Who Knew The Anti-Christ Liked Supreme Pizzas?

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Tapping my foot against the ground, I waited on Kore to open the door, ironically. Then again, it was deserved, considering how late I was.

At least she did not seem angry about it. I took a breath before stepping in, following her instructions and setting the pizza on the desk, hearing the tell-tale click of a lock behind me before turning around towards Kore.

Wait, did she use a void orb to get her wallet? Wouldn't it be easier to just carry on her person or have it in her desk? Where had that thing been she needed an orb to get it?

I needed to stop calling those things void orbs. I need my own spin on a name for them. Maybe one day I'll figure out something both catchy and hilarious. Or, at least, Spider-Bite will.

Speaking of hilarious, I must be going out of my mind because did she honestly give me that much cash for this delivery? This was a mistake, right? Maybe she bumped her head?

I tried to stop her for a second, raise my arms and try to tell her she did not need to give me that much.

"Hey, that's a bit much. I mean-."

She was not having any of it. Her hands forced mine into a fist, holding onto the cash she had given me. Not like I was going to contest her on this with superhuman strength.

What truly caught me off-guard was her grabbing my arm and leaning in. My heartbeat rose as my face slightly crimsoned, senses on overdrive, and the symbiote's own paranoia rose tenfold, ready to create the suit in a moment's notice, not taking kindly to such physical contact and the invasion of personal space.

whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehell

I could hear her heartbeat, every vocalization of what she said next, and entire room seemed to full of noise and smells and sights to my otherwise zoned-out mind. The humming of her computer, the turning of its fan every second, the crackle of electricity traveling through all the wires of her electronics and this entire building, everything.

Above it all, all I could really focus on was the one thing she said that I hoped to never hear from her. The two words together in one sentence.

You. Spider-Bite.

I was half-tempted to crack a joke that she did not use the hyphen when she said that.

WHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELL

But that was assuming my brain was working at that particular moment in time.

"uh, um, what?"

I leaned my head back, away from her, but not struggling or breaking from her grip. Not yet, anyway. Normally, I would be nowhere near as dumbfounded if someone came to me with the idea that I was Spider-Bite. After all, I covered my tracks well, and my alien partner made sure to back me up when it came to coming up with reasons or excuses as to why I was not a trapezing vigilante out and about in the middle of night in Duskburg.

However, the symbiote wanted her off me while I had no clue what brought Kore to do or say any of this.

In those few rare moments, moments I was wasting, each would bring it closer and closer to bear in Kore's mind that a lack of a response might as well be confirmation for who she thought I was.

Not that she was wrong, but she did not need to know that, not now and not anytime soon at all!

Think, Cassidy, think. Say something.

"Uh, Kore? Personal space. And, no, it's not French for 'come closer' or 'hold me tighter', y'know? Unless you're a hugger, but I'm not, soooo . . . yeah."

Thank God I still had some of my former social anxiety to call back on. Otherwise, I would have sounded way too deadpan or confident in that delivery. Seriously, a fist thrown at me would garner less of a panic attack then someone getting up in my personal space.

I would wait for her to let go of me, which would help ease the symbiote's concern as it rippled ever so slightly in agitation under my uniform.

Easy, buddy. I don't think she's a threat. She's a friend, remember? And my sixth sense didn't go off. We're good for now.

The symbiote thought for a moment before accepting the evidence presented before it. Instead, it focused its attention to the conversation at hand. One that I had no idea how to steer or even handle with my chest feeling so light and my senses having sent my brain into fumbling, buzzing mess.

The alien told me to make sure no one else was inside. Was there anyone? I think I remember Kore having a secretary of sorts. I better check around, especially considering my senses were working on overtime already.

I looked around before raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms, if Kore happened to let go of me by that time.

"Kore, is this a prank? Am I being punked here? What is happening here? And you can keep your money if it's just to make me feel better about all this. you didn't even need to give that much anyway"

Was she bluffing? Did she figure it out? How? My sixth sense, the symbiote, my other senses, something--anything!--would have told me if she was following me or if anyone else was for that matter!

What was happening here? What was this all about?

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Relax?

Relax? She expected me to relax after this? After just dropping this bombshell on me? I couldn't show it, but nothing about this told me to relax. Even as she explained why she locked the door and that her assistant had left early, which made the symbiote feel relieved for my sake that no one else would risk overhearing, I felt as if everything was simply going to fall apart.

