Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dante and Nero were on edge, waiting for the announcement that they both knew was coming, the one that would finally give them the opportunity to be alone together. However, when it came, they were not blessed with some privacy.

“Attention, all students with the last initials R, S, and T that took the Fated Pairs Universal Pheromone Screening please come to gymnasium B for your results.” Declared the woman over the school’s speaker system, causing dozens of students to stand up and start meandering their way over to the gym, all but the one Dante and Nero were hoping for.

“Yo, bro,” Dante called out, keeping his voice casual as he grabbed Vergil’s attention with a kick to the bench he was reading atop. Dante was half lying down along a fallen log in the school's old, overgrown garden. Nero was on the grass, back against the stump the log was once attached to, giving Vergil a not-so-subtle ‘fucking leave’ glare. “That’s you, better go to your F-PUPS.”

“I know, I heard it.” Vergil snapped back, brushing Dante’s leg away with his own. He does not stand though, simply returning his eyes to his book.

“Why aren’t you going then? Mom and Dad paid a hefty price to get you the deluxe, worldwide testing package.” Dante said, correctly believing that that would actually get Vergil to close his book and consider going.

“Because it is a waste of time.” Vergil snapped his book closed aggressively. “This is the 4^th year I have taken it, and I am sure the results will be the same.” Yet Vergil still started gathering his things. “I’ll see you next period.” Vergil threw over his shoulder last minute before falling into stoic silence as he made his way to the gymnasium.

“See you.” Dante gave a playful two-fingered salute to his twin before going quiet. Nero and Dante both listened carefully to the eldest boy's fading footsteps, gauging how far away he was. Just as Dante deemed his brother far enough, he looked over to find that Nero had already gotten up and was at his side.

“Fuckin’ finally.” Nero cursed as he, without asking or warning, threw one leg over Dante and straddled his waist. Dante gladly welcomed it, wrapping his arms around Nero’s middle and pulling the younger man down to lay on top of him. “Your brother needs to learn how to take a hint.” Nero let his whole weight fall on Dante, knowing the other could take it.

“Aw, give him a break. He and I have been together our whole lives while you’ve only been with us for 2 years. Plus, I don’t think anyone else can put up with him.” Dante joked, hoping to lift Nero’s frown into a smirk, though he failed. Instead, Nero grabbed Dante’s chin and forcefully turned his head so they were eye to eye, establishing a more serious tone to the atmosphere.

“Ya, well I’M the one that’s going to be with you the rest of your life. You’re MINE, and once we graduate and move in together, I’m not going to hold back from having your attention whenever I want it.”

“My, you almost sound like an alpha there, baby beta boy,” Dante smirked, and Nero smirked back.

“That’s the best part of a beta like me; sometimes you get the submissive omega, and other times you get the dominant alpha.”

“And by god, I am the luckiest man around to have that.” Dante moved his arms up Nero’s body so he could wrap them around Nero’s neck. “So come on, baby boy, show me how alpha you can be.”

Chapter Text

Dante casually meandered his way to his locker, the halls practically empty due to classes having started a good 10 minutes before. He should be in class himself, but he didn’t care all that much because he had a fresh pair of hickeys on his neck and chest, so he was still floating up on cloud nine. What he did not expect was his snooty brother to also be tardy to class. The stoic man stood at his locker, which neighbored Dante’s, putting in his combination. Under his arm was a sealed manila envelope, which Dante quickly surmised was his F-PUPS results. Feeling his usual mischievous, playful self, Dante snuck up and snatched the envelope from his brother, who instinctively turned to him with a glare, though he did not fight to get it back.

“You know, they would save a lot of money and trees if they didn’t give everyone an envelope, even the ones that just have a ‘sorry, try again’ card like you. But I guess it saves some people the embarrassment, which is a shame because you know I love seeing your grumpy little face.” Dante teased Vergil despite knowing from first-hand experience that Vergil did not react to an inconclusive F-PUPS test. If anything, Vergil had seemed relieved not to have to deal with the whole rigamarole of finding a mate. Dante’s playful attitude came to a screeching halt, though, when he flipped the envelope in his hand and felt something… actually, a lot of things. “Wait,” Dante’s gaze drifted down to the envelope and then snapped up to his twin. “Is there a file in here? Did you actually pair with someone!?” Dante asked, his voice showing his surprise along with some excitement for his brother.

“It would seem so,” Vergil replied with almost no emotion, only a whisper of annoyance behind his sharp glare as he returned to his now-open locker and started gathering his things. And this deadpan reaction Dante knew was genuine, having been on the receiving end of the older man’s masked emotions. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to class.” Vergil closed his locker and locked it with a snap, a force of habit to warn Dante not to break in again.

“Wait a minute. Don’t you want to call Mom and Dad?” Dante called out, waving the envelope at the retreating figure, which brought to light another thing. “You haven’t even opened it.”

“Be my guest. Just try to get to class before you become an even bigger failure.” Vergil finally turned his head to look at Dante, only to flash him a smug smirk.

“Hey, I’m in the top 30% of our grade, much better than the last few years.”

“Let me know when you join me in the top 5%, then I’ll be impressed.”

Dante huffed, half-amused and half-annoyed. Sure, he had been a slacker and a serial ditcher since middle school, but after pairing with Nero and accepting his responsibility as the alpha, he only played hooky for Nero, which was a just cause in his books. The past did not matter right now, though. No, what was more important was the envelope in his hand full of information on the person that Vergil, and in turn Dante, would be accepting into their lives and family.

It was okay to look, right? Vergil said he could. Plus, Vergil probably got the basic lowdown of his fated mate when receiving the envelope, just like Dante did. Although Dante had been so curious that he kind of strong-armed the old man handing out the results into giving him more info. Still, Dante could not contain his curiosity and knew that if Vergil really wanted to keep this private, he would have started a scrap right there in the hall when Dante first swiped the envelope. So, Dante moved over to the window beside the lockers, hopped up onto the sill, and opened the manila envelope to see what his future held.

The first thing he went digging for was a photo, which most people must submit with their F-PUPS sample. Eventually, he found it, identifying it by the glossy finish it had in comparison to the basic paper feeling of the other things. Before pulling it out, though, Dante took a deep breath in preparation. It is a known fact that upon initially seeing and smelling a family member's fated mate, one may experience a similar rush of attraction as when seeing one's own fated mate due to similar DNA and pheromones. And with Vergil and him being not only siblings but identical twins, the reaction would probably be intense, but it would pass.

When he pulled the photo out, his heart fluttered harder than a wasp flaps its wings and the sharp jolt to his groin was as strong as the insect's sting. Seeing the person's emerald-green eyes, their inky black hair that draped over their face, giving a sleek and mysterious vibe, and their thin face accentuating their sharp features, it felt just like when Dante had first laid eyes on Nero’s picture 2 years ago. Their lips looked so plump. And were those tattoos peeking out from the bottom of the headshot? Jesus Christ, Dante wanted to know how far those went down.

It was at times like this that Dante wished he had a normal older brother who could tell him how long this rush would last because Vergil had zero reaction to Nero outside of scoffing and commenting that he looked like a punk.

Dante needed to stop looking before his boner got too big to hide, so he stuffed the photo back into the envelope and instead grabbed the largest paper in there, which was a basic form of the person's information and attributes.

Name: V. A mysterious name for a mysterious aura; Dante liked it. He almost said it allowed but could not let his bottom lip out from between his teeth. Gender at birth and gender identity were both male. Dante honestly expected Vergil to end up with a poised, snooty woman, but hey, who was Dante to argue with fate? V did have a mix of masculine and feminine traits in the photo, though, which was quickly explained with the omega symbol listed as his second gender. Again, Dante always imagined Vergil having a beta mate since he hated taking care of others. Dante had a hard time imagining Vergil building a little nest and doting on V, bringing him food and drinks, carrying him to the bathroom for baths, watching over Nero and V as the two cuddled together with full-- Shit! Dante was mixing things up in his head. Must be the stupid initial reaction to a family member’s fated mate thing.

Dante shook his head, stuffed the paper back into the envelope, and closed it. He was done with this and the feelings it gave him. It wasn’t really his place to snoop too much anyway, and with Nero’s love marks still fresh on his skin, he felt like an ass for getting worked up over another person, even if it was a genetic thing. So, instead, Dante put the envelope in his locker so Vergil could grab it later and then shut it without grabbing his books. If he was fast enough, maybe Dante could catch Nero before he entered class so Dante could go down on his man as retribution. It’d be a lot more fun than god damn dividing angles or whatever.

Chapter Text

As the train rolled up and Nero pushed himself off the subway station wall he had been leaning against; he could hear the shouting of some woman who clearly thought she had far more authority than she actually did. When he stepped into the end car while slipping off his headphones, his eyes followed where all the other passengers were either glancing or actively avoiding looking. There, in one of the middle seats, a man was being shouted at by a middle-aged woman. The woman was thin with glasses, brown hair in a bob style, her painted nails pointing accusatorily at the man, and her voice shrill from shouting. The man looked foreign with his sharp features despite seemingly being around Nero’s age, paler than anyone else on the train without looking ill, and with tattoos covering from, what could be seen, his arms, hands, and collarbone. They did not look like recognizable images and words, though. They looked like a purposeful design, one that held more meaning than just art for art's sake. The foreign aura was further cemented when he spoke, replying to the woman’s demands that he get off.

“R hgroo szev hlnvdsviv gl tl. Nb hglk rh hllm, hl kovzhv gib gl xzon blfihvou nz’zn.” The man said in a smooth, deep voice that did not quite match his beanpole body shape. It was pleasant to Nero’s ears, soft, poetic, and almost erotic.

“What did you say? Are you insulting me?” The woman screamed back, assuming the worst of the man despite his non-confrontational demeanour.

Instinctually Nero approached the two, ready to force himself into the situation and hopefully defuse it as it seemed more like bullying rather than an equal fight. The man sat hunched over with, to be blatant, terrible posture. He had a shoulder bag, a wide leather choker with a silver thorny vine embroidered pattern, and a subtle nose bridge piercing. In his hands were a book in one and a silver cane in the other. An exasperated yet calm expression on his pale face while the woman was red in the face from shouting.

“Yo, what’s the problem here?” Nero asked, glaring directly at the woman as a subtle sign of who he was already assuming was the problem. She did not catch on to this.

“This man has brought an animal onto the train!” The woman shouted at Nero, as if speaking louder would make her more correct. Nero glanced down at the man who was honest enough to tug open his pullover hoody pocket to reveal the head of a sleek black cat resting inside. The cat did not even stir from its place in the man’s pocket, simply gazing around with its piercing red eyes. It was calm, quiet, and still.

“Okay, and?” Nero threw back at the woman to which she looked shocked that she was not immediately supported. “It’s just chilling in his pocket. It’s not like it’s running around peeing on shit or meowing up a storm.”

“That doesn’t matter. Animals are not allowed on the subway!” She shouted, unaware or uncaring of the fact that there was no actual rule banning animals from riding the train as long as they were with an owner and were not causing problems. “What if it is diseased or attacks someone? What if someone is allergic? That man should not have been let onto the train.”

“If that’s true, then a bitch like you shouldn’t have been let on either.”

“Excuse me!? What did you just say?”

“You heard me. The only one that’s attacked someone here and caused problems is you, so how about you get off?”

As Nero and the woman argued, the man sat quietly, watching the altercation while occasionally glancing at the screen announcing what stop was coming up. Eventually, the man tucked his book into his bag and stood.

“Kziwlm nv.” He mumbles with a slight bow, trying to skirt his way out of the situation without causing it to worsen or follow him. Unfortunately, the woman was not done, unsatisfied until she was somehow awarded the victory in the argument despite the man attempting to walk to the door to leave.

“Excuse me!” The woman reached out and successfully grabbed the hood of the man’s pullover, causing him to stop. “Where do you think you and the fleabag are going?”

“Gsrh rh nb hglk.” The man began to say as the doors to the train opened. He looked like he was hoping the woman would just let him go and have this be over. Unfortunately, she would not. Fortunately, Nero would make her.

“Hands off,” Nero growled, grabbing the woman's wrist with enough force to hurt her but not cause serious harm. She hissed and let go instinctually, then immediately started overreacting.

“This is assault, help!” She shouts like a child declaring they are starving because their parent won't buy them cookies at the grocery store. It was enough to get a station employee to approach and check on the commotion, but by then, Nero had let go and led the man out of the train and even out of the underground station. He didn’t stop until he and the man were on the quiet suburb street as he did not want to deal with the subway staff telling him he “shouldn’t get involved” and “violence is not the answer” and all that shit he hated to hear because they acted like all parties were equally at fault when they clearly weren't.

“Thank you.”

Nero barely comprehended that the man had spoken and had to force himself out of his own spiralling angry thoughts.

“Hu? Oh, ya, it's cool, don’t sweat it.” Nero assured with a shrug and a casual rub to his nose. Then it hit him though, this man probably did not know much English, let alone slang like Nero was using. “I mean, um, you're welcome.” He tried to speak slowly and clearly. “That woman… wrong… bad…” How does Nero talk to someone who doesn’t know his language?

“She was indeed. Quite the puppeteer without strings.” The man said as he reached into his pocket to pet the feline within, a reward and condolence for being so well-behaved and calm despite the chaos of the train trip.

“Uh… I guess that’s one way to put it.” Nero had to take a moment to process the metaphor being made before it hit him how competent one would have to be in the language to say that and the lack of accent altering how it was told. “Wait a minute, you speak English!?”

“Fluently, yes.” The man said casually, though the way his lip quirked up into a smile showed a hint of pride at having fooled those around him. “Speaking my native tongue and acting oblivious to what is being said tends to get me out of quite a few bothersome situations, though it is not a foolproof strategy, I will admit.”

Nero’s shock started to form into anger, but that quickly melted away. He burst into laughter.

“Frickin’ nice one.” He gave the man a pat on the back, which might have been a bit too strong as the man stumbles forward just a little. “Gotta be honest, I would pull the same shit if I knew another language. Hell, I already do it by listening to music and acting like I can’t hear anything outside of my headphones.” He taps the headphones around his neck. The two men share a laugh.

“Well, again, I thank you for coming to our aid. I do hope that not all trips are so very loud in this city.”

“Naw.” Nero waved off as he leaned on the railing around the stairs leading down to the subway station. “You do get the occasional asshat wanting to parade on their high horse, but most people are chill as long as you don’t bring something like a spider or snake on.”

“Noted, I will be sure to keep Nightmare securely hidden then.” The man leans onto his cane, bringing Nero’s attention to the walking aid, though he does not comment.

“Nightmare hu? That the name of your cat?” Nero motions towards V’s hoodie pocket.

“The name of my feline friend is actually Shadow. Nightmare is my third companion.” The man said. After Nero quirked a brow, but before he could ask for clarification, the man switched his cane to his other hand so he could lift his delicate arm up and from his sleeve slithered the head of a charcoal black snake. It seemed uninterested in coming out and exploring its surroundings, so its size was unclear. “Ah, to have limited hearing like you, my xlnkzmrlm, would be a blessing at times.” The man said to the snake, lifting his hand towards his face, simultaneously bringing Nightmare close enough to flick its tongue against his skin before it darted back into the darkness of his sleeve.

“You’re… an interesting guy,” Nero said as he watched the man closely, confused and uncharacteristicly curious about this enigma of a man and his pets. “And your… second pet?”

“First, actually, Shadow is the second. Griffon is up ahead, waiting at my destination.”

“Is that so?”

“Speaking of destination, I do hope I have not taken you too far off track of yours.”

This comment brought Nero back to his actual schedule. It was a school day and that’s where he had been heading, but he had been so focused on getting the two of them somewhere safe that he had got off at the wrong stop. One glance around brings him relief, though.

“I’ll be fine. I have a friend that lives around here.” Nero recognized where he was, this was Dante’s neighbourhood. Nero had gotten off at this station countless times to visit his mate. He could easily get Dante to drive him to school, hopefully on his motorcycle rather than his family limo because arriving at school in that was embarrassing, and more often than not, his mate would start getting physical. Yep, only Dante had that problem. “What about you? How much farther do you have to walk?”

“Not far, I presume. This is my first time here, so my calculations are limited to distances on maps.”

“Shit, sorry your welcome party was crap.” Nero pushed himself off the railing. “I know my way around here, let me walk you.” Nero’s chest puffed up ever so slightly as he tried to exude a more alpha demeanour despite his beta gender.

“What a gentleman.” The man looked more so amused by Nero’s offer than flattered, but he accepted, and that’s all that really mattered in the end. “I would appreciate your assistance. I have a meeting at this address.” He pulled out a notebook from his shoulder bag and flipped to a page near the end where, in quite a beautiful calligraphy style, was written an address. Once Nero was able to look past, then decipher, the writing, he realized instantly where this man was going.

“You’re going to Dante’s place?”

Chapter Text

The two young men walked side-by-side in tense silence. Well… one of them was tense. V strode forward, ever calm and composed. He expected twists and turns when he had been paired up with someone halfway around the world with a family business of a crime lord turned head of police. Though being helped by someone who knows said family seemed more like fate than a twist of it. Nevertheless, here they were, walking to the Sparda household together in silence. Though V usually appreciated quiet moments, the thickness of the atmosphere from Nero’s repeated glances that lack the subtlety Nero thinks they had was weighing on V, like when Shadow drapes herself over his neck while he tries to sleep.

