Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kyrie’s skilled hands were peeling apples, her tiny knife swiftly separating the green skin from the sweet flesh.

The girl felt nervous. Today was a big day in the history of their tiny family-life because for the very first time, Nero’s father was coming over for dinner tonight.

It was a major event in her lover’s life and she felt eager and anxious to see how things would go.

Nero was an orphan and Kyrie’s parents had taken him in a long time ago. Her heart had always belonged to him, their love a bright warm light in her heart.

Even though she lost her parents and her brother, Credo, to the Order of the Sword’s dark machinations, she would always find solace in Nero’s arms.

The heartbreak and loss had been horrible but she had overcome it with him by her side. They could endure everything together.

And tonight she would be here to make sure to support him whatever happened.

Nero had never known his parents, everyone thinking that they must have died when he was a baby and that someone had dropped him off at the orphanage.

It wasn’t until Dante came to Fortuna a few years ago that the demon hunter’s physical resemblance to Nero had birthed the first doubts in her mind.

Kyrie had wondered if he was Nero’s long lost father but the truth had been even more surprising.

The opera singer had first known Dante through Nero’s stories of the red hunter murdering the pope in front of the entire church. Her lover had told her about his brash and irreverent attitude and the impossible power he wielded.

The young man had been deeply angered at Dante’s disturbing presence in Fortuna and all the chaos that had ensued, but Kyrie knew Nero well.

His anger hid deeper emotions, it was his defense mechanism. Because if she had noticed the similarities between Dante and Nero, so had he. And doubts, hopes and fears had wreaked havoc inside his heart.

The legendary demon hunter had since then become a regular guest in their home. Nero and Kyrie had invited him, and Nero’s father, to come by a number of times.

Dante had always happily obliged and he was now the kid’s favorite visitor. Vergil on the other hand had always, though very politely, declined all invitations. But not this time.

Kyrie really hoped that everything would be alright. In truth, she was really scared.

The first time Vergil had crossed paths with Nero, he had attacked and wounded him so badly that he had stayed comatose for weeks.

She could have lost him right then and there. Nightmares still woke her up at night, leaving her desperately reaching for Nero on the other side of the bed, needing the reassurance that he was indeed there.

The quarter-devil had explained what happened atop the Qliphoth tree to Kyrie. But even if she understood that the blue half-devil didn’t know Nero’s identity and had been in a critical state, she couldn’t help but feel terrified that he might attack Nero again. That man had murdered thousands of people after all.

Yet, she had witnessed Nero’s distress after the Qliphoth was destroyed. Her sweet man had finally found his family, and then had lost it again in a matter of hours.

It had been really hard on him. He never talked about it but she had caught him looking at the poetry book his father had left him, longing and sadness in his eyes.

Kyrie sighed softly. What would her parents do if they were still here ? Her whole life had revolved around worshiping Sparda as the protector of humanity, as a God, and now she was having his twin sons for dinner.

Those two half-demons were her in-laws, and by the Order of the Sword’s dogma, the closest things to godhood that existed. The Legendary Demon-hunter and the King of Hell. But no pressure, right ?

That was the reason why her hands were covered in flour as she tried her best to bake something suitable for the dinner’s dessert.

She had no clue what Nero’s family ate so she chose something simple. Apple pie. Something almost universally liked. It wasn’t as if their modest incomes could allow something much fancier anyway.

Putting the apple slices down on the dough helped her calm down somewhat. Making the familiar dish was soothing, it gave her some courage.

Even if she was afraid, she would stand by Nero’s side and help him try to connect with his newly found family members.

He needed them and Kyrie needed Nero to be happy. It was as simple as that.

Kyrie wasn’t the only one feeling stressed at the perspective of dinner tonight. Nero was on edge.

He wasn’t known for his patience at the best of times, but today he had trouble keeping his temper in check.

One of the reasons for his paper-thin patience right now was their three foster kids. They were overexcited, Kyle in particular.

The three child-sized hurricanes coursing through the house were making Nero lose his mind.

He should be relieved that his kids were so happy to meet his biological family, but Nero wasn’t in the mood for their childish, agitated, behavior even if he understood very well where their excitement was coming from.

These three children were orphans, just like himself, and had no family members left. What a shock it had been, for all of them, to discover that he had living relatives.

Nero hadn’t managed to fully wrap his head around it yet. He had a father and an uncle, two half-demons sharing the blood of Fortuna’s liege. Fuck, this was a lot to process and it had blown the kids’ minds away.

Julio, Kyle and Carlo had already met Dante a few times now and even though Nero had been worried about his uncle’s behavior, it went really well.

The children loved him. And the legendary hunter had been mindful of his words and actions in their presence.

The chemistry between the kids and the red half-devil had been instantaneous, his mischievous streak echoing with the children’s playful minds. Those four combined were a recipe for disaster.

If meeting Nero’s uncle had been exciting news for the kids, the perspective of meeting his father was making them absolutely impossible to manage.

The three orphans had either never met, or had tragically lost their parents. And now Nero, whose parents were supposed to be deceased, got his father back from the grave.

It had turned the kids’ world upside down and now they were projecting their own hopes and dreams on Nero and Vergil’s relationship. Potential relationship.

Even worse, Kyle had deluded himself into thinking that maybe his parents would come back too. After all, Nero’s dad had.

It broke Nero and Kyrie’s heart to explain to the kid that his parents had died and that they couldn’t come back.

Kyle had rejected their explanations, refusing to listen to reason. The boy’s grief felt like sandpaper on his foster parent’s hearts.

Nero had managed to sooth him somewhat by telling him about his duel against his father atop the Qliphoth, without too many brutal details.

How the blue devil had then jumped down from the tree with Dante to go fight demons in the Underworld, their blue and red colored demonic forms allowing them to fly down.

This had done the trick, replacing tears with wonders in the kid’s eyes. Kyle had always been fascinated by everything that was able to fly.

Later in the afternoon, Nero had tried, without much success, to explain to all of his kids that even if he had found his father, they were still strangers and that it would take time for them to get to know each other.

That it was possible that dinner tonight would feel strange and not as playful and happy as the times Dante was here on his own.

The children’s young minds had troubles grasping the complexity of two full grown adults discovering their family ties. For them it was a simple matter, Vergil was Nero’s dad so they were family. Easy.

Nero hadn’t found the courage to explain to them that his missing arm and his stay at the hospital had been caused by his father. That would come later. Maybe.

The young man pinched the bridge of his nose between his sword callused fingers. He was already tired and it hadn’t even started yet.

The kids were calm for now, happy to help him clean up the living room in preparation for the evening while Kyrie was baking.

He could feel his lover’s worries in the way she was keeping her hands busy to stop overthinking.

The quarter-devil felt anxious too, for multiple reasons. First of all, he was still feeling uneasy at welcoming Vergil inside his home.

Their first encounter had ended up very badly and the young man was worried for his family’s safety.

Chances were slim that anything bad would happen and Dante would be there to keep an eye on his brother. Nero knew he could count on him should shit hit the fan but still, the thought lurked inside his mind.

What Nero felt the most stressed about was getting a shot at learning more about his father and fuck things up.

That man was a mystery and he held the key to all the questions that had haunted Nero since he was a child.

Who was his mother ? Why did he leave ? Where had he been all this time ? Why didn’t he come back ? Did he really have no idea that Nero existed ?

Nero could feel his stomach clench under all the stress. All the answers to his hopes, dreams and fears were cristalyzed in this stranger.

Tonight he would get the chance to talk to him and if things went well, maybe they could do it again. Spend more time together. Getting to know each other.

Slowly, Nero might get the answers and the relationship he so desperately wanted.

But given the glimpse Nero got of V, Urizen and then Vergil, the quarter-devil knew that the man was not someone easy to approach or to talk to. He was cold, stoic and distant, all the opposite from his twin.

This all led to the thing stressing Nero out the most : the kids. Nero was scared that these three overexcited, hyperactive kids would come on too strong at his father.

They didn’t get the concept of personal space yet, and in their eagerness they would probably just annoy him.

Vergil didn’t feel like the patient, fatherly, type of man. The kids’childish attitude might drive him away from Nero, and that was scaring him.

What would he do, if his father decided that he had enough and went away ?

The quarter devil didn’t want to put some distance between him and his foster kids, he loved them too much. But he needed to feel some connection with his real father.

This dinner was new territory for all of them, and Nero prayed that the children would listen to him and behave. He didn’t want to be forced to choose between the two sides of his family, not even for one evening.

Maybe Vergil would indulge in their curiosity one day, but there was no way it would happen on the first meeting.

Nico was working in the garage, the van’s engine was making some ugly clicking noises and she was determined to find its source before dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was her top priority, she wouldn’t miss meeting Nero’s father for anything.

She was curious to see him for herself. She had talked to V and his demonic chicken pet while they were hunting in Redgrave. She liked the guy.

Well, at least before he fused with his demon-king alter ego that had murdered half a city.

That made her feel somewhat creeped out but in any case, tonight promised to be a night to remember.

Her best friend had been so depressed after the Qliphoth had been cut down. He never admitted it, playing the thought guy, but it had been plain to see.

Now, the sun was getting low on the horizon and the temperatures were dropping fast. The long winter nights were upon Fortuna and it meant that dinner time was closing in.

Stepping back from the van and wiping her hands on an old rag, Nico went to grab a change of clothes and a quick shower before the arrival of their guests.

Leaving the garage and crossing the hallway she spotted Kyrie stirring something in a frying pan, it smelled heavenly.

Continuing though the hallway to the stairs, Nico saw Nero and the kids in the living room.

The quarter-devil looked like an army- sergeant giving his troops orders before going to battle. This would be hilarious if her best-friend wasn’t making himself sick with anxiety.

Disappearing in the bathroom, Nico showered and changed in record time. Ready for dinner, she went back to the living room as a bright purplish flash of light illuminated the room through the windows. Their guests had arrived.

Chapter Text

There was a sharp knock on the door and Nero took a deep breath to calm his nerves before opening it.

In the doorway stood Dante, his hands in the pockets of his signature red coat, a smirk on his lips and a gigantic purplish bruise on the right side of his face. Just above his jaw line.

“Hey kiddo !” The red half-devil greeted, his eyes gleaming with a spark of mischief.

“What happened to your face ?” Nero couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Ah nothing really, just a bit of friendly sparring with your old man.” He answered cheerfully as he stepped inside the house.

While the red twin went to greet Kyrie, Nico and the kids, Nero couldn’t stop the unease spreading in his guts as he watched his uncle inside the house.

His hand gripped the door handle tightly, his eyes analyzing the man’s somewhat stiff movements. Is he hurt ?

Such a bad bruise on the demon-hunter’ s face meant three things. It was very recent, probably less than an hour old. It must have been far worse, because his body healed at an insane speed. And it hadn’t been “friendly” sparring. Shit. Did they fight ?

Nero felt the small hairs on his neck rise at a presence behind him. Turning his head promptly back to the doorway, the quarter-devil’s heartbeat picked up. His father was here, standing silently in the doorway.

Their eyes met and for a moment they just looked at each other before Vergil inclined his head slightly in a silent greeting. He didn’t make a move to come in.

Nero’s brain finally kicked back into gear and he invited the blue twin to come inside.

Nero observed the blue half-devil as he walked inside to greet Kyrie. Unlike Dante, his face wasn’t bruised and his movements didn’t show any sign of injury. Nero tried to relax his tense shoulders and closed the door.

The kids were already getting wild now that Dante had arrived. Nero prayed that they would calm down now that their favorite adult was playing with them.

As long as they kept some polite distance with Vergil, as he had asked them to do, it should be alright.

His hopes however came crashing down pretty soon when little Carlo left his turbulent siblings to come to stand in front of the blue half-devil.

The toddler’s curious eyes were set on the blue twin. The child frowned as he looked back at Dante who was in the living room, and then back again at Vergil.

“Dante ?” Carlo asked, his small voice clearly confused and his tiny finger pointing at the red twin in the other room.

“Yes, that’s Dante. See ? He's playing with Julio and Kyle, don’t you want to join them ?” Kyrie asked, already guessing what was troubling the child.

“Dante ?” Carlo asked again but his finger pointed at Vergil this time.

“No, that’s Vergil. He’s Nero’s dad and Dante’s brother.” Kyrie gently explained. She’d better take Carlo elsewhere before his curiosity attracted the other kids’ attention. “Want to help me set the table ?”

Little Carlo nodded, his eyes still focused on Vergil, as he obediently followed Kyrie to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, I tried to explain it to him but he is too young to understand.” Nero mumbled an apology at his father, nervous of his reaction and relieved that Carlo didn’t make too much of a fuss.

“It was to be expected. We are twins.” Vergil politely accepted his apology, his eyes detailing the interior of the house.

It was small and crowded but clean and welcoming as well. The furniture was old but well maintained, quite the opposite from the Devil May Cry, and the air was saturated with the smell of spices, apples, soap and… motor oil ?

Kyrie came back from the kitchen and gave a pile of plates to Nico, instructing Carlo to help the gunsmith set everything up.

The opera singer then went up to Dante, asking him if she could take his coat. The red twin thanked her and shrugged it off before handing it over.

Nero, copying his lover’s good manners, turned to his father to ask him the same thing. However, before he could voice his question, he got interrupted by his uncle's sarcasm filled voice.

“He’s not gonna take it off.” The red half-devil’s tone was smug. “He can’t.”

The look Vergil sent him was murderous and it only served to make Dante’s smirk bigger.

“What does that mean ?” Nero asked his father, confused.

Dante’s laughing voice could be heard from the living room again. “It means that while I only have a bruise, I snapped his wrist so hard, it…”

“The children, Dante.” Vergil interrupted him coolly.

“Ah yeah, f….” The red twin cut himself off. No swearing in front of the kids.

Nero felt his heart drop, had they tried to kill each other again ? The quarter devil’s gaze went to the navy blue clad silhouette standing beside him.

He hadn’t noticed any sign of injury at first but now that he knew where to look, he noticed that the older twin’s left arm was hanging limply at his side. It was hard to notice under the thick material of his coat.

“Come with me.” Nero ordered, his tone coming out harsher than he had meant to. “Please.”

There was a beat of silence where Vergil didn’t reply and didn’t move but after a last scathing look in the direction of his twin, he finally complied.

He followed Nero to the kitchen, where the young man went to the sink and grabbed a white rectangular plastic box beneath it.

“Show me your arm.” Nero asked. He was ordering his father around and he knew it was a bad idea.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to worry about this problem when he knew that the man was hurt. The quarter-devil’s need for his family to be safe and sound was greater than any form of social anxiety he could feel right now.

