#m-b-b

 Now to be fair there is a possibility it wasn’t you, she never actually saw you leave the pies, but you did always smile at her from the register when she walked by.

 After about two months of this, she decided she wanted evidence of who pizza-hood was -her friends coined the name not her-. She watched through the peephole around the time she believed the drops would happen. Much to her surprise, you walked up the stairs bundled in a few jackets and a beanie with a pizza in hand and a content face as you placed the box on her doormat. 

Eventually, she got up the courage to leave a few notes on her door for you.

Thanks for the pies  ;)

Soon they evolved into really bad pizza puns

I’m going to guess your name is on a Knead-to Know basis -K.B

Hoping I don’t seem like a weird-dough -K.B

These pies are here today, gone tomato -K.B

Hope you cheesed the day (that was super bad I’m sorry) -K.B

She could see every time you read them and she could see the small smile that would creep at the corners of your lips. It slowly became one of the things she looked forward to every week.

—

After a spat with her mom, she was on her way home when she saw that you were working a later shift so she saw no harm in stopping by to say hi…that “hi” turned into a two-hour-long conversation on varying topics and ended with her behind the counter while you stepped out to deliver a pizza a few blocks away to an apartment of drunk college kids. When you came back she was sitting on the counter playing a game on her phone. 

“Wow!” you fake gasped “and here I thought I could trust you to watch this fine establishment while I stepped out!” you gestured around the barren pizza shop and turned back to her with a smirk that paired well with your furrowed brows “And you’re on your phone!”

“You can so trust me! I promise!” she placed her phone down as she stared at you “Look it’s away, you and this gourmet restaurant have my full attention” 

You laughed and before you knew it your shift was over, which meant that your evening with Kate was cut short. Right as you were leaving she stopped you and seemed to be pulling up some courage before she asked you a question that surprisingly to her you had never been asked before. 

“Can I get your number?...” she paused for a second “It’s just to play games together, in case you get bored” she finished with a small smile and you exchanged phones with a smile gracing your lips. 

“Hope I get bored soon then…” you hand her phone back and say good night before making your way to the subway.

—

She started to stop in more and talk with you. You actually took more late shifts just so you made sure to catch her. Still dropping a pizza off every Wednesday for her. 

One night you saw someone in a ninja costume carrying a dog run past the shop. Then a while later two vans with mean-looking tracksuit guys who looked as greasy as your pizzas began yelling and throwing stuff at her windows. You and your bosses all went out to get them to leave. You began shouting as loud as you can for them to fuck off and heard Kate yell from the window something along the lines of  “DON’T FUCK WITH HIM!” but quickly was interrupted when a molotov cocktail was thrown at her. You decided that was the last straw and grabbed the nearest thing…which was a bird scooter. You chucked it at one of the guys. It didn’t go far… You didn’t see Kate after the fight and your stomach was in knots at the fact that you hadn’t heard from her.

—

You didn’t see kate for a few days after the fire, eventually she came back but she seemed to arrive home late and wouldn’t stop in. You decided to leave her a pizza and a note, and when that didn’t work you texted her and then when that didn’t work…you knocked on her door. She answered looking very tired and disheveled but soon very embarrassed and startled when she noticed it was you. You let out a small giggle at her reaction as she let you in, and waited while she went to get changed for a moment. You took this time to look around her apartment, it was filled with purple and was a lot bigger than anything you could afford. Once she was back you two sat on her couch and began talking.

“Okay, so…are you doing okay? I mean last week was crazy, those guys burning this place up and everything, what happened?” you were met with a mix of emotions on her face. She looked like she was trying to hold in a smile but also stop herself from crying. She took a deep breath and began to answer each question you gave. 

Your eyes went wide trying to process all the information and events that she was describing to you but then she started talking about you… wait you? She was using words like cute and sweet which made you smile a little as she started to ramble and quickly ended with “so yeah, that’s been the last month” for a moment you just sat in shock with your mouth hanging open and your eyes wide. 

Suddenly you stood up and looked at her, then slowly smiled. She looked confused and matched your smile. ”so….you think I’m cute?” you smirked at her like you’ve never done before.

 She quickly realized what she said “No! I mean you are but like- like in a friend way…I mean don’t you call all your friends cute?” You had already reached the door of her apartment.