Everything I worked so hard to achieve. To keep separate. No comfort was to be had in her words. Because I had my reasons.

Plenty of them.

And, if I couldn't convince Kore I was not Spider-Bite, what was I supposed to do then?

The symbiote offered no advice, simply wishing to observe.

So I listened. I looked at Kore and I listened.

What she said next, I just couldn't. I couldn't relate what she said to me. Not about the secrets or the secret identity of any of it.

No, the part I couldn't see for myself was the acceptance of the two people I was. Kore had never been two people, even with her secret. She never had to be two different people. She was always a demon hunter, a friend, and someone to rely on, no matter if she on the job or not. Her personality had shown through everything she did.

Me? Cassidy DeWitt and Spider-Bite were like water and oil. Sure, both may be liquids and share similarities, but the two were so radically different. One of which was the real me, and the other was just a made up personality I invented to keep people from suspecting who I ever truly was. All that bravado, the jokes, the confidence, the sarcasm, the devil-may-care attitude with that sliver of a heart of gold?

None of that was me. All that belonged to the good guy.

Because at the end of the day, Cassidy DeWitt wasn't a good guy. He was the coward. The man who hurt people. The man who had rules he abided by to avoid being that kind of person again.

Cassidy DeWitt was never the hero of the story. And I would have given anything to have been Spider-Bite from the get-go. To be the good guy.

Because Kore was seeing through me, not to the real me, but the best parts of me that I faked to try and do right by people. She saw someone who did good and was good, who deserved pizza and money and a break from the craziness of my life. Someone who deserved a friend to talk to about all this.

She was offering this to Spider-Bite. The mask. Not the person underneath.

I didn't want that. I never wanted or needed that. I just wanted to keep the two as separate as possible. I never wanted Cassidy's and Spider-Bite's lives to intersect if I could help it.

I just wanted friends who saw Cassidy DeWitt and thought he was decent enough on his own, even if he wasn't.

The simplest proof of this was how this whole friendship even got started. One day, on a bench, I was snaking my way into her trust to get information on her and Mettle, to further investigate the illegal dealings behind Crumplezone if possible.

That had been terrible on my part. Any friend I made, no matter how or where, deserved better than that. No one deserved to be used like that under the false guise of friendship. Maybe it was something that could be done to criminals or bad people I couldn't trust at all. But Cassidy DeWitt did it anyway to someone who was actually doing good in Duskburg, and, in doing so, he might as well have gotten Spider-Bite's hands dirty too.

Wasn't that proof enough?

So I tried my best for this friendship to be better than that. To put in the actual work, time, and effort for the actual person, not because of what that person might offer.

She saw through me and saw the hero that covered up what was really there. And it was the worst feeling in the world because I didn't deserve it, and she deserved the truth. That was the responsible thing to do, to just tell her and be open and frank and honest.

But I couldn't do that. I couldn't just spit it out. Because I was scared. Because I did not want this friendship to continue and be based on or around Spider-Bite.

I just wanted a normal, fun, happy friendship. Was that too much to ask?

I looked at the money before running the extravagant amount between my fingers.

And I placed a great deal of it back on her desk, only keeping the amount that the order cost and a small tip for myself.

"Uhm, this isn't a joke or a bit, is it? Besides, it sounds like to me Spider-Bite earned the extra cash, not me. I'm just myself, remember? Seriously, you're not hexed by a demon or anything to say this, right? Blink twice if you are."

I turned around and smiled a little before looking at the time on my phone. I am not sure how long I could stay.

Still, the symbiote reasoned that returning back to work later than usual was a small price to pay in order to find out how Kore came to this conclusion.

Yeah, sure was a "small price". Not sure how happy my boss would be.

I sat down before resting my arms on my legs, gesturing to her general direction with open hands.

"I haven't said anything because you'll either not believe me or poke holes in whatever I try to say. You're stubborn like that, and you seem to be really all into this."

I looked at the time once more.

"I've got a bit of time, and now I'm just curious what exactly sort of logic lead you to thinking I am anywhere near as crazy as to be gallivanting as some vigilante. Seriously, isn't he supposed to be real tall or something too? I mean, explain away if you want."

And here we go.

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I have three reasons to keep Kore out of this. Out of the knowledge of my secret identity. Out of the intersection of where Cassidy and Spider-Bite's lives intersect.

