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It’s been a few weeks since Dark Choco, Licorice and Poison Mushrooms have run away from the Chaos Tower with the help of Red Velvet. After that, Dark Choco left behind his cursed sword in a cave to which he destroyed the entrance, so no other souls would have to share his curse with him, who was unable to destroy the sword. They’re now living not too far from the Cookie Kingdom, but that’s not where they are right now.
It’s the middle of the night, outside the Vanilla castle, Dark Choco stands on its side, staring at an open window two levels up. He heard a rumor. A rumor about his father and Pure Vanilla. His curiosity and hope couldn’t help but take advantage of his mind.
“So… What do we do now?”
Dark Choco turns to his partner and their adopted child, who decide to follow him against his better judgment.
“I mean, we’re here now, so what do you think to do next?" asked Licorice.
"I want to see it!” says Poison Mushroom, impatient, holding a handmade plush mushroom. “We walked all the way here, it is not to turn back now!"
"I know you do, Mushroom, but we can’t exactly just walk inside."
"Then we have to climb." answered Dark Choco.
"You want to what?"
"What we have to do is fast, I just want to confirm those rumors I heard. We just have to check, give the present if it is true, and then leave.”
"Knowing you, love, you’ll take one hour to “check” and then leave. Plus you are tired, you have bags under your eyes!”
Licorice was right. Dark Choco had difficulties sleeping since he decided to come to the castle.
“Then you gonna help me focus. Now let’s climb.”
With not much difficulty, the three of them climb the castle wall and arrive at the open window.
It was a bedroom. A nursery, to be more precise. Quietly, the trio enters the room, not wishing to alarm the possible guards on the other side of the door or what they found in the cradle in the middle of the room.
So the rumors were true.
His father has a child, a baby boy, with Pure Vanilla.
The baby was small, his skin a dark brown like their father's, but he had the cheeks and blond hair of Pure Vanilla with a few locks of black raven hair. He also has the same star-shaped birthmark as Pure Vanilla on his forehead.
He was adorable.
“Aww, he’s so cute! Can I give it to him now?”
“Go ahead, Mushroom” answered Licorice
Poison Mushroom put the handmade plush mushroom next to the baby’s head, and Dark Choco couldn’t help but look at the band-aids on his child’s fingers. He remembers when he told them and Licorice about the rumor, Poison Mushroom started to make the plush immediately, wanting to “give them their first shroomie friend”. At that moment, he hoped that the rumors were true so Poison Mushroom wouldn’t be sad to not be able to give the plush to the at the time newly born prince.
“Ooohh, look at his eyes, they’re so pretty!”
Wait. His eyes?
Dark Choco snaps out of his “daydreaming” and looks at the baby.
His eyes.
The left one has a blackberry color, like their father, and the other a pale yellow, like his other father.
His eyes.
They were open.
His eyes.
Dark Choco couldn’t help but stare at them, panicking.
His eyes. They are open. He was awake. And staring back at him.
Panic grows in the two adults in the room. Even if they don’t have much interaction with babies, they know that usually, babies cry a lot. If the baby cries, it is bad news for them.
Except, the baby doesn't cry. Instead, he reaches out to Dark Choco with his little hands, making soft baby noises.
“Go on, take him before he starts to cry!”
Following his partner's advice, Dark Choco takes the baby in his arms, looking at him. The baby looks back, likely curious about his face. Maybe the scar, he thought.
“Hello, little one. Did we wake you up?”
The baby keeps staring, then reaches for Dark Choco's bad eye, touching it as gently as a baby can. Dark Choco can’t help but let out a deep and soft giggle.
“Curious about my scar, little one? I hope you don’t have my bad luck in life.”
The little prince answered with baby noises. The fallen prince feels a warm presence when the baby touches him.
“Dark Choco, I think we should leave.”
His smile fell a little. He looks at Licorice before looking back at the baby.
“It seems like our first meeting ends here, little prince. Take good care of our father for me, okay?”
The baby gives him a smile and Dark Choco’s smile brightens up. He puts the baby back in the cradle and caresses the little hand.
