Sorry this is so late, I'm going through a very rough patch and my inspiration/motivation is practically non-existent, hence the long time taken to write this... I'm trying my best to get back on track, so please bear with me!
Flowing Tears: Thanks for reviewing! I always love the 'nice guy is actually a demon, oh damn' type scenarios! XP - love the idea of Nero referring to Dante as being a fair maiden there, by the way!
SirenaLoreley: Thanks for the review! I've always seen Nero as being a possessive type, almost as much as Dante and definitely not always a bottom! Glad that Vince scares you too, it's the kind of effect I'm trying to aim for!
Warrior Nun: Thank you for reviewing! I had Nero as being dominant because of the Incubus effect, that combined with being jealous triggered his devil side to get all possessive. That and I'm personally not a fan of set 'uke' and 'seme' roles with these two.
Semjaza: Thanks for the review, glad you liked possessive Nero (I love him like that...)! You might have to fight Trish for Lady though! XP
Simca: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I see Dante/Nero as being one of those pairings where they switch positions every now and then, because Nero on top is special! XD
TheFlurryofMelodiousFlames: Thanks for the review and it's great that you're back and done with disappearing! Hopefully I will be soon too! XD
BattleGoddess126: Thanks for reviewing! And you're not behind on reviewing, because I'm so behind on the writing... I like Incubi too (the gay ones anyway...) because they do appear a fair bit in fantasy yaoi.
Rin Aoi: Thanks for reviewing but, now I don't mean this in a bad/offensive way so please don't take it that way, but that's really not how a lot gay relationships work... there is no 'female' role, they're both males, be it top or bottom and I'd personally feel awkward if someone tried to refer to me as being a 'girl' in a relationship, just because I'm uke/bottom (I'm sure some don't mind/care). Though as to why Nero takes the top here, it's the Incubus effect making his devil side need to claim Dante. Again, please don't take this response in a bad way, I don't mean it offend you.
Evil-Snow-Bear: Thanks for reviewing and yeah, Nero depriving Dante of sex would be a suitable punishment! Kid really needs to push the old man down a few notches!
Thanks guys for reviewing/favouriting and again, I can't apologies enough for being so behind on updates... I can't promise much at this stage, but I'm hoping I'll find the time to start the next chapter tonight! Enjoy!
Chapter 4 – Past Wounds
Nero groaned as he slowly woke from sleep, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room. He yawned softly, peeking at the alarm clock on the bedside table and growling with disgust at the fact he had woken up so early in the morning. It was barely past four. Sighing, he rolled onto his back and was immediately greeting by a dull ache in his lower abdomen. He smirked to himself as he remembered the previous day. After managing to top Dante so wonderfully, he had initially been concerned over how strongly meeting Vince had affected him; just a simple handshake followed by a few teasing touches from his older lover and he was gone in an instant. However, he hadn't been complaining afterwards when Dante decided to return the favour before they both passed out for a long sleep. They'd spent the rest of the day shut up in their bedroom, enjoying pleasures that only the other could give. It was the first time that either of them had ever chosen sex over food, the latter being forgotten when they'd exhausted themselves to the point they fell asleep almost instantaneously.
Nero chuckled, turning over to his other side slightly so he could observe the sleeping face of the older half devil. One of Dante's muscular arms was lightly draped across his middle, his fingers gently brushing the flesh along his side. A softer smile graced the teen's features as the elder shifted in his sleep, his face moving to nuzzle the inside of his neck. The arm around him dropped lower and tightened around his waist, his body being pulled closer to the comforting warmth of the other male. Nero sighed contentedly and wrapped an arm around the elder's neck, his fingers lightly wafting through his white locks as he pulled his head a little closer. It was no surprise to the younger hunter that this did not wake his lover, as Dante could sleep heavily enough at this time in the morning to completely ignore a blazing fire right under his nose. However, he still couldn't help but imagine the feel of the elder's lips smirking against the skin on his neck and a hot tongue licking over his quickening pulse.
