Forging New Paths

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Luca only nodded along, wondering if it would come out or if it was sleeping. "They have three hearts," he said almost absentmindedly, almost more to himself than to Anthony. Three hearts, and blood that was blue. He wondered if this was the kind that changed colors, but didn't want it to be upset enough to do so.

"He reads a lot," Evelyn informed fondly, standing nearby where Anthony waited but without getting in their way. She could see just fine from a distance, for now. "He just doesn't get out much." There were a lot of things, she knew, that Luca knew but didn't know how to say, but it was reasonable to assume he didn't know much. Neither he nor she took offense at the implication that he didn't.

The octopus wasn't moving, so Luca stepped back a little to give it room. "It's sleeping," he murmured, looking around a little and wandering off to get closer to the floor-to-ceiling wall of glass which held a kelp forest inside, with so many different kinds of fish swimming slowly around within it. He gave a little twitch when he spotted something particularly interesting at the bottom of the tank, down near he sand, and even tried to wave Anthony a little closer so he could point to it. "A little shark." He wasn't sure what kind it was, but it was only a couple feet long. It moved so differently from the other fish. Why didn't it eat them?

Evelyn shifted her bags and Watson's leash to the same hand, so she could reach out and take Garrett's arm with the other, squeezing softly as they followed after. "Thank you." She said almost breathlessly, endlessly grateful to him for the renewed spark in Luca's eyes, for making it possible for him to experience things without getting so overwhelmed by people and commotion. "He already loves it." He was so focused, so happy, it almost made her want to cry.
 
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"Three hearts?" Anthony repeated, glancing between Luca and the octopus. "That's so cool! Are they like, all in the same spot? Or do they slide around like jello?"

Garrett stifled a laugh. Anatomy had never been Anthony's strong suit, but at least he was having a fun time learning.

Anthony hurried over when Luca waved at him, and he crouched down with a soft squeal. "That thing's almost the size of Watson! Dude, wouldn't it be cool if sharks could swim in the air instead of the water? Then we could have a pet shark!"

All at once, Garrett's attention was broken by Evelyn's arm wrapping around his. He couldn't stop himself from blushing. But he smiled and nodded, quickly turning back to look at Luca in a vain attempt to hide the red in his cheeks. "You're welcome," he murmured at last. "I've never seen Luca like this before. Or Anthony, for that matter. Maybe I'll reach out to the aquarium and see if we can make this a more regular thing." Then he chuckled lightly. "I can't wait until he sees the touch pools."
 
Luca made a thoughtful sound, trying to think back on what he'd read and how long ago he'd read it. "Near each other. . ." He said without much confidence, giving his head a little shake. "I don't remember." It was something about different hearts for different parts of the body, but he couldn't remember where, or which ones.

When Anthony crouched, Luca paused and then did the same, mimicking his friend to be at the same height and watching the shark with a small but amused smile. "Through air? Like birds?" A flying shark was such a funny idea. But having a pet shark sounded neat. "Oh." He pointed when he spotted something else moving in the sand, leaning a little closer to the glass as if to see better. "A flounder. It's hiding."

"I don't work with animals often," Evelyn said a bit thoughtfully, completely missing Garrett's expression in the dim lighting of the aquarium with Luca and Anthony holding her attention, "but I would offer my services if they wanted me to try." Perhaps she could tell if they were sick, or unhappy, or if someone had been eaten that shouldn't be. Anything to be sure Luca could feel the same excitement over and over again.

At the thought of the touch pools, she gave a soft laugh and leaned a bit into his side. "I think we may have to be sure he doesn't try to take anything home."
 
Anthony smiled and shrugged. "That's all right. I don't know, either. But yeah! Like birds."

His gaze was quickly drawn to the flounder. Then he noticed a clear tunnel, where people could crawl in and feel like they were underwater. "Oooh, Luca! Check this out!" He hurried over and crawled in, his eyes sparkling. "Isn't this neat? We can be underwater!"

And then she was leaning on him. Garrett's heart fluttered a bit, but he quickly stifled the feeling as best he could. "Ah - right," he replied, chuckling a bit with a flustered tone. "I'll keep an eye on him. But I'm sure he'll be easier to convince if he knows he's coming back. As for working as part of the staff here . . . that's not a bad idea. Maybe Luca could work here too, overnight, when there's not as many people?" Was he stammering? He hoped not.

But what was wrong with him? He'd never blushed this much before, or been so nervous over nothing. Was he sick?
 
Luca hesitated, uncomfortable with the idea of small spaces, but it was well lit and clear, and Anthony was already inside. After a moment to think it over, he got down to his knees and crawled after Anthony at a much slower pace, eyes going wide once he was inside and could see everything clearly. It was like he was there, under the sea with all the fish and sharks and plants. Like swimming in the lake, but so much clearer. It felt like he was floating.

