#and now with Vergil it was a whole other search

[polarisbibliotheque]

Silly music post? Silly music post :)

Since Dante's Halloween Fanfic was pretty much (Ghost) Riders In The Sky, by Johnny Cash, being that even the name of the thing, here's your pocket writer searching for Vergil's soundtrack to get me on the right ~writing vibes~

I mentioned before, I kinda have a thing with music and colors, and trying to find a more bluish song on my playlist PAIN. I'm very much in a reddish mood currently, so I had to do some digging for the bluish, purple-ish ones.

Ignore the crazy talk

I got some pretty wonderful gems to go with Vergil, starting at:

Self Control, by Laura Branigan

You know. "I live among the creatures of the night", "I'm living in the forest of a dream", "I know the night is not as it would seem", "You're walking down the street of my soul", lots of amazing lyrics there.

Also, dancing will play a huge part in his Halloween Special. So I figured a dance-y music could be awesome, but... I couldn't find anything that worked really well as a title.

But the vibes are *chef's kiss*

Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bonnie Tyler

This song is absurd. I'll never not think she's one hell of a singer, her voice is out of this world. Also, lyrics about vampires being in love? Gothic vibes? 10/10 Vergil, love it.

But I either needed something more powerful or more loving, and the lyrics on this one is very much... Heartbreaking. More bittersweet, even leaning to unrequited love or a love that ended.

Still one hell of an anthem, that "I really need you tonight" at the end is AH! amazing climax for the song.

Spöksonat, Ghost

Not even a minute of pure harp instrumental, but Ghost Sonata is pretty much a good way to sum up Vergil's Halloween Special this year.

Eerie, beautiful, slightly creepy, ethereal, 10/10. I wanted some lyrics, but this one is the choice if I don't find anything else.

The Hand That Feeds, Nine Inch Nails

Lyrically speaking, this is THE song. It's pretty much dance-y, even though not the dark vibes I had in mind. But it's very VERY much in line with the story so far.

I couldn't find a small excerpt of the lyrics that fit with the title vibes I want to use as THE theme, though. Nevertheless, it's gonna be a major inspiration while I'm writing, have that in mind ;)

All The Love In The World, Nine Inch Nails

Same thing with the other one above, lyrically it's THE thing, but I can't find something to use as THE title. It'll serve very much as overall inspiration while writing, though.

Lots of existentialism I wanna put there from Vergil's thoughts and self-loathing to some extent.

(I'm not an easy person by all means, but if someone ever invited me to a date like "hey, wanna go to the [local goth club] to dance all night, it's a Nine Inch Nails Special tonight 'til 5 a.m" I'd seriously marry the hell out of them)

Walking In My Shoes, by Depeche Mode

Enter them, the unconquered kings of their own style of music, the stars glistening in the dark skies. I was like "OH YES. THIS. THIS IS THE SONG".

It has the vibes, the colors, the lingering sense of danger/temptation, and the lyrics are everything I've ever wanted. Very VERY much in line with the Halloween Special. This is The Theme™.

(You know what I said above, the date? If the person invites me to a Depeche Mode special night, they'll only leave the club married to me, non-refundable and non-negotiable. Bonus points if they dress like Martin Gore, then I'm floored and lost for eternity in their soul)

So now, there you go. You have a playlist of songs that inspire me and I am preeeeetty sure would be in Vergil's playlist as well, 'cause he's not the type of guy to listen ~only~ to classical music.

I've said it before, I accepted him as a goth in my heart. And not style-wise, music and vibes wise. While everyone thinks he's listening to Bach, my man is blasting Sisters of Mercy in his headphones.

I hope you enjoy the music while I work on writing! It's coming up eventually, hopefully before Christmas "^^

[icycoldninja]

Can you write the DMC boys with the reader in a scenario where she had to be bridal carried by them?

I just rewatched “The Cat returns” and the scene where the MC is exhausted, panting on the stairs when one of the male leads decided to bridal carry her because the antagonist are still in hot pursuit

(Seriously this Ghibli film is underrated asf, more ppl should know abt it)

In this scenario, the reader could’ve had an injured ankle due to loosing footing or just exhausted from being chased by demons for a long period of time so she just stands there panting, urging them to leave her behind as she’ll catch up later

They boys are like: “no..not on my watch” 😒

So they snatched her up and carry her away while being pursued by loads of demons from behind not so far away

P/S: They’re still in their crushing phase, so the reader is just bashfully and embarrassingly brooding in their arms while trying to avoid eye contact with them bcz of how hot her face is and they’re trying to search her gaze, hoping to find the answer they need within her eyes

Yeah sure, here you go.

Sparda boys + V x Reader bridal carry headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-You guys were running up the stairs to a long, winding tower while being chased by a horde of demons.

-Somewhere along the way, you twisted your ankle and fell behind.

-You being the selfless person you are, you urged Dante to leave you there, but he being the stubborn ass he was, he refused.

-Sinc you were pretty much a cripple at this point and the demons were gaining on you, Dante ran up, scooped you into his arms, and carried you up the remaining flights of stairs.

-You never expected something like this to happen and didn't know what to do, so you just remained there, blushing and trying very hard not to show him how red you were.

-Dante was not helping in the slightest; he was staring at you like you held all the secrets to the universe. This whole situa35ion was very awkward, but also cute.

■ Vergil ■

-You and Vergil had been running from demons for hours; you'd grown completely exhausted and were now doubled over and panting heavily on the landing.

-Vergil saw you and sighed. Humans, pathetic, weak creatures with poor stamina.

-You told him to just go and let you fend for yourself, but Vergil knew that if you couldn't even ascend a flight of stairs, you wouldn't stand against all those demons.

-Without a word, he rushed over to you, lifted you into his arms, and began carrying you around bridal-style.

-You were absolutely mortified in this position, evident in your tomato-red face.

-Vergil was only continuing to stare at you, making your embarrassment that much worse.

□ Nero □

-Nero knew you wouldn't be able to keep running up the stairs any longer and he was right.

-There you were, doubled over and panting heavily, your lungs burning with air while a horde of demons and other foul creatures scampered after you.

-You knew this too and tried to get him to leave you, but we all know Nero's a stubborn bastard like his uncle, and that he'd never leave.

-If he didn't get you out of there now, you would be overrun, so Nero hurried on over to you, scooped you up like a sack of potatoes, and bridal carried you up the stairs.

-You were absolutely flabbergasted and felt a powerful blush growing across your face, but you did your best to hide it.

-Nero noticed your furious nervousness and couldn't help but smile. Cute thing like you must have feelings for him, how precious.

● V ●

-Although not a normal human, V's stamina is quite similar to yours.

-Both of you were running from demons, just trying to survive, when he noticed that you weren't huffing and puffing alongside him.

-He turned, looked, and saw that you had twisted your ankle somehow and were now sitting on one of the landing areas, watching the encroaching demons fearfully.

-V stumbled over to you, and despite your protests, decided to pick you up and carry you away, bridal style.

-How he did not collapse into a shambling pile of bones is beyond anyone's guess, though Griffon suspects it was "the power of love" that gave him strength.

-Regardless of how he did it, you found yourself blushing madly at V's noble behavior and try as you might, couldn't hide your huge grin.

[caffvarro]

Fanfic

DMC: Devil May Cry

Dante/Vergil

Author's words: While I'm writing the rest of the fanfic from the last post, I decided to write a short one about the reboot. I'm so damn sleepy, but alas, I have classes to attend at college. There aren't many of them, but time is such a strange thing. When you want to go home as quickly as possible, it passes terribly slowly. In any case, I hope you like it (Although I'm not sure, the last post was completely overlooked…) In the near future, I will write a Halloween fanfic…or three…

On the run… It wasn't the first time Dante had to hide from the law, after all, his life was completely tied to the dark streets of Limbo City, but this time it was different, his brother was with him. He didn't quite understand how to feel about him, because you clearly don't greet a stranger called a brother with open arms. They managed to hide from Mundus, but at the moment he had Kat in his arms and Dante couldn't think of anything except saving her. They were in one of what seemed to him to be several of Vergil's hideouts. The blond himself was intensely searching for something on his laptop, twitching his eyebrow in irritation at his brother scurrying back and forth. "Dante… hmmm… can you just calm down for a minute and sit down?" - Vergil asked, trying to concentrate. "How can I be calm while Kat is in that asshole Mundus's lair?!" - Dante barked, agitated by his brother's request. "You won't fix the situation with hysterics, so please sit down." - Vergil answered in a serious tone. "Oh, you… agh… okay!" - the violent Nephilim resigned himself and sat down on a chair, crossing one leg over the other. But his perseverance did not last long, he stood up and walked up to Vergil and looked at the screen, asking: "So what do you want to find on your laptop?"

Vergil sighed heavily and began to explain: "To get to Mundus, you need to know the layout of the building, alas, we did not have such information and now I am trying to find at least a grain, but it is quite difficult to search for something without the necessary equipment and …"

Dante pretended to be attentive and understanding his brother's words, but in his head there was a jumble of worries about Kat's safety, concerns about the common mission and an attempt to understand his own brother. Although he had thoughts that this whole topic with the brothers was nothing more than a joke, if only because they were so different from each other. Dante looked like some kind of street urchin compared to his brother, not that it was not true, but still it slightly hurt his small ego. He could only nod, unable to keep up the conversation and wanting to somehow finish it. Fortune itself was favorable to him. Vergil fell silent for a moment and frowned at the screen, and then began typing something on the keyboard with special zeal. A few minutes, and he smiled triumphantly: "Now we have a plan of the building in our hands. This is not all the work, but it will be enough for now." He stood up from his chair to stretch his muscles, pacing back and forth, thinking about their next strategy, muttering to himself: "First we should get inside and disable… no… or… nonsense… maybe Dante first… although…" Dante didn't think long and said: "Oh, what's so complicated, we'll just get inside, kill all his henchmen, free Kat and kick Mundus' ass." He walked towards the sword, passing by Vergil. The blond wanted to stop him by pulling at his shirt. "Dante! We need to come up with a plan, not mindlessly rush into-… why aren't you wearing anything under your pants…?" - Alas, the man's hand caught not the edge of the shirt, but the edge of the brunette's pants, causing him to almost fall over in surprise and hang with his pants half down for a minute. The last thing Vergil expected was to see that his brother wasn't wearing anything under those pants. A shy pinkish tint appeared on the Nephilim's dark cheeks. He immediately muttered discontentedly: "There were circumstances… Let go of the pants, damn it!" The blond let go of his brother, not knowing how to comment on this, but after a while he burst out laughing, which puzzled and infuriated the simultaneously ashamed Dante. He barked, trying to put his pants back on, but his brother's embarrassment and laughter did not help in this situation: "Are you laughing at me?!" Barely breathing from laughter, he tried to justify himself: "No, I… hahahahaha… I just didn't expect that my stupid brother would walk around the city without underwear." To this, Dante only showed the middle finger, fastening the belt on his pants. "What a smart guy." - the man muttered to himself. "At least I'm not walking around in just pants." Vergil grinned, finding some charm in his brother's embarrassed and irritated behavior. Coming closer, he lightly touched Dante's reddened cheek with his lips and couldn't help but chuckle, noticing the brunette frozen from the sudden tenderness. He had never seen such a display of intimacy in his life. The most he could count on was a fist in the face from enemies or the passionate lips of girls of the oldest profession, but this was nowhere near what he was experiencing now. The blond noticed some confusion in the gray-blue eyes, and the inner demon tempted him to give in to the impulse of tenderness. He hugged his brother, noting his hesitant resistance, and continued to shower him with all his love. If he had been wearing bright red lipstick, the blush on Dante's face would have simply merged with the kisses. In the end, he gave in to Vergil's pressure and went limp in his arms, resembling a contented dog being petted by its owner. Alas, their peculiar idyll was not destined to last long. The laptop screen glitched slightly and showed a video.

