Chapter Text
Daemon checked the clock as he waited for Aegon to put on his clothes, trying not to rush him, trying to stay as patient as he could.
Independence was slow for kids. Especially when they were three-and-a-half years old and didn’t know left from right.
It also meant some outrageous combinations of clothes.
Aegon was wearing a purple puffy skirt with a green dragon shirt and bright yellow shoes.
"Daddy!" he called out, wrestling with his shoes. "Help!"
He walked to him, at last, and sat on the floor.
“Come here,” he called, patting his knee.
Aegon sat in the space of his crossed legs and raised his foot, and Daemon put them on his foot, first the left and then the right, tightening the Velcro.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” his son agreed.
He stood, at last, checking the clock. They were still on time.
“Okay,” he picked him up. “We’re going to go pick up Jace at the mall. Remember what we are getting?”
Aegon raised his arms, all happily.
“We’ll get ice cream,” he celebrated.
“Ice cream,” Daemon agreed. “We’ll take your big boy stroller, and then if you want to walk, we can walk after we pick up Jace.”
Jacaerys, Baela and Rhaena had graduated from Middle School last year and were going into High School on the first of February and, as a congratulatory gift, they had received some money from the family - that was, Daemon, Rhaenyra and Laenor - to spend with whatever they felt like.
Jace wanted video games, so that was what he was buying to enjoy for the rest of his month before the school year started.
Daemon just hoped he got something for school too, although he wasn’t expecting it. Teenagers weren't exactly known for their financial foresight.
He shot Rhaenyra a text to let her know he was leaving and stopped by the living room with Aegon in his arms, checking on Luke and Joffrey as they watched some cartoon on TV.
“Hey,” he called.
They both turned to look at him.
“10 an hour?” he asked.
Luke thought for a bit.
They didn’t force the kids to watch their little siblings. Having such a big age gap between them all made things a bit easier, but sometimes they needed babysitting and the nanny wasn't around – and with four teens, there was a lot of negotiating for what they would get if they did so.
"13," Luke proposed, very cheeky. "This is my holiday, Kepa. You don't work on your holiday for less than overtime."
Daemon shook his head. Smart boy.
"14, and you feed him," he countered. "Final offer."
He earned a bit grin in return.
"Done," he conceded. "It's great doing business with you."
Daemon held a chuckle, carrying Aegon and his baby bag to the car, and set him on his seat.
He drove away to the sound of a cartoon musical and his toddler singing along with a perfect Westerosi accent.
They needed to find one of those in Valyrian – Aegon was just three, and his brain was still wiring up. He would be caught dead if his toddler son spoke better Westerosi than their own language.
He parked up, and Aegon had one of his toys in hand, which was a great asset as he placed him in the stroller and buckled him up. It was just a quick pacifier, he would want to explore soon. It was best they found Jace quickly.
He got a text back right after sending his own, inquiring about where he was, and met him outside of an electronic store with the newest console and a pile of games – though he was half-sure he’d only be able to get through one of them, considering how long the games he played were, the plot was usually too long.
Why the hell he was wearing a big beanie, Daemon didn’t know. His kids had weird fashion senses.
"Jace!" Aegon exclaimed from his pram.
Jacaerys beamed, and Daemon released Aegon to scamper over to his brother, smiling as Jace hoisted him up.
"Eggy! Look at you!" Jace exclaimed, bouncing him. "Did you pick that purple skirt?"
"I did!" Aegon affirmed, radiating happiness. "I'm very stylish."
Someone had used that word for him, and his little one had adopted it into his vocabulary.
Jacaerys shot Daemon an amused glance.
"You are," he conceded, nodding at Aegon. "I should get your help to dress up sometimes."
He shook his head to them, stopping by Jacaerys to take the boxes and put them under the pram, which was the reason he actually brought it along – it was much easier to push his stroller than jungle bags.
“Daddy, don’t forget” Aegon called him. “We are having Ice cream!”
Jacaerys turned to him with his eyebrows raised, and Daemon menaced with his head.
“I might have made a promise,” he told him. “Do you want some ice cream?”
He shrugged.
“It’d be nice.”
Daemon just let him put a last bag in the stroller, eyeing it suspiciously. What were those? They didn’t look like games.
His toddler squirmed out of Jace’s arms and grabbed his hand, dragging his brother off, and Daemon pushed the side of the bag for a moment, peeking into it.
Hair products?
Weird.
He followed the boys quietly, still a bit curious, but said nothing.
As long as the kid wasn’t buying drugs, his purchases were his own.
Either Aegon knew exactly where the ice cream shop was or Jace guided him, and Daemon parked up the big pram by a chair, taking a seat as his little boy drooled over the numerous ice cream options and his older brother brought up the menus and pulled his to sit down.
“The kid menu,” Jace gave it to him.
Aegon didn’t eat sugar yet and Joffrey was only recently getting introduced to it, so Daemon always got it from the kids' menu for him.
"Okay, come here," he called to him, lifting his son onto his lap and presenting the menu. "We have strawberry, honey mango, peanut butter... oh, blueberry! Eggy, you love blueberry!"
But his little boy simply pouted, squirming to turn around and pointing to a picture on the wall.
"I want that one!" he declared.
Daemon followed his gaze, discovering a dragon fruit popsicle. He searched for it on the menu, then on the larger one. It was sugar-free, but Aegon had never had dragon fruit before, and the popsicle was notably large – adult-sized.
“The dragon fruit one?” he asked him. “That’s what you want?”
Jace let out a chuckle, and Daemon just knew right there and then that everything would be going back home stained with pink.
“Yes,” his son confirmed. “The dragon fruit popsicle.”
Daemon sighed, resigning himself to the inevitable mess.
"How about you?" he asked Jace.
Jace returned the menu.
"Chocolate mint, please."
Aegon walked down from his lap and Daemon went to order, getting himself Valyrian Chocolate for himself, and arranging treats for everyone at home. He knew better than to return empty-handed – honey mango for Joff, bubblegum for Luke, strawberry for Rhaena, salted caramel for Baela, and a banana split for Rhaenyra with a little bit of everything.
Daemon picked up a high chair for Aegon on his way back, carrying up some alcohol to sanitise it - he always carried tissues with himself, and he knew better than to expect his son to eat without making a mess.
The moment he put the chair into place, though, he saw Jacaerys.
Without his hat.
And he had white hair.
Full-blown, cool-toned with a hint of goldish-grey, Rhaenyra-silver hair.
He stared at him, not knowing what to say at first.
The boy’s face went completely pink.
Aegon grabbed it right away, messing with it in curiosity.
“You have my hair!” he exclaimed, looking absolutely excited, and then looked at Daemon. “Daddy, look! Jace has hair like me and you and Mama!”