When Squalo came home from hospital the next day, he hadn't had the heart to tell Bel to go to school. The boy had been spending all of his time with him, making sure he was comfortable and okay. Bel had been so worried, Squalo finally gave in and allowed him to take time off school; if the student even went in his condition, he wouldn't have paid attention anyway.
Now, as Squalo relaxed on the couch with the TV playing, he could hear his charge banging around in the kitchen. Whatever the boy was doing, he wasn't sure, but never before had Bel taken the initiative to feed himself if that was what he was up to; the only times he ever walked into the kitchen himself was to ask what was for their meals and to tell Squalo that he was hungry and wanted food.
Squalo almost wanted to call out and tease his kid about this, but he was too tired to do so; he just wanted to rest and watch TV – now he could understand why Bel had slept so much when he first came to live with Squalo; pain medication and healing injuries were exhausting.
However long later, Squalo's nostrils were assaulted by the foulest stench he had ever smelt, and it seemed to be coming closer to him with each passing second. He could almost throw up then and there; never before had he smelt something so foul.
"Squ~ Look~ I made us lunch~" Bel bounded back into the living room with two bowls of food in his hands. Sure enough, they were the source of the odour that smelt like rotten food with a touch of spoiled milk.
Squalo shook his head rapidly as he scrambled backwards on the couch. "You keep that shit away from me, trash! That smells like Lussuria's underwear drawer!"
"Aww, but Squalo, I went through all the trouble of making my own recipe for you~ Try it~" His smile never faltered as Bel dropped one of the bowls onto Squalo's lap before dipping the spoon into his own liquid-solid concoction that looked as bad as it smelt. He took one bite before wincing and gagging, shaking his head seconds later. "You're right, Squ; don't eat that."
"I had no intention to!" Squalo passed the bowl back to its creator and waited impatiently until Bel took them both back into the kitchen and disposed of the evidence. He wasn't surprised when, minutes later, the boy returned and cuddled up with him on the couch, seemingly content with where he was at this point in his life.
"Ne, Squalo?" Laying on his back and raising his hand to play with soft silver locks, Bel held an inquisitive look on his face. "Was Dino shit when he fucked you for the first time?"
Squalo shrugged, wondering what had brought this on. Was it because of Fran? Had their first time together not been so enjoyable for one or both of them? "He wasn't too bad. Took him a bit to get better, but he worked it out."
Bel frowned and curled a lock of Squalo's hair around his finger before saying, "I don't think Fran enjoyed it at all… He wasn't even all that hard…"
"Let me guess; you jumped right into the sex and skipped the foreplay?"
"…"
At Bel's silence, Squalo knew his suspicions were correct. "Bel, you don't just have sex with someone like that! That's now how relationships work. Oh, never mind… Brat, foreplay can be important for your partner. Not everyone can just jump into sex like you can."
"But foreplay is for women. Fran is a frog."
"Some guys enjoy foreplay and Fran may be one of them. You might not care about foreplay for yourself, but a lot of men really like it and don't want to just fuck straight off the bat."
"Does Squ like foreplay?"
Squalo nodded. "So does the Bucking Horse."
"Oh. What should I do for foreplay?" Bel looked at Squalo like the man held all the answers as he waited for a response.
"Jesus Christ, Bel; I thought you watched porn…" Face-palming, Squalo shook his head; then again, he shouldn't let pornography teach Bel everything – look at what had already happened from all the countless porn the boy had consumed over the years; he had no idea what he was doing with Fran. "There's lots you can do for foreplay. You can jerk each other off or give each other blowjobs. The Bucking Horse usually pays attention to my chest and stomach with his mouth. That feels good; maybe try that."
"What do I do?"
"Just give him some nips, some sucking and licking at his nipples and other sensitive spots he has. Maybe even leave him some hickies here and there."
"Do you think Fran would like that?" Hoping that Fran would, Bel cocked his head to the side; he wanted so badly to be able to pleasure the younger.
"I don't see why he wouldn't, but it really comes down to what Fran likes. You should talk to him about this, Bel. It's him you'll be sleeping with, after all."
Bel nodded, snuggling in closer. "Hey, Squ?"
"Yeah?"
"I didn't…" Shifting uncomfortably now, Bel frowned. "…The morning after we slept together… Fran went to school early… I didn't… scare him off, did I…? Because he hasn't been annoying me…"
Squalo sighed as be patted Bel's head. He grunted in discomfort as he moved his injured leg to try and find a position that wouldn't agitate the wounds; he was finding it difficult to put up with a broken leg, and he couldn't imagine how his charge had coped with the aftermath of having snapped his spine almost completely in half with torn muscles and ligaments, severed nerves and a shattered pelvis and shoulder to top things off – it wasn't until now did he realise just how brave Bel had been to make such a big recovery, even if he was still limited in what activities and actions he could do for the rest of his life. "You didn't scare him off; he just knows you've been stressed lately. You really worried him when he saw you with me at the hospital."
