Bel hadn't needed to leave Kyouya's car in order to realise that this 'conference' they were going to was going to be too much for him; it was too crowded, too many strangers about and not enough places for him to hide. How Kyouya had managed to coax him out of the car and into the building, he would never know, but what he did know was that he had never felt so claustrophobic, he couldn't help but cling desperately to someone – in this case, it was the skylark.

"What is your name?"

Kyouya made eye contact with the woman in charge of check-ins. "Hibari Kyouya."

The woman looked at Bel, who was hidden behind the younger male. "And him? Is he on the list, too?"

"Belphegor."

"I can't see him on the list. What is his last name?"

"He does not have a last name; we believe he has been orphaned as a child. I definitely registered him alongside me." Kyouya glanced to Bel as he felt the smaller male's grip on his arm tighten; was the blond afraid of being separated?

"Oh, yes, here he is." The woman spared a glance at Bel. "Go right in."

Kyouya said nothing as he did as told; he wasn't in the mood for stuffing around. He tensed as he felt Bel press closer to him, but he remained silent; he understood that, like himself, the blond was very uncomfortable with how many other people were crammed into the building with them.

"We're going straight to our seats; I do not like the crowding, either."

Bel was growing more distressed by the minute; it was too busy, too loud – too familiar. Even when he was seated in a chair an unknown amount of time later, he couldn't stop shaking; all he could do was remember.

Around him, the chairs started filling and chatter spread through the air once more. Kyouya watched the blond from the corner of his eye, knowing that something was wrong; he had been trying to talk to Bel, but he knew the smaller male wasn't ignoring him; the other simply wasn't hearing him.

Slowly, the world around Bel became nothing but a muffled blur as he heard deafening echoes and saw visions of his past in reality's place. If he looked hard enough, he could see his young self standing on that podium, naked and restrained as he was paraded around in front of countless eyes that devoured him whole. "Starting bid, one-thousand euros…"

All of a sudden, reality hit him like a ton of bricks when he heard the megaphone blast through the conference room. His eyes widened as he felt bile climb its way up his throat, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from vomiting. The room went silent as all eyes turned to the blond, and Kyouya hated the judging atmosphere around them; for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of, he didn't like to think that people were judging his herbivore for something like this.

Wait… His herbivore?

Kyouya shook his head; now wasn't the time to think about those kinds of things. He instead waited until Bel had stopped vomiting before he reached out and pulled the smaller male to his feet. "Come; we are going to get fresh air."

Bel couldn't protest; he was too busy crying as emotions he hadn't thought about in years slammed into him like an express train driving through a car on the tracks. He barely noticed as they left the conference room; all he could really acknowledge was that he was walking with Kyouya.

The skylark didn't hesitate to take Bel to the bathroom so that the older male could clean himself up; he wasn't going to let anyone see Bel in such a vulnerable state. No one said anything once they had walked into the bathroom; they simply stood by the hand basins, Kyouya waiting patiently for his guest to calm down. It took a while, but eventually, the blond was able to take deep breaths as he tried his hardest to stop his tears.

"Why'd you… bring me here…?" Bel wiped at his eyes. He was still trembling, but he had finally made it back to reality.

"Because I won't leave you in a position that has upset you like this." Kyouya shook his head.

"…" The blond slid down the wall he had been leaning against. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, not knowing what to say; he hadn't expected for Kyouya to do something like that for him.

Kyouya wasn't one to pry. "I am here if you want someone to listen."

Bel truly didn't understand those words; listen to what? "What do you mean…?"

"Whatever is bothering you. If you want to talk about it, I will listen to you."

Bel sniffed. He didn't know why those words stung; was it because no one had ever said something like that to him before? Was it because for his whole life, he had believed he wasn't allowed to talk about his pain? That it would only get him hurt worse if he were to admit he was suffering?

But for reasons he couldn't understand, it was getting harder and harder for him to lock everything away behind his angry façade, and he felt like he was going to explode. His voice cracked as he tried to speak, but he couldn't get many words out before it became too hard to talk past the lump in his throat.

Kyouya, however, knew enough about these kinds of situations to know that all Bel may need was a push to finally open up to someone. "The first time I saw you, I believed you had come from a child trafficking ring ran by Xanxus. Am I correct?"

Bel was silent for several moments before he nodded. He let out a loud sob before he whimpered out, "W-where we just were… It was just like… just like at the auctions…"

"You were auctioned?" Kyouya didn't judge; it wasn't Bel's fault he was in this position.

