"Press my nose up to the glass around your heart."

Bel had tapped on Squalo's door with much trepidation a few days earlier. This was it. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to talk to someone about it and he trusted Squalo the most.

"Voi, what is it, brat?" Squalo had said when he answered.

Bel hesitated in the doorway, mouth opening to speak, but nothing came out. Squalo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay…" He said uncertainly, backing up. "Get in here."

Bel came in and Squalo shut the door behind him.

"Now what- Watch where you're going!" He said as Bel bumped into a chair.

Bel remained silent as he stumbled over to the bed and Squalo frowned at him.

"What is it, Bel?" He asked as he walked closer to him.

Bel kept his mouth clinched shut, willing his hands to stop trembling.

"Bel…?"

Bel took a shaky breath. "I… I can't see," he whispered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Squalo demanded.

Bel gripped the edges of the bed tightly. "Something's wrong," he said.

"So what? Are you telling me you need glasses or something?"

"No…" Bel said quietly.

"Then-"

Bel pushed his bangs back and Squalo recoiled slightly.

"What the fuck, Bel?!" He cried. "How long has this been going on?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know... I guess it was gradual at first, but now it's getting a lot worse..."

"You need to go to the fucking doctor!" Squalo yelled and Bel grimaced.

He let his bangs fall back into place and he lowered his head. "I'm afraid to…"

"Are you fucking-" Squalo began angrily, but stopped himself. Bel was looking just like the lost little boy he used to be when Squalo found him all those years ago. "Bel… You're going to the doctor. I'll take you if you want me to."

Bel nodded. "O-Okay."

Squalo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "How the hell have you been getting through missions with this problem?"

Bel shrugged again.

"Does Fran even know?"

"No…"

"Bel," Squalo groaned. "He needs to know when it could effect missions!"

Bel gnawed at his lip, anxiously.

It already has. I keep messing up.

"I can still see," he said. "Just… not as well. I can still kill people."

"I have no doubts about your killing abilities," Squalo said. "But how are you going to defend yourself if you can't see the enemy?"

"I'm not completely blind!" Bel cried, bristling. "Everything's just getting blurry, that's all…" He finished lamely.

Squalo gave him an unimpressed look. "Bullshit. You ran into that chair when you came in."

"Che," Bel grunted in embarrassment. "Okay, so my vision is spotty too, all right?"

"Not all right," Squalo said waspishly. "I'm going to call the doctor right now!"

Bel watched his blurry figure leave the room and he felt himself deflating like a balloon.


Fran didn't have a clue what was going on anymore. Both Bel and Squalo were acting weird now. In the last week since the mission, Bel had hardly left his room and Squalo was quieter than usual. -Not that his eardrums minded the break…

Fran was feeling really bad about what happened, wishing he had never fussed at Bel when there was something clearly going on with him. He went to Bel's room and tapped on the door.

"Fuck off," came Bel's muffled voice.

Fran opened the door anyway to find Bel curled up in bed.

"Ahh… What are you doing in bed, Belbina-Sama?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

Bel grumbled in annoyance as Fran approached him. "I said fuck off."

"I know, but you've been hiding away in here for days," Fran said. "That can't be healthy."

"Che. Being around an obnoxious toad like you isn't either."

"I'm sorry, Senpai," Fran said, sitting on his bed beside him, unfazed by the insult. "I was a jerk before. Accidents happen and I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Bel said nothing for a while. "Hn… It doesn't matter," he eventually said.

Fran sighed as he looked down at him, his skin seeming paler than usual.

"Do you have a migraine?" He asked.

"Yes," Bel said tiredly.

Fran pushed Bel's bangs back, about to check for fever when he gasped in shock. Bel's eyes widened in realization and he jerked away, shoving his bangs back into place.

"S-Senpai…" Fran said, his heart hammering in his chest. "Your eyes, t-they…"

They're cloudy!

Bel turned his head away.

"What happened to them, Bel-Senpai?" He asked, horrified.

Bel hesitated. "The doctor said I'm going blind..." He admitted quietly.

"What?"

Bel cringed; glad he couldn't see the look on Fran's face very well. "I won't be able to see a fucking thing within the year," he said bitterly. "Or maybe less…"

"But- But-" Fran sputtered, mind reeling frantically. "W-Why didn't you say anything before?!"

"It doesn't matter. Just go away," Bel mumbled, he was way too nauseous to have this shitty conversation.

"No way!" Fran cried. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It's not your business," he said.

"I'm your partner! Of course it's my business!"

Bel winced. "Stop yelling," he hissed, holding his head.

Fran stayed silent for a while and picked at his shirt. "I'm really sorry," he said. "Now I really feel like an asshole for giving you a hard time lately."

Bel didn't say anything and Fran chewed on his lip nervously.

"How's your head?"

"It hurts…"

"Can I see them again?" Fran asked tentatively.

Bel wavered for a moment before pushing his bangs aside. Fran scooted closer to get a better look and Bel fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. His normally blood-red eyes were indeed cloudy.

"Stop it…" Bel said shakily after a while, unable to stand it any longer.

"No, wait-" Fran said quickly as Bel tried to cover his eyes again. He reached out and Bel flinched as his fingers touched his forehead. "Relax," he said, rubbing his temples.

Bel's cheeks heated up and his eyes fluttered closed with a shuddering breath. He was shocked, but he kept himself completely still as Fran's smooth fingers gently massaged his head and he could feel himself melting under his touch.

"Nn…" He couldn't help groaning in pleasure.

No one had ever done something like this to him before. His head still ached like hell, but Fran's fingers were so soothing and distracting that he found he could put the pain on the backburner for a while.

Fran felt his own cheeks flush at the contented sounds Bel was making and he couldn't bring himself to stop. This was a rare opportunity since Bel never liked people touching him.

Going blind though… It explains so much lately.

His stomach churned uneasily, but he was happy that he could at least do something for Bel's pain. He suddenly found himself blinking back tears at the overwhelming sadness he felt.

Why is this happening to you, Senpai?

He pushed more of Bel's hair back and stroked the side of his face. Bel kept his eyes closed, allowing Fran to do as he pleased and even leaning slightly into his touch. Fighting with illusions kept Fran's hands soft and Bel reveled a little in the feel of them. Fran moved his fingers back up to press against the sides of his head and rubbed gentle circles there. Bel actually whined at the contact this time and Fran's cheeks flushed even more.

Fuck, Bel… You make really sexy sounds.

Fran kept up the massage as Bel panted lightly and started to squirm some.

"You should probably stop…" He said quietly.

Fran paused. "Am I hurting you?"

"No…" Bel said sheepishly. "I'm sorta getting turned on by it..."

Fran blushed up to his ears and jerked his hands back.

"Shishi," Bel giggled quietly as he turned on his side to face Fran and peered up at him curiously. "Are you blushing, Froggy? It's hard to tell."

"Shut up, perverted Senpai," he said, embarrassed. "And quit getting horny over weird things."

Bel grinned. "My head feels a little better though," he said. "…Thank you," he added reluctantly.

Fran smiled as he slid from the bed. "Well, get some more rest then and maybe it will go away," he said. "-Or jerk off if you want to. It's up to you."

Bel laughed as Fran walked to the door.

"See you later, Senpai," he said.

"Yeah…"

Fran closed the door behind him and headed down the hall.

Bel-Senpai is going blind… Is it really possible?

He froze in his tracks.

Shit! -And I just told him 'see' you later! I'm such an asshole!


The secret is finally out!

Thanks for the reviews! They are so nice!