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Chapter Text

The crash that woke Vergil had him grabbing his katana and flinging his arm out protectively before his brain registered that he was alone in his room. He set the sword down, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and called out an irritated, “Nero!”

By the time he’d made his way to the kitchen, Nero was hastily pushing a cupboard door shut. He looked over his shoulder and forced a guilty smile.

“Uh…morning, Dad,” he said.

Vergil pointed at the cupboard. “Open it.”

“I don’t…I don’t think I should, um, do that…it…”

“Open. It.”

Nero bit his lip and slowly opened the cupboard. A wave of pans crashed out of it, making the boy wince. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on his feet.

“Nero,” Vergil said.

“Well, you see…it…um…it…” He made the mistake of glancing up, meeting Vergil’s unamused gaze. “Okay! I did it!”

“I am aware you did it,” Vergil said. “Fix it. Now.”

Nero grumbled as he got to his knees and started stuffing the pans back in. Vergil lightly kicked his thigh.

“Fix it correctly.”

Nero huffed but began to organize the pans under the watchful eye of his father. When they were back neatly, he shot Vergil one of his “happy now?” looks.

“Better,” Vergil said. “What were you even doing?”

“I’m hungry! And you sleep forever!” Nero whined, sitting down and crossing his arms. “I want food.”

Vergil checked the time. “You should live with your uncle for a week if you think 6:30 in the morning is ‘forever’, Nero.”

He grabbed a frying pan out of the cupboard Nero had just reorganized, already knowing the boy wanted eggs. Sure enough, Nero leapt up and grabbed the carton of them out of the fridge. He got the rest of what was needed, carrying it over to Vergil. Once Vergil had made the mix and poured it into the pan, he handed the wooden spoon to Nero to scramble the eggs. 

He felt a brief flash of bitterness as Nero went up on the tips of his toes and began to scramble them. He no longer needed his father to pick him up to reach. Lately, he didn’t even like to be picked up at all, whining if Vergil tried.

He was nearly five, though. He’d hit a growth spurt a few months ago, just when Vergil was beginning to accept that Nero might always be small. 

When the eggs were ready, Vergil plated them and the two sat at the table together to eat. Nero kicked his legs, still too short for his feet to touch the ground. It was a reminder that he was still just a little boy, and Vergil took an odd comfort in the sight of those swinging feet.

“Can we go to the market today, Dad?” Nero asked, eyes wide and pleading. 

“Only because I need groceries,” Vergil said. “You can have one sweet. Just one.”

“Awww.” Nero pouted. “Two?”

“I said one,” Vergil said firmly.

He found as Nero got older, the boy pushed boundaries more. Vergil doubled down on his rules the more this happened. If you gave Nero an inch, he’d take a mile. Vergil had learned that the hard way after bending just a few times.

After they ate, they cleaned up and got dressed. Nero picked his own clothes, a red shirt with a blue vest over it. His hair was a mess, but he only ran his hands through it to try to fix it and then bothered no more with it. Vergil’s lips twitched a little as he debated whether or not he wanted to have the now-familiar “brush your hair” argument. He decided against it on the weak grounds that it was windy out today and it would probably just get messy anyway. He took an extra moment fixing his own hair instead.

When they were ready, they left the house, Nero leading the way. He found a large stone, kicking it along and making a game out of it as he went. Vergil was always fascinated by the ways Nero found to entertain himself. 

When they reached the street market, Nero abandoned his stone in favor of browsing the vendors for the best sweet he could find. Vergil left him to it, keeping a watch on him out of the corner of his eye but seeing to buying fresh produce they needed. 

He took a bag from a vendor, paid, and noticed Nero standing still. He wandered over, following Nero’s gaze and stiffening a little.

A small group of children were playing catch as their parents shopped nearby. The children, a little older than Nero, giggled and squealed as they played, faces bright with enjoyment. 

Nero shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away, trying to hide the longing on his face. As the weather grew nicer, more and more kids were out playing together. Nero always lingered on the edge, watching but never able to join. 

“Have you found a sweet yet?” Vergil asked, taking Nero’s hand in his own and guiding him away from the laughing children.

Nero shook his head. “No.”

He didn’t sound enthused about it anymore. Vergil was at a loss for what to do about it.

Nero trailed along with him as he shopped. His own excitement seemed to slowly come back to him as they passed a vendor with a bunch of baked goods. Eventually, Nero settled on a giant chocolate chip cookie one vendor carried. Vergil didn’t even complain about the size of it; he paid and passed it to Nero, allowing him to eat it as they walked to finish up their shopping.

“Do you want to go to the park?” Vergil asked when the shopping was done. “I just have to drop the groceries off.”

“No,” Nero said, a little too quickly. He surely knew other kids would be playing there. “Can we play in the backyard, Dad?”

“Sure,” Vergil said. “You need to work off that cookie.”

Nero scowled and bit into his cookie again. He helped Vergil with the bags of groceries and the two walked back to the house together. Nero helped to put everything away before grabbing his toy sword and following Vergil outside.

They faced off against each other. Vergil had bought him a new toy sword when he outgrew his original one. Nero was still clumsy with his technique, but he was just as persistent as he had always been. 

Even when Vergil knocked him down now, Nero just sprang right back to his feet and kept coming, striking at Vergil with messy swings. 

Vergil easily blocked them and exploited one of Nero’s many openings to hit him in the ribs. Nero winced, drawing back to rub his ribs. He ran forward again, striking at Vergil’s knees, a dirty trick that was unsuccessful because Vergil was used to the attempt by now. He blocked it and hit Nero’s wrist, causing him to drop his sword. Vergil kicked the sword away.

“You know that’ll never work,” he said. 

“It could,” Nero argued.

Still a clueless child. A little more reassurance that his son had not yet grown up.

“It won’t,” Vergil said. He nodded to the sword. “Pick it up and let’s try again. Instead of swinging at me like it’s your first day fighting, come at me with a plan, Nero.”

Nero promptly ignored that advice, going for Vergil’s knees twice more despite the hits to his wrist it earned him, Vergil’s own way of trying to break the habit. When Nero abandoned his assault on Vergil’s knees, he instead swung wildly at Vergil’s chest, never managing a hit. Vergil decided to take it as a win since at least Nero had stopped going for his knees. 

They kept at it until Nero sat down heavily, trying to catch his breath. He looked frustrated that he hadn’t managed to beat Vergil.

“Dinner?” Vergil offered, a token of peace he knew Nero would take.

Sure enough, Nero brightened, patting his stomach. “Uh-huh. S’ghetti, Dad?”

“Sure, we can have spaghetti,” Vergil said, helping Nero up.

He’d worked incredibly hard on Nero’s speech the last couple of years. It had resulted in a much improved vocabulary, even if Nero did struggle with pronunciation at times. Sometimes Vergil suspected it was laziness more so than inability. 

As his speech improved, Nero utilized it more and more. Some days the boy could be a right chatterbox, to the point that it nearly made Vergil miss his stubborn silence. 

Even now, Nero chatted on and on about their training as he seated himself at the table and Vergil got to work making their dinner. Nero was examining his toy sword as he spoke, likely trying to puzzle out the next modification he could make to it. He loved to play around with his weapons and toys. 

Vergil had just managed to hit that point where he tuned out Nero’s words and just let his voice buzz in the background as a familiar white noise when he heard the front door open. Nero leapt to his feet, because only one person had a key to their house.

“Uncle Dante!” he cried, rushing from the room.

“Hey, kid!” Dante’s voice floated into the kitchen. Vergil reminded himself to change the lock soon.

Dante came in, Vergil gritting his teeth as he realized Nero was happily in Dante’s arms. Dante sniffed at the air.

“What’re we having?” he asked.

“Nero and I,” Vergil said, very clearly, “are having spaghetti. What do you want, Dante?”

Dante shrugged, setting Nero down on his chair. “Had some time between jobs and I figured I’d swing by. It’s been a few weeks.”

“A few peaceful weeks,” Vergil grumbled. 

“Oh! Oh! Uncle Dante, lemme show you the book Dad got me!” Nero cried, leaping from his chair and running from the room to get it.

Dante leaned against the counter. “He’s almost five, Vergil. You can’t avoid the school thing forever.”

“We were homeschooled,” Vergil said, refusing to face Dante.

“Yea, and we had each other to play with. He has no one,” Dante said. “School will help him make friends. And give him a normal life. Living with you ain’t exactly the basis for normalcy, brother.”

“He cannot go to school,” Vergil snapped. “We’ve had this argument before, Dante. It’s too dangerous. He isn’t going, and that’s that. As his father, it’s MY decision.” 

“He needs-”

“To stay safe,” Vergil said, hearing Nero’s footsteps coming back towards them. “Let it drop, Dante.”

Nero burst into the room, proudly holding up his new book. Dante snatched it from him and held it upside down, examining it intently.

Nero giggled. “Wrong way, Uncle Dante! Stupid.”

Vergil considered chastising him, decided Dante was stupid, and didn’t waste his breath. Dante took to teasing Nero as Vergil finished making their dinner.

As he plated the food, he listened to the sound of Nero’s laughter. He’d never had any friends before; his entire life had been Vergil, Dante, and Lady. Nero had never even interacted with another child before, or at least not since he’d been in Vergil’s care.

But sending him to school was too dangerous. If anyone discovered he wasn’t entirely human, it would make him a target. If anyone learned he was the grandson of Sparda, Nero would never be safe again. Vergil simply couldn’t risk it. 

Plus, the Yamato was still missing. There had been no sign of it since things went quiet originally. If whoever took it discovered Nero, they would surely attempt to kidnap the child to experiment with his potential power and connection to the sword.

No. No, Vergil would rather see Nero lonely than in danger. School simply wasn’t an option; Vergil would continue to teach him at home. 

He turned with the plates in hand. Dante had taken a break from their playing to get himself a drink, digging around in the fridge like he owned the damn place.

Nero sat with his toy sword on his lap, staring at it longingly. That sad hunch to his shoulders was back as he half-heartedly kicked his legs back and forth.

Lonely. He looked so lonely.

But he was safe. Protected. 

Surely it was worth it. 

But if it was worth it, why did Vergil suddenly feel so guilty?

Chapter Text

“You’re staying,” Vergil said dryly.

“Hey, kiddo’s birthday is soon,” Dante said, ruffling Nero’s hair. “Or, uh, we think it’s soon. You sure your math is good on that?”

“Your power got shut off again,” Vergil said.

Dante winced. “Well, uh, yes, that may have possibly maybe happened…”

Nero looked up at Dante seriously. “Dad says you’re a bum, Uncle Dante.”

Dante glared at Vergil. Vergil met his eyes. “I will say it to your face, too. Useless bum.”

“And a…a…moo?” Nero said.

“Mooch,” Vergil corrected. “Dante’s a bum and a mooch.”

Dante threw his hands up. “I’m a bum and a mooch until you need a babysitter!”

“Hey! I’m not a baby!” Nero whined. He crossed his arms defiantly. “I’m almost five. Not a baby.” He stuck his tongue out at Dante. 

Dante laughed. “Yea, yea, kid. Basically a grown up.”

“You get the couch and you help with chores,” Vergil said, putting a hand on Nero’s shoulder to guide him to their room. It was getting late and he tried his best to keep Nero on some type of sleep schedule. “If you complain, you can go back to your dark, cold cardboard box of a home.”

Dante whistled. “Harsh, brother. My nephew won’t let you throw me to the wolves. Right, Nero?”

Nero considered, then shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe if you get me a good birthday present.”

“Complain to someone who cares,” Vergil said, pushing Nero towards the bedroom.

“Yea! Not us!” Nero said, sticking his tongue out at Dante again. 

Vergil shut the door once they were in their room. They changed into pajamas and Vergil laid on the bed, feeling exhausted. Fatherhood did that daily, but the added burden of his obnoxious brother doubled the feeling.

Nero sat down next to him, tugging his arm and pushing the new book at him. “Read, dad.”

“Yes, alright,” Vergil said, forcing himself to sit up. No matter how tired he was, he always tried to read to Nero. He wanted to encourage the boy to take an interest in literature and poetry. 

Vergil flipped the book open and Nero curled into his side. As Vergil read, Nero’s eyes followed the words, his brow furrowing at unfamiliar words, but seeming soothed into a light doze eventually by the sound of his father’s voice.

Vergil finally closed the book when Nero’s head began to tip forward. He nudged the boy onto the pillows, tucking him in. Nero felt around until he had his favorite stuffed animal, the arctic fox Vergil had bought him a while back. He curled the toy against his chest and closed his eyes.

Vergil turned on the nightlight and flicked off the main lights. He put his hands behind his head, staring up at the dimly illuminated ceiling as his son slept beside him. 

School…

No. No, even without a sibling to entertain him, Nero would manage. Perhaps if they were somewhere else he could risk it. Nero letting anything slip about his demonic heritage could be passed off as a small boy’s wild imagination anywhere else. But here, it would raise suspicion, and they could not afford that. 

Vergil was hoping any enemies of his assumed he had died in the Demon World. Even Mundus must’ve come to the conclusion by now. Vergil couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself or the existence of his son. Working as a Knight for the Order was risk enough, albeit a calculated one. 

He looked over at Nero, who slept peacefully beside him. Nero was growing up so fast; the future frightened Vergil. He hated to admit it, but it was one thing he could not even lie to himself about.

Sending Nero out into the real world meant unaccountable forces influencing his child. It meant accepting things would hurt Nero, physically and emotionally, without Vergil being able to protect him all the time. 

