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Chapter Text

Luca's only been galavanting on the surface with Alberto for a few weeks but to him it seemed like forever. He can't imagine his life without makeshift Vespas hurdling down hills into the sea or sitting by the fire at night with Alberto under the anchovies. He wonders how he had lived his entire life afraid of this place.

This surface has made him feel more alive than he ever had in the ocean.

Alberto made him feel alive.

He sighed contently as his eyes scanned the darkening horizon, thinking about just how grateful he was to have met his best friend. He giggled slightly remembering how they first met, recalling just how ridiculous Alberto was with his diver suit and harpoon.

'What a jerk,' he thinks fondly.

The light of the Human Town catches his eye. It seemed brighter tonight. There was a warm glow emanating from the town square just by the shore.

"Hey Alberto, why is the city still bright?" Luca asks his friend, turning his gaze to Alberto.

"Hmmm I don't know. Let's check it out!" Alberto suggests, confident as ever. He grabs Luca's hand and they walk towards the tower's ladder.

"Woah woah woah what if we get seen by humans?! We could be caught or put in a zoo or they could harpoon us nonono we are NOT going!" Luca rambled as he dug his heels into the floor boards. There was no way he was gonna prove his mom right about the surface being dangerous.

"C'mon man, that's just your Bruno talking" Alberto countered. "It'll be fine! Just think about it, we'll get to see what humans do when they're not on their stupid boats! Maybe we'll see Signor Vespa!"

Alberto had a compelling argument and eventually Luca's curiosity outweighed his fear. They made their way out of the tower and towards the cliff.

Alberto shouted with glee as he jumped into the dark water.

"TAKE ME GRAVITY!"

Luca didn't think he'd ever be able to take that leap as confidently as his friend always did. He looked at his friend waiting for him in the waves, his purple scales glimmering in the moonlight like the thousands of fish in the sky. After a moment of hesitation, Luca murmured a quiet "silenzio Bruno" and bounded off the cliff face. He felt weightless for a second before plunging into the water, green scales springing up to replace skin.

Their eyes met for a second before Alberto's face broke into a lopsided grin. He grabbed Luca's hand and sped towards the town, leaping over rocks like a dolphin.

Luca admired how graceful his friend was in the air. He always seemed to be in control of his surroundings. The thought that someone so amazing wanted to spend time with Luca made his face feel hot despite the cool water around them. That tended to happen a lot. He didn't understand why his taller counterpart always made him feel so warm inside. The green sea monster could never seem to suppress a grin while Alberto was around. And while the feeling was weird, it was far from unpleasant and Luca enjoyed every second he got to spend with Alberto.

A mischievous giggle brought Luca out of his reverie. A pair of dazzling green eyes stared at him in the dark before the purple sea monster launched himself above the surface and attempted to front flip. Keyword: attempted. Luca let our a bark of laughter as Alberto smacked into the water face first. Alberto looked embarrassed for a second before joining in the laughter.

It wasn't long before the water began to lighten as they neared the shore. They hid behind the stone the bordered the ocean, silently peaking their head out of the water. Both boys gasped at what they saw.

Lights were strung between buildings, almost looking like the fish sleeping in the sky, causing the water in the fountain to glitter like pearls. Music drifted through the square, giving the place an ethereal atmosphere. And there were humans. A lot of them. They were elaborately decorated with long dresses that flowed in the warm summer breeze, sleek black suits that made the humans wearing them seem to cut through haze of the lights like a mako shark in midnight waters. Some humans even had sparkly rocks that made them like a school of minnows.

The humans were paired up, hands resting on each other's shoulders and hips. They swayed to the rhythm of the music as though in a trance, seemingly just as absorbed in the atmosphere as the curious young sea monsters.

"What are they doing?" Luca inquired in a hushed tone, voice thick with awe.

"I thinks it's called dancing," Alberto whispered after a moment, taking in the scene.

It was a few minutes before either of them could manage to tear their eyes away from the dancing humans. Luca gaze eventually returned to Alberto, whose eyes and scales caught the light like the little minnow rocks that the humans were wearing.

Luca though he was just as beautiful as the square.

Eventually the song ended and the humans seemed to become more aware of their surroundings. Luca and Alberto ducked back underwater, hoping that nobody saw them. They swam out to deeper water, far enough away from the Human Town that the only light came from the full moon that hung in the sky.

They were quiet for a second, still awestruck at what they just saw.

"Hey Alberto," Luca asked as he broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"What is dancing?"

Dancing wasn't really something that sea monsters did and Luca had never seen anything like it before. He wasn't quiet sure what dancing was and the want to understand was eating at him.

"Hmmm it's hard to describe. It's like when humans play a song and move around to the music," Alberto replied, trying his best to explain the human concept to his friend.

"Can we dance?" Luca suggested. "It kinda looked like fun and I want to try."

Alberto hesitated for a second. He'd never danced with anyone before and wasn't quiet sure how.

"Sure, but we don't have any music."

"That's okay, we can just hum the song that was playing there!" Luca said excitedly as he approached his friend.

They stared at each other for a couple seconds, not quite sure what they were doing and both waiting for the other to act first. They both giggled bashfully before they linked their right hands.

"I think the you're supposed to put your hand on my shoulder?" Alberto questioned as he moved his free hand to rest on Luca's hip and Luca placed his hand on Alberto's shoulder. The stared at each other for a few seconds, taking each other in before they hesitantly began to sway around the moonlit water.

