Chapter Text
Before Stephen Strange erased the ties between the identity of Spiderman and Peter Parker in 2024, Peter knew he had to say the inevitable goodbye to the people who meant so much in his life.
Aunt May was dead, killed by a stupid green ass goblin. Peter wished that she was alive. Being alive but not remembering your nephew was better than being 6 feet in the ground.
He had always been an introverted kid at school and did not have many friends. However, he did have two best friends who he could trust his life with: MJ, his girlfriend and Ned, his man-in-the-chair and his best friend.
There was one more person who he owed his life to, and that was Tony Stark, the billionaire who had treated Peter like his own son.
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Peter swung through the air, the familiar pull of his webs carrying him toward the two figures waiting at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
For a moment, everything felt normal. It felt like a regular day with his best friends in the entire world. The sun was shining but there was silence in the city. A silence as if to mourn all the people who had died.
“Peter!”
MJ and Ned turned toward him just as he landed, and the relief on their faces made something inside Peter’s heart ache. MJ immediately ran toward him, wrapping her arms around him. Ned followed, and for a few seconds, the three of them stood together in a desperate tight hug. Peter heard the agitated increased heartbeat of his friends and swallowed hard.
When they finally pulled apart, Peter had looked between them, scanning every inch of their body for harm. His own body was bruised, dirtied, and sore but the safety of his friends came first.
“You guys okay?”
MJ nodded, though Peter had immediately noticed the cut above her eye. His heart clenched at the sight of his friends, who were innocent people, hurt because of something that he had caused. They didn't deserve this, to have to deal with both physical and emotional wounds just because their friend Peter Parker was Spiderman.
“Oh my God. You're bleeding.” There was a small gash on her forehead, likely caused from falling debris.
“I'm fine,” she said quickly. “I'm okay.”
Peter had touched her face gently, inspecting the cut with trembling fingers.
“You sure?”
“I promise.”
Peter nodded, forcing himself to believe her.
“Okay.”
Peter's smile disappeared.
He knew he had to deliver the news. Something he had been dreading since the moment Strange had told him to say goodbye.
“You're gonna forget who I am.”
Ned stared at him.
“What?”
MJ's expression changed immediately.
“Forget who you are? What are you talking about?” Peter could tell she tried to sound calm but panic laced her tone.
Peter swallowed. There was no easy way to rip off the bandaid, the bandaid that had protected him from bullies like Flash and brought him moments of distraction so Peter could slip away to save civilians.
“It's okay. I'm gonna come find you. I'll explain everything. I'll make you remember me.” Peter's voice quivered.
Ned's eyes widened and he stared in shock before he began to shake his head in disbelief.
"it's okay," Peter's voice wavered, "I'm gonna come find you, it'll be like this never happened. I'll make you remember me, okay?"
MJ and Ned still stared in disbelief
"But w-what if it doesn't work?" MJ stammered, her usual confident tone gone and replaced with fear, "w-what if we can't remember you?" She spoke everything that Peter had feared, what if they didn't remember him?
She and Ned shared grieved glances as she tried to think of something they could do.
"There's nothing we can do." Peter rasped. "It'll be okay."
"Promise?" Ned choked out.
"Promise."
Then for the last time in their time together, Peter and Ned did their signature handshake, before embracing in a tight hug. Ned's eyes filled with tears and he sobbed as he held onto his best friend tightly. It would be the last time he embraced his best friend.
MJ's were red rimmed and pooled with tears as she cupped Peter's face with her hands. She shakily joked that he better come find them or she would do everything to find him. Thunder had rumbled overhead despite the clear day, a sign for them to hurry up.
Then for the final time, Peter kissed her.
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Peter knew he had one more person to say goodbye to.
His heart ached so so so much, how much he yearned to run back to Strange and tell him to cancel the spell, to change it, anything. He was only a teenager, he didn't want to lose his friends yet. His parents were gone, his aunt and uncle were gone, and now he had to lose the last people who cared about him.
But he knew deep down that this was for the best, that nobody remembered him.
When he reached the 80th floor of Stark Tower, Tony Stark was waiting for him. He looked out the window into the destroyed city of New York. Bright blue and red lights from police cars around local establishments that had been destroyed could be seen from SI.
When Peter walked in, Tony didn’t turn around; he recognized that it was Peter from his footsteps. They had spent so much time together, how could he not remember how Peter’s footsteps sounded?
"Strange told me what you needed to do." Tony said as Peter approached. He still stared outside. Two birds swooped together on the horizon.
"yeah." Peter whispered.
Tony Stark turned around and Peter saw why he had decided not to face him when he walked in. His face was similarly dirtied by blood and dirt from the battle, his clothes also ripped in places. His eyes were red and bloodshot. Tony looked like he didn't sleep in a week.
There was a moment of silence. Tony sniffled and looked up at the young boy standing before him. He was only 17 but the universe had played its cruel cards onto the table.
"Come here Roos" Tony said at last, opening his arms.
Peter embraced him tightly, taking in the last whiff of the familiar scent of Tony Stark. Motor oil, expensive cologne, and the warm smell of home.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark." he whispered, "for everything." Over the course of his high school years, Tony had fed Peter, given him a home at Stark Tower, and had been there for him. He had always rooted for Peter when he was nervous to ask MJ out, he had been there to console Peter after the death of May, and most importantly, he had placed his own hopes and dreams onto Peter.
"Come find me after, okay Roos?"
"Yeah" Peter had whispered before he pulled out of the embrace. Tony’s face was full of worry as he stared at Peter.
“I’ll come fix this and it’ll be like none of this ever happened.”
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“Do it” Peter nodded at Strange floating above the Statue of Liberty.
Stephen Strange put his hands together and orange runes lit up in a circle around him. They spun around, and the circle got wider and wider.
People not from their dimension began to fade. Doc Ock looked up at the sky, a small smile on his lips as registered the orange cirle of magic before he faded. Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3 looked at each other. They also knew their time was up. They flashed each other the peace sign before both of them faded away.
The glowing circle of orange runes rapidly expanded before it exploded over the city, finishing the spell.
Peter ripped off the bandaid, Strange cast the spell, and the world forgot Peter Parker ever existed.