It meant learning to let Nero go.

He shook the thoughts from his mind violently. The boy was a child. He was not yet ready to go beyond the world he knew now, small as it was. It was the safest choice for him right now, and that was all that mattered, regardless of the foolishness Dante tried to put into Vergil’s head. 

And yet, it was a long time before Vergil could clear his thoughts enough to sleep.

***

“Dad! Dad!”

Vergil opened his eyes and looked blearily up at Nero as the boy continued to shake his arm. Nero saw his eyes open and shook his arm harder.

“Dad, get up!” he said. 

“What? What is it?” Vergil asked, pushing Nero off and rubbing his eyes. 

Nero sat back. “Uncle Dante is here.”

“Yes, we established that yesterday.”

Nero scowled. “If Uncle Dante is here, we can play at the park. He always plays games with me.”

Vergil should’ve been used to the spikes of jealousy by now, but they were always an unwanted feeling when Nero made those comments. Of course he preferred to play with Dante instead of Vergil. 

Nero leapt off the bed. “C’mon, Dad, get up.”

He ran out of the room. Vergil got up, running a hand through his hair and taking a moment to blink the sleep from his eyes. He got up and left the room, if only because he didn’t trust Nero and Dante on their own when they were hungry. They’d make a massive mess and expect Vergil to clean it.

When he reached the living room, Nero was practically jumping on Dante to wake him up, calling out his name repeatedly. Dante had buried his face into the arm of the couch, groaning as he tried to shake Nero off.

Vergil saw the moment Nero was going to lose his footing and lurched forward. Sure enough, Nero’s stomping foot came down at the same time as Dante swatted his arm back, accidentally knocking the child off-balance and sending him falling back off the edge of the couch.

Vergil would’ve caught him before he fell too far back, but Dante had immediately rolled over and caught Nero’s arm, tugging him forward. Nero instead fell against Dante’s chest, letting out a laugh as he smacked at Dante’s arm for knocking him over in the first place.

“Dante, be careful!” Vergil snapped. 

“Aw, I got him,” Dante said, ruffling Nero’s hair before proceeding to viciously tickle him. Nero squealed with laughter, trying to squirm away and failing to escape.

“Dad!” he gasped, reaching for Vergil.

Vergil plucked him away from Dante, thinking for a moment that Nero would want to stay in his arms. But as soon as Nero was free of his uncle, he pushed at Vergil until Vergil set him back on his feet.

“Breakfast,” Vergil said, grabbing Nero’s hand and dragging him away before he could launch himself back at Dante and get them stuck in a cycle. 

Vergil realized he had no desire to cook anything for his brother. He set a box of cereal, a bowl, and some milk out for Nero and went about making himself coffee.

Nero fixed his bowl of cereal and sat down, little legs swinging. “Park today, right, Dad? Right?”

“Fine. But I have to stop and pick up some documents from the Order,” Vergil said. 

“Demons?” Nero asked, half curious and half worried.

“Nothing more than the usual stragglers outside of the city,” Vergil said. “It’s just my patrol route.”

“Oh.” Nero settled at the news.

Dante came in, scowled at the cereal, and reluctantly got himself a bowl. He leaned against the counter by Vergil.

“What’s the plan?” he asked.

“The park!” Nero cried eagerly. “Dad said. He said!” 

“Hell yea, I love park days!” Dante said.

“Language,” Vergil grumbled, pouring himself a cup of coffee and digging around the cupboards for a breakfast bar. 

“Eat faster, Uncle Dante,” Nero said as he finished his own cereal.

“Jeez, kid, you want me to get a cramp while we play? Let me take my time,” Dante said. 

Vergil went over and caught Nero as he tried to jump out of his chair. He held Nero firmly in his chair until the child gave up hope of escape.

“You need to learn patience,” Vergil said. “The world does not revolve around you and what you want.”

“Wanna play,” Nero grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the ground. 

“And you will. But not until we’re all ready to go,” Vergil said. 

Nero waited impatiently for Dante to finish eating. When he was finally done, Nero jumped up from his chair, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Let’s get dressed, and then we can go,” Vergil said. 

Nero ran ahead of him into the bedroom. When Vergil entered, Nero was digging through his clothes in search of something to wear.

“Something that can get dirty,” Vergil said sternly. 

Nero frowned. “All of it can get dirty, Dad. You wash it.”

Vergil pushed him aside and grabbed an old T-shirt and shorts that already had grass stains on them, tossing them to Nero. “That. I’m not letting you ruin the newer clothes I bought you. Clothes aren’t free, Nero.”

Nero was too young to really care about what he wore, so he pulled the clothes on without protest, then waited by the door until Vergil was dressed. They left the room, Dante waiting for them in the hallway, his boots already on and ready to go.

Nero shoved his feet into his sneakers and headed for the door. Vergil snagged the back of his shirt and pointed at Nero’s untied shoes.

Nero groaned dramatically as he knelt down to tie his shoes. Or, at least, attempt to. He messily knotted the laces together, and groaned a second time as Vergil knelt down and began to unknot them and tie them correctly.

“Watch me,” Vergil commanded as he slowly but precisely tied Nero’s shoes for him. “Do it like that next time.” 

“Can we go now?” Nero whined, kicking each foot individually to show that his sneakers wouldn’t come flying off.

“Yes, now we can,” Vergil said. “We didn’t need you tripping every other step. Preparation is half the battle sometimes.”

“It’s playing at a park, not fighting a demon,” Dante said, rolling his eyes.

“Did you want to deal with it when he tripped over them and cried?”

“Fair point. Onwards, kid!”

Nero launched out of the house, Dante chasing after him and tagging him. The two ran after each other in an unruly game of tag as Vergil trailed behind, keeping a safe enough distance that he could keep an eye on them but not get dragged into their silly game. 

Despite his tied shoes, Nero inevitably tripped over his own feet a couple of times, rescued by Dante before he could hit the ground. Vergil made a displeased noise in his throat. It was like Nero’s mind wanted him to go faster than his little legs were capable of carrying him. 

They thankfully reached the park without any traumatic injuries. Nero immediately grabbed Dante’s hand and dragged him to the playset, abandoning Vergil. Vergil seated himself on a bench to watch them play.

He tried to put aside his jealousy. He was not good at playing with Nero. Sometimes he could manage to recapture that feeling of his own childhood, but most days, it was lost to him. He struggled to even feign enthusiasm when Nero dragged him to the playset. He used to love to play outside as a child, but reaching for those memories was unexpectedly painful, so he shut them out, even when it was to Nero’s detriment. 

But as he watched Nero and Dante play together, one of those memories slowly came back to him. It was Nero pushing Dante and Dante pretending to trip and fall on his ass that did it.

“That hurt, Vergil!”

“I didn’t even push you that hard. Quit being a baby, Dante.”

“I’m telling mom you pushed me down!”

“Oh yea? I’ll tell dad you pulled my hair earlier!”

He remembered their argument going back and forth like that as they pushed at each other outside. Their parents had finally come out and broken up their fight, demanding to know what was going on. Afraid to get in trouble, the twins had insisted they were playing a game and not actually fighting. Their parents had sat outside after that, keeping a watchful eye on their sons as they continued to play, forcing them to get along.

Dante had found a ladybug on the slide that day, Vergil remembered. He’d carefully cupped it in his hands and taken Vergil’s hand in his, the boys watching in silent amazement as the ladybug crawled between their hands. They hadn’t fought again after that, even after their parents went back inside.

Vergil shook his head. Stupid. What a pointless memory.

Vergil stretched his arms out along the back of the bench, leaning back a little as the warmth of the sun overhead eased him. Nero’s laughter and Dante’s taunts floated back to him, carried on the gentle breeze blowing across the park. 

When unfamiliar voices reached his ears, Vergil sat up sharply, eyes snapping to the source of the noise. He eased a little as three children, probably around eight, walked for the playset, laughing with each other.

Nero spotted them and the smile on his face immediately vanished. The group of children claimed the monkey bars eagerly, teasing each other as they tried to cross them. Nero peeked over the playset at them, but hastily backed away when one noticed him.

He took Dante’s hand and led him off the playset and back over to Vergil. Dante stretched before dropping beside Vergil on the bench.

“You can keep playing, Nero,” Vergil said. “They won’t bother you.”

Nero shook his head, kicking at the dirt with the tip of his sneaker. “No. I wanna get ice cream, Dad.”

“We came all the way here,” Vergil said.

“Why not go talk to them, kid?” Dante offered. “Show ‘em how the monkey bars are done.”

Nero looked torn at the idea. His fingers fidgeted restlessly with the edge of his shirt, but his eyes darted to the children with longing. 

Vergil’s memory resurfaced. He pictured those older children pushing Nero down, telling him to quit being a baby when he complained. 

Vergil stood and took Nero’s hand in his. “Lunch first, then ice cream. We’ve been here a while. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Dante shot him a look which he ignored. Nero nodded stiffly and allowed Vergil to lead him away, partially hiding behind him as they went. 

None of them spoke as they walked. When they reached Nero’s favorite lunch place, Dante ruffled his hair.

“Get us a seat, buddy,” Dante said.

Nero looked between the two men distrustfully before reluctantly going inside. Dante blocked Vergil’s entrance.

“Vergil, he can’t stay isolated forever. Look how fucked up it made you,” Dante said.

“He was uncomfortable,” Vergil said.

“So you push him out of his comfort zone,” Dante said.

“He’s only four, Dante. Those kids were twice his age,” Vergil said, glaring. “When I was their age, I could cut a demon in half.”

Dante rolled his eyes. “Dude, we didn’t have normal childhoods. I doubt those kids were walking around armed. Nero would’ve been fine.” 

But what if he wasn’t fine? What if they were mean to him? What if they bullied him? What if they rejected him?

And what if they didn’t?

Vergil didn’t know which option was worse. He shoved by Dante aggressively and entered the building before Dante could recover and stop him.

Nero sat at a booth, watching the door attentively. He waved at Vergil when he entered, as if Vergil would miss his snowy mass of hair against the blue booth he sat in. 

Vergil sat next to him, Dante joining them a moment later. Dante grabbed himself a menu, inspecting it eagerly, and Vergil realized he was going to have to pay for his idiot brother.

“Heya, didn’t you want to go play with those other kids?” Dante asked with a smile, managing only the slightest wince at Vergil’s prompt kick under the table.

Nero folded his arms over the table, plucking at a string on his sleeve. “Nuh-uh.”

“Why not?” Dante asked, casually pulling his legs up under himself before Vergil could kick him again. 

Nero shrugged, averting his gaze. “Bigger.”

“Duh. They were older. But I’m bigger, and you play with me,” Dante said.

“You’re Uncle Dante,” Nero said, as if that explained everything. 

“Sure, but when you met me, I wasn’t Uncle Dante. I was just that dude who kinda looked like your dad,” Dante said. “You still played with me.”

Nero considered, then shook his head. “You’re Uncle Dante. They’re not Uncle Dante. Or Dad.”

“Let’s order,” Vergil said, cutting off whatever Dante was about to say. “Dante, you’re going up to put the order in, because I guarantee you expect me to pay for the whole thing.”

“I babysit for free!” Dante said.

“No, you babysit in exchange for food, warm water, and electricity,” Vergil said, flicking the menu at him. “Go order. Nero likes the number three and I get the five. Make sure Nero’s sandwich doesn’t have pickles on it, or he’ll throw a fit.”

Nero made a face. “No pickles, Uncle Dante.”

“Fine, fine, no pickles,” Dante said, getting up. “Anything else, your highness?”

“No ice in my drink,” Vergil said. “Screw up the orders and I won’t pay for yours. You can work it off washing dishes.”

Dante grumbled and headed for the counter to order. Nero tugged on Vergil’s sleeve to get his attention.

“Would they play with me, Dad?” he asked nervously.

“I don’t know. Older kids can be rough,” Vergil said. 

Nero was plucking at the string of his sleeve again. “I can do the monkey bars. I can show them.”

Vergil shot a quick glare Dante’s way, cursing his brother for bringing this up. It was a delicate enough subject without Dante making matters worse.

“Show Dante next time we go,” Vergil said. “Perhaps he can learn something from you.”

It didn’t cheer Nero. He was still quiet when Dante returned with their food after a few minutes. Vergil shot Dante a “look what you’ve done, you idiot” look. 

Dante tried to fix Nero’s mood with his usual teasing and jokes, but Nero only nodded along, too distracted to join in much. When they finished eating, Vergil tasked Nero with throwing out their trash, waiting until the boy was a fair distance away before rounding on his brother.

“You are making things worse, and you can go live in a cardboard box and beg for change if you keep it up,” he said coldly. “I don’t care how much Nero likes having you around; mind your business or leave. Are we clear?”

“Sure, sure. I won’t bring up how you’re limiting your son’s life anymore and just watch the poor kid suffer,” Dante said dismissively. 

Vergil was forced to bite back his reply as Nero returned. He looked between the twins, frowning, but Dante bounced up from his seat and ruffled Nero’s hair.

“Ready to head home, kid?” he asked with a bright smile.

Nero looked between them again before nodding. “Uh-huh. Can we play, Uncle Dante?”

“Sure thing,” Dante said. “You know I always love kicking your ass in a fight.”

Vergil got up and trudged out after them as they left. He glared at Dante’s back as he walked. What did Dante know? He had no children. He didn’t have to worry nearly as much as Vergil did. 

Vergil shook the thoughts off. He’d do what he thought was best for his son, and to hell with what Dante thought.

