Tony's sticky hands smudged all over Jarvis' face while his tie hung out of the baby's mouth. Tony had almost completely gotten the hang of sitting up on his own without falling over, but Jarvis still kept hands on his back just in case. He couldn't push Tony's hands away, especially not when the sweet child kept chanting a garbled mantra of, 'Ja Ja!' and cried whenever Jarvis tried to put him down. Ever since Peggy and Daniel left, and Jarvis came back, Tony rarely let Jarvis out of his line of sight.

Jarvis sighed, "Good Lord, Young Sir, your hands are very sticky, and I'd prefer it if you would so kindly remove them from my face. Oh no, not in my mouth! Young Sir, I do not need to taste them."

Strawberry.

A strawberry substance was on Tony's hands and someone, probably by the name of Margaret Carter, had neglected to clean Tony's hands thoroughly.

Jarvis tried in vain to veer away from Tony's hands, but everytime he tried Tony's lip would wobble. Maria saved him from anymore torment at the hands of baby Tony. Tony's protests of being lifted away from Jarvis went unheard as Maria giggled at Jarvis' mussed hair and sticky face, "Oh, Edwin, Anthony really missed you."

Jarvis attempted to clear away some of the syrup from his face with his handkerchief, "Quite, Madam." Jarvis tried to straighten his crumpled damp tie, " Although, I do think there's a possibility Young Sir missed teething on my ties more so."

"He does love your ties doesn't he?" Maria tapped Tony on his nose, "I think a bath is in order for Anthony." She called over one of the passing servants "Opal, would you be a dear and give Anthony a bath?"

Opal curtsied, "Of course, Mrs. Stark."

Jarvis said, "Oh, no. That's quite alright, Madam. I can give Young Sir a bath. It's of no trouble. It is my responsibility and I wouldn't wish to put it upon others just because I have returned to the home only hours ago."

Tony's attempts to grasp for Jarvis ended in vain when he ended up in Opal's arms. Maria shushed him when he started to whine, and Jarvis tried to not hear the desperate cries of Mama and Ja Ja. Maria seemed unfazed, but Jarvis felt like he could feel his heart ripping in two.

Maria suggested, "Why don't you see what Howard is up to? I'll escort you. I wouldn't want you scurrying off to take care of Tony."

Affronted by Maria's assumption Jarvis replied, "I would not do such a thing. Would I at the very least be allowed to wash my face so I may appear more proper in Sir's presence."

"Nonsense. I think Howard will get a laugh out of it."

Jarvis sighed,"I am practically giddy at the prospect, Ma'am."

Howard lifted his welding mask, took off his gloves, poked Jarvis' face, and rubbed the syrup in between his fingers, "We're you attacked by a jelly squid, Ed? Good lord, you've got splotches of pink all over your face. What in god's name happened to your tie?"

Maria giggled, "It wasn't a jelly squid, Darling, it was just Anthony making a mess out of Jarvis now that he's home. You know how Anthony just loves to teethe on Jarvis' ties."

Howard rubbed the syrup onto Jarvis' shirt and proceeded to slap his back, "Good to have you home, old sport."

Jarvis tried to move Howard's hand away, "I would prefer not being referred to as such, Sir." Howard's hand made contact with his back again, and moved up to his shoulder. He squeezed Jarvis' shoulder as if he were investigating something. Maria asked, "Howie, is something wrong?"

"Different. Harder." Howard replied.

Jarvis pursed his lips, "What might it be you are trying to say, Sir?"

Howard wrapped his hand around Jarvis' bicep, "Flex your arm."

There was no use, but to attempt pacify Howard when he got eccentric, "A novel idea. For what reason it seems you have no plans to explain, Sir. Why might I be getting a physical right now? I did not realize you possessed a doctorate in medicine."

Howard didn't jump at the bait. He just watched closely at Jarvis' flexed and squeezed his hand in rhythm, "Hmm, an interesting development indeed. Your vest seems a bit tighter around your chest, but looser in the stomach. You're sleeves are stretched more across your shoulders and upper arms. Both your legs and arms used to be a bit noodle-like, since that's why Peggy and I called you Mr. Noodles behind your back, but there's a difference now. I need another pair of eyes. Maria, take a look will you? What differences do you see? Be comprehensive, Darling."

Jarvis rubbed the nape of his neck. He could feel Maria's eyes observe him as if he were a specimen under a microscope. Maria stated, "His trousers. He fills them out a bit more, and not in an unsavory way. Just look at his thighs. I've figured it out, Howard. He has more muscle. That's it!"

