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Nico and Dante stared down at a very… feline Nero. Nero glared back, his ear twitching aggressively.
“So you just found him like this?” Dante asked.
“Yup!” Nico said. “Have you ever seen this before?”
“Uh… once or twice,” Dante admitted, “One second I need to call Lady.”
“Why Lady?”
“She was able to help last time.”
Nico agreed and tried to pet Nero. He hissed at her, tail fluffing up.
“Oh don’t go all fluffy tail on me puddy tat,” Nico complained, “I’m trying to pet you.”
Dante returned and said, “She’s… on her way apparently.”
He crouched to look at his nephew. “Aw… I think he should stay like this.”
“I was telling him. I’m sure Kyrie wouldn’t mind. He’s probably about as prickly like this as he is as a human. I need him to change back though.”
“Nero, you want a dish of milk?”
Nero hissed again and hid under the couch.
Dante sighed and turned to Nico. “So, you got any new toys you working on?”
Nico smiled broadly. “I do actually! Well, except they aren’t toys, but art, you understand?” WIthout waiting for Dante to respond, she continued with, “but I’ve been trying to combine a gun and a sword… but in a way that doesn’t make it just a novelty.”
“A gun… and a sword?”
“The issue I’m running into is that bayonets already exist, but that’s a gun with a sword on it.”
“I’m sure you’ll crack it,” Dante said, “In fact, I should put you in contact with Patty, she’s got some internship with blackrock or somewhere. I’m sure they got crazy stuff going on.”
Before they could talk much more, the door burst open, revealing a very tipsy Lady.
“Where’s the cat?” she asked, only slurring a little.
“You mean my nephew?” he asked.
“C’mere kitty kitty,” Lady crooned, zeroing in on the fact Nero was hiding under the couch. She reached under there and pulled out a grenade. “I was wondering where this went…” She tossed it carelessly aside, and then started to cat whisper again. “C’mon little handsome man. Let me pet you!”
Rather forcefully, she yanked Nero out by the scruff. He hissed and spat, but Lady didn’t seem to notice. She hugged him forcefully to her body and pet him delicately. “I don’t want him to change back Dante…”
“That’s what I was saying,” Dante said.
“As cute as he is at the moment,” Nico started, “I sort of need him to kill demons and get me stuff to make into art.”
“Fine…” Lady said, and pulled Nero up to kiss his forehead. Only for nothing to happen.
“Whaa--?” Nico started, but Dante stopped her.
Lady frowned and tried it again. Nero was thrashing pretty wildly at that point, and twisted out of Lady’s arms. “Come back Nyaro!” she cried, “It’s okay!”
“What was that?” Nico exclaimed, “I will have to tell Kyrie that Lady just molested Nero!”
“Nyaro!” Lady insisted and then pouted.
“It worked last time,” Dante defended.
“And what happened last time?”
“Dante got turned into a cat and me kissing him turned him back into a human,” Lady explained, coming over to drape herself over said man.
“Guess we now know it’s not Lady’s kisses that did it…” Dante said, and then glanced to Lady. “Hey Babe, you got any ideas?”
“Hmm?” she asked.
“How much did you drink?” he asked.
She just smiled and giggled a little.
Dante couldn’t help but mirror her, forgetting the problem at hand.
“Maybe it just wears off after a certain amount of time,” Nico postulated, “Or… maybe it was the kiss, but there was some other quality it needed…”
“Like the princess and frog…” Lady added.
“But you’re not a princess,” Nico reasoned.
Lady stuck out her tongue.
A thought tickled at Dante’s mind. “Lady, would you say you love me?”
“You’re silly,” Lady said, booping his nose. “Of course I do. Just don’t tell Dante.”
“And how do you feel about Nero?”
“He’s a good kid.”
“But do you love him?”
“Dante!” she said astonished, “I’m not into younger guys.”
“There you have it,” Dante said to Nico. “It must be because of love.”
“I guess he’s stuck like this until we get back to Fortuna then,” Nico said.
“Well… wait now, who says it needs to be that sort of love?”
Nico looked meaningfully at Lady. Dante ignored the insinuation. “I love the kid, so I might as well try.”
“You love Nero? As his best friend I think I love him more! You didn’t even tell him you were his uncle until just a year ago!”
“I had my reasons,” Dante insisted, “I guess, whoever catches him can try to break the curse.”
Nero tried to make a break for the door, but Nico shut it. Dante sat Lady down in his chair, where she fell over his desk, resting her head on her hands to watch the scene with amusement.
“Nero, it’s worth a try!” Nico tried to reason.
“I won’t like it anymore than you, kid,” Dante said.
“I’ll tell Kyrie Lady kissed you!” Nico threatened.
“Nico’s got cigarette breath,” Dante said.
Eventually Lady somehow got up from the chair and ambushed a hissing and fluffy tailed Nero. “Shhh…” she said, and then glanced between the rapidly healing clawed Dante and the out of breath Nico. “Hmmm…”
“I’ll pay back some of my debt,” Dante offered.
“I’ll upgrade Kalina Ann II,” Nico said, “for free.”
“Really?” Lady asked, and held out Nero to her.
Nico leaned in, only narrowly avoiding Nero’s swipes.
“Chill out, Nyaro,” Nico hissed, “I do this and then we forget about it, deal?”
He eyed her, panting slightly, but Nico seized the opportunity. She kissed his head and in a flash, Nero was naked in Lady’s arms.
“I guess evens even,” Nico commented, and Nero scrambled out of Lady’s arms, his cheeks bright red.
“Aw, no more Nyaro,” Lady complained, “Dante, get me another cat!”
Dante tossed Nero his jacket, and Nico sighed. “I’ll go get your clothes.”
Nero put on the jacket, avoiding everyone’s eyes.
“Kid you look like a flasher,” Dante laughed.
The younger devil hunter was too embarrassed to move.
“Don’t worry, I doubt Lady is going to remember this,” Dante continued, “Although you might want to clean that lipstick off.”
Nero checked his reflection in the window, seeing the lipstick marks all over his face.
“Think of them as auntie kisses,” Dante comforted.
“Is she my aunt?” Nero asked.
“I’m too young to be an auntie,” Lady complained.
“How old are you?” Nero (unwisely) asked.
“You’d be a hot auntie,” Dante commented over Nero’s question.
“I’d rather be a MILF…” Lady grumbled.
At that Dante blushed. Nero’s eyes went wide. Lady didn’t seem to realize what she had said.
Nico entered to everyone red in the face (Lady was flushed from the alcohol consumption) and asked, “Now what did I miss?” Nero was about to open his mouth when Nico interrupted him, “never mind, I don’t want to know. I’m sure we’re all scarred from tonight. Here’s your clothes.”
“Thanks,” Nero said meekly.
Nero went into the bathroom to change. “So… free upgrade to Kalina Ann II?” Lady asked.
“You betcha!” Nico said, as a side bar, she whispered to Dante, “Are you sure she won’t remember?”
“I just said that to make Nero feel better.”
“Dante…” Lady crooned and Dante looked over to see her trying to take off her top, “Did you not pay for the AC? It’s too hot in here…”
Nico watched the situation with some amusement, and yelled at Nero, “What’s taking you so long?”
“Spardasake,” Nero swore, “give me a second.”
Nico rolled her eyes. “He’s such a princess,” she commented.
“He’s our princess though, right?” Dante asked.
With a begrudging smile, Nico replied, “I guess so.”