“So,” V speaking nearly made Nero tense up in defence, but he was able to play it somewhat cool. “I presume you know of me and why I am here.”

“Y-yeah…” Nero turned his eyes forward, trying to seem casual but the rubbing of his nose gave him away as V had picked up that nervous quirk almost immediately. “I know why you’re here, but I don’t know much about you, clearly.” Dante had told Nero that Vergil had miraculously been paired with someone despite constantly having a stick up his ass, an omega named V. That’s the extent of his knowledge since Dante did not want to elaborate. He sure as hell didn’t mention that V was, apparently, some fairytale princess that talked to and had animal friends despite having a gothic aura and a body thinner than Nero’s wrist. Supposedly, Nero could have guessed the frailty of V since omega bodies were predisposed to being smaller and weaker. Then again… “You don’t look like an omega.” Looking V up and down, he lacked many omega traits and read more like a beta if anything. V was tall, probably taller than Nero if he stood up straight, with a deep voice that could describe the tea he was drinking and it would become erotica. He had a sharp bone structure to his face and a dark and gothic look. And sure, he has the animal thing but not a goddamn snake.

“So I have been told.” That single sentence from V, though spoken softly, hit with the force of years of belittlement, disbelief, and ridicule that he has resigned himself to.

“No, I mean, it’s totally fine!” Nero rushed to say. “We don’t all have to fit into the tiny boxes our genders are forced into.” Nero had spent most of his life trying to assert himself as just as strong, or even stronger, than an alpha despite being a beta. He had no problem with V not fitting the image of the perfect little omega. It was just that when he heard that Vergil got paired with an omega, all Nero could imagine the controlling snob settling down with was a doormat of a submissive who would do everything he demanded to a tee. “I mean, just look at me. I bet that if it wasn’t for my scent, you would think I was an alpha.”

“Ah, so you are a beta then?” V asks, genuinely curious. He was more than willing to move past the previous topic. “That clarifies one thing.” He added under his breath to himself. V had been told, for his safety, that there were 3 alphas, 1 beta, and 1 omega in Vergil’s family.

“Ya, did you not smell it on me?”

“No, I can not smell such pheromones.” V reached up to gently tap on his nose bridge piercing. “Where I’m from, for the safety of everyone, these are necessary for anyone not claimed by their fated mate.”

“Oh.” Nero had heard of such devices, nasallang and bridge piercings that dilute pheromones to the point that they do not affect the wearer. Some people argue that it should be mandatory, others say that forcing them would be like tagging animals and denying people of their nature. Nero never really paid attention to that shit.

“I’m more surprised that you did not comment on my lack of scent,” V added, tilting his head to the side a bit to draw Nero’s eyes to his wide leather choker. The neck was indeed where pheromones were created and mainly released.

“I guess because I am used to being able to smell everyone’s pheromones subtly, I’ve learned to block it out and not pay attention.” Nero shrugs. Now that it had been brought to his attention though, Nero did take a few curious sniffs at the air and indeed did not smell anything from V, giving the already mysterious omega in black an uncanny feeling. “Here we are,” Nero announced as the two men approached the large gate protecting the Sparda family estate. He reached for the intercom button, knowing that he could easily get in without having a reason, but jumped back when a flash of black feathers went zooming past.

“Ah, there you are Griffon.” V casually lifted his arm, the one that was not currently housing Nightmare, to give the raven a perch. “Dvoo wlmv urmwrmt blfi dzb, gslfts z tfrwv dlfod szev yvvm mrxv.” V teased the avian who gronked loudly.

“Friend number one I guess.” Nero more so mumbled to himself, confused and impressed by V’s little zoo of a posse. He then turned his attention back to the intercom, giving the button a push. “Yo,” was all he needed to say for the guards to know who he was and open up for him.  V followed Nero but stopped just inside the grounds.

“Alright everyone, we don’t want to overwhelm our gracious hosts.” V knelt down, letting Shadow hop out of his hoodie pocket and reaching a hand out to let Nightmare slither into the grass. “hgzb xolhv. R droo xlnv yzxp ozgvi lmxv R pmld dsviv R droo yv hgzbrmt hl R xzm hsld blf dsrxs drmwl gl fhv. Fmgro gsvm, hgzb lfg lu gilfyov.”

Nightmare looked as if it was not paying attention, weaving through the grass until it could hide under a bush. At least Shadow and Griffon stayed to listen, nodding before taking off.

“You sure that’s alright?” Nero watched the pets run away and assumed that V was not simply releasing them. Nero did not doubt that the cat and bird would return if not for anything but easy, free food. It was the snake he was worried about. However, with the language barrier, he had no real idea what V had just done. “You don’t think they’ll get lost or run away?”

“We have been together for years now, they know who their master is,” V assured as he raised back up. Then he stripped off his hoodie, revealing a proper suit and bowtie. He took a moment to pack the hoodie away and readjust to look his best formal self. He made sure his pheromone inhibitor was in place, stood up straight, and took a deep breath which was his only hint that he was nervous for this moment. “Pardon the delay. Please, lead the way.” V motioned Nero forward.

“Ya.” Nero nodded and started to lead V down the large, paved driveway towards the mansion. “You look good, by the way.”

“Oh?” V had not expected the compliment. Did he look so very nervous that Nero felt the need to try to build him up? “Thank you, I’m glad I look presentable. I was warned that such attire was not the ideal choice for an omega meeting their new family.” That was the nicest way he could put the lashing he got at the orphanage for not being as cute and pretty as an omega should be.

“Fuckem’.” Nero scoffed with a disregarding hand motion.  “They're going off the omegas they see in cheesy romance movies rather than you. This,” Nero motioned up and down V’s body. “matches your cool, mysterious, poet esthetic.”

“Thank you…” V practically whispered as he looked down and to the side, blocking most of his face with his hair.

“Although, that bowtie you’re wearing, gotta say, does not look good on you,” Nero said which was blunt, but V appreciated the honesty, especially since he agreed with it.

“It is not my preferred neckwear, but sadly my options were… limited.” He was not allowed a tie as it was apparently “too alpha-coded” for him.

“Damn, that sucks…” Nero took a moment to think before he clapped his hands as an idea hit him. “I got it. Stay here.” Before V could respond, Nero turned and ran off. Nero, having memorized the property layout, ran to the side of the house and quickly climbed up the tree that he and Dante always used to sneak in and out. Once reaching second-floor height, Nero saw Dante’s back as he seemed to be speaking to someone just outside his door before closing it. Once Dante was alone Nero jumped onto his balcony and knocked on the glass door. Dante turned with his usual amused grin and strode over to the balcony.

“Well, what have we here?” Dante asks as he opens the door and leans on its frame. He crossed his arms over his chest, pushing his pecks up a bit. “Was the news that I wasn’t coming to school today too much for you baby boy?”

“You’re not coming to school?” Nero knew that some family members choose to be present when a new mate joins the family, even if that means skipping work or school. But Vergil hadn’t missed a day of classes just to welcome Nero into the family so Nero kind of expected Dante to do the same. “Whatever, that’s not important right now.” Nero waved it off and then pushed past Dante. “I’m borrowing a tie.” He stated rather than asked, making a beeline to Dante’s closet.

“Oh? You gonna dress up for me baby boy?” Dante asked as he turned to watch Nero move, leaning his back against the wall beside the balcony door. “Got a bunny suit on under that school uniform do ya?” Dante jokes, making Nero scoff and roll his eyes.

“In your dreams.” Despite the dismissive response, Nero’s slight smile and the pink dusting his cheeks gave his inner feelings away. Nevertheless, he focused on his goal and soon located the cross tie with a silver button and lining he had been looking for. “You’ll get this back later.” Nero quickly made his way back to the balcony, though made sure to stop and give Dante a quick kiss. “Love you, talk to you in a minute.” With that, Nero ran off before Dante could respond, jumping off the balcony and darting back to the front of the house. V was still there, now hugging Shadow in a bid to calm himself while he waited for Nero to return and allow him to progress into his new home and life. “Sorry about that. Here, I borrowed this for you. I think it will fit a lot better.”

“My goodness,” V said about the slightly dishevelled state Nero was in despite having been gone for only a minute. When he looked down at what was in Nero’s hand, he was impressed and flattered. “How lovely. I do believe this would suit me much better.” It was definitely the kind of thing he would wear, and he made a mental note to go looking for similar cross-ties in the stores here.

“Thought so. Here, let me put it on you real quick.” Nero reached out but paused to see if V had any objections. When he received a nod of consent, a sensation shot through Nero. V let Shadow go, who jumped down and darted off somewhere, then lifted his head to give Nero more room to exchange the neckwear. As Nero worked on undoing the bowtie and putting on the cross tie, Nero felt a mix of affection and responsibility. A desire to keep that calm, happy smile on V’s face. To make him feel safe and cared for. Must be because they are kind of siblings now since they are paired to a set of twins. “There, much better.” Nero pulled back to look at his handiwork, though he got lost in V’s smile first. “Now go in there and get your man.”

Chapter Text

“I know your eyebrows are stuck in a permanent pissy scowl, but you can at least try smiling,” Dante said in a teasing tone as he watched Vergil prepare, though behind it was genuine confusion about why his brother was not the slightest bit enthused. “You’re meeting your fated mate face to face for the first time, isn’t that exciting?”

“I’ve seen his picture and read his documents. I know what I need to about this person, why would meeting them in the flesh make any difference?” Vergil responded, not even looking away from the full-length mirror in his room as he spoke to Dante, focusing on buttoning and cuffing his suit jacket correctly.

“Because you feel things.” Was Dante’s answer.

“Feel things? If you're talking about arousal, know that I’m not a degenerate like you.”

“No, I don’t mean a boner, though that might happen” Dante quipped as he swung his foot out in an attempt to playfully boot his brother, but Vergil easily stepped out of the way, finally cracking a tiny smile of superiority, which disappeared quickly. “But no, I’m talking about the other feelings. You know, the alpha feelings.”

“No, I don’t know. Care to enlighten me since you do so love listening to your own voice.” Vergil said with a roll of his eyes as he made his way to the closet drawer where he kept his ties. Despite the sarcastic tone, Vergil went quiet to let Dante speak.

“Well, it’s like…” Dante leans back and closes his eyes, recalling his feelings of meeting Nero for the first time and smelling his scent. “Like you have been waiting all your life to fill a void in your heart you didn’t know was there. Like you finally found a purpose, to care for that person. Like keeping them safe, healthy, and happy is why you were put on this earth, and you will do anything to do just that.” There was a short pause where Dante let out a longing sigh, wishing Nero was here in his arms. The quiet pining was broken when Vergil spoke in an uncharacteristically sad tone.

“I’m not like you.”

Dante opened his eyes and looked over at his brother.

“Vergil?” Dante wanted him to continue, to say what was on his mind, but of course, he was denied.

“I mean that I’m not a blithering sap like you.” Vergil scoffs, the corner of his lip twisting up when Dante scowled a bit in response. Before the twins could continue their usual spat, a loud, solid knock at the door drew their attention. “Enter,” said as if it was a demand. But everyone in the family knew this was just his way of granting permission, hence why Sparda and Eva entered with no indignation.

“My, don’t you look dashing.” Eva’s smile grew when she saw her eldest child in his dapper suit. She couldn’t help but move in and start tidying up a few loose ends, some literal. Tucking away stray string, straightening his tie, slicking back any loose strand of hair, she did it without restraint and Vergil put up with it. “There we are, my darling boy.” She cups his cheeks, the expression of a mother full of nothing but love and pride.

“Thank you, mother.” In truth, Vergil disliked being babied, but more often than not he gave in when his mother exuded such pure joy.

“You look well son, and just in time. V should be arriving any minute now.” Sparda added, stepping forward to place a hand on Vergil’s shoulder. “Now is the time I must speak with you, privately.”

“Ooooo, time for the alpha talk.” Dante teased the same way a preteen would tease a friend about getting the birds and the bees talk. Sparda scoffed in amusement while Vergil shot him a glare.

“Exactly, so Dante, if you please…” Sparda motioned towards the door.

“Aww, come on pops, I’ve heard this speech before.”

“Dante.” Sparda said in that deeper, more stern, parental warning voice.

“Okay, okay.” Dante jumps up from his seat and moves to link arms with Eva. “Come on Mom, let's get out of here before I am hit will my full name.” Sparda smiled and shook his head affectionately while Eva giggled and let Dante lead her out of the room and down the hall. “So, how has your morning been ma?”

“Well, all things considered. I only cried once in the face of my boys growing up rather than the three times I cried the day you met your mate.” Eva spoke in a jovial tone with a hint of real sadness, an undeniable and uncontrollable longing to keep her dear boys as boys forever. She was graceful in her acceptance of time’s inevitable push forward. She waited until they were in the privacy of Dante’s room before continuing. “And what about you, my dear?” She cups his face and strokes his brows in a comforting and relaxing way. She did not say more. Dante opened his mouth, about to lie about being completely fine, but stopped himself because he knew better, and so did his mother.

“I don’t know.” Dante sighed, pulling away to flop down on his bed, putting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. “It’s weird. I know my brother; he is cold, strict, and acts like showing affection is an annoying obligation. But this is his fated mate, shouldn’t he be at least a bit excited? And when I think of V and the lack of care he will receive it just… it pisses me off.” Dante explained while taking deep breaths and trying to stay calm. Eva gives him a moment to center himself before responding.

“You are so very kind-hearted, my dear, to worry about V like this.” She moves closer and sits on the bed beside her son. “But let’s not get too worked up. Vergil has always taken on a stoic, leadership role as the eldest, but this does not mean he can’t change. If I recall correctly, before you got your F-PUPS done you swore that all this fate stuff was silly and you would never fall for someone just because of pheromones.” She gazed down at him with a knowing smile.

“I was like that, wasn’t I?” Dante scoffed. He remembered it clearly; he was headstrong, flirty, and convinced that he was never going to let some government test decide who he loved.  In a way though, he was right: the government test didn’t decide who he would fall for, they just pointed him to the person he would fall for, and he was thankful for that. Vergil wasn’t though, and that worried Dante. “But at least I was interested in falling in love and starting a family one day. Vergil says it is a waste of time!” He threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t count the number of times he had shit on me for hanging out with Nero because “you see him almost every day at school”.” Dante recounted, mimicking Vergil’s voice with a dramatic grumpy tone.

“True, he has never seemed all that interested in romance. But have you ever noticed that Vergil never says that sort of thing when your father and I go out on dates? He only started complaining when his little brother began spending as much time as he could with someone else.”

This made Dante pause and reflect on how Vergil reacted when Nero entered their lives. “I don’t know…” He and Vergil were always butting heads and acting like rivals. It was hard to imagine that under his stoic and aloof demeanour, he was actually jealous of Nero getting his brother’s attention.

“Well, all we can do is watch over the new mates. It will be a lot of adjusting for our whole family, but I know we can get through it.” Eva leaned down to press a gentle kiss on Dante’s forehead. “We always do.” She pulled back and stood. Dante followed her lead. “I must go now though, I have a couple more things to check before our guest arrives.”

“All right,” Dante said as he walked his mother to the door, opening it for her. “I gotta get ready too. Love you.”

“I love you too dear,” Eva said as Dante was closing the door.

Just after the latch clicked, Dante heard a thud behind him. He turned around to find a sight he had been gifted with quite a few times before. Nero was on his balcony with a casual smile like it was normal to scale a tree to get into someone’s bedroom without anyone else knowing. Dante couldn’t help but find it charming.

“Well, what have we here?” He opened the door with a playful grin. The rush of pheromones from his mate got his blood flowing, leading to him leaning on the doorframe and crossing both his arms and legs to remain casual and hide his arousal, as he did not have time right now to indulge. Plus, Nero, being a beta, did not get affected by pheromones the same way alphas and omegas do, so he did not get hot and bothered as easily. A shame at times and a blessing at others. “Was the news that I wasn’t coming to school today too much for you, baby boy?” V’s arrival to the city was suddenly pushed forward from this evening to this morning due to circumstances outside anyone's control, so Dante had not told Nero he was skipping school that day. Hell, Dante and Vergil didn’t know they were staying home until breakfast. But… how did Nero find out about the change of plans before school even started? Well, that was answered immediately.

“You’re not coming to school?” Okay, so Nero didn’t know. New question: why was he here? Dante did not get a chance to ask this, though.  “Whatever, that’s not important right now.” Nero slid into his bedroom and went right to his walk-in closet like he usually did when he forgot something at Dante’s place or wanted to borrow something. The latter ended up being the case. “I’m borrowing a tie.”

“Oh?” Dante raised a brow at this. Nero tended not to dress up, too stuffy he claimed, so why he needed it was unclear. Dante’s hormonal mind decided to fill his head with possibilities. “You gonna dress up for me, baby boy? Got a bunny suit on under that school uniform, do ya?” Dante knew he didn’t, and Nero’s scoff was plenty enough proof of that.

