As much as Bel wanted it, Fran was just too sore to have another round the next day. The blond had kept the boy home from school, knowing exactly what would happen if he sent the younger – Fran would be in too much pain to move or even sit, and then the school would get suspicious and interrogate them both.

"C'mon, Froggy...!" Bel pouted, shaking the younger's shoulder. "I'm horny...!"

"No, senpai..." Fran had pulled the blankets over his tiny body, his back to the man. "It hurts..."

Bel sighed before an idea struck him. "Well, will Froggy do something else with me, then? It won't hurt~"

"What's that, senpai...?" The boy just wanted to sleep, but damn was Bel persistent.

"Let's watch porn~ Shishi~ I'll teach the Froggy how to jerk himself off~" For good measure, Bel licked across the younger's cheek. "It'll feel good for Froggy~"

Fran nodded, hoping that the sooner he got this over with, the faster he could go back to sleep. He groaned softly when he was rolled onto his back, propped up with a mountain of pillows so that he had a clear view of the widescreen TV that sat across from them.

"Ushishishi~" Bel got off the bed and moved towards the large rack of DVDs that sat next to it. He picked one up at random, wondering if Fran would get off harder at hetero or homosexual porn.

Probably homosexual, as he had been doing fine with Bel.

"Froggy is going to enjoy this~" the blond opened the case and slipped it into the DVD player. He turned the TV on before he moved back to the bed, curling around Fran as his pants tightened in anticipation. "It's going to make Froggy so hard~"

Fran stared blankly at the TV as he watched two young men start talking about things he didn't understand. He was quickly losing interest as the conversation went on for a few minutes longer, but then –

"Senpai...?" Fran lifted the blankets and looked down at his lap, finding his groin had started stirring as the two men on the TV kissed.

"It gets better~" Bel promised, already fisting himself slowly. He kept his eyes focused on Fran, wanting to see what the younger would do.

Fran closed his eyes and moaned softly as he turned his head to the side; watching the two men start undressing each other was making him feel even funnier.

"Just touch yourself, Froggy~" Bel soothed. He shifted his hips so that Fran could see his example. "Just like how I touch you~ It'll feel good~"

The boy nodded. He hesitantly took hold of his small shaft, hissing at the pleasure that enveloped him. He moved his hand, stroking gently, moaning again at the noises from the TV.

"That's it..." Bel started twisting his wrist faster, his eyes fixated on the younger. He licked his lips, having never thought watching someone else jerk off would be so arousing. "Just like that, Froggy... You're doing good..."

Fran had never done this to himself, his only experience having been done by Bel. It didn't feel as good as Bel made it when he did it himself, but it was still a very pleasurable thing.

Bel was already dripping pre-cum, excited beyond belief at what he was watching. He paid no heed to the TV, finding that Fran was much more interesting to watch.

"Shit, Froggy..." Bel caressed the head of his shaft with his thumb, smearing the sticky fluid over it. He then reached out, rubbing it against Fran's face, watching as a small tongue instinctively licked it up. "Froggy, how does it feel?"

"G-good... Really... Really good..."

With Fran's inexperience, it didn't take long for him to reach his peak, but it seemed he was so excited, he was quick to become aroused once again. Bel like this; he felt as if he was quickly building up Fran's stamina – that would be important because Bel planned to have him like this as often as he could.

Bel was still going strong by the time Fran got close to his second orgasm, but before either of them could finish, the sound of the doorbell ringing quickly stopped them both – Bel would usually have ignored it as he wasn't expecting anyone, but he couldn't take the chance that it was Mukuro on the other side of the door – the blue-haired man would get in one way or another and then find them like this otherwise.

"Stay here," Bel instructed as he moved the blanket to hide Fran's naked body. He slipped his clothing back on, quickly fixing his hair, before he left the room, hoping with all his being it wasn't Mukuro – he was fucked if it was, and not in the good way. "If anyone comes into the house, make sure to turn the TV off and keep yourself covered."

"I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to, senpai," Fran called back. He continued to stroke himself, his teal eyes eagerly watching the TV Bel hadn't bothered to turn off.

Bel muttered and cursed to himself as he opened the front door a minute later. He was surprised to find another blond standing on his doorstep, one he hadn't seen in years.

"What does the Bucking Horse want?" Bel asked, distrust in his tone – this was the man Mukuro's boyfriend had left him for, after all.

"Well..." the man whom Bel knew as Dino rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he tried to explain, "...Mukuro's been trying to ring Kyouya, but Kyouya won't answer any of his calls or take messages if someone else tries to leave them. I figured since this is the first time either of them have tried to make contact, it must be important, so I rang Mukuro bac –"

"-Get to the point," Bel demanded. "I am busy."

