Been a while, hasn't it? About a year and a day. Been doing a bit of writing in the interim. Handful of stories that I've been chipping away at. To that extent, I'll be rotating my postings until my backlog empties out. Hopefully by then, one of my pieces will have fully grabbed my attention like it did last go around.

Tiny primer for this piece: this one is another attempt at trying to tell a full story (or at least part of one) within 50k words. At current, I'm sitting on about 35.7k words across 12 chapters and am honestly floundering a little on how I'll proceed, but I know I'll get there sooner or later.

This story poses the question: what if Peter Parker and Cindy Moon ended up as siblings (sans the extreme pheromone stuff Cindy's initial comic presented, because ick) alongside some other stuff down the line that I was predominately focused on. I have an overall plan for give/take nine arcs of 50k words each, but truthfully I'm sure I'll start combining stuff down the line and knock out two or three arcs total. Really the hard part is trying to figure out the pacing of things, because as much as I want to have things be believable and realistic in terms of time lines, sometimes part of the superhero life style means you really do get no breaks, and I think there's a sort of schadenfreude beauty to that.

This story will be moderately AU, though I hope that I can at least try to stay within some definition of 'in character'.

Hi, there. My name is Peter Parker. And for the past ten years, I've been nothing more than an average student. I have decent grades that tend to keep me in the top three of all my classes, I focus in track and field instead of robotics or academic trivia, Eugene 'Flash' Thompson is one of my closer friends, and I'm on pretty good speaking terms with my next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson. Heck, I've even got a pretty cool older sister who's all but legally adopted into my family. Yeah, as far as things go, my life is pretty cool.

Which is why I'm actually kind of dreading today's field trip.

See, here at Midtown High, we're a Science and Technology focused school, which means a field trip to Oscorp (which also happens to be where my sister has a paid internship at) is completely natural. There's just one really big problem.

Oscorp has been working on some biogenetic stuff lately. Lizards, spiders, jellyfish; if they have some kind of self-healing physiology, you can bet your mittens that this division of Oscorp was working on it.

"Pete, you okay? You keep rubbing your hand."

I gave a small smile. It's shaky and nervous, and nothing I do can make it any less anxious, but I'm making the attempt and that's what matters. "Guess I'm just paranoid. Cindy woke up to a spider on her face the other day and after Uncle Ben smooshed a different spider and broke open its egg sac, insects have been making me antsy." Not a total lie. And something that was completely ironic considering— well.

Flash gave a full body shiver. A couple days ago a certain gif made the rounds again depicting exactly what happened to me. Broom meets spider. Broom reveals a writhing, crawling, carpet of— I myself shivered as well, inching away from a few cases that had to be holding some kind of reptile or arachnid.

"Right, let's keep you on the inside then."

I nodded gratefully as Flash pulled me to the other side, keeping himself interspaced between me and any of the cases. I wasn't exactly sure how I managed to luck out with people so understanding of phobias and the like, especially considering some of my friend groups and the fact we were high schoolers, but I was grateful for it all the same.

"Isn't Cindy supposed to be working today?"

"She's probably in a sub-lab or something," I whispered back to MJ, wondering what inane but no less relatively important conversation she must have left behind. Don't get me wrong, even if I wasn't fully scholarly inclined, hearing Cindy talk about all the different projects her division was working on was exciting, and seeing them in person (spiders notwithstanding) made the stories all the more incredible.

"She ever come home in a lab coat?" Flash asked, pointedly staring at one of the female workers.

"One: gross," I elbowed Flash in the side as I said that, "and A: I'm pretty sure their lab coats stay on site. Something about making it easier to sterilize things or something. I don't remember the specifics about it."

"Tst." Flash, and to a lesser extent MJ, flinched as our teacher Mr. Harrington snuck up on us. "Keep it down, you three. You're making us look bad."

"Sorry, Mr. Harrington," we responded in unison.

"Ms. Damon, some of the spiders here are missing."

Some. That was very important. Not just one, but some. Thank you for being such an inquisitive person, Harry, and for being so very willing to take a close look at the cases.

"We've been working with them lately, so that's not too surprising. I'll pass the message on though, just in case. Now if you'll all follow me this way."

