Neighbors
Chapter 5: New Friends
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x Reader
Warnings: Eludes to voyeurism kink but nothing explicit.
Summary: New friends is a good thing... Right?
A/N: LOOONNNGGGG time no see but I will never not complete a series! (even if it's not been updated for like a year....)
Word Count: 3,225
He’s here, right in front of you. You look into his mask lens, mouth open but speechless. What are you doing? You invited him, made him cookies, and now you’re clamming up? This wasn’t how you pictured it.
“Is that for me?” His voice is only slightly mocking as he asks the obvious question, but it's enough to get you out of your sudden nervous freak-out.
With a small sigh, you smile at him and stumble out a quick yes, holding up the cookies for him to take. He accepts the bag with a chipper thanks, then opens it as he moves smoothly down the wall to sit right next to you, his body sticking effortlessly to the brick. You hold your breath as he lifts his mask just enough to reveal the cutest set of lips you’ve ever seen, giving you a slight smirk when he notices you staring. Excitement and nerves make you nearly lose your balance by the window. Part of you had hoped he’d take off the whole mask, but you know that’s unrealistic. Cookies won’t earn you secret identity privileges, and maybe knowing who he really is would ruin the masked man fantasy anyway.
You pause, no, no, no, NO! You are not a web head! You do not fantasize about Spider-Man! During your inner turmoil, you catch him as he is biting off one of his gloves, tucking it away, and eating a cookie. Is it weird to be attracted to hands? Perhaps, but you will just keep it a secret as you memorize the veins of his hands.
Spider-Man scarves down more cookies, licking his fingers and sucks on the tips to make sure all the chocolate is gone… Holy shit… is this like superhero fourpay? Watching the masked hero flash his smile, reveal his sexy hands, then give you a show with his mouth sucking and his tongue… or perhaps you're a lonely pervert soon to be web head….
This city is changing you.
In your haze of watching him, you can’t control the next sentence from your mouth: “Would you like to wash those down with some milk?” He pauses, surprised at your sudden invitation, before he leans in closer.
“Don’t you know not to invite strange men into your apartment?”
You lean in, getting closer to his face, your eyes lingering on his lips, “Well, when that man has saved you before, it makes you trust them…”
He chuckles as his hand moves up to tuck back a piece of unruly hair behind your ear. His hand is warm as it slightly brushes over your skin, and with how close he has gotten to you… You think that he might kiss you…
As you both lean towards each other, time seems to slow down. You try to control your breathing and focus on his lips, but just as you're about to close your eyes to kiss him, he suddenly puts his hand on top of your head and ruffles your hair instead.
What?
He puts his glove back on and lowers his mask. “I uh… better not, still on duty…”
Your chest aches at the sudden distance between you. “Ah… r-right, right.”
With a nod and a quick thanks, he swings off into the cool city. You take your time to slink off to bed, roaming around your apartment, suddenly feeling incredibly lonely… have you really only made friends with your neighbor and the city's hero? Those two people you can’t typically consider close friends…
Your thoughts go back to Spider-Man…who he is… if you will see him again… learn more about him… and the biggest thing weighing on your mind, have you messed up by seeming to come onto him… and if he even noticed it…
Wednesday night is the slow night of the week. Typically, slower nights are your favorite… but today… Today, the slow atmosphere is forcing you to think about how badly your shameless little attempt at a kiss has led to Spidey not coming around. He hasn’t even left a note!
Groaning you drop your head onto the bar's counter, attempting to ignore its stickiness. Though you deserve the stickiness… You crossed the line and made the hero uncomfortable… UGH, they should kick you out of the city for your flop.
Melissa, the saint, seems to notice your blight. She waddles over with a rag, nudging you to lift your head.
“Oh… I know that look…boy troubles?”
You look towards her with a frown, “What makes you think so?”
"Nobody puts their face on this counter unless they’re extremely drunk or having personal troubles. So tell me, are you having trouble with your neighbor again?”
“No! No! Peter is great! He’s… well, he’s my only friend right now. But he's been busy with work lately, and well, there was this… other guy…”
A large squeal from Melissa not only startles you but also the others at the bar. Melissa grabs your hands, “ Not even two weeks here and you have a crush! I want details!” She then pulls you closer, forcing you to look into her eyes, “Seriously, don’t spare a detail.”
You nervously laugh. It’s not that you don’t want to open up, but how do you explain trying to kiss Spider-Man—then getting rejected so hard he’s stopped talking to you?
"Well, I met him in my first week here. He was so kind that I wanted to thank him. When I did, I tried to kiss him… and he basically rejected me. Now, I haven't heard from him."
Melissa shoulders slack “Have you thought that maybe he’s just shy?” - Spidey shy? Hmmm… he seems rather confident. Maybe even cocky…
“Not returning my kiss isn’t what bothers me most. It’s the silence—it feels like losing a friend, and I was already short on those.”
Melissa sighs, slumping down on the stool next to yours and rubbing her belly. "Man... that is an issue..."
