Disclaimer: I do not own DMC.

Author's Note: SUM. MUR. VAY. CAY. SHON! WOOOOOOOOO! Ohmahgerd. I drew two pics for this chapter! :D Not sure if people actually look at em', but it's there for those who want to see!

Not that anyone cares, but I think "Odd One" by Sick Puppies kinda fits how I view these two. It's a cute song by my definition.

**Denotes that I have a picture for the scene on my profile.

Chapter 9: All Is Fair In A Prank War

The tune Nero was listening to was one of his favorites. He was on the couch, one leg propped over the other with his arms draped over the back of the couch, and he was nodding his head to the beat of the music. This was how he planned to spend his day off: listening to his jam. He really loved the new pair of headphones that he had bought for himself. It was pretty pricey, but its quality of sound was completely worth every penny. Plus it was also a lot better than the previous one he had owned before.

So while he nodded away with his eyes closed, something knocked the headphones off his head and onto his lap – the music he lost himself in continued to play from its speakers, sounding horribly like static because of the distance.

A snarl curled at his lips. His greatest pet-peeve was to have his music interrupted and he could only think of one person who had the gall to do it.

"Hey, kid." Dante greeted innocently. The old man moved past the couch and settled himself on his favorite spot at his desk. He didn't even try to make eye-contact – he knew exactly what he did since the annoying smirk on his lips was so obviously evident.

Don't I still need to pay him back for his little prank a few days ago? Nero thought, remembering the whole potion incident and the humiliation he had been subjected to in front of Lady.

Coolly, Nero put his headphones back on, doing his best to ignore the urge to spout something out in retaliation. That prick has it coming. Both for the prank and for stealing his kill. He could have easily taken down the Death Scissors by himself. He didn't need any help. But Dante just had to swoop in and kill his target. He couldn't help but think if Dante thought he looked weak – like he needed protection.

The music wasn't doing a good enough job of keeping his thoughts at bay anymore, so Nero tried cranking up the volume. Even then it still wasn't enough; because of the rude interruption and unneeded reminder, his thoughts started preoccupying the forefront of his mind. If he didn't know any better, he swore that the old man was still trying to keep watch over him – as if he needed to be babied. The act was getting a little tiring; not to mention it chipped away at his confidence of being a demon hunter because he knew he was more than capable enough to handle his own fights.

A sound left his lips in the form of a scoff. Maybe I'll prove it one day and kick his ass myself.

Outside, the rain pitter-pattered against the windows. Droplets slid down the glass panes in rivulets as grey light flooded in from the overcast skies. The whole day had been nothing but grey, grey, and grey because the rain hadn't let up since last night and continued on to the next day. There wasn't much to do when it basically kept him inside all day, stuck doing nothing with a bored Dante. That was why rainy days weren't his thing.

After living with Dante for quite some time, he had quickly learned how annoying the older man got when he was bored. It was like Dante's bullying doubled when he had nothing to keep him occupied. Unfortunately, Nero happened to be right there.

He hated rainy days.

Why couldn't Dante do something productive with his time – like cleaning for example. But no, the old man preferred to bother him because he wanted some company.

Just you wait... Nero thought, comforting himself with an idea that had hatched the night prior; the bartender had told him something interesting about Dante when he had asked about their reward. In addition to the cash payment, he had offered them a free order of pizza.

'So is there anything you'd like on your pizza?'

'Everything. Except anchovies.'

'Everything? Even olives?'

'Yeah. What's wrong with that?'

'Dante doesn't like olives. The look he gave me from seeing them on his pizza...scary.'

'Him? Scary? I'd like to see that.'

'Laugh all you want. I'd never cross that man.'

Nero actually liked olives. To him, pizza wasn't pizza without them. They added a little extra to the dish.

A brief second of blue-white light flashed in the office and through his headphones, he heard the roar of the thunder following seconds after. His eyes flickered to the windows to catch a streak of lightning crackling across the sky, flooding everything in a blue-white light again. The violent boom that followed sent little tremors throughout the office. It definitely looked like they would be stuck inside all day.

Wonderful.

