can you feel the love tonight?
the peace the evening brings?
the world, for once
in perfect harmony
with all its living things

so many things to tell her
but how to make her see?
the truth, about my past?
impossible, she'd
turn away from me

he's holding back,
he's hiding,
from what? i can't decide.
why won't he be
the king, i know he is
the king i see inside

can you feel the love tonight?
the peace the evening brings?
the world, for once,
in perfect harmony
with all its living things?
can you feel the love tonight?
you needn't look too far
stealing through
the night's uncertainties
love is where they are

the lion king
05. "can you feel the love tonight?"
composed by elton john
with lyricist tim rice
preformed by
joseph williams
sally dworsky
ernie sabella
kristle edwards
and nathan lane

02. "i just can't wait to be king"
composed by elton john
with lyricist tim rice
preformed by
jason weaver
laura williams
rowan atkinson

requested by AnneDaelemans
art is by lianeljoto on instagram

~

alberto dashes off towards and past the humble home, swimming towards two sea monsters that he knows as daniela and grandma paguro. daniela is plucking at her sons peddles, whose small in her lap.
"hey, luca!" alberto chirps, swimming over and ducking above his friends mother.
"hey, alberto!" chirps the younger sea monster.
"come on!" he urges, trying to pull at his friends arm, "i just heard about this great place!"
"alberto!" luca growls with clenched teeth, "i'm kinda in the middle of a bath."
luca curls up to his mothers claws, alberto tries to urge him on but freezes at the low voice behind him"and it's time for yours."
alberto tries to scurry away, but is too late in his escape as the elderly sea monster bends down and yoinks him. yanking at the struggling albertos peddles.
"nonna!" squeaks the boy, embarrassed. he feels he's too old to have someone else pluck at his peddles, and especially from someone who isn't his own mother. he whips his tail in frustration and bears his teeth, "nonna, you're messing up my mane."
nonna leans back and smiles, he finally is freed from her grasp and hides behind daniela, whose still holding luca, "okay, okay, i'm clean. can we go now?"
"so," luca asks, voice croaked, "where exactly are we going?" he asks, hissing and trying to bite at albertos claw when said sea monster pokes his snout.
"it better not be some place dumb." luca whines.
"no!" alberto assures, "it's really cool!"
"so," asks daniela, plucking nonchalantly as she growls, glaring at alberto, "where is this "really cool" place?"
"oh," alberto, croaks, "uh . . ." he clears his throat and slips a lie, "just around isola del mare." he laughs dryly.
"isola del mare?" barks luca, shooting his head up with a raised brow as he glares at alberto suspiciously, "what's so great about isola del mare?"
alberto laughs, then leans into luca to hiss a whisper, "i'll show you when we get there."
"oh," luca breaths, whispering back with a smal smile. he clears his throat, "uh . . . mamma, can i go with alberto?"
"hmm . . ." daniela looks between luca and alberto, then to her mother, "what do you think, mamma?" she asks, unsure.
"well . . ." nonna shrugs, looking down at the pair with a coy smile and a raised brow.
"pleeeease?" plead luberto in unison, grinning through broad, forced white smiles.
nonna shrugs, "it's alright with me." she smiles.
luca and alberto are overjoyed, they whoop and twirl around each-other in excitement.
"all right!"
"yeah!"
then, daniela calls to them, "as long as lorenzo comes with you!" she cautioned.
"no!" alberto and luca skid to a halt, their excitement dying as they look at each-other in dismay, "not lorenzo!" whines alberto.