Luca hummed the song from the Human Town as best as he could, and Alberto smiled, feeling encouraged. The world began to fade away as they only focused on the other, enjoying their closeness. Subconsciously, Luca moved his tail to wrap around Alberto's, the warm feeling of the moment numbing his senses to anything that wasn't Alberto.

Eventually, Luca couldn't remember anymore of the song and their trance was broken. Both of their faces darkened as they realized how close their faces ewere.They distanced slightly before grinning at each other shyly. Luca surged forward again to hug his friend, his head slotting under Alberto's chin.

"Thank you for this. We would've never gotten to see any of this if I had listened to stupid Bruno," Luca murmured in a quiet voice, yet loud enough for his friend to hear.

"Well that's why you just gotta follow my lead," Alberto murmured back, enjoying the embrace of his friend. They stayed there drifting peacefully in the water before the air of calm was suddenly shattered.

"Oh no I'm out way past curfew! My mom's gonna kill me!" Luca jerked out of the hug, unwrapping their tails before rush back towards his house.

Realizing he forgot to say goodbye, Luca quickly spun back around and gave Alberto a quick hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Alberto watched as Luca swam off into the darkness. Hopefully he wouldn't get in trouble for being out so late. He made his way back to his stone tower before the reality of what just happened finally sunk in and he grinned toothily to himself, his purple scales darkening as a blush rose to his cheeks.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Chapter Text

Luca was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow in Giulia's hide out. He and Alberto had run away to the Human Town (Portorosso, he corrects himself) just that morning and he was already exhausted. It seemed like the Surface was one big, never-ending, new experience.

Just when he thought he'd seen everything, a million new things flood his senses and stoke his curiosity. If he were anyone else, he'd be resentful towards his family for keeping him from something so amazing, but he could only feel ecstatic and happy that he was actually here.

He was actually here, taken in by a human girl and her Dad Human. Actually here, signed up for the Portorosso Cup, his and Alberto's vespa just out of reach.

And all with Alberto by his side, every step of the way. Even here with him now as the anchovies began to blur as sleep began to overtake his mind.

He saw wispy white clouds drift in front of the Big Fish and noted how nothing seemed to stay constant on the Surface. The clouds grew and shrank as they floated across the sky, the sun never stayed in one place, the sky never stayed the same color, changing from orange, to yellow, to blue, back to orange (and sometimes pink, he noted giddily) before becoming black as the anchovies made their way to their sleeping spot.

Of course things changed under the ocean as well. The water lightened and darkened with the coming and going days, the water warmed and cooled with the passing seasons, the seaweed was grown and harvested and grown again, but the change was never as profound as it was up here.

Here the whole stinkin' world changes. Each day was different, new, exciting. There was no such thing as monotony on the Surface in Luca's humble opinion. He wondered how far the reaches of change went. Was it just the sky that changed? Or did the land change too? Do they people change? Can he change?

'well clearly I can' Luca thought to himself as looked at his hand, soft and pink and fleshy instead of the green scales he was accustomed to seeing. His eyes drifted from his own hand to Alberto's, darker and sun-kissed. He wasn't the only one who could change.

His eyes stung with the need to sleep as his gaze trailed from his friends hand to his face, his bouncy curls swaying in the cool night breeze.

Luca reflected on how much Alberto had changed his life. Alberto who brought him to the Surface, taught him everything he knew, and created a future for the both of them. His heart swelled his warmth as his eyelid finally slid shut, losing the battle with sleep.

'Maybe the surface isn't the only thing that makes things change' was Luca's final thought as his consciousness faded into a peaceful nothingness.

While the change on the Surface was awe inspiring, sometimes it could be terrifying.

A cool, salty breeze drifted in from the ocean as Luca stirred. Despite the temperature, Luca felt pleasantly warm and a comforting weight was wrapped around his waist.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Alberto's still sleeping face. He gently moved his friends arm off of him as he sat up, watching the rising sun breach the horizon.

Luca's head felt like it was full of cotton, still cloudy with the remnants of sleep as he noted dimly how the world seemed to stretch on and on, never seeming to end.

His contented feeling from watching the sunrise grew tenfold as his gaze shifted down to the green and purple spiral of his and Alberto's tails that laid resting between them.

Green and purple...

The sweet fogginess of his mind vanished as he remembered that they should not be green and purple.

His morning reverie seemed worlds away as a wave of panic crashed over him.

Why were they in their sea monster forms?! Did someone figure them out and pour water on them in their sleep? Can sea monsters not maintain human forms?

Thought after panicked thought passed through Luca's mind like a school of sardines as he desperately shook Alberto awake.

"Alberto!" He whisper shouted as his friend began to stir.

"Hhnng.. wha-?" Alberto murmured sleepily before his eyes locked with Luca's bright yellow ones. A similar wave of panic washed over him as he realized their situation. "Ah! The sky's been leaking!"

They didn't get a second a figure out a plan before Giulia's window burst open and she began singing loudly, miming playing some instrument Luca had never seen before. Startled, Alberto fell out of the tree, dragging Luca with him by their still linked tails.

They picked each other up and ran for the gate leading to the harbor before Massimo burst through, stopping them in their tracks. They made a mad dash to hide behind the tree, praying that neither Giulia or her dad had seen them. They held their breaths, waiting for a scared shout or the twang of a harpoon impact.