All this damned depressing weather and thinking about pizza made him hungry. He was actually in the mood for one now and since today felt like a lazy day, ordering pizza sounded like a good idea. He didn't feel like cooking at all right now. Ever since he had volunteered to cook for them both, they never had to eat pizza for every meal – but that didn't stop Dante from trying his luck from time to time. However, Dante gratefully ate everything on his plate whenever Nero took the time to cook for them both. Nero secretly liked cooking, though he knew that whatever he made would never compare to Kyrie's, the one who taught him how to cook. He brushed aside his thoughts and slid the headphones off, letting them rest around his neck, and got up to go over to the phone on Dante's desk.

"Go make me something." Dante ordered from behind his old magazine. "I'm hungry."

A twinge of annoyance hit Nero. "I wanted pizza today."

Dante looked up from the page he was on. "Pizza?"

"What? I thought you loved pizza." He asked from seeing the look of confusion on Dante's f ace.

"And I thought you hated it."

"Not really. I just can't eat it on a daily basis like you." Nero picked up the phone and dialed the number. While he was waiting for the call to connect, Dante put down his magazine to reach out for the headphones around his neck. With his free hand, he tried to swat the annoying man away, but when someone answered from the other end of the call, Dante managed to steal it while he became preoccupied.

'International Home of Pizza!' A cheerful voice trilled through the earpiece. 'How can I help you?'

"Yes, I'd like to order…" He shot a glare at Dante as the older man put his headphones on. "Pepperoni pizza, extra cheese-…" Nero picked up the magazine to pretend he was looking at the cover and held it up high enough to hide his lips from Dante's view. "…And extra olives." He added in a quieter voice just in case Dante might hear. He wondered what kind of face the old man would make if he saw olives on his pizza.

'Would you like anything else?'

He dropped the magazine back onto the desk, feigning a bored look. "A bottle of Pep and that's all."

'Okay! It'll be…'

After hearing the total cost and giving the worker needed information like his name and address, Nero hung up and immediately tried to grab his headphones back from Dante, but the man simply got out of his seat.

**"So that's the kind of music you listen to..." It didn't sound like he was surprised, nor did it sound like he was criticizing his tastes. "Can I borrow it?" Dante asked with a wink.

"No. Now give it back." Came Nero's quick reply; he held out his hand, demanding for his headphones.

"Wow, looks like someone doesn't like to share." Dante slowly stepped away, taking it off and dangling it in Nero's face like a temptation.

Nero tried to grab at the headphones, but this time, Dante was annoyingly quicker. Nero huffed. A bored Dante was a childish Dante. He really just wanted his headphones back and he wasn't fond of letting people touch his new things. Especially Dante; people like him could easily break his stuff if he wasn't careful.

"Go listen to your crappy jukebox."

"Hey, I told you it's an antique."

"Yeah? And so are the lame songs." Nero dove forward, leaning over the desk with his claws outstretched. Yet he still couldn't get his headphones because the jerk held it out of reach and even clicked his tongue at him in a chastising manner.

"You'll have to do better than that." Dante's remark lit Nero's short fuse and he banged his fist down on the wooden top before he quickly rounded the desk. Images of strangling the older man filtered into his mind.

"Enough! I'm done fooling around!" He exclaimed, voice rising in impatience.

"Haha! How badly do you want it back?" Mocked Dante; his obnoxious teasing would be the death of him.

"Damnit, old man! You're asking to get punched!" Nero closed the distance between them.

"Stop being so moody. At least try to act like you enjoy my company. "

"Go entertain yourself if you're so bored." Nero backed Dante to the wall and his mind silently wondered why he was so easily egged on by such a brazen man.

Maybe Dante was just that good at getting under his skin. Maybe he was just a fool for letting the old man get to him. Either way, he only wanted the jerk to return his headphones. And since Dante still wasn't giving it back, Nero had no choice but to pin Dante against the wall. His demonic arm firmly pressed against the older man's neck. If there was any attempt to throw him off or even a hint of movement, he would increase the pressure on Dante's exposed throat.

But Dante never tried anything.

"Ohhh…I like it rough." Dante semi-wheezed through his restricted windpipes – one arm held Nero's headphones above their heads while the other just stayed limp at his side, not even bothering to try and break free from Nero's pin.

