#hybrid!rin

Unlike the cozy, nested spaces of the other residents, the scene behind the reinforced glass of Stall 10 was a disaster zone. The Plush blankets, the kind meant to soothe aching joints, had been shredded into useless, fluffy confetti. The heavy wooden enrichment blocks were splintered, clawed to absolute ruin.

In the furthest, darkest corner of the room sat the culprit.

He was a rare breed of hybrid, feline, sleek, and dangerously large. His midnight-teal hair fell over sharp, hooded eyes that gleamed, he was clearly defensive. Two dark, tufted ears were pinned flat against his head. A long, ringed tail lashed rhythmically against the floor, a ticking time bomb of agitation.

But the most striking, heartbreaking detail was his face. Or what was on it.

A heavy, leather-and-wire muzzle was strapped securely over his jaw, forcing his mouth shut.

"Ah, you're looking at Rin," a soft voice spoke up. You turned to see a tired-looking staff attendant carrying a clipboard, a sympathetic look on their face.

"What happened in there?" you asked quietly, gesturing to the ruined bedding.

The attendant sighed, flipping through some kind of files.

"He’s a very rare, incredibly volatile predator species. We rescued him from an underground fighting ring called 'Blue Lock.' It was a brutal place, hybrids were forced to fight to the death for human entertainment. Rin was one of their top performers. He was actually rescued alongside his older brother, Sae."

You blinked, surprised. "Sae? The one who was adopted by Shido— I mean football player last month?"

"The very same," the attendant nodded. "But while Sae adapted quickly and learned to manipulate—er, navigate —human society to get what he wanted, Rin hasn’t been showing the same aptitude. He went the opposite direction. He’s completely closed himself off. We’re thinking it was the fighting rink, and when Sae left, Rin's issues turned into pure aggression. He destroys every comfort we give him, and he refuses to eat unless left entirely alone."

You looked back through the glass. Rin hadn't broken eye contact with you. He looked miserable, furious, and terribly lonely, trapped behind a barrier and a muzzle.

"Can I go inside?" you asked, turning back to the attendant. "Just to sit with him for a moment?"

The attendant’s eyes widened, and they immediately shook their head, stepping between you and the door.

"Absolutely not. I'm sorry, but we have to decline that request. Usually, we encourage adopters to interact directly with the hybrids, but Rin is a special exception. He’s muzzled for a reason. He’s incredibly dangerous, and the moment that door opens, he will lung to kill. I'm afraid he's just... unadoptable."

Through the glass, as if he knew exactly what the human was saying about him, Rin bared his teeth behind the wire mesh of his muzzle, letting out a low, vibrating growl that shook the windowpane.

—

Despite the attendant’s grim warning, you couldn’t get Rin out of your head. For the next three days, you returned to the Second Chance Foundation at the exact same hour. The staff still wouldn’t let you inside his stall, but you simply brought a comfortable cushion, sat right on the linoleum floor outside Stall 10, and worked on your tablet or read a book, keeping him quiet company.

At first, Rin ignored you, keeping his back turned and his tufted ears pinned flat. By the second day, he was watching you from his corner. By the third day, the low, hostile growls had subsided into a tense, wary silence. He was still a tense coiled spring, but he was no longer treating you like an immediate threat.

On the fourth morning, you arrived to find the isolation corridor thick with a heavy, suffocating tension. The staff attendant who had first spoken to you was standing outside Rin's door, looking pale and holding a specialized sedative pole.

"What's going on?" you asked, a sudden knot forming in your stomach.

The attendant looked at you, a mixture of guilt and exhaustion in their eyes. "I'm sorry Miss. It's Rin's monthly evaluation. Under sanctuary guidelines, if a high-risk hybrid shows zero signs of rehabilitation or behavioral improvement within their term, and poses a continuous lethal threat to staff... they have to be humanely put down. His time is up today."

Inside the room, Rin seemed to sense the shifting energy. He was on his feet, his long tail lashing violently, his chest heaving behind the leather straps of his muzzle as he stared at the sedation equipment. He looked terrified, masked by a desperate, feral rage. He knew what was coming.

"No you can’t," you said firmly, stepping between the attendant and the door. "He isn't unadoptable. He just needs a reason to stop being like this. Let me take him."

