It had been three weeks since Dante had taken his sudden trip to Fortuna and, quite frankly, they'd been boring. As curious as the hunter was to find out what Nero had chosen to do, there had been no word from him and Dante had no way of contacting the kid, bar going back to Fortuna.
Dante knew that Lady would probably castrate him if he tried running off again. He hadn't managed to avoid the lecture from that successful failure of a job; he'd just delayed it by a couple of days.
Not to mention that fact that he'd come home to discover Trish relaxing on his couch, the jukebox blaring out some shit record that had, to Dante's fury, been put in there at the expense of his Elena Houston vinyl.
Oh, well. That felt like an age ago; since then, Lady had been properly ignored, Trish had been properly yelled at, and Nero had…
Well, Nero hadn't done much at all, to the best of Dante's knowledge. The older man couldn't help but wonder whether he'd broken things off with Kyrie or not; the kid seemed like the kind of person who would marry her at the expense of his own happiness, rather than hurt the girl a little and let her get over it.
Sighing softly, Dante let the motorbike magazine he was reading drop over his face as he lay back on the couch, blocking out the mid-afternoon light that was filtering in through the windows of Devil May Cry.
In all truth, he felt the smallest bit sorry for Nero. The guy had realised that, not only was he not in love with his girlfriend, but also that he only had a very, very slim chance of finding someone he did love completely.
But Dante could sympathise…which wasn't something he did very often. At least he'd managed to get ignoring the 'mate urge' down to very fine art: fight and fuck. If he did enough of both, he could generally forget the little demonic voice in his head that bitched and moaned about not having a kindred spirit.
Or, Dante thought with a snicker, a 'soulmate', as Mister Sensitive put it.
He should probably go visit the kid again sometime…but maybe he should give it a few more weeks. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said it was like going through puberty again. Nero's mind was going to yell louder every day; and at some point, his body was either going to start agreeing, or go the opposite way and just get very, very grumpy.
He wouldn't be very much fun to be around, that was certain.
Smirking a little underneath the magazine, Dante closed his eyes. The phone was off the hook and the door was locked tight. If anyone- bar Lady or Trish, who'd just break down the door- tried to contact him, they'd find themselves out of luck.
It was time for an afternoon nap.
Nero had no fucking clue where he was going. He'd barely ever left Fortuna, and finding his way onto the ferry to the city where Dante lived had been hard enough; now he had to actually track Devil May Cry down. If only he'd been given a little more warning that he was going to have to leave; he would've taken the time to find an address.
He hadn't actually checked, but Nero was fairly certain that it wasn't just going to be in the phonebook.
He probably should've just rung the man…but since he was looking for a place to stay, he decided it was better trying to catch Dante off-guard, rather than alerting him ahead of time so that he could nick off before Nero found him.
Turning down yet another alley on the trail of the elusive shop, Nero tensed when he realised that someone else had also entered the darkened laneway. He couldn't sense any demonic energy, but Red Queen was in his bag, along with Yamato; he would only be able to get to Blue Rose, strapped on his leg, without alerting whoever it was to the movement.
Gently sitting his heavy bag on the ground, Nero rested his hand on his revolver and slowly turned. He still didn't know if it was a demon or just human scum, after all…
Finally facing the person behind him, Nero froze.
He was being followed by a woman with an honest-to-God rocket launcher sitting on her shoulder.
Instinctively starting to pull his gun on the woman, he froze again when she took a threatening step forward.
"Don't even think about it, demon."
Raising his human hand in surrender, he began to look for a way out. He was stuck in the middle of the alley, and he didn't know how good the woman's reactions were; he'd probably get shot before he could either flee or attack.
"I think you've got the wrong idea, lady. I'm no demon." Well…it was close enough to the truth. Besides, he'd been through enough of this shit in Fortuna when people had found out why he always wore a sling.
"Don't bullshit me. I can sense it. And if you're not a demon, how do you know my name? Hmmm?"
…What? Nero had no idea what this apparently-crazy woman was on about. He didn't know her name…unless…
"Lady? You're Lady?"
The giant gun didn't waver. "I might be."
"I need to get to Devil May Cry."
"Why?"
Holy shit, was this twenty questions or what? Nero was starting to think that risking a rocket to the face was worth getting away from this crazy bitch; even if she was the hunter that Dante had mentioned in passing.
"I'm here to see Dante."
Silence reigned, and the white-haired man was getting bored. Luckily, the woman spoke before he did something stupid, like try to outrun an explosive.
"Are you a client?"
"Uh…no."
"Then wh-…"
"Listen, Lady. I've had enough of this shit already. Can you at least tell me how to get to the office? It was a damned long trip from Fortuna."
The launcher was slowly lowered, Lady resting the end of it against the ground. Relaxing her pose, she leaned casually against the over-sized weapon. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. You're the kid who tried to give that lazy-ass Dante a run for his money a few months back, aren't you?"
"…Something like that."
"Nero, right?"
The part-demon couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased that Dante had obviously talked about him at some point…unless it had been Trish. But that was beside the point; he'd actually found a way to get to Devil May Cry. He nodded at the suddenly-civil woman, lowering his hand.
"Alright. I'll take you to Dante." She looked pointedly at the bag on the ground, which Nero was bending to pick up. "Does he know you're coming?"
A little sheepishly, Nero shook his head. "No. But if he's gonna drop in on me whenever the Hell he feels like it, then I'm gonna return the favour."
Lady laughed, but it wasn't the most innocent of sounds. Nothing like Kyrie's laugh…Nero frowned, trying to ignore the little flash of guilt he felt.
"Even better! Let's go." Spinning around, Lady darted out of the alley, making Nero almost run to catch up.
He wasn't about to lose this opportunity.
