Go Get Your Own
Disclaimer: Devil May Cry belongs to people who are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic; it is written purely because I had some Dante angst.
Rating: PG-13
Part: Two of Three
Set: Post DMC5 - Several months after my fic Emotional Support Demons
Authoress note Dante wants what Vergil has.
For all my reviewers, who without I would have surely given up a long time ago.
A reminder: I am currently doing a tidy up/purge of my fics. Hopefully, by the end of April 2022, this will be complete. So, if a fic you enjoy disappears at the end of April, please reach out to me as I am happy to share them privately with you.
Chapter Two
Dante had a dog.
Well, not really. He had a demon that kind of looked a bit like a dog, if you squinted.
Also, the sofa was on fire.
"You need to keep your cat under control." Dante yelled, stomping on the bit of the sofa where the flames still raged. Nero thought about backing out of the doorway, closing the door quietly behind him. But fundamentally, he was a good kid. So, while Dante and Vergil yelled at each other, he calmly walked into the kitchen, filled a jug with water and came back to put out the sofa fire.
"I could have just used ice." Vergil stared at the sodden and smoking sofa.
"But you didn't." Nero said. "You were too busy yelling."
Neither brother said anything.
"I'm guessing you've still not sorted out the dog issue."
"Guayota is not an issue." Dante said as the dog in question crept out from underneath the stairs. "It's that damn cat."
"Shadow is not at fault here. Neither is Yota."
"Yota?" Nero raised an eyebrow.
"You are at fault." Vergil pointed at Dante. "He is your underling, your responsibility. Give him leadership."
"Hold up." Nero went to sit on the sofa, at the last second remembering he'd just soaked it. "What actually happened?"
"Monster kitty attacked my baby-boy." Dante went to his knees and rubbed the flaming dog's ears. Nero looked at his father.
"More accurately, Dante is treating a demon like a dog. This will not do."
From outside, the sound of a car horn blaring made Nero remember why he had come here.
"As wonderful as all this is." Nero gestured to the shop, which was in shambles. "I need a favour." Both Vergil and Dante visibly perked up.
"What ya need, kid?"
"Some back up on a gig."
"Payment?" Vergil said firmly.
"Three ways split on the bounty." Nero knew full well his father would accept nothing less. Offering more would have been showing subservience, which for some reason irritated Vergil more than showing dominance did. But offering less than an equal share would have gotten him turned down.
"I need a break from this place," Dante said. "I'm in."
"This could prove fortuitous." Vergil smirked at his brother. "Brother, I have a wager."
"Ooohhhh." Dante's eyes lit up.
"Take Yota with you. Claim him as your underling, or I will take him from you. At least then we will have some semblance of peace."
From outside, the horn blared again.
"We gotta go," Nero said. Dante hesitated only briefly before taking his brother's hand and shaking once.
"Deal." He sounded confident, though to Nero he looked concerned.
The van was super cramped with three grown men, an oversized cat, bird and lava dog, all crammed in the back. Nico had refused to let Nero sit up front. Payback for putting so much livestock in her van, apparently.
"You want to explain what that was?" Nero said to Vergil as the van swerved around corner after corner. Vergil rolled his eyes.
"Dante is treating the creature as a man might a dog."
"And that's bad because…" Nero coaxed. Vergil frowned at him and for a moment looked like he would say something harsh, but his face softened and for a single moment Nero could have sworn he saw a flash of guilt and grief in his father's expression.
"My apologies. I keep forgetting you were raised by humans." Nero shrugged. Vergil's apologies always sounded so sincere; it was hard not to believe that he felt genuine remorse for leaving Nero to be raised by humans.
"Don't worry about it, but explain." Nero nudged his father gently.
"It is not a dog. Yota is a demon, a creature of fire, intelligence, and power. Treating it as one would a common dog is demeaning and cruel." Nero glanced at Guayota who was sitting Infront of Dante, his jaws open in a doggy grin, his tail smacking the ground rhythmically.
"He doesn't seem unhappy. Or undog-like really."
"Are spoiled children unhappy?" Vergil said. "No doubt Guayota thinks he's perfectly happy in Dante's chaos sphere, but to benefit an underling truly, he needs structure, discipline and stimulation."
"Stimulation?" Nero couldn't help repeating. "Sounds dodgy."
"The creature is bored," Vergil snapped. "It needs something to occupy it, it needs a purpose."
"Oh… I think I get it." Nero grinned. "I've been reading that book you gave me, it talks about the differences in high order and low order demons, low order demons need high order demons to feel safe and secure, they need a hoard and a hoard needs a strong leader or else it all goes to shit."
"Uneloquently put but correct." Vergil nodded, a note of pride entering his voice. "Dante is failing Yota by letting him do as he pleases."
"I'm not deaf." Dante said. "Like the kid says, Yota is happy, aren't you, boy? You're a cheerful boy, who's a cheerful boy, a happy handsome boy."
"This morning's minor hiccup came from Guayota, not understanding Shadow's boundaries, or the hierarchy in the house." Vergil let his head rest in his hands.
"So, you and Dante are generals and Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare are sergeants?" Nero said.
"Griffon is a colonel." Vergil struggled to keep his balance as the van skidded. "Shadow and Nightmare are lieutenants. Yota is an officer cadet." He paused. "Yourself, Lady and Trish are Lieutenants and Major Generals."
"I think we're mixing our armies," Nero said. "But I get you." He looked at Griffon. "Who'd of thought you were the big cheese of the small fry?" He scratched Griffon's head, earning him a pleased sound.
"But the pooch doesn't realise he's way lower on the pecking order," Griffon said. "Little dipshit keeps pushing his luck."
"Hey chicken," Dante said. "Yota's smarter than you."
"The hell he is," Griffon snapped, wings flaring in outrage.
"Don't fight in the van!" Nico's scream was lost as Griffon launched himself at Dante and Yota.
End Chapter Two
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