Prologue: The one and only Spider-Man

"Hello Subaru. I have mixed feelings about you climbing through the window, but it would be nice if you would at least tell us that you're home."

"Hi mom."

Subaru replied to the voice of his mother, Naoko Natsuki, who was waiting for him in his room. She was a middle aged woman of average height with brown hair tied in a braid. Her sharp brown eyes gave her a distinctive look, which was often described as an 'evil gaze'. He inherited that same gaze from her, something he took pride in, but was endlessly teased about.

Strangely enough, this rather unconventional way of entering was not the only weird practice that became the norm for Subaru.

"How long have you been wai-"

"Hyaa!"

Another figure attempted to tackle Subaru. That would have probably worked in the past, but Subaru's newly enhanced senses were able to detect him quite easily. He gracefully dodged the surprise attack, causing the attacker to fall on the floor.

"C'mon now, I haven't gotten that old, have I?" His father, Kenichi Natsuki, contemplated loudly while scratching his head.

Kenichi was relatively tall and surprisingly well built for a man in his forties. He had drooping black eyes with angled eyebrows and short, combed-back black hair similar to Subaru's.

"You're the one who should watch his manners! Was this planned by the two of you!?" Feeling betrayed, Subaru accused his parents.

"Of course not."

"You say so, but you seem disappointed that it failed!"

"Nonsense." Naoko further refuted her son's accusation.

"How long were you planning to wait for me here?" Subaru asked his parents, a little annoyed.

"Swinging from rooftop to rooftop isn't the most subtle way of traveling, you know. But at this point we were willing to wait as long as it would take to see you. Aren't you exhausted? You barely touch the ground these days with all that swinging and climbing everywhere."

"Spider-Man never tires!" Subaru proudly announced, striking a pose.

Subaru's declaration didn't seem to lessen Naoko's worry.

"You will eventually. Come, let's have dinner together. We haven't had one in a long time!" His father suggested.

Subaru too didn't recall eating dinner with his parents once in the past few weeks. He was always either eating with a group of fans or returning home long after his parents had already eaten. The idea of having dinner together seemed very attractive, and besides, he doubted his parents would just let him off the hook if he refused.

"I'll take you on your offer."

And so, they all went to prepare their joint meal.

"Okay, this must have been planned."

The three were sitting around the dinner table, and before Subaru stood a cartoonishly tall pile of green peas.

"You just wanted me to get rid of the damn peas again! Eating large quantities of peas isn't an ability spiders have, so I'm not sure why you would think I would!"

"What are you talking about? This is simply your monthly quota of peas, which you have ignored up until now. If you don't want this to happen again you should split the amount between more dinners."

Naoko smiled innocently at Subaru.

"Okay, I get it, I get it!"

Subaru quietly received his mothers punishment while his father laughed loudly. He noted to himself to never skip family dinner in the future, lest he suffer the wrath of Naoko Natsuki.

The dinner table became quiet for a moment, before Kenichi spoke.

"So, how was it today? Where were you invited to this time?"

"To a sushi place for lunch, and then to play with the school's soccer team. We did for the first hour, but then it somehow turned into them taking turns and failing to score a goal against me. I have feelings, you know! I'm not just some machine used for goal practice!" Subaru ranted on, making his parents smile hesitantly.

"If you don't enjoy it, then you don't have to hang out with them, you know."

"Damn right I won't! I ditched them as soon as I could!"

Kenichi chuckled. "The hardships of being popular…"

"Why did you try to sneak in in the first place?" Naoko questioned Subaru.

"Just getting ready for tomorrow." He replied, avoiding his mothers mothers piercing gaze.

"What did they ask you to do this time?"

"A certain swinging stunt including a pizza… and a 30 story skyscraper." Subaru confessed.

"Subaru…"

"Twenty story?"

"..."

"Fine, I'll make it ten." He gave in to his mothers demands. "You don't need to worry so much, my web swinging skills have become virtually flawless. I still don't know how my body produces them, but my webs are more durable than steel!"

"That's not the point. You shouldn't do reckless things just to try to impress people who don't even know you personally. These people only care about Spider-Man. Did any of them question your long absence?" Naoko said in a worried tone.

"Not really… They all just assumed it had something to do with the spider bite and stuff…"

"Subaru, I'm sure you can do it, but that doesn't mean you should. You define Spider-Man, not some people who expect a pizza to somehow be in perfect condition after who-knows-how many flips." Kenichi added, earning a giggle from his wife.

"You should do whatever you want with your life. We'll support you, even if it means staying in your room instead of going to school." Naoko assured Subaru.

"Speaking of your room, it's dusty as hell! The condition of your figurines makes me fear for your future girlfriend! I almost sneezed and blew my cover!" Kenichi commented about Subaru's room, which he had admittedly been neglecting lately.

