𝑺𝒆𝒂 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 // 𝑨𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Ch.12

"Mmm..yeah, I'm up for that!" I shuffle deeper into the water, my once dry jeans becoming soaked once more. Note to self: jeans aren't comfortable to wear while swimming.

Oh! I bad almost forgotten about Massimo's boat. Hurrying towards it, I give it a good shove into the water before clambering inside. "Sorry, I've got to bring this. Massimo would kill me if I forgot it." I lean over the boat, knocking the motor with my fist.

"I'm sure he wouldn't do that. Now come on, I'll tell you a good place to stop." Alberto began swimming ahead, the old, spluttering motor struggling to keep up with the young sea monster.

✮ ∴ ∵ ✰ ∵ ∴ 🐚 ∴ ∵ ✰ ∵ ∴ ✮

"Here is good. Come on, (Y/N)." Alberto reaches out for my hand, tugging me into the depths of the water with a gentle splash. I made sure to deploy the anchor before I hopped off so the boat wouldn't voyage on it's own journey.

He directs my arms to hang around his shoulders, patting them with a grin. "I won't go too fast. You humans aren't very good at swimming." He snickers mischievously, earning a little flick in the back of the head. "Says the one with a tail, fins, flipper feet and webbed hands." I point out, making the sea monster open his mouth to protest but he tilts his head to one side quickly as a way of saying 'yup, you got me there.'

Swaying his tail, Alberto begins to slowly swim away from the boat. I made sure I kept my arms around him so he wouldn't speed off without me. "I never knew how nice the ocean was. Is it a nice community down there?" I questioned, trying my best to stare into the clear depths of the ocean. I can see various fish swimming and some larger figures following after them, but it was difficult to see because of the rippling surface.

The sea monster shrugs his shoulders. "Eh, it's alright I guess, Princess. I think it's boring down there. Human life is sooo much better. You get to do whatever you want and you don't get hunted all the time." Alberto explains, glancing back at me to make sure I was still there.

It's pretty clear to me that he hasn't watched the news before or been educated on how the world can be a pile of merda sometimes. "You'd think it was nice, but..it's really not. The human world is dangerous. Have you heard of global warming, serial killers and World hunger?" The sea monster's fins raise as I list three things off. "What..is serial killer? Is it not good?" He asks curiously, stopping swimming so he can genuinely listen to me.

"Uh, no. A serial killer is a disgusting person who..murders quite a few people in a..pattern. With no motive I believe. There's quite a few programmes on famous ones." I try to define in it simple terms for him.

"But that's not important. We're not here to talk about that. What about those cool rocks and shells you wanted to find?" I question. Alberto perks up immediately and I release him from my grip, treading water to stay afloat. Not gonna lie, it's a little nerve racking treading water so deep without nothing to hold onto.

Alberto swims up to my side, pecking my cheek. "I'll be back in just a sec. Don't miss me too much, princess." He gives me a little wink, diving down into the water to gather some shells and stones. I roll my eyes softly, watching him dissappear as quickly as he pecked my cheek. My happy expression fades when I realise I'll have to go home soon. I'd feel horrible leaving Alberto and I'd feel empty without him.

Sighing softly, I shake off the thought and swim back towards the boat, grappling my way inside. After the great effort of getting back inside, I take a moment to appreciate the surroundings around me.

Portorosso seemed nothing like a colourful dot in the distance, surrounded by calm waters. The ocean made such lovely sounds as it lapped gently at the wooden sides of the boat. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to experience this sooner. It feels..peaceful.

My little meditation is interrupted when Alberto breaches the waters surface. He takes a moment to see where I was, but once he spotted me he starts swimming over towards the boat quickly while holding a bunch of things in his claws. "Look at all of this!" He opens his claws to reveal lots of pretty stones and shells.

A few of the stones looked like they needed some good polish on them, but otherwise they were pretty! Some of the shells he'd gathered were a little broken, but I still appreciated him gathering them. Alberto furrows his brow at some of the broken shells. "What're they doing there? They aren't cool." He plucked them with his claws, tossing them back into the ocean while leaning his arms over the boat.

Rolling my (E/C) eyes, I kneel beside where Alberto was kneeling and place my hand over his. "Well, I still think they looked cool." I kiss his cheek softly. The sea monster's fins fall a little as he snickers. "Yeah, I know."

The sea monster crawls into the boat, wriggling his way into my arms. He leaned his weight against me, exhaling deeply in relaxation. "Are you still doing the race, (Y/N)?" He asks curiously. In order to answer, I have to shift and sit up a little so I don't get a fateful of his petal shaped hair. "Of course, why wouldn't I? But, you're my main priority, Bert. So at the moment, so I'm not."

Alberto hums a little in my reply, nestling into my touch as I embrace his hands. "Thank you, really. Maybe I'll come and watch." He was still having doubts about Luca and Giulia, so at the moment he was more comfortable watching then anything.

"I'm dreading the race, you know. Because I go back home to Camogli." My head falls back and I sigh deeply. I love my home, really. But I felt more more home in Portorosso, surrounded by my caring friends and partner.

Alberto looked at his feet for a second, wriggling his large, pointed toes before gripping my hands tightly. "Is..Camogli far from here?" He asks softly, looking up with his large, emerald eyes. "If you count a few hours drive, then sadly, yes." I vent, pouting quietly as I rest my chin against his head. "But don't worry, I'll make sure my parents get me to stay longer. I'm sure they'll allow it when I tell them about you. Literally nobody can resist your cute face, Alberto."