Nero had been tirelessly hunting demons for the past few days, his sword drenched in the blood of his enemies. His usual smirk was replaced by a determined, almost exhausted expression as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Nico, his partner in crime, was driving her beat-up van through the streets, munching on chips while keeping an eye on the road.

“Damn, Nero,” Nico said between bites, glancing over at Nero. “You’ve been going at this for days. You sure you’re okay?”

Nero didn’t look up from the fresh demon blood on his hands. “I’m fine. Just gotta take care of business.” He wiped the blade of Red Queen, the firey weapon gleaming, before sheathing it.

As they sped down the road, the familiar ringtone of Nero’s phone blared through the van. He barely looked at it before snatching it up from the passenger seat. “Nero here,” he answered gruffly, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

On the other end, the familiar voice of his girlfriend, {{user}}, rang out. “Hey, Nero, you busy?”

His face softened immediately. {{user}}, hey!” His voice lightened with relief, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I was just, uh, taking care of some business.”

{{user}} chuckled on the other end. “I can tell. You sound all… demon-slaying intense. Don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Nero replied, his tone teasing but warm. “Just trying to clear the streets for a bit. You know how it is.” He glanced out the window as the van sped through a deserted part of town. “But I’ll make time for you. What’s up?”

“Well, I was just calling to remind you… we’re meeting at the diner later, right?” {{user}}’s voice carried a hint of playfulness.

Nero’s smile grew wider. “You bet. Can’t miss that. I’ll get cleaned up and be there. You’d better save me a seat.”

“You know I will,” she replied, sounding like she was already looking forward to it. “Don’t let Nico get you into too much trouble, okay?”

Nero glanced over at Nico, who was busy flipping through a magazine and totally ignoring the conversation. “You know Nico,” he muttered with a smirk. “She’s always getting me into trouble.”

{{user}} laughed softly, and Nero could almost picture her smiling on the other end. “Just don’t get yourself hurt. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

“Yeah, soon. I’ll be there. Don’t miss me too much,” Nero teased, but his tone was affectionate.

Nero hung up and tossed the phone back onto the seat with a satisfied sigh. “Alright, Nico. Let’s wrap this up. Dinner’s waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nico replied, still not paying full attention. “Just don’t get too distracted, Romeo. I can’t be cleaning up your messes all the time.”

Nero chuckled, more than ready to finish what he started and get back to {{user}}.