The television droned on in the background.
"Government officials confirm that the energy surge during the global blackout has not yet been determined to be harmful."
"Reports indicate some civilians were healed of minor ailments, chronic pain, and small injuries, leading many to call the phenomenon God's miracle."
"While there have been some positive outcomes, the blackout also resulted in many deaths."
"Numerous injuries and fatalities have been attributed to traffic light failures and machinery shutting down at critical moments. Some are calling this God's judgment."
"There has been a significant loss to both the global economy and human life."
"Reporting live from the Daily Bugle."
Howard turned off the television.
He rose from the sofa, grabbed his car keys, and walked toward Maria, who was holding Ethan.
Seeing the worry etched on her face, he sighed and couldn't help but comment.
"He's fine. He might even get more energetic in the coming years. If you don't trust the doctors, trust me. There's nothing wrong with our son."
Maria frowned. "You know it's not that. I just… can't help but worry."
A snarky reply rose to Howard's lips, but he swallowed it when he saw how deeply concerned she looked.
Old habits die hard, he sighed.
"We can schedule regular checkups. Or have a doctor on call here. Whatever makes you feel better."
Maria reluctantly nodded. "Alright."
Howard gave a quiet sigh. Lingering pregnancy hormones, he guessed.
He figured it was best to just nod along with her for now.
Jarvis opened the car's door after Howard handed him the key.
It's going to be another tedious day, Howard thought as they drove away.
*****
It had been a year since young Master Ethan entered the Stark household.
Jarvis had assumed it would be similar to caring for young Master Tony.
He had been wrong.
Young Master Ethan was a bundle of energy that never seemed to run out.
In moderation, delightful.
In excess… exhausting.
For Young Master Tony, it was exactly that, exhausting.
He fled to MIT, claiming he was tired of the "little devil" and needed space. Yet he still visited every weekend, often bringing his friend Rhodes, much to their surprise.
Mr. Howard would keep Tony's friend occupied by boasting about Tony's accomplishments whenever they visited, though never in Tony's presence.
Tony always spent a little time playing with Ethan, studying him like a malfunctioning machine, only to be defeated by toddler logic.
He'd often scowl while facing Ethan, the same scowl Mr. Howard wore when dealing with Tony.
That itself showed that, despite the complicated feelings, Tony really loved Young Ethan.
And Ethan—what a joy he was to care for. A joy that was also relentlessly difficult.
Look away for a second, and he would crawl off. Deny him a seat of preference, and he would cry buckets.
Worst of all, he loved hiding.
Jarvis often indulged him. The giggles Ethan let out while pretending to search for him melted away every ounce of stress.
They often played hide-and-seek. Jarvis always knew where he was hiding, but he would feign ignorance just to stretch the game a little longer.
That changed once Tony graduated from MIT and returned home.
Ethan's favorite pastime became disrupting Tony's work. Despite his irritation, Tony never locked the workshop. He always allowed Ethan in.
Jarvis very much appreciated that.
Sometimes Tony became so consumed by his work that he neglected his own well-being.
Ethan's energetic love forced Tony to take a break, which was something Jarvis welcomed.
Jarvis still remembered the day when Ethan said his first word.
It happened at the dining table.
"Mama."
That got the entire Stark family excited, Jarvis included.
Madam Maria's joy was palpable and infectious, even to Young Master Tony.
Mr. Howard stopped eating, urging Ethan to say "daddy," "papa," or "dad."
Even Tony leaned in slightly, though he pretended otherwise.
But reality was often disappointing.
The second word Ethan uttered was "Fool," spoken while staring intently at the food. It left Mr. Howard in a foul mood for a weekuntil he finally heard the long-awaited "daddy."
After that, Ethan's vocabulary expanded rapidly, prompting Mr. Howard to occasionally exclaim, declaring his son a genius.
Jarvis also remembered the day Tony introduced Ethan to "Dum-E," the robot that had earned Tony his fourth consecutive MIT Robot Design Award.
From that moment on, Ethan began calling Tony "dummy," which irritated Tony to no end.
Eventually, Tony tied Ethan up and instructed Dum-E to tickle him, a scene that seemed to bring joy to both Dum-E and Tony.
Even though Tony would get an earful from Madam Maria, thanks to Ethan having no remorse for selling out and complaining about Tony.
Tony wouldn't relent and would still give his brother the stink eye.
*****
December 1987
"Dummeee!" Ethan's sharp voice rang out as he barged into the workshop.
It prompted two responses: Tony's irritated face as he held a soldering iron, working on a circuit board, and Dum-E whirring in response.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Tony groaned, regretting ever naming the robot Dum-E.
It had seemed fun at first, but now it felt like self-sabotage.
Seeing that he had elicited a reaction, Ethan started waddling toward Tony with his short, chubby legs.
He began pestering Tony, who sighed, briefly considering taping the little twirp near Dum-E. But thinking of the wailing that would follow, he dismissed the idea.
"Stop bothering me. You're not supposed to be in here."
Tony sighed, feeling frustrated but unable to help himself. Was this how his parents felt when he was little?
Tony picked Ethan up and placed him outside the workshop floor, away from his workspace.
Ethan began pestering him again.
"Dummy, play."
Irritated, Tony replied. "Go play with Dum-E. It's been whirring ever since you started squawking its name."
Watching Dum-E whir across the old machines, Ethan's attention shifted, and he started playing with the robot, his occasional giggles resounding throughout the room.
Half an hour later, Jarvis burst through the workshop door, out of breath, huffing, relieved to see Ethan trying to unscrew Dum-E. He placed a hand on his chest, exhaling.
"Thank goodness, young master Ethan. I've found you."
"You seem to be in a rather joyful mood," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Jiggles!" Ethan's mood brightened as he ran toward Jarvis, his best playmate, tugging on his pants, wanting to be lifted.
Tony snorted. "Ugh, just get him out of here, Jarvis. He's been upsetting Dum-E."
Jarvis nodded, looking around at how all the machinery was placed by Tony so that it wouldn't hurt Ethan.
"He's delightful, isn't he?"
Tony's brow furrowed, but he didn't comment further.
"Come along, young master Ethan, it's time for lunch."
"Giggle Jiggles," Ethan responded as Jarvis bounced him up to get his attention.
"Bye, Dum-E."
That got Dum-E whirring, and Tony reflexively responded, "Bye, Maggot."
To which he only got amused giggles as a response.
*****
Over the next few years, Ethan Stark followed in his brother's footsteps, tinkering with machines and computers whenever he could.
Though most of the stuff was burned and scraped.
With enough trial and error, he also began inventing things accidentally, much to his father's pride.
Though that stuff was still garbage presented by a child, Howard still paraded Ethan around and often shot pointed looks at Tony.
He even began assigning projects to Ethan, just as he once had with Tony, laying foundations early.
But young Ethan, frustrated with these projects, wasn't interested.
Instead, he was more fascinated by robots and wanted his father to create them and have them fight, driven by an itch he couldn't scratch, which baffled his family.
Jarvis started carrying a fire extinguisher while following Ethan, as the boy's creative experiments tended to escalate.
Howard grew increasingly concerned about Ethan's future, even Tony wasn't this handful when he was young.
After a few months, Ethan toned down his antics a bit, much to Howard's relief.
Tony generally avoided his younger brother, but Ethan constantly sought him out, which frustrated Tony to no end.
Even the constant comparisons made between them didn't bother him as much as Ethan's persistent interference.
To escape the chaos, Tony threw himself into his work at Stark Industries, traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and New York to work on military projects.