#sigh. also i got blue eye stared by dante at least once and i thought that was funny. he kinda looks like a bald eagle head-on
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finished dante's campaign of dmc2!! it was bad!!! <3 and i can't tell if it's anticlimactic or a surprising show of mercy that it only took around 4 hours
#and a notable amount of that was me bumblefucking around so#look i need to reiterate that i am not a hater for the most part. that's not who i am. However---#i'm kind of surprised that it managed to have even less of a plot than dmc1 bc that's a low bar. neither game prioritized the story and i'm#honestly fine with that y'know? so long as the game's fun it doesn't matter that much to me#which is not a problem for dmc1!! the aesthetic the monster designs the general game feel is all there. dmc1 rules#dmc2 actually has some pretty good monster designs imo. like there's things to like about dmc2 it's just all the stuff that takes some extr#time to notice. as opposed to the blaring unavoidably shitty gameplay that you notice far faster and more often#anyway im about to go play lucia's campaign i guess. so. look forward to me complaining more probably#also the way i HOWLED when lucia started repeating trish's lines... YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE THE Devils Never Cry SCENE TWICE GUYS#IT'S REALLY OBVIOIUS#dmc#dmc2#sigh. also i got blue eye stared by dante at least once and i thought that was funny. he kinda looks like a bald eagle head-on#like he's pretty but. screee
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The Blue Eyed Kingâs Gift
Finally! As promised Part 3 is now ready.
So as you have seen in the previous chapter, this fanfic was partly inspired by Thumbelina (or Thumbeline, depending on the country youâre from). In this part, however, there are a few hints for the main inspiration of this fanfic, can you guess which fairytale is it?
Be ready though, this chapter is a long one. More under the cut.
Special thanks to @cheesysquidâ for beta-reading and putting up with my amateur writing. Thank you so much for everything, o master of writing.
Pairings: Vergil x Fem Reader
Warnings: None. Pure fluff and wholesomeness in this one.
Tags: @v-vicâ. If you want to be tagged let me know!
Part One - Part Two - Part Four
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ..
Part Three
âNooo! You pesky knights have defeated me!â
âTake that you evil dragon! You have been slain by the great knights Nero and V!â
Both twins giggled victoriously after tackling their uncle to the ground, causing the man in question to let out a hearty laugh at their adorable antics.
They were still in the middle of playing when the door opened. The boys beamed at the familiar, stoic figure that walked inside, clad in an elegant blue attire and a tired expression evident on his face.
âPapa!â The monarch welcomed the twins into his arms, their innocent smiles already soothing the stress out of his mind and body.
âMy apologies for working until late little ones, there were some important matters Papa had to attend to.â
âBut, you are still going to play with us tomorrow like you promised, right?�� Nero gave his father a worried look, his lips forming a cute little pout that the king would never resist.
The last couple of weeks had been busier than usual for the Blue Eyed King, leaving him little to no time for his beloved children. However, all pending work had finally been solved just in time for the weekend, a perfect opportunity to take a well deserved break from his royal duties for a few days and instead spend them with his lovely sons.
âDonât you worry, tomorrow Iâll have the entire day free so we can do whatever you two want.â The twins bounced at their fatherâs words, already excited for the next day to arrive. âBut for now it is time for you both to go to bed.â
The twins wanted to protest in hopes of getting at least another few minutes of playtime, pouting and huffing in a displeased manner. But their attempts were thwarted by their uncle, who had a mischievous grin on his face.
âYour papa is right kiddos, itâs already late and all the good little boys must go to sleep. Unless you wish to fall victims to the monster that eats naughty children!â Letting out a playful roar, their uncle picked up Vitale, acting as if trying to munch on the boyâs little arm.
âEww! Uncle Dante that is gross!â V giggled as he pushed his uncleâs face away from him, failing to make him stop his antics. Finally giving in, Dante lowered him on his respective bed before making his way to the door, letting his older brother tuck his nephews in.
âNow what do we say, my dears?â The monarch asked, giving his sons an expectant look while a warm smile blooms on his face.
âGood night uncle Dante!â
âGânight kiddos. See you tomorrow Verge.â The young prince smiled back at them, and with a salute, he retired to his own chambers for the night.
As Vergil tucked his sons under the soft covers however, his keen eye could notice Nero fidgeting a bit in his bed.
âIs something troubling you, Nero?â
The boy jumped at the abrupt question, hesitating for a few seconds before answering.
âUhm, earlier you said that tomorrow we could do anything we wanted, so...â Looking down to avoid his fatherâs intense stare, the young boy took a deep breath before continuing. âRemember our friend (Y/N)?â
Vergil raised an eyebrow in confusion. These last weeks his children would mention her quite often, even though he knew about her existence before they even mentioned the name to him. He indeed recognized and appreciated all the good things this woman had done for the brothers, and it would be a blatant lie to say he wasnât grateful for her kindness and hospitality. However, he couldnât help but feel concerned after hearing Nero bringing up her name.
âI do recall her. Something you wish to tell me about it?â
The older brother glanced at Vitale at the bed next to his. He seemed unsure as to what to say, until a silent nod from V gave him the push he needed to speak out.
âWell, V and I were wondering if⌠we could invite her for dinner tomorrow?â
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
Another day, and yet the same routine.
Waking up, getting ready, cooking breakfast for your father and preparing all the goods to be sold at the market before departing.
Thatâs how it has been for some years now, and yet something felt different.
Lately youâve been smiling more. Everytime you cooked, you would hum a cheery song to yourself. Your plants and crops would receive more kind words from you than usual, which resulted in better harvests, and therefore, better sales.
There was no doubt as to why there was more light in your life. Two reasons actually: two adorable little brothers that would often grace you abode with their beaming presence.
It was no surprise to receive a sudden visit from Nero and Vitale, always accompanied by their two animal friends Griffon and Shadow. Those afternoons became your favorites, when you welcomed the twins into your garden so they could play as much as their hearts wanted to. On days when you werenât particularly busy tending to your father, you would join them in their adorable antics and games.
While your fatherâs attitude had sabotaged your childhood, one that you hoped could have been happier, there was no denying the bond you formed with the twins. Eventually you found yourself going through all your belongings from your childhood that you had locked away inside an aged trunk in your room. And much to your luck, you found some of your old toys still in pristine condition. An idea then hatched in your head, why not share them with Nero and Vitale next time they visited?
As you tended to your garden, you spotted a couple of familiar silhouettes approaching your familyâs chateau, which brought a bright smile to your face. It seemed today they decided to drop by earlier than usual, nevertheless you still welcomed the brothers into your yard.
â(Y/N)!â They exclaimed simultaneously as they ran to you, wrapping you into a warm hug as soon as you kneeled down to their height.
âIs the bad man at home?â V whispered into your ear.
âThe bad man is sleeping. Donât worry about him.â You winked at both brothers before ushering them in and towards the garden, glancing around to make sure your father wasnât around.
Every time you would always make sure to keep the brothers hidden from your father. It was for the best, as you figured it must not be healthy to expose such innocent children to a volatile and constantly inebriated man like him.
âSo what do I owe this unexpected visit? You arrived quite earlier than usual today.â
âActually, we came here to invite you to our house.â Nero announced in a cheerful tone.
V nodded before completing his brotherâs words âWe asked our father and he said he wanted to meet you. So he wishes for you to come and have dinner with us.â
âOhâŚâ Needless to say, the request took you by surprise. âWell I do appreciate the offer, but Iâm not sure if I could really go. I donât want to be a bother there, and I still have some chores to do here.â
A frown crossed the twinâs faces âPlease (Y/N). We promise you will not be a bother, we really want you to go.â V pleaded, immediately followed by Nero.
âYes, and we could play and have so much fun! Plus, we can show you our home and you can meet all our family and friends.â
âButâŚâ
âPretty pleeeease?â
âOh, be still my heart.â you internally struggled as you witnessed the cutest and loveliest pair of puppy eyes you had ever seen in your life.
âAlright thenâ you sighed in defeat. There was no way you could resist the charm of those two. âLet me just change my clothes and weâll be ready to go.â
âYay! Thank you (Y/N)!â They jumped up and down in glee, a rather adorable sight for you.
And so you made your way towards your bedroom, leaving the twins in the safety of your garden for them to play while you got ready.
You rummaged through your wardrobe in search of a nice enough dress, if you were about to meet the twinsâ family then it was best to dress appropriately and cause a good first impression. You opted for a light blue gown, not too elegant but not too casual, perfect for an afternoon meeting. Searching through your jewelry box, you opted for a pair of pearl earrings, a blue hair ribbon to tie up your hair, and last but not least, a beautiful choker necklace that used to belong to your mother.
The sight of it brought a nostalgic smile to your face. Your fingers lightly traced the small blue rose at the center, the single sapphire drop beneath it reflecting light ever so pretty.
Sitting on your vanity you began working on your hair, combing and styling your locks into a simple but classy updo. However, as you sat there getting ready, you couldnât help but wonder what kind of family did the brothers have. By the clean outfits they would always wear you figured they must have a wealthy enough family. The thought made you feel nervous, would they approve of you? The daughter of a bankrupt, alcoholic noble with a terrible reputation? A once respected family name now tarnished by the actions of your father, you lamented how things came to be.
With a deep sigh, you tried to shake those feelings off. Your little guests were waiting for you, and you wouldnât dare let those negative thoughts crush their earlier happiness. It was the least you could do for them, the little lights of your life.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
âYou are going to love our home (Y/N)! Itâs so pretty and everyone is so nice and kind. Also, Papa has an enormous library! Right V?â
âYes! Itâs my favorite place ever. I canât wait to show you all the pretty books!â
Nero and V bounced all the way as they pulled at your hands, guiding you to their house.
And yet you couldnât help but wonder about where the boys lived. Your fatherâs chateau was quite remote, and not once did you spot another house during your trips to the village. But you shrugged the thoughts away, choosing to instead follow Nero and V while enjoying their company.
That was until you noticed they were leading you towards the dense woods.
âShouldnât we take the road instead? The woods could be dangerous and I donât want you to get hurt.â
But the boys simply shook their heads. âTheyâre very safe, besides we always take this route.â
âDonât be scared (Y/N). We promise you itâs going to be okay, you can trust us.â Both twins reassured you, Â soothing your doubtful mind. Should it be true they have been crossing the woods to visit you, then danger was nowhere near.
âAlright then. Letâs keep going.â
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
A soothing peace lingered on the woodlands. Birds chirped away despite it already being past noon, flowers of all kinds painted the ground in all kinds of patterns and colors, warm rays of sunlight shone through the many tree branches and bathed the earth in a mystical aura.
Never once had you paid attention to the forest near your fatherâs chateau. Whether it was out of fear of the beasts that could possibly lurk there, or the scary thoughts of getting lost there and never finding your way back home; entering there barely crossed your mind.
And apparently you werenât the only one who thought so. As vast as it seemed to be, the place appeared as unmarked in every map of the region. Just a big, nameless spot too unimportant to be considered as a landmark by locals and travelers.
So it made sense to ask yourself, as Nero and Vitale brought you along into the unknown, just what kind of family would take interest in living in a place like this?
Staring at Griffonâs figure flying just ahead, you wondered how far you were from home, and just how long you had been here in the heart of nature. It felt like an eternity, and at the same time it felt like only a couple minutes. Now that you thought about it, why did it look like the same scenery repeated over and over? The same trees, the same flowers, the same chirping birds.
What is this place?
âHere we are.â The sound of Vâs voice pulled you out of your thoughts. It took a few moments to register where you were, and after blinking a couple times, you took in your surroundings.
Never had you seen something so otherworldly.
A small clearing, barely illuminated by a few rays of sunlight, laid right in front of you. The irregular terrain of the woods had now turned into a layer of soft green grass. But what truly caught your eye was what stood right in the center of the clearing: A lone stone arch was there, tall and covered in moss, looking as if it had witnessed many ancient eras that were now long forgotten.
A dead silence veiled the land, yet the mere presence of the arch weighed so heavy in the air. It almost felt as if it were alive, an ancient being filled with sorrow over being the only surviving structure of a lost kingdom. You found yourself staring at it for a bit too long, not expecting to see something so out of place in this forest.
âCâmon (Y/N)! Our home is right there!â Nero tugged at your hand, taking you towards the stone arch in a hurry.
You were about to ask what he meant, but the words never left your lips as the twins pulled you to the other side.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
There was a fairytale you were fond of when you were a child, Aliceâs Adventures in Wonderland if you recalled correctly. There was a particular scene you remembered, one where Alice stumbled into a rabbit hole, falling deep down until she found herself in another world.
At this moment in your life, you felt like Alice. Except instead of following a white rabbit into a rabbit hole, you followed two brothers across a stone arch.
You gaped in awe at the scenery before you.
The thick forest you were once in had vanished completely, now replaced by a vibrant city full of life. Everything looked so much different from the little village you knew, from the buildings to the shops and even the clothes people were wearing. You were especially taken back by the strange carriages that ran along the streets, impressed by the fact they moved around by themselves without horses or any other animal pulling them.
Not only did it feel like a different place, but also like a different time.
âGriffon, Shadow, could you please go to our father and inform him of our return?â As V finished his request, what happened almost made you stumble back in shock.
Shadowâs body began transforming into what seemed to be ink, heavy and shapeless, before morphing into a majestic panther with crimson markings glowing all over its body. Meanwhile, Griffon enveloped itself in blue sparks, growing into a demonic avian with three beaks and three golden pupils.
Both creatures, however, meant no harm at all as they bowed before the boys before departing in order to carry Vâs order.
You were still staring at their figures disappearing into the crowd when a sudden gruff voice broke you out of your trance.
âI see you have returned safely, Your Highnessesâ.
âHello again mister Morrison. This is our friend (Y/N)!â Vitale greeted back. The man, Morrison, was a dark-skinned gentleman who looked to be in his fifties, impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit.
You werenât sure if he was a noble or a commoner, if anything the exquisite clothes he dorned seemed to indicate the former. Wanting to be on your best behavior, you curtsied appropriately and introduced yourself to the gentleman before you.
âThe famous miss (Y/N) herself. A pleasure meeting the lady that his highnesses have been mentioning about lately.â
âHis highnesses?â
âUhm, if it is not too inappropriate of me to ask mister Morrison... exactly where am I?â
The man chuckled warmly at your questions. âMy apologies milady. We are not exactly used to visitors from outside, I should have been more considerate though.â Morrison took a pause before continuing.
âWelcome to the Great Kingdom of Fortuna, Lady (Y/N).â
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
âWell, talk about unexpected news.â Said the voice in your mind, still processing what you just learned so far.
You learned that you were in Fortuna, a kingdom that exists in its own dimension, hidden behind a magical barrier. Nero and Vitale were also nobles, the beloved sons of a powerful demon king that reigned over this uncharted land. How mystifying it was to be in a land whose name eluded even the most thorough history lessons you were given since birth.
And now here you were, in one of those horseless carriages you had seen on the streets just minutes ago, on the way to meet the Demon King himself. Both twins kept giving you apologetic looks, their poor souls not expecting your reaction to be so flabbergasted.
Still, you kept reassuring them that it was nothing to worry about. There was no way their innocent minds would have taken that into account.
But now you found your mind drifting to what could be waiting for you at the castle. Judging by the recent events you had gone through on the same day, there was no way this day could become any more unusual.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
His fingers ran through his hair for what had to be the hundredth time that day, despite it already being as pristine as always. Vergil sighed in frustration as a few bangs fell out of place and over his forehead, his bad habit of slicking back his hair already making matters worse.
âHey now, cut yourself some slack bro.â Dante tried to cheer his brother up, brushing back his bangs into their proper place.
âShall I remind you how this was basically your idea, brother?â He gave a deadly glare towards Dante once he stepped back.
When his sons had suggested inviting that woman to the palace, he was taken completely by surprise. Ever since the day Vergil had decided to isolate Fortuna from the rest of the world, the idea of welcoming an outsider has been completely out of discussion.
As much as he trusted (Y/N) with his children, and as much as Nero and Vitale insisted and sobbed, his decision was absolute.
âBut papa, she lives with a bad man. Her father is evil and cruel to her.â
âBut father, we love playing with her. We want to protect her from the bad man.â
He could see it, the true meaning carried within the tears that cascaded down his sonsâ faces. They only wished to make her happy, get her away from the sad reality that was dealing with a drunken parent all the time, even if just for a day.
Of course Vergil understood, and he would be lying if he said he wasnât moved by their sweet intentions. However, he just couldnât risk not only his familyâs safety, but also his kingdomâs.
And then his annoying little brother intervened.
How did he manage to convince him? Nobody would ever know, least not Vergil himself.
âIâm just trying to help here. Besides, this (Y/N) girl doesnât seem that bad so whatâs the problem of letting one outsider in?â
Vergil grunted, becoming more unamused by Danteâs words by the second. He was about to retort when his brother rudely interrupted him.
âOr maybe the reason you are nervous is because you always look at her image like a love-struck puppy.â
At his words the king became paler than a ghost. âIâm not sure what you are talking about.â He cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his own insecurity.
âDonât think for a second I havenât seen you watching over her and the little ones with your magic.â Dante winked in an amused manner.
Feelings for that woman? Ridiculous. Sure she may look identical to his late queen, and her mannerisms may be almost the same, but his beloved was long gone. And yet Vergil couldnât help the way (Y/N)âs image tugged at his heart.
No. There must not be any feelings whatsoever. (Y/N) was just an outsider and that was it. Even if his brother kept bothering him about it.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
As you stepped into the majestic palace, you were rendered speechless by its luxurious interior.
Immaculate walls decorated with elegant and almost endless columns, their architecture like no other you had ever imagined. Not a single stain or speck of dust could be seen on the white and dark blue marble floor, and all the furniture pieces looked to be designed and handmade by master craftsmen.
Your gaze fell on the grand staircase at the center of the entry hall when you heard a door opening, the sound making all the servants bow at the figure that had entered the room.
The Blue Eyed King himself had entered. A gentleman dressed in an elegant navy blue suit, perfectly tailored and made with the richest fabric money could afford. His chiseled face was strong and defined, like a greek marble statue come to life. His luscious white hair was slicked back, not a single hair out of place. To complete his outfit, a matching tailcoat dorned his frame, decorated in a regal silver brocade that resembled wild briars enveloping his figure in exquisite patterns.
Everything about the kingâs appearance exuded perfection and beauty, but what really caught your attention were his eyes. They were an icy blue, sharp and piercing like a deadly sword. Those were not the eyes of a human but of a demon, one with the power to make entire legions kneel and submit with a single glare.
Needless to say, the kingâs mere presence intimidated you. And when his eyes connected with yours for an instant, you swore your heart stopped. Whether it was out of fear or wonder, you werenât sure.
That was until the children at your sides started giggling.
âPapa!â The brothers ran towards their father with their little arms open.
And just like that, the demon in his eyes vanished. Kneeling down, the monarch welcomed his sons into his arms, a gentle smile breaking the cold stoicism that once rested on his face. Gone was the sharp look he had just seconds ago, now replaced with a warm light at the sight of his beloved children.
You couldnât help but smile at them. However, when the king stood back up with the twins in hand, you were quick to regain your posture.
âLady (Y/N), I present you King Vergil Sparda, ruler of the Great Kingdom of Fortuna.â In the most refined and formal manner, Morrison introduced his lord, before gesturing at the brothers. âHis sons, Prince Nero Sparda and Prince Vitale Sparda.â
âA pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty.â You curtsied, now regretting your choice of attire. A more formal dress would have been more appropriate for the occasion, but then again, you definitely didnât expect to meet a King on this particular day. A sigh almost escaped your lips, and you dared to hope no one took notice of the gesture.
âThe pleasure is mine, Lady (Y/N). I am glad you have accepted our invitation, Nero and Vitale have told me a lot about you recently.â
The children nodded in agreement. âFather, can we go play with (Y/N) now? Please?â Vitale gave a timid pull at his fatherâs sleeve.
âWe want to show (Y/N) the castle!â Nero added with an adorable bounce.
âNo little ones. Dinner is almost served and we donât want to be late.â Vergil responded in a most gentle manner, yet firm enough to get his point across.
Both twins looked like they were about to protest when their poor stomachs rumbled in hunger, prompting you to let out a soft laugh.
Kneeling down to their level, you patted their heads lovingly. âNow my children, weâll have all the time to play whatever you want after eating. For now letâs get you something to eat, hm?â
âAnd then we get to play together?â Again, the boys try to sway you with those irresistible puppy eyes of them.
âAs much as you two want.â
The children would have taken off on a race to the dining hall if it werenât for Morrison who stopped them in their tracks. The twinsâ antics coaxed a laugh out of you, and out of the corner of your eye, you caught the king himself letting out a low chuckle. But the moment he acknowledged your staring, he couldnât help but blush a bit.
âPlease excuse my sonsâ behavior.â He cleared his throat. âRecently they have begun their training in etiquette protocols, but iâm afraid they continue to ignore them each time Iâm present.â
You shook your head to reassure him âDo not apologize, Your Majesty. Such an attitude must mean they see you as a loving father rather than a ruler, a person far greater than any royal in the eyes of a child, donât you think?â
âAn interesting point indeed.â Vergil hummed, letting out a breath he didnât know he was holding. For a second he looked like his mind was in conflict despite the cordial smile on his face, but he was quick to shrug it off. âPlease allow me to lead you to the dining hall. You must be feeling hungry after your trip from home.â
The King proceeded to offer you a gloved hand. His eyes remained fixated on you, looking as if they were piercing into your very soul.
A bit hesitant, you accepted his offer, your soft palm soon enveloped by his warm fingers. On your way to the dining hall, the pink tint decorating your cheeks never once left.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
All kinds of delicacies lined the grand table in front of you, trays filled with the most delicious looking food you had ever seen.
It took you by surprise when the monarch gestured to the seat at the right of his.
âI thank you for the invitation, your Majesty. However, I do not consider myself worthy of sitting at your right side.â
âQuite the contrary, Lady (Y/N). Nero and Vitale have told me of what you have done for them, and they requested for me to invite you to our palace. This feast was prepared as a show of my gratitude for the kindness you have given my children.â
The twins smiled at you. Knowing this was their idea warmed your heart to no end.
âI.. I donât know what to say, your Majesty, except... Thank you for your generosity.â
Vergil offered you a smile before taking his seat at the head of the table, while his beloved sons were seated at his left side.
You sat at the kingâs right, feeling nervous to take such an important place at a royalâs table. However, you were even further surprised to see that the rest of the servitude, including mister Morrison, occupied the seats too. In the countless times your family was invited to a nobleâs house, never were the servants allowed to sit at the same table as the patrons.
Nero took notice of your expression and immediately understood your confusion. âYears ago, we told Papa we didnât like the table to be so empty every time we ate, so we requested him to let all our friends sit with us too.â He explained, whispering loud enough for you to hear him.
Vergil smiled with fondness at the memory before adding âIt has become a tradition since then.â
It seems not only were they a light in your life, but to everyone that met them.
âBy the way,â Vitale looked around as if searching for something âWhere is uncle Dante?â
âUncle Dante?â
âHello family! Sorry for being late!â A boisterous yell resounded across the dining hall.
Turning around, you noticed a man who looked identical to King Vergil, and yet the energy he radiated couldnât be more opposite to that of the monarch. His hair looked tousled, a contrast to the kingâs slicked back hair. He sported a bit of a stubble, and the suit he wore as well as his tailcoat were a striking red.
The man you assumed to be Dante was about to take his seat at the table when his eyes noticed you.
âOh! you must be Lady (Y/N), sorry for my rude entry.â As Dante approached, you stood back up to offer a polite curtsy. âI am Dante Sparda. It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance, milady.â
The noble offered you a wide smile, taking your hand in a gentle hold before planting a chaste kiss on your knuckles.
âThe honour is mine, Prince Dante.â Your response was a bit bashful to the mannerisms of the noble before you, so you opted for a polite smile before sitting back down.
âSo what are we eating on this fine day?â Walking around the table, Dante sat himself beside the twins, who immediately jumped to his arms.
Turning to the monarch, however, his reaction was far from the joyous one the boys had. In any case, he looked more like the demon you had seen the moment you first saw him.
âPlease excuse my younger brother, Lady (Y/N). Unlike my sons, Dante never had a problem with ignoring the proper etiquette.â
Trying your best to ignore the deadly look Vergil was giving his brother, you proceeded to eat the meal in front of you with a low giggle, just like Nero and V in front of you.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
âAww canât you stay for a little longer (Y/N)?â Nero gave a sad frown.
As much as you would have loved to stay with them, the sun was already setting down in the horizon. You still needed to care for your father back home and prepare everything for tomorrowâs sale at the market.
âIâm afraid I canât, little ones. But you are free to drop by my fatherâs chateau whenever you want.â You pulled the boys into a tight hug.
Footsteps reached your ears, and rising your head, you noticed that the Blue Eyed King was approaching you.
âAre you sure you wish to leave Lady (Y/N)? You are welcome to stay in Fortuna and at my palace as long as you need too.â
You offered the king a polite shake of your head. âYou are very generous, your Majesty. However, I do not want to cause any more inconveniences to your family and your staff. Besides, itâs getting late and I have a few matters to attend at home.â
As you gave a warm smile, the monarchâs mind was once again transported to past memories long thought to be overcome.
âThere must not be any feelings whatsoever.â He reminded himself, before banishing those memories from his mind.
âIn that case, please follow me.â
As you were being led through the many halls of the castle, you eventually reached the royal garden. Flowers and exotic plants decorated the place, all of them aligned in impeccable designs and nurtured as best as possible. At the center of it all, was a structure that was already familiar to you. A stone arch, this one surrounded by a bed of breath-taking blue roses.
âThis portal can take you back to your home.â Vergil began explaining. âPicture in your mind the place you wish to go to, and once you step inside you shall be taken there. Afterwards, the portal will close behind you, and you will notice that time will not have changed since your arrival at Fortuna. You are welcome to visit the castle as many times as you wish.â
You turned to the monarch a bit incredulous. Have you heard correctly? The King himself had just invited you to return anytime you wanted. You would be lying if you said the warm treatment you received that day wasnât unwelcomed, after having to support yourself and your father on your own all your life this was a rather pleasant change.
âYour Majesty, I-I canât describe how grateful I am for your hospitality. However, Iâm still not sure how Iâll be able to find the way back to this place again.â
At your doubts, Vergil kindly answered âAs long as your heart wishes to, the way shall always reveal itself to you. And as long as you have something from your own timeline with you,â he then gestured at the choker that decorated your neck. âYou shall always find your way back home.â
You were about to say something when the King reached for your hand, holding it gently and raising it to his lips before placing a soft kiss on the knuckles. Each and every word died before leaving your lips, the feeling of Vergilâs pillowing lips on your hand taking your breath away.
His eyes fluttered open, his gorgeous eyes now fixated on yours as his lips parted from the back of your hand. All you could do was avert your eyes, a rosy blush tainting your cheeks. Never in your life had you felt so bashful, and as much as you wanted to hide your sudden shyness nothing seemed to work. So instead you turned to the children, getting down on one knee before them.
âI promise you weâll get to play another time, alright?â
After one last hug from them, you stood back up and crossed the portal, departing back home.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
Everything was exactly the way it was when you left, even your father who still remained inside his chambers in a deep slumber as usual.
WIthout any further ado, you continued with your daily activities. Tomorrow will be another day, and yet the same routine awaited you as any other day before.
Waking up, getting ready, cooking breakfast for your father and preparing all the goods to be sold at the market before departing.
Thatâs how it has been for some years now, but now something was definitely different.
Your thoughts drifted to Nero and Vitale, and then to King Vergil.
âMaybe I should drop by again in a few daysâŚâ
#devil may cry#fairy tale au#fairy tale inspired#Vergil Sparda#vergil x reader#vergil x you#dadgil#Papa Vergil#fanfiction#fanfic#reader-insert
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A Lotus In Full Bloom (Part 9)
Vergil finally confronts his feelings for his lovely rose while you untangle the thorns from around your darling devilâs heart.
Itâs finally here! Hope yaâll are ready for some angst, comforting fluff, and all the romance! đšđđš
Hereâs the link to the list of all the flowers featured in this part đşđđş
If someone had told Vergil over two decades ago that he would not only be a father but also be in his sonâs wedding, he wouldâve laughed in their face before calling them a fool. But now, here he is checking over his suit for the big day that is only two days away. And he isnât just part of the wedding partyâŚheâs all set to surprise the happy couple with a violin performance during their first dance with a little help from his lovely rose.
The thought of you summons that warm feeling in his chest as he zips the garment bag up before putting it back in his closet. Both of you have met every single day since the beach party, tirelessly practicing together in your music room until late at night. You still think that your piano skills are woefully inadequate, but he has the utmost confidence in your abilities. He knows that you can perform this unique gift for his son and future daughter-in-law with him.
Thereâs only enough time for one more practice session before the rehearsal dinner tomorrow, Vergil thought as he finished getting ready in his room. He glances over to the hidden box underneath his bed, reminding himself to pick some fresh flowers for you before heading over to your place. The pit of his stomach drops a little at the thought, knowing deep down that he will no doubt give you the blooms without a verbal confession despite his best efforts to do so this entire week.
Ever since he shared that intimate moment with you among the waves, he has felt this sickening swirl building up inside him; it grows stronger and stronger the more time he spends with you. And every time he intends to finally confess, it crawls up his throat and stifles his words to a mere quiet gasp of frustration. He honestly does not know whatâs come over him; what could possibly be stopping a Son of Sparda from admitting his intentions aloud? The very notion of hesitating at all is maddeningâŚand today is his last chance to tell you how he truly feels before both of you get swept up in the final preparations for the wedding.
Vergil looks over at the wall mirror by his bedroom door, giving himself a nod of approval in the reflection before grabbing the Yamato. I wonât hesitate this time, my lovely rose, he vows with a determined huff while exiting his room. It only takes him a few long strides down the hall to turn around the corner by the staircase. And it is there where he comes upon a strange sight: an oafish buffoon that bears a striking resemblance to his little brother is lying across the couch in the shopâs office, groaning loudly while covering his eyes with one arm.
How���curious, he thought with a quirked brow as he descended the stairs. Dante doesnât even acknowledge the sound of his soft footfalls nor the occasional creaks of the wood on some of the steps. Vergil rolls his eyes at his brotherâs overly dramatic display, but he cannot resist asking about his little farce. âAnd what, pray tell, has you groaning like a stricken cow?â he snidely inquires, pausing by the foot of the stairs as he waits for his brotherâs answer.
Dante turns his head and peeks up from behind his arm. âHave you kissed Buttercup yet?â
Vergilâs jaw hardens into a harsh scowl. âWhat I do while in the company of Y/N is none of your concern.â
âUnbelievable,â Dante mutters under his breath with a shake of his head. âSheâs totally in love with you and youâre blowing it!â he exclaims, waving both arms in the air before letting them flop back down on the couch with a frustrated sigh.
Vergil scoffs at his brotherâs attempt to pry into his personal life as he walks behind the desk. âI donât see how our relationship is any of your business.â
Dante grunts as he sits up on the couch. âJust listen to your brother for once, Verg,â he requests sincerely, voice dropping down into a serious tone. âYou gotta make your move soon before she gets the wrong idea.â
The familiar sickening swirl starts to coalesce deep within his belly. âThe wrong idea about what?â Vergil asks stubbornly, trying his best to ignore the thick lump forming in his throat as he stares down his brother from across the room.
âDo I really need to spell it out for ya?â Dante asks incredulously as he leans back against his seat. âMan, Buttercupâs really got her work cut out for her,â he sighs with a disappointed frown, crossing one ankle atop his knee while stretching his arms out on the back of the couch as he continues talking. âBeing strung along by my dumbass brother, who canât even admit his own feelings and JUST KISS HER ALREADY!â
Vergilâs brow twitches irritably at his brotherâs rowdy voice as it bellows through the shop. He can feel a surly retort forming on the tip of his tongue but just before he can spit it out, the subtle movement of something shifting out of place catches his eye. His head tilts inquisitively as he leans over and peers down behind the radiator, spotting a very gaudy piece of poster board that depicts what looks to be some sort of seaside scenery. But what really grabs his attention is the huge bold letters that make up the header of this poster:
OPERATION: GET DUMBASS BROTHER AND BUTTERCUP TOGETHER
âDanteâŚâ he growls, feeling every last ounce of his composure turning to dust as he reaches for the poster. He pulls it out from its poor hiding place, silently seething as he reads the intricate instructions detailing some of the events that played out during the beach party. âWhatâs the meaning of this?â he demands, turning the poster around and pointing at the childish drawing of two stick figures holding hands with a deathly glower.
