#Post DMC AU

[skvaderarts]

Saudade Chapter 13: Sympathetic Succor

Chapter Thirteen: Sympathetic Succor

Note: I thought this might make a nice little warm-up while I get back in the headspace to write Petrichor. I’ve been thinking about it since I brought it up as a half-joking reply to one of the comments left by the ever-funny Temeraire101 in chapter eleven of Saudade. Bear with me, everyone. I’m getting back on the horse. Slowly.

(-~-)

It had been wise to head to the market when they had.

The last few days were marked by the continuation of the storm, its waters overflowing the gutters and soaking every surface that stood before it as water was often want to. 

The local government had issued a stay-at-home order as a temporary precaution to reduce the risk of drownings, one that proved to be redundant as anyone with any sense had opted to do so long before they’d been asked. The only motivation anyone had found to break the order had been to procure necessary resources, a violation of the order that would have occurred regardless of whether or not it had been made an exception to the rule, something that it proved to be from the get-go. After all, no one was going to remain within the walls of their home and starve, now were they?

But regardless of such orders, neither V nor Sirrus had plans to leave the house. They were content to remain where they were, cozy and warm within the brick and cast iron walls of the red-haired man’s cozy multistory flat. They’d only left briefly to grab ingredients for the recipe that Sirrus had wanted to make for him, and it had been exquisite, but the next morning they’d both awakened to something they hadn’t expected.

Sirrus had caught a cold.

Neither of them had even remotely expected that when they’d woken up the next morning and met in the kitchen, but they’d been confronted with it regardless. At first, it was just a small cold, something Sirrus asserted that he’d sleep off by the next day. But by the time the next morning had rolled around V found himself completely alone in the kitchen when he woke up in the morning and Sirrus was nowhere to be found.

Upon going to check on the red-haired man V discovered that he was much worse off now than he’d been the day before, something that Sirrus found as baffling as V found it alarming. He couldn’t exactly take something for it due to not being, well, human and its effectiveness being subject to variation, but neither of them had expected Sirrus to wake up and be worse off after a good night’s sleep.

Remaining in his room and opting to just try and take it easy for the day had seemed like the best option at the time, especially after contacting Magnolia and being advised to do just that. He’d drank some tea and opted to just take a nap, a cycle that he’d been repeating for the majority of the morning, unable to stay asleep despite being exhausted.

And during that time V had been planning. Scheming and plotting until he’d come to the only logical conclusion that he could.

He’d make Sirrus some soup.

It had been a tricky endeavor considering the fact that heading outside was a last resort, and he didn’t wish to commission some poor underpaid delivery person to risk their life on his behalf, but he’d come up with something in the end and had spend the better part of the morning both preparing it and hiding it from Sirrus. He wanted it to be a surprise.

But after several hours of preparing the meal and utterly failing to figure out where half the things in the kitchen were located due to the meticulous manner in which they’d been sorted, he sat down, exhaled heavily, and poured himself a glass of water. He needed a quick break. And he was willing to bet that Sirrus could use something to drink.

Heading over to the door with a second glass of water in hand, the young summoner knocked on the door apprehensive, hoping to catch him when he was awake and not asleep. If he was resting he would let him stay that way. But after a moment a noticeably hoarse voice from the other side of the door beckoned him inside and he obliged, stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself. Sirrus had already been awake. He could tell.

“... We shouldn’t go grocery shopping together,” Sirrus said with a soft, slightly anemic, and wet cough as he watched V approach and sit the glass down on his bedside table. He nodded gratefully through his haze, taking a moment to compose himself and catch his breathing. His cold had seemingly migrated to his chest, something that was almost as unpleasant as it sounded. And something that concerned V more than the fact that Sirrus was unwell in the first place, even though that also worried him deeply. How had this come to pass? Surely he’d caught something when they were out at the market; that much was obvious. But… how?

“I still don’t fully understand how this has happened to you,” V said as he sat down towards the middle of Sirrus’s bed. The curtains were partially open, allowing some of the stormy light from outside to filter in. It was a beautiful view, in truth, but not one that he imagined Sirrus could fully appreciate in the way that he might wish to at present. “I was laboring under the impression that you were impervious to illness.”

“Circumstantially, yes,” Sirrus said somewhat weakly, not elaborating any further. At least not initially. He exhaled heavily and looked over at V, taking note of something.

V was looking at Sirrus as though he’d just said something that didn’t make any sense to him. It was a subtle look, but it was still perceptible. He had no idea what the Adjudicator was talking about, that much was clear. And understandable. 

Chuckling and then attempting to clear his throat only to realize that his throat was dry, Sirrus sat up further in his bed. This was going to take a little bit of explaining.

