Work Text:
Steven slowly pushed his cart between alleys , trying to find a peeled tomato can that he saw on the recipe online. Marc watched him carefully as the British bit his lip, focusing on his task. He entered an alley and started searching on the shelfs.
Steven woke up that morning with butterflies on his stomach. Today was his and Eddie’s second month anniversary! ( “Don’t you mean ‘monthversary’? , eh?” Steven corrected Marc as his friend congratulated him, receiving a groan in response) . Since it was the first time they would spend it together, the British was feeling a roller-coaster of emotions. He never felt like this before! Well , aside from the time that he almost died trying to save the world, but that time was filled with pure chaotic evil energy. Today was all about him , Eddie and their love. And to celebrate it , Steven will cook the most romantic and amazing dinner ( according to BBC.com/RomanticPartners ) to Eddie, his dear Eddie . Heck , only thinking about his smiles and curls made him blush like a teenager. That is why Steven was committed to preparing the best dinner in the world! The only problem is… he didn’t know how to cook.
But nothing that a good faith of heart, some Youtube videos and his good ol’buddy Marc Spector couldn’t help him! Though, this last part might not work since Steven recalled Marc saying once that he lived solely off instant noodles, cola and black coffee for a year , but there’s still hope, eh?
“Now, if I was a peeled tomato can , where would I hide?” Steven whispered , tapping his fingers on his chin and looking around the huge shelf , filled with cans. Marc rolled his eyes at his alterego’s silliness and mumbled “There , on the bottom left.” , receiving a thankfully smile from Steven. He picked up the can and threw it on his small cart, moving forward to search for the cheese alley in search of a piece of Camembert.
“Isn’t this exciting , Marc?” He whispered, trying not to get any attention onto himself “My first anniversary with Eddie! I do not recall ever being this excited, in a good way at least!” . “ Yeah , Ste-Ste '' Marc answered, making his alterego smile upon hearing the nickname “ I’m glad you are excited about tonight and all, but - Are you sure this will work?".
"What do you mean?" Steven asked a little louder than necessary, causing a small girl to look at him with curiosity as her mother made a disgusted face at him, making Steven turn his head down in shame " You know, the fact that you don't know how to cook.". "Come on Marc" Steven said, entering the next alley and starting to scan the shelf "I ain't no Gordon Ramsay, but I can cook at least Pasta. And frying beef can’t be bloody difficult."
" Whatever suits you , buddie. " Marc grumbled, his reflection looking at Steven from a shiny salame package " I just think that you could, I don't know, have chosen a more easy way to commemorate, like go to the movies or a fancy hella restaurant. You know, something that doesn't involve fire" .
"Come on, Marc. A little faith in old Steven wouldn't hur-" Steven shut himself as he found the solely last piece of Camembert cheese at the top of the shelf. "Bingo!" He smiled happily as he reached to get the package. His hands were almost reaching the product when another hand rapidly snatched the cheese from the shelf. Steven looked down in confusion to see the woman from before, with her daughter looking at Steven with a small smile.
"Excuse me" She said in an arrogant tone, a yellow smile on her face "You wouldn't mind me keeping the package , right?" . Steven blinked and bit his lip. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind at all, but today was a special day! Everything must be prepared perfectly for Eddie. He gupped and asked politely "Sorry, m'am. It's just that I really need to u-"
"How IMPOLITE of you!" The woman erupted in an aggressive tone, making Steven step back and the little girl looking back at her mother "Didn't you mother ever tell you that ladies come first? Judging by your accent you must be British, so you should be a gentleman! ".
" This absolute c u n t " Marc snarled as Steven could feel the anger from his words, but he tried his hardest to ignore it. " I can't wait to write on my diary 'Today a bitch really tried'"
"Absolutely, m'am, however I really need this specifically cheese for a surprise that I will make to my partner" Steven answered , giving her an apologetic smile "So if you could please hand me over the package, I will be on my way-" he tried to reach for her hand, but the woman slapped his hands away and threw the package onto her cart.