They let out twin sighs of relief when neither of those things came. They began brushing the water off of each other as they prepared to greet their friend. They gazed at one another with hesitant relief when a low growl reached their ears. They looked up and saw Machiavelli staring at them with the same suspicious hostility he had at dinner last night.

Thank goodness cats can't talk.

"Huh? Where did?... Oh! There you guys are!" Giulia exclaimed as they walked out from behind the tree, both Alberto and Luca adorning sheepish grins. "Are you ready for today's training?"

Phew, that was close.

Chapter Text

Luca felt entirely and utterly defeated as he sat there paralyzed under an awning atop Mount Portorosso, cool summer rain beginning to drench the land. He'd lost the race before he could even finish. He'd failed. He promised Alberto to win the race a buy him a vespa and he failed.

He sat there, grappling with the desperation to finish the race and redeem himself to his closest companion and the sheer terror he felt at the idea of one of the humans harpoons that would surely be hurdling his way the second he stepped out from under the covering.

He gripped his bike tightly in frustration, knuckles turning white. No matter how much he silenzio-ed Bruno, he couldn't force his legs to propel him down the mountain. He was trapped. Trapped on top of the now slick mountain with the guilt of betraying his best friend.

Why had he done what he did? Why did he allow his fear to make him abandon his friend? Why did he think he could ever be as brave as Alberto? Alberto who seemed to have no inhibitions. Who was always confident and strong. Alberto would have been jetting down the hill by now, rain be damned. Alberto would have won by now, would've gotten his vespa, would've been traveling the world.

Luca was a fool to think he could ever be like his friend. His friend, who was so incredible he made the anchovies (stars, he corrected himself) seem boring in comparison, who encouraged Luca to be braver than he ever thought he could be, who Luca had turned his back on.

Who wasn't here.

How could Luca have ever thought he could win this race without Alberto?

"What's wrong Piccoletto? Afraid of a little rain?" Came the mocking voice of a certain Ercole Visconti, who blazed past him with a smug grin on his face.

Luca felt heat began to build behind his eyes.

He'd failed. Failed failed failedfAILEDFAILED-

"Hey!"

His gaze shot up at the sound of his best friend's voice. There was Alberto, all bouncy curls and lopsided smiles, running to his rescue with blue umbrella held over his head, a wide grin stretched across his face.

Luca couldn't believe it. His friend was actually here! Maybe they could still win the race after all! He felt his own grin grace his features as his shoulders lifted as he shed the crushing weight of his failure.

"For the last time, you two don't belong here. Get out of my town!"

His relief was short lived as the previously mentioned Ercole kicked Alberto, causing him to lose his balance and fly into the stone wall lining the bike path. Alberto let out an audible grunt as he hit the wall, head colliding with the rocks with a sickening crack.

Purple scales raced to replace his skin as the rain began to soak him. He groaned as he shifted his arm under him to prop himself up. Luca saw as Alberto's hand moved to the back of his head, hand returning glazed in blood that was quickly washed away in the downpour.

Ercole's expression of disgust was soon replaced by one of shock and hatred as he let out a cry of "SEA MONSTER! RIGHT THERE! Ciccio! My harpoon! Veloce!"

Luca felt his heart drop to his stomach as humans began approaching, their harpoons and nets ready. Oh carp this was it, wasn't it? They were done for.

"Alberto..." Luca whispered, horror lacing his tone. He moved to join his friend before he was stopped.

"No, stop!" Alberto shouted back in a frantic voice. The all consuming fear they both felt was reflected in Alberto's seafoam green eyes. Eyes that Luca had always found comforting and beautiful.

"Just stay there! You're still safe," Alberto's voice cracked as he begged Luca not to reveal himself too, lest he share Alberto's fate. Luca didn't have a second to react as his worst fear came true and his friend charged at the armed humans with a battle cry.

"ANDIAMO!"

"Alberto, wait" Luca screamed, he didn't think his heart could drop any lower but Alberto seemed hellbent on pushing the limits to everything Luca thought was possible, even when face to face with the murder end of a harpoon.

He watched helplessly as his friend hit the ground, caught in a net.

And maybe in another world, Luca's fearful, timid nature would have gotten the best of him. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to spur himself into action and would be forced to watch as the same person who gave Luca his whole world was speared like a fish in a last ditch effort to protect him. Maybe he'd have the sight of the sweet summer rain running red with blood and his friends lively green eyes dull as the life leaked out of him burn into his mind forever.

Luckily, that isn't this world.

Luca's face hardened with determination as he pedaled out from under the awning, green and blue scales dancing across his skin with the droplets of water as if synchronized.

He raced towards Alberto, hand outreached. Green hand met purple and Luca held on like their lives depended on it. Which it did. Alberto slung around to sit behind Luca as they shot down the hill like lightening, clutching each other as much as they could while breaking the sound barrier on a rusted bike Luca probably found at the bottom of the harbor.

Passing portorossans were greeted by a glimpse of shimmering green and blue follows by a smear of red hair trailing close behind.

"Get to the water!" Giulia shouted as they sped towards the finish line, malicious laughter trailing the trio as Ercole gained on them.

"You should've left when I told you! Now I got some sea monsters to kill!" Came the crazed, accented voice. He stood on his bike, spear in hand reared back to strike a killing blow to the sea monsters.

