Chapter Text
Peter Benjamin Parker was tired.
In his 22 years of life, he had lived through and seen some crazy shit, that nobody should see.
But that's what just came with being Spider-Man. And having Parker Luck.
At 4 years old, his parents had died in a plane crash, and he got adopted by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Then, at 13, he got bit by a radioactive spider during a field trip, leading to him spending a week hunched over a toilet, throwing up everything, thinking he was going to die.
Until he woke up a week later, with superpowers. But it was those crazy superheroes that he tried to hide from Ben and May that led to the fight with his uncle, as he ran out the house to clear his head. And Ben followed him.
And then he got shot.
At 14, Tony Stark came to his house, claiming he knew the boy was Spider-Man, the new vigilante who had taken to the streets a week or so after Officer Ben Parker's death. He recruited Peter to fight against the Rogue Avengers in Germany, giving him a new high-tech suit that was awesome.
Then, at 15, he fought the Vulture. Got his suit taken away by Tony, then found out his homecoming date's dad was the Vulture. Who dropped a warehouse on Peter hours later. And then made him crash a plane on Coney Island.
Fun times.
Tony and Peter had gotten close after that, as the older man realised how smart the boy actually was, inviting Peter over for Lab Days, and sometimes staying over on weekends.
Then, at 16, he died. He felt his body fight it, as he stumbled towards his mentor/father-figure on the foreign planet, pain flooding through him as his body slowly turned to ash, pleading Tony to help.
Then, at 16 again, he came back to life. 5 years had passed, 5 years of his life he missed. But he couldn't ponder about it, as he fought Thanos's army on the site of the destructed compound, fighting the wierd aliens. And he had to watch as Tony snapped his fingers, the power of the Infinity Stones coursing through his human body.
Tony lived, somehow. Shuri, Cho and Bruce worked tirelessly, pushing back the effect of the stones, and putting Tony in a coma. Steve went back in time, putting the stones back, bringing back Natasha Romanov with him.
Peter sat at Tony's bedside for hours, not bearing to leave his side, the only time he would was to reassure Morgan, Tony's daughter who he had just met. And it broke his heart because her face was just like Tony's, with Pepper's attitude. She would rule the world someday, Peter was sure.
When Peter heard about his Decathalon trip to Europe, he was glad to go. A break, from Spider-Man and all the chaos. A chance to ask out MJ.
Until Nick Fury hijacked his field trip.
He trusted Beck. He trusted the man, who just made him see illusions, his darkest fears and insecurities, before he made Peter get hit by a train. Which, ow.
He defeated Beck in London. He got EDITH back. But it wasn't enough, when a week later, a video of Beck revealing his identitiy to the world got released. Pepper offered help and refuge, but Peter didn't want to worry her on top of Tony.
So he went to Doctor Strange.
Except he fucked up the spell, as he did most things. The other villains, who he tried to help, to cure. Then Green Goblin killed Aunt May.
The sound of the glider hitting May's body with a sickening crunch, the sound of her limp body falling, the sound of her final, wheezing breaths, would forever haunt Peter.
He had nearly killed Goblin. If it weren't for Peter 2, he definately would have. Sometimes, he still wished he had.
Then, he told Strange to make everybody forget Peter Parker. He felt guilty for not telling the Avengers, for not getting to see Tony, but he didn't think he had the heart to do it. He promised Ned and MJ he would find them, and make them remember.
He had tried. He wrote a letter and everything, going to the coffee shop MJ worked at. But when he saw the cut on her forehead that she said "Didn't hurt anymore", and talked about her and Ned going MIT, he knew he couldn't ruin that. He couldn't ruin their lives; not when they were finally happy. When they were finally safe.
He spent the next four years starting again. He moved into the dusty and abandoned storage room in his apartment, clearing it out and setting it up as his home. He made a new suit, inspired by his original, homemade suit and Peter 2 and 3's suits. He made a new AI; E.V. because Karen didn't recognise him anymore.
He got a job as a bartender at a rundown merc bar called Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Children, where he met Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool. He met Daredevil soon after, and had to mask his shock as he realised it was his lawyer, Matt Murdock, who had helped him during the Mysterio mess. Not that Matt knew that.
He got a job at the Bugle, taking pictures of Spider-Man. It was kinda hilarious he was getting paid for selfies. He also started going to ESU a year after the spell, faking his documents and getting a scholarship, double majoring in bioengineering and physics.
Over the years, he focused on getting his life back on track and clearing up the streets. Soon, major gangs were cleared off the streets, and he took down villains like Tombstone, Shocker and Scorpion often, sometimes working with other vigilantes and the Defenders, who he had gotten quite close with. Deadpool had eagerly named him, Peter and Daredevil's trio as Team Red because they "All wore red so it made sense".
It was a few months after the spell did Tony Stark wake up. Peter ignored the pain and grief he felt everytime he saw Tony's face plastered on the huge billboards, his red and gold metal arm waving at the crowd, sunglasses somewhat hiding the damage the stones caused to half of the man's scarred face.
But Peter didn't care. He did. But he wasn't allowed to. Because Peter Parker didn't exist. Tony Stark never had an intern he often referred to as his kid, who he had movie nights with, who he consoled after nightmares. He had memories with Spider-Man, but not with a curly haired boy he loved as his own son.
He avoided confrontation with the Avengers, swinging away immediately after every mission. He focused on his studies, often hanging out with his vigilante friends or college friends like Harry Osborn or Felicia Hardy. It had taken him a while to stop flinching at Harry's last name.
When the problem of Jean Grey arose, he took Frank's help, while simultaneously dealing with his mutating DNA. When he found out the truth about the DODC, he knew he had fucked up again.
Then he got shot. By Frank.
Jean was actually really nice, and he made sure to keep in touch, as he left to go find other mutants like her. He saw her as his little sister, a 16 year old who reminded him so much of him, who he was determined to help. Even once he was out of the hospital, him and Jean texted often.
It was when he got shot did he really realise how much he had done as Spider-Man. The crowds gathered, praying for his safety, so unlike the hate crowds that were against him when Mysterio revealed his identity.
But as he kneeled in front of May's grave, fresh flowers next to the stone, staring at the words 'When you help someone, you help everyone.", he felt happy, for the first time in a while. He wasn't chasing stuff from his past life, trying to fit in. He had a life now, with friends and people who loved him.
"I miss you, May." Peter whispered, pressing a kiss to the gravestone with his hand, as he stood, giving the gravestone a smile.
He had a happy little family now. One he never wanted to change.
Of course, he spoke too soon.