"How dare you try to get MY package?!" She huffed, turning around like a whip. "Come on Penelope, let's go home." The little girl looked at Steven apologetic and rushed to be on her mother's side. Steven let his arms down and angrily signed, his foot tapping in annoyance on the floor. This wasn't going according to plan, now he would need to go to another grocery just because of that nasty lady! He wasn't not only angry at the woman , but at himself for not sticking out of his plan. "God forsaken, Steven " He mumbled , turning around to leave the alley.
"What an impolite, utterly , twat - " Steven mumbled , his cheeks burning in anger as he stomped to the cashier. " Bitch, just say bitch " Marc said as Steven nodded. Now, he would be behind schedule for his dinner with Eddie. He sadly signed as he entered the queue to the self check-out. " Don't worry, Ste-Ste. We have time until Eddie comes home. This little problem won't bother us" Marc reassured him, making Steven crack a smile.
As he approached the machine, Steven felt a tap on his hand. He turned around to face the little girl from before, who had the Camembert cheese package on hand. "Hi" She said, her voice was quiet, but sweet "Sorry for mommy earlier. She had a bad day today. Here," She put the package on Steven's hands , making the man drop his mouth "We don't need the cheese as much as you do."
"Thank you" Steven approached the package towards his heart as the girl smiled sweetly, waving him bye as she returned towards the store again. Steven had stars in his eyes. What an angelic little girl! The gods might have heard him and now nothing could stop him to make the perfect month anniversary present to Eddie. " Nah, probably they would fuck you up even more if they heard you" Marc answered his thought in chuckles as Steven rolled his eyes and payed for the packages. 'Buy groceries from our fantastic dinner' was check-out off his to-do list. Steven left the store with two heavy grocery bags, each one on one side of him.
"Step two, here we go." Steven said , staring at Marc at a water puddle with a bright smile as he walked towards the nearest train station.
☆
After some minutes and an usually busy subway, he arrived at a station nearby Broadway’s quartier, whereas his next step would be: buying their birthday cake. Steven walked towards the busy streets, careful not to let anything fall. Sure, the groceries were heavy, but nothing he couldn't hold.
" We will need to take a cab home" Marc said as Steven turned the street corner. His eyes were bright as he saw the neon purple sign of the 'Starfish Coffee & Bake'. This was a bakery that Eddie brought him on their second date in New York and Steven fell in love with its atmosphere and, for sure, their wonderful sweets. He pushed open the building door and was greeted by the wonderful smell of fresh roasted coffee and freshly baked delicatesses. God, he adored the smell of cafeterias, even though he hardly goes to one in London. The place had a few customers , who were chatting on small tables near the food display.
Steven approached the counter, where he was greeted by a teenager with pink hair who was reading a fashion magazine. "Hello" he happily said, dragging the girl's attention "I would like to buy a small cake , please"
"Flavour?" The girl said bored, returning her eyes towards the magazine. Steven tapped his chin, looking at the big variety of flavours. He saw Marc blinked at him and said " This nut one looks pretty good. "
"Indeed..but Eddie is allergic to nuts, at least I think so.." Steven mumbled, crossing his arms. The girl across the counter raised an eyebrow towards him, making him melt in shame and let out an awkward chuckle "Just me talking to myself, hehe!". She shrugged and returned her attention to the magazine. Steven looked once again towards the display , frowning his eyebrows. After a few seconds, his eyes stopped on a black & white cake, filled with shiny sprinkles.
Steven smiled and asked the pink-haired girl "E-excuse me, what flavour it's that one? " he pointed towards the cake. The girl looked at the direction and mumbled "Vanilla". "Perfect!" Steven sang, clapping his hands in excitement, dragging the girl's eyes onto him. "I-I mean, I would like to take one home please." He said, feeling his cheeks burn and slightly turning around to see if anyone noticed him. The girl left the magazine by her side and started to scramble something on a piece of paper. "Name?" She asked, unbothered.
