A/N: Hi, friends! So, look. I just found out I have a HELLA abbreviated timeline to get anything done. I'm 300 milligrams of caffeine into my day and if I don't have a heart attack or a migraine by the end of the day, I'll be amazed.
-Perhaps someone could use a dashing and adorable assistant.
What do you want, Seven?
-Just thought I'd come in, say hi, make sure you were doing ok and not totally falling apart at the seams.
And how close have you been stalking me lately?
-About as close as I usually do. Why?
Do you mind? I need to get some work done.
-Oh…Meta…Is that what this feels like?
Seven…
-Alright, alright. So, do you need someone to catch that little pinecone that was last spotted in either California or in a runaway grocery cart and cram it into your noggin?
That would be fantastic. Thank you.
-Oh…And uh…Not to be that guy, but…How much longer do I have to wait until I get to do some horizontal greased weasel tango with Jumin?
Jesus Christ, Seven. Have some tact.
-Lady…Have you just met me?
True. But it's on my list. That'll be next week. Just…Chill, alright? I get it. I'm blue balling you here, but…
-Alright, alright…No need to get too excited. It's fine. *chu* You need anything?
A miracle or two would be nice.
-Realistically.
No. I think I got it handled. You want to see what I got you doing this week? Or more appropriately, what I got your girlfriend doing this week?
-Girlfriend? Excuse me? Did you not see the rock on her finger? And the plastic bit that may or may not have been a Ring Pop at one time?
Alright, alright. Your fiancée.
-Thank you. Yeah. I'm in. Let's go!
Please stay asleep. Please stay asleep. Please stay asleep. Please stay asleep. I have work I need to do and I can't have you waking up, Seven. Because I know you'll give me those sad puppy eyes and I can't deal with that this morning. I feel like I'm running late, but I know better. I carefully moved Seven off my arm and onto my bed. I needed to be at Jumin's in the next hour, but I'm sure if I'm a minute or two behind, he won't have that big of a problem with it.
Although, I was still taking Seven's hoody. What? It's warm and comfortable and Seven probably has another one next door. It's not the end of the world. It's perfectly fine. Gently, I left him with a kiss on his cheek and a note on my nightstand, letting him know where I was and that I wasn't taking off on him. Well…I was, but I'd see him later tonight. It's not like I'm running off on him forever. And I'm sure as hell not leaving him for Jumin. I knew that was one of those things that scared the shit out of him, but he needed the reassurance. And dammit, I'll give it to him as much as he wants.
I grabbed an energy drink out of the fridge (Sorry, Saeran. I'll replenish your Red Bull stock eventually.) and headed to Jumin's on foot. I'm not leaving Seven and taking his car. That'd be like slapping him after I punched him in the nuts. And I wasn't out to be that big of a bitch today. Fortunately, Jumin's building wasn't too far from my old one. I could make it on foot with no problem. However, when I got to Jumin's building (with my Red Bull almost empty), I didn't expect to run into Jumin in the lobby. He looked a tad disheveled himself. Good to know I'm not the only one.
"MC?" Jumin stopped in his tracks, "What are you doing here?"
"You hired me, Jumin," I looked at him strange, "Remember? Elizabeth's room? I'm supposed to be starting on that today."
"Oh, yeah," he held his face in his hands, "That's right. I'm sorry. I have to go. There are some things at the office that need my attention, but…Shit…Here…"
Jumin took his keys out of his pocket and undid one of them from the ring. He handed it off to me, "Um…What's this for?"
"It's for my penthouse," Jumin filled me in, "Go ahead. Go nuts. And tell no one you have this."
And there he goes. Leaving me in the lobby of his apartment building. Huh…No one, he says. That's a funny way of pronouncing Seven's name. Because I know Zen wouldn't come within fifty feet of this place and Saeran couldn't care less about Jumin in general. But I knew where Jumin was coming from. It was all in the name of Elizabeth's safety. The fact that he trusts me alone in his penthouse was warm and fuzzy inducing enough. And I appreciated it. Then again, he's also Jumin Han. If I were to screw this job up in any way, shape, or form, I'd have to take Seven up on that offer he gave me around the time we first met for a good plastic surgeon and new documentation. Fresh plastic surgery wouldn't work for our wedding photos.
Regardless, I went up to Jumin's penthouse and went into what would soon be Elizabeth III's room. It's not the first time I've been in here, but I needed to get a feel for the space again and see what can go where. I like this part. I had my shoes off (which in any other circumstances, is dangerous in a worksite. But given that I haven't really done any actual work in here yet, it's perfectly fine. Safety first, kids.) and my ass on the hardwood floor. It really did give me some nice childhood flashbacks.
