words never said. | mahae

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ 1. ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

"this cannot be right," donghyuck exasperatedly mumbles with furrowed brows from the middle of the room.

the sharp detail of his defined jaw is clenched tighter than usual; his pouty frown much deeper than normal for the brightly sunny personality the youngest naturally owns.

in the sudden stillness of the practically lifeless dark grey space, lined with mirrors towards its rear, donghyuck can feel the off-putting vibe radiating from his members a mile away. still, the perfectionist in him can't stop himself from anxiously chewing on his wearing nail beds and overanalyzing every one of their joint flaws; despite only being in the earlier stages of rehearsals.

as the youngest stands across from his hyungs in the SME practice room, one particular member right next to him, donghyuck seems a little confused and a lot frustrated.

"i'm sorry, can we please just go over this one more time?"

an irritated, low groan sounds from behind him, followed by an emphasized, "no, hae, we can't. we've gone over this single part a dozen times and it looks fine. we genuinely need to move on or this practice will never end."

donghyuck locks eyes with jaehyun from across the room - the balls of his feet beginning to tap rhythmically on the floor - clearly not impressed by the rather trivialized tone he's received.

donghyuck likes to think he's one of many things; positive under almost every circumstance, always appreciative of those around him, resilient by nature, and willing to put everybody else but himself first - since that's just what's been instilled in him from day one. he's ever-changing but also the living embodiment of the greatest parts of familiarity and comfort.

however, patience for whatever is lingering in the air around himself and his group during their practice... not so much.

before the maknae can open his mouth to respond, however, taeyong is shooting jaehyun harsh daggers, all while mark is snaking his hand around donghyuck's forearm to pull him closer.

with a subtle squeeze of warm, damp skin, mark mumbles softly and carefully as donghyuck's body gravitates towards him unspoken, "relax."

donghyuck huffs again, this time so low only mark receives it. and the elder can't help but bite back a knowing smirk between the chapped peachy flesh pulled into his clamped-down pearls.

"-leave the final decisions to me, jae." one of their choreographers, rino, suddenly pipes up from the door frame with her own set of bright teeth bared; her demeanour both teasing and authoritative.

she doesn't miss the heaviness clouding over the members when she walks a little further into the room to command the attention of the overly tired group, starbucks refresher in hand.

"haechan is right when he says that, by the way." she continues with a passive wave of her drink in her dominant hand, "it does still look off. run it again from the top for me, please."

and donghyuck always knew rino was his favourite choreographer for several reasons, but specifically because of how often she stands up for him and helps him feel secure as an artist. never makes it seem like he's pushing too much and always allow him room to grow and make decisions for himself.

as for the rest of the group, if there's anything the other eight men standing around know, is the warning in rino's tone being exactly that. a forced hint which has them silently sighing and repositioning themselves to get right back to work as she retakes her position in front of the center mirror.

when their practice finally ends a few hours later, looking much cleaner than before (with some members a bit more frustrated than others), donghyuck can't help the guilt that overcomes him.