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The Devil May Cry shop was in complete disarray. One of the couches had been shoved aside. Towels were everywhere. Nero had nearly kicked the front door off its hinges trying to carry supplies in fast enough, and Dante looked like he was two seconds away from having a full spiritual collapse.

“You said we had more time!” he stressed.

“How was I supposed to know?!” you shot back.

“I had a PLAN!”

“You don’t even plan lunch, idiot!”

“That’s DIFFERENT!” he points in your face.

"If you don't get that damn finger out of my face, I'm going to bite. it. OFF!" you snapped

Across the room, Nero looked deeply, deeply uncomfortable as he held an armful of blankets.

“I’m gonna be honest,” he said carefully, “I fight demons better than I handle… this.”

“You’re doing great,” Kyrie assured him gently.

Kyrie, unlike every other person in the room, actually looked calm. Competent, even. Which currently made her the most powerful person in the building. Meanwhile, Vergil stood near the jukebox with his arms crossed, somehow looking exactly as composed as always. Which was irritating.

“Why is he calm?” You pointed at him accusingly.

Vergil regarded you evenly. “Panicking would not improve the situation.”

Dante looked borderline offended. “Okay, well, sorry for loving my wife.”

“I did not say otherwise.”

“You implied it.” Dante argued.

“I implied you are loud.”

Another contraction hit before Dante could argue back.

“Oh okay- nope! forget him- holy shit your demon baby is trying to rip me apart!!”

Dante immediately dropped to your side again. “Hey, hey, hey- look at me.”

You grabbed his hand hard enough to threaten circulation. He let you. Actually, correction- he squeezed back immediately, thumb rubbing anxiously over your knuckles while he looked at you like he’d fight the universe itself if it would make this easier.

“You’re okay,” he said quickly.

“You don’t know that.”

“Right, sorry, bad wording. You’re... uh... strong?”

“That sounded stupid.” You gave him a look. “It sounded very stupid.”

“Okay, yeah, I heard it after I said it.”

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Dante had been unbearable for the entire pregnancy. Protective in the most irritating ways possible. You reached for something on a high shelf once and this man practically teleported across the room.

“I got it.”

“…I can reach that.”

“Yeah, but what if you fall?” he said.

“It’s a shelf, Dante.” you sighed.

“People die from shelves probably.”

you rolled your eyes. “No, they don’t.”

“You don’t know that.” he argued.

And don’t even get started on the cravings. At two in the morning, you’d muttered that strawberries sounded good. Dante had crashed through the shop door like a man on a divine mission. Three hours later, he returned dramatically covered in rain, holding up one slightly crushed carton.

“I have succeeded.” he smiled to himself.

Vergil took one look at him and said, “You appear feral.”

“I went to three stores.”

“You could have waited until morning.” Vergil said simply.

“She wanted strawberries now.” he shrugged like that explained everything. To Dante it did.

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Now, though, the reality was finally hitting him. You’d never seen him this stressed. Not against demons. Not during fights. Not even when he and Vergil nearly killed each other over stupid brother issues. But this? This had him pacing holes into the floor between contractions while Kyrie repeatedly tried to make him sit down.

“Dante,” she said patiently, “you are making her more anxious.”

“I’m not trying to!”

“You’re yelling.” Kyrie answered.

“I’m emotionally invested!”

“You’re spiraling.”

“I KNOW.” he shouted.

At one point, Kyrie asked Nero to boil water and he stared at her like she’d handed him a nuclear bomb.

“…How?”

Kyrie blinked. “…On... the stove?”

“Right. Yeah. Right.”

Vergil exhaled quietly through his nose.

“I share blood with this man,” he told himself. “Remarkable.”

“Oh, shut up.” Nero called.

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Hours later, you were exhausted and Dante looked worse.

“You look terrible,” you told him weakly.

“I’m stressed.”

“You’re stressed?!” you shouted.

“I’m emotionally supporting you!”

“You almost passed out earlier!”

“In my defense, there was a lot happening!” he huffed out.

“You fight giant monsters!”

“Yeah, but they’re not our baby!”

That shut the room up for a second. Even Vergil glanced over. Dante rubbed a hand over his face immediately after, clearly realizing how emotional he sounded.

“…Man,” he muttered quietly, “I really love this kid already.”

Your expression softened instantly. Oh, there he was. Not the cocky hunter. Not the loud idiot. Just Dante. Your Dante. Terrified and excited and trying so hard to hold himself together for you. You reached for his hand again, this time more gently.

“C’mere.”

He moved immediately.

You tugged him down enough to press your forehead against his.

“You’re doing okay,” you murmured.

Dante laughed weakly. “Pretty sure I’m not.”

“You are.” you insisted.

Another contraction interrupted before he could answer. Immediately his entire expression shifted again.

“Okay, okay- breathing right- uhhh-” he stuttered through his words.

You started laughing despite yourself. “Dante.”

“What?!”

“You’re panicking harder than me.”

“I KNOW.”

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A cry filled the shop, and everything stopped completely. Dante froze. You froze. The whole room just… paused. Kyrie carefully placed the baby into your arms and Dante stared like he couldn’t fully process what he was seeing. A small head of white hair and tiny vibrant blue irises looking right back at him.

“…Whoa,” he whispered.

You looked down, exhausted and emotional and completely overwhelmed all at once. Tiny. So tiny. Dante slowly sat beside you like sudden movements might somehow break reality.

“That’s…” He swallowed hard. “That’s our girl?”

You laughed softly. “Yeah, idiot.”

His eyes never left her, and for maybe the first time in his life Dante Sparda had absolutely nothing clever to say. He just looked wrecked by love.

Behind you, Vergil spoke quietly. “…The child has your eyes.”

Dante blinked rapidly like he’d just remembered other people existed.

“RIGHT?!” he said immediately, emotional devastation gone in a split second. “Did you see that? That’s MY kid!”

Vergil looked unimpressed. “You contributed biologically. Do not become arrogant.”

“I’m gonna teach her sword tricks.”

“You will wait until she can stand.” you said.

“She’s already strong, I can tell.”

“She is six minutes old, babe.” you stated.

“She’s got potential.”

You groaned tiredly.

Kyrie laughed softly from nearby while Nero looked like he still hadn’t emotionally recovered from the experience. "Kyrie please promise me we won't do this to ourselves."