to spend time with Jungwon. He's barely misses a day, so Heeseung can tell that he definitely is taking this very seriously. It's so nice to see Jungwon getting all the attention he deserves. 

Jungwon giggles sheepishly, his tail loosely wrapping around his own wrist. "I'll remember that, hyung," he says.

"What do you think of him, by the way?," asks Heeseung as they reach the office. He closes the door behind himself, leading Jungwon over to the couch to sit beside him. This is what he actually wanted to talk about with him. For some reason, Jay keeps delaying the inevitable, and Heeseung doesn't want Jungwon to keep being led on when they both clearly fit together extremely well. If Jay's not going to ask Heeseung, then he'll just have to do it for him. 

Jungwon smiles again and gazes out the window, his face resting against his hand. "He's always really nice to me. He's honest, kind and warm. I was a bit confused when he didn't offer me his hand, but I could still catch his scent. It was really..comforting. Like yours, hyung," Jungwon answers. "I..I think I'd want an owner like him," he adds quietly, his cheeks going slightly pink. 

"He likes you a lot too," Heeseung says with a small smile. "If you're sure about him, I think we should..make things official then."

Jungwon looks towards him briskly, his tail twitching before wrapping around his thigh. "You..really thinks he wants me?," he asks quietly and hesitantly. 

"Of course he does. Why else would he make such an effort to come see you almost everyday?," Heeseung questions. 

Jungwon looks down and slowly brings his hand up to his arm before Heeseung immediately lowers it. He puts his tail in his lap, running his fingers over the soft fur. "Well..I really do like him, hyung. But..I–I just..I don't know– It still feels like it's too soon. I've gotten so used to being here with you and Sunghoon-hyung and everybody else. What if I..mess up?"

"You'll be fine, I'm sure Jay will take care of you very well. I wouldn't trust him with you if I didn't believe you'd be safe with him," Heeseung states, reaching forward to tip Jungwon's face back up. "You know that, right?"

Jungwon holds his earnest gaze for a moment before he lets out a breath and nods. He scoots closer to Heeseung, leaning his head against his chest cozily, seeking pets. Heeseung pauses for only a second before softly scratching him behind his ears. "There's no need to worry about anything. You'll be just fine," Heeseung says soothingly. 

Jungwon nods again, his eyes falling shut. "I trust you, hyung. I..I just can't stop thinking about what it would be like to not see you everyday. I don't want to know how missing you so much would feel like," he says, his hands fiddling with Heeseung's shirt nervously.

It's something Heeseung has always been worried about; the strong attachment Jungwon has with him and the fear that comes with the thought of having to be okay without him. It's the only thing keeping Jungwon from being completely over his past. This isn't a situation Heeseung knows how to effectively deal with. All he can do is try. 

"I would miss you too, Jungwon. I'm sure you'll be able to come back often, just like Jake does. You'll be much happier with an owner, believe me. I wouldn't want anything less than the best for you. If there's still something you don't feel absolutely sure about, you can tell me," Heeseung says, running his fingers through Jungwon's hair slowly. "Okay?"

"Okay, hyung," Jungwon mumbles. He leans up, briefly sniffing at Heeseung's neck. "Are you feeling alright?," he asks suddenly, looking up at Heeseung with a faint frown. 

"Hm? Of course I am," Heeseung answers with a soft chuckle. "Why?"

"You smell a bit..sad," Jungwon answers, running his nose over Heeseung's neck again, his soft ears grazing his jaw. 

Heeseung lets out another short laugh, pulling away gently. "That makes no sense. I'm fine, don't worry about me," he says, poking Jungwon's nose and making him emit a tiny squeak. "I should get to work. Go see what Hoon's up to." He gets up, shooing Jungwon away, much to the hybrid's dismay.

"Alright," Jungwon huffs, trudging out lazily. 

Heeseung smiles to himself when he's gone. Jungwon doesn't get sulky too often, but when he does, he just looks unbelievably cute. Heeseung doesn't have to worry much about him, as he's sure he'll forget all about it when he sees Jay again. 

