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#the POINT is that he was never a deadweight not even to Dante

much-obliged-timothy · 2 years

Note

Can I please get a dadgil "You're not acting like yourself" or "you passed out", dealer's choice 😁

So sorry it took me so long to get to this one!

Perhaps the horrifically forceful blow Vergil had taken to the head was a bit worse than he was letting on, but like hell would he tell Dante or Nero that.

His vision was blurred and he was struggling to keep his balance as they walked. His head was throbbing, his stomach twisting with nausea as the world tumbled lazily in his vision.

He was relieved as Dante stopped walking and knelt down to inspect something on the ground. Vergil leaned against the wall, desperately striving for casualness and fairly certain he’d achieved it. He swallowed down bile and focused his gaze on a fixed point.

“-gil?”

Vergil blinked and dragged his sluggish gaze to Nero. “What?”

“I said, are you okay? You got hit really hard,” Nero said. “If we come up against anymore resistance-”

“I’m fine,” Vergil said sharply. “Go bother Dante.”

Nero scowled in the way he always did when so bluntly dismissed. Vergil despised the way the expression looked like his own.

“Look, if you can’t keep up, don’t expect us to drag your ass along,” Nero said.

Vergil’s head hurt too badly to deal with Nero’s concern right now. The damn brat always got so aggressive with his feelings, even when he was trying to care. Another similarity between them that Vergil hated.

“I am not weak like the two of you. I’m fine. Stop bothering me about it,” Vergil snapped.

Nero stiffened, clenching his fists. He turned on his heel and stormed over to Dante.

Vergil slumped back against the wall in relief to have Nero away. The boy would be pouty and moody about being called weak, but Vergil could deal with his overdramatic sensitivities later. The kid would get over it. He still got on just fine with Dante despite the deadweight comment he couldn’t seem to let go of; insults weren’t the end of the world.

Nero crouched next to Dante, trying to see what he was inspecting. Dante bumped his shoulder into Nero’s suddenly, nearly sending him off-balance. Nero’s scowl disappeared as he threw his shoulder right back into Dante’s. The two began to shove at each other, but Vergil could tell by the way their shoulders shook that they were trying not to laugh as they did it.

So childish.

Their back-and-forth movements made him feel nauseous again, so he found another fixed point to focus on that took them out of his view. He told himself it was the nausea and very firmly ignored the possibility of jealousy.

Nero had known Dante longer. It made sense that they were closer with each other than Nero was with Vergil.

Vergil thought of that blow to his head, and the anger and panic in Nero’s voice as he cried out Vergil’s name and launched forward to protect him. Vergil felt he’d never understand that boy. He could be so protective, even to a man who had nearly killed him, and he could be so playfully affectionate to a man who had kept the truth from him for so long.

No, Vergil had to focus. They were still on a mission. He had to stay focused in case they got in another fight. Let Nero behave as he pleased, so long as he didn’t get in the twins’ way. He…was…

“Vergil?”

Vergil opened his eyes. Nero gripped his shoulder tightly, gaze intent on Vergil.

“Get off,” Vergil said, annoyed at how slow and slurred his words were as he tried to push Nero away.

“Stop,” Nero said, tightening his hold and pushing Vergil’s arm down. “Dante, his head is bleeding again.”

“Great, brain damage was the one thing he couldn’t afford more of,” Dante said with a sigh. “Alright, kid, get him out and then catch back up to me. Can’t have him slowing us down and bitching at us the whole time.”

“What-” Vergil started angrily.

“Vergil, you passed out,” Nero said, getting Vergil’s arm around his shoulders and struggling to help Vergil up. Vergil hadn’t even realized he was on the ground. He had no memory of going down. “Come on, you’re not fine. You took a really bad hit to the head and you need to rest.”

Vergil was about to argue that he was, indeed, fine. But he moved to take a step and had to grab at Nero as the floor seemed to slide out from under him and his stomach twisted uncomfortably again. Nero kept him steady.

Vergil considered his options through the fog in his mind and finally decided that leaving now would be less embarrassing than potentially passing out again or being defeated in a minor fight. He let Nero help him down the hallway.

“Try not to nap on the job again, Vergil,” Dante called.

“C’mon, back off, Dante. He got hurt really badly,” Nero said, flipping Dante off. “Get to work already. I’ll be right back.”

Vergil must’ve gotten hit even harder than he’d realized, because he nearly thanked Nero for that. He caught himself and pressed his lips together, instead focusing on walking so he didn’t need to lean on Nero so much.

“Promise you’ll actually rest?” Nero said. “You shouldn’t mess around with a head injury, Vergil. Even with your fast healing, it isn’t safe.”

“I’m not a fool,” Vergil said.

Nero scoffed. “You were trying to play it off until you blacked out. Not a fool my ass.”

“I’d hit you if I wouldn’t fall over.”

Nero cracked a grin. “Jeez, you really got hit, huh? I think that’s the first time I heard you tell a joke.”

“That wasn’t a joke,” Vergil said dryly.

He felt a small, embarrassing sense of pride as Nero laughed at that. Damn head injury.

“Yea, yea, whatever. We both know I hit harder, old man,” Nero said. “Let’s just get you out of here before you get hurt.”

It was genuine concern, not teasing or condescension. Nero’s worry over others always surprised Vergil. He had to admit, the growing throb in his head was making him grateful for it right now.

He allowed himself, just this once and only while his thoughts were dulled by pain, to lean on Nero for help. Nero did not mock him or reject him; he simply adjusted his grip to better help Vergil along, and the two continued on so Nero could get Vergil somewhere safe to rest.

#devil may cry #nero sparda #vergil sparda #dmc nero #dmc vergil #dmc dante #my writing #writing prompts

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honeydew-mel0n · 3 years

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Idk if you like take requests but i just wanted a quick little thing on how Nero would react to being called dead weight (even jokingly) by his S/O, even better if S/O is like near Dante level Devil Hunter. ❤️

Hi, oh my god I now love you. I didnt know how I felt about taking requests, but I guess I'm open now. I hope this is good enough, sorry if its not!

Nero being called "Deadweight" by his Stronger S/O

• Even if you're just joking and no matter how good of a hunter you are, his reaction is completely dependent on how many times you say it.

• The first time you say it, you'll just get an eye roll, maybe a "whatever." A joke is a joke, and he's a big boy. He can take it. He also knows you don't mean it.

• After initially being referred to as dead weight by his uncle, then dwelling on it for weeks. He did, eventually, get over it.

• Actually, he'll probably tease you back. Whatever sickeningly sweet, embarrassing nickname he calls you at home will now be your name for the next few hours or days. Depending on how he feels.

• If you are to say it repeatedly, he will start getting annoyed. It might not cause huge fights, but it will spark arguments.

• It's not that he feels insecure, it's just a very unpleasant reminder.

• Depending on how long you've been together, he will have no problem asking you to stop. You'll eventually sit down together, and have a conversation about it.

• Now on the other hand, if it's not a joke. If you two are working and something triggers you to call him deadweight, especially to his face, he will lash out eventually.

• Whatever you two were just occupied with is now shoved into the back seat.

• This isn't like when Dante called him that, he didnt get to resolve that immediately. This, he will try to.

• It'll honestly feel like someone threw a fucking brick at his chest. And this is where the insecurities come in.

• He knows that, compared to you and his uncle, he's relatively weak. He looks like a fucking damsel in destress next to you two.

• You being as good as you are doesn't bother him normally, in fact, he's so fucking proud to be your boyfriend. He loves watching you kick ass.

• But after this, he actually starts to wonder if you look down on him because of it.

• The fight you have over it is intense, and a lot of things that weren't ment, will be said. Be prepared.

"God damn it Nero, stay out of the way! You're just deadweight!"

You'd been trying to fight off this queen for way too long now, but having to dodge stray bullets from blue rose was the biggest fucking distraction. Shooting at it wasnt doing anything. You appreciate the help, really, but after some time it just gets annoying.

The blade from your weapon of choice slices through the things neck, the head lopping completely off as its body spirts blood and wriggles as it shrivels up. You smooth down your hair that's been clotted by blood and look over at Nero. His eyes are distant and he's almost completely frozen in place, still trying to process what had just left your mouth.

You get close to him, waving your hand in front of his face. "Hello? Baby? Earth to Nero." He jerks back to reality, taking a single step back, a hurt look floods his face. "Really?" He says, frustration obvious in his voice. "What? C'mon, I cant just leave you here. We have to keep moving, were supposed to meet Dante at the bridge in an hour." You turn to try and walk out of the building.

"Nah, I think I'll stay behind, leave it to you two." You stop, turning back around. "That'll make it easier, since I'm such deadweight. Right?" Your shoulders slump with a sigh, getting ready to grab the back of his shirt and pull him with you, like scuffing a cat. "Nero, that's not what I-" "then what did you mean?" Your eyes bounce around, looking for anything to prevent a fight.

"Look, I fucked up. I was annoyed and in the heat of the moment I said something that I didnt-" There's a scoff from your boyfriend as he puts blue rose back in it's holster. "Really? Because that's all you and Dante treat me like. I'm always fucking up and weighing you two down." Dante called him that once, and when he got back from hell, apologized.... Somewhat. You've only ever said it once before to poke fun at both of them.

"This is the only the second time I've called you that. I'm sorry if I upset you then and now." "Its not about just saying it. You two always leave me behind, always telling me I cant handle shit." Okay, now you're staring to get riled up too. Shit. "Yeah, have you ever thought that there are just somethings you wont be able to handle? And what If i just let you go? So I can loose you too?" He takes a deep breath, obviously more upset then you are.

"If I'm so weak, why are you with me. Huh? Why dont you just go..." he waves his arm, trying to come up with something. "...fuck Dante or something." You visibly cringe in disgust. Sure, Dante is easy on the eyes but he's around 20+ years your senior. And you aren't half of twitter, you will not be sexualizing the senior citizen. "Because I love you, Nero. And i'm not Vergil, I have never said that you're weak. You aren't!"

He scoffs again, turning away. Guess you're just too funny to him. He starts mumbling to himself, you can't quite catch everything he's saying but one thing slips out. "...shouldn't have left Kyrie for you..." Immediately your entire body feels like it's been set on fire, you choke down a sob and settle yourself.

He doesnt actually mean that, you know he doesn't. Your hands clench into fists, nails digging into your palms to the point you can feel blood. "You know what? Fine. If you want to stay behind, then by all means, go right ahead. You can handle everything down here without me, you're a big boy. I'll just head to meet Dante early." Finally, finally, you leave.

You keep yourself from crying, you're bigger then that.

Both of you know the other didnt mean the hurtful things that had been said, and you will end up making up back at home. But for now, just keeping your distance.

#devil may cry #devil may cry x reader #nero x reader #nero sparda #nero sparda x reader #hmmm #this actually kinda hurt

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sailordiavolo · 3 years

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I'm curious, how do you think nero would react to meeting Alice, if she is his mom?

(very long post)

well, i may have to take a few liberties in answering this, so i shall establish some assumptions. 1) we assume alice is his mom (obvi) 2) we assume she is alive 3) we assume that she left him in fortuna as a way to protect him and 4) we assume that alice became a devil hunter. oh and 5) they meet post-canon, aka after the events of dmc5.

also, conclusions i draw from this will be somewhat based on how i would react, if put in these circumstances, i.e. if i were in nero’s shoes. i don’t know if that might make it strange or not, because sometimes i think i have abnormal reactions to emotional things happening.

another thing i would like to point out, is that as someone who hasn’t actually read the manga, my understanding of alice comes from second-hand accounts, and information i could glean from the wiki, and of a few panels i’ve seen. that being said, let’s get into this, shall we?

before covering nero’s reaction, i’ll touch on how i think alice might be as a person, or at least her feelings towards being a mother, and possibly towards nero himself. i’ll also talk about nero’s thoughts towards what he thinks his mother might be like, prior to finding out.

alice

from what little i know about alice, she was a little girl who was used by arkham as a tool to lure out the sons of sparda. (i think if lady/mary hadn’t turned against him, that role would’ve went to her tbh). i think it’s safe to say she was groomed by arkham, who probably also put her up to seducing dante (and vergil too). it just gets worse the more you think about it, really. i think she was forced to (or made to feel like she needed to) grow up prematurely. the powers she has were probably given to her via some weird demonic ritual, (assuming she’s human). what i’m getting at here, is that she definitely has a lot of trauma from all this, all of which would affect how she’d react to having a baby.

i won’t go so far as to diagnose her, but some things i thought she might struggle with include intense self-hatred and very low self esteem, very quickly going from feelings of independence to codependency, intense trust issues especially with authority figures, nightmares or night terrors, vivid daydreaming as a coping mechanism, being prone to delusion, going from feeling emotionless to having too much emotions, and not wanting to be perceived versus wanting to be the centre of attention.

that’s a lot actually, but basically i imagine alice as an adult to be someone who has a lot of trauma to sift through and unpack, and not really knowing how to handle it most of the time, especially since she’s doing it all on her own. barely keeping it together, but powering through it simply because she has just enough reasons to keep living.

alice as a mother

i don’t think there’s any question that alice, had she been nero’s mother, would’ve loved him dearly. in fact, i think he would remain a strong reason for her to keep going. however, she keeps herself away from him. this is because she wants him to have something better, something safer than what she can give him. she doesn’t know how to be a mother really, especially given how young she was when she had him.

i think alice would actually feel unworthy of being in nero’s life, feeling guilty for abandoning him, despite these reasons. she has considered many times going to see him, especially when she’s older and a little more stable, but she can’t bring herself to do it. and then she mulls over all the things she struggles to do for herself, and uses that as a reason to justify in her mind why she shouldn’t be seeing him. it continues like that for a long time.

nero

nero, on the other hand, has always longed for a mother. i don’t think this is any secret. when he was being bullied or was suffering as a child, he would fantasise about his mother, and how she would come to whisk him away. although it never happened, nero probably has a set image that he hopes his mother would be like. this may have been more specific when he was a child, but by the time he’s a more well-rounded adult with foster children of his own, he gains more perspective. i think the most important thing to him is that he had a mother who had loved him. a mother who would’ve taken him home, had she the resources. the idea of his mother discarding him really wounds him deep down, and i still don’t think he’s over it, even up to dmc5. that’s why the deadweight comment hit him so hard.

meeting each other

the first thing nero is going to be is overwhelmed, feeling all-too many emotions at once. if he ever met her, it would take him a long time to process it all completely. and it would be somewhat odd and awkward, too. alice doesn’t strike me as the most socially eloquent person. that and, alice doesn’t really come off as a mother. she certainly doesn’t dress like one. she doesn’t even seem that much older than nero, or so nero thinks. he just expected her to be older than that.

the first thing alice would feel the need to do is apologise. of course, she feels very emotionally raw & vulnerable in this situation, but she feels like she owes nero that much.

nero would start crying actually. like a baby. they both might. it would be very emotional for both of them and anyone else present. he would definitely warm up to alice a lot quicker than he did vergil.

nero of course, has so many questions for alice, who is at a point where she’s ready to answer them, i’d think. nero would ask all sorts of questions, like how she’s been living, etc. but he’d really wanna know about how she met vergil and how the hell that happened. alice sits with nero and tells him her story, maybe the first time she’s ever told it aloud to anyone in full. she asks about nero as well, sitting and catching up on all the years lost between them. being a foster father, nero is able to empathise with alice more as he listens.

i think they would bond very quickly after that. alice had been terrified that nero would spurn her, but he didn’t. alice has difficulty expressing emotions normally, and probably has her own way of expressing affection. but after meeting nero, she tries hard to make time to visit him.

if she were to become a devil hunter based in fortuna or something, i think she’d be very proud of nero, and nero would be totally amazed by alice’s strange powers.

also, i think nero wouldn’t know whether to call her mom or not. alice doesn’t know which she prefers either, but if nero does decide to call her mom, it secretly makes her happy.

