Archive of Our Own

Yunho’s story begins after one of his games with the intercrural basketball team he's been with all throughout his time at uni. Mingi, his best friend and boyfriend ever since their secondary graduation, had said whoever scored the most got to dare the other to do anything they wanted, as a little incentive to work as hard as they could.

The two of them are competitive to a fault, so when Mingi scored one basket higher than him, Yunho was just a little bit pissed off. He knew Mingi was going to make him do some stupid crap, like: “I dare you to sneak into the abandoned storage supply by the arena at night.”

Which actually isn't too bad. Yunho very rarely gets scared of anything, even breaking and entering into the supply that the students love to make dumb ghost stories about. He and Mingi head over there the next day, around midnight, well after campus curfew, using their phone flashlights to navigate the school campus at dark. It's windy and cold– an odd occurrence– but it doesn't deter them.

“Isn't it a bit worrying how easy it was to get back here?” Yunho comments when they're standing in front of the supply house. It's just a little shed that's been sitting unused for years in the corner of the school campus, nothing truly scary about it except it's probably dusty and is home to however many colonies of ants. 

“Uh-huh. How are you not scared?” Mingi's voice is shaking, and when Yunho turns back to face him instead of the doors, Mingi's practically cowering on the ground. It's incredibly endearing to Yunho, the fool that he is who's a little (a lot) in love with all the dumb little behaviors Mingi has, like daring someone to do something and then getting scared.

“You didn't have to come along if you were so scared, Mingi,” Yunho laughs but holds out his hand for Mingi to hold on to, who takes it in a death grip. “I'm the one who's going inside, anyways.”

“Make it quick,” Mingi all but begs him.

“This feels more like I dared you than the other way around,” Yunho laughs as he tests the doorknob to the shed. It's not even locked, which he supposes is a good thing for him. The door creaks open, and there must have been something resting against the closed door because something falls inside.

Mingi shrieks, latching himself onto Yunho's side and dropping his flashlight, hand gripping his tight. If Yunho were a better man, he wouldn't be thinking about how nice it feels to have Mingi so close to him. Mingi and him cuddle all the time, the two of them are naturally affectionate, but it always feels nice. Yunho's whipped. He's very self-aware. “Yunho, hurry up!”

“If you don't want to go in, you probably shouldn't be clinging to me so hard.” Mingi's off of him in seconds, making shooing motions with his hands to get Yunho to hurry up and enter the shed. He pushes the door open the rest of the way with a little bit of force in order to push against whatever fell and then shines his flashlight in there. It's just filled with old supplies for the hardcourt, like deflated basketballs and lacrosse sticks. The shed must be more rickety than he thought, because there's a strong wind that blows in again and it shuts the little plastic door closed.

The first thing he hears is Mingi's inhumanly high pitched shriek of “Yunho!”

“I'm okay!” He yells back, because if he doesn't, Mingi would probably attract everyone in their city with his screaming, and they're not even supposed to be here. He has his flashlight on, anyways, so he just makes his way back to the door to open it. He can feel his hair standing up on the back of his neck, so he slams his hand against it to get it to stop. When he pulls his hand away, there's bug guts on it. Gross. He presses the door open again, and he's met with Mingi's panic-stricken face. 

“Why do you look like that?” Yunho can't help his laughter at Mingi's expression. “Come on, I did my dare, let's go home. All that was in there are deflated basketballs and bugs,” Yunho tells him, wiping the dead bug guts off on Mingi's shoulder.

Mingi shrieks again and punches Yunho hard in the shoulder.

+

That had been a week ago, and Yunho hadn't thought much of it, other than to tease Mingi for being so scared. Now, though, he's starting to worry he caught something from the shed, because he's falling ill. He even had to skip his classes for the day because he's sweating so much.

Of course, Mingi, the worrier that he is, had skipped his own lecture to check in on Yunho. It's a routine he's used to, because Mingi has no sense of self preservation for his grades because he's one of those kids who's too smart that they don't bother to do the homework because it's too boring. Yunho's room is in the back of the dorm building and on the first floor, so he just leaves it open for Mingi to squeeze himself into. 

“Don't worry, your savior is here,” Mingi declares triumphantly after Yunho just watched him worm himself embarrassingly slowly through the window. Mingi hefts up a lunch box, tossing it towards Yunho who's too weak to grab it, so he just lets it hit his chest and fall off the bed.

“Mingi,” Yunho croaks, throat dry as all hell.

“Damn,” he whistles. “You've got it bad. Look, I brought you some soup I made, and I downloaded some shows for us to binge. Welcome to Mingi's Spa! Admission? Free for you!” Mingi grins, bending down on the floor to grab the lunchbox that he hit Yunho with, unzipping it and pulling out a thermos and a spoon. 

“Will you feed me?” Yunho asks deliriously in his feverish state, wiping his hand across his forehead to get rid of some of the sweat, but it's no use because he just starts heating up again.

“In a minute. I gotta get a wet towel or something, ‘cause you're sweating like crazy. Damn! You're gonna make me change your sheets, too?” Mingi complains, but Yunho knows Mingi would do it happily. It's what they do for each other. They've been the kind of best friends who don't really have any other friends other than themselves besides being on the basketball team. When they became boyfriends, that didn't change. They still only really had each other. Mingi hands him the thermos while he fetches a towel.

When Mingi returns, Yunho ends up with a bandana soaked in cool water tied against his forehead so he can sit up without it falling off. He tries to take the thermos from Yunho's hands, but it sticks in his grip. “If you want me to feed you, you've gotta let go.”

“I did let go,” Yunho whines, flexing his fingers so only his palms are touching the cup, and then moving one palm away to show how it's sticking to the other.

“You're so sweaty that it's sticking to you, the fuck? What are you, Spiderman?” Mingi jokes, trying to tug the thermos out of Yunho's hand, but it's really stuck there.

“Don't get my hopes up,” Yunho whines. “I think I'm going to have to live with the thermos stuck to my hand forever.”

Mingi just scoffs at Yunho for being overdramatic. He gives the thermos one last tug out of his hands and finally pulls it out, except it upends the thermos into Mingi's lap. “Ow, shit! Oh my God, ow!” Mingi whines fanning off his legs as the soup soaks in. “Ah, shit, I need towels– paper towels–” Mingi stands up, hopping from foot to foot. Yunho would find it hilarious if it didn't hurt to laugh.

There are some paper towels on his desk that Mingi doesn't seem to see, and Yunho's set on grabbing them for him. He moves to stand up, reaches a hand out past Mingi and– the paper towels shoot to him without him even needing to grab them. “Did you see that?” Yunho asks, making sure he's not hallucinating in his fever.

“Uhh–” Mingi stares at the paper towel rolls. The roll sticks to his hand when he tries to shake some out for Mingi. “Dude. What if you are Spiderman?” 

When they pull the roll away from Yunho's hand, there's a limp spiderweb holding them together.

+

It turned out, he was, in fact, Spiderman. It was hard to refute the spiderwebs that could seemingly shoot out of his wrists if he did the Spiderman pose. Now, the thing is, Yunho is the biggest Spiderman dweeb out there.

He's got posters from limited edition comics on his walls, he's put stickers he bought off independent artists on Etsy onto his PS4 (because he's not bougie enough for the PS5), he's got every single comic volume on his shelf, and every single Spiderman movie and their respective movie posters. He's got it all. He consistently goes as Spiderman to Halloween, and even went to ComicCon, too, when it had been within a reasonable distance.

He's not just a fan. He's the fan. And now he is Spiderman. Yunho's grateful it happened to him, because he could probably recite the comics back to you word for word. He knows how this thing goes. 

Rule number one: Don't tell people, it gets them killed. Well, he's failed that already. Mingi was literally there in the room when they discovered he was Spiderman. He'll just have Mingi be the only person who knows, because all the Spidermen always have at least one person who knows. Everyone else? He's just plain-old Jeong Yunho.

Rule number two: Don't fall in love, or they will most surely get killed, especially if their name is Gwen Stacey. So, he's failed that one too. How was he supposed to know he was going to become Spiderman when he fell in love with Mingi? At least his name isn't Gwen Stacey.

Rule number three: Keep your identity secret with a kickass costume. Yunho's not doing too well on this front, either, because no one he knows can sew or has access to magical fireproof and villain-proof fabric. He could always wear his Halloween costume, but that's been done already by Miles Morales.

Rule number four: Practice. Finally, something he can do!

It's why he's standing here at the top of one of those parking garages on the outskirts of the city at night with Mingi (Yunho can't have any witnesses seeing his debut as Spiderman before he's ready), standing in his Spiderman cosplay outfit, holding the mask in his hand. He doesn't need it to be fancy, he just needs it to conceal his identity while he practices his swinging.

“I don't think this is a good idea,” Mingi says, looking over the edge of the parking garage. It's a long way down, but Yunho had practically begged Mingi to be there when he started. He's not gonna go through this alone if Mingi already knows.

“Mingi, it'll be fine. I'm literally Spiderman. I'm gonna keep you safe.” Yunho's absolutely confident about this. He has to be, and if he's spent the past five minutes tying and re-tying his shoes to stall, well, that's nobody's business.

“If you're Spiderman, does that make me your Gwen Stacey?” Mingi laughs, and he probably thinks he's easing the mood, but Yunho tenses at his words. Mingi's never actually seen the Spiderman movies, so he doesn't realize the deadly implications of his words.

“Don't say that!” Yunho says quickly, because it reminds him he's already fucked up so many of the essential rules to being Spiderman by loving Mingi, but he's not going to let a stupid spider bite be the cause for them to break up.

“What? Why not?” Mingi looks a bit frazzled from Yunho's urgency, pulling his jacket around himself tighter because even though it's the peak of summer, Mingi's always running cold. “Isn't Gwen Stacey Spiderman’s girlfriend? Or is it MJ? I've almost got those initials. I'm your MG.”

“Yeah, but those are the movie and comic Spidermen. I'm the real Spiderman, and I'm telling you: you are not my Gwen Stacey. Or MJ, for that matter,” Yunho hopes he sounds definitive. He hopes Mingi's not going to bring it up again. God, just the thought of Mingi getting hurt is already upsetting him. To get rid of those thoughts, Yunho quickly pulls the Spiderman mask over his head and tugs at Mingi's arm. “Let's swing, come on.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘let’s’?” Mingi slaps his hand away and takes a step back, holding his hands out to keep Yunho at a distance. “I'm waiting here for you, remember?”

Yeah, that's what Yunho has told him. It was the only way Mingi would come out with him. “If I'm swinging with you, there's higher stakes. More incentive to do well,” Yunho grins, grabbing Mingi's outstretched hands to pull him chest to chest, and then wrapping Mingi's arms around his neck. He walks them backwards until Yunho's standing right over the precipice. It was scary at first, but now with Mingi in his arms, Yunho knows he won't mess up. He can't. “Hold on tight, baby.”

