Come back to me, Spiderman

by Fear_My_Imagination

Summary:

Heavy is the hand that weaves the web.

Inuokko × spiderman au

Notes:

Inuokko spiderman au anyone? Please be warned I am not the best at writing, but these boys deserve their spider-verse moment.
As they say, write the fics you want to see in the world

This was inspired by 2 things (spoilers?):
1. Someone saying Inumaki would be defintley be Gojo and Getos child ( purple eyes? White hair? The personality??)
2. I love spiderman.

Chapter 1: Chapter one

Notes:

Not abandoning my other fic!
I just couldn't get this out of my head!
So here are Inuokko×spiderman

And Peter Parker walks out of the coffee shop. The coffee to-go cup warmed his hands, but did little to mend his breaking heart which felt as cold as the snow that blew around him. The letter that held memories he had promised to return remained safely in his pockets, likely never to see the light of day again.

 

He would be okay. This is for the best. To protect them, from him and all the trouble that comes with being associated with Spiderman.

So Peter Parker walks alone, a boy no longer remembered by the world, to start a new life.

One filled with danger, violence and death; But also one filled with hope, love and life.

Such was the life of the Spiderman,

 

Meanwhile, in another universe...

 

The camera shutters once again, the rewarding sound of a picture captured successfully. Yuuta pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to stare properly at the image on the camera screen. In his humble opinion, he had perfectly captured the day. Freshly fallen leaves blowing in the breeze while passers-by continued on their respective journies had been immortalized on his camera screen. The photography club was going to love this one.

 

"Yuuta, c'mon loser! You're gonna get left behind." Rika called to him from halfway up the concrete steps.

 

Today was the day most science and engineering students at Tokyo University had waited for endlessly.

From software to aerospace, they were all bouncing on the balls of their feet. Excitement was clearly in the air.

 

Today, they were at Limitless Labs. The biggest, most well known engineering firm and scientific ressearch base in the country. Hell, in the continent even. They dabbled in everything, robotics, genetics, manufacturing, coding.

You name it, they did it. 

 

Yuuta himself was currently studying quantum physics. Although it may be a childish dream, he wanted to make a discovery that could change the world. He couldn't wait to see the experiments that went on within the Limitless Labs.

 

Speaking of which, the building itself was a gigantic sky scraper. It had to have been hundreds of storeys high, practically touching the clouds. It was made purely of glass windows, all shiny and reflective making the building look that much more special. They all had been loitering about at the concrete stairs that led up to entrance of the giant skyscraper. Giant sliding doors which too were made of glass. They had been informed by an assistant that their tour guide had been running late so Yuuta had taken the opportunity to capture some pictures for his photography club portfolio. He had hoped to become captain someday.

 

Following Rika, he made his way up the handful of stairs, fixing the damage the wind had done to his hair as he did. It led him to the open area infront of the building. Neatly trimmed trees and bushes lined the pathways that led up to the glass entrance. It was by this entrance that he found the rest of his classmates, all huddled around someone. Their tour guide, most likely.

Finally. It felt like they had been waiting for at least half an hour and Yuuta, the nerd he is, was just itching to go inside.

Yuuta made his way to the rest of the group. Due to his height -thank you growth spurt- he had little trouble seeing what was happening in the middle of the circle from his position in the back. He stuck his tongue out at Rika who had not been blessed with such a growth spurt as she attempted to see over everyone else's heads. A futile task in his opinion. That didn't stop her though. After she realised that jumping on her imaginary pogo-stick wasn't going to help her see any better, she had just decided to push and elbow her way to the front. Yuuta laughed, shaking his head as he turned back to face the commotion up front. What he saw wiped the laughter straight off his face.

 

Infront of him stood Gojo himself. 

 

Satoru freaking Gojo.

 

Multi-millionaire Satoru Gojo. Model Satoru Gojo. Genuis Satoru Gojo. Owner of Limitless Labs Satoru Gojo.

 

What was he doing here, about to parade around a bunch of engineer wannabees? He was a genuis, he created things most people could never even dream of. He ran a company that had multiple bases of operations and he modeled on the side. He was a busy man. There was no reason he would be here ...chauffeuring them when he could have had, quite literally, any employee do it with little complaint.

 

Someone squealed next to him. Miwa, he thinks it was. "He's so handsome." Another squeal. "And tall. I'm gonna faint." She fake falls into her friends arms, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead. Yuuta thinks he hears someone  mumble a bitter , "I'm tall."  nearby.

 

Realistically Yuuta could understand what Miwa meant, he was looking respectfully. The man infront of him had seemed hand crafted by the God's, with features that were somehow both chiseled yet delicate simultaneously. He was dressed in dark blue slacks and a light blue button up, with the first few buttons undone. How someone had achieved the casual/formal look in one outfit was beyond him but this man had done it. He was even wearing sunglasses, which was defintley a statement but each to their own. The thing that caught Yuuta's eye the most was his hair. It was pure white, almost blindingly so. It made the man stand out even more then his alluring eyes and impressive height. The colour itself was so magnificent it would have been impossible to recreate by human hands. It had to be natural. Yuuta would know. He knew of someone else with the exact same white hair, down to the shade. 

 

"Goodmorning, my future scientists!," the man exclaimed. His voice was so cheery, Yuuta was almost concerned. "It is I, Satoru Gojo. I bet you're wondering why I have chosen to grace you lot with my presence."

 

Geniuses don't have to be humble, he guesses. This one clearly wasn't. He looked around the crowd at this, likely for dramatic effect. A murmur spread across his fellow students, wanting Gojo to answer the question they were all asking.

 

"Well," the man smiled widely revealing pearly whites. Everyone quietened down once he began speaking once more. "You all have only one person to thank." He lifted his right arm with a swing, grandly gesturing to the right. Several heads  turned their heads in sync, all desperate to see what was being shown. The students standing infront of Gojo's arm parted before him like they were under a spell, revealing a girl with a bored look on her face. Her expression changed instantly when she realised the crowd had parted before her into one of utmost disgust.

 

"Oh hell no." She side stepped, her green pony tail swinging as she did. This action revealed a boy behind her.

 

And the boy...looked like he'd rather be anywhere then where he was in that moment. He had his blue university hoodie hood pulled down as far as it could go with a black mask obscuring the lower half of his face. His hands were tucked into his hoodie pockets and he glared at the girl who had moved out from infront of him with so much hatred even Yuuta started feeling bad for her.

 

Satoru Gojo took three long strides and wrapped an arm around the boys shoulders. Said boy struggled in his arms, kicking and shoving in every direction. A clear attempt to escape. Yuuta was stunned. Was he witnessing a kidnapping? Should he do something?

 

Using his other hand, Gojo had pushed the boy's hoodie down to ruffle his hair. His very white hair. "My precious son," Gojo said akin to a mother after seeing her baby walk for for the first time. Oh, that made more sense.

The boy had stopped struggling in Gojo's grip seemingly accepting his fate albeit begrudgingly. (Yuuta sees him flip off his friend who just smiles back, returning the gesture).

"Thanks to him, you'll all be getting a personal tour from the Satoru Gojo." He lifts his sunglasses to wink at them. Miwa faints once more.

 

The boy rolls his eyes at this statement and Yuuta has to suppress a laugh. He's pouting now, it's quite adorable.

 

Gojo, after ruffling his hair a few more times and offering, no, threatening to show baby pictures, had decided he had tortured the boy enough. He retracted his arm and his victim had practically vaporized with how fast he had run away.

 

Gojo was unaffected by the speedy escape of his son, it seemed this was a common occurrence. He turned around, lifting both arms to gesture at the building infront of him.

 

"Welcome, to Limitless."

 

 

 

 

Never in his life had Yuuta seen something as beautiful- okay, maybe he could think of one thing more beautiful- as Limitless. The outside of the building wasn't even half as grand as the inside.

 

Every floor held something new and different. Every room, every office, every lab was specific to the person working in it, allowing their indivual ideas to shine. The workers were just as grand as the building too, it was as if everyone who worked here breathed creativity and feasted on invention.

 

So far, they had been through the robotics and manufacturing departments. The university faculties had nothing on them. They looked like sloppy leftovers compared to what he was witnessing. He had been excited when he first came into contact with a 3D printer but now? His eyes feasted on every technology possible. Yuuta was fairly certain that there was nothing that could not be made within these walls. 

 

They were currently walking through what was possibly the biggest hallway known to mankind. The ceilings were so far up that they had practically been invisible. The walls were made of some type of reflective white metal, allowing you to see a morphed reflection of yourself if you looked into them. There were huge glass planes surrounded by white strip lights that repeated in uniform intervals. They were "windows" into different labs where one could see the employees in lab coats and safety glasses actively working on different experiments. Yuuta felt like a huge nerd -lets face it, he was a huge nerd. He looked into each and every window, getting overly excited at all the different experiments getting carried out. He swears he saw someone use a guitar to generate energy.

 

From the collective oohs and aahs, he figured he was not alone in this feeling of absolute awe. That's what happens when you go to college, everyone was a huge nerd.

 

Gojo even stopped to wave at some of his employees through the windows, sporting a huge grin. Most of them waved back. Some of them ignored his existence, though he didn't seem fazed. Was this yet another common occurrence?

 

They had gotten to the end of the hallway, stopping just short of a giant metal sliding door when Gojo turned around.

 

"Okay kiddos, what I'm about to show you now is very, very special. We don't normally show students this but y'know, since you're with me," he gestured to himself with a smirk. "We'll make an exception. But I must warn you now, every single thing in this room is radioactive. Do not touch anything."

 

Gojo walked up to a keypad near the door. It's bright blue screen lit up as Gojo approached. A motion sensor activated keypad? That was so damn cool.

 

It shouldn't be surprising....everything in this building was extremely advanced and high-tech, the people even more so.

 

Gojo inserted something onto the key pad before placing his palm on it. A second later and the door opened. The kids filed in after Gojo, eager to see what exactly resided in the room.

 

Passing the threshold, Yuuta was greeted with a large circular room. The walls were the same metal-type material found throughout the building, however the ceiling was completely different. When he looked up he was greeted with a completely unobstructed view of the sky. It was glass. A giant pane of glass. It had beams running through it in a circular pattern, it almost looked like an..., well an eye if he was being honest.

 

Looking away from the roof, Yuuta was greeted with the real prize of the room. It's contents. There were giant lab tables littered around the room, and every single one held at least one glass tank, all of varying sizes. Some were filled with water, some had lush greenery. Yuuta swears he even saw a completely empty one, although he also swears that he saw something move in it. How was that possible. He was so confused.

 

"As you can see," Gojo starts. "This lab here, one of my pride and joys, contains our live specimens. Some of these were made solely by human touch, not to be found anywhere else in the world."

 

To the man's credit, he was not all confidence and ego. He knew exactly what he was talking about, down to the most irrelevant idea, answering every question thrown his way. It was amazing to see a genuis at work. A truly unique sight.

 

He continued telling them about the many different creatures within the cages, carefully showing them around the room. At the end of it, he even gave them a few minutes to look around. He had made it very clear not to touch anything though. Abundantly so, but Yuuta could not blame the man, children loved to touch things they weren't supposed to.This group of very inquisitive children in particular.

 

 "Why was he staring into my soul when he said that?" Someone whispered. Their friend hit them up-side the head. "Don't be ridiculous, he's wearing sunglasses. How could you have felt him looking at you?"

 

They all broke off into their indivual groups, eager to explore the room without someone hovering them. An idle chatter began to build as they looked at the tanks. Yuuta took this as as his opportunity to capture some more pictures. The lighting in here was amazing thanks to the skylight.

 

He made his way over to the arachnid section, leaving Rika by the snake tanks. His camera resting safely around his neck where it had been the whole time. It was a present from his parents for when he had began University. 

 

He missed his parents, it's been a while since he last saw them. Joining a university far from his home city wasn't the most ideal choice but he had been offered a scholarship and the opportunity was too good to turn down.

 

He picked up the camera and brought it to his eye, adjusting the lenses a little to get the perfect picture. A few more turns of the dial anddd there. Perfect.

 

He looked around the room. Everything in it was the perfect muse for a photo from the people to the animals in the tanks; some may even find the notes laying around artistic.

 

And so, being the indecisive mess he was, Yuuta took pictures of everything. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

 

Eventually, Yuuta had done a whole round of the room taking photos of quite literally everything. He flitted through the camera roll, smile growing as he look at the pictures. They were actually pretty good. He was proud of them.

 

Looking up from the camera, he noticed the room was much quieter than before, and emptier too. Where had everyone gone? With a quick sweep around, he realised it was just him and a small group of three people in the large room. He figured they may know where everyone else went so he made his way over to them.

 

They stood by the arachnid enclosures. Two of them were peeking into a sand-filled tank while another shuffled through the notes on the table. Their facial features blended into something familiar as he got closer. He knew them.

 

The two by the tank were Kamo Noritoshi and Kokichi Muta. Both were studying mechanical, infact Kokichi was somewhat of a prodigy in their school. He had been able to build a fully functioning humanoid robot for a final project. People had gone as far as to call him 'Mechamaru' thanks to his immense talent in the field.

He wonders what they were doing poking around the tanks. In all honesty, he would rather not talk to either of the two right now. Tensions were high between the mechanical and the quantum physics students thanks to an upcoming olympiad so if there was any chance he could avoid interacting with them, he would take it, lest he gets jumped by one of Kokichi's microbots while he was alone and defenseless.

 

So, he turned his attention to the only other person in the room before stopping dead in his tracks.

 

Out of nowhere, the sky opens up allowing a group of angels to come down from the heavens. Somehow, birds flew in blending their birdsong into the mix. Then someone pulled the moon out of the sky and placed it directly behind the guy, it's light illuminating him in the best ways, casting an angelic glow around him. Yuuta feels his heart beat pick up.

 

Inumaki Toge.

 

(Say it again, but this time with a lovesick dreamy sigh.)

 

Computer science major. Avid volunteer at community projects. Considered a prodigy across multiple fields. Constantly promoting disability awareness. A future already secured with his Dad's company.

 

Did Yuuta mention his dad was Satoru Gojo?

Yup, upon every other thing, Inumaki Toge was the son of one of Tokyo's most famous billionaires, making him even more unattainable.

 

A legacy of a company was not the only thing Inumaki had inherited from Gojo. Nope. He also had the genuis genetic. The man could solve any puzzle he had layed his eyes on and aced tests in the blink of an eye and it didn't even stop there.

 

For not only was Inumaki Toge kind, compassionate and smart, he was also downright gorgeous. He was almost a carbon copy of his dad. For his features too were hand sculpted by the God's with beautiful alabaster hair coming down to graze his eyes. Oh his eyes, framed by long white lashes were pools of amethysts crystals so deep Yuuta feared he might drown.

 

Okay, so he might have a crush, but it was just a tiny one.

 

He could hear Rika calling him a liar from wherever she was, but really, could you blame him? Inumaki Toge was really something else, infact he was so perfect Yuuta wouldn't be shocked if he was genetically manufactured by the finest DNA strands.

 

A hand waved infront of him, cutting off his daydreams. For some reason, unknown to him, the angels and birds have disappeared. The hands too disappeared, replaced by curious eyes. Curious violet eyes.

 

Shit, he was staring wasn't he? How had he not realised that Inumaki had walked towards him? Oh that's right, he was too busy imagining getting married to him instead. He was such a loser. The eyes infront of him crinkled, sparkling with amusement. Yuuta's brain had made a mental note of the height difference between them. Inumaki had to crane his neck to look up at him. Curse his brain, this was not the time. He was making a fool of himself. He had to come up with something.

