Archive of Our Own

Renjun sighed in contentment. Cuddled up with his boyfriend in their own apartment while watching his favourite variety show with his favourite idol (Lee Donghyuck) as the guest. It was pretty damn perfect... Until the washing machine started beeping. Renjun groaned and Mark laughed breathlessly, rubbing Renjun's arm comfortingly.

Renjun pushed himself up from the comfort of the couch (and his boyfriend) and followed the beeping of the washing machine. He pushed the door open and flicked on the light switch, making his way over to the noisy machine. Renjun opened it up and tossed the damp, bunched up clothing into the dryer, stopping only to hang up a nicer shirt of his to air-dry. When he finished transferring that load he set the dryer timer to 45 minutes and pressed the on button.

He moved onto the final load of their weekly laundry: Mark's suit (and some towels). They always kept it for last and washed it with the old, ratty towels they didn't care about. Who knew the amount of dirt and other questionable substances Mark got on his suit while on patrol. He reached down and grabbed a towel before placing it in the washing machine along the outside of the basin. He repeated that motion a few more times before reaching Mark's suit at the bottom of the bin. He picked up the suit and looked it over curiously, wondering if there were any mystery stains this time.

The suit was pretty dirty, more so than usual, but Renjun had expected that given the unexpected alien encounter the day prior. What he hadn't expected, upon turning it over, was a black, gooey substance on the back of the right shoulder. It looked like wet tar, but it was still completely wet despite sitting in the laundry basket for more than 24 hours. It was such a little amount, surely it should have dried already.

Renjun looked down at the laundry basket he had pulled the suit from to look for more of the black gunk, but the rest of the basket was completely devoid of it. Maybe it wasn't actually wet? Renjun lifted a hand and gently touched the substance with his pointer finger.

It was malleable, but dry… What the hell is this? Renjun wondered. He brushed his thumb against it to see if it would smudge, but when he tried to pull his finger back, it was stuck.

Renjun pulled his thumb back harder, using his other hand to pull Mark's suit the other direction, but still it didn't budge. Instead, the substance only started to absorb his finger.

Panicking, Renjun dropped the suit to the ground and stood on it before pulling his hand back with all his strength. He grunted as he continued to tug, but the substance continued to encase his thumb.

"Mark!" Renjun shouted as he continued his futile battle with the mysterious substance, panic clear in his voice.

The substance had reached the palm of Renjun's hand when Mark appeared at the door of their laundry room. Renjun looked up at him with wide, panicked eyes and Mark rushed into the room.

"Oh my god, Renjun, what is that? Are you okay?"

He moved towards the other, but Renjun stepped back and out of his reach.

"Wait, don't touch me," he panicked. "I don't want it to transfer to you."

"What's going on?"

"I touched it and now it won't stop, I can't get it off," Renjun shook his hand aggressively to try and shake it off, but it only exacerbated the problem.

The black goo climbed rapidly up Renjun's arm until it was no longer attached to Mark's suit at all, the suit now forgotten on the ground. Renjun tried to grab the substance with his other hand and pull it off, but it began sinking into his skin.

"Mark!" he cried, looking up at his boyfriend with fear in his eyes. “What do I do??”

Mark surged forward and grabbed Renjun's arm. He grasped the largest chunk of it and sunk his fingers into it. If he couldn't get it off, maybe he could transfer it to himself? He would certainly rather the mysterious substance spread to him than Renjun. He pulled with all his strength but all he got in return was a gut wrenching sob of pain from Renjun, who immediately cradled his arm against his chest. The substance wasn't budging, and all he was doing was hurting his already terrified boyfriend.

"I- I don't know what to do,” Mark admitted as they watched the black, gooey substance fully absorb itself into Renjun's pale skin. Renjun looked up at him with big, glassy eyes as tears slid down his flushed cheeks. He kept his arm held against his chest as his eyes searched Mark’s face.

"It'll be okay. I'll figure something out, I promise," Mark told him, reaching out and holding Renjun's face gently in both hands. He mustered all the confidence he didn't feel and projected it into his voice, desperate to comfort his boyfriend.

"Ok," Renjun whispered, voice cracking as tears still wetted his eyes.

Mark wrapped a hand around the back of Renjun's head and pulled him to rest against his shoulder. He held Renjun's head in one hand and stroked his back with the other.

"Does it hurt?" Mark asked softly.

"No, my arm just feels a little tingly," Renjun said into Mark's shoulder, eyes still locked on his arm. "What the hell was that, Mark?"

Mark carded his fingers through the smaller's hair as his other hand settled on the dip of Renjun's back, holding him flush against him.

"I don't know," he admitted, pulling the other even closer. "I don't know how I didn't notice it. I'm so, so sorry, baby."

Renjun turned his face into Mark's neck and wrapped both arms around the other's waist.

"It's ok," he mumbled.

"It's not! I swore I would never bring any of this back to you. This happened because I was careless."

Mark held his boyfriend in an iron grip, covering as much of the smaller's body with his own as he could, as if it would protect him. Renjun wiggled a little in his hold to pull his head back and look at him.

"Mark, this isn't your fault, it was an accident. I knew there would be risks moving in together but I didn't and still don't care," Renjun sighed. He pulled his arm free of the embrace and held it out for Mark to see. "Look, I'm fine. You wouldn't even know anything happened."

Mark took in the sight of the unblemished skin along Renjun’s arm. His skin was pale, but healthy. He reached out and grabbed Renjun’s arm, bringing it close and kissing the inside of his wrist. He locked eyes with the other. His eyes shined with unshed tears, but he didn’t look as afraid as he did earlier.

"How do you always end up comforting me in the end?" Mark cupped Renjun's cheek softly and basked in their embrace.

Renjun just smiled softly and extracted himself from their embrace. He took Mark's hand and led him out of their laundry room. "Come sit with me, I'm not doing any more laundry today."

Normally when Renjun woke in the morning it was to an empty bed and a glass of lemon water on his bedside table, courtesy of his boyfriend who had left for his morning patrol. This morning, however, Renjun had woken to the feeling of a strong arm around his waist, holding his back flush to his boyfriend's front. Mark was always really warm, but Renjun always felt cold so it worked out. He moved to turn around but even in his sleep, Mark didn’t let him get far. His arms locked around Renjun’s waist, preventing him from moving at all.

“Mark,” Renjun whined, wiggling a little in a feeble attempt at freedom. The only response he got, however, was Mark pressing his nose into the back of Renjun’s neck and curling around him further. Renjun sighed and reached a hand behind his head, poking blindly around Mark’s face until finding his ear and pulling on it. Mark squirmed a little before retracting an arm from around his boyfriend and grabbing the small, offending hand.

“That wasn’t a very nice way to wake me up,” Mark pouted, voice low and gravely with sleep as his thumb rubbed circles into Renjun’s hand absentmindedly.

“I couldn’t move, what was I supposed to do? What if I had to pee?” Renjun argued.

“Well, do you?”

“No, but…”

“Then I don’t see the problem,” Mark said, smiling into the back of Renjun’s neck as Renjun sighed.

“I just wanted to turn around,” Renjun mumbled, barely audible, but of course the other heard it.

Mark grabbed the other’s waist and flipped him as if he weighed nothing, which to Mark was true. Renjun gasped and landed on Mark’s chest. He balled his hand into a fist and pounded twice on Mark’s chest.