Bel buried his face against Squalo's chest and hummed; as long as Fran didn't hate him, he didn't mind a bit of peace. "…"
Squalo smiled, glad that Bel was quietening down; the boy had even taken a break from his games to keep his guardian company, so it was understandable for the younger to be on edge; his videogames helped keep him calm and relaxed. "Try and take a nap; the Bucking Horse will be back with lunch soon."
Bel nodded and allowed his eyes to slip closed; he was pretty tired. "What is he getting?"
"He's bringing back sushi for you and pasta for us. Get some rest."
"Okay." With that said, Bel allowed himself to finally drift into sleep.
~~XX~~
When Bel was awoken a little later, it was to Dino shaking his shoulders. He sat up with a yawn and accepted the container of sushi that was handed to him before he leant heavily against his guardian. He was still rather tired; he hadn't realised how exhausted he was until he had fallen asleep to the soothing warmth of Squalo.
"The Bucking Horse will take you to get your computer from the repair shop once you've eaten." Squalo himself was tired as well, so it wasn't surprising to hear him speak in a quiet voice. "Don't forget my credit card."
Bel hummed, too tired to show his excitement. He nibbled at his sushi before he put the lid back on the container and curled up along the couch with his head in Squalo's lap, fully prepared to go back to sleep; he knew he was fatigued when he couldn't even bring himself to eat his favourite food.
"Has he slept at all?" Dino sat across from the younger two on one of the chairs to leave them be; he knew that neither of them were in the mood to be annoyed by a third person taking up their legroom.
"I don't think so. His back was hurting him again last night." Squalo patted the boy's head at this. He knew he would never be able to explain how much he loved his charge; he loved Bel like his own child.
"Let him sleep." Dino put his container down so that he could move to Bel's side and scoop the boy into his arms. "Fran will be home soon; I'll put him in his room."
Squalo nodded. He knew Bel needed rest because the smaller blond rarely allowed himself to have it; he was always pushing himself to stay awake and play videogames until he passed out on the keyboard.
The man waited until his boyfriend had put Bel to bed before he sat up upon hearing the older male approaching once more. He extended his good arm when Dino was close enough, pulling the blond close to him.
"I love you, Squalo." Dino pressed his lips to the younger's and smiled as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man.
Squalo hummed back in response, aware of the light tint of red crossing his cheeks. He tugged at the stronger male's shirt impatiently, telling the other what he wanted. To his relief, Dino didn't hesitate to obey and pulled the material up and over his head before doing the same to his boyfriend.
~~XX~~
Not long after Bel had woken up, Dino had driven him into town to get his newly-fixed computer. Now that the boy had set it back up on his desk, he was catching up on all of the gaming he had missed. Fran had come back to annoy him, and the younger was insistent on playing with him. Bel had allowed it at first, but then the blond started acting strange.
"Bel-senpai?" Looking at his friend when the mouse was taken from his hand, Fran gave the older male his usual blank face.
"Dino said we should go on a date tonight~" Bel wrapped his arms around the smaller body and smiled as he nuzzled into the warm skin of Fran's neck. "Let's go on a date~"
"Senpai, I don't –" Trying to explain to Bel that they shouldn't be rushing into dates like this when Fran hadn't even been asked out yet, Fran sighed when he was cut off by the over-excited teen.
"What does Froggy want to do~?" Bel's mouth formed an 'o' as he realised something important; what did couples do on their dates? Fidgeting nervously, Bel glanced to the side, unknown to his 'boyfriend'; what if Fran told him to choose their date and he made an even bigger fool of himself than when they had had their first time together?
Play it cool, Belphegor. Play it cool.
"The prince was thinking that Froggy should pick our date tonight, because the prince enjoyed their sex more than the Froggy did. The prince wants to do something Froggy will enjoy lots and lots."
Perfect. He'll never know. Mental thumbs up.
"But, senpai, I don't want to go on a date."
"Of course you do, Froggy~ Who wouldn't want to go on a date with me?" His smile brightened as Bel hummed, waiting for Fran to make his mind up.
"I'm not your –" Fran tried to tell the blond that they weren't boyfriends; what had even made the other think this in the first place? He allowed his expressionless mask to slip in frustration; why was Bel so delusional at times?
"Oh! The prince has an idea~" The boy bounced around on his chair like the overgrown child he was as he giggled. "Ushishi~ Let's go to a strip club~!"
