I like the idea that Butterfly and Sparda are related, so I wanted to do a little something with that. Idk who originally came up with the idea, but my first encounter with the idea was through rex101111's story Auntie Butterfly on AO3, so make sure to give that a read, too.
I know it doesn't exactly work with each series' lore, but we're just gonna go with it anyway. For fun.
Set after 5 with a presumed return of Dante and Vergil off-screen. Set sometime after Bayonetta 2 as well.
It had been a shock to find out he had family. Why wouldn't it? He'd been an orphan his whole life and the only people he could call family for the longest time were Kyrie and Credo. Suddenly gaining an uncle and a father was a lot to take in, especially since he had to keep them from wringing each other's necks not long after. But after the dust had settled and he had time to think it over, it made him wonder: Were there any other family members he didn't know about?
The conclusion he immediately came to was no. Dante's mother was dead, killed long ago by Mundus' forces on a fateful day that separated the brothers. Sparda's fate was unknown, but he was presumed to be dead as well. And no one was sure about Eva's family outside of her sons and husband. If he had to guess, she either didn't have any (or much), didn't want to remain in contact with them, or they cast her out for having relations with a demon. But still, he couldn't help but wonder.
Unfortunately, Nero had to wait to get an answer to that. With his uncle and father both in the underworld, there was no one to ask - no one who might actually know at least. Trish and Lady weren't up to date on the Sparda family tree.
The younger devil hunter peered up at Devil May Cry's sign, squinting at the high sun just above. His waiting was finally over. He'd gotten a call from Lady a couple of days ago informing him of his uncle and father's return. Took 'em long enough, he thought before moving towards the doors. Seriously, two months in hell? The old men really were losing their touch.
"Hey, old man!" Nero called out over the jukebox and kicked the door closed on his way in. He took a quick glance around, relieved to not see a sign of his father. As much as he wanted to try to have some relationship with the man, he also hadn't forgiven him for ripping his arm off.
Dante, who lounged lazily on the couch, startled slightly and leaned his head back over the armrest to look at his nephew, causing his too-long white locks to dangle in the process. After two months in hell, his already shaggy hair had only gotten longer. It was hard to tell with him upside down, but Nero swore his bangs would probably reach his jawline if he was upright. Thankfully, it looked like he'd trimmed the beard back down to whiskers.
His question briefly forgotten, the younger hunter blurted out, "Damn, you need a haircut."
Scoffing, his uncle moved to sit up, popped his back, and said, "Is that all you came here to say? 'Cause Trish and Lady have already been on my case about it." It was the second thing they mentioned after telling him to go take a shower. Not that he needed to be told that, anyway. He was all too eager to wash off the months of sweat and dirt and get into a pair of clean clothes.
Nero rounded the couch and plopped himself down next to the older hunter. A quick glance told him his intuition was right. His bangs were currently brushing against his jaw and the rest was dusting his shoulders, giving him the overall appearance of a shaggy dog in desperate need of a trip to the groomer. "Actually, I had something I wanted to ask," he admitted, sobering up.
"If you're asking for any favors, it'll have to wait," he kicked his feet up on the coffee table and let himself sink back into the leather cushions. "I'm not doing anything for at least a week."
"No, nothing like that. I just have a question." He waited a beat, and after not hearing any sounds of disapproval, he continued, "Are there any other family members I don't know about?"
Dante raised a curious brow at his nephew and eyed him through the curtain of hair. "What, you think I got more in my back pocket?" a wry grin made its way across his features.
He scoffed, "No, but I didn't know about Vergil. I want to avoid any more surprises in the future."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that," the older man sighed. "Unless dear old dad is still kicking out there somewhere, but I doubt that. It's just me and Verge left - and you, too."
A beat of silence settled over them now that his question had been answered. It was about what he expected, and it almost made him feel silly for coming all the way out here to ask. This could've been a phone call…
A snap of Dante's fingers brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh, you know what?" his uncle sat up suddenly, eyes sparking with realization. "There is a family member you haven't met."
The young man fixed him with an incredulous look. "Really?" He wasn't convinced just yet, but he was willing to humor him… for now. It didn't sound like he was joking around like usual. And if he was wrong, he was going to forcefully put the old man down for a long-ass nap.
