Dino's Private Hospital

Squalo let out an annoyed groan. His eyes flickered open to find himself in bed. Confused as to where he was, Squalo tried to sit up only to be stopped by a sudden pain in his stomach. "What the hell? Where the hell am I?!" The swordsman looked around the room with narrowed eyes only to stop surprised upon seeing the familiar sweatshirt at the end of his bed. " . . .Bucking Horse? "

Dino turned his head upon hearing the familiar loud voice. "You're awake!" His eyes went wide, then closed as he let out a small sigh. He cleared his throat in an attempt to make sure his voice was stable. "How are you feeling?"

Squalo remained silent a moment only staring at his old high school friend in front of him. He was confused and curious at the same time. He knew for a fact that Xanxus would have let him die. So why was he alive...let alone in a hospital with Dino. "What am I doing here? ...Why am I alive?" A thought crossed Squalo's mind. "Did you save me? Voii~"

Dino watched as his old friend's expression change while he looked at Dino, not knowing what to expect. Upon hearing his question, he looked down. "Uh, yeah, I guess." He didn't want to take credit for something as big as this, but the truth of the matter is that he really did save him.

Squalo sighed. He knew for sure that Dino did save him now. "Why would you do that?" Slight rage took over his emotions, not ever going to admit his concern for the blond. "Do you ever think?! Voii! Now the Vongola think you're allied with me! Xanxus won't take me back anyway! You should have just left me to die!"

Dino looked up as Squalo yelled, slightly taken aback by his reaction, even though he had guessed before that he might react this way. Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit hurt. He looked down and spoke with a flat, emotionless tone. "Relax, no one's going to think anything like that. I couldn't let you die because you have information we might need. That's all."

Squalo let out a soft sigh. "Don't lie to me." Squalo ran a hand through his hair with a slight wince upon hitting an injury. He didn't care. "...You're such an idiot." Squalo's lips twitched into a small smile. He couldn't help it, he knew the blond so well. "You never change."

Now Dino looked away from Squalo. It was the first time they had talked to each other in a while. Was he still that easy to see through? "I don't know what that's supposed to mean. And anyway, it's not like I'm completely lying."

Squalo chuckled, watching Dino carefully. He was still able to see through everything about the male. He knew him so well, personally, the swordsman often remembered Dino and himself hanging out back in high school and wondered what it would be like to be back together to see the kluzy blond. "Yes. You are still easy for me to read. It's hard to forget."

"What, are you some kind of mindreader now too?" His voice betrayed a slight poutiness which he tried to cover up. He still wouldn't look back at Squalo. "You know, you haven't changed much either."

Squalo let out a soft laugh. He was highly amused by the whole situation. "No I'm not a mindreader. Honest. Oh? I haven't?" Squalo leaned over and forced Dino to look at him.

Dino looked now at the face he hadn't seen in years, sensing the same smugness in it that was present in Squalo's voice. Realizing the situation and how familiar it felt, he broke out laughing. He tried to stifle it quickly, but he was still chuckling lightly when he said, "You're right. Things haven't changed." He was calmer now. "Except, you know. Your hair."

Squalo also noticed the familiar situation and let out a laugh. For the first time in a long time, a very small smile graced the swordsman's lips. He was calm and hadn't been in such a carefree moment since High School. "My hair is a lot longer..." He reached over and took a lock of Dino's hair between two of his fingers. "But you've grown yours out as well."

Dino laughed. "Yeah, but it isn't anywhere near as long as yours! At least I've had mine trimmed since high school. You look like you haven't had a haircut in forever." He took a good look at Squalo and wondered how he could look the same, even though his hair was so different.

Squalo smirked a bit amused by his old friend. "I haven't had a haircut since high school." He caught Dino looking him over and raised one of his eyebrows in a mock curiousity. "Trying to read my thoughts? Or see something you like?" The swordsman grinned slightly in his usual smug way. If one thing would never change it's that he would always love to tease the easily embarrassed boy before him.

Dino's eyes widened, the expected reaction of course. It was true he didn't change. "No! Jeez." He huffed. "I couldn't read your thoughts if I tried. I'm just noting that you look the same somehow."

The smug expression on Squalo's face didn't faulter a moment as Dino explained. His smirk widened as he looked over the surprised boss's face. "So you were noting on my looks? So you were looking me over?" Squalo laughed in that typical cocky, smug way he always does, especially when Dino was involved. "In other words...you were checking me out?"

Dino stood up. "I was not! You- you're twisting my words again--" He stopped short when he realized what was going on, and instead of feeling embarrassed for being accused of something he wasn't doing, he felt embarrassed for falling into the same trap again. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but he couldn't think of anything good enough. He just sat down with his arms crossed.

Squalo's smirk spread across his lips completely. He was satisfied with the reaction he got out of the man. So, as always, Squalo faked innocent. He moved over more towards the other. "Are you mad at me, Dino?" Squalo had to admit, thanks to much needed skills, he had gotten good at acting. They came in handy sometimes when dealing with the Varia members. Squalo tilted his head a bit, looking up at the blond, innocently. "Dino?"

Dino glanced sideways at Squalo and found him looking back with his head tilted. He turned his gaze away again, feeling frustrated with himself. He knew Squalo's tricks, yet somehow they still managed to work. He relaxed his arms a bit. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself." He tried to get his mind back on track. The battles were still going on, after all.

Squalo studied Dino's expression for a minute before lying back down. His eyes slid shut and his guard was down for once. Even though Squalo knew Dino was on the Vongola side during this fight, he knew better. "...I'm still on your side, you know." Squalo was surprised he let those words escape his thoughts. He knew he should take them back, but was done was done. He'd deal with Xanxus later.

Dino turned his head back to where Squalo was lying down. The room was silent for a minute. He didn't know what to say. He felt himself smiling slightly, and looked away once he realized it. Squalo would probably say he had always been too soft, or that he was stupid for ever thinking otherwise. He'd probably be right, but he couldn't expect Dino to be so sure after he had gone off and joined Xanxus. Dino let out a small laugh when he realized he was arguing with himself.

Squalo's eyes slowly flickered open as the man bickered mentally with himself. This whole scene felt so familiar to him. It was nice to feel safe and at ease. He had never put his guard up around Dino, the boy was too friendly and too much of a klutz to worry about. Squalo found himself staring intently at the said male. He always wondered what he found so intriguing about Dino, but no matter how hard Squalo tried...the swordsman always found himself back by the same grinning blond.

After settling his short mental argument, he tried to figure out what it was he was supposed to do. He figured that his men would be waiting for him to give them some kind of news about Squalo's condition. He knew he had to find out how Tsuna and his friends were doing. There were too many things that needed doing, and here he was wasting time. No, he wasn't wasting time. The problem is that there wasn't enough time. Time was the problem.

He looked up at Squalo then and found him staring at him. His thoughts scattered. "What?" He wondered if he had been mumbling to himself the entire time and Squalo had heard him.

Squalo blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as Dino spoke. He realized then he had been staring while thinking. "Hm?" The swordsman fell silent once more, staring at the blond, silently debating with himself. Finally, he gave into temptation. "Hey~! Come here. Voiii~" Squalo spoke in a firm and demanding tone, but he was trying to hide the uncertain side of his thoughts as they tried to reason with his rash side.