[ A scoff, even if Dante can't hear it. Ah, the wonders of text. ]
Obviously. A foolish question.
[ He doesn't want to admit that maybe Dante has a point. It is...awkward being around and dealing with Nero, and Vergil still isn't certain if it's due to their familial ties or....
Well.
It's clear that Nero has no issue interacting with others. Vergil gently closes his book, sighs to himself. ]
What would you suggest, Dante? Were you in my position. These are hardly the ideal circumstances.
[ He'd ripped off Nero's arm. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Nero that it was a desperate act, but it still isn't quite something one simply apologizes for. ]
[ So might as well make the best of them, right? ]
I'd start with actually talking to him rather instead of waiting for him to come to you. [ That's not really an answer. ] Someone has to make the first move, might as well be you.
[ Dante can never know that Vergil is actually considering his words. He can never know. Talking to Nero would be the adult thing to do. The responsible thing.
While that may be true, he still has no idea how he would broach the topic. ]
Ridiculous. I don't see why that should be the case. If Nero has questions, he can ask them.
[ Because while Vergil may accept that he is a bastard and a terrible father, he also considers himself a man of honor. He won't lie to the boy. ]
[ Don't think he doesn't see you ignoring his question. If there is one thing that makes it apparent the three of them are related, even more than their hair and obviously demonic heritage, it is absolutely their stubbornness. And the understanding of that commonality between the three of them, despite the time and space separating them... It sends a strange sort of relief through him.
He does not like it.
Even more perplexing is how difficult he finds it to make any attempt to justify his actions to Dante. He'd told Nero plainly why he'd done it: he'd been dying, and he'd been desperate. It doesn't come quite so easily to say this time, however. ]
[ Yeah, yeah, he knows he's just as bad as Vergil and Nero, it's an unfortunate trait of the Sparda bloodline they all seem to share.
Thunk. Task finished Dante puts Ebony don't beside it's twin, gaze flicking to his wrist. He doesn't expect what appears next; reads it once, then a second time, and scoffs. ]
No time to wonder why this random kid has Yamato when your body is falling apart, huh?
[ He breathes out. ]
I'm not the one you have to justify your actions to, Vergil.
[ There's a quick flash of anger, typing before he's even done listening to Dante's message. ]
Would the alternative have been preferable?
[ Message gets sent, and immediately afterward—
Vergil pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Regrets are for fools, but.. Perhaps he shouldn't have sent that. There are benefits to using text for conversations, he's finding, and also some glaring drawbacks.
He takes a deep breath to calm himself. ]
I have no interest in justification. What's done is done. I'm simply trying to... explain.
A month ago he might have said yes, a month ago he been at some semblance of peace with Vergil's death, a month ago he didn't know that his brother survived. A long silence is broken by Dante breathing out heavily, running a hand through his hair. Ignore it, move on. ]
[ There is a long delay before the next message comes through, a bit too long for how succinct it is. ]
Desperation can cloud even the sharpest of minds. Even mine.
[ Truthfully, would it have made much of a difference had he known who Nero was at the time? Maybe, maybe not. Human lives have never interested him before. But perhaps he would have stopped to wonder why his sword had been in the boy's arm. Perhaps there might have been another way to retrieve it.
Would have, could have. The fact remains: what's done is done. ]
[ Too long. Dante absently counts the time in between with a tap of his foot against air. A part of him doesn't want to hear (read) this, they're beyond it now right? Like Vergil said, what's done is done. He only wants... He wants the kid to have the chance neither of them ever got. He wants Vergil to at least try while he still can.
They owe Nero that much. ]
Yeah, guess it can.
[ Dante exhales. ]
Look, the why and how doesn't really matter. Just... Try to talk to the kid sometime. You've got a chance here, don't be an idiot and let it slip you by.
[ He'd been dying. He'd been desperate. He'd even been accepting of his fate, of his death — if not for Dante, and the fact he hadn't bested his brother even once.
How ironic, then, to be given life advice by the one and same man. The chances he'll take that advice are slim to none, but the irony remains.
