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Nero had been quite surprised at the knowledge that not only did he have an aunt, but now a cousin on the way.
He'd not known what to think and had been even less pleased to know he had more family no one had bothered to tell him about. Though Lady hadn't known she was pregnant until after Dante was in the demon world.
She'd been a bit pissed Dante up and disappeared but didn't blame him. Just cited his consistent horrible timing and historically abysmal luck when asked her opinion. Trish had just laughed and nodded along.
Nero simply asked if they really trusted Dante to raise a kid, I mean had they met the guy? Dante didn't care about anything and refused to pay his bills. Now they trusted him to be a dad? Sure it wasn’t planned but neither woman seemed unsure about how he’d handle it.
Trish had just smiled with a knowing look in her eyes before promising that he'd see. Lady had simply chuckled and told him Dante would do fine.
Nero was dubious but he wasn't about to argue with them, especially not Lady.
And when his cousin was brought into the world he'd been there. Kyrie had helped deliver the baby while he, Patty, and Morrison waited downstairs. It was nerve-wracking and Patty had been pacing the floor.
He'd not even know about the young lady until a few months ago. She was perhaps more excited than anyone else, but she was also the most stressed. Thankfully however, it didn't take nearly as long as they thought it would.
Nero had heard the crying before Kyrie even appeared at the landing. She was smiling ear to ear as she said everyone was good and the girl was born.
Patty had whooped loudly, crowing that she'd known it would be a girl. Nero couldn't help his own smile, and Morrison too seemed just as happy.
Kyrie promised they'd get to see her in a bit, but everyone needed to get cleaned up. And true to her words it wasn't long before they were invited upstairs and into what was Dante’s room.
The room itself had been fixed up and cleaned. Lady was sat up in bed, a bundle held to her chest which she couldn't seem to look away from. Patty bounded in and came skidding to a stop next to the bed.
She sniffled and started rubbing at her eyes as she looked down at the baby. Nero came to stand behind her and joined in. The dusting of white hair was distinct, and when the baby's eyes opened the distinct Sparda blue was impossible to miss. However to match her mother her left eye was red.
“She's perfect.” Lady murmured.
Her voice shook slightly, and Nero thinks it's the second time he's ever heard her being anything other than flat or angry.
“What's her name?” Patty asked, going back to all but bouncing in place.
“Evie Ann Redgrave.”
Nero blinked, slightly taken aback as he thought of the picture on Dante's desk. He'd asked about it and why the woman had looked so much like Trish. The demoness had been the one to explain that it was Eva, Dante and Vergil's mother. The woman she'd been made in the image of.
Patty blinked away tears as she chuckled.
“Dante is going to cry.”
Lady scoffed and pulled Evie closer to her chest. “He better or I'm going to shoot him. I could have named her Kalina Ann the third.”
oO0Oo
Upon entering the shop Dante wasn't sure exactly what he was expecting. Maybe a welcome home or more likely no power, water, or gas. Instead the lights were on and the first thing he saw was Nero on the couch holding a baby.
“Shit how long were we gone that you went and had a kid?!” Dante all but yelped in surprise.
Nero blinked up at him and Vergil who was looming behind him with an equal look of shock on his face. Trish appeared from down the hall and came to a stop in front of his desk.
“Oh she's not mine.” Nero said abruptly as he stood and walked over.
“What?” Dante asked, confused and not quite following.
Without any more prompting the baby was deposited in his arms, and he tried and failed to find words. Why the hell was this child just given to him? He blinked down at the baby confused, before he froze as mismatched eyes blinked up at him.
He blue screened as his brain emptied completely of thought.
Vergil blinked down at the child before his own eyes widened. He looked between his brother and the baby, then back up to Nero and Trish.
The demoness took a few steps forward with a smile on her face. “That is Evie.”
Dante made a noise in the back of his throat and blinked hard as he tried to stop the tears that immediately gathered in his eyes. Vergil blinked a few times himself before looking up to see Nero being directed back towards the other woman. The elder hybrid took a few steps further away himself.
Dante traced a finger over her face before shuffling her slightly to bring her further up his chest. From there he inhaled deeply, seemingly leaning her scent before a deep purr rumbled from him.
Lady came down the stairs then as she took in the scene before swooping in and snatching the girl from Dante's arms. In return the hybrid whined displeased and perhaps almost panicked, but Lady just tisked at him.
“Nope shower, you're not holding my child while covered in whatever demon world gunk.”
Dante all but disappeared from the spot and Lady hummed to herself pleased. Vergil went back to looking at the child and did his best to ignore the rest of the eyes in the room boring into him.
“You too after him. I'm not taking chances.” Lady told the elder twin.
Vergil didn't respond and she didn't push, but either way it was clear that was more of an order than a suggestion.
That was his niece, he had a niece one his brother hadn't had a clue about clearly. He could have…. Vergil shook himself before finally asking what they were originally going to.
“How long have we been gone?”
“Seven months round about.” Trish answered.
“And the child…”
“Almost a month old.” Lady answered as she repositioned the girl in her hold.
It didn't take long before Dante was back and he hovered nearly on top of Lady. The woman huffed and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Do you want to hold her again?”
The hybrid nodded quickly and the baby was deposited once more in his grasp. He went back to just staring at the girl in awe. Trish stepped forward to move next to Lady, but a growl stopped her dead.
Dante glared at her as he hunched slightly over his nestling. Trish pointedly looked away and took measured steps backwards and away from him.
Her mistake, she knew better and could all but hear his swirling thoughts. ‘Too close, threat. Must keep nestling safe. Safe from demon, from trophy who may try to harm nestling in retaliation.’
