Little Thief 5

by Ciejye



Disclaimer: The characters of Iggy and Dama, Tony and Sydney are all mine, mistakes and all. This story contains discipline of a minor child, but no slash involving him.

Thank You Claire for Betaing, All mistakes are my own.

Iggy and Dama are part of Tony and Sydneys universe

Archiving is cool, feedback is very welcome *smiles*



For the next couple hours, Iggy watched Damalis do prep work with the other cooks. He admired the way the large man laughed and joked while still giving orders, clearly in charge but not overbearing or smug about it. Sauces were simmered and vegetables chopped, lasagnas made and desserts created with ease.

Iggy just stayed back and watched all this hustle and bustle for the first hour then, during the next, Damalis introduced him to the joys of dish washing. Iggy started by scouring pots good-naturedly, knowing he deserved the punishment for what he had done, and anyway it gave him a something to do besides watch Damalis cook.

Damalis watched the boy work for a few minutes. His heart warmed as Iggy laughed at something the head dishwasher said. Damalis found he could easily care for the imp even after so short a time together. He felt he had a love for the boy.

Iggy was just finishing up a pan when a voice behind him said "You missed a spot." Iggy jumped, started at the deep voice.

"Dam.. amm dang, you scared the life out of me." Iggy said as he turned and looked up and up and up. Iggy suddenly felt very small as he looked up at this giant. He was even taller than Damalis. "What oh yeah, I know, I was rinsing off everything else so I could see what I had missed."

"Yes, but now you have to change the rinse water cause its contaminated, if you had used the sprayer you could have saved yourself some work." The blond giant seemed to be almost gloating at the boy.

Iggy swallowed his irritation and turned to do what he was told. "Oh, amm, sorry."

"Whose little boy are you?" the giant asked, "and why are you working here? There are child labor laws about keeping little ones from working before they are 14."

"I am nobody's LITTLE boy!" Iggy snapped his voice raising in annoyance. "And I am working here 'cause I want to and I am 16. What about you? Whose LITTLE BOY are you? And why hasn't he taught you some manners?"

What ever answer the blond giant was about to give was cut off by Damalis' voice, "Sydney I see you've met Iggy already."

Iggy turned to see Damalis walking over with a huge bearded man. Iggy felt even smaller. Shat was it with these people? was it something they put in the water? Everyone here was gigantic.

"Iggy this is Tony Scarpelli, he owns this place and I see you have already met his partner Sydney Brookings. "Damalis said. "Tony, Sydney, this is Iggy the boy I told you about."

"Ohh the little thief." Sydney snorted.

"Sydney!" Tony growled a warning.

"Sorry." Sydney mumbled.

Iggy blushed as he heard what was said.

"Pleased to meet you Iggy." Tony stuck out his huge hand. Iggy decided he had never felt so small as when he put his tiny hand in the massive one and shook it.

"Iggy is going to be staying with me from now on and working here when I do, if that's all right with you Tony."

"How old are you Iggy?" Tony asked.

"16" Iggy squeaked.

"He doesn't look a day over 7." Sydney commented.

"That's enough out of you." Tony growled at Sydney.

"Well look at him." Sydney tried to justify himself.

"Sydney, Iggy is a little person." Damalis was not sounding really patient at that moment.

"So we are supposed let a dwarf work here?" Sydney snapped.

"Sydney!" Tony exclaimed shocked at his lover attitude.

Iggy had about had it with this ill mannered Goliath. "I am a midget not a dwarf. You see a dwarf is an abnormally small person, often having limbs and features not properly proportioned or formed. While a midget is an extremely little person who is otherwise normally proportioned. A very diminutive person. As even you can see, I am normally proportioned. Just small. You on the other hand are a giant, a man of extraordinary bulk and stature. And, it would seem, the epitome of the stereo type of big and dumb."

Sydney, Damalis and Tony listened to Iggy's outburst, then after a moment of silence, they all three burst out laughing.

"He needs to have a work permit from the school before he can work here Damalis and he can't work the appliances other than the dishwasher. But once he has that its fine with me." Tony said. "Sydney and Paul were saying they needed an assistant."

"An assistant yeah but one who can reach the sink would be nice." Sydney snorted.

"Sydney! Apologize right now little boy!" Tony growled as he took a firm hold of Sydney's neck. It took Iggy a second to realize that Tony had called Sydney a little boy. Guess it is all relative.

Sydney glared at Tony a moment but finally obeyed. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Its okay, I know you don't get much oxygen at that altitude." Iggy said with an impish grin.

"Ignatius!" Damalis admonished just as Sydney and Tony burst out laughing again. Damalis frowned at them but chuckled finally.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." Iggy said as he grinned.

Damalis ruffled Iggy's hair and made a mental note to get the boy a haircut soon.

Suddenly, Iggy stopped laughing and looked straight at Tony. "I am sorry I stole from you Sir. I ain't never done nothing like that before and I won't never do nothing like that again. I'm really sorry."

Tony tightened his hold on Sydney's neck to keep him from correcting the boy's grammar. Tony held Iggy's eyes steady in his searching to see if the apology were sincere. "I believe you Iggy, I will give you a chance here but, mark my words, if you ever steal from me again I will personally take you over my knee and I am a lot bigger than Damalis."

Iggy paled at that thought. "Yes sir, I understand, and thank you sir." Iggy beamed at being trusted.

Damalis pulled the boy into a one armed hug. "I told you everything would be okay." He dropped a kiss on the reddish hair as Tony took Sydney off for a discussion. "Finish up with that pot. I am due for a break and Mario made up a pile of spaghetti for supper."

"You got it Dama." Iggy said, "I love pisketti." He grinned as he used the old childhood term for his favorite pasta.



Iggy and Damalis were back home by midnight. Iggy was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Damalis made a mental note to make sure he knocked off work a bit earlier in future.

The next morning after breakfast, Damalis called Iggy away from his GameBoy. When they were both seated at the table, Damalis set a note book and pencil in front of Iggy. "This is your rule and thought book, Iggy. Save the first couple pages for rules, though I don't think we will have that many. Then the rest are for your thoughts. Start with the first page and leave room at the bottom. Some rules are just common sense, like no lying or stealing. Some are values, like treating others with respect, and some will be specific to you and to our family. Understand?"

Iggy nodded and Damalis continued. "I am open to discussion on most issues and I will always listen to you but that does not necessarily mean I will agree or that anything will change. Bottom line. I am the adult and responsible for you so I will have to do what I think is best."

Over the next couple hours they argued, discussed and set down the rules that, while they were not always totally welcome, were understood as being for the best. They also worked out chores and rewards as well as consequences.

"To start, you are going to be on short privileges." Damalis said, "not that I don't trust you but we have to establish the rules before we can move on."

"Yes sir." Iggy agreed. Not, of course, that he liked it, but he would live with it until he decided he didn't want to anymore.

"Now about school, what grade are you in?" Damalis asked the boy when the rules were finished.

"I should be in 11th but I used to cut a lot so I am only in the 10th. But I hate school." Iggy stated. "and I won't go."

"The state says you have to have an education." Damalis stated, silencing the protest with an upraised hand. "However, I will talk to the school and see what we can do about home schooling. For now you have to go. We will go down to the school on Monday and enroll you. Have you taken Drivers Ed yet?"

Iggy pouted about school. He really did hate it. Most kids say they do but for him it was even worse. Often other students teased him and called him names because of his size.

"No, not yet, but I know how to drive."

"Good. We can sign you up for the class and you should have your license in no time." Damalis grinned.

To be continued