"You look down today."

Bel looked up from the plate of sushi he had been contemplating over. He found an acquaintance of his standing behind him with a baseball bat strapped over his shoulder, hinting at the other having come from baseball practise. Caramel eyes looked down at him with a hint of understanding, and it was enough to calm Bel into opening up; this male had always had that effect on him, despite having not known him for long or feeling close at all to the other.

"Have you ever tried to love someone, but only seem to do it all wrong?" Bel put his chopsticks down on the counter next to his plate and cocked his head to the side.

The taller male took a seat next to Bel and hummed as he thought this question over; had he ever been in that situation before? "…Well… I don't think so. Did something happen?"

Bel shrugged. "It's just… I… I'm trying to show Fran how much I love him, and… And everyone says I'm not being a very good boyfriend…"

"You're dating your foster brother?" The teenager Bel knew as Takeshi didn't seem bothered at all by this information; simply curious. Bel knew there was no issue in telling the black haired male what had happened; Takeshi never judged anyone and always did his best to understand the people around him.

Bel nodded. "I tried to take him on a date, but he didn't like that because he said we weren't even boyfriends. Then we did become boyfriends, but I don't feel like he appreciates me very much…"

"Why's that, Bel?" Willing to listen, Takeshi moved closer.

"He says he doesn't like my ideas for dates, and he never chooses anything for us to do anyway. And he never wants to have sex with me; I ask him and he always says he isn't in the mood, but what if he just doesn't want to have it with me? What if he… thinks I'm bad…? He made fun of me the first time we did it…" Bel had never felt so insecure, but he wanted nothing more than to be the best boyfriend he could be, yet he still wasn't sure what he was doing because though he tried so hard to follow everyone's advice, he only seemed to mess things up and confuse himself more.

"Well, what dates are you trying to take him on?"

"My first idea was to take him to a strip club, but he said no. So then I suggested maybe we could go to the cemetery at night and look for some ghosts. He said that was stupid and ghosts don't exist. Then I thought we could go to some abandoned places and he said I was boring and unimaginative…"

"Bel, those aren't exactly good ideas for dates." Takeshi was as kind as ever. He was patient, knowing that even though he and Bel weren't close, the blond was a very peculiar person and didn't understand how to socialise very well – the main reason his own group of friends had found it extremely difficult to teach Bel how to get along with them without fighting.

"What?" Bel frowned as he looked at Takeshi in confusion. "But they're so fun…!"

"Yes, but not everyone likes those kinds of things. If you want to take Fran on a date he's going to enjoy, then you need to find something you both enjoy doing. What do you and Fran have in common?"

"…" Now that he was thinking about it, Bel didn't know what his boyfriend did when he was alone; all he knew was that the younger liked being annoying, and seemed interested in playing games with Bel. Other than that… "I… don't know…"

"Then maybe you need to talk to Fran and find a compromise. Now, as for sex, do you ask him for it?" Takeshi continued on when he received a nod in response. "How often?"

"Every day."

"How many times a day?"

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Bel fidgeted. "…I ask him when I wake up, and in the afternoon, and before he goes to bed… So… I ask him maybe five or six times every day…"

"I don't think he thinks you're bad; maybe he just doesn't like being asked all the time, and he doesn't have a drive as high as yours. Maybe you should let him ask you for sex instead."

"…" Bel looked to his lap, not knowing how to respond; he had always thought he was being such a great boyfriend…

"You know, if you're feeling down, Tsuna and Gokudera will be coming over soon. We were going to play some videogames if you want to join us."

The boy shook his head and picked his chopsticks up again. "I can't; it's Lussu's birthday today and so I have to go back home soon. He wants everyone there to celebrate with him."

"That's alright," Takeshi promised. "Tsuna and Gokudera are staying the night here if you change your mind and want to come back."

Bel nodded. He fell silent as he slowly picked at his sushi, deep in thought; maybe he should try to find some quiet time alone with Fran and find out some more of his interests so that they could spend more time together and go on dates. He always felt upset whenever Fran made fun of him and didn't want to go on dates; he wanted so badly to be able to have a good relationship with the younger.

The blond didn't mind Takeshi sitting with him until the younger's friends arrived, and after farewelling the younger three, he finished up his afternoon tea and then completed the journey home.

Going to his room until he would be asked to come out and party with the others, Bel turned his computer on and finished editing a video. He wasn't exactly looking forward to tonight, having never been much of a party animal himself, but he liked spending time with the people he viewed as his family; they were all he had had for the past eight years, after all.

~~XX~~

When Bel had learnt there would be alcohol about, he had been a little happier to come out of his room and socialise. He had just grabbed a bottle for himself when Squalo caught him and snatched it from his hands before the blond could remove the cork; the man always had been strict in matters like this whenever it came to Bel.

