All It Takes Is Love | ✍🏼

12. Fatherly Figure

 - Unknown Point Of View - 

12 years ago 

Ace, sitting in between the legs of his eldest brother, was content, watching the rest of his brothers roll around on the ground, laughing. He so badly wanted to join in, but he knew that the rest of them would say no, and his eldest brother wouldn't allow him. 

But there was no use in trying, right? So, Ace did just that. He crawled over to the rest of his brothers, not putting a lot of pressure on his left arm, before standing up to them. Even though he was 5 years old, he didn't want to stand up in front of his eldest brother, which would cause his attention to divert from the old football game on the TV, and to him. 

Ace had watched his big brother watch the football games for hours on end. He had always wondered if Vincenzo ever got sick of watching them, but to Ace it seemed like he didn't. Even when all of them were playing around or if their father was breathing down Vincenzo's neck, telling him what he had to do, Ace always saw his brother watching a football game of some sort. 

He then stumbled a little, dragging his left foot a little across the ground, as he then fell on top of his second older brother, Lorenzo. Lorenzo had secretly been a favorite of the little boy, even though he never openly admitted. He always showed his love for his eldest brother, but Lorenzo was a close second. 

Always had been, always will be. "What's up bud?" Lorenzo questioned his youngest brother, tickling his sides as the little boy giggled. When Lorenzo didn't get an immediate response from the boy, he blew a raspberry on the little boys stomach, causing him to laugh even harder, as his face turned even redder than what it was before. 

Ace tried to push away from him the best that he could, but he was landing right on the legs of someone else, whom he hadn't noticed had come to sit down with them. He tried to step forward, to at least turn around to this person, but he was then pulled back into this person's chest, as they practically snuggled him into their chest, his back pressed into them. 

"Your a cheeky little monster, aren't you?" the person question, as they blew a raspberry on Ace's neck, causing the little boy to squirm and giggle, an attempt at getting away. He tried to kick the person, but with his gangly left foot, he couldn't quiet rely on that. His arms were also restrained, especially his left one in particular. 

Another raspberry was blown on his cheek next, as Lorenzo was sitting in front of them, doing nothing to help his little brother, rather enjoying. Lorenzo was glad that Ace was sitting with them, as he usually sat off in a corner, almost like he was scared of the rest of them. 

I mean, who wouldn't be? Vincent had Francis pinned down underneath him, as he laughed at his younger brother, struggling to get out of his hold. Blaze was walking around them, trying to jump on either of them, as they all laughed at one another. No one was hurting each other, but they were using some form of force, just not enough to hurt each other. 

"S-stop it tickles!" the little boy stuttered, trying to pronounce his words the best that he could. At 5, Ace had quiet a few difficulties. He had a stutter, which his father hated him for, and every time he tried to speak to his father, he was always reminded of it. His mother on the other hand, used to love him for it. 

His mother would pull him into bed on a Sunday morning, for their usual Sunday morning cuddles. They would bask in each others warmth until it was actually time to get up, and then they would migrate to the kitchen to make some breakfast together. Sunday was their day together, before the week begun. 

It was their time to just have a slower day, where they had nothing to worry about, and the other boys were outside running the backyard. Ace was his momma's boy, and he was most definitely not ashamed of it. He loved his momma the most, but something had changed in her in the last few days. 

They had stopped having Sunday cuddles last Sunday, which was a week ago, and he was for once, forced outside to play with his brothers. They didn't make their usual Sunday pancakes, and they most definitely did not watch any TV together. 

His own mother, his momma, had forced him outside, while he watched on with the others, his special blankie in his hand, just watching. He was too scared to approach the rowdy boys. He knew he was much smaller than them, and most definitely did not want to intrude on something that had been theirs's, as his had been ruined that day. 

Ace had sat there, watching them, as Vincenzo had half-heartedly played with them, making sure to keep a subtle eye on the little boy. The same little boy that had always been his shadow until it was a Sunday with his momma. But now, Vincenzo had a feeling that Ace was going to be moving away from his momma, and more to him. 

They had always had a special bond. Vincenzo had always had a little boy clinging to him at his knee, only getting a break on Sunday's when Ace was with his momma. But Vincenzo had felt the drift in their mother, that he had a feeling wasn't the one he knew to be his own. His mother would not have shunned Ace out the way she supposedly had, knowing that he was clingy. 

He had always been clingy since he had been born. So, Vincenzo had thought no harm could have been done, by including Ace, who had rested on his hip, with his blankie still in hand, until he was put on the ground to have a go. They were playing soccer, which didn't end up the way it should have. 

The boy was far too small and skinny, easily tripping and falling onto the ground, resulting in a trip to the hospital, where the small boy cried and cried for his mother that never came, as his father did not even give him a second glance.

After that accident, it was almost like everything Ace did around the house, terrified him. So, as Lorenzo saw him laughing and smiling, he smiled too. He had his little boy back, after the week that they had had with their mother acting the way she was, and Ace having a broken arm. Just another thing that the poor boy had to deal with. 

His left foot, the same one that he dragged along the ground, was underdeveloped. It wasn't developing as fast as his right, which was just another thing his father hated about him, but Ace tried his best, even through the pain of walking on it. He never said a word about it, unless he was lying in bed with Vincenzo, tears streaming down his face when it wouldn't stop throbbing from being walked on that day. 

Suddenly, as Ace tried to kick Vincenzo with his left foot, a surge of pain ran through his foot and up his leg, causing the little boy to scream, and to stop all movement. It brought all the attention in the living room to him, as he tried to not move his foot, but he so desperately craved some form of comfort that he was not going to be getting from his momma. 

"Shh, shh, calm down" Vincenzo tried to turn him around, but it was like he was paralyzed. Lorenzo reached forward, pulling Ace out of Vincenzo's hold, and into his arms, as the boy curled up in him, sobbing for all that it was worth. Lorenzo kept his foot still, as Vincenzo raced to get an ice pack or a cold washer. 

Just anything to soothe the pain in his foot. The other boys watched on, knowing that there was nothing they could do for their little brother. It was up the big brothers for now, as both their parents were absent, who knows where. 

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thoughts? xx