"I'm seeing someone."
On the seat across from her in the booth they were situated in, he watched his companion's expression closely. The woman paused in her actions of where she previously had a fry halfway to her mouth to better study him. From what he could pick out, he could spot the suspicion first, like this was something he would joke about (it was totally something he would joke about), and upon meeting his serious expression, her face shifted to disbelief (should he feel insulted?), to surprise, to disbelief again (should he feel insulted now?) until it settled in a small upward quirk of the lips in barely suppressed excitement.
None of it was what he wanted to see.
"Are you really?" she asked, no longer able to hold back a smile.
Dante nodded, turning his gaze to where he was absentmindedly stirring his strawberry sundae, and kept it there. "Yeah. Met Sheryl back a couple days ago, works at a bar. She's a waitress," he said when he felt her stiffen. She knew the kinds of bars he frequented after all. "And she's a redhead-Oh come on, babe, don't look like that." He added when he stole a glance at her only to find her looking apprehensive after his last statement.
"Can you blame me?" Lady asked, violently stuffing her previously neglected fry in her mouth in her irritation. "The last redhead you introduced me to tried to eat my soul."
"Don't take it personally, that's just how Nevan greets people." He tried to defend. When she huffed and didn't look all that convinced, he decided to let the matter about his Devil Arm's intentions drop, "Listen, Sheryl's not a succubus and, I assure you, has no intention of eating your soul."
Lady rolled her eyes at his dry attempt at a joke, picking up another fry in her leftover pile to chomp on. "When can I meet her?" She smacked his hand away when he used his free hands to successfully steal one of her fries. He had already finished his meat-lovers pizza and polished off three-quarters of the quarter-cut burger her golden and crisp fries came with.
Dante looked to the left and out one of the five larger windows the restaurant had to offer, cobalt orbs studying the many busy individuals and happy couples that went along their merry way on that hot, summer afternoon. It would rain sometime soon, he noted, good weather like this never lasted. "You sound excited." he commented.
"Well, why wouldn't I be?" She nudged his leg with her foot until he looked at her.
Her hair was glossy, he couldn't help but notice. The way the sun's rays entered through the window from outside and fell on her cast an almost halo-like glow around her head, lips pink and shiny from where she had licked any excess salt from her mouth.
Inside his chest, he felt something tighten.
"You found someone, besides me, that can tolerate being around you for more than five minutes," she continued from her earlier inquiry, he found he had to focus on her sincere expression when his eyes had wandered to uncharted territory, "And we needed another woman in our two-man group. I need someone to keep you from doing dumb stuff when I'm not around. Another guy would most likely encourage it."
Dante forced out a laugh, taking a scoop of his ice cream sundae into his mouth to help better swallow the bitter taste that had collected in the back of his throat throughout the conversation.
He dare not call it disappointment.
A/N: Yeeeeaah, so this is a little different than what I usually write, and sorry if my writing style seems a bit different as well (not sure why that happens). Had this idea swimming in my head for a while now and decided to work on it in an attempt to cure my Bleach withdrawals (freaking three week break! DX) Hopefully it'll get rid of my writer's block so I can get back to writing His Lady, I know a bunch of you guys like it and are waiting for me to update. And, yes, I meant to put this A/N here…don't ask why. Anyways, hope you like it, EnjoY!
Disclaimer: I totally do-
CAPCOM: *cocks gun*
-not own Devil May Cry. But I do own my OCs and this plot…That makes me feel a bit better.
Contrary to what Lady might believe, he was not stalling the inevitable meeting between the girlfriend she only just found out about a couple days ago and herself. He knew it was bound to happen soon anyway since she was hanging around his shop much more than she usually cared to, and because it was, well, inevitable. But he was willing to force it to happen earlier than he was unwilling to admit he wanted just shut her up. All the unnecessary teasing about him acting like an embarrassed little teenager wanting to hide his new interest from certain members of his family was beginning to grate on his nerves. Was it so wrong that he wanted…Well, what he wanted was…Dante wasn't even sure anymore.