"I don't know about on staff," Evelyn mused thoughtfully, "but perhaps on a consulting contract. . ." Getting paid for it would be nice, so long as it didn't require an entire change in her schedule. It was a distracting enough train of thought that she didn't quite place Garrett's tone, thinking he was only still amused by Anthony and Luca's antics.

The latter's silence was worrying, at first, enough so that she let go of Garrett to walk after him, waiting to see if her Insight would tell her he was panicking. He was fine, she found when she got closer, just very, very focused on everything behind the glass and nothing outside of it, relaxed and in awe despite being somewhere potentially claustrophobic. With a little smile, she let go of the leash so Watson could hurry in after them, as she had no intention of followed.

"You've got Watson, Anthony." She warned, bending down just a bit to see them in their tunnel. "He wanted to come with you."
 
"It's cool, right?" Anthony asked, grinning and laying back against the floor to stare upward. "Just like swimming! But you don't have to hold your breath." He glanced over at the sound of Watson's jingling leash. "Oh! Hey, Watson. Come on in."

The cat meowed and hurried to Luca's side at first, purring and rubbing against him. Then he caught sight of the fish behind the glass. He trotted over and batted at the surface, attempting to catch the huge fish that was clearly bigger than him.

Anthony snorted. "I think that one's a bit too big for you, Watson," he said, folding his hands behind his head.

Garrett followed after Evelyn, letting out a soft breath of relief as the blush faded again. Then he sat on a nearby bench to watch the pair observe the fish in the underwater tunnel. "Wow. I can't remember the last time I took myself to an aquarium," he murmured. "It really is gorgeous here."
 
"Like swimming. . ." Luca parroted quietly, sitting on his knees with his head tilted far back to see as much as he could, unsure if he would like laying down inside a tunnel. It was strangely peaceful, seeing the water and the creatures above him, but he wasn't sure what would make the small space start to feel bad again and didn't want to risk moving.

When Watson came in, he petted the cat distractedly and frowned a little when he batted at the glass. "Is that . . . okay?" It wouldn't scare the fish, would it?

Evelyn sighed softly once they were settled inside and just retreated to sit on the edge of Garrett's bench where she could keep an eye out for when they emerged but still take a look at the tank herself. "It is," she agreed quietly. "There's something soothing about watching fish swim. If we're not careful, I think it might knock Luca into a coma." He was already mesmerized.
 
Anthony nodded. "Oh, yeah, that's fine. Little kids smack their hands on the glass all the time. It's meant to withstand a lot of pressure. Watson's tiny paws won't do anything, and the fish are used to stuff like that. Oh! Here comes a shark, Luca!" He pointed overhead, and one of the larger shakes glided back, observing the pair with as much curiosity as they observed him with.

"That's all right. The more rest he gets after tonight, the better," Garrett said with a chuckle. "Besides, we're in no rush. And if he falls asleep, we can just carry him home. No worries whatsoever." It didn't come up often, but in his line of work, Garrett was used to carrying large amounts of weight, including one or two people at once. Dead weight, specifically.
 
Luca nodded a little, reassured at the idea that the fish wouldn't be bothered, but was very quickly distracted by the shark. He made a soft 'oooh' under his breath, tilting his head back so far as it passed that he bonked it lightly against the other side of the tunnel, a hand shifting back to take his weight so he wouldn't fall over.

"It's big. . ." He murmured, unbothered and in awe, twisting to look after it. He knew sharks were long, but it was different seeing it in person.

Evelyn gave an incredulous little shake of her head, laughing softly at the image of Garrett carrying Luca home on his back. "Speak for yourself. He's lighter than he should be, but he's still heavy." And tall. Too many long limbs everywhere. "I can't say he wouldn't like a piggy back ride, though." He was too big for it, but it would be like getting to hug someone for a long time, while also in motion.
 
"I know, right?" Anthony murmured, his eyes also locked on the shark as it passed by. "Y'know, working at an aquarium is one of three jobs I'd love to have. Sometimes the staff get to swim with the fish when they feed them or give them checkups! I'd also like to work at a carnival. But right now, my favorite job is being Garrett's detective partner!" he decided.

Watson loved chasing the fish back and forth, especially when one of the fish began playing tag with him through the glass. He meowed and batted at it a few times before running back to the other end of the tunnel, and the fish would follow.

Garrett smiled and shook his head. "I may not look like much, muscle wise, but rest assured I could carry him if I needed to. A piggy back would be plenty fine too, though. I'll ask if he wants one when we eventually leave the aquarium. If he hasn't fallen asleep by then," he added, chuckling lightly.
 
Luca looked up through the water with a soft, amazed little sound, pointing up towards the fish swimming by. "Even with sharks?" He'd seen people swim with sharks before, but only in the ocean, and he'd seen them in videos swimming with fish in the tanks, but not with sharks around. A mix of the two wasn't too unbelievable, he supposed.