They were so close, they could just see the crowd waiting at the finish line, and the ocean just a few feet beyond that. The rusted bike refused to go any faster, making them unable to do anything other than pray that Ercole missed his shot.

Though they didn't need miracles, they had Giulia.

"So long, evil empire of injustice."

She rammed into the harpoon weilding teenager like it was what she was made to do, causing them both to crash into the stone street, rolling with the momentum of their decent down the mountain.

"GIULIA!"

After a split second of consideration between fleeing to the ocean and running to their friend's aid, the boys quickly dove off their bike and ran to Giulia, picking her up off the ground.

"Giulia are you alright?" Luca asked worriedly, hoisting her arm over his shoulder as Alberto mirrored him with her other arm. She let out a pained chuckle as she reassured them.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm... I'm okay. Thanks guys."

Their moment of concern for the red head was shattered as the crowed began to close in on them, harpoons and nets aimed at them from every direction.

Luca and Alberto looked around desperately for an out, a way to escape and flee back to their concrete tower, but there was none. This truly was the end of the line.

They were going to die and it was all his fault. If he hadn't stayed on the surface then maybe Alberto could live to become an adult. Maybe Giulia would have made human friends to help her win the race.

None of them would be in this mess if he has just listened to his parents. Now he'd never get to see them again.

The trio shrank away from the crowd as much as possible, hugging each other tightly. Luca's hand gripped the back of Alberto's shirt as he pushed closer to Giulia (and Alberto, since they were all huddled as close as they could.)

Luca felt Alberto's tail brush his and quickly wrapped his tail around his friends purple one. Luca felt tears pour down his face and mix with the rainwater as they all clutched each other, shaking like leaves in a thunderstorm as the mob drew closer.

He buried his face into Alberto's chest, searching for any source of comfort in this moment. He felt both Giulia's and Alberto's arms around him as Giulia followed suit, her own eyes red with tears. Alberto buried his face into their hair as he held back his own shuddering breath.

"I'm so sorry!" Luca wailed as he wound his tail tighter around Alberto's. "None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me! I should've listened when you told me to leave Giulia, we should've never agreed to sign up for the race! I just wanted to have fun, I didn't think any of this would actually happen!"

He felt his friends somehow tighten their grip as they let out their own sobbing apologies. "It's not your fault Luca, it's mine! I knew this would happen if the town found out about you two, and I still raced with you anyway. I should've tried harder to protect you two!"

"It's neither of your faults, I never should've suggested we come here. I pushed and pushed and pushed and ignored the risks! I encouraged you to race, I let my jealously and fear of losing you, Luca, make me do stupid things. I'm just the stupid kid who messes everything up! I should be the sorry one!" Alberto cried as he scrunched his eyes shut, not wanting the glittering end of a spear being the last thing he saw.

Something about the crying, apologizing pile of children must've struck some kind of sympathy in the crowd since the shouting of the mob hushed to a murmur, the loudest sound in the square being the shuddering gasps and terrified wails of the two sea monster boys and human girl.

Their sniffling was interrupted by a low voice echoing through the square.

"Giulietta?"

"Papà!" She cried, still not letting go of her friends despite desperately wanting to run and hide in her dad's strong embrace. "Papà please don't let them hurt them!"

"Do you know these sea monsters, Massimo?" Someone in the crowd asked. At this point most people had their weapons lowered and we're looking at the huddle of kids with a mixture of cautious sympathy and suspicion. Despite the fact that it was commonplace to discuss the killing of sea monsters in Portorosso, they townsfolk weren't heartless and weren't prepared to kill two terrified juvenile sea monsters clutching their human friend, sobbing our apologies like they were about to die. And from their perspective's, they were.

"I know who they are," Massimo claimed as he walked towards the group. He placed his one hand on Alberto's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"They are Luca and Alberto. And they are the winners."

The group slowly began to loosen their death grips on each other as they began to cautiously unfurl their group hug.

"LUCA!"

The uncertain silence that hung in their air was broken by Daniella's panicked shout.

"MOM!"

Luca ran towards his parents, dragging Alberto along with him by their tails as Giulia ran to her dad. Luca, and Alberto by association, dove into his parents arms. Daniella and Lorenzo hugged both the boys like if they let go, they would disappear, despite not having met Alberto (though they had a suspicion of who he was)

They were alive. Holy carp they were alive! And they won the race! Luca thought that maybe he was dreaming.

The Paguro parents pulled away for a second to look at their son and make sure he wasn't hurt.

"I can't believe we're alive," Luca mumured before shouting. "I can't believe we're alive!"

Giulia walked over to her friends as they began to giggle from the shock. The giggles turned into laughter and laughter turned full out hysterical.

The three kids started dancing and laughing in the rain as they celebrated their victory.

"Did you see how I crashed into Ercole's bike?! I was like, 'so long, evil empire of injustice!' and bam!" Giulia shouted over the laughter!

"Yeah that was so cool!" Luca exclaimed.

"I thought for sure he'd throw that harpoon and then you knocked into him like it was nothing! You saved us!" Alberto shouted back. The towns folk watched the children laugh and shout victoriously with a mixture of emotions ranging from guilt to amusement.

Eventually the adrenaline wore off and the lightheadedness set in.

"I think I'm gonna pass out," Luca said breathily as he wobbled on his feet.

"Yep."

"Me too."

And all three of them fell to the ground, Alberto and Lucas tails still bound together.

