Dante never thought that it would end up like this, with a man who looks, smells and feels like his older twin brother pinning him against the desk he had gotten for his as yet unnamed shop, hands gripping at his hips so tightly that it will leave bruises while he kisses the breath out of him, but this is exactly where he ends up, and by the gods he has been wanting this for at least a year. That this man who lookssmellsfeels like Vergil yet is not his flesh and blood twin but a much older Vergil who has appeared here for whatever reason…well, Dante does not care one bit. This Vergil wants him and that is what matters most to Dante.
So, when Vergil breaks off the kiss to let Dante breathe, Dante leans back a little to take in the minor differences age has wrought over him while his hands wander up to grip at the lapels of the much darker blue coat his not-brother wears. Curiosity briefly sparks in those piercing pale blue eyes as Vergil takes notice of what Dante is doing, and then the corner of his mouth quirks upwards as curiosity turns into realization and then acceptance, and he lets Dante slowly push the coat open and then off his shoulders. It drops to the floor with a soft thud, revealing the vest Vergil prefers to wear beneath it, as well as Vergil's well-toned arms.
Dante trails his fingers down Vergil's biceps and watches the way his muscles quiver and flex with the featherlight touch before he finally pulls his hands away and meets Vergil's gaze again. He finds warmth there in Vergil's eyes, along with flashes of tenderness and a trace of yearning so deeply rooted that it makes something within Dante ache. A small part of him knows that this Vergil yearns for a Dante that is not him, and yet this Vergil is here with him instead of that other Dante, and he hopes that, in time, he can soothe away that yearning by being what this Vergil wants and needs. He knows just how fucked up this is, but he still does not care because-
"I was such a fool for not noticing you when it mattered most, Dante," Vergil quietly says, successfully interrupting the thoughts that were running through Dante's mind, and he relinquishes the hold he has on Dante's hips to lift a hand and gently cup Dante's cheek. "And I know that you are not mine to even begin to want nor to claim, but I want you regardless of whether I should or shouldn't."
"Well, then I guess it's a good thing we're on the same page, Vergil, 'cause I wasn't gonna wait around for my brother to get his head outta his ass when you are right in front of me," Dante responds as he rubs his cheek into Vergil's gloved palm, and relishes in the feel of Vergil's bare fingertips caressing his skin. "So, regardless of whether you should or shouldn't, go ahead and claim me, Verge," he heatedly adds, and then he turns his head to kiss at Vergil's palm through the glove.
"Do not be so quick to give me your permission to claim you when I don't even know if you understand what I mean when I say I want to claim you, Dante," Vergil calmly says despite the minuscule tremor that wracks his hand, and Dante presses another kiss to Vergil's palm before turning his head to properly look at him.
Dante takes a moment to consider their conversation, and the gravity of what Vergil might mean, before he closes his eyes and softly exhales. "I'm guessing it's a whole lot deeper than what I'm thinking it is, so you should probably explain what it would mean for you to claim me," he finally says, and opens his eyes halfway to take in Vergil's expression. He sees patience in Vergil's face, above anything else, and then a fair amount of solemnity, and lastly there is a faint glimmer of hope.
"It is a demon's concept of marriage," Vergil slowly begins, and Dante frowns slightly but does not say anything to interrupt him. "And as with nearly all things where demons are concerned there is a degree of violence to it, in that I would have to bite you while we are having sex while I am in my Devil Trigger, and the mark resulting from that bite will become a permanent scar that will let other demons know that you are mine. It will also serve to ward off any lesser demons who might have an interest in you."
"And if I were to say no, I don't want you to claim me, would you…" Dante trails off, unable to voice the question of whether Vergil would still stay, would still want him if he were to say no to being claimed, and now he's starting to think that he's already fucked things up between them just by-
"Dante," Vergil calls out to him, power thrumming through his voice, and Dante blinks with the sudden realization that he's crying. He's fucking crying because he can't handle the idea of this Vergil leaving him over something as stupid as- "Dante, breathe and listen to me," he commands, and Dante has no choice but to comply.
"I want you, Dante, regardless of how you choose to answer that particular question," Vergil says after Dante has had a moment to just breathe, his fingers lightly caressing Dante's jaw before he leans in and presses a chaste kiss to Dante's lips. "I will take whatever you are willing to give me, and I will give you whatever you ask of me, even if it is the blood in my veins or the heart beating in my chest. I am yours, Dante," he adds, his mouth just a hairs breadth from Dante's.
And fresh tears spill down Dante's cheeks as the realization that this Vergil isn't going to leave him finally hits home. That he won't be abandoned again just because they might have their differences, and the security in knowing that this Vergil is staying, and that he is so wholly devoted to him, lifts a weight off what feels like his very soul. And, just maybe, he is willing to say yes and let this Vergil claim him, if only because Vergil is giving him the choice to say yes or no instead of simply commanding him to go through with it.
"I feel so dumb," Dante vehemently mutters, and he starts to lean back to put a little bit of space between them only for Vergil to halt his retreat by gently grasping his chin.
"You are not dumb for thinking the absolute worst of me, Dante, because I used to be the absolute worst," Vergil patiently declares, his thumb sweeping across Dante's lower lip a couple of times before he finally lets his hand return to Dante's hip. "And I still am the absolute-"
"You're not," Dante quickly exclaims, interrupting Vergil before he can finish voicing that particular thought, because while it might be true for some other Dante, it isn't true for him, and he's not gonna let this Vergil disparage himself in front of him on account of someone else. "You are a godsend for me, Vergil, and it does not matter to me what you've done to say something like that. You're here, with me. You want me, weird demon marriage claiming shit and all, and! You said it yourself. You're mine, and you'll give me anything I ask of you, right? Then give me your claim mark."