synopsis: starting your new job at a hybrid fighting ring as one of the in-house physicians, you seem to have caught the eye of some very dangerous predators…
The sun blazed overhead as you made your way to work. Rushed your way to work, more like. The heat, the morning crowd, and your lack of morning coffee were all starting to eat away at what little patience you had left.
You barely made it to work on time, clocking in a few seconds before the official 9am start of the day. With a sigh of relief, you began setting up your office for the day. Changing into your scrubs, making your morning coffee and reviewing your charts. A semblance of peace before your chaotic day. Working in the country's largest hybrid fighting ring as an in-house doctor certainly wasn't easy but hey, the pay was good and you could stick to a semi-regular schedule, rather than the constant night shifts at the hybrid hospital you used to work at. This new workplace also offered many employee benefits, like a great insurance plan, free meals, an in-house therapist (Janet), and more.
Unfortunately, the company failed to warn you about the hybrids you'd encounter. Not so much about their breed, since you've worked with all kinds of hybrids, but more about their… personalities.
First, the wolf hybrid, Fenrir. He'd barge in, his face dark and brooding. His pointed ears on top of his head added extra height to his already intimidating build. Every time he comes to your office he'd have to hunch over slightly just to fit through the door. He's never injured that seriously, at most a shallow bite wound or some bruising. Ranked number 1 among all the fighters, his fights would end the quickest with him barely sustaining an injury. And yet, after each fight he'd still walk through your office and sit in front of you, all without a word. Even if it was a tiny scratch, he'd still insist on getting you to treat him. When you treat his wounds, he'll stare at your face the entire time without a sound, as if trying to commit it to memory. As you lean in for a better reach, he'd take a deep breath of your scent before grumbling about how you smell like other animals in his usual gruff voice. And each time you'd brush him off, trying to ignore how close he was to your face. "Don't let them get too close to you." is all he says before he leaves your office.
Compared to the wolf hybrid, the snake hybrid Jörmun is much tougher to deal with. His slit pupil eyes and cunning smile leave an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Every conversation you have with him feels like a chess game. His gaze unmoving, noticing and analysing all your responses and reactions. Sometimes his scaled tail would wrap around your ankle, slowly winding up your calf. "It just has a mind of its own, sorry," he'd say, as if he doesn't just display full control over his tail, using it to take down his opponent in his previous match. He didn't become ranked 2nd using brute strength but his intellect and strategy. Each move he makes is a carefully calculated one, tailored to attack his opponent's fatal weaknesses and defeat them with a chilling efficiency. As such his injuries were never too serious either, no broken bones or sprained ligaments, just bleeding wounds that only need to be bandaged up. Weirdly enough his wounds heal the slowest, even with the enhanced healing abilities of hybrids, they would randomly reopen or sometimes even get infected. His older medical records never mentioned anything of the sort, and when you mention this to him all he does is smile and reply with "It's fine. Afterall, I have you to take care of me, don't I?"
Ranked third in the fighting ring and the most annoying to deal with would be the hawk hybrid, Zephyr. Overly friendly and charming, sometimes outright flirting with you. He'd show off his massive wings with feathers of different hues of brown, white and specks of black. Even when he's beat up and battered after a fight, he'd still find a way to sneak in a pick-up line or two while your patching him up. His cocky and confident attitude doesn't hide his keen intellect and constant awareness of his surroundings. He'd enter the room and instinctively scan the room for threats, exits, and potential weapons (or prey). Flying is his second nature, maneuvering in the air and using his sharp eyes to spot the perfect opportunity to strike—his usual formula to victory and how he clawed his way up the ranks. Treating his wounds is a constant challenge, having to divide your attention between the actual treatment and keeping up with the conversation lest he become pouty again. However one thing you noticed was that the only time the hawk would stop making advances at you would be when your hands are on his wings. Only then would he be completely silent and frozen in place, with the occasional shiver when your hands brush across a particularly sensitive feather. After you're done, he'd turn back to you slightly breathless, cheeks flushed and pupils dilated. "You.. you really have a way with your hands, doc." He whispered, looking down at you with a hunger in his eyes. You frowned in confusion before shooing him out of your office.
A knock on your door breaks you out of your morning daze. You sigh, bracing for whoever may be on the other side. Ever since those three hybrids had discovered your existance, your other hybrid patients have been visiting your office less frequently, which narrows down your guesses as to who was knocking on your door. Thinking about what those three have done to make that many other prideful hybrids scared to come into your office… ignorance is bliss, you tell yourself.
