You had joined your dad on his annual speaking engagement at MIT, standing proudly in the background as he delivered his address and offered a record-setting grant to the students who were hanging on his every word. Tony was almost done with his speech, watching the words scroll past on the teleprompter, when you paused along with him at the name that was forgotten during the proof-read.
Pepper Potts.
"Shit," you groaned, turning to one of the coordinators in a low whisper, "you were supposed to get her name out of there. What happened?"
"I'm sorry, we didn't have time to fix it," one of them answered nervously, their eyes wide as they waited for your response.
"It's fine...just don't bring it up, alright?"
"Mr. Stark," the woman called to him when he approached, stepping away from you as if your conversation with her hadn't just happened, "I'm so sorry about the teleprompter."
"Alright, adding invisibility to my resume," you mumbled to yourself, turning to Tony with the best smile that you could muster despite the sorrowful stare that he was giving you in return. "Hey, Dad, you okay?"
"Always. Bathroom is this way?" he pointed, looking past you without care towards a reply. "Great, (Y/N), care to join me?"
"In the bathroom?"
"Yeah...I mean, no...I just...I need to talk to you alone," he stammered, continuing towards the doors and to his escape from the rush of people demanding his time and all but ignoring your insistence for them to stay back. When one little man went into a rant about his self-cooking hot dog, you had finally had enough.
"Back off," you snapped, raising your hands in front of you defensively. You heard one of the younger interns whisper something about Iron Man's snippy daughter and it only made you that much more angry at them rather than insulting you in any way. "Mr. Stark needs to pee, so let's give the man a minute, alright?"
"(Y/N)," Tony chuckled, "I applaud the effort, but maybe a little tact?"
"Hey, I could've said worse."
"Noted," he nodded, pushing the door open and holding it for you, allowing you to pass through before him. He stopped just on the other side of it, waiting for it to close before beginning, "listen, sweetheart, I've got a meeting after this and I think you should head back without me. It's all just bureaucracy and diplomatic crap that I barely have interest in, so I can only imagine how bored you'd be."
"Alright, if you're sure that you're okay?"
"Don't worry about me, (Y/N). I'm supposed to be the worrier in this family, remember?"
"How could I forget?" you sighed, reaching out to accept his hug before leaving him to return to your hotel to pack. When you pulled away from his hold, you saw the fatigue and sadness in his eyes, but even if you were to ask him about it now, he would deny it and send you on your way, so you decided to wait until he took the first step. "Call me if you need to talk. You might be able to fool everyone else, but not this girl."
~~~
You would never tell Tony this, but you were relieved when he told you that you should head back to the compound without him; it wasn't that you didn't enjoy going with him on trips like this, and you could do a better job than anyone else with keeping him on task and keeping reporters out of his hair about his split with Pepper, but it took a personal toll when the attention shifted to you.
It wasn't uncommon for the press to print articles after each outing with your dad, thinking that you were given the job to assist him merely because of who you were, having nothing to do with the idea that you really could do it better than anyone else by your skill. The name Stark was both a source of pride and frustration for you, being thought by many that you were nothing more than the spoiled daughter of Tony Stark, and that you thought you were entitled to anything that came your way. It wasn't true at all, when in fact, Tony made you work for everything you had, including this job, and he had no quarrel about taking any of it away if you didn't live up to the expectations that he set.
Most things rolled off your back when you read them, and your skin grew thick with each new gossip or supposed revelation into your life that always proved to be false. But when the threats began to come in, things took a much darker and more serious turn. When the team split under the pressure of the Accords and when you naturally fell on the side of Tony's team, those in the world around you who sided with Cap began to take their anger out on anything labelled as Stark, including you.
"Miss (Y/N)?"
"Yeah, FRIDAY, what's up?"
"I have some bad news," she began gently, "and I think you may want to sit down for this."
"Or, you can just tell me because you're freaking me out."
"Your car has been vandalized."
"Oh, god," you groaned, grimacing at the thought of what your dad would say or do when he found out, "does Dad know? What did they do?"
"I haven't told him yet, no, but I can if you prefer."
"No! No, I can do it," you urged quickly, "just tell me how bad it is."
"I believe the cost to repair the damage will be significant."
It was just one more thing that you would have to hide from your dad, but this was much bigger than anything that had happened in the past, most of those things being just empty threats or ridiculous postings about you on the internet that didn't give you so much as a second of worry. But now, this actually happened, and it made you feel uneasy that it would only get worse. Perhaps it was best to not hide this, but then you'd have to tell him so many other things that he was better off not knowing. He would blame himself for putting you in this position, you were sure of that.
"FRIDAY, can we get this taken care of on the sly? Or are you programmed for full disclosure?"
"If I send your vehicle in to be repaired and bill it to Stark Enterprises, he'll find out, (Y/N). Your account doesn't have nearly enough funds available to cover this, I'm sorry."
