Within the months that had passed by, Squalo found himself becoming a little happier day-by-day; though he still knew he was suffering from depression – something he wouldn't tell even Dino he had, though he knew the blond was already aware of his boyfriend's condition – at least he had stopped his self-harming habit, and though he was too prideful to take antidepressants, he had quickly found that having Dino's love was the only antidepressant he needed in his life.

"I don't know how you can do this shit every day." Squalo sighed as he tipped a scoop of oats into the bucket Dino was mixing. "Fuck giving your horse feed all the time; just let it eat the grass in the paddock."

Dino smiled as he shook his head, adding water to the mixture. "Scuderia has only the best, Squalo; he'll never have plain old grass as long as I'm here to make him his favourite."

"You care too much for these animals." Throwing the scoop back into the plastic bin the oats were kept in, the long-haired man replaced the lid. "They're not humans; don't get too attached to them, I say."

"You've just never had an animal to love before; you'll think differently once you get used to mine." Unfazed by the younger's attitude, Dino picked up the feed bucket and left the storeroom of the stable situated only a minute from the house. "Animals don't break your hearts and hurt you; that's the good thing about them."

"They stink, though." Following the blond to Scuderia's stall, Squalo sighed. "Your fucking turtle stinks like shit, and that dog you got doesn't smell much better."

"Give the dog a bath and you won't notice it." Dino chuckled, reaching out to undo the latch on the stall door. He dropped the bucket to the ground, watching as his horse neighed in appreciation before digging in to his meal. Checking his watch, he ran his fingers through his hair before a gentle smile crossed his face. "Now it's our turn for breakfast. I won't be at work for long today; let's go catch a movie or something when I finish."

"Yeah…" Avoiding the mud puddles the rain last night had created, Squalo looked up to observe his boyfriend. "Lunch first; I want to go to that new café."

"Café it is." Pressing his lips against Squalo's cheek, Dino sent his boyfriend a dopy grin; he would most certainly do anything for the smaller man. "Be ready by twelve; I'll pick you up."

Squalo nodded, deciding that reading a book would be a peaceful way to pass time until then. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Whatever you're making; I'm not fussed." Holding the door open for the younger, Dino continued on. "I'll make the coffees this morning."

Moving straight to the kitchen, Squalo spoke in an absent-minded tone. "Lussuria said he's bringing Bel home today."

"How is he?"

"He's been talking a little bit, but he's pretty slurred, and he still doesn't seem to understand when others speak to him sometimes. He's still getting confused about where he is and what's happening, but the nurses said that might get better with time; he's out of the wheelchair now, so that's good."

"His back is okay?" Dino was hopeful about this, remembering how the younger had only been able to move one leg and was paralysed in the other.

"It's getting better." Pulling a pan out from the cupboard, Squalo moved to the fridge. "He's still pissing himself, so Lussuria wants to keep him home for now until he gets a bit more control back; Bel gets really embarrassed about that."

"When are you going to go and see him?" Dino understood that his partner spent a lot of time with Belphegor, and he did his best to stop getting jealous over it; he cared about the fragile man as well, and Belphegor needed all the love and support he could get if he were to get better.

"When Lussuria has him settled back down in his own room; there's no need to stress him out when he's already going to have trouble adjusting to life outside of the hospital again – in a new house, no less."

"That's fair enough." Adding the sugars to the coffee mugs, Dino yawned. He flicked the kettle on before he moved to stand behind Squalo, wrapping his arms around the smaller male in a loose embrace. Kissing the man's cheek, he then whispered, "I love you, Squalo."

Squalo was silent as he stared down at the pancakes he had started to make, still getting used to hearing these words; after eighteen years of abuse, it was almost frightening to suddenly have such love and affection lavished on him – not to say it wasn't unwelcome; Squalo loved his boyfriend's attention more than anything in the world.

Dino didn't mind that the only response he got was the smaller body tensing in his arms; he would wait for as long as Squalo needed before he could say those three words back to him.

Squalo was worth the whole world, after all.

I don't want to end this fic on this sort of note, but I can't really find the motivation to think of a final arc. I'll mark it as complete for now, but if anyone has any ideas for a final arc, feel free to tell me and I'll see what I can do.