Taking a deep breath, you silently prayed for today to be uneventful. "Come in!"
*********************************************
for extra background info: couldn't think of any cool guy names so i chose the names based on norse/greek mythology (i had a percy jackson phase as a kid....) (i never left that phase really...)
Fenrir: Monstrous wolf, son of Loki
Jörmungandr (Jörmun): aka World serpent, son of Loki
synopsis: even when everyone starts to mysteriously avoid you, there are three hybrids who are more than happy to keep you company. and yet, something doesn't seem to add up...
part 1 can be found here
In all your years as a licensed hybrid doctor, you've never been this free at work. The office is eerily quiet, your schedule has a concerning lack of appointments, absolutely nothing. You've been staring at your screensaver for the past hour.
You could've sworn your regular patients were starting to disappear on you, actively avoiding you and choosing to wait in line for another doctor.
Come to think of it, it seemed like everyone was avoiding you. The hybrid fighters, the doctors, even the friendly old lady who works in finance only gives you an awkward smile before swerving in the opposite direction instead of striking up a conversation like she usually does.
Before you could come up with a possible explanations, your door slammed open, startling you.
In walked in the three exceptions to the situation at hand. Fenrir, Jörmun, and Zephyr. Top of the entire hybrid fighting league, these three hybrids were the only ones in this building who treated you normally. No averted gazes, no whispers behind your backs, or scuttling away from you.
Just a little too friendly at times.
"Doc!" Zephyr, the cheerful and extroverted hawk hyrbid exclaimed, with his arms oustretched as he rushed towards you for a hug. "It's been so longgg, we missed you so much~"
"Hey-" You held out a hand to stop the incoming hybrid but he only used it to pull you into his embrace. His arms wrapped around you tightly and his large wings closed in, effectively cocooning you in his embrace.
"It hasn't even been 24 hours, Zephyr," you huffed, resigned.
"And that is way too-" Before he could finish his sentence, Fenrir pulled him away while Jörmun guided you to his side, saving you.
Ignoring the hawk's protests, you turned to thank the snake hybrid, whose yellow slitted eyes bore into yours. "Apologies for his behaviour Doctor, but Zephyr's words do hold truth to them."
You laughed awkwardly at his admission. "I'm glad to see you guys too, but uh, Jörmun, your tail.."
You pointed at your calf, where a scaly appendage was slowly winding up and curling around it. Only then the snake hybrid backed away, reluctantly releasing his grip on you. He held his hands up in mock surrender, giving you a smile that didn't quite meet his guiltless eyes.
Your attention was brought back to Zephyr being grabbed by the cuff of his shirt by Fenrir, arguably the scariest of the bunch and the unofficial leader of the three. The contrast between Zephyr's pouting and Fenrir's annoyed expression made it hard to hold back a laugh, which immediately lightened the playfully hostile air between them.
"What are you all doing here anyway?" You asked, checking the time on your watch. "It isn't even lunch yet."
The stoic wolf hybrid dropped Zephyr from his hands. "We're leaving early."
"You're always cooped up in this tiny office, so we figured a change of scenery would be nice." Jörmun added, noting the confusion on your face.
"Yeah, you said you've been getting less patients too right? Nobody would even notice if you left a littleee earlier for your lunch break," Zephyr pointed out, readjusting his shirt collar from the earlier scuffle.
You simply shrugged, trying to ignore stinging reminder of how useless you felt.
"Come on love," Jörmun guided you to the door which Zephyr was already holding open. "It's a slow season for everyone right now. Let's enjoy it, hm?"
You cracked a small smile, noticing how Jörmun purposefully phrased his words to bring some comfort to you. "...You're right. Let's go then."
************
Walking out of the medical wing and up to the main lobby was a longer journey than you thought. Acting like you had every right to leave the building when the day just started made you realise you really were a shit actor.
You discreetly glanced at the people in the lobby as you walked, only to realise they weren't looking at you at all.
In fact they seem to actively avoid looking in your direction, some even turning away from you.
This again.
You frowned in confusion. You briefly registered Zephyr's rambling about cherry blossoms and how he was sure you'd love them, but you were too caught up on everyone's strange reaction towards you to reply.
