To be honest, this story is scaring me. Because it's so unhealthy? Though I'm trying to run it into a healthy, good, getting better and going to be fine direction (but will it run in that direction? *smirk*), the whole, psycho-assassins thing is freaking me out. Yeah. But it's such a cool story, so I like writing it, haha.

Please enjoy, this is for all the people who loved the first chapter and wanted more, and for everyone who'll like it now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn nor any of its affiliated things. Byebye.

Chapter 2

-Italy, the province of Macerata, city of Recanati, around 16.30…-

Bel was whistling a high, disturbing little melody as he triumphantly strode through the backstreets of Recanati, a spring in his steps. He was in a good mood. In fact, he was in a radiant mood. The past 24 hours had been great; he'd gotten through to his froggy, he'd gotten away from the mansion without getting shot for being tardy and he'd gotten to kill quite a bit not so long ago.

His life was perfect. As it should be, of course.

The sun was lowering, casting fiery orange hues all over the stone buildings and cobblestone street. Bel liked it when the sun made the world look like this. All warm and cosy, no matter how barren the surroundings were. Or how cold. It was December and the days were short and chilly, but Bel didn't mind. He liked this kind of weather. It was easier to dress for than the hot, sweltering heat of the Italian summer.

The blonde absentmindedly shook some drops of blood off his hand as he walked. The block up ahead was part of the less shady parts of this town. Bel's destination lay in that direction, nearer to the bustling centre.

He hadn't gotten this job done so quickly for no reason, after all.

He was still wearing the all black outfit of his night-time op, which was for the best, because it made the stains less noticeable. The mission, of which only the start had been during the night, had lasted into the late afternoon, but that was fine. Bel didn't generally mind it when killing took up his time, but he'd taken special care to be faster than usual, just this once. It was a first for him, so it had been fun to try out.

The streetlights were flickering to life around him. More and more people filled the streets while he got closer to the shopping district. Unlikely as it may seem, Bel was exceptionally good at blending in.

When he was trying.

Which he wasn't.

Most of the passersby didn't notice the wet patches in his clothes and didn't look for long enough to notice the sharp edge to his smirk, didn't take long enough passing him by to smell the coppery tang in the air, but every now and again the assassin would be entertained with a startled exclamation or suddenly dropped shopping bags. He snickered to himself, amused, while scanning the surrounding shops. The real centre was still a few blocks away and these streets were lined with small boutiques and unique little shops. The atmosphere here was peaceful, the people amiable and it was exactly what he had been looking for.

These boutiques weren't located in the shopping centre, but they were actually the more "elite" ones. They sold things that were actually one of a kind, like long forgotten heirlooms or little trinkets that had survived generations of families before being sold to one of the owners of these shops. Usually things from passed centuries, or of a particularly fine make, treasured until they lost their emotional value or until the need for money became too great to keep it. Bel had known he could find these here. He'd been in this area before, on a different mission, and had been scouting around for lack of anything better to do then.

It didn't take him a long time to find a shop that caught his interest; he knew exactly what he was looking for.

Bel was the kind of guy who liked to celebrate when he felt he had something to celebrate. Which made perfect sense. So, since his night/day had been so awesome and the killing was a reward in itself, the prince wanted to spend some money and surprise his froggy. He wondered what Fran's beautiful face would look like when he did.

Is froggy gonna be waiting for me in my room?

It would be adorable if he did find Fran there when he returned, but he wouldn't mind it if he didn't either. That would mean he'd get to chase his froggy~

A bell jingled above the assassin's head when he entered the quaint boutique. Through the shop window, the interior of the small antique store had caught his eye with its burgundy reds and rich dark blues.

Bel had a thing for certain colours.

The items on display were a varied assortment of paraphernalia; there were intricately designed bits and pieces of jewellery, some made out of expensive material but also a couple that seemed to be fashioned out of simple rocks and wood, carved and cut and polished into smooth lines. There didn't seem to be a sort of order in the way they were displayed. Glinting metal was laying right next to small bits of… edible stuff, Bel deduced. Some of those were packed in multi-coloured foil like bonbons, others were showing off their rich chocolaty colour. Whatever the nature of the item, everything in the boutique was different from the rest, unlike what could be found in the busy shopping malls a few streets farther.

