Months passed, so did the Christmas Mingyu had eagerly looked forward to — the first one in years which he spent with close friends.
The kids had wreaked havoc in the house, yet Mingyu had been overjoyed to indulge and clean up the mess with Wonwoo to help him afterwards. It was like experiencing the warmth of home again, punctuated by sweet nothings, the delightful laughter of Daehyun and Micha constantly in the background, and the soothing crackle of the fireplace. The day was spent at Wonwoo's house, obviously, and the father-and-son duo had been more than happy to let them in.
Winter break was over, and the coming of spring brought along another term at school for Daehyun and Micha. Routine was an easy blend built on convenience – it was now Wonwoo who usually picked the kids up from school, not wanting Mingyu to disturb his own busy schedule, and drove them to his house, awaiting Mingyu everyday at ten to pick Micha up.
It was sweet and profound – the link he shared with Wonwoo within such a short time period. Barely half a year had passed since he'd met the two, and Mingyu found it difficult to imagine life without Wonwoo and Daehyun. Micha had basically been joined to the hip with Daehyun too, a tender, playful, bickering bond which reminded Mingyu deeply of the one he shared with his younger sister.
--
The clock struck later than usual as Wonwoo waited for Mingyu to arrive, while he kept himself occupied on his laptop with a few last-minute corrections to a different vessel plan. It was the faint ring of the hands striking twelve which made him break away from his work, eyes moving towards the wall clock to confirm the sound. Huh. It was unlike Mingyu to make him wait till midnight, but Wonwoo shrugged, reassuring himself that the man's day was like yet another extremely busy Friday.
The hands on the clock kept moving, and the digits displaying the time on the top of his laptop screen changed until they read one A.M. That was when a pit of worry grew in his stomach, and he set about wondering about what was making Mingyu so late. He debated over whether or not he should call Mingyu to check up on him, eventually giving in to the urge after ten more minutes passed.
Patting around in the pockets of his pants, Wonwoo recalled leaving his phone back in his office when he found his pockets empty. He got off the couch, leaving his laptop on the spot next to his, and silently padded his way upstairs to ensure he didn't wake the kids. Snagging his phone from his desk, he walked back down, already pressing on Mingyu's contact from his call list and holding the device to his ear. Disappointment and worry flushed through him when he heard Mingyu's recorded voice in an instant – although an amused smile soon took over his lips at Mingyu's mimicry of the witch from Disney's Brave.
He tried ringing Mingyu up again, and a couple of times more, sitting defeatedly on the couch after constantly being greeted with the same voicemail over and over again. Wonwoo chewed on his lip in worry, not knowing what to do. He eventually decided to wait it out for some time more, trusting Mingyu enough, knowing that the man would never leave him hanging for long.
Relief coursed through him when the doorbell rang through the living room, and Wonwoo was off the couch in a split second to go and open the door. The sight in front of him was the last thing he'd expected to see, having gotten used to being greeted with Mingyu's tired, yet warm smile each night.
Instead, Mingyu was hyperventilating, each breath getting interrupted with a gasp as he fell forward into Wonwoo's arms. His grip was scary, driving into Wonwoo's skin despite the layer of his T-shirt. Wonwoo closed the door in a haste, leading Mingyu to the couch and forcing him to let go of him and sit down. When he made a move to head towards the kitchen, he felt Mingyu's palm grasping his wrist in desperation, and Wonwoo's heart broke at the despair in Mingyu's eyes. "I'm just getting you a drink of water, Mingyu, it's gonna help calm you down," he explained, keeping his tone soft and comforting, enough to ground Mingyu.
