The Portal-Opening Days are Over - ReichuAsakura (2024)

Chapter 1: It was Dante's Fault

Chapter Text

It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon – no work, no chores, no tasks. You finally had time to play DMC5 again, or rather, finally had the courage to continue Hell and Hell with Vergil.

You glanced at your phone to check the time, but your wallpaper –Vergil looking directly at you with a... smile? No, it was not a smile, but for you yes, he was smiling. At you. And you couldn't help but smile every time you would look at your phone too. That would probably sum up how smitten you were with the eldest son of Sparda.

And so you played Mission 19, the first round with Dante and his hellish Royal Guard. Trying not to mash the buttons of the controller and instead play like how no-movement-wasted Vergil would be, you poured all your concentration in the game, making you unaware of what was happening behind you.

You only realized it when a katana was pointed at the screen, and you heard a familiar voice say, “What form of power is this?!”

##

“Speak, human. How could you possibly conjure a copy of me and my brother in there and make them fight atop theQliphothagain?”

Vergil was now pointing the Yamato at you, and dropping the controller and losing your third gold orb were the least of your concerns now.

You instinctively raised your hands at the threat, but you couldn’t stop your lips from smiling as you stared at him. His swept-back hair, his three-tailed black coat, his furrowed brows that still looked good on that damn handsome face. The man of your dreams —literally, because you had dreamt of him last night— was standing right in front of you.

You had watched enough Marvel movies and series for your mind to be open about the idea of the multiverse. You enjoyed anime like Gintama and Osomatsu that would break the fourth wall and be meta from time to time. You had long since accepted the fact that life was full of unexplainable wonders. That was why you didn't find this surprising or unbelievable. You even found it lucky that you might have been chosen as the main character of an isekai plot right now.

“Why are you smiling like a fool?” He shifted the Yamato closer to your neck.

You felt the coldness of the blade and the realness of the danger, so you scrambled to explain, “I’m sorry! I’m no threat! I’m your fan! I have no powers! I’m a weak human! You can enslave me if you want— actually I'd be happy to— er, don’t kill me please!”

Somehow, it was an effective plea. He sheathed the Yamato as he must’ve detected no demonic power nor any threat-level strength from you.

He shook his head and muttered, “I have no time for this.” He then gestured to slash open another portal. It was one of your favorite cutscenes in DMC5, that was why you were very familiar with the move.

But both of you were surprised that the space in front of Vergil was not cut. It was a display cabinet that was cut, along with some of your nendoroids. And both of you exclaimed, “No!”

“Why isn’t this working?!” You heard him say that same DMC3 Temen-ni-gru line as you knelt on the floor to gather your nendos.

It took you a few seconds of mourning over your collection before realizing, “Wait, you can’t open a portal?”

He turned to look at you with that I-still-don't-trust-you expression. “Why do you know about my portal? Is this your doing?” He stepped closer and it made you fall onto your butt on the floor, still looking like a petty weakling, which might have been good for your own safety.

“I know a lot about you!” you blurted out in panic, “I’m your fan, like big time.”

This got him curious, and not pointing his sword at you, so you decided to explain. It was as if explaining your identity to your past self when you time-travel, you must give convincing facts to make them trust you.

“You are Vergil, son of the legendary dark knight Sparda and the beautiful human Eva. You have a younger twin brother, Dante, who is a wacky-woohoo-pizzaman that doesn’t want olives on his pizza. I have always been pla-- supporting you two. You, uh, your color is blue while Dante’s is red. Your weapon is the Yamato. You can also summon swords even without moving your hands – actually the most efficient ranged weapon ever!” You had a tendency to get sidetracked sometimes, but this must have helped because...

“They are indeed more efficient than guns,” he said. He seemed to have calmed down as he sheathed the Yamato again. “Yousaid you were my fan?”

You nodded.

“So, I can trust you while I am in this unknown realm?”

You nodded with more enthusiasm.

“Very well.” He offered a hand to help you get up, and you couldn’t hold back a squeal at the chance to hold Vergil’s hand. He found you odd, though, so his face turned a bit doubting again.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, bit your lip and accepted the help. You just tried your best to freeze the moment, or at least remember how his hand felt. That oddly warmer than normal —well he was a half-demon after all— gloved hand.

The way he looked at you, you could almost imagine him saying ‘Such a fool’, but you didn’t mind. Your attention then shifted to the bigger problem at hand. As foolish as you seem to be, you were quick to come up with ideas, and these must have made Vergil trust you a bit more.

“Could you try summoning your doppelganger?” You asked him, polite yet a bit taking-charge-problem-solving-mode.

It didn’t work.

“How about summoned swords?”

Still didn’t work.

You pushed the nearby furniture away from Vergil before saying, “Try your DT or SDT.”

“DT?”

“Ah- Devil Trigger, err, your demonic transformation.”

He grumbled a sound of acknowledgement before moving as if releasing a blast of energy from his chest, but to your dismay both, nothing happened.

Words were not needed when you both turned to face each other, mirroring shock and disbelief.

“This is Dante’s fault!” Vergil growled in exasperation.

Chapter 2: Canonical Hospitality part 1

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Basically, the Yamato couldn’t open a portal because Vergil didn’t have his demonic powers anymore.

And Vergil didn’t have his powers because...

Most likely because in this world, in this universe, he was existing as a video game character. Soon, he would be an anime character too – you were quite updated with that.

That was the temporary answer you had come up with, and Vergil surely wasn’t happy with that. But it was better than not having a logical explanation, so he wasn’t angry either.

So far, through different trials you insisted he cooperate with, you confirmed that:

• He still has his katana skills. And he’s amazing! The Iaido moves are almost like magic tricks to your layman eyes.
• His still has his speed, but no time-space powers. So teleporting is kinda manual now.
• His physical strength, for some reason, is still a bit too much for a normal human. Well, just look at that body.
• His alertness is still there. Probably because he had been chased by demons since he was eight years old. He is almost always on guard.
• No more regenerative abilities. Probably because it is powered by demonic energy? Forcing those cells to speed up the process and all.

Confirming the last one was tricky. You asked him to try wounding his hand, and he almost slashed his whole palm with the Yamato. Good thing you were quick enough to specify, “Just make a very small cut on your fingertip!” because you had a bad feeling about this.

And that wound didn’t close up instantly. It still healed faster than an ordinary human’s wound, eventually, but Vergil’s dissatisfied reaction told you that it was way too slow from how it should be.

##

Somehow, Vergil had agreed to stay here while trying to find a way to regain his power and make a portal back to his world.

It made you smile, the fact that you were assisting Vergil in his new quest for power. But this time was nothing like the past ones. He just wanted to regain his power and demonic abilities. You kept telling yourself that. But “Vergil’s New Quest for Power” still rang better to your ears, especially since you were a part of that quest.

Sometimes, you would even compare yourself to Griffon. If V had Griffon as his chatty companion, then you would be Vergil’s version, which was actually nice because being a reader of Visions of V, you actually appreciated Griffon’s role. Somehow, he gave V, or Vergil, the sense of having a companion – someone to talk to, someone not to listen to when he was being stubborn, someone who was just there through ups and downs. Fangirling aside, you wanted to be that kind of help to Vergil now, especially since he got separated from his family again. You knew all too well how his life had been.

You got back from your thoughts when Vergil asked for the pillow cases you were holding. Apparently, you moved too slow for his standards, so he opted to finish the task himself.

You were helping Vergil set-up his room. This was your old roommate’s. She had transferred overseas for a job last month and you had been too lazy busy to look for a new roommate. Sometimes procrastination would lead to something good.

You made this spare bedroom be as Vergil-motif as possible, you only used blue, black and white materials – mostly blue.

You even bought him spare clothes, still just mostly blue, black and white. And you got the sizes correctly. Yes you did. And somehow, your taste in clothing didn’t earn insults from him so you thought you passed. All those hours browsing Pinterest and DeviantArt for Vergil’s pictures and fan arts paid off. And now here you were, watching him do mundane tasks while wearing the clothes you bought for him. Fan arts be damned; you have the real deal!

You stopped what you were half-mindedly doing when the doorbell rang. It was the delivery employee of the most popular burger chain in your city. It was the easiest food to acquire, especially since you two were busy.

Vergil winced upon noticing that it was burger. He stared at it when you handed it to him, and you recalled Visions of V. It was actually part of the reason why you ordered burger – you wanted to confirm if, like V,

...And he did the honors of saying it, “I don’t want my hands to get dirty when the sauce oozes out upon taking a bite.”

You couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“You find it amusing?” He glared. “You think to make a fool of me?”

You laughed even harder at the familiar BP Taunt line.

But before he could point the Yamato at you again, you said, “I’ll teach you...” You took his burger, still wrapped in paper, “How to conquer the mighty burger.” You were still chuckling, though.

Vergil was still somewhat scowling as you explained, “When eating a take-out burger, don’t take the wrapping off completely. Fold it this way so that there is a part at the bottom ready to catch whatever sauce or bits that would fall upon taking a bite.”

You handed him the burger that was properly set. “And when you take a bite, hold the bottom part firmly. That helps prevent the sauce and even the contents from spilling to the other side.”

He tried it. He looked obviously trying to hide his satisfaction with this newfound knowledge because his comment was a simple, “Decent enough.”

But he was oh so cute because sauce got on his cheek. And he didn’t notice it yet.

You wanted to wipe it off, but you assumed that Vergil is the respect-my-personal-space type, and he might not like it if you bluntly tell him that his face got dirty, so you thought of a different way.

You intentionally smeared some sauce on your cheek too. A mirror of his. And you pretended not to notice it too, as you casually looked at him to ask, “Is it true that you and Dante don’t really have to eat?”

“I guess. I survived in the Underworld without--” He stopped when he noticed the sauce on your face. He instinctively pointed at it, then he pointed to his own cheek to show you which part, then he noticed the one on his cheek, and you thought, ‘Jackpot.’

But Vergil was smart enough to realize what you just did. “It seems you are not a mere fool as I initially thought you were.”

“I guess,” you copied his previous reply with a shrug and a smile.

Chapter 3: Canonical Hospitality part 2

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Everyday, and sometimes more than once a day, Vergil would try to open a portal, to see if it would finally work.

But you figured, he could not do that even at the apartment building rooftop, the place where he was free to practice his katana skills, because if the portal actually opened, other people might see it and get spooked or curious. Katana practice, however, was okay there, since it was a known form of martial arts even in your world.

So you freed up an area in the living room, took down the displays and moved furniture away from it. You designated it as Vergil’s portal-opening corner. That way, the Yamato wouldn't break anything indoors, and he could try as often as he liked.

You even put a banner using blue post-it notes to label it, 'Vergil’s Portal-Opening Corner' which, upon seeing, he shredded into tiny pieces that it became confetti, while saying, “Don’t mock me, human.” Yet you still found him adorable, and amazing because the wall was not damaged in the process.

And since you were working as a pre-school teacher —that would explain the post-it banner— you had access to and special borrowing privileges in your school’s library. The elementary, middle school and high school levels were just neighboring buildings, and the central library was big enough to have books for that range of patrons.

You would drop by the library before going home every work day to resupply Vergil with new books to read. You could check out up to five books per day, so you always made sure to include at least one occult-stuff-related book, one poetry book, and three others of different genre.

You only knew about Vergil’s love for poetry and his current research in hope of regaining his powers, so you were still testing the waters when it comes to genres. That was why whenever you see him holding a book, you would take note of his preference. The ones he read ahead of others must interest him the most.

All of this might seem too much of an effort on your part, but no. Aside from the joy it brought you to provide him with what he needed, you took pleasure in watching him read a book while drinking tea or coffee, while eating slices of apple or pear, or just simply reading.

As lovely as Vergil looked, his face always stayed the same no matter what he was reading. You thought it might be the poker face that he had developed so as not to let enemies tell what he was thinking of. Or it might be because the books were not good enough.

So one day, you had thought of a better and probably more fun way to do it.

“Put stars on each book you’re done with,” you said, grinning widely, while handing him about 15 handmade rating cards. On each card, there were either one, two, three, four or five stars. With the way Vergil was standing by his bedroom door, you couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. He had an arm leaning on the door frame, and he was towering over you and emanating a little scary aura, probably because you knocked at this time of the night. “Just slip one like a bookmark,” you added as your grin turned into a sheepish smile.

He inspected the cards, looking unimpressed as always. “Such childish materials,” he commented upon noticing that the stars had different smiling faces on them. But he kept them and complied anyway. You knew how organized Vergil was with his things, so he must have found it an acceptable way.

“The arcane books,” You got a little surprised at his change of tone. It seemed a tad nicer than the previous one, but he was still a bit harsh when he continued, “They are useless.”

You must have subconsciously shown him a dejected look, so he shifted, both tone and posture, when he added, “You don’t have to borrow them.” And now he sounded nicer. “Those kinds of books from a children’s school are not reliable in that regard. They are just stories meant to scare the children. I will check the city library for those materials instead.”

You nodded in understanding, and were a bit embarrassed as well.

“But keep the other books coming.” This made you quickly look at him. “I look forward to what you bring home everyday.” And you thanked the universe that you were looking when Vergil flashed that slight smile.

Chapter 4: Vergil and DMC5

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You were playingDevil May Cry5in the living room when Vergil came out of his room. From behind the couch, you heard him ask, “Is that the accursed thing that caused me not to have my demonic powers in this world?”

You laughed at his phrasing. “Yes.Wannaplay?”

“No.”

“It’s fun, come on!” You followed him to the kitchen while still holding the wireless controller. He was busy making coffee when you added, “You get to try Dante and the others too. Aren't you curious? I have already unlocked all their skills.”

He didn’t respond.

So you decided to try the Sparda way, “I can’t beat Dante while I'm playing as you. His Royal Guard is just so difficult.”

This made Vergil look at you. “Are you implying that my alter ego in that game is weaker than Dante’s?”

“No, of course not.” You laughed. “Wannasee, though?”

And inless thanan hour, it was Vergil who was holding the controller.

## Vergil as Dante ##

“This is absurd!” Vergil exclaimed, left hand pointing to the screen, right hand pressing the change-melee button. “He has four melee weapons, four range weapons and four different styles that each bring forth additional skills with those weapons. How would you even--!”

You couldn’t help but laugh and imagine memes of Dante and his weapons. “Whenever I play as Dante, I try to imagine myself as him – try different moves, just let myself be creative and enjoy,” you explained. “Though, I can’t last long because I tend to focus on doing the different moves instead of surviving the battle.” You chuckled.

“Exactly!”

## Vergil as Nero ##

“This is good,” Vergil remarked.

You could see how proud of his son Vergil was. If only you could, you would take a video of this and send it to Nero.

“His skill set is a balance between creativity and simplicity, and he is loyal to his weapons,” Vergil added before glancing at the Yamato, which he actually carried around with him all the time. It was like his version of your cellphone.

Then you taught him Nero’s buster moves, and he seemed amused at his son’s creatively violent tendencies. “This is an accurate depiction of Nero.” He chuckled.

## Vergil as V ##

This time, Vergil was quiet, but he was doing well as V.He knew that as V, you have to keep yourself away from most of the action, because V had a weak body and his familiars were the ones who do most of the fighting. He was probably moving based on experience.

Vergil was even good at multitasking V’s familiars. You did not remap the attack buttons and just retained the original setting, but Vergil could make Griffon and Shadow simultaneously execute attacks with just excellent timing. He could also budget V’s DT bars very well – always reading the book, boosting Shadow and Griffon’s attacks with the DT right when most needed, summoning Nightmare just before any of the two getsstalemated.

But there was this look in his eyes that told you he seemed to miss the familiars. That was probably why he was silent.So in an attempt to lighten up the mood, you told him to try the taunts, especially the ex provocation.

When V started dancing, Vergil was evidently embarrassed. “What foolishness is he doing? How do you make it stop?”

“No, let it on.” You laughed. “V shows your adorable dork side. Adorkable.”

“Shameless.”

## Vergil as Vergil ##

“This is perfection.”

He was good at being Vergil and the positive remarks were abundant. You kept chuckling at how satisfied he was with the rendering of his character.

“Just the right amount of weapon choices”

“Who needs guns when you can summon swords!”

“And there is a concentration gauge that motivates you to avoid getting hit and rewards you with stronger attacks. Everything one could ask for.”

It was almost like listening to yourself when you were endorsing DMC5Vergil DLCto your roommate before.

Then you taught him WorldofV.

After a few successful attempts, Vergil threw a wistful glance at the Yamato. You knew what he was thinking right at that moment. This guy would try that once he regains his powers. You just hoped that it becomes successful though, just a World of V and not another Urizen adventure.

But since he didn’t have his regenerative abilities right now, you had to make sure, “Hey, don’t try that here, okay? Your healing is off.”He merely huffedbefore continuingwith the game.

One could easily tell that Vergil was enjoying DMC5 as himself, and that he was pretty good at it. But that was until he reached Nidhogg in DMD, and the complaints were back:

“What?!”

“Curse those spitting plants!”

“The camera angle is an abomination!”

And he died.

“How pointless.” Vergil stood up and left the controller to you as you tried to hold yourlaughter. He went to the kitchen to fix some snack instead.

Funny how when you chose ‘Give Up’, the Vergil in the game also said the same line.

Chapter 5: Vergil and DMC3

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While browsing Reddit, you saw DMC3 combo videos that made you miss Dante’s Dance Macabre and Vergil’s triple Judgement Cut that you could pull off better in DMC3 than in DMC5.So here you were, playing the Temen-ni-gru saga.

When you paused the game to check how many Vital Stars you still got, you heard Vergil’s comment, “Dante’s ridiculous outfit.”Every time you would play Devil May Cry, he seemed to pop up from behind you, including the very first time he did. You were startled this time, though, because you tried to play it in secret. That was why you were playing at this time of the night, the lights were off and you were wearing headphones. You only noticed Vergil’s presence when you heard him that very time the game turned quiet.

You were sneaking out with this one because you feared that it might bring back bad memories to Vergil. As much as you wanted him to try playing the older game versions, you couldn’t risk reminding him of his trauma.But here he was now. You were caught. You didn’t know what to do.

It was Vergil who solved the situation for you as he sat beside you and brought an open palm before your eyes. “I cannot sleep, and you will pester me to play it anyway, so let’s cut the process short,” he said smirking.

You reluctantly gave him the controller, still worried especially since the current mission ends with the twins' battle on top of the tower. You watched how Vergil easily learned the controls and glided through the Temen-ni-gru’s complicated rooms with ease. He had no complaints with Dante’s weapons this time, just playing in silence. You rushed your brain for ideas on how to make this fun instead, but it didn’t cooperate.

“You are unusually quiet,” Vergil noticed. “Did you look forward to this mission and I stole it at the wrong time?”

Somehow you did. This was an iconic mission in DMC3 – the boss battle and cutscenes, that is. But that wasn’t what you were concerned about. “No, I’m just lost in thoughts.” You decided to be partially honest.

He merely hummed in acknowledgement.When he got the Crystal Skull and entered the pathway towards the top of the Temen-ni-gru, your heart raced, but not in excitement.

Finally, you couldn’t hold back, “You don’t have to play this one!” And an idea came forward, “Wanna try Vergil Mode? His teleports here are a bit limited compared to DMC5, but his moves are still cool.”

But he must have recognized that pathway, since his reply was, “You do not have to worry about me.” The smirk earlier was gone, replaced by a wistful smile. His tone still seemed confident though. “This is a chance to see it from Dante’s point of view.”

Andsohe watched the cutscenes and went on with the boss fight. You noticed him smile at DMC3 Vergil’s line about strength.

‘Foolishness, Dante. Foolishness. Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything… let alone yourself.’

“I still believe that to be true.” His words surprised you. You thought he would play this through in silence. “But I admit, that time, I was the foolish one.”

Your eyes got fixed at the Vergil beside you, not the one on the screen.

“This one mistake cost me more than 20 years of my life,” he continued. “But I cannot dwell on it forever.” He then looked at you as he quoted William Blake, “The errors of a wise man make your rule, Rather than the perfections of a fool.”

And you couldn’t stop the tears that had been yearning to escape your eyes.It might have been a good thing because it made him laugh.

He handed you the tissue box from the small table along with the controller, and said, “Now wipe your tears and show me the foolish Vergil of this game.”

You quickly complied, and in no time, his complaints were back.

“Why does he keep saying ‘scum’ and ‘die’?!”

Chapter 6: Vergil and Reddit

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Being as supportive as you were, you told Vergil that he could use your laptop and tablet at home for his research even when you were at work. “No need to ask for permission! Consider them your gadgets too,” you said as you gave him the unlock PINs. He had gotten the hang of modern technology up to a certain extent back in his world, mainly with Nero and Nico’s aid. So there was not much adjustment in that regard.

One afternoon, while Vergil was using the tablet to read articles about the Japanese people’s belief on power spots and shrines, a notification from the Devil May Cry Subreddit popped up. He got curious enough to click the notification for its title was “Who’s more scary, Angry Dante or Angry Vergil?” It was a poll, and since your account was logged in, it was easy for him to vote, and he voted for himself, of course.

Then he read some of the comments that caught his attention. A number of users seemed to agree that Vergil was always angry anyway so Angry Dante would be rare and more terrifying. This got Vergil compelled to defend his case, so he typed:

‘I beg to disagree. Vergil is not always angry. He is, in fact, always composed, but the way he focuses on the battle will perhaps lead to misconception that he looks angry. Much like how when a person concentrates on his goal, he sees nothing else and has no room for unnecessary mirth.’

Then someone replied to him with, ‘The poll should have been Angry Dante vs Motivated (Max-Concentration Hyper-Focus) Vergilthen!😂'

And another one came right away, saying, ‘I know a fellow Vergil simp when I see one! 😉’

“Simp?” Vergil mumbled in curiosity, and decided to search for the meaning of the word.“Preposterous!” The slang definition of the word vexed him, buthe ceased it immediately. “No, I’m not mad. I’m not always angry. I’m composed,” he said out loud like a mantra, not wanting those comments to be right.

He decided to leave the poll page, but the back button led him to the array of posts from different users. Most of them were questions and discussions about Devil May Cry, so he came to an understanding that these people knew a lot about his world. And from the page name itself, he could tell that this was a dedicated site, so they might have some helpful information he could use in his predicament.

So, he posted a question. ‘Does anyone here know how to open a portal?’ And of course, he got funny responses:

‘Aportalet, I can open XD’

‘Where do you plan to go? 😂’

‘Which portal? The blue one or the orange one? 😜’

‘You’regonnaneed a companion cube for that! LOL’

‘AndGLaDOS!’

Then someone posted a comment that led to quoting of Bury the Light lyrics.

‘I want a portal to escape the storm that is approaching.’

To which a reply, ‘You mean the one that’s provoking black clouds in isolation?’

And a subsequent reply, ‘Yes, a portal to reclaim my name.'

And another one below it, 'Why? Were you born in flames, blessed and your family crest a demon of death?’

Brows furrowed for a few seconds, Vergil then recognized that they were quoting his battle theme in DMC5. “Ridiculous!” He tried his best not to get mad at the foolish replies, to prove even to himself that he was not always angry. He was serious with his question but none of the responses were useful information.

And since your online accounts were synced among your devices, you found it weird why your phone kept vibrating that afternoon at work. When you managed to find a free time to check it, a flood of Reddit notifications greeted you, and you couldn’t contain your laughter as you found out how Vergil spent his afternoon at home.

Chapter 7: Vergil and Humanly Wounds

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You didn’t see exactly how it happened. You just saw Vergil catch falling knives with his bare hands by instinct.

You two were about to cook a pasta dish because you both got inspired and got cravings after watching an episode of Hell’s Kitchen on TV. It was mostly you who got the cravings though.

When Vergil saw “Hell’s Kitchen” on the channel guide, he thought it was something related to the Underworld and could possibly help in his research. That piqued his curiosity, so he turned to its channel, only to find out what it really was. But since the events were quite riveting, you two ended up finishing the episode and hungry for some pasta.

While preparing the ingredients, something must have hit something, that caused the knife holder to be pushed over the edge of the kitchen counter. The knives fell out, but surprisingly, Vergil caught all of them. Not a single one hit the floor. But his hands dripped with blood after what happened.

You quickly took the knives from him, placed them in the sink and put Vergil’s hands under running water. Luckily, the wounds he got were all just cuts, although of different sizes. At least nothing stabbed right through his hands. You then left him with a clean kitchen towel and came back with a first aid kit.

##

Vergil watched as you treated his wounds – from antiseptic solution to antibacterial ointment to gauze pads and bandages. You seemed like you were on autopilot, knowing everything you had to do, without any movement wasted.

But the last form of sound he heard was that of the running water earlier, so it felt odd. He started to wonder if, somehow, what happened made you angry. So he broke the silence, saying, “It’s really nothing. I am used to getting injured.” That was true but right now, he was feeling a noticeable amount of pain from his hands.

“Your healing is off,” you replied in a stern tone. “You’re like an ordinaryhuman right now.”

“Well...” He glanced at his left hand that had not yet received treatment and flexed his fingers a little. This made blood trickle from some of the wounds there. “It seems that being an ordinary human is difficult. You bleed so much and experience pain over something so trivial.”

“That wasn’t something trivial,” you corrected. “Normally,a person gets cut by one knife. On one finger. Not by six knives of different sizes and on both hands!”

He chuckled. “Even my time as V wasn’t like this.”

“Because as V, you still had some demonic power left in you somehow. Right now you’re completely out of it.” You turned to face him as you continued, “So don’t be reckless next time. Stay away from falling knives and try not to catch them.” You focused on the wounds again when you added, “Your instincts should have made you dodge.”

