things are looking up
peter parker x reader
requested by: me, bitch
word count: 1.8k
genre: fluff
warnings: language, awkward rambling, flash thompson, mentions of alcohol, angsty peter for a bit
a/n: and we’re BACK. fitting for me to return with writing something about andrew garfield’s spider-man. when i tell you i was OBSESSED with these films when i was like 12, i mean it. anyways, please enjoy, and take this as a peace offering for disappearing for like two years lol
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After going to a different dimension and meeting two other Peters, he actually had hope restored. He knows it’s not ideal to have your whole life dependent on a significant other, but he just can’t help it. He has so little in this world already that Gwen was truly his everything. So, hearing that Peter and Peter both had MJs? That gave him hope. Because he probably had an MJ too, huh? Well, he better work hard to get her. For the first time in a long time, he wanted to do things again. His friendly neighborhood Spider-Man antics have picked up again, he’s been actually going places, Aunt May has been concerned about him because he’s going out instead of staying in again. It was all getting better. And he’s been going new places every day to see if he could find his MJ and trying his best to see new people as often as he can.
And that is why he decided to get a part-time job at a bar as a bartender. It’s an easy way to meet loads of people, and a good way for him to make some money so he doesn’t get evicted… again. He usually works during the day, but his kind-hearted nature made him agree to switch shifts with a coworker for a Saturday night shift. While, yes, it was a slight inconvenience to his main job, he had to take this shift. So here he was, advanced shock absorption earplugs he designed for his hypersensitive ears in and making drinks and listening to this local punk-pop band. Now, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the sound of this band. And he would also be lying if he said the lead singer was incredibly attractive. And angry. So angry. It was kind of hot.
But he was running around, making drinks, getting tips, being “nice” to everyone and taking the occasional angry and rude customer, when he sees Flash walk in. Now, Peter hasn’t seen Flash since graduation, but he still looked almost exactly the same. Maybe a little bit more hair, but still textbook Flash, and he silently hopes he doesn’t have to make him any drinks. But unfortunately for Peter, mans just doesn’t seem to have any luck. Ever. At all. “Parker?!”
“Oh, hey Flash! Hey, man,” Peter mumbles out, spraying water into a glass for a patron who has had way too much already. “What’re you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you behind a bar of all places,” he says, and Peter shrugs. “Well, when you think about it bartending is kinda like chemistry, so I guess it makes some sense,” he says, grabbing the tip someone left him. “I guess, but I just expected you to be working in a lab or some other nerd shit, I don’t know,” he says, and Peter gives him a tight grin. “Yeah, well, I’m not, so. What will you have Flash?”
“A Long Island Iced Tea, bro.”
It takes literally everything for Peter to not roll his eyes. “Alright, man, coming right up,” he says, and turns to grab all the alcohol required for that damn drink. It’s too many alcohols and all-around disgusting and it gets whoever drinks it sloshed and Peter just really hates this drink, but he begins mixing all of it together. “So, uh, you going to college, or…?” he hears Flash start asking. Of all the times for the band to take a break, they pick right now so he has to speak to him because he can actually hear. To be fair, though, the crowd is pretty low energy and sparse right now, so he doesn’t blame the band. He just blames Flash, to be honest. “Yeah, yeah, I got accepted to Empire State University after we graduated and I’m currently going but it’s summer, so currently on break,” he answers and Flash nods. “Yeah, yeah… I actually go to ESU too, now, you know?” he says and Peter glances at him. “Really?”
“Yeah, I kinda hated Dakota State, so I transferred here,” he responds, and Peter gives a tight-lipped smile and nods, finishing up his drink and handing it to him. “There you go, man,” he tells him. “Thanks, Parker, maybe I’ll see you around this year?”
“Yeah, maybe you will,” he says, and watches as he downs the drink. Like, way too fast. He slides his card over to him, and clarifies that he wants to open a tab, so Peter tapes it to the wall next to the cash register and goes on to serve some more people. After about 10 minutes he hears the band start playing again, and he makes another Long Island for Flash. About 20 minutes into the band playing again, he sees the glass is empty. And now Flash is… visibly fucked up. He’s talking to a bunch of girls and trying so hard to look cool, this man is still… really stuck in high school ways it seems. Of course, he isn’t as much of a bully for no reason, but he still thinks he’s hot shit. And while Peter can accept the fact that, yes, Flash is attractive, he still can’t believe he’s so full of himself. But who is Peter to think that? At least Flash is able to ask people out. For now he’s just going to do his job, and listen to the music. And that’s a pretty solid plan until a significant amount of time goes by (in which he kept making drinks for Flash) to the point where the band is now done with their set. Now, he has to listen to Flash’s obnoxiously loud voice.
