Thanks to all who reviewed/added and I'm sorry my updates are so late (I've been very busy)!

bitbyboth: Thanks for the review! Yeah, he's creepy alright and more about him will be revealed in the future... Incubi are fun to write too XD

SirenaLoreley: Thanks for the review and yeah, you scored correctly! :P - extra cookies! And yes, there will be future angst and smexy time (often both at once)!

masterthief-extrodinaire: Thanks for reviewing! Yup, seme in peril time, Dante's turn! XD

Semjaza: Thank you for the review! Extra cookies for you too, it is indeed his return! I'm glad you like him too, hopefully I won't destroy his character! XD

Right, now onto the next chapter. No real warnings here, but there are a LOT of references... enjoy! (also some fluffyness here)

Chapter 2 – A Long Road Ahead

Today promises to be a lazy one, Dante thought as he piled the used breakfast dishes into the sink and immediately forgot about them. He returned to the main office room, the muscles of his bare chest flexing as he stretched leisurely. From the red leather sofa, Nero leaned his head back to glance up at him, a smirk curling to his lips as his eyes drank in the masculine form of his lover. Returning the smirk, Dante sat down next to him, the younger hunter immediately shifting over and sitting in his lap whilst facing away from him. Sighing softly with contentment, the elder nuzzled behind Nero's ear and kissed him there before wrapping his arms about him.

"No calls so far," he murmured. "That's a good sign."

"Oh?" queried Nero, his smirk broadening. "Just the other day you were complaining about having no money and now you're pleased to have no jobs?"

"Yeah, but today I'm more in the mood for you," he started kissing the kid's neck, the feel of his warm, pale skin sending shivers straight to his groin. "Since we have some time to ourselves, how do you wanna spent it babe?"

"Well I think I know exactly how you want to spend it, Dante."

He smirked into his neck. "Bedroom or desk?"

"Sick old pervert."

"It's a legitimate question."

Nero's eyelids slid slowly shut as Dante's hand wandered dangerously close to his denim clad crotch. "Dante..." he whispered.

"How about the desk then?" the elder gently nibbled on the teen's earlobe, tugging on it teasingly. "You can add to those claw marks you made the first time."

"I do wonder sometimes if you think of anything else."

"I'm not completely sex crazed, you know. I can eat my way through an entire pizza and not think about it once."

Nero rolled his eyes skyward. "Anything for pizza, huh?"

"Ah, but when I'm around you, I can't help but think about it."

The kid snorted. "Are you still thinking about it when we're on a mission together?"

"Of course... mostly those that involve a few nights away from home..."

"Okay, what about in the middle of a fight?"

Dante chuckled. "Especially in the middle of a fight."

"How the hell do you manage to even stay alive, old man?"

"Hmm, just the thought of what I can do to you when we return from a mission is enough."

"Why do I get the feeling that you actually plan it all out during battle?"

Dante smirked and licked the shell of his ear. "Because you know me too well."

Nero laughed, about to turn around and kiss his lover, but he was interrupted as the office doors were flung wide open. The elder hunter growled impatiently and glanced at the two women who entered, wondering if they would ever give him a moment's peace with his little fireball. The kid blushed lightly and attempted to move off Dante's lap, but the strong arms still wrapped around his middle forced him to remain put.

"You could knock first," Dante noted, the irritation clear in his voice.

"As if," Lady retorted. "It wouldn't be something I haven't seen before."

"That's because you don't knock!"

The brunette shook her head. "Anyway, we're here for important business."

Dante groaned. "Typical. Just when I think I can have a peaceful day with Nero, you two come barging in a ruin my plans."

"It's what we're here for."

"You sound far too cheerful."

"That's because annoying the hell out of you is my speciality."

Trish chuckled. "I'm sure you'll still find plenty of time for each other, Dante."

The older male grumbled again. "Yeah, yeah. Get to the point, babes."

The blonde sighed and walked over to the old oak desk, perching on the edge while she watched Lady rest Kalina Ann against the wall. "There was a death last night, a few blocks back from Love Planet."

"You're kidding me," Dante glared at her. "What do you think I am, a freelance detective?"

"The whole area smells of demons, not something a human could fake."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

Trish paused. "I was wondering if you might recognise the victim."

