If there was one thing that the long-haired man known as Squalo Superbia had grown to resent, it was the front door to his home opening, whether it be by his hand or his partner's; no matter which one of them stepped through that threshold, the same thing always ensued.

"Oi, you shitty shark!"

Squalo had been seated downstairs in the living room, curled up on the couch with a blanket covering him, the fireplace opposite him not doing much to warm the house so soon after being lit. He dropped the book he had been reading to the floorboards, tensing his body as the familiar drunken shout echoed through the house. Shouting back, the man tried his hardest to keep calm; he would only further aggravate the situation if the older male knew he was getting a rise from the other. "What?"

As expected, footsteps thundered through the entrance hall and into the living room, the raven-haired man known as Xanxus glaring with red eyes full of loathing. He stood there for a few seconds more before he stomped further into the room, closing the distance between he and the long-haired male. He sneered as he drew a loud yelp of pain from his lover, having ripped on a handful of silver strands hard enough to snap Squalo's head to the side.

"Fuck off, you asshole!" Squalo had never been good at keeping his temper, and with everything he had been put through for the past eighteen years by his boyfriend's hands, he wasn't sure he even had any patience left in him. "Don't touch me!"

Leaning down close enough for his hot breath to billow over the younger's ear, the stronger male hissed, "Didn't I tell you not to do stupid shit like reading anymore? I've already explained it to you once before; you don't leave that fucking bed for anything; you lay naked for me all day every day; it's all you're good for, you whore."

Swinging his fist towards Xanxus, Squalo's stomach dropped when the other moved out of the way; he knew what he would get for so much as thinking about hitting the man, but it was worth it; he wasn't the kind of person to just sit back and let himself be treated so badly. "I'm not a fucking whore! You're the one who goes out and cheats on me!"

The dark-eyed man bit down on his lip as his body jerked in pain, knowing his face was going to be swollen the next morning with how hard he had just been punched - it didn't matter anymore; it would go nicely with all the bruises that adorned the pale skin.

"Don't you ever raise your hand to me again, you little slut!" Bringing his knee upwards, the assaulter took every last breath away from his lover after connecting it as hard as he could with the man's stomach. He then backhanded the younger hard enough to send him sprawling across the floor, small specks of blood coating the floorboards. "I should shoot you here and now!"

Lifting his head, Squalo glared back in defiance. He lifted a hand to wipe at his mouth, wincing at the blood that clung to his skin from the action. "Do it. I don't care; it won't be the first time you've done it."

A sick sneer crossed Xanxus' face as he moved closer to the fallen male. He kicked out, the younger rolling across the floor with his action, fresh rivers of blood pouring down Squalo's face. "Get in bed, trash."

"No." Holding a hand to his face, the long-haired male tried to push himself into a sitting position, only to have the world spin uncontrollably.

Snatching silver hair back into his fingers, Xanxus pulled again. "What did you just say?"

"I said no!" Trying to move away from the other, Squalo looked to the ground. "I'm not doing it! Fuck off!"

Kicking at the other again, Xanxus dragged the now-writhing man across the ground and towards the entrance hall. He ignored the other's shouts, intending on getting what he wanted, and nothing Squalo could do or say would change his mind.

~~XX~~

Hazel eyes opened to the sound of a phone ringing somewhere in the pitch black of Dino Cavallone's bedroom. The blond man pushed himself up on his elbow as he reached across to the bedside table in a tired manner, groping blindly for his phone. Grabbing the device, the half-asleep male blinked as he looked at the caller ID, not surprised to find his best friend's name on the screen.

Hitting the answer button, Dino placed the phone at his ear, concerned as to what he was about to hear; for eighteen years he had tried his hardest to get the younger out of that relationship, but for whatever reason, Squalo wouldn't leave. "Squalo...?"

A sob answered the blond man before Squalo spoke in a voice choked with tears. "B-bucking Horse..."

