ily2

by mrehk

Summary:

Soobin is a star, Yeonjun is his spotlight.

Soobin is Spiderman, Yeonjun is… whatever Spiderman needs.

It seems like he and Soobin were inevitable in this way, because Soobin has always been a hero.

(OR: Yeonjun is Spider!Bin's best friend and man behind the screen; he's also hopelessly in love.)

Notes:

there are some mentions of non-graphic violence included, no blood just punching on par with a spiderman comic, just so you're aware!

Sometimes Yeonjun wonders what it’s like for people who don’t exist in their best friend’s orbit. 

Soobin talks, Yeonjun listens.

Soobin asks, Yeonjun does.

Soobin is a star, Yeonjun is his spotlight.

Soobin is Spiderman, Yeonjun is… whatever Spiderman needs.

It seems like he and Soobin were inevitable in this way, because Soobin has always been a hero. 

Even before the stupid spider bite and the sidekick duties, before college and high school, when they were awkward, gangly pre-teens. The very first time they met, when some asshole kids from their grade were making fun of Yeonjun for always wearing his headphones at school. They shoved him against the lockers, rattled him up a bit, enough that his eyes were watering when Soobin intervened. 

Soobin, who hit his growth spurt early, just as awkward and gangly but with much more strength to back it up. Soobin, with his hero’s heart, told them to, “Leave Yeonjun alone!” 

And they did. Because Soobin has the tenacity and charm to get what he wants, if only he asks. 

“How do you know my name?” Yeonjun had asked him, blinking his tears away furiously, too humiliated to allow them to fall. 

Soobin shrugged, and Yeonjun had to look up to properly meet his eye, because even though Soobin is younger, he was at least a head taller. “I pay attention.” 

Soobin has always been annoying like that. With his big brown eyes and his stupid parted lips, so interested in what everyone says and who everyone is and who’s being treated unfairly. 

Yeonjun is nothing like Soobin. He’s never been a people person. He’s much too offputting and strange and lost in his own head. He has to listen to music as a buffer for the noises of the world when he goes out and he much prefers to spend time at his computer than other people.

But Soobin is annoying, and he wouldn’t let Yeonjun go after that first encounter. He wormed his way between Yeonjun’s clenched fingers and held on tight until they were completely intertwined. Yeonjun often wonders if any random person who stood up for him back then would have been so easily able to become his friend. Probably not, Soobin is different. They became completely inseparable by the time they reached the eighth grade. 

Soobin and Yeonjun are always Soobin and Yeonjun; it’s impossible to get one without the other, but Soobin always enters the room first, always shines brighter and laughs louder. Still, though, he never lets go of Yeonjun’s hand.

At the end of the day, that’s what matters to Yeonjun. Not that everyone else sees Soobin first and Yeonjun as an incidental, but that Soobin knows he’s there, he brought him, and Soobin will choose Yeonjun first every time. 

It was only natural, then, when that stupid spider bit Soobin, when they were Juniors in high school and barely knew up from down, that Yeonjun would come along for the ride. It was sloppy at first, fumbling with the learning curve of engineering for a super-human rather than for his gaming, figuring out how Soobin’s powers work. They even learned how to sew! It was nerve wracking, dangerous, absolutely exhilarating. 

They work well together, a perfectly matched team. 

Soobin is the hero and Yeonjun is the sidekick.

 

Oh, and then there’s that one, tiny, minuscule, barely even an issue (he swears!) thing:

Soobin is oblivious, Yeonjun is in love.

 

✶✶✶

 

They have their set up down pat.

Soobin goes out and swings around the city, helps stop petty theft and saves cats from trees and walks girls home late at night, and Yeonjun sits in his room in their shared apartment and watches the monitors. 

It’s funny, because his mom always told him nothing good would ever come from his obsession with burrowing away from the world and tinkering with electronics. She was probably right at the time. He didn’t have any friends, save for those online, and he barely got any sunlight, but things worked out how they were supposed to. 

Thank god he spent so much time locked up in his room, because it definitely feels like something good when he watches from Soobin’s POV as spiderman knocks out a weird perv for aggressively pursuing some kid and webs him up to the closest building. 

“Fuck yeah!” Yeonjun croons into his mic, audio feeding straight into Soobin’s ear. They’ve been through multiple iterations of the suit, but this one is by far his best, if he says so himself. “I’ve already got a message off to the cops. From my estimate they’ll be coming around the corner right…” he waits, eyes tracking the small GPS blip on another screen. “Now.”

Soobin whips his head around, just in time to catch the cruiser, siren wailing, round the corner. “Thanks, Junnie, you’re incredible, as always,” Soobin says. Yeonjun can’t see it, but he knows the man is smiling. 

“Never gets old!” Yeonjun smirks, sitting back and pushing away from his desk. “Taking the chance to make ramen, don’t get in trouble for ten minutes, yeah?” 

But Soobin is already tuning him out, chatting idly with the police, the kid he saved, who Yeonjun recognizes from campus, hanging back to the side of the scene. Yeonjun snorts, padding to the kitchen to make his dinner. 

He hums to himself as he puts water in the electric kettle, mic off, listening to the audio feed from Soobin’s suit in his ears. He enjoys Soobin’s mindless bumbling, even if he’s not part of the conversation. Soobin has a nice voice. Listening in on his spider-conversations is basically an ultra-exclusive podcast. If Yeonjun always prefers to have something playing in his ears, the something being Soobin’s voice is hardly a compromise while they’re working. 

By the time he returns to his station, already shoveling noodles into his mouth, Soobin is saying bye to the officers, assuring them he’ll get the victim home safe. 

This is Yeonjun’s favorite part. Watching Soobin walk down the street, chatting with his damsels. It’s like his own personal soap opera. He assumes that for the people Soobin saves it’s similar to talking to some sort of glorified uber driver. Something about sliding into the back of a stranger’s car lowers inhibitions in the same way that walking down the street with Spiderman does. 

Yeonjun isn’t good with people but Soobin is, and Yeonjun loves watching Soobin do things he can’t. He should probably ask his therapist if that’s a healthy thought process. She’d probably tell him he’s trying to cope with his perceived shortcomings. Psh.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Soobin says, friendly as always. 

The kid is just as tall as Soobin, evident from the way they’re at eye level, and he has shaggy, black hair and an interesting nose. His smile is blinding when he speaks, “Kai! Heuning Kai. I know who you are, though.” The smile grows sheepish. 

Yeonjun squints at the screen. Is the kid blushing?

Soobin laughs. “Ah, yeah. I get that a lot.” 

Yeonjun knows Soobin is probably rubbing a hand at the back of his suited neck, embarrassed. No matter how many people he saves, how many news articles run about him, Soobin still maintains his humble nature. 

“I’m sure!” the kid, Kai , gushes. “You’re amazing! I didn’t think you’d be so tall!” 

Yeonjun clicks his mic on. “Bin, he’s in love with you,” he chokes laughter through a mouthful of noodles. 

Soobin diverts his head, hisses a quick, “Shut up!” 

“What was that?” Kai asks, brow pinched. 

“Sorry,” Soobin chuckles awkwardly. “My suit interface keeps glitching, the AI has been so noisy lately.” 

Kai’s smile returns, impossibly brighter than before. Yeonjun rolls his eyes. 

“Gosh, you’re so cool!” The kid practically has hearts in his eyes. Yeonjun’s pretty sure if this were a shitty cartoon Kai’s tongue would roll out accompanied by an ‘Aoogah!’ sound effect. “Do you even have time to do normal people things? Or are you too busy saving the world?” 

Is Yeonjun tripping, or was there a flirty tone to that question? 

“Ew, is he flirting–” Soobin clicks off his in-ear halfway through Yeonjun’s sentence, rendering him mute. “Bastard,” Yeonjun scowls. 

His one mistake with this iteration of the suit was giving Soobin the power to mute him, even if it was born out of necessity. Yeonjun accidentally left his mic on one time while his mom chewed him out over the phone, rendering him completely oblivious to Soobin getting his ass beat. He thought superheroes would be able to tune out distractions better. But, still… rude of him to mute Yeonjun now. 

Yeonjun doesn’t get jealous of Soobin flirting with his damsels. He used to, when he was younger and angrier and less in control of his emotions. Not that Soobin ever knew why he would act so pissy on certain days and not others. Now, though, he understands that it’s just part of the image. The Spiderman thing . Everyone loves Spiderman. Soobin cares too much about maintaining his identity for any of the flirting to ever lead anywhere. He’d never tell someone their secret. 

Soobin can flirt with Kai as much as he wants. At the end of the night when Soobin climbs back through the window it’s Yeonjun who patches up his bruises and stitches up his suit, and it’s Yeonjun and Soobin, just as they’ve always been, as they cuddle on the couch and watch one of their tv shows. 

It’s perfect. It’s fine. He’s happy to have Soobin like this. It’s the way they’ve always been. 

Everything’s fine.

 

✶✶✶

 

Everything is not fine. 

“Oh, Jun, isn’t he dreamy?” Soobin sighs, chin falling into his hands where they’re propped up on their usual lunch table on the quad. Soobin is just Soobin today, the one Yeonjun knew first. With his neat black hair and cute glasses, looking entirely too soft for his own good.

Yeonjun can’t hide his grimace, sinking further in on himself. “You sound like someone out of a shitty rom-com, Bin,” he replies, focusing on the song playing into his left ear, one side of his headphones nestled over his ear under the hood of his sweatshirt. 

Soobin pouts, bottom lip poking out cutely. “It’s not my fault Kai looks like he’s meant to be a leading man.” 

And there it is. The other shoe. 

Soobin has become absolutely enthralled with his latest damsel. Six foot tall dreamboat and resident campus heartthrob, Heuning Kai. 

Yeonjun shifts on the bench, it suddenly feels uncomfortable. His eyes flick up towards where Soobin has been looking for too long to be healthy. Kai is surrounded by people, his smile radiating across his disciples. He’s their fucking king . Yeonjun’s scowl deepens. 

“He’s fine,” he mutters.

Soobin’s focus breaks, brow cinching. “What’s your problem with him? You’ve been acting bitchy since last night.”

Feigning nonchalance, Yeonjun slips his laptop out of his bag, opening the coding he’s working on for Soobin’s new web shooters. 

“I just think you could do better than someone who doesn’t know you exist,” he says, bored, not letting his eyes lift from the lines of letters and numbers on his screen. 

“He knows Spiderman exists,” Soobin argues, voice pinched. 

Yeonjun still doesn’t look up. “Right.” 

“Whatever,” Soobin huffs, shoving his things in his backpack. “I’ll see you at home.” 

What the fuck was that all about? Was that a fight? Are he and Soobin fighting? They’ve never fought before– like, ever . But then again, none of Soobin’s damsels have ever been Heuning Kai. 

Yeonjun blinks at the same line of code he’s been staring at since he opened his computer. Shit.

“You’re totally in love with him, aren’t you?” 

Yeonjun nearly jumps out of his skin, instinctively shoving his headphones off his ears. Across from him, a boy he’s never seen in his life sits, palms flat to the table, eyes wide. The stranger’s shoulder length black hair is messy and streaked with bleach in a way that screams deranged rather than stylish.

“Who the fuck are you?” Yeonjun bites, hand on his chest trying to steady his beating heart.

“God,” the man answers easily.

Yeonjun blinks. The guy blinks back. Neither of them say anything for a painful ten seconds. Yeonjun knows, he’s counting. 

