More chapters! I swear I'm worn on Christmas. Every year it becomes more and more difficult to keep up with everything and everyone! If only the world would stop and take a breather long enough to allow me to hear myself think...about Dante, Vergil, Nero, Amy, Artemis, Trish, Lady, Noa, Nixx, Narc, Kirie, Kyrie, Mary Sue, Leon Kennedy.... and Gerry Butler...lmao

Yeah, so that's a collective roll call of canon DMC characters and OC's I've used in varying stories over the past year. Cept Gerry B. I, unfortunately, have no rights to him.

Dunno why but I'm iffy about this chapter. Maybe it's Vergil's reaction to Dante's newfound... pinkishness...lmao Does it seem OOC to you? My beta liked it, and a part of me likes it, but the little voice in the back of my head is holding up my list of 'Ten Things Vergil Shouldn't Do in Fan Fiction' and glaring at me. Hmmm, so what do you guys think?

Next chapter will finally get down to Dante's fear issues, and I've had most of it written for over a month now...lol That's nothing, specific scenes for BIO have been written for over a year now including part of the ending. :D I just can't hold myself back sometimes from writing ahead.

So enjoy and give me feedback on Vergil's reaction. Feel free to use the stones under your chairs...lol

Homophobic No More

Chapter 11

He stood staring for 10 minutes at Vergil's front door. The sky was an ominous overcast, as if predicting the end was near at the prospect of talking to his twin.

Dante had waited the two days he promised himself; sure that Nero would try to get a hold of him, but was pissed to find he heard nothing from the kid. Two had turned into five more days of waiting, then to seven and before Dante knew it two weeks had passed with no word from Nero.

The more time that passed only seemed to make him angrier, especially when he couldn't take it anymore and tried calling Nero's cell to listen to the most annoying thing he'd ever heard.

The number you are dialing has been disconnected or is no longer in service...

It was intentional of course, and only baited Dante more as if the kid were pushing him into coming after him. That however his pride wouldn't allow, especially in the face of such a blatant attempt at casting Dante off. It only fueled his ego to hold out longer; sure the kid would break first.

He didn't realize just how bored he was until he spent two quiet weeks at home. Idly dancing around the subject of where Nero was when Lady dropped by, telling her the kid had returned to Fortuna to make arrangements to move in with Dante. She seemed content enough with that reply and left well enough alone.

He quickly realized though most of the hobbies he'd picked up lately he had done so because Nero was there to enjoy them with him. Somehow playing video games, hunting, and even pizza lost its flair once he was looking at it from that angle.

Even Love Planet made Dante think of the kid, and it was driving him crazy. At one point he was so determined to forget about Nero that he realized he spent so much time telling himself he wouldn't think of Nero that by thinking he wouldn't think of Nero meant...he was thinking about Nero. Damn it all to hell...

So he'd held out as long as he could from seeking out his twin, but he had become antsy sitting at home and decided if he was going to do something then it would have to be soon. He'd probably drive himself mad if he had to endure one more day of trying to not think of Nero.

Finally he squared his shoulders, marched up the front steps and lifted a hand to begin knocking on the door... before he froze in place mid knock like a scared child.

"Damnit," he growled as he put the hand meant to rap on the door to his forehead instead.

Ready or not, at that moment the door opened and Dante was staring at his much groomed and straight backed mirror image.

"Loitering is a crime Dante." Vergil said flatly as he eyed his brother.

"I wasn't--"

"Come in already. Your stressed thought process is giving me a headache." Vergil cut in; walking from the door and leaving it open for Dante to follow.

So he did, walking after Vergil to the kitchen where a nice spread was already set out, obviously catching his brother in the midst of his morning paper reading. God was Vergil dull.

"What may I ask brings you here out of the blue?" Vergil asked as he leaned against the counter to scrutinize Dante's answer.

"Can't a guy just come for a visit?"

"He may, but if that guy is you then I'd wager there is a reason. When was the last time you dropped by for a friendly chat?" Vergil asked with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"I come around all the time."

"Name the last time." Vergil pressed. Dante frowned as he tried really hard to think of a time he came to Vergil's when he didn't need a favor.

"Our birthday," he offered unconfidently.

"That was at the shop."

"Christmas?"

"Try again."

"Oh c'mon! I've got a business to run you know." Dante growled. "And I really don't need another guilt trip right now."

"Another?" Vergil asked. "Meaning either I have guilted you previous or someone else has?"

Dante slumped into Vergil's forgotten chair with a deep sigh.

"OK. Dude, I uh, need your advice on something."

"I will give you any advice I can as long as you never refer to me as dude again." Vergil said with a sour face. Dante chuckled.

"You got worse things to worry about than what I call you bro."

So Dante eyed Vergil, trying to figure the best way to just come out and tell him what was going on. All the while Vergil just sat with a look of displeased patience on his face.

