Moral Support
pairing :: eden x seokmin
word count :: 1.8k
summary :: eden supports seokmin and seventeen at practice for their world tour.
time :: august 2019
a/n :: more wholesome eunmin content. do u know where this is going?
Things like this didn’t happen often, but when it did, everyone welcomed Eden with open arms. She knew that her best friend and his group were working hard preparing for their world tour. She had made sure that it was okay to stop by the practice room before proceeding to make plans. She carried an insulated bag into the building and made her way upstairs.
She looked like just another staff member who would peek their head in. She was in awe at the synchronization and elegance of the members. She would always be impressed by the difficulty of their choreography and how everyone managed to pull it off even though it looked so exhausting.
It was getting harder for Seokmin and Eden to keep up with each other, mostly because seventeen was booked and blackpink were into the dungeon again. Their texts were dry given how drained he was. When they did talk on the phone, Eden would be rambling on for 20 minutes before the line was quiet and he fell asleep soundly. She knew that she wanted to do something nice for the group despite how tired they were.
The song ended, the boys keeping their composure until the choreographer would clear them. He happened to glance over to see Eden, the short haired blonde with extremely grown out roots, dangling her bag around her fingers.
“Okay, break!” His voice echoed through the large room, earning grunts of relief from the members. Her eyes scanned for Seokmin, watching him fall and sprawling his limbs out on the wooden floor. Most of everyone would keep it on the low when break was called, scattering to the perimeter for their water. But Seokmin always made sure to make it obvious he was ready for a break.
“Minee,” She called for him, waving her arm in the air until he lifted his head and scanned the room. His face was full of surprise as he gasped. He flipped onto his stomach, using his hands to slide himself across the floor. She snorted, sitting in her place and digging into the bag to pull out all the different flavored milks she had packed.
She was quick to select his favorite and poke the straw through. Now laying in front of her, he dropped his head to the floor and was catching his breath. She placed it in front of him, proceeding to run her fingers through his hair that stuck to his forehead with sweat. She took her hand back and wiped it on his hoodie.
“Why do you wear such heavy clothes to practice?” She scolded him as he raised his head and grabbed the milk to start drinking.
He let out a sigh of relief as the milk was refreshing and pleased his taste buds. He ignored her question, but she knew that there was no reasonable answer in his mind. He just wore the baggy clothing to practice and would pay for it a few hours in.
“Eden has refreshments!” He announced to the room as it echoed off the walls. Seungkwan hurried over, dragging his soles as they squeaked against the floors. He snatched two cups, thanking her for the treats. It was the least she could do. It also had sugar, so it would energize them just a little bit.
“Wow, thank you Noona. These hit the spot.” Seungkwan had almost completely drank one dry by how thirsty he was.
“There’s enough for everybody.” Eden took it upon herself to grab a strawberry milk. Seokmin rolled over on his back and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing.
“Are you drinking your water?” She knew she had to look out for him especially when he was this busy.
“Mhm, after every song I get a couple chugs in,” Jeonghan smiled, thanking her with his body language as he sneaked in to get some milk. After poking his straw through, the older member gently kicked Seokmin’s leg. “This is our first break of the day though, so thank you for coming when you did.”
“It’s my treat. I was a little worried about coming, I didn’t want to intrude or distract anyone.”
He smiled, wiping the floor with his hoodie as he slithered to lay his head on her lap. “If I had a rag, I would definitely wipe all this sweat off.” She snorted as she was careful not to touch any of the beads of sweat.
“It’s kinda warm in here, I don’t understand how you manage with so many layers.” When Eden was at practice, she usually wore a long shirt and leggings. She didn’t want sweatpants or layers upon layers weighing her down.
“They try to keep the temperature in the middle, but we sweat too easily so it’s inevitable.”
She held his head in her lap, massaging his temples with her thumb. “You better remember to eat too.”
“I know because if I don’t you’re gonna-” He exaggerated his imitation of her.
“Dislocate your shoulder.” The two spoke in sync. It was one of the things that Eden would say so that he would actually take care of himself. She may have been smaller than him, but she can be scary.
His members looked at them, keeping straight faces over how cute they were. The youngest made their way over to Eden, picking themselves a milk out of the selection. It meant the world to Seokmin that they liked Eden and would look forward to whenever they would hang out or she would drop by the studio.
