A/N~ Sorry for the late update. Finals! Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews! Especially the one that called me a fag enabler, that was my favorite. 8D I felt I rushed this chapter since it was so late, so I hope it's okay. The updates might be slower from here on out. I don't own DMC, respect the M rating. And I hope you enjoy!

Nero was still absent the next morning. At first, Dante wasn't too worried about it. Nero had left on over night missions before and returned later the next day.

Granted, never this late and he didn't leave for a mission this time… but still. Nothing to panic about.

Several hours passed and Dante's innate mode of cool was chipping away. He was becoming agitated. He had been so sure that Nero would walk around the block a few times to simmer down and then come right back.

When this didn't happen, he thought maybe he got into a fight. Regardless, in either scenario, Nero returned that night and everything was fine. Now instead, Dante was pacing the floor of Devil May Cry like an incurably worry-stricken surrogate mother.

He'd only picked at his food and hadn't taken a nap, answered any messages from clients or even thought about anything else all day except Nero.

If anything happened to him he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Another few hours dragged painfully by and Dante was staring out the window from the couch. He transitioned his gaze periodically.

Floor, window, back of his eyelids, window, floor, window. He shifted uncomfortably all day until the sun was beginning to set again. Nero wouldn't leave for a full day, no matter how upset Dante made him.

"That's it." The elder seized Rebellion off the wall and hurried out of the doors and into the streets.

Alleyways, shops, rooftops and homes, Dante investigated them all. He managed to find several stray cats, a hobo, and a salesman but no sign of Nero.

He trudged on through the streets until he was certain he'd covered everywhere within the town's limits. The sun was almost swallowed by the edge of the earth as Dante took a rest on a park bench he had already passed.

While gathering his thoughts, he couldn't help but wonder if Nero had left the town completely. Maybe… he'd gone back to Fortuna… Was the kid that mad? To leave everything behind and just return to Kyrie?

The thought pushed Dante back to his feet.

He kept walking.

He's sensible. Dante reminded himself. There's no reason for me to panic like this.. He wouldn't just up and leave without thinking. He'll come home. The hunter heaved a sigh and nodded to himself to finalize his rationale.

But if he doesn't, I'm going to Fortuna.

Night fell and Dante had returned to the shop. He was staring at the ceiling from the couch, still thinking about all the horrible things that could have happened to Nero.

Then, the double doors swung open. Dante sat up and watched as the kid stumbled inside a few feet before collapsing facedown on the floor, groaning.

"Nero!" Dante hurdled the table and rushed to the boy's side. He flipped him over and the kid's mouth hung open loosely. He looked… dead. Dante's index and middle fingers pressed to the boy's jugular.

His pulse was lethargic but normal. And… he didn't seem to have any wounds. Dante leaned in to his lips and listened for breath. Instead he received a face full of an alcohol-filled exhale. He wasn't injured, he was drunk off his ass and passed out. The elder smiled in relief.

"You idiot." He muttered more to himself than to Nero. He hauled the boy up by his collar and scooped him into his arms bridal style.

Nero curled into the warmth of Dante's chest and nuzzled his face into his shoulder. Dante hurried him upstairs to his room. As Nero settled into his bed, he still clung to Dante's coat.

"Mmm… Ngh…" He mumbled some incoherent nonsense.

Dante took his hand and tried to remove it but it was clamped pretty hard. The kid growled when he picked at his fingers and pulled harder. To avoid losing his arms, Dante ended up maneuvering out of the coat and letting the boy keep it.

"Jeez…" He watched as Nero pulled the coat up to his face and snuggled into it like a cat. He had to admit that drunk Nero was very adorable.

Despite how he wanted to touch that gentle face his fear of losing a limb as he had lost his coat got the better of him and Dante retreated downstairs. Now that the kid was home safe, he felt well enough to actually take one of those many missions he received that day.

He relaxed at his desk and filtered through the messages for one that interested him.

They all ended up being the same complaint. Apparently a rather large bird demon had been summoned a few cities over and Dante had been frantically called by Trish, Lady (twice), and several town officials.

Provided the city wasn't already burned to the ground, Dante headed out to save it as he does.

Giant birds are a pain in the ass. Trish and Lady are a pain in the ass when you show up that late. And town officials like to charge for collateral damage so… they're also a pain in the ass.

The mission had left Dante exhausted and frankly, pissed. He just wanted to crawl into bed and pass out. He climbed the stairs with much effort and took them one stomp at a time. As Dante dragged himself into his room, he stripped to his boxers along the way to the bed.

Toppling into the sheets, he rolled towards the center but bumped into something hard. It grunted. Dante froze. He slowly reached over and poked around the area in the dark. He found a nostril. Now he was scrambling to turn on a light.

