Especially after being up in the mountains and developing a headcold. The steam has helped a lot and Kyrie has emerged from the adjoining en-suite wearing makeshift pjs and bundled up in a hoodie that is definitely too big and smells too much like Nero to be hers.
Honestly, she's appreciated having some time to herself to wrap her head around everything that's happened today because it has been a lot to come to terms with and try to keep her usual, positive outlook on things. It's been a relief to drop her guard and just let the hot water wash over her and process. She's exhausted, she's very probably going to be sleeping poorly tonight with a cold coming on as well as sleeping in a strange place for the first time. She hadn't realised just how drained she feels until she'd stepped under the shower head.
She's busy toweling her hair dry as she steps back into the bedroom and announces her presence with a smile and a cheerful:]
[On one hand, Nero is still reeling in the overwhelming surge of emotion that hit him like a truck earlier. Kyrie, here? Safe? After months and months of missing her like someone had cut his heart out of his chest? Found safely and rescued gallantly by Vergil? And neither of them had horribly alienated the other by the time Nero caught up with them? It's like a dream come true.
But there is still a lot... a lot that Kyrie needs to be caught up on. Things he was ready to tell her seven months ago now, but so much has changed. He's changed. And Vergil has too. So he wants to be very, very careful about how he catches Kyrie up to speed. If he manages to do it without her storming out of the house or throwing kitchenware at a devastated Vergil, then he'll have succeeded.
And if not? No. No, he simply refuses to consider it.
When Kyrie emerges from the shower he is actually lying facedown on the bed. He's dressed down to one of his workout tanktops and a pair of sweats, but he sits up on an elbow as soon as she's present.
He can't help but smile like an absolute smitten buffoon just looking at her. It's really her. Here.]
Mm-hmm, warm and toasty. That's a really nice shower you have.
[Case in point, the pink flush on her skin and the rosy cheeks that may or may not also have something to do with appreciating Nero in his tanktop. Her eyes flit down to his right arm, whole and human again, and once again she marvels at the utterly incredible things her beloved seems to be able to accomplish.
She quickly twists the towel into a turban and smiles back at him when she catches him grinning at her. She knows that face. She's missed that face. It's only been a few weeks for her, she can't even imagine being parted from him for seven months.
So, taking his smile for an invitation (and feeling emboldened by the knowledge that the door is shut and the house is empty), she helps herself to the bed and scrambles across until she's able to snuggle up against him and scoop him into a hug.]
[He opens his arms to welcome her, rolling up with her and stopping only when he's afraid he might smoosh her. This leaves him on his opposite side, cradling her close but not so close he can't look at her.
He lifts two fingers to tuck her hair out of her face.]
So it's all a... really long story. I won't bore you if you're tired tonight, but...
[Dang it, towels just can't contain her hair, but Kyrie doesn't mind in the slightest. She twists to get rid of it, tossing it towards the bathroom door so she can remember to put it back later, and nestles in closer as she looks up at him.]
You know you could never bore me, but maybe you can keep the gruesome parts to a minimum so I don't have to imagine what went on.
[It's bad enough knowing that he risks his life on a regular basis without having to hear about the gore and bloodshed, honestly. She reaches across to skim her fingertips up and down his right arm, still not used to the novelty of touching smooth, human skin where there had been hard metal so recently, and before that, demonic scales and glowing light for so long.]
But absolutely don't hold back on the important parts, I want to know everything.
[Nero surrenders his arm for inspection. Some part of him hopes it passes, even when he realizes what a ridiculous thing that is to worry about a few seconds later.]
Man... where do I even start?
[How far back does he go? There's a lot of this he doesn't even really know for certain, but has surmised or put together from the pieces of the puzzle he does have.
Well. At the very beginning, maybe, would be a good spot.]
Okay. So... Dante is Sparda's son. And Vergil is Dante's twin brother. And one time Vergil went to Fortuna and he... he met my mother. Her name was Beatrice.
[He sighs, honestly wishing he knew more than he does about this part. But Kyrie knows full and well how clueless he'd been about his origins as a kid.]
He didn't know about me. And he doesn't know what happened to her. But that's where I came from, I guess.
[Kyrie is nothing if not patient. It's a virtue she's cultivated over the years, which has certainly made some aspects of her relationship with her partner run that much more smoothly (particularly during the early days). She watches him softly, all the while letting her fingers skim up and down his arm until she comes to rest on his hand, which she turns her attention to threading her fingers through his. She's missed holding his hand, and she vows not to take it for granted again.
Some of what Nero is saying she's managed to piece together herself. Dante and Vergil being twins is probably the least surprising thing. Vergil himself had told her that he hadn't known about Nero's existence, so she nods at that, her face soft and accepting. The name of Nero's mother is new information, and she again files away the strange coincidence of her name to her own private amusement. There is nothing funny about any of this, and she doesn't want Nero to feel she might think that.
She gives his hand a gentle squeeze.]
Perhaps... we could look for your mother when we find our way home. Even if she's no longer in the city, we might be able to find out something about her, if you wanted to.
[She lifts his hand to her lips and kisses his knuckles.]
[He swallows and tightens his fingers around hers. The suggestion hits him like a punch in the chest.]
