Chapter 1
Edwin Jarvis turned towards the sound of shuffling, like someone was trying desperately to be quiet. He peered outside the door of one of the many studies of Howard Starks, trying to find the source of the noise.
The hallway, much like the rest of the mansion, was huge and poorly lit. To the left of the study was the way back to the kitchen, where Jarvis could here the faint sound of dinner being prepared by the very capable staff. To the right was the west wing, which housed the bedrooms of Maria and Howard Stark, and of their young son Anthony, who was not yet five.
However, neither of these paths appeared to be the source of the strange noise. Quickly finishing the organization of the desk, Jarvis left the room in a huff, heading left, but taking a another left soon after.
The library of Howard Starks was comparable to that of any college library, two floors of books covering shelves nine feet tall. Most of the staff of Howard Stark dreaded cleaning the library, yet Jarvis often found the large space calming. It also happened to be the place the young master of Tony Stark most often retreated to.
As the primary butler to the Starks, it was often tasked on Jarvis to take care of Tony Stark when his mother was too drunk, or didn't care enough to task herself with the child. Then again, in the four and a half years of Tony's life, Jarvis could count on one hand how many times either Howard or Maria had picked the child up, instead leaving the task to the staff.
This neglectful relationship between Tony and his parents left the poor child touch starved, and more often than not, alone.
Jarvis walked the perimeter of the library, looking in the corners for a certain young legacy. He was almost positive now that the noise he had heard was the child's attempt at being sneaky and evading notice. Not that it worked, at least not this time.
Peering under a particularly large bookshelf, Jarvis found what he had been searching for. A young Tony Stark was curled up in a defensive ball, looking unhealthily small in the dim light.
Jarvis crouched down to touch the boys shoulder, sighing a bit when the child flinched at the contact. "Master Tony, pardon me, but I do not believe this is the most comfortable of sleeping spots."
The boy opened his eyes to peer up at Jarvis, then slowly sat up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the child mumbled "m'not sleeping, " he took a pause to yawn, "just rest'in a bi'."
Jarvis smiled in adoration at the tiny boy, extending his arms in an open gesture that allowed either the boy to climb up, or step out from his spot. "Dinner is almost prepared young Master, perhaps some food would help a growing boy?"
The small child opted to climb up on the aging butler, asking quietly as he rested his head on Jarvis's shoulder. "Is How'rd gonna be there?"
A sigh escaped the butler as he cradled the child in his arms for a moment more, once more wishing he could be the child's primary guardian. He shifted the four year old as he got up from the floor and began walking towards the secondary kitchen, meant for Maria to look like she knew how top cook during house parties, but had instead become the place where Jarvis and Tony most often ate. "Just you and me tonight, sir."
The boy squirmed a bit in the arms of the butler, but quieted quickly. "Ok."
The rest of the walk to the kitchen was silent, except for the gentle breathing of a quiet boy and an old butler. Setting down the child at the table, Jarvis went to retrieve two meals of salmon and mashed potatoes. As he walked back into the kitchen he noticed Anthony doodling on the napkins with a pen he must have had. The boy froze at the sound of Jarvis coming in, but just carefully set aside his pen. Jarvis set down the meals as the boy mumbled something.
"What was that young Master? Because I did not hear any real words." Jarvis smiled down at the boy as he spoke, careful not to sound demanding.
"I just said tha I was sor'y for play'n without permis'n." The boy looked tragically chastised, even though Jarvis hadn't said a word about the doodles.
The butler crouched beside the boy, taking one of the small, soft hands in his own larger ones. "Master Anthony, you never have to apologize for drawing around me. Creativity is a beautiful thing." The butler was overtaken with the love and adoration he had for this child who deserved so much more, and pulled him into a tight hug.
The child shifted deeper into the hug, before pausing and saying "I love you too, Jarv's."
Looking back on the dinner, Jarvis realized he had not said he loved the child out loud, lest Howard find out, but the child had stated "as well". Surely confused, the butler tucked Anthony Stark in for the night, and shut off the light.