Both Harry and MJ lingered behind some to take a closer look at the spiders. Out of solidarity for them (because they can't arrest us all), I stuck around as well, hands firmly tucked into my armpits and completely not at all trying to hug myself, no sirree.

"Your father ever talk about this stuff?"

"Not really, no." Harry leaned forward some, trying to take a closer look at the patterning of some of the spiders. "He mostly just asks me how I'm doing at school, whether or not I have any friends, and whether or not I'm really sure I don't want private tutors and an early start at Oscorp."

"He doesn't keep an eye out on this sort of thing?"

A small commotion on the other side of the room drew my attention. Some of the staff were making annoyed sounds and expressing general disapproval, but it didn't seem to be of the condemning sort, more of the 'a deadline just got pushed up and now we probably have to work overtime' kind.

"He has managers and supervisors to do that for him. It's only certain things he'll really keep a personal eye on, otherwise it's all board meetings and shareholders and PR events."

A mane of black hair, tied up in a tight bun, wove its way across the lab floor. In her hands, Cindy pushed along a small cart holding a handful of clear transport boxes, all of them holding what had to be spiders. The strange part was that she would stop at every couple of desks and reach underneath the cart, placing what I thought was either dead or severely insensate beetles on them as well as giving a few words to the desk owners.

"C'mon, you three, let's keep it going. Don't let me have to talk to you guys again."

"Mr. Harrrington, that was Flash you were talking to earlier, not Harry."

Mr. Harrington sighed. "Right, right. Sorry, Harry, but point still stands. Peter?"

"Uh, I think my sister wants to talk to me." I pointed over at Cindy with a grand motion, grateful that she noticed my gesture and waved back as she continued leaving beetles on desks.

Mr. Harrington sighed once again. "Alright fine, but don't get too caught up."

I waved goodbye to MJ and Harry as they left, sliding my hand back underneath my armpit once they turned away. It took Cindy almost another half minute (trust me, I was counting) before she finally neared me and began coaxing her spiders into their proper habitats.

"Something up, Pete?" she asked quietly.

"Nerves."

She chuckled, sealing one terrarium close before working on yet another. "Why? Planning on asking someone out on a date today?"

Despite her not looking at me, I stared at her in annoyance. "You know how I feel about that."

"Yes, yes, 'everyone still feels too immature'." Another terrarium closed. This one one of several that seemed to have a dirty black web. "Says the High School Junior."

"The High School Junior that worked a summer job, tutors upperclassmen, and does college level proofreading and editing, thanks." Look, they weren't the most glamorous of things, especially compared to what I could have been, but I was proud of what I did!

"Oh, wow, Peter," she deadpanned, "you worked a job and can operate at a scholastic college level. You're the absolute pinnacle of maturity."

I wished I could have completely stopped the sigh from coming out, but at least it only came out through my nose instead of my mouth. "Anyway, how many spiders you bring out?"

"Five. We were checking reflexes and maturity, as well as gathering new DNA samples for further examination."

"Reflexes and maturity?"

"The spiderlings are only a couple weeks old. That they successfully broke out of their eggs is one thing; having them reach full maturity is another." Cindy closed yet another terrarium and set her coaxing stick (little more than a long twig that was probably artificial) aside.

"Uh, Cindy? I'm sure there's a very good reason why, but that was only four."

"Returning back to the basics, Peter? Good for you." She rolled her eyes. "One of them went missing after its checkup. It likes to eat beetles, so that's why I was placing them all around. I'm sure it'll show up somewhere."

I winced and pushed my lips together. Instincts demanded that I slap the back of my neck, but if it was what I thought it was, I didn't want to push back their research. "I think I found it," I whispered, showing her my neck.

"Oh. Yeah, that's it. Damn thing's an escape artist." Cindy gave a tiny hiss of her own. "And a biter." I'm pretty sure she caught my expression as she put in the possible catalyst to the worst part of my life away. "Don't worry Peter, none of these are venomous. It was too much of a liability risk so they made sure to take those traits out of the spiderlings."

"That's... not exactly what I'm worried about." I rubbed the back of my neck, wondering exactly how much I'd hate this.