“It could have been more dangerous if I let them fall. Some could hit our feet, some could bounce back and hit... our legs?” He shrugged.

“Tsk. I won’t be doing this argument with you.”

He merely smirked at your response. But as Vergil watched you continue treating the wounds, he realized that this must be the first time that a human, apart from his mother, was reprimanding him without causing him to be irked even a little. For some reason, he was not feeling offended that a weaker creature was healing him either. He also found it amusing, yet at the same time too elaborate, how humans treat wounds, when all he had to do before was wait a few seconds.

“I’ll switch the pasta to penne, so it will be easier to eat,” you said upon finishing the wound treatment. He stood up at the same time you did, but was stopped when you said, “No, stay there. You dictate the recipe instead.” You handed him the tablet.

“No. I said I will participate in this endeavor, and I am a man of my word,” he insisted. “I cannot allow minor wounds to make me a burden in something I engaged in.”

“Stubborn Vergil.” You pushed his shoulders down so he would sit again, then placed the tablet on the dining table in front of him. “You won’t be a burden if you instruct me efficiently. You will be if you keep being stubborn.”

He subconsciously did his version of a pout and said, “Fine.” He realized that those bandaged hands would make it difficult for him to hold things anyway.

And so, you two went on with the cooking. However, Vergil was sharp enough to notice the few times that you went ahead of the recipe. It was as if you knew how to cook this even without his dictation. He wondered if he was being treated like a child, like one of your pre-school students, giving him something to do just for the sake of participation. Or perhaps you were merely considering how he felt, and intending not to hurt his pride. He could recall other similar instances anyway; this wasn’t the first time you did that.

So he sighed in defeat and looked at his hands. 'Human injuries are troublesome.'

##

When the dish was done, Vergil watched you set the table and serve the food. Even in that part you did not let him help.

“Let’s eat!” you said with glee.

As much as he appreciated the fact that you switched to penne for his convenience, it was still difficult to maneuver the fork with how wrapped up his hands were. He knew that forcing it would just interfere with its already slow healing, so he was ready to tell you that he wouldn’t be eating tonight. But then, a forkful of pasta greeted him.

“Come on, you know what to do.” You chuckled as you waited for him to say ‘aah’.

“I am not a child!” He moved away. “And I'm not hungry anyway.”

“Aw, we cooked this together. Have a taste of our victory,” you insisted, still holding the food to him. “Besides, you have to eat to have energy. You know, human stuff. Your wounds will heal faster if you eat right.”

Finding your argument sensible, he hissed before reluctantly opening his mouth. In his mind, he repeated, ‘Human injuries are troublesome.’

Chapter 8: Vergil and Horror

Chapter Text

There was this horror movie that ranked number one in Netflix for more than a week now, so it got you curious enough to watch it one evening.Having just finished a book, Vergil decided to join you on the couch.

The movie was about a demon that possessed a doll, which was haunting a family. The doll itself looked creepy enough, and the jumpscares made it worse. Every time you jolted in surprise, Vergil would either scold you for watching this or laugh at you. There was a time when he wasn’t even paying attention to the movie but the way you freaked out surprised him that he spilled his tea. It was even more scary whenthe demon was revealedbecause it wastheoutrightkind of creepy that sticks to mind.Youmust have beenone of the foolish beings to stare right at the screen and fall for it, so now you could see that face even when you close your eyes.

When the movie ended, Vergil looked unimpressed so you asked, “Do you not like horror movies?”

“I like horror. Just not that one,” he answered flatly.

“Why?”

“I have actually met that demon before,” he explained. “Aside from the fact that the depiction is very far from his true appearance, he is not that strong. He belongs to one of the bottom tiers in one of the weakest groups. Why did your people make a movie about him?”

So even in this regard, the weak are not worthy. That’s Vergil alright. But it still made you laugh and gave you the idea, “Maybe you should write a book about demons, because my people don’t know much about them.”

##

That night, you were reminded of why you shouldn’t drink more than three cups of coffee a day. You couldn’t sleep and your still-energetic mind replayed some of the scenes of the movie you watched earlier.

It started with the open ending. You couldn’t help but analyze it and imagine what could have happened, multiple possibilities of it. Then it led to the scary scenes, the disturbing ones. At one point, you even imagined the scene where thedoll crept up inside the blankets of one of the characters, and that made you instantly get up.

So here you were in the kitchen, wondering if warm milk would help make you sleepy. Too lazy to do it properly though, you took the mug with you to the refrigerator. You poured milk in there, while enjoying the cold air from the inside. When you closed the fridge door, like in some pranks or thriller, Vergil was there, and it scared the hell out of you. As a result, you dropped the mug of milk, which made a big mess.

“What the potstickers! Vergil!” You made an oath not to swear out loud because of your line of work, but hearing what you just said made you laugh. All the anger from getting scared were instantly gone.

You expected him to criticize your very un-Vergil vocabulary, but to your surprise, he scolded you for a different thing. He was already by your feet when he said, “Careless fool. Don’t move.” You wondered for a second if a Judgement Cut was coming. Then you saw Vergil inspecting your feet for any wound, before collecting the bigger mug fragments around you. He made his ‘Tsk’ loud enough for you to hear when he stood up to throw away the shards.

“You scared me.” You were compelled to defend yourself.

“You made a mess,” was his quick reply as he started cleaning the floor.

Somehow, it felt like being a scolded child, when it really was his fault. This must be Vergil's dad-mode, and against it, you could only ask, “May I move now?”

“Stay where you are.” His reply, though said in a strict tone, made you laugh again and earn a glare from him.

“Stop saying battle quotes!”

“You will get punished for this,” he muttered as he continued cleaning. You didn’t know if he was really mad, because there was a smirk on his lovely face. You also wondered if he was guilty for frightening you and causing this so he cleaned up the mess, or if he was just a bit of a neat freak.

##

When the cleaning was done, you started preparing warm milk again. This time you made sure that the mug was always on the counter to avoid another mess, especially since Vergil was eyeing your moves.

He joined you at the dining table later on. He wasn’t doing anything, just sitting across you. He wasn’t drinking anything either, so you offered yours, but he shook his head. He just stared at you as you checked if the milk was at a drinkable temperature.

And when you finally took a sip, he asked, “Would you like me to sleep in your room tonight?” That made you choke on the hot drink, some even made it to your nose. As you coughed hard and covered your embarrassed face, you saw him laugh.

You stood up to get the small pack of facial tissue from the living room table as you exclaimed, “Why would you say that!” Vergil knew from day one that you liked him, but this was the first time that he used it against you.

Your mind was drifting towards rom-com cliché scenes when he replied, “Because I sensed a demon in your room.” This instantly made you visualize horror images and the next thing you knew, you were running towards the main door. Only his laughter made you stop. “And that’s how you scare people. It doesn’t have to be a two-hour long movie,” he said smugly.

“Mean!” You threw him the tissue pack but he caught it with ease. “Is it true though?”

“What is?”

“That there’s a demon in my room?”

“There’s a demon in front of you right now.”

And you ran towards the door again, stopping only when you realized what he must have meant. “Were you talking about yourself?”

Vergil just smirked, irritating but still so good-looking, damn. Then he stood up and went to his room without a word. But he flashed another evil smirk before he closed his door. You didn't know if you should be scared or be dreamy at that.

You went back to the dining table to drink your milk, but as the silence stretched, more thoughts came forth. They made you alert and paranoid enough to check under the table repeatedly for anything that might suddenly grab you.

So you decided to move to the couch. At least it was more comfortable there. As you sat down, you realized that you wouldn’t see what might come at you from behind, since the couch was kind of in the middle of the room. You suddenly remembered the last horror video game you played, ‘Emily Wants to Play.’ The creepy dolls there would suddenly appear somewhere around you, and the first doll was the most panic-inducing. You would have to find her immediately and keep looking at her till she disappears, because if you don't, she would come closer and attack you in a very startling way.

You shook your head as if to shrug off the thoughts and you moved to the floor. You were on the other side of the living room table, now facing the couch. You smiled as you took a sip of your milk. At least this way you could see the whole room, behind you was just the TV.

The TV...

and you remembered Sadako.

So you moved again. This time you chose Vergil’s Portal-Opening Corner, and you took a throw pillow and a magazine with you. At least in here, there was just a wall behind you. Nothing else, just clean wall... and the idea that this was Vergil’s area, which made you imagine that there would be some sort of protection field in here. This was a place that’s safe enough. You decided to stay here at least until you become too sleepy to think, for when that time comes, you probably won’t care what’s in your room or in your bed anymore.

But eventually, you fell asleep there.

##

The whole time, Vergil was still awake and was sensing your movements from inside his room. At first he was smiling to himself, but the more shifting you did, the more just-a-bit-guilty he became.

It had been more than an hour and the living room lights were still on, so he decided to check on you. “Perhaps I went too far,” he said to himself. Upon opening his bedroom door, he quickly spotted you. You were asleep on the floor, with your head resting on the corner made by two walls. Your arms were hugging a throw pillow, and a magazine was left open on your lap. He chuckled and shook his head, mumbling, “Foolish girl.”

Vergil then carried you back to your room and tucked you under the blankets. He did his best to be gentle with your human body while also being careful not to wake you up. Recalling the instances you'd jolted in fear tonight made him smile a little though. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything if you are with a son of Sparda,” he said softly as he gazed at you for a few seconds before leaving your room.

Chapter 9: Vergil and His Hair

Chapter Text

The whole time Vergil was staying here, you had been noticing that he would often run his fingers up his hair because some cute little strands fell to his forehead. He actually looked good even with those little bangs, but it seemed that he preferred them all up.

Soone time you saw him do the gesture,you asked,“Do you usedemonic power to make your hair stay in place?”

He looked a bit flustered with the sudden question, so you added,“I mean,your hair doesn’t fall down even when you fight, and you move so fastat that.But then again, maybe it’s because you move so fast that your hair just stays up, like when riding a rollercoaster.”

He was sitting on the couch, beside you, so it was easy to ambush-interview him, but he still didn’t answer. He busied himself with the remote, but the speed at which he switched the channels told you that it was justpretense.

“Some people say it’s all motivation that keeps your hair up.” You snickered. “But I say it’s demonic power. What do you say, Mister Vergil?” You playfully gestured a pretend microphone towards him.

He sighed and looked away, muttering “Yes. A bit.”

“Oh, so that’s why cute little bangs fall down now,” you said, rather amazed. "And maybe that's why as V, you didn't do the swept-back hair; you were conserving demonic power! So V sometimes just brushes his hair up in his idle animation." You giggled recalling those instances.

He turned off the TV and was about to stand up when you said, “This cannot be!” This made Vergil look at you as you continued, “We cannot let losing your power get in the way of your distinct look! Wait for me here.”

And you ran out the door.

A few minutes later, you came back with the nearby convenience store’s plastic bag and excitedly showed him what you had bought. “This is what my people use to hold our hair up,” you described the small tub of hair wax you were holding. Of course you chose the blue one, not minding that it was labeled ‘ultra-strong hold’.

As he took and inspected it, you added, “You still look good with those little bangs though. But if they annoy you somehow, you can use that.”

After reading the instructions, he tried it a little, and those baby hair and wayward strands were up instantly. “Interesting,” he said, eyeing the tub of wax.

You smiled and pointed towards the bathroom, “Go on, play with it in front of the mirror.”

And so he did.Cute.

But when he returned a few minutes later, you could imagine those angry chibi Vergil fan arts when he showed you how that ‘cursed concoction’ made his hair all clumpy. “Is this permanent? I cannot feel my hair anymore.” The way his waxy hands tried to feel his hair and his panic made you laugh even more.

But you had already learned what would happen if you kept laughing when Vergil was mad. So even when still chuckling, you stood up and pulled him by the arm, saying, “Alright, let’s wash it off.”

You had him kneel down by the bathtub as you shampooed his hair. You still couldn’t stop snickering, but you tried your best not to let him notice.

“I’m never using that again,” he said with contempt.

“You just used too much,” was your quick reply. Before he could realize that you are finding his situation funny, you tried to distract him with, “Am I rubbing too hard?”

“No, but you’re not doing it evenly.” He pointed with his left hand. “This side needs moreru-- shampoo.”

“Demanding.” But you complied, still chuckling.

“You find this amusing, don’t you?”

“Of course not!”

##

Vergil sat on the floor as you dried his hair from the couch. Hair dryer in hand, you took it as a victory when his locks slowly become fluffy. It was still amazing though, that you were touching the Sparda trademark hair right now, especially the fact that this was Vergil’s. He always looked like someone who would cut the hand of anyone who would touch his hair.

It was also the first time that you saw his hair down in person. You always wondered how long it would be, if it would be the same as Dante’s post-Qliphoth hair or shorter. The thought of Dante made you remember how the twins didn’t look alike in DMC5 anymore, and some people had headcanons for it, something about Vergil not aging during his time in the underworld, or something about the Qliphoth fruit giving him a youthful glow.

So, you stole a look of his face, pretending it was needed in the drying process. Good thing he was busy with the magazine he found nearby. He did look a bit different, but perhaps some stubble there and a big goofy grin and they would be identical twins again.

But this Vergil with his hair down seemed like a different side of him, like a sad side or a fragile side or something. You figured that it must be because it was not his usual motivated, ready-to-fight-efficiently look.

Seeing him with his hair down somehow made you see the side he doesn’t show to other people, both in the literal and figurative sense. The vulnerability it presented gave you the urge to hug him, but you were scared of violating his space or make him think that you were exploiting him.

But you ended up staring at him for so long that he noticed it. “Do you know the thing called peripheral vision?” was his snide remark.

Caught guilty, you decided to be honest. After turning off the hair dryer, you calmly explained. “I just thought that I'm seeing this side of you that you don’t show other people. And knowing quite a lot about you from the lore, it felt like I just want to— just tell you that everything will be okay... because it looks like... it seems that--”

“Vergil needs a hug?” Despite the indifference, what he said greatly surprised you. He must have noticed it so he explained, “That’s the category of fan fiction you are subscribed to in that Archive-something website, right?”

“You read fanfics?” You were surprised even more.

“No, well, not yet. You just tend to leave a lot of tabs open in the browser.” His explanation made you a bit embarrassed. “And you read too much fan fiction,” he added right away. “I don’t need a hug. I am strong. I don’t need reassuring gestures from other people. I have lived alone most of my life.”

Hearing what he said made you teary-eyed, and you couldn’t stop yourself, you hugged him.

From behind him, you wrapped your arms around Vergil’s shoulders. It was something impossible to do if not for your current position since he was way taller than you were. His soft hair was now on your cheek and his shoulders stiffened upon contact but you didn’t mind any of it as you said, “You were never alone. There are people like me who watched you the whole time, read your story, felt how you did, cried when it hurt... And now, you’re back in Dante’s life and you even have Nero, you definitely won’t be alone anymore. I'll do my best to help you get back to them.”

You were now sobbing like a kid but you couldn’t help it. Maybe being around kids too much had rubbed off some of their traits on you. Good thing he couldn’t see how unsightly you were.

“Look at you crying like a fool.” He finally spoke. He was quiet since you hugged him so you were getting a bit scared. “You're the one who needs a hug,” he added, sounding a bit annoyed.

“No, I don’t need a hug, I’m fine.” You chuckled as you wiped your tears with your wrist.

But Vergil did it anyway.

He turned around and pulled you close. You fell from the couch but he caught you before you hit anything. You were awkwardly seated on his lap as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, imitating what you did to him, only this time he was facing you.

It was silent for a few seconds, that you could almost hear your frantic heartbeat. Then he whispered in your ear, “Thank you.” He didn’t elaborate, you didn’t ask, but it felt like those two words meant the world.

And from then on, whenever you see Vergil running fingers up his hair, your heart flutters for two reasons:

1. Vergil looks cool with the slick-back gesture as always, and
2. You remember that even Vergil needs and gives a hug

Chapter 10: Vergil and Rituals

Chapter Text

Respectful of your home, Vergil asked for your permission one day. He told you that he would like to attempt different procedures in hopes of regaining his demonic power and opening a portal to his world. When you asked him for details, he described things that, in your world, counted as rituals. So you got a bit scared. Having watched enough horror movies, you knew that those things had a tendency to take a wrong turn and be dangerous to the people doing them.

“Are you afraid you might get hurt?” he asked after seeing your reaction.

“Well, yeah, that too, but you’re the one who would do them, so I think I'm more afraid for you.” Your reply somehow made him smile a little.

“But now that you mentioned it,” you added, “In horror movies, minor characters even die before the main character who did the ritual gets hurt. So yeah, I guess now I'm scared.” But you chuckled still.

“Is that so?” He thought for a second before saying, “I know what must be done.” Before you could even fangirl on the game quote, Vergil invited you to his room. More like dragged you, but you got too preoccupied to notice the difference.

You could practically hear your heartbeat as you watched his hand pull you by the wrist, with some fingers already on your palm. His hold on you was oddly too gentle, as if he was scared he might break your human bones. And when you entered his room, you were already indaydreamland.

Thekabedonmoment in your mind was interrupted when you saw Vergil drawing a big ritual circle on the floor. It reminded you of theElricBrothers’ human transmutation, so you were compelled to ask, “Wh-what is that for?”

“Just trust me,” was what Vergil managed as a reply. He was drawing detailed parts so he probably had to focus.

You were starting to get scared, feeling as if all the demonic thing in DMC was about to get real minus the stylish fights. But you chose to trust him. You knew that no matter how scary Vergil might be sometimes, he wouldn’t do things without reason. And since he asked you to trust him, that meant he intended to uphold said trust.

Vergil turned off the lights, then made you sit inside the circle with him, face to face. That was when he started to explain, “I’m going to cast a protection spell on you. Something that would ward off demons and otherworldly harm. I do not want you to get hurt should I ever commit a mistake in my trials, nor do I want to make you feel unsafe.” You were touched by his intentions, and that immensely reduced the fear.

“Now,Iwillneed you to trust me completely and not run away during the process,”he said,and you nodded.You saw him glance at one of the open books on his bed before he added, “And I would,uh, need to draw a bit of blood from you to accomplish this. I hope you allow it.”

The involvement of blood was somehow alarming, but the idea of Vergil pulling a Dracula on you was no doubt sexy. You were not aware that he noticed, even in the dim room, that you were smiling. “Does drawing blood please you?”

“No, no!” You panicked. “I just can’t help but imagine—”

He rolled his eyes as he cut in, “I’m not going to bite your neck or anything. Afewdropsofblood from your finger will suffice.”

“Oh.”

He was smirking when he said, “You look disappointed. I’ll take that as permission then.”

Vergil then lit up two candles, one to your right, one to your left, and that signaled the start of it. With his eyes closed, he uttered some language you could not understand. It made the flames from the candles flare up, to your surprise.

“Don’t be scared. Have faith in me,” Vergil said softly as he looked at you, and you nodded in response. Then he asked for your hand, so you gave him your right. He twirled a small knife with his right hand, probably a mini version of how he played with the Yamato when he would switch hands with it like in Mission 20. He held the knife close to your hand and said, “This might hurt a little,” before he made a small cut on your index finger.

Watching the blood start to ooze, you were beginning to think of this as somewhat cool. It was like in movies or anime, a scene where a drop of blood will resurrect something that had been sleeping for a century. But then Vergil brought your finger onto his lips and started sucking on it. You jolted so he glanced at you right at that moment when the tip of your finger was in his mouth. Now that was hot. Your Vergil Vision was amplifying everything. And that look he gave you, a mix of concern and reassurance, didn’t help but make you melt internally. The blood-drinking only took a few seconds but to you it felt like eternity.

He then stood on his knees. You couldn’t see his face but he was saying some spell again before he planted a kiss on your forehead, causing your eyes to widen and your heart to race. Then Vergil lowered his face, now levelled with yours. You thought for a second that he will kiss your lips too, so you tried not to panic. But then he said, “Pardon me, I have to do this,” before unbuttoning the upper part of your shirt.You didn’t know which was more panicking, a kiss on the lips or this.

Then he mumbled something again, tilted his head a little and kissed that part of your chest, the part where pendants usually land. Vergil's kisses were so soft and so warm. It was as if the heat lingered even after he pulled away. You wanted to touch those parts and confirm what magic was happening on them, but you were afraid that it might interfere with the spell so you kept your hands on either side. This ritual was weird, nothing like those things you see on TV, yet you couldn’t help but think that if this was how his rituals would be then let’s go do rituals every night with Vergil!

You only realized that it was finished when he blew the candles and stood up to turn on the lights. You were still quite stunned until he offered a hand. He helped you stand up and said, “May I?” You didn’t know what permission he was asking for, but you nodded anyway. Turns out, he just wanted to button your shirt. “I hope you did not feel taken advantage of, or anything like it. Some rituals can be strange.”

You shook your head vehemently, hoping you weren't as red as you think you currently were. You then noticed that there was still blood on his lower lip so you instinctively reached for it. You thought it was your blood and you were too concerned on not staining Vergil’s perfection with anything from you. But when he licked his lip before you could reach it, you realized that he really was bleeding.

You must have looked confused or worried so he started explaining the ritual. He said he needed to take a small amount of blood from the subject, then mix it with a small amount of blood from the protector. So when he sucked your blood earlier, he also bit his own lip to mix some of his blood with yours. Then the protector would have to smear it on the mind and body of the subject – so those spots he kissed represent the mind and body. That way, he said, no evil thing could invade your mind with hallucinations or horrifying visions, or harm you physically in any way.

As you listened to the details, you realized, “So it didn’t have to be with your lips? You could make a cut on our fingers and mix the blood then smear it on me?”

Vergil smirked and remarked, "You are small but sharp," before he explained, “I had to consume some of your blood too, as a backup plan. It was a different kind of spell, something that would warn me should any demonic being intend to harm you or even just get close to you.” So he did two spells in one move. This man of efficiency! No movement wasted indeed!

“How would you be warned?” you then asked.

“I would feel it.”

“How does the protector and the subject thing work? How will it affect you?”

He smiled at how curious you were. “Whatever is to be inflicted upon you –physical pain, visions, hallucinations— would all be diverted to me.” That gave you a fuzzy feeling in your chest, but you got worried about Vergil's safety. It must have been showing in your face that he noticed. "There is no need for you to worry about me, human. I can handle those things."

His confidence made you wonder, “Have you tried this before?”

“No, this is the first time. I learned it from the arcane books of your people. That’s why it’s weird.”

“Can we trust my people on that?”

“Don’t worry, it will work. I won’t let anything harm you,” Vergil said as he put a hand on top of your head.

Chapter 11: Vergil and Part-time Jobs

Chapter Text

You went to the door when the doorbell rang. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But what surprised you was the delivery of groceries, packed neatly in a big box with a transparent top where you could see the brands you bought regularly, the kind of items you were almost out of, and your preferred variants of food and other goods.

But you didn’t order this. “I’m sorry, there must have been a mix up,” you said as you politely refused it.

The man checked the address on his clipboard then the one on your door, and he looked confused. You both did. Good thing Vergil was there to the rescue. He casually swooped in, took the clipboard, signed it and gave it back to the man, who handed him the box in return.

Puzzled as you were, you followed Vergil to the kitchen where he put the box and started unpacking and organizing. “We didn’t order those,” you said, tone worried and confused.

“Ah, it’s my salary for the uh...” He seemed to be having a hard time recalling it, as he squinted then tilted his head a little. "I think, the movie review website?” He then continued with the task as if everything was normal.

“Salary? Movie review?”

And so, you found out what Vergil did on some boring afternoons. Apparently, with his super adaptability, and because he had a tendency to finish books and tasks early, he had tried different part-time jobs since around his second week here. Ranging from movie reviews and proofreading articles that he could do within the comfort of the apartment, to once-a-week in-house jobs like being a math tutor and a violin instructor, he had tried quite a lot and you didn’t know about it. How bored could he be?

“Violin?”

“Just the basics.”

“Math?”

“Algebra. But that one, I want to quit.” He sighed. “That foolish girl just keeps staring at me. We are not getting anywhere with her studies.”

“Movie reviews?”

“There is nothing good recently. I have been waiting for something we can watch, something better than that so-called horror you watched last week.”

“Proofreading?”

“That one is amusing. You tell them their mistakes and they pay you for it.” He chuckled.

By the end of your Q and A, Vergil had already finished organizing the groceries, which reminded you to ask, “Why groceries?”

“I don’t want to keep so much cash, and I have no bank account here so those jobs that can pay through wireless transactions, I redirect to other useful forms,” he explained casually as he prepared coffee.

“Useful forms? Other than online groceries, what else?”

Even now, he wasn’t looking as he answered, “Subscriptions.”

And you recalled the weird emails you had been receiving the past few days. Those from Spotify, Netflix, your internet service provider and some other more, all saying something about payment confirmation. Some of them were even doubled, so you ignored them, thinking they were probably just spam or phishing mails from fake addresses.

So you immediately checked the emails and found out that most of your subscriptions were already paid, some even paid three months in advance. “Ehhh?!”

You felt a mixture of gratitude and awkwardness, but Vergil pushed the bad feelings away the same time he pushed you to sit at the dining table and served you a cup of coffee. It was brown, unlike the black coffee on his side, meaning he put milk and sugar in yours, just the way you liked it.

“Thank you... for the coffee and all those things...” you said, getting all shy.

“Fool,” he replied smirking. “Cohabitation is a two-way street,” he added before drinking.

