Ch 115 something Sinister this way comes

"Help me get him on the couch," MJ said as I slumped against her lean frame. The blood loss was making my head spin, and spots swam before my eyes as Ned rushed us inside of the apartment.

"I've got towels and the sewing stuff you asked for on the coffee table," Ned replied, scooping his arm around my waist for support.

"Ah, careful!" I screeched, wincing from all the jostling about.

"Easy there," Ned murmured, as if that would suddenly stop the raging pain tearing across my shoulders.

With a great deal of moaning and whimpering, Ned and MJ lowered me onto the couch, face-down. I sank into the plush blue cushions, releasing a shaky breath.

"Now," said Ned, "could someone please explain what happened here?"

"D-Doctor… Octopus…" I stammered. There was a pause.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a little more info than that, buddy."

"This psycho dude in a weird metal suit attacked him," MJ answered. Ned nodded.

"Makes sense," he replied.

"I need scissors, Ned," MJ said as she dabbed some of the blood from my shoulders. Ned scurried off to the kitchen while MJ knelt beside of me.

"Where's your aunt?" she asked.

"Out… out of town," I wheezed. "Her cousin's sick."

"What about Tony Stark? The Avengers?"

I nearly jolted upright on the couch, but the pain stopped me before I could even lift myself an inch.

"How," I said before breaking into a fit of coughing. "How did you know I was -"

"I'm not an idiot, Peter," MJ interjected. "Obviously Spider-Man's in cahoots with the Avengers." I grimaced.

"We can't call Mr. Stark," I responded. "He would flip… and… and I don't want him to worry."

"You could have died!" exclaimed MJ. I turned my face across the cushions to see her glowering at me with a look that straddled the line between concern and irritation.

"But I didn't?" I offered her a weak smile, but MJ was having none of it. Her face transformed into a scowl.

"I can't believe I kissed a moron like you," she muttered.

"You did WHAT?"

My mouth went dry as I glanced between Ned, who nearly dropped the scissors onto the hardwood floor, and MJ, who looked away in embarrassment. A long stretch of silence ensued.

"Can someone please fix the gaping wounds on my shoulders?" I asked in a meek tone.

It took well over an hour for MJ and Ned to mend the expansive wounds lashed across my shoulders and abdomen, and the night was fading into the early morning hours by the time they were finished.

"Thanks guys," I said, propping myself into a sitting position on the couch. "I really owe you one." MJ stayed on the floor beside of me while Ned balanced himself atop the nearby coffee table.

"Pro-tip," said Ned, "Don't go after anymore creepy octopus guys on your own."

"What was I supposed to do?" I challenged. "I couldn't just run away!"

"Oh yes you could have," MJ argued, her eyes flashing.

"He could have hurt someone else!" I said.

"I think he made it pretty clear he was after you, dude," Ned pointed out.

"You can't fight him again with backup, ok?" MJ added, her voice softening as her eyes widened. My stomach did a somersault as I thought of the tears in her eyes after she'd found me.

"I… I don't know what else to do," I murmured, clasping my hands together and chewing on my lower lip. "I can't just go running to Mr. Stark every time some New York maniac comes around."

"You won't be running to anyone if you're dead, Pete," Ned said.

"You need help," MJ agreed. Ned gasped, framing his cheeks with his hands.

"Like a sidekick!"

MJ snorted.

"If anything, he would be the sidekick."

"Hey!" I protested. MJ waved her hand in dismissal.

"Point being," she continued. "We need to get more info about this guy before you go after him."

"It's sleuthin' time!" Ned proclaimed, pumping his fists into the air. I blinked. MJ stared.

"Do me a solid and don't ever say that again," I said.

"My mistake."

Within minutes, the three of us had our laptops in hand, gathered in a semi-circle around the living room.

"Doc...tor… Octo...pus…" Ned narrated to himself as he typed into the search bar.

"Don't click on the first link," MJ warned with a shudder. "I'm never gonna unsee that."

"Man, people are into some weird stuff," I remarked, shaking my head as I scrolled through the entries and articles.

"I'll try 'Doctor Octopus New York'," said Ned.

"I can't find any sort of news article," MJ grumbled. "Nothing about a dude in a mechanized suit roaming the streets of New York City."

"Same here," I said.

"The only news articles I'm getting are about this scientist guy… Otto Octavius…" My ears perked, and I strained to peer over Ned's shoulder.

"It says he died in a radiation accident," I replied with a hefty sigh. "And I know I wasn't being attacked by a dead guy."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, taking in a deep breath in a futile effort to ease some of the pain.

"Hey," MJ jumped in, taking notice of my weary, glazed expression. "We can try again tomorrow. You need some rest."

"I doubt I'm gonna get any sleep for the next week," I said, running a hand through my damp, sweaty hair. Ned and MJ exchanged a brief look before sharing a nod.

"We'll stay the night with you," said Ned.

"Could you get us some blankets and pillows?" MJ asked, giving Ned a pointed look. His gaze darted back and forth between the two of us, as if trying to glean more information from our eyes.

"Yeah, sure," he relented with a shrug.

When Ned had disappeared down the hall, MJ moved to the cushion beside of me on the couch. We sat in a companionable silence for a few moments. At last, I broke the silence.

"We should probably talk about what happened -"

"Peter, it's late," MJ interrupted, shifting in her seat. "We don't have to talk about this right now." I bit my lip, looking down at the floor.

"All I was gonna say was, if you… ya know, regret it or anything, we can just forget about it." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "People can do crazy stuff in the heat of the moment, and -"

"Peter," MJ broke in. She grasped my hand, and I found my gaze drawn to her. Her amber eyes were gentle, softly perusing my bloodied face. "You may be a moron, but I don't regret what happened." A shy smile crept up the sides of her face. "And I'm really glad you're still alive."

"You and me both," I murmured, running my thumb across her fingers. Her smile widened and she leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on my cheek. A wave of heat rushed to my face, which only heightened when Ned returned to the room. I untangled my hand from MJ's and accepted a blanket and pillow while ignoring the dubious looks from Ned.

"We're gonna catch this guy," I assured them as we settled onto different seats across the living room. "Don't worry."

"I don't think we're the ones who need to be worrying," Ned reminded me.

"Not helping, Ned," MJ moaned. "And if we're gonna do anything to stop this guy, then all of us need some sleep."

"I gotta say, this is unlike any other high school sleepover I've ever been to," Ned remarked.

"NED!" MJ and I said in unison.

"Alright, alright," Ned muttered. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," MJ echoed. I smiled, grateful for the companions surrounding me.

"Goodnight."