Mingyu sanded down the windowsills in preparation for painting, while beside him Wonwoo wielded a roller brush like a pro. There was something very appealing about the omega in a pair of overalls. Now and then, Mingyu would catch a glimpse of his baby bump and a thrill would run through him. In a matter of weeks, they’d be parents. And they were nowhere near ready. The thought should have sent him into a panic, but somehow a calm had settled over him. The cottage had come a long way in the space of a few weeks, but with only six weeks until the triplets’ fateful arrival, there was still a lot to do.
“I still think purple for the nursery,” Wonwoo said, canting his head to the side as he navigated a tricky corner.
“It’s a bold color,” Mingyu replied, repeating his earlier argument. “I think something more soothing would do better. Pale yellow or light green or sky blue.”
“Not today’s sky.” Wonwoo gave a huffed laugh, glancing out the window. “That’s an angry sky.”
Dark clouds were gathering, another storm on the way.
“You’re right. A nursery the color of storm clouds would not make for a serene environment. What about a pale pink? Like a blush. Or a really light purple.”
Wonwoo seemed oddly set on violet, whereas Mingyu was trying to bargain him down to more of a pale lavender.
“Maybe. Let’s see what Minghao thinks.”
Mingyu laughed. “He’ll just agree with you, as you well know.”
“He thinks I have good taste.”
“You share his appalling taste, more likely.”
“My taste is not appalling,” Wonwoo retorted, brandishing a dripping paintbrush at him. “You take that back.”
“Never,” Mingyu teased, shouting with surprise when Wonwoo darted forward and daubed his face with paint.
“Want some more?” the omega asked, waving the brush at him. “Or do you surrender?”
Laughing harder, he threw up his hands. “I surrender. You can paint one wall of the nursery the purplest purple you can find. Deal?”
Wonwoo pretended to consider it, rocking on his feet. “You drive a hard bargain. Fine. A feature wall it is.”
Mingyu held out a hand to shake on it, using Wonwoo’s distraction to tug him forward, steal the brush, and paint a large stripe across the omega’s forehead. Wonwoo’s shout of outrage was followed by peals of laughter as they flicked paint at each other, both of them ending up looking worse for wear.
Using his thumb, Mingyu smudged a few spots of paint that had landed on Wonwoo’s cheeks, then kissed the omega soundly, silencing his protests. Wonwoo’s surrender was sweet, his lips parting with a sigh, his tongue tasting Mingyu like he was a delicacy. They pulled apart reluctantly, Mingyu resisting the urge to lick his lips and enjoy every last morsel of the delicious taste that was all Wonwoo.
“I need to go back to the house. I promised Minghao I’d help mind the babies while Jeonghan cooks dinner.” Wonwoo looked reluctant to leave as he eyed Mingyu’s lips with hunger.
“We’ll pick this up again later,” Mingyu promised. “Let me walk you inside.”
Wonwoo made a face at him. “I don’t need a babysitter. Besides, you have work to do. Can’t be skipping off all the time.”
“Hey, you started the paint war,” he retorted.
Wonwoo just grinned and headed for the door.
“Uh, Wonwoo? The house is that way,” Mingyu said, pointing back toward the kitchen.
“I’m going the long way. I need to stretch my back out before I start hefting babies. This whole pregnancy thing is unreal. No one tells you that you’ll spend all your time feeling like you’ve been kicked in the back by a donkey. And don’t get me started on my kidneys.”
Mingyu winced in sympathy. “If I can help…”
“I wouldn’t say no to a back massage this evening.”
“I think something can be arranged.”
That got him a grin as Wonwoo slipped out the door, striding away through the trees. Mingyu watched after him, admiring how he looked in his overalls. He hoped the omega would keep wearing them after the painting was done. He was sure he could find some way to persuade him.
He was still smiling to himself, picturing what form his ‘persuasion’ would take, when he heard Wonwoo shout.
“Mingyu!”
He was out the door and running at full speed before he knew it, racing toward Wonwoo and the entrance to the orchard.
“Wonwoo? Wonwoo!” There were no more shouts, but he could hear the sounds of a struggle and muffled yelling. He burst through the trees just as he heard tires screech and caught a glimpse of a dark van speeding away. With every bit of energy he possessed, he chased after them, but they had disappeared into the distance in a matter of seconds.
Wonwoo was gone.
He turned toward the house, shouting at the top of his voice as he sped up the driveway. Seungcheol, Minghao, and Junhui ran out to meet him, with Jeonghan hovering on the doorstep.
“Wonwoo is gone,” he said, struggling to catch his breath as he stumbled to a stop. “They’ve taken him.”
“Who’s taken him?” Minghao demanded, sharing a worried look with Seungcheol.
“Military police. They caught him at the gate. He yelled my name, but by the time I got there, they already had him in the van.”
Seungcheol turned and strode back toward the house. “I’ll start making calls,” he said over his shoulder. “One of you call Soonyoung. We’re going to need all the help we can get on this.”
“I should have walked with him,” Mingyu said to Minghao. “I shouldn’t have let him go alone.”
“We had no idea they even knew he was here,” Minghao said, taking him by the arm and leading him inside.
“Jun, go check the perimeter, lock all the gates. We bed down until we figure out what’s going on.”
“We have to make sure he’s safe,” Mingyu insisted. “If his old team gets to him…” They’d want him silenced, whatever it took.
“And we will. We’ll do whatever we have to in order to ensure his safety. You call Soonyoung, I’ll talk to Josh.”
“Josh? Why him?”
“We’re somewhat prepared for this scenario.”
Mingyu stared at the beta in bewilderment.
“But as far as we knew, they had no idea he was even here. How could you be prepared for this?”
“Not that part. But there was always a possibility he’d have to surrender himself temporarily as part of any deal to get him off the charges. Josh has been helping brainstorm possible ways to put pressure on the military so the decision would go in our favor.”
Mingyu didn’t know what Minghao was talking about. There was no putting pressure on the military, not from the outside, unless you were high up in politics. And they didn’t know anyone with that kind of power.
“But—”
“Just call Soonyoung,” Minghao said, a hint of impatience in his tone. “We need to rally the troops, and quickly.”
YOU ARE READING
𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 || 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐖𝐨𝐧
FanfictionBoth on the run from their pasts, Mingyu and Wonwoo find themselves at the orchard. Was it chance that brought them there or were they called home? Wonwoo is too tangled up in the idea of who he's running from to realize the truth about who he's run...