One day back then she showed up at their dance practice, perfecting one of their choreographies as a group. Eden had cheered each of them on when someone would have a misstep or finally getting a move down after struggling for hours. She would even follow their lead and learn the dances with them as she had nothing to do other than watch them.
Whenever they would call for a break, Eden would be right there to pass Seokmin his water and even volunteer to the others to refill theirs. They’d sit by each other against the wall and she would always vocalize how fascinated she was by their dances. Even though she was there for them all spiritually, it was a distraction for him. He would always try his best, making sure not to mess up in front of her. He’d find her reflection in the big mirrors on the wall and it encouraged him immediately.
By how many times she’s visited during their practice, he adjusted so he wouldn’t be exposed for zoning out. Somehow it seemed like she was a member of the group by how well she knew their techniques, routines, even their favorite drinks and foods. He was thankful that she didn’t single anyone out.
She was always there for moral support, uplifting not only Seokmin, but the staff, the members, and even the choreographers.
“Isn’t it funny how I just finished my world tour, and now you’re going on one?” The corner of her lips curled as she patted his cheeks, handling him like a toddler.
“Which is why we’re hanging out after I get out of practice.” He started, laying in her lap with tired eyes. They would arrive at the practice room as early as 5am and leave as late at 11pm.
“I know, but you have to remember to sleep. You’re not gonna do well with 3 hours of sleep.”
“I could say the same to you.” He opened one eye , squinting to look up at her.
“Hey, in my defense, I’ve had insomnia ever since I moved here.”
They would always go on venting about their trainee days, sharing funny and stupid stories. He was always interested in hearing about her life back in Germany. He understood the entirety of her family situation more than anyone else. Of course, her members knew and offered their support, but they lived together for years.
She never talked about it to just anyone, it would always be hard to understand and they would just nod their head as the information went in one ear and came out the other. So whenever her past bothered her in her present days, Seokmin knew how upsetting it was for her.
His subliminal inserts of english words when he talked was funny to her. She would always repeat his ‘okay’ and ‘oh my gosh’ because it was so cute. He would then say it again as they went back and forth spitting words out in english.
“Yah, Eunhye, how did you get past the entrance?” Seungkwan shouted from across the room, sipping on his milk.
“Your manager.” It wasn’t hard for her to get in. Actually, she befriended their manager and would always ask when she could stop by and surprise them.
“At this rate, she’s gonna break into our dorms when we’re asleep and steal our things.” Soonyoung joked while holding his water. Even though it was their break, he was still trying to figure out the routines.
Seokmin laughed, causing Eden to roll her eyes and push him off of her. She pouted as she sucked on the straw and listened in to the boy's conversations. She knew breaks would be shorter today and she couldn’t hang around as long so they could focus.
The man was starting to feel claustrophobic in his hoodie, pulling the fabric over his head and into his lap. He fixed his tank that hung low around his neck. He crawled on his knees to grab another milk and began drinking it like a baby.
“Ooh Seok, have you been lifting?” Joshua ogled at his prominent biceps with high brows.
He took a big sip before swallowing, “Yeah, lifting Eden.” He looked in the opposite direction of her with an innocent expression. His members were quite shocked at his comeback.
Seokmin felt a hard, loud slap against his arm as everyone gasped into laughter. Eden didn’t take it too lightly. It echoed through the room and they’d be surprised if it didn’t bruise tomorrow. He held his arm, mouth hanging open as he turned to her, acting as if he was on the verge of tears.
Eden was not expecting the slap to be that hard or loud, and she instantly felt bad afterwards. She whined as she got on her knees to hug his head close to her.
“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!” She apologized profusely and worried if she actually hurt him. This caused tears to well up in her eyes, pulling away and massaging his arm. Seokmin was still in shock, his arm stinging as she tried to comfort him.
“He deserved it after that comment.” Soonyoung clapped his hands as Eden continued to apologize.
“I’m sorry! Are you hurt? Do you need ice?” She whined as he tried to collect himself. He was silently laughing, trying to tell her he was fine but the words wouldn't come out.
“I didn’t mean it!” He held her hands to halt her rubbing and pulled her into a hug. His stomach hurt from laughing too hard, out of breath as he patted her head and brushed her hair.
“It’s okay, it’s fine. I’m sorry, that joke was completely out of line!” He tried to convince her everything was okay and that he was alright, but she still carried on crying.