“Uhhh.” Nero started confused, but Trish just shook her head pointedly. It would do no good to chance working the man up, he was already on edge and she wasn't going to take chances.
Lady corralled him to the couch thankfully as she took the pointed glance from the demoness. The two of them had many years of practice dealing with the hybrid and it came in handy during times like this.
Trish made sure to keep her distance, placing herself on the other side of the room. Nero joined her utterly lost.
“Why did he growl at you?”
“Because that's his nestling. I'm simply a possession, one who isn't welcomed close to the girl right now. It shouldn't be an issue by tomorrow. Besides, it was my mistake, I knew not to get that close.”
“Is that why you pulled me back?” Nero questioned. “Because you knew he would react like that to us?”
Trish shrugged. “I'm not sure about you or Vergil but it's definitely possible. He just got a whole heap of new instincts thrust upon him, it's to be expected.”
Vergil lingered close enough to hear but not close enough to participate in the conversation. Instead his focus remained on his brother who was enraptured by the girl in his arms.
He stared at the child like she was the most important and amazing thing in the universe. Though perhaps she was now, at least to his brother. Lady watched them both with clear affection in her gaze. What that woman saw in his brother was lost on him, but clearly she saw something.
He couldn't say he was particularly surprised by the knowledge of his brother and Arkham's daughter being together. The fact a child came from it however? He'd have thought that would have happened much sooner if it was ever going to at all. But apparently not, because Dante now had a daughter that wasn't even a month old.
Throughout the rest of the evening Dante hadn't strayed from Evie, and when he couldn't hold her he hovered close by. Lady never blinked or asked for space when she had to feed or change her. Instead having Dante help where he could. According to Lady he had a lot of time to make up for.
And Dante for his part seemed thrilled to do just that. To help and be useful, but most importantly to care for his child.
Vergil had taken a shower at some point, and when he'd come back out he'd been greeted with the sight of Dante splayed out on a couch.
Dante was laid out on his back. His feet hung over the edge with pillows under his back to make him sit up slightly. Evie was curled up asleep on his chest. His low purr filled the room and in the chair next to him Lady sat watching.
His brother's gaze still hasn't strayed from the nestling. Vergil didn't know it was even possible for Dante to stay quiet this long.
Eventually however it was time for bed, and Vergil for one was exhausted. Though the excitement of the child had been enough for him not to immediately crash at the shop.
Dante hadn't been pleased that Evie needed to be put to bed, but Lady was unmoved by the puppy eyes he shot her.
“I have a schedule and I don't care if you just got back, you're not messing it up. You'll see her in the morning.”
Dante just whined as he followed the two upstairs.
It was little surprised neither of the twins awoke multiple times that night to the baby's crying. They were both too tired, even with Dante's intense new instincts weren't enough to override the exhaustion.
By the time morning came Evie was crying again, only this time Lady was having no luck soothing the girl. But before she could start banging her head against a wall Dante seemed to appear out of thin air.
Nero only just stopped himself from startling, but Lady didn't blink instead she sighed and turned to face him.
“You know what? Sure, you try because I'm not having any luck.”
She deposited the girl in his arms. Dante took Evie easily before a deep rumbling purr sounded from him. The crying girl just blinked up at him with mismatched eyes that glistened with tears. He just rocked her slightly before holding her even closer.
And like magic, she quickly stopped crying.
Lady and Trish just blinked at him in surprise and even Nero was left baffled.
“I hate you.” Lady huffed.
“If you did you wouldn't have had this angel.” Dante shot right back.
Trish laughed then. “Oh so we have our normal Dante back. Are you going to growl at me again?”
The man winced. “No, I'm sorry I didn't mean to.”
The demoness simply patted him on the shoulder. “I know big guy. Besides I'd be concerned if that wasn't your reaction. Wanting to protect your nestling is the correct response.”
Vergil appeared just a few minutes later and hovered some feet away. Dante just grinned widely at him and shuffled closer.
“Looks like you're not the only Dad now. Means I get to prove I'm better at that too.”
Vergil just huffed at him unamused. Though it did little to quell his younger brother's mischief. The two sniped back and forth for a while until Dante got distracted again as he was one to do.
Trish had jumped at another opportunity.
“Oh I have a picture I need to show you!” Trish gushed as she fished out her phone.
Dante blinked back at her as she held up her phone. On it was a picture of Lady sprawled out on the couch, Evie on top of her in a parallel of Dante's position last night. Though instead of curled up the girl was sprawled across her mother in a hilariously reminiscent way of Dante.
Dante snorted as he looked down at the girl in his arms. “You already take after me huh?”
The girl just babbled up at him and smiled. Dante felt his heart melt at the sight. He knew then without a doubt he'd burn the world to the ground for her. Just as he would for Lady, Trish, and the rest of his family. However there was undeniably something different about the feelings and affection he held for the girl in his arms.
Lady from her place sitting on Dante's desk could only continue to watch them. As much as she loathed to admit it, she really did love the bastard. He was right they wouldn't have that angel if that wasn't the case. And Dante despite being a disaster of a human being, was a wonderful man.
Those crystal blue eyes and dazzling smile was something she loved to see. Now her daughter would have the same, a gift for the world so now there would be more of this man she adored. Hell, maybe she'd give him another… no no she couldn't think like that.
She shook herself but her eyes couldn't stray from the pair. Trish sauntered up next to her and just gave her a knowing grin. Lady simply flipped her off, the demoness could keep her mouth shut; she didn't need to hear what she already knew.
After all, if Lady hadn't been so smitten, she wouldn't have stuck around so long. And she definitely wouldn't have had a kid, of all things, with the fool. But he was her fool and Lady wouldn't want to change that for the world.