No, he got mad. He got mad cuz I wouldn't admit it, and then he started being a jerk! I just stood up for myself...!
[ That is... one interpretation of how things went down, yes. Minus the detail that it was Alberto who brought things to a physical level and drastically overreacted; Katsuki's own hot temper just heated Alberto's, they fed into each other's energy, clashing like metal on metal. It escalated quicker than he's making it sound. ]
[ Oh god. Lie to keep the egg off his face, pretending he didn't get mad first, backfires and the egg is still on his face, because he made the guy mad at them. Maybe it would've been better to admit that he was the one who got mad first...
He wraps his arms around himself and tosses his gaze askance poutily, pausing for a silent, guilty beat. He does think of one silver lining, sort of, perking up to face Luca once more, offering this saving grace hesitantly. ]
...Well— technically he only knows about me, and he's only mad at me... He doesn't know about you. Y-You're still safe. So— I'll figure something out. You're still okay.
[ If he can at least keep Luca out of the spotlight of Katsuki's suspicion — totally oblivious that Katsuki's already pieced that together, too — then he'll feel a lot better about the situation... But how likely is it for Luca to stay uninvolved? Not very likely. ]
Alberto...I want you to be safe. I want you to be okay.
[Sure, people will also probably figure out that he's a sea monster, too, if Alberto's exposed, but that's not Luca's biggest concern. He wants Alberto safe, and he's not going to throw aside Alberto's safety for his own. Not again.]
If this ends up being a problem, we'll figure something out.
[ Alberto goes quiet a long moment, staring at Luca with an earnest look, his brow knotted in thought. He throws his gaze away, though, as he draws his legs up into himself on the cushion and wraps his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. ]
...It's just— ...What else don't we know, Luca? Do humans have a secret tail they never talk about or something?! This came out of nowhere. Something so small and stupid... It freaked me out.
[ "It freaked me out" being his subtle admission that he actually was the first one to get mad... ...which Luca probably already assumed he was lying about anyway. But it's a rare and genuine moment for Alberto to be so transparent, though he's still visibly uncomfortable letting himself be so vulnerable as to admit he's scared... not in so many words, of course. ]
[Well, sharks. Well, Alberto already seems upset enough at this mistake, there's no point in making it worse. He doesn't want to punish Alberto for finally being transparent.]
It's fine. It'll be fine. We just...we need a trusted human. Like Giulia. Someone who can look at the stuff we're saying and doing and look at us and let us know if there's anything that'll give us away.
[ Alberto starts at the question, looking back to Luca, but rephrases to stay on the defense, sounding slightly dejected — though the wash of guilt over his face betrays his half-lie. ]
I didn't say I freaked out on him, I said it freaked me out. S'different.
[ But barely. What's more, he's also not saying that he didn't freak out on him... because he definitely did. Alberto sighs a little, in turn, and throws his gaze away once more, still staying curled up against himself. ]
...Have you met anyone you trust like that yet? I mean— We could tell Signor Bruno, but... Boh. He doesn't need to worry about our problems... I think I already worry him enough.
[ This, too, betrays Alberto's true feelings. He's been creeping toward a more parental dynamic with Bruno without Alberto even realizing it, and that he's worrying about making Bruno worry about him, shows that on some level he's thinking in that direction. Healthy hot take or not, and entirely off the mark, it's still telling. Right now, though, they've got bigger fish to fry (so to speak) than Alberto's father issues. ]
[At this point, it doesn't matter. No matter whose fault this is, there's someone who knows their secret that's mad at them. They need a plan for if he decides to share what he knows, which means they need to be perfect humans. At least until this blows over. Then Alberto mentions Bruno.]
I think telling Bruno would be a great idea. He's probably going to worry about you no matter what, but if we tell him then at least he knows what's going on.
[At least, if Luca's own parents are any indication there's no avoiding his worry, and it definitely seems like it's a parental role Bruno is taking on. He also knows that keeping Bruno in the dark about what's going on with them won't make him worry any less, and if Bruno wants to look after Alberto (which he seems to), he won't be able to do that without all the information.]
