"Hey."

Dark eyes fluttered open at Dino's voice, Squalo pushing himself slowly into a sitting position. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he looked over at the doorway, finding his boyfriend shrugging his coat off in order to hang on the rack. Speaking in a voice still slurred from his nap, Squalo mumbled, "When did you get home...?"

"Just then." Dino's soft eyes held a gentleness his lover was still getting used to, the blond knowing that the younger was still broken over his previous abuse; he knew it was going to take a very long time before Squalo could function adequately again. "Are you still tired?"

Nodding, Squalo laid back down on the couch, throwing his arm over his eyes; he had fallen asleep whilst searching online for potential jobs, wanting to get back into work after having been out of it for so long; Xanxus knew it was easier for him to get away with the abuse if Squalo wasn't around other people in order to be questioned about his injuries, so he had fired the other from his position in company management to stop people from sticking their noses where they didn't belong. The long-haired man had loved his job, and he would be eager to start work again and feel like he was doing something instead of staying around the house all day every day.

"You're working too hard." Coming to sit on the edge of the couch, Dino shifted the laptop on the coffee table so that he could see what company the smaller male had been looking at. "I keep telling you; Tsuna will be happy to give you another job, and if you don't want to move to Japan, I can get you into my company, alright? I might be a teacher now, but it's still mine."

Shaking his head, Squalo reached out, pulling at a thin string of fabric on his boyfriend's shirt. "I don't want a job that way; I want to earn my position."

Dino chuckled, smiling as he leant down to claim soft lips for his own. He was relieved when he was met with no resistance, knowing this meant a few things; Squalo was slowly but surely overcoming the trauma he had been left with, and was also dealing with the mess inside his head, coming to terms with how things were now – most of all, it meant the long-haired man was truly beginning to accept Dino as his boyfriend now.

Leaning forward more, Dino pressed his weight against Squalo, closing his eyes as he deepened the kiss. He ghosted his fingers down the other's side, resting against the long-haired male's belt, but before he could undo it, he was pushed away, the warm lips breaking from his.

"Fuck off." An annoyed look crossed Squalo's features as he glanced to the side, a stubborn pout forming as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Dino couldn't help but laugh, knowing that beneath the tough look Squalo was forming, the younger was simply embarrassed; it was rare to get sex from the silver-haired man because Squalo didn't like feeling as if he weren't good enough to satisfy his lover, worried that once he took his clothes off, he wouldn't be able to give the other what was desired and that the blond wouldn't want him anymore.

Cupping a pale cheek, the blond rested his forehead against the other. "I love you, Squalo."

"Hmph..." Unable to stop the red tint from crossing his cheeks, Squalo shook his head slightly, trying to get the hand off him. "..."

Dino chuckled, quickly kissing the younger before he stood up. "What are your plans for the day?"

Shrugging, Squalo muttered, "I'm meant to go get Bel soon. Lussu wants a break. Might take the shithead out for lunch if you want to come."

"A coffee does sound nice. When are you leaving?"

Glancing down at the laptop screen, Squalo scanned the time before turning back to his boyfriend. "In about an hour or so."

"I'll come. I'll have a shower and get changed." Running his fingers through his soft golden locks, Dino left the room.

Yawning, Squalo sat up, pulling his laptop back over to him. He closed off the internet pages and instead opened his email tab, hoping that, by some chance, he would have a few emails regarding job interviews.

However, life still seemed to hate him as there were no new emails at all in his inbox. With a sigh, Squalo closed the lid and lay back down, fighting back a wave of depression; he hated staying in the house all day every day because he just didn't know what to do with himself anymore now that he wasn't someone's punching bag.

~~XX~~

"Voi, shithead." After putting the car gear in neutral and pulling the handbrake up, Squalo looked in the rear-view mirror as he turned the ignition off. He found that Belphegor was still looking at his lap, showing no sign of having heard the other, so the long-haired male instead took his seatbelt off and leant into the back of his car. "Shithead. Bel. Belphegor."

Belphegor had been so focused on picking at his clothing, he didn't notice Squalo trying to grab his attention until a warm hand touched his. Blinking, he lifted his head, finding concerned grey eyes looking back at him. "..."

