#anyways nero out here making me have Thoughts

[gristlegrinder]

part of what makes IBS so fascinating to me is its position both within the world of Tyria and the story it was trying to tell, and the larger metatextual circumstances surrounding its development. because, like, The Icebrood Saga is a story that's, IMO, largely about placing individual actions in complex systems of power, and what happens when those systems begin to unravel.

-> Can you help us deal with Bangar? Aurene: He's a part of a larger web. Strands connecting to strands. Cut one out and nothing changes, not really. Aurene: It's hard to explain. But seeing how those strands connect... Taking one life won't solve your problems. (x)

so, like, you have Ryland, who talks about "playing his cards right" but has really been dealt a bad hand from the start and can only keep playing bad cards - the one decent play he gets in Turnabout to try and get out of the game gets interrupted by an arrogant bastard killing Cinder, and it's downhill from there. it's not necessarily that it was always going to end the way it did with him, but you're fighting an uphill battle against his upbringing, against his relationship with Bangar, against all cultural context. he insists that Jormag didn't coerce him into anything, and that's true; he ends up as Jormag's champion because, at least from Ryland's perspective, there's really no other option by the time he has the bow in his paws.

likewise, you have Braham, wrestling with being the norn of prophecy, slowly (slower if Champions didn't have to be rushed out of the door, I imagine) coming to terms with what exactly that means. he knows from the beginning that either Jormag dies, or he dies. he knows this, and knows that it's always going to end one way or the other. the prophecy unfurls, and Jormag awakens, and it becomes more and more obvious how it's supposed to go. He bonds with Primordus, because there's really no other option by the time Jormag is threatening to freeze the world ten times over to ice their brother out of existence. and sure, it might still destroy him even if Jormag doesn't kill him, but he doesn't get the luxury of thinking about that.

and then you have the Commander, who should be in control of the narrative, because in-universe they're the Commander and out-of-universe they're the player character, but there are multiple points where that agency is taken away from you - Smodur bombs the bunker and interrupts your negotiation, Ryland puts a bullet through Smodur's skull. you're always going to try and save the farm, but not every problem has an easy solution. the Legions are built on centuries of war and violence and hypervigilance against external threats; Bangar is not an isolated bad actor but a product of that system, and the gears of the war machine churn on both sides of Drizzlewood. you (and Aurene) are largely an audience to the family tragedy - tragedies, plural, both the relationships between Rytlock/Crecia/Ryland and Jormag/Primordus - as they break down.

"The Balance" isn't sustainable in its current state, but there isn't really a good alternative at this point. you can't back down when you're three dragons in (we tried that after Mordremoth, and Balthazar wouldn't have it and Kralkatorrik couldn't stomach it), and Jormag and Primordus (mostly Jormag) are threatening to escalate as the encroaching void eats away at them both. there's this real sense that they just have to make the best of a bad situation, and hope that the damage is minimal. the universe itself is on a cresting wave and it's about to crash, heading into End of Dragons.

so you have all of that, and it's also the chapter of GW2 where the developers are hit with major studio-disrupting internal problems and a fucking global lockdown. your story gets interrupted, there's not much you can do about it, but you have to keep going and make the best of it, even when the fate of arenanet itself seems uncertain.

what happens in the aftermath, after the dragonstorm clears?

[flovverworks]

i need to make a proper rf verse for akira too but separating them from the wizards always makes me. ugh

[dissociativewriter]

Unnatural Affinity- Part 11

Isekai!Reader x Love and Deepspace

wc: 2.3k

cw: angst, questioning of worth, feeling empty, fluff, maybe comfort?

Synopsis: Returning to Linkon for a brief visit, you get help from Nero and talk with Xavier about recent developments. Back in Skyhaven, Em and Caleb are grappling with your absence.

author’s note: writing xavier for this was kinda tough because im not super familiar with him and i know he’s really nuanced but omg i think im in love with him now >_< anyways y’all its two am right now so im gonna go to sleep now and hate myself in the morning <3 im really proud of this part though so its alright (this isn’t proofread btw so if there’s typos no there isn’t)

taglist: @animegamerfox @ixloom819 @magennta09 @an-ever-angry-bi @corvid007 @vigtore @ph1lo-s0ph1a @ameili @babyx91 @sadsaidthesadthing @bidisasterforevermore @liz9898 @iconoclastoc @elegantdeerlady @lifumi @auraficial @plzdonutpercieveme @dolledbunnytail @junebuggz @mangooes @anatherone @skulzooka @yuhuahuaaa @nm4565natty @feikyuu @lunia-likes-pomegranet @xfangirl-trashx @glitterykingdomangel @eialovescats @mimiu3usoft @alyssac9 @000rpheus @novaisbebita @coffeedragonhobbyist @udejoenrlddo @lanxianschoenheit @paper--angel @xyzbeloved @rafayelridesfisheatsfish @myheartfollower @nightmarewasteland @feralwolfkat @junni-berry @chiikasevennn @lethalasylum @loudpiratepirate @sweetnightowl @rafaissance @white-wolves-and-golden-sunrises @iunse @asilaydead

Series Masterlist

The black leather and tinted windows of Sylus’s car drew shadows and visions out from the corner of your eye. You shifted to the middle, leaning forward so you were between the driver and passenger’s seats, where Luke and Kieran argued over the best route to take.

“You guys really don’t have to do this,” you interrupted. “I could get back to Linkon myself.”

“Actually, we do have to do this, Little Boss,” Kieran said sheepishly. “Boss-man’s orders.”

“Seriously?” you groaned, falling back against the seat with a soft thud.

“Yep,” Luke confirmed. “Boss said we had to take you to Linkon safely, then watch in the car from a safe distance so that his ‘little dove’ wouldn’t notice and get mad.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why do you have to watch me in the first place?”

“Boss-man said it’s to make sure the hunter doesn’t get any ideas.” He shrugged.

“It’s a left here, right?” Kieran asked, quickly glancing towards Luke.

Luke turned around, looking back towards the road. “I thought you kept going straight… I don’t know, I don’t even remember what the Hunter’s Association looks like anymore!”

You pulled your hand down your face. “I’m going to die in this car,” you muttered.

The Hunter’s Association was sterile. Clean. Efficient. Hunters rushing to respond to alerts, researchers rushing to make their lunch break.

You eyed the Hunters’ desks as you pushed forward into the research department. Em’s desks was just as she’d left it that night you both prepared for this mission. Plushies still in place, old reports forgotten and discarded.

The research department contrasted the rest of the Association, just like the researchers contrasted the hunters. There were those that stayed comfortably behind the scenes, and those that claimed all the glory.

Simple. That was the best word to describe it. Simple, but not barren. Simple, in the way the chicken noodle soup was when your mother made for you that day you were a sick little six year old. Simple, in the way that life used to be.

Simple, in the way you wished it still was.

The soft lighting caressed you, unlike the harsh, bright lights in the training grounds. The smell of tea permeated the air, creating a warmth that settled deep in your chest. Stacks of papers, rows of books, all dotted around the department, created such an atmosphere. Always something to do, never terrible pressure to do it. It was calm, comforting, to be surrounded by so much knowledge and feel that you had all the time in the world to pursue it.

You found Nero at his desk, scribbling something down with a steaming cup of tea next to him. He didn’t look up as you approached, continuing to wield his pen as if it were the only thing keeping him alive. He started when you cleared your throat, nearly knocking his tea off the desk.

“Oh, hey! It’s you.” Nero breathed a sigh of relief before furrowing his brows. “You’re back early. Did something happen?” His eyes immediately dropped to your bandaged hands, fighting the urge to pry so you could tell him on your own terms.

Following his gaze, you raised a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. Really. Just a… a stupid mistake.”

“If you say so,” Nero said hesitantly. “Have you already seen the medic? I can call them, if you want.” You stopped his hand already reaching for the phone. His gaze snapped to yours.

“I’m fine, Nero. It’s just a couple scratches.” He nodded, lowering his hand onto the table, yours still resting on top. “Could you do me a favor?” you asked.

“Of course! What do you need? I’ll help any way I can,” he replied immediately.

“Well, first things first, Em is probably going to come around asking about me,” you began. “When she does, I want you to tell her you haven’t seen me, alright?”

Nero nodded slowly. “Sure, but why? Did you two have a falling out?”

“Something like that,” you sighed. “This next thing might be a bit complicated.” You leaned in a bit closer. “Is that alright?”

Nero nodded again, vigorously this time. “That’s alright! I just want to help you as best I can.” He leaned in, too, his voice lowering as a flush painted his cheeks. “To be honest, you’re probably my only real friend here. I get the feeling the other guys don’t really listen. So, I want to help you as much as you helped me.”

Feeling your chest swell with his quiet confession, you pressed a delicate kiss to his cheek, watching with soft laughter as the red across it darkened with blush. “Thanks, Nero,” you whispered.

“Um, any— anytime,” he stuttered. “What did you need me to do?”

In the quiet of the research department, you carefully explained your request.

Caleb’s apartment hadn’t been filled with a calm quiet in days.

There was quiet, sure. But none peaceful.

There was the quiet of plotting, the quiet of sulking, the quiet of anger, the quiet of regret, no matter how briefly lived.

It echoed in Caleb’s apartment, reaching the farthest corners and leaving neither one of its occupants untouched. Caleb had succumbed to the quiet days ago. An acceptance that this was how it was going to be from now on. Things would never be the same.

He was foolish to think they would be.

Em seemed to deny the quiet. She wanted to act like it hadn’t consumed her, even as it chipped away at her halved soul. The quiet invaded her eyes, replacing the complete emptiness, the desolation, with an acknowledged lacking. The awareness that something was missing, even if there was no certainty as to what that was.

Caleb watched as she crumbled, watched her increasing defiance towards the decay. He could recount just when the fall began, down to the minute.

The apartment was quiet when they’d returned. The kind of quiet that leaves a sickness pooling in the pit of your stomach, a feeling that tells you something was wrong.

But nothing was out of place. Caleb made sure of it. He moved from the kitchen to the bedrooms, checking every nook and cranny for anything that was even slightly off.

Nothing.

He halted in front of your bedroom. Should he knock, did he have the right to? You had so little peace left, he knew, so who was he to disturb that?

He walked past with a deep sigh.

Em practically fell into the living room, uniform disheveled and hair a mess. She collapsed onto the couch, pulling an apple pillow into her arms. “Caleb, do you ever feel... less than whole?”

Caleb looked up, eyeing her from the opposite side of the room. He closed the distance in a few quick strides, stopping just an arm’s reach away from her. “Are you feelin’ that way, pip-squeak?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, it just—” a sharp exhale “—just something I read somewhere.” She stood abruptly, dropping the pillow as she move with purpose. “I’m going to check…” she trailed off.

The walk down the hallway felt too long, allowing Em’s thoughts to consume her as she approached your door. Would you still be mad, she wondered? Would you yell? Would you be crying? Or would you be accepting, finally seeing her point of view?

She gave a soft knock on the door. A warning. She opened it quietly, wary of your possible reactions. When met with silence, she pushed further in.

Abandoned. That’s what it was. Empty. No sign of you. No lingering warmth, no comforting scent of shampoo, no gentle caress of breath.

Just cold.

Em’s legs moved before her mind fully comprehended it. She searched frantically, watched with a quiet detachment as her hands pulled apart curtains and blankets, hoping, wishing, that you were just hiding.

That you weren’t really gone.

“Caleb!” she called, voice mixing into something foreign. It broke slightly as she called again, the grief cracking through.

Caleb came running, like he always did. He slowed as he walked in, taking in the strewn pillows and blankets, the curtains torn from their rods, the woman standing in the middle of the chaos looking so small, like that kid in the lab that didn’t quite understand what was going on, why this was happening to them.

“Gone,” she whispered. “I don’t know—” Her voice caught. “How? When?”

Caleb’s arms surrounded her, snaking around her in a firm grip, ensuring she couldn’t slip away, away into her mind or away into the world. “I don’t know, pips,” he admitted quietly. “I don’t now how it could have happened.”

“Someone helped,” she said, voice hardening. “Someone had to. And I think I have an idea as to who would.”

Em pulled herself away from Caleb’s grip, leaving him empty, reaching for something that wouldn’t stay. He watched as the fire returned to her eyes, briefly, the flame quickly igniting before the downpour of grief snuffed it out.

Something was missing now. Something she now needed.

Caleb realized with that quiet horror that she truly wanted it, needed it back.

That quiet horror consumed, it seemed, melding and mixing with every barely changing mood.

The quiet persevered.

The training grounds were loud, almost overwhelmingly so. Despite the twilight and approaching dusk, hunters still dueled and trained as if chasing the sun’s departure.

“Xavier!” you called out.

The hunter paused, his light blade freezing mid-strike as he met your gaze. He dropped it to his side, letting it fade away in a soft, slow burst of light.

You raised a hand, motioning for him to come closer. He came forward, face hiding any doubts he had though confusion was littered in the sea of his eyes. He raised a hand to wipe the sheen of sweat from his forehead, taking the brief moment of pause to observe you.

“Did you need something?” he asked hesitantly.

“I actually have something important to tell you,” you said sheepishly. “Is it alright if we talk someplace private?”

Stiffening slightly, Xavier only offered a nod. You lightly took his hand, leading him away from the training grounds and through the Association. The setting sun cast an orange glow through the spacious windows, painting an otherworldly glow on Xavier’s figure.

You finally stopped in an empty courtyard outside the Association. Flower arrangements, trees, and topiaries dotted the space, along with the occasional wooden picnic table. Leading Xavier to one in the far corner, you sat down on the table top, resting your feet on the bench. You patted the space next to you.

