onyxroses

Your steps fall lightly on the wooden planks, all in an attempt to sneak into the infirmary while everyone lies asleep. And you are hoping the Phoenix lies awake as you have discovered recently. Your hand grips the handle to the door and twists slowly, easing the hinges open just enough to let your body slip through. Looking towards the archway, a warm light hid behind the wall, and that was the only sign you needed. 

“What are you doing awake at this hour?” Joshua spoke in a hushed tone at first, almost standing up before you rushed over to him to put a hand on his shoulder to convince him to stay. “I could ask you the same.” You smiled lightly, you stood in front of his sitting form, his shirt loosely fitting his frame. The purple scar he bore no longer hiding beneath the shirt; it made you ache, an impending doom that you could not control regardless of its proximity. 

“Did you come to stand there idly and stare?” Joshua questioned you as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at you. His eyes looked tired, but he was awake nonetheless. “Much to your dismay, I did not, Phoenix.” You sat down on the mattress next to him, his eyes followed you the entire time, much like a Phoenix , you thought.  “Then may I ask why you came to visit?” Joshua’s face did not look annoyed in the slightest, and if you were to guess, he was almost teasing you, almost .  “I- Well, I figured if I could not sleep, you must share the same burden, given that your duties are far greater than my own.” Joshua’s eyes moved from you to somewhere else in the room, and you were trying to avoid this topic for that reason. “Ah, I did not intend to bring that up, I’m sure you’ve heard that countless times.”  Your hands sat in your lap, feeling anxious in the tension you had accidentally built.  “It would be far more unlikely to not hear something similar within a day.” Joshua’s gaze still did not return to you, his eyes looking out the small window. You did the same, as your eyes stared at the dull, cloudy night sky that has plagued the heavens since the fall of Drake’s Tail. “I don’t suppose you’d like to talk about…” You started to turn your head towards Joshua, and his eyes had been trained on your face, and the warmth that engulfed his face was unexpected, to say the least. You had just caught the Phoenix staring at you .  “I apologize, I-“ “Don’t apologize, Joshua.” Your voice was just above a whisper, then as you looked into his eyes, searching for something, you felt his skin on your own. His hand lightly plucked one of your hands from your lap, holding it carefully, he turned his body to face you before speaking.

“Then if I have nothing to apologize for…” His absent hand cupped the side of your face as his lips met yours, your heart was hammering in your chest so hard you feared he might have heard it. Joshua hesitated, and before he could pull away completely, you chased his lips with your own, maybe out of fear he would regret it if it came to an end too quickly. His body stiffened for just a moment before relaxing once again as the kiss you shared with him was feverish, but where you had anticipated desperation, passion- Joshua’s passion- took its place. That was something you were not aware that the Phoenix had for you. Your hand searched for a purchase and settled for his neck, where his soft blonde hair touched your fingers. Joshua slowly pulled away, as if he were fighting his own will. His eyelids weighed heavily, with the slightest warmth on his skin. This was the last thing you would’ve guessed to happen before entering the infirmary, and you were not disappointed. The fluttering that filled your chest was relentless, the longer his skin was on yours, regardless of the amount of skin touching.  “I… I don’t know what to say.” Your words left your mouth almost shaky, as Joshua let go of your hand. “You should be calling me selfish.” Joshua’s words shocked you. Before you could speak, he continued. “I should not lead you on when I cannot be certain what the future holds for me.” The weight of those words did not elude you, and what he truly meant was a far darker reality he did not want to come to terms with, not just yet.

“Oh, you are a fool, Joshua Rosfield.” He looked up at you suddenly, “How can any of us be certain of the future? I’m not sure I want to know of the future, as long as I don’t regret the present, I think I’ll be just fine.” Joshua’s expression softened as he realized what you were saying. He turned his head, looking out the same window just for a moment before returning to you,  “If that is what my lady values, then I am happy to oblige.” The warm smile on Joshua’s face was more than enough to make you forget the weight of responsibilities, even briefly.

You leaned closer to Joshua, leaving a kiss on his lips- and before he could chase you, you put a hand on his chest, halting his advances, “Have you taken your medicine tonight, my Lord?” Joshua rolled his eyes- the ever-so-elegant Lord Rosfield just rolled his eyes!  “You can be exceptionally cruel at times, my lady.”  Joshua held back a smile that threatened to crack his facade, you noticed this almost immediately. “Oh, forgive me for wanting to save my skin when it comes to Tarja and Jote’s wrath.” Joshua then let the smile that had been threatening to crack fall on his face. “I suppose you would be correct, and do not worry, I already took my medicine for the night.” He squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner. “Good, then I should let you rest, I already feel guilty enough keeping you up for this long.” Before you stood, you left a quick peck on Joshua’s cheek before rising to your feet. You began to make your first step out of the room before you felt the grip of his hand around your wrist. “May I ask of a favour, my lady?” Joshua looked up at you from the bed he still sat upon. 

“Yes, what is it?” You replied, a little nervous, even though you just kissed the man.  “Would you stay with me tonight?” The face you made must’ve been far more shocked than you intended, and Joshua couldn’t help but laugh. “What- Why are you laughing?” You looked at him worried, praying you didn’t have something on your face- no, Joshua would not laugh at that. “Your expression- I apologize for laughing. You looked as if you saw a ghost.” He let out another chuckle as your face relaxed after your realization. You crossed your arms across your chest, “I was just asked by Lord Rosfield if I wanted to stay in his bed to keep him company , excuse me if I was a little surprised.” Regardless of how well you feigned your defensiveness, Joshua saw right through it.

“Joshua, please. My title means very little these days.” Joshua replied, followed by your sigh, which came out a little louder than intended, “I was teasing you.”  “As you often do.”  “Only because you do the same.” You defended yourself, as Joshua chuckled, “I would never do such a thing.” He knew he was lying, and you knew as well.  “Liar.” You accused him, leaning down closer to his face and poking his shoulder. And Joshua saw a weakness in his opponent and swiftly took that chance. He pulled you onto him as his lips crashed with yours as you let out a surprised yelp, shocked at his sudden show of strength. Your limbs became a tangled mess between Joshua’s as one of his elbows held his weight against the bed, and the other threaded through your hair. Between heated breaths and hungry kisses, you could barely hold up your weight any longer, you let your weight fall onto Joshua’s thigh, which had been between your legs. 

Stifling the noise that almost left your lips, you parted ways with Joshua, a trail of saliva leaving evidence. You felt your cheeks get impossibly warm and your heart beat impossibly faster, you did not mean to get in such a position with Joshua- you hadn't even meant to kiss him! He also had the same flustered look upon his face, and now neither of you wanted to say a wor,d but all too nervous to go any further than your already precarious situation.  “I…” Joshua paused to think, “This was not the sort of company I implied when I had asked you.” You stared at him, a feeling of anxiety swept over you, you knew you would’ve overstepped his boundaries- “But please do not think it is unwelcome.” Joshua squeezed your hand that had been resting on his chest.  “It may just have to wait a little longer. Until I can treat you properly, my lady.” He took your hand in his own and kissed the back of your hand so gently you weren’t sure he had even made contact with your skin.

“And you want me to address you with your first name all while acting like such a gentleman.”  You giggle as you move off his lap to sit next to him on the bed, and as tiny as the mattress was you manage to squeeze next to him.  “I question your choice of company if you think my actions are gentlemanly .” Joshua turned his head to look at you next to him. Your cheeks were still warm, and he couldn’t help but find that adorable.  “Perhaps it is not your choice of company, but your lack of company- judging by the blush on your cheeks.” If you were not looking at him, it would’ve been clear by the tone of voice that he was smiling the entire time he was speaking. Oh, and if that didn’t make your face heat up even further, you’re not sure what would. You only groaned before pulling your knees to your chest and hiding your face from him. You heard him laugh next to you- you could feel him laugh next to you.  “I will stop, I swear it.” Joshua offered a promise, you peeked out of your little hiding place between your knees, his face was even more beautiful than just a second ago. A smile was kept on his face, a content, happy smile. 

He kissed your forehead before readjusting himself to lie on the bed, inviting you to lie down with him. You quickly unlaced your boots and joined him under a thin blanket. The night was cold, but Joshua’s warmth kept it at bay. You lay your head on his chest, your face next to the crystal embedded into his skin. Joshua’s hand came up to move his shirt to cover it.  “I apologize, it can be quite unsightly.” You frowned at his words, “Do not be ashamed, Joshua.” You shifted your weight onto your elbow, propping yourself up. You brought  your palm to his cheek, “You tell Clive to be easy on himself, but you can’t seem to take your own advice- so I’m going to tell you exactly the same thing so you might listen.” You paused before continuing, “You do so much for your brother, and it’s high time you do something for yourself.” Joshua took your hand from his cheek and kissed your palm gingerly, “I will, that I can promise.”

“...I do not want to experience a world where you are not present, Joshua.” You said through a shaky breath, avoiding his gaze so he might not see your glassy eyes. You let yourself rest back onto his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall. Joshua did not say anything- you did not expect him to- but you needed to speak the words that have been sitting on your tongue for months. 

Joshua’s body moved beneath you, and as you moved your head off of him to find the source of his attention, he turned to lie on his side, his face mere centimeters away from your own. His light breath fanning over your skin, his blue irises looking at you through his blonde lashes. He brought his arms around your frame and pulled you close, tucking his face into the crook of your neck as you buried your face into his chest. Before you could stop yourself, tears flowed effortlessly down your cheeks, undoubtedly leaving a spot on Joshua’s nightshirt. Even though you know Joshua would not hastily risk his life for something pointless, his lack of response told you everything. As your quiet choked sobs slowed to a stop, he lifted his head from your neck, he brought his thumb to your cheek to wipe the tear from your skin. “We should rest, morning will be unpleasant if we are both exhausted.” You nodded as you closed your eyes, sharing his warmth with you. With the Phoenix’s wings wrapped around you, you felt safe, secure.

i love joshua and im so unbelievably delusional i had to write about him, i hope you enjoyed!

