When Enzo was a kid, he loved hearing the story of how his parents had gotten together. They told it often, as Enzo always asked to hear it. 

It was at the house you were born in, Enzo's mother would begin. Enzo would lean on her lap, wide-eyed and expectant. My family and I didn't get along, so I had moved there a couple years back to get some space and borrowing experience of my own. 

She always laughed a little and shook her head. I was a very independent borrower, she'd say. I didn't want or need anyone's help. Then she'd make a face. Until I fell into one of the human's mouse traps. 

No matter how many times Enzo heard this story, his eyes always widened in horror at that part.

It was a spring trap, so my leg was hurt pretty badly. Enzo's mom would always show him the scar on her leg. And I was at too awkward of an angle to try to lift the bar off of me. So, I was just... stuck there. Probably would've been discovered by a human if your father hadn't found me first. 

She'd then smile and look over at Enzo's father, who would always be off to the side, listening silently. He was a borrower of few words, always leaving the storytelling to Enzo's mother. 

He appeared without a word, and it only took him one try to get the bar off me! she'd exclaim, demonstrating by lifting whatever was closest to her.

Because he was so strong, right? Enzo would interrupt, and his mother always nodded. 

Yes, because he was so strong, she'd affirm. I thought he'd disappear as quickly as he came, but he draped my arm over his shoulder and helped me back home.

Her eyes would get misty and sentimental. He was just passing through, trying to find a house of his own, but he stayed for me. He even did all of the borrowing until I was able to go out on my own, and when he wasn't out and about, he kept me company in the walls. We'd talk together all evening. 

She would then raise her eyebrows at Enzo's dad. Well, I would talk all evening. He was just as silent back then as he is now. 

Enzo's dad would just nod until his mom laughed and continued. As soon as my leg was healed a month later, well, I asked him if he'd like to stay permanently. 

She'd tickle Enzo at this point, not stopping until he was breathless with laughter. And then you came along, and we couldn't have been happier. 

She'd then kiss Enzo on the forehead and smooth his hair back. Dad and I won't always be around, she told him. But you'll be alright. You'll find someone like Dad and I did. And when you do, you'll know they're the right one because you'll be safe to be yourself, safe to love them freely, and safe to live alongside them. So, choose wisely, ok? The right person will always prioritize your safety, happiness, and well-being.

Enzo didn't get it then, but he thought he understood it now. Luca was the safest person in the world, and Enzo wanted to be with him— in the same way his parents had been together.

From what he'd seen, humans seemed to have a similar partnering system. The last home Enzo had lived in belonged to an elderly couple who had been together for over fifty years. Luca had been with several people in the past, too, and like Enzo's parents, they kissed and held hands. They seemed to like being together. They talked a lot and made plans. 

But unlike Enzo's parents and that old human couple, Luca and his partners never lived together. And they didn't last the way Enzo's parents had. 

Did Luca want a permanent partner? Enzo didn't know. His own parents had clearly loved each other, and they worked hard to provide for their family. Luca and Enzo were essentially doing something similar, living life alongside each other while raising Harper.

But Enzo didn't know if Luca loved him the way his parents had loved each other. And he and Luca clearly didn't have that title of "being together," which meant they couldn't do the things Enzo was curious about trying, like holding Luca's hand or kissing him. So, Enzo tried to figure out how to change that.

At the climbing gym a few days later, Enzo watched Katie and Jake, that human couple Luca had forced him to be friends with. He knew from Luca that they had been together for 3 years and that they lived together with their dog. That seemed pretty permanent to Enzo. 

From what Enzo had seen, they looked happy to be together, always sending each other secret smiles or touching the other's arm or helping each other with their climbing harnesses. Jake once helped Katie tie her hair back when it kept getting in her face, and Enzo had just stared at the intimate scene. None of the other climbers did things like that for each other. It seemed like you had to "be together" to have a free pass to touch and be close.

But Luca and I touch and are close, Enzo thought, thinking back to the way Luca used to hold him. Even now, he'll put his hand on my back to steady me or hold me if I ask. But we're not together. We don't do the other things that Jake and Katie do.

For example, Katie always got a kiss from Jake after climbing. Luca just gave Enzo a clap on the back. Enzo decided he didn't like that. No, not one bit.

So, he took matters into his own hands.

"Katie," he began. They were taking a break from bouldering while Luca and Jake were off entertaining Harper. Katie looked up from her phone in surprise. Enzo never started conversations.