“I do not require medical treatment.” Vergil declined in a clipped tone, staying close to the door.

“Fine, but let me at least take a look at it.” Nero insisted.

“Taking a look at what ?” Came Kyrie’s voice. She was coming back to the kitchen to check on the dinner, her expression full of surprise when she saw Nero and his father alone together.

Worry quickly filled her heart when she noticed the first aid kit in Nero’s hand. She turned to face the half-devil. “ Are you hurt ?”

“It is of no importance.” Vergil brushed her concern off.

“It is ! Of course it is ! Please show us, so we can help you !” Kyrie whispered, her worried eyes searching for her father-in-law’s.

Nero would be smirking if he wasn't so worried. No one could resist Kyrie. Her gentle, warm nature and her sharp mind made it really hard to refuse her anything. And right now his father was caving in too.

Eventually, the blue twin nodded reluctantly and got out of his coat with some difficulties.

Kyrie flinched at the sight of his arm and Nero went from shock to anger in a matter of seconds.

“Fuck, it’s broken ! Not just your wrist, your hand and your forearm too !” Nero exclaimed between clenched teeth. No need for an X-Ray here, he could clearly guess what was hidden underneath the blackish swollen bruises covering his arm.

“It will heal.” The blue half-devil didn’t want their attention. These wounds were nothing, in an hour at most they would be gone.

“It must hurt so bad, why didn’t you tell anyone ?” Kyrie asked him, her soft heart swelling with sadness.

Vergil stayed silent, truth to be told, it had not even crossed his mind. He had always dealt with pain on his own.

He would tell Dante if an injury was bad enough it might influence his fighting abilities but the rest seemed too insignificant.

He looked down at his damaged limb, closing and opening his hand, before rotating his wrist left and right. Broken bones crunched and clicked back in and out of place, it was somewhat painful but he was already able to move again.

“This is insignificant, why would I… “ Vergil didn’t finish his sentence as his eyes looked up from his wrist and landed on a sheet white Kyrie.

“P-please don’t move your hand, you’re going to hurt yourself.” she pleaded, fighting her roiling stomach.

She had heard his bones snap and shift, and seen them roll under his skin. He hadn’t even shown the faintest hint of pain, not even a flinch. How could someone have such a high pain tolerance ?

Nero too, felt nausea build inside him. He knew how much the twins could endure but seeing it from close up was…. Disturbing.

The young hunter went to Kyrie, his arm coming around her to support and reassure her.

Vergil watched the interaction between the two, their too pale faces, their worried glances. He had caused them distress. He hadn’t meant to, but the evidence was clear. Maybe this whole evening was a mistake.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” The blue twin said, reaching for his discarded coat before putting it back on. “I shall wait outside until this is more… presentable.” Vergil said as he turned away, walking out of the kitchen.

“Wait !” Nero exclaimed as he heard the entrance door open and close. He rushed out of the kitchen, intending to catch him, but he was intercepted by Dante before he got there.

“Hold on kid ! Leave him be. Give him some space.” The red twin said as he grabbed his nephew’s arm, dragging him back to the kitchen and shutting the door.

“What the hell ! “ Nero tore his arm from his uncle's grip, his temper flaring up. “You knew the extent of the injury ! Hell, you’re even responsible for it ! “

“Yeah, I am. “ the red twin simply answered and it made Nero’s blood boil.

“H-how can you be so … so uncaring ? Why did you two even fight ?” Nero was seething.

“Honestly kid, it’s not like he’s going to let me help him.” Dante sighed. “We got into a small argument about this evening. I called him a coward for declining your invitations. Now, maybe we got some bruises, but we’re both here.”

Nero’s anger deflated, transforming into hurt and sadness.

“Is seeing me such a chore that you need to brake his fucking arm to get him to come ?” Nero murmured, a twisted kind of grief and disappointment making his heart ache.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s it, Nero.” Dante answered and then took a moment to pick his next words carefully. “ He’s… lost. He’s been surviving on his own for so long that he doesn’t know how to let his guard down.”

The red twin rubbed his healing bruise absentmindedly. “He’ll need time to understand that he has a family, and that he is safe and loved.”

That declaration made Nero pause. He understood that feeling well. He may have been an orphan but his foster family had loved him, accepted him and made him feel safe. What if it hadn't been the case ? It would have been a nightmare. 

“How long ?” Nero whispered, his voice hoarse. At his uncle’s confused glance, he elaborated. “How long has he been alone ?”

Dante paused too, his posture stiff. “ 30 years, give or take.”

Nero gasped, fearing the answer to his next question. “How long was he in the Underworld ?”

“How old are you ?” His uncle asked in return.

Horror flooded Nero’s heart. Seeing his nephew palling, Dante sighed again and patted him on the shoulder.

“He’s a fighter, kiddo. Stubborn as hell. He’ll adapt, we just gotta help him out a bit.” Dante said as he walked away.

“Wait.” Nero called out. His uncle shot him a surprised look. “How long have you been alone ?”

The red half-devil smirked but didn’t answer as he walked back to the living room. This was an answer in itself and Nero felt overwhelming sadness at discovering this tiny part of their family’s history.

Chapter Text

Vergil was walking down the empty street, his steps crunching softly on the thick blanket of snow.

He was contemplating the night sky above Fortuna, thousands of tiny diamonds shining on black velvet. It was beautiful. And calm.

The hour wasn’t late but the sunset came early at this time of the year.

The air smelled of burning wood, the scent carried away by surprisingly strong gusts of wind coming from the sea. Was the weather changing ? Vergil didn’t care as there was only peaceful silence. It was soothing.

The blue half-devil’s breath was coming in white puffs in the cold air but he wasn’t bothered by the weather. If anything it helped him clear his head.

He needed some space.

Nero and Kyrie had invited him and Dante for dinner tonight, it wasn’t the first time he was invited but it was the first time he actually accepted the invitation.

Vergil was trying hard to find his place here, in a world where he had a son. And a daughter in law. And three adoptive grandkids.

This was proving far more taxing than expected. He was so used to being alone that he felt out of touch in this new life.

He had been on his own since his mother died when he and Dante were only children. Life-long habits were hard to change and right now, he craved some silence.

Everything felt too foreign and complicated for someone that had been trapped and enslaved for years. Too many choices, too many people that wanted to get to know him, too many questions that he didn’t want to answer.

Vergil only felt at ease with Dante at the Devil May Cry. Sure they argued and fought often but months of fight for survival in the Underworld had managed to reforge the strong bond that linked them.

The older twin was really happy to stay with his sibling, even if he had trouble showing his appreciation. He felt genuinely grateful that his twin had accepted him after all the bad blood between them.

Time hadn’t been kind to the twins and it left them pretty damaged. Nightmares were running rampant at night, now that the constant stress and life or death situations were gone.

Dante as well as himself, stayed both haunted by the past and by years of trauma that could not easily be tamed by such a short period of peace.

Maybe they needed to talk about the skeletons hidden in their respective closets, maybe time would be enough to allow them to heal, maybe they’ll continue to wake up sweat-soaked and heart frantic forever.

Vergil didn’t know but he wished he could at least help his brother find some measure of peace.

Most of Dante’s nightmares seemed to revolve around Mallet Island. At least from what Vergil could decipher in the confused, mumbled words that escaped his twin’s unrestful sleep.

Those were made of desperate apologies and the blue half-devil felt sadness and guilt knowing that his brother was still suffering for that cursed part of their life.

This had been his fault. And his alone. Dante had done him a huge favor by putting him out of his misery even if his stubborn twin wouldn’t see it that way.

Vergil sighed. This evening felt… wrong. He wasn’t meant to be here, he didn’t belong in this place. This home wasn’t his and his presence had already caused some issues.

The older twin wasn’t blind to Nero and his family’s foolish efforts to make him feel included. They welcomed him like he was a missing member of their little family, and he technically was, but how could they be so open and so naive ?

Vergil could kill them all on a whim. The girls, the children, even Nero. They would be powerless to stop him. The only person who could match him was Dante, his shattered arm was proof of that.

Of course, Vergil didn’t want to hurt any of them. But what he wanted and he had been forced to do hadn’t always aligned.

For a long period of time, he had carried out orders like the obedient puppet he had been reduced to. A slave to his master’s will with no memories, no free will and no personality left.

In his darkest nightmares Vergil could still see the three red eyes looming over him. Waiting for him to realize that he had never been free and that all of this was just an illusion made to break him. Again.

A shiver ran down the blue half-devil’s spine and it had nothing to do with the chill of the night.

He knew that Dante had defeated Mundus but years of torture left scars that did not fade easily.

Vergil took a deep breath, the crisp air taking his mind off the dark memories.

Soon he would have to go back, his arm was almost all healed now. He could always open a portal and leave but a part of him wanted to grow closer to Nero, and the only way to do that was to stay.

It was not easy to get to know his son, after all their first meeting had been a traumatic experience. It was a miracle that Nero didn’t outright reject and attack him after he almost died by his hand.

The kid was giving him a chance, one he did not really deserve.

The blue twin’s reflections were interrupted when he found himself facing the sea. The waves were washing upon the shore, the salty air was tugging at his hair almost playfully.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He had missed Fortuna. How he had longed to see it again as he stayed trapped in the Underworld, his mind escaping to places his body could not.

He stood there for a moment, letting the rythmic sound of the tide ease his troubled mind.

He felt at peace here, staring at the immensity of the ocean, but a part of him felt… lonely. Would this feeling ever go away ? Would he ever be able to bond with someone again ? With Nero ?

He did not know the answer to that question and it left him wondering if he made the right decision by coming back to the human world with Dante. Maybe his place was in the Underworld after all…

Vergil sighed. His twin was right and he had acted like a coward these past months. He couldn't just keep running away from his son. Nero deserved more than that, and this meant that he needed to adapt to that new, strange, life.

Vergil huffed in frustration, the white cloud of his breath quickly dispersed by the wind.

The blue half-devil froze as he heard something, the Yamato appearing in his hand. He focused on the sound but he couldn’t find any demonic presence in the vicinity.

His acute hearing picked up light footsteps in the snow. They were coming his way but were still some distance away.

He looked over his shoulder and let his eyes trail his footprints back from where he came. A small silhouette in a dark green sweater was approaching, hazel eyes looking down at the boot prints in the snow.

It was one of Nero’s foster kids, Kyle, if he remembered correctly. The child must be around 5 or 6 years old, the older Sparda twin didn’t know nor did he really care.

Small children weren’t his cup of tea, they were noisy and weak. Far too fragile.

The small human seemed to be following him, progressing slowly from print to print, his small form bathed in yellowish colors by the city lights.

The child looked up and his eyes landed on him. He seemed unsure of what he wanted to do but he eventually came closer.

Vergil’s frown got deeper. That child’s clothing was not meant for the harsh temperatures, he wasn’t even wearing a jacket.

Nero wouldn’t let him go out alone at night in the cold, and certainly not underdressed like this. This meant that this child had gotten out of his own initiative.

The blue devil didn’t like that. Why would this child follow him in this weather like this ? Had he absolutely no survival instinct ?

Vergil absorbed his sword back as he watched the boy get closer in silence, unsure of what the small human wanted. Nero’s foster son was having trouble progressing in the snow, the thick layer of white powder coming halfway to his chins.

Kyle stopped a few steps away from the tall navy blue silhouette, his nose running and his cheeks stiff from the biting cold. The child took a moment to just observe the man. He was as tall as Dante but he didn’t look as friendly.

Dante was always laughing and playing when he came home but this man seemed almost… mean ? Kyle was frankly scared of him but his curiosity was just too strong.

He had chosen to follow the man outside when he had seen him get out of the house and he had lied to Nico to sneak out. She was going to be really angry.

“Y-you’re Nero’s dad.” Kyle asked, his voice unsure and hesitating.

Vergil turned to face the small human and looked down at him, not bothering to answer. It hadn’t been a question anyway.

The small kid flinched under his gaze as the silence stretched on.

“Right ?” Kyle asked for confirmation while trying to keep his eyes on the man’s face. Nero always said that he needed to look people in the eyes when he talked to them.

“Yes.” Vergil replied in a carefully neutral tone. This child was bold, he may have learned that from Nero.

“Why are you here all alone ? Did you get lost ?” Kyle asked, not understanding why he would go so far away when everyone else was inside the house.

“No.” The blue half-devil felt a small speck of irritation grow at these pointless questions. “Does Kyrie know that you are here ?”

“Hm, no.” The kid replied a bit embarrassed to get caught red handed. He wasn’t supposed to go outside alone at all.

“Nero said that you were gone but you came back ?” Kyle asked with all the courage he could gather.

“You are going to fall ill. Go back to the house.” The blue devil brushed his questions off, his eyes taking in the child’s trembling form.

He did not want to be responsible for the kid’s illness if he stayed outside.

The blue half-devil turned away, leaving the child to walk back home. It was only a short distance, he would be alright.

“ I-I’m fine, I’m not cold !” Kyle lied, he was not supposed to lie but he really wanted to know. “C-can my parents come back too ?”

Vergil didn’t answer nor did he look back, he started to walk away, following the street along the beach. That child’s parents were most certainly dead if he was in Nero’s care. The blue half-devil couldn’t help this child grieve, he wasn’t even sure his own grief concerning his mother was over.

Kyle felt a huge wave of disappointment as he watched the white haired man walk away, his dark blue back slowly growing distant.

He felt rejected and lonely. He had thought that the man may have felt the same because he was staying all alone outside, but maybe he had been mistaken.

The child’s shoulders fell as he felt sadness rise inside him. The grown-ups never answered his questions, they were always too busy or just not listening at all.

Did I do something wrong ? The child wondered as he couldn’t understand the tall half-devil’s indifference and rejection.

The kid waited in silence staring at his shoes in the snow, the coldness of the blue half-devil’s attitude was upsetting him, more than it should. It hurt, just inside his heart.

Did he make Nero’s dad angry ? Was Nero going to get mad at him too because he annoyed his dad ? What if Nero’s dad didn’t come back home at all because Kyle had been too curious? Would Nero abandon them to go with him ?

Vergil heard the child’s heartbeat grow faster. He looked over his shoulder and saw the small human’s face flushed and his wet eyes stubbornly focused on the ground.

The blue half devil felt completely lost. What had caused the child’s distress ? Was he hurt ? Sick ? Was it grief ? Would Nero get angry at him if his kid went back home in tears ?

How did he manage to upset half of his son’s household in less than an hour ? Why were things so complicated?

