'Lion' Leedo/Geonhak x Reader - ONEUS 18+

Chapter 35 - Background

Lately I had the need to eat meat, not any meat, nearly fresh meat. I assumed it was obvious for why I felt this way and didn't question it but the fact still remained, I Really Want Meat right now.

'Geonhak I'm going to the store I'll be back soon.' I yell from the front door, putting on my shoes in a hurry.

He comes out from the bathroom looking confused.

'Wait. Don't leave me here alone.' He pouts and rushed to get his shoes on to join me.

'Hurry up I need to go. You forgot the collar, and are you really going out in your pajamas?'

'But I'm just wearing shorts and a Tshirt they don't look like pajamas.'

'Okay but hurry up already.'

He grabs the chain collar, from the shelf and opens the front door.

'Y/n I know your hormones are all different right now but can you stop acting so hastily? What do you need to eat this time?'

'Meat.'

'That's it? Good then I can get to eat more of it too.' He says cheerfully as if he thought all of it would be for him.

The store smelled better than usual to me and it was as if every package was opened to release the smell of every flavor to my nose. Even though I felt the need to buy almost all of the meat available I had to limit myself to the meat  on sale, still keeping my sad little budget in mind.

We cooked our food and sat down to watch the television. Geonhak sat closely next to me and saw the screen.

'Y/n, what is that?'

'What?' I had only been focused on my food I didn't even look at the television yet until his question. A woman in a suit stands behind a podium talking about important events. This time things were different, it seems that some parts of the country were aslo becoming affected by the hybrid attacks on humans like our city has been. Since I have been gone I was unaware of any of these activities, the speaker swiftly moved onto the main topic.

Television: 'Many parts of the country have considered allowing hybrids to have legal jobs under the permission of their owners. Backlash from some locations consider this idea disregarding the safety of humans as some hybrids have no control of themselves. Other parts of the country are already putting the idea into effect, providing certain areas for hybrid workers, simply to help the expenses of owners to be lessened and making hybrids less of a financial burden.'

Geonhak frowns and furry ears flatten.

'I'm a financial burden...'

'Huh?' I lose my focus on the news.

'I want to make money too.'

'You aren't doing that. It's dangerous and practically free labor.'

'But they said we can get paid.'

'Sure that part could be true but it probably isn't worth it. Those new work locations will just be places people send their hybrids away and to get free money from the labor of someone else, it's practically moving progress backwards.'

'Let me try. You are the only one that makes money, there are three of us now, this is the only way I can help.' He begs, holding my face in his hands.

'Well. These new changes are a first step to better opportunities.. but you don't need to make yourself apart of their first mistakes in the beginning.'

He looked me in the eyes and didn't say anything, making me feel like I was on the wrong side of the argument. In reality there wasn't another choice but to at least let him try this.

'Okay we can try it. Oh yeah, I wanted to know how you knew so much about other hybrids.'

'What do you mean?'

'Yesterday you told me purring is what parent hybrids do for their young and what other hybrids should experience, but how did you know? Actually, how did you grow up as a hybrid is what I really want to know?'

'Well its not exactly anything special but I can tell you.'

He extends his arm along the top of the couch.

'I was born in a breeding station, you know, its self explanatory, but I was able to stay with my mom for only 4 years.'

'And your dad?'

'....Didn't have one.'

'O-oh...' (I regret even asking.)

'When I was young my mom always purred to me and pet my head. I learned everything from her about my kind growing up. She couldn't tell me much about anything else because she was raised in captivity too like her mom. It was just us two in our cell, no windows and one door, she wasn't able to feed me herself and only gave me trays of food the servers made instead.

She reread me the same small collection of books as it was our main form of entertainment. Every time I was taken for an examination she reminded me they were there to help, at a young age I believed it, if she told me the truth growing up would be a terrible experience.

I was scared each time they pricked me with needles and inspected my body. They pulled my ears and wrote on their clipboard then proceeded to cause me pain again, saying it was okay. When I was old enough to be taken away she finally told me the truth, even that she was forced to convince me the place was safe and helpful. They didn't want any resistance so they hid the true dark secret, that I was only a product and every adult was forced to place the lies in my head.

I hugged my mom before another exam, they never brought me back to her no matter how much I cried. I didn't know it was the last time and I don't think she knew either. I'm sure once I was gone she was bred again for another baby and she forgot about me.'

A tear starts to form in his eye, only one tear.

'After being taken away they brought me to a facility to join other hybrids my age, we were made to work and be trained to be obedient, some of the more beautiful ones were bought immediately and before being trained.'

'How long did you stay there?'

'Three years, not many people like to come in and buy little hybrid brats.'

'Then where did you go?'

'I don't remember.'

(How is that possible?)

'Is that the truth.'

He nods his head seeming almost as confused as I am and I could only hug him, pushing him back onto the armrest and his other hand holds the back of my head out of surprise from the sudden jolt, he is still not used to receiving so much empathy from humans.

'Geonhak where is your mom? We can find her.' I say still holding him, my face buried next to his.

'She's dead, y/n.' I hug him tighter and his hands reach slowly down to rest on my back. We lay there on the sofa and I try to hold my tears but Geonhak didn't even make a sound. I didn't feel any sense of sadness from him, any remorse he felt seemed to be more for my sake than for himself.