Fran was a very antisocial person, so when he mentioned over dinner just a few days after meeting Takeshi that he had made a friend, everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief.

The first adult to comment on this was Squalo, a long, silver-haired male who could be heard from miles away. His grey eyes shone with an emotion Fran hadn't seen in them before, and he didn't know what to say about it.

"Are they real?" Squalo questioned, his voice unusually quiet, almost as if he were afraid the boy had gone crazy and was imagining things.

Fran remained emotionless as he replied, finding himself feeling rather offended by the accusation – were they so used to him being by himself that they couldn't picture him ever having friends? "I could ask the same from you – do you really have a relationship with Xanxus or are you just his bitch?"

"Voi!" Squalo roared, brandishing the fork he was holding in the air, his eyes narrowed. "Shut the fuck up, you little shit!"

Fran turned his attention back to the lasagne he had been poking back, not feeling hungry. He ignored the shouts and death threats Squalo aimed at him, used to the man's behaviour; the silver-haired male had little to no control over his explosive temper, and the smallest thing could set him off.

The next person to speak about the topic on hand was Lussuria, a gay man who had taken the boy in after a car accident had killed Fran's only surviving family member. Fran was sure that if Lussuria hadn't actually been involved in the accident, the flamboyant man probably wouldn't have taken him in – they all knew it was guilt that had driven Lussuria to take him in.

"Now, now, Squalo," Lussuria said softly, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. "I'm sure Fran is capable of having friends if he sets his mind to it. There's no need to belittle him over it."

"Why would anyone want to be friends with the smart-ass?" Squalo replied, gesturing over at the teal-haired boy who was leaning on the table with his chin in his hand. "They'll probably get sick of him soon enough anyway."

"Don't say such things, Squalo," Lussuria reprimanded. "Fran already has enough trouble as it is with people."

The blond man, who was sitting to Fran's left, laughed as if this was the most amusing conversation he had ever heard. "Ushishishi~ Froggy doesn't have any friends~"

Fran, who under normal circumstances, would have ignored this, couldn't help but feel hurt at their lack of confidence in him – it was hard for him to open up to people and let them in, feeling much safer with an array of walls protecting him, and it didn't help that he had previously been bullied at his school – exactly what was happening again right now.

Pushing his plate away from him, Fran didn't say a word as he left the dining room, hearing only Lussuria scolding the others before his voice eventually faded into the background.

"See what you've done?" the man pointed out. "You've gone and upset him."

Nice to see they don't give a damn. Fran was a private person by nature so he didn't show his emotions readily. Despite the blank expression on his face, he felt rather hurt. I thought they'd be happy that I finally made a friend. Oh, well. It doesn't matter.

Fran closed his bedroom door behind him before he moved to his bed, sitting down on it. He wished he could talk to Takeshi some more but the time difference between them meant the Japanese boy would most likely be fast asleep.

It's strange to want to talk to someone, Fran concluded. He was so used to staying in his room and keeping to himself, he had forgotten how to socialise properly. Even Takeshi had noticed this, having once pointed out how Fran was so quiet when they were playing together.

I wonder why I want to spend more time with someone I've never even met...Fran clicked his tongue as he glanced out of the window across from him, watching as the trees swayed slightly with the wind. The sky was black, only a few stars visible. Maybe because he's the only one who's ever really been decent towards me...

Fran, who lived in a dysfunctional household, had never really known what it was like to be treated well. Sure, the men he lived with bought him anything he wanted and made sure he had everything he needed, but they really weren't much of a family – none of them were particularly close, and the fights they had on a daily basis were always violent.

There was even a time when Fran was still young and had only been with them for a few days where Lussuria had to take him out of the house because a fight between Bel and Squalo had terrified him to the point of tears.

There was his babysitter, Mukuro, who often took care of him when the others would be gone for a few days consecutively, but even he couldn't really be called a friend.

The blue-haired man took care of him well enough but, just like with the people here, they weren't close enough for anything other than the mutual trust between them – just like Fran, Mukuro was quiet and didn't socialise much.

Rolling onto his side so that he could stare at his wall, Fran sighed. It wasn't that he was unhappy living here with the group who called themselves Varia – it was all he had ever really known – but sometimes he just didn't want to be here anymore.

The thought of talking to Takeshi about it briefly crossed his mind before Fran physically winced, his heart starting to race at the realisation that he would be breaking down his own barriers, letting someone in close enough to hurt him. He didn't want that – he didn't want his own weaknesses to be known to others so that they could be used against him.

The sound of someone knocking at his door caught Fran's attention. He didn't have to reply before the door was opened slowly, the familiar head of Lussuria poking in.

"Are you okay, dear?" the man asked, stepping into the room. He shut the door before he approached his charge, hoping that Fran wasn't upset.

Fran nodded, keeping his back to the man. He moved closer to the wall as he felt the side of his bed dip beneath Lussuria's weight, not wanting to be close to him – there were only too many times he had witnessed the male's calloused hands feel up the other men they lived with, and he didn't want it to happen to him.

"I don't think they meant to upset you," Lussuria said gently. "I think they were just surprised that you have a friend – after all, you've never had one before."

"They were dicks about it," Fran said flatly. "It made me regret I said anything."

"Don't worry about them, hun." The flamboyant male reached out and placed his hand on Fran's forearm, rubbing it gently. "They just don't know how to act."

"It's not like they have any friends themselves..."

"They have their own reasons for being alone, just like you, Fran."

Fran didn't reply, knowing that it was true – everyone in the Varia was a loner for one reason or another.

Lussuria smiled sadly as he reached out to ruffle teal hair. He knew why Fran had problems socialising and why it wasn't easy for him to trust, and he couldn't blame the boy – he could only hope that this friend that had shown up could help bring him out of his shell.

"You should have a sleep, Fran," the man said gently. "Just ignore them – I'm happy you have a friend."

"..." Fran reached down and pulled his blankets over his frail body, sighing as he closed his eyes – he could really use some sleep.