The Runaway Distance: Life of a Little Stark

2) I Am Iron Man

When Tony Stark walked into his house for the first time in days, a very complex and overwhelming wave of emotion crashed over him. Relief, sadness, and guilt were most prominent.

Every day he was trapped in that cave was torture. But not because of the Ten Rings or being held hostage, but because he never had the chance to apologize to you for all the times he wasn't there.

He braced himself when the doors shut from behind, waiting for your annoyed yells or sarcastic comments about how he abandoned you yet again. But when those didn't come, he straightened up, confused, and looked around.

"JARVIS?" He called.

"Yes, sir?" The AI responded.

"Where's (Y/n)?"

There was a long pause. A very long pause.

"I'm afraid I am unable to locate Miss Stark at this time."

Those words only confused him even more. "What do you mean? She's not here?"

"I believe not."

With a frown on his face, Tony moved towards the main staircase, climbing to the very top. He went to your room, smiling at all the stickers that decorated the door, and knocked.

"(Y/n)? It's me."

No answer.

"(Y/n)?"

He pushed on the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. He stumbled in, closing it behind, and was further shocked by the cleanliness. No clothes were strewn about, no dirty plates or glasses, your desk was clean, and your workbench just as spotless.

He looked around some more until he caught sight of a slight glint from the sunlight coming through the window. He moved closer, his heart skipping a beat when he saw your pendant lying on top of a folded note.

For a minute, he just stared at it, wondering why it was there. You never took it off. No matter how much you complained, it stayed around your neck.

So why was it just lying there?

He picked it up in one hand and used the other to read the note. As he did, dread set in. It was like someone was squeezing him to death, making sure the air left slowly, excruciatingly painfully.

His little girl was gone?

Where?

Why?

Was it because of him? Had you finally had enough? Why did you run?

It felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, stealing the air. He couldn't breathe and the room was starting to spin. As the weight of emotions crushed his heart, a single tear slid down his cheek.

"(Y/n)..."

-(Y/n) POV-

You had been running for weeks upon weeks. At the last count, it was three months. You'd even made it across the country, taking refuge in an old and abandoned warehouse in Upstate New York.

You'd changed considerably in that time. Your hair was cut and dyed like most other teens in order to blend in, you didn't dress as fashionably either, mostly sticking to plain shirts and pants. It had been incredibly lonely, but Obadiah's threat was still fresh in your mind. He probably had people looking for you right now even though he was apparently dead.

You'd been keeping up with the news by stealing papers. Your dad was alive and well, just as you hoped and prayed, but shortly after he came back, Obadiah was involved in an arc reactor explosion. Apparently some 'Iron Man' hero had been seen around the same time and many were convinced he was involved.