This day in particular wasn't a good one; it was brilliant for business, but terrible for them. Nero hated anything having to do with sun, and standing inside a barely-conditioned ice cream truck in the blazing weather was very far down on his 'I'll probably never do this, but will have to for the sake of my well-being' list. The job wasn't all bad: it paid well, and eating ice cream at any point during the day was a bonus. But today was hot, and that meant more customers, meaning shorter breaks and less ice cream. Nevertheless, the three employees made it through the day without a hitch; with their profits being as successful as they were, they were all allowed to venture home with a huge tub of sweet icy goodness of any flavour of their choosing. Nero plunged toward one of the remaining two tubs of blueberry cheesecake, hopped on his motorcycle, and made the ten minute drive home with a frozen crotch.

He opened the front door quietly and noticed the dim lighting in the room, thinking Dante had fallen asleep on the couch. His eyes caught the piece of furniture at the centre of the room with no sleeping beauty in sight, but to his left a roaring fire was burning in the fireplace with his partner parking on the floor next to it, legs crossed and reading a book. The flames and shadows played wonderfully across Dante's flawless skin and body and the romantic setting seemed to be just what Nero needed after his day. He closed the door and Dante's head snapped up, his eyes shady from being engrossed in his novel. He was about to stand when a gentle hand stopped him: he resumed his position against the wall and Nero placed the tub on the floor, snuggling out of part of his uniform – his navy blue bow tie and matching apron – and fell next to Dante; his frame collapsed into his open arms and Nero hugged him with all his might, just happy to be home. "Come on, your day couldn't have been that bad."

"Not at all. My legs are frozen; I just need the heat."

Dante chuckled heartily at his statement and brought Nero's face to his, planting the meekest of kisses on his boyfriend's lips. Breaking apart, they stared deep into one another's eyes and their lips met once more, passionate and hungry, as if blaming time and space for separating them for the mere eight hours they hadn't seen each other. Nero straddled him and positioned his elbows either side of Dante's head, pushing his full weight into the kiss and finding little embarrassment in his actions; he wasn't one for outright displays of affection, but he was Dante's monster behind closed doors. It took all his strength on a day-to-day basis to not ravage the poor soul and so far he had done a good job in controlling himself around him, but it was days like these when his hunger and longing for the man he loved overwhelmed his need for anything else, and that made all the difference when Dante would eventually carry him up to their room and not come out for fresh air for at least four hours.

Dante, on the other hand, had no choice but to be the voice of reason for both of them; he could not risk his inner demon 'accidentally' joining the fun and 'accidentally' ripping Nero to pieces. There were definitely times when he thought he would lose control whilst thrusting inside him, and concentrating upon two opposing thought processes was the hardest part about making love to him. Well, the second hardest. He was lucky that no such incident had yet occurred, but he was thankful Nero had not taken the extra steps needed for that part of him to awaken. Dante focused on his pending arousal as he sensed the form in front of him, his hands slowly tugging at Nero's silver locks, running his soft, strong hands down his frame and pulling every inch of him closer to his body and waiting for what was to come next. Dante bent to Nero's will, and nothing made him happier knowing that they belonged whole-heartedly to each other. It also helped that they were both irrevocably gorgeous and amazing in the sack.

By the end of it they were both gasping for breath, replenishing their lungs from the lost minute of oxygen they had endured. Nero adjusted his position to make their pursuits more comfortable and popped the first two buttons of Dante's tight crimson shirt, nipping and kissing his shoulders, collarbone, and neck, and tracing his tongue along the fresh red bruises, connecting the dots and finding his destination inside Dante's mouth once again, eager for him to catch the hint. He placed his hands on either side of Nero's face and pushed back, and he released the grip he held on Dante's tongue, sucking it until the tip was dragged from his mouth. "What really happened at work today, Nero?"

Nero was a tease: he was able to control his urges under his initiation, and this drove Dante mad. Nero was able to – in the heat of passion – flip a complete switch in any situation and descend from a sexual high at an alarming speed when his mood saw fit. It was an entirely different story when Dante instigated the first move; the smaller man would be begging for him not to stop, and the love-making would go on for ages. Granted, in that time, Nero would surrender and give him everything he wanted when he wanted it – all he had to do was ask. Dante was his kryptonite, his ultimate weakness, his white flag; the best fucking sex he would ever have. And boy, didn't Dante know it.

He placed his forehead on Dante's and shook his head gently. "Too warm for me."

Dante licked at Nero's swollen lips. "And somehow you're okay with sitting right next to a fire?"

He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. He didn't need to. There was no time. "Both are different kinds of warm, Dante. They're controllable." Nero smiled into his lips as his boyfriend ran his hands down the side of his frame, clawing at the right spots to earn a few breathy moans from the back of his throat. He used his tongue to draw Dante's bottom lip onto his mouth, sucking and biting to bring it back to its former plumpness. "Well, one is."

He knew how to push Dante's buttons. He knew the exact areas to touch to gauge certain reactions, and this knowledge gave Nero a very unfair advantage: not only could he instruct Dante to do certain things without so much as a word or the lift of a finger, but he would dictate the ferocity and pattern with which the evening's endeavours would follow. But if he thought Dante hadn't noticed, he had another thing coming. The elder man drew his moist lip from its former position with a deeply aroused expression on his face. "Unfortunately, it's going to have to wait. I'm expecting a phone call in an hour for a possible job on the other side of the district. Once I'm done with that, I'm all yours. For now, I really think I should carry on reading."

