Archive of Our Own

Everyone noticed how much freer Nero seemed, being twice as playful and not getting annoyed as easily when he was teased.  The warmth of happiness and contentment from him regularly overwhelmed you, and you knew yours did the same to him from how often he hid his face in your hair or neck.  You both only had to curb the desire for touch while on a job.

Hunting demons took on a whole new level of fun, the two of you working in tandem even better than before.  You knew where he was like you knew where your own hand was.  There were no more close calls with bullets or calling out warnings, and you found yourself able to take on Elder Devils with half as much trouble.  You wondered if you were sharing each other’s strength before deciding it didn’t matter.

You were pulled from your musings by Nero brushing his knuckles down your cheek, and you blinked rapidly before smiling and pressing a kiss to his fingers. 

“Hey, don’t go gettin’ lost in there,” he teased, “You’re so tiny that I’d never find ya.”

You scoffed softly with a wider smile, raising your gunblade to put a few bullets in the swarming demons.  “You’d follow my scent,” you retorted, giggling when he pouted.  It was so easy to start shifting before he even raised his left arm, Red Queen slicing through an enemy jumping at your side. 

He moved to wrap his arm around your shoulders.  You were already stepping into him to make it easier for him to leap away with you, flipping through the air together to avoid the Death Scissors coming up through the ground.  Before sitting you down, he grumbled, “Enough with the dog jokes,” into your ear and nipped at the lobe.

You gasped softly, groaning when he let you go.  “Ugh, no fair!” you huffed, sidestepping around him while flicking your weapon into its sword form and carving through a demon’s torso.  “I’ll get you back later!” 

Nero laughed while twisting with your movement, Blue Rose in his free hand and dropping aerial attackers like flies.  “I’m getting you back for those incessant puppy wisecracks!”  He had a spectral claw ready to catch you when you rolled backwards away from an attack, grinning as he tossed you up in the air.

“Or maaaaybe,” you drawled while firing at the demons beneath you, “I’m getting you back for all the short shaming!”

He spluttered, jerking back and looking up at you.  “I’m not shaming-!  I, uh- It just- It’s fuckin’ cute, okay?!” he blurted, practically shouting, as you landed with an easy roll, and his face glowed red.  “It’s just…your reactions!  The ways you shut me up or get back at me!  I love it!”

You were shocked a bit speechless at his outburst, the embarrassment welling up in him at your silence almost drowning you for a moment.  You slashed a demon out of your way and stepped up to him.  “You goofy idiot,” you mumbled with a quick nuzzle to his chest, “I’m in the same boat,” and felt your insides go all gooey with the fiery warmth of his emotions.

He rubbed his nose with a tiny smile and muttered, “M’not an idiot.”

You shot him a little grin and replied, “Didn’t deny being goofy, though.”

_______

With the next few jobs, you found yourself winding up at the main Devil May Cry office rather often.  You distinctly recalled the first time you had set foot in the shop, having let the door close back while taking a step away.  “Nero…is it always that messy?” had been the only thing you could ask.

Nero had slapped his forehead and groaned like he was dying before muttering, “I guess I’ll take Patty up on her cleaning service after all…  I’m not their mom.”

Now, though, you were surprised to see only a couple pizza boxes and three takeout cartons on the corner of the desk.  There were no beer or wine bottles on the floor this time.  You rolled your eyes and grabbed the trash on your way through, breathing a soft sigh of relief to find Nero ready with an extra bag.  “They’ll figure it out eventually,” you mumbled.

“Hey!  Where’d my leftovers go?!” Dante’s voice carried through from upstairs.

“Or maybe they won’t,” Nero grumbled.

You huffed and stuck your head back through the kitchen door to quietly scold, “You could sense us before we got here and smell us before we were halfway across the lobby.”  You pulled out one of the pizza slices and pointed to an obvious bit of mold.  “This is not free penicillin, Dante,” you tossed it back in the box and valiantly ignored Nero’s snickers, “and I’ve never seen a Devil catch a human illness anyway.”

Dante slumped and gave a soft whine.  “But what about breakfast?”  Morning was long gone, but you were sure Dante and Vergil hadn’t eaten yet, so it would still be breakfast for them.

“We got’cha covered,” Nico answered as she walked through the still-open doors with an armload of takeout.  “Pizza for you an’ noodles for the deadbeat dad,” Nero still choked at how casually she tossed that out, “plus food for us.  Morrison said this was a big one, so we might be busy for a bit.”

“Must be nice living off blood and sex,” you groused.

Dante laughed as he vaulted over the handrail and retorted, “My nephew might be a better judge on that.”

Nero already had a mouthful of pasta, so he replied with a glowing, whiteish-blue middle finger.  You rolled your eyes and laughed softly, trailing your fingers through the feathers, which glowed golden at your touch, before sitting beside him with your own food.  He shivered and leaned into you, glaring when Nico made gagging noises.

