Yay, I managed to post this before my deadline. Whoop Whoop.

This chapter is massive. It's my largest yet and is around 3000 words longer then the previous chapter give or take a few hundred. I got about a third of the way through before realising it was going to be much longer then I had anticipated. I did wonder if I should cut it in two but I had already done that with the last chapter and I really wanted to get this arc finished so instead you get this giant chapter.

Now I likely could have got this done a lot sooner, alas I fell into the deep time consuming and addictive pit that is ACNH and even now I haven't completely freed myself from it. Only the threat of my looming deadline kept me on track much like it did when I was in high school lol. On the plus side the extra time I took working on this allowed me to work out a component in the plot in the later chapters I was struggling with, which is now sorted out and going to be so much better then what was originally intended. So looking forward to getting to it.

Ok reviews-

reddevil47: Yep, pissing the girls off in Devil May Cry is basically a death sentence. I'd take fighting any old giant demon king then that any day, and so would the guys.

ZER0HER0: I'm glad you enjoy my style of writing the characters. Sometimes I tend to second guess myself with them. I admit I too love writing the guys doing something human and mundane, sure missions and fighting deadly demon bosses is cool and stylish and all but I like fleshing them out beyond that. It really does make it easier to relate to them as more then just half/part devil hunting badasses when you see them struggle with something as humanly normal as say cleaning or shopping. It's these little glimpses of the human inside them, the human they choose to embrace that makes them more then just 2D characters and honestly makes me excited to write about them. Glad to know it's not just me.

I'd like to thank everyone who favorited, liked and followed this story and/or me. When I first started this I never thought it would get more then just a passing glance. I'm really humbled that people really seem to enjoy the story and this makes it such a joy to work on this. Now enough of me harping on. Lets get onto the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Devil May Cry or the characters associated with it. I'm completely tone deaf and thus would never have been able to make the awesome soundtracks to the games. *Bopping along to Devil Trigger in the background*

Devil Children

Chapter 11

With the door slamming shut behind him Dante quickly walked after his twin, who had stopped not to far from the shop.
The blue devil regarded his brother with a look of resignation before speaking, "well Dante lead the way."
Giving him a confused look the red hunter asked, "uh, where am I leading us?"
Vergil glared his usual annoyance at his sibling flaring. "To a furniture or general housing supply store of course. I have yet to familiarise myself with the layout and facilities of this city so it is up to you to guide me to such a location so we can get this task over and done with as quick as possible."
The blue twin honestly felt that sometimes his brother had the mental capacity of a five year old.
If it wasn't for the rare few times he actually showed a glimmer of intelligence befitting his age and experience he would have had no doubt of that been the case.
"Oh, that makes sense," the red devil acknowledged, still making no move to do anything but stand a few metres from the shop.
"Then why are we still standing here?" Vergil hissed with barely veiled fury.

Only for the red hunter to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.
"I uh….don't know where any of those places could be," the younger twin admitted, "I've never really needed to worry about it before."
The air became thick with bloodlust as Dante swore he almost heard his twins patience with him finally snap and his anger rising to consume him.
As the blue hunter gripped the hilt of his beloved katana to likely skewer him the red devil quickly looked around before spotting an elderly lady about to cross the street. Promptly running over he grabbed her by the shoulders.
This of course startled the poor woman, "ah sorry about that ma'am but I have a really important question I was really hoping you could help answer for me," the red twin hastily stated, cold sweat lining his brow as the killing intent behind him didn't abate in the slightest.

Managing to get ahold of herself, which was surprising well for someone who had been grabbed by a tall, red leather clad, white haired stranger with the hilts of two guns peeking out from under said coat.
This was Capulet city though, notorious for strange occurrences, the occult, improvised crime and random violent gunfire.
The residents of this particular hellhole were another breed of crazy and/or stubborn, they had to be to survive in this place.
"Oh, no problem dear. So what did you want to ask?" The lady nodded after her heart rate calmed down.
"Do you know of any place we could happen to get some nice, cheap and decent furniture for a bedroom?" Dante asked panicked as his twin stepped closer and closer to him.
The elderly woman thought for a bit before replying, "oh I know just the place, it's one of those big superstores but it's fairly good quality and affordable. It's only a few blocks away too. Here I'll write it down for you."

The red hunter sighed with relief as the elder lady dug in her oversized handbag for a scrap piece of paper and a pen before scribbling an address on it and handing it to him, "Thank you for your help ma'am. You're a real life saver."
The woman chuckled at his antics, "a pleasure dearie. Good luck with finding what your looking for."
She then waved goodbye and slowly disappeared.
Turning to the blue devil Dante grinned, waving the piece of paper, "alright Verge, let's go," before striding in the direction of the address given.
The blue twin released his grip on Yamato's hilt reluctantly knowing that he'd have another chance to vent his frustration at the red obsessed buffoon at a later date. Sweeping his immaculate white hair back to soothe his nerves he swiftly followed the other hunter to there location.