“Jeong Yunho, if you jump off this building with me, I will break up with you. We will be over– Yunho !” Mingi screeches when Yunho lets them fall back over the edge of the parking garage, wind whipping at them. It forces Mingi to wrap his legs around Yunho and do just as he said: hold on tight. Mingi's screaming into his ear as he worms a hand out and presses his middle and ring fingers down against his palm. A string of web shoots and wraps around a streetlamp, going slack and then pulling taut when they get closer to it. Yunho shoots another one with his other hand on the upswing, like he's seen all the other Spidermen do in their movies, and kicks his feet out and leans back like he's on a swing. It works. Surprisingly, it works. Mingi's still shrieking, hiding his face in Yunho's neck, but Yunho starts laughing. 

It fucking worked. He's swinging from streetlamp to streetlamp like actual Spiderman! Holy fuck! “Mingi, I'm doing it!” He yells at him to be heard over the wind and Mingi's own yelling.

“I wish you sounded more confident in yourself before you launched us over the edge of a fucking building!” Mingi screams, but there's laughter at the end of it. “God, Yunnie, you're doing it! My Spiderman!”

Adrenaline pumps through his veins, circling them back all the way to the top of the parking garage again. The swooping feeling in your gut when you drop, and then the weightlessness after when you swing to the next one, fuck, it's everything he could have dreamed of. He's fucking Spiderman. Spiderman!

When he sets Mingi back down on the parking garage top level, Yunho immediately pulls his mask off and pulls Mingi back in for a kiss with enough force to send them stumbling. “God, Yunho,” Mingi groans when Yunho finally pulls away. He must look like a mess, wide-eyed and windswept, but Yunho doesn't care. He has everything he needs. “I love you, but don't ever do that again. Holy shit! I thought I was going to die!”

Yunho just laughs at him and kisses him again. If he doesn't think too hard about it, he doesn't have to worry about how Spiderman only exists if there's danger nearby. For now, he can live in this perfect little world with just him and Mingi.

+

Him and Mingi are sitting in the cafeteria at near midnight, a couple days after they went swinging, eating one of the crappy meal plan foods their campus offers to them. Mingi's school schedule is hectic, because he's overloaded himself with five classes plus lab. He's crazy smart, but it leaves him with no free time, so Yunho takes these little pockets of time at night gratefully. Yunho himself is only taking a humble three, which at first, he'd been embarrassed about because his other half is taking six and he felt a bit like he was falling behind, but now, he's eternally grateful. Managing five classes and a lab while being Spiderman sounds like hell.

“So, when are you going to come clean to the world that their favorite superhero is real and takes the form of a second year college student?” Mingi asks, prodding at the salad he picked up. He doesn't actually take a bite of it, just moves the leaves around and mixes more vinaigrette into it. 

Yunho snorts, grabbing Mingi's fork and taking a bite of his salad. “Maybe after I get a better outfit than my itchy cosplay. I have to design a new Spider-suit. The red and blue is so overused, don't you think?”

“Get your own food, damn,” Mingi slaps his hand when he goes back for a second bite of Mingi's salad. “And, about that… I checked the events board and there's this program held by the fashion department that gives sewing tutorials to people to help promote, I don't know, fighting against fast fashion? Something like that? Anyways, I've been going. So I can try and sew you something if you design it,” Mingi's not looking at him while he speaks, just stabbing at his salad over and over with his fork. It's his habit he does whenever he's nervous that someone might not like what he says.

But Yunho, he just stares wide eyed at Mingi. “What?” He asks, because he's not sure if he heard him right. 

“If you don't want me to, that's fine. It's not like it's gonna be fancy and stuff, like, I'm not Tony Stark. But I was thinking of using neoprene, the stuff in scuba divers’ outfits, cause it's tough and it'll– You know, it's fine. I just know you wanted to keep everything between us, so, l wanted to try and help you make your suit–”

“Mingi, oh my God.” He can't seem to find the right words. His boyfriend, who barely has enough time to eat his three meals a day, wanted to help him so badly with being Spiderman that he's literally taking sewing lessons. For him. “Thank you, really. I– I don't know what to say. Are you sure you have time for this?”

Mingi looks a lot less tense now that he knows Yunho's reaction is positive. “Don't worry about me. It might take a little while for me to finish it, but I'll try as quick as possible for you. Send me design ideas through text when you think of them, okay? Now come on, let's get back before curfew is called.” Mingi stands up, closing the plastic container of the salad he didn't eat.

“Did you want to come back to mine? My roommate sleeps like the dead,” Yunho wiggles his eyebrows at Mingi, though they've never actually had sex together. Yunho's always been a bit of a romantic, so he's kind of obsessed with giving Mingi a good, picturesque first time. 

“I can't believe you're propositioning me in the middle of the cafeteria, damn. What happened to your romantic bone?” Mingi laughs, running his hand down Yunho's arm until he grabs his hand. 

“Well, is it working?” Yunho asks, tugging on Mingi's hand to start pulling him back in the direction of the dorms.

Mingi hums, pretending to think about it for a moment. “Let's find out, Spiderman.”

+

Yunho knows he must have closed his bedroom door with too much force, but he doesn't care. He's practically molded into Mingi, both hands wrapped in Mingi's black hair and pressing their bodies together as close as they can. He'd shut the door with his foot, because he didn't want to have to move away from Mingi. Yunho presses Mingi backwards until he falls down onto the bed underneath him, jostling them enough to break their kiss but not Yunho's determination, who presses his kisses to Mingi's neck instead.

“Ah, Yunho,” Mingi groans, voice light and breathy and much higher pitched than usual. Mingi snakes his hands down between them to start unbuttoning Yunho's shirt, but there's not nearly enough space to get them undone. Yunho doesn't care; they have all night. He just keeps nipping at Mingi's neck, pressing kisses upwards until he reaches his earlobe, pulling it into his mouth to roll it between his teeth. “Yeah, like that, fuck.”

Yunho hums, tugging on Mingi's hair to expose his neck further. He can feel Mingi's knuckles brushing against his skin when he finally manages to get his shirt undone, pushing it off his shoulders but not all the way off because Yunho still hasn't moved away from him. “What's the rush, princess? We've got all night,” he whispers into the ear he's been biting on, moving back to kiss Mingi on the lips. Fuck, Yunho's trying to be patient, but he's barely holding on to his resolve.

“Yeah, but,” Mingi pushes him away and rolls them over until he's on top, running his hands down Yunho's chest and stopping to trace the lines of his stomach. “The sooner we get started, the sooner we can start on the second round, and the third round.” 

Yunho lets go of Mingi's hair to place his hands on his waist, dipping under his shirt and rucking it up. “Mm, we can get to all those later. I just wanna look at you like this. You're so gorgeous, Mingi, you know that, right?” Yunho slows them down and moves one of his hands off Mingi to reach over to his bedside tabletop and flick on the lamp that's there, soaking the room in a warm orange light.

“Yunho, please.” Mingi reaches over and turns off the light. “No lights,” he says, and then grinds his hips down against Yunho's lap, grabbing one of Yunho's hands at his hips, twining their fingers together. Before he can protest Mingi's ‘no lights’ rule, he's leaning back down to kiss Yunho, and Yunho's never going to reject a kiss from Mingi.

It builds up fast. Mingi presses into him harder, licks into his mouth, and fumbles his belt open with the one free hand he has. Yunho's clothes come off in a similar fashion: a feverish rushed mess of flailing limbs. They've got Yunho's pants halfway down his legs and his shirt’s only on by one sleeve, when there's an itching underneath his skin. It's absolutely uncomfortable, and suddenly Mingi's touch on him makes it worse, like he's not supposed to be here in this bed with him. “Mingi– Mingi, wait,” he says, rolling out from underneath Mingi and slipping his shirt back on the other arm. 

“What? Is everything okay?” Mingi's sitting up straight now, but it's too dark for Yunho to make out the expression on his face. He can tell he's worried, though, from the waiver in his voice. 

Yunho, meanwhile, feels like he's crawling out of his skin. It takes a couple of moments for him to clock what it is, but then he's hastily pulling off his pants and shirt, leaping over Mingi to get at his closet. “Oh, my God, Mingi, my spidey senses are tingling! I have to go. I have to go. Oh, my God.” Of course, his first Spiderman calling would be at night! All crime happens at night! Yunho tugs his Spiderman cosplay out from the bottom of his closet where he's hidden it in case his roommate decides to do a deep clean.

There's rustling from the bed and then shuffled footsteps, and then the ceiling light turns on. “You're just gonna leave?” Mingi asks in near disbelief, watching Yunho fumble into his spandex Spiderman suit he bought online. 

“Yeah? I gotta– it's my first Spiderman mission or something! I gotta go fight crime. I wouldn't have gotten bit by that spider if there wasn't impending evil for me to fight,” Yunho grins at him, turning around so his back faces Mingi and peering over his shoulder. “Can you zip me up?”

There's silence for a moment or two, then Yunho feels Mingi drawing the zipper on his back. “Alright. Be safe. I’m going to head back to mine. Text me when you get back, okay?” Mingi's voice is barely louder than a whisper, only audible because he's standing right behind him.

Yunho turns to face Mingi, placing a kiss on his cheek. His skin burns with the desire to leave and get to where his senses want him to be. “I will. I'm so excited. Your friendly neighborhood Spiderman is making his debut! I gotta go!” He says, waving bye as he pulls open the window in his bedroom, ever grateful that his roommate gave him the room with the window. He never expected he'd need it to jump out of because he's Spiderman , but oh well. When he turns to say another goodbye to Mingi, he's already gone. 

+

Yunho places a hand on the store countertop, trying not to look like he's panting for breath in front of the robber he just tied up and the cashier who witnessed all of it. Sure, being Spiderman gives him super strength and speed and agility and all that superhero jazz, but it doesn't give him technique. The aisles in the store are an absolute mess, but hey! He got the guy! That's what matters, right?

He'd been threatening the cashier with a gun which was kind of lame, because how much money does a cashier register at a cornershop really have? At least the threat has been subdued. “Okay, you call 911 and get this guy arrested, and I'll start cleaning up the aisles for you…” Yunho says to the cashier, squinting at his crooked name tag . “...Yeosang.”

Yeosang just stares at him slack-jawed and wide-eyed. “Am I dreaming?” He mumbles, pinching his arm tight. “You're not real.”

“I am real!” Yunho whines indignantly. He's fucking Spiderman, his biggest dream, and people can't even believe his existence. I mean, is it so hard to think that your favorite fictional hero from a major blockbuster movie company and comics isn't real? He's standing right there in front of him! “See, look. I got the webs,” Yunho presses his middle and ring fingers down and shoots a web out, sticking to the wall. It's kind of a bad idea because now it's stuck there, and the webs he used to tie up the criminal was probably proof enough.

