Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to Luca or any of the associated characters.

Chapter 6: On the Island

How long has it been? Luca wondered. Two days? Three Days? A week? He'd told himself he needed time to work through his treacherous self-discovery, but so far he'd hadn't made much progress and he didn't honestly know how long it might still take. He'd lied to tell his family he was staying with Giulia in town for a while, and he'd lied to Giulia to say his family needed him to work fulltime on the farm for a bit. In truth, he'd hidden away from the world, in the only place he knew to seek solitude: the small, abandoned lighthouse island where he and Alberto had spent time together as children. It wasn't exactly a great hiding spot, but it was far enough away that Luca felt he could lay on the quiet, tiny beach and try to make sense of his muddled, raging thoughts.

Why Alberto? Of all the people in the whole world he could have feelings for, why did it have to be his closest childhood friend? Perhaps it's because he's my close friend… we've been through so much together… But it still didn't make sense to Luca how his attraction had happened so rapidly; how innocent feelings of brotherly friendship had suddenly turned into… much darker thoughts. Every night Luca felt tormented by visions created in his own mind—visions of Alberto kissing him like he kissed the woman in the alley way, or even simpler thoughts like he and Alberto swimming together hand in hand through high tide. But even when they were happy, innocent thoughts, they always somehow turned into images of Alberto yelling at him, sending him away, disgusted by Luca's feelings toward him. How could Luca possibly expect anything different? Alberto clearly preferred… females, whether human or otherwise. And even if he did share the same inclination as Luca recently discovered he felt, there was no reason to believe that Alberto would have any semblance of romantic attraction to his "little brother" of a friend.

Luca's mind ran in circles, unable to conceptualize a reasonable solution to anything that had happened. The only option that made any sense was the option that would hurt Luca the most: to leave Porto Rosso again. He still hadn't told anyone yet about his acceptance to the University of Milan, but at least he knew he had an escape route. But somehow, he didn't feel as excited about moving to Milan as he had when he received his letter… For a brief, happy moment, he had imagined asking Alberto to come with him, and he believed in his heart that he might have said yes. Alberto was wary of change and was scared to come to school in Genova with Luca and Giulia, but now that they were grown up, now that Luca had a broader understanding of the Human world and a proper education, he felt Alberto might finally be ready to take a chance at going somewhere new. Unfortunately, this was no longer an option… Luca knew he would have to leave Alberto behind to protect himself and his friend…

Exhausted by his ever-rampant thoughts, Luca breathed deeply and let his eyes slip closed, trying to listen only to the gentle hush of waves over sand and the calls of seagulls in the distance. He began to slowly feel the pulls of sleep fogging over his mind while he laid in the warm, humid sun.

"Luca…"

At least at the start of his dreams, Alberto always sounded kind and not angry.

"Luca!"

Well, this time he sounded a little bit angry…?

"Luca, what the hell are you doing!?"

Luca's eyes slid open and he was momentarily blinded by the sun, but he heard the distinct sound of footsteps sloshing through water. His eyes came slowly into focus to see a wet, scaly Alberto emerging from the waves, his tail flicking agitatedly behind him. Luca thought he might've felt nervous or frightened to see Alberto show up, but oddly he felt sort of numb. He shielded his eyes from the sun and laid back down on the rocky beach.

"Nothing."

Alberto growled, bearing his sharp Thalassino fangs. "What do you mean, nothing? I've been trying to reach you for days! Massimo and Giulia said you were at home and your folks said you were with Massimo and Giulia, and this whole time you've been at neither! I mean what the hell, man? I've been worried sick trying to find you!"

Luca felt guilt sinking into his stomach, but he didn't respond. At least his evasion tactic had worked surprisingly well.

"Well, now you've found me and I'm fine, so you don't need to worry."

Alberto grumbled in frustration and shook off his wet body. The warm sun was starting to dry him, and patches of beautiful, copper skin were starting to cut through his purple scales. He stomped angrily over to his friend and leaned over him, blocking the sun and making Luca squint uncomfortably. "Alright, Luca – snap out of it. You're not acting like yourself. You gotta tell me what's wrong."

I can't… Luca thought. With a frustrated growl of his own, he rolled over out of Alberto's view and made to stand so he could walk away. Alberto grabbed his wrist to stop him. "C'mon, Luca. I know you're upset. You wouldn't have come to our island for no reason."

Our island…? It was really more Alberto's island. He had lived there by himself for who knows how long before Luca had found him and they traveled to Porto Rosso together. But, in a way, perhaps it did hold special significance for their friendship. Luca sighed but still didn't turn to face his friend. Alberto tried again.

"Listen, you can tell me what's wrong, and I'll handle it." He gave a hopeful grin that Luca didn't even look up at, but he could still hear the smile in his voice. "Just set Alberto Scorfano to the task and everything will be solved. Is someone giving you problems, huh? You know I'll rough 'em up good." He playfully gave Luca's arm a soft punch. "Nobody messes with my best friend!"

And all over again, it was too much. Luca couldn't bear being so close to Alberto and still feel the suffocating feelings he was trying to escape. In one, quick motion Luca turned on his heel and started stomping towards the water, eager to just get away. Alberto gazed after him, tragically unable to comprehend why Luca was so upset.