The sound of a fist banging against wood invaded Dante's consciousness, but he desperately tried to block it out and cling to sleep. He'd been right in the middle of a rather…interesting dream about a redhead and a strawberry sundae; he didn't want to deal with whichever pathetic client today would bring.
"DANTE!"
Oh, shit, that sounded like…
The hunter jolted slightly when the front doors of his office broke open, the magazine that was resting over his face sliding to the floor. He pressed the heels of his hands into his blurry eyes; great. Juuust great.
Finally opening his lids, Dante looked right into Lady's mismatched eyes, the woman hovering forebodingly over the couch. The little smirk on her face wasn't a good sign, as Dante had realised a long time ago.
"I've brought you a little present, Dante."
"Don't want it. I'm all about the party, not the gifts."
"Oh, but you'll like this one. I've found you a partner, since Trish and I can't stand staying near you for longer than a week or two at a time."
Sitting bolt upright, Dante crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, no you don't. I ain't letting some random asshole in here to screw up my place, so you can just take your crappy 'present' back to the store."
As usual, Lady wasn't bothered in the least by Dante's anger. "Maybe if you didn't screw up so often, I wouldn't have had to find someone who might do a decent job in the first place. Besides, this one's a stray. Found him wandering the streets, looking for you."
Alright, now Dante was interested. Not so much in the 'partner' bit, but in the 'stray' part. He didn't let it show on his face, though, keeping his expression bored. "I don't have time to toilet-train a new pet."
"Don't worry. I'm fairly sure that he's housebroken." Turning back towards the doors, Lady raised her voice. "Oi, you! Get your ass in here before I have to come out there and kick it."
Dante was curious enough to actually turn his head towards the door, waiting for Lady's latest unlucky victim to appear.
When the third person entered the room, Dante's bored façade dissolved into shock. "What the Hell are you doing here, kid?"
"Don't call me that, you old bastard," Nero muttered with a vaguely uncomfortable air about him. He obviously hadn't been expecting a reintroduction like that, and Dante was actually surprised the guy hadn't just stormed off in a huff.
Then the older man noticed the bag slung over the kid's shoulder.
"I don't think I wanna know the answer, but…what's with the bag?"
Nero bit his lip, blue eyes darting towards Lady before dropping back to the floor. "I kinda got run out of Fortuna. This is all I have left…"
Letting out a low whistle, Dante stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "What'd ya do this time? Trash another religion? Deflower all the virgins in that damned city of chastity?"
"No. I broke it off with Kyrie, and I told her everything. But, uh…she must've told someone else who twisted the story a bit, 'cause a few days later I was Public Enemy Number One after apparently having triggered into a demon and tried to rape her. As far as I know, she didn't do much to set them straight…I broke her heart."
Dante winced. That was a bad one; just gotta love these cities full of easily-led religious assholes. But hey, at least the kid had owned up to himself and dumped the girl.
"And let me guess, you don't know anyone off that damned island so you wanna crash here." Even though he knew what was going on, and it was kind of his fault that Nero had left Kyrie and then been kicked out of his home, Dante was a little reluctant to let Nero stay at Devil May Cry.
It wasn't a space issue, or a privacy deal; neither of those was a problem for the shameless hunter who had more room than he knew what to do with. The real dilemma came from the fact that, as Dante had thought earlier, Nero probably hadn't gotten over the mood swings yet.
Hell, when Dante himself had been going through the same thing, he'd spent every night going out and deliberately picking fights with the nastiest demons he could find, just to burn off the perpetual anger he was feeling.
Dante blinked a few times when he realised that Nero had been saying something. "Wait, what was that?"
Nero sighed irritably, all signs of his earlier nervousness gone. Yep, he was definitely still in the mood swing stage.
"I don't say shit like this often, old man, so turn up your hearing aid and listen." The kid paused, taking a deep breath, "Please let me stay with you, at least for a little while. I can help you out here; I'll take any jobs you don't want…for a ten percent cut."
"Dante, I'm sick of you declining work just because you're lazy. Let Nero stay and I might think about lowering your debt a little." Lady butted back into the conversation, but it just made Dante want to refuse- only for the sake of yanking her chain.
He rolled Nero's offer around in his mind, considering the benefits of having someone to deal with the ten-minute shit like a single Marionette in an abandoned house. Besides, Nero would probably be coming to the tail end of his second puberty…
And because ten percent of nothing was still nothing, Dante rolled his eyes and nodded. "Fine. Just know that if you answer the phone, any jobs are your problem. Same goes for the door. And don't eat all my food."
Nero broke out in a smile, finally taking a few steps into the office rather than hanging by the door. Lady, though, suddenly looked offended.
"Hey! How come he doesn't get a lecture about the jukebox?"
Dante smirked. Lady hated it when she thought she'd been treated unfairly. "Well, I can hear what he always has blasting through those headphones. He's got better music taste than you and Trish."
Lady huffed, before looking at her watch and gasping. "Oh, shit! I've got a job to get to. Don't kill each other, you two."
In a flash she was gone, her footsteps echoing away from the building. Shaking his head, Dante turned to the younger man, looking him up and down appraisingly. "You can chuck any weapons you don't want to carry on my desk, and I think there's still a bed upstairs in the second room to the left."
"You think? How…actually, I don't wanna know. But seriously, Dante…thanks for this."
Nero ducked his head a little, and although the older man wasn't one hundred percent sure, he thought he saw a slight blush cross the kid's face.
"Don't sweat it, kid. You're gonna be working for your living, after all."
"From what I've heard, one of us has to." Nero laughed, walking past Dante towards the desk. Just as he passed the taller man, though, his step faltered. Dante could've sworn that he heard the kid sniffing something, and he turned to see Nero with his nostrils flaring slightly.
"What's wrong with you now?"
Nero jumped, as if he hadn't actually realised that he was doing anything. "Um…it's nothing really, just something stupid…"
"Spill it."
