An anomaly in the form of a Doctor Doom was spotted near Brooklyn Visions Academy, and being the local Spider-Man, Miles swung in to respond first to the green-robed man's location. Fortunately, it was still the first period and a Monday - he could use an excuse from the supervillain fiasco causing heavy traffic during rush hour. His dad was called into the scene, so after he waved goodbye to his mother and suited up in a nearby alley, he caught up and hitched a ride atop the police cruiser.

It must be a sight to behold, but New Yorkers had seen stranger things than their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man hitchhiking a vehicle the formerly hostile law enforcement used. It had taken this universe's Peter Parker's death and a few weeks' worth of after-crime bantering before the cops warmed up to him. The two sides still disagreed sometimes, but anyone could see how the police looked after the new Spider-Man. Miles' friends found it weird, but that was because their own law enforcement still disapproved of them.

They arrived at the scene, and Miles quickly nodded in his father's direction before diving straight into the action. He had been called before in a handful of anomaly missions involving Doctor Doom variants and knew to tread carefully around the supervillain. However, Lady Luck seemed to be on his side as the glitches worked in his favor. His Spider-Sense worked overtime as he swung away and dodged attacks and threw quips and insults just to annoy the shit out of the man.

"Green is SO NOT your color, man!" Miles shouted as he balanced atop a lamppost. "Ever think of changing? Maybe pink? Purple? You know, typical supervillain color schemes - WHOA!"

Doctor Doom glared balefully behind his iron mask, and Miles gracefully leaped out of the way of a mystical blast and rolled on the ground. The latter eyed the blackened concrete and huffed. "Not much of a talker, I see."

Miles avoided another attack and jumped to the nearest building. The robed man pursued him on the rooftop, relentlessly trying to fry the superhero on the spot. The latter kept his distance, knowing he was disadvantaged at melee and ranged combat. Doctor Doom was one HELL of an enemy to fight. Instead, he dropped to the side, clung against the brick wall, and activated his Camouflage. He held his breath as the supervillain searched the area he had disappeared into before grabbing the man's ankle.

The hair-raising hum of bioelectricity surged and shot out of Miles' hand. Doctor Doom bellowed in pain and fell back on the concrete floor. The lavender glow of his hands flickered as he jerkily raised them toward the superhero. Miles held on, even as a weak blast hit him on the shoulder and singed the black spandex. He gritted his teeth against the dull pain and urged himself to increase the voltage slightly. He finally let go when he was sure the supervillain was knocked out cold and webbed the robed man in a tight cocoon.

Backup arrived a few seconds later, and Miles did not stay long to watch them take Doctor Doom away. He exchanged quick greetings and swung away to reunite with his dad. His shoulder tingled from the blast, but he ignored it. Miles did promise his parents he would not hide any injury from them after he revealed his secret identity as Spider-Man, but his healing factor always kicked up before he could show them. So, he did not, and after the routine after-fight checkup, his father drove him to the academy but not without the customary 'I love you'.

The rest of the day went without a hitch. During lunch, Miles checked in with Gwen and the others through the Dimensional Travel Watch and was informed that Miguel was away. The man was on the field, assisting in herding multiple anomalies that appeared spontaneously in different dimensions. So, Miles decided to focus on catching up on his classes and drop by the headquarters tomorrow night.

"...You know what would be cool?" Ganke was saying. Miles looked away from his Math homework and over his bunk. His roommate was hunched over his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys. "You being able to transform into a spider. You can sneak into villains' lairs without them noticing. I mean, you have your invisibility thing -"

"-Camouflage." Miles corrected. "It's close. I blend in with my surroundings, not completely turn invisible." He closed his notebook and draped his arms over the guardrail. "And nah, man. I'd rather not turn into an actual spider. I've met Spider-people who went through that. Or at least similar. It's kinda dope, but that's still a nope."

"Hey, that rhymes!" Ganke laughed. He leaned back and turned his swivel chair to face the other teenager. "But you're right. That would be weird. I can't cover for someone with more arms than two. Uhh…no offense."

Miles waved it off good-naturedly. "None taken." He patted the spot where Doctor Doom almost burned. The prickling sensation mainly had faded, leaving a numbness akin to the after-effects of an intense workout. "Gonna turn in early for the night. You?"

"Nope. Still have an essay to finish. You're finished with Math?"

"Yep." Miles tossed him his notebook, which Ganke caught with a Whoop! "Leave it on my desk once you're done."

"Thanks, bro. I'll wake you up if any villain needs an ass-whooping."

Miles snorted at his best friend's words. They were each other's bad influence, after all. He peeled himself off the guardrail and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. "G'night, man."

