Archive of Our Own

What was the way to the dorms again? Shun stopped at a fork in the sidewalk, pulling up his Spider-Man mask to rest above his brow line. Tokyo was a labyrinth on a good day. The tiny eye holes in the mask made navigating the city impossible. Shun tried to recall what the surroundings looked like on his walk from the dorms to the park. He definitely passed a skyscraper on his way to the park. Shun observed both of the paths in front of him. Two skyscrapers towered over both walkways. In fact, he was surrounded by gigantic buildings on all sides. Curse Tokyo and its identical towers! It must've been built like this on purpose to confuse the mighty Jet Black Spider, but fear not! Shun wasn't going let something as simple as directions defeat him. Shun bit his lip as he debated between the two paths. The right path was shrouded in darkness and emitted the strong stench of garbage. The left path was open with neat shrubbery lining both sides. Some sort of sign displaying his college's logo was bit farther down the path.

After taking in the details, Shun sighed in relief. The correct path was obvious! Shun entered into the darkness of the right path.

Shun held the straps of his backpack tightly as he walked through the alleyway. The walls were both covered in frightening graffiti. It was all deep blood reds, cautionary yellows, and stark black outlines, but Shun wasn't afraid. The strange scrapping noises echoing down the alley didn't give him full body chills at all! Fear was a foreign sensation to the mighty Jet Black Spider!

Shun forced his thoughts from his environment, thinking back to the abundance of footage he had filmed in the park with his new spider suit. Any Spider-Man content drowned in likes and views. He was bound to go viral. Maybe the Jet Black Spider could become as recognizable as the real Spider-Man. A wide grin unconsciously spread across his face as his fantasy vividly played out in his head. He was so distracted by it, he failed to notice the intimidating figures gathered at the end of the alley.

"Hey, Dollar-Store Man, you gotta pay a toll to get through here." A deep voice heckled.

Shun stopped dead in his tracks, heat rushing to his face at the nickname. So what his costume was an off-color, ill-fitting rendition of the real thing? Everyone had to start somewhere. The rest of the stranger’s words registered to Shun, and his embarrassment was immediately replaced with terror. The three tall, muscular strangers stalked over to him, blocking him in from all sides. He had walked right into a shakedown. Shun's mind retreated to his fantasies once more.

Underestimating the Jet Black Spider was the biggest mistake of their lives. It only took one punch to take all three of them down. He stood tall over their broken bodies as they threw all the cash they had at his feet in the hopes he would leave, begging him to allow them to walk free. Just as he dialed to report the three helpless criminals to the police, one of them mentioned they were owed a favor by a very influential figure. Shun agreed to keep law enforcement uninvolved in their encounter on the conditions that they stopped doing shakedowns, and the aforementioned influential figure gave the Jet Black Spider a mention. From there, his fame skyrocketed. He and Spider-Man made fast friends, and they received the keys to the city together in a city-wide ceremony. Then, when the sun set and the cacophony of red and blue fireworks filling the sky echoed over the city, Spider-Man sneaked him into his secret lair where the two of them were all alone. In the solitude, they…

…held hands.

One of the delinquents grabbed Shun by the shoulders and ripped his backpack from him. Shun whipped around and attempted to seize his bag.

"Give that back." Shun said.

"Let go, or I'll split your skull." The delinquent gripping his bag threatened.

Shun instantly let go and put his hands up to emphasize how he was no where near the thing.

"Right, what was I thinking? That backpacks totally yours, sir!" Shun squeaked out an octave higher than his normal voice.

Shun watched still as a statue as the three men dug through his bag, throwing items they were uninterested in carelessly to the ground. Shun grimaced as each of his rental textbooks landed page down on the ground, creasing and dirtying the delicate paper.

"There's no wallet. It must be on him."

Shit.

The three of them returned their attention onto him. Shun took a couple of steps backward until he was forcibly stopped by the wall.

"You must think you're real funny making us waste our time with that bag of yours." One of them said as he withdrew a pocket knife. "We ought to waste yours with a hospital trip. Hand over the wallet."

Shun wanted to comply, but he had forgotten his wallet this morning on his nightstand. The three delinquents were far too riled up to ever believe that. The man with the knife crept closer, and Shun uttered whatever unfiltered nonsense came to mind in a fragile tone.

Shun felt something wrap around his bicep and harshly tug. He was rag-dolled through the air towards the entrance of the alleyway at an alarmingly high speed. His impossible flight ended by a pair of well-toned arms catching him.

"Nice outfit. I swear I've seen that design somewhere before." A familiar charismatic voice said.

Spider-Man was here. Spider-Man was rescuing him. In the blink of an eye, Spider-Man was back in action. Shun struggled to breathe due to his amazement. He'd seen every low-quality video the internet had to offer of Spider-Man making his rounds about the city, protecting the innocent. It was a million times cooler when it was unfolding right before his eyes. Soon enough, the three men were firmly adhered to the wall with webs. Shun was astonished by Spider-Man's timely appearance and forgot pay attention to the specifics of the confrontation.

Spider-Man used his webbing to gather up all of Shun's belongings and stuffed them into his backpack. He tossed the bag to Shun, who nearly failed to stick his arms out in time to catch it.

"See you around." Spider-Man called as he began to effortlessly scale the wall.

Shun later realized he hadn't managed to speak a single word to Spider-Man. That was his chance, and he wasted it.

—

Shun's heart beat rapidly as he reached the library's second floor. No, it wasn't because of the single flight of stairs! He had important business to attend to, and he was simply anxious to begin his work like the sensible and responsible guy he was. Shun turned the corner to go to his usual study spot. Said study spot was a table shielded by two bookshelves, making the nook feel secluded. Shun ducked behind the bookshelves, and his face broke out into a violent flush when he saw who was sitting there.

Kuboyasu Aren.

He sat at the table hunched over a beat up binder, scribbling something in the margins of the ruled paper. Shun took in his black t-shirt with an unbuttoned purple flannel layered over it. Kuboyasu was breathtaking no matter what, but each time Shun saw him in purple, it never failed to blow him away like he was catching a glimpse of Kuboyasu for the first time all over again. Shun had hoped he'd find him here. Kuboyasu was the only thing on his mind on the walk over.

A few months ago, the library had been packed with students studying for their midterms, forcing Shun to share this study space with Kuboyasu. The mutual crushing weight of stress over their grades was a great icebreaker, leading to the two of them choosing to continue to share this study space regardless of the availability of other tables. They didn't see each other outside of the library, but Shun wanted to. Kuboyasu and his nerdy rectangular glasses had Shun smitten. Kuboyasu was Shun's motivation for maintaining his rigorous study habits his mother forced him to follow in high school. He liked sitting with Kuboyasu even if it meant rereading the most mind-numbing sections of his textbooks.

Shun sat across from him, dropping his backpack to the floor beside his feet. Kuboyasu looked up at the racket. A wide smile appeared on his face. Shun couldn't do anything but return his smile equally as wide. He noticed Kuboyasu had switched out his spider bite piercing from silver studs to thin silver rings that hugged the left side of his bottom lip perfectly. Shun found the piercing to be insanely attractive.

"What's up?" Kuboyasu greeted.

Shun became aware of the fact he was unabashedly staring at Kuboyasu's lips, causing his face to grow hot again.