[eponastory]

As promised...

Sweet Tooth

What happens when someone sets a bag of chocolates in front of Vergil?

Well, you'll find out here.

Dante was curious. He knew that when he and Vergil were kids, they both had a sweet tooth. He still had a sweet tooth that kicked in every now and then, but it was usually brought on when he saw someone else eating candy. Most of the time, he settled for strawberries or ice cream. Vergil, on the other hand, loved chocolate as a kid.

As a matter of fact, there was a time he remembered his brother waking up in the middle of the night and spewing chocolate cake all over the bedroom. Their mother warned them not to eat all of the cake in one sitting, but they were both stubborn. They were still stubborn.

As it was, they were sitting around the table at Nero's for a family get-together. It was the first time in a few months that Kyrie put her foot down and invited all of them over. This included Evan, who had brought a whole bag of chocolate candy with her. Lady tagged along, seeing as she was part of the family, too.

Dante sat between Nero and Vergil, acting as a buffer between the two, while Evan sat across from Vergil with Lady on her left. It was a good setup, and they had finished eating a while ago. Dante smiled when Evan set her bag of candy on the table in front of her.

Oh, this was going to be interesting. His kid was just as devious as he was, and he gave himself credit for it. He could see the look in her eye. She had noticed Vergil's tendency to reach for anything chocolate when it was presented to him. Although, it was a setup.

"Hey, so, how was that trip to Europe, Evan?" Nero asked his cousin, who was busy trying to open the foil wrapper on her piece of candy.

"Oh, it was okay. Nothing I haven't seen before." She had just returned from France two weeks before. Even though she had been to Europe already in search of a way to bring Dante back to human civilization. "Studying abroad is not all its cracked up to be when you've been to all these places before."

"Yeah, I guess that could put a damper on the whole college experience." She nodded at Nero's statement as she popped a candy into her mouth.

"Once you've seen one thing over there, you've seen them all. Isn't that right, Verge?" Dante leaned back in his chair.

"I find Europe to be less exciting than East Asia. You should go there when you can, Evan." Considering his love for anything to do with Japan, Vergil was always quick to recommend the country for top choice in travel. "The food alone is reason enough to go."

"And that is coming from someone who can lower the sushi production in the matter of hours." Dante slapped his brother on the back, hoping Vergil would take the bait. That was when it happened.

Vergil reached for the bag of candy.

Not only did he grab it, but he opened the bag. He looked inside as if no one was paying attention, which they were. In an inconspicuous way while still carrying on in conversation. Dante glanced at Evan with a smirk on his face. The bait had been taken. All that was left was to sit back and watch the show.

"I mean, I'd actually love to go to Japan." Lady spoke up, not really in the loop on the trap that had been set. "I actually love Japanese fashion."

"Patty would definitely agree with you on that, Lady." Evan handed her a piece of candy. "Besides, she was really jealous of me when I went to Paris."

"Is she still not talking to you?" The younger twin asked.

"Sort of." There were the occasional calls and texts, but nothing to say they were back on full speaking terms.

At this point, Vergil had the bag all to himself, and there was a pile of wrappers forming in front of him. There was a very distinct look of mild pleasure on his face. Dante knew his brother well enough to know that Vergil's guard was totally down at this point.

"Uh, Verge... you doing okay over there?" The older twin stopped mid chew as he realized everyone's attention was on him. He looked out the corner of his eye before swallowing and composing himself.

"I'm fine, Dante." He waved at everyone to carry on before grabbing another piece of candy.

"Anyway, on to better things." Dante leaned forward and put his forearms on the table. "I've decided to remodel the shop." There was a smile on his face. "I'm gonna knock out a few walls upstairs, put in a proper bathroom..."

"All things you should have done years ago." Vergil interrupted. "A new refrigerator would be great too."

"Yes, that too... and..." Dante opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted again.

"New flooring." Vergil looked over at his brother. "Furniture wouldn't be a bad idea either. Who knows what has been on that couch in the lobby. And don't get me started on the kitchen. It needs a new stove..." He paused when he realized he was saying too much. Dante was looking at him with an annoyed look on his face. "I'm sorry, were you talking?"

"No, no... go on. Tell me what needs to be replaced." The brothers sometimes got annoyed with each other. However, it was undoubtedly Dante's fault for this. "You sure you're okay? You've eaten a lot of chocolate." The red twin picked up the bag to see how much candy Vergil had actually eaten.

"I'm absolutely fine." Vergil snatched the bag out of his brother's hand and put it aside.

"You're gonna be bouncing off the walls later if you don't stop." There was a smirk on Dante's face at his twins reaction. "Kinda reminds me of that time when we were kids."

"Don't you dare bring that up." The older twin glared. "Dante."

"Oh I won't." Evan could see the mischief in her father's eyes and the challenge in her Uncle's. "Yet." To add insult to injury.

"Need I remind you of the time you ate too many strawberries." That caused Dante's face to instantly pale. The smirk faded into a look of pleading. "I thought so."

"That was a low blow, brother." By now everyone was invested into this whole scene. Lady was at the edge of her seat while Nero was looking on in interest. "That was a really... really... low blow."

"Yeah, well, you started it." Vergil crossed his arms over his chest with what everyone could assume was a pout.

"Did I?" Dante put a hand to his own chest as if he were hurt by the accusation. "You ate over a half a bag of candy and now you're acting like you did when we were kids."

"Who gave Evan the bag of candy?" That was Evan's cue to exit the room, but she only looked at Dante.

And so did everyone else.

"I knew this day was going to come." He looked Evan in the eyes. "My own flesh and blood..." He stood up.

"Did you just stand up?" Evan asked as she stood up herself. "Better sit back down old man."

"You better run... traitor." And just like that, Dante's face hardened. Now Evan decided it was time to run. "Oh no you don't!"

The father ran after his daughter, even though Dante was capable of catching her real quick. Vergil on the other hand, took the bag of candy and held it out for Nero.

"Want some?"

[sonicasura]

At Devil May Cry

Nico was currently inspecting a picture Dante took after an unexpected encounter after finishing up a job

Nico: Hmmmm… You sure this demon is a baby, because they look pretty damn grown up too me.

Dante who was at his desk eating an entire Pizza again ( Much too Vergil's annoyance) re-confirmed what he had told everyone.

Dante: Yup. Trust me I was just as surprised but my senses are rarely wrong on these kinds of things. That demon right there is just a kid.

Nico: Looks at picture again And how often are your senses right?

Dante: Makes a iffy hand gesture Eh about 90% right and 10% wrong. Once my senses tricked me into thinking there was a whole swarm of Wasp Demons but apparently when ever the Wasp Demon shot out it's stinger it acted like a False beacon. I ran around an entire forest chasing down the Wasp Demon, that was one Hell of a Friday Night.

Vergil just gave his brother his signature " Are You Serious" look before continuing on the conversation.

Vergil: While this is certainly unexpected it not the strangest thing. Demons are numerous and come in all shapes and sizes. And while Dante's human senses are as terrible as his taste in food.

Dante: Oh so big brother got jokes now?!

Vergil: His Devil senses are as sharp as can be. If he says his Devil side told him this was a welp than this is a welp.

At this point another voice chimed in.

Lady: Giving Dante a compliment are we Vergil? I'll take that as your guys better getting along.

Dante: It seems everyone's got jokes today. Well any way did are arsenal of friends downstairs have any leads.

Lady just let out a sigh before sitting down on the couch before speaking.

Lady: Unfortunately no. None of the Devil Arms had any info about this Demon. Closest I got was from Lucifier who said it was very much possible that this was a hybrid species if you said that this was a welp. However he followed that up by saying if it is a Hybrid species than there is possibly no information on what species type they are.

Nico: Ya Hybrid species are a real pain in the ass too catalogue. You gotta decipher what species there hybridized with, figure out how many there hybridized and it's just a whole ordeal. Though they are pretty rare.

Everyone nodded at that. Hybrid species were rare for good reason. They had a very hard time surviving in the Underworld. They were prime targets for other demons because they usually didn't fall under the protection of either of there species they were hybrids of. And actually were likely too killed by one of the species they were hybridized with as the demons simply thought this was another demon encroaching on there territory. That along with the fact that hybridized demons gave quite a power boost if a demon ate them and absorbed there power.

The Underworld was one cruel place that is for sure.

Lady: By the way did Nero or Trish call yet?

Dante: Nope Trish isn't back from her informants and I imagine Nero is neck deep in books at the Order's Library.

Trish and Nero had both decided too go and search other avenues for information on the strange demon. Trish decided too go too her informants that were well versed in Demon Species and Biology and Nero went too look at the Order's Library too see if any of the Order's archivist had written down any information that could help identify the Demon.

Nico: Well until then all we can do is wait… actually did even confront the demon Dante?

Dante; Oh that's right you weren't here when I told everyone else. Well I was gonna go up too them but they flew away all of a sudden and I tried too give chase but they somehow gave me the slip, don't how though?

Nico just let out a little hum as she went back too looking over the photo, not realizing all this talk was making daemon sneeze while stargazing.

Daemon wanted too stargaze a bit before heading back home, it was a very beautiful night for the Digimon and there human partner

The Picture

I don't blame Nico for thinking Daemon is fully grown because she ain't exactly wrong. Digimon are quite complicated since some can Digivolve to Mega Stage pretty quickly or is straight up born in said stage when you consider Fusion/Dawn/Dusk/Cyber Sleuth. Imagine being some poor bystander who finds a weird egg and it hatches into a Cherubimon. That small baby is gonna get BIG real quick.

Everyone's having no luck in finding out what kind of demon Daemon is. I just realized something. Since our devil members can tell Sleuth is a whelp no matter the form, the group thinks there's a hybrid nursery roaming around without supervision. The sheer chaos of it.

Also slightly unrelated but I imagine this logic being applied to Kaiju No. 8 crossover. Kafka stumbles upon Siriusmon and Ai's going stir crazy because that strange kaiju smells like a whelp. Or No. 9 fights Baalmon only to pause for a second then just goes "Who left their whelp unattended?"

