Chapter Text
Alright. Let’s take this from the top.
His name is Tommy Innet Craft. He was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the past six months, he has been the one and only Spider-Man.
And it’s great! He gets to swing around at insane speeds around the city, performing cool tricks as he goes, and he gets to fight really awesome (but also really terrifying) bad guys and save the day. The people love him! The police… not so much, but oh well. Tommy still hasn’t gotten over the high of becoming a literal superhero overnight. It’s crazy to think about what his life is now.
Although, during the slow, quiet moments, when he’s sitting on a rooftop gazing at the stars, or finishing his physics homework, he can’t help but think of how… lonely it is. Techno is the only one who knows about his secret identity (which is no surprise, really; he was bound to find out sooner or later) and he has yet to tell their parents, but he doesn’t quite understand what it’s like. What it’s like to lead this double life, to have all this power and the responsibility it comes with. Tommy can’t help but think, in those moments, how no one truly understands.
But then he hears the wail of police sirens in the distance, or Phil calls him down for dinner, and those lonely thoughts are all but forgotten.
It’s not something he dwells on for long, but it’s still in the back of his mind. But y’know what, he just has to live with it.
Tommy is the world’s only Spider-Man.
And it will always be that way.
The day started out pretty normal, by Tommy’s standards.
He slept through his alarm so he was rushing last minute to get to school, he went through all his classes no problem (except for Spanish; he’ll never wrap his head around the complicated words at this point) and as soon as the last bell rang, Tommy was swinging through the streets looking for crime. Three hours breeze past, and so far he’s stopped a few robberies, a mugging, and a car thief. All in a day’s work for Spider-Man. Tommy resolves to give himself another hour or so before making his way home. The sun will start setting soon, and he doesn’t want to worry his parents by staying out too late.
He’s diving off a building, ready to launch himself in the air at the last second, when there’s a sudden flair of his spidey sense. He almost becomes a spider pancake on the pavement below from the shock of it.
He sticks to the side of a building to orient himself. His spidey sense gives a constant low hum at the back of his skull.
That can’t be good.
Tommy eyes dart around and he stretches out his hearing, looking for a threat. He doesn’t see anything, and all he can hear are the sounds of the late afternoon traffic and the chattering of a cafe down the street.
His spidey sense hasn’t shut up though.
Odd.
Tommy knows better than to ignore it though. Last time he did he ended up with a nasty stab wound, and that had been a pain (literally) to hide from Phil and Kristen. Thank goodness for Techno, and Tommy’s super quick healing.
Point is, if his spidey sense is going off, it must be important.
So Tommy follows the hum of his spidey sense as he continues swinging. He’s swinging for a good ten minutes before he hears something.
The sound of a cat meowing.
Tommy’s sharp eyes immediately land on a tall tree and sure enough, there's a small, black and white cat curled up on one of the top branches. There is a woman at the base of the tree, calling out to the cat to coax it down. She doesn’t seem to be having much luck though.
Tommy lands on top of a nearby lamp post. His spidey sense is more insistent, seeming to point to the cat in the tree.
Are you fucking kidding me?
If his spidey sense brought him all the way here for a cat, he’s gonna lose it.
Tommy sighs, mild frustration spiking in his chest. Well, it’s one of the more boring jobs, and he ends up with a new collection of scratches more often than not. But he’s here now. Best to get this over with.
But before he can jump off of his perch and approach the tree, something unexpected happens.
A flash of purple darts towards the tree, the leaves rustling as the figure lands in the branches. Tommy squints. The leaves are obscuring the mystery newcomer, and all he can see is purple, black and white.
His spidey sense has gone quiet. Whatever, or whoever, this is doesn’t seem to be dangerous, so Tommy watches.
There’s the low murmur of a voice coming from the leaves, seemingly talking to the cat? There’s a meow, some shifting of the leaves, before the figure starts climbing down the tree. The woman, who has been watching the entire time, makes a delighted sound as the figure hands the cat to her, thanking them profusely before walking away. But Tommy is no longer paying attention to the woman, or her cat. No, because the figure is in plain sight now, and Tommy swears his brain is malfunctioning.
Because what the hell?
This person is in a full body suit, primarily purple with white and black accents, and wearing a jacket on top with matching colours. Their face is covered with a mask with two, very familiar white eyes. But the thing that stands out to Tommy the most is the spider emblem on their chest, very similar to his own.
What the fuck?
Is this guy copying him?!