Dante raised a silvery eyebrow as Lady approached him and handed him a photograph taken with a Polaroid camera. He took it, his arms still wound around Nero as he observed the male corpse on the print.

"Doesn't look familiar," he noted. "Why, do you think I should recognise him?"

"He works for the male escort agency," Trish explained. "I thought you'd slept with most of them, Dante."

Dante blushed a little as he saw Nero frown slightly. "Yeah... but not this kid."

"Wow," Lady remarked. "So there really is a guy in town you haven't screwed."

"I'm not that much of a slut, Lady," the devil hunter grumbled. "Besides, this kid looks pretty young, which makes me think he'd be new to the agency. And yeah, you are right Trish, I have slept with all the guys I know from that place."

"Sick pervert," Nero grumbled.

"Come on Nero, I am nearly ten years older than you! You seriously think I'd be a virgin at my age? Me?"

"No... I was just wondering... you know... how many?"

Dante laughed. "You don't want to know that, kid."

"Anyway, back to the point," Trish interrupted, frowning a little as she observed the shirtless older slayer. "As I said, the place smelt like demons had been there, either a few or a powerful one. Given the nature of that escort's death and the fact he was male, I'd say he was killed by an Incubus, which would indicate more to the presence of one stronger devil."

"Incubus, hmm."

"Yes and like I sai, a pretty strong one."

"Think you can handle it?" asked Lady.

"Why should I? This one's got no pay attached to it right?"

"Not exactly. The police have a reward out for anyone who can help catch the killer; if you find the Incubus, I'll collect the reward for you and pay you... a fifth."

"A fifth? How generous."

"Yes it is, considering how big your debt is getting."

Dante glared. "Money really is all you think about, isn't it?"

Lady smirked. "At least I don't think about pizza and sex all the time."

"Aha, there you are wrong! There are actually three things in this world that I think about all the time; Nero, sex and pizza."

"Impressive, I didn't realise you were capable of thinking of so many things at once."

"Except when he eats pizza," Nero added. "Then he only thinks of pizza."

The elder pouted. "You're supposed to protect me from these girls, kid."

"When they're being unfair, yes I will. But this is perfectly fair."

"Okay, maybe it is fair... well, except the fact that I'll only be getting a fifth of the pay for this job. The last time I went up against a strong Incubus I... well..."

Trish laughed. "Do tell Dante, even Lady never told me about this one."

"Because it scarred me for life," the brunette mumbled.

"I don't think you want to know," Dante said, quickly.

"Oh I'm not so sure," Nero smirked. "It sounds humiliating, so I really do want to know."

"Thanks, kid."

"Anytime, old man."

The older part devil sighed. "Okay, so I had a job to kill an Incubus once, this was before I'd met Trish so I would have been... probably nineteen, I think. Maybe twenty. He was from one of the four biggest orders of Incubi who hunted male victims, so natural Lady found this exceedingly amusing when she hired me for the mission. Naturally, I went head on and assumed it would be a walkover... boy was I wrong. He was the strongest Incubus I've ever come across and I'd defeated one or two before then with no problem. Against Incubi, I was always tempted to go all the way with them before killing them, but..."

"Seriously, you are some kind of nymphomaniac, aren't you?"

Dante scratched the back of his neck. "Come on, you can't blame me for wanting to get intimate with a cute guy, right? Besides, you haven't been complaining for the past week about my sex drive."

Nero rolled his eyes. "Okay, you win! Now continue, please."

Trish chuckled. "Yes please do, I think I already know where this is going though."

"I'm sure you do," the half devil grimaced. "Okay, so I started hunting the demon and before I knew it, he started hunting me. I recognised him straight away as the target when I saw him; trust me, he was a total babe! Naturally, the way I do things with Incubi is to lead them on and pretend I'm under their influence, then I get rid of them. But this guy knew exactly who I was and what I was doing, thus remaining a few steps ahead of me. He lured me into a hotel one night and I'm sure you can understand me when I say he didn't need to use his aphrodisiac on me! He got me into bed so quickly that I wasn't even aware when he started feeding from me. Luckily, Lady realised I'd be in trouble and she followed us. I was practically unconscious by the time she showed up, either from my lack of energy or the intense pleasure, I will never know. Unfortunately for her, she had to see me being fucked by this Incubus before she could kill him; I passed out straight away and then woke up to be shot myself."

