Author: Moiranna
Title: Under the Surface
Theme: #50 - Supernova
Rating: R
Realm: Devil May Cry
Pairing: Dante x Lady (pre-established)
Characters: Dante, Lady, Vergil
Genre: supernatural, gen
Warnings: language, gore, torture, disturbing themes, mild dubcon.
Word-count: 1160
Summary: They were both past the point of inebriation, and Dante's control was slipping and he really wanted nothing more than to just give in. DxL
Notes: Notes at the end

"There's something hidden away in our blood," Dante muttered late one night after too many hours of drinking. Or maybe it was daytime, neither of them had paid much attention to whether or not the sun had risen and set once more.

The clutter on the coffee-table dimly told Lady that they'd had way too much several hours ago, and that they'd passed to the stage of insanity by now. As the thought crossed her mind she took another swig, chasing away the flash of redredred everywhere red bits red children redredredredred bodies and limbs scattered strewn pulled drawn over every surface like napkins just toss them all away.

Peering up through heavy bangs at the silver-haired man from where she'd slumped down on the couch, more asleep than awake she gave a grunt that somehow communicated that she wondered what the hell he was talking about. Dante was staring at his hands and the way that he could see his veins when he held them towards the lamp.

"It wants to burst through, this power." Without miraculously knocking over any of the bottles the half-devil picked up a bottle of beer that wasn't completely empty, taking a long pull from it without for a second glancing away from his left hand. "Just building and building, growing larger than life."

Had Lady been more sober she would have done more than blink when Dante's fingers hardened, his nails turned to claws and grew into a demonic appendage while everything from his elbow and up remained human. As he flexed the hand the side of her brain that had spent the past decade hunting alongside Dante registered that the amount of control it should take to partially transform should be beyond his control even when sober. Sucking beer that side gave up and went to sleep.

"Like this it's so easy to give in, to grow beyond everything capable and blow in an explosion of power and destruction." Dante didn't seem to be aware of her presence, just muttering to himself. "I know why you gave in, Vergil. So tempting to take it all and consume. All instincts. To hell with the rules, burn it all down."

She must have moved or something, because his attention shifted to her, and what little remained of her consciousness was utterly terrified by the lack of humanity in his eyes. That alien thing in his head was peeking out from behind the normally oh so calm human eyes, judging whether or not she was prey or predator.

With a catlike grace that should have been impossible with the amount of alcohol he had consumed he crouched above her, demonic arm placed against the leather armrest just inches over her head. They were so close that she could feel the heat from him but still he somehow managed to not touch her at all even though he was crowding her on every level, and all she could do was to look up into those ice-cold eyes, in that moment forgetting all about hunting, training, familiarity and trust. Hovering over her he scented her, eerily similar to a cat, eyes still lacking humanity.

Something shifted behind those lids and he bent his head down to rest his forehead against her collarbone. She was suddenly hyper-aware of the tearing sound of leather just inches from her and how Dante's breath was laboured as if he was on the last stretch of a marathon. Her pulse had kicked into overdrive somehow, and it took her a few seconds before she understood that the faint tapping noise she heard from his human right hand came from that he was matching it to her heartbeat. Something that only sped up the frantic stringendo.

Half a minute passed by like this, neither of them moving. The tremors that shook throughout his body were difficult to miss, and still it took her alcohol-fuelled mind a while to gather what was about to happen. Shit. She'd seen him change so many times over the years, but never this close up. The way that his arm shook told her that this was going to be painful, and possibly fatal for her part. Strangely that didn't phase her. Huh. Her adrenaline must have been fading again.

"You're not gonna like this." Words muttered against her skin, half garbled and otherworldly.

"Wha?"

He didn't answer her, only took a deep shuddering breath and raised his head to nuzzle at her throat. Lady twitched, in a distant part of her brain going "... he's not gonna..? is he?" before she felt tiny nips against her throat and neck. A gasp emerged unasked as heat unexpectedly flooded her, and she unconsciously tilted her head to the side, allowing him more room to move. The hum of contentment from him at this was more animal than human, but faded quickly as he bit down at the hollow of her throat, hard enough to break her skin.

Without conscious thought Lady's hands grabbed two fistfuls of Dante's hair and held onto him for dear life. Her back arched like a bow towards him, instincts screaming for her to get closer. It took several long moments before the sharp edge of teeth withdrew and he sucked a deep red mark into her skin. When the edge of teeth withdrew he continued to nip at her skin and laved at the injury. Had she at that point been aware of the meaning of such a gesture she'd probably have shot him straight in the head. Instead she just clung to him, whimpering low at the back of her throat. Dante's hand lightly traced through her hair, petting her as he calmed down.

That she still craved his touch was something she couldn't explain, only that her body demanded him closer, squirming against him, desperate for any friction. The hunter however did nothing but hold her there despite her thrashing, eventually staggering away. "If you want to continue this in later then we will. Not now."

She wanted to scream and throw things at him, because even drunk off his ass he moved with that supernatural speed, vanishing into the bedroom before she had the time to object. Still she didn't move, just tried to breathe, and eventually she started shaking violently, the concept of him losing control finally sinking in to her alcohol-befuddled mind, curling up into a ball and hours later passing out.

When the sun rose again and the two hunters laid eye on one another again they both knew that a line had been drawn, and no matter how much either of them wanted to cross it that was forbidden territory. Oh, they could go there and it would be amazing, but not without risking sanity and life. And that just would not happen. Still she would stare at the mark on her neck that didn't fade but scarred a vivid red. And she would know just what that other half of him considered her.

AN – I wanted to toy with Dante and triggering. To have him actually fight against it and it be a struggle because in a way there are two people inside his skull, or well, more that the demonic side actually has a conscious will to be present. Aka Mr. Demon. *coughs*

Yes my Dante has a drinking problem. Shush. I'm signing him into detox.

And yes I know this is very dub-cony, I'm cringing at it myself thankyouverymuch. That's why I've had this on my harddrive for almost three years and not published it.