Title: Crimson & Silver
Author: Yoshimara (slavetosuicide)
Rating: M
Pairing(s): Dante x Vincent
Warning(s): angst, AU, coarse language, crossover, gore, lemon, lime, possible OOC, possible spoilers, shounen-ai, slight bashing!Patty, violence, yaoi
Disclaimer: Capcom owns Devil May Cry and its affiliates. Square Enix owns Final Fantasy VII and its affiliates. Yoshimara (slavetosuicide) owns the plot as well as any and all OCs (original characters, places, etc.) unless otherwise specified. Any usage of Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy VII are strictly for entertainment purposes only. No profit is gained from this product. Unauthorized uses (i.e. copying, quoting, etc.) is prohibited and proper action will be taken against any and all violations to these terms.
Summary: Two worlds connected. Two men find one another, but know they cannot be together. Is this the work of a scientist gone mad or could it be devil's play?
A/N: Wow! 5 years… Jesus, it's been a long time. I've been through so much and all of my writing took a backseat and suffered horribly. I continued to get reviews for this and a few other works I made. I'm so glad my things are still viewed as wonderful to others! However, enough about me—here's my newest addition to the project! And without further waiting… :bows: Please enjoy the best half-breeds I've ever worked with!
~*Chapter 9*~
Hours pass by, leading to both Patty and Morrison taking their leave, abandoning the two men for the rest of the night.
Morrison and Vincent had ended up chatting—Morrison talking more than Vincent, of course—for awhile, leaving Patty to bother Dante. What fun that was! Really! She would stop and stare at the lean brunette halfway through a sentence, leaving herself open to the hunter's jokes, which would earn him a quick denial and a blush from the girl, not to mention occasional glances from the other men by the billiards table.
Oh yeah, Patty liked Vincent—a lot. A mini crush…
Aw, how cute.
Slate eyes rolled exasperatedly before resting again on the pan of boiling pasta, stirring gently to loosen any noodle clumps. Spaghetti. Luckily, Vincent said he liked it, so that was a plus. Yet, something kept nagging at the back of his mind—he couldn't put his finger on it to save his life. He glanced over at the pot of spaghetti sauce and he saw blood in place of the tomatoes with fingers, toes, and bones randomly poking out of its surface.
Oh—fuck no. This was not happening.
He, son of Sparda, was not having any of this PTSD shit. No. Fucking. Way.
Dante shook his head and shut his eyes tightly, trying to clear his mind. After a moment, he steeled himself and slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the pans again to see no trace of gore anywhere. He took a small breath, muttering curses under his breath and stirred the sauce. Turning down the heat, he worked on preparing the rest of the meal and just as he was pouring the noodles on to the navy plates he had set aside earlier. The sound of approaching footsteps tore away the last bit of unease as he remembered he wasn't alone.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Vincent peeking into the kitchen, as if trying to discover what the smell was that was wafting through the building. Dante was reminded of the lost puppy thought before their gazes locked. Slate bore into crimson, neither with hostility but with interest of the other.
"Need any help?" the brunette queried quietly and Dante shook his head, turning back to the food and turning off the burners, "Actually, it's done. You can come get your plate first."
For a minute, the silver-haired man heard nothing—no movement, no sound of any kind—and he looked back at his strange guest to see he hadn't moved an inch. Raising a slender eyebrow, he glanced back at the other man, that devilish smirk on his lips again.
"Yeah, I know, big bad Dante's being so nice. Didn't think I was raised with manners? Don't get used to it," he jested, somehow knowing that would get the other man moving—which it did.
Dante slid to the side, flattening himself against the cabinets to give the other man some room. The brunette snuck past him and proceeded to add sauce to the plate of pasta. Eyeing the small container of cheese nearby, he took it and sprinkled some all over the top before moving back towards the door, giving Dante room to move in the small space.
The half-breed watched him closely; albeit with a mostly blank expression save for the smirk. The other didn't pay him any mind, only standing aside as Dante got his own food and pointed to the black metallic refrigerator, "There's drinks in there," then pointed to the sink, "water's there if you want that instead of what's in the box."