[ Alberto goes silent a long moment, tightening his hug around his legs. He doesn't want Bruno to worry about him no matter what. If he's worried about him, it means Alberto's messing up, as far as Alberto's concerned. He worried Massimo because Massimo saw him messing up from the very moment they met, and it only got worse as time went on. His dad worried about him blowing their cover if he were to take Alberto to the human town, or worried about Alberto hurting himself doing something reckless while he was away — just generally often worried about all the things Alberto might "ruin." Between that mentality ingrained in his mind still somewhere deep down, setting Massimo's boat on fire his last night at home, and how badly he screwed up this thing with Katsuki... accepting that Bruno might want to worry about him is a distant and foreign concept. Alberto isn't entirely in tune with this parental dynamic developing between them, not sure quite what his friendship with the older man counts as, but he knows that he doesn't want things to change, and that he wants to make Bruno proud by being a good kid — that he wants to do it right for once. And grownups aren't supposed to worry about good kids, because, you know — they're good. Alberto still has a long way to come in his perception about these things — and a long way to come in how to express them, too. Even to Luca. When he speaks up, his tone sounds more dejected, and he dodges the matter entirely. ]
[Of course, Luca doesn't have the same background with people worrying about him, because his mom was a worrier. She worried if he messed up, sure, but she also worried if he didn't. She worried when boats went by and he hid just like she said, and she worried when he so much as mentioned the surface. So for him, people worrying about each other was just a thing that people might do as a sign that they cared about the person, and keeping them from worrying was a futile endeavor. As for who he'd tell...]
I don't know. Luz seems pretty nice. She kind of reminds me of Giulia. Maybe her?
[ Alberto sits up when Luca mentions Luz's name, raising his brows. But when Luca likens her to Giulia, finally Alberto perks up a little, a hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. ]
Heh... I thought that the first time we talked, too! Luz would definitely get along with Giulia, ha.
[ Reserving comment on whether that's wholly a good thing, but it overall sounds like it is now. Alberto's gained maturity enough to have let go of most of his jealousy and resentment toward Giulia — most of it. He's young, and feelings linger; Giulia was his second friend ever apart from his dad and Luca, and it turned sour between them pretty quick — not that Giulia had much hand in that. They'd resolved things by the end, but it was primarily oriented around their mutual love for Luca, rather than for each other. They didn't get much time to make up themselves, after all, before she and Luca headed off for school; even after the race, Alberto spent most of that night privately arguing with Luca's mom, after he'd sent Giulia off to distract Luca on the Vespa. And while he had a more-or-less great time living with her dad, it was short-lived, because so soon after those couple weeks, he ended up here in Kaisou — so it's all not quite fresh anymore, but... also not quite healed. He's still grateful to Giulia as a friend — but really for Luca's sake. There's a small part of him that feels some undue triumph that Luca lives with him now, albeit by some cosmic chance, so it's been even easier to move on from grumping about a complicated friendship. Giulia's a good kid, she's fun, she's cool, she's smart, she's kind, she's funny, she's an expert on human-ing, y'know, being a human — Giulia's great! ...So if she were here, it'd probably still be annoying.
But he's learning to be less needlessly competitive, and especially wants to put deliberate effort into checking himself now that he and Luca have been reunited. They don't need a repeat of Portorosso. But for all the similarities they both apparently see between Luz and Giulia, Alberto has no reason to be threatened by Luz. She's not going to "take Luca away" from him. They've butted heads already, but in a funny, friendly, challenging way — teasing like friends do. Which is nice. New. Luz is pretty great, too, but without that undertone of unnecessary rivalry, there's nothing annoying about how great she is. Still, one important element hangs in the air, and Alberto opens his frame up a little, sitting normally again, crosslegged now, shedding some of that pouty-ness slowly in a weak attempt to lighten up. He's eager to move away from the topic of Bruno or Giulia, anyway. ]
We could tell Luz, but the thing is: I've never met her-met her. We've only ever talked on the Everything Machine. Weird, right? So we should probably, eheh— meet... before I'm like, "Heyyy, by the way, guess what, I'm not human!"
Oh, yeah. That's probably a good idea. We need to have her over so you can get to know her better, then we can decide if we want to tell her.
[Luca, of course, has already met her and is already in the 'pro telling Luz' camp, but he understands why Alberto would want to meet her in person, first.]
[ Alberto gives a lopsided, half-lidded smile, seeing Luca perk up now, too. Alberto's still inwardly pretty bothered and conflicted about what all just happened with Katsuki, but it's nice being with Luca again and seeking solutions this time. He's determined to handle this better than when things went awry in Portorosso. Worst day of his life, hands down, even more than the day his father left or the day he arrived here, and that painful guilt, too, isn't fully healed yet, either — and tonight, just got inflamed by pulling more stupid shit again, like he did before... He doesn't want his temper to win this time, especially when Luca's taking this so much in stride and they're both even smiling now. Alberto's basically obligated to match him.