The two devils stood in front of a massive dark blue building looking up at the garish bright yellow large letters pronouncing the stores name, 'Ikea'.
Vergil instantly wanted to turn around and abandon this entire foolish endeavour.
He likely would have if it wasn't for the fact his pride would never allow him to quit a task he had undertaken and his twin would never have let him live it down, ever.
The red twin gave a whistle, eyebrow raised as he took in the giant superstore, "damn." Shaking himself out of his daze he headed through the automatic front doors which was a novel experience to him.
Whatever happened to good old fashioned push/pull handled doors.
Before pausing again as he took in the sight of a semi crowded store which also seemed to have a grocery, kid's play room, restaurant/café and warehouse area alongside the typical checkouts and trolleys you would expect in these large superstores.
And that was just the ground floor.
Looking to his left he saw stairs and elevators leading up to what was a second story. Geez they couldn't fit everything on one level with a store this big. Just how much stuff did they have.

Before he could voice that particular thought a smiling young woman greeted them with that sickeningly sweet overdone, 'we're all happy' voice typical in customer service.
"Hi, welcome to Ikea. Can I help you with anything?"

Dante could feel his twin about to pipe up, likely with a 'no' so quickly nodded and said, "yes please, this is our first time here so it's a bit disorienting."
Unlike his sibling he wasn't allergic to asking others for help.
He was already in uncharted territory before they had left the shop, let alone in this giant superstore.
He could use all the assistance he could get so he could get this job done without Patty ripping him a new one.
The teenage girl gave a small more natural smile at that rather then the artificial one she was required to wear before.
"Ah I see, it does tend to be a bit overwhelming the first time. While the layout seems like it's complicated it is fairly straightforward. The ground floor as you can see holds a children's interactive play centre, grocer's with authentic Swedish goods and fabulous restaurant /café if you are feeling a bit peckish. It also where you will pick up and purchase your furniture items. The upstairs meanwhile is our showroom and features all our stock on display with some actual home designed rooms if you feel the need for some added inspiration or a visual."
She grabbed a map of the store as well as a pencil and piece of paper with an empty table on it.
"The map will help you understand the different sections and what goods it showcases and offers and this is so you can write down the codes for the items you which to purchase and which aisle they will be found in the warehouse part of the ground floor. If you have any further queries feel free to ask any of the staff here."

As Dante stood there stumped at the amount of information the girl had just spouted, "uh….ok."
Awkwardly reaching to take the items she held out to him he found them snatched from the teen's hands by his twin, who then without a word began climbing the stairs to the showroom floor.
Sighing the red hunter flashed the girl a grin, "sorry about that and thank you for the help."
Giving her two fingered salute he quickly followed the blue devil up the stairs and stole the map back.
The blue devil pinched the bridge of his nose and released a weary sigh as his brother regarded the map with puzzlement.
When the red hunter flipped the crude map upside down as if that would make it any clearer the blue twin had had enough.
Taking the map back he pointed at a stack of trolleys off to the side, causing the younger twin to pout a little.
As his twin went and collected a trolley Vergil examined the basic map.

"So know where to go?" The red hunter asked as he returned.
Nodding the blue devil started walking, "yes, most of the bulk of our purchases will be displayed in section 7 which is the bedroom compartment. Though some of the items seem to be presented in several other sections so it will be most efficient to just go through every section."
"Okay let's go then," Dante said and headed towards a grey door.
The blue hunter grabbed the back of the red devil's coat causing him to choke as he was jerked to a sudden halt.
Rubbing his neck he shot his brother a reproachful look, "what was that for Verge?"
His blue twin held up the map and pointed at a small dotted line, "You were heading the wrong way. That door is a shortcut to section 11."
The red hunter squinted at the map as if that would make it easier to read, "huh? This place is confusing, how do you know where the start is then?"
Vergil felt his eye twitch as it took all his control not to skewer his twin to the wall with his summoned swords and leave him there.
He pointed at a thick mustard yellow line on the white linoleum floor, that many other customers where following.
"Oh," the younger hunter said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "makes sense." The blue devil gave another long sigh as he started walking the red twin following behind him with the trolley.

The red devil held up a stack of different coloured butterfly wall stickers with a goofy grin on his face.
"Hey Verge, what about getting some of these to put in Short Stacks room?"
Sneering at his twin the elder couldn't quite keep the condescension out of his voice. "Really Dante? You do realise we are not shopping for a three year old, correct?"
The red hunter's excitement disappeared and a hurt expression crossed his face for a mere moment before been replaced with a more neutral one.
"I just thought they would be nice and help cover up some of the marks and dents in the walls is all," the red twin mumbled already going to put the wall stickers back.
"Fine, put them in the cart," the blue devil sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.
He'd already shot down every other suggestion his sibling had made.
Why Dante thought a crystal chandelier was a good idea to put in a bedroom was beyond his comprehension.
At least this recommendation had more thought behind it then his other ones which he had picked because he thought they were 'cool'.
He supposed he could at least allow him to contribute one thing that wasn't completely idiotic.
The red hunter beamed and place the stickers in the cart and begun pushing it anew whistling a jaunty tune.