"We can't just—"

"I have the financial resources, I have a secure estate, and I have the time," you interrupted, your voice leaving no room for argument. "If he stays here, he dies. If he comes with me, he has a chance. Give me the paperwork."

The attendant hesitated, looking from your determined expression to the, hybrid pacing behind the glass. With a heavy sigh, they lowered the sedative pole. "You'll have to sign a full liability waiver. If he hurts you, the foundation is not responsible."

"Bring it.”

The legal process was a blur of warnings and frantic signing. The staff reluctantly processed the adoption papers, treating the transaction more like anything but a standard pet adoption.

"Listen to me carefully," the attendant said, handing you the keys to a heavy-duty transport crate after you signed the final page. "Because of his history in Blue Lock, sudden changes will trigger his fight-or-flight reflex. You must move him into his new environment slowly. Keep him in a secure, isolated room of your house first. Do not try to take the muzzle off until he willingly lets you approach, or he will take your hand off. Let him realize he's safe on his own terms."

A few minutes later, three heavily armored handlers managed to guide a sedated, but still weakly snapping Rin into the secure transport vehicle. As the doors locked, you looked through the small grated window of the crate. His eyes were half-lidded from the drugs, glaring up at you with a heartbreaking look. He thought he was being taken to another fighting ring, or worse, his execution.

You took a deep breath, putting the car in drive. "Hang in there, Rin," you whispered to the rearview mirror. “I’m taking you home.”

—

The drive home was quiet, save for the low, drug-induced rumbles echoing from the transport crate in the back. Once home, it took the handlers nearly an hour of meticulous coordination to transfer Rin into his new room. You’d chosen a spacious, sunlit guest room on the ground floor, entirely retrofitted for his arrival.

Every piece of furniture was heavy and rounded, devoid of sharp edges or glass. The closet was fully stocked with soft, oversized loungewear, and the walls were decorated in calming, neutral tones. But most importantly, before the handlers left, you had insisted on one modification. You couldn't legally remove his restraint yet, but you absolutely refused to let him wear that barbaric, rusty wire contraption from the sanctuary.

A few hours later, the heavy silence of the room broke.

Rin stirred, his long, ringed tail twitching before his eyes snapped open. The sedative had finally worn off. Instantly, he scrambled backward into the corner of the room, his back hitting the wall as his ears pinned flat against his midnight-teal hair. His chest heaved as he took in his surroundings, the carpets, the space, and the lack of iron bars.

Then, his claws flew to his face.

His fingers brushed against lightweight, breathable silicone and padded leather. It was a different muzzle, one that didn't pinch his skin, giving him just enough room to breathe comfortably, though his jaw was still securely bound.

Hearing his frantic movements, you gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Rin instantly went rigid. A low, vibrating snarl rumbled in his chest, his eyes flashing with a warning.

"Hey," you said softly, staying right by the doorway. In your hands, you were clumsily clutching a thick binder—the Advanced Apex Hybrid Care Guide—and you were flipping through the pages so rapidly that a few loose sheets almost fluttered to the floor.

You looked down at the book, squinting, then looked up at him, attempting to follow the "Hostile Introduction" protocol. You lowered your shoulders, averted your eyes slightly to appear non-threatening, and took a slow, deliberate breath.

"Okay, let's see..." you mumbled to yourself, clearing your throat. You looked back at Rin. "Um. How does the new muzzle feel? Is it okay?"

Rin didn't move an inch, his gaze locked on you like a hawk tracking prey.

You offered a small, melancholic smile, gesturing faintly to his face. "I really wished I could have just taken it off completely. I asked them, but... the foundation rules are strict, and they wouldn't let me leave without it. The most they'd let me do was buy a more comfortable one from their medical store. I hope it's at least better than the last one."

Silence. Rin didn't reply, his jaw locked tight beneath the silicone strap, his tail continuing its angry, rhythmic slap against the floor.

Accepting that this would be a slow process, you didn't push any further.

You brought a soft cushion over to the furthest corner of the room, well out of his striking range, and sat down. You spent the entire afternoon right there. You read through the guidebook, occasionally trying to interact with him by rolling a soft enrichment ball across the carpet or speaking in a calm, ambient monologue about your day, but Rin remained a frozen statue, tracking your every breath.

