After arriving in Japan a few days later, Dino was glad to see a bit of life in his best friend's eyes; it was almost as if simply being out of the country Squalo had suffered in for so long was enough to help him remember how to smile - something Dino hadn't seen him do for what felt like an eternity.

"Tsuna is going to pick us up." Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Dino smiled at the younger. "Takeshi and Hayato aren't able to accompany him today, but they'll be around soon to see us."

"What's that brat up to?" It was no secret that Squalo had come only for the young man he had tutored in swordplay, but the blond understood; the two had grown a close relationship during their time together, another reason for Xanxus to deny any and all contact between them.

"He's busy with his father's restaurant lately; it's still not easy for him to have lost his father the way he had, but Tsuna said he's doing better. He'll be overjoyed to see you again though; you've always been good with the younger ones."

"...Yeah..." Frowning to himself, Squalo's thoughts drifted to Belphegor, remembering how his admirer had cried over the phone to him the night before Dino and Squalo had left Italy; as expected, the younger blond hadn't wanted to come, unable to feel safe outside of his bedroom, and had also refused the other's offer of the long-haired man coming over to check on him; he had just wanted to lay in his bed where he was most comfortable and listen to his favourite person tell him a bedtime story over the phone. "I hope Bel is going to be okay; Lussu was a little worried when I was talking to him."

"Bel is strong," the taller male reassured. "And he has Lussuria with him to make sure he's alright; you said he was taking time off work to look after him, right?"

"Yeah, that fag hates leaving him alone at the best of times." Following his friend out of the airport, Squalo changed the topic; it wouldn't do to have himself getting worried about someone he couldn't help when he wasn't even in the same country. "Where's the Vongola brat?"

"He said he'll be here soon; he's fixing something up at the company."

Humming, Squalo took a seat on the bench just outside the doors. He glanced at Dino when the other sat beside him, finding the strangers bustling around them to be more interesting.

Dino blushed slightly as he watched his friend, hardly aware of his hand slowly extending until Squalo had flinched and pulled away. The younger raised a hand to where the teacher had touched his cheek, staring in disbelief at the other; Dino knew he hated to be touched, so why...?

"Sorry..." Dino said softy, not surprised at the anger and fear in dark orbs. "You had something on your face is all; I should have told you."

Shaking his head, the younger shrugged. "S'fine... Don't do that shit again, though..."

"I won't." Wanting to kiss his friend in apology, Dino instead pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked at the text from Tsuna that said the Japanese male had just found a park and would come to them now. "Tsuna is here now, Squalo. Are you ready?"

The long-haired man nodded, grabbing his suitcase as he got back to his feet. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

Dino couldn't have agreed more, just wanting for his friend's rehabilitation to begin; even if he would never refer to their trip as such, that was what he planned to treat it as.

Maybe, if all went well, Dino could even convince the other to fall for him instead of an abusive man who was only using Squalo and didn't love him in the least.

~~XX~~

"I didn't know you had moved." Looking around the spacious living room, Squalo was surprised that his host was living in a mansion now; he had known Tsuna for ten years, and the kid had been a most timid creature, near impossible to even think he would end up here.

"Oh, yeah." Tsuna smiled as he sat across from the older two, wanting to catch up with them; while he spoke to Dino a lot, he hadn't heard from Squalo for a few years now, but he understood - they all did. "I don't think it's something I need to flaunt so I never mention it."

"You've done well for yourself, kid." Looking at Dino, Squalo fell silent, and he didn't even know why; he just suddenly felt as if he could cry again. "...I'm proud of you..."

Dino grabbed the youngest's attention, knowing that something had upset his best friend and that the long-haired man would appreciate not being acknowledged for now. "How's the company going?"

"Yeah, good. Chrome and Mukuro have been sharing their position pretty well, but Hibari-San still doesn't seem to want to do as he's told."

The blond chuckled, knowing just how stubborn the latter is; he had once taught the other, after all. "Kyouya still hasn't cooled off?"

"Nope."

