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Peppino’s mobility had been limited for quite a while now, and because of that, all he has been up to is napping. Well sort of. His mind was a mix of sleepiness and excitement as he impatiently waited for his friend’s arrival.
He softly gripped at the blankets, imagining it to be Gustavo’s hand; his hands were smaller than Peppino’s, and although it sounded ironic, it made Peppino feel even more little. The size difference between the two men had already given the Italian butterflies, but being in littlespace made him even giddier about it. It’s like Gustavo could be tiny with him!
Peppino absentmindedly nibbled on his thumb as his mind wandered; what could he do right now? Laying in bed was getting for the Italian, and he was practically wide awake at this point. His mind redirected to the thumb in his mouth… He wanted something else to chew on.
His brain seemed to respond to him when his stomach rumbled, breaking him out of his thoughts.
“Hungy…,” Peppino mumbled, reaching down to rub his tummy. The little one tried to remember… What food did he have? Well, food to his little standards that were good, no big boy food. His mind tracked through the usual food he cooked for himself… Pizza, cannolis, pasta… Pasta, he lagged on that word as he slowly processed a revelation.
Mac and cheese!
He practically sprung out of bed, sitting up and swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. When he stood up, his feet wobbled, making him whimper and hold the mattress for support. He nearly forgot how tiny he was right now… barely knew how to walk.
Despite this, he persevered and stumbled his way out of his room. He debated on getting a blanket to cover himself since he was only wearing a tank top, boxers, and socks, but he was too focused on making the snackies to notice.
Peppino wobbled over to the shelves littered with unorganized store-brand foods. He stood on his tiptoes, extending and waving his fingers in an attempt to reach the pasta. He struggled for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to the Italian. He reached back down, huffing in frustration and lightly stomping his foot, “Mm…fame..,” he mumbled.
He felt his brain slowly become fuzzy as a mix of frustration and sadness poured throughout him. Peppino always had problems keeping his emotions under control, especially in littlespace. Imagine telling a baby to calm down; they wouldn’t understand, and the child would be way too overwhelmed to handle it all… And that’s how Peppi felt right now. He felt like he was gonna burst with emotion at any second, and he was more scared of what emotion his brain was gonna turn to. Peppino was so distracted with his thoughts, nibbling on his fingers, that he didn’t even notice his front door being opened.
“Hey, paisano!” Gustavo called with a bright smile on his face. He jingled his keys back into his pocket; he was one of the only people that was allowed to have a key to the other man’s home. Brick followed behind the gnome, peacefully walking into the cozy place on all fours. Gustavo held a bag full of baby supplies for the Italian; not like the other man could afford any, so why not get some for him now? Peppino had to sell most of his belongings to afford the rent, which included his littlespace gear… So to Gustavo, this could be a gift to the other man.
The two individuals noticed Peppino over at the kitchen, piping up to excitedly greet him. Their excitement seemed to tone down when they saw the Italian not respond. He was staring down at the floor, motionless with his soft, uneven breathing he let out. Bitten, red fingers hung in between his teeth.
Gustavo and Brick’s expressions changed to worry when they noticed his friend’s abstinence.
“Peppino?..,” the gnome uttered, carefully walking over to the Italian as his rat friend followed suit. He took a look at the man’s face; he had been crying, looking half-asleep with a twinge of discomfort. Gustavo realized Peppino was dissociating… When this happened to him, he would be way too far gone in his mind to respond; Gus would have to touch him to get his attention. But… there was also a 50/50 chance whether he would get a negative response or not. Gustavo always risked that chance however; he didn’t like seeing his friend go through these things.
Gustavo made a quiet ‘pspsps’ noise towards Brick, prompting them to crawl over to the gnome. Gus reached up at the rat, giving the other uppie hand gestures. Brick happily lifted up the gnome up to Peppino’s eye level, giving him an up-close look at the Italian. Yup, he looked out of it, Gus frowned. Gustavo hesitantly reached his hand near Peppino’s dull face and booped his nose. The gnome’s prayers seemed to be answered when Peppino didn’t react badly to the boopinning. His breath hitched and his eyes focused to see his friends in front of him.
“Hey, Pep! What’s going on, are you alright?..,” Gustavo inquired softly, sporting his usual friendly smile. Peppino reluctantly straightened his posture and gently rubbed his nose, sniffing. Gustavo waited patiently for the man to respond while Brick nuzzled sleepily into the gnome’s shoulder from behind. The gnome held the little’s hand, gently caressing the bite marks. Peppino opened his mouth to say something as he struggled to get any words out, legs wobbling and tears threatening to fall again.
