4nero doodle

Reader getting horny at Dante's Dr Faust dance so she drags him away for sexy times. Don't lie Rev, we all know that dance gets you hot.

....I will neither confirm not deny anything

........Dante x Fem Reader. Vaginal Sex

It had been a month since you’d seen Dante last, everyone else had assumed he was dead, but you knew better. You’d have known if he’d died, you were sure of it. So when you heard the news from V that he was still alive, you hadn’t been that surprised. 

When you met back up with him and everyone else in the Qliphoth, taking a quick break before advancing in deeper. You tried to be subdued, just a quick hug before you palmed him off to Nico, who you knew was very excited to meet him, and to give him a gift. 

You had been planning just to talk to him for a little bit, and then send him off to go and save the world. But he decided to be an idiot, and decided to demonstrate to everyone watching that he hadn’t lost his charm, or child-like excitement. 

There was no music, no beat, nothing except for the far off shrieks of lower devils fighting each other, but it didn’t matter. He threw that hat right onto his head and put on a show. A full on Michael Jackson impression complete with a moon walk and far too many crotch grabs where he made eye contact with you the entire time. 

You were fucking done, all pretense out the window. You had to have him. 

You’d let him thank Nico of course, and then dragged him away by the hand. “We’ll be back,” you’d called back. Dante followed you willingly of course, allowed you to drag him along. You’re too busy watching where you’re going, so you miss the eyebrow waggle that he gives to the group as you lead him away. You heard the way that they groan though, so you’re sure he did something inappropriate. Oh well, it’s not like they all hadn’t walked in on the two of you in compromising positions before anyway.

You lead him away from the group. Probably not far enough away but you don’t think it matters. You stop in the middle of what could be called a clearing. There’s no feral creatures around, and you just hope that none decide to show up. 

“What’s up?” he asks you in a soft voice once you stop and let go of his hand. 

“I missed you,” you reply softly and turn towards him for a hug. You thread your arms around him underneath his coat. His shirt is damp and sticky from sweat, blood and guts but you don’t care. It’s not like you’re freshly showered either. He puts his strong arms around your shoulders and squeezes. He’s careful not to press you too much against his chest.

He smells pretty rancid honestly, but it’s not repulsive. The longer that you hug him, and the more heady pheromones that his body produces to calm you down, the less repulsive you find his scent. 

He lets you hug him until you’re ready, and you keep your hands resting on his hips when you pull back from him. He looks down at you and cocks a brow slightly, “I know you didn’t drag me all the way out here just for a hug.”

You dig your nails in slightly to his skin in response. You know that he already knows what you want, that he can already smell your intentions.

“I need you,” you smile back up at him, and reach up to undo the few extra buttons at the neck of his shirt. “I know you were slacking off, so you’re probably fine, but I’m not.”

Dante is already tugging at the button of your jeans by the time you finish speaking. “Who am I to deny such a pretty lady?”

He slides your jeans and panties down to your mid thigh and then moves his hands back up to your hips. They tighten around you, and then he uses his strength to support you. He pulls you off the ground and to his body. You hike your legs around his waist, familiar with the motion as he then carefully lowers himself to his knees on the ground. Slotting you against his hips. 

You start to work on his belt and his fly while he adjusts his position. His arm comes around your back to support you, his other on the back of your head as he pulls you to his lips. His kisses are sloppy and distracting, but you manage to get his belt undone. His stubble is longer than usual and it burns around your lips. His breath is surprisingly neutral, not pleasant but not gross either. You curse his demonic heritage for that one. 

It’s been a while for you, but of course it’s been barely a day for Dante. You feel a little bit awkward kissing him, having to get yourself back into the gist of it. He doesn’t have the same reservations though as he nibbles on your lips to distract you from his fly, then licks at them until you part for him. He sucks eagerly on your tongue as you finally get his fly undone and waste no time pulling out his already stiff cock.

He groans against your tongue and bites down on your lip when you start squeezing the head of his dick with your fingers. The tip is already sticky with precome and you’re glad it really doesn’t take much to rile him up. 

Dante lifts you up, positions himself at your entrance in a practiced motion. He pulls away from your lips as he tilts your hips slightly. 

“You sure you wanna do this?” he pants, looking down between your bodies and at the way his cock bobs with each beat of his heart. 

You dig your nails hard into his chest. “If you don’t put it in me right now. I’m going to shoot you.”

“Alright. Alright,” he grins and then slowly starts to lower you down. 

It’s been over a month since you had him last, and apparently that’s long enough for your body to forget how he feels. He groans as he lowers you down slowly, biting at your neck as your walls stretch around him. The burn of him feels so fucking good as you dig your nails into him and plead for him to keep going. 

Dante is panting, practically desperate once your hips finally sit flush with his. “Damn it has been a month,” he groans through gritted teeth. “There’s no way you’re always this tight.” His hips pulse slightly back and forth, but he tries to hold you steady, to let you adjust to the girth of him. 

He’s substantial of course, but you hadn’t realised how much of a difference taking him every day makes. It’s a good thing that you fucking love it when it burns like this. 

He puts his hands on your hips and moves you carefully. He helps you ride his cock and settle into a rhythm. Your legs are aching from being cramped up in the van all day, but you can barely feel it over the stretch of your walls around him. 

You’re stuffed full of his cock as you shift your hips and ride him. He tries to kiss you, but just ends up taking in a shuddering gasp each time you sink back down on his cock. You can tell he’s not going to last very long, so you switch up the angle of your hips until you’re crying out every time he bucks into you. 

“I don’t know what’s going on with me,” he groans as his teeth worry the skin of your neck.

You just grab his hand and move it to your clit. “I don’t care.”

He’s doing almost all the work now, you just rock your hips as he pushes and pulls you with an arm slung around your waist. His other hand plays with your clit, his fingers dancing as the fabric of his gloves occasionally catches.

“Shit,” he struggles to say through heaving breaths. “Do you want me to pull out?”

You know he’s just trying to be polite, and save you from spending the rest of the day with his seed dripping from you. But you’re almost offended he even suggested it. “Don’t you fucking dare,” you growl in response.

He purrs deep in his throat and starts to slam you down against his hips.

It doesn’t take long, not with the way he’s growling in your ear. Not with the way he’s fucking you roughly while his fingers slip on your clit. You can’t resist him, not when he’s gritting his teeth and calling out your name in a voice that’s dark and two toned.

Dante roars when he comes, a loud thing that shakes the foundations of the tree as a scorching heat blasts out from his body. He’s scorching hot inside of you as his hips stutter. You shake around his pulsing cock, biting down on his shoulders for support as his skilled fingers draw out your climax until he’s finished painting your walls with his seed. 

He holds you to his heaving chest, supporting your almost limp body as your hips pulse with aftershocks. It feels good to be close to him again, to be joined with him. You don’t want him to leave again. You don’t want to have to say goodbye to him and not know for certain that he’s going to come back. But you know that you don’t have a choice. 

The two of you do your best to clean up, but there are stains all over the crotch of Dante’s pants, and a ring of dark bruises littering your neck; among other things of course. You do an amazing job of not limping as you make your way back to the group, who are all waiting patiently and awkwardly for your return. 

You send Dante off with a kiss as he disappears to venture further into the depths of the tree, with the rest of you rallied in the back of the van to provide support. It’s quiet, the atmosphere tense. None of you know what’s going to happen next, but you can only hope that it all works out in your favour. You trust Dante and Nero not to let you down, you just hope that they haven’t both bitten off more than they can chew.

Siren’s Song

If his father found out where Nero had gone, all alone, he’d drag the finling’s tail back and lock him somewhere in the depths of the ocean.  His dad, (and mom, to a lesser extent) tried their best to keep him from the danger of humans, but by the Dawnfather, he was almost thirteen migrations old, and finlings his age were allowed to go where they wanted, within reason.  Besides , he thought as he flexed his fist, his soul weapon had fully materialized, he could defend himself from practically anything.  Only two weeks ago, his entire right arm had changed into a beautiful scaly claw that glimmered silvery blue and red. His parents seemed relieved more that his newly developed weapon was permanently bonded with him, than the fact that he’d gotten one earlier than usual.  It meant he didn’t ever have to worry about ever getting separated from it, a fate worse than death.

Even then, The only two reasons he had managed to get closer to the shoreline was that he was supposed to be with his uncle, who was supposed to be teaching him how to hunt with his new arm, but with the promise of picking up a human trinket for him, Dante had left him to his own devices, while his uncle went on a hunt for something called ‘pizza’. His uncle was weird.

Another reason Nero had gotten so close to the shoreline, was because his dad seemed to think this area, despite the human settlements, was safer than most areas.  This island, this Fortuna…. It didn’t have the large fishing tankers other places did, only the easily dodgible small fishing boats.  And unlike other sandy banks where the dry land met their home, there were few humans wearing those tiny strips of cloths that provided little protection.  When they rarely showed up, they were covered head to their stubbly legs in clothing.  And they almost never went into the water.  

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.  The legends spoke of how dangerous humans could be, especially when you encountered them on their own domain. The rules were simple:

Never let yourself be seen by them.

Never accept a gift from them.

And most importantly:

   3. Never promise a human anything.

You can also read it on Ao3 HERE

Humans were a strange people, with inexplicable powers that were said to compel or even worse, bind Merfolk to them.  How many tales had his father sang to him about foolish mermen and maids suffering captivity and death because they didn’t understand the danger they were courting by encountering humans?

Well , Nero thought, as he slowly got closer to the shoreline, the tide went out for them, but I’m different.   Besides, he had his new weapon, he’d be perfectly fine.  Already he had perfected his hunting using a manifestation of his claws to shoot out and either spear, or grab a fish, before yanking it back to be devoured.  A group of Cordina swam a tail’s length away from him, and he effortlessly yanked one of them, and with pride, he began to take a bite of its belly.  He wasn’t old enough to swallow them whole, but probably by his next migration, he should be…

Mid bite he heard it.  A beautiful sound that reminded him of the haunting choral singing of the whales of the North.  Except this was higher pitched, came from only one throat instead of many, and strangely enough… it sounded like it came from above the surface?  

Resisting the urge to give in to curiosity and break the surface, he compromised by slowly following the entrancing song from beneath the waves.  It couldn’t be far, sounds in the air didn’t carry as far as they did in water, and sure enough, within a few strokes of his fins, he found the source, a lone wooden dock jutting out over the water.

Or rather, WHO was on it.

Nero had been told by his father that singing was something only Merfolk and the warm blooded fish of the sea could do.  If humans could sing, he explained, they would have to stand right next to each other in order to hear, and their songs couldn’t possibly convey the depths that his people’s songs could.

And yet, this human… this… girl… (She seemed about his age, and his mom had explained that human children had different names for gender) sang so sweetly, it almost felt like she was luring him in with magic.  

But it couldn’t be magic, since he still had the wits to remain hidden, to check for danger, before settling underneath the creaking wood of the dock.  Even so, her voice was so beautiful, he risked silently breaching the surface to hear her more clearly.

He didn’t know why she was singing.  She was apparently alone, so she wasn’t telling a tale, and she was far too young to be singing for a mate.  Tidemother have mercy, he couldn’t even understand the words.  Something about  ‘darkness’ ‘wind’ and… a ‘garden’?  That was a strange word.  Maybe his uncle or mother would know.