[demon-blood-youths]

"Vergil!" Ink smiles, eyes lit up. She is happy to see him safe just like Navarro. Her eyes are full of relief and happiness, seeing the blue-clad man safe and whole as well. However...he isn't as stinky as Navarro here. But the two need a bath anyway. Well...more like everyone on her fraction needs a bath after this whole battle against the Lovely Horrors. The blood, dirt and sweat can make anyone stink.

"Good thing to see you guys alright!" Said Rust. The two are on high alert given the amount of Lovely Horror members they run into. So far...it's just Commander Beasts and the Followers. They haven't encountered the Horrors yet.

Since the four are reunited with each other. What's their next plan. They listened to Vergil's direction.

“ We must abscond from open area and find cover firstly, post-haste, ”

Processing what Vergil had said to them. It means they need to get out of the open sight and they need to find cover first. All three teens nod their heads and agree.

"Sure thing!" Ink replied.

"Right," Navarro answered.

"Okay!" Rust nodded.

And so the teens start to run and try to find a nearby building where they take cover. They find a building that has stores inside. A small mall? Yes, this is a good place to take a breather and restore their stamina. Going inside, they see the place completely empty but all the merchandise is there. Not only that, they find some vending machines near the restrooms. Rust goes to elbow the vending machine so the snacks fall so his friends can take some.

"Thanks," Navarro said, taking some chips before eating some. Since they're now regrouped. They need to discuss what they saw and what to do next.

"Guys....I think the Lovely Horrors are here for somethin." Rust begins. Ink is eating a chocolate bar and offers Vergil one if he wants one.

"That's what I was thinking! We ran into a bunch of Followers and they were looking for someone. One of them is carrying a phone as if they trying to identify some guy." He brings it up.

"They're looking for some guy?" Asked the blond.

"Yeah and..we're just in the way." Navarro sighed.

"Hmmm...that's what those twin cats said. Everyone is fighting and Shdwkyz said on the comms that they were searching for someone that stole from the Horrors." Ink said.

"Okay so....now what?" Rust asked. Should they find the person who stole something from the Horrors or try to find the Horrors, to put an end to their terror.

@vischys

𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 but briefly at the bomber’s slip of tongue. It would appear the Phantom youth addressed his demonic apparition with the same appellation. Whilst Vergil had seen the moveset that earned Shdwkyz his sobriquet, he was not privy as to what the teen dubbed it hitherto. Nothing unexpected howbeit, if anything he found it quite natural that the Phantom shared his affinity not just in the choice of weapon but also in ability and nature. Amongst the Youths he had encountered thus far, it was with Shdwkyz whom he perceived a fellowship in spirit.

Though the comical mien upon the irascible youth’s countenance gave him an inkling that the boy was not privy to the extent of his encounter with the Phantom, let alone the fact that he had seen the Slasher’s own brand of demonic double firsthand rather than a secondhand account. Which in turn suggested a deduction that mayhaps the Phantom did not share his matters and kept it to himself, even to his own comrades. Yet another trait that he would find kindred in.

Keep reading

[spardaofmyheart]

I like to think about Vergil sometimes.

Vergil, who’s earliest memory is of his mother singing a lullaby. He can’t remember the words, but sometimes he remembers the melody.

In the quietest of moments, he can almost hear the ghost of a song, and it’s like a needle in his heart.

Vergil at five, trying so hard to be as good as Dante. Be as fast as Dante. Be as strong as Dante. But always falling short, never quite enough to be better.

Dante is always waiting at the end, an outstretched hand, a smile. Always waiting.

Vergil at seven, waiting to be found. It was a game; he was happy. And then there was horror- blood and screaming and terror. It washed away all else.

When Vergil opened his eyes again, he had lost everything.

Vergil at ten, dressed up fine with his hair combed neat, posing for family pictures with people he barely knew. The life he lived now was brilliant, shining like silver in comparison to the hazy images that lingered in the back of his mind. But it was all he knew. So he would endure.

He would hold tight to what he might remember, keep his little secrets close to his chest. Whatever he was, he wouldn’t let it fade away.

Vergil at eighteen, ragged and on his knees as  an inferno burns away his idyllic existence in a roar that drowns out his cries. His memories are shattered, a dizzying mess of two fragmented lives trying to fit into one beneath the curtain of his own loss and despair

But, at last, he knows.

The sword in his hand is an odd sort of comfort. It resonates, like a heartbeat that reverberates in time with the throbbing on his palm. The brand there aches, but somehow it’s familiar. 

When Vergil can finally stand again, the blood on him has dried and cracked, becoming dust. He mourns in silence from then on, with his shoulders back and his eyes forward; his grip on the sword - his now - is tight.  

Vergil at twenty, making his way through whatever Rifts he can find, searching for answers, information. He’s seen the world for what it is - a lie, an illusion.

With each demon that falls by his blade, he thinks he’s that much closer to pulling back the veil. He’s still naive, but he’s getting stronger. 

Still not strong enough.

Vergil at twenty one, wearing the silver lined face of a demon as he cuts down a Hunter. He’s too late, the fire’s burning again and turning his last lead to ash. There’s ice in his veins, frozen fury, but beneath that he’s lost. He has nowhere else to turn, his last hope at finding that last missing piece gone.

Through the chaos around him, Vergil hears her scream. It washes over him like a wave, more than a voice, a pulse that he can feel down to his bones and  deeper. 

It is terror, he's familiar with the sound, but with it is hope. His hope. "I've been searching for you, Kat." 

Vergil at twenty one and already breaking, cracks forming, spider webs on porcelain. There is a storm inside him, angry and merciless, pressing beneath his skin. As he bleeds in the snow, it calls out for more, more. More power, more blood. Too loud, thundering, a voice he can't ignore- She saves him. With a desperate hand and a brilliant light, she pulls him back, tethers him to what is real. A life for a life, a debt paid. 

Vergil at twenty two, pieces missing and hiding from the world. He's not alone anymore, and he's grateful, but it still feels hollow all the same. The voice in his head is louder than ever.

Vergil at twenty two and finally- finally- he's found what he's looking for. His other half, the soul torn from him finally returned. Dante, his twin, whole. And, for a brief time, Vergil is happy.

I think about this boy a lot. I think about how he desperately clung to his humanity, but fell so hard he never noticed it slip from his grasp. I think about what he could be and could've been, had the hands that made him been better.

I just think about him a lot.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

A Ko-fi for @chloranthy-ring. Featuring the Rookie, Vergil, and Sadie post-ODST

-

Round after round of ONI spooks, labcoats, and even some of the troopers had entered the secure backroom of the ship, and then tried and failed to get any information about the Prophets' goals and the Covenant from the newest addition to the UNSC.

The weird glowing gasbag of an alien was somehow a living supercomputer that had absorbed the Superintendent AI of New Mombasa before the whole city had been glassed and was so far above an ODST's paygrade that it was a wonder that Buck and "Ms. Naval Intelligence" had approached (cornered) Rookie while he was trying to sleep and persuaded (coerced) them into taking a crack at it. Buck had made some comment about being the strong silent type and maybe having something in common with the floating gasbag, and Captain Dare had cut him off with a look and all but shoved the still drowsy Rookie into the room. She probably remembered that he was the one who whistled and coaxed the poor thing out of the Data Hive.

It wasn't like they weren't going to get along, Rookie had grown fond of the Superintendent since it had helped him through the burning wreckage of New Mombasa. Limping along 6 hours after the drop went wrong was greatly improved by having the city's AI looking out for him and calling out health kits after he went toe to toe with the Covenant patrols. The little green face spurred him on as he navigated the dark streets and near empty buildings stained with neon blood and graffiti.

Rookie wasn't unsympathetic to the floating engineers before Dare had told him they were basically slaves or prisoners. He'd witnessed what the Brutes did to the other floating squid guys, wrestling them out of the air and strapping them with bombs, and he had done his best to avoid them.

The thing was-- has parts of a human AI assimilated into it. During their journey through the city, they'd picked up the snippets of data it shared via the public tech and learned about the girl, Sadie. How the Superintendent, Vergil, had a subroutine to look out for her, and the events before the fall of New Mombasa. She got out of the city alright, as far as they knew, and ONI was looking for her now because of her connection to it.

Still being shoved into a room with the thing wasn't high up on his list of things Rookie wanted to do today. That being said they were here now and would have to try something before the rest of the humans on the ship attempted another round of interrogations while they searched for the girl.

So he waved at the thing as it floated near the ceiling, humming and trilling as its tentacles danced along the welded seams of the ship and the camera in the corner.

It turned its beady-eyed head towards him and waved back.

Maybe this wouldn't be so hard.

-

So it was a bit harder than he thought. Vergil, the engineer, whatever they were calling it, liked him, but even that didn't make things any easier. It bobbed its head and wiggled and gestured with its tentacles when he tried communicating, but that was no basis for understanding. The glowing creature seemed curious and approached Rookie and even copied some of the hand signs he showed it, but it couldn't explain its own language or the strange marking he'd seen on the walls of the city. And to top it all off, the higher ups did not want to give it any tech to tinker with yet because they weren't sure of its abilities.

A commpad would have helped but apparently the thing was smart enough to hack both human and Covenant networks remotely so for now they had to deal with what they had. Rookie tilted his helmet at Vergil and showed it the sign he made for it. A "V" followed by the sign for "float", since the engineer didn't approve of the sign for "balloon". It chirped, bobbing and trilling as it copied the sign and waggled its tendrils.

Then it moved its tentacles in a strange approximation of familiar enough motions; a tendril flattening out and pushing towards him followed by one tapping another in a perpendicular fashion and then two tendrils moving back and forth from left to right as the alien tilted its head questioningly.

The damn thing just asked him his name.

Rookie rocked back on his heels for a moment, helmet lifted in surprise, and then he signed his initials. "JD"

-

"It's been a few days of those two staring at each other in total silence and you're telling me they've learned how much from the squid?

"Well, if you knew who was on your squad you might know about their background with nonverbal communication.”

"Well yeah, the kid's real quiet, helluva a trooper though. Don't see how that got the gasbag to open up."

"Sign language, Buck. He used sign language because Vergil could understand it and the engineer is Vergil."

"Oh. How was I supposed to know?"

"Read your team's files. Or read the reports I send you."

"Ow! Hey, Veronica--"

-

Vergil misses Sadie. The engineer- huragok -explains once they let it have a datapad. It hacks into a secure covenant facility, downloads a huge amount of data even human AI couldn't hope to access, and gets the UNSC the information they wanted about the artifact Truth uncovered.

Once communication is a bit easier, Quick to Adjust introduces itself and asks after Sadie, even offering to help find her if it meant she was protected. Vergil is there, amalgamated into the being that is Quick to Adjust, seemingly making the alien biocomputer a bit more friendly to humans and willing to cooperate. It doesn't hurt that the trooper that helped bring it in was the one it was watching over after the attack on the city began and that same trooper has been teaching it sign.

