When Squalo came in to wake the boys up the next morning, he was concerned to see that while Rasiel was sleeping peacefully, Bel's face was flushed while he grimaced in his sleep. Knowing that the youngest would probably not let him feel for a temperature if he were awake, the man pulled his glove from his left hand before reaching out, putting the back of his hand against his charge's forehead. He bit his lip as he felt the heat radiating from the boy, and the only thought that crossed his mind was that he was going to let Bel stay home from school today.
"Hey, Siel..." Shaking the older twin instead, Squalo kept his voice soft so that he didn't disturb the smallest male. The twin rose slowly, eventually sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. The man had to reach out to stop him from waking his brother as well, feeling his heart break at the confused fear that had crossed his charge's face. "Bel is sick, so I'm going to let him stay home today. Don't wake him; he needs rest."
Rasiel looked panicked at these words, the boy reaching out and shaking Bel awake instinctively. "He's not sick..." The fear prominent in that quiet voice told Squalo all he needed to know; something had been done to his twins in order for them to associate something with sickness. "I promise... He's okay..."
Bel awoke with a small cough, twisting in discomfort. He moaned as he tried to move closer to his twin, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "J-jill..."
Deciding to see how Bel himself would react, Squalo took a few steps back as he called the youngest's name, soon gathering the attention of both twins. "Are you feeling sick, Bel?"
More tears followed the first as Bel shook his head hastily, sucking in a sharp, anxious breath. "N-no... I-I'm fine..."
"Are you sure? You won't be in trouble if you are, Bel."
Shaking his head again, the boy hugged himself tight. "...N-not sick... Wanna go... see Mammy..."
"'Mammy'?" Raising an eyebrow, Squalo slid his glove back over his hand; was this some weird nickname the boy had given Mammon in his ill state? "You mean Mammon?"
Nodding, Bel's quivering grew worse as he sniffed in a nasally manner. "M-mammy... Wanna see... Mammy..."
Knowing that Bel was distressed enough as it was, Squalo couldn't possibly do anything further to his charge to provoke more negative emotions in him; hating himself for sending a clearly-unfit child to school, the man could only hope he was doing the right thing by the twins; he couldn't send one to school and keep the other, knowing how frightened Rasiel would be in that situation, but was Bel even well enough to get out of bed...? He was clearly damaged enough to be willing to embrace his unwell state like this, and should he even be trying to teach the boy that it was okay to be sick when Bel still wasn't used to him? If he had only ever had bad experiences when he felt like this, then perhaps it was best to try and teach him otherwise when they had a more stable relationship.
"Alright, Bel." Wishing he was a better guardian, Squalo took more steps back, giving the twins room. "Get ready for school and then be down for breakfast."
Rasiel nodded, knowing he would have to help his brother this morning; he couldn't afford to let Squalo hurt Bel just because he was sick.
~~XX~~
When lunch rolled around, Bel and Rasiel found themselves in the library with Mammon again, the older twin on his knees as he watched the girl count wads of money. Bel was curled up next to him, unable to hide his sick state any longer; his body was shaking with the cold only he could feel, and the nausea that continuously overwhelmed him was only growing worse.
Mammon, the ever-observant person she was, couldn't ignore this any longer.
"What's the matter, Bel?" The girl slipped a rubber band around her cash before slipping it back into her pocket, turning her attention to the boy; he was her responsibility, and she didn't like seeing him try and hide his illness like this – she could only imagine what had been done to him to make him like this, and it upset her to think of the boy having been abused.
"I feel sick..." Bel curled up into a tighter ball, letting out a soft moan. He hadn't wanted to admit this to his guardian, but he was sure he could trust Mammon of all people; she was nothing like the way his mother had been, instead filling the image he had painted long ago about how a mother should have been.
"Does he usually get sick?" The female student got to her feet, looking down at Rasiel.
Rasiel nodded, frowning. "He's always sick... He just doesn't let people see it until it's too much for him..."
Mammon nodded in understanding, knowing what it was like to want to keep feelings to oneself. She knelt down, brushing blond hair away from Bel's forehead so she could rest the back of her hand against sweaty skin, feeling a temperature higher than it had been that morning. "Why didn't he stay home today if he's sick?"