I do want to. I don't know what we'd find after all this time, but... Dad gave me some pictures of her. Somebody had to know what happened to her and... Anything would be nice to know.
[He doesn't want to get hung up on that, though. If he's honest with himself, the subject of his mother still feels very raw and painful. Nero isn't sure how he can possibly deal with that, though, or how he's supposed to process any of it when she's such a big question mark.]
Anyway. So... that's why I have powers. And why Sanctus captured us. And why Dante gave me the Yamato. Because he's my uncle, and Vergil's my dad, and... I'm Sparda's grandson.
That's pretty amazing that he still has pictures after all this time. We could ask around, see if anyone recognizes her. I know the archives were pretty badly damaged after the demon attacks, but maybe there's something left on the city census; you might even have more family out there.
[She looks up at him and reels it in, seeing the worry lines etch his brow. Very gently, she reaches up and strokes his cheek, brushes her thumb over his lips. The known quantity in his heritage is impressive enough, if not a little daunting. She lets a playful smile creep onto her face at that.]
You know... if this had got out when the Order was still at its height, you would have been idolized and I'd probably have been excommunicated.
[He never even considered the possibility of other family. It's hard to know what to think about that in the moment. Sort of a mix of hopeful longing and resentment. If his mother's family was out there somewhere, why did he end up left on the orphanage steps all alone?
But there's really no sense in getting worked up over a "what if," so he takes a breath and lets Kyrie's fingers soothe away the grump and furrow on his face.]
Yeah, if by "idolized" you mean thrown in a cage... [And he doesn't even WANT to think about what they'd have done to Kyrie in that case. He shakes it off and bites his lower lip.]
Does it weird you out? Sparda wasn't a god, but... you know. It's kind of weird, right?
[Kyrie knows that the Order were a cult, that they did terrible things and harmed hundreds of innocent people to pursue their goals. She knows all this, she still has nightmares about the things they did to her and Nero, but deep down, she still struggles to let go of some of the mythology. Maybe, once, the Order had been better, maybe it had rotted over the centuries into what it degraded to. She still believes in Sparda, that he was a great and powerful entity who humanity owes a great debt to. Even now, looking at Nero, it's surreal to know that he's a part of that myth, that legacy. But if anyone was going to be...
She shakes her head and murmurs her dissent.]
I mean, it was a shock when your father told me who he was and when I realized what it meant. But no, it doesn't weird me out. It might have done... but now I know that he was more than some 'god', he was more than that.
[She nestles in against his side and rests her free hand on his stomach.]
[For the first time in the conversation, Nero looks at least a little more at ease. He lets out a breath and cracks a vague smile, leaning forward to bump her forehead with his.]
Good. 'Cuz my gramps might be a legendary demon knight, but I'm still just Nero. I promise.
[Like yeah... so many demons over the years used to sneer at him and call him "Sparda's kin" and "blood of Sparda" and all that shit. He always knew it was a connection somehow. But it feels a lot more real knowing exactly how close to Sparda he is. Even with what he knows about Sparda as a person and not a figure of legend, there's a kind of disconnect in his head at the very idea.
Like... imagine going to Grandpa's house for the holidays, and it's Sparda. Fucking wild.
Anyway. Now that that's covered... time to wade into some murkier territory.]
So... what do you think of Vergil? You guys seemed to be getting along okay.
[Kyrie nudges back against his forehead, huffing a light puff of laughter through her nose.]
You've never been 'just Nero' to me, you know that. You're just my legendary, slightly Dark Knight Nero now.
[She pats his stomach cheerfully, indicating that she's teasing him to put him at ease.
Mostly.
It's very strange to think that he is a direct descendant of someone she worshipped as a god and it might take some adjusting to, but having got to know Dante over the years and recognized the all too present humanity in him, he's not quite so intimidating.
Vergil, on the other hand...]
I like him. He's very different from his brother, if they didn't look so alike I'd find it hard to believe they're related.
[She pushes herself up to look at him, smiling fondly.]
But you know, it's not so hard to see the resemblance between you two if you look carefully enough.
[Well. You've seen his screenname, obviously he does. He chuckles and eases into a more comfortable position on the bed, letting Kyrie flop and snuggle however she pleases once he's settled on his back.
Nero can't help but smile a little wider when she points out how much he and Vergil look alike.]
Yeah. I had a hard time believing it myself... hard to think he's my dad too, except it's like looking in a mirror sometimes.
[He's going to have to get into this somehow. Slowly. Carefully. So he takes a breath and wets his lips.]
He, uh. He's had a really rough life. I don't know all the details but he was... gone for a long time. I think in the Underworld. He's kind of prickly and sometimes he's like a feral cat. Hissy and nervous and poorly socialized?
[A soft, good-natured laugh.]
He's been trying really hard though. Trying to be a better person and a father. He's changed a lot. I wouldn't be calling him "Dad" if he hadn't earned it from me.
Nero! You can't say things like that about your father!
[Kyrie laughs but she's also slightly scandalised. She can't imagine getting the nerve to call Vergil something like a hissy, poorly socialized cat. He comes across as so stern and severe, she can't imagine what it would be like to actually anger him.