"OK, so remember how funny it was when we found that yaoi stuff a few months back?" Dante blurted out, figuring starting with something Vergil knew would somehow help. "Well, um, it turns out I'm not as opposed to doing the stuff in those drawings as I thou--"

Suddenly Vergil was at him and punched Dante straight in the jaw, causing him to fall to the floor with a dumbfounded look.

"What the hell was that for?!" Dante growled as he turned to glare at Vergil.

"I do not know what you are playing at Dante, but we are brothers and I do not reciprocate your feelings. So get over it." Vergil growled in turn as he glared Dante to death. Dante just blinked and started laughing. He'd almost forgotten that one drawing depicting himself and Vergil.

"You freak, I didn't mean that yaoi of you and ME!" Dante howled as he lay back on the floor. Vergil turned slightly pink before looking away.

"Well then who... Oh." Vergil said relieved as he gave Dante an odd look. "Ohhh...," he continued as if getting more of the puzzle. "Uh...Oh?"

Dante merely nodded as Vergil put a hand up to his face, covering it from view as if in exasperation. Dante began to get up, wondering what exactly Vergil was thinking at that moment.

Then Dante heard the oddest sound ever. He thought he heard Vergil whimper, and looked up to see his lips pursing tightly together. Small breaths were leaving his mouth, and then all at once... Vergil laughed. It was apparent he was trying to hold it in at all costs, but it was the type that forced its way out at the most inappropriate moments. With how much he was trying to control it you'd think he was at a funeral. It almost looked painful.

After a moment he seemed to have gotten himself under control and pulled his hand down to stare at Dante.

"You're a pansy then?" Vergil tried to say, but it only aggravated his laughter to start again, and Dante just sat back as Vergil's face turned red and his eyes watered. His stifled laugh looked awkward, but seeing Vergil cracking up was seriously wrong.

"Yeah, laugh it up. Get it out of your system." Dante growled bitterly. Somehow he would've preferred being stabbed by Yamato.

"OK." Vergil said through deep breaths as he let loose. Dante was shocked to see his twin actually laughing. It kind of gave him the creeps and sent a cold shiver down his spine. Again...so freaking wrong. A minute passed before Vergil managed to get himself under control.

"You done now?" Dante asked dryly as he eyed Vergil annoyed. Vergil wiped the corners of his eyes and soon his face retained some of its dignity with a hint of a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Quite." Vergil replied. "So you came to see me to tell me your preferences have changed?"

"No. The kid's not talking to me, and I need some advice."

"And you somehow thought that I would be the best person to give you tips on how to woo a heterosexual half demon?" Vergil asked with a grimace on his face.

"No need to woo him. He's been wooed."

"You...? He...? Never mind. I do not want to know." Vergil said distastefully.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it. After all, we are twins."

"In looks only I assure you." Vergil snapped with bite in his tone.

"Ha! You've never even looked at a woman before. Your preferences have been more questionable than mine."

"Until now. If you must know I am seeing someone at present. A female someone." Vergil added when Dante looked like he might question it.

"Really?! Dude, is she hot?"

"Do not call me dude. And please refrain from referring to her in such a crass manner." Vergil sighed, obviously frustrated.

"It's Lady isn't it?"

"No."

"She turned you down didn't she?" Dante mused when Vergil's cheeks turned a bit pink.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about you and Nero?" Vergil interrupted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. That brought Dante's mind back on track.

"We had a fight. I apologized and everything. I even... told the kid I love him." Dante said quietly as he leaned on the table, resting his head on his crossed forearms. Vergil blinked at him slightly caught off guard by that.

"You're kidding me..."

"I'm not. Truth is I don't think he believed me. He thought I was just saying it to make him stay with me." Dante sighed.

"Wait, wait, wait... back up. You went so far as to tell the boy you loved him to make him stay with you?" Vergil asked and Dante wasn't sure why Vergil looked so surprised.

"I did mean it when I said it. Just couldn't say it till I thought I might lose him. Now he's gone, I feel bad all the time. I miss him."

Vergil came and sat across from Dante and put a hand up to his face.

"You are telling me that you, the most callous, insensitive lothario that has ever graced this universe actually cared enough to not only to fall in love with someone, but actually worry once the relationship ended?" Vergil asked as he sat back to observe Dante.

"Thanks for the compliment, jackass. You know, I don't harp on you for your lack of relationship skills."

"Dante, don't be a moron and think about this logically. What the hell are you doing here?" Vergil asked as if he were explaining something simple to a stupid child.

"Asking advice on Nero."

"Correct. When have you ever, in your long history of relationships, come asking anyone for advice in regards to a lover who left you?" Vergil continued.

"Uhh, never."

"Put two and two together before I throw you out for dumbing down the general atmosphere of my home."

