It felt weird to both Bel and Fran to be sleeping in the boy's bed at Mukuro's home; the blond still wasn't used to coming to the younger's home, and while Fran had been gone for so long, he had almost forgotten what his home even looked like. It was comforting to the teal-haired male, being back with his beloved guardian and knowing that things were better again; he didn't mind that he had to help Mukuro out with things the man could do perfectly by himself previously because he knew the blue-haired male would do the same for him.

"Bel-senpai…" Fran rolled over on the mattress so that he could bury his face into the white pyjama shirt his lover was wearing. The thick material was warm with the blond's body heat, helping Fran feel at peace.

Bel stirred before his obscured eyes opened. He slung an arm over the boy's body, holding him close. "Mornin', Froggy…"

Fran reached up, gripping the other's shirt as he buried his face in against the soft skin of Bel's throat. He extended his tongue, licking at the small bruise that had put there last night; now that the drugs were out of their systems, the boy had returned to his asexual state. He was wary of Bel, more than he had been before all of this had happened, knowing the blond still wanted to be sexually active. They had come to a compromise, the teenager allowing his lover one night a week to seek someone else out for sex, and as long as there was no emotional attachments in what Bel did, he didn't mind for the older male to be out all night fulfilling his sexual desires; it would be selfish of him to keep Bel all to himself without sex, after all. As far as he knew, Bel had been sleeping with Mammon, something he was perfectly okay with; he wanted his lover to be with someone who would treat him right and with the respect he deserved, feeling sick at the thought of the man being with someone who would treat him as nothing more than a whore – exactly what he had been through for eighteen years already.

"Want to get some breakfast, senpai?" Fran made no effort to get up, content with where he was.

"Mmm… Not just yet, Froggy; it's cold, and I'm warm here." Bel let his eyes slip closed again, resting his chin on top of the younger's head.

"Okay; it's your birthday after all, I guess." Fran wanted to do something special for Bel's birthday, knowing they hadn't been able to do anything for his own; they had still been struggling with the drugs, and his eighteenth hadn't been on their minds.

"Love you, Froggy…"

"I love you, too, senpai." Fran didn't let himself fall back asleep, instead trying to decide what would make this day better than any of the others. He knew Bel didn't see anything special in birthdays, or even other celebrations such as Christmas and Easter; they were just another day to him, having never had anyone important celebrate such a special event with him; he knew the closest thing was Bel receiving one cheap gift or a single chocolate from Mammon with a seasonal greeting, but even then, the blond had only ever viewed it as a friendship thing – nothing to do with the holidays.

Fran wanted Bel to enjoy celebrations as much as he did, and he knew that, though it would take a lot of work to help him understand, it would be worth it in the end; he was sure that Bel could smile as much as he did whenever he opened his presents from Mukuro, or that the blond could be as happy as them if he could spend the day with someone the same way Fran and Mukuro always did.

I might as well make him some breakfast in bed. Nodding to himself, Fran carefully untangled himself from the man's arm, not wanting to wake him. He tiptoed across the room before he walked out into the hallway, leaving the door open as he did so; he would hate for it to squeak in protest and wake the other up if he tried to close it on his way out.

Fran shivered as he pulled his green pyjama shirt tighter around him. He sighed, wondering why it was so cold in the house; Mukuro had always turned the thermostat on in the – well… the man had probably forgotten they even had a thermostat…

Detouring into the living room to turn it on, Fran wasn't surprised when he found Mukuro standing by the couch, folding clothing with trembling hands, his frail body shivering violently with the cold. Fran quickly adjusted the knob on the thermostat before he approached the man, calling out to him to let him know he was there.

"Master, aren't you cold?"

Mukuro jumped a little, his back having been turned to Fran. He took a deep breath to calm himself, running through all the cues he had been presented with to try and get an idea of whom he could be talking with. He knew the only person who referred to him as their master was Fran, but just to avoid himself some embarrassment if he were wrong, he mentioned no names.

"I am…" Heterochromatic eyes glanced away, a slight blush colouring his cheeks. "I am very cold…"

Fran was saddened by these words, knowing that Mukuro probably hadn't even considered putting a gown on or anything of the sort, not through any fault of his own, but because his procedural memories had been damaged.

Moving over to the couch, Fran grabbed the light-blue dressing gown buried beneath the pile of clothing his guardian had been folding. He tugged it out before he handed it to the man, his emerald eyes softer than ever.

"You should put this on; I've turned the heater up so it'll be warm soon, Master." Fran was understanding as spidery fingers hesitated to take the gown. "Here, I'll help you. Hold your arms out."

Mukuro did as told, his trembling increasing from nerves; he still wasn't one-hundred per cent with letting others touch him; while Bel had been disappointed but at the same time understanding about not getting any sex, Byakuran had not been happy at all about the fact that his own lover was too afraid to put out for him anymore. He hadn't said anything about it to Mukuro, knowing the younger had enough on his plate as it was, but sex was important to him, and he didn't like not getting his way. They were still together, but Fran worried the white-haired man might start pressuring Mukuro.