Hwoarang

・Even though Hwoarang is a little shit sometimes, he knows some good ass recipes to make you feel better.

・ Expect him to be force-feeding you.

・ At the beginning of your and Hwoarang’s relationship, I think he wouldn’t necessarily believe you when you tell him you didn’t feel well. He wouldn’t be mad at you, or belittle you, but more that he thinks you're stronger than that.

・ He would only really believe you when he saw it. The two of you would be training when your body finally tells you you’re too damn sick to be trying to fight Hwoarang. He would finally realize how pale you look, how quickly you’re out of breath. Then it really hits him when you collapse to your knees.

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Hwoarang dropped to his knees in front of you, his eyes scanned your face, and his hand held your arm. “You meant it didn’t you?” His voice was quieter than usual, but your body was too exhausted to reply to him. Sweat made your hair cling to your forehead, your body feeling all too hot and freezing at the same time. You let your head fall against his chest, as limp as the rest of your body. Hwoarang didn’t move, nor did he speak, quite unusual for him. You couldn’t tell how many minutes passed, or if it had even been a minute.

“I’m gonna pick you up— and don’t think you’re gonna tell me no either.” Before you could even protest he shut it down. He stood up as you attempted to do the same, feeling like your stomach was going to come up your throat. His forearms swept you up from underneath you, carrying you quickly out of his dojang, luckily his house was not too far.

The rest of the day was spent through a cycle of Hwoarang scolding you to not get up and that he’ll do it. Hell he wouldn’t even let you go to the bathroom alone. But besides the pampering and not allowing you to even take a step, he made you rice porridge, though your nausea was through the roof you could at least keep it down. Sometimes he wouldn’t even let you pick up your spoon to eat, instead feeding you himself. It was oddly romantic and adorable for him, though you weren’t going to tease him about it.

You recovered quite quickly due to whatever magic his cooking skills held, and the cuddling on his couch that was maybe a bit too small for the two of you.

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After you were back to feeling better and mostly normal, he stayed a little sweeter than before. It’s not like he was an asshole before or anything, he still teased you and flicked your forehead from time to time but he was just sweeter. He's really just a big softy at heart.

Dragunov

・Dragunov is definitely one to notice quickly if you’re getting sick.

・ He doesn’t ask you whether you’re feeling ill, he just very conveniently shows up with what you need when you need it. Like he has a sixth sense or something. You’re working at your desk and you feel like you're about to sneeze— he just sets a box of tissues on your desk.

・ Your throat is sore and you’re about to get up to get water? He's already handing a glass of water to you. It’s seriously amazing honestly

・Unfortunately it doesn’t save you from still getting sick though.

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When you and Sergei took a vacation back to his hometown, it was lovely, a thick layer of snow covered every surface. Of course Sergei was used to this weather and even preferred it, but it was simply magical to you. And with that fascination you only wanted to go explore around the town he grew up in. You don’t hear many stories from Dragunov about his childhood or frankly anything, but maybe that's what made him so easy to love.

The two of you went on an outing into the central part of his town, he brought you to many places ranging from a clothing repair shop to an antique toy shop. As the day went on you shivered, and sneezed here and there but insisted you were okay. By the time a couple hours went by your nose was tinted a pinkish color along with your cheeks. Without a word Sergei stopped walking, you turned around puzzled, until his big heavy coat was draped over your shoulders. Before a squeak of objection came out of your mouth he grabbed your hand and turned towards home. You couldn’t really say much because you couldn’t deny that your entire body felt like an ice cube.

Between the warmth of Dragunov’s warm coat and his hand that held your own, you successfully made it back to his home. Sergei took the coat off your shoulders, as his hand reached down to brush the snow off your hair. You thanked him quietly and followed him as he walked into his living room. You plopped onto the couch, turning around to locate where Sergei went, he was about to turn around the corner.

“Stay.” He almost commanded you, with the softest voice possible. You listened to him, waiting for him to return. Your body continued to shiver even though it was not that cold inside the home. You heard his footsteps behind you, he carried a big wool blanket in his hands. He sat down on the couch, patting the spot next to him. You quickly scurried over to him as he draped the blanket over the two of you. His hand found its way to your hair as he slotted the strands between his fingers. Though you knew you were going to end up even more sick tomorrow, right now, this is all you could ask for.

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He just wants an excuse to play with your hair </3

Claudio

・ I think Claudio can be caring and thoughtful when you’re sick but also that man doesn’t want to get sick either. His work is a big responsibility so I think he would want to avoid sickness if possible.

・ But he can’t say no to you.

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Claudio left for work early this morning before you woke up, which he usually does. You woke up in a haze, your throat felt like sandpaper, accompanied by the pounding headache that assaulted your senses. The house was quiet, no sign of your boyfriend. You reached over to the night stand in search of your phone, but in your attempt it fell onto the floor with a thud. It was that kind of day.

The rest of the day was spent either on the couch or in your bed, with a pile of tissues wherever you went. Usually Claudio gets back home before it’s dark but it was getting late, you stared out the window ignoring the tv in front of you. Your attention was torn from your empty gaze to your phone that buzzed next to you. The caller ID being Claudio. You answered but before you could say anything he spoke, “I have to stay late tonight, love.” You replied, but your voice was hoarse as you cleared your throat. “Okay.” “Are you feeling sick?” Claudio immediately asked, his voice switched tones. “I think, but I can manage-“ ”No, I’m coming home, stay where you are.” Claudio stood his ground steady as he ended the call. You sighed, grateful he’d be home soon.

Your front door opened and quickly closed, Claudio was fast to get to your side. “Why didn’t you call me?” His voice was soft as the back of his hand touched your forehead to gauge your temperature. “I didn’t want to interrupt your work, because I knew you were going to come home” Claudio let out a breathy chuckle, which surprised you, causing you to look at him. “You always worry about the smallest things, amore.” He smiled, and you almost melted.

Claudio made you various remedies that his mother taught him, which you overheard him talking to his mother on the phone asking her questions about the recipes. It was quite entertaining to listen to Claudio talk to his mother, you couldn’t understand much but little pieces here and there. He eventually cuddled up next to you, “are you sure you’re okay with me getting you sick?” You questioned him as your back laid against his chest. “I won’t get sick.” You sighed, he's so stubborn sometimes.

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Claudio did in fact, get sick.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A few days have passed since going out with Dante and the girls, after your conversation with Nero— well it was an argument. You apologized to him the morning after, still feeling a little guilty for your delivery of your concern. Nero of course did not hold a grudge, just brushed it off and resumed life as normal. Later that day Kyrie shouted at you, someone was calling asking for you. Secretly, not really a secret at all, you hoped it was Kane. It had been radio silence since two nights prior. 

And as luck was in your favor, Kane’s voice spoke through the landline. It was different hearing his voice so clearly instead of being suppressed by blaring music and shouting. The conversation went well, giving him Devil May Cry’s number. Since the city had far more job opportunities than Fortuna, you had already started looking at job listings passively, not having to rely on Kyrie’s endless support would be nice for a change. Relying on Dante felt more morally correct, two negatives make a positive right?

Currently, you sorted through a package Kyrie received as a gift for her help in the orphanage. Most of it was household items, as Kyrie never accepted money, she barely even let you help around the house. Selfless woman, but it’s admirable to give without guarantee of something in return. Making a pile of unopened letters addressed to Kyrie for her to read, some of the return addresses had names you recognized, there were a few kids in Fortuna who came to Kyrie for help after a small hell gate had opened. Luckily it had happened when Nero and Nico were in town. It was nowhere near the scale of the artificial hell gates that had opened in Fortuna when The Order was around. But enough to leave kids without parents, or parents to grieve their children’s lives. 

Ringing filled the room as the landline was the clear source. You walked over and held it to your ear as your other hand still had an envelope in it. “Hello?” “Hey party animal.” You rolled your eyes, you had one drunken night in the past 6 months and now you’re the party animal. “Shut it, what did you call for?” “You said you were looking for jobs right?” Your interest was now piqued, instead of just being playfully annoyed with Dante. “Yeah, I am.” “Well, your dearest friend has an offer for you.” Why does this sound like it’s not gonna end well? Back to being annoyed with him. You reluctantly hummed a response. “How about you come help with some of the shop's legal papers. I’ll pay ya.” “I thought you were short on work, where the hell are you gonna get money to pay me?” “I have my ways.” Last time you checked this man was far deeper into debt than you could even imagine. “It won’t be all the time, the stack of papers does end eventually. Plus Trish and Lady will be there sometimes. I’m not a very strict boss.” A sigh left your lips, it wasn’t a bad deal. Filing papers and calling companies didn’t seem that bad. “Fine.” “You’re amazing, I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Yeah yeah, whatever old man.” Dante shouted at you through the phone but just as quickly as that started you hung the phone back up with a satisfying click and a smile on your face.

The sun peaked above the horizon, filling your bedroom with a warm glow, unfortunately waking you up from your slumber. Stretching your muscles in an attempt to also wake them up. Very uncoordinated this morning you swing your legs over the edge of your bed, bashing your ankle into the metal box spring. A prolonged curse left your gritted teeth, at this point, you needed a padded room. You’d probably still manage to nick yourself. 

