I swear when I started writing this, it had some kind of a point and a plot. Damned if I know what happened to it. Right now I'm just going along for the ride.
I know Nero is really timid in this, he's an Angel with no earthly experience, so he's supposed to be. Flame if you want, I could care less- I do this for my very own enjoyment and if you're kind enough to leave me a nice review then I wuv you and you can have a cookie (baked them myself) and if not, then you can burn with your flame.

Disclaimer: they ain't mine

The trek back to Devil May Cry was uneventful to say the least, save for the uncharacteristic wide grin on Dante's face and the delicate way he held the boy in his arms made for a surprising picture.

The club mostly empty by the time they retuned, the sun barely rising in the horizon. Lucia leaned across the bar counter sharing a dwindling joint with Lady as music played on automatic on a much lower volume in the background. They both turned to greet the half devil as he entered the club with Nero still clinging tightly to him. The two femmes raised their eyebrows simultaneously, Dante tipped his chin in a silent hello before starting up the stairs. Once inside his apartment, Dante set Nero on the same couch the boy had woke earlier on. The boy relinquished his death grip from around his saviors' neck. Dante returned moments later with a warm washcloth and a first aid kit, gently tipping the boys' chin up he gently wiped away the remains of blood, cum, and tears. His eyes puffy and red from crying, the elder knew he was shaken more than anything.

Nero felt the warm cloth against his skin, the man applying the careful treatment being far more tender than he thought possible. Dante dabbed along his lower lip where the blood still seeped from the split. Nero watched intently as the rag moved from his lip to the abrasions on his human wrist, turning it this way and that inspecting the damage. The cord had been wrapped several times around the delicate flesh two out of three of the cuts were actually bleeding slightly; they needed to be cleaned and wrapped. Still holding his hand Dante reached for the first aid kit setting next to the boys thigh pulling out gauze and alcohol wipes. Pulling one of the soaked wipes free from its package, he increased his grip on the boys hand to catch his attention.

"I need to clean this, I'm not gonna lie kid, it's gonna hurt." Nero nodded.

The first swipe made him jump, the cold sting of the antiseptic soon had him whimpering trying to pull his hand from the iron grip Dante had placed upon it. Nero bit his abused lip stopping the cry trying to force its way out. The elder, smelling the sharp spike of fresh blood, looked up. Dante gave a gentle smile and ran his thumb across Nero's lip freeing it from his teeth.

"Hey, none of that." He gently took Nero's chin in his hand and planted a soft kiss on the crimson stained lips running his tongue across the split tasting the sweet blood. Dante expected the boy to pull away, instead Nero leaned forward opening his mouth to the elder. Dante ended the kiss before it got too heated mentally slapping himself. Nero's cheeks flushed bright, he couldn't hold the others gaze. Dante smirked and went back to caring for the injured wrist. Carefully wrapping a protective layer of gauze and landing a quick kiss to the underside of the wrap he moved onto the other. Threading his fingers through the glowing digits he could not find any trace of injuries on the abnormal limb. The hard plates had protected the underlying vulnerable skin. Dante murmured low in his throat, turning his palm face up, gently tracing circles in the center, starting small growing bigger then back again. The erratic heartbeat of the teen finally slowed to a normal rate, breathing even out and the shaking altogether stopped. When Dante looked up Nero had his eyes closed, lips parted slightly, his face would be nice and bruised come morning, he let out a low growl at the image before him. The kid really was too damn cute for his own good.

Nero's eyes slid open, an all too familiar sensation washing over him as he noticed the shimmering air. The area expanded and fluxed right behind Dante whose head was still bowed examining the ever brighter glowing appendage not to mention the slow easy patterns being drawn along his sensitive palm. All the tension just seemed to ooze from his body at the sensuous touches the elder administered. Glancing down at the elder he couldn't help but notice the corners of his lips twitching up.

Dante was knocked from his musings as the door downstairs was slammed, he reluctantly released Nero's hand and stood. Trish had returned, pissed as hell about something, he really wasn't in the mood to handle her right now, he wanted to take care of his boy. He reached out lightly gripping the boys chin,

"Stay put, m' gonna find ya something to sleep in."

Nero nodded as a rough padded thumb caressingly passed over the already bruising flesh of his cheek.

Dante vanished around the corner and the kid could almost hear yelling from downstairs but not quite loud enough to make out what the famine voice was screeching about and completely knocked from the thought when a hand roughly grabbed for him turning his face. His eyes meet but barely registered the anger brewing in the steady green eyes of his professor.

"Gabriel, what are you doing here." He managed to choke out after a moment.

"What happened to you, boy?" The words were spat, causing the young angel to assume what had happened to him had been his own fault even when Dante had reassured him he'd done nothing wrong. Nero shrunk back from the glare, never before seeing his mentor in such a state,

"I-I was a-atta-acked." He stuttered.