It missed having companions. Later that day, JD teaches it another sign; one tentacle on top of another clasping it once before flipping the limbs over and repeating the action once. Friend.

-

The UNSC finds Sadie nearly a week later, and Rookie can't help but feel for her when sees her escorted in after a series of briefings. The familiar sting of sympathetic grief pangs in his chest. This time it's different from the nameless dead and missing since he heard her story, followed her path around the darkened streets of Mombasa, and looking into her eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep or grief he doesn't know.

She's only a few years younger than him and it shows, but so does her courage when she squares her shoulders and marches up to where Rookie is leaning against the wall with arms crossed as they try to doze outside Vergil's room.

"I've been told in no uncertain terms I'm supposed to work with an alien that's also the Superintendent. I've been talked at and talked over for hours so just open the door and let me see what I have to work with."

Rookie stands and uncrosses his arms with a nod, and turns, knocking on the door three times. It slides open near silently and a curious trill sounds from inside as a soft pink glow nears.

Sadie lifts her head and enters with almost no hesitation and Rookie follows in time to see Quick To Adjust stop fiddling with its specialized harness and nearly drop a datapad.

It recovers and brightens, bioluminescence glowing as it taps out a message and a familiar robotic voice chimes, "Hello Sadie."

"Vergil?"

-

Now also on ao3!

[much-obliged-timothy]

Devil May Cry: Unexpected Ties Part 4

Read Part 1 here!

*

It was growing late, the sky darkening above them and the night growing chillier. Nero had shed his robe, but he pulled it over his legs to keep them warm now. 

“I should probably get you back,” Dante said, stretching. 

“Just a little longer?” Nero said, quickly. “We can stay a little longer. No one will notice I’m gone.”

Dante didn’t buy that. The adults had come for Nero the other night, and that little girl looked like she’d search every crack and crevice for Nero if he was late getting back. 

But he looked so anxious at the thought of leaving, Dante just shrugged. “Sure. Punishment’s on your head though, kid.”

Nero relaxed, relief in his eyes. “Nah, I won’t get in trouble.”

Dante wondered if he should be a mature adult and return the young child back home at a reasonable hour. Then he dismissed the thought and decided the kid could stay out late, if it made him happy.

Nero was swinging his legs, as even with how short the stump was, they didn’t touch the ground. He spoke well for his age, but little moments like that kept reminding Dante just how young the boy actually was. 

In his days of observing, Dante saw the boring lives the people of Fortuna lived. The idea of Nero growing up to be just another robed knight in the Order made his stomach twist.

He tried to cut off those thoughts. He couldn’t just take the kid away. 

He thought of Vergil. If Vergil could not control the fate of his life, perhaps his son could.

“You ever been outside Fortuna before, kid?” Dante asked.

Nero shook his head. “I’ve been here my whole life.”

“You make it sound like a long time,” Dante said, snorting. 

Nero swiped his finger by his nose, as if trying to brush off his embarrassment and put his tough act back into place. “Nah. But it’s still the only place I’ve ever been.” The tough act slipped. “What…about you? Have you been a lot of places, Dante?”

“I’ve been around,” Dante said casually.

“Really?” He had Nero’s full, wide-eyed attention now. “Can you tell me about the places you’ve been? I saw a picture once in a book of a beach. Have you ever been to one?”

Jeez, this poor kid had been stuck in this godforsaken place his whole short life. Dante sighed, then fixed a grin on his face and launched into stories of places he’d been.

He exaggerated what he did at those places, just a teeny tiny bit, but he made sure his descriptions were as honest and accurate as possible. Nero hung on his every word, leaning closer and closer to him in amazement as he spoke. 

Dante was so caught up in Nero’s wonder, he didn’t notice the demon until it attacked.

It lunged forward at them and Dante snatched Nero into his arms, kicking off the stump and turning his shoulder so the demon’s attack caught his arm instead of Nero. Nero clutched Dante’s coat, his eyes still wide but filled with fright instead of wonder now.

Dante scowled at the demon. “Excuse you. We were having a conversation.”

The demon jerked forward, raising a blade where an arm should’ve been and chopping viciously at Dante. Dante leapt back, Nero tightening his hold on Dante’s coat.

Dante didn’t have his sword on him, and with Nero secured in his arms, the best he could do was one gun. Still, it would be enough if he could stay out of range long enough. He shifted Nero’s weight to one arm and pulled out a gun with his free one, firing at the demon.

Nero pressed his head to Dante’s chest, clapping one hand over his ear at the noise. He was trembling in Dante’s grasp.

But then he pulled his hand away from his ear as the demon attacked again, nearly getting another hit in on Dante. Nero shoved at his chest.

“Lemme down! Lemme down!” he cried. 

“Nero-” Dante started.

“I’m slowing you down!” he said anxiously. “Lemme down!”

Well, the kid wasn’t wrong. Dante sighed. “Fine. But you hide, or else I kick your ass when I’m done kicking this thing’s ass.”

He spun out of range again and set Nero down in a fluid motion, grabbing his other gun and resuming firing. Nero darted behind a tree stump, crouching down and peeking over.

The demon managed to get in too close to Dante. He really wished he had his damn sword. He didn’t want the gunfire to draw any Fortuna citizens to their location. They were far enough from the town they should be okay, but it was still a risk he didn’t want to take.

The demon reared back to hit him, then jerked its head towards Nero before it could. Nero was standing up, a large rock in his hand. He whipped it at the demon, looking frightened and triumphant when it struck.

“I said-” Dante started in irritation.

“I’m still hidin’.”

Stubborn. So damn stubborn. His father would be so proud.

Still, it gave Dante a chance to fire on the demon. The demon swung out and Dante ducked under the blade, rolling out of range.

When he came up, he realized his mistake.

It hadn’t pursued him; it had used its own momentum to launch itself at Nero.

Nero tried to run, and the child had surprising speed. But those tiny legs of his just couldn’t carry him quite fast enough.

The attack caught his arm and he cried out in pain as he hit the ground hard, rolling and clutching at his arm. He tried to push himself to his feet to run again, kicking out with his legs to get the demon away from him.

There was no need; faster than he knew he could move, Dante was between Nero and the demon. He raised both guns and fired, fired, fired. Fired until the demon was no more.

Dante turned and knelt beside Nero. Nero had that stubborn set to his face, sniffling as he sat up.

“I’m fine!” he said, his voice firm despite the tears in his eyes. 

“‘Course you are,” Dante said. “Let me see, though.”

Nero tentatively held his injured arm out. The wound was long and deep, but not deep enough to need stitches. Blood dripped down Nero’s arm.

Dante felt a flare of anger. He shoved it down and took Nero’s arm, grabbing some napkins he’d grabbed when he got the pizza. He wiped away the blood the best he could, then pressed several napkins to the wound for lack of a bandage. He took Nero’s hand and pressed it over the napkins to keep them in place.

“Yea, definitely want to clean that,” Dante said. “Let’s get you back home before that gets infected. This wouldn’t have happened if you just hid.”

“It was attacking you,” Nero said, wiping at his eyes with his free arm. 

“Kid, I can handle myself,” Dante said, gesturing to his guns.

“I couldn’t just stand there and not help!” he argued.

He’d been so scared, but he’d acted anyway. Dante couldn’t help but grin at the kid.

“You’re kind of badass,” he announced.

Nero pulled his shoulders back, eyes still wet from the tears but proud at the praise. “I’m not gonna run.”

Dante ruffled his hair. Definitely a descendant of Sparda. Definitely a stubborn little brat of Vergil’s. 

“C’mon, kid. You got my back?” Dante said.

Nero nodded, his lip quivering as he put more pressure on his wound, tears springing back to his eyes at the pain. He choked them back with an admirable effort. Dante hated whoever made Nero feel like his tears were such a thing to be ashamed of.

“Uh-huh. I got your back,” Nero promised.

Nero kept close to Dante as they walked, but noticeably hung back just enough that he could keep an eye out behind them. Dante glanced at his injured arm.

He was glad the kid was mostly okay. But with a wound like that, it would raise questions. Nero couldn’t hide it. 

Ah, hell. This would definitely complicate things.

[thoodleoo]

Today our lecturer told us about alternate myths where aeneas betrays Troy, and how that's arguably referenced in aeneid book 2 (aeneas wearing greek armour, seeing the treasure in Priam's fallen palace). I don't think personally that it's a case of Aeneas lying to Dido and that he is ~actually evil~ lol but I think it's interesting when considering Aeneas as character who has to deal w temptation/a more 'Achilles' side that he gives into when killing turnus. thots?

OH NOW THIS IS A THOT.....

this alternate mythology of aeneas’s betrayal is interesting bc we don’t know where it comes from really...some people think it’s referenced in the iliad in a quote where aeneas is apparently unhappy with how priam is treating him BUT that particular section may be a later addition to the poem so. who knows!

given that vergil is who he is he probably knew of the alternate tradition and may well have considered it when writing the aeneid BUT i don’t think that the book 2 episode where aeneas is wearing greek armor is necessarily a reference to that (after all it’s not even aeneas’s idea to put on the greek armor, it’s coroebus’; if vergil wanted to make that reference he would’ve had aeneas be the one to suggest the idea).

i think it’s a really fun idea to consider but ultimately it’s not the sort of thing that vergil’s aeneas would do. he is a man known above all else for his pietas, and to betray his people in exchange for power is the opposite of pietas. when we see aeneas fail in the aeneid, he doesn’t fail out of some sort of desire for power or glory in the way that achilles fails. he is not the achilles of the first half of the iliad whose failure comes from hubris. instead aeneas is the achilles of the second half of the iliad whose failures as a hero are inspired by his great love of other people.

think about it: when aeneas fails to leave carthage, he does so because he has fallen in love with dido (and a bit with carthage as a whole). when jupiter sends mercury to get aeneas’s butt in gear, he specifically tells mercury that if the thought of glory won’t make him leave, remind him that he owes this to his son. the implication is that aeneas may well have discarded the idea of ruling his own nation to be with dido if it weren’t for the fact that he cares too much about his family. it’s not a search for glory that compels aeneas’s actions in carthage; it’s the conflict between his love for dido and his love for troy.

similarly, when aeneas kills turnus, it’s his love for pallas and his desire to avenge pallas’s death that drives him to kill turnus. aeneas’s natural instinct is not to be cruel- his first thought is to spare this man kneeling before him. it’s only when he sees the sword-belt that he gives in to rage. only when his love for pallas (whom he calls meorum, “one of my own”) overwhelms him do we see aeneas stray from the more honorable action.

ultimately it’s a fun tradition to explore, but given how vergil writes aeneas, i honestly don’t see much of a place for it in the aeneid!

[blackrose343]

Something Different

Warnings: None

Devil May Cry - Vergil x GN! Reader

Fanfic Summary: Everyday has been feeling the same. So you decided to do something different tonight: play Scrabble.