“So anyway,” the mechanic continued from her earlier statement, “There’ve been sightings of an Elder Devil over at the Temen-ni-gru, but it’s been seen in Fortuna, too.  They saw a small bit o’ increased demonic activity, but the Knights’re handlin’ it.”

Vergil announced his presence by calmly stating, “That explains your hurry,” while coming down the stairs.  He huffed when Dante tossed the carton of noodles at him.

“Exactly,” you confirmed, feeling Nero’s anxiety sparking off your own, “If we can take care of this before it becomes a nuisance, then we’ll all sleep a little better.”

“Well, what’re we waitin’ for?” Dante spoke up, pizza in one hand and coat in the other.  “Let’s kick some ass and keep Kyrie and the kids out of danger.”

_______

The demonic tower was practically in a time capsule.  Only foolhardy humans had come near it, but they had been either chased away by the malignant aura or killed and devoured by the Sin Demons.  Bits and pieces had fallen away with weather and time, but it was almost completely intact.

“No duels to the death this time,” Nero grumbled with a glare at both Vergil and Dante, “or I’ll punch the shit outta both of ya.”

Vergil snorted but smirked.  “So eager for a rematch, are you?” he replied, amusement strong in his voice.

The younger part-Devil grinned.  “Considering I’m still up one on both of you…” he trailed off when his father’s lips thinned and pressed together with an annoyed glare.

Vergil smoothed his expression much too easily.  “You are decades too early to even believe you’re on the scoreboard.”

Nero snickered and muttered, “Got you pissy, though, didn’t it?”  He hissed when Yamato’s sheath whacked across the back of his head.  “Ow- Fuck- Why?”

The blue-dressed man huffed, though he sounded very pleased with himself when he asked, “Made you shut up, didn’t it?”

Dante snorted and cut in, “Do I need to put you two in separate corners?”  He took a step back when they both sent him the exact same glare with the exact same frown, visibly shuddering when he stood back up straight.  “Okay, that- that’s just creepy,” he muttered, shivering at their matching smirks.

Nero glanced back at you, blushing vibrantly when he noticed you had one of Nico’s cameras.  “Thanks for making that recording function, Nico!  Kyrie will love this,” you said loud enough to be clearly heard, snickering when the three Hellions of Sparda pressed their lips together with an annoyed furrow of their brows.  “You three are priceless, I swear,” you teased, “C’mon, this job isn’t gonna do itself.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Nero grumbled, “Teeny pain in my- ow!”

Dante and Vergil both snickered quietly at Nero holding his shin behind you.

 _______

Too many things went pear-shaped so quickly.  Vergil was separated from the group first by a door closing tightly behind him, though he merely opened a portal and stepped out looking extremely annoyed.  You were the next, finding yourself shut in a huge chamber before a door on the other side opened.  Nero’s worry flashed through you, but you soothed it with calm confidence as you stepped further into the room.

There was no way you were going to go through the opening on the other side.  You barely felt safe with automatic doors at grocery stores, so you definitely weren’t going to trust one in an ancient, demonic tower.  “Do I really look so stupid?” you wondered aloud while scanning the walls with your eyes.  A sudden burst of anger from Nero had you gritting your teeth before the door slamming open behind you startled you.

“See?  Dropkicks fix everything!” he growled at Dante while you could only stare at them.  An ethereal claw pulled you close even as you broke down into giggles, Vergil’s nearly silent snickers spurring you on even as Nero tossed you over his shoulder.  “There!  Now, they’ll have to take both of us to get at you!” the youngest part-Devil huffed.  You reached down to pat his butt comfortingly, giggling even harder at the burst of embarrassment that you knew was making his face burn.  He groaned and muttered, “Why was I worried about you again?”

Without missing a beat, you replied, “Because your life would be dull without me?”

“She’s not wrong,” Dante agreed, stepping aside to dodge Nero’s retaliatory swat at his head, but he was left reaching out for both you and Nero when a trap in the floor opened beneath you.

“Fuuu-ck!” Nero shouted, the end of the curse being jolted out of him by a sudden landing.  “Dammit…  Hey, you okay?” he asked with a light jostle to your body that was still safely slung over his shoulder.

You opened your mouth to answer but heaved instead, groaning when he quickly eased you onto your feet.  The harsh treatment of your abdomen made you nauseous.  Nero’s hands were steady and warm on your arms, helping you stay upright when you swayed a little.  “I-I’m…” you paused to take a slow breath and managed, “M’okie.”

“No, you’re not,” he refuted with an annoyed furrow of his brow, “I can feel it…and besides, your face is too pale.”  He looked up and cursed quietly at seeing the hole already sealed back up.  “Well, at least this asshole didn’t take only one of us this time…  Hope those two idiots will be alright.”