Chapter Text

It had been a tense three days between Dante and Vergil. Dante had yet to bring up the issues with Nero again, but Vergil was constantly eavesdropping when the duo thought they were alone just to be certain. He’d reluctantly left the two on their own the previous day while he went in to do some work for the Order, but when he returned and questioned Nero, Nero assured him that they had just played at the park and then gone for ice cream. Dante had snidely slipped in that they left for ice cream when the school kids were let out and started showing up at the park. 

Now, Vergil stood at the sink washing the dishes from dinner. He’d sent Dante to the store to pick up groceries to save himself the trip. Nero sat at the table, playing with his favorite stuffed animal as he waited for Vergil to finish so they could play outside.

“Dad?” Nero said, peeking up from the table.

“Hm,” Vergil replied.

“I wanna go to school.”

Vergil set down the dish he’d been washing and took a deep breath. Dante.

“Uncle Dante told you that?” Vergil asked, turning so he was fully facing Nero.

Nero frowned and shook his head. “Uncle Dante said you guys didn’t go to school. I wanna go.”

“Why would you want to go?” Vergil demanded. “You’d have to be away from home most of the day. No more playing all day with me or Uncle Dante. No more day trips to the market for groceries, or playing at the park in the afternoon, or any of the things you like to do. Children stay in school from the morning until the late afternoon, and then they have to do homework.” 

He clearly hadn’t considered this, and frowned deeply at the news. “No Dad? No Uncle Dante?”

“No. You’d go to school and I would go to work,” Vergil said. “I can’t go with you to school, and neither could Uncle Dante.” 

He thought it over for a minute, then shook his head. “I wanna try school.”

“You can’t just try it,” Vergil said, though he supposed he could always just pull Nero back out and homeschool him again. Still, Nero didn’t know that. “If you go, you stay. That means sitting quietly most of the day listening to a teacher and doing school work.”

He fidgeted with his stuffed animal. “I wanna try school, Dad. I want…friends. I wanna play with friends.” 

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. He opened his eyes and looked at his small son. A little boy who had not known life outside the twins. Who had never played with anyone but an adult before. 

But it was so dangerous. If anyone mentioned Sparda or demons in the class, and Nero let it slip what he truly was…

“Nero, it’s dangerous,” Vergil said, deciding on honesty. “You remember when we were attacked, and Uncle Dante and I…transformed? We are not human, Nero. That puts us in danger. People will hurt you if they find out any of us are not human.” 

“Hurt me?” Nero looked startled and frightened. “I didn’t do nothin’, Dad.”

“I know you didn’t. But in Fortuna, they will hurt you because your father is not human,” Vergil said, putting a hand over his chest. “It’s my fault. But I can’t do anything about it. Do you understand? I was born this way, and I can’t change it. Neither can you.” 

“Keep a secret,” Nero insisted. “I can keep a secret. I done it before.”

“It would be diffi- Wait, what secret?”

Nero looked sheepish. “See, I’m good. I’ll be secret, Dad. I can go to school.”

“What secret?” Vergil shook his head. “Never mind for now, but we WILL come back to that. The point is, it’ll be a very hard secret to keep. It’s too dangerous, Nero.”

“I want friends!” Nero argued, hugging his stuffed animal to his chest. “Please, Dad.”

“No,” Vergil said firmly. “It’s too dangerous to go to school, Nero. My answer is no.”

To his surprise, Nero burst into tears. Not his “if I cry, I’ll get my way” tears, either. It was a heartbreaking sob that tore at something inside of Vergil.

“I want friends! I wanna go to school! I wanna be like the other kids!” he wailed, his voice breaking. “Please, Dad. Please. I wanna.” 

Vergil cautiously knelt beside Nero, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. “Nero, I’m sorry. I really am. But it’s too dangerous. You can make friends without school.”

Nero shook his head, dropping his toy in favor of trying to wipe away his tears. They fell too fast for his swiping to make a difference, though.

“We- We saw them leave school. They laughin’, Dad. Havin’ fun. I wanna have fun and laugh and have friends. I wanna do that,” he sobbed. 

Vergil pulled Nero into his arms, hugging him tightly. He picked up the toy, placing it back in Nero’s arms.

“Nero,” he said, feeling a little helpless. 

“Lemme try, Dad. Please,” he begged, gripping Vergil’s shirt in his hands and burying his face into Vergil’s shirt. “I ain’t tell no one our secret.” 

In the past, Vergil would’ve held his ground firmly. But with Nero crying in his arms, his thoughts started to drift away from the firm no.

What if…What if they tried it, just for a little? He could pull Nero out. But if they were discovered, he didn’t have the Yamato to make a quick escape anymore. Then what? 

“One month,” Vergil said, before he could stop himself. “You can try school for one month. If it’s not going well, I pull you back out for homeschooling. If you complain, you’re back home with me. You stick it out for that whole month, whether or not you like it. We evaluate after the month is up and decide from there what happens next. And you absolutely cannot reveal our secret.” He grabbed Nero by the shoulders and met the boy’s eyes, lowering his voice to the cold tone he usually used when he was furious. “I mean it, Nero. You tell even a single person, and we have to flee Fortuna and go into hiding. Do you understand that? This is serious.”

Nero nodded, wiping at his tears with more success this time. “I can go to school?”

“For a month,” Vergil said. “Consider it a trial period.” 

Nero threw his arms around Vergil’s neck, crushing him into a hug. “Thank you, Dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

Vergil closed his eyes and held him back, hoping he didn’t regret this decision. He still didn’t like it, but he doubted Nero would even like school. Most likely, they’d hit the end of the month and Nero would be begging to come back home permanently. It would mean neither he nor Dante would bring up the school issue again and they could get back to their usual routine. Sure, maybe he’d make some friends, but Nero would hate sitting and listening to directions from a teacher all day. Plus, he was used to being the center of attention, so he would despise being part of a large group of kids all fighting for a teacher’s limited attention. 

Vergil would have to drill him relentlessly on keeping their secret, though. And, hell, he didn’t even know the protocol for enrolling Nero. Would the boy even be old enough? Did he have to wait until his fifth birthday? Was it too late to enroll him?

Vergil pulled away from Nero and ran a hand down his face. So much research to do. He’d start once Dante got back and could keep an eye on Nero. 

“Let’s not tell Dante just yet, Nero,” Vergil said. “I need to contact the school and see when we can get you in, first. Then you can tell him.” He fixed Nero with a look. “This is our first try at being secretive, okay? You tell Dante, and I’m going to think you can’t keep a secret.”

Nero pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key, confirming Vergil’s dread that whatever other secret he’d been keeping had to do with Dante. Vergil had never once done that motion since his own childhood when he and Dante used to do it. 

When Dante returned, Vergil dumped Nero on him and left the house under the guise of running an errand for the Order. He wasn’t entirely lying, as he did go to the Order and question two of their members who had children. Both informed Vergil they thought Nero could be enrolled; Fortuna was small enough that sometimes classes were a mix of school-aged children instead of the typical system used in other areas. 

They managed to scrounge up a number for Vergil to call. He spent nearly two hours on the phone with various people related to the school, where he discovered that he could enroll Nero, but that Nero would require an evaluation beforehand. 

He also ran into the issue of needing to give his full name, something he had no intention of doing. When he was done with all the various phone calls and online research he’d planned, he returned home, tired and irritated. 

He moved right past Dante and Nero to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of wine he kept stashed in the back of a cabinet and pouring himself a glass. Dante poked his head in and scowled.

“You didn’t tell me you had that,” he said.

“Because I didn’t want you drinking it,” Vergil said, leaning against the counter. “I’ve agreed to let Nero try school for one month. Keep your comments to yourself, because I don’t want them. Don’t hype him up, either. I need to call during business hours tomorrow to finalize.”

“School, little guy?” Dante asked brightly, ignoring Vergil. “Hell yea! You’re going to be the coolest kid there, trust me.”

“School, Uncle Dante!” Nero said, appearing at Dante’s side. “I kept the secret, Dad. I didn’t tell him nothin’.”

“Secrets? From me?” Dante said, slapping a hand over his heart in betrayal.

“Yes, let’s talk about secrets, Dante,” Vergil said, narrowing his eyes at his twin.

Dante gave a sheepish smile. “Let’s not. So, problems already? Or is that just your face.”

“Problems,” Vergil said. “I have to put myself on his paperwork, of course. I cannot give my real name.”

Dante shrugged. “I assume he’ll need an emergency contact. Just use my alias. Tony Redgrave. Could take the surname for yourself.”

Vergil shot him a look. “What a foolish, obvious name.”

“Did anyone ever find me?” Dante challenged. 

That was…fair. Besides, he doubted his background would be looked into too much from the school if even the Order hadn’t bothered. He’d quickly learned that Fortuna was lackluster in that department. 

“Fine. We use your foolish surname,” Vergil said. “Nero, you have to tell people that’s your surname.”

“My huh?” Nero said, frowning.

“Surname. Last name,” Dante explained. “You’ll tell people your name is Nero Redgrave. Pretty cool, huh? Sounds badass.”

“Nero Redgrave!” Nero cheered. 

Vergil took a large sip of his wine. He was definitely going to need a refill. 

“He needs to be evaluated, too,” Vergil said. “I assume they’ll just test his basics, though.”

It made him uncomfortable. What if Nero was tested and found lacking? That would fall on Vergil. Vergil had taken over his education since taking in his son. Had he done everything correctly? He’d largely relied on the research he’d done to try and educate Nero properly, but he had nothing to compare it to. 

He couldn’t think about it much longer. He downed his wine, poured another glass, and sent Dante and Nero away to play. He retreated to his room, looking over the books he and Nero had read together for years. Had it been enough? 

Had he been enough?

He closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples. Who cared? Public school just streamlined an education to pump out students with knowledge the schools determined important. None of those students could properly defend themselves, certainly. They might have conventional knowledge, but that was it. Nero would have more. He would have knowledge and power that would aid him. 

Vergil really should’ve just stuck with his no. 

***

He hung up the phone the next morning. Nero sat at his feet, eyes wide and fingers fidgeting restlessly. Vergil sighed quietly and looked down at his son.

“You’re being evaluated in two days,” he said. “And then you can join a class.”

Nero’s eyes went wide and he shot up, hugging Vergil’s waist. “School! I get to go to school, Dad!”

Vergil placed a hand on his head. “Yes, you do. But that means we are studying. I have to go fill out some paperwork for the school, and then we’re studying. Understand?”

“Uh-huh,” Nero said, nodding eagerly. “Yea. Gonna study hard, Dad.” 

“So, everything is on track?” Dante asked.

Vergil nodded stiffly. “Yes. But it’s just a trial period.” He took out his wallet, pulled out some money, and fixed his brother with a stern look. “Take him to the store to get supplies. This money goes ONLY towards school supplies. He’ll need a backpack, and…” And what else? What did school kids need? 

Dante took the money and pocketed it. “Pencils, crayons, scissors, folders, probably a notebook or something. Maybe some glue sticks. He’ll also need snacks and stuff for a lunch, if he’s bringing and not buying.”

“Sorry, do you also have a secret child lurking about?” Vergil demanded. 

Dante grinned. “Nah, common sense, brother. I may not be around kids a ton, but I’ve come across them in my line of work.”

“Fine. But no junk food for his lunch,” Vergil said. He didn’t like sending Dante to do this kind of stuff, but he frankly had no patience for this kind of shopping. “And he gets absolutely nothing but school supplies. No toys or games. No sweets, either.”

“Yea, yea,” Dante said, scooping Nero up. Vergil waited for him to protest, but the boy just put his arms around Dante’s neck. “C’mon, kiddo, let’s get you ready for school!” 

Vergil turned abruptly and left the house. Why did Nero never let Vergil pick him up like that anymore? 

He shook it off and walked his way to the school. It was not a particularly large building, as Fortuna was not a particularly large place. It was easy enough to find the office when he entered and get settled into a chair with the paperwork. He filled it out with the fictional information he’d devised. When it came to Nero’s medical information, he forged that as well, having never taken the boy to a doctor. He’d felt it was too risky; if his tests came up abnormal, it could draw suspicion. 

When he was done, he handed the paperwork over to the woman who’d given it to him. She looked it over, nodding to herself as she flipped through the pages.

“Now, Mr. Redgrave, I just want to verify that you’re only putting one emergency contact for your son? Tony Redgrave? ” she said, looking up. “We usually recommend two to three, in case the first contact can’t be reached.”

“Just the one,” Vergil said.

She looked unsure, but nodded. “Alright, then. You can contact us at any time to add another contact, if you change your mind. I see no mother listed here, either?”

“She passed,” he said curtly. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said sincerely. “It’s so tragic for children to lose a parent so young. My condolences.” She flipped through the last of his paperwork. “Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Redgrave? We expect to put your son into a class composed largely of five-year-olds, but there are some fours in there. Fortuna encourages an early education program.”

“No questions,” Vergil said, then paused. “What…supplies will he need?” 

She dug through some files on the desk and produced a checklist of items, handing them to him. “This is the material list his teacher filed. If there’s any difficulty obtaining all the items due to financial issues, please be assured we have some spare items here. Stores might be picked over by now, but again, we have some spare items.” 

Vergil nodded, suddenly eager to get out of there. He didn’t like his history being questioned. He tightened his hold on the supply list.

“Thank you,” he said, turning to leave.

“Good luck to your son, Mr. Redgrave! Feel free to call us with any questions or concerns,” the woman said.

