Chiara had remained in the hospital for two weeks due to the request of Bel; he had felt uneasy bringing her home to look after her himself because he couldn't trust himself to do a good job and treat her fever properly. He was glad that the nurses had been understanding when he explained that Chiara only had him and he was very nervous of being a parent; if he couldn't even look after himself anymore, how could he look after his ill child?

When Bel had arrived back at the Varia mansion with Chiara, he had avoided everyone else and went back to his bedroom with his daughter wrapped tightly in a blanket. He hadn't wanted to be bothered by anyone; he just wanted to be left alone with his kid; he had been so scared of losing her, and all he wanted was to rest now that she wasn't sick anymore.

After finally making it up to his bedroom, Bel closed his door quietly behind him before he moved to kick away at the mess on his floor. He made enough room to lay Chiara down on it, and once she was laying on her stomach, he picked up everything he could find around her so that she didn't put anything into her mouth; he remembered very well the books Mammon would read to him as she laid in bed with Bel to try and make him feel a little more at ease, and he certainly didn't want Chiara to choke on anything.

Once Bel was satisfied with his cleaning job, he laid down with Chiara as well. He had picked up a baby rattle during his cleaning, and he passed it over to the baby. He watched with careful eyes as Chiara accepted the rattle with small noises and waved it around in the air before he rolled onto his side and slowly inched closer to his daughter so that he could seek her comfort.

"Do you like your rattle?" Bel felt his heart warm as the baby let out a little coo at him; he could almost pretend in this moment that he had never been so viciously raped in order to conceive her because hearing her content coos made him happier than he could ever remember being. He pulled Chiara into his arms and rolled onto his back so that she was laying against his chest, and it was then he started to understand what people meant when they talked about their kids being the most important part of their lives; he could swear he had just fallen in love with Chiara's happy smile, and he knew then and there that there was nothing he wouldn't do if it meant keeping his daughter happy all the time.

Bel was content with laying with his daughter and watching as Chiara waved the rattle around. He gave a tiny laugh as she put it in her mouth and tried to chew against it, but he recoiled slightly when he felt it hitting his face. He flinched, but when he heard his daughter's first laugh, he couldn't help but feel his lips twitch upwards. He knew he wasn't smiling, but it was the closest thing to a smile he had made since his abduction.

"Is that funny, Chiara?" Bel got his answer in the form of the rattle hitting his face again and another laugh. It didn't hurt; there was just no force behind it, and the boy truly didn't mind as long as it was Chiara. He let out his own soft laugh before he said, "You're going to be a little sadist when you're older, aren't you?"

As much fun as Bel was starting to have with his baby, his smile vanished when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. He tilted his head backwards so that he could look to see who was opening the door, and his frown deepened when he saw that it was Squalo accompanying the Japanese group. He winced as he heard a high-pitched squeal, and he growled when he noticed the Vongola Lightning running at him; he hated the annoying little cow baby, and if the younger came any closer, Bel was going to make him regret it.

"Oi, Lambo!" Tsuna tried to run after the baby, but he tripped over his shoelaces before he could get very far. He could only watch as the Bovino came to a stop by Bel's side and reached out to poke Chiara's cheek.

"Oh, what's this?" Lambo put a finger to his mouth as he cocked his head to the side. "It looks like a wrinkly, ugly potato."

Bel snarled at these words, and though he knew Lambo was just a kid, it didn't deter him from punching the baby as hard as he could in the face. He reached into his pocket to withdraw a knife, but he found that he didn't have any on him; he had forgotten about emptying them onto his bedside table when he came home, and now he was regretting that. "Fuck up, you stupid fucking brat! I'll kill you!"

As serious as the boy was with this threat, all murderous intention quickly left him as he threw his hands over his ears when he was suddenly drowned by two babies crying at the top of their lungs, and though he could hear footsteps running towards him and Squalo yelling, he didn't feel regret; he instead just felt more stressed by the second, and he wanted to reach out and snap the Lightning Guardian's neck.

