"You sure you're going to stay here tonight?"
"Yeah, I don't feel like heading to my place tonight. Although I thought you were gonna stay the night here too?"
"Not tonight, no, I have something I need to take care of."
The blonde demoness took some bites out of her pizza as she sat on the desk of the Devil May Cry shop while the ebony haired demon huntress sat on the chair that belongs to the half demon breed, Dante. "Let me guess," said Lady before finishing her slice of pizza. "Morrison gave you a special job?"
"Hm, you could say that, yeah." Said Trish before standing up after finishing her pizza, licking the bits of sauce from the tip of her fingers. "I really didn't have anything to do tonight, so I thought it might have been better to get it over with."
"I thought we were going to have a bit of 'girl time' by binge watching a series or something." Lady chuckled a bit, making Trish shake her head and chuckle herself too. "It's been a while since we last did that, huh?" she gave her a small smile.
Trish and Lady had become close over the years, eventually making them best friends. When they weren't outside kicking demon ass along with Dante, or alone, they sometimes went on a shopping spree together, or binge watch some series at Lady's place, even letting the demoness stay over. They had gotten so close that Trish eventually noticed how Lady's feelings grew for the devil hunter over the years. She may not have said it out loud, but Trish knew how she felt about Dante even though she never wanted to admit it to herself out loud, not to her and certainly not to Dante.
"But with all these jobs and Dante gone, it's up to us to pay for this place until he finally manages to return."
The mention of his name made her heart sink for a moment, it had been some months now since Dante had left with Vergil to the Underworld together and have yet to return. She knows Dante can handle himself, but sometimes she wondered, what if he never came back? Just the thought of it made her heart hurt but she shook those thoughts away as she leaned onto the desk from her seat. "Yeah, I know." She sighed as she looked at her surroundings.
Trish, on the other hand, wasn't an idiot and she knew that by just hearing his name it made Lady shift moods. It was sometimes sad whenever she would notice her friend thinking about the half breed, her mood would just drop and her mismatched eyes showed sorrow and worry. She had never confronted her about her feelings towards her half demon friend, but tonight she just couldn't hold it back, it needed to be discussed. "When are you going to tell him?"
"Huh?" Lady's head moved to see Trish with her arms crossed in front of the desk, staring down at her. "What're you talking about?"
"Lady, I'm not dumb…" she sighed before continuing. "When are you planning to tell Dante about your feelings towards him?"
Lady froze for a moment before letting out a laugh that didn't really convince the demoness at all before speaking. "Are you alright, Trish? Did that demon we fought today really hit your head or-"
"Stop hiding your true feelings, Lady. I'm being serious." She cut off Lady and slammed a hand onto the desk, her gaze not breaking from the human woman's eyes. The huntress stared back at her friend, her face now surprised and feeling her heart racing. "Trish, I…" she tried to speak but couldn't find her words, she had never spoken about her feelings towards Dante, not even to herself.
"You thought I hadn't noticed how your feelings over Dante grew over the years?" she shook her head, letting a small chuckle out before resuming. "I've seen how you stare at him, how you're eager to find an excuse to go and bother him, or to fight by his side. Your eyes sometimes drift towards him when he has his back directed at us. I've been your friend for years now, meaning I have picked up some things when it comes to your body language, honey."
Lady's cheeks flushed, was she really that obvious to Trish's eyes that she had a thing for Dante? She couldn't help but to just look away from her, she had nowhere to run. "I… I just can't."
Trish kept her gaze on Lady and went back to crossing her arms. "Why can't you? Is it because you are afraid things will get awkward between you two?" she said as she raised her brow.
"That's… That's one yes." She sighed, not wanting to look directly at the demoness' eyes, she just looked down at her own lap. "I just can't tell him out of nowhere, besides it will be a waste. It's better if I just keep things like how it always has been and hopefully one day, I'll just move on from him or something." She said with a shrug.
Trish could see it wasn't just because it would make things awkward, it was more the fear of rejection. Besides, Dante wouldn't be so cruel to shoot her down or shrug her off if she does confess, especially since she had a feeling that Dante perhaps felt the same way after all this time. "But what if Dante never comes back?" it sounded harsh but she had to bring it up.