But... Nero trashtalks people he likes. Not her, never her, but Nico? Dante? Constantly. It makes her laugh.]
I'm looking forward to getting to know him better, hopefully somewhere a bit warmer. He was so kind to me when he found me, I need to find a way to repay him for everything. Do you think I should cook him a special dinner to thank him?
[She adjusts herself so she can sprawl over him, snuggling into his body heat and the warmth of his hoodie.]
I'm so glad you've found him, I can see how much he means to you. I just wish I'd been here with you while it happened.
[Maybe he'd tone it down a little bit but he absolutely would. He and Vergil are finally at the place where they can rib each other and it doesn't come off as really pointed and mean. It's a place they were gonna need to reach, in Nero's regard.]
I think he'd like that. He's kind of blase about food but I know a few things he likes by now... he really likes tea and books, actually. I bet he'll love talking to you about his books.
[It's wonderful to hear that he was so kind to her. That she wants to repay him and get to know him better. He hopes, from the bottom of his heart, that she still feels that way in a moment. He absolutely has to tell her.]
There's, um... there's something I need to tell you about him though. It's about what happened last y... last month. In Red Grave. [And in the garage. Though he can already feel himself starting to falter as he gets closer to it.]
It might be kind of hard to hear but I need to tell you. Can you hear me out?
[Kyrie lies comfortably with her head pillowed on Nero's chest, just below his shoulder, enjoying the familiar dull pulse of his heartbeat beneath her ear as she listens to him talk. It's comforting and soothing and might be enough to lull her to sleep but she feels him tense beneath her and everything changes. She shifts a little to sit up, wriggling so she's upright and facing him with a frown on her face.]
I knew something was bothering you when you called, has it been eating away at you for this long?
[She can't imagine that he's had months to sit on this; is it something so terrible that he can't even share it with his family? She reaches for both of his hands to hold in hers as she looks at him.]
Of course I can hear you out, you can tell me anything.
[He's very quick to clasp her hands, squeezing them back.]
Oh, no, no. It hasn't been eating at me-- I mean, I've basically come to terms with it, I'm just... [Worried that she won't.
But enough of the mystery. He sighs and shakes his head, then wets his lips before he goes to explain.]
So Vergil. Before we met, before we even knew each other existed, he was dying. He was weak and half out of his mind trying to save himself. He needed his sword. So when he sensed it, he came to Fortuna and...
[Nero laces his fingers with hers, particularly those of his right hand. Here's the cruel truth that hit him like a truck that day, left him reeling on the phone to Kyrie.]
He was the one who attacked me that day. He tore off my arm to get Yamato back.
[He was the one who attacked me that day. He tore off my arm to get Yamato back.
The whole world grinds to a halt, all sound turns to static in her ears and Kyrie forgets how to breathe for a split second. She's paralysed, transported back to that sickening moment of utter horror when she'd gone to the garage. Her world had tilted on its axis to find Nero bleeding out on the floor, soaked in his own blood, dying for all intents and purposes, and she had been powerless to do anything more than try desperately to staunch the bleeding and beg Nico to call an ambulance as she'd cradled him in her arms and pleaded with him as he lost consciousness.
Please be okay
Don't go
Don't leave me
I can't do this without you
I love you please stay with me
You're everything, I can't lose you
You can't die you can't die
Even now her nightmares are coloured red with the blood she can't stop, and she feels the dead weight of him in her arms as she tore her skirt and tried to fashion a tourniquet to stop the endless river of blood that poured from the ruined stump of his right arm.
She'd thought a monster, a demon, had broken the sanctity of their home and harmed him. But this? This is so much worse.
He has to be mistaken, this can't be true.
Her voice is tiny when she finally answers, her face ashen in disbelief.]
[He promised himself he wouldn't panic during this talk. That he'd let Kyrie feel however she felt, and he wouldn't go overboard trying to explain things or defending Vergil where it wasn't warranted.
But it hurts so fucking bad to see her distressed. It takes everything in him not to break that promise to himself and start rushing to say something, anything that would make it better.
He closes his hands--both of them-- over hers, bringing them in to place against his chest.]
He was the demon in Red Grave. Something... happened to him, and once he had Yamato it only got worse. He split in two. There was V, his human side, everything that was good in him. And then everything that was left was that... monster.
[It's hard to explain that part when he still doesn't understand much of it himself. He's never quite wanted to quiz Vergil either, since he's so obviously touchy and wary about the subject of his past. But nor does he want to leave out any of his understanding for Kyrie. It's twisted and frightening and fucked up, but he absolutely will not keep it from her. Not if he wants any hope at all of his family all being mended into one.
So he explains the Red Grave situation. How dire things were when they arrived, how V was so desperate to put a stop to Urizen and the mistake he spawned that cost so many lives. How V was dying, and Nero more or less carried him to the bottom of the Qliphoth, where Dante had defeated Urizen. How V and Urizen rejoined into one Vergil, and the bombshell when Dante told him that Vergil was, in fact, his father. The man who'd assaulted him and crippled him was his own, unknowing father.]