Bel couldn't make out what Lambo yelled, but he could recognise the Ten-Year Bazooka appearing in the younger's hands; he had memorised it long ago during the Ring Battles. He said nothing; he just watched as Lambo went to use it on himself – but then, out of nowhere, Tsuna had tripped once again on his journey to Lambo and knocked the Bazooka from the Vongola Guardian's hands.

The Varia Storm was emotionless as the Bazooka engulfed him; he waited for the pink puffs of smoke to disappear before he looked around to find where he was now. To his surprise, he was in the meeting room at the Varia Mansion, and his fellow Officers were seated around the table with him. They gave him looks he was unfamiliar with, but he wasn't threatened; instead, he felt safer than he had ever felt around them.

"I almost forgot how adorable Bel-chan was when he was a little boy~" Lussuria pressed his palm against his cheek as he smiled lovingly at his young comrade.

"Voi, you feelin' alright, brat?" Squalo, who Bel was sitting next to, reached out to put his gloved hand against the boy's face. "You look terrible."

"He hasn't been taking vitamins."

Bel frowned as he looked at the hooded figure sitting across from him. He had a feeling he knew them, but… "Mammy…?"

The other looked directly to the blond before saying, "What's with that attitude? You've known me for most of your life."

Lussuria got out of his chair and moved so that he could kneel next to Bel and put his hand on the boy's stomach. "Have you been seeing a doctor since you gave birth, Bel-chan?"

Bel shook his head. He was surprised that he had also gotten pregnant in this timeline, and he truly wondered how different this world was compared to his own. "Lussu looks after me…"

"Sweetheart, I'm not a doctor." Lussuria's smile never faltered; instead, it became gentler. "I know it feels that way sometimes, but I'm not. If you don't go and see a doctor, you're going to get very sick, Bel-chan."

"I don't want to see a doctor…" Bel shook his head. "They'll… They'll judge me…"

"Go see Shamal."

Bel looked to Squalo at this. "Shamal?"

The long-haired man nodded. "We had to get Shamal to look after you because you almost died after giving birth. You look like you're on your way out, too, brat. You can't just leave it or else you probably will die."

"Do you take vitamins?" Lussuria gathered the younger's attention again. He frowned when Bel shook his head. "You need to take lots of vitamins, okay? The Bel-chan in this timeline needs them, too; especially since he's going to have another baby soon."

Bel cocked his head to the side. "Another… baby…? With who…?"

Mammon stood up at this question. She moved to the door before she called over her shoulder, "Come with me, Bel. I'll show you."

Bel nodded. His curiosity was peaked; if he had gotten pregnant because of Verde here, too, was he really trusting someone in this timeline enough to willingly have a baby with them…? But who could he trust enough to have consensual sex with? He couldn't think of one person he wasn't afraid of now.

"Mammy, did Verde kidnap me here, too…?" Bel walked slowly beside the woman's side. He stared down at his feet as they started walking up the staircase; did he really want to hear the answer…?

"Yes. It all really traumatised you, but you were able to get better, Bel." Mammon looked at Bel from the corner of her eye. The boy she was standing with was so much like how the Bel of her own timeline had been at that age; quiet and submissive. She didn't know how much their worlds differed, but if the traumatised boy she had cared for was anything like the one next to her, than Bel could get better; he just needed lots of love.

"I was…?" Bel found it hard to believe; he didn't feel as if he would ever recover from the damage done to him. "…What am I like here…?"

"Very quiet. You used to never shut up before Verde did that, but now you don't talk very much. But you've been smiling and laughing again, and you're letting us touch you again. Even the nightmares aren't as bad as they used to be and you're putting weight back on. It took a long time, but you got better, Bel."

"…" The boy didn't know how to respond to that, so instead he asked, "Where's Chiara…?"

"At school." Mammon led Bel onto the bedroom corridor.

"School?" Bel was surprised by these words; he had never considered sending his baby to school before…

"Yes. You wanted her to grow up normally and not live the life you have. You're a very good parent, Bel. I promise."