This made Lady's eyes immediately look up to hers, baffled she would say such a thing. "Trish-"
"If Dante doesn't return, you will regret not telling him that you actually fell in love with him after all this time, and it will slowly devour you." Trish just wanted for Lady to confess her feelings to the half demon before it's too late. It isn't the first time Dante leaves for months and stayed in the Underworld until a rift connecting to the human world appeared, but what if one day that luck runs out and he stays trapped forever? Or worse, dead?
Lady was at a loss for words, she knew Trish had good intentions but that didn't mean that the truth hurt any less. She was right, what if Dante never comes back? She will regret not telling him her true feelings towards him, even if he felt the same or not, she wants to tell him one day before it's too late. She hadn't realized that possibility, since Dante always had luck by his side when it came to coming back, no matter how long it took him. But what if his luck runs out?
The demoness turned her heel and went to pick up her devil arm before making her way to the exit. "I think it's time you told him, for we don't know when it will be the last time we see him." She stopped on her tracks and looked back at her friend. "Of course, that's up to you if you want to finally tell him once he comes back." The demoness took out her shades and put them on before walking out the shop, leaving a quiet Lady behind.
She let all her words sink in as she leaned onto the desk with her elbows resting on it and her hands almost clutching her head. "Damn it…" she cursed through gritted teeth, doing her best to not let her tears come out. Lady hated the fact Trish was right and that she had noticed she started to fall for Dante as time went by. Was she really that obvious to her friend? What if Dante had noticed but never said anything to her about it? No, it can't be, he would've brought it up sooner or later somehow.
"Why the hell did I had to fall for him…?" she sighed as she let go of her head and crossed her arms on the desk before laying her head down. The huntress didn't think she would fall for the half demon so hard, in fact she thought it was just a puppy crush. But as years went by and the more time she spent with him, be it by hanging at his shop while eating pizza or hunting down demons together, she slowly started to realize she saw him more than just a friend. It scared her for a moment, she had never fallen for a man before and she didn't want to run the risk of ruining the friendship between them so she hoped that it would just go away over time, but she was wrong.
Lady's eyes got heavy as she thought about everything, mentally debating on finally being honest or just bite her tongue. She couldn't get distant all of a sudden, that will just raise suspicion and make matters more difficult. Or perhaps she could try to force herself to move on from him? "Damn it, Trish, why did you have to confront me like that?" she groaned before shifting her head a bit and letting herself drift off to sleep.
Hours passed and the huntress started to slowly wake up from her nap. She looked around the empty shop before sitting up and stretching. "Didn't think I would actually let myself nap at his desk…" she said before letting out a small yawn and stood up. She took the empty pizza box that was left on the desk and started it to rip it apart before throwing it into the trash can she had purchased for the shop.
As she finished throwing away the ripped pieces of the pizza box, she heard the door to the shop open. "Who the hell would come at this time of the night?" thought Lady for a moment before speaking. "Sorry, but the shop's closed-" Lady's words came to a halt when she turned around and saw the familiar red clad devil hunter standing at the entrance with his signature grin. Her eyes were wide out of surprise and she could feel her heart starting to race, was it really him? She would sometimes dream of Dante's return every once in a while, perhaps she was still dreaming? This couldn't be happening right now; did Trish know he would return today?
"Well I didn't expect to see you in my shop at this hour, guess Morrison handed it to ya' and Trish while I was gone, huh?" he chuckled as he made his way towards his desk but not before looking around his shop. "Phew! Home, sweet home!" he exclaimed. Nothing had changed, in fact it even seemed cleaner compared to the last time he was there, and the electricity was still on. He let out a whistle as he stopped by his desk as he directed his gaze to the huntress, who still stood frozen in her shop. "What? Hard to believe the one and only Dante is finally back?" He said as he crossed his arms and raised a brow at her. "Or did someone think it was funny to spread a rumor about me dying?" he chuckled.
Lady just stared at him as her heart raced and her mind was having a debate with herself. This wasn't a dream, after months he was finally back but this time, she felt more relieved than usual. She walked towards him not saying a word, which earned her a concerned look from the half breed as she now stood before him. "I…" she couldn't hold herself back as just hugged him tightly, afraid he would leave again or this was just her mind playing dirty tricks on her.
