Work Text:
Tony scrubbed his hand down his face with a sigh. There were a million projects scattered around his lab, glowing blue holograms all demanding his attention, and yet none of it was more important than the paper in his hand. It was pink, creased from being folded in his jacket pocket. The top of it read in bold letters:
Rose Hill Elementary School: Daddy Daughter Dance!
He could vividly remember a few hours ago, when Abby had come running up to him with the paper in her hand the moment he walked through the front door. He'd looked at it, his heart deflating as he forced a smile to stay on his face. "I'll have to talk about it with your mama," he'd said, knowing what the outcome would be but holding onto futile hope that something could be worked out. Both kids ran off to play in the garage with Tony's promise of being there soon before he walked slowly over to where Rosa was cooking alfredo.
"What is it?" She'd asked, and Tony had shown her the paper. Her smile dropped immediately, a little "oh" leaving her.
It wasn't that Rosa would ever ban him from doing anything with Abby or Harley, it was simply that it was too dangerous in the sense of his identity becoming known. Going around town was one thing. People tended not to look too hard for superhero billionaires in the middle of nowhere, and his casual disguises kept anyone from doing a double take. A school event was different. There would be parents, teachers, students - people who both knew the Keeners, and would look closer if Abigail suddenly had a dad. All it would take was one photograph and then her face would be in the news.
The idea of wearing face changing tech crossed his mind, and while that would keep his identity secret, it would have rumors about Rosa fueling the small town gossip. He also did not think Abby would like it if he changed his face, even if she would know the man underneath it as her father.
After dinner, the two parents had sat down and explained it to Abby, who was sad but understanding. It wasn't the first time Tony couldn't go somewhere or be with them for an event, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Still, that heartbroken expression on her face killed him inside.
He'd done his best to cheer her up before leaving, the paper weighing so heavily in his pocket that it should have dragged down the Ironman suit. Now he was here, blinking back tears as he read those words over and over again.
His daughter deserved this. She deserved to have her dad bring her to the dance.
And dang it, he deserved to take her.
Tony dropped the paper on the table, bowing his head as he ran both hands through his hair, desperately trying to think of a way to make this right. He couldn't take her to the dance-
But that didn't mean they couldn't have their own Daddy Daughter Date.
With that in mind, he quickly formed a plan that had him grabbing his phone and texting Rosa, a smile slowly forming.
______
It had been the worst day ever for Abigail Keener. Worse than when Mr. Carson sent her home with that F and a note on her test.
First, she got pancake syrup on the sleeve of her favorite jacket. Then she got distracted during the reading circle and didn't know where they were when it was her turn, so she got in trouble for not paying attention. During recess, she got hit with the dodge ball more times than she could count. At snack time, she got her least favorite bag of chips because that was all that was left. Finally, at the end of the day while they were waiting for the bus, all her friends could talk about was the Daddy Daughter Dance that night. She'd been able to tune them out for most of the day, but couldn't escape it when they were surrounding her, laughing and talking about how their dads were all going to be wearing outfits to match their dresses. Abby fought back tears on the bus, sitting by herself because Harley had his robot club that afternoon.
When she got off the bus, she let her backpack drag on the sidewalk, the dusting of snow crunching under her feet. She took the steps slowly, trying to buy herself time to get rid of the tears, because if Mama saw her tears, then she would be sad. Sniffing, she wiped her nose with her syrupy sleeve before opening the door.
It was dark in the house. Way too dark. She stepped inside cautiously, pulling her bag over the step. "Mama?"
There was a sound - a clap - and then blue lights came to life, shaped like twinkling stars on the walls. In the middle of it all was a man she recognized well, wearing a dark blue sweater and white pants. He grinned at her. "Munchkin!"
Joy surged through her. "Daddy!" She let go of her bag, sprinting for him with her arms out. He scooped her up, spinning her around as he did, and she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Mama said you had meetings."
"Nope, just wanted to surprise you." He laughed. "Even if I did, I'd skip them. They're boring."
"Pepper doesn't like it when you do that." She pointed out, pulling away to frown at him.
"No, she doesn't, but she thinks they're boring, too, and you're more important than them." He kissed the side of her head. "Now, how about you get ready."
"Ready for what? We can't go to the dance." The reminder pulled at her heart, though it was hard to be sad with him there.
"No, but we can have a lot more fun on a Daddy Daughter Date. Anything you want to do," he booped her lightly on the nose, making her giggle, "is what we'll do." He turned, reaching his free hand to grab a gift bag off the couch, presenting it to her.
Excitement washed away the horrible day. Anything she wanted to do? A Daddy Daughter Date sounded so much better than a dance! She reached into the bag and her hands found soft cloth. Pulling it out, it unfurled into a long sleeved, dark blue dress with white cotton lining. "It's so pretty!"
"Your mama helped me pick it out. She'd be here, but work held her for an extra hour." He put her down on the floor, handing her the bag. "There's a new set of leggings and boots in there, too."
"Thank you, Daddy!" She squealed, practically running for her room to change. She made it back in record time, stumbling to get the white boots on without stopping. The second she did stop, her father was there, pulling something around her shoulders: a thick white shawl.
"Gotta stay warm," he held up a set of white gloves. As he helped her into them, she noticed that it was an Ironman helmet on the table creating the show in the living room, light shining from the eyes and seams.