His brother has the audacity to shrug his shoulders defensively. âWhaaaaat? You needed a little push in the right direction and I just-â
âYou insufferable wretch!â
Dante grunts as a couple of summoned swords pierce his chest, effectively cutting him off as the offending poster gets shredded by the blue ripple of a small Judgement Cut. âI know youâve always loved meddling with my private affairs, but you better tread carefully, little brotherâŚâ Vergil stalks over to the couch and looms over his brother as he finishes his venomous warning. âIâm in no mood for your foolishness!â
âMaybe if you werenât so helpless when it comes to romance, you wouldnât need my help putting your tulips together!â Dante remarks bluntly through gritted teeth, clutching his chest as he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. âLook, I know that you somehow managed to nail at least one other lady back in the day, but that doesnât mean-â
Vergilâs entire body becomes rigid as he draws back from the couch, averting his fierce gaze towards a messy corner of the shop. Dante stops short at the sudden yet subtle shift in his overall demeanor. The air becomes still and eerily quiet since the shop is absent of the jukeboxâs abhorrent music for onceâŚuntil one of them breaks the silence.
âWait a minute,â Dante murmurs, resting both hands on his knees while looking up at him suspiciously. âAre you afraid of telling her?â
âDonât be absurd,â Vergil scoffs, barely giving his brother a passing glance as the sickening swirl starts churning in the pit of his stomach.
âHoly shit,â Dante whispers, eyes widening in shock as he keeps goading him into talking more. âYou really are afraid, arenât ya?â
Vergil glares down at his little brother. âIâm no such thing!â he snarls, lips twisting into a bitter grimace while his fists ball up impatiently, one clenching around the Yamato tightly while the other pulls his leather glove taut over his knuckles.
Dante snorts with a nod of his head. âReally? Then why havenât you swept her off her feet yet, huh?â he inquires with a knowing smirk that only grows wider at the stoic silence that answers his question. âSomethingâs holding you backâŚI can tell,â he sighs wearily, crossing his arms and leaning back against the couch again. âSo, whatâs scaring you off from a total babe like Buttercup?â he wonders aloud, scratching his scruffy chin while staring up at the grody ceiling in thought.
âI will eviscerate you on the spot if you donât cease this infuriating conversation immediately!â Vergil commands with a vicious growl, lifting the Yamato to show his thumb at the ready below the hilt.
âIf itâs really about making the first move, then you canât say I didnât try to help!â Dante points out with a wave of his hand, completely ignoring his final warning as he persists with his nosy musings. âCâmon, VergâŚtalk to me. Are ya afraid of commitment? Or maybe youâre scared sheâll reject-â
Vergil feels the last shred of his self-control snap as he pops the handle up with a loud metallic click. Then, he teleports in front of his brother before sinking the Yamato deep within his gut. Dante grunts from the inflicted pain as he struggles to move, but the swordâs razor-sharp edge has him pinned to the back of the couch. âIâve had enough of your mindless chatter!â he fumes, giving his blade a grinding twist before withdrawing it with a furious growl.
Dante hisses and doubles over on the couch, clutching his belly while groaning in agony. Vergil pays his brother no mind as he flicks the Yamato clean before sheathing the blade, not caring about making an even bigger mess of the shop as he turns away from his brother. âIâm going for a walk,â he barks while marching over towards the entryway, âand if you know whatâs good for youâŚâ He pauses with his hand on the door handle.
âYou will not follow me.â
And with those final cautionary words, he jerks the door open and stomps out of the shop in an awfully foul mood. He quickly steps down the stairs before unsheathing the Yamato once more. The faint rumble of thunder booms across the sky as he opens a portal to anywhere but here. His keen ears hear the shop door swing open just as he walks through the portal and some gruff cursing as it seals shut behind him. Â
Vergil finds himself standing in some sparse woodlands. He has no idea where he is exactly, and he does not care to find out. The only thing occupying his thoughts now is the pure unbridled rage running through his body like a wildfire in the dead of a blistering cold night. And with no one around to witness the crack in his carefully constructed façade of cool composureâŚthe devil inside him roars and claws beneath his skin as this white hot anger fully consumes him, triggering the transformation of his other demonic form with a loud snarl.
The leaves of the surrounding trees tremble at the force of his demonic power as it rushes through the woods. His scorching hot breath comes out in aggravated puffs as he waits for the anger to subside, but his brotherâs false assumptions keep ringing through his mindâŚmaking his blood boil even hotter as he takes to the air. How dare he make such foolish claimsâŚfear doesnât suit a Son of Sparda! he seethes while zooming over the scattered canopy of trees.
Then why havenât you swept her off her feet yet, huh?
Danteâs astute observation strikes at the heart of the matter just as a streak of lightning flashes through the sky. The sickening swirl is back and stronger than ever as it coils into a nauseous knot deep within his gut, forcing him to halt his furious flight as thunder crashes down all around him with a loud crack. He hovers amid the charged air, hoping that the rumbling roll of the oncoming storm would drown out the maddening thoughts of his mindâŚbut the persistent voice of his brother keeps chipping away at his resolve.  Â
Holy shitâŚYou really are afraid, arenât ya?
Somethingâs holding you backâŚI can tell.
Are ya afraid of commitment? Or maybe youâre scared sheâll reject-
Vergil lets out a tormented roar, no longer able to stand the torrent of thoughts whirling in his head. The distorted tone of his suffering melds with the deafening boom of thunder as the sky finally breaks open. He stares up at the dark clouds and as the heavy drops of summer rain douse his armored face, he cannot help but think of the day he first spoke to youâŚhow he found you standing in the rain moments after you brazenly bloomed before his very eyes. You were the image of pure tranquilityâŚstaring up at the sky while your lovely face glistened in the sprinkling rain.
The very thought of you drains every bit of his bitter anger out of himâŚleaving only misery and regret in its wake. He slowly descends towards an open area of the woodlands, no longer feeling up to flying away from the truth. His demonic form fades away with a quick flash as soon as he lands, kneeling upon the wet and grassy ground with a dull thud. The heavy rainfall immediately soaks through his slicked back hair and signature coat now that the thick armor plating is gone. But he hardly notices his drenched state while the thunderstorm raging on above, dejectedly hanging his head as he finally faces the truth buried deep within his tangled briars.
Iâm afraid of getting hurt...again.
The hurtful memory of his mother leading Dante by the hand away from danger flashes before his eyes. He remembers seeing them enter the manor together from the playgroundâŚleaving him behind with the demons running amok. It was on that fateful day that he first felt the sting of rejectionâŚbeing abandoned by his mother and watching her save his brother shaped his ruthless outlook on life for years to come. And even though he now knows that she not only turned back but died trying to save himâŚit still does not erase the pain he went through while enduring his past trauma and all the trials and tribulations thereafter.
Iâm afraid of being rejectedâŚagain.
Vergil clenches his fists as another unwelcome memory comes to taunt him. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping to bury the image of a woman clad in red back into the deeper recesses of his mind. What a strange twist of misfortuneâŚhe can recall the day she spurned his offer to stay with her, and yet he cannot even remember her face nor any other details about the mother of his only son! And with that little tryst, he learned a harsh yet necessary truth: rejection is inevitable when youâre a Son of Sparda.
But knowing a truth does not mean you have to accept it, my darling devil.
The sweet lilt of your voice shakes him out of his brooding thoughts, bringing him back down to the present. Even when you are not there with himâŚyou know exactly what to say to pull him back from the darkest part of his crumbling soul. He blinks and wipes away droplets of rain from his eyes, but the relentless downpour of the storm blows against his gloomy face as he picks himself up from the grassy ground. The painful memories of his past slowly recede as he wanders aimlessly through the marshy woodlands, completely despondent while a litany of self-loathing spins uncontrollably around in his head.
How can a prickly devil such as myself ever be worthy of her love and affection?
I have nothing to offer her except torment and despairâŚ
Thereâs no sense in delaying the inevitable.
After all, Iâd only be a burden to her if I kept denying what Iâve always known since the beginning of our unlikely relationship...
Iâm unworthy of the lovely rose that has bloomed within my heart.
His sulking spell comes to a screeching halt when the faint glimmer of a pink flower catches his eye. He suddenly becomes aware of surroundings; the thunderstorm has dwindled down to a light shower and the sky has grown dark with the approaching night. But the total loss of time doesnât fully sink in as he moves in closer towards a peaceful pond, feeling drawn to the exquisite blossom upon its serene surface. Â
Whenever you find yourself consumed by despairâŚremember the spirit of the lotus.
The soothing tone of your voice drowns out his dreadful contemplation. He recalls the day he heard those wise words pass from your lipsâŚhe shared a meal with you for the very first time among the beautiful blooms of your garden. A lotus begins its existence in the dark and murky depths, your charming voice continues to ring through his head as he wades through the pond towards the lone lotus. For it to fully bloom it must endure those harsh conditions, pushing through the mud and the muck as it rises towards clearer waters. He reaches down and cups the elegant bloom with both of his hands while your flowery anecdote ends on a happy and hopeful note.
Eventually, its resilience pays off when the lotus breaks through the surface and its petals slowly unfurl to soak up the rays of the sun for the very first time.
Vergil summons a sword and carefully cuts the lone lotus from the pond. I may have missed the practice sessionâŚbut perhaps this will make up for my tardiness, he surmises while storing the lotus inside his soaking wet coat before calling for the Yamato. He finds himself facing one last truth as he opens a portal just outside the gate behind your house:
You may be better off without himâŚbut he simply canât let go of the lovely rose that has miraculously bloomed within his briars.
          -----------------------------------------------------
Youâve had a pretty hectic week since the beach party: between putting together all the floral arrangements and many musical interludes with Vergil, youâve been busier than a bee in the spring. And youâre only going to be buzzing around even harder now that the big day is only two days away! All of your time today was spent doing last minute preparations before the wedding rehearsal, making sure all the flowers are accounted for before being delivered, and squeezing in one last practice session before the imminent chaos of a wedding frenzy.
Well, that was the plan anyway, but then Vergil didnât show up on the agreed time, which struck you as very oddâŚheâs always been so punctual and has even been cross with you on a couple occasions whenever he had to wait for you to join him! You tried calling his cellphone after waiting for a while, thinking that maybe he just got delayed or somethingâŚbut there was no answer. And there must not be anyone at the shop either since nobody picked up the phone there either.
Your gut tells you that something is wrong, but youâre at a loss of what to do about it. You thought about contacting either Kyrie or Nero, but the soon-to-be wedded couple already have enough on her mind. Plus, you do not want to add any unnecessary stress if it turns out to be nothing at all. So, you decide to just keep an eye on your phone while putting the finishing touches on the dress youâve made especially for the happy occasion.
I hope heâs okay, you thought, worrying your lower lip while reinforcing the floral embroidery with a needle and some thread. You try to stay focused on the task at hand, but your mind keeps going back to your darling devil. Vergil has become such a huge part of your everyday life ever since that fateful rainy day in the book cafĂŠ. It feels so empty without his familiar presence near you nowâŚalways watching from the corner of his eye with a soft smile or sharing a favorite passage from a beloved book. And even though your romantic feelings havenât technically been reciprocated aloud, you know that your affection has taken root and with a little more patienceâŚjust a little moreâŚ
Another roll of distant thunder echoes through the room as the storm finally lets up, but now it has gotten dark outside. Your eyes flicker over to check the time on a nearby clock and see that you have missed dinnerâŚby six hours! Sweet basil, I should really pay more attention! you berate yourself while cutting the thread with your teeth. You stick your sewing needle into a stuffed rose bud that serves as your pin cushion and gather up all the spare scrapes of tulle, lace, and satin. As you hang up the dress, you note that itâs so close to being complete; all it needs is some minor fixes and a good steaming before itâs ready for the wedding.
You sigh and head downstairs for a belated dinner, wondering if you should heat up some leftovers or just make a sandwich with some veggie chips. By the time you get to the kitchen, youâve made up your mind and open the fridge to take out your homemade chicken salad with grapes and pecans. Your stomach growls impatiently as you grab a couple slices of ciabatta bread and put this simple meal together on a plate. You add some salt and vinegar zucchini chips to the plate before pouring yourself a tall glass of iced hibiscus tea.
âThereâŚnow itâs time to eat, drink, and be rosemary!â you cheer, softly giggling to yourself while taking your meal to the small dining table across from the kitchen.
You set your plate down before pulling a chair out, but the sudden ringing of your doorbell stops you from taking your seat. HuhâŚthatâs strange, you muse with a curious tilt of your head, itâs a bit late for receiving visitors. You bite your lower lip and twirl a stray lock of your hair around your fingers while considering your options: it would be rude to not answer the doorâŚafter all, it could be someone in need of help! But then you remember the worried face of your darling devil that day in your garden when the demons attacked, recalling the promise you made to not put yourself into any possible danger ever againâŚ
The doorbell rings once more and you finally decide to see who it could possibly be since it seems they have no intention of leaving. And besides, it could be Vergil, you reason while making your way down the hall. And he could even be hurt! you add in panic, picking up the pace until coming to a halt just on the other side of the front door. You take a quick peek through the tiny peephole and your starving stomach drops at the sight of a familiar stoic face on the other side of the door.
âWhat in carnation!â you gasp in shock before ripping the front door open. âVergil? What are you doing out so late in this rain?â
The devil in question just silently stands there looking sullen and soaking wet as he glances down at you. His icy blue eyes are filled to the brim with melancholy and unspoken regret. And his perfectly styled white hair is now disheveled and framing his sodden face. He shows no sign of hearing your inquiry and continues to stare down at you quietly. You do not know what may have happened, but whatever it isâŚitâs shaken him to the core, and you will not idly stand by while your darling devil suffers alone.
âHere,â you whisper while offering your hand, âcome inside.â
Vergil seems to ponder for a moment while his eyes dart down towards your hands. Then, he raises one gloved hand and places it upon your own warm and welcoming palm. You gently guide him inside your home, noting how cold and damp his skin is as you close the front door. âAlright,â you sigh in relief now that he is safe within the comforting walls of your home. âNow, you need some dry clothes to change into since youâre absolutely drenched!â you explain with a sweet and cheery grin.
You start to walk towards the stairs, but the slight tugging on your hands stops you in your tracks. âDonât worry,â you murmur, looking back over your shoulder at the man who not only stole your heart, but also needs your help right now. âLet me take care of you, Vergil,â you plead quietly, reassuring him with a soft squeeze of your hand. The spark of concern within his eyes recedes as he nods his head in consent.
Your lips curl into a gracious smile as you lead him up the stairs and straight towards your bedroom. You hope that he doesnât notice the mess in his distressed state as you usher him into your adjoining bathroom. âIâm gonna scrounge up some spare clothes while you dry off,â you explain with a gentle nod of your head. âAnd feel free to the shower if you want,â you suggest while pointing to one corner of your bathroom. âThere should be some soap and shampoo already in there.â
Vergil looks at the glass doors of your shower and back at you before rubbing the back of your hand in understanding with his thumb. You squeeze his hand one last time before backing away towards the door. âJust uhâŚput your wet clothes right outside the door and Iâll take care of them,â you inform while stepping out of the bathroom, trying hard to not let your mind wander into more steamy territory. âAnd Iâll uhâŚleave those spare clothes just outside the door for you, okay?â
You give one last encouraging smile before closing the bathroom door. Your mind starts to race as you rush over to the closet and start frantically searching for anything that comes close to being his size. But all you can find is an oversized T-shirt and some baggy cotton pants that you sometimes wear to bed. HmmâŚthey might fit, you ponder before tossing them onto your bed along with a floral satin bathrobe you spot hanging on your vanity mirror. Then, you scurry down the upstairs hall and open the door to your childhood room, remembering that you had a large quantity of flowery fabric that you once used to make some curtains.
This will do nicely if all else fails! you reckon with a crafty grin while cutting a huge section of the fabric off the spool. You fold it up nicely and head back to your bedroom to put it with the assortment of clothing by the bathroom door. A pile of soggy blue clothes is waiting right outside the door just as you requested, so you quickly drop off the dry clothes and carefully gather up his signature coat, vest, leather pants, boots, glovesâŚ
Your eyes widen when you realize that there isnât any underwear to be found. You look towards the bathroom door just as the shower turns on and you find yourself thinking about all the times you spent together, wondering if he had alwaysâŚyou canât even finish the thought without blushing. Thereâs no time for dilly-dallying! you reprimanded yourself with a shake of your head before marching out of your bedroom and back downstairs to take care of Vergilâs wet clothes.
You zoom by the belated dinner that is still waiting for you on the small dining table, but you ignore it for now and open the door to the laundry room. As you place the pile of clothes on top of the dryer, you catch a whiff of what smells like the lake in your hometown: murky and a little bit musty with a hint of fresh rain. Did he go swimming in the middle of that thunderstorm? you wonder while sorting through the wet clothes. You decide to at least wash his signature coat and hang the rest up to dry since they need special treatment to get clean.
It only takes you a couple seconds to check the pockets before putting his coat into the washer with a scoop of laundry detergent. Then, you dig up a few hangers lying around before hanging up the rest of his clothes except for his boots, which go underneath your ironing board to prevent any tripping. You walk out of the laundry room and your stomach growls impatiently as you pass by your neglected dinner againâŚbut the sudden thought of preparing a place for Vergil to sleep delays your meal for just a bit longer as you rush back upstairs.
The only other bedroom you have is your old childhood room, but itâs more of a supply closet now for various things. And your motherâs small and quaint library would work if it werenât for all the dust plus the lack of furniture. So, that only leaves your room or the couch in your living roomâŚyou can already feel your cheeks heating up at the thought of inviting Vergil to share your bed. But your heart tells you that despite the tempting opportunity, now is not the time to pull such a risky move since itâs obvious that something is troubling himâŚand youâre going to help soothe his sorrowful soul.
You enter your room and notice that the shower is no longer running as you head towards the closet again. And as you walk back out with an arm full of pillows and blankets, you note that the assortment of dry clothes you left out is now gone. You hurry down the stairs and dump the pillows onto a nearby chair so that you can lay a couple of blankets out on the couch. Then, you replace all the decorative pillows with comfier ones while looking over your handy work. But when you take in the overall size of your couch, you start to wonder if his long legs will even be able to rest on the couch comfortably.
Well, itâll have to do, you thought with a resigned sigh while turning around to check up on your devilish guest.
âFrigginâ figs!â
The sudden appearance of Vergil quietly lurking behind you makes your heart skip a beat as you jump back a little. You clutch your chest while taking a couple of deep breaths as your eyes linger up and down his form. The floral satin robe stretches taut around his shoulders, and you guess that it mustâve been too short since the flowery fabric is wrapped around his waist and hanging down below his knees. His eyes still have a gloomy spark within their icy blue depths as they stare back at you through his damp hair. And even with that pouty frown on his handsome face, he looks a lot better than when he first walked into your home a little while ago. So, you let your usual quip about wrapping a bell around his neck die of your tongue and give him a relieved smile.
âI brought out some extra pillows and blankets just in case you needed them,â you explain, gesturing behind you towards the now ready-for-bed couch. âBut it might be a bit too small for you,â you tack on sheepishly, biting your lower lip in thought while Vergil takes a couple steps closer to you. âMaybe I should just sleep here while youâŚtakeâŚâ you gradually trail off as he brings one hand around from behind his back to reveal an extraordinarily beautiful pink lotus flower. Your heart thrums like a buzzing dragonfly as you reach out to caress one of its many elegant petals.
âIs this why you were completely soaked from head to toe?â you inquire, realizing that he must have waded out into a deep pond to pick this flower of pure devotion. He remains silent as you look up at him, but the way his eyes soften for the barest of moments before slowly blinking tells you itâs part of the reason why heâs so drenched. Your lips quirk into a fond smile at the thought of your prim and proper devil trudging through mucky water for a most wondrous bloom just so he could give it to you.
âItâs getting late,â you murmur while lowering your affectionate gaze to the offered flower, taking it from his hand and holding it close to your heart. âWe need to get some rest since the wedding rehearsal is tomorrow and-â
âStay with me.â
Your eyes widen and snap back up to meet his solemn gaze. Vergil takes another step closer to you, reaching up with one hand to cup your face. You find that you cannot deny his earnest request as you lean into his touch and shiver at his warm touch as he caresses your rosy cheek. âOkayâŚbut let me just-â
The very loud and hungry growl of your stomach abruptly ends the tender moment. Vergil furrows his brow in confusion while you softly giggle and pat your belly. âI was about to eat dinner when you arrived,â you reveal with a bashful smirk. He frowns sadly at your words and begins to move away, but you place your hand on top of his before it can leave your cheek and press a soft kiss against his wrist.
âLet me just grab my plate and bring it in here,â you continue while rubbing the back of his hand. âI can also make you something to eat too if you havenât had dinner yet,â you kindly insist with a small smirk.
Vergil declines your offer of dinner with a shake of his head. Your lips press one last kiss against his wrist before excusing yourself with a light pat on the back of his hand. You place the precious lotus flower on the coffee table before dashing to your neglected sandwich, which is still patiently waiting along with your now lukewarm drink. But you donât seem to notice as you pick it all up and hurry back to the living room.
You take a seat on the couch and invite Vergil to join you by patting the empty cushion beside you with a pleasant smile. The corners of his mouth twitch into a soft smile as he sits down close to you. The only sound filling the comfortable silence between you two is the light tapping of rain against the roof of your house. His stiff posture gradually unwinds as he watches you from the corner of his eye while you finally eat your dinner. You give him a veggie chip after every other bite of your sandwich, which he always accepts despite turning down your earlier offer of food.
You ask if he still needs some company before going to bed as soon as you are finished eating your dinner. He responds with the same soft request while squeezing your hand within his firm grip. His eyes track your every move as you collect the dirty dishes before standing up, never letting your hand go until you let him know that you will only be gone for a moment. âI canât very well sleep in this dress now, can I?â you ask with a soft giggle, slightly swinging your clasped hands while gesturing towards your pink and white floral skirt.
Vergil nods his head in understanding and kisses the back of your hand before letting it go. You walk back to the kitchen to put the dirty dishes in the sink, and then you quickly make your way upstairs to get ready for bed. Some of your daydreams about giving your darling devil a place to stay after a rigorous battle with demons start running through your mind while picking out a nightgown. You also recall one particular daydream about patching up his wounds after saving you from mortal perilâŚwhich somehow leads to you writhing in pleasure beneath himâŚ
Your cheeks feel like they are on fire by the time you finally settle on wearing a long nightgown with a white floral pattern. You get undressed and slip on the gown before letting down your hair, pushing all the salacious thoughts out of your mind with a flustered shake of your head. After taking a few more minutes to use the bathroom and brush your teeth, you head downstairs and hurry back towards the laundry room to put his signature coat into the dryer before rejoining your darling devil in the living room.
Vergil hasnât moved an inch since you left, still sitting motionless on the couch until he hears your dainty footsteps. He raises his head up at your soft approach, and you swear his eyes seem to dimly glow as they roam up and down your shapely form. Your body shivers at his blatant gaze as you adjust some of the pillows on one end of the couch before grabbing one of the numerous blankets you brought for him. You knowâŚit wouldâve made more sense to give him one of these instead of that huge piece of fabric, you silently admit, hiding the embarrassment of making such a silly decision with a coy smile.
You sit back down on the couch and lie back against the pillows, beckoning Vergil to come join you while holding both your arms out towards him. He only hesitates for a moment before crawling over and laying his head just below your chin while you cover both of your bodies with the blanket. His arms wrap around your waist, burying his face in the crook of your neck. You nuzzle the top of his head while your arms encircle his broad shoulders, sheathing his weary soul with the love and affection you have for him.
Both of you lie there on the couch swathed in each otherâs comforting presence while the rest of the world passes by in silence. Vergil has only spoken three words since arriving at your doorstep, never revealing what exactly is wrong. But now that heâs safe within your arms, you can feel the faint trickling of tears dripping against your neck, hidden away from your view as you snuggle him closer. You do not ask why heâs cryingâŚyou know that will only thicken the prickly briars around his heart. Instead, you just let him express the inner turmoil currently raging inside him while providing a safe place for him to release all these pent-up emotions churning inside him.
The harsh downpour from earlier has now lessened to a light rainfall, barely occupying the empty air with its pitter pattering of the dissipating storm. You can still feel Vergil trying to put up a strong front despite the tears pooling in the groove between your neck and chest. Your fingers brush through his soft hair while you press a comforting kiss upon his forehead, wondering how you can possibly bring peace to his troubled mind. The only solution that pops into your head is what your grandma used to do whenever you were sad and upset: sing you to sleep with a lullaby. So, you begin to softly sing one of your favorite lullabies from your childhood, hoping that the serene lilt of your song will help soothe your darling devilâs soul:
Count to one, count to two, where do flowers grow?
Underneath the window where children softly doze
The moon shining brightly makes every petal glow
Count to three, count to four, where do flowers bloom?
Resting upon the mirror frame in mama's room,
A sweet little bud of a beautiful flower of blue
 Let us count them all, let us count them all,
All the lovely flowers blooming, let us count them all!
 Count to seven, count to eight, as we fall asleep
Every child is dreaming of fragrant flowers sweet
And momma makes a bouquet for you to keep
The soft cadence of your voice fills the room, banishing the gloomy air surrounding you with every refrain of your sweet lullaby. You feel all the tension slowly leave Vergilâs body until all that youâre left with is a totally relaxed devil sinking into your loving embrace. One of your hands rubs up and down his back while the other continues to rake your fingers through his hair, hoping that you lulled him to sleep while your eyes droop from your own drowsiness. You try to fight it off, wanting to be there for him just in case he needs you, but you feel yourself drifting offâŚclutching onto him while trying to stay grounded in the waking worldâŚ
          -----------------------------------------------------
Youâre not aware of finally succumbing to sleep until the first ray of dawn shines through the window. You slowly open your eyes and start to wonder why you are sleeping on the couch instead of your very comfy bedâŚbut then you feel the soft touch of familiar lips kissing your neck. The memory of Vergil showing up at your doorstep in the middle of a storm swiftly dispels your confusion. You hug the man that makes your heart sing like a songbird in the morning while his lips leave your neck to bestow a light peck on your cheek.
Vergil props himself up with one arm and brushes a few locks of your hair away from your weary face. âGood morning, my lovely rose,â he murmurs with a fond smirk.
âMmmâŚgood morning,â you hum, sweetly smiling back at him while looking down with a demure tilt of your head. âFeeling any better now that youâve had some rest?â you inquire, fighting the urge to yawn while rubbing the sleep from your eyes.
âYes,â he replies with a firm nod. âBut sleep isnât what lifted my spirits,â he admits, softly caressing your cheek as his silver blue eyes shine with admiration.
You happily beam up at him and quietly bask in this intimate moment while leaning into his touch before asking if he would like some morning tea. He gladly accepts your offer with a slight nod of his head and sits up so that you can get up from the couch. You catch a glimpse of his bare legs in all their glory before he covers them up with the blanket. The flowery fabric mustâve come loose during his sleep, you surmise, spotting the piece of fabric in question down on the floor by the couch. Warm tingles flutter around in your stomach like a swarm of butterflies as you hop off the couch and rush towards the kitchen before you make a blushing fool of yourself so early in the morning.
It takes you a few minutes to brew a couple cups of blackberry and mint tea while pushing away all the elaborate daydreams that try to occupy your thoughts. You make your way back to the living room and hand Vergil his cuppa with a kind smile before taking a seat next to him. Both of you drink your tea in comfortable silence, enjoying the sweet tartness of blackberries while the refreshing undertone of mint banishes the remnants of sleep from your mind. You peek up at him between every other sip of your tea, wondering if you should even bring up what happened to him yesterday.
You wait until heâs about done with his tea before finally broaching the subject. âDo you want to talk about what made you so upset?â
Vergil pauses at your question while setting his cup down on the coffee table. You give him a moment to recover before continuing. âYou donât have to tell me anything,â you softly reassure with a comforting pat on his arm. âAnd if you need anything else, please donât hesitate to-â
âYouâve already done so much for me,â he interjects, staring down at you with dejected eyes. âAnd it is I that should return the favor and explain myself.â He takes your partly finished tea and sets it next to his empty cup before turning his body towards you on the couch while holding both of your hands. His thumb sweeps across your knuckles as he takes a moment to collect his thoughts. You cannot help but to admire his handsome face while waiting for him to speak, wondering if his unkempt hair always frames those beautifully blue eyes of his every morning.
Vergil takes a deep breath through his nose before pinning you down with his pensive gaze. âFor a long time, I genuinely believed that my mother abandoned me during the attack on our childhood home. Iâve endured for years with that burdensome truth hanging over my head untilâŚâ he trails off, squeezing your hands while closing his eyes for a moment before going on. âIt turns out that she did try to save meâŚshe just didnât make it beforeâŚâ he pauses again as the trauma of his childhood breaks through his voice.
Your eyes begin welling up with unshed tears as he takes a shuddering breath, wanting to wrap your darling devil within your protective embrace. But he quickly composes himself with another calm and more even breath, and you resist the urge to pull him into a hug for now as he continues to speak. âAnd then there was this woman who I thoughtâŚâ he bows his head and rubs the back of your hands with his thumbs as he tells you the sad ending of that romance. âShe spurned me even after I confessed my desire to stay by her side.â
You hear the sharp pang of heartache in his words, which dredges up your own personal experiences with the painful sting of rejection. A single tear starts trickling down your cheek as you lean over and nuzzle up against his chest, squeezing his hands in understanding while he finishes his explanation. âI finally just resigned myself to living a life spent alone, vowing to never let anyone get too close again since all they ever bring is pain and suffering...until now.â
Vergil grasps your shoulder and gently pushes you back from his chest. âI find myself wanting to spend my every waking moment with you,â he earnestly confesses, bringing his hand below your chin and lifting your face up so that he can stare into your teary eyes. âThe lovely rose who has captivated the heart and soul of this crumbling devil before you,â he adds with a sincere smile, cupping your lovely face and wiping away your warm tears with his thumb.
Your heart thrums within your chest like a hummingbird as his heartfelt confession graces your ears. You gaze up at the man who has cleared a path through his prickly briars to the heart and soul of his very being. Youâve longed to hear those words ever since that day in the book cafĂŠ where you finally found the courage to speak to him. It ended with you making the promise of only taking a small step among the briars and yet, here you are nowâŚjust one last step away from the alluring devil that has captured your heart and soul as well.
Vergil leans down and rests his head against your brow, still rubbing your cheek fondly while staring deeply into your hopeful eyes. Youâre drawn to the flicker of conviction within the depth of his icy blue eyes, and you feel yourself being pulled in closer and closerâŚbut the sudden flash of uncertainty gives you pause. You silently ask if this is truly what he wants with a tilt of your head. He sighs and takes both of your hands once more, closing his eyes before lifting his head to press a soft kiss between your brow. Â
âI have nothing to offer to you in return,â he murmurs sadly against your skin. âAnd Iâm not worthy of your love and affection.â
Your eyes widen in astonishment as you rear your head back. âBut youâve already given me the best gift, my darling devil,â you reveal, shaking your head at his silly assumption with an amused smirk. Â
âTruly?â he whispers while the little crinkle between his brow that youâve always found so endearing furrows in confusion.
âOf course!â you giggle softly, nodding your head as you lean in closer. âIâve seen your requited love with every flower youâve ever given me.â Your eyes glance over at the exquisite lotus flower still sitting on the coffee table near your forgotten cup of tea. âAnd with every soft caress upon my cheekâŚâ You lift your arm and trace up along his elegant jaw with the back of your hand. âAnd with every gentle kiss pressing so sweetlyâŚâ
You lean up as far as you can without leaving your seat and press your lips just above the corner of his mouth, mimicking his previous kisses at the beach and by the camellias. All signs of lingering doubt vanish from his eyes, which only leaves a fierce flicker that sparks into unbridled desire. He leans down and wraps his arms around you while lowering his head towards your chest, pulling you closer to him until you are practically sitting in his lap. You feel his mouth moving just below your neck as he softly recites what sounds like a poem, but the intimate touch of his lips muddles your mind while his sensuous voice makes your body tremble with anticipation:
Innocent breasts, when I have looked upon them,
Would that my hands were there,
How have I craved, and dreaming thus upon them,
Love wakened from despair.