Chapter Text

For someone who seemed to have people drift in and out of his life like leaves on the wind, Alberto was not particularly adept at goodbyes. Usually when people left, it was for good so he never really needed to be. They stuck around for however long was convenient for them and vanished like the moonlight on a cloudy night.

Currently, Alberto was at the train station with Luca, Giulia, and her dad as they wished Giulia farewell. Though only Alberto knew that Giulia wasn't they only person he'd be parting with today.

"And you have your lunch for the train?"

"Sì."

"Sweater? If it gets cold?"

"For the millionth time, papa, sì!"

Alberto felt his mouth quirk into an amused grin as he watched Massimo dote on his daughter as she prepared to leave. It almost made him forget about the second person he was going to see off. Almost.

"Ciao, Giulia!" Luca called as she dragged her luggage with her on the train. He looked sad at her departure, but turned to Alberto with a grin, ready to continue with their shenanigans until Giulia returned again next summer. "Well, let's go fix up our Vespa."

Alberto felt a lead weight settle in his chest. He did his best to keep his smile on his face as chanted desperately in his head, 'silenzioBrunosilenzioBruno'

"Yeah, about that. Uh... It's a crazy thing. I may have sold it."

Luca looked at him with confusion and slightly shock, not understanding why Alberto had sold their hard earned Vespa. Alberto only got to look into his friends seemingly endless brown eyes for a second before another voice joined the fray.

"Luca?"

Luca turned his attention to his family as they walked into the train station. Alberto felt his smile falter slightly as he glanced at the suitcases they brought with them.

"Mom? What are you all doing here?"

Alberto could see the internal war rage behind Mrs. Paguro's eyes, still unsure despite already having made her decision.

"If you promise to write to us every single day and be as safe as possible, and I mean safer than safe!" She let out a begrudging sigh. "You can go to school."

Lucas face lit up as if he'd just received the greatest gift in the world. And from his perspective, he probably had.

"I can?!"

"It's all arranged, actually. You'll be staying with Giulia and her mom," came his mother's reply.

"You're friend talked them into it," Grandma Paguro said, gesturing to Alberto. Luca turned to look at him as if the purple sea monster had hung the moon and the stars in the sky. Alberto couldn't help but think that his friend looked absolutely stunning in that moment, feeling jellyfish in his stomach as his previously melancholic smile turned sheepish. "It wasn't easy."

Alberto's mind wandered as Luca turned his attention back to his family. They sky began to darken as clouds blew in from the sea. He began to think forward, one, two, three weeks in the future. What he would do without Luca? He already had a place with Massimo so he wouldn't be completely alone. He wasn't sure exactly what the future held, only knowing that he'll miss Luca every second they spend apart.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Luca returned his attention to Alberto.

"Come on Alberto, the train's gonna leave," Luca looked completely elated as he began to walk towards the train. He threw a glance at Alberto when he realized he wasn't immediately following. "Where's your stuff?"

Alberto swallowed the lump that began to grow in his throat. He wasn't sure he could do this.

"Yeah, well, you see..."

Lucas expression shifted from overjoyed to confusion mixed with mild fear. "You are coming, right?"

Alberto's heart squeezed in his chest as he forced his tongue to form the words he's been dreading all day.

"Um, I would, but Massimo asked me if I wanted to stick around. Move in maybe, and I just thought, uh..." Alberto felt tears begin to pool in his eyes as Luca's expression grew sadder and sadder. "I think he needs me, you know?"

Alberto knew damn well that he was the one who needed Massimo. They'd grown close and Alberto finally felt like he had a father figure in his life again after so long of being completely alone. He didn't think he could handle another father figure leaving him.

By the end of his speech Luca looked completely dejected. Small drops of rain began to fall from the sky as if even the weather could feel the heartbreak of their impending goodbye. "I can't do it without you."

The rain began to pick up, causing a splattering of scales to appear on their exposed skin but still remaining human. Alberto put his hand on Lucas shoulder as he drew him close, feeling his conviction beginning to dissolve. "But you're never without me! The next time that you jump off a cliff or tell Bruno to quit bothering you, that's me."

"But how am I gonna know you're okay?" Luca gazed at him with pleading eyes, face more green than pink from the storm that continued around them. Alberto couldn't hold back anymore and surged forward to wrap his friend tightly in his arm, Luca holding on just as tight.

Alberto's tail quickly found Luca's and twisted purple around green. He couldn't stop his voice from wobbling with his poorly concealed emotions.

"You got me off the island, Luca," the purple sea monster pulled back so he could look his friend in the eye. He sniffled as tears began to run down his cheeks. "I'm okay."

They stared into each other's eyes until the train's horn rang thought the station. Alberto grabbed Luca's hand and repeated the same greeting that he said to him when they first met. "Piacere, girolamo trombetta."

Luca gave him a watery smile as he giggled, stepping onto the train. "Seriously, what does that mean?"

Alberto tightened his grip on Lucas tail before letting go as the train began to move. "No idea. Go find out for me, will ya?"

The train began to speed up as it headed away from Portorosso. Away from Alberto.

Alberto walked with the train until being forced to break into a run, never taking his eyes off his best friend.

"Go, Luca! Go!" he began to cheer as the train proved to be too fast for him to keep up with. "Yeah! Woo-hoo!"

They kept their gaze for ask long as possible until the train went through the tunnel and Luca was gone.

