TW in the description
Thank you to rare.Candy kale.art for this heart warming piece!
Alberto POV
Alberto cracked his eyes open, the sun peeking through the closed curtains. He rolled over, but Luca's place beside him was empty. He sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He dressed in underclothes and long pants, leaving his upper body exposed. Alberto felt too hot to wear a shirt.
The stairs creaked as he made his way down and into the kitchen. It was still relatively early, and everyone else was probably in bed. He found Luca in the kitchen with several pans of food going at once.
"Good Morning, tesoro," Alberto said, walking up behind Luca and putting his arms around his waist. He pressed Luca's back to his chest.
"You're going to make me burn something," Luca said but didn't push him away as he smiled.
"I woke up, and you weren't there," Alberto whined childishly.
"I wanted to make breakfast for everyone," Luca said, turning over some sausages in a pan. Alberto knew those were for everyone else since Luca wouldn't eat them.
Alberto groaned and buried his face into Luca's neck.
"You're a morning person."
"I guess you could say that," Luca replied. "Is that wrong?"
"No," Alberto said and began kissing Luca's neck gently. "You're just going to start getting tired since I'm going to keep you up late into the night from now on." He breathed then nibbled on Luca's ear.
(Credit to: rare.candykale.art on Instagram)
He didn't have to hear Luca's response to know a little thrill had just run through him.
"Alberto... stooooop," Luca said shyly, trying to wriggle away as he held a spatula in one hand a pan in the other.
Then someone cleared their throat behind them, making them both jump.
Alberto spun around to see Eshe at the table, reading a book.
"How long have you been here?" Alberto snapped.
"I was here before Luca." She said, looking at him. She had a slight smirk on her face.
"You were?" Luca said, surprised.
"You should at least make yourself known," Alberto said.
"It's not my fault you are all oblivious."
Alberto helped Luca finish cooking breakfast. He had made eggs, pancakes, and an assortment of sausages.
"Where are Giulia and Mattias?" Alberto asked as he set the food on the table.
"They've been on a walk for about an hour now." She said, setting her book down and helping herself to the meat.
"Really?" Alberto said hotly. He would interrogate Giulia about that later.
As the three of them ate at the table, Alberto realized that this was the first time the three Sireni had been alone. No humans.
"How do you do that?" Alberto asked through a mouthful of eggs.
"What?" Eshe asked.
"Disappear like that. You just blend into the wall sometimes, and nobody notices you."
At that, she gave a devilish grin.
"Years of training. You forget I am not a Sireni like Luca is. My species is called Rusalki. We are predators and warriors. We train for battle and hunting from the day we are born."
Alberto remembered when Mattias told him about the different species of his kind and how they were different from one another.
"So you're a different species from us?" Alberto asked.
"From Luca." She said. "Luca is a Sireno. They are farmers, gatherers, only eating basic meats like shrimp and clams. Herbivores, for the most part. They are small and brightly colored living in warm shallow waters."
"So, how are the Rusalki different?" Alberto asked.
"We are bigger, stronger, faster. Superior physically in every way. We are also not so ridiculously colored. All of us are a different shade of blue to better blend into our surroundings. We eat meat and are adapted to cold climates."
Alberto caught a slight edge in her voice like she looked down on the Sireni.
"Why did you say you're different from just me?" Luca piped up.
"What?" Alberto asked.
"When you asked if she was a different species of us - she said she is different from just me. Isn't Alberto a Sireni like I am?" Luca asked.
Eshe paused at this, looking from Luca to Alberto and back again.
"Haven't you ever noticed you look different from those around you?" Eshe asked Alberto.
He thought for a moment. He was always the biggest Sireni in Carollina. The rest of the villagers were petite compared to him. And he enjoyed eating meat when Luca usually gagged at it.
"I've been a little bigger than everyone else most of my life." He admitted.
Eshe nodded.
"What are you saying? That I'm Rusalki? But my scales are purple, not blue." He went on.
"I think you have part Rusalki in you. Half."
Alberto was shocked to hear this. It was true; he had no memory of his mother and very little of his father. Was it possible?
"Just something to consider." She said, picking up her third serving of sausages.
Luca and Alberto made eye contact, a silent conversation happening between them. He could feel Luca was as surprised as he was by this revelation, but also that it made sense.
"I've never seen your Rusalki form," Alberto said as they cleared the table. Luca left some food for Giulia and Mattias in the fridge.
"Luca has." She said plainly. "Have him show you."
"Oh yeah," Alberto said, forgetting Luca and Eshe had met while he was unconscious.
Then he knitted his eyebrows.
