shall we dance?

Dante gave his boyfriend a quizzical look with a raise of his eyebrow; “You went and bought these things yourself? How did you survive that?” He grinned, Nero must have been very ready for this to happen if he was willing to go through the embarrassment of purchasing sexual items. That thought made Dante stir in his pants again, and he also felt very proud. “Good for you, Nero, you’re full of surprises tonight.” 

He leaned over and pulled up the backpack to examine the goodies inside. “Condoms, lube, good, good, and what’s this?” He held up the the vibrator and flicked it on for a moment, the device had a very strong buzz to it. “Well, I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting this, we’re gonna have lots of fun.” Dante didn’t think Nero would last long at all if he had his virgin hole vibrated, but they had all night to keep trying. “I think you’re going to end up cumming a lot more than you had planned, gorgeous.” 

Dante drops the bag for now and goes back to his lover’s lips. In between kissing he pulls off his own shirt and Nero’s. “I think we’re ready to get naked now, what do you think? I might bust my zipper if I don’t escape from these pants soon. Please, help me, Nero.” Dante batted his eyelashes in an attempt to be a damsel in distress. “You’re my only hope.” 

'It's not like I could ask someone else to do it..' It'd been embarrassing enough to do it himself. Asking someone else to was completely out of the question.

Nero's eyes went immediately to the vibrator as the sound of its buzzing filled the room, and he realized right then and there that he'd made a huge mistake in purchasing it. He'd known what it did as it'd been fairly obvious from the name alone, but he hadn't expected the vibrations to be so strong. Nero was fairly certain he might die if Dante put that thing inside of him while it was turned on, but at the same time he found himself curious about how it would feel, which made him blush deeply and turn his gaze away once again.

'The shop owner was.. really persistent.' That and Nero could admittedly be sort of a pushover at times, and he'd wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He looked back up at Dante, worrying at his bottom lip slightly. 'We can try it without the vibrating first, right..?'

Nero helped his boyfriend with the removal of his shirt when they went back to kissing, and he nodded at the suggestion of them undressing fully, though he of course felt shy about doing so. Despite that, Nero still managed to smile and laugh a little at Dante's goofiness, which helped slightly to put him at ease.

His hands went to Dante's pants, where Nero could feel the warmth beneath the tented fabric. This part at least was something he'd done already before, so there was nothing really to worry about for the time being. He unbuttoned and unzipped the other's pants, relieving some of the pressure there.

Meanwhile, Max had fallen asleep again shortly after he got into his own cabin and his head hit the pillow. It was partly exhaustion, but a lot of it was the remnants of whatever dope they had to give him for surgery the night before. Everything had happened so fast he hadn’t any time to process his thoughts, which is why they came in nightmares instead. 

In his cold sweat he dreamt that Nero was the one to get stabbed and not him. That he had failed to save him, failed to do the one job he was born to do. His senses seemed heightened even in his dreams, he could smell the blood and feel the pain all over again. Then his eyes snapped open and he sat bolt-upright. 

It was ok, he was ok, he was on the island in a sun-lit room, a window open and a soft breeze coming in. He looked at the billowing curtain for a few moments then jumped out of bed and slammed the window closed. It had been an open window that started all this, and his failed observation of that and closing it earlier. He didn’t think he’d ever leave a bedroom window open ever again. 

Whatever was going on with his body since receiving Tony’s blood would have to be discussed, and he’d have to sit down and have a long talk with Nero as well. Max knew now that he couldn’t be his lover and protect him at the same time; it was an impossible task. He never wanted to be responsible for putting Nero in danger ever again. 

After Nero and Tony's very hands on shower the two of them had rested together in bed for a while, but it wasn't long before Nero's thoughts returned to Max. He wondered what the other man was doing right now on his own, and again Nero was a little bit distressed by Max being alone with his thoughts. Nero was lucky to have Tony and even Bianca there with him to keep him distracted, but Max had no one. It just didn't seem right.

