Chapter Text
Everything was fine. Really. It just takes a little time to get adjusted to his new life.
It wasn't fine.
After the whole world forgot about Peter Parker, life hasn't been easy on the boy. He couldn't visit anyone he used to know, even his own aunt, and he felt so alone. Peter rented a crappy apartment in Queens to have somewhere to stay, but he was very short on money. Going to school was unthinkable, both because there's no record of him, his academic background or the simple fact that he was a student at all, and that his day was stuffed with minimum wage jobs that barely paid the rent.
Not to mention his food situation.
His enhanced metabolism didn't really help the fact that he barely got to eat. He didn't have the time or the money to afford it. He felt himself growing weaker by the day, every one of them just a fight to stay alive.
The one consistent in his life where the nights, when he went out to save the people of Queens, be there for the small guy. But it was exhausting. He didn't know how much time he had left until his body would eventually give out. But he wasn't going to die without a fight.
---
On the other side of New York, Tony Stark woke up. He has been looking forward to today, because he reserved it for simply being able to work in his lab again. Pepper and Morgan were going to visit Pepper's side of the family, and Tony could have a day just for himself. It wasn't that he loved his family deeply with every fiber of his being, but sometimes even he needed a break from everything. Secondly, it was the first time he went alone to the lab since the snap. When he entered the lab, FRIDAY greeted him, but something was off about her greeting…
"Hello Mr Stark, welcome again to the lab. I must ask, where is Peter? In my schedule today is especially marked as 'Peter-lab-day', is he going to come later?"
Tony was startled by this. Peter? Who was that supposed to be? He didn't know anyone who is named that. With clear confusion in his expression, he could only mumble: "I don't know a Peter. FRIDAY, who set today as 'Peter-lab-day'?"
Has FRIDAY been hacked?
"You yourself set it as today. Additionally I must wonder, you seem to have forgotten that today is your weekly meeting. Is everything alright?"
Tony was now very irritated. "FRIDAY, show footage of the last 'Peter-lab-day'"
A video was shown. Tony couldn't trust his eyes. He stood at the table across the room, talking to a teenager who he had never seen before. He saw no clear discomfort in either of them while they worked on…
Were these web shooters from Spiderman? Why would he make plans for those with a random kid?
But the footage was too real. If it was a fake it was an extremely good one. But he couldn't remember it at all. Someone must have hacked FRIDAY. He has to act immediately.
Just before he was about to storm out of the room to check FRIDAY thoroughly for any security breaches, he heard something being said in the video, something no faker, no hacker could ever know. It was a thing completely unrecognised by anyone except his family. The voice of Tony in the video started to slur out a very intimate sentence.
"FRIDAY, turn on my "post '12" playlist."
It was his playlist for when his PTSD spiked. It wasn't just helpful after the 2012 incident, but after the blip and his own snapping as well. His family was informed about it, and they made sure it was played when things got serious. Now here he clearly heard himself, offering one of his most secured secrets while-
"Mr. Stark, are you ok? Am I allowed to come closer?"
The teen knew what's happening. How was this even possible?
"Yes, sorry Underoos, it's just- I lost myself in my thoughts too much."
Tony slowly looked back at the video. He saw the teen slowly approaching him and… hugging him?
"It's ok Mr. Stark, that happens. But don't forget, everyone's here with you: Morgan, Pepper, even me. You're not alone"
This kid spoke with such genuineness, this… this wasn't fake. He knew it was practically impossible but looking back on what had already happened in his life? Impossible things occurred more often than he'd like to admit.
The Tony in the video chuckled. "You know you can call me Tony, Spider-boy"
The video stopped. Now this was very unexpected. Firstly, the kid knew about his issues, which was extremely weird in the first place. But, was this video really telling him that this teen was Spiderman?
Now his plans of tinkering in the lab were officially thrown out the window. He needed answers, and he needed them now. All of that was real, and he will pay that kid a visit to get his questions answered.
---
Peter couldn't do this anymore. His vision was blurry, he could only make out the vague colours of the roof he landed on, his stomach was twisting, pulling at his whole body for food, anything to eat. His whole body ached, He was close to losing consciousness because of the sleepless nights, his eyelids were pulled down with incredible force…
But he forced himself to stay awake. He can't die now. If he lost consciousness now, there was a probability he wouldn't wake up again, and this thought was terrifying him to no end.
His aching muscles wouldn't make it too easy for him though. Worn out from all the jobs, all the fights with criminals and the endless cycle of not getting rest weighs heavily on them. His boy feels cold, his eyes start to water. He didn't want to go from the world this way, a heroic, self-sacrificing death may have been more fitting then starving on a random roof.
He couldn't hold back the tears. After Peter Parker disappeared, now it's time for Spiderman, the last trail of his existence, to die as well.
Karen speaks up "Peter, your readings are showing an extreme case of malnutrition, you should go seek out a doctor immediately"
Karen was the only one Peter had left. He hopes that when they find his body she could still be used in ways to help the innocent.
"Can't mo- move"
Since when were his breaths shaking? His eyes lost more and more focus by the second-
---
"FRIDAY, is there any way to contact or locate Spiderman?"
Tony was pacing up and down in his room, the sun setting in the background.
"His AI 'Karen' is still linked to me, I have located the position and I am able to make a call to Peter right now"
Tony was already getting suited up and demanded to be led to Peter's location and to contact him immediately. In seconds he flew off to Queens.
---
"Peter, you are being called. Do you want to pick up?"
Peter wasn't able to move, but maybe this was the last time he ever get to talk to another person at all, even if it was his angry boss demanding his service. Maybe he could tell everyone that they could forget about him and that he wouldn't be coming back.
"Ye- Yes"
"Hello, this is Iron Man, am I speaking to Spiderman?"
Peter's surprise was immense, but his condition numbed every emotion he had down.
"Yes, this i- is Spi- Spiderman"
Tony was suddenly very awake. The voice of the Spiderling sounded so weak, it broke his heart to hear someone he was supposed to be close to suffer, if feeling bad for not remembering him in the first place wasn't bad enough. He had to help this kid, whoever he was. Tony tried to steady his voice.
"I'm coming to you, because I have some questions to ask you. But you sound not alright, are you ok?"
Obviously Tony knew that whoever was on the other side had no chance of being completely ok from what he heard, but he needed to remain sounding calm. He didn't want to harm a kid in any way, even if he didn't know him.
"Oh, yeah, no-" the boy wheezed "-no worries."
"You're clearly not alright. I'm going to help you now, and then you are going to answer my questions."
Peter panicked. He's going to steal Mr. Starks precious time, he's going to be a burden, what kind of questions was he going to ask-
Even though nobody cared about him anymore he still managed to drag others down and was the biggest disappointment of a hero in the whole world.
Speaking of the world, his got darker and darker with the second, pain increasing, twisting his guts. His mind couldn't grasp any meaningful thoughts anymore. In the back of his mind, Tony's voice called something, but he couldn't understand if his life depended on it. It kind of did, but Peter knew when to accept defeat. If he could think clearly, he would have been happy to hear his mentor's voice for the last time, but his mind already drifted unstoppable into unconsciousness.
Then everything went black.