Kyungsoo walked out of the cafe with a smile on his face and a small skip to his step. he'd been going to the so-called 'hybrid cafe' for the last two weeks, after recently deciding he wanted to open his home and heart to a dog hybrid, he'd done some research and found out that one of the city's best adoption centers -and cafes, according to the website- was only a couple blocks from his office building. 

When he'd first skipped his usual lunch and gone to the center he'd immediately been pounced on by two loud, hyper, and rude hybrids.  he'd left quickly before really giving the place a chance, but had decided it wasn't fair to judge the entire place on only a couple of their hybrids. He made his mind up to go back later that week.

However, when he went back, none of the hybrids had really clicked with him.  he needed a calm quiet hybrid that wouldn't destroy his house while he was at work, and the shelter just didn't seem to have what he was looking for. but, since it was so close to work, he decided to give it yet another chance. 

And that's when he'd met him.

 After making his way through the cafe area where people could meet with the hybrids in a comfortable atmosphere -something he found himself thankful for -, he'd ended up in the corner speaking with a golden retriever hybrid called Lay -a name given by the assistants at the adoption center, though he preferred Yixing, the name his original owner had given him, he'd later found out.-  everything had fallen into place after the first conversation with him and he dropped by weekly while waiting for the usual two months waiting period to pass, so everything could be worked out, and the two could make sure they were compatible. 

Everything had been fine, until the fifth week, and it had continued to be fine between Yixing and himself, sure he found out Yixing had another potential home, there had been one other person interested in adopting the hybrid, but it was no big deal. the other interested party had spoken to him and they'd agreed that no matter who Yixing chose, the other would be invited over often, since they themselves had hit it off pretty well when the hybrid involved had insisted they meet and talk. 

The thing that had made everything not fine, happened one day after having lunch with Yixing.

 Kyungsoo had walked out to witness something heartbreaking, made worse by the fact the hybrid involved didn't seem to understand what was happening -or maybe, he just didn't want to admit it- the large hybrid seemed to think they were just visiting the adoption center.

The woman who brought him in seemed frazzled and angry to Kyungsoo. pulling the larger than usual hybrid along behind her until she reached the attendant at the front desk.

"hello?" she asked, her voice seeming strained as she tried to keep a calm tone with the girl behind the desk who hadn't noticed her yet.

the girl turned around beaming at the woman. "Oh Hi, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there,  Do you have a scheduled visit?  or, are you here to pick up or... surely not to drop off?" she said eyeing the large hybrid standing beside the woman. 

The woman let out a sigh. "It's a drop-off. My husband brought this.. this thing home when he was a puppy, he thought it was cute... but all it does is break things and trip over its own feet. I can't even have company over anymore because he-" she was abruptly cut off by a loud yell of "PENGUIN!" as the hybrid ran for Kyungsoo.  

Kyungsoo barely had time to look up from where he'd been searching in his pants pockets for his keys while listening to the conversation before the large uncoordinated Hybrid barreled into him, knocking him to the floor with an excited yip, all of the air leaving Kyungsoo's lungs on impact. 

Kyungsoo could only blink, surprised, while he was trapped beneath the monstrous hybrid, he himself was a smaller person in general, and this Hybrid was huge! he wheezed slightly when the thing picked him up and cuddled him like he was a stuffed toy, had he been able to breathe, he briefly thought it might have felt nice, but quickly did away with the thought. 

A few feet away, the woman who brought the hybrid in, lets out a frustrated growl and marches forward, gripping the giant's collar. "Chanyeol! Damn it! that's.. this is it. STAY!" she ripped the collar off of him and threw it in the donation bin, storming past the front desk, barely slowing to say "That thing is your problem now,"

Chanyeol - as Kyungsoo now knew the hybrid-  flinched slightly, but waved at her before turning his attention back to Kyungsoo.

"She gets mad a lot. she'll be back when she calms down, though, she always is. Except for the time she left me at the beach once, and I had to walk home, but I was happy when I made it back in time for dinner, pissed her off, though."  he chuckled slightly and  Kyungsoo just stared at him. he swore that damn deep laugh had vibrated through his whole body.

Chanyeol looked down at him, his grin looking slightly weird but somehow cute. It almost made Kyungsoo's chest hurt.  Chanyeol seemed like a big dorky puppy and didn't understand what had just happened, but at the same time, he could see something else in the hybrid's eyes. though he wasn't sure exactly what it was.  

the attendant from the front desk -Joy, if Kyungsoo remembered correctly- walked forwards with a smile. 