Dante just stared at him, wondering what great meaning he was supposed to find in Vergil's typical riddle-like way of answering a fucking question with another question.

Then it hit him. Dante had never cared enough to even notice when his lover's up and left him. He always just moved on, unconcerned for their feelings. It was always one of his selfish points, but it had been a way to protect him from being hurt. Because he somehow knew one way or another they would leave him.

Trish... he had let her go as cordial friends when inside he wanted to yell and protest her leaving. But he didn't, because it would only have made it harder on them both. It was easier to pretend he just didn't care. If anything now that giving her up so easily showed him that maybe he and Trish were not meant to be. But what about he and the kid?

He was worried for Nero, he missed him. He was ready to fight tooth and nail to get the kid back. There was the difference; there was his proof that he really did love the kid. He had meant it and had considered doing for Nero all the things he had never wanted to for his past flings. Even letting the kid...

"Dude..."

"Will you please sto--"

"You're a genius!" Dante suddenly yelled as he jumped up and swooped down to hug his twin, who fought to get Dante off of him.

"Have you gone insane?! Release me at once!" Vergil growled as he grappled to keep Dante away.

"I love the defiant little shit, and I'm gonna bring his ass back if I have to drag him back kicking and screaming." Dante continued as he let Vergil go and stood tall with his hands on his hips. Ego reflated, confidence returning to 100 percent. He could do this. He would do this.

"Good, now please get out of my house before your new found gaiety rubs itself off on me."

"Well, look at it this way bro. You already own the clothin--"

"OUT!" Vergil barked as he stood. Dante laughed and skirted out of the kitchen to avoid being hit.

"Thanks for the advice bro. Who knew you'd be such a wealth of knowledge on homosexual relationships!" Dante managed to squeeze out before Yamato flew at the door he was halfway through. He shut it quickly, running down the stairs and out into the street as the blade came through. He chuckled as he saw Vergil trying to wedge it back through and took off down the road.

He had a plan, and this time come hell or high water he would make Nero see the truth.

---

"Come on fucker!" Nero growled as the Faust merely floated at a distance from him, as if teasing him silently.

He had been doing this for over two weeks now. Anything to keep his mind off of... No, he wouldn't go thinking there again. Luckily there was plenty of demon's left to clean up in the forest outside of Fortuna, and it had been Nero's mission to clean them up prior to D---. Stop thinking about him! So here he was, continuing with the task originally given to him before...he left Fortuna.

Nero reached his devil hand out and grabbed the damn thing by the mist that clothed the insect-like body, but he couldn't get a good grip on it no matter how he tried. It only frustrated him further since someone was ultimately to blame for these things being here. Him and his dead old man.

The Faust pulled its hand back, and Nero dodged as red points of light came from its bony fingers to penetrate the ground. He had to move again as it tried to pull the same trick for a second time.

Then Nero's heart stopped as he heard a gunshot, followed by a firestorm of them as he saw the Faust shudder as more bullets hit it.

"Haven't lost my touch," a familiar voice belted out jovially to his left and Nero's eyes hardened as he saw Dante standing next to him with both guns firing. Dante's eyes turned to his. "How you been kid?"

"Back off old man, this kill is mine." Nero said pointedly before running forward and jumping. He finally grabbed a hold of the stunned Faust and ripped the cloud away, causing the body beneath to fall to the ground. He grabbed his Red Queen mid air and brought it down on his enemy, stabbing it deep.

Nero grabbed the still moving enemy with his demonic hand and slammed it into a tree before thrashing it around in the air above his head, causing it to fly a great distance when he let go, squealing the entire way until it was no longer visible.

Without a word he began walking off.

"Hey now, where you running off to?" Dante called after as he followed at a distance.

"No one asked you here old man, so go home."

Thunder began to rumble overhead, threateningly as it had been most of the day. Small droplets began to drizzle down and Nero just kept walking.

"You're not even slightly curious to why I'm here?" Dante asked a lot closer to his ear than he was supposed to have been. It made Nero jump mid stride, lose balance and trip. Dante though had an arm around his waist so quickly he didn't get far.

He hated to admit he could smell Dante's familiar scent behind him mixing with the slight rain that was becoming heavier by the second. He could also feel the warmth that emanated from the body molded to his back.

"Get off," he said as he shrugged the elders arm off him.

"Why'd you walk off on me kid, I thought we were square with one another." Dante asked when Nero began walking again.

"You assume too much. It's not my fault you're slow." Nero replied as he kept his eyes straight.

"You want to fight kid, I'm right here."

Dante grabbed Nero's arm and turned him to face him.

"I wouldn't have left if I wanted to fight with you, now would I? Face it Dante, you and I can't happen. It was strange from the beginning and considering our personalities doomed to failure." Nero answered truthfully, even if that was just a truthful excuse he still wasn't sure about.

