I got this idea from Bush's song Letting the cables sleep. The first time I heard this it made me tear up, because I thought of Endgame when I heard it. All these characters belong to Marvel, and the song belongs to Bush. This was my first Avengers story, it's only a one short but I do have another one that I am working on.
2 months before Endgame
Tony was in his workshop working on a hologram for him to speak at his own funeral. He knew deep inside that he might not make it back home to Pepper and Morgan. So this was his way of staying with them after he was gone. Pepper knew what he was doing, well she didn't like it but she knew it will happen one day. She hoped it wasn't a day anytime soon, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her husband. They were married for only a few years now and they have a daughter together as well.
During the funeral:
Just before they had put the flowers with his arc reactor in the river, Pepper opened the hologram.
"I know that Tony would've wanted to speak at his own funeral so where we go." Pepper said trying not to cry as she spoke.
Tony sat in the kitchen chair. "I have so many words but not a lot of time to say them. I don't want to keep you all wasting your day for my funeral. I just wanted to say how I appreciated everyone that had believed in me in my life. I was truly blessed to have a family like this, to have a loving wife and a very beautiful daughter. Pepper, Morgan I love you both 3000." The hologram had ended there. Pepper was holding Morgan as they both wept.
Pepper knew that he made holograms for every Avenger, and a few for her and Morgan before his death. Well he made a few personal ones just for Pepper.
Morgan stopped her mom before they put the flowers in the water. "What's wrong honey?" Pepper asked her daughter.
"You know that song the daddy liked that he said to play when we came here." Morgan was the sure how to say funeral
"What song?" Pepper questioned not knowing what Morgan was talking about
"You know the one about being a stranger in a town." Morgan spoke up
"The one by Bush?" Pepper asked her daughter
"Yes that one mommy. I think he would like it if we played it while we put the flowers in the water." Pepper nodded trying not to cry again.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. please play Letting the cables sleep by Bush and turn it up please." Pepper asked the A.I.
"Sure thing Mrs. Stark." F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied
Each one of the guest gather the flowers to put with Tony's Arc reactor when the song started
You in the dark
You in the pain
You on the run
Living a hell
Living your ghost
Living your end
Never seem to get in the place that I belong
Don't want to lose the time
Lose the time to come
Whatever you say it's alright
Whatever you do it's all good
Whatever you say it's alright
Silence is not the way
We need to talk about it
If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way
Pepper and Morgan places the flowers with the arc reactor on the water as it started to flot away.
You in the sea
On a decline
Breaking the waves
Watching the lights go down
Letting the cables sleep
Whatever you say it's alright
Whatever you do it's all good
Whatever you say it's alright
Silence is not the way
We need to talk about it
Pepper listened to the lyrics of the song as if she knew why Tony wanted this song to play at his funeral. Now she thinks she knows why, it was his way of telling her everything was going to be okay with her and Morgan.
If heaven is on the way
We'll wrap the world around it
If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way
I'm a stranger in this town
I'm a stranger in this town
I'm a stranger in this town
If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way
I'm a stranger in this town
I'm a stranger in this town
Later at the Stark house
Pepper had put Morgan to bed. This was something that she might not ever get past, losing the love of her life. She started sleeping in his shirts all the time and taking his pillow and sniffing it just to smell his sent. She couldn't sleep at all and she had the tv on low she needed light in the room whenever she slept. She didn't feel safe anymore.
She took one of her personal holograms that Tony had made before he passed away. She sat on the edge of the bed with his pillow in her arms.
Tony popped up, the day that he recorded the hologram he wore his AC/DC tank top because he know just how much she thought it was sexy.
"Honey, where do I even start. I know that you won't be able to sleep at night now. Please try to though, you need your energy especially when Morgan gets older. I wish I was there with you Pep, the Thanos deal was really out of my control. Just know that I will always be in here." Tony said pointing to his chest where there was no arc reactor "I love you 3000 Mrs. Stark and always will forever." The hologram of Tony Stark stopped.
Now Pepper was crying again because she knew that Thanos was the reason why her husband was dead. It was his job to save the world even if that meant that he had to sacrifice himself to save his family from dying. She couldn't be mad at him she knew what she was getting into when she married him.
Since he died he had no idea where he was. He thought he was in the Soul realm where she saw his daughter but he wasn't. He had no idea where he was or even what to do for that fact. He was like a stranger that moved to a new town and didn't know where anything was or who anyone was.
"Anthony Edward Stark." Maria walked towards her son Howard followed behind
"Mom, dad where am I? Wasn't I just with Pepper, what the hell is going on?" Tony asked being confused
Howard and Maria looked at each other not knowing which one was going to say something. "Just say it am I dead?" Tony asked the couple looked at their son
"Yes you are, but don't worry you will like it here." Maria tried to convince him that everything will be okay
"Mom I have a family now why did I leave them. Oh my god Morgan is going to grow up with out her father, and Pepper is a widow at a young age." Tony kept rambling Howard put his hand on his son's shoulder
"Stop rambling. Your wife and daughter will be okay, in time okay. Just stop worrying about them, they will be fine with time. Now come with us son, you have so much to look forward to." Howard said trying to calm Tony down knowing how worked up he is about not being there with his family.
"Now tell us about Pepper." Maria said taking her sons hand
"Well she was my P.A. for awhile, then when I got kidnapped in Afghanistan not knowing if I was going to make it out alive or not. I knew I had feelings for her but never knew that she could love a guy like me. The night that we danced and almost kissed at some firefighter ball I was doing. Then I realized that I was done with the playboy act and then I should grow to be a man. Then a few months later we started dating and then a few years later we married and had Morgan who's your grand daughter." Tony summed up all the information about his and Pepper's life as short as he could.
"We wish we could've met Morgan, and we were at the wedding Anthony. It was very lovely for sure." Maria said as they continue walking
"Thanks mom, I still feel like a stranger to this town." Tony said realizing that he just quoted a line from the song
Howard looked over at Tony. "What's wrong?" Howard asked his son
The three of them stopped what they were doing and turned to see what the music was. Tony had recognized it out of nowhere. It was Letting the cables sleep by Bush.
"She's doing it, she followed my wishes." Tony spoke in barely a whisper
"I think it might be your funeral going on right now. It happened to us to, it was like we were actually there." Maria said looking at her son trying to cheer him up some from the fact of him actually being dead.
Tony watched his funeral as like he was there with his parents. He started singing the song that was played from his phone. He wasn't going to get used of being dead for awhile and not being able to wake up next to Pepper and he still feels down about that. "Maybe I won't feel like a stranger to this town after I get to know some people." Tony said trying to crack a joke to make his parents laugh.
No one laughed at the joke but they both knew what it felt to be strangers when they first got there. They were going to make Tony feel like he belonged where he was eventhough he still wanted to be with Pepper and alive but destiny had something else planned.