It's only a matter of time now before Jungwon's ready to leave. The less Heeseung thinks about it, the better it'll be for both of them.

-

Stepping closer to the outdoor area, Jay takes in a deep breath.

He just came from Heeseung's office after having a long talk with him. And now, there's a whole lot of stuff he needs to figure out. He doesn't feel necessarily nervous to face the hybrid, he just doesn't know how to ask him what he's been wanting to since he first saw him.

Undoubtedly, Jay is absolutely enamoured with Jungwon. He's everything he could ever want in a hybrid of his own. He can totally see himself living with him and he wants nothing more than to take him home right away. 

Jay sighs again, gazing at Jungwon who's sprawled on the grass with his arms under his head. Just now, Heeseung requested Jay to make up his mind about officially becoming Jungwon's owner. Upon inquiry, Jay listed out some of the main concerns he has. Heeseung listened to him patiently before saying that the final decision is Jungwon's only, so Jay should work things out with him too.

Deciding to just go ahead with it, Jay walks outside. Before he reaches Jungwon, the hybrid picks up his scent and lifts his head up. Instantly, a bright smile spreads across his lips as he sits up. "Jay-hyung!," he calls out, eager eyes watching him sit beside him. "I was just thinking about you!"

"Is that so?," Jay laughs fondly, running his hand over Jungwon's head gently, making him lean into the touch. Over the past days, Jay has gotten much better at physical touch and isn't hesitant to initiate it anymore now that he knows how much Jungwon likes it. 

"Yeah! I saw you going to Heeseung-hyung's office and I just decided to wait for you. But you were taking so long. So I came out here," Jungwon tells him, his fluffy tail shyly brushing against Jay's arm a few times. Jay has only recently found out why cat hybrids do that, and he was more than a little flustered when he understood what it means. "What were you talking about with him?," he questions curiously, titling his head to the side. 

"I'll tell you later," Jay says vaguely. "What have you been up to?," he asks instead, reaching forward to brush his fingers through his hair slowly. 

Jungwon smiles again and rambles on about the book he recently started reading. Then he tells him about how quiet it's been at the center these days and how much he wishes Heeseung would let him go outside once in a while. Even with Jay, Heeseung is hesitant to let him wander out without being collared by an owner. Everybody could probably tell he's from Pryme at a single glance, so Heeseung prefers to keep him at the center for his own safety. 

Jungwon sighs wistfully and says he really misses going out regularly like he did when he was at Pryme. That's the only thing Jungwon doesn't like about the center. He tells Jay that there's so many places he wants to see and so many things he wants to try. 

"I bet it gets boring sometimes," Jay says with a frown. 

"Yeah," Jungwon mumbles with a nod. "But it's okay. I'll get to leave one day or another."

"But..won't leaving be a little hard for you too? You know, after being here for so long," Jay wonders out loud. 

"Of course. I've never been good with big changes," Jungwon says with a little laugh. "But I'm trying to get over it. Being scared all the time isn't a nice feeling, so I'm just gonna keep telling myself everything will turn out alright in the end."

Jay says he's the total opposite and that he loves always having something new and different to look forward to. And that of course includes becoming Jungwon's owner. "But it's been a very long time since you've been living here, right? Do you..think you're ready to leave?," Jay asks carefully.

Jungwon's big eyes snap to him, surprised but not uncertain. "I think so. I have to be. I can't stay here forever," he says with a soft, adorable laugh. 

Jay takes in a breath. Here goes nothing. "So..do you want to leave with me?," he asks Jungwon with a smile.

For a moment, Jungwon just looks at him silently, seeming utterly taken aback. Just as Jay's about to regret asking him this way, Jungwon breaks out into the sweetest, most preciously pretty smile Jay has ever seen. "If you'll have me," he says, his tail wrapping around his own arm. 

Jay lets out a relieved chuckle, reaching forward to gently scratch Jungwon's ears and under his jaw. "Nothing would make me happier. I promise I'll take care of you. Whatever you want, and whenever you want it, just the say the words and it'll be yours," he states. 

