Nero opens his mouth to retort, but finds he doesn't know what to say. Obviously the situation with Vergil and V is quite unique. He's uncertain what the both of them actually think or feel about any of this or what they may have spoken of when they met up. He's also not sure what he would even begin to call V if pressed for a label now. A friend? An ally? A family member? But what family member, then? A brother? Maybe even a... stepfather?

He feels a sudden pang at that thought. Pictures Vergil's face crumbling to hear it spoken aloud. Is it possible to cheat on your dad with a weird supernatural remnant of himself?

But at the same time, is that fair to V? He'd described him to Kyrie as "everything good in Vergil." It feels quite cruel to deny that, to deny the sprouting feelings and realizations that would, theoretically, blossom into the way Vergil feels about Nero now. And even without any fucky-wucky time bullshit factored in, it feels wrong to treat V as a castoff, as a lesser person. Even if he literally is.

God. He went from having zero parents to having a father and a half and not knowing how the fuck to handle that. Ain't that just the way?

After a moment of silence, awkward fretting, glancing at V here and again, he finally lets out a quiet sigh.

"Well. Okay. What might I mean to you, then?" He folds his arms, looking a little self-conscious. "I'm not... sure how we should deal with this."