“How did you even do those things?” you asked, trying to change the topic a bit because what he just said made you blush.

He reached for the tablet on the other end of the table and said, “In the words of DMC5 Nero,‘I've got all the power I need. Right here.’ ” That made you laugh, and he seemed pleased.

You smiled lovingly at your coffee before you took a sip. Then you remembered the fact that Vergil had survived on his own since he was eight, and traumatic events aside, he must have learned how to get by. Now that you somehow witnessed it, you admired him even more. “You’re really amazing, Vergil.”

Chapter 12: Vergil and Cosplay

Chapter Text

There was this gaming convention coming up, and you somehow managed to convince Vergil to come with you. Only, as per your tradition with your old roommate, you would go to the convention cosplaying a character, so that meant Vergil would have to do it too.

Luckily, he was Vergil. All he had to do was wear his original clothes, bring the Yamato, and be himself. Effortless.

Meanwhile, you were planning to go as Nero this year, to complement the special presence of the Dark Slayer. You had originally thought of being Dante, but your height and the confidence to annoy Vergil you would have to have were both kind of lacking. So you decided it best that you be his son instead.

“Hey old man!” was your greeting upon showingVergilyour bestNero, complete with the wig, the jacketwith the torn right sleeve,theraggedshirt,Blue Rose, Red Queen, and even Nero’snecklace. “You’re my dad! Feeling accepting yet?”

Vergil chuckled as he shook his head. “Foolish.”

“What'd you say?” you imitated Nero’s taunt before laughing. Then you quickly returned to your original voice and said, “Oh, I almost forgot... When we bought the materials for my weapons, I also bought a pack of gum for Nero’s Recovery Provocation.”

“Is that forNero?I put it in the cupboards,” Vergil said, and youwent to find it.“Withthe instant ramen.”

The ramen supply was in thehigher cupboards.So when you tried reaching it, jumpinga lotin the process, you took the chance tobeNero again with,“Ridin’ high”and“Let’s get airborne”.

It madeVergillaugh before pitying your height, or lack thereof, and getting the gum himself to hand it to you. At least he joined you in the fun by saying, “This has nothing to do with you. Stand down,” before he took it.

“Nothing to do with me?! It has everything to do with me! That’s my gum.” You laughed, and when he handed you the gum, “Thanks, old man,”you replied, genuinely happy.

##

When you arrived at the venue, Vergil was instantly a celebrity.

As effortless as he was, a lot were impressed by him, saying he looked so much like the original. They were also asking how he did his hair, if it was a wig or not, and if not, how many times he bleached it. Some even asked to take a photo with you two.

One of which was this lady, who was cosplaying Lady. She literally stopped you two with her Kalina Ann and her non-cosplaying friend who was also her personal photographer. You couldn’t help but be amazed at how much effort sheput into her roleand how she wore that sexy outfit with confidence, so of course you were excited to have thatphoto.

Vergil, on the other hand, looked as grumpy as ever while you three were making a pose. He looked so irritated, and you guessed that it was probably because Lady had her arms around Vergil’s right arm, her body pressed against it.

You were, somehow, one of the Vergil fans who had accepted that Vergil was meant to be shared with everyone who treated him as their 2D hubby, so it wasn’t much of a problem for you. But it made you smile to see that Vergil was not like typical guys who would enjoy such chance at boobies.

As you were spacing out, Lady gave you a push, saying she wanted a solo with Vergil. But unexpectedly, this made Vergil reach his trigger point. “Take your filthy hand off my Nero,” he said as he dismissed her and pulled you away by your right arm.

From other people’s point of view, Vergil was pulling Nero’s right arm again. Dragging now, though. He walked briskly and made a lot of turns to lose the persistent Lady, who chased after you two. Then he saw a photo booth and decided to hide in there.

“Are you alright, Vergil—er, old man?”The way you remembered to Nerohalfway made him smilea little.

“I’m fine.” His tone was still scary though.

You decided to give him time to calm down and you explored the colorful buttons below the screen in front of you instead. “Do you want to take a photo?” you then heard Vergil say, now in a gentle tone.

You faced him slowly, eyes wide and hands covering your mouth, while saying a muffled, “Really?”

“Fool.”He huffed, smiling.“Go ahead.”

“Too bad that I don’t look like my usual self. But it’s okay, Nero’s photo with Vergil, that’s still gold!” you said cheerfully.

“We could always take a photo at home,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Is that alright with you?” you asked, holding back a squeal.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” He looked as though you were saying something weird.

“I’ve always wanted to take your photo actually,” you said as you operated the machine. You couldn’t look at him and be this honest at the same time, “While you’re reading, while you’re cooking, whatever you are doing! Candid shots!”

“I’m surprised you haven’t even done that yet.” You saw his reflection on the screen smirk.

“Well, you might get mad so I've always been holding back.” You grinned sheepishly at the screen, knowing he was looking.

And then there was a flash of light -- you took your first shot by mistake.

He chuckled and mocked, “You probably look ridiculous in that one.” But it was fine, for you were glad he was in a good mood now.

And so, you went on and took the next few photos, all of which had Vergil smiling in them, no matter how slight.

Chapter 13: Vergil and DMC Merch

Chapter Text

When you both got home from the gaming convention, you immediately washed up and changed into your usual, more comfortable clothes. It wasn’t because you didn’t want to be Nero anymore, no. It was because of themerch!

“Do you go to such events just to purchase these items?” Vergil couldn’t help but ask, seeing the bags you left on the living room table.

“Well, that’s one reason. There are special shops there, and some rare fan-made goods,” you explained, grinning as you checked your haul.

#ChibiVergil Face Pillow #

It was the biggest one, and probably the cutest. You had been waiting to get home just so you could open it and hug it.

Vergil watched as you pinched the Pillow-Vergil’s cheeks, booped on its nose and played with the material that was supposed to be its hair. Of course you also hugged it, and almost kissed it, but when you noticed the real Vergil looking at you with a smile of disbelief, you settled for just hugs. Kisses would be for later, before you sleep.

“I’ll call him Vergillow,” you declared, showing its cute face to Vergil.

#V’s Book Notebook #

While still hugging Vergillow, you handed Vergil a replica of his William Blake book. As he looked at you, you explained, “It’s a notebook.It might be useful in taking notes about your research.”

He took it to inspect. The cover was of high quality so it must have felt like holding the original, hence Vergil’s smile when he said, “Thank you.”

You grinned before handing him a miniature V’s cane. “Itpairs wellwiththisballpen, right?”

He chuckledas he accepted it.

#Plushiesof the FourSpardaBoys #

These were about the size of your palm.Small and squishy, but their faces, outfitand the weapons attached to their hands weremade in great detail.

Of course you played with them a little, dubbing them with their lines from the game. You placed V-Plushieon top of a tissue pack andhad him stab it, saying, “While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join.”

Then you made a pretend burst of light by pulling two sheets of tissue, and Vergil-Plushie appeared. When he looked at Dante-Plushie, the latter said, “You’ve got some pretty big cojones for coming back. Just don’t know when to give up, do you?”

Dante-Plushie then attacked Vergil-Plushie, but the older-twin-Plushie blocked it and said, “Defeating you like this has no meaning. Heal your wounds Dante. Get strong. After that, we’ll settle the matter.” Vergil-Plushie hit his twin, then opened a portal and disappeared.

Nero-Plushie and Dante-Plushie, who remained, argued, “Let me guess, I'm deadweight? Well you can shove that up your—” “It’s not that.” “What is it then?!” “He’s your father!”

Being too absorbed in the reenactment of the scene on the small table, you forgot that Vergil was just there on the couch. He was watching the whole time, stifling a laugh until he said, “Amazing.”

Upon hearing him, your face turned red and you shoved the plushies back into their paperbag.

“Why did you stop? Go on, I’m watching,” he teased.

#Dante and VergilMagicMugs #

These were the kinds that change color or design when you put hot liquid in them. They were just plain black, one with a red handle, the other one blue. So you prepared hot water, excited for the reveal.

“Be careful,” Vergil reminded. He must be on dad-mode when mugs were involved.

When you poured hot water in them, the mugs revealed DMC3 Dante and Vergil, both in theirsmirks and attacking stance.

“Whodoyou prefertoserve yourcoffeeevery morning?” you asked Vergil.

“The shirtlessgoof,”he answered, before leaving the kitchen.

“Okay then. The handsome dork is mine.”

“He’s all yours.” Vergil must not have realized how his replyhad another meaning thatmade youhappy.

#DMC5Dante and VergilNendoroid#

These were the most expensive ones in your haul, but they were worth it. They had a lot of accessories that even Vergil got curious, he played them with you.

You set up Dante, and Vergil did Vergil. You both tried different weapons, poses and faces, finding which ones would go together best. When you finally settled with Dante wearing Faust Hat and holding a pizza slice, Vergil placed his nendoroid near yours. The Nendo-Vergil was pointing the Yamato between Dante’s face and the pizza, and he had some blistering blades by his shoulders.

Vergil just smirked when you looked at him. He must miss fighting Dante right now.

But since it was a cute pose for the nendoroids, you took a photo of them, like what you'd usually do after setting a nendo. Then you heard Vergil say, “Ah,” as if he suddenly remembered something.

You looked at him, and he was looking at your phone, which was on camera mode. With that you realized, “Photo?”

He nodded. He remembered! And it was even him who reminded you of it!

You tried to contain your excitement as you switched the camera into selfie mode and searched for a good angle. You were both seated on the couch so it should have been easy. But no matter how you stretched your arm, you couldn’t find a good one, probably due to the pressure of this being a precious chance. And you had to make sure that your face and Vergil’s hair were both complete on the screen.

Vergil sighed and took the phone from you. “You have short arms, human,” he said as he took the selfie. If it was him who took the photo then you wouldn't be choosy with the angle, it would certainly be perfect!

As he returned the phone to you, you countered, “You’re just ridiculously tall, Vergil.” He only smirked at that, and with the phone being in your hand, you grabbed the chance to make this official -- you took his photo. Then you said, "You have granted me the permission to take stolen photos. I shall make my people proud!"

You even gave a playful salute, which made him chuckle and say, "Fool." Then with a silly smile you couldn't stop, you checked the most priceless DMC merch you had acquired today: the photos with and of Vergil.

Chapter 14: Vergil and Pooch the Dog and Ney the Neighbor

Chapter Text

It was a Saturday. Vergil would usually wake up earlier than you would, but a message from your neighbor made you get up early today, and, as a bonus, witness Vergil’s woke-up-like-this. Anddamn, he still looked good,cute even, with that bedhair.

But you had to stop staring, otherwise the dog might get in trouble with Vergil’s dangerous reflexes. Surprisingly though, the dog sat in front of Vergil’s room as he came out, as if welcoming its master and awaiting his next command.

“What is this? You are early.” He noticed two things at once.

You immediately went to the dog’s side to introduce him properly to Vergil. “This is Pooch.He’s our neighbor’s dog.” Then you talked to the dog, “Come on, Pooch,shake.”

Vergil crouched down and offered a palm, to which Pooch gave his paw. But Pooch made it a stepping-palm to launch a kiss-lick onto Vergil’s face. Ah, if only you were a dog, you thought. This made Vergil fall to the floor, but he wasn’t angry or anything. He calmly accepted the dog’s affection and even gave it a rub below the ear.

Sighing in relief, you said, “I was actually worried, that he might jump on you, and then you, breaking him by instinct before realizing what happened. Good thing you have your charms even on dogs.” He didn’t respond, so your other worry resurfaced. Pooch was a black labrador so you had also been worrying about Pooch reminding Vergil of V's familiars. “Sorry if he reminds you of Shadow...”

“It’s fine,” he said. “But why do we have the neighbor’s dog?”

“Whenever Ney goes out of town, he asks me to take care of Pooch for a day or two.” You called the dog and he immediately came to lick you. Indirect Vergil kiss, yeah, good doggy.

So you and Vergil spent the day with Pooch. You watched TV together, took a walk in the park, exchanged more slobbery indirect kisses, and enjoyed the peaceful day. You were glad that Vergil got along well with Pooch. Or was Pooch, perhaps, afraid of Vergil? Dogs were known to sense otherworldly beings, right?And Vergil was even kind of the Demon King for a while, right? Nah, it was probably just Vergil’s charms. That was what you told yourself.

##

That night, you left your bedroom door open for when Pooch would want to relieve himself in the bathroom. He was very well trained, and he was used to your place so there were no triggers to Vergil’s neat-freak-dad-mode.

When Vergil went to the kitchen to get a drink, he passed by your open door and saw you sleeping peacefully, hugging the dog beside you. This somehow made him smile. But when he noticed your leg sticking out of the bed, he had to “Tsk” before invading your room to push your leg back into bed and cover it with the blanket. Pooch woke up because of this, but he just looked at Vergil.

“Don’t tell her I was here,” he told the dog before leaving. He couldn't help but smile after realizing what he just did.

##

The next day was basically spent the same way, except for the evening when the neighbor came to pick up his pet Pooch. From the couch, Vergil heard a male voice call your name when you opened the door.Apparently,Vergil still had his heightened sense of hearing.

“Thanks for taking care of Pooch,” the guy said, and the dog rushed to him upon being mentioned. “I got you this.”

“Thanks,” you said.

“Come on let's try them. I heard they're delicious. And there’s actually something I want to tell you.” Vergil sensed the guy making his way inside.

“Sorry Ney, my roommate is uh...”

“You have a new roommate? Why didn’t you tell me?” The guy laughed. “Introduce me to her then!” And he stepped further in, even with you trying to block him. This made Vergil decide to stand up, just casually, as if it was not intentional, pretend he was going to make another cup of tea.

And when this Ney saw a tall man in the living room, his expression quickly changed. Perhaps it was because of how Vergil was looking at him too. You introduced Ney to Vergil and vice versa, which compelled Vergil to come towards the door. He chose to bring the Yamato with him though. When you saw this, you quickly went to Vergil’s side and whispered, “No need for the Yamato, he’s just the neighbor.”

But Vergil ignored it and continued to make his way to the door. Good thing Ney was quick to call you again and say, “I actually want to invite you next weekend. The guys and I are planning to go to my uncle’s cabin. You know, just hang out and nature relaxation thing. Then drink and play games like the old times.”

“That sounds nice,” you said, blocking the Yamato from Ney’s view. “But I'm afraid I can’t leave Vergil alone, he’s kinda new here so...”

“Then bring him along,” Ney suggested. “You’re fine with that, aren’t you?” He looked at Vergil.

But Vergil did not answer him, and instead looked at you. “Do you want to go?”

“If it’s alright with you,” you answered.

“Fine.”

##

And it was settled. You thanked Ney, he bid goodbye and took Pooch home, then you and Vergil went back to the couch. You offered him the cupcakes that Ney had brought, but he refused.

“That guy, does he come here often?” Vergil asked all of a sudden, the sound from the TV now becoming white noise.

“He used to.” You decided to explain, “Ney and his friends, they are friends with my former roommate, so they used to come here a lot before. When I was new here, they welcomed me as part of their group, but now that my roommate is gone, I haven’t had much time to hang out with them. Well, we don’t exactly have the same interests, that’s why.” You chuckled.

“Be careful of him,” Vergil said flatly.

“Why?”

“Just.”

“Is that weird ritual working? Are you sensing something from Ney?” You found it interesting if the ritual did work.

“No, he’s just a weak human.”

“Oh.” You laughed. Of course, Ney was human, the ritual wouldn’t apply to him. “He’s actually a nice guy, you know,” you added. “He brings me something every time he picks up Pooch.”

“That is just common courtesy. It does not necessarily mean that he is a good person.”

“Well...”Youthought for a second. “He’s always nice to me.” You shrugged and chuckled.

“Do you like him?”

“What? No!” You laughed as if the idea was absurd.

“Good.” Vergil then stood up and went to the kitchen. You wondered what that was all about. His tone was the same the whole time, oddly serious and a bit scary. You started to wonder if Ney had a demonic background that Vergil could sense or something.

##

When Vergil returned to the couch, he brought two cups of tea. He used the Vergil and Dante mugs, and gave you the Vergil one. He smiled a little upon seeing how your eyes lit up when you saw the Vergil mug.

“Aw, you can be a nice guy too, huh?” you teased him. His expression quickly turned flat, making you worry.

But when he saw you frown, Vergil put on a smirk and said, “If you are comparing me to that guy then..." He took your cup of tea. "I’m taking this back.”

“Game quote!” You chuckled. “Seriously, if I could get a red orb every time you say a line from the game.”

“When did I say that in the game?”

“When you ripped Nero’s arm.” You recited, “I’m taking this back. I’m running out of time...” then gestured opening a portal.

“Wow.” Vergil's tone was a bit sarcastic. “I cannot even remember things I said from that time as I was, you know, dying.” He shook his head while smiling, “You are certainly crazy about me, aren't you?” You just grinned. “Very well. I suppose you can have this back.” Vergil gave you the tea and leaned back on the couch, with an arm outstretched along the backrest behind you.

Chapter 15: Vergil and You

Chapter Text

Ney, the neighbor, had invited you to an outing with his friends. You used to hang out with them with your roommate before and it had been a while since you saw them all, so you kind of looked forward to this.

The greater chunk of reason for your excitement, though, was the fact that Vergil would also come along. This was technically your first out-of-town, first overnight in another place, first travel, a lot of firsts with Vergil. Too excited to sleep the previous night, you ended up sleeping the whole ride to the place. It was embarrassing, to say the least. Vergil must have seen you drool or snore or sleep with your mouth open.

Upon stepping out of the van, you wanted the ground to just eat you, take you away from all the embarrassment you were feeling, but then your phone vibrated. It was a message from Ana. Weird though, she was with you, sheevenjust passed by you, and…winked.

When you checked the message,

‘We haven’t reached the cabin butthere were alreadyants all over! Too sweet!’

Then you saw the attached photo. It was taken from the seats at the back of the van. It showed the back of Vergil’s hair, his shoulder, and the top of your head leaning on that shoulder. You were too asleep to know what you had done.

Face now redder than a while ago, you tried to zoom in on the photo, hoping to see any signs of how Vergil reacted to this. Was he mad? Did he think you took advantage of the chance? You couldn’t see, even a reflection from any of the windows at least. The only reflection was of Ney’s, looking through the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat. His eyes were the only thing you could see there but they looked… angry?

“Do you plan to stand there all day?” Vergil’s voice caught your attention so you quickly hid the evidence-- the phone. You tried to replay his voice in your head. His tone didn't seem angry, not even irritated despite his line. It even sounded like a taunt in the game. He didn’t look annoyed either. Just his usual composed, cool, handsome, cute, gorgeous —oh this would be endless— face.

You decided to hurry up for now, before Vergil could get mad for real.

##

Pooch came along too, so upon sitting down in the cabin, you instantly got another slobbery indirect Vergil-kiss. Good doggy. Soon after settling down, the group decided to check out the nearby lake. But before going out, Ana approached you just to ask, “Why is your boyfriend carrying a sword?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” And you failed to answer the main question.

But you had already thought of it ahead, that other people might find Vergil unusual for carrying a weapon with him all the time. And you couldn’t stop Vergil either, as you knew all too well how he had ripped Nero’s arm for his katana, how he had lost it when he became Nelo Angelo, how valuable it was to him. Some fanfics even assumed that the Yamato helped keep Vergil calm when traumatic thoughts would come bothering him. So you would never ask him to drop it for the sake of the norm. The norm would be the one to adjust!

You brought out what you had borrowed from your school’s archery club – a set of bow and arrow. You wore it like a sling bag as you headed out of the cabin. If anyone would ask, you came prepared with different answers: “Carrying weapons is our thing” or “We planned on going hunting” or “We had a bet, the one to drop their weapon first would do the laundry for a month,” whichever would come out first.

“Do you even know how to use that?” You heard Vergil from behind. That was a question you did not prepare for, so you froze. He huffed, but was smiling a little. “I’ll teach you.”

What he said made you grin instantly. Now you had a definite answer if anyone would ask why you two were carrying weapons – Vergil would teach you and the woods was a good practice ground.

Chapter 16: Vergil and Rivalry

Chapter Text

Vergil does not like wasting time.

And fighting weak beings is a waste of time.

But this person has been throwing him that look ever since they met. That look, that perhaps, Vergil was the one who started, but who cares. Moreover, provoking their opponents comes natural to theSpardabloodline. It actually makes the fight more interesting.

That's probably why these things happened...

##

On the way to the cabin, Vergil sat next to you in the van. You fell asleep a few minutes in, but he had expected that. He had sensed your movements last night so he knew you were as sleepless as he was. It was just that he was more used to it.

While your literal sleepy head wobbled during the ride, the one driving, Ney, kept on glancing via the rearview mirror. He looked somewhat worried, and that was a risky distraction. Vergil even did everyone a favor when he cupped your left cheek with his right hand to gently pull your head onto him. He slouched down a little so your head would rest a bit more firmly on his left shoulder, instead of just his upper arm. When Ney saw this, he threw his last glare at the mirror and kept his eyes on the road. Everybody safe, thanks to Vergil.

##

When everyone went to see the lake, it was windy and cold. Vergil didn't mind it though. You, however, sneezed and shuddered a little. Ney was gentleman enough to take off his jacket, as he walked towards you. But Vergil was observant, and no doubt faster and more… atypical? ...creative! He put a hand on your nape, as if trying to choke you, but no, he was gentle. This startled you a little, but upon noticing that it was Vergil, you did not make a fuss, you got red instead.“Warm now?” he asked, smirking.

Whether it was because his hand was warmer than a normal human’s or because his touch made you blush, you didn't feel cold anymore so you nodded. You even fanned your face with a hand subconsciously as you weakly complained, “I’m not a cat.” He merely chuckled in response but he did not let go.

##

The evening was spent like a game night with alcohol. Vergil initially didn't want to partake in the drinking, for the drink was beer in can and it was not up to his standards.

However, when he noticed Ney from across the room, smirking while crushing a newly-emptied can with his hand, Vergil found beer cans suddenly interesting. For every beer that Vergil chugged, he crushed the can as thin as it could get. With the rate at which he finished a drink, one might even say that it was the can-crushing that he was into, not the beer.

When you noticed this, you covertly whispered to Vergil without looking at him, “Hey, do half-demons not get drunk? We don’t know if not having your powers can affect that. Take it slow, okay? You can play with my cans too if you want.”

Vergil just laughed and said, “Wording.”

It took you a few seconds before flushing deep red with realization. “You internet too much!”

##

Everyone played different games, and you were honestly surprised that Vergil was participating in them. He was still being Vergil though – just a smirk for every victory, a line of taunt from time to time, still with finesse in whatever he was doing. It was delightful to watch him. It was as if he was still in DMC but demon fights were replaced by games with friends.

There werestrangelya lot of times when Vergil and Ney wouldplay against each otherthough…

Darts – duh, summoned swords = Vergil wins

Beerpong – duh, anything with a target to aim, Vergil wins

They also played pokerwith the others. This one, big duh, no one can read Vergil’s poker face,aside from Dante probably.

Werewolf was also played, but if no one could tell that there was actually a half-demon Vergil among the group then no one could pin him when he was the werewolf, which, oddly enough, he often was.

Then Vergil and Ney were back to one-on-one games. But no human could beat The Alpha and The Omega. It was as simple as that. But you were somehow glad that Vergil must have found afriendly rival or something in Ney.Guys need guy friends, right? Vergil probably missed Dante a lot.

##

Later that night, you and Vergil were in opposing teams in the adult edition of Pictionary, but there was one round that you were both assigned to draw at the same time. The guys changed the rules so both teams had to simultaneously draw and guess then switch players to earn as many points as possible within the time limit.

While you were too preoccupied in thinking how you would draw the term you got without embarrassing yourself to Vergil yet again, your hand was frozen in place, leaning on the drawing board while holding a marker. You noticed it too late when Vergil drew on the back of your hand. He made two strokes with his marker, before saying “Too slow,” and going back to his seat.

You looked at what he drew, it was something resembling the letter V. And the Devil May Cry lore details quickly flashed in your mind. Why is it that if it’s about DMC, your neurons are on fire? This led you to one presumptuous conclusion, ‘Did Vergil just own me?’

You looked at him, he was smirking and looking right at you. At that instant, everyone else disappeared to you and your heart started hammering on your chest. You didn’t know if it was the beer or the lack of sleep or the excitement at your delusional thoughts, but you took a wrong step and fell to the floor. Another embarrassment in front of Vergil.

You managed to laugh it off, but the others thought that you were already too drunk. And since the game was set anyway, and it was already hours past 12, they called it a night.

But because of your shameful stunt, Vergil insisted he at least hold your arm on the way to your room – your shared room. “You guys are ‘roommates’ anyway,”you recalled how Anamade it happen.

But Vergil was silent. Compared to how he was earlier, he looked mad now. You didn't make a mess that he had to clean, but it felt worse than that. Well he would always tell you to be careful. Maybe his Dad Mode would also get triggered by foolishly self-inflicted pain.

When you reached the room, you offered Vergil the bed. You said he wouldn’t be able to stretch his legs in the couch, but he refused. But this was Vergil. You couldn't just let him have anything substandard, so you insisted.

But that was until he walked towards you without saying anything. His scary eyes were locked on yours, and you could only step back until your back was touching the wall... until Vergil was already doing a kabedon on you. Your heart rate increased as his face drew closer. All the daydreams and fantasies you had imagined before gave you no courage for this real moment. You were too nervous.

You thought he would kiss you, but his face went past yours and he just whispered in your ear, “The last time you slept was in a van. Get a good sleep. We train tomorrow.” Then he flopped down on the couch and fell asleep in a few minutes.