The half-devil briefly hesitated to turn back and bring the child back to the house himself. If he stood here for too long he would definitely fall sick and Nero would grow worried. It was already surprising that Dante hadn’t spotted the child’s escape and come after him.

However before the blue twin made his mind up, the boy turned the other way and started to walk back from where he came, shoulders slumped.

Vergil watched the small dark green clad silhouette growing smaller as he walked to his home. He was relieved to be left alone but a tiny part of him felt still agitated. He didn’t understand why the child was crying and it made him feel strangely uncomfortable.

He looked back at the sea, the waters were an inky black and the sky above it was covered in a thick blanket of clouds. It was going to snow some more tonight.

The blue half-devil kept walking on slowly, he needed to return before Dante came to drag him back. He sighed, and spotted a pier in the distance. He would go there, take a look at his arm and then he would go back.

At last that was his plan until he heard a small yelp somewhere behind him. He turned abruptly at the sound and saw the child sprawled on his front on the snowy ground, he must have slipped on ice.

As the boy sat back up, the wind carried the smell of blood to the half-devil and he teleported back.

Chapter Text

Kyle felt the cold wet contact of snow throughout his clothes. Then came pain. It radiated from his hands and his right knee.

He gasped at the burning sensation and pushed on his limbs to get into a sitting position.

His hands were scrapped and so was his knee, the fabric of his pants all torn up. A big drop of blood beaded inside the hole in it and the hot liquid dripped down.

A big dark stain appeared on the material, leaving it to stick wetly to his skin.

Kyle felt scared. It hurt a lot and he felt so cold. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted his mom. His dad. But they were gone and neither Nero nor Kyrie was here to help him.

Big tears filled the child’s eyes and he sniffed. His hands were shaking and the scrapes on them were now bleeding too. A sob escaped him as he realized that he was all alone.

He shouldn’t have gone out. He disobeyed Nero, twice, and everything went wrong. He made such a big mistake and it was all his fault.

Kyrie, Nero and even Nico, were going to scold him for sneaking out.  His hands went up to cover his face, rubbing his eyes as tears escaped him. What am I going to do ?

Something made the snow crunch just before him and the child jumped at the sudden noise.

He opened his swollen eyes back up and saw a pair of black leather boots, ankle deep in the snow.

The child looked up. Nero’s dad was looking down at him, frowning like he was going to scold him too. His eyes were a light blue so brilliant it was intimidating and Kylie gulped in fright, frozen on the spot.

He swallowed hard, trying and failing to stop the tears from coming. He was too old to cry like a baby. It would only make Nero’s dad angry again. He didn’t want that.

The tall and scary man sighed and to Kyle’s surprise he went down on one knee even though the ground was covered in snow. He will get cold too.

The child didn’t dare to move at all. Vergil was standing so close ! Kyle could see how his hair was the exact same color as Nero’s. They really looked alot like each other.

The man’s hands went to the bleeding knee and he bent down to inspect the wound. His fingers pulled at the fabric of the boy’s pants and Kyle flinched as it tugged at the wound. Vergil instantly stopped and let go.

“Show me your hands.” Nero’s dad asked.

His tone was still clipped and cold but his hands were gentle and warm and Kyle felt a bit lost at the contrast.

The boy sniffed and timidly extended his shaking hands, palms up. The half-devil took them and his blue eyes inspected the bleeding carefully.

Kyle’s fingers felt numb from the cold and his fingernails were already a light bluish tinge. At least the scrapes inside his palms weren't as bad as the one on the knee.

“This is nothing but a scratch.” Vergil said, letting Kyle’s hands back down.

The child nodded, his lips still quivering. He didn’t want to look like a baby even if he was hurting.

A small gust of wind came from the sea and Kyle shivered. Now that he was calming down he could feel the cold seep into his bones. His clothes were damp with snow, he had to get home quickly.

Kyle’s teeth started to chatter uncontrollably. Vergil said nothing, his eyes still watching the child with a frown. He stood back up and Kyle looked down at his knees in shame. He is going to leave again.

There was a ruffling sound and Kyle felt something heavy and warm on his shoulders.

The boy jumped in surprise again and looked at himself. There was a dark blue coat laying on top of him. It was so heavy ! There were silvery patterns on the fabric, they gleamed a bit in the dark.

The child looked up in confusion and found Nero’s dad standing before him in a sleeveless vest. He gave me his coat ?

The boy blinked owlishly in surprise but he didn’t get much time to reflect on this. The grown-up bent down again and then he picked him up.

Kyle gasped in surprise as he found himself held against the man’s chest, sitting on one of his bent arms. The boy went stiff, wrapping his arms tightly around the man's neck, scared to fall down.

Vergil stayed silent again as he started walking down the snow filled street and Kyle quickly relaxed.

“W-where are we going ?” The child asked shyly, his voice gritty after crying.

“Back to the house.” Nero’s dad answered. He didn’t sound angry but he didn’t sound happy either.

“I don’t wanna go home.” The boy whispered, hiding his face in the dark blue vest. “I’m scared.”

“Why ?” Vergil asked him, his tone indifferent.

“I disobeyed Nero. I went outside alone. And I made you angry. He’s going to scold me.” The boy whimpered, his small arms tightening around the half-devil.

“I am not angry. What made you think that ?” Vergil sounded surprised and his hold on Kyle’s turned stiff.

“You told me to go away.” the child answered, puzzled at the question.

The man kept silent after that, the sound of his boots in the snow the only thing Kyle could hear.

Now that Kyle felt warm and safe, he grew a bit tired. He let his head rest on Vergil's shoulder, listening to his steps in the snow. It was comforting.

No one had carried him like this for a long time, not since his dad was gone. He was too big for that now. But he missed it, as he missed his dad.

Kyle’s fingers tightened on the fabric and a whimper escaped him. Vergil abruptly stopped walking.

“Did I hurt you ?” He asked in a strange tone. He sounded almost afraid ?

“N-no I… I just miss my dad. He used to carry me before he and mom…. “ Kyle gulped but couldn’t finish his sentence. “Sorry.”

“I…understand.” Nero’s dad said and his hold tightened a fraction again before he added. “I sometimes miss my father too.”

“ Where is he ?” Kyle asked in wonder.

“Dead. It was a long time ago.” Vergil said as he started to walk again.

Kyle gasped in shock, eyes wide at the confession.

“And you mom?” he whispered.

“Dead too.” The blue twin answered, his voice cold and inexpressive but Kyle could feel his body growing tense.

The child’s mind was too shocked to find an answer. So he was an orphan too ? Just like him?

“I love Nero and Kyrie but I-I miss my mom and dad. Why can’t they come back like you did ?” Kyle sniffed, tearing up again.

Vergil didn’t know what to say, the child’s pain was a familiar thing he knew himself intimately. What would his child self have wished for, after their house burnt down and he found himself abandoned and on the run ?

It was difficult to recall this part of his life, it was a long time ago and some part of his memories were still missing, thanks to Mundus.

At loss for a better solution, the blue half-devil settled for just holding the child against him and let him cry.

It seemed to work as the boy calmed down by the time they arrived at Nero’s house.

Dante felt his twin’s approach, Vergil’s demonic presence always registering with the force of a small sun on his brother’s senses. He had stayed outside for far longer than the red twin had anticipated.

“Has anyone seen Kyle ? He told me he was gonna get his toy’s ‘n’ he ain’t back yet.” Nico asked, hand on her hips and a frustrated frown on her face.

“What ? No but he can’t be too far.” Nero answered, his eyes roaming over the living room, searching for the small chestnut head and his green sweater.

Strange coincidence. Brows rising up in surprise, the legendary demon hunter stood up and crossed the room to take a look through the window. His breath caught in his throat, somewhere between laughter,wonder and apprehension.

“I can see the kid. And I think your old man needs a rescue, Nero.” Dante huffed, his eyes gleaming with complicated emotions.

Kyrie, who was finishing setting the dishes on the table for dinner, saw that Dante’s eyes were focused on the street outside. Curious, she couldn't help but join him at the window and she gasped.

This attracted the attention of Nico, Julio and Carlo who had all been playing while sitting on the carpet. They all felt the need to go see for themselves and so they went to another window too. A small scandalized gasp escaped Julio as he took a look outside.

“What are you all looking at ?” Nero called out, intrigued as he joined them.

The quarter devil first stared in surprise before he felt a pang of annoyance and fear. In the street in front of the house was his father, carrying the bundled up form of his foster kid.

Anger sparked inside Nero. He had warned Kyle to leave Vergil alone. At least for tonight. And what was the kid doing outside anyway ? He knew he was not to go outside alone, and surely not at night !

The relationship between Nero and his father was on thin ice, they were only starting to get to know each other. The quarter devil didn’t need a small overexcited child to drive a wedge between the two of them.

Now, Nero could only hope that this situation wouldn’t have negative repercussions. The blue half-devil had already manifested his refusal at getting help for his wounded arm and now, Kyle was pushing the boundaries.

The quarter devil had been pretty convinced that Vergil would have told the kid off quickly, so why was he carrying him ?

Nero could spot Vergil’s stiff posture from where he was standing. Maybe Dante was right and his father needed a hand to get rid of the invasive kid.

“Well, I’d never thought I’d see the day Vergil would let someone invade his personal space. Least of all by a child.” Dante whispered, truly impressed.

This was good, this was a huge step for his brother, one that exceeded all his expectations. Well, maybe it would create some problems at first, seeing how his twin was coiled tight as a spring, but in the long term it should help him.

Nico held her breath, she couldn’t help but worry for Kyle’s safety. With the insane strength the twins possessed, it would take only a moment for that man to kill Kyle. She couldn’t help but think back to the day she found Nero bleeding out in the garage.

They all listened for Vergil’s almost imperceptible steps as he entered the house. Nero was impressed, his father moved in Silence, with capital S. A real ghost.

Said ghost appeared in the living room, one arm supporting his small quarry. Kyle ‘s tiny arms firmly wrapped around him, his face buried in the devil’s neck.

Vergil’s ice blue gaze searched for Kyrie.

“He is cold. And he hurt himself.” He commented, his words clipped as his gaze traveling back to the shivering bundle clinging to him.

“I’m n-not c-cold “ Kyle’s voice trembled as he protested, his small face burying itself even deeper in the blue twin’s vest. “Your coat is w-warm.”

Vergil gave a skeptical “hm”, his gaze going back to Kyrie who was coming to retrieve the troublesome child.

“Kyle, you went out in the snow without your jacket ? You're going to be sick !” she scolded him gently and the kid pouted, still not letting go. “Come, we need to get you out of these clothes, they’re soaked.” She gestured for the child to let go and join her but Kyle wasn’t having any of it.

“No.” The child mumbled, holding on as tight as possible and fully ignoring the opera singer’s attempts at convincing him to let go. “I want to stay with him.”

The child moved abruptly and Vergil shifted his hold to keep him from falling down. Kyrie’s eyes landed on the man’s exposed skin, the arm supporting Kyle was still showing ugly black bruises.

“He must be hurting your arm.” Kyrie exclaimed, worried that the half devil may injure himself further.“ Come on Kyle, you need to get down now !”

She kept looking for any sign of discomfort on the blue twin’s expression. She found nothing but she wasn’t surprised, yet she couldn’t just ignore the fact that his arm was in a sorry state and was currently supporting all of Kyle’s weight.

Kyle looked up at his foster mom with incomprehension, who was hurting ? His knee hurt but he hadn’t shown her yet so she wasn’t talking about him. Was it Nero’s dad ?

“I am fine.” Vergil answered, his tone not giving any indication of his feelings.

“Kyle. Let go.” Nero snapped, his anger making his words sounding harsher than intended.

Dante was having a blast on the other side of the room. Seeing his twin so lost at the clingy behavior of the child was really a rare sight, and he was enjoying every second of it. It got even better as Kyrie clearly didn’t dare to invade Vergil’s personal space to grab the kid.

A tiny, sad, part of the red twin’s heart wondered how Vergil would have acted with baby-Nero if he had had the chance. If Dante had been quick enough to catch him before he fell to the Underworld.

Hidden beneath his stoic and cold demeanor, the red twin could plainly see his sibling’s instincts slowly rising to the surface.Vergil would deny it, of course, but Dante knew him like no other.

He saw his protective hold on the child’s form and how quick he had pointed out the kid’s needs.

Still smiling despite the bitter-sweet feelings, Dante felt like it was time to finally rescue his twin. He crossed the room, went up to Kyle and grabbed him, pulling him away from Vergil.

He put the protesting kid down, pushing him gently towards Kyrie who took his small hand. The older twin took a step back, putting some distance between the kid and himself.

Kyle looked up at Kyrie and then back at Vergil, the corners of his mouth pointing downwards and eyes wet. When his gaze landed on Nero, who was looking very angry, the kid’s eyes went down in shame. He gave up protesting and obediently followed Kyrie upstairs to his room to change

Chapter Text

Kyle was now in his pajamas, his wet clothes discarded in the laundry basket. He got a big Band-aid on his knee. Kyrie hadn’t scolded him but she did not really talk to him either. She seemed lost in her thoughts.

The child wasn’t feeling proud of himself as he awaited Nero’s scolding anxiously. His foster dad seemed really angry and the kid knew very well why.

The thought made Kyle’s stomach drop, he hadn’t meant to cause any trouble. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t spend time with Vergil.

Dante was always happy to play with him, Julio and Carlo. They always had a lot of fun. They were family. Wasn’t a family supposed to be happy together ? Kyle certainly had been happy to see Nero’s dad.

The adults had been strangely agitated all day long and Nero had been more stressed out than usual. Kyle understood that Vergil was really intimidating, especially with his constant frown. He had been scared at first but Nero's dad was actually really nice. The grown-ups needed to see that he wasn’t as mean as it seemed.

Kyrie ruffled Kyle’s hair absentmindedly before getting out of the child’s bedroom to join the others. The child heard her steps grow distant in the hallway before she got down the stairs.

Kyle decided to wait in his room for Nero, he wasn’t in a hurry to get scolded. He just hoped he wasn’t too mad. Kyle didn’t want to get grounded.

Surprisingly it wasn’t his foster dad that came to see him first, but Julio. The older kid looked really angry, his brow furrowed, his mouth turned down, as he stomped inside Kyle’s room. The boy came to stand right in front of his younger adoptive sibling.

“So, you’re happy now ? Nero told us to stay away from his dad and you disobeyed ! Worse, you even hurt him !” Julio scolded the younger child.

“I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to see him!” Kyle retorted, he didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. “Maybe my dad ...”

“He’s Nero’s dad, not yours Kyle ! Your dad is dead ! “ the older sibling shouted loudly, his anger getting the better of him.

