Archive of Our Own

Nero gently opened the door to Devil May Cry, listening for any sounds within. Hearing nothing, he entered. 

The mission was simple: slip in, grab what he came for, and get out. He had been looking for his wallet for weeks and this was the only place he hadn’t searched yet. While he was tempted to just say “fuck it” and get new cards, the thought of having to go to the DMV just because his father was an asshole, pissed him off even more. Vergil should be the one avoiding him, not the other way around.

Nero usually wasn’t the type to sneak around, much prefered to face things head first. Or, more often, fist first. Tonight though, he just didn’t want to deal with either Vergil or Dante’s bullshit. His family’s bullshit. Jesus Christ, as if they were anything like a family. 

Despite his misgivings, Nero had tried to connect with Vergil multiple times since the twins got back from Hell. After, of course, a good bitching at Dante for not telling Nero that he knew they were related the fucking whole time. Nero had always suspected they were (hoped really) but just never found the right time to ask. Well, never found the courage was probably more like it. 

There had been plenty of times he could have asked: midnights spent at dinners after a hunter when the conversation drifted to Nero’s childhood with the order, long drives in the van when Dante decided Nero needed help on a mission, hell, Dante had even been over for family dinners cooked by Kyrie a few times over the years and had stayed late, chatting with Nero and Kyrie over coffee. Dante had been distant the first two years of knowing each other, but he eventually gave into Nero’s persistence in carving out something of a relationship. Even as they grew closer though, moved from strangers to enemies to reluctant allies to colleagues to something close to a friend, Dante never broached the subject of Nero’s parentage.

So Nero had put it out of his mind the best he could, assumed that they might have some distant relation, but that it was so far back that Dante knew nothing about it. So yeah, safe to say he was more than a little ticked off to find out that Dante had known since the day they met and just never bothered to tell him. If Dante had been more distant since he returned, well that was probably just from the shame of lying to Nero for so many years.

Dante had been pushing Vergil and Nero to take missions together, no doubt trying to encourage some father-son bonding. Vergil always managed to worm his way out of them though and Nero was often left either doing them alone, or with Dante. That was fine with him generally, even if the devil hunter was obnoxious, Nero actually liked Dante’s presence. Not that he would ever admit it to the man, no need to inflate his ego even more. 

Then, last month, for who knows what reason, Vergil had actually agreed to a hunt with Nero. No arguing, no sidestepping, just a considered pause and then a drawn out “I will go.” They were sent to investigate a potential rogue vampire that had turned out to be a whole damned nest of them and it ended up taking several days to clean out the place. 

ONE MONTH AGO

“So, how have you found the human world?” Nero asked as he pulled Red queen from the skull of a dead vampire. He and Vergil were slightly out of breath and covered in blood, but otherwise it had been a fairly easy hunt, if time consuming mission. 

“It has been fine.” Vergil replied, whipping Yamato to fling excess blood from her blade. A thin splash of blood arced through the air and landed just a few inches off from Nero’s boots. 

“Found any new hobbies?” Besides trying to take over the world, Nero didn’t add. 

“Yes.” 

“Wanna share?” Nero tried. Vergil took out a cloth from his jacket pocket and began cleaning his blade. 

“No.” He didn’t even look up at Nero. 

Nero hadn’t exactly expected the trip would lead to them having a heart to heart, but found himself increasingly more annoyed by Vergil’s terse responses. This is how it had been all week. Nero, trying to ask questions, get to know the man who was apparently his father, and Vergil shutting each conversation down. Needless to say, the “bonding time” was not going well. He had accidentally called Vergil “Dad” at one point while trying to warn him in the middle of a fight. It had distracted Vergil enough that his body froze and he whipped his head around to pierce Nero with an unreadable look. Which of course, led to the vampire that Nero had been trying to warn Vergil about, tearing razor sharp claws through his forearm. Vergil had stabbed the creature with decidedly more force than necessary. Yeah, no way in hell was Nero ever calling him that again. 

“Been getting along better with Dante?” Nero tried. This finally earned his father’s gaze. Of course that would be what got Vergil’s attention. He only ever seemed interested in the conversation when Dante came up.

“Yes,” Vergil said, smirking ever so slightly. Well, Nero supposed, anything better than trying to kill each other was an improvement, so it wasn’t that hard. The pair still argued constantly, each one always seemed to be trying to get a raise out of the other, but it felt more like friendly bickering than fueled by any actual hatred. 

“Glad to hear it.” Nero said, looking away and trying to clean his own sword with the hem of his shirt. He ended up only managing to leave a larger streak of blood across himself, making more of a mess than before. 

“You seem quite fond of Dante.” This drew Nero’s gaze back up. It was probably the first time Vergil had ever tried to initiate any form of conversation. 

“Uh, I don’t know, he’s fine.” Nero could feel his face getting hot. He didn’t know why he found it so embarrassing to talk about how he felt about the hunter. He looked up to Dante, admired him more than he would ever admit. Hell, he had almost teared up when Dante had shown up unannounced at his house one day, hauling the mobile Devil May Cry sign for his van. Nero took one look at the sign leaning against the car and had to go back inside to splash water in his face before he could actually talk to Dante about it.

“Rather more than fine from your expression.” Vergil continued to smirk. It was one of three expressions Nero had ever seen on the man - blank, smirking, and irritated.

“I mean, he’s a good guy. He’s looked out for me more than he had to, even if he is a dick and decided to not tell me jack shit for five years.”

