Archive of Our Own

Mingi looked a mess in front of him. Hongjoong simply rolled his eyes. He wasn't new to this scene. Mingi and his haphazard way of dressing. Newsboy cap askew on his head. Glasses sliding down his nose. He was panting, probably having run there, but Hongjoong wasn't going to do a thing. If he'd managed to run here with all that heavy equipment, he clearly didn't need Hongjoong's help.

"I'm guessing we missed him?"

"Again." Hongjoong huffed, the hair covering his eye getting blown away. "What's your excuse this time?"

"Would you believe I overslept?"

"It's more believable then that time you told me you saved a little girl's cat from a tree."

"Hey! That one was true!"

"And what? The others weren't?"

Honestly, how was Hongjoong ever meant to believe a word that came out of Mingi's mouth when he was always spewing nonsense. Made up lies to save face. It'd be more believable if he told Hongjoong he'd taken a hit before arriving, at least then Hongjoong would be less annoyed. 

Well, maybe not. Mingi's face was always annoying. And it wasn't even in a bad way. He was just so stupidly attractive, with his big pouty lips and that obnoxious bonker he called a nose. He was the type Hongjoong normally went for, bright eyed and bushy tailed. So easily mailable, a puppet under Hongjoong's strings, but them mere fact that he was a no show at least seven times out of ten made it hard to like him.

"Look, forget it. We'll just have to tell Eden the footage was corrupted or something." He stuffed his cellphone and notepad into his bag. "I have to get back to Hwa's, he has some more intel for another story I'm working on."

"You're leaving?"

Hongjoong despised his way of speaking. Like a scared child on his first day of school. For being over six feet tall, Mingi sure acted more like a baby than anyone his size had any right to be.

"You have other things to work on, don't you?" Mingi's eyes were trying to plead for him. Don't go, they said. "Just go back to the office, I'll meet you there in an hour."

"Okay!"

God, he was insufferable.

"I don't see why you tolerate him. Clearly he's not fit for the job."

Seonghwa was wiping down the counter when Hongjoong walked in. He offered his usual friendly smile before serving him a Spanish Coffee.

"You'd think, but kid's got an eye for photography." 

And that bothered him too.

Because whenever Hongjoong needed him, the kid wasn't around. He was off somewhere, probably mocking Hongjoong for hoping into a taxi to the city just minutes after the action because he'd wanted to be nice when Mingi first came to them and wait for the stupid kid. All that ever got him was the rubble, damaged buildings and crisped streets. Never the superhero he was chasing after. 

While Hongjoong never seemed to manage more than a glance at the new superhero in town, Mingi was having full on coffee dates with the guy.

"Apparently, he's got an inside source. That's why the boss keeps him around."

Somehow that kid's managed to get candid photos of the hero while Hongjoong can't even manage one good action shot. 

"He must be all talk, then. I'll bet them pictures are all fakes."

Seonghwa had reasonable doubt. Hongjoong, too, shared in his skepticism. but no one else had as nice of shots as Mingi did, so he let it go. As long as he got to write the stories he wanted, he could forget about the clumsy newsboy.

"I didn't come here to bash the intern over drinks. Tell me what you got on Choi."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at the man. They both knew what Hongjoong came for. Seonghwa threw his rag in the sink before delving into his story.

Hongjoong spent longer than an hour at the bar. There were just too many questions he needed to ask, more he'd wanted to know. Seonghwa couldn't answer them all, but Hongjoong now had the beginnings of a front page story at his fingertips. It was a just a matter of time before his big break.

His absence, however, did not go ignored. Mingi was still sat waiting for him in his desk chair.

"You said you'd be back sooner."

"Got carried away." He dumped his bag on his desk, trying to shoo the gangly boy to his own desk. "I've got work to do."

"I can help!"

"No!" Hongjoong sighed. "You've done plenty today."

"But- I missed everything."

"Not like it's anything new," he mumbled, trying to distract himself by booting up his computer. When it was clear his shadow wasn't going to budge, he snapped. "Don't you have something better to do?"

"Not really." He was hanging off the filing cabinet beside the desk. "Watching you is better than anything else I've got going on."

Hongjoong wanted to throw the stapler at him. Those innocent smiles were fake. They had to be. Hongjoong just knew there was more to Mingi than his cliché boy-next-door charm.

"Why don't you think of an excuse to give to Eden, now that we've got no story."

That got the boy moving, charging forward and forcing Hongjoong's desk chair to brace against the desk.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'll make up for it." His arms were on either side of the older man, making it hard for Hongjoong to think. "I can get some new photos from him this weekend! Promise!"

"Really now?" Mingi's face faltered with Hongjoong's words. "Maybe I could tag along? Make sure you're doing alright. "

"No!" He denied. Like Hongjoong expected him to. "I mean- he's not great with new people."

Hongjoong gave a noncommittal hum. It still irked him, how easily he promised such things and made good on them when any other time he failed him by just not showing up. It made his left eye twitch. 

"Whatever! Just get us those pictures and I'll forgive you."

"Okay!"

He skipped away, much to Hongjoong's annoyance.

Hongjoong wasn't usually this hostile with people he worked with. He liked maintaining professionalism. It was one of the things that had landed him the position he was in now. But Mingi...

Mingi made it hard for him. He was tasked with the intern the moment he'd tripped in, falling face first at his feet. Mingi had slowly lifted his head to meet Hongjoong's eyes and the older man just knew, he was in for trouble.

He was clumsy and forgetful and everything about him was so infuriatingly messy, Hongjoong wished he would be fired.

But the big boss man liked him- doted on him even. Because he was the first one ever to bring in a picture of Shockwave.

The superhero had fallen to them from the sky. Quite literally.

The first mention of him was a grainy video on Youtube someone uploaded. Hongjoong had watched it, had seen the guy drop from thousands of feet up in the air, not a scratch on him. He was a little awkward to start, fumbling over his own feet and not landing nearly as many hits as the bad guys, but then he'd turned it all around with a snap of his fingers.

Little burst of electricity surged through his fingertips, almost unreal if Hongjoong hadn't seen it for himself. He zapped both the thieves, rendering them motionless long enough for the police to handcuff them and be on their way.

Since then, he only got more attention, more people snapping photos and videos of him as he only grow his following, suddenly being known as Shockwave. And the superhero had come up with it himself, when asked what the world should call the guy in spandex that seemed to know just the right moment to appear to help fight crime.

Hongjoong had found it infuriating when the man first surfaced because that was all anyone seemed to fixate on. The story he'd been working on was scraped in favor of finding that stupid man's identity and Hongjoong didn't nearly put enough time or effort into finding out. He didn't care. A part of him was grateful for Mingi stepping in, since his boss often let the kid run that column, leaving Hongjoong to work on his own side projects. Anything was better than putting his energy into a man in spandex.

However, Hongjoong was still a man of questions and Mingi, not ever once acknowledging how he'd gotten to meet Shockwave, didn't sit right with him. He always ignored it or gave half-assed answers that Hongjoong could always see right through. Despite not wanting to get involved anymore with Shockwave than he already was, his curiosity only grew the more Mingi dodged his questions. If tomorrow Mingi was set to "hang out" with his superhero bestie, Hongjoong was going to go, whether Mingi knew it or not.

Stakeouts were fun when it was something Hongjoong was genuinely interested in. Not so much when he had to sleep in his tiny smart car so he wouldn't miss when Mingi left the next morning to visit his friend.