"Are you hungry?" Reaching out, Squalo brushed the tips of his fingers against the younger's cheek, trying to keep the other's attention on him so it didn't wander. He tried not to show any emotion when he simply received a nod in response, knowing it wasn't unusual for Belphegor to be so quiet; even before the Xanxus incident, the blond would sometimes find himself preferring to be alone and silent, so it was expected for him to act this way with everything that had happened. "Well, we're about to have lunch now. C'mon."

Belphegor remained where he was, watching as Squalo and Dino both got out of the car. He was still when the long-haired man opened his door and undid his seatbelt, doing nothing but watching as Squalo tried to pull him to his feet.

"Voi, Bel, you brat, get up." Squalo sighed, gesturing for his boyfriend to come over and help. "It's not like you to turn down food; you're usually a fucking bottomless pit when it comes to eating."

The younger blond perked up at these words, his mouth forming a straight line as he focused on Squalo. He was silent for a few more seconds before he uttered a slurred, "Food...?"

"Yes. Food." Taking one arm while Dino grabbed the other, Squalo pulled the youngest out of the car, standing him on his feet. "What do you want to eat?"

"...Food." Swaying where he stood, Belphegor reached out, curling his fingers into the back of Squalo's jacket. He staggered toward the taller male, dangerously unsteady on his feet. "...Sushi."

Squalo nodded, not minding the way the younger clung to him in such a childish manner; it was a habit Belphegor had never truly broken out of and the man had had years to get used to it. Looking to Dino, the long-haired man asked, "Is there sushi around here?"

"Yeah, towards the back." Dino started walking, knowing the younger two would follow him. He made sure not to get too far ahead, conscious of the fact that the smaller blond was still recovering from spinal damage and thus was finding it difficult to walk properly. "It's tucked away in the corner, but you should be able to see its signs. See? Just there."

Squalo hummed as he caught sight of the sushi restaurant his boyfriend was pointing out. He turned around to face Belphegor, looking down at the male who was busying himself with picking at the loose stitching he could see in the older male's clothing. "Voi, brat. Let's get going, okay? What are you in the mood for?"

"...Sushi..." Belphegor stumbled as they started walking again, a soft whimper escaping his lips as he reached out to touch the small of his back. He frowned deeply, whimpering again as they stopped so Squalo could grab him.

"Is your back sore?" Squalo reached out, putting his hand next to Belphegor's. He pressed the tips of his fingers ever-so-slightly against the younger's spine, not surprised when his friend yelped and tried to pull away; from his understanding, a stray bullet had grazed the vertebrae and it had been extremely lucky the damage had been somewhat minor and able to be mostly repaired with a couple of surgeries.

Belphegor nodded. "Sit down..."

Squalo couldn't say that the effects of the brain damage didn't upset him; it was agonising to hear the young man who had once been praised as a genius struggle with even the simplest forms of expressing himself; what had Belphegor done to deserve such a miserable life? He was so sweet, wanting nothing but love and affection and always happy to give anyone he knew and trusted cuddles.

Why did Belphegor have to suffer like this when all he had done was try his hardest to be happy?

"We're almost there, Bel; just a little farther." Squalo was patient with the other, understanding when Belphegor hesitated to walk again. Though it took a little more coaxing, he eventually got his friend inside the sushi restaurant, seating him comfortably in one of the corners before he went to order; he wasn't cruel enough to drag the blond over to the counter with him, knowing it would only cause more pain.

"What can I help you with today, sir?" The cashier's overly bright smile agitated Squalo, but he said nothing about it; he instead glanced back at Belphegor, not surprised to see the younger staring at his lap, his fingers gripping his pants tightly.

"Give me a plate of something fatty; he'll eat it."

"Coming right up! I'll give you a price when the chef dishes it up for you."

Squalo nodded, folding his arms against his chest as he stepped back so that others could order as well. He glanced to his side when Dino stepped beside him, two takeaway cups of coffee in his hand. He passed one to Squalo before asking, "How's Bel?"

"His back is bothering him..." With a sigh, Squalo moved forward to finalise his purchase. "He needs more painkillers."

"I'll go get him some and he can have them with lunch." Dino pecked his lover's cheek before hurrying off, having seen for himself how painful his fellow blond's damage was; delaying temporary treatment would only be heartless of everyone involved in his care.