"Hi there big guy, how about you leave Kyungsoo alone for a bit so we can get you checked out?" she pulled on Chanyeol's hand and he moved easily enough almost dropping Kyungsoo as he eagerly followed the woman leading him deeper into the center.  

The grin the hybrid had on his face as he waved goodbye to Kyungsoo made him feel horrible, but he almost thought it turned to a smirk and -did the hybrid just wink at him?! Kyungsoo's jaw fell open slightly as he prepared to say something but thought better of it.

 Maybe he would ask some of his friends if they were looking for a hybrid to adopt... it felt weird not doing anything after what he just witnessed, but he couldn't stay there today, he needed to get back to work... and there was no way he could adopt a dog hybrid that large, especially when he didn't know anything about him in the first place. 

Not to mention he was already setting things up with Yixing. hopefully, he'd be welcoming him into his home soon. 

By the time Kyungsoo left work, he'd managed to convince himself that the dog would probably be adopted by the time he went back to see Yixing.  Hell, the hybrid seemed confident that the woman who dropped him off would be coming back to get him. Maybe it was even a regular thing that happened in their household, to discipline the hybrid.  

By the next morning he had all but forgotten about the incident and by lunch, he'd pushed it completely from his mind, satisfied with the answers his mind had given him the night before.

----

That night was an uncomfortable one for Chanyeol, he had to sleep in his jeans and t-shirt since the shelter didn't carry clothes large enough for him, and to top everything off he didn't have his favorite blanket or his stuffed penguin that he slept with.  He wondered if the center would find his owner soon so he could go home. He didn't even live in this city.

There was a chance that if he never showed up, they'd be able to adopt him out to someone, but with Chanyeol's problems, well... he just hoped wherever he went after this, it would be a nice quiet home. he whimpered when he thought of the alternatives.

----

Kyungsoo's recent work week had been a busy one and he was definitely looking forward to seeing Yixing today, it was rare that he could schedule a meeting for more than just his lunch hour, but thankfully that was slowly changing and things were going to be getting easier soon. 

Kyungsoo hummed to himself as he got ready and made breakfast, eating it quickly so he could head out and spend most of his day at the shelter with the hybrid that would be -hopefully- coming home with him soon. 

When he reached the shelter and let himself into the lounge area, he noticed a couple things. the first being that people were actively staring at something in the far corner, though he couldn't really tell what, and the second being that the usually calm Yixing was agitated, a frown marring his features as he gazed in the direction everyone else was. he didn't even seem to notice Kyungsoo.

When Kyungsoo followed his line of sight, he could see that Chanyeol had two other hybrids backed into the corner, and heard a low dangerous growl coming from his throat. When Kyungsoo realized it was the two hybrids he'd met his first day there, he moved quickly in that direction to see what was happening and if he could help. he didn't want to startle Chanyeol, but maybe he could talk to the other two without getting the growl they were facing him.

"Zico, Kyung. what's going on?" 

the two trembling hybrids looked relieved to see Kyungsoo when Chanyeol's growl cut off and he turned around to lift him off the ground in a hug, the same weird grin he'd had the first day back on his face,  black ears perked up and the nub of a tail he had beating his pants furiously.

"Chanyeol?" Kyungsoo looked confused, Chanyeol only hugged him tighter, a small whine coming from him as he nuzzled into Kyungsoo's neck. "Don't let them throw me out... Penguin, I'm sorry." 

When the attendants at the center were finally alerted to the situation, Chanyeol was taken for a mental evaluation, leaving Kyungsoo to return to Yixing. And he now noticed the golden retriever hybrid had dark circles under his eyes, a sign that he hadn't been sleeping well since he'd last seen him.

"Xing, you don't look well, How do you feel?" Kyungsoo asked as he took a seat across from the golden retriever.

Yixing looked over and blinked tiredly a couple times. "Soo? Is it already time for you to be back? " Kyungsoo only nodded, wondering why the poor hybrid didn't even notice him. He knew Yixing spaced things out, but never their meetings before, and he'd been next to him only a few minutes ago. 

"Oh... Sorry.. guess I forgot..." he yawned and lay his head on the table, nuzzling his own arm. It looked like he was going to fall asleep.

"I can come back some other time if you're too tired, Xing."

"Hm? Oh..no..no. it's okay..." Yixing made an attempt at sitting up straighter and waking himself up a little. "It's just the new guy..." he gestures towards the corner. "He's having a hell of a time adjusting and is keeping everyone up at night wandering the halls, asking if his owner's going to be back and if they've seen you... " he yawned before continuing. " It's kind of sad, honestly. I think Zico and Kyung finally got on his nerves today when they said no one wanted him and that the center would throw him out... he didn't do anything until they told him he wasn't the type of hybrid you were looking for, though."