When I called you... I didn't know what to do. He'd done so much wrong, and I spent so long wanting revenge for my arm, but... I couldn't let it go just like that. I couldn't just leave him and Dante to kill each other. I didn't want bloodshed to do the talking in this family anymore. I just... wanted to look him in the eye as his son, and see what he would do about it.
[By now, there's a telltale wet shine in Nero's eyes.]
Kyrie. I know how... screwed up this all is. I still don't understand a lot of it. But if I thought he might hurt you, or me, I'd be a thousand miles away with you and never even look at him again. He knows he was wrong. He's been working so hard to change, and to be a father for me. You don't ever have to like him, or trust him, but...
[At last, he closes his eyes and leans forward, bonking his forehead into her shoulder.]
I forgave him. Maybe I'm stupid and too trusting, but... I wanted to give him a chance.
[Kyrie doesn't quite know how to respond. It's a lot to contend with, on top of everything else she's learned about Nero's family today. She barely notices when Nero places her hands on his chest, can't look away from his face as he pours his heart out with the story.
It would be one thing if the attack had been perpetrated by the side of Vergil devoid of any and all humanity, but that's not the case. That small spark of optimism, that it can't be that bad, snuffs out. Then the human side of him had dragged Nero back into the unpleasantness, knowing what had been done to him? Knowing how close they'd come to losing Nero? And what about the demon side, how many lives had been lost to feed his unrelenting
She battles to keep her breathing under control, feeling her heart begin to race in a panic.
And then Nero's eyes well up, and her heart begins to break for him. Her own vision begins to blur as she watches him pour his heart out and she can understand the conflict he feels all too well.
She remembers five years ago, remembers seeing Nero stand over her brother's prone form with his arm glowing and having to fight the battling horror and disbelief and fear, not knowing where to begin reconciling the truths she had always believed. Even with Credo fallen at his feet, her heart had told her to have faith in Nero, just as it tells her to have faith in him and his instincts. He's always kept her safe. Always.
Stupid and too trusting? She can't call him that. Because from the moment she had met Nero's father, she had found herself drawn to him, felt safe (if not a little unsettled) being near him, and to know now that he was the monster who had nearly ripped her life apart?
She's shaking as he leans into her and she holds onto him, clings, but can't bring herself to say anything. What can she say?]
[He mirrors her unconsciously. Heart pounding. Arms trembling, even as he holds her tight to his chest. A few tears slip free and slide down his cheeks, and he presses them dry against the borrowed hoodie she's wearing. All he can do for the moment is slowly stroke her back in an effort at comfort. He doesn't know how else or what else to do.
It's a minute or two before he regains the ability to speak, and can even find the words to do it with.]
It's been seven months for me. He promised me he'd rather die than ever hurt me again. And you know I don't take anybody at their word, but... he keeps on proving he meant it. Over and over again, no matter how hard it is for him.
[He turns his head from her shoulder, pressing a very lazy kiss against her collar as he does. Well... to the hoodie, anyway, kind of intended to be her collar. Also ends up with one of the drawstrings kind of draped over his chin. But he puts up with it for the moment.]
I don't expect you to forgive him, or... like him, or if you don't want anything to do with him, I get it. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for him. But he's changed a lot and grown since I've known him. He loves me. And I... [He wets his lips suddenly, the rest of that sentence getting stuck on his tongue somewhere.]
No matter what, I promise that you're safe. I'll keep you safe, like always. And if it ever looks like I might not be safe, I'll protect myself. So please, just... let me keep giving him a chance.
[Nero lets out a soft, rueful laugh.]
He's a dumb, nerdy, awkward, uptight bastard who's still learning problem-solving skills. But he's my dad.
[Kyrie remembers the day she had met Nero. She remembers the sullen little boy sat apart from the other children in the orphanage, glowering at everyone. He had a bruise on his cheek and a swollen bottom lip. Mother and Father had been talking to Sister Sesta about what they could do to help support the orphanage's work, Credo had been introduced to one of his new instructors and was hanging off his every word and Kyrie had been left to her own devices to meet the orphans. She had felt uncomfortable, eyed with jealousy by a group of whispering girls slightly older than her, who made remarks about her best dress (Mother had said it was important to look one's best for these things), and she hadn't felt like stopping by to coo over the toddlers in the nursery. She had hurried over to the boy in the corner, feeling sorry for the sorry state of his face, and immediately offered him one of the chocolate coated caramels she had smuggled into the building. His eyes had lit up and he had smiled the brightest, most genuine and endearing smile she had ever seen, and she had immediately asked if he would like to be her friend.
She had never been ignorant to what people had said about him, never entertained the gossip that he was some ill-gotten bastard left on the orphanage's doorstep. She knows he was bullied, knows what it takes to earn his trust, and for him to trust deeply is something she knows takes him a long time. Even now she can count on one hand the number of people he would openly admit to trusting.
And she's so torn, because she would shout from the rooftops how deeply she trusts Nero and that will never change but this? This is so different from anything else because it's his family. Of course his judgement comes with the complicated influence of emotions added to the mix.
Her own aren't making things any easier.