His shoulders slumped but a sad smile remained on his face. He stood there for a few seconds before walking back to where Massimo and the Paguros were standing. He leaned into Massimo's side when he wrapped his arm around the still scaly boy.

"Come on ragazzi, let's go home."

They said their farewells to the Paguros as they left and if any of them noticed the intimacy of his and Luca's goodbye, they didn't say anything.

Chapter Text

School seemed dragged on forever while also feeling like it went by in the blink of an eye. It made Luca unsure if time worked differently on the surface or if it was just the clashing of excitement and homesickness that made him feel this way. Luca decided that it didn't matter either way, what was important was that he was almost home.

Almost to Alberto.

The clouds in the sky seemed to get taller and fluffier as they neared the sea. Any minute now Luca was sure he'd catch a glimpse of it and it's sparkling expanse. As boring as living in the sea was for Luca, he still thought it was absolutely beautiful, full of endless amounts of life and curiosity. It reminded him of a certain purple sea monster who he had not seen for the better part of a year. He couldn't wait to see his friend again. He wondered how much Alberto had changed since Luca last saw him.

Had he grown taller or stayed the same height? Was his hair still the same curly tower or had he cut it short? Or maybe he'd let it grow out to protect his neck from the sun while fishing. Did he have facial hair like some of the boys at school? Luca hoped not. Those boys couldn't grow facial hair to save their lives. Was he still as skinny and lanky as he was when they had parted ways or had fishing with Massimo filled him out? Had fishing all day broadened his shoulders? Added muscle to his previously twiggy arms?

"-uca? LUCA!"

"Huh- What?" Luca was snapped out of his daydreaming by Giulia's shouting.

"Santa mozzarella Luca, I've been calling your name for like five minutes! What are you thinking about that's got you so hypnotized?" Giulia asked, fond exasperation coloring her tone.

Luca turned bright red as he realized that he'd been daydreaming about Alberto. About his potentially muscled arms and bright grin that always brought jellyfish to his stomach.

"I, uh, n-nothing just thinking about how glad I am to almost be home!" Luca stuttered as his voice cracked with embarrassment. He prayed that she didn't notice.

"Right," Giulia gave him a knowing look. "I'm sure you can't wait to see Alberto again. You two have been calling nearly non-stop since you left. I barely have any time to talk to papà"

The redness in his cheeks returned with a vengeance when Giulia mentioned the exact person he'd been thinking about.

"Oh yeah I'm sure Alberto will be really excited to see us. Both of us, because we're both his friends and friends are happy to see each other! Especially since all three of us have been apart for so long, hahaha..."

Nailed it.

Giulia raised her eyebrow and gave him a pointed look.

She didn't suspect a thing.

Luca took a deep breath as soon as he stepped off the train, enjoying the salty Portorossan air. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright summer sun.

Oh how he'd missed this place.

"LUCA!"

The aforementioned sea monster didn't get to take another step before a weight slammed into him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

The scent of sea salt and espresso filled Luca's senses, making his legs turn into jelly. He quickly returned the embrace, squeezing just as hard.

"ALBERTO!"

Luca snuggles his head into his friend's shoulder before he is lifted up and spun around. The two boys giggled together as they spun around and around and around.

"Alberto put me down! You're gonna make me sick!" Luca exclaimed through infectious giggles.

"Oh right, sorry!" Alberto replied bashfully as he set the now dizzy Luca back down. He quickly grabbed Luca's bag with one hand and Luca's hand with the other. "C'mon man, I got so much to show you!"

Alberto began to drag Luca out of the train station before realizing that he hadn't greeted Giulia yet. He turned around to give her a hug and a hello but was met with a look he couldn't quite decipher from not only Giulia but Massimo as well.

"Go ahead and take Luca back home. We'll catch up with you and have lunch," Massimo said calmly as he turned his attention back to Giulia, traces of humor still adorning his expression.

Alberto had the decency to look a little embarrassed before returning his focus to his friend. "Let's go drop your stuff off back at Massimo's place before I show you and Giulia everything you missed."

Alberto grabbed Luca's hand and began to lead him in through the familiar streets of Portorosso.

Luca was thrilled to be home.

"Man you should've seen the look on Ercole's face when he fell off the boat! He looked like an angry wet kitten! I had to jump in the water to save him since he was even worse than Giulia at swimming. He hasn't messed with me since!"

Luca laughed as Alberto regaled him with animated stories of the shenanigans he got up to while Luca was at school. His sides began to hurt from laughing as he imagined Ercole's enraged expression. Luca's lungs were saved as Massimo and Giulia walked through the door, Giulia chattering away while her dad listened quietly.

She was interrupted as Massimo announced that he would be putting together lunch for them so they could go out and have fun. Giulia joined her friends sitting at the dining table.

"So Beto, got any plans to show us around town?" Giulia asked with a mirthful grin.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do," Alberto replied with just as much confidence as the day Luca met him. "I'm gonna take you guys to the beach."

"The beach? But we're sea monsters, we practically lived at the beach!" Luca replied, confused as to why his friend wanted to do something so… normal.

"Well you probably haven't played at the beach like a human would, so it would be a totally new experience! Plus I got a job as a lifeguard after you guys left so I gotta show you around my turf."

Luca was still a bit puzzled by the normality of Alberto's suggestion, but Giulia looked excited at the notion of a beach day so he decided to let it go. Maybe it wouldn't be as banal as it sounded.