Putting on something simple, but still comfortable— it’s not like your job for Dante was anywhere near professional, he’s the opposite of professional. Walking down the hallway, passing Nero and Kyrie's bedroom, Nero’s snores seeped through the walls. Into the living room, Kyrie was already up, her hands wrapped around a coffee mug. She was always a morning person. She sat on the couch, the kids must still be asleep too. “Morning, Kyrie.” You addressed her, she turned around somewhat surprised, “What are you doing up so early?”  Admittedly, it was pretty abnormal for you to be up at the ass crack of dawn.  “Dante offered me to work for him. Just temporarily I think anyway.”  Kyrie smiled, “Well, I won’t keep you then.”  “It’s not a worry, he didn’t give me a time to be there.”

Getting a quick bite to eat and snagging some of Kyrie’s coffee, you asked about the kids with Kyrie, and she talked about some returning faces. Chatting back and forth you bid her farewell, leaving into the garage. Pulling your arms through your jacket, you zipped it up before putting your helmet on. It wasn’t too early that your motorcycle would wake everyone up, it wasn’t that loud—or maybe you just are losing your hearing.

The drive over to Red Grave was peaceful, besides the few drivers who you questioned how the hell they got their license. Driving through the gravel alley, you kicked your stand up, like many times before. Turning the backdoor handle, you stepped into the shop, your eyes on the ground while you took off your helmet. As your eyes scanned for life, they landed on Dante. With a towel around his waist and another making a feudal attempt to dry his hair. A little surprised, you hopped up on the bar stool.  “You know Dante, this is your business office too, not just your house.”  “You’re the one who decided to show up at 7 in the morning.” Dante’s voice was still groggy, but that never stopped him from bickering. Rolling your eyes, accepting your defeat, this time. You set your jacket and helmet down on the counter making your way to Dante’s desk, trying not to trip over random objects and trash that littered the floor. How does he live like this? You sigh as you pick up the piles of paper that were not so neatly set on the ground. Dante better pay you well for having to put up with this level of disorganization. 

The first couple hours of your day consisted of organizing which papers were what. You’d assume they would end up sent to collections, after all, the charges were just sitting here for god knows how long. Then again, that never stopped Dante. A pair of footsteps descended the stairs. Almost in perfect timing, Lady barged in the door.  “Why didn’t you tell me (Name) was gonna be here?” Lady took great offense, after all, you maybe saw her once a week or every other week. Dante shrugged, “Dunno, forgot I guess.” “Jerk.” Lady leaned against the desk, looking over at all the papers you had scattered about on the wooden surface. Her head tilted trying to read the papers, the text was upside down to her.  “You got her to do your paperwork? Did he blackmail you?” Lady leaned over to observe you, no amount of money could get her to do his paperwork either. But you aren’t like her, not nearly as badass.  “No, I willingly accepted this offer. I need to start looking for jobs anyway.” A sigh left your mouth, it became a habit whenever you admitted you were broke as shit. Lady stood back up with a hand on her hip. Still skeptical, her eyes scanned your face. As if Dante stuck a device to you that controlled your every move, like in the cheesy sci-fi movies.  “I’m not forcing her, though blackmail’s not a bad idea.” Dante scratched his scruff on his face, a smile lightly tugged on his lips.  “Dante.” You warned him, staring at him, solidifying your warning. “You know I wouldn’t do that.” Dante crossed his arms over his chest. “Let's go, Dante, I gotta make our score even.” Lady tugged her weapon’s leather strap over her shoulder. A smile spread across her face, you suppose they always had the competition. Hearing about young Dante was always interesting when Lady graced you with stories.  “Bye!” Lady waved at you, running out of the door before Dante, as he quickly followed suit. Not without a nod and a smile in your direction. A silent goodbye.

Another few hours drag by. Going through a section of papers, looking at the clock in between. What felt like 45 minutes in reality was only 10 minutes. Now was when you took your unpaid break. You walked over to the white fridge, the jukebox adjacent to it lightly illuminated the surrounding area. The fridge was surprisingly clean, maybe just because there was barely anything in it. A pizza box of course was put into the fridge, classic Dante. There was a carton of milk and a few random take-out boxes. Before completely abandoning ship, you moved things around a little to find a box of strawberries. Picking it up, you eyed it suspiciously, checking for mold. At first glance, they seemed okay. Washing them in the sink, you were still cautious of them, after all, they were in Dante’s fridge. 

Back at the desk, you snagged a recent newspaper, unfolding it in your lap, you took a bite of a strawberry. Better start looking for job ads. Idly eating the strawberries that luckily were still edible, you bounced your leg. Most of the job listings seemed pretty boring, or simply too much work for what they were likely offering to pay. Plus it’s far too late in your life to pick up devil hunting like Lady, so a boring salary job it is. Flipping the yellowing paper, you scanned the other side. The shop was quiet, besides the muffled sounds of people walking by outside or an especially loud car. You filled the silence by humming the rhythm of a song.

“Dante did not tell me he hired someone.” A voice from around the corner spoke, nearly making you jump out of your seat. You had completely assumed you were there alone when Dante and Lady left. You looked over your shoulder to see Vergil standing there. Vergil. The conversation you had with Nero did not leave your mind so easily, you are sure your expression had turned a bit sour. 

“Apparently not.” You turned back around in the chair, resuming what you were doing. You would rather not discuss your utter hatred for him and what he did to Nero. You try not to completely despise him, it is difficult not to, having the experiences you do. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him sit on the red couch against the wall, pulling out a book. Your eyes returned to your paper.  A few silent minutes passed, no longer feeling like you were allowed to make a peep in his presence. What was it? You suppose Dante was quite strange like that when you first met him. Though oppositely, brimming with strength but rather using it to make himself look flashy. This was more of a suppressive strength. Anyone in his presence should think lower of themselves just to lift him higher.

The rotary phone on the desk rang as it lightly vibrated the desk. You picked up the phone, putting it to your ear.  “Devil May Cry.” You tried to imitate Dante’s voice when he said it. Your words did not come out as effortlessly as his does. “Hey, office girl,” Kane spoke through the phone. A smile tugged at your lips, a little giddy from the compliment. “Not for long.” Letting out a small laugh through an exhale.  “Oh really?”  “It’s just temporary, I’m looking for other jobs right now.” You glanced at the newspaper, your pen marks littered the paper. “Maybe I’ll still get to call you office girl. Maybe a secretary.” You could hear his smile through the phone, silly man. You chuckled at his comment, “Whatever your sick fantasies desire.”  “I was calling to formally ask you out on a date, I would’ve called sooner but you know how life gets.”  Your finger twirled around the phone wire while you listened to him. “So you are a gentleman after all.”  Kane’s laughter seeped through the phone, as you couldn’t help but smile a little. “What about tonight then? When do you get off?” Kane asked, and you thought, when the hell do I get off? “I’m not sure actually, probably 5 at the latest.”  “What about 6 then, it’s not formal, so don’t worry about that.” Kane soothed your worries before it even crossed your mind.  “That works for me, I’ll give you the shop's address.” 

The conversation ended after you handed over the information. Now you sat at Dante’s desk with a giddy smile. But, you have to get back to work, or… you could slack a little. A sharp snap of a book being closed pulled your attention to where Vergil sat. He stood, still with the thin book in his grasp. He is such an odd man, but you still see his blackened heart through his exterior. His steps were almost eerily silent as he made his way to the front door, his head turned to look at you from the corner of his eye.  “Do not trust that man.” His words were sharp, but what confused you more was… why? And before you could even defend Kane or yourself that you’re a grown woman and you can make your own decisions, he left. The bad taste that the encounter left in your mouth refused to go away for the rest of your shift. 

The roads were lit with a warm glow of the streetlights, the architecture of Red Grave was always so beautiful. Not nearly as impressive as Fortuna, especially the building the Order once resided in was a sight to be seen. The faded white lines on the pavement passed by you with each dash mark. You hadn’t spoken a word to Kane since you both got into the car. The silence was not suffocating, it was pleasant. It’s been a while since you’ve been able to relax, the radio played quietly, some music you didn’t know but it coaxed you into closing your eyes. Your date with Kane went very well, thinking about it made you smile. His easygoing personality was nice, though unfortunately, Vergil’s warning made you think about what details you shared with Kane. You have no history with Vergil, and you have no idea if his judgment is sound, but it still affected you. And that irked you more. However you started to get lost in your thoughts, and eventually, you did fall asleep, hand holding up your cheek as your elbow rested on the car door.

“Hey, we're here.” Your body jolted awake as you surveyed your surroundings, you were still in Kane’s car. You turned to look at him, and he looked a bit surprised that you were woken so easily. Your body once tense, relaxed. You leaned back against the leather seats of his car, whispering an apology under your breath. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to take you back to Fortuna, but even then I didn’t know where you were staying so-” “It’s okay, thank you.” You interrupted his rambling, and a slight red color rose to his cheeks. His dark blue shirt matched his tan skin, his collarbone peaked out of the neckline. A few strands of his dark hair fell out of the bun he had put it in. You silently wondered what his hair would look like down, the thought made your body pull itself closer to him. His breath fanned over your face as he remained motionless, his eyes were half-lidded, analyzing the curves of your face. You caught yourself doing the same. Leaning over the center console of his car, which was an awkward position for your body, it was all worth it when his lips clashed with yours. It was slow, your hand held onto his forearm as your other played with the baby hairs on the back of his neck. You slowly opened your eyes to take a peek at his face, you wondered if his eyes were squeezed shut or if he had color on his cheeks once again. Instead, you were met by brown eyes looking at your own, his eyelashes cast a shadow over his irises, though this close you could see a ring of orange within the deep brown. Trying to summon your ‘nothing phases me’ facade, was a miserable failure. Your cheeks heat up like a pouring lighter fluid on a raging bonfire, you break away from his lips, trying to hide your face but you are only met with a laugh from Kane. “Shut it.” Once again your tough guy act was not very convincing as you tried to look at him with a stern face but he was met with a different expression. Trying to fight a war with your smile that you didn’t actually want to win, though you would appreciate it if your entire face didn’t feel like it was gonna explode. This only caused Kane to laugh more.

