So I've had yet to post a Mystic Messenger fic here on , and I'm bored, and I figured I'd start uploading this particular story that I've also posted on my account on AO3. This is actually one of my favorites.
Five-year-old Jumin glanced around the play area at the other little kids that ran around enjoying their recess. Where was Jihyun? His mint-haired best friend didn't appear to be anywhere. The little ravenette sighed and leaned back on the bench where he sat.
On the other side of the play area near the preschool building, a little girl ripped off the uniform ribbon tied around her collar and threw it to the ground. Jumin frowned. What was wrong with the ribbon? He ran across the play area and scooped up the ribbon, following the girl into the building. He spotted her in the hallway, sobbing and punching at the air.
"U-Um… excuse me?" he ventured, holding out the ribbon. "You d-dropped this—"
"NO! I don't WANT it!" the girl shrieked. "I don't WANT to be pretty! I don't WANT to wear dresses and skirts and ribbons! Go away, you meanie!"
Jumin stood there, confused. She… didn't want the ribbon? He glanced at her skirt, which she now had in her hands, tugging at it in an attempt to make it rip. The he got an idea.
"Do you m-maybe… want to t-trade?"
The girl stopped and looked at him. "Trade?"
"Y-Yeah. My tie and shorts f-for your ribbon and skirt. Then y-you'll be happy… r-right?"
The girl gasped, and her eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, thank you thank you thank you! C'mon!" She seized his hand and dragged him to a nearby restroom. Once inside, the two children got to work exchanging the articles of clothing. Turning away from the girl, Jumin slipped off his shorts and tie and held them behind him. She took them and gave him her skirt, which he pulled on. He turned back around and found her with his shorts on and tying his tie.
"You can tie ties?!"
The girl grinned. "Yep! My papa lets me do his all the time. Aren't I good? Here, lemme do your bow!"
She looped the ribbon around his collar and knotted it in a neat bow. Then they turned and stood side-by-side, appraising their reflections in the mirror. The girl giggled. "Don't we look amazing?"
Jumin grinned. "Yeah. We look pretty great." Then he gasped. "I know! Let's find my friend Jihyun and have him take a picture!" The two children ran out of the restroom and outside. Jumin spotted Jihyun and waved him over. The camera-carrying, mint-haired boy gave him a confused look as he approached the two.
"Jumin, did you switch your guys's clothes?"
The girl beamed. "Yep! Can you take our picture? Pleeeeeease?"
"Please, Jihyun?" Jumin asked. Jihyun grinned and held up his camera.
"All right! Now, pose!" The girl flexed her muscles while Jumin held the ends of his skirt and pointed his toe behind him. The shutter clicked, and the two children crowded around the little photographer-in-training. When the picture came out, the girl squealed and Jumin smiled.
"Awesome! Let's do this again, okay?" the girl cried. Jumin laughed and agreed.
Soft gray eyes blinked open in the morning sunlight. The young man stared up at the ceiling in confusion.
Just a dream…?
Viera glared at the boxes piled up in front of the window of the guest room where she'd been sleeping the past two days. I specifically told him not to go overboard or else that would enable me! She sighed. The night before last, she had come over to Jumin's to cheer him up and had ended up staying the night. She'd been hanging out at a café before Jaehee made her request, so she had brought her backpack and purse along… and not her duffle, which sat in Rika's apartment holding all the rest of her clothes. She and Jumin had had a late dinner, and then Jumin had insisted she stay the night.
"Jumin, that's… very thoughtful of you, buuuuut I kind of didn't bring any of my stuff."
"That's fine," he assured her, "I have a guest room and bathroom stocked with any amenities you might need. Oh… I forgot. I assume you don't have pajamas with you?"
The brunette shrugged. "Eh. True. It's not like I need them, though."
Jumin gave her a surprised look. "You… don't? Then what will you sleep in?"
"… My clothes?" She glanced down at her oversized beige sweater and jeans. "They're pretty comfy anyway." Plus she'd often slept in her clothes during college, so it wasn't anything new. Jumin, however, frowned at this prospect.
"I can't allow a lady to sleep in her day clothes, as that would make me a rude host. I'll order some pajamas for you and have them delivered immediately."
