This little story began picking at my brain a few days ago. It started out as a drabble, but I think it should stand alone. Ol' red twin needs some love here, too. I wanted to do it from Dante's POV because; one, I need practice writing as Dante. And two, I wanted to try and show Dante's mature side. I mean, there has to be one. Right? Enjoy and, if you wish, review.

Suspicion.

Dante had been lurking.

Contrary to popular belief, the red twin could be every bit as stealthy as his elder brother. It just wasn't his style. Granted, it wasn't terribly difficult to sneak around without Vergil noticing lately. The blue devil's attention was usually fixated on the shrimpy human girl. Dante thought it was adorable. When the two of them had moved into Devil May Cry several weeks ago, the red devil had been nearly beside himself with excitement at having his brother so near. Of course, he couldn't show his enthusiasm openly. At least, not entirely. Still though, Dante hadn't been this content in... in...

Frowning briefly, he tilted his head thoughtfully, Years. It's been years and years.

At first, Dante had been a little uneasy about the new living arrangements. Honestly, the idea had been rolling around in his head for a while; he just hadn't been certain how to broach the subject with Vergil. Plus, the red twin didn't really believe he'd be able to sway his prickly elder brother into staying here anyhow. Vergil had never bothered to hide his disdain about the way Dante chose to live. But when Lady and Trish had jumped on the bandwagon and Vergil actually agreed, Dante had nearly fallen out of his chair. Excitement, joy, apprehension and disbelief had swirled in his chest at the thought of being given the chance to mend the last lingering shred of a family bond the two of them might share. He'd been good at letting none of these hopes show, however; lest Vergil see, change his mind and deny Dante the opportunity.

You will stay out of my business, Dante. On that, I will not negotiate.

Dante hadn't exactly agreed though, had he? He'd just said he'd try. One could always opt to merely observe others, right? It wasn't the same thing as butting into anyone's business at all. Nope. Besides, he had every right to. This was his den, and he'd be goddamned if he wasn't going to keep tabs on everything that was going on.

You will keep your hands off of her. She's... She's mine, got it?

If Dante had been surprised at Vergil's consent to be roomies, however reluctant, it'd been nothing compared to the astonishment of that last statement.

Vergil Sparda had actually claimed a consort. A human consort no less. Another one for the book of firsts.

He wasn't exactly certain when he'd taken to snoop; it'd just kind of happened. Frankly, Dante was fascinated and he honestly couldn't help himself . This sort of Vergil behavior had yet to be studied and documented. Also, Dante wasn't entirely convinced that little Ms. Short-stack was as innocent as she seemed. Sure, he couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary; which was the crux of the problem. There was something off about her. They all knew it. So why couldn't he sense anything at all? It was this very lack of tangible danger that gave the red twin pause. If what Orwryn had revealed was true and she was harboring the next Mundus, there ought to be something. Anything.

But there just wasn't.

Until Vergil had dumped the news on him, Dante had dismissed her as a normal human and in she'd waltzed. Right under his nose. Not good.

A little sliver of unease tried to work its way into his gut, but he squashed it down immediately. He wasn't done being content yet, and he wanted to enjoy every second of it.

Muted conversation from out back caught the younger twin's attention, successfully rousing him out of his unpleasant musings. Dante hopped to his feet and headed towards the kitchen. Looking out the window, he saw the girl jabbering up at his dour older brother. She was gesturing enthusiastically towards the sky and smiling, her lavender sundress fluttering lightly in the breeze. She was the very picture of carefree innocence. However, the majority of his flirty innuendos towards her had been for the sole purpose of annoying Vergil, but he did have to admit that she was a babe; sawed-off runt or not. Granted, she was a little too pint-sized for his tastes, but he could still see her appeal.

Perhaps Vergil preferred petite women. A small crease appeared between Dante's brow; it was strange to consider the fact that Vergil even had a preference. And kind of gross. Gah. The red twin shuddered, then glanced over at his brother; Vergil's eyes were fixated on her. He was completely unaware that Dante was spying on the two of them. Which was incredibly out of character. Normally, the blue twin would be aware of Dante's presence almost before Dante was. The frown reappeared on the red devil's forehead as he watched. Could that be her intent? To weave her way into their lives and disarm them through innocence and trust? If so, it was an unheard of tactic, as far as demons were concerned.

Shaking his head again, Dante turned his attention back out the window and eyed his brother doubtfully. After a moment, Vergil also glanced up, observed the sky briefly, then shook his head and responded quietly. At this, the girl's mouth dropped open in shock. Snickering, Dante watched as she planted both hands on her hips and jutted her chin out in a show of stubborn defiance. He smirked, recognizing the posture all too well. If she was anything like Lady, Vergil was about to get an earful. Chuckling, the red devil ran a distracted hand through his hair when, as expected, the girl began gesturing to the sky once again. Only this time, her actions were agitated and her brows had knitted together in an impressive frown.

What could they be talking about? Dante wondered.