A laugh bubbles up from your throat, breaking the tension, "Isn't this where you give me some mature wisdom?"
Gregory kicks open the back room with a box of bottles. “Here’s some wisdom: if that punk is too blind to see what he’s missing, you’re better off without him.” Greg unloads the box, and you quickly help—after all, it’s your job. "Plus, you're a nice girl, do you need friends? You have us, and I just hired a girl your age. She's green but hard-working. I want you to train her; maybe you two can be pals." Greg says casually, but the news has you beaming.
"Another girl! This is great! When does she start?"
Melissa chuckles at your enthusiasm. "Greg, I wanted it to be a surprise! But yes, she goes to university too. She starts tomorrow."
Thursday is usually another lax night, but now you're going to be training the new girl! even though you are still kinda new, but whatever! Another opportunity to make a friend—and a girl at that! Finally! If Greg and Melissa like her, she’s probably nice!
"Well, I am so excited to meet her! I hope we get along! What's her name?"
"Mary Jane, but she goes by MJ."
Though classes usually drain you, today you’re fueled with excitement. A new friend in the city would be amazing. You hope MJ is nice, as things could get awkward otherwise. You shove in your key at your door, but before you can struggle with the lock, someone opens the door behind you.
"Hey, Cookie, how were classes?"-Cookie?
You turn to see Peter, grinning widely. You raise an eyebrow at him, "Cookie?"
"A nickname, it was that or Dough Wizard."
You lift a hand in mercy, "Cookie is fine... don't call me... Dough Wizard."
"Hm... you not liking it makes me want to call you more..."-typical...
Playfully, you roll your eyes before going back to struggling with your door, "Please tell me you didn't just lay around munching all day."
Peter shakes his head no before knocking on the frame. If you didn't know better, you could guess he's nervous. "Actually, I've been working on some pictures all day... Did you want to come take a look? I mean, I did say if you brought me cookies, I would let you snoop through."
Looking at his work! You have to get ready for work soon... but how could you pass this up? "I could come in and take a look, see if it's any good."
Peter just laughs you off before standing back and opening his door wide for you. At first, you're a bit nervous about going into his place. What if it's a total mess? Or even worse, it's cleaner than yours.
With your worries, you walk in and you're instantly met with a warm atmosphere and the pictures on the walls. One catches your eye—Peter in high school, standing next to a woman who might be his mother.
You don't realize you're staring at it until Peter is stepping closer. "That's me and my aunt May right around the time I graduated."
"It's very sweet. Do you get to see each other a lot?"
Peter smiles, "Yeah, I'm sure you will run into her eventually. We try to eat together at least every two weeks."
Peter leads you to his couch as he opens up his laptop. You think of how lucky he must be to have family so close,
"Maybe you could come eat with us one day... she's quite the cook." Peter couldn’t help the softness in his voice. It's a sweet, vulnerable side to him that you didn't think he had.
"If you wouldn't mind, I would love it. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal."
"Great! I'll let you know when the next time we meet is." Peter finally passes his laptop over to you. The angle of the shot seems impossible, but here it is right in front of you. You have seen Spider-Man more than once, but the pictures still captivate you.
"This can't be real, you have had to edit this."
Peter laughs, "I edit the colors for saturation, but I got lucky with the poses from Spidy."
"He's incredible..." You mutter, and Peter lifts an eyebrow with a smirk. You feel yourself flush from your slight slip. "I mean, the picture is incredible."
You try to laugh it off as you click to another amazing photo, but Peter just nudges you, "Hey, don't forget that I'm the one who makes him look so good."
He does look good... but sitting so close to Peter lets you sneak a peek at him, he looks really good to... Peter turns to you, catching you staring, and you're quick to tap to the next picture, trying to ignore how red you are.
Peter clears his voice before he says your name, but as you're turning to see what he wants to say, your alarm starts to beep. Shit
You pop up for the door, "Damn, my alarm. I'm sorry, I have to go and get ready for work."
He seems down for a second before he's following you again, "Well, that's not fair."
You pause and turn to look at him, only to see he's once again super close. How does he do that with no noise?
"What's not fair?"
"Well, you got to see my job, wouldn't it only be fair that I see you at yours?"
Wait... he wants to see you at your job? That's what friends do... but tonight you're training the new girl, you won't be able to talk to him…
"Tonight I have training... but tomorrow?"
Peter smiles, and you feel your blood start to race, "Tomorrow then..."
Walking into the bar, it's dimly lit, just as you expected, and it's nice and not at all busy. Bad for tips but great for training!
After putting your stuff away in the back, you walk out and see Greg talking to a girl who looks around your age. This must be MJ! Take a deep breath and be cool!
With a smile, you're hoping it's not too wide, you walk up for an introduction. You're thankful, Greg sees you walking up and gives you a pre-introduction to your own greeting.
The first thing you notice about her is her deep crimson hair, and as she turns with a confident smile, you see her brilliant emerald eyes.
"Hey, I'm Mary, but everyone calls me Mj."