Slowly, a wide, terrifying smile spreads across the stranger’s face, blooming into something oddly friendly. “Just kidding! I’m Beomgyu. Who are you?” 

“Yeonjun.”

“Sick. So, you’re secretly in love with your best friend, right? That guy that just left?” Beomgyu urges, leaning in, putting his chin in his hands just like Soobin had done a few minutes ago. “Hopelessly pining, desperately lovesick?” The kid looks like an excited puppy when he finishes his babbling. 

Yeonjun scowls again, this time deeper than before. “Remind me why exactly you’re here?” 

“Can’t a guy read the room from across the courtyard and seek friendship in a kindred spirit?” Beomgyu whines, forehead falling flat against the tabletop. 

“What?” Yeonjun squints. Maybe if he looks hard enough Beomgyu will turn into the bridge troll he’s roleplaying. “You want to be friends with me?” 

“Well… not if you’re not also secretly pining after your best friend,” Beomgyu sighs, rolling his head so his cheek is smushed on the table, peering up at Yeonjun with puppy-dog eyes. Yeonjun tries not to think about the number of germs that are probably crawling up his face. “I’m looking for a kindred spirit, not just some guy.”

Yeonjun considers himself intelligent. He’s in one of the most prestigious computer science programs in the country, after all. He’s the fucking brains of the biggest superhero operation on this side of the globe, for god’s sake. Yet, he still has trouble following anything that happens in ninety percent of social situations. Especially when the words being spoken are out of an old-timey novel instead of a twenty year-old’s mouth. None of his pre-set interaction cues have set him up for this. 

Thankfully, or, maybe unthankfully, Beomgyu seems to pick up on the intense confusion Yeonjun is emitting. The man sighs, drags himself up from the table. “I’m in love with my best friend too. I thought we could commiserate together.” 

“I don’t want to commiserate,” Yeonjun scoffs, shutting his laptop. He got absolutely zero done. 

“Aha!” Beomgyu shouts, finger raised in the air. “So I am right! You do love him!” 

The volume he’s projecting is truly impressive. “Can you keep it the fuck down, dude?” Yeonjun hisses, hunching closer to the table and pulling his hood further over his head. 

“Not unless you agree to be friends with me,” Beomgyu yells, louder than ever. 

Ah, shit. Yeonjun winces, squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t need any more friends, definitely not any as loud and obnoxious as this one. But his cheeks burn, and Beomgyu looks about two seconds away from breaking into song, so he slides his phone across the table, open to the new contact screen. 

Beomgyu grins like he’s won the lottery. 

“Wow. I wonder why your friend doesn’t like you back,” Yeonjun comments dryly, mouth pressed in a tight line. He snatches his phone back, and Beomgyu is already spamming his texts with emojis. 

“I could say the same to you,” Beomgyu sticks out his tongue. “But I won’t, because I’m a good friend.” 

 

Later on, when Yeonjun slinks into the apartment and finds Soobin already on the couch he easily goes to him, curls into his side, says, “Sorry, Bin. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I had a rough day.” 

Soobin hums, caging him in with a big arm. “S’okay,” one of his thumbs starts stroking Yeonjun’s back. “You know I’d never leave you behind, right?” 

And that, right there, is a shining example of why Yeonjun hasn’t gotten over his hopeless crush on his best friend. 

 

✶✶✶

 

It’s not like Yeonjun has no reason for liking Soobin. 

He’s not an idiot. 

There’s the whole hero’s heart thing. There’s the loyalty and how sweet Soobin is to him, how he knows how to quell his anxiety and hold his hand in just the right way. There’s also the fact that Soobin is handsome, oh god, he’s so handsome. 

There’s memories, so many of them, including the one where they shared their first kiss. Red cheeked, awkward middle schoolers, sitting on Soobin’s bed. 

The gross romantic feelings weren’t always there. No. Yeonjun spent most of his life blissfully free from the shackles of pining. He enjoyed hookups, some good, some bad, a few boyfriends, though none of them lasted long, and more hookups. Soobin did the same, though, with more boyfriends and less hookups. 

They were just best friends for the longest time. If someone had asked Yeonjun in high school if he had a crush on Soobin, he would have been disgusted. Obviously not, they’re best friends, platonic partners. 

But college has a funny way of leading a man to be pressed up against a wall with his best friend's lips against his, doesn’t it?

It only happened once when they were both drunk. Soobin was mourning his latest breakup, saying he was swearing off relationships for good. Something said back, a laugh, a sudden heaviness… it’s all fuzzy, but the part where Soobin kissed him is crystal clear. As is the part where they stuck their hands in each other’s pants and got each other off.

They didn’t talk about it; not that night, not the next morning, not one moment since then. 

Call him stupid, but really, Yeonjun didn’t think it would be a problem. He’d never felt any sort of way for Soobin before. He’d never even considered it. But then he kept getting flashes of hot lips and big hands, and he found himself with thoughts of a low, rumbling voice sometimes when he got himself off. It was a crush, he could admit that, but he swore to himself it would never go further.

That’s probably why he didn’t realize he was already in love until it was too late. 

Yeonjun realized half a year later, after one particularly nasty spider-fight had Soobin stumbling through the bedroom window, suit soaked through with blood from a slash in his side. Yeonjun’s brain ceased functioning, he lost it. He ushered Soobin to sit, dragged out his medical kit, cut away the stupid suit he’d spent hours sewing just a week before without a second thought. 

“Yeonjun,” Soobin whispered. “Calm down, it’s not as bad as it looks.” He picked up one of his gloved hands and cupped it around the side of Yeonjun’s head, running down his hair. 

“You could have died, Bin!” Yeonjun argued, heart slamming against his ribs. 

“I wouldn’t have d– ah !” Soobin hissed at the sting of alcohol poured over his wound. 

Once he cleaned the worst of it, Yeonjun could see that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was, but he stands by his original urgency to this day. 

Soobin watched quietly as Yeonjun finished patching him up, running salve and plastering bandaids over the spot. 

“No more this week, okay? It’s not worth it,” Yeonjun said, hoping his gaze accurately portrays his desperation. 

“Okay, sure, of course,” Soobin nodded. “Thank you for always taking care of me, Jun, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” His eyes shine; they fucking sparkle.

“Well I don’t know what I’d do without you , so be more careful,” Yeonjun huffed, crossing his arms and flopping onto the bed. 

“Junnie,” Soobin whined, and then he clambered onto the bed and draped himself right over Yeonjun’s body, like a massive weighted blanket, both of them pressed together, suffocatingly so.

“Bin,” Yeonjun squeezed out with the last of his air, a warning, almost. An unspoken, don’t push yourself more than you should. “You’re going to hurt yourself.” 

Soobin just laughed, and then his nose nuzzled into the crook of Yeonjun’s neck. “No I’m not, you healed me up so well.” And then Soobin’s mouth pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his throat, and then another. Soobin sighed dreamily and snuggled right into the spot like it was his new home.

“Binnie,” Yeonjun complained halfheartedly. “At least let me breathe if you’re going to cuddle me while we sleep.” His heart beat so fast it was about to break from his chest, and maybe he just wanted Soobin to get off so it wouldn’t be so obvious. 

Another huff at his neck, and then Soobin pulled back, looking Yeonjun straight in the eyes with his blinding smile and his big eyes.

It was then, when Soobin smiled up at him, when Yeonjun could see all the stars of every galaxy held in his eyes, that he realized he was in love. 

 

Yeonjun has always hated when people touch him. He hates feeling vulnerable, and he hates being clung to. Soobin has always managed to soften his walls, reach beyond them and make those things tolerable. Enjoyable, even. 

Yeonjun remembers thinking that the only thing he wanted in that moment was for Soobin to hold him through the night and to keep praising him. 

The romantic delusions came after the realization; hit him like a ton of bricks, really. Soobin taking him on dates, Soobin kissing him every time he comes through the window, Soobin cooking him dinner. The list goes on. It’s dire. 

It’s too late to save himself; he’s already in love. It’s too late for anything to be done; Soobin definitely doesn’t feel the same. It’s too late. 

So Yeonjun pines. 

It isn’t a problem when it’s the two of them against the world. 

 

✶✶✶

 

It takes Yeonjun a while to warm up to Beomgyu.

At first he simply sits idly, allowing Beomgyu to close in on his table after Soobin leaves and chatter away. Sometimes he’s not even listening, his headphones secured over both ears. Sometimes he gives in, because he feels guilty that the kid is so insistent on being friends with him. It’s quite obvious that Beomgyu is just as weird and lonely as him, even if it’s in a different shade. 

Yeonjun catches bits and pieces of Beomgyu’s own troubles; his best friend is named Taehyun, Taehyun works at the university newspaper and he’s so focused on his work that he doesn’t even notice Beomgyu’s crush. Or he does and he’s ignoring it, Beomgyu can’t decide. Yeonjun tries to insist he’s really not the person to be asking those types of questions to. 

Anyway, it seems Beomgyu had been carefully preparing him. Dropping Yeonjun in a cold pot of water and slowly but surely dousing him in flame. He doesn’t realize he’s been boiled alive with the fire of friendship until he’s screaming for help. 

 

“Come here often?” Kai drawls cheekily, smiling at Soobin with stars in his eyes. 

This is the third time Soobin has coincidentally run into the kid as Spiderman this week. 

Yeonjun’s stomach turns. He can’t watch this back and forth again. Soobin’s overconfident flirting, the knowing that without the mask Soobin would be a blushing mess, the way Kai looks at Spiderman like he’s won a prize. It makes him nauseous.

“Only when there’s pretty boys that need my help,” Soobin returns with just as much charm. 

Disgusting. 

Yeonjun breaks. He can’t handle monitoring Soobin flirt one more time. He reaches for his phone and realizes he’s boiling alive. Flinging his headphones off his head in a bid to silence soft voices tinged with romance, he jams his fingers into his phone screen, pacing the short length of his room.

 

Me

r u free rn??

 

Beomgyu

yes

yesyesyesyesyesyes

yes

y?

do u finally wanna hang out w me???????!!!!!!!! 

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

 

Me

*Sent location*

need 2 commiserate 

 

Beomgyu

fldkfkdnfksnflkdsnfklnsisn

be there in twenty

😘

 

Yeonjun scowls. Oh how the mighty have fallen. 

He clicks his mic back on only long enough to chirp a quick, “Bin, I gotta go, I have someone coming over.”

Soobin, apparently too lost in Heuning Kai’s eyes to process words, manages an intelligent, “Huh?” right before Yeonjun cuts off his contact, hitting the disconnect button. He knows Soobin will hear the beep of the dropped com in his ear. 

Yeonjun didn’t think it was possible to burn and boil at the same time.

 

✶✶✶

 

Merely an hour later, Beomgyu is in his apartment.

Beomgyu is in his apartment and standing in his doorway, mouth unhinged, staring straight at his new mockup of Soobin’s suit. 

Yeonjun told Beomgyu the bathroom was the first door on the left. Apparently Beomgyu doesn’t know his left from his right, which, actually, doesn’t surprise Yeonjun at all. Either way, he’ll blame the mistake in not watching where Beomgyu was going when he opened the door straight into the spider-lair on the fact that he’s under immense mental stress. 

“Woah,” Beomgyu breathes, eyes wide.

“Uh,” Yeonjun is sure his eyes are just as wide. 

Beomgyu turns on him, looking like he’s about to combust, vibrating out of his skin. “This is why you didn’t want to have me over?”

Yeonjun blinks. “Uh?” he repeats, wincing. 