"Dante…" through gritted teeth, the Angel seethed, dropping the boys chin in the process and started off in the direction the other had wandered. Nero made a grab for him, barely catching the arm of the loose robe but it was more than enough to catch the Angels attention,

"No, Gabriel!"

Said Angel shoved the boy off, bringing his hand back, posed to strike. Dante returned to the room just in time to stop the attack.

The Archangel stood practically fuming before the cowering boy, Dante rushed between them shoving the angelic entity to the ground. Trish arrived a moment later standing between the devil and the angel, her hand out to Dante bidding him to stay.

"Trish, this is no concern of yours!" The Angel countered. Dante cocked his head, how the hell does this guy know Trish?

Gabriel turned his rapt attention back to the boy, "When I have finished, you WILL be returning to Heaven by my side, is that clear Boy!" Nero cast his eyes way in shame but Dante caught the sideways glance aimed at him, the boy wanted to stay. Dante's anger began to take hold again, he didn't give a good god damn who or what this guy was but no one was going to talk to Nero like that!

"Trish?" she glanced at Dante shaking her head, being able to read the rising tension in his voice.

"I'll explain later Dante but for right now, you're going to have to trust me." He nodded turning back to the boy blocking the Angel from his line of sight.

Trish turned her full attention back to Gabriel, "You need to calm down Gabriel."

She pressed forward taking him by the arm, leading him downstairs where she seated him at the bar. Standing before him hands planted firmly on her hips, her no nonsense stance. The other two women had vacated the bar at the request of the blonde before she rushed upstairs.

"I am an ambassador between Heaven and Hell, how dare you tell me this isn't any of my concern. Dante being of the Sparda bloodline-practically a prince of Hell this is damn well my concern! You will not be taking Nero anywhere with you, he wants to stay and I have not seen Dante taken with someone in such a long time-the boy was sent here for him." Trish sighed sitting just to the left of the angered Angel,

"Gabriel, level with me, we've known each other for such a long time, eons in fact. What is it about this child? He is not a heavenly being and no amount of time he has spent there has changed that."

It was now Gabriel's turn to sigh, a truth he was sworn to keep was about to be revealed to the one demon he'd ever allowed himself to fully trust. He breathed deep allowing himself a bit of comfort in taking on his own human form. Trish slid behind the darkened bar offering up a tumbler of bourbon, a few ice cubes floating on top. Gabriel gratefully accepted the strong drink, taking a long pull from the glass before refocusing back on the blonde demon, the faint smell of vanilla rose as he swirled the glass.

"We've seen quite a bit together, haven't we Trish…" it was more a statement than a question. She smiled resting her elbows on the counter top.

"Twenty years ago, Raphael and myself were sent to deliver a message, on our trek through the bowels of Hell a wailing caught our attention, wandering from our path we came upon a small bundle wrapped in a bloody swaddling cloth, I retrieved the bundle peering into the depths of the cloth, what I saw surprised me-bright blue eyes and pale skin…I couldn't leave the infant there, Raphael finished our mission while I returned to Heaven to care for my new charge, but the surprise that awaited me was not one that I had anticipated."

"His arm?"

A slight nod, "The child was born at least part demon, how much I don't think we'll ever know. But I couldn't bare to take him back to Hell, not with the innocence's so clear in his eyes. I confronted the problem immediately taking the infant before God, bide him let him stay. God agreed with a bit of reluctance seeing the demonic appendage. We hoped in time with the light of God would change the appearance and the child would not question his existence. Until that day we kept the arm safely hidden from prying eyes…that of course was not to be and I could not bring myself to tell the boy that he is in fact part demon…"

Trish refilled his glass, chewing her bottom lip, "So why send him to earth, after Dante?"

He let his head rest against the palm of his hand, "I thought that if Nero could reach Dante, save his soul, it would prove to the young man no matter what we are born from does not dictate who we are to become…cushion the blow when I have to tell him exactly what his heritage is."

"So you thought pitting the child against Dante was a good idea?" Gabriel let his forehead slid to the cool polished surface of the counter, "he needed to get out of Heaven, he was about to crack Trish, I could see it in his eyes. I thought if I put him near you he'd be safe. He needed some excitement, not the mundaneness of Heaven when one isn't given the option of leaving…I didn't figure on him getting hurt, I should have warned him against such things not sheltered him!"

Upstairs, Dante had heard every word, listening intently after setting Nero to lie in his own soft bed covering him with the heavy comforter promising he'd return after a while. He sat at the top of the staircase, he was sure Trish knew of his presence but denied to say anything fore she'd just turn around and tell him everything that was said anyway. Dante leaned forward, elbows an his knees. So the kid is really a demon, that made Dante smile.

Trish covered Gabriel's hand with her own, "Then let him stay, Dante will take care of him, I've never seen him so possessive so quick, he wont let anyone near him of that I can guarantee."

*hugs and kisses*