When Fran trudged tiredly up to his bedroom long after he usually went to bed, he wondered if Bel would already be asleep or not; the blond tended to go to sleep early unless he was kept awake by his busy mind. He hadn't particularly enjoyed his time with Squalo, not understanding why the man had taken it upon himself to try and make the younger stay away from Bel; they loved each other, so why was the man telling him he couldn't be with Bel anymore?

The teal-haired child knew Squalo was up to something; the man had never pried his nose into Fran's business out of the blue before, but today he had quizzed his charge about everything they did together before – in a rather cruel manner – telling him to stop.

Fran hadn't understood why Squalo didn't want him to play his special game with Bel any longer; though it still made him scared and nervous at times, he liked how good it could feel – how Bel was so gentle with his fragile body unlike them.

Fran pushed the door to his bedroom open and poked his head inside, finding Bel lying on his bed with his head under the pillow. His footsteps resounded softly as he padded across the floorboards and seconds later the sound of bed sheets shifting replaced it as the younger pulled himself onto the bed. He snuggled in against Bel's side once he was under the blankets and lifted the teenager's arm to wrap it around himself before he closed his eyes, ready for sleep.

Bel, however, had woken once he felt Fran's body rest against his. He pulled his head out from under his pillow and blinked at the boy with sleepy eyes. "You should sleep in your own bed tonight, Froggy…" He mumbled in a voice heavy with sleep.

"…" Fran didn't know what to think. Did this have something to do with Squalo's questioning earlier? It was rather odd the two should coincide within a few hours of each other. "Why?"

Bel placed his head back under his pillow and muttered, "Because the prince said so."

"But I want to sleep with you…" Fran nestled closer to Bel to emphasise his point.

I can't let him get hurt by me any longer… Bel clenched his hands, too tired to put up with this; he had had a long day, and he just wanted to sleep. He knew he had to get Fran away from him before he blew up. "Froggy, the prince is tired… Please, sleep in your bed."

"Did Lussuria talk to you, too?" Fran questioned, not heeding the warning signs that Bel was about to explode. He dismissed the shaking of the stronger body as Bel being cold, and the way the bigger hand twitched as if it wanted to reach for something he ignored completely. "Because Squalo –"

"Fuck off!" Bel raised his hand to his mouth after he had managed to hold back from screaming some more. He was glad his self-control had improved over the months because it had been a war stopping himself from grabbing the boy and hurting him; he was so tired, so distressed from the day's events he had barely been able to acknowledge who he was talking to anymore. He had only realised his mistake once it was too late – and he couldn't have hated himself more than he did when he noticed the silence he was now drowning in.

Fran didn't know what to do. It was true Bel had shouted at him over their time together, but… This… this was wrong… He had just… asked…

The child climbed off Bel's bed and crossed the room soundlessly before he clambered into his own unused one. He slid under the covers and faced the wall, feeling so numb over being yelled at; it reminded him of the time he had found it impossible to freely acknowledge his emotions once he had been taken from the cage.

Bel sat up in bed, knowing he had upset Fran. "…Hey…" Bel hated how weak his voice sounded. "…Froggy…?"

"Goodnight, Bel-senpai." That was the emotionless answer Bel received.

The blond couldn't sleep that night. It had been a few months since he had felt such a strong urge to end his life and, once he heard Fran start to cry and whimper his name in his sleep, he couldn't help but cry as well.

Bel knew he was a monster but, as hard as he had tried, he hadn't been able to change.

~~The next morning~~

When Fran woke up, he was surprised to see the other's bed was empty as the blond was certainly not one for getting up early, and the clock on the nightstand in between their beds was flashing six-o-nine. Fran didn't want to think about it; he instead slipped out of bed and left the room. He could still remember the previous night's events but he didn't blame Bel; he understood he shouldn't have pestered him. He wanted to apologise but, in order to do that, he needed to find where Bel was.

Fran had decided he would check the bathroom that was situated at the end of the hall first, so he knocked on the closed door, not sure if anyone was in there.

"Who is it?" Chrome's soft voice floated through the door.

Fran stepped back as the door opened to reveal the older girl dressed and holding a hairbrush. "I was looking for senpai."

"I think he's in the office with Xanxus," Chrome offered with her usual shy smile.

"Thank you." Fran turned and walked back down the hall, not wanting to make himself known to Xanxus; the man was frightening at the best of times and, if it turned out Chrome had been wrong and Fran disturbed him in the middle of something… The boy shuddered as he thought of the consequences.

I'll wait for him in our room, Fran decided.

After Fran entered the bedroom, he was left with the question as to what to do now. What was there to do? He felt so lost without Bel by his side, not used to the idea of doing something without him; for the first half of his life he had been unable to do anything to entertain himself by means other than twiddling his thumbs back and forth as he rocked in his cage with his knees hugged tight to his chest - now, finally being free of his hell, he had discovered fun. The only problem was that he had grown so used to being with Bel, he didn't realise how much he depended on the older male to keep him happy and entertained.