1,387 words

I started to play Scrabble recently with my boyfriend and family. While playing, I thought this would be a cute date night idea with Vergil.

Note: If I remember correctly, I think today’s Scrabble game comes in a red box. The Scrabble game in this fanfic is based on the one I have. It’s an old deluxe version with a lazy Susan built into it. (That came in a blue box.)

Barely audible classical music greeted you from your hard day at work. As always you found Vergil on the couch reading his book. Without looking up, Vergil motioned for you to join him. Eagerly, you made your way to the couch. Vergil lifted his arm so you could cuddle with him. You plopped on the couch, gave him a kiss, then rested your head on his shoulder. Once you were settled, Vergil read to you.

Vergil’s calming voice was always welcomed but you wished he would read something else once in a while. He read this book so many times, he could recite the whole thing from memory. You never said anything because you understood the importance of the book. It was just that it was becoming a bit too...boring? No, you always enjoyed listening to poems by William Blake. You just wanted to listen to something different once in a while.

Now that you were thinking about it, you started to realize your life was currently on repeat. Wake up, go to work, spend the evening with Vergil, and go to bed. Each evening with Vergil was the same: dinner, then cuddle on the couch. There were occasional date nights here and there. Just not often enough for your liking. Maybe you needed more of those. Or just something different to do.

What else is there to do that both of you would enjoy? TV? No, Vergil wasn't too fond of it. Take a walk? Not now, it was pouring. Play a game? Maybe...Does Vergil know how to play any? You had an inkling Vergil might not be too familiar with videogames. He was still getting used to technology with Nero's and Nico's help. The only other option was board games or playing cards.

You tapped Vergil indicating you needed to get up. You headed straight for your junk drawer in the kitchen. Your search for playing cards interfered with the music playing and Vergil’s reading. You tried your best to be as quiet as possible. The rustling of items ruined your attempt to do so. After taking your arm out empty handed, you darted to the bedroom. Vergil looked at you quizzically, wondering what you were up to.

After searching your nightstand, you gave up looking for the playing cards. You opened your closet, eyeing all your board games. Most games you had would be fun with 3 or more people. Some you weren't sure if Vergil would be interested in (or understand).

You rearranged your games to get a better view of the ones in the back. Little dust clouds attacked your face. You waved your hand back and forth during a coughing fit. Near the end, Vergil entered the room to see if you were okay. “Dear, are you-”

"THERE IT IS!" You handed Vergil the dark blue box. You used your sleeve to wipe the light layer of dust off. You took the box from Vergil, then headed to the dining table. Vergil’s curiosity led him to follow you without thinking.

"Scrabble" being revealed brought a nostalgic smile to your face. You used to play this with your grandparents during your teens. Your intention was to improve your spelling. Although you soon figured out some interesting words that you would have never guessed existed. Some of the words were challenged. If the challenged word was in the Scrabble dictionary, all of you would laugh at some of the definitions.

You haven’t played for quite some time. You rarely had time. Work dominated your life. Most of the free time you had, you wanted to lie down and relax. When you did find time to play, not many people you knew wanted to. (Or weren’t much of an opponent.)

"Want to play Scrabble?" Your nostalgic smile turned into a sheepish one. You silently hoped Vergil would at least be willing to play one round. You believed he would be a challenge and enjoy the game.

A tiny smile crept across Vergil. He gave you a light peck on the forehead, then took a seat. "Of course."

"Do you know how to play?" Vergil nodded while taking the board out of the box. You were a bit shocked yet should have known he would know how to play. What you didn't know was that he has been playing this game on the smartphone Nero got him. Vergil would never brag but he wouldn't deny he was pretty good at Scrabble.

You shook the bag before taking a lettered tile out of the bag. You showed Vergil your letter, then placed the bag in front of him. "I got 'E'. You pick one."

"J." Both of you placed your tiles back into the bag. You shook it once more then both of you got 7 tiles each. Vergil turned the board to you as you rearranged your letters to come up with a word. You lightly chewed your cheek. You didn't have the worst letter combination. But it could be better. You could come up with something but it wasn't going to get you many points. Eh, nothing to worry about too much right now since it was the first turn. You placed your word on the board then let Vergil take his turn.

Vergil proved to be a bigger challenge than you anticipated. (Or maybe your skills for this game declined.) Throughout the game you attempted to get control of the board. You meticulously placed your tiles to prevent Vergil from using multiple point spaces. While at the same time trying to keep them open for yourself.

Somehow Vergil was able to get points from words you would never have thought of playing. Some of the words you challenged but they were in the Scrabble dictionary. To mess with him a bit, you asked him to pronounce some of the words. Of course his pronunciation was perfect. Your attempts made Vergil laugh. You threw some potato chips at him in retaliation.

Laughter soon changed to stubborn silence. Both of you became determined to beat the other. Vergil tried to claim the triple word space, along with all the additional letter points. You knew you wouldn't get all of them so you continued to prevent him from doing so. You managed to prevent him from using the triple word on the left side of the board by playing "jeer". The "J" was placed on the triple letter score, making the word's total 33 points.

Vergil's brow furrowed when he watched you play "jeer". You didn’t make the board any better for him. He drew the ‘Q’ after his last turn. He didn't have a "U" and there were no free ones on the board. To top it, he suspected “jeer” put you further into the lead. Vergil’s situation was not looking too good. Especially since the game was at its end.

Vergil couldn't trade letters because you just took the last of them. He knew you wouldn’t trade any with him. Skipping his turn was not an option. You only had 2 tiles left. He was not going to let you run out of tiles before him. Vergil leaned back into his chair as he continued thinking of what to do.

Knowing Vergil was struggling with the "Q" brought a smile to your face. You believed Vergil was trying his best to hide his frustration. Too bad it was obvious.

Vergil's eyes narrowed when he heard you chuckle with amusement. Instantly you covered your mouth since you couldn't stop yourself. Vergil's eyes softened when he saw you were enjoying yourself.

You saw an open "I" on the board. Vergil could play "Qi" for 11 points. You wondered why he didn’t do it. Maybe he didn’t think it was a word? "Take your time. I know you're trying to get rid of the 'Q'."

“Hmm…” It felt like minutes since it became Vergil’s turn. He was at his wits end. To not keep you waiting any longer, he settled for playing “tap”.

"You sure? You know after my turn, I win?"

"I do." After you played your last word, Vergil totaled the scores. A victorious smile spread across your face when you saw the scores. You beat Vergil by 5 points. You excitedly kissed Vergil from across the table. “Next time, I will win.”

[icycoldninja]

Hey, I read your rules, but there was no way to signify whether or not your requests were open that I could see. If they're not, feel free to ignore this, but I've had a thought about the DMC boys.

What would it be like dating them throughout the years? Like your relationship starts in game one and how it evolved through game 5?

Again, feel free to ignore if you want, have a good night/day/evening/morning!

Oh, that's OK. Requests are open for now. Enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Reader longtime relationship headcannons

WARNING: MAAAAAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL THE GAMES!!

¤ Dante ¤

-Let us remember that the DMC timeline is not in the same order as the games. When you first met Dante, he would have been in his late teens, during the events of DMC3.

-He would undoubtedly be very depressed and push you away after Vergil "dies", but you're committed enough to date someone like him, so you'll find a way to get him to open up to you.

-You'd end up accompanying him through almost every mission, spending your downtime at Devil May Cry, trying to keep the place clean. Of course, you'll also be working really hard to try and pay off his debts.

-You were by his side when he fought Nelo Angelo, being the only one he could truly rely on after that incident, and you were also one of the first besides Dante himself to meet Nero.

-By this point, he would be much older and much wiser, his depression now masked by an air of comedic flamboyance and extroversion. He does a great job fooling everyone else, but not you. You see right through him, but you don't really care. He's been your Dante since the beginning of this saga and he always will be.

-You'll watch him dive off the top of the Qliphoth with his brother whom he thought he lost, and you'll smile, silent tears of both nostalgia and sadness running down your cheeks. You guys have grown so much throughout the years. He started out as a disrespectful punk, much like Nero is today, and now he's grown into a seasoned middle aged man, but he's still your Dante.

-Will you ever get to see each other again? Most would tell you that you would not, but knowing that pizza-crazed idiot, he'll find a ridiculous way to come back home to you.

■ Vergil ■

-You met Vergil during his travels for MOTIVATION, as he searched for POWER. He did not want to get involved with a pathetic human such as yourself, but you stuck around anyway, and managed to make him get used to you.

-Yes, this does mean you are Nero's mother, and yes, originally, you guys planned to be a happy family before he began overthinking and worrying too much.

-He did try to warn you after Nero was born that sticking around him was foolish, and that you would only get hurt, but you didn't care. Turns out, he was right. You had the displeasure of watching him fall off the Temen-ni-gru to what you could only presume was his death.

-Heartbroken, you then sent Nero to an orphanage while you searched for a way to enter Hell and against all odds, you succeeded. You were met with horrors and challenges unlike anything you'd ever seen before down there, but you persevered for the sake of your loved one.

-You found him strung up in chains, the Yamato lying brokenn on the ground nearby, his body bruised and broken. You tried to free him, but Mundus appeared and commanded his demons to take you away. By the time you'd escaped and returned, he was gone.

-Thankfully, you never had to witness your beloved turn into Nelo Angelo, because honestly, the chances of your mental state surviving that whole ordeal is less than 10%.

-You would have had a tearful reunion when he came back, but he had higher priorities: destroying the Qliphoth. He'll be back soon, you reasoned, as you held your grumbling son in your arms, leading him back to the van. He always returns--he has to.

□ Nero □

-Your relationship with Nero really isn't that complicated.

-You guys met in the orphanage where he was abandoned by his very thoughtless mother, and grew closer as you got older.

-You comforted him when he was bullied by the other kids, oftentimes fighting back with insultes just as vile as the ones they threw at him.

-You are the only person Nero never gets mad at. You're an angel in his eyes for sticking by his side for so long, so he can't find it in his heart to snap at you.

-By the time he meets Dante and joins him as a fellow devil hunter, you guys are ready to elope. While your wedding plans get sidetracked by Urizen's emergence and the loss of Nero's arm, you're still madly in love.

-You were once again at his side, helping him while he struggled to cope with the fact that the very demon he had been attempting to kill was part of his dad all along, and continued to support him as he watched the only family he ever knew leap off a demonic tree, presumably never to be seen again.

-You still plan to get married, but Nero wants to wait until Dante and Vergil return so they can be present at the ceremony.

● V ●

-Your relationship with V may have been short, but in that small amount of time, you made extremely precious memories.

-You met him a few days after his birth, deciding to approach him after seeing him wandering around with that bird of his.

-Introducing yourself was one of the smartest decisions you'd ever made, for it opened the gateway to a beautiful friendship and passionate romance.

-You only knew him for a month or so, but it felt like you'd known each other forever. He just understood you in ways you never understood yourself.

-You help each other through your respective problems; he gives great advice and you help him walk on days when he simply cannot move properly on his own.