His attempt at a kiss grounds her, makes her shift to brush her fingers through his hair in an effort to comfort him. He's so tense in her arms, and the way he's pleading with her to let him keep giving his father a chance to prove himself-
He loves me
Kyrie's breath catches at that, shaking as she cries against him because she can't possibly contend with that. It's family, it's his blood, it's what he's always dreamed of since he was that bruised, lonely little boy she shared her candy with with. How can he possibly think she'd want to take that away from him?
Because that so-called family nearly took him away from her. Permanently. What right does he have to muscle in and hurt him again? Nero's always kept her safe, as he says, and she has always tried to do the same in her own way. Shouldn't she stop this now, before Vergil has the chance to hurt him again?
...it's an awful, bitter thing to think and she's disgusted with herself.
It's even worse because from the outset, she herself has wanted to like and trust his father, and be liked by him in return.
Now? What can she even do or say?
She still has no words.
She kisses the crown of his head instead, and holds him tight.]
[The continued silence further uneases him. They're both still shaking. But they're both still holding tight, too, and Nero tells himself he did just lay an utter bombshell on her. It's okay if it takes a moment for everything to sink in. Hell, he wouldn't blame her if it took a few days for everything to sink in.
Like, it's gonna drive him fucking insane with anxiety and worry! But he wouldn't blame her a bit!
She kisses the top of his head and he closes his eyes, forcing out a few more stray tears. His hand continues rubbing lazy circles on her back, and he lets the silence go on for a few more minutes.
At last he swallows.]
Is there anything I can say to make it easier? Anything I can do?
[Her voice is small and shaky and she forces some composure back into herself. She takes a deep breath, drawing back from the hug. Her face is still pale, eyes wet and red rimmed, and she searches his face, now haunted by the similarities she had seen between him and his father and wondering how she can separate the two.
She should hate Vergil. He's a monster. She's everything she'd been raised to believe as evil and base in this world.
But he's the Son of Sparda, Nero's father and he loves him and she's sworn to herself never to hate any part of him, that she loves and accepts every inch of him, every drop of blood in his veins, demon, human, whatever.
She reaches for Nero, her rock, and takes his face between her hands.]
I wanted whatever hurt you dead. I wanted to rip it to pieces just so it could hurt worse than you, hurt the way I hurt when I saw you lying there... and he was your father?
[She shudders, tears rolling down her cheeks.]
How could you forgive someone like that after what he did to you?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Arrival day, after getting home
Showers.
Especially after being up in the mountains and developing a headcold. The steam has helped a lot and Kyrie has emerged from the adjoining en-suite wearing makeshift pjs and bundled up in a hoodie that is definitely too big and smells too much like Nero to be hers.
Honestly, she's appreciated having some time to herself to wrap her head around everything that's happened today because it has been a lot to come to terms with and try to keep her usual, positive outlook on things. It's been a relief to drop her guard and just let the hot water wash over her and process. She's exhausted, she's very probably going to be sleeping poorly tonight with a cold coming on as well as sleeping in a strange place for the first time. She hadn't realised just how drained she feels until she'd stepped under the shower head.
She's busy toweling her hair dry as she steps back into the bedroom and announces her presence with a smile and a cheerful:]
Bathroom's all yours!
[The show must go on.]
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But there is still a lot... a lot that Kyrie needs to be caught up on. Things he was ready to tell her seven months ago now, but so much has changed. He's changed. And Vergil has too. So he wants to be very, very careful about how he catches Kyrie up to speed. If he manages to do it without her storming out of the house or throwing kitchenware at a devastated Vergil, then he'll have succeeded.
And if not? No. No, he simply refuses to consider it.
When Kyrie emerges from the shower he is actually lying facedown on the bed. He's dressed down to one of his workout tanktops and a pair of sweats, but he sits up on an elbow as soon as she's present.
He can't help but smile like an absolute smitten buffoon just looking at her. It's really her. Here.]
I'm good. You feel any warmer?
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[Case in point, the pink flush on her skin and the rosy cheeks that may or may not also have something to do with appreciating Nero in his tanktop. Her eyes flit down to his right arm, whole and human again, and once again she marvels at the utterly incredible things her beloved seems to be able to accomplish.
She quickly twists the towel into a turban and smiles back at him when she catches him grinning at her. She knows that face. She's missed that face. It's only been a few weeks for her, she can't even imagine being parted from him for seven months.
So, taking his smile for an invitation (and feeling emboldened by the knowledge that the door is shut and the house is empty), she helps herself to the bed and scrambles across until she's able to snuggle up against him and scoop him into a hug.]
And you make a pretty good hot-water bottle.
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[He opens his arms to welcome her, rolling up with her and stopping only when he's afraid he might smoosh her. This leaves him on his opposite side, cradling her close but not so close he can't look at her.
He lifts two fingers to tuck her hair out of her face.]
So it's all a... really long story. I won't bore you if you're tired tonight, but...
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You know you could never bore me, but maybe you can keep the gruesome parts to a minimum so I don't have to imagine what went on.
[It's bad enough knowing that he risks his life on a regular basis without having to hear about the gore and bloodshed, honestly. She reaches across to skim her fingertips up and down his right arm, still not used to the novelty of touching smooth, human skin where there had been hard metal so recently, and before that, demonic scales and glowing light for so long.]
But absolutely don't hold back on the important parts, I want to know everything.