“When I am at my full power, I am incapable of contracting any illness, yes. But when fully depleted, my immune system… deteriorates.” Sirrus paused to take a swig of the water that V had brought him, making a face that indicated that he wasn’t pleased with the taste in his mouth as he sat it down, abandoning his previous efforts to wet his throat. It seemed that he’d reached the stage where everything he tried to drink tasted like his cold. Wonderful. Just splendid. “While I am recovering and regaining my strength, my invulnerability inverts, and I become susceptible to more or less anything with the exception of things that are not contracted by pathogens. And I am especially vulnerable to infections.”

“So if you were to develop a blood-borne infection… “ V’s speech gradually grew slower as he trailed off towards the end of his statement, the mental picture that it painted in his head too unpleasant for him to linger on. It was best not to even risk speaking that into existence. He wouldn’t call himself suspicious, but perhaps suspicion believed in him.

“The less thought put towards that notion the better, mo chara daor.” Sirrus coughed again, this time for longer and quite a bit harder, at that. V gave him a sympathetic look, hesitating for a brief moment before placing his hand on the back of his shoulder. He’d never considered what it felt like to worry over a sick loved one before. Even when his own father had been in a coma, he’d held hope that his supreme healing factor would prevail. Part of him had utterly refused to even consider the idea that he wouldn’t be okay. And while he wasn’t laboring under the idea that Sirrus couldn’t pull through a chest cold, it was… unnerving to witness someone so utterly unkillable in such a state. The idea that he was even susceptible to a cold was disquieting to him in a way that he couldn’t quite place.

“Do you need anything from me, Sirrus?” V asked softly. He was worried and trying not to show it, and they both knew that, but he still didn’t want to worry Sirrus, and the red-haired man was genuinely touched by that, even if he didn’t need him to expend the effort on his behalf.

The man with the red hair shook his head tiredly. He understood his friend’s desire to help him out, but for the moment, he was fine. He would manage. And if he couldn’t, he had a contingency plan for that. And V. He always had V. 

With their conversation now over, V left him to rest, standing up and heading to the door. He probably needed to check on the soup anyway. It was best not to hover around someone who was sick. For both of their sakes. V couldn’t remember the last time he’d been under the weather due to non-supernatural conditions, but he wasn’t keen to make that a more simple thing to recall in the future. And for all he knew, he might somehow make his companion sicker. He would continue preparing his little surprise. That was probably the best course of action right now. For both of them.

“If you do need anything, please. Let me know.” V said from his place at the door, a genuinely bright, empathetic smile spreading across his face. He knew what it was like to suffer. To be brought low by circumstances outside of your control. Sirrus would be alright. They would both make sure of it. His dear friend had been there for him through everything that the universe could throw at him. V wasn’t going anywhere. Neither of them would if the other needed them. He was just much more accustomed to it being him and not Sirrus. “I’ll help you. It’s no trouble. I mean that.”

“I’d never doubt that you would. Thank you, V,” Sirrus said with a weary chuckle, his eyes still bright despite the obvious discomfort he felt in his chest. He just looked at V fondly for a long moment before laying back and closing his eyes, pulling the covers back up over himself and tiredly settling in. He exhaled tiredly and then went silent, the only indication that he was alive being his breathing.

V slipped out of the room quietly, closing the door behind himself. He didn’t want to wake him if he’d started to drift off. He needed the rest and the summoner had work to do. Shaking his head slightly in a grimly amused manner he chuckled to himself. If he was lucky he could be finished before Sirrus woke up. That should make them both feel better.

(-~-)

This was a fun little chapter! It helped me get back in the right headspace. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Fun little chapters like this are fun and I’m always looking for more ideas, especially from all of you! You have such fun ones!

The next chapter will also be a Saudade chapter for next week partially due to needing more time to get back in the swing of things and because Shadow of the Erdtree is coming out next week and AHHH! I’m streaming it at launch and the lead-up has been pure stress. That’s taking up all of my spare time at the moment. But if anyone wants to hang out and check it out with me, I updated my Profile and added a link to both it and the Discord server. Swing by if you’d like! I have a schedule posted there. Are any of you going to be playing it, too? Let me know! I’m always excited to talk about fun games lol! I’ll see you all back here next week! Take care and thanks again for reading. It feels good to be back writing something. ANYTHING! Bye bye!

[madmanwonder]

Miyabi:

Dante and Nero seeing Miyabi using near-supernatural high-speed Iaijutsu and suspiciously similar attacks on a hollow before turning to look at Vergil in suspicion.

Dante: Vergil…Are you sure Nero is your only kid?

Nero: And if she’s my half-sister then. I will kicked your deadbeat ass again.

Vergil looked away with a nervous expression as he himself was unaware if the fox therien was his daughter or not.

[storytellering]

Young and dumb and in love

[grinkubus]

👀

[yamham154]

❤️‍🔥

[nebularanger-art]

Devil May Cry Furry AU Pt 1: The Sparda Family

Part of my Devil May Roar series of images. All designs are okay to draw, so long as I'm credited and tagged.

