"DIO!" A voice cried, a second before he could do it. A second before he could end it all. Not a moment later, Dio could feel someone tackle him from the side. The knife went flying out of his hand and clattered onto the ground, just a few feet out of his grasp.

He didn't seem to notice any of the world around him. All his focus was just on that knife. He grit his teeth and kept his eyes trained on it, trying to reach out and grab it when whoever had so rudely interrupted his death grabbed his wrists to prevent him from grabbing ahold of it. He immediately hissed in pain because of the fresh cuts.

"DIO! LISTEN TO ME!" The voice begged, for once sounding full of emotion. The voice sounded terrified.

Dio ignored.

"That's. Not. My. Name." Dio spat, still keeping his eyes trained on the blade, desperately trying to struggle against the other's grip and grab ahold of it.

"Dimentio." The voice begged, quivering now.

Dio paused his struggling and looked up, being met with two mismatched eyes, and an unmasked face.

"Dimentio, please," Dimentio begged. Never had he ever looked so terrified. "Please... don't go."

Dio paused, for the first time getting a real look at Dimentio's face. He did expect it to look like his own, but for some reason, it was strange to actually see it.

And... it didn't look EXACTLY like his own. Yes, the eyes were different, but so was the overall shape. Dimentio seemed ever so slightly thinner, and his eyes drooped slightly more as if more tired. His eyebrows were thinner as well. Dio had a slightly younger appearance, seeming to hold more innocence.

Dio furrowed his eyebrows, then shifted his gaze to behind Dimentio, where Mr. L was standing, holding Dimentio's mask in one hand, and using the other to cover his mouth. He too looked horrified.

Dio hated that. He hated how he made them both look that way.

"How did you find me?" Dio asked emptily as he rested the side of his head on the ground, seeming to stare off at nothing.

"L heard you," Dimentio answered, sounding worried and concerned.

"You aren't wearing your mask," Dio pointed out next as if it was not obvious.

"That is true," Dimentio admitted, cringing at the feeling of blood clotting on his hands where he was holding Dio's wrists.

"Why?" Dio asked, still sounding empty. He looked so tired. He sounded so defeated.

"Because I don't need to hide anymore," Dimentio replied.

"How lucky," Dio spat.

Never had he ever sounded more like Dimentio. It was almost scary. His voice sounded so empty now.

He then quickly kicked Dimentio back as if he had suddenly got a burst of energy. The fact that he did that hurt more than the blow did. Dimentio wasn't expecting the blow, so it completely caught him off guard.

"I'm going home," Dio said, immediately crawling and reaching for the knife.

Only just before he could grab the object, Dimentio snapped his fingers, making the blade appear in his own hands. "Listen to me," He begged, his mismatched eyes soft.

"I don't need your pity!" Dio retorted, snapping his fingers and making the knife appear in his own hands once again. "Back off. Just leave me be-"

"NO!" Dimentio exclaimed, charging forward and reaching for the knife. He wasn't able to successfully grab it, but he did knock it out of Dio's hands before he could hurt himself anymore.

Dio hissed and immediately dove for it, when Dimentio waved his hand, making the knife float up in the air just out of Dio's reach.

"Please, don't go!" Dimentio begged. "I-"

"Get. Out. Of. My. WAY!" Dio commanded, clenching his fists. "I'm going home!"

Now he really did sound like Dimentio. He almost sounded insane. Dimentio visibly winced as he heard the similarity. It was horrifying.

"Dio! Listen to me! I know how you feel!" Dimentio begged. Though Dio didn't tell him exactly what had happened, it had been fairly obvious. Why else would he be back here doing this? Why else would they all be here, fighting for his life?

"NO YOU DON'T!" Dio screamed as loudly as he could, feeling hot tears pour from his eyes once again. "Don't you DARE say you know how I feel! YOU HAVE MR. L! YOU HAVE A WORLD! YOU HAVE A HOME! I. HAVE. NOTHING!"

"I understand what it feels like to-"

"No, you don't! You knew they were gone. You didn't spend your whole life searching for something you'd never find!" Dio argued, snapping his fingers and tossing a projectile at Dimentio's shoulder, hitting him not enough to do any real damage, but just enough to stun him.

The flame within himself was lit.

"I have no one," Dio stated, snapping his fingers, making the knife appear in his hand, and holding it to his throat with a trembling hand. His face expressed so many emotions, it was almost heartbreaking. There was so much anger, so much grief, so much pain.

"Dio, that's not-" Dimentio desperately started, when he was cut off once again.

"DON'T! Don't say it's not true! You know it is! I HAVE NO ONE!" He cried, still sobbing hysterically.