You waited a few more minutes, just to be sure that he was asleep, so he wouldn't snap at you or accuse you of staring, before you draped a blanket on him. You thought it was the least you could do, since he gave you the bed. You had expected the fanfics about Vergil having nightmares and PTSD to be true, but that night, he slept soundly. Or maybe drinking that much just made him too sleepy. Good thing you had drunk quite a lot as well. Otherwise, the fact that you were sleeping in the same room as Vergil, that kabedon moment, and this V drawn on the back of your hand would surely make you sleepless for the second night in a row.

##

Meanwhile, down in the basem*nt...

“Ney, what are you planning?I thought you two were cool.”

“Relax, I’ll justgive him a littlescare.I can’tjustlet thatassholeswoop in andtakeher.I’ve waited patiently for years,even got a dog for that.”

“Scare him with what? The guy himself looks scary. And he has a sword!”

“Well, what hits faster than a sword?” Ney smirked as he unlocked a cabinet.

Chapter 17: Vergil and Power

Chapter Text

Vergil woke you up early for archery practice. You were starting to regret agreeing to this but when you recalled cliché scenes with the guy’s arms around the girl when he teaches her how to shoot an arrow, you were instantly awake. More hours of sleep was nothing compared to a Vergil archery moment.

Upon leaving the cabin, you handed Vergil a bottle of sports drink and a headache medicine. “For hangover. In case.”

“I don’t need those things.” He was in his usual coldness again.

You started to wonder if his smile last night was real. If that event of drawing on your hand was even real. Maybe it was just a dream or a hallucination brought by alcohol. But then again, you could still see the faded V on your hand. It didn't go away even after how many washes, though to be honest, you really didn't want to remove it. Vergil might just think you were untidy if he saw something from last night still on your hand today so you had to try. At least you had already taken a photo of it.

Maybe it was just a random scribble and that was just a taunt since you were in a game. Maybe it didn’t mean anything. You were just being too assuming.

“Just hydrate then, come on. You drank a lot last night,” you insisted and tried giving him the bottle again.

But Vergil just continued walking.

“Didn’t you notice the name of this drink? It’sPowerade!” You chuckled. “You practically endorse this in memes.”

He didn’t answer.

A little more and you'd be annoyed, but no, you shouldn’t! This was Vergil, you reminded yourself. His silence didn’t mean he was being an asshole like how the other characters see him in fanfics. It meant he was deep in thoughts. Visions of V had taught you that.

So you ran to overtake and block him. “Youkabedonme when I don’t listen to you, but you’re stubborn yourself. When it’s my turn to care for you, you should listen to me too.”

His look was kind of scary but you tried to be firm. Good thing after the “Tsk,” he took the drink, making you smile.

##

Vergil saw the faded V on your hand when you were handing him the drink. It was the third time you showed it to him unintentionally, and he couldn’t stand it. Perhaps taking the cursed drink would end this reminder for now, so he reluctantly did.

...Because it was embarrassing for him.

He had tried drinking before, even when he was not yet old enough for it --no one would stop him anyway. He had also tried different kinds of alcoholic beverages. Dante would even hand him a glass of strong ones from time to time. And he could hold his liquor as much as Dante could. It would take a bottle of aged whiskey to make him feel the least tipsy.

But losing his demonic power must have taken that from him as well. Curse this world and its regulations on him. To think he would lose self-control and do such a childish thing. He had only put his name or initial on things that Dante would steal, or things that they both had as twins. It was to identify which one was his, because Dante was reckless with his own belongings.

This was beyond imaginable. You had even stumbled after looking at what he drew; his foolishness had caused you harm. And what was that aboutkabedon? What's akabedon? Vergil wondered if he had done something else, something that could be worse than his childhood habit of being possessive.

He looked at the bottle of blue drink he was holding. Powerade. Blooming hell. He had lost power, and last night even self-control. What could be next?

“Hey Vergil! There’s a deer!” You said with unnecessary excitement, before dropping your weapon to approach the animal.

Vergil sighed. In places like this, the one holding a bow is the predator and that deer is the prey. Your priorities are askew.

But that naïve smile is priceless.

Vergil wondered for a second what he had just thought. He must still be under the influence of alcohol.

“Come here, Vergil! He’s letting me pet him!”

Sighing again, he complied and went to your side. You took his arm and put his hand in front of the deer’s face. He couldn’t help but stare at you as you spoke. “This trick is for dogs but it worked on him when I tried. Let him smell you first so he will know you’re not a threat.” But because of this, he saw the V on your hand again, making him wince.

And suddenly,he hearda gunshot.

Vergil held the Yamato in a ready-to-draw position as he looked around to check what was hit and where the shot had come from. He blamed himself for being too preoccupied to sense it sooner.

“Vergil!”

And he blamed himself even more for being too preoccupied with the gunshot that he didn’t notice what was happening behind him. The deer was startled. It should have hit him, but you pushed him. And now there you were, lying on the ground, bleeding.

The deer ran away, with blood on its antler. Your blood. It should have been his. It should have been him that was hit, not you.

Vergil called your name as he knelt down beside you. Everything started spinning, he didn't know why. He couldn’t even hear his own voice anymore, but he was sure that he was still calling you as his trembling hands tried to figure out where and how he would hold you. Every time he blinked, he saw images, until they mixed with his vision, as if trying to confuse him which was real. There was the burning house, the demons that surrounded him, the blood on his body...

“f*ck! I didn’t mean to.” Vergil heard a familiar voice and this woke him up from his trance. He sensed Ney running away in panic, and his demonic instincts told him to run after the guy. If he had his power right now, he would’ve ripped that guy to pieces with his claws –no sword, no weapon, just bare demonic claws.

“Vergil, you cursed like a normal person.” He heard you laugh weakly and it brought him back from being consumed by anger. “You were swearing like Nero or Dante, I heard you.” You were still smiling and saying foolish things despite bathing in your own blood.

“Fool, you didn’t have to save me. You should have let it hit me.”

“Foolishness, Vergil. Foolishness,” you said in between ragged breaths that you were trying to pass off as a chuckle. “Your healing is off...”

He called you again when you stopped speaking. He knew you just lost consciousness from bleeding too much, but he was afraid. He knew that this was not a fatal wound, as he knew where to hit when you want a kill, but still, he was afraid... Afraid that he might not hear your voice anymore.

But he could not allow himself to be afraid. That was precisely why he pursued power in the first place.

But right now he was powerless.

He noticed how his arm that was holding you was already drenched in blood. He saw how pale your face had become. He saw how your wounds relentlessly oozed blood.

He recalled that humans were brought to hospitals when situations like this occur. But he was in the middle of the forest, far from the city, and he didn't have any means of transportation nearby.

He only had the Yamato.

He carefully laid you on the ground, before he stood up and unsheathed the Yamato. “Please,” he mumbled as his quivering hand held the grip tightly. He concentrated hard and pictured the hospital he had seen on the news the other day. He visualized how it looked like, the color of the building, the façade, all the details he could remember, along with its name and location.

ThenVergilslashedthespacein front of him vertically,then horizontally.

And a portal opened.

He didn't even let himself doubt if it would bring him to the correct place. He just carried you in his arms and went in.

Chapter 18: Vergil and Self-Control

Chapter Text

Vergil watched you sleep.

As long as that beeping sound stays on that rhythm, it means you are fine. He kept telling himself that, to somehow ease the agony of waiting for you to regain consciousness.

He saw the V on your hand again as he sat on the chair beside the bed. He took that hand and kissed it. He held it with both hands and he told himself to never let it go.

##

You woke up and recognized the surroundings immediately. You were on a hospital bed. Vergil was by your side. He was sleeping, but he was holding your hand, clasping it with both of his, like a child scared to let go. His head rested on one of his arms. That must be numb by now, so you got a bit worried.Sincehe was facing you, youcouldn’thelp but notice theeyebagson his beautiful face.He looked tiredbut of course he still looked good.

You smiled to yourself and held a finger to his face, as if to just make sure that what you were seeing was still real. Your touch woke him up instantly.You sensed worryand fear in his eyes, but his smile toldyou thathe was genuinely relieved to see you looking at him.

“I thought I was just dreaming the whole time, the whole time you were with me,” you said weakly before chuckling. “I used to just dream about you.”

“Fool.” Vergil probably didn’t know what else to say, but he squeezed your hand as if to remind you that he was real.

You purposely smiled like a fool when you added, “Some stories end with being just a dream from a coma. Long stories, lots of adventure, but in the end not real.”

He smiled... and then pinched your cheeks. You knew he was holding back with his strength but it still hurt that all drowsiness escaped you.

“Awake now?”

After that, it was a series of Vergil dad-mode. He offered you food, water, soup, fruits. He asked how you were feeling, if it hurt anywhere, if there was anything you needed. He kept on asking what you wanted to do to pass the time – TV, book, music, fanfics. But he would often tell you to sleep to somehow speed up your healing.

“Vergil dad-mode,” you mumbled one time before falling asleep, which made him smile.

##

You were discharged from the hospital a couple of days later. Vergil insisted that he hold your arm everywhere, even though you kept on saying you could walk on your own. He must really be worried.

When you got home, you chose to stay on the couch despite Vergil telling you to rest on your bed. “I miss playing DMC,” you told him, grinning.

“Fine.”

After helping you set up and making sure you were comfortable on the sofa, Vergil excused himself and went out. He didn’t say where he was going though. This got you curious, so you paused the game and was about to stand up, when you heard loud knocking sounds. It was more like banging, but that was not on your door. It was a quiet weekday afternoon, so quiet that you even heard the voices in the hallway.

“Vergil? How’s--”

Then you heard a loud thud. You got worried, so you quickly stood up, but then Vergil came back in. He went straight to the kitchen sink to wash his hands and you could only stare at him from where you stood.

You weren’t sure if that was blood that you saw on his right knuckles. You weren’t sure if you would get worried about Vergil, or about Ney. Or get mad because of such recklessness. Or indulge in this tickling feeling in your chest at the thought that Vergil just punched the guy that endangered your life.

When he came to sit beside you on the couch, you managed to say, “I hope you didn’t kill him.”

His brows were pulled together but his lips were curved ever so slightly when he replied, “You have no idea how hard I tried not to.” But his fists were clenched tight and you could see from his breathing that he was trying to calm himself. It must be difficult to suppress his demonic bloodlust especially when triggered by anger.

“I’m proud of you.” What you said caught Vergil by surprise. He looked at you as you continued, “You’re amazing at self-control.” He looked struck, making you wonder if there was something wrong with what you said.

Then he smiled and put a hand on your head as he leaned back on the couch. His other hand was now open, so you put the controller in it. “Pour it all out in Bloody Palace,” you told him, grinning.

He huffed but you saw him smile before holding the controller properly and going to the Main Menu. He might finish Bloody Palace today and it would be super meta if Vergil would play as Vergil and defeat Vergil at Stage 101.

Chapter 19: Vergil and Motivation

Chapter Text

“Try it now,” you said, tone a bit serious, to which Vergil sighed.

The whole time in the hospital, you had been asking him to try opening a portal again. While it would be a bummer if he left, you somehow feared that he might let a chance slip if he didn’t try another one soon. But he kept on refusing that time. He said he couldn’t just leave you, especially with how you were.Soyou both agreed to try it when you get home.

And that was now.

Vergil’s sigh told you that he was still hesitant. It made you smile that he still didn’t want to leave while you were not yet fully healed. But you had promised to help him get back to his world, and you didn’t want to be the reason for him to miss the chance, if ever that miracle had a time limit or something.

“Come on, Vergil! Show me your motivation!” You chose the cheerful approach.

“I still cannot leave you,” he said flatly.

“Then just try it and if it works then at least we’ll know that it works. Then you just try again some other day when you feel like going home.” You grinned.

But you must have looked mischievous because Vergil replied, “I know that smile. You will push me when a portal opens.” He smirked at how you looked caught, before adding, “Besides, I still don’t have my power.”

“You tried the other abilities?”

“No. If I did have my power back, then the neighbor would be dead.”

You felt a bit guilty for laughing at that, but you tried to be serious again. “Who knows, the portal might still work. We won’t find out unless you try.”

“Do you really want to send me away that bad?”

“No, I want to send you home,” was your quick retort. “Dante and Nero are probably worried about you.”

That somehow made him reconsider.

##

Vergil sighed yet again.

“Come on! Put the Portal-Opening Corner to good use!” you cheered from behind him.

He tried.

Nothing.

“With feelings, come on!” Before he could end up annoyed, you decided to add, “Try to recall how you felt that time in the woods. In the game, Nero triggered with a great surge of emotion. Maybe that’s a factor.”

Vergil recalled how worried he was when you got hurt, how helpless he felt that time and how badly he wanted to save you. He didn’t tell you about that part but perhaps you had a point – emotions might influence it. He recalled the same thing from the first time he transformed, but he stopped the thoughts before they could get somewhere unpleasant.

So Vergil tried his best to concentrate on how much he wanted to get back to his world.

But as much as he wanted to go home, he didn’t want to leave just yet. He knew it was foolish, but he couldn’t put all his desire on one side. He used to be single-minded, and that helped him achieve all his goals, from simple ones to towering ones. Right now, though, he was torn.

He wanted to at least let Dante know that he was safe and was only stuck here. He didn’t want Dante to get worried or blame himself for his twin's disappearance again. Vergil also didn’t want Nero to think that his father left him again. What if they thought he disappeared to plan another world domination?

‘I just want to tell them that their assumptions are wrong.'

So upon your suggestion, he tried once more. A portal did not open, but the familiar streaks appeared this time.

“That’s it, right?” You got a bit too excited. You never saw one in person but the portal in DMC5 started with the same vertical and horizontal streaks.

“But it’s not opening,” Vergil said.

You both took a closer look, and the middle part of the cross form flipped open just a little. “What?” You two were in sync.

It was a very small portal. Not a portal actually, more like a--

“Vergil?”

You both heard Dante’s voice from the small opening.

“Dante? Can you hear me?”

“Haha! I knew it. A portal pops up, and I already know it’s you.‘Sup? Why are you not appearing here?”

It was a communication portal, at least.

##

It was too small for human transport, but it was decent enough to be like a phone screen.

You could see blue eyes on the other side, most likely Dante’s. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself, imagining these two seeing only each other’s eyes or nose, like how old people try video chat for the first time. So you pulled Vergil a few steps back and said, “He would see you better this way. Tell Dante too.”

“Dante, take a few steps back.”

“There you are! Oh, what a lovely lady you got there!”

You were grinning wide not at the compliment but more at the fact that the hero of the Devil May Cry series you had been playing since you were little was right there. You could see him and he could see you. “Hi, Dante.” You waved awkwardly. “I’ve been a fan of Devil May Cry since I was a kid.”

“Fan? How did you know about Devil May Cry?”

“It’s a long story Dante,” Vergil cut. “I’m in a different world. Different universe. In here we are video game characters.”

“Cool!”

“No, the point is, I'm stuck here. I don’t have demonic power in this world.”

“Oh so that’s what took you so long.” But Dante sounded like it wasn’t a big deal. “And that’s why this portal’s tiny.” He even laughed.

Vergil found it weird so he asked, “Dante, how long have I been gone?”

“Hmm, about a week?”

A week? You quickly did the math as the twins continued talking. Vergil had been here for about 2 months, so that’s about 8 weeks. While in the DMC world it had just been a week. So that’s 8 is to 1 ratio. So eight hours in here is just an hour there. And 24 hours or one day in here is just three hours there!

“Hey Nero, there you are!” Dante’s line caught your attention. Nero was there? That was great, at least Vergil could talk to Nero too.

“Come here, quick!” Then Dante snickered. “You’re gonna have a step-mom soon, kid.”

“Dante.” Vergil’s tone was stern. Big brother mode, you thought. It was a dream-come-true to see them all three, even just through a portal-phone.

“Hey, old man.” Nero peeked at the camera--er, portal. “I thought you ran away after what Dante did.”

Then you heard Dante explaining to Nero what he found out from Vergil.

“Listen,” Vergil interrupted them. “This portal might close soon. If you could, try to find a way to open a portal from your side. I'm certain you can access this location, Dante. It was your fault that I was sent here after all.”

“I’m sorry.”Dante chuckled.“We'll see what we can do here. Time flows differently here and there anyway, might as well enjoy your vacation there, brother. Just besafeokay?”

Vergil nodded. He seemed touched by Dante’s concern.

But it wasn’t what Dante was talking about, because he added, “Always useprotec--”

And Nero pushed Dante’s face away from the view. “Hey old man! You better not cause any problems there, alright?”

“I won’t.” Vergil wore a slight smile. It was probably because Nero’s tone had a tinge of worry.

Then you heard Dante in the background, “You see, Vergil! We don’t want another violent kid of yours.Soyou better--”

Nero was a bit red when he shoved a pizza slice into Dante’s mouth. It was him who was getting Dante’s jokes; Vergil didn’t seem to. Or was this some kind of Vergil's ultimate poker face when talking with Dante? Woah...

Nero then turned to face the portal again, saying, “Don’t worry about us here. I’m keeping an eye on my idiotic uncle.”

“Thank you, Nero.” It was said in the same tone as in DMC5 that you had to stifle a fan squeal.

And with that, the portal closed. Great timing.

Vergil smiled oh so beautifully when the portal-call ended. He must be so glad to finally be able to talk to them, and to know that they were okay. He was probably relieved that he was able to let them know that he was safe and was just stuck in a different world.

Somehow, the fact that time flows differently here and there would take away some of Vergil’s anxiety about not being able to go home sooner. At least while he couldn’t summon a portal to his world, not much time was passing there. And now Dante and Nero could also help find a solution from their side of the portal. This trial turned out to be a success in a way and--

Your thoughts were halted when Vergil turned to you and hugged you all of a sudden.

“Thank you,” he whispered in your ear. It was a very common phrase, but whenever Vergil would say it, there was this special feeling that came with it, as if he meant it a hundred times more than those words could express. You might have been a bit overjoyed about everything, you hugged him back.

Chapter 20: Vergil and Punishment

Chapter Text

You had always liked Vergil. Not just like actually, there were more appropriate terms. But whenever he would get too close or do something that a fan would normally want to jump on, you would get flustered, panic, and embarrass yourself.

That hug after the portal call was just out of impulse. You were just so happy. You immediately pulled away for you somehow felt embarrassed... and scared. You knew from the experience with cosplayer Lady that Vergil didn’t like touchy-feely women.

But it was him who hugged you first.

But still.

But you also hugged before, when his hair was down…

But no, that was just a shoulder hug, like a comfort hug.

Yes, you were confused.

It was easy if it was just in your imagination, but if it was the real Vergil, there were other factors. What if he gets angry? What if it gets awkward later on? What if he thinks differently of you afterwards. The negative differently.

But whenever Vergil would get too close, there was just something, something that was hard to explain. From the way he would look at you to the way his lips would curve so slightly yet still very noticeable... The way he would exude confidence which would make you cower in contrast... Fantasies and daydreams were nothing compared to his actual presence.

And unfortunately, Vergil knew that.

And whenever you would do something that made him mad, he had learned to use that.

Remember how he made you choke with hot milk anddidn’t let you sleep?Thatwasn’t the worst.

##

There was a time when you were dusting a furniture and the Yamato was leaning on it. You marveled at how beautiful it was up close. Considering how much blood of enemies it had shed, it was very clean. How does Vergil do that?

You had always been wondering how it felt to hold the Yamato and how heavy it was. You got curious so you touched the handle a bit. Then you whispered to the katana, “Thank you for saving me back then.”

This was the first time you got to look at the Yamato without Vergil around as he was busy preparing lunch. You glanced at him just to check, but timing was a bitch, he glanced at you too. You forgot that he had a heightened sense of hearing and he must have heard you.

You were startled, then you both heard a clunk sound – the Yamato fell to the floor.

Vergil walked towards you, making you panic even more. But he didn’t look angry, he was even smirking a little. His mischievous eyes were locked on you and you couldn't look at him straight.

You stepped back as far as you could, until you hit a wall. You tried to move to the left but Vergil put a hand on the wall to block your shift. You could only look at him and mumble, “Kabedon...”

“Hmm, so this is kabedon.” He inched closer to your face. “Is there something you have to say?”

“I’m sorry I dropped the Yamatooooo~”

Vergil smiled, one that looked satisfied. He enjoyed seeing your panicking and blushing face. “I find thiskabedoninteresting,” he said as he pulled away. Then he went to pick up the Yamato and without looking, he added, “She says you’re welcome.”

##

There was also this time when you used the big kitchen scissors for a school-related craft and you forgot to return it to where it belonged. And when Vergil needed to use it when you were both cooking dinner, you casually replied, “It’s on my desk, sorry, my hands are covered with flour.” You grinned at him as he scowled at you. But he went in your room to get it anyway.

Then you heard him, “There’s a shape of a person under your blankets. Are you keeping someone in here?”

You laughed and mumbled, "Keeping someone? Foolishness--" Then it clicked. “My Daki!!!!”

You ran towards your room but you were too late. Vergil came out of it, holding your dakimakura like an evidence in a crime. Your floured hands couldn’t risk taking it and dirtying your filthy pillow.

He looked like he was trying not to laugh while holding the pillow upright. It was showing his naked glory, with all the abs, with the V curve on his lower abdomen, with just a blanket to cover the best part. He turned it around to look at the other side, and a chuckle escaped him. He probably found it funny that it was a double-sided goodness. Meanwhile, you were blushing hard. You didn’t know if you should snatch it, never mind getting it floured, then hide with it in your room forever. Or wash your hands first and do the same.

But Vergil spoke, making you stop strategizing. “This is inaccurate.”

“I’m sorry I have thaaaat~”

“At least have something that represents me more accurately.” You knew that look, that smile, he was planning something. Vergil had successfully trained your punishment instinct.

He unbuttoned his shirt with one hand, the other one still holding the pillow up. You shrieked and covered your eyes but with your fingers apart. And you forgot about the flour that was now on your face.

He pointed to the abs on the pillow then on his body. “Yousee?”

Oh yes, you did see. The pillow was nothing, the real Vergil abs were more... more... If this were anime, your nose would be bleeding a pond.

Vergil was laughing at how your face was white with the flour yet red with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry I have that pilloooooow~”

Though you really did not regret it.

##

There was also this time when Vergil was up in the rooftop, training. You found his DMC5 coat on the coat rack, even though he was wearing it earlier. He must have changed his mind about it and left it there.

So you borrowed the coat, then hugged it, tried wearing it, rolled on the couch with it... To your surprise, Vergil was suddenly there, looking at you while you were on the sofa.

“What are you doing?” he asked. His tone seemed uninterested since he knew exactly what you were doing.

You couldn’t answer as you slowly got up, took off the coat and returned it to him. Upon taking hold of it, he smirked. That mischievous smirk... Punishment.

He left you and went to shower, but you feared what he might do. Will he scare you with horror again? Or make you panic with proximity then embarrass yourself? Or something new?

The whole day you were thinking of how he would punish you. It was like knowing you would be pranked but not knowing when and how.

And that was the punishment all along – make you paranoid all day.

You only found out the next day when he asked, “Did you sleep well? You looked like you had something on your mind the whole day yesterday.”

Curse you Vergil and your clever punishments and your gorgeous smirk!

##

Despite all that, he would really get mad if you get hurt by being careless. It was a completely different punishment.

There was this time when you almost dropped your Vergil mug containing hot coffee. You didn’t want it to break and you didn’t want to make another mug mess, so you tried your best to catch it. You caught it indeed, but the hot coffee spilled on your hands. Tears almost escaped due to the pain, but you tried to cover it with a chuckle and said, “Sorry, I'll clean it up.”

Vergil just looked at you, a piercing blank look.

You kept your grin as you took a wash cloth, even if your hands hurt upon touching anything. But you didn’t want to make it a big deal so you tried acting normal.

Then Vergil was suddenly in front of you. He didn't say anything. He just took the cloth and did the cleaning himself.

That happened during breakfast. And the whole day at home, whatever chores you intended to do, he stole from you without saying anything. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were quiet.

Vergil didn’t look angry but he was silent. He wore that blank expression all throughout, even though you still smiled and talked to him like usual. It made you miss the other more fun punishments for this one was cruel. You were being treated coldly and with how he took all tasks from you, you felt like he was seeing you as useless now. Your hands still hurt, but you tried to do normal things to show him that it was nothing. And it wasn’t just your hands that hurt, especially when he took the dish cloth from you, the last chore for the night.

“I’m not always clumsy and stupid. I can still do chores properly.” It slipped.

You wanted to stop your mouth but it just came pouring, along with some stupid tears. “You’re being unfair. I didn’t mean to get hurt. I still tried to act normal. I’m already hurt and you are hurting me more.” Your mind was screaming for you to stop it already for it was getting even more embarrassing. “If you’re mad at me then scold me, or yell at me, or punish me and make me embarrass myself as usual. Don’t ignore me the whole day.”

All the while, your head was down, so you were taken by surprise when Vergil suddenly embraced you.

“Fool. I’m not mad at you.” His voice was so gentle, something you didn't expect. He sighed before adding, “I'm disappointed with myself.”

It was silent for a moment as Vergil seemed to be sorting out his thoughts. Then he explained, “Whenever you get hurt, especially right in front of me, I get disappointed with myself, for failing to protect you.”

His hand rubbed the back of your head gently as he continued, “I stole all the chores because I know your hands hurt. I get frustrated whenever I see them, that’s why I'm quiet. I was not ignoring you.”