Jungwon looks up at him with his starry eyes, listening to him intently.

"But before you make the decision, there's some things I think I should tell you," Jay begins. "You might already know how busy my job keeps me, right? It doesn't leave me much time to be at home. I have to travel a lot too, almost every other week. Heeseung told me you don't do well with being left alone, so I could either have somebody stay with you, or you could come along with me. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. Besides that, I'll always try my best to keep you with me."

Jungwon hums, nodding slowly. "I understand."

"Whenever you feel like you're ready, I'll take you home with me. Take as much time as you need to think about it. I can wait for as long as I have to," Jay tells him. 

Jungwon nods again and says he will. He doesn't seem too unsure, but Jay can definitely tell that he's thinking about it deeply. Jay's not going to be selfish and rush him, because he knows Jungwon requires a lot of attention and care as a bespoke hybrid. Jay not being around most of the time is something that'll certainly make Jungwon feel lonely and sad. And Jay can't keep forcing him to travel with him all the time either as it'll be too tiring for Jungwon who just isn't built for such a demanding routine. 

Getting to call someone like Jungwon his own world be a dream come true. But what Jungwon wants matters more, so Jay's willing to give him as much time as he needs to make the final decision. 

Til then, he can only hope no one else sets their eyes on him. 

-

Whistling a song that's been stuck in his head since yesterday, Sunghoon strolls over to the common room. 

It's movie night, so he was expecting to find everyone already settled in. But when he runs his gaze over the area, he doesn't find the flash of snow white fur he was hoping to see. 

Not wanting to disturb anyone, Sunghoon decides to go look for Jungwon himself. He doesn't find him in the kitchen, Heeseung's office, or upstairs. It's not too late yet, so he doesn't think he'll be in his own room. But he walks over to it to check anyway. 

Heeseung isn't at the center right, so it's up to him to make sure everyone's okay. Sunghoon reaches Jungwon's room and knocks on the door. "Jungwonie? You in there? Can I come in?"

"Yes, hyung," comes his soft voice. 

Sunghoon pushes open the door, finding Jungwon in bed and buried under the covers. "The movie's already started. Don't you wanna come join everyone?"

Jungwon slowly sits up and rubs his eyes, his ears flicking twice after dropping down against his head. "It's seven already?," he asks wearily. 

Sunghoon frowns and closes the door as he steps in and walks over to the bed to sit beside him. "Are you feeling okay? What's wrong?," he asks, petting his head gently. 

"I'm okay," Jungwon mumbles without meeting his eyes. 

"It's alright, you can tell me," Sunghoon says softly. Jungwon can't hide his feelings even if he wants to. His face gives everything away easily when he remains silent.

"If you don't feel like it right now, you can always tell me later, okay? I'll leave you alone for now if–"

"Hyung, wait," Jungwon says, wrapping his hand around Sunghoon's wrist before he can get up. "Can you stay with me for a while, please?," he asks, his voice wavering just the slightest bit as his eyes well up with a hint of tears that make Sunghoon pause immediately. "I don't want to be alone right now." 

"Of course, Jungwon. I'm right here," Sunghoon says, getting in the covers beside him without a second thought. He wraps his arms around him and tugs him close. "What's the matter? You can tell me, I'll listen, I promise."

Jungwon lays his head on his chest and closes his eyes tightly, probably trying not to cry even though Sunghoon can tell he really wants to. Letting out a shaky breath, Jungwon tells Sunghoon everything Jay and Heeseung said today, taking frequent pauses to sniffle and blinks away his eyes. 

And when he finishes telling him everything, Sunghoon can't help but feel immensely bad for him. This is just Jungwon feeling overwhelmed and stressed beyond belief. This close, Sunghoon can almost feel his heart pounding against his chest with how anxious he is. His tail is coiled tightly around his thigh, his ears are flattened against his head, and his scent is totally buried. All these signs give everything away.

