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Dio smothered his baby in the fragrant lotion, gently rubbing in the sweet-smelling cream into the baby’s soft skin. Giorno cooed quietly, looking up at his father. Dio smiled at him. Earlier that day, he made a note that he needed to stop by the store and buy lotion, among other things, as winter was approaching and Giorno deserved only the best care.
After accosting the employee, the leotard-wearing man was led to the baby aisle. “Which is the best one? Only the finest will do for the son of me, Dio!” The woman looked a little bit scared, but was helpful nonetheless and pointed out a variety of products.
Once Dio picked up his items from the store, he drove to Giorno’s day care and picked him up. As always, he was a good baby and rarely made trouble. Carefully strapping Giorno into the baby car seat, Dio went to the McDonalds drive through and ordered a Big Mac.
They arrived home less than 10 minutes later, Giorno already lulled asleep by the movements of the car. Dio picked up his baby from the seat and brought him inside their apartment without waking him. He ate his McDonalds while rocking Giorno in his crib.
Finally it was bath time, his son’s favorite part of the day. Giorno giggled as Dio’s big hands ran soapy water through his tufts of hair. He splashed a little, squealing at the bubbles surrounding his tiny body. It was times like these that Dio would never forget. It was the ordinary moments that reminded him how amazing it was to be a dad. He planned to make good on his vow to be a better father than Dario was to him. Giorno brought out the best in him as a person, even if no one else was there to see it.
People often assumed that Dio was incapable of experiencing love, but that was only because they had never seen him around what he valued. In a world that only gave him the short end of the stick from childhood, it was hard to not put up walls around your heart. He wanted to guarantee his son that he would never be hurt like that, but Dio knew that wasn’t a promise he could keep.
While he dried, lotioned, and dressed Giorno, he thought of this beautiful child in front of him. Of course any child brought up under his care would achieve greatness, it was not debatable, but Giorno was already developing his own traits. He was a sweet, gentle, and caring baby. It frustrated Dio to think how the world loved corrupting sweet children like this. Perhaps it was just the fate of those born into this life.
Later, watching TV with Giorno curled into his arms, Dio allowed himself to smile again. This was one of the only times he could truly relax. He knew that no matter what came in the boy’s future, he would be there to help him and they would get through it together. After all, Giorno is what he loved most; of course he would never allow harm to come to him in the first place. Together they fell asleep on the chair, the low hums from the TV coaxing them into a dream-filled slumber.