“You’re, like, a super freaky Spiderman superfan!” Beomgyu enthuses. “Now it makes so much more sense why Soobin doesn’t like you back!”

“I- Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Yeonjun doesn’t even have a chance to care that he’s dodged the largest bullet of all time. Everything Beomgyu does is at a breakneck pace, always moving to the next thing.

Beomgyu turns around, brushing past him to go find the bathroom, probably, because that’s where he should be.

“I didn’t get why Soobin wouldn’t be into you, y’know?” he says. “You’re hot and smart and look at him like he’s the fucking Spiderman.” Bathroom found, Beomgyu spins, shrugging once before slamming the door in Yeonjun’s face.

He should have never let Beomgyu put his number in his phone.

 

Despite the near heart attack and friendship regret, they commiserate anyway. Yeonjun has come to the sad conclusion that he has no one to talk to about his problems besides Soobin and his therapist, and he can’t talk to Soobin about Soobin, and his therapist is on maternity leave. Another two people he can blame for his horrifying new friendship; Haseul and her baby. Fresh out of the womb and already causing trouble. 

Beomgyu is a surprisingly good listener when he shuts up. Soobin is a good listener too, but their styles of listening are vastly different. Beomgyu’s fast-paced, fiery reactions are a nice change of pace from Soobin’s well-intentioned rationality. 

“Ugh, I don’t know, Gyu. I wish I could just get over him, you know? But at the same time… fuck, I love him,” Yeonjun groans, covering his eyes with his hands, only slightly sweaty. 

Beomgyu raises an invisible glass. “I wish I could express how hard I am commiserating right now, bro.” 

“Thanks… bro.” The word sticks to his tongue, clearly not belonging in his mouth. 

A crash sounds from Yeonjun’s bedroom, loud and obvious. 

“What the fuck was that?” Beomgyu jerks up. 

“Uh, probably just my, uh…” Yeonjun scrambles up, launching himself over the back of the couch. “Be right back, okay?” 

Soobin is on the ground, hair messy from pulling off his mask, rubbing his head like he’s bumped it, mouth twisted in the cutest little pout Yeonjun has ever seen. His anxiety immediately softens at the sight. 

“Binnie,” he hisses. “I told you I have someone over!”

Soobin squints. Maybe his fall concussed him too. “What?”

“I have someone over!” Yeonjun repeats, moving to help peel his friend off the ground.

“What? I thought you were lying!” Soobin whines, his long limbs flailing as Yeonjun works to push him back out the window.

“Why the fuck would I lie about that!? Can you just leave and come back through the front door like a normal roommate?” 

“Junnie!” Soobin protests, but Yeonjun’s already shoved him back outside, tossing his pack with street clothes out after him. 

“Front door!” he mouths aggressively, window already locked. 

Beomgyu is lying on his back scrolling through his phone when Yeonjun returns. “Everything good, man?” he asks, eyes glued to the screen. 

“Yeah, sorry, one of my robots was malfunctioning,” Yeonjun sinks back into the couch, hand running through his hair. His cheeks feel hot. 

“Robots?” Beomgyu raises a brow, eyes narrowed. 

“Yeah– I–” 

“Honey, I’m home!” Soobin croons, pushing through the front door. Jackass. Yeonjun could kiss him. He didn’t realize how hard it would be to hide their secret from friends. Yeonjun doesn’t have friends over. He’s not a people person. 

Beomgyu’s face splits into a nasty grin. “You must be Soobin!” he says. “I’ve heard so much about you!” 

Yeonjun wishes he had music playing right now. 

“Um, yes? That’s me!” Soobin recovers his surprise easily, accepting the handshake Beomgyu is offering. 

“Sorry, I was just leaving,” Beomgyu says cheerfully, shaking Soobin’s hand up and down rapidly. “I hope you and Junnie have a great night!” 

Yeonjun scowls, dropping it immediately upon making eye contact with Soobin over Beomgyu’s head. 

“Yeah, sure, great to meet you,” Soobin says, blinking, still not unhanded. 

Beomgyu rounds the couch again, landing a disgustingly wet kiss on Yeonjun’s cheek before he goes. “Bye!” 

What a fucking disaster.

“Uh…” Yeonjun shifts awkwardly, tucking his leg underneath him on the couch. “I made a friend?” 

 

They’re ten minutes into the next episode of their favorite show when Soobin breaks the stilted silence between them.

“Junnie, you’d tell me if you like someone, right?” Soobin mumbles, eyes never leaving the screen. Yeonjun watches the soft glow of the television shift over his features for a second. 

“Sure,” he says. Maybe he would tell Soobin if he liked someone. He hasn’t liked anyone in a long time though, he’s only loved. Barf. That was a disgusting thought.

“Okay,” Soobin nods, seemingly satisfied. Yeonjun can see the tension seeping out of his shoulders. 

He should know, then, when Soobin gets that starry, faraway look in his eyes, that he’s about to talk about him. He should know, and maybe he does, but the impact still stings just as much. 

“Can I tell you about Kai? He said the funniest thing today, Jun,” Soobin bubbles, smiling in a way that Yeonjun is incapable of not breaking under. 

“Sure, Bin,” he whispers.

Soobin grins.

He revels in the fact that at least he can still make Soobin smile.

 

✶✶✶

 

The more time Spiderman spends with Huening Kai, the less injuries he gets. 

Yeonjun should be happy that Soobin tumbles through his window smiling instead of wincing in pain, in need of a patch-up. It feels wrong to say he’s happy that Soobin isn’t getting hurt . But it’s not really that, it’s just that the only time Soobin ends up in Yeonjun’s bed is when he needs coddling. 

He feels guilty and selfish for even thinking such horrible thoughts.

 

One thing Yeonjun could not have predicted about Soobin getting closer to Kai is the stark boost in his reputation around campus.

Kai is, for lack of a better term, hyping Spiderman up. 

Every second Yeonjun is on campus he’s hearing about it.

“I heard that Kai and Spiderman are best friends!”

“Apparently, Spiderman might go to school with us!”

“I bet Spiderman is totally hot under the mask!” 

The last two are true, but he’s supposed to be the only one who knows that. 

 

His sour mood only deepens when Beomgyu neglects to tell him that he’s bringing Taehyun along to lunch. 

Yeonjun is terrible at meeting new people.

Soobin is supposed to be here by now. Soobin always knows how to diffuse tension between Yeonjun and strangers.

“Junnie!” Beomgyu crows, dragging a bored looking man with cartoonishly large eyes behind him. “This is Taehyun! My best friend!” 

Needles of anxiety stick into Yeonjun’s chest. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing anyone,” he grits, jaw set. He warily eyes Taehyun, who sits down next to Beomgyu, unbothered by Yeonjun’s prickliness. 

“I didn’t think I needed to?” Beomgyu cocks his head, his long hair swinging. “Me and Tyun are basically the same person, just think of him as Beomgyu two point o.”

“Jesus, that’s a horrifying thought,” Yeonjun snorts, pulling a laugh out of Taehyun. He still doesn’t want him there, even if Taehyun laughs at his jokes. 

“That’s not true,” Taehyun says, his voice as even as his expression. “Please don’t get the wrong impression. I despise the insinuation, actually.”

Yeonjun smirks, just a tiny bit. If anyone asks, it's because he thought of something funny, not because of Taehyun. 

“Hey!” Beomgyu howls. “Why are you being mean to me?” 

“For fun,” Yeonjun snips, sliding his headphones over his ears. It’s quiet enough that he can still hear the others, but enough of a signal that he’s sick of talking. 

Beomgyu and Taehyun, or, mostly Beomgyu, start chattering about nothing at all. Yeonjun tunes them out until Taehyun says something that catches his attention.

“I just can’t get this shot of Spiderman Namjoon wants, it’s pissing me off! It feels like no one has seen the bastard lately.” Right, because Taehyun works for the newspaper. 

“Maybe you should just start hanging around Huening Kai,” Yeonjun grumbles. “That’s a sure way to find him.” 

Taehyun perks up. “What?”

“Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, Junnie is a huge Spiderman fan,” Beomgyu chirps. “Maybe he can tell you where he’ll be.”

“Jesus Christ,” Yeonjun wishes the ground would swallow him up. 

“Huening Kai?” Taehyun presses, leaning over the table.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? They’re practically attached at the hip.” Yeonjun fails to suppress his nasty scowl.

The way Taehyun stares at him is horrifying. His giant eyes burning holes straight through his head. 

“Do you hang out with Huening Kai a lot, Yeonjun?” Taehyun asks. 

Yeonjun barks a harsh laugh. “God, no. Do I look like I hang out with Heuning Kai?” 

Taehyun shrugs. 

Yeonjun shoves his headphones back on, turns up his volume so he can’t hear them. Dumb and dumber seem to get the memo, going back to chatting amongst themselves, Taehyun sending him scary little glances every so often. Yeonjiun’s skin crawls. He hates meeting new people. Soobin is still nowhere to be found, not a text of explanation in sight. 

Finally Beomgyu gets up. Yeonjun pops an ear out.

“I’m leaving, I have class,” he starts shoving his stuff into his bag. Taehyun doesn’t move. “Coming Hyun?” 

“Nah, I think I’ll hang out here for a minute,” Taehyun smiles sweetly up at his friend. 

What the fuck. 

Yeonjun’s leg starts bouncing up and down, a nervous tick. Beomgyu waves goodbye, unaware of the turmoil he’s inflicting. This is why Yeonjun doesn’t make friends. 

Taehyun waits until Beomgyu is out of sight before he turns on Yeonjun, eyes sharp. “You know Spiderman,” he says, matter of fact.

The pace of Yeonjun’s leg kicks up. “What the fuck are you talking about,” he scowls, eyes locked on his computer screen.

“Beomgyu said you’re a fan but I think you know him,” Taehyun says simply. 

How the fuck has Yeonjun never expected this outcome? He always works through every outcome in his head. This one never seemed an option. Fuck. 

“That's ridiculous,” he monotones, flicking his eyes up for a second to catch Taehyun intently staring back at him. 

“I won’t tell anyone, not even Gyu, but…” Taehyun continues, ignoring his protests. “I need you to help me get a picture.” 

Who the fuck does this kid think he is?

Yeonjun snorts. “Okay, well, maybe that would impact me if I did know him… but I don’t”

“Okay, so if I tell Gyu that you do know Spiderman and that's why you’re strange and mysterious and–” Taehyun pushes on, voice raising to the level that he’s drawing the attention of others around them. 

Shit. Yeonjun’s leg bounces unbearably fast, cheeks heating up. Shit . Every thought he’s ever had filters through his head at once. Beomgyu would know . Beomgyu is dense, but he’s not dense enough to not realize that the suit wasn’t a costume with the extra help of Taehyun's assertion. Beomgyu is horrible at keeping his mouth shut, Taehyun is promising secrecy. Shit! It’s bad option after bad option. Yeonjun doesn’t know Taehyun well enough to know if he’ll follow through with his promise, but he’s also desperate to get him to shut his mouth right now. 

“Fucking hell, fine. Keep your fucking mouth shut,” he hisses. 

Taehyun shuts up as quickly as he pounced, offensive posture relaxing into something comfortable. “Great. I’ll text you, we’ll work something out,” he says, smiling serenely. 

“You’re evil,” Yeonjun adds poisonously. 

“Thank you!” Taehyun grins wider, swinging his leg over the table bench and standing up. “So good to meet you, Yeonjun!” He throws a nasty little wave over his shoulder as he stalks away. 