"Long story short, Mukuro lost his phone and doesn't remember your number by heart and is worried about the boy he adopted. He was trying to get Kyouya to check up on you both, but I'm doing it instead."

"Froggy is fine." Bel went to slam the door closed, but he was stopped by Dino putting his foot in between the door and its frame. "Didn't you hear me? He's fine – no need to come in."

"It's just... usually when someone is checking up on someone else, they actually speak to them and confirm it." Dino looked embarrassed, but Bel had to give it to the blond; Dino seemed to have taken his task very seriously. "Is it okay...?"

Fuck fuck fuck... On the outside, Bel was calm, but inside he was starting to panic; if he let Dino inside, there was no doubt the older male would piece together the puzzle and call Mukuro back, but if he demanded for the other to leave, everyone would know something was going on. Shit, I haven't even turned the TV off... Dino may be clumsy, but he's not stupid...

Fuck...

"...Two minutes," Bel said at last, hoping by some chance things would work out. "Froggy is sick today."

"That's why he's not at school?" Dino nodded to himself in understanding.

Fuck! Why didn't I just say he was at school?! Bel was stressed, but he fought his hardest to keep it from the other blond. Fuck! I should-

"Yes. Froggy is sick, so I let him stay home." Just play it cool, Bel. Play it cool.

Dino smiled at the younger blond as he stepped into the house. He was expecting to find the boy curled up on the couch as he was sick, but he wasn't there. He wasn't in the spare room either, and when he found the youngest curled up in Bel's bed, the blankets slipping down to reveal a bare chest and a small bulge in the blanket, the man couldn't help but become suspicious.

Bel leant against the doorframe, his arms folded against his chest as he watched carefully, hoping with all his being Fran would be smart enough to keep everything to himself.

"Hi." Dino smiled down at the boy as he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore the idea that something was happening in this house – it wasn't normal for a boy to be sleeping without clothes in an adult's bed, let alone give the impression they were aroused, and knowing what he did about Bel, he worried that the other has been doing something to the boy. "I'm one of Mukuro's friends. My name is Dino. He asked for me to check up on you."

"I'm Fran." The boy smiled up at Dino before he turned to Bel. "I turned the TV off, senpai; you forgot to do it on your way out."

"Bel said you were sick," the older blond pointed out, worried to find the confusion in teal eyes that looked healthy enough – Bel had obviously lied and kept the younger home for a different reason.

"No, I'm not. I'm just really sore." Fran had no idea of the strife he was about to get Bel into by saying these things.

"Why's that?" Dino was careful to keep a smile on his face, knowing he needed the younger to tell him what was going on – if everything was just coincidence and he told Mukuro Bel was doing things...

"Because I was playing a game with senpai last night."

"Ahh... What kind of game?"

"Bel-senpai said I'm not allowed to tell anyone."

"How old are you, Fran?"

"Seven."

"And what's that?" Dino gestured to the small bulge in the blanket.

"My penis. It's hard again."

Dino nodded, knowing that with Bel listening in, he would only get the boy in trouble if he dug too deep – he'd just have to tell Mukuro about what was said and let the younger male deal with it.

Passing Bel in the doorway, Dino stared into the younger's face, an untrusting expression on his face. "I hope you're not up to anything bad, Belphegor..."

"Says the one who willingly slept with someone already in a relationship." Bel shrugged, an unreadable expression on his face. "Mukuro will probably think you're trying to break up his friendship next – you already took away his boyfriend."

"The thought that you could be doing something to that kid..." Dino clenched his hands as he fought to keep his cool – it wouldn't do to start a fight here, "...that'll hurt Mukuro worse than Kyouya and I ever could... It's so wrong, and you know it... I didn't think you'd stoop that low..."

Bel just watched the other leave. He waited until he heard the front door close before he turned to glare at Fran. He grinded his teeth together, angry enough with Fran to want to hurt him – but if he did that, it would only add more fuel to the fire.

Instead, the man turned around and left the room, going to find his mink and instead cool down for a few hours so that he could assess the situation properly.

~~XX~~

"Kyouya, may I borrow your phone?"

The raven-haired man named Kyouya who had once dated Mukuro glanced up from the book he had been reading. "You'd better not be calling the pineapple herbivore back."

"It's actually really important that I do, Kyouya..." Dino didn't want to fight with his lover, but he knew how the younger could get – he hadn't meant to make Kyouya hate Mukuro, but that was what had ruined the two younger's relationships. That, and the fact that Mukuro had been cheated on for several months before he found out the truth from a third party.