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of bowls being placed on the table.

"Trenette al pesto, for nostalgia's sake," Massimo explained as they began to eat. Alberto forewent his fork entirely and began to shovel the food into his mouth with his hands. For nostalgia's sake.

"C'mon, we gotta hurry before someone takes the best spot!" Alberto exclaimed, trying to hold a beach umbrella and all their belongings while trying (and failing) to run without dropping anything.

"Are you sure we can't carry at least some stuff, Beto? It looks like you're struggling," Giulia offered, carrying a book and some goggles that she refused to let Alberto add to his already overwhelming pile.

"I'm a lifeguard, Giuls. What kind of lifeguard would I be if I couldn't carry a couple things for my friends?"

Giulia just rolled her eyes fondly but Luca thought the sentiment was sweet, although he was concerned for his friends back. If carrying a couple heavy books around at school made his back hurt, he could only hope Alberto didn't overexert himself before they even got there.

They were almost to The Best Spot (or so Alberto claimed) when Luca heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Alberto!"

The purple sea monster turned around and greeted a guy Luca hadn't met wearing a red tank top that read 'salvataggio.'

"Gio!" Alberto called back walking the last couple feet to dump their things under a tree before running to greet Gio.

"Hey man! Who're your friends?" Gio asked with a friendly smile.

"This is Giulia, my sister, and Luca, my friend I was telling you about. They're back home from school so I decided to take them to the beach."

Luca felt a slight blush warm his face when Alberto mentioned talking about him. He didn't know why he felt as giddy as he did, of course friends talk about each other, but the confirmation made it feel real.

"Ah so you're the famous Luca I've heard so much about! It's nice to finally meet you," Gio said as he extended his hand to Luca.

"Buongiorno," Luca replied sheepishly as he shook Gio's hand. "It's nice to meet you too."

"And the ever energetic Giulia. It's nice to meet you as well."

"Nice to meet you too, ragazzi."

"Well I'd better be heading back to the boss's office. He's giving me a new whistle since that kid stole mine," Gio said with a put out yet humorous tone.

"You gotta watch those kids man, they're ruthless. Anyway I'll see you around!" Alberto replied as Gio walked away and the trio made their way to their stuff.

"That Gio guy seemed nice, how'd you meet him?" Giulia asked casually as she laid her towel on the sand.

"I met him during lifeguard training. He was the fastest swimmer until I beat him in a race. I thought he'd be angry about the whole sea monster thing but he was really cool with it. Though he did claim that I was cheating by using my tail but the whole team pretty much agrees that I won fair and square," Alberto puffed his chest out as he boasted about his victory.

Luca was proud of his friend for winning but also felt a little sad that he didn't get to be there with him to cheer Alberto on. His melancholy was short lived as Giulia yelled "LAST ONE TO THE WATER IS A ROTTEN EGG!"

Both Giulia and Alberto took off sprinting before Luca even knew what was happening.

"Hey- WAIT FOR ME!" Luca shouted, running as fast as he could. He knew he couldn't catch up to them with the headstart they cheated him out of but that didn't stop him. He watched as Alberto dived into the water a second before Giulia, disappearing beneath the salty waves before resurfacing to laugh at her. She just grumbled at her brothers cackling, muttering something about "stupid Alberto and his long legs."

Luca skidded to a stop before he reached the water. He looked at Alberto, iridescent scales shimmering in the sunlight. No one seemed to particularly care about the sea monster openly splashing a human girl with his tail but Luca was still nervous.

"Come on in Luca! The water's nice!" Giulia called, splashing around as if to prove her point.

Luca continued to hesitate before someone suddenly grabbed him and threw him in. He yelled in surprise as he fell through the water's surface, regaining his green scales and fins. He sat up and made eye contact with a snickering Alberto standing where Luca just was. Luca was nervous for a second, still waiting for screams of terror. But when none came, he was hit with a wave of confidence. A mischievous idea popped into his head. He stood up with a grin and charged at Alberto, the purple sea monster letting out a playful shriek and diving past Luca into open water.

Luca dove after him and they began to chase each other through the shallow water. Alberto even jumped above the waves a couple times to try and throw him off but it was in vain. It must've been a sight to see for the beachgoers, watching two sea monsters leap through the waves in an elaborate game of tag.

Alberto knew that he wouldn't be able to outswim Luca for much longer, so he decided to play dirty and rushed towards the beach to try and outrun him. Luca saw him pivot towards the land and followed suit.

"Oh no you don't!" He shouted as he tried to cut him off. He raced towards the sand as his friend ran onto the shore. He looked up and saw that Alberto had paused to turn around and blow a raspberry at him before running down the beach, still scaly and giggling. Luca let out a bark of laughter as exited the ocean and chased after him.

He was gaining on Alberto when he suddenly turned and began to loop the green sea monster around a volleyball court. Just as Luca was almost past the court, the game's volleyball rolled in front of him and he was torn between catching his friend and politeness. He made the quick decision to knock the ball back into the court with his tail, before resuming his chase.

"Sorry! Enjoy your game!" He shouted over his shoulder quickly. It always pays to be polite. Just as Luca reached out to tag Alberto, he fell and face planted into the sand with a loud "OOF"

Alberto looked back and stopped as he saw Luca face down in the sand.

"Mio Dio, Luca are you okay?" Alberto asked as he ran to check on his friend. As he crouched down to make sure he wasn't hurt, he heard a muffled sound come from the green sea monster.