“My brother is a good man.” Vergil agreed. Nero was even more surprised. Vergil complementing Dante? Was this real life? “He cares far more than he would ever say.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Nero was at a loss. As much as Dante had been there for him, he knew very little about the man. Dante was certainly friendlier than his twin, but hardly more willing to talk about himself. 

“You hoped for him to be your father.” Vergil stated, his face slipping back to its usual state of unreadable blankness. Just as Nero’s blush had begun to fade, it came back in full force. What Vergil had said-- it wasn’t something he had ever admitted to outloud. Kyrie knew because Kyrie knew everything, but it was something he had barely even let himself think, let alone tell someone. Let alone tell Vergil. 

“I-” Nero couldn’t deny it, but also couldn’t confess to it.

“I am not Dante and will never have his role in your life.” Veril continued, voice level, “I will never be the father you wished him to be. We will never be as close as you are with him.” 

Nero felt his neck grow hot for a very different reason now. He got that Vergil wasn’t interested in being his father, it was obvious in everything that Vergil did, but to say it completely unprompted was just insulting.

“I never asked you to be my father,” Nero ground out, “it’s way too late for that anyway. I’m not asking for us to hold hands and skip into the sunset. I’m just trying to get to know the only family I have left.”

“And these are things you should know about me.”

“I know you don’t give a shit about me, you’ve done a pretty good job at making that obvious. I just want some form of relationship closer than strangers. Hell, I’d be happy with the kind you have with Dante!” Even if Vergil was constantly annoyed by his twin, there was still some loyalty at least, some tiny bit of fondness even if it was usually masked by irritation. Nero could settle for that, even the smallest bit of warmth coupled with the intense urge to stab each other. It would be better than the indifference with which Vergil treated him now anyway.

“I will never care about you the way I care about Dante.” Vergil said levely. 

Wow. So Vergil didn’t even like Nero as much as he liked the twin brother he tried to murder on a regular basis. Great. 

“I’m not asking you to care, I’m just asking to show a little interest. You obviously try with Dante even if you don’t get along, why not me?"

“And I am telling you that the interest I have in you and the interest I have in Dante are disparate. I do not wish to compare our relationship to what I have with Dante, it would be highly unproductive. What I feel toward the two of you is entirely different.” 

“Okay, I get it, you can stop. You don’t give a shit about me and you never will. I got the fucking picture okay? If you’re gonna just tell me that to my face, say it straight man.” Nero found himself wishing they had had this conversation before the hunt so at least he would still have something to kill. Or, better yet, just never had it in the first place. 

“That is not what I said because that is not what I mean. I am merely trying to help you understand me.”

“I get the message loud and clear, don’t worry.” Nero turned around, ready to walk away from this conversation. He started to leave the room before remembering that they had come there together via Yamato and Nero neither knew where he was nor had the money to get home. Nero stomped back into the room. “Are we going or what?”

Vergil took a moment to consider his son, sweeping his eyes over him. Nero found himself wishing he was six inches taller and not wearing something covered in demon guts.

“I do still wish to continue this conversation, but it is clear that you have no intention to listen to me. Very well, I shall bring you home.” And with that, Vergil slashed the air, revealing Nero’s house just beyond it.

“Thanks,” Nero grumbled out of habit more than appreciation as he stepped through. Time for a long bath and some comforting words from Kyrie. He was looking forward to cuddling up to the best person he knew and not thinking about anything related to demons, distant uncles, or asshole dead-beat fathers.

PRESENT DAY

Well, Nero searched the couch cushions, both bathrooms, the kitchen, and even the guest room he had only stayed in a few times, all before Vergil started living there. It was Vergil’s room now, he guessed, though it looked almost exactly the same as when Nero had stayed in it. Maybe Vergil just didn’t like clutter? Both the shop and private areas were much cleaner than before--no doubt Vergil’s influence--so searching was faster than expected. It also meant that it quickly became apparent that his wallet wasn’t anywhere easily found.  

Nero paused in front of Dante’s desk. Somehow, going through its drawers felt like a bigger invasion of privacy than entering the shop uninvited had. On the other hand, there was a chance that Dante had found the wallet and put it in there for safe keeping and just hadn’t gotten around to telling Nero yet. While the surface had one  been a mess of odds and ends, the only thing on it now was a laptop that Dante bought for Vergil, his annoying as shit rotary phone, and a framed picture of a woman who looked a lot like Trish. The twin’s mother, his grandmother . 

Nero had grown up in a Sparda loving cult and had read up about the demon even before he found out they were related, so he had a pretty good grasp on who his grandfather was. His grandmother was a different matter. He knew hardly anything about the woman who had fallen in love with a demon and tried to build a life with him. The one who loved her sons, who raised them, and in the end, died for them. There were almost no records of her; she was a ghost, lost to history. A life so important, suddenly gone. Nero could understand the twin’s reluctance to talk about her at least. Nero had seen the way Kyrie and Credo mourned when their parents passed. Even if, years later, she was able to reminisce about the good times, Nero knew that the loss of her family would always be a wound on her heart.

Nero looked away from the picture. He came here for a reason, he didn’t have time to get lost in thought. Especially about his family. He was specifically trying to avoid family. Carefully, Nero opened the top drawer and started shuffling through the nicknacks in it. So , Nero thought, this is where the mess that had previously cluttered the desk had gone . 