Determined to give Max some company for at least a little while, Nero asked Tony for permission to go visit the other man, and once it was given he quickly got dressed into something comfortable and headed over to where Max was staying. Luckily it wasn't too far away from them, because Nero was a little bit nervous about walking around even in the daytime.

Once he reached Max's cabin Nero knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to be answered, though he knew there was a chance Max would be sleeping still. The poor man had been understandably sleeping near non-stop since the hospital, and Nero would let him continue to do so if that's what he wanted.

Nero pulled out his phone and texted Max while he waited, wondering if maybe he wouldn't want to open the door if it was anyone else but him or Tony.

“I do regret always being busy, maybe if I hadn’t been, none of this would have happened.” He sighed, there was no point dwelling on that now, what’s done is done. “Yes, I promise. But you need to be a good boy and listen too, none of your usual bratty behavior when I’m teaching you about weapons. That’s literally a life or death thing.” 

It was important that if Nero wanted to learn, he take it seriously. “You better buckle up now, we’re about to land.” 

Tony spoke to Max, waking him from his nap. “We’re here, sleeping beauty.” 

—–

The island was exactly how Tony remembered it, and that’s why he liked it so much. No matter what was going on in the world he could return to this little slice of paradise where time seemed to stop and everything was just as he left it.

They’d stepped off the plane and another limo took them to beach house, but already Tony was feeling the difference in heat and could feel himself sweating through his dress shirt as they walked to the front door.

“Maxim, here’s the key to your bungalow, I know you like your own space.” Max hadn’t said much of anything at all since leaving the hospital and Tony was concerned for him. It was never a good thing when Max retreated into himself and didn’t share what he was thinking.

“Thank you.” Max said softly and leaned in to give Nero a kiss on the cheek. “I think I will shower and then continue my nap if that’s ok with you.” 

Tony nodded, “That’s perfectly fine, if you need something, or someone, you know where to find us.” Tony unlocked their own door and placed a hand on the small of Nero’s back to usher him in. “Come on, darling. Get that cat inside into the AC before she gets any angrier at me.”  

Nero of course agreed to be on his best behaviour while Tony was teaching him. Even being as sheltered as he was, Nero was fully aware of the dangers that came with using weapons. He didn't have to be told twice to behave and listen to Tony in this case, and he knew that if he did misbehave Tony wouldn't hesitate to stop the lessons.

When they arrived to the island it became apparent right away that Nero was overdressed for the new climate, and he couldn't wait to change into something more suitable. Luckily they hadn't spent much time outside of the plane or the limo that picked them up yet, but Nero knew if he stayed in his current clothes for much longer he would end up sweaty and uncomfortable.

Nero stood watching quietly as Tony handed over the key to the place Max would be staying, away from them. It was expected considering even at home Max had his own house on their property, but Nero couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the other man and had been since the hospital, and he worried about leaving him on his own. Max was entitled to his privacy though, so there was nothing he could do about it.

He stood on tiptoe to give Max a soft kiss in return for the one on his cheek, giving the man a small smile. 'Have a good nap, Max. I love you.'

Once the door to their beach house was unlocked Nero stepped inside, sparing a concerned glance back at Max before the door closed behind himself and Tony. He placed Bianca's carrier down gently on the floor and opened it, freeing her once more so she could run off and explore the house.

'A shower sounds nice, doesn't it Daddy?' Nero straightened, turning to look at Tony. He hadn't gotten to take a bath with Max given the circumstances, and he was sweaty now besides. 'You'll come with me, right? Please?'

----------

Shortly after, Nero sat naked in the bathroom while Tony got the shower started and waited for the water to reach a good temperature so they could get in together. It hadn't taken much convincing at all for Nero to get his lover to join him, and Nero was glad for this small bit of normality after everything that had happened.

“You don’t need to say you’re sorry, you’re worth waiting for. I wouldn’t want to you to be pushed into it.” Dante smiled, he liked being thanked for his patience even if it was the right thing to do, he liked that his boyfriend appreciated him. It was new feeling he was growing very fond of. 

