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The wind roared outside the window of your quaint little tea shop, torrential rain flooding the streets in the worst storm your town had seen in months. You weren’t exactly sure why the shop was open under these conditions, but it was whatever. It saved you from having to deal with your obnoxious sister and her hellspawn; you didn’t even hate kids, they were really just that bad and she did nothing to keep them in check. You wouldn’t be surprised to find there was a post about her and her brats on r/EntitledParents.
You were only slightly disassociating as you sat in one of the booths, absently nursing a mug of your drink of choice. You wouldn’t think it at first, but being alone in the shop was actually quite comforting. There was no one to bother you, the barista was a lot happier and pleasant to converse with when she wasn’t constantly being hounded by rude customers and sleazy guys, and it was just generally a good atmosphere to chill out in.
“I was not expecting to see someone else here.” You nearly jumped out of your skin as you heard an unfamiliar voice speak. The stranger that now sat across the booth from you was… imposing, to say the least. If the striking white hair slicked back out of intense blue eyes didn’t leave an impression on you, his height and almost-regal attire certainly did, and… was that a katana sheathed at his hip?
You must’ve been staring for far too long, because after a few moments, the stranger tilted his head. “My apologies. I should have asked first. I can take my leave, if you wish it.”
“Wh— no!” You were scrambling over yourself now to correct the error of your silence, though it seemed you kept tripping over your tongue. “No, no, no, it’s okay. You’re just—uh—God—”
“Are you certain?” the (admittedly quite handsome, dammit) stranger asked, his brows creasing. “My presence seems to have caused you something of a fluster.”
“You’re pretty!” you blurted out, mouth moving without permission from your brain. In an attempt to rectify the awkward situation, you quickly began rambling, talking faster than you could think. “And I wasn’t expecting any company because it’s so rainy and this shop is kind of out of the way anyway and I was kind of zoning out when you sat down and you look kind of like an anime character—not that that’s a bad thing, it was just startling and I’m really sorry—”
The stranger held up a hand, and you cut yourself off, waiting with bated breath for what you were sure were going to be some very displeased words. What you weren’t expecting was his slow scrutiny of you, his gaze seeming to pierce right through to your soul as he took in every detail of your being. When he finally spoke, his tone was completely even, giving away nothing. “What’s your name?”
You introduced yourself, managing not to stutter too much even as you wrung your hands nervously. How could one man be so guarded and emotionally reserved? Not knowing for sure that he hated you for your weird, out-of-the-blue compliment and strange spiel where you’d compared him to an anime character was somehow more soul-crushing than any sort of definitive confirmation.
He repeated your name back to you slowly, as though testing how it felt upon his tongue, and you gave a small, timid response. “A fine name,” he complimented, and you felt the heat rise to your cheeks immediately. God damn it, god damn it. “You may call me Vergil.”
“Vergil,” you echoed, still shaken up. You sipped at your drink to give yourself an excuse to avoid eye contact. “That’s… That’s a nice name too.”
“Thank you.” The silence that ensued had to be the most awkward of your whole entire life, yet somehow it didn’t seem to bother Vergil, who continued to gaze at you with a slightly curious look. You chewed on your lip, fidgeted with your hands, waiting desperately for him to break the silence; eventually, you could take it no longer.
“Is… there something wrong?” you asked hesitantly. Vergil blinked, seemingly brought out of his thoughts by your question.
“Nothing is amiss,” he reassured you, and it would’ve soothed your anxiety if he wasn’t so damn intimidating just by nature. “I was merely deep in thought.”
You wondered if it was okay to ask what he had been thinking about, or if he would bite your head off for daring to ask such a foolish question. Eventually, the freshly dawning silence that threatened to be just as awkward as the last made your decision for you. “About what?” It was such a casual delivery, and you berated yourself for it. You were basically in the presence of a god, and all you could come up with was that? Foolishness!
“Most people do not dare to try engage in casual conversation with me,” Vergil explained, his gaze still sweeping over you, and yeah, you could see why. Not that you minded that this freaking Adonis had chosen to interact with you, but there was no denying that his aura left a bone-rattling effect on people. “Certainly none have tried to compare me to an… anime character.”
The way he spoke those words, not quite distasteful but bordering on amused, sent you sinking into the plush cushions of the booth. You were never going to live that down, were you? “Sorry about that.”
“Your words did not affect me in any negative way, though the apology is appreciated nevertheless.” Well, that much was a relief, though it made you wonder what the hell Vergil must be thinking of you then. “If I may trouble you with a query, do you spend a lot of time in this shop?”
It was your turn to blink, the sudden question taking a moment to process. Why would he want to know that? “Uh, yeah, I guess so. It’s sort of my main hangout. I come here to get away from the hell that is my family life.”