The drawers held all kinds of things; obviously this is where Dante had stashed all the odds and ends he didn’t want Vergil throwing out. What use could Dante possibly have with an old bloodstain glove with a hole in the middle? Nero looked at it. It was the only thing in the desk he would have labeled “trash.” Maybe it had some significance? Or maybe Dante was just a hoarder.

No sign of his wallet though. 

Fuck. If it wasn’t here, where the hell was it? 

Could it have somehow managed to make its way into Dante’s bedroom? He had never been in the room, but it was the only place left. Nero was contemplating starting over and going through the whole building again when his attention was drawn back to the front door. Outside, keys jingled and voices floated through. 

Fuck. 

Quick as he could, Nero closed the desk drawers and ran to the broom closet across the room. It was a tight squeeze, but at least it was full of actual cleaning supplies now rather than the junk that he was sure used to fill it. Nero left the door slightly ajar so he could keep an eye out for when the coast was clear. Hopefully whoever it was would just go straight upstairs and he could slip out unnoticed. 

No sooner had Nero stuffed himself into the closet, the front door’s lock clicked and in came Dante and Vergil. They appeared to be carrying takeout and Nero inwardly signed. He would be in here for a while then. 

They both wore plain white button down shirts and slacks, a look that was dressed up for Dante and casual for Vergil. Nero wondered what they had been up to that Dante looked so nice for. He almost looked like he had just gotten back from a date. Dressed the same, Nero was struck by just how time and circumstance must have changed Vergil. The twins looked similar, but certainly not identical like Nero knew they once were.

The pair went over to a small table at the front of the shop, flanked by a set of chairs. Vergil had been appalled to learn that Dante even didn’t own a dining table and instead ate all his meals either at his desk or on the couch. Not long after they returned from hell, a small breakfast nook appeared by the front windows of Devil May Cry. 

Dante began to unpack the styrofoam while Vergil disappeared into the kitchen.

“I can’t believe we’re having Thai again,” Dante moaned, sitting down and pulling a container toward himself. 

“If you’re tired of eating Thai food, you were free to pick something else up as well. I would not have stopped you,” Vergil said, reappearing with two glasses of water in his hands. He crossed the room and took the seat opposite his brother. 

“Nah, it doesn’t feel like we’re really sharing a meal if we’re eating completely different things.” 

Vergil only hummed in response, breaking apart his chopsticks and starting in on his noodles. It was the first time Nero had ever seen Vergil eat something. Well, besides when he was Urizen and he had devoured the devil fruit made from the blood of countless human lives. That wasn’t exactly the same as sitting down for a meal though. 

Vergil ate with the same single minded intensity that he did everything else, attention entirely absorbed with his meal. Nero found himself glad he ate before coming because the food smelled amazing. Obviously upscale, which made sense if Vergil picked the place.

The men ate their food quietly, occasionally remarking on something or another, but mostly falling into a comfortable silence. Dante crossed his legs, stretching them out to place on foot up onto the side of Vergil’s seat. And Vergil just… let him. He even scooted to the side slightly to get his twin room to rest his feet. Nero had never seen them like this before. Usually, if the twins weren’t at each other's necks literally, they were arguing about something or one of them was goading the other into starting an argument. It was strange, this little window into what their everyday lives must be like. 

So, when no one was looking, Dante and Vergil actually got along? Wild. 

“Hey, do you remember that one time when we were kids when I decided to get up early to bake you a birthday cake?” Dante started.

“I remember waking up to the fire alarm and mother frantically trying to calm you down while you cried over something completely unrecognizable.” Vergil responded, but there was a certain nostalgia in his voice that Nero had never heard before.

“I wanted to surprise you!”

“Well, you certainly did that.” Vergil's smile was soft and almost sentimental.

“I can’t believe you took a bite out of it to try to get me to stop crying. I remember your face going completely white even while you tried to smile through it. Mom practically had to pry your mouth open to keep you from swallowing it.” Dante chuckled quietly at the memory, gently shaking his head.

“You were upset and I have never been very good at dealing with your tears. And I did appreciate the gesture even if the end result was disastrous.” Wait, what? Was this the same Vergil that had refused to help Dante on a single hunt for weeks after Dante accidentally shrank a pair of his pants in the wash? 

“Yeah, I know.” To Nero’s surprise, Dante reached across the table and gently placed a hand on Vergil’s cheek. “And don’t worry, I’ve not found anything worth crying over since you’ve been back.”

“Forgetting our last night in Hell when you begged me to come back with you and not even giving me time to answer despite the fact that I was going to say yes regardless?” Vergil closed his eyes and seemed to lean in slightly to the touch.

“Yeah,” Dante laughed, “besides that obviously.”

“You must know that I never would have stayed. As soon as you stepped foot back into the human world, there would have been nothing left for me in Hell.” 

“It had been a long time, I didn’t feel like I could assume anything about you. And besides, the last time I tried to get you to stay with me in the human world didn’t exactly go in my favor.” Vergil reached up and covered Dante’s hand in his own. They must have been talking about the Temen-ni-gru incident. Nero only knew a little bit about it from Lady; it was clear that it was still a sensitive subject between the twins.

“I am afraid that my past is full of misguided ideals and terrible decision making.”

“Never mind, forget I brought it up. I don’t want to think about that tonight, let's just finish dinner,” Dante said, pulling his hand back and going back to eating.

Vergil simply looked at his twin for a moment before doing the same. “We do not have to talk about it now, but we will soon.”

“I know.” 

