Chapter Text
The blip did everything wrong. It took opportunities made into play. It took happiness. It took chances that people where working on, whether taken away or working on it. It took half the world away. That's all anybody knew for the years to come and pass.
When Peter came back from his dust particles that just brought him back as fast as they took him away, there was no time to think. No time to decide, talk or debate.
“It’s been five years, the endgame is happening now. We need to teleport to the Avenger’s base and help the others.”
Is all Dr. Strange had to say to him, and everyone else that blipped back.
Peter stumbles in trying to remember the last thing that happened in the midst of registering it all. He remembers thinking of how frightened he was. How he thought he would never make amends again. He would never see his friends. How he would never see the last bit of family he had left , which was only his Aunt May. He could feel it in his bones as each bit of him he tried so hard to keep together and then started falling apart in pieces like concrete being melted into feathers into the ash in the wind done so easily. The one thing he did remember, was Tony’s face was the last thing he saw as he told him he was, “Sorry” for having to watch him die in front of the man’s eyes after he had confessed to him before that it would be the one thing to destroy him. The cradling of his head in the man's hand behind him was the last comfort he could recall before dissapearing in seeing the fear in the man's eyes of trying to hold onto the pieces of him disappearing slowly into mid-air.
Maybe it was because he knew Tony loved him like no other in another way, that killed him the most. Because he knew in his heart, he favored him. All he did know is when he heard Strange speak, no matter what happened in those five years, he knew it was his time to make up for whatever pain he caused him. A fear passed through him for a minute. What if Tony died? What if he failed him even more by not being there when he needed him most? What if his aunt lived the blip and she couldn’t handle everything and became a raging mess that wasn’t fixable?
No time to think about all of that now, thought. All of that went away as he swung into the magical flaming portal and seeing everyone gathered together again ready to fight for what was taken away from them. His eyes landed on all the answers he needed to keep his soul thriving. As he removes his nano mask, he looks up and smiles at everyone getting ready for the biggest battle ever that he is just lucky to be a part of. But what hits home more than anything, was the sight of landing his pupils on Tony leaning up to gaze at him like he was seeing the gates of heaven open from on the ground as he leaned up from the ground in his draw dropped in complete awe. Both of them are. Captain America glances to the young hero and a chance to share his overbearing smile he can’t contain with him as well as he is just happy to say, they did it. They brought everyone back. He gazes a look to Tony knowing that was the missing puzzle piece this whole time that needed to complete their mission of failure.
It was all perfect again as they lined up to get ready. They fought long and hard, and the moment Peter saved Tony from one of Thanos’ giant army off-springs, did he finally gain that hug he has always wanted since the first car ride home with the man conforming to him to feel like he was actually a hero.
Everything went according to Strange’s vision until…Tony snapped his fingers at the end.
Peter will never forget landing onto the ground near him with a bloody face filled with exhaustion and pumping heart to see the man who knew him better than anyone else, drop to the ground in unbending pain, dying. He ran up dropping to his knees as Rhodey (Tony’s trusted best friend) stepped aside out of respect of their relationship in closeness to give them their space.
“Mr. Stark? C-Can you hear me? H-Hey? We did it, sir. We did it.”
Every breath shaking out of the young hero’s mouth not of exhaustion or from the hits of the battle they just fought he took proudly, but from the pure fear hurting his heart in hearing Tony’s heartbeat struggle more and more to stay alive. Hearing it slow down.
“You did it, sir. We did it!”
He cries out to him, as he grips his shoulders tighter not trying to cause more pain but to just and try and hold him there on earth as if not to let him go, just like he did for him. Peter’s voice cracks and shakes as he feels Tony’s body slow down even more knowing what is happening.
“I’m sorry…Tony…”
He sobs uncontrollably to the man as he looks to him with what he can muster as pity for the boy having him to see him like this in his last minutes. Tony only thinking with everything he has, to give him another hug and say his final goodbye properly. A small pathetic smile is all he can give to the crying boy instead. Peter backs up holding his face as he watches the man fall into a peaceful sleep after his partner, Pepper, explains…
“Tony. Hey…We’re gonna’ be okay. You can rest now.”
Tony hears that and does exactly that. He rests. Leaving behind a bunch of tears in people’s eyes and broken hearts to remember him as the stubborn strong hero that saved the world.
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Time passing affects day by day as Peter tries to live with the regret of hoping there was really no more he could have done to save the hero he looked up to so much. He would be lying if he said he didn’t reread his articles, look at their pictures and videos together and every now and then, over and over. He also snuck over to the old Avenger’s tower he lived in to reminisce the old days spent in the lab together. All those hours of work and time spent bonding. After the battle with Mysterio, however, everything changed again. He revealed Peter's identity to the world as Spider-Man. Life got messy. He asked Doctor Strange for help to reverse it as he realized how bad it didn't just damage him, but everyone around him that he loved, including his girlfriend at the time.
