"Grand-mère, retourner au lit…" Fran stood from his breakfast to drag his grandmother back to her bed for the umpteenth time.
The group had been trying to eat for some time, but their meal kept being interrupted by Fran's grandmother who thought she was better enough to clean and cook for the boys.
The group consisted of Chika, Chika's two friends that never spoke, Mammon and Bel. Chika was there because he had gone to his home town for Fall Break, he only returned to the school when Fran's Grandmother became sick. Who knew why Chika's friends were there. Mammon had gotten there that morning when he bought over some of Fran's clothes. Bel was with Fran when he had received the news so he did everything in power to get Fran back home as quickly as possible, naturally he tagged along. Fran had been too worried to say anything about it.
He had been quiet the entire journey. He seemed to be collected but Bel could tell he was worried.
But now, even though he was arguing with the woman, Bel could tell that Fran was relieved that his grandmother was well. She was a funny woman, she also though she was the incredible hulk or something alike because she could not stay in bed. She would get restless and wander back to the group to chat and humor them, much to Fran's distress and embarrassment.
He was a different person around the elder woman. Not like at school, or around those street kids. He was like a parent, which made sense because his grandmother was playful and childish. All in the same, he respected and admired her, it showed.
"So what are we going to do today?" Chika asked the group as soon as Fran returned to the table.
"I was going to go back to campus but the weather is awfully nice today," Mammon noted, "I'd melt on the journey back."
"It's going to start raining soon so might as well make something out of it while we can." The loud blond [Chika] added. "Let's go down to the swimming hole, how 'bout it Fran?"
"You guys can go, I'll stay behind and watch-"
"Nooo." Mammon cut him off. "You need to get out Fran, your Grandma will be fine."
To everyone's amusement Grandma agreed from the other side of the house.
"Fine." Fran gave in, admittedly looking forward to relief from the insane heat.
"How many languages do you speak?" Bel asked the frog as the three walked along the bank. Chika and his friends had already flung themselves into the water.
"A couple." Fran shrugged disinterestedly.
"Couple my ass." Mammon smirked. "I've seen him keep a conversation with a German exchange student, added to the French, English and Italian. Aren't you taking Russian?"
"Czech." The boy corrected.
"Damn." Bel was impressed. "Is French your first language?"
Fran nodded.
"Are you guys going into the water?" The young emperor asked the duo after some time.
"No thank you." Mammon said taking a seat under a shady tree, "I think I'm going to take a nice nap right here."
Bel looked at Fran who shook his head. "I'd rather not, but if you want to go ahead."
The blond shook his head in disapproval, "No… I think you want to."
"What?" Fran was cut off as Bel pushed the boy off the edge of the short cliff and into the water.
When he rose to the surface he glared at the heir and the purple roommate of his, as they were dying of laughter.
"How is the water frog?" Bel asked in between laughs.
"If you want to know so badly why don't you come in yourself?" The boy said with gritted teeth.
"Oh it's fine, I trust your opinion." The Blond assured.
"Are you sure about that?" Mammon said smugly as he threw a massive book (that he got who know where?) at the back of the emperor's head. The blond lost his balance and slipped into the water. Mammon was dying again, he had definitely gotten his daily's worth of amusement.
"Mammon you are an asshole." Fran said shivering as the trio walked back to the house.
"Yes, but I'm your asshole." Mammon said with a wink.
"If you're that cold, take off your shirt." Bel suggested.
"I would but I'm so cold I can't move." That would explain the boy's hilarious penguin walk.
"Would you like us to help you?" His roommate volunteered, but Fran knew he wasn't being generous, he knew better.
He laughed sarcastically. "Right. Not from you two perverts."
"It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." Mammon winked again, this time in Bel's direction, who was bursting in laughter.
"Not funny you guys." Fran was far too cold to come up with a good retort.
"Fran didn't tell me that he had the wonderful privilege of being such good friends with your royal highness the emperor."