Back to when I was six years old and still in ballet lessons. I was good once upon a time. I was a hell of a dancer. I still am depending on who's being asked. I thought back to those times. All those beautiful costumes I'd wear to my recitals. Some of them were heavy as hell and dancing in them sucked, but the lighter ones…Those were always my favorite. I swear to God, that's where my love for tulle came from. I'd always make my skirts and it'd piss off my teacher. It's not that they were difficult. With a roll of tulle and a piece of elastic, anything is possible. But those were only for practices. I miss those days. Maybe I should get back into dance classes. I bet if I bat my eyelashes at my fiancé, I could talk him into ballroom. That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen and I'm here for it.
Regardless, I had a room to do. Before I got up from the floor, I noticed Elizabeth walking in out of the corner of my eye. I stretched my hand out to her, "Hello, Elizabeth. Remember me?"
Without hesitation, she hissed at me. I've been to Jumin's a few times in my life. Not too many, but enough for Elizabeth to know who I am. No, no, no. I wasn't dealing with that, "Elizabeth…You know who I am. It's ok."
Then, I realized what might be pissing her off. It's probably the smell that I have wrapped around me. Seven's hoody must be driving her nuts. So, I took it off and threw it toward the window, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm not Seven. I'm just around him a lot. You don't need to be scared."
"Rawrow…."
"I don't know," I shrugged, watching her rub her head all over my hand, "I know. A lot of people ask me that same question. But honestly, he's cute. My biological clock is ticking. He's got a nice butt. He makes me smile. I can't exactly get rid of him now. He proposed twice. And I told him yes twice. If I go back on that now, I'm just the huge bitch that broke his heart."
"Mew…"
"I know you hate him," I nodded, "But really. He's not that bad once he settles down. And once you get used to him. But I have a feeling Daddy doesn't let him near you."
Elizabeth climbed into my lap. Alright. Looks like I'm not getting any work done today. But look at her. I can't move her. If she falls asleep here, I'm screwed. Sorry, sweetheart. I have work to do. And it's all for you. It's just…What do I do for you? I thought getting nostalgic about my childhood would've helped a little for inspiration. And it did. I like the idea of chiffons and tulle and soft colors in here. Even though I have a feeling tulle wouldn't stand a chance against your claws.
Jumin does baby you a lot. In case that wasn't obvious. He hired a goddamn designer to make you a bedroom. The money he's probably going to pay me for this job could probably fix some kind of social crisis. Or at least help fix some sort of social crisis. Maybe go to helping climate crisis. Important causes. But what is Jumin doing with his money? Paying me to do something so incredibly frivolous as to put together a bedroom for a cat. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Am I complaining? No way. I have a wedding to pay for. Even though Seven could probably take care of that, too. Still…Task at hand.
As much as I'd love to sit and pet you some more, Elizabeth, I can't do that. Although…I looked closer at her light purple collar. Jumin babies the hell out of you, Elizabeth. And I feel like from a logistics standpoint, I can't exactly tell people I'm doing a room for a cat. No offense, baby, but I need to be taken seriously. And doing a cat bedroom isn't the way to do it. But if I say I'm doing a baby's nursery…My regular readers would be more receptive of it. I'd have to keep Jumin's name out of it, though. We don't need rumors of Jumin becoming a father circulating around the internet. But for those who know, they know.
Pastels are usually my thing. They are my brand and they are what Jumin hired me for. Granted, I dabble in monochromes, too, like when I did Zen's apartment. And sometimes, jewel tones work when I'm bored. I'm thinking pastels in here. Purples…Blues…White…That seems like it'll work. Elizabeth's collar is a light purple. Her eyes are that real pretty bright icy blue. Maybe some occasional splashes of a dark, dark black for contrast. I like it.
"What do you think, Elizabeth?" I asked, "Is that good for you? Blue, purple, black, and white?"
Elizabeth didn't even flinch. She's a mood. She doesn't give a shit. The fact that I'm even doing this is mostly a token gesture for Jumin. As long as he's paying me and my readers don't realize I'm doing this for a cat, that's all that matters. I took my camera out of my bag and started snapping my before pictures. This was usually a Saeran job, but Saeran's at home as far as I know. I haven't checked the family day planner lately. I'm not sure if he has an appointment with his therapist or not today. But now that I had what I needed, I had one thing left to do. I had to go shopping.
You stay here, Elizabeth. You stand guard while I go to the fabric store. I did love that color pallete, though. Something about blues and purples together made me happy. Especially when they're pastels. They work. Cool colors go with other cool colors. That's the way it's always been. And that's the way it'll always be. And nothing will make me happier than cool colors and extreme ends of the grayscale together. But for now, I needed to go to one of my favorite places in the world.
