Avengers: Endgame Alternate Ending

(This is in honor of and dedicated to Cameron Boyce, the bright star we lost just days ago.)

Peter watches Iron Man take the Infinity Stones from Thanos' gauntlet. He watches him put on the gauntlet and knows exactly what Tony is about to do.

"NOOO!!!" Peter yells.

He runs towards Tony as fast as he can, but he is too far away. Peter hitches a ride on one of the space caterpillars with his webs and propels himself further towards Tony. Soon he is just inches away when Tony says, "I.....am Iro--kid?"

Tony stops and looks up at Peter. "Kid, get back. Go fight some chitauri or something. Go! Now!" He yells.

"Mr. Stark." Peter grabs his arm, "I can't let you do this. I'm sorry. You have a family. I'm so so sorry." Peter gives him a hug and pulls back. "Goodbye, Iron Man."

"Peter, Spider-Man, I am sorry too. I don't want to do this. I love you, kid." Tony says, not completely registering what the kid just said, given the weight of the current situation..

"I love you too, Mr.St-" Peter starts when Thanos punches him hard in the back, sending him sprawling. Thanos grabs Tony by the neck and grabs his right arm, looking at the iron gauntlet. His face looks up at Tony in shock.

"What have you done?" Thanos says, punching him in the face, still holding firm on his neck. Tony looks down at his hand. "No." he wheezes eyes glazed.

Peter gets up from behind the pair and says, "Tell May I'm sorry. Tell Happy to take care of her." Thanos begins walking closer to the boy, Tony Stark still held by his massive hand. "The world isn't ready to lose Iron Man. Tony, this isn't your fault. This is my choice. I'll see you in another life." He smiles with a wink and closes his eyes. He looks up at the sky, "I am ready to go." he says, breathing out.

*snap*

"No!" Thanos howls, reaching out for the kid who slowly falls sits back, out of his grasp. "That kid ruined everything. Who even is he?!"

"That is Peter Parker. That is Spider-Man." Tony Stark replies, rushing forward to the kid, tears streaming down his cheeks. He cradles his head, then gently rests it on the ground, walking forward to confront Thanos.

Thanos slowly backs away as his troops diminish behind him. "This isn't possible. I was beaten by a child."

"No." Tony says, stepping towards him. "You were beaten by the purest hero of all time. You were beaten by the one who is the best out of all of us, so before you say anything more to disrespect the savior of the universe, die, Thanos, die for all you've done." Tony places his arc reactor that he had gotten back from Steve Rogers hours earlier on Thanos' chest. Tony Stark waits for the resulting blast to take him to oblivion, to where Peter is now doomed to join him. He is ready to go down with Peter. He can't lose him again. Suddenly, half a shield comes down in front of him.

"The kid did it for you. Don't waste his sacrifice." Steve Rogers says, intertwining his gloved fingers with Tony's armored ones.

The blast resonates and Thanos is left standing in front of the two heroes in defeat, bloody and broken. Slowly, Thanos begins turning to dust, knowing that he lost completely and wholly with no honor or glory.

Tony drops to his knees, turning to Peter's dying body. He cradles him again and lets the tears fall once more. Steve sits down next to him and wraps his arm around Tony.

"Take care of my sister for me." Peter says, putting a small smile on his face, his eyes brimmed with tears and glossy with pain. He closes his eyes, a smile still on his face, slipping into unconsciousness with the most peaceful thought in his mind.

"Strange!" Tony chokes out, voice hoarse. "Fix this!" he sobs. Unable to let go of Peter Parker's lifeless body.

Dr. Strange walks forward, tears staining his cheeks as well. "It was the only way." He says, voice cracking.

Tony closes his eyes and clenches his teeth. It is then that he realizes that there is no way Peter could have known about Morgan. He opens his eyes and looks at Peter wide eyed and amazed. He slowly turns to look behind him to see a mass of heroes all crying for the boy who saved Tony, for the boy who saved the universe. T'Challa drops to his knees with the rest of the heroes from Wakanda. Soon, the entire army of Avengers are on their knees, bowing to Spider-Man.

Tony stands up and sets Peter in front of him, then he too bows to the hero who saved his life.

Thor stands up in the crowd and begins reciting an ancient Asgardian text. Soon, Peter's body begins to glow golden. The wizards stand as well and open portals from all over the world so every single being on Earth can see their hero, Spider-Man.

Peter continues to glow golden until the light surrounding him seems to become a blinding white. Everyone looks up, despite the brightness, to see a shocking sight. They see Peter walking towards the light, helped along by a man with silver hair, smiling at Peter as if he were his own son. The heroes can all see the man's bright smile as he turns towards the light and raises his fist.

"Excelsior!" The man says, walking into the light with the young superhero.

Slowly, the light dissipates and the man and the boy disappear, leaving only the young hero's mask behind on the ground.

10 years later

My name is Morgan Stark. Ever since I was five, my dad would tell me stories about my brother who saved the universe; he would tell me about how my brother, Peter, healed him. Dad always claimed that Peter sometimes visits him in his dreams to keep his nightmares at bay and to remind him of all the light in the world.

I haven't told anyone this, but I think that Peter visits my dreams sometimes too, teaching me about the workings of the world and being the best brother I could ever have. I know he is always watching out for me because somehow, whenever I am in danger, I feel a tingling sense in my head. Spider-Man may not be alive anymore, but I know he lives on in my heart.

As I fasten my self-made web shooters on my wrists, I pull down my brother's mask over my face and smile, leaping off the ledge I was just residing upon. I know that here, swinging above the streets of New York, Peter is reunited with the world once more and that this planet and this universe will be forever protected by Spider-Man, the greatest hero of all time.