When Xanxus' eyes opened the next morning, the first thing he took notice of was the tiny body curled in against him. It had been a long time since he had woken up with someone by his side; all these years of his failing relationship with Squalo, the silver-haired male had long-since stopped sleeping against him and instead put as much distance between them as he could while he slept on his side with his back to the older man.
Having Fran bring back feelings he had all but forgotten about... Reaching out, Xanxus pulled the boy closer to him as he watched Fran's eyes open slowly.
It was silent between the two as they just lay there and watched each other. Fran eventually moved himself closer and grabbed the white nightshirt the man was wearing. He let his head fall onto the pillow as a frown crossed his face; the memories of last night's events were flooding his mind again.
Xanxus reached out and ghosted his fingertips against a bruised cheek. Fran flinched before he stayed still as he tried to see past eyelids almost forced closed by swelling. The dark-haired male could see the way the younger's lips had been split and blood had poured unrelentingly from his nose hours previous, and the bruises that covered the soft skin topped everything off; Fran was in bad shape, and it infuriated Xanxus to see the evidence clear as day.
Xanxus let his hand wander down Fran's side as he thought about what other injuries were hidden behind the boy's clothing. He slowly lifted the hem of Fran's shirt so that he could see; he had to make sure that bastard hadn't done anything more. His eyes darkened as he noticed all the bruising and cuts that covered the frail torso; why had he left this happen…? Why hadn't… he tried harder to keep Fran away…?
Xanxus slipped his fingers past the hem of Fran's pants. He didn't miss the way the younger flinched at the action, and he had to ask – he had to. "Anything down here?"
Fran looked away as he bit his lip. Tears welled up in his eyes before he whispered, "He... raped me..."
Xanxus let his eyes close as he struggled to contain his anger; no matter the way he had treated his own boyfriend, he would have never raped Squalo or even tried to force him into sex. He knew very well the meaning of no, but he was stubborn, and he wouldn't take no for an answer if he were hungry or wanted something else that wouldn't hurt anyone – rape was something even he hated, and he'd be damned if he ever did that to someone.
Xanxus pressed his face forward and captured small lips with his own. He felt the other hesitate for a few seconds before kissing back, Fran only just now feeling the comfort and safety he had been searching for all this time – how fucking ironic he was finding it in Xanxus of all people. A few tears slid down his cheeks as he reached up and wrapped his arms around the man's neck before tilting his head back as they broke apart for air.
"Xanxus..." Fran moaned softly as he felt hot lips kiss the side of his mouth and cheek before trailing down his neck and eventually to his throat. He stared up at the roof with blank, yet tear-filled eyes, not knowing what was going to happen, but knowing he didn't mind this tender form of affection. He might not want to have sex just yet, but he would see where this led; he had never before known Xanxus to be so gentle, and it truly surprised him to be on the receiving end of this. "Xanxus..."
Fran moaned again as he felt a wet tongue slide down his chest. His eyes slipped closed as a large mouth closed around one of his nipples and sucked. He arched his chest into the touch as soft pants escaped his lips, having never felt this before, not even when he had slept with Bel. He whimpered when he felt a hand slip in beneath his pants and grasp his arousal, but it wasn't quite from fear or pleasure; instead, he was almost… content with the fact that it was Xanxus doing this to him. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he groaned and instinctively bucked his hips up slightly.
"Xanxus..."
The man moved his face back up to Fran's and took injured lips on his own once more. Their mouths parted so that their tongues could dance together as the older male pleasured the boy; somehow, the man found himself wanting to replace Byakuran's touch with his own. Xanxus rubbed his clothed hips against Fran's thigh slowly, for once not too bothered by getting his own climax; it had been far too long since he had had this kind of intimacy with his own boyfriend, and he hadn't realised he had missed it until now.
Fran let a soft cry escape his lips as he felt himself hitting his orgasm and spilling over Xanxus' hand. He opened his eyes once more before he looked into red orbs as a silent thanks was shared between them; it was no secret that the man's touch had washed away a lot of the emotional pain the teenager was feeling.
Fran curled in to the man's chest and sighed in contentment. He felt a strong arm wrap around him to hold him close, and never before had he felt as loved as he did right now; back when he had had his first time with Belphegor, the blond had been gentle with him and tried his hardest to give him pleasure, too, but there had been no cuddling or anything like this after they had finished; Belphegor had just patted him on the head and then left. It was a shame he had missed out on this kind of intimacy with Bel because he was honestly enjoying it, but he could understand; the blond had already been with someone he loved dearly and would have been saving his intimate desires for his own girlfriend.
But then again, Fran remembered, Xanxus was also with someone, and yet… Oh, well; he would think about this later; for now, he was going to sleep.