When Howard's fingers went to his vest buttons, Jarvis could stand still no longer, "Sir, would you please desist."

Howard pulled off Jarvis' tie in a huff, "Come on, Eddie, it's for science. Open your shirt and let me see your chest, pretty please."

"The aesthetic of the please does not change my answer, and stating your reasoning as 'for science' will not always work. Yes, upon my absence from the manor I did participate in some exercise which enabled me to gain a bit more musculature than I possessed before, but I will not be undressed." Jarvis took back his tie, but kept a tight hand on the front of his vest.

Howard whined, "Come on, at least let me run a physical and a blood test."

Jarvis pinched the bridge of his nose, "For what purpose, Sir?"

"Science!"

"Mr. Stark!"

Maria shook her head, "Oh, you two. Would it make you more comfortable if I left the lab, Edwin? I don't mind. Howard, remember he is not a guinea pig simply for your amusement. Edwin, remember what I said. Take a bit of time adjusting to being back and then you can return to your regular duties with Anthony. Now you boys behave yourselves."

Jarvis and Howard replied simultaneously, "Yes, Ma'am."

As soon as Maria was gone, Howard went back to his attempts to remove Jarvis' shirt, "This is important, Jarvis. I swear it's a completely scientific matter concerning your health. I can't tell you why because it's a secret."

Jarvis asked, "Will this end up like the time you had Margaret and I test the miniature airplane you were building?"

"Of course not." Howard replied, "There will be no fire, bruises, and you won't get a tear in your hose."

Jarvis unbuttoned his vest and folded it up neatly, "Is it of no use to remind you it was Peggy's hose that were torn? Very well, I suppose I will head your judgement this time, Sir.
Howard smiled, "As you should, Jarvis, as you should."

Jarvis laid on his stomach on the floor across from Tony. Tony kicked his little feet back and forth while he sucked on his fingers. Tony could hold his head up and look up at Jarvis, but the actual act of crawling had eluded him. Jarvis had read tummy time was very important for infants, so he made sure to get in at least a few minutes a day. With a few toys surrounding him Tony's mind was occupied when Jarvis would roll something or make the toy walk around. Tony would eventually try and mimic him while gabbing away in baby babble with a few actual words thrown in.

The toy that would always grab Tony's attention no matter what else was going on was his Captain America plush. Howard could be causing a ruckus that would wake up everyone from the Bronx to Anaheim, but none of that mattered if Jarvis' was making Cappy dance within Tony's reach. Peggy and Jarvis had worked in tandem to make the plush. Howard had tried to casually throw in suggestions like an eyepatch or a laser arm, but those were thrown out. Peggy insisted on working by majority on her own to create a good enough rendition of the good captain, and Jarvis might have corrected a bit of her sewing without her knowing, but if it had been left as it was Cap's arms would've surely fallen off.

Jarvis stood silently and listened to Peggy tell Tony about Captain Rogers as she held him in her lap. Tony might not have fully understood the full implication, but he immediately hugged the plush and dubbed it Cappy. Cappy went nearly everywhere Tony went, and was protected from any of Howard's ideas like seeing if they could make it flame retardant or seeing how Cappy would fair being launched at certain speeds.

Tony wiggled on his stomach as he reached out the hand that had formerly been in his mouth, "Cappy! Ja Ja."

Jarvis moved so he was a bit farther away from Tony, "Would you like to have Cappy, Young Sir? I could give him to you, but I think you should come get him for yourself. I have seen you work on pushing yourself up. Crawling is the next step."
Tony stretched his hand out as far as he could and tried to grasp at Cap, but it was too far for his short little arm. Tony was not one to give up easily as he continued to struggle for his beloved plushie. Jarvis said, "I know you can do it, Young Sir."

Tony whined as he stuck out his lower lip, "Cappy, Ja ja! My Cappy!"

Even as an infant who couldn't even crawl yet, Tony already knew how to get Jarvis give into him. Tony giggled when Jarvis finally gave Cappy to him, "I suppose we can work on getting mobile another time."

A rap of knuckles on the door interrupted them. One of the servants who had been with Maria since she was a teenager spoke to Jarvis in Italian, "There is a call for you, Mr. Jarvis."

Jarvis got up from the floor and dusted himself off before bending down to pick up Tony, "I'll be only a moment, Elisabetta."

The phone in the parlor rang, so Jarvis went to it. Elisabetta nearly jumped out of her skin getting out of the way of the door when Howard came rushing in. Howard waved Elisabetta off and grinned at Jarvis, "Are you going to pick up the phone, Jarvis?"

