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The redheaded stranger next door chapter 2

This is unedited I’m just throwing it into the void I’ll probably come back and make changes later 🤷‍♀️

Across the city, Peter hurried towards the sound of the sirens , webbing up his camera and setting the timer to snag a swinging shot habitually, not even having to look at his camera as he assessed the situation unfolding below him.

Back in Queens, Mj was clicking through the photos he had just taken, wishing she could use him for all her future modeling gigs. He really had a way of capturing his model perfectly. Each photo he had taken was perfectly framed and lit, and flattering too, Not one single blooper. She scrolled through the frames, mentally picking out 3 or 4 photos for each outfit to use in the listing to sell them.

She made it to the first look they shot, the red dress Peter seemed to like so much. She wasn't usually a vain woman, Despite her career. instead she was quick to find all her flaws and even she had to admit the photos made the dress look perfect for her. She lingered on it for a moment , the light from behind her created a neat looking lense flare. She chewed at her lip as she thought about the way he had been looking at her before he took that photo.

His fingers had gently grasped her shoulders to position her, sending shockwaves through her entire body. She had blushed and tried to slow her racing heart by habitually fiddling with her hair and tucking it back when he took the photo. She could see the flush in her cheeks clearly on the screen of his laptop. Embarrassed, she tried to click back to the photos she had posed properly for, accidentally clicking forward and landing on a photo of Spider-Man swinging in to stop some villain dressed like a rhino, she clicked once more, feeling curious and she stumbled upon a picture of a younger peter and a beautiful blonde in a clearly romantic embrace.

“Oh shit” she muttered and clicked back the first photo of herself, not wanting to snoop on her new neighbor and ruin their budding friendship. That was clearly all it was, she tried not to feel a disappointed. He looked incredibly happy in the photo ,so she recalibrated and decided to look at him through the lens of friendship, only.

He wasn’t like the usual guys she had spent time with in the past, having dated mostly jocks and douchey theater guys, and most of her model friends that were guys were either gay or worse than the theatre guys, with a few rare exceptions. There was something about the awkward nerd next door that drew her in. Maybe it was how he constantly made her laugh, his sense of humor was sarcastic and wicked, catching her off guard and making her giggle. Though he often stammered when he got excited or nervous, he never seemed to hesitate to speak his mind . Whether that was his convictions or his lack of impulse control she wasn’t sure. He was so smart it intimidated her a little, but she loved the way he patiently explained things to her, never making her feel stupid for not knowing, and just glad she asked him. He was a good friend to have, so she wasn’t going to mess it up by hoping for more.

MJ was busying herself with little tasks around her apartment while she waited for Peter to get back with their food. She had gone through her mail pile and was watering her plants when she heard the front door to her apartment swing open. “Hey-sorry it took so long-” he panted out, setting the bag of food on the kitchen counter and pausing to suck in a deep breath. “Are you okay?” she asked with a concerned expression on her face as she took in the sweat dripping from his brow. She moved to join him in the kitchen “The train was down-” he started again with a sheepish smile. “So you ran the whole way here?” she joked and opened the paper bag holding their food and started to pull out their order and set it on the table.

He chuckled sheepishly and nodded. “The line was super long picking up food, I felt bad making you wait so long, so when the train was down I rented one of those scooters. I used to skateboard so I thought it would be easy, did you know how much work they are? I thought it was gonna just cruise along but it was exhausting.” he was rambling, trying to cover his tracks and she simply shrugged. “You’re bleeding a little, did you eat some concrete?” she asked him and handed him a napkin from the bag. “Shit- am I? I hit the curb and wiped out pretty hard.” he lied, heart racing. “You must not have been very good at skateboarding then?” she teased and popped open the lid on her tray, and grabbed a fork. He laughed and nodded sheepishly.

“Well I hope you worked up an appetite, because they accidentally tripled our wontons.” she tossed him one of the three containers and laughed as he nearly fumbled it. They turned on a ghost hunting show she loved and enjoyed their food in comfortable silence, before getting back to the shoot. She had 5 more outfits left and because of her experiences on set and the few runway events she had done, she was a master at the quick change.

While Peter was getting his camera set back up Mj moved to her closet and slipped into a blue velvet miniskirt and a sheer top with a bralette underneath. When she came back into the living room, Peter had been taking a sip of his beer and nearly choked on it, dribbling a bit down his chin. He cleared his throat and wiped his chin, offering her an apologetic smile. “Wow MJ…You look amazing” he said hoarsely, taking another sip to soothe his throat and shut him up .

She smiled and raked her fingers through her hair “thanks a million Pete, you ready to get back to it?” She asked as she stepped back into the well lit corner he had previously posed her in. They cruised through the last looks easily, and the redhead marveled at how quickly he had learned how to capture her better than any photographer she had previously worked with.