His palms felt sweaty and his body was way out of proportion. The camera around his neck felt ten times heavier then normal and he could practically hear his own heartbeat. Wait, camera. Perfect.

 

"I-, uh. Picture! Picture!" He said accompanied by the worst possible voice crack known to mankind. He cleared his throat, trying again. "Can I get a picture of you please? It's for the photography club...I'm in the photography club."

 

He pointed to his camera as if he had to make it any more obvious. Ten out of ten performance Yuuta. He wouldn't be surprised if they guy filed a restraining order against him.

Thankfully, Inumaki decided to humour him, nodding to his suggestion with a smile.

 

He walked back where he stood previously, posing infront of the notes. Yuuta took this as his cue to shut up and take some pictures, so he did just that, clicking away as Inumaki changed positions.

 

After snapping what could have possibly been a thousand, he -out of habit- went to look at them, flicking through the camera roll.

 

"Perfect," he muttered as he played back the photos. He looked up to see Inumaki looking at him with an amused glint in his eye once more. "Ah, the picture, not you- wait, not that you're not perfect- I mean-"

 

He didn't know what he meant. Thankfully someone saved him. "Well, that was single handedly the most embarrassing interaction I've seen in my life. I'll be taking my leave now. See you, Toge." Someone spoke. Kamo. Noritoshi Kamo.

Toge leaned against the table, offering him a lazy two-finger salute as he walked off, Kokichi in tail.

 

'I'll be taking my leave', who even says that. Yuuta rolled his eyes. Mechanics kids. 

 

He focused his attention back to Toge, who had already gone back to shuffling through stacks of paper with a slight crease in his brow. He had probably been here hundreds of times. This was just your average Thursday to him. Well it would be, if Yuuta hadn't literally offended the guy to his face.

He had to apologise. Swallowing his pride and fear, he walked up to the table and leaned against it, next to Inumaki.

 

"Hey, um I'm sorry for being uh- really weird earlier. I'm Yuuta by the way. Okkotsu Yuuta." Proper sentences now. That's a start. He held out his hand, like a peace offering for Inumaki to shake.

 

The boy in question turned to Yuuta with eyes scrunched into a smile. Putting the papers down, he grabbed Yuuta's hand to shake. The boy then raised his own hands before shaking his head like he had just realised something. He grabbed his phone instead, typing something on it at lightning speed before holding it out infront of Yuuta's face.

 

'Dont worry, I don't think you're weird :). I'm Inumaki Toge btw nice 2 meet u Okkotsu'

 

As if Yuuta wouldn't know who he was, literally the heir to Limitless Labs. He was so humble, Yuuta felt his heart stutter.

 

The phone was pulled away before being pushed back infront of his face once more

 

'I'm kinda weird myself. Can't really talk much haha'

 

Yuuta knew this. He was pretty sure everyone knew the story of how Inumaki was in an accident when he was younger. It had irreversibly damaged his vocal chords making it difficult for him to speak. Another reason why Yuuta had a tiny, very tiny crush on Toge. He never left his impairment stop him from living a full life. Infact, he seemed to use it as sort of  a motivation to try harder. He mentioned it often in his written speeches for disability awareness campaigns (Yuuta would know, he read most of them). Infact, Yuuta had even begun learning a little bit of sign language in the off-chance that he would ever be able to talk to Inumaki Toge. He silently thanks his delusional past self because now he was full prepared for this interaction.

 

'I don't think you're weird either.' Yuuta signed, or attempted to. He didn't know what the sign for weird was so he substituted weird for strange and he kinda got the sentence order messed up...but Inumaki seemed to understand him nonetheless. 

 

He smiled at Yuuta and not just some random smile for the sake of it. A genuine smile, it reached his eyes as they flooded with joy. Well Yuuta had hoped it was anyways, he couldn't see the boys actual smile. It was hidden behind his mask.

 

It still made Yuuta feel warm and fuzzy though - even from behind a mask.

.

.

.

For a man who couldn't verbalize his thoughts, Inumaki made sure to make his opinion known. They had been talking to each other for the past five minutes. Well mostly Yuuta spoke, Inumaki replied by writing on his phone, making the few signs Yuuta knew or just staring at Yuuta till his point got across. (Yuuta caved quickly; not because he agreed but because if Inumaki looked at him any longer he might combust.)

 

Inumaki was currently typing a very long, strong-willed motivational speech on why Tuna Mayo was the best onigiri flavour while used took the opportunity to stare at Inumaki without it being creepy. (It was still creepy).

 

A flash of black caught Yuuta's eye, somewhere on the table. It could've been his imagination, but then he saw it again inching closer to Inumaki. A spider. A really weird, really creepy looking spider. It's legs moved almost robot-like and it had a giant red diamond on his abdomen. The spiders skin itself had looked like it was made of glass, matte black and shiny. It's beady eyes looked at Inumaki almost ...hungrily.

 

All-in-all, it was tiny, creepy and inching closer and closer to Inumaki. 

 

And Yuuta was well ... not a fan of bugs, but fear of bugs be damned. He was not about to let his crush who he finally (FINALLY) spoke to after months be bitten by some freaky-looking radioactive spider.

 

"Inumaki-san, theres-", he tried warning the boy but he quickly realised he would not be able to explain the situation fast enough. Screaming "spider" would more than likely result in him turning around to find the spider instead of moving out the way.

 

The spider seemed to be getting into position, it's abdomen raising up like it was ready to pounce. Yuuta had to think fast and get Inumaki out of the way so he grabbed the smaller boy by the shoulders and pushed him to the side. Unfortunately, Yuuta had miscalculated this part of his plan, because pushing Inumaki out of the way put him directly in the line of fire of the little eight-legged demon.

 

The spider, who was not bothered by its change of appetizers, jumped up latching its sharp fangs onto Yuuta's arm. It felt like a million needles poking into his skin at once.

 

"Ow! Son of a- " he hissed, slapping his hand over his arm. How could something that tiny hurt so much. That thing must've had freaking knives for teeth. He turned his hand back around to find it covered in blood. Ew. He wiped his hands on his jeans frantically in a futile attempt to get it off, muttering an "ew" with every wipe. Once he was satisfied with the cleaning process, he raised his arm to stare at the bite.

 

After seemingly assessing the situation and realizing that Yuuta was infact not a mad man, Inumaki stepped closer to him. Gently he took Yuuta's arm, which was beggining to turn red and itchy, carefully into his hands. He stared down at the bite, seemingly intrigued.

 

Meanwhile, Yuuta was freaking out because

OH SHIT HE JUST GOT BIT BY A PROBABLY RADIOACTIVE SPIDER SHIT SHIT SHIT HES GOING TO DIE. HE SPEAKS TO A PRETTY BOY ONCE. (HIS HANDS ARE SO SOFT) JUST ONCE. AND NOW HES GOING TO DIE ALL BECAUSE OF SOME DUMB STUPID SPIDER.

 

"Now what is going on in here?" A familiar voice asks. Gojo. "Toge, you dog! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." Yuuta sputtered while Inumaki let go of his arm.

'Not my boyfriend,' he signed calmly with a roll of his eyes as if this was a daily occurrence.

 

"Ah, stage 1: denial." Gojo says, as if he's reminiscing the past. "Anyways, did you find that missing spider yet? With the diamond on the back?"

Yuuta tensed, a shared glance with Inumaki confirming his fears.

Oh great. Not only is he going to die, but he's going to get his family sued into the next generation for destroying Gojo's precious specimens. Might as well fess up before he passes out, which will be happening soon. He already feels himself blurring in and out of conscious.

 

"Sorry sir...but I killed that thing." Yuuta sheepishly replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his non-bitten hand.

 

Gojo blinked at him through piercing blue eyes. Woah, how were his eyes so blue? And when did he take off the glasses?

 

 "Really?" he asked unconvinced.

 

"I did," Yuuta tried for a chuckle but it came out as more of a tired exhale. His vision became a little less dizzy with each breath he took.

 

'He did,' toge signed. 'I think it bit him.'

 

Gojo hummed. He stepped forward, right up into Yuuta's personal space and- did he just sniff him?

 

"And you're still standing?" Gojo asks with a tilt of his head. Was he not supposed to be standing? 

 

"Uh, I think so."

 

"Interesting."

 

Okay, this was getting weird. Yuuta glances over at Inumaki for help but he looked just as confused as Yuuta felt. Gojo was still standing way too close and Yuuta's flight response was about to kick in.

 

Gojo stared at him. His blue eyes pierced Yuuta's soul, searching, scrutinizing. With the way his brows furrowed and the usual cheesy grin being replaced by a frown made him seem in contemplation. He opened his mouth as if to say something but he glanced over Yuuta's shoulder, towards where Inumaki was standing before closing it. His expression quickly shifted back to bis usual cheery grin. 

 

"Well, then I guess you're fine! It was probably just a regular spider anyways!" He cheered. Gojo walked over to Toge wrapping an arm around his shoulders, guiding him out of the room. Probably to where the rest of the students were, how long had they been in here for? With the events of the last few minutes, Yuuta completely forgot what he was actually here for.

 

Gojo guided a protesting Toge under his arm and out of the room. He stopped just short of the door, hesitating.

 

"Hey kid," he called out with a glance over his shoulder. "If you do feel... different, give me a call."

 

Yuuta watched their retreating figures dissappear into the hallway. That was strange. He lifted his arm to look at the bite. It was... gone? Well, almost. The only thing that remaind were two small teeth shaped holes in his skin. No swelling, no redness, no itchy skin. Just a bite. He ran a finger over it, feeling the lack of bumps on his skin. Maybe it was really just a regular spider. He was going to be fine.

 

And lost. He was going to be lost. He ran in the direction Gojo and Inumaki had gone to find them back with the group of students. They were all currently looking at a Panda, that had been given human intelligence, eating solely bamboo out of a plethora of other options. It was supposed to be a show of how domestically raised and genetically improved animals still follow their natural instinct.

 

You can take the animals out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal.

 

 

Yuuta found Rika's brown hair in the sea of kids and moved towards her. This was seriously one of the craziest days of his life. First he gets to visit Limitless Labs, meet the Satoru Gojo and speak to Inumaki Toge all in one day. He touched his freaking arm. His hands were so gentle.

 

"What are you smiling about?" Rika side-eyed him. Judgement clearly evident on her face.

 

"I think I'm in love, Rika-chan."

 

Rika blinked up at him. Once. Twice.

 

"I do not get paid enough to deal with you." She said before turning around and pointedly ignoring him. Nothing could dull Yuuta's day though. Not when the thought of Toge's laugh was still fresh in his mind while the spider bite lay long forgotten.

 

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

...little did he know, his life was about to get that much crazier.

Notes:

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Notes:

So...i know i said these updates may take a lil longer but i was so excited to write this so... here you go :p

Thank you for all your support on the previous chapter!

 

He really needed to change the sound of his alarm. It was one of those things that you reminded yourself to do everyday but never got around to doing it. He really needed to though, or one day he was going to smash his phone in. He could not take another morning of 'beep-beep-beep' being the first thing he hears.

 

With all the self restraint he had, he reached towards the nightstand and, very gently, turned his alarm off. Sighing, he stared up at the ceiling debating if he could skip his next class for extra sleep.

 

It was basically routine now: Wake up, debate whether it was worth getting out of bed, get out of bed anyways, brush his teeth, have a shower, get changed, try to get his hair semi-presentable, have breakfast with Rika and then leave for class.He was currently on step seven. 

 

He stood infront of his mirror, brandishing a weapon - his hairbrush- , preparing to tame the vile beast -his hair- when something glimmered at him through the mirrors reflection.

 

The sun had risen by now, catching on all objects in his room. To be fair, his room was rather messy. Clothes lay scattered on the floor, the bed was unmade, curtains haphazardly drawn. His desk, which was pushed against the wall, had seen better days; his notebooks lay in a scattered mess. It was a wonder he got anything done in the first place. However, the thing that caught his attention was special.

 

The object in this case were his glasses, which sat safely on his nightstand alongside a half-empty glass of water, reflecting the light onto the mirror before him.

 

The only problem with this situation is that Yuuta could see his glasses. How could he see his glasses if they weren't on his head. He couldn't see anything if his glasses weren't on his head. Yuuta was practically blind without them.

 

 Infact it was part of his morning routine to put his glasses on. That's how necessary it was. Something that he remembered to do daily when he missed a particular floorboard that jutted out a little more than the rest, causing him to trip every morning. Except this morning. He had not tripped this morning because he saw the floorboard just fine.

 

Which was impossible because his glasses were still on the nightstand and not on his head. Why were his glasses not on his head. Why was he only now realizing that they weren't on his head.

 

He went to grab them, sliding them onto his face with practiced ease waiting for his vision to become clear once more. 

 

Except it didn't. His vision fizzled out the closer he brought the glass to his eye. It was slowly dawning on him that his vision hadn't been blurry when the glasses were off. He could see perfectly which explained why he had not tripped over the floorboard this morning...how was this possible?

 

 He brought his hands back up to his face, sliding the glasses off, before sliding them back on again. Maybe it was just a one time thing, glitch in the matrix.

 

Nope. No glasses, perfect vision. Glasses, not so perfect vision. He repeated the motion again, multiple times to no avail.

 

What was happening? Was it possible that after twenty-one years of being visually impaired his eyes had decided to right themselves. 

 

Thats not possible. He must be coming down with something. Yeah that's it. He was feeling pretty woozy yesterday. Nothing a little medicine cant fix right? He crossed the room, making his way to the door. He put a hand on the doorknob, you know, as one does when trying to open a door to leave a room. For some reason, he was having really bad luck today because his hand was now super glued to the doorknob. That's right. 

 

Super.

 

Glued.

 

He was super glued to the doorknob. What kind of illness had he contracted? Why was he sticking to the doorknob.

 

He tried to pull his hand off the doorknob, twisting and turning it every way, but even that returned no results. Now he was getting worried.

 

"Rika?" He called praying she was awake. 

 

"What." An irritated voice answered. 

 

"Can you help me? My door won't open." He begged.

 

"Sounds like a you problem," she replied from deep within her own room, completely unbothered.

 

"Rika! This is serious. Help me" he whined, banging on the door with his free hand. That plan quickly fell through when his other hand decided it actually liked being against the door and promptly decided to stay there, not moving. He pulled at it. It did not budge in the slightest.

 

"Rika!"He yelled again.

 

"What!" She answered, even more irritated than before.

 

"I'm stuck to the door."  

 

That got her up. He heard the shuffling of feet from the other side of the door. She was actually coming to save him. Aww, she did care. 

 

An evil cackle followed suit from the other side. Nevermind, she didn't care.

 

"You're such a moron," she laughed. "How did you even do that?"

 

"I don't know," he complained from the other side of the wall. He was very tempted to rest his head on the door next; luckily he decided against it. "It's like there's super glue on this thing. I can't move!"

 

"Okay, okay calm down, let's just..." She trailed off in contemplation.

 

Calm down? Calm down? Easy for her to say, she wasn't attached to the damn door. How the hell was he supposed to calm down when he was literally stuck to his bedroom door? Would he become permanently apart of the house? A statue for the next residents to see. A story of why kids should eat their vegetables?

 

"Okay, I got it. Here's what we're gonna do," she instructed. "On the count of three, you pull, I push. Got it?"

 

"I don't think that's gonna-"

 

"One..." She counted anyways. He felt the doorknob jingle, she had probably grabbed the other side.

 

"Two..." 

 

Yuuta braced for impact.

 

"Three!"

 

.

.

.

 

So the good news is that the door is open and Yuuta is no longer stuck to it. The bad news? There was no more door. 

