Chapter Text
Dark Cacao sat at his desk, holding Dark Choco in one of his hands as the little one played with one of the toys that Choco Bark had made him. With his other hand, Dark Cacao was trying to write letters to his friends, to tell them about Dark Choco. It had been a great struggle for him, since in the hour that he had been at this desk, he had thrown away countless messy looking drafts and only gotten 4 lines into this current version. It was almost laughably hilarious when it came to the fact that normally he would be able to write a letter in under 30 minutes.
Of course the solution to this situation was painfully obvious: Put Dark Choco down on the desk, and then go write the letters like normal, but it didn't cross Dark Cacao’s mind. In his mind, the mere thought of letting go of his little baby was not an option, fearing that if he let go for even a fraction of a second, Dark Choco would turn to dust and be gone forever. Like an overprotective cream wolf mother protecting her pup, he didn't leave Dark Choco out of his sight, always keeping one eye on his child as he wrote.
Dark Choco was completely unaware of his father’s turmoil, playing with his toy happily, babbling without a care in the world. His eyes were still shut tight, leaving him as blind as a newborn kitten. But that didn't mean he wasn't overly curious about the world around him, on the contrary. At the moment he was just shaking the toy he was holding, listening to it ring loudly.
After a couple more minutes of struggling to write, Dark Cacao’s pen slipped, accidentally splashing into its ink and the ink splashing on the paper in a messy fashion. Sighing in frustration, Dark Cacao crunched up this paper and threw it away like the others, but he didn't get another piece of paper. Instead, he just laid his head on the table, his hair slightly sliding down from his shoulders and his crown coming off from his head, laying upside down on the desk.
Dark Cacao struggled to keep his eyes open, the dull ache from hunger combined with the slight soreness of where he took his dough to make Dark Choco made his torso ache, and he felt quite thirsty. He mentally berated himself for this, that he should have gotten something for himself after he gave Dark Choco the rest of the little dough bits.
Speaking of Dark Choco, the little one was still playing with his toy, shaking it and laughing at the sound it made.
Dark Cacao internally smiled at this. Cradling Dark Choco so he could still play with his toy, Dark Cacao stood up and moved towards the door. When he opened the door, he found that Swirled Fudge was already there, with his fist already up to knock. In the First Watcher’s other hand, there was a platter of food, along with a glass of liquid chocolate.
Dark Cacao stared at the platter in shock. How-
“I thought you would need some refreshments while you took care of the Prince. Us Watchers kind of saw that you didn't really eat or drink much while waiting for Dark Choco to finish baking, so we all chipped in to make something for you. I hope it's alright.” Swirled Fudge said, reading the confusion on the king’s face.
Dark Cacao’s eyes slightly widened at this. That was… very kind. The fact that his Watchers were willing to do this for him warmed his heart.
“Thank you.” Dark Cacao grabbed the plate with his one free hand.
Swirled Fudge looked at the king, noticing the slight moments of struggle like how his eyes darted around in a minor frenzy before focusing back to where he was looking, or how his stance was more defensive than usual. This worried the watcher greatly, not sure how to help at this time.
Suddenly, an idea popped in his mind. It was pretty risky, but, with enough trust, Swirled Fudge was sure that he would be able to do it.
“Your Majesty, maybe I could hold Dark Choco for a while as you eat and drink. I’ll keep him in your sights though, so you shouldn’t worry.”
Dark Cacao stiffened at this, but the hunger and exhaustion made him think twice. After a while, setting the plate on a nearby table, he relented and handed Dark Choco to Swirled Fudge, his hands outstretched as if to catch Dark Choco if Swirled Fudge accidentally dropped him.
But fortunately, Swirled Fudge didn't drop him. As soon as he had gotten the baby in his arms, Swirled Fudge shifted his arms to securely hold Dark Choco in his arms and prop his head up. As soon as Dark Cacao’s nerves were eased, he grabbed the plate back off from where he set it, went to sit on a stool, and started eating the food.
As soon as he took one of the chocolate squares and put it in his mouth, one thing became clear in his mind: the food was absolutely delicious, with the flavors almost bursting in his mouth. After a while of not eating anything, this was like a blessing from the witches themselves. Dark Cacao was extremely thankful of the Watchers putting this together for him.
Swirled Fudge, keeping his promise, moved to position himself in Dark Cacao’s view, making absolute sure that Dark Choco was in his sights. He carefully watched Dark Cacao’s face, seeing how the king’s eyes seemed to lighten up slightly from the food, yet still constantly flickering to check in on his son. Dark Choco, in the meantime, had gotten bored of his toy, just holding it in his tiny little hands as he turned his head from side to side. It was absolutely adorable in Swirled Fudge’s eyes, how from Dark Cacao’s dough came this little ball of sunshine among the blizzard ridden lands that were the Dark Cacao kingdom.