"Don't be sick." Nero gave a small push of his demonic arm – Dante simply coughed out a laugh – and he reached up with his free hand to snatch his headphones from loosened grips. But to his shock, Dante wrapped his arms around his waist soon after, preventing Nero from leaving once he had his headphones back.

What the-?! Let me go!" His demonic arm left Dante's throat to start pushing against a broader chest. He hated how he kept unconsciously comparing his body with Dante's.

"Do you hate me?" Despite the carefree look on Dante's face, there was an almost seriousness in the tone of his question. But Nero didn't want to waste effort in analyzing it.

"Right now I do! So can you stop acting weird?" If he took everything the old man said or did seriously, then he'd never survive around the big idiot. He held the headphones behind him, trying to keep them away from Dante, but to his surprise, Dante reached around him and pulled the headphones out of his clutch. However, instead of taking them, he tossed the headphones onto his desk. Even more shocking was when he started hugging Nero out of the blue.

Uh…" Nero couldn't process what was going on and he could already feel heat rising up to his cheeks. A bored Dante was bad – really bad.

Scratch that. He's Dangerous.

They stayed like that for a short while: Dante smiling like an idiot with Nero frozen in his arms. Nero was completely at a loss as to why the old man was hugging him. He needed to compose himself – and fast. So with a voice lacking his true nervousness, he asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What's it look like, genius?" Dante's smile twisted into that stupid smirk of his.

You arrogant smartass… No matter how hard Nero glared at the older man, it did nothing to ease the prickling sensation of anger and annoyance of being embraced so openly – like a hug between two grown men, for no apparent reason, wasn't strange in the slightest. He didn't like being toyed with – or having his personal space violated.

"Let go of me."

"Not until you stop being a brat." Dante hugged him tighter and Nero felt a chill creeping up his spine.

"Why the hell are you always so touchy!?" Nero started to struggle; he was suddenly reminded of the time in Dante's car – and what a horrible thing to remember in a situation like this. Now both his arms were pushing against Dante, furiously trying to get free, but the older man's hold didn't loosen. Nero could feel the embarrassment welling up and he snarled, "Let go before I punch your face in!"

"Aw, you're actually being cute."

Nero stilled and all attempts to escape were momentarily forgotten. Had he just heard what he thought he did?

"You're the saddest thing I've ever laid eyes on." Dante continued, "Almost like a yapping puppy that makes me want to kick you."

This particular idiot had the creepiest ways of mocking people, Nero thought, and he felt the biggest urge to deck Dante right then and there to shut him up – maybe hard enough to break his nose for good measure. He had the brute strength to hurt a half-demon like Dante if he really wanted to.

Then the jukebox suddenly blared into life, attracting both of their attention to the "antique" machine. Why it was always turning on randomly was a damn mystery, though Nero knew it was simply that old – and crappy – but he was ultimately grateful of the chance it gave him.

The slim moment of distraction was enough time for him to gather his wits and headbutt Dante, forcing the older man to inadvertently release him; he recoiled in pain, eyes scrunched closed, as Nero quickly distanced himself from Dante.

"You really need to learn how to play nice." Dante groaned, cupping a hand over his nose. Nero hoped that it would leave a mark before it fully healed itself.

"Bite me." Nero grabbed his headphones off the desk and returned to his usual spot on the couch. He hated how Dante was always picking on him, so it was about time he finally got back at the old man. That should teach him a lesson.

The jukebox died out once again and Nero caught Dante quietly muttering to himself, "Maybe it is a crappy old thing…" And he glared at the jukebox that sat quietly in the corner of his office.

20 minutes later, of peaceful semi-solitude later, Nero's headphones got knocked off again.

"What is it this time?" Nero growled, snatching his headphones from his lap.

"Pizza's here~" Dante sang happily. He was looking really ecstatic about getting to have his favorite food today.

Wait for it… Nero thought, remembering that he "sabotaged" their pizza.

Dante strolled to the front to answer the door. Wind gusted in from outside, but that didn't look to have lessened Dante's spirit one bit.