But in the end, it didn’t matter as he listened, his claws embedded into the slippery post to stabilize him.  Whatever she was singing, it was beautiful.

And, as he risked a peek through the planks, she was as beautiful as the song she sang.  Her clothing was whiter than seafoam, brighter than the icebergs that floated from the south, with lines of what seemed to be glittering sunlight etched into it.   But that wasn’t the most stunning thing.  Her hair was a vibrant shade between coral red and earth brown, a colour he’d never seen in all of his travels.  And her eyes!  For a moment, he thought they were seaweed green, but then they flashed into dark sand brown, so rapidly, he wasn’t even sure they were different colours, or just a melding of them.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  His father had told him most humans were brutes with harsh voices, but he hadn’t said all of them were. Maybe his dad was wrong, that humans weren’t the monsters the tales said they were.  Or maybe, this one human was an exception, a pearl in an oyster.  

She slowly stopped her singing and with a beautiful smile, she pushed her hair back to form it into a tail of some sort, revealing her creamy skin with reddish speckles (did humans have scales?  He’d have to ask his mom about that, she was really knowledgeable about that stuff) and sighed happily while basking in the son.

“Oh!”  She yelled out, and Nero froze.  Had she seen him, or somehow sensed him?  He clung to the post, quickly calculating paths of escape.  

Instead, he heard a tinkle, a Thud! and a Plop!, as something hit the dock, before slipping through the crack between planks and fell into the water, to sink straight to the bottom.  He could only get a small glimpse as it plummeted down, but it sparkled, like a falling star.

“Nononono!” the girl yelped, and above him, he heard her scrambling, and her head popped down over the side, obviously trying to locate that glittering trinket.  

Nero was totally not terrified.  Not at all.  Sure, this was the closest he’d ever been to a human, and he stilled his breath, she was so close she could probably hear his heart pounding.  All she had to do is look in his general direction, and he’d be spotted. It was only her intense gaze to the sea bed below that saved him.  He couldn’t even flee, because any movement he made would undoubtedly attract her attention.  So, he clung to the post, silently praying for both the Dawnfather and Tidemother to protect him.

The only upside to his situation was that he had an even closer look at the girl.  She was so pretty, and hadn’t been for the fact she had legs, she could have been indistinguishable from one of his people.  But even so, there was an expression on her face that hurt him deeply, a deep sorrow.  Whatever had fallen into the water, it had been very precious to her.

“KYRIE!”  A voice called out from the shore, and the girl's attention swung over to the source, allowing Nero a moment of reprieve, “I told you not to get your dress dirty!  The ceremony is happening very soon!”

Rapid footsteps clattered as an older woman, who bore a resemblance to the girl strode up.  “I’ve been looking all over for you, have you been here all this time?”

“I-I-wanted to practice my singing here, mama.” “You know you don’t always  have to come here alone dear, everyone loves your singing!” “Yeah,”  she didn’t sound convinced.  Did she think her singing was bad?  Nero scoffed at the idea.

“Well, it’s time for your performance,” the older woman wiped off traces of dirt off her daughter’s dress, before gasping, “Where’s your new necklace!?”

“It… fell off my neck,” the girl admitted, hanging her head, “the clasp unlocked and it fell…” she glanced down to the water below.

“Oh Kyrie....” the woman was disappointed, yet not angry. “Your papa and I just got that for you...you need to be more careful with your possessions.”  She glanced over the edge of the dock, and Nero had yet another flash of panic.  Thankfully, she didn’t spend much time scanning the water.  “Ah well, there’s no time to retrieve it.  Your father and Credo will have to look for it tomorrow morning, it shouldn’t go far. Now,” she patted her daughter’s head, “let’s be on our way, your singing will delight everyone!”

Nero didn’t move for what seemed like an eternity, even when the two humans were gone, in the small chance that this was a feint, a trap.  Because that glittering fallen star, that...necklace that glittered in the sand, like an anglerfish’s lure.  But, there were no signs of any other humans laying in wait for him, so cautiously, he made his way towards the sparkly item. Despite it shining like the Dawnfather, it wasn’t hot, in fact it was cool to the touch.  But it glimmered and sparkled like his father’s amulet, it even had a little red gem in the middle.  But the lady was wrong, the way the water moved around here, it would be washed away by tomorrow, or buried by the shifting sands.  Nero had a conundrum:  He could either let it get washed away, lost to the sands of time....

Or he could grab it.  But it belonged to the girl, and the rules about accepting gifts from humans...what if it put a terrible curse on him?

But , he reasoned, it’s not really a gift.   He was merely retrieving it, and he’d give it right back to her… maybe he’d put it on the dock.  

His fingers caressed the shiny metal, as reflective as his father’s blade. No, he couldn’t just leave it here, some bird, or some other human would pick it up for themselves.  Nero couldn’t have that.  He’d just have to hold onto it until he saw her again at the docks.  She apparently hung out here to sing.  Yeah, he’d find her, figure out a way to leave it nearby, and hope she noticed it without noticing him.  Simple plan, really.

The necklace glistened once more in the sunlight, before suddenly with a golden flash, disappeared into his scaly claws.  So his soul weapon could do that too... interesting.  At least his uncle (and dad) wouldn’t be on his tailfins about the trinket he had.  It would be hard to explain how he had gotten a hold of something like this.

“Heya guppy!” his uncle met him a good distance from the shore, ruffling his hair, “you got anything cool?”  

Nero pretended to be annoyed, “Nah, sorry. But,” he scratched the bridge of his nose, “can we come back tomorrow?  I think I heard some of the humans talking about a ‘pizza party’ on the beach tomorrow?  Maybe we could…”

His uncle’s grin widened, “Oh yeah!  We can do that!  I knew you’d pull through!”

Nero almost felt bad for lying...almost.  But his dad would never let him get so close to the shore unaccompanied, and his uncle was the only one who trusted him to go by himself.  He'd just give it to her tomorrow.  Besides, how hard could it be?

It was much harder than Nero had thought.  Finding Kyrie was incredibly simple, she had a very set schedule, spending hours in the morning just singing, or ‘practicing her scales’ as she put it, her voice ascending and descending like the waves.  And he’d hide under the dock to listen, entranced by everything.  He almost was tempted to sing along to the songs she sang, if it wasn’t for the fact he’d be caught for sure.  Sometimes, her parents would come to call her home, or her older brother, but usually it was just her...and him.

But every time he felt he should give back the necklace, he felt… he couldn’t.  And it wasn’t magic, he was certain of it by now.  Honestly, the more he observed her, and the others, the more he was certain that humans couldn’t EVEN do magic.  They were just a slower, weaker, more clumsy version of merfolk, who couldn’t even breathe underwater.

But Kyrie… there was something about her.  Nero wanted to be near her at all  times, and holding onto that necklace seemed to be the only way he could do that.  So, every time when she was called home, he’d promise himself that tomorrow would be the day he’d give it back.  

Unfortunately, that day never came.  “Wait, what do you mean we have to go?” Nero tried to stop his father from swimming off.  He still had plans for the day.

“It’s time, the shoal is on the move to the north,” his father gruffly said, “we’ve wasted enough time on whatever you and your uncle have been up to, if we wait any longer, we’ll spend far too much time chasing instead of hunting.  Tell your mother we must be on our way.”

“But…” Nero still hadn’t given back the necklace.  And now, he might never get another chance to.

His father’s furrowed brow softened as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “Nero,” he spoke softly with misplaced understanding, “I know you’ve enjoyed your new found freedom in this area, it’s why I have put off the migration for as long as possible, I wanted to see my son happy and free in a safe area. But,” the sternness returned, “the Ways must be followed, we must move on.  You understand that, right?”

He was right of course, already the Cordina shoals were slim, and Nero was lucky if he found one on his own per day, and he didn’t relish the thought of eating kelp as a replacement.  (A trait apparently passed down from his father, who detested the stuff)  But still…

“Do not worry” his father patted his head softly, “We will return.  We always do.”  

It was an attempt to reassure him, in his father’s awkward way, but still...Nero hoped that she would keep to her pattern as he did his.  He’d have to get it to her next time on their migration.  It would be easy.

It wasn’t easy.  Eager as he was to see her again the next time they followed the shoal to the balmy shallows of Fortuna, he still couldn’t give up the necklace.  She still stood at the end of the dock at the same time each day, singing not only the same songs as before, but more complex ones as well.  She’d gotten taller, and dare he say it, even more beautiful.  But still, even with multiple opportunities, he couldn’t part with it.  It was like keeping a piece of her with him, and when he took it out of his clawed arm, just the caressing of it calmed him down when he failed miserably at hunting, or when he had an argument with his parents about how independent he was allowed to be.  And so, by the time they had to move on, he still carried it.  There was always the next migration....

He told himself that after the first one, then the second, then the third…

They were approaching Fortuna for the fourth time since he had first met (no...that was the wrong word, but how else could he describe it without sounding like he was hunting her?) and after a particularly aggravating hunt where his uncle constantly ribbed him about ‘If you’re that bad at hunting, maybe you should stick to kelp, guppy’ , Nero had found a secluded shelter to calm down.  He was a krill’s whisker away from punching that smirk off his uncle’s face, and the last thing he wanted to happen is to give his father a reason to restrict his movements, especially as they approached the island.  He rolled his shoulder, and out came the necklace, pristine as the day it fell into the water.  He smiled gently as his fingers traced the shape, like bird wings, that enclosed the brilliant gem.  If he closed his eyes, he could swear he heard her voice.  Perhaps she has another new song?

“Ah, there you are!” His mother’s voice snuck up on him, giving him no time to hide the necklace without looking suspicious. “When Dante said you stormed out of the hunting party at the speed of a sailfish, I was a little worried you’d get yourself in trouble.”   She drifted down towards him, a makeshift satchel made of salvaged cloth from the surface world at her side.  No doubt it was full of shellfish, her favourite food.  She wasn’t as quick at hunting as his father, his uncle, or to be honest, any of the other merfolk, and Nero always worried that she had been injured early on in her life, something that put her at a disadvantage.  But she was always cheerful, and found other ways to contribute to the hunt.

“It’s just…”

“Dante...I know… trust me... sometimes I wish a jellyfish would sting him on the tongue, just to shut him up for a while. But,” she sat down beside him, and began prying open one of the clams with her soul weapon, a small pearlescent knife, and offered him the contents. “ He thinks he means well, he just doesn’t realize he’s swimming against the current.”

He gratefully took it and slurped down the contents.  His mom was always able to mediate between the three mermen, she’d find a way to make his uncle apologize, and things would be back to normal...for a while at least.

“Oh… that’s beautiful Nero! Where did you find that?”  Too late he realized that by grabbing the shell, he’d inadvertently revealed his prized possession.

Parrotfish Sand! He thought, Welp, time to fib a little.

He put on a convincing smile.  “Oh this?  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?  I found it while investigating an old shipwreck a while back!”  Yeah, that was believable.  His dad was more permissive about him going down into the depths than into the shallows.

Unfortunately, the doubtful look on his mother’s face shattered the illusion, “Oh really?  If it came from an old shipwreck it would have had more corrosion on the brass clasp, to the point where only the pendant should still have a possibility of retaining its shine.  That is, if the jewelry had a high enough percentage of gold.  If not, it would have been just as corrode d.”