"Because he was too scared to tell Squalo he wasn't feeling well..." The older twin reached out, grabbing his brother's hand. "We used to get beaten if we were sick... I didn't want him to be beaten again..."
Mammon reached out, grabbing Bel by the underarms. She picked the tiny boy up, cradling him close to her chest; he was so light, it was as if she was just carrying a pile of clothing.
"M-mammy..." Bel groaned as he curled closer to the girl. His bony hand gripped her purple blazer in desperation, small pants escaping his lips. "Mammy..."
Mammon wasn't sure if the younger had given her some sort of nickname because of his current state or because he was starting to trust her a bit more; either way, she knew Bel was very ill.
"He should go home and have a rest," Mammon said as she started walking towards the door, taking her charge down to the infirmary. "He's very sick. It's not good for him to be here like this."
Rasiel gripped Mammon's blazer as well, his small legs jogging to keep up with the girl. He hid behind her as they passed people, flinching whenever someone got too close to them; he was still getting used to being here, and he couldn't say he was sure he would ever feel comfortable with so many people crowding him.
"My dear, what happened?"
Rasiel pressed against Mammon tightly as an unfamiliar voice filled the air. He peeked out around the girl, finding a woman standing in the doorway of what he knew was the infirmary; he could see the plaque by the side of the door. The stranger's eyes were soft as she frowned down at the students, reaching out to thread her finger's through the sick boy's golden locks.
"He's sick, and he needs to go home." Mammon handed the boy over, knowing he would be in better hands than hers; while she was very educated on illnesses, she had never had experience caring for someone other than herself, and she didn't want to upset the boy when he was ever-so-slowly coming out of his shell around her. "He's got a fever. I think it might be flu."
The nurse nodded, needing only to take one look at the student. "Yes, it does seem that way. We'll go lay him down and call his parents."
Mammon and Rasiel followed the woman further into the room, watching carefully as Bel was laid down on one of the beds, shivering as a blanket was wrapped around him; was he so cold, he just couldn't get warm?
"W-what's she doing...?" Rasiel whispered to his guardian, fearing for his brother's safety; both twins had learnt from an early age that beds weren't a good thing to be put on, and to see this...
"She's just letting him rest while she goes and phones for your guardian." Mammon patted Rasiel's hair as she pulled him closer to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it so she could be close to the youngest. "Is he busy?"
"He said he had to go to work..." Rasiel frowned at the thought, remembering how reluctant Squalo had been to get the twins into the car that morning. "...Does that mean Bel has to stay here while he's sick...?"
"I'm sure your guardian will be able to come and get him," the older student soothed, unable to comprehend how stressful this must be for Rasiel, too; she certainly couldn't relate to these boys, knowing that whatever they had been put through in their lives was something she had never gone through herself – and she had a feeling she ought to be grateful for that.
"I want to go home with them..." Rasiel climbed onto Mammon's lap, pressing his front against hers, searching for the comfort he was quickly learning he could get from the newest people in his life. "I don't want to be here without Bel..."
"I'm sure you'll go home, too." Mammon stroked blond hair as she glanced down at the sick twin, a soft look in her hidden orbs. "It seems your guardian cares very much for you both."
"He does." Rasiel sent a shy smile the girl's way, comforted by the thought of the man who had taken them both home. "He looks after us very well..."
Mammon offered her own slight smile, the two falling silent as they listened to Bel's harsh breathing and small whimpers, watching as the youngest tossed and turned in discomfort.
"Do you think Bel will be okay...?" Rasiel buried his face in Mammon's chest, hating to see his beloved twin like this, it stirred memories he wished he could just forget.
"I'm sure that with a little rest, he'll be as good as new."
Rasiel nodded, hoping the girl was right.
~~XX~~
"I understand you're a new parent, but you should really keep in mind that when your children are sick, they should be at home resting instead of coming to school."
