Nero wasn't the patient type compared to the two demon-hunting women who were pacing the wooden floor, tapping their boots with varying degrees of tension. Lady watched the ceiling pace back and forth, while Trish sat at the end of the table tapping her feet. The young white-haired hunter himself sat on the sofa, a tense expression clearly visible on his face which was hit by the devil may cry neon overhead.
A few hours ago Morrison called the three hunters, saying that Dante called out of nowhere, telling them he was coming back. Of course Lady agreed to come. Trish calmly rode her motorbike towards the Devil May Cry building, and Nero just said something in his gut, screaming about something else. After arguing up a bit with Nico, and Kyrie, who strangely supported him, Nero went to Devil May Cry alone, get on the train, leaving Nico muttering about 'asshole daddy, dangerous, or have no feelings'. Nero agreed with all she's said.
Vergil's actions are indeed unforgivable. After taking his hand, he left Nero lying covered in his own blood, killed and destroyed a city just to gain power. It's not a typical good person, hell it's bad guys doing. But Nero still thinks if Vergil can do something different, maybe he will change, become a good man. Nero clenched his fists, trying to get rid of the thoughts that kept running through his brain.
Devil May Cry's door opened.
"Nice to be back." Dante's voice sounded tired and had a slight tinge of joy. Lady and Trish approached the man. It surprised Dante to see three of his acquaintances in the office. At least they did nothing silly by destroying Devil May Cry's office or making it look stupid. Dante was grateful and approached them.
"Where have you been? I'm tired of paying all the bills to keep this trash can alive." Lady gave a little punch on Dante's shoulder.
"Hey, this isn't a trash can." He exclaimed with a relaxed face. "This is my house."
"You disappeared for a few months and came back as if nothing had happened, so bold." Trish filled the void as she drew closer to Dante. Her sweet smile made Dante more relax.
"Well, that's how it is. I have to thank my kind-hearted brother. Bring me back here again." He walked over to the table and sat down, placing his feet on the table while he saw Nero sitting down, looking back with an icy stare.
"Well, dear nephew, how are you? I hope you don't have too much trouble kicking some demon ass for us when we disappear."
Nero's brows knit sharply. He stood close to Dante. Both hands pounded on the edge of the table, shock the older hunter when Nero's demonic aura burst forth, surging like waves. His eyes narrowed at his known uncle, who looked exhausted. "Where the hell is he?"
"That…" Dante scratched his cheek. "… He promised to come here after buying some ice cream at a nearby grocery."
Nero glared, hands clenched on the table. "You must be crazy to let him roam alone. After EVERYTHING he's done!"
Lady drew closer to Nero, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him. But Nero already swallowed up in anger, pushed the hand away. "He killed many people, not to mention the damage -"
"I see what you mean, son."
The door opened again. Nero landed his gaze on someone that he knew standing in the doorway. Vergil stood with a shopping bag and the Yamato. Trish looked displeased, as did Lady with a confused look at Vergil's, who looked weirdly domesticated, even though the Yamato was still clinging in his arms. Nero lowered his anger, stepping back to see his father walking towards the table, putting down the shopping bag. Vergil looks at Nero but says nothing.
"I'm sure you won't mind if I leave." He said, then sat on the sofa. "But sadly, I already made a deal with that annoying little brother of mine to stay."
Everyone stared in wonder at Dante, who start rummaging through the shopping bag to find what he need and grinned. He got his favorite, a cup of strawberry ice cream. One mouthful landed in his mouth. Eyes closed, feeling again how delicious the ice cream was. Dante thought he was going to be stuck forever in the underworld, and it almost drive him crazy because he couldn't feel anything, including Pizza and Strawberry Sundae.
"Hey, I've gone to great lengths to persuade him." Dante looked at Nero. "And we will re-establish a long-lost family relationship, right?" Dante gave a wink and went back to eat.