“Don’t do that,” he scolded quietly, but they both knew he didn’t mean it. Mark smiled at Renjun's flushed cheeks and Renjun just buried his face against the other's solid chest.

They laid there warm and cozy for quite some time enjoying their lazy Sunday. It wasn't often that they were able to laze around in bed together, or even wake up together at all.

“How do you feel today?” Mark mumbled into the top of Renjun’s head.

“Still fine,” Renjun responded into his chest. “Whatever that stuff was, it seems like it was harmless – at least so far.”

“Good.”

"You didn't have to stay home, you know," Renjun said. "Although I'm not complaining about you taking a rest day, god knows you need it."

"I'm fine baby," Mark ran his fingers through Renjun's hair. "Besides, you're my first priority, remember?"

Renjun slipped his arms around the other's waist and pressed in closer. He always felt conflicted when Mark told him this. Of course it was nice that Mark always made time for him, but he didn't like the thought of Mark choosing him over saving others. It was something they had argued about a number of times, but neither side would budge.

"I know," Renjun sighed.

Within a few days, the couple had mostly stopped worrying about the weird black space goo. It did, however, start a new habit for them when Mark returned home from “Spider-Man"-ing.

Mark pressed his fingers against the glass of their apartment window and slid the unlocked window up. He crawled through and dropped from the ceiling to the floor, turning to close the window behind him before calling out.

"Jun-ah, I'm home!"

He heard rustling from one of their rooms as he waited, which was probably Renjun taking his headphones off and closing his laptop. He appeared around the corner in a large hoodie and sweatpants. At this point, Mark didn't know which clothes were originally his or which they bought together after getting their apartment. The pants, however, were definitely just Renjun's, probably from before they moved in together. The younger had tried to borrow sweatpants from Mark once and had to tie them as tight as he could just to get them to stay up. And even then, they barely stayed up, much to his embarrassment and Mark's amusement.

"Hey," Renjun greeted him casually.

Mark smiled and then stood tall with his arms spread out to his sides.

"Goo check!" Mark chirped, still amused at the name Renjun had unintentionally given it.

Renjun carefully inspected his front before instructing him to turn around so he could check his back as well. Once Mark was given the all clear, he turned and wrapped his arms around his tiny boyfriend, lifting him into the air and placing a wet kiss on his cheek. Renjun whined.

Mark gave him one more squeeze and dropped him back to the floor, keeping him still within the loop of his arms.

"How was patrol?" Renjun asked.

"Uneventful,” Mark shrugged.

"Well that's good," Renjun said and gave Mark a quick peck on the lips. "You should go shower."

Mark whined and leaned in for another kiss.

“How about you join me?" he pouted.

"Nope. Go shower."

"Pleeeaasseee," Mark pleaded, nosing along Renjun’s neck. "You won't have to lift a finger."

"If you go shower now, we'll do something later, ok?" Renjun offered, looking up at his boyfriend from under his eyelashes. And how could Mark say no to that?

"Deal," Mark said happily, stealing one last kiss before making his way to the bathroom to shower.

Once Renjun heard the water start he made his way to the kitchen to fix up a quick lunch. It was mostly just leftover takeout because neither especially enjoyed cooking, but it would do the job.

He was almost done heating everything up when he felt a pair of strong arms snake around his waist and he just about jumped out of his skin. He really should have been used to Mark’s silent footsteps at this point, but he had always been easily startled. The sound that came out of Renjun’s mouth was some weird mix between a squeak and a gasp, causing him to immediately cover his mouth with one hand while smacking Mark behind him with the other.

“Ow, ow! I’m sorry!” Mark giggled, grabbing Renjun’s hand to prevent him from continuing to hit him. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I swear!”

“Whatever,” Renjun grumbled, shaking Mark off and finishing up with the leftovers.

Mark watched with an amused smile as Renjun sulked while setting the table, refusing to even look in Mark’s direction. He swiped the last bowl from the counter and brought it over to the table, placing it down and cornering Renjun.

“Hey,” Mark said, holding Renjun’s face and forcing the other to look at him. He smiled. “I’m sorry I startled you.”

“It’s fine,” Renjun mumbled, averting his eyes. “Just don’t ever tell Chenle.”

“How are you so cute all the time?”

“Shut up,” Renjun said with flushed cheeks, fighting down the smile that threatened to overtake his features. He placed a hand on Mark’s cheek and pushed the other’s face away. “Just eat.”

Mark smiled and took a seat at their small table for two. They ate slowly, basking in each other’s presence and enjoying the easy conversation. Renjun asked Mark about his patrol that day, Mark asked Renjun how his current project for his part-time job was going, and the pair commiserated about their respective university workloads. It was nice.

“Oh, Jaemin called while you were out,” Renjun remembered. “He and Jeno were talking about having everyone over for drinks this weekend.”

“That sounds nice; it’s been a while,” Mark said, and Renjun hummed in agreement. “I can probably swing it. You?”

“I’ll make it work,” Renjun smiled.

He stood and collected a few dishes before making his way back to the kitchen. Mark helped him clear the table before taking his place at the sink to wash the dishes. He washed each dish carefully before passing it to Renjun to dry, who inspected his work before drying it and putting it away. After he washed the last dish, Mark drained the sink and turned to face the other.

“Leave it,” Mark said as he pulled the glass from Renjun’s hands and placed it on the dish rack. “It’ll dry on its own.”

He stepped into Renjun’s personal space and pulled the dish towel from the other’s hands with little resistance, tossing it onto the counter beside them. Renjun looked up at him with an exasperated but amused look in his eyes. Mark just smiled, backing him up against their fridge with two hands grasping the other’s waist.

“Can now count as later?” Mark asked coyly, thumbs rubbing circles into Renjun’s skin as best as he could through the thick fabric of the sweater. Renjun wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders, sharing a conspiratory smile.

“I guess it could…”

Mark couldn’t help but grin widely before swooping in for a kiss. He pressed his lips firmly against Renjun’s own, pushing the other flush against the fridge as his hands travelled from Renjun’s waist to his hips to his ass. After a quick squeeze, Mark dropped his hands to the others thighs and lifted him into the air. Renjun locked his arms and legs around Mark’s body as he continued to devour the elder's mouth.

“Mmh,” Renjun whined when Mark nipped at his bottom lip, squirming a little in the other’s grasp.

Mark’s lips made their way along Renjun’s jawline, pressing kisses into soft skin as he went. When he reached the sensitive spot at the end of Renjun’s jawline, he nibbled on the skin before pressing his tongue flat against the spot.

“Mark…” Renjun said breathlessly, tangling his fingers in the other’s hair.

Mark continued nipping and sucking on that spot, feeling the other squirm at the sensation and grind down subconsciously. He adjusted their position and rolled his hips up.

“Mark,” Renjun gasped.

“Yes, baby?” Mark smiled into the column of Renjun’s neck, trailing his nose down to the crook of the other’s neck and inhaling deeply. “Mmm, you smell so good, baby.”

“Mark, I don’t want to have sex in the kitchen again,” Renjun panted. “Can we move to the bedroom or something?”

“I guess,” Mark paused, deflating a little. He pulled back to look at the other. “I told you I was sorry.”

“I know you’re sorry, baby. I’m not still mad,” Renjun pet Mark’s cheek, still held in his arms. “I just don’t want my head going into a cupboard again.”

“I’ll be careful,” Mark promised, watching Renjun’s expression hopefully.

“Why do you want to fuck me in the kitchen so badly?” Renjun laughed in disbelief.