 

He stood in the middle of his bedroom right infront of the door that was now laid to rest on the floor, ripped cleanly off its hinges. He looked up to see Rika standing in the now vacant doorframe as the air settled around them. Pure shock was written all over her face much like his own. Her mouth was open and she looked at Yuuta as if he had grown another head.

 

"...goodmorning?" He said raising his shoulders sheepishly.

 

"Yuuta," she sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose. It was amazing to see how quick her expression could shift from shock to exasperation. "What the freaking hell."

 

.

.

.

 

 

He stood in the kitchen of their shared apartment while Rika sat across from him on one of the bar stools. Multiple medicine containers sat on the island infront of him serving as proof of his frantic pill swallowing. He had chugged down anything that could remotely help his odd symptoms.

 

It seemed to do the trick because a few minutes ago, he swears he was able to see sounds. Now he's just back to regular Yuuta. Minus the glasses, he still has no clue what that was about.

 

Rika was staring at him, concern written all over her face. Her head rested against her hand that was propped up on the white countertop. He felt under scrutiny, but then again if she had started their morning by screaming bloody murder he would have been concerned too.

 

"Yuuta," she started gently, as if she was speaking to a child. "You're my best friend, you know that right?"

 

"...yeah?" He answered.

 

"So if there's anything you need to tell me, you know that you can right? I won't tell Auntie. I promise."

 

"Um, okay...where are you going with this- "

 

"Are you on drugs?" She accused, like she had already known the answer. She was on the verge of tears.

 

To say he was mortified would be an understatement. 

 

"Wha-? Rika, no- ," he shook his head furiously. 

 

"I knew it. I should have seen it coming. That's why you look all shallow recently" she spoke, putting her head in her hands. 

 

Okay, now he was just offended. What did that even mean? He didn't look shallow. He didn't. 

 

He failed his arms around, frantically trying to explain. "I'm not on drugs. I'm just sick. I'll be fi-"

 

Fine. He was going to say fine before something shot out of his wrist. The string of white substance traveled across the room hitting a pot plant in the corner. It wrapped around the plant, shaking it with the force, encasing it with...what is that.

 

The room had gone silent, it was as if time itself had paused. Both he and Rika were staring at the plant, trying to make heads or tails of what just happened. He moved across the room slowly, feet treading the ground with the utmost care. He crouched infront of the pot plant to inspect it. Tentatively, he raised his hand to touch the thing. It almost looked like... but no that cant be?

 

Was that...spiderweb?

 

.

.

.

 

 

Maybe going to school while shooting spiderweb out of his hands and sticking to every other random object was a bad idea. Actually no, not maybe. It was a bad idea.

 

He realised this after accidentally scaling yet another wall instead of walking up the stairs like a normal human being. So yeah, it was a bad plan but it was really the only plan he had.

 

Yuuta might not have been the brightest person...or the second brightest but he could play connect the dots pretty well. These dots in particular lead right up to one notorious Satoru Gojo. 

 

He had thought about it the entire ride over. The spider, the bite, increased senses, super sight, the ability to stick to any surface and the most important one, the webs. They all connected. There was no way they weren't related. The man even said so himself.

 

If you do feel... different, give me a call. His words played in Yuuta's head like a fuzzy memory. The look he had given Yuuta that eventful day along with his weird actions were slowly starting to make sense. Like he knew something was going to happen, like he knew this was going to happen.

 

Yuuta certainly felt different. He could feel the movement of every single thing in his room, which just creeped him out because why were there so many things moving in his room. That wasnt even the half of it. Not only had his sight improved, it had been upgraded. He could see some lady walking her dog two streets down. That should have been impossible. All of this should have been impossible. His senses had heightened completely, it was overstimulating just being in his bedroom.

 

And now he was out here with hundreds of children, all talking, walking and breathing at once. It was driving him crazy. He could feel his heartbeat pick up and his breaths became shorter. This was all too much. He needs to get it to stop. But first he needed to breathing. 

 

Deep breaths. In and Out. In and Out.

 

What was he here for again? Oh yeah Satoru Gojo.

 

The man was impossible to get in contact with, let alone see in person. How he expected Yuuta to call was beyond him. He had to contact him some way or another though, he couldn't stay like this.

 

So now you may be wondering, how could someone like Yuuta Okkotsu, your average college student, get in contact with Satoru Gojo, arguably the most well known man in Tokyo? The answer was simple. He couldn't.

 

But there was someone who could. Someone who just happened to go to the same university as Yuuta and who he may or may not have a big fat middle-school like crush on, but that was just technicalities.

 

So here he was, on a scavenger hunt for Inumaki Toge. He would probably be in his programming lecture now -not that Yuuta had his whole scheduled memorized or anything- so he just had to wait for that to finish.

 

He walked over to the west-wing of the University. It housed the computer labs. It was newley refurbished, with fresh paint and upgraded tech. It was probably one of the more well-funded departments in their school, and it may have had something to do with a certain billionaires son but no-one questioned it. Well, out loud anyways.

 

He propped himself against a wall by Toge's classroom (he just happened to guess the right one, okay?) pulling out his phone.

 

 

On the screen, a few texts from Rika demanding him to keep her updated on his...predicament and an email reminding him to hand in a project that was due soon. To think yesterday he was just a regular kid with regular problems and now he could stick to the ceiling. One must never underestimate the ability of life to throw you a curveball.

 

A bell rang signaling the end of class. A few seconds later, the lab door burst open with a flurry of students all scampering to get to their next class or just leave altogether. The stream of students exiting their indivual classrooms all muddled together to form a sea of colours. He searched the moving crowd for a splash of white. He found it quickly, all things considered. It was white after all, it stood out.

 

When he found him, Yuuta had realised something that had completely skipped over his head on his 'find Toge Inumaki' itinerary.

 

The boy was popular... painfully so. He was surrounded by people, likely his friends. It was even more painful because Yuuta could understand why he was popular. Not only was he the son of Satoru Gojo, but he was also smart, compassionate and did he mention beautiful? These traits would thwart his plans as Toge was now being followed by a countless number of people, all moving together. Likely to their next class so Yuuta would never have a chance to get Inumaki alone.

 

It's not like he could go up to him while he was surrounded by people and say 'Hey, remember me? Your dad's radioactive spider bit me and now I shoot webs from my wrist. Pretty cool right? I'm really cool and pretty funny but anyways can you please give me your dad's number so we can get rid of the webbing problem. My roommates not too happy about our apartment becoming one giant cobweb'

 

 He shouldnt be saying that even if he wasn't surrounded by friends.

 

Every problem has a solution. He can figure this out. He just needs to get Inumaki's attention. He also had to do it fast because he was getting further away. Yuuta turned his head, looking around the hallway for something, anything he could use but he came up short.

 

Toge was almost at the end of the hall now, he would likely never catch him and would have to stalk him into his next class. Yuuta looked down defeated, shoulders slumping up.

 

All hope had seemed lost until his eyes flicked to his own wrist. The same wrists that as of recently had a become long-range projectiles.

 

Maybe all hope was not lost? If he could just figure out how to use it. He raised his arms, posed his wrists and...nothing. so he did it again, and again. Each effort more futile than the last. Why didn't he just call his name in the first place? Stupid Yuuta. The boy was practically dissapearing before his own eyes.

 

If someone had walked past him, they would have seen what appeared to be a grown man throwing what could only have been considered gang signs into thin air repeatedly, growing more frustrated after every one. A strange occurrence, but not one to dignify with a question.

 

He aimed his hand at Inumaki, trying yet another position when a string of web shot out. He watched it zoom across the hallway in the direction he had aimed. He mentally applauded himself, stopping when he saw the string of web miss It's mark completely. The web flew past Toge and stuck itself onto some poor unsuspecting window.

 

This is why he never pursued a sport. 

 

Thankfully, even through the slight miscalculation, the web had done its intended job. Toge looked up at the window beside him, blinking in confusion. Yuuta watched as the boy turned on his heel in slow motion seeking the source of such a strange object.

 

This was probably the better outcome. How did he expect to explain to Inumaki that he had shot him with spiderweb?

 

His eyes tracked their way back to Yuuta, finding him rooted on the ground next to pot plant. For a minute, it truly felt like they were the only two people in the world, or the only two people that mattered anyways.

 

Yuuta stared into lavender eyes from across the hallway as the people around them turned into blurring faces and inaudible noise. He felt the air constricting around him, somehow clearing the path between him and the object of his affections.

 

He saw a flash of recognition pass through Inumaki's eyes. He had done it, Inumaki had seen him. The boy tilted his head, asking a silent question. He had his attention now at least. Time to put his skills to use.

 

Yuuta felt himself move in slow motion. He raised both his hands. 'Can I speak to you?', he signed with inexperienced hands. 'Please.'

 

The message sent itself across the busy corridor, reaching further than his words would. Inumaki looked at him with contemplation, confusion clearly evident in his eyes. The exchange had probably occurred in under a minute but Yuuta felt like he had been standing next to this damn plant staring at Inumaki for an eternity.

 

Eventually, the boy let's up. He turned to his friends, there was a whole group of them. Yuuta recognized the girl with the green hair from yesterday and boy with pink hair who he's pretty sure was the their football team captain. It was interesting group when it came to hair colours, that's for sure.

 

He signed something at them in a speed so rapid, Yuuta believed that he had purposely slowed down to speak to him yesterday. Inumaki was so kind. Yuuta was still a novice when it came to signing. He really couldn't keep up with what Inumaki was telling his friends. That and he was at least twenty feet away.

 

He did catch 'later' and 'friend'. Did Inumaki think of him as a friend? The group around Inumaki nodded to his statement and continued to walk without him. 

 

Instead of continuing with them, he walked in the opposite direction of them and towards Yuuta. 

 

'You know,' he began signing as he got closer. 'I don't usually listen to strangers, but I guess I can make an exception.'

 

He winked at him. He FREAKING winked at him. Yuuta felt his face heat up. "Yeah, sorry about that." He cringed. "I really need to talk you though, it's about yesterday."

 

Inumaki continued to stare at him giving him a look that clearly said go-on.

 

"I think that spider bite did...something. This morning when I got up, I-".

 

A thought occurred to Yuuta in that moment he spent staring at Inumaki's face. The question that had been bothering him the whole morning finally had an answer. Yesterday, in the lab, Gojo had looked at him like he knew that this was going to happen. He had seemed close to saying something but he hadn't. He had stopped, hesitated and now, looking at Inumaki, the way Inumaki was looking at him, the worry for someone who was practically a stranger set into his brow, the concern clear in his eyes, Yuuta remembered why.

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Gojo had glanced at over his shoulder, at Inumaki, at his son and stopped. Yuuta didn't know why, but something in his expression made it clear that he did not want to discuss this infront of Inumaki. Yuuta wasn't sure why, but Gojo was protecting the boy from the truth. Protecting his son. Was it his place to tell Inumaki that his dad was making...uh vampire spiders? He didn't really know the answer but with the way Inumaki was looking at him made him think he had to come up with one quick.

 

"When I got up I-," Yuuta stopped. Maybe this was bigger than him...or maybe he was just being dramatic but he would rather be safe than sorry. "I felt sick. Yeah, I felt sick."

 

Because technically shooting spiderweb out of your body and sticking to every other surface could classify as being sick right?

 

"And uh, yesterday your dad said to call him if I felt any differ-."

 

A hand infront of his face cut him off. He looked back down at Inumaki only to be met with exasperation.

 

'That spider bit you and now you're feeling sick?' He signed aggressively. It was kind of intimidating. Did he think Yuuta was gonna like...sue his dad or something?

 

"Um yeah, but it's really not a big deal-"

 

'No, no it is.' He signed back. 'Damn it, Dad. I knew he was being off yesterday-'. Toge started signing rapidly. Yuuta believes he is witnessing someone 'speak to themselves' in sign language. It's a unique sight. Inumaki seems like he doesn't even realise that Yuuta was still standing there. He was pacing in a straight line now, hands whirling through the air in streaks.

 

Yuuta cleared his throat and Inumaki stopped in his tracks, remembering he wasn't alone.

 

'Sorry.', he signed sheepishly. 'You don't have any classes now, do you?'

 

 

.

 

.

 

.

And that is how Yuuta Okkotsu found himself on the front lawn of the Gojo household.

 

 Did he say household? He meant mansion.

 

Tucked away in a grove, Inumaki's house stood like something from a magazine. Its golden stone walls glowed faintly beneath the soft afternoon light, while towering columns stood like sentinels before vast arched windows. The grand entrance, flanked by manicured hedges and twin lantern posts, opened onto a courtyard paved with ivory stone, where a marble fountain sat at its heart.

 

 Every tree, every shrub, every blade of grass obeyed the design, trimmed to precision. Twin wings stretched out from the main building increasing its grandeur. Slate rooftops gleamed like storm-touched seas, pierced by elegant chimneys and watchful dormer windows.

 

Yuuta could do little else but gape at the absolute beauty that stood infront of him. He was still in shock from the personal driver that Inumaki had called to pick them up from the University. He knew Gojo was rich but he had clearly underminded the extent of his wealth. 

 

Yuuta stared at Inumaki as he spoke to the guards at the gate ( the house had freaking security guards). There was no way you could tell that the boy came from such wealth by the way he dressed. No brands or famous designs could be seen, instead he often sported baggy pants and oversized shirts and sweaters. Toge wasn't flashy with his money

 

The same could be said about his Dad, he supposes. Although whatever he wore looked like luxury, in reality it was simple pieces made better by their wearer. 

 

The wrought iron gate opened infront of them seamlessly. Yuuta was genuinley waiting for trumpets to start blowing with how regal the thing looked.

 

The driver brought them down to house entrance, driving in a circle round the fountain to drop them off. They both jumped out of the car bowing their thanks to the driver.

 

'Thank you for bringing us here on such short notice Ichiji-San.' Inumaki signed.

 

'It's no problem, Toge-kun,' the driver, ichiji, smiled before driving off leaving Inumaki and Yuuta standing in the center of this giant property, with a giant house and its giant windows.

 

Toge motioned for Yuuta to follow him before walking up the path towards the door. He fished out a key from his messenger bag and unlocked it, beckoning him inside.

 

The inside was unexpected. It looked regal and luxurious, with sleek cuts and warm colours but it also looked homey. A place someone would enjoy coming home too. Like it was personally designed to be a safe haven for the people inside.

 

The difference was subtle, almost non-existent to someone who wasn't looking. He would wager that he wouldnt have even picked up on it if it werent for his currently heightened senses. The outside of the home looked like it had meant to be an empire, to hold a legacy but the inside looked like it meant to hold a family. 

 

"Toge? S'that you?" A voice called from deep inside the house. 

 

Footsteps could be heard heading towards them at a rapid pace. These footsteps sounded louder than a human, like claws catching the earth. They pounded the ground, echoing off the walls. Soon enough Yuuta was hit with a giant ball of white fur. 

 

Dogs. Not dogs. Wolves. Two of them. A pitch black one was currently licking Toge's face as the boy giggled and offered them some head pats.

 

"Kuro, Shiro, heel." Gojo commanded, walking through an archway and into the entrance.

 

"Toge! You're home early!" he squealed. Yes, the grown man squealed. 

 

Gojo moved his attention to Yuuta, smile fading ever so slightly as he took in the presence of a stranger in his home, only for it to grow again even brighter once he realised who it was.

 

 "And you brought your boyfriend!" He clapped.

 

 

Yuuta felt his own cheeks heating up again. This was the second time Gojo had said this. Maybe it was a sign?

 

'Nope, still not my boyfriend.' With yet another roll of his eyes.

 

Okay, maybe it wasn't a sign. Did he have to crush his hopes like that?