"You sure about that? Swear to me, Dante, that you won't let something dangerous ever happen again, okay? I mean he, the mister 'I need a more power'. He causes trouble wherever he goes." Lady glanced at Vergil who didn't seem bothered by the snide comments at him. He just turned to look back at her. "I'll be civil this time." He didn't sound happy. Then his eyes narrowed at Lady and Trish. "If you don't make me do the unnecessary thing. Beside I'll be more appreciate that all of you get out of here now."
Lady snorted, half mumbled, and walked towards the exit. She couldn't stand Vergil's sharp gaze that seemed to invite her to throw a bomb to his face right now. Even though Lady herself wanted to land a fist once she saw the bastard, she's holding back the urge. Don't want to cause trouble for Dante because that he looks like need rest for the day. "I'm leaving, Dante. If you call me to take care of your stupid business… " She glanced at Vergil. "… I will think of you as the most idiotic person in the world." The door closed with a loud bang.
Dante gaped. He looked at Trish, who was following Lady's footsteps towards the exit. She grabbed the doorknob and looked back at Dante with a hopeful face. "I'm not the type of person to do heart to heart, but I'd leave you guys with anything that sound like that. Good luck. Bye, Dante." This time, the door closed gently.
The silence made Dante able to exhale the breath he had been holding. When he snapped his head, he could feel Nero's sharp gaze on him. His nephew seemed displeased with whatever they were going to do next. Heart to heart huh, not the Sparda family style, but whatever.
Dante put an empty cup of ice cream down. He lowered his feet from the table and pulling the edge of the chair facing Nero completely. "What are you doing?" Nero asked, folding his arms. Dante smiled.
"Maybe it's time for us to talk things over." His hand pointed at Vergil on the sofa. The older brother, seems annoyed by Dante's stupid face, was silent. Then his eyes fell on Nero's figure, sitting at the end of the table near Dante.
Vergil watched carefully. Nero, his son, had a look just like himself, pale skin, white hair, as well as demonic powers that were passed down from him, flowing through his blood, the mark of the Sparda bloodline. His attitude is… quiet the opposite. Stubbornness may be part of the family too. But other than that, Nero has more of Dante's attitude. Cocky little bastard with emotional problem but have a good heart. He almost cling to Dante because he look a father figure, care about his well being.
Vergil's absence from Nero's life brings the young hunter closer to his brother than him.
A sting of envy landed right in Vergil's sore spot. He who didn't even know that Nero existed in this world, surprised, even though his face remained stoic. He just doesn't know how to express his heart and thoughts 'according to human etiquette', said Dante one time. So he's really don't have so much emotion because he's spent his whole life in the underworld, not earth.
What a painful irony.
And now Vergil can only swallow the bitter fact that he is outside Nero's circle of life, even though part of him sometimes doesn't care.
"So, what do you want to say…" Nero was silent for a moment. He sighed and looked at Vergil. "… Father?"
Maybe Vergil looked as confused as ever, but Dante could see that Vergil, the man who had been hiding everything for so long, was now melting. His eyes flashed a hint of hope, and that made Dante a little relieved.
"There are a lot of things to talk about." He looked at Nero and Dante at the same time.
Dante doesn't deny that the journey to reunite with the missing 'father figure' from Nero's life is easy. Scratch, it's so hard that almost impossible.
The first week of their return, Nero and Vergil clashed most of the time, making the aura within Devil May Cry darker. Nero made a slash using the Red Queen. Leave a massive fiery gash on the wall and make him work extra hard to fix it. Vergil still stood his ground, not care about anything else that happen. He almost forgot that Devil May Cry belongs to both of them now and he has to contribute almost everything, including money for repairing. Vergil doesn't have a money and is not happy about that.
In the following week, Nero simply cursed and pointing at his father that he had no right to rule Nero's life. The tension is always there between them. Dante is the only one who dare to intervene or gave a harsh talk to Vergil to beat sense of him. Sometime he spoke to Nero, drag him out somewhere to calm down, explaining everything he knew about Vergil and why he could be so stubborn even to the level of a mighty jerk.
