Chapter Text
The feeling of freedom Itadori got whenever he dawned his suit and swung through the endless air shocked him every single time without fail. Even with a mask covering his face he could still feel the wind smacking against it, so cool and refreshing closing his eyes for a second to truly bask in its glory. Up in the air like this, swinging around like he didn’t have a care in the world, his thoughts slipping before they could fully form, it was bliss. Up in the air like this, the worries of Itadori Yuji didn’t exist. Up in the air like this, he could quip and joke and ignore all of the problems of the previous day and simply focus on the work of Spider-Man.
“WOOHOO!” Itadori yelled, startling a few people who were simply enjoying the night-time breeze on a simple walk, to which he quickly yelled a sheepish “Sorry!” while continuing on his trek through the city skyline.
The sound of a radio cutting into his built in ear-piece inside of his mask very quickly brought him back to reality, a very familiar upbeat voice making his presence known, “Yuuujiii, what are you doing out so late kid?” Itadori’s teacher, none other than Gojo Satoru, spoke almost groggily into his ears. It was almost as if he’d been awoken from a nap or something. Seriously was that a yawn he just heard?
“Uh- Sensei, did you just wake up? I’m really sorry if I woke you up!” Itadori very quickly added on the last part, genuinely feeling sorry if he did. For all the time Itadori had known Gojo he’d never seen or heard about the man sleeping. Ever. He was almost dumbfounded at the prospect of his eccentric teacher actually sleeping. Why the hell is this so weird to me… Itadori thought, almost laughing out loud to himself.
“I heard that.” Gojo spoke, very monotone, “Yes I do sleep, Yuji! I have no idea why that’s such a strange occurrence but let’s move on okay!” CAN HE READ MINDS???? “No I cannot!”
“Uhm- sorry- Anyway what’s up, Gojo? I was just feeling an evening swing!” Jumping from lamppost to lamppost, Itadori very quickly launched himself off of the last one right onto one of the tallest buildings around him. He began his upward run on the walls all the way to the very peak of the building, overlooking the city skyline. It was really one of the most beautiful views he’d ever seen. If only more people could see the view from this high up, maybe the world would be a little more peaceful… He idly thought to himself, nearly missing what Gojo was actually saying to him.
“You’ve never gone out this late, kid. Worried you might bite off more than you can chew, hah!” Gojo laughed to himself, a tiny “Please don’t rile him up, Satoru..” can be heard in the background.
“Is Getou there?! Can I please say hi to him please please please!!” “JEEZ YUJI FINE…It’s almost as if you like him more than me…I’m kinda hurt, Yuji…” “Oh please stop sulking, Satoru” Itadori could hear the switch of earpieces, going from Gojo to Getou. As much as he hated to admit it, Getou was honestly one of the best people he’d ever met. If he was really really honest, Itadori would say that Getou was probably up there with the likes of his dearest brother Choso. Chilling. Let’s not tell Gojo that…
“Hello, Yuji” And there it was, the smooth and gentle voice of Gojo’s fiance, Getou. Itadori could practically hear the shit eating grin Getou was most likely shooting at Gojo, knowing that he was very clearly the favorite between the two of them. Distant (read: fake) cries could also be heard from the latter, along with small “Yuji how could you..”’s.
Itadori could only laugh at this, still looking at the view from the skyline, pulling his mask up only slightly so that his mouth and nose could have a second to breathe in the fresh air. “Hi Getou-sensei! I just wanted to say thank you again for the suit! This thing is awesome!”
“Haha, well I’m glad you’re liking it! Everything alright though? I know Satoru already said but it is strange for you to be out this late, Yuji.” Getou paused for a second, thinking about what he wanted to say next before letting out a small sigh. “Satoru also mentioned you acting a little strange this afternoon as well. If you wanna talk about it, you know we’re for you, Yuji.” A very resolute “Mhm!” could also be heard from Gojo in the background.
