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wingsofkpop · 5 years

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Finding SKZ - 5: ML98

pairing(s): Hybrid!Bang Chan x Reader, Hybrid!SKZ x Reader

genre: Hybrid!AU, Dystopian!AU, Angst, Fluff, eventual Smut

warning(s): Mature language, mentions of abuse, mentions of abandonment, mentions of death

word count: 4,6k

synopsis: After rescuing an abandoned hybrid from his fate of death, he has one other favor to ask of you. Not only do you have to find his eight other hybrid brothers, but you have to keep them safe from the deadly dangers of your city: Miroh

chapter directory

“Wh-what?”

The stranger doesn’t blink, almost annoyed by your obvious confusion. He exhales a deep sigh before repeating, “My name is Lee Minho. Are you deaf?”

“But-but,” You shake your head frantically and lift your hands to grasp roughly at the roots of your hair. Too many things were running through your mind, you could barely hear the shake of your voice over the roar of your thoughts, “...How?”

“You ask way too many questions.” Minho rolls his eyes before glancing into the pitch black. “As much as I’d love to sit here and wait for you to get over whatever mind fuckery is going on inside that slow brain of yours, we’ve got to go. Unless you really do want to get arrested?”

As much as you wanted to argue, Minho was right. You got really lucky that he was even here in the first place. And even though you were dying to know exactly why he was here, you bite your tongue and follow his advice.

“Good choice,” Minho nods and gestures over his shoulder, “Follow me and stay quiet. They’re still inside the building.”

“How are we going to get out-?”

“-What did I just say?” You snap your mouth shut at Minho’s bark. The male deposits you one final glare before taking off into the darkness. Luckily, your eyes had somewhat adjusted so you could just barely spot his silhouette. You do as he said and trail right behind him. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a couple police officers investigating the fight ring in the center of the garage. Your stomach twists at the reminder of Chan, Hyunjin and Woojin. You really hope they made it out okay.

Not paying attention, you accidentally bump into Minho when he stops. He shoots you a laser-like glance, then grabs your wrist and yanks your body forward. You stumble but catch yourself, now face to face with a hole embedded with the brick wall. It was barely big enough for you to crawl through and seemed to be attached to some sort of pipe or tube that led to the outside. It must have been a garbage chute or something along those lines.

“Ladies first.”

You gape toward the male, “You really expect me to slide down that?”

“Not unless you have any other ideas.”

You curse him for his sarcastic logic and with a face of disgust, begin to maneuver your limbs inside the gap. Luckily after you fit your legs and hips inside, it showed to be a lot more spacious than you thought. You tried not to think of what was waiting for you on the other side before pushing off and inhaling one last breath.

You plunge into pitch black and you hope there were no critters living inside the pipe. The stench of garbage fills your nostrils, the smell making you both dizzy and nauseous. You had slid for maybe a minute when you land into a mass of trash bags and other garbage. Something slimy melds onto your palm and you try to not think of what it could be.

Right behind you, Minho joins you in the dumpster. He doesn’t linger, grabs the edge of the bin and hauls himself out. You expect him to offer you a hand, but of course, he doesn’t. He sends you a strange look and tilts his head, “You planning to stay in there all night?”

With an unimpressed glare, you climb out of the trash and throw yourself out of the container. Rather ungracefully, you tumble out and land painfully on your hip and shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Minho stifle a laugh. Your annoyance grows, somewhat distracting you from the ache in your bones.

You huff, “Fine.”

Minho raises an eyebrow and points to his hair, “You’ve got a little something there.”

Gulping, you reach up to pull something out of your strands. Whatever it was, you didn’t want to know, but it was sticky and gross. Minho seems to take pleasure in your discomfort judging by the smirk that invades his lips. He shakes his head and chuckles, “Humans. You guys are so repulsed by anything.”

“Ha ha. Funny.” You groan, wiping your hand on your jeans before sinking it into your pocket to pull out your phone. You find it empty, the realization that you had given your phone to Woojin just before Chan went in the ring hits you like a sack of bricks. With a deep groan, you pinch your nose and drag your hand down your face.

If Woojin followed your guys’ original plan, he should have called them a cab and be back at your apartment by now. The only issue with that is you yourself have no means of communication nor transportation back to your home. Buses or trains don’t run in this part of Miroh. And you had no way of knowing that the boys did in fact get home safe.

What the hell are you supposed to do now?

“Hello… Earth to weirdo?” Your snapped from your thoughts as a hand waves in front of your face. Minho was staring at you with furrowed brows and a frown. He hums, “Still dealing with mind fuckery or something?”

“I’m thinking about the others.”