Dimentio trembled as well, swallowing and holding his hand out, almost as if he was reaching for Dio. Reaching out to him.

"You have me."

Dio seemed to disagree, shaking his head and pulling the blade closer. Just one quick motion and it could all be over.

"Let me go," Dio whispered.

Dimentio looked into Dio's eyes. The eyes he was once so jealous of. Only now he could see. Dio wasn't dealt a better hand than him. Dio was the same character. They were both the same character, given two different equally horrible stories.

He then saw Dio squeeze his eyes shut as if he was preparing to do it. Panic filled the jester because he knew he couldn't help this. He knew he couldn't take that pain away from Dio.

"DIO, DON'T!" Dimentio exclaimed when Mr. L suddenly rushed up and snatched the blade. Dio seemed to clench his fist and growl as he desperately tried getting it back, summoning more projectiles and throwing them at Mr. L. Luckily, the man in green was able to dodge.

As Mr.L distracted him, Dimentio teleported behind and hugged Dio tightly so as to hold him still. Squeezing his mismatched eyes shut, he made an execution box form around the two of them, not to set it off, per se, but to instead hold them in place.

"LET ME GO!" Dio cried hysterically, squirming and trying to teleport out of the box, only to find that he was trapped. Something about execution boxes, they were like magic barriers. You couldn't escape them unless the one who made it took it down. "DIMENTIO, LET ME GO!"

Dimentio didn't let him go. He just continued hugging him tightly from behind, feeling as Dio struggled and tried breaking free. He wasn't going to let go. He wasn't going to let him hurt himself.

On the outside of the box, Mr. L held the knife tightly, staying a few steps away and watching from a safe distance. He breathed heavily, his adrenaline pumping. A part of him was horrified to see that transparent yellow box once again. But he felt comforted by the fact that it wouldn't be set off this time. It felt odd being on this side of it.

Dimentio continued to hug Dio tightly from behind. He was almost afraid he was suffocating him. But he knew deep down that it wasn't his arms, but instead, Dio's thoughts that were doing the suffocating.

After many minutes, Dio's struggling slowly slowed. His hysterical sobs turned to more soft, devastated ones. The cloaked boy slowly sank down to his knees, Dimentio still attached to him like a python to its prey.

"I wanna go home..." Dio whispered, his voice so soft that it was barely audible.

"...I know," Dimentio answered in a gentle voice as well. "Beleive me, I know."

Dio shook his head, just sitting there as more tears seemed to well up. Was there not a limit to how many could fall? Was there not a limit to how much he could hurt?

He slowly brought his hands to his face and sobbed, quieter now, truly feeling lost. He didn't know what to do now besides sit and cry. "I'm sorry," He whispered, his voice breaking and cracking slightly, muffled by his hands. "I'm sorry. I... I don't even know what to say."

Dimentio stilled, refusing to let go. What could he do? How would someone approach a situation like this? He had never come across something quite this bad.

"...Say it anyway," Dimentio told him, still hugging him tightly. "Just... say it all."

That's what he could do. Just be there to listen. Listen now, because he didn't listen before.

He didn't know how he could be so stupid before now. He knew that Dio had hurt himself, and he chose to ignore it. He chose to pretend he never even heard anything, and now he was seeing the consequences. He felt so stupid. Back then he actually allowed Dio to comfort him instead of the other way around. This whole time he didn't even think to ask Dio to say his thoughts. He just assumed Dio was fine because he seemed so happy.

He wished he knew better than to make assumptions. He just assumed Dio was fine because his smile always looked so real. In reality, Dio was an even better actor than he was! Dimentio chose to hide his pain behind a mask and an empty gaze. But Dio? His mask was his smile.

"Let it all out. I won't hurt you," Dimentio promised.

Dio paused a long moment, waiting in utter silence beside the occasional sob when he finally took a shaky breath.

"...Sometimes... I want to die," Dio hiccuped, still covering his face because he couldn't bear the idea of anyone looking into his eyes as he said that. He had never actually said that out loud before. It almost felt selfish to him that he was. It was like... he didn't wish to burden others with his own troubles. He wanted everyone around him to be happy, and sharing his troubles didn't seem the way to do that.

"Actually," He corrected, "All the time... I want to die. I just... haven't done it yet because... I always told myself these feelings would go away when I got home."

But he'd never get home.

Dimentio stayed silent, listening. Being there to listen.

"This... this is really hard for me," Dio squeaked, briefly lowering his hands to his lap, but still looking down. He could feel Mr. L's eyes on him on the other side of the box. "Could... could L go?"