When evening fell, you left the room briefly and returned with a heavy ceramic plate. The sanctuary had given you his specific dietary requirements, premium raw carnivore cuts that cost a small fortune, completely different from the cheap, generic mush he'd been fed at the fighting rink.

You set the plate down halfway between you and his corner, sliding it forward before backing away to your spot by the door.

Rin looked at the food, his nostrils flaring as the rich, scent hit him. His stomach gave an audible, betraying growl. Yet, he didn't budge. He glared at you, refusing to lower his guard or show vulnerability by eating in front of a human.

Seeing his hesitation, you flipped through the care guide once more, your eyes scanning the text. 'Rule 4: Do not hover during feeding. Fear-aggressive hybrids view observation as a threat of theft.'

"Right, got it," you murmured. You closed the binder and gripped the doorknob, giving Rin a warm, encouraging look. "I'm going to leave you alone to eat. Eat up and get strong again, okay? Once you're comfortable, we can finally go outside. I have a big backyard, and there's a really quiet park down the road we can visit."

With that, you stepped out and softly clicked the door shut behind you.

Left in total isolation, Rin waited for three full minutes, listening closely to ensure your footsteps had faded down the hall. Only then did he creep forward, his movements silent. He approached the plate cautiously, sniffing it before taking a tentative bite.

It was, without a doubt, the best thing he had ever tasted. The meat was fresh, tender, satisfying a deep, primal hunger he hadn't realized he had. He devoured the meal in a matter of minutes, licking the thing entirely clean.

Full, warm, and exhausted from the residual sedation, Rin dragged his long heavy limbs over to the massive, King-sized bed in the center of the room. He hesitated, clawing at the thick duvet as if expecting it to trap him, but as he gingerly climbed on top, the sheer, cloud-like softness of the mattress enveloped him.

He curled into a tight ball, his tufted ears finally relaxing just a fraction. As his eyelids grew heavy and sleep began to pull him under, his last lingering thought was of you, your clumsy guidebook, and your soft voice.

What a weird human, Rin thought faintly, burying his muzzle into the plush fabric. Stupidly lukewarm.

—

Weeks bled into a steady, comfortable routine.

Every morning, you would enter his room with the care guide tucked under your arm, more out of habit now than actual necessity, and every morning, Rin would watch you with those sharp, midnight-teal eyes. But the lethal tension in his shoulders was gone. His long, ringed tail no longer lashed against the floor in anger; instead, it twitched with a subtle, curious rhythm.

Slowly but surely, the distance between you shrunk. First it was a few inches, then a few feet, until finally, Rin allowed you to sit on the opposite side of the same rug while he ate. He no longer waited for you to leave the room, though he still kept his ears angled toward you, monitoring your movements as he neatly finished his meal. (Which you found that he liked to stay neat.)

Because of this immense progress, you were able to periodically unbuckle the silicone muzzle throughout the day, giving his jaw a much-needed rest. Without the restraint, he looked just like a normal human, striking looks, with long, eyelashes and a sharp jawline, save for the dark, velvety cat ears poking through his hair and the tail brushing against his ankles.

With his trust growing, you opened the bedroom door for good, happily letting him wander the rest of the house.

Watching Rin explore his new surroundings became your absolute favorite pastime. He was a creature of curiosity.

He would glide through the hallways in complete silence, pausing occasionally to investigate the texture of the heavy velvet curtains or staring intently at the swirling patterns of a marble countertop.

Sometimes, you’d find him perched precariously on the wide back of the living room sofa, his sharp eyes tracking the birds outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, his tufted ears twitching at every distant chirp.

Whenever he caught you watching him, he would immediately stiffen, huffing a quiet, "Lukewarm" under his breath before turning his head away. But he never ran back to his room.

Yet, despite all this incredible progress, a firm, invisible boundary remained.

You had desperately, sadly, wanted to pet him. On multiple occasions, when he was sitting close by or looking particularly relaxed after a meal, you would slowly, predictably raise your hand, keeping it entirely in his line of sight so as not to startle him.

The moment your fingers drifted anywhere near his hair, Rin would freeze. His ears would instantly pin flat against his skull, and his gaze would harden into a glare that practically screamed ‘Don't touch me.’ He wouldn't bite or growl anymore, but the wall he built around himself was loud and clear.

