Big Kid Math - Fugo x OC prologue
Summary: How Belladonna met Pannacotta.
((Drawing by @nevui-penim-miruvorrr))
Adrian Zepelli brought his little girl, Belladonna, to the small workplace party taking place at the Villa of his boss, Sergio. Belladonna was excited at first, but soon grew bored and ran off to explore the large property. As the 6 year old wandered around, she came across a boy her age sitting alone on a bench, scribbling away in a notebook.
"Hi there," Belladonna said tentatively, taking a seat beside him.
The boy looked up from his notebook. "Who are you?"
"I'm Belladonna," she replies “I'm here with my dad, Adrian. Who are you?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm Pannacotta. Sergio's son."
Belladonna didn't know who Sergio was, but she was interested in the boy's notebook. "What are you working on?"
"I'm doing algebra," Pannacotta said, his voice soft and shy.
"Algebra?" Belladonna repeated, intrigued. "What's that?"
"It's like big kid math," Pannacotta explained.
Adrian had been watching Belladonna as she played with the other children at the party, but when he turned his attention away for just a moment, she was gone. He searched the area frantically, calling out her name, but there was no sign of her.
He felt a sense of panic rising in him. This was the kind of behavior he expected from his son, Luigi, not his daughter. That was why he had left Luigi at home and brought Belladonna to the party instead. He couldn't afford any missteps in front of his colleagues and their families. He had worked hard to build his reputation as a responsible and reliable employee, and he didn't want anything to ruin that.
As he continued to search, his mind raced with all the worst-case scenarios. What if she had been kidnapped? What if she had run off with some stranger? What if she had been hurt? He tried to push those thoughts aside and focus on finding her, but it was hard to do.
Finally, he saw her sitting on a bench with a boy he didn't recognize. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he approached, but he was still worried. What had she been doing all this time? Had she been behaving herself?
“Bella!” he called out, running over to her. "Are you okay? I've been looking for you everywhere."
"I'm fine, Daddy," Belladonna said with a smile. "I just got a little bored and wanted to explore."
Adrian tried to keep his frustration in check. "You know you can't just run off like that, Belladonna. I was so worried."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Belladonna said, her smile fading. "I didn't mean to worry you."
Adrian took a deep breath and looked at the boy sitting beside her. "And who is this?"
"This is Pannacotta," Belladonna said. "He's really smart. He was teaching me algebra."
"Algebra, huh?" Adrian said, his interest piqued. "That's pretty advanced for your age." Adrian looked at Pannacotta, but the boy just looked down at his notebook and didn't say anything.
Sergio approached them, having overheard their conversation. "Pannacotta is quite the child prodigy," he said, sounding impressed. "And it seems like he's found a kindred spirit in your daughter, Mr. Zepelli."
Adrian felt a sense of relief that his daughter had made a good impression on his boss. "Yes, it looks like they had a great time together. Thank you for having us, Signor Fugo.”
Sergio nodded. "It was my pleasure. I'm glad your daughter was able to make a connection with my son. Maybe they'll be able to teach each other a thing or two."
Adrian smiled and put his arm around Belladonna. "I have a feeling they will," he said, looking down at her.
Belladonna giggles and hugs her father.
Adrian smiles and ruffles her hair.