He was regretting this decision so much. All he could think of was little Nero, alone and isolated in that orphanage. What if he was abused all over again? Vergil wouldn’t be there to protect him once again. 

He grit his teeth. It didn’t matter; the boy had to learn to stand on his own at some point. Might as well start him early, right?

But Vergil had been older than him and unable to protect himself. 

Mom would know what to do.

He stopped so fast that he nearly tripped himself. He had not had a thought like that since he was a helpless child. Back when he clung to the shattered fragments of his humanity.

So what if his mom would know what to do? She was long dead and he was a grown man able to take care of his own problems. This was his son and he would work it out on his own, just like he always did. He didn’t need help, and he certainly wasn’t some lost little boy needing his mother anymore. 

He checked over Nero’s supply list and made a quick trip into the store to grab anything he thought Dante and Nero might not think to grab on their own. He looked through the clothes section and even picked up a few new outfits for Nero. Presentation was important. He didn’t need his son looking like a bum like Dante.

He picked up dinner on the way back, and by the time he got home, Nero and Dante were back. Nero eagerly jumped up when Vergil came in, grabbing a bag and holding it up proudly.

“Look, Dad! I picked it out! Me!” Nero said, shaking with excitement.

It was a simple backpack, dark blue with red accents on it. There was a pin stuck through it of an arctic fox, just like his favorite toy.

“I found the pin,” Dante said. “So, he’s all enrolled?”

“Yes. Paperwork is complete.” He put a hand on Nero’s head. “Nice backpack, Nero.”

Nero slung it onto his shoulders and strutted around in it proudly. Vergil took out the list of supplies and looked through the things Dante had purchased, relieved and a little surprised to see that between the two of them, they’d covered everything. 

“Here, I bought subs on the way home,” he said, handing one to Nero. “Eat it at the kitchen table.”

“Can I wear my bag?” he asked.

Vergil nodded. “Yes, you can wear your bag. But don’t get food on it. You don’t want to stain it.”

Nero took off for the kitchen. Vergil tossed Dante his sub before gathering the supplies into a neat stack on the coffee table. He’d put it in Nero’s bag after Nero went to sleep.

“Vergil, this will be good for him,” Dante said. 

“Enough, Dante,” Vergil said. “I don’t want to hear it. When are you leaving?”

Dante shrugged. “Waiting for a new job to come up. I asked Lady to keep an ear out for me. Should be something soon.” 

“I don’t want you here much longer. I’ll pick up more jobs while he’s at school, and I don’t like the idea of you in my house without me here,” Vergil said.

Dante rolled his eyes. “Yea, yea. Such a compassionate brother.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t get steady work,” Vergil said. 

He went into the kitchen and sat beside Nero with his own sub. Nero was kicking his feet, looking happier than Vergil had seen him in a while.

“Don’t bring your toy to school,” Vergil said, tapping the pin on his bag. “It might get lost or stolen. It’s safer here.”

“Aw, Dad,” he whined.

“No arguing,” Vergil said sternly. “It stays here.” 

“When do I go to school?” Nero asked.

“A few days. We’ll study so you’re ready,” Vergil said.

He looked at Nero and had the sudden impulse to hug him. He violently resisted the urge, turning away from his son and picking up his sub so his hands were occupied with something. 

So much could go wrong. It would upset Nero, but it wasn’t too late to back out of this decision.

“I study hard,” Nero said, bringing Vergil out of his thoughts. “Smart.”

“Yes, you’re smart,” Vergil said. “We’ll talk about what school will be like. You have to behave and do as you’re told, Nero. You have to listen to your teacher.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, taking a bite of his sub. 

Vergil sighed. No point when food was involved; the kid liked to eat too much to focus on conversation.

When they were done, Vergil took him away to their room, locking out Dante. He cracked open a book and began to drill Nero relentlessly on his letters and numbers, determined to show how smart Nero was.

If they were going to go through with this, he would make sure Nero was as prepared as possible for it. He would not let himself nor his son fail.

Chapter Text

“Hi there! You must be Nero?”

The teacher was a kindly-looking woman. Older, perhaps, but she was pretty and well put together, with a genuine smile on her face as she looked down at Nero.

“Uh-huh,” Nero said, gripping Vergil’s hand tighter. He wasn’t used to strangers. 

“Nero,” Vergil said. They had talked about it this morning; “uh-huh” was “yes” and “nuh-uh” was “no”. 

“Oh. Yes!” Nero said, eyes shooting around the classroom anxiously. It was after school, so there were no other children about, but the room was surprisingly picked up for having just held so many small children all day. 

“Nero, I’m Mrs. Alden. I’ll be your teacher,” she said, holding out her hand to him. Nero looked at it curiously, then up to Vergil. Vergil breathed in slowly through his nose; he’d forgotten to teach Nero how to shake hands.

Mrs. Alden transitioned smoothly, straightening back up and keeping the smile in place. She picked up a clipboard, looking it over.

“Nero, can you tell me how old you are?” she asked.

Nero nodded. “I’m four.”

“Four!” She smiled. “Do you know how many fingers that is?”

Nero looked confused, but held up four fingers with his free hand. Mrs. Alden nodded approvingly and looked up at Vergil.

“Now, Mr. Redgrave, normally this is a bit more intensive. Since it’s a little later in the year, though, I mostly want to look at his academic ability. According to the paperwork you filled out, he’s potty trained, capable of completing simple tasks with minimal assistance, and verbal?”

“Yes,” Vergil said. Wasn’t it obvious? He was talking to her on his own. 

“That’s wonderful. If you’ll both come right over here, please,” she said, leading them to a table. Vergil sat down, feeling absurdly large for the plastic chair he was on. Nero sat next to him, still gripping his hand.

Mrs. Alden sat across from them. She had a file before her which she flipped open, setting her clipboard next to her and laying a pen on it. She took out a small book and set it on the table between them.

“Nero, could you please open the book to the first page?” she said.

Nero picked the book up and opened it as instructed, looking up at her for more instructions. She scribbled something on the clipboard. 

“Do you read at home?” she asked.

Nero brightened a little. “Dad reads with me every night.”

“That’s great to hear!” she said. “Reading is lovely. Now…”

She put Nero through a series of childish tasks. She had him identify letters, count as high as he could, identify shapes, point at and name parts of his body like his eyes, hands, and feet, and write his name. He traced letters, put together a small puzzle she gave him, and answered questions. 

When he was done, Vergil felt frustrated. Nero was above all of this childish nonsense. Of course he knew what a circle was and how to count to five. Of course he could use scissors and tell someone where his feet were on his body. What a waste of time.

“Well, Mr. Redgrave, I’m quite pleased with what I see so far,” she said as she put the papers back in the folder. “Nero, you did a fantastic job today. Thank you. Do you mind waiting at the door so I can talk to your dad?”

Nero stood up, looking uneasily at Vergil. Vergil pulled his hand away from Nero’s and pointed at the door. 

“Go, Nero,” he said.

Nero slunk away to the doorway, slouching in it when he was there. Mrs. Alden turned to Vergil with that infuriating smile of hers. Vergil was even more frustrated because he realized he couldn’t read her expression. She must’ve practiced that kindly smile for years to perfect it to a level that it gave nothing away.

“He seems quite bright and at grade-level, even for a four-year-old,” she said pleasantly. “His motor skills are a little clumsy, but nothing out of the ordinary. His speech is a mild blip on the radar, though. He doesn’t seem to speak in full sentences often, and he has a slight speech impediment.”

“He was nervous,” Vergil said, a little defensively.

That same damned smile. “Of course. Most children are during their screening. I’m just giving you my immediate observations, Mr. Redgrave. I think Nero will be a good fit for the class academically. On the forms, you said he didn’t attend preschool. Does he have any interaction with other children? Siblings, cousins, children of your friends, neighbors, or even daycare?”

“No,” Vergil said tightly. “He doesn’t.”

“He’s certainly not the first. I only ask so I can better prepare for his first day,” she said. “I’ll put in the last of the paperwork, and on Monday, he will officially be a student here. I look forward to working with you and your son, Mr. Redgrave.”

She held her hand out and Vergil shook it with a firm grasp to show that he did, indeed, understand how handshakes work. He stood up, stretching a little and glad to be out of that uncomfortable chair. Would Nero really have to sit in that torture device all day? 

He went to the door, taking Nero’s hand in his. “Thank her, Nero.”

Nero looked over his shoulder. “Thank you.” 

“You’re quite welcome, Nero. I’ll see you on Monday,” she said, giving a friendly wave. 

“I go to school, Dad?” Nero asked anxiously as they headed for the exit.

“Yes. Remember, we’re just trying it for a month,” Vergil said.

“School!” Nero cheered. 

They walked home, where Dante waited for them in the living room. He slung his arm around Nero’s neck when the boy got too close, yanking him in and playfully shaking him.

“Don’t rile him up,” Vergil said.

“Too late,” Dante said as Nero pounced at him. He caught the child easily, swinging him around and lightly throwing him at the couch. “How was the evaluation?”

“A waste of time,” Vergil scoffed. “She checked for ridiculous things.”

“Like?” Dante prompted, hopping out of the way as Nero tried to lunge a kick at his ankle. 

“Like if he could write his name, identify shapes, and count past five,” Vergil said. “Nero, stop going for the ankles. It never works.”

Dante scooped Nero up and held him upside down, gripping his ankles firmly and swinging him back and forth. “Well, normal kids need those skills. Not everyone has parents who teach them that kind of stuff like they should.”

“She asked me if he was verbal after hearing him speak,” Vergil said. “No wonder mother and father never bothered sending us to school.”

“Vergil, our dad was a demon. Was he supposed to just…pick us up after school?” Dante said, flipping Nero rightside up and flinging him back against the couch. “Besides, she probably has to ask you those questions. Gotta let the kid give school a chance before you write it off.”

Nero got up and lunged for Dante again, flailing his arms as Dante caught him easily. He swung at Dante’s face, narrowly missing and scowling as Dante stuck his tongue out.

“Nero, knock it off,” Vergil said. “Both of you knock it off, actually. Nero, with me. You won’t have time for training once you start school, so we’re going to work on it now.” 

Nero shot Dante a glare before following Vergil outside. He tossed Nero his toy sword and they got to work sparring. Vergil was much stricter than usual, feeling the pressure of his own words. They would hardly have time for regular training once Nero started school. He would be busy with homework and projects and whatever else children did for school.

But if something happened at school, he needed to be able to protect himself. If it took Vergil time to reach him, Nero had to be able to fend for himself. 

Vergil would have to work out a schedule that allowed for a bit of daily training, even if it stretched Nero thin with his time. It was too important to cast aside in favor of school. All the schooling in the world meant nothing if Nero didn’t have the power to protect himself. 

“Ow!” Nero jerked back as Vergil whacked his arm.

“You’re leaving yourself wide open. Stop swinging so wide,” Vergil snapped. 

Nero scrunched up his face and lurched at Vergil again, his swings wilder than before. He always let his anger get the best of him.

Vergil hit his arm again, harder than he intended. Nero dropped his sword with a pained yelp, cradling his arm. He glared up at Vergil, struggling to fight back tears.

Vergil knelt before him. “Let me see.”

Nero reluctantly held his arm out. “That hurt. Dad mean. Stupid! Stupid!” 

He indeed had a nasty mark that would no doubt turn into a bruise. With his quick healing, it would fade in days, but Vergil still felt a tightening in his chest as he looked at the mark he’d made on his son. He thought of Nero’s injured arm when they were attacked in the forest years ago and had to drag his gaze away.

“Don’t call me stupid,” he said, but put an arm around Nero. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. Let’s stop for the night.”

Nero wiped his eyes angrily and picked up his sword. He brandished it at Vergil, determination in his gaze.

Vergil sighed. “You never know when to quit, Nero. It’s exhausting. And you have the nerve to call me stupid.” 

They kept at it until Nero got too hungry to fight anymore. Vergil made dinner, then forced Nero to bathe before getting him ready for bed. Exhausted from their fighting, Nero fell promptly to sleep after Vergil had read a couple of poems to him.

Vergil laid beside his son, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered if his parents had worried this much about him. He wondered if it ever got easier.

He wondered, not for the first time, if Dante was telling the truth about their mother.

Did she really search for him that day? Had she cared all along? How different would his life be if only he’d known that from the start? 

He looked over at Nero’s sleeping form. It didn’t matter; had his life been different, he wouldn’t have Nero. Perhaps Vergil had suffered in the years since he lost his family, but now he had a son and a relatively stable life.

“Who will you be?” he whispered, running a hand through Nero’s hair. 

Nero’s future frightened him more than he cared to admit. So many things could go wrong in a child’s life. So many things could alter the path of a person’s life. Sending Nero to school could be the first step down one of those many dark paths sprawling ahead of them. What if Vergil was making a deadly mistake?

But he couldn’t possibly predict the outcomes of all his choices. Just like he never predicted that going to play by himself one day would uproot everything he ever knew and loved. 

No. No, he’d grown up with no one to love or protect him. Nero would not suffer that fate. Whatever came next, he had a father at his side to help him. He would not suffer as Vergil had. 

Vergil would make damned sure of it.

Chapter Text

Nero had not bothered to brush his hair, despite multiple reminders from Vergil to do so. Vergil sighed impatiently, grabbing his son by the arm and forcing him to sit on the bed and endure the comb pulling through his tangles.

“Ow!” Nero whined.

“If you kept it tame with any regularity, this wouldn’t be an issue,” Vergil said. “Stop complaining. We don’t want to be late.”

