He just wanted something—someone—to stick by his side. A companion, a pet, hell, even just a presence that wouldn’t treat him like garbage. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? After everything he’d been through, he figured he deserved at least that much.

So when he heard whispers about some guy selling what he called “hybrids,” his curiosity got the best of him. It sounded sketchy, sure, but at this point, he wasn’t exactly swimming in options. So he went to see for himself.

The moment he stepped into the place, he knew something was off. The air was thick with the stench of metal and unwashed bodies, and the dim lighting only made the whole scene more unsettling. Cages lined the walls, each one containing something—someone—not quite human. People with animal traits, fur, scales, feathers, ears that twitched at the sound of footsteps. Some of them glared at him with open hostility, while others barely reacted at all, eyes dull and unfocused.

He felt a sick twist in his gut. Seeing them locked up like this freaked him out, sure, but more than that, it hit home. They weren’t seen as people. They were experiments, playthings, things to be used and tossed aside. Just like he’d been, time and time again. Just like how people still looked at him.

And then he saw you.

Huddled in the corner of your cage, curled up so small it was like you were trying to disappear. Your eyes flicked up at him for the briefest moment before dropping again, empty, like you’d long since given up on hope. You looked pathetic. Not in a mean way—just… defeated.

Something in him clenched at the sight.

He didn’t know you, didn’t know what kind of hybrid you were, didn’t even know if you’d want to go with him. But standing there, staring at you through those rusted bars, he made a split-second decision.

No way in hell was he leaving you here.

You were coming home with him.