The group, after changing into warm attire, was now sitting around the fireplace. Fran's grandmother had joined them; she looked far livelier now.
"Wonderful privilege my ass." Fran muttered under his breath loud enough for Bel to catch and twitch at.
"Well technically I'm not entitled to the name yet," Bel said surprisingly bashfully. "Not until I finish my studies that is."
"He's being modest," Chika would love the honor of praising the Emperor for him. "He's already a strong leader, he has character and influence. A very emperor-y aura to him."
"He must mean tyrannical." Fran whispered to Mammon, although Bel caught that as well.
"SO TELL US MORE ABOUT FRAN." Bel said rather loudly, but politely and with a show of interest none the less. "What was he like as a child?"
"Oh Frannie was such a cutie~" The elder woman was more than happy to talk about her beloved grandson. "Well he's still adorable, but when he was small he would never shut up. He'd say the most curious things, and ask the most ridiculous questions. Once he asked me if he could grow out his hair so he could braid it like the neighbor's girl-"
"WHO'S HUNGRY?" Fran interrupted standing from his spot.
"NO ONE IS HUNGRY." Bel grabbed the boys arm and sat him back down with a wide amused grin on his face. "Please continue mam."
"What was I saying? Oh yes! That neighbor girl, what was her name? Charlie? What an awful name for a little lady! Anyway she was quite the little lady. She had Frannie whipped like a dog. Poor thing would have nightmares about the girl. But he would insist that she was his best friend. Didn't she make you carry her to every class on the first day of school? Didn't you end up tripping down a flight of stairs and breaking her nose? Her face is still rather hideous I think, did she ever talk to you again after that Frannie?"
"No." Fran answered with a bitter voice as he glared at the blond heir sitting next to him.
"What a shame! Her mother would make these amazing pies-"
"What are you doing?" Fran had finally noticed Mammon to his left playing with his hair.
"Braiding your hair. Your welcome." His roommate said cheeky.
The boy pushed the other off him and struggled to undo the half braid.
"Here let me help you." The purple haired teenager reached for his hair again but Fran pushed him off again.
"Get away Mammon!"
The two began to chase each other around the house.
"Seriously though," Fran's grandmother said mostly to Bel, as the rest of the group drifted off into their own conversation. "I'm glad he's finally making some good friends. Be good to him please. I can't imagine that is a problem for you Belphegor, you seem you have grown up to be a fine boy, and you will be a fine ruler I'm sure." She smiled at the blond, who wasn't sure how to respond.
He smiled and nodded. "Fran is a rather…" He searched for words. "Well beautiful person really, character wise anyway. I find that rather admirable and respectable. I'm sure Mammon as well."
"Hey Mammon?" Fran and his roommate were sitting out on the patio. The sky had begun to darken.
"Yes?"
"When I first met you, you told me to stay away from the Emperor…"
Mammon nodded for him to continue.
"But you two get along well. You are friends no?"
"More or less." Mammon sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I like Bel, he's a good guy-well not paying mind to his tough guy act, I would like to consider him a friend. But being close to him is rather dangerous. Not everyone favors him you know? I feel bad for him sometime. There's a lot weighing on him it's hard to even imagine." From his face, Fran could tell that it was beyond anyone's imagination.
His roommate continued. "I don't know how he keeps it together. Anyway I warned you because I could tell that he took a liking to you." Mammon knew that Fran probably didn't know what kind of 'liking' he was talking about, but figured it was Bel's confession to deliver that is if he ever delivered. "And you have a future Fran, I didn't want anything to come in between that."
"Did something happen to you?" Fran was curious. "Is that why you're not close anymore?"
Mammon smiled. "Yes, but perhaps times are different now?" The purple haired teen wasn't sure why he was reassuring the boy. "I wouldn't worry about it too hard, for now at least."
"I'm going to go get started on dinner." Fran excused himself.
Fran had discovered some good time ago that Bel was rather decent under that faux mask he wore. He had wondered why he wore it, he did figure it was related to the whole emperor thing, but he had never considered that it was for protection. But who was he intending to protect? Himself? Or those around him?