To your surprise, your words drew a chuckle from Vergil, which for him manifested as a low rumbling sound. “I can understand that desire.” He was quiet for several seconds more, and just as you were about to fear that you were going to lapse into another awkward silence, he suddenly spoke again. “Forgive me if this is intrusive, but would you care if I said hello to you, should we happen to meet again?”
Your heart leaped into your throat and you quickly took a long draught of your drink to hide your sudden fluster. “U-Uh, I don’t see a problem with it.”
The faintest ghost of a smile touched Vergil’s lips, somehow making him more handsome than he already was and sending your stomach topsy-turvy. “Excellent.”
A year later saw you sitting at that very same booth once again, shielding from the pouring rain outside. However, a lot had changed in that time. It wouldn’t be obvious to the casual onlooker, but it certainly was to you; the sapphire-studded band glinting on your ring finger was proof enough of that. You weren’t married yet, but come next fall, that would’ve changed. You couldn’t wait for the big day, practically chomping at the bit to be able to call Vergil your husband.
This was all without even considering the news you had to tell Vergil on your date today. Your fingers glided over your stomach; there was no obvious signs of your pregnancy yet, but as of yesterday, it had been confirmed. You hadn’t thought much of the cravings when they first showed up, but then the morning sickness had arrived, and not long after you noticed your period was late. It had been at that point you’d thought to take a test, and the rest was history.
Nothing could spoil your good mood today. You didn’t even flinch as the barista (you still hadn’t learned her name!) approached you, hands fidgeting and refusing to look you in the eyes. “Um…”
You weren’t sure why she was so anxious, but you couldn’t find it within yourself to be particularly bothered. “Yes?”
“Vergil, he…” The barista took a deep breath, dragging her gaze up to your face. “He said he wouldn’t be coming today.”
Your whole world screeched to a stop. “What?”
“He said something really important came up, a-and that he’d be back as soon as he can.” The barista didn’t linger long after delivering this earth-shattering revelation, quickly scurrying back to the counter. You, meanwhile, were left in a state of shock and misery.
Oh well, it didn’t really matter too much. Vergil’s little disappearing acts were nothing new. You could just tell him tomorrow.
Six years later, and Vergil still hadn’t returned to you. You were in an extremely fragile state both physically and mentally when you had finally given birth, and though you had tried desperately to keep your son, Nero, it became quickly clear that you could barely take care of yourself, let alone an infant, so with a heavy heart, you had surrendered him to an orphanage in Fortuna.
It was a rainy, stormy night when you finally learned of Vergil’s fate. The fire was roaring away and you were huddled up underneath several blankets when you heard the knock on the door.
You were loathe to get up, but you did so anyway, wrapping your blankets around you like capes as you slowly trudged to the door. When you opened it, you were shocked to see… Vergil? No, not Vergil, his hair was down, and he wore red instead of blue. That meant this had to be…
“Dante?”
Dante gave you a sheepish smile. “Yep, that’s the name, don’t wear it out.” You stared at him blankly, and when he realized you weren’t going to respond to his joke, he coughed awkwardly. “Hey, you’re my brother Vergil’s partner, right?”
You expelled a long sigh. “I was. He disappeared six years ago. I haven’t been able to find him.”
Dante rubbed the back of his neck, and you got a very bad feeling from the fact he refused to look you in the eyes. “Yeaaaah, actually, I came to talk to you about that…”
That caught your attention, and you tilted your head, feeling the faintest stirring of hope for the first time in six years. It wasn’t much, though. “Go on.”
“Well uh, you see… Vergil kinda…” Dante seemed to be struggling to get the words out, and eventually he just heaved a heavy sigh. “Aw hell, nothing to do but just say it. When he disappeared, it was because he was enslaved by the demon emperor that killed our mom, Mundus.”
A pause.
“Oh.” It was the only response you could muster, depression weighing on you like a pile of bricks and sucking all the emotions out of you.
“And, uh… I kinda fought him, not knowing it was him,” Dante continued, words getting more and more rushed as he went on, and you already didn’t like where this was going. “And I, uh, I kinda had to... kill him.”
Immediately, red hot rage boiled your blood, even if you knew it was irrational. Dante hadn’t known, after all; but he had still killed the one you loved more than anyone else. “Get out.”
Dante’s eyes widened. “Hey, wait, I—”
You slammed the door shut, leaning against it to dissuade the younger son of Sparda from any attempts to reach out to you again. Once you were certain he was gone, you fell to your knees, and you cried. You cried until your eyes were dry and your heart was empty.
Everything you’d loved was gone, your son taken from you by your own depression and your lover by his worst enemy and twin brother.
You couldn’t feel anything but numb.