You hummed in agreement, focusing on both him and your breathing to calm your stomach.  “Well…where now?” you wondered as you drew your gunblade, cursing vehemently when a door opened to the side and relaxing into Nero’s grip when a spectral claw wrapped around you to lift and hold you close.  “Can you fight well enough like this?”

He huffed a soft laugh and answered, “Even if I couldn’t, I don’t trust that,” while pointing at the doorway.  You snorted and readied your weapon to cover long range.  His protectiveness was appreciated and easy to take in stride since the target seemed determined to separate you all, and you knew how dangerous that could be for him and you.  “Hey,” he called to pull your focus off your surroundings, “do you hear that?”

You held your breath and waited, both of you tensing at the sounds of scratching and rapid clicking noises.  “Oh, fuck me!”

Nero stared up at you and blurted, “Now?!”

Your brow furrowed for a moment before you scowled, swung your foot at his head, and belted out, “Not what I meant!”  He snickered as he dodged away from the Arachne swarming down the walls and across the floor.  Fondness for the goofy man welled up in you strongly, the feeling even making him giggle a little, as you easily adjusted with his movements to decimate the spider demons.  “They’re acting weird,” you muttered, giving voice to your observation.

He scoffed and replied, “Herding us,” while cleaving one in half, cursing at all the baby spiders that swarmed out of the bisected corpse.  “That’s fuckin’ nasty,” he groaned as he leapt away. 

You opened fire on them before seeing that they had forced you both back to the door and that said door was shaking.  “Nero, move!” was all the warning you had time for.  It was thankfully more than enough since he was already reacting to your urge, slipping through as the opening began to close.  “Didn’t want to trust that door, but I guess we don’t have a choice now…”

“Don’t worry so much,” he teased, lowering the claw that still held you securely to nuzzle the side of your head, “You got me, after all.”

You rolled your eyes and turned your head to press a kiss to his nose.  “I don’t know how your head fit through the door,” you retorted, giggling when his fingertips found a ticklish spot in retaliation.

“Thought you liked my confidence?”

“In the bedroom,” you stressed, “Out here, talking about it’s a jinx!  I thought we already covered this almost a year ago?”

He cringed at recalling the magical spikes and muttered, “Point.”

_______

You and Nero came to more doorways, finding yourselves pushed into them by hordes of fodder demons if you took too long to go through them.  Dante and Vergil crossed paths with you, sometimes together and sometimes separate.  You were beginning to wonder if this Devil wanted to kill you all or drive you all insane with this game it was playing of constantly splitting you all up.

“Where the hell are we?” Nero grumbled, dragging you out of your thoughts.  You didn’t know which way was up or down anymore with all the directions you had been pulled in and pushed toward, so you could only helplessly shrug.  “I don’t even know where the outside wall is,” he added quietly, checking his dwindling stock of Devil Breakers.  The thumb of his claw, which held and protected you without fail, adjusted to rub gently over your side as he asked, “You still hangin’ in there?”

You couldn’t help snorting, rolling your eyes at his little grin.  “Pun intended, I assume?” you teased, reaching with your dangling foot to brush his thigh, then continued, “Yeah, I’m okay, but I should be asking you that.  You’re the one hauling me around.”

He smirked at you and opened his mouth, but the glare you shot him stopped whatever cheeky words he was about to say.  “Uh, heh…  Yeah, no more bad karma.  Manifesting my wings used to take more out of me, but ever since my, um…my heat-” you couldn’t help the desire that lit in you at the mention, “-Uh, yeah, that- I’m, um…”  You leaned over to kiss his nose, finding his stammering and blushing too damn cute to resist.  “Hey, d’you think-”

A gunshot had interrupted him, tearing through his spectral wing and making him drop you.  It was unexpected, but you landed on your feet and stumbled into him, looking up to see his eyes glowing as his rage at the threat burned into you.  Only a heartbeat passed before you were back-to-back and scanning for your attacker.  More shots were fired from multiple directions, and you could barely make out a figure flitting through the shadows, your triumph at spotting it drawing Nero’s attention to the area.

You shifted around each other as you both dodged the gunfire, and you felt him push you away just as you realized your cloaked attacker was guiding you to the shadows.  Your denial, “No, wait-!” was barely a gasp when he caught it in his spectral claw.  You tried to get back to him, but a whirling, writhing mass wrapped around you, the jolt of fear and worry from you breaking his focus and drawing his attention to you.

“I think,” the voice was female and smug but surprisingly cheerful, “that it’s about time you be a good boy for me, hmm?”

Nero whipped back around to face her, tightening his spectral claw, and you groaned as whatever was holding you did the same until he eased up with a frustrated growl.  “The hell d’you want?” he snarled, still not releasing her.

“Well, if you’d let me go-”

“Not until you let her go,” he interrupted with a nod at you.

“And lose my leverage?  Silly boy,” she retorted, and you could both plainly hear the smirk on her face.  “Besides, she’s so cute!  How does one fit so much attitude in such a tiny body?”