Nero was stunned.  How had she known he was lying?

“Corrosion?”

“It’s where the water and the salt…” she paused as if she was trying to find the right words, “well, simply put, they change the metal into something different, and often weaker.  Human metal of course, not the metal of our soul-weapons.  It’s why some shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea are all brown,and fall apart just by brushing up against it.  Some metals, like gold, are resistant, some not at all.”

“How..how do you know that? About human stuff?”  

She smiled softly at him, “Nero...I suppose it’s time I told you that once…” she looked up at the dappled surface, the flickering sunbeams shining down on them, “Once, I was one of them.”

Nero choked on the last of the clam he was slurping up.  Maybe he hadn’t heard his mom right.  There’s no way that his dad of all merfolk would have fallen for...a human?  Maybe his dad didn’t know…?

“I’d hoped that your father would have explained our ‘unique’ family situation earlier on...but…” she sighed… “well, if he won’t take the first step-I mean, first stroke.  I guess I should.  Yes, I used to be human, and yes both your father and uncle knew about me.”

“But-” Nero was at a loss for words.  True, his mom always seemed a bit ‘different’ than the other merfolk, but he’d never really minded.  She was a wonderful mother, why should he care?  “How?”

“Magic I suppose, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around, and I’ve had over a decade and a half to try to make sense of it.”

It still didn’t make sense to Nero.  Of all the mermen to settle down with a ...human? “Dad hates humans!” he blurted out without thinking, “He always reminds me how dangerous they can be, that I should never talk to one, or be seen by one.” Instantly, he felt the urge to slap himself for such an insensitive statement.

His mother looked sad, but not because of what he had said, “I… understand where your father’s coming from, he’s had...an unpleasant history with humankind, it’s tainted his views.  One day he may tell you about it, when he’s ready  But,” she stroked his cheek,   “even he understands humans aren’t all bad, there are some that are ignorant about what happens past their shorelines, and others that are willing to take a chance to dive beneath the waves, so to speak.  I was one of the latter, and it still took me the better part of a migration to gain his trust and love.  I suppose he tries to tell you those stories to keep the risk of you getting hurt as low as possible but,” she looked down at the necklace, “it seems that our family’s obsession with the surface still runs in the blood.  So…” she smiled, “spill the beans, (her penchant for weird turn of phrases suddenly made a whole lot more sense), who’s the lucky human?  I won’t say a word to anyone else about this.”

“It’s...it’s a girl.  Her name is Kyrie...and she likes to sit on the docks and sing in Fortuna.”

“Awww, how sweet!  How did you two meet?”

“Sh-she hasn’t actually met me yet” , he must have turned as red as a snapper by now, “ I just sit under the docks and listen to her singing.”

“But you have her necklace.”

“Yeah, she dropped it about four migrations back, and...well, I wanted to give it back...but…”   ah well, he might as well come clean about it.  Perhaps his mother would understand.  “Everytime I do, I get the weirdest feeling, like I’m giving up a part of myself.” He scratched his nose, “You probably think I’m being dumb as driftwood, eh?”

“Not at all,” his mom said, surprisingly “the heart is a strange and stubborn thing, that makes us do things that we really don’t understand, but,” she smiled, “don’t be like myself and your father and deny your feelings, because you don’t know what the next wave will bring.”   She pulled him close to give him a kiss on the forehead.  “Just promise me that you be careful, alright?  I want you to be happy, AND safe.”

Kyrie was there, sitting on the dock, just like always.  Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was the same.  Instead of her brilliant white clothes, she wore a dress of deep black, like the depths of the ocean.  And instead of singing, she remained silent, not even humming a tune.  And worst of all, her beautiful smile, the thing that only the Dawnfather could compare to in brilliance, had vanished.  Instead, she sat, her legs dangling over the edge, staring out to the horizon, not moving.  Her beautiful eyes had lost their vibrancy, like dead seaweed, and her skin had gone pale, and sickly, like a bloated dead fish.  Strange, there was wetness on her cheeks, that dribbled down before landing in her lap.  Nero wasn’t sure what had happened to her.  Was she ill?  Hurt?  All he knew, it caused his heart to constrict, and that he’d do ANYTHING to bring back her smile.

Steady footsteps on the worn wood caused him to dart back to his hiding spot under the dock.   He knew the gait, even if he didn’t see him very often. Credo strode down, but slowed as he approached the young woman at the end.  He was also dressed oddly, his usual white and gold outfit replaced with a dour black, quite similar to his sister’s.  Was there something going on, a sort of celebration?

“Kyrie…” he spoke softly, as if he didn’t wish to disturb her, but was forced to.  “I was beginning to worry when you didn’t come home after school today.”

There was no response, her eyes still locked on the horizon.

“It’s getting late, and the funeral is early tomorrow.  You and I need our rest for what’s going to be a long day.  The entire family will be coming over… Aunt Lisandra will be taking care of the food preparations, and- ”

“I can’t..” her voice sounded raspy, rough like a shark's skin, “I can’t go home...because mom should be there, taking the poppy seed buns out of the oven, and dad should be there in his study, putting the final touches on that painting he was working on…. But there won’t be the smell of bread in the kitchen, and that painting will always be unfinished.... Because they aren’t ever coming home again....”

Nero was perplexed.  What did they mean by never seeing each other again?  Even if humans couldn’t swim, they could travel anywhere in the world, they could even fly in those metal bird things he would see sometimes up in the sky.

“I know…” Credo answered soberly, “I miss them too…” he placed a hand on her shoulder, before crouching down, “but I know, wherever their spirits have gone, that they would want us to persevere, to remember them, but move forward.”

Only then, did it hit Nero with the force of a tidal wave: Kyrie wasn’t ill, or hurt...well, not in the physical sense.  She was mourning for the dead.  Dawnfather strike him down, what an idiot he was!

“It’s going to be difficult,” the older man conceded, “but you don’t have to bear the burden alone.” “I know…” came the response, a little less soulless, but still with grief.

“If you don’t feel like it, you don’t have to sing at the service.  I don’t want you to feel unnecessary pain, just because some of our relatives desire a show,” her brother muttered darkly.

“No, I need to do this,” she argued back, “not for great uncle Lorenzo, or anyone.  Just for me.”

“If that’s what you desire…”

“Yes.  I just…” she sighed, “I just need some time alone for a bit more.  I promise I’ll be home in an hour or two.”

“Are you sure?” “Credo…” she smiled at her brother, sadly, but with more sincerity, “I’ll be fine.  Don’t worry about me.  But,” her smile lost some of the grief, “thank you for everything.”

Nero stayed still for quite a while after the man had departed, ruminating on what he had heard.  He hadn’t had to deal with the pain she had dealt with, but his father had, and it was obvious that his grandparents’ deaths had affected him.  If there was a way to ease her pain, a way of healing the absence in her heart.

The necklace!  

He looked at it in his clawed hand.  He’d expected the usual reluctance to give it up yet again, but not this time.  This time she needed it more than he could ever.   The only issue was how to give it to her.  He couldn’t just  swim up and plop it in her hand, nor could he attempt to throw it up onto the dock, where there was a good chance it would  just bounce off and back into the water, attracting her unwanted attention.

He looked at the glistening jewelry in his softly glowing clawws, and realized the answer was in the palm of his hand….literally.  All he had to do was find the correct position, speed, and angle...it was just like spearing a fish.

Swimming far enough to get a good angle, but deep enough to not be noticed, he clenched the amulet in his hand one last time, took a mental deep breath and with a force of will, his spectral hand shot out of the water, almost silently, and with precise control, dropped the necklace on the dock with just the barest of noise, enough to get her attention, before it retracted back to himself, and he quickly returned to his hiding spot.

“Oh!” Kyrie had heard the clatter, and turned almost too quickly, a second sooner, and he would have been caught.  But her eyes were immediately drawn to the necklace, glittering in the light of the evening Dawnfather, as she gingerly scooped it up.

“How in the…” she slowly caressed it in her hands, no doubt trying to figure out if it was the same one she had lost all those migrations ago.  Nero swallowed as he peeked through the crack in the wood, getting as close as he dared.  She closed her dull eyes as she clasped the necklace in her hands, pulling it close to her forehead.  After a few moments of silence, her eyes opened, not quite back to their beautiful state, but much more clear, and on her lips, a small smile.  

“Thank you…” she spoke quietly, and Nero froze.  For some reason he was certain she was speaking to him.  But that was impossible!  He had made sure that he was completely undetectable!  She hadn’t ever given an indication that she had noticed his presence.  Maybe she was just speaking to the spirits of her parents or something.

But it didn’t matter, as she began to sing, a song he hadn’t ever heard before, a song full of grief, and yet hope.

Quando sono solo sogno all'orizzonte e mancan le parole

Sì lo so che non c'è luce in una stanza quando manca il sole

Se non ci sei tu con me, con me

Su le finestre

Mostra a tutti il mio cuore che hai acceso

Chiudi dentro me la luce che

Hai incontrato per strada

Time to say goodbye

Paesi che non ho mai

Veduto e vissuto con te

Adesso sì, li vivrò, con te partirò

Su navi per mari che, io lo so

No, no, non esistono più

It's time to say goodbye

And even though Nero couldn’t make out most of what she was singing, it still gave him a feeling of peace

It was the next migration, his seventeenth, when Nero finally broke the last rule.  He was doing his typical thing, hovering under the dock, relaxing to the soothing music that Kyrie sang.  She looked healthier, happier, and more at ease.  The loss of her parents undoubtedly still had affected her, but she had grown from it.  He was happy as well, hoping his action, as little and delayed as it was, had brought her some comfort.

So lost in her melodious voice, he didn’t even notice her slowly lower herself down, and with a sundenness  that would have caught a dolphin off guard, poked her head underneath the dock.

“Hello there!”

His instincts screamed that he needed to flee, that he was in an extreme amount of danger right now.  His muscles spasmed, and instantly he began to calculate on whether it would be safer to dive down and then out, a slower but safer way, or risk making a mad dash from the docks, putting as much distance between her and him.  Then never, ever, EVER come back.   He’d played far too long in the low tide, now he was in danger of being beached, metaphorically speaking.

“Wait!”  Her voice called out, and against his better judgement, he paused, “Don’t go, please? I’m not going to hurt you.  I just…” she paused as she tried to think of what to say, “want to thank you.”

He froze.  He hadn’t expected that.

“Thank me?”  Her eyes lit up brilliantly at his response.

“You CAN talk!  I’m so glad!  I always worried that you didn’t speak our language.” Her smile grew in delight as she pulled herself back up.  Nero floated there, momentarily at a loss what to do.  Should he make a swim for it?  She hadn’t made a move to attack him, in fact, she was giving him an opening to escape.  But what if it was a trap?  He shook his head.  The way she spoke, it seemed like she had known he was there for a while, possibly for multiple migrations.  So, slowly, and with more than a little wariness, he swam from underneath the dock and popped up in front of her.  The delight on her face was infectious, and that smile, Dawnfather be praised, that smile was for him, solely for him.

“Thank me?” He repeated, confused as he looked around, still worried he would be spotted.  But aside from a few fishing vessels on the horizon, there was no one but her.

“For everything…” she explained, as her hand went to her throat, playing with her necklace,.  “Every year around this time, when I’d come to the docks, I swore I felt someone watching me, supporting me, like a guardian angel.”