Nero remained on Dante's lap as he grabbed the book next to him and found his place. He kept his place with a single finger and altered his attention to the helplessly stimulated body in front of him. "Reading, in particular?"

Dante shrugged as nonchalantly as his frame would allow – truth be told, with the way Nero had changed his mental state, he could probably get his fix in forty minutes, but that was still too risky. Once they started, it was difficult to stop. "It's the only thing I can do to not think of you. When I read, all my focus goes to each word on the page otherwise I lose out. All my other hobbies provide too much leeway for other thoughts and memories to flood through. It's the only effective avenue I have." Effective was too strong a word; had Nero seen the evidence of his efforts in the bulge of Dante's jeans, his entire argument would prove void.

"But-" Nero pouted as he feigned a broken heart, "-but… but I'm shaking my tail feathers for you." And with that adorable yet completely fake expression, his right index finger clung at the corner of his mouth as he shook his hips from left to right in a last attempt to sway his partner into a quickie – the movement cuddled their bulges together and Dante's half-erection found its home between Nero's legs. They both drew breath at the sudden friction and, ironically, Nero made the first effort to stop the action as he gracefully climbed off Dante – giggling the entire time – and sat on his knees to his right, blocking most of the raging heat.

Dante opened the book randomly and splayed it over his face – he wouldn't live to see the day Nero saw him blush. Calming to a normal colour, Dante dropped his book and rose from his position. He opted not to stand too close to Nero; they were in the perfect position for him to-

"I'm going to the cellar, you want anything? I need a stiff to make it through tonight." He awkwardly looked around the room for something his eyes could occupy themselves with; a true godsend, he gaped at the possibly melting ice cream tub by the door and went to grab it. Hopefully putting it in the freezer would take longer than was necessary.

He heard his novel being picked up and saw Nero turning to the page holding the bookmark. He heeded no attention to his words, but the distraction was more than welcome in Dante's eyes. "You have one right there, and it's bigger than anything you'd be able to pour…ever." Shit – he had noticed, and perhaps some time ago, because Nero wasn't looking in Dante's direction. He was focused on the book and the book alone, and Dante took it as the opening he needed to sneak into his favourite room in the house. He stood at the threshold of the cellar and turned, watching Nero's face manifest to twenty shades of confusion. For the life of him, Dante couldn't remember what he was reading.

After strategically positioning the ice cream in the freezer, Dante ventured forward to the vast selection of alcohol on show and went to one area in particular – the red wine. It wasn't the strongest of spirits he could choose from, but for some unknown reason demons could never handle wine. He never thought to understand the process of how it was made, but there had to be an addition of sorts which rendered demons powerless to its oaky-, spicy-, and fruity notes and the nutty aftertaste. Dante didn't drink the stuff, so his entire collection was grown and nurtured by Nero; he bought to his own taste and pallet knowing Dante would turn down any offer he made when the poison was mentioned. For now, he needed to numb the nerves in his body and still be awake enough to conquer a possible hoard of demons burning the midnight oil.

Choosing two bottles based on the eloquent design of their respective labels, Dante snuck back into the living room, grabbing a wine glass that conveniently rested on the kitchen counter, but stopped dead in his tracks and nearly dropped his beverages when looking at Nero: his face was glued to the literature and his hand was glued to the inside of his jeans – his zipper and button were open, and seeing the outside material of Nero's underwear left nothing to Dante's imagination. He stood a few seconds more and watched as his hand moved methodically under the material, his slow and steady breathing signalling the starting stages of an oncoming release.

There was no point in asking, but what else could he do? "What are you d-"

"Where did you get this?" The question took Dante by surprise, but he didn't answer. "Where did you get this, Dante?"

He began opening the first bottle and took a swig. "One of my students gave it to me."

"I thought you were a lecturer."

The confusion on his face was enough to send half of Dante's sip through his nose. He laughed as the red liquid travelled down his windpipe and a coughing fit ensued with no help from the man on the ground. "I am, specialising in English and Demonic Studies, particularly 14th century epic poetry." He used his best fake British accent when stating his official title.

"Then why on earth are you reading something like this?" Nero held the novel in the air for inspection. Dante was clueless to what he was referring to and took a deep breath before slurping at the wine bottle a second time; it burned less and he began to taste it more, feeling closer and closer to death the more the smooth poison slithered down his throat.

"I haven't gotten far-"

"Okay, hold on; let me ask you this…" Nero got more comfortable, but didn't shift his position. Book and erection stayed in place. "What were you discussing when one of your students recommended this book?"

"It was Dante's Inferno. My favourite." Five gulps in and his body was now tasting the wine. "I know it has nothing to do with demons, but he speaks of hell and I think I know a thing or two when it comes to that-"

Realisation dawned on Nero's features. The book made sense now. But one last thing. "Was it a female student?"

Dante wobbled on the spot. "Where does that come from?"

"Aha, so it was a female." Nero smiled naughtily to himself and resumed his position against the wall. He continued to ignore Dante's presence and furthered his efforts, his hand pumping slowly below his belt as his breathing quickened to the pace Dante knew all too well. He'd be damned if this was going to happen without him; Dante slumped next to the fire and crawled to Nero's side, snatching the paperback from his glowing claw. Nero pulled his lip in mock defeat and made himself decent, not saying a word about the unnecessary torture Dante would have to endure through page one hundred and fifteen.