Squalo didn't wait much longer to be given a tray of sushi, and once he had it in hand, he brought it over to Belphegor. The blond looked up at the older male's approach, making no move to grab the food. Squalo had to wonder if he even knew it was for him in the first place.

"This is for you, shithead." Squalo sighed when Belphegor did nothing but stare at the food. Reaching out, he grabbed a chopstick and snatched a small bit of rice up, putting it in front of the younger's face. Again, the other just stared, prompting the long-haired man to rub the rice against pale lips.

Squalo couldn't lie and say that handfeeding Belphegor didn't break his heart, because doing so was one of the most painful things he had ever done in his life; never had he thought he would one day have to treat the blond like this, and he could only wonder how Lussuria could stand doing it all day every day.

"Come on, brat…" Wishing he could at least feed Belphegor without having to coax the other into opening his mouth, Squalo felt tears well up in his eyes; this was all Xanxus' doing, but it was his fault Belphegor had gotten involved; if he had just… fucking left years ago, none of this would have happened! Sniffing back his tears, he whispered in a shaky voice, "I'm so sorry, Bel…"

If Belphegor even heard these words, he didn't acknowledge them; he instead continued to hesitate in opening his mouth, and then would slowly chew his food for what felt like years to Squalo.

Squalo knew he shouldn't do so, but he just couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened to Belphegor.

~~XX~~

Upon arriving home, Squalo was glad Dino understood when he said he needed time by himself; as much as he wanted to, he wasn't able to take care of Belphegor for long periods without finding himself growing more and more frustrated with both himself and the blond.

Now, sitting on the couch with the TV playing quietly in the background, Squalo sipped at a glass of wine as he watched the two blonds through the window make their way down to the stables, Dino intending on keeping the youngest occupied during his time with them.

Outside in the yard, Dino held one hand against the small of Belphegor's back, walking slowly with him so the smaller male so that the younger didn't exert himself. Belphegor didn't say a word to him; he just walked with his head down, his hands fumbling with each other.

"Watch your step, Bel; there's a lot of mud there from the rain." Gently pulling his friend to the left, Dino was tender as to not hurt the younger's back. "There we go; I don't want you to slip or anything."

Belphegor lifted his head slightly, turning to glance at the older male. He then dropped it as his hands startled falling over themselves more, his anxiety quickly growing. "…"

While Dino continued to talk, hoping to ease some of the damaged male's stress, Belphegor never replied; he was silent until they stepped into the stables, slowly raising his head in order to look around at his new surroundings.

Taking hold of a shaking hand, Dino gently tugged the younger towards his horse, understanding when the other hesitated; he knew his friend had never been around horses before, and in his condition, it would be very daunting to get close to something so big. "It's okay, Bel; this is Scuderia. He won't hurt you."

Whimpering, Belphegor tried to pull away; this whole ordeal was frightening to him, not understanding why he was in another unfamiliar place instead of Squalo's home; why was everything so different to what he remembered? Why was even Lussuria keeping him in a different house instead of letting him go home?

"Scared…!" Trying to back away, Belphegor knew he wasn't going to get very far; Dino was stronger than him, and the other blond didn't seem to want to let go of his hand any time soon. "Go home…!"

"It's okay, Bel," Dino promised. "No one's going to hurt you here."

Though it took a while, the older blond eventually coaxed his friend over to the horse, watching as thin digits reached out slowly to pat Scuderia's face. Smiling, Dino said, "He's a pretty horse, isn't he, Bel?"

Belphegor didn't respond to these words; he just made soft sounds as he lifted his hand higher, slowly dragging his fingers through the horse's long mane.

Dino was peaceful, and he knew that Belphegor was feeling the same way; the younger male's shaking was starting to stop, the frown on his face slowly forming a smile instead. He was glad he had decided to bring the other out here, knowing it would be good for him.

But then, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the sound of a door slamming somewhere else in the stable. Belphegor let out a loud cry, instinctively trying to pull away from Dino and avoid the unknown source of the sound at the same time; he just wanted to get away from what he was sure was Xanxus.

"Bel, it's alright!" Putting his hands on frail shoulders, Dino tried his hardest to soothe the younger, but it wasn't easy when even Scuderia was spooking and on the verge of flight. "It's just Squalo! You're safe! I promise! You're safe!"

