Dino wasn't surprised when Squalo refused lunch as well, just glad that the other at least seemed comfortable curled up on the couch with a blanket around him. The younger male was watching the TV in silence, dark eyes often taking on a faraway look, as if he were barely paying attention to what was around him.

"Hey, Squalo?" Getting up from the chair across from his guest, Dino placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. He tried not to acknowledge the flinch he had been rewarded with, instead saying, "I need to get to work; I got called in while we were still out for breakfast."

"I didn't hear your phone ring." The younger sneered, holding his blanket tighter; part of him was afraid that Dino wanted to leave him, but the more stable side of him understood it was simply the blond's job requiring him and that Dino wasn't going to abandon him; he had long-since grown used to people leaving him, and it had become a phobia of his he would never tell anyone about.

"It rang while you were in the bathroom; one of the science teachers had to go home." Wishing he could stay here and keep Squalo company, Dino was hesitant to leave his friend's side; he had wanted to say no to his boss, but he loved his job and knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter; who else would teach the students if he didn't come in? "Are you okay here by yourself?"

A tired expression crossed Squalo's face at this, as if he expected for Dino to leave him no matter what he said. "I don't fucking care..."

Before Dino could reply, his friend's phone rang. Dark eyes softened as they noticed the caller ID, his fingers tapping accept before he raised the phone to his ear.

"What, brat?" There was a hint of affection in the younger male's voice as he addressed the caller.

"Squa~!" A silky voice laced with excitement greeted Squalo, one the man knew very well. "I miss you~ Can I come see you? Please~?"

"I'm not home, brat." A tiny smile graced the man's face at this, his demeanour softening ever-so-slightly.

"Oh~ Where are you, then?" The curiosity in the other's tone was strong, and Squalo could picture the way his caller would be staring in wonder, as if he had been told a most amazing thing; this person in question had always been curious by nature, a childlike innocence about him.

"I'm at Dino's."

"Then I will be there soon~" Leaving no room for argument, the other ended the call, leaving Squalo to slip his own phone back into his pocket as he regarded his friend with a slightly amused look.

"I apparently won't be alone while you're working," the abused male said quietly. "Bel seems to have invited himself over now that he knows Xanxus isn't around."

Dino smiled, knowing just how much the younger's caller looked up to Squalo; Belphegor was a young man who had known the silver-haired man since he was eight. Having been removed from his abusive home by child protection, he hadn't had much of a childhood at all, hadn't been quite certain how to be a kid, but if there was one thing he had loved, it was following Squalo around everywhere with his fingers curled tightly into the back of the older male's jacket as if he feared his favourite person would disappear if he didn't anchor himself to Squalo.

"It's been a while since you've seen him, hasn't it?" The teacher cocked his head to the side, his hazel eyes glinting with gentleness. "He certainly loves spending time with you."

Squalo shrugged. "He knows not to come to my house unless Xanxus isn't home; I don't... want him to see anything and have to remember..."

Leaning down to embrace his friend, Dino smiled. "You've always taken such good care of him; it's no wonder he grew up to be so happy."

"I'd be kicking myself if I did anything to hurt him further."

"I had better finish getting ready and then leave. Ring me if you need anything, Squalo."

Humming in response, the dark-eyed man turned his attention to the TV, waiting for the inevitable moment Belphegor showed up; his "admirer" was stubborn, and if there was something he wanted, he made sure he got it in the end, no matter how long it took.

~~XX~~

"Squa~"

Squalo looked up from the magazine he had been flipping through, finding his visitor approaching in excitement, a much smaller teenager trailing behind. "About time you showed up, shithead."

Jerking his thumb behind him, the tousle-haired blond grinned before saying, "I had to pluck a froggy out of the pond before I got here."

Raising a hand in silent greeting, the tiny boy standing in the doorway looked over at the older two with blank emerald eyes.

"Hey, Fran." Knowing that Belphegor and Fran had quite the peculiar relationship, Squalo often wondered why the two spent so much time together when they were always antagonising the other; to people who didn't know any better, it almost seemed as if they hated each other. "Long time."

Fran nodded as he came closer to the oldest male, his expression non-existent as always. "Stupid-Senpai said he wanted me to come."

