(Poly 141 x neighbour!reader: the way to a manâs heart is through his stomach! (Or in your case, the way to four menâs heart is through their stomach))
It started with cookies.
Youâd been in the middle of baking a double batch- oatmeal chocolate chip, your personal favorite- and realized halfway through scooping them onto the tray that youâd made far too many for one person. It wasnât unusual. Baking was how you coped with stress, and ever since youâd moved into this apartment building, stress had been in no short supply.
The guy in 3A had blared music all night. Your hot water barely lasted five minutes. And your smoke detector had developed a habit of chirping at odd hours.
But there was one bright spot- your neighbors in 3C.
Youâd seen them coming and going. Tall, broad, and always carrying duffel bags that looked far too heavy to be legal. They kept odd hours, too, but never caused trouble. One of them- Johnny, youâd learned later- had even held the door open for you when your arms were full of groceries.
Which was why youâd stood outside their door that evening, balancing a plate of cookies and feeling like an idiot as you knocked.
Not-Johnny had answered first, blinking down at you in surprise, though his smile was warm and he was beautiful. You couldnât blame him; you had barely spoken to them more than a few short words.
âUh⌠hi?â
âHi.â You forced a smile. âIâm your neighbor from 3B. I, uh⌠made too many cookies?â
His eyes dropped to the plate immediately, and you swore you saw something primal flicker behind them. Still, you worried.
âI mean, if you donât want-â
âNo! No, we want. Come in- Johnny! Get over here!â
And that was how it started.
The second time had been lasagna.
Youâd just finished assembling it when you realized- again- that youâd made too much. So, after psyching yourself up for ten minutes, youâd knocked on their door for the second time in as many weeks.
Price, who had introduced himself along wuth Simon the day you dropped off the cookies, had answered that time, his expression guarded until he saw the foil-covered pan in your hands.
âYouâre joking,â heâd said, but when you started to retreat, heâd stopped you with a firm, but gentle hand on your back. He had such a nice, big hand. âDonât be ridiculous, lovie. Get in here.â
That night, youâd sat at their table, sharing stories and laughter while they cleaned the dish down to the last crumb.
After that, it became routine.
You started âtesting recipes,â and they became your eager guinea pigs.
And they never seemed to mind.
And nowâŚ
The smell hit first- roasted garlic, browned butter, and something rich simmering low and slow. It snuck out from the slightly cracked kitchen window and spilled into the shared hallway of the apartment building. For men used to MREs and takeout, it was practically siren song.
Gaz was the first to notice, lingering just outside the door labeled 3B- your door- with an almost predatory focus. He wasnât proud of it, but his stomach growled so loud that Soap- rounding the corner with a gym bag slung over his shoulder- laughed outright.
âYou stalking the neighbor again?â
âShut up. You smell that?â
Soap inhaled deeply. His eyes fluttered shut for a beat before snapping open.
âJesus wept- what is that?!â
âI donât know, but Iâm this close to knocking.â Kyle held up his fingers, barely an inch apart.
âShe already fed us last week, mate. Dinna push it.â
âBut what if sheâs testing another recipe?â
Gaz wasnât wrong. You had a habit of showing up at their door with dishes too good to refuse.
They hadnât stood a chance.
After the cookies and the lasagna, it wasnât long before other dishes followed: casseroles, soups, pies, and even homemade bread. And the worst part? You bow always prefaced it by saying you needed an opinion- like they were doing you the favor.
It wasnât until Price called you a âbloody saintâ over a pan of enchiladas that Ghost finally put it together.
âYouâre using us as taste testers.â Heâd said flatly.
Youâd grinned- too cute and too smug for your own good. âIs that a problem?â
Not a single one of them had said no, just as stated before.
Which led them here, hovering outside your door and pretending they werenât waiting for another offering.
â⌠Fine.â Soap muttered, raising his hand to knock.
But the door swung open before he could, and there you were- apron on, hair pulled back, and flour dusted across your cheek.
âHi!â You chirped, eyes bright. âPerfect timing!â
Gazâs grin was pure relief. âTell me you need opinions. Please, love.â
You laughed, stepping aside to let them in. âI always need opinions. Come in!â
Inside, the kitchen was chaos. Cutting boards and mixing bowls were scattered across the counters. A Dutch oven bubbled on the stove, releasing clouds of savory steam. Plates of food- half-assembled sandwiches, stuffed peppers, and what looked like chocolate tarts- sat waiting.
âI⌠mightâve gone overboard.â You admitted, and if you hadnât spent all day in the kitchen, your cheeks wouldâve gone warmer.
Soap whistled low, eyes raking over every dish. âNot complaininâ.â
Price arrived just then, texted by Kyle, trailed closely by Simon, who took one look at the spread and froze. His eyes swept from the roasted chicken resting under a blanket of fresh herbs to the still-warm biscuits stacked beside a bowl of honey butter.
âWhatâs the occasion?â John asked, smile amused, but you just waved him off.
âPracticing.â
Gaz was already halfway to the table, trying to decide what to start with, but Simon lingered, watching you carefully. He had his balaclava on, though you havenât yet dared to ask why he wears it.
