Quirin's Birthday
Quirin had been waiting in the living room for an hour while his son worked on a special birthday project in the kitchen.
"Varian? Are you done yet?" Quirin asked.
"Almost!" Varian called out. He was ready two minutes later with a triple layered chocolate cake. "Happy Birthday, Dad! ...Maybe don't go in the kitchen for a while." he said nervously.
"Varian? What did you do?" Quirin pressed.
"I mechanized the eggbeaters and I maaaybe used too much power." Varian admitted. "But don't worry! I can fix everything once I get the batter off the ceiling. I've invented plenty of powerful cleaning solutions!"
'There's a reason for that.' Quirin thought but didn't say. Instead, he turned to his son and smiled. "It looks delicious, anyway." he assured Varian.
Varian blushed. "It's mom's old recipe. I know I can't make it as good as her." he confessed.
"I don't expect it to. Your mom had a real knack for baking. She thought of it as a science." Quirin replied, taking a slice of cake.
"It kinda is. Lots of measuring, combining materials to create something new. Like alchemy, baking is all about precision." Varian detailed.
"You're so like her." Quirin sighed, lost in memories of a happy time with Vivienne. Varian understood. They were a tight knit little family, but every now and then, they both longed for the wonderful woman who had come into their lives and then passed away.
"Anyway, I didn't just make you a cake for your birthday." Varian stated.
"Oh?" Quirin paused, a forkful of chocolate cake resting near his mouth.
"I went to Xavier's and he helped me make this ergonomic shovel I designed. It's not broken! The handle is supposed to be bent, to make it easier on your back." Varian explained.
Quirin was touched. He had been having back problems lately, a side effect of getting old he supposed, but he'd never said anything to Varian about it. His son must have pieced it together from watching Quirin work in the fields.
"Thank you son. That was very thoughtful." Quirin told him.
"I just wanted today to be nice, you know? N-not like last year when you were..." Varian trailed off, unable to finish.
"Trapped in the amber." Quirin finished. "You're right. I missed a lot of things during that year. You were growing up, making mistakes-"
Varian flinched. "Dad, I'm sorry..." he began.
"It's not your fault. Not entirely. You were angry and hurt and you thought no one would listen to you. But you've learned from your mistakes, and grown into a better person. I'm proud of you, Varian." Quirin spoke reassuringly.
Varian wiped away a tear. "I love you, Dad." he said softly.
"I love you too, son." Quirin replied. "Now, let's have some cake."
Varian nodded and took a slice. "Here's to another year, together." he toasted.
The End
Happy family for the win! I'm not sure when Quirin's birthday is, maybe autumn when the leaves are turning and the threat of winter is still a ways off. Hope you enjoyed!