"I need this more than you do." Dante was stoic in his words, but his resolve turned to mush after reading just three pages after where he had previously stopped. He felt the muscles in his face adjust to a myriad of complex desires and agitations; the last thing he wanted on his mind was sex, and the mere fact that it had been combined with the perfect distraction proved far more pointless than what anyone would think. It was the same feeling of being abstinent for an indefinite amount of time and then accidentally stumbling across the porn channel and fighting with yourself to switch it off. The next few pages got worse, and in a few minutes he knew luck wasn't on his side. Dante resorted to finishing the first bottle, downing the remaining half in three swigs and grappled on the other next to Nero – the bugger purposefully locked his arm under his elbow so he would be forced to run his hand along the prevalent bulge in his pants. Who needs wine anyway?

"Nero, no!"

"Aw come on, it's been a long day-"

"Yes it has, but we both know an hour isn't enough." Dante had a point. "Besides, I'm better at keeping my composure than you are. I'm quite good at resisting temptation; you, on the other hand, are not."

Oh really?

Let's see how good you really are, Dante.

Dante resorted to reading the same page for the fifth time, thanks to the distraction between Nero's legs. "Do you remember that one time in the movie theatre? We were in the back row watching some stupid horror film that you were dying to see, and ending up seeing absolutely none of it because you craved to fuck my mouth instead?" He traced concentric circles up Dante's leg and nestled on his inner thigh, pinching at a very particular spot he knew drove the man painfully senseless. "I won't lie, it was tricky having to find a comfortable position but we made it, right? And all I had to do was sit with my mouth wide open and you did all the dirty work…" Dante adjusted his position on the wall and dropped the book by his side. Trying to concentrate was utterly pointless. "The way you gripped the back of my head, pushing inside me over and over, and what was it, six times you came?" Nero now mounted Dante's calves and moved higher with every second that ticked by. He sat on his knees and loosened both their belts, releasing some of the tension that had been growing since he came home.

Dante made no effort to stop him, and his words came as a surprise to Nero. "It was seven. Six down your throat, once in your mouth. You wanted to taste me." His voice was thick with arousal, throaty almost, and an attempt to clear his throat proved futile. Nero was working with gold and it would be a relatively long time to recover from it.

He accomplished his goal and slid their belts across the floor, climbing higher and straddling his lover, wrapping Dante's arms around his back and reaching his own to the back of the other man's head. "Or maybe our first time in the shower together? I'm sure you remember that, Dante. Our handprints are still on the glass doors. I even remember the way you made me scream. I mean, how could I not? You released that animal that's stuck so deep inside of you and tore me to shreds. I swear, sometimes it still hurts, but then I remember the look on your face when you thrust inside me, with your hands on my shoulders, holding me to penetrate deeper, and I get so fucking hard. Instantly. And I'm left with no choice but to come. You know how uncomfortably heavy he gets when he thinks of you."

Nero rested his head on his chest, watching their respective sexes to see if anything was working. The swelling in Dante's jeans gave him right away – he would never deny his body immeasurable pleasure and Nero was more than willing to oblige. He smiled up at Dante and kissed him impatiently; one hand toyed with the baby silver hairs at the back of his neck and his bringer opened his pants further. Dante moaned into his mouth as Nero's scales touched the tender skin on his erection, constricting his grasp around his partner's back to urge him on. He wasn't pulled free, but Nero's static pace evidently irritated his elder – the plan was going well. "Or what about that one Halloween party at that huge mansion?"

"The one where we had sex in every room?" Dante lifted his legs and cradled him in position, causing vicious friction and electricity to pulsate between them. "The first time I had fucked you so hard you were in tears?" He pulled Nero's tongue out of his mouth and began sucking tenderly, inadvertently drawing him closer. He whispered into Nero's mouth, sending a passionate shiver down his spine. "The first time you ever made me scream?"

Nero's usual cool head was quickly melting on either side of Dante; he shook his head to clear the cobwebs his lover had spun, and he was back on track. "You were practically hanging off the side of the bed while I was sucking you off. You even wrapped your legs around my neck, begging me to keep going. Fuck, watching your body as you came hard into my mouth… I could never get that image out of my head: the way your stomach muscles contorted out of pure ecstasy, the way your eyes rolled in their sockets, the deep, raspy, sexy way you shrieked my name…"

And the balance tipped for Nero favourably once more. Dante exhaled deeply as he allowed his head to fall into the wall behind him, biting his lip to quell the memory entering his head. Too bad for him, he unknowingly exposed all of his neck: he felt canines scrape against his jugular and collarbone, Nero's slick tongue making quick work at rendering his boyfriend helpless. Dante sunk with his sanity to the floor and ran his fingers through Nero's hair – his personal signal for 'don't stop' – and buried his other hand in his boyfriend's jeans. Nero had swelled beyond his usual size. Noticing his actions, the younger man hindered the violence on his neck and spoke directly into Dante's ear. "Can you see what you do to me, Dante?" He flattened his hands on the wall either side of his head and used his body to push back on Dante's raised legs, straightening them on the floor. The elder couldn't resist running his hands down his frame as Nero seduced him some more, looking deep into his eyes from above. "When you're on top of me, staring deep into my eyes, biting down on your bottom lip to control yourself inside me, it drives me insane. When your head is between my legs and I watch your hair bob up and down, taking me deeper and deeper into your mouth as your hands grip my legs to prevent any damn movement, I lose my fucking mind. Do you know why?" Dante desperately wanted this to be over. Nero never knew his limit when he got in the zone. "Because in those moments, I can feel everything you are feeling. In those moments, I know you're doing it because you want to. Because you want me. Because you're not afraid to live out your deepest, darkest desires with me. And because you are fucking filthy."

