(Complete✔) With a side of anxiety (Luca x Alberto)

Chapter 3

It was too dense.

Alberto couldn't handle the pressure any longer as he was forced to swim back up to the shore to breathe properly. Was Luca really down there? How was he surviving? How was he breathing? Was he even breathing at all? No! Don't think like that! Luca was okay and his body probably adapted quickly to the new environment.

Alberto frowns as he realizes his plan on saving Luca was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Of course, he wouldn't give up, no way in heck will he leave his dear Luca all by himself any longer than his parents attend him to be. He'll try once again later when he's well-rested and fully prepared. Alberto sighs as he goes to the surface once more and turns back into a human. He then goes to his home and lies there, ignoring his grumbling stomach. He didn't feel like eating anyway. Not with Luca trapped in a place he can barely reach without breathing properly and not getting the feeling of being crushed immediately.

"I'll find you...Luca..." Alberto whispers to himself as he sees the sun slowly setting behind the horizon. His eyes felt heavy as he turns on his side and thinking of Luca. His heart was racing even more at the thought of Luca hugging him when he saves him. He enjoys the thought of Luca touching him. He didn't realize he was so touched-starved. Alberto craved Luca now that he was thinking more and more about him. His brown chocolate eyes shimmered every time he got excited when talking about the Vespa. His curly hair would sometimes hang over his eyes when they were playing around. His rosy cheeks turned red from laughing too much. That adorable smile when Alberto would tease him. His imperfect teeth made him look really...

"Cute..." Alberto mumbles, finally feeling himself drift into sleep. "Luca is...cute..." He doesn't realize he says this but comes to realize...

Luca is cute...

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The next morning (Luca couldn't tell), Luca woke up with a pounding headache. His eyes searched all around to see if he saw anything, but no. Nothing. His Uncle was nowhere to be found and it was like he didn't return last night. Or in all in honesty, Luca couldn't tell if it was day or night. How could he when it was dark 24/7?

A groan left his mouth as he tries to feel for the concussion he has. He finds it and winces in pain. Maybe touching it wasn't the best option. So, Luca leaves it alone and begins to think. What should he do? There's nothing to do. He was left alone to wallow in his own thoughts. How many days has it been for Luca? He couldn't remember. What day of the week was it? Where is Alberto? How were his parents? Are they still mad at him? Is he going to leave soon?

Those thoughts repeatedly played in his head. He was scared. The dark was scary. He never liked it in the first place, but up in his bedroom, it wasn't a problem as the big fish in the sky provided light. But...the light doesn't reach the bottom of the ocean. It never has, and never will. Luca startled out of his thoughts when he realizes his stomach was hurting.

He was so hungry.

He hasn't eaten in a week. How could he? The pressure of the ocean compressed his throat from swallowing anything (he tried eating once and threw up). He couldn't eat anything.

Oh god...

Luca sniffs as he curls himself into a ball. Was this his fault? Was going to the surface that bad? Would he be killed if meeting the humans? Were his parents right after all? Was meeting Alberto a mistake?

He tries denying the negative thoughts, but the more he thought about it, the more obvious that he was in the wrong seemed. Luca...was wrong. Meeting Alberto wasn't a mistake! Why would he think such a thing? If he didn't meet Alberto then...

"I-I wouldn't be here..." He whispers this and his heart started to race a bit. "If I didn't meet Alberto...then I wouldn't be here...I'd be...no!" Luca shakes his head, hissing in pain as his concussion had started to hurt again.

"A-Alberto is my friend!" He says. "Why am I thinking like this? He's my friend and...and-" Luca was suddenly cut off when he thought he heard a voice. A familiar voice.

"Luca?"

Wait...Is that?

"Luca?! Where are you?"

It can't be...

"A-Alberto?" Luca whispers, his heart racing even more. "A-Alberto?! Is that you?" Luca blindly searches for the exit of the cave but failed as he couldn't see. But he has to escape. Alberto is here! He's here to save him!

"Luca! Where are you?" Alberto's voice called out and it sounded much closer as he continued swimming forward.

"H-Here!" Luca's voice cracked. "I-I'm here! A-Alberto!" He lets out a cry of joy when Alberto's voice was heard closer. He put his arms out in front of him to feel anything hard like a wall or anything. Alberto is here! He has to hurry and find him before Uncle Ugo gets back.

"A-Alberto?" Luca yells. "A-Alberto! Where are you?" He gets no response which worried Luca for a bit. "Alberto?! Alberto!" Panic raised in his chest as he continues swimming around. He at least knew he wasn't inside the cave anymore. The change of temperature notified Luca. But that wasn't the case right now. He has to find Alberto!

"A-Alberto!" Luca cries, his fear expanding even more. "Please! Answer me! Alberto?!" The more he shouted, the more Luca felt weak and tired. He can feel the panic and fear increase as he suddenly heard a loud growl from behind him. Luca shouts in fear as he quickly turns around, seeing nothing but the dark abyss. Where was he? Where was the cave? He wanted to go back to the cave. The safe place. But where was it? Where was up? Where was down? Why was everything hurting? He felt like throwing up. It was getting hard to breathe.

"Alberto!" Luca cries as he begins swimming all around the dark abyss. He was lost. He was cold and scared. "P-Please! Alberto! I need help!" He cries as his chest begins to tighten. His arms shook as he begins to cry. The unintended wound on his head made his headache worse. Why? Why? Why? He didn't want to be here! Not at all!

"M-Momma!" Luca cries as the growls had gotten louder. It had seemed closer as he was swimming in nowhere in particular. He didn't know his up or down anymore. Everything was dark. It was too scary.

"Dad!" His cries had gotten louder. "I-I'm sorry!"

The loud growl had then caught up with Luca and he was too slow to react. The growl had turned into a loud roar, which made Luca's eardrums nearly pop. He opened his mouth to scream but didn't as his body was suddenly flung seemingly out in the middle of the dark ocean. He only grunts in response as he felt something scratch him by the push by the unknown creature.

"No!" Luca shouts as he tries swimming away out of fear. But he didn't get any far as he was shoved once, coughing air bubbles as he hit his head on a wall. A shout of pain came out of Luca's mouth as his headache worsened. His body felt dizzy as his vision was going in and out. (He couldn't tell though)

"I-I wanna go home!" Luca cries as he stayed by the ocean wall. His body wouldn't move as the growling of the unknown animal was getting closer.

"I don't like it here...I don't...I don't! I'm scared!" His cries had then turned into screams as an unknown thing came crashing into his head.

The head hit his head, forcing it to hit the ocean wall and knocking Luca out once more.

It all went black...and Luca felt himself at peace.

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