Chapter Text
Follo cursed under his breath.
He’s going to fail his assignment. No, he might fail his class.
It’s a critical midterm research paper, counting forty percent toward his grade. The paper was due today at midnight on the dot. No exceptions guaranteed as it was assigned two weeks ago.
Follo would’ve finished his paper some time ago, if it wasn’t for Corvus constantly alarming him about crimes nearby on his phone. Semiu was usually the one who would message him, but she had left for vacation at a sudden notice, leaving the other to send the alerts.
To make matters worse, Enjin– his partner in crime– had also gone missing without notice. He simply said, “I have an emergency!” with that same old grin and vanished into thin air. It’s been three days of nonstop work all by himself.
He couldn’t go a day without his phone dinging at random times for crimes that didn’t really need his assistance. Such as this one.
“Where the hell are you?” Follo scanned the area, swinging down the blocks of Ground City.
It was a pair of robbers that had the cops on their feet. Follo huffed when he saw the alert, but still went nonetheless.
“Found ya,” If he could just catch them, Follo may complete his paper before the deadline. All he had to do was cite his evidence on a separate page.
He landed neatly on the ground, catching up to the pace of two robbers who were heading towards the bank up-front. Follo webbed the first robber's ankles, causing them to tumble to the ground with a thud. “You make this too easy,” He chuckles as he runs past them.
The second robber didn’t really make that much progress. He lets out a petrified scream after realizing how close Spider-Man was and out of pure panic, grabbed onto a nearby civilian.
Dirty blonde hair with a hint of dark brown and dull blue eyes. He seemed annoyed at the situation he was forced in.
“Stay back!” The robber threatened, pulling an item out of his pocket and placing it close to the civilian’s neck. “Or I’ll–”
“Yes, I know,” Follo had gone through the same conversation a hundred of times. He would usually let his opponents finish their sentence, but he was in a rush .
The robber didn’t even get a chance to process what came next. Follo was faster than the average human– he quickly went behind the man and side-kicked him to the pavement. The knife cluttered out of his hand and so did a hard-drive.
“Huh,” Follo snatched it up, inspecting it with one hand and webbing the guy onto the floor with the other.
‘The Sphere Bionics Foundation’ logo was printed on the side.
He holds onto it.
“You sure love getting into danger, don’t you?” Follo turns to the civilian, who appears pissed as hell. “What is this? The fifth time this week, right?”
“Don’t even start,” Zanka was still in his work uniform with a bag to his side. He must be going home now. “How was I supposed to know you were going to play tag with mere losers at night?”
Follo doesn’t respond, simply wrapping an arm around Zanka’s waist and hoisting them up in the air. “At least this time you learnt your lesson, yeah?” Zanka wraps his arms around his neck, like this was a normal routine of his day. “I expected you to destroy the whole neighborhood.”
“I’m not that terrible,” He was thankful for Semiu installing a voice modulator into his suit. Follo would go insane if he wasn’t allowed to talk-back for the sake of his identity. “Those other times were due to the villain's strong abilities.”
“All I hear is excuses,” Zanka replied.
This… was starting to turn into a routine.
Zanka always seems to be nearby whenever something dangerous happens. This is how the process would go: Put Zanka in a safe distance away from the fight, defeat the villain, escort Zanka back home. Follo felt absolutely terrible for the trouble he was causing, so it’s the least he could do.
At first, Zanka had screamed his head-off being so high from the ground. He kept demanding for the vigilante to put him down and held Follo so tightly that he didn’t realize he was choking him. Follo could’ve sworn there were tears in the corner of his eyes that day.
Now, all Zanka does is complain into his ear about every minor convenience Follo caused.
He can’t wait for Semiu and Riyo to come back.
Follo settles down on the balcony of their shared apartment. “It would save me a lot of time if you stopped getting yourself into trouble.”
Zanka steps back from the vigilante. His eye twitched as he stared at that stupid mask. “Don’t push my limit, Spider-Man.”
Apartment— Underground City
The door creaks open to the warm illuminated living room. Zanka is sitting by the table, a wide spread of papers across the surface, and a coffee stationed at his side.
“You’re home late.” Again.
The older male closes the door behind him, glaring at the clock on the wall. He has an hour to spare.
Follo slips his backpack off and hangs it on the rack. “Sorry,” He said for the hundredth time. That’s another daily routine now. “I was doing my research paper for my laboratory class. You should know how long those take.”
Despite being the youngest, Zanka managed to graduate early in his degree, securing a steady job as an intern for The Sphere Bionics Foundation, a heavily competitive position. Zanka was smart, very smart.
Zanka hummed, his eyes not darting off the paper once. “I made you food if you’re hungry. It’s still warm.”
He looks over to the small kitchen and sees a container sitting on the counter. Follo could never give up the chance to eat Zanka’s food. “Thanks!” His gloomy mood quickly changed into a cheerful one.
Follo runs over to the counter and quickly opens the box. The smell of Zanka’s spaghetti with meatballs floods his face, quickly snatching a utensil to dig in. “How was work?” He asked, curious.