Yeosang stares at the webs on the wall, then slowly turns back to face the criminal who's wiggling around on the floor trying to get out of his web restraints. “I must've died and I'm having a fucking postmortem dream or something,” Yeosang whispers but starts to dig out his phone to call the police.

“You didn't die. I saved you, because I'm Spiderman! I know it's hard to believe. This is only my debut, actually. You're the first person who gets to see me. But I'm definitely real!” Yunho rambles, failing at his pisspoor attempt to act cool because he's Spiderman. “Alright, now to clean up the mess…” He trails off, turning to survey the collateral damage. He's going to be here all night. Spiderman in the comics never tried to clean up after himself, and it always pissed Yunho off, so Yunho will be the Spiderman who cleans up after himself! Maybe he should text Mingi first, though. He's probably worried sick. Ah, well, he doesn't have his phone on him because the spandex Amazon Spiderman costume doesn't have any pockets.

At least he didn't get injured. He's got just a bruise that's forming on his knuckles from punching the guy and maybe one on his rib cage when he got kicked while he was trying to tie him up. Nothing too major. A Spiderman debut success! “Jongho, you're not going to believe what just happened to me,” Yeosang says from behind him.

“I thought I told you to call the police?” Yunho turns on his heel to face the cashier, who is cupping his hand over his mouth to try and whisper into the speaker. He startles at Yunho's attention, but then points to a phone on the wall.

“You can pay twenty five cents at our payphone to call the police.”

“What?! But I–” Yunho begins to protest, but Yeosang's already turned away from him to keep talking to Jongho. Whatever. Fine, he'll call the police and clean up himself. He's a good guy. 

After the phone call with the police, Yunho stocks the shelves with everything that fell off in the tussle. It reminds him of his old retail job in a very not pleasant way, and it also reminds him that he's got fucking classes tomorrow and it's nearly two in the morning. Fuck. The thought makes him work quicker, really putting the super speed to the test. As soon as the police get to the shop, he can leave.

Except, someone else comes in before the police. Seriously, he's got the guy all tied up and apprehended, all they have to do is come over here and pick him up, what's taking them so long? “Holy shit, you weren't lying,” the guy says, eyes darting from where Yunho's putting chips back on shelves, the apprehended criminal sitting in the doorway, and the webs on the wall.

“I'm literally going to get fired, Jongho. I don't get paid enough for this. Why me? Why me?” Yeosang whines, climbing over the counter to shake who Yunho assumes is Jongho’s shoulders. 

“Don't be so dramatic. He's probably got, like, little tubes in the suit for the ‘webs’,” Jongho scoffs, clearly a disbeliever of Yunho being Spiderman. Is it that far-fetched? Him and Mingi got used to it pretty quickly!

“No, I think he's the real deal,” Yeosang comes to his defense, thank God. After he saved his life, he deserves a little bit of faith!

“You're losing it,” is the last thing Jongho says before the police finally arrive on scene. Thank fuck, he can get out of here! He's practically finished with the shelves, anyways. The adrenaline from the fight is wearing off, too, and leaves a bone crushing sense of exhaustion behind. Being Spiderman is fun but exhausting, so he rushes through the explanation to the police, leaves the rest to Yeosang and his non-believer buddy Jongho, and makes his way back to his dorm.

+

He's woken up at an ungodly, unfair hour of the morning to the sound of his ringtone– not even his alarm!-- going off right next to his ear. Yunho doesn't even open his eyes as he flails around for his phone, moving on autopilot as he accepts the call. His whole body aches, so he's probably (definitely) going to skip class. He'd thought he'd gotten over the worst of it when he fell sick all those days ago, but clearly not. None of the comics prepared him for the morning-after fatigue from a fight. “Hello?” He says groggily into the speaker.

Mingi's voice comes crackling in from the other side of the line, shrilly in his panic. “Yunho! Finally! Oh my God, are you okay? You didn't text me at all after you left!”

His words wake Yunho up almost immediately. Fuck. He'd just been so exhausted after getting home that all he'd done was peel off the spandex and pass out on his bed. “Mingi, shit, I'm sorry. Yes, I'm fine–”

“Oh, thank God. I called you, like, twenty times throughout the night,” Mingi says quickly all in one breath. It's silent for a moment, and then Yunho can hear him sighing. “Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. You can go back to bed.”

Yunho feels guilt prickling along the back of his neck. “Did you get any sleep?” He asks, but he's not sure he wants to hear the answer.

“Not any more than I usually get,” Mingi settles on saying and Yunho can hear the sound of the cheap coffee maker Mingi has in his dorm brewing. 

“I'm sorry,” Yunho whispers, not even sure if his voice is picking up because it's hard to get words out through the block of guilt lodged in his throat.

“Yun, baby, you're literally Spiderman. You're a superhero, and your favorite one at that. You don't have to apologize to me, okay? Go back to bed, and when you wake up, you can think about new ideas for your Spiderman outfit for me to make,” Mingi's voice is much more calm now, having returned to its original deep cadence and not the shrilly one from fear.

Yunho puts the phone on speaker and stares at the contact image of Mingi. It's an old picture from however many years ago; he's curled up in Yunho's childhood bedroom, holding the yellow-puppy-body-pillow plushie he used to bring everywhere with him. He's beautiful, and Yunho feels significantly like he doesn't deserve Mingi, especially after leaving in the middle of their first time and ghosting him all night. “Okay,” he croaks, because his throat feels like it's cement still. 

“Okay,” Mingi repeats, and then, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Mingi hangs up first, and Yunho's left staring at the photo of him until the screen goes black from inactivity. 

+

Luckily, it's not like there's major crime breakouts every day. The police can handle most of it, and Yunho can relax and pretend he's a normal college student. Him and Mingi settled on keeping the original design of the Spiderman costume, mainly because Yunho's a nerd and feels changing it would be disgracing his Spiderman fanatic nerd roots, and it's also easier for Mingi to make.

Today's the day Mingi finishes his suit, too. He's been keeping it a secret even though it'll end up looking just like the original, but Yunho likes how excited Mingi's getting about helping him. Especially because this is the only thing he's going to allow Mingi to help him with. He can't risk him getting hurt by being involved in the actual acts of being Spiderman, so making the costume will have to be Mingi's sole contribution. Yunho hasn't told him this yet, but he's sure it'll go over well. 

Mingi had texted him to meet up at the old supply closet where Yunho first got bit. The shed is significantly less scary in the daytime, Mingi already there and standing on the sidewall, spraying something onto it. 

“What are you doing?” Yunho calls when he gets closer, startling Mingi so bad that the spray can he's holding flies out of his hand and hits the grass at his feet. Yunho tries to hold in his laugh, but it's inevitable. 

“Stop, don't laugh, you made me mess up!” Mingi whines when Yunho comes closer, arms crossed across his chest now that he's got both hands free. Yunho takes a look at what Mingi was doing, and on the wall, there's the making of a bright pink spider on it with a wild errant line crossing over it in its entirety, probably from when Mingi got shocked.

“I think it still looks good. I didn't realize you were into graffiting, though,” Yunho hums, looking over at Mingi who seems a bit sheepish now.

“I'm not, really. But now that you're Spiderman, if we get caught, you can just swing us away before they get us,” Mingi grins, picking up the spray can he dropped and placing it in the duffel bag that Yunho hadn't even noticed. There's more colors in there, but Mingi pulls out one with a black cap, shaking it up and beginning to outline the spider he drew. “Plus, I drew you. If you were pink.”

“If I was pink,” Yunho says amusedly, watching Mingi spray the black in an outline of the spider. He's got a surprisingly steady hand, considering Mingi used to say he wanted to be a surgeon but couldn't because his hands shook too much back when they were in secondary, but he supposes costume making will help steady your hand. Yunho reaches down and grabs the yellow from Mingi's duffel bag, pulling the cap off and shaking it like he saw Mingi do. “Should I tag our initials?”

“What, MG + YH in a heart? It's your art, do whatever you feel like,” Mingi grins at him, taking a break from spraying to look over at Yunho. He shrugs in response and sprays it quickly next to Mingi's spider, a cheesy reminder of their relationship. “Oh, right!” Mingi drops the black spray can into the duffel bag and then follows it down, kneeling in the grass and rooting around in his bag until he finds something. “Do you want to see your Spider suit?”

Mingi's smiling so wide at him from the grass, and Yunho can still hardly believe he's his. “I've been ready since yesterday, come on.” He nudges the bag slightly with his foot, waiting for Mingi to do the reveal.

“Ta-da!” Mingi cheers, pulling the outfit from the bottom of the bag out and standing up. It causes the rest of the spray cans in the bag to tumble out and onto the grass, but Yunho doesn't care. Mingi looks so incredibly proud of himself, and shit, it looks good. The black spiderwebs are raised, like the suit in the movies, and there's decorative topstitching on the neoprene to make it look more detailed than just red and blue fabrics, and it's everything Yunho could have wanted. “Do you like– oh, okay,” Mingi laughs as Yunho cuts him off by dropping the yellow spraycan and practically vaulting into his arms.

Mingi's not strong enough to hold them both up, so they tumble to the ground, Yunho's new suit trapped between them as he hugs him tight. “Mingi, I love you so much. I can't believe you learned sewing for me, you maniac!” Yunho laughs, sitting up on Mingi's stomach and holding the suit close to his chest. The neoprene is thick, but it's comfortable under his fingers. 

“I love you, too,” Mingi grins, propping himself up to kiss Yunho, a quick peck. “There's a mask and the lower half in the bag, too. Come on, try it all on so I can make adjustments if needed,” Mingi encourages, gently pushing Yunho off of him so they can both stand up. 

Yunho doesn't need to be told twice, pulling the top half of the outfit over his head and digging the pants and mask out from the duffel and putting them on. It fits near perfectly, just a bit tight, but that's because it's on over-top of his clothes. He can't even see where the different pieces end; Mingi really did a good job. “It's perfect, princess. Thank you– really, thank you,” Yunho's disbelief shows in his voice, looking down at himself in astonishment. It finally feels like he's Spiderman.

“You deserve it,” Mingi smiles at him fondly, stepping up in front of him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders while the other lifts his mask up just slightly to reveal his lips so Mingi can press a kiss there. Yunho doesn't let him part so easily, holding Mingi close to him by cupping his cheeks. He's not as good with words as Mingi is, so he'll pour all his thanks into this gesture.

“Hey!” A voice yells at them, startling them apart. Yunho's got his back to him so he can't see him. He panics briefly, because he's all dressed up in his Spiderman outfit, but there hadn't been a lot of press about the cornershop robbery, so people may think he's just a freak in cosplay. “You two can't be back here!”

“Shit, Yun. It's one of the campus patrol people,” Mingi whispers, breaking their embrace to start hastily picking up the spraycans and shoving them in the bag. “Sorry, sir! We were just leaving!” Mingi yells at the guy, fumbling with the zipper with urgency.

“Calm down, Min, it's fine–”

“You're literally dressed as Spiderman–”

“Hey, what's in your bag? Drop it, right now. You're not supposed to be here,” the man repeats, voice louder as he comes near.