There's a mirroring sigh, and Vergil swipes a hand back through his hair. ]
And just where is all this boundless wisdom coming from, little brother?
[ In truth he isn't sure how he feels about knowing he is the reason Vergil hung together for as long as he did. Flattered? Annoyed? Maybe a little touched? Or some sort of combination of the three? He didn't give it much thought at the time; too busy with the fact his mad brother had come back again and once again Dante had to put him down. Now? Now it is just exhausting to think about.
Which is why he prefers not too.
Dante laughs, shaking his head, glancing at the bracelet from the curtain of his hair. ]
Years of experience, brother dear. Did a lot of growing up while you weren't around.
[ Among other things. ]
You don't give me enough credit, I'm not as stupid as you think I am.
[ Years of experience, brother dear. Did a lot of growing up while you weren't around.
It is nothing but the truth, and isn't that a disjointed feeling, deep in the center of his chest? He remembers being children and hating and adoring his brother in equal measure, as siblings are wont to do. He remembers being certain of their family's bond despite their oddities, idle moments spent wondering what the future held in store. The surety that no matter what, they would be able to face any challenge that opposed them.
He recalls the name Tony Redgrave, can almost picture Dante's face from when they'd met on Mallet Island, thinks on how old and worn his brother had looked when he'd darkened his doorstep as V.
He had been an idiot child, obviously. Dante had grown up, and he had nearly died. What a stupid, stupid child. ]
I don't recall calling you stupid, Dante.
Foolish, yes. Unmotivated. Base. But you aren't nearly as stupid as you let those around you believe.
[ Because there's no way he can say something kind about his brother without couching it in other unfortunate truths. ]
[ It's something that doesn't sit that comfortably on his shoulders, something that leaves him feeling heavy. So much happened while Vergil wasn't around, events that forced a gaping chasm between them. They had been closer, once upon a time, thick as thieves despite their disagreements. Dante loved his brother as much as he hated him, always finding his way back to Vergil's side in the end of the day. They had been strong on their own, but together? Together they had been unstoppable.
Sometimes he wonders what things would have been like if they hadn't grown apart. If Vergil hadn't fallen, if he hadn't been so tight in Mundus' grip when they found each other again on Mallet Island. Idle thoughts for the dark of night when demons aren't hounding his doorstep.
Not that he needs them much anymore with Vergil back and whole. Now they just have to figure out how to close the chasm between them, yeah? Ha, like that will happen. ]
Wait... [ Dante's feet hit the floor with a sudden thud, leathers shifting as he leans forward. ] Is that...? Did you just pay me a compliment? That's─ That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me Vergil, I think I might cry.
[ Never mind. Any qualms he may have had about regrets are null and void; he shouldn't have said anything even remotely kind about Dante. As if he needed any more reason for an inflated ego.
Still, despite himself, Vergil finds himself chuckling very quietly at that reaction. The sound of it honestly surprises him — when was the last time he'd genuinely found something funny? Surely not as V; those had been knowing laughs, saturated with the knowledge that he hadn't told Dante, Nero, or anyone else the entire truth of things at the beginning. He'd smirked atop the Qliphoth, but that was in the interest of showing his superiority.
What a pathetic thing, then, to be brought to laughter by one of Dante's stupid jokes. ]
You'll want to be careful. I hear devils have a tendency to do such things.
[ Dante's laughter comes easily, grinning as he shakes his head. It's funny how easily they fall back into this, as if they hadn't spent years trying to kill each other. As if all those years of distance means absolutely nothing.
He likes it─ it's a welcome change all things considered. Not that he will be coming out and admitting that anytime soon. ]
Oh no. [ Dante's breath hitches. ] It looks like it's too late! [ He sobs, dramatically, into his hands. ] Look what you did to me.
All this time, Dante, and your acting skills haven't improved since we were children.
[ Vergil shakes his head even though Dante can't see it, the grin wide on his face. Not like he'll ever admit to that, though — his brother's foolish antics are just as childish as they've ever been, and there's something immensely gratifying about it.
Something else to deny to the grave, of course. ]
Oh, no. I've made my little brother cry. Whatever shall I do. [ Taste that sweet, sweet sarcasm. ] What a terrible older brother I am.