Yeonjun’s leg stills, he throws his head down onto his arms, groaning. 

Could this day get any worse?

He should stop asking himself questions like that, it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy, because when he lifts his head out of his arms his gaze lands on Huening Kai, across the courtyard, and right next to him, Soobin, talking and laughing, not a care in the world, not a spider-suit in sight. 

Right.

 

✶✶✶

 

He doesn’t tell Soobin about his misstep with Taehyun. 

It’s not because he’s petty, really! He swears! It’s just better he doesn’t know. Soobin is a worrier. He’ll freak out. He shouldn’t know unless it gets out of hand. Which it won’t, because Soobin is already en route to the location that’s going to get Taehyun his winning shot. 

Okay, and he’s a little (a lot) petty that Soobin blew him off at lunch with no explanation for the first time in their lives. 

This is all Beomgyu’s fault. 

Beomgyu showed up and read Yeonjun’s stupid little secret right off his face and then forced himself into Yeonjun’s bubble and brought his freaky genius friend into the fold that read his not-so-little very important secret off his face. Huening Kai is a whole other story, the bastard. Pretty boy distracting Soobin from their non-existent relationship. Despicable. Yeonjun will blame Beomgyu for that too, just because he can.

“You said there’s something going on in this area?” Soobin says over the speaker, swinging through midtown. 

Yeonjun leans back, clicks his mic on. “Yup, heavy police presence on the north side of the bridge.” He’s lying. But Taehyun is on the north side of the bridge.

“On it, captain,” Soobin laughs, swinging through buildings at a breakneck pace. Watching him work is truly amazing.

“So…” Yeonjun attempts nonchalance. “When did you and Huening Kai start talking at school?”

“Oh! You saw that?” Soobin honest to god giggles. “Yeah, I saved his coffee from falling out of his hand with my spider sense and he invited me to lunch!” 

Yeonjun frowns. He’s glad Soobin can’t see him. “Cool. Just kinda wish you’d have given me a warning about missing lunch, though.” 

“Shit, Jun, I’m so sorry,” Soobin says immediately, and Yeonjun knows he’s being completely genuine (which just pisses him off more, to be honest). “I saw you hanging out with Beomgyu, so I thought you wouldn’t mind. That’s silly, though, of course you would mind. I would mind! I won’t do it again, cross my heart. Let’s have tomorrow night to ourselves to make up for it, yeah?” 

Ugh. The stupid blabber mouth and his stupid genuine rationality. Yeonjun loves him. 

“Yeah, alright,” Yeonjun grumbles. He wouldn’t let it go so easily if he didn’t know that Soobin is telling the truth. He’s almost positive he’ll never be ditched for lunch without fair warning ever again. 

“Thanks, Junnie, I love you,” Soobin says, finally nearing his location.

Yeonjun mumbles out an unintelligent response, avoiding any real answer. 

“Uh, are you sure something’s going on? I don’t see anything?” Soobin’s voice cuts into Yeonjun’s self-deprecating thoughts. 

“Oops! Sorry, looks like they got it cleared up faster than expected!” 

 

Kang Taehyun (EVIL)

👍

 

✶✶✶

 

“Do you remember when we snuck out of bio and got high behind the gym sophomore year?” Soobin asks, swinging the spoon he’s using to cook precariously around his head. 

Yeonjun snorts from where he’s perched on the counter behind him. “Yeah, and then you wouldn’t stop hanging all over me the rest of the day. I swear that nasty lit teacher almost called us a slur.” 

These are his favorite moments, when he and Soobin spend the night by themselves, in complete comfort, talking about their days, their lives, memories. Soobin cooks because Yeonjun’s always been shit at it, and then they watch one of their favorite movies and cuddle. 

Soobin spins around, a glob of sauce dangerously close to dropping off the end of his spoon. “It’s because I’ve never been able to resist you, Junnie. Drugs just lower my inhibitions,” he says, with what Yeonjun can only assume is a teasing tone. “Taste,” he orders, stepping even closer, holding the messy spoon to Yeonjun’s lips. 

Yeonjun opens up, and they hold eye contact the entire time Soobin is sliding the spoon between his lips. The tension between them feels thick, and he can't decide if he’s the only one feeling it. Soobin draws the spoon back, finally dropping his eyes from Yeonjun’s in favor of his lips. He’s almost positive his cheeks are burning. 

“You–” Soobin starts, but his words fade off into nothing, his hand coming up to swipe at Yeonjun’s bottom lip, painfully slow and careful. He holds his thumb up, coming away with a streak of spilled sauce, and Yeonjun watches with bated breath as Soobin sticks his thumb right into his own mouth. 

Holy shit. This must be straight out of one of Yeonjun’s wet dreams. 

“Mmm,” Soobin hums. “It’s good!” And then he’s turning back to work at the stove, not one indication that anything has happened. 

Yeonjun blinks rapidly, trying to clear out the fog in his head. What the hell? What the fuck? If he doesn’t say something soon Soobin is going to notice that he’s out of his mind from an innocent touch. 

“Why do you bring that up?” he croaks, voice sounding creaky even though he’s been using it all night. 

“Hmm?” Soobin asks, raising one of his eyebrows cutely. 

“Um, about bio, getting high,” he mumbles, embarrassed for no good reason. 

“Oh!” Soobin lights up again, and the tension immediately seeps out of the room. “I dunno, I guess I’ve just been thinking that we’ve shared so many of our good moments, you know? Like, every memory I have, or most of them, you’re there too.” He pauses, looking thoughtfully at the pot of bubbling sauce. Yeonjun feels like he’s being boiled alive again. “I guess I feel lucky that I got to share so much with you. And that we’re still here together.” 

Yeonjun’s stomach ties itself into a tight knot. “Oh,” he says stupidly.

Soobin bursts into a laugh. “It’s okay, I know you’re not big on the ushy gushy emotional shit, Jun.” 

“Sorry,” he offers a weak smile. 

“I just–” Soobin continues, brow scrunching up a tad. “Do you ever think we might be soulmates?” 

Soobin looks up, his face entirely sincere, and Yeonjun’s world is seconds from imploding. 

“What?” he asks, but it comes out much thinner than intended.

“Platonic soulmates! Right!” Soobin blinks, sincerity cracking into a wide grin, something much more manageable for Yeonjun’s fragility. “That’s a thing, I think. We were just meant to meet and like, be each other’s person, you know?” 

“Platonic soulmates?” Yeonjun swallows the lump in his throat.

Soobin smiles wider, and Yeonjun swears it doesn’t fully reach his eyes. 

“Yep!”

 

✶✶✶

 

“Before I say anything, please know that this will never happen again, but do you want to go out and do something?” Yeonjun sighs into the receiver of his phone, leaning back to prepare for the inevitable screeching.

“OhMyGod! Yes! WhereDoYouWantToGo?” 

It’s worse than he expected, Beomgyu is screeching so fast Yeonjun can barely separate the words. 

“Okay, never mind, you have way too much energy, this was a mistake.”

“Wait!”

Yeonjun hits the end call button before he can be subjected to more torture. 

He called because he’s trying to distract himself. Soobin is out with Kai and company, apparently invited to some sort of house party that Yeonjun could not be convinced to attend. Soobin invited him, but Yeonjun felt like it was more of a pity invite than an actual one. He opted to stay home and mope. But then the moping got overwhelming, and his fidgeting became unbearable, and he felt the abnormal and very rare urge to leave the apartment, so he called Beomgyu. 

A horrible mistake, honestly. 

His phone buzzes.

 

Gyutie (Yeonjun do not change my contact na…

get ur ass out of bed we’ll be there to pick u up in fifteen

 

Me

who tf is we

 

Gyutie (Yeonjun do not change my contact na…

less txting more getting up

 

Me

stfu

 

Gyutie (Yeonjun do not change my contact na…

ily2

 

Yeonjun groans; the urge to punch himself in the head is becoming overwhelming. He’s never getting out of this. He brought it upon himself, Beomgyu is too goddamn persistent. He never should have made a friend, especially not one that’s bouncing out of his skin with energy nearly one hundred percent of the time. He groans again, and then he gets up.

 

He’s just finished pulling real pants on when a flurry of knocks sounds at the door. Then another, and then another, much more persistent. 

“Jesus, Gyu, give me a second!” he howls, hopping across the living room one foot at a time while pulling his socks on.

Yeonjun interrupts the next barrage of knocks by swinging the door open, revealing Beomgyu’s freaky impersonation of the Cheshire cat. 

“We’re going to the amusement park,” he squeals before Yeonjun can even greet him.

“I–Okay,” Yeonjun gives into his self imposed destiny. He doesn’t have the energy to fight it anymore. 

 

The we that Yeonjun had questioned earlier turns out to be Taehyun, sitting in the driver's seat of a beat up old Subaru on the street below. It shouldn’t be a surprise, Yeonjun is pretty sure Beomgyu is just as weird and friendless as he is. Taehyun is Beomgyu’s Soobin. 

And maybe having persistent friends isn’t so bad. Though Yeonjun would never admit that to Beomgyu. 

They end up spending all night at the shitty theme park down at the pier, and Yeonjun, though he hates to admit it, has fun. He gets to chat more with Taehyun while Beomgyu is occupied playing one of the rigged carnival games, and the man thanks him for setting up the photo. He says that he got a boost in his editor position as a result. Even if Taehyun blackmailed him, Yeonjun is glad that he could help out; it’s obvious that Taehyun really cares about his work. 

Yeonjun is so content he even lets Beomgyu give him a hug. 

 

✶✶✶

 

Taehyun pulls up to the curb outside of Yeonjun’s building, Beomgyu is flopped across the backseat, completely knocked out, snoring softly. What a day at the fair does to a kid! 

Yeonjun snorts, catching a peek at the man while he’s unbuckling his seatbelt. More interesting than Beomgyu’s snoring, though, is the way Taehyun stares fondly towards the back seat. It’s almost as if he’s completely smitten. 

Yeonjun isn’t good at reading people, but there’s no mistaking the look on Taehyun’s face. At least Beomgyu’s pining seems to be working out for him. 

“Thanks for everything,” Yeonjun says, hand on the car door. “You’re good to get this one home? Don’t need help carrying him up the stairs, do you?” He tilts his head in Beomgyu’s direction. 

Taehyun laughs, snapping out of his lovesick daze. “No, thanks. He’s surprisingly light.” 

Yeonjun nods, hops out of the car and shuts the door lightly behind him. Before he steps away, he leans back into the open window. “You should tell him,” he says quietly, careful not to wake Beomgyu up.  

“What are you talking about?” Taehyun’s eyes double in size, cheeks growing pink at record speed. 

“I think you know.” Yeonjun shoots him a quick wave and trots towards his building before the man can respond. 

He climbs the stairs two at a time, stupid grin plastered to his cheeks. He’s grown impossibly soft for Beomgyu and Taehyun in the time he’s known them, it’s seriously harmful for his reputation. Still, he smiles, shoving his key into the door. 

Soobin is sitting on the couch when he walks in, the picture of a bummer donning a sad face and all decked out in his party clothes.

Yeonjun’s smile fades. “Bin? Why aren’t you out?” 

“Oh, hey,” he says, head lolling to the side to face Yeonjun. “I just got tired, so I came home early. Where were you?” 

Yeonjun knows he’s not saying something, but he doesn’t push. Soobin will tell him if and when he’s ready. “I went out with Gyu and Taehyun.” 

“Cool, cool.”

