A Royal Summer Chapter Seventeen

*sniffle* I love you people... you make me feel FLUFFY!

Three weeks later...

Fran woke up with a groggy feeling, then grunted when he noticed another's prescence in the room. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh. Who mangled the couch? It's so damn uncomfortable..."

"We all mangled the couch," Squalo replied, sitting on a chair opposite Fran. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" Fran muttered, "I'm waking up after a crappy night."

Squalo's frown grew slightly. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Fran blinked. "I beg your pardon, Captain Squalo?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the couch. "I think I'm me. Fran. You know. The funny guy."

Squalo stood, then walked over to Fran, and, though Fran saw it coming, he let the shark punch him. It wasn't even held back- that bastard- but Fran didn't care. He'd taken plenty of beatings from his teammates. Blood leaked into Fran's mouth, and the older man pinched his nose to prevent blood using it as an exit.

"Captain?" he asked, his voice uncertain. Squalo knelt down beside Fran, his eyes firm.

"You are Belphegor's one and only lover," he growled. "That brat doesn't have anyone. If you leave him, he'll be all alone. No one will give a damn about him. He'll probably grow depressed, and do horrible things to himself that would make Xanxus throw a fit and kick him out of the Varia. In short, either you act like the man you are, or Bel's life goes to Hell."

Fran sighed. "... Since when have you been thinking with that 'get into other people's shoes' method?"

Squalo stood up straight. "I can notice my surroundings. Xanxus hates weakness. That's so plain you could drink it in a crystal glass."

"Well duh," the illusionist mumbled.

"Bel's weak without you."

"Hm."

"Fran, this is freaking serious. Listen to me or I'll hit you again."

The Mist guardian shut up.

Squalo moved his fingers up and down his blade as he grunted, "We need Bel." His silver hair seemed a bluish gray in the dim light of the morning, and the air felt heavy and quiet, strangely at the same time. It was silent, but the silence was loud. Almost deafening. When Squalo spoke again, his voice was deep and gruff, and had the tiniest hint of gentlity in it. "We all need him. Now you listen to me closely. Xanxus doesn't have a damn clue I'm here talking to you. He thinks that you and Bel's distance will hurt your younger self, which will cause him to get angry with Bel, which will hurt him, and you'll grow back into the hateful, unloving beings you once were. Fran, make up with him. I'm not with Xanxus on this- I can't be. I know that inner conflict, at this point, will just break us all up. You get your SORRY ASS back into your ROOM and APOLOGIZE BEFORE I SLICE YOU IN HALF! VOOOOI!"

Fran went cross-eyed as the tip of Squalo's blade touched his nose, before looking innocently back at the Rain guardian. He sighed. Squalo's escalating volume was impressive.

"Yessir," he muttered, before sliding out of the way of danger. He looked into the swordman's eyes for a moment, before walking back towards his room. Squalo grinned proudly.

"Heh. I knew I had power over these brats."

Fran stopped just outside Bel's room, then reached a hand up and, without thinking, knocked. "Senpai?" he called, "May I come in?" He realized how ridiculous he was being, however, and immediately opened the door. "Nevermind me asking permission..."

Bel was sitting upright in bed, his legs crossed, looking attentive. The light was on, so Fran could tell that the prince was anxious with a glance. "H-hi, Froggy," he stuttered, looking away. Fran paused, suprised. When had his prince become so scared of him? It was a definite red flag.

"Senpai, we need to talk."

Bel almost flinched. Had he been so deeply rooted in his relationship with the kouhai that the little tension frightened him so much? Was he scared of losing the Mist guardian?

Flashback...

"Okay," Bel agreed, looking down and taking a knife from the nightstand. "Sorry, Froggy, the prince got really stressed over the idea of..."

"... Of what? Senpai?"

"... Living without you."

Fran blinked a couple times. "Why would you be afraid of that? Senpai, I'm not gonna leave you or anything like that..."

End Flashback.

The older man placed a hand over his mouth. 'He IS afraid of that! How could I have forgotten? Damn my age!'

Fran sat down on the bed beside the prince, and breathed out with exhaustion. "I'm sorry," he murmured, "I'm sorry, senpai. I've been treating you pretty badly."

Bel sniffled. "I-it's okay, Fro-"

"It's not okay," Fran said, putting both hands on the prince's shoulders. "Senpai, I hurt you, didn't I?"

Bel looked up and into Fran's eyes. He was obviously hurt. The Mist guardian cursed himself (again) for not seeing it. "Fran," Bel said, "A... are you... are you unsatisfied with me? Do you... not like me?"

"Of course not!" the illusionist said quickly, his eyes blazing. "Senpai, you're the one and only man for me. In fact, you're the only thing in the world that I love this much. No one matches you. Not Master, not Squalo, not boss, or anyone else! You are THE one for me, and that's final!"

"Fran...," Bel murmured, before coming close and resting his head against the man's chest. "I'm sorry... I heard you and Lussuria talking... and I just shunned you without saying anything. I'm... I'm sorry..."

Fran hugged the prince tightly. "Senpai, you idiot... you're making me so emotional... I never meant to hurt you like this... Ugh... I just need patience... I love you, senpai. Don't let me, or anyone else, tell you otherwise."

Bel wrapped his arms around the older man's body and embraced him with all his strength. "Fran... Fran, it's okay... I was being selfish, too... I didn't tell you how I felt... and... I... I'm so sorry for that... I love you too..."

Only a few moments earlier, just outside their door, Squalo had stood up straight and began heading to the kitchen for breakfast, stretching. "Sorry, boss," he murmured, "I guess those two are just more important than me following your will. Heh. I almost feel good, playing matchmaker..."

"Mm? Squ-chan?" Lussuria whispered, opening the door just as Squalo passed it, "You seem oddly cheerful..."

"Come here, Luss, let me tell you a story," Squalo said, infinitely proud of himself. Lussuria smiled and clucked his tongue with approval, before following the swordsman.

Xanxus groaned as he stepped out of his room, pistols in hand. He figured he'd shoot any and everyone who disturbed the quiet. As he passed Bel and Fran's room, he stopped, wondering how Bel had been doing with his lover's older self taking the couch every night.

"I l...ve y... t..."

The whispered phrase was so quiet that he thought he'd imagined it. But then, Xanxus frowned. 'Looks like things won't be happening as planned,' he thought, 'those two are going to keep being weak... and they'll drag the Varia down with them...'

Xanxus was afraid of weakness.

Weakness only brought pain.

And pain was a hateful thing.

It had to be stopped.

-End Chapter

Ahhh... fanfiction approaching climax... must make fic end well... want to write... don't want to do homework... don't want to sleep or eat... must... keep... writing...!