-Watching him return to Vergil was one of the saddest moments of your life, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that he's not dead, simply gone.

-Besides, Vergil can summon him again whenever he wishes, so perhaps if you befriend him, he'll give you your precious poet back.

[i-am-the-letterman]

Hello! Can I request (platonic) Dante x Brother!Depressed!Reader x Vergil? (No incest, only platonic). Reader is third twin and not into siblings rivalship, he’s always trying to help his brothers and being kind to everyone. How would Vergil and Dante react that they find out that their brother using antidepressants for years and he’s standing on thin ice to have mental break down?

Yes, yes, of course! I did some research on both depression itself as well as what it is exactly the antidepressants do so I'm hoping I got this accurately. You also did not specify what kind of depression reader deals with so I tried to keep it ambiguous.

I typed it out as hcs but it can be read more like a small fic. Reader has blue eyes to match his brother's but the rest of the appearance is up to you! There will be some swearing so you have been warned!

I uh- Have no idea how to do the cut on mobile so if these topics make anyone uncomfortable please just scroll really fast away from it!

I couldn't find any artwork at the moment so instead I'm using the picture of a figurine

{⚠︎TW⚠︎}

How Dante and Vergil would react to finding their brother's antidepressants.

☯︎ So first thing first, you were the third born Sparda child and the twin brother of Vergil and Dante Sparda.

☯︎ You aren't one for the more rivalling side of your brothers and tended to stray away from that. Instead you would help both of them in any way you could.

☯︎ With that emotional neglect and whatever traumas that may have come with assisting your brothers

☯︎ But you had the habit of neglecting you own needs as a person. Your brothers were so caught up in their own rivalry that they tended to forget that you were a person too.

☯︎ When you finally went to see a doctor after a few visits they finally decided to put you on the standard antidepressants.

☯︎ You would keep them hidden from both of your brothers, either behind something or in a bag. Anywhere you knew where they wouldn't look was where you would keep them

☯︎ At first you felt some of the side effects of the medication. Nausea, fatigue, and irritability. None of it was too bad but it was very off putting at first.

☯︎ It has been a few years since you've started taking the antidepressants and now the only noticable side effects that you had were, insomnia and fatigue and irritability. Sometimes you would also get jittery or shaky but that wasn't very common.

☯︎ Dante was oblivious to the whole ordeal, thinking that maybe you were just stressed from everything. It wasn't until Vergil pointed anything out for him to realize.

☯︎ Vergil caught on after a while that you weren't the same person you were before, but it wasn't until he and Dante accidentally stumbled upon one of your pill bottles that they knew what was really going on.

☯︎ In all honesty Dante felt like an idiot, and even Vergil felt bad. They had been forcing their rivalry onto you for so long, not caring about how you felt.

☯︎ Vergil was the first to confront you about it. Maybe not in the best way though...

☯︎ You were panicking, looking for you antidepressants, swearing that you had them hidden behind the bandages in the bathroom cabinet.

☯︎ Vergil would knock on the door, asking what was taking you so long, even though he knee full well what it was. It wasn't until you opened up the door and tried to shove past him to continue your search when he grabbed onto your arm.

☯︎ "Are you looking for these?" He'd ask holding the pill bottle in front of you. When you went to reach for them he pulled his arm back so you couldn't reach. "Not so fast, brother. How come you've hidden these from us? It's unlike you to be so secretive," His tone was his typical void of any emotion aside from bitterness tone. Staring you down with the same blue eyes as your own.

☯︎ "It didn't matter, there was no need to worry about it so I just kept them away from you" You responded trying to reach for them once more, your hands were visibly trembling and your voice was shaking as well just a bit.

☯︎ "What do you mean 'It didn't matter'? you are our brother, y/n. And while I might despise Dante, I do not despise you. You should not have been hiding anything from either of us" He'd go on to say, Dante coming down the hallway casually before noticing what was going on.

☯︎ The other twin grabbed onto your other arm, pulling you away from Vergil. "Hey, hey, the hell are you doing?"

☯︎ Dante released the arm he was holding, leading you to reach once more. "I said it didn't matter, Vergil. It will never matter, just give them back! Thing won't get better if you just keep them from me!" You would yell, finally getting a hold on the bottle. You were now trembling more, clutching the antidepressants close to your chest.

☯︎ "Calm down," Dante said as he reached out to touch your shoulder, only for you to jerk back into the wall.

☯︎ The pain from hitting the wall and the overall stress from the situation caught up to you as you slid down, bringing your knees to your chest.

☯︎ "Shit" Dante cursed, kneeling down, Vergil following a moment after. "You don't have to explain if you aren't comfortable with it. Don't listen to the bullshit Vergil says,"

☯︎ Vergil scoffed, glaring at Dante. "As if you have any better advice or solutions. We can't help unless we know the problem," "Yes we can, Verg-" "No, we cannot-"

☯︎ "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You guys are the problem! " You shouted once more, glaring up at your two brothers. Tears were starting to form and you began to wipe them away.

☯︎ "All you guys have done over the years is fight...I understand having a rivalry, but you take into no consideration how you're actions effect other people! For so long I've been giving up my life for the both fo you! I'm a person too! I have emotional needs and I have so many weaknesses!" At this point you had stopped trying to wipe the tears away.

☯︎ "I feel so selfish saying it too..." Your brothers stared at you for a few moments, making you shrink further into yourself.

☯︎ "We fucked up..." Dante mumbled, reaching out once more in a less abrupt way. He rubbed your shoulder a little bit before moving his hand back.

☯︎ "Listen I-" Vergil started before getting nudged by Dante "We apologise, we should have put you into consideration instead of using you as a tool. I promise you we will be more aware of your emotions from now on," Vergil said, repeating the actions of Dante and patting your other shoulder.

☯︎ "As much as I hate to say, Verg is right, we were the ones being selfish here and we royally fucked up. If you don't forgive us right now that's alright, we won't force you to. But hey, we can still work through this"

☯︎ You nodded as they both spoke, looking up at them both as you trued to wipe your tears once more. "I don't forgive either of you now... It'll take a while for me to... But I am willing to try and work things out little by little,"

Oh goodness, this is so bad- They are so ooc- I'm so sorry if this isn't quite what you wanted. I'm not very educated on the topic and even after researching I was having some trouble.

[keeroo92]

Breaking Point

My SFW contribution to @jackpot-dantezine, where Dante falls apart on the way to confront Urizen.

Word count: 1,909

-------

The air hung stagnant around him, oppressive and unnaturally warm. Shades of red and brown, grey and a sickening green encroached up the walls. When he called the smell, “hot garbage”, he’d been far too kind. Veins pulsated a stern drumbeat as Dante stepped forward after his two female companions. 

“Bet you both I bag the first Queen!” Lady taunted. Trish responded with a cool smirk and a quickened pace, but Dante’s mind was elsewhere.

What if it was Vergil?

Dante had his doubts, despite what the weirdo client told him. What were the chances, right? Vergil’d been gone for years, stuck in hell after their last meeting. Getting back here, let alone in good enough shape to pull off this bullshit, was a longshot.

Still. His brother had a way of popping up and causing trouble. 

The first boom of battle ricocheted off the nauseating walls, reminding him where he was and what he still needed to do. He’d better catch up. Thinking about shit wasn’t his style; killing demons was. 

Time for a good ol’ fashioned beat down, that’d get him out of this funk. 

Dante cracked his neck, hands twitching to grasp the twin handles of his beloved Ebony and Ivory. The staccato thud of his boots mirrored the thudding of his heart, hastening as he got closer to a fight.

He turned a bloody corner just in time to see Trish deal a death blow to a Hell Judecca, its skeletal arms dissolving into ash as she spun to find her next prey. Her signature yellow sparks glowed brightly from her hands, her body dashing across the blood-stained ground to strike a pair of Antenora. Show off.

“That puts me ahead by two, Lady! What, are you taking a nap?” the blonde called.

“Not even close!” Lady replied, firing her bazooka straight down the throat of a Caina.

Dante grinned and picked a target, spinning on his heel as a scythe hunted his flesh. Too easy. He twirled Ebony and shot the ugly bastard in the face behind his back. Why did all demons look like the ass end of a bad burrito, anyway?

Eh, who cared?

His heart lurched. Vergil would. When they were children, Dante’s brother never ran out of questions about the nature of demons. He’d asked everything imaginable, from how they fought to how they multiplied. 

Dante tried not to think about that part.

And for every question Vergil asked, their dad had an answer. He’d stop whatever he was doing to explain, smiling proudly all the while. Like Dante wasn’t even there. It used to annoy him, but now the memory only brought bittersweet longing. What he wouldn’t give for them all to be together again…

“Dante, duck!”

Leather snapped as Dante instantly dropped to a crouch. A stream of fire licked his flesh, a Hell Bat above screeching its displeasure at the near miss. Annoying bastard. He never should've let it get so close. 

I gotta keep it together, he thought cynically, or the girls will get on my case.

Plus, banter always helped keep his mind from visiting its darker corners.

The man in red summoned a smirk and fired a few rounds, his bullets poking holes in the bulging orange belly overhead. A sound not unlike a whoopee cushion signaled his success. Nice.

“Sayonara, sucker!” he crowed, watching as the bat’s leaking body propelled it into a wall to explode. “Let’s call that one twenty points.”

“No way, lazybones! You don’t get extra for making fart noises,” Lady called with a scowl. 

Dante raised his hands in a placating gesture as soot settled to mark the deaths of their foes. He hoped Ver- Urizen sent a few more their way; he needed to warm up before kicking the king’s ass. Maybe he should stretch, just to keep his blood flowing.

Dante sighed and shook his head. He’d never hear the end of it.

It turned out he didn’t need to worry; as the trio progressed, they encountered wave after wave of demons, all vying for fresh blood. Trish and Lady didn’t falter, picking off one after another as Dante did his best to stay on task, but his mind kept drifting back to his brother.

For decades, Dante held only anger at his twin for not being there, for forcing their mother to search for him. To a child, the immature logic made sense. If Vergil hadn’t run off, things would’ve turned out differently. Simple cause and effect.

But time dulled the blade of his rage, and a broader understanding of life took hold. Any number of choices may have changed the outcome of the attack, but obsessing over it wouldn’t change what happened.

None of them had the power to predict the consequences, or to change them. All he could do was keep fighting, and hope that by doing so he spared other families from sharing the fate of his own. 

If Dante was being honest, the constant battles tired him. His body didn’t move like it used to, and the first aches of middle age warned him it was time to slow down. He couldn’t chase demons forever, and part of him didn’t want to. It was a lot of work.

It might be time to leave it to someone younger.

Then again, what the fuck else was he going to do all day? The only thing worse than being tired was being bored.

And the thought of retiring while Vergil was still out there somewhere, doing who knew what… it didn’t feel right, as if the balance would shift to the demons and they’d go unchecked. As a descendant of Sparda that gave a shit about humanity, Dante felt a certain responsibility to bear the weight of defending them. It was what his dad would’ve wanted.

