Aw, poor Tony. And poor Howard! I love seeing the traces of adult Tony in teen Tony, particularly when he's trying to be more like his dad, much to Howard's amusement/horror.

“No, we're not celebrating,” Howard said. “It's not an accomplishment.”
Tony held out his hand more insistently.
“Don't tell your mother,” Howard said, and gave Tony's hand a gentle slap.

While I loved so many parts of this fic, this was totally my favorite moment. I love the dynamic between these two where you can tell Howard loves Tony and Tony probably can tell but sometimes it's not enough.