Uniquely The Same - Luca (Pixar) Fanfic

The Train Ride

As I lay on the roof of Giulia's family's house I felt a small burning in my heart. I couldn't suss out what it was exactly, but my small heart seemed to be thudding a lot quicker today and I didn't know exactly why.

You see, I was hoping I was imagining it all... but something had changed today, and I didn't know what.

"Luca!"

I froze up when I heard her sweet voice and turned my head to the side, watching as Giulia climbed onto the tiled roof to join me.

"Thinking about Portorosso, tomorrow?" The adolescent girl asked with a grin on her mouth. I gulped before nodding my head gently and she crooked an eyebrow up at me, confused, "Okay, what's wrong Mister?"

I tensed at her question and only dashed my eyes back up at the starry night sky.

"I was just thinking..." I mumbled and she lay down beside me, putting her hands behind her head to give it support, "Your mum and dad... why did they..."

"Make me?" She joked and I shook my head quickly, not wanting to mess around.

"No, Giulia." Her cheerful expression dropped and I continued warily, "Separate? Why aren't they together...?"

"Oh, um..." She muttered, seeming to find it difficult to answer my question, "I guess... because they fell out of love."

"That can happen?" I asked, seeming sad that my prediction was correct in how Giulia would answer.

"Do you think they were ever... in love?" That sounded like a stupidly obvious question but I couldn't stop the words from leaving my mouth.

"Well, duh." Giulia continued, rolling her eyes up to the sky in exasperation, "You have to be in love to fall out of love."

"Hmm." I hummed to myself and closed my eyes tightly for a few seconds, really feeling the chill of the cold night air.

"C'mon Luca," She continued and shook my arm that was nearest to her, "We have to go to bed to be up in time for the train."

"Yeah," I mumbled and slowly sat up. I glanced at Giulia and she gave a big grin, patting me on the shoulder as she left my presence.

My heart hurt seeing her leave and I couldn't place why. I hoped I couldn't. I didn't want to fall into any kind of... y'know? That mushy lovey-dovey stuff that two people do together. What was it...?

Romance. My cheeks reddened at just the thought of the word.

"Luca?!"

"Coming!" I peeped, frightened I had gone too much into my own head. I quickly got to my feet and climbed the side of the house to the balcony and walked in. I saw that Giulia and her mum had both gotten changed into their pyjamas and I looked away as I passed them because that was the proper way to act when women were dressed lightly (As my mother always told me.)

I came into my room and changed into just shorts and a very light singlet. Even though the air was chilly, it was nothing compared to the cold sea I had grown up with for most of my life. In fact, I think I was becoming too accustomed to this way of living... outside the water, that is.

But every day I learned something new, something I couldn't have learned undersea.

When I woke in the morning it was because I was splashed with a bucket of water over my face, and leapt up, sitting there shivering and trembling as Giulia smiled at me, a silly spark in her eyes.

"Giulia?" I moaned, smiling back helplessly as I looked to my arms and could see they had turned blue from exposure to water, "Why?"

"Just getting you ready for the ocean again." She said with a grin and I got out of bed, shaking myself off as droplets of water flung from my skin and I resumed my human-looking form.