 

"But then Toge dearest, why would you bring this strange-looking man into our home?" He said akin to how one would expect an aristocrat-mother to speak.

 

And Yuuta wanted to shove his face into the floor and never wake up again. This was the second time today that someone had said something about his looks.

 

...it was making him insecure.

 

He turned his head ever so slightly and peered at his reflection in the marble walls -because of course the walls were shiny enough to see yourself in-. He didn't think he looked...bad per.

 

There was big line between tall and broad and tall and lanky and he believed he sat on the better side of the two. His hair was all over the place but that's only because his usual ten minutes of doing his hair in the mornings were spent stuck to a door.

 

He couldn't see much else in detail in his reflection, maybe if he squinted his eyes he could see the shallow skin.

 

Instead he saw movement, Inumaki was signing again so he turned around to see.

 

'He's in our house because your weird spider thing that you won't tell me about bit him and now he's feeling sick' Toge huffed. 'If he dies, I'm suing you.'

 

Gojo paled ever so slightly. Again, it was something you would normally miss. A laugh escaped him, although it sounded more out of obligation then humour. "Dont be silly Toge, he's not gonna die."

 

Well that's a relief. 

 

'Then what's wrong with him?' Toge signed, as if Yuuta was mentally challenged, before crossing his arms, staring pointedly at the blue-eyed man.

 

Gojo must have had a resolve made out of steel because a lesser man would have crumbled under that piercing gaze. (When he says lesser man, he's referring to himself. He would have crumbled under that piercing gaze). Instead, he stood strong matching Inumaki with a stare of his own.

 

It was like a good ole western movie. Toge stood on one side, arms crossed, face fierce. Gojo stood on the other, laid back with his hands stuffed in his pockets but a fire in his eyes.

 

...and Yuuta was the haybale tumbling in the wind.

 

He watched with baited breath, eyes bouncing between the two sides. It's like there was a line drawn right between the two of them and he was standing right on it.

They seemed to be having a silent conversation, one that spoke solely through the eyes. From one soul to another. Yuuta couldn't eavesdrop if he tried. All he could do was wait. It was a matter of who would break first.

 

They had come to a wordless decision. From the looks of it, Toge had lost this round. A triumphant smirk grew on Gojo's face while Toge's shoulders slumped in defeat. He raised his hands in surrender before letting them fall, hitting his sides. The noise echoed across the entry making the loss that much more official.

 

"Yuuta, is it?" Gojo said turning to face him still wearing a triumphant smirk. He doesn't recall ever telling the man his name. "Walk with me for a minute."

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

They had passed down numerous halls and rooms in silence. All that could be heard was their shoes hitting the ground with each step. Yuuta was entirely uncomfortable walking around in a strange house with an even stranger man. He had turned to Inumaki, eyes pleading not to leave him. He had shrugged in return, he knew best that their were few people who could stop Gojo when he had his mind set on a goal. That goal clearly did not involve Inumaki being present. Infact, it appeared as though the goal itself was to ensure he wasn't there.

 

They had eventually reached a room made entirely out of glass panes. The sun had peaked in the sky. It's full strength shining down into the room. It appeared to be a green house of some sorts, from a luxury home magazine.

 

Single pendants hung down in a row from the centre of the gable roof along with hanging potted plants. At least twenty of them, of all different kinds hung down from the ceiling. Some had even even started flowering, hanging like curtains of nature. Pots of all different shapes and sizes flanked it's sides, hugging the walls. Luscious plants, each as unique as the pots that held them, sprouted from each one. They formed a path between them leading to a great bench that spanned from one side to the next of the end wall, covered in cushions of varying green colours. It was the perfect sun spot to curl up and take a nap.

 

"It's gorgeous, huh?" Gojo said shoulder checking him. He had been staring. Less than five minutes with the man and he had already embarrassed himself. He got so amazed over a glass house? Really? He should just walk around wearing a sign that said 'Poor'. Gojo didn't seem to mind too much as he continued to look around the place.

 

"It's Toge's. He has magic hands, I swear. Grew every damn thing in this place" Gojo said with such fondness.

 

 "I guess he got that from my partner, I dont have much luck with keeping things alive." He chuckled. There was a sadness to his laugh. Gojo walked up to one of the walls, looking out of it. The view from this greenhouse was breathtaking. A line of trees acted like a fence to the backyard, which consisted of an infinity edge pool and lights that he just knew would bring the place to life at night.

 

There was a faraway look in his eye. Reminiscent, almost. Yuuta watched his reflection, saw the man's eyes going hazy before they flicked up at his reflection in the window.

 

"You said you were feeling sick?" He asked. Yuuta hadn't said a word since he walked into the house but nodded anyways.

 

"Does this sickness have anything to do with...spiders?" He questioned. Yuuta nodded once again.

 

"Ah, I had a feeling this might happen."

 

And you still let me go, Yuuta thought. This man was really insane. "Excuse me Gojo-san, what do you mean by that?"

 

"That spider that bit you? It wasn't a normal spider. I made it." He admitted almost solemnly. Like it had strained him to say it. His voice was equal parts pride and distaste. He seemed amazed he had done such a thing and disgusted by the fact.

 

"Oh," was all Yuuta had managed to squeak out. Gojo did not seem bothered by his lack of response. He continued talking.

 

"It should never have bitten you. It was supposed to be for me." the man admitted. "I made it for me. I needed it for-"

 

He stopped talking, silencing himself immediately, as if he had almost let out a secret he had vowed to take to the grave.

 

"Thats...not important. What matters now is you. Tell me exactly what happened."

 

"Um, from the beggining?"

 

"From the beggining." He nodded.

 

He did just that. From when he spotted the spider to killing it to waking up and shooting webs all over their apartment. He blatantly ignored the part where Toge searched his arm ever so gently. That was his memory to keep.

 

Gojo listened intently, nodding every so often. He moved to sit on the bench with his arms laying across the backrest as he watched Yuuta reenact the hand movements he had done to shoot out web. No web had come out this time, he was still unsure of what exactly caused it to. 

 

He explained how he had been able to stick to surfaces and how he had this...sense which he didn't know how to describe.

It didn't have much to do with his heightened sight and hearing. It wasn't the thing that allowed him to hear Gojo's heartbeat quicken every time he described a new-found power. It wasnt the same thing that allowed to him to see every line of the thead on Gojo's shirt. It was something new, additional. Another sense, a combination of all the ones before it. It took the information from his other senes, what he heard, touched, smelt, saw and combined them. Like a warning, like he could tell what was going to happen next based solely on the environment.

 

"A spidey-sense." Gojo confirms. "You have a spidey-sense."

 

"A spidey sense?" He echoed. "What? Like a sixth sense?"

 

"Exactly," Gojo nodded. "It's amazing. The solution within the spider venom seems to have been fully absorbed and bonded into your DNA perfectly." 

 

Gojo may not have looked the part of the nerd, but he truly was one at heart for the man had kept rambling about symbiotes and it working and blah, blah, blah. Yuuta was a bit preoccupied freaking out that this man actually seemed excited that he was transforming into a spider??

 

"Which is the best possible scenario considering the other one involved you dying or creating a parasitic relationship with the venom while it feasted on your brain."

 

What?

 

Yuuta paled, all warmth leaving his body. He's going to...die? Gojo picked up on his thoughts fast.

 

"We've moved past the stage of dying now, don't worry. I checked that before you left yesterday. It's just the parasitic relationship we need to worry about. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a sample of your blood, just to make sure."

 

He nodded, unable to do much else. His body felt too heavy for his legs and his vision was starting to spin. He needed to sit down. He took one step after the other, slow and careful, dragging his body to the bench that rested at the end of the greenhouse. 

 

Gingerly, he sat down on it, bringing his head to rest in his hands. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heartbeat. This was all wrong, he was just a normal kid. He shouldn't have these...these powers.

 

He felt the cushions on the bench dip as someone settled next to him. A hand came to rest reassuringly on his shoulder.

 

"I know the situations not ideal. Believe me, this is the last thing I wanted to happen. Thankfully, from what you described, you're body seems to have fully adapted to it's changes. You're almost invincible now, like a superhero!" Gojo continued rambling, but Yuuta tuned him out.

 

This man cannot be serious,he thought. Why was this happening to him? He doesnt want to be a superhero. He just wanted a normal life. Simple, boring, but normal. And now Gojo's telling him that he could be some sort of crime fighting vigilante?

 

"-of course we'd have to get you trained and maybe a suit but, given enough time, I know you'll become a great hero."

 

"I'm sorry, what?" Yuuta snapped. He stood in an instant, pulling away from Gojo's touch. "With all due respect Gojo-san, I think you have me mistaken. I'm no hero. I'm just a kid. I'm not the guy you're looking for."

 

Gojo gazed at him from where he sat, a sympathetic look in his eye. He looked away sighing. "I know this isn't what you were expecting, but these were cards we've been dealt."

 

"I don't care about what cards I've been dealt," Yuuta was struggling to keep his voice under control. He was upset, and he was hearing the exact opposite of what he wanted to. "Do you think you can get rid of it or not?"

 

Gojo gave him no verbal answer, but the way his eyes had flicked to the side and his expression faltered ever so slightly, was the only answer he needed.

 

"Great, that's just great." He said bitterly, gripping the strap of his bag. "I'll be taking my leave now, Gojo-san."

 

He stormed down the greenhouse, heading for the door. It was wrong of him to be mad at Gojo, it wasn't his fault Yuuta had been bit. But he was angry. It was unfair and he was upset. He was filled with an anger he didn't know what to do with and Gojo was the nearest punching bag.

 

"Wait, Yuuta," the man called from right behind him. Yuuta jumped, he hadn't even heard him get up. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I don't expect you to give up your life to follow this path. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about your new...powers."

 

It felt childish somehow, referring to his new abilities as powers. It was laughable, even.

 

"And there's nothing I can do to stop you from walking out that door so you'll have to learn to live with them, I can help you with that if you want. No superhero-business involved. Just, promise me something please?"

 

The way he said it confused Yuuta. His voice had been genuine, as if he was under Yuuta's mercy. That hadn't made much sense. There was nothing forcing him to listen to the man, but Yuuta found himself stopping anyways as he awaited his next words.

 

"Toge... Toge can't know about any of this, okay? Promise me you won't tell him."

 

Yuuta turned to face Gojo, preparing an answer. What he saw on his face made him stall. Never in his life did he think he would see such an emotion cross Satoru Gojo's face but there it was clear as day. Fear. Painted across for the world to see.

 

Here was a man, fearing for his son, for his safety and for his secrets. Yuuta hadn't owed him anything, he had no reason to listen to him. 

 

"I won't," he promised anyway despite it all. With that, the tension in the air around them thinned just the smallest bit.

 

At that moment, they were just two strangers, bound by a secret they both shared. If it had stayed that way, then maybe Yuuta's life would have gone differently, it would have been a lot easier that's for sure. 

 

In the coming months, Yuuta would get to know Satoru Gojo. The man beneath the facade, the mask. But for now, all he saw was a father trying to protect his son and who was he to take away that privilege? Especially when said son deserved all the protection in the world.

 

Gojo smiled in response. His easy going personality flowing back into place as the tension left. He wrapped an arm around Yuuta's shoulders as they walked back through the house. Like they had known each other for years.

 

"You're a good kid Yuuta, y'know that?" Gojo admitted as they walked into what must have been a living room. Although, by the size of the T.V it may very well have been a home-theater. "My son's lucky to have you as a boyfriend"

 

"Ah, no-" Yuuta stuttered.

 

A loud groan could be heard from one of the couches. A second later, a head of white hair could be seen peeking over while a pair of legs dangled ove the armrest. Inumaki emerged from the front of the couch, wearing a scowl and a pair of wired headphones. 

 

'Are you feeling better?' Inumaki signed,looking at Yuuta. He purposely never once glanced in Gojo's direction.

 

Somehow his next reply felt bigger than it was, like he was sealing his fate with one white lie. Yuuta spared a glance at Gojo. 

 

"Yeah, all good Inumaki-san." Yuuta lied through his teeth. "Thank you."

 

It was one of the first in a long list of lies that Okkotsu Yuuta would tell Inumaki Toge. All necessary, all for his safety yet disgusting lies all the same.

 

Next to him, he felt Gojo relax ever so slightly.

 

'Great, so we can leave. Bye Dad,' he said, grabbing Yuuta by the wrist.

 

It was a comical sight for Gojo. His son, who was eye-level with Yuuta's shoulders, was dragging the boy along like a dog on a leash and Yuuta -who couldn't look happier- followed him along blindly. 

 

Yuuta found himself at the front door before he could process what had happened. While Inumaki was dragging them both through various halls and corridors, Yuuta's was too busy thinking about how soothing and cool Inumaki's hand felt encircled around his rapidly warming wrist. (He failed to mention how it was Inumaki's hand on his that was causing it to heat up.)

 

'Sorry about him, he means well. He just shows it in a different way.'

 

Yeah, different. Even so, Gojo had said he was willing to help, no superhero business involved. Even if it wasn't the outcome he had wanted, even if he was still going home with mutated DNA, his time was not completely wasted.

 

"Oh, it's no problem, Inumaki-san. Im feeling much better now. Thank you for bringing me here." He smiled.

 

Inumaki stared at him, his gaze lingering for a moment before he smiled, nodding. 

 

'Ichiji-San is waiting for you outside, he'll take you back to the school.'

School. Yuuta had forgotten about that. He checked his watch; he had already missed two classes. It seemed school was the last thing on your mind when you were unwillingly transforming into an animal. 

 

Inumaki walked him outside, standing in the elevated stone entrance of the house as Yuuta made his way down the stairs and into the car. Gojo joined Inumaki at the entrance a minute later, walking lazily throughthe entryway with his hands tucked into his pockets.

 

They both watched as the engine roared to life while Yuuta jumped into the car.

 

"Yuuta," Gojo called just before he shut the door."If you do change your mind, you know where to find me."

Notes:

On the bright side, he went to his crushes house. On the dark side, he is now half spider.

I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Notes:

What colour do you think Yuuta's spiderman suit should be? The iconic red and blue or something different?

Hope you all enjoy <3!

If Yuuta had to pick one word to describe the past week, he would pick strange. Thankfully, he doesn't have to pick one word, so instead he can just scream into his pillow.

 

Don't judge him, he needs this.

 

On Monday, he came home after a tiring day fulled with lectures and projects. He was exhausted and hungry. Unfortunately, Yuuta had the cooking abilities of a man in the eigtheen hundreds. That is to say, none. He burnt the ramen water once. Not the ramen. The water. After that incident, Rika had made an executive decision to do all the cooking which meant he had to do all the cleaning -he sometimes wonders if she did that for her own benefit.

 

He decided to have a snack instead of starving and being helpless till Rika got home. He shuffled through the pantry, surveying his options. He settled for a packet of chips; it wasn't his favourite flavour, but beggars cant be choosers.

 

That's where things got weird. He tried to open the chips because how else was he going to eat them. Instead of the usual, a tear along the top seam, he had somehow managed to RIP the packet in half. In half. He watched every single chip drop to the floor with an undignified grace as he mourned the loss of his savoury snack.

That was the day he realised he was stronger, physically. Something he should have learnt when he had ripped his bedroom door off it's hinges, but the fact flew over his head in the chaos of it all.

 

It was also the day he realised he was a weak man. It was very tempting to yell 'five second rule' into an empty apartment an inhale every single one. Thankfully, he had some self-respect and didn't do it. (He was about to, Rika had walked in that exact moment and put a stop to his snack-eating.)

 

The next day, Yuuta was forced to make a trip to the hardware store. Not because he was building something, but because he was fixing everything. In the span of these two days, he had managed to crack the paint on their walls, put footprints on the roof and tear multiple cupboard doors off their hinges.

