Chapter Text
The government said this was his ‘duty,’ that he should be excited to be helping out his kind like this – but all Kyungsoo could think was that he somehow got jipped. Like, seriously, what the hell? How’d he get into this mess? It felt like he’d barely gotten a say in the matter – his parents and siblings all saying what a great thing it was that he was doing, even though he hadn’t even agreed. And somehow, without himself even doing much of it, his suitcase and backpack had been packed with the entirety of his wardrobe, half his mountain of unread books, and off he was sent.
He’d heard the stories, the rumors-turned-true, in the past few years that were becoming more and more obvious – hybrids were dying out. Humans had taken to killing them off a few decades ago, but now more than ever it was obvious how many people were walking around without ears or a tail. But Kyungsoo was 100% sure there were definitely other people to help with this whole ‘repopulating the hybrid world’ thing.
“You’re a male omega though,” his brother had shrugged when Kyungsoo had voiced said opinion. “Usually they have way stronger kids and are usually able to have a lot more of them than the girls.” Kyungsoo had grumbled and pulled out his phone to fact-check his brother’s bullshit that turned out to not be bullshit.
Kyungsoo had always been treated differently because of the fact that he was a male omega. He always had to prove his masculinity, which led to him getting into plenty of fights in school when people would taunt him and he’d punch them square in the face. Just cause he was small and could carry a kid didn’t mean he couldn’t throw a decent punch.
Apparently, his pedigree was also what these hybrid government people were looking for, because they had all his papers with them when they came to ask him this ‘favor’ (which definitely seemed more like a demand than anything). They had listed off his lineage and all the useless shit he never told people – like who his grandparents were, or why his fur was so nice. He always told people he was just a tabby who took care of his hair – no one needed to know he was a Maine Coon cat. Plus, being an omega, they probably wouldn’t have even believed him since Main Coon cats were known for being large enough to take on dogs.
“Do Kyungsoo,” the government dude had greeted when his stuff had been shoved into the back of a suspiciously cool-looking car. “How are you today?”
“I guess I’m fine,” he grumbled as his parents and brothers waved him goodbye. He slipped into the passenger seat and pulled his seatbelt across his chest. “Honestly, this is super sudden and I’m slightly overwhelmed,” he breathed out suddenly after the doors were closed firmly. “And, I’m totally confused on the timeline and what exactly is going on – my parents grabbed your papers you left and didn’t explain anything very well to me.”
“Ah,” the other cat hybrid hummed as he pulled out onto the road. “Well, as for a timeline, you’re going to be staying with them for between three to five weeks - or until your heat hits,” he explained professionally. “And – how old are you, Kyungsoo?” He asked.
“Twenty,” he mumbled.
“And you were still living with your folks?” He asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I was trying to save up some cash to be able to go to the community college,” Kyungsoo huffed, glaring out the window. He’d had to put his job at the local grocery store and the town library on hold because of this shit.
“Well, you’ll be living with other hybrids who are between nineteen and twenty five,” the government personnel explained.
“So, what, do I literally just stay there until my heat hits and one of them knock me up and then I can leave?” Kyungsoo hissed, switching his glare over to the other cat who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“That’s a rather crude way of putting it,” he mumbled, obviously feeling awkward with Kyungsoo’s eyes boring into him. “You’re doing this to help our species, ya know.”
“Yeah, still don’t get why some girls can’t go and do this,” Kyungsoo growled. “They can get pregnant for like an entire week or two every month – my heat is completely sporadic and unreliable and stupid.”
“Well, omega males produce much stronger-”
“Shut it, I’ve heard the speech about male omega’s kids being superior,” Kyungsoo slipped down further in his seat, glaring at his hands. He knew he was being a bit childish, but he was pissed – for obvious reasons, if he did say so himself. “How many of them are there?”
“Hmmm,” the cat hummed, trying to think. “Like, seven? Eight?”
Kyungsoo sat bolt upright. “Eight?” He yelled, making the other hybrid flinch. “What do you mean eight?”
