Chapter Text
Six year old Natalie Berzatto hides behind her big brother Mikey, fingers gripping his as he stands between her and their parents fighting in the doorway of their home.
Natalie is deeply confused, Ma just had a baby, why are they so angry? She had over heard one of her classmates saying their mom and dad had big smiles on their faces when they bought her baby sister home. Isn't this supposed to be a good day? Why aren't they acting normal?
She glances at the slightly squirming bundle in her Ma's arms. Maybe something is wrong with it. Maybe this isn't a good thing like she thought it would be. At least not for them it seems.
Mikey crouched down beside her, already tall at the mere age of eleven and pulls his little sister in. He knew Ma was getting worse, he did, but he doesn't like this, like really doesn't. He didn't expect it either. He thought when they came home, she'd be brimming with joy like she did with Natalie but she looks even more forlorn and in pain than when she left.
His whole body goes stiff when she gestures a bit too wildly with her hands as she screams at his dad and the baby nearly slips from her hands. He doesn't know much about babies but he knows that they're too fresh, too new, too fragile to be hearing and experiencing all of this now.
"Mikey Bear?" He turns to his sister, loosening his grip, fearing he held on to tight.
"Yeah, Bear?"
"Wanna hold 'em." She holds out her hands, opening and closing them. He sighs, too heavy for a kid his age and stands, ready to poke the Bear that was his mother. But before he can do anything, Natalie unfortunately speaks up first. "Ma?"
"-You're such a fucking piece of shit-"
"Ma?"
"-Smash your damn head into-"
"Ma!" Their mother finally turns, but not normally. More like she's the horror in a horror movie and a siren goes off in his head as his sister shrinks at her mother's glare. He doesn't quite know how to explain that yet, the full body shiver that takes over when his ma is in a bad mood.
"Nat wants to hold them." He says carefully while his father storms off and his mother sneers in response, lips curling into a sharp angle. She walks up to them and quite literally drops the poor thing into his inexperienced arms and starts to walk off to where their father disappeared. "Wait. Ma! What's the name?"
"Carmen." She points a red tipped finger at them. "Now shut the fuck up! I can't fucking hear myself think." She's gone after that, screaming starting to fill the house again. He looks down at the baby, slightly fussing in the crook of his arm. A bit red in his chubby face, golden hair fanning across his forehead, bright blue eyes. Mark of a Berzatto. He smiles and nods his head at the couch, signaling his sister that they should sit. She grabs at his shirt as they walk and climbs onto the sofa beside them.
"Alright so, I heard somewhere that you have to be careful with their heads." He gently transfers his new brother to his sister's little waiting arms and she hugs him to her body, showing off her two missing front teeth as she smiles.
"He's cute."
"Yeah."
"A new bear Mikey."
"A new bear Nat." He ruffles her hair then suddenly the sound of glass shattering somewhere fills their ears. They both flinch and he quickly stands in front of them both. When he's sure its nowhere near, he breathes out a sigh. His eyes land on the Polaroid camera in the corner. "Hey Bear, smile!" She grins, eyes closing from how big she's smiling and he snaps the picture. The flash makes the baby cry but its a welcome distraction from their very loud and dysfunctional reality playing out in the other room.
At the meager ages of ten and six they realize they'll probably be the ones trying to calm their little brother down the most in the future. Their parents are too busy tearing their house down to care.