And you were left with no other option but to tug on the collar of his shirt, clashing your lips together in an embarrassing attempt to free yourself from your current position. And your solution did work, as his hands managed to find purchase on your back. The kiss was not as soft as earlier, but you did not dare open your eyes. Instead, through your closed eyelids, the dark lighting inside his car was lit up like the sun suddenly appeared right next to you. Both you and Kane froze, as you struggled to look out the windshield. As your eyes adjusted, you recognized the front of the vehicle that rudely interrupted your activities with Kane. But then annoyance morphed into horror as you realized who was in the driver's seat of that van, Nico. And who was next to her in the passenger seat? Nero. And once again, you fear your face showed your embarrassment. Kane's hands still clung to you as you slowly slipped out of his grip. And even worse, a figure stood outside of the van, Dante. This embarrassment has you praying to whatever god exists. Kane only recognized Dante, he was not so sure why you were so embarrassed, but he relaxed back into his seat as he watched Nico unfold into laughter, which could be heard through the closed windows of Kane’s car. 

You quickly got out of Kane's car, almost stomping over to Nico’s van door. You opened the door with such vigor you could care less if it flew off the hinges. “You shut up!” You pointed a finger at her, through laughs she could barely even speak. “You two love birds!” Then she kept hysterically laughing, but behind her in the passenger seat, Nero just awkwardly smiled. God, this was awful. Kane snuck up behind you as he tapped your waist with his hand, and he looked like he was about to burst out laughing too when he looked at your reddened face.  “You gonna have to apologize to Nero for traumatizing him like that-” “He’s 26!” Yes, Nero was very close to a younger brother to you, but he was an adult! He had a girlfriend and practically kids too, but it just made you boil with unbridled embarrassment. Kane stood next to you, he pulled you close by your forearm. Which surprised you but Nico got out of her car, fanning her face like she was the one who had just been making out with a guy, with an unexpected audience. 

You threatened Nico about 20 more times within the span of a couple of minutes, Nero had since joined the four of you on the sidewalk. Kane had to hold you in place or else you’d run away and hibernate for years. Finally, Nico stopped laughing like a hyena, you were able to ask her what they were doing out here. “We have an overnight job,” Nero answered. You nodded, Kane had since abandoned you to talk to Dante. You pray Dante isn’t sharing embarrassing stories about you, but you immediately knew he probably did just by looking at the stupid smirk that was plastered on his face. Silence came over the two of you before Nero spoke up again, “Is that the guy from the other night?” His words came out awkwardly, being able to stomach conversation about Kane you replied, “Yeah, his name is Kane.” “Right right.” Nero just fiddled with the hem of his worn-out shirt. “I’ll be careful Nero.” You told him, but you knew in that moment Vergil was somewhat right, you need to be careful. As much as you want to believe that Kane is a good guy, morally at least, he’s showed no signs of being anyone crazy. But, neither did you expect your previous boyfriends to be utterly insane. 

Nero seemed less tense after that, but the mood suddenly shifted when Vergil appeared from around the corner, you were the first to notice him. You couldn’t stand to look at him, especially with Nero right next to you. Kane had departed from the conversation with Dante and stood next to you, which you leaned on the side of the DMC van. Nico reappeared from the inside of the van, with somehow more grease on her, yet it had only been 10 minutes. And now it was a standstill, Vergil stood a few feet away from Nero, who was standing on the sidewalk. The air was thick, or at least just seeing Vergil next to Nero made you want to punch Vergil. Maybe it was because you couldn’t deny that Vergil was his father anymore when you looked at the two of them side by side and how similar they looked. Dante exchanged words with Vergil, which you didn’t catch as your focus was swayed to Kane. He squeezed your hand,  “I’m gonna go, you have somewhere to stay here right? I don’t want you driving to Fortuna this late.” You smiled, how sweet of him. “No, I’m okay.” You softly spoke as you could hear the conversation behind you between Dante and Vergil.  Kane hummed as he quickly kissed your cheek, which just reminded you of your embarrassment from less than 15 minutes ago, but not nearly as bad. His hand gave your hand one last squeeze before getting in his car. 

Luckily after you watched Kane drive off into the horizon till his car became a little blip in your vision, it wasn’t silent. You had enough of awkward encounters today, and probably for the next year too.  “We’re gonna leave, (Name),” Nero mentioned as he was about to climb back into the van, you nodded, giving him a quick hug, and you spoke over his shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Nero only nodded before Nico stuck her head out the driver’s window,  “Him? Stupid? That's all he knows.” Nico spoke while chewing a stick of gum, Nero glared at her, which spurred her on even more. You only let out a breathy laugh, watching Nero get into the van. Dante and Vergil stood closer to the shop, Vergil’s body was straight, and well thought out like his doctor told him he needed to watch his posture. Though you presume he doesn’t even have a doctor– do half-devils have a doctor…? You pushed your curiosity aside, maybe after a shot, you’ll ask Dante sometime.   “Practice caution, Nero.” Vergil’s voice had less of a demanding tone, though his words were similar to the warning he gave you earlier today. Nero nodded, you stared at Nero for a little too long trying to analyze his expression, searching for a reason to smack Vergil. For good measure of course.

Waving off Nico and Nero as she drove maybe a little too fast for that beat-up van. You turned back around to Dante and Vergil, which Vergil quickly retired to inside the doors below the ‘Devil May Cry’ neon sign. You stood in front of Dante, whose shadow covered you.  “Soooo, that was entertaining wasn’t it?”  Dante’s stupid smile, again. “Oh please, I already heard it from Nico.” You turned away from him, trying not to relive the sheer amount of embarrassment that memory would likely hold for a while. Dante chuckled as he put his hands on his hips, so sassy.  “Can I stay the night or are you gonna kick me to the curb to go drive an hour back to Fortuna.”  Dante let out a dramatic sigh, scratching his white stubble with one gloved hand.  “Kicking you to the curb would add to tonight’s entertainment.” You only smacked his shoulder before walking towards the front door. Dante stopped you, pulling your arm as you stumbled closer to him.  “Vergil didn’t say anything weird to you, right? Before me and Lady left.” You bit your tongue, debating if you tell him or not, and you began questioning why you were holding back. To save Vergil from a lecture? You turned your head,  “He just overheard me talking to Kane on the phone and said something like, ‘Be careful’. It wasn’t anything.” You tried to play it off the best you could, because frankly, you didn’t want to start doubting Kane, you would not listen or even consider Vergil’s words. Only your own, and you’ve had plenty enough experiences to guide you to the right decision. You had a hard time looking at Dante right now, his face was oddly serious, his skin lit up by the neon sign.  “Just… Let me know if anything happens.”  “I will.”

You vowed as you both walked in the door in silence. Your piles of organized paper still sat on top of Dante’s desk, the lamp illuminated the otherwise dark room. You sat down on the couch, stretching your arms over your head, letting out a silent yawn. Dante sat down in his chair, moving papers so he could put his feet up on his desk. Thankfully he did not disturb your organization too much. “You can take my room,” Dante spoke as he found another magazine to flip through, how does he not get tired of those?  “You sure? I’m scared I’ll get devil coodies if I sleep up there.” You stood up from the couch. “I can still kick you to the curb, you know.” Dante looked up from his magazine, you knew he was joking, thankfully. “Fine, you don’t have devil coodies.” Dante let out a chuckle, his eyes quickly going back to the contents of the paper in front of him. “Goodnight.” You spoke as you went up the stairs, which creaked under your weight. “Night.” 

As always, thank you for reading! -onyxroses

The morning light bled through the sheer curtains of the windows, illuminating the dust particles flying about in the air. Waking up wasn’t bad until it felt like someone just hit you with a frying pan. Oh god you were so hung over, you bolted for the garbage can by the back door, abandoning the worn-out blanket that was draped over you. Whatever was in your stomach came out in an unpleasant flurry, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand you quickly pulled the garbage can bag out of the plastic container and tied it. Disposing it was the least you could do since you were taking over Dante's shop, well house at this point. You shamefully walked over to the couch you were asleep on just a couple of minutes ago, slumping over with your forehead in your hands. 

“Look who's the party animal now.” Dante commented as he walked down the stairs, “Oh shut up will you.” You didn’t move your hands, the darkness of your palms helped soothe your pounding head, at least a tiny. “I wonder if how you acted last night was how you acted in your youth.” Dante pondered as he reached the bottom of the stairs, circling around to behind his desk. “My youth? I’m 35 Dante, I’m still in my youth.” You defended yourself, even though you knew he was right. “You are 45 Dante, if you were a normal person you’d be complaining about your knees like an elderly man.”   “You’d be complaining more if you went home with that man last night.” Dante sat his feet up on his desk- right, Kane. …Kane. What the hell did you even do with him? What didn’t you do with him? Only one thing was certain, you did not go home with him. Your face threatened to heat up. “Dante- I swear to god-“ “You two were really going at it, like rabid animals.” “He was no animal Dante, he was gentle, you’re the animal. The one with magazines with tits on the front cover.”  Dante held his hands up in defeat, “You don’t know if he doesn’t have the same magazines, (Name).” He held one of those magazines in his hand, mindlessly flipping the thin pages of shiny paper. “You are just as insufferable as I remember- wouldn’t of hell or something knock you down a couple of pegs?” You complained, crossing your arms over your chest. The underworld probably made it worse, since he made it out. “Same ol’ Dante.” He just replied nonchalantly, cocky little shit. “I could still take you down- when I’m not hung over.” You stopped that train of conversation before he egged you on to fight him. He let out a laugh, “Yeah when you’re not hungover then.” His words bordered the line of a promise. 