"…You smell different."
There was silence, and then Dante laughed. "That's just the scent of sin, kid. Life here's not quite like it was back in that hypocrite-hole."
Nero looked a little unsure, but he shrugged and kept walking to the desk. Setting the bag on the wood, he turned back to Dante. "I s'pose you'll be happy to know that although I couldn't save much from my apartment, I managed to grab Yamato."
Reaching into the bag, the younger hunter drew out a sheathed, katana-style sword. Almost instantly the weapon was no longer in his hands, Dante having spirited it away without a single sound.
"What the f-…"
"Gotta make sure you haven't trashed my dear bro's favourite sword."
Swinging himself over the back of the couch to land neatly on the cushions, Dante took the blade from its scabbard and held it up to the light, rubbing his fingers over a few small marks on the blade.
He didn't give another thought to Nero's odd comment about smell.
Later than evening, the white-haired pair were sprawled on Dante's couch, a pizza between them and the old television playing some terrible, clichéd action film. Nero was trying to concentrate on the movie, but he couldn't throw the sense of unease that he felt.
He knew what Dante should smell like; his demonic blood allowed him to have super-human senses, and he'd spent enough time tracking the man when they'd first met to have his scent down.
But like he'd said earlier, something just wasn't right.
The smell was a constant presence on Nero's mind, what with its source sitting just inches away. It was putting the younger man on edge, but the more he tried to ignore it, the more he could tell it was there.
And yet…it wasn't unpleasant. Dante's normal scent wasn't anything special, being kind of like your average devil, minus the stench of evil that hung around nearly every other demon. This, though…
Nero bit his lip when he thought about just how damned strong and intoxicating the new smell was. Normally, people's natural scents were bearable or bad. They were rarely-if ever-…good.
The thought crossed Nero's mind that his new…room mate? Landlord?...was just wearing a different cologne, and that was why he seemed so different. He knew that wasn't true, though, because this was natural.
And it was going to drive him crazy if he sat here trying to think about it any longer. It probably meant nothing at all, other than the fact that he was going slightly nuts from…whatever was happening to him.
After all, Dante had been right about the mood swings, and although the voice in his head that told him to leave Kyrie had shut up for a few hours once he actually did dump her, it had come back louder than ever not long before the New Order had come looking to kick his alleged-rapist ass.
It was too much at once, and it was exhausting him.
As if his body wanted to show that it agreed, he let out a loud yawn. From the corner of his eye he saw Dante languidly look away from the TV, head turning to glance at him.
"Getting past your bedtime?" For some reason, Dante's usual cocky smirk made Nero's blood boil. His Devil Bringer, currently minus the sling and glove, clenched into a tight fist, the talons biting into thick skin.
"I'm not a fucking child!" He snapped, standing upright and accidentally knocking the pizza from the couch- Dante immediately catching the box on his foot. Storming from the room toward the stairs, the younger main heard snickering from behind him, but he didn't bother turning back.
"You sure act like one though, kid!"
"Fuck you." Nero knew Dante was right…again. He wasn't sure why the usual teasing had pissed him off so much this time; the age-related ribbings didn't actually mean a single thing.
Goddamned freaking son of a whoring bitch mood swings.
Stepping into his new room and closing the door, Nero sighed. He pulled his gun from his leg holster and sat it on the filthy bedside table, dropping back onto the double bed.
He was exhausted from travelling so far, and then spending half the day blindly wandering around the city. Maybe if he got some decent rest, his body would just…magically fix itself.
Yeah. Right.
Dante woke right up when he heard his door creak open, no traces of sleep clouding his mind. Yeah, he liked to sleep in late and it usually took him a while to get out of bed, but when something was at his door before sunup, it generally wasn't a good sign.
Hand darting out to grab Ebony, Dante sat up in his bed and pointed the gun at the intruder. Any normal person would feel vulnerable in the position, dressed only in boxers and legs still wrapped in sheets; but Dante wasn't fussed.
When he saw the figure standing in the doorway, illuminated by the glow from the Devil Bringer, he lowered his weapon and sat it back on his cupboard. Running a hand through his dishevelled hair, Dante peered up at Nero.
"What the Hell are you doing? Bathroom's two doors down."
Letting the top half of his body fall back to the mattress, the hunter waited for his new partner's footsteps to go back down the hall. There was only silence, though, and Dante lazily sat up once more.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark and can't sleep alone."
…Alright, that should have at least gotten some sort of reaction. Dante's eyes narrowed when Nero didn't say or do anything.
"Kid. What's up?"
Still no answer; whatever. He'd had enough. Lying down again and closing his eyes, Dante waved Nero off, completely uninterested in the younger man's bullshit. He just wanted to get back to sleep.
His lids flew open when an animalistic growl rumbled through the silent room, a heavy weight suddenly settling on his stomach as his hands were locked to the mattress.
What the fuck? How did he move so fast, and what the Hell is he trying to do?
Dante struggled against the hold that Nero had on him, but the soft mattress didn't do him any favours in trying to get his arms free. He should've been easily able to push the kid away, having fifty pounds over Nero.
But he couldn't.
Nero leant down, his t-shirt covered chest brushing lightly against Dante's as he pressed his face into the older man's neck.
Dante went perfectly still, wondering just what the fuck was happening. Not only had Nero managed to get the drop on him and basically immobilise his body, but the smaller man was…
Dante's breath caught as he realised that Nero was smelling him.
How the fuck had he forgotten? The very last part of the demonic awakening, as such: the bit where the devil became hyperaware of the pheromones being pumped out by every un-mated demon around.
Dante could never remember feeling the urge to get up close and personal with any of the demons he went out and fought all those years ago, though…
Unless…his body wants a part-human, part-demon.