Xanxus himself had his eyes closed as he also prepared himself for more sleep. He was content with what had happened between them, and he felt as if his stress levels had just decreased by a great deal. Now all that was left was to –
"Xanxus!"
Both Fran and Xanxus sat up as they heard Squalo's shout, neither of them having expected for the long-haired man to have returned; now this was just horrible timing... They looked at the doorway and found Squalo standing there with a face red from anger as tears slipped down his cheeks. Fran had never seen him so angry before, but he could understand; Squalo must have just had his heart broken.
Xanxus sneered as he got out of the bed to approach the smaller man. He reached out and grabbed a lock of silver hair before he tugged on it violently; he had been feeling so serene, but now that Squalo was back, he felt as angry as ever. "How long were you standing there, trash?"
"Long enough to have seen you put your grubby fucking hands all over him..." Squalo snarled back. "Why the fuck would you do that shit to him, Xanxus...? Why... would you fucking beat him?"
"I didn't do that, you dumb fuck."
Squalo slapped his lover. Tears fell harder down his cheeks at these words; he wanted so badly to believe Xanxus, but how could he? He knew firsthand how abusive the scarred male could be. "I know you fucking did, because you do it to me, you asshole!"
Xanxus grabbed Squalo's thin wrists and leant in close. His hot breath billowed against Squalo's face as he used his heavy body to pin Squalo to the wall so that he was towering over the younger. He snarled dangerously. "Don't accuse me of shit I didn't do, you shitty shark."
"Get off me, Xanxus... Get the fuck off me!"
Fran's eyes widened as he watched Xanxus punch his lover in the face. He whimpered and couldn't stop himself from tearing up as he heard Squalo whimper before he was thrown from the room and left a loud thump in his wake as he hit the ground in the hallway; it was just like watching his mother all over again, and Fran couldn't bear it.
"Stop kicking me, Xanxus!" Squalo shouted; his tone was a mixture of anger and fright, and it terrified his charge, leading the teen to cover his ears with his hands. "You fucking asshole!"
Fran choked on his sobs as he heard Xanxus shout back. He knew that while the two had been violent towards each other before, it had never been like this; for the first time since he was little, Fran was scared one of them was going to be killed.
The sounds emitted by their fight filled the air for what felt like an eternity before Xanxus shouted something incomprehensible and his footsteps stomped away. Fran sobbed to himself as he curled up in a ball, too afraid to leave in fear of what he would find; images of his mother's bloodied and bruised face crossed his mind, and he couldn't bear even the thought of Squalo being in the same condition he had seen his mother in all too often.
The younger didn't know how long it had taken, but Squalo eventually limped back into the room after an uncertain amount of time. He held one hand over his battered face as he approached the bed with an expression the teen had never seen him don before. He glared down at Fran with one eye as the other was bruised and swelling rapidly. In an aggressive tone he had never before directed to either of his kids, he snarled, "Get fucking dressed; we're leaving."
Fran nodded as he wiped at his tears. He didn't hesitate to leave the room and instead go to his own. He moved to his wardrobe where he changed into a simple t-shirt, baggy black hoody, and loose jeans before he grabbed his phone and wallet from the desk and returned to Squalo's side.
Squalo limped slowly through the house. He didn't know what Xanxus had done to it, but he was sure it had been broken – it would be likely, considering his boyfriend had stomped relentlessly on it too many times for the long-haired man to count. It took Fran's help to get him downstairs and into the garage, and though he had every intention of getting into the driver's seat of his car, he was stopped by Fran.
"Do you want me to drive, Squalo...?" Fran whispered. He didn't want to drive as he had never actually found much interest in learning, but he was afraid of what could happen if Squalo drove them; the man was in no condition to be driving, and it would be safer for Fran to take the wheel. Fran wasn't surprised when the other nodded, so while Squalo dragged himself into the passenger's seat, he put his learner plates on the car before he got in it and adjusted his seat and the steering wheel to better suit his stature. "Where are we going?"
"Lussuria's..." Squalo sighed. He reached out and rested his head against the window before he pressed the button on the dashboard for the garage door. Once his charge had started the car, he muttered, "Clutch and roll, Fran..."
Fran nodded. He depressed the clutch before he released the handbrake and put the car into reverse. He hadn't been able to master reversing just yet, and he knew Squalo wasn't in the mood to deal with any damage that may arise by the boy accidentally shooting the car out of the garage due to his lack of driving skill; it would be better for him to take advantage of the car naturally rolling back on the slight slant the driveway was built on.
Once Fran had gotten the car onto the road, he put it into first gear before working the clutch. He sighed as he almost stalled the car by bringing his foot up too quick; he wasn't in the mood for his lack of experience, and he knew Squalo wasn't, either.