So, at long last, after a deep sigh, he spreads out again and stands up, pushing his hands decisively off his knees as he does. Done moping; they're seeking solutions now, so it's time to get back to cleaning up what remains of the broken glass — some physical activity to channel everything this conversation's left him to chew on, a means to fidget and process. He stands still for a moment, though, with his typical contrapposto pose, one hand on his hip, the other gesturing limply along as he talks, his usual good humor coming back into his voice again as some nerves calm. ]
All right. Then that's that. We'll have her over for dinner or something soon, yeah? Put her to the test, heh.
[ He crinkles his nose and eyes teasingly at Luca, smiling a little wider now; he's just joking, but, essentially, that is kind of the premise this date will be under. Alberto had a good first impression of Luz, but now he figures it's best to maybe even be extra friendly next time they talk, to help open this door. Even if she's not the one, for some reason it's decided that they feel they can't tell her? Awkward as that'd be, at least he'd still have a new friend anyway. But he's got a feeling Luca's probably on the mark with this one — if only because he knows he's gotta trust Luca's sense more this time around. Portorosso wasn't making him crazy, he was right about everything in the end, after all; why should Kaisou be any different? ]
[He's not even going to debate the 'put her to the test' because...well, that's essentially what they're doing. Testing to see if she can be trusted with their secret. This whole thing is kind of a big risk, after all, although Luca doesn't think there's much risk there when it comes to Luz.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-07-18 02:39 am (UTC)[ That is... one interpretation of how things went down, yes. Minus the detail that it was Alberto who brought things to a physical level and drastically overreacted; Katsuki's own hot temper just heated Alberto's, they fed into each other's energy, clashing like metal on metal. It escalated quicker than he's making it sound. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-18 03:34 pm (UTC)[He hopes.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-18 11:38 pm (UTC)He wraps his arms around himself and tosses his gaze askance poutily, pausing for a silent, guilty beat. He does think of one silver lining, sort of, perking up to face Luca once more, offering this saving grace hesitantly. ]
...Well— technically he only knows about me, and he's only mad at me... He doesn't know about you. Y-You're still safe. So— I'll figure something out. You're still okay.
[ If he can at least keep Luca out of the spotlight of Katsuki's suspicion — totally oblivious that Katsuki's already pieced that together, too — then he'll feel a lot better about the situation... But how likely is it for Luca to stay uninvolved? Not very likely. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 02:46 am (UTC)[Sure, people will also probably figure out that he's a sea monster, too, if Alberto's exposed, but that's not Luca's biggest concern. He wants Alberto safe, and he's not going to throw aside Alberto's safety for his own. Not again.]
If this ends up being a problem, we'll figure something out.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 04:11 am (UTC)...It's just— ...What else don't we know, Luca? Do humans have a secret tail they never talk about or something?! This came out of nowhere. Something so small and stupid... It freaked me out.
[ "It freaked me out" being his subtle admission that he actually was the first one to get mad... ...which Luca probably already assumed he was lying about anyway. But it's a rare and genuine moment for Alberto to be so transparent, though he's still visibly uncomfortable letting himself be so vulnerable as to admit he's scared... not in so many words, of course. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-21 09:20 pm (UTC)You freaked out on him?
[Well, sharks. Well, Alberto already seems upset enough at this mistake, there's no point in making it worse. He doesn't want to punish Alberto for finally being transparent.]
It's fine. It'll be fine. We just...we need a trusted human. Like Giulia. Someone who can look at the stuff we're saying and doing and look at us and let us know if there's anything that'll give us away.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-22 04:00 pm (UTC)I didn't say I freaked out on him, I said it freaked me out. S'different.
[ But barely. What's more, he's also not saying that he didn't freak out on him... because he definitely did. Alberto sighs a little, in turn, and throws his gaze away once more, still staying curled up against himself. ]
...Have you met anyone you trust like that yet? I mean— We could tell Signor Bruno, but... Boh. He doesn't need to worry about our problems... I think I already worry him enough.
[ This, too, betrays Alberto's true feelings. He's been creeping toward a more parental dynamic with Bruno without Alberto even realizing it, and that he's worrying about making Bruno worry about him, shows that on some level he's thinking in that direction. Healthy hot take or not, and entirely off the mark, it's still telling. Right now, though, they've got bigger fish to fry (so to speak) than Alberto's father issues. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-22 07:57 pm (UTC)[At this point, it doesn't matter. No matter whose fault this is, there's someone who knows their secret that's mad at them. They need a plan for if he decides to share what he knows, which means they need to be perfect humans. At least until this blows over. Then Alberto mentions Bruno.]
I think telling Bruno would be a great idea. He's probably going to worry about you no matter what, but if we tell him then at least he knows what's going on.