Julio’s voice broke, his fear that his foster parents would abandon them followed him everywhere. It was his biggest, deepest nightmare.

His parents were dead, he had no one left beside Nero and Kyrie. He loved them and didn't want to lose them, surely not because of Kyle’s insatiable curiosity.

And now, Julio couldn’t help but fear that Nero would choose his father and Dante over them. They were a real family, and he knew Nero had always dreamt about finding his real dad.

If Vergil didn’t like children, disliked them, would Nero choose to follow him and leave Julio, Kyle and Carlo behind ?

Kyle was stunned into silence. Tears spilled out of his eyes.

The older sibling tried to get a hold on his anger. He didn't mean to make his little brother cry, he just wanted him to understand that he needed to listen to the adults. He never did, and they always got into trouble. This time he messed-up really badly.

“You need to apologize to him.” Julio said sternly but not as harshly as before. The kid then turned and walked away to get back to his own room. He needed time to think, he just hoped he wouldn’t get nightmares again tonight.

Kyle wiped his tears away with his sleeve. Julio was right, he made a mistake. A really bad one. He needed to make it better before it was too late.

Bracing himself to confront his foster dad and foster grandfather, the child left his room, crossed the hallway and got prudently down the stairs. He heard Dante's voice and then heavy booted steps before the door of the house opened and closed. The kid's heart raced and he ran.

“Maybe we shall head back, Dante.” Vergil suggested, catching his twin’s gaze.

There was a beat of silence as both twins just looked at each other before Dante nodded.

“If that’s what you want.” The red twin acknowledged, he didn’t want to push the limits of his sibling’s patience too far. “ Thanks for the evening, Nero, it was really nice seeing you all.”

Vergil got his coat back on, nodded his thanks politely and both half-devils exited the house before there could be any protests.

It took their host by surprise as they didn’t even have dinner yet. Nero rushed after them, bolting through the door leaving Nico and Kyrie in charge of little Carlo.

“Wait ! You’re already leaving ? Why?“ Nero shouted, not managing to hide his disappointment as he caught up to them in the garden.

He had feared that this would happen, it had taken so much time and effort to come to this point, to get his father to stay with him a tiny bit. And now it felt like the blue twin was pulling back even further than before.

Vergil paused and looked back at his son. He didn’t want to disturb him and his family any longer by staying. He had scared the girl, Kyrie, with his injury and then somehow made the middle child cry.

The blue half- devil felt out of his depths and now, Nero seemed upset to see them leave too. Shouldn’t he be relieved that his house would be calmer without them ? Without him especially ?

“Thank you for your invitation, Nero. I… shall like to come again, at another time.” Vergil said, as the Yamato appeared in his hand.

“Fuck, I’m sorry if Kyle overstepped. Are you… angry ?” Nero said anxious that the damage done was going to cost him all the progress that had been made. What if he never came back to see him ? Please don’t go, please don’t walk away from me.

Vergil stayed silent, observing the quarter-devil with attention. His heart was beating faster than it should, his posture was tense, his eyes avoiding contact. This situation felt strangely familiar to the child’s reaction earlier. Was he… sad ?

The blue-devil’s confusion at his son’s reaction and the frustration at his own inability to decipher all these emotional and familial matters grew. He felt lost. Powerless. This did not sit well with him, he needed some time to sort his thoughts out.

Maybe another sparring session with Dante would help. His twin was watching him silently from the side, waiting for him to choose what he wanted to do.

He couldn’t just leave Nero here with no answer. It would damage their relationship and the blue half-devil still hoped for a one with his son.

Nero felt his heart grow heavy as the silence stretched on. Had he pushed too hard, too fast ? He closed his eyes as his doubts and shame rendered it difficult to look directly at his father.

“I’m not, Nero. My presence here has brought too much unrest in your home. I…” The blue half-devil started to explain but he was quickly interrupted.

The door of the house burst open and Kyle came running outside.

“Wait ! Don’t go ! “ the child shouted as he joined them in a hurry.

He ran through the patch of snow covered grass that laid between them and the house, his small form clad in pajamas and barefooted.

The little human made a beeline for the trio and wrapped his arms around Vergil’s leg with surprising strength for someone so small.

Nero and Vergil looked at each other in confusion before they both looked back down at the boy. What on earth was the kid doing now?

“I’m sorry ! I’m sorry, please don’t leave ! I didn’t mean to hurt you !“ The boy sobbed, his nose was running again, tiny hands fisted on black leather.

“You did not…” Vergil mumbled, looking back at Nero in search for a solution to appease the child.

“Well, ‘seems to me like you’ll bring even more trouble to Nero’s house if we go back. What do you think ?” Dante chuckled, standing a few steps away.

“You… want us to stay ?” Vergil asked, needing clarification. His question was more addressed to Nero than the child though.

“Yes.” Nero and Kyle exclaimed loudly at the same time.

Vergil was looking so lost, it made Dante laugh. His twin was really bad at reading people and Nero was really bad at voicing his feelings, maybe it was a blessing in disguise that Kyle was wreaking havoc on their evening.

That kid was far more direct with what he wanted and it paralleled his foster father’s needs perfectly.

“Well, you heard them. Let’s go back in before the kid gets sick.” Dante slapped his twin’s shoulder and started to walk back to the house.

Nero was holding his breath, he hadn’t meant to be so direct but now that his words were out he could only wait and see how his father would react. Hope took root inside him as he watched his uncle pass them by and walk towards the house.

“Alright.” The blue twin whispered, still unsure if this was the right choice to make.

Kyle gasped in joy, a big smile appearing on his face. His excitement coming back at its full potential, he snatched the blue twin’s hand and started to walk back too, tugging on the half-devil’s arm before he remembered that he was hurt.

“Oh no ! Your arm, I forgot ! Did I hurt you ?” the child exclaimed, terrified.

Vergil sighed and bent to pick the child up once again.

“My arm is just fine. And you need to learn to dress appropriately before going out in the snow.” The half-devil countered sternly.

“Appropri-what?” Kyle asked in confusion.

Nero stood on the side in silence, unsure what to do. He was happy that the twins were finally staying but he felt somewhat jealous that Kyle had managed to break the ice with Vergil so easily when he himself felt so insecure. Deep inside he longed to take that kid’s place in his father’s arms and it hurt.

“You can ask your father later.” Vergil scoffed. The blue half-devil’s eyes went to his son, he was staying too silent and his brow was furrowed. Was he unhappy ? Worried ? Something was bothering the quarter devil but Vergil was not sure what it could be.

“It means you can’t just go out without shoes Kyle. But you already know that.” Nero grumbled at the child. Too many emotions were pulling at his heart for him to be really pissed.

“Oh! Yes !” The child said, eyes round. “I’m sorry Nero. I didn’t mean to make so much trouble.” Kyle apologized, he had almost forgotten to do so with all the excitement. “You.. you’re not going to leave us, are you ?”

“What the… no ! Where does that even come from ? Let's go back inside before you catch a cold.” Nero sighed and came closer to the pair, ruffling the child’s hair.

The three of them walked back to the house and went to the living room where Kyrie and the other kids were waiting for them together with Dante and Nico.

“DInner’s ready, how about you all take a seat ?” Kyrie asked, happy to see that all their guests were staying in the end.

Vergil let Kyle down as Kyrie asked the child to go put his slippers on.

The rectangular shaped table was ready, chairs and plates all in place already. There was an awkward moment where everyone looked at each other to determine who would sit where. Kyrie chose to take the seat the closest to the kitchen and Nero came to sit next to her.

The blue half-devil went to sit next to Nero and Dante went to sit in front of his twin, Nico to his right and the three kids on the edge of the table. The dinner went without too much trouble, Kyrie’s cooking was absolutely spotless.

Vergil was amused to see his twin finally eating something other than pizza.

There was an awkward silence at the table, no one really daring to break the ice. Nero was as stiff as a stick, there was so much he wanted to ask to the man that was sitting just right next to him.

Yet he didn’t find the courage to voice his questions. His feelings were too complicated, there were too many people around, he didn’t know where to begin.

Someone else took the opportunity. Carlo discreetly left his chair at the end of the table and walked over to Vergil.

The blue twin gazed down at the very young face that was staring at him. The toddler came closer and extended his arms up expectantly.

The other humans at the table all tensed up and gasped, Kyrie already standing up to go retrieve the invasive baby.

“What does that mean ?” Vergil asked Nero, his eyes still on the small human.

“He… wants to sit in your lap I guess.” Nero answered nervously. He had hoped that after Kyle’s tantrum they would have no more problems. He was wrong.

Vergil slowly bent and picked the toddler up, this small being weighed nothing. Big brown eyes looked at him happily and a big smile split the round face in two. At last this one was easy enough to read.

Careful with his fragile quarry, he sat the child down on his lap, letting him face the table.

“If it makes you uncomfortable I can take him !” Kyrie exclaimed, apologetic of Carlo’s behavior.

“Yeah, you don’t have to…” Nero intervened too, afraid this would prompt his father to leave again.

“It is fine. I… never had the chance to do this with you.” The blue half-devil answered to his son. He sounded as unbothered as always but the regret was clear in his words.

For Nero, this was a punch to the guts. It left him blushing. It should be a bit embarrassing maybe but he didn’t give a shit right now. He had waited for this all his life. Taking a deep breath, he finally found the courage to ask.

“You really didn’t know about… me ? “ The quarter-devil whispered, his heart squeezing painfully in fear that the answer would leave him hurt.

“I left Fortuna before your mother could have been aware of her pregnancy. After that, I have been… unable to come back until June of last year.” Vergil answered quite vaguely.

But Nero had already a vague idea of what had happened thanks to Dante. His answer confirmed what Nero had been hoping for. He hadn’t known.

A sharp breaking sound startled the quarter-devil, glass shards and water tumbling down on the table

“Ah f…. I’m sorry.” Dante quickly apologized, broken glass pieces still in his hand.

The red twin was still smiling apologetically but his posture was too tense, and if Nero’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, his hands were shaking.

As Kyrie quickly grabbed a towel to soak up the glass’ content and picked up the broken glass parts, Nero wondered why his uncle was reacting so strongly. Was he angry at Vergil ? At himself ? Nero didn’t know.

“If I had known, a lot of things might have ended up differently.” Vergil continued but his words were directed at Dante as well as at Nero.

“I know.” The red twin murmured, his voice hoarse.

Nero hadn’t expected his father to admit that. Would he have grown up with his real father ? One could only wonder, the past was not something you could change.

“Dante made an oopsie ?” Carlo’s small voice broke the heavy silence that had settled in the room.

The unexpected comment made the room chuckle, even the stoic blue half-devil couldn’t help but smirk.

With the lighter mood came dessert, Kyrie bringing the apple pie to the table.

Dante and Vergil looked at each other in surprise and the red half-devil couldn’t help another chuckle escaping him.

“Apple pie… well, isn’t this appropriate…” He scoffed, his voice still raspy.

Nero looked at his uncle in confusion, what was happening ? What was so special about it?

“What’s the matter with pies ?” Nero asked, curious.

“It was our father’s favorite dish…” Vergil answered him, his voice softer than Nero had ever heard him.

“Yeah, mom used to make it every Sunday… and we would fight bitterly for who would get the biggest slice. “ Dante chuckled, his eyes searching for his twin’s. “You remember how there always was a particular spice in her pie ? It smelled in the whole house for days.”

“I… don’t… “ Vergil answered after a short pause. “ My memories are… incomplete. I have some fragments of them but I never got them all back.”

“Because of … him? ” Dante growled, hatred and fury dripping down from the single word. His demonic side was so close to taking over that his voice had changed and his eyes lit up from the inside.

“I’m not sure to follow ?” Nero asked, confused and scared of the red twin’s aggressive reaction.

Nero didn’t really know what happened between Vergil and whoever “him” was but it couldn’t be good if it left his father with amnesia and Dante was a breath away from triggering.

“This is of no importance. It is in the past and what matters is the present.” Vergil looked at his twin intently, he understood his reaction but it wasn’t the time nor the place to lose control.

Dante took a deep breath to calm himself down. His twin was right. Mundus was already dead anyway; but it hurt to know that even now his brother was still suffering from the years of torture he had undergone.

“You’re right. Then I’ll just have to help you remember everything. And so Nero can get a glimpse of his grandparents too.” The red half-devil said softly, his voice and eyes getting back to normal.

“Yeah, I-I’d like that. A lot.” Nero murmured, his voice soft.

He had barely dared to hope for information about his father and uncle. It never really crossed his mind to ask about his grandparents but now that the offer was made he found himself deeply curious.

“What would you like to know ?” Vergil asked him, his eyes turning to his son.

They looked at each other and Nero couldn’t believe he got an official green-light to finally get the answers to all his questions. He had waited so long. He had so many questions.

“Everything ! But I don’t know where to start to be honest.” The quarter devil whispered a bit overwhelmed.

“Well, let me tell you a story, Nero.” Dante smirked. ” Once upon a time in the outskirts of Redgrave was a kitchen with a big apple pie in it. Vergil and I were arguing over who would get the biggest slice of it and it ended up in a fight. He broke my nose and I…”

“...and you threw me in the pond in Mother’s garden.” Vergil finished, surprised that this very fragment of memory was abruptly coming back to him.

“Oh yeah I did ! “ Dante laughed, looking proud of himself. “But when you crawled out of it, mom arrived and she was so angry. We both ended up grounded for a whole week and we didn’t get any pie.”

Nero couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of these two absurdly powerful half-devils throwing some childish tantrums of their own.

There were giggles coming from the edge of the table too, the children having stayed suspiciously quiet this whole time.

“I do remember that. You were so disappointed and Father looked so smug while he ate it whole.” Vergil huffed at the memories, it was such a long time ago it felt like an entire other lifetime.

“There is no need for fighting tonight, there is enough pie for everyone and I’ll make sure to cut it evenly.” Kyrie commented with a smile. She felt so happy that the dinner went well, far better than she or Nero had anticipated.

“So, uh, your father was really Sparda ? The Sparda ?” Nico asked, she knew the legend about the demon who saved mankind from demons, but to think that she was sitting next to his direct descendants was… shocking.

“Yes. We carry half of his demonic heritage. And thus it runs into your blood too.” Vergil told Nero. “You will have to watch out for old enemies that are still after our family. “

Well, this was not foreboding at all. Nero acknowledged the warning, feeling strangely warm inside now that Vergil had included him in “our family”.

“So… Nero can fly too ?” Kyle exclaimed from the other side of the table, making his foster parent sigh. This kid’s obsession was tiresome.

