After the battle, after he dies--Tony lingers.
He isn’t entirely sure why. It’s not like there’s someone giving out guidebooks to the mostly dead.
And he is--he is very sure he is dead. He watches Pepper grieve, watches Morgan cry herself to sleep, watches Peter trying so damn hard to be strong, watches him breaking down when no one can see him.
He isn’t sure why he’s here, why he’s not--well, wherever the hell the dead go, he’s pretty sure it’s not supposed to be haunting his widow and grieving kids. But you know. He is, so. He makes the best of it.
Because there isn’t any fucking way for him to communicate. He can’t kiss away Pep’s tears or rock Morgan to sleep. Can’t drink with Rhodey and tease Happy and he can’t hold Peter close and reassure his kid that he’s doing so good. That he is so fucking proud of him.
As time passes, he spends more and more time at Peter’s side. Pepper and Morgan are grieving but they’re ok. They’re moving on. They’re healing.
Peter isn’t. Peter is stuck, and it breaks his heart, watching the kid struggle.
He wishes he could talk to him. Wishes he could tell Pete one last time, he’s proud of him.
Wishes he could tell him not to be a goddamn suicidal idiot when Peter throws himself into missions far too big for him.
Mysterio and the whole European fiasco probably would have killed Tony, if he weren’t already dead.
Then one day--Peter goes by his workshop.
The bots are there, and DUM-E beeps at him while U and Butterfingers whir and chirp at Peter and it takes Tony a few minutes to realize--DUM-E is beeping excited and insistent at him.
“You see me,” he whispers, and DUM-E beeps excitedly.
He can see Peter staring at DUM-E, beeping like a demented puppy at nothing, and he realizes, suddenly--there might still be a way to tell Peter everything he never got the chance to say.
Because death doesn’t come with a guidebook, but he’s Tony fucking Stark, and he doesn’t need a goddamn Ouija board to talk to his kid, not when he has tech.
He grins, and says, “Ok, boys. Daddy’s home. Time to go to work.”