“Nope, no take-backs!” and with that, you slipped out.

—

The two of you began to get closer as time passed. She invited you to hang out a lot and meet her friends, you invited her to meet yours. You can’t remember who or how it started but at some point, your little banter and jokes took a more flirtatious turn. Soon you’d catch yourself staring at her from across the room, waiting for her to text you goodnight before you fell asleep, looking for any excuse to hold her hand while you two were together. It didn’t help that she flirted back and never pulled away from you while you touched each other. You didn’t know if she was comfortable dating a trans dude, hell you hadn’t even told her you were trans. You decided that was the first thing you should do, then you needed to figure out if you should get over her or eventually tell her how you felt. You decided to tell her after going to a concert together and felt it was the right time, you walked her to her door and asked if you could use the bathroom to which she happily agreed when you got out she was sitting on her couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a second cup on the counter for you. You joined her and you two began talking and eventually, you stopped the conversation and started to get more serious “so..um Kate, there was something I um- I wanted to talk to you about actually” 

she shifted slightly to face you more and placed her mug down. “There actually was something I wanted to talk about too…” she didn’t really look at you instead of focusing on her hands in front of her. 

“Mines bigger, I really need to tell you because I don’t know how you’d feel after I tell-” 

she cuts you off “-I like you” 

your eyes went wide and your jaw dropped slightly 

“a lot actually, I didn’t know how to tell you-” next you cut her off 

“-I’m trans” 

She now did a double blink and took a sharp breath in. Your mind was racing and suddenly you became aware of all the weapons she had in her apartment and you just shot up and grabbed your jacket and began to apologise repeatedly as you walked to the door, she attempted to stop you but you were out the door before she could even reach you. 

Your phone was buzzing like a hex bug as you walked down the street. You checked and saw the screen become filled up with texts from Kate and you didn’t want to know what she was saying, you silenced your phone and shoved it in your pocket. You had already lost friends because of your transition and you didn’t want to prolong the pain. You knew in the back of your mind that she wasn’t like that but you still had those lingering thoughts the ones that where telling you the moment you told her, her feelings for you were gone. That the second the words had left your mouth that any chance you had with her went up in a puff of smoke. You knew you should have stayed. You knew you should have sat and talked, but the fear just erupted like a geyser and you ran. 

As you got onto the subway you saw a young kid on the other side of the car with a few pride pins. You smiled to yourself at how happy they seemed to be whenever they looked at them. The car pulled up to a stop and a mid-size group of boys who appeared to be around the age of 17-19 got on. They were laughing and joking around and as soon as one of them saw the pins they began mocking the kid. 

“Get a load of this freak!” One of them motioned to his friends and they all began laughing. “What? You couldn’t slack it with the girls?” You warily watched the situation and listened in on high alert. “What exactly do you have down there? I mean are you one of those freaks with both?” His buddy that wreaked of liquor -so much that you could smell it from the other side of the car- moved closer to the kid and chuckled “Why don’t you let us take a look? Wouldn’t hurt anyone” The fear that became present in the kids' eyes ignited something in you. You shot up like a bullet and made your way in between the boys and the kid as fast as you could. 

“Trust me. It would hurt alot” you grabbed his wrist that had come up while he moved. You faced the rest of the group that had begun chuckling at you. “Mind your business dude” The one whose wrist you had, yanked it out of your grasp and looked mad. You didn’t back down, you seemed to have adrenaline pumping through you like a rushing river. “This is my business, so back off” You spoke through gritted teeth and didn’t break eye contact. “Why don’t you make us since you seem so set on protecting this freak” he pushed at you and his buddies chimed in with encouragement. You attempted to protest but he went to hit you in the gut and you seemed to fold under the force. 