"Okay," you muttered, bringing your hand up to your mouth to chew nervously on a fingernail as your mind raced. Your Uncle Rhodey might be willing to help, but he wouldn't keep it a secret from Tony without a really good reason; if you told him that reason was because you were being harassed, it would cause so many more problems. If only Sam or Clint were here, this wouldn't be an issue; no one loved sneaking around behind Tony's back more than those two.
"Hey, sweetheart," Tony greeted unexpectedly, carrying a handful of files as he entered the living room to join you, "what's up?"
"Not much," you lied with a weak smile, "just getting your notes together for your interview with CNN tomorrow. Have to be sure you sound smart, right?"
"Oh, yeah, I cancelled that."
"Why?"
"Because I hate CNN?"
With a loud and purposeful groan, you swept up the papers that you had strewn across the table into a messy pile, lifting them into your arms to carry them to a nearby garbage. Dropping them heavily without care to those that landed on the floor, you turned back to him with a disapproving glare and hands firmly pressed on your hips. "You know, that's information that could have been very useful to me yesterday."
"I'm sorry," he replied quickly, setting his own files down before making his way across the room towards you, "I didn't realize that you had put so much work into it."
"You never do."
"Hey, come on," he warned, though with a gentleness still in his tone, "that's not true. You work really hard, and I see it all the time. You work harder than most of the people who work for me, (Y/N)."
"Miss, I have an estimate for repairs...oh, apologies," FRIDAY paused at her error, "I can update you later."
You closed your eyes and turned away with a discontented mumble to curse her under your breath, trying to settle your nerves as Tony grabbed your arm and turned you to face him again. "An estimate for what?"
"Nothing."
"FRIDAY, tell me," he commanded, his eyes never leaving you even as you looked away.
"I have an estimate for repairs on (Y/N)'s vehicle, boss. She asked to be the one to tell you, and I apologize for the error of speaking out of turn."
"Details, FRIDAY."
"Key scratches and denting on the hood, doors and rear panels, replacement of all tires, and windshield replacement."
"What the hell?" he snapped, his face turning to a deepening red as his anger built. "Who did that?"
"Dad, calm down, it's nothing-"
"It's not nothing, (Y/N)! Is there something that you need to tell me, young lady?"
"Boss, she's been receiving threats for the past several months, from anonymous sources who would seem to be retaliating for your activity with the Accords and your actions against Captain Rogers and his associates."
"Don't forget the sense of entitlement, FRIDAY, if you're going to rat me out."
Tony stood silently for the longest time, so much so that you worried that something had snapped within him and he was in a psychotic haze or something. He stumbled back and away from you slightly, turning towards the bar to move behind it, searching for a glass and a specific bottle; when he found it he readily poured a shot and took it down in an angry swallow, pouring one more before finally saying something.
"Re-book CNN, (Y/N)."
"Dad, no," you urged, hurrying towards him, "if you bring this up on national television, it's only going to get worse."
"I said, re-book it, (Y/N)," he scolded, looking at you with darkened eyes that were rimmed with the threat of tears ready to spill. "No one does this to you, do you understand? No one." Tony threw back his shot, taking one more before replacing the bottle on the shelf and stepping away. "FRIDAY, get Steve on the phone."
"Woah, hold on, Dad. Why are you calling him?"
"Do you think he's going to let this go on any more than I am? You know he thinks of you like his own, so yeah, damn right I'm calling him."
"This isn't his business," you answered matter-of-fact, "so don't talk to him just because of me."
You could see the warm grip of alcohol taking its effect on him, his eyes looking just a bit more relaxed now, though there was still enough anger in them to make him eager to act. He met you in the center of the room and pulled you into a hug, allowing you to feel safe in his arms and to know that he was going to put a stop to this no matter what he had to do. It was something that you hadn't felt in far too long, and you hesitated to pull away for fear that it could be forever before you felt it again.
"(Y/N), you know what," he sighed into your hair, resting his head against yours, "this might be the common goal that we need. If this is happening to you because of us, you can be damn well sure that we'll come together to fix it."
Part 2: Warning: Minor Car Accident
"Dad, no, I told you this a thousand times already," you snapped at the endlessly infuriating man on the other end of the call, trying to focus on both your needy father and navigating the busy city streets, "your meeting with the Secretary is tomorrow at 2pm, not 3. Repeat it."
"Tomorrow at 2pm."
"Again."
"Seriously, (Y/N)? I've got it."
"Again, Stark."
"I meet with Ross tomorrow at 2pm," he answered with a snide huff of accomplishment. You could almost see the smile on his face at his victory, and you couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Okay, so where is it again?"
"You're useless, old man," you sighed, "I'll send you the meeting. Maybe save it this time, okay? Woah, shit-" you gasped, seeing a car taking a sharp turn right into your lane as you crossed through a busy intersection. Even though your exceptionally sharp reflexes had you slamming your brakes quicker than any other driver could have, the other vehicle still crashed into the front panel of yours, sending you spinning a few times and into a large truck in the lane next to you.