The automatic glass doors slid open as you finally decided to ask. "Is it just me or is everyone-"
Just as you stepped out of the company building, a panicked looking man balancing a full tray of iced coffee turned in.
Your eyes widened at the incoming collision, mirroring the shocked expression of the man in front of you. You watched as the coffee cups swayed dangerously in the holder and braced yourself for impact.
In one swift motion, a hand wrapped around your waist and pulled you backwards. "Woa—!"
Your back was flush against Fenrir's chest. He growled from behind you, baring his fangs at the stranger. "Watch it."
You turned to look up at him. "It was an accident, no need to scare him like that." Your tone light and slightly chastising as you gently tapped his hand that was still curled around your waist. "But thank you, Fenrir." Only then did he slowly remove his hold on you.
You rushed forward to Zephyr and Jörmun who were helping the distressed man up. Jörmun turned to you, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"
You nodded before turning towards the empty handed man. "Sorry about your coffee...are you okay?" You asked, glancing at the spilled coffee all over the floor.
Instead of looking at you, he seemed more fixated on what (or who) was behind you. Almost in tears, he gave a hurried apology before scuttling off.
You raised a brow, turning back only to be greeted with the same impassive expression Fenrir always had on his face. What was he looking at?
"That was close." Zephyr sighed in relief. "But looks like he still got you a little."
You glanced down, easily spotting the stain on your sleeve.
"Well...it could've been worse."
********
After a quick pit stop to scrub off the coffee stain with some soap and water, the minor hiccup was soon forgotten. The scenic view of cherry blossoms (the ones Zephyr was so excited about earlier), light conversion and banter brought up the mood again.
In spite of this, you couldn't shrug off a strange feeling. The scenic walk through the park and lunch—everything felt weirdly romantic. With Zephyr leaning in to whisper little jokes and corny pick-up lines to make you laugh, Jörmun constantly calling you various terms of endearment ("dearest", "love", "sweetheart") and how Fenrir's arm never left the back of your chair. Or how they brought you to some high-end restaurant when it was just another lunch. And paid for your share, not even letting the bill touch your hands. "We're the ones who brought you here, of course we're not letting you pay," Jörmun reasoned as you watched Fenrir pass his card to the waiter wordlessly.
The more you noticed, the more you denied it. Ignorance was always the best solution to these awkward situations. Nothing good would come from acknowledging anything. Your job was stable, the benefits were good, and you didn't have to work endless shifts and burn yourself out like your previous stint at the hospital. You weren't going to ruin this for yourself. So, as far as you knew, everything was normal.
After finally convincing them you had to return to your office (even if you had no patients waiting for you), you waved them goodbye at the entrance of the medical wing, practically having to pry Zephyr off your arm in the process.
As the rest of the day dragged by, you were thankful that nobody came to visit your office. It gave you time to process. First, there was still the fact that everyone was avoiding you like the plague. Second, were those three hybrids, acting like... that. Third, was the undeniable fact that the those two ocurrences were connected.
How long could you continue to pretend?
********
Sleep escaped you that night. Even after all those hours of tossing in bed, you had come up with zero solutions. As you dragged yourself out of the house to head to work, an obstruction in front of your door broke you out of your daze.
"What the..."
A plain paper bag sat in front of you. The logical part of your brain screamed about the dangers of approaching any unlabelled, suspicious looking items. You picked up the bag anyway, peeking at its contents.
No way.
Three vinyl records, each as rare as the next. Some collectors could only dream of ever obtaining these and yet, there they were, right in front of you.
There was no delivery address or card. No return address either. You didn't need to guess who it was from.
You mentioned it yesterday during lunch, when the conversation shifted to hobbies, talking about your small vinyl collection at home. It was rare to find people so interested in hearing you ramble about your niche interest, so you found yourself getting carried away and talking about your collector's bucket list. You must have listed at least ten that day, talking about their origins, historical significance, and special facts about the records, and three were already delivered right to your doorstep.
This was too precious for you to accept. Who knew how much the hybrids paid to get their hands on the records in such a short time? Receiving such an expensive gift felt burdensome.
It felt wrong to just leave the records sitting outside your door so you made quick work of safe-keeping it before leaving the house once more. You'd have to speak to them about returning the records soon.
Only when you've made it to the office, did it hit you.
"I never gave them my address..." you muttered.