"JARVIS?" She called.
"Yes, Miss Abby?" The British voice answered. Abby loved JARVIS. He was so much fun and she enjoyed listening to him and Daddy bicker.
"Can you make snowflakes?"
"Certainly." The stars changed into her desired snowflakes - all different sizes and designs.
Daddy finished getting the gloves on her hands. "That feel okay?" She nodded. "Okay, just one more thing." He stepped away, going into the kitchen. "Stay there."
She bounced on her toes, trying to see what he was grabbing. When he returned, he had something behind his back. He knelt in front of her. "Every princess deserves her crown."
Abby gasped quietly as Daddy revealed what he had: a gorgeous princess crown, silver in color with dark blue gems in it. The biggest one was a heart in the middle. "It's beautiful."
He slid it onto her head. It acted like a headband, the ends securing themselves behind her ears. He stood and bowed, making her laugh. "Where to, Princess Abby?"
She thought hard about it. Anywhere she wanted? "Can we eat Burger King and go see the Frozen movie?" She'd heard that the songs were amazing from her classmates. Somehow, she'd avoided 'spoilers' since it came out.
"As the princess wants." He held out his hand and she took it. They got almost to the door before Abby dug in her heels.
"Wait, wait! We can't go yet!"
"Is something wrong?" He asked, frowning down at her in concern.
"Yes!" She tugged on his hand, pulling him back into the middle of the room. "You have to dance with me first!"
The worry in his face melted away with a laugh. "That I can do." He spun her around by the hand, then took her other hand to lead her in a dance around the room. She fumbled to follow his steps, laughing even as she stumbled. After a minute, she stepped onto his shoes, holding his hands as she giggled. JARVIS played Disney songs, making the blue shapes on the walls move around with them.
"You having fun?" Daddy asked, smiling.
"Yes!" She stepped off of his shoes, getting him to spin her around again. "You're the best, Daddy!"
"And you are the best daughter." He picked her up again, hugging her. "Ready to go?"
"Yep!"
As he carried her out to the car - he'd parked it in the garage for once - Abby had a feeling this was going to end up being the best day of her life.
______
Nothing could be better than seeing the pure happiness on your child's face, Tony was sure. He'd saved the world once or twice, but that feeling didn't compare to how he felt whenever Harley or Abby were happy. He wasn't sure how that worked. It had to be a parent thing.
Tony was the happiest he'd been in a while, taking Abby through the drive thru to get Burger King (two cheeseburgers for him, chicken nuggets and fries for her, and two vanilla milkshakes) and then to the theater.
One big perk of smaller towns was that despite the movie coming out not long ago, the theater wasn't full. A bored attendant gave him the tickets, a large bowl of popcorn, and the candy Abby wanted without showing a single sign of recognizing him. (It helped that he rarely styled his hair when in Rose Hill, and his natural hair made a big difference.)
They found the best seats in the mostly empty theater and settled in just a few minutes before the movie opened with blades cutting through ice and a song thrumming through the speakers.
Honestly, the movie itself was more intriguing than he expected, but he mostly watched Abby as she scooped handfuls of popcorn out of the bucket, eyes wide with wonder as the story of Anna and Elsa played out before them.
(When Hans betrayed Anna, Tony's fist clenched before he forced it to relax. If a boy treated Abby like that in the future... he wouldn't be adverse to getting out the Ironman suit.)
When the movie ended with Arendelle saved and two sisters reunited, they walked out of the theater together, Abby's hand in his as she skipped at his side.
"Did you like the movie, munchkin?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"I loved it!" She beamed at him. "Can I be Anna next Halloween? Or Elsa?"
"I don't see why not. Whoever you choose."
"Hans was so mean. I'm glad Anna and Kristoff got together. Do you think I'll meet someone like Kristoff one day?"
"I'm sure you will." He squeezed her hand. He didn't exactly like to think about Abby dating. She would always be his little girl in his mind. "Just remember that if a boy tries to treat you like Hans did, or is mean at all, you tell me. I'll handle him."
"Okay." They reached the car and he helped her into her booster seat. "Daddy, will I ever have a sister?"
He paused. "Uh..." He couldn't say the idea of having a kid with Pepper hadn't crossed his mind. They just weren't in the place for that yet, especially with him being Ironman and Pepper still at the healm of leading the transition into renewable Arc Reactor energy throughout the country. Adding a baby to the mix would be too chaotic. (He'd also like to marry her first.) "We'll have to see what the future holds on that, Abby."
"That's not a no." She giggled as he buckled her in.
"No, it's not." He laughed. "Did you have fun today?"
"So much fun! Thank you, Daddy."
"Anything for my little princess."
______
While it wasn't exactly late at seven o' clock, the sugar crash set in quickly after leaving the theater. Nearly back to Rosa's house, Tony glanced in the rearview mirror to find Abby almost asleep in her seat, head hanging forward and clearly struggling to stay awake. He smiled softly, content that he'd done exactly what he needed to, ensuring Abby knew that he loved her, even if he couldn't be there for everything due to his identity.
He pulled into the driveway. The porch light came on automatically, fighting back the darkness of an early winter night. Tony carefully got Abby out of her seat, and she curled against his chest in a hug, arms wrapped around his neck and head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Daddy," she mumbled sleepily.
He kissed the side of her head. "I love you, munchkin."