lorenzo swims overhead, "swim lightly!" he calls down to the kids behind and below him, "the sooner we get to isola del mare, the sooner we can leave."
luca swims next to alberto, nudging him playfully as he whispers, "so, where are we really going?" he asks softly.
"we're going to the surface." alberto whispers back.
"wow!"
"shhh!" alberto hisses, knocking into luca, and nodding up to his father, "lorenzo."
"right," giggles luca, who nudges him back playfully, he smiles, leaning in to whisper again, "so, how are we gonna ditch the dodo?"
lorenzo swims toward the island, before his ear twitches and he looks down at the gubbies, who are whispering back and forth below him with their heads close together. he swims down.
"oh, i know how we can—"
"oh, just look at you!" lorenzo coos, swimming down and stopping the pair who finch and freeze, "little seeds of romance blossoming in the oceanic. your mother will be thrilled," he chirps at luca, whose face scrunches up in horrible confusion, he clarifies, "what, with you being betrothed and all—"
"be-what?" alberto asks, snapping his head back.
"betrothed!" lorenzo trills, "intended. affianced."
he wiggles his brows at the teens, who look at each-other in confusion, luca leans his head down and raises a brow, "meaning . . .?"
lorenzo laughs, then puts his hands behind his back and nods to the two approvingly. "one day, you two are going to be mates!"
"yuck!" hisses alberto, biting down on his tongue.
"ewww!" hisses luca in disgust, closing an eye.
alberto barks at lorenzo, eyes darting from him to luca. "i can't be mates with him! he's my best friend!" he points out.
"yeah!" laughs luca, rolling his eyes, "i'd he so weird."
"well, sorry to burst your bubble," laughs lorenzo as he slips behind the boys and wraps his arms around them, forcing them together. "but you two turtle-doves have no choice. it's a tradition . . ."
alberto mimics lorenzo, causing luca to laugh.
". . . going back generations." lorenzo scowls.
"well," alberto snorts, slipping out of lorenzos grasp with luca, helping the boy out by grabbing his arm. he crosses his arm and cocks a brow, luca mimicking him, "when i'm king, that'll be the first thing to go." he insists.
"not so long as i'm around." huffs lorenzo.
"well, in that case," alberto nods, "you're fired."
"hmmm . . ." lorenzo closes his eye and shakes a claw, "nice try, but only the king can do that." he pokes albertos snout.
"well," luca cuts in, grinning with a coy shrug, "he's the future king." he points out.
"yeah," laughs alberto, who flicks lorenzo back and smirks, mimicking the man by putting his arms behind his back. "so you have to do what i tell you."
"not yet i don't." snaps lorenzo, crossing his arms. "and with an attitude like that, i'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed."
"hmph," alberto growls, grinning. "not the way i see it!"