“We were graffiting the walls, do you want to get a fine?” Mingi hisses at him, defying the guy's order to drop the bag by slinging it over his shoulder even though it's half zipped. “Get us out of here!”

“What– how? If we run, he'll just chase us!”

“You're literally fucking Spiderman, swing, Yunho!”

“Drop the bag now, everything will be fine if you just comply-” The campus patrol is closer, now, and Yunho's definitely starting to panic.

“But I thought you hated–”

“Yeah, well, I'd hate paying a couple hundred in fees more! Swing!” Mingi whisper-yells at him, and well, Yunho has no choice. He pulls the mask the rest of the way down and then scoops up Mingi in a bridal carry, shooting a web out for the nearest lamppost and slingshotting them forward. Mingi shrieks into Yunho's chest, clearly still not used to swinging.

Yunho doesn't get to hear what the patrol says in reaction over Mingi's screaming, but it's fine. He swings them until they reach the parking lot roof they were at the first time, setting Mingi down on wobbly legs. “Fuck, I really hate that,” he complains, crumbling to the ground. The spray paint in the duffel bag clinks together when it hits the ground.

“It's a good thing I'm Spiderman and you're not then, right?” Yunho smiles, bending down to sit next to Mingi and pulling the mask off, setting it in the half-zipped bag.

“Mm, yeah, but I know a way you could make it up to me,” Mingi walks his fingers up Yunho's arm like some clichéd movie, grinning in a way that tells Yunho he knows how stupid the move is.

“You're the one who wanted to swing. I don't have to make anything up to you–”

“You know, you look really hot in clothes that I've made for you,” Mingi hums, making a show of looking him up and down, fingers rolling the fabric of his clothes between them. Yunho is just a man. He's about to fold, because who wouldn't in the face of that, when Mingi's phone starts blaring with the Fall Out Boy ringtone he has. Mingi shrieks at the sudden sound, patting all over his pants pockets for his phone before finally finding it, accepting the call, and standing up. 

Yunho watches him walk a bit away for privacy, and he can hardly even be upset that their little moment was ruined. He stares at Mingi's back, watching him gesture with his open hand even though whoever he's calling– most likely Wooyoung– can't see it. It's cute. Their anniversary is coming up soon, too. It's at the end of the month, so he has two weeks. It'll be their two year anniversary, which is huge. Yunho's already planning to pull out all the stops, especially now that more of their rare time together has been eaten up by Yunho's duties as Spiderman, which can happen at any time even when it's unfortunate. He'll just make sure the anniversary goes smoothly to make up for it.

“Sorry, Yun,” Mingi says, standing much closer to him than he was before he started spacing out. Mingi presses a kiss to his head, smoothing down his hair that is no doubt sticking up from wearing the mask. “I've gotta go. Best friend duties with Wooyoung. I love you, though.”

“I love you too,” Yunho repeats quickly, conditioned to say it right back. “I’ll see you later?”

“I'll call you before I go to bed,” Mingi promises.

+

Yunho's fucked. He's irrevocably, inexplicably fucked. He's staring at the school forums, wishing he could go back and erase yesterday, as happy as he had been, because there on the front page of the forum is a very high quality image of Yunho in his Spider gear, carrying a very much unmasked Mingi. He'd promised himself to leave Mingi out of it, and here he is! On the front fucking page of the news!

Okay, granted, it's his school’s news, but fuck. He really had to go swinging in broad daylight. Yunho opens the comment section with hesitating fingers, hoping people won't have already connected the dots, considering Mingi's only friends are Wooyoung and Yunho.

femmetasy:

LOL what video editor did you use? this is crazy realistic

 

fawntastic:

i think its real! spiderman is real and he goes to our college how about that?

 

yeover_it:

i saw spiderman like a week ago he's real

 

jiminjeong

do you think he actually goes here or was he saving the guy? do any of us even know who the guy is

 

bea_woo_tiful

I KNOW THAT GUY OMG

 

Okay, so it's not so bad. The general consensus is that Spiderman could be anyone since he might have just been saving Mingi, since no one actually knows where they were. The patrolman could say something, but judging from the comment section, it's all quiet. The best thing is that no one's connecting Mingi's identity to Spiderman, but one thing is for certain. He needs to start separating Mingi from his identity as Spiderman. 

Spiderman’s a whole different person. Yunho's dating Mingi, not Spiderman. Mingi's done his two cents by making the costume, and now he doesn't ever have to see Spiderman again. He keeps scrolling through the comments either way, searching for a mention of his name. There aren't any, but there's lots of people saying Mingi. For fuck's sake. Mingi's in class, too, and for as much as he likes to pretend he doesn't pay attention, he always turns his phone off before class. No way to contact him about it. Well, it's almost time for his first lecture to be over. He'll just go pick him up, ask for a couple minutes alone, and tell him that no matter what, he has to stop getting involved in Yunho's Spiderman business.

He gets there just a bit late. It's only five minutes, but there are three people surrounding Mingi with a camera and a microphone. What the fuck? Yunho picks up speed as he gets near, catching just the tail end of their conversation.

“...know who Spiderman is? After the photos came out of the two of you together, and no imminent danger on campus, it's only natural to assume you two are familiar with each other?” The short one holding the microphone turns it to Mingi.

Mingi looks a bit panicked, eyes wide as he stares into the lens of the camera being held. “Um, well… I just–”

“Mingi!” Yunho calls, moving the group's attention away from the question and towards Yunho. Fucking hell. If these people get close to uncovering the truth– “Baby, hey, what's all this?”

“Yunho, right?” The interviewer goes for him, now. “You're Mingi's boyfriend, did you know anything about his encounter with Spiderman?”

Yunho wraps an arm around Mingi's waist, pulling him close. “Sorry, who are you?”

The three interviewers murmur a bit amongst themselves, then, “We're investigating the matter of Spiderman, obviously.”

“We don't know anything, sorry. And Mingi has classes, so we need to get going. Hopefully you can find someone who can,” Yunho tries to give them his most genuine smile he can muster up while ushering Mingi away from them.

There's more talking from the three guys, and then the tallest one is lowering the camera and the one holding the mic is turning it off, and all three of them hurry after Yunho and Mingi. “Wait, can't you at least tell us where Spiderman found you?”

And it's here, where Yunho makes a crucial mistake. He just wants Mingi out of there; he's entirely too stressed from trying to keep Mingi detached from Spiderman that he doesn't think about what he says. “The old supply shed. Thank you for your questions, but we'll be leaving now!” He calls over his shoulder and speeds up. How was he supposed to realize in that moment the graffiti of Mingi's spider right next to their goddamned initials?

“Ugh,” Mingi groans as soon as they're out of earshot. “Sorry about that. They're actually from my sewing club, so don't hold it against them. Thanks for rescuing me, though,” he smiles, leaning in to Yunho's touch.

“I'm Spiderman, it's my job to rescue you,” Yunho says easily, spinning Mingi until he's hugging him in an embrace. He can tell Mingi that he needs to get away from Spiderman later. Today must already have been hectic enough for him.

+

Their school news article ended up making the actual news, and now, his existence is very much well-known. Everyone's wondering if it's real or the anonymous video poster just had access to crazy good editing systems. Because of this, crime is up. People want to see if Spiderman is real, so they're doing anything for his attention. He can see why some iterations of Peter Parker get so jaded, especially because it starts to feel targeted. He knows it's just a coincidence, but every damn time he's with Mingi, he's pulled away by Spiderman duties. It's even worse because of their upcoming anniversary.

He got his new suit from Mingi on Monday, had the news article posted on Tuesday, and every damn day after that he'd had to fight something off. He'd hoped, since it was the weekend, they'd lay off a bit. Him and Mingi had already planned to spend the weekend at Mingi's dorm, Wooyoung gracefully gone to someone else's. He had to bring his Spider-suit with him, but he's trying hard not to think about it. Yunho's busy playing a game on Mingi's computer, his boyfriend sitting on his lap so they're chest to chest, head resting on his shoulder. It's not the most effective way to play, but he and Mingi both love affection, so it's a small price to pay. 

“Are you getting enough sleep, recently?” Mingi asks, punctuating his sentence with a kiss to Yunho's neck. 

It's sweet that Mingi worries, but Yunho doesn't bother answering the question since they both know the answer is no. He's pulled from his sleep too often by the feeling of his skin crawling, and Mingi can never sleep when Yunho's out fighting crime. It's horrible for both of them. Before Wooyoung had left, he'd taken one look at their matching eye bags and said, “I hope you two don't plan on going all night,” which has been both embarrassing and… well, just embarrassing. “We have all weekend to catch up on sleep,” he says in a non-answer.

“We never get time together, I want to stay awake for every minute,” Mingi hums, and the guilt Yunho had done so well at hiding comes back. He knows Mingi doesn't hold it against him for getting swept away because it's not like he meant to get bit and turned into Spiderman, but it doesn't stop him from feeling any less bad about it. “Just make sure you do all your crime fighting now so you can be free for our anniversary. I got us dinner reservations, by the way.”

Yunho lets out a low whistle, leaning back in the chair as he queues up for the next game and waits for a spot to be open. “You're always so on top of things.”

“Except for you, clearly,” Mingi jokes, pressing another kiss onto his neck and then trailing up until he can bite on the skin right behind his ear. “We can change that, though.”

Yunho can't help the surprised little whine that leaves his throat, hand leaving the mouse to grab onto the back of Mingi's shirt. “Fuck,” he whispers, and then louder, “Fuck, do you wanna–?”

“What, do I want to fuck my hot superhero boyfriend? Is answering ‘no’ even an option?” Mingi scoffs, pulling away from Yunho's neck to glare up at him.

“Consent is sexy,” Yunho tuts in response, clicking out of the waiting queue and shutting off Mingi's computer to instead put his hands underneath Mingi's thighs and lift him up, carrying him over to the bed. 

Mingi's shrieks tapers off into a giggle, koalaing himself around Yunho and letting himself be dropped onto the bed. He reaches out to his bedside lamp to flick it off.

Yunho pouts, pressing Mingi's legs apart so he can sit in between them and wrap himself back up in Mingi's embrace. “I can't see you like this with the lights off.”

“All you have to do is make sure you don't fall off the bed, Yun,” Mingi says, but lets him turn it on to the dimmest setting as a compromise. There's no stalling after that, Yunho shifting position slightly so he can get more leverage to kiss Mingi at a better angle.

They make out for a little while longer, slowly shedding their clothes until they're just in their boxers. Yunho is content to stay just like this as long as he can have Mingi in his arms, until Mingi's rolling out from under him so he can be on top. Something stops him, though, looking off into the corner of the room. “What's wrong?” He asks, propping himself up on his elbow and placing his other hand overtop of Mingi's.