It was almost like time had stopped, a silence washing over the three like crisp snowfall on a winter day. No one was willing to speak in the meantime, the only sound being the almost inaudible sound of Dark Cacao eating, his head bowed as he gracefully ate off the plate. When he was finished, he set the plate on his desk, sitting there on the stool for a while.
Swirled Fudge looked around a little before asking, “I assume you want your son back?”
Dark Cacao said nothing, but he did reach out his hands, ready to accept Dark Choco back into his arms again. Swirled Fudge obliged, setting Dark Choco in Dark Cacao’s hands, watching them retract and hold his son tightly against himself. Dark Choco had thrown his toy to the side, not wanting to play with it anymore.
Swirled Fudge spoke up, “Your majesty, I suggest you get some rest. I know you want to take care of your son, but you haven't slept in a few days.”
Dark Cacao looked up at Swirled Fudge, “Who will watch my son while I sleep?”
Swirled Fudge smiled, “Don't worry, the Watchers will stand on guard. We will make sure nothing happens to either of you. I will take my leave now to tell the Watchers their orders. Now… Please, get some rest. You look like you're about to fall asleep on the spot.”
When Swirled Fudge walked out through the door, closing it behind him, Dark Cacao glimpsed at himself in the mirror near the window, and sighed. He did really look that exhausted. Standing up, he went to set Dark Choco down so he could get dressed for bed… Then he remembered that he had no cradle at the moment.
“Hm…” Dark Cacao scanned the area, looking for something that he could put his son in for the night.
Basket? Too big, Dark Choco would feel too lonely. Silk? Probably good as a base, but not as a bed. Cup? Dark Choco could tip it over. Nothing seemed to fit his son.
Dark Cacao was considering just holding Dark Choco in his arms when he slept when he noticed the little cacao pod on his desk, the one he had set aside for his son.
Hm… it could work. Walking over to his desk, he took one hand, wrapped it around the pod, and cracked it open with brute strength, making sure it broke to make the perfect cradle for Dark Choco. Shifting the soft pulp to the other half of the pod shell, Dark Cacao wiped down the makeshift cradle with a towel before setting his son in it.
Dark Choco nestled perfectly in the cacao pod shell, as if it fit perfectly. It was quite poetic in its own way, that the cacao pod that was part of the tree that gave the pods that were now part of his son’s dough would be the one that his son fit perfectly in. Taking the silk from before, he put it under the pod shell, making sure it wouldn't rock. Dark Choco fussed a little in the shell, but he eventually settled down and fell asleep immediately, as if he was tired as well.
Heart melting from the sight, Dark Cacao watched his son nap for a while, before going to prepare himself for bed.
—
When Dark Cacao awoke the next morning, he realized that Dark Choco had gotten out of his makeshift cradle during the nighttime.
How did he know without even looking in the direction of the pod?
Because Dark Choco had crawled onto his face and napped there instead.
Dark Cacao moved to lift Dark Choco off of his face so he could start his day. Halfway during the lifting, when the king was about to turn and set his son back into the pod, Dark Choco opened his eyes for the very first time.
Dark Cacao paused, looking up in surprise. His son’s eyes were a ruby red, like ripe cacao pods. Eyes glimmering, full of life, wide and blinking, Dark Choco looked around the world for the very first time, as if wanting to make up for the time he had spent with his eyes shut. He observed his father’s face, as if taking in every little detail, memorizing the face of the one who made him. He then giggled and outstretched his little bitty hands, like seeing his father had filled him with joy.
Dark Cacao did not suppress his smile this time, feeling so joyous as he pressed his son against his forehead in a gesture of love.
“Oh my son… you have wonderful eyes… like rubies cut to catch every single bit of light from the sky,” He pulled Dark Choco away from himself, raising him in the air as he looked at his son,
“I hope you never lose that light.”
Sitting up, Dark Cacao held Dark Choco against himself as he began to get ready for the day, pulling his brush through his long hair.
—
Now Dark Cacao and Dark Choco were on top of the Great Wall, overlooking the entire kingdom that sat underneath their gaze.
As he held Dark Choco’s hands within his own, Dark Cacao made a promise: He would raise his son to be strong, to be just, to be kind, to be a warrior like no other. That would be his goal.
Dark Cacao looked down at his son, feeling a swell of pride in his chest. It would all go well from here… hopefully.