Dante, on the other hand, was a bit confused at Lady's affectionate action. But nonetheless, he returned the hug, a part of him feeling glad he was able to have Lady like this after all those months trapped in Hell with his brother. "This is uh… New coming from you, did someone really tell you I died or something?" he said after a few seconds of silence and looked down at her.
The huntress immediately broke the hug off and took a step back, quickly looking away to hide her flushed cheeks from him. "No! No, it's just- Ugh I don't know what came over me, sorry." She shrugged, feeling nervous and embarrassed now that she had the hunter before her. She was trying to remain calm and just tell him how he feels but it's more complicated than what she had imagined, she felt like she was just going to embarrass herself even further at this point.
The half breed was once again confused at Lady's action of breaking the hug so suddenly. He really enjoyed it and wished to hold her in his arms but of course, he wasn't going to be a savage and go in for another hug, especially when the huntress before him is acting odd. Did something happen while he was gone? He had never seen Lady so nervous around him before. "I didn't really mind it but now you're kind of acting strange… Is there something bothering you?"
Lady felt her heart skip a beat at his question. She didn't blame him though; she was acting strange to his eyes but it was all because she didn't know where to even start! The fact she was embarrassing herself now was making it more difficult for her to speak to him now and it felt like her heart would burst out of her ribcage. "Um, well I-I…" the huntress crossed her arms, now looking at the ground to avoid eye contact with the half demon.
He just stared at her, still confused as to why Lady was acting this way towards him after all this time. Perhaps it was better if he didn't push her to speak about it? Although he couldn't deny she was kind of cute at the moment. He had noticed how her cheeks had turned rosy and also noticed she's doing her best to avoid staring directly at him. He didn't think his return would make her act like this; in fact, he didn't expect to find her here at all!
Dante moved towards his chair behind the desk and sat down while reclining back and putting his feet up on his desk like he always would. He really missed his joint even if it could be a bitch to pay for every once in a while, this was his home and he was glad Morrison and the girls looked after it while he was gone. "Listen, you don't have to push yourself, if it ain't my business I'll stay out of it." He said as he stretched a little and let out a small groan while doing so. "How I missed being here. I take it you were looking after the shop tonight?" He said as he looked up at the ceiling, letting himself relax after a long trip back.
"Ah, yeah, I was. In fact, I was going to stay the whole night, Trish and I would take turns to look after it or stay together here." She said, trying to recollect her thoughts while also trying to calm herself down. Maybe with just chatting with him normally she will be able not to embarrass herself any further.
"Taking turns, huh? I'm surprised neither of you tried to fight over who gets to keep the shop." Chuckled the devil hunter as the huntress took a seat on his desk, also letting out a small chuckle herself. "We were close to, but Morrison didn't let us even though we started paying for your electricity bills while you were gone, so I guess part of it belongs to us now."
"Well not anymore since I'm back in town and I don't plan to give my shop away or share it any time soon."
"Oh? So, you're telling me you're gonna pay us back all of our money that we used to keep your shop alive after all these months? And that's not counting the hours we spent cleaning this place." She crossed her arms as she raised a brow at him.
He stayed silent for moment, thinking. If he basically wanted his full ownership of his own shop back, he'd have to pay back all that money they spent on this place and that would mean another debt on top of other debts he still needed to take care off. "Damn it…" he groaned as he lowered his feet from the desk and stared at Lady, who seemed to be giving him a victory smirk. "You girls will eventually drag me to more debt, I just know it." He sighed. "But I guess part of the shop belongs to both of you now I guess."
"That's what I thought, so the next time you leave don't be surprised if we do a little remodeling."
"Whatever, as long as you don't throw my stuff out, especially my magazines, we're all good."
"Mmm, I'll think about it." She chuckled a bit as Dante just shook his head, dismissing the topic and picking up a magazine.
A few minutes of silence hung in the air, and both seemed to be thinking of something. While Lady looked away, trying to mentally prepare herself to push out what she wanted to say before she left, Dante was sneaking some glances at her. Sure, it had been just a couple of months since he last saw her, but he couldn't stop thinking about the huntress while he was in Hell. It wasn't the first time it happened that he would be away, or Lady would be busy and his mind would think of her, from her fighting to her body, and her smile… Something that slowly became more common to see from her as years went by.
