When Bel returned home from the resort, he was very happy to be able to curl up in his own bed once again; it had been difficult for him to sleep in the hotel room he had been sharing with Gokudera, and though he felt safe with the younger male by his side, it had still been a very daunting experience for him and left him with little rest. It had been only natural for the boy to fall asleep in Dino's car once the older blond had picked him up from Gokudera's apartment now that he had the familiar comfort of his guardian back to soothe him into rest; he had been running on empty for so long, he couldn't help but crash once he knew he was going home.

Bel had slept for a few hours before he had woken up again and wandered out into the living room to find a note on the coffee table from Dino, explaining that the man had been called into work and would be home by dinnertime. It was rare for him to be home alone since Dino was always afraid of leaving him unsupervised, and though the boy was a little nervous, he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on so that he could rest a little more; he had done very well to trust his friends enough to follow them all over the resort for the past few weeks, and it had really taken its toll on him.

There was a good line-up of anime playing, Bel found. He was feeling well enough to go into the kitchen and get himself a bowl of ice cream, and as content as he was starting to find himself, he didn't even mind the doorbell ringing; he simply stood up and tiptoed over to the window so that he could see who it was before he decided if he should pretend no one was home.

The boy cocked his head to the side as he found Fran standing on the doorstep. He didn't hesitate to get up and unlock the front door so that he could let the younger inside; he trusted his young friend to not try and hurt him while they were home alone.

"Senpai's home… The horse said senpai was with his friends…"

Despite Fran's voice being as monotone as ever, Bel could still sense that the smaller male was upset; he couldn't explain it, but he had come to know Fran well enough to be able to pick up on something off about the other.

Bel grabbed Fran's hand and tugged the younger into the house so that he could shut and lock the front door again; he never could stand the idea of someone leaving the door unlocked for strangers to wander inside. He led his friend into the living room so that he could get his notepad and pen and sit back down on the couch again; while he still had a lot to learn about socialising, he was slowly learning enough from his own friends to have an idea of what he was supposed to do in this moment.

Putting his pen to paper, Bel mimicked the words Yamamoto always seemed to ask him. Why are you sad?

Fran blinked a few times. He looked up at the TV before he looked back at Bel, not sure how he was supposed to respond; he wasn't sure he really wanted to talk about things. "…"

Bel wrote again on his notepad, trying his best to recreate the many one-sided conversations he had held with Yamamoto. If Froggy is sad, he can tell me why. I won't tell anyone.

Fran looked to his lap for a few seconds before he said quietly, "There's this pineapple…"

Bel cocked his head to the side. Fran had drifted off into silence, so he nudged the younger to try and encourage him to continue.

"…He said his name is Mukuro, and that I could stay with him if I wanted to…" Fran shook his head as he tried to gather his thoughts. He felt comfortable enough to divulge little bits to his friend, but he didn't want to talk about everything; he remembered that the other had promised to hurt him if Fran ever told anyone what had happened. "…It was really cold, so I stayed with him… He said I could have the spare bedroom…"

Bel wasn't stupid; when Fran fell into silence again, he wrote hastily on his notepad. Did he do bad things to you?

For the first time since Fran could remember, he felt tears well up in his eyes. He sniffed before he reached out and wrapped his arms around the blond, too scared to tell Bel the rest of what was on his mind; what if Bel told someone? What if… Bel couldn't understand? "Please don't tell anyone, senpai; he said he'd hurt me if anyone finds out…"

Bel stiffened in the embrace, but he didn't pull away; he knew that Fran just needed comfort. He wasn't entirely sure of what to do, especially since he himself was so uncomfortable with touch, but he reached out and patted the younger's back; he knew that it was something Dino always did for him, so maybe it would help Fran feel more at ease?

"Senpai, please…" Fran lifted a chubby hand so that he could wipe at his wet eyes. "D-d-don't tell anyone…"

Bel nodded. He knew what it was like to not want anyone to know, and he wasn't going to tell anyone; he knew he couldn't let Fran go back to that person, but he didn't know what he could do short of telling Dino what was happening – but he had promised, and he wasn't going to break that promise.

Pulling away from the embrace so that he could write another message, he soon wrote, I won't tell anyone. If Froggy needs someone to talk to, he can talk to me about it. I won't tell.

Fran sniffed again. He nodded. "Thank you, s-senpai…"

Bel didn't move as Fran pulled himself onto his lap. He was very uncomfortable with the position, but he would allow it; he knew that he sometimes too needed to be held by those he trusted when he was feeling vulnerable.

And then, Bel had the best idea. He was gentle as he pushed Fran off his lap so that he could stand up and go into the kitchen; Dino always made him milkshakes when he didn't feel right, and maybe a milkshake would cheer Fran up, too.

