Chapter Text
“Hey, Itadori… got a minute?”
Opening his eyes at the familiar voice, Yuuji gaped at the sight of Fushiguro right there in the middle of his ceiling. Letting out a strangled noise in surprise, he bolted upright, hands already tugging his headphones off as his questions were lost in a whirlwind of confused thoughts. Before Yuuji could get his mind and mouth to finally cooperate again, Fushiguro dropped onto his bed glancing around his room with an amused expression.
“Is this the room you grew up in?” Fushiguro asks, shrugging off the sweater he’d been wearing over his dark blue suit and placing it on the spot where he’d been sitting.
“Uh, yeah,” Yuuji says, scratching the back of his undercut. Then glancing around the room, his eyes land on his Jennifer Lawerence poster and he has to restrain himself from tossing himself out of his bedroom window. “Uhhh, my dorm room is very adult and mature?” He tries but he knows that Fushiguro sees through it. Instead of calling him an idiot like he was expecting, Fushiguro laughs. Like a real laugh that makes his whole face light up and that leaves a fluttery feeling in Yuuji’s gut.
“Right,” the other boy nods as he moves to inspect the numerous anime figures lining his shelf. “Super adult and mature.” Fushiguro tosses it to him gently before moving over to the window sill. “Want to get out of here?”
Sighing, Yuuji hangs his head dejectedly. “I’m… grounded.”
At that Fushiguro hums, his green eyes flashing mischievously before he flips over the window and lands perfectly on the side of the building. “Is Spider-Man grounded?”
Yuuji knows he probably shouldn’t follow after Fushiguro but he’d been so lonely these past few months and he’d really missed him. Besides swinging around the city with Fushiguro obviously beats moping in his room and being bummed out about that disaster with the two cakes.
As if sensing he’d won Yuuji over, Fushiguro looked at him expectantly and Yuuji knew that he’d be damned if he let him slip away from him again.
“Come on, idiot. I don’t have all day,” Fushiguro called and Yuuji couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he discarded his clothes on the floor and moved to tug his mask down over his face before he finally swung after his friend.
—
“Wait—hold on. There’s an elite society with all the best spider-people in it??” Yuuji says, awestruck and he’s so distracted he almost misses shooting his next web to a nearby building.
Flipping upside down effortlessly, Fushiguro scoffs slightly. “Calling them elite and the best seems like a bit of a stretch but I do respect Maki-senpai. She’s tough and a strong fighter, she also has a bunch of weapons you’d like.”
“Weapons?!” He repeats as he glances around looking for Fushiguro who keeps moving out of his reach.
“Maki-senpai has also taught me a bunch of things—”
Trying not to sound too eager, Yuuji shoots a web onto the nearest construction crane before jumping into a flip and swinging to another crane. “Oh yeah, I’ve improved tons too!”
Leaping off a building, Fushiguro followed close behind, opting to seamlessly flip through the underbelly of the crane. Once they cleared the construction area, the other boy attached a web to his ankle allowing him to glance impassively at Yuuji as if silently daring him to try it.
Not someone to back down from a challenge, Yuuji copied his movements and crossed his arms, smiling proudly as they glided smoothly through the air. “Hey, Fushiguro—”
“Your form is shit, Itadori.”
“I—It’s not!”
“If you want to try something actually cool, let’s have a contest.” He offers and Yuuji knows he’s playing into his competitive nature.
Smiling wide enough to flash his canines, Yuuji laughs excitedly. “You’re on!”
“Thread the needle,” Fushiguro warns before diving in between two buses stuck in packed Tokyo traffic, letting his fingers gently graze the street. Flipping upright, Fushiguro swung ahead and in an attempt to catch up, Yuuji nearly rammed into an oncoming semi-truck. Somehow he managed to leap over it, only narrowly avoiding giving both himself and the driver a heart attack.
Slinging two webs onto a nearby building, he propelled himself through the city and closer to Fushiguro who continued to tell him about the super secret spider society.
“And Yuuta, the whole society was his idea,” explained the other boy as he skimmed the side of a building and jumped smoothly over the top of a bus.
Not taking his eyes off Fushiguro, Yuuji ran across the roof of the bus before springing up onto the roof of a random building. “And… who’s Yuuta?”
