broken by love
summary: uncle copi babysits you and terzo’s daughter.
message at the end of the post as usual. please enjoy. 🤍🐁
(this is gonna make me cry)
“Ciao, fratellino!” Terzo greeted his brother, standing in the doorway of the Cardinal’s quarters, holding his little girl, Violetta, in his arms.
“What a lovely surprise!” Copia replied with a grin.
“Sorry I threw this upon you with such short notice, I’m going out with (Y/N) - er- this one’s Mommy tonight.” He said, quickly correcting his mistake as he placed his toddler on the ground.
“Oh no, you are not throwing anything on me at all. I am always happy to see my niece.”
“Alright la mia stellina, your Mama and I will be back tonight. Have fun. Make sure he stays out of trouble.” Terzo said, as if he himself didn’t come out of the womb Satan’s greatest troublemaker.
“I will! Hi, Uncle Copi!” she beamed, jumping up and down in excitement. Violetta loved spending time with her uncle. He was funny and sweet and had lots of cool toys in his room. Not to mention apple juice.
“Alright tesoro, have fun, but do not forget about me. I love you, la mia stellina.” Terzo said, kneeling to the ground and planting kisses all over his daughter’s soft face.
“Bye-bye Papa! I love you!” she waved as her father left the room.
“So, what shall we do?” the Cardinal asked his niece, clapping his hands together and shifting them a bit.
“Can I see your toys?” she asked excitedly, looking up at him with her big round eyes, strikingly akin to yours.
“Eh… My toys?” He asked, a bit confused, until realizing what she was referring to. “Oh, of course!”
Copia was, to put it bluntly, a big fat nerd. The shelves in his office were lined with what he would describe as “artifacts”, figurines and merchandise from various games, films, and comics, which were now old enough to be considered “vintage.” Thinking about that sent a shiver down his spine. Typically, Copia was pained when someone referred to his collectibles as “toys”, but found it utterly adorable in this scenario.
“Right this way!” He announced, crouching down a bit to take her tiny hand in his and lead her towards his office.
Upon entering the room, Violetta gazed up at the various memorabilia in awe, mouth agape. The Cardinal couldn’t lie; it was nice that someone finally showed some appreciation for his collection.
“Can we play?” she asked politely, pointing at the shelves.
In this moment, the value of the figurines meant nothing to him. He would normally become frazzled when someone touched his things, waving his hands frantically while jumbling a plethora of words,
“Nononothesearespecialdonottouchpleaseyouseetheyareworthalotandeverythingisexactlywhereitneedstobeplacedand-“
But she was a well-mannered girl, and beyond that, was far more special than anything on his shelf. Besides, at the unlikely chance she were to break something, it would be a wonderful excuse for him to scroll through eBay and search for a replacement (as well as other trinkets) late into the depths of the night. And if anything were to be broken, it would be broken by love. The best thing to be broken by.
“Sure!” he responded cheerfully, gesturing towards his display and letting her decide which characters would join today’s cast of playtime.
Today’s storyline was rather enthralling. A young and beautiful woman named Collette (a Princess Leia doll) was secretly in love with “Señor Joe”, (a Boba Fett figurine) someone her parents told her she must never speak with. The story ended triumphantly with a beautiful marriage. Copia didn’t know how or when they got there- he remembers Violetta briefly mentioning flying to Brazil on a private jet- maybe a war at one point- but somehow the two figures wound up at a marvelous wedding ceremony on Mars in front of all the Storm Troopers, to which, Violetta triumphantly announced, “The End!”
The Cardinal couldn’t help but wonder what you and Terzo were watching on television that inspired this thrilling plot.
“Wow, that was quite the story!” he said, impressed with his niece’s imagination. “You are very creative, much like your Mama and Papa.”
“Thank you Uncle Copi!” she chirped, practicing the manners you and Terzo taught her.
“Of course.” Copia caught sight of the clock, shocked by how much time had flown by.
“Violetta, it is now a very important time of day.” He announced.
“I already had nap time, Uncle Copi!”
To this, he chuckled, and ruffled his niece’s hair.
“Not nap time, it is feeding time.”
“But I’m not hungry.” She replied.