"I would have noticed you either way."

"We'll see about that! I'll find a way around your little Subaru tingle eventually." Kenichi accepted his son's challenge.

"Everyone agrees that the name spider sense is the coolest, so why do you have to use the name that is objectively the worst?"

Subaru sighed. Yeah, I haven't really thought about anime and stuff ever since I got that spider bite. I was actually really looking forward to a convention happening… Wait, it's tomorrow!

As fun as web swinging was, he had been doing it for a month straight, so going to the convention instead would be a nice change of pace. Besides, it was sure to gain a ton of popularity if Spider-Man was seen there!

He told his parents about his decision to cancel the stunt in favor of the convention. They both seemed satisfied by that.

"The neighbors wanted some help fixing the window you broke when you first tried web swinging, so I won't be available if you need me tomorrow." Kenichi notified Subaru.

"That was an accident, I apologized and paid them back! Spider-Man wouldn't need help anymore, and based on what happened last week, you don't seem to be able to tell the difference between 'help' and 'embarrass'!"

Subaru shuddered as he recalled the last time he asked for his father's help with a certain matter at school. Before leaving, Kenichi loudly demanded in front of the entire school that Subaru say that he loves him.

"I don't know, Spider-Man seems to really need help right now!" Kenichi teased Subaru, who after his continuous struggle with his peas, had only managed to finish half.

"It's okay Subaru. You can finish those tomorrow. I believe that there is still one more day left in the month."

"You are ever merciful." Subaru said as he begrudgingly accepted his defeat.

"Ah, I saved you some mayo. If you ever dream of trying to beat me, you better get back to work!" Kenichi passed a bottle of mayonnaise to Subaru, and unlike his mother's food philosophy, it was welcomed wholeheartedly.

"My, I don't remember reading about spiders eating a lot of mayonnaise either." Naoko jokingly said as Subaru downed the bottle.

"This is all Subaru!" He replied after finishing, triumphantly slamming the empty bottle on the table.

It was the next morning. He finally conquered the pea bowl at breakfast and was about to leave for school when his father approached him.

"Hey, Subaru! The weather's nice today, it would be a waste to only experience it for two minutes of web swinging. Let's walk to school together!" Kenichi proposed with a smile.

Subaru initially planned to web swing to school, as he did every day after gaining his powers. That way he could get there early and talk to his classmates before the lessons began.

But it's not like they'll die if they don't get their morning spider-talk…

So after waving Naoko goodbye, Subaru set off to school together with his father.

"Why is it that every time they see me on my day off, they assume I lost my job…"

Kenichi said in a slightly annoyed tone after returning to Subaru's side. Despite that, it was apparent that he enjoyed his conversation with the owner of a nearby bakery. Kenichi seemed to bump into his acquaintances around every corner, dramatically slowing the trip.

"If you're planning to greet everyone you see we'll only arrive in the middle of the second lesson…"

"C'mon, since when are you afraid of missing one or two classes?" Kenichi joked, recalling Subaru's pre-Spider-Man days.

"Kenny! I haven't seen you in a while! …Oh, don't tell me that's…"

"Yep, that's right. He's my son, Subaru. Actually, I should say he's my pride and joy!"

They seemed to have run into yet another of Kenichi's acquaintances. This time though, Subaru had been noticed.

"Ah, so I was right. I've heard about your son being Spider-Man. I can see him swinging around every day. Aren't you a little worried about him?"

"Of course I am. But he's at that age, you know? You need to let him do his own thing."

"Hoho… yes, I suppose you're right! Somehow, he seemed like the spitting image of you when you were… Ahhh, maybe not so much. He takes after his mother, perhaps?"

"Err, ha-ha… I get that a lot. Especially about the look of my eyes."

When Subaru gave that noncommittal reply, the old man eagerly nodded.

"I see. Hard to believe you're old enough to have a son that age… Hm? Are you walking him to school?"

"Yeah, he decided that the amazing Spider-Man should have amazing grades!"

"Oh, so I won't impose on you any more. Have a good day!"

The father and son continued on their way after bidding the man farewell.

"By the way Subaru, is there a girl you like?"

"You don't need to put it off anymore. You can come right out and say it: 'Why did you decide to go back to school?' and whatever."

A gentle, refreshing breeze blew between father and son as they walked side by side.

"And here I was actually being considerate to someone for once. You're a son who can't read the mood. Well, it's not like you're wrong, that actually is what I wanted to talk to you about…"

"I'm sorry about avoiding you lately. I know I was very disrespectful to both of you…"

"Don't worry about that. I had a vague sense that you had your reasons for it, and even if you didn't, well, I can overlook a decent amount of that, so no need to dwell."