#extremely long post #sorry about the length i needed to lay all that groundwork down if i was going to understand what they’d do #convoluted thought process moment #lmk if u think that’s accurate or not !!#if not i’m totally open to hear more thoughts #bc i really had to reach into my brain for this one #not that it was too difficult #i just had to transform my thoughts about alice from nebulous cloud into solid concepts #dmc alice #devil may cry #dmc nero

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rukanrin · 3 years

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Angel---Nero x G/N Reader

Angel - Theory Of A Deadman So after breaking my friends heart she requested another song-fanfic,so here is our deadweight Nero,once again thank you for the support but why does my progress chart show me the middle finger,y’all tryna tell me something? -Ruka ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’m in love with an angel, heaven forbid Made me a believer with the touch of her skin.... Nero had confessed his love to you a few months ago,but you didn’t know what to say,it have made things terribly awkward for both of you,rarely talking anymore,you knew he dumped Kyrie to confess to you,those two were like puzzle pieces,so why did he leave her for you? I’d go to hell and back with you Stay lost in what we found... Today was another day of demon hunting,but something was off,Dante had informed you that you had a job that would take a couple of days,that you were paired up with Nero,and to get your stuff packed,you had nothing against it since it was a job...but still...why were you getting paired with Nero so much? Worlds apart we were the same Until we hit the ground You packed your stuff none the less,the mission was somewhere in a snowy mountain terrain,the caller wanted you to exterminate the demons lurking on the scouting fields,giving you a nice warm house-cabin to stay in for the period of time,you were impressed by how warm it was inside compared to the snowy hell outside,you unpacked your stuff,just some clothes,weapons,a torch with new batteries and a notepad with a sharpened pencil and rubber Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m weak Maybe I’m blinded by what I see Nero had begged Dante to pair you two up for this mission,originally it was ment to be for Vergil and Lady,but the younger son of Sparda let Nero off this time since he wasn’t in the mood for a ‘new gig’,he needed to know if you accepted his love,he was tired of avoiding each other You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me 'Cause I could never set you free Night came around and you were laying on the couch, Nero had gone to search through the supplies in the hut and to explore the place,it appeared small but was a literal maze “Hey (Y/N)...have you thou-” “i told you Nero,i’m not sure yet” you cut the blue and red clothed man off,not wanting to talk about your feelings toward him,you couldn’t really tell but his blood was boiling at this point So fly on your own It’s time I let you go You got up and walked towards the bedrooms,luckily this place was built for three people,so neither of you had to sleep on the couch while the other gets a good sleep,but you felt a strong grip on your hand,only to be pinned to the wall behind you,revealing a very upset Nero in front of you I’m in love with an angel who’s afraid of the light Her halo is broken but there's fight in her eyes “Why wont you just fucking give me an answer?! “ He hissed,hate laced his words “i tol-” “you told me shit,i want a real answer,and i want it now (L/N)” He cut you off before you could finish your regular excuse “its because im dead weight?“ “Nero“ “am i not pretty enough for you?!“ “Nero!“ “what do you want me to be?!“ “NERO!“ Walls are built to keep us safe Until they’re crashing down Your pleading finally got to him,snapping him out of the world of self hatred, you loved him,you truly did, you just didn’t have the courage to confess, even if he was the one to confess and ask first “please...don’t say that about yourself” you begged,you hated when he was like this,sure he never ever pinned you to a wall but he hated himself more then anyone could ever imagine Worlds apart we were the same Until you hit the ground He couldn’t help himself,his emotions came over the poor boy as he let you go,only to pull you close and share a needy first kiss with you,you were stunned,but seeming as you had no choice but to stay trapped in the quater-devil’s embrace,you melted into his touch,even going as far as kissing him back for a few seconds “did that answer your question?Nero Sparda?” Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m weak Maybe I’m blinded by what I see He smiled,several tears rolling down his face,which you carefully wiped and replaced with a pepper of kisses,making the devil hunter chuckle,i guess all of that anger wasn’t really worth it? but atleast both sides cave confessed now,and tommorow will be a day full of sweet sweet demon hunting

#dmc x reader #nero sparda #nero x reader #my friend wanted me to write this

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dmcofficial · 4 years

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i really love how dmc approaches the relationship between human and demonic selves, especially in the light of it acting as contrast to how regular, average people struggle to accept parts themselves, the beautiful, the ugly, the parts that are both. dante has the most development simply bc he's the longest running protag of the series but also he's had games entirely dedicated low-key to his developing relationship and eventual acceptance of his human and demonic sides, even tho i think his are more clear cut (dmc1 & dmc3) meanwhile nero (dmc4 & dmc5) and vergil (dmc5) have more subtle and almost cramped development in a way

[ranting abt dante, vergil, & nero's character development throughout the franchise under the cut bc this also got rlly long,,,]

dante is interesting post dmc3 just bc he's both written 2 b a continuous character w no real conclusion to his character in order to continually write him into dmc games and content, BUT he still reaches SOME conclusions to character arcs in dmc1 and dmc3, and afterwards we see how those conclusions have aged with him— aged is the important word there, because changes in dante's character are both from the perspective on nero (his villainous aura at the beginning of dmc4) and the simple fact that where a lot of characters don't actively age and mature the same way real people do, in video game media especially, dante DOES and this changes how we would expect him to react in games liek 4 and 5

i think part of the reason the dynamic between vergil and dante has shifted by dmc5 is not only bc of vergils speedrun development in the same game, but also because you could reasonably say that while vergil expects a fight w him similar to their past fights, you could argue he is also a little bit unsettled with how dante's changed in the time theyve been separated. because despite how they tend to mirror each other as children and their journey thru dmc as a franchise can be framed as the same One character put thru different yet similar traumatic events, vergil even remarks about it at the top of the qliphoth, that difference here is that by dmc4 and DEF dmc5 dante has evolved past that where vergil is just beginning to really see it.

dante has had the time to process it. he went thru all this development years ago. it's had time to sit with him and age and ferment. dante is now tired, almost apathetic. he's disinterested with life and the cards he's been dealt with. at least in dmc4 and between dmc1 and 4, the anime too, he was sort of. rueful and upset about it? but he's seemed to move past that at this point. he is a character who has done everything there is to do. there is nothing and nobody who can challenge him, and even the concept doesn't catch his full attention. vergil is a trigger topic, it sets him off instantly, probably because vergil is the only constant in his life that will live as long and is as impossibly stubborn as dante is.

he doesn't chase vergil because he's necessarily hurting people with the dmc5 red grave massacre or trying to end the world in some great fashion and dante will have fun or at least get a thrill from defeating him or dying trying— cutting thru urizens forces are a pain in the ass and a waste of time. he wants the main course. he wants to be done with it. not to say he wouldn't have fun fighting, but he doesn't get the thrill he does when he's younger anymore. he wants to end their feud, seeming to be with the intention of making up with him even if he's come to terms with vergil's pride being what will force dante to kill him in the end

fighting with vergil in the underworld afterwards, having someone like him to keep him company, to share those experiences with, it's everything he needed and more i think. the repairing of their relationship, the new partner in a life none can truly relate to. i mean, both brothers treat nero like a child, he's the closest either of them can get to someone who understands, but nobody will understand truly like they will

vergil meanwhile, decides very young that power is all he needs and it will solve all his problems. and you know, at the time maybe it does. but eventually, when forced to admit it isn't, when put between dante and more power despite it being a hollow motivation, he chooses power and the end of dmc3 to the events of dmc1 happens.

dmc5 is unique in that v is forced to retrace vergils steps. they're put through the same paces: he is put in a position of fear after his 'birth', he chooses life, and then goes hunting for power to keep himself alive afterwards. but not only does he have his familiars to balance him out in a way vergil never had (and that dante has in trish and lady,) but his demonic tendencies can't overwhelm him, he has room to grow and accept and come to realizations he can only reach as a clear headed human. he is able to actively use empathy and sympathy, even against his will. he realizes that power isn't everything. that the atrocities he's committed in the name of his own growth in power are just that, atrocities. that he feels regret for what he has done. that he wants to find away to atone for those actions.

he is forced to accept the strengths and weaknesses of his humanity, but also the same coin's other side, the horrible things he's done in the past, the horrible things his demon self is currently doing unchecked, and v resolves to change that even at the cost of his human outlook, even at the gravity of his actions being leveled against vergil in all their horror. he learns to accept that part of himself, both parts, everything bad he can commit with his two hands, but also with nero, nico, his familiatr, the good that can be done. the weeds that can fight to grow through the cracks.

nero spends dmc4 learning how to be a demon. hes force to learn how to deal with and manage his demonic changes. for a few weeks he has his demon arm, when he previously believed himself to be entirely human, and is then forced to come to terms with his yamato trigger and all the changes that brings. he even promises to himself, having grown up on a hyper religious island that loathes demonkind and reveres sparda, that even if humanity learns to hate him and fear him, he will still stick to his steadfast morals, his drive to achieve his goal of saving kyrie and greater fortuna. i also think a lot of dmc4 is nero becoming comfortable with his true nature. he comes into himself in dmc4 as a mouthy, demonic-warped demon hunter with a bad attitude in contrast to the bored, slightly tempered teen who broods in church even as kyrie attempts to wrangle him at the beginning of the game

dmc5 i think is nero's human game in the sense that he's forced to relearn how to be human. he spends five+ years as a demonic freak of nature, powerful on an island of human people with no demonic power. he's downright untouchable. after losing his bringer and his powers, he's forced back to square one, human again. i think dante believes nero is deadweight in the sense that nero is weak again, without any kind of demonic power and will get himself killed easily fighting urizen despite his hybrid resilience that still lingers. nero is angered by this— by his weakness, by the fact that he promised dante to keep the yamato safe and had it stolen from him, by his lack of agency. dante wasn't even going to tell nero, v, some random-ass goth, had to fetch him. he feels he isn't enough anymore, and dante's words are poorly timed— they sting particularly hard i think, considering he is nero's only unofficial family at the time, and family is his soft spot.

i also think nero coming to terms with vergil and dante being his father and uncle respectively takes up a lot of this arc of his– he is forced to grapple with what family means to him, what he is willing to do for family, when his only relationship with family has been his experiences as an orphan with strange white hair and a bad attitude in fortuna of all places, fostered by kyries parents who seemed to only take a liking to him at first for how much he resembled the Savior™. kyrie and credo were his only family after they died, and it's kyrie who reminds him of his own beliefs, in his own love and stubborn, headstrong dedication and determination for the well being of his found family, even as that found family suddenly includes actual blood family. he also has to try and understand dante and his perspective, who hid this from him. maybe out of fear of disappointing him, maybe out of concern of how he would take it, maybe because he thought nero was better off with the family he found than with the knowledge of how much bloody weight he carries, the heavy history of their family, didn't want to give that weight to him.

nero sort of learns here that seemingly good people do bad things for the right reasons. sometimes bad people do bad things because they think it's the best of the shitty choices. sometimes bad and good people just don't exist, and there's no good choice. he learns unwavering forgiveness, unconditional and true. all of these lessons he's lost between dmc4 and 5

#OR MAYBE IM TALKIN OUT MY ASS IDK IM JUST GOING BRAINDEAD ABT DMC LATELY #dmc #devil may cry #dante #vergil #nero #ryan speaks #ryan writes #this is for mikey and mikey only

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wow-thisismylifeiguess · 4 years

Text

finished dmc5. here are my thoughts:

- first of all, I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING LOVED IT. I’m not at all picky when it comes to story telling and shit like that, I’m v easy to please, but I enjoyed this shit so fucking much

- as someone who’s pretty back at video games (also, I was using a switch pro controller so maybe that’s why some shit was rough for me), this game is still pretty fucking fun to play.

- I fucking loved the way it would switch between characters and each of them being unique. Dante is highkey my fave just from the vast amount of devil arms he has (King Cerberus is a favorite, but so is DSD). V was fun because he allowed me to do my favorite thing, aka run away and spam buttons. And Nerooooo. I lowkey kept forgetting to use Nico’s arms, but that was still fun af

- IM DANTE’S BITCH AND I ALWAYS WILL BE, BUT SOME OF THOSE SHOTS OF NERO AND VERGIL??? I’m only but a woman....

On to actual story/plot things:

- I would SO love to know how nero comes to meet nico and start working for dante. DMC 4 and 5 are five years apart and I wanna know what happens in that gapppppp

- I didn’t expect to love V this much, but when you stop to realize that V /is/ Vergil, and that anything V has said, Vergil has probably thought himself, it makes things so interesting (I’m mostly thinking about the scenes where he nearly stabs Dante w the DSS and also when he talks about regretting his actions). I’m happy to know that while V is gone, he isn’t /gone/ gone. (Vergil, stab yourself again, pls). ALSO. NERO FEELING UPSET OVER V BEING GONE WAS SO SAD

- Nero holding onto the fact that Dante called him deadweight makes it SO obvious this boy looks up to Dante and was HURT by that comment. We all know dante did it as a deterrent, and whether or not he actually meant it isn’t important. I think what it was was just Dante not wanting to drag yet another person into his fights with Vergil, and for Nero to not have to live with the fact that Dante was trying to stop/kill Nero’s /father/

- SPEAKING OF THAT. WHAT THE FUCK, DANTE. GOD, the BETRAYEL Nero must have felt, not just from Vergil, but from Dante too. God, all his life this kid just wanted family, and this is how it’s revealed to him that he /does/ have blood relatives. What was the point of hiding that fact? ‘Cause Dante couldn’t prove it? What the fuckkkkkk

- Vergil not even knowing Nero was his son was also fucked to me. It makes me think that in potential future games, we’ll never know who his mother is/was. I truly would love to know how Vergil feels about Nero. Does he have any regrets?

- GOD, THAT ENDING. While the tone isn’t nevessarily sad, /IM/ fucked up about it!!! Nero JUST FUCKING FOUND HIS FAMILY, ONLY FOR THEM TO HAVE TO ABANDON HIMMMMMM (thought both of them punching Nero /was/ pretty funny. And even if Nero never found out about his relationship with Dante and Vergil, he still /lost/ Dante, someone who is NO DOUBT a mentor figure for him (and my hopeful heart also says ‘father figure’).