“Maybe.” Vergil answered but he felt curious too now and Dante’s interest seemed piqued too.

“I’m not sure. I haven't really managed to trigger again since our last fight.” Nero explained a bit embarrassed to admit this while the two half-devils were focused on him.

“It gets easier with practice, maybe you just need some training.” Dante said, an amused spark in his eyes. “I’m sure your dad can teach you.”

Nero flushed bright red and Vergil’s gaze to his twin held a promise of retaliation. It just served to amuse the red twin even more and he smiled brightly back.

“What allowed you to trigger the first time?” Vergil asked Nero, still glaring daggers at Dante while Nero’s ears felt on fire.

“Uh, anger and fear I guess. I was scared that you two would kill each other…” Nero answered, his eyes lost on his slice of pie at the awful memories. “I didn’t want to lose my family after I just found it.”

Dante and Vergil looked at each other in understanding, of course these emotions would have enabled Nero’s trigger. Now the kid just needed the right push to find his footing with his demonic heritage.

To do that they would need to bring these emotions back in the quarter-devil’s heart and they may need to be a bit… spectacular about it.

Chapter Text

Dinner came to an end shortly after dessert as the kids started to yawn. It was getting late and Kyrie hushed the two younger ones to bed, leaving Julio to stay up longer if he wanted.

Kyle had thrown another tearful tantrum at seeing the twins leave but he still ended up being tucked in by his foster mom.

Julio was a lot older than Kyle or Carlo and he had a far better grasp on the situation than his foster brothers. He had felt the awkwardness in the room and the stress his foster parents had experienced during the day.

He had feared that this evening would end up really badly, for all of them, but he had found himself enjoying it. A lot.

He loved Nero, Kyrie and Nico like his own parents but the arrival of Nero’s biological family had upsetted the boy.

He had been scared of these strangers. Scared that Nero would abandon him for these new people. Julio had even felt jealous that Nero got his family back.

In the end, the child had grown really attached to Dante. The man was as fun as he was gentle and playing with him was one of the kid’s favorite things now.

Julio wasn’t quite sure what to think about Nero’s dad yet. That man was… strange. Cold.

Julio had not really dared to cross the bridge like Kyle had. The older kid had given his younger brother an ear full on that topic. Maybe he had been wrong to do so because thanks to his disobedience the twins had stayed for dinner.

When Julio had seen Carlo ask for the stoic man’s attention, and get it without any trouble, it left the older child wondering if he shouldn’t try his luck too. If it worked with the others, it should work for him too right ? So he went up to the departing duo.

“When are you coming back ?” The oldest child asked the blue twin timidly.

The two half-demons looked down at him in surprise.They were so tall, even taller than Nero, and Julio wondered if he would grow that big one day.

“Why kid, are you already missing me ?” Dante playfully smirked and ruffled the boy’s hair which made Julio chuckle. “We can’t stay here for too long or Nero is going to charge us rent, you know.”

“You’re his family, he won’t do that !” Julio laughed at his silly answer.

“Oh yeah ? I’m not so sure about that…” The quarter-devil answered, having come to join them in the meantime. “But Julio is right, when are you two coming by again?”

Nero’s eyes went from his uncle to his father, the question was mostly addressed to the blue twin. This evening had been his only visit since he had come back from the Underworld and Nero was afraid that he would avoid him again.

Dante looked at his twin too, eyebrows arched in silent interrogation.

“I do not want to impose…” Vergil answered reluctantly but he got interrupted by his son.

“You’re not. You know what, Kyrie made food for a small army again, how about you two come by tomorrow ?” Nero asked, praying that the man would not reject him and back away. There was a moment of silence that deeply stressed the quarter-devil out.

“Fine. Tomorrow then.” The blue half-devil acknowledged softly.

The news made Julio gasp in happiness which granted him a fond look from his foster-great-uncle and a surprised one from his foster-grandpa. The kid would tell Kyle tomorrow morning before breakfast. His brother was going to be so thrilled !

Dante and Vergil then left with the promise that the twins would come back the next day for another dinner.

As they stepped inside the Devil May Cry and the portal closed behind them, Dante felt himself finally relax. At least until he felt his twin’s intense gaze on him. The red half-devil turned to face him in silent interrogation.

The older twin kept silent but came a few steps closer. The silence stretched on but Dante knew better than to voice his questions and he waited patiently for Vergil to speak first.

“I… need your assistance.” The blue twin finally said and Dante felt like the rug was pulled from under him. Holy hell, this was unprecedented.

Vergil never asked for anything, least of all from him. Dante was pretty sure his twin would rather kick the bucket than ask him for help. This was a huge change of attitude and it left Dante worried that something was seriously wrong with him.

“ Sure, anything.” Dante whispered, almost afraid that he had heard wrong or that his older brother would change his mind.

Vergil looked at him, his gaze unreadable.

“Nero needs to learn how to trigger at will. I plan on initiating a fight between the two of us, a bad one, to push him to feel the necessary emotions. “ The blue explained very matter-of-factly.

“ Why tell me this and not just attack me right away ? We usually don’t need an excuse to spare brutally.” Dante answered a bit confused.

“Because I want to let Nero believe that we are going at each other’s throats for real. That we would go all the way, like we had intended to do atop the Qliphoth.” Vergil told him while he observed his brother with great attention.

“You sure you want to do that gig ?” Dante asked his twin while the red half-devil went to his desk and poured himself a glass. This was a bit much to process, he needed a drink.

The golden liquid caught the dim light of the office as the red twin took a sip.

“Yes. Nero needs to be able to trigger at will. He will need the power if he finds himself facing stronger demons.” Vergil answered softly, approaching his twin and pouring himself a glass too before coming to stand next to him.

“Yeah, you’re right but the kid’s gonna be pissed afterwards. He was already so angry about your arm, I think he wanted to hit me.” Dante chuckled, taking another sip from his glass. The liquid burned his throat, warming him up from inside.

“His security matters more than his feelings. Or some injuries. Don’t hold back.” Vergil huffed. The blue twin wasn’t afraid of pain but knowing that his son may find himself powerless in front of the foes that still awaited any opportunity to get back at the Sparda bloodline left him uneasy.

“Don’t worry about that, I’m still up one anyway.” The red twin scoffed, enjoying the light banter about their constant fights. Since their trip through hell they had fought countless times but it was now more about the pleasure of a worthy opponent than real desire to kill.

“You still need to learn to count.” The older half-devil countered with a smirk, they had been arguing about this for months now. “Maybe it will be faster if I just beat you up tomorrow.”

“You wish! “ Dante burst out laughing. “Can’t say I’m too fond of the idea to go all in though. What if this doesn’t work and Nero sees through our bullshit ?”

“Then you will have to try for a killing blow.” The blue twin answered calmly.

Dante froze, his hand midway from bringing his glass up to his lips. That was why he asked for assistance. Bastard !

“No. No way ! Are you out of your fucking mind ?” The red twin shouted, shocked and pissed that he would even suggest this.

They may hurt each other more or less during their sparring sessions but they had long since avoided hits that may fatally injure the other. They had finally found their way back to each other, there was no way they would gamble everything like this.

“I won’t let Nero stay without the protection of his fully awakened trigger. This has to work and if it needs to go that far, then so be it.” The blue half-devil came to face his sibling, his mind set. “I will survive it. If Father’s enemies get their hands on him, he will not.”

“It’s still gonna hurt like a bitch and I’m not going to risk your life on this.” Dante flat out refused.

“Foolishness. Then make it look real. You’re not as clumsy as you’d like me to think you are.” Vergil grumbled, he knew that Dante’s precision was only matched by himself. His twin’s fighting style was brutish and seemed very approximative but Vergil knew first hand that this was just an illusion.

“Fine, but that goes both ways. Don’t go soft on me or he won’t buy into this charade.” The legendary hunter growled, still pissed that his sibling was willing to take so many risks. Of course, he too wanted Nero to be safe and this was probably the fastest way for him to get a grip on a conscious trigger but it didn’t mean the red twin liked it.

“Then it is settled.” The blue half-devil acknowledged as he finished his glass.

Nero woke up feeling both stressed out and excited.

The last evening had bordered on catastrophic failure before straightening back into a surprisingly great success. What a rollercoaster.

The quarter devil felt still pretty shaken up at all that happened and now after all the doubts, hope burned bright in his mind. Saldy, with it came the fear of disappointment that always shadowed his mind.

The young man had managed to get a tiny glimpse into his family’s complicated and tragic history. A little fragment of his heritage, passed down to him through his own father and uncle. A happy one at that, or at least a bittersweet one, judging by his uncle’s obvious emotional reaction.

And Nero’s journey in his family’s past wasn’t over yet, as the twins were coming over again today. The quarter devil couldn’t quite believe it. It had taken months to get his father to come by once and now he was coming two days in a row.

It was exhilarating and terrifying. Maybe he would get another glimpse at the man’s life, another piece of the gigantic puzzle he had tried so desperately to put back together.

So many parts were missing but for someone who had longed for the truth and a family all his life, each tiny piece of information was a nugget of gold.

Nero had been scared that his foster son’s invasive attitude might drive Vergil away and surprisingly enough it was the child’s demanding behavior that had permitted to break the ice and forced him to stay. Life had a way of taking you by surprise, often in the worst ways but Nero wasn’t going to complain this time around.

He hadn’t expected his stoic and cold father to cave in to his request to come back for another meal. Not at all. Nor had he anticipated that Julio would have been the one to ask him first.

The kid was quite shy and he may have asked Dante, knowing very well that the man would indulge any of the kid’s requests, but for him to ask Vergil was a big step.

Maybe, if the evening went well and Nero managed to gather the courage to, he would ask the twins if they would be willing to show him their triggered form. Hell, Kyle would go crazy if he knew this.

If the quarter devil was being honest, he felt deeply curious about it. He had already seen both his father and uncle in their full trigger. He had even fought them, but fights didn’t allow for much time to observe and answer his questions. Especially not with adversaries as vicious as Vergil or Dante.

This was Nero’s chance, as a descendant of Sparda too, to see what his demonic heritage looked like and there was so much he wanted to ask them. DId Nero’s form look like theirs ?
Would he be able to transform at will too ? When did they find out they could trigger ? Had Sparda taught them how to do it ?

Nero never had anyone to tell him about this part of him, and he had tried hard to hide the first manifestations of this side of him to everyone. Especially from his foster family.

But with them he didn’t need to hide, he was just like them. They could answer him. Show him. Teach him. He wasn’t lost and alone anymore.

Today he might get some more answers. Tiny puzzle pieces again. It felt somewhat too good to be true and Nero needed to fight the urge to pinch himself to see if he wasn’t actually still asleep.

Lying wide awake in his bed, Nero turned to the side and kissed Kyrie’s sleeping form. She hummed happily but didn’t wake so the quarter devil quietly exited their room.

He went down to the kitchen and made coffee, the hot and spicy smell of it rising in the air, traveling throughout their house and calling the sleepers for breakfast. Julio and Kyle arrived in the kitchen almost immediately, full of energy and over excited again.

“Nero ! Is it true ? Are Dante and Vergil coming again tonight ?” Kyle came rushing to his foster dad, eyes gleaming and hopeful.

“Yes, they are. They should be here for dinner…” Nero told the kid but he didn’t even need to finish his sentence as the child went into a frenzy of joyful screams and went running around the house.

Nero sighed and chuckled at the same time. This kid had so much energy it was really impressive.

The morning went by in a blur until lunch was over. Hours ticked by in wait and finally the afternoon was coming to an end as the sun started to set early. It was time, at last.

A flash of purple light lit up the garden signalling the presence of Nero’s awaited family members. Kyle and Julio shouted for Nero and Kyrie, their little voices excited, rushing to the door in wait of their guests.

Nero joined the kids with Kyrie, little Carlo in her arms, and he went to open the door.

As soon as his eyes landed on the two towering figures facing each other in the dark, Nero could tell that something was wrong. The twins radiated aggressivity, it roiled off them in hot waves that he could feel on his skin.

Kyrie and the kids all gasped in surprise and fear when they felt the residual power that was saturating the air, like a magnetic field pushing against their senses.

What had gotten into them ? Yesterday evening they seemed to be at peace with each other and now… the atmosphere was tense, to put it lightly.

They must have heard the startled noises because two pairs of piercing blues eyes turned to the house. The red half-devil was the first to react and he took a few steps towards them.

“Hey, kid !” Dante greeted him with a smile even if his posture was too stiff, it showed how he was on edge.

Vergil stayed a few steps back and silently nodded his greetings too.

The red twin looked over his shoulder to his sibling and before Nero got the chance to even greet them in return, his uncle’s voice came again.

“Would it hurt you to just say “hi” for once in your life ? Or are we all so beneath you, that you can’t even bother with basic politeness ?” The hunter spat in anger, turning away from Nero and his family to face his twin again.

Nero froze at the harsh comment. Wow, he had never heard the half-devil so openly aggressive.

“I’ll bother with politeness when you prove worthy of it, little brother.” Vergil hissed in return, sarcasm seeping from his tone.

Nero felt Kyrie come to stand next to him, eyes bulging in fear. She quickly went to take Kyle’s hand to stop him from going too close to them.

“Nero ? What is happening ?” She whispered to her lover, her voice frightened.

“I have no fucking clue.” Nero murmured, forgetting their no-swearing-in-front-of-the-kids policy in his shock. “Kyrie, please go back inside with the kids. I-I have a bad feeling about this.”

Kyrie nodded and hushed the kids back in the house. They didn’t even protest, too afraid and lost at this strange situation. Nero heard the door shut in his back and he felt somewhat relieved that the kids wouldn’t witness whatever the fuck these two would throw at each other.

“Oh and how can I do that ? Wait, let me guess… ah yes, how about murdering half a city for power ?” Dante bit back, his eyes ablaze with orange flames.

The situation was going to shit at an alarming rate and Nero was too stunned to say anything. What the hell was wrong with them?

“Maybe… but you’re more into killing family, aren’t you ?” Vergil scoffed, his tone cold as ice.

In the blink of an eye Dante’s hand snatched one of his guns and fired straight at his twin. The booming sound startled Nero and he could even hear small frightened gasps inside the house.

Vergil parried the bullet with his sword, the high pitched metallic sound echoing loudly before a heavy silence fell on the garden.

What … ?! Nero felt so fucking lost. His uncle had just tried to kill his father. Just like that. If Vergil hadn’t stopped the bullet with the Yamato the blow could have been fatal.

“You know what, yeah I think I am.” Dante growled and his sword materialized in his hand.

“Then let’s settle this once and for all.” The blue half-devil answered, switching into a fighting stance, the Yamato gleaming in the dark.

