Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author's Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR! SORRY FOR THE WAIT.

Kyrie was at home. The children were in bed, and she was in the kitchen washing the dishes while she waited for Abele to return home.

The night was quiet and peaceful until the floor beneath her suddenly began to vibrate. In fact, the whole house was now shaking as dishware shifted and fell to the floor. Kyrie thought it was an earthquake, but the terrifying howls outside told her otherwise.

Abandoning her spot by the sink, Kyrie made a mad dash towards her bedroom and searched her closet for the revolver she knew Abele allowed her to keep at home in case of emergencies.

A crash of glass startled her, followed by the dreadful sounds of her children screaming in fear. Immediately she ran for them, bursting through their door, and was greeted by the terrible sight of a disfigured demon trying to claw at the kids hiding under their bed.

"Help!" Little Lyla, one of the smallest, had screamed.

"Get away!" Kyrie shouted at the monster, diverting its attention to her now. Her hands trembled as she tried her best to aim. She had never used a gun before and was not expecting the force of the recoil when she fired her first round. She had missed, and now the demon was clambering fast towards her.

It was suddenly upon her, their bodies colliding with each other as her second shot went off in the dark. A wet warmth soaked through her clothes as a heavy weight fell on her.

"Kyrie! No!" The children screamed in unison.

Kryie felt no pain as she pushed off the dead weight. Her kids all crawled out of their hiding place and rushed over to her. But before they had any time to feel relief, more demons howled from outside.

"Hurry, this way!" Now that the children's room had already been broken into, it was no longer safe for them to be there. She ushered them to the next closest room. A room where she always felt safe.

Locking the doors behind her, she had the children huddle together on the single bed that was in the room. Shadows ominously passed by the window, and Kryie had to keep a watchful eye on it as she headed over to the drawer that she knew held spare cases of bullets.

Her hands couldn't stop shaking as she quickly tried to reload the gun. She needed to stay alert. Abele wasn't home yet and she wasn't sure when he would be. As she tried to calm down and mentally prepare herself, a bright yellow light flashed from the window. All was quiet soon after.

When enough time had passed and no sound was heard, Kyrie approached the window to peer outside. There was nothing there. After reassuring the kids, she cautiously unlocked the door and silently stepped out. By the front window, she saw movement. Ducking down, Kyrie sneaked over to the front door and checked to see that it was still locked. But just after she did, she was startled by a knock on the door.

Kyrie held her breath, keeping a trembling grip on her gun in case things go bad. She was afraid of what waited on the other side of the door.

"I hope you know I can still hear you," came a womanly voice.

A squeak escaped Kyrie's lips. There was no use hiding then. "w-Who are you? What's happening out there?"

"You're safe. I'm a friend of Nero's."

Kyrie knew was she did next was utterly foolish, but the mention of Nero made her throw caution to the wind. She unlocked the door to find a beautiful blonde woman standing before her.

"I'm Trish. You must be Kyrie," she greeted with a charming smile. Her smile then faded when she saw the state Kyrie was in. "Are you hurt?"

"...It's not my blood." Kyrie showed Trish the gun that was in her hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," Trish said, looking disappointed with herself.

A cacophony of howls suddenly resounded from the forest that surrounded them.

"There's more?!" Kyrie cried.

Trish sucked at her teeth in annoyance. "We need to get you to safety. Follow me."

"Wait! I have children inside!"

"Damn...!" Trish then shielded Kyrie from the view of more demons appearing from the shadows. "Then get inside. Don't come out until I say so."

Kyrie nodded her head and did as she was told. She locked the front door again and leaned against it for support. Something awful was happening. Her fragile stomach lurched in pain as she felt a chill come over her. She had to protect the children. No matter the cost.

Dante followed the trail towards the city left behind by Trish and Gian. Trish seemed to be tracking Gian at first, but when Dante neared closer to the city, their traces gradually disappeared amidst the myriad of others. Chaos reigned the night and Dante was greeted by the sight of demonic mayhem.

Dozens of demons roamed everywhere, seeming to come out of every dark crevice. What was even more concerning was how similar these particular demons looked to the woman that they had seen transformed by Gian. Treading through the panicked crowds, Dante had his pistols drawn out.

"Run!" A woman screamed, "I just saw a man turning people into those things!"

Before Dante had a chance to ask her where she'd seen him, she was already running away again. Dante scowled into the flames that were already erupting throughout the frightened city. His suspicions were correct. Gian was turning more people. Maybe out of desperation now since they had found him out.