Trish laughed. "No wonder she won't talk about it!"

"Exactly," Lady sighed. "And you know how much I like to brag about saving this ungrateful bastard's life."

"It felt damn good though," Dante added. "I would have been very happy to die right there!"

Nero snickered. "You really do suck, old man. If a strong Incubus gave you that much trouble, I think I'll be beating your ass to the glory on this mission! But be warned, if you do end up in bed with him, I will hurt you."

"No need to worry about that kid, I'm much more experienced now," he gently threaded his fingers through Nero's soft white hair, kissing him on the cheek. "You've never faced Incubi before, so it's you I'm worried about."

The kid snorted. "I'm not addicted to sex like you, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Dante sighed. "Seriously, you need to understand that it doesn't work that way. This escort that was killed..." he tapped at the photograph for emphasis. "He looks barely your age and probably only just started work, meaning he'd most likely be a virgin. It doesn't matter what type of guy you are, when you're lured by an Incubus, it doesn't matter. Obviously wanting it helps, but a powerful one can even tempt straight men."

Nero exhaled deeply and leaned his head back against his lover's shoulder. "Then you'd better look out for me again, Dante."

"Of course," he kissed him again. "Like you'd need to ask."

"I take it you're taking the job?" questioned Lady.

He nodded. "I didn't really have much of a choice, did I?"

"I'll let the police know I'm working on it."

On that note, she walked back towards the double doors, pausing to retrieve Kalina Ann and rest it across her shoulders. She left the office shortly after, Dante sighing and resting his head against the back cushions of the leather sofa. Trish ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, glancing briefly at the two hunters on the couch.

"Be careful," she warned them. "I mean it; and that's both of you."

"I know how to handle an Incubus Trish," Dante growled. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"Maybe not, but you have Nero now. You'll need to handle them a bit differently."

"It's alright," Nero assured her. "Now he's told me how he hunts them, I won't feel jealous if he goes along with it."

"That's not what I was referring to. You're Dante's mate Nero and other demons will be able to smell that. To the Incubus, Dante will smell of you and vice versa and he knows that devils mate for life. If either of you try to lure him, he will know straight away what you're trying to do."

"Yeah, that could be a problem," Dante agreed with a sigh. "Never thought of that."

"So you'll have to wait for him to make the first move?" queried Nero.

"We can think about that later babe, for now we just need to locate him."

"I suggest you start at Love Planet," Trish proposed. "Even if the Incubus doesn't show there tonight, you can ask around your former associates and see if they've seen him. Getting a description is always a good place to start. I'd take Nero with you as well Dante; I know you want to protect him, but from what I smelt, you'll need a good back up. Lady and I will be around as well, seeing as the Incubus won't target us."

"But you're still a demon... is he stronger than you?"

The blonde smiled slightly. "Yes."

"Then don't fight him, that's my job."

"Wouldn't she be better fighting him than you?" asked Nero, who sounded a little puzzled.

"Not if he's stronger," Dante told him. "Believe me, don't get between an Incubus and his prey, the results are never pretty. I did that with a Succubus once; she was targeting men and... let's just say she found gay men somewhat distasteful because she wasn't good enough to trick them. I attempted to kill her before she could kill her victim and believe me, the results were painful and I was much stronger. They usually take human form and their devil forms are vicious!"

The teen winced. "I'll bare that in mind."

"Just don't screw this up Dante," Trish added. "I have a bad feeling about this one."

After a mostly peaceful afternoon to themselves, which Nero spent going over some of the basic tactics and abilities Incubi possessed, the two devil hunters left the office and made their way to the strip club. The younger had grown much fonder of the night life in the city during the time he'd spent as Dante's lover, but he had made a point to refuse any offers to go to Love Planet. Mostly, he found the idea of an establishment where people went to watch scantily clad women dance round poles tasteless, even though that wasn't the reason Dante visited. In fact, Dante was the reason he had never wanted to see the place. He was aware that the older man used to pick up male escorts there and, if he were to ever meet any of them, he knew he'd be flooded with feelings of jealousy. No matter how many times he told himself it was expected that Dante had former lovers, he still felt jealous of them. All of them. His devil side growled deeply at the thought, a possessive nature stirring inside.