He could hear the brunette opening the cabinets to find the glasses as he finished preparing his own plate. Deftly, he opened the drawer beside him, grabbing two forks, and then closed it with his hip. As he turned to face the stove, he realized that it was really quiet in the room. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at his guest, who was holding his own plate and an empty glass, standing in front of the sink, but his crimson gaze was staring at the other in interest. When he found he was caught, he quickly turned his attention back to the sink and began to fill his glass with cold water.
Interesting…
With well-masked amusement, Dante waited patiently for the other man to finish before he handed over one of the forks and easily grabbed a beer from the fridge.
"Unless you have a better idea, we can eat at my desk," the Hunter offered as they walked down the hallway towards the stairs.
"That's fine," Vincent replied as they moved down the stairway and arrived in the foyer and once Dante set down his plate, he brought over a chair that was in the far corner and placed it on the other side of the desk. Once it was in place, he took his seat in the desk chair and got comfortable as the brunette sat down with his plate and glass. Almost immediately they began to eat, the only sounds echoing in the silence was the forks scraping the plates occasionally.
God damn all these silences! Granted, the peace is usually really nice to have, but this is ridiculous. He had to get the ex-Turk to open up to him at least a little bit.
"So—do you still have your ears or did she gnaw them off slowly and painfully?" Dante finally asked a few minutes into the meal, slate eyes lifting from his plate to glance at his guest.
Silence.
Just before the silver-haired man decided to give up the brunette's quiet voice struck his ears. "She's a lot like Yuffie, only differences being hair color and age."
"Yuffie?"
"A—friend."
"Huh. Didn't think your world had LSD gnats," Dante smirked before taking a bite of his pasta, then chewing on it thoughtfully as he tried to imagine this 'Yuffie' character. He envisioned a much taller Patty with darker hair and he almost spit out a mouthful of beer at the image then shook his head with a cough. Vincent looked over at him for a moment, questioning him with a glance before decided he must be okay.
"This meal is delicious. Thank you," Vincent's voice brought him out of his musings and his eyes met crimson for a few moments. He shrugged in response, a sort of 'no big deal' gesture, then picked up his beer again and took another drink from it. The cool brew was pleasant to the tongue and even with the small kick of the sauce, there wasn't an aftertaste.
"By the way," Dante said suddenly as a realization hit him, "you never told me what you do for a living."
"You never asked," was Vincent's reply, tone neutral and the other man couldn't see his eyes since his focus was on the now half empty plate before him.
The Son of Sparda stopped his fork halfway to his mouth and just stared at the assassin across from him who was easily ignoring his gaze. He watched him eat before raising an eyebrow. Did he really just make a joke—and at his expense? His smirk came out to play again and he shot back, "I believe I just did."
The ex-Turk glanced up at him momentarily through his raven locks then returned to eating, silence spreading between them and Dante resumed the bite of food that was almost forgotten.
"I guess I would be a retired mercenary," came the answer after a moment of consideration. The Devil Hunter quirked an eyebrow at the reply but said nothing as his thoughts swam questioningly and silence spread between them.
Wasn't that almost the same answer he gave Vincent when they first met? What the hell did 'retired' mean, anyway? Dante never thought he could ever 'retire' from the life. Too much fun to be had! Considering the brunette before him was sitting in the dark, inside a coffin, in a basement of a mansion that was oddly designed when they met, it gave him the impression that the other was a recluse—a hermit of shame, maybe? But surely someone—other than himself—cared about the assassin?
When that thought popped up, he decided he didn't want to travel down that road right in front of Vincent and Dante finished up his last few bites while drinking the rest of his beer. He rose to his feet and picked up the plate and bottle, "Well, since I cooked, you can do the dishes. I'll be in my room." He paused in moving to the staircase, bewildered as to why that last part popped out of his mouth. As if Vincent really cared where the guy went.
Vincent gave a nod of acknowledgement as he, too, finished his meal and rose to his feet, beginning to pick up his own plate. As soon as Dante saw the movement, he turned and made his way upstairs and to the kitchen, placing the dishes in the sink and the bottle in the small trashcan underneath.
He needed to think, and the most fulfilling way was to sit on his bedroom floor and clean Ebony and Ivory—and if the need arose, possibly Rebellion as well.