Despite her protests and alternatives ("If you're that set on finding me something to sleep in, just let me borrow sweats or something!"), he'd gone ahead and ordered her a pajama set complete with robe and slippers. Apparently he'd also, in that timeframe, managed to order the tons of clothes that now sat in the boxes in front of her without her catching him. She'd asked, more than once, if he could arrange for Seven to grab her duffle from Rika's and hand it over to his security guards in the lobby, but he'd shot her idea down every time despite her logical plan that wouldn't allow Seven near Elizabeth. For whatever reason, he didn't seem to understand the principle of "it's my stuff and I want to use it" that she explained to him when he asked why she wanted her bag so badly. Then yesterday the boxes upon boxes of clothing had arrived, and she'd glared at him before facepalming.
"Han Jumin, I love you to bits, but that doesn't give you an excuse to splurge on me!" she'd said.
It all sounded like one big, hilarious disaster, and she still couldn't accept the fact that he'd given her likely millions worth in clothes. Notwithstanding the fact that most of them are probably super fancy and uncomfortable.
(She hadn't opened any of the boxes, by the way, but Jumin didn't need to know that.)
Sighing, she put on her robe and trudged into the bathroom. As she went through her morning routine, she contemplated her plans for the day. I definitely need a shower, but that means opening the box of lingerie. I could probably keep wearing my sweater and jeans, but Jumin would notice and tell me to go change into something clean. She hummed. Maybe there's a nice sweater in there like the ones I like. I can only hope.
Jumin showered and dressed and went to Viera's room, pausing at the closed door. "Princess?" he called out, a bit timid. He got no response save for the running of water and her passionate singing.
When he'd first met Viera two days ago, he'd decided that he was going to do everything he could to protect her, even if it meant keeping her in his penthouse. Yesterday Elizabeth had run off, though the brunette woman had made a valiant effort to detain the Persian. Jumin had admired her for her resolve and thoughtfulness. When Sarah arrived, the young businessman had prepared himself for the following confrontation.
What he hadn't prepared for was Viera tearing into Sarah. The brunette had, with her extensive command of language and quick wit, used the gold digger's words against her, her voice dripping with sweet poison and mockery. Both Jumin and Sarah had been floored at Viera's responses, and when the brunette had threatened the fuchsia-haired woman with a black flashlight swinging from a lanyard, Jumin had cowered behind her in awe. Sarah had fled the scene in terror while Viera had turned to Jumin, flashed him a loving smile, and announced that she would do whatever it took to keep him safe. "Can't have anyone hurting my sweet little kitten 'cuz then angry mama cat will come out!" she'd said.
Jumin smiled. It sounds so selfish to have her protecting me, but she won't allow me to protect her. She'd told him it was okay to be weak in front of her, so he was.
The door to the guest room opened and he found himself face-to-face with the object of his affections. Viera grinned at him. "Good morning."
Jumin ducked his head, blushing. "Good m-morning," he replied. She giggled at his shyness.
"Come on, let's get breakfast. I'm starving." She headed to the kitchen. Jumin glanced in her room and beheld the pile of boxes under the window. Only two of them had been opened. He frowned at the sight and followed Viera.
"You haven't opened the rest of your clothing, my princess. Is there something wrong?"
"A—Jumin!" She laughed. "What's wrong is that there's just too much! I told you not to go overboard, silly!"
Jumin tilted his head in confusion, fidgeting with his cufflink. "But I didn't go overboard."
"You and I have very different definitions of overboard, Min-Min." She looked in the fridge, taking out various ingredients and placing them on the counter. "Also, I have never gotten so much clothing at once in my entire life, and I'm sort of procrastinating going through it all and picking out the stuff I like."
"Stuff you like?" The ravenette frowned. "You can keep it all, you know. I bought it for you to have."
Viera sidled up to him and put her arms around his neck. "I know, sweetie, but if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I'm probably not going to wear half of that stuff on a regular basis. I don't need a lot, just a few favorites. Which, may I remind you, are still back at Rika's apartment!" At that, Jumin flinched. "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, you're too generous for your own good when it comes to me. Like I've told you before, I'm happiest just being here with you. Okay?"
"O-Okay." Jumin nodded. Viera pressed a kiss to his cheek and then went back to preparing breakfast. Jumin sighed, then remembered his strange dream and recounted it for Viera to hear. She squealed and went on and on about how cute and adorable he was, and Jumin drank it all in. I can never get tired of my princess's adoration.
"Jumin? Are you okay?"
The world blurred and tilted. When his vision cleared, Jumin found himself in Viera's arms. "What… what happened?"
"You kinda spaced out there for a bit and then collapsed," she replied, face grim. "Are you still worn out from yesterday? You look pretty pale."
"I—I suppose I am. I didn't even realize it."
She sighed and helped him into a chair. "Welp, there goes going into the office today. Is there any way you can work from home? Because you are in no shape to be running around today."