“Well there were eight other cat hybrids in the area who were fit in their pedigrees to be your mate, so they were all rounded up to get a better chance of you conceiving during your heat,” the cat yelled back at him, his voice raised but still trying to sound professional. “You know, you didn’t have to agree to this,” the old cat fired at him.
“What would have happened if I’d said no?” Kyungsoo questioned. “I’m pretty sure everyone would hate me and tell me our species was dying and I had a chance to help and ‘why aren’t you doing this for your family?’ and shit.” The other stayed quiet, not answering his question, so Kyungsoo looked away again and watched as his rural hometown turned into busy city streets.
The town house they pulled up to was 100% too small to be housing nine people. Kyungsoo glared at the front entrance that had pots of flowers on either side of the door, even though it was definitely getting too cold (considering it was December ) for such bright yellow buds. Kyungsoo glanced up just in time to see the curtains sway back to the middle in one of the upstairs windows – obviously someone had run away from them.
He silently thanked the gods that the government cat was walking him up to the door – these introductions were gonna be awkward and fucking weird enough as it was, at least they’d have someone to designate everything and make sure he didn’t get jumped the second he walked in the door. He had no idea who these people were – they could be total creeps. Kyungsoo pulled his backpack onto his shoulders as the other hybrid tugged on his suitcase, grunting at how heavy the books probably were, and they trailed up to the front door. The older hybrid didn’t even knock, he simply pushed his way in and glanced around.
“I know you all are in here,” he called, rolling his eyes and turning back to Kyungsoo who was procrastinating as much as he could before stepping over the threshold of the door. His ears were pressed back angrily as he took in the insane amount of smells hitting him all at once – it definitely smelled like eight people had been living here. And it looked that way too. He felt his mouth drop open in horror as he took in the clothes strewn around what could be a living room, and the dishes and pans piling up in the sink.
“What the…” he muttered to himself before he could contain the comment.
“They’ve been here for about three weeks now,” the government cat explained with a sigh. “So they could all get used to each other and get out all the fighting and arguments before you arrived… So, that’s why there’s already a mess.”
“Wow,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “Alright then,” he sighed.
“Guys,” The cat turned around, calling again, angrily this time. “Come out and meet the omega.”
“I have a name,” Kyungsoo growled, but didn’t get the cat to make the correction before two black haired cat hybrids were poking around the corner. Kyungsoo took a step back on instinct, his ears pressing to his skull as his stomach turned in knots – he wasn’t exactly the best when meeting new people. Sure, he’d been pissy at the government guy on the way over, but normally he was painfully shy around new people or people older than him. And, according to their discussion on the way over, all but a few were quite a bit older than him.
“Hello,” The shorter of the two greeted, smiling sweetly and walking over to Kyungsoo slightly timidly – which he was surprised at. The other cat bowed slightly to him and stuck out a hand for him to shake, which he did with trembling fingers. “I’m Junmyeon – this is Yixing,” he nodded to the other cat who was making his way over with curious eyes. “What’s your name?”
Had they really not even been told his name? “Kyungsoo,” he mumbled. “Do Kyungsoo.”
“Where are the rest of them?” The government cat asked Junmyeon.
The black haired cat shrugged and went over to the living room, whistling loudly. “Come on out!” He shouted, much more harshly than the other cat had called. The other cat who had appeared – Yixing – had made his way all over to Kyungsoo and was shyly sniffing at his hair.
“Are you a Maine Coon cat?” he asked in awe. Kyungsoo nodded slowly. “Wow,” he mumbled.
“Yixing, don’t creep him out,” A very loud voice came from a very small cat who looked like he just woke up from a nap. His fur was mottled – swirls of brown and black and blonde making waves over his ears and hair – which looked striking against his bright brown eyes. “Hello,” the loud cat grinned, his mouth turned up naturally at the corners. He tugged Yixing away from him slightly and put out a hand for Kyungsoo to shake, like Junmyeon had done. “I’m Jongdae.”
