Luca started showing up a lot more after that. He'd come visit at least once a day, but it quickly turned into more than that.

He'd still have snack time with Harper, but he'd also started joining them for dinner. Enzo knew he wasn't a good cook by any means, but Luca's eyes were always wide in both awe and gratitude whenever Enzo set down his own little plate in front of him.

Luca even had his own mini table and chair so that he could eat with them easier. It was a project Harper had suggested, and he and Luca spent a week constructing the furniture together.

They were both really excited for Luca to try them out at the next dinner time, and when the contraptions worked, Harper had cheered. Luca was even brave enough to give Harper a high five. Enzo couldn't help but smile at the cute scene.

Enzo really liked watching Luca interact with Harper. The little guy was clearly more comfortable with Harper than he was with Enzo, talking to him easily like one did with an old friend. Which... made sense. He'd known Harper for a couple of years already.

It turned out that Luca was surprisingly good with Harper, taking his questions and comments in stride. And he gave Harper good advice, too, like when Harper talked about a situation he was having with a friend at school.

This guy was born to be a big brother, Enzo thought as he watched. It's a shame he's all by himself. And that he's not human. He's so curious and lively. I'm sure he'd love to be able to go out into the world.

Luca was much more cautious around Enzo, but the little man did seem very interested in him. Enzo caught him staring more than once before flushing and looking away. Sometimes, he'd even drift closer to Enzo, only startling away if Enzo looked at him directly.

Enzo was also very curious about Luca, though he did his best not to show it. The last thing he wanted was to spook the little guy back into the walls. Given how skittish the little man was, Enzo had no idea why Luca kept coming out of the walls to see them, as he looked wary and a little bit afraid the whole time.

This guy must really be lonely, Enzo thought. Why else would he be out here risking his life for a friend?

***

Luca was a bit apprehensive at first, but that didn't stop him from coming out of the walls to spend time with the humans every day. He was already pretty comfortable with Harper, as he'd known the little boy for two years. Though he was still a bit cautious, he trusted Harper not to grab or hurt him.

Luca never let Harper touch him, and to the little boy's credit, he always respected that boundary. Apparently, it was something Enzo had hammered into his head from a young age, that he didn't have to put up with anyone touching him without permission, and that he should offer the same courtesy to everyone else.

Harper was a nice kid, but he was just that- a kid. From what Luca had observed and been taught, kids weren't always very good at gauging how tight was too tight. They were clumsy, too, often dropping or spilling things. As much as Luca liked Harper, he wasn't about to risk an injury or worse just to satisfy the kid's curiosity.

Luca didn't know if he should stick with the same rule for Enzo, though. From his observations, Enzo was very careful, sometimes painfully so. But that was good for someone like Luca. He wouldn't have to be worried about an accident happening around Enzo.

I haven't hugged or touched anyone in seven years, Luca thought wistfully. Sometimes, he'd just stare at Enzo's hands. They were always steady, always gentle with Harper. Would they be gentle with me, too? Luca would wonder.

For some reason, he really wanted to find out.

***

1 month later

"Luca, Enzo said we can have juice," Harper called after school one day, already busy at the fridge. The little boy grunted as he tugged out the heavy jug and stood on his tip toes to place it on the counter.

Enzo hurried to take it from him. "Harps, be careful," he warned his little brother, not for the first time. He poured the juice into a cup before handing it to Harper. "Don't spill."

Luca watched from his spot on the counter. This had been their routine for the last month. Instead of having after school snack with Harper in his room, he'd wait for Enzo and Harper on the kitchen counter, chatting with both humans when they came home.

Enzo would always silently fix a snack for both of them as he listened to Harper talk about his day. Luca mostly listened, too, but he also liked to watch Enzo. The older brother often looked focused on his task, but Luca could tell he always listened intently.

As he watched Enzo cut a carrot into sticks for Harper, there was a clattering sound, and Luca whirled around, startled. A wave of amber-colored liquid flowed towards him on the counter, Harper's cup now on its side.

Luca didn't even have time to react. All he heard was a quiet voice saying "Oh, shit," before he was suddenly swept up into the air, something warm pressing in on him from all sides.

Before Luca could realize what had happened, he was deposited on a warm, flat surface. Blinking, he looked around in bewilderment, realizing belatedly that he... was seated in the middle of Enzo's palm.

He looked up in horror, but Enzo wasn't paying attention to him. Luca peeked over Enzo's curled fingers and saw that the human was mopping up a large puddle of juice on the counter with his free hand, Harper righting his spilled glass sheepishly.

"Harps, you gotta be more careful," Enzo chided him. He finally looked down at Luca, and Luca flinched at the sudden attention.

"See? You could've hurt Luca." And just like that, Luca was put back down, unable to stop his legs from wobbling as he tried to stay upright on the newly dried counter

"I'm sorry, Luca," Harper said sincerely, and Luca looked up from his feet to stare at him. "Are you alright?"

Luca offered him a faint smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied

He staggered a bit, and Enzo's hand was back, steadying him with a finger. "Whoa, there," Enzo said. "Sit down if you're too freaked out to stand."

Luca acted on his suggestion immediately, plopping down on the counter while Enzo slowly withdrew.