âPracticing for what, exactly?â
You hesitated, fiddling with the edge of your apron. âThereâs this⌠thing next week. A community bake-off. And I thought it might be fun to enter.â
Soap arched a brow. âYouâre entering this in a bake-off?â
âWell, not all of it. Iâm still deciding which dishes to use.â
âYouâre winning.â Kyle said immediately, filling his plate.
âDefinitely.â Johnny added, already reaching for a sandwich.
Simon, still lingering, crossed his arms and stared down at you. His height will never, ever not make your breath hitch. âYouâre testing all of this on us?â
You looked up at him through your lashes, pouting just a little. âYou donât mind, do you, Simon?â
His gaze darkened- not in anger, but something softer, heavier. It made your stomach flip.
âNo,â he said simply. âWe donât mind.â
You swallowed and turned quickly to the oven to hide the heat rushing to your cheeks.
The next hour passed in a blur of taste testing, arguments over which dish was best, and repeated assurances that you were going to âblow the competition out of the water.â But beneath the laughter and teasing, you failed to catch the way they looked at you- how Price lingered by the stove just to steal extra bites, or how Johnny kept offering to help, hovering close enough that you brushed elbows more than once.
And Simon? He was the worst of all. He didnât say much, but his eyes tracked your every move, following the way your hands worked the dough or wiped flour off the counter. He was the last to leave, hanging back as the others helped clear plates.
âYouâre serious about this bake-off?â he asked quietly.
You nodded. âThought it might be fun.â
âYou donât need it.â
â⌠What?â
He gestured at the now-empty plates. âTo prove anything, I mean. Youâre alreadyâŚâ He trailed off for a few seconds, and though you were left blinking at him, you didnât rush him. âGood enough.â he murmured at last.
The compliment hit harder than you expected, and for once, you didnât have a clever response.
âThank you, Simon. That⌠means a lot to me.â you said softly.
And just like that, the others reappeared, breaking the moment. Johnny patted Simonâs shoulder with a knowing smirk, and Kyle slung an arm around your shoulders, while Price merely watched. Your kitchen was now spotless, cleaned by them.
âWhenâs the next test run?â Gaz asked.
âI donât know yet.â
âWell, let us know. Weâre free anytime.â
âYeah,â Soap added. âAnytime.â
You laughed but this time, you didnât miss the way Price was looking at you- thoughtful, like heâd already made up his mind about something.
The door clicked shut behind them after that, leaving your apartment quieter but no less warm. The scent of roasted garlic and herbs still lingered, and you found yourself smiling as you surveyed the spotless kitchen. Theyâd made quick work of the mess, trading jokes and lighthearted jabs as they wiped down counters and stacked dishes in quite the uniform style.
You didnât know what youâd done to deserve neighbors like them, but you werenât about to question it.
You caught yourself humming as you tucked away the last plate, the sound of their laughter still echoing faintly in your ears. It was easy with them- comfortable in a way that felt rare and almost too good to be true.
And maybe it was.
Because what you didnât know- what you would probably never know, such a sweet and trusting thing- was that your apartment had been wired within days of your first visit to their door.
To them, it had started with a conversation.
âSheâs alone,â Price had said after the second time youâd brought them food, leaning back in his chair with a contemplative frown. âNo sign of anyone else coming or going.â
âSecurityâs shite.â Gaz had added, gesturing vaguely toward the shared hallway where your lock barely functioned half the time.
Soap had shrugged, easygoing as ever, but his eyes had been sharp. âBetter us keep an eye on her than let some arsehole get the chance.â
And that was that.
Price had ordered the equipment, Ghost had handled the installation, and none of them had lost sleep over it. Not when it meant keeping you safe.
It wasnât just the cameras, either.
Simon had reinforced your locks under the guise of âfixingâ them after you mentioned a struggle with your key. Johnny had talked you into letting him check your windows âjust to be sure they latched properly.â Gaz had set up an app on your phone to âmonitor deliveries,â though it also let them track your location if needed.
And Price? He always lingered at the door just long enough to ask if you needed anything else- subtle, but enough to make sure you knew they were there.
You never questioned it. Never noticed the way they moved like a unit around you, anticipating problems before they could arise. Never caught the glances they exchanged when you mentioned a repairman or the way Simon hovered near the window any time a car idled too long outside.
You just kept feeding them, trusting them in ways that only made their resolve deepen.
Price was the worst.
Heâd leaned against the counter tonight, watching you laugh at Johnnyâs jokes and swat at Kyle when he tried to sneak extra bites, and the thought had hit him harder than he expected, while Simon watched on in amusement and was the only to successfully swipe a few more bites.
They couldâve had this already.
If life had gone differently- if timing had been better- you couldâve been his. Theirs. Someone to come home to instead of just someone they visited between deployments.
He hadnât said anything, of course. None of them had.
But as they left, heâd lingered in the doorway, letting his hand rest lightly against the frame.
âDonât let âem eat it all before the bake-off,â heâd teased, lips curling into a smile. âTheyâll start begging if you do.â
Youâd laughed, and God, it was dangerous how much he liked the sound.
âIâll make sure to keep them in line.â
His smile softened. âGood girl.â
You didnât notice the way Simon shot him a sharp look at that- or the way Johnny and Kyle exchanged knowing grins.
And later, when Price sat down in front of the monitors to check the feeds, he didnât let himself feel guilty.
Because you were safe.
And as far as they were concerned, that was all that mattered.










