When Dino brought Belphegor back to his home after weeks of recovery due to Squalo still being incapacitated, Kyouya couldn't say he was happy; he had grown so used to the man spending time with him, he didn't like the other being with anyone else for any reason; Cavallone was his, damnit.

Standing in the threshold of the kitchen and living room, Kyouya watched with narrowed eyes as Dino laid his fellow blond down on the couch, tucking him in with one of his light blankets. Coming closer, the skylark was agitated to find that Belphegor was being given control of the TV; he wanted to watch whatever Dino wanted to watch, finding that the teacher actually had semi-decent taste in TV programs – Belphegor would probably want to watch something childish and unentertaining.

"Why are you letting him choose what we watch?" Coming to stand by the couch, Kyouya glared up at the man, aware of Belphegor tensing and curling in on himself after having chosen what he wanted to put on.

"Because Bel needs to unwind so that he can relax a bit; Squalo and I have always let him watch TV for an hour so he can do so." Eyes widening as he watched his student snatch the remote from Belphegor, Dino grabbed it from Kyouya and held it himself; he didn't want to have to reprimand the skylark, but he also wasn't going to let anyone bully the younger blond in this condition, either. "Kyouya, I said Bel can choose the program for an hour. You can have the TV when he goes to sleep, and that'll probably be before he even finishes his hour."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?" Wanting to understand where Kyouya was coming from so that he could help better, Dino was patient.

"It's what you want to watch; not what he wants to watch. I want to watch what you do; not him."

Scratching the back of his head, Dino wasn't sure how to reply to this; he thought Kyouya was just being difficult for the sake of it – why would the other feel so strongly about him not choosing the program? "If that's how you feel, then we can always go watch something in my room, Kyouya."

"I don't want to watch TV." As stubborn as ever, Kyouya glared.

With a sigh, the teacher looked between Belphegor and Kyouya, not sure what to do with either of them. "Then what do you want, Kyouya?"

"To be with you."

"Kyouya..." Dino felt his stomach flutter a little at this declaration, happy that the skylark was really warming up to him, but he couldn't let it get to his head; he was still the temporary guardian of the skylark, and thus he was still in charge of keeping the other in line, after all. "Then will you help me with lunch if that is what you want?"

Kyouya nodded, pleased with this compromise. He glared at Belphegor as he watched Dino hand the remote back to him, unmoved by the way the smaller blond sent him a frightened look.

"We'll be in the kitchen, Bel." Smiling at his charge, Dino was as kind as ever to the other. "Call out if you need anything or you're feeling sore, okay?"

Belphegor nodded, tugging his blanket up to his chin. Feeling extremely disconcerted with his situation, he didn't quite understand what was happening, and he just knew that he wanted to go back to Squalo.

In the kitchen, Dino moved to the fridge and pulled out ingredients for sushi. Passing them over to Kyouya, he then went about grabbing dishes from the pantry, bringing them over to the counter.

"What kind of sushi do you like, Kyouya?" Wanting to accommodate for both teenagers under his roof, Dino was prepared to cook a variety of foods if he had to; anything to make them both happy without choosing one over the other.

"Any of it." Putting everything down, Kyouya washed his hands under the tap. "Just make sure it's prepared properly."

"Of course; I've been making sushi for Bel for years."

Falling silent at this, Kyouya went about preparing the sushi, just glad to be spending time with Dino where Belphegor couldn't bother them; he had never liked the other student, and nothing had changed even now, despite the attack – he didn't like anyone taking what was his from him, Dino included.

~~XX~~

By the time Dino returned that evening from the hospital, having been out visiting Squalo, Kyouya watched the blond walk straight past him and Belphegor with a dazed expression on his face, seemingly going to the bedroom.

"Cavallone." From his position on the couch, Kyouya watched Dino halt, blinking away the haze. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Kyouya, I forgot you two were here…" Sighing, the teacher rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry; I was thinking…"

Kyouya knew he was uncomfortable with this Dino, so used to the other being cheerful and outgoing; it was awkward seeing the blond as anything other. "Where were you going?"