"There we go, Master." Fran stepped back once he had tightened the robe, moving to pick up a shirt from the pile. "I'll help you with the folding, and then I'm going to make breakfast. Are you hungry, Master?"

"A little."

Fran nodded, making sure to make his guardian the biggest breakfast he could; Mukuro had never been one to admit just how bad he really was, hating to be seen as weak – instead, he tried to cover things up and make them seem less than they really were, but Fran knew him better than that; he knew when Mukuro needed help and when he was being genuinely honest.

Fran talked to his guardian a bit more, understanding when Mukuro would fall silent or become anxious. He was learning to cope with it, knowing that, no matter how emotional the man could become, or how socially anxious he was around his most loved ones, he still had the same heart he had had previously, and he didn't think anything would change that.

Folding the last piece of clothing, Fran handed it to Mukuro as he said, "Master should go and have a rest now; he does too much housework. I can do it for you, Master; you just have to ask."

Mukuro nodded, knowing that a rest did indeed sound good; he was starting to warm up now, and the idea of breakfast was too good to pass up. "Thank you."

Fran missed being referred to as the man's little one, but he knew Mukuro was just scared of mistaking someone for someone else and then making a fool out of himself; unless the man was told directly who people were, he was always careful to avoid any direct names or personal details that could show he didn't know who he was talking to.

The boy couldn't understand how hard that must be, but he had to remember that Mukuro was strong, and he could get through this one day.

~~XX~~

When Bel woke up, it was to the delicious scent of pancakes. He opened his eyes and sat up, reaching out eagerly for the tray that was being passed to him. "Froggy, what brought this on?"

"It's your birthday, senpai." Fran climbed onto the bed next to the man, leaning against him happily. "I wanted to do something nice for you."

"…My birthday…?" Bel frowned as he picked up the cutlery, ready to dig in to his meal. "What's that got to do with breakfast? You do nice things for me every day, Froggy."

"Yeah, but it's your birthday, senpai. This is a special day."

"What's so special about it? It's just a day where someone turns a year older – happens every year." Bel lifted a piece of pancake to his mouth, sliding the tray closer so that the boy could help himself if he wanted to eat as well.

"It's something to celebrate, Bel-senpai." Fran picked up the glass of orange juice he had put alongside the plate, taking a sip. "And I love you, so I want to make the day as good as I can for you."

Bel chuckled, patting Fran's head. "Silly, frog; I don't need you to make some stupid celebration good for me because you do it every day already. Mammy would always get me something for things like this, and she would spend the day with me, but I didn't see the point; why obsess over one stupid day and forget all the others? Presents are nice, though, Froggy; I won't decline them."

Fran snorted, smacking the other's arm gently. "Of course you wouldn't, senpai. I did you get some gifts, though; they're in my closet. I'll give them to you once you've eaten."

Bel's obscured eyes lit up with excitement as he nodded, liking presents very much; they were such a rare thing for him, it made him feel as special as Fran was trying to make him now. Fran just didn't seem to understand that, as long as Bel could spend every day with his lover, he didn't care what day it was; he was content with having Fran by his side.

The two spoke together for a few minutes more before there was a knock on the door and Mukuro opened it, poking his head in. He smiled at the two, knowing they were definitely Bel and Fran because no one else would be in this room. Truth be told, he was still scared of the blond, that unmistakable hairstyle one of the three he would see every night in his nightmares, but after having been reassured by both Fran and Byakuran that Bel was different now, he was trying his hardest to give the other a chance to not hurt him again.

"Happy birthday, Bel…" Mukuro nudged the door open further as he walked in, his arms full of wrapped presents. "I got you something, and Tsunayoshi and his friends sent down gifts for you as well…"

Fran jumped out of bed, helping his guardian with the load before the other dropped them all. "I've got these ones, Master. You can put yours on the desk."

Mukuro nodded, doing as suggested. He smiled at Fran, patting the boy's head before he left, having gone far out of his comfort zone to deliver the presents the way he had.

Bel was sitting in silence, his pancakes forgotten as he stared at the mountain of presents. A single tear dripped down his cheek as realisation hit him like a ton of bricks; Mammon and Fran gave him presents on his days because they cared about him – but for others to have given him gifts as well…

Surely that could only mean there were more people who cared about him than he realised, right…? When Fran's arms wrapped around him just seconds later, it suddenly became clear that all the hard work he had put into his recovery had been worth it after all; he had gained friends, and a wonderful boyfriend who gave him the love he had sought out ever since his childhood.

For the first time in his life, Bel felt the joy that was supposed to be felt on his birthday, and it was definitely something he would most look forward to again next year.

I haven't mentioned anything about Xanxus and Squalo because I'm debating doing a second part for this story. I'm not sure I'll do it just yet, but until then, you can leave them up to your imaginations.