When it comes to drawing Devil May Cry characters as furries, the popular species choices for the Sparda family tend to be carnivorous, especially as canids/felids are the default choice of animals people go to for furry character designs. I, however, am someone who prefers ungulates as my go-to choice of mammalian species.

While Sparda is still a demon, the mortal form he takes on is meant to resemble a red deer, as stags are depicted to be guardians/leaders of the forests. Though, his size and antlers makes him look more like the extinct Irish elk. Eva, meanwhile, is a horse (albeit one without a distinct breed); An animal both quaint and unassuming, yet majestic and prized. And it ties into the Sparda twins being...

Unicorns. A creature long sought after for their elusiveness and the power they hold. (Technically they're actually hippocerfs, but I needed an excuse to make them unicorns.) Them being half-deer ties isn't as important outside of explaining why they have horns, but the horse symbolism reigns (get it) even stronger here so I'll list off how they tie into Dante and Vergil.

Dante:

Travel. Horses are the oldest mode of transportation besides our own two feet, and combined with them being used in myths as passages to and from the underworld, they fit right in with Dante traversing through literal hell and back.

Humanity. Horses and humans have had a long link with each other that almost rivals dogs in terms of just how much love we give to these animals.

Vergil:

Power. Horses are often seen as a commanding animal that demand your attention, from a status symbol by the royal to a vehicle for soldiers in war.

Death and demons. Did you know that the "mare" part of "nightmare" used to be literal? There's also the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and more specifically Death with his pale horse

Going back to Vergil for a bit, let's look at V and Urizen specifically. V is technically a white horse, but the ink grafted onto them from the Nightmare demons they host gives them the appearance of a zebra.

Urizen makes it as obvious as possible that he's a stag through just how monstrous his antlers are. Not only are they representative of the Qilphoth tree he was desperate to seek, but they're also based on "monster" deer antlers that result from either hormonal imbalances or intentional breeding for deer hunting farms to create the ideal trophy. (Don't look that up if you're squeamish btw)

Now as for Nero, he (and by extension, his mother, the Lady in Red) is a roe deer. Though not the same species, he represents the side that his father Vergil most idolizes: The deer side, the demon side, Sparda.

Of course, Nero didn't know this even though he knew he stood out from the rest of his "herd", The Order of the Sword. This is also a reference to Bambi, who lives his life as an ordinary roe deer but eventually realizes that he's the son of the Old Prince. I'm talking about the original book, by the way; The Disney movie throws away half the story and turns Bambi from a European Jewish roe deer into an American whitetail deer of indeterminate religious status.

[dante-winning-archive]

vergil-losing is italian, nero-onlooking is irish, and i'm..... just florida man

[jangmo-othewarrior]

Thinking bout my DMC Pokémon AU again... Vergil should have a Pawniard because look me in the eye and tell me that that little dude wouldn't immediately fanboy over the Yamato.... and never leave him alone until he caught it... it wouldnt evolve either itd just stay a little guy.... its also shiny but Vergil didn't know because he's never seen a Pawniard before... Dante is upset on multiple levels because of this- mainly petty ones...

[therealmofamorus]

Ask

Original Male Crossover Stud AU

What would the reaction of Rukia and Lady be if Naruto warns them the meme... and does the shadow clone to emphasize that he will gangbang them?

Tonight You Meme

"Tonight...You."

Rukia and Lady felt a chill down their spine and feel wetness in thier underwear when Naruto speak those infamous words to them as of them being surrounded by legion of shadow clones, all of them look at them like cut of fuckable meat.

[inkburnt]

Read on AO3!

Fandom: Lies of P, Devil May Cry Teen and up // Gen // Complete // Chapters: 1/1 // Words: 5,677 Characters: P, Geppetto, Gemini, V Warning(s): N/A Additional tags: Crossover, V is not part of Vergil, V’s name is Vitale, canon-typical violence, eventual found family, written before release AU/Series: Heartsprings

His mission is to shut down the Venigni Works factory, and rescue the man himself if he can find him. However, meeting a miserable, sickly thing in need where he least expects it leads to a slight change of course, emotions that are new, and a series of questions he's hopeless to answer alone. In using his new life to save the life of another, is he possibly jeopardizing other lives down the line? What does it really mean to be a "good" boy?

[astarab1aze]

some tags, without context (just doing things before i forget)

[skvaderarts]

Petrichor Chapter 52: Awakening

Chapter 52: Awakening 

Note: “Enjoy” a nice 4.5k chapter this week! I hope you’ve all been well!

(-~-)

After the events that had transpired that night, the restfulness of sleep had been both a welcome escape and a requirement. Beneath the comfortable blanket and a veritable mountain of soft pillows, V slumbered soundly, a cool breeze wafting in through the half-open window, its curtain pulled down to the midpoint of the tall window in order to allow the air in while not freezing the room or letting in too much ambient light.