"It's only a failure if we fail it without giving it a decent try. Which means you need to stop building walls at every misstep I make and I need to remember everything I do tends to piss you off 99 percent of the time." Dante grinned as he was just standing their getting soaked by the rain.

"Whatever. I'm going home, and don't follow me." Nero said dismissively as he turned to continue trekking, but at that moment he heard a familiar noise and saw a line of red out the corner of his eye...headed straight for him.

He blinked as Dante stepped in his way, a shot went off and Nero blinked again to see the half dead Faust finally succumb with the final bullet. The rain poured down now onto Dante who stood tall, his arm raised with the still smoking gun in it before it dropped. Followed by Dante.

Nero stood dumbfounded and looked down at his own clothes which were spattered with Dante's blood that had been cast off when Dante took the blow. It had pierced directly through his body to where Nero stood inches away.

He shook his head as a loud clap of thunder hit him like a slap and next thing he was kneeling down by Dante.

"Y-you OK kid?" Dante asked as he rolled over. Nero nodded, but tried to remember he was supposed to be angry with Dante. Yet as Dante's eyes rolled to his he leaned over and lifted Dante's head to help him up, but Dante didn't move.

"Dante...?" Nero whispered as he cradled the hunter's head in his arms.

Dante said nothing, his eyes open slightly as blood trickled from his wound. It had pierced his heart judging by the location and the spurts of blood flow.

"Get up you jack ass." Nero said. This was a joke, it had to be. "Quit fucking around."

Dante's face turned limply towards him, his half closed blues gazing as if searching for him before his hand came to find Nero's cheek.

"Nero." Dante whispered in a hollow, grated voice.

"C'mon. Get up already!"

Nero pushed his coat away and found the wound was still bleeding, but Dante's semi-lifeless hand pulled his face back towards him.

"Nero...," he repeated.

"What?" Nero asked as his eyes began to sting. "You have to get up, this isn't funny anymore!"

"C-c...closer."

"I don't... What the hell?"

"Do...you...love...me?" Dante's harsh voice asked.

"Don't ask me that now you bonehead! C'mon, move your ass." Nero countered as the tears began. He tried to pull Dante into a standing position, but the hunter's body was so... heavy. "Come on Dante! GET UP!"

He was losing it now as he was forced back to the ground by Dante's weight and Dante let out a hiss of pain as they hit the grass again.

"Tell me Nero. I need--"

Nero pulled Dante close into his arms, burying his face in the elder hunter's shoulder so he wouldn't have to see his face anymore.

"You're not leaving me here. You hear me old man? You are going to get your ass up so I can kick it for coming here and getting injured in the first place." Nero growled as he possessively held Dante close.

"Nero, please." Dante groaned. "I need to hear it... one...last...t-"

"NO!" Nero yelled.

Dante went silent, limp in his embrace and Nero began to feel panic setting in. Dante couldn't die! It was impossible! The heaviness of his warm body though... He let out a frustrated sob.

"I love you Dante. Do you hear me you jackass? I love your moronic ways, your perverted mind, and even how much you piss me off!" He growled as he gripped Dante's shoulders to his. "Most of all, I love that you can make me feel anything at all you jerk. So don't you dare go without my fucking permission or..." Nero wept against Dante's limp neck as it rolled off the side of his shoulder, falling backwards. "Dante... please. Don't leave me here by myself."

A hand came to Nero's face and lifted it to where Nero could see Dante staring at him even through his half dead eyes, a small smile curling his lips.

"OK."

Next thing Dante had pushed the kid over, pinning him to the ground before descending his lips onto Nero's.

What the...hell?!

Nero protested through the kiss, getting an audible laugh from Dante who, if he was no longer close to death would be when Nero got his senses back.

"You tricked me!" Nero growled as he pushed up on Dante and glared up at him.

"You love me." Dante grinned happily as he tried to nuzzle Nero's face. As if on cue a stroke of lightning hit the sky above them and as the sky ripped apart a much heavier rain followed. "We should get out of the rain."

"Get off me..." Nero growled dangerously as they were soaked from the sudden downpour. Dante gave the kid a cautious look, probably realizing that to let the kid up would be like unleashing a tiger.

"You gonna behave if I do?"

"No." Nero growled.

"So feisty. If you behave I know of a place nearby where we can find shelter. It's either that or I carry you home." Dante grinned as Nero's eyes widened at the prospect of being humiliated that way.

"Just get off me already! I don't care where we go, just as long as we get out of the cold rain."

"I think I know a cozy place we could warm up a bit." Dante added cheekily.

"Whatever... Just get off me."

Dante let up and Nero stood a distance from him as Dante began leading him off through the trees. Nero told himself he only followed the old man because he just wanted to get out of the rain...

...that and nothing else.