Vergil pauses and nuzzles your neck for a moment before drawing back to pull you even closer to him. You clutch the floral satin robe around his shoulders and let out a shuddering sigh as he cups your flushed cheek once more, meeting your ardent gaze while gently nestling his face closer to your own. His thumb slowly traces your gaping mouth as he continues his riveting recitation: Â
Beauty on lips flaming,
Roses red with her shaming,
And I with passion burning
And with my whole heart yearning
For her mouth, her mouth, her mouth,
That on her beauty I might slake my drouth. Â
A soft whimper creeps up your throat when the amorous poem comes to an end, but the feel of his soft lips crashing against your mouth turns the whimper into an enraptured moan. You tilt your head slightly while your arms slide up around his neck, letting him have more access to your lips as you kiss him back with wild abandon. All the pent-up tension of the last few months is finally released as both of your lips smack against each with feverous hunger. One of your hands slithers down his chest and slips beneath the satin robe before resting right over his heart. You let the rhythm of his passionate heartbeat lull you into a rapturous stupor, relishing the sight, the smell, the feel, the tasteâŚjust everything about the devil sets your heart aflame. Â
Vergil squeezes your hip with one hand while the other rakes through your hair, cradling your head as he swipes his tongue out against your lower lip. You part your lips and softly moan as he plunges in, showing no mercy as he explores the cavern of your mouth with his devilish tongue. His movements are a bit clumsy from lack of practice, but his enthusiasm makes up for it as he guides you to lie back on the couch, never breaking away from your lips while enclosing you beneath his body. You surge forth and entangle your tongue with his own while pulling him tighter against you, greedy for more of your darling devilâs kiss after waiting for so long. The outside world fades away and time becomes meaningless as both of your lips silently beg for more, more, moreâŚ
The unexpected chime of your doorbell rings through the room, but neither of you cease your heady kissing as it rings againâŚand againâŚuntil a series of very loud knocking cracks against your front door. Vergil finally breaks away from your gasping mouth with a growl, glaring towards your front door with spite in his eyes. You are about to wonder who could be visiting this early in the morning aloud when a familiar voice booms through the door:
âHey, Buttercup! Anyone home?â
Dante gives another ring of the doorbell along with some more knocking, which only deepens the vicious scowl on his brotherâs face. You sigh softly and cup his cheek before turning his harsh gaze back towards you with a tender caress of your thumb. His silvery blue eyes instantly soften as soon as they peer down at your flushed face, and he smirks with pride while bending down to kiss your reddened lips. He tries to pry your lips open once more, but you gently push him back before his tempting tongue can sweep away.
âWe both know that heâs not going anywhere until we answer,â you point out while the knocking gets even louder. âPlus, it sounds like heâs about to break down my door!â
Vergil remains still as he stares down you, mulling over your reasoning as his brotherâs persistence makes his brow twitch with annoyance. âFoolishness,â he growls softly before sitting up on the couch so that you can go get the door. The floral satin robe loosened up a little during your heated kiss, so you do your best to not openly stare at his chest as he wraps a blanket around his waist. You pick up the flowery fabric from the floor and cloak it over your shoulders as you scamper off towards the entryway.
You open the door just as Dante is about to bang on it again. âWell, look whoâs up earlier than a morning glory!â you exclaim with a radiant smile while placing a hand on your hip.
Dante nods his head in greeting before rubbing the back of his head. âSorry for waking you up so early,â he apologizes with a sheepish grin, but you can see a glint of worry within his eyes before it quickly disappears. âBut my cranky brother ran away from home and I was wonderinâ if youâve seen him recently?â he asks while taking out a piece of paper from his coat pocket. He opens it up and shows you a poor rendition of his brotherâs likeness drawn in what looks to be crayon.
âI am not some stray dog, Dante!â
You look over your shoulder at the sound of Vergilâs angry voice. He stomps across the living room towards the entryway while Dante lets out a bark of laughter at his brotherâs furious remark. âWell, ya couldâve fooledâŚmeâŚâ he stammers, eyes growing wide with shock as Vergil appears behind you. Your head turns back and forth between them as they just stare at each other in silence, comparing Danteâs astonished grin to Vergilâs severe frown.
Your eyes glance up at Vergil as you step away from the door. âIâm gonna check to see if your clothes are dry,â you inform, gesturing towards the laundry with your head. âJust please donât damage my front porch, okay?â you implore with a charming grin.
Vergil chortles at your humorous plea. âYou have my word,â he vows with a small stoic bow before stepping out onto your porch, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Your ears pick up the distinct sound of summon swords materializing as you rush towards the laundry room. You wince at Danteâs grunts of pain echoing through the hall as you enter the kitchen. But instead of checking on his clothes, you sneak out the back door and run through your garden, not caring about the morning dew chilling your bare feet as you quickly pick the perfect flowers. Then, you hurry back inside to really check on his clothes this time; his shoes and leather pants are fairly dry while his vest remains very damp. You open the dryer and pull out his signature coat, nodding your head in approval at its crisp and clean appearance before laying it out on your ironing board.
I canât tie flowers around the Yamato this time, but I can still surprise him in other ways! you contend while going back to the kitchen. You bind the little bouquet of flowers with some twine you cut from a spare spool before heading back to the laundry room. All the lovely memories of Vergil pulling flowers from the inside pocket of his coat plays in your mind as you hide the pretty blooms in the very same place. The front door slams shut just as you are gathering his clothes into your arms. You walk out the laundry room and meet Vergil in the hallway, exchanging a few hurried words as you lead him down the hall towards the guest bathroom.
You tidy up the living room while he changes clothes, but your thoughts are buzzing with all that has happened since late last night. The couch is still slightly warm from both of you sleeping thereâŚand kissing there. Your lips tingle at the thought, already aching for another kiss from your darling devil. The familiar warmth of a blush dusts your cheeks as you fold the blankets and stack the pillows. As soon as the couch is all straightened out, you turn to the coffee table and reach for the teacups, but an almost fully dressed Vergil entering the living room halts your hand.
The vest mustâve been too damp for his liking, you observe with subtle gulp while your eyes appreciate the pleasant view of a disheveled devil walking towards you. The lapels of his signature coat sway with every step, revealing just enough of his bare chest for your hungry eyes. And you cannot help but to admire the alluring sway of his white hair around his gorgeous face as he pins you down with his fierce gaze. The knowing smirk curling on his lips makes you shiver with delight as he stands in front of you.
âI guess youâve got to go now, huh?â you inquire with a doleful pout.
Vergil gives you a confirming nod. âI promised Nero that I would help him memorize his vows before rehearsal later this afternoon,â he informs while taking your hand within his gentle grasp. âThank you for receiving me with such warm generosity despite my tardiness.â He bows his head and lifts your hand up to give the top of your knuckles a tender kiss. His adoring gaze never strays from your enamored stare as his lips linger up the back of your hand. âAnd thank you for the lovely flowers in my coat pocket,â he murmurs, pressing one last kiss against your hand with a smug grin.
You let out a small huff as his lips draw back from your hand. âYouâre supposed to find them while walking back to the shop!â you exclaim as he reaches into his coat to reveal what you thought was a well-hidden tiny bouquet of snowdrops with a single red dahlia. âThey wouldâve looked prettier on the Yamato anyway,â you mutter, rolling your eyes while staring down at your feet in defeat.
âI tend to agree.â
Vergil extends his arm to the side and a sudden flash of bright blue energy surrounds his hand. Your eyes widen in surprise as the Yamato materializes out of thin air within his grasp. He hands the flowers over to you before holding the impressive sword out for you to tie the tiny bouquet to its sheath. Your face lights up and an excited giggle escapes your lips as you loosen the twine around the flowers and carefully wrap them around the Yamato. The white snowdrops add a touch of hopefulness while the single red dahlia compliments the swordâs power and strength, perfectly conveying the message you wish to send:
Never doubt my love for Iâve always been forever yours.
âThere!â you exclaim as soon as you are done tying the flowers with a secure bow. âThey really are quite beautiful, arenât they?â
You feel your heart bloom as you glance up to behold his besotted gaze. âYes,â he replies while wrapping an arm around your waist. âBut itâs not their beauty that captivates me, my beloved rose,â he declares before capturing your lips in a passionate kiss.
Your mouth instantly gives into his unyielding mouth with a soft whimper, clutching the lapels of his coat while craning your neck to meet every ravenous stroke of his tongue. This kiss is more desperate, as if heâs begging you to accept every scar upon his soul, pleading that youâll stay beside him despite the dangers of treading through his prickly briars. And you give yourself to him openly, accepting his battered and bruised soul, vowing to love every part of him despite all the thorns that may cut you along the way. Neither of you want the kiss to end, constantly taking turns drawing back only to be drawn in again for just a little bit longerâŚbut both of you have a busy day ahead. So, your fervid kiss eventually slows down until both of you exchange a few sweet pecks on each otherâs lips.
You walk with Vergil to the entryway but stop him from opening the door, claiming that he needs to give you a farewell kiss with a cheery grin. He raises an amused brow and bends down to fulfill your request, giving you the perfect opening to rake your fingers through his hair. He hums against your lips as the soft white locks stay up in his usual slicked back style, and you happily announce that heâs now ready to face the chaos of a wedding rehearsal. He chuckles softly at your cute gesture and promises to speak more about your newfound relationship after the wedding before taking his leave.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, you look through the peephole and see Dante waiting at the bottom of your driveway. Vergil walks past him and down the street, which earns an amused shrug from his brother before he chases after him. You continue to watch until both of them disappear from your view before turning around and leaning back against the door. You lift your hand and lightly touch your lips, which still tingle from your darling devilâs kiss as the significance of what just happened sinks inâŚand then, you let out a joyous squeal while bouncing around like a bumbling bee.
He called me his beloved rose!
This subtle change to his endearment for you may be small, but itâs enough to send your heart soaring high like a skylark. Never have you felt such sweet bliss as thisâŚbut thereâs no time dawdle with an impending wedding around the corner! So, you fly up the stairs to get ready for the day busy ahead while thinking about Vergil. And as your mind wanders through many rapturous daydreams, you reflect upon a certain truth within your heart: you will gladly bear the prick of your darling devilâs pain for there will always be thorns amidst the roses.
And you wouldnât have it any other way.
Read on Ao3
My Masterlist if you want more đ
The lullaby is Hanakazoe (Chiseâs Lullaby). The steamy poem is from Carmina Burana (trans. by Helen Waddell). And Iâd like to thank @furyeclipse and @twinkstimulator for beta reading my first attempt at angst đšđđš
Tagging: @drusoona @bettybattaglia @exsultry @thedyingmoon @veenus-ow @meowykittenn @fandomhell97 @vergilsangel @thenightgazer @cherryvane @yesno18 @diabeticsugarush @queenmuzz @mary-v-o-n @tinamalee @a-midsummer-nights-odyssey @ancientwhitefire @agentdedf1sh @divinity-deos @shiranyaaww @skarlet-red-rose @lucinalu219 @superluckystar
#vergil x reader#vergil#devil may cry#dmc5#romantic fluff#flowers#the language of flowers#gardener reader#writing#fanfiction#humor#angst#hurt/comfort#soft mornings#requited love#a rose among the briars#A Lotus in Full Bloom#FINALLY#THE TIME HAS COME#this is so self indulgent omg đ#*hides under blanket*#harlot writes
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Forge My Heart
The Crown Prince ordered a sword from the blacksmith. He got more than he expected.
An anxceit oneshot
Taglist:Â @hells-missing-a-goat @angels-and-dreams @ollyollyoxinfree @gattonero17
Ao3 - Masterlist
~~~~
Forge My Heart
âMe?â
âYes.â
âYou want me?â
âYes.â
âBut- but why ?â
âMust you make me repeat myself?â The Prince gave a sigh. âYouâre a skilled blacksmith who makes many swords, no?â
His eyes drifted to his fatherâs gaze watching from behind the Princeâs entourage. âBut my father-â
âGive me more credit, blacksmith,â he said with a slight smile. âI know this is your fatherâs shop, but I also know that your father hasnât made a thing in years. Youâve been doing all the hard work, while he takes your hard earned coin. So I wish to contract you personally for my birthday present... to myself. Oh besides your payment upon completion, I will provide money to buy the best materials and you can keep whatever you donât use.â He paused before he turned to his attendant who was looking over a scroll. âAm I forgetting something, Logan?â
The man didnât look up, âGiving him the money?â
âRight. Roman?â
One of his other attendants moved away from where he had been lingering by the anvil where Virgilâs current project laid before he had shuffled over and handed Virgil a sack of coins.
âWell?â The Prince asked him crossing his arms. âDo we have a deal?â
Virgil blinked before he nodded, âWhat kind of sword would you like Prince Dante?â
The Princeâs different color eyes gave a twinkle, âSurprise me.â
~~~~
â Surprise me, â Roman mocked as they climbed in the carriage. âDidnât you spend the whole ride over reciting to us all you very specific details of what you wanted in a rapier?â
âI will throw you from the palace tower,â Dee responded looking out the window as they pulled away.
âPlease do so sooner rather than later,â Logan tossed in. âI wonât have the guests passing by a blood stain on their way into the ball.â
Roman rolled his eyes, âWow, for a moment there I thought you were concerned about my wellbeing.â
Logan ignored him, âPrince, next in your schedule is a hospitality visit to the childrenâs home. Following that you will...â
Loganâs words continued, but Dee had zoned out as he hoped the blacksmith could get it right.
âMy Prince!â The blacksmith yelped as he stumbled back dropping the hot metal to the ground as he did.
Dee blinked as the young man fumbled to pick it up with tongs before setting it aside. When he had looked up, Dee could see the surprise in his beautiful deep brown eyes.
âI wasnât aware you were coming,â Virgil  said awkwardly brushing his hands off on his pants.
âI wanted to check in on your progress,â Dee said simply.
Virgil nodded as he picked up what he had been working on and held it for Dee to see.
It wasnât a rapier, Dee noted silently. But then again he hadnât asked for one.
âItâs going to be a saber,â Virgil started turning over the metal. âYou canât tell right now, but once itâs acid etched youâll be able to see the design I put into the metal- a twisted pattern. The handle will have some good detailing in it and I plan to make it as intricate as possible. Do... do you have anything specific you want?â
Dee shook his head, âNot at all. Just making sure things are-â
âWhoa! The Prince!â
Dee turned in surprise to see as a small boy entered the shop.
âPatton!â Virgil shouted in surprise hurrying over to the boy. âSorry my Prince. This is my little brother.â He then turned to the boy, âThatâs not how you greet a Prince.â
The small boy blinked before he nodded, âSorry. Hi your Majesty. Thanks for hiring my brother!â
Dee gave a chuckle as he joined the brothers by the ship entrance. âNice to meet you Patton. And I had to pick your brother, heâs good at what he does.â
âIâm gonna be better one day!â
âOh?â
âUhuh! Vee is gonna teach me!â
Dee raised an eyebrow and looked to the blacksmith, âAre you Vee ?â
Virgil gave a blush beneath his dark eyeshadow and wow Dee wanted to see him do that more. âY-yeah,â he mumbled. âIts- itâs a family business after all.â
Dee nodded once and moved for the exit, âIâll come back in a few days!â
âYou donât have time to be checking up on the smith,â Logan disagreed as Dee climbed in the carriage. âDo you not realize how many more things we need to do before the ball?â
âRemus is handling them,â Dee waved dismissively.
âYou trust him with that many things?â Roman asked in surprise. âI only trust him to stare at Loganâs ass.â
âWell...â Dee gave a cough as he watched Loganâs stoic face. âFine. Can I just go visit him once more this week?â
Logan raised an eyebrow, âFine. Once more.â
âHello Virgil the blacksmith!â Dee called as he entered the back of the shop. âI am shouting as my silence last time led to me startling you.â
Virgil gave an amused look as he looked away from his forge, âIâm sorry my Prince. Can I have one minute? I need to quench the blade.â
Dee gave a nod pretending he knew what that meant. At his affirmation Virgil put his face back to staring into the flames before he grabbed his tongs and pulled out glowing metal and hurriedly shoved it in a barrel- which immediately caused flames to fly up into Virgilâs face.
âHoly shit!â Dee yelled in response taking a step closer. âAre you alright?â
Virgil pulled the sword out the barrel and gave it a visual inspection with a bright smile, âI'm fine, why?â
âYou just had fire erupt in your face.â
Virgil paused as if the thought hadnât occurred to him, âNothing different that usual. Anyway, I assume you came for an update?â
Dee nodded, âI did. And to tell you that you are personally invited to the ball.â
âOh, you want me to deliver it then?â
âYes, but you are also free to enjoy the ball as a guest .â
âOh...â
âSo howâs the sword?â
âI should have it cleaned up and sharpened by the end of the day. And then I have the rest of the week to get the handle together. Should be a sword more than worthy for the Crown Prince.â
Dee nods once as he looks at the metal Virgil had set aside. It certainly looked more like a sword than the slab he had initially seen during his first day, but still he couldnât quite picture the final product. He just hoped it would be as nice as Virgil had claimed.
~~~~
âVee you need to go! Youâre late! The ball already started!â
Virgil didnât move away from where he was grinding at the last of the sword. âGrab me the box! And the thing!â
âWhat thing?â
âThe thing to wrap the sword in for the box!â
He heard Patton shuffling around behind him as he finished sharpening the blade.
âIt looks perfect!â Patton cheered, setting the box down.
Virgil smiled in agreement before he got everything together. âOkay Iâm going.â
âBut you didnât change!â
âNo time!â
Virgil arrived at the palace out of breath and, present in hand. One of the Princeâs attendants was by the door dressed in a blue suit, and a large frown on his face. âLate and underdressed Mr. Storm?â
âSorry,â Virgil apologized, holding the present out and the man took it. âGive it to him. Iâll head back to my shop, um... let me know if he likes-â
Virgil didnât get to finish before the man had grabbed him by the wrist and began dragging him along as they made their way inside.
âUm, sir?â
âLogan,â he corrected letting Virgil go and pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hand. âThe Prince wants you to hand deliver it.â
âOh well uh-â
âRoman!â Logan called at a passing man.
The man turned and gave them both a smile before he looked Virgil up and down amused. âCouldnât you at least take off the eyeshadow?â
Virgilâs eyebrows knit in confusion. âWhat eyeshadow?â
âYour... you know... eyes... Logan you needed something?â
Logan nodded once, âGo get him an outfit. And Iâll send Remus to join you, I think our Prince told him Mr. Stormâs measurements.â
âMy measurements?â Virgil echoed awkwardly. âWhy would he know-â
âIn the meantime Mr. Storm I shall send you to clean yourself up a bit.â
âOh, uh okay?â
~~~~
âSomething wrong dear?â
Dee shook his head and gave his mother a polite smile, âIâm just wondering about my sword. The blacksmith was supposed to be here by now.â
âWell then I guess we are right on time.â
Dee turned to where Logan appeared a man dressed in a beautiful purple suit beside him. Logan stepped aside and the man stepped forward holding out the box to Dee. âHappy birthday Your Majesty.â
Dee took the box in confusion before he looked at the man. Upon opening it he saw a beautiful saber sitting in it. âVirgil?â
âYes?â
âYou're the same pretty blacksmith?â
His face flushed, â Pretty ?â
Gone was the soot and grime from his face, and for the first time Dee could clearly see his face. Gone was this dirty clothing instead he wore a beautifully tailored purple suit which fit him perfectly in every way. And wow, if Dee had thought he was beautiful prior to this- then he wasnât sure what Virgil was now.
âThe sword?â Logan coughed taking the box and holding toward Dee.
Dee blinked and picked up the sword by its hilt, marveling in how natural it felt in his hand. It was wonderful.
âLook under the leather,â Virgil advised.
Dee lifted it confused and he froze in surprise and picked up the second sword. And wow, it was more beautiful than the first.
âA rapier,â Dee smiled, turning it over in his hands.
Virgil nodded once, âI finished the saber and realized I wanted to do something even more special. I hope you like them.â
âTheyâre perfect ,â Dee smiled. âThank you so so much Virgil.â
Virgilâs blush returned as he took a step back, âThank you for giving me such a good challenge.â
He moved to step away, but Dee put the swords in the box before moving beside the smith. âIf youâre sticking around for a while, can I ask you to dance?â
âI canât dance.â
Dee gave him a smile as he extended a hand to the man. âIâll let you in on a secret, most people here canât.â
~~~~
âVirgil?â
The blacksmith looked up from his feet to the Princeâs face trying not to think about how close they were. âYes?â
âYou did such a nice job on the swords...â the Prince started slowly as he whirled Virgil around with ease. âand well I think I might need a set of matching knives. One for each sword. So um, why donât you come back to the palace tomorrow? I can- I can treat you to lunch while we discuss the designs?â
Virgil gave a large smile in response despite the blush he could feel on his cheeks, âThat sounds great, My Prince.â
âDee... you can call me Dee.â
Virgil shook his head as he looked back to his feet. âIâm just a blacksmith . I- I canât call you by your name.â
âThen maybe you need to be more than a blacksmith?â
âWhat do you mean?â
Virgil heard as the Prince hummed in thought monetarily before speaking again. âIâve got it, how about you let me court you? Then you could certainly call me by name.â
Virgilâs ears must have stopped working. He stared at the Princeâs smirking face in shock before he dropped his head again. âI...Iâd like that.â
âYou would?â
The Princeâs surprised tone caused Virgilâs gaze to rise to see the Princeâs slight blush. âI would,â he confirmed. âI would... Dee .â
Dee gave him a smile as he leaned forward and rested his forehead on Virgilâs in a teasing way.
#anxceit#shameless anxceit#i watch too much forged in fire thats why i know those words#prince!deceit#blacksmith#fantasy#prince#virgil sanders#deceit sanders#sympathetic deceit#logan sanders#roman sanders#kid!patton#sanders sides fic#jaz's oneshots
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Tendrils of Regret - Part 5
Read the story on AO3 here!
The next week and a half went by awkwardly. You and Vergil still went on missions together, mostly because Dante was ecstatic that youâd managed it and you really didnât want to let him down. But you barely talked to each other more than the occasional quip or piece of needed information. Vergil seemed less willing to compete with you, killing everything quickly and leaving the bodies for you to choose between. You barely got to use your powers when he was around, something that even the vine seemed to be upset about. The pinpricks against your heart had gotten worse, and the only way to deal with it so far had been heading back out to the greenhouses. The owners called you a miracle worker, but you made sure they were never around when you worked your magic.Â
Youâd also slowly removed yourself from the denial phase, and now fully believed that the V you knew was never coming back. It was a tough thing to accept, especially when you continued to dream about him almost every night. But after Lady and Trish finally came clean as to what actually happened around the Qliphoth Tree, you believed them. Vergil was V. A much harsher, less compassionate V. And you had to accept that.Â
It didnât stop the grief though, as much as you thought it might.Â
So when you woke up feeling particularly down on a dreary Saturday, you werenât surprised.Â
Early on, you decided just to stay in your room. You figured Vergil wouldnât care. In fact, you assumed heâd be relieved when you didnât show up at your usual leaving time and just head out on his own. You did try to do something with your time, whether it be reading or writing or just⌠anything else. But you kept finding yourself right back in bed, staring either at the ceiling or the back of your eyelids for hours on end. And you supposed it was about time for something like this. Youâd been in denial for so long that it was inevitable, really. And now that the nightmares had returned, you wondered if youâd ever get another good night of sleep again.Â
At one point, you glanced at the bracelets still adorning your wrists. You hadnât had the heart to remove them, nor did you know what to do with them. You promised to hold onto them until he returned. Technically, he had. But you had a feeling Vergil wouldnât want one. Heâd never want it. Of that you were certain.
When 2pm hit, you were surprised by another quiet knock at the door.Â
You stared at the wilting blue roses in front of you. The rest of the plants were in an equal state of disarray, fueled by your terrible mood. Youâd be able to fix them once you felt better, but there was nothing you could do about it now. You had yet to take a shower, nor had you changed out of the pajamas youâd been wearing for the last day and a half. You really didnât even want to answer the door, but you didnât think youâd be able to pretend you werenât there either. The brothers alone could probably sense you, even if Trish wasnât home. And the only person youâd heard leave this morning was Dante. There was a chance it was Trish or Lady, but you just had a feeling. Youâd been around Vergil long enough that you could practically sense him now. You didnât know if it had something to do with him being your vineâs âmasterâ or not. It really didnât matter.Â
Finally, you sighed and forced yourself up right. You flicked your hand and one of the vines wrapped around the knob and jerked it open. In stepped Vergil, dressed as immaculate as ever. Not a hair was out of place, and you wondered what heâd been doing all morning. Probably reading. You were convinced that was all he ever did when not killing demons or arguing with his brother. âAre you going to lie around all day?â He said.Â
You glared at him as you reached for a pillow. âIf you have nothing good to say I suggest you leave.âÂ
You heard him sigh as you rolled away, wrapping yourself up stubbornly in the blankets. âYour plants are dying.âÂ
You felt like crying, but held it back. âThanks. I hadnât noticed.â
âWhich means you arenât feeling well, yes?â
âWhy do you care?â You said, refusing to look at him. âI thought youâd be happy without someone to pester you.â
You heard another sigh, followed by the door closing. What was his plan? Drag you out of bed and force you on a mission? Sit in the room until he intimidated you out of bed? What was the point in all of this? You wished he would just leave and so you could wallow the day away and hope you felt better tomorrow. But then, just as the silence was about to get unbearable, you felt something drop on top of the blankets. âGet dressed,â Vergil said. âWe leave in 15 minutes.â
You flinched at the command, swallowing in an attempt to ignore it. âIâm not interested, Vergil.â
âIâm not asking.â
âJust go on your own,â You muttered. âYouâve proven time and time again you donât need my help.â
âThere arenât any tasks today,â he said.Â
âIâm not scouting either.â
âGet dressed,â he repeated.Â
The vine twisted tighter in your chest, begging you to respond. You stubbornly ignored the pain. Instead, you lurched upright, awkwardly unwrapping yourself from the blankets enough to glare at him. âYou donât get it do you?â
âIf I donât intervene then you will waste the rest of the day away.â
âAnd maybe thatâs what I need to do.âÂ
âBut is it what you want to do?â
âOf course not,â you snap. âBut sometimes life doesnât give you much of a choice.â
âIâm giving you a choice,â He said as calm as ever.Â
âLast time I checked,â You said. âYou werenât life.â
âIâm not asking again,â Vergil said, clicking Yamato. âYou can either get dressed and come with me or sit there and waste the rest of your day away.â He left before you could respond, quite nearly slamming the door behind him. You glared at it for far too long but groaned when some of your plants bloomed back to life. Of course they would respond to anger. At least you knew you had the energy to fuel them. Maybe you could find the strength to get out of bed today. Or you could just ignore him and go back to sleep.Â
But you found yourself⌠conflicted. Where could Vergil possibly take you that would make your day better that didnât involve demons? Now you were curious, and you had a feeling he knew it.Â
Curse that nosy, infuriating blue-devil.Â
Finally, you got yourself out of bed. You were surprised to find that Vergil had tossed you a matching pair of clothes and your favorite jacket. Had he really been paying that much attention to you? Impossible. Even on jobs he rarely looked at you. Maybe heâd just gotten lucky with his choices. Regardless, you begrudgingly put them on, lacking the energy to find anything else, threw your hair up into a messy pony-tail and found one of your perfumes to mask the lack of a shower. At the end of it, you stared at yourself in the mirror, wondering if this was the right decision. You could still feel your bed pulling at you, but you were able to ignore it as you wandered down the stairs where Vergil was waiting.Â
âSo where are we going?â You said.Â
He cut open a portal and stepped aside. âGo.â
You scowled as your feet twitched, aching to follow the command. âYouâre terrible at this âavoiding accidental commandsâ thing today.â
âTheyâre not accidental,â He said. âNow go.âÂ
âAsshole,â You muttered as you found yourself unable to ignore his summons any longer. You stepped through the portal as miserable-looking as possible, but your mood perked when you saw where heâd taken you. âAn animal shelter?â You said as he stepped out beside you and the portal snapped shut. âWhat are we doing here?â
âDante has agreed that the shop could be a bit more lively for days that you might be home alone.â He glanced at you. âSomething that isnât fully dependent on your moods.â
For some reason, you found yourself excited. âWeâre getting a pet?â
âYou are, yes,â Vergil said. âMorrison has taken care of all the paperwork. You just need to pick the one that suits you.â He crossed his arms. âA quiet one, preferably.â
âIs that a command?â
Vergil sighed. âNo. Itâs entirely yours to pick and take care of.â
You rolled your eyes. âYou got it, dad.â
Vergil scowled, but you just laughed as you made your way across the street. âAre you coming with me?â
Vergilâs eyebrow shot up. âYou want me to join you?â
You paused. âItâs probably best that you do, right? Not every animal will feel comfortable around a demon, so we should probably find one that is.â
Slowly, Vergil nodded. âI suppose that makes sense.â
âIs that a compliment?â
He huffed as he walked by you, but you were quick to catch up. As the doors opened, dozens of smells almost overwhelmed you. A dozen sunflowers nearby started to grow, but you caught yourself and shrunk them again before anyone noticed. A short brunette grinned at both of you from behind the counter. âWelcome!â She said. âHere for an adoption?â
âYes,â Vergil said, slipping past you as he reached into his coat and put a stack of papers on the table.Â
The woman looked them over quickly and nodded. âAnybody in particular youâre looking for?â
âCats,â You said. Vergil glanced at you in what might have been surprise, but you were too excited to care. âSomething that loves to cuddle and play, but can also spend some time alone while weâre at work.âÂ
The woman nodded again. âI always love helping couples pick out their first little buddy.â
You blinked. Vergil stiffened beside you. âOh no, it's not like that.â You said.
The woman chuckled. âItâs okay. I wonât tell anyone.â She winked as she turned away, leaving you flustered. Vergil just rolled his eyes and followed after the woman. You rushed to catch up to them. âNo really, itâsâŚâ
âStop,â Vergil said. You froze in place, glaring at him. âNot like that.â
âHow else is one supposed to stop?â
He sighed in annoyance. âStop⌠stopping.â
You let go of a breath as your body released. âStop doing that.â
âItâs harder than it looks.â
âClearly,â You walked past him, but your irritation faded the second you stepped into the kitten corral. Various pitches of meows greeted you as numerous kittens moved toward the front of their cages and peered at you. Some ignored you completely. Others were playing with each other. You followed along the sides, peering at as many kittens as you could. âTheyâre so cute!â You breathed.Â
âYouâll probably want an older cat,â The woman said. âYouâll find those over here.âÂ
On the way, you stopped at a certain cage, your heart swelling the second you saw the black cat inside. It was alone, curled up in a ball and purring as it slept the day away. But all you could see was a smaller Shadow, waiting for you to take him away. âHey little guy,â You whispered, reaching your fingers through the cage to gently pet its ears. The catâs eyes opened, but he just eyed you curiously, his tail flicking back and forth.Â
âThatâs one of our new arrivals,â The woman said. âWeâve been calling him Shadow.â
âCan I hold him?â
âOf course!â She said as she opened the cage. âHeâs incredibly calm and quiet. Iâm honestly surprised he hasnât been adopted before now.â She gently pulled Shadow from his cage, handing him to you. The cat purred as you held him like a baby, scratching behind his ears.
âVergil!â You said, turning toward him. You were surprised to find that he was waiting in the doorway, eyes locked on you. After a moment, you moved toward him, holding Shadow out. âWhat do you think?â
âHeâs your pet,â Vergil said. âI donâtâŚâ He trailed off as you shoved the cat into his arms. Vergilâs eyes widened before moving back to the cat himself. The creature sat up in Vergilâs arms, eyes meeting his. You swore you saw Vergil melt just a bit. His shoulders relaxed. His gaze softened. For the briefest of moments, you could imagine V standing there, smiling as he cradled the cat with the same fondness heâd given his familiars. You shook your head, dispelling the image. Vergil wasnât smiling, but his mouth was surprisingly agape, and you wondered what he was thinking. Did he even remember Shadow? Surely something so important to his human self would have remained in his head. But he hadnât remembered you, so nobody but Vergil knew how all of that worked.Â
But youâd never seen him like this. Relaxed. Slightly surprised. Guard down. Heâd always been so uptight around you, especially after the greenhouse incident. But this was more⌠V like. A man that didnât care what people thought of him and wasnât afraid of his own emotions.Â
âVergil?â
He snapped his mouth closed and his muscles returned to their original rigidity. He handed Shadow back before crossing his arms and leaning against the door. âIt's your choice,â he said, but you heard a strange sense of longing in his tone.Â
You looked down at the cat, only to see it staring back at you. âI think weâve found our companion,â You said. This time, Vergil didnât react to your wording. In fact, he almost seemed to relax.Â
The woman smiled. âIâll get the paperwork.â
  âWhy am I not surprised?â Dante said when he returned home to find you playing with your new cat in the lobby. Vergil was reading on the couch behind you, but you hadnât missed how his eyes had occasionally drifted to you and Shadow throughout the evening. Of course, he never asked to hold the cat again, and you knew he would never admit to wanting to play with him, but you knew he approved. âAnd let me guess. His name is Shadow. â
âThe adoption center named him,â You said.Â
âBut that is his name, yeah?â
You smiled as Shadow curled up into your lap, purring. âMaybe.â
Dante laughed as he plopped down at his desk. âAnd Vergil approved?â
âIt wasnât my choice,â Vergil said.