The answer was a lot. The moment we got back to school I was starting to feel the beginnings of a horrible fever come onto me. My bones and muscles were aching, I was severely aware of the stairs I walked up and down every day, I'm pretty sure I was getting sensitive to light, and sounds were constantly alternating between becoming muffled and painfully overbearing. I was lucky that MJ was willing to support me on the way back home, but even then the struggle up the stairs to my room felt like a hill at the end of a marathon. Medicine and my bed didn't help either. Out of the blankets and I felt too cold. Inside the blankets, and I felt too hot. Not even going halfsies on the blankets helped.

Second worst time of my life— err, worst moment of this life— ever.

Morning was... well. Morning was weird. And scary. The muscles I already had from working out (body weight and resistance only, thank you very much!) had been scaled up to twelve. Sights and sounds were heightened to almost HD levels, and I ended up breaking almost a full box of brand new pencils (the nice black kind that I only shared with friends; acquaintances get the standard yellow, please and thanks) before I finally had an idea on how much I needed to grip things.

"Peter? You feeling alright?"

"On a scale of one to hopscotch, I'd like to skip school today," I responded to Cindy, almost a full five minutes deep into the low point of a push-up without any issues whatsoever. I heard her lean against my door.

"I'm guessing yesterday didn't go very well?"

"No, I didn't ask anyone out on a date," I huffed. "The anxiety of what I was worried about caught up to me and I don't feel very good today."

Cindy hummed. "I'll call Midtown for you, then. Uncle Ben and Aunt May already went out, and I need to head off for class. You gonna be alright on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Probably. "Just need a meal and maybe some time in a park."

/ - /

The first thing I realized was that my enhancements were far more extensive than I was expecting. Much like flying a plane, getting started was easy, but stopping was hard. I was already used to a long distance pace, and taking my usual route that had very little traffic meant I was able to get into a groove very easily. What this ended up meaning was that despite nearly falling over from how quickly I stopped while trying to cross a couple streets, I was back to my starting point in under half an hour without any heavy breathing, when normally it should have taken me almost a full hour.

The second realization was just how beautiful the world was. It was late summer and the leaves were still green. The spot I chose underneath my tree meant I was able to catch rays of sunlight flickering through the boughs, and the chatter of people who had a free day mixed with birdsong. If I sat up, I could see the sun dancing on the water's surface, and I was almost hyper aware of every single blade of grass my palms touched.

It was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. I was essentially a higher level being. Unless I kept myself from utilizing my newfound powers, I was going to have to deal with a bunch of crap in the future. I was lucky with how little Mutants and Supers seemed to be active, but I couldn't tell if that was just because that was how my world was, or if there was that strong a censoring on that sort of information. At the very least, there didn't seem to be much in the way of Avengers or an Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, which was as much a blessing as it was a curse. For all intents and purposes, I was a tiny little guppy in a very big pond. A pond so big, I couldn't even see any other fish.

"It's not even noon," I muttered. At best it was 10:30, maybe pushing :45. I had a decent breakfast after Cindy left (leftovers from the night before) and so hunger pangs had yet to arrive, but with my enhancements being the way they were, would my caloric intake be massively increased? I turned my arm around, staring at the tiny circle of dots just an inch below my wrist. Yet another blessing and curse: organics. I hadn't tried out the hand position I expected it to be, but feeling my forearms revealed changes in them I just knew were the web glands. With a heavy sigh, I wrapped my hand around my wrist. No, unless I accidentally spewed some strands, playing around with webs wasn't something I had any interest in. Not until at least tomorrow. Let me at least get a handle on my physical attributes where I didn't feel scared about crushing any door handles.

"Alright, Pete, back on the road." I rocked onto my back and springed forward, wincing when I went much further than I was expecting. Luckily no one really seemed to notice, but I made a (relatively) hasty retreat back home to pick up my wallet before anyone could say anything.

/ - /

"Forget your phone, Pete?"

I winced at the intently nonchalant tone Cindy spoke with. Even though it was only six something and the sun was still out, the fact that I was home after everyone else was bad. "Yeah, sorry. I just got really antsy laying around and— Cindy?" At the ripe age of 15 going on 16, Cindy still had a couple inches on me, enough that when she pressed the back of her hand against my face, it almost felt mothering instead of just protective.