Squalo stopped caring about the others' conversation, instead locking himself away in his head. He looked up only when the teacher waved a hand in front of his face, taking notice of Tsuna's absence. "Where'd the brat go?"

"He had to get back to work, but he's let us stay in his home; he's welcomed us for the entire stay." Dino stretched before he stood up, extending a hand to his friend. "Let's go have lunch; Tsuna said the chefs will make us anything we ask for. I don't know about you, but I'm starving, and Enzo could use a feed, too."

The silver-haired male snorted when that all-too-familiar turtle of Dino's was pulled out of the blond's jacket, its little legs waving in the air as it nipped at nothing. "I didn't even realise you had brought that fucking thing with you."

"Of course I did; Enzo comes everywhere with me." Holding his pet against his chest, the taller male's smile became relaxed. "He even comes to school with me."

"No wonder you lose it all the time." Squalo shrugged, falling into stride with the older male. "Xanxus doesn't even let Bester outside because he's worried the fucking cat will run away or something - not that I'll complain if it does because I hate the stupid thing; it's as bad-tempered as its owner."

Dino knew all too well how much Xanxus cared more for his pet than he did his own boyfriend; it was a sad truth that proved just how badly treated the long-haired man was in his relationship, and though Squalo was only mentioning this in passing, it didn't make the blond feel any less angry towards his best friend's abuser.

Instead of taking it out on Squalo, the older male simply said, "I would do the same thing if I had a cat; I would hate to lose a pet to anything that could have been avoided had it been inside. I don't even like the thought of Scuderia grazing in his paddock most of the time."

"How often do you even go out to see that stinking horse, anyway? You never went to its stable since I've been with you."

"I go and spend time with him most weekends as long as I have spare time, and if I miss him particularly and I don't have work, I'll go out and ride him. It's hard since I don't live out of town anymore, but I'm looking at getting back out in the countryside." Biting his lip, Dino avoided suggesting to the other to move in with him; who knew how those words would go down? Squalo knew he was welcome to stay with the blond for as long as he needed, but... Wouldn't inviting him to move in be too personal for the other? "You know, when we go back to Italy, you should come riding with me; Romario had plenty of other horses he wouldn't mind you riding. I think it'd be good for you; you'd like it."

"I don't like animals very much..." Squalo sighed. "I don't know..."

"You'd like Scuderia, though; he's so placid and easy to handle. He's a sweetheart." Taking a deep breath, Dino took the plunge; maybe if he brought the subject up… Made it sound like he was simply making an observation… "You know… I think country life would be what you need, Squalo; it's so peaceful and you can just relax to your heart's content. What do you think?"

"Hmm… Yeah, it would be nice, but…" Sighing, Squalo threaded his gloved fingers through his hair. "Bel always wants to come over, and I know Lussuria wouldn't mind bringing him so far out, but I'd hate for him to be wasting so much fuel on that brat."

"I thought Bel had a license? Couldn't he just borrow Lussuria's car?"

"He does have a license, but he doesn't have his own car, and Lussu doesn't want him driving his anymore, not since the shithead crashed his last one – fucking hoon."

Dino smiled sadly, wishing he could be more open about just how much he loved the younger; if only Xanxus had never drawn him in with lies and fake promises – then maybe Dino would have had a chance to give Squalo all the love and affection he could ever want.

~~XX~~

"Squalo!"

The addressed man looked up from the book he had been reading at his name, letting a slight smile tug at his lips as he caught sight of his student approaching him. Sliding his reading glasses from his nose, Squalo stood up, closing the distance between them. "Haven't seen you in a long time, brat. How have things been?"

Yamamoto Takeshi, a dark-haired man who was taller than Squalo, laughed as his dark eyes shone with excitement. He spoke in a soft voice, sadness that the Italian could pick out no matter how well it had been concealed. "Ah, you know, just trying to keep up with my dad's business; I don't think he'd want me to let it go so soon."

Squalo nodded in agreement, patting the younger's shoulder. "Take some time off if you need it; he'll understand if you need to grieve."

