Having arrived at the Bahamas, Bel stood nervously by Squalo's side. Mammon was fussing over Fran, and Xanxus had already stomped ahead in order to go to his hotel room and sleep for a while. Bel nudged his kid's arm, grabbing the younger's attention before he cleared his throat. "Voi, Mammon; you and Fran should go ahead; I'm gonna buy Bel a few drinks since he's managed to get himself here and not back out instead."

Mammon gave the two a suspicious look from beneath her hood before she nodded; she could interrogate Squalo later where Bel couldn't overhear. "Come on, Fran; we'll go get our hotel room and eat something."

While Bel watched the two go, he couldn't help but fumble with the small box in his pocket, wishing he had the courage to ask her outright instead of needing Squalo's help. Once they were out of sight, he looked up to his guardian, a small frown on his face. "Squ-Squ, are you really going to buy me drinks? You know I can't have too much alcohol with my medication."

Wrapping his arm around thin shoulders, Squalo let a smile laced with amusement cross his face. "I'll buy you one; be thankful you can still have a little bit of alcohol."

Sticking close to the man's side, Bel shook his head. "You know I rarely drink anyway."

"I know that; what's wrong with shouting my kid a drink or two, though? I don't see much of you anymore."

A smile grew on Bel's face as he stopped walking, wrapping his arms around the older male's middle and hugging him tight. "But I still love you, Squ-Squ~"

"I know. I love you, too, brat." Patting the smaller male's back, Squalo paid no attention to the looks they were being given; whatever they were judging them for, he didn't care; he had been judged for far less before, and he had long-since grown used to it all. Bel, on the other hand... Bel did care.

It didn't take long for the two to join the crowds, Bel pressed up against Squalo as he partially hid himself behind the older man. His fingers dug tightly into the black hoody the other was wearing in a childish attempt at keeping himself from getting separated. Finally, after what felt like years, they sat down at a Bahamas-equivalent of a bar.

Flagging down the bartender, Squalo gestured to his companion as he allowed perfectly fluent English to flow from his lips. "I'll have the Kalik Gold for him. What's your hardest liquor?"

Looking down at the glass that was swiftly placed in front of him, Bel sniffed it warily. He poked his tongue out from his lips before giving the liquid a tentative lick. Scrunching his nose up in distaste, he pushed the glass away. "Squ…"

"Too strong?" Taking the glass for himself along with the one he had just acquired, Squalo waved the bartender back. "Can you get him a Kalik Light instead?"

Receiving a nod in response, Squalo waited until Bel had been given his drink. He was pleased as the younger drank this one, albeit not happily; the blond had a particular taste for when it came to alcohol, and it seemed that this kind didn't suit it.

"So, how are you going to pop the question now that you're here?" Taking a gulp of his liquor, Squalo's dark eyes wandered over his kid.

"…" Looking at his lap, Bel shrugged. "…I feel a lot more nervous now that we're actually here, Squ…"

"Well, the more you put it off, the harder it'll be for you." Reaching out to smooth down some of Bel's hair, Squalo allowed a gentle smile to cross his face. "She loves you; I honestly doubt she would ever turn you down. You're too fuckin' hot for her to leave, anyway."

Bel giggled, a blush coating his cheeks. "You think I'm hot, Squ?"

With a nod, Squalo straightened the younger's red jacket, zipping it up so that the chill didn't get to Bel. "I'm allowed to notice that about my kid, Bel. You're hot, and sexy as fuck. And despite your problems, you're still a pretty damn good boyfriend. If Mammon ever turned you down, I'd wonder when she became a fucking retard."

"You think she'll say yes?" Feeling a bit of his stress ebb away at Squalo's encouragement, Bel slowly relaxed.

"I can't think of any reason why she'd say no. If she wasn't happy being with you, she'd have left years ago, Bel."

Bel nodded, knowing the man was right; in Bel's condition, it would be extremely hard for him to find a stable relationship with someone other than Mammon – the fact that she had stayed so long with him, and their relationship had never faltered spoke volumes. "What should I do when I ask her?"

"Just be yourself. I don't know much about romantics, kid, so take her on a walk or some shit. And make sure to ask her in a direct manner; make your wishes clear. Wear something nice; I know you love stripes and all, but surely you've packed more than the shit you've had for years?"