"I'm not that light a sleeper, kid," Dante mumbled.
Nero almost jumped in surprise at that, a low chuckle from the rousing hunter suggesting he had felt the kid's muscles tense. He wanted to ask the older man if he'd been able to read his thoughts at that moment, but he was only able to manage a moan as lips slowly kissed along his neck and up to his ear. A hot tongue licked the lobe affectionately, a pleasant shiver running along the ex Order member's spine at the intimate contact. He rolled completely onto his side, Dante's arms coming up around him and lips meshing with his immediately. Nero let himself go, feeling his flesh heat up involuntarily and that same heat travel straight to his groin. Part of him wanted to shove the elder away, especially seeing as he was beginning to feel pangs of hunger from having nothing to eat yesterday. However, his devil side begged to differ, ignoring the rumble in his stomach in favour of the feelings Dante was arousing through every inch of his body.
"Up for more, eh?" asked the elder hunter with a snicker. "Didn't we get enough yesterday?"
"Shut u-up... old man..." Nero panted.
He moaned loudly as Dante rolled them over so he was pinned beneath the stronger body, both men failing to hear the sound of the large wooden doors opening downstairs. Nero wrapped both arms about Dante's neck, the blue talons of his Devil Bringer latching into silvery hair and pulling his head closer as they kissed fiercely. The elder smirked into the kiss, one hand slipping down the length of his mate's lithe body and gently wrapping around his growing erection. Nero moaned again, arching his back beneath Dante and rubbing their hips together.
"Damn Nero," Dante groaned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a little bit of an addiction."
"You're one to t-talk..." Nero murmured.
"Yeah, but I'm able to admit it at least."
"I'm not addicted! You're just..." the kid choked back another moan. "Persistent."
Dante chuckled. "Damn right I am."
However, before he had the chance to reach into his bedside table for a tube of lube, the door to the bedroom burst open. Nero gave a short yelp of shock at that, mentally kicking himself for making such an embarrassing sound. Dante rolled back off his mate, sitting up and glaring in the direction of the door as the light was switched on. The younger hunter blushed deeply when he saw Trish standing there with one hand on her leather clad hip, both hands instantly pulling the covers up to his shoulders.
"What the fuck Trish?" Dante growled. "Hasn't Lady told you to knock yet?"
The blonde demon blinked, somewhat surprised. "Actually, I was expecting to have to kick your ass out of bed. I recalled from when I used to live here that you could sleep through practically anything save a bullet to the head."
The elder smirked. "Or my boyfriend sucking me off."
Nero glared at him. "I was not!"
"True, but how long would it have been until you were?"
"Sometimes I do just like to watch you, Dante."
"Aw, I'm honoured."
He ruffled the teen's hair, smirking as the glare became harsher.
Trish rolled her eyes skyward. "That aside, I'm here with more information about your job."
"Oh?" queried Dante. "The Incubus strikes again, right?"
She nodded. "A young man was killed in his motel room last night; his body was discovered by his male lover. In fact, I believe you know the guy who died. He called himself Striker; he was a former hustler who hung around here begging for your affections for a few days until you finally gave in. You were actually with him for longer than a night."
"Oh yeah, I remember Striker. Cute kid under all that tough-guy visage he put on."
"Seemed like he'd actually settled down. The guy who came back to find him dead said they'd been together for about a year. Such a shame for him to end in such an unpleasant way, after all he'd been through."
"Death by Incubus isn't all that unpleasant, Trish."
"Please, can we take this seriously for a moment?"
"I am serious! Maybe it's unpleasant for women who a targeted by Incubi, but from my experience, I didn't find it bad at all!"
Growling lowly, Nero curled back the claws of his Devil Bringer, the blue flesh glowing madly as he moved to aim a punch at the older male. Dante chuckled nervously, slipping an arm around his lover's shoulders and trying to cool him off.
"Where was he killed?" he asked, changing the subject.
"In the motel on the edge of town," Trish replied.
