Whumptober 2025 // Day 1 // "Please don't cry" // Ready and Willing (just hang on)
Summary: Michelle Jones and Ned tend to an injured Peter Parker. The Friends of Spider-Man are willing to help him out, even when everything seems hopeless. But it doesn't go as smoothly as they would've hoped.
Word count: 1148
TW in the tags. Also posted on A03 here!
Read on Tumblr below!
“Please don’t cry. Because if you cry, I’ll start crying, and trust me, you don’t want to hear me cry! My mom calls me a sobbing T-Rex sometimes, and I’ve made my shirt sleeves damp enough to wring out when I was younger.”
“Please just be quiet, Ned! I’m thinking!”
“You look like you’re about to cry!”
“I won’t!”
Peter awoke to the sound of his two best friends arguing among themselves, a rare sound in his ears. Ned and MJ rarely fought, but when they did, it was usually about Peter himself. Sometimes it was about how he spent his time, specifically being Spider-Man, but sometimes it was about his eating, sleeping, or lack thereof. He hated when they argued about that. Just like he hated hearing them argue now.
“Guys….stop…”
His words were muddled, as if he was speaking though a thick syrup. There was actually something warm and liquid in his throat, and he coughed, trying to roll over. Someone helped him, cupping the back of his neck, helping him tilt it to the floor. The touch was cool and gentle. It reminded him of cool evenings sitting on the school roof with MJ.
He coughed roughly, hacking, and blood fell from between his lips. It tasted of iron, and Peter gagged.
“Peter! Peter, are you okay?” Ned exclaimed, his voice booming across the room. “Can he breathe okay?”
“You’re okay.” MJ muttered, running her hands through Peter’s hair, and he whined weakly. “You’re okay, Peter. Ned, get me a pillow, and the first aid kit from the bathroom.”
“What?” Peter whispered, unable to speak any louder. He felt weak, weaker than ever before, and every word seemed like a battle to say. But he needed to speak up, because someone could be hurt, and he needed to help them. “Who’s…who’s hurt?”
“You are.” MJ said firmly, and Peter knew that it was pretty likely. It would explain why he was feeling so bad.
Ned came back, kneeling beside him. Peter turned his head, finally noticing that he was in Ned’s bedroom. Ned himself was in a loose t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, while MJ was dressed in the same clothes she was wearing at school.
“Dude, I’ve never seen someone be so beat up!” Ned said, handing the first aid kit to MJ, the movement making Peter slightly dizzy. He closed his eyes with a sigh, before MJ slapped his shoulder.
“Ow…”
“Don’t fall asleep!”
He barely opened his eyes, and made an effort to keep them open once they were. Ned gently lifted his head and tucked the pillow under it, the softness a nice distraction from the pain bursting forth in his chest. MJ was kneeling in front of him now, her brown eyes shining with concern. Tears were brimming in them, and if Peter had the strength to, he would’ve wiped them away.
His fingers were starting to tingle at this point. Distantly he knew that that was a bad thing.
MJ reached towards his face, her hands stained with blood, and cupped his cheeks.
“Hang in there. Please.”
Peter nodded weakly, and MJ disappeared out of his view again, leaving behind a sticky feeling in her wake. He could feel a pressure begin to press into his side, becoming sharp and fiery over time. He whined, shifting where he laid, and Ned shushed him.
“It’ll be better soon. Happy’s on his way. I promise. It took me three times to get him to pick up the phone, but he’s coming.”
Agony stabbed through his gut now, dulling Ned’s words, and Peter let out a short scream, his leg kicking out.
“MJ! Go easy on him!”
“Don’t you see how much he’s bleeding?” She replied quickly, “He might not make it!”
Who? Who might not make it? Was somebody hurt? Before Peter could ask, a wave of dizziness hit him. He groaned, bile rising in his throat, and he barely managed to swallow it down.
MJ screamed. “No! Peter, stay with us! Ned, keep him awake!”
“Hey, Peter! Look over here! Peter!”
He didn’t know when he shut his eyes, but the darkness was nice. It was restful, calming, and somehow felt less painful than the light outside of it. He knew that his friends wanted him to open his eyes, to fight, but he was too weak. He couldn’t cling onto the light if he wanted to.
---------------------------------------
MJ was sitting beside his side when he woke up, drawing in the sketchbook he had gotten her for her birthday. Peter watched her for a moment. She wasn’t covered in blood like the last time he saw her, but she seemed more tired than she had in a while. Her hair was in a messy bun, tendrils of hair framing her face gently.
“You look beautiful.” He muttered weakly, his throat sore, and her head shot up, her eyes wide.
“Peter!” She leaned over to him, grabbing his limp hand firmly. “Don’t scare me like that again!”
Cutting to the chase. Just like MJ. Peter was thankful for the familiarity.
He replied softly, knowing that he couldn’t make that promise. “I’m sorry.”
MJ frowned, blinking a tear out of her eye, before wiping it away as it fell down her cheek. “I know you are. I just…I don’t enjoy watching you bleed out onto Ned’s floor.”
“I don’t enjoy it either.” Peter admitted with a small chuckle. He winced as the movement pulled at the stitches in his chest. He inhaled sharply, falling back into the pillows. After a quick look around, he could see that he was in a hospital room, but with a few familiar nurses out in the hall, the ones that he knew Happy had hired just for him. They would keep his identity a secret.
“But you have to go out there as Spider-Man.” MJ said, interrupting his thoughts. “You can’t live without Spider-Man, and I know that. So, I signed us up for first aid classes. Ned too. This isn’t going to happen again.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“But I can.” Her gaze was firm, determined, and somehow, he knew that she was speaking the truth. “This won’t happen again. We’ll know how to help you next time.”
“Thank you.”
Despite how tired he was becoming, Peter managed a smile, and squeezed her hand. She returned the squeeze, and kissed him on the forehead gently.
“I’ll tell Ned and Happy that you woke up, but get some sleep. Ned will get all of the homework we’re missing.”
Peter nodded, and gave her one last smile before closing his eyes. He still doesn’t know how he managed to have such a strong, confident, and beautiful woman in his corner, but he would never stop being thankful for it.
And there was so much comfort in his heart knowing that she would be there when he woke up.