“To make it simple for you, he’s like a mysterious, brooding samurai guy.”
Huh. Sounds like you, Yuuji thought.
Slipping behind him, Fushiguro punched him roughly in the shoulder. “Shut up!”
“Ow! And I didn’t even say anything!” He squawked indignantly as he dinked the side of a water tower. As they weaved in between the pillars of the train track, a persistent thought sat on the edges of Yuuji’s mind.
“So…” He wondered, trying to keep it as nonchalant as he could, “How long ago did they invite you?”
Ignoring his gaze, Fushiguro shrugged. “Not that long. Only a few months.”
Oh.
Furrowing his brows, Yuuji tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. After all, it seemed the spider society was really important so of course Fushiguro would be busy. But he couldn’t pretend it didn’t sting that his friend had the ability to visit him, and he just hadn’t.
“Hey, this one counts for two,” instructed the dark haired boy, pulling Itadori out of his thoughts as he swung himself up to an empty space perfect for parkour before flipping around an antenna.
This time, Yuuji followed perfectly as they built up speed for a free fall. Catching himself with a web, Fushiguro smiled softly at Yuuji though the other boy missed it as he cheered happily when he copied the move.
“You’re an idiot, but—” the dark haired boy said matter of factly though a sense of fondness crept through his voice as he watched Yuuji nearly miss the next swing. “You’ve really improved, Itadori.”
Flushing from the praise, Yuuji was glad his face was hidden but he was pretty sure his face might’ve been roughly the same colour as his mask. “You’re pretty awesome too, Fushiguro.’’
—
Rounding the corner of the next street, they grab two skewers from a street vendor nearly knocking over his stand in the process. Before the owner can yell at them, Yuuji thwips a couple bills into his empty hand and follows Fushiguro up to an vacant roof. Pulling their masks up to eat, they watched the bustling city move around them, never staying stationary as people walked by and cars honked angrily at traffic lights.
Despite the noise there was a sense of peace that came from the chaos and as much as Yuuji loved to be amongst the people, he liked to observe them more. It allowed him to get a feel for the people and the lives he was protecting by swinging through the streets of Tokyo as a masked vigilante serving to help the neighbourhood. And he knew that no matter how many times he got hit, he always needed to get back up because they were all counting on him. Besides, sitting on top of buildings also just happened to be a more efficient means of patrol too.
Brushing the crumbs off his suit, Yuuji sat back on his hands, allowing his legs to dangle off the edge of the building. “So this club—”
Smacking his chest softly, Fushiguro tugged his mask down and pointed at a pedestrian. “Look at that guy in the stripes, ten points.”
“—What kind of stuff do you do?”
And then… he’s gone, swinging above the crowd and yanking the purse thief back all before Yuuji can even open his mouth. Grumbling nonsense under his breath, Yuuji adjusts his mask and joins Fushiguro on the street, arriving just in time to catch the purse flying through the air.
“To answer your question, we try and keep the multiverse from collapsing,” says Fushiguro as he effortlessly swings by with the thief in one hand and webs him up to the end of a streetlight.
Returning the purse to its original owner, Yuuji furrowed his brows with the concentration of a detective trying to crack a decade-long cold case. “I thought we did that already. You know, with the whole blowing up the collider thing.”
“I thought so too,” the other boy admitted. “Turns out there’s more to it than that. Last week we had this mission to some Shakespeare dimension and Inumaki and I took down this—”
Stopping his extra layer of webbing on the purse thief, Yuuji looked at Fushiguro fervently. “What? Wa—wait, who’s Inumaki?”
Finishing with the foiled robbery, the two of them swung back up above the city resuming their game of cat and mouse. “You’d like his style. He lets me crash in his dimension sometimes,” Fushiguro added as he hurdled over a bunch of pipes onto the next building.
WHAT?! What is that supposed to mean?
At that Yuuji screeches to a halt just shy of the jump that Fushiguro had just made, staring at his back with eyes wide enough to rival those of a lost puppy. “Does that mean you stay overnight or…?”
Instead of answering, Fushiguro kept swinging and flying gracefully through the air leaving Yuuji to push down a surge of jealousy as he watched his friend’s retreating form.