“In your dreams,” Nero responded, though Dante already imagined it. Nero dressed up in fishnets and a bunny suit that revealed all of his strong legs and a bit of his ass… or hell, even in a proper suit with a cute fluffy tail poking out of his pants… God this was not helping Dante’s arousal. And the way Nero blushed just added to the fantasy.

Dante did not snap out of it until he felt Nero’s lips press against his. “Love you,” Nero said, apparently not noticing the way Dante’s lips instinctually chaise his. “talk to you in a minute.” And then he was gone, jumping off the balcony and running off with the freedom of a man unaware of how his mate's alpha instincts made Dante want to chase after him, pin him down, and drag him back to the nest.

“Damn it,” Dante growled. He pushed off from the doorframe, ran a hand through his hair, and flopped back down onto his bed. He needed to decompress from all these… feelings. The worry, the confusion, the fear, the hope, the arousal. Gods, he wants a strawberry sundae.

Dante was halfway through making up a plan to sneak into the kitchen to make himself comfort food when the doorbell rang through the house. Technically, when a new mate joins the family, parents meet them first, then the parents escort the newcomer to their mate and watch over them. Then, the order of meeting people goes by preference. However, Dante has already seen V, or at least his picture, which was just as good when it comes to initial instinctual reactions to the fated mate of the family, so it would be fine if he took a peek, right?

Even though his head continued to debate it, his body reacted like it was being drawn by a magnet, standing and moving to the door. Stepping out onto the gallery balcony, Dante had a clear view of the foyer, where Eva and Sparda opened the front door and greeted their guest. Or at least it was supposed to be a guest, but in walked 2, V and Nero. Seeing the two together entering his home made the primal part of Dante’s alpha nature purr contently, having his family safe and home.

Dante watched the group greet each other with a content smile as he took in the full picture of his future brother-in-law. V was taller than Dante expected, taller than Nero, in fact. Dante would be sure to tease Nero about that later. A tall omega was rare but not impossible. Unfortunately, a small omega was what the general populous deemed ‘attractive’. Dante hoped V had not been mocked for it. His style was also not in fashion for omegas, but it fit V perfectly. The suit seemed a little big, like a hand-me-down, but V still pulled off the distinguished artistic feel. And was that Dante’s cross tie around his neck? That was probably not a good thing as alphas were possessive, and Vergil might get upset at it.

Dante had to deny himself how possessive he felt seeing V wear something of his and focus on the issue at hand. When Eva started to lead V and Nero deeper into the house, Dante caught the attention of Sparda, who was closing and locking the door behind everyone. With a few hand gestures and mouthed words, Dante tried to communicate that V’s tie belonged to him. Sparda nodded and mouthed a ‘thank you’ before following the group. Dante hoped he and his dad could stop any possible arguments or hurt feelings before they happened. He knew Nero didn’t mean any harm by letting V borrow the tie. Nero, despite having a tough and dominating personality, was a beta and didn’t understand how sensitive omegas and alphas were.

So, not to cause a fuss, Dante watched silently as the group moved toward the back of the room. After a quick exchange of words, V, Sparda, and Eva entered one of the halls leading to the back half of the mansion while Nero ascended the central staircase connecting the ground floor and the second. The moment Dante and Nero’s eyes met, their eyes lit up and some of the stress from the day disappeared.

“Creep.” Nero teased Dante for watching before he jogged over.

“Hey now, I can’t help it.” Dante quickly wrapped an arm around Nero’s waist, pulling them together. “Who wouldn’t look when the bell of the ball showed up?” This made Nero scoff and roll his eyes.

“Jeez, thanks.” Nero may have acted a bit annoyed by the odd compliment, but when he rubbed at his nose in that shy way and turned himself around to face the gallery railing, Dante knew he was flattered. He didn’t push his mate, not this time at least. Instead, Dante wrapped his arms around Nero and leaned on the younger man, pressing his nose against where Nero’s left shoulder transitioned into his neck, so he could get a good smell of Nero’s scent. “By the way, I need a ride to school.”

“Aww, you’re not staying baby boy?” Dante playfully whined, giving Nero a good squeeze. “C’mon, we're gonna have a little party here with a feast for lunch to welcome the new guy. And while Vergil is getting to know his man, we could get closer too.” One of his hands slid down to Nero’s belt. He would have pulled off the sensual mood if it wasn’t for his cheeky grin and the laugh that shot out at him the moment Nero pinched his hand to make it move back up. The pair had a little chuckle that faded into peaceful and comfortable quiet. For a handful of seconds, Dante let them bask in the moment before continuing, his voice softer to show how genuine his next statement was. “Plus, I think V would like it if you stayed.” Dante could tell just by seeing how close the two stood and walked when entering the Sparda household that the two were close, not to mention the fact that Nero offered him an accessory. “Having a friend around would help him settle in a bit easier.”

There was another pause as Nero considered this before nodding.

“Ya, I think that would be good.”

“Thank you.” Dante gave Nero a gentle kiss on the back of the neck. Then, suddenly, he tightened his grip and lifted Nero. “For now though, while the love birds get acquainted, we have time to return to our nest. Maybe try for some eggs?”

“Hey!” Nero immediately started kicking and hitting Dante’s thick arms in an attempt to break free. “Put me down, pervert!” He shouted between laughter.

Chapter Text

The Sparda household had become quite lively since the day V joined. Not only was there V and his little zoo of pets, which had been formally introduced to his new family bit by bit, but Nero had also been staying over. It started with Dante asking Nero to stay for the day, and then Nero hung out too late, so he slept over. Then the next day, V seemed to have had trouble understanding his school schedule and what he had to do to catch up with the rest of the students, so Nero hung around to help since they were in the same class. Then the day after that… well there always seemed to be a reason Nero ended up staying for “just one more night”. Thankfully, his family, or what was left of it, were understanding and trusted the Sparda family, so they had no problem with their youngest member being away from the house for days on end. Dante and V both enjoyed having Nero around, while Vergil found it annoying. He preferred calm and quiet. Dante and Nero were anything but.

“You’re amazing V.” Said one of his classmates. Being a new kid, a foreigner, and the newest member of a high-class and famous family, V had garnered a lot of attention. It would calm down in time, but for now, almost every break a small group would gather around V and ask him questions, especially so if any of his pets made a showing. “Moving halfway around the world all by yourself? It must be so frightening.”

“I won’t lie, leaving behind all that I know was a challenge, but I knew in my soul it would be worth it to be with my fated mate. Besides, I have been lucky with how welcoming and generous my new family have been to me.” V replied, looking up at the girl who was standing to the side of his desk where he had been approached before he could grab his things.

“How romantic~” Another girl swooned.

“Well, you’re lucky the Sparda’s have a shit tone of money and power. I heard that that is why you got into our class despite being a year and a half younger than us.” Said a boy who sat atop the desk in front of V’s with his feet on the empty chair.

“That is only partially true. I took a test before coming here to gauge my intelligence and what my equivalent grade would be in this country. Once I was deemed to be at the same grade level as someone of their family group, then they approached the principal and requested I be put in this class so that I may be with Nero. Learning with someone I know has been very encouraging.” V glanced over at Nero, who was at his desk to the right. Nero had done some strongarming of his own so that their desks would be side by side. Nero did not like attention and had hated it when he got an influx of it when transferring over to be with Dante, so he did not engage in the group chatter around V unless he felt V was being bothered or insulted. V knew Nero was not a people person, so he simply smiled at him before turning back to the people around him as they started asking about where he was from and his culture.

As the noisy students continued to lob question after question at V, Nero watched. He was not only looking out for V but more specifically he had noticed that V seemed unwell. He had bags under his eyes, his voice was a bit deeper, when class was going on his eyes had been drooping like he was fighting off sleep, and he generally took longer to respond to people than usual. Was V not sleeping enough? How can that be though, he had a nest with his mate.

“Aaaaaaah!” Squealed the crowd of students, which jolted Nero out of his thoughts.

“Rh nb ozmtfztv gifob gszg uzhxrmzgrmt?” V spoke in his language with an amused smirk, making the students cheer again. V couldn’t help but find it funny how something that came so easily to him, such as speaking, was seen as some sort of party trick. Nero, however, was more focused on how lopsided V’s smile was.

Nero was about to speak up and shoo the other students away, but the school bell beat him to it. Everyone not already in their places rushed to their classes and seats before the teacher entered the room. In that moment between the crowd scattering and the teacher arriving to start class, Nero leaned a bit closer to V.

“Hey, V, you okay?”

“Hm?” V hummed back, the couple of seconds it took for V to respond being plenty of evidence in and of itself. “Yes, I am fine. Thank you for looking out for me, but I truly do not mind the fleeting attention.”

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

“All right class, who is ready for geometry?” The teacher asked as she entered the room, causing a few students to groan in despair and forcing the questioning between Nero and V to stop for now.

Nero decided that, since it was last period, he would just watch over V during math and then ask him again once they were back at Sparda’s mansion. As it turned out, though, that was a bit too much for either of them as on the car ride home, V had been trying to read his novel assigned for literature class but instead ended up slumping against Dante beside him.

“Alright, that’s it.” Nero aggressively dropped his bag onto the floor of the limo out of frustration, which also caused enough noise to jolt V out of his half-conscious state. Dante raised his brow in concern while inwardly sighing in disappointment as V stopped leaning on him. “What is up with you V? You look like you haven’t slept since you got here.”

“Please do not worry yourself over it.” V tried to assure but Nero cut him off.

“Shut up, I’m not taking that shit.” Nero shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at V. “Stop acting tough and just spit it out.”

There was a pause of silence before Dante leaned closer to V and whispered in a volume loud enough for Nero to hear. “This is Nero’s way of asking you to trust him and be honest so he can help you.”

“Shut up.” Nero spat, a small blush rising to his cheeks.

“Am I wrong?” Dante did not need Nero's response to know the answer, which was fortunate, as Nero did not reply.

V chuckled lightly at the banter, feeling a bit of energy return to him. Then he took a moment to glance around the limo as if checking to make sure Vergil was not there even though the elder twin had made it clear that he had kendo club duties and so would be staying at school an extra couple of hours.

“I hope you do not find me rude, but…” He finally said, trying to sound calm and confident despite his genuine concern that he would come off as ungrateful. “you see, I haven’t been sleeping well. The nest my mate has gifted me, it… doesn’t feel right. It is as if I am sleeping in a hotel bed rather than my own, if that makes sense.”

“No, I get it,” Dante said with a nod after some thought. “It’s not very personal, that’s what you mean ya?”

“Yes, that is a good way to describe it.”

“If that’s the case,” Nero said before turning his eyes to Dante. “Dante, can’t you fix it up so V can get a good sleep? You made our nest, and it's perfect.”

“Aww, you think so? I’m glad you like it, babe.” Dante said in a cheeky, higher-pitched voice, making Nero fumble a bit, then turn his head and rub his nose. “Unfortunately, I can’t make someone else’s nest. It needs to have the people’s scent and pheromones in it to be truly relaxing. If it’s infected by someone else’s, it will only stress them out.”

“But you and Vergil are twins, so you smell kind of the same.” Nero pointed out. The twins did have similar scents and pheromones, though there was a big difference, but pointing that out would only work against Nero’s desire. “Plus, you know that if we tell Vergil that his nest is shit, he’ll just get up on his high horse and declare himself perfect.”

“Perhaps,” V jumped in, not wanting to even consider the idea of telling his fated mate that the nest they had kindly given him was inadequate. “if it is all right, Dante, could you make a mock-up nest just to give me some tips on how I could make Vergil’s and mine more welcoming?”

Dante sat there for a moment, his head telling him that making a nest for Vergil’s mate, even if just for show, would piss off any alpha and so Vergil would chew him out for it. His heart, on the other hand, was trapped between the pleading looks of his precious baby boy and a sweet, sleepy omega in need of care.

The limo finally came to a stop, having arrived at Sparda’s mansion.

“Fine, let’s do this.”

And so, the three young men quickly made their way to Vergil and V’s nesting room, all hopeful that V’s sleeping troubles would be cured. Dante was also a bit on edge. His brother would not be home for at least an hour, though, so if they did this quick, they should be okay, or at least that’s what Dante told himself. Even still he felt the need to slip into Vergil and V’s nesting room like he was sneaking in despite being invited.

“Here we are,” V said with a bit of melancholy in his tired voice. The room was large and kitted up, as one would expect from a family as rich as the Sparda’s. It had all the necessities of a bedroom plus some: a walk-in closet, a balcony with a view of the mountains, a large, connected bathroom, a study corner, and for V specifically there was a large glass tank where Nightmare spent most of his time hiding in the dark crevices created by the foliage. And, of course, there was the nest, a large round cushioned surface that fit the mates’ specific needs and preferences. It was where mates were meant to sleep, make love, care for their newborns, and relax. A private home inside the home, one could say. That comfortable, personal space was what a nest should be, but not this one. The nest that sat in the middle of the room looked like it came right from a showroom, which was probably not that far from the truth. Unlike Dante, who designed his and Nero’s nest himself, Vergil chose to order a premade one which had the charm of a basic bed you would find in a hotel. It was so sterile looking that even Shadow did not see it fit to nap upon, instead curling up on one of the desk chairs. It also mostly smelt of V and barley Vergil, meaning Vergil did not spend much time here.

“Okay… well…” Dante shifted from one foot to the other as he considered how he could help. “it won’t have a mattress, but I’ll try showing you some tips by making one in the corner over here.” He pointed to the corner closest to Nightmare’s tank.

“There?” V repeated. “If I may ask, is there a reason you would put it there?” Vergil had purposely told V to put the tank in the far corner so the heat lamp would not bother them in the nest.

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be there. I just figured you would like to be close with your pet.” Dante shrugged nonchalantly. “Speaking of which,” Dante turned to Nero, missing the small smile that appeared on V’s face. “you mind if I bring over some of our stuff from our nest room babe?”

“Naw, go for it.” Nero was willing to hand over a few things if it meant V would get some sleep and stop going through the day like a zombie.

With his mate's permission, Dante left the room and soon came back with a coat stand.

“I know it’s probably not the best option. If I had more time, I would get a small tree or something, but for now, I would put this by the nest so Griffon could perch nearby.”

As if summoned by his name, Griffon came soaring into the room through an open window. He first went to V, who quickly offered his arm. He gronked a few times as if asking what people wanted from him.

“For you,” V said as he lifted his arm towards the coat stand. He had been trying to use more English around his companions so that they could better listen and understand their new family. Griffon hopped a bit closer, inspecting the spot a bit. For a moment, it looked as if he was not going to approve, but eventually he did jump over. “Gsviv blr tl. Isn’t that nicer than standing on the floor or sleeping outside?” V smiled softly as he reached out and gave Griffon a scritchen. And when Shadow got up and wandered over to her master, it was clear how having his companions around put V at ease. This sight invigorated Dante to keep building this mock-up nest.

Despite starting with a time-crunch mindset so as not to be caught by his brother, Dante now took his time to construct a nest fit for V. He crafted a pile of fabrics from blankets and pillows to clothes and towels ripe with V’s scent. Not wanting to disturb any of Vergil’s things, because he knew his brother would notice, Dante instead used his own fabric to mimic Vergil’s alpha pheromones. Some of Nero’s stuff also slipped in, but that was excusable since, at this point in their relationship, 50% of Dante and Nero’s items simply transitioned into joint ownership since both men used things whenever they needed them with no consideration to who actually owned this shirt or that ring. The seemingly random pile of cloth slowly morphed into a cozy-looking pocket that was even good enough for Shadow to curl up in. Dante had also brought a little shelf for V to put some of the many books he loved reading before going to sleep and made an easy-to-reach but secure spot for V to place his cane if his illness suddenly flared up and he needed some assistance in moving. All these little, seemingly innocuous things made V happy. It was easy for him to imagine how much more convenient this setup would be so he made mental notes to try to incorporate such techniques with his actual nest, assuming Vergil would allow it.

“All right, that’s about as good as we are going to get for now.” Dante declared as he finally stepped back from the nest. It looked messy and was definitely thinner than Vergil and V’s actual nest since it did not have a mattress, but V was drawn to it.

“Fascinating…” V mumbled as he stepped closer to inspect it, amazed by how this cobbled-together nest seemed so much more appealing than the expertly crafted nest Vergil had gotten for him. “May I lie in it?”

“Of course,” Dante assured with a hint of pride in his voice. “But keep in mind that my scent isn't exactly like Vergil’s, so your omega instincts will probably recognize the difference and get a bit antsy.”

“I understand. I simply wish to get a feel for it.” V crouched down and started to crawl into the haphazard nest. “Nb zkloltrvh.” He said to Shadow, who had to move so that he could lie down. She did not seem to mind though, as when V lay down on his side she curled up in the nook of his bent legs. “Wow…” V sighed once situated. He had intended to lie there for only a few seconds, testing out the shape and how easily he could reach things outside of the nest. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was trapped. It was as if he had a warm, comforting weight on him, like a weighted blanket, and his mind became calmed by the scents that surrounded him. This was accentuated by how he could sense Nightmare, Griffon, and Shadow around him, all safe and comfortable.

“Does that feel better?” Nero asked despite the fact that he could see, plain as day, V relaxed like he had not been since he got here.