You rolled your eyes. âHeâs said that a lot today.â You scratched behind Shadowâs ears. âBut he didnât complain when we went shopping for the toys, the food, or the crate. We got Shadow a bed too! So, Iâd call that a victory.â
âVerge loves him,â Dante said as he kicked his feet up. âI can tell by the look on his face.âÂ
Vergil didnât say anything, but you were more than used to that by now. âWell itâs a good time for us to get to bed,â You said, rising from your seat on the floor with Shadow in hand. The cat meowed as it yawned, approving of your decision. âWhen are we leaving tomorrow?â
Vergilâs eyes shot up in surprise. âWhat?â
âWell you have a plan, donât you?â You said, nuzzling your cat.Â
â... Iâll tell you in the morning.â
As you climbed the stairs, you heard Dante laugh. âI knew this was a good idea.â
#dmcweek2020#vergilxreader#vergil dmc#dante dmc#fan fiction#shadow#only two more to go#I'm excited#:x
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Into The Casino Ch15
Well at least now things were starting to move along it seemed. The little naĂŻve gal was FINALLY starting to make progress and he could actually enjoy himself while doing so. Oh she was still clumsy and tripped over her feet or misplaced a step here and there, but OH BOY! It was MUCH better than when they were first starting out and her being so tense all the time. All he had to do was put on a little swing and let her figure herself out a little ways in, not that he was complaining though. He enjoyed this just as much as anyone else and the happy smiles and laughing she was starting to give off was absolutely delightful! She was even starting to get a little better with his presence around her, she still jumped and acted suspicious of him, but the little progress was outstanding compared to months ago when she wouldn't let anyone so much as shake her hand. He was far from done believe me, but he had an idea as to what to do now. Not that his singing and dancing weren't amazing after all.~ They absolutely were astounding and she even said so herself, so why should he even worry about that bit? But he had to confess. It was nice having a dancing partner who actually knew of the dances they were doing, but don't think he was letting her dance swing, the waltzes were actually coming along much better now as well. He would have to commend Cyber for her idea later, she was no longer so reluctant to perform such dances with him...And that's one of the only thing's he was worried about. She had no problem dancing with HIM. Just him. Cyber reminded him that she might be different in a giant crowd of his peers, but he would deal with that when it came.
Right now they had to get ready. So imagine her surprise one day when she egarly got up for today's day of dancing lessons and instead found as soon as she opened the door, Cyber was waiting at the other side holding a box. Amafia blinked and only watched as she came in not even asking. The box was placed on the bed and she began to shift through it. Pulling out what looked like a kit of sorts, some kind of paint brushes, and lastly some kind of shimmering fabric of some sort. The sighed and went to rub her head before looking back to the confused looking unicorn just standing there staring before walking back over to her. She was surprised when Cyber closed the door and began pushing her towards the bathroom. "Go clean yourself up good. And hurry. Boss likes to show up early sometimes to show off." "Show up?" She twisted her neck to look over her shoulder at her before Cyber gave her a small shove into the bathroom. Grabbing the door. "Where are we going now?" She rolled her eyes. "That fancy party of course. And we're both already ready to go. Now hurry up and get groomed up I have to doll ya up before we leave, since last time you had trouble putting on plain eye shadow. Now get done will ya?" The bathroom door was closed shut behind her...and she stood there a moment just blinking at it in surprise. ..Before reluctantly turning with drooped ears to the room and sighed, this would be a long day wouldn't it? And a fancy party was the last thing she really wanted right now. All those eyes peering at her and..and like Lou suggested. He intended on having fun there as well, the sudden fear pooling in her stomach made her jump at the very thought of messing up in front of everyone and embarrassing them both. And it'd be all her fault! And what if something else worse happened from that?!...She shook her head. No, NO!! She wasn't about to fall down that rabbit hole again. Despite the wave of emotions, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out again. Not again. She told herself. She wouldn't let herself go down that path again. Once was too much of enough anyways. So the world of warm water and soap was visited for her, still with the rock in her stomach and the lump in her throat. Cyber also seemed to be lazersharp with her senses and was waiting right outside the door as soon as the door opened again and she was again dragged out and forced to sit down on the bed at she went to work. Something looking similar to a gun but sounded like a vacuum was aimed at her face before hot air was blasted into her face and she flinched back when Cyber went around her body and began shifting her hair around with a hum. Brow raised....The thing was turned off and she yelped again when a brush was yanked through her head. Cyber wasn't kidding when she said they were in a hurry and ignored her small yelps and whimpers at her hurrying through her mane of hair, seriously. Why did women insist on having this? She never understood the thought of it, long hair would just get in the way of battling for your life anyways. But that still didn't stop her from just putting it into a neat fluffed up ponytail, Lou said to make her look nice. Not extremely fancy, so this would do. Amalfia hiss and lightly reached up to poke at the handywork done before she yelped as she was pushed up from the sitting position from the bed and a blue-green blur of fabric was yanked over her head, she gave a muffled whine of surprise before it was yanked all the way down and Cyber set to work straightening it onto her. Before these strange shiny...wing like pieces were retrieved from the box as well. "Hold your arms out." ...She didn't question her at this point and just did as she was asked. Watching as the things were slipped onto her and secured onto her by the smaller female. They resembled butterfly wings with peacock markings. Shimmering blues and greens with the patterns. ..Until something was shoved onto her face and she blinked back through eyeholes through the shimmering mask Cyber was securing into her. it felt as light as the wings accessories added to her and blinked down to Cyber who took a few steps back and looked her over. "...There. God enough." She still didn't have time to get her bearings when Cyber grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door and into the hallway. Trying not to trip over the long train of the dress as she was pulled along and around the corner..Where a certain plant demon was waiting for them both. He was wearing that black cloak again, giving him the look of a true high class villain and he was currently humming and staring at himself in a giant hallway mirror in front of him. Straightening his tie and looking at himself before those red eyes blinked to the incoming two figured behind him and smiled, twirling around just at the flashes of shiny blues and greens stopped in front of him. His smile widening. "Ah! Look at you.~" His eyes glazed over her. Totally worth the souls he paid. "My, my. Now don't you look absolutely delightful.~" She blinked and looked to the mirror in front of them...and froze at what was gazing back at her. He chuckled when her hands slowly came up and touched her face delicately. Cyber did a fantastic rush job in just a short time. "Not that I expected anything less from you two of course. Shall we be going?" She paused. "W-Wait!" She looked back to him. "S-S-So soon? Now? B-B-But that seems so early for you. What about here?" "Disease and Midnight are in charge. I trust them to watch my casino for one day and night. That's how long this whole thing lasts you know, a whole day and night.~" He grabbed her arm and lightly tugged her along as he walked along. "And if anything does go horribly wrong, then we'll leave immediately. Im not stupid to leave them in charge if I didn't trust their abilities now would I?" "N-No. I guess not..b-but why so soon?" His smile curled at the ends. "Simple. The sooner we arrive the better the chances of scoping out the ...competitors we can do. I always enjoy 'friendly' competition, and Im never late to an event such as this. That would be too unexpected of me.~" She rose a brow at what he ment, and turned to Cyber, but the metal guard just straightened herself in the mirror for one quick second before obediently following behind them. Making sure NOT to step on the dress's trail behind her. The pit in her stomach formed the more she thought of all those people around her staring and not knowing what they were capable of, but she hid it relatively enough as he lead her out to the fancy limo, which he was quite eager to have her sit into minding the pieces of her dress and ducked in after her. As the engine started up she had to wonder where exactly they would be going exactly. Her scalp still lightly hurt from Cyber's quick one hour dress up game and she was tempted to rub her head, but she didn't need the guilt of having her hard work ruined on top of the build up of bad feelings already pooling in her stomach. So to pass the time, she looked out the window and watched the famous casino fade away into obliviation as the car sped up...funny, she didn't think the car could go this fast before. The run down buildings of the poor saps and other small businesses around them slowly turned into bigger ones. Much, MUCH bigger ones. She had to bend down to look at them, yup! Definitely skyscrapers along with a lot of other strange looking buildings. Most were in weird shapes and sizes but most definitely BIG. Fancy giant signs were plastored onto each and every one of them, neon signs glowing and strange puns and words were etched into them. 'Dante's Inferno: We heat your hundredth enemy for free!' 'Cat's Eye Children's Center' 'Hell-of-a Good Time'.....By the neon lady she could figure out it must've been a place similar to Rita's and she gave a small cringe at that. But there was one place that caught her eye after a good long while, she blinked and squinted her eyes at it. There was a tower a little bigger than the others, looked pretty shiny too, but what attracted her eyes to it was the spotlights shining around from it and the overall high class vibe it gave off. And she couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer thing. Lou seemed to notice her interested look and craned his neck over to peer at what she could possibly be marveling at...and he chuckled. She jumped and looked at him, not even hearing him come next to her, and he shook his head. "Typical Cyrus. Always one for the dramatics. I wonder what he could possibly have in store for THIS year." "This year?" Her eyes blinked confused at him and he chuckled. "My associate likes to invite all the big names in the second circle to his little shindigs to keep an eye on what new ideas they have and what young blood thinks can easily outthrow some of the more powerful ones. Smart move dequised as a simple high society party, but I do enjoy 'catching up' on what's going on through the grape vine.~ Can't have anyone trying anything around MY area now can we?" "Does that mean that you're..." His head slowly turned to her. "Y-You're one of t-the big cheeses around this neighborhood?" His smile got even more wider. "My dear.~ You are looking at the person who is currently the thriteenth most dangerous man in the second circle of hell." There was DEFINATELY a glint in his eyes and a growl in his tone as he spoke. "But perhaps...someday that will change." She shivered under his look and Cyber had to nudge him to get him to cut it out. "But for now I would much rather have a pleasant evening with you.~" She wasn't sure how to take that, so instead of answering she looked back out the window and watched as the building came closer and closer and just as she suspected, it actually was spotlights shining all around. All around a giant metal fence higher than any she's seen, and right behind him was an honest to goodness almost typical looking backyward. If the backyard belonged to a millionaire. A giant pool shimmered in the lights and bounced off the other expensive looking outside furniture the more the limo passed and she only stopped looking when they suddenly stopped and Lou gently but firmly grabbed her hand as the limo door popped open and he got out dragging her behind him. Cyber following close after. To say she was surprised was an understatement. She was completely caught off guard at the amount of class this building had right in front of her. Because from the moment they got out a red carpet was the first thing they stepped on and Lou didn't even give her a chance to take it in as he pulled her along similar like a mother would their child. But that still didn't stop her gawking at the impressive structure as they walked up towards it. Just like the resturaunt and Rita's club, there was a pair of bodyguards but these demons..OH! These demons looked like they could wrestle a whale and still not break a sweat, they were that big and that muscular compared to herself who was just a twig in comparison. But Lou didn't even look fazed when he reached into his coat pocket and simply presented the pink purple paper he had first showed her advertising the place to him to them. The bigger one of the two took a couple seconds to look it over before he grunted and shifted to open the door for them to enter. SHE. WOULD. HAVE. Stopped dead in her tracks if Lou still wasn't leading her around and her jaw dropped at what her eye beheld on the inside once they made it in. Oh. My. Goodness. IT. WAS. BEAUTIFUL!! You know that grand ball room every little girl dreamed about when they pretended to be a princess? Well how about the paintings of those anceint fairytale ballrooms with cinderella or some other ancient kingdom? Well this was like that. But much MUCH more better. The whole place was alive with golden lights that shined with the BIGGEST crystal chendeleir she's EVER SEEN!! It sparkled against the pure white ceilings and walls and speaking of walls. Giant stained glass windows shimmered with each window showing a different scene or picture. A woman dancing. A giant rose. A man riding into battle on horseback. They were all beautiful in their own way. But as he lead her down the massive marble staircase she instantly took notice of the other voices around them and looked down. Instantly taking notice of the maybe..Fifty or so other demons that were already inhabiting the ball room and it's magnificent floor. She blinked. She'd never seen so many fancy suits or dresses in her life as she instinctively squeezed herself a bit more tighter to Lou's side as the demon rose a brow and gave a slow look around the room. It didn't look like anyone new had joined the fray, good. He didn't have to watch out for any new blood trying their tricks...yet. But there was always threats no matter with or without new overlords making themselves present. And with his and Cyber's combined senses on high alert, he should be fine from any threats for tonight. But Amalfia could sure feel a bunch of eyes on them now as some of the demons looked over in their direction, but some turned away as soon as they saw them. Most of them were a bigger than her and she could barely see past the flurry of sparkling dresses and jewelry. From the very corner of the room there was a band with lots of different demons in tuxes dressed up and playing as one man waving around a small pointed stick stood on a step above the band. He muct've been the conductor for the band. They were playing a rather lovely victorian style-like waltz. Mostly with violins and flutes for now, very calming. And past all the people was the longest table she'd ever seen. And just now she noticed the smell of food pounding her nose. Her eyes glanced over all the sparkling glassware and plates holding MOUNTAINS of food of all kinds and sizes. A giant roast pig, chocolate fountain, rows and rows of fruits and deserts near it. Her mouth just watered at the meer sight of the glorious amount of food she hadn't seen since....NEVER!! Lou could see where her eyes went and he chuckled again. "Ah! So Mr. Early bird is late for once." Lou calmly turned his head with a raised brow to a random demon that was maybe ....THREE?! feet taller than him and covered in gold jewelry among his feathered body. Amalfia froze and Lou could feel her grip tighten around his arm at the much taller demon as she flinched. A lovely lady on either side of the tall bird demon as he rose a brow to her ..then to him. "Picked up another, eh?" She blinked up to him and Lou chuckled before waving him off. "Oh, well things can have a small bump in progress. And it does seem Im still fairly early compared to a lot of others." The taller demon hummed and shook himself out. The gold jewelry glittering among his features as he turned with the two ladies hanging off him. "None the less. I wonder if there'll be anymore surprises in store for tonight." The plant demon merely chuckled as the man walked off and Amalfia shivered at the weird glint he held. "W-Who was that?" "THAT was Cyrus." He calmly stated when he pulled her away. "Great grand nephew of one of the princes of hell and fifth most powerful being in the second circle." She blinked after him before turning to Lou. "He seems like a very flashy character." He laughed and smirked at her. "My dear. He works for his Uncle and he's VERY good at what he does. He's not afraid to show his wealth, it's one of the ways to show your power down here and can ward off comepitors and rivals weaker than you." "So..Does that mean all these demons are o-overlords and r-r-royalty?" She gave another look at the many demons around them and more were still coming in through the doors. If they were really as power hungry and strong as Lou makes them to be...she visically gulped and her ears went back. Cyber rose a brow at her reaction and shot up a look at Lou as if telling him to do something. Cyber was on edge for any blast that could possibly kill him or her. And a blast from a terrified unicorn was the last thing they wanted here, they were trying to keep a low profile after all. So Lou waved his hand around them calmly and stated. "No. No one here is true royalty not even Cyrus. And while overlords such as myself are usually here, I suspect most of these people are as simple the band at play or the cheifs that cooked his food. Most people to attend these things are just weathy business owners, you don't have to be strong persay to be weathy and have power and influence. I just happen to be a mix of the two." His eyes glanced over herself and it took her a moment to realize he was glancing at her dress. "Why do you think I asked for such a design to your dress? Not only does it look beautiful on you, if we happen to run into a certain little birdy, it'll send her into a tizzy hopefully.~ Less business for someone who throws a tantrum.~'' ........She blinked. And rose a brow. "Are you saying that...You asked them to make this dress to make fun of Rita and get her to argue with you to lose business?" "That's the point! And I don't see why you would complain. You did say you didn't like her place, and this isn't like on the surface. Down here you have to use your head. Even with clothes." She blinked and looked back around her. Well...She guessed that made sense. These were demons after all, you kinda expect fair and square to be a foreign concept down here, so it would make total sense for someone to do that and it was one way to do so without physically putting anyone in danger. In a way, it was kind of him...Rita? A feeling of guilt suddenly bubbled up in her as Charles full history lesson smacked her brain into overdrive as the memories of what he said came flying back to her. But....the guilty feeling wasn't about BEING with Lou. The guilty feeling was about about NOT TELLING Lou if that made any sense. Sure she didn't really lie to him about anything, and it certainly wasn't anyone's fault. Disease didn't know and telling him might get the snake in trouble, and even though she kinda getting tired of the guy peeking around corners at her, she didn't want him to get in trouble. And what would poor Midnight think? Sure she was always grumpy, but she really did care about Disease. In their few encounters when Disease just hugged the small which and said nothing but good things about her, there would be a red over her face or maybe once and a while a very, very small smile. She couldn't really explain it, but she had a feeling Midnight actually liked Disease's flirty words and sweet hugs for someone being so grumpy. And she definately didn't want any bad blood between the two for something she did....But not telling Lou for some reason just felt ...wrong..Really, REALLY wrong. Like telling him what she knew was eating at her. Maybe it was because Lou and Charles were enemies in life and now work rivals, but it still felt so wrong. Her stomach rumbled out and she gave an embarrassed jump at it and looked to the table, giving a hungry look towards the mountains of food avalible. She was rushed out so fast she hadn't had anything to eat for breakfast. And just now she noticed how hungry she was. Lou chuckled at the obvious look she was giving and stopped walking. "Would you like to stop and get something to eat?" She turned up a hopeful look to him and nodded and he turned their direction towards the table. "Well then. Perhaps you could stay there while I find a certain someone I've been 'dying' to do business with." Cyber blinked and almost mirrored the same surprised look the pony did at his offer. But neither said anything until they got to the table and he unfurled his arm around her, with a grin as her eyes instantly hit the small fancy desert cup and gave another look to him. "...Well. You don't need my permission to eat. Have at it!" Her eyes lit up and she excitedly but slowly took the fancy looking cake in a cup with cream and strawberries and began eating it. A plesent smile rising to her lips as she did so- He was interrupted when Cyber pulled on his side and he leaned down. "Yes, Cyber. Did you want something?" "Leaving her alone? Here? Have you gambled the last brain cell away?," she whisper hissed at him. He just calmly smiled. "Cyber. If everyone just sees me cling to her the entire night, they'll definately think Im trying to hide something and by treating her as I would normally treat any 'dates' I bring sometimes, it would be less suspicious. And it's not as if anyone would pay much attention to a small weakling like her...well weak for the moment. This party is about showing off and trying to mooch off the most greedy looking lowlives here. She is neither giving off rich or powerful auras." His smile became wider. "Besides. Nothing is going to happen if you watch her. Will you?" Cyber still looked like she wanted to protest but ultimately sighed and just nodded and Lou patted her shoulder. "See? You're worrying too much." "And I think you're worrying maybe just too little-" "Is everything alright?" He turned back up and smiled at the lady. "Of course. Everything is going to alright. But I must ask something of you, and I ask that you follow the intructions I'm about to give you." Her confusion and worry grew just a little bit more. "W-What is it?" "I have some business scouting to do for a moment or two. So I need you to stay right here and wait for me right here until I come back." one look told him she DID NOT like this idea anymore than Cyber and she opened her mouth to argue but he held up a hand, "Now, I know it sounds like a stupid idea, but you have trusted me more than one would usually do and it's only fair I would ask to cash in that same trust for myself. Wouldn't it?" She opened her mouth again...but closed it with a sigh and simply nodded. Well, he had a point. She asked him for a few things and she supposed standing and waiting in one place wasn't the worst thing to ask of her. He smiled wider. "Good girl. Now Cyber will make an appearance every so often to check up on you so you have nothing to worry about, and if someone does approach you, just act as uninteresting as possible. That usually drives them off. If not, just wave Cyber down. I promise I will be back shortly! Just trust me with this one thing." He turned on his heel and without so much as another word, walked off towards the large crowd. Cyber and her exchanged a quick unimpressed look before she sighed and began following off after said plant demon who easily disappeared off into the sea of demons wearing sparly dresses and tuxedos, not even that tall top hat being seen. And she was left all alone. With nothing but the desert cup in her hands as company for herelf. But as promised she didn't dare move from the spot and instead looked around at the demons for a couple minutes..and coughed. The smell of smoke and perfume wasn't as bad as the state at Rita's, but she still didn't like the smell of smoke or too much perfume sprayed on, so not wanting to look rude and upset anyone she just looked down and ate on the sidelines for the next few minutes, trying to look as boring and uninteresting as possible. One thing she learnt from her time down there, if you don't make eye contact and keep to yourself, you're more likely to be left alone. And it worked no one approuched her or got close except to walk around her to get to the table and she would happily silently move out of the way for the demon, but once or twice had to stop herself from snorting from any cigar or perfume shoved into her nostrils. But over all it was nice. But she couldn't help but flinch at anyone getting too close. Once and a while she'd thought she'd see a glimpse of Cyber peeking out somewhere but she couldn't be too sure, after all it seemed the talking got louder as did the music. They were playing a new melody now. Still sounded like a waltz but more intruments were added like some drums, trumpets, and she was sure there was at least one tuba but the band was blocked from veiw because all of these demons. All the different smells and sights and sounds were starting to become rather dizzy to her if she did say so herself. She also began to lose track of time. How long had it been since she last saw the two? Maybe an hour or two at most now and her nerves were certainly NOT helping in this situation. And not only that, but being alone with your thoughts had a habit of always making you remember certain things. Like that guilty feeling of still not telling Lou anything about her and Charles encounter. She had pondering it for a long time now and came to the conclusion that it would not go away until she said whatever was on her mind, and so it was decided. As soon as she saw him she'd tell him. Tell him, and ask as a 'courting favor' to her to not be so hard on Disease. It might not be the brightest thing but what was the alternitive? Letting the feeling in her gut continue to bother her? She learnt it was always better to keep your mouth shut bout these certain thing but...It was hard to explain, but she had a feeling that everything would be ok. So she just stood there patiently waiting but she did pause when she finally caught sight of a certain plant demon a little ways from her. He was talking with someone and laughed at something he said. Well, she knew she promised to stay but- Like with Disease, she gave a guilty look around but didn't see Cyber anywhere or looking at her...So. She left her spot. And started walking towards him. But a crowd of demons just HAD to move in front of her at that same time and she lost him again in the crowd. Whelp! No turning back now. So pushing into the crowd she went. The music of the giant ballroom gently flowed throughout and between the beautiful decorations wrapped around the walls. The way the candles lit up the surroundings and made the shadows beautifully dance against the walls. The way the smell of delicious food and flowers wafted through the air. The beautiful music mixing with the laughter and talking of the guests around the whole place. It was almost like a dream. Everyone having a great time behind their masked faces, no one telling who they were or maybe that was all part of the game. The fun of not knowing who you were speaking too and being able to be your own person tonight. But maybe she wasn't meant to join the fun and laughter that everyone else seemed to be having. Being maskless and alone wondering the ball was the lonely fate of the girl in the flowing white dress. Blindly walking and circles, moving around. The sounds, the smells, the atmosphere. It was starting to make her dizzy. Everyway she'd turn she would catch a glimpse of a man with red eyes. Very familiar red eyes. Her dizzied mind knew not to be afraid or excited about the way it gazed and pierced her soul. The way he looked at her with those beautiful blood red eyes. Promising only trouble ahead. Well maybe she was looking for trouble, her head was kept on a swivel, always looking around herself in the see of masked laughter. Sometimes she'd catch a glimpse of red or maybe it was just her clouded emotional mind. At this point she didn't know if she was searching for him or trying to ensure she was far from him. But however she put it, the circles and laughter was starting to get dizzier and dizzier. She barely noticed when someone tall and with a smile, bowed to her. Grabbed her hand. And lead her to dance. Maybe it was because she was temporarily blinded by the smile upon his face, or the swirls of the graceful dance they spun. But there was no mistaking those red eyes. Perhaps she was crazy. Perhaps her dizzy mind was clouding any judgement. Maybe she was under some kind of spell from those red eyes. But when those fangs smiled at her- She smiled back.
His brow rose as his body brought her's to a matching slow dance with other blurs around them. "I thought I asked you to stay put. I would've came to get you you know."
"I w-w-was looking for you actually." She wasn't even paying attention to the dance he had pulled her into. Almost perfectly going along with the slow beat.
He chuckled. "Oh really? Were you that desperate to be in my arms, or was someone bothering you?"
Her eyes glanced down for a moment. "N-No..Not someone. Something actually. I g-gotta confession to make."
She gave a small surprised gasp when he suddenly spun her before quickly pulling her back into that same slow circling motion so they could still speak while speaking. "Now what could that be I wonder. Would you mind sharing?"
She hesitated for a moment, staring down again before closing her eyes and taking a slow inhale. Releasing it back out before looking back up to Lou. "I-...I t-talked to Charles when I visited Rita's club."
They stopped. Literally stopped in place as soon as the sentence left her mouth. She stared down frozen at her for the longest time before he chuckled and asked, "Beg pardon?"
She took in another breath. "I talked to Charles about you. H-He-..He told me everything between you two..." Her ears went back. "I-I know you killed him."
"......Do you know?" His mind was already racing with ideas and possibilities from this new outcome. Certainly a lot of bad ones so he'd have to quickly recover and cover his tracks now. What would be the most sappy thing to make her feel guilty and not belei-
"But I don't beleive him." Again his brain's train of thought stopped and he blinked in surprise at her as she finally dared to give a smile back to him. "Well..Not about the killing him part. I do beleive you did THAT. B-B-But about all the other stuff about how you're nothing but a terrible person who only thinks about himself. I don't beleive he was right about that part of you, not fully at least."
.....He blinked. "And...how did you come to that conclusion?"
Her ears perked back up. "By the way you treat Cyber and the others. You put a lot of trust in them and care about what they have to say, that shows you care about them in some way or another. And you treat me as an equal person instead of some object just sitting there to look pretty, which is a glow up from the schmucks that I'm used to being around." He still didn't answer and instead a surprised look came over him. "I trust you. And you're....f-f-fun to be around. And you're polite, and treat me with kindness. ..I-I don't know what you saw in me to take an interest, but Im happy you were so kind enough to give me such a chance...You're MUCH better than Charles paints you as."
He stood there for a moment as the other demons still danced around them. Cyber was giving him a raised brow confused glance from the sidelines, wondering if maybe something had gone wrong- But he quickly cleared his throat and looked off to the side for a moment. A strange fuzzy feeling in his chest. " I-...Well that's very, very kind of you to say so. ...To be honest not a lot of people I've met has said that to me-..." Those red eyes gazed over her in a strange way. "...And if I may return your kindness, you're not as bad a person yourself. In fact, I would say your skills as my newest employee have been improving greatly!!"
Her purple eyes sparkled at the compliment. "R-Really?"
He cleared his throat. "Of course! I wouldn't lie about progress. Now shall we continue? I would like to enjoy myself before I return back to business. I almost sealed the deal with something I think would make a wonderful addition for my business,..and I would appreciate it if you stay with Cyber this time."
"I will. I promise....Hey, Lou?" He hummed. "Thank you."
"For what exactly?"
"For everything."
His 'your welcome' was a smile and leading her back into what would not be the last dance for them that night, and Cyber rose a brow further from the sidelines. Humming to herself and rubbing her chin. Thing's might get a bit more interesting.
All characters except Amalfia belongs to @palettepainter
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Reflections and Illusions
For Day Six of DMCWeek2020, the prompts chosen this week were Family and Belonging! Theyâre subjects quite close to our leading lady Cassandra. Cordelia and Anastasia (and the idea for this fic) are all from @furyeclipse
Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: OC, Dante, Vergil, Nero (minor role), Kyrie (minor role), Credo (cameo) Tags: @nimnoxâ  @astral-space-dragonâ @harlot-of-oblivionâ @queenmuzzâ @i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate
Summary:Â While on a mission, Cassandra hears her name and goes into a strange portal. What she finds is a world she dearly wants but cannot have.
âJeez, all I wanted was a nice birthday-â Cassandra swiftly dodged out of the way of the demonâs attack. âAnd you come along to ruin it!â The demon, taking the form of a large black dog, snarled at her. âCome on, you terrible little doggie!â The demon dog let out a ferocious roar, leaping forward. She twirled out of the way, Failnaught impaling itself into the demonâs flank and ripping open a large wound. The demon hit the ground hard, turning into dust. Cassandra spun the sword-cane in her hand, sighing.
âNot how you wanted to spend your birthday?â Dante asked with a cocky grin.
âWhat gave you that impression?â She huffed. âThis stuffy old mansion...jeez, itâs a terrible place for a birthday. Come on, letâs find Nero and Vergil and go get our pay. Maybe that local pizza place is still open at this hour-â
CassandraâŚ
A voice, strangely siren-like, called for her. She paused and looked around, visibly confused. She looked to Dante, who looked just as confused as she was.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âI...I just thought I heard someone calling for me.â
Cassandra...
Cassandra closed her eyes, shaking her head. âMaybe I should go take a look around. Just in case thereâs something...you know, suspicious. You go find Vergil and Nero.â Dante nodded, silver eyes glancing around. Cassandra nodded at him before dashing off. The sound of the voice calling her was northward, she could feel it. As she dashed through the halls of the abandoned mansion, the call of her name seemed to become louder, a ringing in her head she couldnât ignore.
Cassandra...
She dashed out the back door, looking around. The grounds were visibly overgrown from decades of neglect. Her eyes fell upon the greenhouse, windows broken and frosted from disuse. She walked over to the greenhouse, carefully opening the glass door. Planters had been thrown out, leaving nothing but a dirt floor. At the other end of the greenhouse, however, was what looked to be a mirror of some kind. Itâs stone frame was covered with plants, both in motifs and actual plants. Itâs reflective surface shone brilliantly, as if it was untouched by time. Cassandra slowly stepped forward, boots crushing glass and dirt underneath her. As her reflection appeared in the mirror, it seemed to...wobble? Her hand carefully rested on the glassâŚ
And went right through it.
She yelped in surprise, pulling back her hand. She looked at her hand, noticing nothing wrong with it.
CassandraâŚ!
The voice was more insistent now, overwhelming her senses. Following the call, an intense ringing drowned out everything. She held her head, Failnaught clattering to the ground. The agony pounded at her skull, like a terrible awful migraine she only heard tales of from old women. She stumbled, her foot caught something, before her body fell onto the mirrorâs reflective surface.
CASSANDRA!
She half-expected her body to hit the glass, piercing her skin and leaving a nasty cut. To her surprise, her body hit warm grass. She slowly opened her eyes, finding what had once been a gloomy overcast dusk was now a bright sunny day. She let out a pained groan, her head still throbbing.
âMy little star!â A voice, a painfully familiar voice, made her eyes snap open. She looked up, seeing someone that should be dead staring back at her: her own mother, Stella Sagefire.
âMotherâŚ?â She whimpered as she felt oddly cool hands help her on her feet. She looked past her, seeing Dante happily grilling like a dad (well he was an uncle, that was close enough). Nero and Kyrie were sitting at a table, happily chatting about something. Next to Nero was Cordelia, beaming at Nero like he was an older brother. Vergil was sitting next to Cordelia, but his eyes were firmly focused on Cassandra. Next to Kyrie was a man she only saw in pictures, her older brother Credo, relaxed and at ease. Her gaze returned to her mother, her hair tied up in a messy bun, strands of golden blond framing her face and clear blue eyes. It looked as if she had never been so deathly sick at all.
âCassandra!â A second voice, another familiar voice that only made her heart ache as a more youthful woman that was near the same age as her mom stepped forward: Anastasia Faye. Her bright seafoam green eyes stared at Cassandra in worry. Her dark brown black hair went down to her mid-back. A lavender colored ribbon was tied in her hair, similar to how Cordelia put bows in her hair, but her bow was on the left side of her head compared to Cordelia keeping it centered on her head. She wore a rose gold trimmed strapless black dress that went down to her knees and brown boots to match. A necklace around her neck like V's old choker but, instead of a tooth, it was a small charm from outside the walls. She never did find out where she got it from.
âItâs your birthday, Cassandra.â Stella gently explained. âDo you not want to attend your own birthday party?â
âI...I mean...IâŚâ Cassandra lowered her head. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her core.
"Cass sweetie, you getting overwhelmed again? You tripped over your own two feet again." Anastasia chuckled softly as she ruffled her hair. "Hmm no bumps, you're fine."
âI donât feel fine.â She muttered. What was it that was so wrong about it? She missed her mothers so dearly, she had loved them so, but they were dead. They couldnât be here, not in this mirror world.
You could just stay here with your mothers, in this perfect world.
That nagging feeling prodded at her, almost tugged on her insistently in her mind. She could stay, with ghosts and echoes all around her.
"You alright there, Sleeping Beauty?" Anastasia asked. She could hear the concern in her voice.
âNo, this is all wrong.â She pulled away. Already, the world was starting to fade around them, mixing together like a bad watercolor painting. Despite that, Stella and Anastasia remained clear and pristine in her vision. âYouâre dead. You two, you died, you canât be here!â She didnât stop the tears from falling down her face, she couldnât.