Nodding, Bel tugged his jacket tighter around him; he was suddenly feeling very self-conscious of his favourite purple-and-black striped shirt, knowing full-well that he had had it for long enough and worn it enough times for there to be rips and tears in the fabric.

"And you always wear your hair sexily, but try and brush some of your bangs to the side so at least one of your eyes show. Let her see your emotion, okay?"

Bel's breathing quickened, tensing visibly at the suggestion; his eyes left him like an open book, his emotions so easily read. He hid his eyes because they gave away everything he was feeling, allowing others to read his thoughts and know things he didn't want them to. He hated how his eyes gave away his fears, his anxiety – his entire being. Was it so bad of him to want to keep some sort of control in his life when he otherwise had none when his depression would drag him back into hell at the most unexpected of times?

"No…" Hugging himself, Bel couldn't help but whisper; anything but that…

"Bel, trust me; if you want to marry someone, you have to lay everything out on the table. She'll respect you so much more if you show her you're willing to go far from your comfort zone and show her everything. Look." Reaching out, Squalo brushed away blond bangs, revealing a frightened purple orb watching him. The pupil widened before it looked past Squalo, seemingly focusing on anything but him. "You know you can show me everything, and you can do the same to Mammon. Show her just how much you trust her, and she'll trust you in return."

"I just want… for Mammy to know how much I love her…"

"She already knows," Squalo promised. "Trust me on that."

Bel nodded, instinctively shaking his head so that his bangs fell back into place. "…"

"Try and ask her out within the next few nights, okay?" Leaning back in his seat, Squalo dragged his fingers through his long locks. "Try not to leave it so long."

Dropping his head onto Squalo's shoulder, Bel sighed. It wasn't easy for him to do this, but he truly wanted his girlfriend to be as close to him as possible after all these years.

Mammon was his sole reason for getting up in the mornings, for keeping him living, after all.

~~XX~~

After making his way to his hotel room, Bel stepped in and found Fran curled up on the couch watching TV while Mammon sat next to him, seemingly going over finances. The blond smiled as he approached the two, soon leaning down to wrap his arms around the woman. "Mammy…"

"Hey, Bel." Putting her hand on the younger's shoulder, Mammon allowed the blond to bury his face against the top of her head. "I'm busy now."

Bel nodded, unwrapping his arms from his girlfriend as he moved to Fran's side. "Come on, Froggy; let's go explore."

It didn't take the two males long to leave, and once they had, Mammon stood up. She left the hotel room as well, heading to the one she knew Squalo and Xanxus were staying in. Knocking at the door, she was soon let in by the long-haired man, his face darker than usual; how much had he drank?

"What are you and Bel planning on doing?" Wasting no time in getting to the point, Mammon stepped into the room so that she wasn't standing in the hallway. "You're a fool if you thought I wouldn't notice you're both up to something when Bel begged me to come."

Waving his hand in a dismissive manner, Squalo shook his head. "We're not up to shit, Mammon. We're just taking breaks. Don't be so fucking suspicious all the time."

"I'm not being suspicious; I'm observing. I know Bel, and I know when he's up to something. And whatever it is, he's conspiring with you because he thinks I won't notice."

"Have you tried asking him yourself?" Swaying dangerously on the spot, Squalo's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe you should trust him a bit more and realise that he'll tell you himself when he's ready – not with you digging your fuckin' nose where it doesn't belong."

Mammon knew Squalo well enough to know that it wasn't the alcohol making him aggressive; it was his parental instincts in trying to keep Bel from getting hurt; he was trying to keep himself from slipping up and revealing whatever it was they had planned, and in doing so, this told Mammon that it must have been something important.

Not sure what to think about this, Mammon shook her head. Turning around, she said over her shoulder, "You shouldn't drink so much, Squalo; you get a lot angrier when you're drunk."

Squalo muttered something before he walked back into his hotel room. However, something he had said had agitated Mammon a little; did he really think she didn't trust her boyfriend? She trusted Bel so much, never once had the thought that he could be doing something behind her back crossed her mind. She trusted him going overseas without her, certain that he would never get himself in a position that would compromise their relationship. Hell, she even trusted him going to parties within Sicily that she knew would have plenty of females about. Sure, he only ever went with Squalo on those occasions, and the man would stay by his side throughout, but she trusted her lover to so much as not even give any of those girls a second look.

