97. Toddling to Victory
Date Written: November 12, 2020
Date Posted: December 14, 2020
Characters: Veneziano, Romano
Summary: Romano has a hunch that his century old wager with Veneziano has been foiled for the day. His fears aren't unfounded.
Notes:
It was a game to the both of them.
Paperwork that is.
Sure, they took their work very seriously and constantly prayed that their government wouldn't become useless or go under at the worst of times, but the paperwork was tedious. It had come to pass, shortly after their unification, that Romano had suggested that they take home their respective loads of paperwork and make a wager. The brother who managed to finish their weekly government mandated paperwork first would get to have whatever prize they wished upon agreeing to their weekly contest.
It was a game that the brothers had engaged in many times over the course of the century. It helped motivate them to become better equipped in dealing with their boss and to have better work ethic. Of course, sometimes their contests over their paperwork led to petty squabbles, but that usually occurred years earlier when their united relationship was still new.
So, it was after retrieving his load from his personal office that Romano couldn't shake a weird feeling that ran up and down his spine that day.
It felt… it felt like something was actively sabotaging him, but he didn't know what. Despite that feeling, Romano finally reached the apartment and walked inside.
And then—
The southern Italian saw him.
Romano didn't know what to do when he found that the apartment he and Veneziano shared was overrun by a waddling, drooling monster. Normally, Romano would have been welcoming and downright paternal towards a baby, but he couldn't help but allow a sigh to escape his lips as he wandered inside the apartment and scooped the baby in one arm.
"Hey! Put little Piero down!" Veneziano called out. His little brother had been seated in one corner of the room as if supervising from that distance was recommended. How unacceptable, Romano couldn't help but think as he rolled his eyes. "It's not funny, Romano! Dearest Eleonora gifted the little one to me while on an errand to the hospital."
Romano raised a brow. "And the poor woman couldn't bring her little kid with her?" Romano rested the babbling child against his hip as he graced Veneziano with a glare. "Or did you badger her into letting her leave him behind so that you could play with him when you should have been doing work?"
The reddening in Veneziano's cheeks was more than enough information that Romano needed. Sighing, Romano continued further before depositing the small child into Veneziano's lap.
To his credit, Veneziano had been working on documentation and paperwork while he had allowed the baby to roam the childproof apartment (he may have been absent minded at times, but he knew what little children got up to when they thought no one was looking at them). So far, he had gone through at least a fourth of what he was supposed to finish for the day and given that it was still a fairly early afternoon, it was still a cause for victory. Still….
The feeling of Romano's dark green eyes burrowed into the back of his neck. Knowing that he couldn't work with the child on his lap lest the child somehow lose consciousness, he carefully placed the child back on the floor.
"Are you sure about that," Romano groused. Despite his rough exterior and the hard edge in his words, his eyes told a different story. Like Veneziano, he liked children, especially the little ones, and he didn't like watching Piero toddle around as if there weren't any dangers within the apartment.
(There shouldn't be anything dangerous inside, but there was only so much childproofing before an accident happened).
Veneziano waved Romano's concerns away.
It was almost demeaning in his own way, but Veneziano meant well. While he fully trusted that the child would not leave the room that he was currently in, Romano was more of a worrier in that he must have imagined that the child would somehow be granted the ability to reach door knobs and handles. Besides, both brothers were still present. There was no way that something bad would happen to the child since the both of them were there.
For a moment, Romano watched as the child felt his way against the various comforts of their furniture before he began walking away to the kitchen where he could fix all of them a snack. Unfortunately, just as he was about to pass into the kitchen, a cry rang out through the air.
Stunned and more than concerned and ready to murder Veneziano for allowing the baby to get into trouble, Romano moved back into the living area. However, he was just as stunned as when he had first heard the cry. Instead of seeing a little puddle of blood or the little boy's guts on the ground, he saw that the child was clumsily stumbling over his own feet so that he could catch up to the older Italian brother.
For a moment, both brothers watched as little Piero finally collapsed onto the floor and hugged Romano's famously expensive dress pants with his grubby, snot covered hands.
For a moment, all was silent and then—
"I am so jealous!" Veneziano leaped up from his desk and began to pet little Piero's head of light brown locks. At first, Romano thought that his brother would have the know-how to take the little child away from his very expensive pants, but Veneziano made no move to do so.
In fact, it looked like Veneziano was actively encouraging the child to hold on tighter and to rub his little face—
Agh. That was so gross.
Romano growled, "Veneziano, please take the little—"
Veneziano looked up from his position petting little Piero's head, a smirk on his youthful, ageless features.
"I don't think so, Romano. Looks like you're Piero's minder for today." He nodded towards the little mountain of paperwork on his desk. "Thanks for volunteering your services for the day! Eleonora and I truly appreciate it!"
Romano stared.
He blinked.
And then, in the world's angriest whisper, "You… you planned this didn't you?"
Veneziano sent a cheeky smile in Romano's direction before flouncing back to his desk.
"Now, what makes you think I did that?"