Zanka’s shoulders tensed for a moment, going unnoticed by his roommate. He finally puts the paper down and sighed, “It was going great until these robbers decided to show up out of nowhere. Specifically in that area I was in.”
Follo takes a bite out of the food, immediately melting into the taste. He could already sense the irritation running through Zanka’s body.
“Let me guess,” He said. “Spider-Man came to save you again?”
“Yeah,” Zanka admitted. “He’s annoying.”
The fork almost slipped out of his hand. “Annoying? L-Like always?”
“He has no sense of awareness,” Zanka stacked his papers together. “Like, if you’re going to save the city then at least try not to destroy urban construction nearby? The nerve of that asshole.”
Follo almost choked on his food, punching his chest to get rid of the problem. He puts the container down and says, “Is this about last week? He apologized ten times already!”
To be fair, it was a mere accident. Follo didn’t mean to destroy the project area Zanka’s team were supposed to work in! Spider-Man wasted his allowance that week trying to make up for it, but Zanka refused to accept any form of his “useless and pathetic” apology.
“That doesn’t change a thing! I have every right to be pissed,” Zanka chugged the rest of his coffee down. He never understands why Follo bothers to defend that vigilante. “I swear the next time I see him…”
Follo tries to hide his wince, definitely not looking forward to having Zanka screaming in his ear once more. However, he understood the reasoning behind his roommate complaints— he would be pissed too.
Enjin always told him that no damage should be done to the city. Follo always tries his best to cause minimal or no damage at all. He manages to do so most of the time, but the villain he fought last week posed a bit too difficult to battle. Speaking of that, Follo still has to write a report about it.
“Are you going to be home early tomorrow?”
Follo snapped out of his thoughts. His lips parted before closing, opening once more in hesitation. “I don’t know,” He answers, per usual. “Why?”
“Tomme wants to have dinner,” Zanka answered. “Gris got a promotion as head chief, so she wants to celebrate. It’s only going to be us for now. Maybe Riyo might come.”
He thinks about the last time he’d seen them. Follo’s heart churns at the thought of spending quality time with them again– with Zanka again. It’s been far too long.
“What time?”
Zanka’s eyes widened, as if he was already expecting Follo to turn down the offer. “Uh,” He scrolls through the messages between him and Tomme. “She said at 6 PM. I can send you the location too, if you want?”
“That’ll be great.”
“I might be a bit late, like thirty minutes.”
“Work?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sure the others won’t mind.”
Zanka lets out a low hum. He shoves his phone back into his pocket and stands up, gathering his stuff into his arms. “I sent it to you,” He let out a yawn. “I’m going to bed. Don’t be late tomorrow.”
“And don’t get into danger.”
“At this point, I think that vigilante is following me.” The young male rolls his eyes, letting out a scoff. “Y’know I could’ve kicked him in the balls today?”
Follo halted. “Would you?”
“Definitely.”
Next Day— Cleaner’s HQ
“Do you have an estimated time when Enjin and Semiu are going to return?” Follo slides the folder containing his report across the desk. “I have a life too.”
Corvus took hold of the folder, skimming inside. “I’m still unsure about Enjin, but Semiu is returning this afternoon. I apologize for the sudden load of work.”
“It’s no problem at all. I don’t mind helping but… I also need to maintain my social life,” Follo replies. “Aren't there other heroes around the world that can come and help? I can’t be the only hero around the area.”
“Unfortunately I’m unaware of any person with supernatural abilities. Besides Enjin, you’re the second in command,” Corvus tucks the folder into the cabinet drawer behind him. “I understand your frustration, and I’ll ensure this situation doesn’t happen again.”
“That’s not– No, there’s no need to apologize,” Follo sighs. “It’s just hard trying to hide my identity from them. Don’t… you think it would be easier if I at least told Zanka? I can’t ruin my relationship with him.”
Corvus leans back into his chair, giving Follo a stare he already understood. “It’s vital to keep your identity a secret.”
Right. How foolish of him to ask again.
“I’m sorry, Follo.”
Follo’s shoulders slump, but he forces a small smile. “It’s fine. I understand.”
Becoming Spider-Man was a drastic change to what his life normally was as a struggling university student. It was a terrifying process to go through, but it felt exhilarating being able to do moves an ordinary human couldn’t do. His body was able to heal faster, move faster, things an ordinary human shouldn’t be able to do. Follo met an organization dedicated to keeping society safe from villains, meeting cool people who were similar to him and becoming a vigilante that everyone adored.
But it came at a hefty price.
The bond between family and friends formed into a strained tie after constantly having to disappear or bail on last minute plans. It hurts Follo to do this, but it was his duty to protect and fight off villains. It made it even worse when his relationship with Zanka, a close friend since his first semester of university, was becoming a faded memory from how often Follo wasn’t home.
There were times he wanted to confess to Zanka. To tell him the truth.
The urge to stop lying.
But he always holds back his tongue.
Because Corvus and the others were right.
Telling Zanka could put him in danger.
And Follo couldn’t afford to lose him.