"I'm not stupid, frog!" Belphegor snapped as he made himself comfortable on the couch next to Squalo. He turned to smile innocently up at the taller male, his obscured eyes drinking in the bruises and cuts that adorned his hero's face. Reaching out, he ghosted his fingers against the marring in the same manner Squalo had soothed his own injuries, remembering clear as day how comforting it was to know he wasn't going to be hurt again. "Squa should come live with me instead~ His face is too pretty to be hurt like this."

Blushing ever-so-slightly at the younger's words, Squalo said, "I don't want to live with you because then I'd have to put up with the faggot all the time. When are you going to move out, anyway? You're twenty-six; too old to still be living with your guardian."

Belphegor pouted as he laid down, resting his head on the man's lap. "I don't want to move out, Squa. Besides, Lussu said I might still not be ready to live on my own."

Frowning, Squalo wished he had kept his mouth shut; Belphegor was indeed not ready to be by himself, and bringing it up would only make the blond feel bad about himself.

Clearing his throat, Squalo instead said, "...Yeah... Maybe he's right..."

Fran, who had been so quiet from beside them, spoke up. "Senpai just doesn't want to leave because he gets babied by Lussuria. He'd have to look after himself and stop being lazy if he didn't have his own personal slave."

Belphegor made a snobbish sound as he stuck his nose up in the air. "You're just jealous that your stupid pineapple makes you pull your own weight around the house while Lussu lets me lay in bed and play videogames all day."

Squalo snorted as he reached down, threading his fingers through soft golden hair. Belphegor purred as he moved closer, closing his eyes as he felt more relaxed than he had in a while; he loved his guardian, but no one could compare to Squalo.

"Why don't you sit, Fran?" Knowing that Fran had always been the flighty, reserved type, Squalo was always careful not to encroach on his personal space. "There's plenty of space."

Fran hesitated to do as suggested, and when he did, he did it in a wary manner, careful to keep distance between them.

Looking down at the blond in his lap, Squalo smiled at the younger's soft noise of contentment. "Found anyone you're interested in yet, Bel?"

The younger made a shy noise as his cheeks reddened. He twisted before he rolled into his side, burying his face against the man's stomach. "Well... Mammy is really pretty... But I don't think she is interested in anything but money... Hayato-kun is really attractive… But he doesn't like me very much… And you're pretty, too, Squa~ But you're already with Xanxus... The froggy is cute, but he's too irritating for me."

"Senpai is too much of a fake for me to be interested in, anyway," the teal-haired boy retaliated.

"Oi!" Belphegor lifted his head, scowling at the teenager. "I am not!"

Squalo smirked, always finding their banter amusing. "Come on, guys; just admit you each have the hots for each other."

"I don't have the hots for anyone," Fran started. "And it's not my fault Senpai is too much of a coward to ask anyone out, much less sleep with someone. He can't even watch porn or use his own hand most of the time; he's useless and no one will ever want him."

When Belphegor made a pained noise at these words, Fran knew he had crossed the line; if there was one thing that the blond couldn't handle having made fun of, it was his clear-cut case of trauma that prevented him from truly getting close to people.

Fran didn't show any emotion as he watched the older male hide his face against Squalo's stomach, and though he felt a tad bad at upsetting the other, he didn't apologise; it just wasn't in his nature to say sorry.

"It's alright, Bel," the long-haired man promised. "He didn't mean it; it's okay if you're still scared of sex and relationships; you can go at whatever pace you're comfortable with."

When silence answered him, Squalo just sighed; so much for a peaceful evening with the blond.

~~XX~~

Sitting at the desk in the classroom, Dino tapped away at his laptop's keyboard; his students were working well by themselves, leaving him to continue on with his reports.

I hope Squalo's doing okay, Dino thought to himself. At least he's out of Xanxus' hands for a while and with Belphegor instead.

While Dino truly didn't mind leaving Belphegor and Squalo together in his own home, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous - but why was he jealous? Because Belphegor had held a crush on Squalo ever since he was a little boy? That was no reason to be jealous! Belphegor had never pursued any of his - admittedly, handful of - interests, and if anything, the blond's crushes needed to be supported and encouraged for him to become healthy enough to have a relationship; if Belphegor wanted to crush on Squalo, that was fine with Dino because he knew it would never go anywhere on either side.