"You really worried us, Pete." She pulled me into a tight hug. "No note, no phone, nada. None of the neighbors knew anything either and MJ didn't see you after school. Where'd you go?"

"I—" I could partially lie, of course. Say I got distracted by the day. Wandered around the city and pigged out on snacks and food. Just completely bypass the near five hours of my day that I spent working out in some abandoned construction sites. But Cindy had this annoying skill where she was able to remember everything with perfect clarity. Every imperfection on my facial expression, every fraction of hesitation; all of it. "I wasn't causing trouble, anyway. The day was just too nice and I sort of got lost?" I gave an embarrassed shrug that was more truth than exaggeration.

She held me in place by my shoulders (or I guess, I let her keep me in place by my shoulders) for a few moments before speaking. "Is it an older girl?"

I groaned. "Cindy, I told you, I'm not interested in dating anyone!"

"Is it a guy?" she asked with a raised brow.

I most certainly did not shriek her name in indignation.

"Because if it is, I'm not judging. It's the modern day, and you'd be surprised by how many people swing the other way, especially at my workplace."

I groaned and pulled away, flopping down on the couch with a bit more force than I intended. Nothing broke though, so I called it a success. "You know how I feel about the outdoors, Cindy."

She chuckled and batted my head with the back of her fingers, sitting down once I moved and letting my head rest in her lap. "If you had your way, you'd have school outside every day, except for when it gets too cold and you hide inside bundled up with sweats, thermals, and enough layers to survive Canada." Cindy began combing through my hair with a hand, pausing every now and then to scratch my head with her fingers. "You sure you're warm blooded, Pete? Because sometimes you act like you're cold."

"It's called preferences, and if you didn't exclusively work in thermal controlled environments, you would have developed some too," I mumbled.

"Ah, but you forget, Peter: my preferences are cold, on ice, and a stick in my hands." She poked my forehead, smiling.

"Not tall, noiret, and with a hockey player's physique?"

Her smile turned a little sad, and for a moment I regretted my words. "Maybe once upon a time, but it's already been a year since Hector and I last talked. Plus, I'm pretty sure our career paths wouldn't work out."

"I'm sorry, Cindy."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Pete. I forgive you." She pressed her fingers to her lips before pressing them against my forehead. "But seriously though, you doing okay?"

"Yeah, just needed a good night's rest was all."

She stared down at me, looking distinctly unamused. "So, plan on telling me exactly why you were so nervous?"

"Spiders."

"Ah." She laid her hand directly on my forehead. "You know, considering it was me who woke up to a spider on my face, I'm surprised you came out of it with the worse reaction."

"Yeah, but you work with spiders! You had plenty of time to desensitize yourself!"

"Which is a fair point, but—"

"Peter? Hey there, kiddo."

I swung my feet off the couch and stood up, moving to give Uncle Ben a light hug.

"You had us worried sick there."

"I know, Uncle Ben, I'm sorry. It was just such a nice day and—"

"And you ended up getting lost wandering around the city?"

I glanced away, feeling my face flush slightly. "Yeah."

He chuckled. "We should stick one of those trackers in your clothes. What were they called again, Cindy? Sky Tags?"

"Something like that," Cindy answered with a sly smile.

"Guys, I'll remember to grab my phone before heading out, I promise. I'm gonna go say hi to Aunt May." Normally I would have jogged up the stairs, but I still didn't trust my own strength. Walking was by far the safer option.

"So what did he really get up to?" I heard Uncle Ben ask as I neared the top.

"He really did get lost, but there's something else that happened. I don't think it's anything serious, but I'm sure—"

I took a deep breath, drowning out Cindy's voice. That was another hard part. Everything became overly sensitive. There wasn't any way to turn things off or lower their intensity. Part of my 'training' today was trying to hang out at a mall, but I ended up there during peak hours and between all the movement and the usual music, it was too overwhelming. Main streets were an issue, too. I only hoped that this stuff wouldn't be bothering me for much longer. "Aunt May?" I knocked on the door to their bedroom, smiling when she opened it.

"Peter! You worried us sick!"

Next chapter will be released May 22nd.