[ when he hears the door dante steps out to greet his dear brother with some smartass comment about how quick that was, words that die immediately on his tongue when he sees the state of him; clothes torn, blood staining pale skin, hair a disheveled. worry starts to worm it's way around his throat, gaze flicking over vergil in a clear effort to find any wounds he knows aren't likely there anymore - it's habit, worrying over his brother, one that he can't seem to shake no matter what. ]
Corpse dust? Hold on a second─
[ dante doesn't move, of course, purposefully putting himself in vergil's path only to be suddenly scooped up as though he weighs nothing at all.
dante makes a noise in surprise, eyes wide as the worry he had been feeling is replaced with a weird mix of surprise and unbridled excitement, arms quick to fling around his brother's neck in an effort to keep himself from falling. not that vergil really needs that sort of help when he's carrying dante as though he isn't the 6'3 muscled twunk he is most certainly is. ]
Vergil!
[ he walks them both into the living room with the clear intent to drop dante off there, an intent that the younger twin catches onto immediately, arms all but locking around his brother's neck stubbornly. if he thinks he is going to easily be rid of dante now that he has picked him up he has another thing coming. ]
[ look he understands the guy's concern, he's not exactly HAPPY about how the whole ordeal he just struggled through went, but. it went better than it COULD have, all things considered--especially given that he'd not only made it out alive, but he'd felt a weird rush of adrenaline being able to... do things he normally wouldn't be able to.
he wont mind explaining what happened, even maybe somewhat proud of himself for getting out of there without any terrible memory lapses or wounds (that didn't heal pretty well instantly), but for now he just wanted to get the feeling of dust and grime off his skin.
and yes, it's absolutely his fucking aim to bring dante to the livingroom so he can dump him unceremoniously onto a couch so he can go wash his face.
...
except now dante is clinging. And his attempt to put him down are now thwarted, because he's realised something quickly, and far too late.
Their strength may be similar, but dante's had it for longer.
now that he's up he's refusing to get down. good god. ]
--What are you, a Koala? Let go, I said I will talk to you once I have washed my face.
[ exasperated, now. he's made a grave error here. ]
Nope, not letting go until you tell me what the hell happened.
[ it's a good thing that the store is closed and they aren't expecting any guests, because honestly the sight anyone would be walking in on right is as concerning as it would be hilarious. dante, in all his six foot three glory, clinging to his twin brother as though his life depends on it. this close dante can smell the blood on him. although from his initial glance, he can tell that vergil himself is not exactly injured. it settles some of the worry gnawing at the back of dante's mind, just not enough for him to let go entirely.
but it's then that dante does something almost unexpected.
he shifts, using all of his weight to disturb vergil's balance and pull them both down onto the couch, his back hitting the cushions with a heavy oof as he pulls his brother's weight down ontop of him. sorry vergil, you're trapped here until you explain what happened. ]
[ if he was expecting people over, he'd definitely call and cancel, with how he looks right now. he's tired, today's barely half over and he already feels like it's done. And now there's Dante. Literally koala-clung onto him, and now they're rolling.
They're falling and he lands directly on top of the other with a low 'umpfh' sound as air leaves his lungs from the action. He recovers quickly--and while he DEFINITELY does try to get up; he realises it's in vain as Dante's got his fucking monkey grippers applied directly into places he can't pull him off, from this angle. Maybe making use of some of the fresh new holes in his once-fine jacket.
He makes a long-suffering sigh. This is childish. You know what fuck you, he's going to reach for dante's shirt, sweater, coat, whatever he's wearing, and use THAT to get some of the gunk out of his eyes. ]
Have I ever told you that you are a brat. Because in this moment that is the best possible word I can use to describe this action you have taken. Have you never been patient about anything in our lives.
[ he sighs again. ]
Fine. Have it your way. I took up one of those... strange missions that inane Libra app put out monthly. Not for the money, but rather, because of the attractive reward of a magical weapon it offered as a prize.
The task it requested was one that seemed simple. I even brought along one of the store's new employees I recently hired--Jekyll, as I planned on having him deliver the item once we found it.
However, when going to the location where the item was apparently last seen, we were... sucked into some sort of black tear in reality.