Suddenly, someone collided into Dante from behind. It was one of the people fleeing.

"Are you okay?" Dante asked.

The frightened look in the elderly man's eyes turned into anger. "Nero! It was YOU!" He forcefully stepped away from Dante. "I knew you'd bring trouble if you ever came back!"

"I'm not Nero," Dante said, his eyes noticing movement from behind the elder.

"Bah! Lies! Just because I'm old, don't think I'm blind!"

Ugly reared its head in the form of a humanoid demon and it made a beeline for the poor soul in front of him. Luckily, Dante was always one step ahead. He pulled aside the raving old man and shot the advancing demon dead in its tracks.

"You think I'll thank you?" The old man uttered ungratefully at him, spitting on the ground for emphasis. "You're the one who brought this mess to our home in the first place."

Dante felt irritation well up inside as he watched the old man flee towards safety. Then another faint trace of demonic energy caught Dante's attention and it came from above. Scanning the rooftops, Dante quickly caught sight of Gian glaring down at him before he turned away to leave.

"You're not getting away!" Dante intended to chase after, but was stopped by a group of holy knights who decided to get in his way.

At the forefront was a man with dark hair. Unlike the others, he was dressed in a white uniform. Most likely an officer of the Order because with a wave of his hand, he dispersed the knights. They all glared at Dante as they ran past him, most likely to aid the rest of the city.

Now alone, the man in white said nothing as he drew his blade on Dante.

"You're in my way," Dante said. "Step aside. I'm not here to fight you."

The man didn't seem to hear Dante's words as he charged forward, blade first. Dante side-stepped and refused to attack, still hoping he would be able to reason with his foe.

"Where is Nero?!" The man shouted as he continued to swing at Dante.

"He's not the one you're after!" answered Dante, avoiding every swing of his opponent's blade. Dante then saw an opportunity and knocked the sword from his assailant's hands. With the man now disarmed, Dante grabbed at his foe's outstretched arm and twisted it behind his body. "I'm not your enemy either. Otherwise, you'd already be dead."

"Then… why are you here? Why has he returned…?" The man struggled with his words under Dante's painful grip, but there was no real anger to his voice, and it even seemed to have quietened with his next question, "Why now...?"

"Will you finally hear me out?"

There was a terse silence from the man, but he eventually acquiesced and nodded his head in affirmation. Dante then released his hold and ignored the glare the man sent his way.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Gian?" Dante asked.

"Gian?" The man repeated, confused. "He works in our infirmary."

"Was your infirmary in the underground lab?"

"It's no longer a lab. We destroyed everything. Gian was the one-" Then it clicked for the man. "Has he done something?"

"He's turning people. The ones that disappeared? He's responsible for it. Nero and I were sent here to investigate, and Gian was doing it under your nose."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"I can only hope you have enough sense to," Dante responded, shrugging. Then he quickly added, "Has Nero ever done anything to anger him? Or anyone?"

That one question made the commanding officer pause, completely forgetting Dante's back-handed comment. He had the look of something important dawning on him. "Yes, actually. Years ago, Gian was one of the kids who had been attacked by Nero."

Now Dante had expected something like it, and remembering how Nero once lost his control, it was no surprise to him. "Go on," he told the man.

"To this day, Kyrie still defends Nero. Saying it wasn't what happened at all because she knew Nero wasn't like that." There was an angry tone now in his next words, "But she wasn't there, someone had died, and it didn't help matters when Nero left soon after. If he had stayed-" he cut himself off, looking as if he had some more to vent but couldn't let it out.

It was time for Dante to bring things back on track. "Now Gian's out for revenge, and he's going after anyone Nero was close to."

"Kyrie." The man's eyes snapped to a certain direction and his demeanor immediately changed to a protective one.

Suddenly, a bright light flared in the night sky where the officer was looking, and Dante's senses were flooded with the intensity of Nero's anger.

"We have to get to her. Now!" Dante exclaimed.

But before they could make a move, more demons arrived and surrounded them.

"Out of my way!" The dark haired man shouted at them. Then he picked up his fallen sword and brandished it at the mob of glowing red eyes.

Dante was more quick to act, already forcing his way through and leaving mutilated bodies in his path. The Officer wasn't the only one eager to return to the one they were protective of.