There was no-one else in the store, no customers, but no salesperson either. Bel shrugged and continued his examination of the items. The lighting in the shop made all the items look eye-catching, even if they turned out to be nothing special on closer inspection. There were plenty of things that Bel liked (which actually didn't happen often, he was rather picky with a particular taste), but they weren't what he was looking for so he left them be for the moment.

He was looking for greens right now. Beautiful greens, emeralds, jades, teals, the ones that made him think of his kouhai. He wouldn't go so far as to buy something frog-like, though. Well, not now, because he didn't feel like it. He was looking for something more…

Something glinted at him about a feet from where he was studying a simple, deep red stone, carved into the shape of a single, elegant droplet.

…something more elegant. Something that suited the flighty nature of the Mist wielder, the way he flitted about along the outskirts of battle without ever truly engaging. It pissed Bel off when he did that, sure, but it was also kinda… kinda…

Chase worthy.

It made Fran a person Bel would have to hunt down with true effort, figuring out the steps to his dance before he could even try to join him in it. He would have to study his kouhai intently, watch him for awhile while lagging behind and following his own pattern, so he didn't get tangled up in the froggy's net. And then, when he had it all figured out, he would start tiptoeing along the edges of his dance, catching the frog's attention, making him wonder what he was doing and how much he'd already figured out. Fran would keep an eye on him from then on and every now and again, Bel would twirl forward and back again whenever he saw an opportunity, never letting on just how well he'd learned the steps. Only challenging him, taunting him, luring him.

Bel didn't see what he was looking at while thinking about this. The thought of dancing with his froggy, luring him out of his shell and making him engage with him... The blonde bit his bottom lip, eyes glassy behind his fringe. Eventually, he'd fully join Fran's dance and his kouhai would choose to dance with him, he would simply have to because he'd know that Bel understood the steps…

'Ushishishishi…'

A dopey grin was spread wide over his face and he was still staring at nothing, images of what he imagined Fran would look like if he finally decided to truly fight the prince on his mind.

Aaah… Ushishishi, he would be so beautiful…

Wouldn't he be glorious…

Flashes of Fran on a rampage, with his elusive style and straight to the point attitude, lashing out at Bel in a rhythm he only had a chance at anticipating because he'd spent so much time watching him. And still he would be surprised by the things his kouhai would come up with, no doubt. Their dance would be fantastic…

He only snapped out of it when someone moved in the backroom. The presence he sensed was moving closer, towards the store part of the building.

'Hmm…'

Bel returned his attention to the stuff that was for sale, remembering the thing that had been glinting at him earlier. He ignored the salesman who'd walked in, waved him off when he offered his help and continued his study of the pretty objects.

Finally, some greens. There was a slender dragonfly with emerald wings, but the golden frame was too posh. There were some odd chunks of silver merged with a sparkling deep green stone, without any discernible design. Those were pretty.

Bel took a closer look at an item on the same shelf.

It wasn't silver. It was some kind of metal he didn't know that had been polished until it shone just like silver, crafted into a flowing, smooth band. He recognized it because it was like his knives; they weren't actual silver either, the soft metal wasn't compatible with his style of fighting. They would break or bend, in any case they would not be effective.

The three strands that made up the broad band had been made to look just like the stems of a plant, with small leaves attached that laid on top of them and followed the curves of the band. The small round leaves with their tips sharpened into a point, were outlined by the same mysterious metal. They were filled with that sparkling green stone. Bel could stare into that colour and not see the bottom, like a murky green forest pond.

The green and silvery grey looked very pretty together and the elegant shape appealed to him. So much so, that Bel picked it up, weighing it in the palm of his hand. The salesman hastened towards him, crossing the borders of his personal space and keeping a keen eye on the metal band.

Pricey, maybe? Probably, in this area of town.

Bel's thoughtful smirk sharpened into something dangerously playful and he turned his face to the brunet, a few inches taller than the blonde.