"Hello, sir." Greeted the delivery guy; it was cold and pouring out and the teenager shivered on their doorsteps as his clothes were quickly speckling with rain water. In his hands were the box of pizza with a bottle of soda perched on top of the cardboard container.

"Thanks!" Dante fished his wallet from out of his back pocket, paid the teen, and greedily took the box from him.

The delivery guy looked down at the cash he received and his eyes widened in surprise. "s-Sir. You gave me too much. It was only…"

"Keep the change."

"Really? Thank y-!"

Dante slammed the door in the delivery guy's face. From behind the rain streaked glass, the teen's awe-struck smile could still be seen by Nero. Did the old man just…?

"Ohhhohoho…" Dante groaned, grabbing Nero's attention, "I haven't had one of these in a while…"

"You mean last week?" Nero corrected. He could've sworn that he saw Dante guzzling down a box quite recently.

"That is a long time." Then Dante proceeded to inhale deeply, "You smell that? The cheese… the pepperoni… the rich tomato s-"

"Shut up. Let's eat."

"I know – I can't wait another second either." Dante chuckled happily at the box of joy in his hands.

Nero resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Dante placed the pizza box on the pool table in front of him. Yet the second he flipped the lid open, the old man stilled. Nero took his headphones off and stood up from the couch.

"Man, I'm starving…" He pushed Dante aside so he could get to the pizza. The first bite was burning hot on his tongue and he savored the taste – the sweet taste of victory. Oh and the pizza was good too.

"You… added olives?" Dante slowly asked, his eyes never leaving the pizza on the table.

"Yeah… why aren't you eating? It's going to get cold." Nero knew why, he just wanted to poke a little fun at the older man for once.

"Why?"

Nero was halfway done with his slice already. He was actually quite famished. "I like olives. They're really good with pizza." He lifted another slice and proffered it to Dante. "Here. Eat."

"I don't like olives…"

"It tastes fine. Don't be such a kid." Nero teased.

The furious look in Dante's eyes was downright scorching. "I hate olives."

For a second, it almost seemed as if Dante wanted to rip a new hole in him and the thought that he very well could made it difficult for Nero to swallow his food. But then, there was a slight tremor in the older man's lips – looking a lot like a pout – and he snatched the slice out of Nero's hands, the ominous aura completely gone.

"They. Taste. Disgusting." Dante intoned with every piece of olive that he picked off one by one.

Ha. So this was what the bartender was afraid of? Strangely, Nero felt like he just dodged a bullet – and not the flimsy little olives that were being thrown at him.

The next day, Dante stood at the door leading to the basement. Right now he was going to make sure Nero was still fast asleep. Quietly, he tip-toed down the stairs and stopped just a few steps shy from reaching the bottom. He peered over at the figure lying on the single bed. Nero was curled in on himself, facing away from Dante, but his deep, rhythmic breathing was a sure enough indicator that he was still sleeping.

Nero's asleep. Check.

He stealthily rushed back up the stairs and headed towards his desk to grab the plastic bag that sat atop it.

Hair dye. Check.

Time was a-ticking. He needed to hurry because Nero could wake up at any minute. So after discarding the plastic bag on the floor, not caring that Nero would get mad at him, he ran up to the second story bathroom. Once safely inside, he locked the doors behind him for extra security and continued on to the bathtub. He instantly spotted what he was looking for.

Nero's shampoo. Check.

"No one messes with my pizza. No one." Truth be told, he was still upset over the fact that Nero had ruined his perfectly good pizza with the nasty abominations known as olives. They were absolutely repulsive and he couldn't believe they had touched his precious pizza. Nero had to pay.

He proceeded to unscrew the cap of Nero's bottle. Then he pulled out the hair dye and unscrewed its cap too. Carefully, he poured the concentration into the shampoo, its strong smell stinging his nose, and hoped that Nero wouldn't notice the difference.

That should do it…

To make sure it was fully mixed, he shook the concoction well before he placed it back on the corner of the tub where he had found it. Now all that was left to do was wait for Nero to wake up.

Dante left the bathroom, whistling a small tune for himself. Containing his eagerness was going to be hard, but he would have to be patient. He had to. This was the work of a mastermind – and one shouldn't rush a perfectly executed masterpiece.