Eventually, they arrived outside of the dreaded place, Nero feeling uncomfortable already under the glow of the neon pink lights. The elder noticed his mate's discomfort and, without warning, grasped the ex Order member's wrist and dragged him into the alleyway at the side. He pressed the younger man up against the brick wall, kissing him deeply and slipping his tongue inside his moist cavern. He groaned lightly as Nero struggled a little before relaxing into the kiss, blue talons fisting into his silvery hair. After a few moments, he pulled back for air, resting his forehead against the teen's as he caught his breath.

"What was that for?" Nero asked with a chuckle.

"Just making sure you won't be upset with me," Dante replied, kissing him again.

The teen smirked against the elder's lips before gently shoving him away. "Look Dante, I'm sure when I go in there, I'm going to find out things about you that I'll be jealous about. I won't be upset... just... I dunno..."

"Nero baby, you know I love you, okay. Regardless to who we meet in there, the only man I care about right now is you."

"I know that and I love you too," he smiled and gently stroked Dante's stubbly face. "But I will be jealous, at least understand that."

Dante smirked. "Good," he leaned down again until their lips were just brushing together. "Because you're so sexy when you're jealous."

Nero glared at him. "Do it on purpose and I'll kick your ass."

The elder muffled his last words with another kiss, his eyes closing and his mind no longer really focussed on asking escorts if they'd seen a strange man wandering around. He pushed Nero harder against the wall, slipping a knee between his thighs and earning a strangled moan. He deepened the kiss, trying to fight the urge to strip the kid bare and fuck him against the wall. However it was become increasingly difficult as his devil side whispered to him, telling him to mate with the younger man in front of all the escorts to show them who he now belonged to. He had to admit the idea was tempting, but there were more important matters to attend to. Dante broke their passionate lip lock, Nero groaned at the loss of contact.

"Just bear with it babe," Dante whispered.

"If you act like this every time, we should come here more often," Nero panted.

The elder chuckled before lightly pecking him on the lips and pulling him out of the narrow passageway. Nero blushed when he saw crowds of people standing outside the doors of the club, glancing back over his shoulder to check that the alley had been sufficiently dark enough to block anyone's view of them. Taking a deep breath, he followed Dante inside the building, his nose instantly filled with the familiar scent of stale alcohol and the strong odour of sweat. He shuddered inwardly, constantly reminding himself that they were only here in an attempt to track down the Incubus. He felt a strong arm briefly wrap around his waist, smiling softly and leaning against Dante before they walked into the main room.

It was very dark, barely light enough to see and it was only lit up with the brightly coloured lights and the flashing lasers. Nero was pleasantly surprised; by the bar, it was actually possible to completely ignore the stage and the dancers that performed there. The music was a little too loud for his taste, but he'd been to clubs with Dante before and he knew his ears adjusted after a few minutes. He followed his lover over to the bar, looking around as he did so and wondering if he could spot any of the escorts the older man was familiar with.

"I was wondering when you'd come by again!" he heard a woman's voice close by.

He turned back round and saw that one of the barwomen was talking to Dante, leaning against the bar counter. Nero inched a little closer to the elder, feeling his possessive side stirring again even though she was a woman.

"I've been busy, if you know what I mean," Dante winked at her.

"Oh really?" the barwoman smirked. "Out of town this time, huh?"

"Not quite, but I'd like you to meet someone."

He wrapped an arm around Nero's denim clad shoulders and pulled him close to his side, his fingers trailing up one arm until they could brush through the tips of his hair. The kid blushed darkly and he smiled sheepishly at the woman behind the bar, tentatively slipping an arm around Dante's waist.

"This is Nero," the elder told her. "I brought him back from 'out of town'."

"Very nice," the barwoman chuckled. "So, he's your...?"

"Boyfriend."

"Finally going steady, eh? Now this is something new! Nice to meet you Nero."

"Yeah," the kid rubbed at his nose. "Nice to meet you, too."

He listened for a while as Dante ordered drinks and continued talking to the red head, sipping a glass of juice contentedly. Even though it had been a little bit embarrassing, he was glowing inside after being introduced to someone as Dante's boyfriend. He often thought that the elder wanted to keep their relationship between themselves and the girls, but clearly that wasn't the case. Then he remembered Lady telling him that Dante was always forced to keep his sexuality secret, as this sleazy town would definitely discriminate against it; it was the same in Fortuna too. In fact, seeing as the elder frequented this place often before he moved in, it made sense that he had friends in the establishment. Nero smiled. Dante was probably happy to be able to share their partnership with someone other than Lady and Trish.

