Destined To Be (Luca x Alberto)

Chapter 12 - The Game

A/N: guess who's back pookies <3 remaining chapters will be out ASAP, thank you all for your patience and support!

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Luca's POV:

Back to the present...

As I'm setting the table for breakfast, Mateo and Al come down the stairs both looking lost in thought. Al seems irritated, his eyes shooting darts at Mateo's back, who wore a weird smug look on his face.

"Hey guys! I made some waffles and fried eggs, help yourself if you want more!"

Both nodded with enthusiasm as I gestured toward the food I laid out for them, but I could tell they were hiding something.

As I sat down to eat, Mateo immediately tried to sit down directly next to me, but not before Al "accidentally" yanked the chair out of the way.

"Oops." was all Al could say, barely sounding apologetic. Mateo nearly fell on the floor, but managed to balance himself.

He looked at Al with an almost too wide of a grin on his face. "It's all good man," Mateo way-too-happily replied. From my peripheral vision, I saw Mateo purposely shoulder check Al as he now moved to the seat across from me.

There was definitely tension between them, and I was determined to figure out what was going on.

I guess Giulia also felt the atmosphere thicken. She looks at all three of us with knowing eyes. "Gee, what's it with guys waking up in the mornings? You all are such grumps."

She jabbed her fork into her stack of waffles and began to eat while Mateo laughed at her remark. "Well Giulia, it is summer vacation and the one reason I enjoy vacations is that we don't have to wake up at," he glanced towards the clock next to the TV, "8am."

"I on the other hand was having a...really good dream." Al smiles and winks at me. I looked down at my food and began to stuff my mouth, feeling my cheeks grow hot from  embarrassment.

"Slow down stardust, don't want you to choke on the food that YOU made," Mateo chuckled. I look up at him, nodding in agreement as I tried to swallow the food. I was about to thank him for his concern when Alberto loudly coughed.

We all turned to look at him. I could see his knuckles turn white with how hard he was clenching his fork. "Stardust...?" he said with a sharp tone of voice. He glared at Mateo, who looked confused. "What? I call him that all the time."

Oh boy.

Alberto's POV:

There were a few things I could let slip. The fact that Luca had a close friend, of course. That same close friend taking pictures of Luca, okay. But having a nickname for my boyfriend?

Hell no.

"Stardust?"

'Star dust' I repeat it in my head over and over, each time growing more annoyed and frustrated. And that leech had the audacity to act innocent, as if he didn't know it would piss me off.

With hardened eyes, I glare right into Mateo's soul. I slowly released the fork from my grasp, letting it fall onto my plate.

"What? I can him that all the time."

That confused look on his face did not fool me. He knew what he's doing, and I don't like it.

"A-Al," Luca starts to talk, glancing between me and Mateo, "it's true! He does call me by that nickname! Right Giulia?" I unwaver in my stare.

Luca looks at Giulia now, seemingly with desperate eyes, pleading to lower the tension. Luckily for Luca, she understood the assignment. "Yeah bro! It's not a big deal, stop looking like Mateo here killed your bloodline," she said, kicking Alberto under the table.

That seemed to work.

"Ow!" I looked at Giulia, only to see her laughing at her antics. "Dude, we're all friends here, and friends have nicknames for each other! It's totally normal."

I could feel my anger dissolving, but still irritated at Mateo. Luca glanced over at me, showing me his oh so beautiful smile.

Since the beginning, whenever Luca smiled at me, I felt like I was on cloud nine. No matter what I was feeling at the moment, it would all disappear. His smile was my greatest weakness.

All, or at least most, of my anger faded away as I lovingly took in my boyfriend's smile. Despite what Mateo's doing, I can be the bigger person, the bigger man. Two can play that game.

I intertwined my hands with Luca's  underneath the table so no one could see, in favor of Luca. If it were up to me, I would have grabbed his freckled cheeks and kissed him for as long as I can in front of everyone.

Luca began to eat with his remaining hand, speaking in between each bite. "You know my love for astronomy right?" He takes another bite of his eggs, happily looking at everyone. "Well, Mateo thought that 'Stardust' apparently suits me well."

"It means 'a magical, ethereal quality' of a person." Mateo chimes in. "Luca is quite literally the definition of stardust, don't yall agree." The question was for everyone there, yet Mateo looked directly at me.

I tighten my grip on Luca, as I mustered my most nonchalant attitude. "I totally agree man! Luca is the most special person here."

Luca once again was flushed by the amount of compliments at him. "I-I don't think I'm that special guys haha..." He nervously laughed, glancing down at his now empty plate.

"Hey, what about me guys? I'm literally the sunshine friend here." Giulia playfully flicks the crumbs of her food at the guys. "And don't put yourself down dude, you're literally a magical being!-"

She immediately went silent when she realized what she said, or rather implied.

Giulia, Luca, and I palely stared at one another, our sense of fear being shared on the looks of our faces. Giulia wasn't wrong. Luca is, literally, a magical being, and so was Alberto. She unknowingly exposed Luca for what he really is in front of their human friend who has no idea that they were sea creatures.

We all turned toward Mateo, wide eyed in fear and anxiety of what Mateo would say or think.

Mateo squinted his eyes. He definitely caught what Giulia worded. But after a few seconds, he started to chuckle with an ecstatic expression on his face.

"Yeah...I would have to agree with you there Giulia. I believe he is a very magical being indeed."