A wave of newfound exhaustion swept over you again. Even though you slept like a rock you were still very tired and a little sore, probably from the couch you slept on. You looked over at Dante who was seemingly fully immersed in his magazine and, to your surprise, got up abruptly. Tossing the paper on the desk with another pile of papers next to it. Retrieving his coat from the arm of the couch next to you.  “Where are you headed?” You asked, standing up yourself, you should probably get going anyway, it's not like you were gonna be here all day.  “Me and Verge got a job from Morrison, big bucks, and I’d like to keep the electricity going.” Dante’s head turned towards the wooden doors. “Vergil?” You knew of Dante’s brother, but very very little. He's never really mentioned him. Dante nodded, the heavy doors of the shop opened, and Vergil— or who you assumed— stood next to the doorway.  “I guess you two have never met.” Vergil took a few strides closer to you and Dante. “(Name), this is my idiot brother Vergil. Vergil, this is (Name).” He familiarized the two of you with your respective names. It was a little awkward when Vergil didn’t say anything, not a hand reaching outward for a handshake, absolutely nothing. Let alone he had no verbal response to Dante’s jab, just a quick glance at Dante then back to you.  “Hello, I uh, nice to meet you.” Your sentence ended with a mysterious question mark like it should be a question. “You as well.” His tone was, not very friendly. You suppose Dante stole all the people skills in the genetics of the siblings. “Lady and Trish said they’d want to meet up with you sometime this week too.” Dante addressed you, “I dunno why they’re communicating through me but whatever.”  You confirmed with an ‘okay’ as the two walked towards the door, Vergil taking the lead. “Lock the back when you leave!” Dante yelled back at you, walking out the front. Dante never locks the doors, why the hell is he asking you to?

Making the decision to just head back to Fortuna for the day instead of staying in Red Grave, you come here enough regardless of the almost hour-long drive. Mounting your bike, the crisp air bit at your skin, you should’ve brought a jacket last night. Slipping your helmet over your head, and closing the visor, you peeled off into the street. The drive was quiet, it was well into the morning, though the streets weren’t nearly as busy. Driving over the massive bridge that connected Fontuna and Red Grave, the water separating the land masses was calm, not without the small waves crashing onto the shore, but regardless, fairly calm. The drive over the bridge had gotten better over the years, though sometimes it reminds you of when Dante took you home after… thinking about it is just picking open the scab that was barely healed. 

Your hands clung to Dante’s red leather coat, sitting on the back of his motorcycle, not a word spoken between the two of you since you had departed from the DMC shop. The night at the bar and especially the night after would come back quickly, a lurking shadow in a dense forest. The night was still a blur due to your drink being laced, the only moments you had recalled were the alley and the apartment he had drug you to. Maybe it was for the better than you did not remember what he had done to you. What he had done to your body. Was it just him? Did he bring his friends over? A pack of wolves over an injured lamb, dark eyes with a sinister expression. 

The following shard of memory was a gunshot, from who? What was happening? Your body was in shambles, every muscle was screaming in agony. A tall figure had approached you, where you lay, you couldn’t move, everything in your body was telling you to run. You could only see the outline of the man, from the darkness of the room. A long weathered coat draped over your naked body. The coat was red, like Dantes. The man swept his arms underneath your body, lifting you up and carrying you. Yet not by the same hands that had a bruising grip on your wrist, not the same hands that were the culprit. Not the same hands that touched you. You smelt him, it smelt like Dante. Your vision briefly allowed you to see his face, white hair, Dante. Tears streamed down your face, in the moment no words came out of your mouth. Only broken sobs with your coarse, dry voice. Your perception of time was far off, was it the same night? Had it been days? Had it been weeks? Your vision was blurry once again, and once it started to come back, out the window the sky was a deep dark blue. Droplets of water raced down the glass. Your eyes followed a red stain that splattered on the windowsill of the glass you were staring out of. The trail leads to a man, that face. The hands that had raped you.

It didn’t happen often that the memory had come back so strongly, though it had been so many years that you could barely muster up a tear to shed. Regardless if you cried over it, screamed, or killed the man, it would still hurt the same. You will never get rid of the feeling of being completely out of your control and used. You had reached the end of the bridge, into Fortuna. Shaking your head, trying to be rid of the memory that plagued your mind. Pulling into the driveway of Kyrie and Nero’s home, Nico was in the garage, muddling with some random piece of junk. Though you didn’t completely understand her way of doing things, especially mechanically, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Your bike's engine roared as you pulled up, Nico turning around, her initial expression being, ‘Who the fuck is revving their engine down the street?’ Her face quickly morphed into a wide smile. “Look who's back!” Nico exclaimed, setting down her tools. Her shirt was covered in grease, and her hands were just as covered. You parked your bike in the empty spot in the garage, taking off your helmet. “You were gone for the night, who was the lucky contestant.” Nico’s accent rang thick through her words. You let out a breathy chuckle, “No one, I got too drunk.” You were about to mention Kane to Nico, but– “I told you Dante is awful to go out with!” Nico’s voice bounced off the walls of the garage. “I did meet someone though, he was very sweet. He was the one who made me go home.” Once again Nico’s expression quickly changed after hearing you. “Oh for the love of god, please tell me you gave him your number– or something!” Nico looked at you, expectantly.  “I gave him my number, well the house phone since I’m here most of the time.” You two stayed in the garage as she quizzed you about Kane, so many questions, and most of them you can’t remember because the night was still fuzzy in your head. You walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water when Kyrie greeted you, “How did it go?” She asked, bearing a sweet smile on her face. “It went well–” “Oh it went more than well according to what I heard–” “Nico!” You had been slightly embarrassed since neither of them had heard about your romantic pursuits, mainly because there was barely any, to begin with. The last time was when Dante had to tell them about the man who drugged you. Not the most pleasant conversation between Nero and his uncle, that his friend, essentially big sister, had been raped. Shoving away the memory once again, firmly telling it to buzz off. 

Kyrie prepared dinner for all of you, in her little selfless way, she refused your help. You couldn’t argue with her– you technically could– but the results would not change. After you all ate dinner, you finally convinced her to let you help with the dishes. Your hands scrubbed over the cutlery and plates with a soapy sponge, rinsing them, and setting them upright in the drying rack next to the sink. Nero came into the kitchen, passing by Kyrie, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before rummaging through the fridge. Kyrie left the kitchen with a slight color on her cheeks. How adorable and domestic.  Recounting your day as you idly washed dishes, you remembered Vergil. You hadn’t heard much of him since Nero called Kyrie after everything that happened in Red Grave and the Qliphoth. You knew next to nothing, and you didn’t press the issue, making sure Nero was okay and safe was about the only thing you and Kyrie had cared about then. “Right, Nero.” You turned your head to him kneeling in front of the open fridge. “I met Vergil today, he’s a delight .” Your voice rang with sarcasm, Nero stood up and looked at you, closing the fridge door. He wore this odd look, almost confusion. “Dante’s brother, right?” You tried to get him on the right train of thought. “Yeah yeah, I uhm, forgot I never really told you what happened.” Your hands slowed, it had been two years since then, what does he mean ‘he forgot’? Your eyebrows furrowed together, not speaking, but concerned.  “He’s my dad.” Nero stood next to the fridge, with a look of guilt, that’s what his expression was. Growing up together and yet, you thought you two were close. You were both orphans, sure you knew your parents, but they were both dead now. It’s not like you could call up your mommy when you get hurt. “Excuse me?” You didn’t know what to say, and in some way, you wished you misheard him. But he repeated it. When Nero and yourself were still living in the orphanage, he’d call you big sissy, he always managed to mispronounce your name, so you had resumed the title of ‘big sissy’. One night in the orphanage, you tried to get Nero to fall asleep after another child at the orphanage was picking on him particularly rough that day. That's when he hit you with the question, “Where's mommy?” Between his broken sobs, your 15-year-old self had no idea how to explain to him that he didn’t have a mother or a father. That he was all alone in this world, this cruel, heartless world. The same world that ripped him away from the one thing he deserved in his life, his parents. But you suppose, it’s not guaranteed. You barely remember how the following conversation went.

“Did he even tell you anything? Where the fuck has he been?” You really had no words, except the feeling of rage rising up into your throat. The same anger when your father selfishly claimed you after abandoning you and your mother. After years of your mom struggling to make it, struggling with her addiction, you could do nothing to help. “It’s kind of difficult to explain–” “Like hell it is!” You dropped the plate that was in your hand back into the sink. “He brought you into this god-forsaken world, it was his responsibility!” Anger had now clouded your judgment, feeling ever so guilty that you could not help Nero when he was young, you could not give him the fatherly advice when he aged. Or the motherly embrace that he deserved in those moments of hardship. “It wasn’t his choice!” Nero yelled back at you, it wasn’t his choice? Are you kidding me, Nero? “Where is your mother then, did Vergil explain that to you? Did he ever apologize for anything he did? Regardless if it wasn’t ‘his choice ” Nero held his breath, his eyes avoided you. You could feel your heartbeat nearly jump out of your chest, your mind was racing. How dare this man leave his own son helpless, his own flesh and blood. Before Kyrie’s family adopted the two of you, Nero had clung to you and came crying to you when the other little boys picked on him. And how awful it was to watch his little face scrunch up and grow red, dripping with salty tears. And all you could do was hug him in the moment, as you knew nothing other. 