"i'm gonna be a mighty king,
so enemies beware!"
alberto stalks up to lorenzo, crawling on the ocean floor until he rushes up and pushes the man over a fallen log and into some coral reefs.
"well i've never seen a king of beasts,
with quite so little hair."
scowls lorenzo as he pushes himself out of the coral bushes, plucking a peddle off of albertos head, comparing to danielas head of hair it was practically pathetic.
alberto flushed up, and dives into the coral, flying out with a grin as he wears a mane of coral leaves and reeds.
"i'm gonna be the mane event,
like no king was before!"
he boasts, shaking his head as he holds onto the leaves. he suddenly pounces into the log, crawling up it and standing on it.
"i'm brushing up on looking down,
i'm working on my roar!"
he straightens himself out, then turns and pounces toward lorenzo, roaring playfully.
"thus far, a rather
uninspiring thing."
hisses lorenzo, rolling his eyes. he turns and sees a boat, and screams, rushing over to hide under a rock. luca and alberto follow, roaring their heads back in laughter as the skid under the shadows.
"oh i just can't wait
to be king!"
"you're rather a long way to go, young master if you think . . ." hisses lorenzo to alberto.
"no one saying do this."
luca babbles as he mocks his father, whose ranting, "now when i said that, i—"
he whips his head around to luca, who stops.
"no one saying he there!"
alberto brings his claws to his open mouth and stretches it out, lolling his tongue.
"what i mean was—"
lorenzo tries to explain to his son, whose holding his head up high and crossing his arms. lorenzo sees alberto from the corner of his eye, and whips around.
"no one saying stop that!"
lorenzo tries to explain while luca pushes his claws into his cheeks and kisses the air playfully, "look, what you don't realise—"
"no one saying see here!"
lorenzo whips his head around to lucas who pulls his head and nose up with his claw.
"now see here!"
luca and alberto ride a manta-ray together, as lorenzo chases them.
"free to run around all day!"
lorenzo grumbles, "well, that's definitely out . . ."
"free to do it all my way!"
lorenzo drills before them, looking back to speak to them and not paying attention ahead.
"i think it's time
that you and i
exchanged a heart
to heart!"
he crashes into a rock, alberto and luca swing off the manta-ray and on the rock, looming over it and grinning at each-other.
"kings don't need advice
from little hornbills for a start!"
lorenzo groans and stands on what he thinks is a rock.
"if this is where
the monarchy is headed
count me out!
out of service,
out of italia,
i wouldn't hang about!"
he looks down at the moving rock in confusion, it's a tortoise, he screams, darting up and groaning in embarrassment.
"this child is
getting wildly
out of wing."
he growls, watching as goatfish a-line before alberto and luca, straightening up in respect as the pair blast past the middle of the red-carpet like line they've made.
"oh, i just can't wait
to be king!"
alberto looks fondly over at luca, who looks back at him with a smile. lorenzo goes to swim in the line, but is met with the goatfish turning their noses up at him and giving him their tails.
lorenzo shrinks, covering his eyes with an arm.
luca and alberto race and dart under a field of large jellyfish, bouncing and swinging their heads as they chase each other.
lorenzo looks down for them above, slipping in and past and past the jellyfish.
"everybody look left!
everybody look right!"
everybody tramples over lorenzo, in the directions alberto is calling them to.
alberto jumps on the backs of tortoises, like they're stepping stones, swinging his head in delight.
"everywhere you look i'm