“Okay?”

“Aren’t you the least bit concerned about your brothers?” You hiss, exasperated at his nonchalant tone. “They could be on their way to a euthanization hospital for all we know right now.”

The male shakes his head, “No way. Woojin-hyung and Channie-hyung are way too smart to get caught. Plus, I don’t smell their scents anymore.”

At his assurance, the heaviness of your chest somewhat lifts. There was still a shred of doubt pointed straight at your heart, but you needed to take what you could get. If Minho says the boys are safe, you have no other choice but to trust him. Let’s hope it doesn’t go wrong in your favor.

“Okay…but what about me?”

“What about you?

“I have no way of contacting anyone or getting back home.”

Minho shrugs, “And? How is that my problem?”

“God, don’t you have some sense of empathy?” A groan escapes your lips as your fingers fly to tug once again at your own hair. “I’m asking for your help.”

“I already helped you. My job is done.”

“But your brothers-”

“-Just because you’re helping them doesn’t mean I have to associate with you.” Minho glares in your direction. You’ve never seen someone look so hateful and loathing. He continues in a hiss, “You probably have some underlying plan anyway that ends with you selling all nine of us somewhere and making bank off bank.”

Your expression becomes horrified, “What? I would never do that.”

Minho sarcastically chuckles, “Uh huh. That’s what they all say.”

“Who is ‘they’?”

“The ‘nice’ humans.” Out of instinct, you back up as Minho stalks closer. His features threatening and irises as black as night. “The ‘nice’ humans that offer you food, clothing, and a warm place to sleep. They speak to you in that honey, sweet voice and tell you all you have ever wanted to hear after all the fucking shit you’ve been through.”

“The humans that treat you like you’re human only to turn around and leave you on the side of the road with nothing but the clothes on your back and the damn question about what you did wrong.

“That is ‘they’.”

Minho steps away, allowing your lungs to function again. When you’re caught up on your air supply, you turn back to the hybrid and shake your head, “That’s not me.”

“Like I said, that’s what they all say.”

Your anxiety grows as Minho starts to make his way down the alley, his form disappearing further into the darkness. You take off after him, “Wait! Where are you going!?”

“I’m going to find my brothers, all of them, and get somewhere faraway where fucking monsters like you can’t find us.”

“So you’re just going to leave me here!?”

“Pretty much.”

You watch as Minho’s silhouette fades further into the darkness. And whether it was out of desperation or quick-thinking, you call for him one last time:

“You’re just like them, you know.”

Minho stops cold at your comment. At his sides, you can see his hands balling into fists. He whirls his head around and rasps through his teeth, “What the hell did you say to me?”

“You heard me.” You tilt your head, “You’re just like the humans who abandon their hybrids and leave them for dead.”

“Don’t you fucking compare me to your species!” You barely have the chance to blink before Minho is in front of you again, fingers digging into the skin of your arms. His breath blows hot against your cheeks as he hisses, “Humans treat us like we’re shit. You have no idea what it’s like to be mistreated and abandoned like you’re nothing.”

Your expression softens and before you can stop your tongue, you whisper, “Yes, I do.”

Minho is silenced at your confession. The contempt within his eyes fades and he lowers his grasp from your arms. The two of you stare at each other for a moment before Minho breaks the silence, “...I’ll help you.”

“Thank y-”

“-But don’t think for a second I’m doing it for you.” Minho’s cold exterior returns in a flash. He turns back toward the end of the alley, waits for you to come next to him and starts to walk, “Channie-hyung seemed to really like you. So I’m doing it for him.”

You shake your head, “How long were you watching us?”

“Ever since you got out of the taxi.” Minho sends you a pointed glance before returning his gaze forward, “Seungmin-ah’s okay too?”

“Yeah. He’s a good kid.”

He nods, “Yeah. He always was.”

You can’t help but feel this weight pressing down on your shoulders. And it only grows worse as both you and the hybrid continue to make your way through the darkness.

~~*~~**~~*~~

“So you’ve just been living on the streets?” You peer through the window full of grime, finding tons of hybrids scattered throughout the dimly lit alleyway. Minho, not wanting to draw attention to your mundane features, had snuck you inside what he called his “home” through the sewer system. And after spending a good five minutes in there, you’d take the trash chute again without hesitation.

Minho lived in an abandoned apartment building that if you were able to guess, went up in flames during the war. The walls were covered in charred remains and the ceilings were stripped, exposing the rusted metal squares making up the roof. The floor was littered with soot, dirt and unsettlingly creaked when you took a step. Minho had set up his little sleeping area in the cleanest corner of the apartment, which basically consisted of a well-worn mattress, a couple ragged blankets and a dented suitcase.