"Hi." Shun replied unreasonably quick.

Kuboyasu chuckled. Shun plucked his notebook from his bag to give himself something to do. Truth be told, he had nothing to study. He came here because he knew Kuboyasu was normally at the library around this time, and he wanted to try his luck. He was going to look stupid if he simply wrote in his notebook. He needed to find a book he could pretend to be taking notes from. Shun got up from his seat and scanned the bookshelves for a book that appeared convincingly studious. He spotted one seeming intellectual enough on the tallest shelf, admittedly, well out of his reach. The Jet Black Spider could've used his abilities to easily grab the book, but he couldn't go revealing his true identity to Kuboyasu. His fruitless attempts at jumping to reach the book were simply a trick to ensure Kuboyasu wasn't suspicious of him.

"Which book do you want?" Kuboyasu said suddenly right behind him.

The hairs on the back of Shun's neck stood on end. If Kuboyasu was the same height as him, Shun would've surely felt his breath on the back of his neck. Shun kept his body completely still and turned his head to address him. Shun had to crane his neck upwards due to how close Kuboyasu was. If he was any closer, he'd be pinning Shun to the bookshelf. Shun blushed and turned around towards the shelf.

"That red one." Shun barely got out.

Kuboyasu reached up to grab the book from behind Shun, resulting in Shun's back being pressed against Kuboyasu's chest for a minuscule moment. Shun's breath caught in his throat, and he was immediately reminded of landing in Spider-Man's arms yesterday. Shun's eyes traced the length of Kuboyasu's arm retrieving the book, noting he was quite muscular.

"Here you are." Kuboyasu said in a casual tone, passing him the book.

Shun swore there was a teasing glint in his eyes as he said it. Kuboyasu's hand lingered on the book for minutely longer than necessary before he let go and dropped his arm.

"Thanks."

They both returned to their table and got back to work, or Kuboyasu got back to work. Shun opened the book to a random page and ignored it in favor of jotting down new ideas he had come up with in the shower for Dark Reunion's ploys against the Jet Black Wings. He stopped walking around claiming he had the Black Beat stored beneath red bandages on his arm. Instead, he forced the hours upon hours of his daydreams to make him some money by turning them into an actual storyboard for a manga he hoped to create. It was payback for the countless amount of times he fumbled socially in high school. To be honest, he wasn't really all any better. His creativity still had an iron grip on him. He now fantasized about having spider powers and fighting heroically alongside Spider-Man. Shun felt he couldn't be blamed for it this time though. Spider-Man's existence proved superhuman abilities were real. How could he develop into a socially adept human being when the possibility of gaining super powers was no longer zero?

"What are you working on?" Kuboyasu asked.

Shun's cheeks went pink. He had gone through many strenuous efforts to make himself look smart in front of Kuboyasu, and now he chose to ask what he was working on when it was nothing related to academics. Shun still wouldn't give up a chance to talk about Dark Reunion after all this time.

"It's not actually an assignment. It's a manga idea I came up with years ago. It's about this evil organization called Dark Reunion doing everything they can stop the hero—the Jet Black Wings who's been reincarnated as a high school student forced to conceal his powers to blend in with his classmates. It's only when night rolls around that he uses his powers freely to try and stop Dark Reunion from uncovering his new identity. It's-" Shun realized he was probably saying way too much. "Uh, yeah."

Most people, by now, would be looking at him with clouded eyes due to his information dump, but Kuboyasu remained plenty engaged in the conversation.

"So, he's kinda like Spider-Man? Normal guy by day ass-kicker by night."

Shun was delighted over the fact Kuboyasu seemed to be interested enough to make his own comparison.

"There's a lot more to it, but the Jet Black Wings starts out that way."

"Sounds cool." Kuboyasu said earnestly.

Shun's heart beat sped up at the compliment. He wanted to keep the conversation going and hopefully learn more about Kuboyasu.

"What class are you working on?" Shun asked.

Kuboyasu chuckled nervously as he glanced down at his binder.

"I was supposed to be studying my history notes, but…"

Kuboyasu held his binder up for Shun to see. The margins of his notes were overflowing with sketches of various things. He managed to pick out a drawing of Spider-Man's mask, and a drawing of a guy with unruly hair similar to Shun's. The drawings were absent-minded sketches, but Shun was awestruck nonetheless. He wouldn't be surprised if Kuboyasu won an art contest with his history notes. There was quite a funny—and simultaneously artistic—contrast between Kuboyasu's messy handwriting and the clean lines of his drawings.

"That's awesome. Are you an artist?"

"You think so? I don't do anything official like contests. I only got into art about a year ago. I've never been good with words. I always preferred to speak with my actions and making art is exactly that."

Shun glanced up from the drawings to see Kuboyasu's staring into the middle distance. He blinked, returning himself to the present with a building look of mischief.

"You'll need an artist for your manga, right? I could be your man." Kuboyasu joked.

Shun wrung his hands underneath the table, involuntarily imagining Kuboyasu offering to be his man in a different context.

"I do need one. It wouldn't be half bad to have someone to bounce my ideas off of."

Shun knew Kuboyasu was kidding with him, but once Shun had an idea lodged in his head, it wasn't going anywhere.

He and Kuboyasu sat on the floor in Shun's dorm. Papers filled with scribbled concepts and developing ideas scattered over every surface like they had intended for the place to look as if it was covered in fake snow. The two of them sat a hair too close to be platonic, simultaneously reaching for the same pen. Their fingers brushed, and Kuboyasu stuttered out nervous apologies while Shun remained as nonchalant as always. Shun allowed Kuboyasu to take the pen and casually shot a web across the room to grab a spare pen that lay on his desk. Kuboyasu was up on his feet in an instant fangirling over the fact Shun was the one and only Jet Black Spider. Shun humbly took in Kuboyasu's many compliments and assured him his excitement was a completely normal reaction. Kuboyasu then asked why Shun trusted him with such a secret, and Shun charmingly remarked that Kuboyasu was special. Next, Shun reached out to the bashful Kuboyasu's hand and…

…slotted their fingers together.

"I've never tried making someone else's actions into anything before. What does the Jet Black Wings look like?"

Kuboyasu flipped to blank page and glanced at him expectantly. Shun had never found anyone to be this achingly attractive in his entire life.

—

"The world is finally starting to recognize the Jet Black Spider. It's the only explanation for my good fortune. Look at it, Saiki. I'm famous." Shun exclaimed over the chatter in Cafe Mami.

Shun shoved his phone screen in front of Saiki's face, showcasing the video he had posted of himself in his Spider Suit. Saiki paused for only a moment before continuing to consume his coffee jelly.

It has eight likes.

"That's almost half the population of Bonanza, Colorado. Half of an entire city knows me."

What kind of name is Bonanza?

Shun slowly swirled his drink with his straw while giving Saiki a look of pity. Shun would be sure not to forget him when he reached global superstar status. He wouldn't let the fame get to his head like most other rising stars.

"Oh, Saiki, you have no idea how great it is to have powers. Everything falls right into your hands. I personally met Spider-Man two days ago. He must have been able to sense our shared abilities. And yesterday the best artist in the world agreed to be the illustrator for my manga. It's about time I get paid back for my selfless acts. Though, a true hero like the Jet Black Spider doesn't do it for the rewards. Justice is-"

Shun saw Kuboyasu enter Cafe Mami. His rising nerves silenced his rant.