"Steven , with a V. Steven Grant" He said, holding his hands to not act foolish once again. The girl raised an eyebrow but finished writing. "Okay, Steven with a V Grant. Cake will be ready in a few minutes for you to-go" she said, standing up and getting a box from beneath the counter. "Can I get you anything else? " .
Steven thought for a few seconds if he was forgetting something, looking around to stare at Marc, who gestured 'Icing'. Steven's eyes blew stars as he returned his attention to the girl "Yes! Actually I would like to write something on top of the cake, if possible." The girl nodded and got her notepad again. Steven approached her and whispered in her ears, a small smile cracking on her face.
"Is it for your boyfriend?" She asked sweetly, Steven nodded proudly as she left the notepad aside and went to get the cake "My partner loves when I write little notes on cupcakes for them, it's pretty cute their reaction, if you ask me." Steven smiled sweetly. After some minutes, the girl gave Steven the most adorable cake box in the world, wrapped onto a blue tape. Steven paid her and she gave him a small smile "Good luck on your date, Steven with a V".
He nodded and, as Steven was juggling the two heavy groceries bags and the cake-box, he stumbled onto a man , spilling an extremely hot coffee on his shirt. "O-ouch! I'm sorry , sir! I-I can pay for another coffee- " Steven was left mumbling as the man only rolled his eyes and went to get another one, leaving Steven filled with coffee and his clothes ruined. He looked down to stare at his shoes and took a deep breath, looking forward. He couldn't give up right now.
" Let's go buddie. We will get clean and start Gordon Ramsay this shit" Marc said from the glass as Steven left the store, managing to keep all the packages in his hands. After some failed attempts, he managed to get a cab. He entered and finally had some minutes of peace and relaxation until Eddie's apartment.
☆
Steven thanked the taxi driver as they stopped in front of their apartment. He tried his best not to drop anything on his way towards the door, but he failed by tripping over, falling to the ground. Steven gasped and quickly got up, making sure that nothing was crumpled or in pieces. "Please, please, please, not the cake , not the cake" Steven pleaded, letting out a sign of relief when he saw the box was intact. He carefully opened the entrance door and faced his next challenge, which he completely forgot until now.
"Oh, bollocks' ' he grumped as he faced the set of stairs of their apartment. He quickly stopped to analyze the situation. Since he and Eddie lived on the third floor, it would be three sets of stairs, that means three times the chance of something falling out of the stairs. " Just trust yourself , Ste-Ste. I got us if you trip" Marc reassures on the window reflection. Steven nodded and climbed up the first set of stars and stopped at the top.
"Simple enough" he signed, moving forward to the next step, but suddenly losing his posture and dropping everything. He freezed as he saw the cake box moving in slow-motion towards the ground. "Oh, no!" He gasped, trying to reach towards the box.
Before he could reach it, two hands grab it, allowing Steven to breathe again. He looked up to stare at the tired, but kind blue eyes of Norman Osborn, their neighbor. "M-mister Osborn!" Steven gasped, jumping up and picking up all his packages once again. "You saved my life! I mean - the cake." He tripped on his words, making Norman chuckled lightly.
Steven noticed that he was wearing sloopy jeans and a jacket. "No problem..Steven, right?" He asked, delivering the package back to Steven , who nodded " I saw you walking all the way to here looking like a chicken lost in the road and I wondered if you might need an extra hand, or two" he chuckled again . Steven felt his cheeks getting red as Norman smiled at him “No worries, boy. It’s easy to trip over when you are carrying so much, I wonder what’s the special occasion?”
“It’s me and Eddie’s anniversary, two month anniversary, actually!” Norman opened his eyes bright and Steven could see stars in his eyes. He clapped twice his hands in excitement “Oh, that’s wonderful Steven, congratulations for both of you! Although I do recall the correct term is monthversary” He said, giggling.