But as the night dragged on and the inevitability of dawn approached, something in the atmosphere of the room changed, and it was as slight as it was undeniable.

Drenched in sweat and suddenly breathing harder than he had been just a few moments earlier, the young summoner awoke with a start. He made no sound aside from the breathless breathing that rang in his ears, his pulse suddenly pounding in his head and seemingly becoming more severe with every passing moment. As his eyes rapidly adjusted to the darkness in the room, he managed to anchor and orient himself a bit better, registering for the first time that his skin was tingling in a way that felt only vaguely familiar to him, but in a way that was less reassuring and more panic-inducing.

And then the fatigue set in.

It wasn’t like the general sense of tiredness that he’s felt recently. No, this was something different. He didn’t feel tired. Not in the sense of a need to lay down and rest. This was more akin to fatigue, almost as though he’d just ran one hundred miles in the heat and the combination of suboptimal weather and nonstop physical activity had caused him to crash, dehydration, and nausea settling in and making themselves at home. His body felt physically heavy and almost dense as though he were treading water, and his eyes burned slightly as he wiped water from them. Was he having some sort of reaction?

“Griffon… ”

There was no hesitation from his avian familiar as he spoke those words. He appeared before him almost as suddenly as he had spoken. Both he and Shadow had dematerialized during the night when V had entered a deeper state of sleep, sensing a shift in him and frankly becoming tired of the effort it required to stay present to do more or less nothing. They had been recharging and getting some temporary rest while their master slumbered. But the second that V had become lucid enough to speak, Griffon had more or less been waiting for him, sensing that something was off, but not waking him up due to a wish to not disturb him. He’d simply figured that the young white-haired summoner was suffering from a fitful sleep or something akin to it. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

“Something’s up with you. I can tell.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement of fact. Now that he stood before him (or perhaps the preferable way to describe it was “flapped”.) he could more clearly see the state that he was in, and he looked dreadful. And while most would assume that he’d suddenly come down with a cold in the middle of the night or had perhaps gotten a chill from the open window, both of them knew that wasn’t the case. Not by a long shot.

“Yes. I agree.” He nodded, feeling his head rush as he placed his hand up to his head to lean his head against. His entire brain felt like a cement brick, unwieldy and vast. In fact, V hadn’t felt this bad since he’d been resurrected! It was a different sensation, but it shared the same degree of vaguely miserable awfulness. He fought the urge to slump over and simply lay there, an ever-present and mounting sensation that something was very wrong preventing him from doing so. He needed to get help. As unsure as he was as to what was going on and what could be done to mitigate it, he still needed to try. He felt compelled to. He wasn’t going to just sit there and suffer.

He needed to tell Sirrus. As much as he didn’t wish to disturb him, he needed to know what was going on, even if V didn’t know what that something was himself.

Standing up carefully, painfully aware of the way he was swaying back and forth as he moved across the room, V took a few steps toward the wall on the other side of the room. He knocked on it three or so times in quick succession, flinching and wincing at the sensation of his knuckles hitting the hard cinderblock wall. He hadn’t hit it that hard, but the tingling sensation spreading through his body seemed to be intensifying his senses to the point of being overwhelming, so that was undoubtedly the cause. He wasn’t sure if Sirrus had heard him, but he felt himself shake slightly as he stood there wondering, so he elected to head back over to the bed and at least sit down for a moment and catch his breath. He needed to pace himself. This was a marathon, not a sprint.

Just as he reached the bed, there was a knock at the door before it cracked slightly and a familiar mop of red hair poked through the doorway. Upon realizing that V was actually awake and that he wasn’t just hallucinating in the middle of the night, Sirrus addressed him, yawning as he spoke. He’d clearly been sleeping quite well. “May I come in?”

V nodded before registering the fact that Sirrus probably couldn’t see him through the doorway before partially slumping over onto the middle of the bed, still sitting up but leaning on his wobbly arms. He cleared his parched throat before speaking, realizing for the first time how dry it was. He wasn’t against a glass of water. “Please do.”

Seemingly registering that something was off about him from his strained tone alone but perhaps initially writing it off as simple morning throat, Sirrus nodded before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. He reached for the light switch, hovering over it for a moment before glancing over at V, seemingly asking permission to turn on the light. V shook his head ever so slightly, aware that his eyes probably couldn’t take even a small amount of light at the moment. His head wouldn’t appreciate that.

The man with the mostly red hair walked over to him and gestured to indicate that he’d like to sit down, a request that was swiftly granted by V in the form of a single nod as he further struggled to orient himself and fully comprehend what was currently happening to him. This had all happened to him so suddenly. He was positive that he wasn’t sick. What was happening to him? Did this have something to do with his powers, perhaps?

“Sorry to wake you. I-” V started before being stopped, Sirrus chuckling softly as he raised a hand to shush him gently. V got the impression that he knew what Sirius probably thought this was about. He had some explaining to do, then. It made sense that his friend couldn’t really see the state he was in at the moment. Everyone looked a little messy when they woke up.

