"This is a nice house, don't you think?" Dino squeezed the gloved hand he was holding, smiling down at his boyfriend; they had been together for two days now, and already he was happier than ever. "There's no one else around, and there's so much space for us to have to ourselves. I love the design of the house, too; it's wonderful."

Squalo, who had long-since stopped caring about houses of all things, just shrugged. "Yeah…"

"Would you like this house?" Leaning down to place a soft kiss on the younger's cheek, Dino cocked his head slightly. "You can say no and we'll go to the next one; I only want you to be happy."

Squalo's breath hitched in anxiety as the other's hand touched the small of his back, remembering back to all of the abuse Dino was trying so hard to protect him from. He forced himself to calm down before he let his eyes slip closed in resignation; he was just so tired, and he was sick of looking at houses already; as long as Dino liked where they were living, that was all that mattered to him – he could get used to it after a while, maybe come to enjoy it sometime in future.

Was his opinion really worth so much in the end, anyway?

"I don't give a fuck, Bucking Horse; take it if it means so much to you." Shrugging, Squalo looked anywhere but at his boyfriend. "It doesn't matter to me; you choose the fucking house."

"Are you sure, Squalo? You're more important to me than a house."

"…" Knowing just how to deal with the older male, the long-haired man said, "…I like the house, now buy it."

A joyful expression crossed the blond's face, as if this had been exactly what he had wanted to hear. He kissed his boyfriend's lips gently, never expecting too much from the weaker male; Squalo had been broken, and it was up to him to pick up the pieces. "We're going to be happy here; I know it."

Squalo shrugged, following the other towards the front door. "…"

"Hey, we should get a couple of pets, Squalo. I know you don't like animals much, but I think you'd like having a pet."

"No cats," Squalo demanded, unable to stop a tidal wave of hatred from washing over him as he recalled Xanxus' cat. "I fucking hate them. Cats were alright until I met Bester… Now I can't stand the little fuckers."

"Alright, we won't get a cat," Dino promised in a soft manner. "What about a dog? Would you be okay with a dog?"

"If it's quiet and not going to annoy the shit out of me…"

"We'll get one from a shelter." Dino was sure it was obvious from how much he was gushing, but he really was happier than he could ever remember being; he had looked forward to this for so long, it was a dream come true.

~~XX~~

Letting out a loud sigh, Squalo sipped at the can of soda in his hand. He was laid back on the couch in Dino's living room, staring at the coffee table with dismay. His dark eyes skimmed over the stack of wrapped gifts on it, knowing he'd have to get down to the hospital soon for Belphegor's birthday; it was just a shame the blond had to spend it in ICU.

"Hey." Looking at Hayato and Takeshi who were sitting close by playing a game of cards, Squalo sat up straight. "Were you two coming to see Bel?"

"Dino said having so many people around him will stress him, so I was going to go with Tsuna later to see him." Takeshi smiled as he cocked his head to the side. "Dino was going to come with us, but I think Gokudera wanted to go with you so it's not so crowded for Belphegor."

"I was going to go now. Get your ass ready if you're coming." Getting up from the couch, Squalo moved to the spare bedroom so that he could grab his car keys. Hayato glared at the Japanese male before he, too, stood up, moving to find his shoes and jacket.

Part of Hayato felt guilty for the way he had treated Belphegor for the ten years they had known each other, knowing he had been rather cruel to the sweet-natured man who only wanted affection. Hopefully the blond would be willing to forgive him and give him a chance to fix things – Hayato didn't want the other to die hating him.

~~XX~~

As expected, there were already three people seated around Belphegor's hospital room, Lussuria and Fran as well as an indigo-haired woman who called herself Mammon. Fran was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed as he told his friend a story about something that had happened to him at school, knowing not to treat the older male any different; the hurt male was still human, and he had feelings, too. Belphegor was lying back on the bed, fresh bandages around his head, seemingly staring intently at Fran as his right hand opened and closed around the bushy tail of his pet mink. The endotracheal tube was still in his mouth, but he seemed a tad more at ease with it now if his hands had been set free and he wasn't pulling at it anymore.