What he didn’t expect, was to bring in a different time period Tony from an alternate universe where they won the battle and he survived to cross paths with his aside from his crazy story of his life already.
He woke up one day in his shitty apartment he moved into. With everyone who forgot him and his aunt dead, along with Tony, he looked out to the bright sun blaring in through the small window. No one remembering who Peter Parker was, was the best way to approach everything for the new spell to fix things. But all he could think is if only he had the money to get curtains to cover it, so he could actually get some sleep after the rough nights spent in loneliness and still trying to be a hero. Something felt weird about today though. His senses were picking it up. Before he could think too much more into it though, his phone blares with an alarm that someone needed help thanks to the police scanner he hacked and downloaded onto it. He jumps into dressing into his uniform and heads for that same window in assisting immediately where his help is needed. With no friends to remember him, no family alive…at least he can still be Spider-Man. That's what he tries to tell himself everyday as he strives for doing it for them, for himself and for Tony...everyday.
He applies his mask and he crawls out his window to swing towards the emergency begging for help. Swinging deeper into the city, he sees the distressed sight. When he gets there, police cars are seen as the officers shoot off their guns and sirens follow to help the injured also accompanied by helicopter blade sounds trying to compress the situation at hand. He it noted by a police officer that hostages are inside and Fisk has taken over by trying to make his mark as usual. A growing new villain over the years he's tried to corner and put behind bars for some time now. As he jumps into helping everyone naturally, the building tries him at his best when it starts to collapse while he tries to step in helping from the fire and destruction. He holds the cement blocks up to gain the people trapped underneath it, a chance to escape. It becomes to heavy though even for him, and he starts to fall in…just like the rest of his life. He grunts and screams trying to keep it above his head, but as life plays for him, it collapses on top of his whole body just as the others trapped escape in time not blinking an eye to help him as they run for their lives. He reaches out to try and grab anything to help him with no luck whatsoever as he feels the bones in his body begin to crumble. It was only at the last moment that he hears before blacking out a bit, a familiar sound of mechanics land with a clink. little mechanics latch onto the baring concrete on him to start shooting flares in lifting it up off of him. He tries to gain vision in seeing more, but the rubble blocks it all from vision. A sudden hand reaches out to grab his still reaching for help. The sudden pressure is removed faster and air comes back into his lungs once again as he is pulled out from underneath.
If only he could stay awake long enough to see who it was.
When he awakes, its nighttime. He’s on top of a building somewhere in New York, propped up by his back on the ground onto a wall of the clock tower in New York City.
“Gotta’ say you got some guts, kid.”
Peter’s heart drops. His daze fades off in snapping back to reality he tries to. This must be a dream. No way did he just hear that voice. No way. No “Homecoming” way. No “Far From Home” way. No, “No Way Home” way. Just…no way.
He snaps his eyes open and tries to get to his feet quick, but ends up doing it just way to fast. Blacking out a bit, he sees spots as he drops back to the ground only to be caught by metal arms from behind before completing his collapse.
“Woah! Easy there, Underoos. You probably have a concussion or twenty in your case.”
Peter’s eyes gloss in his immediate thought of wondering how hard he hit his head. Even to the point of wondering if he is hallucinating. Did Fisk release some kind of chemical that altered his thoughts during battle? Is he dead? The only thing he does know is his mask is still on thanks to the fabric crowding his breath he's trying to control.
Only when he gently is placed on his feet by the same hand guiding him did he grab his head to turn around and look up to glowing eyes to a mask which made him think, nothing else doesn’t matter. He just wants to see him. He’s always wanted to see him again, somehow…someway.
“M-Mr. Stark?”
The eyes in the mask back up to give him space.
“Yeah, well that or: Iron Man, Tony, Asshole…just depends on how well you know me.”
Peter shakes his head. Still in shock with his deepest desires answered, this still makes no sense what so ever.
“H-How?”
The man’s glowing mechanical eyes in his mask just tilts in confusion as if he asked a rhetorical question.
“Uh? I put mechanical transfusion alternators under the blocks in order to act a combustion act to lift the multiple pounds staining on you. More importantly…how did you survive that?”
Peter’s head cocks in confusion until he follows Tony’s gestured look behind the mask into the direction of the destruction in the distance being cleaned now. Taken aback, Peter just shrugs off still in his form of shock of wondering why Tony would ask something like that. Better yet how he's even there. He knows the man has seen him take harder hits than that before. Much harder.
