The airport was a lot more crowded than Dino had anticipated, and it made him wince to see just how much it was affecting Bel; even with his new earmuffs, the child still trembled as tears ran down his face, his tiny hands holding Squalo's gloved one tightly. The two teens weren't sure what to do to help their charge, but at least the boy wasn't throwing fits and was following along behind them.

Taking a seat down in their terminal, Squalo frowned as he noticed the way Bel curled in on himself. Reaching down to grab one of the backpacks Dino had rested by their feet, he unzipped it and dipped his hand in. Resurfacing with a stuffed rabbit, the silver-haired teen passed it over to the youngest. "Voi, brat. Take your teddy."

Bel didn't seem to take any notice of these words; he just hugged his knees tight to his chest as he hid his face in against them. He flinched and recoiled when Squalo tried to slip the toy into his hold, shaking his head as he scooted further away from the older male. "…"

Turning to Dino, Squalo tossed the teddy back into the bag. "Has the plane already landed?"

"Yes, that's it there. Why?"

"Ask someone if we can get on it now and get the brat some peace." Hoping that the staff would be understanding, Squalo shoved at his friend. "Go. I'm not in the mood for his shit."

Dino hummed in understanding, getting to his feet. Squalo watched him go, his eyes narrowed at the woman his friend spoke to; she would want to let them get on that fucking plane, or else he wasn't going to be very happy…

To Squalo's relief, Dino returned with a bright smile. "She said we can take our seats."

"C'mon, brat." Standing up, the silver-haired male tugged at Bel's hand. "We're getting on the plane."

Bel trembled, but he obeyed; following behind the older male, he kept his head ducked as they entered the boarding tunnel. He was glad when, just a minute later, he was being sat down in a comfortable seat close to the aisle. He watched as his guardians took the two window seats before leaning over Squalo in order to see outside, but he soon whimpered and sat back in his chair as he saw how high up from the ground they were.

"Don't look at it." Running his gloved hand through golden locks, Squalo grabbed the boy's attention. "It's not scary if you don't look at the window."

Bel swallowed thickly as he nodded, his hands starting to fumble with one another. "…I…"

Again, Squalo removed Bel's teddy from its confines. "Hug your rabbit, Bel." Handing it to the child, the older male didn't pull his hands away until the stuffed toy was tucked tightly between the boy's arms. "When you don't feel right, hug it. It might make you feel a little better."

Bel nodded. He rubbed his cheek against the soft fabric of the teddy before he started chewing at it, his hold tightening.

Grabbing a book out of his own bag, Dino looked to his friend. "What are you going to do, Squalo?"

Shrugging, the younger teenager said, "Well, does it fucking look like I have a lot of options? I'm going to sleep."

Glancing down at his watch, Dino found that it was nearing five o'clock in the evening. They had all been up early that morning, getting the last of their belongings ready for the move. Romario had gone ahead to Japan earlier in order to finalise everything and would meet them at the airport when they arrived, so it was up to the two teens to take care of Bel and get him overseas safely.

"What if Bel needs something? He likes you more than me." Dino cocked his head to the side, finding it hard to take care of their little friend; while Bel seemed to like Squalo a little more each day, the same couldn't be said about Dino.

"Then wake me up or something. I don't know…" Grumpy from the lack of sleep he had been having, Squalo shrugged. "Shut up and let me sleep."

Dino didn't argue; Squalo did need rest – all of them did. Opening his book, he started reading the first chapter, relieved that Bel was playing so quietly with a toy he had pulled out of his bag and didn't seem to be too fussed when the plane started filling with people. The child took it better than the teen had expected when the plane took off, Bel just needing a bit of reassurance that he was safe before quietening down and going back to spinning the wheels on his toy car.

The blond teenager didn't pay too much attention to his surroundings for a while, but when he looked over to check on Bel an hour later, he couldn't help but smile as he found the boy resting against Squalo as he slept, his tiny hand holding Squalo's shirt. Squalo's own sleep didn't seem to be disturbed by this; if anything, he instead held a look far more peaceful than he had donned in a while.

Dino turned back to his book, hoping that their big change would benefit them all.

~~XX~~

When the three finally arrived in one of Japan's many airports, they were greeted instantly by Romario, who had been waiting faithfully in the lobby. Upon seeing his charge, he had left his seat and clapped the blond on the back, a wide smile on his face as joy bubbled up inside of him; Dino was truly someone very important to him, and he would do anything for the teenager.

"Ah, Romario." Wrapping his arms around his guardian, Dino smiled as well. "I missed you. How are things up here?"

"I've set up your new apartment, and I've enrolled the three of you into very highly recommended schools. I'm afraid I was unable to get Bel into a class with kids his own age; the school wanted to start him fresh as he has no history of schooling that we know of."

"You did your best, Romario; hopefully he'll make some friends." Glancing down at the boy hiding behind Squalo, Dino smiled at Bel. "Hear that, Bel? You're going to start school soon."

Bel whimpered at these words, not wanting to go to school; he just wanted to stay with Squalo because he felt comfortable with the silver-haired teenager.

Turning back to Romario, Dino cocked his head to the side. "Can we go home now? It must be very late here."

"It is. Come on; let's get all your things." Leading the way, Romario walked through the airport calmly. While the younger three would be living in an apartment together by themselves, he wouldn't be far away if they needed him; he would never forgive himself if anything were to happen to Dino.

~~XX~~

"This is your room, Bel." Struggling to keep his eyes open, Squalo didn't stuff around; now that Bel knew where he would be sleeping, he had every intention of going to sleep in his own bed. "Goodnight."

Bel let out a sob as he grabbed Squalo's sleeve, preventing the older male from leaving. Shaking his head, he felt his heart begin to speed up in fright; he had always slept in Dino's room with the others with him, so it was terrifying to suddenly be left alone in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar country. "…"

"Go to sleep, brat." Not in the mood for fucking around, Squalo couldn't help but get grumpy. "It's too fucking late for this shit."

Bel just protested more, and when the teenager finally realised that the boy wasn't going to be getting into his own bed any time soon, Squalo sighed. "Whatever. Get your fucking blanket. You can sleep with me."

Glad that he wouldn't have to part from Squalo tonight, Bel bounded into his room. He took the familiar sheet he had been sleeping with back in Italy from the bed, bundling it all up into his arms as he hurried after Squalo. Following the older male into what he soon worked out was Squalo's bedroom, Bel didn't bother to look around at his new surroundings; he just followed his guardian up onto the bed, sitting on his haunches as he spread his blanket out over Squalo's own. Once he was content with not feeling the fabric of the teenager's covers, he rolled himself up into his blanket like a cocoon, close enough to feel the other's body heat, but not enough for any contact to be made between them.

Squalo didn't bother saying goodnight; as soon as he had turned the light off and slipped beneath the blankets, he was out to it. Bel, however, couldn't sleep; he was too daunted by the strange noises outside and the complete strangeness of his new home. But with Squalo by his side, he laid quietly on the bed for a few hours until he himself finally succumbed to sleep.