Fran waited on the couch for Bel to return, and when the boy came back after a few minutes with two milkshakes in hand, a noticeable smile crossed the younger male's features. Bel, too, smiled as the other accepted the milkshake, and when he sat back down on the couch, he was okay with letting the smaller male rest against him; he liked the feeling of being needed because he had never been able to feel so useful before.

"Senpai…?"

Bel looked down at the younger when he felt tiny fingers begin to play with his sleeve. "…"

Fran rested his head against the boy's shoulder. "…If… If I can… Can I sometimes… stay here with you…? You're really nice, senpai, and… And Mukuro… scares me…"

Bel nodded. He truly didn't mind Fran coming to stay with them because he liked the younger's company; Fran was a quiet guest who respected his needs, after all.

A slight smile crossed Fran's face. "Can I stay here for tonight…?"

Again, Bel nodded.

"Can I sleep in your bed with you?"

It was then Bel hesitated to agree. It was true he had taken naps with his little friend before, but to actually share his bed for the night… It had been stressful enough to share with Gokudera at the resort, and when he sometimes got into Dino's bed through the night, it could still be taxing on him.

But Fran was so harmless, and Bel really wanted to be able to learn how to share his bed so that he could sleep with Gokudera more often.

The boy nodded stiffly after a while. He looked away when Fran hugged him again, trying to relax his tense body; he knew it was going to take a long time, but at least he was slowly getting better with trusting his friends.

"Thank you, senpai…" Fran nuzzled his cheek against Bel's arm before he let out a yawn and closed his eyes. "I'm tired… Can I nap…?"

Bel wrapped his arm around the child's shoulders in a silent yes, and he couldn't help but feel his chest warm as Fran fell asleep against him; he felt purposeful in knowing that his friend wanted his reassurance.

But the more Bel thought about it, the angrier he felt in knowing that someone was hurting Fran how he had been hurt – he had promised Fran he wouldn't tell anyone, so he wouldn't, but if he ever found out who had done it to his friend, he would kill them.

Bel was just protective like that. He would never harm someone he cared about, but he wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone he considered a threat – and someone like Xanxus was the worst kind of threat imaginable.

~~XX~~

True to his word, Bel had allowed Fran to stay for the night. Dino had picked up on the youngest being upset, but he hadn't pried; he had a feeling his guest had already told Bel what was bothering him since the two were near-inseparable for the day. He was glad Fran was staying over because he hated to think of where the kid was going at night; he was pretty sure Fran had found some sort of living arrangement, but he didn't know the details; the youngest hadn't wanted to tell him everything.

Dino didn't mind the two staying up late; while he would have preferred for them both to go to bed early because of their young ages, he was lenient for tonight; they were having fun together, and it was a welcome change over Bel spending his day in bed.

"Boys, I'm going to go to bed now." Dino closed the lid of the laptop he had been working on so that he could take it back into his bedroom; he knew Bel would play with it if it was left in the living room, and it had all of his work stuff on it and he couldn't afford to lose any of it. "Try not to stay up too much longer; it's getting late. Bel, please turn the TV down a little bit; it might wake the neighbours."

Bel nodded. He grabbed the TV remote and turned the volume down, knowing that the surround sound was very powerful and had disturbed the neighbours before. He yawned as he laid back down with his head on Fran's lap and watched his friend play on his PlayStation; he hadn't been able to find much motivation to play, too, so he just wanted to watch for now.

"Goodnight, boys. Sleep well. Wake me if you need anything." With that said, Dino left to go to bed. He hoped Bel would have a good night's sleep; the boy always seemed to wake up a little more refreshed whenever Gokudera spent the night with him.

Bel and Fran hadn't been alone for long before Bel reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out so that he could type to Fran. I'm getting tired, Froggy. Let's go to bed.

Fran nodded. He watched as Bel stood up to turn everything off, and once the older male started heading towards the hallway, he followed. He was understanding when his friend took clean pyjamas into the bathroom to get dressed in, and he waited patiently in bed for Bel to join him.

When Bel came back into the bedroom, he turned the light off and made his way to his bed. He climbed in beneath the blankets, and though he was uncomfortable to feel Fran cuddling in against him, he didn't pull away; at least they were both safe here in his bedroom together.

Bel's eyes hadn't been closed for long before Fran whispered, "Senpai? Are you still awake?"

Bel hummed in response. He could feel the smaller male snuggling in closer to him.

"…" Fran sighed. "…I… I don't want to have nightmares again…"

Bel frowned. He understood perfectly what Fran was saying; even now, eight years after his own assault, the boy still had extremely vivid nightmares, as if it was happening all over again. He finally reached out and wrapped an arm around his friend to hold him close; if just for tonight, he would be strong for Fran and protect him from the suffering.

Deep inside, Bel wanted someone to protect him like this, too.