She was fearless. And crazier than him. She was his queen. And god help anyone who dared disrespect his queen.

Pizza is a uniting factor. From cheese to meat lovers even to dessert pizza, everyone has an opinion, but what draws us apart with that stringy goodness is what holds us together. On one freezing day in January, pizza brought together a pigeon and a rat who would never meet again… or will they? This is their story.

The pigeon pecked and pecked at the smushed slice laying on college walk, toppings scattered after accidentally being stepped on all day. As humans passed by, rushing away to grab food or catch the subway, she paused.

On the trees where she typically would sit on the highest branches and search for the pigeon of her dreams, there were thousands of sparkling lights. It was a sight to see––but for now, she was left grounded, unable to get a vantage point. Surrounding her were human couples taking photos that made them seem like their own galaxies encased by countless stars. It was a lonely sight.

It’s difficult to find love when you’re a pigeon who loves pizza; birdseed, corn, or bread are all pretty typical, but a tangy tomato sauce underneath a layer of mozzarella? She was definitely the outcast of the flock.

Nowadays, ever since the humans started wearing weird fabric over their mouths and noses, she had to change where she waited for a slice to drop. Ferris was her favorite spot before, but for reasons unknown to her, there hadn’t been a piece lost there in months. College walk, out in the open, swarming with children and angsty young adults alike, was a bit terrifying no matter how many times she returned.

After having pondered her world for a little longer than she would have liked, the pigeon stepped away from the pizza and turned around to leave. She was starting to seem a little too stressed, much like the humans she saw racing around with weird rectangles that light up. As she stepped forward she ran into a rat gleefully racing along with a piece of pizza in its mouth. She fell backwards onto the pizza, her talons digging into sauce and dough.

“I was walking here!” The pigeon chirped.

“I was running here!” The pizza rat said, muffled by the pizza he held.

Both of them froze where they stood. The rats jaw dropped and so did his pizza, flopping onto the ground.

“You understand me?” They said simultaneously.

It was at that moment that their lives changed forever. They had met their pizza soulmate; nothing could ever tear them apart. They began meeting regularly at the college walk to discuss what it was like being obsessed despite being in a species that doesn’t think twice about pizza, and share small bites of pizza found along the way.

“Maybe pizza will be our always.”

“Pizza.”

pizza pigeon & rat via my horrible editing skills