- god, what money I wouldn’t pay to see more of Dante and Vergil together now that they’re stuck in hell for an indefinite amount of time. Vergil has the Yamato tho so they definitely have a method of escape, but I wanna see them fight /together/. Live /together/. BE BROTHERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROBABLY OVER THIRTY YEARS

- I’ve heard rumors that in a potential DMC6, the story would no longer focus on Dante and Vergil, and rather just on Nero, but that makes /no/ sense to me. While yes, the series has Dante as the mc, more importantly is the story of the Sparda bloodline. That includes all THREE of them. Plus, THERES SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR VERGIL AND DANTE CONTENT NOW THAT THEY’RE NOT ‘enemies’ ANYMORE. PLUS, Nero and Vergil bonding??? I think /YES/

Additional comments:

- I greatly enjoyed this game and I highly fucking recommend it.

- between all the DMC games, (or just 3, 4, and 5), my favorites go from 5 - 3 - 4.

- I really do hope there’s another game in the future, regardless of if Vergil and Dante are in it, and from the damn time gap between 4 and 5, that probably won’t even happen for a v long time, but I’ll wait patiently for it

I definitely have more things to say but that’s it for now. I’m gonna go read fic now because....mmmmmmm. I need Sparda family bonding time since CAPCOM WONT GIVE IT TO ME

#my thoughts on devil may cry #I am tired #devil may cry #my post

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dreaming-gamer · 4 years

Text

Magic Touch – Nero X V Chapter 3

Firefighter Nero x Massage Therapist V

The smell of oil and tires hit Nero’s nose the second he stepped into Devil May Drive, to find V’s piece of junk car suspended by a red car lift and Nero’s best friend checking its underside. Nico wore a yellow overall, the sleeves rolled up for the world to see her tattoos and oil coated her clothed fingers.

The front of the small car might be looking a bit steadier since last Nero had seen it, two days ago. Work had kept him away, but at least he was free today. And hoping for a chance meeting with a certain massage therapist.

“You can stop checking around, he ain’t here.” The mechanic stated, but she flashed Nero a grin. “So, I wanna hear all ‘bout it. Ya get another session or something?” She winked.

“Did you sniff too much gasoline?” Nero retorted. “I gave him a ride, nothing else.”

“At least ya got his number, right?” Nico teased, only for her eyes to widen as Nero hesitated just a second too long. “Yer shittin’ me! Are ya the worst person in the world when it comes to flirting or what?!” She demanded, both hands on her hips.

“Kyrie and I didn’t need flirting! This is just totally different, alright?!” Nero exclaimed, but quickly lowered his voice, stepping closer to his best friend. “Kyrie and I were friends for the longest time! I’ve met this guy twice! I tried asking his number! …but the timing was all wrong, he got out of the car without hearing me.”

“Uh huh… ya know, ya could ask yers truly and I’ll give it to ya, as a special order.” Nico said, her grin returning full force. Maybe she was taking pity on him. Nero wasn’t sure he wanted it or liked it.

“And what would that cost me?” He deadpanned.

“A favor to ask for whenever I please, no matter the cost?” Nico grinned, her eyes alight with glee. “Magic always comes with a price, dearie.”

“You quoting that show of yours again? And this isn’t even magic! Aren’t you breaking customer confidentiality if you give it to me?” Nero pointed out with a huff.

“Aww, does that mean yer worried about my job? Dante wouldn’t mind me helping his nephew, lemme tell ya!” Nico teased.

“You’re NOT telling him about this!” Nero exclaimed. Her teasing, he could put up with. If his uncle found out that Nero was starting to take fancy in someone, he would never hear the end of the Dante’s comments! Or the attempts of ‘advice’. “And if I’m going to get V’s number, damn straight I’m getting it myself! I’m not gonna sit around like some deadweight and get it handed to me!”

But the thought of asking V, well… it made his heart race again. A lot. First of all, he needed to actually meet the guy again, preferably here and hope with all his heart that V would maybe, maybe be interested enough in him to exchange numbers so Nero didn’t need to rely on chance meetings anymore. Sometimes he replayed V’s quote of poetry in his head, not that the poem meant much to him, but that voice…

He missed it.

“Pardon me.”

Oh great, Nero was even imagining it now, more vividly than he’d managed before, right behind him.

“I see we have run into each other, yet again. Good morning, Nero.”

Nero’s mind ground to a stop. There was only one pair of lips that made his name sound like more than it was.

No. Way.

He turned around to find the poet standing just a few meters behind them, a silvery cane in one hand, dressed in a black leather vest that gave off a strong gothic vibe but fit him amazingly. And the smirk on V’s face was quite amused. Either he had… heard Nero’s announcement. Or he was happy with gaining Nero’s attention, with his attire.

The tips of Nero’s ears turned red, whichever the case.

“M-morning!” He said quickly, dammit, what else was he supposed to say?! Had V heard him or not?! And if he had, was he totally fine with giving up his number?! Nero’s heart sped up, thundering in his chest while it felt like he had soaring butterflies in his stomach…!

Nico snorted, trying to hold back a laugh, making Nero turn quickly to face her, anger sparking in his eyes.

Her mirth said it all, she’d seen V come in. And not told him.

Nico just gave him a grin before seemingly taking pity on Nero, as she greeted her customer.

“Yo, yer early! Gonna take a few more hours to get this beauty completely fixed!” She announced, gesturing to the suspended car.

“Ah, my apologies. Your message specified today, so I was hoping…” V smiled politely. “I suppose I will have to return later then.”

“Come back at lunch and it’ll be greeting you with a roaring engine!” Nico grinned. Nero wondered if that car engine could roar at all, since… well, it looked way too old.

V chuckled to her statement.

“I will look forward to that then.” He smirked as she went back to her work. Nico flashed Nero a meaningful grin, like a silent “Come on, jackass! Ya scared?!”

Nero grit his teeth, he wasn’t going to back down from that challenge! Fighting the urge to put his hands in his pockets and instead act natural, he approached V, putting a grin on his face.

“So, since the car’s gonna be a while… you wanna go grab a coffee? Brunch?” Nero offered, his heart beating fast in his chest. The pounding could almost be heard in his ears.

The second V looked at him, his lips turning into an apologetic smile, Nero knew what the answer would be. It made his heart sink, like a stone to his stomach.

“My apologies, Nero. As pleasant as your offer sounds… I have somewhere to be, right after this. I just came by… in hopes of finding the car finished early.” V replied.

Nero stumbled for a natural reply, with his previously soaring hope now crushing to the ground, within the same hour, it was hard to not seem affected.

“Yeah, no worries man, never mind that—“

“However…” V’s calm voice cut him off. “…if you would like to join me for a walk, to my destination…”

Nero’s hand, that had just been on it’s way to the back of his head, paused. His eyes widened, his tongue felt tied in his mouth. He was quick to nod.

“Excellent, shall we be off?” V suggested with a pleased smirk, taking the lead out of the oil-smelling shop. Nero kicked his brain and legs into following, feeling as if that hope he couldn’t let go of was currently on a rollercoaster. It didn’t stop the grin from appearing on his face. Nero let V take the lead, falling into step with the massage therapist.

Sunlight greeted them and despite the lack of sleeves on his clothing, V was dressed all in black leather. Wouldn’t he get really hot? Nero’s tongue seeming more willing to cooperate now, he opened his mouth to ask as he noticed another detail.

V had… sandals on.

For real? They didn’t really fit in with the rest of his look at all, they just didn’t! But V’s way of walking, as if they were the most appropriate thing in the world to wear… kind of made it work? It was rather confusing, to be honest.

V seemed to notice his staring.

“Is something the matter?” The massage therapist wondered.

Nero considered, for a moment to ask what the deal with the sandals was… but since they didn’t really know each other that well yet, he settled for another question on his mind.

“So why the cane? You need it or is it just to strengthen the goth look?” V stood out like a sore thumb compared to him, Nero was dressed in regular jeans, t-shirt and a short sleeved blue hoodie, perfect for the weather.

V graced him with a devilish smirk, that kind that made a shiver go down along Nero’s spine.

“I suppose… it is for aesthetic, rather than function. These days.”

“’These days’?” Nero asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.” V replied, holding the cane just under the head in an easy grip. It certainly didn’t look like he needed it to walk, since there was no limp to his steps, just a bit of slouch to his back. V didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. Like he’d rather keep it a mystery, or perhaps it was something he’d rather not speak about. Nero couldn’t really tell which, but he didn’t push it.

“Looks good, anyway.” He simply said, because it was true. V wielded the cane gracefully, as if it was an extension of his tattooed arm.

V’s devilish smirk remained.

“Why, thank you. What was your errand, at Devil May Drive? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Nero felt the tips of his ears change color again. V’s tone was teasing and he wondered, again, had the massage therapist heard him or not? Proclaiming he wanted V’s number…

“I just hang out there sometimes.” He tried for, it wasn’t a completely white lie. Nero did hang around, sometimes, since Nico worked there. And meeting his uncle from time to time was cool.

And I was kinda hoping to see you again. The words were in his mind, right there, ready to be said. And he opened his mouth to let them out, but they just wouldn’t come. He struggled, swallowed to buy himself time to try again. His heart rate was picking up again, whoa Nico must be right, he was the worst when it came to flirting!

“I see.” V didn’t seem to mind Nero’s difficulties. “I’m afraid… our walk seems to be coming to an end.”

Are you kidding me?! This time, I am getting that number before you— Nero put a brake on his own thoughts, when he realized just where they were. Sure, they have started to walk down a very familiar road, but still… This street was where he lived! On both sides of the road, apartment buildings loomed over them, the sun hitting the southern windows making them glisten. He’d expected they were just going to pass through, but V meant that they were almost there?

“Why are we here, exactly?” Nero’s mind was trying to catch up. Was V visiting someone? Or…

Did he live here, that close to Nero? His eyes fell upon a blue moving truck, parked outside the apartment building across from his. The movers stood just outside, discussing the best course of action, just before they opened shutter to the truck’s storage unit.

“I am moving to this new apartment, today.” V pointed to the moving truck with the head of his cane. “I’m afraid that’s why I’ll be too busy to…” The black-haired man paused as he noticed Nero’s wide eyes. “Is something the matter?”

“You’re moving in, acrossfromme.” Nero blurted the words out, too quickly for them to be really heard. It felt like his thoughts were tying themselves into knots.

V gave him a quizzical look.

“…pardon?”

“I live there.” Nero tapped V’s arm with his hand, then pointed it out for him, the first window on the third floor, facing the street as well as the opposite apartment building. “And you’re moving in…”

“Third floor, facing the road…” V’s eyes widened slightly, in that expression Nero had started to see as V’s attempt to hide his surprise. It took mere moments for his expression to smooth out into that devilish smirk.

“Well, we appear to be running into each other a lot recently.” V noted, sounding amused.

“I think this one is on you.” Nero said with a cocky grin. It felt like his heart was going to start breakdancing. Was this luck even real?

“It would seem that way.” V agreed, that amused glint not leaving his eyes. Nero just couldn’t believe this. He knew that an apartment across the road been empty for about a month now, the party animal that had lived there having finally moved on to someplace closer to the city center and the partying he had so adored. Either that or he had been evicted, for disturbing the neighborhood so often. But that didn’t mean that he could have imagined, in his wildest dreams, that V would be the one moving in.

Two men in blue clothes, the same color as the moving truck with caps on their heads exited the apartment building and climbed into the opened storage unit to start lifting a black leather couch between themselves. Nero could see a lot of boxes in the storage unit as well and he briefly wondered if V’s apartment would be the same size as his, with two rooms and a kitchen, or any other size. The question was on his tongue, but V beat him to it.

“Well then, I suppose I must assist.” V said, gesturing to the moving truck with his cane. “The walk might have been… short, but I enjoyed it. Thank you for the company.” V’s voice was that silken tone that sent shivers down Nero’s spine.

“Hey, no need for thanks. Seems like we’ll maybe see more of each other from now on huh?”

“It certainly seems that way…” From the way V smirked in amusement, Nero felt hope soar inside again. “Good luck with the move. I’m off work today, so just knock if you need help with something, deal?” He grinned, still not quite believing his luck.

V chuckled, that smirk on his face ever present.

“Perhaps I will. Good day to you, Nero.” V said, walking towards his new residence with that slight sway to his hips and waist. Nero tried so hard not to stare. And failed pretty miserably.

“See ya! G’day to you too!” Nero barely knew what he said as he waved and walked towards his own apartment building.

He’s moving in, on the other side of the road. It felt like Nero had wings on his feet when he climbed the stairs to his own apartment, one or sometimes two steps at a time. And V didn’t sound like he had anything against seeing each other again! The grin on Nero’s face couldn’t be wiped off by anything now!

It wasn’t until he stepped inside his own home, kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket while simultaneously pulling off some steps to the sound of the electric guitar in his head, that he noticed that his phone had gotten a message. With a flick of his thumb, the message screen greeted him.

“So how did it go? Got that magical number already?” The message was short, but had plenty of emojis a la Nico, including some he barely understood. And why a devil emoji? The words were what made Nero stop in his happy dance around the kitchen though.

V’s number…

The sudden reveal of V’s new home had made him completely forget!

“Fuck!”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

@la-vita and @thedyingmoon

#devil may cry fanfiction #devil may cry #nero #v #nerov #nero x v #fanfiction #dmc5 nero #dmc5 v #au #magic touch #chapter 3 #my fic #my writing

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zer0pm · 5 years

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Love Advice (Vergil x Fem!Reader)

Based on this ask:

Nero: “A necklace.”

Dante: “What, like the one you gave to your girlfriend?”

Nero: “Hey! Kyrie loves it!”

Dante: “Yeah, well Vergil doesn’t do gifts unless their pierced straight through your chest. He’s as straight-forward and as dense as you make ‘em.”

Vergil: “I’m right here, you imbecile.”

Dante: “My point exactly.”

The red twin throws his arm around his brother’s shoulders, leaning over as if telling him an important secret.

Dante: “Listen, brother. You’re not V anymore. You probably would have had an easier time when you had the power of tattoos and poetry on your side, but the game has changed. Hate to say it, but now you’re just an all-natural douchebag and what woman in their right mind would go for that?”

Vergil: “Is this coming from the same man whose only admirer is 18 years old?”

Dante: “There’s Lucia too.”

Vergil: “...Who?”

Nero: “Are we all forgetting that I’m the one that’s actually in a relationship? I think I know what I’m talking about as far as romance goes.”

Dante: “Quiet, deadweight. Adults are talking.”

Nero: “Why, you son of a-”

Somehow Vergil knew asking those two for advice was a terrible idea to begin with. All he wanted was an answer and felt he had no one to turn to but his remaining family. All he wanted was to know how best to declare his intention towards you. He admired you immensely, especially when he was V. Even Urizen, who supposedly encompassed none of the compassion that his human side had stayed his hand against you. That’s how much you affected him.

He can still hear his brother and his son bickering as he walked away, burying his face in the palm of his hand in aggravation.

You: “You look like you’re about to kill someone...again.”

The humorous tone in your voice snaps Vergil to look up from his hand. You wore that playful smirk that he could never resist to return with his own.