"How are you and Jake together?" he asked, once he had her attention.

She looked even more surprised. "Umm, what?"

"How did you go from being friends to being together?" Enzo clarified, and her face cleared up.

"Oh, that?" she said. "Well, we'd been friends for a few months, but after a while, we noticed that we spent all our time together. So... Jake asked me out. And I said yes."

Enzo frowned. "That's it?" he said. "The only thing between being friends and being together is asking?"

Katie laughed a little. "When you put it that way, then, yeah, kind of."

"And then, once you're together, what do you do? How exactly is being together different from being friends?" Enzo pressed, trying to understand how humans did things.

Katie smiled, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, umm, there's a lot of overlap between a dating relationship and a close friendship," she answered. "We always strive to support each other. We talk a lot and prioritize being with each other. Umm, and well, we hold hands and kiss and, umm, things like that. You know, that kind of stuff."

Hmm. No, Enzo did not know that kind of stuff. But he wanted to find out.

Enzo was quiet the rest of the evening, pondering his next move. It seemed like the next thing to do was have a conversation with Luca. If all it takes is asking, Enzo decided, then that's what I'll do. 

They headed back home, and he turned his head to look at Luca, who was nodding along to the car radio. Luca's profile was so familiar, so comforting. His strong jawline. His slightly upturned nose. His long, dark lashes. Enzo could spend a lifetime studying it, and he'd never get bored.

Once home, Luca gave Harper a hug goodnight before disappearing into the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes from dinner. Enzo always put Harper to bed, so he ushered his little brother into the bathroom now, making sure he brushed his teeth before getting into his pajamas.

After he finished tucking Harper into bed, Enzo went searching for Luca. He found the human still in the kitchen, putting the last of the dishes away while humming under his breath. Enzo stood in the doorway and studied him for a moment— his broad back, his silvery-gray hair. A familiar warmth rose up in his chest, that same type of comforted feeling he had whenever Luca used to hold him.

Yes, Enzo decided. This is what I want. I just want Luca.

Enzo walked into the kitchen and stopped behind Luca, waiting for the human to finish what he was doing.

After a few minutes, Luca put away the last dish and turned around. He looked a bit startled to see Enzo right behind him, but his face quickly melted into a warm smile.

"Oh, hey, man," he greeted Enzo. "How's it going? Harper in bed?"

"I have to talk to you," Enzo insisted, disregarding Luca's questions.

Luca raised his eyebrows but stopped what he was doing, wiping his hands on his dish towel and leaning against the counter.

"Ok," he said. "Shoot."

Enzo looked him right in the eye. "I like you," he announced, not even trying to find a way to build up to it. His heart was pounding like crazy. "I want to be with you."

Luca looked dumbfounded. "You... like me?" he said, looking confused. "You want to be with me? What do you mean by that?"

Enzo pursed his lips, thinking. "Like... like how those Jake and Katie humans are together," he finally settled on.

He paused again before nodding firmly, sure of his description. Luca should be able to understand what he meant by that. "I like you like that. I want to be with you like that."

Luca's eyes widened. "Like... dating?" he said tentatively. "You want us to be... boyfriends?"

Enzo nodded, and Luca gaped at him.

"W... why?" Luca asked, his voice faint. "Do you... even know what that is? You've never brought up something like that before."

Enzo frowned a bit, a little offended. "Yes, I know what that is," he said shortly. "I lived in the walls, not under a rock. I like you. I like talking to you. I like it when you hold me. I like it when you touch me. But I want more than all that. I want us to be together."

Luca got still at his explanation. He was silent for so long that Enzo was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Well?" Enzo demanded. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Luca blinked a few times before a smile slowly spread across his face like the sun.

"You like me?" he echoed. "Really?"

Enzo raised his eyebrows, not very impressed by how long it was taking Luca to grasp this. "Do you need me to say it again?"

Before he could say anything, however, Luca had already taken two steps forward and wrapped him up in a hug, pressing Enzo's face into his shoulder.

Enzo stood there, bewildered. Is this how humans normally react when you ask them to be together? he wondered.

"I like you, too, Enz," Luca murmured. "I want to be with you, too."

Enzo froze for a moment, startled by the emotion in Luca's voice and the force with which he was crushing Enzo against him. But he quickly relaxed, sliding his hands around Luca's waist to hug him back.

Enzo leaned his cheek against Luca's shoulder and breathed deeply, remembering how it felt to be held by him.