Itadori could only listen for a minute. He hadn’t thought about that…thing…ever since he’d gone to meet with Gojo earlier that day. Just thinking about it again made him stiff, his breathing picking up the slightest bit yet it was still noticeable. Why did this thing make him so nervous? Scared even? “I…” Itadori began, swallowing the saliva that had started to build up. He was fidgeting with his hands, sweating from the sudden anxiety. Everything felt too tight all of a sudden. His suit sticking to his skin, almost feeling like it was ripping it. Why on earth was this bothering him so much? Who was that guy at the building? Why can’t he stop thinking about patchwork tattoos? WHY IS HE SO SCARED-
“YUJI.” Gojo’s voice rippled through his earpiece, bringing Itadori out of his sudden trance, or was it a panic attack at this point? He didn’t know. “Yuji, I need you to tell me five things you can see right now.” Gojo’s voice was strong, resolute, and most of all grounding.
Looking down, all Itadori could see was his hands, desperately gripping at his chest, so close to ripping the material of the suit. It was almost as if he was trying to claw at his lungs, which he now realized were struggling completely to bring air in. Slowly, he listened to Gojo. Pointing out the things he could see, hear, feel, taste, until his breathing returned to normal. Itadori was exhausted.
“Back to Earth now, kiddo?” Gojo let out the tiniest huff of a laugh, trying to make the situation as normal as he possibly could. Getou let out a sigh of relief from directly next to Gojo, clearly panicked after Itadori suddenly blanked out.
“Yeah…I’m okay now…” Itadori let in a deep breath, finally able to feel his body again after it had basically gone numb. He was still looking down at his hands, confused, tired, but most of all relieved that he had Gojo and Getou there. “Thank you both.”
“Worried the hell out of there, man! Don’t ever do that again you hear me!” Gojo laughed, more out of pure relief than actual humor. Itadori couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. It was ridiculous really. “I second that!” said Getou, still sounding a little worried.
“Think I’m gonna call it a night, I’m beat!” Itadori said, standing up to stretch his limbs. Words of agreement and goodnights could be heard from the other end before the sound of the line going could be heard. The sun was completely set now, the stars and moon dominating the sky and yet the city was still just as awake as it had been when he first went out. Itadori huffed, pulled his mask back down, stretched his wrists and legs one last time before launching himself off the building.
All thoughts about that patchwork tattooed man from his nightmare dissipated the second his web made contact with the building adjacent, swinging his body to keep his momentum up. Worries of Itadori Yuji were gone again. Mr. Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man was back! Sort of. Itadori was still incredibly exhausted, so unfortunately he was still making a beeline right to his dorm. Fortunately though, his swing back to his dorm was going perfectly fi- WATCH OUT!!!!
“HOLY SHIT-” Itadori narrowly escaped a building exploding directly in front of him. Fire and debris sprayed all around him, causing him to launch into a coughing fit. He looked up to see what building had been blown up. Tengen Industries. Only the most renowned labs in the whole universe! The lab where Gojo worked! Where he’d gotten bitten!!! Two days of major action cannot be a good sign what the hell! Itadori thought to himself, before snapping back to reality.
“There could be people who got hurt…I have to help them!” Determined to ignore his earlier exhaustion, almost a complete repeat of yesterday's incident at the apartment complex, Itadori Yuji swung right toward the burning building. There was hardly any building left, full of holes, fire, and huge chunks all around. Easy access for him but he couldn’t help but worry about the civilians who might’ve gotten hurt.
Jumping down into what used to be the main hall, Itadori yelled, “IS ANYONE HERE? DOES ANYONE NEED HELP?” But he was met with no response. Weird. Itadori kept walking around. It was eerily quiet. The only sound he could hear was his own footsteps as well as the creaking of the building, set on fire and slowly collapsing in on itself. I should be hearing all kinds of stuff right now…where the hell is everyone? BEHIND YOU.