"I take it it's the same deal as last time?"
The demonic woman sighed. "No, I'm afraid not. I checked it out after Lady said the police left the scene and I noticed a different scent immediately. Definitely an Incubus as before, but not the same one."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Stronger?"
"No, not stronger. Powerful yes, but not as strong as the first one. In fact, from the scent of this Incubus, I'd say it was the first time he'd actually killed."
"I thought Incubi had to kill?" Nero asked, a confused expression crossing his young features.
"Not always. Some Incubi, usually the type who hunt male victims, prefer to not kill their prey, just drain them enough to satisfy their hunger and force the victim into a deep sleep. They need to hunt more often in this fashion and they certainly won't be able to get as powerful as the first one I noticed, but it's enough. In fact, the Incubus in question here is surprisingly strong for someone who's killed for the first time."
"Why do they do that? Not kill, I mean."
"No idea, in all honesty."
"Who could blame them," Dante shrugged. "Why kill a hot guy when you can feed from him a second time? My theory for this is simply that Incubi who hunt men and choose not to kill simply have good taste!"
"No wonder you ended up falling for one," Nero glared at him.
"Come on kid, I wasn't that much of a slut."
"Your argument is less than convincing."
"Okay, so I've enjoyed a few good looking men in my time, what guy hasn't? Well, ignoring those unlucky enough to have been brought up in a tight ass place like Fortuna."
Nero sighed. "I'm not going to win here, am I?"
"Sure you are, babe. Who do you think is in my bed right now, hmm?"
The teen smiled a little, closing his eyes as Dante kissed him softly on the lips.
"Sorry to break this up, but you should get over there," Trish interrupted. "I'm happy to keep a look out for you seeing as you have other missions to do, but you're the ones who should be hunting him. I don't care much for Incubi."
"More of a Succubus woman, right Trish?" Dante smirked.
She glared, harshly. "You're walking a very rocky path, Dante."
"Alright, alright!" he raised his arms in defeat. "We're going!"
"You'd better," the blonde turned to leave. "And remember to be careful, I still have a bad feeling about this whole thing. Two Incubi could get incredibly messy."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"You'd better."
Within an hour or so of getting up, and Nero forcing Dante's hands out of his jeans, the two devil hunters were in the elder's red convertible and driving out to the motel. Nero glanced at his older lover every so often, trying to decipher what he was thinking, but he just looked simply bored. From his time at Devil May Cry, the ex Order member had quickly realised that Dante only ever got excited about missions when there were plenty of strong things to kill. If it was anything else, especially if it required logic and problem solving, the son of Sparda grew bored exceedingly quickly. Nero had to smirk at that thought; he preferred the missions that required a bit of thought as it always provided him with an opportunity to show the elder part devil up.
"Distracted much kid?" Dante asked, glancing at him briefly out of the corner of his ice blue eyes.
"Huh?" Nero mumbled, a pink flush rising to his cheeks at the realisation he'd been staring at the other man for quite a while.
The elder laughed. "I know I'm hot, but you don't have to drool over me all the time."
The teen glared. "I was not drooling!"
"Speak much to your devil side, babe?"
Nero blinked, but blushed when he realised how loudly his demon side had been purring in the back of his mind just by simply looking at his mate. Dante chuckled, the kid's blush deepening as he heard the deep growl of the other's devil side in appreciation of his own. He looked away immediately, feeling almost embarrassed by that. After all the years of being hated and isolated by the townsfolk of Fortuna, Nero had constantly ignored the devil side of him as well as hiding his arm. On the other hand, Dante was perfectly in tune with his other half, right to the point where he could easily understand Nero's inner devil through the bond they shared. He really needed to learn a lot from the older male, something he hated to admit to himself never mind aloud. But it was true. In fact, it would also be beneficial for their missions. Humans couldn't sense each other over long distances, but a demon could tell whether their mate was in trouble even if they were far away. Dante had proven that point on a mission a day or so after the incident with the Shadow Stalker.
