When Tsuna awoke the next morning, he was still being held protectively in Bel's arms. He wasn't sure if the man was asleep or not, so he lay quietly where he was, listening to the steady breathing of the other. He could hear Xanxus and Squalo talking somewhere behind him, but he didn't pay much attention to them; he instead reached out, ghosting his fingertips against the blond's warm face.

Bel flinched slightly at the touch before he shifted, lifting his head from the mattress. "Tuna-Fish…" Tightening his hold on the younger, he buried his face in against unruly brown locks. Nibbling at the soft strands of hair, he mumbled, "No one's ever stayed with the prince…"

Tsuna felt bad for the man at these words, wondering just how much it bothered the other. Granted, it was hard to picture Belphegor as the affectionate type, but this person right here… had been more affectionate with him than anyone. "I'm here, Belphegor…"

A soft, almost gentle smile crossed the blond's face, one that wasn't twisted from bloodlust. Bel let his eyes slip closed once again, taking a deep breath as he allowed himself to fall back asleep.

"Oi, Belphegor…" Tsuna frowned, shaking the lean body next to him. "Don't go back to sleep!"

"That brat's too fucking lazy to get out of bed so early." Squalo's voice floated through the air from behind the younger two. "If you have to be somewhere, just fucking leave; he won't wake back up until lunchtime."

Tsuna didn't like the idea of leaving Bel alone like this; he was worried the other may think the brunet doesn't care, or something even worse – it was clear Bel was fragile mentally, and he didn't want to hurt the Varia Storm.

But his friends, on the other hand… They were probably worried sick about him.

Carefully untangling himself from Bel's arms, Tsuna sat up on the bed. Xanxus and Squalo were laying on the one across from them, their arms behind their heads as they watched TV. Fran was still asleep as well, curled up on the couch next to Lussuria, the flamboyant man humming as he painted his nails. Mammon was small enough to be tucked into a chair, and Leviathan was on the floor, not even a blanket to keep him warm.

"Wouldn't Belphegor be upset if I just left?" Tsuna reached out, patting a blond head.

"He's honestly used to it, brat." Squalo shrugged, a soft look crossing his eyes; as rough around the edges as he was, he did have a heart. "Everyone else left before he woke up, no matter how much he paid them or begged them to stay the night."

That's really sad… Tsuna looked down at Bel, torn between what to do; stay with Bel until he woke up, or go back to his friends and reassure them he was okay? "…If I go now, can someone please tell him I just had to go back to my friends? I don't… want to hurt him…"

"Sure, brat." Squalo sighed, passing the remote over to Xanxus. "Change the channel, shitty boss; this is fucking boring."

Tsuna rubbed the back of his fingers against Bel's cheek before he got out of the bed. He stretched before he crept towards the door, hoping not to draw attention to himself now that Squalo and Xanxus were fighting.

The brunet truly felt bad about leaving Bel like this, but what was he supposed to do? Abandon his friends for someone he barely knew? It wasn't in Tsuna's nature to put others before those closest to him.

~~XX~~

When Bel next woke up, it was almost one in the afternoon. He was grinning ear-to-ear, excited to see Tsuna in his arms again, but his happy expression was quickly wiped from his face as he realised he was alone in the bed too big for just his own body. His obscured eyes filled with hurt, having convinced himself that this time, it wouldn't be the same.

Now, he was alone once again, the brunet's body heat on the blankets long-since faded.

"Bel."

Bel lifted his head at Squalo's voice, finding the long-haired man coming towards him with a stick of dango in his hand. He sat up, ducking his head, hoping the other wouldn't be able to see how upset he was; just once, he wanted to feel as if someone cared.

Squalo reached out, patting a blond head much like a dog that had done a good job. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he handed the stick of dango to Bel. He wasn't surprised when the other didn't take it, knowing how hard the Storm Guardian wished to be accepted.

"He wanted to stay, you know." Squalo watched as Bel lifted his head. "I told him to go; it's my fault. He needed to see his friends, but he didn't want to leave you until you had woken up. Blame me for it."

Bel frowned, understanding immediately what the Rain Guardian was trying to tell him; he wouldn't have woken up alone if Squalo hadn't told him to leave. "…I…"

"Why not go and see him?" Squalo gave up on trying to feed the man he had raised, instead biting into the dango himself. "It's not like we're going anywhere anyway, right?"

Bel nodded. He pushed the blankets back before he got out of the bed, stretching. "The prince is going to shower first, Squa. He'll take his tuna-fish out for lunch, so don't worry about making him anything."

"What, you're not going to shovel down four meals and then go out to eat?" Squalo smirked, knowing that, out of all of them, Bel had the largest, most insatiable appetite.

"Hmm…" Bel shrugged his Varia jacket off, considering this idea. "…Actually, make the prince two servings while he's in the shower; he'll eat it and then leave."

Squalo smirked. "Sure thing, brat."

Bel grinned happily as he made his way into the bathroom, excited to go back to Tsuna's side; never before had he felt as accepted by someone as he did with Tsuna.

~~XX~~

Tsuna was starting to think he should start getting used to being kidnapped by the unpredictable Storm Guardian as it had happened once again; after explaining to everyone what had happened the previous day and just because they had slept together, it did not mean they had had sex, things had seemed normal for a while before he had been grabbed and thrown over a strong shoulder before being carried from the base.

And now, after being taken back to the same café he had been brought to yesterday, Tsuna found himself seated at the same table once again, the very same Belphegor before him.

"The little tuna-fish gets whatever he wants." Bel sent a charming grin to the brunet, his fingers tapping softly against the table as he waited for Tsuna to order. "The prince will pay again~"

Tsuna smiled back shyly, mumbling what he wanted. Bel relayed it to the waitress, a very pleasant demeanour about him, despite the fact that he was now twirling the tip of a knife into the table. The woman was careful not to look at it, trying to pretend it wasn't there.