"Wait. What did you say? Have him show me? Did you guys have a photoshoot or something?"
"He can show you memories through the Bond." She said casually. But Alberto heard glass shatter behind him and turned to see Luca frozen, a pile of plates shattered on the floor.
"Sorry!" He said and began picking up the pieces.
"Don't use your hands!" Alberto chastised and found a broom and dustpan to sweep up the glass.
After they cleaned the mess, Alberto rounded on Eshe again.
"What do you mean he can show me memories?" He asked as he threw a bag of glass in the trash.
"It's an advanced skill. Probably more difficult than communicating through the Bond. But after you've been bonded and you've trained, you can share memories with each other. Show your partner what you saw in their minds."
"That's amazing," Luca said, awestruck.
"How do you know all this?" Alberto asked. "You aren't... Bonded, right?"
She gave him a dirty look then said,
"No, I am not. Thanks for the reminder."
"Sorry," Alberto said, not realizing he just treaded on a sensitive topic. She sighed.
"It's ok. I am just sensitive because a Rusalka my age should already be bonded."
Alberto knit his eyebrows then looked at her up and down.
"You can't be more than a year older than I am." He said.
"Actually, I am seven years older than you. I have lived twenty-six winters."
"You're twenty-six years old?" Luca asked, surprised.
They had moved from the kitchen to the living room, relaxing lazily on the luxurious cushions. The sky outside the glass walls was grey. A blazing fire roared in the fireplace, providing warmth in the room. But it was still chilly enough everyone reached for a blanket. Alberto shared a big one with Luca.
"That's what I just said." She retorted, curling under the thinnest blanket.
"You still have plenty of time to find someone," Alberto said back.
She smiled.
"You're kind. Thank you." Eshe said.
"If you're not Bonded, how do you know so much about it?" Luca asked again.
"Because my tribe trains in every single aspect of our lives. Battle, hunting, survival, navigation, and Bonding. We hone our skills the moment we are big enough to do so. From a young age, I knew what a Bond was, and I saw it in action. Paired couples were able to do incredible things once they had trained together."
"Like... what else?" Luca asked again.
Eshe thought for a moment, then turned to them.
"Let's try something." She sat up straighter and looked at them both. "Alberto, I want you to take Luca's hand and think about something. A memory."
The pair looked at each other but did as they were told. Alberto took Luca's hand over their blanket. A memory came to him, and he focused on it.
"Now Luca, " Eshe said, "What emotion is Alberto feeling?"
Alberto watched as Luca closed his eyes and tried to focus.
"Well... he is happy?" Luca said it like a question.
Eshe shook her head.
"You have to look deeper. He is happy to be holding your hand right now. Push further into his mind and get more detail."
Luca tried again. Alberto felt his hand squeeze tight around his fingers. Then he suddenly went stiff, like he hit a wall.
"I feel it." He whispered. Luca opened his eyes and stared at Alberto.
"What?" Alberto asked.
"The memory... it made you feel lonely."
Eshe looked to Alberto, "Is he right?" She asked.
Alberto nodded.
"Yeah... I guess he is."
Eshe leaned back, a proud smile on her face.
"The more you do exercises like that; the sharper your connection will be. Pretty soon, you could share that exact memory with Luca."
"I'd pick a happier one to share with him," Alberto said.
"What was that memory?" Luca asked, the look of concern on his face. If he had truly felt what Alberto was feeling - Luca knew how intense that loneliness was.
"Oh... it was the day my dad left. I don't know why it popped into my head. It just did."
Luca reached across and pressed himself closer to Alberto's chest. Alberto wrapped his arms around Luca.
"I hope you know... you'll never have to feel that way again," Luca said.
"I know, amore mio."
"And I might not be a mate, but I will be by your side as well," Eshe added.
Alberto looked up, surprised. He always assumed Eshe's presence was temporary.
"Don't you have a family to get back to?" He asked her.
She stared at him intensely.
"I am with my family."
But before he could press further, the glass door opened, letting in a billow of cold winter air.
"It's freeeeezing out there!" Giulia said, wrapped head to toe in heavy winter gear.
"It wouldn't be that bad if you weren't insisting we take the long way around," Mattias said, his teeth chattering.
"The view was pretty!" Giulia snapped back.
Then she turned to see Alberto's arms wrapped around Luca.
"How... I mean... how're you two doing?" She asked, embarrassed.
"Fine, Giulia," Alberto said, his tone putting an end to the conversation. He wasn't about to discuss details with his sister.
"Actually..." Luca's voice piped up. "Mattias... Can I talk to you?"