Xavier took it without hesitation, situating himself so he could face you. He tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

You let a few beats of silence fill the space between you.

“I don’t know how to tell you this…” You took a deep breath. “I’m not from here. From this world, universe, whatever.” You shook your head as if to shake away the confusion.

Saccharine blue eyes bore into yours, the depths of the galaxy and all its secrets hidden within them.

“I think you might understand it,” you explained slowly, “because you’re similar. You’re not from this time.”

Xavier’s body went rigid. Something changed in his eyes. They were hard. Protective. Powerful.

“How do you know that?” The softness seemed to melt away from his voice, giving way to something that demanded respect.

“The way I know that goes in hand with what I have to tell you,” you said quickly. “In my world, there was an… awareness of this one. But, it wasn’t really another world. It was— sort of a—”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me.” You nearly flinched from the coldness in his tone, the way the trust lingering between you had seemingly disappeared. His shoulders slumped as he watched you draw back. “Continue, please,” he said quietly.

With a shaky breath, you obliged. “Where I’m from, this world was all a game.”

“A game?” Xavier’s gaze snapped to yours, brow furrowing slightly.

“Yeah.” You nodded. “It was a romance game. There was this Main Character that the player could sort of self insert into, and five Love Interests.”

Xavier nodded along with you. “This was all a game… and you know about me from this game?”

You carefully explained everything you could to Xavier. The plots, the Love Interests, all the past loves fated to be doomed. You were cautious when explaining the existence of the other men, but Xavier handled it better than you’d expected after glimpsing his jealousy.

“I sort of knew she had others, but,” he gave you a soft smile, “even if it was a game, that means that somehow, someplace, I succeeded. We were able to be together. That’s enough for me, I think.”

You swallowed, blinking back tears you felt forming. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” you whispered. “To find out it was all a game, I don’t think I’d handle it as well as you are.”

Xavier took your hand in his, soft and firm. “There’s not much for me to do about it, I’ve realized. You can only live with what you are given, and what you find. If this is what I’m given, I’ll take it. My love with her may have been made for a story, but it’s real to me.” He leaned back, angling his head up towards the sky. “If it’s all fake, then it’s a beautiful fantasy to live in. The stars alone are enough.”

Getting up front the table, you and Xavier fell back against the grass, hand in hand. The earth cradled your bodies as the soft blades of grass caressed your bare skin. Stars painted the night sky, swirls of blues and purples highlighting the soft glow of distant plants and constellations.

“If you’re the only real thing I’ve known,” Xavier said slowly, reverently, “I think I can accept that. Knowing the real you is honor enough, even in a world that’s only a facade. Your presence is the only reality I need.”

You laughed softly, and he closed his eyes, seeming to bask in the sound. “I’m honored to know you, Xavier. Knowing you, really knowing you, is better than I imagined.” You sighed wistfully. “You’re so certain, so quietly confident. I feel so lost, but it seems you always know your way.”

“The best way to find direction is by the North Star,” he whispered. “Sometimes, you can find that in another person. I think I’ve found my North Star in you.”

comments and reblogs appreciated and asks open! <3

masterlist

[omnitrash]

Self Aware Dmc! - Royalguard!!

…I couldn’t help myself, I’m making a mini one shot. I apologize in advance for the shitty pov and constant change of it during this other incredibly self indulgent drabble but I hope y’all still enjoy nonetheless.

Also the Nero bias is real…sue me…

(And if you had a similar experience fighting Dante, then welcome to the club…that fight was lowkey terrifying…or maybe I’m just bad at the game…who knows)

‘_’ -thoughts

“_” -dialogue

—————————————————————————

Nero really liked exploring with you. He liked being with you in general, but what he enjoyed the most -aside from your constant swooning over him despite how embarrassing it was- was receiving your praise and encouragement during any fights. He was happy you enjoyed fighting with him so much. Of course, your combos could use a bit of work but considering you stayed with automatic -and how happy you were at how well you were doing with it- he couldn’t really bring himself to mind.

As you both made your way through the Order of the Sword’s headquarters and made it to the room of ‘hIs hOLYnEsS’ -you’re distaste for the old geezer was obvious but he shared the sentiment- you were stopped by a cutscene. Feeling your surprise at Dante’s appearance, said Devil hunter leaning against a pillar as he briefly glanced at your direction before addressing him.

“What took you so long, sweetheart?” He smirked, tweaking the dialogue so the endearing term could be added for you. It pissed Nero off how casually he did so, and yet he couldn’t. Not as easily anyway. Whatever, he needed to stay in script, and he knew that you were just as desperate to save Kyrie as he was.

“You…what are you doing here?” The former holy knight sneered before clicking his tongue and trying to walk past the cocky devil hunter. “Forget it, I don’t have time for this”

However he was stopped by Dante when he placed a hand on his shoulder. “And neither do I”

“Huh? Wait, what the hell?…what the hell is this?” Nero heard you say, catching a glance at you as he saw you blink back before he tried to attack the red clanned man twice. Glaring at him as his fist was caught. “So I‘ll cut to the chase…”

“oH SHIT-!” They both heard you yelp as Nero got thrown back towards the wall, listening to the wince you let out at the impact. “…you…you good Nero?? Oh my fucking god, Dante, what the fuck-“

‘Oh I’m peachy, angel…I really wanna beat this guy to the ground though’ Nero thought as he recovered and confronted Dante about the Yamato.

“Kid? Well…if that’s how you see me, then I think you’ll blush a pretty pink when I kick your ass!” He tried to attack, watching as the wall crumbled from the katana’s swing before spotting Dante as he sat on top of the bed frame.

“Who is this diva?? Oh my fucking god, what the hell is going on?” They heard you let out a laugh at that, Dante in turn, being extra dramatic just to make you laugh more. They loved to hear your voice. But your laughter was even sweeter.

“Ah, helpful hint…take a hint from your elders.” ‘Sorry sweetheart…but you might hate me for this’ Dante thought as he jumped down to face Nero, ending the cutscene and getting ready to attack.

“HUH?! I HAVE TO FIGHT DANTE- OH SHIT, FUCK! MOVE MOVE MOVE!” That was the first thing Nero heard you say before he finally registered your influence and control over him and was suddenly forced to dodge Dante’s attack. An undignified squawk involuntarily leaving his lips as he did before glaring at Dante for laughing at him.

The next three to five minutes of the fight were eventful, hearing you curse, panic, choke on your breath and wheeze as you did your best to guide him to dodge, weave, and combo his way to victory. By the time the two of you only had a quarter left in their health bar, you were getting more panicky than normal. They could only guess you were determined to finish this in your first try…you were cutting it a bit too close though.

So Dante figured he’d break your pretty little heart gently by finishing the fight with a classic. ‘Sorry, sweetheart’ “Royal guard!!”

“NO YOU DON’T-!!” You yelped almost immediately, using Nero to grab him with Buster and quickly bashing Dante to the ground repeatedly and ultimately winning the fight. Hearing you breath shakily before laughing in disbelief.

“I…I did it..?? Holy shit, I did it, I beat Dante first try, oh my god-“ You breathed out before letting yourself catch your breath.

…y’know? They don’t think they’ve ever heard you react so quickly like that until now…and so strongly too. They felt your dread in their bones the moment Dante changed style just now…or tried to. Before he got his ass handed to him…but he couldn’t be too mad. That was hilarious.

What wasn’t hilarious, however, was the way Nero was grinning down at him after beating him. He knew it was part of the script but damn it, that brat had no business looking that smug. But what really shocked him, was the way that he altered the script for the first time so that he could speak freely while you heard the original lines.

As he passed him by after keeping Yamato, he muttered “I win, old man…’guess angel has a favorite, don’t they?”

…now normally, Dante was a chill and easy going guy. But in that moment, as Nero walked away, he couldn’t help be glad that he’d get captured by the Savior in the upcoming mission.

“…damn brat”

[thelovelywriteress]

FACE THAT WON'T LEAVE MY MIND𓂃 ࣪˖ ཐིཋྀ

─ Nero x Reader

Nero, was a boy of lesser words especially when he was in Fortuna. He usually prefer to be alone or least to least just talk to Kyrie and Credo.

"Good morning Nero!" You passed him a smile as he frowned. Last time he remembered─he wasn't being any friendly towards you.

His lack of you response didn't hurt you as he was silent not ignorant, he did give you a nodded.

Kyrie soon joined you both as you greet her with same enthusiasm which she matched and then enquired Nero if he did the same, as she knew his tendencies to get more than usual anti-social around you, to which you simply laughed and told her atleast he acknowledged your greet.

Hours passed from that interaction yet Nero wouldn't forgot it. Nero clenched his gloved fist tighter, trying to shut out the echo of your laugh from earlier. It had caught him off-guard—light, carefree, like it belonged in some other world, not this one littered with demons and memories that wouldn’t die.

He would shake his head off, trying make these weird thoughts related to your ago away. Hell why were you in his mind so much these days? He wondered. And what was the weird feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about you.

Like bro was in the middle of cleaning Blue Rose, minding his own business, when he suddenly thought about the way you scrunched your nose when trying to understand something about demon related . The memory hit him out of nowhere, and then—boom. Stomach swirl. Head heat. Complete glitch in system.

"God—what the—" He rubbed his forehead like the dumb memory gave him a migraine. "The hell is wrong with me?"

"Are you fine?"

Where the hell problem i.e you, itself appear out of?

Was his reflexes getting weaker? Cause how the hell he didn't heard you approaching and now he was faced with your lean in face when he opened his eyes after rubbing forehead.

"The hell you doing here?" He asked, masking his flustered red face as angry.

He sits a couch as to create some distance between both of you but it is in vain as you popped besides him like it was most natural thing in world.

You had brought him coffee. Again.

“Looked like you needed something warm. Besides that scowl,” you teased him through despite his annoyance he did accept your coffee as start speaking about some funny scenes you witnessed today.

He didn't responded.

He never responded.

And still, you came back.

Every damn day.

And every time, he told himself it was just annoying. That your kindness was a trick of pity. That you couldn’t possibly see past the jagged edges and mess that made him who he was.

But then—why did he notice the way your fingers curled around the mug? Why did he keep the empty cups you left behind on his desk for just a little longer before throwing them out? Why did his heart skip every time your shadow stretched around the corner before you even said a word?

He was just so close to just see a doctor and get checked if anything was wrong with his system.

"I think the problem you have Nero, can't be cured by doctor."

Kyrie told Nero who confessed his concern to her and now frown at her reply. Now what was that supposed to mean?

"I think you like (name)." What?

"Like you said yourself that (name) is always in your mind." Yeah cause you always greet him with your stupid smile and just always pop out of nowhere near him.

"Oh Nero don't be stubborn now, you are into her and that's a fact."

No. He was not into you. He couldn’t be. You were... sunshine and laughter and good coffee. He was sarcasm, trauma, and barely contained rage. You both were in different ends of rope so you guys can't be connected, he told himself something like that but when have heart ever listened to someone's word anyways. It loves whom it wants to love.

More and more Nero tried to suppressed his growing feelings towards you, more they were shown on surface and it pissed Nero because now every time you were near, his stomach turned into some kind of punk rock concert. Even at the night, his mind now started to create various scenarios─where you were getting saved by him or you confessed that you can't live without him. He growled, smacking himself, hoping it will stop next day.

Next day when you spotted him around the town─alone, you decided to accompany him. It was casual, comfortable.

Well—you were comfortable.

Nero was a nervous wreck pretending to be a person.

He kept his eyes forward, hyper-aware of every single move you made. Every laugh. Every step. Every time your shoulder brushed his. He counted each one like they were time bombs.

Then you take a rest on a bench, it was silent but it didn't feel awkward.

"Nero do you hate me?"

You questioned him as his emotions turn wild─he didn't hate you but wouldn't that mean he like you but he don't likes you─okay maybe he does a little but he is not ready to accept it.

"What makes you think so?" He let out, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well you always have being anti-social but now days it you looked super awkward around me." His breath almost stop. Were you playing with him or you truly don't understand the situation despite literally saying it.

"I like being around you so I always seek ways to get that but if it is bother to you then I can back down."

From all of your genuine confession 'I like being around you' was the only one his ears transmit to his brain and it keep on repeating it.

You frowned at his lack of reply. So were you right?

Nero hadn’t been cold exactly. Just... distant. Quieter than usual. More grunts than words. More brooding silences that stretched a bit too long. And you’d noticed the way he sometimes looked away when you walked into a room, like he didn’t know what to do with your presence anymore.

"I will give you some space," you said quietly. Maybe he was still feeling awkward to agree with you. Cause you know deep down he sure do have a humble heart.

You stand as Nero looked in your direction, panicking. Shouldn't be be happy? Maybe now that weird feeling in his stomach can finally go. He would be able to close his eyes at night without seeing your face. If he wanted these things to happened then why his hand grabbed yours.

You looked back. He looked panicked. Like a kicked puppy". . . Don't," he mumbled, eyes locked on yours.

You tilted your head. "Don't what?" Nero turn his gaze on the ground─unable to hold eye contact. He felt so vulnerable and he hated it.

"I don't hate you. . ." You didn't comment anything yet because he felt there was more to come which Nero after internal war with himself let out,"I just—" He exhaled. "I am not used to. . . people. You. Being so—close. Most of time they just left but you didn't." He took breath once again before saying,"And I didn't knew how to handle the feelings you brought with your presence."

Your eyes widened on his words,"What kind of feelings Nero?" You questioned through you already realised it. Oh how dumb of you, to be so obvious to something which was literally in front of you. Now Kyrie's conversation regarding what you think of Nero, made sense.

