#nero x reader insert

It was well past midnight when Nero came home, covered in blood and reeking of demons and sweat. It had gotten to the point where that smell was actually quite comforting to you, it meant he was home safe, maybe a few scratches here and there, but he was alive. 

However, this time you didn’t register the smell of him wafting through the house or the sound of his boots clonking on the floor. You were asleep, curled up into the smallest ball you could be on the couch, knees pressed up to your chest and your arms hugging yourself. You were so unbelievably cold that when you breathed, your breath fanned out in front of you, warming the cold air around you. 

You don’t know how you managed to fall asleep, having been so cold that you dug through all your clothes to find your warmest jumper, only to find that that wasn’t warm enough. You had gone to Nero’s clothes and rummaged through, finding his old hoodie and his worn, blue coat that he always used to wear in the Order. 

Though he hadn’t worn that coat for years now, it still smelled of him, his scent hugging you like a blanket. Maybe that was why you were able to fall asleep, because you could pretend you were in his arms, snuggling into his chest. His coat was like a blanket on you, the tail of it hanging over your feet as you curled up, using it to shield your body from the cold air. 

Nero walked over to you, smiling down at your sleeping form before he reached his hand out to brush your hair with his fingers, causing you to stir a little but not open your eyes. He didn’t want to get too close or hug you since he was filthy, his clothes covered in demon blood and reading of his own body odour from all his running around and fighting. 

He settled on going to have a shower and changing into clean clothes before he came back done to see you. Stripping his dirty clothes off and dumping them in the laundry, he walked half naked through the rest of the house, making his way to the bathroom to clean himself. If you woke up to see him walking around in just his boxers in such cold weather, you would have scolded him. 

His hair was damp from the shower when he came back down the stairs, and he was now wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweat pants, which was a stark contrast to you who was wearing two hoodies and a large coat. He came over to the couch and kneeled in front of you, a hand going straight back to bury itself in your hair. 

Nero leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours softly, lingering for just a moment until you stirred and turned your head, opening your eyes to see your handsome devil back from his mission. You smiled through a yawn, hand peeking out from Nero’s old coat to hold his hand and bring it close to your heart. 

“Hey, beautiful” He whispered, though you were the only two in the house, no one else to wake up. You pressed a soft kiss to the back of his hand before hugging it close to your chest again, holding onto him tightly. 

“You’re back. Safe…” You whispered back with a sleepy smile, earning a chuckle from Nero that was like music to your ears. He nodded and continued to brush his fingers through your hair with his free hand, almost lulling you to sleep one again with how soft and soothing it felt. 

“Yeah, I’m safe.” He reassured you, “Now where did you find this?” His hand left your hair to tug at the coat hugging your form, only to come back and massage your scalp a second later. You yawned again, blinking the sleep from your eyes and snuggling further into Nero’s clothing. 

“Buried in your draws. It’s so cold, I needed something thicker than my hoodies” You explained, knowing he wasn’t mad or upset. He had a soft smirk on his lips as you spoke, his eyes fluttering from your tired orbs, to your lips every so often. “Speaking of hoodies though, I’m wearing one of yours under this… Smells nice…”

“Is that right? You pretend it’s me keeping you warm?” 

“Of course. Makes me fall asleep easier.”

Nero smiled sweetly before leaning forward to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get you to bed, I’ll keep you warm” Nero scooped his arms under you, one under your legs the other under your neck, scooting you close into his chest before he picked you up and carried you in his arms. He was already so much warmer, causing you to snuggle into his chest and wrap your arms around his neck. 

He carried you to the bed and placed you down, hopping in beside you to wrap his body around you and make sure you fell asleep nice and warm.