"Sure," Mattias said, taking a few layers off. He and Luca disappeared into the medical room and closed the door.
"What did you do?" Giulia rounded on Alberto with surprising force.
"Nothing!" Alberto raised his hands in defense.
Luca hadn't said anything! If there was something wrong, why didn't he share it with Alberto?
"If you start training regularly, you would have known something was off right away," Eshe said.
"Well, I'm kinda new to this still." Alberto snapped. "Only learned about it a few days ago."
"Yet you didn't wait long to consummate," Eshe said with an eyebrow raised and a sly smile.
Giulia giggled at that.
"They've been all over each other long before this. You should have seen them going back and forth in Portorosso. It was painful."
Alberto listened to Eshe and Giulia giggle and teased him until he couldn't take it anymore.
"I feel like I'm getting ganged up on!" He said and marched to his room as the girls laughed behind him in the living room.
Giulia POV
Giulia laughed with Eshe as Alberto stormed down the hall. They continued sharing bits of information. Soon their giggles died down, and silence fell.
"You really care about Al, don't you?" Giulia asked. She had noticed it from the beginning.
"I do," Eshe said, reaching for a book on the coffee table.
"Why? Do you... like him?" She asked nervously.
"Not in the way you're thinking," Eshe said.
"Oh." Giulia didn't know what other way Eshe meant it but didn't press further.
She watched the Rusalka flip the pages. Her hair lay messily at her shoulders, her curls lying in a tangled mess.
"You aren't used to being in human form, are you?" Giulia asked.
Eshe shook her head, knotted curls falling over her face.
"No. My tribe saw taking this form as a last resort. It was only acceptable when we killed hu...." She paused, looked at Giulia, then said, "When we went hunting."
Giulia knew that Eshe had killed people. She saw it first hand. But something in the Rusalka had changed since they arrived at Lake Como. She was more relaxed.
"I can help you with your hair. It looks a mess." Giulia said, teasing.
Eshe reached back and tugged on the curls. Then she shrugged her shoulders.
"If you'd like."
"Come on then," Giulia said, jumping to her feet.
They went to Giulia's room, where she had an assortment of combs, brushes, sprays, and irons. Mattias had gone overboard with what she needed and got her a little of everything. Giulia started on detangling Eshe's hair, trying to navigate the knots without tugging too much. But Eshe never complained when Giulia snagged on a tight knot. She just sat quietly.
After Giulia was able to run a brush cleanly through Eshe's hair, she began working on the braid. Giulia only knew how to do one type of braid, so her hands moved on muscle memory, weaving the hair in a delicate pattern. When she was done, Eshe had a beautiful woven wave across her head that lay gently down her shoulder and tied at the end with a rubber band.
"Do you like it?" Giulia asked as Eshe inspected herself in the mirror. Eshe turned, taking in her new hairstyle from all directions.
"It's organized." She finally said. Giulia let out a little laugh.
"What?" Eshe asked.
"That's not the answer I was expecting, but I'll take it."
Then Eshe gave her a reluctant smile.
"You have an eccentric personality." She said.
"Thank you?" Giulia said questioningly.
They sat quietly again. Giulia propped on a chair by the dresser, and Eshe sitting on a stool in front of the vanity.
"Want me to do your make up?" Giulia said breaking the silence.
"What is make up?" Eshe asked.
Giulia gave a wicked smile. This was going to be fun.
Alberto POV
Alberto went to his room, put on a shirt, then immediately went to the medical room. He hesitated outside the door, wondering if he was allowed inside. Luca was his mate now... shouldn't he be included if it was a medical issue? Or was that invading Luca's privacy? Alberto was having a difficult time figuring out his role as a mate. How much was he supposed to be involved in Luca's life?
All of it - was his immediate reaction, but he didn't know if that would smother Luca.
As he stood trying to balance the argument in his head, a voice called from inside.
"Alberto. I know you're outside the door. Just come in." Mattias said in a drawn-out way.
Alberto walked in feeling embarrassed.
"Is everything ok?" He asked immediately as he saw Luca sitting on the gurney and Mattias in a chair in front of him.
"Yes. I was just answering some questions for Luca." Mattias said, and Alberto noticed he was wearing his white lab coat. He was playing the role of doctor in this moment rather than friend.
Wait, was Mattias, his friend? Alberto realized with a start that he was.
Mattias was his friend.
"Damn it." Alberto thought.
"I'll leave you two alone then," Mattias said, standing. He flicked Alberto hard in the head.
"Ow, what the hell?"