And I'm a half…
"Nero, stop." Struggling hadn't worked; all Dante had left was the hope that the younger man's human side was still rational enough to listen to words. If he didn't beat some sense into the kid soon, Nero was going to end up doing something that he'd probably regret when his demonic hormones calmed the fuck down.
But all Dante's good intentions went out the window when Nero's face moved up to nuzzle in his hair, the puffs of air that Dante could feel against his ear sending a shiver down his spine.
The demonic presence that had previously been lying dormant in the back of his head instantly reared up, screaming for Dante to trigger, flip the younger man over and fuck him into the mattress.
The sudden image of Nero, naked and willing on his back, wasn't one that Dante had ever thought he would consider; but as soon as it sprang to mind, he could feel blood rushing towards his cock as a groan threatened to break out from his throat.
Dante felt Nero slide backwards a little, and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to hold out for much longer. The younger man's groin was in direct contact with Dante's own, his hips grinding a little and his mouth suddenly latching onto the older hunter's neck, sucking hard.
This time, Dante couldn't bite back the groan. Nero's teeth were nipping harshly at his throat, not that there would be any evidence soon with Dante's healing capabilities; the sharp little pains made a delicious counterpoint with the pleasurable friction his dick was currently receiving.
The noise seemed to encourage Nero, and his demonic arm released the other man's wrist, instead raking a light path down Dante's toned chest.
Dante couldn't take it anymore: with a sudden surge of strength, he used his free arm to wrap around Nero's waist, flipping both of them over until he was the one resting on top.
Swooping down, Dante caught Nero's mouth in a rough kiss, his tongue forcing its way through the younger man's unresisting lips. A deep moan sounded from Nero's throat and his tongue began to slide against Dante's, in the slightly-uncertain fashion of someone who hadn't done this all too often.
Dante pulled back at that realisation. He needed to make sure that the kid truly wanted this…it wasn't that he was getting sentimental; he just didn't want Nero to hate him if he took the guy's virginity when he was under a pheromone-induced trance.
"Nero…hey, kid." Dante ran his fingers along Nero's jaw when he saw that the younger man's eyes were staying closed.
"Kid?" Nero wasn't opening his eyes, and Dante was starting to get a little worried. Lightly tapping the younger man on his cheek, Dante rolled to the side when he got no reaction. Kneeling beside Nero's supine body, he grabbed the kid's shoulder and shook it; no change.
When the younger man let out a slight snore, Dante froze before bursting out in laughter.
Nero was sleepwalking…or, well, sleepfucking. It seemed that the kid's demon side had taken it upon itself to start seeking out a mate, whether his human side was ready to or not.
The utter ridiculousness of the situation had caused Dante's blood to return to its usual place in his body, and he relaxed back on the bed.
He didn't particularly care about the arousal that had been worked up and taken away within the space of a few minutes; he was just relieved that he hadn't gone and done something ridiculously stupid.
He hadn't taken advantage of the kid who'd come to him after losing everything.
Looking over at the man sleeping soundly next to him, Dante yawned a little. If his shaking and laughing hadn't woken Nero up, then the kid was obviously out like a light. He himself was too tired to bother carrying Nero back to his own room…
Fuck it.
He had a king-size bed; they'd both fit fine. He'd deal with the inevitable awkwardness later. After all, none of this had actually been Nero acting…well, sane.
Dante's inner demon was growling at him to punch the kid awake and continue with what Nero had started, but his human side was beginning to take over again and he was too tired to do anything, really.
Besides, it was Nero. He was just a kid.
A stupid, snotty, damned good-looking little brat.
Shit.
Nero slowly awoke to the smell that had been tormenting him the previous day, an entrancing scent that he subconsciously moved towards. He gradually became aware of something warm lying next to him, his arm stretched out around the source of the heat.
Wait…what?
Nero pulled his arm away and sat straight up, his mind trying to tell his eyes that they were lying. Why the Hell was Dante in his bed?
No…no, this was a different room…why the fuck was he in Dante's bed? With his arm wrapped around the older man's bare waist?
"Hey. Hey! Wake the Hell up, you perve!" Slamming his human fist into Dante's bare shoulder, Nero began to freak out. He didn't remember a thing…what had he done?
"I'm the perve? You're the one who tried to jump me," came Dante's tired mumble.
"I what?" Nero wasn't proud of the rising hysteria in his voice, even if it was justifiable. He'd woken up in another man's bed; if there was ever a time to panic, this was it. He saw Dante sit up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and pushing his hair back.
"You sleepwalk, kid, and your demon side wanted to party last night."
Looking down at himself, Nero was relieved to see that his dark t-shirt and jeans were in their proper places. That was a good sign, right?
"How…how far did we…"
"We kissed. No big deal. Could've been worse, but you fell asleep right when it was gettin' good."
Nero didn't know how Dante was being so calm about this. He'd made out with another man- in his sleep! Feeling his breathing start to pick up, he tried to relax a little, but it only made things worse.
"Woah, kid, don't go losing your shit on me. It's nothing to worry about; demons are pretty much genderless anyway. Half the time the hot female-looking ones are actually closer to being dudes."
"But…it's you…and it's me…"
"Nero, if you have issues with the fact that demon blood tends to make you pansexual, you might wanna think about topping yourself now." Dante's voice was low and tired, as if he was completely bored with the conversation. "Besides, who wouldn't want to do me?"
Nero nearly choked on his own spit as the older man ran a hand down his exposed torso, long fingers dancing over muscles that really were just as utterly awe-inspiring as he'd thought that night when Dante had stayed in his apartment.
Okay, this was just getting weird. Not only had he woken up in the older man's bed, but he was still there, and if he didn't know better he'd swear that Dante had just hit on him.
"Umm…Dante…"
"Can't you hear that?"
…And now it was weirder still. Nero had to wonder whether the older man was like this every morning, or if he'd just gotten really, really high at some point last night. He was probably about to tell Nero to 'hear the colours, man'.