The youthful man, wearing a pair of glasses that seemed ancient in style but strangely enough fit him perfectly, didn't seem to catch what his smirk meant for his future health. He looked to be somewhere in his late twenties. The salesman adjusted his glasses and smiled at him with an air of timid enthusiasm.

'That's a fine piece, sir. You've got an eye for it!'

His voice was the exact copy of his smile. He was looking slightly down at Bel due to the difference in height, but that's not what his attitude was doing. He was like a puppy, hoping Bel would share his enthusiasm.

Bel didn't really like mutts.

'Ushishishi.'

The man blinked, leant back a bit and tilted his head curiously. He didn't seem all too perturbed by the sound of his laughter though, and that was more than Bel could say for the mafia underboss he'd killed that afternoon. The brunet didn't even seem to notice the coppery scent of blood, or the state his clothes were in. Only bloodied, not ripped, because no-one could lay a finger on the prince in battle~

'What metal is this, peasant?'

Another curious blink, but nothing more. The puppy-man adjusted his glasses again and smiled a little broader, obviously happy that he got to elaborate.

'It's a mix of several different metals, sir. …I'll save you the specifics of their names and the more elaborate details of their properties,'

He looked a little disappointed about that, but Bel refused to give an indication of wanting to hear it,

'But they were picked for their hardiness and their resistance to heat. It's a combination that must have taken days to forge, and it was forged centuries ago, by the-'

The man interrupted himself with a cough, clearly picking up on the assassin's impatient vibes. He blushed a little, glanced away and then back at the ring in Bel's hand.

'A-Anyway. It was forged a little over two centuries ago by a smith who mostly made armours and weaponry. Ah, uhm, he preferred to use such sturdy metals even for a ring, so that they could be worn on the battlefield. The design is nothing like what you'd usually expect from a blacksmith, but he was obviously skilled at the finer aspects of crafting as well.'

Well, that's handy.

Bel tilted his head and looked at the ring some more, holding it up against one of the small, dimmed spots. Sturdiness was definitely a plus. So both elegant and strong, huh? Reminded him of someone he knew~ His smirk widened.

'Do you have more like this one?'

The brunet grinned and quickly went around the shop, collecting a few more items. Some looked as elegant as the ring he was holding, but among the rest he recognized the items that he'd spotted upon entering, the ones he'd thought were made out of regular rock.

'They're all made of a combination of metals that is roughly the same to the one you're holding. The difference in appearance is caused by de method that were used to finish them.'

The man told him excitedly, showing him the five objects in his hands.

But they didn't look the slightest bit like something he wanted, so he turned his head away disinterestedly and admired what he'd already decided to take with him. The salesman got the non-too-subtle hint, because he cleared his throat awkwardly and hurried to put all the items back in their place.

The blonde assassin turned around for the first time and addressed the brunet directly.

'Ushishishi. I want this one.'

The puppy-man nodded quickly and beamed at him, almost skipping towards the cash register. Bel cocked his head and regarded him with an air of superiority, wondering how uncomfortable he could make him feel without putting in any effort.

The man stared at him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to come closer so he wouldn't have to raise his voice to inform him of the price (that might have been perceived as rude, after all). Bel could practically see a fluffy tail wagging, but no awkwardness.

Shishi, strange guy.

Then again, Bel got tingly feelings when watching gory horror movies, so maybe he wasn't really one to judge.

Hmmm, gory horror movies…

Anyway! Bel had been planning to spend money from the beginning, so he wasn't going to steal this thing. Plus, he liked this shop and the guy was funny, so maybe he'd come back sometime. (So he decided against burning it down.)

'That will be ah, 1200 Euros.'

For a supposedly centuries old ring of this supposed quality, in this town and this sort of boutique, that wasn't necessarily expensive. Bel tilted his head. The brunet wasn't trying to con him, he could tell. The way he behaved wasn't an act and the man sincerely thought he was asking for too much.

Bel snickered as he stepped forward, fishing a credit card out of his pocket, the only thing besides his weapons that he'd taken along.

'Are you the owner of this stop?'

'Ah, yes I am!'