Not long after, everything was going into motion; Nero had woken up and was now stomping up the stairs and trudging across the office in his morning grogginess.

"Bright eyed and bushy tailed as always, I see." Dante greeted, discreetly trying to hide the giddiness in his voice.

Nero simply grunted in response and paid him no mind as he went up the stairs to the bathroom. With the door firmly shut – its lock clicking into place – Dante felt his excitement roll off him in waves and he idly wondered what Nero would look like in a new color.

Waiting was one of the things he hated most. It was boring. And he just wanted to get to the good stuff. So as he waited, Dante struggled to keep himself preoccupied with his magazine. There was only so much to read when he knew it by heart from start to finish. He sighed.

Overhead, the ceiling fan spun in slow lazy circles and he watched it go round n' round, feeling it mesmerizing him a little…

Damn. He really was bored.

Then out of nowhere, a loud bang sounded. Dante quickly jumped to his feet, eyes looking to where the source of the noise had come from – and it was from the second floor.

"Daaanteee…" Nero growled lowly through clenched teeth. He had a towel draped over his head and behind him, a white mist seeped out from the bathroom door. "What… did you do…?" He glared down at Dante with murderous intent clearly written in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dante said; his voice became slightly higher than usual.

"Damn LIAR!" The younger man roared. Clad in only a small towel around his waist, he suddenly vaulted over the second story balcony.

Dante couldn't believe what he was seeing. In that one instant, everything seemed to go into slow-motion; the towel that was covering Nero's head flew off and exposed his newly pink locks; they were a stark contrast to the dull colors of the equally dull office. And then Dante felt his breath hitch in his throat at the sight – not from Nero's new hair ruffling gloriously in his descent, but from the tiny little towel wrapped snugly around his waist.

The fact that his towel was haphazardly fluttering upwards was reason enough to stare unabashedly at it.

If Dante kept his eyes glued to it – and restrained himself from not outright wishing it flew off with the other towel – then he just might catch an embarrassing glimpse to what was under. Nero's size would be the perfect blackmail material for the future.

But unfortunately – and fortunately for Nero – it didn't fly off like he almost wanted and he was only able to get a peek at Nero's toned thighs. Dante still gave a low whistle and mock-admired the view while it lasted.

He surprisingly has nice looking-… yeah, let's not go there. That was when he snapped back into reality – the time returning to normal – and noticed that Nero's Devil Bringer was flaring up viciously. The expression on the younger would have been frightening if it weren't for his rather girly looking hair that framed his face. Dante hastily dodged the glowing fist and Nero ended up punching a hole in the floor; wood splintered out from the violent impact and Dante cringed from the sight.

"My floor!" Dante practically wailed. The last thing he wanted was to have his office in ruins again.

Nero pulled his hand out of the floorboards and stood up from where he landed safely. "You should be more worried about yourself!" Then he charged towards Dante once more, his Devil Bringer poised and glowing for another swing.

"Uh oh." He ducked under Nero's thrown punch, feeling the demonic aura that emanated from Nero's fist breeze past his face; it nearly caught him by his jaw. But because Nero had missed, it would be a mistake on the younger's part. It was an interesting turn of events to say the least. Never did he expect that an angry, half-naked, Nero would try to engage him in hand-to-hand combat. Life had its charms, he guessed.

Sadly, this little fun had to end. Dante took advantage of Nero's grave mistake and pulled the towel free off of the younger man.

"Aw, shit!" Nero cursed and twisted his body away, hurriedly trying to cover his dignity as fast as he could.

"Olé!" Dante cheered after making a mad dash towards the exit. He had enough decency to not turn around and look, but that didn't stop him from brandishing Nero's towel in his hand like it was a trophy.

"Give it to me!" He heard Nero shout from behind him.

That's what she said… And Dante returned the towel to Nero, tossing it back over his shoulder. "Now take care of the place while I'm gone!" He said, casually strolling towards his car.

"Wait till you get back! I'm not going to forget this!" Nero shouted angrily from behind him.

Dante flipped his tailcoat in response, completely disregarding the younger man now that he was outside. Plus he was glad that he got away; as amusing as it had been, he definitely did not want to deal with an angry naked Nero.