They had been making fairly good progress with the blue devil having marked a few items on his list to be collected downstairs and their trolley already had several smaller items besides the most recent stickers.
Carefully examining a row of coat hangers trying to find the one that was the best quality while also been affordable, given his brothers current funds, he deposited the selected bundle into the cart along with some extras.
While he wouldn't have spent a cent on any of these items for himself, been of inferior workmanship, that didn't mean he was going to settle for the cheapest item like his twin does either.
The only thing his brother didn't skimp on was alcohol and weapons.
The latter at least made sense when it could mean someone's life.
At least he had to give the younger some credit for not taking them to a dingy secondhand store or worse a dump.
The items here were at least new, unused, functional and had a bit of variety while been fairly decent in nature.

Checking the crude map to see what the next section was he stilled as he noticed a distinct lack of off tune whistling near him.
Raising his head he glanced around and with a few quick strides reached the red buffoon and jabbed his side with the hilt of Yamato.
"Ouch. What was that for bro?" The red hunter yelped as he rubbed his aching ribs.
The younger was thankful his brother had the forethought to not run him through while in the middle of a public store and thus adhering to typical human norms.
That didn't seem to stop him from holding back to a human level of strength though. Vergil glared icily at him and while he couldn't physically look down on him as they were the same exact height he could metaphorically show contempt for him as much as he liked.
"Why were you about to head through another short cut door? It is fundamentally near impossible to get lost in here, when there is a literal line to show the way. You cannot be that inept, so that means you chose to deviate from the assigned path for some foolish reason," the blue devil seethed.
"It's not such a big deal Verge I just wanted to check out the cool looking stuff," explained the red hunter as he ceased rubbing his side and pointing through the window in the grey door.
The blue twin felt his fingers twitch with the insane urge to squeeze his brothers insolent neck.
Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself the elder sibling narrowed his eyes, "we will get there eventually. If we end up having to come back because we didn't get something because you decided to skip sections due to wanting to 'check out the cool looking stuff' further ahead I will dismember you. So stick to the line if you want to remain intact."
"Fine, fine. Spoilsport," the red hunter whined rolling his eyes and turning the cart back to the main pathway the yellow painted line ran along.

If the two hunters weren't already been granted a wide berth due to being armed, imposing young men with an unnatural appearance due to their white hair, they most certainly would have been now given the bloodthirsty aura surrounding the blue devil. Moving to the next section Vergil focused on the current task at hand, rather then his rising need to maim his twin.
Reading the description of a sealed bedsheet and pillow set he frowned at the lack of any material that wasn't cotton and settled on a plain white one that had the highest thread count.
Grabbing a similar duvet cover he set it in the trolley when he saw the disappointed frown on Dante's face.
"Come on Verge. That's so plain and boring. You could at least pick out something with a bit of colour to it."
The blue hunter scowled and looked at the duvet cover for a moment before conceding that his brother might have a point.
Placing the cover back on the shelf he surveyed the other designs of the brand he had settled on and after a period, chose a lavender one that had raised green threads along the bottom of it depicting vines.
Having finally finished this he turned to the selection of pillows, cushions and duvets eyebrows pitched together in a frown.
Picking up a moss green cushion he turned it as to see the tag which contained the manufacturers description.
Before he could finish reading it though the cushion was snatched from him by the red devil who began squeezing said item between his large hands.
About to snap at the younger hunter he was instead interrupted.
"No good, Verge it isn't soft enough and the material is too rough," Dante spoke having finished his inspection of the cushion and tossing it back into the pile it had come from. Regarding his brother with a wary eye the elder considered that statement and the actions surrounding it.
Deciding to give the other the benefit of the doubt he tilted his head at the cushions, "light purples, natural greens and whites."
Giving a finger salute the red devil dove into the task, performing the same procedure with every cushion as he vetted them thoroughly.
Soon enough five cushions were thrown into the cart, two light purple with raised violet rows, two satin looking olive green and a slightly larger ruffled white one.
Lifting up the white one he ran his finger along the material before placing it back satisfied with the product chosen.
Looking up he saw his twin was already wrapping a duvet around himself mumbling something about having to been warm, comfortable and snuggly.
Releasing a sigh he closed his eyes not sure if he should be thankful for Dante actually making an effort or ashamed at the embarrassing spectacle happening before him.