"I was going to lay down for a bit." Letting an exhausted look cross his face, Dino slumped against the wall. "Can you keep an eye on Bel for me? He needs another dose of morphine in an hour; don't put your fingers in his mouth or he'll bite you as hard as he can; try and roll the tablet into his mouth."

Kyouya was about to open his mouth and argue that he had never agreed to play babysitter, but seeing the depression in those hazel eyes stopped him; Dino didn't deserve to be treated like that as he was constantly trying to look after everyone around him, even when he himself needed to be looked after, too.

Letting Dino go to his bedroom, Kyouya turned to look at Belphegor, finding the other curled up beneath his blanket, seemingly staring at him; it was hard to tell where he was looking with such long bangs in the way. "What?"

"…" Turning his head to the side, the boy rolled over so that he was facing the back of the couch. Nestling in against it, he looked over his shoulder at Kyouya once more, a soft hiccup escaping his lips. "I hate you…"

"I hate you, too, and I wish Cavallone and the long-haired herbivore had never met you and left you on the streets; I hate how Cavallone's giving you all the attention."

Belphegor tensed at these words, a soft sob escaping his lips. He pulled the blanket up over his head, trying to hide the fact that he was crying, but Kyouya wasn't stupid; he knew that what he had said had greatly hurt the other, and in his already-fragile state, the pain would have been unimaginably amplified.

Kyouya didn't care, though; he had meant what he said, and he had no remorse for hurting the other. It was just a shame the blond hadn't been killed that night; then he would get Cavallone all to himself.

The skylark knew he shouldn't wish such things upon anyone, but was it really so bad he wanted to keep Dino? The more time he spent around the other, the more strange emotions he didn't quite understand welled up inside of him.

~~XX~~

When dinner rolled around, Kyouya was content with the fact that Dino had ordered for takeout to be delivered; he could see how tired the other was, and he didn't blame the blond for not wanting to cook; he wouldn't want to if he were in his teacher's position, either.

The three herbivores that often hung around Dino in school had also come to visit, the group sitting around the couch so that they could keep Belphegor company. Agitated by the overcrowding, the skylark had taken it upon himself to invite Tetsuya over, not wanting to be surrounded by people he hated.

After having eaten their meals, Kyouya took his friend into the guestroom, needing to get away from everyone for a while; it had taken everything he had to get through dinner without hitting anyone, and he needed to calm down.

Lying on the soft mattress of the double bed, Kyouya turned to look at Tetsuya, the other seated on the end of the bed. "Have you ever felt strange things before, Tetsu?"

"What kind of strange things?" Eying the smaller male from the corner of his eye, Tetsuya was surprised; Kyouya had never asked such a question before.

"I don't know. They're strange, in that I have never felt them before."

"What do they feel like?" Wanting to help the Prefect as best he could, Tetsuya was patient; he knew not to expect a full explanation right off the bat.

"…" Trying to put his feelings into words, Kyouya really struggled; he had never really spoken about subjects like this before, and it frustrated him to not know how to convey himself. "…Like how I feel when people take my belongings without asking. Sort of like how I feel towards Hibird and Roll, but different somehow. I hate that the blond herbivore is taking all the attention, and… I find it comforting in that I feel a lot like I do around my uncle most of the time."

"So you're feeling towards another person, then."

Kyouya nodded. "Is it normal how I feel, Tetsu?"

"Very normal." Offering a smile, Tetsuya cocked his head to the side. "That means you like someone and enjoy their company."

"Like someone? How did I begin to like someone I didn't like originally?" Not sure of how this could have come about, Kyouya needed to know; he needed to understand what he was feeling, because he hated not knowing things.

"Most of the time, that happens when you spend time with someone and get to know them on a more personal level. Sometimes getting to know someone makes you dislike them further, but a lot of the time, you like them more."

"In what way do I like them? As a friend?"

Tetsuya chuckled, heartened by his friend's sudden innocence; it was such a change from the violent teen, and it was a welcome one. "Well, I wouldn't know, Kyo-san, but I'm sure you'll work that one out yourself. It takes a while to understand these things, so have some patience; don't rush into it head on like you usually do, Kyo-san."

Kyouya nodded, deciding that what the taller male said made sense; he just needed to talk to Dino a bit more and focus internally; maybe then he would get his answer.