#except jumin

She hummed lightly to herself, ambling slowly past the shops as she made her way toward Jumin’s apartment building. She was early; he wouldn’t be home from work for another 20 minutes, so she decided to take her time on her way to see her fiancé.

As she approached the small flower shop on the corner, she wondered why the cozy storefront always made her stop and admire all of the different arrangements. Bending down to smell a gorgeous bouquet of lilies, she smiled and wondered if Jumin would enjoy receiving a bouquet of flowers.

Since the beginning of their engagement, she’d been hesitant about giving Jumin gifts. It wasn’t as if he didn’t already have everything, and all of his clients and business partners often provided unsentimental gifts whenever they held meetings or finalized deals. It felt like a losing game for her to try and one-up any previous gift he’d gotten, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to try.

She glanced around until she found a small, simple bouquet that made her smile. It had a mixture of red and pink roses, daisies, and some gentle, green foliage that made it just intricate enough that she thought it would do.

After purchasing the arrangement and speaking with the shopkeeper about how inviting their storefront was, she continued along the path toward the apartment building. She was thinking it would be a nice change of pace for her to meet Jumin up in the penthouse when he arrived home instead of in the lobby.

She smiled to herself as she rode the elevator up, exchanging a friendly greeting with the chief of Jumin’s security once she’d arrived at the top floor.

“Is there anything you need from us, Miss MC?” he wondered, keeping pace with her as they walked toward the entrance to Jumin’s penthouse.

“Will you make sure he knows I’m already up here when he arrives? I don’t want him to wait for me downstairs,” she smiled, bowing gratefully as he agreed and opened the door for her.

“Thank you,” she grinned, feeling the familiar smell and noise of his apartment settle around her. Elizabeth the 3rd called out to her from Jumin’s room, meeting her at the door excitedly only moments later.

“Hello, lovely!” MC smiled, reaching down to pet her as she slipped her shoes off. She made her way through to the kitchen as the cat followed where she grabbed a simple vase from the cupboard. She prepped the flowers, arranging them nicely and leaving the display visible on his kitchen island.

“Do you think he’ll like it?” she whispered to Elizabeth, receiving a soft meow in reply and chuckling to herself.

“I hope so,” she replied, removing the informational card that came with the flowers from its packaging and leaving a simple ‘I love you’ on the backside.

After only a few more moments, she heard the distant ding of the elevator arriving at the top floor. She headed toward the entryway, turning the corner just as he opened the door and met her eyes in anticipation.

Seeing Jumin soften as soon as he laid his eyes on her was always one of her favorite parts of the day. The slope of his shoulders became less intense, his hands relaxed, and the set of his brow eased up so much that she wondered if it hadn’t been hurting all day.

“Welcome home,” she smiled, rushing over to meet him with a swift kiss and a lingering hug. He pulled her close by the small of her back, exhaling slowly against her and humming a mumbled hello into her ear.

“My last meeting didn’t run over. Was there another strange man in the lobby today?” he wondered, pulling away from her to look her once over. She chuckled, reaching up to loosen his tie slightly and fix a few stray hairs.

“Oh, I can’t meet you up here?” she teased, stepping only a pace away so he could put his briefcase to the side and shrug off his suit jacket. He first replied with a low laugh, lifting an eyebrow at her.

“I’ll admit that I prefer you waiting here in a safe place, but I’m just curious as to why,” he explained, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead as he awaited her answer.

“I brought a gift home and didn’t want it to be spoiled for you right away,” she smiled, watching his eyes widen ever so slightly and flit around the room.

“A gift? What’s the occasion?” he asked, letting her take his hand and begin to lead him towards the kitchen.

“No occasion,” she shrugged, rubbing a thumb over the backs of his cold fingers. Once they had rounded the corner, she noticed how insignificant the bouquet looked in contrast to his exquisite kitchen and living space. Biting her tongue, she looked up at him, wondering if he would even notice that she’d placed it there.

Instead of looking right past it, she watched as his gaze moved quickly back and forth from her to the gift on the counter.

“You brought me flowers?” he asked, just above a whisper, the question making her stomach tighten even more.

“They made me think of you,” she replied weakly. He reached down to wrap her in a tight hug, making her blink in surprise and hesitate for almost too long in reciprocating his embrace.

“This was an absolutely lovely surprise to come home to,” he murmured into her hair, nearly lifting her off the ground as he pulled her tightly into his chest. She bit back a larger smile, lightly scolding herself for being so insecure.

“Thank you, darling,” he continued, pulling away only enough to kiss her cheek before hugging her tightly again.

“You’re welcome, Jumin. It can only convey a fraction of the love I have for you,” she replied in a whisper, feeling his hands twitch slightly as they splayed out across her back. He didn’t respond, pressing his lips down onto her shoulder for a long moment before finally pulling away.