[At least, if Luca's own parents are any indication there's no avoiding his worry, and it definitely seems like it's a parental role Bruno is taking on. He also knows that keeping Bruno in the dark about what's going on with them won't make him worry any less, and if Bruno wants to look after Alberto (which he seems to), he won't be able to do that without all the information.]
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Date: 2022-08-01 07:21 pm (UTC)...What about you? Who would you tell?
no subject
Date: 2022-08-05 04:11 pm (UTC)I don't know. Luz seems pretty nice. She kind of reminds me of Giulia. Maybe her?
no subject
Date: 2022-08-21 04:29 pm (UTC)Heh... I thought that the first time we talked, too! Luz would definitely get along with Giulia, ha.
[ Reserving comment on whether that's wholly a good thing, but it overall sounds like it is now. Alberto's gained maturity enough to have let go of most of his jealousy and resentment toward Giulia — most of it. He's young, and feelings linger; Giulia was his second friend ever apart from his dad and Luca, and it turned sour between them pretty quick — not that Giulia had much hand in that. They'd resolved things by the end, but it was primarily oriented around their mutual love for Luca, rather than for each other. They didn't get much time to make up themselves, after all, before she and Luca headed off for school; even after the race, Alberto spent most of that night privately arguing with Luca's mom, after he'd sent Giulia off to distract Luca on the Vespa. And while he had a more-or-less great time living with her dad, it was short-lived, because so soon after those couple weeks, he ended up here in Kaisou — so it's all not quite fresh anymore, but... also not quite healed. He's still grateful to Giulia as a friend — but really for Luca's sake. There's a small part of him that feels some undue triumph that Luca lives with him now, albeit by some cosmic chance, so it's been even easier to move on from grumping about a complicated friendship. Giulia's a good kid, she's fun, she's cool, she's smart, she's kind, she's funny, she's an expert on human-ing, y'know, being a human — Giulia's great! ...So if she were here, it'd probably still be annoying.
But he's learning to be less needlessly competitive, and especially wants to put deliberate effort into checking himself now that he and Luca have been reunited. They don't need a repeat of Portorosso. But for all the similarities they both apparently see between Luz and Giulia, Alberto has no reason to be threatened by Luz. She's not going to "take Luca away" from him. They've butted heads already, but in a funny, friendly, challenging way — teasing like friends do. Which is nice. New. Luz is pretty great, too, but without that undertone of unnecessary rivalry, there's nothing annoying about how great she is. Still, one important element hangs in the air, and Alberto opens his frame up a little, sitting normally again, crosslegged now, shedding some of that pouty-ness slowly in a weak attempt to lighten up. He's eager to move away from the topic of Bruno or Giulia, anyway. ]
We could tell Luz, but the thing is: I've never met her-met her. We've only ever talked on the Everything Machine. Weird, right? So we should probably, eheh— meet... before I'm like, "Heyyy, by the way, guess what, I'm not human!"
no subject
Date: 2022-08-22 04:41 pm (UTC)[Luca, of course, has already met her and is already in the 'pro telling Luz' camp, but he understands why Alberto would want to meet her in person, first.]
wanna wrap this one up?
Date: 2022-08-22 06:14 pm (UTC)So, at long last, after a deep sigh, he spreads out again and stands up, pushing his hands decisively off his knees as he does. Done moping; they're seeking solutions now, so it's time to get back to cleaning up what remains of the broken glass — some physical activity to channel everything this conversation's left him to chew on, a means to fidget and process. He stands still for a moment, though, with his typical contrapposto pose, one hand on his hip, the other gesturing limply along as he talks, his usual good humor coming back into his voice again as some nerves calm. ]
All right. Then that's that. We'll have her over for dinner or something soon, yeah? Put her to the test, heh.
[ He crinkles his nose and eyes teasingly at Luca, smiling a little wider now; he's just joking, but, essentially, that is kind of the premise this date will be under. Alberto had a good first impression of Luz, but now he figures it's best to maybe even be extra friendly next time they talk, to help open this door. Even if she's not the one, for some reason it's decided that they feel they can't tell her? Awkward as that'd be, at least he'd still have a new friend anyway. But he's got a feeling Luca's probably on the mark with this one — if only because he knows he's gotta trust Luca's sense more this time around. Portorosso wasn't making him crazy, he was right about everything in the end, after all; why should Kaisou be any different? ]
Works for me!
Date: 2022-08-24 12:53 pm (UTC)[He's not even going to debate the 'put her to the test' because...well, that's essentially what they're doing. Testing to see if she can be trusted with their secret. This whole thing is kind of a big risk, after all, although Luca doesn't think there's much risk there when it comes to Luz.]