"Luca, stop!"

Luca did. He didn't want to, but his legs seemed to freeze against his will.

Alberto didn't try to get any closer, for fear he might force Luca into motion again, but he spoke instead to the back of his friend's head. "Are you… are you mad about the other day? When I was with Francesca? Because I'm sorry if that upset you—"

So the woman's name was Francesca. Well—it really made no difference what her name was. And why should it?

"It's not that—" Luca spat. "You're perfectly free to go making out with whoever you want."

He couldn't see Alberto's hurt expression. It wasn't Luca's words that stung, but rather in the way he said it. Alberto shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to choose his words carefully. "Yeah, but… if it made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming by."

"Stop apologizing." Luca said quietly. He was disgusted at himself for making Alberto feel at fault, when in truth he was the depraved one that had invaded his privacy. If it was anyone's fault, it was Luca's.

Alberto continued to gaze at Luca's mop of brown curls, and he scuffed some of the sandy rocks with his foot. In an attempt to keep the strained conversation going, he tried asking, "So, why were you there that morning?"

Luca swallowed thickly. This was his moment. He knew he would reach it eventually, but he'd hoped he would have more time to prepare… more time to practice exactly how he would tell his friend he was going to abandon him again. But perhaps there was no good way to say it… and so he should just get it over with. Turning to finally face Alberto, he chewed his lip and said, "I got accepted to University."

Alberto gazed at him blankly at first, before the statement began to settle in. His jaw opened and closed mechanically a few times with no sound, but finally he mustered, "U-university?" he swallowed. "That's… like… more school, right?"

Luca nodded. "It's the highest level of school. It's where people go to learn more about how to start their careers and contribute more to the world."

Alberto tried to appear casual, but it was obvious that he was uncomfortable. "But—you just finished school."

"I finished secondary school, but lots of students either apply to or are invited to join colleges to study more specific subjects."

"But… you just got back! I mean, can't you stay in Porto Rosso a little longer?"

"I won't be leaving for Milan for a couple of months. The semester doesn't begin until mid-September."

"Milan?" Alberto was clearly upset now. "Luca, are you crazy? Milan is hundreds of miles inland. How are you… what are you…" he began to pace back and forth. "I mean you're a sea creature for Poseidon's sake! And you won't be anywhere near the sea!"

Luca shrugged, but it was forced. "I managed okay in Genova."

Alberto laced his hands behind his head as if trying to squeeze out viable excuses to make Luca stay. "How long is University supposed to last?"

Again, another shrug. "I don't know. Two years. Four years. It really depends on what subject you study."

Alberto was taking quickened, shallow breaths now. He seemed frantic to find things to say, but Luca's numbness to the situation was only upsetting him further. "B-but you can't go out there all alone. I mean, at least in Genova you were safe with Giulia and her mom. What are you going to do if someone discovers what you are?"

Luca finally looked at Alberto directly, and his green eyes seemed to be pleading with Luca. Again, the fluttery feelings he'd felt before started to return in his stomach. It made him feel warm inside to know that not only was Alberto upset at the thought of him leaving, but that he was trying very hard to convince him to stay. He knew he couldn't confess his true feelings, but maybe… just maybe he wouldn't have to lose his friend after all?

"I wouldn't… have to go alone," he said hesitantly. "I thought… well… that maybe you would come with me?"

Alberto's hands dropped to his sides, and he straightened. His brow furrowed. "You want me to go with you?"

"Yes."

"Are you nuts?"

"Alberto, it could be fun—"

"Fun? Are you even hearing yourself? Not one but two Thalassinos in a land nowhere near the sea!" he jabbed his hands toward his chest indignantly. "What are you thinking asking me to come with you to Milan when I'm a fisherman? How can I do my job when there's nothing for me to fish?"

"There's more to life than fishing in Porto Rosso!" Luca felt his voice rising in anger.

"And there's more to Porto Rosso than you think!" Alberto raised his voice as well. "You're just so busy trying to run away from here that you never take the time to see it!"

"And you're still too scared to leave this stupid town because you're a coward!"

That was it. The final straw. With a sound falling somewhere between a roar and scream, Alberto pounced. Luca was knocked backward, and Alberto's fist connected heavily with his chin. Luca felt fueled by an anger he didn't know he possessed, and the pain in his jaw translated quickly into adrenaline. Using his legs, he pushed off the ground hard, causing both men to roll over each other down the slight incline and into the sloshing waves below. The water crashed over both of them, turning dry skin into slick scales. Luca felt his fangs resharpen, and he pulled forward to sink them into Alberto's tender shoulder. Alberto let out a howl of pain, and he shoved his foot hard into Luca's stomach, both throwing him several feet away and knocking the wind from him. Luca coughed and held his stomach while Alberto crawled to his feet, dripping and snarling. He advanced toward Luca, still crumpled on the ground, but quickly Luca stumbled upward and turned, his tail fin whipping Alberto sharply on the cheek, leaving a mean, red gash.

