Work Text:
“Hey, wait,” Dante said, looking up at the sign, “this isn’t a new cafe!”
“We can get treats afterwards,” Patty said, attempting to push the man inside and failing. “No come on!”
“Why don’t you drag someone else along,” he grumbled, “Do I look like someone interested in little girl’s fashion?”
Patty put her hands on her hips and declared, “This store was wanting to do a special daddy daughter fashion line in preparation for the annual father daughter dance!”
“I’m not your dad,” Dante pointed out.
“Obviously,” Patty said, “but it’s not like I have anyone else who could fit the bill.”
“Morrison.”
“If I wanted to do grandpa granddaughter dance! Besides, he told me his modelling career was long over…”
“Well I don’t want mine to start!”
“It is a paid gig,” Patty said, “I was wanting a dress from the line for my own purposes, but I could try to get you to have some sort of compensation… And Lady was pretty insistent in that voicemail about you paying her back something…”
Dante thought back to that phone call. She had been uptight about something… Patty didn’t have the full picture, but she wasn’t wrong that Dante should find something to appease the woman. “Damnit,” he muttered, after a moment of consideration, and pushed the door open.
Inside he was greeted by a clearly eccentric man from his loud shirt to the chains on his glasses, although Dante supposed he wasn’t exactly the picture of normal either. At least he didn’t stare at people.
“What?” Dante asked.
“Miss Lowell,” the man said, “You weren’t lying. This man has the face of an angel!”
“I told you so,” Patty said, “I have an eye for these things! But don’t let his looks fool you, he’s sort of prickly.”
“Prickly?” Dante questioned.
“And he wants some sort of payment as well.”
“That wasn’t the deal Miss Lowell,” the man said.
“Yeah? Well cut a new one! I’m sure you can come up with something!”
The man sized up Dante again and then said, “Okay, I’ll think of something while we finish your shoot.”
To Dante’s surprise, the clothes were actually not bad. The suits were a little out there, but still masculine, free of the bows and frills the dresses had. The first suit, a deep red one with pin stripes of a darker red complimented Patty’s own red dress quite well, was one he would actually consider wearing, if he ever needed a suit.
“Excellent!” the photographer said, “Come over here, and pose like so!”
The poses and subsequent outfits were all easy things to do. Holding a dance frame, an affectionate hug, Patty standing on his feet.
For a moment, Dante let his mind wander to if he would ever go to a father daughter dance if he actually had a daughter. Patty felt more like a little sister than a daughter, or at least, he would hope no fathers treated their children like he treated her. It wasn't that he didn’t care for her, it was the opposite, he knew he cared for her too much. So far there were only two humans close to him that avoided a terrible fate, and of those two, only one of them would be someone he had more than a warm, but professional relationship with.
Ultimately, it was best for Patty if she returned to her world, even if he might miss her.
Soon enough they were done with the clothes, and Patty needed to get home. As she waved her goodbyes, her mother at the front of the store thanking Dante and the photographer, Dante saw a stack of calendars at the desk of the photographer. They appeared to be firemen all wearing very few clothes, there was another that seemed to be nurses in similar scant clothing. The nurse one had been worth looking closer at, but the man caught Dante’s glance.
“Oh ah,” the man said, “Don’t mind that! That’s just a very separate photography gig. I was about to deliver them to the charity.”
“You make sexy calendars?” Dante asked, an idea coming to him.
“These are for charities,” the photographer tried to excuse.
“Do they make money?”
“Well… yes… Sex sells, you know.”
Oh, Dante knew. “Here, since I was wanting some payment, you think you could run a shoot like that in my office?”
“You want me to make you a sexy calendar?”
“Yeah,” Dante said, “why? Don’t think it’ll sell?”
The photographer sized him up and then nodded. “It would sell… but what is it you do exactly?”
“I’m a private investigator," he replied. “Figured this might be some good advertising. Show that I’m totally transparent…”
“And you haven’t done modelling before?”
“Just today.”
He nodded, and they made plans for when he would come by the office.
…
Lady opened the doors of Devil May Cry to see Dante sitting at his desk, grinning as he flipped through some photos.
“Why are you so happy?” Lady asked in lieu of a greeting. She hadn’t heard from him in a bit, hence why she had sent the rather aggressive voicemail.
After a moment longer of looking at the pictures, Dante said, “I just found a way to make you happy.”
“You’re paying something off your debt?”
“Something like that,” Dante said, and Lady came around to see the photos. She blinked and held one up. It was of him and Patty in matching outfits apparently dancing in a themed studio.
“These are cute, but are you modeling full time?”
“Oh, no, the Patty ones are the ones that I was paid for.”
“Okay?”
“This,” Dante said, holding up the calendar, “is what I was paid with.”
Lady looked at it, and then snatched it from his hands.
The cover was innocent enough, except… She swallowed. He knew how good he looked in just that vest and undershirt, his hands laced on the desk, staring down the camera. How many times had she been on the other end of that stare before--
She flipped open to January. There, in just a jacket, similar to his look when he’d met her, was Dante lounging on his couch. The coat just barely covered anything, leaving his chest on broad display. He’d had an impressive physique back then, but it had only gotten better with age.
February had him reaching for a plate of chocolate covered strawberries while a bottle of wine conveniently covered--
March was just a normal scene in the office except Rebellion was the one preserving his modesty.
April had him looking back at the camera over his shoulder, adjusting his gloves. His gloves being the only clothing he wore and his backside obscured by a chair.
May was the most dressed version of him yet, in a tight button up shirt, buttons undone to reveal his neck and a hint of his chest. He wore well fitted pants, and was sitting on his couch like he normally did. Looking at the camera like he was looking at her right now.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of selling this,” Lady said, anger burning at the mere thought.
“Why ever not?”
“Because!” she declared, “this is indecent! What will happen to what’s left of your reputation?”
“I have a reputation?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Dante, you know what I mean.”
“I really don't, Lady. The photographer thought these would sell really well.”
“Are you okay with perverts owning these pictures?” she asked.
“Perverts?”
“Stop playing dumb, there’s only one reason someone would buy this sort of calendar, it’s the same reason you buy all those girly mags!”
“You really think so?” he asked.
“I know so!”
“How do you know? Are you a pervert?”
Lady came up to his desk and slammed her hand down. She glared at him, practically nose to nose.
“This is about that debt,” she said, “Because I asked you to pay it back.”
“Yes,” Dante said, “I already told you that.”
“I’d rather you sell a calendar of me than you.”
“Really?” he asked, perking up.
Lady didn’t know exactly why the words tumbled out of her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back. She did mean them.
“You’d do that right now?”
“You want to take nude pictures of me right now?” she asked. “If it’s between that and you selling that to other people, obviously, it’s not like I’ve never done modelling.”
She’d never done nude modeling, but--
“Who said I was selling to other people?” he asked, leaning even closer. Lady didn’t retreat.
“You did!”
“No… I just said I’d use this to pay back my debt… to you.” He grinned, and Lady grabbed him by his collar.
“You infuriating man!” she exclaimed.
“So, you like it?”
“This is the only copy?” she clarified.
He nodded.
She released his collar, and took up the calendar, flipping through it again. After a moment of letting her eyes feast she said, “If this is the only one… I suppose I can take this as payment…”
“So I won’t be receiving a Lady calendar of my own?” he asked in the picture of innocence.
“Mmm…” she said, closing the calendar and turning back to him. “I don’t see a camera… maybe you can make a mental one.”
The raunchy calendar was forgotten for the moment as the two met in a passionate embrace.