The two proceeded to stare ahead, neither looking at the other's face as they wove their words.

"I don't know about the rest of the world, but I personally don't believe that school is everything. You don't have to force yourself to go if you don't want to, you know?" Kenichi stated his views to Subaru.

"...Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to talk about this today? And why was it yesterday that you chose to wait for me in my room? It's been a month since I got bitten. What was so special about yesterday that made you check on me?"

"Hmm…"

Watching from the side as Subaru became agitated, Kenichi twisted his neck several times before replying.

"I'm not sure why. I guess the look on your face was getting a little hard to bear."

"My face looked bad?"

"Your face itself is the same, together with that villainous look in your eyes just like your mother's. I'm talking about the expression on your face. You always look worried about something."

Subaru took a deep breath. After a short pause, he finally decided to tell his father everything.

"I've always had this way of somehow managing to squeak through anything, you know?. Whether it's studying or athletics, I easily pulled off stuff that not many people can do. I was special, like you. I was Natsuki Kenichi's son."

"He really is that man's son."

Without a word, Kenichi gazed at Subaru, his eyes never wavering.

"But soon I was no longer the best at things I used to be the best in. What used to be my 'best' grew smaller and smaller. I started thinking that it made no sense. Working my hardest at school and running the fastest seemed stupid. So I tried to make everyone laugh instead."

Subaru smiled melancholically.

"But of course, the longer that continued, the next thing I was gonna do had to be even bigger, otherwise people would think I was boring. So I found myself flailing around without any thought, trying to do the stupidest things…And ironically, that caused the amount of friends I had to keep dwindling. The next thing I knew, there was no one left but me."

Subaru looked at a nearby friend group, who were likewise heading to school. They were talking about something and seemed to be having fun.

"After going outside, walking around town, I understood. Wherever I went, whatever I saw, there were traces of my dad everywhere, but none of mine. There was nothing special about me at all." Subaru lowered his head.

"From then on, I just spent all my time trying not to stand out. That's how I got through middle school. By the time I got into high school…I didn't want to go to school anymore, so I just stayed at home. I've never had any real relationships up to that point, and nothing about me stood out, so obviously nothing would change if I returned… But it's different now! I'm the amazing spider man!" Subaru lifted his head again and took on a more confident tone.

"I'm good at everything now, and everyone loves me! So I don't mind worrying a little about a few plans if it means I can finally feel proud to be your son!"

"Subaru."

"Wha-"

"Father headbutt!" Kenichi shouted, while unleashing a kick aimed for Subarus abdomen.

Subaru easily dodged his fathers surprise attack.

"Tch."

"Calling it a headbutt won't fool me!"

There was a moment of silence before Kenichi spoke.

"Subaru, we already told you this yesterday, but what you're able or not able to do doesn't matter to us, and whether or not you are Spider-Man shouldn't matter to the people that you surround yourself with. So stop worrying about appearances. Spider-Man has fans, but it is you, Subaru, who should have friends. Especially girls".

They were beginning to approach the school gate.

"Well, have fun at school, Spider-baru!"

Kenichi said so while striking a pose, which Subaru quickly tried to hide from the other arriving students.

"Bye, dad. See you in the evening… I-I love you!"

Subaru quickly added, fearing a repeat of last time.

"I love you too son!"

The bell rang, and so Kenichi smiled as he let Subaru run to his classroom.

The lessons at school were tough for Subaru, who had to make up for all the time he was absent. His enhanced perception and concentration helped him barely keep up, but all the whispering around him certainly did not. He announced his plans for after school during break, leading to many disappointed reactions. Even so, a good amount were interested to learn about a show that could interest Spider-Man, so needless to say, the topic was not limited to otakus anymore.

Among the many perks of being Spider-Man was the priority he was given everywhere, and he made sure to use it to its fullest at the convention. Word quickly spread that Spider-Man was there, causing the convention to be somehow even more packed. The creator of the anime seemed more ecstatic to meet Subaru than Subaru did him.

"I'm very happy that you enjoy my work! I've seen all of your stunts, the one a few days ago was unbelievable! If you don't mind, would you consider doing something here?"

Subaru felt a weird sensation crawling down his spine.

"Uhh, I-I don't know-"

His voice was drowned by the sound of sirens, coming from a firefighter truck passing by.

"Sorry, what did you say?" He was asked again after everyone waited for the truck to go away.

The crowd was looking at him with expecting eyes.

"Um, yeah, s-sure I can." The building was only five stories tall, what harm could be done from that height?

He brainstormed what tricks he could perform while listening to the many suggestions thrown at him. After making up his mind, he started climbing up the building as the crowd cheered. He hoped that this height would be enough to impress them.

