Dino didn't know what he had been expecting when he walked into the hospital room he had been told by Lussuria that Squalo was occupying; just that, when he saw the bloodied bandages wrapped tightly around the younger's body, he felt sick. Not a word was spoken between he and Squalo as he moved to sit on the chair closest to the hospital bed; neither of them knew what to say.

It was Squalo who broke the silence, with a tired mumble. "Lussu said he wouldn't tell ya…"

The blond shook his head. He could only imagine how much it must have pained their friend to have been the one to take Squalo to the hospital in the first place with how much his heart was breaking just looking at the younger right now. "Of course he told me; he said you were half-dead when he got there, and looking at you now, I can see he wasn't exaggerating."

The long-haired man said nothing; he just turned to stare out of the window at the car park beyond his hospital room; how afraid he was right now that his best friend was going to leave him…

"You could have told me, you know…" As always, Dino was gentle. He hated that Squalo still wouldn't look at him, but he could understand; the smaller male was prideful, and it must be agony for him to be seen in this state. "I know it's hard for you, but I… I think no less of you, Squalo."

"…"

"…"

"…He said you would… If you ever found out… That'd you'd hate me and be disgusted in me…" Squalo slowly rolled onto his side so he could face his childhood best friend. "I used to… defend you so much when we were younger… Yell and scream about how you weren't like that… And that you were my friend, no matter what…"

"So what changed?"

Squalo shrugged. "I guess once you get told somethin' so many times, you just… You start to believe it… Instinct tells you it's not true, but… You can't shut off your fucking mind for five minutes… And even though you trust that it isn't the truth, you can't get it out of your head… And it drives you fucking mad…"

"Squalo, don't go back to him." Dino wasn't one to plead, but he was about ready to take his friend's hands in both of his and beg until he lost his voice. "I was talking to Lussuria about this, and he's going to get your stuff while Xanxus is at work. You can stay with me or Lussuria or even Mammon, but please, Squalo; please get away from him."

Fear flashed through Squalo's grey orbs now. He shook his head. "I can't…! Xanxus… Xanxus will…!"

Dino bit his lip. "Xanxus will what, Squalo?"

Whatever was going through the long-haired man's mind right now, the blond wasn't sure he wanted to know; he had never seen his friend fall into a panic attack before, but here the younger was, on the verge of hyperventilating. Anger brewed deep down in his stomach; how could someone do this to Squalo…?

"…" Squalo trembled. He had managed to steady his breathing, but his heart was still racing in his chest. "…He'll go after you all… That's why I never left… He knows where everyone lives, Dino…"

"If we were scared of Xanxus, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, and Lussuria wouldn't be going to get your things. We know what Xanxus is like, Squalo, but we aren't so selfish we'll let you get hurt to save our own hides. Everyone can look after themselves."

"He'll get Bel... He'll be the first one Xanxus goes after…"

"Squalo, Bel will be fine," Dino reassured. "No one's going to get to that kid without someone noticing because no one ever lets him out of their sight. Just relax; don't get yourself worked up. You can come stay with me once you get out of here and everything will be fine."

Squalo sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing because no one was going to listen to him; none of them knew Xanxus like he did, and as hard as he had tried to warn them, no one believed him. For the moment, it would be easier to just agree with Dino and he wouldn't have to deal with the stress of arguing – but even though it was the easiest option now didn't mean he wasn't going to regret it in the near future.

~~XX~~

Dino was known for smooth talking, so it was no surprise he had convinced the nurses to let him bring Squalo home that night. The long-haired man hadn't been happy, but feeling his phone vibrating constantly in his pocket was enough to silence him; at least he was safe from Xanxus for the moment…

As hard as it had been for Dino to see him such a state, he had never felt as embarrassed and uncomfortable as he had when he was helped through the front door of Dino's home and into the eyesight of the three teens gathered in the living room with playing cards between them all.

"Squalo?"

The long-haired male winced at Takeshi's voice. He looked anywhere but at the younger, feeling too ill to be able to cope with it properly. "…"

"Dino-san, what happened?" Tsuna as well looked unsettled, none of the three having been told why Dino had so suddenly left the house in a rush. "Did he get hit by a car?"

Squalo could have vomited at the question; had he been beaten so badly, it looked as if he had been ran over…? Probably; his body certainly was aching as if an SUV had slammed into him…

"Yes, he did." Just as Squalo should have expected, Dino never missed a beat in helping keep him comfortable. "It was a hit and run. I'm going to go lay him down in bed so he can get some rest; let's keep it quiet for tonight so he can sleep."

The boys all nodded, and Squalo couldn't speak past the lump in his throat; not until he had been escorted from the living room and into the spare bedroom that had unofficially became his own over the years. He was silent as he was sat on the edge of the mattress, and it wasn't until Dino fetched a pair of his own pyjamas did he finally speak again.

"You didn't have to do that…" Squalo's expression was downcast as he watched the way his friend was kneeling down to take his socks off.

"What? Get you pyjamas?" Dino was genuinely confused; had he upset Squalo somehow?

"Nah… Tell those brats a lie… You could have just told them the truth…"

"I'm not going to be telling them the truth, Squalo; not yet, anyway. As far as they're going to know for now, you were run over and the driver never stopped. They don't need to know; not until you decide what to do. You can stay here with me, Squalo. You can have your own bedroom and anything you need, or you can stay with Lussuria or Mammon; Mammon knows, and she's said you can stay with her if you need to."

Squalo closed his eyes. He flinched violently when he felt the hem of his pants being lowered; memories he didn't want to think about flashed through his mind, and he knew his reaction had alerted his friend. He swallowed thickly. "It's okay… You can take them off… But I can't stay, Dino; this will be the first place Xanxus will look…"

"Xanxus doesn't scare me. I don't care that he has guns, Squalo; he can shoot me if he wants to but I'm not letting him near you again."

"You're a fool…" Squalo was glum as he raised his arms into the air for his shirt to come off next. "He'll kill you, and it won't be swift…"

Dino chuckled. He put his hands on his friend's shoulders and leant in close as he smiled sincerely. "Then I guess it'd be in my best interests to invest in a bullet proof jacket, yeah?"

"Idiot… Why would you risk your life for mine? You should be leaving me to go back home so no one else gets involved…"

"You are my friend, and I love you so very much, Squalo." More than you'll probably ever know. "I would do anything for you, even if it means being a meat-shield for you. Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

"…"

Dino didn't mind the silence; he instead focused on buttoning up the night shirt he had just put on Squalo. "It's okay; I know you're in a bad place right now, but you really are welcomed here."

"…Thanks…"

Dino's smile widened. He pushed down on the younger's shoulders to get Squalo to lay down so he could tuck him in tight. "Turn your phone off for the night and let's see what tomorrow brings. Okay? Goodnight."

"…Night…" The younger rolled onto his side so that his back was to the door. He didn't close his eyes as the light was turned off; he just stared at the wall he was against as his mind ran rampart. What would tomorrow bring…?