[ it is childish, peak brat behavior - not that dante seems to care. he basks in his little victory even as vergil shifts and starts using his old shirt to clean the blood and dirt from his face. it's not the first time dante's gotten his shirt dirty, and he's sure it won't be the last time. all he does is shift slightly, adjusting where he is laying so the harder parts of the couch doesn't bite into his back, arms wrapping loosely enough around his brother but tight enough to keep him from pulling free. ]
Nope, not once in our entire lives.
[ he grins widely, a hand coming up to bury itself in his brother's hair, picking out bits of debris idly as he talks. ]
Can't believe you went reality hopping without me. [ it is clear by his tone that he doesn't mean it, being dramatic for the sake of it. ] Where did it take you?
[ the desire to bite dante or at least punch him in the kidney is strong. Despite how tired he should be--he isn't. Another effect of having demonic strength and regeneration now, he supposes, is the fact that despite how he's spent most of today fighting off a couple dozen undead and a giant skull monster, he's still ready to keep fighting.
what the hell are demons.
he's lying against a man who is just the same, a creature of indominable strength and terrifying power and yet he's just holding onto him like a cat who's clung onto their favorite toy. Claws in, yet somehow relaxed.
The hand in his hair might change the leverage and for a moment he considers trying to escape again. But doesn't. ]
Trust me when I say it may have gone smoother, were it you who had gotten dragged inside instead of myself and Jekyll. Next time I feel energized enough to risk a thing like that, you are coming along. [ no ifs, you ARE. ]
It brought us to a place that had no real sky. It was dark and churning, there were lights hanging in the air like motes of dust. And it was a labyrinth of dark bramble and thorns. Picking our way through it was painful enough--the state of my clothing is mostly due to us just trying to get the hell out of it.
Not to mention the waves of... I know it may sound mad, but quite literally we were inundated by waves of ... Zombies. Half-rotted humanoids with exposed bones and missing eyes, half their faces removed.
We had no damn weapons, and I had to fight off most of the damn things with my bare hands.
[ it says a lot that vergil stays exactly where dante had dragged him as his grips loosen just enough to pick at the bits of debris in his brother's hair, the other lazily smooths down his back towards the rips and tears in his clothes. they could try to repair them, he thinks, or vergil will just buy some new clothes. ]
Hearing you loud and clear, Verg. [ he had known that the excursion resulted in his brother being transported to another place entirely having to fight off zombies he would have insisted on going along. ] No more excursions without me.
[ he listens quietly as vergil continues, leg hanging off the edge of the couch while his other all but brackets vergil against him. he continues to pick out bits of leaves, sticks, a little bit of gore from his brother's hair as he talks, expression going from curious to concerned within a blink of an eye. ]
Okay, definitely no more excursions without me. [ fingers find a particularly large hole in his brother's clothes and he pokes them through, finding the familiar line of vergil's spine underneath. ] I gotta say, I'm impressed you fought them off with your bare hands. But we really gotta get you in the habit of carrying some sort of weapon on you when you leave the shop, just in case something like that happens again.
[ maybe it's because he's just. He's not exhausted--the demon's blood apparently took care of that, but mentally? He's tired, he can feel the weight of the whole shop on his back, and dante's hands in his hair, mussed and messy, with bits of briar bramble and corpse bits actually feels better to have hands going through it.
Maybe he's just touched starved and doesn't realise it, and this is the first time he's felt gentle hands on him in years--and he's not exactly too keen on letting it go. Not that he's about to admit that, freely. ]
I refuse to try another, regardless of how easy it sounds, unless I am certain I have proper aid this time. You, I am certain, would have made a quick joke of the things I had to wrestle with. I do not soon want to revisit the ordeal.
[ he sighs. heavily. And goes from trying to brace himself on the side of the couch to just... makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. Fingers on his spine makes his shoulders tense up, but he's letting his knees relax on the couch. ]
Carrying a weapon feels unhinged. Especially when I am not yet skilled at using one.