The rest of the meal went by in companionable silence; they didn’t start a new conversation until they’re almost done cleaning up. Vergil turned away from the room, wiping down the table while Dante brought the trash and empty cups to the kitchen. For some reason, watching the two be so domestic made Nero feel even more like he was invading their privacy that he had felt just listening in on the conversation.

“Have you spoken with Nero recently?” Vergil asked out of the blue, taking Nero completely off guard. Nero had always kind of suspected that the twins just tried their best to pretend he didn’t exist when he wasn’t in the same room as them. The question didn’t seem to surprise Dante at all though, as if Nero was a regular topic of conversation. Did they talk about him often? The thought was both disconcerting and oddly heartwarming. 

“He called last week about a job and we chatted for a second. Why?”

“Did he…” Vergil hesitated in a way Nero has never seen before, “say anything about me?”

“Not exactly,” Dante laughed as he came back into the room, obviously curious. “It seemed like he wanted to, but couldn’t quite get there. What was going on there?”

Nero remembered that conversation. It was the first time he had spoken to Dante in a while and he had been dying to ask if Vergil had mentioned their fight. He couldn’t quite find a way to ask without it sounding like “my father told me he doesn’t give a shit about me and I stormed off to pout, has he said anything about it?” so he ended up just hanging up without bringing it up.

“Nero and I had a… disagreement on the mission we took together.” Vergil had finished wiping down the table, but stayed with his back to the room.

“Fuck, really? I thought you said you were going to try to get along, get to know the kid.” Ah, so Nero was right, Vergil only tolerated Nero’s presence because Dante was making him.

“I did try.” 

“Did you?” Dante looked skeptically at Vergil. Yeah, did you? Nero mentally repeated.

“This is hard for me. Like you, I grew up without a mother past the age of eight and a father even longer. However, I was not found and brought into a home after we lost our mother. I lived alone on the streets for much of my childhood. I have no reference for how a man should interact with their child, let alone one that is already fully grown. By the time I was his age, I was in hell and my mind wasn’t even my own. I have no idea how to relate to him.” Vergil delivered to the window. It was the most personal thing Nero had ever heard his father say about himself. He knew of course that Vergil had been on his own almost his entire life. He had spent what would have been his twenties a mindless slave to Mundus, but Nero had never thought about how those details might effect Vergil’s ability to relate to him. Maybe he was too harsh on the man? But no, Nero had tried multiple times to get to know him and each time Vergil had completely shut him down. Sure it was hard for the man, but he didn’t even try. 

Dante walked over to his brother and put his hands on the other’s waist, gently turning Vergil to face him. They were almost too close, but that was nothing new. Dante never seemed to have a very good understanding of personal space anyway.

“Do you want to tell me what happened? Nero doesn’t come over all that often, but to go a month without him even stopping by is strange. Especially after you came back, he’s been making up excuses to drop in more often.” Nero reddened. So Dante had noticed?

“We had a conversation that he was unhappy with and he left without allowing me time to explain myself.” Vergil said, stepping away from Dante and moving across the room to sit on the couch. Was that asshole really blaming the entire thing on Nero?

“And what exactly was this conversation about?” 

“Nero asked me to care for him the same as I cared for you. I simply informed him that to do so would be impossible.” Vergil said plainly, leaning back and crossing his legs.

“Oh, is that all?” Dante buried his face in his hands. “God. And you really don’t see why that might have caused a huge misunderstanding? From the way you behave when people are around I would be surprised if he thinks you like me at all. It must have sounded to him like you basically told him that you didn’t give a damn and to fuck off.” 

“It is not my fault if he misconstrued my meaning. I attempted to clarify myself when it became apparent that he had misunderstood, however he was uninterested in listening. Besides, I think the way I feel about you should be obvious to anyone paying attention.” 

Dante walked over and, oh god, sat sideways on his brother’s lap. Was lap-sitting between adult siblings normal? Credo had been several years older than Nero, but he didn’t remember ever sitting on his adoptive brother’s lap, even as a kid. Kyrie occasionally sat on his lap, but that was different, and it wasn’t like they were actually siblings anyway. To Nero’s increasing surprise, Vergil made no motion to push his brother off. Dante sitting on Vergil’s lap? Weird, but within the realm of possibilities given how much Dante liked to push Vergil’s buttons. Vergil simply letting him? Going so far as to uncross his legs to give Dante a more stable surface? Unthinkable.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You love pretending like you don’t feel fuck all.” Dante leaned to the side, putting the rest of his weight against Vergil’s chest, his head landing on Vergil’s shoulder. 

“On the contrary, it pains me greatly to pretend I care for you less than I do. I would like nothing more than to talk freely about our relationship. I act as I do at your insistence.”

“Our relationship isn’t anyone else’s business.”

“Hiding the depth of my feelings for you brings me no joy.” So Vergil gave a shit about Dante. Who knew? And for some reason Dante didn’t want anyone to know that they got along? If the others knew that Vergil really did have a soft spot for Dante, maybe they would lay off him a little more. Nero really didn’t get him. 

“He wants to get to know his real father, just talk to him.”

“You have done well by the boy, he has no need for me in his life.” How did this conversation turn into Vergil and Dante both trying to pawn Nero off onto the other?

“Shut up, he barely tolerates me. I’m surprised he even took the sign for his van from me given how much I seem to irritate him with my presence. He just went back inside when I brought it around, hardly even said anything to me. ” Dante thought Nero disliked him? Sure, the man could be annoying, but didn’t he realize how much the sign had meant to Nero?

“That is untrue. He holds you in very high esteem, even if he is reluctant to admit it.” Yeah , Nero thought, for once agreeing with his father.

