Devil May Cry © Capcom

Perfect Toppings

Jason M. Lee

Demonic instincts poked at him, and reluctantly waking up, Dante noticed that Lady's side of the bed was empty. The clock and dark sky outside the window showed that it was quite early, albeit far too early for his tastes. Sighing, he padded out of their bed, not even bothering with a shirt. A quick check in Nero's room showed his nephew still peacefully sleeping, one arm dangling over the bed with fingers barely touching his fallen dog plush. Smiling, Dante carefully tucked the plush back into Nero's arm, glad that he simply snuggled in further with a sleepy mumble.

Sharp hearing then caught sounds coming from the kitchen, prompting him to quietly head that way. Good night vision meant no need to turn on the lights, although he did blink at the kitchen light as his eyes readjusted. Once the spots were gone, Dante paused, leaning against the frame to briefly drink in the sight of Lady before him. Barefoot, she was wearing one of his button-up shirts with the sleeves rolled up, softly humming while busily working away on a ball of dough on the counter. Nearby was a large can of tomatoes, a box grater, plus several other tools and ingredients. Sharp eyes was able to pick out the light dusting of flour on her nose, as well the slight baby bump that was a bit more noticeable under his shirt.

Feeling a bit mischievous, Dante snuck up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, hands clasping over the baby bump. "Well, well. It seems the devil has found a little thief."

Lady's only reaction was a slight jump and a light elbow jab into his ribs. "Hm... The hunter doesn't seem to think so."

"Oh?" He lightly nibbled her left ear, enjoying the minor tremble from her. "The devil seems to think otherwise, if not a bit put out."

The small smile grew on her as she continued kneading. "The hunter has an idea on how to appease the devil."

"And what does the hunter plan to do to compensate for the theft?"

She bit her lower lip when his fingers slowly moved down her bare arms, caressing the goosebumps that popped up. "The hunter plans to make an offering to the devil."

Dante pretended to make a questioning hum, his hands now encompassing hers to join in on the kneading. "And does the hunter know what to offer?"

"One of the devil's most favored meal." Lady turned her head slightly, letting him kiss her cheek. "A Neapolitan-style crust pizza with the works."

"The devil assumes that the hunter knows he doesn't like olives." He moved his hands back to her abdomen, but didn't step away as she tested a piece by holding it up to the light. The shirt needed cleaning anyways - good thing today was laundry day.

"Oh, the hunter knows." Satisfied on seeing the dough pass the window pane test, Lady rolled it again before putting it into an oiled bowl and covering it. "So the devil will need to have some patience for the compensation."

"That," Dante turned her around, rubbing her nose with his, "the devil likes."

Lady chuckled, tiptoeing up while wrapping her arms around his neck, careful to keep her messy hands away. "Does the devil plan to join the hunter for some drinks and treats left by the devil's friend until then?"

He grinned, nibbling on her lower lip. "If it means for the devil to have his pizza eventually, he'll partake in it."

When Nero woke up, he couldn't complain on having homemade pizza for breakfast, although he wished it had olives on it. (He didn't understand why Uncle Dante hated olives - they didn't taste that bad.) He could've also done without his relatives being all lovey-dovey in front of him, feeding each other pieces of the pizza. He wanted to be able to enjoy his breakfast, darn it!

A/N: Follows "Nibble, Nibble", after "That Which We Call a Rose."

Based on a commissioned fanart of Lady making pizza dough with Dante kissing from behind by TyroneStash on Twitter, which is based on the pottery scene from the movie Ghost featuring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.