[ maybe he is touched starved and doesn't realize it, maybe dante's just as starved but doesn't talk about it and instead does whatever he can to get his hands on vergil, to drown himself in gentle touches as often as he can. ]
Sounds good to me. [ they go together or not at all. that's the decision dante made on top of the qliphoth that day when they left nero behind to take care of things. he knew vergil didn't need him, not to cut down the tree, but he wasn't going to let him do it alone. not again.
he withdraws his fingers, hand moving back up toward his brother's shoulders as dante finally clears as much as he possibly can from vergil's hair. he'll need a shower to get rid of the rest, but that is a problem for later when dante finally decides to let vergil go from his grip. it might not be for a moment, however, as the devil hunter finds himself comfortable and content with vergil on top of him like this. ]
That's what training is for, Vergil. [ his shoulders are tense. dante hums faintly, a hand resting on the nape of his neck. ] As long as you can swing it without cutting off your own hand you'll be fine. The rest will come back eventually.
[ they're in this weird ouroboros of craving one another's attention and it's uncertain where one starts and the other begins, but Vergil isn't about to try to pinpoint it.
For now he's going to ... allow himself to just relax, because he's not going to be let up to go shower anytime soon, and Dante's hands just keep moving. ]
I feel even if I do cut off my own hand, it will not take that much time to grow back. It seems I have been cursed with your odd healing power as well. [ he doesn't want to talk about how he'd definitely gotten hurt a few times in that damn gate, and how he now knew what it was like to heal--instantly--from the same sort of wound he'd inflicted on Dante a few weeks ago. ]
I suppose I ought take you up on your offer to practice blades with me again.
[ as far as dante is concerned they don't need to pinpoint it, they don't even need to acknowledge it verbally. he's happy to simply indulge in it, to give vergil the attention he so desperately craves while hungrily taking everything vergil gives in return.
his chest jerks with a laugh, the hand at vergil's nape gently kneading at tense muscles, softly coaxing them back to a more relaxed state. ]
Ah, no wonder I can't find any wounds. [ he's glad for that, at least, as much as it makes his stomach sink with uncertainty. at least, he has to think to himself, this means vergil has less of a chance of dying or something if he's attacked while dante isn't around. he can defend himself a bit better with his returned strength and healing. ]
You should. [ with the debris free from his brother's hair the hand in his hair shifts to idle petting, nails scratching very lightly against his scalp, as he cards them through vergil's hair. ] Even if you don't get any memories back the muscle memory should come back. You've already got some of it, felt it when you shanked me in the kitchen.
[ how long has it actually been since he's had someone elses' hands on him anyway? someone he ... trusted, even if he wasn't about to say such words to the air. locked up in his lungs and not allowed to escape, because admitting you're lonely is harder than literally any other task he can think of, right now. ]
I was suprised myself. Especially given the last creature we fought before we were... spat back out into this world was a creature with an axe far bigger than I am willing to describe.
[ he'd wanted to take the weapon with him, but the portal ripped them away so suddenly...
he makes an annoyed sound that's more of a disappointed huff than anything else.
he's gone almost completely deadweight against the other. digging his fingers into dante's sides a little as the man brings up THAT incident. ]
I still feel you could have dodged that. But you did not. I will... make a run to get some practice weapons once I have showered. I am closing the store for the rest of the day.
...
I feel perhaps I should clear a space on the second floor so we do not need to constantly be going to that 'fight club' Nero has set up. [ theyre gonna overuse and destroy it one day ]
[ it's nice to have vergil all but melt into the touch, to allow himself to relax like this. because his brother deserves it, frankly, after all the shit he has been through (all the shit he has yet to remember). he deserves to know touch, dante's touch, that isn't tainted by pain and torment. ]
Sounds like my kind of party, gotta say I'm pretty sad I wasn't there to enjoy it.
[ dante hums at the fingers digging into his sides, following the curve of his brother's spine with his fingers. ]
You caught me off guard, honest. [ he could've dodged it if he even considered vergil was capable of such strength. ] You're gonna have to get up if you're gonna shower, not sure I'm ready to let you go just yet.
We're gonna need more space than we've got upstairs, besides the that's what the fight club is for.
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Corpse dust? Hold on a second─
[ dante doesn't move, of course, purposefully putting himself in vergil's path only to be suddenly scooped up as though he weighs nothing at all.
dante makes a noise in surprise, eyes wide as the worry he had been feeling is replaced with a weird mix of surprise and unbridled excitement, arms quick to fling around his brother's neck in an effort to keep himself from falling. not that vergil really needs that sort of help when he's carrying dante as though he isn't the 6'3 muscled twunk he is most certainly is. ]
Vergil!