Well, no, that wasn't quite right. For one, Dante just wanted her to shut her trap.
"Would you shut up already? I told you you'll meet her when she comes around."
"And when will that be?"
"The fuck should I know? I'm not her keeper."
From her perch on the left hand corner of his work desk, Lady grunted in irritation. "You're not a very good boyfriend." she stated, "For all you know, she could've been killed."
Dante gave her a look before going back to his magazine. "Well, that's one way to look at it."
"I'm being serious," she gave his chair a kick, making it totter on its two legs before he got himself balanced again, "This Sharon person hangs around you, your scent could've rubbed off on her, or did you not think of that?"
Actually, he didn't. The last thing he wanted was for somebody he associated himself with was attacked by some random demon with a grudge against his father, and therefore, him. He would have to start watching the people he hung around. But he wouldn't be telling her that. No need to make her worry.
Tossing the magazine on the desktop with a sigh, since it was obvious he wouldn't be getting any browsing done with the company he kept, he leaned forward to snag a rapidly cooling slice of his usual order of pizza. "Speaking from experience?" he inquired.
"Yes," she fixed him with a glare, like it was somehow his fault she chose to hang out with him, "It happened twice actually, but I can take care of myself. I'm assuming Sharon doesn't know how to handle a gun."
He took a bite out of pizza before answering, "You assume correct," he fixed her with a glare of his own, "And stop calling her Sharon, it's Shannon." He blinked, looking unsure for a moment. "No, wait, it's Sheryl…I think…"
The look she gave him was absolutely venomous. "You're horrible! How do you not know her name?"
"It's not my fault!" he winced when she sent another vicious kick, this one harder than the last, to his chair. He decided it would be best if he just rested his seat on all four of its legs before he totted over for real next time. "I told you I've only known her for a few days-"
"That's no excuse, you asshole! The least you coul-Oh." Lady blinked, dual-toned eyes no longer focused on him, but rather to the door the stairs led up to. "Hello there." Dante slanted his gaze over to where she had hers set, only to find said woman of the current topic of conversation silently descending the stairs, curious chocolate colored eyes set on the two of them.
He seriously could've kicked himself.
He had assumed she would already be gone by the time he got back from the call he'd gotten earlier. That was five or six hours ago. And because Lady had come back with him since she was there when he got the call, he had no time to check if she had indeed left or not.
What the hell she had been doing during the time of his absence he neither wanted, nor had a desire to know…yet. He still had the ongoing events to focus on.
Tugging an auburn lock of hair behind a heavily pierced ear from her place at the foot of the stairs, dressed in a blue frilled button-up shirt and a tight black knee-length skirt, required for her job, the woman finally spoke. "Hello," she greeted, addressing Lady and stealing a glance at him before continuing, "And who may you be?"
Lady turned to him, raising a slim brow, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Why should I?" he asked, raising one of his own and taking another bite out of his dinner, "She asked you."
She sucked her teeth in annoyance, clipping him on the back of the head before getting up. Ignoring his curses as she brushed off her kilt like skirt, filled to the brim with weaponry, she moved to the front of the desk, resting her weight against it. "You can call me Lady. I'm this idiot's,"-she gestured to the half-devil behind her-"partner. And you are…?"
"Sheryl," she answered. She immediately swallowed any of the questions she might have had regarding the kind of work he would require a partner for, after one quick glance at the dark-haired woman's thigh holster and the weapon residing in it, she decided she would rather not know. She would ask Dante later, she decided, when this woman-did she say her name was Lady?-wasn't around.
Wiping a manicured hand off on her skirt, she came forward, the click-click of her black standardized three-inch heels the only sounds, sans the TV, in the large room. She held the appendage out to the other woman, doing her best not to look as intimidated as she felt as she spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lady took the offered appendage into her own, her calloused hand meeting Sheryl's soft one. Taking in the mascara coated lashes framing wide brown eyes and the blonde strands taking root on top of her head-so she was a redhead by choice? Dante didn't tell her that- had Lady deciding that she probably would've one day come to like this girl. Sure she looked a bit too soft for her tastes-reminiscent of her old self- but good company was hard to find and she would've been willing to take what was given to her. That was, if she stuck around long enough. She wasn't sure if Sheryl would be able to handle the kind of life her and her partner lived for.