He looked down after a pause, and smiled when he saw Watson running along with a fish following after. "Look. They're playing." Watson was having fun, and maybe he was projecting but Luca thought Anthony really liked being at the aquarium too. "Is it fun?" He asked after a pause, quiet and contemplative even as he watched Watson running. "Is it scary?" Being a detective could be dangerous, couldn't it? Evelyn had told him one day, when she was reassuring him that Garrett could take care of himself despite the danger. Wasn't Anthony ever afraid? Luca wondered, sometimes, if he was the only one that ever was.

Evelyn couldn't help laughing quietly at the image, though she reached a hand back to touch her fingertips lightly to his arm as she tried to compose herself, as if to reassure him she wasn't laughing at him. "I'm sorry- the image of his gangly limbs everywhere is too much. He would probably fall asleep on your back and go limp." She shook her head a little to try and get rid of it, setting their shopping bags gently in her lap to wait for the boys to be done fish-gazing in the tunnel. "You're welcome to offer, but I don't know that he would say yes. He doesn't like being without his gifts in public." It was nighttime, besides. Darkness always made him feel worse about things.
 
Anthony nodded. "Even with sharks. Most sharks are pretty peaceful, I've heard. And these ones here are really used to people." He turned his head a bit to look at Luca when he started asking about his detective job, and he smiled and nodded again. "It is fun. And it's also super scary sometimes. But Garrett and I help take off each other and keep each other safe." He shrugged and looked back at the fish. "I'm still afraid a lot. But it's okay. A job like that, you've got to learn how to work through your fear."

He grunted when Watson suddenly ran across him and squeezed his lungs a bit. "Oof! Watson, you silly," he chastised, laughing. "You trying to get the fish?"

Then he glanced over at Luca again and smiled. "Oh! Hey, you still up for sleeping over at the office tonight? Or do you want to sleep at your own house?"

Garrett blushed again and laughed with her. What was it about Evelyn's laugh that was so contagious? "No, it's okay," he said with a giggle. "I get it. And I understand Luca's concern full well. But I think I'll offer anyway, in case he's too tired to walk. At least he'll know he has the option."
 
Luca made a soft, almost uncomfortable little sound, eyes unfocused somewhere near where Watson had run past. It was hard to understand, for things to be very scary but to do them anyway. Work through your fear. What did it mean, exactly? To do things anyway, even if they were scary? Was it possible to do that? Maybe it was for other people. Maybe it could be for him. Maybe, one day, he wouldn't feel so scared anymore.

He winced a little when Watson ran across Anthony's body, but relaxed when the teen laughed and showed he wasn't hurt. "Sleep over?" He repeated, confused and trying to remember if he had been listening when people talked about it. "I . . . I don't know." He didn't know what it would be like, sleeping somewhere that wasn't his room. Could he still leave a light on? Would Evelyn and Garrett still be there? Maybe it was okay.

Evelyn waved a hand to dismiss the thought, smiling a little to herself still. "Maybe he'll surprise us." She said, and after a moment got up to walk over to the tunnel and look inside. "About done here, boys?" She called softly, smiling a little when Watson ran back towards her end of the tunnel. "There's a lot more to see. We can come back later if you want to look again."

Luca looked over, frowned at the walls, but at the thought of seeing more amazing things did finally shift over onto his knees and crawl back out. Maybe there would be more sharks somewhere else. It was a very big building.
 
"That's all right, you don't have to if you don't want," Anthony assured him. "But if you ever want to, you can. I think it'd be fun. We have a bunch of sleeping bags and stuff, and glowing star decorations, and a nightlight!"

He glanced over when Evelyn called the pair out of the tunnel. "Oh, right! The rest of the aquarium! Luca, I think the touch pools are next. They're my favorite part except for the deep sea section!"

Anthony crawled out of the tunnel after Luca and bounded over to the next section, his eyes sparkling. "Okay, so we have to rinse our hands first if we want to pet the fish. That way we won't get germs or soap on them," he explained, heading to a sink and rinsing off.

Garrett walked a bit more quickly that way, too. "I have to admit, it's been a while since I've petted a fish. I think I'd like to pet the stingrays first! They're like flappy pancakes," he added, rinsing his own hands. "Evelyn? Are you going to pet fish?"
 
Evelyn gave Luca her hand to help him to his feet, waiting a moment to be sure Anthony didn't hit his head on the way out, too, then let them lead the way. It would almost have been bittersweet watching the way Luca followed after Anthony with barely a glance her way, if it hadn't been so reassuring that he didn't need her holding his hand all the time.

"You can touch them?" Luca asked, watching Anthony rinsing off his hands and cautiously moving to do the same. "It won't hurt?" He didn't want to accidentally hurt the fish.

