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Dante smiled at the sight of Nero snuggled up in his red leather coat, taking in his scent like it was some addicting drug. Nero sighed but not in content. The teen had noted that Dante was out all the time on jobs making him miss the elder to death. Dante came behind the teen to snuggling him into his chest. The affection lasted a moment. Nero slipped out of the elders grasp heading upstairs to hid away from him. It hurt to much to be around him. On his way to the creaky steps, the teen left Dante's coat on the desk. The hunter stood up feeling a bit of an ache in his chest.
“Nero, babe. What's wrong?” Dante asked.
The teen ignored him and kept going up.
“At least just tell what the hell is wrong?” Dante pressed.
“Nothing.” Nero spoke lowly.
“Did you eat? Tired? Or-”
“Just leave me be please.”Nero said lastly disappearing into the second level of the shop.
Later that night Dante headed upstairs to sleep next to his mate in their shared room. He was upset to find the bed empty. The man ran his hand through his hair trying to grasp what the hell was going on right now. The pillow on Nero's side Dante fell asleep cuddling it. That's how he woke up the next morning. Upset and lonely in the king size bed with the red cased pillow to his nose, inhaling the teens scent.
Tension grew as every time Dante arrived home Nero was never awake anymore. He was wondering if something was wrong with him, or wrong with Nero. Really Dante just wished he knew. His mate was becoming so distant and it was beginning to concern him. Nero didn't sleep in there room anymore. He slept in the guest room which was his old room before they got together. The side where he slept didn't smell like him any more making Dante switch out the pillows from his room to Nero's just to hold the illusion that he was laying there with him. Nero caught on to the mans game and started to wash the pillows every time the elder switched them out just to avoid smelling him. It hurt too much.
On Tuesday Dante drank, drank until he was absolutely hammered. Three bottles of jack later and he was gone. Nero came home from a job finding the elder killing his fourth bottle of jack. The empty glass bottles spread upon the desk in pieces. What told Nero this was the man's fourth was the labels in the broken glass stack. Eventually they ended up fighting and I don't mean fist fighting. Full blown hurtful words and names down from jackass to worthless piece of shit.
In the middle of arguing, Dante shouted “Wonder what I did to you!”
Hearing that Nero shut up. Never has he hear so much sorrow in Dante's voice. The man was on the verge of crying. Dante doesn't cry. He didn't cry when he killed his brother. He didn't shed a tear every year on mother's day or his mother's birthday. Here and now he was spilling down salty drops on to the soiled desk full of glass. His palms spilled blood on the wooden surface with the sheer dead weight laying on his hands over the shards. His mate was hurt emotionally and so was the devil inside of him. Under that asshole was a very lovingly man who would give anything for the ones they loved. Anything. Nero realized he broke Dante so far down that his devil was yelling at him. Telling him that he was the worst mate in the universe. A man like that was rare to find.
Dante didn't just love Nero. He adored him. From the feisty temper to that smart ass mouth of his. Adores him even when he's being down right a psycho insatiable little shit. Dante would still go out of his way to make him happy. By the looks of the situation Dante still did. Whe he continued to speaking Nero hugged himself looking at the ground holding back tears. Everything Dante said he knew he meant despite his drunken state. Not many know but when the man is drunk he speaks with his feelings not his mind.
“I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills! Give you anything you want! Fucking hundred dollar bill! I'll even let you hear the songs I want to sing! I'll give you anything, anything, anything!” Dante shouted at the teen who was full blown in tears.
Nero recognized the words to be the lyrics to the song Dante always sang to him every time the jukebox played it. Nero loved it because it made him feel so loved despite the song's true meanings. That song spoke of all the absurd things his mate has done to keep him happy and smiling. Free from sadness and pain. Reciting. That last piece showed the teen that Dante was truly hurt but he would still do all the crazy things he had done in the past to keep Nero happy.
He ended up in the half devil's arms crying away his little heart to his mate.
“I'll give you Anything.”