To some people, starting over can be the best thing that can happen to them. Start fresh somewhere no one knows them. Beginnings are good, they help you to let go and leave the past behind. For Spider-Man, they were starting to be somewhat like that: his mind was starting to forget, the faces, the voices. They were mixing and he hated it. He couldn't recall his parents, but that was normal, he was just a kid when they passed away. He had forgotten the voice of Uncle Ben, but his face was easier to remember with the aid of the pictures. Not only that, but he never, not once, thought that there would be a day when he would not have photographs to remember his loved ones.
The world lost Peter Parker that day, but Spider-man never imagined what that deal truly meant, how much he would lose, how far he was going to be affected. His phone stopped having all of those memories, all his life. There were no more pictures of May, nor of his friends, no more personal photos of Tony or Pepper, and no more voice notes. He lost his life.
He could still see the peace and the fear, and all of those feelings in the eyes of Tony vanish in an instant. He could see that the last and lonely tear had been shed and caught in the first light. Peter doesn't think, he doesn't believe, but he knows that within each day that has passed, a part of him died as well.
Anywhere he goes, he sees his face. His face. Tony's face. He can hear his voice in videos, but he knows that it's not his true voice. That's not the voice Tony used to scold him, it isn't the one he used to greet him or talk to him. That wasn't his voice, and everything was wrong.
***
Spider-Man was having a bad day. There was a new villain that seemed to appear out of nothing. It was green, and he had a nasty laugh that sent chills to his bones. His spidey sense begged him to set flea. “Run, run, run, get out” was a new mantra that was screaming in his brain each time with more force. But he stayed there, the voice of the attempted green goblin sounded familiar, and that just made all of this scenery a whole lot more sketchy.
The villain came with a bunch of little creatures -demons- and beating them left him tired. This new villain laughed and announced himself between screams. “Dr. Doom.” He said, and he made a booming sound when he finished. It was funny, really, he remembered him of Loki and his delusions of greatness. Loki was a God tho, so maybe he was justified.
“You have no more gremlins” Spider-Man shouted from the ground.
Doom smiled and raised his hands, sending blasts of lighting and energy towards him. Spider-Man jumped and lashed to a building, sticking himself to it and sending electric webs back. Doom made them disappear with a hand movement. Spider-Man thought that it was as if Palpatine and Loki had a kid. He could do magic, had energy powers, and seemed to be hell smart, so possibly it was a threesome with Strange. He laughed at the thought.
“Okay, Palpatine, I see that you only fight when you have the upper hand. A classic of a mediocre villain of the week.”
Spider-Man didn't think his taunts would work, but Doom stopped using his powers altogether and started to throw punches. He was good at it. Doom sent two kicks and combinations, and they were well-thought-out, he aimed at his torso and his face, making it hard for Spider-Man to shield everywhere at once. Doom was fast and strong and suddenly, Spider-Man fell. He felt his leg gave his weight out and the floor hit his back. Just as fast, Doom was above him. He was punching again, and again, and again at his head, keeping him from forming a thought. His body was above his, putting pressure at his sides, encapsulating him in the ground. He was strong, Spider-man tried throwing a punch and did next to nothing. Doom in a rapid move took his hand and extended it by his side, so his leg was there to keep it from moving. He was screaming like a rabid dog, spit falling from his mouth as he barked. From this close, he could see part of his face, a vein pulsing with anger. Each punch stunned him a little more, and in a moment of lucidness, Spider-man threw a web and hoped that stuck to something strong as he pulled it back.
The sound of the hit came fast and hollow. He thanked the universe for this small blessing. Doom seemed so lost in his fury that he barely noticed the piece of cement blasting his face and destroying part of his mask, he kept on shouting and throwing punches at him.
It was as if all the silence in the world had vanished.
Doom had a familiar face. Doom had the face that used to mean safety.
Doom had his face.
‘I'm dreaming’ he thought because this, this couldn't be possibly real.
“I've lost my mind.” And suddenly, Peter was full-out laughing, tears began to fall from his eyes and he couldn't stop laughing. Oh, the universe has always been cruel to him, he was foolish to have forgotten that. “I have gone completely mad” He shouted and felt the tears stained his mask, he couldn't breathe, the mask was sticking to his skin, and he couldn't breathe. The air wasn't reaching his lungs, and oh god, did he die already? Was this hell? Doom was looking at him funny, he was off him the second he started laughing in hysterics and Tony was there looking at him. He couldn't breathe, he needed help, he needed Tony. Peter walked to him and saw how Tony walked back.
“Kid, this doesn't work if you're not okay. It's not honorable, not right.” Tony shook his head, walking away from him. His voice was the same. Peter felt a sob escape from him at the sound of Tony calling him kid once again. He needed to see him, he needed Tony to see him, not Spider-man but him, so with trembling hands Peter stripped off his mask from his face.
“Tony?” Peter asked in a voice so small, so soft, and full of hurt and hope. Truly, he would have never been able to have a fresh start. Not in a million years or any reality. Things can't end if you don't let them, and Peter was sure he wouldn't let this end. “Mr. Stark, Tony, you…” he was stumbling over his words, his mouth trying to keep the rhythm of his brain and failing, resulting in sputters.
“Who the fuck is Tony?” Tony asked, turning around, and looking at him. “Kid, stay away from me, we will fight, and I will end you when you are on both your feet and your mind in the present.”
“No! Tony, wait you can't leave, please, you can't leave again, please, wait, wait, plea-”
He slapped him.
“Tony?” Peter asked in a small voice.
“Hear me out, kid, ‘cause I won’t repeat myself,” Tony said, grabbing him and shoving him forward having them face to face, noses touching, and locking his eyes on him, he snarled. “ I. Am. Not. Tony. Nor. Mr. Fucking. Stark. “ Doom spat each word in his face, searching in Peter's eyes to see if the message was received, then he threw the kid back to the floor and left, not looking back at the weeping child.
Peter cried because a man that looked and sounded like Tony had slapped him. He cried because he now needed to fight a man who had the face of his father. He cried because Tony was dead and someone new had his face, did he really have his face, or was he losing his mind? He cried because he now remembered the voice of Tony calling him kid, but he cried harder because at the same time, he didn't remember the voice of Tony, not right, it was now stained.