“Hope to see you again, in different circumstances...”
“Bye-bye baby!”
The trio turns back to the window. Dark Choco starts to climb it when-
“Dark Choco?”
He froze in his movement, then slowly turned back to the cradle. He could see that Licorice and Poison Mushroom did the same.
Dark Choco was so focused on the cradle at first, that he didn’t realize the presence of the smaller door linking the royal bedroom and the nursery. On the other side of the room, Dark Cacao and Pure Vanilla stand, in their night clothing, staff and sword in their hands. They haven’t seen each other in years, more precisely since Dark Cacao banished his son.
The fallen prince slowly backs down from the window and turns to his father.
Dark Cacao stares at him, his blackberry eyes shining in the moonlight, looking at his son with disbelief and… hope?
“Father-”
He wasn’t able to finish his sentence. The king had let go of his sword and run to him, before closing his arms, trapping his first son in a hug.
“You’re back… My son, you’re back...”
The king's voice was so small, so soft, and his hug so tight, like he was afraid that Dark Choco would leave again, which almost happened.
“I’m sorry… For what I’ve done to you this day, for what I’ve done when you were a child… My son, I’m so sorry...”
“Father...”
It is too much for Dark Choco. He feels his eye tearing up and his voice cracking. He hugs his father back, hiding his face in his shoulder.
“I’m sorry too… So, so sorry...”
They hug for a few minutes under the reassured eyes of Licorice. For a moment, the necromancer thought it was the end of them. His heart misses a heartbeat when Poison Mushroom joins the father and son’s hug. Dark Choco’s arm leaves his father's side to go on his child’s head and gently caresses it. They break the hug, and then the king turns to the ex-Dark members, giving an interrogative look to his son.
“Father, this is my partner, Licorice Cookie. And this is our child, Poison Mushroom Cookie."
"Partner and child… Nice to meet you both." smiles the king.
"N-nice to meet you too."
"Does that mean you’re my grandpa then?"
"Mushroom!!” yells Licorice
Dark Choco couldn’t help but let out a laugh at their reaction. The sound of a “baba” turns back their attention to the little prince in the cradle. Dark Cacao picks him up and turns back to Dark Choco.
“This is Choco Duo Cookie, your little brother.”
Brother.
That’s right, both he and the baby have the same father, which makes them brothers. Dark Choco can’t believe he hasn’t realized it before.
Choco Duo reaches once again to his (much) older brother, who picks him up.
“He already likes you. This is wonderful.” says Pure Vanilla with a smile.
Dark Choco smiles back and holds his (much) younger brother at eye level, the child touching the scar once again.
“Poison Mushroom, were you the one who made this adorable mushroom plush?" Ask the small king.
"Yes yes yes! I made them with my little hands!" answers back the young cookie, showing up their hands.
"It is well made. I’m sure Chocoduo will love it." he says, taking Poison Mushroom's hand and starting to heal them. "Do… Do you think you can make another one for our future child?"
"Wait what?”
Dark Choco looks at Pure Vanilla, then at Dark Cacao who lets out a laugh.
“Yes, we’re expecting a little girl. Your little sister.”
A brother, and now a sister? That’s a lot to take.
And for little Choco Duo too apparently, the little prince let out a yawn and cuddled on his brother’s chest. Dark Choco put back the sleepy baby back in his cradle.
“I believe it is our clue to leave-"
"Please stay.”
The trio turns to Pure Vanilla, surprised.
“You guys came all the way here, you must be exhausted. And I’m sure Choco Duo would love to have you here. So please, stay at least for the night?”
The two lovers look at each other, then at their child who answers for them.
“I would like to sleep here.”
The next day, the group had a walk in the royal garden, Licorice and Poison Mushroom chatting with Pure Vanilla, while Dark Choco played with his baby brother under the soft watch of their father. Once again, the little prince put his hand on Dark Choco's scar, and that same warmth comes from it. Then he realized.
“Father, can Choco Duo use magic already?"
"He’s one, he’s still too young for that."
"… Father, he’s using healing magic on me."
"What-”