After many moments of brooding over this fact, Nero soon grounded himself back in reality as they pulled into the motel car park. The teen picked up on a slightly spicy scent emanating from the run down building, something about it triggering his memory. The scent was familiar. He glanced over at Dante as he stepped out of the driver's seat, but the elder hadn't shown any sign that he recognised the smell. Shrugging it off for a moment, the teen opened the door and got to his feet, slamming it shut and following the elder hunter over to the motel building. The owner was not in the reception area, but the two men quickly caught sight of a familiar face. Lady stood there waiting for them, swinging a room key around her index finger.
"You took your time," she remarked. "Trish called me over an hour ago."
"Didn't your girlfriend remind you that I take a long time to get up in the morning?" Dante replied, grumbling a little.
Lady chuckled. "Actually she's always been under the impression that it doesn't take you very long at all to get up in the morning."
The man in red smirked. "Especially with this cute little punk next to me."
Nero growled as Dante reached for him, backing away from his grasp. "Shut up, old man."
"I never recall you complaining about this, kid."
The teen was about to reply, however he was interrupted by the sound of Lady loading one of her guns threateningly. "I didn't expect you to be up and ready for this mission, however I would have expected you to take things a little more seriously. I don't fancy saving your ungrateful ass from this Incubus in the same manner as the last time!"
She tossed the key at Dante, who caught it with an awkward expression on his face. Nero had to smirk on that as he recalled the story, making a mental note that if Lady could use it as a form of blackmail, then he could use it as a way to get one over him. It was unlike the elder hunter to feel uncomfortable about something on any level, even if it was relatively minor, hence the younger felt it was a weapon he could use.
"Did Trish explain that things may be different this time?" queried the brunette.
"Yeah," Dante nodded. "I'll give things a full check out, though don't expect anything. Incubi don't like to be caught, seeing as hunting is the only way they can survive. That and they're very good at what they do."
"So you keep saying," Nero grumbled.
"Sorry babe, but these things have to be said."
"I know."
"Hey," the older male ruffled the younger's hair. "I won't let anything happen, okay."
"You'd better stick to that, old man."
On that note, the two devil hunters headed over to the motel room in question, leaving Lady to head back home on her bike. Nero followed the more experienced hunter over to the badly painted green door, his demonic senses tingling with the same spicy scent he'd picked up before. He racked his brain trying to figure out why it was so familiar, partly being distracted by Dante unlocking the door with the key he'd been given. When the door was shoved open, notably rather violently as it fitted somewhat poorly in the frame, the scent hit Nero much more forcibly. The heaviness of it almost made him feel drowsy, but the spiciness kept his senses burning enough to counteract the effect. He shook his head, taking a step into the room after Dante had moved and was no longer blocking the entrance.
"Trish was right," the elder noted. "Different Incubus alright."
"And is this the first victim he's killed?" Nero inquired.
"Smells like it."
The teen quirked an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"
"If you breathe in enough of the scent, you can smell blood. That's something you only tend to notice with young Incubi or those who haven't killed before. After so many deaths, the scent of blood just dissolves into the demon's own scent."
"I see."
Nero took in a deep breath, almost feeling lightheaded as the spicy aroma flooded his nostrils. But then he noticed it; intermingled with the unique scent was a metallic hint of blood, something that could not be mistaken for anything else. However something else hit him a few moments after. There was something sweet about this scent and it made him shiver deep inside, his skin beginning to warm up in response to the sensation. He rubbed at his nose briefly when he felt his ears burning, but stopped as sudden realisation hit him in the gut. Everything about this was too familiar; the spicy aroma, the sweetness and the warmth spreading to every part of his body. They were the exact same feelings he had felt around Vince in Love Planet.
"Dante, I think I..."