“What ? Wait, no ! You can’t just fight like that! Stop it !” Nero tried to intervene unsuccessfully.

The two half-devils ignored him and launched themselves at each other, blades colliding at incredible speed. Sparks flew and Nero’s eyes had trouble following the movements. God they’re so fast !

The quarter-devil’s world felt like it was tipping over. Incomprehension left him paralyzed as he stood dumbfounded a few meters away from his own house. Why were they doing this ? What could have happened to put them in such a terrific mood ? How could he make them stop before one of them got injured again ?

Gunshots broke the young hunter out of his frozen state and he gasped in fear and surprise as the two fighters came abruptly apart.

His father’s sleeve was torn just above his left elbow and dark stains were growing on the fabric, one of Dante’s bullets had hit home.

The legendary hunter sported a small but heavily bleeding cut on the side of his neck. Dark red soaking his black shirt, making it gleam wetly in the poor light coming from the city ​​lamp posts.

Nero felt his stomach churn at the sight. They weren’t playing around, these wounds were the real deal. This couldn’t go on, he had to do something !

However, he didn’t get the time to get closer and pull them apart before they went at each other’s throats again. Red fire and blue phantom swords clashed against one another until the very air was saturated with a static buzz of power.

Judgment cuts and Royal guards made the ground shake and trashed the landscape as they took the fight further away from Nero’s home. The quarter devil felt a tiny sense of relief at seeing the dangerous battle move away from his house and its fragile inhabitants. The feeling however didn’t last long.

Crimson dots stained the snow as blows landed and damage was taken, leaving Nero's heart feeling like it was breaking.

The first serious injuries were already visible, stab wounds and lacerations letting blood flow freely, pooling on the ground. Silhouettes hunched and panting under the strain and the pain.

Nero’s confusion and fear meddled and amplified until they started to burn hot in his veins. Those two idiots were so lost in their anger and rivality that they wouldn’t stop until one of them yielded or died.

His heartbeat got faster and a curtain of red fell on the edge of his vision, his skin itching as power flowed through him, answering his extreme emotions.

This was the Qliphoth all over again and he was going to lose one of them. He couldn’t recover from that, not again.

Somewhere before him, the half-devils triggered, sending a brutal wave of energy outwards. It scorched the ground, burning everything to cinders and melting a big circular patch of snow away.

They took off in a powerful gust of wind, taking their fight higher to the skies, out of Nero’s reach. They went higher and higher in the sky and Nero felt panic wrap around his neck like a noose, choking him. He couldn’t stop them when they were that high.

Their impressive demonic forms clashed against each other, red fiery walls and bluish slashes fracturing the sky in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Their blazing silhouettes disappeared behind a cloud before the sky splitted in an explosion of energy. A massive shockwave made the clouds above Fortuna ripple and tear apart, leaving a hole in the cloudy sky. Shining through the opening was the moon, its soft white glow bathing the city underneath in silver.

Nero anxiously watched for any sign of his family members. He couldn’t find them even if the night sky was illuminating the landscape. His eyes kept searching until white hair caught the moonlight as Nero spotted a human shaped silhouette falling down from the skies. The quarter-devil’s breath was knocked out of him in pure terror. The dark blue motionless form was tumbling down, spinning and turning uncontrollably like a leaf at the winds’ mercy.

Dread and urgency ignited in Nero’s veins and he felt his skin transform, his bones bend, as his demonic side emerged. His trigger washed over him in a flash of blue, translucent wings sprouting on his back.

He didn’t even realize that he had managed to trigger, his entire mind and body focused on the man that was hitting terminal velocity, plunging to certain death.

Nero pushed on his wings with all the strength of desperation, the landscape around him blurring. He split the air in a blink, crossing the distance at impossible speed. Faster, faster, I need to go faster.

His father was growing alarmingly close to the ground as the quarter devil eventually reached him. They collided brutally, breaking the blue half-devil’s momentum, but sending them both spiraling down uncontrollably.

Nero held on to Vergil for dear life while he struggled to stabilize them and slow their fall down, still too unfamiliar with his new body and being airborne. The ground was closing in, their impact imminent.

The quarter-devil suddenly felt his father shift in his hold, arms coming to wrap around him protectively. Nero held his breath praying they were both going to survive this. But they never touched the ground.

A massive shadow emerged from the darkness, fiery red wings engulfing Nero’s vision.
Dante’s arms wrapped around the entangled duo, securing them tightly before he pushed hard on his four wings.

Nero felt his insane strength tear them away from the pull of gravity, the pressure bruising. Another hard push and they went back flying upwards into the sky. The cold winter wind pulled at Nero’s own wings as the red half-devil gilded easily on the sea breeze.

The quarter devil managed to take a shaky breath as his uncle brought them back to the house, landing gently on the snow covered grass. He eased his passengers down with care before he let go of his trigger in a shower of red sparks.

The younger twin still radiated fury and Nero feared that he would attack again but surprisingly he let himself fall on his rear in the snow next to them.

“Damn, I’m never, ever, doing that again, Verge ! You scared the shit out of me !” Dante growled, his hands coming to rub his face down in a rare gesture of anxiety.

“There will be no need for it. It worked. “ Vergil scoffed softly while he tried to sit up, his movement impaired by the immobile triggered form of his son still half sitting, half lying on top of him.

Nero was too shaken to move or to even feel embarrassed about the prolonged physical contact. What were they talking about ? And wait, they were acting friendly again ? What the fuck ?

“Guess so. And we have the answer to our previous question. The kid can fly ! And he even inherited your speed !” The red half-devil was looking at Nero with a proud gleam in his eyes.

“Yes. He did.” The blue twin was sounding almost smug.

Nero’s trigger abruptly faded, his wings vanishing and his body returning to its usual human form. That’s when the truth hit him like a freight train.

The out-of-the-blue aggressive mood, the fighting and then the fall… it had been done on purpose ?

“You… you…. You staged all of this ?” Nero whispered in shock, his mind blank.

“Yes. It was the best way for you to find how to trigger again.” Vergil answered, still sitting in the snow, blocked by Nero's weight on top of his legs.

“Yeah kid, sorry about that.” Dante shrugged before he stood back up, dusting snow off his pants.

Nero’s vision went red with rage, his anger exploding out of control. His hands came to grip the lapels of his father’s coat, slamming him down hard in the snow.

He wanted to hit him. Make him pay for the awful worry that had consumed him while he had to watch them fight.

“What the fuck ! How could you do that ! I was so fucking worried ! Y-you could have died in that fall !” Nero shouted, blinded by fury.

He felt Dante’s presence coming closer, intending to separate them but Vergil extended an arm towards him, motioning for him to wait.

“Maybe, but this isn’t important. You need to grasp the emotions that allowed you to transform and use them to trigger at will.” The blue twin answered expectantly, his blue eyes meeting Nero’s.

“Oh that won’t be difficult because I’m still pissed as fuck !” Nero shouted as he took his demonic form again.

He felt so angry he wanted to hurt him for daring to pull such a trick on him. To shake him because this had been far too fucking dangerous. To hug him because Nero had been so terrified to lose him. Hell, his emotions were all over the place.

Vergil smirked proudly at the blue skinned, yellow eyed creature that was aggressively pinning him to the ground.

Nero was startled by his reaction. Apart from Kyrie, no one had ever looked at him that way. It shook the quarter-devil deeply and his burning anger was abruptly snuffed out, making his trigger fade too.

Exhaustion washed over the quarter-devil unexpectedly and he found himself lightheaded, swaying dangerously to the side but before he could tip over, hands caught him.

“Wow there, easy kiddo ! Triggering costs energy, don’t drain yourself.” Dante chuckled at the hot-head’s behavior while helping him finally get off the blue twin.

“Ah fuck, how do you keep your trigger for so long ?” Nero mumbled, as he found himself sitting in the snow, exhausted.

“Years of practice.” The blue half-devil answered as he straightened and stood back up, brushing snow off his coat.

Nero huffed in annoyance, still resentful of all the shit they had put him though. Even if the end goal had been to help him.

He felt too angry and embarrassed, so the quarter-devil kept his eyes stubbornly away from the twins. Avoiding them. It was really childish but he wasn’t ready to face them. He didn’t feel worthy of their pride and sure as hell wasn’t coping well with the aftermath of considering the death of his only family members.

Meanwhile the two twins walked a few steps away, leaving Nero some space to vent and clear his head. The young man was obviously pissed at them, and for good reasons.

“Man, I’m going to be so sore ! We haven’t sparred that hard since we were in the Underworld !” Dante said as he stretched and popped his neck.

Noises came from the house, small voices shouting and the twins looked at each other in apprehension.

“Dante. We may have overlooked some details.” The blue twin commented flatly as he could hear Kyrie’s voice trying to bring some order to the imminent chaos that was coming their collective way.

“Ah shit, the kids !” The hunter whispered urgently. “They can’t see us like this.”

“I suppose not. ” The blue twin mumbled under his breath.

“I’m already healed. I can just rinse the blood off with some snow. What about you ?” Dante asked as he quickly scrubbed his clothes and his blood encrusted skin with the white powder.

“I am fine.” Vergil answered almost by reflexe, before he paused. “ Except for the left arm. The children cannot see that.” Vergil reluctantly admitted.
Dante threw a quick look at it and hissed, indeed, his arm was still bleeding freely. Red was dripping down and staining the snow, leaving a small trail behind him. Was the bullet still in ?

“Shit. Kyle will probably come straight for you...” The red half devil commented as the door of the house opened.

“It will be easier if I just go back to the office.” The blue twin answered, his eyes going from the house to Nero’s sitting form.

“No way you’re letting me deal with this shit on my own ! “ Dante bit back, scandalized. “And we need to look at your arm.”

“Fine. I’ll trigger, it will hide the damage and it may distract them.” The blue twin answered and he triggered immediately as two small silhouettes came rushing from the house straight to them.

Chapter Text

Kylie did his best to contain his excitement, like Kyrie told him to do, but he couldn’t stop himself from running out of the house. At last he had put on shoes and a jacket this time around.

Nero, his dad and Dante were all three in the garden but Kyrie had forbidden him and his brothers to go out after they quickly said hello and then had to get back inside. She told them that they were training to hunt demons and that they needed to wait, that it could be dangerous.

To Kyle it had looked like the grown-ups were really mad at each other, but why would they fight ? A family was not supposed to fight. The adults had shouted at each other and then there had been awfully louds noises. Kyle had been scared and seeing that Kyrie was afraid too didn’t help him calm down.

He had watched the sky with Julio through the windows. It had changed colors from red to blue and then everything had mixed together in a big explosion. It had been beautiful and really scary at the same time. After that there had only been silence and Kyrie had looked outside, worried.

Whatever Kyle’s foster mother had seen must have reassured her because they had been allowed to go in the garden soon afterwards.

And so, Kyle was running through the snow, Julio just behind him. As they came halfway through the garden, Kyle looked up and he couldn’t suppress a terrified gasp when he saw a big blue demon in the distance. Julio froze next to him and they both stared, eyes bulging, too scared to even scream.

The demon was really tall with dark scales, sharp claws and four massive wings covered in cobalt blue swirls. It stood next to Dante, blue fire escaping his body and shining bright in the night.

Kyle was terrified and the child gulped, taking a step backwards. Why was a demon here ? Had Nero been training against a real demon ? But then why was it still alive ? And where was Vergil ?

“Hey, kids ! No need to be scared, everything’s fine.” Dante called out to them. He was standing, hands in his pockets, totally relaxed next to the demon. The red hunter wasn’t even looking at it. “That’s just Vergil.”

Kyle and Julio were deeply startled by the piece of information. It helped them recover from their surprise and they came slowly closer, still very intimidated by the towering monster. They knew Nero was part demon but his dad looked really scary.

Vergil and Dante waited for the children to either run away in fright or join them for good. Those tiny humans had guts because even if they were obviously terrified they still came to meet them.

The young children went all the way up to the half-devils, huge eyes mostly focused on Vergil. Kyle was scared but he didn’t want to chicken out or Nico would make fun of him. He was tempted to hide behind Dante but he didn’t want to act like a baby.

And so, the child gulped and went to stand just in front of the demon. He looked up and down, craning his neck to try to see its face. Kyle felt so small but his childish curiosity was taking over again.

Taking a shaky breath to calm himself Kyle extended a hand towards the demon’s lower wings. His fingers almost touched the blue pattern inside the bottom part of it before Kyle abruptly stopped and looked up at Vergil.

“C-can I touch them ? Kyrie says that I need to always ask for permission first.” Kyle blurted out in a mix of wonder, curiosity and fear. He didn’t want to be rude, Nero said he had to behave.

Vergil just nodded in silent permission and it wasn’t long before he felt the feather light contact of tiny fingers on his skin.

Kyle took a sharp intake of breath in surprise. The thick leathery skin of the wings felt smooth and warm under his finger tips. He let his hand roam over the blue swirls decorating the inner side of the wings, they were so pretty. They shone bright blue, thousands of different shades spiraling in the dark.

The small child smiled in wonder, tiny hands leaving the wing to pat the dark blue scales covering the body. Those were hard and cold, like small pointy metal pieces tightly held together.

Kyle’s obvious awe made Dante laugh, that child had always been fascinated by everything that could fly. The red twin observed as Julio, reassured by his brother’s returning excitement, came to touch Vergil’s wings too with the same wonder in his eyes.

The blue half- devil let the children explore his demonic form but the sensation felt foreign and it put him on edge. He would always only trigger to fight. The only physical contact in this form was always related to violence, bloodshed and, in most cases, death.

This was really unusual and uncomfortable for him but it kept Nero’s children unaware of the state of his arm. He just had to hold still and wait for them to satisfy their curiosity.

He just hoped he could keep his triggered form until then, because those children were insatiable and the tiredness of the previous fight against Dante was letting itself known.

A few meters away from the children’s awe-filled exploration of the blue half-demon, Nero was still recovering from triggering twice in a row. And he was avoiding his father. The anger in him had dimed but not disappeared yet, and the quarter-devil needed some time alone.

Maybe it was stupid, but Nero felt betrayed and it hurt. He would be undoubtedly grateful later for the new power he could now wield, but he wasn’t there yet.

The young man felt like an idiot for falling into their trap, was he so predictable ? Well, they had gone all out in their fight and they had even clashed against one another yesterday so, in his defense, the signs had been there.

The quarter devil’s eyes went machinaly back to the big imprint left in the snow after Dante had dropped them down. Something colorful caught his eye.