Lady sighed on the inside. Dante sure knew how to pick them.
"Pleasure's all mine." Lady gave a small quirk of the lips, making the seemingly older woman relax a bit before she retracted her hand, stepping past her to take her jacket hanging on the rack by the wall (she purposely ignored the black and shiny bazooka resting beside it) and slipping into it.
"I'm going out with a few of the girls from work," she started, heading for the double doors that served as both the entrance and exit of his shop, "And then I'll head home to pick up a bit, so I won't be seeing you until a few days from now."
He gave an absentminded wave in her direction, his interest on what he could make out to be a low budget looking cartoon on the TV a distance away from him. "Have fun."
She gave him a sultry look over her shoulder when he glanced over at her, the same look she had on when she teased and flirted with him the night he first hooked up with her, not looking at all like the shy little girl she made herself out to be thirty seconds ago.
"I will." With one last look at Lady-a look that he recognized (so she saw Lady as a threat? Smart girl.) - one she didn't catch since she was too busy stealing his last slice of pizza, she walked out into the brisk night air, the doors slamming shut in her wake. With her gone, the only sounds remaining were those coming from the television and those coming from the refrigerator where Lady was busy rummaging around for something to drink.
"So," he started, polishing off the last of his pizza and brushing crumbs off his hands and shirt, "What'd you think?"
Straightening out with two cans of beer in one arm and holding her food in the other, she kicked the door closed giving off a tired sigh. "She's cute, I guess." She said, shrugging.
He frowned. "What? That's it?" he scoffed, standing from his chair to stretch his legs from their previous cramped position, "And after all of the bitching you put me through. You really don't have anything else to offer?"
"Actually, I do. I just don't want to hurt your feelings."
"That's never stopped you before."
"True." She said, setting herself back in her seat and handing one of the two cans she had in her possession before continuing. There was no need to break the streak now after all. "Her hair's fake, her nails are fake, I wouldn't be surprised if she was wearing contacts, and I don't know what the hell she was trying to pull with that shitty acting of hers, but it didn't work on me." She took a casual bite out of her pizza, noting his wide-eyed expression. "Happy now?"
Dante blinked at her.
"Too much?" she feigned a grimace.
He ran a hand through the whites of his hair, popping open his can before taking a swig. "You sound mad."
"Not mad," she shook her head, eyes locking with his, "Just disappointed."
Dante broke the stare to hide the emotion that flashed behind his gaze from her words. "The hell is there to be disappointed over." The retort came out sharper than he intended.
He could feel that tightening in his chest again…
"Dante, you made it out to sound like you were in a relationship-"
"I am!"
"Having a fling and being in a relationship are two different things!"
"It's not a fling-"
"So you're telling me you didn't sleep with her the first night and haven't slept with her since?" when he refused to answer and instead took a long drink out of his can, she continued, her tone softer than what it had just been. "Look, I'm not judging you or anything, what or who you do is none of my business," she gave a smile when he chuckled at her weak attempt of a joke, "Just let me know next time-if there is a next time." She put sturdy hand on his arm, "I want to meet the woman- or man, if you decide that's the way you want to go-" she disregarded his small sound of protest, "that makes my best friend happy. Okay?"
"Yeah..." He gave her a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck, "Just don't say mushy shit like that again anytime soon."
Lady laughed, heterochromatic eyes glittering in delight while she passed him the rest of her dinner, he would appreciate it, and judging by the way he shoved it all down in one bite, he did. "You can count on that."
…it was festering.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Lady wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.
He wouldn't admit it and when she asked about it he would reply with some snarky response or sarcastic remark that would hit a nerve, but she knew when something was up with him. Ever since she found out about- Sarah did she say her name was?- he'd been in a real pissy mood. That had been a little less than a week ago. The problem could have stemmed from one of two people, and since she was damn sure she didn't do anything, she ruled herself out. Whatever problems he had going on with that bedmate of his, it wasn't her business to know and she couldn't care less about.