"Get your revs up, hold the clutch when the car starts to move, and then put your foot down more on the accelerator, Fran... Bring the clutch up slowly." Squalo knew now wasn't the time to snap at Fran, no matter how angry he was with the younger; he had no idea what had happened while he had been gone, but to find them in bed together...
Squalo tried to banish the idea that he had been betrayed by both males; he had suspected Xanxus would eventually cheat on him, but Fran...? He would never have believed Fran would hurt him in such a way...
Squalo bit down on his split lip and drew more even more blood as he tried his hardest to fight back tears; he had never thought it would hurt so much to know that no matter what he had done, Xanxus had never been able to love him back.
Fran glanced at his guardian as he moved into third gear. He wasn't sure what to think; he knew he had hurt Squalo more than anything, but he also knew the man didn't understand the situation – he had made the wrong assumptions and blown things out of proportion, accusing Xanxus of having been the one to beat Fran...
Squalo had no idea of the truth, and Fran just didn't know how to tell him – not when they were both in so much pain as it was.
~~XX~~
"Dears! What happened?!" Lussuria hadn't expected to find two beaten-up males on his doorstep when he had answered the door, and he instinctively ushered Squalo and Fran into his home, taking them to the living room to make them comfortable; there was no way he could turn them away and would instead do whatever he could to help.
"Not important..." Squalo turned his head away from long fingers that tried to touch his face, uncomfortable with the older male's actions. "Can we stay here for a while? I'm done with Xanxus."
Fran's eyes widened at these words, having expected a lot but not to hear that Squalo was breaking up with his lover; the man had endured so much, and to think that he was finally giving up… "Squalo... Please, no..."
A single dark orb fixed on Fran. A snarl escaped the man's lips. "You, shut the fuck up. This is partly your fault, so don't fucking dare tell me what to do. You're fucking lucky I even brought you with me! I was tempted to fucking leave you there with him, but I'm not that fucking cruel, you little shit. Keep your fucking mouth shut."
Fran's eyes widened in surprise, having never been spoken to in such a manner by Squalo before. He bit his lip as he ducked his head and tensed his body as he submitted. He didn't understand how so much had happened in just a few days, or why it had happened, but he would give anything to do this over and have it turn out differently.
Lussuria frowned. He had no idea what could have happened, and he didn't know what to do; Squalo was really worked up, and this wasn't good at all. Trying to help in the only manner he was certain of, he gathered their attention before he said, "Stay here while I go get my first aid kit."
Squalo waited for the older male to leave before he turned back to Fran with anger prominent in his voice. "Why the fuck would you do that to me, you bastard? I took you in, gave you a bed, food, and anything else you could have possibly wanted. I showed you more love than your own mother gave you, and instead you fucked me over and slept with my fucking boyfriend while I was gone. You fucking little... I hate you so fucking much, Fran; Xanxus and I could have worked it out had he slept with anyone else, but how the fuck was I meant to go back there and deal with you both knowing that both of you stabbed me in the fucking back?"
"Squalo..." Fran closed his eyes. He was hurt greatly by these words; he knew he had messed up, but... "Squalo, I'm... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, you tramp!" Squalo roared before slapping Fran across the face. He sniffed as tears rolled down his cheeks again, and he hastily raised a hand to wipe at them. "...I... fucking loved him, Fran... I loved him! And you... He gave you more tenderness than he's given me in over ten fucking years! Just... Just go, Fran... Once Luss fixes you up, just fucking leave. I don't care where you go – hell, go back to him if you want; I don't fucking care anymore! Just... leave me alone..."
Fran looked to the ground. He had no idea how to reply; what was he supposed to say in this situation? Tell Squalo he was wrong about everything and it hadn't happened the way he had perceived it to have? That would only make matters worse, and clearly Squalo was too heartbroken and betrayed to want to listen.
As much as Fran didn't want to leave the man, he knew he had no choice; his presence would only hurt Squalo further. He hoped that maybe once the other had had a few weeks to calm down, he might listen to reason, but now... Now was not a good time to try and explain himself – Squalo wouldn't want to hear how Xanxus treated Fran better than he did Squalo, after all.
Standing up, not even bothering to wait for Lussuria to come back, Fran left the house. He let his own tears fall now that he was away from Squalo, having no idea where he was supposed to go now. Should he go back to Xanxus? The man was probably in a foul mood; that would be suicide. Belphegor and Mammon's? No; they were dealing with a pregnancy, and Fran had already left them on a bad note. Mukuro's? Well... They were very close, but... Fran didn't want him to know he had completely disregarded the man's concern and gotten himself into a very bad situation.
At least wait for Xanxus to calm down... Fran thought to himself as he walked with no idea where he was going. Or, if that takes too long, for my bruises to fade, and then got to Master's... For now, I'll find somewhere to stay...