“Not for you, but for my rats.”
“Rats? You have rats? I want to see! Pleasepleaspleasepleaseplease!” She squealed, shaking her little hands in excitement, a mannerism he observed she shared with you.
“Papa says they are foul creatures plagued with disease!” she said, her bright smile indicating that she clearly had no understanding what any of that meant. For all she knew, that could be a top-tier compliment.
“Do you want to help me feed them?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes!” she agreed as she followed him out the door and down the hall, singing a little song about rats on the way. He might have to write that down.
And there they stood, in all their glory, two little rats in a spacey, well-kept cage, their beady eyes and soft grey fur capturing the little girl’s attention.
“Uncle Copi, they are so cute!!!” Violetta squealed.
“Would you like to hold one?” He asked as he opened the cage, refilling their food bowl.
Violetta got a tad nervous after his proposal, fingers fidgeting with the sides of her dress and her expression shifting to an anxious one.
“They are very sweet. You do not have to hold them if you do not want to, but I promise if you are gentle to them, they will be gentle to you.”
“That makes sense.” Violetta replied after her uncle’s thoughtful explanation. “I want to hold one.” She concluded. “Please.” She added, remembering what she was taught.
Maybe Terzo could learn some manners from his four-year-old daughter.
The Cardinal thought to himself.
“Now, hold your hands out like this.” He explained, cupping his hands with his palms facing up. “Do you want to hold Pesto or Bean?”
The latter name made Violetta giggle.
“Is something funny?” he teased.
“Bean is a funny name.” she replied through giggles, pointing at Bean, the brown rat.
“Okie dokie, one Bean coming right up!”
Copia gently picked up his precious Bean and placed him in Violetta’s hands. She giggled as she looked down on the little rat, so small, so sweet. A little bit like her.
“He is nice.” She said, smiling. “His feet tickle.”
“He is very nice. And sí, they do tickle. One time I was in a very important meeting and I did not notice this little Bean was in my sleeve until I felt him pitter-pattering up my arm and started laughing in front of the entire Clergy. Your Papa was there.” He recalled.
“Really?” Violetta asked.
“As real as real can be.”
“I guess I can’t bring him to school.” she sighed.
“I suppose not. But Bean is highly educated already. Does not need any more schooling.”
“Oh. I see.” she replied.
After some bonding time with Bean, Copia scooped him up and placed him back in his penthouse of a cage.
Bye bye, Bean. Bye bye, Pesto. She said, waving to the little rats.
“Next time you will have to hold Pesto. My bestie, Pestie.”
“Your what?”
“My bestie, Pestie. Bestie Pestie.” he explained nonchalantly.
To this, Violetta did not just giggle. If “Bean” was funny, “Bestie Pestie” was downright hilarious. The little girl started laughing so hard her stomach hurt, rolling on the ground as she repeated “Bestie Pestie.” The sound of the young girl’s laughter brought a newfound lightness in his heart, one that left his heart full but a little bit broken simultaneously. The two of them laughed together on the carpet, sharing what would be a treasured memory even years later.
After recovering from the laughter, Violetta asked,
“Can we play a game? Please? The car one?”
❦ ❦ ❦
“That’s how my Papa drives.” Violetta stated bluntly as she sipped on a juice box, pointing at the television screen as she watched her uncle crash the pixelated car in his video game.
Copia chuckled.
“Maybe you can do a better job than me? Your turn again?” He asked, holding out the controller.
“I like to watch. It’s fun.”
“Okie dokie.” Copia said, starting a new round of his game.
But this round was a little bit quieter. There was an absence of conversation. Violetta, exhausted from an afternoon of playing and laughter, fought the urge to fall asleep as her eyes started fluttering shut.
“Copi?” she suddenly said.
“Sí?”
“Are you a Papa?” the girl questioned.
“No, cara mia, that’s your father’s job.” he explained, laughed softly.
“Are you a Papa?”
“I’m afraid I do not understand.”
“Are you somebody’s Papa?”
…
Such a simple question that dug up so many not-so-simple feelings.
“Are you asking if I am a father?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. No, I am not.” He clarified, heart sinking a tad.
“Why not?”
