Vergil needs blood, so I robbed a blood bank. I was careful about it, or as careful as I could be while in my Devil Trigger, not wanting to leave any clues about my identity. Sure, I get shit for being reckless and maybe not making the smartest of choices at times but I am far from being the lovable idiot I portray myself as. Lady is probably the only person who really knows me, knows that it's all an act, so she would at least understand why I'm doing this for my brother.
She might not agree, and she might not like it, but she had come through for me in the end when I had called her. She didn't have to give Vergil any of her blood. She could have just let him die but she didn't and I can't possibly even begin to think of a way to thank her. I owe her so much already, none of it to do with money. Without her I would have never survived after that night at Temen-ni-gru…
I almost get caught in a surge of memories and emotions from back then, gritting my teeth as I push them down while I tighten the hold I have on a cooler full of bagged blood. Yeah, I had been in a pretty fucked situation, all of which was Vergil's fault, but he needs me and I can't-I won't abandon him. I need him so damn much that it hurts. So I will do my damnedest to nurse him back to health and to convince him to stay, and if it comes to it I will convince him to take me with him if he has to leave.
And he hasn't left yet despite clearly having the opportunity to do so I realize when I make it back to Devil May Cry. There's an overwhelming sense of relief that comes with the horror of realizing that I had left him by himself in such a fragile state. Yeah, I had been completely aware of Lady taking off, her tolerance for my brother exceedingly low, but I shouldn't have-
"Dante." His voice is surprisingly strong for him being on his deathbed, the commanding tone cleaving through my building panic and guilt. He appears at the top of the stairs, still looking like death warmed over on a very bad day, a hand gripping at the banister for support.
"You should be resting." I take the cooler over to my desk and set it down, popping the lid open with a flick of my wrist. It doesn't really matter which type of blood I grab, all of it will have the same effect for Vergil, so I pluck a bag off of the top. "I got some blood for you. It might not do much, but it'll help." Little by little, until I can get my hands on something better.
"You shouldn't have gone through the trouble." I guess I should be thankful that he's upstairs, still holding onto the banister, and still very much in a state that won't let me go up there and slug him. I want to. Oh, how I want to, because having him here with me is worth it. So for him to say that…
"I'll be right up, so why don't you start dragging your sorry ass back to the bed?" A little bit of my anger seeps into my tone. A little bit of hurt is in there too. If he notices it, because he seems to notice everything, he doesn't say anything. He does actually make his way back into the bedroom, much to my shock, leaving me staring at the spot he had occupied for a moment.
I give a shake of my head to clear it then quickly pad into the kitchen, cluttered with empty pizza boxes and empty bottles of booze. I'll have to clean it, along with the rest of Devil May Cry, and actually start putting it to use once I know Vergil will be able to eat something. Right now I go over to the closest cupboard and pull out one of the dozen containers of crystallized demon blood I have. I also snag a surprisingly clean, if not dusty, glass, giving it a quick rinse inside and out before I head upstairs.
Vergil is perched on the edge of my bed, looking around at the mess that is my room, lips twisted into a scowl of disdain. I hold back a grimace when his gaze shifts onto me and muster up a passable smile. "Some things never change." He says it so softly, maybe not meaning for me to hear it, but I'm not gonna pretend that I didn't hear it.
"A lot has changed, brother. You didn't stick around so you wouldn't know." He doesn't really react to my words nor the anger dripping from them, just stares at me in unbearable silence for a long moment. His scowl disappears, expression blanking, and then he finally looks away from me.
"My apologies, Dante. I should not assume anything." I grit my teeth, biting back a growl, then approach him. He's almost perfectly still, chest barely moving with each breath, head tipped down and gaze on the floor. His attention only returns to me when I pop open the container of demon blood, nose twitching slightly as he sniffs at the air. His brows knit together with confusion as I pluck a sizable chunk from the container and drop it into the empty glass.
"No, you shouldn't," I mutter, setting the container down on the bed beside him. He eyes it with curiosity before deciding to watch me as I open the bag of human blood and carefully pour it into the glass. I only fill it up to a certain point, so that there is an equal amount of each, then hold it out for Vergil to take. "Drink."
His fingers brush against mine as he takes the glass, his skin icy to the touch. I had noticed the chill that seems to emanate from him earlier, hadn't really given it much thought then. He shouldn't be so cold. There should be some form of warmth to him, if only a little, and the fact that there isn't makes my demon stir with a whine in the back of my mind.
I watch as he drains the glass, a look of surprise flitting across his face when he lowers it. "You good for now or do you need more?" He blinks slowly at my question then silently holds the glass out for me to take back. I drop another chunk of crystallized demon blood into it, this one slightly smaller than before, then fill it with an equal amount human blood. "Once you're done we'll see about getting you a hot bath or somethin' and getting you into some clean clothes."
Vergil takes his time with this glass, eyes sliding shut as he seems to savor the mixture of bloods. There really isn't any sort of perceivable change to his condition but a trace of pink seems to dust his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. It's something. Better than nothing. "A bath sounds refreshing," he finally says once he finishes the blood off and lowers the glass.
"Gimme a moment to put the blood up," I say then casually drain the rest of the blood in the bag, not wanting to let it go to waste. A look of surprise flits across my brother's face and he stares at me in shocked silence as I collect the glass and the container of demon blood. "Can't let it go ta waste."