He didn't know, but whatever it was, it had gotten her pissed. Eyes widening, Dante watched as she took a step forward and began poking her finger into Vergil's chest, mouth going a mile a minute. Half-expecting Vergil to simply toss the poor girl across the yard, Dante stiffened and prepared himself to go intervene if necessary. It never happened, though. The blue devil only stood there and bore the brunt of her wrath. Finally, Vergil caught her hand in his own, and Dante snatched a glimpse of his brother's face. The elder twin wore his usual deadpan expression, but his eyes were alight with devilish mischief. With a start, Dante realized that his twin was purposely riling her up. He was teasing her like he and Dante used to tease one another. An activity which Vergil had abandoned years ago as childish, though he'd still been a child himself.

The girl stopped her ranting and glowered up at him, attempting to pull her hand from his. Vergil refused to release her and spoke again. This time, however, he spoke loud enough for Dante to hear him.

"Don't abuse the messenger, girl. It isn't my fault that you're too plump to fly."

Outraged, she threw her head back and began her tirade again.

Dante stood there, eyes wide, and tried to hold back a bark of laughter. She wasn't in the least, but he recognized the intent regardless. The blue devil had resorted to schoolyard taunts. The very sort a young boy would use to show a particular girl that he favored her. Dante wondered if he would throw a rock at her next. Maybe put a worm in her hair for good measure?

"Stop. I yield." Vergil said, eyes widening in mock fear. However, a telling smirk had appeared on his mouth,"I'm teasing. You're plump in all the correct places, alright? I'm at your mercy."

The red twin shook his head again. Imagine; Vergil, asking for mercy. And yet another for the book of firsts.

Appeased, she beamed up at him and nodded. Crisis averted, the girl flitted across his small backyard to inspect something that had attracted her attention. Vaguely, Dante wondered what it might be. There was probably a good number of strange items hidden in the overgrown grass and brush. He was a demon hunter, after all. Weird crap always ended up at his place, whether he remembered bringing it home or not.

Whatever it was, she cupped it in her hands and trotted back over to Vergil and showed him. The red twin watched as his brother glanced down at her hands and shrugged.

"So?" he said.

"Can I keep it?" he heard her ask.

"To what end?" Vergil responded, curling a corner of his upper lip.

"It's just a baby, I can't let it die," Dante saw her mouth turn down sadly.

"It is nature's way of culling the weak. You shouldn't interfere with such things," the blue devil replied.

"Please?"

Vergil shifted uncomfortably, obviously unhappy with how easily he was being swayed. Dante couldn't believe it either. If he didn't know any better, he would almost think that Vergil was-

"Why are you even asking me?" Vergil snapped. "You'll have to square it with Dante. This is his home."

The girl flinched and wilted a bit, "I have to ask you. You pretty much own me. Remember?"

Dante saw Vergil blanch a little. "Fine," he bit out. "I don't care either way. But you'll still have to ask Dante. Just keep the beast away from me. Understood?"

The red twin arched a brow, mind blown. He'd never been able to talk Vergil out of a "no" before. And so easily, too. Just, whoa. After a moment of awe, the red twin strained to see what it was that the girl was so set on keeping. He could just barely make it out: a baby bird of some sort. Smiling, Dante shrugged. Sure, he'd let her keep it here. Why not? It was just a little critter, and it was a fitting pet for her. After all, he'd witnessed her fluttering around his elder brother just like a little bird time and time again. Too sweet. So much so that Dante feared he may get a cavity.

"I will, Vergil. Thank you," she glanced down at the fragile creature she cradled in her hands, a demure smile on her face.

At this, Dante felt some of his misgivings melt away. She projected gentleness. There was nothing forced about it. If the demon inside her had any sort of sentience, she would have killed the fledgling or left it to die. Much like Vergil had wanted to, or even he would. Demons lacked compassion; they did not seek to care for the weak, they attacked the weak. Indiscriminately. Dante knew this on a deep personal level. He had to struggle against his demonic inclinations on a daily basis. His devil-side and human-side were constantly at war with one another. Not like Vergil, who had embraced his demon to the extent that his human side was nearly dormant.

A sudden realization struck him. His brother's recent strange behavior had seemed almost... human. The fact that he was having such a normal reaction to a pretty girl was odd in itself; if that made any sense at all. Could the human female actually be bringing his unhappy older brother out of his shell? Was there a chance that this strange relationship that the two of them shared would actually go somewhere? A future joining, maybe? Kids? Dante allowed himself a quiet chuckle at that last thought. Try as he might, he just couldn't imagine his twin as a father. Still though, if he didn't know Vergil as well as he did, it would almost seem like his brother was falling in love.

But that was just ridiculous.

A wry smile crossed the red devil's lips for letting such an absurd thought enter his mind in the first place. Sudden movement towards the house caught his attention. The girl was fast-walking towards the back door, carefully holding her cupped hands steady. Presumably, she was on her way inside to ask him to keep it. Dante rushed back to his desk, flopped into the chair, kicked his booted feet up, leaned back and threw a magazine over his face. Clasping his hands behind his head, he slouched and relaxed like he'd been here the entire time. It wouldn't do if Vergil caught him in the act of spying. The recent peace Dante had been so enjoying would be shattered, and Vergil would guard himself much more carefully from now on. And the girl. Something Dante could not afford to let happen.

For now, he would watch and wait.