Chapter Text
“Can you remind me again why in the hell you’re taking me to one of these things?” Chuuya asked as he followed Kouyou. The fellow executive gave a small hum before answering.
“You’ve been too stressed out recently, with your recent promotion of Executive. I figured you need help in finding ways to relax.”
“So you’re taking me to a hybrid auction?” Chuuya scoffed, raising a brow as one hand traveled to rest on his hips. Kouyou hummed again, not giving an actual reply. Chuuya took this as an initiative to keep talking.
“You know how I feel about this hybrid thing, Ane-san. Why would I want to buy one?”
“Because one, it could help you. And two, think of it like you’re saving your poor hybrid from a worser fate.” Kouyou replied, keeping her gaze steady in front of her. She’d changed out of her usual attire to help them blend in more. Chuuya also wasn’t in his usual Port Mafia wear; instead he was in a gray turtleneck and black jeans.
“Whatever.” Chuuya grumbled. He’d always made it very clear how he felt about people treating hybrids like they weren’t actually human. Hell, if he didn’t feel human, he could only imagine how horrible those half-animals must feel.
But at least Chuuya wasn’t getting bred, taken away from his family, sold to horrible people to do god knows what for the rest of his life. Sure, he had his own issues to deal with, but he wasn’t being treated as an object for entertainment or pleasure.
Once they entered the building, Chuuya had to clench his fists to contain himself.
The place was full of randos who were undoubtedly rich. Their clothing practically screamed ‘I have money’. Most people were older men and women, and they already had hybrids attached to leashes, dragging them around the place. Some people were even trading their hybrids like they were collectable cards. Chuuya could see a lot of dog and bunny hybrids. They were pretty common.
“When is the auction starting?” Chuuya asked with a grumble in his throat. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
“Soon. I made sure to get us here at a time where you didn’t have to be here long.” Kouyou assured, gently placing a hand on Chuuya’s back to guide him to their seats. Of course, they were pretty close to the front.
“Thanks…I guess.” Chuuya wasn’t so angry at Kouyou that he wouldn’t appreciate her small efforts to try and make him comfortable here.
Lights started to illuminate the stage, and almost on cue, more people started to walk towards their seats. Chuuya tried not to scowl when he realized none of the hybrids that were brought here by their owners had their own seats; they were all on the floor. He kept his eyes forward, not wanting to see any more.
The stage looked like one that would be used at a concert or a fashion show. It was basically a runway with a circle at the end, probably so the hybrids could be shown off while all the useless information was tossed at the audience’s faces.
“So, what sort of animal are you hoping for, Chuuya?” Kouyou asked, probably trying to cheer him up again. “You like dogs, don’t you? Maybe you’d like one of those?”
“Maybe.” Chuuya agreed, just so he didn’t have to talk about this anymore. It was true he loved dogs, but he never expected he might get his first one like this . At a fucking hybrid auction.
The show started only a few minutes later. A man wearing an extremely fancy purple suit went on stage, heading towards the end of the runway, microphone in hand. He introduced himself- Chuuya didn’t bother to remember his name- and then explained the rules of the auction. Hybrids would come out one at a time, and people could only start to bid after he gave all the necessary information. Simple enough.
All the hybrids were wearing the same thing; lingerie. Chuuya knew they would try and sexualize the poor things, but he didn’t think they’d put them in literal underwear. At least they were all different colors, he supposed?
Unsurprisingly, most of the hybrids were bunnies or dogs. They were very popular in the hybrid industry, and they were easy to breed and train. This caused them to be less expensive; an ideal starter pet. Of course, there was the occasional fox or other animals Chuuya didn’t bother trying to recognize.
The auction was nearly over, and Chuuya really, really wanted to head home already. He’d told himself even before they came here that he wasn’t going to buy a hybrid. He didn’t want one, nor need one, so there was no point.
The annoying auctioneer’s voice filled his ears once again, and Chuuya’s shoulders raised in annoyance. “Now, this next one is a breed we haven’t had here before! That’s right folks, welcome our first cat hybrid!”
Cat? Chuuya glanced back up at the stage in curiosity. Cat hybrids were rare, since for some reason, it was harder to breed them. And obviously, they were harder to train than other hybrids, so most people didn’t even bother. Finding somebody who owned a cat was difficult.
Once the hybrid stepped onto the stage, Chuuya could feel his annoyance plummet six feet down.
This hybrid was pretty , no way around it. He was taller than most hybrids Chuuya had seen; with chocolate-brown hair and eyes that stayed on his feet as he slowly made his way to the auctioneer. Ears were poking out from the top of his head, and his slim tail was on full display, wrapped around his leg. He was wearing the same lingerie as the other hybrids, but Chuuya instantly recognized the shade of blue on his skin. It was similar to his own eye color.
And it looked really good on the cat.
Once the hybrid had made it to its place, it kept its eyes down, hands clasping onto each other as the auctioneer began to talk.