He looked up at Renjun’s bright, curious eyes. Renjun’s eyes crinkled as he continued to rub circles against his skin mindlessly. Mark pressed his lips together to prevent the words from slipping out. The things he felt for Renjun were sometimes… overwhelming. He turned them around and started for their bedroom.

“Wait, I actually want to know!” Renjun laughed, hitting Mark on the back with a small fist.

Mark continued to ignore his question as he entered the room and laid them both down on the bed. Renjun released the vice grip of his arms around Mark’s neck but kept his legs locked around Mark’s waist, holding him close.

“Why won’t you answer my question?” he asked, crossing his arms and looking up at Mark with big, pleading eyes. “You wanted it so badly.”

That’s exactly why I don’t want to tell you, Mark thought.

He leaned in and captured the other’s lips, preventing him from asking anymore questions. He kissed him deeply, with barely any breaks for air, until they were both panting into each other’s mouths. As they caught their breath, Mark slid a hand under the hem of Renjun’s shirt and pushed it up, feeling his way up Renjun’s torso as he did. He moved down the bed and pressed his lips against the other’s chest, kissing, sucking, and nipping until he made several marks.

Renjun held onto Mark’s hair as Mark tongued along his chest, making his way to his hard nipples. He pressed his tongue flat against the bud and Renjun shuttered at the sensation. Mark slid his other hand underneath the younger’s back and lifted his chest up to meet his mouth, taking the bud into his mouth and sucking hard.

“Ah! Nnng,” Renjun moaned, squirming in the air from the sensation. It felt like Mark was trying to draw something from his body, but Renjun beat those thoughts down. He pulled on the back of Mark’s shirt.

“H-hyung,” he pleaded, tugging weakly. “Off.”

Mark hummed around his nipple before giving it one final, hard suck and pulling back. He grasped the back of his shirt and pulled it forward over his head, shaking his hair out and throwing the shirt behind them carelessly. Renjun stared entranced until he realized he wasn't breathing. He took a deep breath and reached his hands out, feeling up Mark's torso until he reached the other's neck. He curled his hand around the back of Mark's neck and pulled him down into a messy kiss. He licked into Mark's mouth as Mark sealed their bodies together, grinding down onto him.

Renjun moaned loudly and rolled his hips up to meet the other's. He looped a leg around one of Mark's and clawed at the other's back.

"Please," Renjun breathed, pulling the other closer with all his strength. "Mark…"

He wanted the other to exert his control, to pin him down and make him take it. Renjun wanted him to be a little rough, to take advantage of his inhuman strength. He didn't want him to hold back, like he always did. But he didn’t know how to say it, so he kept his mouth shut.

"What is it, baby?" Mark asked, pulling his face away to look into Renjun's hazy eyes. He brushed a piece of hair behind his ear.

"Please," Renjun begged, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away.

"You need to tell me what you want," Mark whispered, nosing along the side of Renjun's face.

"You know what I want, don't make me say it out loud," Renjun whined, refusing to look at the other.

"God, how are you so cute??" Mark laughed, burying his face into Renjun's neck and pressing the other into the bed harder. He scattered kisses along any skin he could reach before leaning over and grabbing a bottle of lube out of their bedside drawer. He dropped it onto the mattress next to them and looped his fingers under the waistband of Renjun’s pants first, pulling them down and off. Mark shimmied his own pants off next but didn’t bother with his boxers. He pulled Renjun’s briefs off slowly, taking in every new inch of skin appreciatively, while Renjun kept his eyes fixed on the wall.

“You’re so annoying,” Renjun grumbled, cheeks flushed. “Just get on with it already.”

“Whatever you say baby,” Mark smiled, pulling Renjun’s underwear fully off and tossing it onto the floor. He poured some lube onto his fingers and rubbed them together to warm them up before bringing a finger down to circle the other’s rim. “Ready?”

Renjun hummed and Mark inserted his middle finger up to the second knuckle. Renjun moaned quietly and took a deep breath before Mark started to move. He thrusted his finger in and out a couple of times before pushing it all the way in. Renjun whined and squirmed on his finger as Mark continued his ministrations.

“You look so pretty,” Mark said, flicking one of Renjun’s nipples and causing the other to whine. “Can I add another?”

“Yeah,” Renjun moaned, nodding quickly and twisting his fingers into their sheets.

Mark pulled his finger almost all the way out before thrusting back in with both his middle and pointer fingers. Renjun moaned as Mark curled them, rubbing against the other’s velvety walls. He scissored his fingers, rubbing against Renjun’s insides but avoiding the other’s prostate purposefully.

“Mark,” Renjun whined, pulling on the sheets uselessly. “Come on…”

“Not yet baby,” Mark said, leaning down and capturing the other’s lip’s in a heated kiss as he circled one of Renjun’s nipples with his thumb. Renjun threw his arms around him as soon as he got close enough. He added a third finger and swallowed Renjun’s surprised moan, continuing to fuck the other on his fingers until he was panting into Mark’s mouth.

“Mark, please, I'm ready,” he begged.

Mark hummed into his mouth before trailing kisses down his neck. He picked a spot along Renjun’s collarbones and latched into it, nipping and sucking until he made a dark red mark. Mark felt Renjun’s nails clawing at his back as his hole clenched around his fingers, but he continued until he was satisfied. He placed one final kiss against it and leaned back, pulling his fingers out. He slid his boxers off quickly and poured more lube into his hand, coating his dick with it thoroughly before lining up against Renjun’s hole.

He grasped the bottom of Renjun’s thigh, pushing it up against the other’s chest before pushing in slowly. Renjun moaned lowly as Mark continued at a steady pace until he had fully bottomed out. He paused to let Renjun adjust but he immediately started squirming again.

“Move,” he whispered, looking up at Mark through his eyelashes.

Mark groaned, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting back in smoothly. He built up a steady rhythm, pushing airy moans out of Renjun until he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Mark,” he whined, “Please, harder.”

Renjun looped a hand around his other thigh, pulling it up against his chest the way Mark had earlier. Mark groaned at the sight, placing his hands on Renjun’s knees and picking up the pace until he was repeatedly punching little, “uh, uh, uh,” sounds out of the other.

“God, you’re so fucking sexy,” Mark growled.

Renjun felt so good he was almost crying. He wanted to touch himself, desperate to push himself over the edge, but one hand was trapped between his thigh and his calf, and the other was holding onto the sheets for dear life.

“Mark,” he cried.

“I know baby,” Mark soothed. “You can do it.”

“I can’t! I need–”

He pushed down on Renjun’s knees harder, lifting the other’s hips into the air and changing the angle he was thrusting at. The new angle repeatedly hit Renjun’s prostate dead on and he screamed, eyes watering as the pleasure overtook him. He felt like every nerve was on fire, and for a moment he could only see white. As he came back down from his high, Mark was finishing himself off, slowly thrusting his cum into the other’s ass with his eyes squeezed shut.

The pair regained their breath before Mark pulled out slowly, watching intently as some of his cum leaked out of the other and onto the bed. Renjun flushed bright red and kicked at Mark’s shoulder with a socked foot.

“Perv,” he mumbled, but Mark just flashed him a lopsided grin before reaching his finger out to press against the leaking hole. "Stop staring."

"Sorry, baby. You're just too cute," Mark explained, leaning back up to press a sweet kiss against the other's soft lips.

"Whatever," Renjun mumbled. "Just go grab a towel."