"'Night."

Miles settled down, listening to the almost-rhythmic tapping of Ganke's keyboard and the ever-lively nightlife of New York. Sleep was often unkind to him - he always laid awake for a few hours before he got the much-needed Zzzs. Sometimes, he rarely got enough - the call of duty as Spider-Man was too strong to ignore. It was a miracle he managed to juggle his double life this far, but there were repercussions. It was always like that. Be it cutting class or sneaking out hours later than he should be allowed. It was not that he wanted to but because he needed to.

However, it seemed Lady Luck still favored him tonight. Miles was out in less than usual and dreaming. He was back in that fight against Doctor Doom - the lavender glow of the latter's hands blasted against his shoulder. It burned and was painful enough that he lost grip on where he was latched on the wall. It was not how he remembered it went and should not be possible with his spider powers, but he plummeted toward the stone-cold ground.

Miles waited for the sickening crunch of his bones, the crushing of his organs, and the never-ending loop of pain. It did not come. Instead, his body met something soft, making him bounce twice before settling down. It felt like he landed on a marshmallow, only it was made of brushed fur. Even inside a dream, he found it weird but did not have the time to contemplate it when an ear-shattering sound cut through his unconsciousness.

Someone yelped, and Miles struggled out of his blanket. He clawed at the sheet until he found the edge. Sunlight was harsh against his eyes, and he fumbled to get his bearings and find his phone. It was set beside his pillow - Why was it far? - and he had to creep on all fours to reach it. The display was up, flashing with the morning alarm and a few notifications from social media and messages from his parents. Miles was about to swipe the alert off when he stopped abruptly. His eyes stared wide at his hand, or what used to be his hand.

What…? What the fuck?

Instead of familiar human skin, his hand was covered in black fur. His slim fingers, calloused by art and crime fighting, were reduced to smooth nubs with sharp claws protruding from the centers. He flipped it around and saw pink pads amidst the dark fur. The shape and pattern reminded him of a cat's…

…Wait a minute.

A different reflection - not human, not him - stared back at him on the lit screen. A glossy black coat surrounded a tiny pink nose, and a set of grey whiskers spread around the snout. Triangular ears sat atop the head, pointing toward the mirror image in full attention. A pair of abnormally wide pupils against golden brown irises mirrored his, full of fear, disbelief, and shock.

That was not right.

The reflection staring back at him was not human but a cat. A junior, to be precise. Not a sixteen-year-old son of an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother living in Brooklyn, New York. Not a student of Brooklyn Visions Academy who got bitten by a radioactive spider three years ago. Not the person behind the mask of the second Spider-Man of Earth-1610B.

That person - or creature - on his screen was not Miles Gonzalo Morales. It was definitely not him. Then, who - what…?

Miles could almost taste the bile rising to his throat. Panic surged in him, fogging his brain with What was happening? This could not be real! This was just a dream! He was still asleep, right? RIGHT? He backed away from his phone, which was still going off. His hind legs kicked against something, and he turned his head to see a slender tail. The fur covering it stood at the ends like the rest of his body.

No fucking way! This was NOT happening right now.

Miles remained rooted where he was. His mind was still processing the fact he had turned into a cat - A CAT! - that he forgot to reply. He barely heard his roommate leave his bed and start climbing the ladder, no doubt about to tell him to turn off his blasted alarm.

"Bro, are you still -" Feline and human gaped at each other. Ganke blinked at him, his drowsiness diminished by the sight of the four-legged animal. A frown creased his face. "Huh...? What's a cat doing here?"

That snapped Miles into action. He stumbled towards his best friend, nearly planting his face on the mattress. "G-Ganke! It's me. Miles! Help!"

His roommate's eyebrows furrowed further. "Pets aren't allowed here." He mumbled, hauling himself up until half of his body reached past the edge. He glanced at the open window with a sigh. "Must've left early to do some Spider-Man work. He should've at least turned off his alarm clock."

Ganke carefully maneuvered around the feline and picked up the phone. He swiped once, and the gadget fell silent. He turned towards the cat, who lifted half its body and desperately pawed at his pajamas.

"Ganke!" Miles hissed. He winced internally at how small he felt right now. He had to tilt his head to look at his best friend properly. "Come on!" Judging from the other's reaction, he did not seem to understand him. Was he just…meowing? No words at all? That was NOT good.

Miles meowed in indignance when his roommate lifted him under his armpits. His hind legs dangled below him uncomfortably. "Okay, little guy. I'm going to let you out. Just don't scratch me."