—
Spinning through the air and shooting a web onto the side of the subway to gain momentum, Fushiguro pulled himself through the air, sliding across the top of the roof before grabbing onto the glass. “Sorry, there’s a bunch of rules and regulations surrounding the society or I would’ve come to see you sooner.”
Landing on the window behind Fushiguro, Yuuji nodded but the other Spider-Man was moving ahead again. Following the flash of dark blue with his eyes, he blurted out the question he’d been wondering for a while. “So, uh, why’d you come now?” He wondered, his free hand palming the back of his neck.
Momentarily glancing into the subway car, Yuuji’s attention caught on a kid licking the inside of the window. “Eughhh! Don’t—don’t do that.” He scolded, wagging his finger at the young boy. Does that kid even know how gross public transit is? Yuuji kind of feels bad for the kid’s mom.
Suppressing a shudder at the kid's unhygienic habits, Yuuji nearly missed his spider-senses alerting him of another oncoming train which scares a startled noise out of him. Biting back a curse and realizing he hadn’t seen that familiar flash of blue in a while, he scrambled onto the top of the subway car. “Uhh… Fushiguro?” He called, looking around for any sign of his friend but he’s already disappeared.
“Where’d he go?” He wondered aloud as he swung past an apartment building before following the subway line a bit. Maybe he’d just continued in the same direction?
As he resumed his search, Yuuji shook his head. What was he thinking? Ever since Fushiguro had mentioned that Inumaki guy, he’d been in a bad mood and maybe Fushiguro had picked up on it and on top of it all, he was stressed from something. After all, being a part of the spider society must be super hard and of course Fushiguro would want to give it his all.
Doubling back to where he’d started, Yuuji vowed that he’d show Fushiguro that he understood and wouldn't pry. Besides he was sure, he’d eventually tell him. It was Fushiguro after all.
—
Yuuji sighed heavily as he turned yet another street, eyes straining for anything that could even remotely resemble his friend. He was so focused on his search he didn’t even realize someone was behind him until he felt a finger poke his back.
Nearly letting go of his web, Yuuji bit back a loud shriek though he still attempted to play it off. “Hey, there you are. What were you doing?”
Fushiguro raised an eyebrow. “Waiting for you,” he said, looking at Yuuji like it was obvious as he tapped his chest playfully, already leading the way to their next stop.
Not wanting to be left behind again, he swung after him only wanting to savor the time he had left with Fushiguro, his stupid feelings be damned.
—
“This is a nice thinking spot,” Fushiguro admits as he walks around the side of the skyscraper, admiring the apartment buildings and city lights far below them.
“Right? I mean a treadmill’s lame when you can go anywhere in the city, including the NTT Docomo Yoyoji Building.” Stepping on top of another panel, Yuuji glanced up at Fushiguro using the easy silence to take him in.
Over the past year, he’d grown taller and filled out a bit more. Even his hair had changed slightly going from long, wild spikes to a much more manageable spike length. His hair seemed softer too and not for the first time today, Yuuji wondered what it would be like to run his hands through it.
The most noticeable change though had been his eyes which seemed to carry a lot more secrets and half-truths than they used to when they first met.
At some point he must’ve stopped walking as Fushiguro glanced back to check on him but as he neared all Yuuji could focus on was the invisible weight he seemed to be carrying.
“You still haven’t talked to your dad have you?” He asked softly as Fushiguro fell into step beside him.
Fushiguro scoffed at the question but Yuuji could see the tension lingering in his jaw. “What do you think? Besides, what would we even talk about?” Flipping backwards, he caught himself on the landing of the tower’s clockface. “‘Hey Dad, how’s the manhunt for me going? Do you still think I murdered Tsumiki?’”
Jumping onto the landing beside his friend, Yuuji glanced down before meeting Fushiguro’s eyes. “I mean, I don’t know… my family, maybe if I told them…”
“Don’t, Itadori.” Fushiguro warned and the flash of pain in his eyes was too much to discount. “Trust me. You have a good family but just don’t tell them about this,” he said gesturing to the spider insignia on their suits.
Silence falls between them until Fushiguro sighs and sits on the ledge, dangling his feet over the clockface.
