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Dark Cacao put down his quill, watching with soft eyes as his one-year-old son babbled to himself while playing with a stuffed cake hound he had bought the boy before his birth. His son looked thoroughly immersed in his game, making loud noises of excitement.
The sight made Dark Cacao smile, a rare thing unless he was with his family. His son never failed to bring him joy, a light in his otherwise monotone life.
He sighed as his mind began to wander, the force of his exhaustion hit him roughly.
Managing and ruling a kingdom was no easy task, and the added responsibility that came with a child took a toll on him. However, he wouldn't trade it for the world, refusing to leave his son in the hands of another unless it was truly necessary, no matter how much Dark Mocha pestered him about his health.
Dark Choco was his entire world, and Dark Cacao wanted to be there for him, no matter what.
It was difficult, he won't lie, but he thought he was doing well, making sure his son was properly fed and entertained while also making sure he was developing at a normal pace.
His son could already sit up by himself and has learned how to crawl, not to mention, that the boy could stand with the assistance of the furniture (or people) around him.
It had been a huge shock for both him and Dark Mocha when, while the First Watcher was reporting some strange activity in a village west of the Citadel, Dark Choco crawled over and grabbed the man's hanbok. The Watcher paused, the two men looking down as the prince used the man's clothes as a means to try and stand. The boy may have unintentionally almost strangled Dark Mocha, but he managed to stand for the first time, so the Watcher forgave him (though, it isn't like many can deny the prince anything. Dark Cacao was a victim to his son’s puppy dog eyes on more than one occasion.)
It wouldn't be long until the prince took his first steps.
A rare excitement bubbled under his skin at the thought.
He certainly would curse the moment his son started walking in the near future, but he couldn't care less.
Dark Cacao felt a tingle, a feeling he grew to recognize as his sixth sense for when Dark Choco was doing something he wasn't supposed to.
“Dark Choco,” he warned, his head resting in his palm while his eyes were closed.
He didn't even realize that they had closed in the first place. Maybe the exhaustion was worse than he thought.
His son was no longer babbling and the king opened his eyes, a pit growing in his gut.
“Dark Choco?”
His son was no longer sitting in his spot, the stuffed cake hound left toppled over on the ground. The exhaustion left him almost immediately, his instincts and adrenaline kicking in as he sat up ramrod straight. Every single sense was pushed to overdrive, his mind screaming to find his child.
Dark Cacao scanned the area in front of him, but a single hair strand was in sight. He twisted around, his knees pulled out of his kneeling position and now in a low crouch in case he needed to get up quickly.
“Dark Choco?!”
The king was about to shoot up in a panicked haze, not spotting his son anywhere when a quiet gurgle came from his right.
Dark Cacao’s head snapped in that direction and could have cried from relief at the sight of his son holding onto the edge of a low enough opened drawer.
He let out a huge sigh, chest nearly heaving in his palpable relief.
“Witches above…” he muttered, switching from his crouch to sit with his legs out in a v-shape once he felt his legs almost give out from the adrenaline crash. He almost felt like jelly, if he was being honest.
Dark Cacao looked at his son with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed expression, the boy only looking back at him with an innocent face.
The king simply sighed. “You are going to be the death of me one of these days,” he stated, closing his eyes again. A stupid decision, really, considering that's what got him into his mess, but he was exhausted.
His son let out a noise that could only be described as astonishment, and this time, Dark Cacao didn't hesitate to open his eyes. He didn't want to have another heart attack if his son wanted to play hide and go seek.
When his vision cleared (and wow, maybe he was much more exhausted than he thought), his son was no longer holding onto the open drawer, standing without assistance. Dark Cacao blinked a few times, his mind struggling with exhaustion. He knew something momentous was occurring in front of him, but he didn't know what.
Once it clicked, he froze, watching his son with wide eyes and bated breath.
The boy held his arms out and very carefully put one foot in front of the other. Then, again. And then, again. The toddler's face was scrunched up in concentration, looking very serious as he walked toward his appa.
In a matter of a few moments, Dark Choco was in front of him, laughing and flopping over on top of his thigh. When he heard his son's laughter, everything hit him all at once, leaving him speechless.
His son just walked over to him.
He did it without any assistance.
Dark Choco's first steps.
Dark Cacao jumped when he realized that fact. He didn't hesitate in picking his little prince up, holding the boy out from under his armpits and bringing him up to eye level.
“You just walked over to me,” he stated, shock evident in his voice. Dark Choco cooed and laughed, kicking his legs in joy. “You took your first steps!” The king exclaimed, an uncharacteristic joyful expression working its way onto his face.
The king smiled brightly, exhaustion long forgotten, and the prince laughed, wiggling around before imitating his smile, though lacking some teeth.
Dark Cacao cooed at the toddler, bringing him close and holding him up with both hands. “You did it, aegi,” he whispered, his face beginning to ache from how much he was smiling.
Dark Choco merely let out a gurgle, gripping the collar of his durumagi and tugging. The king huffed, looking down at his son. “Are you hungry?” He asked, glancing outside. The sun was blazing high in the sky, and Dark Cacao hummed.
It was lunchtime.
The prince tugged again.
“Yes, yes, your highness, you'll get your food,” Dark Cacao sighed, fond.
He could announce the prince's first steps to the others later, he had a hungry son to feed.