Vergil: “I’m just dreading the future of the line of Sparda if those two fools ever procreate.”

You: “Isn’t one of them your son?”

Vergil: “Don’t remind me.”

You laugh out loud, the sound melodious to Vergil’s ears. The mood was light, the perfect opportunity to attempt to woo you into his favor and make you his. However, the nerves got the best of him and he curses inside. Why was this so hard?

You: “Why the grimace?”

Vergil: “I am merely having difficulty coming to terms with my emotions.”

You: “Ha. Congratulations, that’s the human part of you talking.”

You place yourself right beside him, offering a kind smile.

You: “It’s a good thing, though.”

Vergil: “Did you...prefer me when I was V?”

He recalls the month he spent as V surviving the ruinous city by your side. The two of you had gotten along well, a closeness he craved and missed deeply when his two halves reunited to revive him. Since Vergil returned to himself once more, he has hardly seen you. But that fault was mostly on his end. He didn’t know how you felt about him. After a thoughtful pause, you shrugged.

You: “Actually, I always had a feeling that V was hiding something. When we traveled the city together, it seemed like he was...well, holding himself back. Like, there was a part of him he needed for him to truly be himself. I didn’t think he meant that literally. But now, it made sense.”

You looked up at him and Vergil returned your gaze, hanging onto every word that passed your lips.

You: “He wanted people to know the real him. The real V. The real Urizen. Vergil. And here you are.”

Vergil: “Hmph. I do not need to know what others think of me.”

In his peripheral vision, he spots Dante and Nero some distance away. His brother waving furiously before pointing both thumbs towards himself, the action creating a heart-shaped flame behind him.

The older twin nearly groans, shaking his head before facing you entirely. He straightens his back and clears his throat.

Vergil: “But...I would not be opposed to you. Knowing the real me, that is.”

It sounded better in his head. He dared not meet your eyes in fear of rejection, your silence quickening the pace of his heart. Vergil was just about to withdraw his words when he felt your hand on his arm. His eyes glance up to see you beaming at him with that wonderful smile of yours and he felt his world change.

You: “I’d like that very much.”

As soon as you said those words, you looked down at the ground to hide the blush on your cheeks. Vergil already caught your expression however and found it endearing, filling him with pride at the fact that he affected you just as much as you affected him. He summons the courage to wrap his arm around you and pull you close, relishing in the shape of your body against his. You felt warm and right, bringing a wide, genuine smile to Vergil’s face. He looks up again and regrets doing so entirely. Dante and Nero, wearing stupid grins on their faces, throwing him two thumbs up. He nearly chuckles. Vergil still thinks they’re idiots, but silently he thanked them anyways.

#vergil #vergil devil may cry #devil may cry 5 #devil may cry imagine #vergil imagine #vergil x reader #vergil x you #vitale #v #slight v x reader #dante #nero #anon #my writing

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sevi007 · 5 years

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@miss-soso-25

Yes, exactly!

On one hand, I truly believe there’s some unconsciousness familiarity between them (pointed out in the novel at some points too), but the main reason for Nero to follow V might just be because V believes in him.

Like… Nero is more confident than in 4, really, but he’s still insecure deep down, doubting himself, feeling responsible for things he could not control (Credo dying, Yamato being taken from him, etc). He’s extremely receptive to insults– why else would one “deadweight” said in the heat of the moment bother him so much? Heck, it was like it shook his whole world!

But he’s just as receptive to positive reinforcement – take Kyrie! Kyrie is the one to give him that reinforcement in spades, bless her heart – because the other characters are too wrapped up in their own problems to do it – and one word of faith in Nero is enough to push him way beyond his limits.

Hell, calling her and hearing her say “You always choose the right path” was enough that he got confident enough to unlock his Devil Trigger. That’s how well Nero responds to positive, kind treatment, and how much he needs it.

(Also, note that Kyrie doesn’t tell him what to do. She merely says she knows he will choose right. That’s putting her faith in his decision, his heart, and that’s exactly what he needs. But, that just in passing – back to V).

And then there’s V. V who is a stranger, who should seem suspicious, but puts more open, outspoken faith in Nero than anyone besides Kyrie.

He specifically sought Nero out in the hospital – nobody else did (to protect him, he was still healing, but still, in Nero’s mind it’s probably just “nobody told me what was going on except this guy”).

He may guide Nero, but he never discourages him with things like “this is too much for you”, or “you can’t do this” or the likes. The opposite – when Nero is the one to point out that V is about to do something stupid (looking for the Sword of Sparda alone), V says he’s correct.

He never even laughs at Nero or calls him a child or a kid – he treats him as equal, maybe even as stronger, albeit less experienced (because right then, Nero might really be stronger than V). He treats him as their only hope they have left should Dante fail, and he tells him as much. He only ever opens up to Nero about his own past, and emotional things - I think Nero knows how much trust that implies.

He is the one to tell Nero more about Dante’s past, not Dante. Which, again, might be super important to Nero, because Nero looks up to Dante, which could quickly turn to “I want to get to know him”, but from the game and the novel, it looks like Dante kept him at arm’s length as to not have Nero connect the dots that they are related. For Nero it’s like – nobody tells him anything, except V. Again.

For Nero, who – despite that he would likely insist he doesn’t need it – actually seems to long for someone to respect him and believe in him, that’s probably, like,… he soaks that up. Let’s be honest, he drinks that up, straight up. With that underlying familiarity already there, and all this respect and faith coming from V, it’s no wonder he trusts him (although logically, he even states he doesn’t know if they can trust him, but emotionally, I would wager he does despite that).

I mean, I’m not even sure if V did all that consciously, or while having in mind how Nero would respond to it. Actually, I honestly believe V just did it – again, the underlying familiarity being there, and him honestly respecting Nero – and with that, without even knowing, gained Nero’s trust and loyalty. (If he didn’t, Nero might not have immediately and without hesitation turned and carried him to their goal. Kindness returned, and all that).

I could rant on about how that continued acknowledgment and respect that Vergil shows upon returning, even in little bits (”Thank you, Nero”), proving that V is still in there, might have been why Nero decided that this guy is worth saving and getting to know, but... I’m gonna put a stop here, I already rambled too long. XD

Anyway, just - Hashtag, be kind to the punk kid, he needs and deserves it. Yup.

#nero #v #dmc v #vergil #kyrie #dante #dmc #devil may cry #headcanon #analysis

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copper-wasp · 5 years

Text

Laser Tag - Dante x Reader

Fandom: Devil May Cry

Pairing: Dante/Reader

Rating: T

Words: 1663

Also posted to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18719848

“Oh, boys. You are so gonna lose,” you said, strapping on the laser-tag vest, pulling the straps tightly to your chest. Straightening your shirt, you gave a steely look to the silver haired man in front of you. He looked completely nonplussed, inspecting the plastic gun he had been given.

“Doubt it,” said Dante, taking a step towards you. He was much taller than you, but you had no intention of backing down, tilting your head up to meet his eyes with a cold glare. [E/C] stared into blue for a long moment, your eyes narrowing in challenge. He broke first, barking out a loud laugh and clapping you on the shoulder as you covered your mouth with your hand, trying and failing to stifle your own giggle.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Lady whined, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you out of Dante’s orbit, “No fraternizing with the enemy!”

“The enemy?” V said, looking confusedly at the blinking LEDs on his vest. “I thought this was all in fun.”

“Fun? No way! We’re gonna get absolutely destroyed by them,” Nero said dramatically, trying to shine the laser into Dante’s eyes. “These women are vicious.”

Dante quickly grabbed the gun out of Nero’s hands, twirling it by the trigger guard just out of his reach. “Have some confidence, deadweight. You do have me on your team,” he stated, flashing a dazzling smile at the young man. Dante tossed the gun up, striding away as Nero snatched it out of the air, fuming at his unfortunate nickname.

“We’ll only gloat a little when we beat your asses,” Nico added, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail. “Now come on, Lady, let’s talk strategy,” she said, taking the other woman by the arm and walking away from the boys.

You had propped your foot up on a bench, retying the laces on your Doc Martens when Dante sat down next to where you stood, dragging his eyes obviously from your polished leather toes up to your face. “You don’t really think you can beat me, do you, [Y/N]?” he asked, swatting your hands away when you went to retie the other boot’s laces. He quickly tied them for you, hands deftly knotting the cords securely. He caught your eye, a little smirk playing on his lips and you blushed, putting your foot back on the floor. You rolled up the sleeves of the denim shirt you were wearing, bending over a little to level your eyes with his. He slid his eyes down to your cleavage, lingering there for a long moment before reluctantly dragging his gaze back up to your face.

“I guess you’ll find out soon,” you replied, moving your mouth next to his ear. “I’m going to wipe the floor with you, cowboy,” you whispered, pushing the barrel of your gun against his chest. You pulled away, Dante’s scent following you, citrus and lavender and heat. He chuckled darkly, hooking his index fingers into the front pockets of your jeans, keeping you from moving any further away from him.

“We’ll see....” he remarked, scrutinizing your face before he stood, body nearly touching yours. “Good luck, sweet cheeks.” You glowered at him, no real dislike in the look, before taking a step back and heading over to huddle with your teammates.

“So, what’s the plan?” you asked, eyes flitting between Lady and Nico.

“Divide and conquer,” Nico said with a smirk, laying out an iron-clad strategy. A minute later, all three of you were nodding in understanding, a solid plan formed to take down the boys.

“So, I’ll take on V; Nico, you keep Nero busy, and [Y/N], you’ll take care of Dante, ok?” Lady said, doing some last minute checks on her gear.

“Gotcha,” you replied, “leave the Legendary Dumbass to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were strobing lights and metallic sounds all around you. Neon glow-in-the-dark painted set pieces were scattered throughout the arena, fog machines providing the perfect addition to the Post-Apocalyptic theme. All the props were broken, smashed, or otherwise damaged to add to the ambiance. How fitting, you thought, just like being on a job.

As soon as the buzzer sounded, the plan was put into action - the three of you immediately separating V, Nero, and Dante, driving them to different areas of the arena. You lost Dante in the fog and flashing lights pretty quickly, which, to be fair, you were expecting; the man was practically the Flash, born with innate speed and dexterity.

You heard a very loud, very Nero-sounding “Damnit!” a minute later, followed by a very bored-sounding voice over the intercom reminding you to watch your language. You chuckled, mentally congratulating Nico on her no doubt masterful takedown of the cocky young hunter.

You were tensed, completely on edge, eyes peeled for Dante’s form, ready for him to round any corner. V had the misfortune of running into you, and you immediately shot at him before he could even raise his gun to aim at you, flashing red lights exploding over his chest. He groaned, turning on his heel and calmly walking away from you.

You saw Lady streak by you a few moments later, skirt swishing as she chased after the tattooed man. You kept walking briskly around the outer perimeter of the space, head on a swivel, trying to locate the half-demon. A second, equally loud “Damnit!” resounded throughout the arena, and you clearly heard Nico cackle in absolute joy. The bored voice sounded over the speakers once again, sighing before giving the language spiel for the second time in ten minutes.

“Where the hell are you, Dante?” you growled lowly, peeking around a corner. Seeing it was empty, you crept past a fake storefront painted to look as if it would crumble any moment, green and orange dented trash cans on either side. Your boots stirred up the fog, the nearly opaque smoke swirling around your ankles. You softly stepped down the corridor, slowing nearly to a crawl as you neared the next corner.

Hearing a creak, you pressed your back against the end of the wall, gun poised and ready, a big grin on your face. You sprung around the corner, a jubilant “HAH!” leaving your lips, pulling the trigger of your laser-gun and having it make contact with... nothing but air. A dead end was before you, neon graffiti of a smiley face sticking its tongue out at you painted on the wall.

Sighing annoyedly, you went to turn back to continue your search, when you felt the stiff plastic barrel of a gun press between your shoulder blades. “...Shit,” you said resignedly, raising your hands in surrender.

A fingerless-gloved hand grabbed your gun out of your grip, the barrel of the other one pushing insistently on your back, coaxing you to move further into the dead end. You went along with it, rolling your eyes at how Dante was teasing you. Once you reached the end, a hand grabbed your shoulder, turning you around to face your would-be laser murderer.

Dante looked at you with a huge shit-eating grin, the black lights making his teeth glow an unnaturally bright white.

“All right, you got me. Take your shot,” you grumbled, hands still raised in surrender. For extra comedic effect, you closed your eyes, twisting your features into an exaggerated grimace, awaiting the telltale vibration of your vest as the laser made contact with the sensor.

For a moment you didn’t feel anything, and you were tempted to crack on eye open to see why he was taking so long. “Dante?” you asked, just to see if he’d respond. You noticed a soft rush of air blow past you as something moved into your space, smelling the bite of citrus, and feeling a soft pair of lips press against yours.

Your eyes shot open, seeing nothing but Dante’s closed ones as he kissed you, gently working his mouth against yours. His free hand wove into your hair, tugging a little to angle your head a certain way to get a better seal over your lips. Your eyes fluttered shut once again, raised hands finding purchase on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. You kissed him back eagerly, increasing the pressure and you felt him hum appreciatively against you.

Your hands caressed up to the sides of his neck, ends of his soft locks brushing against your fingers. He nipped at your bottom lip and your mouth opened slightly with a gasp of surprise. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in past your lips, tentatively touching yours. You were sure you were melting, electric shocks firing down your spine with each soft, experimental touch. He tasted like heat, like sin, a pure addiction that you never wanted to kick.

You pressed your body against his, needy for more contact, and you felt his other hand, still holding onto both of your guns, press into your lower back, pulling you close to him. You licked into Dante’s mouth, wanting more of his taste, a small moan escaping from your chest. He moved his hand to the side of your neck, sucking your bottom lip between his two, drawing another lusty noise from you. He chuckled, placing one more gentle peck on your lips before he moved away, fingertips lingering on your neck, little prickles of heat dancing on your skin.

He grabbed your hand, pressing your laser gun back into your palm. Without saying a word, he backed up a few steps, his eyes never leaving yours, and pointed his gun at your chest, firing right into the bullseye. Red flashes erupted in your peripheral vision as your mouth dropped open, a look of complete indignation spreading over your face. He grinned, super white teeth mocking you.

“You ASSHOLE!” you shouted, stamping your foot like a toddler. He gave you a tiny salute before turning quickly and disappearing around the corner, fog swirling after him.

The intercom crackled; “Language!”

Thank you for reading!!

You can also find me on:

AO3: copper_wasp

Twitter: @copper_wasp_

#devil may cry #dante #dantexreader #first kiss #fluff #flirting #banter #reader insert #one shot #laser tag #nero #v #nico #lady

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dylan-o-yumm · 5 years

Note

I don’t know if it went through (mobile sucks) but I have some angst for ya. So Nero’s s/o is trying to kick an addiction. Drugs, alcohol, smoking your pick. And she’s going through terrible withdrawals. During one particularly bad episode she snaps and scream and sobs at Nero asking how he could love someone dirty and damaged like her when he could have someone pure and clean like Kyrie. Thanks! Love your stuff!!

