A/N: So I wrote this two-years ago in English class for an assignment and found this today and decided to publish it like I intended to two years ago! Hope you like it! And please review! ~Emma
"Dad?" ten year-old Tony Stark asked, "Can I get a dog?" Tony didn't ask for much from his father. One reason was he usually already knew the answer, no. Another was because Tony's father, Howard, had high expectations of Tony and Tony didn't want to disappoint his father by asking something he should know or shouldn't want. The one thing that Tony would never ask about but would make him the happiest he'd ever be would be if Howard Stark was proud of his son.
"No," Howard replied flatly, not bothering to look up from his work that he was always so engrossed in. Howard lived and breathed his work, which is what made him the famous billionaire he was. That also meant that Howard was used to having power and authority over people so Tony wouldn't argue with him. Instead, Tony went back to his room where he spent most of his time when his dad was working.
The next day Tony went back to his father and asked the same question. That was Tony's way of arguing with his father, give it some time then ask again. This time however, Tony proposed that he'd pay, clean up after, and the dog, and keep it out of Howard's way. Howard was surprised by this proposition; he momentarily stopped his work and thought about it. After a few seconds of silence, he agreed to let Tony get a dog under one condition: if Howard ever saw the dog when he didn't want to, they'd get rid of it and Tony would go to boarding school. The condition Howard gave didn't faze Tony at all. He knew how serious his father was about his work and had received the boarding school threat on multiple occasions. This was nothing new to the ten-year-old.
After talking to his father, Tony went to see if his grandparents need any jobs done with hopes they'd pay him so he could raise money to buy a dog. When Tony went to their house, he told them his situation and Grandpa and Grandma Stark were happy to oblige. Tony worked hard every day for a week with his Grandpa, who Howard was a lot like. Grandma Stark was the exact opposite of the two Stark men though. She gave Tony some extra money at the end of each day, and by the end of the week, Tony had more than enough to buy a dog.
Tony lived up to his promise after he bought his dog, Ivan. Ivan stayed in Tony's room for the majority of the day. Tony would walk him once or twice a day and feed him two or three times. Tony was trying to show his father how responsible he was. Everything was going smoothly for Tony. He loved his new best friend. Tony would have him 'help' with things he was building, and at night, Ivan would sleep at the end of his bed. One day however, Howard was doing an experiment and was at a dead end because he needed something he didn't have. Howard needed a live mammal to complete his experiment and knew it would probably kill the animal. Howard knocked on Tony's door to his room before entering to see Tony playing tug-of-war with Ivan.
"Tony," he began. By the tone of his voice and the fact that Howard Stark never came into Tony's room, Tony knew it was something bad. "I need to use your dog for an experiment that's not safe to test on humans just yet." It didn't depress Tony that his father experimented on animal; it depressed him that he had to use his best friend but Tony couldn't say no. Howard scooped up Ivan and took him into his lab. He didn't re-emerge from there for five days. The only way he'd eat was when Tony's mother would bring him food. After the experiment was complete, Howard came out of the lab with unhappy news. Ivan had died during the experiment. When Howard broke the news to Tony, he tried to make it sound better by saying he had helped Howard in the experiment. Tony was depressed for weeks after that.
Six months later, something happened that made Tony feel better about the loose of his best friend. Howard sat Tony down and explained the experiment that had killed Ivan. He went on to explain that because of Ivan, Howard had made it safe for humans now. He also told Tony that he needed someone who was smart, strong, and caring to help him put the final touches on it. When Tony asked who, Howard replied, "You."
Tony's mouth curled into a smile upon hearing this. He hugged his father as Howard added, "You're the only one I know can finish it Tony. I'm proud of you son."