You were sure that you were angrier than Nero was at that point.  “What?  I’ll show you cute and tiny- Put me the fuck down!”  You squirmed viciously, not even noticing the buildup of energy around you until it burst out and shredded the mass holding you captive.

“Oh my…!  Well, that changes things.”

You didn’t get a chance to ask what she meant due to the ceiling opening to reveal a glowing portal, the shadows coming alive and sweeping you and Nero into its pull.  She phased right through his ethereal claw, numbing the limb, and he cursed as he used his other one to grab you.  Even you felt the odd tingles spreading over his back as the portal swallowed you both, but you were simply happy that she hadn’t been able to take only one of you.

“For the record,” Nero sounded much too calm for a free fall toward strange ground, “you are cute and tiny.”

“Argh!” You wriggled about before huffing, “You’re a big jerkface,” and thumping your forehead against his chest to hide your little smile.

“You love this face, thou-oof!”

If the ground hadn’t been reddish, spotted with blackened sand, and growing patches of orange grass, you’d have kissed it for silencing Nero so effectively.  He also took the brunt of the fall, so you only gave him a grin when he pouted at feeling your amusement.  “So…where do you think we are?” you wondered, letting your gaze roam curiously over the area from the aforementioned ground to the greenish sky with cloud-like puffs of purple sparks.

Nero drew in a deep lungful of air, pressing his lips together in a line before letting it out slowly.  His voice was quiet when he answered, “The demon world,” and cursed upon seeing the portal at least four stories above you closing.  “Looks like we’re stuck here for a while, too…”

You slowly stood, reaching a hand down for him as you asked, “Have you ever been here before?”

“Nope, and Vergil and Dante weren’t forthcoming with details…  I guess they figured I wouldn’t ever wind up here…or they didn’t want to tempt fate by telling me.”  He smiled a little through his frustration when you took his hands to rub your thumbs over his palms.  “That woman brought us here for a reason, though, so we need to find it before it finds us…or find a way back home, whichever comes first.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

You both spun about, but Nero’s shock knocked you for a loop.  You stared at a blonde-haired woman with blue eyes baring a hint of green, though the cheekiness in her little grin looked so damn familiar.  Your own eyes darted between her and Nero before you held up your weapon and stood between them.  “Who the hell are you?” you half-shouted, breathing a tiny sigh of relief when Nero snapped out of his surprise and drew Blue Rose.

“I think you know exactly who I am,” she said as she stepped closer.  She seemed to not have a single care for the threat the two of you presented, though you noticed the guns in the heels of her boots and on her hips.  “Hello…grandson.”

“No…” Nero breathed, his bewilderment coming through cleanly before boiling anger took its place, and he snarled, “Is this another one of Mundus’s little tricks?  That bastard already tried this on Dante with Trish.”

She twitched at his foul language, and you nearly choked when she huffed, “Gonna have to stock up on soap.”

“Oh, fuck this!” he retorted, taking a step forward, for which you were already moving aside, and cocking Blue Rose, “I’ve had enough of-!”

The appearance of a massive amount of Devil energy cut him off.  You stepped into him as he reached for you before jumping away, and a strangled noise escaped him as he stared at the new arrival.  Again, that face was so familiar to you, your eyes tracing from the jaw up to white hair.  “Nero…” you whispered, his shock nearly stealing your voice, “What kind of twilight zone did we get thrown into?”

“I…I don’t know,” he answered just as quietly, “But…But that’s…  I recognize that power…  That’s Sparda…so…could she be Eva?”

“If she is, you just told your own grandma-”

“I know what I said!”  A pitiful noise sounded from his throat before he hissed, “Fuck, Kyrie will kill me!”

You were honestly trying not to laugh.  “We don’t know if it’s true yet,” you managed to say through your amusement, “We don’t have anyone here to verify it, either.”

“Children…”  If this was Sparda, then you were surprised at how calm and soothing his voice was.  “Children, we won’t harm you.  Come.”  You couldn’t think on anything else as Nero tensed against your back from where he hadn’t let you go yet.  “I said, come here.”

You twisted to look up at Nero’s face, finding him deathly pale and wide-eyed, and softly but quickly asked, “Nero, what’s wrong?”

“I wanna trust him…” he whispered, “That thing in me that trusts Dante and trusted V…  It trusts him.”

“Maybe…Maybe it’s the…the Devil in you sensing the connection,” you murmured, “or maybe it’s the Angel in you sensing their…I don’t know, their hearts…?”

“…Both…?” he wondered, one foot shuffling forward before he shook his head harshly.  A frustrated growl rumbled low in his throat at the feeling of being betrayed by his own body, but he calmed a little when you cupped his cheek.  “One part of me won’t control me,” he forced out, “I’ve spent my whole life fighting it, and I won’t lose now.”