You couldn’t even imagine.

“Pretty much.” A shuffle of fabric occurs over your shoulder. You turn to see Minho sort through his minimal array of clothing, folding the pieces that weren’t in complete rags. He places the folded clothing in the middle of a bed sheet, before tying it into a cute little bundle. An amused smile pulls at your lips, but disappears when you realize he’s intending to take those clothes with him.

“You know, once we get back to my part of town, I can get you some new clothes. Ones that aren’t in tatters.”

Minho shakes his head, “I don’t want anything from you.”

Your heart drops at the rejection. With a sigh, you turn back to look out the filthy glass. Minho hadn’t told you much, but this part of the Forbidden was invested with hundreds of abandoned and runaway hybrids. This is one of the only safe places in Miroh where they’re able to live freely, but at the cost of homelessness and lack of resources. Minho had obviously been surviving off what little he could find, just like these other hybrids. You didn’t even want to think of how they’ve been keeping themselves alive, especially with how cold this winter has been.

“How long?” You ask, watching a cat hybrid pass out blankets and coats to a group of shivering rabbit hybrids. “How long have you been living here?”

“A couple months. I never stay in one place too long.” Through the window reflection, you watch as Minho places as many bundles as he could fit inside his suitcase. Those he couldn’t, he piles onto his bed and shoves into a trash bag.

Your eyebrows furrow, “Where else have you lived?”

“All over. The Capital, the Outskirts, anywhere I could find somewhere to hide.” Minho sighs, caressing the dent in the suitcase. “I guess I was hoping to find my brothers.”

“I mean, you found Hyunjin, didn’t you?”

The hybrid huffs, “Yeah, and then what could I do? It’s not like I could fight for his freedom like Chan-hyung did.”

A moment of tense silence stretches between the two of you. Instead of keeping your eyes on the hybrid family outside, you return your gaze to your unlikely savior. His own gaze was centered on the wall in front of him, his back facing your direction. Out of nowhere, he slams his hands against the surface of his suitcase, effectively causing your body to flinch.

Through gritted teeth, he hisses, “God, I hated watching those bastards throw him in the ring and allow his own brethren to tear him apart like a fucking chew toy.”

“There’s nothing you could have done.” You sigh, “You would’ve only gotten yourself killed in the process.”

Minho doesn’t respond to your statement, nor does he acknowledge you speaking at all. He continues to stare at the wall and scratch his claws alongside the metal container. You debate trying to get his attention again, but decide against it. Whatever demons Minho was facing weren’t like those of Chan, Woojin and Seungmin where you could brush them away with an excerpt of comfort. You’d call him cold, but you understood how that felt.

You used to be the same way.

“Tell me something, (Y/N).” The way Minho so harshly utters your name sends a shudder down your spine. You mask your physical discomfort with a raise of your eyebrows and an acknowledging hum. Minho purses his lips before asking, “Why are you doing this?”

You shake your head, “What do you mean?”

“All of this.” Minho gestures to himself then outside the window, “Why are you helping hybrids?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Minho’s sarcastic cackle has more shivers wracking your figure. Out of instinct, you back up to press yourself against the window, the glass cool against your skin. The hybrid stays where he is, caressing the claws emerging from beneath his fingernails. Goosebumps spread across your flesh as he angles his head to peer at you over his shoulder. Through the dim light, his eyes glowed a bright yellow. He murmurs, “You’re lying. Why are you really doing this?”

“Because I want to help you.”

“Bullshit!” Minho snaps at your repetition, turning his entire body to face you. His features were pulled into an ugly sneer, one that almost didn’t look human. You couldn’t remember what kind of hybrid Chan had said he was, and you were really wishing he would take his hood off so you could see his ears. “There’s always a catch! Humans aren’t capable of doing the right thing!”

As much as you will yourself to remain calm, you were growing very angry. You understand Minho obviously has reason to loathe humans, and you couldn’t imagine what he and any other hybrid has been through, but that doesn’t give him the right to degrade you just because you were born human. Sure, the majority of your species are assholes and have no sense of compassion, but the rest of them don’t define the person you are.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

“The truth!” Minho hisses, “I want you to look me in the fucking eyes and tell me the real reason you’re rounding us up!”

You seethe, leaving your place at the window to stand right in front of the hybrid. Staring straight into his piercing eyes just how he asked, you speak straight from your heart, “Just because you’ve been through hell and back does not give you the right to paint anyone who offers you kindness as a villain… Do you know how dangerous this is for me? So far, I’ve been cursed at, almost beaten and nearly arrested trying to save your brothers. And not to mention the fucking guilt I’d feel if anything ever happens to one of you.