Nero arrived as soon as he could, but his heart sunk when he saw the state that Fortuna was in. Fires hungrily ate through the city, burning buildings and homes indiscriminately and filling the night sky with smoke and ember. Whatever faint moonlight there was, it was crowded out by the thick dense smoke. No one paid any mind to Nero now as they were busy fleeing from the horrifying demons that terrorized the city. And as they ran past Nero, he couldn't feel a shred of empathy for them because his mind only prioritized reaching Kyrie.

But as Nero continued on to make his way towards his old home, Gian had stepped out before him, halting him in his tracks and stopping time completely.

"You're not going any further." Gian said with a menacingly calm voice.

At first Nero felt fear, he could never get over the people he had hurt, but it quickly subsided as he remembered what Gian did and anger welled from within. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Why?" Gian feigned an innocent look of shock at Nero's question. Then his lips curled into a scowl as he practically spat at Nero, "Why?! BECAUSE YOU KILLED ELLIO!"

Nero winced at the name. He had buried the very name in his subconscious, and to hear it aloud had stricken him with intense guilt.

"That… that wasn't my…" Nero was trying to find his words, but they were slipping from him rapidly. Mostly because he didn't believe in them himself. He knew what he had done.

"Whose hands were stained with his blood?!" Gian was growing fiercer by the second, latching on to the cracks he saw forming in Nero and stepping ever closer with each shout. "Who left him there to die?! By the time someone else came to help us, he bled to death!"

"I…" The memories were forcefully flooding back to Nero. He didn't want to remember the faces. The sounds. The pain. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry…?" Gian repeated the words with a humorless laugh and stood himself in front of Nero. He glowered at the hunter when they were face to face. There was a deep hatred radiating from him, as if years of pain tormented him just as much as guilt had ate at Nero endlessly. Gian grabbed Nero by the lapels of his jacket, his voice clear and sharp enough to cut. "Sorry isn't enough."

Gian then gave Nero one solid punch to the face to drive home his point. Pain and anger was still teeming from his voice as he proceeded to berate Nero. "You were nothing but a monster. That's why no one else wanted to make you pay for what you did. They were too scared. But not me. I will avenge... my Ellio."

Reaching for something inside his jacket, Gian had a twisted and satisfied smirk as he came closer again. Nero paid him no mind, settling for whatever punishment Gian may have had for him, and felt himself mentally retreating from reality - just like that time years ago. The only difference was that all fight had left him. It was as if Nero had never truly moved on. He was being pulled back to the very moment - back to that same night with Gian. Like Nero, Gian hadn't moved on either. They were both stuck in the past. He knew Gian was planning something with him, his intentions to harm were written clearly on his face, but Nero didn't bother to stop him.

He didn't want to.

A sharp pain stabbed Nero where Gian plunged what looked like a syringe into his neck.

"The people that died here were because of you…" Gian whispered cruelly into his ear.

Soon, Nero felt a violent burn course through his veins, and the world blurred before his eyes as his body keeled over in pain. Nero clutched at the ground, gritting his teeth in agony, but he felt that even then, his punishment wasn't enough. But all Nero allowed himself to hope for was that at least Gian would be satisfied with hurting him. Then Kyrie would be fine.

Nero didn't know how long he was writhing in agony and the sound of something raking against the dirt grazed loudly against his ear. Nero paid little attention as he saw the ground move below him. Closing his eyes against every burning sensation, he felt that being killed by Gian was the best he could do to atone for everything he had done. The death of Ellio, Gian's depravity, and everyone who unwillingly became a victim to Gian's revenge against him. It was all because of how Nero had failed to save anyone. And for a while, the disorienting and painful world continued until he felt his consciousness slowly slipping away.

"Nero!?" A sweet voice suddenly called out to him from the din of white noise, pulling Nero back from the heavy darkness he was falling into.

"Wait! Be careful!" Yelled another voice. It was Trish. Her warning sent alarms to Nero, steadily bringing him back to the moment.

What was happening? Why was Kyrie here? Nero thought as consciousness slowly came back to him. Then it dawned on him where he was. Nero tried to get up, but his body wasn't responding how he wanted it to. He had to warn Kyrie before she got too close. And where was Gian? Nero dazedly looked around, but there wasn't much for him to see when he was still sprawled and nearly paralyzed on the ground.

"Ky...rie…" Nero managed to call out, his arm feebly reaching for her. His vision was blurred, but there was no mistaking her angelic features.

