Gonzales

14

Aurelio's mischievous grin spread wide across his face as he crouched behind the couch, waiting for the perfect moment. His tiny hands clutched a toy car, his most recent weapon of choice in his endless campaign of pranks. The house was quiet, too quiet for someone as energetic as Aurelio, which only meant one thing—his brothers were in a vulnerable state.

Romeo lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious. Matteo in the kitchen, rummaging through the pantry for a snack.Leo  sat with his headphones in, lost in his own world, while Marco and Luca, were engaged in a heated video game battle on the TV.

Aurelio's eyes gleamed. With stealth that would have impressed a ninja, he crept up behind Romeo. Without warning, he launched the toy car at the back of his brother's head. The small plastic car bounced off Romeo's skull, making a hollow clink sound.

"Ow!" Romeo exclaimed, looking around in confusion. "What the—?"

Aurelio burst into giggles, loud and infectious. "I got you!" he shouted between bursts of laughter, his voice high-pitched and gleeful.

Romeo blinked, trying to catch up. "Aurelio! What the heck? You little troublemaker," he groaned, but there was no real heat in his words. Despite the annoyance, Aurelio's laugh was too contagious to stay mad for long.

Meanwhile, Matteo, who had heard the commotion, came over to investigate. As he approached the living room, Aurelio spotted him and, with a sly smirk, grabbed another toy car from his stash. He aimed it at Matteo's back. With perfect aim, he sent it flying—this time hitting Matteo's head.

"Hey! What is with you?" Matteo spun around, clearly exasperated but still grinning despite himself.

"Gotcha!" Aurelio squealed, rolling on the floor in laughter.

Leo hearing the chaos, looked up, rolling his eyes.

Not to be outdone, Aurelio spotted Leo's headphones and immediately hatched another plan. He stealthily approached and yanked the cord from his brother's ear, causing Leo to flinch and pull the headphones from his neck.

"Dude, seriously?"Leo groaned, rubbing his ear.

But Aurelio had no time to listen to his brother's complaints.Marco and Luca were still engrossed in their game, their focus absolute. With a quick glance to make sure no one else was watching, Aurelio darted in and grabbed the remote from their hands.

"Hey! Give it back!"Luca shouted, already moving to chase him.

But Aurelio was too fast. He ran in a circle, laughing hysterically, his small legs barely keeping up with his wild enthusiasm. Luca gave chase, and for a moment, the two brothers looked like they might catch him. But with a quick pivot, Aurelio darted past them, managing to dodge Leo's outstretched arms.

As Marco and Luca stopped, panting and laughing, they looked at each other and exchanged a look of resigned amusement. They both knew what this meant: Aurelio was impossible to escape when he had his sights set on a new target.

"That's it," Matteo said, shaking his head. "He's gonna drive us all crazy."

Aurelio, finally satisfied with his chaos, took a seat in the middle of the room, his chest heaving with laughter. His older brothers, despite their irritation, couldn't help but chuckle.

The noise from the living room had reached a crescendo. Aurelio, triumphant in his little reign of chaos, sat on the floor surrounded by his defeated brothers, who were each nursing their wounds—physical, emotional, or both. But Aurelio wasn't done yet. He was only getting started.