Nero dove into Dante's clothes and clung forcefully to his member; as a reflex, Dante's hands reached around his body and grasped his ass firmly and spreading it to prepare him for impalement. It agitated him more that his begging release was at the hands of a man who relished in punishment for his own satisfaction. "You love the way you can turn me into a hot mess without even trying; you love the way the muscles in my ass contract around your dick when you enter me; you love the way my body hitches upward as your penis slams into me, pushing me higher and higher on the bed until the headboard bangs against the wall; you love how you can command my body on all fours, the noises we hear when you're balls deep inside me, the way you push my face into the bed, muffling my screams and cries as you continue to fuck me with no remorse; you love how I sometimes push your mouth off me when I feel like I've hand enough, but then come back to literally suck the energy out of me; you love the way my hands clutch at the sheets while you use yours to open me up and watch your handiwork as you ram into me – again and again and again – only to have me beg for more-" Nero bit aggressively at Dante's lip, drawing droplets of blood as he proclaimed through clenched teeth-

"Every…"

"Fucking…"

"Time."

The crimson liquid dripped down the corners of Dante's mouth and pooled underneath his chin. Nero took his time cleansing his tainted pale flesh to its former glow; he mustered enough stamina to lean earnestly into Dante's ear, simultaneously diving into his underwear and caressing his manhood once again. "This is all mine. My body bends to your will and your will alone. You have custom-tailored me to your needs. You have destroyed me, and I fucking-"

Nero was interrupted by the telephone ringing on the desk. They both gawked at it in awe: for Dante it was perfect timing, for Nero it was perfect timing, and for two very different reasons. The younger man smiled devilishly as he made way for Dante to answer the call; the recipient hurried to his desk, slamming his hand on the surface and catching the receiver mid-air, clutching at Nero's arm as he tried to sneak up the stairs. "Devil May Cry."

Dante's eyes glossed a toxic crimson as it burned two gaping holes into Nero's soul. Rather than stew in embarrassment, the older man chose to let him go and enjoy what bit of sanity he had left in that mushed up brain of his. The look on Dante's face as he loosened his grip sent an unsolicited tremor vibrating through Nero's form; it chilled him to his core and it was unlike anything he had ever seen. He had witnessed a similar look on his face when fighting those damn hordes of demons, but this look was fused with rage and hurt, almost as if every ounce of matter inside of him was broken. Dante dropped his arm and moved toward his desk, perching on his chair and resuming his usual position with his legs atop the piece of furniture, continuing the conversation with his customer.

Instant regret enveloped Nero's features. What on earth had he done? Without dwelling on the hot-spoon-through-butter tension, he slumped his shoulders and walked up the stairs in defeat. Even though he won. No, this was no longer a game; he had hurt the man he loved, one of the last results he had ever anticipated and the single most important thing he swore he would never do. At the top of the stairs he tuned to the conversation below, Dante confirming certain details for the mission while the voice on the other end cried in impatience. "I will be there as soon as I can," he heard Dante say, and it soothed the panicked customer. The receiver was replaced and Nero heard him fiddle with his weapons hanging on the wall. He suddenly realised that his trusted red coat was hanging in their shared closet and sped to the bathroom to avoid him. He filled it three-quarters full, undressed, and entered what would soon be the most unsatisfying bath of his life. Nero looked to the door wondering if Dante was okay going out to do a mission in his state, but brandished the thought from his mind its sheer stupidity: this was Dante; nothing stood between him and those freaks. He sank into the bath until half of his face was covered, closing his eyes and – for a second time – coming face to face with the most heart-breaking thing he had ever witnessed.

Dante looked over his shoulder as he heard the water storm through the tap. A rewarding smile encased his lips as he placed his weapons back in their place, stealthily moving to his desk and dialling in quick succession.

Two can play this damn game.

The muscular figure lying on the bed moaned savagely when he heard the familiar ringtone cry from beneath the bed covers. With as little bodily movement as possible, he located the irritating piece of technology and answered with as much annoyance as he could muster. Seeing the name on its digital screen did nothing to improve his mood. "What is it, Dante?"

"I wanna cash in."

He shut his eyes and inhaled weightily, trying his best to concentrate on the phone call. "Now isn't exactly the best time-"

"Do this one thing and I'll wipe the slate clean. You won't owe me a damn thing." His deep voice was stern and serious – whatever he needed done was either too difficult to endeavour alone or something more important had popped into his schedule; he figured it was the latter.