He walked into the living room where Bel was playing the piano for his grandmother.
"Frannie, you should join us, Belphegor is wonderful!" The woman exclaimed.
Fran smiled. "He is. I'm going to go make dinner though."
"Oh Chika said he would take care of that!"
"All the more reason to check up on him." Fran exited and found the obnoxious blond in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he found him attempting to extinguish a flaming dish.
"It's alright! There's another chicken, we'll just have to start all over! Give us another hour!" Chika exclaimed waving his arms frantically.
"Please don't burn down my house." The boy peered over the counter where one of Chika's friends was sleeping on the floor. "What's with him?"
"Ah yeah, he slipped on ice and hit his head on the counter." Chika shrugged. "He's breathing though, he should be alright."
"Your concern frightens me." Fran walked over to a pail of water and threw it the unconscious boy.
He sprinted awake.
"Are you alright?"
The boy nodded.
"You can go lay down or something." He turned back to Chika. "Please try not to kill anyone.
Back in the living room Fran's grandmother was fast asleep and Bel was gone.
"Have you seen Bel?" Fran asked Mammon as he walked out into the patio.
"Yeah he said he was going to take a walk."
"Ah I'm going to find him."
"Alright."
"I found you." Fran said with some satisfaction in his voice as he walked into the barn.
"Oh hey I was just walking around." Bel was sitting on a block of hay. "It's nice and not as dangerous as in the city."
"Yeah I like that about here." Fran took a seat next to him.
"You're in a good mood aren't you?"
Fran rose an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"
"You're not being your usual stuck up self? You're talking to me willingly? When you came in you were smiling."
"Half-smiling." the boy corrected. "And that was because of something unrelated."
"Because of her?"
Fran assumed he was talking about his grandma. He nodded. "She seems healthier."
"She's a very persistent woman."
"You don't even know." Fran 'half-smiled' again.
"I like her though."
"Me too."
Fran was reminded of his earlier conversation with Mammon.
"Hey Bel, do you consider Mammon a friend?"
Bel didn't expect the question, after some serious thought he responded. "In all honestly no. I think we could be good friends- I like the guy, and I wish we would but that boat sailed some time ago."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well we were good friends-"
"So I've heard." Fran said with a sly look that Bel found amusing.
"When we were friends-"
"When you were dating."
Bel laughed.
"When we were dating." Bel expected another interruption but continued when he received none. "Some bastards where trying to get money out of me so they found Mammon and did some pretty terribl-" he paused as if remembering really bothered him. "Inhumane things to him." He shook his head in disapproval. "When I found out I wanted to destroy them, the council had the men executed, but now that I look back at it I feel like they got off easy... I mean Mammon wasn't ever the same again."
How horrible... Fran couldn't imagine. Mammon was so cool and collected, he had his odd sense of humor, but he was a good guy. Even after all that? Things were definitely starting to make sense now. Now that everything had a different light shed upon it.
"It must be hard." Fran's voice almost cracked. "To make friends like that."
Bel looked at him, his face showed true concern. Fran was such a good guy, so pure, Bel hoped he would stay that way. He smiled assuring the frog.
"It's not that impossible, and when push comes to shove, I know I can count on Mammon." He changed the subject. "We should head back for dinner."
Fran nodded.
"What kind of cologne do you wear? It's so unusual." Bel asked as they made their way towards the door.
"Cologne? What are you talking about?" Fran asked bewildered.
"Your smell, you smell like sweet tea or something intoxicatingly delicious."
Fran took a step away from the blond. "Please don't eat me."
Bel smirked. "Oh don't worry I'm not French, I don't eat frogs.
I found this chapter harder to write than I expected. Its hard to develop Fran's character without straying too far from his original chrisma. Oh well, enjoy :)
Also I forgot to mention last time, the beautiful cover for my story was done by my really good friend, she doesn't think it's wonderful, please tell her it's wonderful!