“You’re his actual father, I’m just a poor substitute.” At this point, Vergil raises one hand to card absentmindedly through Dante’s hair.

“Again, untrue. He would greatly prefer you as his father. I serve little more to him than a reminder that you are not.”

“He wants to get along with you, can’t you at least try?”

“I am trying, in my own way.” At this statement, Vergil glanced to the side, directly at the closet Nero was hiding in. Nero pulled away from the crack in the door. Surely Vergil would have said something if he knew Nero was there, right? “I truly did not mean it as an insult to him when I told him that I couldn’t compare my feelings for the two of you.”

“I know that, but he doesn’t. It’s just a dick thing to say out of context.”

“And how do you wish for me to clear up this misunderstanding? What kind of context should I have given him? Shall I tell him exactly what I meant?” Vergil used the hand that had been in his brother’s hair, to pull Dante’s face up by the chin so they could look each other in the eyes. They were too close, way too close for Nero to really feel comfortable watching, but he wanted to know. It seemed like Vergil was surprisingly more comfortable being honest when talking to Dante in private than he ever was talking to Nero. Nero knew that the brothers had to have moments where they weren’t at each other’s throats, but he also didn’t expect them to be so open and introspective. Or cuddly. This lap-sitting, hair touching stuff was definitely abnormal, right?

“Shall I tell him of the fun that we get up to that I would never consider involving him in?” Vergil continued across the room, now rubbing the back of Dante’s neck. “Shall I tell him how much I care for you, how I care for you, so that he might understand the difference?” 

The moment felt charged for reasons beyond Nero’s comprehension. 

“That’s not what I’m trying to say.” Date said, avoiding Vergil’s intense gaze. Nero didn’t blame him. That stare was bad enough across a room, he could only imagine it in such close proximity. “I don’t think telling him something like that would do anything to raise his opinion of either of us.”

“Hmm,” Vergil brought the hand that wasn’t possessively clutching Dante’s neck, up to his chest, idly toying with one of the buttons on Dante’s shirt. “I am unsure how much lower his opinion of me could fall, but I would never want to damage the relationship between the two of you.” With deft fingers, Vergil quickly undid the top three buttons of Dante’s shirt, exposing a narrow triangle of the other man’s chest. Okay, Nero thought, this had been weird for a while, but this was getting out right unsettling.

“That said, the boy is understanding.” Vergil continued, sliding his hand down Dante’s neck to rest on his exposed collarbone. “He stopped you from killing me even after I destroyed half a city and countless human lives when he knew almost nothing of me. He wishes for me to be in his life despite knowing the things that I have done. He trusts that I will not try any of them again was only our word as reassurance.” The hand lowered, palm resting over Dante’s heart. “I believe even if he couldn’t ever quite be alright with it, he would try. His nature is far more accepting than either of ours.”

“It’s still a lot to ask of the kid.” Dante leaned forward, resting his forehead against Vergil’s, their faces coming even closer. What the fuck was going on?

“As much as you believe I do, I do not actually enjoy hiding how I feel about you. If you allowed me, I would inform everyone who comes into contact with us and scare off anyone who looks at you with desire.” 

“Well,” Dante breathed out in an almost laugh, “you already do a pretty good job at that last one.”

“I want Nero to understand that all of my mistakes I have made have not been born of selfishness, but rather they came about because of love. Because the world is a terrible and harsh place and I have always only wanted to protect the both of us from it. I have been misguided, this is true, but are we not all fools for love?” 

Dante really did laugh then, soft and low. “Is that why you’re so fond of calling me foolish? Trying to remind me how much I love you?”

“Indeed, brother.” And with that, Vergil closed the gap between them, gently pressing his lips fully against his twin’s. 

Any thoughts that might have been in Nero’s mind were gone as he stared at his father kissing his uncle with increasing passion. Nero didn’t know what he was expecting when he had resigned himself to waiting out Vergil and Dante’s dinner, but this sure as hell wasn’t it. How could he have predicted that this is where the evening was going? To them making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers? 

So this is what Vergil meant. Vergil would never feel about Nero the way he felt about Dante because he was fucking Dante (because that kiss was way to comfortable to be one of their firsts, and as gross as it was for him to think about, Nero understood at least some of the pull of demonic sexual appetites. Chaste relationships were hard to keep very long). That was good, Nero supposed, he definitely wasn’t interested in his father looking at him with the same sort of heat which he directed at Dante. In fact, Nero would be very happy to never have to see that expression on his father’s face again. The small part of his brain that wasn’t staggered from the fact that his father was fucking his own twin , felt weirdly warm. So Vergil did care about him.

While Nero was busy reeling from the new information, Dante had shifted his position, swinging one leg around to straddle his twin. The two’s kissing seemed to be growing more heated. Vergil deftly undid the rest of Dante’s buttons, and slipped his hand up Dante’s back, under his shirt. Not breaking the kiss, Dante’s hands moved down to Vergil’s belt. 

And that was all Nero could take. He pulled back into the closet, leaning heavily on the shelves behind himself. From everything Nero had just seen, it was obvious that the twins were getting it on, he didn’t need to actually witness it. From the rustling of clothes outside, it sounded as if that was exactly what was happening. To Nero’s surprise though, not long after the twin’s first kiss, he heard Vergil’s voice.