His eyes trailed the city as he ran over his plan again. But then he noticed a pillar of smoke, and it seemed to be coming from the area where his home was.

"Oh, shit-!"

Screw this stunt! Are my parents okay?!

Subaru jumped over the cheering crowd and beelined toward his house. He already knew the best swinging spots, so it would take him a little over a minute to get there.

Please be okay-!

As he got closer, he saw that a house in his street was on fire. The firefighter truck from earlier and a few ambulances were standing before it, and several firefighters were trying to find a way into the building, but to no avail.

"A middle aged man with black hair ran in to try to save the people inside, but it collapsed immediately afterwards! We can't get in!" One of them reported.

There was only one man with this description who he knew was present on this street today. Panicking, Subaru rushed to the collapsed part and, mustering all of his strength, lifted it up.

"Here! Go save them!" Please let him be okay!

The firefighters quickly entered the building and came out carrying the bodies of three people.

Please let him be okay!

"That's everyone! You can stop now!" The firefighters called out to him.

Subaru let go of the building, causing it to collapse once more. He then ran to the ambulances to check on the condition of the injured.

"They have all inhaled smoke, but this man also has some internal injuries because of the fallen debris!" Subaru heard the paramedic say.

"Let me in! This is my dad!" Subaru demanded in a distressed voice.

The paramedic, who had seen Subaru's inhuman display of strength, didn't try to stop him, instead warning him not to get in the way.

"Dad! Are you ok? Please tell me you're ok!" Subaru asked in a panic.

"Subaru…" Kenichi replied between ragged breaths.

Kenichi was lying on a cot with a breathing aid attached to his face. He was dirty and covered in ash, and although his wounds didn't seem too deep to be fatal, Subaru knew that internal injuries could be deceptively harmful.

"Dad!" Subaru cried, happy his father was able to respond. "See, you're gonna be okay!"

"The others…?"

"Yeah, they are being treated right now, just stay with me!"

"You were… incredible back there…Subaru…"

"No! I was never as great as you! I couldn't…I didn't run after the fire truck when I saw it go by… With my powers, I could've saved you and everyone else, but I didn't! I just watched it pass! But you… you're just a normal guy, and you went to save them without thinking twice…You're a much better person than I could ever be…"

"His life signals are weakening." Another paramedic reported while frantically looking for a way to keep Kenichi alive.

"No! No…"

Tears started welling up in Subaru's sharp eyes.

"With great power… comes great… responsibility. I could… save them… so I had to try…"

"...It's all my fault…"

"Subaru."

Kenichi looked Subaru in the eye.

"It's not your… fault, Subaru. Something's been… weighing down… on your shoulders… for a while *cough* now. But you're… getting stronger… every day. So… once you feel.. up for it… you can start worrying *cough* ...about saving people… and not anytime *cough cough* ...sooner *cough*..."

"Dad? Dad!"

"Take care…*cough* of your mother, Subaru… that's a good *cough* ...place to…*cough cough* start… from…" Kenichi's voice faded away.

"Dad…No…Don't go… Don't leave me…"

A few moments later, the machine monitoring his pulse displayed a flat line. The paramedics could only watch in silence as Subaru cried by the side of his father's body.

The following day was a haze to Subaru. He vaguely recalled receiving the condolences of his neighbors and of his father's acquaintances alongside his mother. Some thanked him and his father for saving their relatives from the fire, stating that the heroism runs in their blood. Since he was Spider-Man's father, the incident also attracted a lot of attention from outsiders, but Subaru dismissed them.

The people stopped coming at night, so since Subaru and his mother lacked the appetite to eat both breakfast and lunch that day, they both silently agreed that they should probably at least have dinner.

"Mom, I'll go to the convenience store and get us some instant ramen."

"...Take care." His mother replied in an exhausted tone.

The cashier at the store had heard of what had happened the day before, so he didn't charge Subaru for his purchase. Subaru thanked him and exited the store. But as he started to head home, his spider sense started going crazy, more than ever before.

What the heck?

He took notice of his surroundings, but the next second he blinked-

"Huh…?"

They had changed completely.

To be continued (hopefully)

Man, writing a fanfic is fun, but it sure is exhausting. Whole days were spent on this fic, and with no breaks since even then I would think about improvements and future plot points. By now I have the first two arcs roughly mapped out, so if this gets popular I will do my best to write them.

This fic was inspired by kingkari's Re:Spider In Another World, who is looking to take a more multiverse-y approach to the story. I wanted to see the world of Re:zero shape spider man, as opposed to him being transported fully baked.

This is my first fanfic so all criticism is more than welcome. This is especially true for the character's portrayal, since I can never be too sure how they would actually act in these circumstances.

Welp, time for my leap of faith!