He held the phone away from his face as a prickly tingle spread through the lower half of his body, expelling through his shaft and into the wet, hot mouth that had been busy for the past two and a half hours. He arched his back as the bobbing jet black head of hair between his legs failed to change pace and the grip around his legs tightened at the excitement of his next oncoming orgasm. The creature below locked eyes with him as he was swallowed whole once more, clenching his teeth at feeling the back of the being's throat on his sensitive head. A deep exhale soothed him. "Fine. Give me the details." He tried to speak as little as possible as Dante explained all the finer particulars with him. A miniscule grunt was his choice of confirmation as he burned the words to memory, occasionally asking Dante to repeat certain things as the creature below rendered him close to a sticky mess. He shifted comfortably on his back, his tell-tale for the arrival of his orgasm. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, but please be careful." Dante giggled on the other end of the receiver. "Don't let him suck all the energy out of you. I need you alert in an hour."

There were just some things he couldn't hide, one of them being his incontestable arousal. "I know my limits-"

Dante choked his reply through a fit of laughter. "No, you fucking don't."

The line went dead and the tingle was back. He threw his phone across to the other side of the bed as he gripped the sheets, breathing heavily and ejecting a feral growl as he felt the glassy liquid push through his penis. The black head dragged along the hardened shaft, sucking every last ounce of cum that had escaped the corners of his mouth. His deep voice echoed against the quiet in the room. "What's the number?"

He looked down and was met with blazing green eyes burning with sex; the emerald depths stared back with equal vigour as he brought the rest of his naked body into full view, getting comfortable between his victim's legs. His hands never left his body. "The last one was seventeen."

The man on his knees smiled a filthy smile: he leaned forward and buried his face in the pale skin under his belly button, nipping and licking at the enflamed flesh. His green eyes watched the man underneath him intently as he thrust his legs upward, bending his knees and teasing the underside of his thighs. "I can't be doing a good job seeing as you can still count."

The man on the bed stopped him as green eyes bent his head to claim his victim's manhood as his own and pulled his face in line with his, kissing and biting his engorged lips. "I may have to leave in a bit. It's just a short mission – nothing too hectic and it shouldn't take long. Would you mind waiting for me?"

Green eyes pouted. "You promised that I could have you all night." He laid his body flat against him and kissed him fiercely, avidly feeling his way through his mouth with his tongue; the man on the bed clutched at his dark hair and tugged softly, urging him deeper into his mouth. Green eyes responded by wrapping his limp legs around his waist, holding his ankles firm as he teased his erection over his entrance. He hooked his legs behind him and laced their fingers, earning a couple of breathy, erotic moans from the helpless form below.

"You still can. I just have this small thing to take care of-" He kept the corner of his lip between his teeth as a strong hand wrapped around his base and squeezed strongly, his other hand caressing his lower back to support his movements. He arched his back as the other man altered between gentle and rough strokes, with the stronger ones forcing his knuckles white as he clutched the sheets.

Eighteen…

"How long until you have to leave?"

His mind didn't register the question – a quick flick to his inner thigh woke him up from his post-orgasmic daze. "One hour," he replied softly, grateful for the small bit of air left in his lungs after the recent onslaught. He pulled at his snow white strands in an effort to soothe the muscles inside of him that ached to be touched; his neck and shoulders stung with pain as his fingertips grazed the red bruises left by his green-eyed lover – he revelled that the marks had not yet healed. "You're territorial, aren't you?"

He reached out and held snow white's face in his hands, staring absorbedly into his soul. "I aim to please you and only you." Their lips met in a pure, unadulterated frenzy; not a moment too soon had the black-haired creature hoist the other in his arms and warp to the cold wall directly next to the bed, squirming comfortably between the other man's legs. Snow white held onto his body for dear life as the cold deliciously traversed up his spine to the base of his neck, waking him up in the best way possible. Silence enveloped the lovers as they stood still and sunk into one another's frames, basking in their heightened arousal and undeniable need to quench their respective thirsts. "But I think it's about time I make up my quota." The man against the wall stole a few quick breaths before feeling a heartbeat pulsate inside of him, thrusting deeper and deeper as his legs were wrenched apart at his lover's sudden movements; green eyes was packing some heavy machinery, and his legs were in pain at how far apart they needed to be to accompany him. He rammed at snow white with alarming force, teasing his prostate as he fell into the wall and pushed as deep as he was allowed; in return, snow white seized at the jet black strands as his body writhed with pleasure, shaking uncontrollably at the happenings between his legs. He reached down and clawed at his lover's back, drawing blood from his smooth, soft, taut skin with an inaudible scream brandishing deadly within his lungs.

Nineteen…

With everything taken care of, Dante carefully and quietly removed his socks and shoes and placed them under his desk, sneaking up the stairs on route to the bathroom. He held his ear against the door and heard very little movement from inside. The face seemed to have worked. Draining his happiness and excitement, Dante modestly grabbed the door handle and let himself in: seeing him, Nero shifted to the opposite end of the bath, choosing to be further away from him and slowly work his way up, apologising in the process. The elder perched on the edge, leaning to feel the temperature of the water; it felt nice against his skin and was too clean to show any indication of a bath. He waved his hands in circles, causing ripples all the way to where Nero was sitting. He watched as the poor boy shivered in his corner.

"It's colder than usual."

He relaxed, grateful that Dante was speaking to him. "I was just about to put in some more-"

"Don't bother."

