Age 4

"MARIA! GET THIS BRAT OUT OF MY FACE," bellowed Howard Stark, drunk and overworked, clenching his hands in fists to halt himself from hitting his son, Tony, who was quietly trembling while holding what looked like a circuit board.

"Momma went shopping," whispered Tony, quivering in place as he saw the growing rage in his father's eyes.

"Why the hell is she shopping? I need her back here, taking care of you little shit," grumbled Howard, turning in his chair to face the boy.

"I won't be a bad boy, Daddy, I swear," whimpered Tony, stumbling back, his self-preservation instincts kicking in. The sting of yesterday's punishment resonated in his mind, and he ducked his head as his father rose, swaying from the liquor.

"Come over here, boy."

"Yes, Daddy," Tony said, dropping the circuit to the ground and kicking it away before shuffling forward. Howard yanked him forward, ugly breath curling in Tony's face.

"Do you know how much of a burden you are? Do you know how screwed up you are? You shouldn't exist," spat Howard, shoving the bastard child away.

"Yes Daddy," came the murmur, the not-so-silent crying of his son grating on Howard's nerves.

Howard rummaged around, looking for something to shut the kid up. He grinned when he found one of his more recent creations. A blinding serum, meant to be turned to gas, to help SHIELD with their undercover operations. Right now, it was pure, concentrated chemicals that would cause instant pain and blindness upon application. If the idiot couldn't see, he would have no choice but to shut up.

"Tony, pissant, get over here."

The little boy shuffled forward, wincing when his father's chemical-burned, calloused hand lifted him up on the desk.

"Tony, you've been a bad boy, and you need to be punished," muttered Howard, trying to get the cap off of the serum, his inebriation making the task much more difficult.

Pop.

Howard grabbed an eyedropper from nearby, filling it all the way before slamming Tony's head against the desk. Ignoring the cries emanating from the boy, he dropped the liquid in his son's eyes, satisfied by the intense screams that followed.

But the alcohol had made Howard quick to anger, easy to annoy. And the screams that sated his psycho mind now brought heat bubbling to the surface, a feeling of being closed in, rendering the man incapable of thought. Howard lashed out, hands flailing and finding his son's body. Tony whimpered, backing away. He rubbed his stinging cheek and stumbled out of the workshop. Howard watched, his vision going blurry before passing out.

Maria walked in to a silent house, something surprising. Usually, her four year old son would be all over her. She put the groceries down on the table, calling Tony's name. She walked up the stairs to his room, hoping to find him playing with some abandoned gadget of Howard's. The sight in her son's room was sweeter than that. Her son was curled in a little ball on his bed, the covers haphazardly strewn over him. His thumb hung loosely in his mouth, a tiny trail of saliva connecting the two. To Maria, t was absolutely adorable. She needed him up for dinner, though, so she walked in and shook his shoulder.

"Tony, hun, it's time to get up." A tiny yawn escaped him, making Maria's heart flutter.

"'Ma?" he asked, half asleep.

"Yeah, sweetie get up." She watched his eyelids open, a strange feeling in her gut as his eyes starting moving all over the place.

"Mama?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Who turned out the lights?"

This is the newly edited version of chapter one! Longer, better, denser, and of much higher quality!

Chapter two should be done by :45.

Love, BreezyForever.