The ex Order member cut himself short when he laid eyes on his mate, who was standing across the room by the bed. He watched as the older male sat down on the edge of the slightly worn mattress, his fingers absently tracing the pale skin on the deceased boy's face. Nero felt a slight twinge of guilt in his heart at that moment. He'd always been jealous whenever he was reminded of Dante's previous lovers and one night stands, but he'd never stopped to think about how his partner felt about them. He had never hidden his jealousy from the other hunter and, looking at it now, it was an almost selfish thing to do. During his life in Fortuna, Nero had forever been taught that relationships should only be about love and should be chosen carefully. All in all, he'd never fully understood Dante's need to flirt with every man he came across but now, he was almost closer to understanding it. Being a half devil in a world full of humans was probably a very lonely existence and Dante probably wanted to take anything when it was offered.
Sighing lightly, Nero crossed the room to stand by his lover, gently resting his human hand on one strong shoulder. Dante glanced at him briefly before smiling softly and turning back to observe the deceased male, the fingers of his hand now lightly wafting through his light brown locks. The look in the elder's sky blue eyes was something Nero had never seen before. In the relatively short time he'd known the man, he'd never once seen him looking so sad and being so still, with the exception of the time Nero yelled at him after a few days of living with him. Of course, he had expected that Dante would have fallen in love with men other than himself but somehow, he'd never given it any thought. It didn't help that the older male was a complete slut and used to trawl clubs and bars looking for a guy to bring home for the night. His mate was also kind and sensitive, so was it really so difficult to believe that he'd fallen in love before? Nero closed his eyes and wrapped his arms about Dante's muscular shoulders, gently nuzzling into the crook of his neck. For once he felt like the asshole.
"I'm sorry," the teen whispered.
Dante raised an eyebrow. "For what kid?"
"For being such an asshole."
"Now why do you think that?"
Nero blushed against Dante's neck. "Because I'm just... just a jealous lover."
The elder chuckled, running the fingers of his free hand through the kid's hair. "And you're damn hot when you're jealous too. Don't beat yourself up about it, babe. If you'd had any lovers before me, I know I'd be jealous."
"But I never stopped to think how you felt in your past relationships."
Dante sighed. "You win some, you lose some. What else is there to say?"
Nero pulled back to observe his partner. "Did you love this guy?"
"I was with Striker for a few days, that's all."
"That's not what I asked."
"Yeah, maybe I did. But it's in the past now; no point dwelling on it."
Nero bit his lower lip. "If you loved him, why only a few days?"
"Because letting him go was the best thing for him. With me, it'd be no different to him hustling other guys; I'd comfort him, have sex with him and in return, give him a place to live and help feed him. He needed to be in a relationship that was stable, not with a guy like me who craves sex too much and always has to put his job first. If you really love someone, you have to do what's best for them."
The teen smiled a bit. "Guess you're a lot less of an asshole than I thought."
Dante chuckled. "I try my best."
"What'll you do with him?"
"Nothing," the elder hunter got to his feet. "Striker had a lover, it's only fair that he handles it now. I've remember the scent of this Incubus, now we've got to try and track it down before someone else gets hurt."
"Then where do we start?"
"Well, if he's still in town, best place to start is roaming the bars. If all else fails, we'll need to go to Love Planet again."
"Is there seriously no easier way?"
"Afraid not kid, Incubi are the worst damn demons to hunt."
Dante made to leave the room, leaving Nero to stand alone for a few moments observing the almost peaceful body of the young man. Sighing, he too left and joined his mate outside, shivering slightly against the biting cold of winter. He jumped slightly as the elder took his hand and threaded their fingers together.
"You're different, you know that Nero?" he noted, not really as a question.
"Really?" Nero rubbed his nose, his cheeks tinged slightly pink.
"I don't have to hide anything from you and work is part of our relationship. We're both part devils and that makes such a difference. I know that no matter what happens, I can love you and still keep you by my side. That's how important you are to me."
The ex Order member grinned. "Come on ya big softy. We've got demons to hunt."