Nero had no clue what she was talking about,  but he wouldn’t interrupt her.  Her singing was beautiful, but now, her speaking to him, directly, was pure bliss.  If this had been a trap, he would have been a stunned fish right now, easily hooked.  But nothing happened.

“But unlike an angel...it didn’t come from above, it came from below…the water.  It was you.”  Her toes grazed the surface of the water, and she was so close, she could have reached out and touched him, but she didn’t.  Not that he would have minded…

Her eyes went down to the necklace between her fingers.  “In the darkest moment of my life, you gave me something precious.  The necklace, yes… but,” she looked back at him.  “Whenever I couldn’t sleep, when I felt like I was falling into despair, I would hold onto this and would feel a sense of peace, like the rise and fall of waves, of seagulls, the songs of whales.  It was so comforting…  That was you, wasn’t it?”

He didn’t know what to say.  He hadn’t intended it, but perhaps keeping it so close to himself for all those migrations had some residual effect.  

“Uh....yeah.”  It wasn’t a lie, but he wanted to slap himself with his own fins on how stupid he sounded.  “I-I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you sooner, I-”

She laughed, and Nero felt tingles everywhere in response.  “It’s okay, I’m glad it was safe with you.  So,” she leaned forward, getting even closer, and Nero lost himself in her eyes.  If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it (not that he would want to), “Can I have your name?”

Somehow, his mouth was able to work, and he didn’t even stutter…

“Nero...my name’s Nero”

For what seemed like ages, he and Kyrie talked.  She told him all about the surface world, from how they managed to stay sane despite living in the same place for migrations at a time, to her family, (he decided not to pry into her parents), to why she sang.  It stunned him that not all humans enjoyed singing, how in the watery depths were they supposed to pass on knowledge to their children?

But he kept his questions to himself, and when she cautiously asked about him and his people, he felt comfortable to tell her about his family, and merfolk in general.  She never pressed for more details, but she asked how long he would remain in Fortuna.

“It’s about one cycle of the Tidemother, the shoal moves out, so we gotta follow it, or else we’ll be stuck eating kelp”  He couldn’t help it, he gagged at the thought.  “We should be heading out when she hides Her face.”

Kyrie’s face fell a little bit.  “Oh, that means you’ll be heading out pretty soon.”

“Yeah…” he agreed, and for the briefest of moments, the thought of him staying in Fortuna for the rest of the migration, eating nothing but kelp didn’t seem that bad.  But explaining why he didn’t want to leave this island to his father… not so appetizing.  “But guess what, I’ll be back to see you on the next migration!  And I won’t hide under the dock this time!”

“You promise?”

There was a slight pause, as Nero recalled something he’d heard innumerable times

Never promise a human anything.

To the depths with that… he thought, and smiled at the young woman, the one that had unwittingly lured him in, and captured his heart.

“I promise”

Heat

Word count: 3462

WARNINGS: NSFW, overstimulation, DFB Reader, mating, DT sex

Tags: @dylan-o-yumm​, @daemongal​, @valkyrjapride​, @here4fandomtrash​

You held the phone up to your ear, anxiously listening to the several rings from the receiver before you hear a click followed by a familiar voice. 

"Devil May Cry."

"Dante?" you ask. 

"(Y/N)? Everything okay?" the hunter responded.

 You twirled the phone chord with your finger before biting your lip and glancing at the closed bedroom door across the room from you. You paused before answering. 

"Uh... I don't really know. It's about Nero." 

"Nero? What's wrong with him?" Dante asked. 

"He's just been really off the past few days. He's been really aggressive with everyone, he won't come out of his room except to grab food and bring it back, he keeps stealing pillows and blankets from around the apartment. I don't know what's wrong with him. He won't talk to me and just grunts and growls to himself. Is he okay?"

You neglected to mention to Dante that Nero has also been admitting some... smell the past few days too. It didn't smell bad it was just different from his usual scent you noticed. It didn't bother you. Actually, you quite liked it, the few times you would see him you would catch a whiff of him and feel a tingle go throughout your body. It was barely noticeable at first, but it began to get more and more intense as time went on. 

What really perplexed you was when Nero would cover his nose every time he passed by you. You knew he would scratch at his nose when he was being shy but the way he would cover his whole nose and mouth made you a little self-conscious. Did you smell bad? Was it your breath? But you didn't push him on this considering how agitated he had become. 

You head Dante chuckle amusedly through the phone snapping you out of your thoughts. You questioned what he found so funny as you were genuinely worried about your boyfriend right now. 

"Oh, sweetheart, you're in for a treat," he said.

"Excuse me?" you replied. 

"He's nesting."

"What does that mean?" you asked now getting a little annoyed with the veteran devil hunter. 

"It means he's going into heat. Demons need to mate like animals, so they just go through the channels. They gather food, they build comfortable nests, they give off pheromones, and they get aggressive to show dominance. It's just instinct. My guess he hasn’t fully learned to control this side of him," He explained. 

"So, what you're saying is?"

"He really horny."

You paused, speechless, trying to wrap your head around what Dante just said.

Mate? Heat? Pheromones? You knew about Nero and his heritage, but he was only part demon. He wasn’t some mindless hell beast that just walked around laying waste to innocents, driven only by demonic instinct. He was a person, he could think for himself, and he cared about other people. He wouldn’t so severely be affected by his demonic bloodline, would he?

You were lost in thought when Dante started repeating your name. You blinked a few times before responding. Dante started to go into more detail about the process, but you cut him off, not wanting to really hear it, especially from him of all people.

“Okay! Okay! Just tell me what to do to help him.” You demanded.

Dante chuckled, “Look the only things you really can do is to either let him be and let him ride this thing out, or… help him out a little bit.”

You felt a blush creep up the back of your neck at the prospect of that second option.

Annoyed, you pinched the bridge of your nose, bidding Dante a thank you and a farewell before hanging up the phone. You crossed your arms over you middle, leaning against the kitchen counter in thought. The rest of the apartment was quiet leaving you alone with your thoughts.

You felt conflicted. On one hand you wanted to help your boyfriend, this was obviously an uncomfortable time for him. You remember him walking around without a shirt on the few times he came out of his room, complaining that it was too hot and demanding someone turn up the AC. You wanted to help him, although you couldn’t shake the thought of just how delicious he looked with a thin layer of sweat making his tight muscles sheen.

You shook your head as you felt your cheeks heat up again. You pressed your hands to your face to cool yourself down as you paced the apartment thinking of what to do.

After some intense brainstorming you made your final plan, you couldn’t leave Nero to deal with this alone, but you waned to give him his space and not intrude too much.

Grabbing a piece of paper, you leaned over the kitchen counter and started compiling a list. Things you know Nero would love, things that would make his situation better. His favorite energy drinks, his favorite snacks, a pint of his favorite ice cream… no wait. Make is a tub.

As you wrote your list, debating whether or not to grab take out from his favorite Chinese place, you couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on your back from within the apartment, however, you ignored it.

You tucked the paper into your pants pockets and went to grab your coat and bag. Right before you reached the door you turned around upon hearing a door click shut, reminding you that you should probably tell Nero you were leaving. You knocked on his door, faintly telling him you would be back later. You got no response but figured he heard you. Taking a deep breath, you turned and left the apartment.

 You adjusted the grocery bags on your arms as you shuffled through your front door, pushing it closed with your foot as you crossed the threshold. You reached the kitchen counter right as your arms gave out. Your bags spilled onto the surface which you didn’t mind as long as it didn’t end up on the floor. You gathered yourself together before shedding off your coat and starting to place your frozens in the freezer.

You nearly had a heart attack when you turned away from the fridge. Standing in the darkness a figure loomed, staring directly at you, had it not been for the messy mop of white hair on top of his head you would have assumed it was a burglar. You placed a hand over your chest, trying to steady your heart rate. Your audible pants filled the space as you regained your composure. “What the hell, Nero?!” you snapped at him.

He didn’t respond, he just stood in his place, staring you down. His face showed little to no emotion as he stood in the darkness. You noted how his muscles looked tight, you could see how they rolled under his skin as he breathed, and that’s when you noticed he was almost naked. Only standing in fitted pair of boxer briefs.

“Nero?” you asked with concern lacing your voice.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he responded simply, his voice low and rough. As he spoke you saw a glint in his eyes. They gave off a sort of hunger. Like a predator eyeing down its prey.

He took a step towards you, coming into the light of your small kitchen. Reflexively you took a step back, only for your body to hit the wall, trapping you. Nero continued closer, until he could place his hands on the wall on either side of your head, caging you between his arms. You could look closer at him now, in the light. You looked deep into his eyes and saw the faintest glint of red around his pupils that bled out to the rest of his irises. Now you could really see the desperation in his eyes.

“I can’t take this anymore,” he stated again, “I’ve been holding back but it’s just the way you look, the way you smell. I can taste you in the air even when you’re not here. I need it, (Y/N) … I need you.”

You said nothing. There was nothing you could say. Not with Nero this close to you. His chest pressing up against yours with every labored breath, the craving in his eyes, the lust coating his voice like thick warm honey, and his smell. It was intoxicating, something unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. It overtook all your senses clouding your mind with such intense sensations.

You gave in, letting him almost devour your mouth in a sloppy and heated kiss. The final straw that awoke the primal desire within you. You submitted to his dominance when you felt his tongue snake it’s way inside your mouth, dancing with yours and claiming ownership. You for sure knew that you were both drooling all over your shirt, but damnit you couldn’t bring yourself to care. The way his lips moved against yours, no rhythm, little care, sent shockwaves throughout your body. Only amplified when you felt his teeth lightly dig into your lower lip.

He forced himself away from you in a brief moment of control. He looked deep into your now half lidded eyes, searching your expression for any resistance. Even if your mind was clear you wouldn’t have resisted.

“Nero…” you moaned breathlessly, “Take me.”

That was all he needed, and you soon found yourself lifted off the ground. Your ankles instinctually locked behind his back and your arms wrapped around his neck. Nero began to exit the kitchen and you felt your heartbeat quicken even more when you saw him move towards his bedroom.

You had no idea what you were in for when Nero kicked open his bedroom door and stepped inside. But you weren’t expecting the smell that hit your senses like a freight train. The subtle musk that you smelled on Nero earlier was now saturating the air. The light flooding in from the rest of the apartment was the only thing illuminating the space. Before he nudged the door shut behind him, you looked over your shoulder at his bed.

A mountain of pillows and blankets overflowed from his mattress and onto the floor. The island of softness curved around the sides of his bed, forming huge arms ready to embrace you. From living room throw pillows to naked bed pillows from the linen closet and every blanket from your home was on Nero’s bed, waiting for you.

Your back sunk onto the mountain of plush as Nero tried his best to gingerly set you down. You could feel his eagerness with every movement, as he desperately held back his urge- no, his need- to rip off your clothes and take you right there. His shoulders rose and fell in rhythm with his panting and the heat coming off his skin warmed the air around you.

You propped yourself up on your shoulders, half lidded eyes raking over his impressive physique. His statuesque form loomed over you, taking in your form as well. You couldn’t help it as your eyes drifted downward towards his manhood, nor could you help the fire under your cheeks as you saw the impressive bulge in his now too tight briefs. Much to your shock Nero continued to stand there, continuing to look over you, his fiery eyes following even the faintest movement from you. You had expected him to have fully pounced on you by now.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his tone low and smooth.

