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“Woah- hey-”
Vergil’s panicking again. Fear flashes in his eyes before recognition does- he grips the Yamato tightly, and though Dante has his hands raised in an attempt to show that he has no hostile intention, his brother doesn’t seem to recognize this. Or him, for the matter. At least, not in any way that matters.
“Stay back,” the elder twin hisses, mouth forming around demonic chirps and trills with far more ease than it ever does human languages, though Dante understands perfectly.
“Staying back,” the younger twin parrots, his own facsimile of their father’s language coming out clunky and foreign, but understandable. Vergil backs himself into a corner, starts hard when his back hits rock. He strikes it with what would have been a killing blow had the wall been anything other than solid rock. The Yamato making more than a considerable dent before Vergil darts away, terrified. Dante doesn’t move.
Dante isn’t sure what, exactly, triggered it this time. He isn’t sure if it was just… him, if it was something he said, or if it was something going on in his brother’s brain. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything about being stuck in Hell, again. Whatever it is, he doesn’t know and Vergil isn’t in any kind of state to fill him in. Dante keeps his hands visible, attempts to remain relaxed. It’s best not to engage and it’s best not to fight, he knows that. They've been through this more times than he can count.
Across the expanse of the little valley they’ve found themselves in, Vergil’s pressed himself up against the cliff face, having verified that this one, at least, wasn’t something that was going to attack him. He’s shaking like a leaf, visibly muttering to himself, and he’s… God, what a mess. Dante takes a few experimental steps forward. Vergil grips the Yamato tighters.
“I SAID STAY BACK!” Dante watches as he presses himself harder against the valley wall, his form flickering as he attempts to appear threatening. Dante’s not scared of him, Vergil can’t do anything to him that he hasn’t already had done to him outside of killing him, and he’s almost convinced his brother doesn’t have it in him to go that far anyway. (Surely he'd have bit it a long time ago if Vergil was capable of killing him.)
“Vergil,” he says, still speaking their father’s tongue. Vergil understands it better than he does any human language, Dante knows that. “Come on, uh, shit, what’s the- Safe, won’t hurt you.”
“You-” Vergil squints at him, hands tremblings and-
He fumbles. The Yamato clatters to the ground. Dante takes this opportunity to rush forward, quick to knock Vergil to the ground. Knee to his brother’s chest, hands on his wrists, it takes most of his energy to keep Vergil from breaking free.
“OFF! GET BACK! STOP.”
“Vergil- Hey- Look at me, Look at me, man. Look at me. Breathe. Breathe.” Vergil struggles, hyperventilating, but...
They make eye contact, finally. Recognition. Dante lets out a sigh of relief as Vergil shakily nods at him, making a visible effort to breathe in time.
“That’s right- yeah. Okay. I’m gonna let you up, now- don’t go attacking me-” he withdraws, plopping down in the dirt beside his brother, and watches Vergil lay there for a moment, eyes screwed shut as he attempts to control his breathing.
His hands are still shaking when he sits up, but he summons the Yamato to him, crosses his legs, and holds it like it’s some sort of comfort to him.
“That’s right- okay. You gonna tell me what set you off this time, or what?”
Vergil’s quiet for a moment, considering Dante carefully as if trying to verify his motive. With his thumb, he strokes part of the Yamato’s sheath, a small patch he’s long since worn down, long since dented with his worrying.
“I don’t know. You-” a huff, “we- I just panicked.”
“Yeah, I got that. You looked pretty scared.”
“It was- it- For a moment, I felt like I was back- Like you were- And-”
Dante’s patient, leaning back on his hands as Vergil pieces together what he’s trying to say.
“It felt like I was back with- back under Mundus. It was-” he grits his teeth, grimacing.
“And you don’t know what set it off?”
“No… Yes, you. But-” Frustrated, Vergil clutches the Yamato tighter.
“Yeah. I know I’m annoying, but I don’t usually scare you like that.” Maybe the attempt at humour will lighten his twin’s mood a little?
“Yes, mostly you just irritate me.”
Haha, score. There’s amusement there, he knows there was. Dante claps him on the back, something that makes Vergil flinch and makes him recoil, but he gets up, offering his brother a hand to haul him up.
“We'll figure it out, man. You good?”
“I think so,” Vergil replies, briefly looking wary before accepting the offered hand and pulling himself to his feet..
“Great. Now- I’m fucking starving. You think we can get a fire going back home? Barbequed demon bug sounds fucking wonderful right about now.”
Vergil snorts, dusting himself off and visibly relaxing. “I’m sure we can figure something out.”