Querencia

"This is a dumb idea."

"It's a great idea." Phoenix countered, adjusting his tie with a chuckle when Tom sulked. "You need friends your age, little prince, not just ones that are snakes. The Malfoy Family is only a rank below ours in nobility, and despite their darker ties, they've always remained a neutral family." ("And I plan to keep it that way." He muttered under his breath when he thought Tom could not hear.) He deliberated over his tie a while longer, before deciding it good enough and focused more on his son. "I have business I need to attend to in London, and Lord Gaius Malfoy was kind enough to offer the play date. Heir Abraxas is a good kid, if a little shy."

Tom scoffed. Shy often meant weak, if anything went according to what he learned at Wool's. He couldn't say that, though, since Phoenix would just remind him that not everything was the same as the orphanage, and the child had heard enough of that phrase already, thank you.

"If you don't want to do it to gain friends, then at least do it for the benefits. The Malfoy Family has always had extensive connections across Europe, which will work in your favour if you plan to go to Hogwarts when you turn eleven." The Albino urged, fixing Tom's collar and turning him around to check for anything else that required fussing over. "And if you can't do it for that, then do it for me."

"Fine." Tom groaned, stepping into the floo with his guardian. "But I won't make any promises that we'll end up as friends."

"So Lord Malfoy told me you had fun today. Said that Abraxas was looking forward to exchanging letters with you."

"Hm."

"He also said that you had a bout of accidental magic too. Something about one of the family portraits? Want to talk about it?"

"Hmm…"

"Tom."

"Mmn?"

"Tom, you don't have "accidental" bouts of anything."

A Sigh. "It was saying some awfully rude things, unfit of his station, to Heir Malfoy. So I thought that if he was going to spend all that time, wasting air, he might as well waste it somewhere where there's plenty to spare."

"Ooh, I see~ So that's why they found the Late Lord Suetonius' portrait affixed to one of the spires atop of Malfoy Manor?"

"…Do no evil, take no shit."

A laugh. "That's my boy." Then a pause. "Though try not to repeat that around Mipsy…"

"Agreed."

"Soooooooooo~" The snowy-haired male sang as he plopped into the armchair next to Tom, who looked warily at his guardian. "It's December now~"

"Right…" Tom said, carefully closing his book on Parselmagic. The tome mostly focused on healing spells, but the few protection spells and enchantments it did have piqued his curiosity greatly. The thought of having spaces in his room that only he could access sounded wonderful.

"Which means something very important is coming up soon."

"…Yule?"

"Your birthday Tom." Phoenix sighed. "I'm talking about your birthday. What do you want?"

"Books."

"I get you books every day. Pick something that isn't books."

"A bigger heating rock for Adira."

"Something that you will use, Little Prince."

"Books."

"Thomas."

"There really isn't anything else I want." Tom shrugged helplessly, watching the Lord sigh dramatically. "You could just get me something for Yule and say it's my birthday present too. That's what Mrs. Cole used to do sometimes."

"Ugh, absolutely not." Phoenix scrunched up his nose in disgust. "While my birthday is earlier in the month, my dad would pull that cheap move on me all the time. It was always as a joke, but I hated it. I'd never want to force that on another kid."

"You were also born in December?" The brunette asked, jerking his head up. "When?"

"The… 14th? Yah, 14th. " The Lord replied, stretching himself across the arms of the chair like a cat. "I haven't paid much attention to it, honestly."

Tom stared.

"That's… That's tomorrow."

"Yes, and?"

When it remained quiet for a bit too long, the Albino twisted himself enough to give his son a curious look. Tom looked at odds with himself, distressed even.

"…Snakelet are you oka-"

"MIPSY!" The child yelled, bolting it out of the room as Phoenix jumped and fell out of the seat with a curse. "MIPSY I NEED TO TALK WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"Happy Birthday, Snakelet!" Phoenix proclaimed that morning, picking his son up for a hug before placing him right back down in the living room where his gifts awaited. Adira and Faer were already waiting on the chair, and while he couldn't see them, he knew that Mipsy and the other House-Elves were likely keeping an ear out for his reaction.