“Yes,” you respond breathlessly.

You watched in awe as Nero’s luminescent wings extended from behind his back. The clawed hands at the ends flexed as he stepped forward towards the bed. Without taking his eyes off of yours, Nero crawled up the bed, slowly yet deliberately. Your whole body heated up again as he grew closer, his lips connecting with your neck, right on your pulse. Your head lulled back, and you shut your eyes and Nero continued to mouth at your pulse.

Your entire form went rigid as you felt your clothes shred from your body like tissue paper. Your eyes widened as you looked down at the ribbons of your clothes that hung from the claws of Nero’s wings. However, he paid no mind and continued to leave his mark on our neck. His teeth lightly dug into your neck, not enough to draw blood, barely enough to even leave a lasting mark. He just wanted your attention back on him.

Your initial shock subsided, and you relaxed again on the bed, only to whine when Nero pulled his mouth away from your neck and straightened up. His dark and lustful expression pushed you over the edge and you felt your core growing hot and wet. You noted how his nostrils flared a bit and you grew even hotter. Not wanting to wait anymore, you took the initiative and began to take off your own underwear and bra. You shivered as the cool air hit your breasts perking your nipples and sending waves of goosebumps on your skin.

You clenched your knees shut when the air hit your core, only for Nero to pull them apart again. He loomed over you again, this time with purpose as he pulled you closer to him. You gasped when you felt tip of his erection against your entrance, shivers of anticipation ran up your spine as Nero pressed forward sinking into you deliciously. You both breathed heavily in time, relishing in each other’s warmth before he had even started moving. Your toes curled against the sheets and your whole body tensed. The coil in the pit of your stomach starting to contract slowly. You reached up, gripping his shoulders and silently urging him on with your eyes.

Nero needed no coaxing, as he started thrusting into you, slowly at first, reveling in your tightness, before he began to pick up speed. He grunted softly as he brought you both to a steady pace. His hands grasped at your hips, almost bruising as he pulled you towards him against his thrusts, sending him deeper and deeper into you.

“Nero,” you moaned softly, “Don’t stop, please.”

Nero grunted as he continued rutting into. He leaned his head back, but his eyes never left yours. It gave him such a dominating and almost intimidating aura that only served to arouse you even more. Even with your eyes almost closed with overwhelming pleasure you couldn’t bring yourself to look away from his hypnotic gaze, the scourging hues of his iris and his cat like pupil kept your eyes prisoner. And you had no desire to escape.

Nero’s hand left your hip and found its way into your hair. Combing his fingers through your locks and gripping tightly. He pulled you up to him, your chest heaving against his as he held your head back, exposing your throat. He took the opportunity and attacked your neck with his mouth. His lips running over each vein and reveling in your quickened pulse. His other arm snaked around your waist and held you in a vice grip against him. The pace of his thrusts never faltered, continuing to drill deep into you so beautifully.

Your fingertips dug into his arms in ecstasy. That coil in your abdomen getting tighter and tighter. You felt like you were about to burst too soon. Your moans turned into whimpers and near inaudible gasps as Nero’s thrusts turned relentless. The entire bed and nest he prepared began to shake with the force of your movements.

Nero throbbed inside you, his grunts turning more and more animalistic, and his thrusts becoming more and more rowdy, falling out of rhythm. He moaned your name from deep in his throat, and even in your mental state, so deliciously high off of pleasure, you could still hear the layers in his voice. The otherworldly sounds he made only fueling your ecstasy.

“N-Nero,” you whimpered as you looked into his burning eyes, “Please… I’m gonna...”

You couldn’t finish your sentence before your vision was overtaken by a blinding blue light, and a lightning bolt of pleasure shot through your body. You howled out loud as you felt your body stretch around Nero’s new form, pushing you over the edge into a blissful void. You threw your head back hard enough that your neck will definitely be sore tomorrow. You exploded around Nero’s cock, a rush of warmth radiating from your core filling your whole body.

Even after your climax subsided, Nero didn’t stop. He continued thrusting into you with purpose, and you somehow found the strength to still curl your toes and grip the bed sheets in your fists. You felt yourself going slack away from Nero, unable to keep yourself up right. Nero’s large clawed hands wrapped around your waist and up your back to your shoulder keeping you close while he kept pounding into you.

You weakly brought a hand up to his shoulder working your fingers around the giant protrusions where the hands of his wings would grip. You dug your nails into his almost stone like flesh, looking for anything to keep you tethered to the world.

“(Y/N),” he grunted, his voice sounding otherworldly, barley coherent, “Fuck… you feel so good. So tight. You’re perfect.”

“Nero!” you cried out, “Please.”

You didn’t even know what you were asking for or what you wanted him to do, too lost in the over stimulation to focus on anything other than Nero’s angelic form, the intricate plating on his body, his hypnotic fiery eyes, his snowy long locks. Nothing else existed, only you and him. Everything else faded away to nothing, leaving you both lost in a void of pleasure and weightlessness.

“(Y/N) … you’re so warm… I’m…” Nero said between grunts and growls.

“Finish, Nero,” you moaned breathlessly, your eyes half lidded and a content smile on your face. With what little strength you had left you pulled yourself up closer to him, so your lips were at his ear. “Cum inside me.”

Nero’s whole body went rigid, tight against you. The choked grunt caught in his throat for a moment before you felt Nero finally let go. With you still in his arms he reared himself back, throwing back his head and letting out an unearthly roar that you had never heard before. Glowing eyes were wide open before quickly and tightly shutting as Nero road out his orgasm. His embrace of you tightened, now holding you in an almost crushing vice grip against his hard body. You moaned along with him as you felt him bottom out inside you. A new warmth filling your core as his hard cock throbbed against your walls, filling you up with his essence.

Nero’s whole body went slack, much like yours did. He still held you close to him, his clawed hand moving from your shoulder to your head, carefully cradling it against his chest. Nothing but heavy breaths and hard pulses filled the stillness of the room. You hummed softly and shuddered as Nero’s cum began to run down your thighs and he started to go limp inside you. You felt Nero’s lips on your head, careful of the horns on his chin.

You felt yourself slipping from consciousness, finally realizing just how exhausted you were. You felt Nero shift as you drifted off, just barley catching his quiet, “I love you,” before surrendering yourself to sleep.

 You awoke the next morning, groggy and with a pleasant ache between your legs. You yawned before trying to adjust your position, only to finally notice the arm wrapped around your form. Well, less wrapped around you and more thrown across your body protectively.

You turned around to face your bedpartner. You smiled as you looked at Nero’s calm expression, lost in sleep, no scowls or smug smirks. You watched as his back rose and fell with his steady deep breaths, his face twitching every now and then. You couldn’t pry your eyes away from him, lost in his angelic features.

Your breath caught in your throat when his eyes finally opened, those cool blue irises staring straight into yours. Much more aware than you were when you first awoke. You smiled at him, and he returned the gesture.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you sighed, “Sore… but in a good way.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, bringing his hand up to rest on your cheek. His calloused thumb gingerly rubbing against your cheek.

“Are you okay?” you asked.

Nero paused a little, searching your face for any regret, hesitation, or discomfort, any sign that you didn’t enjoy what happened last night. You smiled at him and he relented his search to press a soft kiss to your lips before answering.

“I’m much better… for now.”

A/N: Hope you guys liked this, and it lived up to the hype, I wasn’t totally in love with it by the end so feedback is always appreciated. And thank you so much for your patience.

What about Nero having an unrequited love for a totally nerdy S/O? He seduces her,flirts with her shamelessly, then one night the two get damn drunk and end up having sex. The next day, Nero feels totally happy but S/o is racked up with guilt and anxiety.

(I love this idea, so I’m sorry that my crappy writing skills ruined it lol. My “drabbles” have gone less drabbily and more… I’m-bad-at-writing-y. So I apologise in advance haha) 

You woke up with a throbbing headache and a dull ache between your thighs, the smell of booze on your breath along with an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Your hair was a mess, either from sleep or having hands ran through it, you couldn’t quite tell. You felt like absolute shit, stomach swirling uneasily while your eyes burned from the harsh sunlight peering through the open window. The room was trashed, your clothes left in shreds over by the door and a bunch of red and purple marks littered your skin. 

What the fuck! You thought, your mind screaming at you. How could you be so stupid? You never get drunk, why was last night an exception? Ugh. You feel like you’re going to be sick. 

The previous night’s events where a little hazy and all over the place, but there was surprisingly a lot that you remembered. The night started off with you and the Devil May Cry gang going out to a club for dancing and drinks, having been persuaded by Dante to have a night out all together and enjoy some music. You weren’t one for drinking too much, though the night must have required it, since you woke up the way you did. You shake your head and press a hand to your temple to calm your pounding brain as you collect your thoughts. 

You remember watching Nico drink the most, her and Lady running onto the dance floor was quite the entertainment, trying to dance all sexy-like but bursting into fits of laughter soon after. Half the night was spent watching them and laughing at their silly behaviour, even Trish went out to dance with some guy that had been eyeing her, leaving you, Dante and Nero sitting at the small round table. While your time was spent watching the girls, you felt eyes on you the entire time, too shy to meet his gaze but anxiously aware of it. 

Nero was drinking, though a lot slower than the Artisan, his tipsy manner getting himself into quite a few predicaments with you during the night. First, it was just watching you from where he sat, thinking about dancing with you but too nervous to actually ask, which is why he kept drinking. He didn’t know why it was such a big deal since he flirts with you all the time, but maybe it was the thought of having you so close to him that made him a little flustered. The way the other girls were dancing, getting close and practically grinding on each other for shits and giggles, made him even more hot around the collar just imagining you dancing like that with him. 

Dante was good at breaking the ice, keeping the conversation humorous and casual, distracting you from the tension of Nero’s eyes on you. But, the more you and he drank, the more the tension was unable to be ignored. The moment you gained the courage to lock eyes with Nero was the moment you both started undressing each other with your eyes, practically ignoring Dante as the two of you scooted closer to converse over the loud music. 

The girls saw what was going on and were quick to whisk Dante away with them to the dance floor, giving the two of you your much needed alone time. Nero had drank enough to shamelessly flirt with you, a hand coming to rest on your thigh while you leaned into his touch and whispered in his ear. You were surprised you had the courage to be so forward, usually shy and bashful whenever he used flirty one liners on you, but this time you followed his lead.

He ended up asking you to dance, and that is where things get a little blurry. You remember being close to him, his chest pressed against your back as you danced on him, his hands roaming your body… But after that, it was a hard cut to you and him stumbling through the front door to your house, lips locked and clothes being torn off as you clumsily made your way to your room. How you got home and what happened after you stumbled into your room with Nero was completely wiped from your mind, though you didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what happened. 

You groan and massage your scalp, deciding that maybe a nice warm shower and brushing your teeth will help make you feel a bit better. Pulling yourself out of bed, you notice that it’s empty, no body beside you, which you’re thankful for. Nero is a good friend and you always had a crush on him, having to face him after such an embarrassing night would have been hell. You always imagined your first time with him to be romantic and special, instead it was nothing more than a drunken mistake and he probably didn’t even like you the way you liked him. Sure he flirted with you all the time, but that’s just for laughs, right? 