After what seemed like an eternity they reached the end of the showroom floor and finally descended to the warehouse where they could pick up the bigger bulkier furniture they needed.
As they looked up up at the tall aisles filled with flat, cardboard boxes of various shapes and sizes, Dante realised that the furniture was likely so cheap as it wasn't already made and they would need to assemble it.
Seeing his twin scowl the red hunter gave him a gentle shove, "hey it's not so bad. It's just like a lego set."
His sibling turned to him grey blue eyes cold, "neither of us has ever touched such a mundane toy such as 'lego' before even when we were children."
Dante paused at that.
Yeah he couldn't remember him or Vergil ever doing something as normal as building with blocks when they were children.
Sparing with swords maybe.
"Okay, it's like a puzzle with bigger pieces," the red devil amended.
Seeing his twins hand clench around the hilt of his katana he began pushing the trolley faster. "You have the list right? So which aisle do we head to first?"

The red hunter almost sighed in relief when he blue hunter took the lead and directed them down an row.
As they strode down it Vergil soon came to a halt and gestured at a pile of cardboard that bore what looked to be a basic drawing of a bed.
"This contains the base and that one over there contains the slats," the elder twin commented making no move to assist in removing the large and likely heavy packages. The red devil shrugged in defeat, resigning himself to having to do this alone and easily lifted and placed the boxes on the lower flat section of their trolley.
Rolling his shoulders he swept an arm out in an 'after you' gesture chuckling at the disapproving look he received.
Slowly loading the cart up as they went down the many different rows and aisles in what the blue hunter assured was the most logical order.
It was with a low grunt that Dante set the last carton in the cart and pushed the vastly overburdened trolley towards the checkouts where various other people were lining up with their various items.
If it wasn't for the demonic blood running through his veins giving him super human strength, the red hunter doubted he would have been able to move the massive load.
It was more likely that the trolley would break before he needed even a fraction of real effort.
As it was the squeaking sounds of the wheels was a fairly disconcerting sign that it could happen fairly soon, so he joined the quickest moving line out.

Over his shoulder he could see the tension thick in his twins shoulders as he was forced into close proximity with other people.
Knuckles white as they gripped the hilt of Yamato as a sign of comfort or perhaps a readiness to use the weapon.
In an effort to distract his sibling and because he couldn't handle the awkward, quiet boredom as they waited for their turn, Dante asked, "so how do you think the kid is going on his end?"
The blue devil shifted his icy blue eyes to him and hummed, "I believe that if he hasn't decided to slack off or cut corners which is unlikely due to this task been for his sibling then he should be finished by about now. Though I doubt it would have been cleaned to the same standard as the girl has taken with the rest of the shop."
The red twin nodded having to agree with his brother.
The Squirt had practically performed a miracle on the rest of the place and she was still working on it.
He was pretty sure it was in better condition and appearance now then when he had first moved in.

A male voice saying, "next," alerted him to the fact it was now their turn to have their items scanned.
Wheeling the groaning cart to the checkout the red devil began placing the smaller items on the bench next to the register, as the tired youth came around the register and used a hand held scanner on the bar codes of the heavy boxes, not even batting an eye to the number of them.
He heard an annoyed voice ask from beside him, "Dante, what is this?"
Turning to see his twin glaring at him, the red hunter glanced at the object clutched in his siblings hands, a blank wooden nameplate with lilies and butterflies as a border. Scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly the younger shrugged, "I thought it would give a sense of ownership to Pint Size's room. Help her feel like she belongs instead of just crashing with us momentarily."
Vergil looked at the childish article in his hand before sighing.
"When did you even put this in?" The elder asked begrudgingly.
The red hunter avoided eye contact as he answered, "I…uh…may have hidden it in the trolley while you were distracted."

The blue devil scowled at this and likely would have given the younger a stern and painful lecture if it wasn't for the impatient tapping of the clerks foot, as they waited to scan the rest of their items.
There was also a steady rising of complaints coming from behind them.
Seeming to not want to spend anymore time here the blue devil shoved the nameplate at his twin grumbling, "fine, lets just get this over with."
Dante quickly placed the item on the bench and dug out some other similar objects, "oh good, cause I happened to get some for us and the Kid too."
Ignoring the angry low hiss from beside him the red devil swiftly finished having the rest of their products scanned and dug out his worn leather wallet to pay.
"That will be $2,765 please. Will that be cash or card?" The bored slow voice of the cashier droned.
The red hunter swore he heard his neck crack as he jerked it in the direction of the teller. "What!?" He exclaimed.
"$2,765, sir," the clerk replied a little more forcefully.
As the red devil spluttered, Vergil whose patience had reached it's limit, swiped the younger's wallet and pulled out a pile of crinkled notes and slammed them on the counter, before throwing the empty wallet at his twins face.
"Hey!" The red hunter angrily shouted, though whether that was because of having an object thrown at his face or having his money taken was up for dispute.
The latter been the most likely candidate.
"Thank you for shopping at IKEA. Have a nice day, "the cashier announced in a somewhat sarcastic if apathetic tone.
Growling Dante grabbed the receipt, scooped their purchases back into the cart and pushed it away through the automatic doors.