Jumin gave her a weak nod. "I'll see if it's possible."
She isn't a princess at all. She's a knight in shining armor.
Jumin finished the last report and yawned, stretching. He glanced at the clock. 1:15. I think it's time for lunch.
Viera had made fettuccine alfredo (her specialty, according to her), and Jumin savored the delicious dish with a smile on his face. Viera beamed at him. "I'm glad you like it. It's one of my favorites to make."
"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" he inquired. She shrugged.
"Probably getting down to dealing with all those boxes of clothes. Maybe I'll put on a fashion show with my favorites if you want," she mused. Jumin nodded, then gasped.
"I… have an idea. It's a bit strange, and… and it's based on my dream—Please don't think I'm weird, I just—"
Viera stared at him in surprise, then smirked. "Do you want me to dress you up all cute and everything? You knowwwwww, that's what I meant by you enabling meeeeee," she purred. "Are you surrrrrrre, Jumiiiiinnnnn?"
Jumin flushed bright red and ducked his head, hunching his shoulders. "Um… a fashion sh-show… please… d-dress me up… with… with pictures…" he murmured, his voice tiny. "J-Just… just for us… to s-see…"
"All right." Viera grinned. "This is gonna be fun! Just tell me what you feel comfortable with, okay? I'll do my best to make you look fabulous!"
After lunch she led him to her room and opened the rest of the boxes. She set aside the things she wanted to keep and laid out some of the clothes on the bed, coordinating different pieces into outfits. Jumin sat and watched, amazed at the way she matched up clothing items into stylish sets. Then she found the makeup among the boxes and dragged him into the bathroom to give his face a soft, natural look.
Jumin closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle whisper of the brush against his skin as Viera applied eyeshadow and a light layer of blush. The liquid eyeliner felt pleasantly cool to his eyelids, and he opened his eyes when she went to do mascara.
"And now, to find the perfect gloss." She perused the selection of lip makeup in search of whatever color she had decided on. "Your lips are lovely as-is, but I'm having too much fun with this, so we're going to decorate them anyway."
"Are my lips the only lovely thing about me?" he queried. Viera grinned.
"Nah, all of you is lovely. I'm just enhancing different qualities of your loveliness. You've had makeup done for TV and whatnot, right?"
"A little bit," Jumin admitted. He parted his soft, pink lips and let her spread clear gloss onto them. Then she hurried him back into her room and picked up the first outfit for him to try on.
"Question: will this stuff even fit you? Because, you know, it'd be kind of pointless if it didn't."
Jumin furrowed his brow in thought. "I think the only differences between my body and yours is that I have smaller hips and longer arms and legs. Other than that, our measurements are essentially the same."
"Huh. Really." Viera put her foot next to his to compare. "Hey, you do have small feet! I thought so! So this is gonna work. Okay, good. Here you go!" And she handed him the outfit, shoes and all, and shooed him into the bathroom. Jumin closed the door and switched his clothes for the outfit. When he finished, he glanced in the mirror and gasped in shock at his reflection.
Before him in the mirror stood a pale, silver-eyed girl with short black hair, wearing a white button-up dress with short ruffled sleeves and cherries printed all over. A pearl necklace adorned her throat; a pearl bracelet, her wrist. On her feet were white, strappy sandals with thin heels, and in her hair nestled a red rose. Jumin clutched at his chest. How… how is this possible?! How can I look like a beautiful maiden?
A knock sounded on the door. "You about done in there? I've got the perfect place figured out for this first outfit."
"Where are we going?" Jumin opened the door. Viera stared at him, looking him up and down from his slim white legs to his slender shoulders. Then she squealed long and hard.
"EEEEEEEEE! I knew this was gonna look fabulous on you, but it turned out even better than I expected! Come on, come on!" She led him, phone in hand, to the living room and instructed him to sit in a patch of sunlight streaming in from the window. "Legs to the left, one over the other—there you go—rest your left hand on your knee. Lean on your right hand—yeah, that looks good. Now tilt your head up and to your right, kind of like you're staring up at the clouds—yes, that's it! That's it! Don't move!" She positioned herself and her phone, then snapped several pictures of him. "Oh my gosh, that looks perfect!"
'Really?" Jumin stood up and looked over her shoulder at the photos. "Oh… oh my. Oh, wow. You're using only a phone, and yet you could give V a run for his money."
Viera grinned. "Thanks. I've had practice."
"But… wait! Shouldn't I be wearing a wig?"
She chortled. "Nah, you look better without. Now come on, we've still got a bunch of outfits left for you to model!"