As you shower, your thoughts only get more self-depreciating. If you didn’t drink, like you would usually do, then you could have been the voice of reason and make sure Nero didn’t do anything he would regret, which he clearly did or he’d have been in your bed when you woke up. Instead he was ashamed to have slept with you and needed to avoid you. You’d be lucky if you ever get to ever talk to him again without it being awkward. 

You clean your teeth and body, getting dressed in comfortable, casual clothes before you head down stairs to get some food in your stomach. There’s a permanent frown etched onto your face, wondering how you could possibly make amends with the young devil hunter. You were pretty close friends and didn’t want this to ruin what you had. You enjoyed his flirtatious remarks and lingering touches on your arm, no matter how flustered you got because of it, and you never wanted it to stop. Not over something so… You can’t even think of a word to describe the situation. You slept with one of your best friends, a friend that you had a huge crush on, nonetheless, but still. 

Your feet slow down to a quiet, cautious tiptoe when you hear noises coming from the kitchen, the fridge being open and closed and feet shuffling along the floor. The smell of toast and melted butter wafts into your nostrils soon after. No, it couldn’t be. Your frown deepens as your thoughts run a mile an hour, confused out of your mind as you didn’t expect anyone to be in your house, let alone making food in your kitchen. 

As you round the corner you see the muscular, uncovered back of none other than Nero himself, shirtless and spreading butter onto four pieces of toast. There were two plates, each with two pieces of toast. He wasn’t facing you, causing your eyes to linger on his shoulder blades before dragging down to the small of his back which were covered in little, red scratch marks, very clearly from your nails, no doubt about it. Shit…

Say something! Don’t just stand there like a creep! 

“You’re still here…” You voice in a mix between confusion and relief, hardly processing what it is you’re seeing before you, still a little distracted by his scratched up back. You expected to come down to an empty kitchen, cook up whatever you could find in your pantry and eat it like a slob on the couch… not this! You wish you would have kept your mouth shut and not have made your presence known, so you could properly process everything thats going on and say something a little more interesting. Nero suddenly turned when he heard your voice, seeming a little shocked that you were awake, but quickly recovering with a warm smile, seeming genuinely happy to see you. 

“Yeah…You think I’d sneak out?” Nero asks with a soft chuckle, seeming completely normal, like he wasn’t hungover in the slightest. Maybe his demon side heals him quick enough that he doesn’t have to feel the crappy side effects of alcohol… wouldn’t that be nice. You take a few steps closer, stopping at the island counter and resting your palms on top, peeking over and having to fight back a moan as you catch eye of the mouthwatering toast he was making. Any other day it would just be boring old toast, but in your hungover state, it looked like golden ingots on a plate. There was also his toned abs and muscular back that was quite mouthwatering, but you did your best not to stare, already feeling too awkward to make the situation any more uncomfortable. Lets just say it was hard not to take a peek every now and then.

Stop staring and say something!

“If I’m being honest… yeah.” You state quietly and unsurely, suddenly feeling out of place in your own home. He was in your kitchen, making food like nothing was out of the ordinary. It felt like he was pranking you with the amount of normalcy he was showing, seemingly unfazed by everything you were confused about. Everything about this was out of the ordinary for you. Nero, of all people, in your kitchen, shirtless, making toast… this has to be some crazy dream, right? 

Hearing him whistle lowly made you wince and bite your lip, knowing what you had confessed, had offended him a little. You want to apologise, say sorry for being so blunt and thinking so little of him, but another question burned on your tongue, begging to be asked even though you knew how stupid it would sound. Either way, you gave in and asked the question anyway. “I know it’s very obvious, but I have to ask… Did we have sex…?” You point between you and him, your throat suddenly drying up like you were in the middle of a desert and your heart pounding loudly in your chest.

You knew what the answer would be, the dull ache between your legs that was slowly disappearing into nothing, the scratches on his back, and the fact that you woke up naked was more than enough of a hint… it was a harsh slap to the face. However, you were in a minor state of denial, wishing you didn’t throw away your first time with Nero in a drunken haze, something you fantasised about almost daily, every time he flirted with you, just gone out the window like it was no big deal. Nero was more special than that and you were slowly hating yourself for being so careless.

“Yeah… You don’t remember?” Nero asks, facing you once again with a plate of toast in his hand, sliding it over the counter towards you. You can’t even smile or say thanks, the look on your face saying it all. Not remembering the good parts of the night, the best part… it was a nightmare. It’s not like you wanted to forget. Maybe if you did remember having sex, instead of it being the only thing seemingly lost from your memory, you wouldn’t be so torn up about it. You might even be a little happy, the fact that you slept with your crush should be a good thing, something to smile about. Right?

“Oh…” was all Nero said once he realised you didn’t remember. He turned away from you and placed his hands on the opposite countertop, bowing his head and releasing a long breath. He seemed sad suddenly, his smile having fallen into a frown before he looked away from you. You didn’t understand his reaction. Was it that big of a deal that you didn’t remember drunken sex? He seemed to remember, so maybe he was a little hurt that you didn’t, but if it wasn’t a special moment, maybe you didn’t want to remember it. Nero definitely seemed hurt that you were so focused on the memory being lost and not the fact that it was something that happened. 

His hands fell to his sides and he looked down at the floor, seeming out of place and a little disappointed. It was only now that he was facing away from you that you saw his back was completely healed. Had he prevented himself from healing to show off the marks you gave him, wanting to tease you for it when you came down to see him? Or was it just a coincidence and he happened to heal at the worst possible time, that lead you to question such things? 

“I should get dressed and… maybe message Nico to come pick me up… or I could just walk. Some fresh air will do me good…” He sounded like he was thinking out loud, not really aware of what he was saying. There was no hiding the sudden shift in his tone, definitely seeming upset and… betrayed, if you could call it that. You on the other hand were a little panicked. Since when was he leaving? Did you offend him that much that he wanted to leave? You quickly pull yourself around the island counter to get closer to him. 

“Wait, Nero. You… did you want this?” You ask nervously, anxious of his answer. Either way, when he waved his hand like he thought the answer didn’t matter, you quickly step to him and place your hand on his bare chest, somehow thinking your touch would ground him and make him think clearer. You wouldn’t lie, You could feel his heart beating and it made you hold your breath. It was beating fast, like he was scared or nervous, somehow only pulling you in closer as you pressed your palm more firmly over his heart. You’re eyes held concern, previously thinking Nero found everything to be a mistake just like you had, but this reaction made you wonder if he wanted to be more than friends, just like you want. 

“Did you not?” He laughed humourlessly, his sad eyes like knives digging into your own. “I thought we both liked each other, but you don’t seem too happy about this” He takes a step back, letting your hand fall down to your side. His tone was surprisingly calm, but you could easily tell he was hurting, the look in his eyes being more than enough to make you feel guilty. You should have been more sensitive, more welcoming, but instead you freaked out and made him feel like you didn’t want him. You swallow dryly, blinking as you let his statement seep in. 

Say something! Anything!

“I’m not happy with how things turned out, but… I just wish…” You sigh frustratedly, running a hand through your hair and frowning as you tried to piece together your words. Your mind was hurting, physically hurting having to think so much when all you wanted to do was sleep off your hangover. Nero looked at you with sad albeit hopeful eyes, probably wishing you’d say you wanted to make things work, make this accident turn into something special. And while you felt all those things, saying them aloud is far harder than thinking them. Your heart already felt like it was going to burst out of your chest from beating so fast, you couldn’t do anything to make it worse to the point were Nero could probably hear it, if he couldn’t already. 

You can’t leave it at that. Say something more. Just say what you feel!

“I drank way too much last night and my punishment is not remembering us having sex.” You pout, almost acting comical in the way you were having a tantrum, even stomping your foot a little. Nero chuckles softly, a hint of a smile on his face but you can tell he still isn’t quite happy. He sighs and reaches over the island counter, grabbing your plate and pulling it towards him before sliding it across in your direction. You stare at the plate, a sad, small frown hidden in your brow as you try to think of something else, anything else to say that will fix this situation. However, Nero beats you to speaking first. 

“Just eat your breakfast, Y/n. We can talk more once you’ve calmed down a little, and hopefully sobered up” He chuckled as he pointed to your plate, grabbing his own food and taking a large bite of his own toast. You sigh, nodding as you think this will be a good excuse for you to think more on what you want to say. Your mind races with many different things you want to tell him as you pick up a piece of crispy toast, bringing it to your lips before sinking your teeth in. You moan at the delightful taste, closing your eyes and savouring the melted butter and cooked bread on your tongue. Too bad the moment is ruined by Nero opening his mouth and saying… 

“Or I could demonstrate what we did…” He suggests casually, shrugging as if it was as simple as asking you to pass the orange juice. You can’t help it, you cough and choke on your piece of toast, eyes wide as a deep shade of red dusts over your cheeks. Nero laughs at your reaction after winking and smirking cockily.

You couldn’t lie though, that thought had crossed your mind… 

Fate Mini Story: The Battle of Chaldea’s Kitchen

Mash adjusted her glasses as she stood nervously outside her senpai's room. Ever since they had gotten back from the last singularity, the last master of humanity had been hard at work studying to be a better Master with the materials the late director had left behind. He had been studying for a good few hours and his reliable kouhai decided to pay him a visit.

He was probably hungry, and she had made him some sandwiches which she had wrapped up and was currently holding them behind her back, nervously looking at the door to Ritsuka’s bedroom. She usually just walked in without even thinking about it, but for some reason she found herself feeling nervous. What if Senpai didn’t like her sandwiches or what if she was just bugging him by entering the room while he was hard at work?

While Mash fretted over whether to enter or not, the beloved mascot of Chaldea saw no reason to hesitate and jumped from Mash’s shoulder, pressing the button to open the door before launching himself back onto her head. The door slid open almost silently, but it caught the attention of her senpai, who turned and smiled weakly at her. There were bags under his eyes and the desk next to his bed were littered with screwed up bits of paper.

“Hey,” He laughed weakly. “Is everything okay? Did Da Vinci and Dr Roman sort out access to the next singularity?”

“No Senpai,” Mash shook her head and stepped into the room, smiling softly. “I just figured I would check on you. You’ve been locked in here for a few hours.”

“Oh right,” Ritsuka rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you… it’s just…” He closed his eyes and a familiar vision assaulted his mind.

A teary-eyed Olga Marie reached out to him as she was pulled towards her doom. Her eyes begged him to save her but no matter how quickly he ran, it wasn’t fast enough.

“No-No, No! Someone help me! Help! I…I don’t want to die here!” Tears trailing down her face, “Because I’ve never been praised… I’ve never been praised by anyone! Why does this always happen to me?!” She howled in sorrow and rage, “No one ever valued me! Everyone hated me!” She was suddenly ripped off of her feet, dragged towards the burning sphere of Chaldeas, “No! Stop! No, no, no, no, no… I haven’t accomplished anything yet! From the moment I was born, I’ve never been accepted by anyone!”

“DIRECTOR!” Ritsuka cried out as she was drawn into the fiery orb the signified the disintegration of all humanity.

“No, don’t do it Senpai!” Mash grabbed him and pulled him away from Lev, “If you approach that man, you’ll die the same way!”

Ritsuka opened his eyes to see Mash’s face barely inches away from his own, “Are you alright Senpai?”