 

He wasn't even trying to climb the walls half the time; he just did, like it was his second nature.

 

Now he was armed with multiple packets filled with paint, screws, screwdrivers and hinges. He realised that there was a good side to this. He would never have been able to carry all these packets up the stairs in one-go. It seemed super strength had its up-sides. Who would have thought. 

 

That day Yuuta became a professional handy-man. Fixing walls, changing light bulbs without a ladder, cleaning the roof tiles. He also learnt how to climb the walls and ceilings without leaving a trace. Which was a good thing because he was the one cleaning them.

 

 

Then, on Thursday afternoon, he was walking back home from the subway. Completely and utterly exhausted from a full day of lectures and assignments.

 

Did teachers really think it was okay to still assign homework when their exams were coming up? That was just wrong.

 

He was passing by the local konbini he liked when he felt something, a tingle under his skin, a jump in his brain. A warning almost, or an order? He didn't know what it was; he just knew every muscle and fibre in his body was telling him to turn around and go back. He tried to ignore it, he really did but his body protested with every step forward he took. It was like walking through quicksand. Admitting defeat, he turned around just in time to witness a man in a poorly designed robber costume walking up to an elderly lady.

 

Really. They're in the twenty-first century and he still thinks a black ski-masks with holes in it was going to cut it? Yuuta watches the guy yank the women's purse from her hand before spinning on his heels and running.

 

What low-life scum steals from the elderly? Actually what poor excuse for a human being steals from anyone?

 

Before he knew what he was doing, Yuuta was running after the guy in the lame Halloween costume. Well, it was more like Yuuta's body was running after the guy. Yuuta's disembodied soul hadn't moved an inch and was currently yelling at it's body to 'get back here'.

 

This is probably what people meant when they said 'out of body experience'. It was like watching a movie. He saw himself running after the man. It wasn't much of a race to be fair; he was much faster now. He caught up to the guy in ten seconds flat and grabbed his shoulders, spinning him around.

 

Then he was sucked back into his own body. Great. Now he had to deal with this guy.

 

"Excuse me sir, I don't think this purse belongs to you." He said, voice unsure. The man infront of him glanced down at the purse, then up at Yuuta, then over his shoulder presumably at the old lady.

 

"Yeah, you're right, purple's not my colour." He said before shoving the purse into Yuuta's hands and booking it down the street and around the corner before Yuuta could even blink.

 

Why hadn't he run that fast when he was being chased? This guy really needed to work on his craft.

 

He jogged back to the old lady to give her back her purse. Only, she didn't look old, infact she was quite...pretty and...familiar? She could pass for thirty if it werent for a bunch of curly grey hair on her head that bounced when she spoke.

 

"Thank you for helping me young man," she spoke, her voice was sincere. Like she had owed Yuuta her life in exchange for returning her purse but there was something else to her voice. Profesionally hidden, unless you were really listening. "The world needs more people like you." She said before turning away.

 

Under her breath, he hears her mumble something about, 'stupid sunglasses' and 'idiot'.

 

Well, that was strange. Yuuta didn't think about it too much though. He felt... good. Not because he was being thanked or because he had scared a guy into running away. No. He felt good because he helped someone. Him. Yuuta. Okkotsu Yuuta.

 

He helped someone. Maybe he could get used to this feeling.

 

 

Today may have been the strangest one of all, but it also could quite possibly have been the best day of his life.

 

There he was, sitting in Professor Nanami's class as he spoke about some seemingly irrelevant topic that was probably very important and vital to his exams. Alas, it all just flew over his head.

 

His third cup of coffee that day now lay empty on the corner of his desk. His notes also lay empty, void of any ink. He was so stressed about the upcoming exams that he couldn't even concentrate for the exams.

 

His desk was a mess, his room was a mess, he was a mess.

 

 A loud siren called the end of class and a sigh escaped him. Lunch. He needed lunch. And more coffee. The amount he had been having recently could not have been healthy but the amount of sleep he was having -or not having- was probably more concerning. A med-student would have classified him as a walking corpse by now.

 

"That's it for today. Goodluck on your studies," Nanami nodded as students filtered out of the class. Seeing the way the other students dragged their feet and hunched their backs made him realise he wasn't the only zombie in here. He grabbed his stuff, sliding books into bags and pens into pockets before throwing his bag over his shoulder. Unfortunately by doing this, his bag swung over the desk behind him knocking everything off of it. The poor victim's belonging clanged to the floor one-by-one. 

 

After profusely apologizing, he helped pick up all the items that had been littered over the lecture room floor. 

 

Really, what was the point of having spidey-senses (he was working on it) if they weren't going to save him from embarrassing situations like these. The kid whose stuff he had knocked over looked as if that one interaction had been his 13th reason.

 

After apologizing to the victim of his clumsiness one more time, he made for the door when he saw a familiar head of alabaster hair up front, talking to the professor.

 

Yuuta slowed his steps. What was Inumaki doing here? He didn't take this class. He walked down the carpeted steps of the auditorium.

Nanami and the boy seemed deep in conversation, both signing at each other with fast gestures. When he reached the bottom, Nanami raised his head from Inumaki. His eyes met Yuuta's, stopping his next thought from leaving his head thus ending their conversation.

 

Inumaki turned to see what had caused Nanami to stop, when he too spotted Yuuta. His eyes widened slightly, before he raised a hand in a small wave.

 

Yuuta waved back. He was slightly confused. Why had they stopped talking on his account? Was he breathing loudly?

 

"Sorry Nanami-san, I didn't mean to interrupt." He bowed.

 

"It's no problem, Yuuta-kun. We were just finishing up." Nanami waved him off. "I'll see you later, Toge. Tell Satoru he needs to tread carefully." Nanami nodded towards Inumaki before grabbing his briefcase and walking off.

 

Yuuta watched his blue suit dissappear out the door before turning his attention back to Inumaki who was still staring at the door Nanami just walked out of.

 

He seemed...pissed for lack of a better word. His brow was set into the deepest scowl known to man and he was clenching and unclenching his fist like he was debating whether or not to start throwing punches. 

 

Which was concerning because Yuuta was the only other person in the room and he did not want to be on the other side of anyone's fists. Even someone as adorable as Inumaki.

 

"Are you alright Inumaki-kun? " He ventured.

 

Inumaki's eyes slowly slid away from the door and to Yuuta. He now knew how Satoru Gojo felt all those days ago in the Gojo mansion. That gaze really was piercing. Yuuta gulped.

 

"Is um, is everything okay?" He tried again.

 

Toge blinked and his features smoothed out. His eyebrows sat in their normal positions and the wrinkles gave way to porcelain skin.

 

'Yeah, all good.' Inumaki signed with a vacant face.

 

Apparently all was not good because Inumaki proceeded to stare at his face, blinking every few seconds. It was like he was searching for something. Why were people always searching for things in his face? Did he look like Google?

 

Just because he stared at Inumaki when he wasn't looking doesn't mean Inumaki could stare back at him. Yuuta did not like being stared at. 

 

In silence, he may add. It was completely silent except for the slight hum of the AC's blowing cold air into the classroom. Although by Yuuta's standard, it was entirely too hot.

 

He did not like silences. They made him uncomfortable. He shifted on his feet, searching for something to say. Something smart, maybe even witty.

 

"Lunch?" Was what he settled for. Inumaki nodded, 'yeah, lunch'.

 

They walked out of the classroom, still in silence but this one was more bearable, with the prospect of food and maybe even a conversation with Inumaki on the horizon.

 

They made their way out of the building together. Their university was actually really pretty if you cared to look. Between the exam stress and trying to get to lectures on time, he hadn't really took the time to notice it. 

 

Freshly pruned trees separated the gravel walkways from the grass patches the students used to rest after classes. If you had seen the scene from above, it would have probably looked like green tiles with gray grout. It was a funny thing to think about. Would that make him an ant crawling across the floor?

 

 'A spider,' his brain added unhelpfully. Maybe someone would smash him with their ugliest shoe if he asked nicely enough.

 

He was getting side-tracked. There was nothing strange about the university itself, it had looked just as it had the day before. 

 

What was strange was seeing Inumaki Toge, who had been right next to him the second prior, dash past him in flash of blue cotton and behind one of the trees that lined the paths. He ducked behind it, easily hiding his lean form behind its trunk. What was even more strange was the man walking up to him. Towards Yuuta. Not Inumaki. Which was weird because the man was-

 

"If it isn't my favourite future son-in-law." 

 

Oh no. He groaned internally. It was funny how a few days ago, Gojo Satoru was Yuuta's biggest inspiration. But now? He still has A LOT of pent up frustration after the whole spider incident so he was just a pain in the-

 

"Gojo-san," he strained with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

 

"Well, I was looking for Toge, but I can't seem to find him. You wouldn't happen to know where he is do you?"

 

At his words, Yuuta's eyes flicked over to the tree that hid the boy in question. He could see Inumaki peaking out from behind it ever so slightly. His eyes met Yuuta's, pleading for his silence. He brought both his hands together, clutching them in a praying motion while shaking his head profusely. It seems Inumaki Toge did not want to be found and Yuuta was meant for nothing if not to gladly serve his every whim. He brought his eyes back to Gojo, who was still awaiting an answer.

 

"No Gojo-san, I can't say I have."

 

"Oh really?" he asked rasing his eyebrows. Amusement was clear in his voice, he was definitely not convinced. Gojo was onto him; Yuuta gulped.

 

"Nope, no Inumaki-kun here. I can- , I can take a message if you want?"

 

.

.

.

 

He finds Inumaki slumped against the base of the tree. He had his earphones in and eyes closed. It almost looked like he was sleeping. There was little sign of life besides the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. His hair ruffled slightly as the wind blew past them. It looked so beautiful, he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through it. Would it be soft or silky? 

 

He wishes to whip his camera out right there and grab a picture. It would become his most famous piece, he could already see it now. He could call it 'Sleeping beauty', it would be in every single photography textbook you could find.

 

But then again, the scene itself was so special, the muse within it even more so. Many people did not deserve to see such a sight. Maybe he would keep the picture to himself then. Hide it from prying eyes who had ill intentions. 

 

Inumaki cracked open an eye, looking up at him.

 

"Fancy seeing you here," Yuuta greeted with a smile. It was the same one he always got when speaking to Inumaki Toge. An uncontrollable reaction.

 

Even though he had been making significant progress in developing their relationship. He would even go as far as to say they were acquaintances, which was a huge upgrade from before when their relationship solely comprised of Yuuta's swooning and Inumaki not knowing he existed. Now Inumaki would wave at him in the hallways and Yuuta would greet him whenever he saw him but he was still hopeless to the beauty that sat before him.

 

"Very funny, ' Inuamki had both his eyes opened now, but he made no move to get up. 'Is he gone?'

 

"Yeah, he's gone. But um, he told me to tell you that he's there if you need to talk and that i love-, he loves you."

 

After hearing this, Inumaki threw his head back onto the tree with a renowned sigh. His hair, fell back with it, gathering in soft waves around around his ears. It seemed as though he had a million thoughts running in his head; Yuuta could tell as much by the far-away yet right here look that made its home in violet eyes. The boy gazed at tree branches in masked distress.

 

 

Maybe he didn't know Inumaki that well (he wanted to though, he really wanted to) but he knew college kids and Inumaki was showing all the signs of stressedthehelloutalitus. Yuuta would know, he had succumbed to the dreaded illness many, many times.

 

Thankfully, after being a victim of a disease that many times, one learns how to treat it.

 

Yuuta took a few steps closer to the tree before slowly sinking onto his knees and shuffling to the base, mimicking Inumaki's position. They sat like that for a while, just basking in the silence of each other's company. Yuuta watched the other students walking past them in idle chatter as they made their way to lectures. Some threw the pair a sideways glance, though he couldn't blame them much. He was sitting next to a prodigy and he was...well Yuuta. An unlikely pair would be the polite way to describe them. It didn't bother him as much as it normally would have though. They weren't the ones sitting next to Inumaki.

 

"Inumaki-kun," he broke the silence. Inumaki tilted his head, a sign that he was listening. Yuuta stared at the ground as he spoke, afraid any contact with Inumaki might waver his will-power. "I don't mean to pry, but you seem...stressed."

 

He saw Inumaki turn his head completely in his peripheral, giving Yuuta his undivided attention. Yuuta's confidence fizzles under the attention but he swallows and continues anyways.

 

"It's best to talk about things that worry you and uh, not to brag but I've been told I'm a really good listener." He laughed.

 

Inumaki weighed his options for a minute, contemplating what Yuuta had said before raising his hands between the two of them.

 

"Why do you care? You don't know me." Inumaki signed with slow gestures and if he were anyone else, Yuuta would have taken this as his sign to stop talking. Thankfully, he wasn't anyone else.

 

Being incapable of speaking meant that people would often misunderstand what you were trying to convey. Can you imagine trying to crack a joke without adding that light-hearted teasing touch to your voice? Can you imagine not having a voice at all?

 

It's easy to take things the wrong way if you do not know the tone they were said in. Inumaki had found a way around this flaw, it seems. If he couldn't say it, he would show it. And show it he did. Every sentence was accompanied by an eyebrow pinch or slight nose scrunch. Inumaki was a very expressive person if you were paying attention and Yuuta Okkotsu, whether he wanted to or not, had become an attention paying machine.

 

That is to say, Inumaki didn't mean it in a rude way. It was a genuine question from the look on his face. Not accusatory or skeptical, just genuine confusion. Why would someone he didn't know care about him?

 

 

"Well, maybe I want to know you..." Yuuta mumbled shyly looking to the ground. He rooted his eyes there, refusing to look up. His face had suddenly become warm.

 

A tingle was sent through his body as Inumaki's fingers found there way to Yuuta's forehead, flicking it with a laugh.

 

'I'd like to know you too, Okkotsu Yuuta.' was what he saw when he lifted his eyes back up.

 

(and there...under an unsuspecting tree, on an unsuspecting day, Okkotsu Yuuta's 'middle school crush' may have started to turn into something more.)

 

His heart swelled at the thought. Inumaki had wanted to know him? The boy who could be considered perfect in any aspect thought his worthy of his time? Yuuta could have died right then and there.

 

"Okay then, where do we start?" He mused. "I'm a third year quantum-physics student. My favorite food is salted cabbage. I like coffee, taking photos and the sunset."

 

And pretty boys with violet eyes, but he didn't say that one.

 

Inumaki pressed the back of his hand to his mask in an attempt to pass off his laugh as a cough. It failed. Miserably.

 

"Hey! Don't laugh at me," Yuuta pouted. 

 

'Sorry. It's just, you're so cheesy,' Yuuta imagined Inumaki was sporting a grin under that mask. 'Salted cabbage? Really?'

 

Yuuta nudged Inumaki with his elbow. "Yeah, yeah laugh it up. You're missing out on one of life's greatest treasures."

 

Inumaki let another wave of laughter roll out of him -freely this time- before he began his own introduction.

 

'Okay. My turn. Third year comp-sci student. My favourite food is onigiri. I like plants, watching You-Tube and playing with my cousins dogs.'

 

"Your cousin's dogs?"

 

'Kuro and Shiro. Theyre the best boys ever! They jumped you at my house, remember?'

 

Of course he remembers. He could practically feel the claw-shapes dents on his shoulders.

 

"Dogs?!" He exasperated. "I thought those were wolves!"

 

'That's why they stay at our place most of time, my cousin's dad says their isn't enough space for them in his house. I guess my cousin stays over a lot for similar reason too.' He shrugged. 