“Nothing, don't worry. Come on,” Mingi smiles, but even in the low lighting, Yunho can tell it doesn't reach his eyes. He moves his hand away from Mingi's to press at his chest, holding him back from leaning in for another kiss.

“No, seriously, if something's wrong, tell me,” Yunho says earnestly, sitting up until they're facing each other properly. He turns the light on all the way.

“Yun, just– we've been waiting two years for this. Let's not waste more time,” Mingi tells him, running a hand through Yunho's hair to get it off his forehead.

“Mingi, it's not wasted time to me. Is it– is it for you?” Yunho asks, but he's too scared to hear what Mingi has to say in response. “We shouldn't have sex just ‘cause we've been dating for so long and haven't yet. I want you to enjoy it when we do, so if you're feeling upset, let's wait. We can just watch a movie, or something,” Yunho places both hands on Mingi's cheeks, trying to get him to understand.

“I didn't mean it like that,” Mingi sighs, slumping into Yunho's touch. It's clear they're not going to do anything now, and Yunho feels a bit stupid for having such a serious conversation while they're in their boxers, but hey. That's romance. 

“It's fine, Min,” He assures, because it really is. Yunho's no stranger to the way Mingi's mind can twist thoughts into something else entirely. Before he can get another word in, his body starts to itch. That same relentless feeling like bugs crawling over his skin comes back, and fuck, not now. He stands up off the bed, burying his face in his hands and then moving over to his backpack of stuff he'd brought for his stay, digging for his Spiderman suit.

“Is everything okay?” Mingi asks, and oh, how the roles have switched in moments. Mingi's off the bed now, too, leaning over Yunho in his boxers. 

Of course, his weekend with Mingi would get ruined like this. He loves being Spiderman. It's his dream, but it's so frustrating when it cuts into his personal life. It's so fucking frustrating that it's making him cry. He just needs to keep it together until he's out the window– he can't let Mingi see him like this, but–

“Are you crying?” Mingi asks, urgency pitching up his voice. He kneels down next to Yunho, putting a hand on his shoulder. Mingi's never been good with handling other people's emotions, hell, he can hardly handle his own. Yunho doesn't want to put him into an awkward position.

“No, I'm fine, I just have to go baby, I'm sorry,” Yunho apologises, finally tugging the Spider-suit out of his bag and turning away from Mingi so he can put it on without having to look at Mingi's face.

It's quiet while he shoves his legs into the pants and his arms into the shirt, until Mingi whispers, “Are you going to come back here, when you're done?”

“Of course,” Yunho says quickly, pulling the mask on over his face, feeling lucky that he's right by the window so he won't have to look at Mingi when he says goodbye. “Just don't wait up for me, okay? Get some sleep. I'll be fine, I always am. Spiders self-heal.” Yunho clicks the window lock open, pulling it up until the gap is wide enough for him to get through. “I love you, Mingi.” Despite his mind telling him not to, he looks back at Mingi in the room.

He's standing there with his arms crossed over his bare chest, watching Yunho with his face set. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

For a moment, he thinks he's forgotten his mask in the bag, so he starts touching his cheeks to see if it's there. When he feels fabric, he just looks over at Mingi helplessly. What the fuck is he missing? He's definitely got his pants on, and his shirt, and– oh. Mingi's tapping his cheek with one finger, grinning like a fool. Yunho can't help but mirror the expression, even if Mingi can't see it. He dashes back inside and pulls Mingi down for a kiss on the cheek and then a quick peck on the lips, and then he's out the window.

+

For some reason, people fucking love to commit crime at the cornershop Yunho made his debut in. It's gotten easier now, after almost two weeks of being out and about as Spiderman, so he's not fully out of breath when he's finished apprehending the criminals. Instead of a simple robbery, they'd taken the poor cashier hostage– Yeosang, the same as before– and demanded to see Spiderman. At least, that's what they said when he came in. Which is fucking stupid, by the way. 

“I almost wish you'd let me get robbed that first time. People somehow found out you came here, and now everyone's copycatting trying to get you to come back. And I'm still getting paid eight plus tips. No one fucking tips cornershop cashiers!” Yeosang complains while Yunho undoes what little restraints the criminals had managed to get on him before he arrived.

“Tell me about it,” Yunho complains as well, “Love this whole Spiderman gig, but I just left my– left some important stuff behind.” He catches himself before he mentions to Yeosang about his boyfriend. Spilling something like that– it could be dangerous. As Spiderman, he doesn't have a boyfriend. When he's Yunho, he does. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm going to quit after this, fuck this stupid cornershop. Take the damn money for all I care,” Yeosang scoffs, kicking at the counter and tossing his apron uniform onto it. “At least those guys got what they wanted,” He says, looking down in disdain towards the two men Yunho tied up.

“Are you going to make me call the police this time?” Yunho has to ask, looking at the aisles of the cornershop. It's much less destroyed than last time, but there's still some things he knocked off the shelves and some extra webs, so he gets to picking those up.

Yeosang hums, sitting himself up on the counter where he'd stashed his uniform. “I just got held hostage, can't you do it?” 

Yunho peels the last of his webs off the wall, not looking at Yeosang. He's got to get back to Mingi, because even though he told him to go to sleep, he knows he won't. If he gets back quick enough, they can pick up where they left off– but he has to wait for the police to come. “I don't have change on me. Just call them yourself.”

Yeosang groans like it's such a chore, but Yunho can hear the sound of his phone dialing. He listens as Yeosang makes the call and then hangs up. All that's left to do is wait. 

“Why do people keep texting me? I don't even sign up for email notifications, how'd you get my number?” Yeosang complains after a little bit, swiping away whatever message came up on his phone.

Yunho's an extrovert, so naturally, he engaged in the conversation. “What was it? Porn bots?”

Yeosang gasps at Yunho's words, like he wasn't expecting Spiderman to be so vulgar. “N-no. It's a picture of some guy, can't really see who, but he's like, just doing work. Maybe it's an ad to study,” Yeosang shrugs, turning his phone to show Yunho the message.

As soon as he understands what it is, his blood runs cold. A second message appears that just says ‘for spiderman <3’. Yeosang spins the phone back towards himself, looking confusedly at the second message. “Spam’s getting weirder, huh?” Yeosang says awkwardly.

But Yunho can barely focus on the words he's saying. “I have to go. I have to go, you wait for the police. I have to go,” Yunho stutters, pushing open the door to the cornershop and starting to swing back to Mingi's dorm, ignoring Yeosang calling him to wait. That picture was of Mingi. Mingi, at his dorm, wearing the clothes that Yunho had just taken off of him with such care a little while ago, working on his study sheets for the five classes he's taking. Fuck. Someone knows. 

Someone fucking knows, because they must have stalked him or something and sent the photo, and they could also be behind the men at the cornershop pulling him away so they can get to Mingi–

Yunho's swinging as fast as he can, but he tries to go faster as his thoughts and heartbeat pick up. The window’s still open when he gets there, and Yunho sticks the landing inside. “Mingi?!” He yells, panic coloring his voice. If they got to Mingi, if they did something– he doesn't even fucking know who ‘they’ are! “Mingi, please, are you here?” Yunho fumbles with the doorknob that leads from Mingi's room into the small commonspace of his dorm room, but the door swings open right when he gets there.

“Yunho?” Mingi asks as he pulls open the door. Yunho immediately starts patting him down, feeling for injuries, feeling if he's real. He's dressed exactly like the picture. “Yunho, what's wrong? Are you– You're scaring me,” Mingi's voice waivers, and it brings Yunho back. 

“Mingi,” he whispers, his hands coming to a still by cupping his cheeks. “You're not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“No? Why? Is everything okay, did something happen?” Mingi asks worriedly, stepping closer to Yunho and resting a hand overtop one of Yunho's as a way of showing he's real.

“I–” Yunho doesn't know what to say. He doesn't want to scare him. Hey, Mingi, don't be alarmed, but there's probably someone stalking you because they want to get to me. No worries! I don't know who they are, so I can't help, but just thought you should know! Yeah. That's not going to work. Yunho's faced with the idea that he doesn't know how to keep Mingi safe. Breaking up never works in the comics, and it's not like he wants to, either. His anniversary is so close. 

He can't find any words to say anything to Mingi. Yunho pulls the mask off and tugs Mingi into his arms, and then the tears come. He cries much more easily than Mingi does, but he thinks that being faced with the possibility of his boyfriend and best friend dying and there's nothing he can do about it is a pretty good reason to cry. “Mingi, I don't know how to keep you safe, I don't know how–” he cries, hiding his face in Mingi's neck as he takes in gasping breaths through hiccuping sobs.

“It's okay, it's okay. I'm here, Yun, I'm not hurt, nothing's happened,” Mingi tells him, and Yunho doesn't even realize he began walking them backwards until Mingi's sitting them down carefully on the bed. Mingi's hands soothe through his hair and then down over the knobs of his spine, rubbing at his lower back in circles. “You already save me, Yunnie, you don't know it, but you do.”

“It's not the same– it's not the same. If– if we don't make it to our anniversary, it's because I love you,” Yunho sobs, clinging onto Mingi's shirt. 

“Don't you dare say that. I'm not giving up on us, so you can't either,” Mingi threatens him, but his voice cracks halfway through so it loses its edge. Mingi holds him close and tilts them until they fall onto their sides, lying down on the bed on top of the covers. “Just stay here with me. I've got you, Yunho. You're safe here, I'm safe here.”

It's not true. Yunho thinks of the picture of Mingi in the dorm sent to Yeosang's phone, and a wave of nausea rolls through him. He clings tighter to him and tries to take Mingi's words at surface level and tries not to drown in his stress. “Don't let go of me, Min.”

“I'm not going to,” Mingi promises him, lifting his hand to retrace the trail it blazed from his hair to his back. “Now just try and go to sleep. You need it, and I'll be here when you wake up.”

Yunho only opens his eyes a little bit to squint up at Mingi, who's already looking down at him. When he sees Yunho's eyes are open, he smiles. They'll make it to their anniversary. He's sure of it. He won't let anything like this night happen again, and if he breaks up with Mingi, he won't be close enough to save him when he needs it. 

Mingi shuffles them around slightly, pulling the covers up over Yunho and then getting out of bed. “Where are you going?” He asks quickly, because if he can't see Mingi, something might happen to him and–

“I'm just going to the bathroom, Yun. I promise you, I'll be back. I'll talk to you every step of the way,” Mingi says, locking his pinky with Yunho's and then tapping their thumbs together as a way to seal his promise. Yunho only relaxes slightly, just enough for Mingi to start slowly moving backwards.

True to his word, Mingi starts talking about nothing as he moves through the little dorm, always making sure Yunho can hear him. He comes back into the bedroom holding a little tube of something, a glass of water, and cotton swabs. He tosses them on the bed– except for the glass, he holds onto that– and then roots through his closet until he finds whatever it is he's looking for, and then he joins Yunho on the bed.

“What are you doing?” He asks, voice cracked from his crying earlier. Mingi's peeling the blanket off of him and then helping him sit up.