"All I hear is you, old man." It was really time for him to get out of here. Actually, it might have been best for him to get the Hell away from Devil May Cry for a while…Dante might have been okay with this, but whenever Nero thought about whatever it was he'd done his stomach twisted with humiliation.
"Shut up for a second, then. What's your demon side saying now?"
Nero raised an eyebrow. Dante was clearly going mad; some of these questions were just fucking ridiculous.
Simply to get the older man off his back, Nero shut his mouth and concentrated on the voice he'd been managing to ignore since he woke up. All at once, he began to wish that he really hadn't listened to the hunter.
Now that it wasn't being ignored, the small presence of demonic energy in his head perked up, its mental voice going from a gentle murmur to an urgent yell.
'Touch him…suck him…FUCK HIM!'
Feeling his cheeks burn, Nero scrambled to get out of the bed. "Oh, God…"
Tripping a little when the sheets got caught around his ankles, Nero spun around, running out of the room. He couldn't stay…that annoying demon voice had already fucked his life over, and now it was trying to make things worse. He couldn't sleep with Dante.
'Why not?'
Because he's…he's…he's a he!
'A fucking gorgeous he.'
Who are you?
'I'm you, of course.'
Bursting into his room, Nero grabbed his hoodie, not bothering with his blue coat, and strapped a holster to his leg while snatching Blue Rose from the side table. He didn't know where he was going; he just knew that he couldn't stay at Devil May Cry. Between that voice and Dante's new scent…
He was going to do something stupid if he stayed.
Dashing past the room he'd woken up in, Nero quickly yelled to Dante through the open door. "I'mgoingoutdunnowhenI'llbebackbyeseeyalater."
He didn't know if Dante made any answer, or even just laughed at him.
He didn't care, either.
Running down the stairs and through the main office, Nero took a deep breath once he reached the polluted air of the outside world, letting the disgusting combination of rubbish and engine exhaust chase away the scent that had been torturing him for too long.
Slowing to a walk, he moved away from the building and further towards the centre of the city he'd only partially explored, vaguely taking in street names and landmarks so he'd know how to get back.
If he went back.
Dante slammed open the front foot of Devil May Cry, his coat leaving a bloody mark on the floorboards where he carelessly threw it.
He'd taken the small, low-paying job in the hope that some violence would make his inner demon shut the fuck up. Now, he was tired, filthy, and still horny. When Nero finally dragged his ass back to the office, Dante was going to have to kick his ass for pulling that shit the night before and waking his demon up.
The little bastard just wouldn't close its mouth.
Dragging himself to the shower, the hunter quickly washed off sweat and demon guts, the water running down the drain turning a filthy brown colour. Finally clean, he dried off and slipped back into his still-wearable leather pants, his shirt ignored as it was beyond all repair.
Lazily wandering back down to his couch, hair still dripping onto his shoulders and chest, Dante collapsed onto the cushions and tried to ignore the way his body was beginning to ache for attention. He was going to have to go out and get laid later…but right now he was tired.
The hunter stretched out along the length of the couch, his eyes closing as he began to fall asleep.
Just as he finally relaxed, though, a tentative knock sounded at the door.
"…We're closed!" Dante yelled with a yawn. Fucking stupid customers, not able to handle even a single pathetic low-level piece of shit on their own…
When the door opened, he actually lifted his head off the couch. "What'd I just say? Not. Open."
"Do you want me to leave? I can find somewhere else to stay."
…That was Nero's voice. Well, looks like the kid comes back with his tail between his legs, hey?
"Why bother? Get the Hell inside, punk." Maybe Dante would have to leave off with the ass kicking until he actually managed to get some sleep in. Hell, maybe Nero would come closer to beating him if he was this tired.
Dante smirked; as if Nero would ever be able to win a fight between the two of them. The kid just didn't have enough sheer power.
"Dante…I…" The older man jolted a little when he realised how close Nero had gotten without his knowledge. The kid was standing about five feet from the couch, his cheeks still flaming red.
"S'up?"
"I can't get it to be quiet…it's driving me crazy."
Ah. Nero was going through the same thing as Dante was…but he didn't have the experience to ignore it even just a little.
"Well then, what're you gonna do about it?" Smirking up at the younger man, Dante knew he was making Nero uncomfortable, but Hell- maybe he wouldn't have to go out to get laid after all.
"…How can I make it stop?"
Dante had to work to wipe the smile from his face. He was going to scare the kid off, and then he would have to go out and find someone else to screw. Hell, he'd never slept with another half-demon; maybe it would shut his own demonic side up for a bit longer than a regular human.
Sure, he'd tried telling himself that he wouldn't go for Nero, but…he was a little worried that he was going to end up copying the kid's actions from the previous night if he ignored his inner demon for too long. And his demon was telling him to fuck Nero until he couldn't walk.
"I know one thing that might work."
Nero's eyes lit up, his excitement almost palpable at the thought of being able to sate his demon. "What? How can I get some goddamned peace?"
Taking a deep breath, Dante slowly stood and faced Nero. His inner devil rose as well, growling a little in anticipation at what the human in him was planning. "We finish what you started last night."
The look on Nero's face was how Dante imagined the kid might look if he was told to cut off his own dick. The combination of fear, disgust and sheer horror was…well, a little offensive, actually. Dante pouted playfully.
"Don't tell me that I'm that repulsive, kid."
Nero blushed, holding his hands up in front of him. "It's nothing like that, it's just…"
He trailed off, looking a little confused. Dante took the opportunity to step a little closer, carefully watching Nero for any sign that he was about to bolt.
"It's just what?"
"I…I don't know…"
Dante reached out and gently took the younger man's chin in one hand. "So, what's the problem, then?"