As night grew in, the small out of town motel had quietened down after the initial rush during the morning. The police had cleared the crime scene after the hunters from Devil May Cry showed up, the body of the young man being taken away so his lover could deal with a proper burial. The blond Incubus Akira stood quietly on top of the motel's roof, watching as the light of day disappeared below the horizon, snowflakes still visible under the orange streetlamp glow. He growled slightly, closing his eyes as he felt a ring of red line his iris; he had not fed since the young escort at Love Planet. He had been too preoccupied with other things to have the time to feed, especially while he was being hunted by Devil Hunter Dante. But it was something he should have expected. Every time he lay with him, his hunger would come back in full force.
He opened his eyes again as he caught a waft of a gentle, spicy fragrance fill his senses. Glancing down into the car park below, he watched as Vince approached the building, key already in hand to open the door to one of the rooms. Akira narrowed his eyes; he was alone. He waited until the other Incubus stopped outside one of the rooms, opening the door and disappearing inside. Sighing lightly, the blond demon leapt from the building's roof and landed in front of the door, a sudden noise within informing him Vince knew he was there. Within seconds, the door was ripped open forcefully, a frustrated looking man glaring at him from behind the threshold.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Here to see you," Akira replied, simply.
"I thought we had an agreement? I satisfied you, you returned to me what Markus stole from me and I went about my business."
"Yes, I believe that was what you wanted."
"Then answer my question."
"Oh," Akira purred. "Can't I at least come inside? It's cold outside and they still give you instant coffee in these places, right?"
Vince's glare softened a little. "Alright, but only because you were my former leader."
Akira smirked slightly as he walked into the dimly lit room, the faint smell of a burning incense candle adding to the already spicy aroma of Vince's natural scent. It was clear the other Incubus had planned to find someone after all.
"No luck, or did you want to prepare the room before looking?" he enquired.
"Why should you care," Vince replied.
"Come on Vince, you don't need to be so cold with me."
"Why do you insist on following me? Am I really that amusing?"
Akira felt somewhat hurt at the question. "Why would I ever think that?"
Vince grated his teeth a little. "Because you always seem to turn up whenever things have gone badly for me! The first human I fell in love with, you were there when I lost him to a woman. I fell in love with Markus, you were there when he tricked me into believing I had a chance, only to have my abilities drained from me. Now I'm after Dante, another I've lost to someone else and you're still here!"
"If I hadn't been there after the incident with Markus, he would have killed you!"
"Then why every other time? Every time I've fallen in love and had my heart broken, you were there! That's why I'm surprised you weren't able to track me down even when I no longer had any demonic power."
"I'm only looking out for you, Vince. I do know what it's like to crave a mate, I get those feelings too. Even when our clan still existed, I felt the need to look out for you because you refused to completely consume the souls of your prey."
"I never asked for your protection."
Akira sighed. "You're not used to killing, you never used to get this angry."
The former escort glared again. "Who are you to judge me?"
"Your former leader."
Vince made to speak again, but he paused, knowing that Akira was right. He sat down on the bed as he felt his knees wobble, the hunger beginning to pull at him. The other man was right; he wasn't used to killing and now he had, the need to feed came more frequently. He needed to ensnare Dante and his mate before he killed too many others.
"You need to feed," Akira noted. "You can feed from me."
"Does that amuse you too?" Vince growled. "You're always so eager to."
The blond glanced away for a second. "I just need to feed myself."
He sat down next to the smaller male, running one hand through his shoulder length black hair. He nuzzled the soft skin below his ear, trailing his lips up to tug gently on one of his many piercings. Vince moaned slightly, feeling his flesh heat up from the touch of the other Incubus.
"Don't become something you're not," Akira whispered. "It's not worth it."
"You've never bothered searching for a mate," Vince replied, huskily. "How do you know what it feels like to never have the one you love return those feelings, always wanting someone else other than you?"
"Idiot," he tugged at the piercing again. "Maybe one day you'll understand."
Incubi are indeed complicated... hopefully no one will mind the OCs playing a slightly bigger roll in this one that the first part. Stay tuned!