"That's a lot of gifts." Tom stared warily.

"I may have gone a little overboard." His father confessed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But not all of them are from me! Some of them are from the House-Elves, and Lord Malfoy and Heir Abraxas also sent quite a few too. Adira and Faer also found some very thoughtful pebbles and sticks they thought you would like, which I thought was very nice. Some are from the other pureblood houses here in Spain too, but those are more out of trying to curry favour than anything else, just like they did at Yule. Don't worry, Mipsy already checked them and found them safe."

"I never did see you get any gifts during Yule, other the one I gave you." The brunette said, carefully going through the pile to organize which ones came from whom. There really were a lot from Phoenix, including a crystal orb that Phoenix told him about that would project the constellations across the ceiling of his room. He eagerly set that one aside to test later.

"Mipsy had to go through them all, and didn't want to release them until she was sure." Phoenix shrugged helplessly. "It's not easy, being a bachelor, much less one with a lot of money."

Tom gave an understanding nod, remembering what his tutors had told him during their lessons on Wizarding Culture and Politics. It was a frightful world out there for adults, and it had taken several minutes for the poor witch to calm him down and keep from exploding another desk when he heard about the lack of regulation on Love Potions.

The thought that any minute someone could try to turn anyone, even Phoenix, into a useless drooling doll that would throw themselves into a stranger's arms made him furious.

"No. We're not going to go down that path right now."Tom thought while taking a deep breath.

Everyone had worked really hard to make sure today would be a good day for him, and he refused to let something so irksome as an incompetent government ruin it. Tom grabbed a couple of gifts to distract himself, and plopped himself right next to his guardian on the couch. He plucked the note off the first one, and replaced his anger with fondness when he saw the familiar handwriting.

"I saw it in the book store while Father and I were browsing, and thought of our first meeting. I hope you like it. —Abraxas"

Carefully unwrapping the gift, he placed the wrapping to the side to be saved as he turned the book over and read the title. He grinned, "Sticking to It All Year Long! Sticking Charms and How to Make Them Last Longer, by Lottie Epoxy."

"Good to see you have a friend with a sense of humour." The albino snorted, and held up a hand in surrender when Adira hissed indignantly. "Sorry, a human friend with a sense of humour."

The Brunette shoved his elbow into the other's side, setting the book down and picking up the next gift. It was from Lord Malfoy, and Tom deduced they must have got their gifts at the same time, as it was also a book. "For next time someone, or something, feels the need to speak empty words in your presence, Heir Frosland."

"The Golden Words For Gaining Peace and Quiet. Silencing Spells and How to Cast Them, by Aarav Filencio." Phoenix read out as the younger laughed. "What a supportive father."

Tom took a deep breath, nervously gripping at the tray in his hand. Phoenix was currently working in his office at the moment, Summer was fast approaching and along with it the deadline for one of his books. The albino wanted to get it written and done with as fast as possible before he forgot all about it, so all his meals save dinner were to be delivered to his room for the next week.

This was it.

This was the day he was going to say it.

He had been insistent with Mipsy that he delivered Phoenix's meal to him today. As if sensing his emotions, the sassy elf had placed a featherweight charm on the meal and allowed it just this once.

"Oh, Snakelet!" The snowy-haired Lord blinked, reaching up to take off his glasses as the younger entered. "You're bringing me lunch today?"

"Yeah," He nodded, swallowing down the lump that formed in his throat. He could do this. Just like he practised. He carefully placed the meal on the cleanest part of Phoenix's desk. It always became a mess of references and outlines whenever the adult was in an inspired mood. "I know that you're busy right now, but I thought it would be nice to visit…"

"It's very nice of you," Phoenix confirmed, ruffling the younger's hair. "Thank you."