“Uh, so, wanna watch a movie?” Yeonjun asks, shuffling awkwardly on his feet, avoiding eye contact. The air is stilted, but it’s probably solely on his end.

Soobin splits into a blinding grin, and the weirdness instantaneously dissipates. “Yes please! I missed you.” 

Yeonjun bites back his own smile, hopping across the room and jumping onto the couch, immediately folding himself under Soobin’s arm. “Missed you too, dumbass.” Soobin’s resulting laugh makes everything all okay. 

 

It doesn’t take long to pick a movie, they’ve been on an Adam Sandler kick lately. Something mindless and fun. Soobin speaks again when the opening credits start playing. 

“Hey, so, um– I have kind of a crazy idea. And I need your help?” his voice thins near the end of the ask. 

Aha. This is why Soobin is acting all weird, he wants to ask for something. Soobin hates asking for help, even if he needs it. 

“Sure, Binnie, you know I’m always happy to help you,” Yeonjun answers, easy as breathing. 

Soobin visibly winces. “Well, don’t agree yet, but—” he shifts, facing Yeonjun more fully. “When we were out tonight, Kai wouldn’t stop talking about what a massive crush he has on Spiderman, like, he kept saying he wants to date Spiderman.” 

Yeonjun blinks. “Okay?”

“Right, so,” Soobin swallows, visibly nervous. “I was thinking… what if I made him think Spiderman is unavailable.” 

“Unavailable.” Yeonjun has no idea where this is going.

Soobin nods. “Mhm! Like, what if we staged something with Spiderman and his ‘boyfriend,’” Soobin air quotes. “And then Kai will see that Spiderman isn’t an option, but me, Soobin, has been right there the whole time!” 

“Uh,” Yeonjun blinks again. “So what exactly are you asking?” 

“For you to be my staged boyfriend. Spiderman’s staged boyfriend.” 

Yeonjun’s heart drops to the bottom of his chest. What . “I– what ?” he splutters. 

“I know it sounds stupid,” Soobin rushes, grabbing hold of Yeonjun’s limp hand. “But I really think it would work! And, if the press got a shot of it then I could stop getting questions about my love life, and we wouldn’t have to make your face visible!” 

Well, that’s honestly not the worst idea Yeonjun’s ever heard. Like, it’s bad, but it's definitely not the worst . 

“What, exactly, would we do?” Yeonjun’s voice tips up. He has a feeling he knows, and the thought makes him feel a confusing mix of excitement and nerve. 

Soobin smiles weakly, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck. “I was hoping… a kiss?” 

Yeonjun bursts out laughing, unable to stop himself. He falls back against the couch, stomach on fire from the force of it. 

“What!” Soobin pouts, and it only makes Yeonjun laugh harder. 

He wipes some stray tears from his eyes, face still aching with a smile. “I just– It’s so ridiculous that this is where this whole superhero thing has led us.” 

“Is that a yes?” Soobin perks up, looking stupidly cute and stupidly happy. 

“Sure. Why the fuck not. But I have a specific reporter in mind, so let me set up that part.” 

Yeonjun is stupid. He might be the stupidest man in the world; the universe! Kissing his best friend for some hairbrained scheme, it’s ludacris. 

It doesn’t feel so stupid when Soobin launches forward and wraps him into a bear hug, though.

He’s fucked. 

Taehyun is going to owe him so hard. 

 

✶✶✶

 

Yeonjun is absolutely, insurmountably fucked.

They’re perched on a rooftop, the sun creeping lower in the distance, him and Soobin sitting thigh to thigh, jean to red and blue lycra, hands intertwined. 

Soobin picked the location, saying it was his favorite spot to watch the sunset, and Yeonjun sent Taehyun instructions of where to set up to get a shot that doesn’t reveal either of their faces to the camera. As far as Soobin knows, Yeonjun is sending in anonymous tips to his mysterious trusted reporter. 

Yeonjun figures he should be more nervous with his legs dangling off a high rise, but knowing that a superhero is there to catch him if he falls does wonders for his risk analysis. 

His heart flutters, not because of the height but because of the knowledge he’s about to kiss Soobin. He’s about to kiss Soobin in what seems to be one of the most romantic places in the fucking city. If he were Soobin’s actual boyfriend would this be commonplace? Swinging up to rooftops and kissing while they watch the sunset? Stargazing from the top of the highest building? Seeing places no one else has ever seen? Ew. Gross. He needs to stop this train of thought. 

Soobin squeezes his hand, saving him from his own mind. “You ready, Junnie?” he asks, soft, caring. 

“Uh, yeah,” Yeonjun mumbles. “I guess so? I mean, we’ve done it before, right? Hah, oops, we’ve never talked about that, now I’m rambling. God this is embarrassing. I’ve kissed so many men, like, why am I nervous right now, shit!” 

“Jun,” Soobin laughs through Yeonjun’s babbling.

“Sorry! I’m being so embarrassing, why can’t I act normal in any situation, this is so humiliating. How do you put up with me, Bin? I’m serious.” 

Soobin laughs again, but moves his hands up to peel up the bottom of his mask, letting it sit right below his nose, leaving Yeonjun to stare at the smile on his pretty pink lips. 

“Oh gosh, my heart is beating so fast, Binnie. You won’t make fun of me if I’m a terrible kisser, right? I swear I’m usually a good kisser, I just– mmmf!” His mindless chatter is silenced by Soobin’s lips, warm and solid on top of his. 

Yeonjun’s noise of surprise morphs into an embarrassing sigh as he relaxes, one of Soobin’s gloved hands cupping his jaw, the other making a home on the back of his neck. The angle is a little awkward with how they’re sitting, so Yeonjun moves, drawing up the leg closer to Soobin and tucking it in, allowing him to get a better position. 

Soobin hums in satisfaction, tilting his head to the perfect degree and pushing in further, their lips coming together in a slow repetition of careful yet firm kisses. Yeonjun doesn’t mean to open his mouth, but when Soobin’s hand slides into his hair, suit catching on his long hair as he drags it through the strands, his lips fall open in a stuttered gasp. Soobin hums again, taking the opportunity to lick into Yeonjun’s mouth, gentle and experimental. 

Yeonjun folds under the touch, body pulled further towards Soobin like a magnet. He’s an instrument and Soobin is hitting every note. It’s like Soobin knows exactly how to kiss him to drive him wild. His hands clench, and he realizes he hasn’t been doing anything with them, so he brings them up to Soobin’s chest, fingers curling against the taut muscle covered by embroidered webs. 

Soobin is so perfect, he’s wonderful and beautiful and Yeonjun has never been kissed like this. 

Their tongues swirl a few more times, and then Soobin is pulling away, leaning in to place one, two more pecks on Yeonjun’s lips, leaving their foreheads tilted together. 

“Nothing to worry about, Junnie. We know each other too well for that,” Soobin whispers, and he’s smiling big and bright. Yeonjun can only drink in the sight for a moment, the red tint to his lips, swollen from use, before Soobin is pulling his mask back down. 

“Right,” Yeonjun huffs, laughing softly, still completely dazed. “Right,” he repeats, more firm. 

“Alright,” Soobin laughs, pinching at Yeonjun’s cheek. “Can you stand up, or did I knock you off your feet too hard? Do I have to lug you home like dead weight?” 

Yeonjun scoffs, smacking away his hand, pushing himself up off the ground in a show of strength. He stumbles, but Soobin is there to catch him, a hand wrapped around his waist. Yeonjun scowls. He knows Soobin is grinning like an annoying bastard under his mask so he flicks him in the forehead as best he can with his jellied arms. 

Soobin laughs again, louder, and then turns around and crouches down enough that Yeonjun can climb onto his back. 

How annoying for Yeonjun to have to rely on Soobin as his ride home after this. (He secretly loves it). 

“Hold on tight, spidermonkey,” Soobin snickers. 

“Really bold of you to quote Twilight when my arms are wrapped around your neck, Bin,” Yeonjun retorts, pretending to tighten his hold in a violent way. “I will choke you.”

“Hey! Maybe I like that kind of thing!”

Yeonjun gasps, but Soobin takes off before he can reply, the air whooshing from his lungs as they swing into the evening air. He digs his nose into the space between Soobin’s neck and shoulder, holding on for dear life, legs clamped around his muscled torso. 

His job fucking rules.

 

✶✶✶

 

“I’m going to kill you, and then I’m going to chop you up into a billion little pieces, and then I’m going to eat you,” Beomgyu rants, face twisted up in something that Yeonjun assumes is supposed to be anger, even though he just looks kind of cute. 

Yeonjun didn’t expect to be threatened with death and cannibalism when he opened the door for a screaming Beomgyu, but he’s learned not to expect anything in particular with Beomgyu, so. 

“What are you talking about?” he snorts, leaning over the kitchen island, elbows to the countertop as he watches Beomgyu stomp around the living room. 

“This,” Beomgyu howls, slamming his hand down on the counter, a newspaper Yeonjun hadn’t even realized he’d been holding thwacking against the surface. Beomgyu lifts his hand, balling it into a fist and raising it threateningly towards Yeonjun’s head. 

Yeonjun ignores him, picking up the paper by the edge, flicking it open to read the headline. 

SPIDERMAN MYSTERY BOYFRIEND?

Bad news for all those crushing on our friendly neighborhood bae; Spiderman was caught on a romantic date with a mystery man! The hero took his boo to watch the sunset and we caught the two captured in a passionate lip lock! The identity of the man is unknown, but safe to say the two look completely in love! … continued on page 5

Below the article is a grainy picture of he and Soobin kissing, taken from the exact angle Yeonjun instructed Taehyun to get. The image mostly captures Yeonjun’s back and head, but Soobin’s suit is visible from a long sliver of his body as well as the hands tangled in Yeonjun’s messy hair. It’s the perfect angle, to be honest, both of their faces completely out of view while still clearly capturing the Spiderman. Yeonjun should be a creative director or something. 

He lays the paper back down on the counter, sliding it across towards Beomgyu. “Why are you showing me this?” he asks, bored. The best course of action with Beomgyu is to pretend he knows nothing, the other man is good enough at filling the gaps with his own crazy ideas. Beomgyu has an overactive imagination.

“You– you! I– I can’t believe you!” Beomgyu bursts, stumbling over the first few failed starts of his proclamation. 

“Words, Gyu,” Yeonjun sighs. “What are you talking about?” 

“You’re Spiderman’s boyfriend!” the other squeals, finally getting to the point. 

Yeonjun blinks, heart racing but face remaining calm. “No I’m not.” 

“Yes you are!” Beomgyu howls, pressing his finger into the back of Yeonjun’s printed head that it bends backwards. “I’d know the back of your headphone hair anywhere, you idiot!” 

“That’s not me,” Yeonjun says, running a hand through his hair, his leg bouncing against the tile floor, nerves setting in. 

“I knew you’d say that, you nasty little man,” Beomgyu hisses, moving his finger to jam it into Yeonjun’s chest instead. “That’s why I prepared my evidence.” 

“Your what?” Yeonjun squeezes his eyes shut, trying to stave off his oncoming noise-induced headache. They fly back open when he hears the sound of Beomgyu’s phone ringing, on speaker.

“Hello?” Taehyun picks up after one ring.

“Taehyun, tell Yeonjun that I’ve figured him out and he should stop lying,” Beomgyu snips impatiently. 

“Taehyun!” Yeonjun wails, head falling into his hands. “Why would you rat me out!” 