When he finished fighting Nero’s hair, he looked the boy over carefully. Nero was neatly dressed, his hair as tamed as Vergil could ever get it, and his face was carefully wiped clean of breakfast crumbs. He looked well put together. A cared for, clean child. 

“Good,” Vergil said. “Grab your backpack and let’s go.”

Nero did as instructed, taking Vergil’s hand as they left their bedroom. He looked back longingly at his stuffed animal sitting on the bed, but Vergil dragged him away and out to the hall to put their shoes on.

“What if they not tied, Dad?” Nero said nervously.

“Ask your teacher to tie them,” Vergil said, slowly tying Nero’s shoes as he watched. Was it normal for a child this age not to be able to tie his own shoes? Vergil had no idea. He felt like he’d failed at an objective in a grander scheme.

“Big day for a little guy,” Dante said, leaning against the wall. “You excited, buddy?”

“Yea!” Nero said, but he looked anxious. 

“You’ll have a good time,” Dante said, reaching his hand out.

Vergil smacked it away. “Don’t touch his hair. Combing it was harder than escaping the Demon World.” 

“Diva,” Dante said. He held his fist out and Nero smacked his own fist against it. “Give ‘em hell, kid.”

“Let’s go,” Vergil said, taking Nero’s hand and leading him out of the house. Dante went to the door to wave goodbye, and Nero waved back longingly.

Nero was quiet as they walked to the school. He slowed his pace as they got closer and he saw how many kids were streaming into the building.

“They’re not all in your class,” Vergil said. 

Other parents were walking their kids to school. Vergil kept his eyes ahead on the building, trying not to feel uncomfortable in the crowd. He couldn’t help but notice how young he was compared to many of the other parents. There were younger ones like him, sure, but not that many. 

Foolish. He was old enough to have and care for a child. No reason to let it bother him that he was younger than some of the other parents around. He forced himself not to pull the hood of his robe up.

Mrs. Alden was waiting outside the classroom, greeting students cheerfully. She spotted Nero and smiled, gesturing him over.

“Welcome to your first day, Nero!” she said.

Nero looked to Vergil, either unsure how to reply or too nervous to do so. Vergil released his hand and gave him a light push at the classroom.

“Go,” he said. 

Nero fidgeted with his hands, looking from the room back to Vergil. He reached out for Vergil’s hand, but Vergil shook his head.

“No, Nero. I can’t go in with you. You have to go alone,” he said. “You wanted to go to school.”

“Some kids have trouble at first,” Mrs. Alden said patiently. “Many of them have never been away from their parents for long periods of time before.”

“He’ll be fine,” Vergil said. “Go on, Nero. I’ll pick you up at the end of the day.”

Nero took a step towards the room, then hesitated and turned back to Vergil with his arms out. “Hug, Dad? Please?”

Vergil felt uncomfortable doing that in public. He forced himself to kneel, reasoning that Nero wouldn’t leave him without a hug. The kid was certainly stubborn.

He hugged Nero, a quick, tight hug before releasing him. Nero still looked anxious, but Vergil shooed him until he finally forced himself into the classroom.

“He’ll be just fine, Mr. Redgrave,” Mrs. Alden said with that damned smile of hers.

“Of course he will,” Vergil said, turning away from her and leaving the school. He hurried his way out of the crowd, needing to be away from all those people. 

His son would be fine. Nero was a fighter. He could handle something as simple as kindergarten, surely. 

Vergil took himself to the Order and accepted extra duty to get his mind off it. He ended up patrolling the forest outside Fortuna, hoping to run into demons and finding himself disappointed. Demonic activity had been surprisingly quiet lately around here. 

It made him think of the Yamato. He longed to have his sword back. He felt inadequate with a regular katana. And he felt frustrated with himself for feeling inadequate, as if all his training only amounted to the weapon he was holding. He was capable of fighting without the Yamato; why did he keep feeling otherwise?

Instead, he looped around the forest to the spot where he and Nero had been attacked, what felt like so long ago now. He sat down, looking at the area. It bore no signs of the attack now.

He thought of the paths in life, as he had been doing since agreeing to allow Nero to try school. If they had not been attacked here that day, would Vergil have ever reached out to Dante? 

He supposed it didn’t really matter, since it had happened. But he honestly wasn’t sure if he would’ve ever reached out to his brother without such an urgent reason. He still couldn’t stop the hatred he felt when he looked at his twin sometimes. 

What had Dante ever truly lost in his life? And yet he continued to be stronger than Vergil. He continued to be the favored one, even in Nero’s eyes. 

“Enough,” Vergil snarled, standing up abruptly. These stupid thoughts were getting him nowhere. 

He resumed searching the forest, feeling almost desperate for a fight. When he could find no opponent, he instead practiced slashing at the trees with the katana. When he tired of that, he practiced his agility, timing himself as he raced along the forest. He kept at his own training as the minutes ticked by, determined to keep himself occupied to quiet his pointless thoughts.

It worked almost a little too well, as Vergil was surprised to realize it was almost time to pick up Nero when he took a break. He was forced to rush back to Fortuna, not wanting to be late, especially on Nero’s first day of school. 

He slowed as he neared the school, fixing his hair and clothing so he looked presentable. When he reached the school, he found Nero waiting outside amongst a fairly large group of kids also looking around for their parents.

Nero spotted Vergil and ran over to him, arms out. Vergil picked him up, surprised. 

“Well? How was the first day?” he asked.

Nero shook his head and rested his chin on Vergil’s shoulder. “Tired.”

Vergil looked back at the school. Perhaps he should go talk to the teacher and ask how things had gone?

No, that would be too overbearing. He carried Nero away from the school and back towards their home. He tried to think of what to say, but what did you ask a child about school?

“Did you…meet anyone?” Vergil asked, and winced at how dumb that was. Of course he met people. He had a whole new class of people. “I mean, friends. Did you make friends?”

“No,” Nero said quietly. 

“Well, it’s only the first day,” Vergil said dismissively. “It’ll happen, I suppose.” 

“It will?” Nero picked his head up to look at Vergil. 

Vergil shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably. Friends aren’t that important, Nero. For you, it’ll just be kids to play with.”

“Oh.” Nero put his head back down on Vergil’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Vergil’s neck.

“Do you have homework?” Vergil asked.

Nero shrugged. “I dunno.”

“You don’t-” Vergil sighed in annoyance and lightly pinched Nero’s arm to get his full attention. “Did your teacher give you work to do outside of school?”

Nero whined and rubbed his arm. “I guess.”

“Then you have homework. And you don’t guess; you know,” Vergil said. 

Nero was getting big enough that Vergil had to maneuver him a bit to get the door open without dropping him. He carried Nero inside the house, Nero kicking his shoes off lazily as they moved through the hall. 

“How was the first day?” Dante asked eagerly, leaning forward on the couch. 

Vergil set Nero down. Nero ran over to Dante, allowing himself to be pulled into his uncle’s lap.

“I’m tired, Uncle Dante,” he said, resting his head on Dante’s shoulder.

“Wake up. You have homework,” Vergil said, taking Nero’s bag from him to look through his folder. Thankfully, the teacher must’ve put the worksheets in there, because they were neatly organized instead of crumpled up and tossed in. “Come on. You’ll work while I make dinner. Your uncle can try to help you.”

“Try?” Dante said. “What the hell’s that mean?”

“It means I doubt your ability to do the work expected of small children,” Vergil said. 

Dante grumbled as they made their way to the kitchen. Vergil sat Nero at the table with his homework and a pencil.

“You don’t get to leave this table until it’s all done,” Vergil said. At Nero’s look, Vergil fixed him with a stern expression. “You asked to go to school. You don’t get to complain now.”

Nero huffed but picked up his pencil and looked at the work. Dante dropped into the chair next to him.

“So, what about the other kids?” he asked. “What were they like?”

Nero thought for a moment. “Stupid.”

“Shocking you haven’t made friends yet,” Vergil said.

“Wonder where he gets the judgy attitude from,” Dante said, raising an eyebrow at Vergil. 

“Unlike him, that is not my goal,” Vergil said. “I don’t care if people like me.”

“Obviously,” Dante said, shaking his head. “Anyone who wasn’t stupid, Nero?”

Nero shook his head. “No. All stupid.”

“Hey, maybe they’re not stupid,” Dante said, grinning. “Maybe they’re secretly really smart and they were just testing you. Gotta stay on your toes, kid. Give them a real chance, okay?”

“Okay,” Nero said, but didn’t look happy about it. 

Well, maybe this wasn’t the worst thing Vergil had agreed to. Maybe Nero really would hate it and ask to be pulled out by the end of the month. He certainly didn’t seem to be loving it so far. 

Vergil listened to Dante and Nero argue over answers as he cooked dinner. When he was done, he joined them, serving each of them. He picked up Nero’s homework as the boy started to eat.

“Nero, you know this,” he said. “What a waste of time. It’s just asking him to trace his letters on this page. Why does he need to do that if he already knows them?”

“Hey, you taught him by having him trace his finger on them, right? This’ll help kids who don’t know yet,” Dante said. “Remember, brother, not everyone is at Nero’s level yet.”

Vergil grunted and set the papers out of the way so Nero wouldn’t get food on them. “Regardless, I suppose he has to finish it.”

“Waste of time,” Nero said.

“It is, but it’s your work,” Vergil said. “My work is often a waste of time, but I still do it.”

“Boring,” Nero said, sticking his tongue out.

“Put that tongue back in your mouth right now,” Vergil commanded.

Nero did so and shoveled food in after it to keep himself from needing to speak again. Dante snickered, then lowered his head when Vergil’s glare swung his way.

After they ate, Vergil dismissed Dante, who was more of a distraction than a help. He sat beside Nero and ensured Nero did the work, putting effort into each task even if they were pointless for him.

“Why, Dad?” Nero said, throwing his pencil down when he was done with all the worksheets. “So stupid. Waste of time.”

Vergil gathered the papers and stacked them neatly before returning them to his folder. “Even if it is a waste of time, this is how you show your dignity at your age, Nero. You do your work and you do it well. A person’s work ethic says a lot about them.”

“Stupid,” Nero said, which seemed to be his new favorite word.

“Quit saying that. It’s beneath you.” He zipped up Nero’s backpack. “You wanted to go to school. I told you that you’d have to do homework. Suck it up.”

“Play now?” Nero practically begged.

Vergil checked the time. “Yes, alright, you can play for a while. Go bother your uncle, though. I wasn’t home today so I have chores to catch up on.”

Nero threw his hands in the air in triumph before racing into the other room to play with Dante. Vergil began to clean the kitchen, making a mental list of all the chores he wanted to get through before going to bed. 

He’d hardly gotten through any of it before the sound of Nero’s laughter drifting into the room distracted him. He stopped, realizing he’d hardly gone any length of time without his son at his side since taking the boy in. Sure, Dante watched him from time to time while Vergil worked, but Nero always stubbornly waited up for Vergil’s return. What if school had him too tired to do that anymore? What if he just put himself to bed?

Vergil went out to the living room, where Nero and Dante were playing with Nero’s blocks and figures. He sat with them, eyeing the structures they’d built so far.

“Dad play?” Nero asked, his face lighting up.

“For a bit,” Vergil said. “What is all this?”

“Buildin’ a tower,” Nero said.

“He’s making the defenses,” Dante explained. “I’m making the living areas. Obviously they’ve gotta be big enough to have massive pizza parties in, right, kid?”

“Right,” Nero agreed absentmindedly, focused on building up what appeared to be a moving wall, precariously balanced on one of his toy cars.

Vergil watched him work, a little fascinated. He never could seem to understand Nero’s mind. He had the craziest ideas sometimes.

But even when the blocks fell, he just set himself to starting again, making little adjustments and testing the movement here and there. Each failure seemed to drive him to try harder the next time. Stubborn, stubborn boy.

Vergil even allowed him up past his usual bedtime, he and Dante both fixated on Nero’s slow but determined progress. It was only after the collapsing blocks nearly hit Nero in the face that Vergil decided to call it a night before Nero got himself hurt.

“Bedtime,” he said, lifting Nero to his feet. “Pick up your toys.”

“But Dad-” Nero started.

“You’re already up late. Pick up those toys or lose them,” Vergil said.

Nero pouted but quickly picked up his toys. He gave Dante a quick hug goodnight before following Vergil into their room.

“What do you want to wear to school tomorrow?” Vergil asked as Nero changed into his pajamas.

“Um…” Nero pulled open a drawer and looked over his clothes. He finally settled on a T-shirt, zip-up vest, and shorts. He looked longingly to his stuffed animal, but didn’t bother asking about it.

Vergil made sure his teeth were brushed and his school bag was by the door before letting Nero get into bed with him. He grabbed a book, holding his arm out for Nero to cuddle into his side. 

“Dad, did you go to school?” he asked.

“No,” Vergil said. “Dante and I learned at home.” 

“You had friends?” he asked.

“No,” Vergil said shortly. “I played with my brother. Or by myself.”

He never should’ve gone by himself that day. Why hadn’t he stayed inside and played with Dante instead?

“It was fine,” he said, trying to talk over his own thoughts. “I liked to sit and read by myself.”

“Oh,” Nero said, resting his head on Vergil’s shoulder. “You read to me, Dad?”

“Yes, I’ll read to you tonight. I think you’ve practiced your letters enough today,” he said, putting his arm around Nero and holding him close. 

He read to Nero until Nero had fallen asleep curled against him. That didn’t happen often these days, so Vergil carefully put the book down and pulled the covers over them, kissing Nero’s hair.