I loved this little fabric store. The selection was huge despite the store being a postage stamp. It was like walking into a library, but instead of books upon books upon books, it was fabric bolt after fabric bolt after fabric bolt. Normally, when I had a giant project like this one, I'd always start in the fabric store. Fabrics are my favorite jumping off point. Even though in this case, it was Elizabeth III's sparkly collar.
And they knew I was coming. Was it because of the fifty percent off sale sign in the window? No. Was it the buy one, get one sale sign in the window? No. It was the galaxy printed fabric sitting at the front table that got to me. And suddenly, a sense of melancholy filled my heart. I missed my man from the stars. I ran my hand over it, indulging myself in the softness of a good cotton jersey. I might have to do something silly and get some for the sake of argument. I bet a panel of this would look really pretty against a white formal…And under some lace…And being used as my train…
No, MC. You have work to do. You're not here for fun. You're here because Jumin told you to make a room for Elizabeth III and dammit, you're going to. I'd be lying, though, if I said I wasn't walking out of here with at least three yards of that fabric. If not the whole damn bolt. I was doing this for Jumin, so chances are, the budgeting is nonexistent. Whatever I need to get for his little girl. Shake it off, MC. Remember why we're here. Pastels. Blues, purples…Maybe some white…Maybe some black. Formals, silks, chiffons, a few rolls of tulle and you're set. Then, you go back to Jumin's.
Although…I should go one more spot before I go back to Jumin's. Never have I ever had to go to the pet store in my six years of designing. A first time for everything, I suppose. Normally, my furniture comes from a secondhand store (or, let's be honest, from the C&R dumpster. Would it be appropriate for furniture from C&R that I've repurposed go back into Jumin's penthouse?) or very rarely, I'll buy furniture brand new. It all depends on the space. Never did it have to come from a pet store. Then again, I don't exactly have my normal clientele either. Jumin's a special case for a lot of things.
Let's see…Jumin said I should have plenty of things for her to scratch. And tunnel systems. She'd probably appreciate a good tunnel system. She's a cat. Of course, she would. Anywhere she can hide, she'll be happy. Although, I have a feeling I should have a ladder going up to said tunnel system, so she can't hide forever. I feel like it'd break Jumin's heart if she hid away from him for long stretches of time. I know she's Daddy's little girl, but even she needs a break once in a while. I'll find a nice-looking ladder. Or I'll just throw one together myself. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Alright. I got scratching posts, cat towers and trees out the ass. I even got a couple outfits for her because that's where I'm at in my life. And I don't mind it. I'm not complaining. I'm sure Jumin will complain since they weren't custom made for her, but he's going to have to live. Or the 'this girl has major cattitude' shirt I got for her is going to go to waste. I'm sure it'll fit. I'll just sneak it in her wardrobe when Jumin isn't looking. Because I'm sure she has a closet that rivals my own.
One more stop. And I couldn't wait for this one in particular. Mostly because of the smell. Saeran could attest to this. Smells and I had a strange relationship. I was a sucker for a really good smell to the point of obsession and the smell of walking into a hardware store was one of those smells that hit me right in my soul. Because I knew what I was here for. Paint. Mostly paint. It's not like I was doing Saeran's bathroom again. Although…I'm sure I could look around here for maybe something I could put on Elizabeth's walls. Adhesive flowers, wall decals…No. Something tells me Jumin would clock me for something like that. I mean, the sticky tiles worked on Saeran's bathroom. No. No sticky tiles today.
I got a couple gallons of white and a gallon of that pretty light purple from Elizabeth's collar. Hopefully, that'll be plenty for what I need it for. At least I hope so. Because I didn't feel like doing anymore running today. I don't think I'll have to go out anymore today. I brought everything back to Jumin's and got to work. Dare I put down any drop cloths? I'm usually pretty careful, so why bother? But I have the feeling one board from Jumin's floor was worth more than my life, so…No. I'll be fine.
Hair tie…Hair tie…I know I had one somewhere. I checked Seven's hoody pocket and sure enough, I managed to find one. With a long, red hair on it…Huh…I wonder who decided to steal one of my hair ties last. Anyone else would be concerned and automatically think he's cheating on me. But for someone like me that has a fiancé that likes to cosplay pretty anime girls on a regular basis, I'm not worried. That was something from one of Seven's wigs. I know it was. I'm not pissed because of the hair I had to pull from it. I'm pissed because he stole one without asking me. I would've said yes.
I threw my hair up and got to work. Paint first. Paint first, then everything else falls into place. I got a quarter of the way up the wall and heard a knock at Jumin's front door. Um…I didn't think he was expecting any company. And if he was, I would've thought he'd at least tell me about it first. Do I answer it? It's not my house to be answering the door for. But there's a chance it could be something important. I don't remember asking for any deliveries. Regardless, I got up from my spot on the floor and grabbed the door.