Suspicious wasn't a strong enough word for Howard's behavior, but if Elisabetta stated the call was for him he needed to answer. Tony made grabbing hands at his father as he cooed, "Da Da!"

Jarvis chuckled, "Yes, Young Sir. I must answer the telephone first."
Jarvis picked up the phone, "You have reached the Stark residence. This is Edwin Jarvis speaking."

"How do you do, Jarvis? This is Hanna. Hanna Anaveli."

Tony latched onto his tie now that it was in his range, "Oh, Miss. Anaveli. I am fine thank you for asking. How are you?"

"Good, thank you." Hanna replied, "We need you to go to Vancouver."

"Now? Go to Vancouver?"

"Yes, the expected time for it to end will be about a week. Sebastien will meet you at the International airport. Good day, Jarvis."
Jarvis sighed, "Good day, Miss. Anaveli."
Hanna hung up the phone. Hanna had told them at the beginning they would be in touch and occasionally call for what they wouldn't question. Jarvis trusted Peggy enough to not do so, but Sebastien could be extremely irritating at times.

Howard tried to speak casually, but it was thrown off by the grin on his face like the cat who caught the canary, "So-who was that woman? Does Eddie have a special lady friend who wants to rendezvous? "

Jarvis replied, "Sir, Hanna is simply a colleague of sorts. I must go to Vancouver for the week for said business if it is not too much trouble."

Howard's teasing mood fell instantly when he realized what Jarvis was implicating,"Maria's at that one thing in Amsterdam and well uh-"

Howard suddenly found his hands full when his gurgling baby was put into his arms, "I apologize, Sir. I sincerely hope you can manage, but I must go and you must look after Young Sir. Please would you look after him? He is your son, Sir, and the other's in the household can assist you. Mrs. Stark has been saying you need to spend more time with him and I know you are not that busy. Please, sir?"

Howard held Tony at arms length from him. Their eyes met in a piercing gaze until Tony blew a bubble and giggled when it popped. Howard gulped, "I know Maria said that. I just-well. I'm not too sure about this."

Jarvis said, "You are capable, Sir, I believe in you. Don't drop him, don't lose Cappy, remember to feed and bathe him, if there is something you cannot handle the other servants will assist, and for the love of God keep him safe."

"Do you think you could write that all down for me, Ed?"

"I have faith in you, Sir."

Tony waved his hand at Jarvis when he exited the parlor and returned his attention to his father who held him as if he were a bomb. Howard spoke to him, "Okay, Kid. We can do this. Team effort and all even though right now I'm scared shitless. I will try my hardest to keep you alive even though my potted plant in the lab didn't last long, and you won't be naughty. That sound keen to you?"

Tony replied, "Da da!"

"I'll that that as a yes, Sport."

The world would end in tears. It would end in the tears of a chubby little baby with big brown eyes and a Captain America plush as a sidekick.

The crying would never end.

Howard begun to think he'd even hear it in his dreams.

Tony just would not stop crying.

A couple sips from his flask weren't helping all that much, but Elisabetta had given him such a sharp look so Howard put it away after she caught him. Jarvis had left only two hours ago and Tony hadn't stopped screaming his lungs out since. His diaper was fine, he had already eaten, and he had his Cap toy. Nothing would make the screaming stop.

Howard sat in the nursery rocking chair and held his head in his hands. He needed to think. One of the brightest minds of the age could surely figure out how to make his son stop crying. Tony had started crying after Jarvis left. Jarvis coming back was out of the question.

Howard picked up Tony from his crib and held him close, but Tony only patted his little fist against Howard's shirt and wasn't even distracted by his buttons like he usually was. Howard rubbed Tony's back and whistled Benny Goodman, but Tony just continued to cry.

The ties!

Tony loved teething on ties!

Howard ran to Jarvis' room, and he even kept a good grip on Tony so he didn't drop him. Jarvis probably wouldn't mind Howard borrowing one of his ties if it was for Tony's sake. He laid Tony on Jarvis' bed and knotted the tie under his collar. It wasn't as neat as Jarvis' but it would hopefully work. Being in Jarvis' room had at least lowered the volume of the screaming and screeching to just crying. Tony rolled onto his side and slammed his hand as hard as he could on the duvet. Howard picked Tony up and flicked the tie in front of the baby's face, "Tony, look what I have? A nice tasty tie right here for you."

Tony's cries went down to whimpers as he investigated the tie. Tony looked up at Howard with red rimmed eyes, "Ja Ja?"

