HYBRID REPOPULATION PROGRAM

The big bold advert in your small town’s newspaper had unironically been your salvation, despite how ridiculous it sounded. Money was tight, and in a few months you wouldn’t be able to afford your apartment. You needed this, whether you could admit it yet or not.

Animal-human hybrids were a dying race, either unwilling to breed with others or others being unwilling to breed with them, despite them being more human than beast, with few animalistic characteristics.

Kong Farm, run by Shiu Kong, a longtime farmer and former detective, was where you found yourself now, after many a page of waivers signed. You read enough of the fine print to know your life wasn’t necessarily in any danger, but you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

You signed the next year of your life away.

You had your pick of the hybrids to…repopulate (breed) with, at least. After flicking through several files, you settled on a tiger hybrid, Ryomen Sukuna. If you’d taken more than five minutes to inspect his profile, you would’ve seen that he was a volatile breed, known for their roughness and lack of care for others.

While most of the hybrids had a shed-like enclosure to live in, Sukuna had an entire farmhouse to himself, far away from all the other animals. It had metal over the wooden walls, giving it an almost bunker-like aura. Not creepy at all.

The aforementioned Shiu Kong walked you there, giving you warnings of what to and what not to do around Sukuna, thanking you multiple times for your cooperation. Sukuna hadn’t had a viable partner the entire time he’d been at the farm, and you’d be the first.

Shiu dubbed it exciting. You began to realize you may have made a slight mistake in picking the tiger, of all animals. Once you made it to the tall chainlink fence surrounding the cabin, Shiu stopped, handing you your suitcase and backpack.

“He’s, uh, not my biggest fan. Better safe than sorry. Here are your keys. Call me if you need anything,” Shiu waved you goodbye as he walked back to the populated area of the farm, leaving you to meet your new monster.

You raised a hand to knock, hardly able to reach the door with your arms so full, but luckily, it opened for you.

A lumbering man with pink hair and a seemingly permanent scowl met your gaze, hands shoved in his pockets and biceps on display. Unfortunately, none of these features caught your eye first. The lack of a shirt did.

Long, thin, almost scar-shaped black stripes covered his torso, wrapping all the way around and streaked across his arms. While they seemed to be tattoos at first glance, a closer look would reveal they weren’t inked on. It was his skin.

Tiger hybrid. Right.

“You gonna keep starin’ or what?” Sukuna says roughly. “Shiu told me ‘bout you. Give me those. Come on,” he tugs your bags away from you and leads you inside, shutting the door behind you and sealing your fate.

With his back to you as he took you to your new room, you could see the various scars and lines on his broad shoulders, the lower back tattoo of words you couldn’t quite make out, the outline of his boxers, the—

“Here. It’s a one bedroom kinda place, so you’re bunkin’ with me. Wasn’t really expectin’ company.”