“W-What? Whad’ya’ mean? I-It’s nothing knew for me. You know that? I-I thought…”
The man cocks his head again to look to him even more confused as he looks him up and down in scanning his whole body.
“Kid, how hard did you hit your head?”
Peter’s stomach drops and unfortunately the only thing he can muster out is a forbidden...
“W-What?”
Tony ends up shaking his head in what he thinks is his own stupidity as he rubs the fake metal forehead with his iron hands getting rid of the confusion.
“Yeahhh…that’s what I thought. Alright, let’s get you home.”
Peter steps away hurt and defensive.
“W-Wait! No!”
Tony stops before laying any hands on him to throw them up in defense showing he won’t hurt him. He gives Peter a minute to process before he lowers them in noticing the masked hero has something more than his face to hide. With a small voice, and I mean…very small. Peter asks him.
“H-How are you alive?”
Tony looks to him as if he knows he knows something he doesn’t before casually shrugging and explaining. Not taking any chances in the situation though, he responds casually.
“Best of luck to me, I guess? I mean it’s bound to happen one day just hasn’t yet.”
Peter’s mouth drops behind the material.
So Tony is alive, but doesn’t remember him as well with everyone else because of the spell. Figures. Great.
But how?
Peter shakes his head in disbelief. He’s thinks he’s really losing it at this point. As he backs up stumbling a bit, Tony tries to stop him.
“Hey! Easy there…you took a really hard hit. Maybe drink a juice box or something, kid?”
Peter snaps his head to him regaining balance all of a sudden.
“How do you know I’m a kid- I-I- Mean-if I'm a kid?!”
Tony’s glowing eyes don’t read the expression, but the silence is all that is given enough for them both to be left in the open air of a clear response. Peter even catches his childish sounding tone as well in not helping in to much that gives it away as well. No help on his end. Tony shrugs his metal shoulders.
“Erm…lucky guess?”
Smartass.
Peter huffs out and turns around away from the man. If this is a dream, it’s a harsh one at that. To make the one person who found him as Spider-Man before anyone else also forget about him with everything else in his life. His brain is really being evil to him right now. An unforgivable point a reconciles. Its the only thing that makes sense to him right now as he tries to gain more space away from the old mentor with his thoughts overcrowding as well. This can't be real. It can't.
He turns to head for the edge of the roof in a hurry. Tony steps to chase him.
“Kid! Wait!”
Before the man could get anything else out, Spider-Man, latched a web and took off into the night sky. He heads back to his apartment area without a look or care in the world back into the direction he thought he left his imaginary moment. In his mind, he hoped when he got back home to his run down apartment and fall asleep, the painful memories of which he wished for everyday or what not would go away.
It's just a crazy dream. That's all.
But that was not the case the next morning.
Peter wakes up to a beep on his phone. He lifts it through his sleep from under his sheets to poke out and read the scanner on his phone, but more importantly realizing it was the news.
Iron Man saves New York from Fisk! Close call though…Thank the world he’s asking for interns to help build on the future in shaping the world and maybe himself since the loss of loved ones?
Peter blinks. He blinks again. He rubs his eyes. Blinks again.
"WHAT?"
He clicks on the link that says: Read more about Tony Stark's torn life with breakup with CEO Pepper Potts. Always there for him except when he really needed it or was it all on her selfish claim plan on the company?
“What the hell is going on?”
Peter asks himself. He read the article more.
It has the whole story of the great Tony Stark dating miss Potts and breaking up due to his life choices. About his college days and sleeping with well…everyone. Peter reads more into it. He reads and sees pictures of Tony leaving multiple spots with multiple women, some with others, and with stories and comments of their night together with no mentioning of Spider-Man but for a brief moment.
Key word: Night.
He continues to read more and more. He sees more pictures, and evidence as if Tony was never gone. There are some with him in college hanging out with multiple men. Women in the pictures of newspaper articles, but Tony’s arm is not around them until he sees the ones with Iron Man and Spider-Man, the Avengers, his close friends, did he only extend the loving act.
He can’t believe it. It can’t be true. There’s no way. The only way is if…
The only person that would know is Doctor Steven Strange. He’s been so good with his identity this whole time. He never even went back to explain to him who he was even though that’s all he had left. Something felt wrong about him knowing for some reason when Tony found out first or better yet, found him. Something about telling Strange always settled his gut wrong. He didn't want to make anymore of a mess than he created already, but it looks like it came to him. He felt like he was betraying Tony in a way still, but he even didn’t know why? This…this felt different. He needs to know.