********
A distraction. You desperately needed something to get your mind off this... situation. You've avoided your office as much as possible in the morning, choosing to make rounds in the lower rank fighting rings, although it still stung when the patients refused to be treated by you.
Defeated, you walked towards the last remaining hope for avoiding the three predators. You held in a breath as you knocked on her door.
A warm response followed. "Come in!"
You entered the office, greeted by a familiar face. Piper, your lunch buddy and fellow practitioner who you've quickly befriended since you started working here. Like the everyone else, she'd been acting all distant with you lately, finding every reason to avoid having lunch with you. The main reason why you've been eating with Fenrir, Jörmun and Zephyr so frequently as of late.
Upon recognising you, the otter hybrid broke into a smile, a polite and distant one that made you miss the old Piper you knew. "What can I do for you?"
"It's uh," you started, feeling awkward all of a sudden. "It's been a while, Pipes, do you wanna grab lunch together?"
Her eyes widened, as if caught off guard. "Uh.. do your mates know you're not eating with them?"
There were rare moments in your life where you've been stunned into silence. Pure speechlessness. You gaped at her like a fish out of water, the words unable to leave your mouth. Piper gave you a confused look.
"M-my mates?" was allyou managed to sputter out. "They're not— I never... what??"
Piper's shock mirrored yours. "They haven't marked you yet?"
You didn't know where to even begin untangling this mess.
"I mean, I figured you were already mates, seeing how you're practically covered in their scent. Anyone with a nose-I mean, any hybrid with a nose would have picked it up. They clearly don't want anyone going near you. If I weren't mated already, I wouldn't even dare to be talking to you like this." Seeing the horror on your face, she winced. "Please don't tell me you didn't know."
The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
A hybrid's sense of smell is a thousand times more sensitive than a humans. You would have never picked up on their pheromones on you, had Piper not mentioned it.
It was no wonder that all the other hybrids were avoiding you. Walking around smelling like those three, anyone who approached you would practically be asking for a death sentence.
"They didn't tell you, huh." Piper sighed. "Scenting someone without their consent..." She trailed off, or maybe you just tuned her out. Everything faded into the background.
All those signs you ignored--a lingering touch here, a longing gaze there...when did everything change? Why you? All three of them? Do hybrids even-
"Pipes, let's... let's do a rain check for lunch." You shook your head, desperately trying to clear your head.
Before hearing her response, you hurried towards the door. You needed to clear your head. Think things through. Find a solution.
You swung the door wide open, only to stumble back at the sight before you.
"There you are."
*******************
a/n: holy shit this was so hard to write. i thought i could get it out one week after part 1 but editing this was trickier than i expected... hoped yall liked part 2!!
synopsis: faced with the three hybrids who are determined to make you their mate, you finally decide to set things straight with them.
part 1 part 2 part 3 (final)
"There you are."
You faltered back, shocked by the sigh Fenrir, Jörmun, and Zephyr greeting you by the door.
"We've been looking for you everywhere!" Zephyr said, a cheerful smile on his face.
You swallowed your nerves. Enough avoiding. "We need to talk."
Jörmun raised a brow. "Talk about…?" he asked. Your words seemed to have caught the hybrids by surprise.
You shook your head. "Not here. Let's talk in my office."
Saying a quick thanks to Piper, you shut the door behind you before walking towards your own office. You knew this conversation had to happen, but you didn't feel prepared or clear-minded at all. But a large part of you didn't care. To hell with processing your emotions and coming up with a logical argument. As soon as you reached your own office, you were going to throw a fit. One that was long overdue.
The walk down the hallway was silent. Even Zephyr, the most energetic one of the trio, had quietened down, sensing the heavy atmosphere.
You walked into your office, sighing in frustration. Fenrir closed the door behind him. All three of them looked equal parts confused and concerned at your sudden change in behaviour.
Zephyr bit the bullet first. "So, uh, Doc. What did you-"
"How could you three scent me? Without asking me first?" You cut him off, trying your best but failing to keep your voice level. "Are you all crazy? Were you ever planning to tell me about this?"
Slowly, the hybrids connected the dots, realising that the person you were speaking to earlier must've revealed it to you.
"Ah, so that's what this is about." Jörmun replied calmly, with his scaly tail slowly flicking from left to right.
"We wanted to be the ones to tell you," Fenrir said, a displeased look on his face. "…when you were ready."