Why was the snow… red ? Nero’s stomach churned, blood running cold. He forced himself to take a deep breath. The quarter devil stood up and watched the disturbed snow carefully.

He could easily distinguish the contours of his father’s form as he had stayed pinned under Nero for quite some time. The red stain was located next to his midsection but slightly off to the left.

The reddish blotch then spread upwards, smearing the white powder in an almost circular pattern before it stopped just where Vergil’s arm had laid after he motioned for Dante to wait.

Memories of the twin’s fight came back to Nero. He had seen the gunshot wound above Vergil’s elbow, the bloody stains growing on the torn up fabric of his sleeve. But… it hadn’t healed ?

Worry started to worm its way through Nero’s anger, bringing his gaze back on the twin half-devils. Julio and Kyle had left the house and were currently posted around his father’s triggered form. What the fuck, why has he triggered again ?

Nero watched his father with attention, the man was staying still as a statue, posture tense and stiff. The quarter-devil had just discovered how draining triggering could be; was he tiering himself out for the sake of the kids ? Was he hurting ? Why hadn’t he told Nero that he was still bleeding ? Had Nero made the wound worse in his angry outburst ?

The young hunter’s resentment was quickly crumbling down under a wave of guilt and fear. He felt the need to go over there and take a look at the wound. Make sure his father was alright even if the quarter-devil was still pissed.

The young man carefully stood up, his legs still feeling shaky, and walked up to his four family members. With every step bringing him closer he could spot tiny dots of crimson on the snow, a trail of gory breadcrumbs guiding him back to his father.

Vergil must have heard Nero’s approach because the half-devil’s gaze went up to him. Nero pointedly avoided meeting his eyes before Kyle picked up on his foster father’s presence and turned to him, almost bursting with childish excitement.

“Nero ! Look ! His wings are sooo big !” The child’s eyes were bulging, he was absolutely out of his mind.

“Yeah, and guess what, Kyle ? Nero’s are almost as big and they’re blue too !” Dante commented with a laugh, coming to the rescue of his twin by redirecting the invasive kid’s attention to someone else.

“Is that true ? Can I see ? Please ?” Kyle’s attention was instantly on Nero and even Julio’s eyes switched to him.

“I’m too tired right now, but as soon as I feel better I’ll show you.” The quarter devil ruffled both his kids' hair. Kyle pouted but Nero wasn’t quite finished. “And… maybe after some training I’ll take you two flying over the city.”

The children stood motionless for a second, digesting the information before they couldn’t contain their happiness anymore and went running to tell Kyrie, screaming in joy.

Nero couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped him at the sight, he really loved the kids. They were a handful but they were really cute. And speaking of handful… Nero turned to his uncle and his father.

There was a blue flash as Vergil let go of his trigger and Dante went instantly up to him. The red twin tugged at his older brother’s torn up sleeve and peeked through the hole to get a glimpse of the wound beneath.

“That needs to be looked at. Like, right now.” The red half-devil mumbled, preparing himself mentally for his twin’s most certain imminent refusal of any kind of help.

Nero walked up to Dante’s side and his eyes went to the dark, soaked fabric his uncle was holding. The red twin was right but would Vergil even accept his, their, help ? It didn’t end up too well yesterday.

The blue twin kept silent, not really listening to his twin’s worried comment. He kept wondering if Nero’s anger had receded. The young hunter was still avoiding him, keeping his eyes stubbornly down on his arm.

Nero was furious and Vergil understood that feeling very well, after all he had manipulated him. And yet he had crossed over to get closer, why would he do that ?

Vergil kept looking at his son, searching for the logic hidden behind his behavior. Most people or demons, exceptions made for his twin, would try to take advantage of his injury to kill him… was Nero planning on trying that too?

Their gaze finally met and the half-devil saw strange emotions flicker in the young man's eyes. Distress ? Anger ? Worry ? Maybe the three at once but what could be the cause for all this ? His anger was expected but what about the rest ?

Dante had a similar look on his face when Vergil looked back at him. His too-soft, foolish brother, was prone to grow worried each time something insignificant happened. He understood his twin’s reaction.

But what about Nero’s ? Vergil had felt his rage and his lust for blood earlier as he lay stuck in the snow.

“I don’t understand. Why don’t you use the opportunity to get revenge ? The fight left me tired and wounded, this is the perfect moment to strike and…” Vergil voiced his incomprehension to his son and he saw the kid become chalk white.

“You’d better shut the fuck up right now before I hit you.” Nero whispered, voice thick with unspoken emotions. “I-I… Fuck, I’d never do that. You hear me ? Never.”

He doesn’t know how to let his guard down. Dante’s words from yesterday evening were echoing in Nero’s mind. He’ll need time to understand that he has a family, and that he is safe and loved. Fuck, his uncle had been right. Nero was seeing it so clearly now, his father was expecting the worst case scenario. He was still fighting for survival, blind to the simple truth that there was no danger surrounding him.

Maybe the blue half-devil needed to hear it straight from him. Maybe this was the moment to show him the truth. To help him see. If it didn’t work out it would be pretty embarrassing but it was still worth a shot.

“Listen to me, you’re safe. We’re family. And I…I love you. We all do. And we’re never going to try to harm you.” Nero took a deep breath before continuing and he got a heavy waft of the metallic scent of blood. “So yeah, maybe I’m mad at you for now, but I’m also fucking worried because this arm is still bleeding all over the place. Please. Let us help you.”

Dante was mentally crossing his fingers, hoping that Nero would manage to get through his brother’s deeply rooted trauma.

The red half-devil had tried to make him understand too but he had stumbled upon an unexpected issue. Vergil considered him as “safe”, which meant a lot to the red twin, but it made Dante an exception. And thus it unconsciously invalidated all of the red twin’s arguments.

The red half-devil hoped that hearing Nero come clean about his feelings would help his brother lower his guard. Because the man had forgotten what it was like to be part of a family, that being hurt or vulnerable didn’t put him under the immediate threat of pain and death.

Nero and Dante held their breath as they watched for Virgil’s reaction. There was a faint look of surprise on his features, he hadn’t expected that. His pale blue gaze swept over the two men in front of him before going over the house and falling back on his twin and then on his son.

Vergil was at a loss for words. The conversation hadn’t gone in the direction he had anticipated and now he felt himself strangely shaken. It had been so long since he had felt safe. Well, it was the case with Dante but they were twins so it was only natural.

Nero’s direct approach left little room for misunderstandings and it left Vergil wondering. Did he truly belong here? He couldn’t deny that this was what his heart desired.

He had found his way back to Dante. It had quenched his loneliness and gave him a sense of security but could he let Nero in ? What if he couldn’t ? Would that mean losing his son and his strange, too agitated, family ?

That thought left a bitter taste in the half-devil’s mouth. He didn’t want to distance himself from them. He wanted to learn and find his place here.

And that meant he had some work to do, work that started with the two pairs of blue eyes that were focused on him.

“I… I could use some help to get the bullet out.” He conceded softly, surprised again when his two family members rushed him inside the house and then into the kitchen.

Had they been so deeply worried ? They were frantically piling up supplies on the kitchen table, almost running through the house for gauze and bandages, and Vergil couldn’t help but sigh at the sight. He wasn’t dying, those two were vastly overdoing it.

Making sure the children were not anywhere around he shrugged his coat off, leaving it to hang from a chair. This felt like deja-vu, he had done the very same thing just the day before.

The blue twin tsked in annoyance, this was going to be a mess. He was leaving a trail of bloody drops everywhere, staining the white tiles of the kitchen floor.

It would most certainly grow worse when they would try to get the bullet out. Hopefully the children would stay away until they had time to clean everything up.

Vergil took a look at his arm, Dante’s guns were truly something else. He had dodged all bullets but this one, his twin having managed to corner him enough to get a hit. If he had taken more hits it would have rendered him unable to defend himself…

“Please take a seat !” Kyrie exclaimed as she came into the kitchen with a stack of clean towels. She grew pale at the bloody sight and hurriedly went up to her father in-law, motioning for him to get a chair. “You’re hurt, you need to sit down.”

“This is nothing.” He answered her and when she saw her flinch, Vergil felt uneasy. He didn’t want this to go awry like it had yesterday, maybe he should make an effort to explain himself. “Once the bullet is out it will heal in a few hours at most.”

The girl nodded, lips pinched in a thin line and huge eyes on the wound.

“Does it hurt a lot? Can I do anything to help you ?” She asked almost timidly, afraid to go too far and make him in need of putting some distance between himself and the family again.

Vergil didn’t know how to answer that question properly. This was just a scratch but it seemed to preoccupy the people around him a lot.

“It is only moderately painful. You seem … upset. Does the sight of blood scare you ?” The blue twin asked his daughter in-law, curious to get a better understanding of her reaction.

“Oh, no that’s not it ! I am upset, but not because of the blood. It’s because you are hurting and seeing you like this pains me.” The brown haired girl explained with a sad smile.

Vergil had little time to ponder the girl’s reasons as Nero and Dante finally came back to the kitchen.

“Well, we should have everything we need so let's get to it !” Dante exclaimed, sounding almost cheerful even though his expression was unusually grim.

“Why does the wound still bleed ? You two usually heal so fast. “ Nero asked, a hint of worry in his voice as he went around the table to stand on the other side, leaving some room for Dante to work.

“Easy question kid, there must be one of my bullets still stuck inside his arm.” Dante told his nephew as he came to sit into a chair next to Vergil, mentioning for his twin to show him the wound.

“It caught on the bone.” The blue twin said, matter of factly as he laid his arm to rest on the table.

“Yeah I can see that. It’s embedded deep. I’ll have to pull it out but it’s not going to come out easy.” The red half-devil mumbled as he was inspecting the damage.

The red half-devil looked at the supplies they had managed to put together. It was a really good first-aid kit for humans, with all that you could need to handle a wound that didn’t need professional care.

But it was clearly not meant to treat anti-demon-weapons induced gunshot wounds on human/demon hybrids. Getting that piece of metal out of their unnaturally strong bones would need something far sturdier than usual scalpels and tweezers.

Dante looked around the kitchen, searching for anything sharp and robust enough to dislodge the bullet.

“Do you have anything like a hunting knife or a dagger… and pliers ?” he asked.

“What the fuck ? What do you even want that for ?” Nero exclaimed, perplexed at the request.

“Kid, that bullet is not coming out with “traditional” means. We’re not… “traditional” patients.” Dante scoffed, he didn’t like the idea of taking a butcher’s knife to the operating room but they could not let this wound untreated for too long.

“Shit !” Nero swore softly, nervously combing his hands through his hair. “Nico has pliers for sure… maybe she even got a knife, otherwise there are kitchen knives here. Wait a sec, I’ll go get it.”

Nero exited the kitchen and hastily went through the hallway and entered the garage. Nico was working on the van again, her booted legs the only part of her visible from underneath the vehicle.

“Yo Nico, you got some pliers and a knife that I can borrow ?” The quarter devil asked his friend.

“What for ? Gotta fix somethin’ in the house ?” Nico asked, her voice muffled by the car.

“You could say that. Please ?” The young hunter was not in the mood to play games with her right now.

“Yeah, look on the shelf behind you for pliers and for the knife you can pick one on my workbench.” The gunsmith answered, feeling curious about this whole situation.

“Thanks.” Nero answered as he quickly chose the two items and went back to the kitchen.

Once back, he rinsed the two objects off with soap and water before drowning them in antiseptic.

“I won’t die from an infection.” Vergil commented from his chair as he looked at his son cleaning the tools up the best he could.

“Don’t even joke about that !” Nero grumbled under his breath as he laid the pliers and the knife on the table.

“That should do the trick, thanks kid.” Dante said as he picked the knife up. He looked quickly back at Nero and at Kyrie, seeing them standing stiff and unsure next to the table. “You can look away or go outside the room if you want. This isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”

“N-no I’m staying.” Kyrie answered, getting a grip on her growing fear. If this was what was needed for Nero’s father to get better, then she would endure the sight.

“Okay.” Dante sighed softly before turning his head to his twin. “You’re ready?”

“Yes.” Was the simple reply coming from the blue twin.

Even if they braced themselves for what was to come, Nero and Kyrie couldn’t help but flinch when Dante just slowly stabbed the blade in the wound.

The metallic edge disappeared in an ocean of red that dripped down on the floor in fat drops.

The pair watched in fear and concern, their gaze switching from the blood to the blue twin’s tense yet absolutely silent form.

The red half-devil dug and maneuvered the sharp tip until it reached the bone and caught the edge of the bullet.

As blood was now pooling on the kitchen tiles, Kyrie couldn’t stand the sight anymore. She went up to the blue half-devil, taking the chair to his right, and took his free hand in her shaking ones.

He kept silent and so did she, but he let her do as she pleased. She just held on to it, hoping to give even the tiniest bit of comfort amidst the massive pain he must be feeling.

Picking up the pliers with his other hand, Dante inserted the edge of the instrument inside the enlarged wound.

Catching the bullet with the tip of it, he pulled and twisted carefully until it eventually came loose.

Finally, the bullet was out. Dante sighed in relief, it went well. Very well. No broken bones, no metal shrapnel left to pick up. Just one gore covered, slightly flattened, silvery bullet.

Leaving the bloody pliers on the table, the red half-devil used a towel to quench the blood flow. It had grown worse with him needing to dig and work inside the injury.

The cloth was quickly soaked in red and it took quite a moment for the bleeding to slow down.

Vergil had stayed perfectly still during the whole procedure. He could already feel his supernatural healing abilities kicking in now that the foreign body was gone.

Kyrie was holding his hand like he was one of her foster children. Like he needed to be comforted. The idea in itself was downright foolish, he was no child and he didn’t need to be reassured.

And yet, the blue half-devil found himself unwilling to brush her hold off. Being the target of the girl’s compassion didn’t feel… wrong. Unneeded, yes. Unwanted ? Surprisingly, not so much.

“Finally ! The bleeding has stopped ! You good ?” Dante asked him, his eyes still showing deep lines of stress and worry.

The red twin was already wrapping the wound up in some white gauze. That too was unneeded but Vergil kept silent, the gesture wasn’t unwanted either.

Maybe none of this was about what he needed, but what Vergil wanted. And he had longed for someone to care for him since their childhood home went up in flames.

As he watched the three people around him and their sad and concerned expressions, the blue twin realized that maybe, this was about what they needed and wanted too.

And right now they seemed to want to take care of him, as strange and as illogical as it was. Please. Let us help you. Nero’s words had been clearly stating this fact but Vergil only started to understand the deeper meaning of it now.

“Verge ?” Dante’s anxious voice brought the older twin back to the present.