"I don't want the herbivore having my number again." Kyouya was calm as he turned the page of his book. "It's bad enough those other herbivores let him call my number with their phones – he's probably written it down somewhere."

"He's got a kid now, Kyouya," the blond tried to explain. "A seven-year-old. He's with Belphegor, and... Well, I think Bel might be molesting him..."

"It is not my fault he was left with a paedophile."

"Kyouya!" Dino was horrified by his boyfriend's attitude. "The boy is seven! Look, I understand why you don't want to have anything to do with Mukuro anymore, but –"

"If you're that desperate to play the hero, use your own phone. Leave me be."

Dino sighed, knowing that was the only 'permission' to talk to his friend he was going to get.

Nodding, Dino went upstairs into their shared bedroom to talk privately with Mukuro.

~~XX~~

"Mukuro-san, Dino is looking for you."

Heterochromatic eyes lifted as the younger brunet he was staying with entered the room he shared with his sister. He had been flipping through magazines as he waited for his sister to return from her doctor's appointment.

"Thank you, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro took the phone. "Hello, Dino."

"Mukuro... Are you in a good mood?"

"Not particularly." Mukuro dropped the magazine onto the bed as he stood up and looked out of the window, watching as the trees of the Vongola Estate swayed back and forth in the strong wind.

"Well..." Dino hesitated before he continued, knowing this was something Mukuro had to know. "...I checked up on Fran for you, but... Well, umm... to be honest, I think you should come back..."

"Why's that?" Mukuro's eyes glinted dangerously.

"...To be honest, I'm not completely sure so please don't panic, but... I think – think , not certain – Bel may be molesting Fran..."

Mukuro's breathing stopped as he tightened his grip on his friend's phone. He was still trying to comprehend what had just been said to him. "...You think this why...?"

"...When I went over there, Bel hadn't taken him to school. He said Fran was sick, but that wasn't the case. When I went to see Fran, he didn't seem to be wearing any clothes and he was in Bel's bed. He said he was... he was sore because of the game they were playing..."

"..." Mukuro closed his eyes as he struggled to contain his emotions. How was he supposed to reply to this...? "...Thank you... I'll try and come back as soon as I can. Please do not tell Bel as I want to investigate this myself before I jump to any rash conclusions."

"I'm really sorry I had to be the one to break the news, Mukuro; I wanted Kyouya to tell you, but he was adamant... I'm so very sorry for everything I've done..."

"It's okay..." Mukuro said softly; part of him would never truly forgive Dino or Kyouya for the hurt they put him through, but he knew the blond was sincerely sorry. "...Thank you..."

Mukuro ended the call and handed the phone back to Tsuna, who had stayed by the door. The brunet knew Mukuro was hurting, but he didn't know why or how he could help.

"Mukuro-san...?" Tsuna reached out, putting a hand on Mukuro's shoulders. "Mukuro-san, are you alright?"

The blue-haired man nodded, trying his hardest to hide his emotions. "...I am..."

"You miss Hibari-san, don't you?" Tsuna guided his friend to the bed and sat down with him. He wrapped his arm around frail shoulders as Mukuro nodded.

"I really do..." the older male admitted. "...I miss him, and now I think I was wrong to trust Belphegor with Fran..."

"What happened?" Tsuna asked, knowing not to expect an answer; Mukuro was naturally a private person and hid what he felt – so when the other replied, he couldn't help but feel sick at what he was hearing.

"...I think Belphegor may be molesting Fran... If he is, it's all my fault for leaving him there... I should have prepared better and put him anywhere but with Belphegor..."

"I know it might not help to hear, but you know you were always welcome to have brought him up here... Yamamoto would have loved to take care of him for you..."

"If I did that, I would never have been able to pay Squalo back, nor would Fran have been happy... I just... I feel like it's all my fault and that Fran's going to hate me if it's true..."

"Maybe it's not true," Tsuna offered. "Maybe it was all a coincidence. There's nothing you can do about it until you get back to Italy. Look, we'll pay for another flight back there and you can go back and check on Fran. We'll look after Chrome from here, okay? Don't worry about paying Squalo back; we'll reimburse him."

Mukuro nodded, fighting back tears. He wasn't one to cry, but he had been so stressed with caring for his sister and stressing about Fran's safety, he just hadn't been sleeping well at all, and everything was taking a toll on him.

Slender fingers grasped Tsuna's jacket tightly as he buried his face against the younger male's chest. His shoulders heaved with emotion, but the important thing was that he had Tsuna there to look after him.

Sometimes the one who tried their hardest to keep everything together for everyone else was really the one who needed someone to help keep them together.