"Hey, Bel." Squalo slid the door shut behind him, approaching the blond slowly. He dropped three presents on the bed, moving back so that Hayato could give something to the injured man. "Hayato has a gift for you, too. Everyone else will bring you their presents when they come and see you later."

Belphegor didn't move, and it was hard to tell if he was looking at them with his hair hiding his eyes. He did flinch when the silver-haired male held money out to him, almost as if he had expected for the other to hit him, but he made no move to take it.

"It's for you, sweetheart," Lussuria said gently as he grabbed the money from the younger male. He brushed the notes against his charge's hand a few times before the blond's fingers twitched and slowly closed around them instead of the animal's tail. "That's Hayato's present. Are you happy with it?"

The blond didn't reply to these words in any form; he simply lay where he was, the tips of his fingers running across the notes as slow as a snail, as if he couldn't quite feel them the way he was used to.

"I didn't know what you already have, so buy a game or something…" Hayato muttered, turning to look at the wall opposite him; he felt uncomfortable where he was, but he was going to stick it out; he had ignored the older male enough in his life.

"We'll go pick one out when you're feeling better, Bel-chan," Lussuria promised, tugging the money from the younger in a gentle manner. "I'll put this in your bag so you don't lose it. Open Squalo's gifts now, alright?"

Again, Belphegor laid still, rolling his head to face Lussuria a significant amount of seconds later, as if he recognised the man's voice, but didn't understand what had been said to him.

"I'm sorry, hon…" Lussuria dropped his head as he sighed, tapping his fingers against the edge of Belphegor's bed. "He's been very… slow… The nurses are worried because he's been moving so little and doesn't seem to understand us if we tell him to do something… All he's moved is his head and his left arm since he's been in hospital, and he's hardly shown much awareness of anyone around him…"

"It's not his fault," Squalo promised, knowing better than to ever blame the blond for this; it would never be Belphegor's fault, ever. "Just because he has brain damage doesn't mean he's going to be like this for the rest of his life; it can get better if he's getting rest and care."

Lussuria nodded, knowing his friend was right; there was always the chance of recovery for his beloved Belphegor, and he would be there to help the younger every step of the way. Addressing the blond once more, he said, "Want to open your new presents now, Bel-chan?"

Taking the initiative, Lussuria picked up one of the boxes and showed it to his charge. The woman who had been seated so silently throughout all of this reached across, tugging at the wrapping paper just enough to rustle it.

"You can do it, Bel." Mammon was patient, understanding as Fran started doing it as well to try and encourage their friend to tear the paper off. When at last he finally did it, he was rewarded with a soft plush mink that greatly resembled the blond's own pet. Slipping the toy into the crook of her friend's arm, Mammon offered one of her rare smiles she gave only to Belphegor. "Mink will have to go home soon, but now you have this one to keep you safe."

A tiny yawn escaped Belphegor's lips, and when Squalo brushed his bangs back to see that his eyes had slipped closed, the long-haired man gave a sad smile. "Let him sleep; he can open the other presents when he feels up to it."

"The pain killers make him very sleepy," Lussuria explained, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the injured male's forehead. He caressed a pale cheek, smiling as he watched the other nuzzle his cheek against the toy, before he stood up and embraced Squalo. "Thank you for coming; I know he'd be really happy if he was feeling any better."

Squalo shrugged, clearing his throat. "I'll come and see him again tomorrow… The others will be here later."

"He might still be sleeping, so let them know to give it a few hours."

Nodding, the long-haired man turned to leave, waiting long enough for Hayato to send an uncertain look to the blond before following Squalo from the room.

"Think he'll be okay?" Hayato asked, a hint of concern on his face.

"He's Bel; he might not ever be one-hundred per cent, but fucking hell, he won't let this get the better of him."

Hayato nodded in agreement, knowing just how strong the blond man was; if he had been able to come from a childhood with a history of physical and sexual abuse as severe as it was and still be so happy and playful, he could fight against this as well.

Making a mental note to talk to Lussuria and ask him what he could do to help, Hayato fell silent as he walked beside Squalo; he wasn't so cruel as to make Belphegor feel more unloved and frightened than he already did.