He'd debated getting a coffee somewhere past nine, when there was still no sign of Mingi. He wasn't all that sure when Mingi planned on leaving, but he'd assumed it'd be early otherwise their meeting time might interfere with some crime fighting scheme going on in the city and knowing Mingi, he would never want to stand in the way of that.

Almost slipping back into sleep, he nearly missed Mingi shutting the door behind him, yelping when his head knocked into his car horn. He ducked faster then he thought possible, praying he wasn't discovered for being the worst spy imaginable just now. He counted a full minute, then another before inching up and seeing the coast clear.

Shit, now he'd lost Mingi. He jumped out of his car, like he'd originally planned, to high tail it to the other corner of the road. He managed a peek around and nearly sagged with relief when he saw Mingi just standing there, talking to an elderly woman. He waited it out, being lulled back to sleep by the gravely way Mingi spoke to his neighbor. His voice was nice, had an edge to it and honestly Hongjoong never really bothered to pay that much attention to it. He was usually busy cursing him out in his head to really give Mingi a chance.

Their voices died out and he poked his head out again, seeing that Mingi had started walking again. Hongjoong followed while also trying to be as discreet as possible, hiding behind trees and ducking into alleys as Mingi made it further into the city. Hongjoong hadn't expected they'd go off in that direction. He'd thought the hero to live as more of a recluse, far away from other people, less he get discovered. He had to be hiding his identity for a reason, so it came as shock when Mingi stepped into a fancy high rise smack dab in the middle of town. 

There was a lot of foot traffic going in and Hongjoong lost sight of Mingi a few times before he spotted him, watching as he spared a glance around before stepping through a side door. Hongjoong groaned in frustration before chasing after him.

The door, he found, was an entrance to a stairwell and before he could think any further, Hongjoong slipped in, taking two at a time as he tried to go after Mingi.

Except,

Mingi wasn't anywhere Hongjoong could see.

Rather quickly, he discovered there was no way to access the actual floors without some kind of fob and he cursed, mistakenly going back down and realizing it was the same on the first floor. Not wanting to get caught, he went back up to try and find some sort of escape. Forty flights of stairs later, Hongjoong found the answer to his prayers in the form of a roof hatch. He thanked his lucky stars before shoving it open, sighing in bliss as he felt the fresh air on his sweaty skin.

At first, the only noise was the whirring of the air con followed by the whistle of the breeze. Then, there was crunch and Hongjoong whipped his head around, startled. His jaw dropped as he took in the scene before him.

Standing there, in his stupid spandex suit, was Shockwave. He appeared to be frozen, probably startled that it wasn't Mingi coming up on him.

"How did you-"

"Where's Mingi?" Because Hongjoong had clearly seen Mingi come this way. Shockwave gave no response. "I asked you a question."

"He's not here."

"Don't play games with me, I know I saw him go this way." Hongjoong knew he was glaring and maybe he shouldn't be because this man had more electricity running through him than should be humanly possible, but some weird part of him still cared for Mingi so- "Did you do something to him?"

"Of course not!" He sounded annoyed and woah hostile much? Realizing his tone, he took a second to calm himself. "Look, Mingi probably realized he was being tailed and went to hide somewhere."

Hongjoong didn't mention that there was no way he would have missed a giant cowering away in corner of that stairwell because he didn't think the hero would care to know such details. Still, maybe Hongjoong had it all wrong. Maybe Mingi really was smart enough to realize when he was being followed and had gone-

"That's his camera."

Set up on a tripod and everything. Like he was getting ready to photograph Shockwave before Hongjoong had popped out of the roof hatch like a Whack-A-Mole. The hero tilted his head at him, challenging his statement.

"It's just any old camera."

"No, he has that stupid strap attached to it that he claims he needs for good luck." Hongjoong pointed out.

The strap in question was dangling from where the camera was perched, silly little cartoon tigers because his mom said they looked like him. How Hongjoong even remembered that was beyond him. 

The hero seemed to consider Hongjoong, folding his arms over his chest.

"So maybe it is Mingi's camera. What's it matter to you that I'm using it?"

"It doesn't." If Mingi let the hero borrow his camera, then so be it. "You can go back to doing whatever it was you were doing." Hongjoong relented.

Thinking that was the end of their conversation, the hero turned back to fiddle with the tripod, moving it over a bit to better adjust for the lighting. He startled when he noticed Hongjoong still leaning over the open hatch.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Hongjoong hoped the comment got under his skin, if only to mildly annoy the hero the same he'd been doing since having appeared in his life. He couldn't tell anything from his face since he had it covered, but the way he clenched his fists was answer enough.

"You're kind of distracting."

"Am I?" Hongjoong smirked.

It did something to his ego to hear those words from someone like Shockwave.

"Yes, so could you maybe- oh I don't know- get back to solid ground."

"No can do, Mister. I seemed to have gotten myself in a pickle." Adding more fuel to the flame, "Guess you're stuck with me."

The mask shifted over his inhale, rather impressive Hongjoong must say. His words had that sort of reaction from the hero. He was delighted.

"You don't have a key." the hero realized. "That's why you aren't leaving."

"Oh, you've caught me!" He made a show of throwing his hands up. "So Mister, how do you suppose I get back down?"

"Would you stop calling me that?"

"Calling you what? Mister?"

"Yes- no, nevermind."

He shook his head, crouching down far enough to place his ear on the concrete.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to cut the power."

"How's that going to help?" The hero stared at him until the little light bulb went off over Hongjoong's head. "Oh! The automatic locks will-"

" -disengage. Yep, that's the plan." He tapped the ground, testing it's depth. "It'll be temporary, though, so you'll have to be quick."

"Sure."

The air con cut off behind them and Hongjoong knew it was done.

"Go!"

So he did, jumping down from the open hatch. Just when he went to head back down he remembered he should probably thank the snarky hero. But he was gone before he could do so, rooftop empty and not even Mingi's dumb camera left behind.

Talk of the power outage had already made it's way to the office when Hongjoong strode in. People were already speculating on the cause for a building that big to lose power so suddenly and Hongjoong made a point to ignore it, less he get himself unnecessarily involved. As it was, embarrassment had reared it's wicked head on his walk back. He felt like a fool for letting himself banter with a superhero.

A part of him couldn't shake away the thought that something had happened to Mingi. Which is why, when Mingi stumbled through the door, Hongjoong was already on his feet. 

"Where have you been?" he demanded, hands on his hips like a scolding parent. 

The second he'd realized it, he crossed his arms, not that it made it any better. Mingi fixed the lapel of his coat before meeting Hongjoong's eyes.

"Why do you care? Were you worried about me?" 

He was smirking, a sight Hongjoong wasn't accustomed to and it made his next words catch in his throat. 

"Well, I- um-"

Mingi giggled, the sight nearly rivaling the sun and Hongjoong fought the blush that so desperately wanted to make itself known.

"I got the photos you asked for!" he sang, all joyful pride.

Usually that tone would make something boil beneath Hongjoong's skin, but today, it made something flutter, the older man choosing to ignore it all together.

"Wonderful," he rasped, coughing the awkwardness from his lungs. "Let's see them."

Mingi stuck his giant hand in the too small bag he carried around in search of the prints. Hongjoong wondered why he hadn't been holding them upon arrival, but the thought went forgotten as the pictures landed on his desk. 