During the month, fights still occur in Devil May Cry. At least not involving some demonic power, like the first time. Today, Nero only spit out as much harsh swear or just glare. On the other side. Vergil is just... Vergil. Sometimes he's too vulgar, too poetic, and ends up sounding like a high-class bastard. Dante wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall because of his thick mind.
Vergil, beloved or not, still his brother, slowly but surely, showed his human side like acting somewhat open even though with so much emotional constipated thing and speaking throughly, though it sometime ended up with piercing Nero's feeling. Just words, nothing harm with the sharp thing, and Nero is getting used to it. Sometimes he doesn't care at all. No more significant damage in Devil May Cry after that.
Dante is no longer needed to tidy up their mess. Right?
It's a win-win situation.
At the end of the year, Nero began taking the twins to his home in Fortuna after hunting down some demon. At first Vergil refused, saying that he wasn't into the "party" thing. It forced Dante to have a ridiculous bet just to drag his brother's ass into Nero's house. 'There is no party, just us, okay?' Dante tried to reason with Vergil. They got to the house through the portal, bring some snack. When they knocked, Nico the one who opened the door. Vergil recalled a bit of V's memory.
Nico the artisan. Nero's friend. Noted.
Nico looked unimpressed, but she let the twins in. Vergil getting the tense under Nico judgement eyes, but he composed himself when a beautiful woman who he assumes was Kyrie, came out of the kitchen. "I'll be going." Nico said. Kyrie nodded. The door is closed.
Kyrie, Nero's girlfriend, gave them a warm welcome. They talk, mostly about a circumstance that happens before they meet Dante or their childhood that Vergil never gets used to it. Dante always giving family vibe when they share a meal on the table. Vergil made a little move, suddenly curious at Nero, and watching while his son gives affection to the young woman. His gesture is so gentle and she always welcoming him.
Nero and Kyrie love each other.
Vergil gets it now.
They spend the winter and celebrate Christmas together. Although Nero sometimes gets annoyed with his father's unique behavior, it's a shame that Kyrie always finds them bickering over petty things. Like what is this a box called present?
Dante laughed out loud when he caught Vergil staring confusedly at the phone Nero had given him on his first Christmas.
For the first time, Nero calls Vergil Dad, with a cute red face.
Devil May Cry's phone rings on a beautiful and cold January morning. Footsteps echoed down the stairs. A flash of red coats jumping down the last step of stairs at the same time as the third ring of the antique telephone blare. With a smack, the receiver lifted the phone. A cheerful tone floated in the air.
"Devil May Cry."
"Sounds like a lot of fun there, Dante." Morrison's voice heard on the other end.
"Morrison. What made you call on this beautiful morning?" Dante smiled as he turned around, finding Vergil coming down the stairs with Yamato in his arms, walking closer to him. He sat at the end of the table, watching Dante's stupid grin and the new red scarf he's wearing.
"I'm afraid it won't be a beautiful morning anymore, according to my perspective, Dante." Morrison choked. Dante furrowed his brows, making Vergil stare at him.
"Something wrong?"
"I got the news this morning. An acquaintance of mine said I should call you guys as soon as possible. It's about work, a huge one, just as big as when you fought Mister Vergil. We need this band back together. I already call Trish and Lady, including Nero, of course. Now, I need you and Mister Vergil here. But I didn't think you guys want the job. But there's nothing wrong with me offering you this in the first place, right? Still want to take it?"
Vergil gave Dante a look and whisper, work? Take it. Dante nodded, focus back on the phone.
"Okay. We take this job. Where's the place, Morrison?"
A long pause. Dante listened to Morrison's worried sigh. He could imagine what kind of expression the old man had shown. Dante himself had a bad feeling about this.
"That is the real problem here, Dante. I want you guys back to Redgrave City."
Dante sighed.
That's where all the bad things happen.