"I just–I just don't know what to do, Sunghoon-hyung," Jungwon says, his voice quiet and shaky. "I..I really like Jay-hyung. And I know how much he tried to get close enough to me. But..But I don't know if I could live like that. Now..I don't know how to say no to him. And then there's Ni-ki too. Him and Jake-hyung have been waiting so long for me to make up my mind. But I still can't. What do I do, hyung?"

"There's no need to be so worried, kitty," Sunghoon assures, slowly running a hand over his back soothingly. "Don't stress yourself out like this, you'll only feel worse."

"I just don't understand why it had to be me," Jungwon whispers, finally letting his tears fall after failing to hold them back. "If I didn't get stolen from Pryme that day, none of this would've ever happened."

Sunghoon thinks he can physically feel his heart pang painfully at that. "I know, Jungwon," he sighs. "I'm sorry. But you're here now, aren't you? You're safe. Everyone here wants nothing but the best for you. And we'll never let anything like that happen to you again. Including Jay. If he didn't care about you as much as he does, he would never have told you what having him as an owner would mean. And if Jake and Ni-ki didn't care about you, they wouldn't have been as patient as they're being with you."

"That's what's making me feel bad, hyung. Why do I keep messing things up for everyone?," Jungwon whispers, burying his face in Sunghoon's chest, his shoulders shaking with quivering breaths that make his heart ache. "Why can't I be what they want?"

"You're not doing anything wrong, I swear," Sunghoon states firmly. "Don't think that way. Everything will turn out well when it's the right time. Trust me. Until then, don't blame yourself." As carefully as he can, he pulls back a little. "Look at me," he says. 

Slowly, Jungwon raises his head, his eyes and cheeks wet with tears that Sunghoon gently wipes away. He didn't cry when Heeseung found him in that building, he didn't cry when he shared everything about his past, he didn't cry when he realized he wouldn't go back to Pryme. But the thought of not being able to make the people around him happy is what finally got to him. 

Sunghoon wishes there was something he could do or say to make him feel better. But it seems like what Jungwon really needs is time and patience. Everything can't get better and hurt less magically overnight. What he needs is to be patient and trust that everything will be okay as long as he keeps his head above the water.

"You'll be fine," Sunghoon repeats. "Don't worry about anything or anyone right now except yourself. And until you feel okay enough, you're not going to meet any other potential owners. Understand?"

Jungwon sniffles again and nods, incessantly scratching his upper arm before Sunghoon takes his wrist and lowers it firmly. "Alright, hyung," he says. "But..please don't tell Heeseung-hyung about anything of this. He already worries so much about me. I don't want to give him any more trouble than I already do."

Sunghoon can not promise Jungwon that. He'll discuss this with Heeseung the second he gets back to the center. The least he can hide from him is the sheer extent of how upset Jungwon's feeling. Other than that, he'll tell him that Jungwon doesn't feel like seeing more potential owners right now. 

"It's Heeseung-hyung's job to worry about you, kitty," Sunghoon says with a soft laugh, pulling Jungwon close again and giving him slow pets and scratches to help him relax. 

Already exhausted in every sense of the word, Jungwon's eyes soon start getting droopy at the gentle contact. "He works so hard. It must get tiring," he says with a sigh. "If only I could do something to make things easier for him too."

"Staying happy and healthy will be more than enough," Sunghoon says, finding the spot near the base of his right ear that always makes him fall asleep if anyone scratches it long enough. Heeseung calls it his 'off button.' 

Jungwon cozies up against him, finally loosening up his tense shoulders. It would be good if he stayed up a few minutes longer to sort out things a bit more. But Heeseung will be back soon and come looking for Jungwon like he always does whenever he's gone. 

Right before Jungwon falls asleep, he says, "I wish I could just stay here with you and Heeseung-hyung." 

Sunghoon can tell that's something that's been on Jungwon's mind for a while now. He also wishes that was possible and a feasible option. But it just wouldn't be fair to Jungwon to live without a proper home or an owner. Sunghoon and Heeseung have many other hybrids to look after. What Jungwon needs is someone who'll only have eyes for him and give him enough care, love, comfort and attention as he needs. 

Until he finds that person, he'll just have to try his best to be okay.