Night had already fallen by the time Dante arrived back at Devil May Cry. He parked his car in its usual spot on his side of the street and got out. On the roof, his establishment's logo flickered more than usual. The thunderstorm had taken its toll on his old sign. When he earned more money – and after he paid off his debts – then he would think about replacing it in the future. But right now, the blinking sign still worked and that was all that mattered.

He crossed the threshold to his office and shrugged off his trench coat once he was inside, draping it over one arm.

All seemed quiet, the lights were left on for him, and Nero wasn't anywhere in sight.

He must be in his room, Dante hoped. After being gone all day, Nero should have calmed down by now – or at least calm enough to not want to bite his head off for his earlier prank.

Before he even had any time to register, someone had sneaked behind him and pulled him into a hold.

"Welcome home, old man." Nero growled lowly in his ear.

The kid was faster than he thought and he had underestimated Nero's skills once again because he had been completely caught off guard. Now Dante was trapped in a sleeper hold; he couldn't speak since Nero had his demonic arm wrapped tightly around his neck, restricting his air flow, while the human one prevented escape by restraining Dante's arms behind his back.

How do you like that?" The younger asked softly, contrasting with the harsh squeeze of his arm. Of course Dante couldn't respond – he couldn't even turn his head to look at Nero, so he settled with vigorously trying to shake him off. But that proved to be a difficult feat since the kid decided to hold on by wrapping his legs securely around his waist.

Luckily, Dante had a bigger build and he was still able to walk around even with a brat straddling his back. Again, he tried to shake Nero off by twisting his body in jerky movements. But when that didn't do the trick, he decided that he needed to try another tactic.

So he made to ram Nero into a wall, or even the pool table since it was nearby. However, Nero seemed to catch on to what he was planning and released his hold of Dante's arms to cover his eyes instead.

Dante was plunged into darkness; all he could hear was Nero's labored breathing – and his occasional little grunts – in his ear as the kid persistently tried to hold on. Though Dante's hands were now free and trying to pry off the hand that covered his eyes, Nero was a stubborn opponent that didn't let up.

He had no idea where he was walking to since he lost his sense of direction, but he would continue nonetheless. As long as he hit something hard enough, then there was a chance for him to-

He suddenly lost his footing, and they both toppled backwards, with Dante feeling the strangest sensation of his weight leaving his body – until everything halted in one jarring physical moment.

Dante gasped loudly, coughing as he tried to get air back into his system; light soon filtered back into his vision as his eyes blinked open. Above, the ceiling fan was still turning in its slow steady circle, the little cobwebs around it swaying in the nonexistent breeze created. Then the groaning beneath him caught his attention and he realized that he was free. Without a second to spare, Dante flipped himself over and pinned Nero down this time; he seized the kid's hands and restrained them above his head.

"Tch…" Nero's heated gaze was on him and Dante could feel his narrowed deep blue eyes boring into his. They were both breathing hard; Dante from finally being able to breathe again and Nero from having exerted a lot of energy into keeping a hold on Dante.

"I did say I liked it rough…" Dante finally answered. "But I prefer to top."

Nero only scoffed in reply, not looking the least bit concerned that Dante had him in his clutches now.

That hole is going to come out of your next paycheck, you know." Dante said, looking back over his shoulder at his foot that was still in the hole – the hole that had tripped him earlier.

Nero didn't respond. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. The kid didn't seem all that concerned with the giant hole he caused in the office floor either.

Hey, are you listening to me?"

Even though the younger was now blatantly trying to ignore him, Dante just notice now how flushed Nero's face was; and with the way Nero avoided eye contact, it didn't look as if he was red because of exhaustion.

No. I'm just over-analyzing things. Hell would have to freeze over for anything like that to ever happen.

Still, he thought Nero was rather cute when he looked this vulnerable. Dante hummed appreciatively and allowed himself a moment to enjoy his victory, but he quickly moved on because he was still practically straddling Nero and questionable images were soon creeping into his mind. "Guess it was a good thing you hadn't tried to patch up the hole yet. You lost because of it." He smirked down at the kid. "My reward: you have to fix it."

