Peter Parker had many names. Throughout his long existence, his endless but temporary connections with people, he has experienced many things and got too many nicknames he could count.
Yet, he didn't dare call himself a hero.
He hasn't been a hero in a very long time.
Because deep down, he knew everyone else is just something to fuel his selfishness. A hero wouldn't have this kind of thinking.
The sound of clashes, the metallic smell of blood and burnt flesh, it all doesn't matter. Not after so long. He has grown numb to these sceneries playing all over again.
He could only hear his heartbeat, the power of time pulsed within it. Expressionless, he gave the suit his command.
"Activate Instant Kill."
The suit instantly changed into a lethal weapon, sweeping enemies off the field left and right.
Peter felt blood, too much blood spattered on his nano suit, but his expression remained cold.
Holding his breath, Peter slipped past the fighting while trying to neutralize the variables. He can't allow any mistakes to happen, not when the future he wanted was so close.
Fighting through the crowd, he caught sight of the person he has desperately been trying to save.
Tony Stark. The Invincible Iron-man that everyone knew.
…The one he considered to be his father.
After all this time, he looked the same.
All the while, Peter himself has been getting older. More cynical, more distant, a shell of his former self.
He has been…so tired.
After 14000006 attempts. But this attempt reeked of abnormality, judging by the fact that his spider sense has been ringing from the start.
Some events are set in stone, but under the unwavering water, even realities can shift in his way.
Half a million attempts ago, the fact that Natasha Romanoff survived led him to such conclusions. People who weren't supposed to be alive survived.
Or people who weren't supposed to be dead met their ends. That was why maintaining perfection is important. A slight mishap can ruin this one-in-a-million chance.
It will work this time.
After so much time, he had the skills, and certainly no shortage of resources. He could do this.
"… Iron Man." He stated, getting the man's attention.
"Spidey?" He perked up in surprise.
Hearing that man's voice always filled Peter with sorrow, but he can't help but call him out every timeline.
"Yeah, it's me. That was your plan when you decided to invent time travel, wasn't it, Tony?" Peter asked with an aloof tone, but deep inside, he felt uneasy. He could never get used to doing this.
'I don't want to go, Mr. Stark-' No, not that memory, he doesn't need useless things weighing him down.
"Don't flatter yourself," Tony responded with an arrogant tone, yet filled with fondness.
Too bad that wasn't directed at Peter Parker. And that, he thought to be quite upsetting.
Peter Parker just doesn't exist anymore, not after the fiasco with Dr Strange. Everything got worse so quickly after that.
But as it is now, the past no longer matters.
Peter was tempted to hug his mentor one last time, but his body refused to move. It's better this way.
"Aight, Stark. Just don't get too fixated on dying, ok? No reasons to when you had a family waiting at home." Peter finally said, as his emotions struggled not to leak out.
"How did you-"
"I have my way. Stay safe, Tony." He said before turning away. He needed to focus.
"Hey." Peter turned around, to see the solemn look on Tony's face "You too."
Peter smiled sadly under his mask. He gave Tony a light nod before once again jumping into the fray.
He must find the gauntlet and ends this nightmare.
With the time stone synchronizing with his heartbeat, Peter Parker was determined.
To change the future.
Peter was trying to pry the gauntlet off of Thanos, albeit clumsily, but at least he had helps from Tony. But even that keeps the Mad Titan at bay for long. But he had technique, as he tried to command the nanobots to cover the infinity stones.
"You insignificant insect." Look like his effort didn't go unnoticed, and that did make this more difficult.
"Spiders are arachnid! Something you would have known with proper education, stupid!" Peter nimbly avoided the Titan's grasp "Trying to destroy half the universe to save it? Really? I mean, what's the logic in that?"
Keep talking, Peter. Maybe that will distract him long enough.
"You had no idea, about what must be done."
"All I am seeing now is a mad tyrant-" Shit, that was close "-trying to justify genocide under the guise of balance."
His luck finally ran out, and that rewarded him with a punch directly to the face, sending him crashing onto nearby rubble.