"Kill her."

From the shadows, Gian uttered his command. Two little words that sent an immense jolt into Nero's head and he found that he couldn't resist the urge to comply.

Soon Nero's mind was in a state of panic. His body was trying to move on it's own. The hands he wanted to use to save Kyrie were clawing at the earth, begging to tear into her soft skin. He needed to get Kyrie away from here. He needed to get away from her. There was no telling what Gian had done to him, but it must have been something that allowed him to control the other demons in the same way.

Soon a gentle hand was placed upon Nero's face. Nero could feel no solace in her touch as he continued to fight against his inner demon. Kyrie was kneeling beside him, her hands brushing away his hair from his feverish face. The familiar look of worry in her eyes was an expression he knew all too well - and missed. But he couldn't focus on it for too long.

"Kill," the command echoed once again in his mind. Nero tried to resist the urge with sheer will, but the command was overpowering. His nightmares were becoming reality when he felt his sense of control diminishing, like a chain broken loose from its steel lock, and his Devil Bringer reached out to grip her by her fragile throat.

Every thought in Nero's mind recoiled at the sight of her struggling in his grip, but try as he might, he couldn't regain control of his body. It was compelled to obey the command Gian had set.

Delicate fingers pulled uselessly at his iron grip. Tears welled in Kyrie's eyes and Nero was completely distraught. He had to fight it. He had to make himself stop. Or else he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ended up being her cause of death — the one thing he tried most to avoid.

"Ne… ro…" she whimpered between gasps. "Ple...ase…"

"Nero!" Trish called out to him in her firm and angered voice. "This isn't you! You don't want to do this. I know you don't! SO FIGHT IT."

NO!

Nero's grip released in a matter of seconds as a bright light enveloped him. Trish was quick to catch Kyrie in her arms, protecting her from the shockwave of Nero's transformation; he had forced his Devil Trigger out of sheer desperation to escape the mind control.

"Get… away…!" Nero ground out through bared teeth. He swung his arms blindly at the women, motioning for them to steer clear of him. He was still fighting against the powerful drug that was burning through his entire body, but his mind was cleared. He caught sight of Trish shielding Kyrie away from him and felt thankful for his friend, as well as remorseful over the fact that it was him she was protecting her from. If it weren't for Trish, who knew what would have happened.

The air was heavy with his bloodlust as Nero turned his back on the two women. His every muscle ached to lash out and destroy. As he shook off the last remaining remnants of the drug trying to control his body, he had his sights set North. That was where he sensed Gian to be. He was going to find the vile man and make him pay. There was no more guilt clouding his judgement. Screw making amends if Gian wanted to target Kyrie by using him.

Gian's plan had backfired, and now Nero was going to kill him for it.

Dante and the man he learned was Abele were already on their way towards Kyrie's home. They were almost there when Dante suddenly caught sight of a formidable hooded demon leaving the vicinity.

"BASTARD!" Abele rushed further ahead, paying no mind to the fact that Dante had slowed in his steps.

There was a strong pull affecting Dante the moment he laid eyes on the other demon and every fiber of his being begged him to chase after.

Heeding to his gut instincts, Dante decided to run the opposite of where he needed to go and instead headed towards the direction the demon went. His heart was pounding from either excitement or trepidation as he caught the trail of a familiar scent.

There was no doubt in Dante's mind.

He was chasing after Nero.

It didn't take him long to catch up. Just outside the outskirts of Fortuna, Nero was spotted cornering Gian. Before Dante could tell what was happening, Gian's head was lopped clean off his body with barely a movement from Nero. But then the bright glint of crimson dripping down the silver curve of Yamato's blade told him all.

Slowly, Nero turned to face Dante. His features were now unrecognizable in his Devil Trigger, his form looking much more lethal in all its demonified glory. The sheer amount of hatred and bloodlust exuding from him made Dante feel nearly weak at the knees, while another — more stronger desire welled from inside him; he wanted to claim Nero.

A soft sigh escaped from Nero and he looked down at his bloodied blade in defeat. A moment of sullen silence passed between the two hunters before Nero spoke.

"Dante… I'm glad you're here." Nero's voice was low, but it didn't hide how different he normally sounded. Each syllable he pronounced reverberated with an unearthly echo. His one uncovered eye glowed a cold amber in the dark of night, and when he looked back up at Dante, he felt pinned to his spot with a simple stare. Although Nero was looking right at him, Dante felt as if he wasn't really seeing him at all. The oppressive aura of self-loathing that Nero always carried in silence was much more apparent. Suffocating.