“Well, we just do what we always do, make out and see where it goes. Start undressing and feeling. I think,” He smiled slyly, “I might have to put my fingers inside your first, you shouldn’t take this big dick without some preparation.” He knew talking like that would make Nero blush even harder, but he also knew the other boy loved it. 

Dante kissed him deeply, pulling him closer and against his body so Nero would feel how hard he already was. “Did you think of everything for tonight? Like lube or condoms if you want them? A toy or something to open you up might be good too.” 

'O-oh.. o-okay.'

Nero couldn't recall ever blushing as hard as he was now at the mention of having Dante's fingers inside of him, and then eventually his cock. Thinking about it made him squirm slightly in his spot on the bed, both highly embarrassed and excited by the promise of what was to come. Even though it was his decision, Nero could hardly believe it was finally about to happen.

He gasped softly against Dante's lips as he was pulled into a kiss and flush against the other's body, his boyfriend's hard cock making itself known between them where it remained hidden for the time being beneath Dante's clothes. Nero's own was in a similar state, having already started firming up while they kissed before and only gotten worse since Dante spoke of what they were going to do.

Nero nodded in response to Dante's questions, swallowing nervously. 'Y-yeah, there's.. there's some things in my backpack.' He'd left it on the floor next to the bed, ready for when they would need its contents.

Nero had by pure chance overheard some of the more bold students at their school talking about a store that most certainly wasn't allowed to exist in Fortuna but somehow managed to remain unnoticed by the Order, at least for now. It'd taken a long while for him to work up the courage to visit the store himself, and he'd only stayed long enough to stammer out what he was looking for and quickly buy whatever things the shopkeeper recommended.

The lube was the most necessary thing, Nero figured. He'd purchased condoms as well, though he in truth hadn't even known what they were until then and still wasn't sure if he and Dante really needed to use them. Then there was.. the other thing, which the shopkeeper had insisted that he needed.

It was a simple vibrator with no bells and whistles, shorter than Dante's cock and definitely slimmer. Nero had cleaned it and inserted batteries as instructed by the shopkeeper, but aside from that he hadn't touched it, not even to make sure it actually worked.

“I’m reluctant because my work demands my presence. If I don’t take care of all the loose devil arms floating around out there, I’m afraid they’ll end up in the wrong hands. Besides, I’m looking for certain ones I’ve lost throughout the years, I have to be at the drops to check them over.” He looked over at Nero to make sure he was still listening, “Now I know you don’t want to hear about my work and all the boring details. But that’s mostly why. And those arms are worth a fortune to some, which is why I figure we were attacked in the first place.” 

That was the best he had to go on for now anyway. Tony considered what Nero said, it wasn’t like Maxim to leave his gun unattended, especially not with Nero close by. This time it had worked out, not the best of the scenarios, but at least they were alive. 

“Nero,” Tony’s brows knitted together. “You know what I don’t want you around guns, it scares the shit out of me, to be honest with you. Thinking of your delicate hands holding a dangerous weapon.” But he sighed, as much as he hated to admit it, Nero had a point. “You may be right though, it wouldn’t hurt for you to know how to protect yourself.” 

He looked over his shoulder at a peacefully sleeping Max behind them. “Maxim is going to need a bit of a vacation for a while I think. It’s impossible to know what kind of trauma he might suffer, physical pain is only the half of it. Best to let him be. I’ll teach you how to use a gun, and a sword. You’ve forgotten that I know those things too.” Probably even more than Max. 

Even if Tony hadn't meant it that way, Nero couldn't help but feel a bit scolded by his lover's response about vacationing. He didn't understand the details about Tony's work, mostly because he'd never been allowed to know much about it. Nero complained about it sometimes but he knew it was only that way out of Tony's desire to protect him. Unfortunately it also meant he might ask some slightly foolish questions, like he had now.

Nero had been fully prepared for Tony to refuse to let him learn how to use a gun, so to hear the other not only agree with it but also offer to teach Nero personally came as a huge surprise to him. The answer came with new concerns though, leaving Nero with mixed feelings about it.

He wanted to ask how long exactly a while would be, but at the same time he was too afraid to know, and ultimately he agreed that Max needed a break. For now Nero kept the question to himself, figuring it would come up on its own in time.