He smiled bashfully and adjusted his glasses, looking supremely happy. Bel felt a pang of something in his chest and smirked wryly, showing the man his card wordlessly to signal he wasn't going to pay in cash (Duhh.). While the puppy-man bustled about busily to get things set up so he could pay, Bel let his gaze slide through the boutique one more time. This peasant seemed to overflow with happiness from being able to own this, this small building blocks away from the wealthy, high-society centre (though this was the more classy part of town). Not a whole lot of people probably came here or even knew this person well and yet, he looked like he had everything he could possibly want out of life.

It looked so simple. How could something so simple make a person so wholly happy? He didn't get the impression that there was anyone or -thing the brunet was doing it for, someone whose approval he was striving for. Or some goal he'd reached that made him consider himself successful enough to last him his lifetime. Just… happy. Content with… what he wanted. Clearly, it was something he had wanted and then had worked to get. At least to Bel it seemed that would be the way for such a thing to go.

…Hm.

Bel quickly paid when the puppy-man was ready, but had to wait a little longer when he accepted his offer for a small box to transport the ring in. When that too was settled, the blonde man sped out of the shop, throwing an absentminded 'Ciao,' over his shoulder in response to the salesman's goodbye.

7 blocks later, at a safe distance from the suddenly chokingly tight atmosphere in the boutique, Bel slowed down from his run. The small box with the ring inside sat safely in his hand. He stared at it for a while, not watching where he was going but not particularly needing to either.

He pictured his kouhai's face as he stared at the black jewellery box. The mossy green of his hair, the glittering jade of his eyes and the pale pink of his lips… The overwhelming fright in Fran's beautiful eyes those times when he didn't understand what Bel was doing, the warm amusement when he allowed Bel to see it. Emotion, even the slightest bit of it, did the most beautiful things to Fran's face. When it was a good one, a warm one, it was just…

Bel sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped, his eyes closed and his lips curling back up slightly.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Varia headquarters, Xanxus' office, around 18.00...

'VRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE TWO?!'

Squalo roared, waving his sword around in an attempt to work off some steam lest he kill another innocently by-standing grunt. Two of his officers were off somewhere and he was getting tired of their inefficiency. Bel's absence was accounted for, but he was kind of expected to be back by now. Killing never took him a long time. Well… well. Not this sort of assignment, anyway.

Xanxus levelled him with another scalding glare from behind his rather large, mahogany desk, having to look around his propped up booted feet to do so. His second-in-command was pacing to and fro like a madman (how fitting) and raving on and on about the absence of two other, more annoying pieces of trash. Fran didn't bother him so much, but was still annoying, despite how he was smart enough to never insult Xanxus to his face.

Truthfully, he didn't mind that they were gone for a while. It had been quite peaceful, but then Squalo barged in and started ranting about it loudly. Xanxus didn't get why he wanted them back so badly.

'Shut up, trash.' He commented lazily when Squalo took a breath in between shouts. The swordsman growled a low 'vooooi' at him, but pretty much did as he was told for a short while.

'Vooi, stupid boss, don't you want to know where the fuck they are so we can send them on that fucking mission?'

Xanxus tipped his head back against his chair, that was miraculouly reminiscent of a throne. Its size certainly suited that of the ridiculously large desk.

'No.'

He supplied honestly. He heard Squalo splutter and saw the tip of a sword flailing up in the bottom of his line of vision. A slow smirk crawled onto his lips. When he wasn't making his ears ring, the man was fairly amusing. He shifted his weight into a more comfortable slouch on the royal red upholstery of his chair and locked his eyes onto the hard grey ones of his right hand man.

'Get the fucking food ready.'

As predicted and expected, Squalo blew up in another ear-shatteringly loud tirade on how he wasn't his cook, nor his fucking wife, darnit. Xanxus relaxed and closed his eyes, enjoying the entertainment.

In the meantime; Varia headquarters, at the balcony attached to the Storm officer's bedroom…

Bel knew for a fact that his own grin had never been this wide or even quite as gleeful before. The high doors that led from his bedroom to the balcony were almost completely made out of glass and through them the young prince could easily make out the form of his froggy kouhai. Laying spread-eagled on his more than king-sized bed.