[ he walks them both into the living room with the clear intent to drop dante off there, an intent that the younger twin catches onto immediately, arms all but locking around his brother's neck stubbornly. if he thinks he is going to easily be rid of dante now that he has picked him up he has another thing coming. ]
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he wont mind explaining what happened, even maybe somewhat proud of himself for getting out of there without any terrible memory lapses or wounds (that didn't heal pretty well instantly), but for now he just wanted to get the feeling of dust and grime off his skin.
and yes, it's absolutely his fucking aim to bring dante to the livingroom so he can dump him unceremoniously onto a couch so he can go wash his face.
...
except now dante is clinging. And his attempt to put him down are now thwarted, because he's realised something quickly, and far too late.
Their strength may be similar, but dante's had it for longer.
now that he's up
he's refusing to get down.
good god. ]
--What are you, a Koala?
Let go, I said I will talk to you once I have washed my face.
[ exasperated, now. he's made a grave error here. ]
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[ it's a good thing that the store is closed and they aren't expecting any guests, because honestly the sight anyone would be walking in on right is as concerning as it would be hilarious. dante, in all his six foot three glory, clinging to his twin brother as though his life depends on it. this close dante can smell the blood on him. although from his initial glance, he can tell that vergil himself is not exactly injured. it settles some of the worry gnawing at the back of dante's mind, just not enough for him to let go entirely.
but it's then that dante does something almost unexpected.
he shifts, using all of his weight to disturb vergil's balance and pull them both down onto the couch, his back hitting the cushions with a heavy oof as he pulls his brother's weight down ontop of him. sorry vergil, you're trapped here until you explain what happened. ]
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They're falling and he lands directly on top of the other with a low 'umpfh' sound as air leaves his lungs from the action. He recovers quickly--and while he DEFINITELY does try to get up; he realises it's in vain as Dante's got his fucking monkey grippers applied directly into places he can't pull him off, from this angle.
Maybe making use of some of the fresh new holes in his once-fine jacket.
He makes a long-suffering sigh. This is childish.
You know what fuck you, he's going to reach for dante's shirt, sweater, coat, whatever he's wearing, and use THAT to get some of the gunk out of his eyes. ]
Have I ever told you that you are a brat.
Because in this moment that is the best possible word I can use to describe this action you have taken.
Have you never been patient about anything in our lives.
[ he sighs again. ]
Fine. Have it your way.
I took up one of those... strange missions that inane Libra app put out monthly. Not for the money, but rather, because of the attractive reward of a magical weapon it offered as a prize.
The task it requested was one that seemed simple. I even brought along one of the store's new employees I recently hired--Jekyll, as I planned on having him deliver the item once we found it.
However, when going to the location where the item was apparently last seen, we were... sucked into some sort of black tear in reality.
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Nope, not once in our entire lives.
[ he grins widely, a hand coming up to bury itself in his brother's hair, picking out bits of debris idly as he talks. ]
Can't believe you went reality hopping without me. [ it is clear by his tone that he doesn't mean it, being dramatic for the sake of it. ] Where did it take you?
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what the hell are demons.
he's lying against a man who is just the same, a creature of indominable strength and terrifying power and yet he's just holding onto him like a cat who's clung onto their favorite toy. Claws in, yet somehow relaxed.
The hand in his hair might change the leverage and for a moment he considers trying to escape again.
But doesn't. ]
Trust me when I say it may have gone smoother, were it you who had gotten dragged inside instead of myself and Jekyll.
Next time I feel energized enough to risk a thing like that, you are coming along. [ no ifs, you ARE. ]
It brought us to a place that had no real sky. It was dark and churning, there were lights hanging in the air like motes of dust.
And it was a labyrinth of dark bramble and thorns. Picking our way through it was painful enough--the state of my clothing is mostly due to us just trying to get the hell out of it.
Not to mention the waves of... I know it may sound mad, but quite literally we were inundated by waves of ... Zombies.
Half-rotted humanoids with exposed bones and missing eyes, half their faces removed.
We had no damn weapons, and I had to fight off most of the damn things with my bare hands.
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Hearing you loud and clear, Verg. [ he had known that the excursion resulted in his brother being transported to another place entirely having to fight off zombies he would have insisted on going along. ] No more excursions without me.