He pinched the corners of one, bringing it to eye level. No matter how many times he'd seen it, Hongjoong had high praise for the kid's talent. The countless of snapshots he'd manage to snag were all beautiful in their own way. Whether that be the composition or the lighting or the subject itself, Hongjoong was never all that sure. All he knew as that one photo from Mingi made him feel about a dozen different things.

"So?"

"They're wonderful," he exhaled, and he wasn't the least bit ashamed that his awestruck broke through.

If anything, it made him smile because it had the desired affect. A red as a tomato Mingi. 

"Yes- well I'll start on those drafts then." 

He didn't know what to do with his hands and it only made Hongjoong chuckle more as Mingi retreated to the safety of his desk.

For the rest of the day, Hongjoong put his focus on his work, getting distracted by the responses to the email he'd sent a few days ago. Most of the people didn't have much to say, but it gave Hongjoong more to work with than the address on a bar napkin he'd started with.

When his back finally started to protest from being bent over a monitor all day, he leaned back in his chair, blinking at the lack of light around him. It was late, the sun had long set and he stretched his arms over his head until he heard his spine give a satisfying pop.

He shut off his computer, collecting the things he'd need for the night before heading for the elevator. He tapped away at his phone, distracted by a message from Seonghwa that told him to meet him at the bar. It's urgent!

Someone must have spilled something to him while they were drunk. Hongjoong hurried to his car, buckling in and taking off the direction of Aurora. He blazed past a few red lights in his haste, hoping the cops would pity him later if this really was a lead. He was basically doing their work for them.

Outside, the lights weren't on and Hongjoong pulled up with less enthusiasm at the sight. It was already well past seven, the club's opening hour. The owner rarely closed the pub, not even on Christmas, so Hongjoong waited in his car for some kind of sign.

That sign came as a bashed in window and Hongjoong screamed for dear life when a hand circled around his neck.

"You! You're the one digging your nose in other people's business."

He was huffing, godawful breath clouding Hongjoong's nose. He'd shut his eyes on instinct, but they sprung open when the silence stretched, Hongjoong gulping at the face of his perpetrator.

The man was big and buff and intimating, towering over Hongjoong with a scowl. He fought with words to say something, anything to get the man to let him go.

"You've got the wrong man."

"I don't think I do."

The bigger man tore open his car door dragging Hongjoong toward the black van parked on the side. Black vans were never good.

"Please!" he begged, resolute to his fate. Even when he didn't want to die. "I won't say anything to anybody, just let me go!"

"No can do. Don't want to make the big boss man mad." 

His grin was devilish and Hongjoong whimpered when he was tossed into the back. Another man took advantage of his weakened state, hauling his arms behind him to tie him up. The lack of light made it hard to decipher anything beyond the space in front of him and he held in a cry when he saw an unconscious form.

"Seonghwa!" he sobbed.

The man behind him just laughed.

"Your friend didn't know how to keep quiet."

Tears fell freely as the van drove off. Hongjoong no longer willing to put up a fight. Seeing Seonghwa lifeless in front of him made him keep his mouth shut, afraid those lunatics would do away with him like they did his friend. He sat with his head hung, wishing for once he wasn't so set on solving everything on his own. If he'd had at least let someone know...

The van swerved and Hongjoong went flying into the side from the force of it.

"What the hell, Yoon!" said the man who'd tied him. 

"Shit, the car's being weird!" Yoon shouted, uselessly trying to move the wheel. "I can't steer." 

Hongjoong went flying again, landing over Seonghwa this time. The man underneath him groaned and relief washed over Hongjoong.

"Seonghwa," he whispered, the henchmen distracted with getting the car to move right. "Seonghwa, wake up."

A speedbump made the whole car jump, Hongjoong wincing when he landed on his arm wrong. 

"Seonghwa!" The man sat up in instant, choking on air as he took in his surroundings. "Seonghwa, you've got to help me."

Seonghwa's back was to him from the jostling. He whipped around to find him. He crawled over on wobbly hands, still unsure of what was happening.

"Hongjoong? What's going on?"

"We can talk about it later. Untie me first."

His hands meet his own and he was brought back up to sit while Seonghwa set him free.

"Hey!" One of the henchmen shouted, noticing Seonghwa no longer laying unconscious. "What do you two think you're doing?"

Seonghwa froze in place while Hongjoong reached around him to try and find some kind of weapon. His hand met a wooden plank.

Before the man could grab them again, Hongjoong swung the piece of plywood smack across his face, leaving the man to stumble back as the car shifted again. Hongjoong rose to his knees, trying to see out the front window to orientate himself. 

"We're out of the city," he told Seonghwa, turning back to kick open the rear doors. 

Seonghwa looked at him like we was crazy.

"Are you nuts?"

"There's no other way out!" It was only a matter of time before the henchman got up again and Hongjoong wasn't going to take his chances. "What's a few broken bones over your life?"

He knew he'd convinced him when Seonghwa nodded crazily.

"Fine, okay, you win." 

So Hongjoong took his hand, inhaling loudly to try and calm his own racing heart. 

"On the count of three," He closed his eyes on instinct. "One, two, three!"

Hongjoong expected to feel some kind of force, for his grip to loosen and the both of them go rolling across a gravelly road. Instead, he felt solid ground beneath him and he opened his eyes to see him and Seonghwa crouching, ready for the impact that never came. He tapped on the man's shoulder, straightening up and glancing around them. 

The van was gone.

"Seonghwa."

"Am I dead?"

"No, we-we did it." Hongjoong said, practically hysterical.

His empty hand immediately went in search of his phone and he felt hopeless again when he saw he had no signal. 

"Where are we?"

"I couldn't tell you." Hongjoong shoved his useless phone back in his pocket. "We should probably head back this way though-"

"Or I could give you a ride."

Hongjoong's first instinct was to assume a fighting stance. The man who'd come to their rescue laughed. 

"Don't worry, I'm the good guy."

"Shockwave." Seonghwa had this stupid look of wonder on his face. "You-you're really- wow."

The superhero laughed, hopping off the motorbike he was on to greet Seonghwa.

"Thank you, I guess. I saw what happened back at the bar," he explained, resting his weight on his left foot. "Would have done something sooner, but didn't want to give myself away too soon.

"Thank you so much!" Seonghwa was rushing to say, taking hold of one of Shockwave's hands. "You did so much for us!"

"He didn't do shit! He could have easily saved us before any of this even happened!"

"Hongjoong! That is no way to talk to a superhero." Seonghwa stage whispered, clearly still in earshot of said hero.

The older was being ridiculous, rose colored glasses stopping him from seeing the gravity of the situation. The fact that all of this could have been avoided had Shockwave just jumped in sooner.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes as he began to walk away. "Where are you going?" Hwa called after him.

"Home, no thanks to either of you." He managed a few steps before Shockwave came to stand in front of him. "Excuse me."

"You're not going to get very far on foot."

"Says who? I'll manage..." He took in the woods around him. "... somehow."

"Hongjoong, don't be silly. Shockwave can just drive us back." Seonghwa argued.

The older was greatly mistaken if he thought Hongjoong was going to drop his pride over this. He could do this dammit. He wasn't going to rely on Shockwave like the rest of the world. 

He sidestepped the hero, continuing on his merry way. One step. Two- He heard the rev of the engine behind him and he pointedly ignored it, even after Seonghwa had squeaked in absolute delight. He faced forward, adamant about ignoring them. 

Wind blew past as they raced off and he heard more of Seonghwa's ridiculous excitement as they disappeared into the night. 

Realization dawned on him. He'd truly been left alone. In the middle of the woods. Great.