“Taking care of you, duh. Like I do when you get sick. Here, drink this. Crying dehydrates you like crazy,” Mingi says, voice quiet as he raises the glass to Yunho's mouth, holding a hand underneath in case he spills. He drinks until the glass is empty, and then Mingi sets it down on the bedside table.

“Thank you,” he croaks, feeling a bit better from the water and Mingi's attention. “I don't deserve you.”

Mingi's hands wrap around the hem of Yunho's spider shirt but hesitate when Yunho says that. “Don't be stupid,” is all Mingi manages to respond, resuming his task of cleaning up Yunho by pulling his shirt up. “I need to change your clothes, sorry for this,” Mingi apologises quickly, pushing Yunho's arms up over his head so he can slip the shirt off, followed by his pants, leaving him in just the boxers. Mingi saw them earlier today, anyway.

“It's true, though. You do so much for me– I feel like I don't do enough for you.” Yunho feels incredibly too vulnerable right now, feels like how he felt back in the first year of secondary all scrubbed raw.

Mingi picks up the tube he brought, placing a small bit of whatever's inside it on the cotton swab and running it over the bruise that's welling up on his side and around his jaw. “Even if that were true, why would it matter if you do stuff for me? I don't need anything in return. But you are doing stuff for me, so don't think you aren't,” Mingi's voice is surprisingly firm considering how gentle he's been all night. He leaves no room for argument, so Yunho just lets the conversation die, no matter how much he feels like Mingi's just saying that to make him feel better. “I love you so much, Yunho. Let me decide who I deserve and who I don't. There's nobody I want more than you, okay?”

Yunho's throat feels dry despite drinking the whole glass of water at Mingi's words. He squeezes his eyes shut and manages a nod, not watching as Mingi tosses the cotton swabs and begins redressing him in a baggy sweater and sweatpants that belong to Mingi, of course. 

“Now, come on, let's go to bed. You've had a long day, we can sleep in during the morning,” Mingi promises, getting in on the other side of Yunho, grabbing Yunho's arm to turn him over so his chest is to Mingi's back. He gets the hint, wrapping his arms around Mingi and holding him close, like he never wants him to leave. It's true. If he can just keep Mingi this close forever, nothing bad will happen to him. 

+

Yunho and Mingi meet in the first year of secondary. It's nearing exam time, and Yunho's going through it. He's the kind of guy who's got a bunch of friends but they're all school-friends, the kinds of people you sit with at lunch and in class but don't exchange numbers with and never seek out when you're not in school. He's been skipping, something he never used to do because he's a goody-two-shoes and afraid of authority to a fault, which means he hasn't been doing any of his homework, which means his grades transcript online is looking very shitty with not much time left in the school year to fix it.

Who can blame him, though? He's been living with his aunt since his parents went radio silent on their vacation. His aunt has been forging letters and handing them to him, saying they're writing him back, but he knows it's not them writing. They're gone, really gone, and he doesn't want to do his homework because of that. He thinks that's a fair reason to not want to do homework.

So, it's one of those rare days where Yunho's actually attending school because it had started to upset his aunt to see his downward spiral, and because it's exam season. He at least needs to show up for them, even if he's going to fail them. He sits away from his friends at lunch because being absent for so long somewhat ostracizes you naturally, poking at the sandwich made for him by his aunt. It's a sweet gesture, but he's not hungry. 

“Hey, you waiting on someone?” Some kid asks in a voice that's deeper than any kid should have at their age, sitting down right in front of him at the empty lunch table, backpack hitting the seat with a loud thunk. Yunho lifts his head to watch the guy sling his backpack off and pull it into his lap. 

“Doesn't look like you quite care,” Yunho shrugs, packing the uneaten sandwich back up in its tupperware.  

“You got that right. I noticed you've been absent–”

“I'm not going to tell you why–”

“--so I did your homework for you. You're gonna get a late penalty, sure, but a fifty’s better than a zero,” The guy finishes, fishing out a little file folder of paper from his backpack and handing it to him.

Yunho stares a bit slack-jawed at the guy. He takes the file like it might be toxic, flipping it open gingerly and– yeah, all these papers are for his classes. Even math, the class he was bound to fail, absences or not. “Uhh…”

“Don't worry. No need to pay me or anything. You don't owe me, either. Just thought I'd do something nice for someone who seems like they might need it,” the guy shrugs, zipping his backpack and slinging it back over his shoulder.

Yunho thumbs through the papers again in disbelief. At least with this, he may manage to scrape by with a 60, which would at least let him pass. “Wait, what's your name?” 

If the guy's offended that Yunho doesn't even know him after all he did, he doesn't show it. “I'm Mingi,” he grins. “If you need help with exams, well… I can't take them for you, but I can help. Let's be friends?”

It's the first kind of help he's gotten, so Yunho manages a nod. It's the least he can do. “Sure… Friends.”

When his aunt hears he's bringing a friend over, and when his aunt hears he's going out because he wants to bring his friend to a fancy steakhouse, she's the happiest he's seen her since he ended up stuck with her. It's worth it.

Yunho and Mingi meet in the first year of secondary, and Yunho's not fool enough to let go of him.

+

It's Wednesday, and it's his anniversary day with Mingi. It would've been better if it had fallen on a weekend, but it doesn't matter. Their dinner reservation is at seven, a bit after Mingi's last class ends for the day. He'd complained about having to wear his anniversary outfit the entire day since he'd have no time to change, so Yunho had spent all day in his. They'd gone out on Tuesday and rented fancy expensive tuxedos in matching shades. Yunho's into the idea of couples matching stuff, so he'd been pretty excited when Mingi proposed the idea.

He's currently standing in the bathroom, trying to get his bangs to lay in a way that'll look flattering on him when he notices the mask laying on the towel bar. Yunho hesitates for a moment, because he should come prepared, wear his suit under his clothes and tuck the mask into the breast pocket of his tux, but… He doesn't want to. He wants to spend this time with Mingi without being Spiderman. 

It's time for him to leave, anyway. Yunho still has to pick up Mingi. He doesn't get his bangs to lay the way he wants them to, and he doesn't pick up his suit on the way out. Things have been fine. The universe will give him this one day of respite. He deserves it.

He drives all the way to Mingi's dorm, a whopping three minute drive considering they both live on campus just in different buildings, honking the car horn old-fashioned style to draw Mingi out. It takes him a couple moments, but Mingi comes down with a dorky grin on his face. “You're early!” Mingi calls out, and when he gets closer, Yunho can see something shimmery catch the streetlamp light on his eyes and on his lips.

“Are you wearing makeup?” Yunho asks, throat feeling a bit dry, pushing open the driver door to get out and run over to open the passenger side for Mingi. 

“Well, Wooyoung told me I needed to do something different for our anniversary, so yeah. He did it for me. Do you like it?” Mingi asks, resting his chin in his palms like a flower.

“My hot, smart boyfriend is asking me if I like his makeup? Is answering ‘no’ even an option?” Yunho scoffs, grinning like a fool and leaning in to kiss Mingi– he's kind of curious if the lip gloss that's on his lips has a flavor.

Before he can bridge the gap, however, Mingi puts a hand on his chest, stopping him from getting closer. “Sorry, no kisses until the end of the night. I can't ruin the lip gloss since Wooyoung didn't give me the tube to reapply,” Mingi apologises but doesn't look the least bit sorry, sliding into the passenger seat and leaving him high and dry. That bastard. Yunho's so in love.

He gets back in on the driver's side, looking over at Mingi before he starts the car to just take him in. Yunho wishes he could stop time. He wants to stay like this for a little longer, just watching Mingi.

“What? Do I have something on my face? Is my makeup already messed up?” Mingi asks worriedly at Yunho's continued staring.

He must be smiling like an endeared fool, but he doesn't care. That's what he is, after all. “No, just looking. Admiring the view. Do I get to hold your hand, or does that have to wait until the end of our date, too?”

Mingi's smile mirrors his own. “I guess if you have to,” he says like it's a horrible chore but holds out his hand for Yunho to hold over the dash. He sets the car into drive and gets going. Mingi turns on some slow R&B track from his phone using the aux. “I love you, Yunho. Happy anniversary,” Mingi whispers suddenly, barely audible over the music. He doesn't get to see it, but despite Mingi's protests earlier, he raises their held hands to his lips and kisses Yunho's hand.

Yunho doesn't want to cry this early in the night, but he can feel his nose tingling like it always does before he starts crying. “Stop, you're going to make me emotional. Happy two years, my princess,” Yunho tries to keep his voice straight, but it shakes ever so slightly. 

“Don't start crying now,” Mingi laughs, squeezing Yunho’s hand. “If you're crying at our two year anniversary, you'll be in shambles at our tenth.”

“Tenth?” Yunho repeats. It's not like he's expecting them to break up, but he doesn't really think that far ahead into his future.

“Don't sound so surprised. I've got the whole rest of our lives planned out since the day I met you,” Mingi just casually drops this on him as if he's telling him it's nearing nighttime.

“Mingi, I–”

“But let's focus on the present. We're here now for our two years. And this restaurant is really good, so I'm excited.” Mingi doesn't let him get a word in about Mingi's apparent forever-plans with him, instead turning the music up louder when he's done talking. That's the end of that conversation, he guesses.

+

The restaurant, as Mingi said, is really good. It's not crazy expensive; it's one of those hole-in-the-walls that you can easily overlook but always serves the best kind of food. It's comfortable, too, with not a lot of customers on a Wednesday night, so the service is pretty quick. 

“We should apply for housing in the same dorm room next semester,” Mingi says after they give their orders to their waitress. Yunho chokes on the water he was drinking, having to cover his mouth with his hand to prevent from doing a spit take.

“What?” Yunho wipes the water from his mouth with his hand, staring at Mingi. He looks shy and very interested in opening his pair of wooden chopsticks. “Like… moving in?”

“You don't have to. We might not get it, even if we apply. I was just thinking, we live within three minutes of each other. Why not just move in together?” Mingi hums, and Yunho can tell he's feigning nonchalance by the way Mingi can't make eye contact with him.

Yunho reaches out over the table to grab Mingi's hands from messing with his chopsticks further, holding them in both of his. “Princess. I'll do everything with you. We'll talk about the specifics more, later, okay? Let's enjoy tonight,” Yunho says, squeezing Mingi's hands. Mingi nods, lifting his gaze back to Yunho.

“So, have you met your supervillain antithesis yet?” Mingi asks with a cheeky smile.

“You shouldn't talk about that here,” Yunho rolls his eyes at Mingi's antics, but nevertheless answers him. “No, I haven't. If I had, it would be all over the news,” He tells him, because it's true. Even Yunho's small scale stints make the headlines. It's how those guys probably knew to keep robbing poor Yeosang’s cornershop, but that's neither here nor there. Yunho, as much as he loves being Spiderman, doesn't really want to talk about it with Mingi. So, he switches the conversation. “Is it hot in here?” He asks, which, okay, is not the smoothest segue, but it's also true. Yunho feels like he's overheating, loosening at his tie with one hand.