“I’m sorry! He looked at me with the puppy dog eyes! You know I can’t say no to that–”

Beomgyu smashes the end call button in the middle of Taehyun’s embarrassingly gay excuse, fixing Yeonjun with a horrifying look. 

“Who. Is. He?” Beomgyu demands. 

Yeonjun’s urge to punch himself in the head returns tenfold. Stupid Taehyun, stupid Beomgyu, stupid Soobin. Oh god, he’s going to have to admit to Soobin that he’s ruined their most important secret. It didn’t even take much! All Yeonjun had to do is make one friend. Abysmal! 

“Who do you think, Gyu. I only talk to two people and one of them is you,” he sighs, giving up the gig. It’s going to be a lot better in the long run, and he’ll be subjected to a lot less high pitched banshee screaming if he gets it over with now. 

“You’re dating Taehyun?!” Beomgyu screams, at serious risk of breaking the sound barrier. 

Yeonjun’s hands come up to cover his ears, eyes wide. “Jesus Christ, Beomgyu! No! It’s Soobin!” 

Beomgyu’s horrified expression falls to one of complete peace in a split second, no trace of the demon that had possessed his body lingering behind. “Oh. Rad!” he says happily. A pause, and then, “Wait, so are you and Soobin together?” 

“No! God, no. He wanted Kai to think that Spiderman has a boyfriend so that Kai will crush on Soobin instead of Spiderman,” Yeonjun groans, fingers pressed into his pulsing temples. 

“Damn. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“I know.”

“Fuck, I was so mad I almost forgot that I brought you a present!” Beomgyu claps, rummaging through his backpack and coming out with a parcel wrapped in the remnants of the newspaper he so rudely shoved in Yeonjun’s face. 

Yeonjun sighs, tearing off the paper, unfolding the t-shirt inside and holding it up to look at it. 

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he yelps, balling up the shirt and tossing it at Beomgyu’s head. 

Beomgyu cackles, holding up the shirt to his own chest. “What? You don’t like the Amazing Spiderman shirts the guy at the bodega sells? I knew you were a small business hater.”

Yeonjun lunges like he’s going to smack Beomgyu, but the other man just breaks into another fit of laughter. 

 

✶✶✶

 

Two hours, a lot of bickering, and a mind numbing array of questions later finds them both sitting in Yeonjun’s room monitoring Soobin’s Spiderman activities. 

Yeonjun tried to get Beomgyu to leave, really, but his friend grabbed onto the support beam in the middle of the room and refused to let go unless he could stay for the, “good part.” 

Truly, Yeonjun can’t stress enough how little energy he has to fight against Beomgyu’s stupid antics. So, here they are, Yeonjun at his desk, Beomgyu perched on the edge of the bed with strict instructions to be completely silent. Yeonjun is even nice enough to forgo his headphones so Beomgyu can hear what’s going on. 

“What’s poppin’, Spider-bae?” Huening Kai grins through the monitor, all set for Soobin to walk him home after his late night studying at the library. 

Yeonjun has to mute himself so he can groan. He turns to Beomgyu. “Do you see what I have to deal with?” 

Beomgyu nods, eyes wide. 

Soobin laughs, “You saw the article then. I’m kind of embarrassed we got caught.” He easily falls into step with Kai as they start strolling down the street. 

“Tell me about him!” Kai gushes. “How did you two meet? What do you like about him?” 

“Oh! Uh–” Soobin hesitates, probably painfully aware that Yeonjun is in his head. Yeonjun jumps when he feels hot breath at his ear, Beomgyu leaning forward to watch the show, completely entranced. 

“We’re childhood friends,” Soobin regains his composure. “We’ve known each other forever.” The sound of Soobin swallowing vibrates through the speakers. “He’s my best friend, really. I’m more comfortable with him than anyone else. I feel like we were kind of inevitable, you know?” 

Yeonjun lets out a shaky breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

“Holy shit ,” Beomgyu breathes, still hovering over his shoulder. Yeonjun’s eyes are too focused on the screen to smack him.

“Aw!” Kai coos, drawing out the sound. “That’s so cute! I want to know everything! When did you realize you were in love?” 

“Hah!” Soobin laughs, it sounds a bit nervous. “Well, I think it was a while ago, but I was really scared to admit it to myself for a long time, you know? He didn’t like me like that for a while, I was just hoping that he would be on the same page eventually.” 

“And you did!” Kai smiles. 

“Yep! I’m lucky!”

Yeonjun slams the mute button on the speakers and pushes his chair back, sending Beomgyu flying onto the bed. 

“Hey! It was getting to the good part!” Beomgyu whines. 

“Get out of my house,” Yeonjun snips, pointing towards the door. This whole thing was a terrible idea in the first place. 

“Well, technically it’s an apartment not a hou–” 

“Gyu,” he stresses. 

Beomgyu frowns, but follows directions, shoulders hunched over as he heads for the door. “Sorry. Let me know if you need anything, alright?” he says. 

All Yeonjun can manage is a weak nod. 

He stands up when the door shuts behind Beomgyu, to start pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair. What the fuck was that? Soobin spewing nonsense that seemed much too similar to real life to be funny? Shit. What’s the procedure in these sorts of situations? He wracks his brain for an explanation. 

Clearly, Soobin telling the truth is out of the question. Soobin likes Kai , not Yeonjun. He’s made that very clear. And oh! Of course! That stupid trope in all the shitty romance novels he reads when he wants to feel something, every time someone is lying about their relationship, they keep their story as close to the truth as possible to avoid slip ups. That must be it. Yeonjun releases a long breath. 

But what if…?

No! He shuts down the tiny part of his brain singing to him like a siren. No. Absolutely not. He needs to believe that this is nothing. For his own fucking sanity. 

He sits back down, plugging in his headphones and carefully lifting them over his ears. It looks like Soobin has already split from Kai, swinging through a sea of buildings. With a shaking finger, Yeonjun unmutes his mic.

“Jun?” Soobin questions nervously.

“Hey, sorry. Beomgyu came and pounded at the door, I had to entertain him until he got bored.” 

“Oh, cool,” Soobin says. “So you didn’t hear my conversation with Kai, right?” 

Yeonjun blinks as hard as he can, trying to rid his eyes of fog. “Uh, no,” he lies, monotone. “But I’m not exactly eager to hear you two flirt any more than I have to, so…”

Soobin laughs, short and bordering on relieved. “Alright, no biggie. Don’t worry, I think our little scheme made him get the memo. I’ll keep the flirting to Soobin, not Spiderman.” 

“Sounds good, Bin.”

 

✶✶✶

 

Yeonjun frantically shoves his pocket knife into the thicket of webs attaching Soobin to the brick wall in some random alley. This is his fault, really, one line of faulty code on the test run of the new web shooter and here they are; Soobin, fully suited and stuck to a building and Yeonjun, hoodie shoved over his head the only defense from being labeled ‘the guy that’s detaching Spiderman from a wall’. 

“Oh my god, Bin, I’m so sorry,” he hisses, working through the obscenely strong material as quickly as possible without cutting any of Soobin’s fingers off. 

“Junnie, it’s fine, this is why we do test runs, right?” Soobin laughs as quietly as he can so he doesn’t jostle his arm too much. 

“Keep an eye on the road, anyone could look in here and see us,” Yeonjun says, only halfway done with his freedom operation. 

Soobin falls quiet, doing what he’s told, his head leaning to the side. Yeonjun focuses, cutting away web, getting lost in the task at hand. The only reason he still engineers the web to be weak enough to cut through with a common knife is situations like this. Somehow, this isn’t the first time this has happened. 

“Aha!” he grins, finally cutting away the last of the web around Soobin’s hand. “Good as new! I– wah!” He’s cut off by Soobin grabbing his shoulders, spinning them around and pushing Yeonjun’s back against the brick, palms flat on the wall on either side of his head. 

“Do you trust me?” Soobin asks, using the hand further from the opening to the alley to tug up the bottom of his mask. 

“Yes?” Yeonjun squeaks, thoroughly thrown for a loop. 

Then Soobin is kissing him, pressing him into the wall, lips urgent, moving with purpose. Yeonjun’s brain doesn’t waste a second, immediately falling into the rhythm Soobin sets, melting beneath the delicious pressure he’s applying. Oh, oh, Soobin’s hand finds his waist, thumb pressing into his hip bone, bringing them flush to the wall, bodies pressed together.

Yeonjun’s traitorous body lets a soft moan escape, the pressure on his hips rendering his brain useless. What is happening? Does he even care? Holy fuck , Soobin is so good at kissing. His hands come up, greedily grabbing onto the back of Soobin’s neck, fingers nudging their way under the mask to play with his hair. Soobin hums, tongue moving to tease at Yeonjun’s lower lip. Yeonjun is pretty sure if Soobin weren’t supporting his weight he’d be reduced to a puddle of goo on the nasty alleyway ground. 

“Spiderman!” a voice slices through the haze in his brain. 

They’re in an alley. They’re in public and Soobin kissed him to hide his face from passersby. Of course. 

Soobin grunts a tiny displeased noise, sucking Yeonjun’s bottom lip into his mouth before pulling away, simultaneously lowering his mask and shoving Yeonjun the other direction so that he’s out of view of onlookers. 

“Hi, citizen! Could I get a little privacy, please?” Soobin chuckles abashedly. 

“Ohmygod, I’m so sorry! I just got so excited–” the stranger rambles. 

Yeonjun stands stock still, head pressed against Soobin’s back. How is it that he becomes absolutely stupid under Soobin’s mouth? Maybe being in love with Soobin isn’t good for his IQ in the long term. Not if Soobin is going to keep kissing him. 

“No problem– uh, have a nice day! Stay super!” Soobin calls. Yeonjun has to clap his hand over his mouth to muffle his snort. 

Soobin waves and then he’s turning around, raising his mask up so Yeonjun can see him all the way up to his eyebrows. 

“Stay super?” Yeonjun teases. “You’re such a loser.” 

“Watch it!” Soobin grins. “You’re dating this super loser.” 

Soobin leans in and steals a kiss before Yeonjun can protest, lips lingering much longer than seems necessary. Yeonjun is again rendered dumbstruck, unable to refute anything. 

“Let's go home,” Soobin says, pulling his mask back on. “I want to cook lasagna for dinner.” 

“O…kay?” Yeonjun squeezes, confusion seeping from every pore in his body. 

 

It’s hard to worry about what the fuck is going on between him and his best friend when Yeonjun is screaming bloody murder as Soobin swings them across the city using only one hand. 

He’ll have to tell Haseul that he found a new way to relieve his stress. How is that baby not old enough yet to stop denying him therapy? Little brat. 

 

✶✶✶

 

To be completely honest, Yeonjun hadn’t even realized that Heuning Kai was in his CompSci lecture. 

Every week Yeonjun slips into class one minute before it starts, sits all the way in the back corner, and works on his own code with his headphones on while the teacher rambles. He wouldn’t even show up if attendance wasn’t counted. He’s known the language they’re teaching for ages, but it’s still a requirement of his major. 

He nearly shits himself when someone taps on his shoulder during his normally undisturbed class time. 

“Hi! You’re Yeonjun, right? Soobin’s friend?” Huening Kai stands above him, smiling. 

Yeonjun shoves his headphones and hood off his head in one go, eyes bulging out of his head. “Uh, yes?” 

“Cool! I’m Kai! I was just wondering if you want to be partners for the final project?” the man chirps.

Yeonjun looks around, it seems like everyone else is finding people to pair up with too. He would have completely missed it if not for Kai. God damn it. He doesn’t really have an option now, does he? 

