“Keep up, Luca!”

Alberto laughed as he sped ahead, zipping through the water. He was smoking Luca and being a smug goofball about it.

They’d decided to race from the town back to Luca’s undersea home. The boy was back from school for summer holiday, and it was time to visit his parents underwater. They’d met on the surface already, but he still wanted a day at home with them.

And, of course, Alberto is included in that.

“You can’t say it’s a race after you already start swimming!” Luca huffed, his tail flying back and forth as he tried to catch up.

Alberto had pulled a classic “Alberto move” and taken off before yelling back to race him. It was a game—neither was taking it seriously—but still. Integrity.

Predictably, Alberto won their race by quite a few seconds. Luca was huffing and panting as he reached the small clearing, glaring at Alberto.

“You…you cheater!”

Luca pointed a finger at him, though it was a bit hard to take the boy seriously when he was so winded. It was honestly a bit cute.

“Aw, c’mon! You've always gotta be ready for action, Luca. Not my fault you were slacking.”

Luca scoffed at that, narrowing his eyes. His time spent with Giulia had built up his sass skills, as well as his revenge repertoire. Thanks to the mad dash of their race, the boys had a bit of time before his parents were expecting them. Perfect…

Luca stood his ground, crossing his arms. “Nuh-uh. Admit that you cheated.”

Alberto could tell that Luca wasn’t seriously upset or anything, yet he couldn’t tell where the boy was going with it. There was a hint of something mischievous in his tone, definitely, but what?

“No way. You lost, fair and square,” Alberto goaded, trying not to smile. He knew he was asking for trouble, but it was really fun to annoy Luca. Plus, well…the consequences were always amusing.

“Fine.”

With that, Luca charged at the other boy, a wide smile on his face. Alberto laughed as they collided, wrestling and shoving and tumbling. Eventually, Luca’s arms wound up around Alberto’s waist, and the purple sea monster knew he was done for.

“No! No, wait, let’s— GYYEEhehehe! Crahahahap!”

Alberto curled in on himself as Luca’s fingers dug into his sides. Of course he’d use tickling against him. Alberto had been the one to teach Luca about tickle fights in the first place, but still.

Smiling at that, Luca gave each of Alberto’s sides a few sporadic squeezes. He’d learned a few tricks from Alberto’s many tricks and plays he’d giggled through. “Just admit you cheated, and then I’ll stop. Easy.”

“Ihihi dihihidn’t!” he whined, shaking his head. Sure, on some level, he did, but where was the fun in admitting that? Besides, he had an idea to turn things into his favor.

“Yes you did!”

Luca couldn’t help but laugh his denial. He knew he cheated, but he simply refused to admit it. It was kind of cute, although incredibly dorky.

Suddenly, Alberto used his fins to thrust himself backwards, catching Luca off-guard. Once the boy was released, he slammed into Luca, taking him down to the sand. He immediately went right for Luca’s spine, wiggling his fingers along the divots.

“NYAHAHAHOHOHO!”

Luca thrashed, burying his face in Luca’s shoulder. It tickled so badly, and he knew he had no chance of getting away. Still, it was kinda nice to be held, even with the tickly side effects.

“How about this: you admit that I won, fair and square,” he smirked, resting his head atop the other boy’s. It seemed they frequented a back-and-forth cycle of sorts, one always trying to prove the other wrong. It was in a fun way though, a healthy competition. “Or I can do this until we go to your parents’.”

He dragged his fingers up Luca’s spine, making him squeal. “I mean, this is really fun, and you’ve got a pretty cute laugh.”

“AHAHALBERTOHO, PLEHEHEHEASE!” he cackled, kicking his feet as he treaded water. His tail swished back and forth as he squirmed, making his whole body wriggle in Alberto’s grasp.

Alberto laughed at that, pulling Luca closer. He was acting rather adorably, clinging to him. “All you gotta do is say I won the race.”

“F-FIHIHIHINE!” Luca panted, holding onto Alberto’s arms. He didn’t want to be completely out of sorts when they went into his parents’ place. “YOUHU WOHOHON!”

That was all he needed. Alberto slowed his tickling to a stop, instead pulling Luca closer for a hug. He knew he’d worn the boy out. “Okay, all done. You alright, Luca?”

“Y-yeahahah…” he nodded, trying to catch his breath. “Youhu’re a buhully.”

That got a laugh out of Alberto. He pressed his forehead against Luca’s for a moment, smiling wide. “Nah, I’m just creative.”

“Uhugh…” Luca rolled his eyes, enjoying the contact for a moment. Once he felt like he’d pulled himself together, he patted the boy’s back a few times. “Wanna head in? I’m hungry after that.”

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, giving Luca one more squeeze before pulling away. “I wanna try your mom’s cooking, see if it’s as good as Massimo’s pasta.”