"You're not drinking alcohol, Bel," Squalo growled. "You're sixteen, and you have medication."

"Yeah, but alcohol doesn't hurt my meds." Bel wasn't lying; he was able to drink in moderation before his medication started getting affected. "Please~? I really want to drink tonight~"

Squalo opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped and turned around with a growl when a bottle of wine was thrown past him and into Bel's hands. He knew exactly where it came from; there was only one person who would dare go against his wishes for his charges like this. Glaring at his dark-haired friend sprawled lazily by the window in the chair the other had long-since claimed as his own, Squalo yelled, "Voi! Xanxus, you fuck! Don't give my kids alcohol!"

"Shut it, trash." Drinking from his own bottle, the man named Xanxus narrowed red eyes. "He's old enough to drink, and you can't say no when you were out getting drunk every night when you were even younger than him."

Squalo sneered before he turned to Bel, trying not to take his anger out on his charge; it wasn't the blond's fault Xanxus was a terrible influence on people. "You can have one bottle and that's it, brat."

"Three bottles."

"One-and-a-half."

"Two." Bel smiled when he saw the resignation on his guardian's face, knowing that he had won. Wrapping one arm around the man as he used the other to hold his alcohol close to him, he giggled. "Thanks, Squ~!"

"Whatever…" Squalo wasn't happy at all about letting the boy get his wishes; he didn't like the idea of Bel drinking when he was so young because he would never forgive himself if anything happened because of it. He didn't say anything else as he walked away and left his charge alone; he just went back to what he had been doing before he noticed the younger trying to sneak away with alcohol.

Bel grinned as he pulled the cork from the bottle and drank straight away. He didn't even get halfway through his first bottle before the alcohol started kicking in, and he found himself in a giggly mood.

"Fran~" The boy carried his bottle loosely with him as he approached his boyfriend sitting on the couch with a book. He dropped himself next to the younger and allowed the wine bottle to slip from his grasp as he wrapped his arms around Fran, nuzzling in against the teal-haired male; he felt the most overwhelming urge to cuddle right now, and he wanted to receive all of the affection his boyfriend had. "Fran… Belphegor loves him lots…"

"What?" Fran blinked. He had heard Bel's strange mannerisms of speaking before, but not like this; though he often spoke in third person when he referred to himself a prince every now and then for reasons the younger didn't know, he hadn't actually spoken like this before. "What are you on about?"

Smiling against Fran's neck, Bel pressed himself closer against his boyfriend. "Belphegor thinks… Belphegor thinks his boyfriend… should… should…"

Fran stayed still, not knowing how he was supposed to respond; was Bel drunk? "…"

"Fran should… tell Belphegor stuff…"

"Senpai, I don't understand." Fran remained emotionless as the other whined softly. "You're not making any sense."

"Belphegor… Belphegor always makes sense~" The boy smiled and licked at his boyfriend's neck. "He wants to know… stuff…"

Before Fran could reply, Squalo approached them once more. The man snatched the bottle laying at Bel's feet, and when he spoke, his tone was thick with disapproval. "No more alcohol, Bel! You're too much of a lightweight!"

"Nu-uh. Belphegor…" Hiccupping, Bel leant forward, rubbing at his eyes. "…"

Fran stood up, bringing Bel with him. "Senpai, you need to get some sleep. Let's go to bed."

At these words, the blond attached himself to Fran's side and rubbed his hips slightly against the younger's leg. "Fran will let Belphegor… fuck…?"

Fran shook his head and grabbed Bel's hand to lead him out of the living room. "We're going to sleep, senpai."

Bel giggled, allowing himself to be led towards Fran's bedroom. He was placid as he was soon laid down on the bed and tucked in tight; he loved the attention he was getting right now. It was when Fran lay next to him did he climb all over the younger, rubbing himself against every accessible inch of the teal-haired male. "Belphegor wants to fuck…"

"No, senpai; it's sleep time." Fran remained calm as he pushed Bel off him. He pulled the blankets back over his boyfriend before putting his hands on the blond's shoulder, keeping him down. "Close your eyes. It's okay. Relax; go to sleep."

"Belphegor loves Fran… Lots and lots…" Bel slowly calmed down from his excitement, eventually doing as told. He purred when small fingers ran through his golden locks, and his breathing evened out as he started drifting off.

"That's it, senpai. Go to sleep." Fran continued to whisper until he was certain Bel had fallen asleep. "You're doing well. Good boy, senpai. Good boy."

When soft snores sounded from Bel, Fran couldn't help but caress the other's pale cheek. He wasn't sure when it had started, but he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his chest he had never felt previously as he regarded Bel in this moment.

Was he… slowly beginning to return Bel's affections? Only time would tell.