(I picked smoking, because my parents used to smoke so I’ve seen what those withdrawals look like. I don’t really know anyone that drinks or takes drugs so… *shrug*)

“Hey, Nico… Mind if I steal a smoke?” You whisper, peeking your head in between the driver and passengers seat, a hand resting on each side as you stand in between them. Nero was in the back, either in the bathroom or looking at the devil breakers, you weren’t quite sure, but you knew that if he heard you asking the Artisan of Arms such a question, he wouldn’t be the happiest. He had gone to quite the trouble to keep you clean, free of smoke in your lungs for as long as he was willing to help. Which knowing him, he’d help you stay off them till the day you die.

You had told him a few days ago that you wanted to quit smoking, but never had the willpower to do so, so he took it upon himself to help you out and make sure you never have a cigarette again. Not if he had anything to say about it, at least. First he threw out your full pack of cigarettes, much to your protest, saying he’d pay you back what they cost if it made you feel any better, to which you sourly declined. He then told Nico to make sure not to smoke around you, but you knew she always had them on her, some even loose around the van, but Nero had picked up any he could find to make sure you didn’t sabotage yourself. It was sweet… but god, you were desperate for a smoke.

Nico was no help to you. Well, she was, just not in the way you wanted it at the moment. Instead of handing you a smoke like you had asked, she called out to your boyfriend instead, ratting you out faster than you could even think of lighting a cigarette.

“Hey, meat for brains! Make your girl stop askin’ me for ciggies.” She called out in her southern accent, to which you raised your eyebrows at her offendedly.

“Y/n…” You heard Nero’s warning tone from a ways behind you, like he was scolding a child who stole a cookie from the cookie jar. You’d have to get Nico back for this one later. You frowned at her and she shrugged innocently in response. You wouldn’t stay mad at her, you knew she meant well, but the lack of cigarettes was getting to you and making you snap easily. You were starting to worry that you’d end up yelling at them and offending them in someway eventually. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

“You’ve gone three days so far without one, don’t break it now” Nero’s heavy footsteps got closer to you as he spoke, ending up standing behind you but you didn’t turn around to face him. Hearing that it had only been three days made you feel like shit, it felt so much longer than that! How were you so desperate to give up when it hadn’t even been a week yet? You knew it would get easier with time, but this was going to be the longest and slowest process in your mind, which only made you want to give in and have a damn smoke all that much more.

You huff an angry breath, crossing your arms over your chest and standing up straight. You opt for looking out the windshield, refusing to look at the disappointed stare Nero was no doubt giving you and rolling your eyes at the thought. Deep down you knew you were being silly, but the anger was kicking in after not having your usual stress relief for what felt like so long. And woking with the devil hunters was not considered clam and relaxing.

“Hey, I’m just trying to help, remember.” Nero sighs calmly, placing a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to either sooth you or coax you into facing him. It definitely made you turn around. Sooth you, however? Not so much. You snapped, heart beating fast and angrily, eyes narrowing and brows knitting together in frustration. As you spun around, you slapped his hand off your shoulder, causing the young devil hunter to look offended for a second before turning to confusion.

“You aren’t helping me, Nero!” You yelled, glaring at the white haired male who now backed away from you a step, giving you the space you clearly needed. You already felt bad for what you were saying, but the anger and aggression was uncontrollable, you just hoped Nero knew that and would forgive you when you finally calm down. However, right now, you couldn’t find the willpower to shut up, your words feeling like vomit that you can’t keep down.

“You threw out my smokes, congratulations! What’s stopping me from just going and buying another pack? Huh?” You ask with venom on your tongue. Maybe if you weren’t a naturally calm person, the aggression wouldn’t have been so bad in this tough time. Either way, you knew you were making Nico uncomfortable by yelling, her expression seeming a little scared if you could believe it. This was so unlike you… Nero didn’t fight back, letting you unleash your anger because it was better than destroying your lungs with cigarettes, right? Instead of stopping it there, you wanted him to react, show the same aggression you were feeling, just so he knew it wasn’t as easy as he thought it was. But, boy you should have kept your mouth shut…

“God, you really are a deadweight, aren’t you? Can’t even stop your own girlfriend from smoking” You scoff, continuing to glare at him. Why that word? Any other word would have been fine, but this was too far. You knew how being called a deadweight made him feel, you even got up Dante for saying it once or twice to him. And the look on Nero’s face after hearing you, of all people, call him that, was like a knife to the heart. He was hurt, staring back at you like you just betrayed him, and in a sense, you did.

“Yeah, thats my cue…” Nico whispered to herself before opening the drivers side door and slipping out to give you two some privacy. You could tell she was now a little mad at you, possibly for calling Nero a deadweight when she also knew what it did to his self esteem.

“I know you don’t mean the things you’re saying right now, but… that one hurt” Nero chuckled humourlessly, his eyes cast downwards, very clearly upset with your choice of words. He took a deep breath before shaking his head, seeming to get more upset the more he thought about it. And suddenly, you got what you wanted. He snapped.

“You know I am just trying to help you, Y/n! You were the one who asked me to help, so why—“ He cut himself short when he realised he already knew the answer to what he was saying. He didn’t yell but he definitely got louder and his hand gestures are always a good sign to know when he’s angry. He’ll wave his arms around more, maybe even point at you accusingly while he angles his head upwards to seem even more taller than you even though you’re around the same height.

You watch as he slowly calms himself down, his outburst being a lot shorter than you thought it would have been. He turns away from you, resting his hands on the small table while you shrink into yourself as you realise what you’ve done. How could you hurt him like that? You bring your hands up to your eyes, covering your face as you let out a long, shakes breath. You wanted to reach out and tell him how sorry you are, but you decide that maybe it’s best to give him a little space.

“Why are you with me, Nero? I’m disgusting” You mumble into your hands, though addressing him, you didn’t expect him to hear you or understand you with how quiet you made your voice. You could’t see, but he turned his head, furrowing his brow at you, wondering how on earth you could say such a thing. To him, that was worse than you calling him deadweight. But, when he made no noise, you assumed he didn’t hear you, continuing to mumble into your hands. “You could be with anyone else instead. Someone good and pure, someone that would never be in this situation with you.”

You felt your eyes sting with tears, but kept them at bay, not wanting to seem weak or pathetic in Nero’s eyes, even though he had never done nothing to make you believe he would ever believe such a thing. He thought you were so strong for even attempting to quit smoking in the first place, but he did know he couldn’t keep you from giving in. He was your support, but this was ultimately your choice and only you could change your mind.

“Don’t.” Was all he said, slight aggression in his tone. Your head snapped up from your hands, blinking quickly as you looked at him, surprised that he had heard you since you thought you were mumbling like a newborn baby. When you saw his eyes staring back at you with an intense warning, as if he was daring you to say more just so he could cut you off. You wanted to both disappear and hug him at the same time, wanting to escape from this awful situation you had put the two of you in, but also embrace him and apologise to him. Before you had the chance to say anything, he decided he had more to say.

“This is a hard time for you, okay? I get that, and I’m here to help you through it. But, you gotta watch your mouth.” He scoffed, running a hand through his short, white, tuft of hair. You blinked in surprise at his sudden bluntness and odd sense of humour, but it did make your lips curl ever so slightly. “Call me names all you want if it helps… but don’t question what we have. Don’t call yourself names either.”

You found yourself silently nodding along to what he was saying, knowing you’d try everything in your power to not lash out at him again and hurt him like you did. Though, he had lightened the mood a little with his tone and handsome smirk, it made you release a long breath, like a large weight falling off your shoulders. Instead of keeping quiet and upset, you took a step toward him and smiled softly as he held a hand out for you to take.

“Or what?” You whisper in a teasing tone, playing along with his newfound attitude. Your hand slid into his, immediately being pulled into him. You placed your hands on his hips, fiddling with the fabric of his shirt while he rested his palms on your red cheeks. You were unsure if you were red in the face from the anger and sadness that had washed over you only moments prior, or from blushing at his antics.

“Or… I’ll have to shut you up myself” He replied with a cocky smirk, leaning in to press a quick but loving kiss to the corner of your lips, leaving you wanting more. You smile sheepishly and lean into his touch, his hands emitting warmth into the skin on your face. A sigh passes through your lips, having released all your anger, and suddenly you realised you weren’t craving a cigarette anymore. You closed your eyes and bought your face into Nero’s collar, resting your forehead against him.

“I’m sorry for everything I said. I didn’t mean any of it, I swear. I’m just a bitch.” You apologise with a soft chuckle at the end, trying to keep the lighthearted aura around that Nero had thankfully bought, quickly ending all harsh thoughts and words with a simple albeit adorable smile of his.

“What did I say about calling yourself names?” He scolded, wrapping his arms tightly around you and lifting you off the ground by a few centimetres. You kick your feet and giggle, quickly wrapping your arms around his shoulders to steady yourself as he put you back down. “I appreciate the apology though, so thanks. I’m sorry too, I could have handled that situation better—“

You cut him off by placing your hand on the back of his neck and pulling his face down to yours, lips colliding messily as you attempt to quieten his apology. He had nothing to be sorry for, you were in the wrong. He didn’t fight you, simply humming into your mouth as he closed his eyes and kissed you back.

#Thats an ending right?#I feel like my writing gets far too dramatic #help #nero x reader #nero dmc

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much-obliged-timothy · 2 years

Note

for the DMC Dante and Vergil fateswap AU:

"i'm not going anywhere, i promise."

I'm assuming this refers to this one-shot I did? If not, my bad (won't really impact the prompt either way, hopefully)! I also had to scrap this and start over 3 times because I could not for the life of me decide how I wanted to write this

Nero stared at the man before them, touching his fingers to his Devil Breaker. This was the man who had torn off his arm, stealing his father’s sword in the process. The man who had started this whole mess in Red Grave City. This man had nearly killed Nero and Vergil.

Nero was struggling to understand what had happened. There’d been the demon, Urizen, and that mysterious man who called himself D, and now there was just…

He looked between Vergil and this new man. His brain refused to grasp the truth as he took in their identical facial features. There was just no way.

“Dante,” Vergil said quietly.

And then Vergil was rushing forward. Nero knew his father’s fighting style after how long they’d been working together; Vergil was still quick, but not nearly as quick as usual. He’d been injured in that first fight with Urizen, and this most recent fight had exhausted him, even if he’d seemingly won it.

The stranger - Dante - pulled a sword with surprising speed and slammed the hilt of it into Vergil’s gut with alarming force, sending Vergil flying back.

Vergil slashed the air with his Yamato, the long-range slash hitting Dante and sending him sliding back a little. Vergil managed to catch himself as he landed, brandishing his sword for a battle. The separation from the blade between Nero and Urizen clearly hadn’t lessened Vergil’s skill with it any.

Dante laughed, a chilling sound. “This isn’t worth my time, Vergil. Heal. Get strong.” He pointed the tip of his sword at Vergil. “Then we can try this again.”

“Stay back, Nero!” Vergil ordered, rushing Dante again.

Their swords clashed, but Vergil was once more flung back by the power of Dante, who tore the Yamato from Vergil’s hands as he sent him flying. Vergil steadied himself once more, shifting to put himself between Dante and Nero despite being unarmed.

“If you want this back, you can come and take it,” Dante said, slicing the sword in the air and opening a portal.

Vergil looked like he might charge after Dante, but then glanced back at Nero and instead stayed where he was. Dante looked over his shoulder.

“Thank you, Nero,” he said, and stepped through the portal.

Vergil straightened, expression smoothed out but eyes cold and furious. He turned and began walking. Nero jogged to catch up to him.

“If that’s-” He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t acknowledge his own relation to the man. “If that’s your brother, what happened to D?”

“That pathetic, dying man is all that is left of Dante’s humanity. He has returned to himself,” Vergil said, not slowing his pace. “It is time for you to return to Fortuna, Nero. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me?” Nero said in angry surprise. “Like hell! I lost my goddamn arm because of him! You lost the Yamato because of him! Twice!”

Vergil spun so fast that Nero nearly crashed into him. “This is not your fight anymore.”

“I’m not letting you do this alone,” Nero snapped. “He almost killed you.”

“I’ve defeated him before. I can handle this again. You will leave this to me,” Vergil said.

“Why, because I’m deadweight? You can shove that-” Nero started angrily.

“I will not ask you to murder your own uncle!” Vergil snarled.

That stopped Nero. “But…you’ll be killing…”

“I know that. I will accept that.” Vergil finally backed off Nero. “I will do what I must. I will reclaim the Yamato, avenge what was done to you, and put an end to this nightmare. That is my responsibility and my burden, not yours. Return to Kyrie.”

He began to walk away again, but Nero caught his shoulder. “Dad! He’s powerful! What if you…”

He had never seen his father lose a fight before the battle against Urizen. Now that Dante was back at full power and possessed the Yamato, Nero couldn’t imagine how Vergil was supposed to defeat him.

“I thought you were dead last time,” Nero said quietly, his voice uncharacteristically pained and frightened.

Vergil put a hand on Nero’s cheek, taking a good look at his son. Failure would be detrimental, but Dante was more powerful than ever, and Vergil couldn’t be certain he had what it took to defeat him.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” Vergil said. He so rarely made promises. They were sacred things, meant never to be broken. It meant he would have to overcome all the insurmountable odds and return to his son so he did not make a liar of himself. “I will take care of this, and then I will return to you.”

Nero couldn’t find words. Vergil pulled his hand away and turned, continuing on. Nero couldn’t get his legs to move to follow his father this time.

He just watched him go, heart aching. It was fucked up. Either Vergil died battling Dante, or he murdered his own twin brother and lived with the weight of that for the rest of his life. Either way, Nero knew the father walking away would not be the father that returned to him.

No. No, Nero wouldn’t let that happen. He would find a way to stop this. He had to.

He was going to protect his family. Vergil was going to keep that promise whether he wanted to or not, because Nero wasn’t letting anyone else die this time.

His legs finally got moving, and he ran along, determined to put an end to this deadly sibling rivalry.

#devil may cry #nero sparda #vergil sparda #dante sparda #dmc nero #dmc vergil #dmc dante #prompt #my wriring

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sevi007 · 5 years

Text

Okay, but something that I realized about V (now that I’m trying to write that V and Nico friendship fic) –

He doesn’t look down on others (besides the demons he fights).

Let’s start with the most obvious person – with Nero. Like – a big part of the game long, Nero was angry / insecure / both because Dante called him “deadweight”. That gnawed on his mentality – hinting that he wasn’t so sure if Dante wasn’t right with that statement.

In comparison (and that’s when I noticed V’s behavior the first time), V never, ever doubts that Nero is the only hope they have, if Dante should lose. He says so to Nero himself (right after Dante’s deadweight comment, by the way, which makes this all the more important – he was instantly contradicting that statement that bothered Nero so much, Nero just didn’t realize in his state). He tells Griffon that “Nero can” when it comes to lifting and wielding the Sword of Sparda – a rather, uh, moody sword when it comes to being used; we and Vergil and thus V know what happens if someone who can’t control it uses the sword – look what happened to Arkham. And V doesn’t even hesitate one second, he’s absolutely 100 % sure that Nero can do it.