'Ushishishi!'

He couldn't quite contain his happy giggle, almost bursting with the anticipation of what would happen once he'd entered and alerted Fran to his presence.

Bel was inside within two seconds, the door clicking closed quietly behind him. The crimson red of his sheets contrasted quite nicely with the jade of Fran's hair and the older teen's stomach briefly spun, filled with excited butterflies at the breathtaking sight.

Yeah, he had a serious thing for certain colours.

Seeing them put together like that was amazing. He laughed softly again, happily and realized his kouhai was fast asleep, noticing the trails of dried drool on his chin and cheeks with an amused grin.

'There's a froggy in my bed~'

He sang softly, careful not to be so loud as to wake him up. That would spoil his fun~

Bel walked backwards into his bathroom, keeping his eyes on his kouhai. Once Fran was out of his sight, he turned and stripped out of his soiled clothes, dumping them in a corner without a care. Only the black skinny jeans were treated with more care, but that only lasted until the small black box had been safely retrieved from one of its pockets. With a small towel and lots of hot water, Bel quickly and quietly washed all the grime off, meticulously cleaning a few locks of his blonde hair.

As freshly cleaned as he'd get within five minutes and stark naked, the proud prince walked back into his room. Fran was still dead to the world.

A tall, luxurious wooden wardrobe in the left corner of Bel's bedroom was filled with all sorts of clothes. Many thereof were long, striped shirts; the ones he usually wore with his uniform. But there were dress shirts, jackets, ripped t-shirts and shirts without tears, too, along with leather pants (both standard uniform and casual ones), skinny jeans, a couple of knee length shorts and some that reached his mid-calf when he wore them. It's not like Bel never wore anything beside his regular uniform.

Bel threw on nothing but a pair of loose shorts and a comfortable royal grey hoodie. He turned around.

One of Fran's hands was dangling over the edge of the bed. His uniform coat was hanging over the back of Bel's throne-like chair that was sitting in front of his elegantly carved and ridiculously heavy ebony desk. The navy-blue turtleneck Fran always wore under that coat was rumpled and had ridden up past his pale hipbone, calling a sharp contrast into existence. His sleeping face was lax, completely relaxed, his lips slightly parted while he breathed through his nose shallowly.

Bel slinked towards him. His bare feet made no sound on the carpeted floor. The dextrous assassin had mastered the arts of stealth a very long time ago, so it really didn't matter what he was walking on anyway. It was one of the great perks of a natural assassin.

He could hear Fran's light breaths and felt a soft shudder ripple down his spine. He crouched next to the teal-haired boy and reached out a hand. The mossy locks were, as usual, tantalizingly soft. Bel's gaze was pulled back along his kouhai's body, to that pale expanse of his flat tummy.

He couldn't help it. The sight of his froggy's skin just excited him. It was… he wasn't sure what it was.

Ah, wait, he did. It was all the excitement built up from the past day and night. Ah well. That was a lot easier to understand than what he'd been starting to think...

Fran's nose twitched a few times when Bel trailed his fingertips over his bare tummy, worshipping the fair skin. There was just something about being able to touch it that made it alluring to the blonde prince.

Okay, maybe it was more than just pent up excitement.

Bel lightly scratched his nails over his kouhai's tummy and Fran murmured a small, protesting noise. The fairness of his skin was emphasized by the saturated hues of his hair and clothes and the blonde drank the sight in.

He drew his hand back and instead put it in his pocket, pulling out the small box. Anticipation built up in his stomach and he bounced on the balls of his feet, drawing out the moment a little longer. Then, with his smile splitting his face and showing off all his glimmering white teeth, Bel reached out and purposefully stroked Fran's face tenderly, brushing his thumb up from the corner of his mouth to his cheekbone. He made sure to make the touch heavy enough that it would rouse his kouhai from his slumber, relying on the illusionist's keen senses to do their job.

But Fran did not wake up.

Blinking in surprise, Bel tried again, stroking just a tad firmer. If he made an all too palpable move, Fran might respond instinctively and it was never a good idea to startle a sleeping illusionist into consciousness. Let alone one of Fran's calibre.