[ he listens quietly as vergil continues, leg hanging off the edge of the couch while his other all but brackets vergil against him. he continues to pick out bits of leaves, sticks, a little bit of gore from his brother's hair as he talks, expression going from curious to concerned within a blink of an eye. ]
Okay, definitely no more excursions without me. [ fingers find a particularly large hole in his brother's clothes and he pokes them through, finding the familiar line of vergil's spine underneath. ] I gotta say, I'm impressed you fought them off with your bare hands. But we really gotta get you in the habit of carrying some sort of weapon on you when you leave the shop, just in case something like that happens again.
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Maybe he's just touched starved and doesn't realise it, and this is the first time he's felt gentle hands on him in years--and he's not exactly too keen on letting it go.
Not that he's about to admit that, freely. ]
I refuse to try another, regardless of how easy it sounds, unless I am certain I have proper aid this time. You, I am certain, would have made a quick joke of the things I had to wrestle with. I do not soon want to revisit the ordeal.
[ he sighs. heavily. And goes from trying to brace himself on the side of the couch to just...
makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. Fingers on his spine makes his shoulders tense up, but he's letting his knees relax on the couch. ]
Carrying a weapon feels unhinged.
Especially when I am not yet skilled at using one.
...But perhaps you are right.
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Sounds good to me. [ they go together or not at all. that's the decision dante made on top of the qliphoth that day when they left nero behind to take care of things. he knew vergil didn't need him, not to cut down the tree, but he wasn't going to let him do it alone. not again.
he withdraws his fingers, hand moving back up toward his brother's shoulders as dante finally clears as much as he possibly can from vergil's hair. he'll need a shower to get rid of the rest, but that is a problem for later when dante finally decides to let vergil go from his grip. it might not be for a moment, however, as the devil hunter finds himself comfortable and content with vergil on top of him like this. ]
That's what training is for, Vergil. [ his shoulders are tense. dante hums faintly, a hand resting on the nape of his neck. ] As long as you can swing it without cutting off your own hand you'll be fine. The rest will come back eventually.
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For now he's going to ... allow himself to just relax, because he's not going to be let up to go shower anytime soon, and Dante's hands just keep moving. ]
I feel even if I do cut off my own hand, it will not take that much time to grow back.
It seems I have been cursed with your odd healing power as well. [ he doesn't want to talk about how he'd definitely gotten hurt a few times in that damn gate, and how he now knew what it was like to heal--instantly--from the same sort of wound he'd inflicted on Dante a few weeks ago. ]
I suppose I ought take you up on your offer to practice blades with me again.
Perhaps I will... start to remember.
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his chest jerks with a laugh, the hand at vergil's nape gently kneading at tense muscles, softly coaxing them back to a more relaxed state. ]
Ah, no wonder I can't find any wounds. [ he's glad for that, at least, as much as it makes his stomach sink with uncertainty. at least, he has to think to himself, this means vergil has less of a chance of dying or something if he's attacked while dante isn't around. he can defend himself a bit better with his returned strength and healing. ]
You should. [ with the debris free from his brother's hair the hand in his hair shifts to idle petting, nails scratching very lightly against his scalp, as he cards them through vergil's hair. ] Even if you don't get any memories back the muscle memory should come back. You've already got some of it, felt it when you shanked me in the kitchen.
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I was suprised myself. Especially given the last creature we fought before we were... spat back out into this world was a creature with an axe far bigger than I am willing to describe.
[ he'd wanted to take the weapon with him, but the portal ripped them away so suddenly...
he makes an annoyed sound that's more of a disappointed huff than anything else.
he's gone almost completely deadweight against the other. digging his fingers into dante's sides a little as the man brings up THAT incident. ]
I still feel you could have dodged that. But you did not.
I will... make a run to get some practice weapons once I have showered. I am closing the store for the rest of the day.
...
I feel perhaps I should clear a space on the second floor so we do not need to constantly be going to that 'fight club' Nero has set up. [ theyre gonna overuse and destroy it one day ]
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Sounds like my kind of party, gotta say I'm pretty sad I wasn't there to enjoy it.
[ dante hums at the fingers digging into his sides, following the curve of his brother's spine with his fingers. ]
You caught me off guard, honest. [ he could've dodged it if he even considered vergil was capable of such strength. ] You're gonna have to get up if you're gonna shower, not sure I'm ready to let you go just yet.
We're gonna need more space than we've got upstairs, besides the that's what the fight club is for.