midnight meal
Pieter Cross. Beth Chapel.
Stitches. Studio Apartments. Avocado Toast.
2524 words.
(ao3.)
Three days ago Doctor Pieter Anton Cross got a tip that someone in Guttenberg would be smuggling a crate at midnight, a container that definitely did not contain human kidneys of unknown origin. Additionally, the shipment had absolutely nothing to do with a series of suspicious cases connected to the same nightclub on the Upper West Side, wherein club patrons put trust in the wrong person, consume the wrong drink, and wake up in the morning in a bathtub of ice with fresh stitches on their abdomen.
It had been an eternity since Pieter had investigated an underground organ trafficking operation, but at least this time he wasn’t alone.
Doctor Elizabeth Bridget Chapel — also known as the other Doctor Mid-Nite — had been working in the HoltCorp medical research lab for the last few months. When the powers that be freed up her time on a particular Tuesday night, she did not hesitate to join Pieter on his mission.
It astounded Pieter that now could he and Beth work together. It seemed that every time Pieter was needed with a patient in New York, Beth was all the way in Metropolis going over kryptonian bloodwork. They had met in HoltCorp’s communal breakroom numerous times, but the fact remained that they had yet to even spend a surgery in the O.R together.
In the midst of the night, the pair of doctors clad in red and black stormed the docks near the Hudson River.
The two had perched themselves on construction cranes over the sea of shipping containers below, watching a group of thugs drive a windowless van towards a boat on the water. They waited patiently as the groups of men in black jackets and caps stood on the docks and spoke. It was the typical pre-shipment thug talk.
Then Beth tossed down a Blackout Bomb.
In the darkness the pair of Mid-Nites swooped into battle. Utilizing the lack of light almost always tipped the odds in their favor.
Pieter preferred a more direct way of fighting, having confidence in his kicks and elbow strikes as he took down every disoriented thug he could find. Beth was different, but no less effective, as she preferred to hide in the darkness and wait for the right moment to attack. Her key was patience and timing, as when she was ready she would administer the correct grapple or hit to bring her opponent down.
But suddenly, the smoke of the Blackout Bomb cleared and the lights of the shipping yard illuminated the area once more.
As Pieter observed the space in search of any thugs that he may have missed, he only caught sight of the last man standing for half a second. Then before he knew it a fist was thrust towards his face.
The blow struck the left lens of Pieter’s goggles, sending pain throughout his head and throwing him off balance. With his vision disoriented, he barely managed to catch himself as he tumbled onto the concrete.
On the ground Pieter opened his eyes and immediately noticed smudging on the left side of his goggles, something that obscured his field of view. On instinct he touched his face where he had been hit, then when he pulled his hand away he saw his own blood staining his gloves.
Gritting his teeth, Pieter looked back towards the final thug. The man was large and wide, looming over Pieter like a hunter over its prey. Pieter felt three swift kicks hitting his chest just before Beth swooped in.
She made quick work of the attacker, taking advantage of her surprise attack and stomping on the thug’s ankles. With haste, she then finished him off with a swift knee to the groin and a hip throw to the ground.
With all his might Pieter stood up with his hand on his face, doing his best to quell the bleeding that he knew was there. With his free hand he reached to his utility belt, feeling around until he could find gauze and medical tape. Considering the circumstances, taping a sterile pad to his face was certainly not the prettiest thing he had ever done to himself, but stopping the bleeding was priority one.
Beth said nothing as she walked up to her colleague, taking him by the arm and leading him away from the docks just as the Guttenberg police arrived.
…
…
…
Michael had set Pieter up with a comfortable living situation. Manhattan wasn’t known for being cheap, but his studio in the Upper East Side had managed to become more than the sum of its parts. The several glowing billboards obstructing the views from every window probably had something to do with the rent being an absolute steal (for New York). Add in some blackout curtains and it was the perfect abode for someone with Pieter’s condition.
After the pair of Mid-Nites arrived at the studio near Hunter College, Beth assessed his injuries. She led him into his bathroom and had him remove the blood-stained parts of his costume, particularly his cowl and the top of his suit.
