Armando parked his small car outside of his childhood home, a large grin on his face.
Ever since he got a scholarship from playing football he was away at college all of the time, and he really missed his family.
Especially Cisco.
Even though Armando was 20 and Cisco only seven, they had a very close bond, though he wasn't sure why. The rest of his family hated Cisco, they never bothered to tell Cisco that they loved him, it was usually Armando himself and Dante that got all of the praise.
They adored their football star son and the piano prodigy Dante was at only 11 years old.
But they never praised Cisco. And Armando hated that. Maybe that was why they were very close.
So, whenever he got a break from college and football, he would come home and spend as much time with Cisco as he could.
It was the least that his little brother deserved.
When Armando briskly knocked on the door and walked in, he was greeted to the delicious smells of his mother's cooking and the sound of Dante's beautiful piano playing.
His father sat on the couch, flipping through the TV channels, and looked up at his oldest son, a large smile on his face.
"Armando! It's good to see you're home!"
Armando smiled and sat beside his father, dropping his bag at his feet.
"It's good to be home." He said, grabbing the TV remote from his father and changing the channel to a football game. His father laughed, and grabbed the remote back.
"Football? Again?"
Armando shrugged. "Did you have something better in mind?"
Soft footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, and his father stopped smiling, turning back to the tv with an annoyed expression on his face.
Cisco slowly walked down the stairs, hugging the dinosaur stuffy he got when he was 5, a huge smile lighting up his features.
"Armando!" He exclaimed, and sped up his pace, giving his older brother a huge hug.
Armando ruffled his little brother's short, wavy hair and gestured to the couch, which Cisco climbed onto in a rush.
"Hey, buddy, got any new stories for me?"
Cisco nodded his head, and gestured to the green dinosaur in his hand.
"I can name 26 different kinds of dinosaurs now!"
Armando feigned shock.
"26? I thought there was only the T-rex?"
Cisco shook his head, beaming.
"Nope! There's a lot more, like the triceratops, the pterodactyl-"
"Boys!" Their mother interrupted, waving her spoon to get all of their attention. "Supper!"
As they made their way to the table, Mrs. Ramon grabbed Cisco's arm, stopping him in his tracks. Armando waited in confusion.
"Francisco, could you eat a bit more than a couple bits this time?"
Cisco bit his lip. "But I was full the other night."
She rolled her eyes. "You had three bites. You don't get full after three bites."
"But-"
"Just sit down, or you'll skip supper!" His father exclaimed, his temper short, and Cisco scrambled into his seat, Armando calmly sitting beside him.
Throughout dinner, Mr and Mrs Ramon asked Armando how school was going, and he responded with a smile. But he would often cast concerned glances to Cisco, who picked at his food with a pale complexion on his face.
"Mama." Dante said, pointing at Cisco. "He's not eating his food."
Their mother glanced over at her youngest son and sighed.
"I had two bites!" Cisco exclaimed, tears in his eyes. Armando placed his hand on Cisco's shoulder, but he didn't acknowledge it.
"Francisco Baracus Ramon, you will stay at the table until you finish the entire plate! Is that understood?"
Cisco nodded, and shoved another forkful into his mouth.
The dinner continued on and finished in silence, and Cisco didn't eat any more.
Armando began to clean the table, and watched how his little brother stared at his food with sick expression.
Dante left to go play piano, while their parents went to go visit the neighbors. Just a typical night, but usually Cisco would be in his room reading, instead of sitting at the table in silence.
Armando couldn't bear seeing his brother like that, all sad and silent, and slid into a chair across from him.
"Hey." He said softly, and Cisco looked up.
"What's wrong, Cisco? It thought you loved Mama's cooking."
"I'm full." Cisco said simply , and Armando gave a small smile.
"You only had a couple bites, did you have a snack before supper?"
Cisco shook his head no.
"The last time I ate was at breakfast. I wasn't hungry enough to eat my lunch."
That set of warning bells in Armando's brain. He wasn't a doctor, but Cisco didn't seem like he was healthy.
"Does your stomach hurt?"
Cisco nodded.
Armando took Cisco's plate and fork, and began eating the food himself, deep in thought.
Cisco wasn't acting completely like himself. Sure, he was excited when he saw Armando,but he wasn't as active as he usually was. He usually ran down the stairs, but when he had come down earlier, he was walking.
And he wasn't talking as much either. Usually at supper he would talk everyone's head off, well, until one of their parents told him to be quiet.
Something was wrong.
"Armando? I have to eat that." Cisco said, but he waved him off.
"I think you're sick. I'll finish this off, Pa and Mama won't be any wiser, and you're going to lay down in your room, okay?" Cisco nodded, a small smile on his face, and got to his feet.
"Thanks, Armando." His voice was soft, but Armando heard it.
"Anytime."
Cisco slowly made his way upstairs, gripping his stomach, and Armando finished the food, putting the plate in the sink.
He hated when he was the only one that cared for his brother. Cisco deserved all of the love he could get.
And he really, really hoped that his stomach was just having a bad day.
YOU ARE READING
My Hands are Holding You
FanfictionA seven-year old Cisco Ramon is a bright kid with a hopeful future, and loves science and math of all kinds. Despite this, he is neglected by both of his parents and Dante. The only person that cares about him is his oldest brother, Armando. Suddenl...