"Does she like me…?" The Varia Storm felt sick at this question; what if Mammon said no?

"Like you?" Mammon stopped walking so that she could look directly at Bel. She saw the way the younger shuffled his feet in anxiety. "Bel. She loves you. I've never seen you as close to someone as you are Chiara."

The blond wiped at his eyes; could that ever be the same way back in his own timeline…? He said nothing as they started walking again, not until they stopped outside of his bedroom door. He was almost hesitant to enter the room when Mammon did, but who he found inside truly surprised him; there, on his bed, was the grown-up Takeshi reading a sports magazine.

"Takeshi…?" Bel stepped closer to the older male. He didn't understand what he was seeing; was he being told that… that somehow… he had gotten with Takeshi in this timeline…?

Takeshi lowered the magazine before he looked to Bel. He smiled brightly as his eyes crinkled with happiness at the sight of Bel; it had been so long since he had seen the blond so young. "I see the Ten-Year Bazooka got you, Bel."

Bel tensed as the now-older male got off the bed and moved to him. He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt strong arms wrap around him, but somehow it was okay to be embraced as long as it was Takeshi. He looked up to study the man's face, wanting to see what had changed in ten years' time. He frowned when he noticed a scar on the Japanese male's chin.

"Your chin…" Bel raised his hand so that he could ghost the tips of his fingers against his apparently-boyfriend's chin. "What happened to it…?"

When Takeshi spoke, it was in a voice as warm as ever, and his eyes showed nothing but the emotion the blond was familiar with in the younger Takeshi. "Your knives are pretty sharp, Bel."

The boy blinked. "…I… did that…?"

"You had your reasons." Takeshi didn't hesitate to take the younger's hand and pull Bel to the bed. He waved to Mammon as the woman left the bedroom in silence, and once she was gone, he pulled the Varia member down to lay with him. "It's okay; it doesn't bother me at all."

Bel lay stiff in the other's arms. He had never laid with someone like this before, and it made him extremely uncomfortable. "…"

"I'm guessing the Bazooka is malfunctioning again." Takeshi reached out to curl a lock of golden hair around his finger. "It's supposed to only last five minutes, but you'd have been here longer than five if you made it up to the bedroom to see me."

"…" Bel closed his eyes. He felt sick, and he couldn't comprehend what was going on properly. He hated not understanding things; he as a genius naturally figured everything out within seconds – but when it came to people and socialising and especially the subject of relationships, he struggled. "…Are you my boyfriend, Takeshi…?"

The older male hummed as he nodded. "Mhm. Did anyone tell you we're going to have a baby together?"

"Yeah… What about Chiara, though…?"

"It's okay; she's really excited about it, too." Takeshi planted a soft kiss on the boy's cheek. He reached out to put his hand against Bel's stomach, and he rubbed circles into it before he whispered, "When you go back to your own time, if I get you pregnant, it's going to be okay. It will be okay, Bel. You'll get through it, no matter how much it hurts."

"I don't… understand…" Bel bit his lip.

"I hope you never have to understand," Takeshi promised. "Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's just lay here and cuddle until the Bazooka wears off."

Bel trembled at the restraining arms that wrapped around him, but he didn't know how to get out of them; he was so confused, so daunted by what was happening, that he wasn't sure he even had the energy to try and fight his way to freedom. "…"

"I love you, Bel." Takeshi smiled as he nuzzled his nose against Bel's own. Their lips brushed together briefly before the man rested his forehead against the boy's. "I love you so much. No matter what happens, I'm going to be here for you. You can always count on me."

"Please, let me go…" Bel felt tears well up in his eyes; he was frightened, and the way the other was speaking so intimately with him was upsetting; he had never experienced it before and he just wasn't ready. "Please…"

Takeshi didn't hesitate; he loosened his arms and allowed Bel to move to the other side of the bed. He was glad the boy didn't leave altogether; he loved having his boyfriend by his side. He reached out to take a smaller hand in his as he said, "We don't have to have sex here and now, Bel. That's not what I want from you in this moment. I understand, though; even in my timeline, you're still afraid of sex. You can have it with me sometimes, but you just like to cuddle. It's okay with me; I don't want you for sex."