This must be one of the selfless acts he was talking about.

Shun watched Kuboyasu stand in line by the hostess station, unaware he was being observed. He wore a sporty white hoodie with a black stripe running down the sleeves and a loose pair of navy blue jeans. His backpack was loosely slung over one shoulder. Shun hadn't noticed the pins on his bag before. He was too far away to make out most of them, but a tricolor pin near the bottom stuck out to Shun clear as day. The circular pin was adorned with the colors of the bisexual flag. Shun had a chance! The Jet Black Spider was irresistible of course, but he had to keep his alter ego a secret.

"Don't look, but Kuboyasu just walked in. The guy I've told you about from the library." Shun whispered despite Kuboyasu being well out of hearing range.

Saiki continued to blissfully consume his coffee jelly as if he hadn't heard Shun speak.

"You didn't look." Shun hissed.

Saiki paused in his chewing to stare blankly at him.

You said not to.

Shun glanced over at Kuboyasu in time to catch a disturbed look plastered on his face. Kuboyasu raised a hand to the back of his neck as if he felt a phantom touch then hurriedly left his place in line for the bathroom. That was weird. Shun hoped he was alright. Saiki stood suddenly, causing his chair to loudly squeak against the floor. Shun refocused on Saiki, giving him a quizzical look. Saiki always acted purely unbothered. Shun had never seen him move that fast before. Was he headed to the bathroom as well?

"What's wrong?"

Let's go.

"What? Why? I haven't even touched my food yet."

Shun flinched as a loud bang echoed throughout the establishment. He turned toward the noise in time to see the front door slide across the tiled floor like an ice cube. A man and two women stood in the doorway, wearing some kind of fancy metallic arm cannons.

"This…" The man slurred.

"This is a robbery." The woman on his right with long hair finished.

What fools to challenge the Jet Black Spider. Did they think catching him off guard was enough to create an edge over him? He was going make them pay for interrupting the peace of this fine establishment.

Shun turned to Saiki whose eyes were blown wide with fear. The poor guy shook so bad at sight of those robbers he could hardly stand. Shun put a grounding hand on Saiki's shoulder encouraging him by reminding him he was stronger than he knew and anyone could wear the mask. Shun then urged him to run and escape through the back entrance with the rest of the panicking civilians. Despite his immense fear, Saiki nodded and bravely followed his commands. Shun ducked under a table undetected and removed his outer layers to reveal his pristine Spider Suit underneath. It was made from a secret material he scientifically engineered himself to prevent wrinkling. He shot out from under the table, placing himself directly in front of the criminals. At the sight of him they cowered, knowing they picked the wrong day to disrupt the peace. Their fear caused them to forget they were equipped with arm cannons. Shun hastily took care of them by clogging the cannons with his webbing before they could shoot whatever ammunition was loaded inside. Realizing they were no match for him, they turned tail and sprinted out of Cafe Mami, but it was pointless because Saiki had been smart enough to call the police as he escaped, meaning the trio ran right into the hands of the waiting law enforcement. Spider-Man appeared precisely as the scene wrapped up and personally congratulated Shun for his efforts. Shun turned on his flawless charm and was rewarded twice over by…

…Spider-Man shyly grasping Shun's offered hand.

Time to come back to reality, Kaidou.

A hand closed around Shun's wrist, snapping him back to the present. Cafe Mami was entirely deserted except for the two of them, a child absorbed in an iPad who hadn't noticed any of the chaos around him, and the three robbers who argued with each other instead of actually robbing anyone. Saiki began to drag him towards the exit with one hand while carrying his unfinished coffee jelly in the other. Shun scanned the restaurant in confusion, wondering where everyone had vanished to.

They evacuated while you were muttering to yourself.

It was really that simple? It couldn't be. There was an underlying trap here. The Jet Black Spider's intuition was never wrong.

You're mad you didn't get robbed?

That child! He was unbothered by the robbery because it was a sham. This entire robbery must've a been a set up by the restaurant's owners to get Cafe Mami's name trending in the news. How cunning. But they weren't cunning enough to fool him. The restaurant fell silent as the robbers finished their argument. Saiki tugged him around the corner, but Shun stayed in place, watching from behind the wall. Those fakers would assume the restaurant was empty and drop the act.

"Everybody's gone now thanks to you blockheads." The man said.

"Not everyone." The short-haired woman on his left pointed at the child. "That iPad should be worth plenty."

The kid was in danger! Good thing Shun was here to save him! Shun leapt out from behind the wall and ran over to the kid, standing protectively in front of him.

You just said it was a sham. What a pain.

"Run for it, kid." Shun said.

The kid apathetically turned up his iPad's volume. Shun gawked at him.

"Are you even listening?"

"Not everyone left after all." The man muttered.

"Give us everything you got." The long-haired woman commanded.

Staring down the barrels of three arm cannons all pointed his way, Shun realized he hadn't thought this through. He hoped Saiki made a run for it without him. The door to the mens' bathroom slammed open, revealing none other than Spider-Man.

"I hate half-assed punks like you."

"Not so fast, Bugboy." The short-haired woman said.

She grabbed Shun by the neck and pressed the business end of her weapon to his temple. Shun froze in her grasp with pleading eyes directed at Spider-Man.

"If you take another step, I'll blow his head off."

"The only person allowed to blow hot stuff is me."

Hot stuff? An intense dizziness overtook Shun, and his world went black.

Shun's ears rang as the back of his head dully throbbed. He felt like he was underwater as he cracked open his eyes. The world around him blurred due to the fluorescent lights shining in his eyes. The only relief from the assault was two silhouettes standing over him. They looked vaguely familiar. The one on his right was pink and green, and the one on his left was a plum purple and red. Shun noticed their mouths were moving and tried to understand what they were saying.

"He- take him- hospital?"

…five years old- you- innuendo.

"Are you sure?"

Put your hoodie back on. He's awake.

"Oh shit."

The purple silhouette ducked out of his vision exactly as Shun began to make sense of his surroundings. He was on the floor of Cafe Mami, and the pink and green guy peering down at him was Saiki.

"What happened?"

You don't have amnesia. Spider-Man said something above a PG rating to you, so you passed out.

Shun's face flooded with a bright red. He was going to respond to Saiki, but Kuboyasu appeared.

"Are you alright? I, uh, Spider-Man wasn't able to catch you before your head hit the floor."

Shun's face flushed an even darker red at Kuboyasu's sudden appearance. Saiki placidly eyed Kuboyasu.

Maybe we should take him to the hospital. That shade of red can't be healthy.

Shun was shocked in regards to how casually Saiki addressed Kuboyasu. Saiki wasn't the biggest social butterfly, and he didn't normally speak to anyone outside his circle of friends. Did that mean the two of them were already familiar?

"You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we're roommates." Kuboyasu said.

Shun turned to Saiki with a look of surprise.

"But every time I talked to you about him, you acted like you didn't know who he was."

Saiki simply stared at Shun without replying.

"You talk about me?" Kuboyasu questioned affably.

Shun's heart dropped. He waved his hands wildly while attempting damage control.