“A-.. io fame..,” he mumbled, messily wiping the tears off of his face, “Vorrei.. Mac e cacio.” His pronunciation was slurred and he seemed to struggle with each word. Brick looked behind the shelf they blocked and squeaked, tapping Gus. He hummed and Brick pointed to the top of the shelf where the mac and cheese sat. The gears in Gustavo’s head turned as he slowly realized what had occurred. He chuckled softly, “Aw bambino.. You could’ve waited for us a bit longer; we would’ve loved to make food for you.” Gustavo kissed Peppino’s bitten hand sweetly, causing the little one to giggle quietly. God, Peppino was so precious like this..
“Ma.. io fame. Volere ora…” Peppino whined, his face going pink at the sweet gestures.
“I can tell you’re hungry, bud! But now that we’re here,” Gus pats Brick’s head, “We can get that food cooking! Isn’t that right, Brick?” he said happily as his pointed ears perked up. The rat squeaked, his tail wagging enthusiastically to match the gnome’s ears. A smile crept onto the little’s face, “Grazie grazie grazie..!” his free hand and legs shook excitedly as the smile on his face grew. Gustavo let go of the other man’s hand, much to the dismay of the Italian, but it was soon replaced with some little scratches on his head.
“There’s my happy bambino! Now let’s make that pasta, yeah?” he said as Peppino nodded enthusiastically.
***
Brick was fast asleep curled up on the couch as the two ate quietly. Peppino plopped his dish in the sink gently, receiving a pat on the head from Gus. The gnome had to use a step stool to reach the other’s head, but he didn’t mind at all
“Good job, bud!” he praised, getting Peppino all giddy again.
“Are you ready for bed, bambino? It’s getting late..,” he said, making Peppino perk up. “Non stanco!” he exclaimed, which was ironically followed by a small yawn emitting from the little. Gustavo chuckled, “I know, baby.. But it’s 9 pm! No bambinos should be up that late!” he explained as he gave the Italian more pats.
“Now, let’s get you a bubble bath, doesn’t that sound nice?” Gustavo grinned, his ears flickering with excitement. Peppino nodded, smiling along with the other and flapping his hands. Gustavo stepped down from the stool and grabbed the plastic bag he had brought in. Holding the Italian’s hand, he led him to the bathroom.
“Do you want me to help you with your clothes or can you do it?” Gustavo asked, opening the bathroom door and heading towards the bath. Peppino shifted uncomfortably, his legs wobbling once again “Lo faccio io…” he mumbled.
“Okie-dokie! Just lemme get the bath ready then I’ll leave you to it!” he chimed as he added the fun suds to the warm water. He searched through the plastic bag to grab a couple of rubber duckies, gently placing them on the top of the sudsy water.
Gustavo stood up, ready to walk out, “If you need something, just call out for me, okay bud?” he said, waddling out of the room as Peppino hummed in response.
The Italian nervously fumbled with his top as he hesitantly walked towards the bathtub. The cool air went through his clothed feet with each step. He looked down at the sudsy mass and felt his chest thump lightly. The sight alone… the toys and bubbles floating along the water, the soft lavender aroma coming from the tub, made him almost want to cry and curl up on himself again, but not in a negative way.
Blinded by the excitement to get in the tub, Peppino absentmindedly stripped off his clothing and practically hopped in. Water splashed around the man, a few drips going down the side of the tub. He giggled softly, lightly kicking his feet in the moving water. The warm water seemed to seep into every crevice of the man’s body, making him shiver absentmindedly. The more his body made him focus on the feeling and texture of the water surrounding him, it made his mood die down a little more. He loved feeling little and relishing in this warm feeling, but the back of his mind always seemed to find a way to ruin his fun.
The rubber duckies swished around the water as Peppino shifted, as if he was searching for the perfect spot to sit comfortably. One of them bumped gently into Peppino’s calf, prompting the man to happily pick it up. He brought it up to his face as if it were a kitten and nuzzled its plastic beak. Focusing on sweet little things like this helped Peppino forget about the overstimulating thoughts about the water. It’s ironic however when he is little, his mind runs at like a million miles per second, affecting his emotional process greatly. In Peppino’s mind, even when he’s relaxed and little, he feels like his brain can’t give him a break.
Peppino pulled the duckie back to look at it more in view, as if admiring its childish design. The longer he looked at the toy, the more his vision shifted onto other things… like how big his hands were in the duck’s grasp, his bruised knuckles and chewed fingernails being very prominent… Peppino looked away, whining, trying to think of something else… something positive…
His mind didn’t want to cooperate however… his thoughts had already gone too far downhill… Peppino focused his view on the bubbling water and how it coated his thighs… his, disgusting.. fat thighs.
How his thighs led to anatomy no real boy had.
Peppino felt his head pound with stress as he clutched his lack of hair, whining more. He just wanted to relax; why doesn't his brain understand that? What was wrong with a little time off?