Renjun was, well, he was somewhat impatient. He knew that Mark could reach their top shelf and that he would be home in less than an hour. He also knew that didn't need the specific paint on the top shelf urgently. But Renjun being Renjun, didn't like to rely on others to do things for him. Maybe it was insecurity, or maybe it was a bit of arrogance, but either way it ended up with him attempting to climb their shelf.

He really should have just grabbed a chair, but it was so close to the tips of his fingers when he stretched up on the tips of his toes that he thought he could get it. He placed his foot on one of the lower shelves and grabbed one of the higher ones, pulling himself up and within reach of the paint in an instant. The heavy shelf, however, was significantly less stable than Renjun had anticipated and no sooner had he grabbed the paint had the shelf began to fall.

Renjun let go and fell to the floor, the paint falling somewhere behind him. The shelf followed too closely for him to move out of the way so he threw his arms out in front of himself to stop the shelf, bracing for impact, but the shelf stopped as soon as it hit his arms.

Most of their possessions fell from the shelf but it remained otherwise stationary against Renjun's arms. He blinked rapidly and pushed the shelf back upright as if it weighed nothing. The shelf hit the wall with a loud bang and Renjun just stared in disbelief.

"What the fuck?" he whispered to himself.

When Mark returned home, it was to the sight of his small boyfriend attempting to lift their couch.

"Hey babe," he greeted hesitantly. "...What are you doing?"

Renjun startled and dropped the corner of the couch down the inch he had managed to lift it. He flinched at the sound of it hitting their apartment floor.

"Fuck," he winced. "Um, hey?"

"If you wanted to move the couch you could have just asked me," Mark said as he slipped his shoes off his feet, kicking them into the corner of their entranceway. Renjun leveled him with a glare and Mark smiled meekly, fixing his shoes so they were lined up against the wall. "Did you drop something under it?"

"No, well…" Renjun trailed off, wringing his hands together. It was a nervous tick of his that Mark hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mark asked, immediately worried. He approached their living room cautiously so as to not startle the other.

"I'm fine!"

Mark looked at him skeptically.

"Really. I promise," Renjun insisted, walking forward and cupping Mark's face in his hands. He smiled. "See? Look, I'm totally fine."

"Ok," Mark relented, leaning in to give Renjun a quick kiss. "So what is it?"

"Well, I was trying to get at my good paints, right?" Renjun said as he walked over to the tall shelf. "But I can't reach them. Stop smiling."

Mark wiped the smile off his face, "Sorry."

"Anyway, I could almost touch them so I tried to pull myself up," Renjun watched Mark's expression carefully. "Turns out the shelf isn't as stable as I thought and I kind of pulled it down on top of myself."

Renjun laughed to lighten the mood and Mark's eyebrows shot up.

"But remember, I'm fine!" Renjun insisted, hands held up in front of him as if trying to calm a wild animal.

"That shelf is really heavy, Renjun… I'm glad you're ok," Mark told him. "But what does that have to do with the couch?"

"Well here’s the thing, I stopped it from falling as if it weighed nothing. But like, it clearly weighs more, right?" Renjun rambled. "I tried to lift it again once it was back upright but I couldn't. So then I tried the couch and, well, yeah."

Mark digested the new information and remembered the early days of being Spider-Man, when he was still exploring and testing his newfound abilities. It was eerily similar, except Mark was able to make use of his enhanced strength constantly. His control of it varied, sure, but it was always there.

"You think that black gunk…?" Mark started.

"Yeah, I think so," Renjun finished. "It's the only thing I can think of."

"Have you noticed anything else?" Mark asked and led them to the couch to sit.

"No, not really. It's kind of weird that I was only able to for a moment though," Renjun said.

"Maybe it was like a.." Mark waved his hands around above his lap as if trying to catch the right phrase out of the air. "A one time power-up? Or something."

"Maybe, and I guess it knew when to activate," Renjun suggested. "But what if it's not a one time thing?"

"Sure, it might not be."

"So far it only worked when I was about to be squashed by a shelf," Renjun watched Mark's expression carefully. "You're not going to like what I'm going to say next, but what if it only triggers when I'm in immediate danger?"

Mark looked at him hesitantly, "...Why wouldn't I like that?"

"Because I want to test it–"

"What?? Absolutely not!" Mark interrupted. "Why would you want to put yourself at risk just to test this?"

"Because I won't actually be in danger, you'll be right there!" Renjun explained. He knew Mark would react like this, but it was still frustrating. "I can handle it, I'll be okay. I just want to figure out what’s happening to me."

"Renjun, I'm really not comfortable with this," Mark sighed, pressing the palms of his hands against his eyes before sliding his hands up through his hair.

"Well it's not your decision to make," Renjun scoffed.

"It is if you're expecting me to go along with this!"

"So if I threw myself off a building, you wouldn't do anything?" Renjun challenged.

"What the hell? I didn't say that!" Mark felt like he was losing his mind and Renjun glared at him with his arms crossed. "Renjun, this is ridiculous. Please tell me you're not actually going to risk killing yourself to test a hypothesis!"

Mark waited anxiously for the other to say something, but he kept his mouth shut and turned away.

“Babe…” he tried.

Renjun stood up abruptly and stormed off to their bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. Mark sighed and dropped his head into his hands. We both just need to calm down, he told himself.

He waited a bit before making his way over to the bedroom, knocking softly and opening the door. Renjun sat by the head of their bed, knees drawn against his body as he made himself as small as possible. His arms were wrapped around his legs and his head was buried against his knees. Mark sat beside him carefully, waiting for the other to acknowledge his presence. When he didn’t, he shifted closer and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a hug. Renjun didn't reciprocate, but he let it happen. They sat there like that for a few moments.

"I'm sorry I yelled," Mark apologized.

Renjun kept his face hidden as he sniffled.

"I'm sorry too," he whispered.

He could tell Renjun had more to say, but he didn't force him. Mark reached over and uncrossed Renjun's arms, pulling him closer.

"Hey," he said softly. “Come here.”

Renjun followed wordlessly, crawling onto Mark's lap and burying his face into the crook of the other's neck. He fisted his hands into Mark's shirt, wetting his collar with occasional tears. They stayed like that as Mark stroked up and down Renjun's back to calm him.

They both hated fighting. So, so much.

Renjun was so engrossed in his work, he almost didn't notice his phone ringing.

He caught it on the last ring, picking it up quickly and setting it to speaker-phone.

"Hey baby," Mark greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey," Renjun replied. "I'm alright. Did you finish early today?"

"Yup, the prof let us go 20 minutes early," Mark said cheerfully.

"Niceee. I wish my profs did that," Renjun pouted.

"Hopefully one day," Mark laughed. "Anyway, what're you up to?"

"Working," Renjun sighed. "You?"

"Johnny, Chenle, and I were going to go shoot some hoops."

"Hm, sounds boring," Renjun said solemnly. "Well, have fun!"

Mark laughed, "Thanks babe."

Renjun hummed.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Renjun smiled and touched the button to end the call, knowing Mark wouldn't. He sighed and turned his attention back to what he was working on.

He's cute, you know.

Renjun's hands froze and he looked around the room cautiously, but it was empty.

What the hell? he thought, turning back to his phone.

You can look but you won't see me, the voice teased.

Renjun whipped around and stared into the empty office room.

"Who's there?" he called out, willing his voice to stay steady.

Don't worry, babe. I'm not going to hurt you.