Tom took another deep breath, flexing his hands in an attempt to relax.

"No problem, Dad."

The hand on his head froze, and it took all of Tom's willpower not to fidget and peer around it to see his guardian's. "I'm… I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Phoenix asked, still unmoving.

"I said No problem, Dad."

"Dad." The Lord breathed. "Dad. As in me."

"Yes."

"I'm Dad."

Tom nodded, and Phoenix still didn't move after that. The child was practically one second away from an anxiety attack when his guardian finally stood up from his seat and hauled the halfblood under his arm, scrambling out of the room.

"WHIMSY. WHIMSY, WE NEED A CAKE RIGHT NOW." Phoenix (Dad, Tom corrected with a sag of relief) yelled, eyes glowing brighter than any of the lights in the house, with a grin so big it almost made him look feral. Tom felt a smile of his own grow as the man whooped and hollered down the hall.

"I'M A DAD NOW!!!"

Tom watched in bemusement, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Are you… knitting?"

"I am." His dad confirmed over the clicking of needles.

"The caretakers at Wool's said only women knit."

"Knitting, and any other hobby for that matter, is for anyone who enjoys it." Phoenix admonished pointedly. "Gender has nothing to do with it, and I will be giving you that talk soon enough. But I don't think you came here to talk about the harmful effects of gender stereotypes. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to ask to borrow one of the books from your study." Tom replied, before eyeing the creation in his father's hands. "…What are you making?"

"Go ahead, and I'm making a little jumper for Adira! Look, I even had it all zigzaggy like her." The Albino brightened, eyes glowing faintly as he held up his current creation. "I plan on making one for my danger noodle next, but I'm going to make it all wavy and make it waterproof along with the heating enchantment's since Kaer's mostly an aquatic snake. I know its a bit early, it being June and all, but its the thought that counts, you know?"

"Yeah.... Can I watch while you make his?"

"Of course! I can even teach you how to make one while I'm at it if you'd like."

"I would, actually. Thank you."

"Dad, Whimsy said it was time for dinner." Tom called as he entered the office.

"Tell her to bring it here, I can't leave right now."

"She also said that if you tried working through dinner, she was going to leave you stuck to the ceiling again."

"No, no, I'm not working. Look, look." Phoenix hurried, coaxing Tom to come closer. Curious, the child came over and peered down.

"Oh wow." His eyes widened at the sight of Adira all curled up on his father's lap, asleep. She was even wearing that little jumper Phoenix has made her. The Albino hummed in agreement, gently running his fingertips over the zigzag pattern of her scales. "So this is where she went…"

"Yah."

"She usually doesn't like you. Or anyone else, actually."

"Yah."

"How long has she been sleeping?"

"I don't know, she was awake last time I checked on her, but it must have been recent. I don't have the heart to wake her up."

Tom gave a sympathetic nod, before turning back to the door. "I'll go tell Whimsy the situation."

"Thank you."

"I get why she would make you clean the kitchen." Tom started, kicking his feet up and down as he sat on the bar stool. "And I guess I understand why she would make you wear the maid outfit, but…"

Phoenix, in his attempt to get Tom some more hobbies outside of books, had taken his charge to the kitchens to share the joys of cooking and baking. It went down well enough, and Tom did enjoy making the Spiced ice-cream cake with caramel figs that was currently left to chill in the fridge. The problem, was somewhere in the process of waiting for the cake to finish in the oven, the duo had ended up having an intense food fight showdown.

It had been easy to pin the crime of who started it on the older man when Whimsy came in.

His dad stopped cleaning long enough to place a playfully sassy hand on his hip, leaning back. "What, you don't think I look good in it?" He raised a brow, challengingly.

"I just don't get the cat ears, or the tail."

"Oh that, I was talking to her and Mipsy about it a few years ago." He shrugged off with a wave, tailing flicking from side to side.

"…Why were you talking about it?"

"Uh, It's an American thing. I'll tell you about it when you're older."