Nero was startled at the interruption, and even more so as Dante climbed into the bath, fully clothed, in his signature lotus position. His arms rested at the rims on either side as a wild smirk spread across his angelic features, his eyes melting to the same glossy crimson as before. This wasn't anger; this was lust. His canines grew to half their normal scope, signalling the beginning phase of catching his prey. His hair gained a silkier, softer tone against the lights from above and his body grew taut: thick, muscular, and outright gorgeous, the muscles covering his frame protruding invitingly through his attire. Thanks to the water his clothes stuck to his form, making them more pronounced and perfect, and a thought suddenly struck Nero square in the face – Dante wasn't angry at all; he was horny as fuck.

He sat in awe for what seemed like hours before speaking. "I thought you had a job."

"I did." His voice was succulently intense; those two words resonated in the pit of Nero stomach and made him both dizzy and terrified. He moved to speak, but the look on Dante's face stopped him; the man in question launched forward and grabbed hold of his legs, stretching him across the floor of the bath. Nero could only stare at his clothed, wet, immaculate body as he slithered across the water, moving carefully to not touch any part of him; as he did so, Dante's claws mutated and his strength was on full display, clutching and chipping away at the porcelain above Nero's shoulders. He leaned in and whispered to Nero's lips, his desire utterly irresistible. "You forgot one thing, didn't you? How could I possibly leave you alone without pointing it out?"

He blinked, and an obscure film coated the glowing rubies looking down at Nero, and in that moment he knew he was about to be beaten at his own game. In his defence, there were definitely more that he could have mentioned and pinpointing the exact one Dante referred to was a task and a half, especially after the elapsed eleven seconds. He opened his mouth to answer, and was caught off guard by Dante's tongue being thrust into his mouth. "You left your chances to speak when you walked up those stairs. I want to hear absolutely nothing from your pretty little mouth unless I ask, are we clear?"

"Which one did I forg-"

Dante's tongue was in his mouth again, fierce and invading and almost against his will. Nero moaned into the depth of the kiss, holding onto the very thin thread that held his sanity intact. His hands instinctively caressed his boyfriend's face trying to calm him down, but the heat emanating from Dante's face negated his actions, and not soon after was his hands wrenched from their cradle and hauled above his head, dragging a tense deep moan from his lungs. He caught Nero's bottom lip between his teeth – biting down vehemently – and Dante's fangs pierced through his skin. "Nothing, do you understand me?"

Nero was unashamed of Dante 2.0: it had been a while since this side had made an appearance and it seemed to have, since then, festered into something Dante had borderline control over. You see, all of Nero's previous attempts hadn't shown much promise, if any at all. Juggling two jobs that took up most of his time day and night left insufficient room for them to spend time together. But it was moments like these when Nero had him all to himself, planting the spiky yet delicate seed for Dante to water and nurture into a night full of love-making and endless dirty talk. Of course, love-making for the half demon meant something entirely different to natural route things would take; he was gentle but thorough, and in times like this decency flew of the window. Nero thought back to the last and only time he unlocked this particular achievement-

And as blood trickled down his chin, it hit him like a ton of bricks...

The glint of recognition in his eyes made Dante smile as he bent forward to savour Nero's blood. He licked at his pale flesh, being cautious with the fangs protruding through his grimace. The more the memory encased Nero's brain, the harder he moaned at his lover's actions; his body forced his muscles to contract under the lack of contact on every other part of it as mind quickly overshadowed matter. Nero snapped from his daydream to meet Dante's scorching gaze, frantically wanting to be done with his charade, and his counterpart locked his eyes in captivation alone.

"It had rained that night. I know how much you love the smell of the air after the rain." Perfect romantic setting. "I didn't know what time you were coming home, because you were in one of your moods and you refused to talk to me." One lovesick puppy and his victim. "But I made sure to wait all night for you so we could go to bed together. Maybe offer you a massage, a drink, some yummy takeaway…" This was panning out to be the perfect narrative. "But what ended up happening? You stormed through the door with your eyes on fire, ready to burn the freaking house down."

"You know how much I hated that-"

Dante shifted both of Nero's arms and locked them in one hand while the other hooked at the side of his mouth as he kissed him deep. "I don't remember asking you anything."

Nero's eyes lidded in yearning as he fell silent, letting Dante continue. "You were pacing up and down the living room; I had no idea what was going through your head, only that I needed to do something to calm you down, and what was it you chose?"

He smirked and nodded at Nero in a 'now-is-the-time-for-you-to-speak' manner. "You."

"And what was the thing you chose to do to me?"

The boy tried his best to not let his mind reel. "Don't make me say it-"

Dante tightened the grip on his wrists and whispered into Nero's open mouth. "What… was the thing… you chose to do… to me…?"

He took a breath and answered to Dante's lips. "I sucked you off."

"What? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

Nero swallowed the saliva watering his mouth, raising his voice two decibels higher. "I sucked you off."

The hunter moved dangerously close this time, his plump lips grazing ever-so-slightly on Nero's earlobe. "One more time."

"I FUCKING SUCKED YOU OFF AND MADE YOU COME!"