“Hello,” Kyungsoo whispered, still glancing over at Yixing who looked confused as to why he had been pulled away from the smaller cat.
“I wasn’t being creepy,” Yixing insisted, looking incredulously down at Jongdae.
“Yeah you were,” Jongdae laughed – his laugh was much louder than his voice. “You don’t sniff people without their permission.”
“Since when?” Yixing asked, his eyes wide.
“Maybe it’s different in China, but here you gotta ask before sniffing,” Jongdae scolded, waving a finger at the Chinese cat who threw up his hands in frustration.
“Jeez, what can you people do? You’re not supposed to sniff people, or touch them or even call them by their name until you know them! How do you get to know someone then?” Yixing huffed, obviously frustrated. Jongdae just rolled his eyes.
“How about we go into the living room so everyone’s not trying to squish into the entrance?” Junmyeon suggested. Yixing and Jongdae shrugged, moving easily to slip onto one of the many couches scattered around the wide open area. Kyungsoo trailed awkwardly after them, still feeling the presence of the government cat behind him.
“Oh my goodness!”
Kyungsoo only got the exclamation as a warning before he was being hit by a truck in the shape of a cat hybrid. He barely stayed on his feet as he was nearly mauled over by a cat with white-blonde hair and black ears and a louder voice than Jongdae. His eyes were squeezed shut and his grin looked face-splitting (like how the hell did that not hurt?). “He’s so adorable!” The other cat cried, nuzzling his face into the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck. “And he smells so good!”
“What the heck?” He heard Yixing whine. “Baekhyun can do that but I can’t sniff the new guy?”
“No, Baekhyun is not supposed to do that,” Junmyeon groaned. He came to Kyungsoo’s rescue by bodily shoving the other cat off him. Kyungsoo sucked in several large breaths – all the air had been knocked from his lungs upon the tackle-hug – as he glared at the other cat. The peppy thing was obviously a Himalayan – his striking blue eyes with his coloring gave it away. Kyungsoo had met several in the past but none were so puppy-dog-like.
“What?” The Himalayan was whining at Junmyeon was scolding him for jumping on Kyungsoo. “I was just saying hello!”
“You probably scared the shit out of him, Baek,” Junmyeon sighed. “Go apologize.”
“I’m sorry!” The cat – Baekhyun – cried, running over and hugging Kyungsoo tightly.
Kyungsoo finally let his claws out. Baekhyun cried out, in pain this time, and pull away quickly when Kyungsoo dug his nails into his shoulder. He glared at the peppy Himalayan. “Don’t touch me,” He hissed at him. The room fell silent.
“Kyungsoo,” the government cat groaned. “Be nice.”
“Kitty’s got a temper,” Baekhyun stage-whispered to Jongdae and Yixing, getting another glare from the Maine Coon cat.
“What happened?” Kyungsoo and the others turned to a pair of sleepy looking blonde Persians making their way down the steps. Kyungsoo sucked in a breath at the fact that they were both shirtless and both extremely attractive – like damn, Kyungsoo was sure only people in magazines could have abs like that. “We heard Baekhyun scream.”
“Kitty clawed me,” Baekhyun whined.
The taller of the two Persians rolled his eyes while the smaller giggled into his fist.
“Kyungsoo this is Sehun and Kai,” Junmyeon introduced when it was obvious the two blondes weren’t going to do it themselves. “They’re from the same litter.” Well, that was pretty obvious, Kyungsoo hadn’t needed that explanation. “They’re also the youngest.”
“How old are you?” Jongdae suddenly piped up, popping up next to Kyungsoo’s shoulder.
“I’m twenty,” he reported.
“We’re nineteen,” the shorter Persian – Kai, Kyungsoo put the name to the face – said.
“Ha, so the omega is your hyung!” Baekhyun howled with laughter until he promptly was smacked by two identical hands.
“Shut it,” the taller – Sehun – growled at him.