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A week later Peter catches her in the hallway after a photoshoot, they made small talk for a moment, discussing the website he planned to list her outfits on before her stomach gurgling interrupted. He had chuckled and invited her in, claiming he had just warmed up a bunch of lasagna his aunt had sent him home with. Having never seen his place, and being starving after a long day on set with a pathetic excuse for a craft table, MJ readily accepted the offer of a home cooked meal. He swung open the door to his studio, “Ladies first.” he insisted and she rolled her eyes but walked ahead of him, taking in the small space quickly.

His bed sat in the far corner near a desk with an impressive computer setup. A ratty futon was in front of the television and a coffee table stood between them, covered in mail. “Sorry about the mess, I don't get a lot of guests.” he told her with a laugh as he led the way to the kitchen, where he turned his focus to the oven. She smiled and followed him, moving to sit on the counter top. She was busy taking in the small space when she noticed a spiderman magnet on his fridge. Among the chinese and indian restaurants takeout menus she spotted a polaroid of him and the same blonde she had seen in the photo on his laptop.

“Wow, Peter. Your girlfriend is gorgeous.” she couldn't stop herself from saying. It was true the blonde was stunning with bright green eyes and a beautiful smile. He glanced up at her curiously , brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. He followed her line of sight to the fridge, his breath catching in his throat. She noticed his hesitation and pursed her lips, wondering if she had said something wrong.

“Oh…that’s Gwen.” he started slowly, clearly choosing his words carefully. “We met in highschool…You’re right, she’s gorgeous and smart and funny too.” he told her with a wry smile, getting lost in thought for a moment. The redhead nodded “She sounds great, does she live in the city still? I don't have many friends here and I would love to meet her.” she offered with a friendly smile. Peter's smile fell and he shook his head. “I wish you could, I think she would really like you… She passed away after graduation. Spiderman tried to save her-but he couldn’t get there in time. “ Peter got choked up and had to stop.

In an instant Mj jumped off the counter and wrapped him in her arms delicately. “Oh Peter, I had no idea,I’m so sorry” she said softly, rubbing her palm over his back comfortingly. He had been holding back his emotions before but he seemed to fall apart at her touch. He hugged her back tightly and sniffled into her shoulder until the timer on his oven beeped. They broke apart and he chuckled sheepishly, wiping at his eyes. “Sorry about trauma dumping on you.” he joked as he put on oven mitts and pulled the dish from the oven. “Don’t worry about it, someday I’ll return the favor and tell you about my sister, I lost her last year.” she offered with an understanding smile.

“How do you honor her, your sister I mean?” he asked as he loaded two plates with lasagna and grabbed two forks. “On her birthday I like to light one of those paper lanterns. I also like to watch our favorite shows. She loved Criminal Minds so I usually watch a few episodes, and eat our favorite junk food. “ She told him with a sad smile. “I think I would like to do something like that for Gwen,'' he said softly. “I have a few of those lanterns left over, from the last time my aunt and I celebrated her birthday…If you wanted one. No pressure. I know everyone grieves in their own way.” She offered and he nodded gratefully.

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MJ was exhausted but she couldn’t sleep, so she clambered out onto the fire escape. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and sat on the cold metal, leaning back against the brick of the building and looking out at the city. Her night at the diner had been miserable, they were understaffed so it was just her and the cook and the busboy in the back for half of it. One of her regulars had been inappropriate and the cook had to kick him out, making her feel on edge the rest of the shift. The redhead pulled a small metal case from her pocket and popped it open, pulling a tightly rolled joint from it before closing the case and stowing it again.

She held it between her teeth and was looking for her lighter when she heard a thud, like someone had jumped on the roof of the building. She located the lighter and glanced upward hopefully, secretly wishing it was Spiderman who was using their building as a brief refuge from the city and not another potential thief or neighbor throwing a party “Hello?” she called out curiously, pulling the unlit joint from her lips as she moved to grab onto and lean over the railing slightly to peer upward and investigate the sound. She heard a creak from the metal ladder below her, jumping back slightly as she saw a familiar silhouette climbing up towards her. “Peter? Is that you?”

“Hiya” he offered sheepishly as he joined her on their fire escape. “Why are you coming in this way? Did you lose your keys?” she teased playfully, bringing the joint back up to her lips. “I got mugged actually” he stammered as MJ flicked the lighter to light her joint, she finally saw his face, crooked nose , bruises and cuts illuminated by the flickering flame. “Holy shit, Pete. We should get you to a hospital “she gasped, tucking the joint behind her ear and moving to stand closer and examine him. He shook his head “No hospitals, please?” he begged and she sighed heavily “Fine, follow me, I’ll get you fixed up.” she told him in an authoritative tone he hadn’t heard from her yet, so he obeyed.

