AU-gust Day 20- Single Parents (Late)
Well, this is an oof. Tis nice to be back from a break, though I wish I had done this on time. Main reason I didn’t just skip over this is that it’s supposed to be for Nana, since I know she’s having a bit of a rough patch. I know fics can only do so much, but even if it can help just a smidge, then I’ve succeeded!
So if that alone wasn’t obvious enough, this one’s a Daryl/Venom. It’s taken from an AU I’ve been working on for a while, I know it might be a little confusing without full context so if you have any questions on the Venomdad AU feel free to ask, I’d be glad to talk about it!
With one smooth flick of the wrist, Daryl flipped open his pocket watch to double-check the time out of the corner of his eye.
‘6:23 PM’
A few minutes late, but Daryl was a pragmatist, not an asshole. And he certainly wasn’t going to scold a busy single dad for showing up a little bit late for a date, he just hoped everything was going alright for him.
Daryl stood in place, flexing his hands before letting them rest back at his sides. He stood and watched the evening passers-by traversing through the park, though only at half-attention, not taking much note of the sound of passing footsteps until he noticed a set actually moving towards him, rather than around him.
“Daryl! You’re still here, I’m so sorry-”
“Mon chou!” Daryl greeted him with a bright smile and open arms. “Think nothing of it. I would never leave so early, I know sometimes time can slip away from us, it’s perfectly understandable.”
“Alright.” Venom still rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “And I’m sorry I had to bring them along on date night, I know it was kind of out of nowhere but I couldn’t find a babysitter in time-”
“Venom.” He cut him off, reaching up to brush the hair out of his eyes with a smile. “You don’t have to apologize. Raising children can be difficult. And besides, if we’re dating, I should have met them anyway. I can’t just love you by yourself, it’s a package deal.”
That finally seemed to assuage his fears, though the sentiment was negated by a small hand swatting Daryl’s away with a sharp “no!”
“Ah- you’re Cass, aren’t you?” The Third King recovered quickly, putting on his warmest smile to the four-year-old currently giving him a rather venomous (hah) glare as she sat perched on her father’s hip. “Your father’s told me quite a lot about you!”
When glaring at him didn’t send the man fleeing, she thrust her nose up and turned away with a huff.
“I’m- I’m sorry, Cass has problems with me...meeting new people. She’s especially picky when it comes to who I date.” Venom appeared embarrassed with himself, for reasons Daryl couldn’t understand.
“Well, I suppose I’ll simply have to make a good impression!” Venom had told him plenty about Cass, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise. Daryl could certainly understand it, it made sense to have some degree of protectiveness for the person who saved your life as a baby...but he just wouldn’t have expected such an adamant sense of it from a toddler.
Daryl knelt down. “And you must be Eddie and Camilo, correct?” He said to the two boys clinging onto Venom’s legs. Like with Cass, he could tell who was who just from a glance based on their father’s stories about them. He extended a hand to the older of them, a neat-haired blonde with burn scars running up his arms. “I’m so happy I can finally meet you!”
“Hello, mister!” Eddie seemed a bit off-put by the stranger, but he still was willing to shake back with a stiff, slightly awkward hand. “Dad told us about you, too!”
“Ah, I hope they were mostly good things.” He offered another polite smile. “And Camilo, I hope we can get along!”
The second boy, older than Cass but younger than Eddie, didn’t greet Daryl, instead choosing to cling harder to his father’s leg and hide behind his shaggy, pale hair. He was the only one of them to not wear anything ‘dressy,’ but Daryl didn’t comment on it.
“Should we be heading over?” Venom asked, shifting Cass a little from where she’d begun to slide, making a little rumple in the side of his jacket. He looked remarkably handsome- though, to be fair, he always did- in a neat little ensemble done up with a tie.
“Of course, just one moment.” Daryl reached over to grab a paper bag that had been sitting by his feet. “When Venom told me you three would be coming along for dinner, I thought I should bring a little gift for you!”
And, as expected, Venom immediately blushed with embarrassment again. “D-Daryl, it’s alright, you didn’t have to-”
“But I did, so don’t worry about it.” The man first pulled out a simple wooden case, which he handed over to Eddie. “Here you are!”
