after dinner, giulia fixed luca up into a pink nightgown. it was a bit big on him, stretching down to his shoulders while he fiddled with the strings into a bow.
alberto led him out into the treehouse past giulia and albertos bunk-bed, and caught him before he could fall off a branch.
luca was clumsy but held tight, and they made it on while luca gaped at the little still fireflies, holding one in his hand.
"oops, sorry," alberto laughed as he whipped out a pillow and placed it down, it had a hairbrush on it, luca gingerly picked it up. "this is my . . ."
"our!"
alberto glared at the window, where giulias voice came from. "our hideout."
he notices luca looking at the hairbrush while sitting down criss-cross-apple -sauce, curious was a really cute look on this boy, who he still didn't know the name off. he chuckles.
"that," he points to the hairbrush, wrist brushing lucas hand, "is what you brush your hair with, not a fork. it's called a hairbrush."
luca blinked, looking down at the hairbrush with a scrunched nose. a dinglehopper was called a fork? and it was used for eating? he smiles, so many things he needed to learn. he brushed his hair gently, combing his hair.
alberto smiles, watching the peaceful boy. he hears a low growl, and turns to see machiavelli, rubbing against him.
"come on, you," he scoops the cat up, "off to bed."
he turns as luca tucks himself in, grabbing the pillow and hugging it as he rests his head against it, nuzzling it. alberto smiles at the boy, shyly waving.
the boy blinks, then waves back just as shyly.

"any sign of him?" daniela asks lorenzo as they regather, looking for luca.
"no," frowns lorenzo, "giuseppe and i have searched everywhere. we've found no trace of luca, none whatsoever."
daniela sighs, then flares up and growls. "well, we'll keep looking! leave no shell unturned, and no coral unexplored. let no one in this village sleep until he's safe at home." she insists.
lorenzo nods, but his expression is doubtful.
he swims off, leaving daniela alone with her thoughts. she sighs, throwing her head into her claws. "oh, what have i done?" he sniffles, "what have i done?"

"psst."
luca groans, trying to swat away the noise by his ear with a hiss. he turns around with a curl yawning as he curls up.
"hey, kid! wake up!"
the voice is more urgent, it's scuttles. luca groans.
"kid, the skies been leaking!" scuttle claws at his shoulder, trying to lift him up.
luca curls up into himself tightly, trying to ignore scuttle. but then he suddenly jumps up, understanding with horror what scuttle means. he looks around in horror at the leaves dewed and dripping around him, and covers and jumps to settle on his knees.
he hunches over, frantically wiping at himself. he freezes and turns to see machiavelli next to him on a branch, glaring and growling at him suspiciously.
he and machiavelli jump as giulia suddenly yowls and brings her hands together to mimic blowing a snarfblat, was that a human wake up call? machiavelli and luca are holding each other from the surprise, and looking at giulia.
"buongiorno!" she calls with a grin, looking at them before gasping, clawing her hands up to cup her cheeks as she somehow leans over, grabs luca, and pulls him inside her room.
she screams, pulling at her hair, "oh, oh dio i'm so sorry, i didn't think it would rain last night! forgive me," she hushes, patting at luca frantically like he's fragile. "i'll make it up to you, i promise! we still have some time before alberto comes back with papà to fix you up."
luca blinks and she whips him around, swinging the closet doors open again and scratching her chin at the available clothes.
"actually," she suddenly breaths, humming as she steps back and pats lucas shoulder assuringly, "you seem to have a knack for your own fashion. since your taste is better then mine, you can pick out your outfit!" she exclaims.
luca blinks, then looks into the whole new world behind the doors again. stumbling forward as giulia pushes him forward gently, he caresses his hand over the clothes, oogling at his options.

alberto opens the door for his father, who lowers himself down to squeeze through, he walks in and crashes into his fathers back, rubbing his head and looking over.
giulia is hushing them both with a finger over her pursed lips. the boy is looking down in concentration as he tries to figure out something, but all alberto can look at is how the boy is dressed.
he's wearing a light blue, long sleeved shirt that cuffs at his wrists. slipped over is a dark blue corset that dips into a v at his waist, and following down is a blue dress.
alberto is taken aback by the boys beauty, blinking as he focuses on what he's doing. in front of him are scribbled and crushed together pages of paper, giulias attempts to teach the boy how to spell so they could figure out his name, apparently. the boy presents her something.
"abcde . . ." she says slowly, gripping the paper. she looks up at him, whose smiling, "you're doing it, you're doing it!"
the boy grins eagerly, grabbing the paper and presenting it to massimo and alberto. alberto chuckles at the messy handwriting, nostalgically thinking back to his own when he was fourteen.
massimo takes the paper, looking down at it with a raised brow as giulia nods proudly with her arms crossed. "he's a fast learner, maybe i should be a teacher!"
she laughs at her joke, elbowing luca who smiles and looks up to alberto eagerly.
alberto clears his throat, "right, the- the tour." he laughs as he extends an arm out for the boy, "well, shall we?" he asks.
luca blinks, and melts under his voice, he holds onto the table to support himself as he holds up his dress delicately, hesitating before looping his arm around albertos in slight confusion.
alberto beams, taking luca to the backyard and opening the gate for him. they both turn back and wave at giulia and massimo, who wave back.