What his mother would’ve wanted.

Besides; if he didn’t, then who would? Nero sure as hell wasn’t ready, not yet. 

But above all else, if it came to a fight to the death, his brother deserved to go at the hands of his family. Someone who understood what he’d gone through and all that he’d lost. It was Dante’s responsibility, and he damn well wasn’t hiding from it. Not this time. 

The thought left a hollow ache in his chest, a bitter sorrow he desperately wished he could ignore. If there was any alternative, any chance of helping his brother instead of ending his life, Dante knew he’d take it. That he had to even consider killing Vergil showed how twisted life could be. It made him want to scream. 

“Aw, shit,” Trish said, breaking his rambling thoughts. A quartet of Nobody’s waited in the next clearing, scurrying back and forth like excited cats. Perfect timing - Dante hated these guys.

And he really needed to kill something.

He flew at the demons with a cry of fury, drawing all four to him as he pulled Rebellion out. The girls followed in his wake, but he saw nothing save the nearest mask as his blade struck home. It left a deep crack in the clay, but the prick backed off before he had the time to kill it.

He really hated these guys. 

“Lady, finish him!” he cried. The other three were already swarming him. Damnit.

He dodged a stray arm and slashed at another as a blast reached his ears. The grotesque floor shook from the force and Dante roared, unleashing a vicious series of slices at the stumbling Nobody closest to him. It whimpered and tried to back off, but he refused to let it go that easily. Rebellion’s heavy blade sank deep into the creature’s core, splattering hot blood on its fellows and its killer alike. Two down. 

Two to go. 

There were days he didn’t see the point of it anymore; no matter how many would-be demon kings he took down, there’d always be another, and the peons were even worse. Useless, feral things, their only desire to destroy and kill.

It only added fuel to the fire of his rage. He needed to get closer.

Dante sheathed Rebellion and pulled at the thread of dark energy connecting him to Balrog, summoning the metallic pseudo-armor even as he threw a powerful punch. A rapid kick followed, his feet cracking against the reddish mask of the third nobody. He’d kill it before it fought back.

But a fiery blast on his left hurled him to the side, the last demon cackling as he fell. Years of getting pummeled proved their worth as Dante rolled with the blow, using the momentum to get on his feet a beat later. He grimaced and flipped a finger at the laughing jerk. 

“Is that all you got?” he shouted. Who knew if it understood.

It screeched and slammed a limb at him, slashing at his chest. He stepped aside and brought his arms together, crushing the appendage and tugging the beast closer for a solid headbutt. He punched and kicked, again and again. Demon blood splattered his face, each drop like a balm to his wrath. The chaotic battle surrounding him faded away; it was just him and the demon and the sounds of his strikes pulverizing its desecrated body. 

“Dante?” Lady called, her voice barely piercing the fog of his anger. He ignored her and punched the Nobody in the face again. “Dante, it’s dead. You can stop hitting it now.”

How many people had this one killed? How many families did its hunger shatter? For all Dante knew, it might be the bastard that killed his mother. He punched it again.

“Dante, come on…” Trish said. 

Maybe this was the demon that left nothing but smears of blood on the playground outside. Or the one that tore through a local grocery store, or that small house where he found those god awful husks. Another punch. He didn’t notice his female companions coming to stand beside him.

“Dante, knock it off. We need to keep moving,” Lady said, her palm coming to rest on his shoulder as he pulled back for another punch. Trish mirrored her.

The edges of the creature’s face began dissolving, a fine grey powder all that remained. Dante’s panting breath sent the dust aflutter as he slowly lowered his arm. His jaw ached; had he been gritting his teeth the whole time? Fuck.

Better crack a joke, something to keep it light.

“So, that’s what, four points to me?” Dante said. Both women shot him fierce glares.

“What the fuck, Dante?” Lady began. 

He wiped away the blood still clinging to his face and sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“Didn’t look like nothing,” Trish chimed in. “You good?”

The red-clad man released the tendril of energy connecting him to Balrog, the blood-stained metal vanishing a beat behind. He didn’t know what to say. His rage still flickered within him, an ever present ember waiting for the right moment to flare into an inferno. It might give him an edge; it might consume him. 

Talk about a double-edged sword.

It didn’t matter what was happening in his heart or what it did to him. There was a big ass demon tree growing in his city, ugly bastards swarming the place and who knew what else. It was his job to clean up the mess, no matter who made it. 

Dante snorted. He was, in essence, a janitor. 

He cracked his neck. It was time to clean. “I’m good.”

[sonicasura]

Random pairings #2

Happy Valentine's day everyone! Just like the other random pairings, they're either serious, crack, joke, or salt at misused franchises and poor canon choices. Now including some tidbits like meeting or such. Might right fics with these pairings. Enjoy.

Jonathan Joestar x Sandy (LMK), ship name TeaWives

Met in a grocery store at Megapolis searching for tea.

Jonathan initiated it with a invite at the local teahouse.

Sandy sealed the deal by asking Jonathan out.

Mutual pining between the two. Cuddling guaranteed.

Neither of them get jealous easily. They are protective, mostly Jonathan whose the bodyguard of the relationship.

10th Doctor x Macaque, shipname is LonelyHearts

Met in the Tardis (as said ship believes the Doctor needed a friend.) Slow mutual pining.

Doctor initiated it by taking Macaque on a ride across space and time.

Macaque sealed it by kissing the Doctor after a harrowing adventure and both confess.

The Doctor is the one to get easily jealous and Macaque is the possessive partner.

Make outs are guaranteed as much as cuddling. Macaque is quite handsy.

Hank J. Wimbleton x Dante Sparda, shipname is CrimsonBullet

Met in Hell (apparently Tricky's purgatory connected to the hellscape from Devil May Cry.)

Curiosity spiked the whole debacle with the creachurr practically following the hunter. (Hank likes weird shit and he thinks Dante is weird, which the man is)

Hank initiates with random gifts(simple stuff to demon guts)

Dante seals the deal. How? It's up to you guys. 😆

Possessive as hell Hank guaranteed. This creachurr won't hesitate to shoot someone. Dante only gets possessive around demons.

Prefers sleeping next to each other more than cuddling. (Both suck at cuddles via inexperience)

Josuke Higashikata x Ben Tennyson, shipname is OmniDiamond

Met in Japan during summer vacation as children. Reunited later in Bellwood as teenagers.

Mutual pining although both are slightly dense. (Crazy Diamond isn't and has to lead things along.) Josuke initiates by hanging out.

Ben seals the deal via asking Josuke on a date.

Josuke is a cuddler while Ben is the one to get jealous.

Super protective of each other so expect a nightmarish beatdown on anyone dumb enough to cross the line.

Jak Mar x Raiden Pierce Okamoto, shipname is TwoWorlds

Met on Misty Island because of a portal gone wrong. Does reunite years later as young adults.

Mutual pining although Jak is a bit dense and Ray(Raiden) is more focused on getting home. (Daxter and Bob(Tatsurion) have to subtly lead them on)

Jak initiates by helping Ray in any way he can.

Ray seals the deal with a confession. (Daxter shouts finally in the background)

Both get easily jealous and are protective. Ray is more protective once reuniting (Beginning of Jak 2 is the reason) Comfort cuddles guaranteed.

Vergil Sparda x Balan, shipname Fell theatrics

Met in Wonderworld Theatre (a certain blue devil has been long overdue for a visit)

Mutual pining (although both are nervous and unaware of shared feelings)

Balan initiates giving advice and small gifts alongside the usual help.

Vergil seals the deal through a confession.

Vergil is quick to jealous and possessive. Balan is super protective. Cuddles are guaranteed with this maestro.

Have fun with these!

[prolestariwrites]

The Wish [8]

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, Vergil, Nero, V, Lady, Eva, Sparda, OC Rating: General Tags: Family, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Typical demon hunting violence

Summary: A demon gives Dante the chance to have his greatest desires made real. When he finds himself in a seemingly idyllic life, all seems well until it starts to unravel. Will he sacrifice himself to save the family he lost, or will he choose to give them up for the truth?

Now Posted: Chapter 8, in which Dante has to face the most intimidating creature of all... his wife.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Chapter 8: Dante Sparda, Legendary Demon Hunter

Dante pulls up outside of Vergil’s house and turns off the car. They sit in silence for a long moment before he says, “Thanks again for what you did back there.”

“You’re welcome.”

His brother’s voice shakes a bit, but it seems like he’s holding onto control, even if it’s barely. Which is something at least. “It’s funny,” Dante jokes, “you’ve used Summoned Swords on me half a dozen times at least, and this might be the first time you used it to save me.”

“Summoned Swords,” Vergil murmurs. “Is that what that’s called?”

“It’s what you called it in my world. Although it’s a bit different there.”

Vergil nods, and silence settles again. Dante scratches his chin as he searches for what to say. “You know, Nero can do it too. Surprised the hell out of me the first time I saw it.”

“Nero.” Vergil turns his face to the window. “I should get inside.”

“Yeah. But, Verge…” Dante sighs as Vergil looks back at him. It is obvious his brother needs him now: he needs comfort, reassurance, something to help him process everything and come to terms with the truth. He needs wisdom. He needs tact and compassion.

Damn it all. “I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Dante says. “Then we’ll look for dad.”

“Yeah.”

Vergil reaches for the car door and Dante blurts out, “Don’t worry about anything. We’ll find him. And if any demons show up, you can use Yamato. You’re a better fighter than I am, so you’ll be fine.”

“I’m not a swordsman, Dante,” he grumbles. “I haven’t fought with anyone since we were children.”

“But you can. And Mary can too. She’s a way more successful demon hunter than I am.” Vergil frowns at him, but Dante continues, encouraged, “She kicked both our asses. She’s always got some demon on the run, knows how to use dozens of weapons and make her own even. And Nero? He’s got all kinds of crazy power. He was demon hunting before he even knew how.”

“Nero’s just a child.”

“Yeah, here he is, but in my time, he’s older, and I’ve seen him in action. Took down a whole evil god robot once.” Vergil huffs and shakes his head as Dante leans his elbow on the steering wheel. “I’m just saying, you don’t have to worry. You didn’t think you could fight but then you skewered that guy. So trust that they can handle themselves. And your V, Vitale? He’s not… I don’t know him, he’s not from where I’m from, but if he’s anything like you, then he’s got this too.”

Vergil glances at him briefly before nodding. Then he opens the car door and climbs out, and Dante watches as he hurries up the driveway to his front door, still clutching the sword.

Dante heaves a long sigh before starting the car again. On the drive to home, he wonders what he’s going to do about Lir. He’s still not entirely sure she’s not a demon too, so if he comes clean with her, there’s no telling she won’t attack him just like the bar waitress.

His questions are answered when he walks in the front door. “Dante? Dante!” Lir practically runs to greet him from the kitchen. “There you are! What happened? Are you okay?”

