Luberto Headcanons

The Return Part 3

Alberto said a quick goodbye to Luca, who was sitting on the couch with a novel, and made his way outside. After the incident the night before, Alberto decided that Operation Confess To Luca was going to have to move quicker than he previously expected. He had made his way towards the sore and was now swimming towards Isola Del Mare. Alberto hadn't been to the island since the day the underdogs won the Portorosso cup, but it was the perfect location for what he had planned.

As he stepped onto the pebbled beach of his youth, Alberto was overcome with a wave of grief. A year had passed since he had been here. A year full of love and friendship where he was taken care of. But just standing on that beach alone brought back a hideous monster inside of Alberto that he thought had been left behind. He remembers the anguish from when his biological father left him. 

He had only been ten years old. Four long years before he met Luca and traveled to Portorosso. Four years he spent in isolation, trying to fend for himself. There were weeks that he had to make one fish last for days. Nights that he would fall asleep cold and with an empty stomach. But there was a boy who single-handedly changed that all for him.

Luca entered his mind once more. Luca, his first friend, the boy that gave him the courage to leave the island, the one who taught him that people could care for him. Luca, the boy that had once betrayed Alberto and then climbed the tower to apologize. Luca, the one who despite Alberto's effort wouldn't leave. Luca, the boy who came back, time and time again. 

Now more than ever, Alberto knew what he had to do. He marched up the hill and began cleaning the mess he had made on that tormentful night. He needed everything to be perfect, and that included the reminders of the painful memories. 

Alberto scanned the ground, pleased with his work before climbing the tower. The mess inside the small room was worse than he remembered. He winced at the sight of ripped-up drawings of Vespas and two young serini. Alberto got started cleaning up the unsalvageable materials that had been collected. Soon enough, he was left with the magic singing lady machine, a decent amount of rope, and a few sets of shelves. 

Alberto wasted no time in taking apart the shelves and using the rope to make a much sturdier rope ladder than before. He took his time securing it before testing the ladder a few times, going up and down to make sure it would be able to support his and Luca's weight. He couldn't have Luca getting hurt on his watch. 

Once he was satisfied, he looked to the sky and realized it was around lunchtime. Perfect, he thought to himself, Luca will be with his parents for a while. Alberto ran to the cliff and jumped off, much like he used to, but this time he was on a mission. He swam back to the shores of Portorossa, noting that most of the fishermen had brought their boats in for the day. Alberto arrived back in town, shaking water off of himself as he ran to the Peschiera.

"Oh Alberto, lunch is almost finished." Massimo briefly turned as the young sea folk entered the house. 

"Scusi, papa," Alberto took a deep breath before continuing, "I have something I'm working on right now and I came to ask if I could borrow the boat for a bit."

Massimo turned to Alberto once more, quirking his eyebrow up curiously. "And why would you need the boat?"

"I'm planning a surprise for Luca," Alberto explained, "I was going to use the boat to bring some stuff to the island so it wouldn't get wet." 

Massimo smiled knowingly at his son before nodding his head and turning back to the food he was preparing. "Be back by dinner and try not to break anything."

"Grazie, papa! I'll make sure to take care of everything." 

With that, Alberto made his way upstairs, planning on going to his room before he was stopped in the hallway by Giulia.