Bel didn't know how to reply to those words; he didn't understand how Takeshi knew what was on his mind; how did the other know that he felt as if he was going to be expected to put out if he allowed the man to keep holding him so intimately…? "…"

"Have you told me yet? About what you went through when you were a child?" Takeshi squeezed Bel's hand at his own whisper. He nodded when the blond shook his head. "You don't trust me enough just yet. You're not ready to open up."

"…" Bel let out a sob as he lifted his free hand to wipe at his eyes; how did Takeshi know him so damn well…?

"There's no rush to trust anyone, Bel. You live at your own pace and never do anything you're not ready to do." With that said, Takeshi offered a bright smile. "You're a genius; I don't know why I'm telling you things you already know."

"No, I…" Bel shivered as he looked away. "…I like you telling me…"

Takeshi chuckled. "You're so sweet."

"Sweet…?" Bel had been called a lot of things in his life, but sweet certainly wasn't one of those; why would Takeshi think that about him?

"Yup. Sweet." The stronger male reached down at this to pull the blanket out from beneath them. He dragged it over them before he said, "Get some sleep; I know that look on your face and it means you haven't been sleeping. Even my Bel still has insomnia, though not as bad as it used to be. Sleep, because I don't want to give you your sleeping pills to make you rest."

Bel couldn't argue; he was tired and needed rest. With a slight nod, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep.

It was then he realised something; his insomnia wasn't nearly as bad whenever he had Takeshi by his side.

~~XX~~

When Bel woke up, he was back in his own time. Takeshi was standing by Chiara's cot as he lowered her down into it, and once he realised that the boy was awake, he came to sit by the older male's side.

"Did you sleep well, Bel?" Takeshi's smile was as bright as ever, and it widened when he received a nod in response. "I'm so glad. Did you see me when you were gone?"

"…" Bel tensed as he nodded; now that he was thinking about it, he wondered what his older self could have done during the swap. "…I…"

Takeshi continued on. "Your older self looked happier than I've ever seen you, and you really loved Chiara. You just wouldn't put her down and stop playing with her. Even Chiara really loved the attention; she wouldn't stop laughing."

"…" Bel looked to his lap. He was happy with this news; it confirmed what the others had said about him and Chiara and instilled a bit of hope that he might one day get better. If he had been able to do so in another time…

"Did anyone tell you?"

Bel looked up and frowned at Takeshi. "Tell me what…?"

"That you and me are dating and going to have a baby together." Takeshi looked so happy at the news, and Bel wondered if the other's eyes had ever shone as bright before. "I thought about it, and I was thinking… Would you be happy if we dated? And maybe had a baby together?"

"…"

Takeshi put his hand on Bel's stomach and rubbed it, just like how the Takeshi in the future had done so. "We don't have to have a baby so soon. I can wait for as long as you need. We can do this relationship at your speed."

"…" Bel looked to his lap for a few seconds. It was true he had grown curious after seeing the adult Takeshi, but… Was he ready for such a big commitment…? Sure, he seemed to be happy in the future, but could that happiness be the same in this world, too…?

There was only one way to find out.

"Bel…" Takeshi hadn't been expecting for the ghost of a kiss on his lips, but he loved it all the same; he knew that it was a yes to his question. He smiled so happily as he reached out to hug the smaller male; maybe now the void in his heart would be filled.

Bel froze in the embrace, but he didn't pull away; he had a feeling that the younger would want to hug him all the time, so he would just have to learn to get used to them.

"I can't wait to tell everyone!" Takeshi laughed to himself as he thought about how excited his friends would be to hear the news; they all knew that part of him had been lonely ever since… Ever since he lost part of his family, but maybe now, he could finally learn to move on for good.