“Because guess what, Minho? Unlike others, I have a heart. And I may be foolish and a damn idiot for following it, but that’s the kind of person I am.” Minho’s eyes try to avert from yours, but you follow and force his focus to remain on you. With a deep sigh, you finish, “So don’t you dare compare me to ‘them,’ because you know what, I’m putting a lot at risk for you guys. And I’ll be damned if your bitterness stops me from doing so.”

Another awkward silence uptakes the atmosphere. You felt a little bad for snapping at the hybrid, but then again you really didn’t. Everything you said is true. The boys may be in danger, but you are even more so. If you’re caught housing rogue and runaway hybrids, ones especially like these boys, you’d be in big, big trouble. You could spend years locked away in the Capital, disappearing like your grandfather did. Or worse.

Minho sighs before meeting your eyes one last time, his irises back to their normal brown. He shakes his head, “You’re really doing this out of the kindness of your heart?”

“I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do.” You nod, “Now, can you actually treat me like a decent person?”

The hybrid says nothing and gathers his belongings. He throws the trash bag over his shoulder, dragging the suitcase across the creaking floor to the doorway. Minho pauses, tilts his head and hums, “You coming or what?”

You sigh. At least he’s not threatening to leave you behind this time.

~~*~~**~~*~~

“Stay close. If these guys figure out you’re human, you’ll never see the light of day ever again.” Minho pulls you into his side, his arm tight around your waist. Although you’re not too happy with the position, you don’t argue. As harmless as majority of the homeless hybrids seem, you know they wouldn’t hesitate to tear you apart. At this point, you just want to get home to the boys.

Get home to Chan.

“Don’t look at anyone. Just keep your head down, got it?”

You nod, “Yeah, yeah.”

You allow Minho to lead you through the packed alleyway, uttering excuses to get through. It may have been your own imagination, but you swear you could feel dozens of eyes staring you down. You push closer to the hybrid, grasping the limb around your torso for comfort. The male acknowledges your anxiety with a gentle pat to your side. It doesn’t ease anything.

Beads of sweat roll down your forehead, which is ironic because the rest of your body felt ice cold. You exhale a deep breath and watch the fog snake in front of your eyes. Panic lurches throughout your veins when you accidentally bump into someone in front of you. Before they could turn, Minho transfers you to his opposite side and apologizes for his clumsiness. You feel your tension recede when the person mutters something out of understanding and goes back to whatever it was they were doing.

You and Minho manage to make it to the end of the alley with no faults. Wracked with heat and shivers, you shove Minho away and collapse against a nearby wall. You tuck your knees into your chest and shield your burning face inside your palms. Minho calls your name, but you can’t respond.

It takes a few moments to ease the panic attack building inside your chest, but you manage to gain control of your own senses again. With a sigh, you uncurl yourself and climb shakily to your feet. Minho offers you a look of concern, one that surprises you, and questions, “You okay?”

You nod and swipe a hand across your sweaty forehead, “Yeah, just needed a minute.”

“Yeah, no, that’s fine.”

You sigh, “Listen, you can’t tell Chan about this, okay? I don’t need him to worry about me.”

“Yeah, no problem”

“Thanks.”

You don’t like the stressful edge of the silence. It fills your body with tension once again, and you can’t seem to meet Minho’s piercing gaze anymore.

His next words strike something deep inside you, “Who abandoned you?”

“Wh-what?”

“Earlier you said you knew what it felt like to be abandoned. So who abandoned you?”

You shake your head, “I don’t-”

“-(Y/N)!” Before you can deflect Minho’s interrogation, sudden arms are sweeping you off your feet and lifting you into the air. You can barely breathe with how tightly this stranger was holding you, but luckily, they lower you back to the ground and allow you the chance to utter their name:

“Chan.”

“Thank god, I thought the police got to you.” Chan smooths back the strands of your hair before caressing your cheek. His skin felt good against your own, easing whatever worries from before had remained. “God damn it, (Y/N), whatever happened to sticking to the plan.”

You shake your head, “I wanted you safe. Where’s Woojin and Hyunjin?”

“Back at the apartment.” Chan answers, “I stayed to look for you. There’s a cab waiting for us a couple streets over.

“How did you get out? I mean, there were cops everywhere, (Y/N).”

You chuckle, “Actually, I had a little help.”

Chan follows your gaze, his touch immediately falling away from your body. His expression shifts wildly, first confusion, then surprise, then absolute joy. The biggest grin spreads across his face as he rushes toward the watching hybrid and sweeps the boy into his embrace. Laughter erupts from the two boys, the sound like music within your ears, as they cling to one another. Soon, chuckles and giggles fade and Chan parts from Minho to scan him up and down.