"(Y/N)? Are you okay?" Tony called out to you frantically, and even through the dizziness in your head and the sounds of panicked voices just outside, you could hear him getting into a suit to come and find you. "Honey, I'm on the way, stay there."
"I'm okay," you muttered, though not convinced of your own words. You reached up to touch your head when a trickle of blood ran down past your ear, wincing at the pain as you felt the wide cut in your skin. "Or not..."
"Get out of the car, you bitch! I know who you are!"
"That's just lovely." You squeezed your eyes shut and tried to regain your equilibrium, hearing FRIDAY saying something to you but not quite making it out the first time. All you could hear now was an incessant ringing in your ears, and it kept getting louder. "Could you repeat that, FRIDAY?"
"You are not allowed to leave this vehicle, (Y/N). I've locked the doors and have electrified the exterior handles so that no one can gain entry without your permission. This is for your protection, Miss. I believe that this was not an accident."
"Yeah, I got that," you agreed, leaning back into your seat, "how far out is Dad?"
"Five minutes, (Y/N). I have emergency crews on the way as well."
"Thanks." Slowly opening your eyes, you turned to look out through the driver's side window, your vision blurred and wavy, but not so much that you couldn't recognize the chaos around you, and the flurry of people rushing to your door, only to grab its handle to be surprisingly shocked away. You turned to look to your other side, your eyes shooting open in shock at the sight of a man running towards you with a large hammer in hand, ready to break the glass of your door open. "FRIDAY, lock us down!"
"I'm one step ahead," she replied, raising panels around the vehicle that covered the glass of every window so that you were completely encased and unable to see or be seen. Your heart was racing so hard that now you weren't sure if the dizziness was from that or from your injury, but nonetheless, it wasn't abating at all.
"Dad?"
"Two minutes. Shall I call him?"
"No, I can wait," you answered quietly, again leaning back to rest until he could arrive. You were jolted back to attention when the car began to shake slightly, and the sounds of your glass shattering on the windshield in front of you; the metal panels held, but you still felt the fear that it may not, and panic began to set in. "Okay, yeah, call Dad."
The car shook a few more times, and more glass was broken, leaving you breathing so fast that you could only wish to pass out now, feeling that the air around you was nearly gone. It made it worse that you couldn't see what was happening, but in no way did you want to be vulnerable to whatever was going on out there either.
"I'm lowering the panels, (Y/N)," FRIDAY announced, "the exterior situation is secure."
"Great," you gasped, trying to slow your breaths with no success, "I could use some air. Is Dad here?"
"He just arrived."
The panel at your side dropped first, to reveal the last face that you ever expected to see looking back at you with nearly as much panic in his eyes as you were feeling. Steve reached down and ripped the door away from the car in its entirety and threw it aside carelessly, his only goal to reach you and to see for himself that you were safe. "(Y/N), I've got you, come on," he urged, reaching in to lift you up and against his chest, smiling gently when your arm wrapped eagerly around his neck to hold steady. "Let's try to slow it down, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
"Steve, I'm so happy to see you."
"Yeah, me too," Tony panted, stepping from his suit to reach out to you, almost before it had a chance to touch the ground, "thanks for getting to her so fast, Cap, I owe you."
Steve allowed your dad to take you from him, the two men moving so slowly as if they were handling a fragile newborn as they checked each other's movements. "Of course. I was only a few cars back. Don't worry, this guy won't be giving you trouble any time soon, (Y/N). I made sure of that."
You looked from the Captain and to your dad several times as the realization hit you; it wasn't a stroke of luck that Steve was so close by when you were attacked. "You were following me, weren't you?"
"He has been for the last week, sweetheart, but we can talk about that later. You're hurt." He turned to walk towards the ambulance that had just arrived, but you put a hand out to stop him, trying to wiggle free from his grip only to find Steve jumping out in front of him to force you to stay there. "(Y/N), just let me get you to the ambulance, alright? You can yell at us there."
"I'm not going to yell at you guys. I'm just shocked to see you working together. Are you guys getting along now, or did I hit my head that hard?"
Tony gave a nod to one of the paramedics to get his attention, bringing you to him and setting you down on one of the gurneys so slowly that the medic nearly reached out and pulled you from your dad's grip just to get things moving. "Actually," Tony answered, "about this, yes, we're getting along quite well. The rest...I suppose we'll have to talk about that."
"So, should I cancel your meeting with the Secretary tomorrow?"
"That's tomorrow?"
"Seriously, Dad, are you kidding me right now? We've gone over this so many times," you groaned, leaning into the gurney with a loud sigh, closing your eyes as the frustration of his words began to sink in, only making your headache worse. "You know what, Cap? Hold up on that truce. I think I might be ready to switch sides."