She was surprised to see the highest point of his cheekbones had slightly reddened, his eyes having a gentle sparkle in them that might have just been from the setting sun across the horizon. He was focused only on her, placing a hand on her cheek and tilting her head up gently.

“I love you,” he said softly, making her heart stutter even though she heard him say it every day, multiple times a day. Placing her hand over his, she leaned into his touch, nodding in complete content.

“I love you, Jumin.”

—

It was only a few weeks later that she decided to get him another gift. They had started having lunch together at his office on a biweekly basis, and it had become such a highlight of her day that she wanted to express that to him somehow.

While exploring the antique shop in the basement of his apartment building one day after work, she came across a picture frame that stuck out to her. While admiring it, she thought of the perfect picture to frame inside it, quickly purchasing it and heading home so she could prepare the gift before their lunch meeting the next day.

“Good afternoon, Jaehee!” MC smiled, walking towards the assistant’s desk the following day and setting down the coffee that she had grabbed on the way. Jaehee smiled, her shoulders loosening as she laughed a little.

“I appreciate you,” she grinned, taking a small sip of the coffee as MC chuckled.

“And I appreciate you, ma’am,” she replied teasingly, knowing that Jaehee felt strange every time MC called her that.

“Enjoy your lunch,” Jaehee chuckled, turning her attention back to her computer screen. MC laughed to herself, walking past her desk and down the hall towards Jumin’s office.

He had begun to leave his door propped open when he knew she was coming, something he would have never done if not for her. She peeked past the door frame, seeing him nearly frowning as he concentrated on his monitor.

“Mr. Han?” she called, altering her voice ever so slightly. His eyebrows twitched downward, his fingers not faltering as he continued to type.

“Not at this moment. I’m waiting for my fiancée,” he replied, almost foregoing a glance in her direction. When he looked up, he immediately sighed in mock annoyance, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Should I have Assistant Kang alert me as soon as you arrive? You are something else, my love,” he teased, immediately standing and smoothing out his slacks as he started towards her.

“Have your phone update you when I arrive at this location if you’d like. It won’t stop me from messing with you,” she replied snarkily, laughing when he narrowed his eyes at her and playfully lunged forward to pull her into his chest. He started to tickle her, pressing multiple kisses to her cheeks as she squirmed. When his hands bumped hers behind her back as she hid her gift from him, he settled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips in greeting and looking at her curiously.

“Did Assistant Kang ask you to bring in a report?” he wondered, leaning forward to look over her shoulder. She pressed the picture frame tightly against her back, holding back a grin.

“No. I brought you something for your desk,” she replied, seeing his expression continue to grow in curiosity.

“My desk?” he repeated softly, stepping back from her so she could present it to him. She pulled it out from behind her back, revealing the picture frame that she had found. It was certainly old, being primarily made of black wood. The frame was outlined in worn, gold trim that had Victorian accents to it, making the whole thing remind her of Jumin. The picture she’d decided to place inside was the photo they’d taken when Jumin had finally convinced her to dress up in a couple’s Halloween costume together last Autumn. It always managed to make him laugh, even just a little.

She watched as his eyes widened and scanned the frame multiple times before he finally looked up at her, grinning briefly before dropping his smile to try and speak.

“It’s–” he started, laughing breathily and shaking his head. “I love this.” She watched him as her heart grew in her chest, her fingertips tingling at the amount of love for him flowing through her veins.

“I’m glad,” she replied softly, letting him take it from her hands and examine it more closely.

“I’ll keep it in my office here,” he nodded, taking her hand in his and leading her over to watch him place it on his desk. “Yes, I think this will be efficient in motivating me when I begin to tire.” He squeezed her hand in his as he continued to admire it, exhaling happily. She looked up at him, seeing how effortlessly he was able to smile and wondering if he had always been like this when he received gifts.

“You are adorable, Jumin,” she said, watching his jaw muscles tighten and his eyes flicker to hers. She was savoring the way he began to blush when he pulled her into another hug, leaning down to embrace her completely.

“That title is reserved for you,” he mumbled, almost in a pout, making her heart flip at the uncharacteristic way he’d spoken.

“We can share,” she responded, hearing him laugh through his nose quietly.

“Thank you for this thoughtful gift. Thank you,” he said softly as she closed her eyes, feeling her emotions bubble up into her throat. She wished she could always make him feel like this. There was so much love for him inside her, and helping to show him even a little bit of it felt like an accomplishment that she could be proud of.

Once she’d realized how meaningful gifts were to him, she put a little more thought into them, waiting for the perfect moment to surprise him with one in particular.

—

After another week of tight schedules, long meetings, and calls that seemed to drag, Jumin was finally finished. He’d been working tirelessly to lock in the biggest deal in years, and all of his efforts had paid off. He’d let everyone in the office go home early, and as he stumbled through the door that night, he felt blessed that his fianceé was already waiting there for him.

