The next morning, Dino stepped into the guest bedroom he had lent his best friend the night previous. Squalo was curled up in the sheets, his back to the older male. His long, silver hair flowed languidly over the mattress, nothing but the soft breathing and slight rise-and-fall of the man's body showing that he was still alive.

"Squalo?" Stepping through the room that bared nothing but a double bed and a chest of drawers pushed to the other wall, Dino stood by the silk blue blankets. He reached out, placing his hand on the younger's shoulders, only to have the damaged man jerk away as if he had been burned by the touch. "Squalo, are you hungry?"

"..." Rolling slowly over to his other side, Squalo's bruised face frowned up at the blond. "I'm not hungry..."

"I'll make something special for you." Gentle hands brushed silver strands of hair out of dark eyes, Dino's heart breaking at the fear that filled said orbs at the action; had it really been so long since Squalo had been shown kindness, he couldn't help but fear even the slightest of touches? "I'll cook you some pizza for breakfast, and a cup of coffee as well. Or would you rather go out for breakfast? I'm sure there's something we could do to hide those bruises. Would you like that?"

"I'm not wearing fucking makeup!" Squalo snapped, not wanting to be seen with such feminine things; he was already treated like a girl by Xanxus and he didn't want to give anyone else reason to treat him any differently – he'd rather leave his bruises unconcealed and have everyone see them than dare put a splash of makeup on his skin.

"Alright, alright." Raising his hands into the air, Dino tried to diffuse the situation, knowing just how easily angered Squalo could become; he had always been agitated by little things, but the abuse had only made him worse. "Then what do you want to do, Squalo?"

"..." Glaring down at the ground, the long-haired man knew Dino wasn't going to leave him alone any time soon; he may as well just go along with it because the more he tried to stay in bed, the more the blond was going to push him to get out and have breakfast. "...Fine, then. Take me out for breakfast or some shit; I don't fucking care anymore."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Don't fucking care! Just choose somewhere if it means that fucking much to you!"

Dino could only smile at his friend's attitude, never able to take it personally; Squalo had been through so much, it was expected. "Alright, Squalo. I'm going to go have a shower. I'll be out soon if you want to have one yourself."

Muttering to himself, Squalo rolled back onto his other side so that he was facing the wall. He tugged the blankets over his head as he said, "Wake me up when you're ready..."

The older male sighed, but he didn't push; Squalo didn't deserve to be treated so badly – the man copped enough from his boyfriend as it was. "Have a good rest, Squalo."

The younger didn't reply; he just laid where he was, trying to force himself back into a restless sleep.

~~XX~~

After having gotten Squalo in the car, equipped with a scarf, a hat, and dark glasses to try and hide the bruising, Dino had convinced him to go and get makeup to try and hide the injuries.

Now, walking through the drug store, Squalo stuck close to his friend. He trembled uncontrollably whenever strangers would brush against him, glaring hatefully at them. He chewed at his cheek whenever stares lingered on him for too long, clenching his hands as he struggled with his entire being to keep himself from screaming at them; he knew that making a scene would only draw more attention to him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Here."

Squalo looked at Dino as the older male stopped by a display stand. He grimaced at the smell of perfume, having never imagined himself so much as stepping foot in this kind of area. He sent a hateful glare to the blond before he moved forward, heading towards the makeup a little towards the back.

"What the fuck do I use?" Scrunching his nose up in distaste, dark eyes scanned the dozens of different items, having no idea what any of them were used for; this was something they should have brought his friend for, said friend seemingly knowing every little thing about makeup and other feminine products.

Dino reached out, picking up a small palette of eye shadow. He frowned, not sure what to get either. He knew they'd need to ask one of the workers, but Squalo wouldn't appreciate that at all; he'd resent for someone to see the result of his abuse, let alone try and offer assistance he didn't want. "Could you give Lussuria a -?"

"- Can I help you?"

Dino glanced at the curly-haired brunet woman who had approached them, clad in a worker's uniform. She glanced at Squalo for a brief second before she winced and turned back to the taller male, shifting uncomfortably.

"Umm..." Turning to look at his friend, Dino wasn't sure how to answer; he wanted the woman's help, but he knew the younger well enough to know it would only infuriate Squalo if he accepted. "...We should be fine, thank you; he'll just give his friend a call."

"Ah, but if it's easier for you, I can –"

"- Fuck off, you stupid bitch!" The long-haired man snapped, not caring any longer for the eyes that had turned to stare at him; he didn't want her help – he didn't want anyone's help. "He said I'd call someone, and that's not you! Fuck off, you dumb slut!"