He pulled back a little to look at you and wipe your tears. “So stop crying. I'm not mad at you and I’m not punishing you.” He then smiled, “You know all too well how I do that,” and it became a chuckle.

You couldn’t help but laugh, recalling his weird punishments and how he enjoyed seeing you flustered. You were still with tears but was laughing, that you forgot how your hands hurt.

Chapter 21: Vergil and Christmas Eve

Chapter Text

The Christmas tree in the apartment was so small, because you found it cute, and Vergil was an enabler when you bought it... or he just didn’t care? He said, “Does it matter?” and you thought it was a supportive ‘Go ahead’ so you went on with buying it.

But because it was so small, like tabletop small, you had no effective reminder of the holiday season. You only realized it when, “Tonight’s Christmas Eve?!”

You hurried as you saw from the window that the sun was already setting. “Vergil, I'll just buy some take-out and cake, is that alright with you?”

“You’re really asking a half-demon how he wants to spend Christmas Eve?”

You chuckled. “Oh yeah. You were even the demon king for a while. Or are you still?”

“I don't know.” He shrugged and you laughed.

“Anyway, I’ll find us interesting food for tonight.”

“I’ll go with you.”

And when you opened the door, two familiar faces greeted you. “Aha! You’re going to buy take-outs for Christmas Eve again!”

It was your parents.

They quickly settled in and invaded your peaceful day. They brought food, ingredients for some more food, some other stuff and chocolate chip cookies.

“Try it dear, it’s her favorite.” Mom was already feeding Vergil. “It’s my grandma’s recipe.”

“I’ll go ahead and check the repairables,” Dad said, holding his tool box. “My daughter has a tendency to keep using things even when worn out," he told Vergil. "And she doesn’t call for repair until something explodes. She doesn’t know what maintenance means.” This made Vergil chuckle a little while still eating a cookie -- Mom was waiting for his feedback, that was why.

“Tastes good right?” Mom asked. “Far from those store-bought ones.”

Vergil nodded.

“But don’t eat too much or you’ll ruin your dinner, young man,” she warned. “And you, young lady, help me cook. Learn some wife skills while you’re at it.”

“Vergil, right?” Dad asked. “Why don’t you come with me and let’s leave the kitchen matters to the ladies. I could use your help and your height.” He chuckled.

Vergil complied and even offered to carry the toolbox.

When you managed to catch Vergil looking at you, you mouthed a ‘Sorry.' He just shook his head, something like ‘It’s nothing.’

##

The guys went to your room. Their first task was aircon cleaning.

Vergil immediately saw the dakimakura’s head peeking from the blankets, so when Dad was not looking, he pushed it in. It would be very difficult to explain what a half-naked-pillow of his daughter’s roommate was doing in his daughter’s bed.

Then Mom peeked in. Good thing the pillow was already hidden. “Vergil dear, do you have any allergies?”

Vergil shook his head.

“Is there anything you’d like to eat then? What’s your favorite dish?”

Then you appeared behind Mom and said, “Go ahead and request. Mom can make anything.”

“Perhaps, anything Italian then.” Vergil realized it too late when he said that.

“Is lasagna alright with you?” Mom asked and Vergil nodded.

Then the guys were alone again. Dad filled the silence with small talk and fatherly insights as he took off the aircon cover. “You know, these things, they can last for many years if maintained right. You don’t have to buy a new one every so often if you know the tricks.”

Vergil just gave a slight smile.

“Look how dusty this is,” Dad remarked. “Could you hold this for a moment, son?” he said as he handed Vergil the aircon filter he just removed.

Vergil froze for a few seconds before responding.

“Be careful, it might make you sneeze.” Dad laughed.

Vergil just smiled again.

The whole time, Vergil just nodded, shook his head or smiled politely. He was feeling strange. Not in a bad way but just strange.

Then Dad offered to clean Vergil’s room’s aircon too.

And later on, Vergil found himself already at the dining table. There was already food in front of him and he was already having a meal. He did not notice how he got there. He might have gotten lost in thoughts or the reverse, drowned out all his thoughts and just focused on the task he was doing. He didn't want to think of those things after all, and--

“So how long have you two been together,” Mom asked all of a sudden that Vergil choked. It woke him up, at least. Good thing Dad was quick to hand him a glass of wine to wash it down.

“Mom!” You were embarrassed, which made Vergil smile. That look he was seeing on you was comfortably familiar.

“I mean as roommates,” said Mom. “You didn’t tell us you have a new roommate.”

The dinner went on with your parents telling Vergil embarrassing stories about you. The longer it continued, the more comfortable he got. His smiles became more real.

But when comfort came, Vergil lost his guard and spaced out. He was dragged into a different world.

He saw his father, Sparda, cutting that turkey and making a mess after failing to regulate his strength. Father was grinning while Mother was scolding him and little Dante was laughing. Mother did the task herself, but she was not angry, she was still smiling. Then Dante asked Mother to give him the leg part that he liked. He also told Mother to give the other one to Vergil. And Vergil even saw that a plate was placed in front of him.

Vergil shook the image away, but he just saw another version. It was one where Mother was aged a bit but she still looked beautiful. Dante was at his current age with that stubble and unkempt hair, but was still acting like a clingy child around Mother. And Father was there, refilling Dante’s glass with wine, because his boy was already an adult who could drink that. Then Dante said something that made both Mother and Father laugh. And then Father faced Vergil to ask,

“Would you like another glass of wine, son?”

“Would you like another glass of wine, son?” Dad asked, pulling Vergil out of his trance.

Vergil turned to look at Dad with a bit of delay then nodded. He bit his lip, then blinked a few times more than needed then forced a smile before he could manage saying, “Thank you.”

But he meant that. Even though it was just his imagination, even though it was something far from what was possible, he thanked this family for showing him a glimpse of what could have been.

Then he drank the glass of wine fast, bottoms up. He made an extra effort to look up with the gesture just to keep some things from falling.

“Vergil, take it easy with the wine,” Mom said before scolding Dad for he kept refilling Vergil’s glass.

You looked at Vergil, the same time he glanced at you too. You smiled, a different smile from your usual one, but from that smile he knew you understood what he was thinking. So he smiled at you too, as if to tell you that he was fine. He would be fine.

##

Later that night, the lights were off but you decided to check on Vergil. He offered his room to your parents and opted to sleep on the couch.

You gently opened your door, and you didn’t find him lying. He was seated on the floor, his back leaning on the couch. You walked quietly towards him, but you knew it was futile because he could sense you from the start. He even tapped the space beside him, a gesture that said you were welcome to sit there.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked when you sat down.

You nodded. “I’m worried about you.”

“I spent days in hell, I can spend a night on a couch.” He was snarky but on a softer level. You could tell from the slight smirk.

You knew that Vergil knew what you were actually worrying about. And you knew that he didn’t want to talk about it, which was why he just snarked it away like that. So you decided not to pry and to just be there. At least until he becomes sleepy or until he tells you to go away.

You were quiet, he was too. He wasn’t even doing anything when you arrived. He still wasn’t doing anything now. Just lost in thoughts, probably. You didn’t want to disturb him so you stopped staring at him and just leaned back and stared at the same space he was staring at. Other people would find this weird, but it actually felt comforting. The dim room, the silence, and Vergil beside you.

Somehow, you started to wonder if it was a bad idea, that your parents came here and be all parent-y even to Vergil. But before more thoughts could support that, he spoke, as if he could read your mind, “It wasn’t bad.” You looked at him, but he didn’t move as he continued, “The way we spent Christmas Eve.”

You nodded and stared ahead again. “I’m glad you think so.”

Then without saying anything, Vergil handed you something. It was a small white box. A gift?

You laughed for you also got him something in a small box. Then you crawled towards the small Christmas tree to get it. You had it hidden in the branches, not beneath the tree because you wanted it to be a surprise and you didn’t want Vergil to be compelled to prepare something too.

Then you handed it to him, a small blue box. He chuckled upon seeing it. “So a small Christmas tree bears only small gifts?”

“Pocket-size.” You nodded.

You opened yours and found a mini-Yamato, a high-quality mini version that fit your palm. It was complete with the strap, the white handle and its patterns, and it could even be unsheathed. When you were about to confirm if the tip was sharp, Vergil stopped you. “Fool.”

“Well it’s a mini version, I got curious.” You just laughed as he scowled. Then you asked, “Why give me a mini-Yamato?”

“So you will always have a part of me wherever you are.” His answer surprised you that your cheeks got warm. You tried to contain your smile as you held the mini katana tight.

Then you told him to open his, and he found a mini-Dante and mini-Nero. They were pocket-size as you said, which was probably why Vergil laughed. “Now I'm beginning to think that your foolishness has rubbed off on me.”

“My people call that being on the same wavelength.”

“And your reason?” He gestured towards the toys on his palm.

“Soyou will always be with your family wherever you are.” You grinned.

“My family, huh?” Vergil smiled for the Nth time today, only this time it was involuntary. As he looked closely at mini-Dante and mini-Nero, he mumbled, “My family.”

Chapter 22: Vergil and Fanfics

Chapter Text

When you arrived home from work, you found Vergil lying on the couch, his eyes were locked on the tablet he was holding. He just raised a hand when you greeted him, so you figured he must be reading something important.

Upon looking at his form on the couch though, you couldn’t help but imagine yourself just jumping on him and— but no, ‘We are civilized people,' you told yourself.

But it was somehow heartwarming to see him that relaxed. It was as if his social walls were not used on you anymore. There were probably just a few people whom Vergil allowed to see him this way.

It was your turn to cook dinner today so you didn’t bother him and went on with the preparation. But when he heard sounds from the kitchen, he still asked, “Need my help?”

“I can manage. It’s my turn today,” you replied, smiling at how sweet Vergil could be.

“Don’t get injured,” he added, and your smile grew wider.

A few minutes later, Vergil stood up and went to the kitchen to drink water. But he was still holding the tablet and was reading the whole time. It must be something really important or interesting.

So you decided to take a peek when he turned around. It was right at the time that he was at the bottom of the text he was reading when you saw a very familiar logo beside a list of links that look like usernames. Then he tapped a button and the page loaded. With that, you saw in big font, the title of one of your fanfics and your pen name below it.

“Why are you reading that???” You reached for the tablet but Vergil’s longer arms moved it away. You tried again with your other hand but he raised it above his head. Unwilling to give up, you jumped to get it, but he raised it even higher that you bumped his chest. It hurt your nose but somehow you wanted to do that again.

“It’s good.” Vergil chuckled. “Excluding the minor errors, your stories are good.”

“Stories? How many have you read?” You were blushing hard now.

“I think this is the last one.” He laughed. “I told you, you tend to leave tabs open and I am curious by nature.”

You could only cover your face with your hands in defeat and hope that Vergil did not see your other account in the other browser where your smuts were hidden.

You got surprised when he put a hand on your head and said, “Thank you.” You looked at him and he continued, “For the happy endings and scenes where Dante and I opened up.” He looked away. Vergil was a bit embarrassed? Now that was rare.

But he was quick to recover. “Now let’s see what you have been reading.” He deliberately showed you how he accessed My Bookmarks.

“No don’t check that! Some of the ones I saved are really sad stories...” Yeah right, sad stories and?

He scrolled through your Bookmarks, and while he did, you saw some tags that he probably saw too, such as PTSD, Dante is a Mess, and Nelo Angelo. Maybe that’s why he decided to trust your warning and say, “So you write light but you read dark?”

“I write light becauseI read dark.” You laughed nervously. In your mind there was a voice that added, ‘I also read and write Explicit Vergil/Reader ones teehee.’

“I see.”

You took the chance to guide Vergil away from your account and into the whole Devil May Cry section. “Browse here for variety. Then if you like a certain kind, use this part to filter them out.”

He checked the ones on the top, the most recently updated ones. He then got curious,“What does Vergil/Reader mean?” You almost choked at the coincidence. “I’m paired with whoever is reading it?”

You nodded, a bit worried about the rating of thefic he was currently looking at.

Vergil tapped and scrolled. In less than a minute, he said, “I cannot read this. I already know enough versions of myself, and I can’t imagine another Vergil doing thesethings to me.” He laughed.

He moved back to the couch and you decided to follow him. Dinner could wait.

You kept an eye on what Vergil was viewing. He got curious about the next one on the list, a Dante/Vergil, and you thought, ‘Oh boy.’

After a few minutes, Vergil chuckled. “Sothis is--”

You nodded.

“I thought it was--”

You shook your head. “Slash and Ampersand, there’s a big difference.” You couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “Heed the additional tags, Vergil.”

He nodded, smiling but looking a bit embarrassed. He then scrolled through the otherfics. “Sothese ones, I am paired with Nero. And it looks like there are also ones about V and Nero.”

You nodded, holding back a laughter.

“Your people have a wild imagination.” He was chuckling while shaking his head.

“When the main characters are all hot guys, my people can’t help it. Twins and father-and-sons not exempted.” You laughed before adding, "Use the filter."

So he tried Nero & Vergil. That seemed safe enough, probably safer than Dante & Vergil with lots of trauma themes.

A summary of an alternate universe fic caught Vergil’s attention, but somehow, he had a wistful look. You noticed the characters included Sparda and Eva, that was probably why.

Then he found something, an alternate timeline of DMC5. While scanning it, Vergil asked, “Is it alright with you if I use the Mark for Later?”

“Sure!” You were more than enthusiastic. “I would love to read your choice officstoo! Bookmark the ones you like and I will read them later.”

He nodded. So cute.

Then, you noticed that Vergil was looking at the usernames at the bottom of a chapter so you told him, “Like these users, you can also leave kudos or comments on those you find interesting. That encourages the writers, makes them motivated to write more.” Then you suddenly remembered Vergil’s experience with Reddit. “But don’t argue with them, okay? I mean, don’t complain if they write a different version of you. Sometimes it’s needed for the plot.”

“I know that.” He scowled a little, but you just laughed.

You were excited for Vergil to discover the wonders of fan fiction, but at the same time you were worried that some fics might trigger his trauma or make him feel sad by showing him better alternate versions of his life. But you thought, Vergil loved reading and he could make reasonable choices, so you decided to trust him on this.

Then you remembered, “Hey, if you tap this, then this,” then a voice from the tablet started reading the page. “This is ‘Read Aloud’, a feature of this browser. It's very useful! Your eyes won’t get tired and you can multitask while listening to fics.”

“Interesting,” Vergil said as he leaned back on the couch, eyes still on the tablet. He was just so cute, the curious adorkable Vergil. Sometimes, the fact that he came from a different world was just so cute that you wanted to exploit it some more. So when you got back to cooking dinner, you tried to think of other things that would be interesting to have Vergil discover. You couldn’t stop smiling, imagining his different reactions to every new discovery or experience.

Chapter 23: Vergil and Nightmares

Chapter Text

There was an event in school tomorrow so you were pulling an all-nighter preparing materials and accommodating last minute changes. You had been working with earphones on, letting music guide your creativity, until you had a sudden craving for something sweet.

Soyou put the music on pause and left the device on your desk to search the kitchen for something good. But upon closing your door, you heard sounds from Vergil’s room, which was just right beside yours.

You checked the time, it was almost 3am. You could tell from the door seam that his bedroom lights were off, but you could hear Vergil... moaning? The naughty half of you thought of something, but you shoved it away. Your concerned half prevailed. Your DMC fan instincts were telling you something after all, something you had learned from Visions of V and fanfics.

You pressed your ear against his door, mentally apologizing for such intrusion. But you were glad that you did. You heard Vergil’s muffled voice saying something like “It’s not your fault... You didn’t know… I shouldn’t have left... I’m sorry Dante…” You knew right away what that was about. You started to panic, realizing that you were currently in that situation – the fanfics you had read were now happening. Vergil was having a nightmare.

You contemplated whether or not to enter his room, wake him up and console him. He might get mad at you for invading his privacy among other things. But you couldn’t just let him be, hearing those pained sounds from him. Even when playing DMC5 you hate hearing Vergil’s cries of pain.

When you couldn’t take it anymore, you turned the doorknob and went in. You quietly made your way to his bedside and knelt beside him. He was sweating and his face was a mix of worry and hurt. Even in the dark, you noticed that sole teardrop at the corner of his eye. Oh, Vergil...

You called his name softly. You wanted Vergil to wake up from whatever was torturing him but at the same time, you didn’t want to startle him. But what was the first aid for nightmares? All those fics and you still didn’t know exactly what to do.

Deciding to rely on instinct, you held Vergil’s hand, then caressed his hair with your other hand. Then his hand gripped yours. It was a bit painful but you endured it. This was the least you could do, you thought, be someone he could hold on to in whatever was happening in his dream. But you continued calling him, hoping your voice would reach the depths of his subconscious.

Thankfully, Vergil woke up, but his grip on you tightened even more as he did. He quickly sat up upon realizing what was happening. Hoping it could help ease his mind, you explained, “Sorry, you were having a nightmare, so I--”

“No, it’s fine.” He was about to cup his face with his hands when he noticed his grip on yours. “I’m sorry.” He looked even more frustrated when he saw that your hand became a bit pale. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated in between ragged breaths, his hand rubbing yours as if it was apologizing too. Then his other hand pinched the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes a bit forcefully.

“I’ll get you some water,” you said before standing up and doing the task.

You immediately came back and handed Vergil a glass of water. He gestured for you to sit down on his bed as he took it. He drank a little, then placed it on the bedside table before saying, “Thank you... and I’m sorry about your hand.”

“No, it’s nothing.” You smiled, hoping that would help convince him. He remained quiet, so you decided to confirm, “Do you... often have nightmares?” You were not sure if this was okay to ask but you did anyway.

Vergil didn’t answer and just looked away.

You realized that his peaceful sleep in the cabin must have really been due to drinking a lot that time, and that this kind of a night must be something that was more common. You felt guilty for always being just a few steps away without knowing anything, so you had the urge to apologize. “All this time, I was not aware that you were having nightmares. I don’t know if I'd be of any help, but I just feel ashamed. I was just next door the whole time. I wish I had been more useful.”

But he shook his head. He looked like he wanted to say something but he just couldn’t find the right words for it.

You wanted to lift the mood so you said, “You know, I read somewhere that it helps if you talk about bad dreams or nightmares... to somehow take them off your mind, instead of keeping them all contained. Something like that.” You were losing confidence in what you were saying but you wanted to at least help, if that was possible, so you continued, “So, if you would be willing to, you can always tell me about them. Not just nightmares but anything that’s bothering you.”

Vergil was staring at you the whole time so it added some pressure, making you even less certain about this. Maybe you were being too intrusive. He might get mad. But your foolish side won as you gave a timid smile and said, “Deal?”

##

Vergil couldn’t help but gaze at you as you spoke. He was taking in how your eyes glimmered in the dim room... how you always cared for him even if sometimes you would get hurt doing so... how worry filled your face, yet kind words still escaped your lips…

And before he realized it, Vergil was already kissing you.

All he could think of was how he wanted to care for you too, how he wanted to protect you, how he wanted to see you always smiling.

You were responding so he pulled you even closer, deepening the kiss, letting his emotions be conveyed not with words but with this gesture.

But then you pulled away.

You blushed deep red, laughed nervously, stuttered an excuse, and scrambled to your bedroom. You were gone in less than a minute. But Vergil was able to sense how fast your heart was beating a while ago. He didn’t want to startle you even more so he let you be.

He leaned back as he mentally scolded himself for losing to such an urge. Every time he would get a nightmare and tell you about it, as you said was your deal, you might recall the kiss and then feel awkward about it.

For him, though, it wouldn’t be a problem. Vergil thought he must really be evil, for he did not feel remotely guilty about it. Remembering a wonderful experience after a bout with a nightmare was something he could look forward to. So he lay down smiling to himself.

Chapter 24: Vergil and Flu

Chapter Text

It had been a few days but Vergil didn’t say anything about it. You were too shy to talk about it with him too. So basically, it just happened and no one spoke of it. You decided to shrug it off as probably something he had done out of the moment, since he just had a nightmare, and you were telling him to open up to you if it was okay with him. Then he didsuddenly open up... to your lips.

You squealed onto a pillow.

But he must be feeling embarrassed with it too, that was why he didn’t seem to want to talk about it. So you decided that it was what you were going to do too. Just consider it as something like an embarrassing slip that you both should bury somewhere deep. At least you got a kiss in the process. Your fan soul was filled with light. And you could still recall how it felt, how he was looking at you before and after, his eyes that were so pretty in the dim room, his semi-disheveled hair that just made him even ho--

You had tostiflea squeal again.

So that kiss will just be a fantasy battery, because to both of you, it didn't happen. You could even use it in your fanfics, but you wouldn’t dare discuss it with him. You didn’t want to make things awkward between you two anyway.

Though you couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened if you didn’t pull away and ran to your room like a wuss. Why did you have to wuss out? You were both in his room, on his bed, he even pulled you closer that time, his arm was around your waist, and if you didn’t pull away, his other hand would have----- your fever was getting worse the more you entertained the thoughts.

You were on your bed, with a fever strip on your forehead that you probably needed to replace now due to how hot your face had been while thinking about Vergil and that kiss the other day.

Even without his powers, Vergil’s natural body temperature was higher than normal so it probably helped when flu season came in – he had a natural way to ward off the flu virus. Or maybe half-demons were just wired to not get sick at all. That was what you thought as you envied his healthy state while here you were, coughing your lungs out, with your nose clogged to perfection.

The medicine was eating your stomach now, so you decided to drag your sluggish body to the kitchen to get a snack, a PowerBar at least.

“How are you feeling?”Vergil immediatelystood up from his comfortable position in the couch when he saw you.

Earlier this morning you had told him that you would be fine just sleeping this off for the whole day, that was why he let you be. But he seemed too alert that you wondered, was he waiting for updates from you? Nah, he probably just had nothing to do. That made you feel a bit guilty because you had to take a day off from work and you couldn’t get new books for him. And it was a Monday so it meant that his last supply was on Friday.

“I’m fine,” you croaked. “Just got a bit hungry,” you added before taking a bite of the PowerBar you found. In between chews and sniffles, you said, “Sorry I couldn’t get younewbooks today. Would you like to play DMC instead? I’ll set it up for you.”

“You are the one who is sick. Stop taking care of me,” he said before putting a hand on your forehead. Of course, the surprise and the fact that this was Vergil made your temperature rise upon contact. “You’re even hotter than I am.”

Your sense of humor was still present though. “Thanks, but no one’s hotter than you.” You finger-gun’d him with a wink to get the joke across, before taking another bite of your snack.

He smiled and shook his head, then got curious about what you were eating so he took it. You thought for a second that the word Power in PowerBar triggered something in him, but it turned out that he just checked the ingredients. “This is trash,” he said, and you found it funny that Vergil just called something with power, ‘trash.’

“It’s fine-- still something-- to digest,” you replied while coughing. More like barking.

“That’s it, I’m taking charge.” He pushed you back to your room. “Just take a rest and wait for me there.” He told you to take a rest but the idea of Vergil going in your room plus the fact that he was planning to nurse you back to health made you restless.

##

It started out well. Vergil came in with a tray of goodies, and he handed you a bowl of porridge first. “Gentle on the stomach, good for the sick,” he said as if conducting a presentation. You chuckled as you accepted it. For someone whose taste buds were currently dysfunctional, you found the porridge appetizing and really good.

He then handed you a small plate of apple and pear slices. “Apples have antioxidants that boost the immune system. Then pear is good for the lungs.”

You smiled at the explanation, but when you noticed that the slices of apple and pear were shaped like bunnies, that made you grin wide.

Vergil had probably learned that from the anime you had binged in the living room the other day while it was his turn to cook dinner. That was so cute of him, and so thoughtful. And he looked like he enjoyed seeing you smiling at the fruit bunnies. Who would have thought that the killing machine of DMC5 would pull off an usagi ringo. The contrast made you smile even more.

Then he handed you a cup of tea and introduced, “Lemon extract with honey. No need to explain that.” You nodded and took a sip.

Then he held out a small plate with yellow balls that looked like raw cookie dough. “Eat one.”

“What is this?”

“Try it and you will know.” He smiled a little.

A bit of a surprise from Vergil wouldn’t hurt, you thought, after all the nice things he had prepared. So you took one and ate it.

It was spicy.

You were about to spit it out but Vergil held out a hand, which made you stop chewing. Then he said, “Swallow it.” You got cornered somehow, so you did.

“What was that?” you quickly asked.

"Homemade cough drops. Chopped raw garlic, ginger, and negi with a dash of cayenne pepper balled using turmeric powder paste,” he said, tone a bit proud. You could only make a face.

Then he took a small container with red liquid. He was about to dip a finger in it but was stopped when you asked, “What is that?”

Vergil paused. Was he thinking? He looked like he was thinking of whether or not to tell the truth.

He then sighed and explained, “This is blood from a winged beast, to be smeared on the affected body part. Makes the sickness... fly away.” He covered his mouth with a clenched fist on the last part. Was he trying to stop himself from laughing?

“You killed a bird for this?!”

“No, I bought chicken blood.”

“Why? Where did you even get that info?”

“A book I read from Arkham’s library before.” He looked away. You didn’t know if that was because of bad memories or if he was just shy about it. “He’s got a lot of weird books.”

“Soyou know it’s weird!”

“It might work. I'm curious.” He couldn’t hold back his smile.

You made a disgusted but pleading face. “Don’t put animal blood on me.”