Anastasia sighed softly and put a firm hand on her shoulder. "Cassandra, look up at me please." Cassandra let out a soft heaving noise, slowly looking up at Anastasia.
"I made Anastasia bend the rules a bit, again.â Stella admitted sheepishly. âI know that I promised last time I wouldn't but this time, I needed to do it for an important reason: so that your mother and I can see you free and happy, far from Eternis Brillia, happy with the azure Son of Sparda and free from that sorry excuse of a boy Draco. I'm also guessing you found Cordelia as well." Â
"I'm happy that my Magpie found her way home to you." Anastasia added. âAnd youâve found your self confidence again. Make sure that the azure boy knows how much you love him and how happy you are being at his side.â
"I got to finally see you again Cassandra. I'm proud that you've grown up into a confident lady."
Anastasia pulled Stella and Cassandra into a tight warm hug, kissing her head softly. âHappy Birthday Cassandra, please ever don't forget how much we love you. Before I forget, please tell my little magpie, you got her gift.â
âHer gift?â Cassandra asked tearfully. The world around them was nothing but darkness, with only her two mothers still clearly before her. Anastasia kissed the top of her head and smiled softly. Cassandra swore she felt something at her neck, arms hugging her close. âMom...Mother...tell me, what do you mean?â
âA happy family. People who love her dearly, no matter what.â Anastasia murmured. âAnd it was something we wanted for you as well.â
âCassandra, my little star, you cannot stay here.â Stella said, her voice grim. âYou have to return back to the azure son, to your family, to our little magpie.â Her and Anastasiaâs hand rubbed away the tears that streaked down her face. âBecause we weren't strong enough to live, but you are.â
âMom, Mother, donât go-â Cassandra suddenly heard the sound of glass shatter before she fell backward, away from the rapidly disappearing images of her mothers. Faintly, she saw her tears fly into the dark abyss...or were they hers?
We will always love you.
She expected to hit the floor, for her arms to be cut by shattered shards of mirrors, but strong arms, Vergilâs arms, caught her and held her up. She blinked, watching as Nero and Dante stared at the remains of the mirror, weapons aloft. The mirror was now just stone and glass on the floor. Nero rushed to her side.
âMom, are you ok?â Nero asked worriedly. Cassandra nodded, letting Vergil help her onto her feet. âWhat was that?â
â...a trap. Itâs an illusion mirror, from Eternis Brillia. I suppose the last owner was an adherent of the Earthfaith.â Cassandra breathlessly explained. âIt was still effective...IâŚâ
âYou what?â
â...I saw my mothers.â She said, trying not to cry. She had enough of that for a while, at least. Her gaze rested on the broken mirror. âIt wasnât real. Theyâre dead. They died years ago.â She took a deep breath, feeling Dante rub his hand against her shoulder. âThatâs what the mirror does: it lures you in with what you want the most and traps you in itâs illusions.â A quiet fell between them, all eyes on the broken trap at their feet.
âHeyâŚâ Dante broke the quiet, trying to sound easy-going, as if nothing had happened short of a job well done. âHow about we get a pizza?â
âA pizza, Dante!?â Vergil growled. âThatâs the last-â
âNo no no, I...Iâd like something stupidly greasy right now to take my mind off things.â Cassandra looked up to the trio. Dante beamed at the sound of Cassandra taking his side of things. Vergil scowled at the decision before seeming to relent. Cassandra took one last glance to the broken mirror, the damp air silent. It couldnât be real...right?
And yet, as her hand reached up to realize that a new Rhodonite necklace now hung around her neck, she suddenly wasnât sure if everything in the broken mirror was illusionary.
#dmcweek2020#devil may cry#devil may cry oc#devil may cry dante#devil may cry vergil#devil may cry cast
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âBreak the Chainsâ Preview
(Summary: Vergil originally came to Spain looking for something to strengthen himself after his defeat at the hands of Dante and after his liberation from Mundus. He ends up finding more than he originally intended to.Â
Leon manages to get Ashley back home, but had failed to save himself from Saddler. Good thing Vergil shows up while heâs being humiliated. Rated M for Suggestive Themes, Violence, and Language.)
The sky was the same color gray it had been all morning, making it difficult to determine what time of the day it was. The road had been long and unforgiving, and Vergil hoped he would find what he was looking for when he got to the area. The demons and their weapons that he could use for his own use...or at least help him defeat his own brother, now that the threat of Mundus was no longer.Â
But Dante? Defeat after defeat, time after time...it was becoming taxing. He couldn't beat him and no matter how he tried to avoid him, he couldn't shake him. Soon, Vergil would need to figure out either a new way to beat Dante...or perhaps, choose a different path entirely.
Most likely the latter if he continued on like this.Â
But, here he was, traversing the backwater hellhole of Spain's lesser known areas in search of what? He really didn't know what it was yet. The Alpha was tired and he hoped he could find whatever it was he had been sent out here to find. He hoped it wasn't just a fool's dream or empty rumors.Â
As he had gotten closer, he could hear laughter and music, but it wasn't like the other dozens of times he had heard either. No, the laughter was not like that of happiness...or perhaps it was but at the expense of another person's happiness or well being. Like how Mundus used to laugh when watching Vergil suffer. That sadistic type of laugh that made one's spine ice over in fear...or made one's heart light with rage. It was an evil sound.
And Vergil was plenty familiar with evil.Â
He continued his trek into the village, wearing his hood lower over his eyes just in case. He had been away from the human world for a very long time, and there was no telling what these beastly creatures were like now. The ones he had encountered when he went through another nearby village hadnât been very friendly, at least not by human standards. And he was pretty sure that humans' heads were not supposed to explode into thrashing tentacles nor were they supposed to have such deep crimson eyes.Â
As he entered the town square, he noticed that there had been a small crowd, gathered around what he could not see, but he could see a sort of platform. On said platform, seated in a red throne was a man, wearing purple robes with a staff of some sort. The staff was clearly not normal, tentacles protruding from it and flailing freely about. The man in question didn't look normal either, gold orbs focused on something down below as his head sat propped in his hand. The leader, if Vergil had to guess. Why else would he be sitting higher than everyone else and seated in such a gaudy throne?Â
Speaking of everyone else, the crowd laughed and mocked whatever was in the center of them. Some threw rotten fruit and vegetables, others threw coins. This made the white-haired man even more confused. Vergil managed to push through the crowd, head kept low as he made his way to the middle and then the front. He seemingly was able to blend in with them, letting him pass with ease. Once he got to the front, he wasnât sure what he had been seeing, but he felt very disgusted.Â
In the center of the circle was a petite blond male in very odd garb. Had it not been for the demeaning words in Spanish or the way the men holding him down while the one beat him and shoved him down, shoving his face down into the dirt, Vergil would have assumed the blonde to be one of the crowd and made for entertainment. It was obvious that the blond was supposed to be entertainment, but he wasnât enjoying it and he was clearly not one of them. Dull looking eyes flickered from blue to red back to blue, staring ahead and clawing at the ground, as if doing so would get him out of this situation.Â
âStill so stubborn, American.â The leader laughed, âJust submit...enjoy yourself. You know you want to. You have no reason to fight anymore.âÂ
Vergil looked to âThe Americanâ, feeling...something as their eyes met. It was like the blond knew that Vergil was not like the others, and Vergil wasnât sure what to think. He shook his head slowly as the human looked at him. He felt that pang of...pain? Fear? The laughter and sounds rang in his ears, he could hear his motherâs voice in the distance, calling out and yelling his name...hearing her screams. The humans or whatever they were twisted into demonic looking creatures, leering down at him.Â
He clenched his eyes shut and swallowed back another breath, trying to push back the horrifying memories. He had felt weak...he couldnât save his mother. He met the humanâs eyes and he didnât know if it was in his head or not, but he swore the blond begged him for help, a hand weakly outstretched toward him.Â
âVERGIL!â Eva had screamed, his motherâs eyes flashing before his own as he heard her blood curdling screams.Â
He hadnât even been thinking when he took out his sword, his usually calm composure melting away as he tore off the ratted cloak he had been wearing over top of his usual outfit before he began cutting down the humanoid creatures around him. He couldnât hear the screams as he cut them down, in fact, it didnât even sound like they were screaming at all. More so hollering in anger, even as the Yamato sliced them down.Â
It made killing them that much more satisfying.Â
âGet up.â Vergil commanded, grasping the blondâs arm and hauling him to his feet.Â
The half-demon looked away at the blondâs current state of undress, taking off his trench coat and wrapping it around the humanâs shoulders, instructing the younger to button it up. Vergil cut down more of the insane villagers. The cult leader stood above them, laughing and asking Vergil who he was and what he thought he was doing here. And why was he so intent on ruining his fun punishment of the âAmerican Agentâ.Â
âYou donât even know who this man is, do you?â Saddler asked, âLeon here ruined my plans, killed my men, and let the Presidentâs daughter flee...him and his collaborators.âÂ
Vergil leveled his sword at the man, watching him cautiously while standing protectively in front of this âLeonâ. He growled low at the remaining villagers and their leader, settling on the pus colored gaze of the man before him. He didnât know why...but he felt this strong need to protect the human behind him. Whether it was because he was reminded of his failure to protect his mother...or his failure to fight back against Mundus.Â
And the bastard before him wasnât helping that anger.Â
He had been on autopilot when he killed this man and the remaining villagers, turning to the human before him. Leon hadnât moved an inch, still too paralyzed with either fear or shock...maybe both. The blond looked up at him, his irises now a red color, like the others. Except this man wasnât attacking him. His eyes seemed to fade from red to blue, Vergil cupping his chin and looking into his eyes.Â
âYouâre not like the others.â Vergil stated, âBut you have whatever they have.âÂ
Leon looked up at him, nodding his head, âThey infected me with the Plaga.â
Vergil hummed, âGood...I need it.âÂ
Leon narrowed his eyes at the man, raising a brow, â...what?âÂ
âThe âPlagaâ as you put it...I need it.â Vergil elaborated, âIt made that man stronger...so I believe it could do the same for me.âÂ
The human was quiet for a moment, before bursting out into a fit of laughter in an almost hysteric manner. Vergil raised a brow, looking down at the younger with interest and mild annoyance. He had just saved Leonâs life...and the blond was laughing at him. Leon cleared his throat as he settled down, apologizing for laughing, but clarifying that the parasite wasnât exactly an âenergy boosterâ. More of something that took over and killed whatever consciousness that was left in their mind.Â
âIt takes overâŚâ Leon recalled, âIt makes you feel like shit...and then it takes over until thereâs nothing left.âÂ
Vergil listened intently, âI would still like to examine it...if you donât mind.âÂ
Leon took another deep breath, but then looked up at the man skeptically, âWho are you?âÂ
âYouâll find out when I get that parasite.âÂ
â...yeah...not gonna happenâŚâ Leon replied, âItâs kind of attached to my spinal cordâŚâÂ
Now it was Vergilâs turn to raise a brow as Leon explained to the best of his ability about how the parasite attached itself to the spine of its host after it hatched. Leon also showed him the pills he took to suppress the growth of the parasite. Even after his capture, he had been able to take them and resist the parasite and Saddlerâs influence over him through it.Â
âExcept it looks like Iâm stuck with it.â Leon sighed, âConsidering he destroyed the machine and the only way to get this damn thing out of me...and Iâve only got a few of these pills left.âÂ
Vergil looked the human over, stroking his chin as he did so, an idea coming to mind, âI think I can help in a way that we both can get what we want.âÂ
âHow so?â Leon asked.Â
Vergil proposed Leon coming back with him to his realm. He may or may not have had means to get the parasite out of him, feeling pity for the younger after all that had happened to him. He didnât want the human to suffer anymore than necessary. When Leon questioned him about his intentions, and why the man had helped him, Vergil admitted that he understood what it felt like to be humiliated by the enemy. To be a slave to the will of another. And he wanted to help Leon âbreak the chainsâ.Â
âI helped you, you help me.â Vergil said, using his sword and cutting a hole in the dimensions, âDo we have a deal, MrâŚ?âÂ
Leon held out a hand, giving a small smile, âLeon Kennedy.âÂ
Vergil looked down at the offered hand and then back up at the blonde, accepting it, âVergil.âÂ
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Shopping Spree
(A/N: haha you thought it was a new chpt of lost and found? No! You get a stinking one shot, that's what you get!)
Lolol honestly I'm still coming up with ideas for the next chapter so I'm doing a one shot until I come up with something XD
Warning: if you hate shopping as much as I do, this is gonna be an eyesore XD
This takes place sometime before chpt 5 of my lost and found series
"Faith. Babe. Seriously. We need to get you some better clothes," Lady muttered as she ran a finger over her friend's ragged hoodie.
"But... but they're fine!" the nephilim protested weakly. "They're still clean, and they fit me... well, kind of."
"I know, but they're just so threadbare. And hot." Walking around her friend, she carefully scrutinized each piece- hoodie, jeans, sneakers. "It's only gonna get hotter here, and I don't want you melting into the pavement!"
"I... I don't have money," she said, a pitiful final attempt to dissuade Lady from taking her shopping.
"You let me worry about that," she reassured, sneaking a predatory look at Dante, who was oblivious to the whole thing. "At least let me get you a new shirt."
And Faith knew then and there that she had lost the battle.
[...]
"Try this on! It's cute!"
Faith's arms were now piled high with clothes. She began to wonder if she was just an excuse for Lady to splurge on pretty outfits.
Dante yawned in the corner, rubbing his eye while tapping his foot to the upbeat music playing throughout the store. "Are you done? I'm hungry."
"Not yet. She has to try them on." As she spoke, she nudged Faith towards the changing room. "Now go. Go forth and dress."
With a heavy sigh, she obeyed, slipping into the small room.
The male let out a soft groan. "C'mon, Lady. Just let her wear what she wants; it's not hurting anyone."
"Trust me. She'll thank me later. There's a heatwave sometime this month, and I don't want her sweating to death. Also, thank you for actually wearing a shirt and not one of your stupid titty strap jackets."
"It's not a- it's not a titty strap!" he spluttered. "It's a gun harness!"
"Yeah, whatever. It still looks stupid. You really need a wardrobe change-"
"Holy shit," he whispered, as if in awe of something.
Unaware, she rattled on, "For a guy who's practically waist deep in debt, your obsession with red coats is-"
"So... what do you think?"
The sweet voice behind her caused her to turn around... and she gasped.
The soft, white dress flowed just past Faith's knees, the delicate gold flower designs accentuating the gentle aura that always surrounded her.
She looked like an angel.
The two companions stared at her for what felt like hours. It was to the point where she began to squirm under their gaze.
"Is it... not good?" she asked, shyly tugging at the hem of the dress.
Dante mumbled something, his face bright red. But he shook his head and gave her a thumbs up.
Lady, on the other hand, couldn't stop the compliments from pouring out. "It's perfect! It's just the right size, it's not too flimsy, and it matches your vibe!" She dramatically grabbed her friend by the shoulders and repeatedly shook her. "Please tell me you'll keep it! Please!"
Faith's brain still felt like it was rattling in her head. "Okay. Just... don't do that again, please."
[...]
They had traversed over ten shops within two hours. Faith had been rather conservative in her choices, much to the shopping lover's chagrin, but she still walked away with an impressive hoard of shorts ("Ripped shorts are always stylish," Lady had reassured her), floaty T-shirts, a dress or two, a pair of flip-flops, and- on Faith's insistence- a red flannel button up (which Dante seemed particularly happy about).
And while Lady gleefully pushed each bill into their male companion's hands, he didn't seem to mind all that much, simply taking it without a word despite Faith's constant protests that she would find a way to pay for it.
"It's fine," he said with a gentle pat on her head. "Just stick around and wear the stuff; that's payment enough."
"But..." she stammered, only to get a finger pressed to her mouth.
"No buts." With a grin, he slung an arm around her shoulders. "Tell you what. You manage to get through the rest of the trip without worrying over finance, and I'll buy you some cinnamon buns later. Deal?"
She would've argued with him, had she not remembered the smell of the sweet cinnamon glaze as they walked past the shop. Her mouth watered.
That shut her up.
At some point, their growling stomachs became too loud to ignore. They began their trek to the food court, only for Dante to point out a box to them.
"Check it out. A photo booth," he snickered. "I love those things. So cheesy."
Faith looked at it. "I've never been in one before."
He gave her a look. "Wait. What? Seriously?"
She shook her head. A small frown tugged at her lips.
"...Alright, we're changing that. Come on!" Grabbing her hand, he practically dragged her to the machine, where the trio squished themselves trying to fit in the minuscule box.
"Jesus, what were they thinking, making it so tiny?" he grumbled when an elbow smacked his cheek.
"I thought they were mainly for couples," Faith squeaked.
His blue eyes widened. "...Yeah, well, they really should take people like us into consideration, too." His voice sounded like it went up an octave; she wondered if he was just tired.
Once they finally got situated (Faith ended up sitting partially on their laps), Dante pressed some buttons on the screen and announced, "Alright, smile!"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
During each pause, they made some kind of funny pose- tongues out, then bunny ears, then a simple one with their arms around one another.
Faith laughed at some point over her friends' ridiculousness. And out of the corner of his eye, Dante watched her with a wide smile on his face.
Snap!
"Is that the last one?" Lady grumbled. "It'd better be; I'm starving!" She started pushing them out of the booth.
"Wait, the photos!" the small girl cried out.
"I got it!" He snatched up the strips of paper, sneaking a peek at them before shoving them in his pocket with a grin.
"Hey, stop hogging the goods!" Lady tried to shove her hand into it, only to get pushed aside by him.
"Quit it! I'll give you one later!" Before anyone could argue, he threw an arm around each of the girls' shoulders, steering them towards the food stalls. "I still need to buy those cinnamon buns."
"...You're gonna share those with us, right?"
"Fine."
That shut them up.
------------------------------------------------------
A/N: it's so dumb and fluffy but hey it's not like anyone's gonna read it right?? Hahaha... ha...
Anyway I'm pretty sure Mando is up next. Look forward to it my nonexistent fans!!
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Chapters: 5/? Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NEW CHAPTER POSTED
âAhehehe,â Griffon cackled, âJusâ look at all âem roots sucking up all that blood willy nilly!â He continued to babble about how funny the roots were, as expected. You tuned back in after he said, âYa know, Iâve been thinkingâŚâ Both you and V tilted your heads. âShouldnât we have helped the humans run away first? Right now theyâre just sitting ducks for the Qliphothâs roots.â
âWhatâs the point? No one would have believed me anyways.â Based on how quickly he responded, you assumed V thought about the situation earlier.
You scratched your head with a sigh. âThereâs just too many of them. If I come across one who can possibly be saved--â not like the one you just saw â--then Iâll help.â
Griffon nodded to both your responses. âEh, whatever, not our problem. Iâm sure itâll work out.â You couldnât help but inwardly chuckle at the comment. It would work itself out... with the solution being the roots devouring and engorging themselves on human blood. âWe should focus on that rookie instead. Ya sure heâs gonna come back? Still think we shoulda gone with.â
âNero will come back.â You were sure of it.
V nodded. âThat childâs not the type to simply accept defeat like that.â
âOh really? Didnât realize you two knew him that well,â Griffon teased.
âOh, I understand him very well,â V responded to the bird. âYou would know what Iâm talking about if you saw the look in his eyes.âÂ
âGeez, I wonder who he got that from.â Griffon seemed to be insinuating something, but try as you might, you could not figure it out.Â
A gurgle and slither erupted from behind. Another smelly demon. Unfortunately, it was something that you would have to get used to for the next month.It was one of the most ugly things you looked at: a bulging, insect-like head, the body of a man, spikes coming out of the back, clawed feet. To top it off, it was holding two handy-dandy, person-sized knives. The demon appeared to be stronger than the Empusas, undoubtedly, but considering they were a let down⌠you couldnât imagine these guys were that much. Nothing compared to Urizen, nothing compared to Vergil.
It ran and sliced at V, only to be decapitated the next moment by Shadow. V redirected the blade away from his body, a cocky smile adorning his face while the cat growled at its body. You sidestepped the bubbling fountain of blood that gushed from its headless neck.V, however, did not, opting instead to skewer the demon with his cane. You primarily watched over him during his moments of weakness or while the two of you were resting. Despite being covered head to toe in blood, you recalled one of your initial thoughts about him. Heâs really beautiful.
âI donât understand your expression,â Vâs comment pulled you out of your thoughts as he looked over you curiously.
You flushed a little in embarrassment, but decided to be honest anyways. âAh, I was simply thinking you looked cool and beautiful.â He simply stared at you, so you added, âYou smell like shit though.â Smooth.Â
He sniffed himself and confirmed it. âDemon blood isnât the most lovely fragrance.â With a sigh, you took a moment to lean against the balcony and shut your eyes. You heard a quiet conversation happening between V and Griffon, but decided not to wedge yourself into it.
That didnât stop you from picking up what you could though. You listened to words about Dante, appearance, defeat, answers, but had no definitive answers on how they connected. However, the bits and pieces did bring you back to your dream of Vergil and of Dante. V knew about that past, but if you wanted to pry out pieces of information, you knew youâd have to offer up some pretty substantial facts about who you were.Â
âHoly shit!â Your eyes snapped open at the sound of people screaming. It appeared your moment of reprieve was over. After all, you told Griffon that if you were around and could help, youâd at least make the effort. Your attention turned to V, and you were curious about what he was going to do.
âHuman? ...Human,â he muttered. You quirked your brow at the words, but jumped over the railing and made your descent. Fighting was easy enough, with or without V; though part of you did hope heâd join and keep you company. How selfish and spoiled have I become? Despite the distance, you landed on your feet comfortably and gracefully, having already summoned a sword as your weapon. A brief glance over the people showed expressions of unhinged horror, eyes red from screaming and crying, face covered in sweat. The dead carried similar expressions, but theirs were unchanging.Â
âWhat the fuck?!â You heard Griffon screech from above and saw V coming down as well. You smirked to yourself. I guess Iâm getting what I wanted. âThereâs no point!â Griffon insisted to V. âJust let them die!â It was a fair point, you acknowledged as you began slashing at the skeletal demons equipped with scythes. Shadow, Griffon, and V were by your side shortly. Cleaning up the demons (for now) would be a quick task. âDidnât ya say you didnât want to drain your powers?â
âI just have to do what I can,â he said flatly. âEven if itâs only a fraction of what I could normally do.âÂ
âTch. And whoâs the one whoâs gonna have to pick up and re-glue your pieces?â You complained, but you didnât truly mind.
V joked, âHow could I ever repay you?â
âLetâs stay side by side, hm? Thatâs payment enough!â You exclaimed between swings of your blade.
âSimple enough.â
--
You and V split off from each other for bouts of time during those next two days, with Griffon typically being the one to find you and bring you to Vâs location. It wasnât always necessary though. Every once in a while a Nightmare would fall from the sky and obliterate everything as it crashed. One of those instances happened a little too close to you and loads of sharp and blunt objects alike assaulted you. You did not let V hear the end of it that day, much to his chagrin. There was a sense of delight that you (and Griffon) took in him apologizing so many times. You finally accepted one of the âIâm sorryâs in exchange for him cleaning up the wounds on your face. It wasnât like you could see them to clean them, though it did make you feel a little shy to have him so delicately touching your face.
By the third day, you two had separated once again in search of food this time. Much of the city was already a.) raided or b.) destroyed. Finding food was no easy task. Only a short time ago, the group of you were eating normal food (albeit it was the cheapest available). Griffon squawked expletives while you and V made plans to cook and eat him one night. Your holy grail had been smashing machines or finding abandoned houses and restaurants. Unfortunately, they were growing farther and fewer. The search left you a great deal of time to introspect (for better or for worse). Your first thoughts wandered to your new companion V. He was generally mysterious, quiet, and level headed. But it was oh so entertaining when that facade dropped. Reveal something about yourself? V would readily offer information of the same importance about himself. Mention poetry? V could talk about it endlessly if there was the time. Griffon spewing random shit? V would get noticeably irate and even give the demonic crow a rap on the head. There were even times where you saw him smile without reservation. Every time he looked at you with that expression, you got fuzzy and warm and you couldnât help but reciprocate.
Which brought you to your next line of thought, who was he to you and what were you to him. At the very least, you felt him to be your friend--your very first friend, in fact. You had never spent time with anyone but your mother, yet falling into comfort with him was⌠simple enough. Even physical touch between the two of you never felt threatening. It was the opposite, it made you feel warm.Â
V could be fragile at times, and you were fiercely protective of him. While you didnât voice the concern (itâd surely make him feel inept), you were hesitant to let him split from you. You wanted to always be with him and keep him safe. Your eyes wandered to your ring of blue opal and dark metal. It was your most precious treasure and your curse. Much of your energy was imbued within it, and a decent chunk of that energy was being transferred to V whose body just couldnât seem to heal itself. Should I bestow it to him?
It was a sure way to make sure he didnât crumble to pieces while you were apart. But if something were to happen to it, if it were to break⌠you were dead. You shook away the thought, you knew you could trust V. Especially if you explained the whyâs and the howâs of it. You were certain he wouldnât hurt or betray you, and you knew V was confident in you doing the same. You had a feeling he had also never had someone to call a friend, but you hoped he was willing to call you one. Surprisingly, you pouted and shook your head at the thought.Â
It was at that moment that you realized that perhaps you had a bit of a crush. You had never had one, so perhaps you were wrong, but the ache in your chest made you doubtful. From the moment you saw V, you thought he was cute--wavy black hair, tattoos, and an aloof expression.Â
His deep green eyes were another feature you could stare at. Ah shit, I think heâs hot. Despite being alone, your face flushed as you understood that you liked him. Or as a child would say, like-like him.Â
But was it reciprocated? The answer to that question was uncertain. Unlike your physical reactions, V didnât appear to ever be flustered by you; however, he didnât mind you touching him or being close at night. But was that just him thinking it was a means for survival? Regardless of his feelings, you had to debate whether or not to share your own. You were both grown adults, and you were sure you could take rejection. And so it appeared there was nothing to lose. Perhaps you could test the waters first by giving him the ring. It was all such a mundane, human experience.
You groaned dramatically. âThis fucking sucks, man,â you complained despite there being no one around on your search. Not even a demon lurked about, strangely enough. What was even more unfortunate was the lack of any sustenance in the entire area you were assigned to search. Hopefully V and Griffon had more luck. It would be incredibly lame to die to starvation instead of fighting. As if they knew your search was over, you felt the tremors of Nightmare crashing somewhere in the city, and the plume of dust and debris indicated where they would be. It was time to reunite, and so you pushed away any childish, lovey-dovey thoughts to the back of your mind to be discussed later.Â
Luckily, you had divine-like stamina, so it wasn't too long or hard of a sprint to make it to them. The location appeared to be a now destroyed grocery store with a mass of demon carcasses lying around. "Uh, what happened here?"
"V here smashed the whole fucking store to get rid of the demons! And all the food with them! There's nothing here! Nada! Zilch! None!" Griffon appeared to be pissed to say the least. "All that's left to eat is these demons!"
You grimaced at the thought. "That's all there is," you asked, hoping it was a mere jest on Griffon's part.Â
"Sadly," V turned around, blood smeared on his mouth. Your lips stretched into a frown.Â
"I already warned V that he may get the shits!"
After a moment of silence, you sighed. "If this is all there is, this is all there is." Your eyes locked onto the biggest body. "How do we plan to transport this? Cause I am not willing to stay here, and I'll drag you away from it too if I must."Â
"Hah," V let out a brief laugh, reminding you of your previous thoughts. Ugh. "I was thinking we would all work together--you and I, Shadow, and Griffon."Â
You began to pick up a squishy, bloody demon's body. "Let's get a move on then."
"I still think you guys are gross, just so you know," the demon pointed out.Â
"Thanks Griff, I appreciate your kindness and concern," you rolled your eyes.Â
The group embarked on a new adventure--finding somewhere closer to sleep for the night. On the way, Griffon informed you that V saved a mother and child trapped in the store. The man seemed displeased about being outed but you just smiled. It was sweet and you wondered why he did so was it simply convenient, or did he care? You sniffed around before pulling V by the hand. "There's no demons right nearby." It was a secluded courtyard with a fountain in the middle. For now, it was safe, but you pulled out sheets of paper and began to scrawl on them in case. You knew V was looking at you inquisitively. "They're wards," you explained. "They won't forever, but they will for the night and morning at least." He nodded in gratitude. "How about we have Shadow butcher these bodies outside of the little area though? Can you do that girlie," you scratched her behind the ears, and as she took bodies outside the area, you were sure she understood.Â
"We could try cooking them," V offered. "I doubt that that would make them any worse."
"Let's do it," you agreed. "Think you can start gathering sticks while I put these up?" You motioned to the sheets of paper.Â
"Of course," he got up and began searching while you slapped wards around each pillar. You wished you would be able to enjoy the nicer  change of venue, but it was hard to do so when you remembered the food that awaited you. And those pesky feelings. But you were a big girl, and the show must go on.Â
In a short period of time, sticks were gathered, Griffon created fire by shocking them, Shadow returned with pieces of the meat, and it was cooking (and emitting an off-putting smell). You and V stabbed sticks through them once they were done and took a bite.
âSo howâs the roasted meat?â Griffon asked, flapping around.Â
âAbsolutely vile.â
You chimed in in agreement. âIâve had to survive on some lowly, near inedible things, but holy shit,â you held back the tears that pricked your eyes, âthis is the worst thing I have ever eaten.âÂ
âUngrateful! Both of you!â The demon pecked your head. âWhat the hell were you even expecting?!â
âSomething similar to fried chicken,â V wished gloomily, which Griffon found to be absolute insanity. You giggled, they were a funny pair. You and V choked down as much meat as you could before tossing the scraps to Shadow. She purred in delight while munching. The crow complained and yelled at Shadow to not eat up all of you and Vâs food, eliciting a growl. âYou two are causing quite the ruckus.â
âYou trying to piss me off?!âÂ
âNo. Itâs just,â V paused, âI have a strange feeling.â In the next breath, Griffon dug his talons into Vâs shirt and dumped him into the fountain.Â
He cackled at V, telling him to wash the stink off and strip down. While V scowled at being dumped suddenly, he appeared to agree with needing a bath.
âGotta agree with the bird,â you smiled at him. âJust leave your clothes on the edge whenever youâre done, and Iâll help take care of them.â You added with a wink, âDonât worry, I wonât peak.âÂ
âDonât think it matters either way,â V chuckled, and you punched him in the shoulder as he untied his top. You turned around with a smile and blush. The sound of wet clothes plopping next to you happened shortly after.Â
âAlrighty gang,â you turned to Shadow and Griffon, âletâs try to dry these up. Especially you,â you pointed at the bird, âSince you soaked them and all.âÂ
V spoke up from behind, âJust get them dry before my skin gets all wrinkly from the water.â
âDonât tell me what to do!â Griffon then turned back to the cat, âWring it out, dammit!â
âLetâs put it over the fire,â you suggested after getting the excess water out.Â
You didnât sit there long before you a âWhat the fuck!â from Griffon. You turned around to see him pulling V by the arm out of the water. âHey, hey, hey! The moment I look away you start drowning? Are you a fucking infant?!â You couldnât help but laugh at the insult. Griffon cooed in baby speech as he brought V his clothes.
âIâd barely call these dry.â
âSorry,â you shrugged. âI can only work so hard to clean up the mess of this chatterbox right here.â
âWell, as long as itâs wearable, anything goes,â V spoke softly as you assumed him to be getting dressed.
âIf only we had the luxury of a towel.â As V came to sit back down near the fire, a sigh passed from your lips, âI should probably rinse off my clothes and bathe as well,â you started with unraveling your bandages--bloodied by now. The rest of your clothes came off soon after. V kept his gaze forward to give you a bit of privacy; Griffon however pressed you with questions.
âWhatâs that big olâ tattoo on your back?â He perched on the stone in front of you.
âItâs a blooming lotus with the light of a full moon above it,â you described. âMy mother gave it to me as a child. Said it was of religious importance and it would complete me.â
âHehhh? What the hell does that mean?â He tilted his head.
âI have theories, but never questioned it. I agreed with whatever to get the rituals and experiments over with,â you mumbled uncomfortably. You placed your foot in the water and shivered, it was cold and you did not relish the thought of immersing your whole body. âBut thatâs enough free information for now,â you said, finally getting inside the fountain. While the chill wasnât nice, knowing that youâd be semi-clean afterwards was a comfort. You looked to V quietly reading his book and pondered if this was the moment to admit your feelings. It may be a little less embarrassing for him to not see your expression and for you to not see his, after all.Â
Timidly, you took off your ring and moved up right behind him. âHere,â you put it in front of his face.
