Fight Like Monsters

Alberto was tailing a bit too close behind Luca for his tastes.

After nearly killing them both with that idiotic rush down the hill and subsequently crashing into the ocean, the least the other sea monster could do was give him space. He was already mad as it was.

Hell, scratch that. He was pissed.

When he reached the gravel outcroppings of the shore, Luca stood, stomping out of the water with his arms crossed and his tail curled upwards in agitation. Alberto followed behind him, once again, too closely.

"Hey, that wasn't so bad. S' not like we got hurt or anything," Alberto started, and from the corner of his eye, Luca could see him stretching his arms behind his head, the change rippling over him while he looked off in the distance with nonchalance. Luca dug his fingers into his biceps and grit his teeth.

"Are you insane?" He spat and did a quick shake to shift back to human. His harsh tone startled Alberto," Not only did you nearly kill us, but you ruined Giulia's bike!"

At the mention of the red-head, Alberto dropped his arms and scowled.

"So what? It's just a bike. She can just build another one if she needs to."

It was like with every word that came out of Alberto's mouth, a coal was added to the fire building in Luca's chest.

"How can you be so inconsiderate? She's been nothing but kind to us!"

"Yeah, only because she thinks we're human!" Alberto shot back defensively. Luca had to bite his tongue at that. Alberto wasn't completely wrong. If Giulia knew that the two of them were Sireni...

"Ah. Can't deny that, can you?" He just had to add more fuel, didn't he? The anger just kept building, and a small part of Luca wanted to slap himself to stop him from doing or saying something he'd regret later. But the larger, more impulsive part of him told him to fight back.

"I'm.. I'm sure she would make an exception for us.." his voice wavered, feeling unsure, which Alberto immediately latched on to.

"See? You're not even sure yourself!" Alberto shouted, gesturing sharply. He marched towards Luca, causing the other boy to take a step back instinctually. A harsh finger was jabbed into his chest.

"I'll tell you what'll happen. As soon as she sees your stupid fish face she'll start screaming and all the hunters will come running." The finger was stabbed harder into his chest every few words for emphasis.

"And then we're filet." He finished, so close to Luca that their noses nearly touched. During any other circumstance, Luca might feel fuzzy, maybe even flustered at their proximity. But not now. Not at all. All he felt was the violent tug of rage and it manifested in the form of retaliation. He forcefully shoved Alberto back as hard as he could, pushing himself backwards in the process. The other boy merely caught himself by planting his feet in the sand.

"Then we just don't let them know! It's that easy!" Luca countered, a bit shocked at himself that he'd done that to his friend.

"That easy, huh?" Alberto sneered, his canines glinting in the sunset." You know what's easier than that? Getting a Vespa and riding away. Free from all of this ridiculousness. Free from your parents, the deep. Free from Giulia and school."

The last two items on Alberto's list tore a growl out of Luca's throat." What if I don't want a Vespa anymore, huh? Ever think of that?"

In only a moment, all of the anger drained away from Alberto's face, leaving confusion and hurt in its wake.

"What?" It was the quietest Luca had ever heard Alberto speak. The guilt was nearly immediate, but the rage incinerated it before the feeling could coil around his heart.