standing spotlight!"
"not yet!"
lorenzo tries call, squeezing past two jellyfish but getting electrocuted.
a chorus of the sea sings.
"let every creature go
broke and sing!
let's hear it in the herd
and on the wing!
it's gonna be
king albertos finest thing!"
the chorus form a pyramid with the sea monsters on top, they all sing together, holding a note as the pyramid begins to topple over.
"oh, i just can't wait
to be king!
oh, i just can't wait
to be king!
oh, i just can't
waaaaaait
to be king!"
it ends with lorenzo holding up a weight he can't handle, a shark. he arms shake, before he is crushed under and squashed by the shark.
"i beg your pardon, bruce, but please . . . get off!" he screams, muffled.
"alberto!" he calls, ". . . luca?"

"all right!" laughs alberto as he and luca slip away from their scene, "it worked!"
"we lost 'em!" luca giggles, about to move on.
"i," alberto smirks, straightening up as he boasts, "am a genius." he purrs proudly.
luca stops dead in his celebration and snorts, looking back at him, "uh, hey genius," he laughs dryly, "it was my idea!"
"yeah?" alberto shot back, raising a brow, he muses, "but i pulled it off."
"with me!" luca insists, barking playfully.
"oh, yeah?" alberto challenges, before pouncing at him. they tussle briefly, rolling onto the ocean floor where luca straddles him and pins alberto down with a resounding thumb, tail flicking in delight.
"hah!" luca trills in delight, "pinned ya!"
"hey!" alberto growls, getting a grin as he pushes lucas face with a claw, "lemme up!"
luca gets off, head held high as he smiles. alberto smirks, and pounces at him again. they tussle, rolling down a short hill that leads to a shore. luca pins alberto down again in the same position with another thump on the sand.
"pinned ya again!" laughs luca, before looking up and gasping, he leaps off of alberto who rolls up to follow him on land.
alberto gasps, "this is it! we made it!" he hushes.
alberto leads luca out of the water, they wade slowly and silently before they stop, feeling different as they do the change.
"woah . . ." they gape in unison, looking at each-other. alberto is grinning like an idiot and luca gasps in shock.
"it's really creepy." luca whispers softly, looking around the soulless beach.
"yeah," snickers alberto, following his gaze. he swings his head up to luca, "isn't it great?"
the boy raises a brow and smiles, whispering as he tilts his head to him, "we could get it big trouble." he trills, relishing in their naughty-ness and disobedience.
"i know!" alberto laughs, leaning his head to luca. they both turn back and see that further up ahead is a land monster town.
"i wonder if it has land monsters over there." luca breaths softly, nodding to alberto.
alberto chuckles, "there's only one way to know." he nods, "come on, let's go check it out!"
"wrong!" snaps lorenzo, cutting before them. he pushes the two younger sea monsters back in to the water as he scowls and snarls, "the only checking out you will do is to check out of here!"
"aw, man!" alberto groans, rolling his eyes.
"we're way beyond the boundary of our oceanic territory!" frets lorenzo anxiously.
"huh," alberto chuckles at luca, then glares playfully back at lorenzo, "look. panic paguro is scared, heh." he snickers.
"that's mr. panic paguro to you, scorfano!" snarls lorenzo, stabbing a claw into albertos snout. "and right now, we are all in very real danger!" he squeaks.
"danger?" alberto mocks lorenzo, "hah!" he drills past him, pouncing onto the land and transforming again with a grin down at lorenzo and luca who peek from their positions in the water.
"i live of the wild side." says alberto cooly, "i laugh in the face of danger. ha ha ha ha ha!"