But he got what he came for.
A classic maneuver. One he has seen and attempted many times. Peter could never understand how Tony managed to do it the first time.
Peter couldn't be proficient as Iron Man, but he managed with time, and with his success, he could feel thousands of eyes, friends or foes, bore into him in shock.
The pain was erupting inside his arms, as Peter struggled to keep his grip on the gauntlet, his senses are going haywire.
That's to be expected.
"…how?" Thanos uttered in disbelief, and that put a smirk on his face.
"Ha…you may be inevitable…but I'm…relentless." He said shakily, as both his spider senses and the brunt of the attack tormented his head.
He glanced over to where was standing and saw him holding up one finger.
So the future changed, after all?
Probably for the best.
With no hesitation, Peter snapped.
"NO-" The panicked voice of Tony was drowned out as an unfamiliar and agonizing feeling filled his mind.
He was in a dark space, his body felt light as a feather, as voices gripped his fragile mind.
'What's your wish?' The voices asked. They were ready to bring about his will.
'Thanos, his army, make them gone. And…bring back-' He said, as fear keep assaulting his mind.
'The consequences will be great. Your wish will bring about your death.' A certainty that is, but a worthy ending must be reached.
'…bring them back. The people we lost since the start of this. Lock this outcome in place, don't let anyone change it.' He willed the power one more, as memories of people his has lost came rushing back. 'And…give me time, to say goodbye.'
'As you wish.'
The space cracked, and he woke up to reality.
With just a snap of a finger, victory was decided.
Thanos looked at him with disbelief, then acceptance and recognition as he and his army faded away.
Peter's body went slack as he fell to the ground with a dull thud. Breathing heavily, he knew that his time is near. His healing factor is working desperately to repair the damage.
But Peter supposed death was inevitable.
"Spidey?! W-why did you do that!" Tony said with anger in his voice, but he could sense a hint of desperation "No scratch that! Stay with me, here. We're gonna get you fixed up, you hear me?"
"…too…late f-for…tha-"
"Say no more! Focus on staying alive now, okay?" Tony's panicked expression made him feel so fragile.
"…you know…this feel nice…makes me feel like I'm a kid…" Peter muttered.
As weird as this sound, he is happy now. Happiest he has been in a long time.
"What-" Tony gave him a confused look.
"…haven't felt like it for …a long time." He willed his suit to reveal his bloodied mouth, not allowing Tony to see his eyes.
Because now…he was…so scared. Because the feeling of death crawling up is there, but with no escape. He felt helpless, but it was the choice he has made.
He managed to give Tony a light smirk anyway.
"Be happy, Tony…your family…is waiting for you." He smiled at Tony as if that would reassure him. The sight of his dying body must be terrifying, after all.
"I'm sorry," Tony said solemnly, and Peter felt a sharp pain spreading to his heart. He would like to experience the future and would want to go back to the peaceful days. Being Spider-man, intern at Stark Industries, fighting hoodlum, annoying heroes. He would want to remember, to experience all those feelings.
But all those bonds as now lost to the wind, and Peter sheds a tear at his loss, as his body is getting pulled apart by the gauntlet power.
His senses are getting duller, and Peter braced himself for his impending death.
"Don't…be…s-sorry. Be…hap-…py." He was running out of breath.
"Yeah, I will. I will, I promise." Tony nodded, grasping his hand tightly
"…g…bye…da…d…" Peter's mind blurred, and his voice grew smaller until nothing could be heard.
"I…didn't quite catch that."
"…"
"Say it again, won't you?"
"…"
…Peter couldn't respond.
He has died, after all. Without his healing factor, he wouldn't even make it this long.
He felt the time stone embedded in his heart fade away, and Spiderman was finally free…from the endless timeline collapsing upon him.
Peter remembered the warmth from Tony, the awkward day when he slipped and call the arrogant Stark 'dad', those memories of his day at the lab with his mentor.
Finally, Peter Parker died, the content of reaching his desired future.
His identity was now nothing across the endless void.