As to be expected, the blow to face had cut into his skin. No bones had been broken, but the force had shoved the rim of his goggles into the top of his left cheek. The cut wasn’t that big, but the amount of blood staining Pieter’s gloves and cowl would make a person think otherwise.
Fortunately, it was nothing Beth couldn’t handle. She made Pieter sit on the edge of the tub as she administered stitches to his face. To properly work she made him remove his goggles as well, rendering him blind as she fixed him up. Now more than ever, Pieter found himself very lucky to have Dr. Beth Chapel by his side.
While Beth sewed up his face, Pieter held a cold pack against his chest. His breaths were slow. The action didn’t pain him, but rather ached him slightly every time he exhaled.
“They’re bruised, not broken,” Beth assured.
And to that, Pieter could only hum. Frankly, he considered himself lucky to have not sustained anything more serious.
Soon enough, Beth finished her stitches. Only four had been administered to such a short, but impeccably placed cut.
“It’ll be a small scar, but you’ll live,” she assured as she applied a clean gauze pad to Pieter’s cheek. She made sure her dressings were just as neat as her stitches.
“Copy that,” Pieter said, speaking his first actual words to her since they had left the docks.
Beth began putting supplies back into the first aid kit. “Good thing though… Wildcat said you had a handsome face.”
Even without his full range of sight, Pieter just had to raise an eyebrow at Beth.
“Uh… which one?”
After a few moments, Pieter sucked in a breath and forced himself to stand. He made the short, impaired walk out of his bathroom and into his dark apartment. His chest began to hurt a lot less as he got used to the bruises on his ribs, yet he kept the cold pack pressed against him until he arrived at his kitchenette.
After placing the pack down, he reached for the bowl of fruit on the counter and immediately grabbed a ripe avocado, also known as his comfort food in distressing times.
Beth entered the studio space as he cut and pitted the avocado with a paring knife. It was only now that she had removed her cowl and goggles, making Pieter realize that she was the one hand guest who he didn’t need to turn the lights on for.
He also realized that now was the first time he had actually seen her eyes.
For a few moments Beth took in Pieter’s home. There wasn’t much to see, save for the bookshelf that separated the sleeping area from the living area, as well as the little corner of the room dedicated to his collection of potted plants.
“Could I offer you something to eat?” Pieter said. “It’s the least I can do.”
Beth smiled at the prospect of food. “I’ll take the other half of that avocado, if you don’t mind,” she spoke as she removed her cape.
Pieter nodded. “I could put it on toast if you’d like.”
After placing her cloak on the nearby couch, Beth joined her colleague in front of the kitchenette. “That’s very nice of you, thanks.”
Not wanting to waste a second, Pieter got to work. He pulled out a loaf of sliced sourdough from his cupboard and placed it on the counter. As he got back to the avocado on his cutting board, he noticed Beth approaching the bread on the counter.
“Oh, let me-” Pieter said as he reached over.
Without even flinching, she smacked his hand away. “I know how to use a toaster.”
Amused, Pieter couldn’t help but smile.
The two proceeded in silence as Beth toasted the bread and Pieter placed half an avocado into a bowl. As he mashed it with the back of a spoon, he would occasionally look over to her, partially out of curiosity and partially out of boredom. Every time he would, he would notice Beth looking back at him too, even if it was for a second.
Pieter didn’t think too long about it, but somehow the way Beth looked at him made him realize more and more that he very much lacked a shirt. Perhaps the amount of guests he regularly had at his apartment — which was zero — left him unaccustomed to having company.
“Erm… excuse me,” Pieter mumbled as he moved away from the kitchenette.
With haste in his step he went behind the bookshelf dividing the studio space. Just as quickly he returned while buttoning a cardigan over his torso.
“Cool place you have here,” Beth complimented as she watched Pieter approach the counter.
“Thanks,” he replied, giving his colleague a polite smile. “It’s pretty rare to find a place like this without a bathtub in the kitchen.”
Somehow, the comment roused a mild chuckle from Beth.
“Where do you live?” asked Pieter as he continued to mash the avocados.
