𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 || Ghost Oneshot

♰✟Scaring Copia✟♰

Context: primo is 44, Terzo and Secondo are 17, copia is 6

-
"Hmm." With a hand on his chin, Terzo animatedly analyzed the large block of text before him. Neither of them had access to the home computer at the moment, so his medical analysis was coming from a "big book of diseases". A book which he borrowed from the local library with the full and absolute intention of returning. In all actuality anyone in their right mind could tell what copia had was a common cold.

Though, Terzo wasn't just anyone, he was the only person in the room who could read. He also was a bored older brother, of course he was going to just make something up.

"What? What does it say?" Copia stared at the book, sniffing, utterly unaware of the mischief Terzo was cooking up. a little too much faith was put into the hands of sweet, innocent, kind Terzo. The brother who famously convinced him that to make sure Santa didn't miss their house he would have to stand outside in the Californian winter and hold a sign which read "I'm a moron" on it. Truly, why would Terzo ever lie?

"Alright, yes, so high temperature..pale complexion..mhm mhm.. hm.." someone get him a Tony to accompany the Grammy he ends up winning in the future because this was the performance of a lifetime.
"What???"
"It says here that you have stage 4 cancer, and you are so far along that you only have 3 days left!"
"HUH?"
"Yes, you should probably go to say your goodbyes. Start with papa"

Copia took off, likely crying. He very often ran off crying after being told something by Terzo, and boy it did sound like he really did it this time. The weeping was priceless. Terzo laughed, and laughed, and oh boy he laughed. That was until he got this..terrible idea. This..terribly wonderful idea. This abhorrently awful-wonderful idea. He would get Secondo and Primo in on it. After all, why not have some brotherly bonding?

Secondo, presumably, was having his bi-monthly pestering of Primo to ask for a promotion up to Cardinal. This always bothered Terzo, they had a system for that sort of thing and The two of them weren't even bishops yet. There was no fair way for Secondo to just be promoted to Cardinal without an uproar of complaining, but that wasn't his business. What was Terzo's business was recruiting his older brothers.

"-And that is the joke"
"That is terrible, Fratelli" "Absurdly Awful"
"Vile!" They both spoke in a joined unison.

"Yes, but that is what makes it funny"
"I am in" it did not take much convincing for Secondo to agree, copia drank the last caprisun. Though it was bought for the twins specifically it wasn't very considerate of the little rat to just snatch the last pouch straight from Secondo's hand.

"Primo?"
"I'm not sure," to the untrained eye, primo's hesitation might have made you think he was not considering it, but both Terzo and Secondo knew what was behind said hesitation.

Earlier that week, copia was indefinitely banned from the ministry garden for (knowingly or unknowingly) watering Primo's Azaleas with one of his "potions". The concoction of random cabinet liquids and chemicals tainted the soil to a point primo had to have the area dug out and have the soil replaced. He was livid, and while unfortunate and unforgivable, such an action from such a young child did not warrant a death scare.

"Please, it has been so boooring!" Terzo whined, slouching forward to emphasize his point. Realistically, he's the only Emeritus brother without any reason to prank copia, he's just doing it for the fun of pranking. While he was slouched, Secondo gave him a slight nudge forward to knock him to the ground. It earned hushed laughter.

"You will have to learn to keep your balance if you want to be papa, Terzo"
"Primo he pushed meeeee"

"Secondo," primo knelt to help Terzo up. He dusted him off gently only to grin and knock him down again "THAT is how you push Terzo"
"Noted"

"You both suck."
"I am doing one bad thing to you to equate doing one bad thing to copia, Secondo is next"
"Huh?"
"Do not worry about it"

"Well now I am, as-"
"Tezo, I didn't not ask what is —did you fall? Are you okay? —wait I had a mucher more important question! What is cancer?"

The silence in the room was a little too quiet. That was until Secondo spoke up.
"You are going to die, that's all you need to know"
"Wait I'm going to DIE?"

Terzo was under the impression that Copia ran off crying because he knew. Apparently.. not. Maybe they should ask Sister imperator if she fell down the stairs while pregnant with him.

"I had said you have three days,"
"I thought you meant I'd be sick for three days.."
"No, such a thing is terminal"

The room went just..silent, and before copia even asked primo spoke up. Him being in on it too put a shit eating grin on terzo's sweet little face. As now if he got into trouble they ALL got into trouble.
"Terminal means it is deadly"

"..I gotta tell mama"
"Wait- wait!" Terzo was quick to interrupt, that woman would have them executed if she found out. "sister imperator is..is busy! Yes"
"Oh..papa then?"

"Papa is the best option," primo guided copia down the hall, with Secondo dragging Terzo along.
"He will bless you, and pray with you"
"Okay.."

"Papa, I have cancer"
"Oh yeah? okay yeah" Nihil wasn't actually listening at all, he was busy planning his next affair. Where, who, when, the important details.
"And..and tezo said I have" copia paused to sniffle "..three days!"
"Crying? No go to Sistor. No, not in my office, get out," Nihil was not going to deal with crying children right before an orgy, hell no, it'll ruin his vibe. He urgently nudged Copia out of the Office and out to the hall where primo, Secondo, and Terzo stood.

"Make him not cry, that is your task, now shoo"

Secondo almost, almost felt bad. Key word, almost, he holds grudges. Strong grudges. Grudges so strong that he just had to make the situation worse. As Nihil slammed the door to his office Secondo knelt and placed a hand on Copia's shoulder.

"He is heart broken fratellino, just heart broken.."

That, did not make Copia feel better. In fact, it made copia run off to find his mother. That in turn made his elder brothers scatter around the cathedral to avoid incurring Sister Imperator's Wrath.