"Yeah, on dad's side," he nodded. "She's dad's sister, so my aunt and your great aunt."
"Sure, Sparda has a sister and I've just never heard of her until now," he lightly shoved the older hunter with an annoyed huff. "Great lie, old man. Very believable."
"I'm serious," Dante got to his feet, still grinning at his nephew. "C'mon, we'll go see her right now since you don't believe me."
Nero stared at his uncle, surprise slowly overtaking his annoyance when he realized he was actually serious for once. The devil hunter was already slipping on his worn boots. "Wait, really? You're not just messing with me?"
"When have I ever done that?"
The younger hybrid ignored the remark for the sake of his blood pressure. "What happened to not doing anything for a week?"
"I think introducing you to your great aunt is a little more important," Dante grabbed his signature red coat off the back of the chair and slipped it on.
Nero eyed him suspiciously, unable to shake the feeling that there was some caveat to his uncle's offer. The famous devil hunter was also famously lazy, and aside from sleeping and killing demons, another favored pastime of Dante's was pissing him off.
"Besides, it's been a while since I've bothered that witch," he added offhandedly. The devil hunter could hardly keep the smirk off his face at the idea of the kid finally meeting her. A flirtatious witch with his prude of a nephew? A recipe for entertainment - entertainment so good that he was willing to leave his couch. And of course, he did want to introduce him to Butterfly as well. The kid only had so many blood relatives left in this world.
"Alright then, where is this witch?" Nero got to his feet, still a tad wary but willing to go with it for now.
"New York."
"New York?!" the younger hunter exclaimed. "That's hours away! We can't just go to New York!"
"Sure we can. We'll just use Yamato," he replied as he smoothed his coat out.
"Will Vergil even let us touch it?" There was a hint of bitterness to his tone, the whole arm incident still far from forgotten. He'd only had his new arm for a couple of months, and he'd prefer to keep it for the rest of his life.
"No, but we can ask him to open a portal for us." Before Nero could protest or poke holes in his idea, Dante was already headed for the stairs. With a sigh, he followed hesitantly. At least he knew this wasn't some joke anymore. No way the old man would go this far just to yank his chain.
Upstairs, Vergil was in the spare bedroom, sorting books onto a shelf for later. For someone who didn't read much of anything past magazines, Dante sure had a lot of them. Though, he could tell his brother hadn't touched them in quite some time based on the layer of dust that coated their covers. Regardless, they'd be put to good use now.
He picked up another from the box on his bed and set it aside for later when his twin swung the door open. "Hey, Vergil! I need a favor.
Vergil sighed and pinned his brother with an unamused stare. "And that would be?"
"I need you to open a portal to New York City for us," he gestured to Nero behind him. "Right outside the Gates of Hell, if you wouldn't mind."
Vergil's expression was unchanging and yet he somehow looked even more irritated than before. Figures his brother would bother him with such a ridiculous request while he was trying to organize his space. "And why do you need to go there so suddenly?"
"I've gotta introduce Nero to Butterfly."
His nephew raised a brow at the name. Butterfly? That had to be the strangest - and least intimidating - demon name he'd heard.
The look on his brother's face remained unreadable, but after a beat of consideration, he let out a sigh through his nose and reached for Yamato at his hip. "Very well. But don't expect me to accompany you." This was just easier than fighting his brother on it. Besides, a few hours with the shop to himself sounded heavenly after spending two months with his twin. He might even be able to organize that mess of an office downstairs…
"I don't care if you come or not, but she might not be happy," Dante pointed out as his brother cut into the fabric of reality.
"Then let her be upset," he replied curtly, stepping around the portal to still see them. "I have more important things to do than humor her."
"Oookay," his twin gave him a suit yourself look, raising his hands in defeat. "But don't blame me if she wants to wring you for it." Vergil ignored his brother as he stepped through the portal and gave a curt nod of acknowledgment towards his son, who followed after Dante.
I had originally intended this to be a oneshot, but as I continued writing, it just got bigger and bigger. I decided to split it up and post the first half. The second isn't done just yet, but there's a good bit there already. I hope to finish it up here soon. I actually really like the interactions I've written between Dante and Bayo, but I'll keep my mouth shut to not spoil.
Poor Nero has no idea what he's gotten himself into. Oh well. At least it'll be entertaining.