"Yes you did!" Dante was pleased at his performance. "You stripped me naked, run your tongue all over my skin, and sucked the living daylights out of me. I didn't want to stop you because you seemed to be having so much fun, and if I have to admit it, I love seeing the way your lips curl and stretch over my cock when you take me deep into your throat. Even when you don't, it's like you're making out with it, and it feels amazing. The faces you pull when your lips wrap around my base… fuck, that's enough to make me come, hands free." Dante licked Nero's lips and they fell open in the hope of another kiss. "You buried your face between my legs for two hours, and all I could do was watch the top of your head and listen to your growling. I tried to stop you but you swatted my hands away, so I massaged your head instead. I'm guessing you liked it as you moved faster and harder; you started biting me too, and it just made me harder. So fucking hard it was painful – I was so full of cum. Well, you know this, you swallowed all of it." He opened Nero's mouth with a small gesture of his thumb and licked at his tongue, sucking it into the open air. "It was either in your mouth or up your ass, and we hadn't gotten to that part of the night-"

Nero exhaled sharply; Dante was in his element – he couldn't be too sure this was one hundred percent Dante, but who cared? He melted as the seconds ticked by, and he knew he would need to be touched as soon as remotely possible. His attention was grabbed by an annoying tone. "And then the strangest thing happened. Can you remember?"

Dante pouted. Of course he could. "I licked you clean and went upstairs."

"And why was that?"

Nero squirmed, only now noticing the temperature of the bath had dropped. He was too embarrassed to answer, but the silence was deafening and Dante was too patient for his own good. "Because I love teasing you. Because I love seeing you want me so much-"

"Yes. You left me horny, hard, and practically leaking on the couch." His index finger traced the outline of Nero's lips and fell into his mouth. "But I fixed that, didn't I?" Nero wasted no time in sucking vigorously at the digit, earning a stunned gasp and a chuckle from Dante. "Why am I not surprised? You do enjoy sucking any part of me, don't you?"

Nero was about to enquire a substitute when Dante spoke again. "You left me with no choice: I had to follow you up the stairs and I had to make love to you, but I suddenly gathered I was angry at what you did. I hated you for taking advantage of me, doing with me as you pleased and wandering off, like my needs meant nothing to you; my satisfaction meant nothing to you. When I got the bedroom you faked being asleep and that pissed me off even more. And that's when I decided you were gonna regret it. I was gonna make you hate yourself for what you did to me."

A smirk covered half of Dante's face as Nero dropped his head in embarrassment. This was the part of the story that would send him over the edge he tried so hard to balance on. The man above him nuzzled his nose, obliging painful eye contact through the entire recollection. "I remember seeing you sleeping so soundly under the covers; you looked so angelic under the moonlight that I almost felt the urge to leave you alone and let you sleep. I listened to my inner voice telling me you were wide awake, which you were, and I tore the sheets off the bed. I should have known you were naked, and the position in which you slept was adorable, and also a really good angle for balls-deep penetration. The bend at the knee was a nice touch, I might add."

Nero was starting to feel it; Dante was working his magic, and the non-existent bodily contact made it all the more worse to bear. "I didn't want to prepare you: every inch of me was tense with rage and I need to make you mine. Quickly. So I just wrapped my leg around yours and pushed in. You didn't mind, did you?" He shook his head; his face had turned hot pink. "Of course you didn't; like you said earlier, you love the feel of my dick ramming inside you, claiming your ass over and over again. I speak on behalf of us when I say 'we dig it too.' Honestly, I haven't met anyone who melts on top of me as bad as you do, but I digress. I needed to fuck you badly. I wanted you to feel what you had did to me, and I wanted evidence the next day. My body was flush on yours when you were flat on your stomach and I made it as hard as possible for you to breath. I wanted you raw. I didn't want you alive. I wanted to fuck you dead, but you're way too strong for that, so I settled for the other thing I'm known for. Then again, you really enjoy pain, so there was no way I could win."

Nero utilised his remaining energy to thrash against the surface of the water; his frame moved on autopilot, craving some form of touch from his torturer. Dante ignored his silent plea and dished out his punishment. "While I thrust inside you and your moaning grew louder, your hands lost their place and grappled for air. You asked me to move closer to the headboard. Do you remember how I did that?"

He nodded, and Dante's heavy breaths were on Nero's neck waiting for an answer. "You fucked me there. With every thrust, you pushed me higher on higher on the bed until I could grab at the rungs."

Dante snickered. "I did, didn't I?" His back arched as the words vibrated seductively through his jugular to his neck, travelling downward at an alarming speed and resting below his belly button. If Dante kept this up, that vibration would sink slowly to the depths of the unknown and make a surprise visit when they both least expected. But he had no intention of stopping. "And then I basically pulled you up against me and tried to fuck harder. And may have succeeded, by the look of it. But in my old age, the rest is a blur. I know we did one more thing though."

The image was burning in Nero's mind. "We did."

"Remind me: the more you talk, the more detail you give, the more I touch you." Dante released the grip on his outstretched arms and perched his left hand on the edge it rested earlier, his right grazing tenderly across his ribcage. "Tell me, what did I do to you?"

Nero tantalisingly bit the corner of his lip as his eyes rolled into his skull, fetching every possible detail of the one incident Dante would never let him forget. "We… We fell back onto the bed… You pulled us down, really… And we… And I… No, we bounced on it, and-"

"And?" Dante suckled the sensitive flesh under his ear while his claws left a trail of blood as it navigated the smooth plains of his body; it circled at Nero's hip, mildly massaging his lower back and coercing his left leg out of the water. Dante gripped his ankle and bent it at the knee, thrusting outward to the wall of the bath and unhurriedly ran a single digit to the mess of hard muscle between his legs.