~

"ercole!" giulia runs for the man, whose screaming like a girl. he's stuck, having caught his foot in a net in his heist to run away. "ercole!" she runs over, looking over the man whose whimpering and trying to free himself. "hey, what's goin' on?"
"HE'S GONNA EAT ME!"
"huh?!"
giulia swings her head up and sees a sea monster charging at full speed towards him in the water, running on all fours with its teeth curled back in a snarl.
"woah!"
it had a nick his shoulder, much similar to the one alberto has. but this one is fresh, and she can only guess where it came from as she looks down at ercole.
"jeez!" she hisses, as she goes to free him from the net quickly while keeping an eye on the sea monster, "why do i always have to save your aAAAAA!"
the sea monster is about to close in on them, and they are in the line of attack as they hug each-other and scream. it pounces toward them, but at the last minute, alberto bounds past the water in his sea monster form and blasts over them, catching the sea monster off guard.
it skids to a halt and is then promptly pounced on by alberto. it roars and claws his face and down his neck, and alberto grabs its arm to try and stop its tracks.
he pushes alberto off him, who rears back and roars, getting a claw slapped in its snout. it roars in pain, lifting up a claw and swiping albertos shoulder. the two sea monsters scratch wildly at each other, lips both curled back in snarls.
they roar and circle each other in all fours, tails lashing as the growl and snarl at each other. albertos tail is flicked protectively over giulia and ercole.
"don't worry, buddy," giulia hushes as she holds ercole, petting him. "i'm here for ya. everything's gonna be okay . . ."
she turns her attention back to her adopted brother fighting the other sea monster, she calls out, "get him! bite his head!"
alberto wraps his arms around the sea monsters and pushes him away, clawing from the back of its head down to its snout.
he tears up, slapping his claws down on its head and pushing it down, but it slips past him. they glare at each other, backs arched and teeth flared, before the other sea monster leaps forward and claws frantically at albertos peddles, roaring at alberto as he jumps.
the sea monster jumps with him, they jump around each other trying to claw at one another but miss each time. giulia groans, "go for the jugular. the jugular!"
she leans down to ercole, patting his shoulder with a i told you so shit-eating grin, "see? i told you a sea monster in portorosso could come in handy."
the battling sea monsters are further away now, alberto runs up and jumps to pounce and pin the other sea monster down. but, he predicts this and stands on his hind legs, grabbing albertos shoulders when he's pinned and kicking his stomach. they flip, and the sea monster pins him down by the shoulders.
alberto catches his breath, staring up in disbelief at the other sea monster whose still baring his teeth threateningly.
"luca?" alberto asks, voice hoarse and startled.
the sea monster falters, mouth agape and pupils dilating into surprise. the boy stumbles off him, letting alberto roll over on his side and stand. the boy backs away, brow raised as he sits down, tail curled around himself protectively.
"is it really you?" alberto asks, laughing.
"who are you?" the boy asks, tilting his head.
alberto nods, breathless. "it's me, alberto."
the boys face scrunches from confusion to suspicion to recognition, he leans over, brows burrowed as he sniffs, "alberto?" he asks softly, ear twitching.
alberto nods eagerly.
luca digests this information slowly, his brow raising as he rears his head back in disbelief. he slowly smiles, eyes dilating. "woah!" he shakes his head, grinning from ear to ear, nodding vigorously, alberto grins, shaking as he bounds over to luca who runs to him on all fours.
he's just like alberto remembers him. alberto picks up the boy who yelps in surprise at his strengths, then laughs as they purr and bump each-others heads.
luca slips out of his grip and jumps around him, tail wagging and slapping against the sand below, he's rambling excitedly, "well how did you- where did you come from-"
alberto jumps around too, his greetings also enthused, "aaah! how did you- who- wow- this is so cool!" he trills, tail slapping, "it's great to see you!"
"it's great to see you!" luca laughs, giulia and ercole sit there holding each other, absolutely positively dumbfounded and baffled at the scene before them.
"hey!" giulia suddenly barks, while alberto ignores her and hastily tries teaching luca how to walk properly since the boy keeps falling, "what's goin' on here?!"
"what are you doing here?!" alberto asks.
"what do you mean, "what am i doing here?" what are you doing here?!" luca laughs.
"HEY!" giulia shouts, stopping the reuniting boys, she strides and storms over. "WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?!?!"
