𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 | ✓

𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐈 - 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲

(edited)

13 years ago:

A shriek of laughter split the silence of the Agostino mansion like a firecracker, light and uncontainable. It was two in the morning, and the house was draped in stillness. Except for the baby's room, where tiny feet kicked gleefully into the air from within her crib. Nefeli, the youngest of the Agostino baby, was on her back, squealing in delight, her chubby toes curling as she batted at the dangling toys above her.

Startled, eleven-year-old Noah burst through the door, his heart hammering in his chest. He'd thought she was hurt. Instead, he was met with the sight of her wide, gummy smile and cheeks flushed with leftover giggles. Relief washed over him like a tide.

Trailing behind him, bleary-eyed and half-asleep, were Chris and Aiden. Both boys rubbed the remnants of slumber from their faces, groaning softly. The three younger boys were fast asleep in their cribs, blissfully unaware of the chaos on the other side of the hall. Up in the mansion's soundproof third floor, their parents and grandfather were working, completely unreachable. That meant it was all on them now.

"Piccolo, what's wrong?" Chris asked, scooping the energetic toddler into his arms. He instinctively rubbed her back in slow circles, trying to coax her into calming down, but she only responded with more breathless laughter, her tiny hands tugging at his shirt. (Little one)

Aiden groaned and collapsed into the armchair near the window, yawning so hard it made his jaw ache. Meanwhile, Noah and Chris were locked in a futile battle to settle their baby sister, who had turned into a giggling ball of sugar-fueled chaos.

The culprit was no mystery. Earlier that day, their grandfather -ad taken Nefeli on their usual stroll to the park and decided, for the first time, to let her try chocolate ice cream. She had devoured it. And when she returned, Dylan, thinking it would be funny, had handed her an entire bag of jellybeans. It wasn't funny. Her energy had skyrocketed and showed no signs of fading.

"Heheh! Lollies!" Nefeli squealed, clapping her hands like a maniacal cherub.

The boys groaned in unison. It was a school night. They had to be up in just a few hours, but sleep seemed impossible with this tiny whirlwind refusing to rest.

"No more lollies, Nef!" Noah said gently, rubbing her soft tummy in slow, rhythmic motions. "Your belly's going to hurt."

Nef responded with a cascade of giggles.

The three brothers exchanged looks, all of them swaying where they stood, worn down from a full afternoon of babysitting. They had already played Little Einsteins on repeat until they could recite every word by heart. They had played hide and seek and chased her through every corner of the house. They had tickled her until her cheeks turned the color of strawberries and tossed her into the air so many times their arms ached. Nothing worked.

Then, her voice pierced the quiet again. "Den! Den! Den! Den!" She wiggled in Chris's arms, reaching out with tiny grabby hands toward Aiden, demanding to be held.

Aiden gave in with a tired smile and caught her easily, lifting her high above his head before tossing her into the air. Her laughter rang out like silver bells, infectiously sweet. For a moment, exhaustion was forgotten.

They loved her more than anything. She was the piece they hadn't known was missing. She completed their world. Losing her... none of them could imagine it. It would break them.

But right now? They just needed her to sleep.

"Nice, Aiden. Great job!" Noah muttered, slapping the back of Aiden's head. "Now she'll never calm down."