The cold floor that your hands landed on felt as unstable as a high schooler's mental state after taking 4 AP classes. Struggling to get up you felt another blow hit your face and the sound of the train became fuzzy. You attempted to get up but one of the guys kicked your wrist and you went down once again. The adrenaline started to course through your veins, instead of jumping up and attempting to fight more you kicked at his knee and to his groin which sent him to the ground as well. The car stopped and the doors opened. This was your chance and you took it. Dashing out of the subway and hopping the turnstyle. Your face was bloody and cut, the cold air of the night felt like an antiseptic on your skin. Seeing what stop you had gotten off at you saw the way home in your head and began walking. Coming across hundreds of college students piling in and out of bars and clubs. You’re only a few blocks away from your apartment but the fatigue of your injuries was starting to set in, your ribs felt like they had been twisted and broken like a wish bone. Stopping and sitting on the edge of the street only a few doors away from a club in which about five to seven drunk college girls stumble out of, one of the more sober members of the group spots you hunched over with blood dripping from the side of your forehead. She grabs someone by the arm and forces a water bottle out of their hand. Now about four girls are standing around you as they help try to clean the blood off you in a half-drunken mess. One girl had cried when you told them you got beat up, the other looked you dead in the eyes and said in a slurred jumble “I will kill them…do you want me to?” this made you laugh as they kept pulling out tissues from their bags and soaked up the blood and water. After they successfully wipe all the blood up and you have tissues sticking to your face like they were glued on, you stood up and gave them a few hugs and the sober one wanted to walk you home but you insisted you would be fine. 

Reaching your apartment you pushed the door open and felt your phone buzz once again. You finally took a look at it as you locked the door and placed your keys down. It was messages and calls from Kate. You put it down and don’t look back at it. Going instead to your bed and flopping onto it like a dead fish. Tonight was not what you had expected. This was the farthest thing from what you had in your mind. 

—

You had called your bosses and told them what happened, taking the next week off after your doctor told you to not work for two weeks due to the concussion you suffered. They understood, your shifts were covered and you were resting now. You stayed at home and barely went out. A few of your friends would take you to the park for a picnic every so often but you’d usually leave early. Your phone would ring around the same time each day. It was Kate. Being too scared to talk with her again you never answered, she would text you as well. It was about ten days into your rest and there was a knock at your door. You checked the peep hole and saw her. Her jet black hair was wavy as she stood there. She was picking at her nails as she waited, she radiated a nervous energy. You hesitated over the door knob. She spoke up through the door “I know you’re home… Marco told me, can we please just talk?” the way she spoke tug on your heart and you slowly opened the door. Not fully, just enough to fit your body in the way. “Marco needs to learn about peoples privacy,” your jab at your boss made her smile. God, you couldn’t say no to her “Come on in…” opening it more and moving out of the way just enough for her to fit through. You locked the door and the two of you slowly walked through your cramped apartment. 

“So… it’s a nice place” you give her a curt nod, you know its small. After seeing how big her place was and learning where she grew up, this was like a closet for her. “Um– do you need some water? Or a coffee?” you adjust the hoodie you were wearing, suddenly you became self conscious of how you looked infront of her. 

“No, I’m okay…” she took a breath “what happened?-” she gestured to your face “if you don’t mind telling me” you lowered your head and cleared your throat. Attempting to avoid her eyes you spoke “I um… -kinda got my ass handed to me” you moved and leaned against your kitchen counter. “What um- what did you want to talk about?” the cold from the countertop helped your sweaty palms as you awaited her response. She looked at you with a mix of emotions and searched your eyes “Kinda thought that maybe the last time we talked would be a good start” 

You dreaded this conversation everytime. You feared it everytime, there was never really any way to get rid of the fear. Sometimes it would lessen over time. “Yeah, I um… I’m trans” she looked at you with slight shock. She had heard you say it before but it was cemented in her mind now. “I don’t care…-I mean I do care, but not like that! Obviously I’m fine with you being a girl and whatever you do to be comfortable and I’ll stick by you through thi–” you cut her off when you heard what she said “Wait, no- I’m sorry I’m not a girl. I’m a man!” she looked at you surprised and her eyes seemed like they would pop out of their eyes. “What?” she thought for a moment before she covered her mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry! Oh my god! I thought-” she was cut off this time by your laughter. This was the first time you had been mistaken for male to female. You couldn’t keep your laughter in. She yelled at you as you doubled over with laughter “Stop it!- You’re such a jerk!” she goes over and hits you lightly, as she does it she slowly starts to laugh too. 