Flash stumbles back over to the bar and Peter sighs. “Give me a shot, Parker,” he slurs out and Peter shakes his head no. “You’re far too fucked up, Flash. Not gonna do that,” Peter says, and begins cashing him out. He ignores the protests from Flash and hands his card and the receipt he needs to sign back to him. “Come on, man, just one more?”
“No, Eugene. Sign. You didn’t drive here, did you?”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“Yes, I am now please sign and-”
“Here you go bud,” Peter hears a voice he doesn’t recognize and turns his head in the direction of the voice. He recognizes it as the lead singer of the band who played tonight, and he watches as you hand a shot glass to Flash. “On me,” you say, and Flash smirks at them before taking the shot. “Great, now why don’t you head home?” Peter says, and Flash begins to say something, but he gets cut off by you. “I think that’s a good idea, too, actually. Besides, it’s around 3am anyways, you don’t wanna be here while we’re packing up all our stuff and it’s basically dead anyways. Look, over half of the crowd is leaving, probably heading to a different bar,” you say, pointing to the big group of patrons who are exiting the bar. Flash huffs but gets up and starts following the people out of the bar. Peter watches and chuckles, looking down, before looking back up at you. “Thanks. For that,” he says, and you give him a small smile. “Of course. I bartend too, so I know how annoying that can be.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. And don’t worry. That shot I gave him? Water.”
Peter laughs again and points at you. “You, are a genius,” he says and you feign flipping your hair over your shoulder. “What can I say? Beauty and brains,” you joke, and he smiles. You got that right for sure. Peter has seen your band come to the bar a lot, but he was usually never there to listen to y’all. But he always notices you. And he liked your humor, he felt like he could talk to you for hours. So, time to ask the question that could either make him very upset or very optimistic. “So, uh… I’ve noticed your band is a regular here, but I have no idea who you are personally.”
“That’s because you always leave your shift before we play.”
“So you’ve noticed that, huh?”
“Oh, I definitely have...?”
“Peter. Peter Parker.”
“Well, Peter Parker. It’s nice to meet you. I’m-”
“MJ! We need to start loading this stuff up!” You get cut off by a band member and you turn your head to yell something back. But Peter can’t hear what you’re saying.
He called you MJ.
You turn your head back to him and give an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’m gonna have to go in a second, but yeah. My real name is (Y/n) but people call me MJ. It’s sort of like my stage name that turned into my nickname that’s used more than my name name now… it actually stands for Mara Jade… who is uh-”
“Luke Skywalker’s wife,” he answers, and you look at him a little surprised before smiling. “Yeah… yeah, it’s a little nerdy but…” you trail off and he shakes his head. “Nah, nah I like it. Good character,” he says, and you can feel your face flush. You just hope it’s too dark in here for him to notice. “Yeah, well um… we’re playing tomorrow night, too. I don’t know if you work but I’d love to talk a little bit more?” you ask, and he nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. I’ll be here,” he says, and you smile. “Great! I mean… um… cool. Cool…”
“MJ!” You roll your eyes and give him a lopsided grin. “Duty calls,” you say, sliding off the barstool you were perched on. He nods. “I gotta start cleaning up the bar anyways… so.”
“Yeah… tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
You give him a small smile and an awkward thumbs up before running off to help your bandmates load all of your stuff into their van. Peter turns and starts cleaning up the bar and taking more orders. His head is swimming, did he really just meet his MJ? I mean, yeah, sure, your real name doesn’t actually make the initials M and J but people still call you MJ, so that counts right? He’s so lost in his thoughts, that his spidey sense doesn’t alert him that someone is lingering by the bar for a moment before rushing out. After lamenting for a little while longer, he turns around, and he sees what looks like a receipt. He goes over to grab it when he notices something written on the very bottom.
‘Don’t know whose receipt this is, but my number is (xxx) xxx-xxx. Just in case something would prevent you from coming tomorrow. - MJ :)’
He smiles and tucks it in his pocket. “MJ,” he says with a grin on his face, wiping down the counter. Maybe his luck was changing after all.
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