 

It was so...natural, talking to Inumaki. It takes Yuuta a minute to process that he was actually speaking with Inumaki Toge about something so domestic, but then again he has been to the guys house, rode in his car, met his dad...the list goes on.

 

He chuckles. The idea of it all is so crazy. "Maybe we aren't strangers after all Inumaki-kun."

 

Next to him, Inumaki tensed. He faced forward, opting to stare at the passing students instead of Yuuta, who currently felt like the biggest jerk on planet Earth. He didn't mean to make Inumaki feel uncomfortable, but somehow he clearly had. The light-hearted tone of their conversation had disappeared the second he finished his sentence, now replaced with something oppressive.

 

Just as he was about to open his mouth and began frantically apologizing, Inumaki raised his hands infront of both of them.

 

'My dad. He's been keeping something from me.'

 

For the first time since he's seen Inumaki sign, the boy's hands were unsure. Like he was still considering if he should tell Yuuta this.

 

'And I know it sounds petty to be upset at him for it, but he never keeps things from me. And I have a feeling it's something big.'

 

Inumaki's hands fall to his lap but before Yuuta could speak, they were up and moving once more.

 

'And before you say 'that's just because he cares about you' or something else to make me feel better, I know he cares but sometimes I think he cares too much. I'm not a child that needs protecting anymore. He can rely on me as much as I can rely on him. He doesn't need to carry everything by himself. I'm here if he needs to talk.'

 

Yuuta felt guilty. So very, very guilty. He was also keeping secrets from Inumaki, and if he had to guess, it was probably the same secret Gojo was keeping.

 

And probably for the same reason Gojo was keeping it too. To protect Inumaki, but now Inumaki was saying he didn't need protecting. So did he really have to keep it from him?

 

He did. His promise echoed in his head. A reminder. He couldn't break it. Even if he really really wanted too, so he didn't.

 

He still didn't trust himself to not saying if Inumaki looked at him with that gaze. So he didn't. Say anything, that is.

 

Instead he did something completely different. He shuffled around before grabbing Inumaki by the shoulders and wrapping him in a hug. Inumaki made a little sound of surprise when Yuuta pulled him in, but soon he felt shy hands on his back, reciprocating the gesture.

 

Yuuta might not have been the best at comforting people, but you could never go wrong with a hug. Wrapping anyone in a warm embrace was bound to make them feel better.

 

"Gojo-san is lucky to have you as a son, Inumaki-kun." He said directly into his ear. He thinks back to the memory of Gojo's eyes as asked Yuuta not to tell his son about any of this. The memory may have faded as the week passed but the emotion hadn't. "And I'm sure he knows it too."

 

They both jolted as a large ringing swept through the campus. A bell. Why does he always forget about the time when he's with Inumaki.

 

Inumaki pulls away first. Yuuta takes it as his chance to stand up, dusting his pants as he did so. He offered a hand out to Inumaki, who threw his black messenger bag over his shoulder before taking Yuuta's hand and rising to his own feet.

 

"I hope you feel better- oh. You have a leaf in your hair." 

 

The green leaf stood bright and proud among pure white, resting just above Inumaki's ear. Yuuta now confirmed without a doubt, that Inumaki could rock anything. Even the stray leaf looked designer in his hair, like some luxurious brand hair-clip.

 

Yuuta reached a hand out subconsciously, fingers shifting through Inumaki's hair to catch it. His wrist brushed against Inumaki's ear as he did so. Both, he decided. It was soft and silky. Both.

 

The leaf was thrown into the passing wind as Yuuta's hand found its way back into his bubble and out of Inumaki's.

 

Said Inumaki was frozen. His eyes widened slightly at the gesture and the tip of his ear was slightly flushed where Yuuta's wrist had brushed it. He stared at Yuuta, before blinking the expression away. It was replaced with a bow of his head.

 

'Thank you, Okkotsu-kun... for everything.'

 

"Anytime." He smiled at Inumaki who mirrored his expression with a masked version of his own.

 

And that was the smile he was currently telling Rika about.

 

"-and it felt like the whole Universe had decided to smoosh together until it formed his eyes. Then he smiled at me Rika. AT ME!" The sentence was accompanied by frantic gestures and a lot of squealing -and not from Rika.

 

They walked side by side onto the sports field. They took this path every friday for two reasons:

 

1. It was one of the shorter ways off the campus.

 

2. This field in particular was used for the 'american football' team practice.

 

Which was convenient for them because as they walked along the sidelines of the giant field, Rika could ogle at the players and Yuuta could ogle at the bleachers. Specifically, one part of the bleachers where a certain white haired boy sat looking angelic doing his homework. How could one look angelic doing their homework, you ask? He doesn't know the answer.

 

But the way Inumaki frowned, biting the end of his pencil as he stared at what must be an extremely hard calculation did things to his stomach. He wasn't wearing his mask, much to Yuuta's surprise. He had always wondered why the boy wore one. Masks were used to hide things you didn't want anyone to see, but there was nothing on Inumaki's face that Yuuta wouldn't want to see. Defined jaw, straight nose, perfect set lips framed with twin lines of ink and contrasted by pale skin. Yuuta didnt even want to think about what that tatoo did to him. It was cruel for Inumaki to ever want to hide that from the world.

 

Next to him, sat another boy. The most noticeable thing about him from this distance was his hair. It was black and it looked spikey. Yuuta wondered how long it took him to style it like that. Actually, he wondered if he even did style it because why would anyone want their hair to be akin to a sea urchin. Maybe that was just his envy speaking but it was true.

 

The two of them were talking now, well Spikey over there was talking. Inumaki was just nodding along. In his opinion they were sitting really close, like unnecessarily close, like leave space for Jesus close. It was making Yuuta sad.

 

Rika, who had sensed his kicked-puppy demeanor, looked to the direction of the bleachers.

 

"Oh. My. Gosh. Stop pouting you big baby, they're literally just talking" Rika jested, slapping his arm, sounding entirely unsympathetic to his current predicament.

 

"Yeah and then talking turns to dating and dating turns to marriage and marriage turns to-"

 

 

A slight buzz of energy shot through his entire body, alerting him. He stopped walking abruptly, eyes searching the entire field. His head shifted from side to side. Eyes darting madly over the entire area. Rika had stopped walking too. She turned back to face Yuuta, worry written all over her face.

 

The tingle was back. (he's working on it)

 

"Yuuta-kun, what's wro-," her voice faded out as his senses went into overdrive. He had spotted it. A ball, they were going to throw it. The wind wasn't right, the man's aim was unsure. He was going to miss his mark. The ball was going to swerve. It was going to swerve and hit the bleachers. The bleachers where people sat. Where Inumaki sat.

 

He couldn't tell you how he knew this, because he didn't know either. What he did know, was that he was running out of time.

 

 The man readied himself, ball clutched in his hand. Yuuta had to do something.

 

The man threw the ball. He watched it fly through the air, he watched it swerve. He had to stop it fast. And so he ran, faster than he ever thought he could. 

 

Down the line, over the barricade, and up the stairs.

 

He had never run so fast in his life. He made it to the bleachers just as the ball had begun its descent. Yuuta reached out his arms, closed his eyes and braced his face for the impact that was sure to come from a ball moving at that velocity.

 

Except, it never came. All he felt was pressure in his hands and all he heard was silence. He opened his eyes. Blinked.

 

In his hands sat an oddly-shaped brown ball, the texture rough on his palms. He stared at it, it stared back innocently. The ball was in his hands

 

THE BALL WAS IN HIS FREAKING HANDS.

 

The field erupted into cheers. The cheerleaders across the field even started screaming. He caught the ball. He didn't believe it. Someone came up to him and shook him by the shoulders.

 

"Woah man, that was a sick catch!" The man yelled in his face. A bright smile and strangely pink hair. Yuuta recognized him. The captain. What was his name again?

 

"Itadori Yuji." A voice called, scarily monotone. It somehow managed to silence the entire field in six syllables. Yuuta saw the pink haired boy infront of him visibly flinch. Ah, he must be Itadori then. The boy turned around sheepishly to look at the owner of the voice. He brought a hand up to scratch at his nape. A nervous gesture if Yuuta's ever seen one.

 

"Aha, heyyy Gumi. Didn't see you there, lovely weather we're having today aren't we?" Itadori tried, raising his eyes to sky. 

 

To his grace, the weather was pretty nice. A clear sky, the sun was shining. Not too hot, not too cold.

 

Although, 'Gumi' over here looked like he had a storm cloud hovering over his spikey head. He momentarily felt sorry for Itadori. He did not want to be in his position right now.

 

"What did I tell about throwing that ball when there are so many people on these stands?" He reprimanded. He was wearing the school's First aiders T-shirt, which was starting to make sense.

 

Yuji faced down, nodding along solemnly. Yuuta thought he looked akin to a toddler getting scolded. "Sorry Megumi."

 

"Don't apologise to me, Toge almost got concussed."

 

Yuuta no longer felt sorry for Itadori. He watched him turn on his heels to face Inumaki.

 

"Sorry, Toge-senpai. We didn't meant to concuss you.", Itadori said earnestly bowing his head. The boy looked like a kicked puppy. Yuuta couldn't help feeling sorry for him again.

 

Inumaki let out a small laugh, smiling at Itadori. His tattoo curled with his smile and it-

 

Stop it, Yuuta. Focus.

 

'I'm fine, Yuji-kun. Don't let the big, bad Megumi scare you. Okkotsu over here saved me.'

 

Yuuta stood a little taller at that. Inumaki noticed his presence?

 

"Oh yeah!" Itadori looked at him again. "That was some serious speed bro. And the catch? It was like-"

 

He held his hands out, micmiking someone catching a ball. The act was completed with sound affects that Itadori supplied for himself. He spoke again when the 'ball' was in his hands.

 

"Hey, do you play?" Well, he was not expecting that.

 

"Uh, no not really." He said shifting the the ball in his hands. He meant to say 'Hell no. I can't even jog without breaking a sweat' but that would be a lie due to recent...developments.

 

"You should totally join the team man," Yuuji wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You'd be great!"

 

And listen, he was going to say no. Every part of him wanted to scream that he had not a single athletic bone in his body. Up until a week ago he couldn't even kick a ball straight.

 

...but everyone was looking at him and Inumaki was there and he didn't want to look like a loser and... peer pressure is a scary thing okay?

 

So now Yuuta was a part of the football team, who would have thought

Notes:

Did I make Yuuta join Yuji's team solely so I could write Toge (and a forced Megumi) doing a cheer squad routine for them?

No.

Was it a contributing factor?

Maybe.

Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Notes:

School is LITERALLY eating me so there might be a little bit of a delay between chapters, not too long though! I enjoy writing this too much to wait.
My deepest apologies :(

But besides that, here we are. I hope you enjoy <3
As always, please feel free to let me know your thoughts!

The scariest moment is always just before you start

-Stephen King

 

Yuuta was tired, bruised and battered. He did not have any fight left in him. Every single muscle and bone worked against him. Each step felt like walking on glass. The likelihood of him collapsing onto the grass and never waking was becoming higher with each passing second.

 

"C'mon Okkotsu-senpai, just one more drill."

 

That's it. He's going to die. Someone tell Toge that he'll always love him. Someone tell Rika she sucks. Someone delete his search history.

 

To no-ones surprise, being on a sports team was difficult. Long training hours, brutal practices and a lot of sweat. It was not a pretty sight. So what if he had superhuman strength, and superhuman speed and possibly superhuman endurance? That doesnt mean he couldn't get tired, okay? His body was only as strong as his brain and his brain...gave up four drills ago.

 

Thankfully, the team made it better. Even though he had only joined recently, they made him feel welcomed from the get-go. Breaks in-between training felt more like a family gathering than anything else, crazy uncles and all. It was such a wonderful feeling to be part of a team, to know that people would have your back when all hope seems lost. It helped that they were also some of the most interesting people he had ever met.

 

First there was Maki (she had threatened him with a very descriptive death if he ever dared to call her by her family name). She was their coach's assistant (Yuuta believed she was scarier than the coach himself but he would never say that to her face). She was brutal when it came to whipping them into shape but that was also probably why their team was so good so no-one said anything -out loud, anyways. She had a girlfriend on the cheer squad who sometimes came to their practices just to make fun of their lack of gracefullness. (Yeah Kugisaki, because tackling people is a graceful act). Overall, Maki was a...nice person, a little scary but nice.

 

Second was Hakari Kinji, he was in the year above Yuuta. Hakari-san was surprisingly very superstitious. You wouldn't have guessed it if you looked at him, but the man was all knowledgeable about anything when it came to luck. You couldn't even speak about ladders or black cats around him and he had these weird before-match rituals that he guaranteed would lead them to success. No one could fault him for it though because the team had yet to loose a match with his 'rituals' so it was just an accepted fact.

 

Then there was Aoi Todo and... Yuuta didn't know what to feel about him. He was muscular, intimidating and often liked practicing without a shirt on. The very first thing he had ever said to Yuuta was, "what's your type of women". Which, okay...that's not something you just go out saying to people. At least he doesn't think it is. Thankfully, Fushiguro saved him from that encounter. He dragged Yuuta away under the excuse of 'health check' or whatever. He doesn't care, he's just grateful he could escape without an embarrassing memory and his pride still intact.

 

Speaking of Fushiguro, he was the team's resident medic for practices and matches. He was also Inumaki's cousin. Yes, his cousin. The one with the big dogs. He was related to Inumaki. Not that this information made Yuuta do a happy dance or anything (it didn't, shut up Rika). 

 

 

At first glance the pair didn't look the part. Fushiguro was all tall, dark features and stood with a quiet confidence where as Inumaki stood on the opposite end of the spectrum with lighter features, exuding an aura that was louder than he seemed and he was...well, short. He was short. Like the tips of his hair would only brush Yuuta's nose if he stood close enough short. Not that Yuuta was complaining.

 

But back to the main point, if they were related, they did not look the part. Maybe there was an adoption somewhere along the line? But Inumaki's resemblance to Gojo was almost uncanny. Then again, Yuuta could see little bits of Megumi when Inumaki scowled or the twinkle of mishevious in Megumi's eyes when Yuji missed a catch that looked a little too much like Inumaki's.

 

Maybe they were related by blood? It wasn't unusual for relatives to look unalike.

 

He had a lot of respect for Fushiguro, infact, he had respect for anyone who decided to study medicine. Unfortunately, he didn't think the feeling was mutual. Fushiguro always looked at him the same way one would look at a cockroach, but then again he looks at everyone that way so maybe it was just his face. Well, except for Itadori. Fushiguro's expression always carried a slight twist when he looked at him, like a puzzle he had yet to solve.

 

Which was weird because Itadori was an open book. There was nothing to solve, he wore his heart on his sleeve and carried his emotions in a giant glass jar. He was easy to understand, he rarely hid how he felt. Yuuta liked this about Itadori. It would probably be easier to be friends with him then hate the man. He was easy to get along with and was friendly beyond measure. This fact was further proven at the end of today's practice.

 

They had just wrapped up today's session, the final one for the semester before the term gave out. He had one more week of finals left and the stress was getting to him. Thankfully throwing a ball around and tackling people for a few hours a week was actually a good stress reliever.

 

Yuuta sat on the grass with his legs out- stretched soaking up the remaining sunlight. The sun had been setting earlier as they got deeper into winter so it felt good to sit beneath it's rays. It warmed up his skin in a way that made him feel like everything would be okay, even if he didn't know how.

 

He raised a waterbottle to his lips letting the cool liquid down his throat as he watched his teammates make their across the evening lit field, all on their way home...or to a club whichever came first. Hopefully the former but probably the latter. Todo had said and he quotes "they all love the sweaty athlete vibe."