“Brother, wait.” Nero peaked back out to find Vergil with one hand on Dante’s chest, using it to push his brother away slightly this time. They were both still mostly covered, thank god. Vergil’s shirt was unbuttoned and hung open, revealing a well built chest, while Dante’s was on the ground beside them. Thank god both of their pants were still on, though their belts were on the floor.

“Huh?” Dante asked, pupils blown wide, while trying to push back closer to his brother.

“It’s been a long day. We should get some rest.” Vergil said, breath coming a little heavier than normal.

“Yeah? So?” Dante looked confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I think you should go upstairs and take a shower. I might stay down here for a moment.”

“Alone? You wouldn’t want to join me?” Dante suggested, lips going to the side of Vergil’s head to graze against the other’s jaw. Ugh, Nero was already overwhelmed with everything he had seen tonight, he didn’t need the mental image of them showering together on top of everything else.

“I think I will leave you to shower alone. I have found my mind… preoccupied by our conversation.” Vergil said, tilting his head to the side to give Dante better access.

“Oh yeah? You sure you don’t want me to help put your thoughts out of your mind? I might not be as skilled with words as you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use my tongue for other things.” Emphasizing his point, Dante licked a stripe across Vergil’s pulse point before biting down on it softly. Oh god, if Nero had to listen to Dante blow his father, he could never look either in the eye ever again. Please don’t let it get that far , Nero prayed to no particular god. Even before the cult of Sparda was exposed for what it truly was, Nero was always skeptical of the idea that some benevolent force was out there listening to the desperations of humans. If some god did pull through though, it might just be enough to convince him. Or devil, Nero wasn’t that picky. 

“As wonderful as that sounds, I think you might be right. I do need to clear things up with Nero. Why don’t you go shower while I call him? I think I should speak to him alone, it would be better that way.” 

“Really?” Dante pulled back to grin at his brother. “That sounds like a great idea! You’ll have to let me know what happens. Just promise that you won’t make things worse?”

“Of course brother,” Vergil leaned forward to steal one more kiss before releasing Dante. Dante jumped up from his brother’s lap. He stooped to pick up his shirt before hurrying toward the stairs.

“I’m going to go before you chicken out. Good luck!” Dante called as he disappeared up the stairs. A moment later, Nero heard the sound of running water. Vergil took his phone out of his pocket and started tapping away at it. Wow, so Vergil really was going to keep his word and call Nero.

Wait.

Shit.

Nero scrambled as much as he could, trying to get his phone out of his pocket and turn it to silent before Vergil could complete the call. His fingers stumbled clumsily across the numbers, entering the wrong password twice before finally unlocking it. No sooner did the lock screen slide away did Vergil’s name pop up on screen and a cheery little jingle started playing. Yeah, Nero was totally fucked.

Nero rejected the call, but it was too late. There was no way Vergil hadn’t heard his phone ring. Nero shrank back into the closet, crouching and covering his head with his arms and just generally trying to make himself as small as possible. Was there any chance that Vergil wouldn’t see him and just chalk the noise off to his imagination? 

The closet door creaked the rest of the way open, spilling light in. Nero peaked up from under his right arm and met his father’s steel gaze.

“Why, hello Nero, how nice of you to join us tonight. Why don’t you come out?”

Nero sheepishly stood up, dropping his arms by his sides, feeling suddenly very child-like. He felt disturbingly like he had just been caught spying on his parents. Which, in regards to Vergil, was true anyway. 

Father and son stood across from each other in uncomfortable silence. Well, Nero figured, Vergil was the one wanting to call him, let him make the first move. Nero was prepared to wait all night if he had to. Surprisingly, Vergil broke the silence after only a moment. 

“I assume you have been there all evening? Or else you’ve found some new meaning of teleportation and have only just arrived?” Vergil asked, the sarcasm clear in his voice. Nero winced.

“I lost something and came here to find it. I meant to be out before you guys ever got back. I’m sorry.” Nero hadn’t meant to listen in on their conversation of course, but it had still been wrong to do so.

“I see,” Vergil sighed. Then, he did something so completely uncharacteristic, it left Nero speechless. Vergil walked back over to the couch and flopped down onto it, decidedly ungracefully. Nero had seen a lot that had surprised him tonight, but somehow his father slouched against the couch, head back with his eyes closed, completely relaxed, was the most shocking of all. 

“Um, Vergil?” Nero felt at a complete loss.

“So you have overheard our entire conversation tonight?” Vergil asked, still not looking at him.

“Uh… yeah.” Nero pinkened at the memory of the kiss. 

“I see,” Vergil repeated. 

“Sorry.” 

Vergil only hummed in response. “And you have no doubt learned a few things that Dante specifically asked to be kept quiet?” 

Nero paused for a moment before answering. The truth was obvious, no use lying now. 

“Yeah,” Nero confirmed. “I think I’m pretty much up to speed on your and Dante’s relationship.” 

“I understand that this must have come as a shock to you." Vergil sighed before continuing. "How do you feel?”

That caught Nero off guard. How did Nero feel? He was uncomfortable seeing the two of them kiss, but he would have been uncomfortable watching either his father or his uncle make out with anyone. Seeing Vergil with a woman on his lap probably wouldn’t be as disturbing as seeing Dante on his lap, but Nero had a feeling that was probably more to do with watching his father getting it on with someone, not as much about the identity of that person. The incest was kinda creepy, he couldn’t deny that, especially given how obvious the family ties were. It was uncanny to see two faces that looked so much alike making out with each other. 

