The Runaway Distance: Life of a Little Stark

1) The Beginning of the End

Obadiah's office was at the end. Usually there was a secretary waiting to interrogate whoever wanted to visit, but she was gone. You walked up to the door and were about to knock when something you heard stopped you dead in your tracks.

"He's not dead?"

You froze, confused.

"What do you mean he's not dead? You were supposed to kill him on the road. What happened to the plan?!"

You flinched at the shout, assuming he was on the phone. You wondered what he meant by 'you were supposed to kill him'? And what plan? Did Obadiah want someone dead? Who?

"What do you mean, he's building a weapon? Listen to me, you cannot trust Stark to cooperate. He's like wildfire. Kill him while you have the chance. If you don't, I'll come over there and kill him myself!"

You looked up, wide-eyed. Your heart started to quicken and it felt like the world was spinning. Surely you misheard or misunderstood. Why would one of your dad's closest friends plan to kill him? Was Obadiah the reason he was missing? It sounded like it.

"Finish the job and I'll pay you what we agreed on. Nothing more, nothing less. Do we have a deal?"

You strained to catch what he was saying but yelled in surprise when something collided with the other side of the wall you were leaning against. You covered your mouth with your hands, terrified.

The door opened and when Obadiah saw you standing there, he looked angrier than you'd ever seen him. The look in his eyes was almost outright murderous. Without so much as a word, he grabbed your arm and pulled you into the office, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"What did you hear?" He demanded to know, voice low and dangerous.

You shook your head, fear rooting you to the spot. "W-What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, (Y/n)."

"I-I'm not. I didn't hear anything."

He sighed in frustration and began to pace around. "Tell me what you heard and maybe we can come to an arrangement."

You swallowed a large amount of air, your hands shaking as you watched the man get more and more aggravated the longer you stayed silent. He knew you were there so there was no point in lying. But if he wanted to kill your dad, did that mean he wanted to kill you too?

"What happened to my dad?" You asked.

Your voice was so timid and quiet that even you barely heard it. Obadiah continued to pace but slowed a little to look at you.

"Your father got himself into trouble. He's in danger."

You frowned. "Who's responsible?"

He thought about how to answer and that was when you knew he was lying. "Some local terrorist group. They want money for his return. A ransom."

"But it..." You looked down, your hands still shaking. "You said you would kill him yourself if they didn't."

"(Y/n), that wasn't what you thought-"

"-Then what was it?" Your mind was already on overdrive, assessing every little detail it could. "It sounded like you wanted him gone and you - you paid these... Terrorists to do the job for you."

He stopped and faced you fully, the murderous look back on his face. "Is that what you think?"

"You're the reason he's missing!"

You regretted the outburst immediately because Obadiah lunged at you, his arm pressed on your throat and holding you against the wall.

"And who's going to believe you? It's the word of Tony's mistake against his best friend. Who do you think the media will flock to?"

In the fight for air, your anger and desperation was getting the better of you. "You can't do this!"

He tightened his grip, making you whimper. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you. If you don't do what I say, I'll sell you off. You won't be able to walk out of these doors fast enough to save your life."

When you started turning purple, he stepped back. You collapsed to the ground, coughing and choking on the air you tried to get back.

"You can't do this." You gasped out.

He looked down at you, not a hint of sympathy in his voice. "You won't tell anyone. You won't go to the police, or Ms. Potts. Or Rhodes. You will shut up and go home or I will find a way to get rid of you."

-

You crashed through the front doors of your home breathless and paranoid. You'd run most of the way back, looking over your shoulder every ten seconds thanks to Obadiah and his threats.

You couldn't think straight and all but threw your bag across the room to run your hands through your hair. You couldn't understand why he'd pay people to have your father killed. In fact, you struggled to understand why you cared so much.

He was your dad, yes, but you hated him most days. He was always in his workshop blasting music and talking to anyone but you. He would promise to be there for your birthdays and yet somehow he'd missed almost every single one. You spoke to JARVIS more than your actual family.

"Miss Stark, your pulse rate is at 120 BPM and climbing. Would you like me to call someone?" The mentioned AI said.

You inhaled sharply, scared to death by the sudden voice.

"No!" You exclaimed, glancing at the front doors. "N-No, I'm fine. Thank you, JARVIS."

You put a hand over your heart and glanced around. You were alone because Pepper was at the office. But you were still scared. Petrified, even.

Obadiah had promised to kill you. And, by the sounds of it, he was more than ready to make good on that. If you told Pepper, Rhodey, or Happy about that, they'd be in danger too. Sure, they might be able to help, but you couldn't take that chance. They raised you better than your own parent and you would never forgive yourself if anything happened to them.

The only sane thing you could think of was running. You were sixteen. You were terrified. Nothing else made sense at that moment.

You ran upstairs, grabbing the biggest duffel bag you owned and throwing necessities inside. You didn't know how much time had passed, but it was near sunset by the time you finished packing.

Perhaps the only good thing about being Tony Stark's daughter was that you were somewhat smart. You used this knowledge to wipe the house footage so no one would know you'd taken off. Well, no one but your dad.

You had faith he'd get out of whatever situation he was in so, when he did, you left a gift and a note for him.

The gift was a pendant. You placed it on the table next to the note.

Dad,
I don't know when you'll come back, but I know you will. I just do. Until then, I have to go. I can't say why, but I do.

I know it's not easy to raise a kid, especially when you're you. But just please don't look for me. Not that you'll try. But please. I'm sorry.

-(Y/n)