"…Won't this make things…awkward between us?" Nero looked genuinely worried that this would screw up the bizarre friendship they had, and Dante couldn't help but think that it was actually kind of cute.
And then his demon kicked in again.
"Nope. But it'll probably give you and me both a little peace."
From the look on Nero's face, it was obvious that he hadn't realised that Dante knew exactly what he was going through. The older man sniggered a little; Nero was just so clueless. He had no frigging idea.
"You…"
"My demon wants you. I want you." It hadn't really occurred to him until he said it, but…Dante's human side had, at some point, decided that it agreed with the demonic presence in his mind.
His hand still resting under the younger man's chin, Dante gradually leant in, giving Nero enough time to break it up. It was obvious that the kid wasn't going to come to his own decision, and so Dante had to act.
Otherwise, he might just throw Nero down and screw him senseless…and that certainly wouldn't end well for either of them.
"Dante…"
The older hunter paused, waiting for Nero to pull his face away and walk out again. The sheer uncertainty in his voice was a complete giveaway.
"…Kiss me." The words were barely whispered, and it took Dante a few seconds to realise exactly what he'd said. When it did, though, he smirked and leant right in, slipping his hand around to the back of Nero's head as his lips connected with the younger man's.
He didn't push too far, holding a tight rein on his demon to stop it from taking over and doing something stupid; he pulled back without entering Nero's mouth, running his hand through white hair before bringing his arm back to himself.
There was a moment of silence, before a deep roar ripped its way from Nero's throat and he tackled Dante back, the pair landing on the couch with the younger man straddling Dante's waist. In his shock, the older man laughed.
"Hey! Now that's the way we do things around here!"
"Shut up." The voice that came from Nero's throat was deeper and rougher than normal, and Dante could see a reddish tinge in his eyes.
His demonic side was taking over; but Hell, at least he was awake this time.
The older man's brain stopped thinking when Nero suddenly kissed him again, wasting no time before sliding his tongue into Dante's mouth. The urge to dominate was clearly growing in Nero, and the other man was feeling the same; their tongues began sliding and tangling together, each man trying to take full control of the other.
Dante surrendered when Nero's clawed hand slid down his bare chest, the long talons leaving small tracks of blood that closed up almost instantly. It might have been Nero's first time, but Dante knew that it wasn't going to be gentle.
Truly rough sex wasn't something that Dante got to do all that often; most humans just couldn't take what the half-demon could give. But the way Nero was currently acting…there wasn't going to be anything slow about this.
The older man groaned when the Devil Bringer slid right down to his crotch, the claws resting on his waistband while the palm began rubbing over the growing bulge in his leathers.
"Shit, kid!" Dante threw his arm around Nero's neck and pulled him down for a fierce kiss, the older man biting the other's bottom lip harshly. Nero seemed to be enjoying the rough treatment as well: he growled deeply when Dante ran his tongue over the small cut he'd made on the younger man's lip.
He felt the possessed hand flex and his still-growing erection was instantly freed from its tight confines, not bound by any underwear- it just didn't look good with skin-tight leather.
Raking his short nails down Nero's back, Dante hissed and ground his hips upwards, trying to encourage the younger man to take him in hand. When his fingers reached the bottom of the other man's red hoodie he pulled it upwards, taking the t-shirt with it and making Nero momentarily move away from his groin to remove the clothing completely.
He didn't expect the younger man to stand up, though, and he couldn't help the little groan of disappointment when the weight left his body. As he watched Nero stand, torso muscles rippling in the late-afternoon light, Dante's hand crept down his own body and his fingers curled around the middle of his now completely hard cock.
Letting out a shuddering breath, the older hunter writhed as Nero pushed down his jeans and boxers, revealing his leaking erection that was almost as big as Dante's own. The kid was clearly desperate; and it was hot.
"C'mere, punk." Dante swiped a finger over the head of his dick, collecting a drop of pre-come and bringing his hand to his mouth. Humming a little, he sucked the finger between his lips and smiled around the digit when Nero was suddenly on his thighs.
The younger man pulled the hand from Dante's mouth, bringing it to his own and running his tongue up the wet finger, nipping at the end of it with his teeth. The Devil Bringer scratched over Dante's left nipple, and he let out a breathy, "Y-e-e-ssss."
Oh, God, he needed to feel Nero touch him properly. He was going to trigger if this didn't go somewhere soon; and he no longer even gave a fuck whether he was on top or not.
Looking down his body, the older man gave a little moan when Nero moved up a little, positioning himself so that he could take both his and Dante's erections in his demonic hand.
The feel of the hot, rough palm around him, combined with the way he could feel Nero's cock sliding against his own, had Dante arching his back from the couch, his inner demon purring with need and lust.
It had never sounded so…happy.
The demonic hand, with the danger of those vicious claws, the friction of the scaled skin, and the way it was much warmer than human flesh was so utterly kinky that Dante wondered vaguely how he'd ever jack off with his normal hands again. Maybe he should work on triggering just his arms…
Coherent thought flying away again, Dante watched as Nero threw his head back, white hair dancing over his bare shoulders as his hips thrust forward, the Devil Bringer tightening pleasurably and a ridiculously erotic groan rumbling from the younger man's throat.
Moving both hands to grip Nero's waist, Dante lowered himself back into the cushions, encouraging the other man to keep moving his hips to maintain the sliding friction against his own dick.
"Nero…ride me, or fuck me…I don't care which…just decide, quick!" It was only the tone of Date's voice that kept him above begging, not that he was fussed with what he sounded like; he just wanted more.
"I want you in me. Now," the demonic Nero snarled, his Devil Bringer moving faster over their weeping dicks. Writhing helplessly, Dante blindly groped between the cushions and frame of the couch. He knew he had lube in there somewhere; Nero might have higher pain tolerance levels and better healing than a human, but he was still a virgin. It was going to be painful for both of them if they did it dry or just with saliva.
