Love Comes in All Sizes (Companion Sequel Fic to "Uniquely the Same")

The Exploring Gene

"Erika..."

She continued to cry and I slowly descended into the dank old broken ship to where the flowers glowed around her. I shook her shoulder weakly, and she startled awake, looking at me with veiny red eyes.

"Alberto, what are you doing here?"

"Why are you crying?" I asked her point-blank and she wiped her sore eyes, muttering.

"I wasn't..."

I gave her still a blank expressionless face, with one eyebrow cocking up and she continued.

"Can you see any tears?"

"We're underwater, Einstein."

She let out a pathetic weak laugh and stood up, but shuddered back when she saw the water around her dim lower and lower from lack of sunlight.

"C'mon," I told her, grabbing her pink fin hand and pulling her out of the shipwreck. She however, pulled away reluctantly.

"Where are we going?"

"You're staying with me and my Papa."

As we reached the surface of the water, I looked around as the waves swept at me, looking for the right direction to Portorosso. I then found it and nodded my head, diving back under and pulling Erika with me.

"I'm not going on land with those 'Land Dwellers'," Erika remarked angrily and tried to pull away. I decided to call her bluff though and let go of her hand, replying.

"Okay."

She quickly turned to leave, but the whole sea and sky were hardly distinguishable in the night and she spun back around to me, seeing the lights of the town was the only thing visible in the dark.

"So...?" I asked, and she bit her lip nervously. I had taken her out of her home and she now had no choice. She feared something I didn't and finally muttered bitterly.

"Fine..."

~x~

We arrived at the town shortly after and came onto the land, our scales turning to skin and our human hair bouncing into being. She looked around nervously, holding tight onto my hand and arm and I smirked at her silly irrational fear.

"No one's going to hurt you," I told her easily and she trembled there, whispering.

"Don't draw attention to us! I've seen their boats. They want to cook me for dinner!"

"Haha," I laughed barely, amused at her fear. She was actually kinda cute... wrong thought. Stupid, stupid wrong thought.

We reached Mr. Marcovaldo's house and I pushed opened the door, knowing it would be unlocked. This town was too easy in its trust with residents. Nearly everyone had unlocked doors.

I saw my papa at the kitchen counter, making his famous delicious pasta and I pushed Erika in front of me, forcefully placing her down on a seat and I took the second one beside her.

"So, Alberto." My Papa asked as he began to turn around, "That girl been bothering you today-"

He paused the second he saw her, and Erika waved at him nervously.

"Or not."

"She's afraid of the dark, okay." I told him blankly, in case he thought she was here for another reason, "She needs a place where there is light."

Erika seemed to go more blue than red in the face, as she had an unusual nervous reaction to seeing the cut-up fish on the counter.

"Were they... alive?" She asked pointing her finger to the heads of fish that had been chopped off, "Or dead before you...?"