Tom Stark-Malfoy

~||Time skip. 1+ month later. Mid-July. Yeah I skipped his birthday and there's nothing u can do 'bout it|| ~

Draco P.O.V.

"Daaad! I'm heading out again! I promise to be back by curfew. Oh right. Can I have a 50? I'm gonna buy a whole new wardrobe today and some other stuff!"

I slipped on my black outdoor dress shoes and went to dad holding out both my hands for the money. I'd need to stop by the bank to exchange it for gold before heading over to the Manor.

"Okay."

Dad took out a blank cheque and wrote £50,000 (as well as all the other required information/authentication singatures) before handing it to me.

"Thanks dad. Love you. Bye!"

I hugged my dad and waved goodbye. I'm not really a hugger but dad always gets pouty when I don't hug him before leaving. I saw Potter stroll into the foyer from the dining room with some bread in hand. I also waved goodbye to him.

"Bye. Mr. Potter."

Without dad, I usually still just call him Potter. It's not disrespectful, he prefers to be called that. He visited us for my birthday, and was only supposed to stick around for 3 weeks for a Vacation to tour London, but it seems his office called and asked him to stay for a case that involved I.W.P = wizarding interpol. He wouldn't crack no matter how hard I tried to get any info out of him, so I stopped asking. Afterall, I have a big day ahead of me.

Accidentally slamming the door behind me, I ran out to the back of our Manor and passed our chaperone into our car.

"To central bank, if you would please, William. Thank you. Afterwards, we will head to the Leaky Cauldron. You can head home afterwards. I'll call you again when I need a ride."

Thankfully it was quite simple for me to open an account at British Gringotts and linking it to my already existing account in America. I wouldn't have to shuffle funds between them. Strangely enough they didn't require blood authentication… Well, it may be due to the fact that no noble blood lineages originate from America, and blood purity doesn't even exist there, so inheritances are not an issue. Hence, when an American wizard dies with no stated heir, all their wealth immediately gets absorbed by the bank. More money and less paperwork for them.

"A'ight, Tom. 'aven't eaten Brekkie yet 'ave ye? Tha's not good. Yer dad should've at least fed yer somethin'."

"Nah I'm good. I'm planning to eat Breakfast in Diagon Alley. I heard Rosa Lee started selling rose-petal cakes just yesterday."

William got into the driver's seat and looked back to make sure I was strapped in before going to the bank. Ah right, he's a squib and works for us full time since his last job only paid him tosh. 4 Galleons, 16 Sickles, and 18 Knuts (£15) an hour as a dustman is ridiculous! You would expect people tasked to touch rubbish to pe paid more. I wouldn't do the job if my life depended on it.

… Well. In hindsight, I would probably do it. But I would hate every second of it!

*Back inside Stark Manor*

"That's it? You let your son out, and you just gave him fifty grand?"

Samuel asks with his eyebrow raising in incredulity at his friend. . . friend's father… friend and friend's father.

"He's got a bracelet that acts as a gps and a health monitoring system to let me know if he's in danger for rising adrenalin and cortisol. There's also a distress buŧŧon on it in case of emergencies." .

Both of the man's eyebrows are now raised, bewildered at Tony's way of reasoning.

"Okay a monitoring system, but fifty grand?! I know it's worth almost nothing to you, but you have to teach your kids about the value of money for when they become ȧduŀts. No wonder he doesn't know budgeting"

"Ehm. I trust him. Besides, Tom's already got a degree and his lab is gaining traction for being continuously mentioned in Science Daily, Scientific American, and New Scientist. People are putting it's name out there like Pym and Horizon labs. I'm not exactly sure how much he's earning, but I think around a tenth of what I do? Well, his no-Maj studies earn about that much. His wizarding laboratory earnings will stay in Gringotts until he's 17. If he can earn that much, he can spend as much as he likes. What more can a parent ask for?"

Tony shrugs, and Samuel looks at him incredulously. Why hasn't he learned about this before??? Sure he introduced Tom to some of his friends since Tom said he was interested in asking some alchemy questions, but he never heard about any labs?!?

"… A tenth is?"

"Around 150-175M?"

Samuel almost can't help but feel defeated.

"… You trust him that much? . . . Is it because he's a genius?"

"A genius?"

Tony smirks and raises an eyebrow at Samuel.

"I wouldn't call him a genius." Tony shakes his head. His smirk morphing into a fond smile as he glances down at his ŀȧp as though seeing an image others can't see.

"He's smart, yes. But he doesn't take a glance at a nuclear power plant and understands how the thing works. He researches. Reads. Observes. Asks questions. Makes conjectures. And questions everything he has read. Then he starts to understand. His intelligence isn't a gift. It is the product of his hard work. He tries to pretend otherwise but he can't fool me."