[ He made Vergil laugh despite himself when they were children, some part of him wants to believe that he managed to get a chuckle at the very least. It's a victory, one that Dante is going to take regardless of it being true or not.
Because that's just how he is. ]
You're right, you're absolutely terrible. How do you live with yourself?
[ They were having a moment, so obviously that means he has to ruin it. Get it, Dante? Get it?
He's still bitter, and will always be bitter, but. At least he's come to realize that it was his own pride that was his downfall. Dante's part in things was only secondary. He's had time to reflect.
And besides... ]
I seem to recall that I have a son who isn't afraid to pull punches, should things get out of hand again. How are your molars, by the way?
[ Dante doesn't expect any less. Can't have moments in this family, they have to be ruined in some way or form. What would the world come to if they got along for more than five seconds?
Instinctively he reaches up to rub his jaw at the mention of Nero, almost testing it to see if there is still any damage. ]
You know sometimes they still throb. Don't recommend getting punch by those wings of his, he's got a monster hook.
That's what I think? So then I must have imagined the last few years.
[ Now he's just intentionally being a piece of shit. Vergil hums to himself, reflects on the backhand Dante had suffered at Nero's hand. He's very quietly proud of how strong Nero was at that point, impressed by the strength he'd shown. None of them benefit from their heritage here, and he finds himself curious as to how combat between any of them would go, now. ]
Well then, you're in luck. He doesn't seem to have them here; you may not need dental work if he punches you again.
You must have, don't remember you around the last few years.
[ It comes out a little sharper than intended, so much so that Dante feels himself flinch. He never found out what happened to Vergil after Mallet Island, figured that he was dead. He exhales, rubbing his forehead. ]
I can't express how glad my jaw is at that thought.
[ Honestly, it's tempting to just not respond. Vergil knows who he is, knows that when it comes to his Dante, his brother has a particular talent for getting under his skin. As siblings do, of course, and he fights down the petty urge to close the feed entirely.
Instead, there's a pettier way to address this, and his fingers start moving even before he realizes it. ]
[ Vergil is just as good at getting under his skin as Dante is his. The reply makes Dante pause, jaw locking up as feet fall to the floor with a heavy thud. Words start to form, instinct urging him to bite back. If this is the game Vergil wants to play... ]
Yeah, sorry about that. Figured you didn't want to be the mindless puppet of the asshole who killed our parents.
[ On instinct, Vergil stands, his book tumbling to the ground. His hands itch for his sword, to go stab his dear little brother. They can't do that though, not here. Now, there will likely be consequences, and Vergil finds himself none too eager to find out what those are.
He'd cast away the bulk of those memories when he'd cast himself away. But he hasn't forgotten everything, and in fact it is the reason he is still awake at this hour, the reason he sleeps so lightly and so little.
In lieu of storming his brother's room and stabbing him where he sits, Vergil settles for pacing around the little shop he's claimed, Yamato clasped tight in his hand. And if he checks the locks on the doors and windows, no one else but him will know.
It takes a while, close to fifteen minutes before he feels calm enough to respond. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Obviously. A foolish question.
[ He doesn't want to admit that maybe Dante has a point. It is...awkward being around and dealing with Nero, and Vergil still isn't certain if it's due to their familial ties or....
Well.
It's clear that Nero has no issue interacting with others. Vergil gently closes his book, sighs to himself. ]
What would you suggest, Dante? Were you in my position. These are hardly the ideal circumstances.
[ He'd ripped off Nero's arm. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Nero that it was a desperate act, but it still isn't quite something one simply apologizes for. ]
no subject
[ So might as well make the best of them, right? ]
I'd start with actually talking to him rather instead of waiting for him to come to you. [ That's not really an answer. ] Someone has to make the first move, might as well be you.
no subject
While that may be true, he still has no idea how he would broach the topic. ]
Ridiculous. I don't see why that should be the case. If Nero has questions, he can ask them.
[ Because while Vergil may accept that he is a bastard and a terrible father, he also considers himself a man of honor. He won't lie to the boy. ]
Why does this bother you?
no subject
[ It doesn't bother him. Stop asking.