“Yes…” V mumbled, his eyelids drooping as the multiple days of inadequate sleep quickly caught up to him. “It’s wonderful~”

“It does look pretty comfy,” Nero admitted, being able to smell Dante all over the nest, along with another feeling he was not used to but also drew him in. “Mind if I come in?” He asked as he started to crawl into the nest alongside V. The nest was built to be tight, as Dante and Nero preferred, so Nero and V were forced to lay close together. They faced each other, their foreheads practically touching and their hands struggling to find a spot not on the other person. In that moment, V’s eyes finally closed. Within seconds, his breathing slowed to a steady pace and his body went limp in restful slumber.

“How cute,” Nero mumbled before closing his eyes as well, not quite falling asleep but on the verge of unconsciousness.

Dante watched the scene unfold without intervening. He probably should, as an omega and beta who were not paired sleeping in a nest together, in a nest made by another in a different alpha’s nesting room no less, was all sorts of inappropriate. And yet, Dante could not bring himself to pull the two apart. They looked so serine and safe curled up together. The nest was built for 2 so there was no room for Dante to get in with them, no matter how badly he wanted to, but watching was sufficient. His mate and another, technically future family member, were at peace, safe and happy in a nest he made. This was good, perfect in fact. This is how things should be, how it was always meant to be. Dante watched over these two like the good alpha he was, protecting what was his. And when their family grew, he would-

The sound of the door opening made Dante turn swiftly and get into a fighting stance, a deep, predatory growl rubbing from deep in his chest.

“You dare growl at me in my nesting room?” Vergil scoffed, looking ready to fight as well, though the gleam in his eye hinted that he was more interested in the battle of strength than the battle for territory. Unfortunately for him though, this snapped Dante out of his trance.

“Shit, sorry Verg.” Dante pulled back, remembering that he was indeed in one of Vergil’s rooms. Then he remembered that his brother's fated mate was currently in a nest Dante created. “This, um, I was just showing V some tips on making a nest, then he kind of took a little nap. My bad.” Dante tried to excuse, purposely pointing blame on himself rather than the omega who was so tired that he did not rouse from his nap. Nero, however, opened his eyes, moved his hand to gently lay on V’s hip, and glared at Vergil but did not speak.  He knew he did not have much of a right to tell Vergil he could not protest the situation or break it up, but he was also ready to lash out if Vergil dared try to take V away.

Surprisingly, he didn’t. Vergil glanced down at the nest and a flicker of anger and something sadder flashed across his face, but he did not lash out.

“Do what you wish. I just came for my book.” Vergil walked over to one of the desks, retrieved a textbook, and then made his way out of the room. “I will be in my room if you need me, so please don’t,” Vergil said, as if this nesting room was not also his, and closed the door behind him with a bit more force than needed.

There was a pause of silence before Nero spoke.

“What was that about?”

“I think we hurt his alpha pride a bit,” Dante admitted, “but I expected him to get more upset than that. Then again, he’s never had much of the lover side of alpha instincts.” Dante shrugged, rubbing the back of his head before sitting down at the head of the nest he had made. “Don’t worry about it baby boy, just relax for now.” He started gently petting Nero’s hair, making the younger man blush.

“I’m not a fuckin’ dog,” Nero grumbled as he brushed Dante’s hand away. Yet when Dante soon returned to the petting, he did not protest it. Instead, he relaxed his head back on one of the pillows and closed his eyes, his arm unconsciously wrapping around V. “Anyway, I’m tired. Wake me up when dinner is ready.”

“I guess you're sleeping over again.” Dante surmised with a smug smile.

“You’d rather I leave?” Nero responded with a grin of his own.

“Of course not, baby boy. You know I would keep you here 24/7 if I could.”

“So you wanna kidnap me huh? Pervert.” Nero teased.

The two bantered back and forth in hushed tones, unaware of how their voices and laughter unconsciously brought a smile to V’s face and lulled him deeper into sleep.

Chapter Text

“Hey, cuz.” Greeted Lady as she leaned out the school hall window that looked out onto an inner courtyard. Dante was outside leaning against the sill, one hand on the back of his head in a relaxed manner while the other held his pizza lunch from the cafeteria.

“Cuz? Since when were we cousins?” Dante said with a chuckle, turning his head to look at her.

“Since I started banging your actual cousin.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe Miss Virgin Mary?”

“Hey, don’t dead name me.” Lady playfully punched his arm.

“As the person who gave you your new name, I think I have a right.” Dante joked back.

“You didn’t give me the name, I just liked how it sounded and chose it myself.”

“I still started it.”

“You’re gonna hold that over me forever, aren’t you?”

“Only until it stops ruffling your feathers.”

Lady, instead of responding with words, threw up her middle finger at him. Dante gave it right back. Then the two burst into laughter, the kind that had them unconsciously tilt towards each other and even lean against the other for a moment.

Once the laughter died down, Dante spoke in a softer, genuine voice. “How are you doing Lady?”

“Okay.” She sighs, also lowering her voice a bit, creating a more intimate atmosphere. “Space is a bit tight at my mate's bachelor apartment, but we are making it work. And it's leagues better than staying with my damn father.” The mention of her father came out like a snarling bite.

“And your leg?”

“Mostly healed.” She unconsciously reaches down to rub at where the bandage she had worn the whole of the previous month had been. “I’m thinking about getting back into track.”

“You sure? You only got stabbed last month.” Dante only had to look into Lady’s eyes to understand. “Alright, I won’t get in your way.” Dante throws up his hands in defeat, a small smile twisting his lips. “Just don’t push yourself, okay?”

“I won’t, don’t worry.” Lady waved off nonchalantly as if she wasn’t a bit red in the face. “Look, I’m not here to get all sappy.” She huffs, turning away a bit to hide her face. “I just wanted to ask where emo boy is.”

“He is currently dealing with his adoring fans.” Dante motioned towards a crowd of people around one of the trees in the inner courtyard. “His pets followed him to school, so everyone gathered around.”

“I see.” If Lady listened hard enough she could hear people talking over each other asking questions about the animals and cooing affectionately. “Looks like his class doesn’t have to plan anything for the spring festival. They can just open a petting zoo.”

“Maybe,” Dante said after a chuckle. “They do seem to be able to hold their cool with a crowd around them. Still, I don’t want to add more stress by having you go over there to interrogate him.” Dante teased.

Lady raised a brow at this then smirked.

“What a good little alpha you are to watch out for your brother’s omega.” Lady teased him. She ignored the look he shot her in response and instead grabbed some things from her uniform pocket. “I guess I’ll give these to you for now then.” She holds out 3 colourful slips of stiff paper.

“And these are…?”

“Premium Tickets for 3 this weekend at Shawnigan Park.”

Dante blew an impressed whistle as he took the tickets and looked at their glossy, holo finish. “Fancy. You win these or something? A place that pastel doesn’t seem your style.”

“It’s not, but my mom used to take me every year to see the fireworks from the top of the Ferris wheel. I haven’t gone since she passed but thought I could do it this year. So, I got tickets for me, Trish, and my father but…”

“Right, I got it,” Dante says this as a way to push the conversation past the melancholy part. “I’ll give these to him.”

“Thanks. I remember him saying he’s never seen fireworks so thought he would appreciate it. The other two are for you and Nero.”

“Not Vergil?” Dante received a scoff for his question.

“Are you kidding? That asshat would rather die than go to a place full of colour, children, and joy.”

“I’d pay to see it though.” Dante agreed with a laugh. “Still, Vergil and V are mates, they should spend quality time together and stuff like that.”

“Are you saying they don’t already?”

The silence after was telling, but no more could be said as a few seconds into the deafening silence an actually deafening scream rang out over the crowd. Everyone snapped to attention as a girl deep in V’s fan group shouted about a snake.

“Looks like Nightmare came out to play.” Dante mused as he pushed himself off the wall. “I gotta go now cuz. And thanks for the tickets, I’m sure he’ll love them.” Dante gave Lady a wave as he walked off towards the crowd that was now half panicking and half laughing, subsequently missing the way Lady’s brow raised in bewilderment.

“Isn’t that Vergil’s job?” Lady mumbled as she watched Dante jump into casual protective alpha mode like it was his omega in trouble.

“Vergil has bullied everyone in his class to either shut up or get out so he can study.” Explained Nero as he walked over and leaned on the inner wall beside Lady. He had a plastic bag from the school store in his hands. “I went to his class looking for V but he wasn’t there. Why? You need that grouch for something?”

“Gods, you're both so clingy.” Lady scoffed, rolling her eyes and standing upright.

“What?” Nero questioned as Lady turned to walk away as he had arrived just a bit too late to notice Dante.

“Your man is in the crowd playing alpha. See you sparks.” Was all the explanation Lady gave before leaving the scene, having accomplished her goal.

“All right everyone, break it up,” Dante said over the crowd as he pushed through it to get to V who was sitting on the ground surrounded by his pets. “Come on V, let's go somewhere with less shrieking hens.”

“Hey!” Snapped a girl but was ignored as Dante grabbed V’s arm and helped him up. Shadow leaped off V’s lap and started following the pair as Dante led them away, expertly avoiding the multiple hands darting down to try to touch her silky coat. Griffon stayed perched on V’s shoulder with expert balance. “That creepy snake almost bit me! I could die!”

“So dramatic. But hey, look on the bright side. The school would be a lot quieter then.” Dante ignored the girls subsequent cursing at his joke, instead focusing on the disapproving yet amused chuckle from V. Dante waited for them to get decently far away from the group of gawkers before speaking. “You know,” Dante looks down at Nightmare who still had its head peaking out from V’s school cardigan sleeve. Nightmare was wound tightly around V’s arm, ready and willing to strike out against anyone who tried to grab him again. “people wouldn’t panic so much if you told them Nightmare wasn’t venomous.”

“I suppose, but I’m not one for lying.”

“Hey guys!” Nero shouts as he comes running over. “I’ve been looking for you V. You said you would wait for me in class.”

“My apologies but Griffon decided he wanted attention and entered the class despite not being allowed. I left to avoid trouble.” V explained. The push of blame onto Griffon, despite being right there, made Griffon gronk in anger and flap his wings to mess with V’s hair. “What a bratty child.” V mocked as he swept his hair back and out of his face, though its natural shape made some of it fall back in front of his eyes.

“You learn that from my brother?” Dante joked, making Nero roll his eyes and V chuckle lightly. “Speaking of him, you wanna go on a date with Vergil?”

“Are you wing-maning for your own brother?” Nero asked, both confused and amused by the idea.

“I would enjoy that, yes. But why are you asking for our first date rather than my mate himself?” V said.

“First?” Dante’s inner alpha let out an irked snarl, but was able to keep up his casual smile. “Well, Lady asked me to deliver these tickets to you. She said something came up so she couldn’t go but she didn’t want them to go to waste.” Dante told his little white lie as he handed the Shawnigan Park tickets to V. “A little birdy told her that you’ve never seen fireworks and these tickets get you a VIP ride to watch them while riding a Farris wheel. Pretty sweet deal huh?”

“Indeed.” The word he spoke may be simple, but the gentle way he held the tickets like they were precious, how his lips twisted up in a gentle, thankful smile, and the spark of excitement in his eyes hinted at all he was feeling inside. “There seems to be three tickets though.”

“Ya, that’s a bit of a catch,” Dante admitted, scratching the back of his neck and then shrugging. “But hey, you don’t have to take a third wheel, or you can give it to someone who is fine going off to do their own thing while you and Vergil get all lovey-dovey.”

“I’m pretty sure if that guy did anything sweet without making backhanded remarks he would combust.” Nero laughed.

“He is quite reserved with his feelings, yes.” V agreed in a lot nicer way. There was a moment of silence as V considered what to do. His free hand unconsciously reached up to scratch under Griffon’s chin and his thumb brushed over the smooth holographic finish of the tickets. He considered what would be best and what his heart truly desired, and today his heart won. “If I were to purchase a fourth ticket, would you two be willing to accompany us?”

“What?” Nero asked, instinctually scrunching up his nose at the thought of going to a place geared toward cute, cuddly, and girly styles.

“A double date huh? Sounds fun.” Dante did not sound surprised at all by the offer.

“Ya, could be okay.” Nero shrugged. “The rides are kind of lame but I heard the food is good and I’ve always wanted to see their animatronics in person.”

“Wonderful,” V said, holding the tickets a bit closer to his face which had grown a little pink. “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“Dante!” Vergil snapped as he grabbed his brother and yanked him aside the moment the younger twin stepped out of the driver's seat. Dante let it happen, fully expecting it. “What the hell is this?” Vergil pointed at the garish amount of bows, cute characters, and pastel colours practically exploding out of the walls of Shawnigan Park. “You dragged me away from training for this?”

Even though Vergil was snarling at Dante, V, who was on the other side of Dante’s car with Nero, shrank back, curling in on himself a bit and looking to the cane in his hand. Nero shot Vergil a glare and placed a hand on V's arm, but did not say anything.

“Hey now, it’s not my first choice either, but we got these tickets for free.” Dante defended with a playful smile; hands held up in surrender. “And do you really want to deal with Lady when she finds out you wasted her gift?” This made Vergil sneer but let go of Dante rather aggressively. Dante took a second to chuckle and fix his crumpled shirt, which was one of his few dress shirts as he wanted to dress up a bit, before continuing in a quiet, uncharacteristically cold tone. “If you took responsibility, we wouldn’t have to force your hand.” Vergil, usually up for a confrontation with his twin whenever, was left speechless as Dante quickly turned with his usual smile. “Alright, let’s see what fun we can have.” He jogs around the car to the two younger men, leaving behind Vergil who stood there staring at the group of young men that had dressed up then down at his own sleek but plain outfit, his expression contorted into one of frustration and guilt.

“What about Vergil?” Nero asked as Dante wrapped either arm around Nero and V's shoulders.

“Give him a minute to get the stick out of his ass.” Dante joked. When he noticed V’s downtrodden expression, he pulled the omega a bit closer and spoke in a gentler tone. “He’ll catch up, don’t worry.”

V gave a little nod and smiled, standing taller than before.

The three young men made their way to the ticket counter, as they still had to purchase a fourth ticket to cover the whole group. Thankfully, because the tickets were specifically for the afternoon and night, there was no mile-long line to wait in like there would be in the morning.

“Hello and welcome to Shawnigan Park, " the woman behind the counter said, pleasant but with enthusiasm diminished due to the long day. The group was about to respond, but Nero noticed something above and turned to that instead. Dante followed suit out of curiosity, leaving V as the only one to return the pleasantry.

“Good afternoon.” V gave a little bow, which caused the counterwoman to smile. Nero stepped back a bit to see on top of the 20-foot-tall wall surrounding the park. “I require another ticket of this variety.” V pulled out the 3 holographic-coated tickets and showed her. Nero’s eyes quickly zeroed in on the large black object that stood out among all the pastels.

“Oh, I’m sorry sir, those tickets are pre-order only and they have been sold out for several weeks.”

“I thought I saw you!” Nero shouted suddenly, making the staff jump but V and Dante barely reacted, being used to Nero’s explosive personality.

“Who babe?” Dante asked, moving beside his mate and looking in the same direction. “Oh.” He too spotted the black splotch in the sea of colour. And when a loud “gronk” rang out it was clear to V too, who simply scoffed.

“Do you really have to follow V everywhere you damn chicken?” Nero asked Griffon who seemed to take great offence as he sprang from the wall and swooped down to hover around Nero, gronking angrily. Again, the staff looked startled, a security guard even stepping forward with the intent of helping, but Dante waved at the concerned and confused people to show there was nothing to worry about so they could return to work.

“I thought I spotted you on the drive here.” Said Vergil as he finally rejoined the group. “Come to steal snacks I presume.” Griffon flew over to Vergil who lifted an arm for him to perch on. Griffon had taken a liking to Vergil for some reason. All of V’s pets did actually, despite Vergil treating them just as coldly as he does everyone.

“I bet Shadow is here too. They better not get us kicked out.” Nero said while stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets.

“Shadow knows how to be inconspicuous.” V finally joins the group now with 4 tickets in hand. “Griffon’s skills in subtlety are lacking, however.” Griffon snapped his beak at V and Vergil actually chuckled in amusement, a rare sound that made V’s smirk shift into a smile. “Now let us try to enjoy ourselves, shall we?”

The group made their way into Shawnigan Park and thankfully didn’t stand out as much as expected as there were several people not matching the cute, cuddly, pastel esthetic milling about with their mates and/or their children. It eased some of the tension, letting the group of 4 relax a bit. Dante tried to keep up the flow, changing topics when uncomfortable topics or silence strikes and encouraging people to try things even if they are silly and childish. Nero acted not that interested, but when he spotted a challenge like a game or thrill ride you could see how his right hand flexed and his eyes practically lit up. V took things a lot slower both due to his health, needing to take several breaks when his cane was not quite enough to support him, and because that was how he was. He seemed to find more joy in watching the world around him and the people he cared for experiencing it than needing to participate in everything that caught his eye. Vergil kept up his ever-present scowl, refusing to participate in most things. On occasion, usually whenever he found a game he could compete with Dante in, he seemed to find some enjoyment. But for the most part, he looked like a disgruntled father being dragged around by his family, which dampened V’s mood.