“This hybrid here is male. He’s a young adult, and a healthy one at that. I’m certain he’ll be able to serve all of your needs, providing you give him some discipline every once in a while. You know how cats are!” The shitty auctioneer let out a laugh before continuing. “So, let the bidding begin!”
Unsurprisingly to Chuuya, nobody had started to bid. As rare as cat hybrids were, they were also a huge hassle. Like normal cats, they were stubborn, independent, and hard to train. Most people didn’t want to bother with that, so they got hybrids that were easier to handle.
He was just planning on waiting this one out. Sure, the cat was pretty, but that wasn’t enough to get Chuuya to buy him. He would need an actual reason to do something as stupid as that.
The hybrid looked over at him. As if he could sense what Chuuya was thinking, he looked over at him. Their eyes met, and for some reason, Chuuya couldn’t look away.
Help me. He could basically hear the cat pleading in his mind. Even though his expression looked empty, it was almost like Chuuya was reading into his soul. Help me, please .
“Fucking hell.” Chuuya muttered to himself before raising his hand. “One hundred fifty million yen!” He wanted to be damn sure nobody would take this hybrid away from him.
The cat’s ear twitched, and the auctioneer gave probably one of the biggest grins Chuuya had ever seen in his life. Fucking prick.
“One hundred fifty million! What a price for such a beautiful hybrid! Is anybody willing to go higher than that?” His voice sounded so hopeful that Chuuya wanted to rip out his vocal cords just so he wouldn’t have to hear his voice again.
“Going once…”
“Gong twice…”
“SOLD!”
The auctioneer immediately placed a collar on the hybrid’s neck, and attached a leash to it. He looked over at Chuuya, silently telling him ‘ Come here and collect your prize!’ .
Chuuya frowned and stood up from his seat as the auctioneer led the cat to a small set of stairs on the side of the stage. He stretched out his hand so Chuuya could take the leash, and the cat walked down the stairs until he was standing at Chuuya’s side.
Oh. He really is tall. Was the first thing Chuuya thought of. The hybrid was at least twenty centimeters taller than him.
The second thing Chuuya thought of was: time to leave . But first, he needed to introduce himself.
“Hey.” Chuuya started as he walked back to his seat, careful not to have a tight grip on the leash. The hybrid followed him without complaint. “My name is Nakahara Chuuya. I’m gonna take care of you from now on.”
He didn’t get a reply. He wasn’t really expecting one, but it still made him frown. Once he was back at his seat, he didn’t sit down. He just gave Kouyou the look of ‘it’s time to go now.’ She understood, and rose from her seat.
Chuuya looked back at the hybrid. “We’re heading back to my place. I don’t really like this place, and I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.”
Again, the hybrid didn’t answer him. Was he mute? Deaf? Was he too nervous to speak? Was it some sort of ‘he can only talk if you command him to’ type of thing? Or did he just not feel like replying to Chuuya?
Whichever one it was, it didn’t really matter right now. Chuuya just wanted to go home, and it wasn’t like the cat had any other choice but to go with him. He gave a light warning tug on the leash so the cat knew they’d start to move.
Once they got outside, Chuuya felt much more free than before. That auction house had to be the worst place he’d ever been to.
He wondered how embarrassed the hybrid must be feeling; out in public wearing nothing but a collar and blue lingerie. He didn’t look bothered, but then again, he didn’t really look like he was feeling anything. Did Chuuya buy a statue by mistake?
“Our car isn’t parked very far.” Kouyou said; probably to the hybrid, but she could have been talking to Chuuya as well. “It’s just a short walk.”
Chuuya tried not to look at the brunette too much as they walked. He wanted to keep the cat comfortable. He was being strangely well behaved, and Chuuya wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He didn’t want to have to result to discipline like that damn fucking auctioneer suggested. He didn’t want to do anything that damn fucking auctioneer suggested. He stole Chuuya’s money, and that should be enough for him.
Normally in the car, Chuuya always takes the front seat; but since he now has a cat that he wants to keep calm, he decided to sit in the back with it. Once they were all buckled in and Kouyou started to drive, Chuuya let go of the leash, letting it dangle in between the tall hybrid’s legs.
The cat was staring out the window, watching as the scenery around him flew by in a blur. His pupils were slightly contracted, making it seem like he was interested in what was happening outside of the car.
“Have you never been in a car before?” Chuuya asked, wanting to fill in the silence. “Or at least… never had windows in a car before?”
The cat turned his head to look back at Chuuya. His tail wasn’t wrapped around his leg anymore, flicking every couple of seconds on the empty middle seat between them. Chuuya didn’t want to sit right next to the hybrid in case it freaked him out.
For the third time, Chuuya didn’t get an answer. After a couple seconds, his hybrid returned his attention back to the window.
Why did he decide to buy a cat out of all the animals? Chuuya doesn't even like cats. This was probably a bad idea. But for some reason, he didn’t really regret it.