"You really don't look well, Bel."
The addressed blond looked up from where he had been poking at his lunch. His back was against the fencing of the roof, his face as pale as a ghost. He just shrugged at the brunet, not having the motivation to reply verbally.
Gokudera, who was sitting next to him, eyed Bel suspiciously from the corner of his eye; he didn't know what, but he knew something was wrong with Bel - the blond had been coming to see him less and less, and each and every time, he grew quieter.
"Have you eaten anything?" Yamamoto sat on the other side of the Varia member and, out of instinct, wrapped his arm around the older male's shoulders. He frowned when Bel shook his head, knowing that this behaviour was very unusual for the knife-throwing psychopath. "You can have some of my sushi if you want it."
Bel pushed at Yamamoto, muttering that it was too hot to be so close. Gokudera not only noticed how weak and shaky the weaker male's arms were, but that it was far from cold today - it was raining and the cold wind sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Tsuna sat in between Gokudera and Yamamoto, closing their circle off. He leant in to the silver-haired male, whispering, "How long's it been since he started acting weird?"
"A few weeks, Tenth..." Gokudera kept his eyes on his stalker, not sure what to think about this situation. "This is the first time I've seen him in a few days."
"Where's he been staying at night?"
"I don't know, Tenth - he's... weird."
Bel stood up, and it was then the three younger males noticed the sweat dripping from the blond's face. He swayed before he turned around, staggering away from them.
"Bel?" The Vongola stayed where they were, not knowing what to do - they were almost sure that if they even implied Bel may need help, the older male would turn around and snap at them.
The
Varia Storm took only a few more steps before he collapsed to the ground, his breathing worsening with each passing minute.
Yamamoto was the first to arrive by Bel's side. He knelt down, brushing hair away from the older teenager's face, noticing that the always-hidden eyes were closed tightly as Bel panted. The baseball-loving boy put his hand on the blond's forehead, feeling skin that felt hotter than he knew was safe.
"Bel's really sick," the youngest male told his two friends. "I think he may need a hospital."
"We'll take him, then." Gokudera pointed to the collapsed male, his usually angry-expression soft with concern. "Carry him, Yamamoto."
Yamamoto scooped Bel into his arms, hearing the blond groan in discomfort. He cradled the Varia Storm so that Bel's head rested against his chest, trying his best not to hurt him.
The three ran from the school, not knowing what exactly was wrong, but knowing that it was serious.
~~XX~~
It had taken a few hours for a doctor to approach the Vongola trio after arriving at the hospital, and the look on his face made them all worried - was Bel's sickness really that serious...?
The brunet doctor stopped when he was within talking distance to the teenagers, his voice soft as if he was about to relay bad news. "This may come as a surprise, but... were any of you aware that he was self-harming?"
"Yeah..." Tsuna nodded, his brown eyes soft. "He wouldn't listen to us when we told him it was dangerous..."
"You didn't tell an adult?" The doctor frowned when the trio shook their heads. "...I don't mean to make any of you feel bad, but if you had told an adult and he was given proper medical treatment for his injuries, the risk of infection may have reduced. His injuries hadn't been cared for - just bandaged. They became infected, and the infection spread to his bloodstream. He has sepsis, a very serious illness. We've taken your friend into the ICU, but please be aware that there will always be a risk of him not pulling through."
The trio looked at their feet at these words, not knowing how to reply; while it was true Bel wasn't exactly their friend, they cared about his well-being and didn't want him to die - not like this.
Gokudera was silent as he turned and walked away from the group. No one stopped him, knowing he was probably feeling guilty that he hadn't tried hard enough to stop the older male from cutting himself.
"Is there anyone we need to contact about his condition?"
Tsuna shook his head, hating to lie but knowing it was for the better this time; he didn't want an innocent doctor trying to get into contact with the Varia - who knew how they'd react in this situation?
"No. No family. ...Can we see him?"
"Maybe now isn't the best time." The man hated having to decline these requests, but he understood that, as a doctor, this would be a heartbreaking thing for three teenagers to witness. "If there's no improvement within the next couple of days, you can see him, but I think it's better to wait for an improvement first."
Tsuna nodded, understanding. "Thank you. We'll come in and ask about him again tomorrow."
Tsuna and Yamamoto headed to their friend's side, noticing that Gokudera was just leaning against the wall, glaring at the ground. They were silent as they came to his side, not knowing if it was better to say anything to him or not.
It was Gokudera who broke the silence. "Stupid idiot kept crawling back to me..."
Yamamoto and Tsuna looked at each other, remaining quiet.
"He was... He was sick as shit, but he kept forcing himself to come to me... He did the most idiotic thing to get my attention, and now he's in ICU..."
"You didn't know this would happen..." Yamamoto said softly. He wanted to reach out and hug his friend, but he knew that would only make things worse.
"Well, none of that matters now..." Gokudera got back to his feet, walking to the hospital exit. "It's his fault for being so stupidly persistent... Trying to force himself back to me when he's so sick... Idiot..."
The two younger males watched as Gokudera left. Tsuna said, in a shaking voice, to Yamamoto, "It seems like Bel likes Gokudera-kun enough to seek out his comfort... He must have felt safe with Gokudera-kun when he was feeling so bad..."
Yamamoto nodded, wishing there was something he could do.