Dante and Nero, while still teasing each other like they always did, would try to oblige each other's interests and feelings. When Nero wanted to play the shooting game for the 6^th time so he could get a perfect score, Dante stood blocking the sun so his mate could get a better shot. When Dante mentioned that he wanted a snack and Nero scanned the map for the options, he travelled to the opposite end of the park and back to get Dante strawberry sundae-flavoured popcorn.

V and Vergil on the other hand… Well, it was just Vergil being difficult. V would ask what Vergil would like to do or eat and wait patiently as Vergil fought in carny games. Vergil, however, did not have patience for such things. If he wanted food, he would simply go get it. If someone else wanted something they could get it themselves, why would he need to serve them? If he were bored, he would move on, letting people do what they want but not wasting his time by watching. This was just how Vergil was and how he had always been. And while V was disappointed, he did not complain. He hung his head and held his tongue whenever his mate refused to participate in something or even walk off without him. Dante and Nero, however, were not averse to criticizing the eldest of them, though they knew they couldn’t do it in front of V without making the youngest of them feel guilty and brush it off as nothing. So they waited for an opportunity while still trying to have a good time.

“I know I call you my baby boy, but you don’t have to eat like one,” Dante said with a smug grin.

“Shut it.” Nero snapped back as he tried to minimize the amount of liquid chocolate that seemed to cascade out of the powder sugar-covered donut ball. He had a paper cone full of them and though they were good, they were creating a mess over his hands and face.

“I should have known,” Dante let out a fake sigh, lifting his hand, palm up, and shaking his head in mock resignation. “The shape was simply too alluring to you.”

“Fuck you!” Nero threw his half-eaten donut ball at Dante who, having expected the attack, dodged easily. The person behind him was not expecting it though, as he was busy reading the map. V jolted when he felt something warm and wet hit the back of his neck then reached back to touch the spot, only to find a large splatter of chocolate now smashed into his pheromone inhibiting choker, one with decorative white lace over the thick black fabric. He could also feel the chocolate clinging to his silky shirt, which was thankfully black so would hide the colour, but it got tangled in the decretive corset lace backing so would be a pain to wash.

“Shit, I’m sorry V.” Nero took the napkin that came with his cone and offered it to V, though the dry tissue would not do much for the sticky chocolate. “That was meant for Dante.”

“It’s quite alright.” V accepted the napkin, using it to wipe away the majority of the chocolate.

“Idiot. Don’t go throwing your food around like a child.” Vergil scoffed. “Your choker will stain; you should wash it quickly.”

“Yes, you’re right.” V agreed but did not move toward the bathroom which was only about 20 feet away. Instead, he held up the paper map again. “Do you suppose they have second-gendered bathrooms here?”

“Does that matter?” Vergil barely asked the question before Dante answered in a dark tone usually reserved for true anger or moments of alpha protectiveness.

“Yes.”

Nero shot a quick glare at Vergil before leaning in to look over the map with V. Vergil stood there with an annoyed look that did not show how genuinely confused he was. Despite this, he followed along with the group when they made their way to the second-gendered bathrooms. With a quick flash of his ID, V was let into the omega bathroom so he could safely remove his inhibitor and wash it. Being barred from entry, Vergil, Dante, and Nero sat on one of the many benches outside the washrooms where others waited for their friends, family, and partners of different genders to finish their business.

“The hell is your problem?” Nero snapped, standing with his arms crossed.

“Verg, bro, come on.” Dante let out a sigh as he flopped down on the bench beside Vergil, one arm leaning over the back of the wooden seat. This was the perfect, and possibly only, chance for Dante and Nero to gang up on Vergil and the mates were taking it.

“Excuse me?” Vergil’s brow shot up for a moment before lowering into its usual scowling position. “Were you so very offended that I presumed V did not need to be coddled and confined to a single type of washroom?”

“You don’t know shit, do you?” Nero snarled. Though he was a beta, as was his whole family, his sister ran outreach programs for omegas in need so has heard a horrifying amount of stories about how fearful and weak many omegas feel simply trying to live. And clearly, with how V asked for a second-gendered bathroom and wore the two inhibitors, he also felt at least trepidatious.

“It’s not just that.” Dante cut in, seeing the fury building in his mate’s eyes. Though he did want to metaphorically knock some sense into his seemingly emotionless brother, he did not want to literally start beating anyone, as he knew Nero would try if he got riled up enough. “You’ve been really distant this whole time.”

“Because I don’t want to be here, I thought I made that clear.”

“But you don’t gotta be a dick about it.” Nero huffed.

“Look, I know this place isn’t exactly our style, but you have to try to put up with it.”

“Why? What advantage is there to wasting time in an environment none of us particularly enjoy?”

“Because it’s a present and this is a fuckin’ date. You should chat and do things with V. Hold hands and sappy shit like that. Dante and I have been doing it.”

“Have I not been participating enough for you?” Vergil’s anger was showing through his tone and stiffer stance. “I have been playing some of these childish games and going on rides with you all. As for the physical contact you two tout as being oh-so imperative, I simply don’t want to. Would compromising my own desires make me a better person? I think not.”

“Look, you have to do something to show that you care. We aren't saying you have to be a different person Verg, but in a relationship, you have to be willing to compromise.”

“I am still here, aren't I? And to what extent do I have to compromise to make everyone happy? You two seem to believe I am not trying at all, yet I feel that if I go any further that will betray who I am, and I don’t believe that would bring V any joy.”

“Is everything all right?” Asked V as he returned from the washroom. Though he did not catch anything more than ‘bring V any joy’, he could see the tension between the three young men as he approached them. The group went silent, no one being sure what to say or how to react. As usual, it was Dante who attempted to cut through the deafening silence.

“We're fine. What about you? You get your choker cleaned up?”

“I do believe I fought off the stains, yes.”

“Sweet. Now let's just hope Nero learned how to not make a mess when he eats.”

“Fuck off!”

Though it took some time, the group were able to fall back into a resemblance of normality, with Dante and Nero making playful jabs at each other, V being amused by their antics, and Vergil being both mentally and physically distant for the most part. The only physical affection Vergil was willing to offer was briefly holding V’s hand when the others were not looking, but he did try to be more attentive to V. He would talk more with V, try to keep the conversation going longer, ask if he needed anything. It was an attempt, one that proved beneficial for Vergil as he found himself enjoying the outing a bit more since he could speak to someone with a bit more intelligence than his brother and his brother’s mate.

That did not mean he was enjoying the atmosphere though. The longer he was trapped there the more he started advocating to leave already.

“The fireworks are starting in a few minutes, chill the fuck out,” Nero said after Vergil made what felt like the 100th push to go home. It didn’t help that the group had waited in the VIP line for almost an hour to ensure they got the best seats. The lineup was along the edge of the platform the Farris wheel was on, meaning they were right beside the man-made lake in the middle of the park where the breeze was a bit crisper. The crowds around them had also gotten louder and more compact as people fought for good seats to watch the fireworks, taking up most of the ground space and causing a few arguments.

“Fireworks go off around the city multiple times a year. I see no need to witness these ones specifically.”

“This is about more than just seeing fireworks.” Dante pointed out, though that only caused Vergil more confusion and frustration.

“You may wait out in the car if you wish,” V said. His expression was calm, yet not at peace, and he wasn’t even facing the group. Instead, he was focused on gently tossing popcorn over the railing and down to the patch of land along the water's edge where Griffon was standing.

“What?” Nero snapped, his fists clenching in a failed attempt to suppress his anger.

“We are ready to board the first VIP guests.” Came the overly cheerful voice of a park staff member.

“Thank you.” Vergil attempted to turn and start walking away but Nero grabbed him.

“Hell no.” One of the primary reasons Nero came on this trip was so that V could finally watch a fireworks show with his mate and have some romance. Nero wasn’t going to let that fall apart right before boarding just because Vergil was a heartless dick and V was too good of a guy for him.

“Tickets please.” Said the staff member as he approached the group of young men since they were first in line.

“Quit your meddling, this does not involve you,” Vergil said, his demeaning tone that of a wise adult belittling a teen who knew nothing of the world.

“Here you are.” V handed over the four tickets. The staff member checked them over quickly and then his expression fell into an apologetic one.

“I’m sorry sir, but you only have 3 VIP tickets so not all of you can ride.”

“Shit, really?” Nero asked, his anger flipping to the staff member for a moment, ready to argue the fact. Before he could though, Vergil used the opportunity to jerk his arm out of Nero’s hold.

“I’m leaving.”

“Hey, get back here!” Nero gave chase as Vergil quickly started to march away without looking back.

“I’m sorry, could we have a moment?” Dante requested despite not quite knowing what he was going to do or what he should do.

“Sure, but I can not hold your spot in line.” The worker warned.

Dante could see out of the corner of his eye, V’s expression and shoulders falling under the weight of thinking he had wasted his future family’s time and enjoyment of the trip. V’s mouth opened, expression one of a man ready to abandon his mission.

“We’ll still ride,” Dante said while grasping V’s hand firmly, not wanting to hurt him but needing to make sure the younger man did not run off out of a self-imposed sense of guilt.

“What?” V’s question was ignored as the staff member led the two towards the Farris wheel gondola and Dante pulled him along. “But what of Nero and Vergil?”

“Trust me, Nero would rather you go on this ride without him than not at all,” Dante said with a charming smile and wink. “And Vergil…” Dante turned his head away, successfully concealing his expression that belied the feelings he had about his brother right now.

The two slid into the Farris wheel gondola. The bench was big enough for 3 adults, so it allowed a gap between them. Since they were first in line, they were guaranteed to be at the top when the fireworks show began. Before that though, there was a heavy silence between the two due to intense emotions, though not directed at each other. It also didn’t help that the Ferris wheel was swinging back and forth in an odd manner so that the VIP ticket holders were seated from top to bottom in order of where they were in line rather than simply putting everyone on in a single clockwise motion. The jarring back and forth added to the disconcerting atmosphere. Some dialogue needed to start or else the negative feelings would only brew. Yet addressing them or the situation that had caused them would only cause the mood to plummet rather than its gradual drop currently happening.

“May I ask you something?” V said, finally breaking the awkward silence. However, the open-ended question made Dante tense up a bit.

“Go for it.”  He accepted anyway.

“I have heard much-excited chatter from our classmates about the spring festival. Events, activities, plays, it all sounds thrilling. However, I have also caught shy whispers about hand-making fans, though no one has had the courage to divulge further information to me.”

“Mm, ya, that’s kind of a tradition at our school.” Dante shifted in his seat, sitting up a bit more and focusing on V rather than looking out over the park. “People, usually omegas or betas, make a personalized hand fan for their mate. At the end of the festival, there is a big party around a bonfire where we burn all the props people built. While the fire is burning there is this special romantic dance you can do and people give their mate the fan as an invite to dance that dance with them.”

“How romantic.” V quickly started to imagine the scene in his head with all the beauty and grace of a poem, the racing heartbeats, the trembling hands clutching a hand-crafted fan full of memories and sentiment, a dry mouth as one tries to form the perfect words. “And this happens every year? You must have a couple of fans from Nero by now then. I would love to see them if that is all right.” He requested, craving something to add to the artistic imagery being painted in his mind. He was so lost in the fantasy that he did not notice Dante’s grin shifting to a bit of a sad smile until after he spoke.

“I would if I had any, but Nero isn’t really into that kind of stuff.” Dante’s voice was cheerful in a self-deprecating kind of way, like he did find it amusing, but not funny enough to fully drown out his disappointment. His gaze drifted back over the park, which he was able to get a better look at as they were finally brought to the top of the wheel, and he slouched back down, resting his head on his upturned palm. “You know him, kicking up a big fuss whenever someone assumes he is going to be cute and submissive just because he’s with an alpha.”

“Yes, ever the contrarian.” V lets out a small, humoured chuckle before his tone drifts into a softer, apologetic one. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t go getting yourself hung up about it, it’s got nothing to do with you.” Dante waved off, keeping his slouched position but looking over at V with a genuine smile. “Besides, I’m not one for stereotypes either.” Dante shot V a wink, making the younger man’s heart skip a beat.

V smirked, and looked down at his tattoo-covered hands, hoping his pale complexion did not make the heat rising to his cheeks too prominent as he endeavoured to act casual. Thankfully, before anything else could unfold, the whistling of the first fireworks being shot into the sky grabbed everyone’s attention. For a moment, the whole park went quiet and everyone’s eyes turned skyward to watch as the dark night sky lit up with fantastical colours and shapes. The whistling and sizzling sounds were unexpected and louder than he thought they would be, but each pop of colour made V’s breath hitch and heart thud like the beat drop in a song blasting through speakers.

Though imperceptible to V himself, Dante watched as V’s pupils grew and his eyes darted from one shower of colour and sparkling shape to the next. The flashes of the lights made V’s hair seem like it was glowing. His lips parted just a bit as he smiled softly.

“Mind if I take a picture?” Dante suddenly asked, snapping V out of his daze.

“But of course, though I fear a picture can not truly capture the feelings.”

“Ya, but we can try right?” Dante shrugged before reaching into his pocket for his cell.

As Dante did that, something else caught V’s attention. The panicked gronking of Griffon frantically flapped his wings to rush to V.

“My dear xlnkzmrlm, what has gotten you so out of sorts, you knew what was coming.” V teased as he moved as far over as he could so Griffon could land between the two men in the Farris wheel gondola. “And if you were so frightened by the lights in the sky, why would you fly up closer to them rather than stay on the ground?” Griffon gronked angrily at the teasing, but V couldn’t help it. He has bore witness to how proud the avian was with his wit, even pushing V to do little tricks and tests of intelligence in front of guests just to show off, a little vengeance was but an occasional guilty pleasure. Even with this though, when Griffon shoved his beak under V’s arm and nudged it, V willingly lifted his arm so Griffon could cuddle up in his lap. “Dszg z orggov xsrxp blf szev yvxlnv.”

Griffon ruffled his feathers before hiding his face in V’s armpit as another wave of fireworks went off. V lifted his gaze back to the sky, letting his eyes, mind, and soul be filled with this feeling. A feeling of having a moment to oneself taking in something seemingly magical. He hugged Griffon a bit tighter, smoothing down his silky feathers and his chest heaved with a deep breath and long sigh. The show lasted only a few minutes but even as the colours drained from the sky, the warmth still swirled in V’s heart. He would have happily steeped in this feeling of whimsy long after the show ended, but the movement of Dante caught his eye, a moment that could have only come from Dante lowering his phone after pointing his lens at V rather than the sky.

“I did not realize it was a portrait you were looking for, not a landscape,” V said, his voice soft and humoured as he looked over at Dante, his hair falling perfectly to cover most of one of his eyes, offering a demure look that made Dante want to pull his camera back out.

“Just shooting the best-looking thing here.” Dante defended with a smirk.

“Then you should have turned the lens on yourself.” V returns the smirk and quips confidently.

“Oh? Then how about we get the best of both worlds and share the spotlight next time?” Dante leaned onto the railing in front of them, his posture casual despite the adrenalin shooting through him at this tit-for-tat.

“I dare say the world is not ready for such art.”

“Then let’s keep it between us.”

The sudden jerking of the Farris wheel made Griffon gronked in shock and restlessness and snapped the young men back into the world at large. He wiggled his way out of V’s arms and hopped up onto the backboard of the gondola seats. He puffed his chest out and gronked loudly like he was declaring territory.

“As always, a cowardly cur barks more fiercely than it bites.”  V joked, making Griffon gronk angrily and lightly peck at V’s head.

As V and Griffon playfully spat, Dante is left to lament the sudden ending of the game. A... battle of wits between V and him, yes, that’s it.

Chapter Text

Nero let out a long, worried sigh.

“Come on, I know my lines are corny, but I don’t think they’re that bad.” Dante defended with a cheeky grin, knowing full well that he could definitely be that corny at times.

“Huh? Sorry, no, it wasn’t you. I wasn’t even paying attention.” Nero admitted as he pushed himself up and away from the picnic table he had been leaning on and started making his way to the safety railing along the edge of the scenic lookout point.

“I’m not sure if I should be more insulted or relieved.” Dante hopped up from the table as well and followed Nero. “What’s up, baby boy? You’ve been looking pretty stressed this whole date.” Dante leaned backwards against the railing beside where Nero was bent forward and leaning on his forearms.

“I’m just… thinking about something.”

“Or someone?” Dante said, hoping to push Nero to be more honest even if Dante already had a good idea about what was occupying his mate's mind. There was a long pause, Nero thinking while fiddling with his own hands and Dante waiting for Nero to make his decision.

“It’s stupid, isn’t it?” Nero sighed again, though this time out of frustration. “But it all just pisses me off.” Nero stood up straight as his blood boiled and adrenaline coursed through him. “What right do your folks have to tell V to take off his inhibitors? It's his culture and for safety! And why are they acting like it's V’s fault that their stupid fuckin’ son doesn’t have a smidge of alpha instinct or empathy in his thick skull? None of them have any goddamn clue how hurt V is whenever Vergil blows him off. And he has been so spaced out all day. I can’t imagine what is going through his head. I just… SHIT!” Nero shouted out into the scenery just to get it out of his system. Once he did, he finally took a breath, leaning back over the railing and wringing his hands.

There was another pause before Dante responded as he wanted the air to settle a bit.