"Who the hell are you?"

Oh, nobody. Just somebody you can't get out of your head, if you catch my drift, the voice flirted.

Renjun grabbed his phone and launched himself out of the room, closing the door tightly behind him. He kept his eyes locked on the wooden door and backed away slowly. He opened up his phone contacts and clicked on Mark's smiling face, glancing down at his phone just enough to navigate it. He hit dial at the same time that the back of his knees hit the arm of the couch.

Losing his balance, Renjun fell backwards onto the couch and his phone clattered to the floor. He scrambled up again and reached for his phone, but before he could grab it, a strange black hand snatched it out from under his finger tips.

"What the fuck?!" Renjun yelped, recoiling away from the hand. He heard Mark's tinny voice call his name through the phone, but he was too stunned to react. The black arm morphed into an almost humanoid shape and pressed the "end call" button on Renjun's phone, cutting off Mark's frantic questions. Renjun watched in horror as the strange creature's face split into a wide grin, staring at him like a piece of meat.

"You're cute," it said.

"What the fuck are you?" Renjun whispered, hands trembling as he sat frozen on the couch.

"I could be whatever you want me to be," it said, looking Renjun up and down until the phone in its hand began to vibrate. The thing held it up and Renjun saw Mark's contact photo take over the screen as he tried to call him. "How about him?"

The creature's blank features began to morph, gaining colour and sprouting hair as it became human. Renjun wanted to puke. Once the liquid features settled, the alien creature looked identical to Mark.

"Don't," he protested weakly.

"No? Don’t like this form?" The creature asked. It turned the phone over and glanced at the photocard housed in the back of Renjun's phone case. "How about him then?"

Mark's features began to shift. His hair grew a little longer and lighter, his skin a little more golden, and his features a little softer. The transformation was quicker this time, but only slightly less terrifying. The end result was a picture perfect recreation of the idol.

Fuck, he's even hotter in person, Renjun thought instinctually. He shook the thought away and took a breath.

"Where did you come from?" Renjun asked, stalling for time until Mark could get to him. The creature didn’t seem to want to hurt him, but Renjun still wanted to be cautious.

“Klyntar,” it answered simply, sitting down on their coffee table and crossing its legs. “I’d ask about you but I already know.”

“That I’m from Earth?”

“That you’re from Jilin, China and that you moved here when you were 15,” the creature said, leaning back on its palms and staring intently at him.

“How do you know that?” Renjun asked hesitantly.

“I know lots of things about you, babe,” the creature smirked. “I told you I was in your head. I’ve seen everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yup. Every single memory,” it said, popping the ‘p’ and grinning wildly. “You know, you’re surprisingly kinky for someone with such a pure face.”

Renjun felt his entire body go hot and he knew his face was bright red. Any fear was replaced by embarrassment and outrage as he shot to his feet and grabbed the creature by the front of its shirt.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he screamed.

Renjun opened his mouth to continue when the window slammed open and Mark swung into the room calling his name. For a moment, everybody froze: Renjun with his fists tangled in the shirt of an alien creature wearing the face of a famous idol, and Mark with his disjointed combination of suit and citizen clothing, standing awkwardly in the same position he landed in. The creature’s head flopped over to look at the newcomer.

“You know, I really hoped you’d be in just the suit. Those jeans leave too much to the imagination.”

"Stop ogling my boyfriend!" Renjun yelled, snapping back into motion and shaking the annoying creature with all his strength.

"Woah, Renjun, hey," Mark said, rushing over and pulling him off the 'idol.' He placed a hand on Renjun's cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Renjun said, brushing him off and turning back to the alien and pointing an accusatory finger at it. "You have some fucking explaining to do."

Mark had interacted with a number of aliens over his time as Spider-Man, but an alien symbiote was certainly new.

He sat next to Renjun on the couch, leg rapidly shaking as he stared down the alien. It was, unfortunately, not intimidated. The alien was reclining on the coffee table, watching the pair of them like some sort of TV show. Mark leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"So let's get this straight: you stowed away on a stranger's ship, found out you couldn't bond with them, went into a weird type of hibernation, and then latched onto my suit here on Earth, where Renjun then had the misfortune to accidentally make direct contact with you, and then you nonconsensually bonded with him," Mark retold as calmly as he could.

"Well that's kind of a rude way to put it," the alien pouted. It reached a foot out and pointed at Renjun. "Besides, it wasn't an 'accident,' he touched me willingly."

"What?" Mark turned to the side to look at his boyfriend incredulously.

"I-" Renjun paused, caught off guard by the accusation. "I didn't know you were alive!"

"Well maybe next time you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance," the alien said smugly.

"You-" Renjun stood up, absolutely fuming. "You are the most insufferable creature I have ever met! All the stress and anxiety we felt was just because of some punk that couldn’t plan in advance??"

The alien only grinned, "No need to flatter me, babe."

Mark grabbed Renjun's hand and pulled him back, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and holding him close.

"Hey, Jun-ah, calm down," Mark said soothingly, rubbing his hand up and down Renjun's shoulder. He levelled the alien with a stern glare. "I think it’s time for you to leave."

For the first time, the creature was caught off guard. It sat up properly.

"W-what?"

"I said you should leave," Mark said coldly.

Renjun shifted next to him, crossing his arms while glaring at the alien in front of them.

"But I don't have anywhere to go," the alien explained. "I told you I can't survive out there, I need a host I'm compatible with."

"So find one."

"You don't understand, I'll die before I even come close," the alien pleaded, looking between the two nervously. It rambled on. "Besides, aren't you nervous about me leaving when I know your identity?"

Mark narrowed his eyes.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No- I didn't mean it like that. I just…" it trailed off. "Are you really going to leave me to die?"

The alien looked at Mark, and for the first time, it looked genuinely scared. Mark almost felt bad, but he had no reason to trust the creature. He looked towards Renjun.

Renjun, feeling his boyfriends eyes on him, turned to meet his gaze. He scanned Mark's face, reading his thoughts wordlessly. He reached for Mark's hand, holding it in both of his.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before turning to the fearful alien. "Ok, fine, you can stay-"

"What?!"

"Really?"

"But only until you find a new host. Those are my terms," Renjun said, holding a hand up to silence the other two.

"Yes, of course. Thank you," the alien said, bowing its head slightly.

Through trial and error, they learned that the alien could only be away from a host and active for about 6 hours at most. It wasn't much, but it allowed Renjun at least a little bit of independence each day.

For obvious reasons, the alien didn't leave their apartment except when bonded with Renjun. During those times, it kept quiet. So quiet, Renjun could almost pretend that it wasn't even there.

But it was.

Renjun put his arm on the windowsill, resting his cheek against his hand as he stared out the window of the bus.

Do you have a name? he asked.

The alien seemed startled, like it didn't expect to ever be spoken to willingly.

No, not really, it said.

Do you want one?

Yeah, I do.

What kind of name do you want?

Something… bright, I think.

Bright?

Yeah.

How about… Haechan?

Haechan.

You can say if you don't like it.

I like it. What does it mean?

It’s Korean, I think the literal translation would be 'full sun.'

Why did you choose a Korean name? Why not a Chinese name? Or an English name?

Well Mark is Korean so… You know…

…

Shut up.

I literally didn't say anything!

Shut up.

You're so bossy.

I wouldn't start insulting me if I were you.

Yes, sir.

Renjun laughed quietly to himself on the bus, turning his head to cover his mouth with his hand.