What she did care about, however, was that he was taking his anger out on her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Why do you keep asking me that?"
"Because there's something wrong with you."
"There isn't!"
"There is." From her position hindering his sight from the TV, arms crossed over her chest in agitation and legs hip width apart, she stated. "And I'm not about to play the guessing game with you so you better speak up."
Seated on the worn out crimson sofa across the ebony haired huntress, Dante pinched the bridge of his nose to reign in his temper. The feeling that had been festering inside of him from days before was working its way up to the back of his throat. He was working hard to swallow back down the urge to be spiteful when just the mere presence of her was getting on his nerves. He knew why this was but he wasn't going to admit it to her when he couldn't even come to terms with it himself.
"You're being annoying," Ignoring the sound of thunder clapping in the distance, he stood up, the silver half of his mother's amulet cold on the bare skin of his torso. "I'm starting to think I should lie just to get you off my case."
"This is ridiculous!" Her own temper was rearing its ugly head. The fact that he was acting calm when something was obviously the matter with him wasn't making it any better. "You're lying now, I know that," She was trying to help him, why couldn't he see that? "But the question is: why? I'm getting sick of your bullshit, you already know I don't take bullshit from anybody."
"Well, since bullshit's all I'm gonna be giving you,"-he knew he was going to regret the next words out of his mouth but he just couldn't seem to find the willpower to stop them- "then you should get the hell out."
Overhead, the aftereffects of a lightning strike echoed through the windows.
"I see…" her tone held none of the shock or slight hurt he had gotten a glimpse of the moment he spat those words out, only the cold indifference he had associated himself with when he first met her at the tower years ago. "Since that's what you want, you won't have to worry about me anymore." He could feel dread set in but could do nothing to force his mouth open, could do nothing but watch as the only constant in his life prepared to leave him, possibly for good.
"That means," hefting Kalina Ann from where it previously rested by the door across her back, she continued, "you don't get to come crawling back to me when this little fling of yours ends a week from now." She scoffed under her breath, positioning her hands to open the door, "But then again, this is you we're talking about," Lady missed the furrow of the brow her statement earned her since she didn't bother looking back at him while delivering this last scathing remark, "I give it three days."
The resounding slam of the shop's heavy double doors left him feeling suspiciously empty.
Walking over to his desk to drop his full weight into the almost throne-like seat, he set his elbows on the tabletop, burying his face into his hands with a sigh. He felt numb. Not even the knot in his throat or tightening in his chest was there to keep him company. And why would they be, he thought spitefully, they did their job, did they not? Lady was gone and he was left with an artificial redhead that flirted too often and would rather spend her money on superficial things than on the most basic necessities.
But what about her, he reminded himself, momentarily halting his bouts of self-pity, who did she have? She had said that they were a two-man group; Him and her, he and she, Ebony and Ivory. Sure, he still had what's-her-face hanging around him, but what did that leave Lady with?
Whose place would she go over when she woke up in the morning and wanted somebody to hang out with? Over whose expense would she find her entertainment? Whose face would she level her deadpanned gaze with when they told a very dry but very original joke about their current situation? Who would she go to when she got a call about a job that she maybe couldn't handle alone? What if she got hurt, then what?
He left her with nothing, no one.
And for what? Over a childish hope that she would feel something akin to jealously when she found out he belonged to somebody else, that she would regret not having confessed some undying love she was somehow hiding from him because he was a devil and she was human so their union was forbidden? Was he truly so pathetic? If his brother was still around, he would have thought him disgusting.
Dante could feel that knot back in his throat again. This time, in the form of self-loathing.
The storm clouds were rolling in.