However, he also couldn’t deny that other than feeling unsettled, he had immediately been filled with relief. This weird relationship between Dante and Vergil was just as Vergil had said, completely incomparable to Nero’s relationship with his father. Nero finally felt like he was starting to get what Vergil had meant. Nero loved the kids in the orphanage, some of whom he had been taking care of for years now, but it made no sense to compare the affection he felt toward them to the love he carried for Kyrie. The feelings were too different to be compared in any meaningful way. 

“I… I’m okay.” Nero answered honestly. “I mean, it’s weird and it will definitely take some time to really accept, but it’s like you said: I’d rather have you guys in my life than not. I don’t know how long it would take me to get used to it--hell, I might never--but I want to understand. Will Dante be okay? He seemed pretty against the idea of me knowing.”

“As I have said, Dante is a good man. He does not wish to hurt those around him and as you can see, believes that the nature of our relationship would do just that. He is bound by human morality in ways that I am not. While I respect his desire for privacy, I do not believe that our devotion is anything to be ashamed of. The people in his life are extremely attached and loyal to him. I know no one would hold it against him, even if I find most of their behavior distasteful.” Vergil looked over at Nero. “Can you truly accept this? I do not wish to see my brother hurt.”

“I don’t know man. Honestly, this is all so weird. Kyrie and I are together and she’s technically my sister, even if it isn’t through blood. I was adopted late so we only kind of grew up together and I don’t think we ever really felt like siblings though. So it’s not really the same, but still. I think I can empathize with some of it, if not all. You can’t always choose who you love.”

Vergil tilted his head up, meeting Nero’s gaze and considering his words. 

“Do you see now what I meant when I said I will never feel for you the way I do Dante? He is the other part of my soul, my twin and the love of my life. I care for you, but the feelings are incomparable.” Ernest was such a weird emotion to hear in his father’s voice.

“I think it was a stupid way to try to get the message across, but I think I’m starting to understand. You know, you could have just told me you didn’t feel the same about me and Dante because you didn’t want to fuck me.” Nero tried for a joke.

“And do you believe you would have reacted well to that? Or believe me?” 

“Well… yeah, probably not. Still, you could have tried to be more clear.”

“Sometimes… thinking can be hard still. My mind had been fractured far before I separated myself in two. I am the most myself I have been in many years, but it is still not quite the same.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind, no problem man.” All of this vulnerability was really starting to make Nero ich. It was a lot to take in all at once: his father’s incestuous relationship, the fact the his father cared about him, and especially Vergil’s general willingness to be open with him. Vergil must have felt the same, spine straightening as he stood up, returning to his usual steely veneer. 

“In a way," Vergil said, a light returning to his eyes, "your wish was fulfilled. As my partner, Dante could be considered your father as well.”

“Oh god, please don’t. That’s too weird. Let me get used to one thing at a time.” Nero grimaced. 

“If you would like, I can ask him if he would mind you calling him ‘daddy.’” Vergil said with just a slight twitch of his lips, the asshole. 

Before Nero could respond (though what to say to a statement like that, he had no idea), the two were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs. They turned to see Dante coming down, rubbing a towel against his wet hair. 

“Nero!” Dante grinned. “It’s been a while, kid!”

“Yeah,” Nero replied, still a little pink from Vergil’s previous comments and not quite meeting Dante’s eyes. For once, Vergil felt like the brother he knew how to deal with and Dante the one he was at a loss on what to say. No way in Hell he was going to tell Dante what he had seen that evening. Vergil could tell him that Nero knew about their relationship, it was his fault anyway. Still, even if Nero wasn’t gonna bring it up, it was hard to look Dante in the face after what he had just seen. 

“So, what’s up? Kyrie finally get tired of you and kick you out?” Dante teased. Ah yes. In the past few weeks of anxiously avoiding the twins, comparing all the ways he preferred Dante to Vergil, Nero has forgotten one important fact. Dante was a dick who loved goading his nephew. 

“What? No!” 

“Ah, so just miss our delightful company I see.” 

“As if I would miss you. I was hoping to get out of here before you even came down,” Nero grumbled. The exchange was typical of their interactions - Dante said something annoying and then Nero would say something insulting back.   This time though, Nero noticed something he had never noticed before. At Nero’s dismissive response, the grin on Dante’s lips seems to tighten just a little, his eyes losing some of their mirth. It was almost as if Nero’s words had… hurt Dante’s feelings? That couldn’t be right. 

While Nero was trying to puzzle out if what he had always considered playful banter was actually something that Dante took personally, a sharp smarting came from the back of his head. Nero whipped around to stare at Vergil. Had his father just smacked him in the back of the head?

“Ow!” Nero said, rubbing at the spot Vergil had hit him. The stinging sensation had disappeared almost immediately, Vergil had hardly put any force into it, but still. “What the fuck.”

“Don’t be rude to your uncle, it upsets him.” Vergil said, crossing his arms.

“Don’t listen to him, I’m fine,” Dante dismissed, ducking his head to continue to rub at his hair with the towel. Oh shit, was Vergil right? Had he hurt Dante’s feelings after all? From what he had heard earlier that night, it seemed like Dante did care more than he typically liked to let on.

“Look, I… I didn’t mean that how it sounded… sorry.” So this is what it was like to be chastised by one’s father and made to apologize. Weird. Nero was not a fan.

Dante looked back up, brows raised, eyes skitting back and forth between father and son. 

“Wait, did I miss something? What happened while I was upstairs?” 

“Nero and I simply had a little conversation. We cleared up a few misunderstandings, didn’t we?” Both twins turned to look at Nero expectantly.