“Look, if this is about me seeing you undressed earlier I-” Sirrus gave him a gentle smile, as quietly amused as he was concerned for his friend’s apparent dismay. He understood how disquieting something like that experience could be to someone as private as V, but he hoped that despite the momentary uncomfortableness of the situation the two of them would be able to laugh about it later. But as he spoke those words, he stopped abruptly, getting a slightly better look at his companion’s demeanor. No. This wasn’t about that. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.

“No, this is something else. I feel… unwell. And I don’t think I’m sick.” V said in a noticeably more hushed as his friend leaned in closer and placed the back of his hand against his forehead, checking him for a fever. Strangely enough, he didn’t have one, but that discovery actually made him more confused than not. At least it would have been an explanation for why he looked like… that.

Sirrus looked at V closely as his companion slumped over on him. Weakly. Struggling to keep his eyes open. Yes, this was clearly something more than that. He was correct in that observation. Sirrus grew quiet for a moment, thinking as he looked at V, the young summoner shuddering slightly, but not in a way that necessarily indicated that he was cold. He wondered if his friend felt warm despite being cool to the touch.

“V, are you sure they fully purged your system of the toxins you ingested in your battle with Belial?” Sirrus asked quietly, lowering his already low tone when he saw V flinch. He realized almost instantly that his head was bothering him in some way. He just had this look on his face that made it obvious. It was hard to misread his furrowed brow and half-open eyes. He was clearly sensitive to light and noise at the moment if his refusal to allow the light to be turned on was anything to go by. 

“... No… “ He panted, swaying slightly as he attempted to sit back up before deciding against it and leaning back over. “But I don’t think that’s what this is. This feels… different. I feel stronger but weaker all at once. I don’t know what’s…”

The young summoner suddenly stopped speaking, his closing his eyes and simply focusing on his breathing. Sirrus stayed still for a moment, perfectly fine with allowing V to rest against him for a while if it made him feel better. But something about this situation didn’t sit right with him. V seemed to be declining, and that wasn’t something he was just going to sit here and watch while he did nothing to intervene. V clearly needed his help. He’d asked for it, after all. Why else would he have knocked on the wall at this hour?

“... I have to leave you for a moment… “ Sirrus said in a hushed tone as he gently laid V down on his side, electing to step away for just a moment. This wasn’t something that they could handle on their own. He needed to talk to someone more familiar with V and how his biology worked, especially since V wasn’t currently in a condition conducive to speaking for himself. “To make a phone call. I will only be gone as long as necessary.”

But to his surprise, as he did this, V tensed, clearly registering what he’d said but unable to verbally express his discontent with the concept of being left in the room alone. The young summoner opened his eyes for a moment, the only time he’d opened them fully since he’d been in the room. And the look of distress in them rooted Sirrus to the spot.

V gripped him tightly. He didn’t have to capacity to say as much at that moment, but something about being left alone in such a vulnerable state terrified him. His breath picked up as his head pounded harder than it had earlier. He felt like someone was trying to kick his skull in. Or at least stomp a train and tie through it one centimeter at a time with enough force to kick down a door. This was a continuation of how he’d felt before at the bedroom door earlier that night, only astoundingly worse. He simply hadn’t realized it at the time. He had been slowly building up to this meltdown ever since they’d come home that night, he just hadn’t been able to tell.

Obviously recognizing his friend’s distress at the prospect of being left alone in the room for the time it would take to make that phone call and not wishing to cause him any further upset, Sirrus briefly attempted to soothe him to no avail before glancing over at the closed door. He then stood up from the bed and walked across the room to open it and swiftly returned to V, unwilling to leave him for long. He then kneeled down in front of him, his brow furrowed in frustration at his lack of understanding as to what was happening to him. He really did need to make that phone call. And he had an idea.

“I’m going to carry you to the living room. I won’t drop you. I swear.” Sirrus said resolutely, determined to not cause his friend any further distress than he was already experiencing. He could completely understand not wanting to be left alone under these circumstances. And he wasn’t willing to leave him disoriented and frightened in the room alone, wondering if this was how it would end. He was sure that he was probably wondering that. Sudden turns like this often brought that question into clear view.