XxXxXxXxXxX
For the record, Sammy(?) only lasted a day and a half-two days if you rounded off- more before he grew tired of her attitude and decided to call it quits. Underneath the flirting and teasing, she actually happened to be a very clingy person. So clingy in fact, that when she found out Lady would no longer be coming around, she came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to start replacing things in his shop. Firstly starting with the demon head trophies (she thought they were fake) pinned to the wall with pictures of random landscapes-"To make me feel at home." she had said- he only let it slide because he thought it was her way to try to cheer him up.
Unfortunately, it turned out that she was serious and was replacing his things in preparations to moving in with him. Somehow he had side-stepped that problem and the topic was dropped. What he couldn't drop, however, was the last conversation they had had in which she brought up issues in regards to their future children. Dante decided that it would be best if they went their separate ways-"A conflict of interest." He had reassured- and that was that.
So now here he was four days later- four days to let Lady cool off so that when he found her, because he would find her, there was a chance she wouldn't be so pissed off that she would shoot him on sight- brushing rain droplets out of his pale colored hair as he entered the quaint restaurant where all this shit began after breaking and entering her apartment (she would kill him if she knew he knew where she hid her spare key) only to find her not there and wasn't ignoring him like he originally thought.
Scanning the crowds of citizens seeking refuge from the thunderstorm taking place outside for the black-haired demon huntress had him coming up with nothing. Perhaps she wasn't present after all. The hunter hadn't even seen her bike parked anywhere outside, had just gone in with a hunch. Hopefully she wasn't driving around outside because she had gotten a call for a job earlier. He didn't want to think about the consequences of using a bike in this weather-
The sounds of all too familiar laughter broke him out of his negative thoughts. Turned out his hunch was right after all, he thought with a quirk of the lips. And she was laughing; maybe there was hope for him yet. Pushing through the throngs of people milling around chatting about things he held no interest in, he made his way to the female that sat at the bar talking to a brown-haired man while delving into what looked like a chocolate sundae, amusement plain on her features.
Dante wondered if he somehow rubbed off on her.
He took the conveniently empty stool to the left of her where the lanky male-if the nametag pinned to the black dress shirt he wore served correct, the man's name was Joseph- noticed him first. Placing a recently cleaned out glass on the shelf residing beneath the bar, Joseph turned to him with a friendly grin, he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.
"Naw," he internally winced when Lady stiffened in response to his deep baritone, "I'm good."
Joseph, who also noticed her negative response, gave the woman a questioning glance, emerald eyes shifting between the both of them. "Lady…?" he began, but was cut off when a request for a drink had him bustling behind the counter to fulfill said request, leaving the two former friends in an awkward silence.
The hunter rubbed at the back of his neck, not sure exactly how he should start. "La-"
"If you're here to tell me I'm right," she cut in, taking a heap of ice cream into her mouth before continuing, "Then you could forget it. I knew I was right. I'm always right."
The half-devil sighed, he wasn't surprised she was going to be difficult about this. He deserved it anyway. "I'm here to apologize actually. I was an asshole the other day-"
"Yes, you were." The dark-haired woman gave a curt nod, "Go on." She prompted.
"Go o-" he almost sputtered, giving her a glare she didn't catch because she refused to look at him. Instead she found the transparent glasses and multicolored bottles holding different liquors and other liquids on the opposite wall more of an interest. "I'm apologizing here, you don't need to be a bitch about it."
"Well," she started, not affected by his outburst, "when you act like a dick I have no choice but to be a bitch. Call it a"-she waved her silver-colored spoon around as if using it in aiding her to find an appropriate description- "defense mechanism, if you would."
Dante gave a grunt at the term, and he would have continued if the brunet didn't come back to interrupt them, his eyes more wary of what his presence was doing to his pretty lady friend than before. "Everything alright over here?" he asked, directing the question to the ebony haired woman. Dante rolled his steel tinted eyes. It was obvious this boy was infatuated.
"It's fine," she answered dully, perking up when her answer only seemed to set the man on more of a edge. "This sundae's good, though." Smiling when he offered her a grin at the compliment, she continued, "How much do I owe you for this?"
"Don't worry about it," the male was quick to protest, "it's on the house."