"It's Jarvis' tie. Come on, enough with the tears."
Tony put the tie into his mouth and rested his head against Howard's chest as he sucked on the tie.

Howard massaged his temple. A headache probably would've started had the crying not been stopped sooner. Howard walked slowly back to the nursery not wanting to rouse his son and sat back down in the rocking chair. Tony hadn't made too much noise after resting against Howard with the tie in his lap and Cappy in his arms, "I don't think you've had your nap. I guess we could both use one. I'm gonna put you in your crib, Tony."

Tony whimpered with the tie still in his mouth as Howard tried to put him down. Tony would try and drearily hit him with Cappy and reached his other hand out to Howard. Howard slumped back down into the chair, "Okay, I guess you'll take a nap. Maria's been hounding me to read that one baby book anyway."

Howard kept one hand rubbing Tony's back while he grabbed the book off the bookshelf with his other hand. He could read the book while also thinking of a new project he had in mind. A diaper changing robot seemed like it would be very useful, and he already had a rough draft in his head. Jarvis would be amazed by how well Howard had managed when he got home.

There were always possible problems when inventing and conducting experiments, but Howard had not anticipated the diaper changing robot to go as horribly wrong as it had.

Luckily Tony hadn't been hurt at all, but that was probably the only good thing to come of the situation.

Howard had managed to get two of the gardeners to clean up Tony with a promise of a substantial raise in their pay, but none of the staff would step foot into the baby's bathroom to clean it. Tony thought the men in the hazmat suits were silly, but Jarvis was bound to find out about Howard paying for a biohazard team and that would definitely lead to questions Howard didn't want to answer. The robot was unsalvageable and the changing table had to be burned, but Howard, being a responsible adult, already ordered a new one and hoped it would arrive before Jarvis got home.

Ingrid would change Tony's diapers from now on. Since Howard's attempt without robot help had not ended all that well either.

Reading up on babies only left Howard with more fears than confidence.

No one had told Howard that babies could potentially stop breathing in the middle of the night! It made sense why Jarvis had worried so much during Tony's first few nights at home. Howard wasn't going to just sleep and potentially not be able to help his son, so he just put sleeping off for a bit. He'd done it when working on important projects before.

Jarvis was counting on him to look after Tony even though it was terrifying.

Tony sneezed once so Howard called in one of the best pediatricians in the country.

Apparently the little kinda cute sneeze was not a sign of pneumonia, tuberculosis, or the plague, but there was quite a bit pollen outside that irritated Tony's nose a little.

Their first outing together had almost not happened after Howard refused to let the driver help him with Tony's car seat. He was a genius and could figure it out on his own. The car seats were not built by NASA or even Stark Industries, and yet they were so damn difficult. It took a while, but he eventually got it and car rides always helped Tony's mood. The tie incident, robot incident, and the doctor incident were all behind them. Howard tried to ensure it would go off without a hitch bringing Ingrid along in case Tony needed to be changed.

Of course, Cappy just had to be lost.

The screeching cries came back full force as soon as Tony realized it.

He retraced his steps, went back to every place they went, paid people to look for a Captain America plush of yea high. Tony wouldn't calm down and screamed until his little face was red and Howard found his shirt soaked with drool and tears. They went back to the manor, and every one of the staff was tasked with looking for it even though Howard was sure he had it when he took Tony out. The driver eventually found it under the seat and Cappy was returned to Tony. Howard just took his quieted baby and french fries to the kitchen. He was exhausted just from the trip out, and Jarvis probably wouldn't think he could do anything by himself if he heard what happened when he returned.

Howard put Tony into his highchair and slumped onto a stool next to it, "I'm not entirely sure if this is all you or me, but since you can't even walk yet I'm starting to think it's on me and I don't like it."

Tony made grabby hands at the fast food bag Howard put on the counter, "My Da da."
Howard asked, "Are you putting a claim on me, or are you saying that this is yours and you're just addressing me?"
Tony whined, "Da da!"

"Okay, guess you're hungry. You don't have enough teeth, barely any at all, but french fries are mushy so I guess you can eat them."

Howard poked Tony's lips with the french fry, but Tony was being fussy about it. Howard frowned, "Come on, sport, it's good."
One of the cook's assistants, Lawrence, watched Howard's ministrations in horror. He had been warned by the cook to not intrude upon Mr. Stark's business, but he knew Jarvis would not stand idly by while the man tried to feed the baby a french fry, "Sir, I'm sorry, but Anthony can't have that. Babies can't eat french fries. He needs to have baby food since he doesn't have enough teeth yet. I can prepare some if you'd like."
Howard said, "They're mushy though."