Less obvious is it with Nico, but it’s still there. He doesn’t laugh about it when Griffon jokes because Nico calls herself an artist. He doesn’t hesitate to call Nico whenever he finds a phone – pointing out openly that he needs help.

There is no single moment when he comments on her being “not a fighter” or “just a human”. No comment about her work, or any doubt in it. There’s no hesitation about asking for help. There’s no backhanded comment about her needing to be careful in a city overran with demons. He blindly trusts in her and her work and her ability to keep herself safe.

Why is that important? Because V’s personality is still similar to Vergil’s, after all (sans the overgrown pride and the demonic parts). He’s still proud and a tad arrogant, though a bit less. He’s still coldly angry and sometimes a bit impatient, although more pragmatic about it now (he knows when to wait because he’s weaker now).

That’s the same guy who wanted to be the strongest. Who would have been too proud to ask for help. The same guy who looked down on humans (or at least told himself he did, still not too sure about it – I think it was a mixture of “not wanting to be weak” and something else…).

And he, out of all people, he’s the one who never once doubted Nero (especially Nero), or Nico (who is a human and thus “weak” as he would have seen it in the past).

That’s such a huge step forward for him – away from the Vergil we got to know in DMC3 – both in respecting people / human who do not directly fight, and in accepting Nero, whom he only later learns is his son.

(And it’s, probably, also a huge part why Nero followed him, I realize now – because in all this mess, even though V was a stranger, he was also the one to think Nero can do something and should do it, while everyone else tried to keep Nero out of the whole mission when all he wanted to do was help.)

#dmc v #v #vergil #nico goldstein #nero #dmc #devil may cry #headcanon #analysis

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sevi007 · 5 years

Link

Gen, No-Pairing, only Friendship here.

Setting: Pre-Game, Missing Scene, Interlude, ignores a tiny part of the novel

Summary: Doubts and fears are ever-present. Too many of their friends are missing. Their foe seems unstoppable, and time is running out. Somewhere in the middle of this, on their way to Red Grave City, V comes to realize he knows less than he would like, and feels more than he should.

Characters: V, Nero, Nico, Griffon, Shadow

Word Count: 9166

Shoutouts to:

@rex101111 and @fuckoland for being amazing friends who talked me through whenever a writer’s block threatened to hit me or I got stuck - guys, I couldn’t do it without you, thank you so much! =D (Bear, thanks extra for the taste in Nico’s sandwich choices, it’s perfect.)

@dragonbasket, @syfyravalkyrie, @headcannon-central, @noiroux, @icecreamraven, @indewy

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Dusk turned into night while they took their first, reluctant break on the way to Red Grave City, and by the time stars sprinkled the firmament, they were still waiting.

They had pulled the van over the side of the deserted street, parked in the field just beside it with nothing besides the starry sky above and the darkness of the night around them while they waited. Nico had declared she would take a nap while she had the chance, and done just that, falling asleep on the small couch under a thick blanket with rumbling snores and the lights in the van still on. It didn’t seem to matter to her.

Nero had been much more restless, unable to lie down and sleep, be inactive, and had gone outside, first to circle the car as if to check they were well and truly alone. Then to lean next to the neon sign while he inspected his weapons for the umpteenth time. Devil Breakers safely tucked into the belt at his leg, gun cleaned and loaded. Over and over again he went over it, checking and checking again, constantly moving in some way or other with barely withheld energy. Every now and then he would glance up, scan the sky to see if Griffon was returning, only for his scowl to deepen and his hands to pick their work up again when there was no sight of their feathery scout. Constantly on the move, never staying still.

It would have been nerve grating, had it not lead to the young hunter being distracted enough that he did not notice he was being watched intently.

Sitting in the open side door of the van, one hand on his propped up cane, V used the open book on his knees as a cover. In truth, neither his gaze nor his focus had been on the familiar pages for a long time now – his mind jumping from his companions to places far away and back again, and his gaze straying every so often to Nero, watching the young man as if he could start reading him like one of his poems.

V wished he really had that skill, to read people like books. It would have made his situation easier, he was sure. But it eluded him, seemingly getting farther from his reach the more he wished for it – like everything did, it seemed.

His whole existence – the outcome of a horrifying measure taken by a desperate, broken man.

His body – falling a bit more apart with each step he took, each cough wracking his frame.

His first plan to right the wrong he had done – failed, all but exploded in their faces, and now Dante was gone, and Urizen seemingly stronger than ever.

All V had left now was a fool’s hope, an iron will born from having nothing to lose… and companions he couldn’t make any sense of.

His gaze strayed to Nero again, just in time to catch the other man lift his gun, inspect it, and slide the barrel back into place with a soft click and a decisive twist to his lips.

One companion in particular that he couldn’t make sense of.

Who are you?

He wanted to ask the other, wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake an answer out of him if need be. Yet he knew very well that Nero would not be able to give him an answer even if he should want to.

Who are you?

The boy did not seem to know either.

Nero scrambled for an answer to that question even more desperately than V did. Not sure about his place in the world, not yet, not wholly. Insecure enough under all his bravado that a single word from Dante could break him down easily, bring him to his knees quicker than any foe could.

Deadweight

That, at least, V could exclude. Nero was stronger than he should have been, if Griffon’s conclusion of the boy being little more than human was correct (“More than human, yeah, but there’s little demonic energy in him now, not enough that I can really catch it.”) and V had to believe his familiar on that, since he couldn’t check himself. But the boy simply could not be what he was so afraid of being – useless, weak, deadweight.

He couldn’t be, since Dante had apparently decided to believe in the boy.

He couldn’t be, since V had to believe in the boy now.

There was no one else left to believe in, with Dante gone.

“V, get Nero out of here!”

But why, V pondered, gaze unseeing, neither taking in the beloved poems or the man sitting a short distance away. Why had the boy been Dante’s first priority in this doomed situation – not himself, not the women he so clearly held in high regards, not even the lost fight and what would follow because of it – no, nothing of that. Dante’s first thought had been for Nero and his safety, and nothing else.

Could it be that you saw our last hope in him? Fingers tapping a rhythm against the cane’s handle without much sense, V snapped his book shut, accepting that there would be no reading for him anymore when his thoughts were racing like this. Yet you did not want to get him involved even then, adamant to do it yourself, so it seems unlikely.

What is so important about this one, Dante?

Why him?

What is Nero to you?

Who is he?

And there he was again, circling round and round the same question. This would not get him anywhere.

With a quiet sigh, V started to massage the bride of his nose between two fingers gingerly, feeling a piercing pain starting up in the same spot. It is of no use. I can only hope…

“You okay over there?”

Blinking, V resurfaced from his thoughts, the cane he had twirled between his fingers coming to a sharp stop.

Nero was watching him now instead of the other way around, eyebrow raised inquiringly. “Looked a bit out of it there,” he explained once he noted how confused the other blinked at him still.

It took another too long second, but V managed to pull up a smile somehow. “I’m quite well, but thank you for asking.”

“Uh-huh…” Nero’s eyebrow raised even higher, clearly unconvinced.

“Aaaah, that was some good shuteye!” The exclamation in his back saved V from any further questions, and he scooted to the side as much as he could when Nico appeared behind him in the door.

Taking the opportunity to end the conversation about his well-being, V quirked a smile, reciting freely from memory, “Awake the dawn that sleeps in heaven…”

“You got a poem for everything, don’tcha.” The mechanic stretched with a grimace, grinning again when the crick in her back loosened somewhat, jumped past V out of the van, and dropped her hands to her hips. “Rise and shine, boys, I’m good to go again!”

Nero’s gaze strayed from V only slowly, but once he met Nico’s grin, he was scoffing at her again good-naturedly. “Rise and shine? You’re the only one who got any sleep here.”

“Explains your pissy mood,” Nico pointed out, sticking her tongue out when Nero rolled his eyes at her.

“Anyone would be in a bad mood after hearing you snore for hours-…”

“Excuse you, I ain’t snoring, ever-…”

“Oh, yeah, sure, I should have so recorded that…”

Their chatter quickly filled the once quiet night, and to his own surprise, V noted that it also put a stop to his spiraling thoughts, anchoring him in the here and now when his mind threatened to slip again. Watching the back and forth, gesticulating hands and animated expressions of his unlikely companions, made him feel calm in a way that felt utterly at odds with the sheer noise of it. He watched the entire thing unfold with an amused curl to his lips, noting idly that he had been completely forgotten by his companions.

Until Nero suddenly stilled, interrupting himself while he raised his left hand, head cocked to the side.

Nico feel instantly silent, eyebrows raised while she straightened. “What?”

“Something’s coming.”

Grasp around his cane tightening, V tried to sense something, anything, yet his newly human senses made it near impossible, and he conceded defeat with clenched teeth, watching Nero reach for his gun instead. The other man at least seemed to have some idea where they were being approached from, gaze wandering to a spot ahead and above while he waited.

Then there was a tickle of familiar energy at the edge of his consciousness, and V breathed out, slow and deep. “Griffon.”

Nero’s hand fell, gun vanishing back into its holster with a flick of his wrist, and he nodded silently in understanding. Okay.

At the same time, V lifted his left arm and braced himself for the added weight – once again glad that his familiars did not weigh much. This body of his did not allow a lot of feats asking for strength, after all.

The hiss of air being parted, the sound of wings fluttering, and Griffon all but dropped out of the sky above them, appearing so suddenly between them as if he had been shaped from the night sky itself. A croak, another flutter, and the demon bird landed safely on V’s upper arm, claws wrapping around the limb without scratching it.

“Phew!” The exclamation was more an explosion of breath than anything else, even the nightmare sounding a bit winded. “Finally! Alright, who missed me? You can be honest with me. I will only laugh at you for a bit.”

“That,” V started, eyes crinkling as he heard Nico snort behind him and Nero muttered something scathing under his breath, “did take you longer than expected.”

“What?!” The single word was a shout, and Griffon drew himself up to his full height, wings thrown out as he whipped around to fix his master with a glare equally parts offended and annoyed. “Alright, poetry boy, next time, you do the work, and I kick back with something to read.” Griffon huffed, flapping his wings as if to loosen them. “Longer than expected. Do you have any fuckin’ idea how fast I flew?! I broke all records. I got wing cramps. Can you imagine? Cramps! I’m not even supposed to get those!”

“Griffon,” V intoned mildly, trying very hard to bite back the smirk wanting to spread over his features.

“I mean, am I made out of fear and magic or what? Who in their right mind gives me muscles that can-…”

“Griffon. What did you see?”

“Alright, hold it, I’m getting there.”

“You mean, before the sun comes up?” Nero didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t annoyed, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

That, at least, seemed to break Griffon out of his rambling, and he directed a gleaming red gaze at the young man. “Oho, it speaks. What did you do while I was working, kid – wallow in self-pity again? Yeah, that’s productive.”

Something dark passed over Nero’s face, fist balling on his upper arm, and even Nico took a short step forward. V considered it time to end this conversation. “Enough of this. Griffon.”

“Oh, fine,” the demon bird croaked, hopping a bit closer to V’s shoulder. Maybe he, too, had realized that he might have overstepped. He was quick to keep talking. “It’s basically what we already expected. Fuckin’ tree has spread roots and vines all over the city now, it’s nearly become one with it. Those humans who didn’t make it out in time are dust and empty husks. Those human footsoldiers have set up camp around the city borders, but ain’t much they can do about it. There’s demons crawling the entire city from top to bottom, looking for the blood stored in the tree or survivors. The roots are taking those critters apart, too – perfect blood bags for good ol’ Qliphoth. Let it keep going on with this, and the damn thing actually has enough to transfer completely into this dimension.”

And to grow the fruit. His goal all along, V finished where Griffon trailed off, glad that for once, his companion knew not to give too much information. The ones he had given already hung in the air between them as it were, heavy and dark. Reflected in the paleness of Nero’s face and the harsh line Nico’s lips had pressed into.

Even V, who had anticipated this already, felt sick and tired of it. He could see it in front of his eyes – the horror the Qliphoth brought, the swarms of demons following in its wake – but that was not what he was here for. Not the main source of rottenness in that city.

Feeling the breath hitch around his next words, V began, “And what of…”

“Was Dante there?”

That was Nero, sharp and straight to the point, eyes hard as flint as her stared at Griffon as if he could draw the answer he wanted so much out of him.

This time, not even Griffon seemed to be in the mood for jokes. He lifted his wings lightly, struggling through the motion as if they weighted a ton, and sighed. “No, kid. Or at least I didn’t see him anywhere.”

An array of emotions flitted over Nero’s face in quick succession before the man swore, harsh and loud, turning away from them as he kicked at something, anything, to let his anger out. He stayed like that, shoulders drawn up while stared into the night with a grim look, teeth grinding.

Nico lifted her hand as if to touch the tense line of Nero’s shoulder – only to drop it again, shaking her head. She shuffled around, crossing her arms over her chest, and gnawed on her bottom lip in thought.

Something about the display of helpless anger and pain tugged at V; more than the tug of his familiars leaving him to take form, and nearly similar to the pain while his body had started crumbling around his very core, too. Something quite too familiar, and better left forgotten.

“Mother? Dante? Where are you?! Mother?!”

Pushing the memories of a frightened, small voice away, sealing it away deep in his chest, he asked the question Nero had interrupted before, “What of Urizen?”

“Didn’t see him either – and let me tell you, ain’t like I wanted to!” Feathers fluffing up, Griffon shook himself. “Scary bitch that one. But judging on the sheer amount of energy around the middle of the Qliphoth, he hasn’t moved from the place we saw him last at.”

“A king resting on his cursed throne,” V mused aloud, tapping his knee slowly as he thought. “At least we do not have to wonder where to find him. It is unlikely that he will leave the heart of the Qliphoth… others will do his bidding outside of it.”

“Oh goodie. What are the chances we don’t have to visit him? At all?”

“Hardly existent, seeing as he is our finish line.”

“Great, great,” Griffon all but slumped into himself on V’s shoulder, heaving a sigh. “I’m just never lucky with this kind of thing.”

“It does seem so,” V agreed with a twitch of his lips while pushing to his feet, cane and book under his arm.

“Well if that’s settled, does that mean we can do this now?!” Nero turned again, striding over. His fists were clenched, knuckles white and metal creaking under the force, and a muscle in his jaw was ticking.

V gracefully slipped into the van and out of the way before he could get pushed over by the other in his determined steps. “Certainly, yet…”

“Ah-ah, cool it, hothead!” Nico reached inside the van, one foot on the step to get to the right height, and whacked Nero over the head with her flat hand, earning a grunt that sounded more annoyed than pained. It did get him to stop, though. “We’re not going anywhere until I made sure we did good work on our van here. If the city is really that overrun with those crawling shitpiles of demons, then I’m better off checking if the reinforcements on the thing are gonna cut it.”

Nero let out a noise reminding of a whine, shoulders slumping. “Can’t we just…”

“Ten minutes. Fifteen. A bit more. Max.”