Before he can answer she pulls him into a hug, forcing him to bend over so she can press her cheek to his. “Dante,” she murmurs, and he feels a pang of guilt as he returns the hug. “I was so worried.”

“I’m okay.” He eases up and pushes her hair back from her face. “Why were you worried?”

“Your mom called all frantic. She said your father ran off and broke a window and in his study… there was…” Lir’s voice trails away as she examines his front, and Dante glances down. There are splatters of blood on his jacket and shirt, and he steps back as she gapes. “She said there was blood on the floor. What happened?”

Her eyes are wide with alarm as they rise to meet his. “Let me get cleaned up and I’ll explain.”

Dante eases past her and heads to the kitchen. Lir follows, hanging back in the doorway as he moves to the sink. He uses the minute to think as he runs his hands under the hot water, taking a few pumps of dish soap to clean the blood away. He shuts off the faucet and grabs a dish towel, drying them as he turns to face her.

He leans against the kitchen counter and swallows thickly. “Mom was upset, huh?”

“Very.” Lir takes a step closer before hesitating. “What happened?”

“We… fought. It’s fine,” he says hurriedly, holding up a palm as she opens her mouth. “My dad’s been keeping secrets and I confronted him. It didn’t go well.”

“Secrets?” she asks. “What kind of secrets?”

Dante folds his arms with a sigh. “He’s not who he says he is. He’s… something else.”

“Something else? What does that mean?”

“It means he’s not human.”

He waits for a long moment to let the news absorb. Lir stares at him with wide eyes, and he notices how her fingers tremble as she reaches out to brace against one of the chairs at the little breakfast table. “He’s not human,” she murmurs.

Dante nods and she tilts her head towards him. “And the blood?”

He glances down at his soiled shirt. “That was my mistake. Dad was lying and I wanted him to tell Vergil the truth. So I stabbed him with a sword.”

“You stabbed him?”

“Yeah. He was fine though. Got right up.” Dante chuckles. “Shoulda seen the look on his face. Serves the old man right. He kept refusing to come clean, and I—”

“Dante.” His mouth snaps shut as she sinks into the chair, looking pale. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“If it makes you feel any better, this isn’t all his blood.” Lir looks up sharply as he spreads his arms. “Vergil and I got a drink afterwards and got attacked by a couple of demons in the bar. Had to kill a waitress and all I had was a chair leg, if you can believe it. Luckily Vergil came through. Wasn’t that bad, he killed the bartender.”

“You killed a waitress?”

Dante winces. “Okay, it sounds really bad when you say it like that. But they were demons, I swear.” He starts to walk towards her, and Lir scrambles up, pressing back against the wall. The fear on her face makes him freeze, and he watches as her eyes start to tear up. “Hey, relax. Really. It’s gonna be fine.”

He takes another step and Lir launches herself across the kitchen, diving for the knife block. She pulls a long bread knife from its slot and spins, holding it out like a magic wand as if to ward him off. “Don’t come any closer!” she shrieks.

“Okay. Obviously I’m telling this story wrong.” Dante holds up his palms. “I’m not gonna hurt you. See?”

“You’re crazy!” she cries. “Demons? Killing?” He rolls his eyes and she shakes her head furiously. “Stay away from me!”

She steps to the side, keeping pressed against the counter, as she fishes her cell phone from her pocket. Dante frowns as she swipes it on. “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling the police.”

Her voice has an edge now, and Dante can see she’s a dangerous mixture of frightened and furious. “I’ll just go,” he suggests.

Lir shoots him a look to kill as she raises the phone to her ear. “Hello? Yes? Yes, I need the police, my husband—”

As she speaks, something catches Dante’s attention, like a pinprick on his neck. His head turns just as the ceiling explodes in a shower of drywall, the window shattering as something breaks through. Lir screams and he sees her drop the phone in the corner of his eye, and Dante steps between her and the two demons that now stand towering in their kitchen.

He looks up at the hole in the ceiling and grits his teeth when he sees the sky. “We have a fucking door you know,” he growls.

“Dante!”

Lir’s voice is wild with panic, and he holds out a hand. He curses silently, knowing her being here is going to just make this harder. It’s bad enough to fight a demon when a human is around, but now his instinct to protect her is screaming loud enough in his head to drown out any reason. He’s got to get her safe, and then he can deal with them.

“Lir, I want you to run.”

“What?”

“Get to the front door and run. Now!”

He doesn’t know if she obeys because at that moment they advance. Once again he tries to summon Rebellion, and again he realizes he’s left it in the damn car. Two sets of teeth and four sets of claws come for him with a screech, and then Dante is dodging, throwing one punch after another as he tries to make a plan. One of the demons picks up the toaster and throws it at him, making him duck. It sails over his head and implants into the wall behind him. “What the hell!”

One of the demons grabs his leg, pulling him to the ground. Dante lurches to the counter as he falls and grabs a drawer, yanking it free with one pull. He prays it has something he can use, but inside are dish towels. “Damn it,” he mutters, but he swings the drawer, which breaks with a spray of splinters as it hits one demon full on the face. It falls back and lets his leg go, and Dante scrambles to his feet, pulling open another cabinet.

This one has plates at least, so he grabs the stack and throws them one by one at the other demon. They explode in its face, the porcelain shattering loudly as it falls in pieces to the floor, but they disorient it enough that Dante can deliver a kick that sends it sailing across the kitchen. Before the two demons can recover, he lunges at the knife block, and with a steak knife in each hand, he quickly dispatches them both, slitting their heads open, both collapsing in a pool of dark blood.

Dante catches his breath and drops the two knives in the sink. When he turns, he finds Lir on the ground, her knees drawn up as she gapes at him.

“Lir…” he murmurs with a wince. They stare at each other for a long moment, and he takes in the pieces of drywall stuck in her hair, the way her shoulders shake, the bright flush on her face. But she’s alive, that’s all that matters. The rest of this shit he can explain, and fix, and make up to her.

Just then, there is the sound of someone talking, and they both look down at the phone on the ground. It looks like it takes a half minute for her to remember what it is, but then she jerks it up to her ear. “Hello? Hello, yes I’m here. No, no, everything’s fine.” Her eyes are wide as they take in the mess now that it’s settled, but her voice is steady. “I thought my husband was hurt, but he’s fine. A cabinet fell over in the kitchen, that was all the commotion. I’m so sorry.” She listens for a moment and then says, “Really, it’s not necessary. We’re fine.”

Dante takes a deep breath as she finishes the call, looking out the hole in the wall where the window used to be. He scans the darkness for any more demons, but his senses don’t pick anything else up. Lir says goodbye, and he glances over as she presses a finger to the screen before slowly setting the phone on the ground.

Their gazes connect, and he feels a twist in his chest as he sees tears swimming in her eyes. But then Lir scrambles towards him, and he catches her in a tight hug, her face pressed to his neck. Dante gives a small smile as he holds her closely, rubbing a soothing hand on her back as her breath shakes against his skin.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“So that’s everything.” Dante looks over at the passenger side, where Lir stares straight ahead. “Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Her eyes fall to where her hands sit in her lap. “So you’re not Dante? My husband?”

“I guess not,” he replies. “I mean, I’m Dante, but I don’t know if I’m him or if he’s me or if…” He rubs his face and glances at the clock on the dashboard which shows it’s nearly midnight. The gas station they had pulled into is deserted, and the light from the shelters over the pumps gives enough light that he can see the pained expression on her face. “Sorry. I keep saying the wrong thing. And uh, I guess I should apologize… for the other night—”

“No, it’s…” She glances over, almost shyly, and Dante’s heart skips a beat. “You’re still him, just not him him. I think.”

“Right.” He chuckles humorlessly with a half smile. “You hungry?”

Lir shakes her head. “Not really. I’m exhausted.”

“Let’s get some rest then.” He starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot, heading down the nearly empty street. After a few turns he finds a little motel, and Lir luckily doesn’t argue when he parks. She stops to grab the bag she had packed in haste before they fled the house as he heads into the office, emerging a minute later with a room key. “Funny, the guy didn’t blink twice even though I’m a mess,” he jokes.

Dante grabs Rebellion from the trunk, remembering this time, before he leads her to room six.  But he hesitates when he slides the key into the lock. “I guess I should have gotten two rooms?” he murmurs.

“No. I don’t want to be alone.” She presses her hand on his back lightly. “It’s fine.”

He nods as they enter, flicking on the lights as Lir follows inside. There is a Queen-sized bed in the middle, a television, a chair and table, and Lir shrugs off her jacket before opening the bag. She pulls out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, holding them out to him. “Do you want to get cleaned up?”

“Yeah.” Lir doesn’t look up at him as he takes the clothes, and not knowing what else to say, he heads into the bathroom.

His reflection is a mess, his hair sticky strands covered in blood and dirt. His face and neck aren’t much better, and as he strips off his clothes, he thinks about what he must have looked like arriving home like that. “This is why I never got married,” he mutters to himself as he turns on the faucet. “Too much trouble.”

His dialogue continues as he starts the shower and unwraps the little bar of free soap, listing the reasons why a relationship and marriage don’t mix with demon hunting: too much blood. Too much laundry. Too many questions. Weapons. Blood. Death.

He leans his forearm on the tile, watching as red swirls around the drain until the water goes clear. Stupid fucking wish, he thinks. This life he had always wanted? It’s not possible, and he needs to accept that and move on. He had no idea what he was asking for, Dante realizes.

It makes sense, really, he tells himself as he towels off. After all, Lady didn’t have anybody. Neither did Trish. Whoever Nero’s mother was, it couldn’t have lasted long before Vergil was gone, if his brother even knew he had a kid in the first place. Too much liability when you have someone in your life. He remembers Lir’s scream as the demons crashed into their home, the way the fear hit in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. But Nero has managed it, hasn’t he? He has Kyrie, and goes home to her every night, blood and guts and all. Dante frowns, wondering if it’s not meant to last. It would kill the kid to lose her.

Sparda, Vergil, him, now Nero… their whole family, one after another, losing someone close before disappearing too. Like some big cosmic joke.

Lir is curled up on the pillows, the lights off and the television on. She pulls back the covers when he climbs up to join her, and Dante smiles a bit when she repositions herself with her head on his chest and her arms tightly wrapped around him. “This okay?” she asks.

“Yeah,” he whispers.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Dante snorts. “Nah. It’s a crazy story, I know.”

“I pulled a knife on you.”

“Not the first time someone’s done that.”

Lir stiffens a bit before lifting her head. She looks at him sadly, but he grins. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You didn’t tell me who I am,” she says.

Dante glances away with a shrug. “I don’t know you in my time. We never met.”

“Oh.” She lays her head back down against his shoulder, and Dante settles his hand on her hip. “I’m glad we got to meet here.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Dante listens as Lir’s breathing goes steady, her body sinking against him as she falls asleep. He stays awake, watching the light behind the curtain grow darker before slowly turning gray. By the time the sun comes up, his decision is made.