"giulia!" alberto swings his head over to his sister, "this is my best friend! it's luca!"
"luca?!? shes heard the name before, many a time.
"yeah!" alberto laughs, then nods to ercole, "hey, ercole, come over here!"
ercole stares.
then gets himself unstuck with a jump, grinning from ear-to-ear as alberto nods from luca to him. "luca, this is ercole. ercole, luca."
"pleased to make your acquaintance!" he brings a hand out for luca to shake, the boy grins confusedly, then puts his hand atop it.
"the pleasures all mine!" he says with a laugh, ignoring the fact that ercole had previously thrown a harpoon at him.
"how do you do . . ." sighs giulia, before catching herself. "woah! woah! time out . . ." she looks between the trio of boys, and sighs. "let me get this straight."
"you know him. he knows you. he wants to eat him." she waves her hand, pointing from alberto, luca, then to ercole.
she shrugs, "and . . . everybody's . . . okay with this?"
they all nod.
she laughs dryly, then jumps, yowling and ripping her hair in frustration, "DID I MISS SOMETHING?!" she pants.
"relax, jewels!" alberto laughs, then turns to luca whose looking up at him admiringly.
"wait till everybody finds out you've been here all this time! and my parents . . ." he gasps, "what will they think?"
alberto blinds rapidly, feeling everything itch and eat up at him. "they don't have to know. nobody has to know."
luca, baffled, laughs, "well, of course they do! everyone thinks you're dead."
"they do?" alberto asks, shuddering at the idea.
"yeah . . ." luca looks down, smile sulked, "someone told us what happened."
"they did?" he croaked, swallowing. "well, what else did they um, did they tell you?"
"what else matters?" luca asks with a laugh, tilting his head. "you're alive, and that means . . ." he stops, eyes blowing and dilating, "you're the king."
"king?" giulia asks with a scoff, snorting. "laddy have you got your sea monsters crossed."
"king?" ercole asks, gasping. he bows, "your majesty! i gravel at your feet." he grabs albertos foot and kisses it frantically.
alberto shakes him off with an awkward laugh, "stop that." he insists uncomfortably.
"yeah," giulia scolds, picking up the man by the collar of his shirt and slapping him up-side the head, "and it's not gravel," she hisses, putting her hands on her hips "it's "grovel". and don't, he's not the king!" she laughs. "are ya?"
"no!" alberto barks.
"alberto?" luca looks up at him in confusion.
"no!" he snarls, stumbling away, he stammers, "i'm not the king. maybe i was gonna be, but . . ." he sighs, "that was a long time ago."
"let me get this straight." she rubs her temple, "you're the king? and you never told us?"
"look," alberto smiles, shrugging with a coy laugh, "i'm still the same guy!"
"but with power!"
"could you guys," luca laughs awkwardly, nervously nodding the two off, "excuse us for a few minutes?"
"hey!" she smacks ercoles back, "whatever he has to say, he can say it in-front of us!" she looks at her brother, "right, alberto?" her eyes are hopeful.
alberto hates being put on the spot like this, he grumbles, fiddling with his thumbs as he battles with what to do. he sighs.
"hmm. maybe you'd . . ." he trails off, "better go."
giulia is slack-jawed, aghast. "it begins." she shivers, she turns, waving and throwing a hand in the air as she pulls ercole, "you think you know a guy!"
ercole sighs and shakes his head in disapproval.
alberto laughs, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. "giulia and ercole, you learn to love 'em." he expects luca to laugh, or giggle, like the good old times.
but he doesn't see or hear luca at all, he turns around and sees the boy sat down on the water, legs pulled to his chest and slouched as he crosses his arms on his knees. looking down sadly.
"what?" alberto asks, swallowing his anxiety as he walks over and crouches down beside luca, crossing his arms, "what is it?"
luca sighs, "it's like you're back from the dead." he sucks in a breath and looks at alberto, eyes blown in pain. "you don't know how much this will mean to everyone . . ." he croaks, looking down.
"what it means to me . . ." he sniffs, hiccuping.
"hey," alberto fully commits to sitting down, he rests a hand on lucas shoulder.
luca looks at him, "it's okay, now." he insists.
luca sighs, and alberto watches him patiently with a tilt of his head, he leans back on his claws, they're both fully in their sea monster forms from the water.
luca sighs after collecting himself, he leans over, and nuzzles under albertos chin.
"i've really missed you."
alberto freezes, then smiles as he hears luca begin to purr. it vibrates against his adam's apple, making him feel jittery.
"i've missed you too." alberto chuckles lowly, closing his eyes and letting luca run his snout up to his cheek, joining the sea monsters purrs as they rub against each-others cheeks, their tails and hands intertwining as they press against the other in an intimate exchange.

