Bleed Just to Know You're Alive
Chapter 2: And I Don't Want the World to See Me
Summary:
Between his sister, his parents, and now Kyrie, Nero's world is crashing down around him and it just doesn't feel real. Like the song says, "when everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you're alive." But what happens when an ambitious young Dante finds out about Nero's unstable behavior? AU! DxN
Warnings:
Nero x Dante and vice versa, if you're not into that, don't read it. Language. Cutting. Character death. Attempted suicide.
Author's Note:
Okay three things: First, after reading a couple reviews I realized that in everything I've done so far I forgot to mention some stuff. Two, (which should probably really be one) not counting this chapter, because I don't believe in interrupting a story for an informational chapter, I will not post new chapters until I get at least three reviews per chapter (three really isn't that hard to accomplish, is it?). That being said, three, (which should really be two) this story is finished. I have every chapter done and ready to post once the newest has at least three reviews. Everything's in place for this to be a completed story but whether it continues or not is up to you, the reader. To those of you who did review, thank you. To those who didn't, well, thanks for reading it but I have a quota to fill before I can post the next chapter, and I'd appreciate your help.
Okay, so I'm screwing with the characters' personalities a little bit. Depressed Nero; caring, attentive, and understanding Dante; kind and preppy Trish; Sci-Fi addict Lady; and hyper Kyrie. Scratch that, I'm screwing with their personalities a lot! Just as a heads up, I recognize how crappy the first chapter was and I apologize for that but I can't say this chapter will be much better. At this point I don't know what plot point to touch on next. This story is just so jumbled in my head, but I know that if I can pull it off it'll be a great story. So here's hoping, cross your fingers and wish me luck!
Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the story and an OC or two! (that includes the song!)
Now, without further ado, I present to you, And I Don't Want the World to See Me!
-O-o-O-
Dante, Vergil, and their freshman sister, Trish, were home alone. Their dad, Sparda, was working late and their mom, Eva, had Bunko with the other mom's in the Sunday School PA on Monday nights.
The doorbell rang and Trish got up to get it.
"Pizza delivery for Dante." Nero commented routinely as he stared at her. "I have the right house, right?" he eyed the blonde beauty uncertainly. He had reason to be unsure. Sure the pale girl shared her older brothers' enchanting blue eyes, but her goldenrod blonde hair reached past the white CHS half shirt of her cheerleading uniform and down her back.
"Dante!" she called over her shoulder ignoring his confusion, "Vergil! Pizza's here!" both of the older teenage boys came running to the door.
"Aw sick! Thanks, kid!" Dante hummed, eyeing the box hungrily and rubbing his hands together.
Vergil paid Nero as Nero turned to Dante and said, "Must you insist on calling me that? I'm only a year younger than you."
"Whatever, man! You've got the pizza, you're a god!" the junior praised taking the pizza from Nero. "Wait, what's this?" Dante questioned.
"Come on, Dante, you can harass the kid later! We need to eat before my stomach acid devours my stomach!" Vergil complained.
"Yeah, really. We paid the kid, let's eat!" Trish agreed.
"It's cool guys. Here, Verge, take the pizza and start without me. I'll be just a sec." Dante assured, grabbing the sophomore's wrist.
"I skateboard, man, I get cut up all the time." he lied calmly and expertly.
"Well you're other wrist isn't all shredded like that." Dante observed concerned.
Nero gently pulled his wrist from the other's hands and held them in an X shape, right wrist over left, to demonstrate the 'fall' and said, "I fell like this."
"Ok . . . " Dante dismissed cautiously. "Well, be more careful next time." he advised bidding the other good night and closing the door.
Nero gave a sigh of both relief and unease. He knew he shouldn't be cutting. He understood that it wasn't going to solve or cure anything. But thing's just didn't seem real anymore. He just needed to make sure that this wasn't just some horrible nightmare that he could open his eyes from and wake up in a world where everything was fine. He needed to remind himself every once in a while that things were still real; that if he cut his wrist, he'd still bleed.