How was he to explain to a four year old that he didn’t have what was considered a prerequisite to a child: a partner? That he was never sure if he would fall in love or that even if he did, there would never be anyone in the world who would love him back? That he wanted to be a Papa more than anything, but his life had not led him to that point?
“I already have my rats, I suppose.”
“You should do it.” Violetta suggested, as if it was a simple thing to accomplish.
“Maybe one day.” he replied, smiling softly.
“You’d be a good Papa.” she sleepily uttered.
“Thank you, Violetta. My brother is very lucky to be your Papa.” He replied, sincerely.
And the sleepy young girl gathered all the energy she had into one final statement before dozing off:
“Love you, Uncle Copi.”
“I love you too, Violetta.”
And she was off to sleep.
Copia carefully stood up, trying not to wake the sleeping girl, and walked to the closet to grab a blanket. He picked up something else as well: a small rat plushie he had been saving for her birthday. He figured he would give it to her now, so she could have a Bestie Pestie of her own. After placing the large blanket over her, he tucked the stuffed animal snugly beside her.
Copia sat beside her on the couch, scrolling online to find a new birthday present for her. He settled on a Barbie airplane that would make a divine private jet for Señor Joe and Colette.
Just after he pressed “order”, he heard a knock on the door and its soft squeak as it opened.
“How cute.” You said quietly, entering his room and seeing your daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch.
Terzo, rather than commenting on the sheer adorableness of his baby girl as he normally would, decided to torment his brother.
“Ay ay ay, I trusted you, mio fratello, with my sweet and precious daughter, only for you to allow her to rot her mind in front of a screen.” Terzo said facetiously, gesturing to the paused television, placing his hand on his forehead with an exaggerated sigh.
Copia, although accustomed to his brother’s persistent sarcasm, was petrified at the idea of rotting his niece’s brain. His facial expression was one of terror, and he immediately began spewing out a plethora of apologies until you gently stepped in.
“Don’t worry about it, Copia.” you affirmed him. “He’s just being Terzo.” you continued, playfully slapping your husband lightly on his arm.
“Is that so bad?” Terzo continued, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.
“I never said that.” You responded, a smile and a soft blush creeping up on your face as your banter went back and forth, words slurring together.
Yeah, clearly it was a fun and not-so-sober night out. Good for you guys. Being a parent couldn’t be easy.
Noticing Copia awkwardly gazing around the room, you decided to spare your brother-in-law from your flirting, something your husband would never do.
“She always loves spending time with you.” you said, walking up to the couch and scooping your daughter into your arms.
“Aw, what’s this?” you asked, looking down at the cute little rat friend Copia had given to her, kneeling down and picking it up.
“Tell her she now has her own Bestie Pestie.”
“Huh?” Terzo said, raising an eyebrow.
“Pesto. The rat’s name is Pesto. Therefore he is my bestie, Pestie. Bestie Pestie.”
You actually had to pass Violetta over to your husband, still holding on to the stuffed rat, because “Bestie Pestie” on top of the alcohol might make you collapse.
“Bestie Pestie?” you wheezed out, trying desperately not to make too much noise, tears welling up in your eyes as you held onto the wall for support.
Terzo chuckled and rolled his eyes at his dorky little brother.
“Thank you for watching her, Copia.” Terzo said, giving his brother a warm smile.
“Of course. I hope you two had fun.” he replied.
You waved goodbye to the Cardinal, still holding onto the stuffed animal. You might have to share custody of this thing with your daughter.
“Tell Bestie Pestie I said hello.” You said, stumbling out the door, laughing.
As Copia said, Terzo was lucky to be a Papa. Beyond lucky.
But he was also lucky to be something else as well. A brother. Copia’s brother.
And even if Copia’s heart broke a little during his conversation with his niece, envious of his brother and the joy that came with being somebody’s Papa, that would mean it was broken by love.
The best thing to be broken by.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i wrote this in one day which is utterly insane for me.
ughhhhhhhhhhhhh i’m so in love with uncle copia, lowkey trying not to cry in public right now, violetta’s story is expanding and new characters are coming!!!
thank you so much for reading!!!
if you have sent me a request, it is coming!!!
<3, alice