“Well…” Yuuji begins settling on the ledge beside his friend, “Maybe some things are supposed to be just for us, you know?”
Glancing at the pink haired boy, Fushiguro hummed softly before shooting a small smile in his direction and Yuuji was pretty sure his heart just skipped a beat. “That’s a nice way to think about it. You’ve always had an interesting take on things.”
Grinning proudly, Yuuji puffs his chest out with exaggerated importance. “I’m a super emotionally intelligent guy. Wise beyond my years,” he says smiling brightly when he catches Fushiguro’s quiet laugh and annoyed eye roll.
“C’mon Fushiguro, you know I’m right!”
“In your dreams, idiot.”
And this time when the silence fills the gaps between them it isn’t tense or uneasy, it’s natural and effortless. Staring out into the landscape of the city, Fushiguro turned to look at the other boy, noticing that he was already looking at him.
Fighting the flush creeping over his face, he continued on. “I’m glad I can talk to you about this sort of stuff. You make it all seem so natural.”
“Yeah?” Yuuji wondered as he moved towards the empty spot on Fushiguro’s left.
“Well, there’s not a lot of people you can talk to about this stuff. It’s hard to find someone who understands you completely.”
At his words, all of the pent up loneliness and isolation from the past year hit Yuuji full force but it all seemed less consuming when he was with Fushiguro. Now he didn’t feel so alone and he was sure Fushiguro felt the same way.
Picking a piece of lint off his suit, Yuuji can tell that something is on the other boy’s mind but he isn’t sure if he should say anything. Instead he opts to bump his shoulder gently as a reminder that he’s right there and you’re not alone.
“You’re the only friend I’ve ever really made after Tsumiki died,” the dark haired boy admitted a second later, finally looking at him and Yuuji thinks his eyes look beautiful highlighted by the dying sunlight.
Yuuji drops his gaze before glancing at the other boy once more and if Fushiguro didn’t know any better he would’ve sworn that he was pouting. “What about Inumaki?”
Scoffing and rolling his eyes to avoid Yuuji’s puppy dog eyes and stupid frown, Fushiguro fixed his eyes on the sunset poking out through the city skyscrapers. “That’s different, you idiot.”
At that, Yuuji perked up instantly, a bright smile flashing his canines already spread across his face though he still looked vaguely like a lost puppy. “Huh? Wait, why’s that?”
“I don’t know,” grumbled Fushiguro. “It just is. You and me… it’s—”
“We’re the same, right? In the important ways, I mean,” Yuuji rushes to add when he sees the expression on the other boy’s face. Regardless, something about those words seems to fit them perfectly. But there’s a sense of inevitability when it comes to them, one that they can feel and one that Fushiguro knows all too well.
Exhaling the breath he’d been holding, Fushiguro wonders if he should say anything at all but looking at the amber eyes beside him, he knows that he deserves everything including the truth. Steeling his nerves, he stared up into the darkening sky, deciding to focus on the faint outline of the constellations that Tsumiki had shown him and not the boy with pink hair who’d somehow managed to fill every corner of his mind.
“In every single universe there are people that Spider-Man can’t save no matter how hard he tries. That’s a well known fact, and that’s the burden we carry. But regardless of that burden, in every other universe, Fushiguro Megumi falls for Spider-Man.”
Yuuji’s eyes flash hopefully as he straightens up, inching his hand closer to Fushiguro’s. Does he—
Catching the movement, Fushiguro smiles slightly to himself before blowing out a breath. “And in every other universe, it doesn’t end well… no matter how hard Spider-Man tries.”
Yuuji slides his hand back, giving Fushiguro the space to decide what he wants. They sit quietly, glancing at the other softly not wanting to break the gentle silence.
“Well…” Yuuji starts as he studies Fushiguro’s features. “There's a first time for everything, right?”
At that Fushiguro huffed out a laugh though a small part of him hoped that the other boy was right. After all, he made everything seem possible, even what others deemed impossible.
Looking out at the skyline of the city, Yuuji felt a familiar weight press against his shoulder as Fushiguro leaned against him. As they sat, a warmth seemed to settle throughout the little space they’d carved for themselves in the middle of the bustling city and both knew soon, they’d have to say goodbye and part ways once more but regardless, neither of them wanted this moment to end.