"Sorry about picking you up so suddenly," Enzo said. "I didn't want you to get wet or hurt."

"Thanks," Luca mumbled. He just wanted to go home.

Held by a human! he chided himself. Caught off guard and scooped up into the air like it was nothing! He shivered just thinking about it, even though he knew that Enzo meant him no harm. Somehow, in that instant, all his longing to be held by Enzo had vanished, leaving only the instinctual fear behind.

"Mhmm." Enzo walked away for a moment and then returned to the counter, having thrown the sopping wet dish rag in the washing machine.

His dark eyes studied Luca carefully, and Luca squirmed under his gaze, throat tight. He had never seen eyes as intense as Enzo's before. Even when they weren't looking at him, he could still feel their weight.

"You don't look so good," Enzo decided abruptly. "I'm sure that whole thing was pretty overwhelming, even if you're not hurt. Why don't you go home for a bit? Get your bearings and relax. We can all do something another time."

Luca blinked up at him, startled by the considerate suggestion. Enzo was already wrapping Luca's portion of Harper's snack up in some foil.

"Here," he said, offering the package to Luca. "It's ok," he added quietly at Luca's hesitancy. Luca rarely hesitated to take stuff from Enzo anymore. That whole encounter really did shake him up.

Luca nodded and reached for it, dismayed by the way his hands involuntarily shook.

"I'm sorry, Luca," Harper repeated, looking crestfallen. "Do you really have to go?"

"I'll be back later," Luca was quick to assure the boy. "Don't worry."

Waving to both humans and tucking the after-school snack under his arm, Luca quickly disappeared back into the walls.

***

Two days passed before Luca felt brave enough to venture out of the walls again. He wanted to get a snack from the kitchen, so he started there, safe in the knowledge that Enzo and Harper were at work and school.

But as he stepped out onto the counter, he was startled to see Enzo's tall form by the fridge, pouring the last of the juice into a cup.

Luca froze. "What are you doing here?" he blurted out.

Enzo raised his eyebrows before taking a swig of juice. "Umm, I live here?" he answered, and Luca flushed.

"No, I mean... what are you doing home?" he clarified. "Don't you have work? I thought Wednesday and Sunday were your days off."

"Oh, yeah, I guess you would know that," Enzo muttered to himself. He raised his voice a bit to address Luca again. "The gym I work at had a power outage," Enzo explained. "So, I'm off for the day." He walked over to the pantry and grabbed a can of soup before holding it up for Luca to see. "You want some?"

"Oh... sure."

Enzo turned to the stove, leaving Luca to wander across the expansive countertop until he was just within arm's reach of the human. Plopping down on the counter, Luca watched as Enzo poured the can's contents into a pot.

Enzo didn't seem too interested in Luca, so he relaxed a bit, feeling much better than he did the other day. Now that the fear was mostly gone again, Luca was fascinated to be up close to the older human like this. Enzo was just so... big, his entire form completely taking over Luca's line of sight.

It's not too bad being close to him when he's not looking at you, Luca thought, admiring Enzo's dark hair and the way it curled up at the ends. Though... it's a shame I can't see his eyes like this. His eyes are scary but... really pretty.

Those pretty eyes in question suddenly locked onto him, and Luca flinched back. But Enzo was just sliding a bottle cap with soup towards him.

"Sorry I scared you the other day," Enzo said, ladling soup in a bowl for himself. "Are you feeling better?"

"Oh," Luca blushed a bit, remembering his embarrassing reaction. "Yeah. I'm fine." He busied himself with raising the bottle cap to his lips to drink the soup.

The two ate in silence for a while, both keenly aware of how quiet and awkward things were without Harper's cheerful presence.

"So, you didn't disappear when I picked you up," Enzo added suddenly.

Luca paused and lowered the bottle cap, staring at Enzo in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Enzo just shrugged. "I don't know, I thought you might disappear if a human touched you or something."

Luca grinned. "Really? How on earth did you come to that conclusion?"

Enzo laughed a little, and Luca stared at him, mouth agape. Enzo almost never laughed. "Well, Harper kept saying how we couldn't touch you. I just assumed something bad would happen if we did."

Luca couldn't help but laugh, too. "No, I just told Harper not to touch me because he's so young," he corrected. "Harper's a good kid, and I know he'd do his best to be careful, but it's too easy for me to be dropped or squeezed. That's all."

Enzo winced a little, thinking about it. "Yeah, that's probably for the best," he agreed.

They were quiet for a heartbeat longer. It really wasn't that bad being held by him, Luca mused to himself. He was so gentle. And he only did it to keep me safe. Maybe... it's something I can get used to.

"Umm, actually, you can touch me or pick me up sometimes," he invited, before he could lose his nerve. "You... you're pretty careful." He fiddled with the bottle cap for a minute. "And... and it would help me get used to... umm... being around humans."

He peeked up at Enzo, who just raised his eyebrows. "Hmm, ok, sure," the human said. "If you're cool with it."

_______________________________________________________________________

A/N: Luca is very cool with it. So, so cool with it. Don't you see how cool he is with it? Very cool.

Don't forget to vote or comment and see you in the next part!