The Spider-Man copy cat (because that’s the only explanation that even remotely makes sense) stands tall with their hands on their hips, but as soon as the woman is out of sight their shoulders slump, their figure lined with exhaustion. They drag a tired hand over their face (well, mask) before they extend an arm and, seemingly picking a random direction, shoots a web and swings off.
What the fuck.
Tommy finally breaks free of his stupor, because what the fuck? Is he seeing things? Another Spider-Man?! Spider… Person?? No it can’t be. Tommy’s the only one. There was only one spider. Whatever. His spidey sense spikes once again, and this time the message is clear.
Follow them.
And so he does.
Tommy keeps the copy cat in his sight while still keeping his distance. He doesn’t want to be discovered just yet. The way this guy swings around is interesting. They’re clearly not paying much attention to their surroundings, but their web shooting (where did they even get functioning web shooters??) never falters. They’re clearly experienced. Though surely not more experienced than Tommy himself. No sirree, that’s just impossible. Tommy is best at everything he’s ever done ever. Especially Spider-Manning.
A fire escape comes out of nowhere, and Tommy just barely manages to twist out of the way before colliding into it. He continues swinging as if nothing happened.
Yep. The best.
On a completely unrelated note, though, Tommy hopes nobody saw that.
He follows the fake Spider-Man for a few more minutes before the person lands on a seemingly random rooftop. Tommy, still keeping his distance, lands on the edge of another building nearby. The person begins to pace, seeming a bit agitated, and Tommy can just make out faint muttering coming from them. He can’t make out what they're saying though.
Tommy hasn’t been discovered yet. He is the best at stealth.
The person continues to mutter and pace a few more times before they kick at the gravel and they place their head in their hands, their pacing stopped. Their shoulders are slumped and their entire posture looks lost and defeated.
Tommy decides it’s time to make his appearance.
He leaps from his perch and lands in a crouch a good distance behind them. As soon as his feet touch the ground the person goes rigid.
Tommy stands to his full height. “Identity theft is a crime, y’know,” he calls out, his usual snark rolling off his tongue easily. “Though purple really isn’t my colour.”
The other guy slowly lifts their head, not saying a word.
Tommy takes a step closer. “Word of advice, man? Don’t make it obvious when you copy someone.”
The guy is still silent, their only movements being their arms slowly dropping beside them.
Then there’s a sudden spike of his spidey sense and Tommy is flipping out of the way at the same time the guy spins around, arm extended. Tommy looks at the wall behind him and at the splatter of webbing stuck to the brick.
Tommy turns back to them, crossing his arms almost petulantly. “Ok, that was rude,” he says.
The spider guy just stares at him though, the eyes of their mask wide and head tilted.
“What…?” they mutter, almost to themself. Then louder, directed at Tommy, “Who are you?”
Tommy scoffs, letting his arms fall to his sides. Is this guy serious? “I am your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man,” he says with a flourish, before once again crossing his arms. “But I thought you already knew that,” he adds, giving them a suspicious glare.
At this the other spider guy seems to grow more confused, head tilted down. “No, that can’t be,” they mutter to themself with a shake of their head. They turn back to Tommy. “That can’t be, you must be lying,” they say, though they sound unsure of their words. “Because I’m-”
Their words are cut off as they begin to glitch.
And no, he’s not joking.
They are, honest to god, glitching right now. As if they are in a goddamn video game.
Tommy can only watch in shock as the spider guy convulses on the ground, bright colours flashing across their body. It lasts all of a few seconds before it stops, leaving them panting on the ground as if they just ran a marathon.
What the fuck?
“What the fuck?”
The spider guy shifts to their knees as they take deep breaths. A hand reaches up to their face, about to take off their mask, but hesitates as they seem to remember Tommy’s presence. Their white eyes peer up at him for a long moment, seeming to debate something. They look away with a muttered “Whatever” before ripping their mask off.
Brown fluffy hair sits atop their head, disheveled from the mask, and he finds himself looking into a pair of teal eyes. They give a friendly smile, albeit a tired one, and a small wave.
“Hi, I’m Ranboo,” they say, still a little breathless. “I’ve had a weird day.” They let out a sigh. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’m not from here?”
Yes, he would, actually.
But before Tommy can voice that thought his spidey sense gives off a loud, persistent ringing, loud enough to almost give him a headache. Tommy winces at the volume, and across from him, Ranboo has a pained expression on their face, eyes scrunched shut.
