.+*[the little sea monster]*+.

ch.14

alberto is sat in his room, looking down at his flute and contemplating heavily.
he swore that he'd find the boy who rescued him, but after he rescued luca, he's been troubled by the pulling feelings.
he sighs as he drops his flute, letting it fall down his stomach as giulia walks in and hums.
she picks up the flute, plucking it and flicking it in her fingers as she leans against the wall next to the window, "alberto, if i must say," she looks down at him, pushing her lips into a coy smirk, "far better than any dream boy, is one of flesh and blood." alberto looks up at her.
she shrugs, twirling the flute in her fingers as she crosses her arms. "one warm and caring," she then points the flute behind her, making alberto stumble up slowly and look out the window, to see luca humming quietly as he brushes his hair, "and right in front of you."
alberto blinks, watching luca as he rests his arm above the window and smiles.
he looks over at giulia, who just pats his shoulder and walks out of the room.
alberto looks back at luca, and smiles softly.

luca yawns as he stretches up, cracking his arms in an oddly satisfying way as he stretches himself out like a cat and melts into the pillow below.
he hears giulia's waking call and giggles, turning to look at her from behind his shoulder. she smiles and hops onto the branch, guiding him through as they walk into the kitchen.
"papà, alberto!"
giulia greets the men who walk in, nodding at alberto with a wink. he returns with a shy smile and something behind his arms, he grins nervously as he walks up to luca, who hums and rubs the sleep from his lashes.
"here," he hushes, before presenting luca a lovely dress, it's blue but is several sizes too large, "i bought you a dress. since you, uh, like them so much."
luca gasps and giggles, grabbing the hem and lifting it up to poke his head inside, giulia stares at it dumbfounded, before rolling her eyes. "you bought him a . . . tent."
machiavelli rolls his eyes as well, unamused.
alberto snickers, peering in through the neck of the dress, "what are you looking for?"
luca looks around as giulia laughs, "the italian circus," she snorts, "i think it's still in there!"
alberto huffs, blowing a hair out of his face in a frustrated sigh as he flops the dress down and hands it to luca, flustered.
luca just hums in delight, pleased as he holds it against his chest and twirls the hem with his fingers delicately, spinning.
"come on, just put it on." he grumbles, glaring at giulia who torments him with wiggly brows, before leading luca upstairs to fix him up for alberto, giggling.
alberto groans in dismay as massimo pats him on the shoulder, he kicks the table in frustration at himself and yelps at the pain and jumps, holding his foot cartoonishly as he hisses in pain.

alberto huffs as he sits at the fountain, his cheek rested in his hand as he taps his foot impatiently, anxiety and hyperactivity itching throughout his body.
he suddenly hears something, or rather, someone. from the corner of his eye, he sees luca wearing the dress he got for him, having gained his initial attention by clearing his throat tentatively.
alberto looks up to smile, then gulps as he beholds the incredible transformation before him. the dress was short sleeved and cuffed, with a brown belt around the boys waist. the dress went below the boys knees, revealing some stockings and boots picked out by giulia, surely. the boy looked incredible, and his slightly longer hair was put up in a pigtail and bow similar to the one he was wearing last night.
alberto twitched up a smile as he stumbled up, babbling as he stepped closer to the boy who looked up at him with those big baby brown amber eyes.
"that dress is . . ." alberto licked his lips and caught a hitched breath, looking down at how it captured lucas hour-glass like frame, "really beautiful . . ."
luca tilted his head, stepping forward as he leaned down, his arms behind his back.
"do you really think so?" the boy breathed.
"yes!" alberto babbled, taken aback by the boy finally speaking to him. he had assumed the boy was mute, but he'd caught catches of lucas giggles and assumed luca was mute by choice, he had wondered if the boy would ever feel comfortable speaking with him, and now that it was happening- was this a dream?
he sputtered as luca waved around him, stalking him almost as alberto followed in their weird dance, hands also behind his back. "i mean," he laughed, adverting his eyes and scratching the side of his neck, "it was nice on the hanger, but," he croaks, clearing his throat and clarifying. "it looks even better on you. you- you should wear it."
"i am wearing it." luca simply replies,  tilting his head coyly as he stares up at alberto.
"oh." alberto blinks, laughing before clearing his throat, "right, of course. of course you are! i'm just trying to give you a . . ."
suddenly, luca stepped forward, going on his tippy toes gracefully to look up at alberto.
"compliment?" the boy asks, lips parted.
alberto tries not to pay an ungodly amount of attention to those rosy lips, and nods curtly. "of course," he croaks, "yes."
luca pulls away to albertos shame, nodding slowly as they continue dancing around each other and their feelings.
giulia watches from afar, sighing at the scene. the sun is setting and the evening is as glorious as the pairs silent song.
"it's one, two, three
and suddenly,
i see it at a glance.
he's radiant,
and confident,
and born to take this chance!
i taught him well,
i planned it all,
i just forgot
romance . . ."
giulia sighs as she looks down at machiavelli, petting him as he climbs i to her lap.
"giu, who could you do this?
how will we get through this?
i never should have let them
dance . . ."
it slows as luca is closer now, looking down as alberto interlocks their hands together. luca bites his lip, before looking up.
"i'm feeling a little . . . dizzy." luca confesses, with a small croak in his voice.
"kind of . . . light-headed?" alberto asks softly, feeling a pull and need to support the boy, who feels like he'll melt under his hold and grasp. he gently brings a hand to the boys waist, sighing.
"yeah . . ." luca nods softly with a breath, his eyes glazed as he flutters his lashes slowly.
alberto bites his lip and chuckles as he brings lucas hand up to his shoulder, they twirl once last time slowly, so close now.
"me too . . ." he muses, smiling down at luca as he clasps the boys smaller hand in his, resting his forehead on the boys contently, "probably from all the spinning . . ."
luca laughs lowly, looking down with a small smile as he intertwines their hands.
alberto hums, closing his eyes, feeling like he was in a dream. he hoped he would never wake up, because if he did, he wouldn't be able to listen to lucas voice.
which sounded so . . . oddly familiar, he couldn't put a nail, or a finger, on it for that matter.
he shook his head, laughing as he pulling back to look down at luca, tilting his head as he raises a brow, "maybe we should stop?" he suggests softly.
luca blinks up at him, tilting his head back to look up at the taller boy with those damn eyes, eyes that took his breath away.
"we have . . . stopped." luca merely whispers.
alberto blinks, the boys voice echoing in his ears. he wonders if he's going to wake up, but he doesn't, he takes a chance.
"luca," he breathes, tightening their hands together as he steps forward, leaning forward as he brings a hand up to swipe a lock behind lucas ear with his thumb. he hushes a hitched breath, "i . . ."
but he doesn't say anything, nothing comes out. luca leans in, hands suddenly on his chest as the boy goes in his tippy toes, his breath tickling him, "yes?"
feeling like he's locked under a spell, alberto finds himself fluttering his eyes shut as he leans down to close the gap.