His phone was half way to it's end, but Hongjoong hoped it would at least get him to a main road. At least there, he could hitchhike a ride back to town.

He lasted maybe five more minutes before his phone suddenly gave out.

"What the heck?"

Smacking the screen proved to be useless. He slid the damned phone back in his pocket. 

"Giving up?"

Headlights flooded his vision and he cursed the superhero for being so fast.

"Of course not." He kept walking. "Why'd you come back anyway?"

"Did you really think I would leave you out here all by yourself?" Yes, he thought stupidly, but he should have known better. This was their town hero, afterall. He chose to ignore Shockwave, avoiding the motorbike as he continued on his way. "Hongjoong!"

"What!" Then, "Can't you see I'm fine on my own?"

"Yeah, and that's why you ended up in this mess. Because you went at it alone."

Hongjoong faced the hero, mirth in his eyes.

"You don't know me."

"Try me." Cocky, Hongjoong hated it. "You're a reporter, a great one in fact. I've read all of your pieces."

"You have?"

"I have," Shockwave emphasized, "You were born to be a writer- not an international super spy."

"You're one to talk. I bet you didn't wake up one day choosing this life."

The soft humming of the engine was the only noise for a while. Hongjoong worried he might have said something to actually offend the hero. 

"I may not have asked for these powers, but I chose what I wanted to do with them." He swerved the motorbike in front of him. "Come on, just this once, let me save you from yourself."

Hongjoong couldn't meet his eyes, but if he could, he'd imagine true sincerity in the hero's eyes. 

Willingly, he mounted the bike, arms circling the hero's waist.

"Hold tight!"

They were going fast, faster then a motorbike should be capable of, but Hongjoong figured it was Shockwave's doing. His powers aiding them along. It felt like only a minute had passed before they were stopping in front of the bar, the broken window still prevalent. 

"I can get that fixed for you." the hero said.

"No, it's okay. You've done enough for me already." He eased back onto the ground, offering a genuine smile. "Thank you for today. You saved my life."

"All in a day's work."

He saluted Hongjoong, teasing and Hongjoong found himself swooning, if only for a minute.

"Well, I better go."

"See you around?"

"We'll see."

Staying low would be the best course of action following last night's events, but Hongjoong wouldn't be where he was if he followed all the rules.

He showed up at Aurora the next night, Seonghwa not at all happy to see him.

"I've got nothing to report."

"I'm aware, just thought I'd hang around tonight."

"Is that really a good idea?" Seonghwa leaned closer as people passed by. "Considering what happened last time-"

"It's a good thing, Hwa! It means we know more than we should."

"Does that not scare you?!"

"Never." Hongjoong liked the adrenaline rush that came from stories like these. There were secrets that needed to be uncovered. "Besides, if we get into any more trouble, your little boyfriend will come save us."

Seonghwa turned scarlet, sputtering, "Don't be silly, Hongjoong. He was just doing his civil duties."

"Civil my ass, he had you fawning over him like a starstruck teenager."

"N-not true." They both knew it was a lie. "Fine, but you have to admit, he's pretty easy to fall for."

"What's with this city? Trusting in some rando who saves a few lives?"

"Don't be like that, Joong. He chose to be there for people who needed him."

I may not have asked for these powers, but I chose what I wanted to do with them.

Damn, Shockwave for being so... heroic. 

Hongjoong would have countered Seonghwa's words had there not been a loud crash coming from the other side of the bar. He glanced over, not seeing much since a crowd had gathered

"You don't know who you're messing with kid." Male, probably late thirties. "Go back to your fruity cocktails and let the adults talk."

Someone stepped to the side, leaving a patch of space for Hongjoong to peek through. He noted the broken glass on the floor, two men in a stand off.

The man who'd just spoken was big and buff, nearly twice the size of the kid standing across from him. Said kid was still glaring daggers and Hongjoong found himself crossing the room before he even realized he'd stood up.

"Mingi!" He was whispering harshly, trying to grab his attention. He broke through the crowd until he was blocking their path, shielding Mingi as he said, "What do you think you're doing?!"

At that, Mingi glanced down, round doe eyes when he saw who'd come to rescue him.

"Hongjoong? What are you doing here? You should be-"

Barking laughter stopped their conversation. Hongjoong turned back to the big man.

"How cute" -voice dripping in sarcasm- "you're little boyfriend came to help."

"I'll have you know-"

A hand landed on Hongjoong's shoulder. "Stop," Mingi directed to him. "Just please, stay out of this."

There was obvious concern, but it just wasn't like Hongjoong to back down. Besides, Mingi may be taller than him, but he sure as hell lacked the agility to fight. Hongjoong was more than ready to fight this battle for him. 

"Yeah, small fry. This is between me and him."

His maniacal cackling set Hongjoong off, but he didn't have a chance to act on it, getting shoved behind Mingi suddenly.

"Alright, tough guy. Let's see how mean of a punch you're packing."

From behind, Hongjoong could only see the other man's reaction. His face morphed back to anger as he cracked his knuckles.

"You want a fight? I'll give you a fight."

He threw the first punch and Hongjoong immediately braced himself for the mess that would be his gangly intern falling from the impact. Instead, he heard a pained grunt and a crunch and he opened his eyes to see what had happened.

The big man wasn't standing anymore, shoved to the ground by Mingi's foot. He pressed hard and the guy's face strained with the effort to move him off. Eventually, the guy was able to pull, unbalancing Mingi and giving himself room to breathe. He was on his feet the next minute, gripping the back of Mingi's sweatshirt. 

Mingi was dragged back, toppling them both back to the floor where they rolled around to gain leverage.

"Mingi!" Hongjoong screeched, legitimately fearful for his intern's life. 

The big man was sitting on him, wrestling his arms above his head. Mingi's legs were kicking out and Hongjoong worried the man would strangle him with his weight alone.

Suddenly, the man cried out, falling back as he cradled his hands. His eyes were wide as he stared Mingi down.

"You little-"

The intern managed to flip them over, hauling an arm to the guy's neck. It was simultaneously the hottest and most surprising thing Hongjoong had ever seen.

"Don't underestimate me," he hissed through clenched teeth.

He held him there, the big man's hand tapping out beside them. Hongjoong worried Mingi was seriously going to choke the guy out, but he released him a second later, rising to his feet as the man gasped for breath.

"Hongjoong?" 

He must have looked so stupid right now, mouth gaping open at the blatant show of dominance he never expected from his intern. Mingi repeated his name and he finally got his damned mouth to close. 

"What just happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way home."

He started steering Hongjoong out the door, offering a wave to Seonghwa who stood in a stupor by the bar. Outside, Mingi scanned the lot, asking Hongjoong if he'd brought his car. 

"Couldn't. It's in the shop."

"Ah, well. I'll get us a taxi."

It isn't until they pull up to Hongjoong's apartment complex that he realized Mingi was still with him, a supportive hand on the small of his back as they make it to the fifth floor.

"How do you know where I live?"

Mingi chuckled from where he was leaning on the wall. 

"You told the taxt driver your full address."

"Oh." Pink bloomed along the apples of his checks. "Well, thank you for bringing me home."

Finally, he gave himself the chance to look at Mingi.

He'd been avoiding it since the moment they left the bar, for fear of seeing someone else. Because he'd only known Mingi to be clumsy and pure, the most unreliable human to grace this Earth, yet seeing him fight that guy back there... it made something warm spread underneath his skin. Too low to ever be platonic. Meeting Mingi's eyes felt different, like he was seeing him for the first time.