-^v^-
The sophomore walked into his house that evening calling, "Hello! Anybody home?" he didn't get an answer but that wasn't unusual. He walked into the kitchen dropping his empty delivery bag at the door and turning on the light. Then he went to fridge to grab a soda and read the note on the door, took Iris to chemo. Join us, if you have the energy, when you get home.
Nero knew it was a ploy. He technically did have the option not to go but the simple phrase 'if you have the energy' was a guilt trip in and of itself. Iris was eleven years old and the best, kindest, and most stable thing that had ever happened to Nero and even more so as of late. He adored his younger sister with all his heart and couldn't wait to see her shining face every day. She was always optimistic and full of energy and life even as the cancer tried to strip that life away from her. Needless to say; however, Nero had lost all right to be exhausted once the tween was diagnosed with cancer, or at least in his parents' eyes he had.
The teen opened the fridge, grabbed his soda, then turned around, grabbed his keys off the island, and proceed out of the house yet again.
When he arrived at the hospital, he greeted the secretary, Nevan and proceeded in finding out which room his sister's treatment was in this evening.
Nevan smiled at him. "Hey Nero, you here to see Iris?" she asked knowingly.
"Of course, why else would I be here?" he retorted exhaustedly.
"Well, I don't know. With the exhaustion on your face, you look like you could collapse where you stand. I could write you in as a patient and you could spend the night here. A heads up, before you reject my offer, you might wanna. Your parents seem like they're gonna be hard to deal with tonight." she winked suggestively and lowered her voice on that last part.
"I'd love to take you up on that offer but I think I should assess the situation myself before I make any decisions." he retorted leaning on the reception counter and nodding his head in the direction of the room Iris's therapy was usually held in.
Meanwhile, the red head noticed his wrist. "Hey what happened to your wrist?" she inquired, taking his wrist in her show white hands.
Nero snapped his hand back 'nursing' his wrist, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a boarding accident. " that was his story and he was sticking to it.
Nevan's reaction was identical to Dante's. "Okay . . . " was her cautious reaction, then her eyes lit up as if she remembered something, "Nero, have you been cutting again?" she grabbed his wrist back inspecting it further. "Nero why? You were doing so well? What happened?"
He didn't grab his hand back this time but he still took the defensive. "It's nothing, Nevan! Don't worry about it." he whined quietly.
Nevan paused a moment.
"Okay. Okay," she began letting go of his hand and sitting back in her chair with her hands up in surrender. "No judgment here. It's your body, do what you want."
"Thanks," he said quietly, hiding his wrist.
"But I still wanna know what happened," Nevan persisted, concern in her ruby eyes.
He remained silent and kept his eyes away from the kind, caring, and sadly, familiar secretary.
Yes, it was a sad fact. It meant that he and his family had been there too many times, that Iris had had this cancer for too long.
"Alright, tell me about your day. Ooh! How are things going with that Kyrie girl? Have you asked her out yet?" the receptionist tried in vain to drop the subject.
"Nevan, would you please just tell me where my sister's room is?" the snowy haired teen pleaded.
"No! Not until you tell me about your love life!"
Again Nero remained silent.
Then Nevan realized. "Did Kyrie cause you to cut?" she asked quietly.
"Kyrie didn't do anything," he defended with tears burning in his avoiding gaze.
"Three doors down the hall on the right. It shouldn't be hard to find, the last time I was down there your parents were yelling over something." Nevan informed softly, finally dropping it altogether.
-O-o-O-
Okay, just for the record, I know next to nothing about Nevan, I just wanted to make her a good character. Poor Iris, get better sweety! With that I have to ask, if you guys have any ideas as to what cancer she might have, please tell me. What did you think of kid sister Trish? Yeah like half DMC pairing fans like Dante and Trish together but I thought since Trish was supposed to be designed like Eva that she could just look like her mom, not her dad. So please read and review guys!
