Rapscallion

The DiNozzo children come by their penchant for pranks and mischievous natures honestly. June 2028.

Rapscallion - a mischievous person.

"He's out for the day, I'd bet," eleven-year-old Anthony commented to his younger brother as the two observed their Abba snoring in his recliner in the family room. The calico cat who claimed Tony as her person was curled on his chest protectively.

LJ nodded, "He did take one of his pain meds about an hour ago, right after he complained about his back hurting fiercely. If he took the really strong one, he'll sleep until tomorrow. Did you text Ima?"

"Yep. She said they won't be home for at least another two hours." Anthony's phone started ringing as he spoke. "That's her calling now," he swiped the screen to answer the call and put it on speaker. "Hey, Ima."

Ziva answered her son, "Is your father okay? What happened?"

"We were out in the backyard helping him with the mowing. He got out the weed-eater and pulled the cord to start it up and doubled over in pain," Anthony explained. "Said it was like a bolt of lightning went through his lower back."

"So where is he now?"

Anthony looked over at Abba, "Asleep in his recliner. LJ says that Abba took one of his pain meds about an hour ago, pretty soon after he hurt his back. Callie is sitting on him and glaring at us. Abba is snoring and zonked."

"Let him sleep; you and LJ can heat up the leftover pizza for lunch if you want, or you can make sandwiches. We are still shopping for your sisters' dresses for Abba's sixtieth birthday party and then I have to stop by the venue to confirm some things about the menu for the evening. We will be at least another two hours, probably closer to three, before we are home. Uncle Tim is at home, so if you boys need anything, you can always call him," Ziva explained.

"We'll be okay, Ima. I am eleven, I can handle things here," Anthony reassured his Ima. LJ nodded at his older brother as the phone conversation wound down. "We'll see you when you get here. Bye."

The brothers decided to heat up the pizza from the night before for lunch; they watched an animated television show while they ate. One of the characters drew on another's face with markers while the second character slept. Both boys laughed at the reaction of the sleeper to his doodled-face-art.

LJ grinned at Anthony, "I dare you to draw on Abba's face."

"Only if you do it too," the older boy retorted.

"I'll go get the markers," LJ replied as he ran to the playroom to gather the multi-colored markers from the shelf. He returned to the family room and handed his brother the bucket of markers, "We each take a side?"

Anthony nodded and opened the container of markers; he placed it on the end table near Tony's recliner and selected the orange broad-tipped marker. "Works for me…"

Callie lifted her head when the boys approached the chair, but then settled back on her person's chest and closed her eyes again. Anthony and LJ drew all sorts of images with many colors on their Abba's face as he slept.

Tony moved and made a sound, causing both boys to jump back and hope their father didn't awaken. They watched and waited as he turned slightly and then continued snoring. After a few minutes with no movement other than breathing, the two resumed decorating Tony's face. When the boys were convinced there was no more exposed skin to color, they put the markers back in the bucket and Anthony put it back in the playroom. The two then played a video game until their mother and sisters came home.

"Hello," Ziva called out as she entered the front door with Tali, Rivka, and Beth following behind, each carrying her new dress for the birthday celebration in two weeks.

LJ peered around the corner from the family room towards the hallway from the front of the house, "We're playing a game in the family room." He waved at Ima and clarified, "Just Anthony and me; Abba is still asleep."

Ziva headed towards the family room as the girls went to hang the dresses in their rooms, "Did you get anything for lunch?"

"We had the pizza, Ima," Anthony replied as he maneuvered his on-screen character. "We've been playing this game since then…"

Ziva greeted the boys and turned towards her husband. She noticed his face and grinned at her sons, "I see you have been busy with the markers as well."

"Are we in trouble?" LJ was worried now that Ima noticed their handiwork. He paused the game. Ziva laughed, "Not as long as you used the washable markers…" She moved closer to the sleeping man and inspected her sons' artwork. "Ooh, I like the lightning bolts by his eyes…"

"That was my idea, Ima," LJ grinned at his mother. "Anthony then had the idea to put the thunderclouds by his ears."

"And then we both thought of the raindrops and rainbows," Anthony added. "We had fun! He slept through the whole thing."

Tali came into the family room, followed by her sisters. "Dresses hung up, Ima… whoa… who did that to Abba's face?" She snickered as her younger sisters moved in to check out the drawings.

"We did!" LJ grinned at his sisters. "Abba slept through it all. He moved once, but didn't wake up. We saw a character on TV writing on someone who was sleeping."

Anthony chuckled with his brother, "I did one side and LJ did the other. Abba just snored the whole time."

Tony stirred in his recliner, "Abba does not snore." He opened his eyes and looked at his family. "What?" he asked with a smirk.

Ziva replied for all of them, "That is the biggest lie that I have heard today. You most certainly do snore."

Tony shrugged and slowly sat up in the recliner, groaning as he moved. "The pain…" Ziva and Tali rushed to his sides to help him get up from the chair. He shuffled to the half-bath in the main hallway from the front of the house.

No one had said anything to him about the drawings on his face. They heard the toilet flush and then the tap turn on at the sink. A shout from behind the closed door brought a fit of giggles to the five children and their mother.

"HEY! Who drew on my face?" Tony shouted out from the bathroom. He opened the door and glanced at his family. Every one of them was laughing. "It had better come off," he grumbled as he tried to glare at other six. "The lightning bolts are kinda cool, though…"

Anthony stepped over by his Abba, "LJ and I thought so too."