“I just-” she see her laughing and it makes you laugh even more “I never- ooo give me a second-” you grabbed your ribs that were still slightly sore “I never expected this” you held onto each other for support as your reactions became a melting pot of emotions and mixed together. After awhile you both sat on the couch and talked it over. You told her you were fine with any questions she had. She had alot. They weren’t even intrusive, more curious about this side of you. You answered her truthfully and it felt like she was getting to know who you truly were. After a moment of silence you brought up the elephant in the room that seemed to hide behind a tree the entire night. “So, you like me?” You gave her a coy smile and she kept her gaze away from his eyes. “Cuz.. I um- well I think we need to talk about that” a faux humorless expression.

- - -

Walking into a school office he once knew made Degan feel empty. He didn't have any connections he once had, he was alone in a place that he felt was his second home. Sitting in a chair outside a principal's office he'd never met before. Staring at kids who wore uniforms he'd never even seen before. His knee bounced up and down as though it was a perpetual motion machine. One of the shortest questions Degan has heard in his life snapped him out of his head. "Mr King?" his head spun towards the voice and he scanned the man's face as fast as he could and produced a smile. "Sir, it's nice to meet you Mr Morita" he held out his hand for the man. This took the man aback for a moment before he produced a smile of his own and took the hand, opening the door even wider for the boy to enter. "Mr King, your record so far looks impeccable." he closes the file in front of him and looks at the boy curiously "I do have to ask why you suddenly decided to transfer?"

Taking in a large breath he racked his mind, thinking over the following days "I realized I wasn't being challenged enough at my last school, science is my passion and I want to make sure I'm at the best place for it" giving a nonchalant smile he turns his head towards the window that looks out at the hallway with students walking around. "It already feels like I belong here" Principal Morita gives him a warm smile before getting up and making his way to the door. "Well, I'm glad." the door opens and a smiling face greets Degan from the doorway "Hopefully you'll feel even better once you get a tour," gesturing to the girl smiling "this is Chrissy, one of our welcome members on the student council".

"Hi! You must be Degan!" she waves and he feels his eyes widen and brows raise. This was not something he expected. "You don't have a uniform yet, but that's the first stop." Degan opens his mouth to object but is quickly shut down by the bright girl shining her smile at him "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll look great" getting up he hesitantly followed the girl.

- - -

Shit Shit Shit. Not only do I now need a uniform but I also have to get a tour and talk to someone... something I hate. She kept smiling and waving to people. So much friendliness.

- - -

Stepping out of the changing room he begrudgingly put on the navy blue blazer. Catching his reflection he felt like he was seeing a stranger, his wavy hair had begun to straighten itself, and his eyes felt sunken in more than they usually did. He tugged on the collar and forced a smile once his tour guide turned to him. She squealed and his face went from uncomfortable to eyes wide in fear. "You look perfect. Like actually perfect" She stood up and opened the door out into the hallway and beckoned him to join. "C'mon, You have Wells for your first class." walking to the door in the most uncomfortable shoes possible, in a tie that feels more constricting than any time he's been choked by Scorpion. Stepping into a hallway he's walked a million times felt like amnesia, the colour of the lockers was the same, and the student's faces passed by unlike any he's seen before. As he walked he felt a spidey sense go off in the smallest of proportions he thought it was simply a phone vibration. Taking one step forward he then collided with a flurry of dirty blonde hair that almost fell backwards. Catching her by her arm he just stared at her and helped get her back up to her feet. Not saying a word and just avoiding her gaze he continued on with his tour. Scurrying away he could only hear a small "thanks" as her voice left his ears.

"Here's your locker, you can put your clothes in for after school" focusing back on the face of the girl in front of him, he noticed more of her appearance. She had fluffy brown hair that matched that of cocoa, and dimples that flashed every time she spoke and smiled... so they seemed to appear often.

"Thanks" shoving the pile he had tucked into his side now into the large metal locker. Turning around he found the girl with dirty blonde hair eyeing him up like a prize at a county fair. She had a smile on her that was skewed to one side, her eyes were green and they held a certain glint to them. Degans eyes followed up and down as she surveyed him too, seemingly understanding what was happening as they kept the focus on each other. "Okay, well I'll save you a seat...in room 9" his attention was now on the brown eyes that followed the smile and dimples as they turned and walked away. Looking back at the blonde, he found her to be making her way towards him. The smile on her lips didn't change at all and the glint in her eyes only seemed to get brighter.