He glanced at you, eyes sharp and vulnerable all at once. "The kind that makes me wanna pull you closer but also punch a wall cause I don't know why."

Silence.

You blinked. Slowly.

He realized what he just said and before he could defend his words, you blurted out something which made his face went white and cheeks go red!

"You have feelings for me Nero."

It wasn't a question, it was a pure statement. You catch him and now he can't even defend himself. He can deny all he want but he knows you are not believing him.

"That's so cute. So that awkwardness was just you crus─" Nero screamed you to not continue as he felt so humiliating. Not even his feelings but his past actions were getting exposed to.

You laugh, not at Nero technically but rather the humourous situation as Nero turn away with a scoffed.

"For what matters, I like you too and won't mind a getting all lovely-dovely with you." You confessed with mischievous sly.

"Then did you guys start going out?" Nico asked getting bored of this whole story, she just wanted to hear the main part.

"(name) just told you this whole ass story with me sitting beside. Take a wild guess?" Nero replied with sarcasm.

Nico rolled her eyes at Nero's reply and whined about wanting to hear excited,"I don't want to take guesses! Tell me the real part─did you guys kissed? Who kiss whom first? Bet it definitely wasn't him!" She mocked Nero who looked ready to hit her as you laughed at her words

"Well that's story for another day now."

[impyssadobsessions]

DP x DMC interaction

haha okay so i have an interaction idea for my dmc and dp crossover with Patty and Danny with how they meet. (probably be only for me but hehe >w<) Danny after being stranded in dmc world, is living with Dante and being a part-time employee. They specify part time since he's still a minor. (just by a year and that's not even fully correct just easier to keep same birthday due to time shenanigans... Danny mostly upset because he was a four months away and now he has to wait eight. Not important just thought it be funny for Danny to fuss over it a little.) Dante is off on another gig not long after Danny starts crashing at his place. Danny had just gotten his citizenship started thanks to Morrison, and now settling in. He's borrowing Dante's clothes and cleaning up the place (since its still a mess from last Dante was there despite Lady n Trish having dropped in while he was stuck in underworld ) Imagine Dante actually giving Danny his better clothes, and they're baggy on Danny. Nero and Nico having promise to drop by at the end of the week, tying off loose ends to take Danny in for a bit.

Anyways. So Danny just finding something to do, since he isn't in a school ( and he doubts he will), and the business is slow, so he cleans the place. He gets it looking really nice and clean. That's when Patty drops in, expecting to go give Dante a piece of her mind for not checking in or answering her calls ( she's just worried about the geezer) then is shocked when she walks into the place and its SPOTLESS. And there in the middle of the office is someone in Dante's clothes but clearly not Dante. Which she exclaims in shock. And Danny, being Danny like.. uhh yeah I know. Need me to take a message? Wondering why a girl closer to his age looking for Dante. Did she have a job for them? Patty just shocked but then bombarding Danny with questions, suspicious of him. Which Danny just holding his hands like AHH chill chill =w=''' Then Danny explains the situation. Patty still suspicious if not a bit jealous or at least upset Dante never told her. Danny explaining how its pretty new. That's when someone else comes in fretting with an actual Job request. Immediately distraught when hearing Dante isn't in. Danny saying he can take the shift if its nearby- but the guy not wanting to hear it. Dismissing Danny before even knowing him, crumbling into the floor wailing. That's when Patty jumps in both curious of Danny's ability, while also not wanting anything to discourage going to Devil May Cry for services (pride in Dante's business). Patty convincing the man in almost scary manipulative way. She also insists on accompanying them. Danny learns more about Patty on their way over, she driving him up to the spot. Patty learning a little bit about Danny too. He goes into the infested manor, only to turn out the guy was the reason it was infested having made a deal only to turn tails... on more than one demon. Danny gets roughed up, still trying to get a hang of his limitations and powers here, but still manages to pull off a cool fight- especially if Patty ends up in direct line of fire. He sends all the demons packing. Leaving the asshole who started this mess, who tried not to pay them. Making a fuss about the destruction of the mansion, and how long it had taken Danny, as well as letting the demons get too close to him. (They never touched him) Patty is the one to give the guy hell, as well as scare him into paying Danny with bonus. Mentioning how upset Dante would be learning that he jibbed his son, and how next time a demon be hunting him down he won't be able to call on DMC for help. Danny's a bit shocked but pleasantly so with how fast the guy changes his tune as Patty offers to drive Danny out to get milkshakes, since they just got paid. "We?" "I did the negotiating, so I'll be taking a cut. Dante won't mind. uwu C'mon, I'm going to show you all the best hang outs around town. You're going to love them." Thus starts Danny and Patty hanging out. >w< Patty tries not to show it, but she was very impressed at how Danny handled things. Yeah he's not as cool as Dante, but he had his own flare. Plus he's closer to her age.

I did a doodle on paper too =w=' I was going to do something epic and cool but uh... nothing came to me

also a repost of this so you can get a better look at their designs.

[icycoldninja]

Hey there! It's me again, the Lies of P obssessed junkie who is also obssessed with DMC. I have risen from my grave the moment I heard that the Lies of P DLC is coming out somewhere in 2025. I hope you are doing alright and that your requests are open. If it is not, feel free to ignore it, your health comes first!

Anyways, since all of my Lies of P requests had a ton of angst, I felt like requesting something more comforting. I totally won't request the bed ending aftermath of Lies of P, I totally won't ;)

Anyways. I was hoping to request a platonic fluff headcannon of the DMC boys and our good puppet boy Pinocchio. I want to see how the boys will act once we become more human. My most funny thought is Vergil and Dante fighting over if we are Dante's kid or Vergil's little brother.

"The kid is my child Vergil."

"No, he is not, the adoption papers weren't signed."

"Cause you dragged the kid out before he could even pick up the pen, and then cut the papers into a million peices."

"...." "They are still not signed."

I also think Vergil and Dante will fight over what we will first eat once we start tasting things, and Nero is like "Guys, just let him eat what he wants."

Dante and we would likely hunt demons as he speaks about the most random of things, and we just kinda listen and sometimes speak up, but our trusty talking lantern Gemini doing the most of talking for us.

Vergil and us either practicing sword fighting, like. "I want you to be able to be able to protect yourself."

"Vergil.... I fought monsters 6 times my size and strength and won..."

"You still do not know the specifics of sword fighting"

"I killed a guy who became a god."

"And I am here to teach you MY way of fighting, so watch."

Nero being the only normal one who leads around the city and just talking, or maybe introducing us to Kyrie, like. "You see this little fella? Yes he was created in the 19th century and is older then both of us combined, but he is friend, and he is usually stays silent and just stares. Just don't get freaked out."

And V, of sweet V who we practically look the same. I am betting some strangers would actually think V and we were related. We would usually stay with V reading some old books or playing the piano for him.

Bonus points if Trish and Lady tried to get us some modern clothes only for Vergil to drag us right out of the shopping mall cause the clothes we have remind him too much of his father.

I hope this isn't much trouble, I hope you are feeling well and that both of the sides of your pillow are cool. Thank you again! 💙

Aw thank you so much for your well wishes. Hope you enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Pinocchio-like!Reader platonic headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante is absolutely thrilled to see you're acting more like a human and less like how you formerly were—soulless and boring.

-He takes you to his favorite pizza place and gets you a massive pizza with everything on it (yes, even olives) just so you can try it and decide on your favorite toppings.

-Of course, he tries to sway you away from the olives and more towards pepperoni, and whether you follow him or not is up to you.

-He'll teach you to ride his motorcycle, and for the first time ever, you understand why he's so happy when he's zipping through the streets, whooping his lungs out.

-You two bond more and more now that you're capable of experiencing emotions and actually having fun. You have also grown very interested in ranking Vergil and take a more active role n orchestrating these little schemes.

-Dante encourages you to find a hobby (other than being a little gremlin with him) that you are passionate about, assuring you he'll support you all the way, no matter what you choose.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil is just so proud of you for how far you've come. He's more than proud, actually, the sight of you makes him start to get misty eyed with sentimentality.

-He is about ready to formally adopt you, papers, certificate and all, if he didn't have competition in the form of his stupid brother.

-Basically, everyone wants to spend time with you and (un)officially make you their kid, because they love you, but because everyone wants to be around you, some (specifically Vergil) get jealous of others.

-Don't worry, a little 1-on-1 time should calm him down, but at the same time, it runs the risk of making him even more jealous the next time someone steals you away.

-Now that you are more human, Vergil decided you should dress like one. He immediately starts dressing you like a distinguished fellow such as himself, completely unaware that the way he dresses is not the human norm. (but it should be)

-He can't help you understand your newfound emotions though, mostly because he can hardly understand his.

□ Nero □

-Nero is so happy to have a new buddy who actually understands the memes he sends them.

-He floods your phone with goofy videos and pictures of things he thinks are hilarious. He used to do it before, but you didn't understand it then. Now you do, and you're addicted.

-Is about to turn you into a regular comedian, if Dante and Vergil weren't always butting in on your quality time.

-Every night is Sparda family dinner-movie night. It's loud and crazy and popcorn is everywhere, but it's fun.

-Nero will direct you to the nearest hiding place once Dante and Vergil inevitably start fighting, before charging into the fray himself.

-Sometimes it seems he's forgotten about you, but he will return when the fight's over (or after it's been taken outside) and rescue you before dragging you somewhere far, far way from the scene of the crime.

● V ●

-V has always adored you; now, even more so. You already looked so much like him, now you were human too!

-This means that you have unlocked an understanding of emotions, so V can stun you with William Blake's poetry—and a few pieces of his own.

-He might even try to get you to create something yourself, but there's no telling how that will turn out.

-People sometimes mistake you for brothers, others for father and son, and some ask if you're twins. It cracks both of you up every time.

-Nevertheless, V loves how you two are basically family. Your appearance only cements that.

-He is probably the only Sparda (or half Sparda) who doesn't get jealous when others want to spend time with you. V's just so sweet.

[xii-hanged]

thoughts on all the bells say/309’s tomgreg proposal (yes, i’m calling it that). some of these interpretations may be stretches so forgive me!

- tom’s white tuxedo matches the white tables and stone walls of caroline’s estate (representing luxury/wealth), while greg’s dark shirt blends him into the surrounding woodlands — the devil with an angel’s face & his unruly prey

- greg’s immediate instinct is to brag about his sexual prowess to tom (who is mostly indifferent). he is forward about his lack of real interest in either comfrey or the contessa, more absorbed by how his womanising will influence tom’s view of him

- the cut to a wide shot and greg’s outstretched arms as he declares “the verdict is love, your honour!” position tom as within greg’s embrace

- the tomgreg proposal is set during the celebratory aftermath of caroline & peter’s wedding, only a few scenes after connor proposes to willa. this is not the first time a parallel (albeit minor) is drawn between conwilla & tomgreg: 303 — both connor and tom describe their partner as ‘leggy’ one scene after the other. earnestly, it only stuck out to me bc i had never heard that word used before

- as he begins his proposal, tom is distracted by two waiters whipping each other’s asses with towels after delivering food to a nearby table. they are parallels of tomgreg, two servile men engaging in homoerotic horseplay in their workplace

- “do you want to come with me? sporus?” tom fulfils his desire to become nero, kill shiv & marry greg (303). although we know tom is sat down, the shot is positioned from behind greg and tom’s placement means he could feasibly be down on one knee

- i wondered if it would be a stretch to call “do you want to come with me? sporus?” a homoerotic double entendre until i remembered that sporus literally means ‘semen’ (named so as a result of his castration). calling back to tom’s nickname for greg at this highly intimate moment feels rather intentional

- birds begin chirping as tom makes his proposal, calling back to a special tomgreg moment: the consumption of the ortolan songbirds

- statues and busts are not only symbols of antiquity (visually connecting tomgreg to nero & sporus) but also of wealth and power, and they frequently appears in tomgreg scenes: 302, the morning after boar on the floor as the two comfort each other. 309, as tom makes his proposal, a dark bust sat on the stone wall is visible over his shoulder

- throughout the proposal, we see a three-prong candelabra and two solitary candles behind greg, as he is sat in the middle. the candelabra is the roy siblings and the solitary candles could be either tomgreg or tom & logan

- as he mocks greg’s disasterous cross examining, the aforementioned bust is sat directly on tom’s shoulder: greg’s weakness is tom’s disapproval and tom is able to gain power over him through expressing it

- tom moves in closer to ask “who has ever looked after you in this fucking family? huh?” and as he stares for an answer, his face is contrasted against a blurry sea of faceless wedding guests, visually indicating how tomgreg have only looked out for each other throughout the show

- “you could be heading…towards the bottom of the top.” “the bottom of the top?” a youtube comment pointed out the homoerotic double entendre here and i could not be more grateful, it went right over my head

- do you want a deal with the devil?” “well…what am i gonna do with a soul anyways?” to me, this line cemented the parallels between dorian gray & lord henry from the picture of dorian gray, and tomgreg: an aimless young man catches the eye of an older, married libertine and through their homoerotic partnership, they engage in the heights of hedonistic pleasure in exchange for the younger man’s soul/integrity. sarah snook even referenced this tomgreg scene in a post about her broadway show, an adaptation of tpodg!

- a ringer article discussed the contrast of greg accepting tom’s proposal (“of course.”) to the lies, backstabbing, and scheming typically seen from the succ cast. greg knows nothing of tom’s plan but his willingness to place his faith in tom demonstrates the depth of their connection

[tomose]

[Someday, in the Kitchen Where Echoes Smile] Chapter 1 Translation

This day was marked by the melodic chirping of birds.

