Tony's Sixth Sense

Different

Stark Residence
March - 1971
1:50am

Maria enters her baby's nursery with a yawn and a tired smile. "Hold on, bambino. I know you're hungry." She comforts the crying baby, as she quietly walks over to his crib. A small chill runs through her and she runs her hands up and down her arms to warm up. "It's a bit chilly." She quietly comments.

She smiles wide when she peers down into the crib. "Here we are." She whispers, leaning into the crib and gently picking up the screaming 10 month old. "Shh. I know. I know." She coos and walks over to the rocking chair and takes a seat.

She begins to situate herself and the baby for her to breast feed him when she notices something. She stops what she's doing with furrowed eyebrows and lays him down in her lap before gently rolling him over just a bit to examine the side of his belly. Tony's screams and cries continue as his Mother inspects him.

She frowns on closer examination. Three long and somewhat deep scratches run alongside side his rib cage, from his back to his stomach. They're red and look irritated and most frightening, Maria realizes they're fresh.

She gingerly and naturally runs her fingertips, lightly over the three scratches. She swallows a lump in her throat as her worry grows. "Shh, shh. It's okay, my bambino. Mamma is here now." She gently picks the child up and holds him protectively to her chest before standing up and leaving the room to speak with her husband.

She enters his office, knowing he'd be awake and working like he usually is. "Howard." She calls for him when she enters. He's seated at his desk, very deep in his paperwork. "Yes, Darling?" He replies, distractedly.

"Howard. Something is wrong with Anthony." Howard's head snaps up the moment she says those words. His eyes land on the bundle in her arms, his cries seeming to calm a bit. Howard sees the look on his wife face and sees such worry and fear.

He immediately takes off his reading glasses and gets up from his seat, making his way to his wife and child. She shows Howard the scratches, and he as well gets the same look in his eyes, though with a hint of anger.

Later that morning, he questions the staff, maids, chefs and even Jarvis, demanding to know if any of them were the one to harm his son. After a thorough questioning, Howard concludes non of them has touched his child. Maria and Howard are baffled.

Howard and Maria inspect the nursery, looking for anything out of place or odd. They find nothing. Howard decides to secure the window more, where no one can get in. After that night, Maria checks his whole body over, to make sure and thankfully she doesn't find anymore unexplained injuries on her baby.

1975

"Tony. Hand me that screwdriver, there." Howard distractedly orders his son, as he focuses on fixing one of his car engines. Tony doesn't reply and continues to just sit and stare up, seemingly at the wall behind his Father.

Howard sighs, irritatedly, stopping what he's doing and looks over to his five year old son, not noticing the somewhat curious but disturbed look on Tony's face.

"Tony." Tony's attention snaps to his father, at the angry tone his name was spoken in. "Stop staring at the damn wall and hand me that screw driver." Howard demands, more harshly. Tony's eye look back up before leaning over and grabbing the desired too and handing it to his father. "Thank you." Howard says, exasperatedly and gets back to work.