Itadori had never moved quicker. Sticking onto the wall, looking to where his spider-senses had warned him. But there was nothing. He was deep into the laboratory now and there was nothing. Not one molecule out of place. His breathing picked up again. It was just like his nightmare but worse. THERE.
He barely saw it. Barely. But it was there. Movement. Not human. Right in the corner of his eye, from a scientific glass container that was clearly holding something before the building exploded which was now shattered. That container…He swore he could see something. A label with a name. “Ryomen Sukuna”. It moved. Itadori was completely silent. This presence…it felt like it was dominating the atmosphere. Almost as if this…thing…has some kind of aura. It was terrifying. Itadori didn’t know what to do. If he could do anything. There wasn’t a single person around. Not one scientist. No sign of the perpetrator. There was no escape. Think think think think what the hell do I what can I do I can’t escape that thing there’s no way what the hell somebody please it’s looking at me it’s looking at me IT’S LOOKING RIGHT AT ME-
Darkness. Itadori didn’t even see it move before it consumed him whole. Nothing but black surrounded him.
“What do you think you’re looking at, brat?”
Itadori couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. This thing…what the hell even is it.
“Hm. You’re not dead yet…interesting.”
Get out. Please. Get out. Get out. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BODY.
“What? How are you-”
Fire. Rubble. Sirens. Everything came back in slow motion. Itadori gasped. Groaning as he tried to move his body. How did he end up on the floor? He couldn’t remember. Where am…It came back to him a lot more suddenly than his vision did. The explosion in Tengen Industries. That…thing. The name…Sukuna…Itadori shivered. He’d seen that thing move. What happened after? That he still couldn’t recall.
Coughing, gasping, and groaning, Itadori tried his hardest to stand up. After much effort, he did. Then quickly got reminded of the sirens that were blaring. Maybe not a good idea to stand inside of a freshly blown up building with police right outside. He tried shaking himself out of stupor, aiming his web shooter toward a different building and shooting. His landing was maybe not his best work, laying face first on the rooftop directly next to Tengen Industries but he wasn’t in the best shape alright?
Itadori couldn’t stop repeating the same sentence over and over again, “What the hell was that thing?” Bringing his hands to his face and rubbing his eyes together. He needed to go home. Now. Beyond tired and exhausted now, Itadori slowly heaved his way back up. He gave himself maybe five minutes to just breathe before making his trek back to his shared dorm.
It was a ten minute journey at most yet it felt like an eternity to Itadori. His bones were sore and all he wanted was to crash onto his bed and sleep like the dead. Unfortunately for him though, he was covered head to toe in debris and smoke. Ughhhhhh shower it is then…
Heaving his way into the window he’d conveniently left unlocked, Itadori very gracefully landed into his room (he collapsed onto the floor and laid there for three minutes). Mustering up the courage to get up, Itadori closed the window, then slowly peeled off his suit, throwing it into the corner of his closet and putting on his pajamas. As quietly as he possibly could, Itadori left his room with his shower supplies, making his journey to the communal showers. He knew there was a curfew. He knew everyone was asleep at this point. It was 11:49 at night. It’s probably fine…He thought to himself, nervously laughing.
After a successful shower, Itadori very quickly returned to his room, not wanting to get caught or yelled at. Finally making it to his room, Itadori sighed with relief, finally time to get that sweet sweet sleep-
“Why are you taking a shower at midnight?” Megumi Fushiguro stood in front of him with the most judgement reflecting off of his beautiful (Beautiful?) dark blue eyes.
“Uh- Woke up because I was stinking so badly haha!” Fantastic excuse Yuji…
Megumi just stared at him, mildly disgusted and extremely incredulous. He then simply turned away and walked right back to his bedroom.
Itadori nearly fainted when he heard the sound of the door closing. FINALLY it was truly time to collapse. He walked over to his bedroom door, feeling as if his feet were being weighed down by two comically large weights. He made it to his bed which looked and felt ten times comfier than usual, collapsing onto it and immediately passed out.
“Sweet dreams…brat"