"good evening! welcome at 'hybrids & co'!" the lady behind the desk greeted the two males that had entered the shop.

"hello." taeyong smiled at her before drifting his eyes to the many glass cages.

him and ten looked at the many puppies, kittens, guinea pigs, rabbits and other animals that were playing in the glass cages, waiting for someone to pick them up and adopt them.

"are you looking for any hybrid in particular?" the girl from the shop came to ask them.

"we're planning on buying one, but we're not sure which one yet." ten explained.

"let me explain a few things about hybrids, and maybe it'll help you decide." she smiled. "the hybrids stay in their animal form until they're old enough to change, which takes around three months. when they change, they take the appearance of an adult human, and they keep their animal personality. that is why the hybrids take the comportments of the animal they embody."

"oh... okay." ten nodded. "so, dogs act like your friends, and maybe cats are lonelier and sleep a lot?"

"exactly." the lady smiled. "but it is not the same for every animal. some act clingier than usual even though they don't embody a clingy animal for example."

"we're looking for some hybrid that could stay with us, like some cuddly baby." ten explained.

"i see." she nodded. "maybe a rabbit. they are cuddly and yet don't take too much place."

"oh, that could be- "

"ten!"

ten stopped talking mid-sentence to look towards his best friend who had called him from the end of the shop.

he walked over him, the lady on his heels.

"you called me?"

"i want him." taeyong said, pointing at a glass cage in which a lion cub was looking at him with glowing eyes.

"yuta?" the girl asked.

"he's a lion!" ten exclaimed, kneeling to get closer to the animal. "aww! he's so cute..."

"yes, it's him we want." taeyong replied.

"well, of course. but i have to warn you about a few things before. we don't usually sell wild hybrids, only pets, but this lion has behaviour problems. he acts like a clingy baby, and doesn't really age mentally."

"tae, i am falling in love..." ten spoke, his eyes glued to the small lion that was staring at him with curious eyes.

taeyong ran his fingers through ten's hair that was still kneeling in front of the cage.

"will it have an influence on his behaviour?" he asked the lady of the store.

"he'll be very clingy. quite like a little." she explained.

"taeyong." ten rose to his feet immediately, facing taeyong and using his best puppy eyes ever. "i want him, please, please... him and nothing else."

taeyong passed an arm around ten's waist and hugged him. "we'll take him." taeyong said to the lady, smiling once again when his eyes met the lion cub.

the lady nodded, taking her keys out to open the glass cage.

"yuta, you're having a family today."

🦁

"welcome to your new home yuta baby." ten said, opening the front door of his and taeyong's shared apartment, and allowing the lion cub to enter the house. 

taeyong closed the door behind them while ten took off the leash that was preventing yuta to run away.

as soon as he got free, the lion cub ran under the couch, hiding in fear.

"aww baby, you're scared..." ten pouted, lying on the floor to look at the lion cub. he made eye contact with the hybrid, cooing when his eyes met the big shiny eyes of his new baby.

"come here, yuta. i'm not going to hurt you."

taeyong watched his best friend trying to call their new hybrid with adoration.

it was such a pity they couldn't get together. ten and him would be the most perfect couple to exist...

"ten, try with some food." taeyong said, handing his best friend a piece of meat that they had bought earlier, when they had run an errand to get some necessities for the hybrid.

"oh! you're right!"

ten took the piece of meat from taeyong's hand, and he held it out in front of him, catching the attention of yuta who looked at the food as if he had never eaten any.

"come here, baby. i'm sure you're hungry." ten said in a high-pitched voice.

the lion cub hesitantly approached, staying under the couch, but keeping his eyes on the yummy piece of meat.

"come out." ten spoke again, shaking the meat a bit.

the lion stared at ten with big eyes, then looking at the piece of meat for a few seconds before poking his head out from under the sofa.

"he's coming out!" ten exclaimed, not realising he had scared the hybrid.

"careful, ten. you scared him. he's hiding under the couch again..." taeyong put a hand over ten's shoulder to prevent him from moving.

"oh no..." ten pouted, making taeyong smile in adoration.

"don't worry, he'll eventually come out. put the piece of meat on the floor, and let's step back a bit. he might be scared of us." taeyong said.

ten nodded, and delicately laid the piece of meat on the floor before stepping back with taeyong, doing everything under the hybrid's shiny eyes.

after long seconds, the hybrid poked his head out again, making ten squeak and taeyong shut his mouth with his hand.

the lion stared at the two humans, tilting his head to the side before diverting his eyes to the piece of meat.

he took slow steps towards the food, often looking at ten and taeyong to make sure they weren't endangering him.

he finally reached the piece of meat, giving one last glance to the two humans before starting to eat. 

ten and taeyong melted at the sight, and their coos may have gotten the attention of the hybrid who was now looking at them.

"oh, he's looking at us." ten smiled widely, cuddling into taeyong's side.

the hybrid took the piece of meat in his mouth before slowly walking towards the two humans. he carefully got in front of them, putting the piece of meat on ten's foot before rubbing his head on ten's shin.

"t-taeyong!" ten gasped. "he cuddled into me!"

"yes, he did." taeyong smiled, looking at the cute hybrid that was now sitting in front of them.

ten crouched slowly, not to scare the lion off. taeyong did the same, and slowly, tried to reach for the lion's head.

the lion cub allowed taeyong to pat his head, making ten fall in love with the sight.

"you're ours now, yuta."