He noticed a cut right by his eyebrow. 

"Does it hurt?"

Hongjoong punctuated his statement with a gentle touch, having moved closer suddenly. Mingi's answering hiss got Hongjoong moving to unlock his door.

"Why are you bringing me inside?"

"To patch you up." He dropped the hand he'd latched onto so he could go to the bathroom, pulling upon the sink cabinet to find the first aid kit. Once he located it, he brought it back to where Mingi was waiting, sitting on his couch rather uncomfortably. "Don't act so stiff." He told the intern, standing in front of him with an antibacterial wipe. "This might sting."

Mingi was still a baby when it came to pain and it made something settle in Hongjoong, a reminder that this was still the Mingi he knew and loved... Loved? 

He tended to the wound, making sure the dried blood was wiped away before putting some cream to help it heal and sealing it off with a Band-Aid. His fingers lingered, itching to touch more, to drag along the slope of his nose, to feel the softness from his lips. If Hongjoong stepped any closer, he'd be sitting in his lap.

Realizing their position, Hongjoong fled to the safety of the bathroom, first aid forgotten on couch and no longer a valid excuse for his disappearance. 

His heart was pounding in his chest, blood rushing to his ears. He didn't know why he was feeling like this. His feelings never got this bad. Mingi was attractive from day one and Hongjoong knew that. So what about today made things so different.

Sufficiently calmed, he returned to see Mingi standing by the door, like maybe he'd thought to flee, but couldn't decide before Hongjoong reappeared.

"I should get going."

"Oh," It was weird to be disappointed. "But, you never told me why you fought that guy."

It was an excuse. To make Mingi stay longer.

"It's not that important."

"Not that important?! You looked like you wanted to commit murder."

Mingi laughed, a brazen sound that cut some of the earlier tension.

"He was being an asshole. I got carried away."

"It doesn't sound like something you would do."

"What do you mean?" How was he meant to explain to Mingi how he saw him without hurting his feelings? "Is it because you think I'm defenseless?"

"Not... really. Well, maybe. What am I supposed to think after you landed on your face the first time we met?" Mingi at least managed a smile. "All this time, I thought you were so banged up because you were so clumsy. Come to find out that you like picking bar fights!"

"I don't go fighting battles that don't need to be fought," He came forward again, towering over Hongjoong. "Besides he called you a mean name."

"Small fry isn't exactly a world class insult." He smiled up at him. "So what, you did it to protect my honor?" Mingi was trying to hold his cool, but Hongjoong easily spotted his red ears. "I could have handled him on my own."

A frown took over his face. "You should really stop looking for trouble."

"Huh?" Had Hongjoong mentioned the other night? He hadn't seen Mingi all day up until just a few hours ago...

"Nevermind. My taxi is here."

He stepped back, offering a wave before he was out the door.

Hongjoong feel back on his couch in confusion.

What was Mingi referring to just now?

For every superhero, there was a villain. And in Shockwave's case, that villain happened to be the very man Hongjoong was also chasing down. 

Choi Jongho.

The man was a millionaire; created a start-up at only seventeen and launched it as soon as he'd graduated high school. He'd gained millions and while people saw him as the poster boy for good behavior, Hongjoong just knew, he was hiding something.

In the last year, he'd invested thousands of dollars into building troubled homes for kids. Everyone had applauded his efforts at getting them off the streets and putting them in luxurious penthouses- free of charge! Hongjoong had found it suspicious, more so when petty crimes started to skyrocket, all from teens residing in the buildings Choi had built.

What Hongjoong found odd was that the building had a strict rule: in order to stay, you had to swear off crime. So it was odd that within days of living there, teens were going back to the life they know.

While quitting the crime life was hard to do cold turkey,  Hongjoong felt there was more to it. More to why these crimes were happening so suddenly and within days of each other. 

He'd had a good lead at one point, from someone he'd followed that was also working with Choi. The address on the bar napkin. 

But he'd gotten called to work not even a minute later so he couldn't go investigate until hours after whatever went down had passed through, nothing left for Hongjoong to see.

Most of the calls Shockwave and Hongjoong responded to, often had something to do with the teens of the Choi homes and it was increasingly rising, Hongjoong on his way to another one now.

He called Mingi on his way there, getting his voicemail every time. Irritated, he stopped trying, choosing instead to lug around one of the cameras from the office. He could do this himself.

He hoped out of his taxi, throwing bills at the driver as he made his way to the scene. It wasn't as bad as some of the past one's had been, enough so people were still stood watching when usually they would take off running at the slightest bit of danger. It looked like the cops were trying to negotiate with someone, but Hongjoong couldn't make out all the details.

"What's going on?" he asked the person next to him, budding shoulders with some of the patrons as he tried to get closer.

"They've got hostages. It's really bad!"

That wasn't normal for them, considering how young some of the boys he'd seen on TV were. He fought through the crowd until he was met with police tape, snapping a few shots as he gauged the officers. Hard set frowns and lots of squabbling, that couldn't be good.

"It's not a kid," Hongjoong heard, glancing over to see who was speaking. One of the officers was whispering to another, "This guy's got a mask on. Can't ID his face."

Their conversation made Hongjoong all the more eager to solve this. He slid back under the nosy crowd, going off to the side to find another entrance. He spotted a side door that hadn't been taped off and he booked it, hiding in the corridor as he tried to figure out what side of the museum he was in. 

Most of the other heists had been at convivence stores, places where they could loot money and random valuables. This was high stakes compared to that, almost everything in the museum worth a pretty penny. He shuffled around for a while, not wanting to draw attention to himself by turning on his phone flashlight. He managed to arrive at an opening between the walls. A hallway.

He ducked lower to hide better.

"Just let us leave!" a woman shouted.

Hongjoong watched as the masked man they spoke of stepped closer to the woman on the floor. Her hands were bound, along with others sitting around her. A wide brimmed hat made it hard to see any distinct feature, while the chains he wore jingled as he leaned over the frightened woman.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he teased. "I'm merely the distraction."

Distraction? 

Suddenly the glass above them shattered. There was a commotion as everyone prepared for impact, but it settled when they saw who'd made the mess.

"The man of the hour has arrived."

"Let these people go!"

"Oh I will. Don't fret. Just give me another minute." Shockwave pointed a finger at the masked man.

"Do it now!"

"Sheesh, I can never have any fun."

He swung a knife at their bounded hands, cries of fear ceasing as each one was let go. Shockwave directed them toward the exit, coming back to the masked men with hands on his hips.

"You gave up too easy."

"Did I?" 

They stood there in a stare off, Hongjoong desperately wishing he could snap photos without giving away his hiding spot. He got the smart idea to try and use his phone and immediately regretted it when the shutter went off. The masked man was no longer looking at Shockwave.

"Paparazzi? You didn't even get my good side." The masked man shot out toward him and Hongjoong ran, not caring that the superhero was calling his name. He went back the way he came, cursing himself for doing so when remembered how dark the room was. He tripped over a box, sending himself flying into a wall. He grunted with the fall, slumped in pain as he heard the masked man's voice again. "Are we playing hide and seek?"

The teasing remained in his voice and it made something under Hongjoong's skin crawl. He hated how faux happy this guy was. He felt the boxes near him move and he tried to crawl away. 

"Have I found you?" The voice was infinitely closer.

Hongjoong had a creeping suspicion the man's hand would wrap around his ankle soon enough, but it was quelled when he saw sparks, the man yipping behind him.

