𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐘 | a peter parker story

3 | chefs kiss

At night, the lights buzzed through Peters window and the town was busy. It had only been about a week since the midnight balcony scenario and it honestly had been on Peters mind. Really he had nothing more to think about most of the time.

He had just come back from a busy patrol, Peters rushing thoughts were almost at ease at the thought of his surroundings being safe because of him.

Almost.

Because before he could even sit down his Peter Tingle (I mean his Spidey Sense, sorry.) started to go off.

His eyes widened immediately, as something was telling him it wasn't outside at all but in the building he had resided. It was so close it was as if he was the one in trouble. But he wasn't, and that was so much worse.

He had already taken off his suit, so he looked out his door deciding if he could settle this without putting it back on, so it wouldn't be too late. He could never be too late ever again.

He poked his head out; the danger was so close it gave him a headache. It was coming from the hallway close to his. On the opposite side. He walked towards it, and saw the door. There was smoke coming out from under. Before he could even make a decision on what to do next, the door swung open.

And of course. It was Dawn standing there.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was coughing with her eyes closed, waving a tea towel around to get the smoke out of her dorm. "Oh!" She exclaimed in between coughs. "Peter Parker!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you- I'm just not the best chef." She laughed, and Peter became relieved. He caught a glance of the inside and saw what was causing the smoke, an entirely black chicken- or turkey. A bird of some sort.

Peter was definitely not unfamiliar of this sight, his Aunt May was the exact same, it was Ben that was the cook of their little household. So when Ben was gone, Peter picked up that role. Although he'd never tell anyone (he was already made fun of enough). It was just to help May.

"Do you want some.." He coughed. "Assistance?"

Her eyes widened at this. "You would do that?"

He forgot that they had apparently just met each other for about five minutes under a smoky night sky (smoke was really becoming a pattern between these two) and that they weren't actually old school friends. But that didn't mean he couldn't help her.

"Well, I don't want you burning anything worse than that poor bird." He laughed.

After this, Peter ended up in her dorms kitchen, things were everywhere with recipes covered in food, peas and carrots and broccoli practically frozen from the microwaves heat, and most of the ingredients finding a home for themselves on the floor.

"Sorry about the mess. I'm just trying to make dinner for my boyfriend but I am not good at any of this kind of shit." She continued to look down, laughing quietly. Peter nodded.

"I'm not the best but I think with the two of us together we can manage a dinner for two." He smiled up at her.

"You can cook?"

His head tilted. "Eh- I dabble."

She let out a small laugh, without opening her mouth but maybe that was because of the smoke still lingering. "You're full of surprises Peter."

Yeah you have no idea. Peter just shrugged, without realising he didn't drop his grin.

The two had got to work, they had worked a system. Peter basically did everything and Dawn handed him stuff when he needed it. Perfect.

"How do you know how to do all this?"

"Well, although I would never admit it to anyone, I used to cook about 70% of dinners at my house." May tried but, it always ended up in a takeaway. "I used to have this cook book, it was my Mom's old one. I would do the recipes from there."

It barely hit Peter what he was saying, it just felt right in the moment but maybe if his conscience would re enter his body he would see how much information he was giving to practically a stranger.

But it wasn't a stranger, it was Dawn.

"Aw, that's so sweet. I don't know why you hide something like that, girls love a boy that cooks."

"Well, I think it's safe to say I didn't exactly have girls that loved me in high school."

"No?" Dawn asked.

"No, not really. Well I had a girlfriend. Two technically-"

"Two girlfriends and no girls loved you in high school? I think you're underselling to me Parker."

"Well the first girl I barely dated, I bailed on the first date."

Dawns jaw dropped to this. "You dirtbag!" She laughed, hitting him with a nearby tea towel.

"No it wasn't like that! Just.." He looked for what he could say without saying 'her dad wanted to kill me.'
"Her dad was kind of, scary."

Dawn looked entirely sceptical. "How I'm seeing it is you were an absolute ladies man who ditched girls on the first date."

"Oh god that sounds bad. I-I promise you it was nothing like that. It was just, weird."

"Hm." She spoke. "What about the second girlfriend?"

After seeing MJ at her job at the coffee shop, he tried to stop thinking about her all together. Of course he missed her, always. It was hard but he knew that not knowing him was what's best for her, and he wanted the best for her.

"We broke up because of long distance."

"Yeah I feel like that's what's going on with a lot of people here. It's smart to break up before college because trust me, the long distance is just awful."

"Your boyfriend, he goes here?"

"Yeah he's stupid smart, does biology. His name is Mike Russell."

Peter immediately looked at Dawn when she said this. He knew Mike Russell, very well actually. He was a huge asshole in high school. He knows they dated, it was like a whole thing, but it was surprising that they would actually stay together.

The only time he remembers them with each other was when he accidentally walked into them in some empty classroom arguing.

He also remembers a time when Dawn left in the middle of class, which didn't surprise him at the time because everyone knew she was apparently going through some 'family stuff'.

They weren't that close but if anyone knew about family stuff it was Peter, so he offered help to her, which she seemed to genuinely really appreciate. He didn't know the details of what was going on, but he wasn't one to harp on her. Just offer her any support she was willing to take.

But later on that day, he overheard Mike also giving her a sort of advice.

Advice saying 'sleep with me because you're currently sad and vulnerable' in all actuality.

He was a real dickhead, it was almost sad that she was still with him.

And before he could enquire more about the relationship, they were interrupted by a quiet yet intimidating voice that Peter recognised immediately. The door was still open from when they were letting the smoke out the room, and he was honestly scared to turn around.

"Am I interrupting something?"