His hand curling around a cool tube, Dante quickly pulled his arm from the couch and sat the lubricant beside him, hands returning to Nero's hips to lift the younger man up. Dante rushed as much as he possibly could, moving his hands to quickly squirt a little gel onto two fingers.
"Stay on your knees," Dante bit out, sliding his clean fingers down the younger hunter's back and cupping his ass. Nero let out a strange whining sound, his demon obviously trying to tell Dante to hurry up; and so the bigger man acquiesced.
Slipping his fingers inwards, Dante rubbed his lubed digits across and around Nero's virgin hole, making sure the area was slick enough before pulling away. One of his hands fisted around the younger man's dick, sliding up and down roughly as his other hand groped for the lube again, finding it and squeezing some directly over his twitching, needy erection.
Dante's hips jolted a little at the cool sensation, but it soon warmed up as he wrapped his free hand around his own cock, spreading the lube with a moan of pleasure.
Good enough…
"Are you ready, kid?" Dante could barely hold onto his demon now, the urge to fuck building up to ridiculous levels; but he couldn't screw Nero's first time up by making it borderline rape. The younger hunter had to be prepared for it.
…His worries were unfounded as Nero growled manically, the animalistic sound accompanied by a sudden movement which placed the large head of Dante's cock at the very entrance of the younger man's lubed hole.
"Shut up and fuck me," Nero snapped in his new, deep voice; Dante barely had time to move his hand from his cock before the other man was pressing down, not showing any pain as he accepted the intrusion into his body.
When the younger man was firmly seated on his groin, Dante lost most of the control he had over his demon. He stayed in human form, just as Nero did; but he could tell that his eyes had taken on the same red tinge, and his voice would be deeper too.
Dante's hand moved away from Nero's cock, where it was immediately replaced by the Devil Bringer. Both of the older man's hands grabbed hold of Nero's waist, pressing more than hard enough to severely bruise a human; but the part-demon didn't show a single mark.
Using his grip to pull the younger man up, Dante paused before slamming him down again, the hunter's hips snapping up simultaneously to meet Nero's body. The kid caught the rhythm immediately, his human hand resting in the middle of Dante's chest to give himself more leverage to thrust down.
The devil inside of Dante growled, and he was fairly certain that the sound came out of his mouth, too. He saw Nero's Devil Bringer speed up until the light it gave off began to blur, the younger man bucking on Dante's cock and throwing his head back again.
"Harder!"
Dante was more than happy to agree, his arm muscles working madly as he pulled Nero's tight ass up and down, his hips snapping brutally into the other man. No human would have been able to take this treatment without getting hurt; but Nero was just getting off.
"Fuck yes," Dante snarled, sweat running down his chest as he worked their bodies together. Oh, shit, it felt like he was going to pass out from the sheer bliss of having someone that tight clamped around him, riding him wildly and groaning in pleasure.
Nero's hips jolted forward into his fist again, and Dante could feel the kid shudder; almost instantly the body on top of him got hotter and heavier as the younger man triggered, a blue light enveloping everything in the hunter's vision.
Immediately feeling threatened, Dante's own demon decided to show itself, and the older man felt his humanity being relegated to the back of his mind as his body grew; and as his strength increased, so too did the pace of his and Nero's frenzied screwing.
Animalistic noise that steadily grew in volume were bursting out in an almost-constant pattern from the two men, accompanied by the groaning and creaking of the old couch beneath them.
Dante was running on pure instinct now, his rational mind unable to influence or stop the actions of his demon form; Nero seemed to be the same, his body rolling and writhing as it was slammed up and down by the red devil.
As he felt his climax rapidly approaching, one of Dante's clawed hands released its tight hold on Nero's waist, instead moving up to tangle in his hair and roughly pull his face down. Just before their mouths met, though, the older man slid his tongue against one of his sharpened teeth, the deep cut causing blood to spill out in his mouth.
The vicious kiss that the two met in tasted solely like blood, but Dante's now-heightened senses could taste that there were two separate blood types in his mouth; Nero must have cut his tongue, too. The sensation of the other's blood leaking into his mouth was electric, and Dante gave a muffled growl as his entire body trembled.
Dante's human side only now realised what was happening, but there was nothing that he could do to stop it. And even if he could have done something…he wasn't sure he would have.
The tang of blood, delicious to his triggered form, sent him over the edge; pulling away from Nero's mouth, both of Dante's hands tightened as he felt his cock harden and spurt within the younger man, flooding his insides with warmth.
At the same time, he felt liquid splashing out over his stomach and chest, Nero's body arching above him as the blue demon came hard.
Riding out their orgasms together, their movements gradually slowed as each man began to feel their exhaustion, Nero falling fast to rest on top of Dante's chest. The impact of his triggered form hitting the older man's proved too much for the abused couch- with a loud creak it gave out, wood splintering and material ripping as the frame collapsed in on itself.
Hitting the floor, Dante wrapped his arms around Nero's back, a sudden ridiculous urge to keep the younger man from getting hurt rearing up inside him. Unable to fall any further, Nero slumped into the hold with his breath coming hard and fast.
A few seconds later both men de-triggered, their human forms drenched with sweat and their skin flushed. It took a lot longer for them to catch their breath, with Dante's chest heaving and Nero panting loudly.
Finally regaining his senses and the ability to move, Nero pulled himself from Dante's spent cock, still staying on top of the man to avoid having to pull couch debris from his body. He swallowed hard, eyes widening as he tasted blood; a lot of blood.
"Dante…did I bite you? All I can…taste is blood…" He was still panting a little, the lack of breath breaking up his sentence as he gasped for air. He didn't know how the older man managed to keep enough oxygen to laugh; but somehow, Dante managed it.
"No…worse, actually…"
"What? What happened?"
