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Dante whistled as they entered the large library. “So uh… what do we have here?” he asked the hunter.
The blonde gunslinger, Frank, approached another door and frowned as it was locked.
“Damnit, they activated the security system,” he said.
“Who did,” Lady asked, “The demons?”
“Could be,” he said, “Could be my damn family. The only way through it is to find the key.”
“And where would that be?” Dante pressed.
“Somewhere in the library,” he said.
“They hid the key in the library?” Lady asked, “Why do that, doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“So you don’t leave a key under the door mat?”
Dante shrugged, that was a fair point--if he locked his doors, which he didn’t. Lady was too violent to stand being left out of something as simple as a nap even. Still, the grand library, being on a demon hunt, it all reminded Dante of another library on another night, and the memory of that had him saying, “Well, we should split up then, Lady, let's check over here.”
She followed him into the shelves of the library, demons attacking as soon as they lost eyes on the guide. “Dullahans,” Dante muttered, “I hate these guys.”
“Just keep them distracted,” Lady said, shooting the demon’s weak backs. Across the library, Dante could make out gunshots, but he figured Frank could handle himself just fine.
“A lot easier with some help,” Dante said once they were done, sidling up to Lady as she checked her weapons.
She let out a distasteful click of the tongue and said, “I have no idea what’s going on on this mission. We should just try to break the door down--”
“No reason to rush,” Dante said, pressing a little closer.
She eyed him, but didn’t otherwise react. Still, this mood was better than the last time. No family to try and kill, at least, not their family, and the stakes were much lower.
“Dante, what are you doing?” she asked, “we’re in the middle of a job.”
“This job is a wild goose chase,” Dante complained, “You said it yourself before we started. We might as well… take advantage of the situation.”
She glanced around the room and must’ve come to the same conclusion he did, as her eyes flashed dark suddenly. “Dante…”
Her back found a book shelf, and Dante placed an arm next to her head, leaning in. “Do I still smell like demon blood?” he asked, to give her a smooth out if she wanted it.
To his surprise, after a moment, she leaned in, inhaling close to the skin of his neck. “Just gunpowder and poor decisions.” Her lips ghosted over his throat.
“Poor decisions?” he asked. “When have I made those?”
Their breaths intermingled, hers oddly minty, but with a hint of something sweet on her lips. To his surprise she leaned up and met him. Dante resisted a kiss ruining smile, pressing closer.
He had to lean down quite a bit to reach her, even with her on her tip toes, but that didn’t bother him. He could handle all the slight discomforts just to taste her lips. And it was just a taste. She had yet to open her mouth to him, which considering he suspected this could be her first kiss, he didn’t press.
Regardless if it were her first kiss, it was definitely their first kiss and Dante didn’t want to scare her away. Eventually--reluctantly--he pulled away.
He licked his lips almost unconsciously, noting the sweet taste of her lip gloss. With pleasure he noticed she was still watching his mouth intently. Normally Dante would make a joke about her wanting him, but…
“I got something on my face?” he asked, but kept his tone light.
“I didn’t realize how tinted my lip gloss was,” she breathed.
At that he grinned. “Is it not my color? You ought to remove it.”
With a determined look, and red cheeks, Lady looked at him expectantly. Why was she so… shy? He took pity and initiated it, pleased when her hands came up to caress his neck. They exchanged oddly gentle kisses for the want and passion that welled up within him.
Dante wanted to touch her, but didn’t want to push her too far. He wanted so much.
He didn’t want this intimate moment to end. Her hands wandered down his neck to his bare chest. Due to her summer fun outfit she hadn’t been able to change out of before the job, she wasn't wearing leather gloves for once, allowing him to feel the heat of her hands.
Hardly believing his luck Dante found himself tracing a hand down her side to her leg. Just as he ran his tongue over her lips, a random gunshot sounded nearby, and it was like a bucket of ice washed over her.
Lady pushed him away roughly, and stared at the ground, chest heaving in emotion.
Shit. Too much too soon. He had bad timing. He should've left it at closed-mouth kissing, not pressed her!
“We need to finish the job,” Lady said, voice surprisingly steady for how red her face still was. They just turned the corner when they ran into Frank.
Dante blinked. He supposed it was good things ended where they had, because if a human had wandered in on them locking lips he wasn't positive Lady wouldn't shoot him in surprise.
“These things cause you trouble?” Frank asked.
“No,” Dante replied, “just got a little turned around. You find the key?”
Frank raised an eyebrow and destroyed an expensive looking vase. Inside the shards was a key, and Dante nodded. “Excellent, let's get going then.”
Frank walked ahead, seemingly impatient to continue their mission and Dante caught Lady’s eye. “That wasn’t…” she started, “I’m not…”
“You’re good at it,” he found himself saying, not wanting to hear her tell him how much she loathed the fact she had let a demon kiss her. He could handle anger, but that sort of hate…
“Are you fishing for a compliment?” she asked.
“More of a performance review.”
She pursed her lips and announced, “Adequate.”
His mouth moving before his brain, he asked, “and how much experience do you have to back up that judgement?”
“Why?” she asked, wheeling around again. “Do you?”
He smirked. “More than you I’d guess.”
“You didn't give me herpes did you?” she accused.
“No!” Where did that come from? “I don’t have herpes!”
“Have you ever been tested?” Lady asked.
“You can't get herpes from kissing.”
“Yes, you can.”
“No,” Dante said, almost positive she was wrong. “why would it be called an STD then?”
“People got AIDs from blood transfusions.”
“I’ve never been sick a day in my life,” Dante said honestly. “I don't have any diseases.”
“Get tested,” she said after a long while. “You probably have tetanus too. You keep getting bitten and stabbed enough…”
And like mist in the morning sun, Dante's annoyance evaporated. She was… concerned for him. In her own special way. “Alright, we’ll both go get our tetanus shots after this. That’ll make you happy?”
“Maybe…” she said.
“And then wash it down with something antiseptic, the high proof stuff?”
Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. “Only if you remember flowers this time.”
“I think that can be arranged."
“Will you two love birds focus on the job?” Frank called back “I’m not paying you by the hour.”
“Are you the one even paying us?” Lady snapped back, not denying the love birds part. Dante may have hit the jackpot.