“Nico…”

“No, zip it - you want me to drive you into the middle of a demon apocalypse, you better let me make sure this baby is gonna hold up during a run-in with said demons, alright?” Nico dropped back out of the car and pointed a finger at Nero with a ferocity as if she was going to stab him with it, eyes blazing. “I work quickly, but that still needs time. Sit your ass down, or go out and take a damn walk, but don’t whine at me.”

“Alright, I got it,” Nero muttered, waving anymore sharp words off quickly. He made to wander deeper into the van, unhappy frown still etched into his expression, only to pause and turn, hard lines softening as he scratched his cheek sheepishly. “You, uh, gonna need some help?”

Some of the fire in Nico’s eyes cooled, and she snorted, shaking her head. “Nah, thanks, I’m good. You take a break now – I had mine already. Let me do my job.”

“Alright, alright, sheesh.”

V watched quietly as Nico vanished from sight, the sound of the van’s hood being opened sounding a second later.

Nero lingered, clearly feeling out of place. He bounced on his feet, rolled his shoulders, gaze wandering to the open door and to the windshield and back again.

Highly amused by the show of excess energy in the young man, V settled on the couch, cane coming to rest next to him, and made himself comfortable before he asked, “May I offer you something to help with the boredom while we wait?”

“What?” Nero’s gaze snapped over to him, confusion clear. When he noticed the poem collection being tilted in his direction, Nero barked out a perplexed laugh. “No, thanks – don’t want to steal your reading material.”

“Very well then.”

More fidgeting filled the silence between them, before Nero sighed deeply, all but deflating as he came to a conclusion. “Alright, fuck it.”

He crossed the inside of the van with two long strides, apparently aiming for the makeshift kitchen in the back. “If we’re gonna be stuck here awhile, I’m gonna eat something. You hungry, V?”

“I do understand your need to fulfill this mission as quickly as possible,” V spoke in lieu of a real answer, choosing his words carefully, “Yet impatience might prove to be your downfall against the foe we are about to face.”

Shuffling sounded, and Nero’s head popped around the corner to the kitchen, one eyebrow lifted. “That a poem again?”

Perhaps it had been meant as an insult. Be that as it may, it still drew a chuckle from V, and he closed his book, finger between the pages to mark his place as he answered. “Call it my attempt at advice.”

“Huh. With you being so cryptic, it sure sounds like one of your poems,” Nero vanished again, and more shuffling sounded as he dug through the contents of the fridge. His words had a slight echo to them, spoken into the enclosed space as they were. “I’m not going to storm ahead blindly, don’t worry. I listened to you so far, after all. Just doesn’t sit well with me when I have to… well, you know.”

“Sitting around idly?”

“Yeah, that. Not my thing… aha!” The sound of triumph was followed by the click of a box being opened. “Sweet! Hey V, you want a sandwich, too?”

“I would not want to steal your food.”

“Did you just throw my own words back at-… you’re a real joker, aren’t you? No, seriously, you want one? Kyrie always makes too much food, anyway, think we would all starve without her-…”

Suddenly something clicked, words familiar and yet new bringing something to the forefront of V’s mind, the memory echoing much too clearly and without any warning-

- pain, pain, pain, threatening to bring him down to his knees, but he couldn’t stop, not now, he wouldn’t get up again if he did. The lure of Yamato the only thing driving him forward, a beacon to guide his stumbling steps, leading him to the tiny garage in the middle of a once-familiar city. The voice of a young man asking, talking, prodding not unkindly, but not really heard over the pulse of pain and want that coursed through him. The last thing he heard, crystal clear before all his senses zeroed in on the weapon he needed so much, was an offer…

“What is it, you hungry? Well, you’re in luck pal, ‘cause food’s ready and Kyrie always makes too much.” –

V felt the grip on his book slip, pages fluttering as it threatened to fall, before he caught himself and grabbed and snatched it up, tucking the beloved item safely into his coat again while trying to pace his racing heartbeat.

He could feel sweet bead on his forehead even though he felt cold. A sliver of annoyance flitted through his mind as he noted the light tremor to his fingers as he reached up. I do not have time for this. This is not something I can make right again.

“…-hey, V. Hello? Did you fall asleep on me?”

Shaking his head, V managed to ban the memories that were not quite his again, focusing his gaze again.

As if to mock him, his eyes fell first onto the Devil Breaker with its metallic gleam, stretched out towards him, before he managed to wrench his gaze away and up to meet Nero’s.

Not something I can make right again…

Nero was looking at him slightly askance. “You want it or not?”

Another quick glance down revealed that the other was offering him a sandwich, basically had it thrust into his face. The scent of bread and something spicy tickled his nose, scents once familiar and now seeming so new and exotic. V picked the treat up slowly, reluctantly, unable to really process what he was supposed to do with it. To just have it handed to him. “This…”

“Cheese,” Nero informed him, striding past him to drop unceremoniously onto the floor opposite of the couch, right next to the table, his own sandwich in his hand. When V didn’t answer, he scoffed. “Didn’t get an answer from you when I asked you which one, so a cheese sandwich it is.”

“Thank you.” The words felt clumsy in his mouth, unpracticed, even though V meant them.

When had been the last time someone had just given him something, for free? Nero didn’t even seem to expect something in return.

What a curious young man.

“You’re supposed to eat it, not stare at it,” Nero informed him after a beat of silence, his gaze wandering from V to his own food and back. With a shrug, he seemed to deem it useless to convince the other to eat, and instead took a bite of his own dinner, chewing with clear satisfaction. Mouth full, he added on a mumble, “If sandwich isn’t your thing, we could try roasting your bird.”

“What?!” Griffon materialized with a burst of ink and pricking energy on V’s shoulder, almost throwing him off balance. With a hiss, the bird glowered at Nero, throwing his wings out as if ready to take flight and swoop at his opponent. “Roast me?! Watch it so I don’t roast you, lil’ boy!”

The threat didn’t seem to particularly impress Nero. If anything, the gleam in his eyes was more amused as he considered the demon bird. “You wouldn’t be so different from turkey, I bet. Or chicken.”

“Ohoho, that’s it – let me at him, V, I’m going to fry his face!”

“Griffon…”, before V could further intervene, he felt the telltale sweep of another consciousness in his mind – curiosity, amusement, something else - then the tingle of ink moving, and while Griffon was still swearing and grumbling, Shadow rose from the seals, taking form in the middle of the van with a flex of muscles and a huff.

“… and now the kitty wants to play, too, ain’t that just great.”

If the shapeshifter took offense in Griffon’s quip, they didn’t show it, merely blinked at their master and partner before their attention swung back around to Nero, and they moved the few steps closer to the young man.

Nero didn’t as much as blink at the prospect of having a demon cat on eyelevel with him, sniffing at his ear curiously, sharp teeth right beside him. He merely chuckled and leaned out of reach of the tickling sensation. “Okay, okay, hello to you, too.”

V noted absentmindedly that there was a smirk on the other’s features despite the grumbled words.

Bereft of the opportunity to bury their snout in the man’s hair, Shadow started sniffing curiously at his hands instead, ears twitching.

“What, you hungry, too?” Nero frowned down at the cat, before looking up at V. “Yo, V, are you not feeding them? Never seen them eat, now that I think about it.”

V hummed, surprised as well as amused by the question. “They do not require food.”

“What, really? No eating at all?”

“No. They need other things, to sustain themselves. Mostly energy.”

“Huh.”

“Does not mean we don’t enjoy the taste of food,” Griffon spoke up, still sounding miffed. “If it’s good food, that is.”

“Heh, then I got news for you – Kyrie makes the best damn food around,” as they did so often when talking about his girlfriend, Nero’s eyes sparkled and his expression brightened. Coming to a conclusion, he ripped the untouched end of his sandwich off and offered it to Shadow, who was still sniffing it curiously. “Go ahead. Don’t bite my good hand off, though.”

Shadow glanced up at the young hunter, fathomless red eyes revealing nothing. Not even V was sure how exactly his familiar would react to the offer – after figuring out that they did not require food like he did, he had… frankly, he had never tried to feed them. The thought had not occurred, especially with how difficult it had been to scrape up money and food for himself after… after coming into existence like that.

How curious, that it was the hunter who would think of this first.

Just as he wondered if Shadow even really understood the offer, the demon opened their maw wide, wider than should have been possible, and swallowed the food up with one gulp. Chewing twice before swallowing, they started purring loudly, a rumbling sound almost as loud as the van’s engine, all the while licking their lips as if to catch the last traces of the taste.

Nero’s chuckle was almost lost in the sound, grin bright in the dark of the car. “Good, yeah?”

Instead of a verbal answer, the purring increased, and Shadow stretched, claws skidding over the van’s floor, then proceeded to sprawl out next to Nero, licking their paws and mouth clean, absolutely at ease there despite the young hunter with his weapons right next to them.

Or maybe because of?

The thought came out of nowhere, insistent enough that it stayed once it had appeared. Curious despite himself, V attempted to call Shadow back into their dormant state, close to him in magical ink. Not forcing them – he was too grateful for their assistance to be cruel to them, and imprisonment he had already had enough of himself – simply a small tug at their bond, a prickle of energy calling out to them to return, if they were so inclined.

Shadow stopped in their thorough cleaning, tail twitching as they looked over at V curiously, before seemingly deeming it safe to stay. They went straight back to lounging next to Nero, huffing in obvious contentment.

V blinked, surprised, gaze flickering between Shadow and Nero, who didn’t even seem to have noticed what had just taken place. Then a smirk twitched around his lips. Curious indeed.

“Soooo,” Griffon lifted off V’s shoulder, drawing the man from his musing. Flying in a tight curve, the bird managed to maneuver through the air and land on the table beside Nero without hitting any of the near walls. Head tilting curiously this way and that, he eyed the remaining food. “What does a bird got to do here to get a taste, too?”

“Oh, now you want something from me?” Nero snorted, narrowing his eyes at him. “What was that about frying my face a minute ago, chicken wings?”

“What?! That was self-defense! You wanted to cook me!”

“Maybe I just wanted to be productive, eh?”

“Oh, that’s what this is about?! You gotta be… oh, fine.” Feathers puffing, Griffon fluttered his wings, the picture of indignation. If he could have, he surely would have gnashed his teeth right then and there. “You’re very productive. I take back when I said otherwise. Enough?!”

“Not really. But it’s enough for some food,” with a snort, Nero broke a generous bit of his sandwich off and chucked it over at Griffon. With a flutter and a croak, the demon bird hopped over to where it had landed on the table, starting to fairly dissect the food into its ingredients with claws and beak, picking at some of them and gorging others down with quick moves of his head.

“Ugh, table manners, dude.”

“Ain’t no table manners where I’m from,” Griffon threw back. His annoyance seemed to burn out as he reached a bit of ham, a delighted noise croaking in his throat. “This is some good stuff!”

“Told you. But seriously, can’t even stop talking while you’re eating?” Nero pulled a face at the bird wolfing it all down in record time. “Gross. Are all your friends like that, V? Non-stop talking and rude as fuck?”

It took him a second to register who – what – Nero meant with friends, and once it did, V almost started laughing.

It wouldn’t have been a nice or happy laugh, far from it. In fact he was fairly sure it would have sounded downright terrifying, because… friends? Friends? Oh they were trusty and at his side like friends, that was for sure, yet they had once been his nightmares. His torture.

Now they were on his side.

They had once been his enemies, but now…

But now… to be honest, he was not sure anymore what they were to him.

The knowledge of another thing he was not sure about did not sit well with him, and he frowned to himself.

Luckily, Nero didn’t seem to have expected an answer, since he had already turned away and toward Shadow. “What about it? You a talkative one, too?”

Shadow blinked up at him slowly, yawning so widely their tongue lolled out, before lowering their head to the ground again with a silent snort, eyes closing.

“Taking that as a No,” Nero summarized, taking another bite of his sandwich. He didn’t even seem to realize that he was still absentmindedly petting the demon’s back with his free hand while he muttered around his mouthful, “Maybe for the best. Tweety over there talks enough for all of us.”

“Ain’t seen that stopping you. You still ran your mouth,” Griffon snapped. Yet no threats followed while the bird picked his piece of sandwich apart, avidly searching for favorite bits.

Nero shrugged, chewing, but didn’t bother to correct him or snark back.

For the moment, all three seemed more focused on sleeping or eating rather than fighting over little things, and…

And they almost looked content with each other, V noted with something beyond curiosity – it was close to awe and utter confusion, at this point. Two of that strange trio were not even made for contempt. It defied their very reason for being. They were nightmares given flesh. And the third one…

Nero looked up and frowned at him, stopping mid-motion and only inches away from his next bite. “What?”

“Ah,” he must have been much more obvious in his observing than he had thought. “Nothing, really.”

“Uh-huh, sure. What is it? You want a different one?”

V blinked, gaze dropping back to his own food when the other gestured in that direction. He had all but forgotten about it, even if his grip around it had stayed tight, as if someone could take it away again.

Somehow, the fact that Nero actually seemed to consider getting up and giving him a different one just so his dinner would meet his taste amused him greatly, and he chuckled quietly, shaking his head. “No, this is fine.”

“Right. I got something on my face then or-…?”

“You are quite different from what I expected.”

The words had slipped out much without his say-so, and for a moment, V was surprised to hear them aloud at all.

Then he instantly wished he could have taken them back. He might have just given away more of his thoughts than he had ever meant to.

Nero’s eyebrows had reached his hairline, clearly as surprised by the statement as V himself. One hand came up to scratch his nose, the gesture apparently unconscious. “Yeah? What did you expect?”

Nothing, was V’s first thought, nothing, because this boy, this man, had never been part of the plan. Different, the next, since his first impression had been that the other surely must be very similar to Dante, cocky attitude and sharp wit and all, but that had also proven wrong. Nero had proven it wrong, because while there were similarities, he was, ultimately, nothing like Dante, and nothing like he first appeared.

Nero was proving that now, when he tried to look disinterested and amused, but his posture was guarded, as if readying for an insult, and there was genuine interest in his eyes.

Who are you?

You don’t know either, do you?

V’s gaze strayed to Griffon, who was still invested in his food, and Shadow, who seemed fully at ease sleeping with their head propped up against Nero’s knee.

“Well,” he started, setting on one easy truth rather than divulge his whole mess of a thought process with the other. “You seem to get along with demons surprisingly well for a demon hunter, for one.”

It was easy to tell that was in no way what Nero had expected, a surprised snort leaving the younger while he leaned back, tension seeping out of his frame. “What, you mean these guys?” One hand dropped to scratch Shadow between their ears, eliciting more rumbling purrs. “Not like they tried any funny busy yet, so I’ve no reason to shoot them.”

“Oh, I would like to see you try,” Griffon grumbled from behind him, wings fluttering.

“Still making up my mind about shootin’ you, you chicken.”

“I’m shaking in my boots-… wait, I don’t have any. Hah!”

“That was a terrible line and you know it.”

“Like you got any better ones, kid!”

The banter picked up again without a second of hesitation, and V actually indulged the thought that, maybe, it would distract Nero enough to make him forget his questions.

No such luck, of course.

“What’s the rest?”

“Excuse me?”

