Chapter Text
When he joins the company, legs shaking and hands fidgeting, he didn't expect the other trainees to exactly be accepting. He gets in on sheer luck, as he'd put it, and to make it even worse, he isn't just human—he is a Golden Retriever hybrid, to be specific. Eric is not deaf, and he does in fact hear the things that were being said about him.
Not many people knew about his status, and the ones who did, were signed into a contract to keep the fact quiet; hybrids were a rarity, but also a target for the underground market.
So, when Eric is pushed into the practice room that had what seemed to be eleven other boys, his tail slowly stops swaying, and his ears perk upwards on-edge. He observes them glancing at him as the female staff whispers a few things to them; it seems to be about Eric's hybrid status.
When the female nods and leaves the room, Eric does not move—he can't move. He feels stuck to the ground, and his eyes direct themselves down at the ground. Please don't say anything else… He thinks to himself.
"Hello, there. What's your name?" A soft voice calls out to him.
Eric reluctantly lifts his head to be greeted by a chestnut haired boy. " I-I ," He stutters at first. "I'm Sohn Youngjae… but I respond to Eric, too… Um… I was born December 22, 2000, so I might be the youngest here… I'm not actually too sure" He quietly responds back, rambling.
The other male smiles gently at him. "Nice to meet you, Eric-ah. I'm Jacob Bae. Or Joonyoung, if that's more comfortable with you, and I'm from Canada," He softly pats the head of the younger one. "Would you like me to introduce you to the others?"
Eric's heart sinks, and his tail droops—he is not unhappy or disappointed, but rather, extremely nervous—it seems to show clearly on his expression, too, because Jacob takes the boy's hands in his, and lightly grips his for a split second. "Eric-ah. The others do not dislike or hold anything against you, if that is what you are worried about."
Eric seriously doubts it, but the soft-spoken words from Jacob's mouth convinces him otherwise—he shyly nods, as the older Canadian guides him over to the others. Eric's body is still shaking and his ears fidget aggressively.
Seating Eric down, Jacob ushers the others to introduce themselves. They go around in a circle, and Eric respectfully listens—then it's finally his turn.
He tilts his head downwards a slight bit. Jacob must catch onto his anxiety spiking, quickly, and so he softly ruffles the boy's hair, knowing that he'd be okay with it, having experience with hybrids before.
"I'm Sohn Youngjae, but Eric is fine too," He awkwardly begins. "Um, I was born December 22, 2000. I lived in Los Angeles prior to moving here… I skateboard, I guess… And, um, as you can see I'm a Dog Hybrid—Golden Retriever if you want the details…" He mutters. And as if announcing his hybrid status, his tail starts swaying from behind him, and Eric flushes, not expecting his body to react in such a way.
Jacob smiles at him and so do the others.
" Cute ." One of them states out of the blue. (Jaehyun, was it? Eric isn't the best at names…)
Eric blushes. "H-huh?" He sputters out embarrassedly and his canines reveal themselves as he gaped at them. " Oi! I'm not cute!" He hisses, annoyed.
The person who made the exclamation rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and you must be the oldest here." He snorts.
Eric pouts and mutters under his breath. "Why do I even try…"
Jacob giggles and turns back to Eric. "Jaehyun isn't wrong, you know, you are quite cute." The older immediately ruffles Eric's hair once more, and proceeds to pet his ears.
The boy stiffens, and Jacob flinches, worrying if he overstepped a boundary, although the small nuzzling action that Eric acts on, tells him differently. The younger boy curls closer to Jacob and pokes his nose at his hand, which prompts the other to start rubbing his ears, again.
Eric lets out a soft growl in contentment, as the others' eyes widen in shock.
"Oh my god—Eric is a literal Golden Retriever, literally and physically," Changmin squeals, immediately making his way across the wooden floor to plop himself next to the youngest. Eric looks up and in a dog-like fashion, tilts his head curiously to the side, eyes sparkling.
"Changmin-hyung?" He calls out, unsure if he got the older boy's name correct.
Changmin vigorously nods his head. "Yeah that's me!" He snatches the boy from Jacob's grip and pulls him into his embrace. "Oh god, you're so cute. Please stay with us. Debut with us. I will die for you!" Changmin exclaims.
Eric does not know what overcomes him, but he feels a wave of confidence wash over him. Smiling brightly, he yaps, "Not if I die for you first hyung!" his tail wrapping around the older's wrist affectionately; Changmin holds him tighter.
Sunwoo watching the exchanges quietly, decides to take action. He struts to Eric and grabs him from Changmin. He glares at Changmin, not exactly caring that he is older than him.
" Mine. " He mutters.
Despite the growl in Sunwoo's voice, everyone knows that he won't actually do anything if someone were to take Eric from his arms; he loves them all too much for that, anyways.
Besides. It's not like they could move the hybrid. The boy was asleep after all—how he fell asleep admits the chaos—who knows?
What they did know is that, the person to wake him up would be in trouble.