“Gargh,” He cried out in alarm and stumbled backwards, “Ah sorry. Just thinking about the director. Maybe if I’d put in the effort before hand I could have changed something.” He glanced at the books on his desk, “But it seems I have little aptitude for book learning.”

“Maybe you need a break from studying,” Mash suggested.

“I…” Before Ritsuka could say anything else, his stomach rumbled, and a crimson blush coloured his cheeks. “Hah… I guess a little break wouldn’t hurt.”

Before Mash could present the sandwiches, the door to the room swung open and a bright, red haired woman charged in.

“Sounds like someone needs a meal!” Boudicca, the British Heroic Rider Servant, declared as she marched over to Ritsuka. “Just leave it to your big sister Boudica! I’ll whip you up some good old fashion British cuisine!”

“I’m not that hungry…” Ritsuka weakly protested but the Rider was having none of it.

“Nonsense! You’ve been locked away for too long. You are able to supply magical energy to all of us servants, so it is only fair we help you maintain yours. Besides you are looking awfully pale. Leave it Onee-san, you need lots of meat!”

Mash watched her senpai get dragged away before glancing at the door. ‘Wasn’t it a slide door. I’ll have to get some of the staff to repair it.’ Letting out a soft sigh she put down the bundle of sandwiches and picked up the damaged door, leaning it against the wall before hurrying after her master and the ‘big sister’ servant. When she arrived at Chaldea’s canteen she saw an exasperated looking Ritsuka stood between a pouting Raikou and Boudicca.

“He needs meat!” Boudicca pointed out.

“Mother knows best and I saw he needs a light Japanese meal. Not your uncultured British slop.” Raikou grabbed Ritsuka hugging him tightly against her impressive chest.

“Look at him! His iron levels must be really low,” Boudicca snatched her master back from the Japanese heroic spirit, who tried to grab him back.

“W-wait! You are hurting senpai!” Mash quickly ran over and disentangled Ritsuka who offered her a genuine smile as thanks. “Isn’t there a better way to solve this? Maybe if you ask senpai if he’d prefer a big meaty meal, a light Japanese meal or even just some sandwiches you wouldn’t have to fight.”

“Honestly, the sandwiches sound pretty good,” Ritsuka admitted and Mash suddenly felt happy, before remembering she’d left the sandwiches in his room and cursing herself.

“Nonsense,” Raikou smiled, “He is only saying that to protect that servant’s feelings. How could a British spirit cook a meal worth eating?”

“Better than your slimline Japanese meals. No wonder prior to the end of humanity you had a declining birth rate. How is anyone supposed to have the energy to make babies if all you eat is rice and vegetables with the occasional bit of fish? Besides he’d probably have to have someone taste test your food to make sure you didn’t try and poison him just, so you could nurture him back to health”

“Japanese cuisine is much more that just rice, vegetables and fish,” The Japanese berserker spirit smiled with her mouth only. “And I would never poison my beloved Master, which is more that can be said for your cooking.”

“It is obvious there is only one way to solve this!” A proud voice declared, and the assembled servants and master turned to see another British Servant, Saber Artoria.

“It’s time like these you truly feel her Rank B Charisma,” Mash whispered and Ritsuka couldn’t help but nod in agreement. She radiated an aura that made you want to bow your head and follow her to the end.

Satisfied that she had everyone’s attention, she pointed to the two bickering servants. “There should be a competition!”

“Competition?” Came the confused reply.

“Indeed. What better what to settle a rivalry such as this than to prove once and for all who is the greater chef! Of course, in order to ensure an accurate judging, I shall offer my talents as a judge!”

‘So, she just wants to eat a lot of different food…’ Mash and Ritsuka thought in sync with a sigh.

“Very well!” Boudicca nodded. “I shall show you why I am known as a Heroic Spirit of Victory!”

“Wasn’t Boudicca defeated by Nero’s army?” Ritsuka whispered to Mash who nodded.

“She was the one who came closest to forcing Nero to abandon Britain but ultimately failed.” Mash confirmed under her breath so as not to agitate the fired-up servant.

There was a sudden discharge of magical energy and everyone froze.

“Senpai look out! Someone is using their noble phantasm!” Mash pushed the last master of humanity to the floor, shielding him with her body.

"I am the Bone of my Knife

Steel is my Body and Fire is my Oven,

I have created over a Thousand Spatulas,

Slayer of Hunger,

Prolonger of Life.

Have withstood Pain to create many Dishes

Yet those lips will never taste anything.

So, as I Pray--

Unlimited Kitchen Works"

Archer Emiya intoned as he entered the canteen, various tools appearing around the canteen as he adjusted his apron. “If there is to be a competition of cooking, then let it be known that I have some pride in my abilities.”

“I approve!” The King of the Britons declared. “In fact, we should invite all who wish to prove themselves!”

“You really don’t have to go to this length,” Ritsuka laughed weakly as he stood up, Mash helping him with a sheepish expression. “Just a small snack would be fine and I really need to focus on my studies so…”

“Fool!” Artoria slammed her fist on a table, causing her Master to leap in surprise. “It is your duty as a Master to allow your Servants to better themselves by competing! As a king I had to hold tournaments to allow my knights to prove themselves. Did I want to see them hitting each other and getting hurt? No! Although in hindsight I should have had Sir Mordred face Sir Lancelot more often, seeing that traitorous knight humbled would be satisfying for me now. But I digress! It is your duty, nay your obligation to allow your servants to compete is such an event! There will be starters, main courses and plenty of deserts!”

“Your true motives are showing,” Mash rubbed the back of her head.

“Do you understand?!” Artoria stood up and Ritsuka couldn’t help but kneel. “Even if you cannot eat it yourself, it is your duty to suffer hardships for the sake of your servants, just as they do for you!”

“Yes, your majesty!” Ritsuka replied, “I shall fulfil my obligations as a Master!”

“Good!” Artoria returned to her seat. “Now summon the servants for my extravagant fea… I mean the competition!”

Sometime later

The cafeteria was a hive of activity as Artoria, Ritsuka and Mash walked amongst the many servants who had decided to join in the competition. All early pretences had been dropped and Artoria was happily going from contestant to contestant, sampling meals and sighing happily. For the most part all the competitors had served food with nothing strange about it, but there were a few exceptions.

“Please Master, have a bite~” Kiyohime smiled as she offered a spoon to Ritsuka. “This rice was lovingly cooked using the flames of passion you inspire within me.”

“Its smells a little strange.” Ritsuka paused. “You didn’t put anything in this?”

“Oh, just a little secret ingredient~ My own patented love sauce.”

“Love sauce? What is…” Ritsuka was cut off by Mash pushing him to the next stall.

“I think it is better not to ask that, especially considering as Saber-san has already eaten two bowls of it.”

“Hm?” Artoria looked thoughtful. “It had a strange taste to it that I couldn’t quite place. Still a respectable effort.” She nodded sagely as they approached the next table where a downcast servant was waiting for them.

“Ah… Sorry master…” Hassan of Serenity looked at the floor. “Everything I touch… turns to poison. I should never have tried to join this competition.”

“Serenity…” Ritsuka steeled his stomach, ‘It is the duty of a master to suffer hardships for his servants!’ He recalled Artoria’s earlier words picked up a dish containing a middle eastern meal that was rendered unrecognisable by Serenity’s toxic touch. He wolfed it down and turned to the teary-eyed servant. “D-Delicious…” He tried to ignore the sensation that his internal organs were fusing into a single mass of pain, instead focusing on the look of happiness on the Assassin’s face, completely oblivious to Cursed Arm and Hundred Faces watching him warily from the shadows, a stomach pumping kit ready for use at a moment’s notice.

While Ritsuka struggled to walk with Mash’s help, Artoria had already visited several of the competitors and had come to a stop, glaring at the next stop on her gluttonous tour.

“What is this?” Artoria scowled as she beheld a large steel container full of boiling water and various meat and veg.

“It’s a stew father,” Mordred smirked. “I might be a third-rate knight but even I know how to make a decent meal! Feel free to try and it and see for yourself!” ‘Hah! Father loves food. Let’s see him try this and not praise me!’

“I have no desire to eat food from a traitor. It is probably more poisoned than Serenity’s cooking anyway.” Artoria moved on leaving a shell-shocked Mordred.

“W-Well maybe I didn’t want you to eat it anyway! Jackass! Moron!” Mordred crossed his arms and looked away. “Stupid father…”

“Don’t lose hope,” Mash smiled softly at Mordred whilst Ritsuka patted him on the shoulder.

“I don’t get why you’re both looking at me like that but it’s pissing me off,” The Knight of Treachery scoffed and looked away, a hint of an embarrassed blush on his face.

Somewhat recovered, Ritsuka and Mash found themselves at one of the initial contestant’s tables. Raikou smiled sweetly at him and offered him a small tray of dango.

“I originally had the idea to cook you a full meal, but I wouldn’t want to put you to too much trouble. Eating all this food is not good for you.” Raikou mothered Ritsuka, who was in no state to resist her but fortunately there was a sudden clamour and Mash pulled him away, stating that two servants were butting heads and he should intervene.

When they caught up with Artoria they saw her trying to push an irate Ibaraki Douji, whose cheeks had swollen up like a hamster’s, away from Archer Emiya’s table.

“Foul demon, begone will you! I am the judge here and I should taste these sweats!” Artoria declared.

“Foolish human!” Ibaraki yelled after snatching the last of the cake. “I am an Oni and I take what I want! All the sweets are mine!” She cackled arrogantly. “No-one can stop me!”

“Why don’t you take these dumplings and let Artoria-san have some of Archer’s deserts?” Ritsuka offered the dumplings to the Oni, who snatched them up gleefully.

“I accept this meagre offering human!” Ibaraki declared proudly. “But shall not relinquish my grasp on such fine sweets!” She stuffed a whole stick of dango in her mouth then used the skewer to steal some more of Archer’s sweet treats.

“Isn’t that Master’s dango you have there?! Did you steal it from him?” Artoria declared in a loud voice, drawing the attention of a certain motherly berserker.

“What? This is mine! I was given it fair and…” Ibaraki froze up as she felt an unholy amount of killing intent and turned to face a scarily blank faced Raikou.

“What was that, golden insect?” Her voice carried threats of unimaginable pain, and all the small Oni’s courage evaporated as she decided to seek refuge elsewhere. “Why are you eating the dango I made for Master?”

“W—Whaa!” Ibaraki took off in a yellow blur. “Shuten! Shuten! They’re picking on me!”

“Get back here you insect!” Raikou charged after the fleeing Oni, leaving her own stall unguarded and allowing the King of Britons to claim its contents without much competition.

“That was sort of childish don’t you think,” Mash sighed as a smug Artoria helped herself to some of Archer Emiya’s cooking to go with her recently acquired plunder.

“It was a grand strategy as befits the King of Knights!” Artoria declared.

An hour or so later

“I can’t eat another bite…” Ritsuka groaned, wincing as he turned to face Artoria who had just finished off another plate of Tamamo Cat’s cooking.

“Such are the trials of leadership,” Artoria nodded sagely, before reaching for another plate of food. “Still to think that I would be able to taste such a wide variety of food. Being summoned to Chaldea was definitely worth it.”

“Where do you put it all?” Ritsuka wondered aloud before sighing loudly. “Have you made a decision then?”

“Pardon?” The King of Knights turned to face the young man.