“Where’s Minseok?” Junmyeon asked, looking toward the stairs.
“I think he went out,” Kai reported as he fell onto the couch, his brother plopping down next to him. “He said we were like, out of food or something.”
“Again?” Junmyeon groaned.
“Okay, then where’s Chanyeol?” Yixing asked curiously.
“Being a lazy piece of shit?” Sehun asked as though it were obvious, his brother giggling again next to him. “Like, where else would he be?”
“Chanyeol!” Junmyeon yelled up the stairs. “Can you please get down here so we can get settled?”
“I don’t wanna,” came a deep voiced shout.
“Park Chanyeol get your ass down here!” Junmyeon shouted.
They listened for a few moments, hearing the telltale rustling of bed sheets and shuffling of feet on carpet, and eventually the stomps of feet down the stairs. Kyungsoo gulped at the size of the guy that appeared at the bottom of the stairs – his hair plastered to one side of his head and sticking in every direction on the other side. His ears were mismatched – one sticking straight up and the other flopping over at the tip obviously from a prior injury – and one was a mottled black and brown while the other was white and brown. Kyungsoo gasped as he realized what the cat was.
“You’re a Main Coon?” He asked in awe, making all the other eyes turn back to him.
The tall hybrid – Chanyeol – glanced up in surprise, his eyes suddenly sparking excitedly when he looked at Kyungsoo. “Yeah, I am,” he grinned – his grin took up half his face and he definitely had way too many teeth in there. “You are too, obviously,” he said, waving at Kyungsoo’s fur. Kyungsoo simply nodded.
“Well isn’t that nice,” Sehun yawned, stretching his arms over his head.
“Does that mean the rest of us can leave?” Kai asked, turned toward the government hybrid still standing silently against the wall.
“Why would you?” The cat asked.
“Because, they’ll make purebred Main Coon babies – so like, shouldn’t Chanyeol just knock this guy up? So the rest of us don’t have to waste our time here,” Sehun explained for his twin.
The government personnel shook his head, “I’m afraid that’s not how it works.”
The Persians groaned, “It seems like that’d make a lot of sense though.”
“You two need to lose the attitude, that wasn't something you should say,” Junmyeon scolded, his eyes narrowed.
Kyungsoo felt the atmosphere get thick and awkward at the mention of just why the nine of them had been shoved into a house together. And just as he was wondering how the tension could intensify, the government hybrid stood up straight and announced his departure and walked out without another word or glance at Kyungsoo. The Main Coon watched him go, jaw slightly open at how the other cat had just left him – sure Kyungsoo was an ass to him, but like, he’d just left him to the dogs basically.
“Your room is over there,” Junmyeon pointed to one of the two bedroom doors on the first floor. Kyungsoo immediately grabbed his suitcase and stomped into the room, slamming the door behind him. He knew the others were also being told to do this – it was none of their choice – but the Persian twins hadn’t had to be so rude about it, acting like he was just some whore to carry a kid. Of course, could he blame them? That’s how the government had been treating him since this whole thing started.
He clicked the lock on the door into place and sat down heavily on the bed shoved up against the corner of the room. He was happy to see he didn’t have to share the space – it was tiny, so he didn’t see how he could have – and he had a bed, nightstand, bookshelf and wardrobe to himself. He decided to make use of his time and started pulling out clothes to hang and books to shove into place on the shelf.
By the time a knock came on his door he’d nearly forgotten his anger from the awkward situation that had occurred.
“Kyungsoo?” He heard the whispered voice. He dropped the stack of books he was trying to fit into the too-small shelf and walked over to the door. He clicked the lock open and pulled the door open just a sliver to see Yixing standing in front of him. “We’re making dinner,” he said shyly, his eyes not looking at Kyungsoo’s. “We were wondering if there was anything you’d like?”
“No,” the Main Coon said simply and shut and locked his door again. Maybe he was being harsh, but the intense feeling of not wanting to be here had gotten stronger just upon seeing the other cat. He could tell the black haired hybrid had stood outside his door for quite some time before walking away, but he ignored him as he continued playing tetris with his novels.