His eyes flashed from place to place, corner to corner, trying desperately to find something to make his brain think positively. The water had become overstimulating again, fading into an almost stinging sensation. Peppino shifted uncomfortably, on the edge of a breakdown; his breath labored as the nail on the coffin seemed to be hit when he looked down again.
His chest.
The sudsy water shined off of the lumps on his chest, making them more noticeable to his already vulnerable mind. Peppino couldn’t move; his eyes stood stuck on his body…
A body no real man had. He was never a man to begin with, wasn’t he? Only girls have breasts, he was a fake. It’s a phase, a fad, a way to seek attention, fake, fake, FAKE.
The thoughts became too loud for the poor man as he let out a loud cry, clawing at his hair. He desperately climbed out of the bathtub, leaving puddles on the floor, as he grabbed a towel, swaddling it around his body. Tears streamed down his face, his head pounding like no other pain his little self had felt before. It didn’t take long for the bathroom door to practically slam open, revealing the other two residents.
Brick instantly sprung over, wrapping his fuzzy body around the covered man. Peppino’s breath hitched loudly and became uneven until he slowly processed who it was. Brick nuzzled his cheek into Peppino’s shoulder as he purred contently, his whiskers tickling the man’s face. Peppino felt small hands grip his violently shaking ones. Warm breath hit them as a familiar gnome planted a kiss on them, holding them to his chest as he let Peppino feel his heartbeat. Gus focused on the man’s face; he was disheveled, tears and dribble pouring down his face. It absolutely saddened Gustavo how quickly Peppino could go from such a happy, little baby to the embodiment of an emotional breakdown.
“It’s okay, bambino… we’re here now.” Gustavo cooed, kissing the other's palms and holding them to his small face. He carefully crawled closer to the quivering man, “Look at me… Do what I do, baby..” he replicated taking deep breaths, holding Peppino’s hand against his small chest to ground him. Peppino, although still very shaky, followed along and softly gripped Gustavo’s shirt. Gus caressed the shaky little’s hand and continued breathing along with his friend.
“You’re doing great, bambino… I’m so proud of you,” he mumbled. The praise helped along with Peppino’s shaky breathing, and especially Brick behind cuddling him.
Time seemed to stop around the two as they all took their sweet time, breathing and purring filling the small, cool room.
***
Brick lifted and held Peppino, cradling him as he breathed softly, on the verge of falling asleep. The rat followed the small gnome as they walked into the Italian’s room. He rummaged through his dresser to find his footed jammies. Brick gently laid Peppino on his bed and gently removed the towel swaddling him, covering both his and their own eyes as Gustavo hopped on the bed and clothed the Italian. When he finished, Gus hopped back down and turned towards the rat, who cradled Peppino dearly, “I’m gonna get some things quickly, watch him alright?” he whispered. Brick squeaked and nodded, earning a pat from the gnome, “Good Brick!” he praised.
Gus exited the room, leaving the door open and shining a soft light on the two. Brick looked down on the little to see Peppino sleepily nuzzling his face into the other’s fur. Brick gently wrapped his pink tail around Peppino, making him hum contently and nuzzle more into them. Brick’s ear perked up positively and he purred.
Brick lightly perks his head to see the gnome hop back on the bed and nudge Peppino’s face with his hand, “Hey, bambino.. Do you want this?” he questioned as he held a pacifier to the Italian’s mouth. Peppino reluctantly opened his eyes and, nearly on instinct, chomped on my pacifier as soon as he saw it. Gustavo chuckled, “There you go, bud! Real cutie, aren’t ya?” He praised and patted his head, making Peppino wiggle his legs giddily, but not too much as he was extremely tired. The two others could notice this obvious fact written on the little one’s face.
Brick attempted to get up from the bed to let Peppino rest, but the little one clung onto the rat tighter and whined in protest behind the pacifier, “Alright, alright! We’ll stay with you, bud.” Gustavo exclaimed playfully.
Since Gus was already here anyways, he grabbed one of Peppino’s oversized shirts and put it on himself. Because one, Peppino would probably whine worrying that Gus left, and two, Peppino’s onesies were way too big for the gnome to wear.
Gus crawled closer and Brick adjusted themself to cover all of the others under the soft blanket. Peppino cuddled on top of the rat, like in that one scene in My Neighbor Totoro, as Gustavo grabbed at their side, stuffing their face in their fur. The purrs Brick let out calmed both men very much as they wrapped their tail around both of their bodies.
“Love ya, bambino..” Gustavo mumbled and patted the little one’s arm. Brick squeaked after Gustavo’s words, repeating them in their language, although Gus could only understand them
“Ti amo…” Peppino’s words were muffled behind the pacifier but were understood by the two. Gustavo’s face was decorated with a pink tint, smiling sweetly, and Brick’s purring intensified.