Both of you stood in the kitchen, you dried your hands off on a towel. You tried to calm yourself, getting worked up won’t fix this. Nero had stayed silent, but not leaving either.  “Nero…” You paused, walking up to him. “I know things are different, and some of the things that have happened to you I could never imagine. I just…” Your sentence trailed off, “Listen, (Name). I don’t know much either, and my father– Vergil never said anything about my mother. But does any of it matter? It’s not like she would feel like my mother. Vergil sure doesn’t feel like my father either.” Nero squeezed your upper arm. “You, Kyrie, and the kids are the only family I’ve known. And you guys aren’t going anywhere.” Looking at Nero’s face, he’s grown up so much, and though you barely remember your teenage years, you still remember Nero’s heartwarming personality as a kid. Though he grew out of it when he became a teenager, it’s still buried underneath there. Kyrie sure knows. Your perception of Vergil is still skewed, knowing what you know now. Not just Dante’s brother, but Nero’s father. Yes, you are close to Dante and indebted to him for life, but Nero has been a constant since your father left. And theres still so many unanswered questions, but for the moment pressing them would not be ideal. Nero didn’t say anything as he left out the garage door. You leaned your weight against the counter, covering your face with your hands. 

Everything you know about Dante makes you want to think Vergil is the same, maybe he has a heart of gold buried down. They are brothers after all, but they act so differently. Mannerisms aren’t in genetics but something just doesn’t sit right. Something makes you believe that if Dante was in that situation he would at least do something. He’s been sending Grue’s kids money all these years, and theres barely anything he did wrong. Standing in the kitchen with the idle noise of Kyrie playing with the kids, muffled by the screen door. Nero deserved better, not just another orphaned kid, not someone else's parents. A sneer built up on your face as your thoughts drifted towards your father, damn whoever put that man on this earth just to give him no heart.

Thank you for reading as always! -onyxroses

“Nero! For fucks sake pick up your tools, I almost just died again because they're all over the floor!” The hot summer day did not help your crushing annoyance, bringing a hand to your ankle, nursing the soon-to-be bruise. Hoping the children were outside as you didn’t think yelling would be a fond childhood memory. Hindsight is 20/20, what do you do anyway? 

“If you put on your glasses you wouldn’t trip over them!” Nero shouted back, seemingly in the kitchen inside the house. A frustrated grunt left your mouth, removing your helmet, little hairs sticking against your sweaty forehead. The motorcycle stood parked on the concrete, and the culprit of your trip was stuck under the tire of your bike. Stupid socket wrench, why was it on the ground anyway? Whatever, maybe Nero will stub his toe on it and see how he likes it. 

“I don’t know how Kyrie has put up with your displacement of practically everything you own.” Your eyes floated over to the bedside light on the kitchen counter. “This is my house you’re crashing by the way so I don’t see how you have any say in it.” Nero defended himself as his hands poked and prodded at the lamp, from the looks of it he was attempting to fix it. Keyword; attempt. 

“Smart ass.” Turning on your heel she left him to “fix” the lamp. Making it to your room rather; Nero and Kyrie’s guest room you’ve been hoarding, your steps became heavier the closer you got to your bed. Dragging your feet you plopped down onto the bed with a grunt you’d likely hear from an elderly person. 

Too hot. Way too hot. Peeling off the protective gear for your bike- why can’t you just regenerate limbs like Nero could instead of having to be careful with this thick-ass clothing that supposedly protected you? It, unfortunately, did do its job, just way too warm. A plug-in fan panned around the span of the room, clicking every so often, the cool air was lovely. A shower is what was needed, immediately.

After confirming with Kyrie she didn’t need the bathroom for one of the children, or herself, you have since put the metaphorical flag on top of the hill proclaiming this was your bathroom for the next hour and a half. Leaning forward into the mirror above the sink, your hands instinctively drove to your face, squeezing and picking anything you could see on your face. 

Stepping foot into the bathtub-shower combo, the cold water hit your body, not without a shiver of course. Even if you felt like you were on fire and how tingly your hands felt, damn them. Music playing from the radio was atrocious, only two of the songs were halfway decent on this channel. Your actual nice CD player had fallen into the tub a week prior, which was unfortunate because she couldn’t even be mad since one of the kids thought it was a bathtime toy. You really did need to put things up higher.

After a record time of only 47 minutes in the shower, you stepped onto a towel laid on the floor, soaking up the droplets from your hair and body. Wrapping a towel with stains from previous hair dye adventures around your body. The mirror’s reflection was obscured by the condensation, you wiped it down with the end bit of the towel. Your hair was a disheveled mess, combing through the strands, it somehow dripped with more water. 

“(Name)! Dantes calling for you!” Kyrie shouted from downstairs. Dante…Nero’s uncle- got to admit their family situation was odd. Though not far from your own. You scurried down the stairs with messy wet hair and clothes that were barely put on correctly. You held the cold piece of plastic to your ear, “Hello?”  “Hey, you wanna go out for drinks tonight? I thought it would be a change of pace.” Dante’s dancing around the subject and your history of going out to bars, especially on your birthday, was admirable. And the delicacy of the topic was appreciated.  “Will Lady and Trish be coming?” You asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, tapping your fingers. “You think they’d let you go to a bar with just me?” Dante’s smile was apparent when he was talking, almost to a chuckle. You just let out an amused huff. “I guess I could’ve answered that question myself.”

“Where are we going anyway?” “A new bar opened up recently— Trish and Lady seemed to enjoy it so, whatever they say.” You hummed in agreement.  “I’ll see you at 9 then.” Dante agreed and hung up. Quickly rushing back upstairs to finish drying your hair, hopefully, you didn’t drip water all over the kitchen tile like a wet dog.

The sun was still visible, illuminating the sky with its brightness and awful heat. You walked out from ‘your’ room, where Kyrie was cleaning dishes with her cute little apron on, how domestic. Nico, who was originally the one who was the oddball staying in Nero and Kyrie’s house has since been promoted to slightly less odd since you’ve crashed their house. Nico opened the door to the garage, walking inside with grease covering her hands and some spots scattered around her arms and face.

“Who’s got you all dressed up?” Nico gave her a sly smirk, wiggling her eyebrows as obnoxiously as it sounds. “Well first off, I’m barely dressed up, and secondly just Dante, Lady, and Trish.” Nico let out a huff, hoping for something new, not Dante . Officially stamped the worst flirt signed by Nicoletta Goldstein.  “Fine, at least Lady and Trish know how to have actual fun.” Nico walked to the kitchen sink, luckily it was big enough for both her and Kyrie. “Do you wanna tag along?”  “Shit!- I mean” She realized how loud she cursed, “I got work to do on the stupid van, Nero did somethin’ to it. He just doesn’t know how to speak mechanic like I do.” Nico dried her hands on a towel on the counter. Kyrie just chuckled at her comment, Nero did have a history of being a cheap mechanic. He knew the basics but you would never let him touch your bike. Not since you made that mistake the first time. “Enjoy yourself, (Name), call me or Nero if you need anything.” Kyrie looked over her shoulder as she scrubbed plates. That woman was sent from heaven, you were fully convinced. “I’ll be alright Kyrie, thanks though.”

Stepping into the garage the socket wrench has since migrated from under your bike, Nero definitely stubbed his toe on it. You chuckled to yourself as you put on your helmet, you were not above being safe, but you were going out, and the shop wasn’t too far from here so your protective- hot ass gear can stay. 

The sun wasn’t quite setting but the sky was still vibrant,  driving a little above the speed limit when driving through the streets. Subtly tapping your foot to the beat of the music drumming in your ears. Weaving through familiar streets, you turned down the alleyway behind Devil May Cry. You kicked her bike stand down, making sure the thing didn’t fall- your precious child. Luckily you didn’t get sweaty on the ride over so your hair was mostly intact. 

Walking through the back door, to hear Dante and Lady playfully bickering, as always. Trish leaned against the counter of the kitchen, “Look who made it!” Trish announced to Lady and Dante who were up front. Trish greeted you with a hug and Lady also followed suit. Dante just slapped you a little too hard on the shoulder, he has to know he’s strong, and that sometimes leaves a mark. “I’m surprised I didn’t get a message saying I’m in bed, maybe another time.” Dante interjected, “That’s only happened a few times okay?” You just rolled your eyes. “Cut her some slack Dante, you’re a party animal, and she actually ages unlike you. At least in a meaningful way.” Lady defended you. Dante just held up his hands in surrender. You weren’t that old you just got into your 30’s… 5 years ago. God Lady’s right.

“Mid-life crisis aside, let’s go drink, shall we?” Trish urged as she started walking out the front door. The rest tagged along quickly, and you trailed behind. And this bar that was “close to the shop” was like 4-5 blocks down the street. Of course, the demon hunters had no problem walking a ways but you were quite frankly out of shape, nowhere near as strong as you used to be. Walking up to a storefront with a flickering neon sign that said “Eddy’s Bar” with a logo next to it. 

Upon entering the building, many voices began to jumble together into one noisy building, masking the music that you could barely hear even if you tried. Dante of course b-lined it for the bar, Lady and Trish ventured off into the crowd, for some reason, they usually get drinks first. You just shrugged mentally. Dante sat down at the bar stool, man spreading per usual, his gloved hands resting on the countertop. Why he barely changes his attire besides his shirt and pants- which all looked the same to you- still puzzles you a tiny bit. You joined Dante, sitting next to him on the neighboring stool, he motioned for the bartender. 