“Kyungsoo?” He groaned at his name being called again outside his door. But, he stood and again opened the door just a bit to see Junmyeon this time. The elder cat smiled slightly at him. “Can I talk to you a minute?” he asked. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes but slowly opened the door enough to let the other in.
“About what?” He asked.
“Well, it’s obvious what Sehun said bugged you,” Junmyeon said as he sat on the rug, looking over the stacks of books that were splayed out. “I figured I’d ask if you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” he hissed. “I’m not some fragile little omega like you guys are probably used to.”
“I figured you weren’t,” Junmyeon laughed. “When you dug your claws into Baekhyun I kinda figured you had some fight in you.” He smiled to himself as he picked up a book off one of the stacks, turning it in his hands. “I wanted to tell you that we all got mad at the twins – they shouldn’t be talking to you or about you like you’re an object, it wasn’t right. It was crude how they described our situation – but they’re still basically kittens, and have quite an attitude still.”
“Aren’t they nineteen?” Kyungsoo asked. “They’re passed being kittens.”
Junmyeon laughed, “We figured that too when we heard how old they were – but, trust me, they’re basically still kittens. Sure, they’ve gone through puberty and can get someone pregnant, and in that sense they aren’t kittens anymore. But, attitude and personality wise they’re definitely a bit underdeveloped.”
“How old is everyone else?” Kyungsoo asked suddenly.
“Hm,” Junmyeon thought for a moment. “Minseok is the oldest – you haven’t met him yet. He’s twenty five. Yixing and I are twenty four; Chanyeol is twenty three and Jongdae and Baekhyun are both twenty one – so they’re the closest to you.”
“Ah,” Kyungsoo nodded in understanding before slowly sitting down beside Junmyeon and continuing his attempt to rearrange the bookshelf.
“I also want to tell you,” Junmyeon began, making Kyungsoo glance over at him. “There’s a couple of us here who… let’s just say we aren’t the ones who are going to do anything when your heat does eventually come,” he explained carefully.
“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo blinked at him in confusion.
“Well,” Junmyeon laughed awkwardly. “Like, I have a mate,” he admitted. “But the government issued this whole thing about how we need to repopulate our species and everything and targeted me since I’m not mated to someone who could help in this situation.”
“Like, they’re another cat who can’t have kids?” Kyungsoo asked.
“No,” Junmyeon hummed, awkwardly playing with the book in his hands. “He’s a dog hybrid,” he finally admitted. Kyungsoo was taken aback – interspecies relationships were extremely rare – mostly because they almost never worked, so he was surprised.
“Really?” Kyungsoo piped up, suddenly curious. “What’s he like? Like, how do you deal with a dog all the time?”
Junmyeon laughed at that. “He’s really not that bad. His name is Yifan – he’s from China, like Yixing. Actually, he and Yixing were friends, which is how Xing and I knew each other when we came here. He was actually the one who told me I should come to this thing even though we’re mated – because he knew how important it is to the cat population that we up our numbers. Yixing too – he’s not going to do anything.”
“Why?” Kyungsoo asked.
“He’s got a mate,” Junmyeon said simply. “They’re planning on having kids, because his mate is also a male omega, but Luhan is just too busy right now to settle down. The government tried to get him to be in your position too, but he argued that he was constantly flying between China, Korea and the US because of his job, so he couldn’t. So, Yixing was asked to participate.” Kyungsoo nodded along with him, fascinated at the stories behind these new people. “I also doubt the twins will do anything,” Junmyeon said.
“Do they have mates too?” Kyungsoo asked.
“Not mates, but Sehun is dating a boy named Tao – but he was too young to be asked to participate in this repopulation thing since he’s only seventeen. But, Kai got asked, and the two of them don’t go anywhere without each other. That being said, Kai won’t do anything Sehun doesn’t – so, you’re probably safe from them.”