“Uh, yeah. We talked about some stuff. I think I have more context for some, um… things,” Nero felt his face heat up as he remembered some of the ‘things’ he had seen that night. “Vergil can fill you in more later.”

“Okay…” Dante drew out, “I’ll ask him later I guess” There was beat of silence while Dante continued to stare at the others, Nero avoiding anyone’s gaze, and Vergil, as usual, standing self assured in the middle of an awkward silence that was entirely his fault. 

“Anyway,” Dante continued, “did you just stop by for a visit? We just ate dinner. Call first next time and we’ll wait for you.” 

“I’ll do that, sorry,” Nero responded. 

“Nero has misplaced his wallet and came to look for it,” Vergil answered. He walked over to where his jacket hung by the front door and fished something out of one of its pockets. “Here you are Nero. I found it the other day while I was cleaning and was meaning to give it back the next time I saw you.”

Nero took the proffered wallet, dumbfounded. He sure as hell hadn’t mentioned the wallet to Vergil. So his father had it the whole time.  Nero looked up at Vergil. Was it possible that fucker planed this? Did Vergil know Nero was there the whole time? He couldn’t, there was no way Vergil was that good an actor.

“Yeah, I should get going.” Nero said, pulling his attention back to his uncle.

“Oh, I see. No worries kid.” Dante sounded a little deflated.

“But I can come back! Or you can come over Sunday? For dinner? Kyrie always makes too much, it wouldn’t be any trouble. It would be… nice?” Oh god, this was more painful than the time Credo had caught him practicing confessing to Kyrie in the garden, using a flower in her place. He had been fifteen. 

“Sounds like a blast, we’d love to come. Isn’t that right, Vergil?” Dante shot Vergil a pointed look. 

“Of course. We would be honored.” Vergil agreed easily, for once not trying to avoid the invitation. 

“Great! I mean, I’ll let Kyrie know. Both of you will be coming then?”

“Yes,” Vergil replied, meeting Nero’s gaze. “I will make sure to be punctual. I have not had the opportunity yet to meet your…” Vergil paused, glancing down at Nero’s hands “Kyrie you said?”

Nero frowned, confused for a second, before realizing what Vergil had almost said. 

“Yeah, Kyrie and she’s girlfriend, not my wife. I’m sure she’d love to have you over.”

“I look forward to it,” Vergil said. “Let me walk you out.”

“Uh yeah,” Nero said, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet, considering his next move. Fuck it, there had already been so much confession of feelings already tonight, why not one more move? Nero briskly walked to where Dante stood by the stairs, staring at the floor and avoiding eye contact the whole while. Before the hunter could react, Nero threw his arms up around his uncle in an awkward embrace. 

Dante had hugged him before, but they had always been one armed, “glad you’re still alive kid,” sort of things. Both of Nero’s arms went around the hunter, for the first time in five years, truly hugging the man who had become a mentor and friend to him. Nero wasn’t quite ready for another full heart to heart, but what Dante had said earlier stung. He didn’t want Dante to think Nero hated him or was just waiting around for a better father figure. 

After a second of stunned silence, Dante returned the awkward embrace, bringing his arms down and across Nero’s back. He rested his chin softly on the top of Nero’s head that had become buried in the hunter’s soft henley. The hug only lasted a moment before Nero pulled away, red faced. 

“You okay kid?” Dante asked, looking a strange mix of touched, surprised, and concerned. 

“Yeah!” Nero said, a little too loud. He continued at a more normal volume, speaking quickly. “I’m great. I just wanted to…” there was no way to explain without going into all that he had seen that night. “I just wanted to say thanks. For the sign. I don’t know if I ever actually said thanks. So yeah, thanks. It… it meant a lot. Alright, I’m going then. Bye!”

Nero walked to the front door, opening it with a jerk. He really wanted this night to end. 

“You’re welcome!” Dante called after him, his voice soft in a way Nero had only ever heard earlier this night, talking to Vergil.

Nero nodded back before slipping outside. He made it down the first few steps before the door opened again.

“Son?” Vergil called after him, stepping out and closing the door behind himself.

“Yeah?” Nero turned back to the door, eyes round in surprise.

“Think about what we spoke about tonight. I do not wish to feed further misunderstanding between us. Both Dante and I care a good deal for you and do not wish to see you upset. I do not wish to see either of you hurting.” 

“I will,” Nero nodded. “Don’t tell Dante I was here all night okay?”

“I was not planning to. I plan on telling him that I informed you about the nature of our relationship and that you have been very understanding. Is that something you are comfortable with? Or would you prefer me to allow you to tell him? I am planning to do so before we come over for dinner.”

“No, that’s fine. I really don’t wanna be there for that conversation.”

“Understandable.” Vergil nodded.

Nero turned to go once more before Vergil called to him once again. 

“One last thing,” Vergil said. “I do want to get to know you as your father, but I also do not want to erase the bond you have with Dante. I know it is special to you.”

“I- thank you.” Nero turned to walk away before stopping for a third time. “I’ll see you Sunday… dad.”

“I look forward to it, my child.” Vergil responded behind him. Nero heard Vergil disappear into the shop, leaving Nero in the street alone. 

Shit, Nero was absolutely going to need to go grocery shopping and probably buy a few more dining chairs. He grinned. Time to go home and help Kyrie figure out what the hell they could cook to have enough for her, Nico, the kids, and three demonic sized appetites. It would be a tight squeeze, but that was okay; it was for family.

His family.