âYour ring?â He questioned. âDo you need me to hold onto it while you are in the water?â V opened his palm for you to drop the ring in, which you did. âNope, itâs yours now.â You added, âIf you are okay accepting it of courseâŚâ
Unexpectedly, he turned his head to look at your face. âWhy would you give this to me? Donât you need it for survival?â His face scrunched, clearly concerned and hesitant.
âWell,â you began, âI trust you with it, and it will help keep you safe when I canât be there.â V made a strange face you couldnât discern. âThis way, wherever you go, Iâll always be with you,â you smiled.
His green eyes stared at the ring, but he finally closed his hand. âI donât understand you,â he admitted. âWhy do you care to help me so much? You have since you met me. Even amongst all the insanity and information I have omitted, you have stuck by my side. And now you wish to give me a piece of you.â Vâs face scrunched. âWhy?â
Your stomach flopped. âWell, itâs because I like you of course.â
#v/reader#v x reader#v/you#v x you#dmc vitale#dmc v#dmc 5#devil may cry#V#vitale#devil may cry 5#female reader#multichapter#slowburn#also posted on ao3#find me on ao3 at Adagium (ghuoligans)#ghuoligans#fanfiction#self insert#feedback is appreciated <3#side by side
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Of mugs and secrets (Or how Dante found out about your relationship with Vergil)
I finally finished after entire week of writing and editing! I never thought my first fanfic would be of 2223 words! I really hope you enjoy it! :D
The room was still dark as calmness reigned; the only sounds were the soft breathing on your ear of the man sleeping next to you. Vergil was spooning you, the warm feeling making a real struggle having to get up to start your day. You wiggle trying to move the least required, not wanting to disturb your boyfriendâs sleep, you almost made it, until he made some soft grunts. You froze fearing you might have woken him up, but he just turned to his side of the bed.
A smile found its way into your lips as you approached to kiss him ever so lightly on his mouth, then proceeding to leave the bedroom. You started to go through your dayâs agenda in your head, the pendant paperwork waiting at work, visiting Nico to pick up your beloved, just repaired sword Polaris, and the appointment with a possible client. However, all your plans came to a halt the moment you notice a dark figure lying on the living roomâs couch. Quietly you summon your spear Morgenstern out of thin air and approach the figure, looking around to see if something else was hiding in the shadows.
âWell now this is what I an exciting welcome (Y/N)â a sleepy familiar voice said making you jump out of the impression.
âMy god⌠Dante! I was this close to stab you!â
âAs you know, you wouldnât be the only one sweetieâ he sat on the couch while stretching his arms with an audible pop from his bones.
You met Dante when you were just a kid, with no family left, he rescued you from being a sacrifice for a greater demon since you were a Nephilim, however that seemed to be only the beginning of your problems. Demons appeared to be drawn to your blood like moths to a flame and thus, the week that you hadnât been attacked by a demon, extremely uncommon. So instead of going to every orphanage or school you assisted to save you, Morrison decided it was for the best if Dante just adopted you. That way he could keep an eye on you, so no more civilians were put on danger, and also train you. Dante wasnât in any sense qualified to adopting a little girl, but with your help (The motherly interventions of Lady and Trish, and some extra cash from Morrison) you two worked it out and in the process, perceived each other a bit like father and daughter.
âWhat on earth are you doing here?â you made Morgenstern disappear, heartbeat slowing down now that there was no real danger âAnd how did you get in?â
âPerks from my brand-new powers, and as for your first question⌠Letâs leave it I had kind of an emergencyâ
âOk letâs review your concept of emergencyâ You leaned into him, taking carefully his face on your hands checking for any sings of cuts or bruises âdoes it involve injuries?â
âNot this timeâ he chuckled as you were still inspecting the rest of his body. After confirming the man was in one piece, you decided to head to the kitchen to start making breakfast with Dante following right behind you.
âAn angry Trish or Lady?â you opened the fridge to start looking for the ingredients to make pancakes, you really stomach really needed some food now.
âNah we just had drinks last weekâ he took a seat on the small kitchen table.
âAnother powerful demon king about to be resurrected?â once you gathered everything you needed; you poured some flour along milk on the crystal bowl you took from the kitchen cabinet.
âFunny (Y/N) but no, not a demon, and somehow way more terrifying then oneâŚPatty wants go out on a date with meâ you almost dropped the egg you just grabbed for the batter, staring at him in disbelief on what he just said heard.
âWait⌠so you broke into my apartment atâ you looked at the clock next to the fridge âat 7:00 am just because youâre scared of a 19-year-old who wants a date with you?â
âI was coming back from a job! Morrison called me and he said a miss was waiting for me at DMC! Then I heard her voice on the phone! Iâm not going anywhere with her when sheâs faking a promise!â
âDanteâŚâ Calm, take a deep breath you thought as you focused on inhaling deeply, he sure had a talent for making you lose your temper sometimes âare you serious? Both Morrison and I were there! I perfectly recall you saying when sheâs turned old enough you would date her!
âDamn, so youâre saying she isnât lying and I must keep my promise?â
âYeah sure because I definitely want Patty to come on our already uncomfortable family dinners at Neroâs homeâ you answered sarcastically as you mixed the bowlâs ingredients âJust take her out to eat pizza or something, keep it as casual as possible so she doesnât get her hopes upâ
âOr... you could allow me to stay for a few daysâ
âDante...â
âPlease (Y/N) only 2 days!â he lifted up the chair and moved next to you âJust until sheâs tired of stalking me!â
âSince youâre here not like I have much of a choice, do I?â
âI knew I could count on you!â Dante said while lifting you off the ground, on really strong hug just like he has done all these years since you were a kid.
âBe quiet!â you whisper loudly, squirming a bit in his tight embrace âVergil is still sleeping!â
âWait, whatâs Verge doing here?â Â he dropped you while looking at you quite confused.
Oh, you just fucked up big this time⌠Dante was the only one who didnât know about your relationship with Vergil. Unknowing of your past together when he was V, Danteâs father instincts awakened, as he warned you to stay away from Vergil, after noticing the constant glances you shared with his twin, fearing his brother got interested in you just because you were a Nephilim.
âHe uh... went on a job yesterday, and uh he got poisoned by a demon so he needed someone to cure him!â That was the only excuse your sleepy brain was able to scheme in those few seconds, thinking Dante would buy it⌠then you remembered the eldest son of Sparda never asked for help.
âSo, he decided to come here was the best idea?â
âYeahâ you tried to smile at him to look as convincing as possible.
âMy brother looking for you to heal him?... All right never thought Iâd see the day the dumbass put his pride aside and ask for help!â
âHeh⌠guess he still remembers one of the times I cured him when he was Vâ You sighed in relief, turning your attention on the coffee machine to prepare some, thinking you got away with your little lie untilâŚ
âBut why he didnât return to Devil May Cry?â
âI-it was really late and cold outside so I suggested he spent the night here âblush adorned your checks, once you realized the size of the stupidity you just said. âAl-also, I needed to be certain I cured the wound properly.
Dante just hummed and returned to his seat, whether he believed that poorly made answer or not, he didnât say it. You were about to change topic, but were interrupted by a growling.
âGeez...â you couldnât help but laugh lightly âI suppose you haven't eaten anythingâ
âCanât lie at this pointâ You smiled at him. Once the coffee machine finished you poured some coffee on 3 cups that you placed on the counter. With all the noise, probably Vergil would join you both for breakfast.
âStay right here, and donât touch anythingâ you said as walking past beside him.
A shower was really much needed. You were already a bit late and didnât want to waste more minutes, after all, you could always buy something to eat at work if you didnât have time left. On the hallway to the bathroom you found the elder son of Sparda already got up.
âOh, hi I thought you were still asleepâ you stood on your tiptoes to give him a quick peck on his cheek âDidnât want to wake you upâ
âTo whom I must thank for making Dante grace us with his presence this early in the morning?â his icy blue eyes showing an evident annoyance.
âThat would be Patty⌠apparently the poor girl really wants a date with your brother to the point sheâs waiting for him at Devil May Cry as we speakâ
âIâm afraid that doesnât justify why heâs hereâ a frown taking over his features.
âWell⌠âyou played with a loose lock of your hair âLady and Trish arenât home, Nico still wants to bang him and Iâm not letting that happen, and finally Nero made crystal clear last time I spoke to him, he wanted Dante at least 10 mts away from Kyrie and Credoâ Your best friends had just had their beautiful son, the last thing Nero needed was having Dante in their house with Kyrie so delicate after her pregnancy.
âHmpf still he isnât staying hereâ Vergil crossed his arms, his answer just as you predicted.
âPlease I canât kick him out of the apartment just like that! I bet if you were the one in hisâŚâ
âI would never find myself in such a ridiculous situation like thisâ
âRight, forget what I just saidâ you said a bit ashamed while scratching your head.
âEven if I did unlike Dante, I could find a solution on my ownâ
âMy point is! He needs helpâ you cupped his face in your hands âI know we had plans but come on, itâs going to be just a couple of daysâ you gave him the best puppy eyes you could.
It wasnât as frequent as you wished for Vergil to stay in your apartment, between your jobs and the constant efforts to hide the truth to Dante. Thatâs why those days where two of you just sat on a couch to read, or did any other silly activity together, became so precious memories.
âI promise Iâll make it up for you when he leavesâ you whispered in his ear face turning red with the possible implications.
He pushed you carefully against a wall lifting you face and grazing with his thumb your plump lips.
âYou should not take promises so lightly my dear angelâ you melted at his words, his lips mere inches from yours âI fear you may have acquired my brotherâs demeanorsâ
âHave I ever broken my word before?â
An almost imperceptible smile, one only you got to recognize adorned his face as he claimed your mouth on a passionate kiss, that to your perception didnât last enough. But you didnât complain once Vergil separated from you, the risk of being caught by Dante was way too high.
âHeâs in the kitchenâ you cleared your throat, trying to control your small gasps for air.
âI expected no lessâ he fixed his hair and clothes, erasing any sings of the kiss you just had.
âWelp Iâm going to shower now, not taking longâ you passed beside him and closed the bathroomâs door only to open it a few seconds later âVergil wait! Geez I almost forgot; I left some coffee for you and Dante on the kitchen counter. Iâm pretty sure youâll know which mug is yours since your favorite mug broke in our tiny accident a few nights agoâ
You winked playfully at him, but he only limited to clicked his tongue in disapproval and directed to the kitchen. Once Nico knew about your relationship with Neroâs deadbeat father (as she always called him) the mechanic wasted no time to tease, giving you a little present: a white mug with big blue letters that read Iâm your daddy for your boyfriend to use. Obviously, once Vergil found out the existence of the mug, the first thing he wanted was to toss it on a trash can, but you didnât allow it being a gift from Nico.
While you showered the guilt took over you for hiding Dante about you and Vergil. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth, after all, didnât he always wanted for his brother to embrace his humanity and live a somewhat normal life? You stepped out of the bathroom once you finished, so deep in these thoughts that it wasnât until you were on your way to the kitchen, that you noticed how quiet the house was. At this point you were so used to whenever the twins were together their heated conversations escalated quickly to an argument that sometimes required a third-party intervention, so the silence was really unusual.
âOk now, is it okay for you guys to eat panâŚcakes...â
Your voice lowered the volume as you looked at the scene before your eyes. Vergil and Dante were staring fixedly at each other with a murderous gaze, each one with a hand around the infamous cup, now you knew the real reason for the unusual silence, Dante must have assumed the mug was his.
âSoâŚâ you laugh nervously âI guess the cat is out of the bag.
The end
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Walls - 7th chapter âA breakâ
Words: 5,5k
Warnings/tags: slight angst in the beginning, otherwise none
Synopsis: Back to the safe house. A break seems to be exactly what everyone needs, especially V. Cara and Griffon have a heart-to-heart talk.
I hope you enjoy it! đš
V groaned, his face contorted in pain as Nico and Cara dragged the man into the safe house. It was a difficult task with V being so tall and one of Caraâs hands being occupied with applying pressure on the wound that has started bleeding again, though luckily not as severe as before, due to the movements. Shadow was behind them, steadying V and slightly pushing him forward.
Both women made a sound of relief when they managed to take V to the couch, laying him down on his back. Though him squeezing his eyes shut and gasping in pain made Cara wince.
âKeep the pressure up. Iâll be right back,â Cara told Nico and when the woman took the cloth from her to keep it pressed to the wound Cara hastily went to the bathroom. She washed her hands thoroughly, pulling her lower lip inside her mouth to keep from making noises as she rubbed the blood off her skin. She hated it so much. It was common to see blood as a demon hunter, and she didnât have an issue with seeing demonâs blood or her own, but other people⌠especially people on her teamâŚÂ
She exhaled deeply, grabbed a few towels and returned to the living room with a bowl of water.
âV, weâre gonna have to open your vest to treat the wound properly, alright?â
The man nodded and swallowed, beads of sweat running down his forehead. Cara exhaled deeply through her mouth once more.
âWhat do you need me to do?â Nico asked with furrowed brows as Cara worked on loosening the string that held his vest together to be able to treat the injury fast.
âMaybe bring me sugar from the kitchen. I saw some there yesterday, and please, hand me the bandages from my backpack,â Cara replied.
âGotcha.â
Caraâs brows furrowed and she pursed her lips when she finally saw the wound properly. Though she couldnât deny the wave of absolute relief as she saw that the wound wasnât that deep at all, and that they probably could avoid stitching it.
She winced as V groaned in pain when she poured water from the bowl onto the wound to clean it and caught the water with a towel to avoid it spilling onto the couch too much.Â
âWhatâs the sugar for?â Nico asked as she handed it to Cara.
âWe donât have any antibiotics but sugar is such a highly concentrated medium that bacteria wonât survive.â
Nico made an âohâ sound. There simply wasnât anything else to say in this situation. V gritted his teeth and Cara felt deeply sorry for doing this and simply pouring the sugar into the wound, but it was their best option right now.Â
âDamn, V, you got us really worried there for a second,â Griffon said as the bird landed on the back of the couch looking down at the man when Cara leaned back with a sigh after she wrapped up the wound.
V made a âhmpfâ sound but his lips twitched upwards again at the bird.
âDidnât assume youâd know so much about wound treatment,â Nico commented. Cara rubbed her forehead, the exhaustion now getting to her as well.
âHad to do this so often over the years. Someone always gets hurt while fighting demons.â She sighed. Truth was also that Cara dreaded this moment each time. She knew what to do if someone got injured, she could keep a cool head in these situations just as right now, but that still didnât mean she liked doing that.
âCan I leave ya alone for a bit? I gotta go get Nero.â
Cara simply nodded at the other woman. The worst part was over. She could relax now for a bit. She would just need to keep an eye on V for a while. And he should rest. A lot.
She assumed at this point that the wound only got to him this much because he simply overdid it. He pushed his body beyond its limits during the fight. Not to mention that he didnât seem to get much sleep and rest in general. It all just came together in this moment and crushed him.
Nico patted her shoulder, an empathetic smile on her face before she left the house again.
Cara leaned back and looked to the ground once the woman was gone. She was still crouching in front of the couch, still in front of V, but she didnât care. She had tried not to let it get to her too much, she had dealt with wounded people so many times before, but she still was so surprised and almost shocked about how worried she had been. The moment of V fallen to his hands and knees had created a sense of dread and almost panic in her, her hands had trembled when she tried to help him, her heart had been racing in her chestâŚ
She didnât anticipate it, but it was obvious that she started caring about the man.
Her thoughts were interrupted with V slowly moving. He trembled as he tried to raise his upper body and seemed to reach behind him with his hand. Caraâs hands were on the leather that covered his shoulders in an instant, gently pushing the man down again.
âYou really shouldnât move right now.â
âListen to the soldier girl, buddy, at least this time,â Griffon agreed with her, though the snarky remark regarding her didnât escape her. She just had absolutely no energy to reply to that.
âJust,â V murmured still trying to reach his arm around to his back. Cara furrowed her brows and followed his movement with her eyes. And when his hand wrapped around an object Caraâs gaze softened. She slowly took the book from him, his fingers brushing his in the process, and put the book onto the coffee table; out of reach, out of danger of getting bent or damaged with him lying on the couch like this. He must really cherish this book.
His fingers were cold to the touch, but the feel of them still lingered on her skin just like before when she touched his upper arm.
âI suppose I owe you one. Thank you,â V spoke quietly after a moment, looking up at her out of half-lidded green eyes. She shook her head, but smiled.
âGet some rest. You need it.â
V looked exhausted. Like someone just drained him completely. And yet he still had a defiant glance in his eyes, as if he didnât want to rest and continue their quest, but even he had to realize that there was nothing he could do anymore right now.
He let his eyes fall closed and Cara, mindful of the bandaged wound, pulled a blanket over him.
She threw her hair back over her shoulders and used this opportunity to clean up. She brought the used and bloody towels and cloths to the bathroom into the laundry basket just to get them out of her sight and she returned with a new wet cloth. She put it down on the table for a moment and put the sugar back into the kitchen before she took off her jacket and sat down on the couch across from V.
Griffon seemed to follow Vâs lead and lowered his head and closed his eyes. Whatever happened to him during that battle must have been exhausting to him as well. This weird orb that appeared in his place⌠she would need to ask later what that was all about. Shadow laid down on the ground, her snout coming to rest on her front paws.
There was hardly a lot Cara could do right now aside from waiting, so she might as well help out where she could. So she grabbed Vâs cane from the ground, where Shadow put it after she brought it with her, and grabbed the wet cloth as well again. Shadow raised her head, watching her out of curious but cautious eyes as Cara held her masterâs weapon. Cara smiled at the demon, hoping she would understand and that it reassured her that she didnât intend to do anything with the cane.
Cara was surprised that the cane was rather light in weight. It seemed so sturdy with how it easily pierced through demonâs skin and flesh, and there was a weight to it, but it was much less than Cara expected. She started to carefully clean the demon blood which was still covering half the cane; all under Shadowâs watchful eyes.
Cara looked up and she was on her feet immediately, Griffon screeching and shaking his feathers as the front door of the house burst open and Nero entered; a look of worry and anger on his face as he carried an unconscious woman inside.
Caraâs lips were parted, her eyes wide at the unexpected entry, but she recognized the woman on Neroâs arms as one of the women who entered the tree with Dante four weeks ago.
âHow about not breaking down doors, kiddo?!â Griffon complained. V stirred, being pulled out his very short sleep because of the sudden noises. Cara felt a bit sorry for him.
âShut up. Iâll bring her upstairs,â Nero said through gritted teeth and left the room. Nico followed him into the house only an instant later.
âGeez, what a dayâŚâ she murmured.
âIs she hurt?â Cara asked referring to the unconscious woman on Neroâs arms. Nico shook her head.
âNo, just completely out of it. She was trapped inside a demon?! Well, donât ask me. I have no idea whatâs going on, but hey, she ainât dead yet.â
Trapped inside a demon?! How?! Cara knew that some demons used humans to gather more energy, pretty much like the Qliphoth drained their blood to grow, but she never heard of a human being trapped inside one.
âHey man, you feelinâ better?â Nico asked V who has woken up but hasnât moved or said anything otherwise.
âWhat do you think, smartass? After bursting in here only a few minutes after you left,â Griffon said. Nico squinted her eyes at the demon and leaned closer to him.
âNext time how about you start helpinâ then instead of fluffinâ ya pretty little feathers, chickee?!â
Griffon didnât say another word but he seemed to be pouting, a wave of shimmering energy coursing through his blue feathers once.
âHey, Nico, take a look at her if sheâs really not injured and needs anything,â Nero called from upstairs.
âYou better not be staring at her again!â Nico called in response and walked upstairs.
Cara smiled as she could only her Neroâs exasperated sigh and: âIâm not. God, just get up hereâ.
When she looked back down to V she caught the man smirking at the almost familiar banter between these two.
Nero came downstairs a moment later and he rubbed his hand over his face before he fell into the armchair in the living room.
âAre you okay?â he asked V.
âIâm fine.â
He was anything but, however, Cara wasnât about to say anything. The distant tone in Vâs voice at least gave her the impression that he didnât like the position he was in right now; wounded, tired, vulnerable. He has always given the impression that he did not want to appear weak despite his rather fragile looks. The walls he pulled up around him, with his confident stance, the unreadable expression in his eyes, were exactly because of that; to not give other people any reason to believe heâs weak. But now⌠all of these defenses were forcefully broken down. There was just a man who was forced to show other people he didnât trust and who didnât trust him this side of him and to put his life into their hands.
âWhat happened to her?â Cara asked Nero after a moment of silence.
âLady?â
Cara nodded. The name didnât occur to her anymore, she had to admit.
âI wish I knew. She can probably tell us more about it.â
âUrizen used her as an energy source.â
Nero and Cara looked at V who made an attempt at raising his upper body but then chose to rather stay in his previous position despite his reluctance of doing so.
âWhat?â Nero exclaimed looking at V as if the man had just done something absolutely stupid.
âUrizen can control a variety of demons but these demons are not sustainable without a core to supply them.â
âIt doesnât matter if the core is a demon or human or something else. It just needs to have some life energy to fuel the demon. The stronger the core, the stronger the demon, one should probably add that,â Griffon added to Vâs explanation.
Cara furrowed her brows. Did that mean that other woman and Dante were also used as such a core? The possibility seemed to be plausible.
âHow do you know that?â Nero wanted to know, one eyebrow raised.
âDo you believe weâve only been in the underworld since yesterday? Have some respect, boy.â Griffon shook his head, his yellow eyes burning with annoyance and aggravation about Nero disbelieving him.
âJust⌠argh,â Nero ran his hand through his hair, sliding it down his face, trying not to lash out at the demon, âweâre gonna have to wait for Lady to wake up. Maybe she knows about Dante and Trish,â he finished that sentence. Cara wondered what the younger man went through on this day.
âWell, that gotta wait. Sheâs probably gonna be down until tomorrow.â Nico came downstairs and joined them in the living room.
âSheâs fine though?â
âYeah, yeah, just needs time,â Nico replied making a waving gesture with her hands. Nero nodded.
âWhat now though? Iâm not gonna go out there anymore today.â Nico snorted. Cara agreed. It was getting late anyway, the sun slowly set and V was hurt, he couldnât even sit up properly right now. Not to mention that they shouldnât leave Lady upstairs alone here.
âWeâll continue tomorrow. We made progress today. We should all probably get enough rest to continue tomorrow,â Cara replied and she smiled to herself when the rest agreed. Nero rubbed his forehead.
âIâm gonna have to find that demon again tomorrow,â he said. Nicoâs lips parted, recognition glistening in her eyes. She made a few steps forward so she could catch Neroâs eyes. There was a sudden excitement all over her. It was interesting to watch. Nico half leaned over the back of the couch on which V was laying on and the man frowned at her. He was visibly uncomfortable but Nico didnât seem to notice, too caught up in whatever she was thinking about right now. Griffon threw her a judging look as the woman invaded his personal space as well.
âYou mean that huge machine demon thing?!â
Cara had no idea what she was referring to but it was fascinating to see how excited Nico got about demons. It reminded her of herself years ago when she started gathering information about demons.
Nero nodded.
âWe canât have that thing running around like that. Heâs too big to leave alone. I better take care of it.â
âWell, given its size we shouldnât have issues finding that fella.â Nico shrugged but the grin never really left her face. Nero agreed.
âWhereâre you going, honey?âÂ
Cara looked back over her shoulder to Nico as she made her way to the kitchen.
âIâm gonna try to make us something to eat,â she replied with a small smile on her lips.Â
âNeed help?â
Cara made a face and shrugged. There was barely anything in the kitchen to really make something proper, but some company and help was always appreciated. Nico followed her into the kitchen.
âSo, whatcha making?â Nico asked her while Cara dug through the cupboards and fridge again.
âI might be able to make some soup actually. The veggies are not the best, but theyâre still good for that,â Cara replied looking through some of the items in the fridge that were still edible.
âYou hear that, chickee?! Weâre making chicken soup!âÂ
âIâll roast you where you stand!â
Cara laughed a bit as Nico called out to Griffon. She did find chicken, but⌠that was not good anymore at all. She threw it in the bin. The good thing was though that this kitchen was equipped with all the materials she needed including all the spices she could think of. So, while the actual groceries were limited in variety, she could make enough soup to last for tomorrow as well (if they needed that).
âAlright, tell me whatcha need,â Nico told her. Cara looked at her equipment for a moment.
âWeâll start by cutting those,â she said then, handing Nico a knife.
âGotcha.â
The two women spent the next hour chopping vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, frying onions and potatoes, boiling the stock, spicing and tasting the soup until it gained the desired flavor and the kitchen was filled with the incredibly smell of a comfy and delicious food. Nico and Cara talked about what happened during that day, what Nero has experienced today with that demon that had Lady trapped inside of it, what Cara figured out while watching V fight that parasite demon. Occasionally Cara explained to Nico what they were doing right now as to get the soup as tasty as they wanted. And in the few moments of silence Cara could hear Neroâs and Vâs voices coming from the living room. She couldnât understand what they were talking about, but probably about the same topics as Nico and Cara. It was a carefree situation, the conversations came naturally, not awkward or forced, and it distracted Cara from how serious their situation still was.
Nico pulled out a crisped up bread from the oven which they found in the deep freezer and cut it into pieces while Cara prepared bowls of soup for everyone. She was quite content with the result. Nothing special, nothing fancy, but it would refresh them and the meal would hopefully satisfy everyone.
The women came back to the living room, trays with the bowls in their hands.
Cara noticed that V has sat up by now, although he still looked as if he was in pain. He was deadly pale and the way he straightened his back seemed rather unnatural as if hunching his back even a bit would cause the wound to send new stings of pain through his body. Cara hoped he intended on laying back down after eatingâŚ
âOohoo, this smells nice. Did you pull that off, girls?â Griffon asked leaning forwards on the back of the couch and stared at the bowls of soup.Â
âYep. I did what Cara told me though,â Nico replied, patting the other woman on the back. Cara chuckled. She was a great help though.
âImpressive,â V commented. Cara smiled,thanking him silently.
âYou like to cook?â Nero wanted to know. Cara nodded.
âYeah. Itâs what keeps me occupied the most in my free time,â she told the others.
âThat looks good. What is it?â the demon hunter asked her afterwards.
âPotato soup with mushrooms, carrots, onions, few spices. Itâs a bit improvised maybe but it should taste okay at least,â Cara explained and sat on her side of the couch again.
The all ate mostly in silence, only occasionally commenting on the food or saying something about their current situation. But Cara was just glad that no one complained about the soup.
Nero groaned, stretching his limbs after eating while he stood from the armchair.
âAlright, guess I gotta take a walk. Check up on any demon that wants to ruin our night and then gotta call Kyrie,â he said.
âDonât get lost on the way, kid,â Griffon replied. Nero made a derogative sound, but grabbed his weapons, including these Devil Breakers, and left the house.
âWell, then I guess I check up on Lady and get to work some more,â and with that Nico went upstairs, leaving Cara alone with V, Griffon and Shadow again.
âThe soup was delicious.â
Cara looked up in surprise as the man across from her raised his voice. He was genuine in his words. There was a glance in his eyes. A shimmer of sincerity and contentment, a rare display of open emotions, and she found herself trapped by the intense depth of his green eyes.Â
âThank you,â it took all her willpower to force these words out before the silence turned awkward, before she found herself in a situation she really wanted to avoid.
He nodded, closing his eyes for a longer moment in the process. He looked tired. His long eyelashes caressed his cheekbones, the shadows around his eyes created such a sharp contrast to his pale skin and only seemed to have gotten darker within the last day. Cara wondered if he had gotten any sleep last night at all. He went to sleep after her but when she woke up he had already been awake (and she was an early bird to begin with).
Cara forced her gaze away from him before he opened his eyes and could catch her staring and suppressed the urge to sigh. She really didnât know if what she was doing was a good idea. She needed some air.
âIâm in front of the house. Call me if somethingâs wrong,â she said pulling her jacket on while walking outside. She left the door open a bit, so she could hear if something was off and sat down on the few stairs in front of the entry door.
âTired of our company already?â Cara looked up as Griffon came skipping out of the door, flying up to pull the door shut with his feet before coming to stand next to her.
âYouâre not that bad.â Cara chuckled.
âThanks for the sentiment, solder girl.â The bird looked at her out of his multiple yellow eyes; there was an underlying tone of humor in his voice albeit it was a bit hard to make out. Cara smiled, though the smile didnât reach her eyes.
âAlright, listen, I may not have a lot of respect for most of your kind but eh, credit where credit is due, I guess, so,â the bird made a pause there shaking his head, some small feathers floating through the air as a result, âthanks for today. This was the first time he got injured like that and itâs our job to make sure this doesnât happen in the first place. So thanks, sweetie.â
Cara stared at Griffon for a really long moment. The words were surprising and completely unexpected. The demon had a foul mouth and from what she could tell he mocked and belittled everyone he came across. She didnât expect to see such a different and honest side of him. That he came here to express his gratitude, which she assumed wasnât easy for him, just caught her off guard. But she also appreciated it. It gave her the confirmation that all his mockery was not truly heartfelt and she⌠liked that thought.
âYouâre welcome. Itâs not a bad injury. He should be okay again soon if he rests enough.â
âYeah about thatâŚâ
âHu?â
âYou can bet that heâs up on his feet tomorrow again. The kid has some fighting spirit, you know?! But heâs not gonna allow himself the rest he needs.â
Cara contemplated the demonâs words. In the end they confirmed what she already guessed. V looked as exhausted as he was. She wondered what his life looked like that he pushed himself so much that it affected his health in the long run. He probably shouldnât be here right now in the first place. Or at least he should hold back on fighting and get as much rest as he could. She hoped he would get some proper sleep this nightâŚ
âCan⌠I ask you something? About that fight today?â she asked Griffon, her curiosity flaring up again but also an attempt to distract these depressing thoughts.
âYou didnât take enough notes?â Griffon countered. Cara raised her brow at him. The demon chuckled but told her to go on.
âWhat was that orb you turned into during the fight? I saw you got hit and when you hit the ground you appeared as that orb?â
Griffon looked like he was pouting, as if that memory was embarrassing to him, but that scene was what stuck most with her while watching that fight.
âItâs what happens when we take too much damage. Our life is bound to V, as long as he is still breathing we canât die, but we can get stalemated. This sphere you saw is our core-state. We can recover in it but it takes a while. It⌠was the first time this happened since we made the contract with V.â
Cara nodded slowly. She would need to write this down later.
âFor how long have you been a team?â she asked the avian demon after a while.Â
âTen years,â Griffon replied and Cara rose her eyebrows. She did not expect that at all. That they werenât companions only for a few weeks became apparent when one took a look at them interacting, but a decade was also more than just a few years. That would also mean that V was probably in his mid to late twenties by now because she couldnât imagine he made the contract with the demons when he was just a child.
âOne more question,â she started and Griffon chuckled.
âHehehe, you are quite a curious one,â he said to which Cara simply shrugged. She had way more questions than just one but she figured she should probably ask those V himself.
âWhy is he in this?â she started and the blue bird stared at her, silently urging her to go on, âI mean, Nero is here because of Dante apparently, I wanna make up for my failure, but what about him? He doesnât seem to do this out of a sheer desire to save the world.â
Griffon was surprisingly silent for a long time.
âListen, girl, he has a good heart. He really does, but⌠this is all I can tell you. Maybe you will get a chance to ask him yourself on this mission.â
Cara didnât reply. She didnât know what to say. She didnât doubt Griffonâs words, but she knew now that V had some motives on his own. Now it was just a matter how much she was willing to believe the demon that V was a good guy, that there was just a wall between them that couldnât be broken down unless V decided to do so and open up. And despite what occured up until that point on this journey they were incredibly far away from that pointâŚ
Mystery boy indeed, she thought, remembering Nicoâs pet name for him yesterday.
âI see,â she finally said, âthank you for talking. Didnât expect it, but I definitely appreciate it.â She smiled at the demon who snorted lightly in response.
âDonât get all emotional on me now, sweetie.â
Caraâs shoulders shook as she allowed herself to laugh. She sighed when silence settled upon them again and she rose to her feet intending to go back inside.
âI am okay. This isnât your fault, you did great today.â
She paused as soon as she opened the door and these words reached her ears.
There was V. Lying on his back on the couch and Shadow sitting next to the couch, her right paw on Vâs belly, mindful of his injury, and her licking his face, a faint purr escaping her throat while doing so. V didnât notice her coming in again right away. His eyes were half closed as Shadow displayed her affection and care for the man just as a normal cat would and there was a small smile on his face, one of his hand stroked her black shiny fur.
Cara found this so endearing that she just stood in the doorway and watched this scene, a smile appearing on her lips as her heart beat a bit faster in her chest to cope with the tenderness of the situation.