“I get it, and I can’t say I’m not also pissed off.” Dante let his head tilt back so he looked up at the sky. Dante was arguably the person most accustomed to Vergil’s cold nature and aversion to affection, and it hurt him at times. The thought that V gave up everything and moved to a new country, hoping for love and care that he never received, felt absolutely depressing. “But my parents are just trying to help. They made a suggestion and V agreed to it. If you don’t have faith in them, at least have faith in V and his choice to try letting Verg smell his pheromones.” Dante said, which made Nero huff in frustrated agreement. “Besides, it's not like it will be a free-for-all. My mother will be chaperoning, and you know that Vergil would rather die than be seen acting weak in front of our parents.”

“Ya, okay, I get it. I just…” Nero lowered his head so his forehead touched the cool metal railing. “I can’t help it.”

Dante couldn’t argue that point since he was the same. He, too, couldn’t fight down a burning anger and worry deep in his core. Instead of trying to extinguish it, though, Dante would smother it.

“How ’bout we go to The Swan? Shoot some pool, play some darts, take our minds off things?” Dante said in a jovial tone as he pushed off the railing and made his way toward his bike the couple had ridden up on.

“Fine.” Nero followed suit, expertly catching the helmet Dante threw his way. “Better than moping I guess.”

The trip back into town was short, especially with Dante using the motorcycle's relatively small size to his advantage by weaving between cars. Though he only partly did this for shorter travel times. His primary reason was the rush of adrenaline that ran through him as he kept up the high speed and taunted danger. And each time he heard Nero’s laughter and felt the rumbling of the younger man's chest against his back, he craved more. They reached the pool hall within half an hour, but the parking was anything but quick.

“You got any change, babe?” Dante asked after having looked through his pockets.

“Only a few dimes and nickels.” Nero shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair to try to fight off helmet hair.

“Damn. Okay, I’m going to pop into the convenience store real quick, want anything?” Dante was already walking backwards towards the corner store, his thumb pointed behind him.

“A drink and some chips would be cool. You know what I like.”

“Got it, I’ll be right back. Watch the bike.” And off Dante jogged.

Nero sat sideways on the bike and did a few stretches, cracking a few bones as he did so. Then he heard a familiar sound, the ping of a notification on Dante’s phone. The first one he ignored. The second he ignored too. The third one made his brow quirk. The fourth and fifth made him open up the trunk to see what the fuss was about. Nero only briefly acknowledged that it was Dante’s dad messaging him, but he quickly got distracted by Dante’s choice of lock screen background. A photo of V at night, his eyes wide and bright, his lips twisted up in a mesmerized and mesmerizing smile, and a rainbow of lights making V’s dark hair and pale skin glow. Was it taken during the double date? God, Nero wanted it. He’d have to ask Dante to send him a copy.

“Righteous cause on judgement nights, feel the sorrow the light has swallowed, feel the freedom like no tomorrow!” Dante’s phone suddenly starts blasting, shocking Nero from his hypnotized state. Sparda was now calling, which made Nero pause. He didn’t really want to answer Dante’s phone, but if his father texted him multiple times in quick succession and then called, then it must be important. Plus, Nero couldn’t exactly abandon Dante’s bike to sprint down the block to the corner store.

“Yo, this is Nero.” He answered, wanting to make that fact clear right away.

“Ah, Nero, my boy, perfect, I need to talk to you,” Sparda said, sounding almost imperceptibly frazzled.

“Um… good, I guess.” Why did Sparda want him? And why did he call Dante to get to him? Although now that Nero thought about it, he didn’t remember trading contact info with the man. There was never really a reason for them to talk privately before. “What do you want?”

“Are you aware of the plan for V to let Vergil smell his pheromones?”

“Ya.” Nero did his best to hold back his anger at the reminder from slipping into his voice.

“My dearest Eva was supposed to chaperone the moment.” This was to be expected. Eva was an omega, so would not be affected by a fellow omega’s pheromones and would be able to play the role of the proverbial sober one to break up any problematic situation that could arise from mates smelling each other’s scents for the first time. “But her heat has suddenly struck early.” Well, that ruins it. “She is the only omega in the family other than V himself, so our next and only real other option is you, a beta. I have already received V’s bles-”

“I’ll be there.”

Again, the ride back home was short on Dante’s motorcycle, especially with Dante picking up the pace when Nero explained the situation. But to Nero, it took far too long.

“I’ll lock up the bike, you go,” Dante said as they pulled up to the garage of the Sparda mansion, though it did not really matter since Nero was already racing into the house before he finished speaking.

Nero quickly made his way to the locked and air-tight room where the meeting was taking place, his mind racing with thoughts he just couldn’t settle.

Being present during a personal moment like that was awkward as is, and being stuck in a room with Vergil possibly being his usually shitty self may just turn into a fight. But being a beta meant that he would have very little, if any, reaction to an omega or alpha’s pheromones, so he would be the next safest bet in staying sane when smelling V. And with him there, he could watch over V, protect him, make sure he isn’t touched.

When he arrived at the room and tried to open the door, but found it locked, he started knocking rapidly.

“Must you make so much noise?” Spat Vergil as he swung the door open. Nero and he exchanged a glare before Nero pushed past him and went right to V.

“You doing okay?” He asked as images of V at school looking nervous all day flashed through his mind.

“I am fine, thank you,” V said with a gentle smile. He was sitting on the floor with a table to his side where drinks, snacks, a notebook, and a brush pen sat.

This eased much of Nero’s worry, though he still sat down close and asked, “Should we postpone this till after Eva’s heat passes?”

“It will take only an hour, and I want this farce done and over with as soon as possible.” Vergil declared before V could speak, as if his opinion was all that mattered. “Now I assume that you failed to inform my parents that you are here so that my poor mother can stop worrying about having to abandon her post,” Vergil said rather than asked, his piercing gaze allowing him to see the guilt in Nero’s expression as he guessed correctly. “I will be back after I do your job for you.” With his arms crossed and his head held needlessly high, Vergil left the room.  Once gone, Nero repeated his question.

“Do you wanna hold off on all this, V?”

“I appreciate your concern, but I feel similar to Vergil. This should be a quick process, and if it does make our bond stronger, then I would rather act sooner rather than later.”

For some reason, this pissed Nero off a bit.

“Fine.” Nero crossed his arms and flopped back on some pillows scattered around to lounge on as they waited for the eldest man to return and for Nero to cool off a bit.

Seeing as Nero’s body language indicated that the conversation was over, V instead turned to his notebook. He picked it up, along with a brush pen, and started writing something. Nero ignored it at first, but as the gentle, rhythmic sound of brush on thick paper filled the otherwise silent room, he found his mood relaxing and his curiosity piqued.

“What’re you writing? Poetry?” Nero asked as he opened his eyes but kept his pose relaxed.

“Indeed I am, though my focus is on the visual style rather than the words,” V replied, also not moving from his position as he kept writing, meaning he was not looking at Nero.

“Oh, you doing that artsy writing stuff?”

“Calligraphy, yes. I am trying to decide on the most appealing design for my fan.”

“Fan? Like the ones for the festival?”

“The very one,” V confirmed. He gave his pen a shake and tap before continuing with his writing and words. “Do you have an idea for what you will put on your fan for Dante?”

“I’m not making one.”

“Oh? Why ever not?”

“Because…” Nero paused to choose his words carefully. “That stuff is for people who are… you know… cute and romantic.”

“Why, thank you.”

Nero’s cheeks became dusted with a light pink, and one of his hands came up to wipe at his nose bashfully.

“That's not… I mean… look, it's just not my style. Besides, Dante says he likes how cool and alpha I am.” This was true, though Dante’s choice of words was more like ‘feisty’ and ‘challenging’. “He wouldn’t want me to make a fan.”

“Is that what you think? Because from my perspective, what Dante loves most is that you can be both with no concern for the naysayers who try to subjugate you to one gender.” V said, his position perfectly hiding his knowing smile.

“Maybe,” Nero mumbled, letting the conversation fall away as he retreated into his own mind. Only for a minute or two, though, as V’s annoyed tsk grabbed Nero’s attention. “What’s up?” Nero sat up.

“It seems my pen has been emptied and my refills are up in my room,” V explained as he set the pen and the now closed notebook on the table.

“Want me to go get it for you?”

“It is alright. I should prepare myself anyway.” V reached up and behind his neck. “I read it is best to let the neck air out a bit after being in the inhibitor before letting a mate smell. Do you mind if I do such?” V asked, his fingers already pinching the strings that held the thick choker tight around his neck. Today it was a solid, leathery black fabric with red and blue embroidered roses. It was also a quick removal process, unlike his inhibitor nose piercing, so doing this first made sense to him.

“No, go aheeee…”

The waft of scent from V was like a thick blanket covering him, yet instead of wanting to break free, Nero wanted to suffocate in it. There was a slight tanginess to it, due to the sweat collecting behind the thick leather, but it was overpowered by something else. It was citrusy and fruity like lemons and apples, yet floral like those white flowers Kyrie grows in the backyard.

“Nero?”

“Hmm?” Nero finally opened his eyes again and looked up at V, whom he was now leaning a bit closer to.

“Is everything alright?” V asked in that deep, soothing voice that made Nero want to curl around him and sleep.

“Ya.” Nero chuckled a bit when he responded like a jovial drunk snapping back into the present. “You just… smell really good.”

“Oh? Why, thank you.” V chuckled in amusement as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little case that would hold his intake inhibitor. “I haven’t exactly gotten any feedback on my scent from anyone but omegas, so I dare say that being praised by the first beta to take in my pheromones is a wonderful sign.” He reached up to start removing the piercing. “I only hope that my scent will be just as appealing to Vergil.”

“Who cares?” Nero leans forward, pressing his face against V’s hair and letting his hands rest on V’s hips, making V freeze before even doing one full rotation of the piercing. “Vergil is an ass that doesn't care about anything but being better than everyone else. Don’t waste your time.”

“Now, Nero,” V said with an amused disciplinary tone. He tried to turn his head to look at Nero, but Nero simply lowered himself so he could press his nose into V’s neck. “I know you aren’t a fan of Vergil’s… lack of affection, but as he is my mate, any time spent improving our relationship is not a waste.” V gently tried to pull away from Nero.

“No!” Nero’s arms clamped around V, pulling the younger man against his chest and holding him there. “Vergil won't take care of you, treat you like you deserve. Think of all the shit he has pulled so far.”

“Nero.” V’s tone was a bit colder, more serious, but fell on deaf ears.

“You’re so poetic and artsy and sweet and patient, yet cool and mysterious and strong and sexy. I hate seeing Vergil treat you like trash.”

V did not respond this time, leaving a moment of thoughtful silence that was soon filled by Nero’s continued rantings.

“Just… let me take care of you.”

“Nero.” V sighed, his attempt to escape becoming more restrained.

“Dante too! We’ll spend more time with you, eat together, go on dates, sleep together.”

“Nero, that’s enough.” V grabbed at Nero’s hands that were currently trying to pull open his laced-up top to try to stop them.

“Come on, you already know we can make you a real nest, one that you feel safe and comfortable in rather than that showroom crap Vergil bought.”

“Nero, please.” V leaned forward to try to break free from Nero, holding him from behind, but Nero just used it as a way to pin V to the floor. Nero had his whole weight on V, who, being already physically weaker and now bent in an awkward position, could not push him off.

“I can’t take this anymore, V, seeing you so unhappy. I can make you happy, I know I can. Just please let me-”

“Nero, stop!” V finally shouted, which made Nero freeze.

Nero’s mind was fuzzy; words scrambled in his head, making him hesitate to speak. He started to pull back, only able to take a bit of pressure off V before the back of the collar of his jacket and shirt was grabbed and violently pulled on, causing Nero to be tossed aside. The scent of an alpha added further chaos to Nero’s thoughts and emotions.

Danger, that’s what his instincts were telling him. This alpha was encroaching on his territory and had pulled him away from V. And when Nero sat up and opened his eyes, seeing V looking pale and frightened as he sat behind Vergil, standing over them, something in Nero snapped.

“Get out,” Nero growled, pushing himself up onto his feet. “Before I punch your teeth in.”

“Know your place, boy.” Vergil stood ready for a brawl.

“I know where I belong,” Nero glanced down at V, “and you’re in my way.” Nero cracked his knuckles, which made V’s heart drop and did not faze Vergil in the slightest.

“There is no need to fight.” V stood up and put himself in between Vergil and Nero, hoping that neither would launch an attack with him in the way. Vergil scoffed in annoyance at V’s interruption, which made Nero livid.

“You’re not even going to protect him?” Nero stormed closer, eyes alight with hatred and a desire for retribution.

“If he wishes to put himself at risk, that is his own foolish choice,” Vergil responded coldly. V’s shoulders fell a bit at Vergil’s comment, but before he could verbally agree, Nero sidestepped him and threw a punch.

“Then you have no right being his alpha!” Nero’s first punch was dodged, but Nero was quick to throw more. Vergil was a lot more tactful in his response as he dodged and struck at Nero when the opportunity arose. When Nero finally got a solid hit in, a punch to the jaw that caused him to bite his lip so hard blood started seeping out, Vergil’s pan-faced look of superiority twisted up into the excited grin of a warrior meeting a good opponent.

Unfortunately for Vergil’s twisted side, the two combatants were only able to trade a few more blows before Dante came bursting into the room. V followed close behind, his pheromone inhibitor choker held onto his neck by hand. He barely had the foresight to grab it before rushing out to get help and had no time to properly fasten it.

“Woah, hey!” Dante shouted as he rushed to Nero’s side, having quickly recognized that only he could calm down Nero while Vergil had a chance to do it himself. Nero tried to push Dante aside as he continued to focus on Vergil, but Dante was able to get Nero into a standing half-nelson. This also made Vergil stop his assault because his pride would not condone him winning against a restrained target.

“FUCK OFF!” Nero thrashed around and cussed as he was dragged out of the room. V watched in concern as long as he could before Vergil slammed the door closed and locked it, blocking out Nero and V’s scent from reaching him.

“Calm down, Nero, breathe,” Dante instructed. As gently as he could, Dante forced Nero to the floor and to turn his head so his nose was as close to Dante’s neck as possible.

Between Nero’s growls and shouts, he was flooded with his mate’s scent, one of cloves, wood, and a bit of vanilla. It was soothing, signalling to his mind to remember all the good times together and his heart and instincts of how Dante was there to take care of and protect him. Growls turned into snarls, then grunts, then finally deep, ragged breaths.

“Let me go, Dante.” Nero’s voice was cold and tired, which let Dante know it was safe to release him.

Dante let his arms slide out from under the younger man’s arms and slowly moved off him, giving Nero time to adjust back to freedom. He did not say a word as he could see the look of frustration and guilt in Nero’s expression. And he did not stop him from storming off to think through things alone. Nero would come to him when he was ready. It was Nero’s relationship with V that was the concern.

Chapter Text

The dynamic of the family has been strained since that day. Vergil has kept up his usual air of superiority and disconnect, finding the whole experience a failure as he knew it would be. Sparda and Eva apologized profusely and fretted a bit at leaving the duty to Nero, but did not pry, sensing that something had happened, but no one would speak of it. V drifted around, smiling, talking, and joking like always, expertly hiding how much he was simply going through the motions as he willingly held the weight of acceptance dragging him down. Nero, after staying cooped up at home and skipping school for a few days while working with his big brother as a trainer so he could let off steam and be useful to somebody, inched his way back into the family circle. He accepted Sparda and Eva’s apologies. Apologized to V and acted like a guilty animal tentatively trying to get affection but jumping back at any resistance. Oddly, he had been avoiding Dante a bit, bashfully hiding notes and focusing on some project in his shop class that he refused to tell his mate about. And Vergil? Fuck Vergil, “the fucker doesn’t deserve shit,” Nero said though he did once quietly thank Vergil for kicking him out of the room. Dante has been monitoring and mediating as best he could without being pushy. He knew deep down that everything would peter out and return to normal, but that didn’t stop the pain he felt as everyone walked around looking half-dead inside. As a result, Dante unconsciously started checking in on others when he had the chance.

Today, that has brought him to the school's library, a building all to itself with multiple stories. Each staircase you ascended brought you further from the watchful eye of staff and into a quiet oasis where students played cards, napped, and did what they could without shattering the delicate bubble of quiet. Up there, among the dusty books that were rarely touched after the invention of the internet, Dante found V looking through old school books chronicling the history of their school. He had a book in his hand, and his cane leaned against the bookcase. Lying perfectly in the seam of the book like a bookmark hung Nightmare, the top library floor being empty enough for the reptile to soak in some sun and air without hysteria breaking out.

“There he is.” Dante greeted in a hushed voice as he moved close and leaned back on the bookcase V was facing. “I think you might be lost; the poetry section is a floor down.”

“My, have I really been downgraded to a stereotype?” V asked with an amused scoff, his voice naturally soft and low enough as to not need adjusting for the setting. He held his free hand above the top of the book to instruct Nightmare to start slithering its way off the book. V had the patience to let his companion move at its own pace.

“Not at all. In fact, you’ve got so many layers I’m itching to peel off.” Dante’s eyes dart down for a moment to where V had his shirt open as much as the school rules allowed and his lips twist up into a smirk, his canines poking out a bit as he bit his lip to hold back a chuckle.