Nero woke with a start making to grab Blue Rose from the coffee table when he heard a familiar voice cursing.
Dropping the gun he rubbed his face sleepily and stood up to get the door when it burst open and a trolley stacked with boxes and other miscellaneous items squeaked inside. The teen regarded the unusual sight for a moment before the twins stepped through the wide open doors, Vergil closing it behind them.
The blue twin seemed to be no different from when they left, his clothes still immaculate and his facial expression filled with its usual cold disinterest.
The red hunter on the other hand was hunched over panting, white hair dishevelled and sweating profusely.
"Dammit Verge…you…could have…..helped…..push," Dante grumbled between deep gasps.

Deciding to ignore the red devils theatrics, the teen walked over to examine the articles in the abandoned cart.
"Ok I see a bunch of pillows, a mattress, some décor and linen but what about the furniture? Are there more trollies outside that contain it, maybe?"
The hunched over red hunter straightened and pulled one of the boxes out from the overburdened cart and placing it on the floor.
"No, no. It's all here. See look this one is a bed," Dante gestured at the cardboard box. Crossing his arms the ex-order member regarded the elder hunter with a skeptical expression, "seriously old man? Have you finally lost all sense of reason? In what world is a cardboard box a suitable bed?"
Running a hand through his hair it was the blue twin who explained, "the item needs to be assembled. The pieces to make the furniture are inside the box. I speculate that this is the reason as to why the items were so affordable."
Turning the box over, Nero indeed saw a picture of a bed.
Exhaling he looked to the clock mounted on the wall and looked at the massive amount of boxes containing furniture to be put together.
"We need to get a move on if we want to get this done in time," the teen informed, pulling the boxes of the cart and placing them in a pile on the floor.

Dante had ripped open the box containing parts for the bed pulling bits of wood and packets of bolts and screws, tossing them in a chaotic pile beside him.
The blue devil looked at the mess his twin was making before waving at the cart, "I believe that needs to be returned to the store Dante."
The red hunter just waved a hand at him, "it'll be fine Verge. I'll dump it later. Grab a box and come help."
The elder hunter frowned at that, "I think I'll direct my talents toward something else. You and the boy should have enough man power between yourselves to complete such a simple task."
So saying the blue devil collected all the items from the top compartment of the trolley that had been discarded in a corner of the office before making his way up the stairs.
The ex-order member stepped out of his way on the stairs, as he held a tool box he had grabbed from his room.
He looked in the direction the blue devil had disappeared in before jerking his head in the area of the lounge were Dante was.
"Hey old man, what the hell does he think he's doing, skipping out on the work?"
The red hunter gave a chuckle unbothered by the younger's concern.
"Don't worry kid, he's not slacking off. Just working on a more decorative project for Pipsqueaks room," the red devil explained, having seen his twin take the wooden name plates, the wall stickers and some paint along with the other items.
The teen rolled his eyes at this and returned to a box he had opened before he had left to grab his work tools.

Picking up the piece of paper he had glanced at before leaving he checked off all the tools required, glad to note he had all in his kit.
Most of his tools were for the maintenance of his sword allowing him to pull the detailed blade apart for when he needed to get at the more complex inner workings.
They were also used sometimes to perform upkeep on the red convertible and bike though it was a slowly losing battle with the way the red devil and various demons abused them.
Flipping to the next page after the list of tools required he saw numbered pictures that seemed to be step by step instructions on how the piece, a book shelf, was to be assembled.
Scoffing at the crude and simplistic manual he set it aside and grabbed the first piece he needed placing a screw driver to his mouth, held in preparation.

In a matter of moments the ex-order member looked proudly at the complete bookshelf and moved onto the next box which seemed to contain a bedside table.
Not even bothering to look at the instructions this time, he got to work on the unit, having it fully finished in minutes.
Dusting his hands off he looked up as he heard cussing, to see Dante admist a pile of wood, packing paper, plastic and loose screws as the elder frowned at two different wooden segments as if wondering why they wouldn't fit together.
"What are you doing?" He asked the red devil.
The red hunter glanced at him, "I can't work out how this is meant to go together."
Nero rubbed his face before answering, "look at the instructions. It tells you how to do it."
The red devil blinked at him and looked around him before shrugging, "I lost them."
The younger stared at him in quiet shock for a moment before walking over with a huff. Sorting through the mess he pulled out the crumpled instructions before slamming them down in front of the other hunter and pointing at the first picture.
"Come on old man, this isn't that hard. You screw part C here into the end of part D." Looking at the picture Dante looked at the pieces in his hand noting the little sticker on each containing a different letter.
Setting one of them aside he looked through the pile around him before spotting the one he needed.
Grabbing the correct piece he looked at the picture again and then at the two pieces in his hands.
Grabbing a screw he went to screw part C into part D before he was urgently spotted by the teen.
"No, no, no. What are you doing? That's not the right way you have part D upside down and that's the wrong screw."

