The sky over Queens was clear and blue, the kind that begged people to step outside and smile for no reason. Kai zipped up his hoodie, slung his delivery bag over one shoulder, and slid his earpiece into place.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, stepping out the back of Manny's Deli, "just a few lunch deliveries. Easy day. No explosions, no robots, no… hybrid monsters."
He patted the Omnitrix, hidden beneath his sleeve.
"Stay quiet today, yeah?"
The device gave a single green blink, as if agreeing.
---
Stop #1 – Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez
Kai rolled up to a red-brick apartment complex with two bags of empanadas and a warm grin. The door creaked open before he could knock.
"¡Mi niño rápido!" cried Mrs. Gonzalez, a silver-haired woman in a floral apron. "You're always on time!"
Mr. Gonzalez peered from the kitchen. "Tell him the food's late, maybe he'll stay longer."
Kai chuckled. "Late food means fewer tips, Mr. G."
Mrs. Gonzalez handed him a foil-wrapped cookie. "Here. For the road. You're too skinny."
Kai accepted it with a smile. "You're spoiling me."
"Then be spoiled. You're always so polite. So helpful. You remind me of my nephew."
Mr. Gonzalez nodded. "Except our nephew can't carry five bags without dropping them."
Kai grinned, waved, and jogged back to his bike. "Have a good lunch, both of you!"
---
Stop #2 – Uncle Rob the Tailor
The tailor shop was barely the size of a garage, but the bell above the door jingled like a cathedral bell.
"Ah, the speedy shadow returns!" Uncle Rob called from behind a half-finished suit. His thick glasses perched on the tip of his nose, and his measuring tape was looped around his neck like a priest's stole.
"Got your roast beef on rye," Kai said, handing him the bag.
"You are a gift from the heavens," Rob said. "Also, these came for you."
He handed Kai a small stack of envelopes — local coupons, a thank-you note from a kid, and a loyalty card with ten stamps and the words "FREE BURRITO" circled in red.
"You're practically a local legend," Rob added. "You know that?"
Kai looked embarrassed. "I just bring food."
"You bring food and listen," Rob said. "People remember that."
---
Stop #3 – Ms. Lee and the Stray Cats
Kai biked into a narrow alley, where a woman in her sixties stood with a plate of tuna near a circle of purring cats. She spotted him immediately.
"My favorite delivery boy!" she beamed.
Kai handed her a bag of noodles. "Extra sesame oil, no peanuts."
Ms. Lee clapped her hands. "Perfect. You always remember."
Kai sat beside her for a moment, stroking a particularly fat tabby who headbutted his knee.
"You okay today, Ms. Lee?"
"Oh, just the knees. But the sun helps." She looked at him kindly. "And you? You've got those quiet eyes again."
Kai blinked. "Quiet eyes?"
"You've seen too much for someone your age," she said gently.
Kai looked away. "I guess I've… been through stuff."
She nodded and smiled. "And still you smile back. That's strength, Kai."
He didn't know what to say. So he just smiled. Genuinely.
---
Stop #4 – Empty Rooftop
After his last stop, Kai didn't head back right away. He climbed up a fire escape and sat on a small, flat rooftop overlooking the street. The city hummed below: car horns, laughter, wind through laundry lines.
He took out the cookie Mrs. Gonzalez gave him and bit into it. It crumbled, sweet and soft.
He stretched out, pulled his hood down, and looked at the sky.
For the first time in weeks, he felt… light.
Nobody knew who he was. Nobody knew what he carried. To the world, he was just Kai—quiet delivery boy with sharp eyes, a good heart, and strong legs.
And it was enough.
---
Flashback – Arrival in This World
He remembered the night he fell into this universe. One moment, he'd activated the Omnitrix back in his world during a strange surge. The next, he was flat on his back in a desert canyon, staring up at a night sky with two moons.
He had no phone. No family. No way back.
But somehow, his heart didn't panic. He wasn't alone.
The Omnitrix lit up and pulsed as if it knew what to do, guiding him across the desert, leading him toward the one man with the resources to help: Tony Stark.
And Tony had.
Kai never said much about where he came from. Just that he'd "lost his home." People filled in the blanks. Or didn't. It didn't matter.
He built something new. Quiet. Simple. Honest.
---
Evening – Home Again
Back at Manny's Deli, Kai returned his bag and clocked out. Manny handed him a wrapped sandwich and a warm slap on the back.
"You keep this up, I'll have to put you in the company logo."
Kai laughed. "Only if I get a cape."
He walked home as the streetlights flicked on. Queens glowed with amber warmth. A saxophone played in the distance. He passed the barbershop, the corner grocer, the mural of Iron Man someone had painted after the Snap.
His fingers brushed the Omnitrix again.
Still quiet.
Still his.
---
That Night – Kai's Apartment
His room was small. Just a mattress, a secondhand bookshelf, a laptop, and a charging cable duct-taped to the wall.
But it was home.
He lay back and looked at the ceiling.
Normal.
Tomorrow might bring monsters. Villains. HYDRA. Even other dimensions.
But tonight?
He was just Kai.
And that was enough.