"Come on kid," Dante's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Huh?" Nero looked up at the older man.

"We need to ask some questions, right?"

He'd almost forgotten about that. "Oh yeah."

Dante observed him for a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Nero rolled his eyes. "Yes old man, I'm sure. In all honestly, I'm surprised I haven't met any of your former flings yet."

"Actually you have."

"You're kidding, who?"

Dante smirked. "The car mechanic."

The teen shook his head. "Why am I not surprised?"

Nero followed the elder hunter around the club, his orders to keep looking out for anyone suspicious. He explained that if the Incubus was as powerful as Trish had informed them, he should be able to smell him above the human odours. The younger was perfectly happy to play bodyguard, especially as it kept his concentration away from the men Dante approached. They were exactly as he had pictured them; young, pretty, muscular and eager to please. Of course, it was their job to tempt potential clients, but the way most of them pawed at the red leather clad hunter began to get on Nero's nerves. He bit his lip sharply as one of them draped an arm over Dante's shoulder, his fingers tangling in his white hair and lips whispering into his ear. However, much to the kid's relief, Dante gently pushed the man away and told him hastily that he was already seeing someone. It seemed to spark some curiosity.

"Seriously?" the man asked, sounding disbelieved. "You finally struck the big one, eh?"

Dante chuckled. "You could say that, yeah."

"So, who's the lucky man?"

"Right here!"

Nero immediately found himself tugged to Dante's side again, the warm glowing feeling rising in his chest for the second time that night. There was something immensely satisfying about being introduced to the elder's acquaintances, especially as these were the men Dante had taken to his bed at some point or another. It was satisfying to know that he had something none of them possessed; something that made the half devil fall for him and not them.

"Hmm, he's a real hottie!" the escort noted, eyeing Nero suggestively.

"Just keep your paws off," Dante noted. "He's mine."

"You said you want to ask a question? Is it about Kyle?"

"Is that the name of the kid who was killed?"

"Yes. He was new to the business, I was supposed to meet him here."

"Did you see anyone?"

"No, poor kid was probably lured away before I arrived."

Dante sighed. "That's what everyone else said, no one has seen this guy!"

"Maybe not, but the man I was with last night did see someone unusual. He said he saw a guy with streaked blond hair and golden eyes hanging around outside; he also told me he turned up before I arrived. I'm not saying this was the murdered, but his appearance seems unusual and certainly isn't someone I think I've seen."

"Hmm, sounds like the kind of guy Vince would go for."

"Probably, but he quit just over a week ago."

"He quit? Why? I always thought he was one of the best."

The escort nodded. "He didn't say much, but he did seem down about something before he left. Maybe all those guys getting infatuated with him started to depress him, especially when he said he had fallen for someone."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Vince in love? He never told me."

"He wouldn't! He cares for his client's feelings too much."

The elder nodded and thanked the man before turning back to Nero, who looked at him with a vacant expression. He sighed, raising a hand and running his fingers through the locks of the teen's white hair before smiling softly and kissing his forehead. It was beginning to seem unlikely that they'd get any further information, as the other three escorts Dante spoke too also saw no one. It seemed that the new kid was the first of the agency to arrive, meaning the Incubus had left before the rest showed up. It was beginning to make life difficult and Nero could see that the other man was becoming frustrated. In fact, once they'd spoken to the last escort, they were about ready to leave until they were stopped by a deep, smooth voice.

"So you're back then," the man noted. "And with company."

Nero turned round to see who spoke to them, his breath immediately catching in his throat as he observed him. He was stunningly attractive, his shoulder length black hair framing his masculine face beautifully and his body was slender and well sculpted. But his devil side picked up on his scent straight away. He glanced up at Dante, but the elder hadn't seemed to notice anything as he smiled warmly at his acquaintance. Nero looked back at the beautiful man, the scent going to his head and making his vision a little fuzzy. This guy...

Cliffhanger? I think so... I'll try my best to update faster this time, but no promises... stay tuned!