Work Text:
"Enter."
A gruff voice bellows from the other side of the door. Niall grabs the doorknob, opening the door and stepping in the dimly lit room. "Niall Horan, reporting." Niall says monotonously.
"You have a hunt, Horan." Mr. Higgins says throwing a file on the desk before Niall. He reaches for it, flipping it open and scanning the papers within, smirking.
Liam Payne
Age: Eighteen
Hybrid: Dog
Case: Ran away from his masters
Sentence: Death on sight
Reward: Eight grand
At the bottom is a picture of Liam with his hair messily on top of his head, cropped short with his light brown ears peeking up from underneath. His soft mud brown eyes stare through the picture with no happiness shining in them.
Niall closes the file, lifting up his right eyebrow, "Just eight grand?" Niall hisses out. Mr. Higgins just shrugs, "I don't make the reward the masters of that stupid hybrid do. Horan, do you want the bloody job or not?"
Niall rolls his bright blue eyes sighing, "I'll take it, nothing else to do." He leaves the office, not bothering to say goodbye.
Niall heads to the weapon room, inserting the key card in the slot and has the door sliding open. Niall heads to the left grabbing two identical sharp knifes and placing them in the handle on his thighs, he also grabs an handgun slipping it in his gun holster on his waist.
He leaves the weapon room, grabbing a black sweater and putting the hood on hiding his dyed blond locks that show more of his brown roots since he has been to lazy to dye it all over again. Niall takes out his touch screen phone leaving the building with a skip to his step tapping on the Locate Hybrid app, typing in Liam Payne.
The map of the whole city pops up and it scans the area trying to locate the hybrid. Niall gets in his car, turning it on with a push of a button. He glances back at his phone seeing that Liam is at the bad side of town, were hybrids usually are hiding out because the poor people try to take care of them. Niall simply rolls his eyes, of course this hybrid Liam will go there. It's so fucking obvious. Niall steps on the gas petal heading towards the location that his phone gave him.
Niall doesn't know why Liam's owners want him dead, he could just capture him and bring him back, unless they grew tired of the hybrid and want to buy a new one since every household is only permitted three hybrids. Niall reaches the poor side of town slowing down his vehicle. Niall narrows his eyes knowing that once they see his Hybrid Hunter Car they'll lock up their houses.
Niall sighs, clenching his hands on the steering wheel. He never wanted to be a Hybrid Hunter but his father trained Niall since he was able to walk so he can hunt these creatures.
Of course Niall couldn't disobey his father unless he wanted to get beat and then shunned from his family so Niall followed his father in his haunting footsteps. Now he's the best hunter in this great country and that should make him happy but it doesn't, not in the slightest.
England got cut in half, now it's two countries, the Pro-Hybrid one and the Anti-Hybrid one. This side of town helps hybrids get to the Pro side but Hunters like him try to stop them. Niall makes it to his destination seeing that it's a old worn down yellow house. He turns off the car, taking out his hand gun and cocking back the safety.
Niall slides out of his car, slamming the door shut and looking around the neighborhood seeing that the street is deathly quiet. Niall's lips paint into a smirk, licking his cotton pink lips. He knows that they are watching him to see which Hybrid Niall's looking for. Fuck, Niall should've brought more weapons, who know what these Pro-Hybrid people have with them?
Niall strides to the house, gripping onto his gun whilst knocking on the door roughly, "Open up or I will come in by force." Niall yells out, straining his ears and not hearing anything. "On the count of three I'm heading in!"
Still nothing.
Niall raises up his gun, aiming it at the doorknob, "One." He hollers shooting the door and kicking it open with his steel toe boots making the door slam open. "Oops, sorry I guess I forgot how to count." Niall laughs out hearing hush whispers and whimpers. Niall aims his gun ahead of him, cautiously walking to the noise. He narrows his eyes coming to the last door on the right.
The whispers and whimpers have become louder as he kicks the door open, loving the dramatics. "Freeze!" Niall shouts with pure authority. A young man around his age with black hair styled high in a quiff with hard golden eyes stands in front of the three hybrids.