So what's your story?

My story?

Yeah, what was your life like before? Why did you stow away on a stranger's ship?

I got bored.

You got… bored? That's it?

I wasn't happy. Home wasn't very homey; I wanted something better.

Well what do you think of Earth?

It's nice. I like it.

Yeah?

Yeah.

I'm glad.

Really?

Yeah, I don't think anyone should live somewhere where they aren't happy.

The alien went quiet and Renjun assumed their conversation had finished. He watched a young mother cross the street with her baby. Someone helped her lift her stroller up some stairs and Renjun smiled.

You're a really good person, you know?

Huh?

I'm serious. You didn't have to let me stay, but you did.

Renjun flushed.

It's not a big deal.

It is to me, I would be dead if you hadn't let me stay. I owe you my life.

It's only for a little bit, Renjun reminded him.

Haechan went quiet and the pair sat in silence for a few moments. Renjun almost wanted to take his words back, to tell Haechan he could stay however long he wanted, but he didn't.

Still. Thank you.

And then he was silent again, and Renjun couldn't even tell he was there.

Renjun let himself into Chenle and Jisung’s apartment with the spare key, putting his shoes aside neatly next to the pile of shoes that were already there. He pat Daegal on the head, who had come to greet him, and made his way deeper into the apartment. Jisung was on the couch with a gaming headset on, focussed intensely on whatever it was he was playing. Renjun stood and watched absentmindedly for a moment before Jisung realised he was there.

“Oh my god,” he flinched, pausing his game and pulling his headset off. “Hey, I didn’t see you come in, hyung.”

“Hey Jisungie, is Chenle not here?” Renjun asked casually and Jisung shook his head.

“He should be home soon though.”

Renjun hummed and sat down next to Jisung on the couch. Jisung put his headset back on, but kept one ear uncovered for Renjun, and Renjun pulled out his phone to see if he had any notifications. Chenle hadn’t messaged to say he would be home late, which was typical of him, while Mark had messaged to ask him to say hello to them for him, which was also typical.

Renjun sighed and put his phone back in his big sweater pocket, sinking back into the couch to watch the TV screen. He noticed Jisung glance at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t say anything right away. The pair sat there quietly for a while as Jisung continued playing his game.

“Is everything alright, hyung?” Jisung asked, voice deep and quiet. Just the sound of it was comforting to Renjun, who leaned his head on Jisung’s shoulder.

“Mmhm,” Renjun hummed, closing his eyes. “Just tired.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, it’s hard balancing uni and work,” Renjun explained lightly. It was true, but he was used to that level of tiredness already. Throw an alien parasite into the mix? Well, that was a little much even for Renjun.

The pair settled into a comfortable silence, Renjun dozing off on Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung continued playing his game, but he kept as still as possible so he didn’t disturb Renjun’s impromptu nap.

He seems like a sweet kid.

He is, Renjun thought wistfully. He’s such a good kid.

Why do you sound sad?

Not sad, just… nostalgic. Feels weird to watch him grow up, Renjun admitted.

He snuggled further into Jisung, taking a deep breath and settling again. He felt Jisung shift and wondered if he would pull away, but the other pulled his headset off completely and set it to the side. He wrapped an arm around Renjun’s waist, holding him loosely as he sank into the couch with him. They stayed that way, semi-reclined and vaguely cuddling, until Chenle came home some 20 minutes later with dinner.

“Didn’t feel like cooking tonight?” Renjun asked as he helped set the table.

“A new place opened up on the way home so I figured we’d give it a try,” Chenle said casually. “If you don’t like it, we have leftovers in the fridge.”

Renjun shook his head, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks for buying dinner.”

Chenle smirked, humming in response to Renjun’s thanks.

“I’m the best, I know,” he grinned. Renjun huffed out a laugh, meeting Jisung’s eye. Jisung’s expression mirrored his own as Chenle puttered around. The three of them settled in for a meal, catching up and complaining about their respective school workloads until the topic finally shifted to Mark.

“He’s always too busy,” Chenle complained. “The last time we hung out we were going to play basketball, but he ran out before we even had time to throw the ball.”

Renjun kept his features schooled as Chenle pouted into his food.

“Yeah, and he was the only one that wasn’t at Jaemin-hyung and Jeno-hyung’s last weekend,” Jisung added.

“You know how Mark is,” Renjun laughed humourlessly. “He always has to be doing a million things at once.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely? Spending so much time by yourself at your apartment?”

Renjun paused, pushing his food around the container mindlessly. It was hard enough dating someone so involved in both school and work, plus his large social circle, but then being Spider-Man on top of it? It was hard not to feel left behind a little, even if Mark tried his absolute hardest for Renjun.

“A little,” Renjun admitted. “I tend to play music most of the time so it’s not so quiet.”

He looked up when neither of them said anything, meeting their sympathetic gazes.

“B-but it’s not that bad,” Renjun deflected, trying to mix some humour into his voice. “Besides, it’s easier to get things done without Mark clinging onto me like a barnacle!”

He forced out a laugh, but the other two didn’t join in.

“Hyung, you know you can always come here if you’re lonely, right?” Chenle said seriously.

“Of course,” Renjun said dismissively. “Don’t worry about me, I promise I’m fine.”

Neither of them looked like they believed him, but they dropped it.

Renjun stretched out on the couch, a blanket curled around him and steaming hot tea waiting for him on the table. He put on an old comfort drama and settled in comfortably, not planning on moving for the next hour at least. The title screen cleared and a beautiful young actress appeared on screen, running down the street to meet a handsome young man.

Who’s she?

Huh? Oh, that’s the main character.

And who’s he?

That’s one of her love interests.

What’s happening?

Hold on, I thought you have all my memories? What’s with all the questions?

Renjun sat up a little, reaching for his tea and blowing on it to cool it down.

Haha, busted…

???

Put on something we haven’t seen!

What? But I wanted to watch this…

You’ve already seen it! Come onnnn~

What’s with you? Renjun grumbled, but he reached for the remote anyway. He exited out of the drama he had chosen and reluctantly began scrolling through the catalogue on the TV.

They settled on a newer drama that the internet had been hyping up, and much to Renjun’s chagrin, it was better than his old comfort drama. The pair of them were hooked from the first episode and they ended up watching several episodes back to back. Haechan kept pestering Renjun with questions, even though they both knew the same amount about the show, and Renjun never had any time to think about feeling lonely. They were too busy trying to dissect the plot of their new show.

They argued while Renjun folded the blanket he used, deciding that they had watched enough TV for that day.

He's seriously an idiot, Haechan droned.

He's trying his best!

Yeah, well, he should try harder!

Renjun couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.

You're so harsh!

It's not my fault he's an idiot!

My god, are you always like this?

Usually.

Renjun sighed.

I guess this is my life now, he joked.

Haechan paused, waiting for Renjun to specify that it was only for a little while, but he didn't.

So what's the deal with this Lee Donghyuck guy? he asked, changing the topic.

Huh? You mean the guy whose face you stole? Renjun joked, sitting back down on the couch.

Maybe I liberated it? What if he's an asshole?!

Renjun laughed, I doubt it but whatever helps you sleep at night.

Seriously though, why do you have a picture of him in the back of your phone case and not, like, Mark or something?

Oh my god, you sound like my mom, Renjun groaned.

Well she seems like a smart lady.

Just because I have a boyfriend doesn't mean I can't be a fan of someone, Renjun pouted. He's a really talented singer, you know?