"Go, easy, Tiger." He said in a half-joking, half-serious way. Then he left the room.
"What's wrong?" Alberto said, rubbing the spot on his head.
"Nothing," Luca said, smiling.
"You know," Alberto said, taking a seat beside him, "You're a terrible liar. And now that we have a Bond - you're even worse."
Luca sighed.
"I guess you're right."
"So... do you want to talk to me about it?"
"Well. I was just asking Mattias if some of the things I was feeling were normal. You know since we...." He trailed off, embarrassed.
"And?" Alberto asked.
"He said yes, but he gave me some mild painkillers anyway."
"You're hurting?" Alberto asked, his heart sinking. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to upset you," Luca said, looking down.
"Luca," Alberto said, taking him by the chin. "You're everything to me. Vita mia. You have to tell me these things."
"I will," Luca said. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Alberto said, putting one arm around him. "Do you want to go visit the foal?"
Luca brightened immediately.
"Yes!"
~.~.~.~.~.~
They returned from the stables pink-nosed and shivering. Luca had spent the entire time stroking the colt's soft nose. The colt had trotted up to him eagerly. His mother, however, did not like Alberto and kept trying to lean over the fence to bite him.
"I just don't get it!" Alberto said, taking off his gloves. "Why does she hate me so much?"
Luca laughed as he kicked off his snow boots.
"Good, you're back," Mattias said from the living room couch. "We have news."
He waved a few loose sheets of paper with what Alberto recognize as Massimo's scratchy handwriting.
Luca and Alberto quickly threw off their coats and entered the living room.
"What does it say?" Luca asked.
"A lot of the same thing." Mattias sighed. "But now there is a major food shortage."
"How can they be running out of food when all the Visconti family does is commercial fishing?" Alberto shouted.
"They're selling their fish at tremendously high prices. Most of the locals can't afford it."
"We have to do something." Alberto started.
"I already sent a group of my people with over a hundred pounds of provisions. And what they're doing is dangerous. If they get caught smuggling food in, I worry what will happen to them."
Alberto was thankful to Mattais's men and how they were willing to risk themselves to help strangers. But deep down, Alberto knew that Massimo would hand out most of the food to others in need and not keep anything for himself.
"This is so messed up," Alberto said through gritted teeth.
"There is more," Mattias said, flipping to the last page in his hand. "Someone is looking for you, Alberto."
Both Luca and Alberto froze at this.
"Looking for me?"
"Apparently, there has been a man sneaking around the village asking for you. Massimo, of course, kept your cover and said he didn't know."
"Who is it?"
"We don't know. Massimo says he has been searching the village for over three days now."
"Is it Ercole?" Luca asked fretfully.
"No. Massimo would have recognized Ercole," Alberto said.
"Then what about someone else from the Visconti family?"
"That is also unlikely since Massimo says this man is doing his best to stay under the Visconti's radar. He doesn't want to be caught looking for Alberto." Mattias said, checking the letter.
"Do you have any idea who it is?" Luca said, turning to Alberto.
"No... I can't think of a single person."
Just then, a door opened down the hall, and the girls joined them in the living room. Except....
Mattias blew out a long whistle while Alberto and Luca stood in shock.
"You look really nice." Luca stammered.
"Of course we do," Giulia said, flipping her hair.
Both women looked stunning. Giulia was back in her maroon dress with her hair tied gracefully down her back. But what shocked everyone the most was Eshe. She wore a form-fitting silver gown, her hair in a gracefully braid ending on her shoulder. Both ladies wore light makeup and simply looked incredible.
"What's the occasion?" Mattias said, standing to be closer to Giulia. Alberto watched them closely.
"We wanted to get dressed up. No reason." Giulia said, batting her eyelashes.
Alberto noticed how stiffly Eshe stood.
"How do you feel?" Alberto asked in a half-laugh. He had never seen Eshe in anything other than long pants and a tank top.
"I hate this," Eshe said.
"No, she doesn't." Giulia cut in. "You should have seen her reaction when she looked into the mirror."
"I think you're confusing mortified with surprised," Eshe said. "My face feels heavy, and this gown is completely impractical. I can't run in this."
"Well, you both look lovely," Mattias said. "And hopefully, there won't be any reason to run tonight."
They ate dinner and watched a sporting match on the TV until late into the night. It was a special airing of American football. Eshe was surprisingly into it, watching the men tackle each other.
Halfway through the game, Alberto looked down to see Luca asleep against his arm. He smiled.
"I still can't believe you're mine, and I am yours." Alberto thought.
And he sank into the sofa, letting his eyes droop before the game even ended.