His reply made your eye twitch. "When I'm ready? And how long would that have been? Weeks? Months? Do you know how agonizing it was to be avoided by everyone in this building? Even my patients refused to be treated, all because of you three."
"We just didn't want any other hybrids going near you." Zephyr scowled, the intimidating look on his face a stark contrast to his usual lighthearted expression. "You should've seen how they ogled at you before we finally stepped in."
Your jaw remained slacked, unable to come up with a reply.
"Don't act so shocked, sweetheart. We made our feelings plenty clear to you since the beginning. Stop pretending like you never noticed," Jörmun smiled. "We just wanted to make sure everyone else knew that."
He took a step forward, wanting to close the gap between you and them. You mirrored his movements, stepping back. Click. The sound of the door locking broke your little game of tightrope you were playing with him. Your eyes widened, spotting Fenrir's hand on the door. You'd been so distracted by the snake hybrid in front of you that you didn't even notice Fenrir's movements until it was too late.
You should've known better than to invite them to your office. To trap yourself in here.
"Why do you look so scared? We won't hurt you, Doc," Zephyr reassured, somehow getting ahold of your hand and intertwining his fingers with yours. When did he sneak up on you?
Fenrir, having completed what he set out to do, returned to your side. "It's just for privacy. So nobody will intrude on us." The wolf hybrid's curt explanation felt like the final nail on the coffin. There was no escaping this now.
"Are you still thinking about how to run away from us? From your feelings?" Jörmun tilted his head, while Zephyr blocked your view of the door with one of his large wings.
You frowned at the accusation, stepping back once more only to bump into cool, hard wall behind you. Shit.
"…From my feelings?"
The hybrids nodded as they closed in on you. Fenrir gently held your free hand, bringing it up to his face, his lips brushing the inner side of your wrist. "We can hear how your heart races when you're with us," he said, his gaze never leaving yours.
"Even now, it flutters like a hummingbird's wings. It's such a lovely sound." Zephyr grins as he leaned in slightly, your other hand still tangled in his. The feathers from his wings brush past your arm, their gentle touch leaving goosebumps in their wake.
You felt your face grow warm. From the tip of your ears, to your cheeks, and all the way down your neck. As if you never knew about your own traitorous heart. Seeing how the hybrids' eyes glinted with hunger, pupils blown out with desire, and their breathing getting heavier with impatience, they definitely noticed your reaction and loved it.
"Do you realise it now, beloved?" Jörmun asked, tilting your head up with his finger, savouring the view in front of him.
You jerked your head away from him, shaking it furiously. "It's insane. Have you all lost it?? Three hybrids and one human? Are you even hearing yourselves right now?"
The hybrids were (un)surprisingly undeterred by your outburst. In fact, your words only seemed to encourage them. You didn't deny the attraction you felt towards them.
One last push.
"You know sharing a mate is common for us hybrids right, Doc?" The winged hybrid asked, his tone sweet as sin. "There's nothing wrong with us being together."
"And if you're worried because you're a human…" Jörmun continued, a wicked look in his slitted eyes. "…We'll make sure no one will dare to even think about hurting our mate. There's really no reason to worry, my love."
"That's not-" You tried to reason with the three stubborn hybrids, only to gasp as Fenrir brought your hand to his lips, brushing against your skin as he spoke. "We'll take it slow, make things work. You don't have to figure everything out now- we can take our time." He said, as if hearing all the thoughts racing in your head, and planted a soft kiss on the top of your hand.
"Come on, Doc. Just one little nod, that's all we need." Zephyr chided, and you turned to face him. "We'll be yours, and you'll be ours. Doesn't that sound perfect?"
Despite your brain being unable to wrap around the concept of such a relationship working out, a tiny voice spoke in your heart— 'What if it does?'
"Please, Doc? We'll be so good to you, I swear," Zephyr tugged on your hand, his lips turned into a small pout.
"Don't think too much." Fenrir's gentle yet firm reminder weakened your resolve.
"Just follow your heart, my love." Jörmun's voice in your ear was like the devil's temptation.
You tilted your head down the slightest fraction, giving a small, hesitant nod.
The three hybrids grinned, before pulling you towards them, each of them taking in a deep breath of your scent. "Our mate."
*******************
a/n: finally!!!! sorry for the wait but now with part 3, the hybrid series is complete YAY!
anyway,, hope yall enjoyed the hybrids as much as i did writing them!! thank you all for the support and for waiting so patiently for the finale love yall!