 

A hand hit his back causing him to choke on the water that was attempting to make its way down his throat. Ugly coughs left him as he tried to clear his airways. Yuuta felt as if he had just hacked up a lung. He brought the back of his hand up to wipe his mouth while he prayed that he didn't look as embarrassing as he thought.

 

"My bad Okkotsu-san," Yuuji laughed as if he hadn't almost just killed Yuuta. The boy clearly was not aware of his own strength -but then again, Yuuta had ripped his bedroom door off the wall, so did he really have a right to complain here?

 

"We had a good run this semester, I can't wait till you get to play an actual match with us." Yuuji said enthusiastically as he settled down on the grass next to Yuuta, leaning back on his hands. Yuuta debated whether the boy could utter a sentence without sounding enthusiastic.

 

He would get to play in actual matches soon. He didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. He said as much.

 

"Both," Yuuji chuckled, letting himself fall to the ground. He clasped his hands behind his head in a make-shift pillow. "It's always both, even in your second game, and you third, and your fourth and... you get the idea."

 

Yuuta laughs. "Yeah, I do. So...you never get used to it?"

 

Yuuji bites at his cheek, contemplating his answer. "Well, I guess you get used to being nervous and excited."

 

"Great," Yuuta deadpanned.

 

"It's not a bad thing...to be nervous. It shows that you care about what you're playing for. Every stomach drop and shakey hand shows you that this is important to you and reminds you to keep at it y'know?"

 

Yuuta hums in response, that made sense. He's never thought about it that way. Yuuji sits up, looking around the field.

 

"Enough scary talk for now, Todo's having a party at our frat next weekend to celebrate finishing finals. You should totally come!"

 

A party already? The devil works fast but the frats work faster. But they did need to let loose after all that studying -or not studying- so it made sense. He'd have to ask Rika first though, and make sure his calendar was clear.

 

"I don't know Itadori-kun, I'll have to see-"

 

"Yuuji." A new voice spoke. Fushiguro and Inumaki were walking up to them from the bleachers. That's another reason why he enjoyed being on the football team. It meant having an excuse to see and talk to Inumaki. That guaranteed him at least one conversation a week.

 

Inumaki had told him during one of the practice breaks that Fushiguro comes over to his house for the weekends so they go home together on Friday evenings after the practices. From what Yuuta's seen, Inumaki's either nose deep in homework or judging them with Nobara during these sessions while Fushiguro just glares at the game.

 

"Gumiii! Need something?" Yuuji greeted.

 

"Yeah, you." Fushiguro deadpanned.

 

Yuuta blanched. Someones heartbeat picks up, but he can't tell who. Both Yuuji and Megumi were sporting identical pink dustings on their cheeks so that wasn't much help either. Inumaki, who stood behind Fushiguro, widened his eyes slightly at the statement. He quickly recovered from his shock bringing one hand to pat sympathetically at his cousin's shoulder. The gesture would've been considered sweet if Inumaki wasn't -unsympathetically- shaking with laughter while doing so.

 

"I mean I need to talk to you. About the team." Fushiguro told the grass. 

 

"Oh, okay Fushi! I'll be with you in a sec." Yuuji stood up, dusting his pants. "Nice talking to you Yuuta."

 

"You too, Yuuji-kun, Bye Fushiguro."

 

Both him and Inumaki watched the pair walk across the glowing field, shoulders almost brushing but not quite, as they made their way back to the bleachers.

 

'That was so awkward,' Inumaki signed. He plopped down next to Yuuta resuming Yuuji's position from earlier. 'Funniest thing I've seen all day.'

 

"Are you saying that me falling flat on my face after missing the ball wasnt the funniest thing ever?" Yuuta teased in faux-offense.

 

Inumaki hummed at the sky, pretending to be in deep thought.

 

'Nope, this was way funnier.'

 

Yuuta scoffed but smiled nonetheless. "I guess it's a close second." He looked over his shoulder back to where Fushiguro and Yuuji had walked to. "Not to be...y'know but-...there's something going on between those two, right?"

 

He whispered this like a child sharing their deepest secret, even though Inumaki was the only one in hearing distance. The thought had been on his mind for a while now, marinating as he collected more evidence.

 

Inumaki slammed his hand into the ground, nodding in agreement. 'Megumi denies it left and right but he is so down bad.'

 

Yuuta can't help but agree with him. Not that he had much room to talk. He's such a hypocrite.

 

'If i have to watch his pining ass for another minute, i am going to lock them in a closest together at Todo's party.'

 

"You wouldn't." Yuuta deadpanned.

 

'Oh, I would.' Inumaki smirked. 'Someone has to do God's work.'

 

Truth be told, he never took Inumaki for a prankster but the closer he got to him, the more he learnt. And Yuuta absolutely adored this side to him ; every sneaky wink and cheeky grin. Did he say Todo's party?

 

"So you're going then? To the party?"

 

'Of course. Aren't you?' Inumaki tilted his head to the side. What had Yuuta been saying earlier? Calendar? What calendar? What's a calendar?

 

"Yeah, totally. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Yuuta replied as if he hadn't just made that decision a second ago.

 

Inumaki looked at him, smiled at him, sharp canines and swirls of ink on full display. 'I'm glad.'

 

Yuuta felt his face heat up under the stare but couldn't bring himself to reply.

 

And maybe God was on his side because it was the perfect setting for romance. The air was golden, the big open field completely barren except for them. The only sound was the gush of wind as it blew gently past them. It was the type of silence that washed away everything except honesty. Inumaki was staring at him. He was staring at Inumaki. Yuuta could hear his own heartbeat growing louder in his chest. Were they always sitting this close? Honestly, it felt like he was being peer pressured by the universe to start talking. Unfortunately, the fear of what might come out if he opened his mouth kept it shut.

 

Yuuta's phone rings, vibrating in his pocket. The uniform ringing thankfully -or not so much- cutting the tension in the air like a knife through butter. The golden hue that the world had recently taken on had slightly dimmed by the interruption.

 

He fumbled the phone out of his pocket and stared at the perpetrators contact. Rika. He answered the call miserably, mouthing an apology to Inumaki who waved him off. Rika warns him over the phone to get home now or she would never forgive him for missing their movie night. Yuuta couldn't help laugh at the silliness of it all, promising he would be home soon before setting the phone back in his pocket.

 

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

 

'Nothing,' Inumaki smiled at him again. No teeth this time Yuuta noticed dully. Figures appeared in the distance, walking towards them slowly. Megumi and Yuji were making their way back to them now, visibly less flushed then when they had left. 'I guess we both have to get going, bye Okkotsu.'

 

Inumaki sped off before Yuuta could even reply.

 

 

.

.

.

 

"Woah-ho, look at you Mr. Football player," a voice called from the couch. He had just walked back into their apartment, sweaty and drained. Rika stood up from the couch, clad in pajamas and a pointed expression.

 

"Is this an acceptable time to come home, huh?" Rika said as she tapped at her non-existent watch. He laughed at her antics. She reminded him of his mom sometimes.

 

Even with all her teases, he still found a plate of food freshly wrapped waiting for him when he peeked in the microwave. She had her ways of showing love.

 

"Thank you, Rika-chan" he sang heating up the food.

 

"Yeah, yeah don't get used to it" she grumbled. "It's a one time thing."

 

He knew this was lie. She had been preparing his food like this a lot recently. He was coming home much later on some days, too tired to even think about eating but starving nonetheless. And on those days there was always a plate of cling-wrapped food waiting for him. 

 

She was the only one besides Gojo who knew about his...abilities. She was the only one who knew the struggles he had to overcome to live with them. (And although Rika never said it out loud, she was glad to finally see Yuuta grow out of his shell. The world deserved to see the boy behind the anxiety. This life, the friends, the confidence. He was literally playing a sport for crying out loud. The same boy who couldn't even kick a ball was slowly becoming the rising star of their universities football team. Maybe he hadn't wanted these powers, but he needed them. Maybe he didn't see what she did, but they made him better. And not better as in a brand new Yuuta. But better as in they enhanced what was there all along, allowing him to shine through.)

 

(Not that she would tell him any of this, she wasn't mature enough for that yet)

 

 

He was really grateful for her, he didn't know what he would do without her.

 

Yuuta brought his now warmed food with him and settled down next to her on the couch. She was watching some show on the T.V . A British guy yelling bloody murder at some frightened looking man. She giggled, laying her head on his shoulder as he ate. They both watched the show getting lost in it.

 

Maybe some things in his life had changed, but the important ones hadn't. 

 

.

.

.

 

The clicking of heels on hardwood floor reverberated across the entire room. The only things that could be heard were the scratching of pens and ticking of a clock. The room was practically dead otherwise.

 

The clock ticked nonstop, like a countdown to death...or to freedom? Yuuta spared a glance at it, only for a second because that's all he could afford. 

 

14:47. He had thirteen minutes. Thirteen minutes to write down some half sensible answers that won't bring shame to his entire bloodline. He stared down at the exam. Page fourteen, the last one, stared back at him. Clean and untouched. An entire blank page. That was surely going to get him knocked down a grade level.

 

The scratching of paper had seemingly gotten more intense over the past few seconds. It seems everyone was becoming aware of the time remaining.

 

He looked at the page again. Multiple, seemingly unrelated numbers stared back at him. How was he supposed to make heads or tails of any of these? 

 

He just wanted to put his head down and become one with the desk. Live out the rest of his years being drawn on by kids with nothing better to do.

 

14:49.

 

Tick, tick, tick.

 

He can't give up now. He's gone too far. No way is he going to throw away his acing grade because of one lousy page.

 

He just needs to look at it differently. A new perspective.

So with a deep breath, and a little mental cheerleading, he looked at it again. 

 

If he could just figure out what the pattern between them is...

 

.

.

.

 

Done.

 

He's done.

 

He could scream. He was one shred of dignity away from throwing his hands into the air and yelling a war cry. Walking out of the university building archway, he felt the stress stay behind with it. His posture straightened out. The stress that weighed on his back like bricks fell off one by one.

 

The sound of gravel crunching drew his attention. He turned his head just in time to see Rika sprinting towards him with her arms thrown out.

 

All second-year engineering students had their Math final, which happened to be their final final, today so basically they could all celebrate freedom together.

 

He braced himself for impact, arms reaching out to catch Rika as she jumped him for a hug.

 

"We're done!" She cheered into his ear. "We did it! We did it!"

 

"Yeaaah, we did." He agreed with a smile, slowly extracting Rika's grip from him.

 

"Va-Cay here we come." She pumped her fists into the air walking back down the path. They weren't going on a 'Va-Cay'. They were going to sit in their apartment or go get drunk at parties for the next five weeks but who was he to spoil her fun.

 

Yuuta made to follow her -they had to have their mandatory celebratory lunch for finishing the semester- but stopped in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

 

Turning around, he was met the faces of two of his new friends. "Inumaki-kun! Maki-san!" He called fondly. They strolled over to him, sharing their victory on wrapping up the semester.

 

Maki's version of congratulating someone was a punch to the shoulder which he laughed off with tears in his eyes. Inumaki's version was much sweeter in Yuuta's completely unbiased opinion. He handed him an onigiri with a little white flag of peace stuck into it with what he assumed was a toothpick.

 

'Victory onigiri is a necessity,' he signed with a completely straight face once the plastic wrapped goodness was safely in Yuuta's hands.

 

"Uh, yeah totally!" He nodded in agreement. "Rika and I were actually on our way to get a celebratory lunch.'

 

Yuuta, bless him, was doing much better on his journey of wooing Inumaki Toge. Infact, he had gone a whole fourteen conversations without stuttering and an entire seven interactions without doing something stupid or remotely embarrassing. Not that he was counting or anything.

 

Infront of him, the two shared a look. Inumaki shot Maki a clear 'I told you so' although, Yuuta was confused as to what he would be referring to. He watched them have a silent staredown before Maki started speaking again. 

 

"You know what? Me and Toge were thinking the exact same thing." Maki said with a grin. It was clear she was speaking to Yuuta, but she had neither turned away from Toge or faced Yuuta in the slightest. It was kind of unnerving.

 

What had she said though? They were going to get lunch too?

That's the perfect opportunity to speak to Inu-, them. The perfect opportunity to speak to them more.

 

"Why don't you guys come with us? It would be a lot of fun. You know- if you came to eat us?" He blinked."With us. I mean with us. Not-...yeah" Yuuta decides then that it would be best if he just stopped talking. There's goes his streak. 

 

Yuuta Okkotsu has now gone officially zero conversations without embarrassing himself.

 

Inumaki reached up to cover his mouth on reflex before he realised his mask was there. His shoulder were shaking with the laugh he was trying to hold back. The mishap didn't seem to deter Maki, she replied in the cheeriest voice he had ever heard from her, "We would love too. Isn't that right Toge?"

 

She shot him her own 'I told you so' look. Again, he had no idea what they were talking about but it was probably safer not to ask.

 

Their weird bubble of interaction and strange stares that Yuuta was not involved in, was soon popped by a dark, looming presence.

 

"Yuuta!" Rika screeched from behind him. He involuntarily flinched. "Do you know how embarrassing it is having a conversation with someone, only to turn around and find out that they're not actually there? Hmm?"

 

She poked at him hard with her finger, going on about how the people around her probably thought she was going insane. He attempted to avoid her attacks before ultimately giving up and just grabbing her hand instead.

 

"Sorry Rika-chan," he said sheepishly, making sure her hands couldn't not escape to continue their onslaught. "I was just asking some friends if they wanted to join us."

 

Hearing this, Rika became suddenly aware that they were not alone. Her face tinged slightly pink with embarrassment that people had seen her practically declare war on an innocent civilian.

 

Her shy demeanor changed completely though, when she realised whose company she was in. 

 

Yuuta watched on in pure, unfiltered horror as she layed her eyes on an unsuspecting Inumaki. A devilish grin grew on her face as her eyes darted from Inumaki to Yuuta and back.

 

"Please do forgive my behavior," she said not sounding the least bit apologetic. She held out a hand."I'm Orimoto Rika, nice to meet you."

 

Maki reacted first, reaching out her hand and joining Rika in a firm shake. Yuuta did not like this one bit. Rika was planning something, he could tell by the evil glint in her eye and something was telling him that he would not like her plan.

 

 "Maki. The feelings mutual." She said curtly.

 

Inumaki held his hand out for Rika to shake as well, offering a smile In the form of scrunched eyes. Maki attempted to introduce him due to the...language barrier.

 

"Inumaki Toge. He's-"

 

"-gorgeous. I've heard so much about you. You're stunning." She complimented, still gripping his hand. "You were right Yuuta. His eyes really are enchanting. And your lashes? To. Die. For. What's your secret?"

 

Oh, so that was her plan. Kill Yuuta through pure embarrassment. The worst part? It was working.

 

Inumaki was thoroughly flushed under all the compliments. Rika had yet to stop, now moving to his hair. Yuuta, for a split second, wished he were anywhere but there in the moment before he realised thag could mean him ending back in that dreaded exam hall.

 

"It looks so soft and fluffy. Don't you think Yuuta?" She said staring at Inumaki's hair in awe.

 

"I think," he strained, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders and pulling her out of the death-grip she had on Inumaki. "That we should go get lunch."

 

"Oh yeah! You guys should join us." Rika added 

 

There was yet another shared glance between the pair.

'No it's okay, we don't want to intrude.' Inumaki signed at the same time Maki said, "It's fine, we were heading home anyway."

 

But didn't she just say they were going out to eat too?

 

"Are you sure? It's totally fine-," he asked.

 

"We're fine. Bye Okkotsu, Orimoto." She nodded while Inumaki waved them off. They watched as the two of them walked down the path, only stopping once they took a turn that took them out of view.