I don't have to miss that feeling anymore, he realized, relieved. All this time... it was just... Luca.

After a minute of this, Luca reluctantly pulled back, his warm hands coming up to cup Enzo's face.

"You like me?" he repeated, blue eyes hopeful. "You really, really like me? You?"

Enzo, though happy, was starting to get confused. What doesn't he get? he wondered. I thought I was pretty clear.

"Yes, Luca," Enzo answered, a little exasperatedly. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Umm, yes," Luca admitted, blushing a little. "I mean... you're just so... perfect." He tucked a strand of Enzo's hair behind his ear, his fingers lingering.

Enzo laughed incredulously. "Me? What the hell are you going on about?"

"You are!" Luca insisted. His eyes were bright in his earnestness. "You're resilient and handsome and loving and interesting and cool and..."

"Ok, ok, I get it," Enzo interrupted, placing a hand on Luca's chest to get him to stop. His face was already flushed with embarrassment. "If anything, you're the perfect one out of the two of us, so just calm down, would you?"

Luca smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips against Enzo's forehead. Enzo stiffened, jerking his hand back from Luca's chest to feel for the ghostly impression the human's lips had left behind on his skin.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, face heating up even more. But it wasn't because he didn't like it. No. He liked it. A lot.

Luca just laughed and wrapped his arms back around him, keeping enough distance between them that he could still look him in the eye.

"It was just a kiss, Enz," he said easily. "To let you know I care about you." His arms tightened ever so slightly. "A lot."

Enzo's eyes narrowed. The kiss on the forehead was nice, but that wasn't what he was really hoping to try.

"That's not how Jake and Katie kiss," Enzo challenged.

Luca looked dumbstruck, but then he grinned, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Oh, is that what you want?" he murmured, pulling Enzo closer.

Not one to back down, Enzo tilted his chin up and raised an eyebrow. "I've been very clear about what I want today," Enzo pointed out. "It's your own fault if you don't get it."

Luca laughed and brought one hand back up to trace Enzo's lips with a finger. "Close your eyes then," he ordered.

And Enzo, whose only exposure to kissing came from watching movies and sometimes Luca, shrugged, heart pounding as he looked at him. "Sure."

Luca smiled and cupped his face in his hand again. Enzo couldn't help but lean into it. He closed his eyes, feeling the feather soft touch of Luca's breath on his lips as he leaned in.

When nothing else happened, Enzo furrowed his brows in confusion. He was about to open his eyes to see what was taking Luca so long, when Luca finally closed the gap between them.

His lips were warm, and Enzo liked the way they enveloped his, gently pushing against his lips and moving to part them. Luca moved his hands from Enzo's face and placed them on his hips, tugging Enzo forward until he was pressed flush against him.

Huh? Enzo wondered, dumbfounded by their sudden closeness. So, this is what kissing is?

Whatever it was, he felt shivers shoot down his spine, and he experimented by mimicking the human and moving his own lips against Luca's.

Enzo wasn't sure what he thought would happen, but he definitely didn't expect the way Luca's breath caught in his throat or the way Luca's hands tightened on him.

Luca readjusted, kissing him from a different angle. All Enzo could do was grip the front of Luca's shirt tightly and try to figure out what to do.

When Luca finally pulled away, Enzo was both speechless and a bit breathless.

Luca smoothed Enzo's hair behind his ear and bent down to peer into his dazed eyes.

"You alright?" the human asked, voice low with concern. He gently tilted Enzo's chin up with his fingers, and Enzo stared back at him.

"What the hell was that?" Enzo finally demanded. He was dismayed by how faint his voice sounded.

Luca laughed nervously. "A... kiss?" he answered. "Was it alright?"

Enzo nodded, trying to blink the stars from his eyes.

"Can we do that again?" he asked, and Luca chuckled.

"Sure." He leaned in and pressed his lips against Enzo's again, even more gently this time, like he was savoring it.

And as Enzo practiced kissing him back, feeling that warmth bloom in his stomach and shoot throughout his entire body, all he could think about was, Yes. This is exactly what I want. Luca is exactly what I want.

___________________________________________

A/N: The Enzo x Luca ship is essentially grumpy twunk x gentle hunk.

In other news, I wrote a very different confession scene for my other book ...and Falling last week, and I can't get over how different those confessions went. Niles and Enzo are two wildly different characters.

Thanks for reading and see you in the next part! Don't forget to vote or comment! Did you guess right on who would confess first?