The Successor Pt. 2

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There was no memory of me waking up and placing my son in his crib. So, when I awakened with no sign of Kaiser in my arms, I went into a hysteria. It was a natural parental response to freak out when you had no idea about your child's whereabouts, but this fear wasn't for his safety. It was for the world. The phrase 'Terrible Twos' did not hold enough weight to describe my child.

Kaiser had gotten to a phase in his life where even Kai couldn't tame him sometimes; although he was a proud father, Kai was stressed most of the time. Trying to juggle a cult was not as easy when he was also trying to make sure our son wasn't going to burn down the house. Kai had once dreamed of having an heir, a son who could carry on his legacy after his last breath. He'd gone as far as to lie about dying so I'd be pressured to conceive earlier. His wish was my command and now his nightmare.

The kitchen was a shitshow when I entered the scene. A white powder covered the floor and most of the other surfaces. Kai was covered in the powder as he stared at the blank wall, reevaluating his life choices. The bags under his eyes showed just how drained he was. Kaiser, on the other hand, was a ball of energy. The toddler had an empty flour bag in his hand and a baby carrot in the other as he zoomed around the kitchen like Quicksilver. All of my worries disappeared as I burst into laughter, gaining both of the boy's attention. Kaiser ran over to me immediately.

"Mommy, look! Daddy is Olaf," Kaiser declared.

The toddler jumped and down excitedly.

"Daddy, sing," Kaiser exclaimed.

"Do you wanna build a snowman," Kai sighed.

His vocals were dry and off-pitch, also exhausted. He would not be getting an encore from me. Kaiser wasn't satisfied with the performance and ran over to his father.

"No! You didn't sing it right. Put the carrot in your nose, then you can sing like a real snowman," Kaiser demanded.

"Kaiser, I'm not...," Kai started.

Kai looked down at his son, who had mastered using the puppy dog eyes technique. Kai claimed that he never told Kaiser 'no' because he was trying to teach him that the word didn't apply to him, but deep down, he could never bring up the courage to break that child's heart. He sighed before taking the carrot from Kaiser's hand and shoving it in his nostril. The laugh I released earned me a nasty glare from my husband.

"Do you wanna build a snowman," Kai sang.

Holding in my laughter, I clapped loudly as Kaiser happily danced. This was what I signed up for.

"Can I take this carrot out now, Kaiser," Kai asked.

"No, you have to sing for Auntie Winter. Stay put," Kaiser instructed.

Kai and I watched our son leave the kitchen to get his aunt from upstairs. Once the boy was gone, Kai tried to assert his dominance while still looking like the ghost from Christmas past. He tried to flex his muscles and act unphased. It was more than too late for that.

"As you can see, today's homeschooling lesson took a turn, but I've got it under control," he announced.

"Enlighten me on what today's lesson was supposed to be," I questioned.

"I was teaching him that he could be whatever and get whatever he wanted. He wanted to be Elsa," Kai sighed.

"Wow! No rant about how a boy shouldn't be a girl character," I mocked.

"Fuck you," Kai replied.

"I mean, lately, watching you has made me want to try for a daughter," I teased.

Kai removed the carrot from his nose and tossed it in the trash before heading toward the doorway.

"I'll tell Winter to take him to the zoo for the rest of the day," Kai declared.

Evan Peters Imagines and One ShotsWhere stories live. Discover now