Kyungsoo's eyes widened. why was Chanyeol asking about him and why would Chanyeol even care if he wasn't what Kyungsoo was looking for, Chanyeol still had a home. 

After speaking with Yixing for awhile, he looked over at the entrance to the cafe and saw Joy walking towards them, her usually cheerful aura dampened as she carried a folded blanket and what looked like a stuffed penguin with her. she sighed as soon as she reached Kyungsoo, who gave her a curious look. "Chanyeol's owner just showed up, he gave away all rights to him... Now I have to tell him." she walked through the doorway at the back of the cafe and disappeared from sight.

A few moments later a deep, sorrow filled howl echoed through the building and joy was quickly walking back through the cafe on the verge of tears. 

She locked eyes with Kyungsoo for a moment before hurrying out of the room.

Looking over he noticed Yixing was dozing with his face on the table, and quickly made a decision.

He didn't know what had possessed him to leave the dog hybrid he was there to see alone and find the closest attendant -Tao, his name tag said- to lead him back to Chanyeol, but he just felt the need to make sure he was okay.

He wished he hadn't when Tao took him into the room the hybrid was staying in and he saw Chanyeol huddled up on the floor crying into the stuffed penguin. he was curled in on himself, body shaking with the force of his sobs. Kyungsoo went unnoticed as he watched the hybrid curl further into himself, unsure of what to do.  Did he need to give him space right now? should he tell him how sorry he was? he felt terrible not knowing what Chanyeol needed at the moment, and it confused him. why did Kyungsoo even care? he walked away before the large hybrid had the chance to notice him.

After he was out of the room, he walked back to the table where Yixing was now snoring lightly. 

Poor guy was probably exhausted, but he woke him up long enough to give him a hug and say goodbye, before heading to the front desk to talk to Joy, who was currently trying to keep her makeup from running down her face.

"Ah, excuse...excuse me... I hope I'm not being too forward but.... what happened?..er.. what ..what did he say? the man who gave up the rights to Chanyeol..." he was biting his lip slightly while he waited for her to compose herself enough to answer.

"H-his owner... ex-owner is a cruel bastard, that's what happened." she sniffed slightly. "You know..just...ugh." she makes a strangled angry noise in the back of like she can't find the right words. 

"The guy came in today, dropped off that blanket and stuffed animal. Said he already got rid of all of Chanyeol's things, collars and clothing included... and that.. that he didn't want to see him because it would just make this harder for him... for him! that selfish prick!  The poor giant baby has barely slept since he got here, hoping his owner would come back and get him soon. but... this...." she sighs and wipes at her eyes. "Sorry, I'm not being very professional right now... this just.. it upsets me... I love hybrids, I have two living with me, actually. I could never even think of giving them up."

Kyungsoo swallows hard and sighs "It's alright. I understand... it seems so cruel... I just... I hope he gets adopted quickly... Maybe..Maybe that would help him..."

She lets out a sad laugh at that. "Dog Hybrids Chanyeol's size are rare. they aren't what people want, they are big, clumsy and expensive... I've only ever seen one other hybrid that size since I've worked here... Chanyeol will be lucky if we can even keep him at the shelter."

"O-oh.." he looks down, unsure what else to say. 

She only nods and sighs. "The odds of a hybrid his size getting adopted by anyone are pretty much zero. he'll probably be thrown out in a month, sooner if we can't get people interested in him. and if he doesn't keep his attitude problem in check, the outcome will be a bit more... drastic.." 

"o-oh.. is.. is that what happened to the other hybrid? you said there was one other one since you've worked here..."

"No..no.. that one was adopted by a staff member. Yifan has been living happily with Tao since he adopted him.... but Chanyeol hasn't really had much of a reaction to anyone since he's been here, well. other than you, that is and with those two... you could just tell they'd end up with each other you know?"

Kyungsoo nodded. he knew what she meant, though he decided to ignore the fact she had said he hadn't had a reaction to anyone other than Kyungsoo. 

"Well. I should probably go, uhm.. I might come back sooner than usual, though.. if that's alright...Could.. could I get something for Chanyeol, to try and cheer him up?" 

"yeah... that should be fine, just try not to get his hopes up. He loves penguins, by the way" she gave him a small smile and sniffled again as she wrote down that he might stop in at some time between his scheduled meetings. just to give the staff, -and Yixing- a heads up. 

Kyungsoo left with a weird hollow feeling in his chest and the howl Chanyeol had let out echoing in his mind.

----

He had the worst time trying to sleep that night as he tossed and turned, fighting with himself as he stared at the ceiling, hoping the answer would spell itself out to him, but unfortunately the ceiling supplied no solutions. the floor and the walls didn't give much of an answer either.

