✦𝘼𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙯 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙨 ✦

Mingi x Hongjoong // angst with a happy ending

It was a Tuesday.

Meaning rather than the usual 3 hours of practice, today it was bumped up to a total of 5. The members didn't know why every Tuesday their practice was extended an extra two hours but they never dared question it. They would show up and put their all into it which always left them panting & drenched in sweat, but they didn't mind. For them it was a blessing, no matter how tired they got, how many hours they had to practice on end, they were thankful for the opportunity to do what they had dreamed of for years. All the members seemed to be full of energy from the very start and eager to practice, except for one, and that was Mingi. From the very beginning of their practice to the complete end he seemed to be struggling and kept falling behind which was a bit of a shock to the others considering Mingi rarely fell behind when it came to practicing their choreography. Mingi was stumbling over his feet, missing the correct counts, and even accidentally bumped into San at one point which caused a bit of a domino effect, sending each of the members bumping into each other.

Hongjoong felt someone bump into him roughly from behind sending him forwards and that had seemed to be the final straw for him.

He let out a breath of air before stopping in the middle of the choreo and walking over to turn the music off. Mingi could feel himself tense up, as he knew what was coming. He figured it was only a matter of time before one of them got angry and confronted him for his lack of skills during today's practice. The rest of the members all just stood around awkwardly softly panting and eyeing each other unsure of what was going to happen, an obvious tense atmosphere taking over the once lighthearted dance studio. "Mingi. What the hell is going on with you?" Hongjoong finally snapped. He stood up with his arms out in the air with his eyes wide and a vein threatening to burst out of his neck. Despite being the shortest member of Ateez, all of the members seemed to be afraid of their leader when he was angry. They knew he was not a cold hearted person, and would never willingly hurt any of them. But they also knew he had a short temper and you did not want to mess with him when his temper was running short because once he blew up, it was chaos.

"I'm sorry. I'm just stressed.. I have a lot on my mind and I can't focus." Mingi said quietly trying to avoid the smaller's intense and angry gaze. No one dared to interject and save Mingi from the upcoming storm, they all just stood breathlessly and awkwardly unsure of how to ease the situation. Hongjoong let out a slight scoff and Mingi would be lying if he said it didn't absolutely tear him apart. Mingi was aware he was very sensitive and he knew he had to try to grow thicker skin, but it was so difficult for him. He couldn't help being so sensitive, it's just how he was and he felt terrible because he knew it would drive the other members insane. Mingi knew they all felt like they were walking on eggshells whenever they were near him when he was upset because the smallest comment, roll of eyes, of scoff would send him to tears. He'd overheard them complain once behind his back but he never confronted them about it. He just left it and promised himself he wasn't going to be such a pest to the other members. Mingi tried to brush it off and not cry right there and then in front of them all, not when they all had so much practice to do. He mumbled a small apology to Hongjoong and within a few minutes, they were all back to practising.

Mingi had tried his best to stay focused and not make any more mistakes, he really did. But he was flustered and embarrassed for all his precious mistakes, and no matter how hard he tried to keep it together he just kept repeating them over and over again. Hongjoong, angry once again called a quick 5 minute water break before basically storming out of the dance studio, the door slamming behind him. The room fell silent, the only sound being heard was the ragged breaths and sound of chugging water. Mingi grabbed his water and walked off to the corner to try to calm himself and his nerves. He had to keep reminding himself to get it together, and fast. He didn't want to draw anymore attention to himself, he knew that the others know something was up but wouldn't question him. He felt a soft hand on his back and turned to meet Yunho's worrisome eyes looking at him like he was the most fragile piece of glass. "Are you okay Mingi?" Yunho asked softly.