"I- wait- not like that. I just… think you're cool?"

Kuboyasu's eyes widened a fraction.

"Oh, I think you're real cool too."

He thought Shun was cool? No one had ever put the words 'Shun' and 'cool' together in a sentence before. Kuboyasu was something special.

"What do you say us cool guys find somewhere else to eat lunch? I never got a chance to order before those punks tried to rob the place." Kuboyasu said.

Lunch alone with Kuboyasu? The universe really was on his side. Of course Saiki would tag along, but he tended to fade into the background in a group of three or more. Like right now for example. While he talked with Kuboyasu, it felt as if they were the only two people on Earth. Shun broke eye contact to glance at Saiki, who was no where to be found. Oh. Saiki must've had somewhere to be.

"Sounds great, Kuboyasu!"

"Why not call me by my first name Aren? It's a lot quicker to say than Kuboyasu since you talk about me so much." Aren teased.

"Uh, sure." Shun said while trying his best to remain calm and composed.

Aren wanted to be on a first name basis! Shun suppressed the strong urge to scream.

"What's your name?" Aren asked.

Come on, Shun. Be cool. What do cool people do? Uh, played hard to get!

"You don't know my name?" Shun said mirroring Aren's playful tone.

"No, I know your name. I want to know if you know your name."

He wasn't cut out for this! He couldn't properly flirt, or the Jet Black Spider's charm would override Aren's free will. He also really wanted to hear Aren refer to him by his first name.

"Shun."

"Well, Shun, I'm starving. Let's get going."

Shun got to his feet, a little shaken from fainting. Aren's hand hovered over Shun's shoulder, readying to steady him if need be. It would be a lie for Shun to deny he felt the temptation to stumble purposely, but he refrained. Although feigning weakness was a good cover to confuse his enemies, it wasn't a good strategy for seduction.

As the two of them made their way to the exit, the robbers came to Shun's mind. He passed out before the fight began, so what happened to those guys?

"Hey, Aren? What happened to those robbers?"

"On your right."

To the right of Shun were Cafe Mami's large, street-facing windows. The three of them were stuck sideways on the outside of the windows as police officers attempted to cut them free from the webbing.

—

Shun had been riding off the high of eating lunch with Aren for three days. It ended in the two of them exchanging phone numbers, and Shun had been glued to his phone ever since. He'd even stayed up in the late hours of the night as he got lost in the silly text chains he sent to Aren.

Aren was different from anyone Shun had ever talked to. When Shun rambled on about his many daydreams, Aren didn't think he was weird for it. Even when it was obvious he didn't have a clear grasp on what Shun was talking about. He was an interesting combination of intense and casual that Shun struggled to interpret at times. He was passionate and opinionated but somehow simultaneously laid-back. It was funny to see him flip-flop between all caps rants and ending every message with a smiley emoticon. Shun opened his messages with Aren to read over his last text for the millionth time. Aren had invited Shun to join him at the library today, and Shun was struggling to get there without losing his way due to the many romantic fantasies stealing his attention.

He'd never clicked with someone so seamlessly. He was scared to make a move and ruin it, but he couldn't stifle his feelings. He'd never been good at that. Whenever he tried, it only made the emotions stronger. Despite his fears, he was going to ask Aren on a date. It was better to do it now when he had somewhat of a grasp on his feelings than to have them incoherently spill out later on.

Shun arrived at their spot to find Aren in his usual seat on the far side of the table. He was wearing a stylish black sweatshirt, fiddling with some sort of plastic container on the table.

"Hey, Aren."

Aren's face broke out into a smile. Shun felt warm. He realized Aren's irises were the same shade of violet as the sky in the lingering twilight.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down." Aren beckoned.

Shun's face lightly flushed. He had gotten too caught up in the other's handsome face. Shun took a seat, and Aren lifted the lid of the container, revealing two neat rows of triangular onigiri.

"Is this your dinner?" Shun asked.

"No, I made them this morning for my lunch, but I didn't realize the recipe I was following was for double the amount I wanted."

Aren pushed the onigiri towards Shun.

"Have some. It's spicy tuna."

Shun carefully took one and scrutinized it. It was the most perfect onigiri he'd ever seen. The rice held together seamlessly, forming an equilateral triangular with rounded edges. Shun bit into it. His mouth watered due to the pleasant kick of spice from the tuna filling. He didn't have a high spice tolerance, hence his appreciation toward the kick of spice being on the lighter side. Aren must have a low spice tolerance too. Shun finished his bite and marveled at Aren's cooking skills.

"This is great! You made these?"

Aren chuckled at his enthusiasm and shifted his arms to rest on the table. Shun was hyper aware of how close Aren's hand had landed to his own. Merely a couple centimeters and their fingers would touch.

"Thank you. I was home alone a lot in high school, so I had a lot of time to learn. You cook much?"

Normally, Shun would invent a grand lie about his vast culinary skills, but he found himself wanting to be truthful to Aren.

"No, I'm banned from the kitchen back home."

"Banned? You almost burn the house down?"

Shun glanced aside in embarrassment, beginning to regret his impulsive honesty.

"Something like that."

Shun felt a light sensation on his pinky finger. He glanced over to see Aren had pressed his pointer finger against Shun's pinky. Shun's breath hitched.

"You're not banned from the dorm kitchens, right?" Aren murmured tenderly.

Shun didn't trust his voice to come out at its normal pitch, leading him to shyly nod.

"What do say I teach you some time?"

Teach him? Aren would take the time to do that? Shun was touched. His thoughts blurred together, creating gleeful scenes of accidental brushes and guiding touches. Shun beamed.

"Let's do it."

He felt Aren's touch begin to retreat, and Shun acted on impulse, catching Aren's wrist. The skin of Shun's palm connecting with the soft, warm cotton of Aren's sleeve was synonymous with flint striking steel. The sparks created from the contact lit the surrounding atmosphere on fire. Aren's thick brows raised in surprise and his gaze carried an intensity that left Shun's face a smoldering temperature. The instant vehemence of every aspect of this moment greatly diminished Shun's confidence. His mind screamed at him to turn and run, but he had already committed. Retreating was no longer an option. Shun lightly buried his shaking fingers into the uneaten half of his onigiri in a fruitless attempt to quell his nerves. He ducked away from Aren's eye contact and stared at their hands.

"Would you want-"

Aren broke his arm out of Shun's grip. Shun startled at the sudden movement and honed in on Aren's face to find it twisted with anger. The hand Shun had been millimeters from grasping now ghosted over the back of Aren's neck in the exact manner it had at Cafe Mami.

"Seriously?!" Aren lowly grit through his teeth.

Shun's heart sank. Had he read this wrong? Did Aren even swing that way? What if he resented people who did? Shun remembering the bisexual flag pin he'd spotted at Cafe Mami abruptly derailed the train of thought. Aren did swing that way he just wasn't interested in Shun. Why would anyone be?

Aren abruptly stood, grabbing his backpack from the floor. The bisexual flag pin mockingly flashed in the ceiling light. A lump formed in Shun's throat as a heavy wave of sadness washed over him along with the sting of humiliation.

"Sorry, I forgot about something urgent I need to do."