Sighing softly, you would always lower your hand, giving him an understanding smile instead.

He would track your retreating hand, his expression unreadable, before returning to whatever he was doing. He was letting you into his space, letting you feed him, and even letting you see his face uncovered, but his hair was a fortress you hadn't quite conquered just yet.

—

As the weeks drifted into months, the usually empty house began to feel like a home. The heavy silence between you fractured, replaced by small, fragmented conversations. Rin wasn’t much of a talker, usually offering blunt, one-word answers or a dismissive click of his tongue, but he was communicating. And for a hybrid who had completely closed himself off from the world, that was a massive victory.

Being able to leave him home alone was a huge relief, especially since your responsibilities meant you still had to go to the office. To make up for your absence, you made it a point to bring him something new to mess around with almost every single day.

You tried puzzle feeders, expensive chew toys, and laser gadgets, but nothing caught his attention quite like the standard leather football you brought home on a whim. The moment you dropped it on the floor, his tufted ears shot straight up. It turned out to be a double-edged sword; his predatory instincts and athletic talent from Blue Lock meant he destroyed the ball within days, shredding the leather with his claws during intense indoor drills you saw him doing.

You’d already had to replace it twice, but seeing the faint, rare spark of genuine excitement in his eyes made every penny worth it.

Evenings became your shared territory. Rin started joining you in the living room for movies. He still kept his distance, either sitting on the floor right next to your legs or claimining the exact opposite end of the couch, his long tail draped over the cushions.

For most of the films you picked, he was only half-listening. His ears would track the audio lazily, and it was entirely obvious he only stayed because you kept a steady supply of dried meat snacks right next to him.

But everything changed the night you accidentally queued up a thriller. The moment the tense, eerie music swelled and the screen darkened, Rin went completely alert. His eyes narrowed, his posture straightened, and he became absolutely engrossed in the plot. That revelation led you to start buying horror mangas and novels, which you’d often find him quietly flipping through in the afternoons, completely absorbed in the macabre stories.

Then came a grueling Tuesday. A massive project at work ran entirely over schedule, forcing you to stay in the office for hours of overtime. By the time you finally unlocked your front door, it was well past midnight. You stepped into the dark foyer, exhausted to your bones, fully expecting Rin to be dead to the world in his own plush bed.

Instead, your heart completely melted.

There, curled up on the hard floor right by the entrance, was Rin. His dark teal ears were twitching slightly in his sleep, and his tail was tucked securely around his legs. He had waited for you. He had stayed right by the door all day, listening for your car, until exhaustion finally claimed him.

Not wanting to startle him into a defensive reflex, you kept your distance and gently called out his name. "Rin... Hey, Rin. I'm home. Come on, go to bed, it's freezing here."

He didn't budge, only letting out a soft, groggy huff into his shoulder.

Deciding to give him a moment to wake up on his own, you quietly slipped past him to get ready for bed. You washed your face, changed into your pajamas, and walked back out to the foyer to check on him—but the space by the door was empty. Assuming he had finally taken your advice and retreated to his own room, you smiled softly, headed into your master bedroom, and collapsed onto your mattress, falling into a deep sleep within minutes.

An hour later, the door to your bedroom silently creaked open.

Rin stood in the doorway, looking slightly groggy and thoroughly annoyed from being awoken by the cold draft in the hall.

He had grown so used to your presence over the last few weeks that your sudden, extended absence today had left a strange, irritating ache in his chest. He hated it when you came home so late. It made him feel the phantom weight of that old cage.

He padded across the room with quiet steps, stopping right at the edge of your mattress. For a long, quiet minute, he just stood there in the moonlight, staring down at your peaceful, sleeping face.

Finally, with a soft, defeated sigh, he climbed onto the bed. He took up more space than he wanted to, carefully trying to tuck himself into the empty spot right beside you. He pulled the heavy duvet over his shoulders, his dark ears relaxing as the familiar, comforting scent of your laundry detergent and shampoo enveloped him.

Lying there in the dark, Rin looked down at your hand resting open on the pillow. He hesitated for just a second before leaning forward, gently pressing the crown of his head against your palm. He nuzzled into your touch, his soft, midnight-teal hair brushing against your skin as a low, rare purr vibrated in his chest.

It was the exact, affectionate gesture you had been patiently waiting months for.