The ex-order member looked at the red clad devil who at this moment looked like a confused and scolded child before releasing a loud 'fuck' and sitting down next the the elder.
"Here you hold the piece's steady while I screw them together. If I leave it up to you we'll end up with some kind of monstrosity that is nothing like a bed."
The red hunter pouted at that but begrudgingly did as the younger asked knowing they didn't really have the time right now to dawdle.
Shaking his head Nero had to wonder how the red devil even managed to clean his guns without having them accidentally discharge in his face, when he was this hopeless with putting something this basic together.
Hell maybe that was how he'd learnt to do it properly, shooting himself or cutting his fingers on the slide until he had the whole process figured out.
It was hard to tell with the way the old men took to some things like a fish to water and others like a fish suffocating on dry land in the middle of a desert.
Smirking at that image the younger refocused on the work at hand, not wanting to let them be anything less but perfect.
His pride wouldn't allow for it.

Between the two of them they managed to get all the rest of the boxes emptied and assembled in a decent amount of time.
The living area of the shop was cluttered with different pieces of furniture with the rubbish and cardboard shoved into the trolley in the corner.
The pair regarded the scattered furniture with a look of gratification before the elder spoke, "okay so now we've finished building it, we have to put it in Small Fry's room." Nero looked up at the stairs and second story landing with a frown.
"We probably should have made them in the room itself rather then having to carry them up a flight of stairs and through a narrow hallway."
The red hunter cracked his back before grabbing one end of a desk, "nonsense, it'll be fine. Now come and grab the other end of this thing."

Walking backwards up a flight of stairs wasn't the most enjoyable experience the teen had ever had.
Missing a step more then once and having his hand jammed between the desk and staircase railing which had caused him to drop his end of the desk much to the elder's alarm as he had had to support the full weight of the desk awkwardly until the younger had shaken the pain off and helped him with the load again, wasn't fun in the slightest. While the stairs were bad for the teen it was the hallway that was a challenge for the elder.
Or more specifically it was the point of the hallway meeting the doorway of Shortie's room.
He found himself pinned to a wall of the hall, ribs in agony, as Nero tried to turn his end of the desk to an angle that would allow it to enter through doorway.
The red devil took a deep gasp of air as the teen finally managed to hook the desk around to let it enter, the two placing their load in the middle of the room as they took a moment to rest themselves from their ordeal.

Vergil looked down at the other two hunters before returning to his task, "the desk should be placed against the right wall at around the middle."
The teen raised his head to snap that the blue devil 'could move it his fucking self', when he noticed what the other was working on, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
Walking over to the blue hunter he saw the other painting glue onto the back of what seemed to be a sticker of some sort before placing it carefully over a patched over hole in the wall, revealing a blue butterfly.
"See I told you they would look nice Verge," the red devil commented as he came over to look at his twins handiwork.
The blue twin scoffed at his sibling a he smoothed a hand over the wall sticker, removing any creases.
Nero had to admit that the stickers did look good and nicely covered up the small discoloured and tiny chipped paint sections of the wall.

"What about the nameplates? I didn't see any stuck on the doors as we came up," Dante continued.
"They are currently in the bathroom drying after having been painted. They should be ready to attach to the doors by the time you finish assembling the room," the blue hunter enlightened.
The red devil opened his mouth to ask a question when the blue twin sighed.
"Yes Dante I did all of them. Now hurry up and move that desk before I stick this over your mouth," Vergil informed him waving a glue covered butterfly sticker threateningly at him.
Grinning the red hunter waltzed back over the the discarded desk and lifted his end with a grunt prompting the teen to go back and help him move it to the pointed out spot. Completing that the pair went back downstairs to collect the next item to be placed in the room.

With much effort, swearing, sweat, pain and bruises the two devils managed to get all the furniture up and into the room.
Each piece placed into a spot selected by the blue twin who had offered no help and had barely looked up from his work whenever they came in.
As the duo lay panting on the floor Vergil wiped his hands with a cloth despite not getting a single drop of glue on them.
Picking up a packet he tossed it onto the stomach of the teen who released an 'oof' at the impact.
"Install that into the wall above the widow. Dante you can put the nameplates up. Try not to mess it up," the blue devil instructed.
The ex-order member swore before opening the packet which contained a curtain rod and moss green curtains.
Steeping onto the bed, much to the blue hunters displeasure as the younger hadn't even bothered to remove his shoes, he got to work on screwing the rod into the wall.

Seeing his brother had left to go about his task Vergil looked around the now furnished room.
He turned and entered his room and grabbed one of the objects he had placed temporarily inside before returning, setting the large rug with different squares of purple in front of the bed and bedside table.
He then went and placed a lamp on the beside table, coat hangers in the wardrobe, a cork board above the desk and floating picture frames that had double sided foam tape on the walls.
Lastly once the ex-order member had finished his task on inserting the curtain rod and curtains, the blue devil swiftly placed the bed linens and pillows on the bed, smoothing any wrinkles so it was as flat as a bed in a hotel and could bounce a coin of it.