Vergil sighed in defeat. “Fine.” But he was immediately holding another mysterious item. “Just eat this then.” He held a spoonful of black powder towards you. Or was it ashes? “What was it that you said back then,” he recalled, “Ah, come on, you know what to do.” Gotta appreciate this guy’s sharpmemory, you thought.

Butof course,your reaction was, “What is that?”

“Tsk, just comply before asking questions.”

You chuckled in disbelief. “That’s not how it works!”

“Tss.”

“If you won’t tell me what it is, at least tell me you have tried that before.”

“I don’t get sick easily.”

“So no then.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. If you eat half of it first.” Vergil put half of the spoon’s content back into the small bowl. Then the spoon in front of you was back.

“Why are you doing this to me?” you whined, though you couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m trying to get you healed.”

You shook your head and kept your mouth closed.

Vergil then frowned a little. “This one was the most difficult to acquire...”

“Alright, fine.” Who would have thought that Vergil could do that trick. “I’ll eat half then tell me what it is.”

His face instantly lit up and he fed you the black matter. You imagined it to just be some kind of black sugar granules, since it tasted a bit sweet, though quite bitter.

Then Vergil said, “It is a completely roasted earthworm rolled in brown sugar.”

And you spit everything. Good thing you hadn’t swallowed any of it. “Vergil!!! Why?!?”

“Earthworms have high levels of iron and of amino acids, which help break down food and repair body tissue,” he explained, all science-y. And then it was demon stuff again. “Then I roasted it because the book said something about a being that moves without legs, tested by fire, leaves the body unharmed... something.”

“You can’t even remember it well!”

“No, it’s supposed to make your...” He pointed around your nose, throat and chest. “...organs be unscathed after their bout with a virus.” Then a chuckle escaped him. He wasn’t able to hold it any longer.

“Even you find this funny!”

“No, I don’t.” But he was laughing now, though hiding it with a hand. He tried to be serious again when he added, “For the sake of knowledge.”

“You’re experimenting on me.”

“But look, you’re not coughing anymore.”

“Just let me sleep.”

“Fine.” He stood up as you lay down. You pulled your blanket up to your shoulders while he took the tray of ‘goodies’.

But before he left, Vergil handed you something. It wasVergillow! He took it from your desk chair.“Hug this while you sleep. He will take away your sickness.” He then pointed to the dakimakura peeking from under the blanket beside you. “That one will just make your fever worse.”

You smiled, almost a chuckle. This one was completely nonsense, not based from any books, but was just so cute you had to comply. And did he just acknowledge that Daki was hot?

You hugged Vergillow tight, as Vergil turned off the lights and left your room. Then you felt something, something like paper attached to Vergillow’s hair. You checked it, and found a small rectangular paper with some ancient writing and symbols – a talisman, you figured, and you laughed.

Vergil can be weird sometimes but his intentions are pure.

Chapter 25: Vergil and Weddings

Chapter Text

Vergil always dressed up and looked formal by default. At home he always wore button down shirts, most of the time the sleeves were rolled up. Sometimes he would even wear a vest with it. Just so charming. Even from DMC3 with that coat and cravat, then his DMC5 coat, and even when he was a kid in the Sparda family painting... When you'd zoomed in on the high-resolution version of it before and maxed the brightness, you had noticed that he was wearing a badass yet elegant coat there. So even as a child, the fashion sense was there. And right now, in this formal occasion, simply put, he looked like your dreamy definition of a prince. You couldn’t stop staring at him and giggling, especially since Vergil was your +1 in your friend’s wedding today. Good thing it wasn’t a wedding crime to look better than the groom.

There was nothing special about the ceremony, Vergil-related that is. It was like a normal wedding. And oh, Vergil did not burn when he entered the venue, even though it was a church wedding. At least that was crossed off the list of your myths. Or was it just because he was like a human in this world?

The interesting part was at the reception, where a fan was able to identify Vergil. It was a guy, a friend of the bride, but you had met him before. He kept on asking why Vergil had the same name and looks as the Vergil of Devil May Cry 5. Vergil just shrugged and said he didn’t know what the guy was talking about. He even convinced the guy with, “I have never heard of this Demon May Cry.”

“It’s Devil May Cry.”

“Right. See what I mean?”

You couldn’t help but be proud of every little thing Vergil did, even this lie. You were just that smitten.

But the guy fan was persistent. You had to hold your laughter at how Vergil was getting annoyed. After a few selfies, and before the guy could call some of his friends over to your table, Vergil turned to you and asked, “May I have this dance, my lady?”

You laughed, but deep down you were squealing. “You just want to avoid your guy fan.”

“And you keep on laughing at me. This is your punishment,” he said with a smirk, before taking your hand and pulling you towards the crowd.

“I don’t know how to dance,” you said as a disclaimer, for you were expecting Vergil’s background as Sparda and Eva’s son to be something like that of highborn lords in Game of Thrones and the like.

“Neither do I,” he casually replied before a semi-snarky, “I’ve never had the time for social gatherings before.”

Dark-past alert, and you wanted to hug Vergil every time it would happen. You smiled instead and said, “Let’s just do what they are doing.” You gestured towards the other couples around.

So Vergil put his hands on your waist and your hands made their way onto his shoulders. You felt how awkward his hands were placed on you, though you were guilty of it too. But since a new song had just started, listening to it somehow eased the awkwardness.

It was an acoustic version of ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran. You remembered how much your friend liked that singer, so of course her wedding would be filled with his songs.

Then you heard Vergil mumble, “We’re old.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

Was he listening to the lyrics? And he answered it? You tried your best to recall the first part.

But you were interrupted when Vergil asked all of a sudden, “Do you want to get married someday?”

Of course you flushed instantly. “Wh-Wha--”

Vergil quickly added, “I mean, for your future. Tsk. That's why I hate making small talk.”

That made you laugh, then say, “It depends.”

“On what?”

“If my partner wants it too.” You smiled.

“Oh.”

“How about you?”

“If my partner wants it too.”

“Copycat.”

But Vergil added, “If my partner would be willing to have a 20-year-old violent quarter-demon kid too.”

You laughed and argued, “I think he’s around 25.”

“It’s the same. Still a kid.” He was smiling despite the indifferent tone.

“Nero may be violent but he’s cute when he's shy.”

“Shy?” Vergil seemed a bit surprised.

“Well, around Kyrie mostly.” You smiled. “He’s probably different when around you.”

“Hmm.”

You wanted to add ‘You are different when around them in the games compared to when around me too’ but you didn’t want to sound like you were assuming you were the Kyrie if Vergil were Nero. So you left it at that. And the song was almost ending anyway.

But as it reached the final chorus, Vergil pulled you close into an embrace.

You both stopped moving and just stood there in the middle of the crowd, hugging. His arms were wrapped around you while your hands fell onto his chest. You could feel his heartbeat, and it was so calm, compared to yours which was racing. He didn’t say anything, and neither did you. It was a bit embarrassing at first, but the way Vergil held you made you forget what others might think. It just felt so safe to be in his arms.

When the song was about to end, 'I don't deserve this,' Vergil pulled away,'You look perfect tonight,' and he just smiled at you.

Chapter 26: Vergil and Kids

Chapter Text

There was an event in your school. The kids –preschool and elementary students– would perform, mostly just sing with some simple gestures and steps. You had invited Vergil to watch... and to take pictures with the tablet. You felt a bit guilty for being this sneaky, making him dad over the kids, but he might find it entertaining. He had said he was free today anyway.

You handled two sections, your morning and afternoon classes. When it was your morning kids' turn to perform, you guided them with the steps from down the stage. They were to look at you and imitate you in case the cute little kids forgot what to do next.

##

Vergil was looking at you, and the children too. You were wearing the same cat ears as the children and were flailing your arms around as their guide.He thought, the Vergil before would probably see you as ridiculous, but right now he enjoyed seeing you be that passionate about your work.

After the performance, the children went down the stage and towards their seats. Then one of them stumbled and fell to the floor. You were quick to help him get up but the child looked like he was about to cry. But then, you distracted him with some gestures and some things you said, and he even ended up laughing. Seeing that, Vergil smiled and thought, 'What form of power is this?'

##

When other sections were performing, you cameto the audience area, beside Vergil. While panting, you said, “I still have one set of kids later.”

“You didn’t have to come here then,” he said with a concerned tone.

“Nah, it’s fine. I want to watch the others with you too.” You grinned before asking, “What do you think of my kids?”

“You were... cute.” The word was not Vergil-esque,that’s probably the reason for the short pause.

“You?” You couldn’t help but notice the pronoun though.

“Plural. You and the children,” he quickly explained before looking away. Then Vergil got curious and touched the white cat ears you were wearing. He was cute too, you thought.

You were feeling extra foolish today so you took the headband off and put it on Vergil. “Purrgil!” you said, snickering.

His eyes looked up as if he would see thecat ears that blended well with his hair, then he smiled and shook his head. You could almost hear him saying ‘Foolish’, but this time he didn’t.

##

For the next set of your kids, you wore pink-and-white bunny ears as you guided them with their gestures and steps,as it was their costume and theme.

When their performance ended, you came back to Vergil’s side and was surprised to see that, “You didn’t take it off?” He was still wearing the cat ears you had put on him. “You’re so cute!” You wanted to pinch his cheeks but just settled on pinching the air in front of you.

He smiled but he looked like you were acting weird. Then he took your hands and placed them on his cheeks and said, “Go ahead.”

‘Was he really trying to be cute?! What form of Vergil is this!’ you thought as you pinched his real cheeks, while saying, “Purrgil!!”

This was a rare chance so you also booped his nose, something you could only do to your phone or laptop wallpaper before. Then you giggled with your hands on your own reddening cheeks. He just smiled at how silly you were.

Then to your bigger surprise, Purrgil turned the tablet to camera mode and took a selfie of you two. “I’m the designated photographer,” he said, and you smiled from (bunny)ear to (bunny)ear.

##

When the event was finished, some kids were saying goodbye to you when they passed by. But when you and Vergil reached the school grounds, you were surprised to have an older kid hug you from what height he could reach. Then he said, really towards Vergil, “Teacher is mine!”

That was kind of cute, and when Vergil crouched down, you thought this could get even more adorable. But then Vergil said, “No, she’s mine.”

And you couldn’t help but smack Vergil’s head on instinct. “Don’t antagonize a kid!”

Upon realizing what you had done, you got super embarrassed. But good thing Vergil just laughed.

The boy poked fun at him, saying, “She scolded you! She doesn’t like you. She’s mine.” The kid looked up to you and said, “Wait for me to grow up, okay?” Then he stuck a tongue out to Vergil before running away.

You wanted to laugh but you were still embarrassed for hitting Vergil. As he stood up, you explained that the kid was one of your first students, which made you realize how long you had been working here.

“That child seems to be infatuated with you,” was his reply that made you a bit self-conscious. More so when he added, “I cannot blame him though.”

That made you look at Vergil, but you immediately remembered the smack so you apologized, “Sorry I hit you. I get protective of the kids sometimes.”

“It’s fine.” At least he was smiling, he didn’t get mad.“I get possessi-- possessed by Dante sometimes. I deserved that.” He laughed a little before adding, “But you should be careful of that child. He might grow up to be your stalker.”

“You think so?” You were alarmed. “I actually don’t know how to handle kids with so much affection like that. My seniors told me to just let them be, don’t entertain but don’t antagonize, as they are in the age of emotional development. But I hope he doesn’t become a stalker-type when he grows up.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Vergil said flatly. You know he wouldn’t be here for that kind of a long time, but you still appreciated the intention so you smiled.

##

When you got home, you were checking the pictures that Vergil took. He was beside you, sometimes glancing at the tablet too, and that was when you noticed a certain look.

You don’t know if you had mastered detecting Vergil’s wistful look or you were just too assuming, but you did it anyway – you switched to the web browser and searched something. Then you faced Vergil and said, “Thank you for taking pictures of my kids. Now I’ll show you pics of yours.”

And you showed Vergil fan arts and fan comics of baby Nero and kid Nero.

He wasn’t there during those years; it wasn’t his choice and he didn’t even know. But that shouldn’t stop him from seeing how cute his son must have been and this was the only possible way you knew of.

“It's like we're looking at Nero’s childhood photo album,” you said. Vergil looked a little surprised at that, but a smile quickly made its way onto his face as he put a hand on top of your head.

Chapter 27: Vergil and Midnight Sweets

Chapter Text

It was almost 2am, and you still couldn’t sleep, so you decided to get up and make hot cocoa.

You tried not to make so much noise, for Vergil might already be sleeping. But soon after you reached the kitchen, Vergil came out of his room and joined you. “Can’t sleep too?” you asked, and he nodded.

You offered to make him a cup of hot cocoa too. He refused at first but then you said, “I’ll put marshmallows. You and Nero have a marshmallow thing going.” You recalled cute fan arts of it and your smile stayed in place.

“Fine. Only if you explain the marshmallow thing,” he said.

So while preparing, you told Vergil about the Marvel vs Capcom game and recited his line, “The Flames of Revenge? Couldn't even melt a marshmallow.”

Then you asked him if he could remember the cutscenes around the start of DMC5, “Somewhere after Nero saved Mr. Crew Cut,” you said, which made Vergil smile. And you went on quoting, “Who brought the marshmallows, cause I'm bringing the fire!”

“Even in small details like that, you guys are daddy-and-son.” You laughed and he just smirked a little.

Then you placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of Vergil, in his Dante mug, with small marshmallows in the form of a smiling face on top, and this made him smile.

“You want sugar doughnuts too?” you asked as you rummaged the refrigerator. “They have cheese in them. They taste great when warmed.”

“You cannot sleep and you still plan to consume a lot of sugar. That will only make you more energized,” was his semi-dad-mode.

“That’s a no then?” You laughed before adding, “I get energized with sweets but I get sleepy with too much sweets.”

You sat at the dining table with Vergil while waiting for the microwave oven to reheat your treat. As you drank your cocoa, you suddenly recalled and asked, “Do you remember when I couldn’t sleep after watching a horror movie before? And I was drinking hot milk then you made me choke on it then scared me.” You laughed, being careful not to choke this time too.

Vergil chuckled but he said, while staring at his drink, “I’m sorry about that. I can be a... jerk, sometimes.”

“No, it’s nothing! I love all versions of you!” He quickly looked at you, which made you rethink what you just said.

Then Vergil spoke, his gaze still at you, “I...” But he changed his mind. “Do you... see me as a ma--”

But “Ding!” said the microwave oven.

“What's that?”

“Nothing. Go get your food.” He stared at his drink again.

You went to get the snack and when you got back, “What was your question again?”

Vergil just smiled and said, “Don’t mind it.”

##

Vergil watched as you gleefully ate the doughnut. He found it interesting howyou delightin such simple things.

Then he noticed that some sugar granules were on your cheek, so he reached to wipe them off. Doing so reminded him of his early days in here, when you two were eating burger, and that trick you had done to make him notice the sauce on his face.

He smiled to himself, realizing that you had been so thoughtful even from the start. He didn’t notice that his hand on your face lingered a little too long that you were already blushing and staring at him.

But he wasn’t sorry for that. “Fool. You eat like a toddler,” he said,smiling.

“Is that Vergil Vocabulary for me being cute?” The sugar must be working, you were being a tad too foolish. He just chuckled and pinched your cheek.

##

You noticed that Vergil’s left hand was holding the Yamato, that was why the cheek-pinch was imbalanced. Other people might find it weird that he would still bring it with him even just in the kitchen. But for you, it meant that he was always on guard, your ever-alert protector, the awesome Dark Slayer just beside you, and some more similar thoughts.

Sugar rush probably to blame, you decided to share where your thoughts led you. “Remember when we first met? You pointed the Yamato at me." You were laughing at the end.

“Ah, yes, sorry.” His tone was calm though. “Were you scared?”

“You don’t have to be sorry, that was a natural Vergil reaction.” You convinced him with a smile. “But honestly, I wasn’t that scared, just a little maybe. I was more focused on the amazing fact that you were here. And was busy fangirling.”

Vergil just smiled slightly.

“But now, you gave me this.” You took the Mini-Yamato from your pocket and showed it to him. You then realized that you, too, were someone who would always bring a Yamato wherever you go. “We’ve gotten really close since then,” you added, grinning, to which Vergil just smiled again.

As you took a sip ofyour drink, your mind started to wander.

The longer you were together, the more you felt like it was going to end soon. It was a bit sad but you knew you had to accept the reality that Vergil didn’t belong in this world. You were lucky enough to have experienced living with him, but you had to be ready to say goodbye when needed. Though it would really be sad...

You looked at Vergil. He was staring at his cocoa, and he seemed to be deep in thoughts as well. What could he be thinking about?

##

It wouldn’t matter if you only saw him as the Vergil from your favorite game, Vergil told himself. That wouldn’t change the fact that he still wanted to make you happy with whatever little ways possible. He would just continue doing that.

Vergil then realized that he had been quiet and staring at his drink for a while now, so he looked at you. You just smiled upon meeting his eyes. You were letting him drift freely in his thoughts again, just like that time before you exchanged those small gifts.

He smiled as he appreciated how you knew him well enough to let him be silent without misunderstanding him, like how other people normally would.

Then you yawned. “You see, I’m sleepy now. Sweets can do the trick”

Vergil waited for your eyes to meet again. And then he smiled at you. “Yes, sweets.”

Chapter 28: Vergil's Graduation Ceremony

Chapter Text

It had crossed your mind a few times now that sooner or later, Vergil would leave and go back to his world. So you thought, before that could happen, you wanted to at least see him do the things he was known to be good at. You called it Vergil’s Graduation Ceremony, and you listed ideas on your phone’s list-maker app.

Vergil’s Graduation Ceremony (Ask Vergil for permission to take a video)

• Violin – borrow from Music Department
• Poem – have Vergil read William Blake poems out loud
• Yamato – watch Vergil’s training in the rooftop

## Violin ##

That Saturday morning, after breakfast and while Vergil was on the couch, browsing something on the tablet, you asked, “Are you busy today?”

“Why?”

“Can I ask a few favors?”

“Go ahead.”

You couldn’t contain your excitement as you ran to your bedroom to get what you had borrowed from your school’s music department. You came back to the living room and showed Vergil a violin case. Grinning sheepishly, you said, “Play something for me please.”

He looked at the violin case then at you, and flashed a slight smile. “Fine.”

He took the case and placed it on the small table then opened it. He sat on the armrest of the couch, holding the violin and bow. You figured it must be for posture stuff.

“Any piece?” he asked, to which you nodded eagerly.

“Ah, wait!” You took your phone from your pocket. “Can I take a video too?”

You thought this would be the most difficult thing to ask among today’s favors but Vergil’s reply was unexpected. “If that would make you happy,” he said in a calm manner, still with a slight smile.

Of course, it made you happy instantly. You tried not to let your excitement make you clumsy as you set the phone on a small tripod on the table. Yep, you came prepared.

Then Vergil started playing.

( Vivaldi - Opus 3 no 6 in A minor - L'estro Armonico )

You were astounded, to say the least. The song was most likely a high-level violin piece with that tempo and those hand movements, but Vergil looked so calm playing it. Your jaw was probably dropping as you watched him but you didn’t care, you wanted to record this with your brain camera as well.

##

Vergil thought you might not know this piece but you looked astonished. He wasn’t aiming to impress you though, so he stopped after about a minute of playing.

“Why did you stop? You were great!”

“Guess this one.” He started playing a new piece. Vergil thought something you knew would probably make you smile even more.

“That’s Legacy!! The violin version in the final boss fight!” you answered a few seconds in, and he was right, that thrilled look was priceless.

He couldn’t help but smile too, as he nodded and continued playing.

“You’re amazing... Did you just learn that by ear?”

Vergil nodded again.

“You’re really awesome...” You were smiling but you looked like you were on the verge of crying. He didn’t know if he should be worried or laugh at you.

When it ended, you chuckled and said, “Now I'm hearing Silver Bullet in my mind.” Then you quoted, “You feeling accepting yet?”

And to please you even more, Vergil replied, “Of your existence? Or your strength?”

You didn’t continue with the rest and just giggled and squealed, earning Vergil’s “Fool” with a smile.

Then you remembered, “Oh! How about V’s violin taunt?”

“Ah, good one.” Vergil started Caprice No.24 by Niccolo Paganini.

( Niccolò Paganini - Caprice No. 24 or Devil May Cry 5 | V's Violin Taunt )

“Amazing!” You even clapped upon recognizing it. “Now I miss playing as V.”

Vergil couldn’t stop smiling at your reactions. The last time he had felt that playing the violin was rewarding, he was still a child. Realizing that made him smile even more as he gazed at you.

## Poem ##

“Could you also read poems out loud?” you requested with a shy smile after the violin was stored.

Vergil smiled then nodded. You were glad that he didn’t seem surprised at your unusual requests, but you were still in your most careful approach. “With video too, is it alright?” He nodded again. You couldn’t stop the squeal, though. You were just able to muffle it.

Since the phone was for video recording, you borrowed the tablet from Vergil. But before he handed it to you, you noticed him close all the apps that were open. Now that was a bit secretive. Or, nah, he was just considerate for the next user, unlike you with your habit of leaving a lot of tabs open like he had said.

You searched for William Blake poems, and you immediately found an interesting one. You showed Vergil a copy of A Poison Tree and pointed to the middle part, “This one is in the intro of DMC5, hehe. Along with the intro of the violin piece you played earlier.”

You covered your mouth with folded fingers to somehow stop any squeal or noise as Vergil started reading.

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears:

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole,

When the night had veild the pole;

In the morning glad I see;

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

“I love your voice,” you said, hands on your warm cheeks. “And the way you pronounce words clearly is just so lovely. I have always noticed that even in the games! Even everyday!"

Vergil chuckled a little.

“It’s interesting, how these lines were used to describe the Qliphoth, but in this poem it meant something else,” you said while looking at the tablet.

“What do you think it means?” Vergil asked, tone so gentle, like an older brother patiently teaching his sibling.

“Hmm...” You cupped your chin, thinking. “You should express how you feel, if you are upset, so it will not get bigger. Because if you keep pretending that everything is okay, that will only, hmm, grow and then, hmm, be something like a poisonous apple!” You grinned.

Vergil looked like he was about to laugh but he didn’t. His smile was wider this time though.

“But I don’t get the last part that much,” you added, not the least bit self-conscious. “Did the foe eat the apple and die?”

##

Vergil’s smile grew even wider with your last question. You looked serious, genuinely invested and curious.

As he explained the last verse to you, he noticed how close you were and how your face lit up the moment you understood the poem well. You were simply too enchanting that he had to suggest another poem just to keep himself from doing something that might make you scramble to your room again.

## Yamato ##

“Are you going to train today?” you asked after lunch.

Vergil smiled somewhat knowingly this time before nodding.

“Is it okay if I watch you?” you asked shyly. “I promise I won’t get in the way.”

“You bring things to throw at me so I can practice some defense too,” Vergil said, and upon realizing what it meant, you almost hugged him out of sheer happiness.

Then you held your phone, but before you could ask, Vergil said, “Taking a video is fine, but place it somewhere safe and far.”

And there was another muffled squeal of delight.

##

After the fun experience as Vergil’s training assistant, you handed him a towel and a bottle of blue Powerade.

He pointed to you. “Team manager?”

You nodded and pointed to the bottle. “Sponsor.”

And you both laughed before heading to the stairs. That might have been weird from other people's point of view but you and Vergil would somehow connect that way now, dork minds think alike. Well your mini Christmas gifts would prove that.

When you two reached your floor, however, on the way back to your unit, you encountered Ney. He had just left his door -- talk about great timing.

You thought you felt fire suddenly blaze beside you so you looked at Vergil. He was glaring at Ney, and his eyes were different, something scary, something similar to Dante’s partial DT in Visions of V. To make matters worse, Vergil was holding the Yamato right now. If you heard the Yamato’s click, that meant it was all over before you knew it. So you pulled Vergil by the arm to pass by quickly. Good thing Ney hit the wall in his attempt to evade in advance, there was a bit more distance between them. But Vergil’s death stare remained on Ney for as long as his neck could manage.

“You partial-DT'd,” you whispered, catching Vergil’s attention.

“What is that?” He had his usual voice, so you were relieved.

You looked at him and his eyes were back to their normal beauty. “Your eyes were in demon form somehow,” you explained as you both entered the apartment.

Vergil’s head tilted a little in confusion. Did he not notice it in him?

“Maybe you can summon a portal now. Your powers must be back.” You thought you could say that more enthusiastically but you couldn’t. What you were preparing for, Vergil’s departure, seemed to draw closer now, and something in your chest felt like they were about to overflow. You forgot that you were still holding his arm and you grasped it tight unconsciously with your thoughts.

“No, I still cannot,” Vergil replied firmly.He noticed that you were looking at the floor so he lifted your chin with a finger and said, “If I did, then that guy would have been a pincushion of summoned swords by now.”

That made you chuckle somehow, but you still felt off.

“I will just take a shower,” Vergil said and you nodded weakly, letting go of his arm.

He then moved close to your ear and whispered, “Vergil will take a shower.” And you blushed upon realization – of the meaning and of Vergil’s closeness.

“That’s more like it,” he said with a smirk. Then he put a hand on top of your head and said, “Think of more things to add to my Graduation Ceremony and we will do them all.”

That caught you off guard. He knew? How?

As if he could read your mind, Vergil said as he was about to enter the bathroom, “The apps on the tablet and on your phone are synced.” You heard him laugh as he went in.

So that was why he was being secretive and closing all the apps before handing the tablet to you! That was also probably why he wasn't surprised at your requests. You might have gotten so red at your foolish slip, but at least your plan was now out in the open. Vergil had even been showing support.