Fran inhaled audibly and moved his face closer to Bel. He gave off a content vibe now, so the blonde kept repeating the action, even though it didn't amount to the result he was after. Bel felt his grin soften into a smile as he watched the relaxing sight of his kouhai. He was sleeping so deeply… That was quite remarkable for a Varia assassin. Their training, but far more so their individual experiences in life, made them react to the presence of others whether they were conscious or not. All of the Varia officers would wake up as soon as someone entered the room or breached the perimeter that they'd subconsciously set up with their senses. Their senses easily picked up on a person's intent, especially when that intent concerned themselves and especially when they were in a vulnerable state. Like sleep.

Bel wasn't bothering to hide his focus on his froggy and hadn'tbothered before either, so Fran really should have woken up the moment Bel caught sight of him from outside on the balcony.

But he hadn't.

Curious.

How tired was his froggy? Bel hummed thoughtfully and changed tactics.

Fran was breathing lightly, not moving as he lay in his now loosely curled up position. He'd shifted from his spread-eagled position while the prince was cleaning himself in the bathroom. Bel gently pushed at his shoulder, making him roll onto his back. Slowly and carefully, the blonde prince crept onto the bed, mindful of the illusionary madness his kouhai might unleash upon him if he suddenly did decide to wake up. He hovered over the much smaller form on all fours, not touching him. The little jewellery box was placed on one of the many pillows on Bel's bed, a faded golden one, far enough away that it wouldn't fall and disappear somewhere between the covers.

Bel breathed deeply and sighed out. He so loved to study his froggy up close. He was so breathtakingly beautiful that the prince could keep it up all day. Would too, if he could get froggy to stay within his sight no matter what. Oh, if he could laze around with Fran peacefully, without any loud colleagues yelling or demanding his absence…

Right now he could focus on something more active with his froggy. He licked his lips and leant down, bringing his face close to Fran's pale one. Before doing anything more, he chuckled without a sound and brought his sleeve to his kouhai's chin, carefully rubbing at the dried drool. He didn't care for it much though, since he wanted his froggy no matter what he was covered in, so he soon abandoned that endeavour and leant in farther.

Bel smoothed his lips over the pale pink ones and applied a tiny bit of pressure, thinking such an act would surely alert him. But it didn't. He breathed deeply, enjoying how close they were. Then he pressed his lips more firmly against the only other pair in the world that he desired and gave Fran a chaste kiss. The younger teen still didn't give any indication of being aware of his presence. With butterflies flittering about in his tummy and common, gruesome death-fearing sense overruled, Bel pressed closer and at once strengthened the kiss. His own eyes fluttered closed at the almost familiar feeling. It was too warm, too intoxicating and he couldn't resist; he caressed his froggy's lips with his tongue and when they parted on a soft sigh, he pressed in between those lips and sought out the sweetness he knew. (Bel didn't give a single fuck in the world that Fran was currently having the worst possible case of morning breath; Fran was Fran and that was that.)

Fran made a sleepy noise, but didn't wake up just yet. He was still in that dream state, drifting in his subconscious. He felt comfortable and Bel was making it even better, despite the fact that he wasn't consciously aware of what was going on.

Bel, in the mean time, was nearly strangling the crimson covers in an attempt to keep himself from going wild on his dear froggy. He'd clearly underestimated his own desire, if not overestimated his self-control. His froggy tasted so sweet, so unique, so…

So Fran-ish.

And he'd been waiting for this with increasing impatience since the moment he'd left.

His knuckles turned white from the force he was putting behind his grip on the covers. He didn't want to wake his frog by ravaging him like a madman, he just wanted to make him smile and taste him a little.

It would be a great help if Fran would just wake up now.

On the other hand, Bel was experiencing how well he could control himself if he really wanted to, even though it was incredibly hard. A good lesson and now he'd learnt, so Fran could wake up now. Really.

Fran did not wake up. He did make another sleepy noise, this one sounding a little more about-to-wake-up-ish than the last. Bel's thorough kiss was slowly but surely getting through to his consciousness.