Your voice was gentle, barely above a whisper, when you asked, “Who can you trust if you can’t trust yourself?”  You pinched his cheek when you felt that playful amusement well up in him, a little smirk curving your own lips at his hiss of pain.  “Without the sass, please.”

“Aw’ight, ooo ‘in,” he tried to say, but you hadn’t released his cheek yet, so he took your hand and kissed your fingers as he breathed out a sigh and relaxed.  He looked at the two people everything in him was screaming were his family.  “You better be who you say you are…’cause if you’re lyin’ to us…and you hurt her,” he nodded toward you, “I’ll tear you to pieces,” he told them in a level, no-nonsense voice that you only heard when he had truly had enough. 

“It is rather impressive that you’re able to withstand Sparda’s command,” mentioned the woman claiming to be Eva as you and Nero came closer to them.  “Not even our boys had been able to do that.”

“Your boys don’t listen to anything,” Nero muttered, tensing when Sparda gave a strange, excited noise that was almost a squeal.

You did squeak when arms wrapped around you and hiked you off the ground, seeing red when the Devil actually gushed, “Oh, Eva, I hadn’t believed you were serious!  She is cute!”

You kicked him in the knee with all the force you could muster, making him drop you with a cry of pain.  Insanely powerful Devil or not, no one got away with picking on you so easily.

Eva covered her mouth to try to hide her giggles even as Nero wrapped an ethereal wing around you to pull you close, and you muttered, “Guess she forgot to mention my attitude.”

“Anyone with Sparda’s bloodline has to learn things the hard way,” she excused herself with a smirk.  You looked up at Nero with a wry grin, catching his blush and adorable nose-scratch before Eva coughed to get both your attention.  “Come with us,” she beckoned, “Our home is your home,” and led the way with Sparda still shaking his leg out.

“Creator’s sakes, that child can kick,” he mumbled before smiling happily. “My grandson chose well.”

The warm fuzzies fluttering through Nero made you giddy, and no amount of him fighting the feeling was smothering it.  You elbowed him gently, grinning when he gave that little, happy smile.  Even if he didn’t trust all of himself, you certainly did, and these two hadn’t done anything yet that made you believe they weren’t Sparda and Eva.

_______

They led you both to their house and into the kitchen, offering a choice of beverages.  You giggled at the image in your head of Nero with puppy ears perking from how quickly he paid attention when Eva said they had cocoa.  Their home in the demon world was a bit bigger than yours.  It had two extra bedrooms, which you thought might have been for Dante and Vergil, and you wondered how they built it, along with obtaining cocoa and tea, but you shelved those musings for later.

“So…” you drawled as you took a chair beside Nero, trying to open the floor to an explanation. 

Eva sighed softly when Sparda and Nero, both, shifted nervously, the similar fidget making you give a tiny smile.  “I suppose how we’re still alive would be a good starting point.”  She wrapped both hands around her cup of tea and stared into the liquid for a few moments before bluntly stating, “We did die.” 

Nero nearly choked on his cocoa and managed to grumble, “Couldn’t soften that just a little?” between coughs.

“If you’re dead, then how is Sparda here at all?” you asked while patting Nero’s back and ignoring Sparda’s snickers at his grandson’s misfortune, “I know this is technically Hell, but he was already from here?”

“What do you know about Umbra Witches?” Eva asked instead.  “I’m going to assume not much for both them and Devils since Nero is still wearing physical clothes,” the part-Devil made a noise of surprise, “but once we make a deal with a Devil for power, our souls are automatically cast to the Underworld upon death.”  She took a small sip of her tea, closing her eyes and savoring it for a few seconds.  “I was powerful enough to keep my form.  When Sparda died, his power was still almost all sealed away…  He was beyond powerful enough to resurrect once his power was unsealed over two decades ago.”

Nero tapped his fingers on the table.  “So, you’ve been here for so many years…doing what?”  A mild note of bitterness had entered his voice, and you lightly elbowed him to snap him out of a destructive spiral of self-depreciative thoughts.  “Sorry, I just…” he paused to let out a quiet sigh, “Why now?”  He wanted to ask why they waited so long, but he didn’t want to sound like he was blaming them for not being there for Dante and Vergil or himself.  Although he had suffered throughout his life, he honestly wouldn’t change it.  He knew that was an unattainable wish, and he wouldn’t ever let his loved ones believe he regretted meeting them, especially you and Kyrie.

“We cull demons here…before they can breach the barrier,” Sparda spoke up.  You blinked in surprise, wondering how much worse demonic infestations would be without them.  “The Qliphoth created exorbitant havoc for us.  It grows naturally, but we worked to minimize the damage it would cause, yet many years’ worth of effort was washed away in days.”

Nero groaned and muttered, “Why does everything keep coming back to that stupid tree?  First Mundus, then my father, and now we find out you guys were trying to prevent it?!”