"…Lots of times… I always went back to Xanxus… Because everyone who bought me… Couldn't break me properly… They didn't want someone… who wouldn't do as told… In the end, Xanxus decided to keep me for himself…"

"You were reminded of all that because of this place." Kyouya closed his eyes. "How many times have you been auctioned?"

"…Twenty-six times…" Hot tears trailed down Bel's cheeks. "Twenty-six people I was beaten and raped by every day…"

"How old were you?" Did Kyouya want to hear the answer? Of course not. He was sickened enough already.

"I was eight when my parents sold me to Xanxus the first time…" Bel's hands shook violently as he remembered so much he had tried to never think about. "Before that, my parents… were no better than Xanxus…"

"They abused you in the same manner." Kyouya closed his eyes when he was given a hesitant nod. "You never knew anything different until you were taken away from Xanxus. All you knew was suffering. Herbivore… It gets better in time."

Bel gave Kyouya the most heartbroken expression he had ever donned. "How do you know that…? It only… got worse for me…"

"Because I've been through bad things, too." Kyouya sat by Bel's side. "I have lived with my uncle for my teenage years because my parents were abusive, too. It was different to your situation; I was never sexually violated, nor have I been by anyone, but I have been physically and emotionally abused, too. I was in… a mental state similar to yours. I was very angry, and I had no friends because of it. I didn't really understand how to make friends, and if I ever tried, I only seemed to make enemies. But things became better for me because I was living with my uncle. He helped me a lot, and he taught me how to talk to people. I am still… not very good at it… But I have made… friends…"

Bel licked his lips. He whispered, in a fearful manner, "Am I… your friend…?"

"Yes, herbivore. I wouldn't be here with you now if you weren't." Kyouya, for the first time since he had been with Bel, reached his hand out. He hesitated, but he was able to pat blond locks for a split second before he pulled his hand back to himself. He cleared his throat. "My uncle often patted my head when I was young. He said it showed kindness."

"Kind…ness…?" Not once in his life had Bel ever heard those words, and he felt uncomfortable; what was this… kindness Kyouya was speaking of?

"Fon once explained it to me as making someone feel loved and safe instead of in danger." Kyouya glanced at his wristwatch. "Will you come back into the conference room? It is nothing like your childhood."

Bel licked his lips before he looked to his lap. "…Can… we stay away from everyone…?"

Kyouya nodded, glad to agree; he had hated sitting in amongst so many people, too. "We will stand along the back wall. Wash your face and we will go."

The blond did as told; he couldn't stand the feeling of things clinging to his skin because only too many times had he been left covered in other men's semen when he was barely a child. He stood up and moved to the hand basins, making sure to wash away as much vomit as he could before he returned back to the conference room with Kyouya. He felt much better about being there now that they were standing by the back wall away from everyone else, and when the event ended, the skylark made sure to leave a few minutes early in order to avoid the crowd.

Bel didn't know to say thank you, but he was appreciative of Kyouya's actions; he wasn't sure he would have been able to handle it if he were brought back to their original seats.

~~XX~~

For the rest of the day, Bel had been quiet. They hadn't left their hotel room for anything other than meals, and upon returning, the blond had watched television while Kyouya worked at reports. The skylark had been enjoying the peace, but he was soon distracted from it when he felt a hesitant tug at his sleeve.

"What is it?" Kyouya raised his eyebrow as he noticed the uncomfortable expression on Bel's face.

Bel fidgeted for a few seconds before he asked in a quiet manner, "How does… 'friends' work?"

Kyouya blinked. "I… still do not quite understand it myself; you will be better to ask one of those herbivores as they will know more than I do. However… I believe my uncle said it has to do with trust…"

"Trust…" If Bel could remember how to frown, he would. "…As in… knowing they will not hurt you…?"

"Yes."

"How do I know… if I can be friends with someone? Is it a mutual thing?"

"You will be happy around someone if you can be friends with them. Or at least, you will feel at peace. And I do not know the answer to your last question."

"I… don't think I am happy…" Bel sighed. "I don't know how to be happy… But when I'm with you now, I don't feel so angry… So scared… Will I ever be… happy…?"

"If you want to be happy, you work hard at it. It won't be a quick process, but soon, you'll find yourself smiling without even realising it. It happens when you least expect it, so don't give up, herbivore."

Bel nodded. He rubbed his stomach before he went back to his bed so that he could watch more TV. He thought a little bit on what he had spoken to Kyouya about, and he wondered… Would he maybe… one day…

Have a friend? Part of him hoped so; he didn't want to be in pain any longer.