His spidey sense seems to brush up against something similar to itself, which is a strange feeling and has certainly never happened before. Tommy’s surprised eyes meet Ranboo’s instantly, neither able to look away as each of their spidey senses sing in glee. The ringing begins to fade, and Ranboo slowly stands, not breaking eye contact with Tommy who stays perfectly still in shock. They’re no doubt thinking the same thing.
“You’re like me.”
It is silent for a few moments as both boys process what this means.
Another Spider-Man.
He’s not alone anymore.
Holy shit.
“Oh my god!”
“Holy shit!”
“How is this possible?!”
“I have no clue!”
“This is amazing!”
“This is fucking insane!”
Tommy is beaming under the mask, his excited smile no doubt matching Ranboo’s. This is insane! There’s someone else like him! Tommy snatches his mask off, blond curls ruffling with the movement. A flicker of surprise crosses Ranboo’s face before quickly being replaced by curiosity.
“So, what’s your name?” they ask.
“Oh. I’m Tommy,” Tommy says, placing a hand on his puffed out chest. He assesses Ranboo one more time with an inquisitive tilt of his head. “Soooo, spider bite?”
“Yeah.”
“How long ago? I’ve been Spider-Man for six months now.”
“Uh, ten months for me.”
“Oh really?” Tommy frowns quizzically. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen. You?”
Fourteen. “Sixteen,” he says.
The look on Ranboo’s face tells Tommy that they don’t believe him. They look as if they are about to say just that before the still. Half a second later, Tommy’s spidey sense goes off.
They’re not alone.
Tommy shares a look with Ranboo, confirming his suspicions. In unison, they both slowly turn to face the wall a few feet next to them, peering to a spot on the ledge where the tingling seems to be pointing to.
But… there’s nothing there?
Tommy frowns. Is his spider sense broken? He taps the side of his head a couple of times, as if that might fix it, but his sixth sense continues to point to that spot on top of the wall.
He spares a glance to Ranboo beside him. Their eyes are closed, feet spread out and shoulders stiff. They are absolutely still. What are they doing?
Then, without warning, Ranboo flicks out a wrist, shooting a web at the wall but missing. Tommy’s enhanced ears pick up an inaudible gasp and the air seems to shift, then there’s a soft thud behind them, and both of them spin around, webs at the ready.
Before them, having just landed in a crouch, is a person wearing a green and yellow suit similar to theirs with an obvious spider theme.
Are you kidding me??
Spider-guy-number-three stands to his not so tall height, huffing out a laugh. “Wow, you’re good,” he says, his light and childlike voice directed at Ranboo.
His spider sense rings in the same way it did before. Yep, another Spider person.
Ranboo blinks incredulously, having just got the same alert. “Another one?!” they exclaim.
Tommy’s head whips around to stare at the wall before darting back to the newcomer, confusion undoubtedly written all over his face. “Where did you come from?”
“I’ve always been here, big man,” New Guy says, sounding pretty pleased with himself. The eyes of his mask tilt up at the bottom in a smile. Wow, that’s quite advanced.
“How?” Ranboo frowns.
New Guy holds up a hand, balling it into a fist as his arm crackles with yellow electricity and it fades from view. Woah. A second later, the arm reappears, the fingers of his hand flexing.
The arm drops, his hand instead resting on his hip. “I’ve been following you guys since the cat in the tree,” he admits, not sounding sorry at all. In fact his tone is cheeky, almost smug. “Watching you guys is quite fun.”
Tommy feels himself bristle defensively. “So you were stalking us?!”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it stalking, per say.”
“I don’t know,” Ranboo says, casting a sideways glance towards New Guy. “Seems like stalking to me.”
New Guy crosses his arms with a scoff, white eyes narrowing. It’s insane how expressive it is. “Would it make you feel better if I took off the mask?” he asks, but before either of them can answer he reaches up and pulls it off anyway. A mop of brown hair covers most of his face, and when he wipes a hand across his face Tommy catches sight of bright blue eyes.
New Guy smiles, the action warm and friendly. He holds out a hand to Tommy, eyes twinkling. “Hi, I’m Tubbo.”
Tommy slowly takes his hand, mind still reeling from the recent events. He starts to shake Tubbo’s hand when there's a ping from his spidey sense a half second before there’s a zap of pain in his hand and he pulls away with a yelp. Tubbo steps away giggling.