"What? I didn't hear you," Alberto asked, leaning in closer to try and hear his friend better.

"You're it."

Alberto felt Luca's tail wrap around his own before realizing the trick he just pulled.

"Wha- hey! That's not fair!" Alberto shouted as he helped his friend up. Luca didn't reply, he just leaned into Alberto's side and cackled at his own dupe.

Alberto soon found himself laughing too as they leaned into each other, scales still glittering in the hot summer sun.

It was then that Luca decided that he liked the beach.

Chapter Text

"You know, for how much I studied the stars at school, they never seemed as beautiful there as they do here."

"Maybe it's because of all the adventures we had. They make the stars seem bigger and brighter because that's how we felt."

"Woah. When did you become so profound, Alberto?"

A warm summer breeze blew through the long grass, causing it to shimmer and dance like ocean waves in the moonlight as Luca lay at the bottom of a small pond, pressed into Alberto's side. He had come home from school for the summer and he and Alberto decided to take the Vespa that Alberto finally saved up enough money for and ran away for a few weeks, just like they had dreamed of two years ago. It was all approved by their parents, of course. Luca could only imagine the aneurism his mom would have if he ran off again after how worried she had been the last time.

It took a lot of begging, but he and Alberto somehow managed to convince their parents to let them tour the nearby towns on their Vespa, only after a million promises that they'd stay safe and would immediately come home if they ran into trouble. Of course those promises wouldn't stop them from getting into their usual mischief, that was a non-starter.

They had stopped for the night to sleep in a small pond they found in an alcove in a forest they decided to explore. It was quite a charming little pond, the surface almost perfectly reflecting the night sky with only the occasional frog causing the water to ripple. Dragonflies flitted around the reeds and fireflies glowed as if the stars had traveled from the sky to greet the boys personally. The idea enchanted Luca as he snuggled closer into Alberto.

"Of course I'm pro sound. My hearing is great."

Luca snorted at the comment and laid his head on his friend's shoulder. It was nice how easily physical affection came to them. Luca never saw anyone else at school be as affectionate towards their friends as the sea monsters were to each other. While it made Luca a little nervous to notice the discrepancy between him and his peers, he'd never give up his closeness with Alberto. It never failed to make his stomach feel like it was full of jellyfish and make his knees feel weak in the most wonderful way. Sure it was different, but he wouldn't give it up for every star in the universe.

"Not pro sound, Alberto, profound. Like, knowing lots of things about something that makes your thoughts on a subject change. I think some of the kids at my school called it 'deep'," Luca explained to his friend as he turned his auburn gaze to look Alberto in the eye.

"Eh, same difference. Maybe the stars are pretty in Portorosso, but to me they're the most beautiful when I get to see them reflected in your eyes."

Luca's face felt like it was on fire, seeing nothing but sincerity in Alberto's eyes. A shy smile spread across his face as his green hand grabbed a purple one and slotted their fingers together.

"My literature teacher said beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think you're right about the stars. They are more beautiful with you around."

Luca saw darkness spread across Alberto's face in the moonlight as his expression morphed into a mix of fluster and elation.

They sat quietly, basking in one another's presence as the wind blew tiny ripples across the water's surface.

"The first year you were gone at school kinda sucked," Alberto admitted, breaking the silence. "More than it should have. We had only known each other for what? A couple weeks? But I think I felt your absence more than I had felt anything before. It was like I was missing a piece of myself that I wanted back more than anything in the world. Is it weird to have missed you as much as I did?"

"If you're weird for missing me that much then I must be the biggest weirdo in the world! Some days it was hard to think of anything other than you and how badly I wished you were there. My teachers would scold me for spacing out in class. There were a couple times that Giulia had to stop me from getting on the train back home in the middle of a lecture!"

They giggled as their tails found each other and began to spiral together. They glanced down at their joined limbs before returning their gazes to each other. Their eyes met and they both blushed heavily but made no move to pull away.

"Maybe we're both weirdos," Alberto whispered as their faces slowly began to drift together as if some unseen force was drawing them close.

"I don't think there's anyone I'd rather be a weirdo with than you," Luca murmured as if talking too loud would cause him to wake up and reveal that this was all a dream.

After what seemed like an eternity, their lips met and Luca felt the world melt away. The kiss was soft and unsure, both waiting for the other to pull away and ask to forget this moment ever happened. Their confidence grew as the moment continued without incident, the kiss growing hungrier and more desperate as if to make up for lost time.

Luca was convinced he was dreaming as he felt Alberto's arm wrap around his waist but the thought faded quickly as mind grew less and less coherent. He could only focus on Alberto's lips on his as he wrapped his arms around the purple sea monster's neck in a desperate attempt to bring him closer. Every point of contact burned like fire and it was the most amazing thing Luca had ever felt. Time was meaningless to them as they finally acted upon the feelings they had kept to themselves for so long. There was the occasional clash of teeth and swipe of a tongue that caused both of their stomachs to fill with jellyfish.

After what could have been either ten minutes or ten years, they parted for oxygen. They stared into each other's eyes, still processing what just happened.

"We gotta do that all the time," Alberto announced breathlessly.

Luca just giggled in response and connected their lips again, still eager to explore the moment.

She didn't know it yet, but poor Giulia is going to have to stop a lovesick teen from running back to Portorosso much more often.