By the time Vincent made it to the kitchen door, the silver-haired man had slipped by him and went into his bedroom silently, too lost in his thoughts to notice he was being watched by a certain pair of ruby eyes.
oOo
The raven-haired man's dark gaze followed the other man's back as it disappeared up the stairs and he couldn't help but feel that oddly nice but uncomfortable pull in his chest once again. His eyes narrowed minutely in thought as he rose to his feet, keeping the rest of his expression blank despite there not being anyone around to witness it. Silently, he gathered his empty plate and now empty glass and slowly made his way upstairs.
He tried not to think about the sudden change in Dante's demeanor at the mention of his occupation. What other answer could he give? 'Oh, I used to be an agent for an evil corporation that eventually had set about destroying the planet and because I fucked a mad scientists' wife I became a science experiment—but then I stood up and saved the world with a group of misfits—twice."
Yeah. Just thinking that gave him a small headache.
Dark guffawing echoed in his mind and that warped purr of a voice whispered on in his ear, "Someone's self-conscious tonight," A small, almost thoughtful pause, "Then again, who wouldn't be when they're around someone so absolutely divine!"
'Why are you so obsessed with wanting to consume him?' the ex-Turk thought exasperatedly, 'he's just a—'
"He's just what—a normal guy? Psh. Do not tell me your senses are dulled because the Lifestream is nowhere to be found in this realm? Can't you just smell it?" Chaos sneered, yet sounded as if he were drooling at just the mere thought of the other man.
Vincent mentally rolled his eyes but his retort disappeared when he reached the hallway and watched Dante slip into his bedroom and close the door without a single glance elsewhere. He stood where he was for a few moments, just staring at the closed door and that weird pull struck again.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He wandered into the kitchen and placed his dirty dishes into the sink, quickly looking around before spotting a blue sponge on the corner by the tap right next to a tall bottle of dish soap. Turning the long ivory-looking handles, he began to heat up the water for use as he tugged his gloves off and puts them on the counter at a safe distance away from any spray.
Vincent loved to do monotonous work like this; it gave him a sense of peace—despite the incessant ravings inside his own head—that allowed him to think with some sense of clarity. As he washed the plates, his thoughts drifted in that slow pace that allowed him to analyze every sentence or picture that crossed his mind's eye.
Lucrecia—with her shining hair and gentle eyes—floated through his mind and his chest ached with guilt. Even though it was so long ago when he had lost her, it still burned him inside. He loved her with all of his heart and soul—he still did. Some part of him would probably always love her; there was no doubt about that. All of the sneaking around, the soft words, gentle caresses—he could remember how every minute he spent thinking of her made him feel light on his feet and the world seemed brighter, even when his hands were soaked in the blood of a target.
"Aw, are you going to wallow in your darkness again?" Chao leered, "May I watch?"
The ex-Turk ignored him as he scrubbed another plate.
He could admit that Dante was attractive—he was what the kids would call flexible. He could date a man if he really wanted to; he enjoyed both sides, really. But if he was developing something for the other man, why wasn't he on cloud nine yet? Did it have something to do with the missing Lifestream? No. It could possibly be just a sexual attraction. Yes, that would make more sense. He was quite sure that as soon as his body got the gratification it needed, he wouldn't regard the Hunter as more than an acquaintance—possibly a friend…
…but why, then, does it hurt his heart every time he sees the back of that red leather coat moving away from him? Why would the assassin purposely stay silent just to make him instigate conversation?
The brunette pondered on this as he scrubbed the dishes, his pale hands working smoothly. He kept a faint eye on his task but the rest of his attention was on the silver-haired man.
Dante… Just what was it that made him give pause? He was a very good looking man, if Chaos' purr every time they were in the presence of one another meant anything. Not that he'd need Chaos to prove the beauty in things. But it wasn't just his physical form that got his attention—not completely. Those eyes—cold, much like his own; he knew pain and loss on a level not many people do.
A kindred spirit, if you will.
"Pah, the only one who will fully understand you is me, but you're close," Chaos purred once more, "When do I get to taste him? Hmm?"
'I wish you'd just speak plainly for once,' he thought disdainfully at the demon who just laughed amusedly.