Wrapping his strong arms around his tutor, Takeshi's smile widened. "You give the best advice, Squalo. You really do."

Tense in the other's embrace, it took all of Squalo's willpower to keep himself calm and not explode at the younger; Takeshi was naturally an affectionate person, and he didn't mean anything by his words or actions; the taller male knew the other didn't like touch, but he was also in a time of need as well; his father had been murdered not long ago, and it had impacted greatly on the sweet-natured male.

Instead, Squalo cleared his throat as he ducked his head, trusting the other to not hurt him. "…"

"Hey, Squalo?" Pulling away from the man Takeshi affectionately thought of as his idol, he cocked his head slightly. He brushed long silver strands from grey eyes before he said, "Let's go out somewhere and catch up; it's been years since we last spoke."

"I'd rather just stay here, brat." Frowning, the older male sincerely didn't have the motivation to leave the mansion; he just wanted to stay where he was and converse with his friends over a hot cup of coffee. "We might go out later or something; I really can't be fucked."

Takeshi nodded in understanding. He looked behind him as Tsuna and their silver-haired companion entered the living room, smiling at them before he turned back to Squalo. "Well, let's sit here and talk instead. I'm really happy you're here, though; I bet it wasn't easy."

Shaking his head, Squalo said, "I've been staying with the Bucking Horse, and… I think I want to leave Xanxus… I've been with him for so long, I must have forgotten what it was like to live without abuse… But being with Dino has helped me remember how I was so much happier without putting up with all that shit… I just don't know how to do it…"

"Don't go back," Takeshi suggested, saying what made the most sense to him. "Find somewhere else to live and don't let him know where you are. I'll even go to Italy and get your stuff for you. You can live with me if you want to, Squalo; I don't mind."

"Everything in that fucking house is mine; I bought all the shit in it and the only thing that belongs to him is his cat." The anger within Squalo was clear, as if he resented the way he was mooched off of. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he let his eyes slip closed and he said in a softer tone, "…Thanks, brat, but I'm staying with Bucking Horse for now. If he ever gets sick of me, I'll take you up on that offer."

"I never get sick of you, Squalo," Dino promised. "I love you."

Squalo raised an eyebrow as he frowned, severely uncomfortable with these words. He flinched at the sudden movement that was the blond slapping his hand to his mouth, noticing the panicked expression in hazel eyes. "The fuck, Bucking Horse?"

"Love having you!" Taking a step back, Dino tripped over the rug, sprawling onto his back. He waved his hands in the air, desperate to fix his mistake; he had been lucky to have the other confused and not irate, because Squalo normally wouldn't have appreciated such a declaration at all. "I love having you stay with me, Squalo! I don't… love..."

Squalo shrugged, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He sighed, a tired expression crossing his face that suddenly made him look so much older than he really was. "Fucking whatever, Bucking Horse... I'm seriously too tired for this shit… I want to get some sleep; I've had hardly any…"

Tsuna, who had stood so silently in the doorway with his friend, jumped up at this. He nodded, gingerly brushing his fingers against the man's sleeve of his jacket. "I'll take you to your room, Squalo. Would you like to take your jacket off? You must be very hot with it on in this weather."

Squalo sent his host a scathing look before he stormed off, going to find his room by himself; he was well aware that it was summer here in Japan, but if he were still wearing his jacket, it was for a reason and everybody should just back the fuck off.

Four sets of eyes watched the long-haired man's departure, the three Japanese males eventually turning to look at Dino with a questioning gaze.

"Why did he get so offended?" Hurt crossed Tsuna's face at this question, as if he felt bad for upsetting his friend. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I have my suspicions…" Dropping his chin to his chest, the blond truly wished Squalo trusted him more; he was almost certain his friend was self-harming, but Squalo wasn't emotionally stable enough to be questioned this out of the blue; it would only lead to further stress for the other, and that was something Dino was trying to get him away from.

Nodding in understanding, Tsuna and his two friends excused themselves, knowing that neither Squalo nor Dino needed tension; they were both surely going through enough of that themselves.