"I'm afraid he can't eat it even though it's mushy, Sir. I really insist you allow me to prepare baby food for Anthony."

Tony said, "Appa!"

"I don't know what that means."

Lawrence chuckled, "It means he wants apple. Tony is very fond of the apple sauce Jarvis' makes. I think apples and chicken baby food would do."

Howard ate his french fries, and didn't give any to Tony, but when Lawrence gave him the 'apples and chicken' baby food he was curious. It looked odd and didn't smell so great either. French fries were great, but babies couldn't eat them. Lawrence hadn't said anything about Howard testing out Tony's food. Tony seemed to like it enough after they got a bib wrangled onto him, so Howard decided to try it.

It was the most disgusting ungodly concoction he ever tasted, and he wondered if he should take Tony to a doctor to see if his taste buds actually worked. Howard rinsed his mouth out the best he could and drank a cola in an attempt to rid himself of the taste. It didn't seem to affect Tony at all and he said, "Yum!" when he wasn't busy eating. Awful, so awful.

He should've stuck to french fries.

Ingrid cleaned up Tony and Howard thought it was as good time as any for Tony to see what his old man did for a living. He sat Tony on the couch instead of the floor and kept him away from anything sharp or flammable. The military had been asking for updates on some of their weaponry and he needed to make some prototypes, when Tony started to get fussy he just gave him a screwdriver to chew on the soft part to ease his gums. It kept him quiet, and gave Howard some peace to think and actually get work done. Until Opal came into the workshop and saw Tony with the screwdriver, "My Lord! Sir, Anthony can't have that! It's dangerous!"

Howard shrugged, "His gums were hurting so I just let him gnaw on the handle."
Opal put her hands on her hips, "What if he had turned it around and put the metal part into his mouth? He could've jammed it into his throat and hurt himself."

Howard murmured as he fiddled with some wires, "I didn't think of that."

"The workshop could be dangerous for him." Opal continued, " I suggest you take the necessary precautions to ensure his safety here. What would Mr. Jarvis think if he came home to see Anthony had gotten hurt?"

There was no way Howard was going to let that happen.

If he did Jarvis would have his hide if Peggy didn't get to him first.

Goggles, a helmet, and some bubble wrap was quite a lot of protection. Tony didn't seem all that happy about not being able to hold Cappy, but it was better to have an unhappy baby than an unsafe one. As Howard worked he told Tony some stories about Cap and the Howling Commandos even though he didn't understand. Tony kept quiet for the most part when Howard simply spoke and on occasion Howard would pass Tony on the couch and have Cappy act out some of the parts. It made Tony giggle and made Howard feel less guilty about working with weaponry blueprints while his baby was only a few feet away.

Elisabetta scolded Howard in rapid fire Italian when she saw little bubblewrap clad Tony.

Howard admitted honestly, "I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing."

She promptly scolded him about using foul language in front of the baby.

Howard's fear that Tony could stop breathing in the middle of the night did not deter even when the end of the week came. Seven days without sleep took it's toll on Howard.

Jarvis returned with crossed fingers that the house hadn't burned down in his absence. The job had been successful even though he had to deal with Sebastien's irritating humor and cold demeanor. It was still much better to be home. As soon as Jarvis entered the mansion he was bombarded by haggard staff members. Nearly all claimed they were mortified and had no desire to deal with Howard when he's in charge of a young life. They begged him to not leave again until Tony was older and more sturdy. Elisabetta led Jarvis to the parlor to see what Howard was up to.

Jarvis smiled behind his hand as he watched Tony roll across the floor; the boy had finally gotten mobile. It was a surprise to see Howard looking like a Night of the Living Dead zombie as he watched his baby roll as his words slurred together, "So innovative. My boy's the smartest baby in the world."

Howard slid to the floor and started to roll back and forth himself. Jarvis handed his bags to Elisabetta, "Come along, Sir, it's time for bed."

Howard grinned, "Ed, you're home!"

Elisabetta muttered, "Ringraziamo il Signore."

Jarvis picked up an ecstatic Tony who tugged on his tie and said, "Ja ja!"

Jarvis cradled Tony against his chest and used his free hand to tug Howard off the ground and supported him as they hobbled down the hall to the master bedroom. Jarvis said, "I'll see to it the house is back in order from my absence. I hope it wasn't of too much trouble, Sir."

Howard groaned, "Don't leave me again when Maria isn't home, okay?"

Jarvis chuckled, "Very well. Will that be all, Sir?"

"Yeah, thanks, Jar."

"You're welcome, Mr. Stark."