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He found her sobbing on her bed, curled up with a hot water bottle tucked between her thighs. Her breaths were soft and shallow, her back shaking.
“G-Giulia? What’s- what’s going on? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
“No- no, I’m fine,” she sniffed, “It’s just- Um. Well, I guess you wouldn’t really understand...”
Luca sat down on the corner of her bed. “Try me.”
Giulia turned her head to look at Luca over her shoulder. It was clear that she had been crying. Her eyes looked red and puffy and so, so weary. It almost frightened Luca to see her look this small and vulnerable. She was his best friend. His savior.
“I got my first period, Luca.”
He blinked. That… wasn’t quite what he was expecting.
“Um. Uh-” Luca knew he had heard of this before- some human biology book, maybe- but he was drawing a blank on the specifics. “What- what’s that, again?” he whispered.
Giulia sighed. “Human thing. I’ll explain it to you later, but the gist of it is I’m bleeding. From my uterus. And it hurts a lot.”
Luca looked terrified for a moment before Giulia continued.
“No, it’s not like- an injury or something. It’s supposed to happen. It’s like- oh, how did mamma put it- ‘a girl’s first step into womanhood’,” she groaned, “Well, I don’t feel much like a woman, I just feel sick.”
Luca thought for a moment. He really was out of his element here, but there was no way he was just going to let his friend suffer.
“Should- should I tell your papà…?”
“He knows. There’s really not much he can do, though. This is just something I have to deal with.” Giulia closed her eyes and hugged the hot water bottle tighter. “I wish my mamma was here…”
So did Luca. He didn’t know what to do. He barely knew anything about humans to begin with, let alone their biological functions. He almost offered to get his own mother for Giulia to talk to, but he already knew she would be just as clueless as he was. And as comforting as he knew she could be, he knew it wouldn’t be the same. Giulia needed her own mother. The one that was a hundred miles away in Genova right now.
But he wasn’t.
“…I’m here.” He barely heard himself say it. So soft and uncertain. More of a question than a fact. There was no way Luca would be as good as Signora Marcovaldo, but he was all he had.
Giulia was quiet for a moment. Luca could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat in his chest. Then, slowly, carefully, Giulia turned around.
“…You are here…” Luca heard the tears in her voice before he saw them in her eyes. She smiled so fondly at him, and Luca could feel the corners of his eyes begin to sting.
“Come here, Luca…”
Wordlessly, he climbed into her bed. He helped her sit up, tugged back a corner of the covers, and ushered her to join him. She smiled gratefully and nestled herself between the warm blankets and her cold-blooded friend. Her head lay snug on Luca’s chest, arms wrapped around him and hot water bottle pressing into his thigh. He linked their ankles together and rested his cheek on her head. One hand rubbed soothing circles into her back while the other took shelter in her thick, fiery-red curls.
“This better?” He spoke with a tone so caring, so sincere, that it tugged at the already taut strings of Giulia’s heart.
“Much better…”
Quiet tears blossomed on Luca’s chest as Giulia closed her eyes and breathed. Luca did the same, keeping his breaths slow and even, focusing on the beating of his and Giulia’s hearts.
Minutes passed. He held Giulia close when she shook with silent sobs and pressed kisses into her hair when she squeezed him tight and buried her face in his shirt. She was the waves crashing against his moonlit shore. Roaring one minute, calm the next. He stayed steady. Solid. A constant for her to depend upon. A light to guide her home.
When the waters stilled and the sun began to peek through the clouds again, Giulia tilted her head and looked up at Luca.
“Thank you.” Her voice was hoarse and her eyes raw and heavy, but her smile was so genuine and warm. She lifted a hand to Luca’s cheek and pressed a tender kiss into the other. “Thank you…” she repeated, warm breath on his chin, forehead resting on his temple.
A line of green rolled down his cheek to match the disappearing patch on his chest.
“You’re welcome…” he breathed. And she really was. No matter what she needed, she was always welcome to come to him for it. Always welcome to wait out the storm with him. Always welcome to drown out the world with him. He would always protect her.
“Ti voglio un mondo di bene, Giulia.”
Her eyes crinkled with a smile, “Ti voglio bene anch'io, Luca.” She nuzzled her nose into his cheek, “But that was pretty sappy.”
Luca’s torso shook as he giggled. “Yeah, it was. I hope you’re feeling better, though.”
“I definitely am,” Giulia sighed and sunk her head back down to Luca’s chest, “I think I just needed to get all the emotions out, y’know? Like a backed-up toilet.”
Luca snorted. “Glad I could be your… emotional plunger?”
Giulia chuckled and squeezed him tight. “I’m glad you could, too.”
There was a quick knock on the doorway before a familiar figure pushed his way into the room.
“Giulia, have you seen Luca? I’ve been looking everywhere for- Oh. Hi guys.”
“Alberto!” Luca’s voice rumbled in his chest and Giulia silently noted how his heart rate seemed to speed up, just a tad.
“Sorry, am I… interrupting something?” Alberto shifted uncomfortably.
“Nope, come on in,” Giulia waved her brother over, gesturing to the empty spot beside her on the bed.
Alberto quickly took notice of Giulia’s raspy tone and tear-stained eyes. He made his way over and sat down next to his sister. “Something wrong? You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Yeah, I have been. I’m okay now, though.” Giulia smiled and patted Luca’s head, “Luca’s a good plunger.”
Alberto looked like he was about to ask what that meant, but Luca stopped him before he had the chance. “We’ll explain later,” he assured.
“Now, get under the covers. My back’s getting cold,” Giulia politely demanded.
“Sheesh, so bossy,” Alberto groused as he wriggled his way under the warm fabric. He would’ve argued. He would’ve pointed out that Luca agreed to sleep with him in the attic and not both of them down here. But something about her tired eyes and the way Luca kept placatingly stroking her hair made it difficult for him to say no.
So, he swung an arm around Giulia and Luca, scooched in close enough for his and Luca’s foreheads to just barely be touching, yawned, and decided he would grill them about it in the morning.
“Buonanotte, boys,” Giulia mumbled.
There were overlapping murmurs in reply. And soon there was nothing but the sound of quiet snores and the distant ocean lapping on the shore.
Maybe being trapped in a stifling, sweaty fish boy sandwich would be uncomfortable on any other balmy June eve, but tonight? It was heaven.