Bel couldn't quite help himself; the pressure in his chest built up high and he groaned quietly, licking the inside of his kouhai's mouth lovingly.

The blonde prince himself wasn't entirely aware of the feelings he had for his froggy. He knew Fran was dear to him, because the idiot-frog had one time faked his own, far too realistic (and gory) death during a mission to fool their target and his mini army. He hadn't known it was an illusion at the time and it had rather unexpectedly thrown him into a murderous rage like none before. It had also caused a pain on the inside that he'd never felt before. Before that time, Bel hadn't even known he could hurt like that without being attacked. Bel was also well aware that it was meaningful that only the sight of Fran could, and did, calm him down and made him feel at peace. He knew that had something to do with Fran being Fran; that no-one else had that effect on him nor probably would have.

The concept of love, however, had never been explained to him. Or more importantly, he'd never had an example of it. His birth family had not exactly been the loving kind and the Varia were very private about such things. Lussuria had tried to explain once, but Squalo hadn't thought that he (Squalo himself) would be able to bear it and had taken pre-emptive measures.

So Bel knew how he felt, knew that Fran meant more to him than anyone else did and that there was more to that than he understood at the moment. He just didn't quite get why he couldn't stand to see his froggy cry, or why he couldn't bring himself to stab him anywhere but in his large frog-hat and the safe, fleshy parts of his body. He didn't understand how his other feelings were connected to those.

But not knowing what it was didn't mean he couldn't act upon it.

In the meantime, Fran was finally coming to, slowly becoming more and more aware of what was happening around and more importantly, to him. A scent that was distantly familiar to him filled his nose pleasantly. Before he opened his jade eyes he already knew who it was who was kissing him so deeply, passionately. In his drowsy state, Fran marvelled at how calm he felt, completely void of any fright or surprise at the kiss he'd not given any permission for.

Maybe he was more comfortable with his sempai than he'd thought.

That wonder was soon pressed to the back of his mind when Bel made a soft noise, a whimper in the back of his throat. Fran opened his eyes fully and was met with a curtain of blonde hair. He could now sense the tension coming from his sempai, something that felt akin to desperation and it sparked concern within him.

Did something bad happen on Bel's mission?

Now fully awake, Fran tried to figure out a way to get his sempai to tell him what was wrong, but it was still hard for him to focus. Bel's kiss was rearranging Fran's priorities for him and anything rational was far down on the list. That warm tongue was exploring every single part of his mouth and Fran had always been rather susceptible to the prince's touches. The mess of thoughts in his head, questions as to what was going on, blurred and faded, replaced by warmth.

Bel had not realized Fran was awake. It was somewhat silly, because that had initially been what he was trying to do, but that was some time ago now. Instead, his attention was being taken up by his fight for self-control and the taste of his froggy's mouth.

He noticed though, when Fran started kissing him back.

Bel's hidden eyes snapped open but Fran's had just closed again. The fact that slim, pale hands were trailing up his sides and gripped his shoulders was a pretty dead giveaway, though. He let his eyes slide closed again and relaxed, reassured now that his froggy had woken.

Their kiss lasted a long time, both intoxicated by it. By the end of it both were out of breath, breathing hard to try and win back some air. Bel stroked a wayward strand of teal hair out of Fran's eyes and felt his lips quirk into a content smile. Fran was staring up at him, the look in his eyes was soft.

'Hey froggy.'

Fran's lips twitched. 'Hey stupid-sempai.'

Bel's eye twitched. He growled but it made Fran grin boyishly in one of his rare but increasing unguarded moments. His jade eyes sparkled with mischief and the little annoyance Bel had felt instantly evaporated.

His kouhai raised a hand to the prince's shoulder, gripping it lightly. Bel felt him stroke him through the thick grey hoodie and beamed naturally, feeling unusually warm.

'Ne, sempai…' Fran started, the look in his eyes changing to something more guarded. 'Did something happen?'

The tone of Fran's voice barely concealed his concern and Bel felt his heart trip over itself. It distracted him from the actual question, until he saw the illusionist's eyes narrow and felt the small form beneath his own start to give off un-relaxing vibes.

