Illegitimate Prodigy

Damned if you do, Damned if you don't

His daughter couldn't even look at him, and it wasn't difficult to read her. He dropped his chin, deciphering every move she made. Annabelle was about as good at lying as her mother was. Not at all. Lack of eye contact, stumbling over her words...she was a piping hot mess.

Despite not having raised Annabelle for an extended period of time, he already knew most of her quirks, what upset her and the times  when she was being dishonest. He felt corny saying it was a father's sixth sense, but-- in a way it was.

"Why were you so close to Midtown High School?"

"Just pulled up to the restaurant, gotta go!"

"Annabelle!" He felt his blood begin to boil as her face disappeared. Snorting, he shook his head. He contemplated letting her learn on her own. Letting herself figure out how dangerous getting involved could truly be. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., what's Belle's location?"

"It appears she is leaving Queens through the main tunnel."

The older Stark huffed and bit his bottom lip. Fingers tapped on his arm rest, his brown hues glancing out the airplane window. He let out one last exasperated sigh before his index finger fell on a button to the side of the arm rest. His suit completely enveloping him, and the ceiling opening above him.

- - - - - - - - - -

It only took seconds for Tony to notice the red and gold car making its way out of the Queens tunnel. Not only did he make out Annabelle sitting in the driver seat, but a male
passenger as well. His eyes narrowed, his suit slowing down and beginning to lose altitude. He needed to time the landing correctly. Annabelle could either hit him or swerve and crash.

Feet first, his suit hit the pavement in front of the crimson Prius. The vehicle screeched to a halt, cars honking behind her. His daughter aggressively exited her car, her matching brown eyes fueled with anger.

"Are you insane?!" She screamed, slamming the car door, practically stomping toward him. "What if I hit you? You probably would have killed us." Tony's eyes scanned the windows of the vehicle seeing Peter on the other side of the glass. Although he anticipated this was the reason she was in Queens, he felt more than irritable. He told the kid to contact him if Annabelle tried to get his help.

"What are you doing, Annabelle? What makes you think revenge will make a difference?"

He could see the hate in her eyes, her fists clenching. "What makes you think you are so in control of what I do?"

"I don't think. It's fact. I'm your father."

The young Stark lifted her hand, her eyes rolling. "A little late to be acting fatherly, don't you think?" Tony gritted his teeth, his annoyed  expression unseen by his spawn. She was playing the illegitimate child card. Shaming him for not being there when she was young. Little did she know—he tried.

      There was a long pause, the only thing heard was the long honks and profanity being screamed out each car window. Annabelle's long hair fluttered in the breeze, her piercing brown eyes squinting to avoid them drying out. He understood how she felt. The need to get back at the person who stole the life of a loved one away from her. He irrevocably wanted to do what any father would. Take care of it. Fact of that matter was, Annabelle didn't believe for a second that he cared.

The older Stark scanned his gaze back to the vehicle seeing Peter nervously sitting in the passenger seat. "Take Peter home. Straight home. No pit stops, and no heart to hearts, you got it?" His voice was stern. He noticed her jaw clench in response. "Annabelle?" His voice amplified with the mike in his suit.

"I got it!" She quickly retorted, turning on a heel and stomping back to her car and slamming the door once residing in the interior.

Flight mode kicking in, he was gone in seconds.

———————————
"What did he say?" Peter's voice cracked in anxiousness. Annabelle shifted her car into gear, her eyes averted away from Peter before looking up at the road.
"Nothing. I'm sorry, this was stupid. I shouldn't have brought you into this. I just— didn't want the Vulture to get away with it..."
Belle's voice was soft, her tone defeated. Tony wasn't wrong. Revenge wouldn't make a difference, and she could potentially(almost positively) get herself killed. She could feel the teenagers eyes staring at her, and her eyes couldn't help but water.

"Annabelle," Peter swallowed dryly, his left hand reaching to rest on her shoulder. "Your Dad—he's gonna take care of this. I know he will."

"If you haven't noticed, he doesn't really care."

"He does. I know he does. Why would he go through so much trouble just to make sure you don't get yourself killed? You aren't just some girl, your his daughter."

"He doesn't want me to cause anymore issues for him. With the Accords, his hands are tied and any hiccups with unauthorized plans, will only make it worse. A dead daughter won't rid him with guilt, it will rid him with the government taking away his suits." Annabelle's brown eyes fluttered, a tear making its way down her right cheek. Her gaze glanced back at the hopeful kid sitting in her passenger seat. Flipping her car around, she headed back to the Queens tunnel, and the two didn't let out another peep.