"Shit, that hurt."

"We've only just started."

Shockwave sent a few more zaps their way, easily missing Hongjoong, but the same luck couldn't be said for the masked man. He fell over with the last hit, unmoving as a flame burst along the tips of Shockwave's fingers.

He used them to guide him to Hongjoong's hurt figure, assessing the damage with a few turns of his head.

"Can you walk?"

Hongjoong tried to stand but fell into a heap as soon as he put pressure on his right leg.

"I-I can't."

"Don't force yourself. I've got you."

Arms came to wrap around his shoulders and the backs of his knees, Hongjoong being carried bridal style out the door. Paramedics were immediately crowding around him, checking his vitals and asking where it hurt.

"His right leg's busted. Probably a sprain, but he should get it x-rayed." Shockwave transferred Hongjoong to a stretcher, flicking away the hair that had made a mess of his face once the wind had hit them. "Should I go with you?"

"Don't you have the world to save?"

Shockwave seemed to hesitate with his answer and for the first time, Hongjoong wondered about the man beneath the mask.  

"Yeah, uh. I should get to that."

Whether Hongjoong wanted him to go or not, Shockwave was pulled away by the policemen, all of them asking him questions about the unidentified masked man inside.

The ambulance doors were shut behind them and whirring of the sirens was the last thing Hongjoong heard before he was fast asleep.

Waking up in a hospital bed was disorienting at first. The memories flooded back in the more Hongjoong gained consciousness and he whimpered, suddenly aware of the pain now that the adrenaline had worn off. 

"You're awake."

He turned to see Seonghwa sat in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, a book and blanket in his lap.

"Yeah... how- what are you doing here?"

"Mingi told me what happened."

"Mingi?"

"He said he was running late again and he wasn't there to stop you from being a complete idiot in the face of danger."

"He really said that?"

"I took some creative liberties," he smiled at Hongjoong. "He was really worried about you. Said it was scary seeing you in the back of an ambulance." He wondered, then, when exactly Mingi had got there. "He might stop by in an hour. He said he was going to sort out some stuff for the article."

"He's actually working?"

"I think you don't give him enough credit." Hongjoong gave Seonghwa a look. "Yes, he's always late, but you should have seen him earlier. Beyond being overly concerned for you," Seonghwa gave him a pointed stare. "He saved your ass. Your boss was seconds from firing you for risking your life like that."

Maybe he did owe Mingi an apology... and Shockwave too.

"Did, um... Nevermind."

Seonghwa's smile widened as if reading his mind. 

"There's lots of pictures of you on this weeks tabloids."

"Shut up!"

"Oh come on! You have to tell me what it was like to be in Shockwave's big, strong-"

"Uh."

"Mingi!" For once, Hongjoong was happy to see his big dumb face. "What brings you here?"

Having not collected himself yet, he coughed at the question, raising the folder he had in his hands.

"I, uh, brought some documents I wanted you to look over," He looks between him and Seonghwa. "But I could come back-"

"No, you're fine." Hongjoong waved him in and Seonghwa stood, offering his chair.

"I'll let you two talk. I'm going to grab some food downstairs."

He lingered on Hongjoong as he stepped out, trying to send some kind of telepathic signal that he couldn't pick up on.

"Does your leg still hurt?"

"Not nearly as much as it did before." He couldn't meet Mingi's eyes when he said, "Thank you."

"F-for what?"

"Saving me." He heard Mingi gulp. "I would have lost my job if it wasn't for you."

"Oh!" he nearly yelled, making Hongjoong flinch. "Yeah, of course. You do the same for me... too many times to count."

Hongjoong supposed he did. Mingi was just paying back the favor.

"So, the documents?"

"Yes!" He handed the folder over. Hongjoong raised a brow.

"These are all names."

"Yep! Of all the possible people that could be masking themselves as the antihero at the museum earlier."

Hongjoong reread the list.

"Choi Jongho isn't on here?"

"No... should he be?"

"Of course! He's the mastermind behind all this!"

"I'm not sure I follow..."

The folder was slapped back into Mingi's hands.

"Then you're not doing the right recon. I have it on a trusted source the Choi is behind all this."

"He's been named a saint! How could you think he's behind all of this?"

Hongjoong's heart fell. "N-Not you too."

"What?"

"Mingi, there is more to that man than meets that eye. I just know it." Mingi still sat disbelieving and Hongjoong asked for the folder back. "Fine, I'll let risk my pride just this once and look into these people." He points a wild finger in Mingi's face. "Only because I can't stand when you pout like that."

The smile on Mingi's face was infuriating.

"Thank you!" He bit his lip and Hongjoong fought with everything not to let his gaze drop. "Also, I wanted to tell you that, um" -he scratched at his cheek- "Shockwave sends his regards."

"He does?" Mingi's cheeks were blooming pink and Hongjoong liked to tease. "Why doesn't he come visit me then?"

Mingi's eyes went wide as saucers as he sputtered to respond.

"H-He's busy, saving the world... and stuff."

"Such a shame I can't thank him in person." Hongjoong snuffed.

Even after they'd moved on to other topics, Mingi stuttered through the rest of their conversation, Hongjoong finding it endearing rather than maddening.

He left with a promise from Hongjoong that he'd stay away from the office for a few days. Hongjoong would be discharged tomorrow; they just wanted him to stay an extra night as precaution, but Mingi still wanted him to get more bed rest before his return.

He was sleeping just fine. Mingi should be scolding his superhero friend for interrupting.

"Sorry," he apologized for the crash.

"I thought hospital windows weren't operational?" Hongjoong glanced behind the hero, seeing the glass tilting on it's axis.

"Um, it depends," He saw where Hongjoong was staring. "I'll fix that! When I leave..."

The hero sat in the hospital chair, nodding to Hongjoong's injury.

"Does your leg still hurt?"

For one brief moment, Hongjoong swore he got deju vu from those words. But then he blinked and the feeling was gone.

"Um, not really. Thanks, by the way. For saving me back there."

It felt a lot like he'd had this conversation before...

"Civil duty, remember?" It was lighthearted, but Hongjoong thought he meant more by it. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"You really shouldn't be poking your nose where it doesn't belong." His words made Hongjoong defensive.

"Excuse me? Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?"

"I'm... no one, really. But this was the second time I saved you. I just- worry about you." 

Warmth settled over his heart without Hongjoong wishing it so.

"You do?"

"Of course! I worry about every inhabitant of this town."

That, somehow, made it less special. Hongjoong found himself nodding, fussing with the blankets as he suddenly wished the hero gone.

"Well, thank you, again. You should probably get back to the crime fighting." Shockwave stayed sitting.

"It's pretty quiet tonight. I could stay a while longer."

"Shouldn't you be suggesting I get more rest? It's nearly three in the morning."

The hero laughed, a funny sort of sound that made Hongjoong break out into a smile. 

"I never said you couldn't sleep."

"What will you do then?"

"Watch over you. Make sure you don't go snooping around like you seem to love to do."

Great, a babysitter. Not that it wasn't warranted given his track record. Still, he knew how to take care of himself.

"I don't need you to watch over me."

"Someone has to do it."

"And does that someone really have to be you?"

Crime didn't stop because Shockwave decided to watch over a snooping journalist. Eventually, something would call his attention away and Hongjoong would be back to the way things were before. When Hongjoong didn't get to talk to the superhero on a day to day basis. "Fine, I won't stop you. But fix the window on your way out or else I'll get in trouble."