“Yeah! E-exactly!” Steven smiled proudly, ignoring the tsked from Marc he could spot on the window “Thank you so much, Mr.Osborn”. “Please, you can call me Norman. Here, give me one of those bags so I can help you.” the blonde said , slowly walking upstairs holding one of the bags , followed by Steven.“You know, I do recall that my first monthversary with Otto. We were still at college, you see. I made a surprise picnic for him, we laid under a tree near our dorm. “ Norman sang as they approached the second floor “I had a bad habit , however , of not checking the weather and if living in New York taughts you something is that you always need to care an umbrella and sunglasses” he chuckled.
“Same with London, weather’s like a surprise box there!” Steven said , making Norman let out another chuckle. “Anyway” he continued “Turns out the weather wasn’t in our favor and, after some peaceful five minutes with Otto, the sky started to pour heavily. We ran outside and out of clothes and food were soaking wet” Norman stopped in front of his apartment, waiting for Steven to join him.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry for that Mr.Os-Norman '' Steven said , making Norman shrug and giving him a smile. “Oh Steven, here comes the best part." He handed the bag to Steven as he searched for his keys in his pockets. "We laughed at our disaster and hung out in his room, enjoying some jazz music and soaked chips. This was the first time he kissed me," Norman said , cracking a silly smile, making Steven smile as well. "We still joke about it towards this day, and I can't imagine my life without my Ottobear." Norman cheeks blushed a little. Steven nodded, a smile still craved on his face.
Norman opened his door and looked inside. "Oh, looks like he went to grab Peter in school." He turned towards Steven, who was standing next to him. " I wish you and Eddie a wonderful dinner. If you need any help, just ring my bell. '' He smiled and entered the house. "Thank you so much for the help, Norman! " Steven smiled. Norman gave him a quick wave before shutting the door. The British turned around to open their apartment's door.
"What a nice gentleman" Steven said as he opened the door, carefully placing the bags onto the counter and taking a breath of relief "I'm glad Norman is Eddie's neighbor!". " Yes, anyway so. Marc said as Steven washed his hands,'' Are we doing this or not? Time's ticking. Eddie will be home at nine."
Steven soaked his hands and looked at the groceries , determination filling his voice . He looked at the clock, they had still an hour and a half left until Eddie arrived. Steven nodded. "Let 's do it."
☆
Steven poured the water to boil, picked up the wooden board to cut the asparagus. His feet taped in rhythm with a rock CD Marc recommended him to buy it. As he was cutting the vegetable , Steven cracked a little smile. He never imagined himself cooking something sophisticated , but the feeling of doing this for the person he loves the most made everything worth it. In the rhythm of the song, Steven opened the pasta package abruptly , making all the noodles fly towards the sides and the British gasp.
“Oh no!” Steven worried, trying to collect all the noodles that didn’t feel on the floor. Marc watched him, a worried expression craved on his face, as Steven succeeded in collecting most of the noodles. He took a deep breath and tried to organize it like a bunch of pieces of paper “It’s fine, it’s fine” He kept repeating to himself. As soon as the water in the pan started to boil , he put the pasta on it , turning his attention towards the meat.
“Okay Steven. You .. never cooked a meat before, but according to the tutorials, it shouldn’t be that hard” Steven reassured himself once again as he cut the meat in thin slices , soon to be put it on the frier. “Eh, doesn’t look that bad!” he smiled. Like a bad karma, seconds later he clumsily hit the knife on his hand , making a small cut. Steven dropped the knife and groaned in agony as he cupped his hand. “Argh! Damn you , Steven Grant!”
“ Shit! The first emergency kit! Beneath the TV!” Marc alerted him. Steven nodded and rushed to the counter next to the TV, getting on his knees and opening the small red box. “Bollocks , bollocks , bollocks” Steven kept repeating as he bandaged the wound. After completing the remedy, he returned to the counter, lifting a sigh of relief seeing that the pasta was okay. He closed his eyes “You can do this, you can do this.”. He opened it again and finished cutting the meat. He turned on the oven and put a pan on it, carefully adding some oil and then the meat slices onto it.