“...A box?” The boy asked, turning it over in his hands. “I mean, it’s a pretty box-”
“Look inside.” Daryl nodded patiently. “That’s the gift.”
“Inside? What’s it gonna- ah.” His eyes almost seemed to double in an instant. “AH!” Eddie squealed with joy, making Camilo wince and cover his ears. “Just like dad’s!”
“Venom told me you’ve been wanting to practice billiards, too.” Said Daryl. “I thought it would be best to get you a set more suited to someone a little smaller.” He gave Eddie a little pat on the head, and reached for something else. “Camilo, how about you next?”
The other boy remained far less enthusiastic, shying away from Daryl as he tried to talk to him. But like with Eddie, his demeanour quickly shifted when he saw his present.
“F-f-froggy!!”
The man chuckled as Camilo immediately mushed his face into the fat frog plushie, droning and bouncing on his heels. “I know you love frogs. Venom said they’re your favorite! I didn’t feel safe getting you a live one, but I hope this one is good enough?”
“Ah, froggy.” Came the reply, muffled by fabric. “Hnn…”
“That means ‘thank you.’” Venom said, looking plenty pleased himself. “A good choice.”
Daryl nodded again. “I tried to find a soft one, I know you said textures sometimes give him trouble. And finally, for you, Cass.” He didn’t even attempt to touch her, but simply held her gift out in her direction. “Your father tells me you like, erm…’borrowing’ his clothing? So I assumed, ‘there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best,’ so I thought I would get you something a little more suited for you. I hope it’s alright?”
“Oh, Cass, look!” Venom took it for her, holding the little tie up where she could see. “Just like mine! But it won’t be so long on you.”
“I bought a couple of each kind, there’s clip-ons and just normal ties, I wasn’t sure which she would prefer.” Daryl rooted through the bag for a minute before simply handing it over to Venom. “But still, I hope she likes it.”
Cass said nothing, but grabbed at the tie until Venom gave it to her. With clumsy little fingers, she managed to clip it to the front of her blouse, though slightly askew.
“Don’t you look handsome.” Venom beamed. “They’re all lovely gifts, Daryl. What do we say, kids?”
“Thank you Mr. Daryl!”
“Thanks…”
“Froggy!”
It seemed just a tad funny to him how, despite being adopted, they all shared a feature or two with their father. Eddie had his eyes (though a bit muddier), Camilo had his hair (though much more unkempt) and, though Cass was still so young, some of her facial features still had a remarkable resemblance.
“Of course! Think nothing of it. But don’t go assuming I left you out at all, mon chou.” From an inside pocket of his cloak, he pulled out a single blue rose, thorns trimmed away, and moved to tuck it into Venom’s hair. “I suppose not the most extravagant floral arrangement possible, but I hope dinner will make up for it?”
Goodness, Venom was rather blushy tonight. Daryl found it utterly adorable. “And of all the ways I was worried about tonight going wrong…”
"If anything does go wrong, we’ll figure out a solution together.” With Venom’s free hand preoccupied in covering his own flushed face, the king took it upon himself to tuck the flower neatly behind his ear. “It compliments you perfectly, my love.”
“Daryl…” Venom took his hand before it could move away, holding it against his cheek.
“Yes?”
“Just- you…” He tried to find his words. “I suppose, just...thank you.”
Daryl found his face drifting closer to his partner’s, not too fast but not too slow, carefully tilting his head just so in a way that let their faces meet-
A small slap to the cheek knocked him away, and Daryl was met with another little scowl. “No!”
“I suppose Cass has decided it’s dinnertime.” Despite the twinge of disappointment in his expression, Venom still smiled and gave her a pat on the head. “So, shall we be going?”
“Of course, of course.” Daryl began leading the four of them across the park to a building on the other side. “I’ve told you about this place already, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you have. Though I wasn’t able to find out its menu beforehand.” The former assassin sighed. “Let’s just hope, for all of our sakes, that they offer chicken nuggets.”