Sparda and Eva looked so heartbroken that he couldn’t continue.  Eva’s voice was barely above a whisper when she concluded, “So, that was my sweet Vergil whom Mundus captured.”

You nearly choked at the word ‘sweet’ being applied to Vergil since he was prickly as a cactus on most days.  “A lot changed for them when Mundus attacked your home…” you said softly, “I know you know that, and I know you’d have done all you could to stop it, but…just…don’t be surprised if they’re a bit, um…different…than you remember.”

“We would move worlds to see our boys again,” Sparda replied just as quietly.  He sat his elbows on the table and folded his fingers in front of his mouth and nose before adding, “Our situation inhibits us from leaving a nexus of demonic energy in the human world.”

Nero hummed thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair.  “Makes sense why you stuck to the Temen-ni-gru tower and Fortuna Castle,” he added to somewhat change the subject and swirled his cocoa in the cup.  “I’m guessing using the area at Red Grave would’ve damaged the barrier even worse.”

“Excellent deduction!” Sparda praised with a wide smile, reaching over and ruffling Nero’s hair like it was second nature.  The part-Devil froze, his mug slipping through slack fingers.  It was more luck than anything that you caught it before it spilled all over the table.  “…Nero?  Son, whatever is the matter?  Would you prefer me not to-”

“N-No,” he forced out through a lump in his throat, “S’not that…  Jus’…later, okay?”  He was so sick of the loneliness and conditioning of his childhood sneaking up on him, and it only made him angry at himself.  “So, you guys, uh…  Why’d you, um…kidnap us?” he asked slowly.  He shot you a thankful smile when you handed his drink to him, and you pressed a kiss to his jaw at the relief from him.

“Well, we actually didn’t know about you until we came to Fortuna Castle and found records about you,” Eva explained.  “We were originally trying to draw Dante’s attention…  He always had a big heart and was gullible to a fault, so we figured he would at least hear us out.”  Those were both still true, though the younger twin certainly wasn’t naïve.

“So, why us?” you repeated since she hadn’t actually answered Nero’s question.

“This is manipulative on our parts,” Sparda replied bluntly, “but we were going to kidnap our grandson to draw our sons here.”  A huge smile lit up his face as he reached over and grabbed your hand.  “We hadn’t expected to meet a granddaughter, too!”

“Wait,” Nero jumped in, leaning forward and pointing at both of them, “You’ve been hangin’ around Fortuna for a couple weeks now…”  He flung his hand into the air as he wondered, “Why not capture me then?”

“I could sense you were mated,” the ancient Devil answered simply.

“But you said-” you paused and bit your lip, “Eva, you said something changed things before you took us…?”

Eva nodded.  “A mix of energy welled up in you…  I haven’t felt a component of it in quite some time…  Angelic energy.”

“That, uh…” Nero coughed softly.  “That’d kinda be my fault…” he explained while you processed channeling his power through your own body.

Eva and Sparda both stared disbelievingly before the Witch dropped her face in her hands and groaned like she was wounded. 

You couldn’t have prevented your giggles if you tried.

_______

Eva and Sparda were deciding on a way to draw Dante and Vergil to them before Nero half-sighed, half-growled and said, “We’ll just…go and tell them.  They can suss out the truth themselves.”  He looked over at Eva and Sparda.  “Sound good to you?  We will come back…with or without them.”

“How do we know you will?” Eva asked softly, the sadness in her voice and expression making your heart hurt.

“You’re gonna have to trust us,” Nero answered with a shrug, “just like we trusted you.” 

“Besides,” you added with a sharp, but not unkind, smile, “you told us why you captured us, but not why now.  We definitely want an answer to that, and I’m thinking we’ll need the other two Hellions,” Nero let out an offended noise, “before you will.”

“What do you mean, ‘the other two?’” he grumbled, and you stuck your tongue out at him.  He skimmed his fingers over your ticklish spots, laughing when you shrieked and swatted at him, but he could feel your amusement.  You caught his hands and glared playfully at his crooked grin.

Eva pulled the subject back on track, and it didn’t take them long to agree with you and Nero.  Opening a portal was child’s play for Sparda, the gateway dropping you both just inside the entrance of the Temen-ni-gru.  Prepared for the distance this time, Nero landed gracefully with you in his arms.

Neither of you were ready for Yamato thwacking him over the head.  “Ow, fuck!  What the hell’s wrong with you?!” he growled at Vergil while rubbing the abused spot.

You couldn’t help snickering.  “I’m gonna guess that’s Vergil-speak for, ‘I was worried.’”

“You’ve been gone for two days, kid,” Dante spoke up.  You both spluttered in surprise, and he continued, “The demon world is weird.  Distance…time…  It doesn’t mean anything there.”

Nero scowled and replied, “I’d know that if someone told me about it.”  He held his hand up when Dante opened his mouth.  “Not right now.  I’d like to listen and learn, but we don’t have time.  Some people want to see you guys-”

“Who?” Vergil interrupted.  “They will die for attacking our family.”