'I didn't think you would want to, Daddy, and you're always busy.' Nero had to admit he felt happier than he probably should have at the idea of being taught by Tony himself. Of course he'd known that his lover was skilled in combat, but Nero had never seen it first hand. The thought of it thrilled him.

Dante was pushed away from Nero with a slight grumble. He was expecting the other boy to say they had to stop because Nero’s uptight parents would be home soon, this was the way their usual dates ended and Dante was left to go home sexually frustrated and pouting. 

“I’m sorry, say that again, babe?” He was sure he hadn’t heard that right, or he was dreaming, one of the two. Then he thought back on the night’s events, how Nero had been the one to ask him out, and even paid for their dinner and the movie. Dante had even made a joke about Nero trying to get into his pants, which made the boy blush a bright pink. 

Then he was asked to come back to Nero’s house because his folks were gone on some bullshit Order of The Sword conference for the weekend. It all started to click into place then, Dante being a little slow on the uptake. 

“Holy shit, have you been planning this? Is this why you’ve been so nervous all week? Waiting for your parents to leave?” Dante grinned as large as he could. “Why Nero, you little slut.” 

He tickled his boyfriend and kissed him, nuzzling into his neck. “If you’re ready to you know, then so am I. I’ve been waiting and waiting and about ready to explode. We can go as slow as you’d like. We’ll have to anyway unless you want me blowing my load immediately.”  He kissed Nero tenderly this time, “I love you, angel, it’s whatever you want.” 

Nero was very glad Dante had managed to figure things out on his own, because the last thing he wanted to do was have to repeat himself or explain further. He was embarrassed enough as it was, especially with his boyfriend teasingly calling him a little slut for planning this night for them.

It was rare for Nero's parents to be away from home for long periods of time so he had to take advantage of the privacy their weekend away had granted him, and luckily Nero had finally grown comfortable enough in his and Dante's relationship and decided to go all the way with his boyfriend at last. He was still incredibly nervous about the whole thing, though.

Nero squirmed away from Dante's tickling fingers and laughed into the kiss, grateful for the other boy's casualness about what they were going to do which helped him feel a little less freaked out. Now that he'd admitted that he was ready however, Nero had started trembling just a bit from how anxious he was. There was no way Dante wouldn't notice.

Tony sighed, he knew Nero was going to get into a tizzy over this. “Nero, please, by now you should know I think of everything. We can also buy new things when we get there. The staff isn’t leaving the mansion, they know good and well what to do for Max’s feral friends the same as any other time we go away.” 

Nero’s love for that damn cat was immeasurable, Tony knew that, and if it kept him happy then fine, she’d come along. “I’m pretty sure her favorite thing is lying on my expensive suits and getting them covered in cat fluff, so she’s good.” 

Max couldn’t help but smile, the familiar talk about Bianca getting on Tony’s nerves felt good to hear. “Let’s go, yes? Before they decided to experiment on me further.” 

—–

Tony sat peering out the window of the jet at the endless clouds as Nero sat next to him with that furry beast he called a cat on his lap. The boy seemed much happier and calm now as Max slept behind them and the jet sailed through the sky with only a quiet hum to prove the engine was working. 

“It’ll be good to get away regardless, I’ve been putting it off for far too long.” He didn’t want to be forced into a vacation like this, but it was the hand he was dealt. He would deal with the intruder that lived and fortifying the mansion when they got back. 

“How are you feeling, my angel? If you need to talk about what happened, please don’t hesitate.” Tony turned from the window and wrapped an arm around Nero’s shoulders, Bianca glared at him. “I’m so thankful you’re alright; I’d do anything to protect you.” 

'Why are you always so reluctant to take a vacation, Daddy? You work too hard.'

Nero had settled comfortably next to Tony after making sure Max was okay, Bianca now free from her carrier and curled up happily on his lap. She'd been just as excited to see Nero as he had been to see her, and she provided a welcome distraction from thinking about what'd happened at the mansion.