“Unfortunately for you, there are some minimum levels you must meet for this expedition, and you come up a bit short.” V, with the help of his cane, stretches himself to his full height to flaunt the half-inch he has over Dante. “In height and intelligence.”

Dante’s jaw fell open in shock, a little offended gasp escaping him, then snapped closed to try to muffle his laughter that was definitely louder than the library allowed.

“Alright, you got me,” Dante said once he got his laughter under control, his hands held up in surrender. The two young men share a chuckle at their teasing game, and for a moment, the strain in the family relationship was gone. “Seriously though, what brought you up here?”

“I come here looking for a guide,” V said as he returned the book he had been holding to the shelf. “I am almost done with my fan for the festival, but I have yet to learn how to perform the dance it is an invitation for.” V pulled his hand to his shoulder so that Nightmare, who had been wound around it, could slither onto his shoulder. “As I said before, our classmates dare not even describe the fan in great detail, let alone the dance. And no one in the family has participated in it or studied it enough during past school years to be able to teach me. Not even your parents could assist as they did not attend this school in their youth. I’ve run out of options, so I turned to books to give me some insight.” V explained as Nightmare slithered over his shoulder, around his neck, down between his school blazer and shirt, until finally wrapping around his waist and through his belt loops.

“I see…” Dante shifted from one foot to the other, then back. His gaze fell to the old carpet floor. “I can teach you.” Dante shrugged and shifted a bit more when he saw V look at him with a raised brow from the corner of his eye. “I learned how to do it a couple years back,” Dante’s gaze lifted to the books across the row, and a hand came up to scratch the back of his head. “You know, when I first got paired with Nero.” There was a silent pause before Dante finally looked back at V with a smile. “I’ll finally get to put those late nights to good use.” Dante pushed himself off the bookcase and motioned for V to follow. “Let’s find a more open space.”

V gave a nod and trailed behind the alpha. “Thank you, Dante.” He said without pushing on the wound further than he had unintentionally already had.

The two young men wandered around the top floor a bit before deciding on a spot that was tucked away enough to not be too eye-catching and open enough to move around. After moving a couple of chairs and tables for more room, Dante started the lesson.

“So, it's kind of like a mix of a folk dance and a waltz. There's a version of this where people actually switch dance patterns after every set, but the romantic fan one is special with special music and moves, so you use the fan and stay with the same partner. You’ll know when it starts because everyone rushes off the dancefloor and then slowly trickles back with a partner and fans in hand. The moves revolve around the idea of pretending to kiss the fan and passing it back and forth as a way to kiss but not actually because this dance is old and made back when omegas were supposed to act chased and innocent.” Dante explained, a bit of spite slipping in at the end when referring to the sexist roles and ideals that were thankfully being phased out.

“I see.” V listened intently, both wanting to learn the dance and fascinated by the traditions attached to it. “I suppose we need some sort of stand-in for a fan then. Perhaps a thin book?”

“Your cane will work.” Dante brushed off, holding out his hand as a request for the cane but not simply swiping it. V willingly handed it over, feeling well enough to not need it for now. Plus, though he was not aware of this yet, he would get to lean on Dante quite a bit during the dance. “Thank you.” Dante smoothly tossed the cane from one hand to the other, then moved behind V. “We start with the person who received the fan standing behind the person who made it.”

The lesson went smoothly, Dante being able to show off what he learned after teaching and reteaching himself each year the festival was approaching, just in case, and V being a quick learner and smooth dancer in his own right. The two stepped around the makeshift dancefloor to the tune Dante hummed, stopping and starting occasionally to practise some moves. The footwork was not that complicated, it was the upper body that did most of the work. From twisting, leaning, pressing against each other and quickly pulling away, it was a sensual game of cat and mouse as each person took turns taunting the other with intimacy but denying it at the last second. Dante and V moved so perfectly together, matching each other's energy and pace as if they had done this a thousand times, as if they were made to do this. V’s cane, acting as the fan, passed from one hand to the next as it was pressed to either’s lips, but never at the same time, indirect kisses meant to tantalize but not overstep societal boundaries, or at least the boundaries of society a century ago. However, there was one change to the dance that had become extremely common since its inception.

“And we end by facing each other.” Dante didn’t even need to pull V to his chest, the younger man followed the flow of the dance perfectly and without question. The dance ended with them hand in hand on one side while their others gripped the cane, hands overlapping on the now hot silver. The cane was held between their lips, a barrier to what mates craved. “Lowering the fan,” The cane was lowered to their chests, which were now heaving a bit. “and kiss.”

The world seemed to hold its breath. Both their gazes fall to the lips of the other, Dante’s tongue darting out to wet his own, and V’s plump ones help open a bit welcomingly. Then they locked eyes. Dante could feel his neck burning as it released dominating, possessive pheromones. V’s hair fell perfectly over his face, some strands tickling his already sensitive lips. Dante took in a deep, trembling breath. V tightened his hold on Dante’s hand. Dante leaned a bit closer. V’s eyes drifted closed.

“Thank you.” V stepped back and gave a polite bow as if the two had just shared a dance at a ball. “You are quite the teacher.”

Dante stood there, body tensed up as he desperately tried to fight his instincts. He knew this feeling, has felt it so many times when Nero ran off alone. The desire to chase, to capture, to hold, to protect, to return to the nest.

“You think? Thanks.” Dante forced a smile and took a few steps back, his voice and body strained to the point of pain. He let go of the cane. “It helps that I had such a perfect dance partner.” The truth in that statement was enough for Dante to give a playful wink, though V’s smile at the compliment brought another rush of alpha instincts.

“I may have taken a few classes back in my home country,” V admits as he pulls the cane back to his side and leans on it, feeling a bit winded from the dance. “Tap, waltz, a little salsa. It was my choice of physical activity at school rather than traditional physical education classes.”

“Yet another layer to you.” Dante scoffed, stepping back further, leaning against one of the tables they had moved, and subtly grabbing it as if he could hold himself back. He was saved by the bell, though, as it rang out, signalling that lunch was over. “Guess that concludes our lesson for today. Feel free to come back for practice, and you’ll get a bill in the mail.”

“I’ll be sure to forward it to my guardians.” V joked back, referring to the fact that Sparda and Eva were supporting V financially since he had no family, no income, and they refused to let him work. “I do sincerely thank you for taking the time to teach me Dante, and I hope you can put your skills to use soon.” V flashed a knowing smile before turning away and disappearing between the seemingly endless shelves of books.

Dante was curious but did not give chase as he wasn’t sure what his alpha side would do if he caught the omega.

Chapter Text

Nero was doing it yet again, staring down at his craft, flipping it back and forth, unconsciously looking for things to critique and seeing if they were serious enough to convince him to abandon his plan. He only had a few weeks to make it, and half that time was wasted on a design he only realized right at the end was not fit for the person he was supposed to give it to. Would he think it was stupid? Corny? Ugly? Maybe Nero shouldn’t-

“My,” The sound of a voice interrupting Nero’s spiralling train of thought made him jump, spinning around, hiding the item in his pocket along with the failed first draft. “What craftsmanship.” V finished his thought, only offering a pleasant smirk at the beta’s reaction.

“Shut it jack ass,” Nero grumbled, rubbing his nose and turning his head away. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“My apologies, but our classmates have been calling for your attention for some time now.”

“Fuck, sorry.” Pushing his embarrassment aside, or at least trying to, Nero stood straight and started stretching his arms. “Time for deconstruction?”

“Yes, our cafe is officially closed,” V said with a nod and started leading Nero towards the wooden structures and signs made for their classes’ festival attraction.

“I still say we shouldn’t have called it a cafe. We couldn’t even have food in here with all the animals around.” Nero knew that not having food around was for the safety of the animals and that coming to a room full of friendly dogs, cats, and other such fluffy pets WAS the attraction, but the naming convention was still odd to him. “Speaking of which, where are your friends?”

“Once their duties were complete, Griffon and Shadow made hasty departures. By now, they are most likely tucked away somewhere quiet and calm to relax after all the attention and enjoying the special treats I made for them for being such patient workers.” V explained with a proud smile and gentle hand motion. “As for Nightmare,” V patted his uniform pocket. “I was just about to head to the Animal Advocacy club room to drop him off.” The school’s Animal Advocacy Club, like every club in this rich private school, had excessive funds which they used to make several spaces and enclosures for small animals. They have happily created spaces for V’s pets to rest in exchange for the chance to marvel at them. Shadow and Griffon were not fond of the place since they got a lot of attention there, but with how often Nightmare unintentionally caused panic wherever it went, just because of what it was, an enclosed cage was the most comfortable.

“Why am I not surprised they took off the moment they could?” Nero scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Alright, I’ll be here for a bit longer, breaking things down and carrying them out to the field for the bonfire. Meet you there?” Nero reached for a wooden sign, considering in the back of his mind if he had the patience to take it apart with tools or just brute force break it down.

“That works for me.” V gave a little nod and retrieved his cane, but did not leave quite yet. He stuck around just long enough to say, “And do not worry yourself, Dante will love it.”.

Nero’s grip on the sign tightened, but he did not have the guts to turn and show V his expression before the younger man left the room. God damn it, why was his heart pounding so hard? This is stupid. Well, at least Nero knows how he is going to tear down the class’s decorations.

After around 30 minutes, Nero, along with other classmates, carried the splintered remains of their temporary cafe to the bonfire that was already ablaze. Nero tossed his pieces into the flame and then gazed across the field of dancing and chatting people in search of his friends. Pretty soon, he spotted them, largely due to Trish being there with her corset top, leather pants, and 4-inch-heeled boots that stood out among the hordes of teens in school uniforms. It always drew a lot of attention, which she and Lady both seemed to enjoy as a power couple. What was even more eye-catching to Nero was that, once he got a bit closer, he saw V and Vergil standing together chatting. Vergil gazed down at the calligraphy-adorned fan and not at the pleased smile on V’s face that made the younger man look like he was about to burst with glee.

Nero should be happy for V… so why does he feel so pissed off?

“Yo! Nero!” Dante called, having spotted his mate and unknowingly ruining any plan Nero had of running off to go calm down.

“Hey.” Nero approached the group, his shoulders shrugged a bit higher than would be considered casual and making a beeline for Dante, trying to keep his eyes off the happy couple. “How was your class’s show thing?” Nero asked Dante specifically, not batting an eye when Dante wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “You did a scary storytelling thing about ancient monsters and demons, right?”

“Ya, it was fun. Vergil, Lady, and I really got to flex our occult knowledge.” Dante said.

“No, Vergil and I flexed our knowledge; you just talked about how to fight them.” Lady pointed out with an eyeroll, making Trish chuckle as she leaned on her mate.

“Hey, I’m pretty sure after you and Verg scared the shit out of them the people would appreciate knowing how to evade death,” Dante argued with a smile.

The group chatted amongst each other, with people leaving, joining, and switching conversations as they saw fit in a comfortable group hangout. Nero did his best to relax and have some fun here and there, but every time he tried to casually shove his hand in his pocket, he felt them.

When should he do it? When was the right time? Fuck, worrying was so annoying. He should just do it. Yeah, just get it done and over with. It’s not that big a deal. Just fuckin’ hand the shit over, it's whatever.

“Dante.” Nero nearly gave up when he realized that his voice cracked a bit. The adrenaline was high, though, so he pushed forward.

“Ya?” Dante turned to Nero with a casual smile at first. Though when he saw Nero’s body language, he wordlessly stepped aside to give at least a smidge of privacy and lowered his voice. “Sup baby?”

“Here.” Nero pulled the item from his pocket and pretty much shoved it into Dante’s hands. “I made you a thing, you know, when I had extra time in shop class.” That was a lie. This is all he did in shop class for the past few weeks. And that was obvious just by looking at it.

The item Nero had been making that Dante now held was a hand-crafted fan that was far from average. The leaf was made of cloth and sewn together in a way that made each pleat a sheath for the sticks and ribs, which were made of steel and sharpened to just under the acceptable line of danger, though with enough force you could easily impale one into someone. The rivet holding it all together could be popped out with a simple flick of the finger if one knew just the angle to do it, which would release the sticks and ribs, turning them into decent throwing knives. There was also a long tassel at the end that would allow the fan to be whipped around like nunchucks, which Dante did like he was playing with a spinner knife just to test out the feel of it.

“This is sweet baby.” Dante finally said after pulling off a flashy move with the fan. “It’s slick as hell; must have taken a lot of work. Thank you.” The look he gave Nero and the way he spoke, bright in amazement yet soft in gratitude, was so genuine that the younger man could not take it.

“Thanks, but Kyrie did the sewing, and my teacher gave me the supplies.” Nero tried to dodge praise and not look directly at Dante. Even when he turned away, though, and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, the blush rising even to Nero’s ears was clear.

“Aww, you're so cute, baby boy.” Dante cooed playfully, to which he was thrown the middle finger for. Before Nero could make an excuse and escape the situation, Dante moved in, slipping his arms around Nero’s hips in a loose hold and leaning in to whisper into Nero’s ear. “I can’t wait to dance with you.” There was a dip in Dante’s tone that made Nero’s gut flip and his lungs need to take in a sharp breath.

“I don’t know how,” Nero responds in a similarly quiet voice, dropping his usual prickly attitude. He lifts one of his hands to gently grab Dante’s arm. He didn’t scratch at it or pull it away like he often did when flustered; he just held it.

“That doesn’t matter.” Dante was quick to respond. He rested his head on Nero’s shoulder and smiled up at his mate. “All that matters is that it’s you and me.” Dante got to see the tiniest hint of a smile breaking through on Nero’s face before it disappeared completely as the song changed and everyone dancing rushed off into the crowd. Nero went pale and started to pull Dante’s arm off his, but Dante was quicker. He flipped his hand around, grabbed Nero’s wrist, and used it to lead Nero to the dance floor. “And don’t worry, I can teach you the moves, baby beta boy.”

“What!? Wait, Dante, how do you even know the dance?” Nero’s protests and questions were ignored, only receiving a chuckle from the older man. In a desperate attempt to escape, Nero looked back at their friend group only to see them smiling, laughing, and giving thumbs up to him. V, in particular, gave a proud smile, as if he had been waiting for this moment. This confused Nero only as long as V was looking at him as V soon turned to Vergil.

Nero’s stomach dropped; part of him wished he could rip the fan out of Vergil’s hands, and he had to turn away.

“Alright baby, you ready?” Dante asked as he pulled Nero into position while Nero’s mind had been somewhere else. “Just follow my lead, okay?”

Nero was not confident in his dance moves in the slightest. Honestly, he thought he was better at air guitar than fancy dancing like this. Each stumble, bump, and late reaction time made him curse, yet his desire to run away decreased solely due to Dante. Not only was Dante hot as hell, making a bit more of Nero’s blood run south each time Dante pressed their bodies together, but he was sweet. With every stumble Nero made, Dante played along smoothly like it was all part of the dance. Not a single complaint or annoyed look. He only offered smiles, chuckles, and the occasional cheesy remark insinuating Nero was “too flustered” and “too cute”. By the end of the dance, Nero was laughing and moved a bit more freely, having abandoned the idea that he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of others.

“Pfft.” Nero tried to hold back his hearty chuckle as the song finally ended and he was face-to-face with Dante, now sporting a red mark on his chin from where Nero had accidentally smacked him with the metal fan. “That was fuckin’ dumb,” Nero said as he rested his forehead against Dante’s and pulled the fan down and away, out of Dante’s grasp.

“Was worth it,” Dante mumbled quietly as if the mates were having a private moment, using his now free hand to stroke Nero’s cheek.

The two stood there for a few seconds with goofy smiles on their faces, leaning against one another, arms gently grasping the other for stability and to strengthen the connection. Suddenly, though, Dante’s arm gets grabbed and pulled, ripping the lovers apart and snapping Nero back into his usual shy self.

“Come with me.” Demanded Lady as she dragged Dante away. Dante gave a half-hearted protest, then flashed Nero an apologetic smile as he let Lady lead him away from the bonfire. Nero’s first instinct was to take Dante back, but the chance that he would look like a child throwing a fit stopped him. Good thing too, because Trish soon came up beside him, calling to her mate.

“Lady, wait, your bag.” It was no use, though, making Trish sigh but not give chase. She looked disgruntled but like she had conceded that she could not do anything more.

Nero raised a brow at this but did not feel like getting involved in whatever had ruffled the women’s feathers. Instead, he scanned the crowd, looking for V, though he was conflicted on whether he wanted to hear about how good of a time he had. He did not spot the omega. Instead, he spotted something much worse.

“Trish,” Nero’s eyes focused on the bonfire and the quickly disappearing paper full of intricate calligraphy. “What the hell happened?”

Chapter Text

“There you are, my wvzi xlnkzmrlm,” V whispered as he lowered Nightmare into the specially made tank made by the Animal Advocacy Club. Nightmare slithers its way around and up a branch so it can bask in the heat lamp light. “Rest well. I shall return in a few hours,” V said. Nightmare lifted its head and flicked its tongue out at V, as if in response, before closing its eyes and returning to its sunbathing.