She seems so confident and cool! You manage to give your intro, hoping not to give away your excitement to potentially make a friend your age.
"So any questions before we get started?"
"Nope, I'm told you're the best, so I'm ready for the ropes!"
First, you show her the essentials and the shelf layout. Next, you ask about her knowledge, and you're pretty impressed by how much she knows for being new, but she teasingly jokes that she's been doing this enough to finally make a job of it. She might know more than you did when you started.
When she finally starts helping customers, she’s a natural, even to the regulars who can be a bit short on patience. Melissa makes her way down, and you manage to sneak over, leaving Mj on her own for the first time of the night.
"So, how is training?"
"Great! She's natural and really nice!
"Told you! I'm happy it seems to be working out." Melissa slides up closer with a mischievous smirk. "Onto other news... How are things in the romance department?"
You sigh, "No updates..."
"What about Mr. Grumpy Neighbour?"
"Oh no? Neighbor troubles?" Mj shocks both of you as she joins the conversation with a smile.
"Well, it was looking bad, but I think we are finally getting along. He actually might pop by Friday."
"Oh? A work day? Just make sure it isn't a distraction." Melissa nudges you.
"Just friends, I refuse to cross that line."
They both laugh.
"Well, it might be worth it if he's cute enough." Mj winks before walking to check the customers one more time. She's going to get along great here.
Turns out having more help does ease the workload, but it’s nice to have someone to communicate with to pass the time. It turns out you two have a lot in common, and she even told you all the dos and don'ts for surviving the city. She even planned a day to take you to all her favorite local spots! Thank God She got hired here; you might actually stand a chance here! And though Spidey didn't show up by the end of your shift, you didn't have to walk alone; you had a friend with you!
Friday night, and of course, it's completely packed. You're happy Mj has been such a fast learner because it's been great not having to constantly check up on her. The drinks are flowing, the tips are coming in, but you're still nervous... and Milessa notices…
She slides over to where you're currently mixing. "Don't worry... he will show..."
You let out a laugh, trying not to betray your inner thoughts, "I'm not. He either will or won't... It's nothing to me."
"Uh huh... and you have been watching the door for what reason then?"
"Well, we are kinda friends... if he comes in, I don't want to miss him."
"So what does your friend look like?"
"Kinda tall, brown hair that's always a mess... and the really nice brown eyes that you-"
As you're talking, you notice Melissa's grin getting wider, and you stop yourself before you get carried away. "Taller and nerdish with a dash of cockiness, so when you spot that, you've got him."
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I think your 'friend' has walked in..." She points you to the door before laughing and leaving you to scramble as Peter walks in.
When he sees you, he gives you a smile you just can't help but mimic; somehow, he squeezes in to meet you.
"Okay, what are you guys serving to make it this busy?"
You continue to pour for the people crowding, “We are just that good."
He eyes you suspiciously, "Sure you're not just over pouring?"
You playfully shrug, "Well, you will have to order something to find out."
Peter leans in closer to the bar, and you can catch a whiff of what smells like cologne. It makes you want to get closer to know for sure, but you hold back.
"Surprise me, let's see if you have that bartender sixth sense I've heard of?"
"You have never heard that, it's not a thing."
He just waves you off with a smile, "Of course it is now. Mix, shake, or whatever you do."
You take a minute, ignoring all the other patrons trying to get their orders. If you had to make Peter a drink, what would it be? It's definitely an on-the-spot order that is stumping you a little, and the fact that he's staring you down with an adorable smug grin right now is not making it any easier.
Then duh, it clicks.
A swig here, a tip there, and shake then serve, you slide him over a drink that he instantly catches.
"Manhattan, and not for what you're thinking, it's sharp and witty with a hint of sweetness. But only a touch."
Peter says nothing as he eyes the drink before taking a sip. You would never admit to saying you're looking forward to what he has to say, but you're dying to know!
He brings the drink down from his lips, and he gives you a serious stare. "That... was really good. Baking and bartending, now I need to see how you cook."
You scoff, "Me cook for you? No, you will cook for me... It's only fair."
"We might be able to work something out then."
You two get lost in conversation before a gruff voice startlingly interrupts you,
"So is this the friend I heard about?" Greg comes over, eyeing Peter with suspicion. You're quick to introduce the two; you can't help but want to laugh at how, even though Greg is your boss, he comes off as protective as he questions Peter.
During questioning, Greg asks about work, and when Peter says 'photographer,' Greg practically lights up. He slams his hand on the bar, startling everyone, "Do you do commissions?"
Peter turns to you for an answer, but you can only shrug. "Not generally, but I would be willing to."
It was the correct answer.
Naturally, you eventually move away from Peter, leaving him to take care of other customers. You would like nothing more than to just chat and hang out, but you are at work, and he's a friend; he must understand. And though you're busy, you're doing your best to pop over to his spot and chat and laugh before running off again. But when you turn, you see him and MJ sharing a laugh. As she slides a new glass over to him, you feel a slight ache watching them; you must have just missed topping him off…
Oh well... Maybe all three of you will be friends...
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