Mingi's eyes follow the movement, and then when he looks back at Yunho, his gaze is charged with something. “No? Are you teasing me right now?”

“No! It's just– nevermind,” Yunho shakes his head. He's only hot because he's not used to wearing a full tuxedo. That's it, surely. Mingi gives him a weird look but lets the conversation drop since the waitress is coming by with their food.

“Are you two engaged?” She asks in a sweet tone, placing the food on the table, and the thought of being engaged to Mingi has him running even hotter under the collar.

“No!”

“No, but soon,” Mingi says at the same time, looking over at Yunho with such fondness. “It's our two year anniversary.”

“That's so cute, I just got engaged myself!” The waitress smiles, holding out her hand to the two of them and wiggling her fingers to show off the ring. “Isn't it gorgeous?”

Yunho leans over to get a good look, and yep, it is beautiful. It's got a diamond in the centerpiece and then the band has a bunch of smaller, encrusted diamonds in it. It must have been incredibly expensive. “Wow, your fiancée must be really lucky,” And rich, Yunho murmurs in astonishment, trying to guesstimate the price of the ring in his head. 

“I always feel like I’m the lucky one. But thank you for indulging me, I won't hold you two up on your date any longer. Happy anniversary!” She smiles and walks away, and when Yunho turns back to Mingi, he's already looking at him.

“When we get engaged, you're going to have to wait for the ring. Wow, diamonds. So expensive,” Mingi says, clearly on the same page as Yunho about the price. What catches him off-guard, though it really shouldn't anymore, is how matter-of-fact Mingi is about their relationship’s future. 

“I'll be the one proposing to you first. You're going to have to wait for the ring,” Yunho tells him, digging his chopsticks into the meat he ordered. It's delicious, and his conversation with Mingi ends because the two of them are too busy eating to talk. It's always like this with them; Mingi loves talking before the food is served, but will go quiet when it is because if he talks while eating, it'll take him even longer. Yunho's assured him at least a thousand times that it doesn't matter to him how slow he takes to eat, but Mingi's stubborn. 

He doesn't even feel the heat that he was complaining of until halfway through his meal, when it flares up like a firework inside of him. He's definitely sweating under his collar, and the sweat collecting beneath the fabric is making his skin crawl. His phone pings, and even though it's bad table manners, he pulls it out to check. It's a breaking news article about some government break-in and Yunho clocks why he's been feeling so hot the whole time. His spider senses. Fuck. Fucking hell, he can't just have one good dinner with his boyfriend? It's his anniversary! And he can't urge Mingi to eat faster because he already established it doesn't matter how slow Mingi eats, but he can't just leave Mingi on his–

“What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost,” Mingi asks him, so he must look seriously bad if Mingi stopped eating to talk to him. 

“Nothing! It's nothing! I've gotta– well, it was my aunt,” he lies. Mingi's face immediately crumples into sympathy, reaching across the table to grab one of Yunho's hands and squeeze it. 

“Oh, Yunnie, is everything okay?” Mingi looks so concerned, and the guilt settles in hard and heavy. Fuck. His grip on his phone is deathly white, and every second he waits in this booth, it feels like he's getting burned. 

“Um, I don't know. I have to– I have to call her. I'm going to take the call outside, okay? I'll be back. You just stay here and finish your food, and I'll be back. Ten minutes, tops,” Yunho promises, standing up. He has to drive back to his dorm and get his spider suit. That alone would take ten minutes. Fuck. He's screwed. Yunho doesn't want to tell Mingi the truth because Mingi might want to follow him towards the danger– he's stubborn like that– and because he'll be safe in the restaurant. There's eyewitnesses everywhere, and no villain would try something in a place with a bunch of witnesses.

“Take as much time as you need, okay? If you need me, I'll be here. I love you. We'll get through this,” Mingi assures him and now it's not just his spider senses that feel like they're burning him alive, it's also the guilt.

“Of course, yes. Ten minutes,” Yunho says, practically rushing out the door and to the car. He doesn't even realize he didn't say ‘I love you’ back. 

+

Mingi taps his fingers on the table, phone upturned in case he gets a text from Yunho's aunt as well. It's been more than ten minutes and by now, he's finished his food. Yunho's is going cold. It seemed important though, and despite Mingi's every instinct telling him to go outside and check up on Yunho, he knows Yunho values his privacy. If he wants to tell him what's up with his aunt, he will.

“Is everything okay over here?” The waitress from before who had shown them her engagement ring asks, looking a bit concerned. Probably because Mingi's been sitting here for fifteen minutes alone.

“Yes, yes, I'm fine. He's just taking a call outside,” Mingi smiles, trying to assure the lady that he didn't just get dumped by his boyfriend of two years and best friend of many more. 

“Oh, but–” The waitress looks conflicted, turning to the side and craning her neck to look somewhere. “There's no one outside the restaurant, sir.”

Huh. “Are you sure?” Mingi asks, even as dread settles in his gut. He stands up, following the waitress to the door with reluctance. Was it because Mingi brought up moving in? Did Yunho panic on him and leave and this is it for them? Oh God, Yunho was saying stuff about breaking up before their anniversary and– 

“There's no one out here,” The waitress says and sympathy drips from her voice. Yunho's car is gone too. Okay, Mingi, let's think rationally about this. There was something on Yunho's phone that he saw that made him all pale and scared. It was his aunt. Unless Yunho lied? God, what if Yunho was cheating? Mingi forces that thought away because Yunho's always told him how much he hates cheating, that he would just break up with the person. Yunho would never.

“Can I get the check?” Mingi asks through all his muddling thoughts trying to make sense of the situation. It's their fucking anniversary, and Yunho's left him without a word as to where he's gone. 

“Don't worry, I'll cover it for you. I'm sorry this happened.” The waitress looks down at him in pity. At least he got a free dinner. 

Mingi's shoulders slump forward, pressing his hands to his eyes that are starting to water up. He can't tell if Yunho was lying about his aunt or something, and either way, it hurts. If it had been so bad that he needed to drop everything and head back to his aunt’s, couldn't he have at least told Mingi that much? “Thank you,” he manages to say to the waitress, going back to his table to grab his phone and then leaving. What's the point? 

When he turns his phone on, the screen is blurry from the tears in his eyes, so he scrubs them away to leave a few mean-spirited texts in his and Yunho's messages. He's pissed off. He was just abandoned on his fucking anniversary.

20:54 Mingi

lol

i waited nearly 20 mins and the waitress comes over to ask if im okay

i tell her “oh no it's fine he's just outside!”

turns out there wasn't anyone outside

whyd you lie???

you didn't even tell me you loved me back?

i don't even care

im going home btw

It doesn't make him feel any better. Yunho's probably with his aunt, trying to help her through something. Fuck. He deletes all the messages and opens his texts with Wooyoung instead.

21:01 Mingi

are you at the dorm?

21:01 Wooyoung

are you sexiling me rn

21:03 Mingi

no stay there

can you put on a movie

ima be there in like

20

21:03 Wooyoung

aren't you on a date w yunho??

21:03 Mingi

not anymore

walking home rn

21:04 Wooyoung

WHAT

WHAT HAPPENED?

do you need a ride??

21:05 Mingi

talk about it later?

and no im okay

just get up a good movie for us

21:05 Wooyoung

you got it mangi

im the best at curing heartache

Talking to Wooyoung made him feel just a little bit better. Him and Wooyoung only became friends out of circumstance, being that they're roommates, but he wouldn't change their friendship for the world. Mingi shuts his phone off all the way, putting it in the breast pocket of his suit. So much for the makeup Wooyoung had spent so long on. He doesn't want to assume the worst of Yunho, though. He just needs a bit of Wooyoung cuddles and a movie, and everything will be fine.

Walking in the dark home is a bit scary, but the cool air helps dry the tears in his eyes, though he's not really looking where he's going. He has the route home memorized, so he can just let muscle memory kick in. There's not a lot of people on the sidewalks for him to bump into or bear witness to his crying, since nightlife isn't a huge part of the culture where he lives. 

It's all fine. He doesn't know how far he gets when he's yanked into a side alley. He's wide awake now, his first instinct to shriek, but there's a hand on his mouth, fingertips pressing hard enough into his cheeks to bruise, and someone tying up his wrists, and then whispered into his ear are the words, “I’m sure Spiderman would love to see you.”

Mingi's eyes widen, and now he realizes. Yunho must have gotten dragged away for Spiderman duties– but why couldn't he tell him? Mingi would've helped him, or something. He thrashes against whatever's holding his wrists in place, probably a zip tie, trying to do something at least. “Don't struggle, don't struggle,” The person who pulled him away coos into his ear. “Your boyfriend wouldn't want to see you hurt.”

Mingi tries not to listen to what he's saying, but his heart rate is picking up from fear and he can tell his blood pressure is rising. He's practically hyperventilating against the man’s hand, feet scrabbling against the pavement to try and break free, but the man has a surprisingly good hold.

“Just stay still until we get to the city center, okay? You'll get to see your boyfriend there, too,” the man simpers, pulling them back further into the alley where Mingi can start to hear the dull hum of a car engine running.

Fuck. He's book-smart in all the ways that matter– aces his classes and aces other people's classes for them– but he knows nothing about what to do in the situation he's found himself in. 

+

It's weird. That burning, skin crawling feeling he gets before he has to go be Spiderman usually goes away when he arrives on scene. Now, though? It doesn't leave him. It follows him like a dog with every movement he makes across the city center, tracking down the criminal he's supposed to catch. It makes everything feel wrong. It makes him feel like the zigzags he's doing across rooftops is wrong, and that he's chasing the wrong enemy. 

The criminal stops for a moment after coming face to face with a dead end brick wall, turning around to face Yunho with his arms spread open. Yunho doesn't miss the opportunity, shooting a web at his outstretched hand with enough force that it pushes his hand backwards until it's stuck to the wall in a mess of webs. “Feeling like something is off, Spiderman?” The criminal cackles, clearly not caring that Yunho just caught him and the threat is over.

“I'm moreso feeling like I just won this chase,” He grunts, spinning webs around the guy’s legs, so he can't move them. “You didn't even fight. I left for this?” Yunho's in near disbelief that he ditched out on Mingi for this. Mingi, who must still be sitting patiently at the restaurant even though it's been over the ten minutes Yunho had promised. But at least he's safe inside there. 

“You're not nearly as good at your job as the Spidermen in the comics,” he taunts, so Yunho shoots a web onto his mouth to shut him up. He doesn't care. His body is still burning from his spider senses going off the whole entire fight. Literally, he just apprehended the guy! He'd apparently stolen something top secret from one of the major labs in the city center and replaced it with a forgery, so all Yunho needs to do now is take the real documents back. 

