Chapter Text
Luca was still reeling about being with Alberto again.
Once they had gotten unpacked at Giulia’s house, Alberto had grabbed his arm and thrown him into the water as their parents made dinner.
The feeling of the ocean against his scales made him forget about his strange feelings toward Alberto.
Luca sighed, content, as he sunk to the reef floor. Around him, fish swam back and forth, trying to figure out who and what he was.
He gently hit the sand with a small smile on his face.
“Luca,” Alberto whined, “come on! I have something to show you!”
Luca waved an absent hand. “Let me enjoy this for a second.”
Alberto swam restlessly back and forth above him, but didn’t press him again. Luca took this chance to look at him.
Alberto was taller. His arms were bigger. So was his hair. There was a scar on his right eyebrow, splitting it into two parts. Luca frowned.
“Alberto,” he said, and Alberto swam down to him immediately. “What happened to your eyebrow?”
Alberto raised his hand to his scar self-consciously and laughed a little bit. “A fish hook.”
Luca sat up. “They tried to catch you?!” he demanded angrily.
“No, no,” Alberto said quickly, laying with his back on the sand. “Fishing accident with Massimo.”
“Oh,” Luca said, his anger fading. “That’s good.” He laid down next to his friend.
“Do you think it looks bad?”
”No! No, I really like it.”
“Really?” Alberto touched it. “Thanks,” he murmured.
“How have things been here?” Luca asked. He watched Alberto light up.
“Great! I’m a the local school here, I got fishing with Massimo, and I’m making friends!”
Luca sighed happily. He was so glad that Alberto wasn’t being bullied.
”Are you ready now?” Alberto whined.
Luca smiled. “Yeah, I guess.”
Alberto grabbed his hand. “Come on!”
While being pulled behind Alberto, Luca looked at his hand, dwarfed by Alberto’s, and swallowed nervously. He was being dragged to where Alberto used to live. They crawled up on shore and Alberto smiled at him, looking like an excited puppy. “You’re gonna love this, Lu, you’re going to love this!”
Luca followed Alberto up the ladder, remade from last summer, and rolled into the old wooden floor. On the wall, he saw where Alberto used to mark the days his father was gone. There was a new one, though. On the opposite wall, there were new scratches carved into the wall under a header, Until Luca and Giulia Come Home.
He was about to say something, to apologize, but Alberto was standing proudly over a box. Luca walked over and Alberto opened it.
It was a fourth of the way full of coins. Money. Luca’s eyes widened.
“Where did you get this?”
“I started getting paid for doing jobs around town. I’m saving for a Vespa!”
Luca smiled, feeling as though a balloon was expanding in his chest. Like he could float away.
“This is amazing! Alberto- I- Alberto!”
“I’ve also been fixing up ours. It’s at the house,” Alberto said, trying to be casual.
Luca threw his arms around him, completely lost for words.
Alberto hugged him back tightly, and Luca could feel his smile against his shoulder.
“I know having a Vespa isn’t everything we once thought it was, but it would still be fun to have.”
“Of course!” Luca beamed, pulling away. “We could go anywhere!”
“With gas money,” Alberto joked.
“With gas money,” he agreed.
“And clothes.”
“And food.”
“And water.”
“And tools.”
They smiled at each other with wild gleams in their eyes.
“Giulia said that we’re competing in the Portorosso Cup,” said Luca. “As a team.”
Alberto grinned. “Awesome.” They looked at each other. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
—
Dinner was pasta, of course. But it was better than the pasta Luca had had at Giulia’s mom’s, because he was home. Luca was eating dinner with his family. Biological and adopted.
He didn’t know where Alberto stood in that, because he was incredibly sure that family members didn’t do… what he did that morning with each other.
Deciding not to think about it, he closed his eyes happily and sighed. Tiredness was washing over him in waves.
“Luca?” his mother said, “do you want to go to bed?”
He nodded, feeling warm and safe. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was in his room at his house, and Alberto was in the bed across from him, fast asleep.
Luca gazed at him. He was so pretty. Alberto shifted and rolled over. Luca smiled sleepily and did the same, unaware of what was going to happen next.