The brunet was quiet until their orders had been brought out to them, listening to Bel ramble on about anything thing and everything. He was just about to take the first bite of his meal when he dropped the chopsticks to the table, clutching his arm tightly as he squeaked in pain; when he hadn't been looking, Bel had swiped at him with one of his knives, a cut not deep enough to be dangerous but to still be painful having carved its way through his blue jacket and into his skin.

"B-belphegor!" Tsuna bit his lip, a sudden look of fright crossing his brown eyes. Bel must have sensed his sudden discomfort as well as he tensed and frowned, fumbling with his knife in both hands. He went to stand up to leave, only to have Bel tug him back down to the table. "B-belphegor, let me go!"

"Did I do something wrong…?" There was such a sad, heartbroken tone in Bel's voice, Tsuna felt bad for him; the other was so warped, he truly had no idea that cutting people was not normal. "I… I don't understand… Why are you so scared now…? Are you afraid of me…? But why…?"

Letting go of his bleeding arm, Tsuna grabbed a serviette to try and stop the flow. He shook his head, trying to stay calm for Bel's sake. "You don't just stab at people like that, Belphegor…!"

"Why not…?" Bel frowned, dropping his knife to the table in confusion. "I stab at everybody… You should know this…"

"And I do know that, but…" Tsuna sighed, wincing at the pain in his arm, "…but cutting people you don't want to kill is bad, Belphegor."

"Why?"

"Because it hurts, it's dangerous, and it's scary." Tsuna couldn't believe he was giving this talk to a twenty-six-year-old man, but then again… This was Belphegor he was talking to.

"I just wanted to show you that I like you, Tuna-Fish…" Bel sighed, slumping over the table. "I was careful not to go too deep; I thought you would have realised…"

"Belphegor… You can't stab someone to show them you like them; it's… It's not right, Belphegor!"

"…" Bel hummed softly as he considered this; he had always hurt things he liked, believing they would understand. Maybe… Maybe this was the reason he had always driven people away from him… "…Then… How do I show it if I can't stab them?"

"You be gentle to them, and kind, Belphegor." Tsuna pulled the serviette away, wincing at all the blood. He tossed it onto the table before he grabbed another one, holding it over his wound. "You've been so good until now."

Bel sighed. "Is the tuna-fish mad at the prince…?"

Tsuna shook his head; how could he be mad at someone who genuinely didn't know? Bel sincerely thought he was doing the right thing to those he liked; no one had ever bothered to correct him before – that was all it was; it didn't mean the blond couldn't learn.

"You didn't mean it, Belphegor." Offering a shy smile, Tsuna let go of the serviette, grabbing his chopsticks again. "Just… Don't do it again, alright?"

Bel nodded, smiling happily once again; he was just glad Tsuna wasn't going to run away screaming like the others; he was being given a second chance to prove that he was capable of being affectionate, despite what everyone said about him.

~~XX~~

To Tsuna's expectations, he had been brought back to the hotel room again that night, the blond cuddling in against him happily on the bed. The brunet returned the embrace, knowing it was all Bel wanted, but tonight it seemed the Varia Storm wanted to take things one step further; the student hadn't at all been expecting for his lips to be crushed against Bel's as the other kissed him fiercely.

Tsuna shivered as he pushed at the other, not surprised when Bel gave him a confused look after pulling away. "Does the tuna-fish not want to kiss?"

"You should ask for permission before kissing someone, Belphegor." Tsuna reached up, patting blond hair. "It's respectful, especially since not everyone will want to kiss you."

Bel cocked his head to the side, taking these words on-board; though he didn't completely understand what was socially acceptable and what was not, he was willing to learn; he knew Tsuna would play with him more if he wasn't scared.

"Can the prince kiss his tuna-fish?" A hopeful smile crossed Bel's face as he waited patiently for the answer. He nuzzled into the hand that was now resting on his cheek, closing his eyes as he purred happily.

"Not as rough as you were before, please…" A blush soon coated Tsuna's cheeks, not entirely sure of why he had agreed; just that Bel could be so sweet when he wasn't trying to cut people in affection. "Gentle."

Bel licked his lips, having never been gentle with someone other than Tsuna before. He lowered his face to the teenager's, pressing their lips together softly. He stroked the brunet's cheek as small hands tangled themselves in his blond locks, comforted by what he was doing; he had never wanted to kiss someone, and this was honestly his very first kiss ever; he had never even so much as kissed his mother before.

The Varia member nibbled at Tsuna's lip, asking for entrance. He slipped his tongue in once it was granted, tasting the chocolate flavour that was the Sky Guardian. Tsuna's tongue shyly pressed against his, the two experimenting to find what they liked. They eventually settled for a slow dance, and once they broke apart for air, they watched each other with soft pants.

"Belphegor…" Tsuna sucked the lungs into his air, his brown eyes clouded. He didn't protest when the man kissed him again, and again, and several more times after that; all they needed in that moment was each other.

"Did you have sex yet?"

The two bodies on the bed froze at the unexpected voice, the room having been empty by the time they had arrived. They looked to find Fran standing in the doorway, emerald eyes watching the two blankly.

"Can I watch?" Fran was as monotone as ever, but Tsuna couldn't help but let his eyes drift lower. The brunet was uncomfortable to find that, despite how big the Varia uniform was on the boy, Fran's arousal was obvious.

"Stupid frog!" Bel chucked four knives at the boy before getting off the bed to chase Fran away. He mumbled to himself as he returned to Tsuna's side, distracting himself from his anger by taking Tsuna's lips with his own once again.