Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE

Dark Choco's life was getting slighty better, he joined Dark Enchantress, he got a new "home", he was the only person there that was in his 20s, looking at the fact that Licorice, Pomegranate and Red Velvet were still 13 years old. A week ago he cut his hair short, he come back to train again, and he secretly used glasses to read at night.

He couldn't complain. He had a new life, trying to forget his past of being a prince. He was going to be a brand new person, living in a shadow of his past... He though that it was his destiny. To be the villain.

One morning he was returning from a mission when he heard a child crying. He decided to go to the child, when he got there he saw a wooden house. A wooden house in the middle of the forest, and you can hear a child crying inside? That probably didn't bode well.

He put his hands on his sword, he was getting ready to attack in case...

He walked inside the house, he walked slowly and carefully, he started going upstairs when suddently he saw a man laying on floor, under him was a pool of blood. He was shot in the head. Dark Choco swallowed and then entered the room. It was a pink nursery, a woman was laying on the floor, she also got shot. His eyes were drawn to a pink cradle with a crying baby inside.

He carefully pick up the child that was in pink onesie. The baby had tan skin, white hair and big curious hazel eyes

"Her parents needed to really love pink..." He though to himself.

The baby didn't look older than maybe 3 months old? Dark Choco he couldn't watch this child suffer because of some people who killed her parents. He decided to take her with him.

Walking through the rest of the forest, he decided to name the baby Strawberry since she had cradle with strawberries. He smiled at Strawberry who was now sobbing.

When he arrived, Licorice, Pomegranate and Red Velvet right away ran toward Dark Choco and start asking him about the baby. He tried to answer them but they have so much questions at once...

He also told Dark Enchantress about what happend and that he want to keep the baby, luckily she agreed to that.

From that day, he promised to himself that he will be the best dad...

Chapter Text

Chapter I

Dark Choco was sitting on his bed, Strawberry in front of him was laying on her belly. She was trying to reach out for her toy, he being her after he needed to go to store for baby stuffs.

"You woke me up two time at night today and this is all you do now? Trying to grab your plushie?" He said pushing the stuffed animal closer to her little hand. "You should be happy that you are cute..."

"A..." She mumbled.

"It would be easier If you could talk..." He touched her chubby cheek and chuckles. "Cutie..."

Suddently to Dark Choco's room walked Pomegranate, Licorice and Red Velvet.

"Didn't I told you all to knock on the door?" He signed.

"Maybe, but who cares?" Licorice scoffed. "Can we Play with the baby? Please!" They all make puppy eyes.

Dark Choco signed again.

"Okay, but don't drop her..." He carefully pick up Strawberry and put her in Licorice's arms.

"Aww! She's so cute!"

"I wonder if she will help me bake my dogs in future..." Red Velvet said.

"I hope she will be bad in the future... But for now she can stay as innocent baby!"

They were cooing to Strawberry, she looked at them with her hazel big eyes, curious. Licorice started to make stupid faces to her, when Pomegranate take her away from Licorice's arms.

"Give me her, you will drop her!" She said lifting Strawberry high "Who's a cute baby?"

"Are you sure it's safe to hold Strawberry like that...?" Red Velvet looked worried.

"Of course it is! Babies are so..." Suddently Strawberry throwed up at her "innocent..."

Silence. Dark Choco fastly took Strawberry and started to pat her on the back so she pukes it all out. Meanwhile Pomegranate run away, Licorice behind her laughing, and at the end Red Velvet still worried.

"Kids these days..." Dark Choco huffed. "You should drink something or you will be dehydrated from all this puking..."

He get up from the bed, walking toward the kitchen, taking her sippy cup on the way. He warm milk for her, and after it was done, he poured it into her sippy cup and tried to make her drink, but she got fussy.

"Come on, baby... You need to drink..." He said trying to make her drink "Or maybe you shouldn't drink... You will vomit with it... But you also need to... Let's wait a hour, I will make only a coffee okay...?"

He layed her on his bed, again, and go to make himself a coffee. He started to drink his coffee. Dark Choco started to get really tired by needing to wake up at late night just because of Strawberry getting hungry or whatever her reason was... He couldn't help but think "Did father also had so much problems with me?"

He hear Strawberry mumbling random letters like 'a' or 'o' and he walked toward her. He petted her hair whike she was trying to reach her Giraffe plushie.