“I’m sharing a place with the other Infinitors,” Beth explained simply. “Yolanda, Jennie, Todd. We got a place in Brooklyn together — Hunter’s Point… it’s nice.”
After the toast popped, Pieter wasted no time in assembling the promised meal. He even made sure to arrange it nicely on a plate.
“Here you go, Doctor,” he spoke as he handed everything over.
Beth seemed flattered as she took the plate into her hands. “Why, thank you.”
As she stepped towards one of the stools near the counter, Pieter picked up the remaining half of the avocado and a spoon. Beth looked at him just as he did.
“Are you going to… oh.”
In the span of a few seconds, Pieter managed to consume the entire halved fruit. When he looked up and met his colleague’s gaze, the prospect of her witnessing his at-home table manners made his stomach drop in embarrassment.
There was a beat while he wondered how red his face looked. “... I like avocados.”
At least Beth seemed humored. “I can tell.”
As the short doctor sat at the counter to enjoy her midnight meal, the less short doctor made his way to his dresser once more. Behind the cover of the bookcase he removed the pants of his costume. Fortunately, he had the common sense to pull on a pair of shorts while he had company around.
As he changed into his non-bloodstained clothes, Pieter’s wrist brushed the bandage on his face. He wondered how it made him look, as well as how the other HoltCorp employees would react to him in the morning.
When Pieter returned to the kitchenette, Beth was rubbing her shoulder as she finished eating. During most of the fight his attention was elsewhere, but it would be shortsighted to assume that Beth had dodged every blow thrown at her. Even the best fighters he knew had to tank hits to see the end of a fight.
“You can crash here if you want,” Pieter offered.
Beth looked uneasy as she eyed him. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“I insist,” he added on. “It’s the least I can do after tonight.” He hoped the way he spoke was warm, and he hoped the way he leaned against the kitchenette came off as inviting.
Beth took a moment to think. A few seconds passed, then eventually she nodded. “Alright… I’ll take the couch?”
Pieter shook his head. “No, you’re the guest,” he insisted. Immediately, he walked off a nearby closet to retrieve extra blankets. “You take my bed.”
Once more, Beth looked uneasy. “Are you sure? It’s your place.”
“My family raised me with manners,” Pieter explained with ease, laying a fleece throw and a cushion on the couch to form a makeshift bed. “I’ll be fine, really.”
Beth didn’t look entirely convinced of his reasoning, yet managed to give him a warm look. “Thank you, you’re very kind, Pete.”
Pieter could only nod along and attempt to ignore how Beth’s pet name for him made his heart beat just a bit faster.
As Beth put her dish in the sink and went towards the studio’s ‘bedroom,’ Pieter removed his sweater and laid his aching body on the couch to rest. As he settled on the cushions he could feel his muscles relaxing, albeit not without a sore stiffness pulsating in all of his joints. Most of the time, he liked to believe that he was in top shape for a man his age, but his lower back was telling him otherwise.
The fact that his ribs were also bruised to hell did not help one bit.
As Pieter placed a hand behind his head, he glanced to his bed in the corner of the room and caught sight of Beth near the bookcase. Having changed out of her Doctor Mid-Nite costume, she was currently sporting a sweatshirt that Pieter saved for laundry day, one that was oversized even for him and had a faded logo on the front. On Beth it was long enough to reach her mid-thigh.
“Hope you don’t mind, I borrowed this,” said Beth. She was currently placing a night bonnet over her hair, something she kept on her belt for her frequent naps in the on-call room.
“Not at all,” Pieter assured, politely averting his eyes. He laid back and tried to focus on the sound of the city resonating through the walls, something he found himself getting lost in on even the most restless nights.
“Good night, Doctor Chapel.”
Immediately, Beth poked her head out from behind the bookcase and gave the shirtless Norwegian on the couch a quizzical eye.
“What did I tell you about calling me Doctor Chapel off duty?” she asked in a playful tone.
Despite his bruises and aches, Pieter replied with a smirk. Propping himself up on his elbows, he corrected his words —
“Good night… Beth.”
“Good night, Pete.”
Finally, Pieter closed his eyes and wondered why Beth Chapel was the last thing on his mind before he wandered into sleep.
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