aeterisks (ao3)
Taehyung is a magnet for trouble, but luckily there is always help swinging around the corner.
(Or, in his quest against the forces of evil, Jeongguk spends more time saving Taehyung than he already anticipated.)
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Out of all the possible outcomes being bitten by a radioactive spider might have, Jeongguk feels like he got pretty lucky with the outcome he got. Shooting webs out of his wrists, enhanced senses, super agility and super strength were never things that Jeongguk aimed to have, but now that they're here, he's welcoming them. With open arms.
He's never been heroic or the type to bring lots of attention to himself, but if there is something very clear in his mind it's that with great power comes great responsibility. And he also knows that, if he has the capacity to help those that are in trouble, he's going to do just that. There's too much evil in this world for him to turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it when he's needed. He even designed and fabricated himself his own costume so he can be both comfortable and go incognito, that's how committed he is to this cause.
It's a late Friday evening and he's slinging around the buildings of one of the most deserted areas of Seoul, so different from the usual stamp of the city—no skyscrapers, no bright lights, mostly empty streets. He has always found it cathartic to take walks alone at night, but it's admittedly better like this, when he can crawl up the buildings and sling from one to the other. It's also a workout, if you ask him. Much better than anything he ever got done at the gym that one time he actually went.
He also does this to watch. Crime happens at all times of the day, but it's obvious that there's more of it during the night. He usually goes out at this time of the night, and more often than not, he finds some sort of... situation.
Today is not any different. It's not too late when he sees a middle-aged woman walking alone, dressed in work uniform, probably for one of those 50s style diners. Not too far behind her walks a guy, a couple of years younger than Jeongguk. He can't say he's surprised when he sees him start rushing towards her, a pocket knife in hand.
Jeongguk doesn't quite catch the thief's exact words, but as he slings down towards the pair he sees him growl something about the woman's bag, followed by a scream from her. A neighbor opens the window and looks then, phone in her hand, but Jeongguk knows that there is no way the police will arrive on time.
And so, he intervenes. With one swift motion, he kicks the knife out of the guy's hand, who looks at him with startled and wide eyes.
"Who the fuck—?"
Jeongguk doesn't reply to him. The guy is now disarmed, so he shoots spider webs out of his wrists to pin the guy's limbs to the wall behind him. The guy is young and doesn't look particularly strong, but Jeongguk knows that the web is strong—strong enough to not break as he slings between buildings, carrying his whole weight.
"What the fuck?" the guy cries out, confusion and fear clear in his voice. "Let me down right now. This is not cool, man."
"Robbing someone in a dark alley isn't too cool of you, either," Jeongguk replies. He watches the guy's mouth open as he was about to say something, but his lips close without a word being uttered. He turns to look at the lady, and asks, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," the woman replies, holding on tight to the strap of her bag. She looks just as perplexed as the guy is. Jeongguk hasn't been doing this for too long, a couple of weeks tops, so he doesn't expect to be recognized. Still, he detects in her voice sincere and honest gratefulness which makes him happy. "Thank you so much for... well, for doing that."