"It'll be all right," Evelyn reassured as she followed at a more relaxed pace, their bags and Watson's leash back in hand. "Just be gentle with them, like with Watson, and they'll be just fine. You know how to do that."

Luca paused thoughtfully, lips pressed together in a thin line like he was still worried about it, but finally nodded along. "Okay. . . I'll be careful."

"Hm. . . I think I will." Evelyn said thoughtfully after a moment, and gave Garrett a small smile as she set the bags down so she could rinse her hands clean. "Just don't let me forget to pick those up again."
 
Garrett patted Evelyn's arm gently as she watched Luca and Anthony run off. "I know. I'm so proud of how far he's already come with his confidence." Then he grinned. "I won't let you forget. Don't worry, Anthony set his own book nearby. I'm sure he'll say something if I don't."

Anthony smiled at Luca and dried his hands off. "Nah, it won't hurt them. The fish in these pools like being petted. If they don't want to be pet, they'll just swim away. Oh! I gotta warn you, the stingrays like to splash people with water," he added, giggling. "It's pretty funny."

He pointed at the different pools. "So we've got stingrays, sea stars and urchins, sturgeon fish, and bamboo sharks! Who do you want to visit first, Luca?"
 
"It's just proof that he can be okay, if he's well focused," Evelyn said, glancing after the two of them as she cleaned and dried her hands, and giving Garrett a small, almost sad little smile. "Some day, maybe all of his days will be like that." It would be sad to let him go, but she couldn't help longing for the moment anyway. Some day he would be able to survive without her for longer than a few minutes at a time, and she would have accomplished all she had wanted for him.

"It's okay," Luca murmured almost unsurely as he followed Anthony to the pools to be shown how to touch them, not really liking the idea of getting splashed. "It's just water." He paused at the list, eyes drifting to the side, and one could almost see the wheels turning in his head before he looked at Anthony again in clear confusion. "Urchins . . . are spiky?" Did they not poke like cactuses? He'd never seen them touch before. "Maybe . . . sea stars." Starfish didn't run away, right? If they were still, he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally hurting them.
 
"I hope so, too," Garrett agreed softly. "Or at least most of his days, anyway. But this is certainly a promising start."

Anthony grinned and patiently waited for Luca to process, nodding at him. "Yeah, they're kinda spiky? But most of them are more . . . bumpy feeling, I guess I'd say. All the spikes are so close together that they're not sharp, really. Unless you try to eat one. But like, duh, don't eat a sea urchin," he said, laughing at his own joke.

He ambled over to the sea star tank and stuck his hand in. "Great choice! Sea stars are always fun. They're sort of rough feeling, but they're colorful and nice to look at." He gently petted the closest one, smiling at the ripples reflecting through the water. "They can move, sometimes. But mostly they just stay and lie around places."

"How about you, Evelyn?" Garrett asked at last. "All the touch pools are in sight of each other, so I don't think Luca will mind if we're right nearby. Which animal would you like to visit first?"
 
Luca considered the idea of the spikes being very close together, thinking about surface tension and weight distribution, which he only sometimes felt like he fully understood. Nodding along and smiling a bit hesitantly at the way Anthony laughed, he followed to the starfish tank and looked around at all the things underwater.

"So many. . ." He murmured, finally picking a big one but pausing before his hand touched the water to pull back his sleeve so it wouldn't get wet, then finally reached in with a little shudder at the cold and very, very gently ran his fingertips over the center of its 'back'. "Oh. Like sandpaper." Their tough skin, or plates, was what kept them safe, he knew that, but he'd never touched one before.

Evelyn was thoughtful, looking after the boys for a moment and then sighing softly. "I suppose you're right. I should try not to hover." It would be good practice for her, at least. "Do you want to see the little sharks with me?" She hadn't been to a touch pool since she was a little girl. As calm and composed as she could be, she honestly was a bit excited about getting to be so close to sea creatures.
 
"Yeah! I'm gonna pet an urchin next. They don't get as much love, I think, cuz they look spiky," Anthony said. He reached out with both hands to pet two at once. "But I like 'em!"

The urchins moved a bit, and then slowly curled their spikes towards Anthony's hands.

Anthony giggled, tilting his head. "Do you guys agree? You need extra love, huh? I totally get it. Don't worry, me and Luca are here to help! We'll pet every one of you we can reach," he promised.

Garrett grinned and nodded. "Yes! Those and the stingrays are my favorite." He hurried over to the sharks, pulled his sleeve up, and reached in to pet them. "Hey, guys! Who wants scritches?" he called.

Watson trotted over to Luca and Anthony, since the sides of that touch pool were clear and he could see inside. He sat down and tilted his head. Not much was moving, besides the water and plants. What were his humans doing?
 
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