The corners of Samuel's lips lift up into an amused smirk and teases his friend.

"Then is he like you? A researcher whose nose is always stuck in his work. I wouldn't be surprised."

Samuel smirks pesteringly.

"Like me?"

Tony looks at Samuel as though baffles he would even suggest such a thing and laughs.

"He is nothing like me. I see the people around me and build my world around them. He sees the world and us a part of it. He's sly and mischievous to those he meets and sincere to those who know him. He manipulates others like a master puppeteer, yet he's softhearted and you can't help but protect and trust him. He knows things as though he can see through the universe, yet he's too brave and loyal to the point of idiocy. He once ran in front of me to shield me from bullets, yet he's too afraid to meet my eyes when I catch him with his hand in the cookie jar."

Tony's eyes are squinted with joy as he retells his son's tales with a smile stretching from ear to ear. Then he deeply sighs, relishing the feeling and smell of the air as it enters and exits his lungs.

"I'm just a genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist. That's it. Four words. But all the words in the dictionary aren't enough to describe what he is. He's more than that."

Tony's eyes turn clouded, and he bites his lip, feeling the insecurity and disappointment in himself consume him.

"And sometimes I even fear I'm not good enough for him. So no. He's not like me. He's more. He's. . . better"

Tony faces back towards the man with the same fond smile he had in the beginning. Insecurity and self-disappointment were replaced by fondness and pride. Samuel couldn't help also smiling along, seeing the love within Tony's eyes that shone brighter and clearer than the sun at mid-day. Truly a parent's love is blind.

"You forgot some words, Tony."

Tony's eyebrow raised, and his smile disappeared into a confused frown.

"You're a good father. And that's worth more than those four other words and even a million more because being a good father adds far more depth to your repertoire of descriptions than you think. Just think, you're courageous enough to raise him and good enough to raise him right. That's already more than what most people can do. So you don't need to worry about being too far behind your son."

Samuel gave a friendly jab to Tony's shoulder as he smirks knowingly.

"So catch up to him, and show him who's the man of the house."

Tony's eye widened in shock as he processed those words his companion said. Not long after did a smile break onto his face, and a burst of deep resounding laughter escaped him, filling the room with joy.

"Wrong! I'm not a father! I'm a dad. He hasn't called me father in years! Last time he called me that was when he was still a baby."

Samuel cordially hits Tony's shoulder again, this time purposefully stronger.

"OW!"

Tony glares at Samuel with blame and betrayal in his eyes.

"If your friend wants to cheer you up, stop correcting them! Merlin. Do you have to contradict everything I say?"

Tony grins mischievously at his irritated friend.

"Yes."

Samuel shakes his head and mutters 'like father like son.' He defeatedly smiles at Tony.

"He's more like you than you think. For one you're both insecure whinny babies hidden under all that ċȯċkiness and glamour. I know what your past was Tony. Protocol for parents of no-maj born wizards. But you're not defined by your past. Right now, I see a softhearted marshmallow of a man carrying the weight of the world on top of this huge collosal armor, and doing a fantastic job at both raising his son and protecting his world. You may not be doing a perfect job, but trust me when I say there is no one more experienced or better equipped for the job you're doing right now- living as Tony Stark. You're already the most perfect man for the job and doubting yourself is crying over spilled milk. You're a much better man than you think you are Tony. Really."

"Awe stop it you~ I'm gonna blush!"

Tony slaps Samuel's arm, and does a little shake with his hands in fists next to his cheeks imitating 'Aegyo: Shy Shy Shy version' [1].

Samuels could feel his blood pressure rising, and stands up to leave before the obviously 'mischievous and manipulative (yet softhearted and sincere) father' makes him vomit either blood or his breakfast. . . or both.

"Leaving so soon? Awe come on~ won't you stay fow wunch and compwement me mowe?"

"F*uck you Tony."

Samuel waved goodbye to tony with his longest finger, and apparated away.

Tony looks up at the ceiling, thinking over Samuel's words.

"No one does me better than me, huh."

He smiles at the world that suddenly seems brighter. More confident and much stronger to continue doing what he does best. Living as Tom's dad, and protecting the world as Iron Man. He's surer of himself, and he knows that he's ready to face the world (and not long into the future, the universe).

Tony stands up from the couch and stretches his back and shoulders.

"Alright, time to find Loki and end whatever he's up to."

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[1] Aegyo in Korean refers to a cute display of affection often expressed including but not limited to through a cute/baby voice, facial expressions, and gestures.. Shy Shy Shy – is an aegyo dance move in Twice's song, Cheer up.