Squalo rolled his eyes as he carefully lifted the now-sleeping Bel into his arms, not wanting to wake him now that he was getting a bit more of the sleep he truly required. Not wanting to admit that he had only been trying to do what was right by the twins by doing the more comforting option, he said, "Look, if I knew he was sick, I would have kept him home. He didn't seem very sick; it must have aggravated after I dropped him off. Don't tell me how to raise my kids."
The silver-haired male patted Rasiel's head, the boy hiding behind him as Squalo argued with the school nurse. He grabbed the little hand in his, tugging the older twin along behind him once he had given up on defending himself against the woman who seemed adamant on making him feel bad about what he had done – he wasn't going to stand there and take it, not when she had no fucking idea about why he had done what he had.
"You're not supposed to be taking him home without good reason!" the nurse called after them, regarding the healthy Rasiel who was clinging to his guardian like a leech. Squalo had never been as tempted as he was right now to give someone the finger, and he truly wished he could; he would have loved to put her in her place and teach her not to put her nose where it doesn't belong.
"Bye, Mammon..." Rasiel whispered to the girl as he was lead past her, a sad tone in his voice; he wished the girl could come with them, having truly appreciated her presence; he wasn't sure how he would have coped by his brother's side without her there as well.
"See you, Siel." Even now, Mammon was reluctant to leave to the twins; she was rather fond of them and their quirks, finding them rather intriguing as they gave her a sense of protectiveness; never before had she truly cared about someone, but here she was, letting a pair of twins stay with her like this.
Mammon really was becoming soft, wasn't she?
On the way out of the building, Rasiel looked up at his guardian with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open as thoughts ran through his mind; if Squalo had left work to come and get them, then... "Did you get in trouble for leaving work to come get us...?"
The man snorted at these words, an amused smile crossing his face. "I can't get in trouble – I can do whatever the fuck I want. The only ones higher up than me are Xanxus, who is in charge of our particular branch, and Xanxus' foster-father, who owns the entire company – I'm not going to get in fucking trouble."
"That's cool." Rasiel smiled up at Squalo. "Does that mean you're... like a really, really important person? In the whole world?"
"I fucking wish." Squalo shrugged. "I'm not that important; I just get to boss around a shitload of people."
"Can we come to work with you one day?" Rasiel's eyes shone with admiration beneath his golden bangs, an excited smile on his face. "I want to see what you do at work."
"Yeah, I don't see why not." Squalo held open the door to the outside world, waiting for the stronger twin to exit first. "I have to stop back there anyway on our way home; I have to fix the report I was working on before I left before Xanxus skins my fucking ass."
Rasiel was placid as awe overtook him, only able to imagine what it was like to be a boss; it must be so nice knowing you could do whatever you wanted without having to worry about being hurt for it.
After arriving at the car Squalo had parked haphazardly against the kerb, the man buckled Rasiel into the backseat before he took Bel to the front, wanting to keep an eye on him in case something happened. Rasiel didn't mind; he loved his brother, even if Bel didn't seem to return it.
"We're going to stop by the chemist before we go anywhere else." Squalo turned the car on as he spoke. "All we have is tablets that you guys can't have; goin' to need something more kid-friendly."
"Our parents took lots of tablets," Rasiel pointed out, a large frown crossing his face at the memories. "All the time, even when they weren't sick. They tried to give Bel some once, but he threw them up and started twitching really weird. They thought it was funny and videotaped it..."
Dark eyes narrowed as Squalo sneered, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He understood what the twin was referencing; he had suspected drugs had played a role regarding the twins' abuse, but to hear that they had given their own kid drugs, and induced him into what sounded like a fucking seizure...
"Well, we don't do anything like that, Rasiel; we only use them when we're sick, and I promise you I would never give you or Bel something bad. Don't worry about it anymore."
Rasiel nodded, turning to stare out of the window as Squalo drove them through town. He hoped that Squalo was telling the truth, and he wasn't sure if he would ever be comfortable with letting his brother being fed tablets.
He would certainly have to keep an eye on Bel for a few hours if that was indeed what Squalo was going to give him.