AKIRA: (Uh-oh, I lost track of time while writing in my tome… I wonder if they’re still serving lunch.)

…Hm?

Carrying Sakitty in my arms, I arrived on the last step of the stairs leading to the dining hall. However, the scene before me stopped me in my tracks. Depressing? Chaotic? I can’t quite find the right words to describe it.

SNOW: *sob sob*

LENNOX: Please don’t take it to heart, Master Snow.

RUSTICA: La la la~♪ It happens to the best of us~♪

FIGARO: Wow, a song of comfort from the virtuoso himself. That ought to stop you from crying, right?

MITHRA: *CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH* *munch munch*

AKIRA: (…What the…) G-Good afternoon, everyone. Is, um, everything all right?

RUSTICA: Good afternoon, Master Sage. I’ve never been better; unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Master Snow here.

FIGARO: He burnt the lunch he was making for Master White to a crisp. That’s why he’s a bit down in the dumps.

If you’re wondering, it’s that charred matter Mithra is eating as we speak.

MITHRA: *CRUNCH CRUNCH* *CRACKLE*

SACRIFICIUM: *sniff* !

AKIRA: (Sakitty’s tail puffed up from the smell alone...)

LENNOX: Master White’s reaction didn’t help either…

FIGARO: He took one bite, then magically disappeared without saying a word; we don’t know where he went.

If you ask me, he deserves credit for even putting that suspicious mass in his mouth.

LENNOX: Master Snow seems to have taken it hard regardless.

RUSTICA: Hence we are here to offer emotional support.

AKIRA: You don’t say…

SNOW: *sob* I could use more consoling here, my dear Sage~

AKIRA: Um… I’m guessing you burnt it because you set the flames too high? As long as you work on your heat control, I’m sure you can make something delicious next time! Cheer up, okay?

SNOW: *whimper* The heat level wasn't the problem exactly...

AKIRA: Huh? Then how did you burn it?

LENNOX: Apparently, he sauteed flaming potatoes, flaming mushrooms, flaming bacon, and flaming apples in scorching olive oil.

AKIRA: …So um, judging by those names…

LENNOX: Every ingredient used, as you might have guessed, was covered in flames.

AKIRA: (What a plot twist!)

FIGARO: Just between you and me, any reasonable person could have seen that coming from a mile away. But in Master Snow’s case, he lets his mood and sudden impulses fuel his cooking inspiration.

SNOW: Figaro, I can hear you loud and clear.

MITHRA: Why did you go all out on flaming ingredients, anyway? Were you hoping to set White on fire?

SNOW: Don't be ridiculous! I just thought how cool it would be to cook my dish in a constant flambé, that’s all! I was going to call it, “Scorching Crimson Sauté”! Come on, you must agree the name has a nice ring to it!

AKIRA: (Like some high-quality equipment you see in video games…)

NERO: Hey, Sage.

RIQUET: We brought you your lunch. It’s omelet day!

AKIRA: Ah, I almost forgot what I came here for… Thank you, Nero and Riquet.

RIQUET: You’re welcome. If you find peas in your meal, those are the ones I helped shell. Isn’t that right, Nero?

NERO: Yep. You were a huge help.

RIQUET: Hehe!

Snow’s sniffling has yet to cease. Although his issue was still on my mind, I picked up my spoon as everyone gestured me to.

AKIRA: That was so nice of you, Riquet. Good job. I’ll savor every bite of this.

RIQUET: Thank you. Please, help yourself!

NERO: By the way, what happened to the dish you were cooking next to me? The one that was burning like crazy.

SNOW: *whimper* See for yourself.

MITHRA: *chow CHOW*

NERO: Yeaaahh, I kinda figured…

CAIN: Master Sage–Oh and Nero, just who I wanted to see. Good thing somebody from the East is around.

AKIRA: Hello, Cain.

RIQUET: Did you submit the report to Cock Robin?

NERO: What’s up? Need me for a mission or something?

CAIN: Yes and yes. I just traded our report for this new mission form.

A strange anomaly seems to be happening in the Town of Blue Scales in the East.

NERO: Town of Blue Scales…

RIQUET: The name doesn’t ring a bell. What kind of place is it?

CAIN: The Town of Blue Scales is an inland port situated on the banks of the great transcontinental river. Cargo ships frequently sail back and forth from there to all over the world—including the Town of Glory—so it’s also known as the Gateway to the East.

What else, uh… Nero, anything to add?

NERO: Huh? Oh… Sure, lemme jog my memory a bit.

It’s a large town that’s…how do I put this? Uncharacteristically tranquil and friendly compared to other parts of the East. Welcoming a steady stream of visitors from the Western and Central countries definitely plays a part in that.

Aside from what was mentioned…the town is lined with a significant number of restaurants and pubs. Some say that if officials were to conduct a consensus, they’d find that restaurants outnumbered residents.

And given that it’s a port town, it’s home to a large-scale, year-round market. With countless customers and accessible ingredients within reach, running a restaurant has never been easier.

SNOW: Hmm, a year-round market…

CAIN: True, the town does sound like a dream come true for chefs. When you were living in the East, did you get to shop there yourself?

NERO: Yeah, well…I used to live there. But only for about a decade, give or take.

ALL: What?!

Nero mentioned it so casually that we all couldn’t help but raise our voices in surprise. The wide-eyed look on Riquet’s face then turned to that of concern as his brows drooped.

RIQUET: Does that mean…your friends and acquaintances are in trouble?

NERO: Nah, I lived there a long time ago. Anyone I knew then would have relocated to the afterlife by now.

Anyway, what’s this anomaly you’re talking about?

CAIN: Reports of ghost sightings at an old restaurant, which has long since shuttered its doors, began following the most recent attack of the Great Calamity. We’re not talking about just one or two here—as many as ten allegedly could be haunting the place at any given time.

Although no one has suffered any real harm so far, neighboring residents are scared out of their wits. That’s why they turned to us to investigate.

LENNOX: Ten is a lot, even considering that abandoned spots and paranormal phenomena go hand in hand.

FIGARO: Based on what we know, it sounds like the building is reliving dreams of the past.

AKIRA: Dreams? The building itself, you say?

FIGARO: Buildings bear witness to and nurture human activities, making them highly permeable to a myriad of emotions and sentiments.

RUSTICA: Those emotions could, for a number of reasons, be rekindled out of the blue and project bygone glories. This phenomenon is called ”Dreams Relived by Buildings”.

While visiting an old mansion, I myself have had the chance to observe lost echoes of a wedding banquet from two centuries ago.

MITHRA: I bet it’s another impact of the Great Calamity. We’ve seen cases of the moon reviving defunct emotions and forgotten sentiments.

AKIRA: So that’s what’s happening… Even if we’re not dealing with ghosts this time, it’s best if we resolve this as soon as possible, right?

Nero. Since you know the area, can I leave this mission to you?

NERO: Sure, I'm on it.

AKIRA: Thank you. If we could get a few more ha—

SNOW: Restaurant, echoes, year-round market, Nero… Restaurant! Echoes! Year-round market! NERO!!

All of a sudden, Snow sprung off his chair while yelling some chant. This caused Nero to back away in a tizzy.

NERO: Sheesh, what was that for? No need to shout my name like that, you're freaking me out…

SNOW: I had an epiphany!

SNOW: Echoes of the restaurant, a year-round market, and lastly, Nero–the groundwork is laid for a cooking class hosted by you!

NERO: Huh?

ALL: What?

CAIN: I’m afraid we’re not seeing the connection, Master Snow. Would you care to elaborate?

SNOW: Here is the idea: The true nature of the suspected hauntings is, most likely, the lingering sentiments embedded in the restaurant. Surely these are related to cooking and dining.

Now, there are several approaches to subduing a phenomenon of the sort, the easiest of which would be to sublimate said sentiments.

In this specific instance, we must hold a cooking class hosted by Nero, followed by a session of cooking and eating together. And that ought to solve the anomaly! Thoroughly and perfectly!

AKIRA: I’m…not sure I follow…

MITHRA: How can you be so sure without investigating firsthand? For all we know, there could be a horde of ghosts—

SNOW: Gosh, Mithy, you picked the wrong time to act as the voice of reason! Here comes another serving of charcoal! Open wide!

MITHRA: Hrmph! *nom nom*

SNOW: Look, if this strange anomaly turns out to require some serious action, then I will personally see to its thorough resolution! The cooking class can wait after the fact!

FIGARO: When you put it that way, solving the anomaly and hosting a cooking class just lost any correlation.

MITHRA: A hom fuh ehl shluv fis awowghfafee uh mrf.

CAIN: Say that again?

MITHRA: *swallow* The one who will solve this anomaly is me.

AKIRA: (He actually repeated himself…)

SNOW: Pretty please? I would love to recapture Whitey’s heart through cooking!

NERO: …Don't mean to disappoint, but teaching people how to cook falls right into my blind corner…

Nero pulled away, reluctant to the idea of being an instructor. In stark contrast, Rustica and Riquet craned their necks in excitement, two sets of eyes shining bright.

RUSTICA: This conversation has given me the inspiration and motivation to repay Chloe for all that he does for me. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, allow me a spot in your cooking class.

RIQUET: To be able to solve an anomaly and to learn cooking from Nero simultaneously–a truly meaningful use of time.

…It would be nice if I could bake an apple pie for my fellow wizards...

NERO: Apple pie?

[octopus-punching-union]

Thoughts on the new chapter...

Ed was NOT what I was expecting lol

Lyca is a sweetheart. Darkwick is totally lying about letting him go back to Neros after he acclimates to human society. (I have a bad feeling that we're going to find out something like Neros gave Lyca to Darkwick...)

Obscuary has only been around for two years. Has Ed only been with the Academy for two years?

Ed knows a lot about anomalies and the Academy doesn't listen to him. He's spoken up about the confinement and handling of anomalies before. The last couple of chapters are making me really dislike the Chancellor and Moby. (Or maybe it's orders coming down from a higher authority at the Institute? Jin's father?)

Was Rui previously in Ultio? He already knew about the secret prison. But he didn't know about Lyca, so maybe not. Or maybe he was in Clementia? He was kinda evasive when he was talking about that and his curse...

More on the prison — we've seen the Barometz before. MC passed by it while exploring the prison the first time. The mission notes said they considered the Barometz to be low-risk, so why were they keeping it in the prison? How do they decide what is imprisoned and what isn't?

Interesting that the Academy has surveillance within the prison (and the security guards aren't super competent). Did they have cameras on Lyca, too? Did they know when MC found the prison? Do they know that Subaru has been visiting Lyca this whole time?

I don't think the murder that sparked the Clash was Alan killing Dante. (I've been thinking for a while that Alan "killed" Dante before Darkwick.)

What does "one eyed sleeping beauty" mean, anyway? Is that descriptive of the victim and/or crime scene? Who was killed, anyway? (One eyed = the body was missing an eye? Sleeping beauty = the body/crime scene was otherwise peaceful? Just throwing out ideas here.)

I think the list of murder suspects is a red herring. Wouldn't the Academy lock up whoever they thought was the killer? Interesting that Taiga and Romeo aren't on the list.

Is Ed's "sixth sense" his stigma, or is it a vampire thing?

Rui apparently doesn't need to say anything to use his stigma. (According to Hyde in the prologue, this is rare. He also said that Jin is/was also able to do it... I think Jin can do it again, we didn't see him using his incantation in Vagastrom.)

Gonna reread today. I feel like I missed a lot.

[thesagesjournal]

[Birthday] White (May 29th, 2025)

Twitter thread | Bluesky thread

Good morning, dear. Who would've thought you and I would ever find ourselves waiting for Snow to open his eyes on this special day. Oh, how I wish we could stay like this just a little longer... You don't mind, do you, dear?

Birthday morning

White: Hey, Snow, no hogging the Sage all to yourself! Let me in on the group hu~g! Glo~mmmp! 

White: Hoho, forgive us, dear, but we simply can't contain our excitement!

White: We've lost count of how many birthdays we've celebrated, but nothing can compare to being woken up by your radiant smile. Thank you for this wonderful gift, Sage.

Voicelines

White: Sage dear, do you know what day it is? …Hohoho, thank you very much for your birthday wishes. It truly feels like I’m aging another year with my dearest Snow. …Now, now, don’t look so glum! We look forward to spending more years to come with you.

Snow: Thank you for being born, White. I won't let anything separate us again. We’ve been together since birth and together we'll be until the very end. Please, stay with me until the day I draw my dying breath.

Mithra: Is it White’s birthday? Should I get him a coupon for one free trip wherever he likes? That’s what you give old people in your world, right? …I’m not allowed to drop him into a pool of lava if he cashes it in? …How did you know what I was thinking?

Owen: You want a present? From me? Well then, how about this? It’s a flower I found in my pocket after the last time Mithra attacked me. I suppose it grows somewhere around here. People often offer flowers to the dead, no? Happy birthday, White.

Bradley: The heck is this? It’s a cake topper of grown-up Snow made by White? It ain’t look like him at all. Where’s that devilish look in his eyes? ‘Course it’s an easy fix if we just do this and that and… Huh. That smudge ‘round his eyes looks like a birthmark. Well, whatever.

Oz: This is your birthday present, White. …You are asking if I hit my head? Who was the one summoning me to their room and whining from sunrise to sunset about this?

Arthur: The trivia contest was so exciting! I was especially moved by the hug they shared at the end. There truly aren’t enough words to capture the joy that comes from knowing someone remembers all these little things about you and the precious moments you've shared together.

Cain: Lord White? He—llo? Anyone there? …No good. He’s passed out drunk. Even though he’s in his adult form right now, I could probably still carry him… Oh, Lord Snow. You're gonna take care of him? I’ll leave it to you then. Have a good night, you two!