"You try so hard to rain on my parade, but I just have too much fun with you!" Silence met this remark as Vincent finished drying the last of the pans and utensils, beginning to put them away after opening every cabinet to find the proper place for everything.
"Fine," the voice sounded dejected—was he pouting? Vincent quirked an eyebrow as he squatted to put the pans away in one of the lower cabinets. "I'll give a hint. He's like us."
'Like us? A loner? I knew—"
"No, you dunce! I don't know why I bother!" Chaos growled, obviously cursing the ex-Turk. After a moment, crimson eyes widened as an idea formed in his mind. Suddenly Chaos' laugh filled his mind. "Finally!"
'No…you don't mean…?'
No answer, which the brunette had learned to take it most times as an indication that he was right. Vincent furrowed his brow as he thought about it. It made sense. Chaos only ever got excited when a worthy foe caught his attention and when Dante showed up…
Let's just say that the other being was more over the moon than Patty in a clothing boutique with a blank check.
Ifrit damnit, now what?
oOo
Dante was sitting on the floor of his room, rock music playing lowly, a towel laid out before him. Ebony and Ivory were in pieces laid out specifically, some of the pieces glistening in the low light from the freshly applied oil. He was faintly humming along with the music as he ran the extremely soft cloth over a part of Ivory. He always found peace in the intricate yet tedious work; hence he tended to drag it out for as long as possible. One could always find clarity in the simplest of things. Where did he hear that before?
A soft knock gave him pause and he lifted his head up, "Enter."
The door opened and Vincent peered around the edge of the dark wood, looking over at the Hunter with curiosity in his crimson gaze. Dante continued to clean the gun part for a bit before putting it in place on the towel and he looked through his sliver locks at the brunette. "You gonna stand there or you gonna come in?"
The ex-Turk then slid into the room silently and closed the door behind him. Leaning against the wood, he held a long triple-barreled gun against his chest, a small silver charm dangling before his hip. Dante raised an eyebrow at the hardware, trying not to have his eyes linger on where the charm lay. He then nodded his head in the direction opposite of him before going back to his work. He heard the other mans' footfalls as he moved to the spot indicated and lowered himself to a comfortable position. The half-breed grabbed another towel and placed it before the brunette, along with a cleaning rag. The next few moments were filled with quick clicks and snaps as Cerberus was pulled apart. The silver-haired man watched him for a bit, amazed at the beautiful weapon and slightly saddened at seeing it in such a state.
He moved the oil container closer to Vincent then turned his attention back to his own weapons. He picked up another piece of Ivory and used the damp corner of the cloth to apply a bit of oil; the cloth glided along the metal slow and meaningfully, each stroke bringing another wave of serenity over the man. He could feel the others' gaze but let it fade into the background, already falling victim to the lullaby of his work once more. Pretty soon the brunette was following his lead and began his own inspection and care of his weapon.
The silence, save for the music, wasn't unpleasant in the least. They both found solace in the mere presence of one another, oiling guns and calming inner storms. The last few days had been very stunning for both of them and thusly, they seek the comforts of their own while drawing a little from each other. Dante's thoughts jumped from subject to subject easily as if he were playing jump rope with Patty. The summoning circle ended up turning into a door to another world—one much more scientifically advanced. But it was clearly a summoning circle, not a doorway spell. Where did it go wrong? Whoever did it surely will rear their ugly heads again. He just hoped he could stop them from bringing—who?
Who are they trying to bring? Obviously they're coming from Vincent's part of reality, but—
"Dante," Vincent's soft voice cut into his thoughts, making those cool eyes flick up to him in response. He noticed where the others' eyes were gazing to and he looked at his own hands. While he was lost in thought, he had put Ebony and Ivory back together and was just running his fingers along the edges of the cloth. He quickly snatched the cloth into the palm of one hand and tossed it aside, rising to his feet and playing off his spacing out as nothing. Putting the weapons back where they belonged, he then looked over at the brunette as he flopped onto the bed, stretching out on his back, hands behind his head, legs crossed at the ankles, as he watched Vincent—whom returned to his task—with half-opened eyes.