Reaching up to pull at his golden locks, Belphegor was powerless against the onslaught of tears. Trembling violently, memories of that night rushed through his head, making him remember things he wished he didn't have to.

"Bel." Lifting his hands to cup pale cheeps, Dino did his best to bring Bel back to reality; he had seen his fellow blond lose himself to memories before, but never like this – Xanxus must have done more to him than they knew. "Bel, you are safe. No one here will ever hurt you because we love you. Please try and relax, you will not be hurt while you're here with us."

It didn't look like Belphegor was going to calm down any time soon, but Dino didn't want to leave him; the younger needed so much love and reassurance, it would be cruel to leave him alone just because something was frightening him. Reaching into the horse's stall to at least try and calm one of them down, he spoke softly as he put his hand on Scuderia's nose.

"Easy, Scu," Dino calmed, hoping that his gentle tone would also be enough for Belphegor. "Nothing to be afraid of. Easy, boy. Ea – Squalo?"

His attention caught by the shadow on the far side of the stable, Dino cocked his head to the side, not sure why Squalo was wandering around in here without making his presence known; the long-haired man didn't come into the stables unless he was by Dino's side, so…

Just about to follow his lover outside, Dino was stopped by his phone's ringtone. Reaching into his pocket, he frowned as Squalo's name popped up on his screen. Hitting the answer button, he brushed blond bangs out of his eyes. "Squalo, what are you doing?"

Squalo didn't take much notice of the true meaning of those words, instead taking them as the other being interested into what activity he was currently taking part in. "Watching TV. How long are you going to be? That fucking dog won't stop barking at the door; come and shut it up."

Now that Squalo had mentioned it, Dino could hear the dog barking in the background of the phone call, but no matter how hard he strained his ears, he couldn't hear the dog anywhere else; so Squalo was still inside…?

"Were you just outside at all?" Looking over at Belphegor, Dino found the other staring at him, his lip quivering as tears continued to fall down his cheeks; the younger was clearly in a bad place right now, and the teacher knew he should get him back inside and sit him down somewhere he could relax.

"No? I've been inside since we got home." The uncertainty in Squalo's voice was what told the blond that whoever had been in the stables with them was not the long-haired man – so who was it? "…Why…?"

Reaching out to grab Belphegor's hand, Dino was gentle as he tugged the younger along behind him. "I'm bringing Bel back inside; someone… was in here with us. I thought it was you."

On the other end of the line, Squalo tensed, anxiety consuming him as he wondered if Xanxus had found them already; it wouldn't be surprising, the man never letting anything slip past him. "…Get him back here with me, Bucking Horse; don't you dare let anyone touch him!"

"I won't, Squalo." Ending the call, Dino wrapped one arm around the younger's shoulders, pulling him close. "We're going back inside, Bel. Let's try and hurry in case it starts raining again."

Though Belphegor didn't seem to want to walk any faster than he already was, he did snake one arm up Dino's back, clinging to the other's jacket tightly. Resting his head against the other's shoulder, the younger blond frowned; he was just glad to be getting out of that building, finding it too frightening for him.

Upon arriving inside his home, Dino was careful as he led his guest over to the couch, sitting him on it. "Be a good boy and stay here, okay, Bel? Squalo and I are going outside for a while."

Squalo, standing by the doorway, watched with hard eyes as Belphegor grabbed the other's sleeve, a sure sign that he didn't want to be alone. With a sigh, he moved to kneel by the couch, tenderly prying shaking fingers from Dino's wrist. "Voi, brat… Stay here and don't move."

Belphegor started crying again, reaching out to grab the others again. His tears came harder as the older two left him alone, curling up on the couch as he rocked back and forth; why was the world far scarier than it used to be all of a sudden…?

Outside, Dino and Squalo split up in their search of the property, but no matter where they looked, they couldn't find any traces of anyone. It was natural for Squalo to be on edge, the fear of Xanxus coming back for him overwhelming, but the blond knew there wasn't much he could say; until they found out who had been hanging around earlier, Squalo had every right to be scared; he simply didn't want to have to put up with anything Xanxus could do to him, and that was understandable.

Dino wished he erase the damage Xanxus had inflicted on the younger male, but he knew his lover would never completely heal; Xanxus was that kind of person, after all.