Finished with his dinner, Nero licked the last few stray crumbs of his fingertips before angling a napkin from the table and wiping his hands cleans. At the same time, he nodded at V, eyebrows raised. “You said for one. What’s the rest that you didn’t expect about me?”

Having anticipated more questions, it was easier this time to simply shrug and smirk a little, expression giving nothing away. “This and that.”

Something flashed in Nero’s eyes, and V half expected an angry quip, but instead, the other man smirked back at him. “You’re a jackass.”

It did not sound angry, and V’s smirk only widened. “Why, I will take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, shut up and eat your sandwich already,” when V blinked, consternated, Nero groaned and let his head drop back in obvious exasperation. “Are you going to fucking tell me you forgot the food right under your nose?”

“It was pushed onto me a bit surprisingly,” V ignored when Nero continued talking – it did sound a lot like Griffon’s grumbling, and he tended to ignore that, as well – and took another look at the food that had been so dropped into his lap. Shrugging, he took a bite, if only so he wouldn’t be teased about it any longer.

Only to almost choke on the first, tiny bite when flavor burst in his mouth, making him freeze. The scent had already been a revelation of sorts, but tasting the cheese, spice and apparently self-made bread made him freeze, senses near overloading with the impression of the food now and memories, paled and blurred, of when he had last something similar. This was a far cry from the simple food he had bought the last month, not really caring about the quality of it all, if only it would sustain him well enough.

A chuckle made him start breathing again, chewing quickly so he could swallow. He blurrily noticed his hands shaking.

Nero was grinning crookedly at him when V managed to look up. “Man, your face right now. Never had a cheese sandwich or what?”

“I…,” V started, and trailed off, not really knowing what he had wanted to say at all.

Something about his consternation must have shown, because Nero’s grin flickered and vanished. “Hey, what? No good?”

“No. No, it’s good,” that was an understatement, but he didn’t have words to explain it fully, so V simply shook his head for emphasis, taking the next bite. And the next, before he had even swallowed the first. Each bite seemed to taste better than the one before, even though he knew that was ridiculous, yet he couldn’t shake of the feel that he never had had anything that tasted quite this good. In mere minutes, he had finished of the last bit, and was almost disappointed about it. He even made sure to suck the last bit of dip from his thumb before conceding that there was nothing left.

He didn’t have much time to contemplate what felt like a loss before a napkin was thrown into his lap. Taking it with a grateful murmur, V started to wipe off his hands.

“You know,” Nero started, confusion and amusement clear in his voice. “could have just said that you’re this hungry.”

A chuckle wrenched itself from V’s throat. “I might… have not paid too much attention to that.”

“Ye, I noticed.”

A careless gesture to where the sandwich had been just seconds before, and V sent the smirking young man a halfhearted glare.

“Alright, sweethearts, I’m done!”

With a grin on her face, Nico climbed into the van, closing the door behind her. There was a bit of grease smeared over her cheek, and a few unruly locks had escaped the headband keeping them in place, yet she was clearly pleased with the work she had just finished.

“Oh, great,” the back of Nero’s head hit the table behind him with a silent Thunk as he rolled his eyes up to look at her with the most annoyed gaze he was capable of. “Can we finally go now?”

“Sheesh, you really need to learn some patience… Wait.” Nico halted in her steps, sniffing the air. “Is that bacon I smell here?”

“BLT sandwich. On your workbench,” Nero mumbled, gesturing vaguely in said direction. When Nico rushed off in the indicated direction, letting out something that could only be described as a shout of glee, he called after her, “Wash your hands first!”

“Oh shut up, that was one time where I forgot!”

A smirk flickered over Nero’s face as the faucet sounded– only to drip right off again when Nico spoke up next “Extra bacon? Bro, if Kyrie was here right now, I would fuckin’ propose to her.”

“Hey.”

“Aw, calm down, as if anyone could get between you lovebirds.”

“Who are you calling lovebirds-…”

“Uh, you and your girl, disgustingly sweet all the time? Ring a bell?” Nico imitated exaggerated kisses into the air before she laughed at the face he pulled in response. “See, that’s why I gotta put up with all the time!”

“It’s not!”

“It is an’ you know it!”

There was amusement dancing in Nero’s eyes, making it clear he was not taking any of this seriously, but the two still exchanged a quick succession of grimaces and crude hand gestures as Nico walked past again, happily chewing, heading towards the driver seat. It was enough to pull a mad cackle from Griffon and an amused quirk of lips from V.

“So,” Nico declared once she had taken her place in the driver seat again, turned sideways and mouth full with food. “I was thinkin’, boys…”

“Oh now I’m worried.”

“… you two could get some shuteye while I keep drivin’,” without even stopping in her explanation, Nico flipped her friend off. “Should take us a few more hours before we get there, after all.”

Giving a thoughtful hum, Nero considered the option, absentmindedly patting Shadow one last time, then pushed himself to his feet, stretching. “Alright then.”

His gaze landed on V and he pointed decisively at him. “You can take the couch.”

The comment seemed so out of context, V could only stare at him. “Why would I need the couch?”

“’Cause I can sleep in the passenger seat and I don’t think you could do that, not with her driving style and smoking habits,” Nero jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Nico while he bent and retrieved a big blanket from beside the couch, pretending not to see her, once again, raised middle finger in his peripheral vision. “I got used to that already.”

“And you can sleep everywhere,” was quipped from the driver seat.

“That’s a talent, alright.”

V was fairly sure he was still staring much too obviously, but he managed to get his expression under control at least, surprise settling into mild amusement, as if the suggestion alone was ridiculous. “No need. I will not sleep anyway.”

“We’re gonna be there in a few hours.”

“Which is precisely why I won’t sleep. We need to be prepared…”

“What exactly are you going to do to prepare, if not sleeping while you still can?”

V opened his mouth to give an answer… and found that he didn’t have one. There was no plan to go over, since everything they had was stop Urizen. All he could have done – would have done – was sit in silent contemplation, go over his memories and thoughts for the umpteenth time, and reassure himself that he was going down the right path.

(Memories and goals were all he had, after all. No strength left, life slipping through his fingers much too quickly… his memories were all that he could cling to, bitter as they might be. Mistakes he had made, wrongs he had done, loss he had endured – he needed to see this through, to make this right where he could. Those memories reminded him why he had to keep going.)

Nero seemed to consider his silence a victory, since his lips twitched up and he nodded. “Thought so.”

“Oh shit, he got you,” Griffon exclaimed, sounding much too delighted over the fact that his master had gotten outwitted for the moment. V’s sharp glance over at him did not do anything to quell his obvious enjoyment. “You gonna get out of that one, Shakespeare? Any comebacks? No? Hah! Booksmart my feathery ass.”

Not in the mood to deal with his familiar on top of it all, V waved his hand, pulling. It would never have worked if Griffon had resisted, yet either the bird was too surprised or not really minded despite his indignant squawk, since his form melted into shadow and ink. A moment later, his being had settled to black swirls on V’s skin and a nagging voice inside his mind.

Hey! We were just getting to the fun part!

“I am not tired.”

It sounded unconvincing even to his own ears, and V winced a little bit at it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could sense Griffon laughing at him, and wished, just for a crazy second, the bird was still corporal so he could have at least glared at him for it.

Nero rolled his eyes at him, and although that should have been a gesture of annoyance, there was also a smile curling around the young man’s lips, making it look almost… fond?

Before V could process that, Nero threw the blanket into his lap without warning, and laughed when V missed on the first grab and had to scramble for it.

Laughed. Not the usual chuckle or short huff of amusement, but a full laugh, warm and without any mockery. It somehow made V pause, rattled him more than it should have.

“Sleep, V,” Nero said, still smirking in that much too understanding way, seemingly misinterpreting why the other looked so dumbfounded. “You really look like you need it.

“He’s right about that one!” Nico chimed in, turning in her seat to wave at him over the backrest. “Like, no offense, but those shadows under your eyes? So clearly not eyeliner, hon.”

“What she said. We’re gonna wake you should something happen, okay? But dammit, get some shuteye, or I knock you out.”

“He’s gonna do it.”

“Damn right I’m gonna do it.”

“I…” V wanted to protest, he really, really meant to, but something about Nico’s bright grin, something about the fondly exasperated way Nero was still looking at him – really looking, seeing his exhaustion and nervous drive to stay awake still for what it was –made it very hard to argue.

Even Shadow seemed the conversation to be over. They rose with a yawn, stretching, and in the blink of an eye, their form wavered and vanished, settling back into inky swirls on skin.

It almost tugged a sigh from V. You, too?

Rumbling purr echoed through his mind, and Griffon cackled even louder. Traitors, the lot of them.

Clearing his throat uneasily, V relented. He was clearly outnumbered. “Fine. But should something happen…”

“… you’re gonna know it.” How Nero managed to make an eyeroll audible was a miracle.

Nico’s grin was even easier to spot, stretching from ear to ear as she waved in Nero’s direction. “You’re gonna be wide awake once Mister Bigmouth over there starts swearing.”

“And you will have to drop me off at the city’s edge like we agreed…”

“Gonna kick you out right there.”

“Literally.”

There was nothing more he could argue with, and both Nero and Nico knew it. They were grinning at him, so very triumphantly, as if making him take a nap was a battle to be won and be proud of…. And V couldn’t help but smile back. “Dealing with either of you is a challenge, is it not?”

“Oh, now he notices that,” Nero rolled his eyes and turned to Nico, who was spluttering with laughter and exclaimed, “Duh!”

“I had my suspicions,” V sighed – perhaps a bit too dramatically. Perhaps purposely so, just because it threw the other two into another fit of laughing and eye-rolling.

Ah, he noted with only a little sense of trepidation, I’m starting to feel too at ease with them.

That, as well, was not supposed to happen.

He answered Nero’s wave while the other walked away with a slight nod of his own, thanked Nico automatically when she turned the lights in van off so they wouldn’t disturb his sleep. Conceding defeat, he stretched on the old couch. It was soft from long use, long enough to accommodate his lean form, and very comfortable, all things considered.

Yet he didn’t sleep immediately, even though exhaustion was pulling at his consciousness greedily, instead stared into the dark above him unseeing while his thoughts raced.

What is Nero to you?

If things kept going like this, V realized, if Nero kept acting like this… then he would probably need to direct that question no longer only at Dante, but at himself, too.

And he wasn’t sure if he was going to like the answer to it.

You already know you don’t, Griffon echoed in his mind, something like a laugh, something like a croak mixed into each syllable. You have your answer, no matter how you try runnin’ from it, Shakespeare. You feel save with them. What more proof do you want?

Do not think you can torment me any longer, Griffon. Those times are long gone.

Me? You are the one who created me. Or a bit more poetic for you- I am but nothing than your own nightmare. You’re tormenting yourself, wise guy.

I cannot start to care about them. Any of them.

Perhaps, Griffon whispered, no malice in his voice this time, simply exhaustion. Perhaps, you should have thought of that sooner.

V shook his head as if that could shake off the words, the thoughts, the truth. Resolutely, he rolled onto his side, drawing the blanket tighter around himself.

The blanket was warm and soft, smelling very, very faintly of Nico’s cigarettes and metal and, much stronger, of something flowery – soap, maybe – and it shouldn’t starting to be so familiar, that strange mix. It shouldn’t have made him feel protected and safe, but it did.

Another tiny proof, as if to mock him, and V had to confess - he was fighting a lost battle, and the worst thing about it was that he knew it.

From the front, Nico’s voice drifted back to him, the lilt to her words even stronger while she sang along to a song on the radio with fiery passion, yet quiet enough that it became clear she was trying to keep quiet enough as not to disturb him. Nero said something, voice light, and Nico laughed aloud before shushing herself with a hiss. A chuckle, a quiet whisper – V managed to catch his name falling when he strained a bit – before it became quieter again. Nico was still singing, voice a whisper now, while Nero was humming along.

Somehow, the odd little melody was soothing, and V felt some of the pressure on his chest ease, felt able to draw breath again. A bit of peace that allowed him to sort through his worries long enough to come to one final conclusion.

Nero was their last hope now. An unexpected hope, a number not taken into account, a joker in a game with stakes too high. But a hope nonetheless. Maybe it was a fool’s hope, yet… for the first time in a very, very long time, V dared to hope. To believe.

Perhaps we can make this right.

We. The single word brought a hesitant smile to his face. It did not sound all that bad.

Somewhere in his mind, he thought his familiars agreed with him.

V fell asleep to the sound of a car engine and whispered words, the murmuring and purring in his mind keeping any nagging thought at bay, surrounded by warmth and familiarity.

He didn’t stay awake long enough to worry one more time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somewhere in the middle of arguing about the choice of radio station and arguing about the possibility of Nero ever singing along so they could do a duet… really, just, somewhere in the middle of arguing in general did he notice that the third in their little party had been quiet for a bit too long.

Throwing his good arm over the backrest, Nero turned in his seat – ignoring the warning to stay seated while driving that came from his side – and glanced back towards the couch. He could barely make out V’s head, the only thing not covered by the old blanket, and the deep, calm breaths that had the other’s chest rising and falling slightly.

“He asleep?” Nico inquired, not even wondering what he was looking out for.

“Yup,” with a satisfied noise, Nero dropped back into a more comfortable position, kicking his feet up onto the console. They had both had the feeling that they would have to point out again to V that he needed the rest, but apparently, they had been wrong about that.

“Not tired, he said,” Nero snorted to himself, albeit quietly. “He was out like a light.”

“Shhhhh,” Nico hit him in the shoulder without even taking her gaze off the road, earning a grunt. “Let him sleep, guy already had bags under his eyes deeper than the Grand Canyon.”

“I am letting him sleep, what? I was the one who said he should sleep in the first place!”

“Uh-huh, and you did good with that, but now don’t wake him up again with your blabberin’.”

“I was quiet-…!”

“Shhhh!”

“Okay, you know what?” Nero throw his hands up, ducking away from another well placed punch while he scowled at her. Not that that had ever impressed Nico, who grinned back at him unrepentantly. “I’m sleeping now. You can nag at someone else.”

“Oh good, don’t gotta listen to you anymore,” Nico snickered as the scowl deepened and a rather rude gesture was sent her way. “Night, dude.”

“Yeah, yeah. Night, Nico,” Nero’s words was little more than a grumble as he reclined in his seat, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

Nico counted ten heartbeats before the man’s shoulders relaxed, breathing evening out. Shaking her head, she mumbled with a crooked grin, “Really can sleep anywhere, the guy.”

She had aimed for exasperated, but it came out too fond, and she knew it.

Ah, well. Nobody was awake anymore to call her out on it, she reckoned, grin softening into a honest smile as she turned the radio off and slowed the car down a bit. If they reached the city half an hour earlier or later, it wouldn’t make a difference, surely. On the other hand, this would probably be the last time those two boys that had somehow stumbled into her life and made themselves comfortable there would get some good sleep before shit went down.

And if she actually had to mind speed limits to assure them a good night’s sleep – well, that was a small price to pay.

#dmc5 spoilers #dmc v #v #nico goldstein #nero #fanfic #griffon #shadow #dmc #devil may cry #my writing #i tried guys i tried #i apologize for any ooc moments in advance

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