Riquet: I can’t believe the cake toppers the two of you made are gone. …The second you turned around, Owen snatched them up and Bradley completely ruined them! It’ll be alright though—I’ll help with remaking them. …You’ll help too, Master Sage? Thank you so much!

Faust: You want to know what I think of your matching outfit with Snow? I don’t mind, but why me… It’s because I easily succumb to peer pressure and wouldn't say no? I don’t know what you’re talking about… Anyways, the embroidered snowy designs on your capes look nice.

Shino: As expected, Snow and White ended up being tied in the end. We had a real close shave for a second there with Snow fumbling for an answer, but that’s more or less how they always are. It's good that they made it to the end of the day without a fight.

Heathcliff: Happy birthday, Lord White. I received some silver from our workshop back home, so I used it to craft a hair accessory for you… Of course, there’s a matching one for Lord Snow as well.

Nero: What’s the matter, White? …If it’s about food for Ma and Pa, I’ve already got it covered. Look, I even made a cute little cake for dessert… Whoa!? Ahaha… Ain’t I a little too old to be gettin’ pats on the head and called a good boy?

Shylock: Happy birthday, Lord White. I must say, you look even cuter than usual today. The shimmering snowflakes on your outfit make you look just like a winter fairy. If you went to town with Lord Snow right now, I’m sure the two of you would be turning heads left and right.

Murr: That cake topper you made of Snow looks great!  But if ya really wanna take it to the next level, you should add this meringue one of me too! …Ahaha, you ate it! Was I delicious?

Chloe: You’ve mentioned before that you have trouble sleeping, right, Lord White? Well, I was thinking this cup of herbal tea might help you sleep. …Huh? You want to turn this into a tea party with me? I’m the one who should be treating you today, not the other way around!

Rustica: Lord White, you’re celebrating in your adult form today. …It certainly is refreshing to see. While I’m fond of your usual, adorable voice, the soothing tones of this one pluck at my very heart strings. Truly, you possess a charm no matter how you sound.

Figaro: Happy birthday, Lord White. I’m glad we could spend another year together like this. Make sure not to push yourself too hard, alright? You’re not in your prime anymore, and we don’t need to lose you again.

Rutile: It’s dessert time, Lord White! Which one would you like? …The cake? Got it! Is one slice okay, or should I leave another for Lord Snow, too? …Even though it’s Lord Snow’s birthday, it’s also yours, so you can each do as you like? Ahaha, I love that answer!

Lennox: Lord White said he wanted to be taller than me to pat me on the head, so he used magic to turn me into a child. He then proceeded to fulfil his wish, but then Lord Snow came along and started doing it too… Does this really count as a birthday present?

Mitile: Happy birthday, Lord White! You look around the same age as the neighbourhood kids, so I can’t help thinking “how cute~” everytime I see you. Wait, what do you mean you’ll make me cute too since I complimented you? H-Hold on, w-whoa~!?

[yeonjuns-beanie]

Halo Pt.2

warnings: less plot, but still plot, 18+, smut, unprotected sex, biting, light blood(play), light hair pulling, body worship, oral(f receiving), light degradation, yandere themes, dub-con, think that's it

summary: in your free time you do freelance writing, doing interviews with people most would consider strand and unusual. when you recognize that one of the regulars in your coffee shop only visits in the evening, you pose the question of where you can interview him, upon his agreement, you realize this is unlike any other interview

a/n: holy shit, i am alive actually. i feel kinda horrible that i last posted in september. life got kinda crazy, i was slammed with uni and work, and had intense writer's block. anyways, i hope those of you who enjoyed the first part enjoy this one even more! i'm not entirely sure how active i'll be this semester, but i'm not going to make any promises lol. as always, i hope you enjoy and have a great day! :D ~nero

word count: 5.4K

Vampire!Seonghwa x female reader

pt.1

Seonghwa looked off to the side, inhaling a calculated breath before he spoke. 

“The nightlife. Where I was before was too prosaic and mundane. It lacked character. But here? There’s a flame that ignites when the sun goes down.” 

You scribbled down his last sentence wanting to maybe use it as the title for the piece when you finished. Looking back up at him, you felt your body relax and suddenly everything felt easy. 

“Where were you before?” 

“Everywhere. I’m a bit of a nomad, you see? I can’t stay chained to one place for too long.” 

“Did you find your last locations to grow boring, or was it something else?” 

“Something else. Rather of my own doing, but needing to keep my needs satiated is a necessity.” 

You paused for a moment and glanced at your notebook littered with questions trying to find the next avenue you’d walk down. You hadn’t been faced with someone so careful in their speech. He was answering your questions, yes, but not in the full detail that you desired. He was making you work. 

“Being a nomad, you must have a flexible job. What do you do for work and what’s your haven for play?” 

A smirk formed on his face, like he knew he was stumping you. Running his fingers through his onyx locks, he went to lick his lips and you noticed the length of one of his canines peeking from behind his upper lip. 

“Ah, yes. For work, I was lucky enough to benefit from years of generational wealth, but I hated the fact of that being my only accolade. So I sought after art. I always rendered an interest in building things so I thought, why not extend that to an artistic field?” 

“What’s your medium?”

“Sculptures and charcoal portraits. I love capturing time in a piece. I don’t know how long this life will grant me so I enjoy partaking in affairs that allow me to immortalize that time. Remind me to show you some of my portraits.” 

Nodding, you remembered the busts you saw when you entered his home, the question crossed your mind if those were his art.

“Those busts that you have in your entryway, did you make those as well?”

“So you really were quite entranced. To answer you, yes, I did create those as well. They’re of my family who have since passed on. I don’t have many left in my life so it aids me in keeping the memory of them alive.” 

Moving your hair out of your face to look at him, you furrowed your brow feeling sorry for him as you processed his statement. 

“Are you all alone out here?”

The concerned look on your face quickly fell to anxiety as you feared you may be prying too much into his personal life. Getting ready to speak again, Seonghwa stopped you with the gentle raise of his hand and smiled. 

“You’re not overstepping any boundaries, my dove. When I agreed to sit with you, pen in hand with the recorder running, I alleviated all forms of privacy for you. You may ask me whatever you feel called to ask. I’m yours for the evening.” 

A soft smile pulled at your lips as you silently acknowledged him, and thanked him for being so tender with you. His velvet voice pulled you from your thoughts. 

“To answer your previous question though, yes, I am all alone. It was lonely at first, but after a while it became comfortable. Perhaps preferred. I did find that recently though, the exigent desire for a partner has been pulling at my heartstrings.” 

“With your interest in the nightlife here, surely it shouldn’t be too hard to find yourself a companion. Not to mention if you’re speaking romantically, I’m sure you’d find yourself plenty of options.” 

You regretted it as soon as it left your mouth, but it was already in the air now and you just had to hope and pray that he’d let it slide.

“What are implying?” 

Of course, he wouldn’t. 

“I’m just saying…that, you know, you are an attractive guy. It seems like you’d have a particularly easy time…weeding through people.” 

“You think I have a lot of suitors?” 

Seonghwa had his arms folded across his chest now, gaining pleasure from making you squirm. 

“I’m saying that I think you’d have a fair amount of people to choose from, not necessarily that they’d be worthy of your time.” 

You brought the pen up to your lips, feeling your anxiety swirl in your body as Seonghwa continued to hanker down on you. You glanced over at your notebook again, seeing what you could ask to divert the subject but before you had the chance to speak, Seonghwa was prying. 

“Worthy of my time?” 

“From first impressions, you seem…difficult to entertain. Not to be impressed by the bare minimum, which if considering this town, there is a lot of.”

Seonghwa leaned forward, smiling without showing his teeth. His aura radiated a slimy smugness that irritated you but also ignited a fire within you. 

“I’d beg to differ. There are a select few I’ve come across. I wouldn’t be so certain in your statement.” 

Your mind was swarmed with questions, most of them centering around who he was entertaining and if you even spared a shot with him. 

“Have you found a lover yet then?”

With Seonghwa still hovering over the desk, he looked so much larger than usual. He commanded even more attention and you couldn’t bear to tear your eyes away from his as he stared you down. When he spoke, he raked his eyes over your form and was begging whatever deity was out there that you’d pick up on his hints. 

“I’ve found who I want to be mine, she just doesn’t know it yet. I’ve been leaving her clues, paltry I know, but I beg that she pick up my scent soon.” 

“Like a secret admirer?”

“You can call it that, yes. What I feel for her though is more than what a secret admirer could possess.” 

You felt your heart drop, not even letting the delusion have time to manifest to let you think that this “she” was you. You nodded your head and looked toward your notebook again scanning over your questions to see where you wanted to take the interview next. As you went to look up at Seonghwa again, you noticed that unabated gloss cast over his eyes again. The other thing you noticed was that his eyes seemed to change color. It was hard to tell for sure in the dim lighting of the study, but you swore you were seeing flecks of red in his irises. 

As you inhaled to speak, you felt your body freeze and an indistinguishable tingle ran rampant through your limbs. Panic registered across your pupils as you tried to move but soon recognized that you were glued to the chair. Your limbs were attached to the wood of the desk as if your skin were made to melt into the surface. Suddenly as you looked at Seonghwa, you realized that you recognized this feeling, the energy that was emanating across from you. It was all too familiar.

It wasn’t sleep paralysis. It was him.

“Ahh, yes it was, my dove. I’m disheartened that it took you this long. Thought the journal would’ve been clue enough.” 

Feeling that static in your fingers trail up your arm and down through your body, you felt control over yourself again. You pressed your back flesh against the chair, a feeble attempt at creating space between you two. Your vision was unfocused for a moment and in the blur created, you understood that the man across you was the figure in the corner of your room last night. Your breath quickened with fear, but something else mixed in with your emotions that you couldn’t quite place yet. 

“Y-you we’re in my room last night?… Why?” 

Seonghwa stood up slowly, his hands planted firmly on the desk. His frame which was at first sleek and inviting was now imposing and ravening. His eyes were boring into you making you feel so minuscule under his gaze. His tone was low, almost near a whisper, but his next words sent a chill down your spine. 

“Because I can’t bear to leave you alone.”

Your eyes blew wide in panic, fear present in your features. You wondered how you could find a way out of this, a way to remedy the situation but you felt completely and utterly trapped. You looked behind you to the door of the study and defeat enveloped you as you came to the conclusion that any attempt you made to escape would prove to be fruitless. As you returned your gaze to Seonghwa, he was shaking his head, a grin cast on his face. 

“How could you even think about leaving so early when we haven’t finished the interview yet, y/n? I’ve looked forward to this all day, I’d hate for it to end so soon.” 

Seonghwa furrowed his features into a pout, persuading you to swallow your fear and sit forward. Maybe, if you indulged in him he’d let you leave. As Seonghwa sat back in his seat, a new wave of questions ran through your brain. Whether or not you’d include this in the posted interview, you needed closure for yourself. Asserting yourself in your spot, you sat taller, your gaze piercing his as he did to you moments before. Your voice carried a dominance that hadn’t been present all evening. 

“How long have you been following me?” 

“Fiesty are we?”

“Hwa, how long have you been on my tail?”

“My dove, I’m disappointed. How could you not realize all those rotten feelings you felt when you stepped out of your car were because of me?” 

His face was sickening, he was enjoying this. The smile that painted his face was sardonic and it made acrimony bubble within you. All those weeks where you felt like you were going brainsick were because of him. 

I can’t believe him right now

“Better start believing y/n. At least you have the comfort of knowing you’re not demented.” 

“Stop doing that!” 

It was freaking you out that nearly every thought you had about him he had a response to. He was inside your head and you couldn’t place how he was doing it. 

“Doing what, darling?” 

“That! Being in my head! How are you doing that?!” 

Your fear was making you hostile and agitated. You felt completely out of control and you hated every second of it. You were in a stranger’s house, agreeing to come based on the hopes that you’d get something out of this and now you were shackled in this room with a stalker. You stared down at your notebook trying to fit the pieces of all of this together. The thought finally dawned on you that he knew where you lived, and it was no mere coincidence that the journal you found at your front door perfectly matched the pen he gave you. Your eyes landed on a bookshelf behind you and you noticed a horrifying similarity between what was sitting on the shelves and what was resting underneath your hands.

“Ask me.” 

Your head whipped to Seonghwa’s voice, not daring to disrespect him for you were fearful of the consequences. 

“Ask you what?” 

“Ask me how I know your thoughts.”

You inhaled a deep breath, trying to prepare yourself for the answer you were about to be given. Sighing you looked straight into his eyes, and that’s when you noticed the color of them changed. A deep carmine colored his irises now. Your eyes squinted, trying to understand his motive now. 

“How do you know what I’m thinking.” 

He inhaled a breath, mocking you. He smiled at you, something sickeningly sweet about it. 

“Vampirism. Vampirism is how I know. Vampirism is also how I’ve been able to stalk you without the thought of me ever crossing your mind. It’s the reason why I was in your bedroom, why I could never leave your thoughts, why you were entranced by me. By design, you were meant to be allured by me and you were. Which is why you’re sitting across from me.” 

You were stunned. You always entertained the idea of supernatural creatures, but never did you think that were actually real. Never in your lifetime did you think that you’d be face to face with a vampire and with that knowledge you were now more fearful of your situation. Your next words flew from your mouth without any chance to filter. 

“What do you feed on?” 

Seonghwa leaned forward and smiled, the tip of one of his fangs peeking out onto his bottom lip. 