Three justified and very important reasons.

Oh, I could come up with hundreds, if not hundreds among hundreds, of reasons to not let her know, to protect her from that knowledge. But it was these main three that easily came to mind right away. My secret identity is not something I wish to share with anyone for any reason. Maybe because I am just as stubborn or maybe I am just too afraid.

But at the end of the day, I just want to protect and help and not have anyone get hurt because of this secret. That was one of my highest priorities, always.

But it might be a losing battle.

Because of two simple accounts.

Imagine my shock when I heard that the reason Kore suspected I was Spider-Bite was because I held two souls. Honestly, this surprised both the symbiote and myself. Not on the fact that it had a soul and, because of this, Kore had managed to single us out, rather it was because I had never thought of that before. My whole secret identity could be found out because of that one skill, that one talent, and I had never thought about it.

Would I need some sort of magic to conceal it? Possibly find a way to create plausible deniability?

I would need to think on this at another time. The symbiote, intrigued yet frustrated at our secret being found out, began pondering for a moment before agreeing that the best course of action was to deal with the here and now.

Still, it pointed out, Kore had made no mention of itself, the NanoSym.

That was true and a bit odd. If she could see two souls, what exactly did she think was going on?

Better yet, how sure was she that these souls were as identical as she thought they were to my own?

Still, she asked the big question, one that I might not be able to work around. Was she wrong?

I could have stopped. Right here, right now. I could have stopped trying to find a way to work my way out of this and just told her the truth.

But, if I did, what would happen to our relationship? What would I say next after that?

The other reason, the next one, was simple.

I didn't kill. I never killed, and, if I could help it, I never will. Kore did. Sure, she killed demons and monsters, but that was different. Those weren't human beings or any kind of being with a conscience or morals or any kind of true free will. They were slaves to their instincts and instincts alone, nothing else as they sought only to cause harms and survive off the people they considered nothing more than cattle.

But Kore killed people. Maybe not the regular crook or thief or mobster, but she killed the bigger sharks in the water. The ones with blood on their teeth. The ones who left many bodies behind in their war path. Maybe she thought it was a good thing to be rid of them and it was right. Me? I had a different idea on the matter. If I told her who I was and I fought with her on this, what would happen? Would our friendship be gone? Was I supposed to stand back and be okay with it? Was I supposed to contest her on it?

How could we work together on the field if, one way or another, we would operate with different end goals in mind?

Would I sit and watch my friend kill while I just did nothing? Because I could? Because it would mean one less scumbag on the earth? Because it was easy?

No, I couldn't.

If this secret revealed itself and I did nothing, what would Spider-Bite stand for? All that time I could have had to slowly help her change her mind or see things a little bit my way, to try and reason with her, would be thrown out the window. All of it gone and wasted.

What was I supposed to do then?

She is my friend.

I don't want to lose her or any of them. Never ever. Not over something like this.

I needed a bit more time, and this was going to take that time away from me.

So, I did the only thing I could do.

I talked and hoped and prayed for the best.

"Okay. I have two souls. That could mean anything," I countered.

I continued, working my way through the words and logic as I came to a conclusion. One that I hoped worked, considering my limited knowledge on Kore's sin sense and this new revelation laid bare before me.

"I've been in Duskburg a long time. There's a magical darkness that covers this place no matter what. This whole place is freaky. For all you and I know, something else got attached to me if I do actually have two souls. This could easily a magic thing or a ghost thing or something."

I gestured towards her with one hand.

"Besides, our souls can be similar because we're both good people? And he has been operating in Duskburg for awhile, right? Maybe something got stuck on both of us?"

I leaned forward and rested my head on my folded hands as their fingers interlocked together.

"Are you there's only been the two of us with two souls? Because that's a bit freaky because I don't go trapezing around in a black suit."

I go trapezing around in a symbiotic organism known as a NanoSym that creates and acts as my black suit. Big difference. Completely different.

And, hopefully, enough to get me out of this mess.

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I didn't need to read the tone.

The facial expressions.

Anything for that matter.

Just speaking that one singular word was enough.

Enough to let me know Kore was not happy. Not at all.

My one chance at pulling myself out of this mess, and it seems I blew it. No, I knew I blew it.

So what now, O' Great Cassidy?

I didn't say anything for move for that matter. I kept my eyes trained on Kore as she moved about, unlocking the front door, but my mind was never really there in that moment. I just kept thinking, running it all over my head again and again along with the symbiote. What to do? What was I going to do about this?