Aren hurried out. Shun's hands shook as he listened to Aren's retreating heavy foot falls. Aren's way of rejecting him was to run away with some lame excuse like the idea of Shun being interested him was the most disgusting thing in the world. Shun's eyes burned as he shoved the rest of his half-eaten onigiri in his mouth. It was a lot spicier than his first bite. He uncomfortably swallowed it as he closed the container. Shun was stealing his container of stupid perfect onigiri, and he wasn't going to return it.

Shun stood from his seat. He reached down to grab his backpack but missed the first two tries due to his blurry vision. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he finally grabbed his bag on the third try. He slung it over his shoulder, and it yanked his earring painfully as it landed, which served to make Shun even more distraught. He hated crying was his natural reaction when he was upset. It was embarrassing and emasculating. Especially because he was doing it in public. Shun rushed out of the library, keeping his face down as hot tears stormed down his cheeks. He was stupid to think an amazing guy like Aren would ever look his way.

Shun pushed the library door open with his shoulder as he scrubbed his eyes. He stepped out onto the sidewalk to find it completely deserted, which was never the case because the library was in the middle of campus, but he wasn't going to question it when it meant strangers wouldn't see him crying as he walked to his dorm. A dark shadow shrouded atop Shun. It was incredibly small to be a cloud. Shun glanced up. A car soared through the air, directly on course to crash into him. By the time he noticed it, there was no time to evade it.

A web plastering to his chest was the only warning he received before he was hoisted into the air. He swung on an upward arch, which ended abruptly by sturdy arms wrapping around him.

"Hang on." Spider-Man shouted.

Spider-Man's movements were nothing but erratic as he presumably dodged more projectiles. Shun felt like he was strapped to a looping rollercoaster, and he was unable to make sense of it. He clung to Spider-Man tightly, shutting eyes. He didn't know which way was up or down as Spider-Man leaped and soared through the air. The experience was immensely disorienting and sudden to the point Shun forgot to panic.

The movement came to a stop, and Shun dared to open his eyes. He instantly regretted it. He was on the roof of a skyscraper. The people and cars below appeared to be the size of ants from this high up. Shun's legs began to feel like jelly, so he forced himself to look toward Spider-Man, who had rescued him once again. Spider-Man had let go of Shun, but he had yet to step away. Shun's eyes traced the curves and dips of Spider-Man's well defined musculature beneath the rich red and blue hues of his suit. From this close, he could see the way the individual stitches stretched with Spider-Man's breathing. Spider-Man was a hero constantly on the move. Had anyone had the opportunity to see him in perfect detail like this before? His suit's pattern was intricate in a way blurry photos could never reveal. Shun lifted his gaze to Spider-Man's mask. The lenses were tinted, making it impossible for Shun to interpret any features hidden beneath. His suit couldn't be more perfect for concealment. It was extraordinary, and Shun expected nothing less. Shun's mind sparked with a multitude of ideas for the Jet Black Wings' character design. Spider-Man reached out and softly ran a hand through Shun's windswept hair, ending the tender contact by tucking a strand behind Shun's ear. Shun stilled, body buzzing with bewilderment.

"You again, huh? I hate to make a pretty guy wait, but there's a punk who needs to be taught a lesson."

Blood rushed to Shun's cheeks as Spider-Man walked the short distance to the roof's edge and jumped off without any trepidation. Hot stuff and now pretty? Shun was positive the shaking in his legs wasn't solely from being nauseatingly high up.

Shun wanted to check if whether or not Spider-Man became a stain on the concrete, but that required walking closer to the edge. The building Spider-Man had left him on had no roof access. If Spider-Man didn't return, he was stuck here. Shun backed up to the very center of the roof and sat down, not trusting his jittery leg muscles to keep him upright. He could hear the sounds of crunching glass and creaking metal below. He hoped it wasn't the support beams of his prison tower giving out. He had never doubted Spider-Man's abilities before, but it was different when he had no other choice but to depend on the hero. Shun took in slow breaths in an attempt to quell his rising panic. The Jet Black Spider scaled buildings on the daily! This was nothing! Shun felt queasy.

The muscles in Shun's left hand started to ache. He glanced down to see he had Aren's container of onigiri in an iron grip. He had managed to hold onto it despite being thrown around like a rag doll. He felt a little impressed with himself, and he wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. But if he did, any semblance of control he had over his shallow breathing would vanish. Shun let go of the container and hugged his knees to chest while attempting to gaslight himself into thinking he wasn't tens of stories high off the ground. A minute later, Spider-Man returned.

"Sorry for putting you in time out up here. Thugs like that aren't usually so quick."

For some reason, his body decided now was the moment to start up with the tears again. Shun kept his head down despite Spider-Man addressing him. Must he humiliate himself in front of everyone he admired today? Spider-Man crouched down next to him, invading his space.

"You alright?" Spider-Man crooned.

Spider-Man's gentle tone caught him off guard. He only ever heard the hero speak commands or aggressive quips. It strangely reminded him of Aren, pressing against his pinky and offering to teach him to cook instead of laughing at his incompetence. Aren was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. It would be rude to ignore Spider-Man after he had saved him for a third time. Shun hesitantly glanced up at him with his red eyes and all. He was met with the reflection of his blotchy face in Spider-Man's lenses. Spider-Man wordlessly reached out and cupped Shun's cheek, brushing his tear streak away with his thumb. Shun began to wonder if he really had gotten crushed by that car, and this was what those last seven minutes of brain activity looked like.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

Shun lightly shook his head, not wanting to dislodge Spider-Man's hand.

"You didn't. It's because of something that happened earlier today."

Spider-Man titled his curiously.

"Oh?"

Wasn't Spider-Man really busy? Why was he taking the time to talk with him? He could hardly believe any day in Tokyo was peaceful enough for Spider-Man to loiter like this and listen to Shun's pathetic problems. A car alarm blared somewhere on the street below, reminding Shun of the dizzying height he was at currently. Shun lowered his eyes from Spider-Man's gaze and stared at a fixed point on the hero's shoulder.

"Could you get me off this roof first?"

Spider-Man retracted his hand from Shun's cheek. At the loss of the contact, he was stricken with an profound longing for the touch to be restored. Shun shakily got to his feet, ignoring his jumbled feelings.

"Right." Spider-Man firmly stated as if he were coming out of a trance.

Shun stared at Spider-Man awkwardly, unsure of what he should do. Spider-Man looped an arm around his waist. Shun hesitantly put an arm over his shoulder.

"Going down." Spider-Man narrated as he dragged Shun with him over the edge.

Shun was properly aware of what was happening this time, meaning he let out a blood curdling scream and shamelessly clung to Spider-Man. Wind rushed against them, and Shun shut his eyes tightly, burying his head in Spider-Man's shoulder.

"Hey."

Did it really take this long to reach the ground?

"Hey."

Shun wished the torture was over.

"Dude!"

Shun dared to open his eyes. He was already on the ground, still tenaciously hanging off Spider-Man. Shun let go as his cheeks flushed a bright red.

"Thanks." Shun said, expecting Spider-Man to swing away.

He didn't.

"I'll walk you home. This is the third time I've seen you this week. I rarely save the same people twice, you know."

So he did stick out to Spider-Man like he had hoped, but it was for being more helpless than the average person. Maybe it would play out to his advantage, but he didn't feel like daydreaming romantic scenarios at the moment. Aren had him bummed out.