Maybe the fight and the prolonged bleeding left him more tired than he had thought because his thoughts kept drifting away.

“Yes. I am fine now, just … tired.” The blue half-devil admitted softly.

Nero and Dante looked at each other in surprise, the tiniest flicker of hope in their eyes.

The red half-devil had trouble believing that he had heard right. His twin had just openly admitted to a weakness. An information they could potentially use against him, should they wish him harm.

This was a huge step. It was a show of trust that Dante hadn’t even dared to hope for in such a short timeframe. His brother was slowly lowering his guard.

“Fuck, no wonder you’re feeling tired after all of this.” Nero said, gesturing to the bloody puddle on the ground. He couldn’t help but nervously inspect his father’s condition for any sign of distress.

The blue twin was too pale, a side effect of blood loss Nero supposed. He needed some rest and food to feel better. He wasn’t the only one to notice it as Kyrie was already springing into action.

“How about you go get some rest on the couch while I prepare dinner ?” Kyrie suggested gently, her eyes searching for Dante’s support.

“This room first needs to be cleaned before it scares the children…” The blue half-devil refused, not keen on troubling Nero’s household again by upsetting the youngest members.

“I’ll clean up in the meantime.” Nero intervened quickly. “We just need to tell them to be careful with you.”

“I’ll ask Nico to come to help keep an eye on them.” Kyrie said as she stood up, squeezing her in-law’s hand once before letting go and going to the garage.

“C’mon Verge, let’s take a small break.” The red twin suggested, wondering how far his reluctant brother would let them take things.

The older twin looked like he was going to reject their help again but he kept silent, mulling over their offer, request ?, that he let them handle the rest.

Dante couldn’t help but grin when he caved. The blue twin got up from the chair under the two pairs of watchful eyes. The legendary hunter almost dragged him through the house, wanting to make sure that he would effectively sit down and rest.

Vergil sat down on the couch, sending an annoyed look at his sibling that screamed that he knew very well that Dante was doing.

The red twin shrugged, not even bothering to deny his motives.

“You are all overreacting.” The blue half-devil commented cooly as his twin dropped next to him and Dante wondered if they had already reached the limits of his twin’s patience.

“Yeah, maybe. Can you blame me ? I really thought you were going to end up splattered on the ground. “ Dante mumbled under his breath, he too was pissed at his twin for the terror he had felt while he watched him fall.

“I could have triggered again before it came to that… and I had faith you would catch me should Nero not do it.” The blue twin teased with a small smirk on his lips.

“I should fucking shoot you again.” The red twin huffed in annoyance even though he didn’t mean it.

“ I owe you an apology. “Vergil added unexpectedly as he let his back rest against the couch’s cushions.

“Uh ? What for?” The younger twin asked, surprised at the unusual behavior.

“I have overstepped by accusing you of killing your family. I didn’t mean it.” The blue twin said, his eyes lost in contemplation. He shouldn’t have brought this topic up during their fake-argument but Dante had managed to irk him with his own jab about the Qliphoth.

Dante felt his stomach clench painfully. He had tried to avoid thinking about this since their fake-fight. Even if everything had been staged to make Nero believe it, this part did hurt him. Because it was true.

“No, you were right. I did and I… “ the red twin’s voice felt thick, words coming with difficulty.

“You freed me and I am grateful for it.” Vergil cut him off, blue eyes meeting identical ones.

“Still… I’m sorry.” Dante whispered, not quite convinced.

Their conversation was then promptly interrupted as Nico, Kyrie and the children arrived in the living room.

Chapter Text

Nero was lost in his thoughts. He was mopping the kitchen floor, the water in his bucket colored in a coppery tint. He needed to be fast but throughout so the kids wouldn’t notice that there had been a live surgery session in here.

Rinsing his mop for what felt like the hundredth time, the quarter-devil was feeling too many things at the same time and it left him confused and frustrated.

He was still pretty pissed that Dante and Vergil had played him, but that wasn’t the main reason for his anger. No. They had put themselves into danger to do that. That was the real issue.

Nero had been terrified. The quarter devil was still deeply shaken by the images of his father tumbling down from the sky. He had been scared out of his fucking mind and cleaning up their improvised operating/kitchen-table was doing nothing to help him calm down.

But… then there had been his father’s small admission. He was tired. It didn’t seem like much at first glance but the man was a wall. No weakness, nothing to grasp, no information whatsoever. Impenetrable and unmoving. Until now. He had given them a tiny piece of the reality behind the mask and that left Nero happy and hopeful.

At the same time it made Nero sad that whatever had happened in his father’s life, had left him so hardened. It must have been something so terrific and so painful that he could endure live surgery with no anesthesia and not even flinch.

And that made Nero angry. Which brought him back to the twin’s little manipulation to teach him how to trigger.

Nero wasn’t quite sure how he felt about unlocking this new part of him. He was curious and anything that lended him more strength was welcome but it was new.

Would he be able to really trigger at will ? Would the memories of his terror and his rage be strong enough to free this side of him ? Dante said it would be easier with some practice….

Nero sighed, fed up with all these too complicated emotions that were draining him. He emptied the bucket in the sink now that the floor was clean.

Kyrie came back to the kitchen just after that, having left the kids with Nico and the twins. She quickly put the leftovers to warm up before she came to kiss him softly.

“It’ll be alright, Nero. Everyone’s fine. How about we go join the others in the living room too ?” she tried to reassure him, help him relax after all the immense stress he had been through tonight.

Nero smiled and used this brief moment where they were alone to hug her and let the tension leave his body. God he loved her.

Kyrie sighed happily, her arms coming to wrap around him as he buried his nose in the crook of her neck, giving himself a few seconds to just enjoy her warmth and her love for him.

Sadly their embrace didn’t last long as a small commotion erupted inside the living room, signaling to the two foster parents that they were needed.

Sighing at the same time, before chuckling at their mirrored reaction, they quickly crossed the hallway to get to the source of the noise. Their small spike of anxiety quickly vanished when they identified the children's screams as delighted ones.

Loud giggles and laughter were escaping the living room, immediately reassuring Kyrie and Nero.

The two adults entered the living room and were greeted by the sight of Kyle, Julio and Dante rolling over the carpet in a fake fight. Were they replaying the battle between the twins from earlier in the garden ?

Nero felt something inside him unwind as he saw the small brawl in front of him. Dante was ‘losing’ against the combined effort of the two oldest kids, who were pretending to transform into demons too.

Having witnessed his father’s triggered form sure left a big impression on the children. Hopefully they wouldn’t end up trying crazy shit in the house, Nero had had his fill of stress for the weeks to come.

Nero heard Kyrie’s laughter at the sight and she then went to Nico, retrieving little Carlo, before she went to sit on the couch next to Vergil with the toddler on her lap.

The young child’s eyes who had been watching his brothers play with Dante, switched to the man sitting next to him. Carlo frowned, once again looking at Dante and then back at Vergil.

Nero couldn’t help but grin, he could see the little gears in the toddler’s mind spin wildly and analyze the two very similar men.

Kyrie too noticed the child’s confusion and as his brown eyes were focused on the silent silhouette next to them.

“See ? That’s Vergil. He is Dante’s brother. You´ve seen him yesterday.” The girl whispered to the child on her lap.

“ ‘gil ?” the baby asked.

“Ver-gil.” Kyrie articulated slowly to help Carlo grasp the sounds.

But the little boy’s eyes were fixed on the bandage around the blue half-devil’s arm, tiny hand coming up to pat gently on the white gauze.

“ ‘gil has an owie ?” The child asked, big round eyes looking up at Kyrie for confirmation.

“Yes, but soon he’ll get better.” The girl whispered softly, smiling at the child. Her eyes went up to Vergil who was looking back at the pair with his usual unreadable expression.

“Yes.” The blue twin simply answered, which made the child look back at him with curious dark brown eyes.

“I think he likes you.” Kyrie told her father in-law, while she ruffled the baby’s hair fondly.

“He learns fast.” The blue twin commented, watching the baby reach for his arm. He let the child touch the bandage, the wound beneath it was almost gone already.

“Yo kiddos, you got your turn now I have some questions for Dante too. So, shoo !” Nico sent Kyle and Julio away.

The red half-devil went to join the gunsmith on the opposite side of the room and showed her his guns. Nico, who couldn’t keep her excitement in check, kept rambling about the unparalleled skill it took to make Ebony and Ivory.

Nero chuckled, of course his best friend would lure his uncle away to marvel at his weapons. Her grandmother’s work was everything to her and she was on the right path to match her legendary skills.

Surprisingly enough, Kyle and Julio didn’t protest too much at the absence of their playmate. They came to sit at the foot of the couch, their curious gaze on Vergil now.

The children’s eyes were burning with hundreds of questions and Nero could guess that his father would soon fall victim to their endless interrogations. Should he rescue him ?

Nero approached the couch too and decided to go sit on the carpet with the boys. He hadn’t given them enough attention these past days and it would allow him to stay close to his father. Not that he would admit to that childish behavior.

Dropping down on the floor next to the overjoyed children, the quarter-devil quickly found himself the target of their questions too.

“Nero ? When can we go flying ?” Kyle asked him, impatient and far too excited.

“Wow, not yet Kyle. I need to learn how to fly before that ! Or we’ll come crashing down like … Booom !” The young man answered while he snatched the small kid up and let himself fall flat on the back. Kyle squealed in delight at the playful behavior and it made the other kids giggle.

“When are you going to learn ?” Julio asked his foster father, the idea of soaring through the sky was starting to appeal to him too.

“I guess I could use someone to teach me…” Nero murmured and his gaze went to the icy blue eyes that were observing him while he kept messing with the kids.

There was a silent moment where even the kids kept quiet, waiting in anticipation for an answer to the question that hadn’t been explicitly asked.

“I suppose I could show you, if that is what you want…”Vergil answered and he immediately got cut off by Nero’s voice.

“Yes ! I mean… if you don’t mind I… Yes. Please.” The quarter-devil’s words came tumbling out of him before he had a chance to think anything through. He wanted that. Of course he did. He had prayed for this sort of opportunity since he was a child.

“Alright then.” The blue twin answered with a small smile. “I’ll look forward to it.”

Nero grinned brightly, he felt as impatient as the kids next to him now.

“Yeah and when you get bored with him, I’ll show you the real meaning of flying !” Dante exclaimed from the other side of the room, looking all smug and full of himself.

“You can fly too ?” Kyle’s voice exclaimed, in awe.

“Of course I can, I’m a half-devil just like Vergil. Wings and all ! But mine are red, and that’s much cooler.” The legendary hunter exclaimed boldly, sending a teasing look to his twin and nephew.

“Is it now ?” Vergil scoffed, looking at Nero. “I suppose we will need to prove your uncle wrong.”

Nero’s heart flipped at the words. Every acknowledgment of their family ties was making his childhood dreams more real.

“Yeah, we will. Father.” Nero murmured with a smile, not daring to look back at the man. His ears felt like they were burning, he felt happy yet embarrassed by his words.

Kyrie watched Nero grow tomato red with a bright smile. She was so happy to see that their relationship was growing and improving. If she wasn’t mistaken she could almost spot a hint of color on Vergil too but this might be just wishful thinking.

Standing up from the couch, she let Carlo down on the carpet. The toddler ran up happily to Nero and his brothers, a bit envious of the attention that his older brother was getting.

The opera singer left the room to go check on the dinner before calling everyone to come eat.
____________

Nero was tucking the kids in. Kyle and Carlo were already asleep, exhausted by the eventful day, and Nero was craving some shut eye too.

He felt better with a full stomach but triggering and flying had proved to be really demanding. He would need to train hard to gain the stamina and the speed his father and uncle were possessing. But he was motivated.

Dinner vol.2 had gone well and Nero’s heart felt strangely light and warm after all the stress, the fear and the anger that had polluted his feelings. He hadn’t been able to let all of this go until they all sat down and just … enjoyed the moment.

Vergil and Nero had acknowledged their relationship and even if the bond between them was still new and fragile, it did exist. Nero could scarcely believe it.

The young hunter left Kyle’s room, the kid was already snoring softly. Thank fuck he didn’t catch a cold yesterday even though he went out in the snow without his jacket. That kid was a nightmare when he was sick.

Kyle had proudly showed him the Band-aid on his knee, arguing that he had almost the same as Vergil’s. Nero was just thankful that the kid hadn’t seen what was hiding beneath his father’s “Band-aid”.

Nero crossed the hallway, aiming for his own bed but he spotted light coming from Julio’s bedroom. The door wasn’t closed and so the quarter-devil came to see why Julio was still up. Peeking through the doorway, Nero found his oldest foster son sitting in his bed.

He knocked lightly on the wooden door and the child looked up at him, startled.

“Time to go to bed, Julio.” Nero whispered to his kid but as he spotted the frown on the young face, he paused. “Is everything alright? Are you sick ?”

The child froze and looked away, eyes sweeping over the floor before looking down on his bed.

Perplexed, Nero entered the bedroom and came to sit down next to his kid, the mattress groaning under his weight.

“What’s wrong ?” The hunter asked gently and then he waited patiently for Julio to open up to him.

The young boy shifted, fidgeted with the rim of his pajamas but after a few seconds of hesitation, he finally spoke up.

“Nero, are you going to… leave ?” The small voice whispered shyly, still not looking back at the man.

“What ? No, of course not ! What made you think that ?” The quarter-devil asked, taken aback by the unexpected question. So he was the one who had put this strange idea into Kyle's mind.

“You found your real dad… I’m not your real son, so I… I thought that you wouldn’t want me anymore.” Julio’s voice was thick and he sniffed, putting words on his biggest fear making him tear up.

“Oh, Julio. Come here.” Nero wrapped his arms around the child, his own heart clenching at watching his kid so upset. “Maybe we don’t share the same blood but to me, you’re my son. And nothing will ever change that.”

The quarter devil kissed the top of the sniffing kid’s head. Had he been so absorbed by his own problems that he missed the signs of his kid’s pain ?

As an orphaned child himself he understood where Julio’s fear and pain was coming from. Nero waited, hugging his foster son until he eventually felt better.

After a few minutes, Julio finally looked up at him with tired red-rimmed eyes but the child smiled timidly.

Nero felt relieved to see this. What a big, fucked-up family he had found for himself. And he wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.

“C’mon now, it’s time to get some sleep. And tomorrow you’ll feel better, I promise.” Nero hushed the kid down on his pillow.

It was getting really late and Julio was still a child, he needed a healthy dose of rest to thrive.

“Thanks, dad.” Julio murmured as he closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep, leaving Nero to blush and smile once again.

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