“Um, sure?” he winces at the tilt of his words, but Kai doesn’t seem to mind, plopping down in the chair next to him. 

“Awesome, are you free now? We can go to that cafe next door and get started?”  

Yeonjun nods dumbly. 

Fucking hell.

 

Yeonjun gleans many things from his time sitting across a cafe table with Huening Kai. 

Kai is a graphic design major, he’s taking a computer science class because he thinks coding is, “neat!” 

Kai is one of those people that Yeonjun finds it very hard to hold eye contact with, the other man seemingly so focused and interested on everything Yeonjun has to say. 

Kai doesn’t make him feel bad for any awkward moments in conversation, he just pushes through like a champ, smoothing things over and keeping things moving without pause. 

Kai is horribly friendly and so, so likable Yeonjun wants to eat his own hand, and then the other one for good measure. 

“Gosh, you’re just so smart!” Kai gushes, and his face is nothing but completely sincere. 

“I mean, really, I’m not…” Yeonjun grovels, cheeks heating. “This stuff is just kind of my thing.” 

Kai sighs, long and hard. “You’re amazing,” he says, stars in his eyes. Yeonjun has to look away, afraid he might burst into flames. 

The kid’s phone chirps where it’s sitting on the table. Kai picks it up and smiles as he reads the message. “Ah, sorry, Yeonjun, that’s my girlfriend. I have to go meet up with her.” He pockets his phone, slipping out of his chair and shoving his things into his backpack. “I’ll text you later, though!” 

“Girlfriend?” Yeonjun gapes. 

The man just smiles, “Yeah! Her name is Yerim. We’ve been together for five years!” 

“I thought you were dating Spiderman?” Good one, Yeonjun, really, truly stellar. 

Kai laughs, throwing his head back. “God no, that would be cool, right? I’m not even into guys, he’s just like, my celebrity crush, you know?”

Yeonjun absolutely does not know. “Oh, good for you!” he tries his very best to sound honest anyway. 

Kai smiles wider, sending him a quick wave and a, “See ya!” before bouncing out the door. 

Yeonjun groans, head finding its way into his hands; a position he’s found himself in much too often as of late. 

He aggressively taps his fingers at his phone screen. 

Beomgyu picks up on the second ring. 

“How fast can you make it to the cafe on campus?” 

 

✶✶✶

 

“No shit!” Beomgyu exclaims after he’s been watered and fed (chomping on cake and sucking down an americano), and Yeonjun has explained the full situation to him. 

“What do I do, Gyu!” Yeonjun whines, seconds from pulling his hair out. 

Beomgyu taps his lip with the end of his fork. “Well, you could just tell him.” 

“I don’t want to be the one that breaks his heart! He’s got such a big crush on Kai, I don’t want to ruin that!”

“Good point,” Beomgyu hums. “Hold on, I think I know who to call.”

 

“Oh, shit,” Taehyun barks after he’s been watered and fed (pulling apart a croissant and blowing off his green tea), and Yeonjun has explained the full situation to him.

“What do I do? I’ve already wasted double the amount of time I should waiting for you bozos!” Yeonjun complains, throwing his hands up. 

“Hey, you love us!” Beomgyu says.

Yeonjun grumbles something that could be interpreted as either a yes or no. He doesn’t care to elaborate. 

“Well, you need to tell him,” Taehyun says simply. 

“But–” Yeonjun starts spitting out the same excuse as before, but Taehyun silences him with a single raised finger.

“Nope. It’s your duty as a best friend. You have to be the one to tell him. It’s not right to keep it a secret.” 

Yeonjun crosses his arms, leaning back in his seat and pouting. “That’s rich coming from you two,” he bites, pettiness winning out over rationality. 

Taehyun raises an incredulous eyebrow, Beomgyu scrunches his in confusion. 

“You wanna play that game?” Taehyun asks, seeming amused. 

“Yes,” Yeonjun refuses to back down.

“Alright, cool. But you know this binds you to being honest with Soobin, right?” 

Beomgyu whips his head between them, clearly failing to keep up.

Yeonjun shrugs, a challenge. 

“Gyu,” Taehyun’s eyes flick from Yeonjun over to their friend. “I’m in love with you.” 

“Pardon?” Beomgyu whimpers, quieter than Yeonjun has ever heard him.

“Yeah. Have been for a while, I was just too chicken to admit it to either of us.” 

Beomgyu’s mouth drops open, tears already forming in his eyes. Yeonjun takes that as his sign to go, standing up and hoisting his bag over his shoulder. 

“I hate you both,” he grumbles, stalking away. 

When the bell on the door of the cafe rings out as he leaves, he finds a smile worming its way onto his face. 

He’s the best wingman ever. Like, damn. Spiderman who? 

 

✶✶✶

 

Soobin is in his room when Yeonjun gets home, evidenced by the low light filtering out through the crack beneath the door. 

Yeonjun’s heart goes a thousand miles an hour, hand hovering over the doorknob, flexing open and closed as he debates the pros and cons of breaking Soobin’s heart. 

“Yeonjun, I can feel you thinking about if you should come in or not, just do it,” Soobin calls, voice muffled through the thin wood of the door.

Stupid spider sense. Yeonjun huffs, twisting the doorknob and pushing inside. Soobin is reclining on his bed, legs crossed at the ankle, looking more handsome than a man should in a sweat suit. Yeonjun frowns automatically. 

“What’s up, Junnie?” Soobin asks, chipper voice dropping when he catches sight of Yeonjun’s wringing hands. He sits up further, scooching back until his back is fully against the headboard, patting the bed next to him indicating Yeonjun to sit. 

Yeonjun goes, because he doesn’t like the idea of awkwardly standing there while he watches Soobin’s face crack open in sadness. He gingerly sits down, tucking his legs under him. 

Soobin reaches out right away, takes hold of one of his hands and starts rubbing comforting patterns into it. Yeonjun blinks, overwhelmed by how badly he wants to kiss him. He hasn’t been this close to Soobin since the last time they kissed. 

Ow. His heart might be breaking too. 

It’s ridiculous, the fact that he’s spent weeks being angry that Soobin is crushing on Kai, but then when he has the chance to destroy the very thing he’s come to hate, all he feels is guilt. It’s never been about Kai, not really. It’s always been about Soobin. Yeonjun wants, more than anything else, for Soobin to be happy. 

“I guess I’ll just say it…” he says, swallowing down his anxiety. “Kai has a girlfriend. And he’s straight. He told me so, we’re partners for a project in Comp Sci.” 

Soobin blinks, eyebrows raising slightly. “Oh?” 

“And I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you and I’m sorry that your crush isn’t available and— well— I’m just sorry,” Yeonjun heaves. 

“Hey,” Soobin squeezes his hand, and he doesn’t look as sad as Yeonjun thought he would be. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to, like, feel weird about it. Because I know I wasn’t always the most… supportive…” 

Soobin laughs. “No, no. Can I be honest?” 

“Sure?” Yeonjun breathes, shoulders still tense. 

“Ever since we kissed, all I can think about is kissing you again,” Soobin murmurs, so quiet that Yeonjun nearly misses it.

“You–Bin, what?” he squeaks, cheeks rapidly heating. 

Soobin smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, like– I don’t really care about Kai having a girlfriend– I really just want to kiss you right now.” 

Yeonjun’s throat seizes, punching out a strangled noise. Confusion doesn’t even begin to explain the swirl of emotions filling him from head to toe. 

“Jun,” Soobin says, reaching out to pull Yeonjun in closer by both of his hands, Yeonjun scooting up on his knees. “Yeonjun, do you feel it too? Do you want to kiss me?” 

Brain, ping, simple question, simple answer, input, output.

“Yes,” he says, too out of his head to be anything other than honest. 

Soobin cups his face with one hand, thumb dragging over his cheekbone. Yeonjun nearly whimpers, following Soobin’s lead until they’re sharing breaths, his eyes fluttering closed. 

“Can I kiss you, Jun?” Soobin asks. 

“Please,” Yeonjun answers. 

Yeonjun’s hands fall flat on Soobin’s chest, big hands dragging him closer until he’s sitting with one knee on either side of Soobin’s waist, hands curling into the fabric of his sweatshirt. Soobin’s mouth is persistent, hot, his lips slot perfectly against Yeonjun’s. 

Hands move from Yeonjun’s waist to ruck up his shirt, pressing against the skin of his sides, sending pleasant tingles across his entire body. Soobin reduces Yeonjun to putty, complete malleable, pliant and submissive to the push and pull of his lips. He melts, giving into the feeling of draping himself across Soobin, feeling him all over, straight down to his bones. 

And oh my god he’s kissing Soobin and oh my god they have no excuse, there’s no reason for it, Yeonjun just told Soobin about Kai. 

The push and fall of the dominos in Yeonjun’s brain finally catching up to reality sucks the air from his chest. He pulls away, gasping.

Soobin’s thumbs run along the skin of his waist, he opens his eyes, and Yeonjun is horrified by the depth of them. “I love kissing you, Yeonjun,” Soobin murmurs. 

Yeonjun panics, shoving himself backwards, using his legs to separate them fully, stumbling when he hits the floor. Soobin’s face breaks open, just as Yeonjun feared it would. 

“What’s wrong, did I do something? Are you okay?” Soobin rushes, reaching out for him, brow furrowed.

“I–I–” Yeonjun stutters, hands burying themselves into his hair, chest thumping. “You’re confusing me!” he cries, grip tightening, pulling unpleasantly at his scalp. “You were obsessed with Kai for weeks and then you just– you just all of a sudden want to kiss me? And then you say things that feel real, and I’m so bad at figuring these things out, Bin! You know that! I’m confused and it’s scaring me and I’ve never felt like that with you!” his words crumble at the end, falling into a pathetic croak. He doesn’t look in Soobin’s eyes, there’s too much, it’s too much.

“Junnie, I’m so sorry, can we please talk? Come sit down,” Soobin pleads, slowly swinging his legs off the bed, attempting to get closer. 

“No, I just– I need some time to myself. I’ll be back later, alright? Let me calm down and then we can talk.” Yeonjun steps back, keeps backing up until he reaches the door, turns and runs before Soobin can stop him. 

He snatches his headphones from where he left them on the counter, phone safely in his pocket. He doesn’t even bother to lock the door behind him, flying down the stairs and only breathing fully when he can feel the cool night air in his nose. 

It takes longer than it should for him to plug in his headphones, hands trembling. He cranks his music up as fast as humanly possible, finally able to relax when he’s got everything just as it should be. 

Breathe in, out, legs burn, feet smacking the sidewalk, he walks in time with one of his favorite songs. Soobin kissed him, Soobin doesn’t care that Kai has a girlfriend, Soobin wanted to kiss him. It’s a lot. Breathe in, out. 

Yeonjun manages to stabilize the thrum of his heart about half a mile down the road. He knows he freaked out, he knows Soobin will understand, he knows they’ll talk about it and everything will be okay. It’s Soobin , he’s Yeonjun. They’re Soobin and Yeonjun. 

Soobin probably has a good reason for it all. Right? 

For the first time, he allows himself to consider the possibility that maybe Soobin did actually want to kiss him. It’s just– he needs Soobin to be clear, completely, fully. 

They’ve never had trouble communicating before, which is what makes this so especially hard. They’re both hiding things, they both need to be honest. 