He doesn't get a reply only a snort as he puts Ebony back together, slamming the magazine back into the chamber. ]
no subject
[ Don't think he doesn't see you ignoring his question. If there is one thing that makes it apparent the three of them are related, even more than their hair and obviously demonic heritage, it is absolutely their stubbornness. And the understanding of that commonality between the three of them, despite the time and space separating them... It sends a strange sort of relief through him.
He does not like it.
Even more perplexing is how difficult he finds it to make any attempt to justify his actions to Dante. He'd told Nero plainly why he'd done it: he'd been dying, and he'd been desperate. It doesn't come quite so easily to say this time, however. ]
I hadn't known who he was at the time.
no subject
[ Yeah, yeah, he knows he's just as bad as Vergil and Nero, it's an unfortunate trait of the Sparda bloodline they all seem to share.
Thunk. Task finished Dante puts Ebony don't beside it's twin, gaze flicking to his wrist. He doesn't expect what appears next; reads it once, then a second time, and scoffs. ]
No time to wonder why this random kid has Yamato when your body is falling apart, huh?
[ He breathes out. ]
I'm not the one you have to justify your actions to, Vergil.
no subject
Would the alternative have been preferable?
[ Message gets sent, and immediately afterward—
Vergil pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Regrets are for fools, but.. Perhaps he shouldn't have sent that. There are benefits to using text for conversations, he's finding, and also some glaring drawbacks.
He takes a deep breath to calm himself. ]
I have no interest in justification. What's done is done. I'm simply trying to... explain.
no subject
Yes.
No.
He doesn't know.
A month ago he might have said yes, a month ago he been at some semblance of peace with Vergil's death, a month ago he didn't know that his brother survived. A long silence is broken by Dante breathing out heavily, running a hand through his hair. Ignore it, move on. ]
Alright, explain away.
no subject
Desperation can cloud even the sharpest of minds. Even mine.
[ Truthfully, would it have made much of a difference had he known who Nero was at the time? Maybe, maybe not. Human lives have never interested him before. But perhaps he would have stopped to wonder why his sword had been in the boy's arm. Perhaps there might have been another way to retrieve it.
Would have, could have. The fact remains: what's done is done. ]
no subject
They owe Nero that much. ]
Yeah, guess it can.
[ Dante exhales. ]
Look, the why and how doesn't really matter. Just... Try to talk to the kid sometime. You've got a chance here, don't be an idiot and let it slip you by.
no subject
How ironic, then, to be given life advice by the one and same man. The chances he'll take that advice are slim to none, but the irony remains.
There's a mirroring sigh, and Vergil swipes a hand back through his hair. ]
And just where is all this boundless wisdom coming from, little brother?
no subject
Which is why he prefers not too.
Dante laughs, shaking his head, glancing at the bracelet from the curtain of his hair. ]
Years of experience, brother dear. Did a lot of growing up while you weren't around.
[ Among other things. ]
You don't give me enough credit, I'm not as stupid as you think I am.
no subject
[ Years of experience, brother dear. Did a lot of growing up while you weren't around.
It is nothing but the truth, and isn't that a disjointed feeling, deep in the center of his chest? He remembers being children and hating and adoring his brother in equal measure, as siblings are wont to do. He remembers being certain of their family's bond despite their oddities, idle moments spent wondering what the future held in store. The surety that no matter what, they would be able to face any challenge that opposed them.
He recalls the name Tony Redgrave, can almost picture Dante's face from when they'd met on Mallet Island, thinks on how old and worn his brother had looked when he'd darkened his doorstep as V.
He had been an idiot child, obviously. Dante had grown up, and he had nearly died. What a stupid, stupid child. ]
I don't recall calling you stupid, Dante.
Foolish, yes. Unmotivated. Base. But you aren't nearly as stupid as you let those around you believe.
[ Because there's no way he can say something kind about his brother without couching it in other unfortunate truths. ]
no subject
Sometimes he wonders what things would have been like if they hadn't grown apart. If Vergil hadn't fallen, if he hadn't been so tight in Mundus' grip when they found each other again on Mallet Island. Idle thoughts for the dark of night when demons aren't hounding his doorstep.