"Squalo, are you okay?" More alert now, Dino sat up fully in his bed, knowing he had to be there for his friend. "What's happened?"

"...Can you come get me...?" It was rare for Squalo to cry, much less to ask for help; he was one of the most prideful persons Dino had ever met, so something must have gone worse than usual.

"Yeah, I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Squalo. Where are you now?" Slipping himself out of bed, the blond moved to haphazardly throw a sweater over his torso before searching for shoes.

"...Living room..." The man on the other end of the line was speaking far quieter than usual, and Dino knew this behaviour well enough to know Squalo was trying his hardest not to draw his boyfriend's attention. "Xanxus' sleeping..."

"Whatever you do, don't give him reason to wake up. I'm on my way now; I just need to get my keys." Listening to his friend murmur goodbye, the man reluctantly ended the call; who knew what could happen in the time it would take to get there?

~~XX~~

It felt like forever before Dino finally arrived back at his home with Squalo in tow, and now that he had ushered the younger into the living room and turned the light on, he was finally getting a good look at his best friend; Squalo's face was covered in bruises and swelling rapidly, dried blood caking the side of his face from what seemed to have come from a nasty gash on his forehead. His lip was bruised and bleeding, dribbling down his chin slowly, and the white button-up pyjama shirt he was wearing had blotches of the red bodily fluid all over it. He limped badly, wincing every time he put weight on his left leg, and he held his left arm close to him, almost as if it hurt to let it hang down by his side.

"Squalo..." Hazel eyes softened at the sight of the younger, not knowing what to do; they were both thirty-two, and if Squalo didn't want to leave Xanxus, the blond couldn't force him. "Squalo, leave him; look at what he's doing to you..."

Silver hair stained with blood shook as Squalo refused. "I can't..."

"Why not?"

Looking away, the smaller male mumbled, "I love him..."

"Yes, I know you do, Squalo, but he doesn't love you; look at what he's doing to you."

"He was drunk this time; he'd been out drinking and fucking around; I guess I just pissed him off without even trying again."

"He doesn't even have to be drunk to do things to you, Squalo!" Dino felt as if he were at the end of his rope dealing with this; he just wished that his friend would understand he needed to leave that relationship now before it was too late. Reaching out to run his fingers through the younger's hair, the blond felt as if his heart was breaking at the way Squalo flinched violently, pulling away before that hand could come anywhere near him. "Squalo..."

The long-haired man cracked open an eye to glare lazily at Dino, just too tired for this conversation anymore. "Let me stay here tonight, Bucking Horse..."

Dino nodded; he would never turn the other away when he so desperately needed help. He stood up, looking around the large living room to the hallway off to his left. "Let me just get the first aid kit for you, Squalo."

Squalo nodded, making himself comfortable on the soft black couch. He let his eyes slip closed, wrapping his uninjured arm around him. Xanxus... What did I do to make you hate me so much...?

Dino didn't take long at all to come back and clean out the younger's superficial wounds in silence, neither of them knowing what to say; the blond just wanted to save his childhood friend whilst said friend just didn't understand what had gone wrong in his relationship.

"I think you need to rest now, Squalo." Helping the smaller male to his feet and pretending he didn't see Squalo flinching as he came closer, Dino tried his hardest to remain calm, hoping that if the abused male were to get some sleep, he would let the blond help him again tomorrow. "You can take the spare room; it's all set up for you."

Squalo nodded, pulling away from the stronger male. He uttered a soft goodnight before he headed to the hallway, tracing the route that would take him past the kitchen and into the spare bedroom next to Dino's.

While hazel eyes watched the long-haired male's departure, Dino could only hope his friend would come to his senses soon enough, but not even an hour later, as he lay in bed and listened to the sounds of Squalo crying and struggling with nightmares, he wasn't sure it would ever happen.

If Squalo had stayed with someone so abusive for eighteen years without fail, then him leaving was probably nothing more than wishful thinking.