“What could I do for you two?” The bartender questioned, preemptively going for an empty glass. “Brandy Alexander,” Dante answered, panning over to you.  “And for the lady?” The bartender looked at you- the lady? You suppose Dante and you look like a couple right now, gross. You shook it off with a slight tug at your lips. “Midori Sour, please.” Fidgeting with your hands, the bartender nodded, within a minute he handed you and Dante your drinks and wandered off.  “The lady , huh?” Dante smirked, smug bastard. “Yeah, the lady apparently.” You just shook your head, putting your glass to your lips.  “Where did Lady and Trish go?” You tried searching for them with your eyes, or if you could hear one of them.  “I dunno, maybe they were looking for fun.” Dante mimicked you, sipping from his glass. “Us four were supposed to go out, not just me and you.” You sighed, holding your drink in your hands which sat on the counter.  “Wowww, I’m hurt.” Dante dramatically faked his ‘hurt’. “Well I get to talk to the girls about girl things, you wouldn’t get it.” Still trying to locate the two women, it’s not like they were too short that they sunk into the crowd. 

Dante clutched his heart, again, what a drama queen. You would’ve thought he was a theater kid if you didn’t know any better.  “Nothing against you Dante- but I would much rather save my dignity than talk to you about girl things.”  “Oh, you have dignity left?” Dante’s face had a sly smile plastered on his face. Reminded of an unpleasant memory of your past adventures with Dante going out to bars. Never again, even if the memory was just fragmented because you were so so so drunk. “I was more drunk than I had ever been in my entire life- my drink at that point could’ve been laced with an aphrodisiac.”  Dante just chuckled, “Yeah whatever you say, with your dignity .” This smug little bastard, not a doubt he remembers the entire thing. Hell, he could probably drink an entire bottle of Everclear and only be tipsy. 

Through the crowd came Lady and Trish, Lady was practically dragging Trish. Their faces said it all. “(Name)! There is a smoking hot guy over there, like seriously, even for your standards.” Lady exclaimed, very proudly. She and Trish had been almost searching for men for you, since your last outing with a man ended up with trauma and far more physical scars that reminded you. But now is not the time to be drowning in that side of your past.

“I need more alcohol to speak to any man right now.” You sighed, still having your current drink in your grasp. “I guess that's better than nothing.” Trish sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Dante ordered a round of shots, vodka, of course. You lift the shot glass to your lips and the liquid burns as it goes down your throat. You definitely made a face. Squeezing your eyes shut and opening them back again, you realize the half-devils barely even feel alcohol like a human does. Ugh, whatever, more for you. 

Trish and Lady drag you out to the floor of the bar, slipping through the crowds of dancing people, trying not to bump into too many people without a ‘sorry’. “You look so stiff, just relax (Name). You have the best demon hunter and best man-eater here protecting you, all three of us will kill anyone who tries to do anything to you. You have my word.” Lady spoke over the music, trying to soothe your bubbling nerves. You just nodded as she let go of your hand, like sending off your child to college. Taking a step backward, your back collided with something, namely, someone. You turned around immediately to apologize for your clumsiness, even though that's the name of the game in this mess of a bar which at this point, it seemed more like a mosh pit.

The man you bumped into was a little taller than yourself, he just smiled. “No problem.” He went and walked off somewhere else. You cursed at yourself, that would’ve been a smooth way into a: “You wanna dance with me because I’m lonely”. Sighing you retreated closer to the edges of the crowd, you need another shot. Dante still perched on the seat you left him in. Weird, he’s usually quite the party animal, always has been, according to Lady.

You approached the corner of the bartop that you and Date were sitting at earlier, leaning against the counter, “I need another shot.” You said with a small exhale.  “The smokin’ hot guy is too much for you? You seemed to handle me quite well that one time.” Dante is too good at this, if you were in your 20s again, Dante’s clumsy attempts at flirting would definitely be working. “That one time was strictly one time.” You quickly ordered another shot from the bartender, Dante called one for himself as well.  “And yes, the ‘smoking hot guy’ was too much for me to handle with just one shot in me.”

Dante barely gave a response before tapping the shot glass on the table twice with you before the two of you downed the rough liquor in unison. You shook your head slightly, whispering a curse. It had definitely been a while since you drank. “I’ll scream if I need your assistance, Dante.” With that, you bid him farewell and wiggled your way through the crowd at the center of the bar. You had seemed to lose Lady and Trish at the moment, in your haste, your shoulder collided with another. You turned to face the person and attempted to apologize and continue your search for the man from earlier.

“You keep bumpin’ into me like that, it's gonna make me think you’re into me.” The voice came from next to you, and your body froze. Well, you found him. That was your opening— for fucks sake live a little, trying to push yourself. “Maybe I do.” You just smiled, yup the alcohol was hitting a little. The man looked quite frankly handsome under this lighting, the occasional flashing lights of random colors and the haze that clouded your better judgment. “Stay for a little, if you’ll indulge me.” His words were sickly sweet like honey. But the fog in your brain melted, and now like a spider claiming its prize, he wrapped a gentle hand around your waist. Closing the gap between you two, and now you were smelling him, a sweet smell of dark chocolate and fresh rainfall swept into your senses. How a man can be so bold and yet so sweet was an experience you’ve yet to have up until this moment.

And how the night went on, with risqué moves rather than dancing. And without a doubt, a couple more shots. His hands wherever they migrated to, it was a ghost of a touch, it was gentle, surprisingly so. He pulled you away from the crowd, with a hand around your wrist, and occasionally glanced over his shoulder to check if you were still with him. You landed at the other side of the bar with him, thank god, far away from Dante, but you knew he could see you. Very clearly. 

“What kind of shots do you like?” The man- whom you didn’t get the chance to know the name of, quizzed you. “Vodka.” You answered plainly, a glaze over your eyes when you looked at him. He ordered another shot, he sat down on a stool. You sunk the familiar taste, yet the feeling was yet to fade. You hoped you didn’t scrunch your face too much, setting the glass down, he looked at you, not saying a word. At this height, you didn’t have to crane your neck to see his eyes were beautiful, a dark green, seeing the speckles of yellow across his iris. He stayed silent until you realized how awkward of a staring contest this was and turned away to meet the other side of the bar. 

A thumb and an index finger pulled your chin away from your musings. You were back at his eyes again, the glittering flower field on a spring day, yet the fierceness of a flowing river, the undercurrents sweeping you under into its grasp. A breath fanned over your lips. Now you were completely submerged. His lips were soft against yours, so soft, but pulling you closer, enough to keep you reaching for more. Your hand perched itself against his chest, the button-down he wore was opened slightly. The kiss continued, it barely felt like you had to do anything as your hand moved slightly to connect with his bare skin. Your other hand played with the hem of your shirt, the only place to exile your excitement because going full throttle into this kiss didn’t seem like the appropriate move. 

You broke away from his mouth, finally getting your head above water. You could feel the heat in your cheeks and the racing of your heart, working unpaid overtime.  “I liked that.” Your words came out before you had a chance to proofread them. A smile formed on his lips, and slight stubble moved with the skin. “I liked that too.” Matching the simplicity and honesty of your words.  “I didn’t expect you to be so gentle.” You admitted, for why? You had no idea. “Why is that?” He asked you, if you were sober you wouldn’t have been so easily fooled by his question, which was obviously just to stroke his own ego. “I guess it’s the way you smell, and maybe the stubble.” Your hand reached out, connecting with the side of his cheek, the rough hair touching your palm. His expression morphed into a more surprised one, then softened again.  “I did ask, so I can’t be surprised with the results.” Your hand left his cheek, did you offend him? You certainly did not have that intention,  “I mean in like a good way- I noticed how you smelt when I got closer to you. It wasn’t anything bad, it was really great actual-“ Your sentence was quickly brought to a halt when his lips met yours again, but this time it was more like a raging river with the rain thundering down on top of the water. Both of his hands now pulled you closer, meeting your bodies. You stood between his legs as his hand covered your lower back, slipping under your shirt just the slightest bit. His teeth caught your lower lip, and your eyes fluttered open, to see him looking directly at you. The embarrassment was too much, you closed your eyes, letting your tongue invade his mouth. Thankfully it seemed to have been received well as you became dancing, metaphorically of course. His hands did not wonder, much to your disappointment since you were at the bartop. Oh my god, you were having a make-out session- at the counter of the bar, where people were sitting close to you. 

He separated from you- maybe he felt your face heat up like a tea kettle. He just looked at you and chuckled, before your embarrassment could not exceed its limit now you shoved your face into his chest and collar bones. A laugh that vibrated his chest escaped him. “What did you get so embarrassed over?” He asked as you made your retreat from the safety of his chest. “I-“ “I think I need another shot.” Was all you could mutter without your head spontaneously combusting.

So many rounds after another, really it was only a couple of rounds. You downed another shot, did you count how many? Nope, and did you care? Also no.  “It feels awkward now, but, what's your name?” You sheepishly asked, as you now sat at the bar stool next to him. “It’s Kane, and no it's not awkward.” He tapped a finger on the counter. You tested the name out on your lips; “Kane.” He responded with a hum. “How do you like it?” Kane asked. “It’s simple, and gentle, like you. I like it.” Your sentence was a little jumbled from your brain frankly being jumbled from the alcohol too.  “Do I have to ask the question now?” Kane chuckled as he spoke.  “What question?” You tilted your head- oh right. “What's your name?” Kane asked, not without a laugh. You smiled, jeez you were slow right now. “(Name).” You responded, more calmly than the racing thoughts of your mind.  “Then, (Name), would you mind exchanging phone numbers with me?” God, you felt like you were back in high school again asking your crush out for the spring dance. You nodded, “I didn’t think I’d be able to leave without it.” 

Kane reached for a napkin, and clumsily found a pen, with barely any ink left in it. You grabbed the pen, trying not to punch a hole through the papery fabric. You re-read the sequence of numbers to make sure it matches. “I have roommates— if you want to call them that, so they might answer instead.” Kane nodded. “One more drink?” You asked as he shoved the napkin into his back pocket. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

That one more drink pulled the two of you back into the pit of swarming people, it was all moving so fast, and now the two of you were actually dancing- well dancing as in; the clubbing type of way. His hands moved far more freely with the alcohol running through his veins. And you definitely moved more smoothly with the same alcohol. 