Dimentio nodded into Dio's back and briefly let go of Dio with one of his arms, using that hand to wave L away. The man in green hesitated but eventually obeyed. After all... it was a hard subject to speak of, and Dio had a right to choose his audience. No matter how much L wanted to hear, he had to respect that.

Dio seemed to let out a small sigh of relief as soon as Mr. L was out of sight. He then slowly began to tremble once again.

"If you don't want to talk... you don't have to," Dimentio promised. "I'm just... here if you do. I'll listen to you."

In the end, that's all he could do. Just listen. And in the end, sometimes that's all someone needs.

Dio nodded, then choked on another sob, bowing his head and pulling his hood up more as if he was trying to hide.

"If you're scared, you don't-"

"No... I-I want to," Dio breathed, wiping more tears away. "I'm afraid... but I... I trust you more than I'm scared."

He then shook his head, doing his very best to keep steady. Trying his hardest to prevent too much emotion from tainting his voice.

"I... get really upset when people worry about me," Dio started. "I feel... like they're wasting their time worrying about something that can't be fixed. Wasting time that could instead be spent being happy. That's why... I never tell anyone about... these thoughts. It's just... so much easier to smile and help others be happy."

Dimentio nodded. He supposed that made sense. He never was one to share his pain. Not because he cared for others, but because he never really saw a reason for it until now. Perhaps in the past, he would have turned out better if he had shared some of his thoughts or let someone listen to him the way he was now listening to Dio.

"I... and if everyone knew about... my feelings, then they wouldn't treat me the same. They'd worry too much whenever I stop smiling. And I don't want that. I just... want everyone to be happy. And I always told myself that someday... once I got home, these feelings would vanish." Dio whimpered.

Dimentio felt a tightening sensation in his heart. Dio paused as if trying to find the words. Dimentio could feel the poor boy's heart beating fast through his back, but at least it still beat. At least he was still alive.

It was better to feel pain and be alive than to not feel anything at all. Even if those feelings were terrifying. "You're brave," Dimentio told him. "You're strong and brave. Please remember that."

Dio paused, then brushed Dimentio off of him, turned around, and tightly hugged the jester, squeezing his eyes shut and resting his forehead on Dimentio's chest, lightly sobbing once again.

At this moment, Dimentio could almost feel the dangerous thoughts that were bouncing around Dio's mind. He could practically hear those voices screaming at the poor boy.

"Shh..." Dimentio whispered, gently pushing Dio's hood off and stroking his hair. "You are not alone... you are never alone."

"I miss him," Dio squeaked, his voice breaking between sobs.

"I know..." Oitnemid whispered back, stroking Dio's hair. "I know... but you are not alone. I'm still here."

"I know..." Dimentio replied. "I know... but you are not alone. I'm still here."

Dio nodded, taking several deep breaths as if he was gathering the courage to say the things he had never said before. To share the thoughts his mind and heart forced him to keep inside. The things he never dared say out loud.

"I'm... so worthless," Dio breathed, choking on air. "I'm so worthless... and everyone would be better off without me. Hardly- hardly anyone would notice if I was gone." Suppressing a sob, he felt more tears roll down his face, finally letting his thoughts free. "I'm nothing more than an... an inconvenience. To you, to Luigi, to L, to everyone. I'm not good at anything... and I feel like everyone is just putting up with me."

He paused as the thoughts left his mouth as words, then lifted his chin slightly to look Dimentio in the eyes. "I hate it," Dio said. "I hate it so much. I don't want to have these thoughts! I don't want to feel this way. And the fact that I'm making you put up with me... it makes me just want to die."

Dimentio himself found it hard to stay strong and keep his composure during this. He found it nearly impossible not to break down. But he stayed strong because that's what Dio needed. Dio needed a chance to be the weak one for once.

"This isn't putting up with you," Dimentio promised, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "This is just being your friend."

He knew that the thoughts in Dio's head didn't belong, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do to make them just magically disappear. All he could do... was stay there and help Dio battle them.

"You are valuable," Dimentio told him. "To me, to Luigi, to L, and to everyone your smile meets. I... wouldn't be the same without you. And I mean that. I really... really mean that." He felt a tear roll down his face as well. No matter how hard he was trying to stay strong, he couldn't keep a few from sneaking out and falling.

"You coming here... you finding me... it was the best thing that could have happened. You brought me peace. You brought me happiness. That's your favorite thing to do, right?" Dimentio asked.

Dio didn't respond, but Dimentio could feel him gently nod as a confirmation.

And there were no more words needed between them. They just stayed there, sharing their embrace for a while longer. Dio leaned his head back on Dimentio's shoulder, and just stayed that way, Dimentio letting him take all the time he needed.