Dio held the tiny thing up in front of his face, arms locked like he was inspecting a defective product.
The creature dangled there happily. Its tail swayed.
Tiny wings fluttered like they were trying to work but had absolutely no idea how.
"Papa!" it chirped again.
It was louder this time, as if Dio might've forgotten his new title in the last two seconds.
"Stop calling me that," Dio muttered.
"You're making me sound responsible."
The creature ignored him completely, which felt like a sign of things to come.
It rubbed its little cheek against his hand. Purring.
Yes, actually purring. Like some mix between a cat, a lizard, and a problem.
Its violet eyes opened again, shining with pure trust.
Dio squinted.
"So… you're a dragon hatchling?"
"Papa?" it repeated.
Head tilt even more dramatic. As if it was trying to say, Speak idiot. I'm a baby.
"Haa…." Dio sighed.
"I swear, if you breathe fire on me, I'm throwing you across the dungeon."
The creature blinked once.
Then twice.
Then it leaned forward and licked his nose.
Dio froze. "…Why."
"Papa!" it said proudly, as if that explained everything.
Dio groaned, already regretting every life choice that led him here.
But the little dragon just kept smiling at him.
Like he was the best father in the world.
Even though Dio looked like someone who'd sell his own kid for a sandwich.
The dungeon air felt heavier.
Dio's patience felt thinner.
And the tiny dragon felt way too happy for everyone's safety.
It clung to him again, warm and soft, tail curling around his wrist.
"Great," Dio muttered. "Now I really have a baby."
Dio let out the kind of sigh that belonged to a man who finally realized karma had caught up to him.
He stared at the hatchling, and the hatchling stared back with those bright violet eyes, wagging its tail like a happy little menace.
"Now that you look like that, I can't even eat you," he grumbled, disgusted at himself for developing a conscience.
"Damn it."
Before those feelings could settle, Dio casually tossed the hatchling up like a ball.
Instead of falling, the little thing spread its tiny wings.
Spun in the air like it was showing off. And zoomed straight back to him with a ridiculous amount of joy.
It floated around his head like some overly attached flying ornament.
Dio rubbed his face. "Great. A clingy one."
The hatchling didn't care.
"Papa. Papa. Papa." It circled him like it was chanting a spell.
Dio sighed again, deeper this time.
"I should grab the last egg and leave…"
He started walking. Boots squashing through dried slime.
The hatchling trailing behind him like a shadow that refused to be quiet.
"Papa… paaaapa… paapa!"
"Shut up," Dio muttered, but the baby sounded proud of itself.
Finally he reached the nest area.
Only one egg remained.
He crouched down, staring at it with an expression that screamed I don't want to be here.
There were supposed to be four, if he counted the hatchling.
One shattered because he sat on it, with his "almighty butt,.
Another had been thrown during his panic.
'And one must be the one that hatched and this little thing came out of,' he guessed.
And this last one sat alone, untouched, big and smooth.
Dio clicked his tongue. "Lucky you're not broken already."
Behind him, the hatchling chirped again.
"Papa!"
Dio reached for the last egg, fingers just about to touch the shell, and then the whole world tilted sideways.
His head spun like someone had grabbed his brain and given it a good shake.
"Hm?" he mumbled, blinking as the room wobbled in and out of focus.
"What… the hell?"
His knees gave up like cheap furniture, and he plopped onto the floor with a dull thud.
He rubbed his temples, teeth clenched.
"Damn it… why am I dizzy now?"
His voice sounded annoyed, like even his own weakness was personally offending him.
He tried to stand.
The dungeon spun harder.
"Nope," he muttered, sitting back down before the floor punched him first.
"What is this? Is it because that little freak slammed into me earlier?"
He glanced at the hatchling, who was happily floating beside him like nothing was wrong in the universe.
"Papa!" it chirped, cheerful and useless.
Dio glared at it, vision still swimming.
"Stop sounding cute. It's making this worse."
His head felt heavy, his eyelids even heavier.
A wave of dizziness rolled through him again, warm, slow, and far too strong to ignore.
He didn't know if it was the crash from earlier, blood loss, some weird dungeon effect, or the universe deciding to bully him today…
Smack. Smack.
Dio slapped his own cheeks hard enough to make a normal person rethink life.
He didn't care. He just wanted the dizziness gone.
"Wake up, idiot…" he muttered, giving himself another sharp whack.
"Papa?"
The hatchling darted toward him, tiny wings buzzing in panic.
Its violet eyes were wide, almost shaking.
Dio ignored it and kept smacking his head like he was trying to reboot himself manually.
Smack.
Smack.
Smack.
"Papa? Papa? Papa!!"
The hatchling's voice cracked as it shouted, each papa sounding more desperate.
Tears welled in its eyes, glowing faintly in the dim dungeon light.
Its tail drooped, wings trembling.
It looked like a child watching its parent fall apart.
Dio paused mid-smack.
The dizziness finally loosened its grip, his vision slowly sharpening.
The blur cleared…
…and the first thing he saw was the hatchling hovering inches from his face, tiny droplets streaming down its cheeks.
Dio froze.
The creature wasn't just scared.
It was crying.
Its little chest shook. Its tail curled in close.
Even its horn drooped like it was embarrassed for crying but couldn't stop.
His expression softened.
The usual annoyance in his eyes melted away, replaced by something gentler and warm in a way that surprised even him.
He reached out and rubbed its head, slow and careful.
"Don't worry," he said quietly.
He didn't know why he said it. The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Maybe it was instinct.
Maybe pity.
Or maybe the little hatchling's tears just hit where his defenses were thin.
But as the hatchling leaned into his hand, sniffling softly, Dio felt a warmth in his chest he hadn't felt before.
It was small.
It was rare.
Dio's chest felt warm in a way he didn't understand, but he didn't shove it away.
He let it sit there, strange and stubborn, as he whispered, "Wait a bit. After I take the egg, we're leaving."
He glanced at the hatchling, still perched on his arm like a tiny shadow.
"Since you accepted me as your papa… I can't leave you behind."
The words slipped out rough, almost embarrassed.
He rubbed the hatchling's head again.
The little creature melted into his hand, eyes closing in happy little squints.
"Papa… papa…" the sound came soft, pleased, almost purring.
Dio rubbed its head for a while, letting the simple moment settle.
Then he took a breath and turned his eyes back to the last egg.
"Alright. One egg. Then we're done."
He walked toward it, the hatchling floating behind him like a loyal, overly emotional balloon.
He crouched down, reached out, and—
Drip.
Something cold, and sticky, hit the top of his head.
"…Hm?"
He touched the spot, fingers brushing against thick goo.
When he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together it felt like saliva.
'Saliva?' Dio frowned.
He didn't grab the egg.
He stood up slowly, frown deepening, eyes narrowing.
"What's—"
"Papa!!"
The hatchling's voice cracked with urgency.
Dio whipped his head up—
A MASSIVE claw burst out of the darkness above him.
Jagged. Covered in scales. Big enough to turn him into a thin paste without even trying.
His pupils shrank to needle points.
"Shit—!"
He tried to jump back, but he was already too late.
The claw was ten inches from his face, tearing through the air with a sound like ripping stone.
And in that tiny sliver of time, he knew—
He wasn't dealing with a baby's nest anymore.
"I'm fucked."
He muttered as he realised who he met.