Even Fran couldn't stop his eyes from widening at this suggestion; what… the fuck…? "…"
"Come on, Froggy~!" Bel got up from his chair and tugged at the younger's arm in unbridled excitement. "Let's go~!"
Fran shook his head once he finally composed himself. "Senpai, I'm only fifteen; I can't get into strip clubs even if I wanted to. And you can't either; they don't let in sixteen-year-olds."
"Yeah, but that's only if we go through the front entrance! I know how to get into them without showing my ID~"
"Senpai… How many strip clubs have you been to…?" Fran mentally prepared himself; he could see his senpai doing a lot of things, but he had never thought the boy would sneak into strip clubs at his young age.
Then again, that was something Fran could see Bel doing now that he was thinking about it.
"A couple~ They're fun, but don't tell Squalo I go there sometimes or he'll be angry at me."
"Senpai wants to take me on a date… to a strip club…" Feeling at a loss with this situation, Fran closed his eyes. "I'm not going."
Bel's smile faltered at this as confusion crossed his face. "Why not? Don't you want to go on a date…?"
"No, senpai. I don't." Fran didn't miss the way Bel instantly dropped his head at this, and he continued on, knowing the blond was finally listening to him. "I'm not even your boyfriend, but for some reason, you seem to think I am. But I'm not."
"But… We… We kissed, and… and we…"
"I don't know what came over me the first time we kissed, but that other time? I couldn't have told senpai to stop even if I wanted to; he wouldn't have listened to me."
"…"
"I'm not your boyfriend, senpai."
"…" Bel lifted his head slightly and peered out from beneath his long bangs at the younger. "…Do you… But… You… You… like me… Right…?"
How was Fran supposed to respond to this? Did he admit that no matter how hard he thought about it, he wasn't one-hundred percent certain of his feelings? Or did he lie and say yes because the other honestly looked as if he were heartbroken? "…"
"I really like Froggy…" A childish pout formed on Bel's face as he looked down at his lap. "And I thought Froggy liked me back… I don't… I… I'm not a slut… I only did it because I… I really like you…"
"I know senpai isn't a slut," Fran promised. Deciding that a little white lie wouldn't hurt, he said, "I like senpai, too. Senpai just shouldn't have assumed I was his boyfriend or that I wanted to go on dates. Senpai should have asked."
His smile reappeared back on his face as Bel wrapped his arms around Fran and dropped his chin on the younger's shoulder; he had been so scared Fran was mad at him. "Will Froggy be my boyfriend?"
Deciding he didn't want to be the one to wipe Bel's happy smile – albeit creepy at times, too – from his face, Fran nodded; surely it wouldn't hurt if he just went along with this for a little while? "Okay, senpai."
Bel squealed happily. His body went through joyful spasms for a few seconds before he pushed Fran to the bed and kissed him senseless. He couldn't stop himself from clambering on top of the smaller male and grinding their hips together; he just got so excited at times, and he couldn't help it.
"Senpai, don't." Pushing the other off of him, Fran sighed; why was it up to him to teach Bel how to behave himself?
"Why?" Pouting once more, Bel stopped moving. "But we're boyfriends now; we can have sex~"
"Yes, but senpai, I don't have such high levels of hormones. Surely you understand how this works, right? Not everyone is always as horny as you are."
"Froggy just isn't in the mood?" Bel smiled in a dopy manner when he received confirmation in response. He nodded as he laid down next to Fran and pulled the younger into his arms; as much as he wanted to have sex again, he was happy to cuddle; he had always loved laying in bed at night and daydreaming about when he would finally have someone to hold in his arms. "Okay, then~ The prince will wait for Froggy to be in the mood~"
Fran was glad Bel was working with him to make whatever they had work; he had expected for the blond to be pushy when it came to what he wanted, and though the blond was a little insistent, it wasn't too bad; Bel was backing off once he started to understand things.
"Is Froggy horny yet?"
Fran sighed at the whisper against his ear that came not even a minute after they had laid down. "No, senpai."
"Okay~" Five minutes elapsed. "What about now?"
"No."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Now?"
Letting out an annoyed groan, Fran rolled around to face the other. "Senpai, if you keep asking me, I will never be horny again in my life. Please keep it in your pants and I will tell you when I am."
"'kay~" Nuzzling his nose against Fran's neck, Bel smiled. "Froggy?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really horny."
"I know you are, senpai. When are you not?"
"Shishishi~ I'm never not horny~ …Hey, Froggy?"
"Yeah?"
"How long does it usually take Froggy to get horny?"
Fran sighed again. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park, that was for sure.