'Hmm? Ah, …'

Bel shifted his weight. His hands were becoming a little bloodless from the wrist down. Flashes of memories passed through his mind, the suddenly too-tight atmosphere in a curious boutique. He sighed.

'It's alright, froggy.' He could see Fran was about to open his mouth to protest and swiftly pecked those pale pink lips; an effectively executed pre-emptive manoeuvre. 'I've got everything I need now.' The younger teen looked confused, but Bel didn't want to give him time to question him. Instead he dove back in, sealing Fran's lips with his own to experience that bliss and peace of mind.

Normally, just the sight of Fran was enough to calm him.

But the look of simple, complete happiness over having nothing but having everything he could possibly want nothingnothingnothing, it was nothing lay fresh in his mind and was wringing his spine and heart into painfully braided iron bars and it was-

-it was all he could do to keep from losing himself to it.

Fran was clearly a bit startled, but he responded and Bel couldn't help but feel that his froggy understood, not why, but that. That there was something wrong, that he needed him.

The tight iron braids loosened around his heart until it was comfortable. Bel let out a stuttering sigh through his mouth, against Fran's lips and kissed him again, deeply. Fran wrapped his arms around his shoulders and held him tight. It felt like an embrace, like he wasn't holding on so much as he was holding him. Comforting him. Safe.

It was enough to finally let him break down.

Bel collapsed on top of Fran, desperately trying to keep kissing him, to hold on to that familiar warm feeling even as hot tears burnt tracks down his cheeks. Fran jolted when the first teardrops landed on his face, froze. But after a few seconds he strengthened his embrace and pulled Bel closer, put more attention into the kiss and helped him focus on it rather than on the pain in his heart.

With every tear his heart felt lighter, freer, and it became easier to breath. He trembled but didn't realize it, shook as all the regret and shame and guilt and I will never accomplish enough, I will never be worthy, I'll never deserve to be happy, no-one wants me to, no-one wants me washed through his heart and through him, out of him, farther and farther away. Fran threaded a hand through his hair, stroked another up and down his spine, held him warm and safe and close.

Bel cried and cried, wordlessly, and when he could no longer kiss Fran he sagged against him, buried his face in the covers above the boy's shoulder and sobbed, whined, cried out, shouted to get at least some of it out of his system. It wouldn't be gone completely from this, it would take more than that. But he could give it air and parts of it would leave, it would become easier to bear.

Fran was shocked and maybe even scared, but he didn't leave, embraced him and stayed right where he was.

Mirror-images, accomplishments, failures, never good enough…

It all went through Bel again, through his heart and his mind and he tried to push it out, gone, no longer did he need to remember what happened or what it felt like. The memories were tenacious and some of them wouldn't leave, but others did and the feelings were soothed enough to let him breathe.

It took a long while, but eventually his sorrow smoothed into round edges and his sobs were replaced by deep breaths and sighs, until his breathing eventually evened out. Fran stroked his back, his neck, his arms, everything he could comfortably reach, stroking firmly to let him know he was there. He understood pain well enough.

Bel heaved another shuddering sigh and worked himself up on his elbows, puffy- and red-eyed behind his blonde bangs. The look on Fran's face was a guarded one, filled with concern and Bel graced him with a watery smile, almost giddy with the relief of having gotten so much of the sadness and pain off of his chest.

Fran carefully spoke up, slowly. 'Are you feeling better now, sempai?'

Bel took a deep, deep breath, filling his lungs 'till they felt burstingly full then expelling it. He nodded, 'Yeah…' with a smile. His froggy smiled a small one back, looking relieved as well. Fran didn't understand but he didn't seem to mind that either, so the blonde left it at that. He didn't want to discuss this, since it might make his froggy think less of him and make things unnecessarily unhappy.

Bel snuggled into his froggy and nosed his smooth neck, feeling happier than he could remember with warm arms resting comfortingly against his back and Fran's quiet breathing tickling through his hair.

To Be Continued

Bel's specific issue shouldn't be clear to you as is- if it is that is fine, but I did not try to make it clear here, so if you don't get it that's fine.

See you in chapter 3~

~Cheers, Dirkje

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