The boy's body started shaking in anxiety as he moved to Bel's bed and climbed onto it so that he could reach up for the tank Mammon was in. He was much smaller than the blond and couldn't quite reach the tank, even on his tiptoes. When at last his near-blind fumbling had knocked the lid onto the bed, he tried to angle his hand down so that he could feel where Mammon was; the tank was too high up for him to be able to see into it, after all.

However, despite the boy's best intentions, Fran held back a gasp as he watched the tank start to tip before it fell to the ground with Mammon still inside. He covered his ears at the sound of breaking glass that was almost deafening for him. He was too scared to look but, when he took a chance and glanced at the mess, he saw the way Mammon lay motionlessly underneath the wreckage.

The child screamed as he realised what he had done; he had just murdered Bel's best friend. He continued to scream as he dropped to his knees and hunched over with his hands still covering his ears; the breaking g lass played over and over again in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut tight to stop his tears, and even when people entered the room and crowded around, he still did not open them.

It wasn't until the emerald-eyed boy felt someone pick him up did he look around him. The first thing he saw was that he was in Tsuna's arms as the brunet tried to get his attention. The second thing he noticed was Bel crouching by the tank as he lifted the tank from Mammon with shaking hands. His arms went limp as Tsuna gently pulled his hands away from his ears, and he continued to cry as he watched the way Bel lifted the lifeless frog to his chest and cradled it tenderly.

"I-I'm s-sorry…!" Fran choked out, feeling as if he, too, had been crushed by the falling tank. "S-sorry…!"

Bel turned to look at Fran, but he did not speak. His mouth was drawn in a flat line, giving no hint as to what he was feeling other than his shaking body. Was he upset? Angry? Both? It was hard to tell.

Tsuna carried Fran from the room, leaving the other adults to deal with the blond. Fran's tears were coming so hard, he cried himself into sleep within minutes. The brunet took him into the living room and sat on the couch with the teal-haired child in his lap, not wanting to let go of him; he could only imagine what Fran was feeling right now.

"Fran's in for it now," Gokudera muttered, having come to sit with Tsuna after hearing what had happened. "Frog was deader than anything its owner had mangled to death. Dumb fuck deserves it."

Tsuna shook his head. "Gokudera-kun, don't speak that way about Bel and Mammon. It was an accident, we all know that. And in no way does Bel deserve his pet dying like that."

"It's a frog." Gokudera rolled his eyes.

"It was his friend, Gokudera-kun. The only friend Bel had until Fran came along. Remember when you lost your cat to one of the neighbourhood dogs? He was your only friend, too, wasn't he?"

Gokudera's eyes darkened as he remembered his previous cat. It was true he had been devastated when Squalo had told him what had happened – and hadn't Bel reacted in a similar manner to how he had? Hadn't the blond belittled him for being so upset over it?

"…Yeah…" Gokudera looked down at his lap, not knowing what to say; now that Tsuna had brought it up, he honestly felt a little bad for what he had just said. "… I-I'm going upstairs…"

Tsuna nodded in understanding as Gokudera left. He hoped the silver-haired teenager understood what he was trying to say; there was only so much Bel could take before his thin string of sanity snapped for good.

~~Bel~~

At just six-years-old, Bel had never known what it was like to not fear everyone he came into contact with. That was why – after being sent into town to do the groceries – he found himself cowering in fear at the man who was trying to talk to him. He was staring at his feet with his frail arms wrapped around his even frailer body as he trembled violently. He knew if anyone saw the bruises and scars that adorned his body, his father would hurt him again, so he could only hope the clothing that was far too big for him and the scarf he wore were doing a good enough job of hiding everything.

In the white-haired man's hands, he held a small furry creature Bel had never seen before. He had only caught a glimpse of it to see its fur was white and its body was long, and just from those few seconds, it was already the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life. In the back of his damaged mind, Bel wondered if the man was going to hurt it.

"Why are you so scared?" The stranger knelt before Bel in an attempt to make himself seem less intimidating. "I won't hurt you."

"I-I d-don't trust a-adults…" Bel whispered in a quivering voice. "E-especially men…"

Bel didn't see the look of understanding that flashed through the man's eyes; he was too busy hunching to try and make himself look smaller. The little animal in the lanky man's hands squeaked, gathering the wary attention of Bel. A small smile crossed the boy's face, and the man in turn felt a bit of relief wash through him; he couldn't fathom what such a tiny boy would be doing out in the middle of the streets in winter, but he had his suspicions, and he wished he could help. .

"Do you like him? This is a mink. I rescued him a few days ago."

Bel glanced up at the word 'rescue'. He knew what it implied, but he had never imagined he would find someone who would do such a thing; all those long hours of agony he spent wishing someone – something – would rescue him… A handful of people had seen his suffering but none had cared to help him.

When the man saw the boy's interest, he continued. "His fur was going to be used as clothing. Do you want him?"

Bel's mouth opened and closed wordlessly; did… what… but… he…

"If you want him, you can have him. I was going to give him to an animal rescue group otherwise. But you have to promise to take good care of him, okay?"

