Title: what you are in the dark

Fandom: Amazing Spider-Man (2012)/Avengers movieverse

Disclaimer: not my characters

Warnings: future!fic; implied character death; dark; AUish

Pairings: Peter/Gwen

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 385

Point of view: third

Prompt: Author's choice, author's choice, I'll weep all night, with stars I'll fight / The fray shall well become me.

When he falls, it's hard. Hits the sidewalk and it cracks. Doesn't move.

For a very long moment, he doesn't breathe.

They are the greatest heroes in the world. Against them, who could stand?

A careful hand turns him over and pauses, just to see. When he doesn't move, the same careful hand pulls off his mask.

He's been here before, standing against the heroes, misunderstood and disliked.

(always misunderstood and disliked or ignored, except by his blood and the girl of his dreams - but they're all gone now, everyone he loved, everyone who loved him.

they're gone and he's alone.

alone on the ground, bruised and bloodied, unmasked.)

"He's just a kid!" one voice lashes out and his eyes open.

Iron Man. Captain America. Hulk. He can't see Black Widow, but she can't be far; he doesn't see Hawkeye, but Hawkeye definitely sees him. Thor's back on Asgard this week.

Iron Man probably has his life story streaming into that helmet by now, but there's no one left to protect.

He's been doing his best to be a hero, but his best is never good enough.

(alone on the cracked sidewalk, bruised and bloodied, unmasked.

alone.)

He moves, flipping up and grabbing the wall, too quick to see.

"Whoa!" Iron Man shouts.

He dodges Hulk, Hawkeye's arrow (tranquilizer? no way to tell without being hit), Iron Man. There is nowhere the boy he used to be could hide without being found.

But he's not the boy he used to be. Everyone who knew that boy is dead, and who is he without those who knew him? Nothing.

(alone.)

All that's left is the spider.

The entire city is looking for him. The greatest heroes in the world. All he's ever tried to do is the right thing, and his best is never good enough. There's no one left to protect. No one left to love.

(Uncle Ben. Aunt May. Gwen.

Mama. Daddy.

Peter.)

Let them look. Let them find.

He's done trying his best. He's done trying at all.

All that's left is survival.

… and maybe vengeance.

He's fallen, now. Nothing left but blood and dirt, and so much rage, so much hate.

His eyes are open and the world is spread wide.

(alone. so alone.)

Peter Parker is dead.

Long live the spider.