She didnât expect to see this, to see V so open and honest in his caring and affection for his companions - despite them being demons. It made her believe Griffonâs words that V had a good heart a bit more and she found herself wanting to believe that whatever ulterior motive he may had that it wasnât severe, that it was nothing bad, just something he didnât want to share with people he barely knew.
âAlright, alright, Kitty, enough cuddling,â Griffon said and flew back to his previous spot on the back of the couch.
Shadow growled very quietly, laid her forehead against Vâs face once more before she retreated and laid back down on the floor. V looked at Cara, though that delighted expression that was brought upon his face due to the previous moment, stayed for a while longer. He didnât pull up his walls right away, only when the mirth of the shared affection with his companion naturally faded did that smile disappear and that glance vanish in his eyes. But Cara was extremely glad to have been able to witness that moment.
Maybe⌠just maybe V truly wasnât so distant after all. These short moments of genuine emotions in his eyes, these short situations of him allowing his sense of humor, his gratitude or even his vulnerability show. Maybe he just seemed so unapproachable because he simply did not trust her to allow more of himself to be revealed in front of her.
Maybe it was also more complicated than this, but Cara sort of clung to the hope that it was just a matter of trust since that was something they could work on and overcome. And Cara found herself more and more intrigued with him and everything heâs shown her so far.
Although she could already see how she would come to regret that realisation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 V followed the woman - Cara - out of his peripheral vision as she grabbed her backpack and went to the bathroom. His eyes fell upon the empty bowl of soup again still standing on the table.
He still had the taste of it in his mouth and he felt how his body responded to it, the warmth settling around his bones, the silence of his stomach, he was comfortable, and comfort was the last thing he expected to experience during this journey, much less because of food. But the soup has been amazing, there was no way around to describe it as such. And she took the time and effort(with the help of that other woman) to prepare it for them. Just like earlier today with the sandwiches. And he figured it was only polite and appropriate to express his contentment and gratitude.
But what was he supposed to tell her? That he canât remember eating something this tasteful before? That it was probably half a lifetime ago when he experienced so many flavours at once? So V settled on very few but genuine words. And he could see her surprise. How she raised her head suddenly, how her eyes widened slightly, shining blue orbs blinking at him for a long moment as if she had a hard time fathoming his words.
When he spotted his clean and shining cane after being pulled out of his rest earlier he probably has been just as surprised as she had been. What drove her to do it? What did she gain from it? Why would she care? V did not know how to answer these questions. He couldnât fathom why she would care enough. Wound treatment was one thing but taking care of his personal belongings? Just like her taking the book from him to keep it out of harmâs way. Her fingers grazing his. A warm touch of another person that lingered way too long on his skin afterwards and if he focused hard enough he could still feel the tingling of his nerves where she touched his hand. Just like earlier today...
âI suppose you had an insightful conversation?â he turned his attention to Griffon to distract him from his own thoughts lingering on her for too long. Griffon laughed.
âOf course! The girl can learn a lot from me after all!â
V smirked. He knew his companionâs ego and he knew that his conversation with her was probably rather honest and deep despite what he may tried to tell V.
V heard Shadowâs yawn from the ground and the man had to realize he was rather tired as well. It has been a long and draining day; and him getting injured was the last thing he planned to happen. But there was no helping it now and he knew he should get some rest, so he would be back on track tomorrow. He hated falling asleep when he knew the people around him were still wide awake despite him knowing that they didnât mind nor would do anything. And Shadow and Griffon were there too. He simply disliked other people seeing him in this open and vulnerable state, even more so than the one he was in right now.
But he couldnât do anything about it and he felt his eyelids grew heavier by the second.
#dmc5#devil may cry 5#v#nero#vitale#griffon#my oc#cara#shadow#nico#lady#my fic#walls#7th chapter#a break#fanfiction
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Ebony and Ivory (V x Reader Fanfic) Chapter 3
Authors Notes: Iâm gonna cry, you all are so nice ;-; Thank you so much for your kind words and comments! Iâm gonna try to keep it at one chapter a day for a while yall.
Chapter 3
Chaos burst forth in the next instant. Shadow attacking the demons in a flurry of spikes and claws, teeth sinking into a demonâs throat with a spurt of blood. Griffon cackled gleefully, flying to the nearest demon to level his own attacks. You found adrenaline pumping through your veins, tendrils whipping out to attach to the nearest demon and impale it through the chest. Several of the creatures started for you and V, who calmly strolled to the side with his eyes fixed on the spectacle. He pulled out his poetry book, hair blowing in the breeze as he dodged an attack from a distant demon, pointing his cane at the creature with an expression of cold glee. Shadow was on it in an instant, ripping at it with its attacks and bringing the demon to its knees. Â
âPin him to the wall,â V growled, darting over and quickly slamming the sharp end of his cane into the creatureâs head, killing it instantly and causing it to disintegrate. You used a nearby building to swing around behind him, planting your heels in the face of a demon creeping up to attack the poet while he was distracted. It screamed in pain, swiping at your legs with a clawed hand. Vâs cane whipped around in the next instant, impaling the creatureâs hand and stabbing into its neck. A rush of air left your lungs as you stumbled back, skidding on your heels as the tendrils stabilized you. Holy shit. The demons were definitely fast, but there were moments where V was faster.
He took a few steps toward you, eyes tilted down to his book as he moved in a slow turn around his fighting companions, murmuring Poetry from his book as they attacked a third demon, âTo see the world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in a Wild Flower. Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an Hour.â
Energy seemed to crackle ever so subtly in the air around him as he spoke, voice clear and smooth. He closed the book with one hand, dark green gaze passing over you as he teleported over to the third fallen demon, stabbing it right between the eyes before yanking his cane out with a twirl of his body. You found yourself fixed to the spot, both awed and amused as you witnessed how V fought. So different than Nero, but with a very similar dramatic flair. Both had a taste for being incredibly extra it would seem. Vâs was just on a whole different spectrum. Â
You thought you saw him smirk at you as he turned, pointing his cane at the two remaining demons with a command of, âSlice them.â Â
Shadow and Griffon descended upon the creatures in seconds, breaking them down to nothing but crumpled husks. V had to land the killing blow on them as wellâin fact it seemed his companions wouldnât kill a single one. V had to end each one, finishing them off with a leap in the air and landing in a pirouette. You grinned a little at that, retracting your tendrils back and letting the energy calm down a bit. As soon as the final enemy was killed, whatever was blocking your paths disappeared, the breeze clear and your Foresight quiet once again. You looked around, watching the bodies slowly dissipate into the air as Griffon and Shadow settled down. V seemed pretty fucking capable on his own, if you were completely honest. Sure he looked a bit skinny, but from what you could tell he and his companions didnât really need your power.
Or so you thought. As you looked at V, you noticed him lean heavier on his cane. It was a subtle change; one you were sure you wouldnât have noticed if you hadnât been looking for it. He griped the top of the cane until his knuckles were white, Hair shielding his face so you couldnât see his expression. He straightened up a little bit a second later, turning with that same half smile he wore before and his dark green eyes meeting yours. You tried not to display your worry, finding yourself pretty concerned for his well-being. You didnât know the nature of what was wrong, but you wanted to help peopleâit was in your nature. You were also hoping to become friends with the trio you had met so far, you wanted to be useful.
âYou have quite the interesting power,â V commented, snapping your racing thoughts back to the present. You focused on him again, face heating a little when you realized you had probably been standing there staring like an idiot while you zoned out, âYour ability makes you fairly fast...I noticed tendrils appearing out of your person as well.â
You nodded, lifting a hand to summon some of the blue, feathery wisps of power to show him.
âThis is essentially what my abilities look like. Theyâre almost like super strong threads, they're pretty versatile,â He came closer as you spoke, lifting his free hand to hover them over the tendrils. They gently wrapped around his fingers, so you took the opportunity to try and aid him a bit. Focusing your energy, you continued, âThey can attach to anything, make things for me. Theyâre how I transfer energy too.â
He seemed mesmerized by them, curling his fingers as he enjoyed their gentle glow. You knew they felt soft to the touch, but they were razor sharp and hard as steel when needed. Born of the Voidâs nothingness, its energy into physicality. The first time you used them, you remembered it burning you for days. You would vomit whale oil when you tried to extendâit took months of training to get used to it, and even longer to cultivate your own style and learn your limits.
But you couldnât tell V that. Not now.
Instead, you let out a slow breath, focusing on the sharing of your power as you murmured, âFrom the Void into you.â
You felt the energy leave your body, traveling into Vâs fingertips. He stared in a mixture of surprise and intrigue, watching as your energy traveled through his arm and disappeared into his body. He let out a slow breath when it did, flexing his fingertips and staring at them with his lips parted with intrigue. You hoped whatever was ailing him was at least lifted somewhat, retracting the tendrils and letting the energy inside simmer down. Adrenaline was your friend at that momentâAll that time in the Void left you aching for a little excitement, it would seem. You felt practically bubbling with energy, ready to expend it on whatever necessary.
A moment paused between you and the taller male, him still looking at his fingers with an expression of curiosity. If you werenât mistaken, his complexion had improved a bit too.
âHow fascinating...â He breathed, meeting your gaze with a light smirk, âAn interesting sensation to say the least.â
You rocked back on your heels, running a hand through your hair as you asked, âFeel any better?â
He paused again, glancing at you from underneath his lashes.
â...I do,â He replied, inclining his head to you in a grateful nod, âThank you, Y/N.â
Ohhh dear. Something about hearing him say your name like that made your stomach do flips. You nodded back at him and turned away with a small smile, looking down the alleyway and trying to will your heartbeat into slowing down. That was definitely the adrenaline, it wasnât fading any time soon. You heard Griffon let out a strange trill, wings flapping as he swooped by you again, sending your hair waving in his residual air. He landed on your shoulders as before, gentler this time as you reached back to hold his feet steady. You heard him snicker in your ear, beak closer to that side of your head.
âOhhh someone was lookinâ starry eyed back there,â He breathed quietly at you, sounding heavily amused, âYou okay girlie? Need some breathing room? A cold shower?â
You rolled your eyes at him, tapping a finger on the side of his head as you replied, âBehave, Birdie.â
He snickered again, shaking out his feathers a bit as you turned back to look at V. He was putting his book back into his vest, back to his usual demeanor of eyes focused and that wry smile on his face. Shadow shook out it pelt, letting out a low growl as it slid past you and V, sitting down nearby to lick its paw. You sighed, hating that the big cat was so standoffish to you, even after your food bribe. V was right, despite his gruff bullshit Griffon was a lot easier to win over. One piece of meat later and the bird was riding on your shoulder cawing in your ear. Mind you, that wasnât a complaint. You were incredibly pleased to not have to fight with Griffon all the time.
âSo,â You asked as you started to follow V forward again, still firmly grasping the bird by its talons as you walked, âThis Dante guy, who is he?â
V turned into another alleyway, and as he did so you watched Shadow disintegrate as his feet, Â absorbing into Vâs tattooed body. You stared in startled shock, worried for a second until you realized V's tattoos got darker with the action. So he could take his little companions and have them inside his body? That was certainly interesting, but in retrospect it made sense considering you saw the panther pop out earlier when V summoned it. Still, it was jarring to watch for the first time up close. Not to mention your heavy disappointment when you realized there wouldnât be a chance of you petting it while it was on its masterâs body. Â
Griffon, however, seemed perfectly content from his spot on your shoulders. You absentmindedly made another small scrap of meat, tossing it up to him to catch in his beak. He chirped eagerly when you did, the chomping sound pretty gnarly if you were being honest. Â
V smirked again, hopping up over a piece of debris in your way as he replied, âDante is a demon hunter, one that is a friend and acquaintance of Nero. I hired him to help...take care of Urizen.â
Huh. You hopped over the rubble as well, surprised when Griffon helped you a bit. Though you were sure he was supposed to help his master with things like this.
âEveryone seems pretty worried about him,â You commented, conjuring up a granola bar in your other hand. It occurred to you in that moment that you and V had been walking for about two hours and maybe eating something would be a good idea. You summoned another, tapping his shoulder once to get his attention and hand it to him, "Here, you should eat something."
He stared at the bar, eyebrow raised as he gently took it from you. By the expression on his face, you swore the thought of food had never occurred to him. He seemed pretty much human and humans had to eat. Unless he had a health condition of sort? But even then, he had to find nutrients somewhere, from something. There was a lot you didnât understand about V, but you knew for energy and such food was a good way to go.
âI...â He said, hesitating a bit. You had never seen him hesitate before, âI donât think this is necessary.â
You shrugged, taking a bite of your own and swallowing before replying, âI disagree. Food translates into energy V, and...well...no offense... You look like you can use something to eat.â It was bothering you, his state of being. He walked and fought fine, but your foresight was just...tingling in your stomach where he was concerned. You felt like you had to worry, because no one else would.
Griffon chuckled heavily at your words, eyeing his master as he sneered, âThatâs French for âyou look like shit, Vâ.â
You sighed, âNo that is not what I meant. At all.â
âThat so?â Griffonâs tone held very heavy implications, âYou got some sort of feeding fetish?â
You couldnât help yourself. You laughed. Â
It must have been pent up from you containing yourself, because as soon as Griffonâs taunt registered with you, laughter burst forth from you, shocking you and probably V as well. You let go of Griffonâs talons, resting your hands on your knees as you came to a stop for a few seconds. Griffon was having a good snicker from it himself, landing on your back as you caught your breath again. You found yourself oddly embarrassed for laughing, not wanting V to see your face as you calmed down a bit. Something about the joke he made was oddly familiar to youâYou couldnât place why. Probably another lost memory from your original life.
âIâll take that as a yes,â Griffon caroled with glee, wings flapping as you straightened, âA definite yes.â
âThatâs a firm no,â You snickered, wiping your eyes with the back of your hand, âIâm sorry for laughingâIt's been a long time since something got me like that.â It had been a long time since you had a true, full bodied laugh.
You finally looked at V. He was watching you with an expression you couldnât quite placeâhe was smiling, but the look in his eyes was curious and searching. You found your heart beating again, and this time you were pretty sure that wasnât adrenaline.
âPlease, donât apologize,â He smirked, and much to your delight he took a bite of the food you gave him. He seemed to chew for a long moment, like he hadnât eaten food in his entire god damn life, before finally swallowing, âThough I must admit. I am seeing quite the pattern with food and you.â
You huffed at that, crossing your arms over your chest as you replied, âI donât have a feeding fetish,â You shrugged, adding in a playful tone, âI more so have a hand fetish over anything.â
V rose a single brow at that, âDo you?â
âNo!â You laughed again, offering him a cheerful grin, âI swear. No kinks from me.â Yet.
He chuckled lightly, griping his cane and turning away again. You quickly followed along, eating the rest of your food before putting your hands out to grasp Griffonâs talons again. You kept your gaze half forward, half on V to make sure he ate the remainder of his own. It took some time, but he did eventually finish the bar. He held a thoughtful expression the whole time, chewing slowly and purposely. Externally, he seemed pretty pleased. You were certain that if he wasnât supposed to eat it, he would have declined and explained at the start. Determination filled you nowâyou wanted to learn more about the people you traveled with, their mannerisms and who they were. V was a mystery waiting for you to discover, and in a way that was...exciting.
Your group continued on for another few hours, walking through the city. You only stopped a couple more times to fight demons, taking down whatever stood in your path. You enjoyed being able to stretch your muscles and energy againâthe time spent resting left your body itching for activity. As you fought, your stiffness disappeared, blood pumping with every kill and Void energy burning in your hands, your lungs, your stomach. With each battle you witnessed more and more of Vâs personality shining through in battles. His taunts were...interesting to say the least. He was an absolute dork, you realized that. He almost seemed like he was having fun during battle, carrying a confidence and amusement into every encounter.
You learned where to act where he would not. Support, nothing else. Like his summons, you filled in the gaps where V lacked. You watched his back whenever necessary, helping pull him out of the way of incoming attacks with your tendrils. It shocked him the first time, but after the fourth or fifth fight he came to accept when it would happen. He was a bit recklessâhis taunting and confidence would have definitely got him hurt had you not stepped in. But learning to fight with a group was...fun. V was like a maestro for you, Shadow, and Griffin. For every step he took, you and the others reacted. It was interesting to see Griffon lifting his master up occasionally to get him to safety, or how Shadow fought at Vâs command. They were a well-oiled machine, and your foresight told you that was a good thing. You were on the right track.
Occasionally while traveling you would see Nero in his own fights in the distance. You exchanged a wave with him a couple times while V destroyed some Qliphoth roots, you sitting on the edge of some metal steps as you watched Nero zip around in the distance. He taunted just as frequently, if not more, than V. His taunts were equally as silly, but on a whole other level. Where V had a low level extra, Nero was loud and boisterous extra. V was the goth theater kid who just couldnât help himself, and Nero was young, dumb, and full of...well, you know.
Once V finished destroying the roots in your way, you stood again, stretching your arms above your head until your joints popped. Glancing at the sky, you calculated it was about six o'clock, soon to be seven. The sun was starting to set in the sky, casting a pink and orange hue on the land. You scanned the horizon line, seeing the occasional, small demon fly off in the distance. Not worth any time or effort. Besides, getting that far out was pretty much out of your way.
Sighing, you rested your arms on the metal railing, thoughts drifting off again as you kept looking at the sky. You were sure it would have been beautiful if not for that ugly ass tree. It seemed so monumental, so impossible. You knew that wasnât the case, otherwise the Deity wouldnât have sent you. There was a solution, one within reachâall that mattered was getting to it.
V walked up beside you, his gaze scanning you from your right side as he wiped the remnants of the roots off his cane.
âAs unfortunate as it may be, we should stop there for the night,â He pointed his cane to the left as he spoke in his silken tone, referencing what looked to be an abandoned warehouse past some shipping containers and a bridge, âTraveling at night is neither safe nor wise.â
You nodded, offering him an encouraging smile, âIâve slept in worse places.â
A lot of your missions lead to you resting in whatever ways you could whenever you could. And considering a lot of those missions included people who didnât really give a damn about you...There were several cases of you sleeping in less than savory locations. Not your favorite missions to be sure, the warehouse was a welcome change
He let out a low hum in response, tapping his cane on the ground as he started moving again. You were pleased to see Shadow staying out this time, walking behind its master with a mighty yawn. Griffon soared on ahead, circling those of you down below as you neared the ledge leading to the shipping containers. You found yourself taking up the back again, contenting yourself with watching pretty boyâs hair drift in the breeze. You had already surveyed the areaâthere were Qlipoth roots up ahead to destroy, coiled around the bridge and budding in the center. You were wary of those. The bridge looked on the verge of collapse; a stray wind could have toppled it.
Regardless, that was the way to go. You crouched down, preparing to jump down from the shipping containers to the railroad tracks below. But your foresight stopped you, flaring up in your chest and lungs. You rubbed your chest, hissing lightly in pain and immediately sensing something was up even before you jumped down. You put your arm out to grab V, but he was already ahead, hopping down with zero hesitation. Pretty much throwing caution to the wind.
Sure enough, as soon as his feet touched the ground, demons began to appear, one by one. You winced, hating their bulbous heads and spikey bodies as they all turned to shriek at V.
You immediately hopped down behind him, steeling yourself to fight when Griffon swooped by, cawing up a storm as he circled the two of you.
âHey Shakespeare!â He quipped, sending clouds of dust up with each flap of his wings, âYou havenât even shown the girl Nightmare yet!â
Nightmare? What did he mean by that? You heard V let out a light noise of agreement, tilting his head back to give you a light smirk.
âHow rude of me,â He replied, turning back and snapping his fingers sharply. Energy crackled off of his body in the next instant, and much to your shock the black evaporated from his hair, leaving it a dazzling white.
A portal appeared above the fight, and from it a new creature burst forth. Made of swirling black energy, huge and lunky. It fell from the portal and landed right on the demons, swinging a mighty club of an arm around at the creatures and sending them flying. You let out an impressed sound, already guessing this was another companionâalready dubbed âNightmareâ. V walked around the battle again, cane in one hand and book in the other as he commanded at the creature to attack. You realized right away he was showing offâNightmare was the definition of overkill. A laser shot out from his eye, leaving a trail of exploding destruction over the group of demons. One went flying past you, a quick side step to the left dodging its broken body. V was on it in the next instant, his body brushing past you as he darted to finish it off. You saw his face in that moment, finding yourself awed again as time seemed to slow.
White hair waving about his face, an elated grin tilting his lips. His eyes were open wide, reflecting the light of the dying sun so his gaze was like glittering Jade. He looked...elated, like he was heavily enjoying himself. Like a little boy discovering play for the first time, he darted past you, sinking his cane into the chest of the creature, ripping the object up and slashing it from crotch to torso. He paused in place, hand on his face as he began to slowly laugh, the sound starting low and rising in tempo. You blinked at the display, feeling entranced as he tilted his head up, still laughing as the creature disintegrated. You were pretty sure these actions should have disturbed or unnerved you but...you found they didnât. Instead you found yourself even more intrigued, letting out a quiet, exasperated sigh at yourself.
Your foresight suddenly flared again, breaking you out of your musings. Your gaze jerked up, seeing three demons about to jump down and attack V while he was taunting. Your power was activated on the next instant, shooting along the ground to grab the idiotic goth and yank him away, simultaneously shooting up and impale the demons in several locations. V let out a light âoofâ as you swung him around; you winced when you realized you might have snatched him too fast. He rolled a little when you released him, coming to a graceful slide on his knees a few feet away. Nightmare disappeared in the next instant, the remaining demons on that side already at death's doorâV's hair returned to black, so you figured out pretty fast that was where nightmare had been hiding. Was V naturally white haired then? Â
You shook your head. You had to focus on the battle. You knew V could handle the dying demons on that side, so you addressed the creatures still impaled by your tendrils, summoning the energy of the Void and holding out your hands to them. They really were ugly creatures, spitting maliciously at you, claws swiping at open air and teeth snapping. Akin to bugs, with spiny bulbous bodies. Unable to be reasoned with, unable to compromise.
âFrom being, into Nothingness,â You felt your hair rise slightly with this incantation, one of your stronger spells. If you were being honest, you were showing off a little bit yourself. The energy of the Void wrapped around the creatures, making them scream and squirm as it ate them away, sucking away their life force until husks remainedâthey crumbled then, disintegrating into nothingness as your tendrils retracted back into your body. You heard the final creature scream as V cut into it, turning in just enough time to see him spin, a trail of blood following his cane as he finished the creature off. Shadow and Griffon settled themselves, the bird flying over to you as the battle ended just as quickly as it had started.
âHey girlie, wasnât that neat?â He squawked as he landed on your shoulders, flapping wildly, âNightmare fucking destroyed those bastards!â Â
You smiled, walking forward as he contented himself with making you his perch again, âHe was very cool, Iâm just sad I didnât get to say hello.â
V approached you, wiping off his cane as he did so. He was lightly smirking again, dark eyes down on his task as he said, âThere will be more chances,â he pointed the silver cane at the bridge, tone light and breath slowing from the excitement of the battle as he said, âThat is our last task for the night. Let us make haste.â
You opened your mouth to reply and agree, but it occurred to you that he sounded pretty out of breath. You observed him again, noticing easily how winded he was. He was back to leaning on the cane, and you thought you saw him sweat a little. Maybe taking out Nightmare cost him a lot of energy? You frowned, looking up at Griffon with a searching expression. You were starting to realize V was not the kind of person who would say if he was hurting, uncomfortable, or tired. He wouldnât ask for help, so you had to decide to give it without being prompted. Griffon inclined his head, eyes darting to his master with a light nod as V started forward again. Â
You walked up behind, summoning your tendrils to lightly wrap around him again. His steps faltered a little at the sensation, gaze darting to you with a startled expression as you summoned your energy and sent it into him with a light murmur of, âFrom the Void into You.â
You gave him a higher dose of energy, hearing him release a heavy breath as it fused with his being. Shadow sat at his feet as Vâs eyes closed, breathing going even as you tried to ease his discomfort. At least...you hoped you were. If this wasnât helping, you hoped V would say something at the very least. It didnât hurt to try and do everything you could. After a few seconds you retracted the tendrils, letting the energy settle back inside as you flexed your fingers a bit. You werenât reaching your limit per se, but the months in the Void left you able to take less of the strain. Like going months without stretching and working out, then jumping back into those activities.
âBetter?â You asked him with a smile, rocking back on your heels a bit as he opened his eyes again.
He paused, mouth half open in a thoughtful expression as he turned to look at you. Almost like he was thinking about the question. He rolled his shoulders a little, flexing his hand that wasnât holding the cane. He held it up in the light, a curious look on his face as he stared at his fingers. You noticed he wore a ring there, silver and glinting in the sun.
âYes," He breathed, turning to look at you again with that wry smile you had grown used to, âYou could tell I was fatigued.â
It wasnât a question, but you still answered it, âYeah. Iâve gotten good at reading people over the years,â You smiled playfully, taking a few steps past him as you replied, âSomeone has to look out for you. Youâre pretty reckless, you know that?â
He paused again, something about your words making his expression shift a bit. You stopped in place, blinking as you saw a couple different emotions drift on his face. Confusion was one of them, but the others...you werenât sure. He settled on a faraway look for a second, jade eyes reflecting the sun as he looked to the side.
Had you said something wrong? Worried, you took a step toward him again and said, âV? Are you okay?â You hated the idea of saying anything upsetting to him.
His gaze snapped back to you, and you saw him smile again. Only this time the smile looked...relieved. And a little...vulnerable?
âThank you, Y/N,â He murmured, green eyes meeting yours, âYou are very kind, and the help is welcome and...needed.â
You nodded, smiling again but still finding yourself confused by his reaction, âYou know you can always ask for help, right?â You griped Griffonâs talons, realizing he was actually being polite and keeping quiet during this conversation, âIf you ever feel like you need my assistance, thatâs what Iâm here for.â
V let out a low hum, gave his cane a light spin as he brushed past you. He gave your shoulder a light squeeze, mouth tilted up in that half smile as he met your gaze.
âIâll keep that in mind.â
You wanted to call him a liar, but you knew that would be very rude. Â
Luckily, Griffon did it for you.
âLiar!â He accused in his grating voice, flapping his wings a could times as his master removed his hand and continued to walk, âYouâre way to stubborn to ask for shit!â
V smirked a bit at that, but kept walking. You and Griffon exchanged another look, both of you sighing lightly. You smiled exasperatedly, summoning another piece of red meat to toss up to him to eat. Then another, to toss to shadow, who rose to follow its master. Instead of ignoring it like you expected, the cat snatched it out of the air, turning as it chewed. Well, there was another little victory, right? You giggled quietly, jogging forward to catch up with the other two as they stepped onto the bridge, heading for the Qliphoth root with intent to destroy. Â
You tapped Griffonâs talons, gesturing for him to join his master as you stood off to the side, looking the root up and down. They were spiky and gnarled, writhing slightly as V spun his cane, approaching the bulbous bundle of red that you knew was its weak spot. You looked over the bridge, still pretty worried about its integrity, but knowing damn well you couldnât just leave the root to grow and fester where it was. You quietly made your way to the side as V began to destroy the root, activating you power and prepared to act if something happened.
âHey, V?â You warned as Shadow and Griffon smacked the bulb, âThis bridge is pretty shakyââ
A loud rumble broke out as soon as the root was destroyed, disintegrating into nothingness. The bridge, as expected, began to shift and collapse underneath you and the others. Well, that root was the only thing that seemed to be holding the bridge up. You saw V slide a bit, griping onto his cane as the cart on the bridge began to slide. Â
âV!â You wrapped your tendrils around him as he began to run, keeping pace with him as you both ran up the tilting bridge and leapt. Much to your shock, before you could activate your energy, you felt Vâs hand grab your wrist as he jumped. Griffon appeared above him in the nest instant, grabbing V and lifting him and you up and above the debris as it crumbled into the water. You let out a shocked gasp as you were suddenly suspended in air, dangling by your wrist as V grunted and griped tighter. Too much weight, you could tell that right away. You hovered there for a few moments, Griffon huffing with the strain.
âGod damn it!â He squawked as he started to descend, but you were still too high and not close enough to land, âToo heavy I canât hold onto both of you!â
As he said so, his talons slipped off of Vâs shoulders, Griffon releasing an alarmed shriek as you and V suddenly plummeted toward the ground, âSon of a bitch!â
You werenât afraidâyou knew you could handle it.
Summoning your power, you coursed the energy through yourself and the tendrils, pulling V closer as you closed your eyes. The tendrils shot out on all sides, connecting with the ground before you and V, creating a slide for you to land on and slip down. You felt one of his arms wrap around your waist, turning you both so he would take the first impactâluckily for him there would be no impact to feel. You let out a hiss, whispering out âFeather fall!â right before he hit the slide. The ability wouldnât slow the descent, but it would mitigate any impact, pain, or damage the fall would cause. Â
V hit the slide, you tucked against his side. You felt him press your head to his chest as you rolled a couple times, eventually skidding across the concrete to an ungraceful halt. You let out slow, relieved sigh, feeling Vâs even breath on you as you deactivated the power of the Void. That was almost pretty badâThough you came to a realization right away as you and V sat up, him griping one of your arms still as you shook off the shock of the fall.
You were...very touch starved.
The seconds of being held were nice, so nice that you mourned the contact the instant it was gone. Living the life you did allowed for very little affection, if any. There were several missions were you were told to assist then ignored by all those involved...like a puppet to be used, then abandoned.
But you couldnât think about that, not right now.
Instead you let out a light laugh, meeting Vâs gaze as you both caught your breath.
âV,â You said in a low voice, âLetâs both agree to plan before we do stuff like that again.â You could have easily saved yourself while Griffon saved him. Hell, you could have saved them both easy. But you didnât want to be rude.
He let out a low hum, sitting back on his arms as he looked up at Griffon, who was descending and still cursing at both of you, âAgreed.â
You laughed again, earning a grin from the goth as Griffon came screeching down at both of you.
âI cant believe I fucking dropped you!â He shrieked as he landed in front of you both, âFuck! I thought I was going to have a heart attack! V you know I can only handle your weight, not saying Y/N is heavy or ânothinâ but FUCK that was the WORST!â
You let out another light chuckle, giving Griffon a pat on the head as you replied, âYouâre doing great, sweetie. Just everyone remember next time I can definitely handle a free fall.â
V let out a low chuckle, finally releasing you as he slowly rose to his feet. Shadow appeared from him once more, nervously circling your group and sniffing the ground. You looked V over, deciding he was no worse for wear and not hurt by the fall. It worked out pretty well, all things considered. V held out a hand to you as soon as you began to rise, one you grateful accepted as he helped put you to your feet. His hand was...warm. His skin felt soft, overly soft. He lingered for a moment before releasing you, turning away to look at the warehouse. You realized a second later...V didnât have hair on his arms. The more you thought about it, he was pretty smooth all around. Â
Strange, but not the strangest thing you had learned about him. You shrugged it off.
âLetâs not waste any more time,â He said, nodding toward the warehouse and giving you a kind smile, âItâs getting dark.â
You opened your mouth to reply, but were cut off by a wave of dizziness that suddenly hit you. That was certainly not good. You swayed a bit, tilting to the side as you heard the rush of wings and felt talons suddenly gripping your shoulders. Griffon caught you, holding you up before you hit the ground.
âWhoa whoa there, girlie!â He squawked as you put a hand to your face, âYou feelinâ alright?â
You didnât look up, but heard V stop and turn, approaching you in the next instant.
âY/N?â His tone was still low, but worried now. You heard him set his cane to the side, gripping your shoulders again, âAre you alright?â
His concern made you feel good; youâd admit that through the haze. You needed to re-calibrate your limits--you must have been asleep in the Void for a long time. You had over extended a little bit--in all the excitement you hadnât realized how close to your limits you actually were. Your stomach was rolling, nausea rising ever so slightly in you. Well, this might as well happen. You lifted your gaze, seeing Vâs concerned expression as he tilted up your chin.
âYouâre as pale as me,â he commented, smiling a little bit, âYou said you had limits. I am going to assume you reached them."
You let out a weak laugh, surprised when Shadow weaved between the two of you, sitting on your feet and watching your face.