"Where did you drop in from?" her voice was one that screamed mischief from a rooftop. Degan only cocked a brow and turned back to his locker. she leaned against the lockers next to him and stared intently into his eyes. "C'mon, let me thank my hero somehow"

"I'm okay, I'd rather you pretend I don't exist" closing his locker and walking away he could feel her eyes tied to him as he walked.

Keeping his head down he didn't even need to ask for directions on the way to his first class, he'd already memorized the layout on his first day... his other first day.

His head perked up for only a moment when a voice pierced his ears. He knew who it belonged to from before he even saw the back of her head. Before he saw her giant curls of chestnut hair. Before he saw her turn around and face him with a smile that he had missed for ages. It was the smile that he was greeted with after almost every patrol, the smile that he found himself wanting to be near every day after resenting it for over a year. A small smile perched at the corner of his lips before this reality came crashing down on his brain as it seemed to always do. "Pete!" she called out. Fuck. His head fell and his lips almost crumbled off his face onto the linoleum floor beneath his feet that propelled him forward. He continued until he almost bumped into the blonde from earlier. She caught his hand as she manoeuvred around him. How is she doing this? They landed in a position that interlocked their hands and ended with him leaning against a set of lockers that decked out the hallway. "Look who it is...," her voice purred in his ears, she looked down at his hand with that mischievous glint and gave it a small squeeze "you sure you want me to pretend you don't exist?" pairing her eyes with a smirk it was almost difficult for him to break away from her. Almost.

Tearing his hand from hers he had a thought 'What if MJ saw?'. That was before he forced himself to remember the situation, she would never see. She would never see him here. She no longer thought of him. No longer searched a crowd for his face, never searched the police scanners to hear if he was alright, never texted him about a new recipe for date nights, and never was a part of her world. He found his eyes drifting away from the blonde in front of him back to the sandy brown and matching curly hair girl who he just so happened to also catch her eye. "No, no lover boy, that's Parker's girl... more like Parker's her boy actually. Either way, she's off limits..." Using one of her fingers from her perfectly manicured set to shift his gaze back on her with the smile she gave him when they first locked eyes. "Me on the other hand...I'm Felicia," taking his hand once again she practically dragged him off and through the door, he was just heading towards. "You'll be next to me" she took a seat that wasn't too far away from the front to not appear like she wasn't paying attention, but not too close as to draw too much attention to herself. She motioned for the seat next to her but instead, he rolled his eyes and moved to the seat directly in front of her. If he was going to last here without MJ he would need someone assertive but he also wasn't going to let her boss him around like he was her toy.

A few seconds later Chrissy walked in with a binder that had papers sticking out of it like a mad scientist had been the previous owner. Taking notice of Degan she huffed and picked up all the items that had been organized on the desk 3 rows over and sheepishly moved them to be next to him. "I told you I'd save you a seat..." she seemed rather embarrassed and blue. The sound of a small laugh coming from behind him caused Degan to shoot a rather testy look at Felicia. He turned back to the bright-eyed girl who seemed to be trying her best to make him comfortable and welcomed -in her mind, he'd never faced the horrors of a new york magnet school...- he softened his eyes and gave her an apologetic smile "I'm sorry, this bobcat seemed to be gunning for me and pulled me here," he snuck a glance at the blonde and then back at dimples that now seemed to appear with a grateful smile "Don't worry, she only looks like a bobcat... inside she's a little tabby" Felicia didn't have to say anything but the roll of her eyes themselves was enough.

During this interaction, other students had been slowly trickling into the room. Degan kept his head only slightly up as he waited for class to start and his eyes caught the same hair from the hallway, the same smile and eyes that used to be so familiar. She took a seat near the back, and the boy who she was smiling at in the hallway took the seat in front of her. She'd never let him do that, he'd always sit next to her or behind her.

- - -

What the fuck, who is this Felicia girl? Why the hell is she so interested in me and forcing me to be her friend? Also, my teacher already gave me a giant packet of work to do... not that I can't do it but it's not science, it's god damn AP World History. I'm great at it but I hate doing the work... Anyway now though I have a second class of the day and that is mathematics -specifically calculus. I can sit in the back and figure out the whole reason I'm here, or even how I got here. Finally peace.