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Man... where do I even start?
[How far back does he go? There's a lot of this he doesn't even really know for certain, but has surmised or put together from the pieces of the puzzle he does have.
Well. At the very beginning, maybe, would be a good spot.]
Okay. So... Dante is Sparda's son. And Vergil is Dante's twin brother. And one time Vergil went to Fortuna and he... he met my mother. Her name was Beatrice.
[He sighs, honestly wishing he knew more than he does about this part. But Kyrie knows full and well how clueless he'd been about his origins as a kid.]
He didn't know about me. And he doesn't know what happened to her. But that's where I came from, I guess.
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Some of what Nero is saying she's managed to piece together herself. Dante and Vergil being twins is probably the least surprising thing. Vergil himself had told her that he hadn't known about Nero's existence, so she nods at that, her face soft and accepting. The name of Nero's mother is new information, and she again files away the strange coincidence of her name to her own private amusement. There is nothing funny about any of this, and she doesn't want Nero to feel she might think that.
She gives his hand a gentle squeeze.]
Perhaps... we could look for your mother when we find our way home. Even if she's no longer in the city, we might be able to find out something about her, if you wanted to.
[She lifts his hand to her lips and kisses his knuckles.]
It's somewhere to start from.
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I do want to. I don't know what we'd find after all this time, but... Dad gave me some pictures of her. Somebody had to know what happened to her and... Anything would be nice to know.
[He doesn't want to get hung up on that, though. If he's honest with himself, the subject of his mother still feels very raw and painful. Nero isn't sure how he can possibly deal with that, though, or how he's supposed to process any of it when she's such a big question mark.]
Anyway. So... that's why I have powers. And why Sanctus captured us. And why Dante gave me the Yamato. Because he's my uncle, and Vergil's my dad, and... I'm Sparda's grandson.
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[She looks up at him and reels it in, seeing the worry lines etch his brow. Very gently, she reaches up and strokes his cheek, brushes her thumb over his lips. The known quantity in his heritage is impressive enough, if not a little daunting. She lets a playful smile creep onto her face at that.]
You know... if this had got out when the Order was still at its height, you would have been idolized and I'd probably have been excommunicated.
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But there's really no sense in getting worked up over a "what if," so he takes a breath and lets Kyrie's fingers soothe away the grump and furrow on his face.]
Yeah, if by "idolized" you mean thrown in a cage... [And he doesn't even WANT to think about what they'd have done to Kyrie in that case. He shakes it off and bites his lower lip.]
Does it weird you out? Sparda wasn't a god, but... you know. It's kind of weird, right?
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She shakes her head and murmurs her dissent.]
I mean, it was a shock when your father told me who he was and when I realized what it meant. But no, it doesn't weird me out. It might have done... but now I know that he was more than some 'god', he was more than that.
[She nestles in against his side and rests her free hand on his stomach.]
And so are you.
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Good. 'Cuz my gramps might be a legendary demon knight, but I'm still just Nero. I promise.
[Like yeah... so many demons over the years used to sneer at him and call him "Sparda's kin" and "blood of Sparda" and all that shit. He always knew it was a connection somehow. But it feels a lot more real knowing exactly how close to Sparda he is. Even with what he knows about Sparda as a person and not a figure of legend, there's a kind of disconnect in his head at the very idea.
Like... imagine going to Grandpa's house for the holidays, and it's Sparda. Fucking wild.
Anyway. Now that that's covered... time to wade into some murkier territory.]
So... what do you think of Vergil? You guys seemed to be getting along okay.
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You've never been 'just Nero' to me, you know that. You're just my legendary, slightly Dark Knight Nero now.
[She pats his stomach cheerfully, indicating that she's teasing him to put him at ease.
Mostly.
It's very strange to think that he is a direct descendant of someone she worshipped as a god and it might take some adjusting to, but having got to know Dante over the years and recognized the all too present humanity in him, he's not quite so intimidating.
Vergil, on the other hand...]
I like him. He's very different from his brother, if they didn't look so alike I'd find it hard to believe they're related.
[She pushes herself up to look at him, smiling fondly.]
But you know, it's not so hard to see the resemblance between you two if you look carefully enough.
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[Well. You've seen his screenname, obviously he does. He chuckles and eases into a more comfortable position on the bed, letting Kyrie flop and snuggle however she pleases once he's settled on his back.
Nero can't help but smile a little wider when she points out how much he and Vergil look alike.]
Yeah. I had a hard time believing it myself... hard to think he's my dad too, except it's like looking in a mirror sometimes.
[He's going to have to get into this somehow. Slowly. Carefully. So he takes a breath and wets his lips.]
He, uh. He's had a really rough life. I don't know all the details but he was... gone for a long time. I think in the Underworld. He's kind of prickly and sometimes he's like a feral cat. Hissy and nervous and poorly socialized?
[A soft, good-natured laugh.]
He's been trying really hard though. Trying to be a better person and a father. He's changed a lot. I wouldn't be calling him "Dad" if he hadn't earned it from me.
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[Kyrie laughs but she's also slightly scandalised. She can't imagine getting the nerve to call Vergil something like a hissy, poorly socialized cat. He comes across as so stern and severe, she can't imagine what it would be like to actually anger him.