giulia sighs, glaring with a pout. her and ercole are watching from the boat pier.
"i tell you, ercole," she hisses, crossing her arms and pursing her lips, "this stinks!"
"oh, sorry."
she glares over at him, eye twitching. she shakes her head, "not you! them! him, and him, alone." she wiggles her brows.
that tried to auto-correct to wiggling her browser.

"i can see what's happening!"
giulia tsks, ercole raises a brow, "what?"
"and they don't have a clue!"
"who?" ercole asks again, dumbfounded.
"they'll fall in love,
and here's the bottom-line;
our trios down to two."
she points two fingers to luca and alberto, then between ercole and her. "oh."
she spits in a sarcastic mock-french accent.
"ze sweet caress of twilight!
there's magic, everywhere
and with all this
romantic atmosphere
disasters in the air!"

alberto leads luca down a waterfall, giggling as the boy nearly slips and flips his arms around in a panic. luca huffs, splashing alberto with water and smirking before giggling and jumping down the hill by himself, trilling carefully.
alberto smirks and gives chase, also careful as he steps down the side of the waterfall.
luca stops at the bottom of the stepping stones and waits for alberto, following down cautiously to meet him. luca let's out a trill and flicks tail, turning and running on the stepping stones.
alberto, ever amused, follows him, hopping over the like it's leapfrog without the leaping over a frog part. he's hopping. he's doing a jump. he do a jump.
alberto jumps up before luca, looking back to his childhood best friend. the boy swirls behind him, and they circle around each-other playfully until alberto risks it and steps forward, bent down slightly to look up at luca who smiles.
then luca turns and jumps ahead, taking the lead, looking back at alberto with a coy flick of his tail. luca shakes himself and alberto follows, and they both look down at the river with deep thought.
alberto looks at their reflections as they sit down next to each-other, taking in the sight of lucas human form. the boy closes his eyes and leans on albertos shoulder with a small smile, and alberto leans back, biting his lip.
so many things to tell him,
but how to make him see?
the truth about my past?
impossible, he'd
turn away from me.
luca looks down the water at alberto, glazing at the boys- no, the mans unreadable expression, he bites his lip.
he's holding back,
he's hiding.
from what? i can't decide
alberto suddenly looks to luca straight on, and luca raises a brow as the boy smirks and gets up, slipping past him to a vine.
why won't he be
the king i know he is?
the king i see inside?
luca looks behind his shoulder, then gasps and stumbles aside as alberto runs toward the pool with a vine in hand.
alberto swings and let's go, canon balling into the river. luca hurries over to lean down and peer into the water, trying to spot out alberto. before he knows it, alberto throws his hands around his neck and pulls him into the water with him.
it's surprisingly freezing and stings at his scales, so luca rises up with a gasp and drills back to the surface, shuddering.
alberto crawls up from the water, smiling like an idiot as his peddles flop down his face and back. luca can't help but smile at the mam, but it turns to a smirk as he pushes the man back in the water. he runs away laughing.
alberto pulls himself from the water and chases luca into a field, against the sunset.
birds call and sprout from their hiding in the grass, as water drips of the sea monsters and turns them into land monsters. luca makes a sharp turn and then jumps to look back at alberto, who catches him in a hug that knocks them over.
they fall down a hill laughing, until they crash into a field with alberto pinning luca down. he brings his head up and laughs at the irony, luca does too, until he stops suddenly. breathless, he brings a hand up to albertos cheek and pulls the older man down, kissing his cheek delicately. ironic.
startled, alberto looks down at babbles at lucas boldness. luca just sinks into the grass beneath him, giving him a coy, small smile and lidded, seductive eyes.
alberto gulps, then smiles nervously, licking his lips as his eyes darts from lucas eyes to his lips. the boy beneath him raises a brow and smirks, and alberto can't tell if he's saying like what you see? or my eyes are up here ;)
alberto gulps and finds himself leaning down, he feels calmer when luca smiles reassuringly, and tilts his head for him to take it. alberto presses his lips to luca, who shudders beneath him and brings his hands up to cup albertos face.
they turn to claws from albertos sweating and luca pulls away from the kiss to laugh.

giulia and ercole sniff as they watch the nature documentary. they're crying at how albertos all grown up, what a trooper.
"and if he falls
in love tonight
it can be
assumed . . ."
she sniffs, ercole wraps his arm around her, nodding patiently as she accepts his side-hug and crashes into his chest.
"his carefree days
with us are history,"
giulia collects herself with a sigh, and the pals straighten up and throw their arms in the air.
"in short;
our pal,
is doomed."
they stare at each-other, lips trembling before they let out the water works.