"Wait, what? NO!" Miles struggled against his Ganke's grip. "Ganke! It's me! Miles!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" His best friend yelped, hastily shifting his hold on the yowling feline. "Your claws are sharp! And why are you strong? Did you get bit by a radioactive spider too?"

No, but the person bitten by one got turned into a cat! Miles wanted to scream, but he had a more urgent problem. He would only be in danger if left outside in this vulnerable state. He could come home, yes, but what if his parents did not recognize him too? He had to investigate this and find a way to reverse it as soon as possible before New York got overrun by opportunistic villains. For that to happen, Miles needed a safe place like -

Something glinted at the corner of his eyes, and Miles' gaze landed on the sleek black and red barely hidden under his pillow. That was it! The Dimensional Travel Watch! Miguel made him a customized one with advanced features as an apology gift shortly after what they dubbed 'The Spot Incident'. Miles refused it the first few times, not wanting to do anything with the Spider Society anymore, but eventually accepted, seeing the older man's sincerity.

Miles looked up apologizingly at Ganke - Sorry about this, man - before sinking his nails deeper and violently twisting himself out of his roommate's loose grip. He latched on his bed sheet before he could fall to the edge, ignoring the OUCH! and Hey! from the latter. His hind legs kicked against the air as he clawed back atop and scurried underneath the covers.

Miles heard his best friend grumble and backed away until his rump hit the cold wall. He pressed low on the mattress, flattening his ears and ruffling his fur. He was not mad at Ganke - How could he? It was not his fault - but he allowed an unthreatening growl to rumble from his throat, hoping it would be enough to deter the other from approaching closer.

The bunk bed stopped moving, and Miles' sensitive hearing picked up a heavy sigh. It was a familiar telltale sign that Ganke had given up on wrangling a cat first thing in the morning during a class day. "You know what, fine. I'll leave you to Miles. You're his problem, anyway. I'm not getting scolded together with him. Not this time, no sir."

Miles listened to his roommate moan about how everyone, even animals, seemed to love Spider-Man. He could not refute that - hanging around with animals between patrols relieved some of his stress. In his defense, who could resist their cuteness? He waited and listened as his best friend tromped around the room to prepare for school, giving him time to panic more about his horrifyingly cute situation.

Miles had really turned into a cat. It was neither a dream nor a hallucination. But how? How did this happen? He frantically wracked his brain for anything that might have caused this. Did he eat something he was not supposed to? Was it because of his spider powers? Or was it that Doctor Doom yesterday?

Miles got hit, yes, but it was too weak. Still, he was a moron because that was still Doctor Doom. He should have told his dad outright what happened. He should have informed someone from the Spider Society immediately. If he did, maybe this would not occur in the first place.

Miles facepalmed or facepawed. Goddamnit! He was really an idiot. He huffed and looked around, wincing at his abandoned clothes peeking underneath the blanket. He tried not to think he was naked like a babe underneath all this fur. That would be embarrassing. Instead, he focused on the task at paw.

Once the door clicked closed behind Ganke, and everything was in the clear, Miles crept out of his hiding spot. He shifted unsteadily on his paws; he was used to scuttling on surfaces using all limbs, but somehow, right now, he felt like an infant trying to walk for the first time. He tripped a few times before he reached his pillow. He nosed the cushion slightly and bit down on the metallic band of his Dimensional Travel Watch, careful not to scratch it with his new sharp teeth.

It took Miles a few tries - mistypes - before he finally managed to input the coordinates to the Earth-928B. It was frustrating with the lack of human fingers and nerve-wracking with his claws. His fur bristled at the gradual increase of pressure in the air. Gravity loosened its hold around him, allowing light objects to float lazily inside the room. The familiar rotating hexagons of the portal materialized and opened against the wall, washing the place in unnatural colors.

Okay, okay. Miles inhaled as he stared at the portal. Be calm. Find the others. Ask for their help. Turn back to normal. Easy peasy. Everything would be fine if he went along with that simple plan. He could not stay in this form longer than necessary unless he wanted his New York to end up like Earth-42 - No offense, other him. There was no way he could fuck this up.

With a newfound determination, Miles plucked the gizmo using his mouth and jumped. Dizzying colors sped past him as the vacuum of dimensional travel sucked his unfamiliar body toward his destination. His clumsy paws found purchase on the platform of the dimly lit elevator - Thank God he could still stick on surfaces! The thick walls around him shortly opened up to the glass windows overlooking the crisp landscape of Earth-928B. The journey to the top was brief - when the spider-themed door of the Spider Society slid open and revealed the cluster of the Spider-folk hanging around the lobby, Miles suddenly felt like he was way over his head.

…He should have thought of a better plan.