Nero's breath hitched in his chest as his claw made contact with his erection; the texture of the scaly hand always did wonders when he needed a quick fix. When Dante used it for torture, however, the scales turned rough, albeit still soft, and established a new sensation altogether. He watched as Dante used the claw on him, moving slowly and methodically in his moment of madness, and Nero savoured watching his face as he too was in the process of losing control. He had to choose his words carefully, but he made it very hard for him to think straight. "Your dick went really deep into me… And I… And I screamed. You were so fucking deep, Dante. Oh my god, I can still feel it…" His speech was cut short as Dante's gentle touches adopted a serious tone.

"What did you scream, Nero? What did you call me?" His hand clenched tightly at Nero's base, squeezing in tune with his heartbeat. Dante could feel he was close but to was too soon, so he chose the one position he knew would build up his release without having it spill all over his fingertips. Up top, his eager eyes watched as the man below him used everything he could to keep it together. He calmed at the change of pace, but being on the opposite end of Dante's sexual wrath was no place you wanted to be.

Nero was surprisingly calm. Maybe he could tip the scales in his favour. "I called you Daddy. I don't know why, it just came out." He hitched his hips upward and caused a wave of lukewarm water behind Dante's head, soaking the nape of his neck. "They always did that on the videos we watched, and I thought… You would punish me more if I did-"

Dante stared at him; the hazy coat had returned. "And boy didn't I?" He moved his entire body to kneel between Nero's legs and repeated the action with his other leg, leaving him wide open. Dante had more than enough room to play. "I recall being on my back; you were lying on top of me in the same position struggling to breathe, and a stroke of genius struck me. I wanted you to call me Daddy some more. Both of us did." Dante's other hand joined the one at his base and it sat comfortably on his hardened shaft. "I slunk my hands between your legs and spread them so they were on either side of my body, and I asked you not to move but to keep your feet in the exact position I placed them." They worked in tandem, clamping and pulling at Nero's delicate skin, stopping at his head and progressively going faster and faster, slowing when his breathing reached its peak and building up his release exponentially. "I pulled your arms behind you and laced our fingers, and the most amazing sound left your body: contentment, was it? Desire? Or was it just 'do me now to remember it later'? I was never good at making sense of your moans, but I know that whenever you did you wanted me to-"

A high-pitched moan broke Dante's train of thought: Nero was clutching at his neck and chest, shivering from the orgasm thawing through his rationality. Dante chuckled and carried on. "I lost my mind at that point and just went for it. I bent my knees with yours and fucked you with everything I had: my body was at an angle where it would thrust against all your walls, and let's not forget how badly swollen I was. It was so difficult to get you to move at first – you had constricted so tightly around me that every thrust inside you sent you spiralling to God knows where." The same contraction hit Nero's spine, hardened him some more and he bit at his lip. "Then again, it was the first time you ever brought the demon out of me and he wanted some fun as well. But that was us for about two hours, correct? You, bouncing away happily on my lap with me stuck so fucking deep inside you, over and over and over, the noises urging me on and growing louder with every push-"

Dante wasn't paying attention to what his hands were doing. "Please stop-"

"My hands were burning at how hard you held them-"

"Dante please-"

"There were times where we couldn't separate from each other; you were so tight and I had swelled in you-"

"Fuck, Dante-"

"You were covered in sweat and your ass was leaking with all of my cum-"

"DANTE!"

And with no prior warning, Nero release one of the hardest orgasms of his life: his head hung over the edge of the bath and his body shook hysterically, sending the rippling water over its edges. Dante dragged along his erection and squeezed the remaining cum from its home deep within. Nero used what energy he had left to grasp his hands away from his throbbing penis and pulled him close, running his teeth and tongue on Dante's earlobe and catching his breath at the contact. "Can you see what you do to me, Dante?..."

Nero was careful to not slip on the floor towel owing to the trembling state of the lower half of his body. He never knew Dante had it in him to bite back, and that journey proved to be more interesting than he had hoped. In the end he would have his way, yet again. Smiling to himself he reached for the soft white towel hanging from the heating rack and began meticulously patting the droplets from his soaking frame. Not a couple of seconds after moving to his back was his towel wrenched away and replaced by an equally naked body with firmer skin and bigger muscles; Dante's face fell into the crook of Nero's neck and his hands pillaged his body twice over, leaving carefully positioned lacerations on the younger man's skin. "One thing you should know about me, Nero: never underestimate the power I have over everything I own." Dante's strong hands pulled their bodies flush against one another. "I quite enjoyed your little game downstairs, and you almost had me. But you'll never win." Dante left a trail of sharp, wet kisses down Nero's shoulders and behind his neck and ears. His assault rendered a light growl from his partner's lungs as Dante held his erection firm in his hand and glazed it over Nero's entrance. "Your body belongs to me and I shall do with it what I please, do you understand?" A squirt of precum enveloped Dante's head as he repeated his actions, coating Nero's entrance with the viscous liquid. His hands worked with purpose at dragging out some more, and, using the tips of his fingers, pushed his orgasm into Nero's body, massaging at the tense muscles he would rip to shreds in a few minutes. Dante simultaneously grazed his teeth across his earlobe, and Nero forced his head back onto his shoulder; turning his face, they kissed roughly. Seven words whispered into his mouth were all it took for Nero to regret every decision he had made up to this point:

"I can't wait to tear you apart."