But... Nero trashtalks people he likes. Not her, never her, but Nico? Dante? Constantly. It makes her laugh.]
I'm looking forward to getting to know him better, hopefully somewhere a bit warmer. He was so kind to me when he found me, I need to find a way to repay him for everything. Do you think I should cook him a special dinner to thank him?
[She adjusts herself so she can sprawl over him, snuggling into his body heat and the warmth of his hoodie.]
I'm so glad you've found him, I can see how much he means to you. I just wish I'd been here with you while it happened.
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[Maybe he'd tone it down a little bit but he absolutely would. He and Vergil are finally at the place where they can rib each other and it doesn't come off as really pointed and mean. It's a place they were gonna need to reach, in Nero's regard.]
I think he'd like that. He's kind of blase about food but I know a few things he likes by now... he really likes tea and books, actually. I bet he'll love talking to you about his books.
[It's wonderful to hear that he was so kind to her. That she wants to repay him and get to know him better. He hopes, from the bottom of his heart, that she still feels that way in a moment. He absolutely has to tell her.]
There's, um... there's something I need to tell you about him though. It's about what happened last y... last month. In Red Grave. [And in the garage. Though he can already feel himself starting to falter as he gets closer to it.]
It might be kind of hard to hear but I need to tell you. Can you hear me out?
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I knew something was bothering you when you called, has it been eating away at you for this long?
[She can't imagine that he's had months to sit on this; is it something so terrible that he can't even share it with his family? She reaches for both of his hands to hold in hers as she looks at him.]
Of course I can hear you out, you can tell me anything.
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Oh, no, no. It hasn't been eating at me-- I mean, I've basically come to terms with it, I'm just... [Worried that she won't.
But enough of the mystery. He sighs and shakes his head, then wets his lips before he goes to explain.]
So Vergil. Before we met, before we even knew each other existed, he was dying. He was weak and half out of his mind trying to save himself. He needed his sword. So when he sensed it, he came to Fortuna and...
[Nero laces his fingers with hers, particularly those of his right hand. Here's the cruel truth that hit him like a truck that day, left him reeling on the phone to Kyrie.]
He was the one who attacked me that day. He tore off my arm to get Yamato back.
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The whole world grinds to a halt, all sound turns to static in her ears and Kyrie forgets how to breathe for a split second. She's paralysed, transported back to that sickening moment of utter horror when she'd gone to the garage. Her world had tilted on its axis to find Nero bleeding out on the floor, soaked in his own blood, dying for all intents and purposes, and she had been powerless to do anything more than try desperately to staunch the bleeding and beg Nico to call an ambulance as she'd cradled him in her arms and pleaded with him as he lost consciousness.
Please be okay
Don't go
Don't leave me
I can't do this without you
I love you please stay with me
You're everything, I can't lose you
You can't die you can't die
Even now her nightmares are coloured red with the blood she can't stop, and she feels the dead weight of him in her arms as she tore her skirt and tried to fashion a tourniquet to stop the endless river of blood that poured from the ruined stump of his right arm.
She'd thought a monster, a demon, had broken the sanctity of their home and harmed him. But this? This is so much worse.
He has to be mistaken, this can't be true.
Her voice is tiny when she finally answers, her face ashen in disbelief.]
What?
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But it hurts so fucking bad to see her distressed. It takes everything in him not to break that promise to himself and start rushing to say something, anything that would make it better.
He closes his hands--both of them-- over hers, bringing them in to place against his chest.]
He was the demon in Red Grave. Something... happened to him, and once he had Yamato it only got worse. He split in two. There was V, his human side, everything that was good in him. And then everything that was left was that... monster.
[It's hard to explain that part when he still doesn't understand much of it himself. He's never quite wanted to quiz Vergil either, since he's so obviously touchy and wary about the subject of his past. But nor does he want to leave out any of his understanding for Kyrie. It's twisted and frightening and fucked up, but he absolutely will not keep it from her. Not if he wants any hope at all of his family all being mended into one.
So he explains the Red Grave situation. How dire things were when they arrived, how V was so desperate to put a stop to Urizen and the mistake he spawned that cost so many lives. How V was dying, and Nero more or less carried him to the bottom of the Qliphoth, where Dante had defeated Urizen. How V and Urizen rejoined into one Vergil, and the bombshell when Dante told him that Vergil was, in fact, his father. The man who'd assaulted him and crippled him was his own, unknowing father.]
When I called you... I didn't know what to do. He'd done so much wrong, and I spent so long wanting revenge for my arm, but... I couldn't let it go just like that. I couldn't just leave him and Dante to kill each other. I didn't want bloodshed to do the talking in this family anymore. I just... wanted to look him in the eye as his son, and see what he would do about it.
[By now, there's a telltale wet shine in Nero's eyes.]
Kyrie. I know how... screwed up this all is. I still don't understand a lot of it. But if I thought he might hurt you, or me, I'd be a thousand miles away with you and never even look at him again. He knows he was wrong. He's been working so hard to change, and to be a father for me. You don't ever have to like him, or trust him, but...
[At last, he closes his eyes and leans forward, bonking his forehead into her shoulder.]