“Jumin, congrats!” she exclaimed, having tied up a few silver balloons around the apartment. He smiled tiredly, chuckling as she rushed over to meet him.

“Thank you, my love,” he replied, pressing a swift kiss to her cheek as she stood on her toes to hug him. He reciprocated her embrace, feeling the fuzzy edges of sleep threatening to close in already.

“I’m sure you’re exhausted,” she said, pulling back and taking his jacket for him. He shook his head minutely, smiling at the warmth that constantly emanated from her.

“With you here, I could run a marathon,” he replied, knowing that neither of them believed that. Jumin was more than ready to take time to rest, and he knew that he hadn’t succeeded in hiding how much of a toll the project had been taking on him the last few weeks.

“Okay, strong guy,” she snickered, hanging his jacket up and holding her hand out for him. “I have some wine ready, and I have a little present that I’ve been saving for this occasion.” He blinked down at her, following without complaint.

“You’re much too thoughtful. You didn’t have to go to the trouble,” he said softly, seeing her flash him a feigned look of offense.

“Trouble,” she scoffed, leading him over to the couch to sit down next to her. She handed him a glass of wine, pulling out a large box wrapped in purple and silver foil. Jumin hesitated to continue with the sip of wine he’d been taking, not wanting to stain anything as he moved forward in surprise.

“What kind of present is this?” he wondered aloud, setting the wine down on the coffee table as she giggled quietly next to him. He received the box into his lap, delicately breaking open the wrapping and taking the lid off the box.

Taking out the large, white item, it took his strained eyes just a moment to realize what he was looking at.

“Elizabeth, I think your father needs glasses,” MC muttered under her breath to the cat, glancing back at him as he held the object further away from himself.

“I’m…” Jumin started, trailing off as he struggled to contain the emotions that threatened to spill out.

She had gotten him a pillow of Elizabeth the 3rd’s face. There was no blur; it was a perfect replication of her beauty, and it was unlike any other gift he’d ever even heard of.

“I know it’s cheesy,” she chuckled lightly, looking over to see his eyes sparkling with tears. She blanched, panicking and scooting closer to him.

“I’m sorry, Jumin. Do you hate it?” she wondered, watching as he placed it in his lap and felt at the whiskers that had been placed in the cushion as if they were real.

“Why would you think that? This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received,” he replied, looking at her in disbelief and awe. She held back a bigger smile, sighing quietly in relief and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You think so? I wondered if you would like to put it on the couch in your office or in the study here at home,” she offered, watching him nod and blink his tears away.

“What an excellent idea. Every time I see this, I will think of my two favorite ladies in this world,” he agreed, moving the pillow back into the box for safekeeping and turning to face her. She grinned, slightly surprised when he pulled her into a hug where they sat.

“I’m sure you’ve had a long day, my love. Would you like me to run you a bath? Is there anything special you’d like to eat? We could even go out if you’d like,” he began, smoothing his hand over her hair as he spoke. She laughed lightly, shaking her head at the outpouring of affection her gift had spurred from him.

“No, I’m alright, Jumin. I’m just here to spend time with you,” she replied with a laugh still in her voice. He hummed, the sound buzzing through her collarbone as he pulled away to meet her eyes. They were filled with such intensity that she didn’t speak before he had a chance to.

“Do you know how much I love you?” he wondered, tracing a gentle finger over her cheek. She felt her heart flutter at his unexpected words, blinking up at him in surprise.

“You tell me every day,” she replied in a whisper, gripping the fabric of his shirt on his forearm that gently held her waist.

“That I do,” he nodded, holding her gaze as their breathing began to slow. “And I know that you love me too. It’s obvious,” he continued, moving forward to kiss the corner of her mouth. She felt her core begin to twist and butterflies begin to swirl, so she cracked a small smile.

“I didn’t realize you liked gifts so much, Jumin,” she said, barely able to speak above a whisper. He pressed another kiss to her cheek, his breath warming her face as he gently laughed.

“Gifts from you,” he clarified, his nose brushing hers as he locked eyes with her once more. She pressed her lips together in anticipation, feeling the heat of his hand against her waist begin to burn.

“You’re my gift.” His eyes looked between both of hers, his eyebrows drawing down ever so slightly before he dove down to bury his face in her neck and pull her into a tight hug once more. He’d lost the ability to form words, feeling like his heart would burst at any moment.

Neither of them let go for a long while, wondering if the other could feel how strongly their hearts were beating with love for each other.

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thank you all for reading! thank you as well for the overwhelming support you gave me on the first entry for this event! seeing reblogs and likes in my notifications is a lovely thing <3

stay tuned, and thank you again!