~~XX~~
After a trip to the chemist to buy some medicine for Bel, Squalo took the twins down to the company to finish what he had been doing before he had left. He didn't want to stay for too long while Bel was so sick, but running a company was demanding at times, such as now; he would just have to hope that the youngest would be able to handle it for a little while.
Rasiel had been amazed by the size of the building his guardians worked in, his young mind unable to comprehend the fact that it didn't reach the sky. His eyes scanned his surroundings quickly, taking in every little detail around him; there was so much to see, and he didn't want to miss any of it.
The boy didn't particularly like the elevator they soon stepped into, finding it frightening and convinced that it would fall with them still inside it, but holding Squalo's hand tightly helped with his worry; if the man felt comfortable with this, than it must be okay.
Once they got out of the elevator and stepped out into an open space with desks everywhere, occupied by more people than Rasiel could count, the boy's admiration for Squalo only grew; if Squalo could handle this many people, he must be even more amazing than he had originally thought.
"When we get into the office, you'll have to sit quietly on the couch and look after your brother," Squalo explained as he led his charge over to the office on the far side of the room. "It's about time for Xanxus' nap, and he'll be cranky if you wake him up."
Rasiel nodded, knowing how scary the scarred man was when his nap was disturbed; he had seen it for himself whenever Squalo would try and get him up from his naps, and he was just glad that, though the dark-haired man had raised his hands threateningly several times, he had never actually hit Squalo.
Stepping into the office after Squalo a minute later, Rasiel noticed that, on one side of the room, Xanxus sat at a desk, sleeping; his feet were kicked up onto the desk as he crossed his arms against his chest, snoring loudly. There was a computer on the desk, with lots of paper spread out against the hardwood with a file cabinet resting against the side. Opposite what was clearly Xanxus' work area sat another space, near identical to Xanxus' with the exception that there was a couch resting against the wall beneath the window.
"Go sit down," Squalo said quietly, passing Bel over to Rasiel. "I'll be done soon."
Rasiel nodded, doing as instructed. He laid his brother down on the black leather couch, running his hand through golden locks in a soothing manner. The younger male had been wrapped in Squalo's jacket, trying to bring some warmth to the shivering body, and he was relieved to see that the shaking had indeed died down by now.
Obscured eyes watched as Squalo turned his computer on before he navigated through the hard drive, bringing up a document with words and official-looking stamps all over it. The constant sound of typing was comforting to Rasiel, and he felt as if he could doze off to the sound. Just as he let his eyes slip closed, and he felt himself drifting off into oblivion, his brother's voice brought him back to reality.
"Jill...?"
Rasiel woke with a start, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he looked down at his brother. He ran a hand through the younger's hair again, pressing a finger against his lips – a sign that Bel knew only too well.
"What's wrong?" Rasiel whispered, knowing his brother needed him there; the younger would surely be frightened of his new surroundings, and being so sick wouldn't help at all.
"I feel really sick..." Bel laid his head on his brother's lap, sighing. "Really, really sick..."
"Squalo bought you some medicine to make you feel better; it's not tablets, it's liquid." The stronger male smiled down at his sickly sibling. "He has to finish some stuff here and then we're going to go home so you can rest."
"Where's... Where's Mammy...?"
"She's still at school." Rasiel looked over to Xanxus, finding that the man's sleep hadn't been disturbed. "She stayed with us until Squalo came."
"I miss Mammy already..." Bel pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "She makes me feel safe..."
"She's really nice, isn't she, brother?"
Bel nodded, humming in response. His eyes slipped closed once again, his frail body struggling to fight against his sickness.
Rasiel just continued to run his hand through blond locks, daydreaming for a few more minutes before Squalo turned off the computer monitor and stood up, moving over to the couch to pick Bel back up.
"We're going home now," Squalo explained as he led Rasiel over to the door. "I'll give him some medicine when we get home and then put him in his bed. You can sleep with me until he's a bit better."
Rasiel nodded, part of him wishing Mammon had come with them; the girl made him feel safe as well, and he was certain Bel would like it if she were to come visit him while he was sick.
It would be a nice change to the suffering they had known for so long, after all.