One month. Would his stubborn, determined boy last that month? Or would this finally be the thing he quit at?

Vergil knew he should hope Nero branched out and made friends. Knew he should want Nero to love school. 

But he’d long ago accepted that he was a selfish man. He wanted Nero to quit after the month was up. He wanted his son home, where he was safe and protected. 

Nero’s path would split again when the month was up. Vergil wished he could stop the anxiety he felt about which way Nero would journey when the time came.

Chapter Text

Nero had nearly made it the first full week of school before Vergil was asked to come in.

He’d been busying himself at work to distract himself from the lack of a child to care for. The call came to the Order, trying to reach Vergil. Nero’s teacher wanted him to come into the classroom when he picked Nero up from school today.

Vergil kept himself calm and composed as he approached the school at the end of the day. Nero waited outside, fidgeting with his backpack straps and staring determinedly at his feet, even when Vergil put a hand on his shoulder.

“Nero,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” he muttered.

Great. So it was trouble, then.

Vergil grabbed Nero’s wrist and dragged the child after him. He reached the classroom and knocked on the door, despite it being open.

“Ah, Mr. Redgrave,” Mrs. Alden said, looking up. “Please, do come in. Nero, why don’t you sit over there and start your homework while I speak to your dad?”

“But-” Nero started.

“Do as you’re told,” Vergil said, releasing his wrist. “Go sit and work. Not a sound out of you, Nero.”

Nero hung his head and slunk away to a table in the corner. Mrs. Alden gestured for Vergil to follow her to the other side of the room, thankfully letting him sit in a chair designed for an adult this time.

“What’s the problem?” Vergil asked, deciding to get right to the point.

But Mrs. Alden held up her hand and gave that infuriating smile of hers. “First, the good. Nero is a bright child, with excellent problem-solving skills and determination you don’t always see in children this young. I’ve given him higher-level work to keep him focused in class and seated him with some of the more academically accomplished students.”

“The bad,” Vergil said dryly. “I’m aware of his talents.”

“The bad,” she said with a nod, folding her hands together over the desk between them. “The bad is that Nero has incredibly poor social skills, does not like to listen to authority, and can have a bad attitude towards work he finds too easy. ‘Stupid’ is his favorite word.”

Vergil made a face. “Yes, we’ve addressed that at home, believe me.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s being addressed,” she said. “Mr. Redgrave, Nero can have a temper at times. Today he threw a pencil at another student for ‘being too stupid’ and slowing the group he was in down with their work. When I put him in time out for that, he just got right back out of it and informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I am ‘not the boss of him’ and that the assignment was a ‘waste of time’ anyway.”

Vergil looked over at Nero, who had his head down as he worked on his homework. To be fair, Vergil would be frustrated if he had to work with idiots, too.

He supposed he couldn’t say that here, though. “I understand.”

“I hope you do, Mr. Redgrave,” she said seriously. “We don’t just look at academics. With his current behavior, I would recommend he be held back to better develop his social skills. The other students have come to complain to me that Nero is mean when they try to play with him. They don’t want to work in a group with him because he’s impatient. I’ve been told by his physical education coach that Nero excels physically, but again, no one wants to partner with him due to his impatience and his brash nature.”

Vergil would not speak a word of this meeting to Dante, because he might actually stab his brother again if he had to hear another “Wonder where he got that from” out of his mouth.

“I understand,” Vergil repeated, standing up. “I will handle it at home with him. Nero.”

Nero got up, gathering his things and obediently returning to Vergil’s side. He looked like he wanted to say something, decided against it, then ignored his own decision.

“They’re so stupid, Dad!” he burst out. “And I try to help but they say I’m mean.”

“Perhaps don’t start by calling them stupid?” Vergil said, crossing his arms. “Come on. We’re going home.”

“I try to help!” Nero said.

Vergil grabbed his hand firmly and began to drag him along. “And you fail at it. Now be quiet. I’m irritated enough with you from what I’ve heard. Don’t make it worse.”

Nero snapped his mouth shut, looking over at his teacher. She just gave her little wave goodbye.

“Better attitude tomorrow, Nero,” she said, in a way that announced it was not the first time he’d heard that from her. 

Nero, thankfully, remained quiet as they walked home. Vergil needed time to think; he actually didn’t entirely disagree with Nero’s actions. But Nero was amongst humans, and humans were stupid and weak beings. If he wanted to keep their secret and live amongst them, he had to learn to deal with that. 

How to handle this? He didn’t want to raise his son to just bow to authority because he was supposed to. It was good Nero was independent, wasn’t it? And surely the boy was just frustrated with dealing with humans who were so far beneath his own skills, but how was Vergil supposed to address that in a way that didn’t end up with Nero being a human-lover like Dante?

He stopped them outside the house, not wanting Dante to interfere with this issue. He knelt before Nero, gripping his shoulders and waiting until Nero met his eyes.

“Nero, you have to control yourself,” he said. “When you are in school, you have to behave like the other students. You cannot draw attention to yourself like this. It’s dangerous for our secret. I understand you are frustrated, but you wanted this. You asked for it. Now you have it, so you need to put in the work, even if you don’t like it.”

“Dad, they’re stupid,” he whined. “And slow. And weak.”

“They’re humans. They’ll always be that way,” Vergil said. “But if you want to go to school, you have to pretend to be human, too. That means being patient even when they’re stupid. It means easing up when you’re playing. You don’t like it when I take it roughly on you when we play, so you can’t do it to them, either. Understand?”

Nero crossed his arms, scowling. “They don’t like me.”

Vergil was surprised at how angry those words made him. He took a slow breath and squeezed Nero’s shoulders before pulling his hands away.

“Take my advice and see if it gets better.” He took Nero’s hand and led him towards the house. “And not a word of this to Uncle Dante.”

Dante was lounging on the couch when they came inside, grinning over at Nero. “Heya, kid. How was today?”

Nero glanced at Vergil. “Uh…they’re stupid.”

“Nero,” Vergil said.

“Uh…they…are…” Nero struggled for a moment, then threw his hands up in frustration. “Stupid! Stupid, Dad!”

Vergil rubbed his temples. “This is going to be even more work for me, isn’t it?”

He dragged Nero to the kitchen and sat him at the table to do his homework. He retreated to the living room with Dante.

“How do you deal with humans?” he asked.

“Huh?” Dante raised an eyebrow. “Vergil, we’re half-human. Mom was human. Your kid is probably more human than demon, unless you’ve got something to tell me about his mom.”

“He’s got Sparda’s blood,” Vergil said firmly. 

“Still more human than anything,” Dante said. “Look, Vergil, you’re raising this kid like he’s half-demon. He probably isn’t. He’s definitely not fully human; we saw his healing. But he’s still, most likely, mostly human. He needs to know how to live in the human world. Wouldn’t be bad for you to figure that out, either.”

Vergil’s fingers twitched but he managed not to strike Dante. He’d considered Nero’s humanity, of course. He hadn’t shown any concrete signs of his demonic heritage aside from his healing. His speed, endurance, and strength seemed greater than that of a normal human, but he’d never been in a situation where they could confirm for sure. 

“Regardless,” Vergil said, realizing it was a mistake to even bring it up with Dante. “When are you leaving my house? You’ve been here longer than usual.”

“I figured I’d stick around for the kid’s birthday and then head out,” Dante said with a shrug.

“Then you’re earning your keep. Go do the laundry,” Vergil said, leaving for the kitchen to check on Nero.

“Dad?” Nero said, looking up from his homework. “Am I weird?”

“No,” Vergil said. “If someone told you that you are, ignore them.”

Nero scribbled on the corner of his paper. “They said I’m weird.”

Vergil had a feeling he’d have an entire hit list by the time he was done with this cursed city. “You’re better than them. Their words mean nothing.”

“Great parenting advice,” Dante said, entering. He ruffled Nero’s hair affectionately. “If they call you weird, just laugh it off, kiddo. Lots of people call me weird. I take it as a compliment now. They just don’t know you, that’s all.”

“You got friends, Uncle Dante?” Nero asked.

“Sure. Remember Lady? She’s my friend, even if she tells you otherwise. I don’t have a lot of friends, but I like the ones I do have,” Dante said. “Well, most of the time.” 

“Quit distracting him. Nero, do your homework,” Vergil said. “Dante, get to the laundry. Now.”

“Jeez, are you his dad or my dad?” Dante grumbled. 

“Now,” Vergil repeated.

Dante slunk out of the room. Vergil prepared dinner, helped Nero with his homework, and let Nero and Dante go outside to play while he finished up some housework. When it got late, he called Nero in for a bath.

As he got the boy ready for bed, he figured he should address some of the concerns before the teacher was calling him in again. “Nero, no more saying ‘stupid’ in school. Just ask your teacher for harder work or a better group. And you can’t throw things at your classmates. They’re children, not demons.”

“Aw, but, Dad,” he said.

“No,” Vergil said. “I don’t want to get called in again, or I will be angry with you. If you want this so much, you have to work for it, and this is how you do that. I don’t like the people in the Order, but I don’t call them stupid to their faces or throw things at them.” He’d certainly like to, of course, but best not to add that. 

“Fine,” Nero grumbled.

Vergil picked him up and tossed him lightly onto the bed. Nero giggled, bouncing back up and throwing himself at Vergil. Vergil caught him and shook his head.

“Oh, no. We’re not playing. We’re going to sleep,” Vergil said, laying down and setting Nero beside him.

Nero leaned against Vergil, his playfulness vanishing. “Dad? You want friends?”

“No,” Vergil said, drawing the covers over them and grabbing a book. “Let’s read, Nero.”

What good were friends? Vergil knew he could only ever rely on himself. He’d learned that at a young age, and it was a lesson he would certainly never forget. No one had come to save him; he’d had to save himself.

He read until Nero fell asleep at his side. Looking down at his son, he closed the book and tried to push out his thoughts. 

Nero didn’t need friends. He’d always have Vergil.

Still…

No. Vergil opened the book, if only to distract himself. So long as he was alive, his son would always be protected, friends or no friends.

***

“Nero,” Mrs. Alden said, catching his arm as the other children ran for the playground. “We talked about this. You don’t get to play today. You were not very kind to your classmates.”

“They dumb!” Nero argued. He wasn’t allowed to say stupid; Dad had said so. But he didn’t say Nero couldn’t call them dumb. 

Mrs. Alden pulled him over to a picnic table and sat him at it. “We do not call our classmates dumb. We offer to help them if they don’t understand something. Little boys who are mean to their classmates don’t get to play with them during recess.”

“I didn’t say stupid!” Nero said, a little desperately. Recess was his favorite time. He loved getting to play. He didn’t like sitting in the classroom all day. 

“No, but dumb isn’t nice either,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and fixing him with a look. “You need to choose nicer words if you want to play during recess tomorrow. Perhaps I need to talk to your dad again.”

“No,” Nero said, a little panicked. Dad said he would get angry. 

“Then be nicer,” she said. “Now, you can sit there and think about what you’ve done. In fact, here.” She placed a piece of paper and a pencil in front of him. “Why don’t you try to write me a list of kind words you can use in the future?”

She stepped away from him to watch the children on the playground, but she didn’t go far. Nero figured he was faster than her, but if he got in any more trouble, she’d call his dad and his dad would get angry. 

He picked up the pencil. What were nice words? 

He thought about it and wrote “buddy” on the paper, sounding the word out in his head to spell it. Uncle Dante called him that and it was a nice word. 

He stared at the paper, out of nice words. “Please” and “thank you” were nice words, but he didn’t think they counted. He wrote them anyway, just to fill space. Then he wrote “dumb” and beneath that, he wrote “stupid” because that’s what this assignment was. 

“Hi.”

He looked up. A girl stood before him. He hadn’t seen her before yesterday, and had heard Mrs. Alden say the girl had been sick all week.

“Hi,” he said, then looked back down at his paper.

The girl sat across the table from him. “What are you doing?”

“I gotta write nice words,” he said. “But I dunno any more.” 

“Nice words?” she asked curiously.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “‘Cause I called ‘em stupid. And dumb.”

She laughed, to his surprise. He looked up at her and she took the paper from him, looking at his writing. 

“That’s not nice,” she said, pointing to where he’d written those words. She thought for a moment. “Friend is nice.”

Nero snatched the paper back, feeling uncomfortable like he always did around the other kids. He knew he was different. He didn’t know how to be like them. They all had friends, but he couldn’t make friends, no matter how hard he tried. 

He crumpled the paper and threw it on the ground. “Stupid.”

The girl got up and picked up the paper. She sat back down and smoothed it out between them, taking Nero’s pencil. She drew a strange symbol on the paper and pushed it to Nero.

“Huh?” Nero said, staring at it. 

“Tic-tac-toe,” she said.

He furrowed his brow. Dad taught him a lot of words, but not that. “Huh?”

She giggled, and Nero felt a spark of anger for a minute. He wasn’t stupid. He didn’t know the word, but he’d learn it. She was just stupid.

“Tic-tac-toe,” she repeated. “Here, I’ll teach you. It’s a game.”

Oh. His anger dissipated. He liked games. 

The girl spent recess teaching him how to play tic-tac-toe. He wasn’t very good at it. She beat him at every single game, but she didn’t make fun of him for it. She just drew a new game and they started over. He was determined to beat her, so he was disappointed when Mrs. Alden began to call the children back from the playground to go inside.

“Play tomorrow?” she said, smiling.

“Yea!” Nero said eagerly. “I’m gonna win.”