He uses a web to grab the item out of the guy's pocket, pulling it towards him. It's a folded up wad of papers. Yunho doesn't really care. He just does his job as Spiderman. “Well, the police will pick you up soon. Don't move,” Yunho grins, since it's impossible for the guy to even do so with how he'd been restrained to the wall. He doesn't bother sparing him a second glance as he swings back to the city center where the police are gathered. 

His senses are still going haywire, every centimeter of his body feeling incredibly uncomfortable, like he's wearing someone else's skin. It only gets worse as he gets closer. Maybe he grabbed the wrong thing? He stops on a rooftop to check the papers he grabbed out of the guy’s pocket, unfolding them. On the back is the government's seal, so he's pretty sure he grabbed the right thing. He shrugs, holding it in one hand and continuing his path back to the city center with the other. If he makes it back quick enough, he can get back to his date with Mingi.

Yunho drops to his feet in the classic Spiderman pose in the city center, hurrying to the nearest police officer and handing them the paper. “I left the guy in an alley on 117th Street, you'll be able to find him. Here's the real documents. I've gotta go,” Yunho says quickly, already aiming his web shot when the officer places a hand on his shoulder.

“Hold on, these aren't the right papers.”

“What? But it was all he had on him. Please, I've gotta go,” Yunho all but begs the officer. “You can frisk him in the alley–” he starts, but then the papers are being pressed into his chest and Yunho's forced to read them. It's an address, and then the letters ‘SMG’.

+

Mingi doesn't stop struggling against the restraints he's in, even when they bring him to wherever they're taking him. At least they didn't gag him. Small mercies. “You assholes. Couldn't you have picked any other day for this to happen?” He kicks at the driver's seat from where he's seated in the back, trying to be as annoying as he can. Maybe they'll kick him out. “Or at least turn up the radio. God, this car ride is taking forever!”

“Holy hell, shut the fuck up,” the guy in the passenger, or the person who had restrained him originally, yells. He's turned to face him in the backseat, glaring daggers.

“Who, me? If you turned the radio on, I'd be much less annoying. I can't stand silences, you know,” Mingi grins, enjoying the way he's pissing them off even if he's scared out of his wits. It's the only thing he could think of doing, and his words aren't even too far from the truth. If it goes quiet, Mingi will start overthinking. He's absolutely fucking terrified, but the longer he can pretend like it's not bothering him, the better.

“Just turn the damn radio on,” the driver groans. “And stop kicking my damn chair, how old are you, seriously?” 

The radio crackles on to some random news station, so Mingi gracefully stops his kicking. He resumes it against the passenger seat.

“This isn't fucking worth it,” the passenger groans, dragging his hands down his face. Mingi laughs, but it cuts off into a panicked shriek when something hits the top of the car he's in.

“What was that?!” The passenger sits up, looking over at the driver who seems similarly spooked. 

“I don't know– Oh, holy mother of fuck!” The driver jerks the wheel hard to the side, and Mingi, who'd been sitting against the window, groans when his head hits the door. He can't see what the driver is seeing, but the passenger screams and leans over the dash to grab the wheel and turn it the other way. Mingi's ears ring and his vision is unfocused from the whiplash, but he can make out a blur of red and blue pressing on the windshield. 

“Hey guys, I think you have something of mine in there!”

+

Yunho had never swung to a location as fast as he had after seeing that letter. Mingi was supposed to be safe at the restaurant. He doesn't have time to think about it, though, as he sees the lone car driving towards the location on the letter. Yunho shoots a web into their back two tires and lands on top of the car, struggling to hold on as it swerves. He's fucking exhausted, could nap for days , but Mingi's in this car, and he won't let these guys do anything to him.

He leans over the windshield, waving at the two shell-shocked guys in the driver's and passengers, yelling, “Hey, I think you have something of mine in there!” and pointing to Mingi in the backseat. He looks– well, Wooyoung must have put mascara on his eyelashes because there's faint gray tracks going down his face, and his lipgloss is smudged up his cheek, but what alarms him the most is the jarring line of blood dripping from his forehead. Fuck. 

The car is slowing down, thanks to the webs he'd shot at the tires, but Yunho needs to do something more. He'd web their windshield, but if they crash with Mingi… He can't risk it. Yunho leans over the passenger side, slamming his foot into the tempered glass until it shatters (thank you, super strength granted by spider bite). The man inside shrieks, covering his face as the glass falls in. The driver is yelling, too, continuing to swerve the car to try and shake Yunho off, but it doesn't work, especially because they're slowing down quicker now that the tires in the front are jammed as well. The smell of melting rubber burns his nose from the tires’ friction against the road. 

He tries not to look back at Mingi in the backseat, but he hears him groan over the yelling of the two men and looks back. He looks so out of it, head slumped forward and eyes closed. The beginnings of bruises in little fingertip shapes are forming on Mingi's cheek. Fuck. Mingi's always been a scaredy cat, he can't imagine how afraid he must've been–

The passenger makes great use of Yunho’s distraction, pulling a leg up to kick him away from the window. Yunho groans, tasting copper in his mouth, but manages to fold his body into a ball so he rolls safely away when he hits the ground. The car’s nearly fully stopped at this point, which means he can catch up quickly. “Where are your manners? I just wanted a lift!” He quips in true Spiderman fashion, pulling himself back to a standing position despite how his muscles ache from the hit and chasing after the car. 

“Fuck you, Spiderman!” The guy calls, flipping him the bird through the broken window. Yunho just scoffs at the crudity, shooting a web out to catch on the door lock, pulling it up and tugging which makes the door slam open.

“Hope your car wasn't expensive! The police are already at your hideout! Give it up, already!” Yunho yells, catching up to the now-stopped car, tugging the passenger out and shooting way too many webs on him to restrain him against the ground. It's excessive, but these guys kidnapped Mingi. His Mingi. 

It's easy after that to get the driver in a similar fashion, webbing him to the ground. Yunho doesn't waste time with taunting them, though. Instead, he's pulling open the door to the backseat, carefully pulling Mingi into his arms. He's out cold, blood still dripping from his forehead and down his neck, staining the white collar of his shirt. His wrists are bloody from where he must've been struggling against the zipties cutting into his skin. Yunho doesn't even realize he's crying until he's crumpled on the road with Mingi in his lap. “Oh, baby. Baby, I'm so sorry. I should– I didn't keep you safe–” He chokes, pressing his forehead into Mingi's, not caring that the two guys he just apprehended are right there. 

He doesn't think he could even explain the feeling of seeing Mingi in that backseat, of seeing Mingi's initials in that letter, of seeing Mingi right now, passed out in his arms. “Wake up, please,” Yunho shakes him in his hold, but stops immediately after he sees the way Mingi's head shakes uselessly with his body. It's a gross sight, seeing Mingi’s body limp like a ragdoll. Yunho squeezes his eyes shut, glad that the mask hides how he's crying. What a great way to spend our two year anniversary , Yunho thinks bitterly, burying his face in Mingi's coat jacket. He's still got his mask on, but being close to him like this brings him comfort. 

Yunho barely hears the police sirens until they're right next to him, peeling the apprehended men off the pavement and pulling Yunho to his feet with Mingi. They tell him they're going to get him to the hospital, and that he needs to let go. Yunho knows he should, because staying here with Mingi is practically giving away their relationship, but he doesn't let go until they tug his hands off Mingi and haul Mingi into the police car. 

Yunho watches them drive off, sirens turned off now that the criminals and injured have been taken in. Fuck.

+

Yunho picks up Mingi from the ER after he'd gotten changed back into actual clothes and not his Spiderman gear. He's not concussed, just minor lacerations to the wrists and forehead, which he knew already. He's glad it's not worse. He shouldn't have fucking left the restaurant, should have stayed with him. But it's in the past. He can't change it. When he sees Mingi enter the waiting room, he's on his feet and hugging him almost immediately. “God, Mingi, I'm so sorry. Baby, I'm so sorry.”

He hugs Mingi tight, arms wrapped around him until his grip is white. Yunho doesn't realize it at first, but then he can feel Mingi's chest shuddering with each inhale, and he can feel his shoulders shake, and it clicks. Mingi's crying. He never cries, but he is now. He remembers seeing Mingi's mascara in streaks down his face just hours before. They're making a scene in the middle of the waiting room, but he doesn't care. “Baby, don't cry. I got you. You're okay.”

“I was so scared,” Mingi sniffles, digging his fingers into Yunho's shoulder blades. 

“It's okay, they've been arrested. It's not gonna happen again–”

“No! I was scared that you ghosted me on our anniversary, you dumbass!” Mingi slaps his shoulder, pulling away from the hug. There's a shaky smile on his face, and Yunho can't believe he's making jokes in this situation, but he's grateful for it. 

“I just didn't want you getting involved in case it was something big. And all our time was cut short because of me being… I wanted one night where it wouldn't tear us apart,” Yunho whispers, leading him out of the waiting room where everyone's looking at them in order to have the conversation outside, where they can have a little bit of privacy. 

“I guess we'll just have to redo our anniversary night,” Mingi says, facing him. Yunho cups Mingi's face in his hands, running his thumb over the bruises left by Mingi's assailant.

Yunho drinks in Mingi's appearance. He's still in his suit; he hadn't had time to change. The collar is still stained with his blood, but his face and neck has been cleaned up, makeup included. “I wish I had gotten there earlier.”

“Can't change what happened now. Just, please. Next time, tell me. I really don't mind. You're a superhero. Your priority is to save the world,” Mingi tells him, placing his hand over the one Yunho's using to trace his bruises. 

“Mingi, you are the world. To me, you are. If I'm not saving you, what's the point?” Yunho confesses, feeling just as vulnerable as he was during that night in Mingi's bedroom.

Mingi stares at him after he says that, frozen solid. “Yunho, I love you so much. Take me home.”

His face breaks out into a grin, moving the hand that Mingi's not holding to cup the back of his neck and bring him in for a kiss. Yunho lets himself be surrounded by Mingi, wants to swallow him whole and keep him safe inside him forever. Yunho gave Mingi his heart a long time ago, and Mingi's been keeping it safe for him. Yunho should keep Mingi's safe, as well.

“I love you, too. Maybe you can explain to me why I have twenty texts from Wooyoung calling me curse words in three different languages and telling me I don't deserve you on the way home,” Yunho jokes when they pull apart, but Mingi's eyes go wide.

“Oh my God, Wooyoung!” Mingi whisper yells, tugging Yunho to his car. “I forgot to tell him. He was waiting for me all night. He probably thinks I died!”

“Well, you did get kidnapped,” Yunho points out, pulling open the passenger door for Mingi like he always does. Before he can close it behind Mingi, though, he's being dragged down by the collar of his shirt to face him sitting in the car. 

He thinks Mingi's going to yell at him for bringing it up, but he just presses a harsh kiss into his lips and lets him go. “Hurry up and drive, Yunho. Our anniversary do-over starts today!”