“Uh, no.  No, they won’t,” you informed them.  “They’re going to open another portal for us in about four minutes…  I told them ten, so hopefully they’re counting to six hundred.”  Nero snorted, nudging you with a tiny grin.  “You know those things you have to see for yourself?” you asked them, sighing softly when Dante nodded.  Vergil still looked ready to destroy something, but you’d take what you could get.  “Just know that the Devil and the Angel within Nero trusts them…”

Dante whistled softly, clapping his hand on his brother’s shoulder.  “For this kid to trust anyone at all is pretty impressive.  I’m really curious now.”

Vergil breathed out a slow sigh and half-growled, “Let us hope we’re both satisfied.”

You weren’t surprised that he took the threat to Nero so seriously, though you hoped this would help them both open up a little more.  Another portal split reality twenty seconds later, and you huffed at being put between Nero and the twins.  Their protective natures were going to be the death of your sanity, but you couldn’t help a little smile or the warmth that bubbled up in your heart for them.  You were glad Nero was in front when Vergil and Dante froze behind you.

Before the clicks of Yamato unsheathing and handguns being cocked even sounded, you were already ducking and twisting away, Nero clamping an ethereal claw around both Vergil and Dante.  You didn’t have time to consider whether it was your own danger sense or you reacting to his.  “What the hell?!” you growled at them, your and Nero’s frustration feeding off each other, “I told you that we trusted them!”

Dante scoffed with a mirthless grin, his eyes a crimson inferno, before he snarled, “Mundus already tried this once!”

Vergil jerked about in Nero’s hold and hissed, “Unhand me, child,” as he burned with sapphire energy, Summoned Swords appearing around him.

“Stop this foolishness,” Sparda commanded, making everyone freeze, even you and Eva.  He stared calmly at his sons, a small smile curving his lips once their tense bodies slumped in Nero’s hold.  “Has a single Devil been able to bring you from the brink of instinct since my passing?”

“…No, Father,” the twins whispered, and Nero slowly released them.

You huffed a soft sigh and muttered, “If I were tall enough, I would smack your heads together.  Maybe then you’d have a brain cell between the two of you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dante grumbled with an eyeroll.  He gave you a smile for dissolving the remainder of the heavy atmosphere before watching, still quite shellshocked, as Sparda and Eva slowly came closer.

You noted how Vergil seemed to close off, though, and stepped over to fearlessly touch his stiff arm.  “They’re real,” you said softly, “If you don’t trust your eyes, then trust your own senses and your son’s.  Nero would never hurt you like this, and neither would I.”  Vergil stared at you before looking back at his parents.  “Why do you hesitate?” you asked him, knowing only a tiny piece of him still didn’t believe you, “I’ve never known you to hold back like this.”

He grimaced and glanced away from them.  “I’ve never been concerned with…whether they would be…proud of my choices,” he answered quietly, “They protected humans with their power.  I unraveled my father’s own sacrifice,” he gave a humorless smile, “and I can’t even remember why.”

You opened your mouth to reply before taking a slow, calming breath.  “You love hiding your real feelings, and you’re such a dumbass for it,” you muttered, feeling Nero’s eyes on you at the spike of frustration, “but you’re not stupid, and neither am I.”  He frowned at you, clearly wondering what your point was.  “I think it’s more that this was something you couldn’t be prepared for.  You don’t like being caught on the backfoot.”

Vergil sighed harshly through his nose and glared mildly before shaking his head.  He gave a tiny smile and muttered, “You are terrifyingly observant, princess.”

You grinned widely and replied, “It annoys Nero, too,” then noticed Sparda and Eva calmly waiting, already moving toward Nero when he reached out a hand for you.  A little grin grew on your face as you gladly let him hug you tightly.  You both watched as the Devil and Umbra Witch greeted Dante and Vergil, and you reveled in the sheer joy overflowing from Nero.

_______

Eva was joyful and all smiles with you helping her to cook a quick and easy dinner while Sparda spent time with his sons and grandson.  Questions were traded back and forth between you.  She asked about her grandson and respected when you politely declined to answer a few of her inquiries, and you asked how she and Sparda managed to gather materials and ingredients from the human world.  The weirdest thing for you was realizing you weren’t hungry or thirsty at all.  It was like the demon world itself was sustaining you, but Eva giggled when you mentioned it and commented that being mates to a Devil certainly had more than one perk.

The entire mood turned serious after a jovial meal, however unnecessary the food actually was, with one question from Nero.

“Are you two ever gonna tell us why you waited until now?”  Your annoyance and frustration with the hiding was melding with his own protectiveness, especially since he was trying not to think about demons appearing and killing innocent people.  He had no idea how much time had passed while all of you were there. 