"Nero?" Dante rubbed his eyes as the boy's sleeping body was illuminated at his side. The kid was in his bed! Did I not put him in his own damn bed? I'm too tired to deal with this…

Dante shook his shoulder, desperately trying to remove this intruder. No response, he was still passed out. "Nero!" Dante flicked his ear and then shook him harder. Nothing. Giving up Dante turned out the light and laid down, ignoring the kid beside him.

Unconscious Nero, however, was not a being to be ignored. Maybe it was Dante's warmth that guided him but whatever the reason, the boy's body gravitated towards his. Nero's nose affectionately caressed Dante's back and up to his nape.

Hands snaked about his waist and he felt his roommate's body press against his rear. Remembering his jacket, Dante didn't dare shove Nero from his form. But it was damn difficult to fall asleep with that much constriction and the pant of breath on the back of his neck left him moderately aroused.

The next morning Nero was waking slowly. He noticed how cozy and snug he was but his pillow seemed a little stiff. It smelled good though, and felt warm. He buried his nose in it and clung to it tightly.

What brushed his face did not feel like cloth and the pillow hugged back. Pillows don't hug. Nero jolted straight up and realized he'd been sleeping on Dante's chest. The elder hunter's hand fell from his waist loosely and he scrunched up his face before relaxing it again in his sleep.

Nero panicked as he couldn't remember anything from last night, especially how in the hell did he end up in Dante's bed! He punched his roommate awake. Square in the face.

"Aw DAMMIT!" Dante sat up holding his nose. "Not the face, kid, that's all I got going for me, ya know?" He winced, soothing his tender nose with rubs.

"Why the fuck am I in your bed! What did you do to me?" Nero barked, " I swear to God Dante if you touched me at all I will-"

"Whoa, jeez you're untrusting… I didn't do anything, I swear." Dante promised, "You were really drunk last night, I took you to your room-"

"Why am I in here then!" Nero shouted over top of the explanation.

"You did that." Dante said bluntly.

"Huh?"

"You wandered in here and cuddled with me." Dante smirked, "You were reeaaalllllyy drunk." Pieces started coming back to Nero, he remembered vaguely about when he left and went to the bar but not much else in between.

He barely recalled dreaming something about coming into Dante's room but then the twang of a sharp hangover headache blared in his temples cutting off all thought.

"So we didn't… uh… you didn't…?" Nero winced, holding his head.

"I'm not that kid of guy, kid." Dante said calmly.

"W-well I'm gonna go…" Nero gestured towards the door with a thumb and tossed aside the covers to leave. "OH MY GOD!" Nero's hands flew up to cover his eyes. Dante looked around, confused.

"What, what is it?" The boy pointed down at his boxers with one timid finger while keeping his eyes welded shut. "Oh…" Dante laughed a bit, maybe nervously, maybe genuinely.

The situation was too unreal to tell which was really taking place.

"It's morning, kid, I can't help what happens down there. Besides, you were spooning me all night. I'd say you're entirely responsible."

"I'm out. I'm gone!" Nero tried to leave the bed while still keep his hands slapped over his eyes. He flopped around for a minute trying to locate the bed's end.

"You were all about getting into my pants yesterday, why don't you just help me out?" Dante suggested, tugging at the kid's elbow and moving towards the squeamish youth.

"That was yesterday before I drank myself into a coma over the thought of actually wanting you." Nero growled, finally lifting his blinds to swat away his advancing friend.

Dante pounced on his frantic partner suddenly. Nero yelped and struggled as he was pinned to the tangled sheets. The elder crushed his lips to the boy's and immediately forced his mouth open with a lash of tongue.

Nero blushed madly at the action. Dante's tongue was in his mouth and he honestly didn't know what to do about it. It felt good. Everything about this felt good.

He let his tongue respond and push back against the elder's, running about its surface and wrapping around the side. Dante's lips tightened in a smile of approval. Nero turned his head away and grimaced.

"G-Get off…" He commanded weakly. Dante just dove for another kiss. Nero complied again and whimpered into the caress as their tongues wrestled more. Though again, the boy tore away and struggled against Dante's hold. "Stop it!" He said more fiercely.

"You're going to have to resist harder than that, kid." Dante's lips pressed to his neck and he ground his erection against Nero's pants in a rough dip of his hips.

Nero gasped an airy whine and his body reflexively pushed up, chasing after Dante's. They grinded again. Nero was losing himself, he could feel it. If Dante continued on like this then he wouldn't even remember the word "No."