Bel nodded silently. He reached out with wary, trembling arms and was ready to flee at the slightest sign he was going to be grabbed; he just wanted to be able to protect himself for once. When he finally wrapped his tiny hands around the creature, he brought it to his chest and held it close as tears leaked down his face in realisation that this man had been the first person in his entire life to show him the slightest bit of kindness.

The boy didn't know what to say; he could only nod at the man before he turned around and ran back to the mansion his family lived in. He had forgotten all about the groceries, so excited about his first friend, and the punishment that was sure to follow hadn't even crossed his mind; he just wanted to get home and play with the mink.

It took half an hour to get back to his home but, by the time Bel had stepped into the house, his father was waiting with a furious look on his face. The boy started to tremble, much more violent than before, and backed against the wall with his head down as he held the mink; he knew what was coming, and he was terrified.

"What is this?" Slap. Furious roars sounded between the slaps. Slap, slap, slap. "You were told to go get groceries – not bring filthy, disgusting things into this house! Animals are stupid, worthless creatures and should have no place in this world! How could anyone ever want such disgusting things in their lives?!"

Bel cried as fists pummelled his face, but he was too scared to say or do anything. He could hear the mink in his arms hissing and squeaking, and he hugged it tighter, hoping he could protect it the way no one had wanted to protect him.

"Give me that!"

Bel screamed and protested as the mink was viciously pulled from his arms. He could only watch in horror as his father wrapped one arm around the mink's neck and the other held the back legs. He screams as he watched his father torture the animal were drowned out by the mink's own squeaks that slowly faded over time until nothing was left but the twisted, broken body of his first and only friend. He was frozen in terror, unable to move when the corpse of the animal he had so desperately wanted to keep was dropped onto his lap.

"Don't ever let me see you playing with such horrid creatures ever again."

Hot tears ran silently down Bel's cheeks. He was unable to move; he could only stare down at the body in his lap for several minutes until the reality slammed into him like a cement truck.

Bel fell onto his side and vomited.

"Bel?"

Bel snapped out of his memories at an unexpected voice. He looked up from where he had been staring at his knees and whispered in a frightened tone, "…W-what…"

"…Sorry… about your frog…"

Bel blinked. It really was Gokudera standing in the doorway, right? Before he could blink to make sure the darkness of his room wasn't playing tricks on him, the other was gone.

Gokudera… Bel hadn't been so confused in a long time. …Did Gokudera… apologise for… for Mammon… He hated Mammon… But he… apologised…

What Gokudera would never know was that he had just inadvertently saved the blond's life. Bel had been planning to kill himself that night, and to make sure no one found him; he didn't want to try and get through life without Mammon by his side.

But with the silver-haired teenager's expression of sympathy, Bel had been distracted from the memories, from the pain, and instead was trying to work out just why Gokudera would be sorry.

Does… Does he care…?

~~Fran~~

When Fran had woken up on Tsuna's lap, the first thing he had wanted to do was apologise to Bel. He knew it had been an accident, but he really liked Mammon and had just wanted to play with him while he waited for Bel. He could only hope Bel would understand.

The child took a deep breath and prepared himself for whatever Bel would throw at him before he pushed the door open; he had just killed the blond's best friend, however unintentional it had been.

"Bel-senpai…?" Fran blinked as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the room. There was no light except for the small rays the moon provided that shone through the window. It's night…? How long had I been out? The boy could make out Bel sitting out on his bed with his knees drawn to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. "Bel-senpai… I… I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault…" Bel sounded exhausted, as if he had been crying for hours. Fran knew him well enough to know that probably was what had happened. "It was an accident…"

Fran couldn't believe how easy he was getting off right now; he had been almost sure Bel would kill him for what he had done. "But… I…"

"You didn't mean it, Froggy…" Bel whispered. "…I know you didn't mean it…"

Tears welled up in Fran's eyes at these words; he felt as if he deserved more than this – he had taken a life and it just wasn't fair. Having lived the way he had, Fran knew all life was to be valued, no matter how small. He had been raised in a cage for as long as he could remember, and had been treated so cruelly with no love or affection in his life. He knew what it was like to be nothing to everyone who knew him. He knew what it was like to be made to feel so insignificant. He hadn't known anything more than the fear and pain, and the things he had been used for. But if it weren't for Bel, he wouldn't know what it was like to be wanted, or to be loved and treated fairly. They were things that felt so great, he wanted to see the world around him as something he could love and value in return.

"M… M-mammon…"

"Froggy… Come here…"

Fran obeyed, noticing that all evidence of his carelessness had been removed; one of the workers must have cleaned everything up. He climbed onto Bel's lap and curled into the familiar warm chest, welcoming the arms that wrapped around him; he just needed comfort, and he knew Bel did, too.

"…Bel-senpai… I really am sorry…"

"I know you are, Froggy…" Bel buried his face in teal hair as he tried to stop the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. "…I know you are…"

A/N Did anyone pick up the similarities between both Bel and his father's thoughts on animals? Just in case no one picked up on that, it was a view Bel learnt from him.