Shun started heading home, noting how rapidly it had gotten dark. He didn't know what to say. The Spider-Man was walking next to him. The Spider-Man had witnessed him crying. The Spider-Man had caressed his cheek. Shun daydreamed a lot, but none of them had ever come close to fruition. This was closest Shun had ever come to manifesting his daydreams into reality. He still wasn't sure it was actually happening. Spider-Man matched Shun's pace as they walked. His head was turned in Shun's direction, but Shun kept his face forward, unsure of how to conduct himself without a facial expression to read.

"You seemed real upset on the roof. Why was that?"

Was he really going to tell Spider-Man about his ridiculous failure? Shun had already lost his dignity. Why not? Spider-Man would never forget him after hearing this. Shun hugged himself and peered down at the sidewalk, tracing the web-like cracks with his eyes.

"There was this guy that I've had a crush on for months. We always shared a table at the library, and today, I asked him out. He rejected me. Before I could even say it, he got up and left. I thought we were at least friends."

Spider-Man's casual demeanor visibly stiffened, muscles coiling tight like a spring. Shun glanced at him curiously out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you sure that's what happened? Maybe he didn't realize you were trying to confess." Spider-Man reasoned.

Sure, he didn't actually get to the confession part, but it was obvious what he was trying to say! He had practically grabbed Aren's hand with how desperate he was to let him know. Shun shook his head.

"There's no way. I heard him mutter 'seriously' to himself like me confessing was annoying him, and he left with some lame excuse about having something to do."

"How do you know it was a lie? I bet he really did have something important to do, and he feels bad for leaving you hanging." Spider-Man said with conviction.

Shun considered it, but ultimately rejected the idea. It was his own shortcomings that led to Aren's rejection. Aren seemed like a sensible guy. Why would he want to waste his time with someone who barely had it together? Aren probably had loads of romantic experience. Shun only had a girlfriend for all of three days in high school, and that was the end of his dating experience.

"He wouldn't like me. He's so cool and responsible. Why would he want to date a college guy who hasn't even had his first kiss?"

"I could fix that."

Shun stopped walking. His cheeks stained crimson as he snapped his head in Spider-Man's direction, sheepishness entirely forgotten due to his stupefaction.

"What?"

Shun had stopped beside a building undergoing construction with scaffolding snaking up along the side. Spider-Man climbed onto the scaffolding and hung upside down.

"Who could reject a guy whose first kiss was Spider-Man?"

Shun stared into the upside down lenses of Spider-Man's mask in disbelief. Spider-Man inched lower until his mouth was at Shun's eye level. Shun's heart beat quickened to a pace that rattled his rib cage. Spider-Man reached up and pried his mask from his chin torturously slow. Shun soaked in every emerging detail as Spider-Man lifted his mask. He had fair skin and a sharp, clean-shaven jawline. The hem of Spider-Man's mask crept further down his face, exposing his thin rosy lips. Shun's gaze bore into the twin slender rings of Spider-Man's spider bite piercing. They were identical to the rings Aren had recently switched to. Shun could appreciate the irony of Spider-Man choosing a piercing with spider in the name.

Shun tentatively stared at his lips. This was crazy, but he found himself leaning in anyway. Their lips brushed, and Shun's soul rocketed out of his body. He was kissing a stranger; a stranger who also happened to be Spider-Man. Shun wasn't all that sure what he was doing. He let Spider-Man take the lead and copied it to the best of his ability. Spider-Man's lips were as soft as spider silk, and his piercing dug pleasantly into Shun's lower lip. It was difficult with Spider-Man's chin colliding with his nose. An upside down kiss might not be the best position for a first kiss. Spider-Man pulled back but stayed close enough for their breaths to mingle. The full gravity of what he had done slammed into him. His face burned. Mama would have his head on a pike if she knew he was kissing someone without ever seeing their face.

Shun was pleasantly light headed. Now that he'd had a taste of kissing, it was remarkable how long he'd gone without it. He wanted more. He leaned in a second time, but his confidence waned. One lingering kiss was all he managed before relinquishing himself from Spider-Man's mouth. He was sure Spider-Man could physically feel the heat radiating from his reddened cheeks.

"Shun, I think things between you and that guy will work out. If he reaches out to you tomorrow, give him another chance. You won't regret it." Spider-Man muttered.

Shun watched in silence as Spider-Man tugged his mask up and nimbly scaled the scaffolding. Once he reached the top, he promptly disappeared over the roof's edge. Shun lifted his fingers up to his lips as he thought over Spider-Man's words. It was only after he had nearly fallen asleep in bed that he realized Spider-Man had addressed him by name.

—

Shun woke up the next morning to a text from Aren. It was an invitation to the library once again, but this time he specified not to bring any study materials. Shun's immediate reaction to the message was relief. He hadn't entirely ruined things between them. A second later after his relief subsided, anxiety racked his body. Aren may still want to see him, but would it be significantly awkward between them now? Shun's throat felt tight from thinking of Aren's callous rejection. He would like to pursue friendship with Aren if romance wasn't an option, but was it the wise thing to do? He hadn't cared about hurting Shun's feelings in the moment. That instance of cruelty could be a window into Aren's true nature, but most of Shun's memories surrounding Aren pointed toward him being a patient and sweet individual. Shun's frustration began to rise. Aren was profoundly confusing. Shun decided to go to the library despite his reservations. Spider-Man's sonorous voice was one that he couldn't ignore.

Shun blasted music in his headphones on the walk over in an attempt to keep himself from stewing. The loud, indignant melodies only served as fuel to his vivid imagination.

Shun slipped between the bookshelves, entering their shared study space. The school-grade chair Aren normally sat in had vanished, and in its place loomed a mighty black leather throne. Shun tensed, special senses violently bubbling up as he stared down the back of the throne. Boisterous laughter resounded, and the chair slowly turned on a swivel until Shun was face to face with none other than Aren. In his lap, an obedient white cat sat frozen underneath Aren's stroking hand. Aren addressed him by his hero name, but Shun kept his cool like always, sure to not confirm or deny any information with his reactions. Aren went on to explain that seducing the Jet Black Spider had been step one in his plan to eliminate him, and he insulted Shun for being exceptionally pathetic and easy to fool. It was Shun's turn to laugh. Loving easily was no weakness. For a hero like him, it was a strength. Aren's overconfidence was his downfall. It enabled Shun to catch him off guard with a special web he'd been testing. The web turned to steel after a few seconds of settling. Aren was pinned by steel webs to his precious throne, and Shun approached him slowly. Spiders were solitary creatures. It was something he'd come to understand after many angst-filled, lonely nights spent staring at the moon. He hesitated but ultimately followed through. Aren's breath hitched as Shun laid his hand atop Aren's, confirming the criminal was in fact infatuated with him.

For none could resist the Jet Black Spider's ultimate move—hand contact.