Niall smirks seeing that the man is standing protectively in front of all of them which is a little cat hybrid lad with curly dark brown hair and scared green eyes, around the age of six, another cat hybrid with chestnut wispy brown hair with light sliver blue eyes, who's around the age of twenty something and last but certainly not least is the only he's looking for, Liam Payne.
"Three hybrids?" Niall coos, making the little curly cat hybrid mew softly in fright. "Please, don't hurt them, this is my family." The raven haired pleads.
"Family? Really, how so?" Niall questions, his gun pointing with the laser between his eyes. "Louis," He points to lad that's holding the curly cat hybrid boy in his grasp, "is my husband and Harry," He points to the six year old kit, "Is my son and Liam is my oldest son."
Niall shakes his head tsking, "I know for a fact that Liam is not your son, for one he's a dog hybrid and you are a human who married a cat hybrid and two Liam has been owned his whole life. You do know what happens to liars huh..?"
"Zayn." He whispers closing his eyes.
"Well, Zayn, do you?" Niall cocks his gun ready to shoot, ignoring the wailing from Harry and the begging from Louis. "Wait!" A soft, calm voice yells out, sending chills down my spine. Niall eyes flick to Liam, who's eyes pierce through his very being.
"I-I'll go with you." He whispers with tears in the corner of his eyes. Niall lowers his gun smiling, "Brave one you are, eh?" He nods standing up slowly, his tail between his legs.
"Follow me." Niall nods his head to the family, grabbing Liam and pulling him out of the room. "Why are you coming willingly when you know I'm going to kill you?" Niall ask peeking at the defeated hybrid being curious on the situation since most escaped hybrids fight back to the very last breath.
"I can't let a innocent family die who was just trying to help me escape with them to the Pro city. They were willing to adopt me. This is how I can repay them besides what have I got to live for?" Liam whispers making Niall's heart tug in a sensation he hasn't felt in a long while. Niall leads Liam to the middle of the street knowing that everyone hiding in their houses are watching, "On your knees."
Liam obeys, his hands shaking as he finally lets himself break, becoming a sobbing mess. He looks up seeing Zayn and Louis holding Harry and covering his eyes watching, crying their eyes out for a boy they just met. Niall sees Liam smiling through his falling tears, trying to calm them down as he places the gun on the back of his head the cold metal digging into Liam's skull.
"Why aren't you fighting back, most hybrids do?" Niall mutters.
"I've been used my whole life either it's for being a maid, or a sex object, to a pet or even all of them. I just never felt any emotion besides despair but that family over there showed me what love is and now that I know what it feels like I can die happy." Liam looks at him softly. "But you're a Hunter, you don't know what despair is."
"That's where you're wrong, I know anguish. I fell for a hybrid," Niall smile, remembering him, "His name was Josh, he was a cat hybrid but my father found out and made me kill him. Now, I'm Niall Horan the most feared Hunter in this Anti-Hybrid country." Niall lowers his gun laughing not knowing why he just spilled out private thoughts to Liam, must be his kind, unwavering eyes that show no fear. "I should be on my knees awaiting death not you." Niall puts his gun away. "Go now and run."
Liam looks up at me in shock, standing up slowly and still not believing. Niall looks away seeing doors opening with all the hybrids and people staring at him with uncertainty in their eyes. Instead of running for safety, Liam walks towards him taking hold of his shaking hands, "You can change and run away from your duty." He whispers softly his light brown dog ears peeking up from his hair. Niall gulps shaking his head no.
"Niall, you can. We can runaway from this Anti place and start over."
"Why are you asking me?" Niall chokes out with tears filling up his eyes. "Because, when I saw you for the first time three years ago, I've always had a crush." Niall gasps coming into realization. "That was you that kissed me at that party?" He squalls, his voice layered in shock.
Liam blushes nodding.
Niall laughs loudly, "I thought I was imaging that night." He chuckles, pulling Liam into a deep kiss their lips moving together like river water cascading over the stone, smoothing out the hard surface.
Niall pulls away from the kiss placing his forehead on Liam's, "I found you." Niall murmurs.
End.