He shrugged slightly at Tony's question, leaning closer to the other man and giving a small amused smile at Bianca's reaction to him. It always felt like she could pick up on Tony's negative opinion of her. 'I feel better now. Just tired.' Nero gave Bianca a good scritch between her ears while he spoke, the sound of her purring helping him to relax further.

'I was really scared.. I knew there was always a chance of something like that happening, but..' He paused with a frown. 'I don't know what I would've done if Max wasn't there. Or.. or if he hadn't left his gun downstairs with me.' Max hadn't done it on purpose, Nero knew that, but without it and with Max as badly injured as he was things would've gone way worse than they had.

Max looked at Tony with a serious, curious look in his eyes. “What does he mean? What did you do?” It was so like Tony to go above and beyond, and that sometimes worried Max, as Tony would often do this for someone he cared about at his own cost. 

Tony gave him a small smile. “You lost a lot of blood, and human blood isn’t something they keep on hand here, for obvious reasons. So, you needed mine. And it looks like it worked.” 

Max felt gratitude in his heart, and relief that he hadn’t dreamt the whole ordeal, but some other things where starting to make sense too. His heightened senses for one. “What does this mean for me?” 

Tony shook his head, “It’s the first time this has been done, at least to anyone I’ve ever known or heard of. You lived, and that’s what matters. We’ll have to take the rest at it goes.” 

Max nodded, then looked at Nero. “I think we should continue this reunion outside of this hospital, yes?” 

“That’s a good idea,” Tony agreed, “But we’re leaving on my jet immediately for the island. I don’t trust it’s safe at home, and you need to relax and recover.” Tony placed a hand on Nero’s shoulder, intercepting him before the boy spoke; “The staff is meeting us at the hangar with our things, that damned cat included, so don’t worry, darling.” 

Nero looked between Max and Tony as they spoke to each other, slightly puzzled about what they both meant. It was clear now that the transfusion had helped Max to heal much more quickly than normal, but what Nero was hearing now made it sound like Tony's blood may have affected Max in other ways as well. Nero had little understanding of how things like that worked, but he hoped there would be no negative changes at least, if anything had changed at all.

He was simultaneously relieved and slightly dismayed at the news that they wouldn't be returning home just yet. As Tony had said, there was no guarantee that their house was safe right now, and Nero was a bit afraid of how being back there would affect him mentally. On the other hand, he longed to sleep in his own bed again after being stuck in the hospital for several hours.

Another good reason for wanting to return home to the mansion was brought up by Tony then. Bianca. Nero hadn't had much time to think about her when he was so worried about Max being okay. She knew all the best hiding spots in the mansion, and the gunshots would've likely scared her into one of them, so though Nero had still been concerned for her he knew she was smart enough to stay out of danger. He didn't want to be away from her any longer though.

'Did they pack all of her things? We'll need the litter box, and litter, and food, and.. and she needs her favourite toys.' Nero knew he sounded like a mother hen right now, but it was nice to be able to worry about something other than Max, now that he knew the other was alive and well.

Max was still not feeling quite himself. They tried to feed him but he wasn’t hungry, then they told him that his injury was barely a problem at all and that he’d be free to go home with Tony and Nero that very day. His head was swimming; had he imagined all the blood? No. He knew he’d been dying in Nero’s arms, he was sure of it. The blackness had been too real, too painful to have been a nightmare of some kind. None of it made any sense at all. 

He was sitting on the side of his bed, still in his hospital gown with his legs hanging over the side. The nurse had returned and removed his monitors and IV. Now he was just waiting for his family, because that’s what Nero and Tony were, his family, there was no doubt about that now. 

Then he heard faint voices. Tony’s voice. Then Max swore he could smell him. Tony’s familiar cologne filling his nose. Did he miss him that much that he was imagining him being near? Max shook his head, perhaps he had a concussion of some kind, even though he was told he was fine. It wasn’t occurring to him that he was smelling Tony’s scent long before he ever saw him in person.