"Squalo!" Moving to get in between the two, Dino sent his friend a horrified look; the worker had done nothing but try to help; she didn't deserve to get screamed at like this. "Squalo, stop! Just go call Lussuria, alright? It's fine; you're fine."

"I'm not doing shit! This bitch should realise that not everyone wants her fucking help, and when she's fucking told no, it means no!" As angry as Dino knew Squalo was, he also knew why the younger was talking like this; he went through so much in his life, it was no surprise his resentment towards the things Xanxus did to him came out during his interactions with other people.

"Squalo!" The blond could see that the worker was close to tears, and he wanted nothing more than to help them both; it wasn't in his nature to let others be hurt. "Squalo, stop! Call Lussuria and get him to help you; you don't need to say anything more – you've made your point."

The long-haired man scoffed before he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He slid his finger across the screen of his phone to unlock it, sending a loathing look to the woman as he did so. He watched as Dino walked her away from the section, hating how kind his friend was; the blond should have just left her to cry – she deserved it after sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, after all.

Making the call he wished he never had to make, Squalo raised the phone to his ear, swallowing his pride for just that moment; he had never wanted it to come to this, but what choice did he have?

~~XX~~

"Are you sure they're not noticeable?" Squalo sighed, pushing his coffee away; the two were sitting in a corner of a cafe, the man's bruises having been covered by makeup; they weren't as noticeable now, having been instructed by his friend to find a colour that worked with his skin tone.

"Not unless you're looking for them," the blond promised, soothing his friend's worry. "You can hardly even tell you're wearing makeup, as well; don't worry so much."

Squalo nodded, not sure he wanted to finish his breakfast; while he had never been much of an eater, preferring to nibble at small snacks rather than devour huge meals, his appetite had only continued to dwindle over the years to the point he just didn't feel hungry anymore.

"What are you doing about Xanxus?" Dino knew he was treading a sensitive subject, but he needed to know what the other was doing; did he need to take Squalo back to his own home where further abuse waited for him? Or did he need to give the younger the guest bedroom permanently? He truly hoped it was the latter, but Squalo was one of the most stubborn people he knew – eighteen years of abuse had proved this.

"..." Looking out of the window to watch passersby walk through the busy streets, the man scowled. His mind was whirling at the question, wanting nothing more than to escape the treatment he hated so much, but also struggling to find the strength to leave his most loved one; was it so bad that he still had hope that their relationship might one day go back to what it once was instead of this ill-treatment?

But Squalo was tired; truly tired. He wore jackets constantly, no matter how hot, to hide this fact; he could deal with people seeing the injuries Xanxus had inflicted on him, but one thing he would never allow anyone to see – with the exception of said boyfriend who forced himself onto the younger every single day – was the self-inflicted scars that littered what felt like every inch of his body; he had scars covering all the way up from his wrists to his forearm, his stomach was marred with criss-crosses, and his thighs resembled an unfortunate human that had been mauled by a pack of tigers.

Xanxus always commented on these wounds, sneering in amusement when he saw them, and Squalo knew the stronger male understood they had been inflicted because of him.

"...I'm tired, Dino..." Dropping his head to the table, Squalo struggled with the fatigue that plagued him daily. "I'm so tired..."

"I'm sure you would be, Squalo..." Sipping at his own coffee, hazel eyes fixed on the abused male carefully. "I'm sure you would be... Why don't you just have a few days with me? Get away from Xanxus for a while?"

"It'll only piss him off more... He's going to skin me alive when I get home today anyway..."

"You need to recuperate, Squalo; just stay with me for a while and think about what you want to do; you know I won't force you if you want to go back to him."

Squalo nodded, knowing it was true; Dino couldn't stand Xanxus' abuse, but he knew his place – the older male knew that what was going on in Squalo's life wasn't his problem and respected that.

But... A few days away from the same routine did sound good... Even if it would only make things worse for Squalo...

"What-fucking-ever..." Closing his eyes, Squalo tried his hardest to not think about the abuse that would befall him the next time Xanxus got his hands on the silver-haired man. "Just... Just don't fucking bother me all the time... I want peace, Bucking Horse... I'm not a fucking social bee like that faggot, Lussu, so don't expect anything more than me tolerating you!"

"Of course, Squalo." Dino smiled in understanding; Squalo never had been big on people; he liked having his own space and being left to do what he wanted – and after what he was going through, he was more than deserving of being left to have quiet time by himself.

"I promise I won't be a bother, Squalo."

"Fucking good..."

Drinking a bit more of his coffee, Dino knew it was time to get Squalo back to his house to let the younger get a bit of rest; he was stressed enough as it was without being forced into things when he just wanted to be left alone.