After some minutes, Steven felt his heartbeat slow down, letting out a relaxed whistler. Sure, he had a couple of embargos today , but nothing could stop him from making the perfect dinner for Eddie. “ It’s looking pretty great, if you ask me” Marc said from his reflection as Steven nodded, feeling proud of himself. Suddenly, a back pain invaded him. “Those damn stairs” Steven growled in annoyance.
“Go sit on the couch for a bit, champ,” Marc suggested. “No , I will lose the point of the meat and the pasta might burn” Steven shook his head, supporting his hands on the counter. “ Come on , the meat it’s still raw and the pasta ain’t ready. Five minutes of sitting down after this damn day can’t hurt you” . Steven signed and let go of the counter . He walked towards the sofa , letting out a relief whimper as soon as he felt the soft mattress.
“ What a day” Marc groaned from the window. Steven cracked his knuckles and nodded “Yeh. It was almost like the gods wanted to test me if I can make it through our anniversary!” he crossed his arms ``It was hard. All the way from that.. wicked lady, to the coffee, to the stairs and now the knife! Urgh-” He blew a raspberry , but quickly after cracked a smile “But it’s all worth it.”
Steven closed his eyes, falling on a dream of what perfect night he and Eddie would have after dinner. They would probably cuddle on the couch , hopping on Netflix or Prime Video to watch a romantic comedy or a Tooth Rotting Fluff drama. He did recall he wanted to watch a movie called “Love is Strange” , so it could be that one! Later, they would lie on their bed, tangling their legs together. Steven would touch Eddie’s cheeks and kiss him passionately, just like the first time. They would talk about their future, about their next anniversaries and how they want to spend the rest of their lives together. And they would fall asleep feeling each other's smell , touch, love-
“ Steven! STEVEN!” Marc made him snap off his daydream, a worried expression on his face. “ The supper!”. Steven jumped like a rabbit and moved his sight towards the clock. He spent over thirty minutes on the couch! He rushed to the small kitchen , already feeling a small burned smell. He looked at the pasta pan , already dried out and with the pasta burnt , and to the fried pan , the meat black as a sheep.
He put his hands on his head, wanting to puke his heart out. “Oh no oh no OH NO!” He screamed , sloppily touching the meat pan and burning his hands, causing him to groan in pain and slam his hand away onto the counter behind him , where the cake box was. It dropped to the floor , mashing it into crumbles. Steven gasped as he kneeled down, opening the box to see the cake completely ruined. The dedicated icing of “ To my one and most true love , Eddie Brock” was mixed into a dirty , incomprehensive sentence.
Steven groaned in a mix of feelings and turned off the oven. Steven signed loudly and sat on the floor , his knees touching. His annoyed sights turned to sobs as he felt tears rolling through his cheeks, slamming his fit on the ground repeatedly.
“Damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU!” He cried, not trying to control his tears. “ Steven, you don’t need to feel like that, budd-” . Marc tried to assure him, but was interrupted. “What do you mean ‘You don’t need to feel like that’, Marc?!" . He cut his friend off with annoyance “I planned everything! This had to be a perfect day! And then a bunch of shit went my way” He cracked a sob before continuing “ And when I finally managed to be on the right track , I ruined EVERYTHING! “ He groaned once again.
“T-this was supposed to be a surprise for Eddie, a-and I ruined it… just like everything I do.” He whispered, hiding his face on his knees. Steven stood in that position for what it felt like hours, until suddenly a pair of arms wrapped Steven around his body. Steven quickly looked up to meet the kind eyes of Eddie, looking at him with a sad expression. “Eddie..” he whispered.
Eddie shushed him off and held him closer, closing his eyes. Steven relaxed on his partner's arms and let out some sobs , holding himself towards Eddie. After Steven calmed down a bit , Eddie started to caress his hair, still holding him on his chest. “Babes,” he whispered. “ Why are you crying? ”. He looked down to Steven's bandaged hand. " What happened? Did somebody hurt you?" Steven shook his head, some tears still in his eyes “I ruined everything, I-I’m sorry, Eddie.”