“Whose meal was the best?” Ritsuka prompted, gesturing the gathering army of servants.

“Master…” Artoria laid her hand on his shoulder. “It is your duty as master to choose the victor of this event. All I can do is advise you.”

“And your advice is?”

“They were all wonderful.” Artoria nodded sagely before getting up and leaving, a cheerful spring in her step.

“Ah…” Ritsuka started to sweat nervously as the gathered servants looked at him expectantly. “It was a tie?”

His announcement was met with a general murmur of discontent, but it was quickly decided that by most contestants that they had won, but their Master was just trying to spare the feelings of the other contestants and Ritsuka was able to make a hasty retreat.

Archer Emiya chuckled softly as he watched the scene.

“It is nice to see so many servants working together in harmony.” Artoria commented.

“Hm…” Emiya nodded.

“…For the record I believe you won.” Artoria remarked in an off-hand manner before walking away.

Archer watched her go with a soft smile before heading to clean up the kitchen, humming a tune that reminded him of a past life and what could have been.

Back with Mash and Ritsuka

“I’m sorry Senpai,” Mash bowed her head as they returned to his room. “I didn’t intend for you to spend so much time away from your studies.”

“It’s fine,” Ritsuka laughed. “Besides it was nice to see everyone working so hard at something so minor. It’s not a bad thing to have days like this… Day’s where we aren’t worried about fighting to the death or dying horribly.”

“I was genuinely terrified when you ate Serenity’s meal senpai. Plus, my instincts tell me it was a good thing you didn’t eat Kiyohime’s offerings. Even when it is something like this you come far too close to death for my liking.”

“Don’t worry. I know if I die then that’s it… Humanity is doomed.”

“More than that…” Mash mumbled under her breath, “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

“Hey, did you leave these?” Ritsuka blinked as he held up a small bundle containing the sandwiches Mash had made earlier.

“Ah… They were for you Senpai, but I guess you’re full now so… Senpai?” Mash blinked as he unwrapped them and took a bite.

“They are delicious, thank you.” Ritsuka smiled. “I think they are the best tasting thing I’ve had all day.”

And as she stood there, her face bright red and a strange feeling in her chest, Mash felt as if all the fighting was worth it, if it led to more moments like this.

“Thank you Senpai!”

Rise of The Demon Huntress Part 3

 The front lines were in the city of Divitiae. Really nice place if you can ignore the raging demons killing every man, woman, and child in sight. We knew when we were getting close not because of the screams of those being slaughtered nor from the sight of fires spreading throughout the city, but from the scent of blood. Look, if anyone ever tells you blood isn't creepy, they're fucking insane (Or They're Alice. She actually enjoys the smell, then again, she's not the sanest person I know). It hit us like a wave, the metallic stench of death. As we got closer, the sounds we thought were sirens turned into the screams of the citizens and regular combat magicians (For reference, combat magicians are citizens who decide to defend a city if the need arises. They tend to do this until the military can arrive.) who were trying to hold off the demon onslaught.       "This is worse than the reports ever made it."  Alice said       Nero simply shook his head in sadness. "These people weren't meant to hold off such a large attack. They wouldn't have stood a chance."       "Well there may still be survivors. At worst, it overrun with demons and we all get brutally devoured. At best, we come across a fighting force and the douche who decided to cause this mess."       We wandered through the city encountering mainly dead people and demons. It was kind of a silver lining to say that it was an equal number of human and demon corpses, but at the quantity we were seeing, it was pretty bad. At one point there was a roving group of demons combing the streets looking for survivors. We had to avoid them as I didn't want to try and fight while getting Nero to the front lines. There was one strange occurrence that had all of us confused. There were several human corpses in a street and upon closer examination, they all had magical burns and weapon scratches (Demons leave a more ragged tear while weapons give a cleaner cut).         "Did they... kill each other?" I asked       Nero gave the bodies a long examination while me and Alice kept watch. "Whatever killed them was human. In fact most of them were killed with a combination of knife wounds and electrocution."       "Great. So one of our own decided to go rouge and start killing civilians? This just gets better and better." Alice said with a sigh. She turned to me and asked, "Do you think we should find them?"       "No. Hopefully whoever it is has moved far, far along."       I probably should've never said anything because the second I said that I felt a knife tip press against the back of my neck.       "Who are you?" A woman's voice asked from behind me.       "I think the better question is who are you? You kinda just came up from behind us and took me hostage."       "Nope, she got us all as hostages." Alice said as she slowly turned around to face me.       I had to do a double take, because last I remember, she was already facing me and was much farther away. Then it clicked instantly "That's not her." The shadow that was Alice dripped away and the real Alice came from behind our mysterious attacker and started to attack her instead.       "Stop fighting me or your healer gets it!!"         "Alice, stop!"       "Yes, please stop. I'd rather not die just yet." Nero said while being held hostage by a male attacker.       Alice stopped, but never sheathed her short sword. She grumbled something and came back to us.       "Now answer me: Who are you?" This strange woman asked us.       I guess it couldn't do any harm to tell her. Worst case scenario, we kill her. "I'm Melina Angelo," I pointed to Alice "the one who so kindly tried to murder you is Alice. That passive guy you have your goon pointing a knife at is Nero. And it's only courteous if you do the same and tell us your name."       The mysterious woman sighed and sheathed her knife. "I'm Natasha. Part of the actual group who is trying to stop the demon horde called the House of Knives."       This little statement piqued my interest as it would kind of explain the weird dead bodies we found. "So there's another group?"       "Yes, they're trying to help the demons invade our world. We don't know why, but we do know that these people all seem to reference meeting someone with strange eyes (Note: Strange eyes in the world of Favent means you have some really strange eyes. Like one neon green eye with a white spiral in it and another dull silver eye with purple rim around it) and the person offered them a well-paying job. We call them the "Controlled". You can tell them from other people because they're eyes are completely whited out. However, some still have normal eyes and will still religiously follow any order their leader gives."       "Well, shit. A cult basically?" I said       "In essence. Except they want the end of all humanity. Not enlightenment."       "We'll help you if you help us."       "It depends on what exactly it is you want."       "We want to find out who opened the Obice."       "Good. 'Cause the guy who did it is the leader. Kill him and you break the spell on the Controlled. Win-Win! I'll help you of course, because I remember the layout of the facility. I used to work there actually."       "Where is it?"       "You're not gonna like it. The weapon's facility 'Divitiae's Finest' is where their going and producing all of their equipment."       "Um... could you please call off your guy here? This knife is really digging into my throat." Nero complained       "Oh yeah, Marcus you can let him go. Head back to base and tell them I'm going to be doing a raid on the Controllers and to not worry."       Marcus let Nero go and proceeded to leave, but there was a more pressing concern here: What exactly was controlling these people? If it were a demon, that meant someone managed to do a controlled summon and did it basically across dimensions. They would be a powerful magician and a decent threat.       We were approaching the weapon facility, when that large group of demons decided now would be the perfect time to appear in front of us. And this time there was no hiding from them.       "Hey Alice, mind doing me a favor and getting it dark for them?" I glanced at Nero, "Please stay as far back from the combat as possible. But not so far we can't help you."       "I'll be back about one block." Nero said as he hurried along       I looked at Natasha, "I guess you do what you do best."       "Kill shit?"       "Oh yes!!" And we all ran at the horde of demons.       It was freakin' awesome! Alice had all of the demons near blinded by her Shadow Sorcery and Natasha was like a deadly dancer on the battlefield! She whirled her knives and always found her mark. Around her, graceful splashes of blackened blood sprayed from dead demons as they dropped like flies. Me? I just went and had fun (If you're gonna die, at least have your last moments having a blast). I changed my weapon into a scythe and started to spin it through demons. I really loved this blade! I could hear the bone shattering in the demons, but it left the cleanest cuts I'd ever seen. I swept through the demons like they were butter. At one point I changed it into a sword and it was unreal. I could cleave off entire limbs in a single, effortless swing and pierce the thick demon plating surrounding a demon's chest like it wasn't even there. Alice was like a ghost in the battle, appearing in one spot then killing another enemy elsewhere or making two enemies kill each other as they lunged their claws at her shadow image.        As epic as we were, however, we weren't invincible. I got dangerously close to dying as a demon faked a lunge and bit my arm. There aren't too many things in this world that hurt blindingly, but that is a whole new level of pain. I probably would have died because I couldn't get to my sword (It clattered out of my hand when I fell) and he was gnawing on my better (-ish) arm (I'm ambidextrous). He stopped biting my arm to attack my face, but I grabbed him by the throat and began to bash his brain matter on the concrete.         I had to save Alice from getting mauled to death. Even though she's a talented fighter, it's not her style to head-on fight someone. She tends to pick enemies off and use mass confusion. So when she got surrounded by five of the more vicious looking demons (Bloodier scales, sharper teeth, actually had horns, smelled really bad), I kinda jumped in to save her. She gave me the "Thank you" nod as a response.       Natasha saved my ass twice. Once when a strange demon that looked like a chicken (Writer's Note: Picture a velociraptor and you have a perfect idea. Act 2 will explain why this term doesn't exist) with arms knocked me over and tried to gut me with its claws. She simply jumped over it and slit its throat with both of her knives, then helped me up. Another time, it was more of a mutual assistance. We ended up back to back and began to just murder everything in sight. When she ducked I would back swing over her and kill all demons that were in front of her. When I did a side dodge, she would reach her knife out and impale whatever was in front of me (Luckily she never nicked me. I think her knives were poisoned.). It was glorious in-tandem killing!!       After maybe 30 minutes or so, we killed them all. About 75 demons slain because they chose the wrong corner to turn on.       "NEEERRROOOO!!!!!!" I called out "IT'S SAAAAFEEE!!!"       He came peeking around a corner and walked out, but he didn't walk like he normally did. Once I noticed the blood on his hands, demon blood, I rushed over to help, trying to remember any healing spells (Look! You try and remember thousands of incantations, spell circles, concoctions, and other stuff! Shit's hard! Then Healing classes only meet during the winter for 2 weeks. It's total bullshit, but I digress in my digression).         He had heavy, labored breathing which meant he was either losing a lot of blood or about to die. I was kinda hoping for the former. "Nero, where are you hurt?" I said in my professional voice       "My... my back. Snuck... away and....." He trailed off       I flipped him over and saw the four long scars going across his back. "Uhhh......"       Natasha came over and immediately saw what was wrong. "Sana" she whispered. Suddenly Nero was encased in a dim white light for a few seconds and once it dimmed everything on him was repaired, even his clothing. Some of his hair had even reversed from graying!!       "What spell is that?!!" I asked, incredulous at the results I just saw       "It's a Grandmaster level spell of healing. Don't ask how I know it and no, I'm not an ex-Grandmaster."       Alice suddenly warped in front of us carrying one beat-up, wimpy demon. "While you two were here chatting away, burning time away, I found us a demon to interrogate. He should know what to expect around here." She started to slowly strangle the demon, "IN PERFECT FUCKING DETAIL!!!!!"       I told you she was a bit psycho. We set up something resembling a camp and looted nearby stores (Yeah, I know it's a crime. Fucking hang me. Oh, wait you already are planning to kill me!) for supplies. We still had some way to go before we reached to weapons facility and a lot more to learn about this threat of the "Controllers".                                                  [End Part 3]