- - -

The fluffy brown hair appeared in his peripheral vision and placed itself right next to our spider. Keeping to himself Degan had chosen a seat all the way in the back, he knew it would put him at risk of losing any class participation but he could ace this class in his sleep. He wasn't worried. As the sound of his music beats on in his head, he began to think about the words that Bruce had said

"I'm sorry to say this but we currently have no way of getting you home. The only theory right now is to wait for another one of those multiversal sinkholes... to well open up again. I'm sorry"

"No way of getting you home."

The greatest mind he's ever known doesn't even think he can get home. The man who taught him pretty much everything he knew was left with no answers. This whole experience was starting to feel like some kind of cosmic joke on him. He was finally happy with MJ, they were talking about colleges, possibly even a full-time Avengers spot. But that was all gone now. The chances of them coming back were almost slim to none. The music in his head began to fade as he thought for longer. It seemed to mould into his thoughts.

"You have lunch?" Degan felt his consciousness fling back into his body like a slingshot. Looking at the brown-haired girl with confusion he shook his head no. "you can have some of mine, we can sit together" he seemed to be deliberating this option in his head and as Chrissy waited for a response she brought out her packed lunch and set it on the table. "Doesn't have to be in public, just here if you want?" This made a small smile appear on degans face for the first time since getting here, the other smiles were all for appearance, this one was as real as a soldier trapped in time. The two of them sat there for a moment and she began to open the bag and spill the contents across the small desk. There was a sandwich cut in half, a bag of chips, Oreos, and two granola bars. She handed Degan one-half of the paper bag and placed exactly half of the meal on it. Neither one of them had more or less than the other.

"So, tell me about yourself. What do you do for fun?" she took a bite of her sandwich and stared at him with interest. He felt like he was being interviewed for one of the lamest talk shows. "I like to watch movies, see art, and sometimes I like to cook," he hesitantly took a bite of his own food "Not really a lot to talk about". He could tell by the look on her face that it was indeed a lot to talk about. "Excuse me! You can cook and you like art?" he nodded at her question "Would you cook for me someday?" he let out a small chuckle at her request.

"No -sorry I don't cook for other people..." he thought of the nights he'd spend hours perfecting the recipes that MJ would send him, sometimes they tasted awful but that was part of the fun of it. "What about you? What do you do for fun?" shifting the conversation away from himself he decided to get to know his new friend. Her eyes lit up when he asked her and she had to straighten her posture before speaking "I love to just lay on the floor sometimes, staring at the ceiling," it was obvious by how she was answering that she doesn't get asked this a lot "it helps me think... -especially when I get stuck on homework".

Degan didn't mind listening to her, he didn't mind if she was the only one who talked. He hated talking. Except when he was patrolling, that's when he was his happiest. Swinging around the city his mind was free, and he gets to think. It's his variation of laying on the floor. He understood what it meant for her, especially finally having someone to talk to about it. So he let her. She ended up talking for the rest of lunch. When the bell rang she quickly finished her food and said her byes. Degan stood and gathered his bag, leaving the room he walked down the hall and felt a pair of eyes stuck on him. Looking around he couldn't find the eyes until he made a complete one-eighty and his eyes landed on a pair of brown eyes that he once recognized but still carry a warmth that will forever hold a place in his heart. Seeing her, he found himself stuck in place unable to move his heart began to speed up, and the pace that his mind reached felt inhuman. She wasn't his and she had never been his here, she averted her eyes from him and went back to talking to the shorter boy in front of her. Degans eyes focused now on the boy, taking in his stature and the way he comfortably talked to the girl in front of him. He seemed like a friend.

- - -

Maybe if I had been born in this universe he would be my friend... Maybe I'd actually have friends. To be honest, MJ was one of my only friends. I had one other though... his name was -well I think you know his name, currently, he goes by "Nova". Sometimes he's a prick and can't tell when someone hasn't spoken in hours because he's too busy talking about food or some kind of sport. Now that I think about it... he's a lot like Chrissy but less sweet and she can't blow up a whole RV by accident on the annual road trip... I AM STILL NOT OVER THAT!!