Standing back he and the teen examined the now unrecognisable and homely room. "Woah, this is actually pretty nice considering what a dump it was before," Nero said.
The blue twin ran a finger along the desk, as if checking for dust, not that there would be any since it was literally brand new.
"I believe the human child would have little to complain about. Given the amount of time, Dante's lack of funds and amateur workmanship involved, this is likely as good as it was going to be. I thought this was possibly a hopeless endeavour given my brothers aptitude for these things, but despite this we've managed to pull through," Vergil noted.
The ex-order member had to agree with that, "yeah he's as bad a bull in a china shop." The blue devil raised an eyebrow at that analogy before they both turned at the loud banging behind them, to find the red hunter hammering a nameplate to the door.
The blue twin was content to see the nameplate wasn't crooked and none of the nails used seemed to be bent.
He couldn't see the other nameplates to see if the same could be said by them, but they were only a minor concern, except for perhaps his own.
The blue devil had only painted the others besides the girls and kept his own besides due to not wanting to have to deal with his twins likely incessant nagging if he had.
At least he had chosen a relatively tame design for the blue devil with it been fairly simple and modernistic compared to the other three.

As the red hunter finished hammering in the last nail he wiped the sweat from his brow and examined the nameplate with a whistle, "good work Verge, this is better then I could have imagined. It's like a miniature Rembrandt."
The blue twin sneered at this, "hardly Dante, this isn't even in the same category. Besides I wasn't going to be negligent with any task I assigned myself. Of course my work would be high quality."
The red devil waved at his sibling in a 'yeah, yeah' gesture as Nero came over to look at the nameplate eyes widened in awe.
The red hunter hadn't been joking as the meticulous paint stokes and shadows on the lilies and butterflies made them almost seem as if they were truly alive.
Compared to the childish wall stickers it was like night and day.
The blue devil had even painted Shiro's name in white. The letters forming an elegant calligraphy on the lavender background.
Recognising the amazement in the teens eyes the red twin nudged him with his shoulder gently before jerking his head at the hall.
"Come see the others. We each got our own and they're all just as good as the Ankle Biters. Though Verge's is a little boring," the red devil added.

Following the elder hunter he did note that they all did in fact now have nameplates secured to their doors.
Dante's with a bent nail and slightly crooked, his own missing a nail in a corner, which he would fix up later.
It seemed the red devil had got the hang of it by then though as like Shiro's the blue twins was correctly installed.
This however was momentary observation as he became entranced by the nameplates themselves.
The red devils had a western brown fenced border with a pair of silver guns crossed on the bottom, the red block letters of 'Dante' over a black background.
The blue hunters was fairly plain with a simple navy blue border and gold corners, but the elegantly written blue 'Vergil over a white background gave the nameplate a regal sort of look.
The teen settled in front of his own, feeling a small sense of nostalgia as he took in a beach and rolling ocean wave background contained in a red border and his own name in strong black letters.
Unsure how to voice his feelings at this very touching gesture he was saved from having to when the doors to the office below them slammed open and a loud but familiar voice shouted, "we're back."

The blonde haired girl upon entering Devil May Cry dumped the pile of shopping bags on the couch and looked around for the guys.
Upon seeing the red devils head peek out from the upstairs hallway before disappearing she turned to the white haired girl behind her before announcing, "I'll be back in a sec Shiro, I just need to use the Ladies room. Feel free to just leave those bags here and I'll help you sort them out when we get back."
The elder teen tilted her head at the other before nodding and slowly putting down the massive pile of shopping bags in her arms.
Leaving her companion to it, Patty quietly marched up the stairs bringing herself to a stop in front of the nervous red hunter.
"Uh, hey Patty. Hope you had a nice time shopping," the red twin greeted, sweat dripping from his hands.
The ex-order member beside him raised an eye at his behaviour, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy himself.
The last time he'd seen the elder like this was after he had cost Lady a high paying job. That had not been a very good experience for anyone involved in the least.

"Relax Dante, stop quailing in fear before a child you literally have to look down to," Vergil scolded as he exited Shiro's room and joined them in the hall. Giving the blonde girl a look of distain.
Scowling back at the blue devil the blonde stomped into the room before pausing and turning around slowly so she could see it from all angles.
Reaching a finger to touch one of the butterflies on the wall she heard the whispered mutters of the guys behind her, one patronising, one praying and the other encouraging. Wanting to let Dante stew for a little longer she walked over the bed and pressed on the mattress before flicking the lamp on the bedside table on then off.
As the voices behind her became louder she finally turned and gave the three devils a piercing look.
Three different expressions stared back at her but she was focused on the middle one belonging to the red hunter.
"Dante, I don't know what I expected," the girl said.
The red devil paled, flashes of him in a bright pink coat flittering through his mind before the blonde spoke again.
" You did good."
"Oh thank god," Dante exclaimed before collapsing in relieve.