V loosened his grip but didn't let go all the way as Sirrus slid his arm under V's legs and upper torso. He lifted him gently and effortlessly as though he weighed nothing, allowing his legs to dangle over his right arm as he cradled the majority of his friend's weight on his left arm, the young summoner's head resting against his chest as he shuddered and then went slightly limp in his grip. Sirrus felt his heart drop into the soles of his feet for a moment as he wondered if he’d just passed out. Or worse. He needed to assess the extent of the damage. Now,

He hurried into the living room, being careful not to shake V up in the process, moving him as genuinely as he could. He then slowly lowered him onto the couch, sitting beside him as he gave him a once-over. Now that he saw him in a slightly better light he was even more concerned. Some of the veins in his neck, chest, and upper arm were darker than they had been. But not as dark as they had been when he'd been cursed by Belial. No, this time they were a pale reddish-green in a manner that reminded him of varicose maner. Perhaps that was what they were? They were also present from his temples and under his arms down the sides of his neck, petering out around his collarbone and traveling down the center of the exposed portion of his chest. They got significantly lighter the further they went down, but it still worried him. Was he experiencing some sort of cardiovascular or circulatory emergency? Sirrus hoped not. He couldn’t exactly just take him to a standard human hospital, now could he?

With V’s head leaned against Sirrus’s leg, the two of them sat on the couch together, the young summoner now shivering and sweating in a manner that deeply troubled Sirrus as he dialed a number and seemingly quietly pleaded with the universe to get a response at this hour. He knew how late it was.  And as they sat there in the dark together with only the dim light of the night sky overhead to illuminate them, an indistinct voice answered on the third ring a rush of relief flooded his body like ice water chilling his body on a cold day. She was actually awake. He couldn’t believe it.

V could hear the call but couldn’t place who the voice on the other end of the line it belonged to. At least not initially. He was barely cognizant at the moment as he fought the urge to drift off into the deep sleep that was calling him. Given his current state and his previous experiences, he was afraid of what that void might be. It didn’t feel like the ice-cold grip of the afterlife. Far from it. This felt familiar and almost welcoming, but he wasn’t taking any chances until he couldn’t any longer. He knew who Sirrus was calling now. He would hold out a little longer if he could, even if he was apprehensive sure that he was probably in the clear. That was the curse of being just lucid enough to be able to tell what was going on. Being able to worry. And he was indeed worried. About himself, of course, but also his friend. He… He didn’t want Sirrus to be scared, either.

“Sorry. I know how late it is. It’s V. Something is very wrong with him. I need guidance. Please.” The concern was evident in his voice as his normally even tone trembled on that final word. He was clearly doing quite a bit to remain composed in an attempt to reassure V that everything would be alright. Nothing would be accomplished if he fell apart now. He took his free hand and used it to gently stroke V’s hair, noting for the first time how wet it was. Had he been sweating that hard? He was also miraculously clammy… What was happening to him?

“Does he appear to be in pain? Is he writhing around in agony or something?”

Sirrus took a moment to explain the symptoms he could see in as succinct and clear a manner as possible, going into detail whenever he was asked to. All the while he didn’t take his eyes off of V, clearly worried that he would somehow take a turn if he did. He didn’t care how irrational that was. He needed to keep an eye on him.

“Breath Sirrus,” Magnolia said, perhaps realizing that he might be overwhelmed by the situation he was currently in. But when she received no response she fell quiet for a moment, suddenly realizing that something must be wrong. “Sirrus?”

Unfortunately, her sense of deduction was correct, although not in a way that might have been quite as severe as she might have initially feared. Sirrus placed the phone down for a moment as he brushed the hand that he’d been using the gently stroke V’s hair across his cheek, half to check if he was conscious yet, and half out of a genuine desire to get a better look at him. Which was when he practically leaped to his feet and ran to grab an old cloth from his bathroom. Just as V had shifted slightly, his nose had started to bleed ever so slightly.

Sirrus returned with the cloth a moment later, now more concerned than ever, but focusing on the task of attempting to do something about the blood for now. He reminded himself that this might now be that bad, especially considering that he wasn’t pouring blood by any means, but the timing surely wasn’t a coincidence. Another thing to mention to his aunt.

“His nose started to bleed. I had to step away for a moment to take care of it.” Sirrus said as he picked the phone back up, sighing slightly. V was actually just lucid enough to register what Sirrus was saying and grip the cloth that he had just placed on the bottom half of his face. He still couldn’t open his eyes, but once his hand had been guided to the correct spot by his friend, he’d managed to maintain a grip, even if his arm did feel like wet concrete.

Magnolia fell silent for a minute or so, pondering what directions she should give during a situation like this. She hadn’t expected to receive a phone call at this hour, let alone one pertaining to such a startling situation. But she was always happy to help, even if she wasn’t a medical professional. Although at times like this she really wished she was.

“Check his eyes for me? His nose bleeding might be due to the headache.”

Sirrus nodded to himself. That actually made sense. He’d experienced that himself during his youth, though probably for different reasons. He’d been a rather complicated child, all things considered. So that was probably more alarming than actually dangerous. Good. But he still hoped that it wasn’t a symptom of a greater issue. One thing at a time, then. That was under control. He needed to do what she’d asked and check V’s eyes for her. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but still. Probably just anything that was visibly out of the ordinary.