He faced the other way, pulling the linen lining the gave him to keep warm higher around his shoulders.

This was a dream. He'd wake up tomorrow to Seonghwa in the damned hospital chair and Mingi bringing more work for him and he'd forget he even imagined Shockwave sitting there with him, taking care of him for no damned reason.

Mingi stepped up while Hongjoong was away, dealing with Hongjoong's workload on top of his own. He wasn't sure how he managed to get it all done when there were more cases by the day, but he managed well and Hongjoong wanted to do something to celebrate it.

"Are you done with those revisions?"

"Almost!" Chirpy as ever. "Are you headed out? I can just email you-"

"Actually, I was thinking about getting a late dinner."

He willed Mingi to take the hint, but the younger man was always so oblivious.

"Oh! That's nice. Don't stay out too late, though. You should still be resting."

Hongjoong hated him.

"I was thinking it could be a two person dinner. Between you and me."

The typing Mingi had been doing came to a stop. Wide eyes were suddenly on him.

"Me? You want to have dinner with me!?" 

If Mingi had a tail, he'd sure be wagging it, just by the pure enthusiasm he seemed to have at the mere mention of dinner with Hongjoong.

"Don't make me regret suggesting this."

"No! I mean- I'd love to have dinner. Let me just..." He saved his file before shoving papers into his messy backpack that he slung over his broad shoulders. He snatched up his coat, looking expectantly at Hongjoong. "I'm ready."

The elevator ride down felt like an eternity to Hongjoong while Mingi was all energetic excitement. Hongjoong couldn't really see the appeal of having dinner with himself, but Mingi was acting like it was the greatest honor and it made something coil in the pit of his stomach. The warmth that never seemed to leave him alone since the day he saw Mingi at the bar.

Hongjoong let Mingi choose where they ate and he was guided to a hole in the wall chicken restaurant that Mingi must frequent often since the owners fawned over him the moment they stepped in.

"This is your usual order?" Hongjoong took in the multiple plates of seasoned poultry on the table, not including their bowls of rice. "How do you even manage to finish it all?"

"I usually don't," he admitted. "I take half of it home to eat for a few days."

"I take it you don't cook."

"Do you?" Hongjoong stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth. "Thought so, plus I get a discount here. I helped them out a while back with some trouble customers."

Hongjoong was reminded of the dozens of stories Mingi had to share for every time he was late.

"So it isn't an act, the whole good Samaritan thing?" Mingi smiled at him.

"I know I'm late a lot and sometimes I don't even show, but it's always with good reason. I feel really bad afterwards because I couldn't be there to help you."

"So why take this job? You seem just fine making a living out of helping people." 

Something softer passed over Mingi's face as he took in a spoonful of rice.

"I took an interest in journaling," His eyes were suddenly meeting Hongjoong's. "Specifically your writing."

"My writing?"

"You have an amazing way of telling a story. It's always so vivid, like I'm there. Like I'm living through it and I really wanted to do the same... with photography."

"Social media does exist? These days anyone can have a following by posting a few cool photos. Especially with the kinds of pictures you take."

"You like my pictures?"

"That's besides the point." Mingi hummed.

"It's not that important why I'm here. It just matters that I am."

There he went again with his cryptic answers Hongjoong grew annoyed of.

But he couldn't be mad, not this time. Because what Mingi said was true. It didn't matter how Mingi came to him. It mattered that he was here. That he got the chance to sit with his ever so elusive intern and they could share a nice meal and Hongjoong could forget about his hate for a minute to realize... Mingi wasn't so bad.

Maybe he never was.

"We could have split it." Mingi said, after Hongjoong took care of the bill. 

"Don't worry about it." Hongjoong waved off. "Take it as another thank you. For all that you've done for me this past week."

They stood there, facing each other. Mingi looked like he wanted to say more, but he held his tongue. For one moment, Hongjoong wished something more than an awkward goodbye. But Mingi was already hailing a cab.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you."

Hongjoong didn't know what to think. Behind closed eyelids, all he saw was Mingi. Mingi smiling. Mingi laughing. Mingi catching his breath from running to him. To Hongjoong.

Why did this matter now? Why was this all he could think about?

He sat up in bed. "Holy shit," he breathed. "I don't hate Mingi."

Confronting his feelings was pushed aside when Hongjoong arrived at the office. It was utter chaos, people flying from desk to desk with papers and flashdrives, scrambling over words Hongjoong couldn't make out.

"What's going on?" he asked his other desk mate. Mingi hadn't shown yet.

"Choi Jongho has been kidnapped!"

"What?!" He leaned over the little separator to watch the video on his coworker's screen. Security footage from Choi Jongho's personal address. "When did this happen?"

"Just last night. There already talking about a press conference."

Hongjoong thought back to last night. To dinner with Mingi and how insignificant it seemed compared to this. 

He went straight to work, digging up what he could on their databases to see where he went wrong. Page after page of names and lists, even the one Mingi gave him, and not a single lead. What was he missing?

"Has Mingi been in yet?"

"Boss man said he wouldn't be here for the next few days."

Mingi's timing was just awful.

He could work around it. He always did. Hongjoong searched through the files Mingi had handed him again, thinking something must be marked there. Something they couldn't catch on the digital files.

His phone lit up beside him and he reached for it without checking the caller ID.

"Speak."

"Hongjoong!" 

He pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure.

"Mingi?" He put the files aside. "Mingi? Where are you? Why aren't you here?"

"I don't have much time to talk, Hongjoong!"

"But- you called me?"

"I know, so just listen." Hongjoong could hear the strain in his voice. Like he was fighting to get the words out. "You were right about Choi."

"I was?"

"Yes, but not in the way you probably think-" Something sounded in the background, a thud followed by Mingi's cursing. "-he has a brother."

The background noise grew louder and it made it hard for Hongjoong to hear.

"Mingi? Mingi, are you still there?"

"Yes- I-" There was a clank, then the line went dead and Hongjoong fumbled over his fingers to redial.

"Come on, come on." He was already typing out Jongho's name, searching his family history. "Dammit, Mingi. What have you gotten yourself into?"

He could only think of one person to turn to at a time like this.

"Please tell me you have dirt on Choi Jongho's brother."

Seonghwa startled at his voice in the empty bar.

"Brother? Choi doesn't have a brother."

"That's what everyone else seems to think too."

Nothing on the Choi lineage website mentioned anything about a brother. It had to mean something. They were wiping him away for a reason.

"So what makes you think otherwise?"

"Mingi told me."

"Oh he did now?"

"Shut up for one second, we can figure out my feelings after we figure out what this loon is on about."

"Well, why can't you ask him yourself?"

"He's taking time away? I'm not really sure why, but it doesn't sound good." He slammed his hands on the table. "You don't think he's stupid enough to go at this alone, do you?"

"Says the man who's already done that. Twice."

"Fine, but this is Mingi we're talking about."

"Mingi, who may I remind you, held his own just fine in a bar fight."

"One time!" Hongjoong shook his head. "Enough! There's got to be a way to find out more, but how?"

"Won't they be questioning the family? Couldn't you be there? Flash them your cooperate badge and get an in?"

"Seonghwa... you might actually be an evil genius."

"Don't remind me. I'm only enabling you."

Hongjoong hailed a taxi to the Choi estate, configuring questions to ask at the press conference. Getting in wouldn't be as easy as Seonghwa made it out to be, but this wouldn't be his first time crashing tis kind of party. The taxi driver let him off a short ways away, avoiding the expensive cars and news trucks that were already piling. Hongjoong took this chance to weave through the masses, finding an opening on the other side where they weren't checking bags and equipment. He only had his phone on him.