She climbed back in through the window, and busied herself with gathering her first aid kit. “Easy tiger” she called out as Peter tumbled in through the window gracelessly, though she noticed he was careful enough not to break anything. She glanced over at him as he made it to the couch, worry etched into her features as she saw blood starting to stain his shirt sleeve. “It’s really not that bad, I swear.” he told her, but she could tell from the way he was clenching his teeth that he was lying. “Take your shirt off.” she directed him in a no nonsense tone as she joined him on the couch with a large box full of medical supplies.

“That’s quite a kit.” he observed as he shucked his teeshirt and dropped it to the floor. She let out another sigh as she took in the damage. His nose was clearly broken and he bore bruises along his ribs and jaw. His lip was busted and there was a wound on his arm that was going to need a few stitches. She shrugged “My aunt is a nurse at Forest Hills, she insisted I be prepared for anything so I know how to set some bones, stitch up smaller wounds, stuff ike that. This might sting a bit” she told him as she pulled what she needed from her kit and began cleaning his wounds before getting to the tougher parts. “My aunt works there too, maybe they know each other.” he offered casually, as if he wasn’t battered and bleeding on her couch.

“Maybe. You should grab onto something I need to set your nose.” she said softly and he let out a grunt , tightening his grip on the arm of her couch but he didn’t complain as she did. “You’re a good patient.” She told him as she pulled out the medical thread and needle. “This part is going to suck.” she informed him and he scoffed. “Because the rest was just sunshine and daisies.”he joked and she cracked the first smile of the night. “It’s not too deep, I'll be as quick as I can. Just stay really still.” she warned as she threaded the needle, tongue poking out from between her teeth as she got to work stitching him up. He hissed and muttered a quiet ‘fuck’ but sat perfectly still as she tended to his wounds.

“Thank you, for this.” he told her when she had finished stitching and wrapping his wounds. She offered him a soft smile. “Don’t thank me yet, it hasn’t healed. But I’m sure you would do the same for me, If I was too stupid and stubborn to go to a hospital.” she teased. “You can crash on my couch, if you don’t want to stay at your place until you can get the locks changed.” she offered and he looked confused for a moment before nodding and accepting her offer.

“So how was your day? Better than mine I hope but I did catch you sneaking a smoke break which I don’t think I’ve noticed you do before, so it probably wasn’t great, right? ” he asked curiously as they sat on her couch eating warmed up chicken nuggets she had found in her freezer when fishing out an ice pack for him. “Eh, pretty shitty but not quite as bad as yours.” she conceded with a smile. “We have been understaffed lately so it was just the kitchen staff in the back, and me out front. I had a regular who is usually nice and tips well, come in drunk off his ass. He didn’t touch me but he was saying some gross shit so the cook had to kick him out. Just made me feel a little nervous all night.“ she confided, pulling the joint from behind her ear. “Thus, the need for herbal remedies.

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The first time Peter came to visit Mj at work it was 12am and he looked like he had just run a marathon, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. He wore jeans and a star wars teeshirt, carried a backpack over his shoulder and his camera was hanging from his neck. He spotted her pouring coffee to one of their patrons and waved eagerly. She smiled and handed them a menu before meeting him at the counter.

“Hiya Pete, been out shooting the friendly neighborhood spiderman?” she teased, motioning to his camera before grabbing him a cup and pouring coffee into it without asking, she could tell he was tired. She slid it over to him and he grabbed it, sipping gratefully. He nodded before swallowing. “Some super villain almost broke my camera, luckily it was just my lense. It’ll be a pain to replace but way less pricey.”

He held up the camera and removed the cracked lense. “But I got the shot first, wanna see?” he asked, powering the camera on and turning to show her the display. She tried not to look too excited as she nodded. It was a great photo, from this angle you could see Spiderman holding on to the side of a building, looking over his shoulder as a man in a trench coat with robotic arms was reaching for the camera.

“Wow, that is going to get you the front page for sure!’ Mary Jane told him as he flipped through a few more photos he had taken, including an action shot of spiderman kicking the villain in the chest and sending him flying into a parked car. She admired the photos for as long as she could before another customer needed her attention. “Stay as long as you want, coffee is on me. Let me know if you want anything to eat.” she told him before hurrying off.

He ended up ordering breakfast, and staying until 2 am when her shift ended, offering to walk her home. “I’m a big girl, I can handle myself. Plus I have spiderman on the rooftops looking out for me, but thank you” she told him with a teasing smile “Well, I’m no superhero but at least they would take my wallet and not yours.” he insisted, and she agreed, smiling as he grasped her shoulders and gently guided her out the door and back towards their shared apartment building.