So why was this feeling growing? Because it hurt him to know that Belphegor could be so open about his feelings because he knew he wouldn't be hurt for it? That Squalo acknowledged the younger's feelings? Dino himself had once tried to pursue his best friend when they were teenagers, but Squalo had been oblivious to the blond's interest and instead had acted on his own romantic feelings and dated Xanxus.

Sighing to himself, Dino shook his head; it probably didn't matter if Squalo knew how the older male felt about him or not; it was clear nothing anyone did was going to get him away from Xanxus and into a relationship where he would actually be loved.

~~XX~~

"About time you came back."

Dino looked over his shoulder from where he had been hanging his coat off the rack. "Ah… Yes, I got caught up with helping a few students after class."

Squalo shrugged, threading his fingers through soft blond locks; Belphegor had fallen asleep on his lap, and the man hadn't the heart to wake him again. Fran was still seated beside them, reading a book he had picked off of his host's bookshelf; he had always been easy to amuse, so he didn't mind the silence that had filled the house since Belphegor had fallen asleep. "Doesn't matter… Been watching TV…"

"Do you want me to put him in the spare bedroom?" Leaning down by the couch, Dino caressed his fellow blond's cheek, holding his hand still when the younger nuzzled his palm unconsciously. "He'll be more comfortable in a bed."

"He's fine like this." Unwilling to part with the younger, Squalo shook his head; it wasn't often that Xanxus allowed him to see his friends – in fact, Xanxus never allowed him, so it was only possible if Squalo snuck away - so he wanted this to last for as long as it could; who knew when he would see Belphegor again once the tousle-haired man left?

Dino smiled and nodded as he straightened back up, moving instead towards the kitchen. "Coffee, Squalo?"

"Three sugars."

"What about you, Fran?" Making sure to include his guest, Dino was as kind as ever; he was quite fond of the teenager, as he was most people he met.

"Huh?" Lifting his eyes from the book, Fran blinked. He nodded when Dino repeated the offer, saying, "Hot chocolate, please."

"Coming right up." Dino was content as he went about making hot drinks for everyone, and as he sat on the chair opposite the younger three not long later, he couldn't help but wonder how his best friend would react if he were to learn that, for twenty long years, the teacher had been hopelessly in love with him.

Squalo had never minded Belphegor's attention, but the childish blond was just so innocent in how he danced about his feelings, one could almost describe him as adorable.

Trying not to think too much on the subject, Dino instead busied himself with his phone, knowing that he had hidden his feelings for twenty years already; what would another couple of years be?

~~XX~~

When Dino had sat down at the dining table with his friend a few hours later, Belphegor and Fran having been picked up by Lussuria earlier, the hazel-eyed man couldn't help but bring up a certain topic.

"Does it ever bother you that Bel likes you?" The blond was quiet as he spoke, hoping this conversation wouldn't turn sensitive; if the younger took it the wrong way...

Squalo shrugged. "No. Why would it? He's just focusing on something that makes him feel good instead of letting it scare him. He just wants to forget. That's all."

"What if it were someone else? Someone... Who wasn't Bel?"

Snorting, Squalo sent his friend an amused look. "The fuck are you asking?"

"If someone else liked you, would it bother you?"

"Of course it fucking would!" The younger suddenly snapped, his eyes taking on an angry expression. "I'm with Xanxus! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Even though he treats you so badly and cheats on you himself...?"

Squalo slumped, quietening down. He looked at his lap for a minute before he said, "...Yeah... Even though he does all that... I'm not... I'm not a cheater, or want peoples' attention when I'm already dating... Xanxus hates Bel because he has a crush on me, so I have to keep Bel away from him as best I can... He'd get hurt otherwise... I'm not... a bad boyfriend..."

Dino sighed as his friend pushed his dinner away, knowing he had upset the other. "I'm sorry, Squalo..."

"Don't worry about it..." The depression was clear in the younger's voice. "I don't need your pity, Bucking Horse... He's my boyfriend and I choose to stay with him because I love him... I don't expect for you to understand..."

Dino did understand, however; he knew what it was like to pine after someone, to never give up on hope because you loved them so much. Though he had never been abused in any shape or form by anyone before, he was sure he could understand at least a little about his friend's feelings; they both just wanted the other to come around, no matter how long it took.

Shaking his head, Dino hated to say it, but Squalo was far too loyal for his own good.