“Gotta practice,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him and giggling at herself over it.

Nero smiled. “I’m gonna. All night. I’m gonna win tomorrow.”

He took the paper, folded it up, and tucked it in his pocket as they both got up. She looked over at him as the other kids started to approach.

“I’m Kyrie,” she said, holding her hand out.

Nero frowned at her hand. “I’m Nero.”

“You shake it,” she said, taking his hand in hers and shaking it up and down a couple times before letting it go. “My daddy taught me that.”

“Oh. Mine didn’t,” he said. He’d have to ask his dad tonight. Uncle Dante had taught him fist bump. He held his fist out to her. When she looked confused, he folded her hand into a fist and knocked them together. “Fist bump. My uncle taught me that.”

“Inside and to your seats, everyone!” Mrs. Alden said, opening the door for them. “In a neat line, please. Silent work time when we get inside. Kyrie, please come here so I can get you caught up, honey.”

“Bye, Nero!” Kyrie said, waving to him before jogging over to Mrs. Alden. 

Nero joined the line of students. He touched his pocket and smiled a little. He hadn’t liked school so far, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Text

When Vergil arrived to pick Nero up, Mrs. Alden was outside with a small group of children, Nero included. Vergil sighed as he approached.

“Nero,” he said.

“You said no stupid! Not no dumb!” Nero argued.

“He called students dumb?” Vergil guessed.

“He did,” Mrs. Alden said, shaking her head. “Behavior was a little better today, but we talked about working on being nice. I asked him to make a list of nice words, but he conveniently lost the list.”

Make a list of nice words? How foolish. 

“Come on,” he said, taking Nero’s hand. “It’ll be handled.”

“I did the list, Dad,” Nero insisted as they walked away. “I wrote ‘buddy’ and ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ on it.”

“Buddy?” Vergil looked down at him. “Why would you write that?”

“Uncle Dante calls me that. He says it nice,” Nero said, as if it were obvious. “But I couldn’t think of no more nice words.”

Had Vergil never called him a nice word? No, what a ridiculous thought. He didn’t waste time on childish pet names for his son. 

“You can’t call your classmates stupid or dumb,” Vergil said, deciding to get them back on track. “It’s just going to get you in trouble. We talked about this, Nero.”

“No, we talked about stupid,” Nero said.

Vergil considered teaching him the word smartass, then decided it wouldn’t help the situation. Besides, he didn’t need his son growing any more vulgar than he already tended to be. That was Dante’s unsophisticated way.

“Well now we’re talking about dumb. Don’t use that either,” Vergil said. 

As they passed by a bakery, Vergil realized how close Nero’s birthday was. He was relieved that at least he could kick Dante out after it.

“What do you want for your birthday?” he asked, nodding to the bakery. He allowed Nero to pick out a mini cake and a toy for each birthday, and they’d do anything reasonable that Nero wanted to do for the day, which usually meant Vergil ended up pushing him on the swings at the park for half the day.

Nero thought it over. “Chocolate. I want chocolate.”

“Alright, chocolate it’ll be,” Vergil said. “You have school on your birthday, though. You have to go.”

“What?” Nero stared up at Vergil. “I don’t wanna on my birthday.”

“Too bad,” Vergil said. 

“Dad!”

“You can play with Uncle Dante and I after. But you have to go to school. That’s part of growing up,” Vergil said. “I’ve worked on my birthday for years.” 

Nero stomped his foot angrily, but one look from Vergil kept him from whining anymore about it. Instead, he just sulked the rest of the way home.

As soon as they were inside, he went running to Dante. “Dad’s making me go to school on my birthday, Uncle Dante! Stupid!”

Dante scooped him up. “Sorry, kiddo, if I get involved in that, he’ll kick me out before your birthday. But, hey, we can play the whole night after! I’ll even get you a pizza for dinner!”

Nero pouted but put his arms around Dante’s neck. “I don’t wanna.”

“Doesn’t matter. You wanted to go to school,” Vergil said. 

“Oh!” Nero said, pushing at Dante until he set the boy down. “Dad, play tic-tac-toe with me.”

“What?” Vergil had not played that game since he was a child. He and Dante would sometimes play outside with just a stick if they got really bored, carving the game into the mud. 

“Tic-tac-toe,” Nero said. “I gotta practice.”

“Why?” Vergil felt baffled, looking to Dante. Dante shrugged helplessly to indicate he hadn’t taught Nero the game. Vergil certainly hadn’t, so how…?

“Kyrie taught me,” Nero said. “I gotta beat her, Dad.”

“Who?”

“Hey, he’s three for five! Keep him going and he’ll hit all the core W questions,” Dante said.

Nero ignored that. “Kyrie. At school. She taught me and I wanna beat her tomorrow. I said I was gonna, so I gotta.” 

“You played with a girl at school? My nephew sure does take after me,” Dante said, nudging Nero with a grin.

“Stop that. He’s four,” Vergil said. 

“And you were, like, twelve when you had him,” Dante said. “Your point?”

“You’re so immature. I was an adult,” Vergil said. “You didn’t tell me you played with anyone at school, Nero.”

Nero frowned. “I just did, Dad.”

Dante snickered, then grunted as Vergil elbowed him in the gut. “Have you played with this girl before?”

“No,” Nero said. “She was sick. But she taught me today and I gotta beat her, Dad. Help me practice!” 

Nero was playing with another child? 

He felt…odd. Thinking about it gave him mixed feelings. This was what Nero wanted. It was why the boy had wanted to go to school in the first place: to make friends. 

But he had never played with anyone besides the twins, and even Lady a few times. What if playing with another child was more fun for him? Would he want to leave to go play with her more often? Children in Fortuna often played without much supervision, since the city was considered safe and the Knights often patrolled around. 

“Dad!” Nero said impatiently.

“Fine. Homework first, then tic-tac-toe,” Vergil said, if only because he knew Nero would turn to Dante if Vergil refused. 

Nero grabbed his backpack and hurried to the kitchen without any further prompting. Dante laughed quietly.

“Kid’s got it bad,” he said.

“Stop that, Dante. He’s four,” Vergil said. “They’re children. It’s innocent. Don’t make it weird.” 

“Nah, it’s good for him. I hope he makes some friends,” Dante said. “Hopefully this girl can handle his competitiveness, though. May have gone a bit overboard instilling that, brother.” 

Vergil ignored him and got to work putting away laundry while Nero did his homework. When Nero was done, he impatiently waited for Vergil to check it over before dragging Vergil to the kitchen table and drawing a game of tic-tac-toe. 

Vergil immediately identified Nero’s problem. As usual, Nero became so focused on one thing that he didn’t realize he was dooming himself in the game.

“Nero, you have to try to set up multiple ways to win,” Vergil said, pointing at his own current victory, which he’d set up to have two routes to win. “Here, let me show you.”

He patiently walked Nero through multiple ways to set himself up to win, and how to end the game in a tie if he couldn’t manage to win. Nero’s stubborn persistence made the process slow going, but Vergil kept at it, determined to make sure his son could win at such a simple children’s game. Vergil himself had taken the game to his father for help after losing to Dante several times and-

He’d forgotten about that. 

His father had sat with him much like he now sat with his own son, teaching him winning tactics. Vergil had effortlessly beaten Dante from then on, refusing to tell his brother how he managed to get so good seemingly overnight. 

Vergil had to sit back at the memory. He looked at his own young son, the concentration on his face as he eyed the game. 

Is this how Vergil had looked in his father’s eyes? Small but determined? A young boy with his whole life ahead of him? So full of potential, but ultimately helpless for the moment, with no one to protect him but his parents? 

Vergil pictured that day once more. The fear, the pain, the smell of smoke thick in his nostrils as he screamed for his mother and brother to save him. His breath caught as the image of himself lying, bloodied, amongst the wreckage changed to that of little Nero. 

The world was such a cruel place. Nero was so young, so incapable of protecting himself. 

Vergil stood up abruptly, shaking those images from his mind desperately. “We’re done for the night. It’s getting late, and you haven’t had dinner yet.”

Nero looked up. “I wanna play more, Dad.”

“Dinner,” Vergil said, barely clinging to his patience. “You’ve gotten good enough to beat some human child at it.”

Nero smiled at the paper. “I can’t wait to beat Kyrie. Dad, maybe if I beat her, she’ll show me a new game!” 

“Maybe,” Vergil said, turning away from Nero. And maybe she would just slow Nero’s growth. Maybe he’d spend more time playing than training, just like Vergil had when his father was gone. Maybe Nero would be the next helpless son in the Sparda bloodline, screaming out for Vergil and Dante to save him as his world was destroyed right before his very eyes. 

Power was the only way to protect yourself in this world. Not friendship or school or games. 

Vergil should’ve never allowed Nero to go to school. But he’d agreed to a month, so a month it would be. Vergil couldn’t go back on his word, not if he wanted Nero to trust him. But after a month…

It was for the boy’s own good.

Chapter Text

Nero found that a friend made school fun.

When Mrs. Alden realized that Kyrie could actually tolerate Nero and his attitude, she moved the two next to each other. They were a good balance; Nero was a creative thinker while Kyrie was a logical thinker. Nero was intimidating while Kyrie was sweet and well-liked. Nero excelled physically while Kyrie excelled artistically. They challenged each other’s weaknesses nicely.

Kyrie spent lunch and recess times teaching Nero games. During free time in class, Nero taught Kyrie creative ways to use the toys around the room, especially the building blocks. When Nero got frustrated with other children, Kyrie stepped in to ease the tension. When other children tried to take advantage of Kyrie’s kindness, Nero stepped in to stop them.

And Kyrie was smart, too. She could keep up with Nero academically, and didn’t get mad if he got impatient with her. She’d just shush him while she thought over a problem she was stuck on, then beam a smile at him when she’d figured it out. She was patient with his frustration, whether it was directed at her or himself. 

Even now, they sat together in the grass during recess, flipping through a book together and taking turns playing I spy with the pictures. 

“I spy…oh! Something yellow!” Kyrie said.

“Hey, not fair,” Nero whined. “It’s all yellow.”

“No,” Kyrie said, pointing to the splashes of other colors. “Fine, I spy something yellow and square.”

Nero squinted at the picture before brightening. “A birthday present! There!”

“Yes!” Kyrie cheered, a habit Nero thought was odd. She was never disappointed when Nero beat her at something. Instead, she always seemed happy for him. 

Nero traced his finger over the present. “My dad’s gonna get me a present.”

“Your birthday is soon?” Kyrie asked curiously.

Nero nodded, pulling back his shoulders with pride. “I’m five in three days!” His dad told him that this morning when he asked. 

“Ohhh! Can I come to your party?!” Kyrie asked.

Nero frowned. “Huh?”

“Your birthday party,” Kyrie said, like it was obvious.

“My…what?”

Now Kyrie was frowning. “You don’t have a birthday party?”

“Dad gets me a treat,” he said. 

“No party? No friends and cake and presents?” Kyrie said.

“I don’t got…friends,” Nero said, tracing his finger on the present in the book again.

“Me! I’m your friend!” Kyrie said, hooking her arm through his. “Have a party. I’ll come. I’ll bring games!” 

“You will? Friends?” Nero couldn’t help the hope he felt. He wanted a friend.

Her smile was genuine. “Yes. It’ll be fun!”

“Then…okay! A party! I promise!” he said. 

She leaned against him. “Friends?”

“Friends,” he said, and his smile felt as bright as hers looked at the word.

***

Dante stuck his hands in his pockets as he waited outside the school, scanning the hair of the children running out of the building. He doubted many kids had white hair at this age.

Vergil was stuck working a job that took longer than he expected, so he’d reluctantly asked Dante to pick up Nero from school. Dante just hoped he got to meet this Kyrie girl Nero kept going on about. It seemed they played together every day at school, and Nero’s mood had been great lately.

An older woman came out with a line of children behind her. The children began to take off for parents or start down the path that led out the school gate. Nero was one of only a few standing by her side after the initial rush, looking pointedly in the spot where Vergil must usually wait for him.

Dante moved forward. “Hey, anybody see the coolest kid ever around here?”

Nero’s head snapped around. His eyes went bright, but then his joy washed away with anxiety.

“Mr. Redgrave?” the older woman asked, looking confused.

“Yes, but not the moody one you’re used to. I guess Mr. Redgrave #1 forgot to mention he has a twin brother,” Dante said, kneeling down and holding his arms out to Nero. “Your dad’s fine, kid. Just stuck at work later than he thought.”

“Dad’s okay?” Nero asked nervously. “Dad always gets me from school.”

“Sure, but he’s at work. He’s fine, just grumpy that he couldn’t come get you,” Dante said.

That seemed to reassure Nero, and he ran into Dante’s arms. Dante scooped him up, ruffling his hair. 

“Have a good day?” he asked. 

“Uh-huh!” Nero said. “I beat Kyrie at I spy.”

“Oh yea? Where is this girl?” he asked, looking around.

“She left. Her brother takes her home,” Nero said, wrapping his arms around Dante’s neck. “Dad come home for dinner?”

“No clue. I hope not; means we get to have some pizza,” Dante said, grinning. 

“Oh, you must be the uncle Nero likes to talk about!” the woman said.

“Talking about me behind my back?” Dante said, narrowing his eyes at Nero. “You better be saying the best things ever about me, kid. Or else I get pizza and you get vegetables for dinner.” 

“No!” Nero whined. “I say good things.”

The woman laughed. “He says good things, I promise. I’m Mrs. Alden, his teacher.”