When they made it to the building, he held the door open for her. She smiled and thanked him, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder as they started the climb up the two flights of stairs to their floor. When they reached their doorways she unlocked her door before turning on her heel to face him. He tried to hide his surprise at how close she was standing by fumbling with his keys. “Thanks again, for walking me home.” she said softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek before pushing her door open and darting inside.

From then on, she saw him there at least twice a week, it became their routine to spend the end of her late shifts together, though he often had to pop out for a work call or to take photos. She mentioned being worried she was keeping him up too late, or stopping him from editing so he started bringing his tablet so he could work the counter to ease her guilt. She gave him the wifi password with a smile, making sure to stop by to check on his editing progress between checking on her tables and refilling their drinks.

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After weeks of his visits to the diner, the redhead was finally convinced her crush on her nerdy neighbor was mutual. No man would stay up so late so often and waste so much time and money at a diner known for their mediocre coffee and kinda good hash browns. She enjoyed his company, but wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was due to her incredible service.

She only worked two late night shifts a week and she knew he would show up, she just never knew when, or for how long. He was reliable in his own way, but he had a job that didn’t really keep usual hours so it was easy to excuse. It was half an hour until closing when the bell above the door jingled, alerting her to a new customer. She glanced up as she refilled a regular’s coffee cup, smiling when she realized who it was. “‘Morning tiger, long day?” She teased as she poured him the usual cup of black coffee and slid it over to him.

He nodded and took a moment to savor the coffee before answering her “Work was wild today, some bird guy calling himself the vulture! It was super intense, wanna see the shot?” She nodded eagerly, enjoying the way he was always so excited to share his work with her. She wondered if his family or other friends were as encouraging of his documentation of Spider-Man.

The diner was nearly empty, so she gave him her full attention for a moment. He pulled out his camera and held up the display so she could see while he swiped through his most recent photos of the web slinging superhero at work. “These are incredible, peter.” she told him seriously “You are really talented” she added with a smile, before taking the coffee to refill the cup of the only other patron. When she glanced back at him he was wearing a big dopey grin.

10 minutes later she returned with a rag, wiping down tables and beginning the process of closing up that Peter had become familiar with. He finished his coffee and hopped down from the barstool to take it to the back and wash it in the sink, not wanting to make any more work for the dishwasher or busboy. She watched him with a smile, appreciating how he took initiative to help instead of waiting to be asked. She wasn’t very good at asking for help so it was appreciated, maybe more than he realized.

When he returned from the kitchen, the other customer had paid and left, leaving them alone in the front of the diner while the chef closed up the kitchen. She finished wiping down the counter, tossing the rag into the sink and plopping down on the barstool next to him, clearly exhausted. “Ready to head home?” he asked as he finished packing up, placing his camera into his bag for the short walk home. She nodded and leaned over the counter to grab her bag from behind it. “Hey Sal , I’m heading out, I’ll see you later.” she called towards the kitchen, earning her a grunt and wave from the cook in the back.

They took their time on the trek homeward, it was only a few blocks but they enjoyed catching up on their day during the walk so they strolled leisurely. “So Peter…” Mj began and Peter smiled at her cheekily “So MJ.” He countered teasingly, making her laugh. “I had an idea, and it's totally no big deal if you say no.” she started hesitantly “ well I can’t say yes if you don’t tell me what it is .” He teased, making her smile and gain some confidence. “I have two tickets to see this show at the forest hill stadium at the end of the week. I was supposed to go with my sister, we bought them ages ago. it’s been rescheduled twice, I was thinking about just not going, but…I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me?” she spoke quickly, her eyes meeting his briefly before darting to the concrete below her feet.

“ That cool outdoor venue? “ He asked, shifting his backpack to one shoulder to dig out his keys as they made it to their apartment building. “That sounds fun, I’m down.” he said, offering her a charming smile. “Can I pay you for my ticket, or at least buy our dinner before the show?” He asked as they made their way up the stairs. They made plans to eat together at one of Peter's favorite restaurants before the concert, and she forwarded him the email with the tickets. They lingered in between their doorways as the small talk died off, Peters light brown eyes searched her face for a moment, taking in the freckles and lingering on her full lips before darting up to meet her eyes. She thought for sure he was going to kiss her, when he reached for her but he awkwardly ruffled her hair instead, blurted out “have a good night “ and ducked into his apartment abruptly, leaving MJ standing baffled on her front door mat with a look of pure confusion on her face.

#andrew peter parker #peter parker x mj #TASM Spider-Man fanfic #I just love his version of Peter Parker so muchh #there is sap and I’m sorry about it #the way Peter still gets choked up talking about gwen got me and I’m sorry please forgive me #Peter Parker x mary Jane Watson #!

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