“Will do.” He said as he held the phone between his shoulder and his cheek. It was a good thing that he’d just washed his hands in the bathroom to get the blood off of them when he’d gone to get the cloth. But as soon as he apologized to V for any potential discomfort and gently slid the top and bottom eyelids open on his left side, he stared at him in genuine confusion. Now this was new. “Their… White? And glowing.”

“Ah… let me check something. Just a moment.” She said, seemingly less concerned now that she’d heard that response, a reaction that was almost as alarming to him as whatever was currently going on with V. But as promised, she returned no less than two minutes later, the sound of paper being folded audible in the background. Was she consulting one of her notebooks? It was likely. She was a meticulous record keeper. If V had done something strange like this previously, she would have certainly documented it for future reference.

“I know this is going to sound insane to you… but just let him rest for now. Check on him periodically. If he’s unchanged, then I think it’s best to let him recover on his own.” She said as she scribbled something down on her end, the sound of something frantically scratching against paper as she flicked through what was almost certainly a notebook now even clearer as she flopped it down on the table nearest to her with a thud. She sighed heavily, clearing her throat a little. This was quite the night, wasn’t it? “If he hasn’t slept it off come morning, contact me and I’ll track down Vergil. But I have the feeling he’s not sick. Not in the way that you’re thinking, at least. I think he’s undergoing some sort of change. I think this has to do with his demonic blood. Perhaps something is awakening in him. It’s probably coming full circle after everything that happened to him in that battle. It just took a while to kickstart. If his vitals are stable then… It’s a waiting game for now.” 

She sounded dissatisfied with having to say that, but from what he could tell, she seemed positive that this was the best course of action. She wouldn’t have said that if she hadn’t meant it. Magnolia wasn’t the sort to speak before thinking.

Sirrus exhaled heavily, looking over at V as he took in her words. She might be onto something. He seemed to have drifted off during everything, but he didn’t look quite as bad as he had previously, and his breathing was much less ragged and distressed. He also wasn’t nearly as clammy, even if he was still sweating a bit. As much as he longed to do something, anything, he understood what she was saying and knew that he couldn’t fix everything. No matter how badly he wanted to. But perhaps he could… 

“Can I make him more comfortable, at the very least?” He asked almost pleadingly, a strong desire to do something, anything overwhelming him. He had to do at least that much. Surely.

She seemed to think over the implications of the statement for a moment before nodding to herself in approval. She knew Sirrus enough to know that he would take the utmost care with V. It simply wasn’t in him to sit around and watch him helplessly. It was… it was hard to comprehend that he was truly a child born of his parents' chaotic and disastrous union at times. His had been a household of pain and hate, and yet he had absorbed none of it, turning his own grief into utter kindness and empathy, even if he was a bit sardonic at times. He was so different from them on a fundamental level. Perhaps his desire to comfort those in need came from how little of that he’d received in his youth? She could only imagine it did. V was in good hands with him.

“Of course, Sirrus. I’d expect nothing less from you.” Her tone was gentle and comforting. It was as if she could feel his helplessness through the phone. Perhaps she could. It was evident in his voice. She just wished that she could do more to comfort him. Give him a hug, perhaps. He was incredibly strong, but his weakness was the suffering of those he cared about. That was such a select group, but she knew that V fit into it. You could do whatever you wanted to him, but not those he loved. Not ever. “Just try not to disturb him too much. We might not want to interrupt… whatever is going on.”

Sirrus exhaled and nodded in approval. He could do that. He felt a bit of the dread that had been threatening to overtake him vacate his tired body as he relaxed a little bit and looked over at V. He was just sleeping now in spite of his condition which did, admittedly, seem to be improving. He would return him to his room and make him as comfortable as possible. They weren’t out of the woods just yet, but they’d reached a clearing amidst them, at the very least.

“Thank you, Magnolia. Sorry for disturbing you so late.”

“Oh, come of it, now. Don’t trouble yourself, dear. I’m always here if you need me.” She said sweetly, herself relieved to be leaving the two of them in a slightly better state than they’d been in when he’d contacted her. She couldn’t do much, but she hoped she had succeeded in at least offering them guidance and support. She would check back sometime soon, perhaps in the morning. They surely needed their rest. “Goodnight, Sirrus. If you need me, just ask. I’m never too far from the phone. It’s no trouble.”

Sirrus allowed a barely present smile to ghost its way across his lips. That was true, she was. He adored magnolia. She’d always been there when he didn’t have anyone else. Things were going to be okay, he knew that now. He just had to take care of a few things on his one end. “Goodnight, Magnolia. And don’t worry: I never forgot.”

With that, they both hung up their respective phones and he stole a glance over at V before moving to pick him up again and deciding against it. Perhaps it was best he took care of something first. No one liked damp covers. V would probably appreciate a fresh set of sheets, wouldn’t he? 

(-~-)

Poor Sirrus and V. They are having a rough night, but something tells me that things are going to be better in the morning… 

Sorry for the slow speed at which I’ve been responding to the comments. I just have a bunch of them (Yay, thank you!) and haven’t had the time to get to them all just yet. But I am reading them and I’m so happy for the kindness and feedback. You make my day!