Not that he needs them much anymore with Vergil back and whole. Now they just have to figure out how to close the chasm between them, yeah? Ha, like that will happen. ]
Wait... [ Dante's feet hit the floor with a sudden thud, leathers shifting as he leans forward. ] Is that...? Did you just pay me a compliment? That's─ That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me Vergil, I think I might cry.
no subject
Still, despite himself, Vergil finds himself chuckling very quietly at that reaction. The sound of it honestly surprises him — when was the last time he'd genuinely found something funny? Surely not as V; those had been knowing laughs, saturated with the knowledge that he hadn't told Dante, Nero, or anyone else the entire truth of things at the beginning. He'd smirked atop the Qliphoth, but that was in the interest of showing his superiority.
What a pathetic thing, then, to be brought to laughter by one of Dante's stupid jokes. ]
You'll want to be careful. I hear devils have a tendency to do such things.
no subject
He likes it─ it's a welcome change all things considered. Not that he will be coming out and admitting that anytime soon. ]
Oh no. [ Dante's breath hitches. ] It looks like it's too late! [ He sobs, dramatically, into his hands. ] Look what you did to me.
no subject
[ Vergil shakes his head even though Dante can't see it, the grin wide on his face. Not like he'll ever admit to that, though — his brother's foolish antics are just as childish as they've ever been, and there's something immensely gratifying about it.
Something else to deny to the grave, of course. ]
Oh, no. I've made my little brother cry. Whatever shall I do. [ Taste that sweet, sweet sarcasm. ] What a terrible older brother I am.
no subject
[ He made Vergil laugh despite himself when they were children, some part of him wants to believe that he managed to get a chuckle at the very least. It's a victory, one that Dante is going to take regardless of it being true or not.
Because that's just how he is. ]
You're right, you're absolutely terrible. How do you live with yourself?
no subject
[ They were having a moment, so obviously that means he has to ruin it. Get it, Dante? Get it?
He's still bitter, and will always be bitter, but. At least he's come to realize that it was his own pride that was his downfall. Dante's part in things was only secondary. He's had time to reflect.
And besides... ]
I seem to recall that I have a son who isn't afraid to pull punches, should things get out of hand again. How are your molars, by the way?
no subject
[ Dante doesn't expect any less. Can't have moments in this family, they have to be ruined in some way or form. What would the world come to if they got along for more than five seconds?
Instinctively he reaches up to rub his jaw at the mention of Nero, almost testing it to see if there is still any damage. ]
You know sometimes they still throb. Don't recommend getting punch by those wings of his, he's got a monster hook.
no subject
[ Now he's just intentionally being a piece of shit. Vergil hums to himself, reflects on the backhand Dante had suffered at Nero's hand. He's very quietly proud of how strong Nero was at that point, impressed by the strength he'd shown. None of them benefit from their heritage here, and he finds himself curious as to how combat between any of them would go, now. ]
Well then, you're in luck. He doesn't seem to have them here; you may not need dental work if he punches you again.
no subject
[ It comes out a little sharper than intended, so much so that Dante feels himself flinch. He never found out what happened to Vergil after Mallet Island, figured that he was dead. He exhales, rubbing his forehead. ]
I can't express how glad my jaw is at that thought.
no subject
Instead, there's a pettier way to address this, and his fingers start moving even before he realizes it. ]
My point exactly. Neither do I.
no subject
Yeah, sorry about that. Figured you didn't want to be the mindless puppet of the asshole who killed our parents.
no subject
He'd cast away the bulk of those memories when he'd cast himself away. But he hasn't forgotten everything, and in fact it is the reason he is still awake at this hour, the reason he sleeps so lightly and so little.
In lieu of storming his brother's room and stabbing him where he sits, Vergil settles for pacing around the little shop he's claimed, Yamato clasped tight in his hand. And if he checks the locks on the doors and windows, no one else but him will know.
It takes a while, close to fifteen minutes before he feels calm enough to respond. ]
Watch your words, Dante.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)