Tommy looks at the shorter boy then at his hand and back again, face a mix of offended and incredulous. Tubbo is bent over laughing at this point, and even Ranboo is fighting to hide their smile, not quite sure what happened but finding it funny anyway.
Tommy splutters. “What the fuck, man? What was that?!”
Tubbo just keeps laughing. A flicker of electricity goes down his body and- oh that little shit. Tubbo wheezes, clearly enjoying himself. He looks up at Tommy, still giggling to himself. “People always fall for that!” He snickers, wiping a tear from his eye. He sighs loudly. “Never gets old.”
Then he turns to Ranboo, hand outstretched and waggling his eyebrows with a grin. Ranboo’s smile drops instantly, and they quickly step back with a nervous, distrustful frown.
Tubbo shrugs, dropping his hand. “Eh, worth a shot.”
Ranboo is about to say something when their body starts to spasm and glitch, and they fall to the ground.
“Shit,” Tubbo curses, all traces of joking gone.
The glitching lasts for one second, two seconds, and Tommy starts to get worried. But after three seconds the glitching stops, and Ranboo sags into the ground with a groan.
“Ow,” they mutter.
Tubbo fishes something out of his pocket. “I forgot about that,” he says with a frown. “Sorry, boss man. Here, put this on.” He tosses something to Ranboo, who catches it easily. They carefully stand as they inspect the item in their hands, which from what Tommy can see is a white bracelet of some kind. Ranboo frowns down at it.
“What’s this?”
Tubbo holds up his left arm, displaying a similar bracelet on his wrist, just under his own webshooter. “It’s for multidimensional travel,” he says. “It’ll stop the glitching, and more importantly help you get back to your own universe.”
…
Fucking what?
Tommy and Ranboo each share a wide eyed look before staring back at Tubbo, who is acting as if what he just said is completely normal. Multidi-what now?! “There is a lot to unpack in that sentence,” Ranboo says.
Tubbo sighs, tapping his foot. “Ok, where to begin,” he mutters to himself, before addressing Tommy and Ranboo. “What do you guys know about the multiverse?”
“Multiverse?” Ranboo asks.
“I know it’s a thing in movies?” Tommy says.
“It’s real,” Tubbo says. He leans back and his gaze flicks between Tommy and Ranboo, as if gauging their reactions.
Ranboo simply blinks, as if some things are finally making sense in their mind. After a moment they let out a small “Huh.”
Tommy meanwhile feels his brain screech to a halt in shock.
Mind
officially
blown.
“The multiverse?!” Tommy exclaims, eyes wide. His mouth begins to turn up in an excited smile. “As in, multiple universes?!” This is the craziest day of his life.
Tubbo nods. “Yep! Right now we’re in E-704; your universe, Tommy,” he says, looking at the blond. (Tommy’s vaguely aware that he never actually told Tubbo his name, but he’s too excited to care. He probably overheard it during his invisibility stunt) Tubbo turns his attention to Ranboo. “You and I are from two different universes.”
Tommy’s brows furrow in confusion. “And, what, we’re all somehow Spider-Man?” he asks.
“Yeah, actually,” Tubbo answers, serious, turning to him again. His tone is very matter-of-fact as he speaks. “Every universe has a Spider Person protecting it.”
Ranboo’s brows shoot up. “Every universe?” they ask.
Tubbo nods. “Every universe. Well…” He squints in thought for a moment, then corrects himself. “Most universes.”
Tommy’s eyes widen. A whole universe of Spider People. This is insane! “So a Spiderverse??” he says, a grin spreading across his face.
Tubbo stares at Tommy as if he just spouted poetry. “That’s what I’ve been saying!” he exclaims, matching Tommy’s grin. He then crosses his arms with a pout and rolls his eyes. “But everyone else thinks it’s a dumb name.”
“But, uhh,” Ranboo says, raising their hand tentatively as if asking a question in class. “How did I get here? I mean, one moment I was patrolling my city and then the next this, I dunno, this weird portal thing opened up and, next thing I know I’m… here.” They trail off, gesturing to their surroundings uncertainly.
“Hm,” Tubbo hums, pursing his lips. “Yeah, that happens sometimes. There was this one accident a couple years ago, I don’t know the details but, since then portals will sometimes open at random points across the multiverse.” Tubbo gestures with his hands as he talks. “Basically, the barrier between worlds will become unstable for a little bit, which will cause some things in one universe to end up where they shouldn’t be.” He shrugs. “We don’t know why it keeps happening-” Well that’s not worrying at all. “-but the best we can do for now is get things back where they belong.” He straightens then. “That’s why I’m here, actually.”