Eddie looked down , finally meeting his eyes “What do you mean?” . “I was going to make a surprise dinner for you, t-to commemorate our first anniversary together, b-but then there was this bitch with the cheese, and then the guy with a b-burning coffee, the d-damn stairs - a-and- “. Steven managed to say , but was interrupted by Eddie. “You…were doing this for me?” Eddie asked softly, making Steven nodded , his tears falling on his cheeks “I-it was supposed to be our special night, I-I searched for the best meal I could cook for you , but then I ruined everything by falling asleep. I-I’m sorry , Eddie” Steven let out a sob , hiding his face on Eddie’s chest.
Eddie slowly cupped Steven’s cheeks , brushing off his tears. “Honey, this is the best thing anyone ever did to me.” he said, with a smile on his face “Right now , I can’t be happier to have you as my love.” Steven, with trembling hands, moved his hands towards Eddie’s lap “Steven, you are a gift from the skies, the best one in this entire universe. Nothing or no one could make me happier than you. I love you , Steven”.
Steven cracked a giggle and they shared a passionate kiss. Steven curled his head on Eddie’s shoulder as the American returned his hands onto Steven’s head. “I actually have a surprise for you!” Eddie said “Venom , could you-” He broke in gasps as one tentacle threw a package onto his lap, making him roll his eyes. “..Thank you”.
Eddie landed over the package towards Steven. The British analyzed the box in front of him and opened it. Stars appeared in his eyes as he hugged a plushie of Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility , or the hippo goddess. “Eddie!” he said, stars in his eyes “S-she’s my favorite one!”.
“I know, that’s why when I passed through the museum , I knew exactly what to get you” Eddie chuckled as Steven hugged him. “Thank you so much, my love.” Steven whispered. Eddie smiled and kissed his forehead.
“It’s funny you thought of dinner, I was thinking about doing the same!” Eddie chuckled lightly “But , you know I can’t cook for shit , so I, I mean Venom , had this idea and we thought of - “.
All of sudden, four huge boxes of pizza were slammed onto the floor by black tentacles, startling Steven and making Eddie roll his eyes. The demonic grinned face of Venom showed out in front of them “ PIZZA TIME!” He yelled as he abruptly opened a package, starting to devour a pepperoni pizza.
"We have Ice Cream as well" Eddie said , making Venom shout in joy as he helped Steven stand up, holding hands. "We can watch a nice movie or a tv-series while we eat this, and you can talk more about that cheese bitch- or anything else". Steven giggled and hugged Eddie, who spinned them both. "Sure thing love" Steven said, before having an idea. "But I think I have a better idea."
Ten minutes later, Steven and Eddie were with their feet hanging on the roof, looking out to the bright city of New York. The view looked fantastic with all buildings and skyscrapers illuminated on the dark-blue night. Venom happily ate a pepperoni pizza on the side as each Steven and Eddie had a slice of margherita on their hands. “You right, babes. This is way better than Netflix n Chill” Eddie said , chewing his slice. Steven smiled as he ate his own slice. Eddie cupped his hand, making Steven stare at his eyes. “Ste, sorry for not eating the meal you were preparing , after all your work and struggles-”.
“It’s okay, hunnie,” Steven said, smiling sweetly. “After all, I rather eat delicious pizza and yummi Ice Cream than eat burnt pasta and meat.” They shared a laugh as Steven rested his head on Eddie’s shoulder “This is the best anniversary I could ever have imagined, and I’m so happy I can spend it with you, my love.” Eddie purred in excitement as they shared another kiss.
“Don’t you mean ‘monthversary’, babes?” Eddie said, on a sexy tune that made Steven crack a laugh. The couple stood there, contemplating the view. Steve smiled sweetly as he felt Eddie’s touch on his head. Sure, he had the most terrible day ever that definitely made him freak out and made him want to jump off a cliff full of hungry alligators with cowboy hats. But just looking at Eddie’s smile made him realise how worth it every second of that shitty day was.