How was I going to keep Kore as far away from Spider-Bite as possible?

My third and final reason?

Kore needed to-.

The symbiote drew my attention back to the present as we both ran over the various possible ways I could pull myself out of this mess, try and get out of this whole mess. Even with our combined minds working on it, we only saw few and far solutions to this issue, none of which were quite efficient as we hoped and rather exhausting to try and implement. That or it shared a very low possible chance of actually convincing Kore of anything other than what she already believed to be true.

So the focus went back to this conversation. A conversation that took a turn for the worst.

Yep. Kore really was not happy with me at all.

Locking me out forever? Respect? Antichrist? Distance?

Since when have I ever cared for any of that? I could respect her any day of the week, even on the worst of them. I could care less if she kicked me out of her life. I was still going to be her friend and not be a jerk about it. I don't care if she was the Antichrist or the next Armageddon or whatever. I don't care for any of it at all.

I had bigger things to worry about than be petty about any of that. And if I was, I had to stamp that down and drown it.

Was that all the reason she thought I was keeping this close to the vest? Not just because I wasn't willing to divulge my secret? Because she was the Antichrist or I didn't respect her enough?

Because I could also tell her off. Right here. Right now. For a second, for a moment, the old, snaking shard of anger curled its way inside, at being thought of as someone who was at all like that. I saved the disrespect for the bad guys. My fists closed tightly for a moment as I took a breath.

Before opening and resting on the arms of the chair.

I never wanted to distance myself from my friends. Family. Or anyone for that matter. Not in a way like this.

Not in any way that it ended up hurting someone.

But this is what happens. Someone gets hurt, even a little. Maybe Kore will get over it. Maybe our relationship will always be awkward or sour because of it. I don't know. She'll get over it. I think she will. She's tough.

I don't know.

Because my final and third reason for keeping this away from anyone, even from Kore who can handle herself, is to keep them safe. Yes, Kore can fight, has fought, a number of different battles.

But I had my stuff to deal with it. And I didn't want any of it risking to come back and end up biting her in the butt as well. She had enough to worry and stress about with killing all sorts of demons and dealing with her dad and the gates of hell opening or whatever else that came with being the supposed Antichrist. I didn't need her worrying about my safety while I got beaten to a bloody pulp half the time because I bothered to stand up to people faster and stronger than me. I didn't need people figuring out Spider-Bite and Kore worked together and target her to get the vigilante's attention.

I'm not putting that, not a single one of my problems or consequences thereof, on her or anyone.

And, maybe that was stupid, considering if she or anyone else had a problem they needed help with, I would throw myself into it and try to do whatever I could to try and fix whatever mess was happening. Maybe it was hypocritical. Maybe it was just stupid or naïve. Maybe I have a hero complex the size of the Earth and I just can't accept help and could only give it away blindly and without fail.

It still didn't change the fact that no one deserved to deal with even a little of the baggage I have to carry everyday.

I could tell her. Reveal it all.

But just because I could do something doesn't necessarily mean I should. I had to do what was right. Even if it sucked.

But it didn't make what I had to say next any easier.

I kept sitting for a moment before saying my piece.

"I have always-."

No, I never always respected her. At least, not when I started this friendship only to try and get information from her. I had been deceitful and disrespectful. No other way around it.

But this one thing, this one lie about my secret identity, I had to hang onto. For everyone's sake.

"I respect you. And I always will."

Because you're my friend.

I got up and began making my way for the door. I didn't have any sort of appetite. Besides, I had work to get back to and I didn't want to be more late than I already am.

I pushed my hand on the door, opening it a few inches before pausing.

"I'm sorry I'm not the person you think I am. And I'm sorry for hurting you."

I pushed through. That was the best I could do right now.

"See ya' around, Kore."

And I was outside. In the dark. Alone.

I walked over to the moped and just stared at it for a moment before starting the engine. The symbiote prodded my mind for a moment. It saw the logic in keeping Kore at such a distance from one aspect of my life, but it also considered the alternative. After all, Kore had been an accomplished warrior, one that it could respect and trust well enough to work with despite taking great pride in its abilities as well my own. She could be a considerable ally, both to Spider-Bite and Cassidy.

I'm not putting any of my problems on her or anyone. End of discussion.

I was gone.