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Perfect. Alberto wanted everything to be perfect for Luca and Giulia’s return from Genova. He had it all under control, he reminded himself, for sure. Slaving away - or, at least what he considered doing so - days at the pescheria working under Massimo for money to afford an important gift, brushing up on his Italian-o with the wandering elders of Portorosso to show up his best friends’ much better skills, and tidying up the hideout he and Luca so often abused with their never-ending makeshift Vespa repairs and rides their first day together; a precious memory to Alberto, of course. Everything was perfect and according to plan.
In that case, the teen sea monster dared to wonder, why did he feel a pit holding his stomach hostage that he sensed would swallow him whole if he thought about it too much?
Oh, right - his confession to Luca was what made his plans so perfect. It was the cherry on top.
No amount of 'Silênzio , Bruno!’ s was enough to conceal Alberto’s booming feelings. They lived in his head, his heart, and especially in his stomach, evident as he found it harder to eat any of his favorite Massimo pasta dinners as he counted down the days to Luca’s homecoming.
It seemed simple enough talking to Luca over the phone, as well as handling the letters he sent over. But each time he imagined possibilities of conversations between the two of them - which were usually practiced in a bathroom mirror or the sea’s reflection - Alberto reached dead ends. He seemed to forget who he wasn’t ; someone who didn’t know how to converse with others, let alone with his own best friend. His feelings sticking out like a sore thumb changed him, no doubt.
After much time spent contemplating his feelings, his issues with them, and whether he should add fuel to their fire or let Luca extinguish them if he rejected him, Alberto realized he did things best with no question or overthought. It was his whole brand! So, telling Luca everything the night of his arrival was what he decided was best - like ripping a tough bandaid clean off skin. Sure, Alberto still had some worries, but he knew getting it all off his chest as soon as possible was what would make him feel normal again the quickest. And, anyways, he wasn’t about to ruin his all-extensive plans.
Now, everything was definitely perfect for his friends’ return.
-
“ MY BABY!!” Squawked Mrs. Paguro, zooming up to a wide-smiling Luca fresh off the train. Mr. Paguro followed shortly behind her, cheering his ‘hellos’ and ‘We missed you so much-es’ and engaging the family in a warm group hug.
Giulia’s welcome home was next. She didn’t have to eye the crowd at the station for long to spot Massimo. She bee-lined her way through everyone to reach him, hopping up and down all kangaroo-like as she became closer, and jumped into his arm, giggling and embracing her father like that was the last time she could.
And then there was Alberto, shifting on his feet at a rapid pace, waiting at the very back of the train station behind the hustle and bustle of reuniting families with zero patience. He was accompanied by Grandma Paguro, who watched as the boy wiped sweaty palms on his shorts and engaged in subconscious fidgeting with no shame.
“Nerves caught you bad, bubble?”
Alberto paused, “..Is it seriously that obvious?”
“You’re flopping around more than a fish out of water,” Grandma Paguro joked. “What have you got to worry about? Luca’s going to love you just the same as he did before he left.”
She sounds like she knows exactly what’s going on. “You have no idea.” He scoffed lightheartedly.
She shrugged, straightening out her clothing. “You’ve kept up with each other up until this point, which says a lot. The only thing that’s different now is being able to see each other in person. And, knowing Luca, I’m sure he’s been nervous for this moment, too.”
Before Alberto could respond, he realized that Giulia and Luca were running towards him at a concerning speed. His eyes widened as his two friends rammed into him, hugging him to the ground and laughing. Luca looked up to the taller boy, displaying tears of happiness and a grin so wide it hurt just to look at. Alberto let tears of his own fall as a wave of relief and excitement hit him, forgetting what he was so worried about for the time being and instead embracing his friends just as tightly in return.
“You both haven’t changed a bit, huh?” Teased a sniffling Alberto, smirking.
“Hey, give us a break. Two thirds of the Underdogs can’t grow six inches in six months,” Giulia grunted, ruffling up Alberto’s curls.
Luca nodded in agreement, wiping his tears. “Exactly! And, besides, you shouldn’t be talking. What’s changed with you , sir - did one of your curls grow in a different direction from all the others?” He joked, joining Giulia in some hair-ruffling.
The tallest of the three rolled his eyes, swatting their hands away. “Alright, alright, maybe I didn’t change all that much on the outside, but best believe I’ve got a few surprises for you two. For example: I hope you’re prepared for an Italian-speaking battle.”