Still winded, Luca stumbled to try and get away, but Alberto tackled him again. He landed backward and his head hit the ground painfully. He tried to roll them again, but Alberto was bigger and stronger than him, and he wouldn't be fooled by the same trick twice. They rolled over once, but then Alberto's momentum kept them rolling back over until they landed with Luca pinned below, coughing and sputtering. Alberto, straddling him from above, grabbed Luca by his shirt collar and yanked him up, ready to land another blow to his face.

But he stopped.

Panting and dripping, both men stopped to gaze at each other. Alberto's cheek was bleeding, and Luca could feel a painful throbbing in his jaw. Alberto was still grasping his shirt, lifting him slightly off the ground. Luca tried to maintain eye contact, but the bright glint of purple scales under Alberto's thin shirt were distracting as his chest heaved in labored, heavy breaths. Luca tried to ignore the feelings erupting inside of him at their proximity, feeling Alberto's weight literally on top of him. It was very hard to stay angry, and he felt his adrenaline ebbing away while Alberto's stern eyes roamed over him. He gazed at Luca with an intensity as though he was withholding something, searching his best friend's face for an answer he apparently couldn't find. With an angry growl, Alberto thrust Luca forcefully into the ground and rolled off him. Both men laid on the sand next to each other, catching their breath and letting the sun dry them back into their human forms. Eventually, Luca pulled himself to a seated position and rubbed his sore jaw tenderly.

"That really hurt." He whimpered. Alberto glared at him and sat up as well.

"You deserved it."

Yeah. I probably did. Luca thought. He watched as Alberto dabbed at his bloody cheek uncomfortably.

"Sorry."

Alberto scoffed at his apology, which somehow made Luca feel worse than if he had just ignored it. They sat in silence for a long while, neither man willing to acknowledge the other, but finally Alberto sighed. "Why are you so eager to leave this place? What's so wrong with staying in Porto Rosso?"

Luca drew his knees to his chest and hugged them. He listened to the gentle, repetitive swish, swish, swish of the waves as he measured his response carefully. "I don't have a life built here like you do… I mean, I love my family, but now that I've had a taste of the bigger world out there, I want more of it. Maybe that's selfish, but I can't help it. It's important to me."

Alberto furrowed his brow. "Important to you? Are your family or your friends 'important' to you? Or is it just super easy to leave us behind?"

"Of course, it's not easy, but—"

"Then why don't you stay?" Alberto said angrily. He glowered at Luca, but there was pain muddled in his green eyes.

"This is my dream school, Alberto!" Luca huffed in frustration. "It's all I've ever wanted, to go study at the finest astronomical physics program in all of Italy!"

"All you ever wanted," Alberto echoed bitterly. There was a sour hollowness to his voice, but he turned to face Luca directly. "You say you don't have a life built here, but have you even tried to make one? You've spent most of the last five years in Genova, only coming back here for a few weeks here and there. You haven't given yourself any time to live in Porto Rosso—not really. And I was totally supportive of you going to school, hell I was even proud of you! I knew it was important to you, but I didn't realize that it meant that everyone else meant nothing to you."

"Alberto, that's not true—"

"Isn't it?" he stood suddenly, fists clenched by his side. "I had to wait every goddamn summer and winter for you to come home, and then as soon as you possibly could you would rush right back off to school like you couldn't wait to get back there. And for five long years I've been waiting for you to graduate, because you might finally be coming home to stay. I even started reading those dumb astronomy books because I wanted to have something to talk to you about when you got home, because I worried you would be so smart now, so different, that we wouldn't have anything in common. But I know you like stars and shit, so I tried really hard to teach myself—" he growled angrily, "—but I don't get it." He kicked a toe sharply into the sand. "No matter how hard I try to make sense of it, it's just really hard. I'm not like you, Luca. I know I'm not as smart as you, but I wanted to try because you're my best friend, and I worried that if you were too smart for me, and we didn't have anything to talk about, that you would leave me again." His voice got quieter towards the end until suddenly, angrily, he said, "I guess it wouldn't have mattered since you're going to leave anyways."

Panicking, Luca drew himself to his feet, unable to believe what he was hearing. "No – Alberto… I'm not trying to leave you. That's why I asked you to come with me!"

Alberto scoffed. "Why would you want a dumb lughead like me to come with you?"

Luca felt his heart hammering painfully in his chest. "You're not dumb, Alberto! You're one of the cleverest people I've ever met! We used to talk about going on all kinds of crazy adventures. I want you to come with me because I miss those days, Alberto! I want you to come with me because I lo—"

But the word fell silently on his lips. Alberto's eyes widened slightly but he remained apprehensive. Luca frantically struggled to come up with a cover that might use the same first syllable that he'd already started to say.

"B-because I lo-lost my best friend before… and I don't want to lose you again."

Alberto eyed him for a very long time. Finally, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and his chin dipped low. "You already lost me. The moment you chose school over our friendship. Nothing in Porto Rosso will ever be enough for you, I guess. I shouldn't be surprised."

He walked steadily towards the water line and dove in, not even chancing to look back at Luca, whose tears were staining his cheeks with green scales.

Thank you for reading. If you feel so inclined, a review would be much appreciated.

Until next time,

Olly