Endgame 2.0 (A Peter Parker and Avengers fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Well, well, would you look at that, the final chapter. It's finally here. After a whole year of me procrastinating (sorry about that), and some potentially shitty writing, here we are.

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A few days had passed since they landed back on Earth, and everyone had gathered at one of Tony's new properties- a nice little cabin alongside a lake. Truth be told, Peter wasn't sure exactly why Tony had bought a cabin when they had Avengers Tower and the Compound, but it was a nice secluded spot, he'd give it that much.

The quiet was nice following the chaos of the past few weeks. 

Immediately after they'd landed, Strange had left, explaining to Peter that he had to go (along with other sorcerers- someone called the Ancient One was involved? it was kind of confusing) and ensure the stones were in the right places and not in any more danger. Peter had just nodded along, trusting that they would figure it out better than he ever could.

He still felt like this was all a wild dream he'd wake up from- a dream where Thanos was dead and everyone was alive and not snapped away, and he was here with May and the Avengers celebrating their victory.

Of course, it wasn't all good. It'd taken him a few days to settle down from the high and realize the implications of him being stuck in a timeline that was almost two years behind his mental timeline.

He didn't look all that much older than someone starting sophomore year (which he was, in this timeline). But technically he was in the middle of junior year.

Even if he weren't thinking about having to relive a whole year and a half of school, there were so many other things that the earlier version of him hadn't experienced yet, at this point in time. And because he already knew about them, and the timeline had already been changed, they may never happen.

Take the Vulture, for instance. Now that Peter knew Toomes was the Vulture and he was Liz's dad, so many interactions between them wouldn't happen. Peter wouldn't allow a redo of the Washington Monument, because he already knows that ends badly; nor would he ask Liz out for Homecoming because he already knows Toomes is going to try and take off with the plane. And that took place at the end of sophomore year. It's only the beginning of sophomore year at this time. And you can bet he won't let Toomes collapse a building on him again... but that doesn't mean he won't stop having nightmares about it. About an event that will never actually happen in this timeline.

He heard the planks creak behind him as someone else walked out onto the dock. Peter himself was sitting at the very end, shoes off and toes splashing in the cool water. From the sound of the heartbeat and the gait of the person walking towards him, Peter knew it was Tony.

He continued to stare straight ahead as Tony settled beside him with a soft grunt. In the distance, Peter could hear the sound of the Avengers talking and laughing, and knew some of them were discussing the plan of Tony and Pepper's wedding that was supposedly being planned. He felt a little bad about not socializing, but he needed a quiet place to really think about his thoughts.

This whole plan had saved the universe, sure, but it'd placed Peter a year and a half ahead of his time, potentially ostracizing him from his peers and completely fucking up his mental timeline.

Did he really regret it, though? After saving the universe from who knows how many years of grieving over friends and family? No. No, he didn't really.

There was a soft knocking as Tony rapped his knuckles against the wood of the dock, shaking Peter out of his thoughts.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" his mentor teased slightly. "Are you talking to the skulking astral form of the wizard in your head or as he fucked off to somewhere else?"