Strong fingers curled around Shun's wrist, expelling him from his mental triumph. Shun gasped at the contact, turning to see who had done it. He was met with Aren, holding a bouquet of springy pink, yellow, and purple flowers. It took a moment for Shun to register that he had arrived at the library, too lost in his music to notice Aren waiting for him outside next to the caution tape blocking the library's concave, crumbling entrance. Shun pulled off his headphones, subsequently noticing they were playing the opening theme to a children's anime. It blared loud enough that Aren could hear. Shun snatched his phone from his pocket and paused the song. A beat of silence passed with the two of them staring at each other. Aren seemed to be nervous. It was something Shun had never seen from him before. Aren was fiercely confident, and Shun envied that trait of his.

"These are for you."

Aren extended the bouquet. Every ensuing thought Shun had screeched to a halt. He could do nothing but stare at the flowers with his mouth hung open. Blood rushed to his face, and Shun's fingers began to fidget with the ends of his sleeves.

"For- for me?"

Shun gawked at Aren. Aren ducked away from his gaze by hiding his face in the bouquet.

"You're a guy, so you probably don't even want these. I've only ever done this with girls, and I wasn't thinking about it."

Shun flushed deeper. Aren was behaving downright bashfully. Shun stared down at the flowers and gently pried them from Aren's hands, half expecting them to disappear the moment his fingers touched them. The stems of the flowers were held tightly together with a straw-yellow rope. Shun had never been gifted flowers before. He had never received a gift in a romantic manner period. Shun met Aren's gaze once more, catching a gentle look cradled in his sharp features. Shun's grip on the bouquet imperceptibly tightened. He thought Aren hated him and viewed him as an annoyance like most everyone he met. This was different. Shun's body temperature ticked up a few degrees as he mentally caught up with the situation at hand. Spider-Man was right about yesterday. Aren liked him. His own excitement and embarrassment waged war in his mind, rendering him speechless as he stared at Aren.

"I have someplace to take you. If you want." Aren said.

"Like a date?" Shun squeaked out.

Aren's nerves significantly subsided and a wide grin stretched across his features.

"Yeah."

Aren hooked their arms together and began leading Shun away. Shun, rendered speechless once again from the casual contact, let it happen. Aren led him to the nearby parking lot, stopping beside a purple motorcycle, which he promptly mounted. Shun never imagined Aren to be the kind of guy to own a motorcycle. Then again, there were many things about Aren Shun had begun to find strange. Aren patted the seat of his bike, and Shun eagerly slid on behind him. Motorcycles were awesome, but Mama had never let him get near one. He missed being around his family, but he was grateful he had chosen a university far from home. He could finally act on his desires. Shun wasn't sure where he should hold on and ended up awkwardly clutching the rear of the bike. The motorcycle revved to life, and Aren glanced at Shun over his shoulder.

"Hold on to me. It's safer."

Shun eyed Aren's back, calculating. The safe choice would be to hold on to Aren's shoulders, but the bouquet would complicate things. The flowers might flap into Aren's face. He could wrap his arms around Aren's waist and hold on to the bouquet that way. The idea left him shaking with nerves, but his impulse control lost the battle. He leaned in close and looped his arms around Aren's waist, pressing the flowers against Aren's abdomen.

"I've got you." Aren assured as he backed out of the parking space.

Aren must have assumed his shaking was from a fear of motorcycles. Normally, he'd be eager to jump to his defense and iterate the fact a man like him knew no fear, but he was too overwhelmed to think of an explanation for his shaking that wasn't the embarrassing truth. Shun listened to the even sputters of the bike's engine as the wind tousled his hair. It evoked the memories of soaring through the air in Spider-Man's arms. Shun sat with the memory, wondering why he routinely thought of Spider-Man in Aren's presence and vice versa. The two did have undeniable similarities. For one, they had resemblant builds. Aren's well-toned muscles bulging beneath his shirt sleeve as he reached for that book flashed in Shun's mind. There was no doubt he was on par with Spider-Man's level of fitness. They had similar personalities as well. Both referred to troublemakers as punks and displayed a hidden soothing side in the wake of Shun's distress. Not to mention they had the same uncommon lip piercing on the same side, accessorized with the same jewelry. The dots connected effortlessly. Shun's mindscape morphed into a conspiracy board. His thoughts becoming the red thread stringing the suspicious coincidences together. Except for the first time Shun meet Spider-Man, Aren was always in the area before Spider-Man appeared, and he also conveniently disappeared before Spider-Man arrived. Spider-Man who knew his name even though Shun had never told him. Could Aren really be Spider-Man?

Aren turned off the main road. Each ensuing turn lead them down increasingly sketchy back roads. When Aren rolled to a stop, it was in an alleyway nearly identical to the one he almost got mugged in. Shun assumed Aren was taking him to a restaurant or the park or literally any location that wasn't terrifying. Not that he was scared or anything! The alleyway was deserted except for a large sheet of scrap metal leaned against the wall. The two of them dismounted, and Shun made his concern visible to Aren. Aren waved his hand in a placating gesture as he walked toward the scrap metal.

"One second."

Shun continued to trust Aren, idly thinking about how this would be a great place to murder someone with no witnesses. Aren pushed the sheet metal aside, producing an awful screech as it scrubbed along the concrete. Shun cringed at the sound, shutting his eyes. He reopened them when the sound stopped. It turned out the sheet metal was blocking a door with dubious red splatters around the hinges. Shun envisioned his Jet Black Spider videos playing in a black-and-white soundless montage on a murder documentary detailing how Aren lit up every room he walked into.

Aren wiped his hands on his pants and motioned for Shun to follow him into the building.

"Isn't this trespassing?" Shun tried.

"Only if you get caught."

Shun paled.

"I'm kidding. This building's abandoned. No one's going to come looking."

It was supposed to be reassuring, but the murder documentary in his head was now dramatically having each of his family members sit down in a center frame wooden chair to talk about their relationship with him. The door's rusty hinges screamed in protest as Aren forced it open. Shun peered in the doorway and slumped in relief. Yellow fairy lights were draped along the ceiling, illuminating the space. In the center of the room, a blanket was laid out with containers of homemade sandwiches scattered across it. The rest of the hideout was filled by paint buckets, canvases, tarps, and other art related items.

"You have a secret hideout?" Shun exuberantly asked.

Aren motioned for him to enter. Shun slipped inside, and Aren let the door shut behind him.

"You could say that."

Shun took a seat on the blanket as his eyes roved over the contents of Aren's secret base. By bringing Shun to this place, Aren proved they were the closest of allies. It equated to that of an animal exposing its underbelly. Shun would never take advantage of such a raw display of trust. This was another piece of evidence pointing to Aren and Spider-Man being one and the same. What did a normal guy with no secret hero alter ego need a hideout for? Shun's eyes caught on a red piece of cloth hanging down from the left corner of a canvas. It had a familiar pattern of blue web-like stitching. Was that his Spider Suit? Shun pointed at the clothing.

"What's that?"

Aren, who had just sat down on the opposite end of the blanket, jumped up when he realized what Shun was looking at and threw it across the room out of sight.

"Sorry about all the clutter. I was teaching myself how to sew with that. Don't worry about it."

Shun's suspicions rose. If Aren was Spider-Man, he could trust Shun with his secret. Didn't he realize that? It was a little disheartening that Aren thought he could hide something from him with almost no effort. Aren sighed, noticing Shun's discomfort. He sat down across from Shun with a heavy thud, and the two of them held steady eye contact.