And now you were being pulled to the side again by Kane’s hand on your wrist. Peaking through the veil of the crowd, you saw Trish and Lady speaking to a couple of guys at a booth. Kane stood in front of the table, holding you like he had just caught you cheating on the chem test. “These are your friends right (Name).” He barely asked, less of a question more of a confirmation from Trish and Lady. He still had his wits about him, you however barely had anything intelligent left in you. Lady couldn't bear to hold in her laugh. The two men that were talking to them excused themselves, Trish whispered something to the man you didn't quite catch.  “I am far too gone myself to take her home, and the two of you look like a safer option.” Kane basically was asking them to take you home, he was leaving. “Yeah, she does look pretty fucked up.” Lady admitted, not without a ‘hey’ from yourself. “We’ll take her home,” Trish spoke up.  “Thank you.” Kane turned to you and let go of your wrist, “I’ll call you okay?” You just nodded as you leaned your weight against the table, Kane walked off and it felt like you’d never see him again- would he even call you- would he abandon you? Just like Treyvon did? Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. Trish quickly stood next to you as you now shifted your weight onto her. Not without a quick sniffle of your nose, Dante wandered over and regrouped. “Yeah, she’s just gonna have to stay at the shop tonight.”

Thank you for reading! I hope you will stick around for my bullshit :) - onyxroses

The evening had dragged on, ever so slowly. It was to be expected when waiting for something— someone— time did move so terribly slow. Vergil had been gone most of the day, usually, jobs went fairly quick for him, as he is the strongest half-devil you know, and probably is the strongest half-devil. That being, he’s now been gone since 11:00 am, it’s now, you glanced over at the clock on the wall, 9:48 pm. And you are exhausted. Finding anything to do at the shop was a challenging task, there weren’t any books. Vergil didn’t even keep books, or well very many. You didn’t feel it would be appropriate to read his chosen literature, as it seemed quite personal to him. 

You’ve now retreated to your bed—Vergil’s bed. The neatness of the room was still a little alien to you. Not that it was just clean, there was practically nothing in his room. A dresser, two nightstands, a hook to hang his coat, and his large bed. That was it. Maybe it was instinct, a decorated room was a human trait. Though Vergil’s gotten better about his humanity, it is nowhere near perfect and never will be. You slithered under the comforter, laying on your side. Half of you wanted to tape your eyes open just in case Vergil got home so that you could greet him. The other half wanted nothing more than sleep. And one ended victorious, sleep.

It had only been an hour since you had fallen asleep, the silence of the building was not to be disrupted, especially by Vergil’s light steps. A habit he gained from the hells. However, the bedroom door opened with a prolonged squeak. Vergil’s eyes fell on your sleeping form, though he was not surprised. He had already been listening to your heartbeat from the other side of the door before making his entrance. Vergil momentarily propped up the Yamato against the wall as he methodically hung his coat on the hook attached to the drywall. Now walking over to his bed, which you are claiming one side of. Resting the sword against the nightstand, he sat down on the mattress. His weight made the mattress dip, and you remained unaware of his presence. Vergil’s first thought was how weak , but he was quickly overridden by human reason, reasoning he had been taught, especially by you and Dante. Vergil’s gaze settled on your features, ones he could barely see due to your position facing away from him. His hand, which still had his weathered gloves on, moved to grab a section of your hair, feeling it between his fingertips.

Maybe it was to check if you were real. Not many lowered their guard around him, well, those who knew of his strength. Regular civilians would always have their guard down, they were oblivious. But you who showed him patience granted it didn’t come without its respective frustration, but you still did it. You still trusted him, as stupid of a decision he thought it was at first: to trust blindly. Over time he realized it wasn’t blind, you saw something in Vergil he couldn’t see himself. His ability to be a man, and maybe you two had a different definition of a ‘man’, didn’t stop you from trying. Even when he would be covered in gore and carnage, and no regard for human life, you still saw him . It was buried down so deep there was only a sliver showing. But you knew it was there.

Your body shifted in your slumber, switching to the other side. The hand previously tangled in your hair quickly retreated, he observed your micro-movements. How your chest rose and fell slightly, your lips slightly parted. The dim lighting didn’t allow for many details of your face to show, but Vergil’s eyes saw you perfectly clear, thank you demon genetics. Vergil slipped his boots off before sitting up against a pillow on his bed, though you did slowly awaken. You didn’t see him at first, but you smelt him, it was nothing bad, it was just him. Something you had grown very accustomed to. His once cold blue eyes turned warm, at least that's what his gaze felt like on your skin. Vergil’s hands sat idly in his lap, “I apologize if I woke you.” You shook your head and pulled your body closer to him, “I don’t mind, I wanted to see you anyway.” Vergil didn’t respond, your head laid on the pillow next to where he sat. His eyes trained on your face and you couldn’t help but do the same. Admiring his sharp features, his eyebrows were more relaxed, and the shadow that they usually cast over his eyes was lightened. 

Vergil wasn’t extremely well versed in affection, barely versed at all. You settled for the small touches he gave you in private, it never extended beyond. You would usually wake up alone or Vergil faced away from you on the other side of the mattress. Though the man was very possessive, he rarely touched you. As if you were made of glass and the smallest thing could send you shattering. Regardless if you fought alongside him or he simply observed you, he would still treat you so carefully. Fighting your inner turmoil, you shifted your weight closer to him. Moving ever so carefully, lifting your head to lay on his thigh. Your actions were immediately met with his muscles tensing, yet again, he remained silent.

You didn’t dare move to look at his expression, admittedly feeling nervous, though if Vergil was not comfortable, he would have no problem voicing that. A few long seconds later, the muscles of his thigh slowly relaxed under your head, and you released a small breath that had been held captive in your lungs. Then minutes passed, and Vergil remained still, but calm, or so you hoped from the few clues you could gather together from your current position. Your eyes began to close shut once again, without your permission of course. 

A slow hand came to your hair, pushing the pieces back behind your ear. You couldn’t help but crane your neck up a little to maybe get a glimpse of Vergil’s face. His expression was blank as ever, till he caught your eyes. His lips twitched into a tiny smile, that was reward enough.  “What took you so long to get home?” You questioned, your neck still in an awkward position to see him. “I had an errand to run before returning home.” You hummed, he was being vague. Your heart told you he was being truthful, but your head said there was something else- no matter. He would tell you, or at least that's what you told yourself.

Resting your head back down comfortably on his lap, you pondered what his ‘errand’ was. He didn’t need to buy anything, he had food here and he wasn’t very materialistic. Maybe he was seeing someone . The thought made your chest burn, trying to put out the flames you tried to think rationally. Vergil and yourself were not officially dating, you know he cares about you. But the situation is so unique you don’t know if proper dating applies to him. But then again maybe he just needed to get off, he was human after all..well part human. The water you tried to pour on your fiery thoughts was not enough, and the heat from the raging flames morphed into jealousy. Was he with someone else? The thought of Vergil sharing the tender moments you have with him made you boil. 

Maybe Vergil heard your heart begin to beat faster, or maybe it's a demon’s 6th sense. One of his hands laid idly on your back, and you were quickly pulled out of the burning house that was your mind. “What's on your mind?” Vergil broke the silence of the room, you bit your tongue. You could not bear to admit jealousy over an imaginary woman you created in your head, it was ridiculous.  “Nothing, it’s stupid.” You turned your head farther away from his gaze,  “If it was nothing, you would not call it ‘stupid’” Vergil tested you, why must he be so nosey ?  You groaned, lifting a hand to cover your face.  “I’m…I’m just thinking too much, it’s fine.”

That answer was not sufficient enough for Vergil. His hand pried yours away from your face, though it wasn’t much of a struggle for him. He tilted your head with his hand towards his face, he was staring at you, and a couple of his white strands of hair fell out of their place.

“Tell me.” Vergil demanded, he wouldn’t just let it go. “I… I just was…” Jealous wasn’t the right word, what were you jealous of? Vergil was not exclusive to you.  “wondering what your ‘errand’ was, and… I thought you might’ve been with someone else.” Vergil’s expression was back to normal, a deep shadow cast over his eyes, his brows knitted together.  “I could tell you, but I’d prefer not to.”  Now you were fucking confused, what does that mean?  “If it would put your mind at ease, I would.” Vergil’s expression softened slightly. If he was so willing to tell you, maybe it wasn’t anything bad.  “No, it’s okay, I trust you.”  Your own words were not a lie, you did trust Vergil, with your life and your secrets. Vergil nodded, as his body relaxed against a pillow. Now you were curious, not as jealous anymore, maybe a little still. 

Vergil shifted now to laying down, so rudely making you move. He laid on his back as he stared at the ceiling, the air was beginning to feel thick with tension. You managed to scoot your body closer to him, your eyes following a muscle in his neck that twitched as he clenched his jaw. He moved his arm, making way for you to cling next to him. It wasn’t often he felt comfortable with contact like this, it was usually directed by you. Your head now rested on his chest, as it calmly rose and fell. 

Just like that, your worries slowly seeped out of your mind, discarding themselves. Everything felt like it was going to be okay. Even just for a moment, maybe just for tonight, but it was enough to make you smile. The comfortable warmth that radiated off of Vergil made your body lax, while his hand played with a strand of your hair gently.  “What are you smiling for?” Vergil asked, his fingers lacing through your hair, and before your brain could filter the words that slipped out your mouth, they went rouge;

“I love you, Vergil.”

“Foolish girl.”