Have any of you ever had a friend help you during a medical emergency or something like that? I had a BFF in high school get me medical help after I nearly passed out while we were crossing the street at a busy intersection. She took me to the nearest shop which happened to be a nail shop and they got me some water. Turns out I was super dehydrated smh. Yes, this is the same friend I mentioned in the last chapter LOL. HS was wild. But has anything like that ever happened to you? If you’re comfortable sharing, let me know! I’m just kind of interested in knowing if I’m the only one something like that has ever happened to.

[madmanwonder]

Ask

Crossover AU

What would Dante think if Bayonetta came into his shop dressed like this? Is she trying to show him up... or get his attention?

“Lookin’ good in my coat, babe.” The red-clothed demon hunter replied as he ogled her voluptuous body in his signature red coat.

[storytellering]

Killer stare.

[plaguery]

here is my promised dmc oc, romy sears. she is like if a torture device was friend shaped.

these two pics are about a year old now and certainly far from favorites but they show off those tattoo details that the first missed!

she is a post-dmc5 character, remotely working as an advisor of sorts for devil may cry through morrison's adept scouting and by way of her demonological expertise, intel on possible jobs and if she's feeling generous, her casting abilities.

at the time of joining the devil may cry ensemble, she is a thirty-one year old with about two decades of intensive autistic special interest studying and training behind her. a witness to a horrific devil attack at age eleven, she was somehow inspired and propelled into demonology and magical pursuits. her constant, reckless infodumping to helpless shop patrons and workers at her regular haunts made her a name in town to anyone who wanted to work with or against devils, leading up to morrison cracking down on her and setting up a devil may cry exclusive romy deal.

her cover and home base (tag 'home' as literal) is the antiques shop she owns and operates at the very edge of town on the mostly abandoned, eerie but alluring, bramford street. mixed in with your average porcelain antiques are demonic artifacts and 'possessed' items—particularly, dolls. these devils that she has personally conjured and bound are considered friends, while she considers herself a 'caretaker'.

despite her fondness for the demonic, she teams up with devil may cry out of financial need and for the mental challenge that she figures it will present. you can guess that her morals are... pliant.

she is a cheery, talkative, and strangely elegant thing, but do not mistake that for extroversion. more a lively hermit, most of her hours are spent at her shop and she can only be pulled away for the sake of necessity or for furthering her aims of gaining knowledge/'friends'. social skills seem to be something that comes and goes for her: politeness quickly becoming intrusion into personal boundaries, chatter somehow turning every stranger in the vicinity away, picking up on heavily layered context while missing basic cues.

as she'll tell you, pride is her favorite of the cardinal sins, and you'll find her pride in her knowledge, fashion, hair, and accessories. the tuft of white in her victory roll is her favorite badge of honor, as it has grown over the years from exposure to the demonic. most notable though are her golden, clawed fingers: custom prosthetics that she acquired after losing her fingers in a conjuring gone wrong.

if the antiques shop didn't tell you, she loves vintage and is most often seen in 40s or 50s inspired styles. the true mark of devotion is the trans-atlantic accent that she taught herself as a teenager and uses to this day (no, she will not admit to it being taught despite it inherently being a completely fabricated accent).

fun facts:

if she gets close enough to someone she will reveal that 'romy sears' is in fact not really her name and that she started using it after getting disowned at eighteen for accidentally setting her family trailer on fire with her first successful conjure & bind. she will not divulge her true last name but her given name is rosemary. 'romy sear(s)' is just the anagram treatment.

'rosemary', making it an anagram, and the name 'bramford' for the street are references to rosemary's baby. she has never and never will give birth and shes more akin to the creepy neighbors but i love references and she loves taking care of devils!

when she does leave the house, she is rarely seen without a multiseat stroller, seating a select few dolls for that day. as a caretaker, she figures it's important for enrichment purposes to get them out of the shop regularly.

the whole doll schtick is actually the whole inspiration for her character. i started simply with the idea of combining one of my favorite internet browsing activities (looking at haunted/possessed doll listings) with post-dmc5 fuckery.

objects moving and strange noises are part and parcel for the shop. however, there is also a bit of a time vortex due to the massive concentration of the demonic in one spot. it makes the veil between realms thinner but not by too much. it's helped by romy's many wards and charms around and throughout the shop but time still moves differently and is always off by around 5-25 minutes depending on circumstance.

if you read this far, thank you :) i really love her in all her freakishness. im (slowly) trying to work on a written intro* (i guess.. fic) with her. despite all i already wrote there is much more i already have in my mind. questions are welcomed if you happen to have them!

*here's a sneak peek of that ;)

[dmc-questions-anon]

Time Travel AU Concept: While on a mission Nero finds himself sent back in time to the night of the Temen-ni-gru incident.