epiphanyx7:

but I really wish someone (not me) would write a story about a sniper who was hired to kill Howard Stark, but who is foiled because Howard uses a young (itty bitty, woobie-aged) Tony as a human shield. And the sniper isn’t willing to kill a kid just to get to Howard, even if Howard is willing to let Tony die to save his own ass.

DO IT. DO IT FOR FEELS AND BECAUSE I’M AN AWFUL PERSON.

“I’m taking Tony to work with me.” It was a fact, not a request to his wife. Howard Stark motioned for the toddler to come to him. A look of eager joy in his eyes as he stumbled his way across the room to join his father’s side.
“Dear, I don’t think-” Howard cut his wife off quickly.
“Let’s keep it that way.” The man reached down to touch the top of Tony’s head, his fingertips just grazing it. My how young the boy was. It was impressive that he could walk already but Howard was anything but impressed by his son.
Feeling as if she had spoken out of place, his wife bowed her head in distress. They all had been tipped about threats on her husband’s life and she was worried for him like a good wife would be so naturally taking their only child out with him was going to be the end of her should anything happen to both.
“When will you be back?” Her sad eyes watched as the door was opened. A guiding hand motioning for their child to step outside first while he reassured his woman. Turning back a half step to look her in the face, Howard just stared for a long moment before turning back and closing the door after himself. His poor wife left behind but at least she would be safe.
“Stay by me, Tony.” Despite being his son, the title had yet to be uttered by the man. Perhaps he feared getting attached to someone who could easily grow up to hate him. A frown crossed his mug as the two walked side by side.
A chill in the air had the inventor glance around them as they pressed onward. This was that feeling war had taught him not to ignore. A chill of impending death.
Tony stumbled along the way nearly tripping the weapon expert. With a growl in his throat, Howard glared down at the boy who was nearly in tears. The chill in the air growing stronger. Something was terribly wrong but he saw no one though he was too smart to assume that meant they were alone.
“Clumsy thing,” he hissed. The air was still and not a sound could be heard apart from the young child’s sniffling. “Get up,” he ordered. Someone was there, he knew it but who he could not possibly imagine other then a hired gun.
As soon as the boy was up, Howard bent over to pick him up into his arms. The ringing alarms in his head starting to ease as he took a few steps with his boy held close to himself. Tony’s natural instincts to want comfort aiding him as he wrapped his little arms around his father’s neck.
Having walked more then a yard and found himself still breathing, Howard could at last feel himself start to relax a little. Perhaps he could handle the loud sniffling in his ear if that meant he could live to see another day. A twinge of a smirk pulling up the one side of his face as he kept on moving forward unscathed.
In the distance hidden in the cover of shade, the hit man lowered his gun in disgust. How could he risk taking out a kid who had yet to live? It was impossible to take one down without killing the other the way the child had clung so tightly to the man. His little head nuzzled in close to his neck and offering the perfect cover.
Bitterly the man moved further back into the darkness. His boss was going to be less then thrilled with his failure but at least he could live with himself but how could Howard Stark if he knew how close he was to death?
With a smirk of course but how could the killer know?