"If I'm gonna do this with you, I want to do it right. There's something about me you should know. If you aren't interested anymore after I tell you, I understand. I…"

Aren greatly hesitated in finishing his sentence. Shun decided to help him out and finish the statement for him, seeing as he already knew what Aren's secret was. No person could out maneuver the Jet Black Spider's killer instincts.

"You're Spider-Man." Shun said.

"Used to be a delinquent." Aren said, overlapping Shun.

The two of them regarded each other with wide eyes.

"What?" They exclaimed, achieving proper synchronization.

A loud bang reverberated down the alley. Shun flinched at the sound, twisting around to eye the door. No one should be out there according to Aren. The silence returned for a meager second before the awful squeal of metal scraping against concrete filled the quiet. Was someone trying to block them in? They couldn't sit frozen and let it happen. Shun didn't allow himself a moment to think and thrust open the door to see who was causing the commotion. It was an action he came to regret two seconds later as a strange force began tugging at his chain belt, causing Shun to be dragged toward the alley's entrance.

Shun held on tightly to the handle of the door. The scrap metal sheet whizzed past him by millimeters. Shun watched the metal fly out of the alley and clang into the back of a truck that hauled a giant magnet. Various metal objects from all directions slammed into the magnet at neck-breaking speed. Shun hadn't been holding on to the door handle for more than five seconds, but his fingers gave out. His belt he hadn't he even known was real metal was conducting him to his death. Shun screamed as he was helplessly propelled by the magnet's monumental force. Aren ran out into the alley. Shun caught eyes with Aren. Aren's violet eyes were blown wide. Shun didn't know if Aren had anything metal on him. His heart dropped at the thought of Aren getting caught too. A strange sense of calm akin to acceptance washed over Shun. His voice was steady as he yelled out to Aren.

"Aren! Go back inside before you're caught."

Shun's words had an opposite effect on Aren. Aren widened his stance, adjusting his balance. Faster than the blink of an eye, Aren threw his arm out towards Shun. A web soared down the alleyway and caught ahold of Shun, jolting him to a stop. Shun's eyes traced the web from where it landed in the center of his chest all the way to Aren's wrist where the web had originated. Spider-Man was the only word echoing through his mind as Aren held him steady.

Wind rushed wildly at Shun's back. Behind him a car whooshed past the entrance of the alley, crunching around the magnet and its growing collection of magnetic objects. Shun's entire body quivered at his brush with death. Aren briskly reeled him in by the web and wrapped his arms around Shun's middle. Shun dug his fingers into Aren's shoulders to ground himself.

"Are you okay?"

"You really are Spider-Man." Shun shouted in amazement.

The very real kiss he shared with Spider-Man flashed in his mind. His cheeks dusted with a deep pink. Aren looked over his face tenderly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

"Sorry about this."

Aren preceded to stick him to wall with a generous amount of webbing. Shun could only do as much as squirm in his cocoon as Aren sprinted into his hideout. In less than a minute, Aren burst out from the hideout once more in full costume. Shun couldn't see anything from his sticky prison, so he waited and listened to the evil chortling and witty quips intermingled with the loud bangs caused by the magnet.

The lack of sound clued Shun in on the battle's end. Shun's eyes were glued to the alley's entrance, waiting for Aren's return, but Aren didn't reappear in that manner. Instead, Aren dropped down from above, which Shun saw coming entirely! Aren pulled off his mask, breathing heavily. His hair was disheveled, and a bruise was forming on the apex of left cheek. Shun hadn't noticed how much of an effect Aren's glasses had on his appearance. Without them, an intense wild energy could be seen bubbling beneath the surface. Aren had said he used to be a delinquent, but Shun didn't understand how that could be true when Aren had unflinchingly revealed his identity to Shun in order to save him. What was Aren trying to say to Shun by sharing a fact of his past?

"Hey." Shun said awkwardly.

"Hey, yourself."

Aren began to peel the webbing off Shun. Shun idly wondered if this was what it felt like to be a banana.

"How did you know I was Spider-Man?" Aren asked. "I thought I blended in pretty well."

Shun lifted his chin and puffed out his chest as far as it would go beneath the webs.

"Nothing gets past the Jet Black Spider. Your secret's safe with me, though."

Aren was halfway through removing the strings of webbing. His lips upturned.

"Good. I won't have to worry." Aren's smile dropped. "About what I said earlier with my past. Spider-Man's only been around for about a year, but I've had these powers for a lot longer. A year ago was when I decided to give the straight and narrow a try and use my powers for good. I haven't looked back since, and I don't plan to. I thought you should know. You know, transparency and all that goody-goody stuff."

With one final tug from Aren, Shun was free from the webbing. He appreciated Aren's honesty. The idea of Aren being a delinquent initially alarmed Shun, but it was clear Aren had put in the effort to change. It was cruel and unnecessary to hold his past against him when he created an impactful positive change on the world by taking up the responsibilities of a true hero. Aren had saved him and countless others from danger and death. Shun only felt admiration for Aren. It made no difference to Shun, and he wouldn't be mad at Aren for keeping Spider-Man's identity from him. Anonymity was important for heroes. The Jet Black Spider knew this all too well.

Shun, impassioned by his respect for Aren, reached out his hand for Aren to take.

"Your past doesn't matter. All that matters is the present and the future. Tokyo is lucky to have you, and I'd be honored to be by your side if you'll have me."

Aren stared down at Shun's hand, and a grin spread across his face. Shun watched in slow motion as all of daydreams converged on one another. Aren had neglected donning his gloves in his rush to stop whoever was wreaking havoc with the ginormous magnet. Warm, calloused fingers curled around Shun's hand. Shun's breath faltered as butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He felt like he was watching slow-rolling movie credits with blaring cathartic music swelling in his ears. Aren tightened his grip and used their joined hands to tug Shun closer.

"I'd love to have you as my boyfriend."

The word boyfriend passing from Aren's lips painted Shun's entire face a rustic red. Aren leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The movie credits transitioned into a post-credit scene insinuating more to come. Aren's lips remained against Shun's cheek as he spoke.

"I know you're smart, but what gave me away?"

It took a few moments for Shun's brain to come back online and comprehend what Aren was asking. Shun opened his mouth and failed to speak. Two attempts later, the words finally spilled from his tongue.

"You called by my name when we… kissed."

Aren leaned in again until he was just as close as he was with their first kiss. Heat sparked to life in Shun's chest, his breathing picking up in speed despite staying frozen in place. He had kissed Aren already, but he was as nervous as the last time. Shun squeezed Aren's hand still curled around his own as their lips sealed together. It was a lot different now that Aren was right side up. Their noses bumped together, and Aren's hot breath caressed his cheek, sending a shiver through him. Aren took it gentle and slow, which Shun appreciated. Aren slung an arm around his waist, bringing Shun even closer. Shun would've liked it if Aren's fingers weren't digging harshly into his side. He leaned out of the kiss.

"Aren, too tight."

Aren's grip slackened, and he stood straight once more.

"Sorry, how many kids do you want?"

Shun searched Aren's face, finding it to be deathly serious.

"What? Isn't that a little fast?" Shun laughed.

Aren's ensuing grin displayed all his teeth as his grip on Shun's waist unconsciously pressed them closer.

"You're right. We haven't even talked about the wedding."