Sparda sighed softly.  “We enjoy having you all here…but humans are in danger while you are,” he murmured and stood, stepping over to the kitchen window and staring out over the landscape.  “There have been multiple power vacuums since Mundus’s defeat at Dante’s hands, but Mundus himself has been recovering since then.  Each time a demon is killed in the human world, its essence is cast back here and feeds the overall power of the demon world.”  Dante and Nero looked as horrified as you felt, but Vergil only nodded.  “Mundus has devised a way to gather that essence and has been doing so for decades.  We have been able to put a small damper on his plans by killing demons before they can reach the human world, preventing them from gathering any strength from human blood.”

Dante leaned forward and grinned.  “You beat him, I’ve beaten him, so it should be cake with all of us.  Let’s take the fight straight to him,” he said but frowned when his father sighed as he turned back to them.

“He is protected by a barrier that cannot be crossed by those who have died.”

Vergil growled softly and admitted, “Then I am of no use, either.”  There was an uproar of fury from Eva and Sparda, causing Dante to lose all his cockiness and shrink into himself.  Your heart ached for him, and you reached for his hand.  Nero wrapped a wing around you, gently gripping Dante’s shoulder comfortingly with the claw and giving an understanding smile.  “Mother!  Father!” the elder twin actually shouted, surprising both you and Nero.  “Please,” he continued more calmly once he would be heard, “This isn’t helping matters.  Yes, I have died, and it was my own folly to blame.”  Dante grimaced, and you gripped his hand tighter against his self-hatred.

“You’ve been kinda reborn, though,” Nero spoke up, disliking seeing his boisterous uncle beating himself so hard, before looking at Eva.  “Grams, do you have a spell or something that can identify one way or the other?”

Eva was beaming from ear to ear with tears in her eyes, having honestly not heard a word he’d said after calling her ‘Grams.’

“We just may…” Sparda answered with a happy grin.

“Sweet!” the youngest part-Devil burst out, thumping his fist on the table.  His eyes were bright with determination and happiness as he added, “Let’s get this figured out and see what we can do to help Gramps and Grams!”

You snickered as both of his grandparents visibly melted.

_______

It was shortly discovered that Vergil was, in fact, fully alive, which left him with a teary-eyed brother whom he had no idea how to comfort.  He only had a partial memory of why Dante would be so upset.

“Hug him,” Sparda muttered with a nudge to his eldest son’s arm, breaking him out of his thoughts, “He is your brother, silly child, not a flesh-eating disease.”

“There’s a difference?” Vergil grumbled, ducking his head when his father gave him The Look.

Nero knew a sure way to get under the blue-dressed man’s skin and, with taunting grin and tone, promptly goaded him, “What, gonna be defeated by showing affection?  You gave me shit but can’t give or receive it yourself?”

The older part-Devil scowled at him and retorted, “That was for your mate, insufferable spawn.”

“Inherited quirk,” Nero replied before motioning at Dante, “He’s your family, dammit!  The closest thing to affection that you’ve shown him in decades was stabbing him, and that’s pretty fucked up.”

Dante shrugged, his walls quickly going back up, and teased Nero, “You dropkicked me in the face when you met me…and stabbed me with my own sword.”

Nero visibly bristled and scoffed quietly.  “Don’t even!  I didn’t know who you even were, much less whether you were related to me, and neither did you!  Besides, I thought you were gonna hurt Kyrie!”

Dante rolled his eyes, the grin on his face not reaching them.  “You slapped the hell outta me even after knowing I’m your uncle.”

You quickly cut in, “You deserved that one,” before tapping Nero’s arm, nodding toward his father, and stepping behind Dante.  He quickly caught on and pushed Vergil forward as you did the same to the younger twin.  They stumbled into each other, and Nero grabbed Dante’s arms while you took Vergil’s to make them stand close together.  After a minute, they eventually got the point that neither of you were going to let go until they hugged.  Your voice was gentle with an obvious smile as you said, “There…  That wasn’t hard at all,” once they finally did.

“Foolishness,” Vergil muttered while brushing off his coat, though he did have a tiny smile on his face that made Dante finally relax a bit.

You turned your nose up haughtily and said, “I’m a princess, so listen to what I say.”

Vergil rolled his eyes, knowing you were using his fondness for the nickname against him, and half-scolded, “Being a princess doesn’t mean you get to be a brat.”

“No,” you agreed with a cheeky grin, “but it works out right now.  So, there!”  You stuck your tongue out at him then turned to Sparda and Eva, trying to get the ball back on track since time was especially important right now.  “What are we gonna do about Mundus?”

Dante was checking Ebony and Ivory over when he answered, “Crash his party and kick his ass,” then spun the handguns around his fingers and holstered them before adding, “Again,” with a smile that was all teeth.

Nero’s anticipation for the upcoming fight had a terrifying grin crossing your own face.

Eva twirled her own handguns as Sparda manifested a sword, a smirk playing on the blonde’s lips as she said, “Such a heartwarming family vacation.”