Tubbo starts fiddling with his bracelet thing and a hologram appears above it, making Tommy and Ranboo lean forward in interest. So cool. “Sometimes I’m sent out to deal with anomalies - that is, the stuff that’s not where they should be - and take them back where they belong,” Tubbo explains, fingers rapidly tapping away at his bracelet.
Ranboo’s eyes narrow. “Sooo… I’m the ‘anomaly’ in this case?”
“Mhm.” Tubbo stops then, giving Ranboo a somewhat apologetic look. “No offense, of course.
“None… taken?”
Tubbo continues typing something, the hologram displaying a flipped view of numbers and letters. “Alright then, just gotta get you back home to E-2711 and then my job is done.”
As soon as he finishes his sentence an orange portal opens up behind him.
Ranboo eyes the portal with curiosity and something like relief. “I can go home?”
Tubbo nods with a smile.
Wait, they’re both leaving?
Tommy can’t help the way his heart sinks at the revelation. Realistically, he knows they’d have to leave at some point; they have their own universes to get back to. But the thought makes him upset. Tommy’s finally met people who have similar experiences as him, people just like him, and this might be the last time he ever sees them. It’s selfish, he knows it is. But that doesn’t stop his shoulders from drooping and his gaze to cast downward, nor does it stop the heavy feeling of loneliness weighing down his chest.
Ranboo takes a slow step towards the portal, mask now in hand, but they look back at Tommy hesitantly. Tubbo also looks at Tommy, fidgeting with the glove of his suit absently, mouth twisted in thought.
Tommy straightens his posture and plasters a smile on his face, not wanting his new friends to see him upset. Friends. An icy shard pierces his heart.
He is about to say something, some form of goodbye he’s sure, but Ranboo speaks first.
They let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of their neck. “I mean, we don’t have to leave now, do we?” they ask, their expression tentatively hopeful. They glance at Tommy before looking away almost shyly. “Cause, like, I kinda wanted to hang out for a bit…”
Tubbo, as if pouncing on their very words, perks up with a grin. “My thoughts exactly, big man.” He turns to Tommy, then, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “That is, if you don’t mind…?”
A smile slowly spreads across Tommy’s face, the icy chill of loneliness being replaced by a glowing warmth. “Are you kidding? I can’t think of anything better!” Tommy jumps up in excitement, beginning to ramble. “Ooo, I can take you guys along my patrol route! And we can fight a bunch of crime together! And there’s this amazing view I just have to show you guys! This is gonna be fucking awesome!”
Ranboo’s smile matches Tommy’s, seeming to share his excitement. “That sounds amazing!”
“Yeah!” Tubbo agrees, bouncing from foot to foot. “And, Ranboo, I can show you how to use your watch.”
Tommy perks up. “Can I get a watch thingie?”
Tubbo seems to contemplate for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t see why not.”
“Sick.”
“But I don’t have anymore on me right now,” he says apologetically. “But it’s fine,” he says with a wave of his hand. “I can just take you guys back to HQ later so you can get one.”
A Spiderverse HQ?? Tommy’s got to see that!
“And, if you guys want,” Ranboo says, “I can take you back to my place sometime?”
Tubbo’s eyes crinkle at the corners. “That’d be awesome, boss man.”
Tommy’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
Yeah, this is the best day of his life.
Let’s do this one more time.
His name is Tommy Innet Craft. He was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the past six months, he thought he was the one and only Spider-Man.
Tommy runs and flips off the building with a cheer and a shout.
“Follow me, guys!”
But now he knows that’s not true.
Tommy dives towards the ground, the wind rushing past his ears and then he’s flicking out a wrist, sending him soaring through the air. Ranboo swings above him, twisting in the air with a whoop of joy. Tubbo materialises out of nowhere, electricity trailing him as he nosedives past them before shooting back into the air. The three of them twist and twirl and dance in the air as natural as breathing, as if they were always meant to be doing this, swinging around the city buildings together like this.
Tommy laughs, loud and full of joy. His lonely thoughts have been banished from his mind. He has found kinship with Ranboo and Tubbo, two people who understand him. This is only the beginning of a blooming friendship, and he looks forward to what's to come.
Yes, Tommy is his world’s one and only Spider-Man.
And he’s not alone.