Giulia and Luca, both sitting up from the hugpile, eyed each other. “Say, Luca,” The girl began in a sly tone, “Credi davvero che l'italiano di questo ragazzo sia migliorato mentre eravamo via?”
“Non posso dirlo con certezza, ma vederlo all'oscuro è piuttosto divertente.” Luca replied, turning his attention to an expectedly confused Alberto.
“...Now you’re just showing off.” He muttered, hopping to his feet and beginning to speed walk away from the station. “Anyways, let’s ignore that mess of a ‘battle’ and let the real one begin - last one to the bay’s an uovo marcio!”
Now confused themselves, Luca and Giulia stood up. “Where’d you learn how to say that ?!” Luca yelled, chuckling.
“That’s for me to know and for you to never find out!” Alberto yelled back, now a good distance away from them. “You’re both losing, in case you didn’t notice.” He added.
With that, the remaining Underdogs trailed behind him, running against the brisk Portorosso breeze. They were fully prepared for a well-deserved swim, while Alberto was mentally preparing himself for his confession.
(And, for the record, Grandma Paguro taught Alberto how to say ‘uovo marcio.’ Who else would?)
-
After an energetic day of swimming, revisiting most of Portorosso, and long-awaited chatting about school and life, beautiful dusk hit the town, hugging the residents in a mellow method that put everyone in a good mood. That included Massimo, who invited the Paguro family over for a nice evening of pasta and conversation similar to their children’s.
“Papa,” Giulia said with a stuffed mouth at the dinner table, “You have no idea how much I craved your trenette al pesto at school.”
As Giulia continued to indulge in an ode to her favorite food, keeping all the adults occupied, Alberto nudged Luca from underneath the table. “You remember earlier how I said I have a few surprises for you?” He whispered. Luca, nodding, followed Alberto as he motioned toward the door. Slipping out of the house, he grabbed a lantern and continued to lead the way at an eager speed.
Luca, barely matching Alberto’s pace, piped up after a moment of silence. “I missed you a lot, you know.” He announced without a twinge of hesitance.
The taller of the two stopped in his tracks, feeling his face flush. He was thankful it was nighttime. “So did I.” Alberto responded, turning to face Luca with a delicate smile. He allowed Luca to catch up to him, walking slower. In the process, he felt the pit in his stomach return.
“I’m sorry we didn’t have all that much time to talk alone. Everyone seemed to be super tight-knit today.” Luca continued.
“And I don’t blame them. I mean, you and Giulia have been gone for six months. I’m sure everyone would be on top of me if I was gone for that time - mostly because I’m the most likeable child, but whatever.” Alberto shrugged playfully.
Luca scoffed, smacking the other boy’s shoulder. “You’ve been very bold today.”
“I wouldn’t be me if I hadn't been!” Alberto leered. “And speaking of bold-“ The boys had conveniently reached the looming hideout, lit up by a few large candles scattered within it and at the ground in front of it. Alberto slowly made his way behind the tower. “Stay right where you are.” He said, motioning for Luca to stand still. “I didn’t want this one to meet the same fate our first one did…“ He continued, rolling out a squeaky clean, cherry-red Vespa that shone in the moonlight. “…so I kept it on the ground.”
Luca, eyes widened and mouth gaping open, was speechless as he admired the Vespa in all of its glory. “Alberto, how did you afford this?” Was all he could squeak.
“Just a few extra hours working at the pescheria, no biggie.” He answered, checking out his nails nonchalantly.
Excitement took hold of Luca, causing him to burrow himself into Alberto’s chest, hugging him comfortably yet with a grip that was enough thanks as was. “Thank you… Thank you so much.” He whispered.
Alberto’s eyes softened. “It’s my pleasure.” Hesitant at first, he decided to pat the other boy’s head with care, letting his free arm embrace him. His heart was racing from the hug, which he wouldn’t be surprised if Luca could hear through his chest.
Luca peered up to look Alberto in the eye, still stuck to him like glue and smiling from ear to ear. “Are there any more surprises you planned? Since you did say there are a few.”
Alberto let his hand rest on Luca’s head, pressing his lips together as he suddenly found it hard to maintain eye contact. Why is he so adorable? “Well,” He began, bringing his hands to Luca’s. “There’s one more left. I had to save the subjective best for last.”
