Still, Xanxus knows that Squalo shouldn't be in the Varia. He's not cruel enough, bloodthirsty enough, or twisted enough like the others in their family. He hates Bel ("too irritating"), Lussuria ("plain annoying"), Levi ("he has a SHRINE dedicated to Xanxus"), Mammon ("no sense of personal hygiene") and even Gola Moska, who was a robot for god's sake. Its because of all this that Xanxus trys so damn hard to get rid of Squalo. He has flung countless glasses of his favourite red wine at that thick headed silver-haired shark. He has openly humiliated Squalo in public by telling the brat's rain guardian to "get rid of this dog" for him. He had even laughed when he saw Squalo get eaten by the monster of a shark in the rain battle, secretly relieved that Squalo would never have to carry out another S-ranked mission ever again, even if Xanxus had spent the whole night locked in his hotel room later, soaking the pillows in regret that he had never once told Squalo how much the long-haired annoyance meant to him. Naturally, he showed up the next day, calm and composed. But a small part of him longed to hear that damn kasuzame yell at him once again.
When Xanxus lost the ring battle but won the Vongola rings instead, he felt like there was something missing. Someone who should be going "VOOOI! XANXUS! WE DID IT!" right about now and giving him a helping hand to slide the ring over his finger. But Squalo was gone. The long flowing silver hair that the damn shark had grown out just for him had already been stained red and was probably in the stomach of that monster. Then, when the Vongola ring rejected him, he swore he heard the voice of an angel. His angelshark. And he had to swear that at that moment, he didn't know whether to cry or to curse. He decided on the latter. After all, it wouldn't be right for Xanxus, the strongest member of the Varia to be seen sobbing like a girl in relief right? Still, he couldn't help the slip of his tounge as he spoke, or rather panted out wearily. "You're still alive.. Damn kasuzame..." Hearing the brat who had defeated Squalo shout out the swordsman's name, Xanxus' jaw clenched in irritation. It was his right to sound like that. To be glad that Squalo was alive. No one else should be welcoming that darned shark back but him damnit.
And then, after all the ruckus had died down and Xanxus lay on the floor, defeated, it was Squalo who chased away the Cervello, then lifted him up and carried him, bridal-style, back to the hotel despite Xanxus' half-muttered curses and protests and the fact that Squalo himself is practically wrapped fully with bandages and should be sitting like a good little boy in his wheelchair. It's at this point that Xanxus finally decides to stop trying to chase the silver-haired kasuzame away and accept the fact that as long as he's alive, Squalo will never leave him alone. A few days later, they're back in Italy and Xanxus is back to his old bad-tempered self, verbally abusing his family (Of course, by now they took it as a form of endearment) and calling Squalo "useless shithead". But Squalo is notably surprised and perhaps slightly shocked when Xanxus paid a surprise visit, promptly silencing the furiously yelling swordsman, who was being forcefully restrained in the hospital ward (he had tried to escape through the window for the twelfth time) by sliding warm chapped lips over delicate pale ones.
In the days that follow that surprise visit, Xanxus seems to be in a particularly good mood (he hadn't thrown anyone into a wall since then), and his family (or at least Bel and Lussuria) wonders whats the cause of it. When Squalo comes home however, arm slung over Xanxus' shoulder for support, their faces gleamed with understanding and relief that Xanxus has finally accepted Squalo as something more than just the loyal follower who really shouldn't be tangled up inthe dirty world of the Mafia.