"Dante…" when he heard her say his name, he came back to reality and quickly looked back into the magazine. "Yeah?"
"There's… Something that's been in my mind lately and I feel like if I don't speak about this now, I won't have another chance to do so." Said the huntress before taking a deep breath and standing up from the desk, her back currently facing him.
Dante placed down his magazine as he leaned onto the desk, staring at her in question. "Okay?" he said as he crossed his arms on the desk. "And that is?" Whatever she needed to say, the fact she was taking some time to do so was just making him a bit anxious and worried but he looked as chill as he always does.
Lady looked down to the floor before crossing her arms, feeling nervous. Really, how do people do this? It was awkward and embarrassing, she thought she could just say casually but she can't out of fear… "C'mon, it's now or never!" she thought to herself before turning around and staring at the half demon with her mismatched eyes. "Dante, I-I…" she couldn't say it with him directly staring at her, giving her all his attention. It made her cheeks blush as she felt her heart race, why did he have to be so handsome at a time like this? She just looked away before finally blurting it out loud. "I like you, okay?! T-there, I said it…!"
Dante's eyes widened in disbelief, was she joking? No, she wasn't really one to mess around with something like that… But it was a bit hard to believe since before she would reject his playful and dirty advances, and how she had actually said he liked him? He couldn't help but chuckle. "Good one, babe, you almost had me there." He shook his head before resuming. "Did you lose a bet against Trish and this is your punishment for losing?" he said casually, not really feeling sure about her words. Even though he did like her back, he didn't want to jump the gun. In fact, he would feel kind of hurt if it turned out to be a lie.
When she heard him chuckle and not take this seriously, her heart sank for a moment. Was it really that hard to believe such words? She didn't like to play around with such topic and it's the first time she has ever confessed to someone, or even said it out loud to herself that she had fallen for the half breed. "I'm serious." She said, her voice sounding a little angry as she now looked back at him with a serious expression.
The devil hunter was taken aback at how serious she was now and that she meant it, making the little smile he had on his face disappear as he stared at her with a calm but serious expression before letting out a sigh. "Lady, I-"
"Shut up and let me speak before I regret it and leave." Said the huntress, not breaking eye contact with the devil hunter.
Dante quickly shit his mouth, even though he was going to apologize for taking it as a joke, the more he stared into her intense eyes, the more he realized she was being honest with him and he didn't think this day would ever come. Only in dreams he would have her accept his confession, and even then, he didn't have the balls either to speak about it for some reason.
"I don't know exactly when this happened but…" she sighed as she took a step closer to the desk and placing her hands on it, not daring to break eye contact with him. "I just know that the more time we spent together, be it just working together in jobs or hanging around here I just slowly started to enjoy your company, more than just a friend that is." She could feel her cheeks burning at this point. "Every time you disappear for so long, even though I know you can handle yourself I just can't help but think about you, day and night, and especially of your return." She clenched her fists on the desk. "I know at first you did throw some playful pick-up lines my way but at the time I just couldn't see myself falling for a demon…" she looked down at the desk for a moment, letting out a small scoff as a smile appeared on her blushing face. "But who would have thought I would eventually far for one."
For the first time in a while, Dante could feel his cheeks burning as he stared at the huntress before him with wide eyes. It took her all her willpower to come forth and say all this, even after when he thought this was just a bad joke to mess with him. He was at a loss for words, there was so much he wanted to say yet he just wanted to say it with his actions but at the moment, all he couldn't do was just look away as he let out a small cough. "Phew, is it me or did the room get hot all of a sudden?"
Lady looked up at him, not sure if everything she just said went through one ear and out the other or she made things awkward. She didn't even know what else to say and just looked away. "Uh, y-yeah I guess…?" she said as she felt awkward, that serious and strong willpower she had now gone and now replaced with embarrassment. "I'll just… be on my way now." She said a bit lowly before taking her hands off the desk and turned around to walk to the exit as she had mixed feelings after all this.
Even though Dante said that to try and make Lady a bit more relaxed, it clearly only made matters more awkward between them. When he heard she would get going, he immediately stood up, internally freaking out that he had already fucked up without getting a chance to even give her an answer. "Woah, Lady, hold up! You can't just leave after telling all this."