 

Yuuta sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "You scared them off."

 

"I did no such thing."

 

He pouted in response. This close. He was this close to going a date lunch with Inumaki-kun.

 

Rika looked at him, face laced with sympathy. No guilt though, she was definitely not sorry for her actions.

 

"I'm sorry your boyfriend ran away." She patted his shoulder.

 

"He's not my boyfriend,"he grumbled even though he wished to say anything else. "And you scared him off."

 

Over the past few weeks, his simple albeit dramatic crush grew. It was just infatuation in the beggining, he would be the first to admit that. An admiration for someone really cool and really pretty and really smart and...you get the idea.

 

But now? After actually spending time with him? Just...talking. Interacting. Existing in the same physical plane.

 

He was shown the true wonder that was Inumaki Toge. The way he was genuinley concerned when Yuuta was bit, how he no hesitation to bring him straight to his house the second Yuuta needed him to, the way he teased his friends endlessly.

 

The way he was so...human, who admitted to their flaws and welcomed imperfections.

 

Yuuta feared it may be much bigger than 'just a crush'.

 

"C'mon lover boy," she sighed. "Let's go get some food."

 

She looped their arms together and they made their way down the gravel road.

 

 

The Cafe was a few minutes walk away from the University. Strategically placed there of course. No-one needed caffeine more than college kids. They were always busy. Even more so recently, during the exam season.

 

The outside was nicely decorated; pastel colours, hanging plants and white framed windows made it seem out of a painting. Another reason why it was so popular. It was the perfect spot for pictures.

 

Yuuta shifted his bag to one shoulder, unzipping it. He pulled out his camera, throwing the lanyard around his neck. His portfolio could never be full enough.

 

He tried to capture the cafe's exterior in the perfect light, testing every angle and lense. Eventually the rumble of his stomach could not be ignored. He set his camera back down before walking into the store.

 

The interior smelt of coffee beans and fresh pastry. The weather was uncharacteristically windy with a signature chill for this time of year but it was nothing a good coffee couldn't fix. 

 

The Cafe was bustling with students as per usual, thankfully Rika had already gone inside and saved them seats while he was busy taking photos. Funnily enough, having webs shooting out of his wrists and being able to climb any surface made taking pictures a lot easier. He could stick the camera anywhere and get any angle. He just had to make sure no-one saw him... well, sticking to walls and shooting webs out of his hand.

 

He wasn't sure if he was allowed to or not -It went on the list of many things he had never discussed with Gojo- but just to be sure, he hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone. Well except for Rika.

 

Speaking of which, she was waving him down from a booth in the corner. Two steaming cups were already placed on the table infront of her waiting to be consumed.

 

He slid into the the seat infront of her, hands instantly wrapping around the coffee cup, letting the warmth absorb into his skin. He raised it to his lips taking a big sip. Strong coffee flowed through his body like the nectar of the gods. He sighed into the cup. Perfect.

 

Rika chuckled at his theatrics, calling him a drama queen. He shot back, recalling her earlier display of teasing.

 

"If anyone's the drama queen it's you, Mrs.Yourlashesaresoamazing." He mocked. She kicked him hard under the table, causing him to startle. Regular Yuuta would have dropped his drink, spilling pouring hot liquid onto the table and himself. He shivered at the thought of boiling hot coffee seeping through his clothes. Thankfully, he was currently 'extremely good reflexes' Yuuta because he caught it before it fell.

 

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "At least I can say it to his face." She looked at him pointedly. She got him there. He could talk about Inumaki's pretty eyes and fluffy hair all he wanted but when it came to telling this to Inumaki?

 

Yeah, no.

 

"Ouch." He said with a shrug. She hadn't lied, but did she really have to out him like that?

 

"I'm serious, Yuuta. Just tell him you like him. What's the worst that could happen?" She shrugged.

 

What's the worst that could happen? What's the worst that could-

 

He let out a long, pained exhale.

 

"Let's see. The worst that could happen? He could -I don't know- say no? Not be into guys? Maybe...never want to be friends with me again?"

 

"No way. You're a total package. You have that awkward nerd in a hot body thing going on." She said gesturing at him with one hand. "He'd probably love that."

 

Rika fished her phone out of her bag while Yuuta felt himself heating up at her description of him. He had a hot body? Wait, did she call him an awkward nerd?

 

"Called it. He'd totally be into you." She exclaimed, shoving her phone into his face.

 

Yuuta squinted at it, giving his eyes a few seconds to adjust. The screen infront of him played a tiktok. Just one of those scenic backgrounds with words playing over it. At the very bottom it said 'InuMaki Roll reposted'. That boy had a weird obsession with onigiri, Yuuta thought before his eyes flicked back up to the text. When he finally registered what it said, he let out an embarrassing squeak.

 

"I need a man who can pin me down and teach me math at the same time"

 

The minx.

 

"Rika! You cant-, how did you even- ugh" he slammed his head down on the table, covering himself with his hands. It's wooden surface offering a cool reprieve from his rapidly heating face.

 

Maybe he could just stay here for the rest of his life.

 

Infront of him, Rika continued to laugh at his misery, the traitor.

 

"See, totally his type."

 

He screamed a silent scream into the table, hoping he didn't see her. Her laughter increased in volume, indicating that she probably had.

 

He pushed the top half of his body off the table in an exaggerated motion. He flailed his arms around as he spoke. It was a nervous habit he had still yet to get rid of.

 

"Oh yeah sure! I'm sure he loves my nerdy conversations and he's definitely head-over-heels for my lack of fashion sense. Just wait till he hears that I can shoot freaking spider web out of my hands" he whisper-yelled the last bit.

 

Rika eyed him, eyes dragging up and down, clearly rousing an act. "You're right," she says. "He can do better."

 

Yuuta sputters, mouth gaping open like a fish out of water. Wasn't she just on his side?

 

"How's that spider thing working out for you anyways? Besides, y'know fixing lightbulbs?" She jabbed.

 

"Ha, ha very funny. I'll have you know that my 'spider thing' was what got me on the football team so take that." He stuck his tongue out at get childishly. They continue like that for a while, bantering back and forth. Pushing each others buttons in ways only they knew how to.

 

Yuuta continued to brag to her about all the 'cool' stuff he could now and how she couldn't even carry more than two packets at a time. That earned him another kick in the shins.

 

"Yeah, yeah. You're so cool," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't let it get to your head, they're not just for you."

 

That got his attention, immediately sobering him from his laughter-induced high.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Haven't you heard? With great power, comes great responsibility."

 

She stared at him, poker-faced. He stared back, face just as vacant. They remained like that for a while, not a sound from each of them, just a dead stare. Silence and blinks became their conversation.

 

Then he saw it, the slight tick of her mouth. He knew it then that he had won. A moment later, Rika burst into a fit of giggles, claiming the attention of the surrounding tables. He joined a second later, after waiting enough time to secure a victory. They both laughed and giggled with hands slapping tables and tears leaving eyes. He laughed till his stomach hurt.

 

"Rika." he said wiping at the tears. "What the hell?"

 

He didn't know when his best friend had decided to turn all powerful and knowing but he never expected her to start spouting phrases that you would find in a 'Top Ten Deep Meaningful Quotes' YouTube video.

 

Maybe there was some meaning behind her words. He had been using his abilities solely for bettering his own life recently. But in his defense, he had never asked for any of this. It was just thrusted upon him. He was doing the best that he thought he could with what he was given. And if his best involved shooting a web to grab something instead of walking to it, then who could judge him.

 

"Someones gotta tell you this." She said in a fake seriousness. "Someones gotta be your man in the chair."

 

"Man in the chair?"

 

"Yuutaaaaa," she cried hopelessly. "You know, like your side-kick who never enters the battlefield? The guy who sits at the computer telling you what to do."

 

"I think you've been watching wayyy too many superhero movies."

 

They sat sipping their respective drinks in idle chatter as the the rest of the Cafe buzzed around them. Something else buzzed too.

 

A tingle.

 

Just beneath his skin, a buzz of energy. 

 

It had been there for a while now, about the last three sips of his drink. Steadily growing. He tried to ignore it, it was like an automatic response from his body by now, lest he gets sent into his fight or flight mode every time he had to cross a street or try to talk to Inumaki.

 

But this was getting almost impossible to ignore.

 

"Rika," he said calmly. She looked up from her phone where she had recently been scrolling. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think something bad's about to happen."

 

She tensed, straightening up slightly. After the incident at football practice, she had been keenly aware of his spidey senses. By keenly aware, he means she tried to keep a ten foot radius between them whenever it activated. It might have been a bit late for that now.

 

In silence, they both turned their heads in sync, watching as a lone customer got up from an empty table and walked to the register. The Cafe was much quieter now, not empty, but not as full as it was. Most students had taken their leave when the sky changed from blue to orange. The man, head covered by a hoodie, made his way to the register.

 

The person working there, sensing someone's arrival, dropped their phone into the front pocket of their blue apron before facing the customer. They opened their mouth ready to serve, wearing what could only be called a customer service smile. That smile fell quickly though, changing into something much more fearful once they caught a glance at the man's face.

 

Yuuta's senses went into overdrive. His eyes tracked as the man's hands reached down to something by his belt. His posture was nothing short of intimidating, an open threat looming over the poor employee. The mood in the Cafe shifted too, even if the customers hadn't yet realised what was happening, the air itself seemed to have sensed the danger, tightening in everyone's lungs, sending chills down their spines. Yuuta tightened his grip on the cup, the plastic crunching under his force. He honed his senses, attempting to gauge the conversation between the two at the counter.

 

"L-Listen man, you don't want what's in here. Most of our customers pay with their student cards so we don't even have any cash-"

 

Something clicked.

 

"I fear you misunderstood me." An eerily calm voice replied "I dont recall asking for what you do and dont have. All i ask for is the records in your system. With haste, if you dont mind." He replied. His voice rose, but it had yet to lose its calm touch. That gained attention. Multiple heads turned in his direction. Yuuta could feel the heartbeat of every single person in the room elevate.

 

"Sorry- I'll-"

 

The man slammed his hand into a fist onto the counter. "Stop talking" If he didn't have everyone's attention before, he sure did now. Everyone was staring at the situation in front of them now. Aware. Eyes wide, mouths silent. All praying they weren't going to be his next victim.

 

Yet no-one moved to help.

 

Something clicked. A gun. The man had pulled out a gun. A freaking gun. A real life freaking gun. 

 

"Now, I kindly ask you to give it to me before i blow a pretty hole in your brain." 

 

Yuuta watched helplessly along with the others as the boy was forced to comply, downloading all the files lest he pay with his life.

 

Only, he wasn't helpless. He could do something about it. He should do something about it. He couldn't just sit there and watch this happen, could he? No.

 

"Hey!" Yuuta yelled. "Yuuta. What the hell are you doing." Rika hissed under her breath. She too was watching the scene unfold. Too fearful to move, to afraid to breathe.

 

He ignored her, opting to stand up instead. He straightened his posture, hoping his full height made him look somewhat intimidating. "Hey! You!" He yelled again. It hit its mark this time. The man in question turned around and stared right at him. Most of his face had been obscured by the black hoodie he had on, yet the features Yuuta could see were strikingly...familiar. He's seen this man before, but that was not possible because he had never met this man in his life.

 

"And who are you supposed to be?" He said waving the gun around in Yuuta's direction. He sounded way too bored for the situation.

 

Yuuta took a step closer.

 

Then another.

 

Slowly making his way over to the man.

 

"Nobody important. I'm just trying to make sure you don't do anything stupid." He said with his hands in his air.

The world stilled around them, as if they were trapped in a pocket in a time. No-one else moved. No-one else breathed.

Life was on the hand now, every moment counted.

 

"You're funny kid, now turn around and go back to where you came from. This doesn't involve you."

 

Yuuta spared a glance at the boy behind the register. He couldn't have been any older than eighteen; still in high school by the looks of it. The boy's face was painted with fear, a colourless canvas of careful lines. He had the screen clutched tightly in his grasp, knuckles going white from the force. The boy was clearly scared. He had no idea what to do, and who could blame him? He was just a kid.

 

A kid that no one else was brave nor capable enough to help; that motivated Yuuta to keep going. He may not be brave, but he could surely do something. His gradual steps eventually brought him about two feet away from the man. Within arms reach.

 

"Please put the gun down. You're playing with lives." Yuuta said, sounding much braver than he felt. If only he could make the man see sense. Whatever he wanted, it wasn't worth the price he was willing to pay.

 

"Or what?" The man retorted with a laugh.

 

Yuuta was going to reply with something calm, cool, collected maybe even funny. He never got the chance to, because in the quiet of that Cafe where one could hear a pin drop, the sound of someone dialing an emergency line rang loud and true. And once it was heard?

 

All hell broke loose.

 

The owner of the phone -a middle–aged lady sitting in a booth with two kids- immediately tried to silence, bringing direct attention the herself.

 

The man turned to her with his gun held high. "Im sorry, did you not realise this was a closed discussion?"

 

The gun clicked. It happened so fast; before Yuuta could even stop it. He shot the gun.

 

After watching countless movies, he can say that it is nothing like real life. The sound of the bullet leaving the gun was painful. Even more so when the bullet hits a window, the sound of glass breaking, the rain of glass shards flyings everywhere. It scratched the most sensitive parts of your ears, leaving you in the utmost pain. His hearing was distorted, like he was underwater. 

 

He couldn't take another step. He was dizzy, off-balance. His arms were laced with cuts from where he had braced himself from the glass. He wanted to scream -would he even hear it?. He was in pain.

 

But he couldn't.

 

Not when the man had just clicked his gun again. He aimed this time. To a person. A living human. And it was not the mother whose phone had rang, nor her kids who were pressed fearfully to her side.

 

No, this gun was aimed directly at Orimoto Rika. A single intake of air and Yuuta was reaching forward. To grab the gun before he shot it or to take the bullet himself, he wasn't sure.

 

He watched the bullet leave leave the gun in slow motion. The tiny object moving across the room at impossible speeds. He tried to stop it with his own hand but he was never going to be fast enough. The bullet reached its mark, piercing Rika's flesh. The look of absolute terror in her eyes would haunt him daily. The scream that was punched out of her would become the material of his nightmares for weeks to come.

 

He should have known karma was an instant killer, just moments ago he had been laughing about how his abilities made his life easier. If he had just tried to better them, if he had listened to Gojo in the first place, maybe his reflexes would have been faster. Maybe the echo of a bullet leaving a barrel wouldn't have entered his ears. Maybe the spine-chilling scream fulled with pain wouldn't have come from his best friend's mouth. Maybe Orimoto Rika wouldn't be lying on some sticky Cafe bench, bleeding out.

 

But it wasn't. And it was all his fault.

 

He let it happen.

 

And that decision was going to haunt for the rest of his like and he would gladly let it.

 

But first?

 

He was going to destroy the man who had caused this in the first place.

 

He turned to the offender who had the audacity to still be smiling. He raised his hands, fists clenched for a punch. He had never fought anyone before, he never had a reason to but now? Never in his life had he had such a strong urge to do something. Like every fibre in his body was forcing him to move forward, to throw the first punch, to make the man regret what he had done.

 

 

"Yuuta," a broken voice called breaking his trance.

 

 Rika. 

 

He turned to look at her, he couldnt help it. He had to see if she was okay. It couldn't have been more than five seconds. He turned back around to realise that it was five seconds too long.

Notes:

I'm sorry but like... Yuuta needed a reason to want to be spiderman

SHE COULD HAVE DIED. THIS WAS THE BETTER OPTION.

Now we can finally get around to Yuuta training and actual spidey stuff YAY! :p