A guard was stood at the main door, the one that led into the room the conference would be in. Hongjoong could see the man cross checking names and he knew he'd have to find another door. He walked behind another man in the suit, crossing until he reached the other end of the room where some of the news reporters were doing there opening segments. He tried to blend in as best he could with the crowd, eyes scanning for his way in.

Instead of finding another door, a passing profile caught his eye and he did a double take when he thought he saw Choi Jongho walking past. Hongjoong was instantly tailing the look alike, following him as he wandered back toward a hall, away from the cameras. Hongjoong pressed himself behind a wall when the man turned around.

"Who's there?"

Hongjoong stayed silent.

It took another moment before he heard footsteps again and Hongjoong waited a minute before chasing after him, more sure now that what he saw was true.

He was going after Choi Jongho.

Nothing made any sense anymore. Did Choi fake a kidnapping? That couldn't be right, what reason would he have to do it? It wouldn't benefit him in the slightest to fake something like this. But he knew what he saw and now, Choi Jongho was disappearing into a door that Hongjoong was almost sure lead to the cellar.

It would be a risk to go down there with him. The only door would be the one they came from and Hongjoong wasn't sure he was ready for that battle. 

Until he heard a pained cry and he moved faster then he could think, throwing upon the door and falling in.

The cellar walls were lined with strips of LED lights. Hongjoong heard voices, taking careful steps to hopefully silence his arrival. 

"You won't get away with this."

"I already have. Everyone's looking for the crowned saint. What would happen if I turned up in his place? No one would suspect a thing."

This wasn't Choi Jongho.

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I'd already convinced some of the good for nothing kids at his saving grace homes that I was him. They believed me." The kids from the homes were being tricked?! Hongjoong slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the gasp. "If I could convince a couple kids, what's a few hundred people?"

"They'll see right through you."

"Will they? We're the spitting image of each other. People used to confuse us all the time when we were younger." 

Deciding it was safe to sneak a glance, Hongjoong stuck out his head to see who not Jongho was talking to. Another gasp threatened to spill from his lips.

"Did it bother you? Is that why you're doing this now? Because you hated being compared to him?"

The wall behind Shockwave's head gave an alarming crack with the force of not Jongho's punch.

"Shutupshutupshutup! You don't get to tell my story." He couldn't be all human. Not with that strength. "People have taken that from me one too many times. This time- this time I get to tell the tale." His arm came back to his side and he turned, making Hongjoong scramble to hide. "Don't worry, though. You won't have to see me win."

The sound of a machine whirring to life made Hongjoong glance up. Tufts of cold air clouds were coming down from the ceiling. 

"Electricity runs only when it's conductor can facilitate at an average temperature, I wonder what would happen if, oh I don't know, you froze over?" The cold air worsened as not Jongho twisted the knob, snapping it off when it was at it's coldest setting. "Guess we'll find out."

Instead of going to call for help. Hongjoong thought it better to hide behind a shelving unit, waiting until after not Jongho had returned up the stairs to make his presence known. 

"Shockwave!"

"Hongjoong? What are you doing here?"

He came around to Shockwave's side, assessing the ties he was bound in.

"I followed Jongho- well not really Jongho- here when I spotted him. I had to find out what he was hiding and it turns out, it's more than I ever imagined."

Hongjoong's fingers were starting to numb from the cold, but he managed to free the hero, giving a little shout of triumph.

"Don't go celebrating just yet. We need to get out of here." The hero took hold of one of Hongjoong's hands and led him back up the stairs. Trying the obvious made the hero frown. "Shit."

"What's wrong?"

"The door's wet."

"So?"

"So, I can't use anything to strike it down."

"What about the hinges?"

"It won't do anything. Cellar doors are made to withstand that kind of abuse."

"Are you saying we're stuck here."

"Until I can think of a way out, yeah."

The cold was only getting worse, Hongjoong's teeth chattering on their won accord.

"You're kind of an idiot, you know that."

"Am not!"

"Why would you willingly put yourself in this situation when you could have easily gotten free before Jongho's brother even saw you?"

"I was worried about you okay!" Hongjoong coughed at the tightness in his throat. "You were going to die if I hadn't helped you."

"As if this is any better! Now you've gone and put yourself in danger!"

"The world needs you!" He coughed again, suddenly feeling drowsy.

"Hongjoong? Hongjoong, can you hear me?" He could hear Shockwave, but he couldn't get his mouth to move, knees suddenly giving out. His body was shivering in the hero's arms. "I'll keep you warm, so just speak. Say something so I know you're okay!"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"I'll do anything!"

"Can you tell Mingi that, even though I put him through the ringer, I'm actually kind of in love with him."

"What?" Shockwave choked out. "Hongjoong? Are you being serious right now?"

"Super serious. I could die. These are my last dying words." He felt something wet hit his cheek and he opened his eyes- when had he closed them?- to see Mingi crying over him. "M-Mingi? How'd 'ou geet in 'ere?" He struggled to say.

"Joong, shit, Joong I- love you too." Warm lips covered his icy ones and he felt a sigh slip through his nose. "We're going to get out of here, Joong. Just hold on. Please don't go to sleep on me."

The hands holding him were buzzing suddenly, so intense that his shuddering gave way to confusion.

"What's 'appenin?"

"We're going to get out of here, Joong. I'm getting us out."

It sounded like the world was crashing around them. Like an earthquake had just decided to strike the city. Things were falling around them and Hongjoong could barely keep his eyes open.

The last thing he felt was warmth seeping under his bones, reminding him of all he times Mingi made him feel warm.

Hongjoong came to what felt like only hours later, but had truly been a few days if his phone was correct.

He was in a hospital bed again, no Seonghwa waiting beside him. It was Mingi this time, hand encasing his own while he napped beside him. His hair was a mess on his head, bits of drool staining the covers and his cheeks. 

Hongjoong totally loved him. 

He ran a hand through the tangled mess, causing Mingi to stir instinctively.

"Joong?" He blinked awake, taking a moment to realize Hongjoong was watching him. "Joong! You're awake! You're okay." He leapt up to hug him, drowning him in his big warm body and Hongjoong felt like melting into a pile of goo. Just as quickly as he'd hugged him, Mingi pulled away, a stern face on show. "You had no right risking your life like that, Mister."

"I had to. The love of my life was going to keel over." Pink dusted Mingi's cheeks, but he still had anger in his eyes. 

"Still, I could have handled it. You didn't need to go saving the hero."

"Speaking of heroes, when were you going to tell me you were Shockwave?"

"Uh.... never?"

"It's good thing I figured it out all on my own then."

"What?! You knew? Since when?"

"I'm perceptive... and you really think I was just going to believe that you would leave your prized camera with a rando superhero."

"I panicked! You don't normally go following me so when I saw you on the roof, I improvised."

"You're a shit liar, both as Mingi and Shockwave."

"Hey!"

"But I love you anyway." 

Mingi's face hovered over his, until his lips caught on his temple. 

"I love you, too."

("So what happened with Jongho's evil twin brother?"

"Oh, that was cleared up. He apparently sucks at hiding his tracks and when I made the building collapse, Jongho was found in a different wing of the estate, unconscious but otherwise fine."

"You did that, the whole Earth shaking thing?"

"I had to. I had to save your stupid ass!")