----

Work the next couple of days proved to be awful for Kyungsoo; hell being the only word he could possibly use for it, if he were honest with himself. 

He had barely slept the previous nights and ended up late twice because of it, not to mention he wasn't paying much attention to his work. His boss almost sent him home once, but Kyungsoo had reassured him he just needed caffeine and he'd be fine. 

However now, as he was on his third cup of coffee for the day it was anything but fine, every time he tried to focus on a task, a big dorky hybrid bounded it's way through his head. it had been six days since he'd been to the shelter and an hour before lunch finally said to hell with it and send a text to Sehun, Yixing's other option for a permanent home. he wanted to talk to both of them tomorrow before he decided to do something as stupid as he was about to do... 

Lunchtime rolled around and Kyungsoo found himself down the street from his work, sitting in the lounge of the shelter with yet another cup of coffee in his hands, looking around. 

He'd been told Yixing would be right out, but that's not who he was looking for. he was looking for black ears, and a nubby tail of the same color, but he saw neither.  

Had Joy been working he would have gone out and asked her where the big guy was today, but there was a new girl behind the front desk, and he didn't feel like explaining anything to her. He finished his coffee and headed back to work without even seeing Yixing.

The next day found Kyungsoo sitting at a table alone, running his hands over a rectangular box as he looked around the cafe.

He ended up being startled out of his search of the room by Sehun and Yixing flopping down next to him. he offered them both a smile in greeting and Sehun nodded, while Yixing stood up and took Kyungsoo by the hand and led him to the back of the shelter. Yixing had grabbed the box from him and carried it as he leads Kyungsoo through a few different hallways.  

Kyungsoo's heartbeat picked up. he hoped this wasn't Yixing deciding to choose him over Sehun.

However, Yixing stopped outside a door and handed him the box back.

"Kyungsoo, I hope you don't mind...but... I think I've decided to go with Sehun."

Kyungsoo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and smiled.

"Actually, I think that may be for the best."

Yixing winked at him. "I know, that's why we're here...now go get your big idiot. He hasn't left this room since they brought him here after his second evaluation. I was hoping you could help him..." 

He opened the door and pointed to the corner, where Chanyeol was huddled around a torn up stuffed penguin, humming to himself as he faced the wall. his hair was matted and clinging to his ears, which were flat against his head, his clothes dirty and torn. 

Stepping into the room had Chanyeol growling at the sound, only becoming louder as he stepped forward, footsteps echoing on what he now realized was concrete flooring. Kyungsoo looked back at Yixing for an answer, and thankfully he seemed to pick up on it.

"They couldn't put him in a normal room, he kept tearing things up.  If he keeps this up, he'll be...they'll... they'll put him down so he can't hurt anyone..." he almost whispered the last words but Kyungsoo heard it and gasped turning back to the hybrid growling in the corner.

"Chanyeol?" he said quietly, nervously gripping the box he had in his hands.

the growling stopped and Chanyeol's ears perked up. "Penguin?" He turned and looked up at Kyungsoo from his spot on the floor, Making his heart drop. He looked so lost, nothing like the happy puppy that had tackled him that first day they met. Kyungsoo choked back a sob. 

"Ch-chanyeol... " He moved forward and dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around the giant. and oh god he smelled terrible, but when Chanyeol hugged him back Kyungsoo felt the same thing he did when he'd been picked up like a toy that first day, and he realized in that moment that Chanyeol was his. when Kyungsoo pulled back to look at him, his smile was beginning to come back. and when Chanyeol spoke, he knew it would all be okay, even if the only thing he actually said was;

"My Penguin," 

Kyungsoo smiled. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm your Penguin." 

---

Sehun set his bubble tea on the table and raised an eyebrow at Yixing. 

"So, tell me again why he keeps calling Kyungsoo 'Penguin'"

Yixing laughed. "Well, you know Chanyeol's not the brightest. He actually thinks Kyungsoo's a penguin Hybrid."

Sehun made a snorting noise as he choked on his drink.

---

END! 

 Okay yes, the box had a purpose buuut I'm already writing a second part for this, so it will all be explained in time. o3o

My Chanyeol feels are in full bloom right now, not sure why, but yeah. must write all the Chanyeol. ;p 

And oohh what did I do? Kyung and Zico are Hybrids too? was I hinting at things I might be writing in the future? maybe. :P 

this thing reached 3800+ words -including the author's note- but still.... holy damn. that's a lot for me! xD  

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I AM DYING FOR FEEDBACK RIGHT  NOW!

-Miki