Then they walked through the door Tony was opening his arms to him. Max all but flew into his arms. Tears that he didn’t know he’d been holding onto all this time came flooding out of him like a stream as he pressed his face into Tony’s neck. In that moment Max was just as much Tony’s boy as Nero was. He needed it, needed this man to comfort him. It was the only way Max knew that  it was really going to be ok. 

He reached out then and his hand grabbed Nero by whatever sweatshirt the boy seemed to be wearing, and pulled him forcefully into the hug. He squeezed them both and kissed them both. “Nero, I am so glad you are well. I did not know what happened to you.” He cleared his throat as best he could. 

“We could both say the same for you, Max.” Tony smiled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his heart and mind. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He put on an air that he was strong, but truly he’d been falling apart. He kissed Max deeply and squeezed Nero tighter. They were safe now, the pair of them in his arms where they were supposed to be. 

Nero was momentarily taken aback both by Max being up and active and by the other man's uncharacteristic behaviour once he and Tony had entered the hospital room he was in. Nero couldn't remember ever seeing Max cry before, and definitely not like this, though now knowing Max and Tony's past it seemed only natural that the two of them could be this way with each other sometimes too. Max seeming unencumbered by his injury however was still a mystery to Nero, but he much preferred it over having to see the other bed-bound and weak.

It felt wrong almost to desire comforting from a man who so clearly needed it badly himself, and for that reason Nero had hesitated to approach Max while he and Tony embraced. He didn't want to interrupt their moment, but the choice to stay on the sidelines was taken from him when Max reached over to grab him and pull him into a hug between all three of them. Nero couldn't hold back his own tears any longer then, and he pressed as close to Max as he could while he began to cry.

When Max next opened his eyes it was dark in his hospital room. For a moment and surge of panic struck in his heart; he had no idea where he was or what had happened. His hand reached out and grabbed the rail of his hospital bed as he sat bolt-upright. His chest heaved with his rapid breath. 

He did his best to calm himself down, to slow his breathing and try to figure out where he was. Max was certainly more fight than flight. Slowly, as he gained his composure, the previous night’s events started flooding back to him. The night with Nero, being inside him, cuddling on the couch…sweet moments that were ruined by a violent intruder crashing into their home. 

He reached down and touched his side, there was no pain which made this ordeal all the more confusing. He knows he was stabbed. He remembers getting injured, then getting cold, and he remembers the blood; so much blood; and Nero holding him and crying with all his might. 

Nero. Where was he? Was he ok? Where was Tony? His heartbeat surged again as he felt around for the call button. It was obvious, now that he remembered his altercation, that he was in a hospital. Luckily, even panic didn’t fray his logical thought. He pressed and pressed until a nurse arrived and flicked on a dim light. 

“Well, Mr. Nazarov, you’re awake, you gave us all quite a scare.” She walked over next to him and checked his monitors. 

“Where is Nero? And Tony?” His voice was a little dry and scratchy. He needed to see them right now. 

Neither Max nor the nurse had noticed his grip on the bed’s rail had the intents of his fingers left behind in the metal. 

——–

Tony dreamt all night and woke several times in a bit of a cold sweat. The worse case scenarios had played out in his dreams over and over with no sign of any relief. Finally, he decided to get up and put on some coffee. Nero had finally dozed, so he left the boy in peace for the time being. 

He leaned against the room’s window with his mug in his hand looking out at the coming sunrise and hoping that Maxim was rising with it. Then, his phone rang so suddenly he fumbled his coffee with a start. 

“Mr. Redgrave, Maxim is awake and asking for you. For both of you.” 

Nero had been very reluctant to go to sleep out of fear of having nightmares, but after being coaxed into bed by Tony and laying safe in his lover's arms he'd fallen asleep almost immediately, a testament to just how exhausted he'd been. It was a small blessing that his slumber went undisturbed for the time being, with Nero even managing to sleep through Tony's multiple awakenings and eventual departure from the bed, though he'd whined a bit at that.

It was only later when Tony's phone rang that Nero was finally roused from his deep slumber. He was alarmed at first to find himself alone in bed, but any panic he felt was swiftly swept away when he discovered Tony was still in the room with him. Nero sat up, still feeling bone-tired but at least a little bit better than before, and regarded Tony while he rubbed sleepily at his eyes.