âI overestimated myself a bit,â You admitted, âItâs been a while since I had so much excitement. Iâll have to practice more to reach what I could before.â
V let out a low hum of understanding, âIn time. For now, can you walk?â
You nodded, shaking off some of the lightheadedness as you replied, âYeah, I can make it.â
He nodded, looking up at Griffon and commanding, âMake sure she doesnât fall.â
âYouâve got it, boss.â
Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18136193/chapters/42882194#workskin
Tagged: @silentwhispofhope @just-call-me-no-name @nightshadow4713 @slightlylunatic @efiicitia
#devil may cry v#devil may cry#dmc v#dmc5#dmcv#V#V dmc#V x reader#vxreader#self instert#fanfic#chapter 3#ebony and ivory#ebony and ivory chapter 3
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Stray Hearts - Questioning
Part One - Part ThreeÂ
Part Two: Questioning
It was six months before Vergil finally decided he needed to learn more about her if he wanted to win this game. Thatâs all this curiosity was; a necessity. Know thy enemy. Win the war.Â
But he hesitated. Not because he was scared (never that), but because he knew (from experience) that things would not be that simple. Every time he bothered to ask a personal question, no matter how small it seemed, she would turn it right back at him. If he didnât answer, then she didnât. And that was possibly more infuriating than everything else sheâd done over the last however many months theyâd known each other. So, Vergil knew he had to plan ahead. He needed to figure out what to ask that wouldnât give too much of himself away while learning everything he needed to about her. He also had to wait for the rare day that Dante left Devil May Cry, as the last thing Vergil needed was his annoying brother taking over the conversation.Â
So, when Dante finally decided that Vergil was worthy enough (his words, not Vergilâs) to leave alone with Buttercup (Vergil never called her that), Vergil found his chance. And a few hours into the almost pure silence between them, and while she was distracted organizing Danteâs ever growing mound of papers, Vergil struck.
âIâll make a deal with you.â
She nearly toppled at the sound of his voice, much to Vergilâs amusement. âWhat for?â She said as she kicked the file cabinet shut and leaned back in Danteâs chair.Â
âIâll ask you a question,â Vergil said. âAnd if you answer honestly, I will answer the same question in return.â
She snorted. âThatâs a lot of words for âI want to get to know youââ.Â
Vergil scowled. âI believe it was you who said we should learn more about each other to be more efficient in combat.â
That time, she rolled her eyes. âI suggested that we talk once and awhile, yes.â
âThen hereâs your chance.â
She crossed her arms and sighed. âFine, but weâre playing by my rules.â
Playing? How could she possibly know the score Vergil was keeping in his head? âAnd what rules are those?â
âEvery question you ask,â She said as she put one finger in the air. âI get to ask one in return.â
Infuriating. That was the only way to describe her. âWere you not listening?â
âYes and thatâs silly,â She said. âWhy should I only get to ask the questions that you pick?â She shook her head. âThatâs unfair in about every way I can imagine.â
Vergilâs scowl turned to a frown. âThen I get to choose which answers I give.â
âSame here.â
âBut thatâsâŚâ
âNot what you want?â She said. âNot everything is about you, Vergil Sparda.â
He glared at her, trying to ignore the small amount of heat that rushed to his cheeks. âWhy do you insist on using my full name.â
It wasnât until she grinned that he realized his mistake. âInteresting first question,â She hopped out of Danteâs chair and plopped on the couch a bit too close for Vergilâs liking. Though, if he were honest with himself, anywhere on the couch was closer than he wanted anyone else to be, so that wasnât saying much. âA: because I know it gets under your skin and B: because I know you prefer it.â
âPrefer it?â
âTwo questions already?â
He scowled. âThen that should count as one for you.â
Her smile never wavered. âSure Iâll count it. And I see how you react to Danteâs nicknames.â
Vergil swallowed his surprise. âPerceptive.â
âOf course,â She said. âIâm living with two half-demons that can quite literally sense every emotion Iâm feeling without even trying. I have to pay attention to keep up,â She shrugged. âI wonât count that.â
âIt wasnât a question.â
âIndeed.â
Another glare as Vergil prepared for the worst. âYours then.â
âWhatâs your favorite color?â
If he were Dante, he wouldâve fallen right off the couch. Though he also wouldnât be having this conversation to begin with, so maybe it didnât matter. âThatâs your question?â
âYep!â She held up two fingers. âAnd now I get another one.â She shook her head with a chuckle. âYouâre not very good at this game, are you?â
âAnd thatâs a question for me.â
When she laughed, her eyes seemed to sparkle. Curious, Vergil thought. Had they always been like that? He couldnât remember. Had he even heard her laugh before? Yes, he quickly decided. Dante made her laugh all the time.Â
Why did that bother him?
âSo?â She said. âGot an answer? And no, that doesnât count.â
âBlue,â He said. âFigured it was obvious.â
âPurple for me,â She said. âTurquoise if Iâm feeling fancy.â Her head tilted ever so slightly as she met his gaze again. âYour turn.â
Vergilâs mouth went dry, but he shoved any misgivings away. Two could play at this game. âFavorite food?â
âCrispy chicken Caesar salad,â She said. âYou?â
â... Crispy chicken sandwiches.â
âHuh,â She said. âWhy?â
He let that one slide. âIt was my motherâs favorite dinner to make.â
âMakes sense,â She said. Her smile faltered just slightly. âMineâs just⌠healthy.â
Vergil thought he should have some other response for that, but nothing came to him. Instead, he said, âWhere did you learn to fight?â
âThat was technically my turn you know,â She said with a shake of her head. âMy father taught me.â She eyed her over-used and slowly rusting sword in the corner. âI havenât been able to buy a new weapon though.â
âYouâve made plenty off our missions.â
She shook her head. âDante asks for most of it. And who knows what happens if you get between the devil and his pizza.â
Vergilâs eyes narrowed. Heâd have to talk to his brother about âabusing the helpâ. Besides, if anyone had the right to the extra money from these missions, it would be the brother that was forced to go on all of them with her. But Vergil would do that. The poor woman was already stuck in a room across from Danteâs for the foreseeable future. Surely she had plans to leave, even if Dante kept denying it.Â
âWhy do you stay here?â
There was a long pause before she answered. âDanteâs my friend,â She said. âI met him after the whole Temen-ni-gru thing⌠and we just hit it off.â She shrugged. âHe was really lonely back then, and it got even worse after his job on Mallet Island. I started living with him after that.â
âHave you twoâŚâ Vergil trailed off.
âBeen a thing?â
âI suppose.â
She chuckled. âHonestly? No. Itâs never crossed my mind.â She leaned back into the couch and stared up at the ceiling. âIâm not sure if heâs ever thought about it. At least, heâs never brought it up with me,â Her eyes closed, and Vergil found he wanted her to keep talking. Was he actually enjoying this conversation? How? Wasnât it meant to be an interrogation? Wasnât he meant to be in control? âBut now⌠Weâve been friends for almost twenty years and this is the happiest Iâve ever seen him. In the end, I guess all he needed was his brother back.âÂ
A shrill ring startled them both. She moved first, tossing the deskâs phone into the air before hopping onto the desk and grabbing it. It was all very dramatic, but Vergil found he was rather impressed. âDevil May Cry,â She said. Vergil heard a garbled, loud voice before she frowned and said, âSure, Iâll be there in a bit.â She hung up and slid off the desk.Â
âWhere are you going?â Vergil said.Â
âA job,â She said as she grabbed her sword and strapped it to her back. âDonât worry. He said it wasnât that bad.â
Vergil blocked her path. âWhere?â
âI thought you hated me?â
Vergil blinked. âI donâtâŚâ He trailed off as her grin returned.Â
âCheckmate,â She said with a wink. âNow Dante owes me two weeks of backpay.â
â... What?â
She laughed. âI'll tell you later.âÂ
Ko-fi â Master List â AO3
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Face of Humanity - A DMC Fanfic âshortâ teaser
Fandom: Devil May Cry
Characters: Vergil, V, Griffon and Shadow.
Context: This is part of a multi-chapter fanfic I am working on the World of Devil May Cry, that happens shortly after Devil May Cry 5. A new adventure starting with the reawakening of an ancient demon queen. In the events of the story, the man known as âVâ returns, not as a dreg of a half, but as a full living person.
Synopsis: Vergil was curious about seeing the face of his own humanity. And an opportunity presents itself to him.
It seemed like regardless of how hard V brushed, he could not get rid of that lavender dust that would come out from his skin. It was almost like a layer of glittering sand, covering his body at intermittent intervals. Ella had explained to him that would pass, once the Oroth was satisfied with his âcreationâ, but it still felt uncomfortable, as if he was covered in sand.
It itches.
The Oroth.Â
He was confused at this, at his âcreationâ, as Ella had told him. He remembered the Oroth, barely, but he did. He remembered it from a time before Mundus, it was before he - Vergil - fell prey to Mundus and the Demon World. It was before Power meant everything.
He brushed his arms again, causing the sand like mist to fall off, completely, didnât seem like more would form. He watched, at last, the swirling lines of the demons that inhabited the ink on his body.
V followed the lines. He knew them well, but for some reason, he had believed theyâd be gone. Vergil had abandoned the nightmares, had left them behind to battle Dante, he remembered this. So why were they etched to his skin as if they were part of him?
Shouldnât they be gone? Yet again, so should he.
His dark green eyes fell on the cane on the room and he wondered if they were related to the cane. But it was simple metal, even if now it was infused with the blood of the Oroth. Could it be for the blood of Vergil? Could it be that regardless of how much he accepted his nightmares, he could never truly get rid of them? And as V relied so heavily on them for his own survival, did the Oroth replicated them on his skin?
V shivered, hugging himself as he paced impatiently in the small room that Ella had given him. The night breeze slipping through the cracked glass of the windows, bringing with it the moonlight. The white light reflected on the sandy mist that stubbornly continued to seep of his body, and he sighed.Â
Seemed like the Oroth was not yet fully satisfied. So he brushed the sand off again, that was starting the fade away, apparently completely once more. Â
He wondered how much more of the compound was cracked and ruined from the actions of the Cultists.
At least Iâm not lavender anymore, V thought to himself. He heard the cackling of Griffon on the depths of his mind and tried to cast the demon silent. It burst out of the ink, laughing maniacally as it landed on the empty dresser on the room.
âLook at you, all flustered and upset! Dear princess, do you need help?â Griffon laughed mockingly.
The bird was still the same, for the most part. Black and blue, that devious glare, though the edges of his feathers seemed tainted of white.
Suddenly V heard the door rattle and stepped back, Griffon yelped and disappeared back into the ink, his cackling on the back of Vâs mind.Â
The door was opened back and V felt his breath get caught on his throat and his posture stiffened as he was met by cold blue eyes, white hair cleanly pushed back. Vergilâs scowl fell on him and V froze in place. That was the last person V would ever think to see staring him in the eyes that was not through a mirror glass.Â
Vergil scoffed, shaking his head. On his hands he held clothing and he walked in, placing the clothes on the bed, constantly followed and watched by Vâs frightened eyes.
He cast me out? No. Then it would be âUrizenâ, not Vergil.
âQuit glaring at me,â Vergil growled and V flinched.
âYou donât frighten me anymore,â V mumbled.
âI donât?â Vergil turned to face him and walked over to him.
V stepped back as Vergil leaned forward, causing V to stagger back uneasily, his legs wobbly, and he wasnât sure if it was fear or if it was his weakened state from his forced premature creation.
âFor someone not frightened by my mere presence, you reek of fear,â Vergil grinned giving V one push.
Though it was a small push, it felt like V had just been slammed back, and he lost his footing, falling flat on his back with a loud grunt and thud. Instantly from the ink Shadow burst forth, standing protectively between V and Vergil, but not attacking, as if the nightmare still held loyalty to Vergil but was not about to let Vergil harm its host. V slowly sat up, holding his body up with his elbows, as he looked up to meet Vergilâs freezing glare, feeling as if all air had been pushed out of his body.
Vergil watched him, crossing his arms. His expression was unreadable. Lips pursed to a thin line, brow relaxed, eyes cold and attentive.Â
âElla sent those clothes for you,â Vergil spoke, startling V. âI took the liberty of choosing them.â
To that V lifted a confused brow. At his surprised expression, Vergil shook his head and turned his back on V, starting to unfold and set out the clothes, not aiding the man up.Â
Instead, Shadow got closer to the green-eyed man, and holding onto her, V sluggishly got up, his legs trembling uneasily. He reached for his cane for support.
âThey resemble the ones Griffon first picked for you when I⌠got rid of you,â Vergil explained. âThough these ones have a bit more tact.â
Vergil looked at him over his shoulder. Not taking his eyes from him, V walked over to the bed. Vergil handed him the clothes. A white cotton shirt, with puffy sleeves, black slacks, the black sandals, and a long dark vest very similar to the one he wore before, with the same inside pockets, held together by nicely crafted strings, and that strange corset-like vest up front. It was almost identical.Â
The accessories were also similar, and V wondered why Vergil had gone through so much trouble.
Remembering something, V reached for his neck, touching the pendant he wore, the tooth and black leather string and then looked at his left middle finger, to the thick silver ring. He didnât remember putting them on. The last memories he shared with Vergil told him these items, the pendant and ring, had been buried under the Oroth.Â
Was that why he had them on? The Oroth returned them to him? It certainly gave him back the cane.
Being met again by Vergilâs attentive glance, V took the clothes and sat on the bed, slowly putting them on.
âThank you,â he mumbled, not meeting Vergilâs watchful eyes.
The whole process of putting his clothes on, Vergil watched him, leaving V feeling more and more uncomfortable on an almost voyeuristic level. He was half tempted in asking the man to leave, but he was also afraid what that could result, and in his weakened state, he feared he proved little of a threat for Vergil.
âYouâre missing your underwear,â Vergil pointed out. V looked up at him confused.Â
âUnderwear,â Vergil repeated pointing.
V looked at the pair on boxers over the bed as he closed the belt of his pants and starting to tie the strings of his vest. Vergil lifted a brow and grinned. The first time V hadnât worn any, and this time he honestly hadnât considered it.
V didnât know what to think or say. Had he gone insane? Had he been split again and the trauma of it driven him through the looking glass?Â
He couldnât understand what was going on, or why he was even staring at Vergil.
âWe-... you-â V tried to start, not meeting Vergilâs harsh glare. âDid we... split?â
âHow much of my memories do you share?â Vergil asked instead.
He knew the answer to his own question, he realized at Vergilâs question. The Oroth was responsible for him being here. He wasnât split. He was born, forcibly so, and prematurely too. That was why his body was so frail. The Oroth had created him, but what did that mean?
Ellaâs words echoed in his memory as if they had been spoken to V and not to Vergil.
You owe someone an apology Vergil, and that someone is you.
âHow do you apologize to your human heart, for callously throwing it out as if it was trash?â
If you cannot apologize to them, then give the apology to the Oroth, she will give the apology in your stead.
âEverything,â V confessed, casting back the memories.
Vergil walked to stand in front of V and kneed down so he was at eye level with the man.Â
Blue eyes met green eyes.
âSo this is the face of my humanity,â Vergil said simply. âThis is the half I hold within me. The half I threw out for it was heavy chains that bound my soul.â
V looked away, balling his hands into fists over his thighs. His body trembled as pain flooded through his every sense.Â
Heavy chain that does freeze my bones.Â
Was he there just to remind him that he didnât want him? Was that-
No, no. That didnât make sense.
How do you apologize to your human heart. He remembered that he remembered Vergil feeling that, thinking that, actually speaking it to Ella.
âI was curious to look at you,â Vergil continued. âYou look so very different from me, it is frightening. Yet so similar. Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror?â
âYes...â V answered, meeting his eyes.
Vergil smiled, for Vâs surprise, though it was a frightening grin in his opinion.
âLook yourself in the mirror for me. Thereâs one in the bathroom,â Vergil ordered.
Supporting himself on the cane, V walked over to the bathroom and did as he was told. He looked at his own tired reflection. His hair was black from the ink of his familiars, chin length, parted to the left. His features were completely different from Vergilâs, not as harsh or stoic, softer actually, younger even. His eyes were green, instead of the blue that marked Vergil, Dante and even Nero.
You remind me I can be human, the memory spoke. He laid in bed, and she smiled at him. Green eyes, blond hair, soft smile. Her lips were pink, and she was the most beautiful woman heâd ever seen. She reminded him of his mother, the same kind smile, the smile that left behind.
But Ellaâs eyes were green. And that was exactly what Vergil loved about her, her smile, her green eyes.
V held himself on the sink, as he crashed back into reality, his head pounding.
âYou couldnât be any more different from me,â Vergil stood at the doorway. âEverything you do, or have, that even resembles me is mine. Including your memories. Youâre a copy. Actually, not even a copy. Youâre more like a failed replica.â
Griffon, who had been cackling as the background noise on his mind tell the moment, amused at the idea of Vergil himself chewing through V, fell quiet. Deadly so. Each word of Vergil cut into him to the point V had stopped breathing and could only hear the pounding of his heart on his head.Â
Breathe, Shakespeare. Griffon kindly reminded him. And V started breathing shallowly. His body reacting to the words violently.
Why was he here? He wasnât supposed to be here. He saw it through.
Heavy chain that does freeze my bones.
A hand landed on his shoulder and with a startle V turned around on his heels, pushing Vergil back and staggering. His legs gave up under him and he nearly fell if Vergil hadnât caught him by the wrist, holding him upright with eyes wide in concern. The cane fell to the ground clattering.
âW-why are you saying these things to me?â V asked pulling free from Vergilâs as his expression reverted to that cold seriousness that was normal of him.
V held himself on the sink. âHave you not- Do you despise me so?â
âI used to,â Vergil confessed, silencing V completely. Vergil kneeled down and grabbed the cane, handing it to V.
V stared at it, wide-eyed, not knowing if he should take it or not. Vergil just held it out, watching V, his expression as devoid of emotion as before, waiting.
Frowning, V snatched the cane from his grasp, as his initial fear and panic were replaced by overpowering anger. Anger that Vergil knew so well.
Was I not worth saving?
She went looking for you, and it was that that killed her. Danteâs voice echoed in his ears. Words spoken to Urizen, to Vergil, but not to V. Because the demon mattered, the whole did, not not the petty small humanity. No one care for him. They left him behind, dying, literally falling apart and if it wasnât Nero...
Was he really so meaningless to Vergil that he wasnât even worth the energy Vergil would spend on any meaningful form of expression?
Vergil suddenly spoke: âI was misguided in my beliefs. I thought that I needed to cast you out in order to reach the power I needed, but by doing it, I only made myself an easy adversary and threw myself at defeat.â
âWhat is this? What are you doing?â V asked, anger lacing his words.
âI nearly killed my own son for my madness,â Vergil continued. âAnd I nearly killed myself too. You, in this case. And you are a part of who I am. A half can never reach the potential of the whole.â
V watched him, his anger replaced by confusion. Vergil sighed as if he was having difficulty expressing himself, and for a second V knew exactly what he was doing.Â
He was apologizing!
He wouldnât say sorry, that would be admitting his weakness, and that wasnât who Vergil was. Perhaps that was who V was, but not Vergil. Not once Vergil would admit he was sorry, but he was truly sorry and V knew it, because V could feel it.Â
V could remember it. That was why he buried the pendant, the ring. He didnât expect to apologize to V, so he hoped the Oroth would instead.
âElla told me, if I offered the memory of you to the Oroth, I could tell you- I couldâŚâ Vergil stopped himself when V stepped towards him.
How do you apologize to your human heart?
âI didnât plan to meet you so soon, especially not with you holding my memories, or staring at me with such anger. You were supposed to be made new, completely new memories, new life. A chance to have what both me and my son never did. Not neglected, abused or unwanted...â
âIt wasnât supposed to be like this,â Vergil confessed. âBut, the situation required you to join the fight sooner.â
âI am to blame for your incomplete creation, as I am the one who told him to stab the tree with your cane. If he hadnât stabbed the Oroth, it would have taken it years, maybe decades, for it to create you.â
V simply watched in silence. He knew the nightmares were as attentive to what Vergil was saying as V himself was, and it was the strangest thing V ever felt.Â
This silence. And his chest actually ached, a clenching pain that persisted throughout his very breathe.
âI know,â V nodded. You were afraid. Vergil was scared, for Ella, for Nero, heck, even for Dante. He would never admit it, but V knew it. For that was the final memory. Vergilâs fear.
V didnât dare speak that part out. He suspected if he did heâd only spark Vergilâs aggression, and Vergil was already having a hard time dealing with the guilt that flooded his very posture.
âWhat I mean to say is⌠What I mean to tell you, to tell myself is,â and he took a deep breath as if preparing to let out this small piece of vulnerability, of humanity.
âYou didnât deserve what I did to you. You were worth more than the worth I gave you. I understand that now. I could never hope to defeat Dante, not without being my whole self.â
And for this, I am genuinely sorry.
Vergil didnât speak those last words, but they were as clear to V as they were to Vergil himself. And somehow, despite the relief he felt from this, from this knowledge, from this sudden sense of worth, from the value of this apology, V also felt his entire world come crashing down.
And all it took, was for Griffon ask, in the back of his mind:
âYou know the real V is inside him, right? Real Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare were destroyed by Dante and the real V is in there. Which makes me wonder: What are we? Ghosts? Copies? Replicas? What are you? V?â
V trembled, his breathing laboured and he turned his back to the mirror, holding himself on the sink.
âWhat does this make me?â V asked. âI⌠V⌠your humanity. It is part of you. I am not him, am I? I am something made by the Oroth from your identity, from his identity. A failed replica, as you said? Is that what am I?â
âOnly you can answer that, V,â Vergil admitted. âThe Oroth has made you your own self. You donât need me to exist, or Urizen.â
V looked at him.
âUrizen... Is that how you called him, how you called me? The Book of Urizen. ... Like a human heart struggling and beating, the vast world of Urizen appearâd.â
And Vergil grinned. âFitting. Of course the shadow of my memories would pick that name. It was my favourite book, truth be told. Mother gave it to me.â
âAnd you gave it to Nero.â
âYou wanted me to, didnât you?â Vergil asked to which V nodded.
âHe was the only one who helped me get to Urizen, get to you,â V answered closing his eyes. âIf he did not, weâd both be dead.â
The silence extended between the two, but they shared that one thought. Neroâs humanity was what made them both realize the worth of themselves. It was what ultimately saved them, twice over.
âFinish getting dressed, V. Ella wants to meet you, the crew too,â Vergil turned his back then stopped, looking back at V.
âBy the way,â he started. V looked up at him. âThat that you are feeling right now is called anxiety. I advise you to calm down or youâre going to throw up or pass out. Take your pick.â
With a quite devious grin, Vergil left. And V leaned over his cane, covering his face, pushing the bangs of his hair back, the way he always did, the way Vergil always did.
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Into the Spardaverse 3 - A Tale of Two Worlds
Donte and Dante talk, Cassandra and Reboot Vergil talk, lots of talking but expect some action in the next chapter.
Fandom: Devil May Cry, DmC (Devil may Cry) Characters: Dante, Reboot Dante, Vergil, Reboot Vergil, OC Tags: @nimnox @furyeclipse @synchronmurmurs @harlot-of-oblivion @queenmuzz
Summary: Dante and Cassandra hear the tale of the brothers of Limbo City.Â
Dante looked around the safehouse the punk found for them. It seemed to have once been a nice apartment but now it was in ruins, sprayed with sigils and spells to deter demons by someone who came here before them. In the presence of them, he could feel a slight tingling. It was similar to Cassandra, when she summoned the orbs of light to either light the way or burn off the face of a demon. It never burned, at least not enough to slow him down, but it always kept him focused on the task at hand.Â
âHey.â The punkâs voice rattled him from his thoughts. He looked back to him, seeing what looked like a salvaged bag of food set out on the tiny table. There were a couple cans of tuna, some mayonnaise condiment packages, some sliced bread, and plastic utensils. The punk had taken an orange from the bag and was quietly peeling it open. Dante frowned at what was available, a frown that made the punk huff in irritation. âLook, if youâre gonna keep on going to find your sis, youâre going to need to eat.âÂ
âNo pizza?â He asked, walking over to the worn couch and flopping down.Â
âNope.â The punk crossed his arms. âHavenât had pizza in years.âÂ
âJeez, what kind of life do you live?â Dante huffed, opening one of the cans and mixing the mayonnaise with the tuna. âNext thing you know, youâre gonna tell me you havenât had strawberry sundaes.â
âBleh, strawberries. Donât like em.âÂ
âWhat!?â Dante stared at him. âTheyâre the best thing ever!âÂ
âI donât like the seeds. They get everywhere and itâs distracting.â The punk replied. âI prefer oranges anyway, especially in orange sherbet.â He added, taking an orange slice and popping it into his mouth. Dante made a face, thankful that he didnât turn out like this punk. He couldnât fathom a life without his beloved sundaes. He quickly made a sandwich of tuna and mayo and chomped in, wincing at the taste. It wasnât pizza...but it would do for now.Â
âSo, kid, how long have you been hunting demons?â Dante asked between bites.Â
â...since I was a kid. I was tossed around from place to place, fighting off demons that hunted me down.â Dante noticed the softness in his tone. His hand reached up to hold a necklace, rubbing the red jewel. Dante could only presume that it was the Perfect Amulet, in another form. âEverywhere I was sent to, there were always demons trying to kill me.âÂ
âAinât that a familiar story.â Dante mused, staring at the punk.Â
âWhat was your mom like?â The punk asked suddenly, rousing Dante from his thoughts.Â
âWhat?âÂ
âYour mom. Weâre obviously more alike beyond looks and names.â The punk said, sitting up to face him properly. Dante took another bite of the sandwich.
âWell...only if you go first.â He waved his hand. He could feel the scowl that the punk was throwing at him before he let out a sigh.Â
âMy mom was an angel.â He said softly. âFrom what I remember, she held off Mundusâ armies as long as she could while Dad fled with us.âÂ
âWait, Sparda was with you?â Dante interjected. âLucky. My dad was never with us when...that happened.â He winced at the memory of smoke and flames, of the final scream from the mother he wasnât strong enough to save. âNor was Verge.â He raised an eyebrow at the punk. âSpeaking of himâŚâÂ
âWhat about your mom.â The punk hissed. It seemed that the topic of Vergil was a sore subject, not that Dante could blame him. For years, Vergil was a subject that he didnât want to think of, especially after what happened on Mallet Island. Dante let out a sigh.
âOk, ok. My momâŚâ He closed his eyes, pushing past the memories of ash and smoke and blood. âShe was a witch, as I recall. Familiars, potions, the whole shabang. Donât really remember my dad much...I think he visited a few times before he just...disappeared. Everybody talks about him like heâs the hottest shit that ever walked around. Hell, even a whole town worshiped him like a god.â He chuckled at the thought of Fortuna. The punk listened quietly, shifting in his seat.Â
âThe Sparda I know...that I remember, he was just a really good swordsman.â
âSounds like some things never change.âÂ
âHe used to be kicking until recently...until the Demon King found him and killed him.â Dante winced at that. Some things never changed indeed. âI wanted to meet him, before he died, butâŚâ He let out a sigh. âSo much for that. Shit.â He hissed.Â
âI understand that feeling kid.â Dante finished the sandwich and stood, walking to the window. âThereâs a lot I wanna say to my old man, a lot I wanna ask...but I canât.â He sighed, leaning against the windowsill. He looked down the street and blinked, watching as a tiny golden butterfly fluttered down the street. It stood out from the bleakness of Limbo City. He smiled, knowing exactly what that butterfly was. He held out his hand, letting the spectral butterfly land in his palm. His hand bloomed with warmth, reminding him of the sun that was shrouded behind grey and green clouds. He looked up, out the window, and felt a sense of direction. It was northward...and it was nearby. An image of a mansion flashed in his mind, guarded by a gatekeeper made of twisted metal and appearing like an angel. A flicker of his own demonic energy melded with the butterfly, giving its wings a bright-red glow.Â
âWhat was that?â He heard the punk ask behind him.Â
âThe way me and my sis communicate, if one of us is in danger.â He said, letting it flutter away. âI know where she is.â He pointed out the window. âUp that street, a couple lefts, and weâll end up at a big ole mansion. Thatâs where she is.â The punk let out a frustrated sigh. âHm?â
âSheâs at The Demon Kingâs Palace. Fucking great.âÂ
âSo, weâre going to kick the ass of a jackass?â Dante laughed dryly, looking back to the punk. The laugh died off at the sight of him, looking more vulnerable than he ever saw. There was also the fact that he hadnât seen Vergil at all, neither his own brother or the brother he knew the punk had.Â
âThat jackass...is my brother.âÂ
âJeez. Everything just has to get more complicated.â Dante muttered, running a hand through his silvery-white hair. It didnât help that the Demon King was the punkâs brother...who slew their father as well, he could never see Vergil doing that. It was those thoughts that he mulled over. In the distance, he swore he saw a blur of neon blue, like lightning across the cloud-covered sky. He smirked and stood up.
âCome on kid, weâre gonna meet someone at jackassâ mansion.â
âWho?â The punk quickly got up.
âMy brother.â Â
---
Cassandra hummed softly, watching the orb of sunlight she summoned bounce around at the mere gesture of her hand. While this little bitch that called himself Vergil was searching for her Dante and Vergil, she was passing the time as his prisoner. She had settled herself on the edge of the bed but dared not take a nap. It was too risky, especially with the Demon King lurking in the very walls of the mansion that was his palace. She had no idea how the demons of Limbo City operated, if even sleeping in their realm would damn her to a hundred years of slumber.Â
âWhen all else fails, assume their rules are the same as the Fair Folk.â She thought. The handle of the door twisted before opening, revealing Vergil entering her prison cell of a bedroom. Behind him was a demon on spindly legs, holding a tray of tea. She stared at the demon, unsure how to react to it aside from disgust.Â
âWhat are you doing here?â She asked, struggling to sound as neutral as possible.Â
âMy agents are seeking out your allies, Rose. It will not be long before they come.â An unsettling grin crept on his face. âAnd with their arrival, they shall be destroyed.â She noticed his unsettling confidence, as if he knew they would be crushed by him. Did he know what the Dante and Vergil she knew held? Did the power of Sin Devil Trigger exist in this world? Or was it impossible, a lofty unreachable standard? She didnât dare ask, not wanting to spoil the powers she knew they had, to catch the Demon King off guard.Â
âSoâŚâ She hummed, glancing around the walls. âNice sigils you got on the walls. Are they supposed to do anything?â Vergil looked at her in surprise. He carefully pulled off his gloves, walking over to her. She stood up, backing away from him. âWhat are you doing!?â He took her hand, ignoring her recoil from the touch.Â
âPerhaps you are no angelâŚâ Cassandra bit back a scathing comment, trying to tug her hand out of his. He let go after a few moments, Cassandra quickly pulling her hand close to her. âWould you like tea?â And he had the gall to ask if she wanted tea!? He gestured to the demon who had been standing in the room. The demon looked towards her, tilting itâs faceless head.Â
â...no thank you.â She whispered, trying to keep her voice even. She dared not ask about his mother, she was certain either Mundus killed her or he did it himself. âI...I donât have the appetite at the moment.âÂ
âSuit yourself, Rose.â He sighed and stepped back, walking to the demon. He picked up a teacup and began to sip the tea. Cassandra stared at her hand, gently rubbing the skin. She didnât dare try to activate her healing Crest, not wanting to attract any more of his attention than she already had. âWho were your parents?â Vergil asked. She frowned.Â
âSoren and Eos Greensleeve. If youâre asking if they were human or not, they were human as far as I was aware.âÂ
âWas?âÂ
âTheyâre dead.â Another half-truth. Stella was dead and Nyx was dead to her. Vergil hummed quietly at the news.
âMy condolences. I know what it is like to lose your parents.â She raised an eyebrow at that.Â
âEva...and Sparda, correct?â
âYou know of them?â He asked, turning to face her. She swallowed.Â
âIâve heard of them, how Eva sacrificed herself to save her sons. Spardaâs last gift, Rebellion and Yamato...all rumors and legends. I wonder how Sparda would react, seeing his son as the Demon King?â Â
âQuite interesting that you speak of a dead demon, a demon who did not bend to my will. It was a shame I had to kill Sparda.â Cassandra stared at him, her body frozen from shock. âHe was half-mad from Mundusâ torture, it was a mercy to kill him.âÂ
âYou speak of mercy but I doubt you were ever capable of it.â She whispered. âYou only killed him because you could do it.â The look she got from that, a look of casual disinterest in her shock, told her more than he could ever say.Â
âThis bitch is a fucking madman!â She thought, narrowing her eyes at him. She wished she could run from the Demon King, she wanted to, but she had to wait for a distraction from the outside. Preferably named Dante, but any distraction would do at this point. She noticed he was walking away from the window, to the door.Â
âWhere are you going?âÂ
âTo the library. I will find out who you are, Rose. You may not be the angel I originally pinned you to be but you are someone of interest. I just need to find out who.â The spindly demon trotted after him docily, stepping out of the room before Vergil closed the door and locked it.Â
âYou wonât find out, because I donât belong here.â Cassandra thought, walking to the window. âAnd by the time you figure it out, Iâm gonna be kicking your ass.â She opened the window, watching as a blue spectral butterfly fluttered to her. She smiled at the sight, taking it into her hand. âMake that both of us, you little bitch.â
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