So you're a fan of his voice? Just his voice? Not his face too?

Well yeah, I like his face too– am I not allowed to think he's cute?

Haechan separated himself from Renjun and manifested in front of him.

"Does this mean you like my face too?" he said with a sleazy grin. Renjun scoffed.

"Hardly," he said, but his face was red.

"You're so mean to me," Haechan pouted and leaned in a few inches from Renjun's face. "You sure you don’t like it?"

"Positive," Renjun said, meeting his gaze with a challenging look and raising an eyebrow. Haechan couldn't help but glance at the other's lips for a moment. They looked soft, and for a moment, he was consumed by the urge to kiss him.

Renjun pulled back. He watched Haechan carefully but ultimately didn't say anything. He smiled softly and stood up, grabbing his empty cup of tea and leaving Haechan alone with his thoughts.

Mark poked his head into the room while Renjun was working away on one of his assignments. He smiled at the sight of Renjun drowning in one of his largest sweaters, sleeves rolled up so he could still type efficiently. He felt a pull and let the feeling guide him towards Renjun, stopping behind the other’s chair and wrapping his arms around Renjun’s narrow shoulders.

“Hey baby,” he whispered, tucking his nose into the crook of Renjun’s neck.

Renjun hummed in response as he continued to type away on his laptop.

“How’s the assignment going?” he asked, just for something to talk about.

“Good, I…” he trailed off for a moment before giggling quietly.

“Jun?”

“Hm? Oh, sorry. Haechan is distracting me,” he said flippantly. “It’s going well. Why? What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing,” Mark said quietly. Sometimes he forgot that Haechan was there. But he always was now; always watching. And if he wasn’t, he would just see everything once he rejoined Renjun’s body. Whether he liked it or not, Haechan was part of their relationship now.

He took a deep breath of Renjun’s scent and squeezed him tightly before leaving him be.

"Do you think Jaemin wants a weird little alien sidekick?" Renjun joked one night over dinner.

"Jaemin is strange enough on his own, he doesn't need another abnormality," Mark joked back.

"Seriously though. How are we supposed to find a host for Haechan?" Renjun said, lowering his voice so the alien in the other room wouldn't hear them, even though he would be able to see the entire conversation as soon as he rejoined Renjun’s body.

"I don't know," Mark sighed, and they settled into silence.

"I think we need to consider that he may be with us for good," Renjun said softly once he had finished eating.

"What? No, we'll find someone and then we'll go back to how things were," Mark insisted.

"How? You can't exactly walk up to someone and ask if they want to adopt an alien parasite! I suppose we should just leave him in a cardboard box with a 'please adopt me' sign?"

"I don't know Renjun, maybe?"

"Mark, that's cruel. We both know he'd die."

Mark's utensils clattered to the table and he tangled his fingers in his hair, shaking his head.

"But I don't want things to be like this from now on!" Mark cried. "My life as Spider-Man was never supposed to affect my life with you. I promised myself it wouldn’t."

“Mark…” Renjun said sadly. He pushed himself up from the table and made his way around to Mark. He wrapped his arms around Mark as best as he could, holding him close and stroking along his back. Mark pushed back from the table and turned towards Renjun, pulling the smaller onto his lap and into his embrace.

"I'm sorry Markie," Renjun whispered by his ear. "But change is inevitable."

Renjun was used to Mark being gone for several hours at a time while patrolling; New York was a big city and some nights were especially eventful. What he wasn't used to was Mark being gone for over 5 hours and not contacting him even once. Renjun was a worrier, even if he didn't show it as much as Mark, and Mark knew that.

He opened his phone again and tried to call Mark for the nth time that night. He bit down on his nail as the phone rang. And rang. And rang.

Renjun sighed, waiting for Mark's pre-recorded voice to tell him to leave a message, and he debated if leaving another message would do anything. He was about to end the call when the ringing stopped abruptly, making way for silence instead of an automated message. Renjun's heart felt like it was in his throat.

"Hello? Mark?" Renjun whispered.

He strained his ear to listen for any voices on the other side of the line. There was some rustling and the sound of something clanking in the distance, but nobody replied.

"Mark, are you okay?" he asked timidly.

He listened as something covered the phone's microphone for a moment and then all he could hear was breathing. He knew instantly that it wasn't Mark.

"And who might you be?" the voice on the other end said with a grin. It was a man's voice, calm and smug.

"Who are you?" Renjun demanded, mustering as much authority into his voice as he could.

"Uh uh, I asked you first," the voice scolded lightly, amused and not at all nervous. "Where are your manners?"

"Where are my-" Renjun scoffed. "Listen here you piece of shit. You put my boyfriend on the phone now or else."

Renjun was seething, all his nervous energy coming out in anger. He wanted to strangle the person on the other line.

"Finish your threat," the voice goaded. "Or else what?"

A growl-like yell climbed its way up and out of Renjun's throat.

"Fuck you!" he yelled.

The unknown man hung up with a laugh. Renjun fought the overwhelming urge to throw his phone across the room. He hated how helpless he was when it came to Mark's life as Spider-Man. He ran his fingers through his hair quickly as hot tears clouded his vision.

It'll be alright, Haechan comforted. I can help.

"How? We don't even know where he is!" Renjun cried, breathing laboured as he buried his face in his hands.

I do, Haechan admitted.

Renjun's head shot up and out of his hands.

“You do? How?”

There’s still a piece of me on his suit. I can track him with that.

“That… gross, but helpful,” Renjun sniffled.

Don’t question it. Come on.

Renjun grabbed Mark’s bike keys and they scrambled out of the apartment. Renjun continuously pressed the elevator button until the doors opened, and he bounced side to side on his feet as the elevator took them down to the garage. He booked it out of the elevator and into the open garage as soon as the doors opened, beelining for their parking spot. When he reached Mark's bike, he fumbled with the key to turn it on.

Do you know how to ride this…?

No, I've only ever been a passenger, but it's the fastest way I can think of to get there.

His shaking hands finally inserted the key and the bike revved to life. He sighed and mounted the bike, looking around to familiarise himself with the controls.

I think this one is the gas and this is the break?

Oh god.

It's fine, I'll figure it out!

It took him a couple attempts to get the kickstand up but once he did he was tentatively wheeling himself back to take off.

He zipped through the garage and out onto the streets, heart beating a mile a minute as he tried to steer the bike.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! What was I thinking? I’m going to crash before I even get us close!

Don't worry about that, I'll make sure you don't get hurt. Just focus on getting us there.

Renjun took a deep breath.

Ok, ok, thanks.

This way.

Renjun followed the streets as best as he could, but it felt like there was traffic around every corner.

God, I hope there aren't any police cars nearby, he said before veering off into the cyclist lane.

Are you not allowed to use this part?

I have no idea!

Renjun leaned to the side to make a right and leaned a little too far, pulling the bike off balance. He braced himself to hit the ground but a gelatinous black arm hit the ground first, pushing them back upright.

Keep going, Haechan said calmly.

Oh my GOD, we almost died!

No we didn't, we're fine. Keep going.

Oh my god. Okay, okay. Right. Focus.

We're not much further.

Right.

The pair sped into the right district, looping through streets and alleyways to get as close to wherever Mark was as possible.

I found him, pull over!

Renjun pulled the bike off onto the sidewalk and parked it to the best of his ability, pulling the keys out clumsily and shoving them in his pocket.