The huntress stopped and could feel Dante's eyes on her back as she sighed. She turned to look at him before speaking. "I don't expect for you to feel the same way, I just wanted to finally tell you before it was too late." She gave him a small smile even though she wasn't all too well. A weight was off her shoulders but at the same time, the little hope she had of him feeling the same went down the drain. "And besides, you're already back so there's no need for me to stay the night."
He saw Lady once again direct herself to the door but he didn't want to let her go like this, no. This was his chance to tell her that he had fallen for her years ago but of course, since she would refuse his advances he decided to stop trying. But as time passed and the more he spent it with her, those feelings never went away at all. He wanted to be the one to finally come forward and tell her, but he beat her to it. He honestly even felt a bit mad with himself, especially since he didn't think Lady felt the same and had to also wait so long to tell him.
"No." he finally said as he practically rushed to the huntress. She turned in question and was ready to start bickering with him until she found herself pinned against the wall. The action took her aback but it also felt nostalgic. They were now almost in the same position as the day they met and had their battle in the library of the Temen-Ni-Gru tower, except this time he put her in this spot instead of her slowly backing away. She remembered he tried leaning into her, but she looked away for he was a demon, had just met him and was going through so much at the time. But now everything was different, they had grown together, he wasn't a monster nor a killing machine, she realized he was human and that his demon part didn't define him nor he was like the demons they fight. She was honestly glad he had come into her life, without him she wouldn't know where she would be right now.
"Dante, what do you think you're-" the devil hunter hushed her by placing a finger on her soft lips. "You moron, you didn't even give me a chance to speak at all." He smirked.
"Excuse you? Who the hell do you think you are, calling me a moron?" Lady was about to tell him he was the true moron here but she wasn't even able to utter any other word as he started gently stroking her lips with his thumb while staring into her eyes. This made her cheeks flush and her heart rate to increase.
"You know? Every time I'm away for months, or even days, my mind always goes to you." He chuckled a bit. "I thought the crush I had on you would eventually go away but it never did, it just grew. And now, I can't stop thinking about you…" he started to slowly lean down, closer to her face. "I didn't have the balls to tell you sooner, but I guess a part of me was just afraid you would turn me down for good this time." He stopped as he cupped her chin and gently moved it up a little, their lips inches away. "But now that I know the feeling's mutual, I'm no longer afraid of that rejection…" he closed the small gap they had in between their lips, and now he could finally feel those soft lips he had craved to kiss for so long.
Lady's eyes were wide in surprise, for she didn't think he felt the same or that he hadn't truly moved on. Her heart was fluttering as she finally felt his lips against hers, and she slowly gave in by closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. She had dreamed of moments like this with the half breed, but never she would have thought that this would happen in real life and she couldn't be happier.
As he felt her kiss back, he moved his hand to the back of her head and with his other hand, he wrapped it around her lower back and pulled her closer to him as their kiss got more passionate. All those years they had silently yearned for each other was being poured into this one kiss. The love, care, relief and even hunger were all there, and it both made their hearts flutter.
After a minute of showing how much they wanted each other through the kiss, they slowly pulled away while catching their breaths as they stared into each other's eyes. It was as if time had suddenly come into a halt the moment they embraced each other but now it was slowly starting to continue its course. Their gaze was locked onto each other in silence, only their breathing being the only sound emitting from each other.
"Dante…" Lady managed to speak in a whisper before the man holding her gave her a smirk.
"I love you, Lady." He whispered back, not able to contain those words for they were how he truly felt about her. "For the longest time, I wasn't sure if it was still just a mere crush but now, I'm sure that I love you."
His words made the huntress' cheeks flush before giving him a smile. "I love you too." She said before burying her head into his chest. She could hear his heart racing, making her smile a bit more as he lovingly held her against him.
"I can't believe it took us so long to be honest with each other about this." He chuckled, feeling an immense happiness he never thought he would achieve. He thought strawberry sundaes gave him true happiness, but now he realized it doesn't compare to this.
Lady couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she kept hugging him. "Right? I guess fear was really holding us back, huh?" she sighed before pulling away a bit and staring up at him. "Although, I'm glad we finally confessed our feelings for each other, I was afraid one day it would be too late…"
Dante turned his head a bit in question. "I mean, we did take our sweet ass time and it's better late than ever, but what makes you think that?"