He shakes his head with a laugh, “You were always a sly bastard.”

Minho grins, “What can I say? I wasn’t born a coyote for nothing.”

Chan sniffs, “It’s so good to see you, bro. So, so good.”

“Same here, Channie-hyung. Same here.”

Chan and Minho hug once again. You watch with admiration, loving how content Chan looked at having his long lost brother within his arms. How could the universe treat such a kind and beautiful creature like absolute shit? Chan deserves the world, so do the rest of his brothers.

And like you said to Minho, you’d be damned if anything stops you from giving them that chance.

~~*~~**~~*~~

“You really should have paid more attention, Chan. You could’ve been killed.”

Chan groans, a mix out of frustration and pain. Carefully, you try to be more gentle in sewing the gashes on his arm. When you started, he claimed that it didn’t hurt, but the whites of his knuckles and gritting of his teeth told you otherwise.

“How many times are you going to lecture me about that?” He sends you a teasing smile which shifts into a grimace as you pull the needle through his flesh again. “I still won, didn’t I?”

You sigh, shaking your head with a huff.

“What? You didn’t think I was going to win?”

“It’s not that.” You finish off one of the wounds, tying the string with a small knot. You quickly clean off and sterilize the needle again before tying it to a new thread. Satisfied, you begin stitching the second cut, “I just really don’t like seeing you like this. I think I still have trauma from the time I found you.”

“Well, it’s over and we have Hyunjin and Minho back. That’s all that matters.”

You choose not to respond and continue stitching Chan up in silence. Although you’re completely focused on your work, you can feel Chan’s eyes watching your face. You try to ignore the flitters inside your stomach, passing it off as hunger pains.

You finish the second and third wounds, running a cloth over them to clear any excess blood. Chan raises his arm so you can wrap a bandage around it, his eyes never once leaving your face. With one final pat to his now bandaged arm, you nod, “Okay, I think you’re all set.”

With a smile you meet his gaze, his sparkling brown eyes boring into your own. Your eyes avert to a splotch of dried blood staining just above his right eyebrow. You grab the cloth from before and warn, “Hold still.”

You lean in to lift the moistened rag, swiping it over the smudge with soft strokes. Chan’s warm breath paints your cheeks red hot, and you notice the trembling of your hand at the proximity. Once the blood is gone, you move to retract your limb, but you’re stopped when Chan wraps his fingers around your wrist.

Frozen with shock, you allow Chan to remove the cloth with his other hand. With your hand now free, Chan lowers it into his lap and spreads your fingers into a fan. His pointer finger traces the lines of your palms before lifting it to press a soft kiss to the exact center. His eyes closing in content. A strange heat rushes through your body, a cross between embarrassment and affection, and you make no move to stop him.

When he removes his lips, your flesh feels strangely cold. His eyelids flutter ajar once again, and his dark gaze leaves your lungs without breath. Chan had never looked at you in such a way before, with such admiration and heart. And before you can stop yourself, your eyes are averting down to his lips. Have they always been that pink and plump before?”

“(Y/N),” A shiver runs through your body as your name falls from his lips. You find yourself leaning closer, and you hoped he couldn’t hear how fast your heart was racing nor how you were absolutely shaking. Excitement floods through your veins when the hybrid leans in as well, ears falling to the side, his lips brushing over your cheek as he speaks, “You are the most beautiful human I’ve ever met…”

You find yourself unable to reply, perched on the edge of threading your fingers in his soft hair. Your hand was still on his cheek, and you couldn’t help but think of how beautiful this creature was sitting beneath you. His glittering eyes. Smooth skin. Gentle hands. Everything screamed perfection, even the blemishes he had were perfect.

You haven’t felt like this in a long, long time. And even though you were terrified, you couldn’t deny that you wanted to kiss him. You wanted to kiss Chan so badly.

But just before you could, the bathroom door flies open. You jerk away from the wolf hybrid, clumsily climbing to your feet. Seungmin stood in the doorway, a grin on his face and his laptop cradled in his arms. Luckily, it seemed like he hadn’t seen anything, and you can’t tell if you were relieved or disappointed.

“I think I found Felix! C’mon, you guys have to see this!”

You follow the younger hybrid without acknowledging your previous companion. What were you thinking? Hybrid and human relationships are forbidden in Miroh, much less unheard of. Falling for Chan was like signing your death warrant. Not only could Chan be euthanized, but you could be executed as well. You can’t let that happen again. Not ever.

Even so, you try not to think of how cold and lonely your lips feel.

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