The blonde crinkled her nose at the red hunter before looking at the room again, "This is pretty amazing given someone with your sense of style. I'm assuming the others helped you, given your tragic sense in style."
The blue devil snorted, "please, if left up to my brother this rooms would have ended up either undone or in worse shape then it was in before."
"Yeah, the old man probably would have had an allergic reaction if he had to physically clean something, "the ex-order member joked.
Giggling the blonde gave them a small curtsy, "well thank you for your assistance. It wasn't right for Shiro to not have a proper room of her own and now she has one. It's still a bit bare, but I'm sure she'll add her own personal touches over time as she lives here." Clapping her hands the girl shooed the men from the doorway.
"Shiro, come up here. The guys have a surprise for you," the blonde called down.

The white haired girl had just returned from taking the rubbish filled cart outside. "Surprise?" She asked herself confused.
Climbing the stairs she saw the three male devils and the human girl crowded in the hallway next to the spare room she was currently sleeping in.
"Quick, have a look," the blonde excitedly said, taking her hand and dragging her into the room.
The elder girl blinked in perplexed.
Even she wasn't sure that she had entered the right room she would have easily mistaken this for someone else's.
Stepping forward she ran her hand along the soft fabric of the blankets on the bed before something colourful on the wall caught her attention.
Staring at a golden butterflies she raised a slightly hesitant finger before gently tapping it.
As if unsure if it was real or not.
Turning t the four staring at her she voiced the question that she had been silently asking for awhile now, "why?"

Patty put her hands on her hips and sighed, "because you needed a proper room silly. It was the least they could do for you."
Shiro looked down a the shaggy mat beneath her feet, slowly been bathed in the gold light of dusk.
"This is for me?"
"Sure is, who else would it be for. Now you have a little something all of you own," her twin replied smiling.
"Mine?" The white haired girl mumbled looking around the room again.
She was finding it difficult understanding this whole development.
It was already generous for them to give her a place to stay.
Going out of their way to make sure she had a comfortable space of her own that was just hers, was beyond confounding.
What had she done to warrant this? How was she meant to repay such an act? Had she seemed ungrateful for what they had done for her so far?
She just couldn't understand.
Despite this she knew what the requirement dictated from such an action and so she bowed and placing her palms on her thighs said, "thank you."

Grinning Dante stepped forward and started ruffling the smaller devils hair. "No problem, Sprout. Hope you like it. Just our way of saying thanks for everything you've done for us and welcome."
The teenage girl frowned slightly at this from her hunched over position.
She had simply done what she could in an effort to make herself useful to her hosts, they weren't required to give her anything for that service, it was something that should have been expected of her.
Still if this was their way of showing hospitality it would be ungracious of her to refuse. She would just have to make sure to take good care of this gift until at such time as it was returned.

The blonde decided to save Shiro from any more hair mussing by elbowing the red devil. Taking the messy haired girl by the hand she dragged her back out of the room.
"Since the guys did a good job lets give them there reward," Patty pronounced.
Following the girls the three male hunters warily eyed the pile of shopping bags basically burying the leather couch.
Taking a paper bag the blonde pulled out a surprising intact and only partially melted strawberry sundae from Dante's favourite store Freddy's.
Releasing a gasp the red devil took the frosted glass in his hands as if he thought it was a mirage and would disappear when he touched it.
"This was all totally worth it," he announced as he took the sundae back to his desk and assuming his usual position began eating the frozen treat with gusto.
Frowning at the red hunter already pigging out on his ice cream Patty turned to the others with a smile and picked up a cardboard box, "I got cake for the rest of us. Let's go to the kitchen and cut us a slice."
As the small group of devils and one human passed the red hunters desk the blonde reached into her pocket removing some slips of paper and dropped them onto the red twins desk.
"Almost forgot. Here is the bill Dante," the girl gleefully said before skipping into the kitchen.
As the others followed they could here what seemed to be the red devil choking on his beloved sundae behind them.

And thats the end of the chapter. Woo what a read huh. I tried to give each of the characters there own little moment and view point which is hard to do when you're writing from 3rd person. I think I managed it in a readable way though.

Finally managed to slip in Dante's second favourite food, strawberry sundaes. They should show up from time to time in some shape or form from now on much like the mans other favourite food, though his eating habits are likely going to be less take away now Shiro is there.

This is the end of my so called Home Maintenance arc which went for a bit longer then I originally thought. Though my arcs so far aren't typical arcs but more of general related themes. Anyway new theme/topic/focus/whatever for the next chap, which I'm looking forward to in that I can bring in some dmc5 mechanic's that I've been hoping to add ever since I played the game ages ago.

Those of you who play ACNH send me a message with your switch code if you want to friend me or just want to chat.

Okay, enough talking from me. See you in the next chapter.

Shadow-Wishes