'Is everything okay, Daddy..?'

“Nero…” Tony sighed, he hated to see his love hurting so much, “You couldn’t be more wrong. None of this is your fault, opening a window is a perfectly normal thing to do, and forgetting to close it is also a normal thing to do. There is no one to blame here except the men that broke into our home, I promise you that. This is not because of you.”

He got up then and knelt in front of Nero instead because he was having a hard time getting the boy to meet his eyes. “I just got some information. The man you shot isn’t dead, so no need to worry about that, he’s injured, but you only winged the side of his head when you shot him. And that’s good news, because that means I can get answers from him, and that you don’t have someone’s death on your mind. Even if they did deserve it.”

Tony was relieved to hear that news as well, just as much as Nero was because he knew Nero would carry that guilt forever no matter what. “You did good, you were protecting yourself, God only knows what he would have done to you. And the awful thought of losing Max is one thing, but if I lost you…” Tony didn’t even want to think about it, he was already so grateful that Nero didn’t get hurt in the break in.

“I don’t know who would be foolish enough to try and rob me, or why they would send humans to do the job. They were obviously expendable to them. But I do know that Max isn’t going to blame you for any of this, and neither am I. Reminding you to do little things was never something I considered to be a life or death matter. I love you, darling, this isn’t your fault.”

Nero wanted to believe it wasn't his fault, he really did. He understood what Tony was saying and ultimately his lover was probably right, but some of the blame had to lie with Nero, didn't it? He would feel that way no matter what Tony said, but it was reassuring to know that even if Nero himself felt responsible for what had happened, Tony at least didn't blame him. He'd been so certain that his Daddy would be angry with him that it not being the case was a huge relief.

It was what Tony had to say next that finally got Nero to look at him properly, raising his head and wiping at his eyes. 'H-He's.. he's really not dead..? I didn't kill him?' The man had certainly looked dead to Nero, but thinking back on it he realized he hadn't taken the time to really look. He'd been too scared to, and too worried about Max to focus on anything else.

The man had deserved to die, but the knowledge that he'd killed someone had been weighing on Nero heavily this whole time and now that weight had been lifted from him with just a few words. Tony would be able to interrogate the man now and get answers about why they'd broken into the mansion, and whoever was responsible for it would be brought to justice. It was a far better outcome than the alternative.

Nero wrapped his arms around Tony, holding him tightly to offer his lover some comfort in return for all that Tony had given to him and to show him he was still here and safe. He pulled away briefly just enough to press a kiss to Tony's lips.

Tony was too wound up to sit or lay down just yet. He was still irritated and full of energy. He had to make some calls to his people and find out about the intruders and the crime scene. He also needed to contact his staff and have the maid bring Nero some of his own clothes, finally. God, he could go for a smoke and a drink right now, worse than ever before. 

He paced the room as he talked, sometimes quiet and listening, sometimes irritated and angry all over again. After what seemed like far too long he finally finished with a curt “Keep me updated…and bring Nero’s damn clothes immediately.”

He tossed his phone on the bed and sighed rubbing a hand over his face. “Jesus, what a mess.” Finally, he sat down beside Nero and wrapped an arm around him. It was then that Nero started his confession. Tony furrowed his brow in confusion; “Nero, angel, none of this is your fault, what would ever give you that idea?” He pulled him closer and kissed his temple, “Don’t cry, my love, it’s okay, I swear.”

Nero tensed up slightly in Tony's hold, shaking his head. His lover was trying to comfort him but it was only serving to make Nero feel worse about what he was about to say. He didn't deserve any of Tony's kindness. The other man was already stressed enough, and now Nero was going to add to that.

'It's not okay. Max is--' He paused to take a deep but shaky breath, his hands coming up to cover his face. 'Max might.. m-might die because of me..' The tears started coming for real now, and Nero had to force the rest of his confession out. 'I-I.. I left my window open again, Daddy.. a-and..' He hoped Tony would be able to put two and two together from just that, because he didn't have it in himself to finish that sentence.