Did i surprise any of you?

Peter flinched and shot right up in bed as a searing pain blasted through his skull. It wasn't an unfamiliar pain, no, he knew exactly what it was, it was just that it hurt so bad.

The teen stifled a groan as he kicked the blankets off his legs and checked the clock on his nightstand. 2:57am. Damn.

His head still throbbing, Peter decided to get up and check things out. After all, he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to bed with such a killer headache.

Peter clutched at his wound before shuffling out of his bedroom into the hallway, nearly running into Bucky.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking a step back. "Sorry."

Bucky was quick to wave him off, dark eyes scanning the hallway meticulously.

"You too?" Peter asked. "I thought i was the only one who felt it."

Bucky glanced down at him. "So, i wasn't imagining it."

At that comment, Peter sucked in a shaky breath and stopped trying to ignore his spidey sense. He let the pounding in his head pull at his gut and tell him where the danger was. He started walking and Bucky trailed behind him.

They walk into the common area where Bucky immediately shoots an arm out and pulls Peter behind him.

"Someone's here," he muttered.

Peter gently pushed Bucky's arm down. "No, no, that's just Ned's...," and in that moment, Peter swore he felt his heart stop. Him and Bucky barely meet eyes before he's bolting from the room, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Ned!"

Panic and adrenaline are a weird mixture. For instance, Peter was scared. No, he was fucking terrified. Only an hour before was he snapping at Ned for bothering him and now he could be in mortal danger! He had no idea where he was, no idea what could be happening to him right now. But he did know the last thing he told him was to basically fuck off.

And adrenaline. Ah, it was a wonderful thing. Once upon a time, Peter had gotten stabbed and had to undergo surgery like, two hours ago. And now here he was! Running with a freshly stitched-up abdomen like it was no big deal!

God, Peter really hated today.

"Friday!" Bucky called out as the pair sprinted down the halls. "Where's Ned?!"

"Ned Leeds cannot be located," Friday replied curtly.

"Bullshit," Bucky muttered. "I can hear him."

  When Peter stopped paying attention to the way his heart sounded like it was going to beat straight out of his chest, he realized he could hear Ned too. Or, the sound of distant banging that could be Ned, that is.

"This way!" He said, pulling Bucky down a hallway he surprisingly didn't recognize. It was smaller, the walkway narrower than those they had previously been in. Only three doors lined the walls, one of which was vibrating in its hinges.

  Bucky matched forward, mechanical arm whirring as his muscles tensed against the sides of the door. He strained and the door separated from the wall with barely any effort. Ned came stumbling through in the same moment, clutching a walkie-talkie between his sweaty palms.

"Peter, oh my gosh," the shivering teen practically weeped, collapsing into his best friend's arms.

  Peter enveloped Ned into his chest. "What happened?" He asked, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?"

  Ned reared back, the walkie-talkie held tightly in both hands. Peter couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

  "I-I don't know!" Ned cried, glancing back at the room wearily. "Friday was leading me to the bedrooms and then she just led me here! And she locked me in!"

  "What's the device for?" Bucky interrupted, also perturbed by the walkie-talkie.

  Ned's grip seemed to only tighten if that was even possible. He eyed Bucky skeptically. "How do i know i can trust you?" He hissed, taking both Bucky and Peter aback.

  "What?" Peter snapped.

  A look of fear passed over Ned's babyish features. "How do i know if i trust either of you?"

  "Shut the hell up, dude," Peter scowled. "You don't even know what you're saying," and he reached for the walkie-talkie.

  "No!" Ned cried, jerking away from Peter only to have Bucky stop him with a cold, metal hand on his shoulder. Ned shrieked.

  "Ned, stop!" Peter said. "What is going on?"

Ned took a much needed moment to catch his breath before finally looking his friend in the eye. "MJ," he huffed like he was being forced to tell a secret. "It's how I'm talking to MJ."

  Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. "But isn't that what cell phones are for?" He asked innocently.

  "Yes, but MJ can't use her phone. Someone is watching her through it," Ned tried to explain. But both Bucky and Peter didn't seem to be catching on.

  "MJ has been getting blackmailed and whoever is doing it is watching her through her phone. She had to leave it behind. We've been communicating through my brother's walkie-talkies all night," Ned further clarified.

Peter let his face crumble, his emotions seeping through the cracks in his mask. First, confusion, then concern, and lastly, realization.

  When Peter didn't respond right away, Ned continued to babble.

"S-she just showed up at my house! Demanding that i help her because you were in danger, Peter! What was i supposed to do?!"

Peter just shook his head slightly, rendered speechless. If Ned was saying what he thought he was saying...

Had this not been MJ's fault after all?

Right as Peter was having his epiphany, did Ned's walkie-talkie crackle to life.

  "Ned, can you hear me? I'm on my way-i just got on the subway. Hold tight," came a familiar voice, firm even through the static.

  Ned's hand slipped against the receiver in his haste.

  "Yeah, i hear you. I'm okay, Bucky and Peter saved me," he said. "Be careful, MJ."

  A whooshing noise came through the speaker, as if someone had suddenly needed a lungful of air. Then, "Peter's with you?"

  Ned locked eyes with Peter. Just through their gaze, Peter was able to convey exactly what he was thinking to his best friend.

  "..yeah," Ned started before slowly pulling the speaker away from his lips. "Here. He wants to talk to you."

  Peter took a moment to remember how to breathe before taking the walkie-talkie. In, and out. In, and out.

  "MJ.."

  A soft chuckle. "Hey, loser."

  Suddenly, Peter didn't need to remember how to breathe. The atmosphere was completely zapped of all its oxygen and he was left floating in the hallway. His lungs felt empty and light, like helium balloons, and his limbs felt disconnected from his body. Maybe if he closed his eyes he'd see stars. Maybe if he closed his eyes he'd see planets.

  "MJ. Michelle," Peter gasped, one hand bracing himself against the wall. He didn't remember doing that.

  "Hey. I get it, okay? I hear you loud and clear. Everything is okay," MJ immediately reassured.

  Peter nodded, if only to himself. "Y-yeah, okay. See you soon." And he thrusted the device back into Ned's hands. Just a thirty second interaction left him feeling weak.

Ned took the walkie-talkie and pocketed it. "Okay," he sighed. "So how much do you guys know?"

1/5/20