#pridefulshark

❝ Squalo . ❞ 

❝ It’s not too late to change sides you know . ❞

　　 ◆ * “Sup. You got uglier.” He hadn’t been searching for Squalo, hadn’t known to search for Squalo, but as in most things the man was hard to miss once his voice was raised. (And honestly, Gokudera wouldn’t admit it, but this place had done Squalo some favors; those gills were fucking sick.) Between Gokudera’s intended quarry of Mukuro and this, he wasn’t really sure which was worse or less likely to grant him the boon he was seeking, but it was what it was. At least Squalo was Vongola, and somewhere behind that boombox with a face there was a brain. Y’know, probably.

“I’ll have to tell Yamamoto where to find ya, if he isn’t already following the screams. But first, you and me have gotta talk business.” With the guardians it was about learning who they were, how to think on their level, but the Varia were professionals. Gokudera could do professional (y’know, probably).

“SQUAAAAAALOOOOO!!”

The boy, nearly winded, nearly collapsed, gripped both knees to keep from teetering over. Yamamoto had been running all over Opalaria the moment he’d overheard murmurings of a long-haired mouthy swordsman, possibly blood-tinged, but completely an ass. There was plenty of reasons for it not to have been his friend (Yamamoto’s words) but he was already off. Enough information circulated to have sightings along the entertainment belt of Opalaria’s oceanic inhabitants that Yamamoto managed to catch up to the hitman.

“I can’t— believe,” big gulp, “I’m so happy to see you! I can’t believe you’re here too!” His rosy cheeks and puffy gills were brighter than the signs turning on the soon to be bustling street. “Are you alright? Have you been doing alright? Oh!” He straightened up to pat his breast and withdraw a parcel from his robe. “A gift! We had a big haul this morning and I thought you might like it, gotta be eating well!”

Still , he knew this was just his friend caring very loudly in his face . Squalo’s bedside manner had always been less than sympathetic .

❝ Squalo. . . ❞ The two syllables croaked out of him like a frog on its last legs . Dino boiled it down to the dull ache throbbing in his temple and not their current compromising position .

❝ I appreciate the help but , your shouting’s really making my head hurt  . ❞

❖   POSITIVE.I think you’re awesome ║ I like you ║ I want to go on a date with you ║  I love you ║ You’re cute/handsome ║ I want to marry you ║ You’re attractive ║ I wish we could spend more time together! ║ I’d like to get to know you better ║ I admire you ║ You’re someone that I look up to ║ You’re very kind ║ I consider us friends ║ I secretly have a crush on you ║ I have high respect for you ║ We have common interests ║ I’m happy that I met you

❖   NEGATIVE.

Facing this amount of unconscious bodies though , in the short lapse it had taken to locate his ally again , topped even Dino’s generous estimations of Squalo’s body count . His footsteps squelched in mud dampened by spilled vital fluids; an unsightly goulash of dirt and blood , studded in the ivory of knocked out teeth . There wasn’t a lot he could do for those victims now , but for the last one about to taste the edge of Squalo’s blade , he could still somewhat preserve from a grisly beating . 

A snap of his whip signalled his warning shot ( it wouldn’t be their first nor last skirmish , but Squalo was an old friend ) then came the second snap , and with it the lead of his whip unravelled and coiled around Squalo’s wrist , jerking it back in prevention of it reigning steel down on his final opponent , already more than subdued enough to be considered a hard win for the Varia assassin .

❝ Squalo . ❞

❝ That’s enough isn’t it ? ❞

The fact that alone was enough to sedate the Varia spoke volumes to the severity of Squalo’s condition . Perhaps not because of the wound in itself , but certainly from the blood loss it was incurring . 

Lips thinning and tongue poking out the side of his mouth in deep concentration , Dino first doused the area in antiseptic fluid . He then wiped it over with clean cotton gauze and leaned in to apply pressure , a two hand task , given both length and curve of the injury over Squalo’s chest and shoulder .

❝ You know that’s gonna need stitches , a doctor will do a much better job of it than me . ❞ 

❝ Just let me take you to a hospital . . . ❞ 

A tired smile pulled at his lips as he spotted his partner ( nothing like fighting a common foe to reconcile friendly feuds ).

❝ Yo .❞

❝ Had a look around everywhere up there , couldn’t see a source for those things . Seems like they’re just coming out of nowhere so we’ll have to keep pushing back for now . How’re things down here ? ❞