##

While in the shower, Vergil recalled how his blood boiled when he saw Ney earlier, especially since you were beside him that time. It was like a protective instinct that slipped past his consciousness.

You had mentioned that you saw his eyes transform, so he got curious and tried if he could at least summon a spectral sword.

And one did come out.

He was surprised, a bit displeased even. He willed it to disappear immediately, shattering it into tiny specks of blue. Then he tried again, but nothing came out. Even when he tried once more, nothing.

Vergil sighed – a sigh of relief, he recognized. “I’m a selfish fool,” he muttered as he closed his eyes and leaned his head on the wall in front of him.

Chapter 29: Vergil and Valentine's Day

Chapter Text

It was Valentine’s Day.

But even a week or two before it, ads and TV shows and basically everything kept everyone reminded of the coming occasion. Was it really a big deal in this world? Vergil had been wondering for a few days now.He also wondered if people back in his world also valued this day this much. 'What greatness did Saint Valentine do anyway? And why do couples have such a day, which, according to the TV, is followed by a so-called Singles Awareness Day? Are they even aware that its acronym would be SAD? And how about those people in between, those not in a definite relationship but are not really unattached, do they also have a day?

Despite his skepticism, here he was, tapping the ‘Confirm Receipt’ button on the tablet as you received a delivery at the door. Then he closed that particular tab and accessed the browsing history to delete a certain link from the list. He tried to contain the smile that was forming on his lips as he waited for you to come back to the living room.

“Vergil look! What a coincidence, two deliveries came at the same time!” you said, a little too excited and uttering something he wasn’t expecting.

You came back to the living room holding two bouquets, one with elegant blue roses, the other one with, tch, pink roses.

You placed the pink one on the table and inspected the blue one. “I wonder who sent this.” You smelled them, touched the petals, then smiled in an amazed manner beforeadding, “They are beautiful. It's my first time receiving blue roses.”

Vergil should be relishing this moment, but he couldn’t stop glancing at the flowers on the table. He was trying to read the attached card from such distance.

While still holding the blue bouquet, you checked the other one. You gave the card a quick read and smiled a little. What could that mean?

“You sure are well admired,” Vergil said, his tone going a bit more displeased than he intended.

“Nah.” You just chuckled. This wasn’t the time to be humble, human. Share some details!

He decided to try a different path, “Which one do you like more?” and he scolded himself upon realizing the petty competitiveness in his question.

“I like them both,” was your inconclusive reply before placing the blue roses beside the other one and going to the kitchen.

While you were rummaging the kitchen cabinets, Vergil grabbed the chance to check the card on the pink roses. There was no name on it, just the words, “Hope you’re well” and a logo at the back of the card.

Hope you’re well ?

Well...

The only time you weren’t well was...

Vergil stood up and went to the door. “I will just check something,” he said and left without waiting for your reply.

A few steps later and he was at his destination. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before pressing the doorbell. Good thing the dunderhead didn’t use the peephole, he thought as the door opened.

Ney the neighbor was surprised, or frightened, when he saw Vergil.

“Are you the one who sent the pink roses to her?” No beating around the bush, just going for the kill, that’s Vergil.

Ney was panicking as he responded, “W-what? Pink roses?” That didn’t answer the question, so Vergil took a step closer while eyeing him intently. With that, Ney came up with a better answer, “I’m not! I didn’t send her anything.”

“Very well. Tsk.” Vergil then went back. He wasn’t sure if he should be glad that it wasn’t Ney or be irritated because he had no lead aside from the flower shop logo.

He found you in the living room with two vases beside the flowers, so he just took the tablet from where he had left it and went to his room. “Who puts a logo on their product but not a company name?” he complained as he searched the internet for answers. After a few smart decisions and some luck, he found a name and an address.

##

“I’m sorry sir, we cannot give their name nor contact details. It’s our duty of confidentiality to the customers,” said the scrawny employee. Does he not fear for his safety? Is client confidentiality more important than his life?

Vergil shook his head as if to reset his thoughts. This was a human of your world, he reminded himself. He couldn't use his old ways of handling inconveniences for he didn’t want to cause you any trouble.

But good thing the Yamato always had his back. Vergil didn’t have to do anything; as soon as the employee spotted the Yamato, he offered to meet halfway. He said he would call the customer and ask if they would allow such disclosure of information.

This made Vergil smile a little. Scrawny can be reasonable after all.

But he was not expecting this to work out in his favor, so he made it a point to look at the telephone when the employee dialed the number. A sequence of numbers was not that hard for him to memorize, though he would not resort to something low such as calling this number and phishing for information. He was more refined than that.

Vergil left the flower shop even before the call ended, and he entered the nearby café. Fortunately, he had brought the tablet with him, as it was a powerful ally in this realm. But unfortunately, it didn’t help him achieve exactly what he had wanted this time, though it led him to a viable option.

He went to the new address he had obtained, and there he was handed a business card upon being welcomed. Private Investigator Mori was written on it. He had thought that perhaps handing the task over to an expert would make things easier.

After about an hour of waiting, however, Vergil was presented with the bad news that they were not able to find a name nor an address. As soon as they tracked the number, it was already out of service. The owner must have known that he was being tracked.

Of course, Vergil was frustrated. He considered going back to the flower shop to go with ‘Plan B’, but it was getting late. He hadn’t even told you where he went to and you might get worried, so he decided to call it a day.

##

Meanwhile, in a certain office far, far away, there was a man seated at a fancy desk, on which was a framed photo of a certain person --- You.

His secretary came in and said, “The flower shop called earlier and was asking if they could reveal your name to someone who was inquiring about you. I already handled it though.”

The man laughed rather arrogantly. “Looks like the bait has reeled in a fish this time. This will be fun.”

Before the secretary left, the man said, “Book me a ticket to her, will you? I'll leave tomorrow.”

##

When Vergil arrived home, you looked worried, asking where he had been all day. He managed a factual yet not completely honest excuse, and he immediately recalled how Nero scolded him before for all the truth-bending he had done as V.

You had already cooked dinner, Valentine’s special as you called it, and he did find a themed feast on the table. “But I have a question, I hope you’ll be honest with me,” you said, looking somewhat timid.

“What is it?”

“Is this from you?” You showed him the blue roses already arranged neatly in a vase.

Vergil looked away as he replied, “It took you long enough to figure out.”

To his surprise, you hugged him, just for a few seconds, out of sheer happiness. “Thank you! You're so sweet. I love it. Blue roses, so Vergil!”

“How did you find out?” he asked indifferently, his eyes deviating from you again.

“I just asked you.” You grinned sheepishly. “I was actually nervous. It would be so embarrassing if my assumption was wrong.”

‘So just ask, huh?’

Vergil wondered if he should have done the same right from the start and asked you who had sent the pink roses. But he thought, whoever it was didn’t matter anyway. He was the one here, and you had even cooked this special dinner for him. That pink-rose person had nothing.

You then pulled Vergil to the dining table, excitedly telling him what you had prepared. With this simple gesture, his smile was back and the whole day’s frustration was instantly forgotten.

Chapter 30: Vergil and Oniichan

Chapter Text

The doorbell rang and you stood up to open the door. Somehow, Vergil was sensing something. How many times had this happened before?

“Oniichan?”

“Imouto!”

Vergil’s ears became alert as soon as he heard a male voice. He shifted a little to take a peek and perfect timing, he saw some arms hugging you. With that, the wooden chopsticks that Vergil was holding snapped broken.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at the overseas branch till next year.” You sounded surprised yet your tone seemed pleased.

“I came as soon as I found out that someone was snooping around the pink roses I sent,” the man explained, no need for descriptions because--

“You're the one who sent those?” Vergil stood up upon hearing the keywords.

“You're the one who was snooping around?” the man countered, walking towards the living room before he was even invited inside.

##

Oniichan strode past you and went straight to Vergil. They both grabbed each other by the collar, but somehow, when they felt the material...

“Nice quality,” Oniichan said, though his voice was serious.

“Yours too,” Vergil replied in the same manner.

“You have good taste, and I’m not fond of ruining quality material.”

“Me neither.”

So they both let go. That was weird, but at least they didn’t start fighting.

Oniichan then went to your side to hug you again. “I missed you Imouto!” He was even rubbing his cheek on your head affectionately. "Did you miss Oniichan too?"

Vergil looked irritated when he said, “Stop hugging her.”

“Well she’s my Imouto, you can’t do anything about it,” Oniichan mocked, hugging you even tighter.

##

Vergil pondered for a second. He had heard those terms before...

Then he looked at the Yamato. Then the cup ramen and the chopsticks on the living room table. Then the anime on pause on the television. Japanese.

“You two are siblings?!” Vergil rarely got surprised but this time he did.

“Yes, I'm her older brother.” The man let go of you for a second just to say that proudly, hands anchored on his waist. Then he hugged you again, from behind this time, deliberately showing Vergil how his arms snaked around you. “Oniichan missed Imouto so much. How have you been while I was away?”

You looked like you were used to it, but Vergil wasn’t. “Why are you so clingy to your sister?”

“I have siscon, and I'm proud of it!” this Oniichan declared.

##

You then explained everything to Vergil.

You were really close with your older brother, and he had this tradition of giving you flowers on Valentine’s Day since you were kids. It was always pink roses. It had started with a stem of pink rose from Mom’s garden and evolved into pretty bouquets.

You both liked anime, games, – basically, everything you liked, Oniichan also liked. He was the one who insisted that you call him Oniichan and he called you Imouto, because he was a bigtime otaku and as he had said, he was proud of his siscon.

“What does siscon mean?” Vergil asked you.

“Sister complex. Google it while I keep him busy,” you whispered to him before pulling Oniichan to the kitchen.

But Oniichan had to provoke Vergil first. “You still don’t have my approval though. For you to have Imouto, you must be worthy!”

“I am worthy,” Vergil stated confidently.

“Oniichan you’re misunderstanding everything. We’re not together. We're just roommates,” you explained, a bit embarrassed.

“And it all starts that way, then the guy will be crawling on you the moment you let your guard down!” Oniichan was even pointing to Vergil. He had a tendency to be like an anime character when he was with you. At his office though, he was a completely different person.

“I would never do that,” Vergil said firmly. “A man of honor never does something as shameless as crawling on someone whose guard is down.”

And you imagined that in the literal sense. You couldn’t help but laugh at these two. They were turning out to be quite similar and both were a bit foolish. So you decided to take the role of the adult, despite being the youngest in here. “My instant ramen is getting cold. Oniichan, you get one from the cupboards and join us in the couch. We're bingeing Kimetsu no Yaiba.”

“You're watching the latest season without me?!”

“You’re always busy. I can’t wait for you forever.”

##

Vergil found himself smiling as he watched you two. Oniichan was indeed overly affectionate but you looked like you missed him too.

Then he took it upon himself to get cup ramen from the cupboards. “Choose your variant,” he said, facing Oniichan.

“Ohoho, so you are trying to gain Oniichan's approval now, huh?” was the response he got.

“Tsk, her ramen is getting cold.” Vergil did big-eyes on him and gestured towards you, making Oniichan remember his priorities.

So Oniichan took one, actually the same flavor as Vergil’s, and said, “I still don’t approve of you though,” before going to where the hot water was.

Then the doorbell rang. Vergil’s senses were triggered again, but he was too late; you were already opening the door.

And there he saw Ney.

“What do you want?!”

“What do you want?!”

Vergil and Oniichan looked at each other.

##

“I’m just here to hand the circular notice,” Ney explained. “We're still neighbors, God, hostile people.” And he left right away.

“You also hate that guy?” Oniichan asked.

“Hate doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Vergil said, contempt evident in his voice.

“Now you’re approved!” Oniichan hugged Vergil all of a sudden.

And they told each other of their reason for hating Ney the neighbor.

Ney hadn't really done anything against Oniichan. It was just that Oniichan’s overprotectiveness was always triggered by Ney, even from the first time you had told Oniichan about him.

But when Vergil revealed his reason, Oniichan almost rushed outside. Good thing Vergil was able to stop him, saying he had already taken care of it and that Oniichan shouldn't get his hands dirty.

In no time, they were sitting beside each other on the couch, eating ramen and even pouring iced tea in each other’s glasses.

##

“You look familiar though,” Oniichan said as he looked closely at Vergil.

Oniichan had played DMC1 to DMC4 with you before. You had sent him a copy of DMC5 but it seemed he hadn’t played it yet. You couldn’t blame him though; he had been busy with work that he couldn’t even meet you or your parents the past year. When DMC4 had come out years ago, he wasn’t that kind of a super busy businessman yet, so he still had the time to hang out and play.

But since Oniichan was probably the closest person to you, you wanted to be honest with him about Vergil. More so since you liked Vergil a lot and Oniichan could get a bit too protective. …and over dramatic if he found out about it too late.

So you pulled Vergil to the side, to ask if it would be alright with him for Oniichan to know his identity.

And you thanked Ney somehow for bringing these two together that Vergil immediately agreed. He even said, “I’ll get my coat.” He tried to hide it but he looked like he wanted to surprise Oniichan with the reveal.

Then you talked to Oniichan. “Do you remember the video game we used to play, the one where--”

“Devil May Cry? Yes. Why?” His siscon sure was convenient at times like this.

“You haven’t played the one I sent you, have you?”

Oniichan grinned sheepishly and said, with a hug again, “I’m sorry Imoutooooo. I’ve been so busy lately, business trips, product launches, conferences--”

“It’s alright, I understand. Now, I want you to play it.” And you set up DMC5.

Vergil was on the starting screen because you had been playing him last time. Oniichan easily recognized that the character on the opening screen was Vergil from the Special Edition Series. “Oh, you already have the Vergil Special Edition? Have you finished all the game modes?”

Then you pushed Vergil to stand beside the TV. Vergil was kind enough to imitate the opening gesture.

And Oniichan looked at the two Vergils back and forth.

“You’re Vergil?!? How did this happen?! And oh yeah, I’ve been talking and eating with you but I haven’t even asked your name!”

So you explained everything.

Oniichan was a lot like you – he grew up having the same interests as you, so he was as open-minded as you were about extraordinary things.

“Now I approve of you even more!” Oniichan exclaimed, pointing at Vergil with an exaggerated pose. Vergil was smiling at Oniichan’s foolishness the whole time.

Then they played DMC5 together. Oniichan even asked Vergil to show him some Yamato moves later.

Oniichan also ordered Japanese food for dinner, even insisted that Vergil drink sake with him, and they continued their bonding. A proud siscon otaku and an alleged weeb katana man bonding over Japanese food and sake, and earlier over instant ramen and anime – really perfect.

And when it was time for Oniichan to leave, he told Vergil, “If you want my Imouto, show me your motivation!”

Chapter 31: Vergil and Unhealthy Habits

Chapter Text

Vergil had always been pale. Some sources listed that as a Sparda trait, along with the pale hair and pale eyes, so you thought that was just normal.

Vergil had always been living healthy. He ate fruits, he drank tea, his posture was always great.

But the truth is, he was a fool! He had relied on his demonic side for so long, he didn’t know how to be a human properly. And he was always good at hiding how he felt that even physically, his body could hide how it felt, until it couldn’t.

##

It happened when you arrived home from work one day. You were even excited to tell Vergil about the funny thing that had happened at school, but no one answered when you greeted. He would always respond or at least raise a hand to acknowledge you if he was reading something, but this time, without that usual thing, you already felt odd.

The moment you stepped further in, you found Vergil on the floor, lying on his back, unconscious.

You dropped everything, even the rule of changing into indoor slippers, and rushed to his side. You were panicking but good thingyou somehow had the right instincts for something like this– you checked and confirmed that he was still breathing, he was not bleeding anywhere, he still had a pulse.

You thought you were doing well but all the while you were actually crying. You only realized it when some of your tears got to Vergil’s face. If he were awake, he would call you foolish right now. Or scold you for having done such a thing.

You then wondered if you should call an ambulance, or wait for him to wake up, or just try to wake him up. Or was it something demon-related? Did he try some weird ritual and something bad had happened? Did the enemies, that he'd said had been chasing him before, reach this world and got to him? But he didn’t seem injured. Was this some kind of a spell then? Was it still even safe in the apartment right now?

You were spiraling, but that wouldn’t do Vergil any good.

Should you call for help? Oniichan! Was he still in town? No, he'd already left yesterday, even sent you a picture, fool. How about Ney the neighbor? What help would you need anyway? It would probably be best to just call an ambulance now. They might find Vergil’s body unusual, for his temperature was always higher than normal, but at least they would know the basic things to do.

“Why is it raining salt water?” You heard Vergil’s voice, though weak. And with that he madeyoulaughwhile crying again.

“Fool,” he added after a few seconds of silence and sniffles, “Stop crying. I’m alive.”

You nodded, though he wouldn’t see it for he kept his eyes closed. “What happened to you? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Just let me... be here for a while.”

You decided to lift his head onto your lap. You didn’t know if it would help... or it might make things worse? You were starting to regret it until Vergil said, “Thank you.”

Your idle hands somehow found Vergil’shair –combing his locks, caressing his head, hoping it could somehow make him feel better. And he did smile.

“Are you dizzy?” you tried guessing and he nodded. “I’ll turn off the lights. It might help.” You were about to place his head back on the floor to stand up, but his hand stopped you.

Vergil held your arm and said, “Stay with me.”

So you stayed that way with him, half worried, half feeling fuzzy-warm. But you thought, a situation like this shouldn’t be fangirled.

You took his hand off your arm and placed it on his chest for a more comfortable position. But the clingy hand didn’t want to let go – he trapped yours there on his chest where you could feel his heartbeat. That was when you noticed the irregularity in the rhythm, there were a few times that it skipped a beat, not in the romantic sense but the literal one.

So you asked, “Vergil, how many hours do you sleep every night.”

“Three.”

You were glad that he was honest and certain. But that answer wasn't something to be glad about, that you slapped his upper arm on instinct. “Fool!” And it was your turn to say it, as you recalled the nightmares and a lot of times that he was still up late yet always waking up earlier than you. This guy!

“I’m used to it,” he reasoned. “Besides, I don’t need that much sleep, I'm--” And he must have realized it too.

But you had to remind him, just to be sure, “You’re a human here!”

He didn’t respond, soyou asked another question, “How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?”

“Five.”

Another slap on the arm. “No wonder you can't sleep at night! And you even drink a lot of tea at that.”

Vergil made a pained face, which was kinda cute, but you were supposed to be angry so you had to resist. “I don’t want your lap anymore.” Smiling, he tried to move away weakly, eyes still closed, really cute. But you were still supposed to be angry, so you pulled him back.

“You got me worried. You’re not taking care of yourself. I will punish you for this, Vergil.”

He chuckled and weakly yet mockingly said, “Noooooo...”

And from then on, you made sure that Vergil would take vitamins regularly and would only drink up to three cups of coffee a day. He was also required to take a nap if he hadn’t slept for at least six hours.

Chapter 32: Vergil and Couple's Massage

Chapter Text

There was a raffle at school, and you won a massage plus ventosa treatment package for two. So of course, you invited Vergil.

It was scheduled on a Friday so you two had to meet directly at the spa. You came from school, and Vergil came from his tutoring part-time job. Apparently, he didn’t quit that. Lucky kid.

You both entered the establishment, were welcomed and guided all throughout, until you reached the room assigned to you. To both of you.

It was a couple’s massage. You didn’t know. Promise.

There were two massage beds close to each other, one bathtub, and one shower area with only a glass slab as a cover. You instantly got red and panicky; you didn’t want Vergil to think that you trapped him.

Vergil, on the other hand, laughed as you explained yourself. He still enjoyed seeing you like this. But he must have pitied you this time, or you just looked worse than he had ever seen you, that he offered to ask the staff to make the necessary changes.

Doing so, however, might cause inconvenience to the employees, and you didn’t want that. It was your fault for not checking anyway. When you expressed this to Vergil, he smiled and rubbed the top of your head. It was like you were given a ‘very good’, and it felt nice.

But then he started to remove the necktie he was wearing and unbuttoned his collar. Your eyes widened, wondering what was going to happen. Was this a reward?

Vergil put the black necktie onto his eyes. Ah, a makeshift blindfold. But he stopped and called you. He wanted you to be the one to tie it. Oh God, what play was this?

“You can trust that I will not look at you,” he said, and you thought, what a gentleman. Then he added, “It is up to you to tie it properly.” Was that an offer? Like it’d be up to you what you want to happen? Whaaa--

“Go ahead and freshen up. I will sit here,” he interrupted your thoughts after the blindfold was done. You felt a bit guilty, which would explain the tight blindfold, tsk. Vergil was being so nice, and your mind was just so... but why was he smirking like that? ‘Vergil, you’re misleading me left and right!’ you thought.

“Fool, start moving.” Ah so that’s what the smirk was for. He knew you were being daydreamy again. But then he added, “If we don’t hurry up, they might come knocking soon.” And that sounded like a line from— aaahh Vergil!

You decided to turnthe shower to cold. You needed to purify your mind.

When you said you were done, Vergil started unbuttoning his shirt —oh my, the cold shower didn’t work— but then you started to worry how he would do this —shower— with blindfold on. He might be able to move around while blindfolded, probably his spatial scanning ability or something, but if he took a shower in front of you with only the transparent glass slab to cover everything... the blindfold would get wet.

You had to scold yourself for all the foolishness before calling Vergil, “Wait! I’ll wear the blindfold this time so you can take a shower properly.”

He nodded then walked towards you, following the direction he heard your voice from, because he still had his eyes covered. “You can take it off now, I’m decent,” you said, pitying Vergil for his sacrifices while you were busy with your impure thoughts.

But the situation was really challenging! You were seated on one of the massage beds, wearing a bathrobe, and Vergil stood in front of you, with his shirt already undone on the upper part. It didn’t help that he started putting the necktie-blindfold on you. Everything was just so suggestive!

“Am I hurting you?” he asked as he tied it. Nooo, Vergil stop it already!

You managed to shake your head. Then he cupped your cheek and you froze. 'This is it,' you thought.

“Are you alright? You’re so flushed. Are you not feeling well?” And he was even concerned. So pure. Unlike you.

You couldn’t help it anymore, you covered your face with your hands and gave a muffled, “I’m fine, sorry, go ahead and take a shower. I need some reflection time.”

You heard him laugh a little. You didn’t know if he got what you meant or not, but when you heard the water running, you got a good distraction.

...Not! You could hear Vergil showering. Even with just the water sounds, even when blindfolded, your mind filled the blanks with memories of fan arts and fan fiction.

And you thought it would be over, but it wasn’t. Vergil came back to you later to retrieve the blindfold. He said he’d wear it for the whole massage so as not to make you uncomfortable. He was being so nice, while you,especially when you saw him in a bathrobe and tied the makeshift blindfold on him again, were being so naughty. Oh Santa, forgive this girl, you thought.

But at least the weird hot moment was really finished. And you pressed a button –turns out there was this feature— to call forth the masseuses.

The two that came in introduced themselves as Alex and Rose, assigned to Vergil and you respectively.

At first you envied Alex for she was touching Vergil’s body, but later on when you saw how difficult it was, you felt bad for her. She kept asking if the pressure was okay, but Vergil kept on saying harder. Vergil had a high pain tolerance; you knew all too well why.

##

When the ventosa treatment started, Vergil heard a sound from you and he got worried instantly. He was blindfolded after all. So he asked, “Are you hurt?”

“No, I was just surprised a little.”

“Rose,” Vergil called your masseuse.

“Yes sir?”

“Please be careful not to hurt her, okay?” Vergil was really concerned since he felt that fire was involved in this treatment.

“Yes, sir.” Then Rose whispered to you, “Ma’am, your boyfriend is so sweet.” Vergil heard it still, and he smiled.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you replied in a soft voice.

“Oh so that’s why sir is wearing a makeshift blindfold,” Alex joined your whispering.

“He’s such a gentleman,” Rose added.

Vergil just smiled as he heard them.

##

After the ventosa, it was massage again.

During a massage, you wouldn't be able to do much with your hands or your eyes, and there were no usual distractions like electronic devices, so the mind would either drift to sleep or get busy with thoughts...

## Vergil ##

-How many times have people mistaken us as a couple? I don’t mind it though. But she always points out the misunderstanding. Does she not like it?

-I wonder… What does it take to be a real one? We have kissed, embraced each other, held hands… Does this world have different standards? Not that I know the standards of my world… But based on the movies and TV shows I have watched here, and even some of the books, we seem to satisfy the conditions needed to be called a couple.

-What does she think about it? I have to know. Should I just ask her? No, fool.

-This treatment is good. But I cannot fall asleep here. I must always be on guard. Though I only slept for 3 hours last night and she requires me to take a nap when that happens... Where’s the Yamato? Ah, right there, just within reach.

-She probably doesn’t see it that way. To her I’m just Vergil of Devil May Cry. That might be the reason. But doesn’t she like Vergil a lot? And Vergil is here. Vergil is me. Maybe she just needs more time to consolidate that…

-But no matter what, I must control myself. I’m just half a demon so my instinct-driven urges should not be— or perhaps it’s just me? How I wish I could talk to Dante about these things.

-I almost kissed her again that time. No, a lot of times. And I tend to touch her like it’s nothing. I don’t want her to think I am exploiting her kindness. But it just… I must… more… control…

-Zzzzz…

## You ##

-Why do people always mistake us as a couple? It’s embarrassing. I hope Vergil doesn’t think that I’m enjoying other people’s misunderstanding of us.