Before it came to that point, the boy surged forward and threw Dante onto the floor. He hit the dresser and hissed, rubbing his head.

"I don't want to be part of this bet anymore." Nero shook his head with a wavering voice.

"Well," Dante massaged his scruff and scratched his chin, "That's not up to you. The bet was that I could make you fall in love with me. If you call it off then it's like I lose by default and I'm not gonna let you do that. Either you admit you're in love with me or I give up, those are the rules." Dante relayed.

"I don't care. I'll give you whatever you want, just stop it. Okay?" Nero yelled. Dante stood and approached the bed again, sitting on the edge of it. He thought it over.

Whatever I want? Dante mused. But it was so much fun torturing Nero for these two days! He liked being punched all the time and just… feeling this way. The kid had definitely effected him. He wasn't sure if it was just that he wanted him sexually or what but… Nero had a new appeal to him that he hadn't seen before.

Maybe he can help me figure it out, if nothing else. Dante smirked. Nero swallowed a lump in his throat in anticipation of the request.

"Give me one kiss where you completely mean it. If I'm going to lose the bet, I at least want to know what it would have felt like if I had won." Dante said.

Nero blushed deep crimson and looked away for a moment, ruffling his own hair nervously. He just started kissing and didn't feel particularly strong at it yet. And now Dante is going to make a fucking demand like this?

"Waitiiiiinnng." Dante blew a stray piece of hair from his face absently as he rested his face on his palm and stared at Nero.

"Fine! Just… if I do this, promise you'll keep your paws off me from now on okay old man?" The boy threatened. Dante nodded and waved the question away with irritation. He wasn't too excited about letting go of all of this, but if Nero really put his all into this kiss then maybe it would be worth it.

"Okay, now c'mon!" Dante coaxed the kid in with his taunting hands as they bent towards himself. Nero groaned and scooted closer to the elder slowly until their knees touched. He started to lean in but Dante stopped him.

"Really? You're going to give me a super-passionate kiss from waaaayyyy over there?" He motioned to the space between their torsos. Nero grumbled but obeyed the last request. He reached out and placed his arms about Dante's neck and shifted himself into the man's lap, straddling his waist.

"You still… have a boner…" Nero complained through tight teeth as he was poked very seriously in his new position.

"Annnd you're still hot. Not my problem. Get on with the kiss, kid." Dante let his hands rest on the boy's thighs that tensed about his hips. Nero was feeling beyond awkward and despite how he wanted to make this good so Dante wouldn't have any objections to calling of the bet, his insecurities were getting the better of him.

"What is it?" Dante noticed the kid still hesitating.

In addition to Nero's nerves he had started getting aroused… Dante's hand kept gently sliding as he waited and it was causing the slightest frictions between their bodies. If he started making out with the man, this problem would only get worse and maybe he wouldn't stop until it was solved…

"We haven't had breakfast yet." Nero instantly produced a valid excuse, "We can do this after breakfast, yeah?" He slid off of Dante and rushed out of the room, his pants already tightening to a noticeable point.

"Nero!" The elder devil hunter pouted for a moment alone on the bed. He slouched and willed himself to move from the mattress if only to get that kiss.

Dante traipsed down the hallway and had to stop by the shower to blast some cold water, not feeling very I the mood anymore as his body was still saying.

After the icy numbness set in he exited the shower and pulled his boxers back on, not too concerned about how wet he was. The more he stood there dripping and thinking on what had just happened, the more he felt ripped off. Nero couldn't take the minute to give him just one good kiss?

There's no way he's getting away with this. If I don't get my kiss, then the bet's still on and I'm going to kiss him anyways…

He headed downstairs towards the kitchen but there was silence. He poked his head in the doorway and scanned from the fridge to the table to the opposite wall. Nero wasn't there.

If he didn't actually go get breakfast then…

The elder headed back upstairs and checked the doors as he walked back to his room. Then he headed across the hall to Nero's room. The door was shut. He opened it without really thinking.

"I thought you said after… break…fa…" Dante's sentence faded as he was forgetting how words worked and definitely how to use them properly in a sentence.

He had walked in on Nero doubled over on his knees, face in the pillows, mouth open, sweat, glossy eyes, and touching himself-the whole deal. The doorknob in his hand crumpled like an aluminum can and he dropped it like one.

He fought the urge to tackle the boy into those sheets and finish where they had left off in his bedroom.

Seeing the kid just so helpless and exposed like that he had to take the opportunity. He had to!

He took a step towards Nero and then turned on his heel and walked out.

He headed straight back to the cold shower and stayed there for twenty minutes until he wasn't sure there was enough warmth to spread anywhere except to internal organs.

It's just not fair.

TBC