Shaking her head at him when she saw he was getting ready to go on one of his infamous rants, she added, "Don't worry about it," she gestured with a nod to the male sitting to the left of her, "he's paying." Disregarding the dirty look given from said male, she took another scoop out of her sundae.
Raising a brow, the man questioned, "Oh? Well, in that case," he tuned to face Lady's companion and gave Dante a blank stare, "That'll be ten dollars." he stated.
"Ten bucks?" Dante inquired, making a face, "Isn't that a bit expensive for a sundae?"
Joseph continued to look unremorseful. "You heard me."
Dante scowled, baring sharp canines. "Yeah. I did." Cursing under his breath, he reached into his back pocket, a calloused hand skimming over Ivory on the way, and pulled out a twenty, "I want my change." he growled out, handing him the bill from across the bar.
The man smiled, if you could call it that. His eyes weren't really in the motion. "I'll go get it for you right now."
"You do that." He turned back to Lady after watching him walk off, only to find her still staring straight ahead, poker face still in place. He gave a long suffering sigh, "Will you at least look at me?"
She furrowed her brow, "Why would I want to do that?" she asked, sounding honestly perplexed.
"Because I'm trying to apologize," he grit out, "it's the least you could do."
Lady scoffed, pausing on the next bite of her of her cold confection. "The least you could do is apologize already, you don't need my undivided attention to do that."
Dante grit his teeth to keep from saying anything that would make matters worse, "Look," he started, running a hand across his chin to wipe away the water droplets that collected there, "I'm sorry for what I said the other day. I was just mad and," he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, wincing when it came back wet. He would have preferred doing this in private, it was hard to sound sincere while looking over your shoulder for eavesdroppers. He sighed again before continuing. "I'm an idiot and I do stupid stuff, you know that, so trust me when I say that I'm not perfect. Sometimes I'm gonna fuck up."
"And fucked up, you did." Setting her utensil into the half-devoured dessert with a decisive clink, she slid the glass across the bar top towards him, her gaze now training on him. "I'm full."
That was as close as he would be getting to an 'I forgive you' from her.
Dante could feel his previously stiff shoulders sag in relief. He hadn't realized how heavy a guilt he felt from the knowledge that he had abandoned her for such petty reasoning was until it was gone. Just knowing that he hadn't fucked things up for them, that he didn't so easily let slip three years of friendship, of them having only each other, fall down the drain was enough for him to find the strength to forgive himself. The sheer weight lifted off of him the moment she said those words had him meeting the woman's stare head on.
Her teal and russet eyes, half-lidded under long dark lashes, roamed his profile, taking note of his mussed up and now damp hair, the way his eyelids drooped from what she knows must be a lack of sleep. If she wasn't still somewhat mad at him, she would have thought he looked kind of cute. But since she was still a bit pissed, that wasn't the case.
"You look like shit." Ignoring the disgruntled noise he made in the back of his throat she reached up a hand to brush a few stray strands of white along his forehead, her features alight with a teasing glint, "Were you really so miserable without me?"
Dante graced her with a tired sounding chuckle, turning away to instead gaze into the glass that held what was left over of her dessert, hiding the small upwards tilt of his pale lips in the process. Settling his elbows on the bar he picked up the slim metal spoon to swirl the ice cream and fudge together to give him something to do. He chanced a sideways glance at her, watching as her mouth puckered out in an adorable pout as she checked her fingernails over.
Yes, he could admit to himself, he was a little more on the emo side when she wasn't around, he couldn't help it that she had that kind of effect on him. But, like Lady, he wasn't really one for mushy stuff, so he decided to keep these thoughts to himself. However, that didn't mean he couldn't at least improvise,
"I missed you, too." Taking in a large spoonful of the now muddy-colored dessert, Dante grinned.
Outside, the rain had stopped.
A/N: Oh, man, when I set out the layout, I didn't think it would turn out this long. Hopefully this didn't drag on and you didn't stop reading halfway. Well, tell me what you think in a review. Alriiiiight, I'm off to work on something else nooooowww!