“Whatever I can get my hands on. I have to say though, the more fear that exudes from my dinner makes the taste that much more delectable. And you, my sweet y/n, are absolutely intoxicating right now. Almost as sweet as last night. Gods, it took everything in me not to devour you then.” 

You held your composure, but something stirred in your lower stomach. Radiating heat between your thighs. 

Arousal. 

You were feeling aroused by his words, and you were ashamed by it. Here you were, at the mercy of a stranger and yet, you were aroused by the transparency of his truths. You tried to push the feeling to the back of your mind, but something was bringing your innermost fantasies about Seonghwa forward. His eyes were indulging in you in sheer gluttony, looking at you like prey and you couldn’t help but think that he was holding back on what his inner monologue consisted of. 

“What are you thinking about right now?” 

You leaned forward, asserting yourself now that a lustful wave crashed over your body. 

“So that’s what gets you off? Carnal urges, is it?” 

“That’s not what I asked.” 

“While true, it is what I heard prior to you speaking.” 

Rolling your tongue across your teeth, you were through with the antics. 

“What’s on your mind now, Hwa?” 

He smiled flashing his teeth, his fangs on full display. 

“Truthfully, I’m running through all the ways I want to consume you. To make you mine. And it’s becoming quite painful to ignore.” 

You wanted to call his bluff, to catch him off guard even with the disadvantage of him invading the privacy of your mind. You stood up from the chair, the legs creating a painful scratching sound across the wood. You walked around the edge of the desk and positioned yourself in front of him, gently laying your hand on the table in front of his, your fingertips barely touching. Leaning down, you stared into his piercing garnet eyes damning yourself to cosset in the feelings that were licentious in nature. Wetting your bottom lip with the tip of your tongue, you felt your eyes blow in temptation and you knew he was aware of every second of it. 

“Then do something about it. Live up to this lavish vampiric character you’ve laid out for me.”

With the passing of a second, the roles of power drastically shifted. His body moved with a swiftness that you hadn’t experienced and before you had a chance to register what happened, you were caged underneath his frame with your hips nailed against the side of the desk. His slender hand snaked its way to your neck, wrapping his deft fingers around your face and forcing you to look at him. 

“Careful, pet. I don’t think you understand the gravity of your words.” 

Eyes darkening with lust, you smirked at him feeling a sense of power as you watched him lose control in front of you. Moving your body to sit on top of the desk, you rolled your neck, exposing your most vulnerable space of skin to him.

“You reek of luxuria, have you any shame?” 

“Not any more than you.” 

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you trailed your hand up to the nape of his neck, goosebumps forming in its wake. You curled your fingers into the hair resting on his neck feeling fulfilled as you watched his body shiver in unabashed desire for you. His chest heaved heavy breaths as his lust for you was becoming harder to control. Seonghwa let his head fall into the conjunction of where your neck and shoulder met, his breath creating an intense humidity that only aided your arousal. 

Pulling at his hair, you positioned him to look at you head-on. His eyes were blown wide, the red of his irises nearly covered up by the black of his pupils. His breathing was still heavy and you could feel a small bulge prodding at your inner thigh. Rolling your hips into his, you watched his eyes roll to the back of his head, only the white of his sclera showing. As he breathed out, a small whimper was swallowed in his throat. Pulling at his hair, he opened his eyes to look at you. 

“Devour me, Seonghwa.” 

Any suppression of his feelings turned into a zealous carnal display of affection. His lips were on yours in a second, hot and impassioned. His hands roamed over the exposed flesh of your thighs, indenting the skin with his fingers each time he squeezed. Your head was squirming with floating ideas and wrestling with the plain fact that you were getting exactly what you wanted. 

As Seonghwa swiped your bottom lip, silently asking for permission, you parted your mouth just enough to grant your tongues the freedom to fight for dominance. With one roll of your tongue into his mouth, the side of your tongue was swiped by the point of his fang. It sent a chill down your spine but excited you even further. Feeling bold, you closed the space of your lips and bit down on his bottom lip, pulling away from him as you watched him with hooded eyes. 

Letting your hands snake down his torso, you hooked your fingers into his belt loops pulling him closer to your clothed center. Gently rolling your hips, you were thankful that you wore a skirt as your aching cunt ghosted over his jean covered cock. Looking up at him, your eyes were blown and you could feel the sexual adrenaline raging through your body. 

“I want you, Seonghwa. I want you to make me yours.” 

Seonghwa looked down at you, a knowing smirk painting his mouth as he gingerly put his finger under your chin. 

“Aww, how sweet. But darling, you were mine the moment I laid my eyes upon you, don’t you get that? I just needed that sweet invitation to fall from your pretty lips.” 

In the blink of an eye, Seonghwa’s hands found their way underneath the fabric of your shirt. His hands were like ice, but the contrasting temperature soothed the raging heat dancing across your skin. There was an uncontrollable need and you felt like you couldn’t get close enough to him. Your body kept rolling into his and you couldn’t quell the small moan that escaped your throat. 

“Excited, hmm?” 

Your eyes were pleading, needing to feel something other than his hands roaming your body. 

“Do something, please. I’m begging you.” 

Seonghwa brought his face to the side of yours so that his lips grazed the shell of your ear. He was breathing slowly, almost methodically and it made your heartbeat race. When he spoke, your eyebrows furrowed at his lower tone.

“Just something?”

You mewled at him, tired of the teasing, but what he did next was not what you expected. One of his fangs made contact with the sensitive skin of your neck and you moaned out as the tip of it impaled your skin. Seonghwa pulled away, his tongue swiping at the tiny drop of crimson staining his tooth. His eyes darkened as he smirked at you and indulged in your metallic taste. You felt him roll his hips into yours, his cock growing harder as he imagined how it would feel to feed off of your naked body. 

Growing impatient from the wanton ache that settled in your cunt, you pushed Seonghwa away from you and your body off of the desk. Making yourself as big as possible, you guided his body backward until his knees met the lip of the couch in the study. As his form gracefully plopped into the cushions, you tore your top off throwing it on the floor behind you. You straddled Seonghwa’s thighs, grinding your hips down into him as you made contact with his lap. You cupped his face as you let your body control your actions rather than your mind. Pulling him close, your lips danced a dangerous waltz of spit and tongue as he began to feel dizzy from the intensity.

Seonghwa was enjoying this obscene side of you, his nimble fingers gripping at your skin any chance he got. Pulling away from his lips, his mouth chased yours not ready for the kiss to end so soon. Placing your hands on his chest, you allowed yourself the time to admire his form. His perfectly sculpted body that was encased so delicately by the mesh he wore. You sucked your bottom lip behind your teeth as you gripped the fabric into your fist grinding down into his erection. 

His hips rolled up into yours and his breathing quickened as he devoured you with his eyes. 

“Enjoying yourself?” 

“More than you know.” You panted out

Seonghwa patted your thigh and nodded his chin behind you. 

“Up.”

You pushed yourself off of him, suddenly hyper-aware of your insecurities. They didn’t have long to manifest as his voice pulled you from your thoughts. He grabbed your hand leading you out of the study, down the hallway, and guided you into his bedroom. 

“Never. Think such dreadful things about yourself, my dove.”

Seonghwa gently placed you down on the edge of his opulent bed, his bedroom far too extravagant for you to fully appreciate right now. Nodding his head behind you, you understood his cue to scoot back and your eyes never left him as he crawled over your body. 

“It’s simply just, if I’m going to ravage you in the ways I’ve dreamt so vividly, it wasn’t going to happen on that vapid couch.” 

He placed gentle kisses on your jawline, nipping slightly at the skin near your earlobe. Seonghwa then dragged his nose down the valley of your breasts and stopped at the hemline of your skirt. The heat and your arousal turn near suffocating under the constraints of your panties. 

“You deserve to be tasted, worshipped. To be given a night of passion. And I, my sweet y/n, am going to give you all of that and more.” 

His voice turned more gruff the more his sentence trailed on. What you failed to realize was that due to the angle he was at, your arousal was like his personal parfum and it was dreadfully intoxicating. He acted with no haste as he dragged your skirt down your legs, taking your underwear with it. You felt embarrassment quickly wash over your body as you felt the stick of your arousal stretch between your needy lips and the ruined cotton. 

Now fully exposed to him, you had nowhere to hide and it excited you. He pressed his nose against your clit, the action sending a savage bolt of lust through your body. Your body shivered as he took a deep inhale of your scent, his tongue following soon behind with a flattened lick across your folds. The moan that left you was covetous and echoed off the walls of his bedroom. 

Seonghwa lapped at your folds like a ravenous dog and your sounds only egged him on. Your hips were riding his face, unable to get enough of him. When your hand found refuge in his inky locks, he moaned into your pussy, the vibrations bringing you to the precipice of your orgasm. With one hand gripping at his hair and the other fisting the sheets, you were moaning like a rapacious whore. 

“Hwa, fuck! Hwa I’m gonna cum!” 

Seonghwa gripped his hands tighter around your hips, shoving your cunt as close as possible to his mouth. Seonghwa focused on your clit, fluttering his tongue against your sensitive bud before sucking your orgasm right out of you. 

“Fuckfuckfuck!” 

Seonghwa didn’t give you a chance to ride out your first orgasm, instead, he continued sucking on your tender rosebud and let the aftershock of your second climax wash over you. Your body shook in intervals of vibrating lust. Chillis littering your body as you relished in the feeling he just bestowed upon you. Lifting himself from between your legs, he hovered over you with a satisfied smirk plastered on his lips. Soon his lips were on yours again and the tangy taste of yourself swept across your tastebuds. Pulling away from you, he began unbuttoning his shirt. 

“You taste even better than what I dreamt of.” 

You couldn’t quite wrap your head around the fact that he wanted you just as bad and your mouth moved quicker than your mind. 

“Y-you’ve dreamt of me?” 

An airy chuckle left his throat. 

“Darling, if you question my likening for you one more time tonight, I’m going to have to chain you to my bed and fuck any trace of doubt out of you.” 

Your hole squeezed around nothing and courage found itself in you again. Flipping your bodies over, you sat on top of his lap, your arousal spreading all over the top of his jeans. Undoing his belt, the sexual tension was fervid and it was as if you couldn’t move your hands fast enough. His cock was straining against the layers of fabric and you needed it straining against your walls. 

Pulling his jeans down his legs with his underwear, you knelt down, prepared to offer up all your oral skills known to man. Before you could ghost your lips over his tip, Seonghwa’s hand found your chin and titled you to look up at him. 

“There will be plenty of times for you to taste me, tonight though is about our collective ecstasy. To lose ourselves in one another.” 

His hand pulled you closer to him and you straddled your legs over his. His leaky and libertine cock teasing your entrance as you hovered over him. His hair lay disheveled across his face all thanks to your hands and he somehow looked even more desirable than before. With puffy lips and heavy eyes, you needed him in every way imaginable. 

Lowering yourself down onto his cock, you weren’t prepared for how big he’d feel as you took him in inch by inch. He thickened as you reached his base and made you feel so full. As you bottomed out on him, both of you moaned in harmonious synchrony that made you wish you could have it on repeat. 

“Hwa~! You’re so—so big.” 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you squeezed his length inside of your velvety walls. You placed your hands on his shoulders needing something to ground yourself on. Seonghwa’s hands purchased themselves on your hips awaiting your movements. 

“Call me that again.” 

You rolled your hips, your walls fluttering as you looked down at him. 

“Hwa~” 

You let your forehead rest against his as your body began to ride his perfect cock. Your moans creating the quintessential licentious atmosphere. 

“Hwa, baby…you feel so good.” 

Your mind was racing, not really paying attention to the words that left your mouth. But you wished you did. 

In seconds, the use of the pet name rendered you at his mercy. Only for a moment did his cock leave your seraphic cunt as your bodies were flipped once again. Seonghwa entered you with such a force that you could only describe as concupiscent and raw. Your nails immediately dug themselves into his back and the sounds that left him were more obscene. 

“Oh, God!”

“God is nowhere in this room, nor will he ever be, Pet.”

His moans were tantalizing, hypnotizing you even more so under his spell. His thrusts were deep and calculated, abusing your G-spot with every hit. If God wasn’t in this room, all that Seonghwa was making you feel definitely felt like it. You’d never felt euphoria like this before, it was sinful in every sense of the word and made it feel like there truly was a reason for Him to have died for our sins. Feeling a pool of heat begin to settle near the bottom of your stomach, you wrapped your legs around his waist caging him to you. 

“Y/nnn, I can’t hold myself back much longer.” 

As your walls fluttered around him one more time you shook your head, your voice coming out with more air than you anticipated. 

“Me n-neither.” 

You kissed him again, impassioned and frenzied. Panting against his lips, your nails found solace in his back again. His breath was creating humidity in your neck and you enjoyed every second of it. Looking into his eyes, there was more swimming in them than just lust. 

“I want all of you. I want to feel every part of you Hwa. I need you. I need you so bad, H~wa!” 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and your nails dug deep crescents into his skin. As you begged him for all he had to give he did just that as his mouth snuck its way to your neck and his fangs sunk into your skin. 

The feeling of the puncture was just what you needed to peer over the horizon of your orgasm and crash into the sea of its entirety. Seonghwa was still pumping his hard cock into you and then you felt a familiar warmth flood your walls. Your body squirmed underneath him and slowly your vision began to blur. Before you had the chance to completely lose consciousness, you watched Seonghwa slice his tooth into his wrist and felt the crimson drain over your lips as he pressed his wrist to your mouth. 

“Drink, my sweet dove.” 

His voice was so sweet. Like a siren’s as you drifted into a slumber that was filled with nothing but pleasure. 