So why had Squalo even felt the need to bring that up and make it sound as if she didn't trust Bel at all? She did know that the younger would tell her everything when he was ready to, so…

Shaking her head, Mammon returned back to her room, going over her finances once more.

~~XX~~

When Bel and Fran returned later that night, Mammon couldn't help but feel her chest and stomach warm up at the sight of Bel's bright smile. Sitting up straighter on the couch, she allowed her boyfriend to climb all over her in his excitement. Noticing his hands cupped over something, she gently stroked her fingers against his cheek. "What have you got, Bel?"

Releasing his find onto Mammon's lap, Bel giggled. "Froggy found his long-lost sibling~"

Picking up the frog that had been dumped unceremoniously on her body, Mammon's smile slowly widened; oh, how she loved frogs. "Where did you find it?"

"Froggy and I were on the beach, and it hopped into Froggy's clothing~ Shishishishi~ He squirmed like a worm~" Purring as tiny hands patted his head in appreciation, Bel relaxed a little, his excitement calming. "Does Mammy like her present~?"

Nodding, Mammon let the amphibian hop onto her head. "I do. Thank you." Looking over to Fran and finding the boy standing quietly to the side, she opened her arms and gestured for him to come closer. She pulled the youngest into a gentle hug once he had approached, kissing his lips in a soft manner. "Thank you, too, Fran."

Fran blushed as he raised his fingers to his lips, still not used to the way Mammon treated him as part of the relationship; while he was certain that Bel would never allow him to become their official boyfriend, he did reluctantly allow Mammon and Fran to be intimate together as long as he could watch – no matter the extent of his trauma, he found that he was greatly comfortable with it enough for it to arouse him just by thinking about them together.

"Mammy…" Letting a pout cross his face, Bel tugged at his girlfriend's jacket, moving his face in closer as a silent request for his own kiss. He smiled once again when he received a gentle peck to the corner of his lips, wrapping his arms around the older adult. "Thanks, Mammy~"

Mammon nodded. Grabbing her new pet, she stood up from the couch. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

While Bel took over her spot on the couch in order to play around on his laptop for a while, Fran followed Mammon into the bedroom. He turned around for privacy as they each changed into their pyjamas, still a little shy when it came to undressing around her and Bel despite what they did together.

"Goodnight, Mammon…" Crawling into the middle of the bed, Fran allowed room for Bel on the left; he knew how grumpy the blond would be if he were to be kicked off the mattress and left to sleep alone.

"Night, Fran." Laying down beside the younger, Mammon allowed Fran to snuggle in against her; it was what kept his nightmares at bay, so she would allow it.

While Fran drifted into an easy sleep, Mammon laid awake, staring out of the window. She couldn't seem to unwind and let herself rest, though she wasn't sure why; she didn't feel as if anything was bothering her. She just… couldn't sleep.

When the bedroom door opened a few hours later and Bel walked over to the bed, Mammon didn't say anything; she simply paid attention to the younger's weight shifting the mattress as he climbed onto it. She let out an inaudible sigh as thin arms wrapped around her and Fran and pulled them closer to Bel; hopefully he would be able to get some sleep himself, but after just half-an-hour when his soft cries made themselves known, she knew it wouldn't be that simple; just because Bel could get through his days like a carefree child at times, it only meant he would crash at night when he was left to his thoughts.

Glad that at least she wasn't the only one not having a good night, Mammon rolled over and reached across Fran, wiping away some of the tears that were rolling down pale cheeks. "It's okay, Bel."

His hand grabbing hold of indigo hair tightly, Bel tried to stifle his sobs; Mammon needed to sleep, and she certainly wouldn't do so if he were to keep her up like this. "Sorry, Mammy…"

"Don't apologise."

"…"

Nothing more was said after that; Mammon eventually fell asleep, and Bel stayed up for the rest of the night, his thoughts running rampart in his head. Was this whole plan a good idea? He certainly hoped so.