"Please kill me."

There was no hesitation in Nero's words when he asked Dante, and confused, Dante wasn't sure if he really understood. So he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I want you to kill me." Nero repeated, but with a harder edge to his request.

"But why?"

"Don't act as if you just hadn't seen me killing a man," Nero looked back down at the sword in his hand. There was a slight tremor to his grip, but the sword stayed steady in his hand. "I don't know how to explain it. But I can feel it slipping away. My control. I don't know if I can hold it back any longer, and — and it wasn't enough. I still feel hate. I still want to kill." Nero was now distraught as his eyes pleaded for Dante to listen. "I need you to stop me. Before I ruin anything else. Please."

"There are better ways to deal with things, Nero. Let's just take it ea-"

"I can't!" Nero interrupted in anger. "I just don't want to be like this!" Nero forcefully gestured with his outstretched arms, brandishing his glowing arms that were now mismatched; one was his Devil Bringer fully formed and his other was a three-pronged claw with the Yamato's scabbard attached to it. "I almost killed her…!"

While Dante didn't know the full extent of what must have happened, he assumed it involved Kyrie and he was certain that he didn't want Nero continuing down the path he was on. Eyeing the headless corpse of Gian behind Nero, Dante brandished his Rebellion. Whatever it was that happened, he was going to help him get through it. Good. Or bad. And if he had to beat Nero senseless, so be it. But he was not going to lose him again.

Relief dawned on Nero. "Thank you, Dante." He readied his own blade and shifted his legs to give himself better footing. "Shall we have one last dance?"

Dante had barely caught it before he was suddenly charged at. He blocked the blade in time, locking eyes with Nero before him. Their blades screeched with metallic fury while the two were joined in a battle of wills. As their fight dragged on, Nero's precision striking devolved into a series of haphazard hacks and slashes. At that point, Dante could tell that something within Nero was changing… or coming out.

One such unpredictable swing had landed and gave Dante a gash at his side. A maniacal toothy grin spread across Nero's face, his eyes glowing with a sinister delight, as he brought his blade to his lips and slowly savored the blood from it.

Dante couldn't help but swallow in his unexpected excitement. It wasn't the first time Nero had distracted him in unseen ways, but it was exceedingly present at the moment; a near fatal distraction that was all Nero needed to have.

He rushed Dante and plunged his blade deep through supple flesh. Rebellion clattered to the ground as blood gushed out from Dante's mouth; Nero was quick to lap at it hungrily, trailing his wet hot tongue up from Dante's chin to his lips to catch every last drop.

"You have no idea how good this feels," Nero said close to his ear while pushing the blade in deeper. "Do you like it when I'm inside you?" A throaty growl accompanied the twist of his blade when Dante didn't respond to him.

The pain was excruciating, as if it was trying to tear his soul in two, but Dante was finding it unbearingly sensual as well. He couldn't tell if he was groaning in pain or ecstasy. Nero wasn't the only one going crazy, it seemed. Locking gazes with Nero in defiance, Dante grabbed at the hilt of the sword buried in him and shouldered Nero away.

Withstanding the nauseating feeling of pulling the long blade out, Dante decided it was time to take the gloves off. Blood continued to spurt from his wound, but he paid it no mind as he tossed Yamato onto the ground alongside his Rebellion. A gust of air swirled around him as demonic energy spiked in the entire area.

Nero only licked his lips in anticipation as he foresaw what Dante was doing.

If Nero was going to play rough, then so would he.

His transformation sent a shockwave through the air, physically pushing back Nero who didn't seem to notice anything but Dante in his sheer excitement.

In the taunting fashion that Dante loved to be known for, he gave an elegant little bow towards Nero, his toothy grin flashing. He was inviting Nero to make the first move; and on que, Nero was already making a running leap at him. This time Dante was prepared. As if like magic, Nero seemed to have grabbed Dante but it was only his afterimage that his claws swiped through.

With a growl, Nero turned around to the presence that appeared behind him, but he wasn't fast enough. There wasn't anything Nero could do to avoid the oncoming attack as Dante unleashed a barrage of strikes with his fist. The first few punches connected, but Nero managed to bring his arms up to shield himself from the rest of the blows.