"Go blow yourself," was Nero's rude remark.

"Should I make you do that as my reward, too?" Dante countered snidely. Whether he was just saying that as a smart comeback, or whether it was the result of their current predicament, he didn't want to think too deeply on it.

"Do you have to make everything perverted?" Nero said, turning back to glare up at him.

"You're the one who said it." Though he honestly loved it when people set themselves up. He couldn't help himself when it happened and things did tend to get blurted out. "But yeah, maybe I do." And one hand left Nero's wrist to caress his cheek; they felt very warm to the touch and as soft as he remembered. Nero's eyes widened in shock, and his face flushed into a deeper shade of red. When Dante's hand trailed down to Nero's neck, he both felt and saw the movement of Nero swallowing in nervousness.

"Really… why are you so…?" Nero squeezed his eyes shut as Dante's hand slithered down to his chest and he was forced to ground out the next word through his clenched teeth, "…touchy."

It was simply hilarious. Dante knew Nero was getting the wrong idea, what with the way he was trying to hide his face in embarrassment. Oh he just loved pushing all the wrong buttons. Nero was just easy pickings. But he decided not to leave the poor kid guessing for too long and proceeded to tickle Nero without warning.

"Wha!" Nero shouted in half surprise, half laughter. "Stop that! Ahaha!"

"You know you like to smile, kid." Dante said, lightly digging his fingers into the sensitive area while his other hand continued to keep Nero's hands pinned to the floor.

"f-Fuck you!" The kid managed to spit out, though there wasn't much bite to his words at all.

There are moments when Dante wished the kid wasn't so keen on keeping others at a distance with his lousy attitude. Nero may never know how truly concerned he was about him, but that was fine with Dante. He knew that when it came to matters of the heart, he could be just as closed off from everyone else as much as Nero was. And neither would openly ask for help. Nero was very much how he used to be, which was the reason why he wanted to offer the kid a hand.

"Give it up, Pinky." Dante jeered.

"What did you- hehe! Just call me?!"

"Pinky." Dante repeated, enjoying how ridiculous the name sounded. Dante stopped tickling Nero for a moment to reach up and flick at the bangs that covered Nero's forehead. "The color really suits you, you know."

That reignited Nero's anger and he growled menacingly. "I bet black and blue would look amazing on you then!" He pulled at his restrained hands like he wanted to punch him, but Dante only chuckled at the threat that couldn't be backed up and resumed tickling Nero harder.

"Fine!" Nero wheezed through his laughter. "I-… I give up! Just get off me!"

When Dante finally released his grip on Nero's wrists, the kid hastily shoved him off and got to his feet. He then jabbed a finger at Dante. "Next time you touch me, I'm breaking your hands."

"Hey, you attacked me first."

"Only because you did this to me!" Nero exclaimed, gesturing at his colored hair. He really did look stupid with pink hair and that definitely made him look more approachable.

"But you had to go and mess with my pizza," reminded Dante.

Nero stared at Dante in disbelief. "…You always did have a jacked up notion of fair play…"

Dante shrugged at the kid. He actually thought he was perfectly justified. Then his stomach growled out of nowhere.

"All you think about is food." Nero said, pinching the bridge of his nose in a display of agitation.

"And hunting," Dante added with a chuckle. "Don't forget that."

"Tch. I should just let you starve." In spite of his caustic words, Nero shook his head and retreated into the kitchen. Dante didn't even need to follow to know that Nero was going to cook for them. The kid was thoughtful and good at heart. And that was what Dante liked about him.

However, he liked Nero's homemade cooking the most.

A/N: I cannot take this chapter seriously. lol. But it was about time I threw in a little "action" between them. xD Hope that was satisfactory? And please forgive my lame jokes throughout this chapter. I tried… :'c

Almost forgot! The second picture of Nero with his new hair color is on my profile too!

And as always, thank you very much for simply reading! I know I've been seriously slow in updating, but things keep popping up, plus the struggle of writing something decent/long enough. D: So I keep hoping you guys will enjoy the story. And excuse my fails. orz Or point them out for me. That always helps. c:

#Life rears its ugly head #Time flies by

See you next time!