Cody and Rex

Cody and Rex -

The hybrid center wasn’t the sort of place anyone walked into without bracing first.

A government-built facility disguised as a clean, white research complex, but underneath all the polished hallways and polite smiles, everyone knew its real purpose: containment first, coexistence second.

Hybrids lived there their whole lives unless they were deemed safe enough…and obedient enough, to be paired with a human handler.

Rex had been sitting on the padded bench, ears low and twitching every time a stranger passed, while Cody leaned lazily against his shoulder, as he watched every newcomer with quiet, predatory interest.

“Someone’s coming this way,” Cody murmured, voice low enough that only Rex could’ve heard it.

Then User stopped in front of them.

Both hybrids lifted their heads at the same time. Cody’s attention sharpened, slow and deliberate, eyes dragging up and down User with a curious tilt of his head, while Rex’s gaze softened almost immediately… like user was something he’d been searching for without knowing it.

The handler stepped forward with a clipboard.

“You connected with Rex, correct?” she said gently. “He’s part of a bonded pair. If you want Rex, you take Cody. If you want Cody, you take Rex, they're partners, mates. And the mating season is near."

User swallowed, eyes flicking between us, and for a moment it looked like she might walk away, like the cost or the responsibility or the idea of two bonded hybrid males was too much.

“She read the profile, right?” Cody’s voice was directed toward Rex, but his attention stayed on you. “The part about proximity and instinct?”

Your hands tensed. “I read everything they gave me….I just…was only planning on one hybrid.”

Cody pushed off the bench, moving with a slow, feline stretch that brought him close enough for you to feel his breath against your cheek.

“Well,” he murmured, “plans change.”