The huntress shrugged a bit before speaking. "Well… Sometimes, for the safety of humankind, you need to go away and stay in the Underworld fighting all those demons for months and…" she hesitated for a moment. "What if… you stay there forever? I know you can handle yourself but those portals… What if they randomly decide to stop appearing? Or something happens to you while you're there and you're unable to come back…" Just the thought of it made her heart feel heavy. It was a nightmare she hoped it never came true, but even though she knows Dante is extremely strong and can handle himself, in the back of her mind that thought lingers every once in a while.
The half breed didn't really think of that before, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing his job or from coming back to the human world. "Lady…" he placed a hand on her cheek, caressing it. "No demon or portal will ever stop me from coming, no matter how long it takes. I will break all of Hell if necessary if it means I'll find a way out and come back to you." He gave her a reassuring smile before placing a loving kiss on her forehead. "I promise."
Lady stared at him, a smile on her face as her heart fluttered with his words. All the worries and fears she had melted away with his smile. Who would have thought he would promise a human girl to always come back to her no matter what? "Thank you…"
After a moment, they both started laughing as they slowly let go of each other. "Wow, that was… sappy, don't you think?" said the huntress as she placed her hands on her hips.
"It was but-" the devil hunter took a few steps back. "I can go sappier if you want." He said as he suddenly made a rose appear in his hand and got down on one knee, holding out the beautiful crimson rose out for Lady. "A rose, for another gorgeous rose." He said with a smirk.
Lady couldn't help but laugh, he looked so silly but couldn't help but blush when he called her a "gorgeous rose". She took a step forward and took the rose in her hand. "You moron." She said as she looked down at the rose. She never understood how he managed to do that with roses, but she honestly liked whenever he pulls out this trick.
Dante stood up, feeling proud he managed to make his huntress laugh with such silly and over the top signature of love. "Well you love this moron so deal with it." He chuckled.
The huntress sighed as she looked outside, it was late and she needed to head back even though she didn't want to. "Well, I should get going." She said as she stretched a little. "Honestly, my body feels a bit sore from today's job so I should get some rest in the meantime."
"Leave? Who said you could leave?" he said as he crossed his arms. "You were originally going to stay here, so you're welcomed to spend the night here. Besides…" He got closer to the huntress, who still held the rose close to her chest and looked up at him. "I can give you a massage to relax those sore muscles." He said with a seductive tone before smirking.
This made Lady's cheeks burn, but she couldn't deny she wanted his company… and the massage. How could she refuse? She still pondered for a moment, even though she already had her answer. "Hmm… You did get me at the massage part." She said before giving him a small smile. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend the night with you.
Dante smiled in victory, in his mind he was practically having a party just because she accepted to stay and spend the night with him. Sure, it wasn't really the first time she had crashed in his place but this time it felt different and even more intimate. "But!" he heard the huntress say, making him come back from his small inner celebration. "But?"
"Try to get too touchy with me and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull." Even though she was threating him with her usual go to threat, there was no malice nor hatred, in fact it almost felt like an inside joke between the two.
Dante took a step back and raised his arms in his defense before speaking. "You got my word, babe. No funny business, I swear." He said as he looked a bit to the floor, trying to hold back his chuckle.
"Good." The huntress walked past him and placed the rose down before starting to head for the stars.
Dante simply followed her with his gaze, and when he saw her stop in front of his stairs, he immediately followed. "These hands may seem rough when fighting but trust me, they can be really gentle."
Lady let out a small laugh before speaking. "Right, I guess I'll be the judge of that tonight, huh?" she said as she started going up the stairs with Dante trailing behind and even sneaking some glances towards her beautiful figure, especially to her hips. "Oh trust me, babe, you'll even beg for more."
I'm back from the dead! It's been so long since I last wrote a fanfic (years in fact lol) so please forgive any errors or if this one-shot wasn't so wow. I wanted to try something more calm since in DMC5 they're older and Lady seems more chill and happy now. Wanted a bit of slice of life and romance for these two on this one, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll write more LadyxDante fanfics, but in the mean time, this is what I managed to get out. ;w;
