Chapter Text
the story cuts in just as our friendly neighborhood spider-man and the merc with a mouth have dinner on the rooftop of a building that overlooks the city. dinner meaning, a couple of warm burritos and ice cold sodas.
there isn't a proper end to this story, just like how life never had a definite end. it just keeps going, and things lead to things, and those things lead to other things.
the moment this story cut into lead to this exact moment. it goes full circle, but god forbid jeno and jaemin go through all of the trouble again.
as they sit watching the city, their hands intertwine. there now lays a sense of satisfaction, a comforting feeling of content. days, months, have passed since everything was laid bare, since the truth was left said. and they're... they're okay now. everything seems to be, because it is.
a warm feeling settles deep in their chests. no, it's not because of the burritos, but because of everything happening at that exact moment. scratch that, maybe the burritos are a part of that.
jeno and jaemin revel in the love they receive. not just from each other, but from their city.
as they sit watching the city, happy sighs escape their lips, because the city appreciates what they do, it appreciates what they love doing together. the city has never been safer. their relationship has never been more secure.
happiness.
the number of times they've felt their hearts soar is uncountable. the feeling is pure bliss, pure happiness.
their hearts soar when jeno gets good marks on a test he's been studying all day and night for, he celebrates, and jaemin celebrates with him. their hearts soar when the city acknowledges their efforts, when its citizens cheer for them, balloons colored red, black, and blue rising up into the sky.
their hearts soar when they're cuddled up in their shared bed, whispering dumb jokes, making each other laugh, jabbing fingers into sides good-naturedly. jeno's heart soars when he pauses and looks around at all his spider-man posters up on the wall, blending with newspaper clippings of their achievements, and pictures jaemin's framed.
jaemin's heart soars when he catches jeno in that exact moment.
the realization hits them at separate times, but it still hits them nonetheless. they've come far. they've come far together. they've laughed, cried, fought, together. it's grown to be them against the world. they are untouchable.
na jaemin, lee jeno. spider-man, deadpool— there isn't a border anymore. they now go seamlessly through their two lives, switching, changing, as different as it can be, but they do it together, and that's the one thing that stays constant.
no matter who they might have to be at that moment, one thing will always stay the same, and that's them, the love they share, the smiles they exchange, and it leads back to this moment.
when they finish eating, jaemin cleans up and jeno gets ready for the patrol, but as he checks the time, he sees they still have a few minutes left for themselves.
so jeno grins and decides to tackle jaemin in a hug.
"oh christ." jaemin says, probably rolling his eyes, jeno can't see his face, but his hands rise up and wrap themselves around jeno's waist anyways.
jeno nuzzles his nose into jaemin's hair, his smile small as he says, "you know i love you, right?" jaemin pulls away just enough to look at jeno's face, a fond smile playing on his lips. "i know." he replies, and suddenly jeno gets the biggest urge to kiss him.
but just as he cups jaemin's face with his hands, they hear a scream.
he feels jaemin try to pull away, but he holds tight and refuses to let go. jaemin tries to tell him that someone might be in danger, but jeno thinks the moment they're having now is more at risk.
he needs to get his standards checked.
jeno ignores the hero's nagging and lets his eyes roam. he watches the moonlight shine on his newly dyed pink hair, watches the shadows fall on his face.
he leans in close, and feels jaemin lean back. jeno snorts. "race you there." he says, and that's all the warning jaemin gets before jeno jumps down the rooftop in search of the source of the scream.
jaemin blinks at the now empty space in front of him. "what." he deadpans. shortly after, he comes to his senses and races after the anti-hero, yelling, "saving lives isn't a game, jeno!"