God I hope nobody steals this.

Come on, let's go. I can sense him in this building.

Renjun took off running towards the building. He crashed into the front doors, pushing and pulling with all his might, trying to open them.

They won't open!

Can I take over?

Renjun stepped back and let the other take control. The black substance overtook his body in an instant, covering him entirely and restricting his movements.

I won't drop you, I promise.

You won’t- Huh??

Haechan launched into the air, clinging onto the side of the building and climbing it like Mark would. He crawled up the building until he found the right window, kicking it in and swinging them into the building.

Mark!

Renjun looked on in horror as Mark lay beaten and bloody on the floor of the abandoned building. His arms were tied behind his back with chains and his face lay squished against the ground as he looked up cautiously. His eyes widened when he saw the dark humanoid blob that was Haechan, but said nothing to let on that he recognized him.

“And who the hell are you?” the man across the room asked, grabbing a gun off the table next to him.

Renjun ignored him completely as he squirmed and fought to take control of his body again, desperate to go to his injured boyfriend.

Renjun, no, it's too dangerous. Let me handle this first.

But he's hurt! Please! he begged.

Mark will kill me if I let you get hurt! Please Renjun, just let me handle this first.

“I said, who the fuck are you?” the man growled, pointing a gun at them. Renjun froze when he saw the gun, realising the danger he had just thrown himself into.

Haechan hardened his control and dashed forward at the man responsible for everything. The man stumbled back in surprise at his speed, eyes wide and frightened as he shot several times at the rapidly approaching mass. The bullets disappeared into Haechan's flesh for a moment before falling to the ground at his feet. Haechan swung his arm at the man, launching him backwards into the wall upon contact and moving to block the man from his table of weapons.

The man hit the wall with a grunt, falling to the floor and landing in a crouch. His head whipped up towards them and his eyes were alight with fury.

"You little shit," the man barked, pushing himself up into a fighting stance. He tossed his useless gun aside and threw a punch that Haechan caught it easily. The man growled and threw another punch with his other hand – that Haechan also caught.

The pair wrestled in a feat of strength before a grin split Haechan's face open. The man faltered and tried to draw back, but his hands were stuck in the black substance.

"What the fuck?!" the man exclaimed.

Haechan released control of Renjun's body as he consumed the man in his entirety. Renjun stumbled back, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground. He looked up as the black substance covered every inch of the man's skin until he was just a thrashing black blob.

"Go to him," Haechan coughed.

Renjun scrambled to his feet and ran over to Mark. He dropped to his knees and fumbled with the chains, detangling and untying them.

"Are you okay??" he asked, wiping a tear that escaped his eyes before Mark could see it.

"I'm alright," Mark groaned. "I heal quickly, remember?"

Renjun pulled desperately at the chains one last time before he finally pulled them off of Mark's arms. Mark winced as he pushed himself up off the ground and into Renjun's embrace, who caught him in his arms and held him tight.

“What happened?” Renjun asked as he reluctantly pulled back, struggling to look at Mark’s severely beaten state. His leg was bleeding profusely so Renjun pulled the string of his hoodie out and tied it around Mark’s leg as a makeshift tourniquet.

“He got the jump on me,” Mark grunted, pushing himself upright while keeping his leg extended as he told Renjun everything. “I was distracted with a group of thugs and he came out of nowhere. He managed to shoot me in the leg, and then I couldn’t get away in time.”

Renjun glanced up from his leg with watery eyes and Mark placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away the newest tears that had fallen.

“Mark…” Renjun sobbed, pausing his work and holding Mark’s hand against his cheek. “I-”

He hiccuped, panting for air as his sobs continued. Mark pulled him into an embrace, holding Renjun's head in the crook of his neck and rubbing his back with his other hand.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Mark whispered, fingers combing through Renjun's hair and watching over his shoulder. The man was fighting for his life inside Haechan’s form, but every kick and every punch was futile.

“Don’t look,” Haechan rumbled, and Mark held Renjun tighter, making sure the other wouldn't be able to turn and see what was about to happen behind him.

Haechan's writhing body expanded slightly before rapidly contracting, cutting the man’s muffled scream off abruptly. He had no chance.

Renjun held onto Mark tighter.

The room was completely still as Haechan melted off of what was once a man. The body was hardly recognizable as human, and Mark struggled to stomach the sight of it. He watched as the black goo slithered across the floor before it reached the pair. Mark loosened his grip on Renjun, who reluctantly looked up. When he saw Haechan waiting beside them, he reached his hand out to accept the other back into his body.

"Come here," he sniffled.

I'm sorry.

Renjun shook his head, even though Haechan was in it already.

"Thank you," he whispered, eyes locked on the floor. He wiped his tears and looked up at Mark, who watched him with big, concerned eyes. Renjun smiled softly and placed a hand on Mark's cheek, leaning in and kissing the other gently.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Renjun said, voice breaking, new tears falling down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry for bringing you into this," Mark said softly.

"Stop apologizing, both of you!" Renjun laughed softly, pushing Mark weakly. Mark grabbed his small hand in his and brought it up to his lips, brushing his lips against it in a kiss. Renjun wiped his tears with his other hand and groaned. "I can't stop crying!"

"It's alright," Mark said, holding his hand. "Let's just go home."

“Are you kidding me? You have a bullet in your leg! We need to go to the hospital,” Renjun stressed.

“Can’t you just take it out? Didn’t you take a first aid class?” Mark pouted, rubbing circles into Renjun’s hand as he begged him with his eyes.

“Yeah, and my class taught me to call an ambulance and to try to limit bleeding in the meantime, I don’t know how to remove a bullet! Besides, this is probably the least sterile environment in the world to do it! You need to go to a hospital, Mark,” Renjun insisted.

Mark paused to consider his options.

“Any chance you know how to remove a bullet, Haechan?” Mark asked hopelessly, speaking to the air above them.

Haechan manifested beside them and leveled him with an unimpressed stare.

“Dude, just go to the fucking hospital,” he said, and Renjun couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of his throat.

Mark felt more relaxed than he ever had during his years as Spider-Man. For the first time ever, he had an ally to back him up if needed and, more importantly, someone to protect Renjun if something was ever to happen again.

That said, Haechan was still incredibly annoying to have around.

"Don't you think Renjunnie would look lovely in some lacy lingerie?" Haechan whispered, leaning in too close for Mark to ignore. He swatted at the other.

"Shut up," Mark grumbled, keeping his eyes locked on his laptop as he fought down any images his brain conjured. "I'm trying to work on this."

"Just think about it," Haechan sighed dreamily. "Wow."

"Seriously, shut up."

"You should buy some."

"Haechan," Mark warned.

“I’m serious!” Haechan whined.

“I’m serious too! I need to get this done!”

“You’re no fun, Markiepoo,” Haechan pouted and stood up. “Good thing I already bought some anyway.”

Mark’s hand shot out and grabbed Haechan’s wrist.

“You what? How? You don’t even have any money?”

“I didn’t need any, you guys have your cards saved on your computers,” Haechan explained. He sighed and slid his hand into Mark’s, looking at the other teasingly. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Mark scoffed, but he didn’t pull his hand back. Haechan grinned.

“So what? You coming?”

Mark pulled himself up with Haechan’s hand, closing his laptop without a second glance.

“Okay, show me what you bought.”

“You’re in for a real treat, my friend,” Haechan said, slinging an arm around Mark’s shoulders and leading him out of the room.