Yeonjun’s chest aches, strained, exhausted from the back and forth of emotion he’s been subjected to in the past months. This all seems like Beomgyu’s fault. He’s going to blame Beomgyu. He derives joy from blaming Beomgyu.

Maybe this is good. Even if he goes home and he and Soobin talk and Soobin tells him he’s nothing more than a rebound, then maybe Yeonjun can finally get over his stupid fucking pining. 

He’ll go home, but… just… not yet. 

Yeonjun looks up, he’s been walking for a while, and even though he knows the city like the back of his hand, the street corner he’s found himself at feels unfamiliar. More dimly lit than it should be, one old street lamp flickering above his head. Shit . He’s going to have to turn around. He pulls his phone from his pocket, swiping it open to check his map.

Something slams into the back of his head, he hits the ground. 

 

✶✶✶

 

Yeonjun comes to with an annoyingly strong headache, vision spotting with black and his arms tied behind him. 

“God damnit,” he hisses, wiggling enough to feel the zip ties cut into his wrists. He leans forward, sees his feet are tied at the ankle, groans. How inconvenient. He was all ready to go talk out his feelings, too! 

“Took you long enough to wake up, pretty boy.” 

Yeonjun scowls, eyes lifting to a masked man slowly meandering towards him, baseball bat in hand. 

Typical. Could this dude look like a more cartoonish villain? 

“Who the fuck are you?” Yeonjun spits, eyes sweeping the rest of the room. They seem to be in some sort of warehouse, three or four other men scattered around the place, all similarly masked and armed. At least none of them have guns, by the looks of it. 

“Doesn’t matter who we are,” the guy grunts, getting even closer. “It matters who you are.” 

Yeonjun looks up at him, eyelids heavy with boredom. “And who, pray tell, do you think I am?”

“I don’t think, doll, I know,” the guy lifts his bat under Yeonjun’s chin, pressing up until he’s forced to look directly at him. “Your precious boyfriend should be here any minute to come rescue you.” 

“Wow, if I had access to my arms I’d be applauding you right now,” Yeonjun snorts. 

The sound of the smack laid across his cheek registers before the sting, echoing out around them. 

“Don’t get mouthy with me, bitch,” the man snarls. 

Yeonjun works his jaw through the pain. “Hit me again and you’ll regret it when he finds me,” Yeonjun snaps, gathering up his saliva and spitting it towards the man’s feet for good measure. He’s definitely already got a concussion, how much worse can it get?

His captor goes red with rage, bringing back his arm, baseball bat in hand this time. 

Oh. Well, that would definitely be worse. 

“Touch him again and I’ll kill you.” 

Soobin won’t kill them, he’s bluffing. Soobin never kills anyone, but the thought is nice. 

Yeonjun’s shoulders droop, automatically relaxed under Soobin’s warning words. He has to hold back a giggle, even. Now that Soobin is here with his big hero’s heart, Yeonjun can sit back and enjoy the show, even if the view isn’t as good as it is through the computer screen. 

Soobin crouches on top of a shipping crate, outstretched arm shooting a web to snatch the baseball bat from the offender’s hand. Yeonjun laughs at the man’s dumbstruck expression. Is this not what he wanted? 

“Spiderman!” one of the cronies shouts, and then the rest of them catch up to their predicament, and they’re all running for Soobin at once. They must have called their backup, a few more thugs filtering in from the outskirts. Yeonjun rolls his eyes. Criminals are much too cocky these days. 

Soobin leaps up and webs to the center of the concrete floor, kicking one of them solidly in the stomach as he goes and webbing him to the floor so he can’t move. 

“You okay, Jun?” he shouts over the commotion. 

“All good!” Yeonjun assures. “Just enjoying the show.” 

Soobin spins, entering hand to hand combat with another one. “Great, so why don’t we have that talk now?” Soobin says, dodging a fist at the last minute. 

“Now?” Yeonjun asks incredulously. 

“Yep— Oops! Too slow, buddy,” Soobin turns back to the man, catching his wrist mid air and throwing him against the wall, webs following behind. 

“Bin, careful!” Yeonjun warns, and Soobin ducks right before another guy hits him over the side of the head with a chair. 

“You need it plainly, I know that, I’m sorry I was being slow on the uptake—“ Soobin shouts, taking the guys legs out from under him with a swinging kick. “The plain of it is that I love you, Yeonjun.” 

Yeonjun’s heart picks up, and he knows it’s not because of the giant man barreling towards him. 

Soobin webs the attacker’s legs, causing him to fall flat on his face. “I love you, and I have for years. I was trying to get over you when Kai started showing me attention— God how are there more of you? Can’t you guys see I’m busy confessing?” Soobin groans, grabbing two more dudes and knocking their heads together. 

Yeonjun breaks into a watery laugh. 

“But, I’m selfish, and my subconscious must have known I wasn’t over you, so I came up with that stupid idea,” Soobin continues, tying up his latest victims. “But then I kissed you and- It’s always been you, Junnie. It was always going to be you.” 

Two more guys slammed together, wrapped into a web cocoon and stuck to the ceiling. “And I was catching vibes that Kai is straight— even though he acts super friendly to everyone, but — God, they just keep coming, don’t they!” Soobin huffs, knocking out another. “But he never talks about his girlfriend, or maybe he does and I was just playing dumb? But either way, it didn’t matter because after that kiss it was only you.” 

Yeonjun gapes, amazed and honestly a little turned on at the pile of men at Soobin’s feet. Only three remaining now. 

One of the thugs lunges, and soobin quickly lands a kick to his skull, spinning and body slamming the next contender. “Also, I was afraid you were getting sick of me, like you kept hanging out with Gyu and Taehyun, but then when I was trying to find you I called them and they were very clearly up to something unspeakable on the other end and Beomgyu told me, and I quote, that I am a ‘Stupid dumbass idiot with a tiny pea brain.’”

Another strangled laugh falls from Yeonjun’s lips. He fucking loves his friends. All three of them. 

“All this to say. I love you, Yeonjun. Like, a crazy amount.” Soobin spins around, sending a sickening punch flying into the last criminal’s nose, leaving him sinking to the ground in a heap. “So, whatddya say?” Soobin asks, throwing his hands up in a lazy shrug. 

“Beomgyu and Taehyun know that you’re Spiderman!” Yeonjun blurts, because the guilt has been weighing on him for weeks and he can’t handle going further without letting Soobin know. 

“Yeah, I know,” Soobin says, doing a quick sweep to make sure all the bad guys are knocked out cold before reaching behind his head and pulling his mask off. His cheeks are pink with exertion, and his hair is wild. He looks so beautiful that Yeonjun might die. 

“You know?” he chokes, letting Soobin untie the ropes at his ankles. 

“Why else would all those articles with exclusive shots of me be written by one Kang Taehyun?” Soobin laughs, picking up a knife one of the men dropped and getting to work on the zip tie behind Yeonjun’s back. 

“Oh,” Yeonjun says lamely. 

His muscles scream with relief when he gains control of his hands again, flexing them to help with the blood flow. 

“Jesus, thanks, Bin,” he sighs, standing up only for his legs to give out on him, both fully asleep from being bound. 

“Woah, careful,” Soobin grins, catching him by his waist and hauling him up before he can hit the ground. 

Yeonjun looks right into Soobin’s eyes, and he’s finally able to read the sparkle in them as one of something more than friendship. 

“I love you too,” he smiles, blinks quickly to hold back his happy tears (he’ll be damned if he cries right now. He's had enough embarrassment for a lifetime). “You’re my other half, Binnie.” 

“Your partner in crime?” Soobin bites his lower lip teasingly.

“I was hoping for more of a boyfriend type thing, but we can negotiate,” Yeonjun quips back. 

Soobin laughs. “Will you kiss me before the police show up? I had Beomgyu call them ten minutes after I left.” He leans in carefully, maintaining enough distance for Yeonjun to see his face in full, probably giving him an out if he wants one. His lovely, considerate boy. 

“Oh god. You have no idea the things that’s going to do to his ego,” Yeonjun scoffs, pushing himself forward on the balls of his feet to close the distance; finally kissing Soobin for real. 

Fireworks, explosions, electricity up and down his skin. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to feel like? Isn’t that what Yeonjun’s romance novels say? 

Whatever. Kissing Soobin is better than that. It’s warm and safe and it feels overwhelmingly like home. 

They only break apart at the sound of police radios beeping, leaving Soobin with seconds to haphazardly shove his mask over his head before the cops bust through the door. 

“Good evening,” Soobin nods to the officers, one hand laced with Yeonjun’s. They must make quite a pair. Spiderman and his ratty, red cheeked sidekick. “This is my boyfriend, Yeonjun. These unsavory men kidnapped him— I trust you can take it from here?” 

“You got it, Spidey!” the chief salutes. 

 

Yeonjun holds on for dear life as they swing into the night, nose jammed in the space between Soobin’s neck and shoulder. 

He has no idea where they’re going, but he doesn’t really care as long as Soobin is there, holding his hand. (But, knowing Soobin, they’re probably headed to the nearest hospital to get a check on his head.) 

Either way, it will all work out. They’re Yeonjun and Soobin. Soobin and Yeonjun. 

They work well together, a perfectly matched team. 

Soobin is the hero and Yeonjun has his heart.

 

✶✶✶

 

A HERO’S HEART

A candid conversation with the partner of our favorite neighborhood webslinger; by Kang Taehyun 

Kang Taehyun: Thank you so much for meeting with me today!

Spider-Bae: Ah, no problem. The pleasure is all mine. 

KTH: You’ve created quite the reputation for yourself; you’ve gone viral as ‘Spider-Bae.’

Spider-Bae: God, can we not use that nickname? I literally and actually despise that. 

KTH: Alright, alright, what’s a better name for people to call you?

Spider-Bae: YJ? That’s simple enough. 

KTH: You could always go with MJ, I hear Michael Jordan is big with the kids. 

YJ: [laughs] YJ is fine, I’m more of a behind the scenes player, not the main star. 

KTH: Your lovely boyfriend would beg to differ. I asked him for comment before this interview, do you mind if I read what he had to say before we get started for real?

YJ: This is about to be painful, isn’t it?

KTH: [laughs] Painfully sweet, sure. 

 

“What he is to me? Gosh. I don’t even know where to start. He’s my everything, my other half. Without [redacted] there is no Spiderman. I am who I am because of him, he deserves all the credit for everything, not me. If I’m the face of the operation he’s the brains, the heart, the eye. I mean, really, just — I’m constantly in awe of him. On top of just the hero stuff, he’s my best friend, my soulmate, my favorite person in the world. He deserves everything, all the love, all the credit, all the praise. I’m just the lucky bastard that he decided to love back.”

 

YJ: Jesus, it was worse than I ever could have expected. 

KTH: You can’t hide that smile from me. Now, tell me, is it true that you learned to sew in order to create the first iteration of the Spider-suit?

…

Notes:

i won't lie i had a REALLY hard time with this one. i don't know what it was, but i started writing and i wrote 8k words and then got stuck for like two months and then when i came back and wrote out a completely different plot i still wasn't feeling great.

as it stands, i feel pretty happy with most of it, but it's definitely not my favorite, but i still hope it works well enough that someone enjoys it :') i really love the characterizations i created here, so i had to weigh that against scrapping this entirely and i decided to share just because i know a lot of people were interested!! i hope its alright haha

anyway! more on the way, as always!!

comments & kudos always appreciated! i love to know what everyone thinks!

i'm always reachable at the twitter and cc links below~

twt: @inniezzz
cc: @inniezzz