“Great,” Kyungsoo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Good to know at least four of you won’t try to jump me.”
“I doubt the others will either,” Junmyeon said quickly. “I honestly don’t know the other four that well… the youngers mostly hang out together, and Minseok mostly stays to himself, but from what I’ve seen they seem like really nice guys. Just, the younger group is a bit… excitable,” the older said carefully.
“You mean loud and obnoxious?” Kyungsoo asked with a raise of his eyebrow. “Because that Himalayan cat is gonna be covered in scratches from me if he keeps trying to hug me like that – and Jongdae is so loud,” Kyungsoo whined slightly, his ears pressing back just in memory of the other cat’s voice.
“Yeah, they are a bit loud,” Junmyeon chuckled. “Maybe you’ll get along with Minseok – he’s pretty quiet, and I think his book collection rivals yours.” That made Kyungsoo’s ears perk up.
“Really?” He asked excitedly.
Junmyeon nodded, his grin spreading at how excited the younger seemed to be over the prospect of another bookworm in the house. “He’s home from the store if you’d like to meet him.” Kyungsoo paused, his stomach clenching painfully at the thought of meeting another person today, but eventually he nodded – he wanted to see this other book collection. Junmyeon stood up off the ground, helping the smaller up, and headed out into the main living area. “Hey, Minseok,” he called. Kyungsoo trailed behind him and saw a head pop up from one of the couches.
“Yeah?” the cat hybrid had gorgeous rust red colored fur that reminded Kyungsoo of a fox, and perfectly triangular ears on top of his head. His tail was the fluffiest thing Kyungsoo had ever seen and the cat in him had an urge to grab it as it swayed back and forth behind the older hybrid. The Somali had chubby cheeks and cute eyes and Kyungsoo suddenly felt comfortable chatting with him when their eyes connected.
“Can I see your book collection?” Kyungsoo asked without being prompted by Junmyeon. Minseok blinked in surprise before grinning a gum-showing smile and standing up, placing the novel he had been flicking through down on the couch.
“Sure,” he said happily, waving Kyungsoo over. “It’s up in me and Chanyeol’s room,” he said and headed up the stairs. Kyungsoo followed behind, nervous and excited at the same time. “So, I hear your name is Kyungsoo?” The Somali asked.
“Yup,” Kyungsoo hummed.
“Sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived – these guys eat as much as dogs,” Minseok rolled his eyes before stopping at a closed door. He opened it and stepped in. Kyungsoo noticed a gigantic sleeping figure layed out in the middle of the bottom bunk bed. “Don’t worry about him,” the Somali laughed, obviously reading Kyungsoo’s mind. “He could probably sleep through an avalanche. But, here’s my shelf,” he waved over at the bookshelf that was much larger than the tiny thing in his room, and filled to exploding with books. “I brought my own shelf from home,” Minseok explained. “I live right down the road so it was pretty easy to transport stuff.”
“Wow,” Kyungsoo mumbled and ran his fingers over the spines of one shelf. “You have so many!”
“Feel free to borrow them anytime,” the older smiled sweetly at him.
“Thank you so much,” Kyungsoo squeaked.
“Guys! Dinner time!”
Kyungsoo and Minseok had the job of waking Chanyeol up – which consisted of Kyungsoo standing back from the cat’s long limbs as the eldest tickled him to consciousness. Chanyeol’s laugh made him sound like he was dying, and he was definitely going to hurt someone with those legs. Minseok hopped off him easily once he was awake, and headed down to the dinner table. Kyungsoo followed behind him, figuring the other Main Coon would follow when he was ready.
The table was already in chaos when they sat down – Baekhyun and Jongdae were screaming at each other over who got what piece of fish, the twins were laughing loudly at something on their phones, and Junmyeon and Yixing were rushing around trying to put everything out on the tables. Kyungsoo just sat back throughout dinner and watched the insanity of the other eight cat hybrids.
This was going to be a long four weeks.