I forgave him. Maybe I'm stupid and too trusting, but... I wanted to give him a chance.
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It would be one thing if the attack had been perpetrated by the side of Vergil devoid of any and all humanity, but that's not the case. That small spark of optimism, that it can't be that bad, snuffs out. Then the human side of him had dragged Nero back into the unpleasantness, knowing what had been done to him? Knowing how close they'd come to losing Nero? And what about the demon side, how many lives had been lost to feed his unrelenting
She battles to keep her breathing under control, feeling her heart begin to race in a panic.
And then Nero's eyes well up, and her heart begins to break for him. Her own vision begins to blur as she watches him pour his heart out and she can understand the conflict he feels all too well.
She remembers five years ago, remembers seeing Nero stand over her brother's prone form with his arm glowing and having to fight the battling horror and disbelief and fear, not knowing where to begin reconciling the truths she had always believed. Even with Credo fallen at his feet, her heart had told her to have faith in Nero, just as it tells her to have faith in him and his instincts. He's always kept her safe. Always.
Stupid and too trusting? She can't call him that. Because from the moment she had met Nero's father, she had found herself drawn to him, felt safe (if not a little unsettled) being near him, and to know now that he was the monster who had nearly ripped her life apart?
She's shaking as he leans into her and she holds onto him, clings, but can't bring herself to say anything. What can she say?]
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It's a minute or two before he regains the ability to speak, and can even find the words to do it with.]
It's been seven months for me. He promised me he'd rather die than ever hurt me again. And you know I don't take anybody at their word, but... he keeps on proving he meant it. Over and over again, no matter how hard it is for him.
[He turns his head from her shoulder, pressing a very lazy kiss against her collar as he does. Well... to the hoodie, anyway, kind of intended to be her collar. Also ends up with one of the drawstrings kind of draped over his chin. But he puts up with it for the moment.]
I don't expect you to forgive him, or... like him, or if you don't want anything to do with him, I get it. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for him. But he's changed a lot and grown since I've known him. He loves me. And I... [He wets his lips suddenly, the rest of that sentence getting stuck on his tongue somewhere.]
No matter what, I promise that you're safe. I'll keep you safe, like always. And if it ever looks like I might not be safe, I'll protect myself. So please, just... let me keep giving him a chance.
[Nero lets out a soft, rueful laugh.]
He's a dumb, nerdy, awkward, uptight bastard who's still learning problem-solving skills. But he's my dad.
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She had never been ignorant to what people had said about him, never entertained the gossip that he was some ill-gotten bastard left on the orphanage's doorstep. She knows he was bullied, knows what it takes to earn his trust, and for him to trust deeply is something she knows takes him a long time. Even now she can count on one hand the number of people he would openly admit to trusting.
And she's so torn, because she would shout from the rooftops how deeply she trusts Nero and that will never change but this? This is so different from anything else because it's his family. Of course his judgement comes with the complicated influence of emotions added to the mix.
Her own aren't making things any easier.
His attempt at a kiss grounds her, makes her shift to brush her fingers through his hair in an effort to comfort him. He's so tense in her arms, and the way he's pleading with her to let him keep giving his father a chance to prove himself-
He loves me
Kyrie's breath catches at that, shaking as she cries against him because she can't possibly contend with that. It's family, it's his blood, it's what he's always dreamed of since he was that bruised, lonely little boy she shared her candy with with. How can he possibly think she'd want to take that away from him?
Because that so-called family nearly took him away from her. Permanently. What right does he have to muscle in and hurt him again? Nero's always kept her safe, as he says, and she has always tried to do the same in her own way. Shouldn't she stop this now, before Vergil has the chance to hurt him again?
...it's an awful, bitter thing to think and she's disgusted with herself.
It's even worse because from the outset, she herself has wanted to like and trust his father, and be liked by him in return.
Now? What can she even do or say?
She still has no words.
She kisses the crown of his head instead, and holds him tight.]
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Like, it's gonna drive him fucking insane with anxiety and worry! But he wouldn't blame her a bit!
She kisses the top of his head and he closes his eyes, forcing out a few more stray tears. His hand continues rubbing lazy circles on her back, and he lets the silence go on for a few more minutes.
At last he swallows.]
Is there anything I can say to make it easier? Anything I can do?
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[Her voice is small and shaky and she forces some composure back into herself. She takes a deep breath, drawing back from the hug. Her face is still pale, eyes wet and red rimmed, and she searches his face, now haunted by the similarities she had seen between him and his father and wondering how she can separate the two.
She should hate Vergil. He's a monster. She's everything she'd been raised to believe as evil and base in this world.
But he's the Son of Sparda, Nero's father and he loves him and she's sworn to herself never to hate any part of him, that she loves and accepts every inch of him, every drop of blood in his veins, demon, human, whatever.
She reaches for Nero, her rock, and takes his face between her hands.]
I wanted whatever hurt you dead. I wanted to rip it to pieces just so it could hurt worse than you, hurt the way I hurt when I saw you lying there... and he was your father?
[She shudders, tears rolling down her cheeks.]
How could you forgive someone like that after what he did to you?
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nsfw from here on out >>b
>:3
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