"So you don't want to throw up anymore?" He kneeled next to his bed watching her. "I don't even know what to do with kids who are throwing up... I should read books about kids..."

"A... A..."

"Yea... A..."

She grab his finger in her little hand. He chuckles at her adorable face, she looked at his hand with her big eyes, and look away.

"What exactly babies do... Let's go tommorow to a library, okay?"

She was still looking at his hand.

"I will take it as yes"

***
At the next day he putted Strawberry into baby carrier and he putted his hood on. At the city he tried to not be noticed. At the library he take some books about babies and how to raise them. He walked toward the library woman who was reading something. She had a plaque on her desk "Blueberry". The woman had long navy blue dress, her hair tied in a bun, she also have gloves on her hands and she had navy blue glasses, that she would improve from time to time.

"Umm... Excuse me..." Dark Choco said trying to not make eye contact with this woman. "I want to borrow these books..."

The woman looked at him, she put her book on the desk and brought the laptop closer to her.

"Name and last name?" she asked.

"Is Licorice saved here to the system?"

"Yea, he still didn't gave me 20 books he borrowed."

"Umm... What about Red Velvet...?"

"He didn't gave back 12 books he borrowed. All of them are about baking..." She commented "He's baking for a long time now" She chuckles.

"And Pomegranate?"

"Guess"

"She didn't gave away her borrowes books?"

"Yes!" She smiled sarcastically.

"Then I will make an account..."

"Finally..." She started clicking something "Name?"

He swallowed hard, making sure no one was around.

"Dark Choco..." He whispered.

"Okay, you are now registered. Please return the book after 3 weeks."

"Thank you..." He said fastly going out.

"A..." Strawberry said gripping her hand on his hoodie.

"Yea, we are coming back home now... I hope no one will know I was here..." He said petting her head. "We will get through this together.."

Chapter Text

Chapter II

Dark Choco was sitting on my bed, Strawberry sleeping in her crib. He was reading some books that he borrowed from the library. He really tried to do best in parenting and he was starting to get better at it. Strawberry was a calm, but sometimes really difficult...

"Hmm... It seen that for now everything is okay with her..." he closed the book and signed. He had a feeling that he needed to come back to Strawberry's old house to learn more.
He didn't even know when was her birthdays!

After thinking for a long time Dark Choco decided to do something really risky, but he couldn't take her with him. He knocked on Red Velvet's door, the boy opened the door. Just as I thought, the three of them were already sitting there

"What is it?" He asked.

"Listen now, you three. You will take care of Strawberry until I come back. Remember to feed her, change her diaper and don't shake her. Understood?'

"Understood!" Licorice said, standing up.

"I hope she won't throw up at me like she did last time..."

"She shouldn't. I think..."

"Where are you going?" Red Velvet asked.

"Mission..."

He kissed Strawberry's forehead and leave her with them. He fastly dress up and go out.

He was walking through the forest, determined to get into that house. Strawberry's old house, he need to know more. Why her parents were killed? What is her real name?

Suddently he heard something behind him, he turn around but found nothing. He put his hand on a small knife he had in his pocked and went further.

"You!" He heard a voice behind him.

Dark choco turned around, again, ready to attack, but all he saw was... A little girl with fluffy lavender hair, There was a golden streak in her bangs. She had tanned skin and blue eyes. She was wearing white dress, but Dark Choco knew just by looking Judging by the cut of the dress, she's from a royal family. Could she be the sister of the famous Madelaine? The one that promised that he will be a soldier for Pure Vanilla when he grow up? The dumb blond boy? Probably.

"Your bad!" She said.

"And how do you know it huh?" He teased her.

"You have a patch! The one that Dark Enchantress give to bad people who work for her!"

Okay, that was actually impressive for a kid.

"And how do you know it?"

"I learned it from my brother! Soldiers!" She screamed.

I'm few seconds few soldiers showed up. Dark Choco just signed and take the knives from his pocket.

-Meanwhile-

"What 5 month kids can do?" Licorice said touching her chubby cheek.

"Instead of crying, eating, throwing up and whatever she do to her diaper? Nothing!" Pomegranate said.

"Maybe we can play with her?" Suggested Red Velvet.

"Hey, what she's looking at?" Noticed Licorice.

Their eyes went to the mirror the baby girl was staring at.

"Really? A mirror?" The yellow-eyed boy said disappointedly. "What's so interesting about mirrors?"

"She's just a child, idiot. She probably never saw a mirror before!"