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TACCHINO: Ugh, whatever! This sucks!
The nine year old glared down at the baby in front of him. Rucola snickered, kneeling down to be at eye level with the child, Fritto tilting his head at her before lifting up the toy fish in his hand, shaking it around in front of her face.
RUCOLA: Why do you have to watch him anyway?
TACCHINO: Because our parents went out, my father insisted to Uncle Pesci that I could watch him.
PANISSA: At least he’s cute.
The girl smiled at him, Fritto babbling as he waved his hands around, Tacchino rolling his eyes.
TACCHINO: Like I care, it’s annoying. Why couldn’t they just take him with them? They never made us watch anyone else.
PANISSA: Well maybe we were too young? We were only like.. Seven when Caprese was born.
RUCOLA: Do normal people usually leave seven month old babies with nine year olds?
PANISSA: Well normal people don’t usually let their six year olds kill people..
Rucola held her hands up in defense, Tacchino groaning, crossing his arms.
TACCHINO: Whatever, I just don’t get why it had to be me. My father specifically said I had to watch him.
PANISSA: Uncle Prosciutto and Uncle Pesci are really close, maybe he just wants you guys to be close too.
TACCHINO: That’s stupid.
RUCOLA: Stupid or not, that’s your problem.
The girl stood, stepping around the baby sitting on the floor to grab her sister’s hand.
RUCOLA: Wanna go sit outside?
PANISSA: Ok, let me grab a book.
TACCHINO: What! You’re just gonna leave me with it!
RUCOLA: Your dad said it was your responsibility..
TACCHINO: That doesn’t mean you can’t help! I don’t know what to do with a baby!
The three looked down at the infant, who looked up to babble some more at them.
PANISSA: Well.. What did our parents do with us?
RUCOLA: How would we know? We weren’t old enough to comprehend.
TACCHINO: There’s nothing to look it up?
RUCOLA: We can check the computer in your dad’s office.
The three nodded, Tacchino picking up Fritto, struggling to find a good way to hold him before the group scurried off to the office. Moving chairs around the desk as Tacchino sat in front of the computer, Fritto sharing the seat with him while the girls sat on the sides. Tapping away into the search bar and clicking on random articles to read.
PANISSA: It looks like they don’t do much..
TACCHINO: Well this is no help..
RUCOLA: Just let him crawl around with us, who cares?
TACCHINO: He can’t crawl.
The boy slid out of the chair, grabbing the baby and plopping in on the floor before walking away from him.
TACCHINO: Look, come here, Fritto.
Fritto tilted his head, Tacchino held out his arms, motioning him forward. Fritto leaned forward, falling onto his belly as he began to squirm, pulling himself forward as much as he could with his arms while mostly relying on his worm-like movements to propel him forward.
TACCHINO: See? He’s stupid.
RUCOLA: He’s not stupid, he’s just a baby.
PANISSA: It says here that the age most babies learn to crawl is between 7 to 9 months.
TACCHINO: Well he’s 7 months so he should’ve learned by now.
Rucola hopped off her chair, walking up to the boy on the floor who was still desperately trying to get to his older brother. She used her foot to shove him forward, sliding him across the floor. He giggled, waving his arms around when he came to a stop. She stepped forward to repeat the movement, shoving him around the room.
RUCOLA: Just shove him, he seems to like that.
TACCHINO: I’m not gonna kick him around the house.
PANISSA: Glad you have some empathy.
TACCHINO: It’s not empathy, it's just too much work. If he wants to follow us then he can just walk.
PANISSA: Babies don’t walk until they’re like… 1½.
TACCHINO: Then he’s not coming with us.
Tacchino shooed Panissa off the computer, urging the girls out of the room. Turning around in the doorway to look at the baby just laying in the middle of the room. Fritto simply tilted his head again, babbling more nonsense as Tacchino stuck out his tongue.
TACCHINO: Follow if you can, dummy!
They began to walk away from the room but were immediately stopped by the loud wailing that followed. Rushing back to the room to see the baby they left alone was unshockingly throwing a fit on the floor. Tacchino rushed to pick him up, patting his back as he calmed down, sniffling as he rested his head on Tacchino’s shoulder. Panissa picked up the binky that fell on the floor, popping it back into his mouth now that he was calm in his brother’s arms.
RUCOLA: Well there goes that plan.
Tacchino grumbled, marching out of the room.
TACCHINO: Let’s just sit outside.
The girls followed him out, heading towards the gazebo they had outside but slowly came to a stop when they saw that others had beaten them to it. Melata sat with Frullata between her legs, brushing and playing with her hair. Angurio leaned back in his seat, smashing away at the buttons of his game, Caprese leaning over to stare at the small screen. Tacchino huffed, marching up the other kids as they looked up at him.
TACCHINO: Times up, get out.
ANGURIO: As if, we just got here.
RUCOLA: Liar.
MELATA: Even if we didn’t, you can’t just kick us out because you want to sit here! That’s unfair!
TACCHINO: I don’t care.
PANISSA: We could just sit at the pavilion..
TACCHINO: Shut up, I’m not sitting out there, I want to sit under the shade.
ANGURIO: Don’t talk to her like that! This is why we don’t give up our seats for you, you’re such a jerk!
Tacchino grumbled, shifting Fritto to hold him with one hand as Song Machine made an appearance. Bringing it to his mouth and loudly exclaiming.
TACCHINO: Move.
Angurio didn't have much choice before he was out of his seat standing, glaring over at his brother.
MELATA: Hey! That’s cheating!
TACCHINO: Again, don’t care, I have a baby so we deserve the gazebo.
ANGURIO: It’s not our fault you got stuck with babysitting duty!
TACCHINO: You don’t understand how hard it is being so good at our job that we get responsibilities that you can’t even comprehend. Now get out.
With the stand active, Angurio was forced to march out of the gazebo but Caprese was quick to jump up, going to attack Tacchino but Rucola was fast to block him off. Shoving him to the floor, ignoring his cries as Melata ran up to him.
MELATA: You bully!
RUCOLA: Me? He started it..
CAPRESE: You started it!
He cried, Melata enveloping him in the healing mist as Frullata came up. Despite her short stature, the kids couldn’t do much against her stand. Funhouse reaching over to distract Tacchino enough that the effect wore off, losing the radio to try and calm the baby in his arms.
TACCHINO: Ugh, now that’s cheating!
FRULLATA: As if!
ANGURIO: Just shove off, Tacchino! We were here first!
TACCHINO: And we’re here now, so go away!
In the midst of their little argument, Angurio got a little too close, enough to be the range of Fritto’s little arms. The baby swung forward to bop the older boy right on the nose, followed by a bunch of yelling nonsense as he mimicked their little argument. Angurio jumped back mostly from shock, Tacchino catching the laugh that fell from his mouth as he looked at the kid in his arms.
RUCOLA: Wow, nice hit, Fritto.
TACCHINO: See? Even the baby doesn’t want you here.
Angurio scoffed, rolling his eyes as he motioned to the others.
ANGURIO: Whatever! Let’s go, guys.
The four of them leaving was followed by more nonsensical yelling on Fritto’s part, Tacchino chuckling as they entered the gazebo themselves. Sitting him down on the bench so he could hoist himself up, Tacchino patted his back.
TACCHINO: Good fight, kid.
Fritto babbled some other nonsense but gripped onto Tacchino’s finger, shaking his hand around.
PANISSA: Aw, he likes you!
TACCHINO: Of course he does, I am the best older brother he’s got.
RUCOLA: Man, can’t wait to see how he grows up..
Tacchino looked down at Fritto, smiling at the way he reached up for him. Maybe being an older brother wasn’t that bad after all.