Dante shook her hand, realized he had no idea if Vergil had put him down on the paperwork as Tony or Dante, and played it safe with a charming smile and a pleasant, “Nice to meet you. I’m the best uncle ever.”

“My, I’ve had twins before, but only two sets in my whole career who were so identical as you and your brother,” she said, releasing his hand. 

“I’m the handsome one,” Dante said, and liked her immediately because she gave a polite laugh at such a lame joke. 

“Well, you two are quite…different…personality-wise,” she said. 

“Ah, right, you mean my brother being a di-” He glanced at Nero and cleared his throat. “A, uh…serious person. Been that way since he was a kid. He’d need the stick surgically removed from his ass at this point. Oh, whoops, don’t tell him I said that, Nero.”

Nero frowned. “He gotted hurt at work?”

“Nah, he’s just boring,” Dante said. “Anyway, thanks for teaching this little guy. How’s he doing?” 

“Academically, he’s doing great. Socially, we’re…still working on it,” she said, raising an eyebrow at Nero, who ducked his head into Dante’s neck. “He’s managed to stop calling his classmates stupid and dumb, but idiot is a new favorite. Thankfully, he’s made friends with Kyrie, who’s quite sweet and who I think is a good influence on him.”

“Aw, kid, you’re being a bully?” Dante said. “C’mon, don’t go having your dad’s attitude towards people.”

Nero picked his head up. “But they are idiots!” 

Dante flicked him in the head. “Sounds like something a true idiot would say.”

“Nu-uh,” Nero argued, looking offended. 

“Yu-huh.” Dante stuck his tongue out at Nero.

Nero huffed and struggled until Dante set him down. He crossed his arms defiantly, but even he had to give in when Dante tugged at his ear until he’d earned a reluctant laugh and hand-swat. 

“We’ll talk to him at home,” Dante told Mrs. Alden. “It’s his first time around other kids. He’ll get better at it, I’m sure.” Dante paused and nervously added, “Uh, right? That’s something he can get better at?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Alden said, smiling kindly. “It’s one of the things we help them with. He’s not the first to come to me with little experience socializing.”

“Huh, school teaches you a lot more than I thought,” Dante said, nudging Nero. 

Nero looked at Mrs. Alden and pointed at Dante. “He didn’t go to school. Dad didn’t go to school neither.”

“Hey!” Dante said, glaring. “Jeez, I liked you better when you used to just point at things and say ‘ah’ because you didn’t know how to speak.”

Nero stuck his tongue out. “Dad told me you didn’t go to school.”

“We were homeschooled,” Dante said. “You think our parents wanted to force a whole class of kids to put up with your dad?”

Nero frowned. “His mom didn’t like him?”

Dante thought of his mother’s panicked, desperate voice calling for Vergil as the house burned around them. “Nah, kid. It was a joke. Our mom loved both of us a lot.” He forced the grin back on his face. “Someone had to. We were a pain.”

Nero took Dante’s hand in his, the frown fixed on his face. “I wanna see Dad.”

“Let’s go wait for him. Dinner’s my job, so you know what that means,” Dante said.

“Pizza!” Nero cheered. 

“And homework,” Mrs. Alden added.

Nero glared at her, winced when Dante squeezed his hand tighter, and instead gave his teacher a guilty look. “Uh-huh. Homework. I guess.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Redgrave,” Mrs. Alden said. “I’m glad to see Nero has such a supportive family. He seems very attached to you and his father.”

“Give ‘im pizza. He’ll be attached to you too,” Dante said, and flicked a half-hearted salute at her. “Nice to meet you too. I’ll probably help pick the kid up from time to time, so if you see the smiling one with good hair, that’s me. The other one is my brother.”

She laughed a little. “Understood. Goodbye, Mr. Redgrave. Goodbye, Nero. Have a nice evening.”

Dante led Nero away. The boy was quieter than usual, looking around as if he expected to see Vergil heading towards them at any moment.

“He’s fine,” Dante assured, squeezing Nero’s hand a little. “I promise. He’s just working late.”

“I know. He’s Dad. No one is stronger than Dad,” Nero said, putting on a brave face. 

“Hey, I’m right here!” Dante said. “Jeez, you’re taking a lot of shots at me today, kiddo.”

That sparked an idea in his mind to cheer Nero up. He tugged Nero along a little faster towards their favorite pizza place, not sure how long he had before Vergil returned from work. Could be hours, could be minutes. Dante had to work fast. 

They got their pizza and Dante had Nero wait outside the store as he ran in quickly to get what he needed. He hurried, knowing Vergil would kill him for leaving Nero unattended for even a few seconds. 

But thankfully, no one had kidnapped Nero (or if they had, they gave the little brat right back). He was still sitting outside, nibbling on the french fries Dante had bought for them to share.

“Better not eat them all,” Dante said, snatching a fry out of Nero’s hand. “Let’s get going.”

“What’d you buy?” Nero asked, trailing along after Dante.

“Surprise,” Dante said, winking.

They returned to the house and Dante set the pizza down. As Nero flipped the lid open to grab a slice, Dante slipped his purchase out of the bag, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

Nero winced as the dart thumped off the back of his head. He spun around, narrowing his eyes at Dante.

“Think fast,” Dante said, tossing the second dart gun to Nero.

Nero caught it clumsily. He turned it over in his hands, wincing as Dante shot him in the chest. He aimed his own gun and fired a dart, narrowly missing Dante’s head.

“Gotta be quicker than that,” Dante teased, snatching up Nero’s missed dart to add to his own ammo and shooting at Nero again. The dart hit Nero in the forehead, making the boy scowl.

But then Nero’s eyes glinted and he launched himself at Dante. He aimed high, then lowered his shot last minute and shot a dart right at Dante’s crotch.

“Hey!” Dante yelped, twisting so it hit his thigh instead. “Watch the goods, you little brat. Oh, you’re dead now, kid.”

The two ran around the house, firing darts, ducking and rolling and going for cheap shots whenever they could. Dante hit Nero more than Nero hit Dante, but Dante did take some pity and allowed the kid to get a few shots in here and there. 

Nero’s boyish laughter lifted Dante’s spirits. Nero’s face was flushed from all the activity, but his eyes were filled with joy and his smile ate up his little face.

And I thought I’d never have a family again. I’d do anything for this kid. I’d give my life for that smile.

His own sudden fierce burst of love for his nephew surprised him, but he embraced it and launched at Nero, scooping him up into his arms. Nero let out another peal of laughter, the sound music to Dante’s ears. Dante tossed him up in the air and caught him, crossing their dart guns. The pair fired aimlessly, Dante’s laughter mixing with Nero’s.

“Jackpot!” Dante cheered, feeling like a little boy himself all over again. 

It was the greatest evening Dante had enjoyed since his own childhood.

***

Vergil was exhausted as he opened the door. It was late, and he was filthy. He just wanted to shower and collapse into bed. 

A horde of demons had suddenly swarmed about in the forest. He and two others had been sent to dispatch them, and Vergil had been forced to hide the extent of his strength in front of the pathetic humans he’d been forced to work with. 

“Dad!”

He picked his head up and just managed to catch Nero as the boy launched at him. He lifted Nero, who wrapped his little arms around Vergil’s neck and curled into his hold.

“You okay, Dad?” Nero asked, looking him over.

“Fine,” Vergil said, a little surprised and unsure how to respond to such blatant concern and care. “Work just took longer than I thought. Dante picked you up on time?”

Nero nodded. “Uh-huh. He met my teacher.”

“Great,” Vergil said dryly. “And let me guess. Pizza for dinner?”

“And fries!” Nero said. “Dad, we played and it was so fun!”

Nero seemed in a fantastic mood. It soured Vergil’s own mood a little further. Nero never seemed so happy after playing with Vergil. 

“So you must be tired,” Vergil said, carrying Nero towards the living room. “You have school tomorrow. We need to get you to bed.”

Nero yawned. “Okay. But it was a lot of fun!”

“I bet,” Vergil said. He looked around the house, immediately saw things out of place, and decided to let it drop. He was too tired; at least Dante had made a half-assed attempt at cleaning up. 

“Hey Dad?” Nero asked. “Can I have a party?”

“What?” Vergil asked, feeling blindsided yet again.

“A birthday party. I promised Kyrie she could come,” Nero said.

“A…No, Nero, you can’t,” Vergil said, shaking his head.

Nero’s joy immediately disappeared. “Why not?”

“Did you just tell him he can’t have a birthday party?” Dante asked, poking his head into the room from the kitchen. 

“Yes, I did,” Vergil said. “He can’t have a birthday party.”

“Why not?” Nero repeated, frustrated tears rising in his eyes. “I want one. I promised Kyrie. I promised her, Dad!”

“Vergil-” Dante started.

“My answer is no,” Vergil said firmly. “We can’t have a human girl in the house. It’s too dangerous.”

“We lock away the weapons and let them play in the living room supervised,” Dante said, fully entering the room with his arms crossed. “C’mon, Vergil, it’s his first birthday since he made a friend. Let him have this.”

No, it wasn’t safe. Vergil could think of too many times when he and Dante had played together, their demon strength causing them to be too rough with each other. What if Nero did that with this girl? She was just a little human child. He would hurt her if his true nature slipped out, even just a little bit emerging in his excitement. Vergil had felt him grow rough during their own play.

But if he hurt a young human girl…

They’d be chased out. Nero would be in danger. 

Too many risks.

And he’d already made his decision. It would be easier to pull Nero from school if he didn’t get too attached to this child. 

Nero shoved at Vergil’s chest until Vergil set him down. Nero glared up at him, tears starting to leak onto his cheeks. 

“I promised her!” Nero snapped, clenching his fists. 

“Well, you shouldn’t have done that before you asked first,” Vergil said. “Lesson learned. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“You’re just mad ‘cause you never had friends!” Nero yelled. “And ‘cause your mom didn’t like you!”

Vergil felt like he’d been struck. Even Dante’s face paled at Nero’s words.

“Get,” Vergil said, so deadly calm it made Nero freeze up, “in the room. Now.”

Dante grabbed Nero’s hand and tugged him into the bedroom before Nero could reply. Vergil listened to the door close.

He took a deep breath; it didn’t help. He moved over to the room and reached for the handle, intending to…to…he didn’t know. He felt cold.

He looked at his own hand reaching for the handle. He blinked, and in that briefest of moments when his eyelids shut, he saw the glint of a sword as it plunged through his hand. He saw his home burning. He saw no one coming for him.

He turned away from the door, suddenly restless with energy. He needed to move. He needed to…to fight…or…

The door opened behind him. Small arms wrapped around his waist and a face pressed against his back.

“I didn’t mean it!” Nero sobbed. 

Vergil pushed the boy off himself. Nero stumbled back, looking up at Vergil with hurt eyes. He wasn’t used to rejection.

Vergil hadn’t been, either. Not until that day.

He’d called for her. Why hadn’t she saved him?

He caught sight of Dante in the doorway. Dante looked torn, putting a hand on Nero’s shoulder in comfort. 

That hand. He saw it reaching out for him. Exactly what he’d wanted that day.

Why had he rejected it when it finally came?

Life was so hard alone.

“Have the party,” Vergil said, his voice gruff. “Dante, you figure it out. I need to shower and sleep. Nero, get to bed. You have school in the morning.”

You’re just giving him more to lose.

He’s been so lonely.

Vergil’s thoughts warred inside his mind. He moved away from his son and brother, needing to be alone. He didn’t want to think, but he also couldn’t deal with a conversation with either of them right now.

He took longer in the shower than he strictly needed to, hoping Nero fell asleep before he went back down. When had his son become so vicious?

You knew he wouldn’t love you forever. You knew he’d see through you someday.

Vergil shut the water off angrily.

He dried off and changed into pajamas. He stared at himself in the mirror and roughly pushed his hair back when he only saw Dante’s face looking back at him. 

Nothing had ever truly been Vergil’s. Not even his own face.

Vergil went downstairs. Dante had made himself scarce, the first sensible thing he’d done in recent memory.

Vergil went into the room quietly and slipped into the bed. He went rigid as the usual warmth spread along his back.

“Do you hate me?” Nero asked quietly.

“No,” Vergil said, afraid to know the answer if he were to ask. “Go to sleep.”

“I just didn’t wanna break my promise,” Nero said. “She’s my friend. She said so.”

“I know. Sleep.”

“I didn’t mean it, Dad. Dante said it was really mean to say and that it’s not true. I’m sorry.”

It was an awful lot of talking for Nero. He seemed to talk much more since starting school. 

“Nero,” Vergil said, clutching his own hand to his chest as it throbbed in phantom pain. “Sleep.”

Nero fell silent, but didn’t move away from Vergil. Vergil listened until Nero’s breathing evened out with sleep.

He turned carefully in the bed so that he was facing Nero. He reached out, running his throbbing hand through Nero’s hair until the pain faded. He stared at his hand tangled in Nero’s hair; the skin was smooth. Not even a scar from that day.

He was getting it all wrong. But he didn’t know how to get it right. 

“You always get in your own way, Vergil,” his father had once told him while they trained. He hadn’t understood at the time, but he did now.

His father had certainly been a much wiser parent than he was. Nero deserved a better father, and Sparda deserved a better son. Vergil never could seem to get things right.

He kept running his hand through Nero’s hair, reassuring himself that Nero was still here, that Nero still cared whether Vergil loved him or not. It meant that, maybe, just maybe, he still loved Vergil.

Nero deserved so much better than Vergil. But Vergil was all he had, so they’d have to find a way to make do as long as they could.