He watched the elegant way he handled the cloth, how those crimson eyes gleamed with a guarded calm as he cared for the large hardware, the tiny up curve of the corner of those silken lips that could either be happiness or concentration—possibly both? His mind wanted to wander about those hands and lips but he decided to focus on something else to keep some sort of focus. He took a small whiff of the air around him. The room was filled with the scent of oil, leather, and gunpowder to accompany the comfortable silence again. However…
"So," Dante said softly, as if speaking louder would shatter the atmosphere, "tell me more about your world. Are there devils?"
"No. Unless you count the Tonberries—however, there are monsters," was the ex-Turk's reply which was just as soft. "I take it that you have devils here?"
What the hell was a Tonberry? Dante wasn't sure he wanted to know. It sounded like a really bad dance move.
"Yeah. Of course, humans are humans." He reached over to a small crate that served as a nightstand and grabbed one of the books he salvaged from the mansion, "What is your world called?"
"Gaia."
And it was that moment that sparked a true conversation between the two warriors. Dante queried while Vincent answered patiently and easily. You tend to learn a thing or two in the lab of a mad scientist.
They talked late into the night, enjoying what the other offered. When the moon had risen high into the obsidian sky, spraying a ghastly glow all over the outside world, Dante lay alone in his darkened room. His thoughts were on the brunette who was sleeping on the couch once again. He couldn't blame the guy. He'll have to get Patty to clear it out since they didn't know how long their guest would be here.
He looked out at the moon beams drifting through the window's tattered green curtains and vaguely wondered if Vincent took comfort in its light as much as he did, before he drifted off to sleep—filled with confused dreams of primal instincts.
oOo
Vincent replayed the evening in his mind, making a point to ignore Chaos' commentary as he settled on the couch with an extra pillow and blanket, courtesy of Dante.
The brunette talked about the world—his world. He was rather surprised when Dante brought up specific questions about Mako and its connection to the Lifestream and when Vincent asked him about it, the half-breed tossed one of the books his way. This made him smile a bit and he stated this was one of the first books he read when he was locked up. Luckily, Dante didn't press on that part of the statement and, after a small pause, went about asking more about Gaia and Midgar. Vincent was getting to the formation of AVALANCHE when Chaos growled in the back of his head, making him stop in mid-sentence. He took a small survey and noticed the time by peering out of the window and seeing how late it was. They decided to pick up another day and Dante gave him one of his own pillows and told him where he could find a blanket.
They eyed each other a bit longer, neither wanting the moment to end. Vincent—albeit reluctantly—took Cerberus, all of the cloths, towels, and pillow and left. He tossed the dirty rags in the laundry room then slowly made his way down stairs.
So, here he was, curled up on the couch. Alone.
"Really?"
Maybe not totally alone…but close enough.
"That was the most I'd seen you talk since Cloud first found us."
He agreed and let a very small smile slip through, his crimson gaze floating to the black-curtained window at the moonlight for a minute before closing his eyes.
And for once, Chaos just purred in lustful anticipation as Vincent dozed off in the night, ever keeping watch over his host, ever waiting for the perfect being to feast upon in every way possible.
"Don't worry, my dear host. Even if he doesn't accept the monster within you, I'll always be here to bring you back to the darkness."
0o0
I have to admit, I had part of this done before I took the long hiatus. So I had to go back and read all of it all over again to remind myself of what I was doing. I hope this holds up to your expectations! I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait. I've already started to work on the next chapter so I'm hoping it won't take me too long to post it.
Vincent: Yoshi-sama, are you alright?
Dante: Yeah. We—I mean Vincent—was really worried about you.
Vincent: :glances at Dante silently then looks back at Yoshimara:
Yoshimara: :sighs heavily: Honestly? Not really…but it really is good to be back with you guys. :smiles softly: I've done a bit of growing up if you can't tell!
Vincent: Yes. You're looking lovely as always.
Dante: Yeah! So, you know what's supposed to happen next, right?
Yoshimara: :nods: That I do! Thank you boys for being so patient. I hope you guys didn't worry too much…
Dante & Vincent: :shakes their heads together then hug her:
Yoshimara: Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter everyone! And thank you to everyone who's reviewed and asked for more. I hope this chapter is to your liking!