Lazily sitting up, Dante pulled Nero onto his lap, making sure to brush out a patch on the ground where the younger man could put his knees. This was probably going to be an uncomfortable conversation, subject-wise; so they might as well be as physically comfortable as possible.
"Well, y'see kid...I'm gonna put this in terms you'll understand. When humans get married, they have those stupidly expensive rings to exchange. When demons find their mate…they swap blood."
Nero's entire body tensed, his jaw dropping as a look of horror took over his face. "You mean…we just…me and you…"
"Hey, if you keep saying it like that, you're gonna hurt my feelings." Dante barely held back a new round of laughter as Nero realised what had just happened; the younger man seemed to be freaking out over what he'd just done.
"But…I…Oh, God-fucking-dammit!"
Nero seemed to be more in a state of shock than anything else, which was only made worse by the post-orgasmic exhaustion that was setting in after such physical sex.
Not to mention the effects of the new, permanent bond that he'd just formed with Dante.
Rolling his eyes, Dante tightened his grip around Nero's naked waist. "Kid, it's not that bad. 'Sides, from what I hear, mated demons have sex that good every time."
"But it's not just about fucking, is it." Nero dropped his forehead onto Dante's shoulder, hiding his burning red face; he'd basically just gotten married. The exact same thing he'd gone to Dante to get away from.
"Nope. Although our human sides might not care so much, our demons'll basically bitch and whine if we get separated for too long, and we'll always be able to find each other. Oh, but they are gonna want to bang pretty often, as well."
Dante wasn't entirely fussed by the situation; he felt too damn good to worry about the fact that he'd just given himself away to a punk kid. And really, even though he hadn't quite been expecting to find out that Nero was his mate, in hindsight it was actually pretty obvious. After all, he'd said it himself: there may have only been three hybrids in the world, and one of them was God knows where. He kind of felt a little stupid for not considering this outcome in the first place.
Feeling Nero shake against his shoulder, Dante gently pried the younger man off him, looking into his face. The poor kid looked terrified.
"Hey, hey, relax. It's really not that bad…well, it's not bad at all. Kid, do you know what this means? No more searching. Hell, you didn't go through a fucking decade of listening to your demon side complain about not being happy. You should feel lucky that you only had a month of it."
Nero froze, taking a deep breath. Somehow, Dante could tell that he was listening to his inner devil; and if it was anything like his own, then it was doing little more than purring contentedly.
"It sounds…happy!" Nero seemed positively amazed, and Dante pressed his lips to the younger man's forehead. He felt like he was seeing the other man in a new light: this was a completely different guy to the one that had dropkicked him in the face when they first met.
Everything, right down to the kid's voice, was infinitely more attractive thanks to the recent mating.
"Damn straight it does. And so it should be, after that." Casting a look around at the nest of broken couch, Dante stood and pulled Nero up with him, picking his way through the wreckage to find the younger man's clothes.
"C'mon. I'm absolutely fucked after that…heh. Let's go to bed."
"Isn't it, like, five in the afternoon?"
Pausing with his leather pants undone around his hips, Dante waved Nero off. "Gotta have a pre-dinner nap, don't we? Besides, look at you: you can barely stand. And your shirt's on backwards, idiot."
The look of pure confusion on Nero's face was gold. Looking down at himself, the younger hunter tried to figure out what was wrong; but when he couldn't quite decide, he shrugged. "Didn't think you'd want me to sleep clothed."
"Suit yourself, then. C'mon." Gesturing to the younger man, Dante waited for him to take a few steps closer before he bolted around, swinging Nero up into his arms bridal-style.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing? Put me down, asshole!"
Dante held on tight, Nero's kicking and punching nowhere near strong enough to do any damage.
"You're my new bride, babe; isn't this how it's done?" Nero's struggles paused for a few seconds, only to come back twice as strong. Dante just laughed, climbing the stairs with ease.
"How come I'm the woman? This isn't fair, dammit!"
"You were the one gettin' fucked. That's how it goes."
"I fucking hate you." Nero sounded like a petulant child; it made the older man snicker, kicking open the door to his bedroom and dumping his armful of part-demon on the bed.
"Your human side might, but your demon side loves me. There's no escaping that now!" It was the truth. Dante could feel the love emanating from his own satisfied devil; and it was so strong that it was beginning to affect his human side.
"Stupid prick," Nero muttered.
"Who? Me or that kinky little demon of yours?" Stretching out alongside Nero on the mattress, Dante rested his hands underneath his head, turning only his face towards his mate.
"Both of you." Rolling on his side, facing away from Dante, the younger man huffed. With a wide smirk, Dante reached his arm out to hook Nero around the waist, pulling him across the bed so that he could curl up around him.
"Get some sleep, kid."
"For crying out loud; you're still calling me a kid? Even though we're…"
"We're what?"
"We're soulmates," Nero wailed, his voice distressed.
"Oi, you got the better end of the deal. I got a whiny little bitch for a mate; you got the sexiest demon this side of…everywhere!"
"Vain pig. Go fuck yourself." Nero punctuated his words with a sharp slap to the arm Dante had around him. In retaliation, the older man just held him tighter.
"Would if I could, babe. Now shut up and let me sleep."
"You lazy son of a…oh, whatever. Just don't molest me when I'm trying to rest."
"I make no promises."
"Typical." Nero finally relaxed into the hold Dante had around him, his demonic hand lightly resting over the older man's arm as his eyes closed involuntarily.
Smiling, Dante settled his face against Nero's hair and closed his eyes, physical exhaustion plaguing him.
For the first time in ten or so years, he wasn't constantly suppressing his inner demon. There was no need to, anymore: it had curled up and gone to sleep already, leaving almost no presence in Dante's human mind.
He felt…relaxed. And although his human side didn't love Nero just yet…he could tell that it wouldn't be long until all of him did.
Things were going to get very interesting from here on out.