-But yeah, if you think about it, we’ve done a lot of couple stuff already, except the beeeep teehee.

-But no, those are just slips or spur of the moment stuff. Especially the kiss. Not counted. We don’t even talk about it. And the hugs, it’s probably something similar to Onii-chan’s. Vergil is an older brother anyway, maybe older brothers just have an instinct like that when they appreciate what you do or when they show they care. I wonder if Vergil has also hugged Dante behind the scenes...

-God, this massage is so good. Next time I’ll try the foot treatment too.

-Zzzzzz…

-Ah, I fell asleep! I hope I didn’t snore. That would be embarrassing!

-What was I thinking about again?

-Ah, yeah, there’s even this big issue that Vergil will go home one day. We cannot be anything more than ‘Vergil and the Quest-for-Power Companion.’ I knew that from the start.

-I can’t let myself assume things or… fall. It will hurt, big time. So don’t give meaning to everything… Just be there… for Vergil…

-Zzzzz…

##

When the full treatment was over, you andVergil decided to find some place to eat dinner. While walking, he couldn’t help but notice the purple mark that was quite visible on your shoulder. He looked like he was about to touch it but he held back when he asked, “Does it hurt?”

“No. Yours?”

“No.”

“But it can get itchy later on.” You recalled your previous ventosa experience.“Try not to scratch it hard, okay?”

“Is that so? Then you be careful too.” He can be so sweet sometimes, even if his tone sounded indifferent.

“Did you enjoy the massage?” you then asked.

“Yes. My body feels lighter,” though he said it in a stiff way, “I might seek such relief sometime again in the future.”

You laughed then said, “You don’t have to wait for a chance to go to a spa, I can always give you a massage at home if you need one.” Then you realized what you just said so you tried to explain, “I mean, if we do that, you don’t have to undress and all, just shoulder massage or head or arms or hand.”

Vergil chuckled at how flustered you were, before saying, “I look forward to that then.”

Upon his agreement, images of you giving a massage to Vergil quickly flashed in your mind — you touching his body, his toned arms, his broad manly shoulders, his chest, his abs, his--

“You’re already there, aren’t you?” Vergil was laughing, it got your attention. “You and your hyperactive imagination.”

You wanted to hide your face for being caught. You already had a lot of weird-hot-moment thoughts before the massage, why did you have to be so greedy? But before you could scold yourself some more, Vergil spoke. “I'm certain that in my world we have something like that as well.” He gestured towards the spa behind you. “But I have never tried it before.”

Aww, dark-past alert!

“So, thank you...” He faced you just to show that damn gorgeous smile as he put a hand on your head. “For always letting me experience new things.”

Chapter 33: Vergil and Visions of V

Chapter Text

Visions of V had a new chapter today so there you were, on the couch, reading it on the tablet. You were even reacting with “Aww” when V’s thoughts were shown, and “So that’s why he said that,” and some muffled squeals at the exciting parts.

Little did you know that someone was there behind you, someone who saw the last few pages of what you were reading, someone who was holding a book, someone who just dropped the book from surprise and other big emotions.

“W-what is that?”

You quickly turned and saw Vergil frozen in place, with a book by his feet and his face showing horror and disbelief.

“Visions of V…?” You realized that it must be the first time that Vergil saw this. The manga updates were not that frequent so the instance of you reading it and Vergil seeing you do so happened only today.

“This is a manga about you!” Excitement got to you so you quickly swiped to the previous pages while showing it to Vergil.

“Why does something like that exist?” His eyes grew a bit bigger the more pages he saw.

You just thought it was cute, so you stood up and went beside Vergil then gave the tablet to him. “Read it too. It’s interesting.” When he held it, you thought another meta thing was happening and you looked forward to Vergil’s cute or funny reactions.

But as he swiped through the previous pages and previous chapters fast, he muttered, “Your people… have invaded my mind…”

You laughed as you replied, “This helped us understand you better.”

You were surprised when Vergil said, “This is embarrassiiiiiiing.” And in one swift move he handed you the tablet, picked up the book he had dropped, and went in his room. You even heard the lock click.

Vergil hadn’t locked his door that time when you'd found him having a nightmare. He never locked his door because he said you could come to him should there be some sort of an attack, if ever the demons that had been chasing him before somehow reached this realm. But this time he did lock his door. And from the way he reacted to Visions of V, you realized, 'I broke Vergil.'

You sat in front of his bedroom door and tried to convince him. “Vergil… You don’t have to be embarrassed about this…”

But you thought, perhaps it was indeed too much. For someone like Vergil who had a tendency to keep his thoughts to himself, knowing that the people of your world had ‘invaded’ his mind and read about his thoughts, his feelings... especially that time he was V, his literal weakest point, as V was literally crumbling and dragging himself in the Qliphoth... It really must be too much for him! Simply knowing about his past was completely different from having seen and read his thoughts.

And you were even excited and laughing when he was scanning Visions of V. Oh the guilt.

Your persuasive tone changed into an apologetic one when you said to the door, “Vergil… In behalf of my people, I’m sorry…"

But he wasn’t responding.

Hours passed and Vergil was still in his room. You had even cooked dinner, knocked to offer him a meal, but there was still no response from him.

You took the tablet and sat in front of his door. It wasn’t the guilt that you were concerned about anymore, but how Vergil must be feeling. Somehow, an idea came to mind, and you spent the night working on it on that very spot.

##

It was already 3am and Vergil still couldn’t sleep. He could already imagine you telling him to take a nap later, and this made him smile then wonder what you had been doing in front of his door.

You had been there for about seven hours now, and you had to go to work tomorrow. Upon realizing this, the switch to what you called his 'dad-mode' was flicked on.

Vergil opened his door gently, careful not to make you fall in case you had your back on it. But good thing you'd chosen to lean back on the small piece of wall between your bedroom doors before you'd fallen asleep.

He immediately noticed that you were holding the tablet. It was even plugged in. You must have fallen asleep reading something interesting, he thought.

Curious, he took the device and unlocked it, only to see a folder with at least 100 items in it. The folder was entitled 'People Who Love Vergil', and there were numerous images and screenshots. There were also note files containing links to Youtube videos along with your description of them.

Vergil sat down beside you and checked this project of yours, everything in the folder, one by one.

Some of the notable ones were the screenshots of Reddit posts along with some of the top comments. There was one saying, “Reading Visions of V made me realize that Vergil’s past is dark AF.” He had to google what that ‘AF’ meant. The subsequent comments expressed the same opinion.

There was also a screenshot of a post on a different website, with a picture of him and the caption said, “He’s not really the villain there, he just wanted to be strong enough so as not to be afraid. Anyone who went through that childhood trauma would probably do the same.” And it had about 200 comments below it. Some even attached panels from the manga.

There were also screenshots of different online posts saying they want Dante, Vergil and Nero to be teamed up from the start in DMC6. Some even hoped that in DMC6, Mundus be resurrected just so the twins could finally beat the crap out of him together, for ruining their lives.

There were also pictures that he remembered you calling 'fan arts'. There was one showing Dante and Nero hugging V. Then one with Dante and Vergil in the Underworld fighting demons, with Dante having a thought bubble that said, ‘I’ll keep an eye on you, so you’ll never be alone again.’

Among the Youtube video links, there was a catchy one for its title was “Vergil’s Inferiority | Devil May Cry 5 Analysis” and he watched it first.

He watched them all. He viewed them all. He read them all.

##

You woke up in your bed, and it was already morning. After recalling what had happened, you quickly rushed out of your room. You were surprised and greatly relieved to see Vergil preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

You went to his side, a bit uncertain of how you would do it. But you chose to face him properly, look at him in the eye and say, “Vergil, I’m sorry for being too excited about you reading Visions of V. I’m sorry my people have that. Sorry we invaded your mind…”

He put a hand on your head and smiled, saying, “It’s fine.” Then this hand slid down. He was cupping your cheeks with both hands now, then he moved close to your face, but stopped when his nose was only about an inch from yours.

“Thank you for what you did,” he finally said after a few seconds of up-close silence. You knew what he was talking about as you had seen the tablet on the table.

You smiled, relieved that he thanked you for it, because you had also been half-worried that those things might make it worse.

##

Vergil let go and gestured for you to sit down.

When he turned his back on you, he put a hand on his face for a second, quite embarrassed of what he had almost done. Then he took a deep breath and composed himself before serving what he had cooked.

As you two ate breakfast, you didn’t mention any of yesterday’s event anymore. You acted normal, like how you would on any ordinary day. He knew you were being considerate that way, and he was glad.

Later when Vergil was drinking coffee, he checked the tablet, the folder you had labeled 'People Who Love Vergil'.

He scrolled to find the last entry there. It was a photo of you sleeping on the floor in front of his bedroom, its filename being ‘Sweet Fool’, and a smile made its way onto his face as he looked at it.

Chapter 34: Vergil and Singing

Chapter Text

It was your birthday!

It was a workday, though a Friday, so a night-out was still viable.

When Vergil found out that morning, he wanted to do something for you, but you were quick to stop him. Instead, you told him of your plan to have dinner with your work friends tonight, with him of course.

He scowled at you for not telling him about the occasion sooner, but he turned his frustration into a cheek-pinch. He didn’t like being unprepared, but he couldn’t be mad at you on your birthday. You just grinned at him, cheeks still aching a little.

You didn’t want Vergil to prepare anything for it was enough to have him here on your birthday. You didn’t even expect that he’d still be here on this day. Before leaving for work, you made him promise no gifts, no surprises, and to just go out with you and your friends tonight. He agreed, a reluctant “Fine. I promise,” but he still looked adorable for you.

So that evening after work, you had dinner with Vergil and your work friends. It was fun, nothing unusual, no trouble at all. Vergil didn’t seem like the Ice Prince he was kinda known to be. Well, he had met different people now – Ney’s friends, your parents, your brother. And with everyone he'd met, he was always just-right quiet but not snobby. He was even well-mannered every time, just like how you had imagined Vergil to be as a son of Sparda, with their image being like noblemen. Well, except towards Ney, probably. So basically, he was just scary when with enemies or threats, but he could be nice when with other people. It made you proud to have known this, something not everyone could see.

The night was still young so your friends suggested karaoke. You discreetly asked Vergil if it was alright with him, and he replied with “Fool, it’s your day,” of course with a charming smirk.

Karaoke meant drinking too, and Vergil initially didn’t want to partake. He said he’d make sure you got home safe, but your friends insisted, “Come on, for the birthday girl!”

That time, he looked at you, as if his decision relied on what would please you. You grinned at him and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t drink too much. Let's both do,” so Vergil complied.

But then a few drinks later, you spilled yours, really just by clumsiness. Vergil was quick to give you a handkerchief and even wipe some of it off you. He lightly scolded you with, "Tsk, you've had too much," but he also looked at you all worried, saying, "Tell me if you don't feel well." Witnessing all of that, your friends squealed, and they teased you two left and right again. They had been accusing you two of being boyfriend-and-girlfriend from the start, so simple gestures like these had been feeding their theory. Vergil just smiled every time they did that though.

Since then, you noticed that Vergil stopped drinking. Or rather, he would take a sip when you were looking but his glass took so long to get empty. Then he must have found out that you were observing his glass, so he tried pretending to refill it frequently as an excuse for it being never empty. This guy, really!

So when a chance came, you whispered to him, “I’m not yet drunk, that was just a clumsy move. You don’t have to hold back.”

He just smirked and said, “Still.” You frowned and pouted in response, and it somehow convinced him. “Tsk. Fine.” And with that, he was drinking again. ...Or he had another trick that you didn’t notice?

Either way, Vergil seemed to be enjoying enough. But whenever your friends would ask him to sing, he was as sturdy as a rock. He just shook his head, or passed the mic to whoever was beside him, or made sure his mouth was busy with snacks or a drink. Vergil’s tricks were just adorkable.

Later, you got back to the apartment building before midnight and before it rained. “Lucky!” You might have been a bit too enthusiastic. “I didn’t bring an umbrella,” you added, sticking a tongue out. He merely smiled at your simple joys. Though you couldn't help but notice that he was observing your movements, probably making sure you wouldn't stumble like the last time you had a drink, in the cabin.

When you got home, you went straight to the couch while Vergil went to the kitchen. A minute later, he was already handing you a glass of water. What a thoughtful man, really. How you wish that your friends’ theory was true. Vergil would be a wonderful boyfriend. One can only hope, right V?

When Vergil sat beside you, you grinned at him and said, “I had fun today. Thank you for going out with me and my friends.”

“As long as you are happy,” he replied with a rare gentle smile.

You then leaned back on the couch and said, “But you didn’t sing, not even once.”

He just chuckled and leaned back too, your shoulders nearly touching.

“It’s almost midnight. My birthday is about to end. It's your last chance to sing, Vergil.” You gestured a pretend mic to him, before adding, “Anything. Even if your voice sounded weird, I won’t laugh, I promise.”

“Will it please you if I sing?”

“Yes! Sooo much. It’d be the best gift I received this year! No, best birthday ever!”

He sighed. “Fine.” He took a deep breath before starting, “Ha--”

“Wait! Anything but Happy Birthday!”

He sighed again. “Demanding.” And you just laughed.

“What else? Do I have to stand up in front of you?” he mocked.

You lightly slapped his arm and said, “This way’s fine. You must be sleepy too.”

A few seconds of silence and Vergilstarted, a song that was very familiar. This was in your Spotify Liked Songs playlist, so he must have learned it thanks to the tablet.

Lying here with you

Listening to the rain

You sat up, held your squeal, and gazed at him as he sang. He was smiling even though he was just staring ahead.

Smiling just to see

The smile upon your face

He then sat up straight as well and faced you, still with that slight smile that looked so good on him.

And these are the moments

I thank Sparda I'm alive

You laughed and hit his arm at that, but he just smiled and continued on making you melt.

And these are the moments

I’ll remember all my life

Then he took your hand into his.

I found all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

His other hand cupped your cheek.

Looking in your eyes

Seeing all I need

Everything you are

Is everything to me

He gently brushed away the strands of hair that strayed close to your face.

And these are the moments

I know heaven must exist

And these are the moments

I know all I need is this

Then he gazed at you, those blue eyes catching yours.

I have all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

The last part was almost a whisper as Vergil was leaning in till his lips were touching yours.

The rest of the song just played in your mind as you got lost in the kiss, as well as in the message. The hand that was on your cheek made its way onto your nape, but it held you as if you were fragile, showing how much he was careful with you. It was amazing how Vergil, who was known to be cold and powerful, could be warm and gentle like this. And did he mean the song?

When you both finally pulled back, he smiled at you. His eyes were so beautiful, his smile was so tender, he looked so perfect.

Eyes still locked on yours, he was drawing close again, but you instinctively covered your face with both hands.

“What’s the matter?” Vergil asked, concern evident in his voice.

You replied with a muffled. “I don’t know, I’m just... shy? Happy! Overwhelmed? I don’t know...”

He chuckled, then took your hands from your face while saying, “Fool.” He then pulled you into a warm embrace, which also made sure you didn’t run away this time.

Then Vergil added, a whisper in your ear, “Happy birthday.”

Chapter 35: Hey Vergil!

Chapter Text

You were seated on the couch with Vergil beside you.

He was reading a book, while you were listening to music with earphones on. You didn’t want last night’s memory —Vergil singing— to be overwritten so you were just listening to the instrumental version of what was now your favorite song.

While doing so, you couldn’t stop smiling, squirming, giggling, and toned-down squealing, that you could imagine Vergil saying “Foolish” with the way he was glancing at you from time to time. Maybe he knew what you were listening to; he could probably hear it. Maybe he knew what you were thinking of as well.

Last night, after that kiss, you had started to wonder if it would be like the nightmare kiss – something to never speak of again. But to your surprise, before you both retreated to your respective bedrooms, Vergil called you and when you faced him, he kissed you again, just for a few seconds this time. Then he said, “This is real,” and he smiled before entering his room. So that was his way of saying 'We won’t bury this, this is real, not a dream, not a slip up—'

And you squealed but remembered to cover it halfway.

Vergil looked at you, and you grinned sheepishly as if to apologize. You were breaking the rules of reading time.

As silence returned to the living room and you focused on your music again, you recalled what happened this morning. When you woke up, Vergil was already cooking breakfast. But after you greeted him good morning, he turned off the stove and came towards you. He took you by surprise with another kiss, a short-lasted one again, but it was as good as the other two. Then he said, “This is also real,” and he smiled when he added, “Good morning.” So it is confirmed that you were not dreaming nor hallucinating. He said it himself, 'This is real.'

And you squealed again, followed by a giggle. You forgot where you were.

Vergil closed the book he was reading and stared at you while wearing that look with that slight smile that melts you. Then he was moving closer, as if he was going to punish you with a kiss. But your hands were quick to cover your face, and you said, “Sorry for disturbing you.” When you peeked between your fingers, Vergil was smirking and was opening his book again.

You kind of regret not claiming that one, but it’s okay, you’ve had three Vergil kisses the last 24 hours. You could not ask for more. And another silly laugh was heard from you but you covered it quickly.

You focused on the music again in an effort to stop the foolish noises and squirms. You couldn’t help but notice that this instrumental version seems a bit sad compared to the original song, although still pleasant to listen to. But this somehow knocked some sense into you and made you realize that perhaps you were being a little too dreamy. You were forgetting the fact that Vergil didn’t belong here. His time in here was just temporary. The day would come when he would go back to his world and--

As if Vergil could really read your mind, he took your hand and clasped it with his, while his other hand still held that book in front of his face. He didn’t look at you, but he was wearing a confident smile. The way his thumb stroked the hand he was holding somehow told you that he did know what you were thinking of, and that he was telling you not to worry.

You looked at the intertwined hands, then at Vergil again, and your smile was back.

But then,

“Hey Vergil!”

You both heard a voice from behind the couch.

And Vergil unconsciously let go of your hand. He was just alert, probably just to get the Yamato, it didn’t mean anything!

When you both looked at the source of the voice, it was a very familiar man wearing a mischievous grin and a red coat.

“Dante?” Vergil was surprised, as if he wasn’t expecting this. You, however...

Time's up, you thought.

“Whew, finally!” Dante seemed tired or fed up with something. “After a hundred tries!”

“How did you get here?” Vergil asked, still not sounding as delighted as he should be.

“It’s a long story but we found a shard of the Yamato, like the one with Balrog,” Dante explained. “This is the second time, or third? I think you’ve got some shard-collecting you need to do when you get home, brother.”

“You were able to open a portal?” Vergil seemed like he needed to repeat the obvious to himself just to grasp what was happening... and what was going to happen.

“I just got lucky after how many tries.” Dante laughed. “I’m not really a portal guy.”

“You’re not one to concentrate hard enough, that’s why.” Now Vergil seemed like he was back to his older twin role. When it comes to taunting Dante, he was a natural.

“My mind just doesn’t want only one thing at a time.” Dante laughed still. “But hey, I left the shard with Nero in case this portal closes immediately.” He pointed to the tear in space behind him, making you realize that you forgot to fangirl on this portal. It was your first time seeing an actual one, though it looked a bit ragged compared to Vergil’s in DMC5. “I'm not sure if the kid can locate this world though, so we have to hurry.” Dante’s follow-up caught your attention.

It was then when Vergil looked at you. Dante did too.

Before Vergil could say anything, Dante came close and gave you a red rose, and even took your hand to kiss it. “Thank you for taking care of my idiot brother. It must’ve been tough.” His laugh made you smile.

But that was until Vergil pulled Dante away from you by the collar like a cat. Although, you noticed that Dante was grinning, as if he was successful in something. At least you had witnessed one of their antics before it was all over, you thought.

Then Dante said, “I’ll go ahead.” He stepped closer to the portal before adding, “So you two can do your goodbyes and kisses.” And with that, Vergil pushed him into the portal that Dante almost tripped.

You and Vergil were alone again.

“I…” Vergil took a step closer to you but was halted when you remembered, “Your coat!” And you rushed to his room to get it, along with some other things, then handed it to him.

This was all so sudden. If this happened two days ago, maybe it would’ve been easier. Those romantic moments wouldn’t have happened, but it wouldn’t hurt as much.

But that wasn’t for you to choose. And you didn’t really regret letting yourself fall. Foolish. Sometimes things like this just happen, you told yourself.

Heart-breaking, but this was for the better. Vergil didn’t belong here. He had to be in his world, with his hard-earned family, back to his normal powerful self.

“I’m happy for you.” You managed to say after what felt like a long silence. You smiled at Vergil, a very sincere one.

He seemed to be at a loss for words. Of course, if you had that much thoughts then Vergil would probably be drowning in his. And you were worried about the portal so you gave him a push, while saying, “Come on now, we don’t want to lose this chance.”

“Take care, Vergil,” you added and awkwardly waved at him as you grinned. You were trying your best to keep the tears from falling at least until the portal closed completely.

And with that, Vergil was gone.

Chapter 36: Heaven or Hell

Chapter Text

You were playing DMC5 today, of course as Vergil.

You missed him. That might be an understatement.

You glanced at the empty space beside you as you recalled how much Vergil had complained when he'd first played DMC5. This made you smile before you looked back at the Vergil on the screen. It was a good thing that you were just playing Heaven or Hell this time for you couldn’t focus on the game.

As if spending last night crying your eyes out while watching Vergil’s Graduation Ceremony videos and looking at your silly photos together wasn’t enough, memories with Vergil still flashed in your mind... such as that time he ridiculously got wounded with falling knives that you had to feed him, that time he took care of you with weird methods when you had the flu, and that time you hit his head for being possessive of you towards a kid. You couldn’t help but laugh a little though. No one would ever expect that funny memories could be associated with someone like Vergil.

But when you recalled the more heart-fluttering ones --that time he drew a V on your hand, that dance at your friend’s wedding, and that night of your birthday-- you felt tears rolling down your cheeks. You thought your eyes had gone dry, but apparently there was still some left. So you quickly wiped them with an arm before launching a summoned sword to that teleporting Fury.

That was when you heard from behind you, “Enemies that die with one hit are not worth crying over.”

You turned to look, half expecting to get disappointed knowing how delusional you could be sometimes. This must be your imagination just toying with you.

But he was there.

Vergil and his swept-back hair, his three-tailed black coat, and his smirk.

You stood up, but you were still frozen in place.

“You’re just gonna stand there?” It was one of his DMC5 voice-lines in the compilation in Youtube you would sometimes listen to, so you were probably just daydreaming.

But you weren’t.

“Foolish human,” he said before heading towards you and pulling you into his arms. “Do you prefer that one on the screen over me?”

You shook your head, dropped the controller and wrapped your arms around him too. You remembered you'd also dropped the controller when Vergil had first arrived here, and he'd also called you ‘human’ back then. He'd appeared from behind while you'd been playing DMC5 that time too. With those similar details, you felt the need to confirm, “Is this real?”

He chuckled. “Are you asking for a kiss?” If you two weren’t hugging each other tight, he might have done it right then and there.

You shook your head, laughing while crying again. You didn’t see any portal so you got concerned and looked at him to ask, “Will you be able to come back to your world?”

“Dante will pick me up at an appointed time using the Yamato shard he found.”

“How nice of him.”

“I owe him a no-questions-asked favor for that. But I can deal with it… however many of it,” Vergil said before looking away. “And if you would allow me to, I would like to take you to my world sometime.”

You squeezed him as you squealed and nodded. Then you remembered an important detail, so you had to let go and ask, “But wait, Dante said he just got lucky last time after how many tries. What if it doesn’t work?”

“It will work,” Vergil stated confidently. “Dante knows this world’s location as it was his fault in the first place. Aside from that, I have trained him on how to open portals properly. Dante can even go to his strawberry sundae place via portal now.”

“You trained him? How long have you been in there?” You counted how many days had passed since Vergil had returned to his world. It had just been two days, so that meant... he'd been there for only about, “Six hours??”

"Don’t ask,” he replied flatly before looking away again.

You chuckled and teased, “You missed me.”

But you were surprised that he actually answered, “Yes, I missed you.” You got a bit red upon realizing it was Vergil who just said that. The Dark Slayer, the Usurper Demon King, The Alpha and The Omega, missed a lowly human like you. “And there is something I wish to tell you,” he added, which instantly caught your attention.

But he had to be silent for a while before continuing, so you thought this might be something difficult to say.

“You sometimes tease me saying I know a plethora of words, that you even call it Vergil Vocabulary...” He chuckled before turning serious again. “But I am not proficient at saying how I feel...”

Well he had a point. You realized that Vergil had already hugged you, held your hand, kissed you, even sang a song for you, but he had never once expressed directly how he felt for you. So you smiled and said, “Then you don’t have to.”

“I’d say it still.” He took a deep breath. “I...” But the pause was longer than expected.

Till finally, he said, “I couldn’t last more than six hours in my world without you.”

“We have already established that a while ago.” You chuckled, finding him cute.

“I... Tsk.” He was glancing left and right. “I...”

“You don’t have to say it.” You couldn’t help but laugh, especially since you thought that what you just said sounded like the ending of DMC5 with Vergil’s ‘Don’t you dare say it.’

But Vergil didn’t like it whenever you'd laugh at him, so he leaned in and kissed you.

It took you by surprise, but it just felt so right. Whoever had said that actions spoke louder than words had a point; you could feel what Vergil wanted to tell you from the way his lips were caressing yours, the way his left arm pulled you closer, the way his right hand was gently sliding from your cheek to the back of your head as the kiss deepened.

And it must have given him the confidence he needed, because Vergil pulled away just to say, “I love you,” before kissing you again, even more passionately this time.

# The End #