"Hi," I answered, curious about the nicely dressed man with the cart at the door, "Can I help you?"
"Miss MC?" he assumed.
"Yes?" I wondered. Who the hell was this guy? And how did he know who I was?
"Forgive my interruption, ma'am," he bowed to me, "But Mr. Han sends his regards."
"Oh…" I let him in. Or rather, he pushed past me with his cart and laid out the dining room table for me. Huh…I don't remember asking Jumin for lunch. Yet a beautifully made spicy ramen bowl sat waiting for me to destroy it. Dear God, Jumin.
"Please leave your dishes in the hall whenever you're finished." The man bowed to me once more and left me to my lunch.
"Thank you…" Oh, Jumin…You really didn't have to do this. I needed to call him. And…If we're being honest here, I needed to take a picture of this. It's too pretty not to. I went into Elizabeth's room and got my phone out of Seven's hoody pocket. Although, I wasn't expecting it to ring so quickly. But that cute little face on my phone screen made me smile, "Hi, baby."
"MC…" Seven whined, "Where did you go? I woke up this morning and you were gone. But I got your note and you're still gone and I miss you…"
"I'm still at Jumin's," I giggled a little, "I told you I'd be working today, Seven. And in case you forgot, I made sure to write it down for you, so you wouldn't worry and think I ran off with a young dandy named Thaddeus."
"Aww…" he pouted, "I was kind of hoping we'd have a new friend named Thaddeus. Dammit, MC. You got my hopes up."
"Sorry, baby," I love this moron, "But yeah. I'm still working at Jumin's."
"Oh, yeah…" Seven let out a heavy sigh, "That's right. So…Lunch break? You should probably eat something and I'd love to see that cute little face of yours sometime today."
"I'm actually in the middle of lunch," I bit my lip, checking Jumin's fridge for a bottle of sriracha. I know it's everywhere, but damn, it's some good shit. Especially with spicy ramen. Because I want my stomach to be completely fried by the end of this, "Jumin was sweet enough to send me some ramen. I'll send you pictures."
"Isn't he a peach…" he grumbled, "So…I really won't see you until tonight?"
"I'm sorry, Seven," a slight wave of guilt hit me, "But I promise I won't be home a minute later than eight o'clock."
"But that's going to be forever away…" Seven groaned, "But more importantly, how are things going?"
"Delightful as always," I kicked my feet up on an empty chair, "It's got me thinking."
"I'd hope so," he chirped, "Isn't thinking how you get most things done?"
"For the most part."
"What's it got you thinking about?" Seven wondered.
"A baby nursery," I told him, curious about his response. Seven and I never really had that conversation. Personally, I don't care either way if I have kids or if I don't. We always joke about my biological clock ticking, but…It never got past that.
"MC…?" he got nervous, "Is this your way of telling me…Of telling me that you're…?"
"NO," I gasped, "No, no, no. Seven, I'm not pregnant."
"Ok…" Seven relaxed, "Then…Is…Jumin pregnant? Because I didn't think this was that kind of story…"
"No, Seven," I held my face in his hands. I love him. I really do, "This whole project is for Elizabeth. So, in a way, I'm making Elizabeth a nursery."
"I DIDN'T KNOW ELLY WAS EXPECTING!" Seven squealed, "CONGRATULATIONS!"
"I don't think Elizabeth's pregnant either."
"I know," he giggled a bit, melting my heart to no end, "Could you give her a kiss for me?"
"I can't," I took a bite of my ramen, letting it light my mouth on fire in the best way. Damn, that's good. It's spicy as hell, but it's so good, "I'm sure there are strict rules about that in my contract. I can probably give her smooches all I want. Just none from you."
"Aww…Show off…"
"I need to get back to work, Seven," I cut him off, "And I need to finish my lunch. I promise I'll be home tonight. You'll be ok without me until then, yeah?"
"If I have to be…"
"Come on," I tried to cheer him up, "Don't give me that. I know you can. It's only a few more hours. Then, you'll have me all to yourself. But depending on how his day went, you might have to share me with Saeran, too."
"Nope," Seven shot me down, "All to myself. Just you and me. I love Saeran like he was my own brother."
"Because he is your own brother."
"But I'm not sharing," he put his foot down, "Not happening. I haven't seen you all day. I miss you. You're mine. I called dibs."
"I love you, Seven."
"I love you, too. Be careful if you get on any high ladders today."
"I will."
Click.
Ok. I needed to formulate an attack strategy. I should be able to at least do some painting today. I know it took me an hour just to get to where I am now, but with a little determination and enough paint, I think I'll be able to handle the rest of it. I'll finish lunch. Then, I'll do the rest of the painting. I had this. And I was more than ready.