"You never learn, kid." Once again, Dante was quick to catch on to Nero's mistake of leaving a hole in his defenses. There was no pause between his movements as Dante shifted from his punches to land one solid kick to Nero's abdomen, knocking Nero back a few paces. Then Dante instantly closed the newly formed gap between them in a matter of seconds and delivered his next attack; an uppercut that sent Nero flying.

A glowing red sigil appeared in the air as Dante leapt up and used it to propel himself higher. But when Dante grabbed ahold of Nero, a blue aura snaked its way around Nero's wings. Dante knew he should have released his grip, but it was as if the allure of the power emanating from Nero stopped him. As they free fell from the skies headfirst, Nero regained his control over the tide of battle and wrapped his arms tightly around Dante. Struggling was no use. Nero's hold on him was vise-like, and Dante could do nothing as he felt Nero manipulating their bodies to spin during their near vertical descent.

The ground was fast approaching and at the very last second, Nero slammed Dante into the Earth while he glided away with his newly functioning wings. Dante didn't know how long the attack stunned him when Nero was suddenly back atop of him, straddling him to prevent any escape.

"Dante…" There was a headiness to Nero's voice as he leaned over Dante, his claws holding him down. "You are mine."

Adrenaline coursed through Dante when Nero lowered his face to the crook of his neck, taking in his scent. Soft puffs of warm air lovingly tickled Dante's neck before he was savagely bitten into. Grunting in half delight, Dante wasn't going to resist anymore. He was becoming too excited himself and it was all he needed to heed to the call of his own demonic instincts.

No longer was Nero pinning him down. Dante had used all of his strength to roll them over, pulling Nero beneath him instead; but Nero wasn't one to be easily overcome. Soon they were both fighting for dominance in the age old struggle of power. Like feral animals, they rolled around, clawing and biting at each other. The scent of blood increased as claws ripped through scaled armor and fangs tore into soft flesh, only sending them both deeper into their frenzied drive. They wanted more of each other and couldn't get enough.

As the fight wore on, it eventually reached its climax when Dante managed to pin Nero to the ground, firmly restraining his arms above his head. Nero panted heavily beneath him, the leather hood that obscured his face had fallen away, revealing the stripes that ran parallel down his face from the narrowed pair of glowing amber eyes. Dante watched with fascination as Nero's demonic features receded to his human appearance.

His shock of silver white hair, his smooth pale skin, the piercing blue of his fiery glare.

Nero was absolutely beautiful.

"Just hurry up and kill me," were the hurtful words that came from the person Dante had come to cherish beyond belief.

"I won't."

A fire lit behind furious blue eyes at Dante's simple refusal. "Didn't you see me kill him?! It was my fault he got like that! It was my fault that Kyrie got hurt! That Ellio died! All because of me!" Anger poured out of Nero during his outburst and he was nearly at the point of sobbing. "I feel like I can't control myself anymore. I'm a monster like they said — all I do is fuck everything up! Please- JUST FUCKING END IT."

If it weren't for Nero's tears starting to form, Dante wouldn't have softened his grip. He didn't know who Ellio was, but from everything that Abele had told him during their brief time together, he knew that Nero had something to do with a young man's untimely death. The pain that Nero felt was reaching out and digging into Dante's heart, making him feel the same kind of hurt that Nero had shouldered for so long alone.

Nero was suffering. He called himself a monster; but to Dante, no monster ever carried such guilt over someone's death.

When it came to Nero, nothing seemed to be going too far for Dante. While Nero tried to hold back his tears, Dante leaned forward and caught Nero's lips with his. Intoxicated by the sweet scent of blood and Nero's vulnerability, he tasted the hot warmth of something he could only describe as wholly Nero. All the sadness, all the pain and the hurt. Dante wanted to take it all. He knew in that moment he would do anything to mend Nero's wounded soul and protect him.

Nero was the one to break their kiss and he didn't look Dante in the eyes as he spoke, forcing his voice to stay level. "Don't do this…" He had said it quietly. As if it was a warning.

"Too late to run now." There was nothing Nero could do or say to make Dante regret ever helping. He lightly brushed his lips on Nero's forehead to chase away any further protests. Dante was perfectly fine with how things were. Whatever troubles Nero faced, he wanted to share the burdens as well.

A/N: I'M GOING BACK TO SIMS4 NAO. Go to my Ao3 by the same penname to see my art. I can't for the life of me figure out why links don't work on here. Im2stupid.