~*~

When you awoke, you were still lay in his massive bed, but your body was covered in a black silk nightgown and you smelled faintly of sandalwood and frankincense. You turned your head to the left and then to the right only to find that the bed was empty. 

Where did he go? 

You pushed yourself up to sit in the bed only to be met with the worst headache in your life. It felt like your entire body was pounding in pain and the drumming of it only kept getting louder. Wincing, you heard the handle click open on the bedroom door, revealing Seonghwa with an assortment of food, water, and a glass of red liquid. Wine maybe? 

“I could hear you worrying from across the house. Trust, I’ll never be far from you. Now—I know you’re probably in a decent amount of pain right now, but it’ll soon fade in the next few days. Your body can still take normal food just not in large quantities. Here.” 

His voice trailed off as he tore a piece of the croissant laying on one of the few small plates on the tray. Holding it up, he raised his eyebrows encouraging you to open your mouth. Obliging, you gently took the piece of bread from him, chewing slowly as you tried to make sense of your reality. 

“Did you…did you turn me?” 

“Yes.” 

You nodded. 

“So that means, I’ll be like this forever? Like you?…With you?” 

You saw something like fear flash in his eyes for a moment. Or maybe it was regret?

“Yes. And if you’d like to spend your days with me then it does seem that way my sweet dove. If you feel otherwise I will not hold you back. Although, I will admit I will have a hard time staying away from you.” 

He smiled, almost jokingly in a way that softened your heart. 

This must be who he is behind that mask

“Forever with you doesn’t sound so bad.” 

You blinked up at him, a smile spreading across your own face. 

“I was hoping you’d say something like that.”

taglist: @blackswann-53098 @tunaasan @bellamuerte1987 @seonghwasstar

[jasonlightninggrace]

so...

uh

this is going to feel weird. but okay.

hi jason. its one of the legionnaires who was under your lead @ camp jupiter. you might not remember me, because of the whole amnesia thing. reyna was devastated when you disappeared, by the way. she didn't show it on her face, obviously, because reyna is, well, reyna but uhm. we all became a little scared of her in the time. and of course, it broke her even more when you died (which is actually crazy). now shes in the hunters of diana- or artemis.

anyways.....

we have new praetors now. some dude named frank zhang nd some girl named hazel levesque. theyre pretty cool!

oh, and apollo visited our camp. like, the sun god, apollo (which was crazy).

also we had a battle against some monsters. we lost a lot of our troops, who were dragged (turns out the emperors caligula and nero came back to life)

oh yeah, and while apollo was here, there was ANOTHER battle where praetor frank almost went up in flames and LADY ARTEMIS came, which is crazy

anyways. thought id update you on the going-ons at camp jupiter

hope this reaches you

~ chelsea, legionnaire of the 3rd cohort

Hello! I- I don't and I'm sorry. I really wish I did, though.

Reyna. I.. I honestly, didn't know that she was that devastated. It felt like nobody really wanted me back. I know, it's basically Roman to show no emotion, but it still stung. Reyna was scary... i- i can't remember that. Man, I hope I wasn't scary when I was preator. I really hope my death didn't MAKE her join the hunters. Especially because... well, I heard about the hunters from Nico, and he didn't exactly give a raving review. I'd hate to think that after my disappearance then reappearance being more greek, and apparently changing(?) (Which i can't remember) into something else would cause her to distrust men and join that group. They can't be all bad, Thalia is their lieutenant........ Again, barely know anything, but her joining and swearing off the company of men.. I feel like I'm the one to blame. Or maybe I'm just being egotistical.

Frank and Hazel? Oh yeah, they are pretty cool! I didn't really get to know them well, but I trust them. Especially Frank.

Apollo visited Camp Jupiter? Makes sense, considering everything with the emperors.

Yeah. Don't worry about them. I'm with them right now in Elysium. ... man, out of all of my old friends from Camp Jupiter, only Reyna is still standing. And she probably will be for millenia. Yeah, I know about the emperors, that's actually how I died. Please tell me you won-

FRANK ALMOST WENT UP IN FLAMES?! IS HE ALIVE IS HE OKAY? I DON'T SEE HIM HERE IN ELYSIUM! I- I-

Oh another battle? ... Typical demigod stuff, i guess.

Thank you. I really appreciate the update. I know i barely know you, but take care of everyone there if you can? Camp Jupiter, as you know, isn't exactly the best place for kids to be.. I think that's obvious?

[tia-amorosa]

Episode 28: Worries about Michael (Part 2)

It was just before 10 p.m. when Peter got home. The lights were already off in the living room and Ethan and Holly were already in bed, so Peter walked through the dark hallway towards the bedroom. When he closed the door behind him, he saw Michael lying on the bed with his eyes closed, breathing softly. But he wasn't asleep. "I'm glad you're here. I thought you wouldn't want to come home today.“.

“I sent you a message saying it would be a bit late today…”. Michael opened his eyes again and looked up at the ceiling. “Sorry, I hadn't looked at my phone”/ “How was school?”/ “Mh, o.k….”/ “just o.k.?”/ “I wasn't in a particularly good mood, but I didn't take it out on the kids,…“, Michael said in a calm and indifferent tone… “hh…”.

Peter went to the wardrobe, changed his clothes and crawled into bed with Michael. He kept digging his fingers into the skin of his chest. “What's wrong, hm?” Peter asked him with a worried look. “I, I don't know… I just want to sleep through the night again without…”/ “Without what?”/ “hh, without this… feeling,”/ “what feeling?”/ “I can't describe it…”. Peter raised his eyebrows and stroked him lightly on the arm. “Give it a try.”

Michael took a shaky breath. “Whenever I dream… It's as if I'm running into invisible walls. I see… my mother… my father. but only briefly… I want to say something to them, but I can't, I can't get a word out, instead… I have the feeling that someone is sucking the air out of my lungs and then… I wake up again”. Peter looked at him for a long time, calm but serious "Have you had this before?“.

Michael turned his head a little away from him and looked up at the ceiling again. “Yes, quite often actually, but you haven't noticed yet…”/ “You know I'm a pretty heavy sleeper… You could have woken me up,” Peter said quietly and a little reproachfully. “I… I know… Sorry, I've had everything under control so far.”

Offended silence pervaded the conversation for a moment. "And what if you're no longer in control? Hey, if that happens again, wake me up, okay? And if I'm grouchy for a moment, then just because of the shock…please“/ ”h-hh… O.K.". Peter felt bad at that moment because he didn't notice anything, otherwise he might have been able to help him in these unpleasant moments.

Then Peter turned back a little and also looked up at the ceiling. “We have an appointment tomorrow, 11.30 a.m.”/ “Really… Tomorrow already?”/ “We're lucky, someone canceled and the appointment was free, so I took it”/ “o.k….. Will you turn off the light?”/ “mhm. and I'll get rid of the dead fly up there too”. The black dot on the ceiling was barely visible. But every now and then something like that could make you nervous in the long run.

That night, Michael slept peacefully for once, without nightmares. Peter held him in his arms for most of the night so that he could feel him close to him and hear his heartbeat. Only Nero didn't seem to get any rest that night. But what cat sleeps completely through the night?

The next morning. It was finally a morning when Michael didn't get out of bed completely exhausted. But his first thoughts of the day revolved around today's appointment. Sure, he could have said no and stayed at home instead. But despite his fear of what might come of it, he got ready for his visit to the doctor.

Just as Michael had taken some of the remaining pancakes out of the fridge, Peter got a message on his phone. “Phh, well, let's see…”/ “What's going on?”/ “My father, he wanted to meet up with me again…”/ “Ah… You can do that when we've been to the doctor…”/ “That's why I said let's see…”.

“You don't feel like seeing him, do you?”/ "Yes, but not today. I've written to him that I have appointments…“/ ”Mmh… We should go and see your parents again anyway… Your mother probably thinks we're doing… other things, hn.“/ ”My mother is more busy with her work than thinking about our gay life".

"hnhn. I'm just imagining the disgusted look on her face as she thinks about us having sex“/ ”ehehe, I think she'd rather suppress such thoughts. You're nervous, aren't you?". Peter noticed that Michael was sitting rather tensely at the table and was trying to cover up his nervousness with a few jokes. “hh, a bit, yes…”/ “Just talk to the doc and tell him everything you've already told me…”.

Holly had also got up in the meantime and was on her way to the kitchen. “Hey, are you ready to go?”/ "Yes, there's nothing wrong with getting to the surgery a little earlier. “/ ”But then you sit there all the longer. I'm going to take our worm into town and look for some baby clothes".

“Didn't Ethan's mother want to ‘donate’ something to you?”. Holly rolled her eyes, a little annoyed. “haa, yes, and it's really sweet of her, but I'd like to get a few things myself.”. Then she looked at Michael almost a little pityingly. "What's wrong? Hey, I haven't dropped dead yet, okay? I know you're talking behind my back“/ ”we're just worried, Micha".

“I know, but it doesn't help me if you're here worrying about me, it just makes me even more nervous.” Holly puffed a little and then looked down at her stomach. "o.k…. I'll try to think about the baby now then. I hope we find something nice. I wish you good luck anyway and hope that everything is okay“/ ”Thanks…can we go then?“/ ”Yep"…

A few minutes later, the two of them were in the car. During the drive, Michael played nervously with his fingers as he stared out of the window into the distance. Peter could only imagine how he was feeling at the moment. “I actually wanted to take care of the garden… I can't even manage that at the moment”/ "There are no weeds, you've done everything well so far. They can grow without you for a few days". Of course, Michael knew that his plants wouldn't suffer if he left them to their own devices for a few days.

-----------------------------------------------------

@greenplumbboblover , @solorisims , @honeywinesims 🌸

[onyxrosess]

Pain is My Hometown

vergil x reader [multi-chapter series]

Chapter IV: It's Too Late for Me Now

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV [you're here!] | Table of Contents

・warnings/tags: n/a

( cross-posted on ao3 )

Swinging the sheets off your body in an attempt to freeze yourself into waking up, mostly it worked. Dante’s bed was nicer than anticipated, likely due to him sleeping in his chair 90% of the time instead of the bed he owned. Regardless of how many times you’ve ‘accidentally’ spent the night at the shop, you never kept any clothes here, meaning you’d have to drive back to Fortuna to change clothes. Besides the heavy sigh that left your mouth, it was quiet and it wasn’t taken for granted, Kyrie’s and Nero’s house can get a little noisy unless it's 5 in the morning. Shuffling to the bathroom connected to Dante’s room, you addressed whatever was happening with your hair., scavenging for a brush to maybe tame the nest that was on your head.

After successfully making your hair look a little more presentable, you walked down the stairs, your eyes met with Dante leaning back in his chair, a magazine covering his eyes. You stepped around crunched up papers that littered the ground, standing next to Dante’s sleeping form. How does he not have back problems? Before you could give it much thought, you were reminded the man in front of you was not all man. Yet he acted with such ease that you wondered what happened to Vergil- why was he so…weird? You wished there was a nicer way to put it, but the things he’s done were of his own volition, no one else's. Your mind began to bubble up in anger once again, seething at your father. Heartless man. 

“Well good morning, didn’t take you for a stalker.”  The magazine that once covered Dante’s face was now slid down into his lap. His body remained motionless as he looked at you with a sly smile on his face. “I didn’t take you as a perv who stuffed his face in magazines all day.” Dante feigned hurt on his face, those puppy dog eyes don’t work. “Hey- you know I have bad luck with women.” “Is that what you tell yourself at night?” Dante playfully scoffs, shoving the paper back on the desk. His boots slid off the wooden surface, as you lifted yourself to sit on the desk. Silence took over the shop before it was quickly disrupted, “Y’know, I was thinking.” Oh god, Dante is thinking. You stifled a chuckle, trying to see what he was going to say before giving him shit. “Why didn’t you get into demon hunting with Nero?” 

The thought never crossed your mind really, when Nero was younger he was a little too cocky for his good. Your little exposure to demons before…whatever the hell happened in Fortuna, led you to just avoid them entirely. It’s not like hell gates of that magnitude would ever open again, hopefully anyway.  “That was Nero’s thing, plus I was recovering again.” You paused, letting out a breath before continuing, “And I’m just a regular human.” “Lady’s human and she does just fine.” Dante’s words became quieter, “Probably too well for her own good.” You couldn’t help but exhale a light laugh, Lady must have won their little bet the last time they were out. “Dante, you want me to believe Lady, who you’ve apparently known since you were 18 is the same age as you? She doesn’t look a day over 25- shit, I probably look older than her!” You did not want to point out your age, not that you were proud of the slowly appearing lines on your face, but at least you’ve lived. “Okay fine, I’m not sure if she’s fully human, her father was a nut job so I could only assume.” Dante crossed his arms over his chest, and for once he wasn’t wearing his red leather coat. The dark grey shirt rolled up at his elbows, the fabric fraying at the edges.

“Well, it seems like Lady and I have something in common.” Your attempt at a joke was met with a chuckle from Dante, he leaned forward in his seat, looking at a paper on his desk. He only skimmed over it before sighing, letting it fall back onto the desk.  “What's that?”  Dante looked at the paper again before closing his eyes in annoyance. “There’s a string of demon sightings, about 2 hours away from here. Likely a hell gate, which is beyond annoying.” You were puzzled, from what you knew, hell gates only appeared from human’s doings.  “I thought those only popped up due to humans.” Dante shook his head at your question, “Nope, but if it’s a demon opening it, that means there's a big guy guarding it.” Dante’s vocabulary switched like he was talking to a child, you suppose it’s easier for you to understand but it made you chuckle at his choice of words. So the ones in Fortuna when you met Dante must have been the synthetic ones. You tried to remember how Dante explained it to you in the moment but you were so shaken up you thought you were on something the way he was talking.