luca and alberto swing their hands together as they walk, leaning on each other.
"isn't this a great place?" alberto asks in a whisper.
alberto had brought the boy home by now, well, his adopted home. he was showing luca the treehouse giulia made.
luca hums, looking around. "it is beautiful." he sighs, then looks down, chewing his bottom lip. he confesses what's been on his mind, "but, i don't understand something." he stops them, looking up at alberto with a frown as he lets go of their hands. "you've been alive all this time . . . and yet . . ." he looks lost.
luca shakes his head and looks up at alberto seriously, "why didn't you come back?"
alberto stiffens, then laughs dryly as he climbs in the hammock and lays there, "well . . ." he bites his lip, "i just need to . . . get out on my own." he laughs, waving a dismissive hand, "live my own life," his eyes sparkles as he turns to luca with a grin, "and i did! and it's great!" but there's an undertone to his voice, he sounds like he's trying to convince himself as much as luca.
"we've really needed you at home." luca blinks, looking down and tracing his fingers over the fabric in slight awe.
alberto just scoffs a smile, "no one needs me."
luca glares at him, "yes, we do!" he snaps, slamming his hands down on alberto. "you're the king." he says desperately.
"luca," alberto hisses, sitting up and glaring at him, phantom tail lashing. "we've been through this. i'm not the king."
luca is silent for a moment, just staring into albertos soul. "the sharks have taken over."
"what?" alberto asks, blinking in disbelief.
luca turns away, growling that that had to get albertos attention. "everything's destroyed, there's no food. alberto," he looks at alberto desperately, whose sitting up now "if you don't do anything soon, everyone will starve."
alberto looks back at him, then tsks and turns his head. "i can't go back."
"why?"
"no, no, no," rattles alberto, voice hasty and quivering as he snaps away, turning his back to luca. he's sweating bullets, sprinkling scales from his skin, "it doesn't matter. hakuna matata."
luca blinks, "what?"
"hakuna matata! it's something i learnt  out here." he grumbles, then tries to control himself as he clarifies, "sometimes bad things happen—"
"alberto-"
"—and there's nothing you can do it." he growls, swinging back to glare daggers at luca, he laughs, "so, why worry?"
he swings off the hammock and starts away, trying to leave the conversation at that as he strides across the tree stretching to his room. but luca calls after him.
"because it's your responsibility!" he calls.
alberto growls in frustration, stopping mid-way in his tracks. "well, what about you? you left!" he barks, glaring.
"i left to get help!" luca barks back, his gaze softens and he walks up to alberto, looking up at him desperately, "and i found you."
alberto is taken aback by the desperation and longing in lucas voice.
luca is tearing up, scales sparkling from the light in his room. "don't you understand? you're our- you're my only hope."
alberto looks down at him earnestly, "sorry."
luca blinks, then his face hardens as he steps back. "what happened to you?" he asks, voice sharp as the knife that stabs into his heart, "you're not the alberto i remember."
alberto is hurt, but he covers it up with a scowl as he turns to look away from that hurt expression. "you're right," he snarls, "i'm not." he whips around to look back at him. "now, are you satisfied?"
i will never be satisfied. wait, i mean- uh. wait no, stop typing the lyrics to satisfied you guys no- luca looks at him with an unreadable expression before he turns away. "no, just disappointed."
alberto laughs, a dry, pained laugh. "you know," he wheezes, "you're starting to sound like my father." he tires to walk away again, shaking his head.
"good." luca hisses back, there's some regret in his voice "at-least one of us does."
alberto stops, cut by the words. he snarls, voice quivering as he snaps, tears brimming his ears as he jabs an accusatory finger into lucas bare chest. "listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? you don't even know what i've been through!"
"i would if you would just tell me!" luca cries back, jabbing his own finger at alberto.
alberto hisses, the barks, "forget it!"
"fine!"
luca turns away, and without knowing how to get down from the treehouse hideout properly, he just jumps down and cringes at the pain in his legs. alberto just shakes his head and slips into his room.
he paces, crawling as his phantom tail lashes out angrily, making him glad he's not in his sea monster form or it would knock over everything. he snarls.
"he's wrong. i can't go back. what would it prove, anyway?" he asks himself, "it won't change anything. you can't change the past." he yowls.

but you can change the future. alberto does go back.
"alberto! wait up!"
he turns to see luca drilling up behind him, he nods to their old home. "it's awful, isn't it?"
"i didn't want to believe you." alberto confesses.
luca just nods curtly, panting. "what made you come back?" he asks, tilting his head.
alberto smiles, "i finally got some sense knocked into me . . . and i've got the bump to prove it." he laughs and smiles, then turns back to their home.
"besides, this is my kingdom. if i don't fight, who will?"
luca suddenly grab his hand, "i will." alberto raises a brow, smirking down at lucas determined face. hes still got a baby face.
"it's gonna be dangerous." alberto coos, with a serious undertone and similar look.
"danger?" he quotes a younger alberto, smirking that same damned cocky grin, "hah! i laugh in the face of danger! ha ha ha ha ha!"