“Oooh, sounds mysterious. Now you got me curious.” Remarked Luca, following Alberto as he climbed up the hideout ladder.
This should be simple enough , Alberto attempted convincing himself as they climbed - though his heart swelling up and clogging his throat said otherwise.
The boys reached the tower’s rooftop, being able to admire the gorgeous views of the night sky and its fish to the ultimate extent. Luca seemed especially entranced, but jumped back to reality as Alberto took both his hands in his own.
He was shaking from head to toe, gritting his teeth in a vain attempt to calm his worrisome thoughts and trembles. “Like I said, this is subjectively the best surprise.” Alberto reminded Luca, forcing his usual confident smirk. He can definitely feel how sweaty my hands are…
“But before that, I want to tell you how happy I am that you’re back home. I don’t think you heard me say that at all today, so I’m letting you know now. Things are a lot less fun without you around.” Sure, Alberto was stalling - and nervously at that - but it gave him more time to collect his thoughts. He gently traced Luca’s fingers with his thumbs, daring to observe his face. Was he blushing? Alberto couldn’t tell; the candlelight made it all the more difficult.
“It’s nice to hear it out loud.” Luca noted in a gentle tone, giving the other boy a crooked smile. Right. He’s anticipating the ‘best surprise.’
Alberto took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Here goes everything.
“Luca Paguro.. Since the day I met you, I’ve known you were special, and as we got to know each other more and more, I realized that you match me. You fit me like a puzzle. At first it was spooky, but I just-“ He stumbled on his words a bit. “I’ve gotten familiar with the feeling. I also realized that that’s how it’s supposed to feel when you find someone so good for you. It feels unreal because it’s so rare. And, I, um.. I don’t want to let go of what we’ve got. You mean a lot to me. M-More than a friend…” Alberto trailed off, scrunching his eyes closed as if they weren’t shut already. “And I get it if you don’t feel the same, I don’t blame you. But I really like you. You bring out all the good things about me.”
Alberto couldn’t bear it. His body was so tense everywhere, he was on the literal tips of his toes awaiting a response. Instead, he felt Luca let go of one of his hands, dig into one of his shorts’ pockets, and heard crinkling paper. Alberto cracked open an eye, observing Luca holding out a crumpled letter, looking away. He managed to relax the tension in his body, coming back down to ground level and raising an eyebrow to Luca’s letter.
“I asked myself so many times back at school if I should send this letter to you or not.” Luca explained, sounding quieter than usual. “But if you could say everything you just said, I think I’m ready to say what I want to confess, too…”
Alberto took the letter Luca offered, stealing one more look at the shorter boy before reading it. His blushing was more notable now than before.
He opened it, the envelope titled ‘To Alberto’ like all the others he’d been sent. The actual letter appeared fairly regular as well - that was, until he started reading it…
(translated to depict correct grammar and spelling for readers’ viewing pleasure)
’Dear Alberto,
I’ve tried writing this letter five or six times already, wanting to find the right words, but all my past attempts didn’t feel right. I’m trying one more time, and I think I’ll keep it short and sweet:
I like you, Alberto. More than a friend and more than I thought I was capable of feeling for someone. Do sea monsters and humans feel the same things? Because before becoming human, I’ve never felt this way for anyone. I sent grandma a letter asking if this was all normal, and she told me completely, so… I’m just rolling with it. Whether this ever makes it to you or not, I just needed to get how I feel out somewhere. Thank you for reading if you ever do.
Good day,
Luca Paguro’
Alberto felt in absolute disbelief and bliss, but more so disbelief. What were the chances the only person he ever liked felt the same way back, especially for someone like him?
“Is this… real?” Alberto asked softly, feeling so overly exposed and vulnerable in that moment, yet relaxed that it was with Luca of all people.
Luca’s gaze shifted rapidly in different directions, bringing himself closer to Alberto with hesitance. “I can’t tell.” He began, “But I’m really hoping that when I wake up tomorrow, a memory of this moment is going to replay in my head because it really happened.”
Alberto’s lips trembled, trying to contain more happy crying. “I think I can guarantee it’s all we’ll be thinking about for a long time.” He said, closing the gap between himself and Luca to press his forehead against his best friends’.
“Do you promise?” Luca asked, crossing his hands with Alberto’s.
“I do.”