“A ‘ big guy ’- am I twelve Dante?” “Well you sometimes act-” “Don’t answer that.” You looked at him with a stern expression that could only be held up for so long before your face softened again. The two of you continued to reminisce on old times, frankly, they weren’t that long ago, but everything happened so quickly that it feels so long ago. It was close to seven years of knowing Dante, but a couple of those were taken from you due to some of the otherworldly events. You would never admit to Dante that you thought he was handsome when you first met, but now, things seem different. Whether he’s getting older or you both are- you can’t seem to bring yourself to walk that path anymore. Your friendship with Dante is one you hold close, and threatening to burn that bridge with a silly crush that you had years ago seemed illogical. 

You were reminded of Dante’s concern over his brother last night, and maybe you just wanted to add fuel to the fire that was hating Vergil’s guts, or you wanted to be right about him. Although you couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you ask about Vergil yesterday?”  You prepared yourself for a response that would make you feel justified in your hatred, “Well, he’s not the most… friendly , and I guess his attempts could be seen as off-putting.” Dante really knows how to not tell you exactly what was going on but sure, he’s not the most friendly. It left you just to reply with a small hum, you’ll find out more soon. Even if you had to beat it out of Vergil.

After some complaining about recent jobs being too boring, must he always find something to complain about? Even when they accidentally put an olive on his pizza he could easily pick off he has to complain, as if he was legally bound to complain about it, every time. Dante later departed with a grunt, saying how much of a pain in the ass going two hours out is, even though he can fly there, for free. You reminded him that he should be grateful he doesn’t have to deal with traffic. He responded with a nonchalant, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ You also left the shop back to Fortuna soon after, a change of clothes and a shower is in order.

Arriving back home, the van Nico and Nero took last night for the job was parked in front of the house, a loud clank came from the garage followed by Nico cursing. Thankfully they aren't dead, you sighed as you walked towards Nico. “Howdy.” She greeted you, but her attention was elsewhere tinkering on a new arm for Nero- like he still needed those.  “Hey, you staying out of trouble?” Nico playfully scoffed, “Never, you know me.” You smiled, “How did last night go?” Nico laughed before she could even give you an answer. “Nero got knocked around quite a bit, it made for the night's entertainment- he’s alright now he didn’t get hurt hurt, y’know?” Nico sputtered out her words after she told you Nero got injured, but her swift recovery followed. You brushed her off, Nero would be fine, he's an adult. No matter how many times you told yourself that you would always be worried when he got hurt. Nico continued on the mechanical arm as you excused yourself inside. Looking out the sliding door, the orphans splashed each other with water in an inflatable pool, you couldn’t help but smile. You had wished that was the life you had grown up with, but no jealousy filled you, just happiness that it was better for them.

Making your way to your room, you walked down the skinny hallway, about to pass Nero and Kyrie’s room when Nero appeared on the other side of the door. Nero looked as if he had the worst hangover and got beat to shit. Nero’s white hair was pointing in all different directions as scrapes and cuts littered his skin, but the gashes were already halfway healed from the looks of it.  “Nico told me it went well” Sarcasm leaked from your voice, as you held in a laugh, Nero did look a little miserable but you knew he would be fine. “Yeah, it went great .” Nero matched your voice, you could tell he didn’t want to admit that he had difficulty beating up a demon. He leaned against the door frame as he rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes. “What happened? Just too strong for you?” You jabbed him in the side lightly with your elbow. He barely moved, just rolled his eyes at you. “The fucker had these little…” He paused, searching for the words in his head, “Bugs, I don’t know, and they were everywhere and the more I killed them they doubled, it was so annoying.” “So you got beat up by bugs” “I never said that.”  Nero gave you the look that he was trying to save his ego, you can only imagine Nico’s hysterics yesterday. “Well I’m glad you’re okay- you just look like you had a wild night.” A smile crept on your face as you watched Nero’s face heat up just the slightest bit. It left as quickly as it came as he shoved your shoulder, walking out of the doorway. 

The day went on without too much drama, you accompanied Nico in her attempts to fix the radio in the van. You couldn’t help but chuckle every time she let out a string of curse words, like ‘fucknuts’ or ‘you mother shitter!’ Maybe it helped her focus. Scrubbing your body clean from grease, and washing your hair vigorously, it's the only way it stays clean. You stood in front of the mirror, analyzing your face, restraining yourself from picking anything and everything off of your skin. Glancing at the clock, it was only three in the afternoon, you really should socialize- outside of bars. That was enough convincing for you to go out, after getting dressed and ready to leave you picked open your wallet, you were a little richer than usual, weird. You dismissed it, putting the key into your ignition as you sped off into the road. 

Fortuna was quite busy today, the sidewalks were a little busier than usual, some of the individuals carried bags with various shop logos on them, and others had street food in their hands before stuffing their faces. You cruised down a street with many varying restaurants and business fronts, one caught your eye, there were around 20 boxes full of records, and you desperately needed new music to listen to at work, Dante hadn’t gotten a new record for far too long. You stopped and parked your bike on the side of the street as you wandered into the store, the cashier greeted you as you reciprocated the gesture. Drawn to the records you flipped through them, seeing covers you recognized, and some you didn’t. You went through maybe two or three boxes before the roar of an engine brought your attention to the street, an old bike tore through the streets, and the red paint started to chip at the corners, which looked very similar to Dante’s bike he’s abandoned over the years. A short black-haired woman sat ontop of it- Lady. You quickly abandoned your post at the record boxes and went outside, Lady’s face did not wear her normal expression, she was far too focused than usual. She stopped the bike in its tracks once she recognized your face and your accompanying bike.

“What are you doing out here?” You questioned her as you walked closer to her. “There's another hell gate that popped up in Red Grave, I was out here doing work before I realized.” Lady’s skin carried a light sheen of sweat, and maybe a few stains from demon guts. You weren’t sure how to respond other than ‘Go get 'em’ tiger!’ but it worried you that Lady was even breaking a sweat over it. “They are so annoying!” Lady groaned, before starting her engine again, “It’ll be fine, (Name). Nothing I can’t handle, I’ll call you when I’m done.”  “Y’know, Dante said the same thing about the one he was taking care of-” “There's another one?” You paused, you assumed she and Dante were on the same page or at least she knew about it, but Dante often didn’t think about telling people about his jobs unless someone was accompanying him or he was asked. “I mean, I’m not sure- Dante just mentioned that he had a job a couple hours out for a hell gate.” Lady let out another annoyed groan, “Okay well, thank you, I really gotta go.” You could barely respond before she drove away, you stood on the sidewalk, it had been a long time since you’d seen Lady even remotely worried about anything demon-related, and to be honest, you weren’t sure if she was concerned or annoyed. Your mind quickly wandered to Dante, if another hell gate popped up does that mean he got rid of the other one? Trying to soothe your worries by using the excuse that you have no idea about any of it, your knowledge of demons and hell was slim to none. Deciding to go home early, empty-handed. You weren’t gone longer than 30 minutes, your attempt to socialize was exceptionally short today. You pulled into the driveway, Nico seemed to be inside as the garage housed no life. Lifting your helmet off of your head, a faint crackling sound came from behind you, you turned around to see little sparks of blue seeming to form in the air. A deep blue smoke? What the fuck is that? The screen of smoke enlarged as a figure stepped out from it, a figure you recognised. One you wished you didn’t recognise, Vergil. His expression was plain as ever as you still sat on your bike, a little confused- a bit more than confused. He can just pop up anywhere, wherever he wants? You knew Dante could fly, and you weren’t sure why this came as a surprise to you. The door to inside Nero’s home opened as you followed the sound, Nero stepped down the stairs, walking towards you and Vergil. 

“What’s going on? Nero, you should not be going out right now, you’re still-” “I’m fine, (Name).” Nero’s voice was laced with a string of seriousness, something you weren’t familiar with, at least directed towards you. Vergil stood where he had popped up from his portal, rather you’re assuming that’s what it was. “I’m requesting Nero come with me to take care of a hell gate, he should learn how to properly deal with them.” Vergil’s words teetered on the edge of a scolding, your brows furrowed together, he has no room to be scolding Nero. You held your tongue as Nero did the same. Your words did not come easily to you, this feeling you get when you’re around Vergil was not one you liked, you felt so little compared to him. Not just in stature but status, it was suffocating and you hated it. It felt all too close to the suffocating nature of your ex-boyfriends and their tactics to belittle you.

“...be careful, Nero.” Your voice came out just above a squeak, you despised it. As if it was not in your control to speak up. Nero nodded and Vergil unsheathed his sword, as the same crackling blue sparked from his sword. He slashed the air with the blade, his movements direct and controlled. An identical deep blue screen opened in front of him, he turned his head towards Nero, silently motioning to step into the portal with him. Nero did not say anything to you, but a glance. You could not get comfort from it, the whole interaction was ominous and frankly frustrating because you had no idea what just transpired. They were gone just like that, the portal closed right after Nero stepped in, with no evidence that neither of them was ever here. You pulled your bike into the garage, a little more aggressively than normal. You pulled the keys from their spot in your bike, rushing through the house to your room, luckily Kyrie and Nico were preoccupied and did not see you come in. You escaped to your room, shutting the door and flopping onto your mattress.

You had to remind yourself to breathe, as annoying and frustrating that you could do nothing or that you didn’t know the whole story is, nothing you could do at this moment could change anything. You exhaled, carding your fingers through your hair to get them out of your face. Ever since Dante planted the question of why you never picked up devil hunting, it made you ever so conscious of your helplessness, you were weak. If a demon tried to kill you, you could do nothing. The thought only made you more frustrated, but to bring yourself to do anything about that fact was something you could decide later. Your body laid still, as your eyes stared into the ceiling of the room, and your thoughts spiralled in your mind. If there was an award for overthinking, you would have first place.

As always, thank you for reading! Maybe a separate Dante fic coming sometime soon…? (I'm rubbing my hands together deviously) -onyxroses Previous Chapter | Next Chapter (coming soon!)

[basil-does-arttt]

hold on wait a second i had a thought

in the DLC prolouge cutscene for DMC 5, when Vergil is in that stone passageway area, he says "its nearly time" (in reference to him splitting himself in half).

We know what day it happens, april 30th. The date is shown in Nero's flashback scene. This is of course assuming Vergil did all that on the same day, which i think is what happened. (He could open a portal to his house to travel, and why would he wait any longer and risk dying first?)

Anyway. Thats not my point, my point is: did he choose to do it on this day on purpose? Is this date special?

Im overanalyzing here so this may be a stretch, but: Could that be the day Eva died? Think about it. Him splitting himself was a "rebirth" of sorts: discarding his humanity to become a full demon in search of ultimate power.

Vergil being stabbed by those demons the day Eva died could also be counted as a kind of rebirthing for him: In the span of a few hours, he lost everything. His family, his life. And maybe even, his full humanity, as he gained his DT form in that moment too (shown by him having the same triggered-style eyes Dante uses when threatening V toward the start, also (half)triggered.) No longer was he a mere human boy, but now half a devil - the things that killed his family - too.

Knowing Vergil, it could make sense. In DMC 3 he's quite proper and a bit sentimental, much more so than Dante and i can see him caring more for these kinds of niche details in his life a lot more than Dante too. I also think he may have still been in that mindset when coming out of the Nelo Angelo body (however that happened), in a way that he hasnt really grown or matured while he was Nelo Angelo due to all the mind-fuckery performed thanks to Mundus.

(Could also be clarification for the reason Vergil still looks so young, quote "because of how much time he's spent in the underworld compared to Dante". He didnt live there, certainly not by choice. But he was captured and tortured by Mundus for 10 years. My thoughts is that he's technically still in his teenage body, as becoming Nelo Angelo and being in the underworld for so long thanks to Mundus halted (or at least very significantly slowed) the aging process. Time could move slower in hell but thats a rant for another time, ive gone off track.)

As such, him choosing such a special (traumatic) date to essential commit suicide on doesnt seem like much of a reach to me. Vergil has always been methodic. He doesn't do things hap-hazardly and never has, even as Nelo Angelo when he invites Dante outside to set up a proper fight rather than just taking the opportunity and attacking in the bedroom.

Of course you can argue it was coincidence, and he just stumbled across Nero by chance and decided to do it right then and there. He had to have found Nero first of all, figured out his plan of attack (probably so he wouldnt draw unwanted attention and possibly be stopped), then actually put it into motion. He couldnt exactly control the date Nero happened to be in the right place at the right time and gave him an opening. Im not trying to convince or anything, just sharing ideas, But wouldn't it just be so in character for april 30th to be a special date for him??

Overall i at least think the reason he chose to do it at the house was intentional for reasons stated above. If it wasnt, then why didn't he just... idk, find an alleyway or something and split himself there?

Those are my thoughts. Id love to hear other people's theories and such on this too.

(EDIT: I REALIZED THE MOMENT HE SPLITS HIMSELF ALSO PROBABLY HAPPENS AT A SPECIFIC TIME AS WELL, NAMELY 6:00 PM.

It mustve taken him some time to get back to the house. Not hours, but not seconds. 15 minutes seems like a good amount of travel time for someone who can teleport using portals alongside a bit of walking. If he got there early he could've just waited too.

A specific date, april 30th, and at (likely) exactly 6:00pm. In VOV while it is black and white, i assume the attack happened late into the evening, since the sky is dark when he gets back to the house a bit later. Idk how he would've known that it was exactly 6:00 but... anyway, Mundus also seems like the type of guy to plan shit, especially an attack like he did to Eva and the twins, if that whole "eva died on april 30th" thing was true.)