Once his companion was comfortable, V made his way to his locker, where he had stowed away his fan. After countless drafts, a whole notebook full of the same lines written out in different styles, V had finally created something he was proud of. The sticks and ribs were nothing special, with only simple patterns painted into the wood. The paper, however, was handmade, and the words written on it with delicate precision. It was rather delicate but bold in its design. Now, he just had to find a good time to present it to Vergil.

“Hey,”

With a simple tilt of his arm, V slides the closed fan into his school cardigan sleeve. One of the few benefits of being so sickly skinny was that he almost always had space in his sleeves and pant legs to hide things away.

“It’s emo boy.” Came the playful teasing of Lady. Behind her was Vergil looking his usual annoyed self, and beside her stood a woman who was the spitting image of Eva. However, considering her tight, revealing outfit and the way she had her arm wrapped around Lady, V surmised this woman was the infamous Trish, cousin to Vergil and Dante.

“Good evening.” V greeted with a little bow. Vergil scoffed, and the women giggled. “How fortunate it is for us to meet here.”

“We were heading down to the bonfire. Walk with us, emo boy.” Lady invited, making a beckoning motion towards the stairs that would lead them down to the ground floor. The group started winding their way through the stairwell and making chitchat.

“I fear we have not formally met yet,” V said to Trish. “I am V, a humble newcomer to the family.”

“And I am the lady of the house, Eva,” Trish said with a smirk, something V matched with a knowing look in his eyes. “Aww, nothing? Not gonna mistake me for your new mommy?” Trish teased. “Even Lady panicked when she thought her best friend’s mom had just shoved her tongue down her throat.”

Lady’s face went scarlet. She bit her lip and jabbed her elbow back, trying to hit Trish, but the older woman had expected it.

“I wasn’t ready for it, okay? I hadn’t taken an F-PUP.” Lady grumbled.

“I will admit, for a moment I was surprised, though your visage is radically different from the lady of the house,” V said.

“Ya, she’s shameless.” Lady jumped in to say in a huffy tone, cheeks still lit up red.

“That is one way to put it, I suppose. Though I would instead say both women are brazen in their confidence, true to themselves even if exemplifying different forms of femininity and power.”

“Ooo, what a gentleman,” Trish commented, brows raised and lips turned up in an impressed smile. “You could learn something, Vergil.”

“Did you really just drag me into the conversation to insult me?”

A friendly spat immediately broke out, which had the unintended side effect of cutting V out of the conversation. As they all continued their walk to the field, Trish, Lady, and Vergil chatting like the old friends they were, V kept pace with Vergil, his head hung and his eyes glancing at Vergil’s lax hand. V’s hand itched to reach out, to make contact, even if it was just a locking of pinkies. Something, anything. However, the memories of the amusement park visit held him back. Remembering how, after cleaning his neck inhibitor, Vergil had started acting differently, going so far as to grasp V’s hand when the other two weren’t looking. Most of all, V remembered how uncomfortable Vergil looked the whole time. The alpha’s hand had fidgeted in his like a small rodent that hated but begrudgingly accepted that it was being held by a human.

V couldn’t bring himself to cause such discomfort in his mate, so instead, he gave up on his own desire and kept his aloof demeanour.

Lady and Trish led the men to the bonfire, where Dante was already waiting on the sidelines. He waved to the group. The women were the first to rush over and start chatting. Vergil and V followed, though Vergil did not engage in the current, loud conversation. This break, this moment of quiet, might just be the only time V can offer his fan without feeling like trying to talk to Vergil was bothering the older man.

“Vergil,” V said softly, not wanting to draw too much attention.

“Hm? What?” Vergil turned to V, his usual scowl painted on his face. At least V has learned that Vergil’s cold expression and tone were not always a true reflection of his heart.

“I have crafted something,” V said as he let the hand-made fan slide out from his sleeve and into his palm. Vergil raised a brow at this, then lifted and opened his hand as a silent request for it. That small gesture made V’s heart clench. And when V looked up to see genuine interest in his mate’s expression as he looked over the fan, his heart flipped.

“Impressive.”

V’s heart nearly ruptured. Praise, finally. V had only received praise from Vergil one other time when he could quote William Blake off by heart. Speaking of which…

“These are quotes from Blake’s works, correct?” Vergil asked once he opened up the fan.

“Indeed.” V did his best to act as his usual stoic self while he discussed the quotes chosen and the works they originated from. This was what he hoped for: positive and long-lasting attention, acknowledgment of him and his attempts to get closer to Vergil without being a bother. This was what being a good mate was, right? So why did he still feel so empty inside? And when V spotted Nero and Dante out of the corner of his eyes, saw how Dante smiled and showed appreciation for Nero’s work, how Nero blushed, how they held each other, his gut sank like two stones had been dropped inside, one of longing and another of guilt.

How selfish V was. He had been blessed with not only a mate but a new family. He went from a lowly orphan who grew up being told that he would not make an appealing omega mate for anyone to a young man with a lover and a family who welcomed him with open arms and took care of all of his needs. He was practically living a fairytale… so why did things feel so fundamentally wrong?

“What!? Wait, Dante,” Nero’s bashful shouting pulled V out of his downward spiraling mind, bringing him back to the present time and place. V could hear how the music had changed and looked up to see Nero being dragged onto the dancefloor by Dante. “How do you even know the dance?”

V’s lips twisted up into a smile as he watched the two. Having worked both sides of the issue, seen how badly Dante wanted to share this dance with his mate and how nervous Nero was to make the fan and how he would be viewed for showing a more sentimental side, he was genuinely happy to see things resolve. Yet at the same time, he felt a longing in him, like there was an invisible string tied around his heart that tried dragging him towards the pair. But that feeling would be settled when Vergil and he danced, so-

“Alright, I’ll be taking my leave now.” Vergil suddenly announced.

“Why am I not surprised?” Trish scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“The party just started. At least stay for a dance or two.” Lady argued, looking and sounding genuinely annoyed.

“I have no interest in wasting my time prancing around a fire like a neanderthal.” Vergil asserted before turning to V and holding out the fan. “You can take this back now.”

For a couple of seconds, V did not move, did not speak, did not breathe.

“Of course.” He finally said as he accepted the fan back before freezing up again. Despite being right there, Vergil did not seem to notice V’s strained voice, slouched shoulders, or quivering breaths.

“I’ll see you at home,” Vergil said before turning toward the school building and walking off nonchalantly.

“Hey!” Lady shouted after him. Trish’s eyes stayed on V, her expression soft like that of a mother facing her grieving son. “Where the hell do you think you're going?”

“I need to finish up some paperwork before heading home,” Vergil answered without even looking back.

“V…” Trish said softly, sounding so much like her aunt Eva that it made V tense up more, instinctually not wanting to insult the mother of his mate.

“Hey, don’t worry about that bastard V, he is as dense as a brick,” Lady said, trying to offer a sympathetic smile, but it did not reach V, nothing did.

Everything seemed to go dark, like his mind shut down and his soul left his body. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism, a way for V to not completely fall apart.

“I think I shall go home as well.” The words tumbled out of V’s lips with no real thought, and he turned away without waiting for a response. He was drawn to the bonfire in the middle of the field, as if his body needed to stave off the ice forming around his heart. Despite the heat radiating from the bright flame, it did nothing but make the fan in his hand feel heavier. So he dropped it, the fan hitting the ground at the edge of the kindling, though he did not stay to watch it become some.

V’s mind was racing yet going nowhere. His feet took him somewhere, but his only goal was to be alone. Eventually, he finds himself back in his classroom. All the festive decorations were gone, but the desks and chairs were still pushed up along the walls, leaving the area like a ghost town where joy and chatter were once plentiful. Feeling physically weak but without his cane as he had blindly abandoned it at the field, V limped his way to one of the desks by the window and sat down. His classroom was in the corner of the building on a high floor, making it so he could see a bit of the glow from the bonfire and hear the music softly carried by the wind, which chipped at him like a minor trying to level a mountain.

Despite the festivities, the room was cold and hollow, just like V, so he did the only thing he could think of to fill it. He lifted his fingers to his lips and blew out a whistle that seemed to echo up into the night sky. Within a minute, Griffon came soaring towards the window and landed on the sill. He gronked a few times like a loud child declaring something before falling quiet once he saw V’s lack of reaction. Not too long after, Shadow entered the room, jumping up onto the desk in front of V. Despite calling them for companionship, V felt shame at being watched by his friend's curious eyes. So he forced a smile.

“How are you, my friends? Did you enjoy the special treats I got for you?” V asked and reached out to give each a scratch under the chin. Yet the animals still kept watching him, quiet, unmoving at first. Shadow was the first to act. She lifted her front paws and put them on V’s shoulder, but instead of climbing up, she simply lay on him. Griffon then hopped his way up onto V’s other shoulder and started nuzzling his beak and head against him. V’s mouth opened, ready to come up with some witty remark to make it seem like he did not require such treatment, but no words formed, only a tear.

With hands shaking more than V had realized up until now, V hugged Shadow and Griffon, burying his face in Shadow's sleek fur and feeling her rumbling purrs that acted like a soothing heartbeat. V did not weep, did not scream; he simply held his dear companions and breathed shaky, stuttering, long breaths. The sound of music and laughter outside felt like it got louder, making V curl further into himself. The soft melody of joy was so defining that it wasn’t until Shadow and Griffon started hissing and gronking aggressively that he realized that someone had found his pitiful hideaway.

“V.” Nero spoke his name like a man finally taking a breath after holding it for a while. Nero closed the sliding door behind him and took a step forward, but froze when Shadow and Griffon both moved forward a bit as well, as if to create a barrier, and their threatening sounds grew more vicious.

"Gszmp blf, nb wvzi uirvmwh." V was able to steady his voice as he stepped out of his seat and reached for his pets, giving both calming pets. “But Nero has done nothing to deserve your ire.” Griffon and Shadow turn and look up at V, their bodies still tensed and ready to fight for their master. “I appreciate your loyalty, but I will be alright,” V assured. This seemed to be enough to calm the animals down, though they watched Nero carefully as he made his way over to V.

“V, I… shit, I am so sorry.” Nero’s voice was strained and rushed, as if trying to fix a dire situation. He grasped V’s arm. “Vergil is a piece of shit. The fucker has no heart. You did nothing wrong. I’ll beat some sense into him later. I’ll fix this. I’ll… I’ll…”

“Nero.” V interrupted, also grasping Nero’s arm, though it was to calm the older man down rather than hold him there. “It is kind of you to worry for me, but I will be alright.” V offered a smile which surprisingly held a not-insubstantial amount of genuineness. “Vergil and I have different values when it comes to our relationship, and it is something we will work through in time. I’m sure you know just as well as I that trying to force Vergil’s hand will only make his resolve stronger.”

“I know, I just… I want to do something.” Nero shifted from one foot to the other, stomping his foot harder than need be.

“Your kindness is plenty, I assure you.” V’s thumb started to rub Nero’s arm in little circles, and the void in his heart filled in just a bit. “The simple act of seeking me out means a lot to me, thank you.”

Even though V said this, the atmosphere was tense. Nero kept fidgeting, and V simply hung his head, not sure what else he could say or do to ease Nero’s sympathy. In the gap of communication, a soft song came floating into the room, one distinctly different from what had played before.

V tried to fight back his body's instinct to tense up as if it could fight off the negative feelings rising in him, not wanting to show Nero his lingering pain.

“V,” Nero said softly, which broke V’s already weak restraints of not tensing. V quickly began formulating a response to assure Nero that he was fine, but that was a waste. “I know it’s not exactly how you wanted it to go, but…” Nero reached into his pocket and produced a fan. “Would you dance with me?”

The fan was delicate, made of thin sheets of metal with intricate carvings of interlocking waves of vines. The leaf was simple paper with the pattern continuing up into it, though it seemed to be printed onto the paper rather than hand drawn. The edges were a bit rough, and it seemed to have gotten a few scrapes and smudges since being crafted.

V was struck with silence, which seemed to bother Nero, who continued to speak in an almost frantic manner.

“It’s not perfect, I know. It was my first design, but near the end I realized it matched… some else’s aesthetic more than Dante’s, so I scrapped it.” Nero could not keep his free hand still as it went from his side to scratching his nose to the back of his neck. “Not to say I’m trying to offload my junk on you. I did work hard on it and-”

“Thank you,” V said, halting Nero’s rambling. V, with a gentle touch, took the fan and held it to his chest. “I would love to dance.” V finally looked up at Nero, a true smile finally gracing his face.

Nero practically lit up both in joy and a blush. He let V lead him to the middle of the room before admitting sheepishly, “Is this a bad time to admit that I don’t actually know how to do this dance properly?”

V chuckled, simply happy to have this chance.

“Then I shall take the lead.” V positioned Nero, then got into position himself. Though taking the omega’s position yet being taller than Nero, V was successfully able to guide Nero through the dance. Nero was not as smooth or confident in his moves as Dante was, resulting in their dance being a lot stiffer with more stumbles. However, this opened the door to playful teasing and a relaxed atmosphere, one that felt right. One that made V feel like he not only belonged there, but was wanted there. And as he followed each step in his mind from what Dante had taught him, he was lost in this private moment in their classroom where all that mattered was the joy that filled them.

“Then we face each other.” V pressed himself up against Nero, just as he had practiced with Dante. Unlike Dante’s calm and cool attitude, though, Nero tensed up a little, which V could feel in the hand that held his. Nero quickly let go of V’s hand and the fan between them, which V allowed even though it was not part of the dance. He was filled with this intense joy that made him feel weightless, so V just went with it. “We lower the fan and kiss.” V chuckled at the end, but before he could elaborate on the unnecessary step, Nero gently grabbed the back of his neck and pulled them together.

V’s eyes widened in shock, letting him see Nero’s gently closed eyes for a moment before his, too, drifted shut. Nero may be a little shorter than V, yet his grip was secure and his lips pressed against V’s confidently, purposely, like he had been waiting for this moment. V let out a soft sigh through his nose and leaned into the kiss, into the warmth. His hand that held the fan between their chests turned and gently grasped Nero’s top like an unconscious plea not to leave. V, after weeks of practically begging for affection, felt loved.

The sound of the classroom door sliding open grabbed the boys' attention, making them turn to see Dante in the doorway.

Chapter Text

“Lady, slow down, just tell me what is going on,” Dante said, not because he couldn’t keep up but because Lady had a death grip on his arm and was leading him back towards the school building, where nothing of interest was going on compared to the party and his mate.

“I need you to find your brother and beat the crap out of him.” Lady suddenly announced, stopping just as the two breached the school’s entranceway.

“Oh? Did he call you by your old name again?” Dante guested with a chuckle, though when Lady didn’t laugh or get flustered, he knew she was serious. “Vergil should be outside with V, is he not?” The thought of such was enough to bring a bit of a deeper, threatening tone to his voice. Though he did not want to believe it for V’s sake, Dante feared that he already knew the answer.

“No, he’s not,” Lady answered. She finally let go of Dante’s arm, bringing her hand to her side and clenching her fists so hard her short nails dug into her palm. “That asshole said he had to do some paperwork or something and just left, giving V his fan back and just abandoning the kid. V looked…” Lady hung her head and a shudder visibly ran through her body. “Horrible.” She said as if describing V’s state in more detail would be physically painful.

There was a pregnant pause, the atmosphere so tense it felt like it would snap like a twig any second. In that quiet moment, many thoughts raced through Dante’s mind, from that of a brother wanting to show empathy to an alpha who demanded retribution to a bloody extent.

“I’ll find him.” Dante turned sharply and began storming his way towards the kendo club room. Dante knew the route off by heart as he used to be part of the club, but all their rules demanding he fight “properly” had pissed him off enough to make him quit. Meanwhile, Vergil stayed and became the captain of the team, and it was probably where that “paperwork” came from, so the club room is where he went to look first.

As he marched forward through the dimly lit, quiet school, Dante’s mind was left to stew in anger until it became boiling rage. He had seen how hard V had worked both on the fan and trying to learn the dance, and Vergil couldn’t be bothered to give V one night of attention? V was always so patient and understanding, doing his best to keep a smile on his face and make light of situations while giving Vergil space and time. V had abandoned his home country, moved in with a family he knew close to nothing about, and attended a school where no one knew him or understood his customs, yet Vergil had to be dragged tooth and nail to a single date? An alpha would kill to have such a sweet, yet confident and sexy omega! And by the time Dante made it to the kendo club, his alpha instincts were telling him to do just that.

“What are you doing here, brother?” Asked Vergil as he gathered the shinai strewn about the floor, his tone exasperated like he was already tired of this conversation.

“The the hell are YOU doing here?” Dante asked with a sharper, deeper tone. It was the kind that made Vergil’s brow raise and lips start to curl into a smirk as Dante’s tone signalled the approach of a fight. “There’s a party going on, you should be there.”

“I have no interest in such pointless thin-” Vergil had to cut himself off when Dante quickly used his foot to hook and kick up a shinai sword from the ground, grabbed it out of the air, and charged forward. Vergil threw the stack of shinai towards Dante, while making sure to arm himself with one, to distract him enough to block the attack and let Vergil create some space between them. Dante did not let up, though.

“You ever think that it’s not all about you!?” Dante snapped as he brought his weapon down in a heavy swing, which Vergil was able to block, though the power behind the swing made Vergil’s knees buckle a bit.

“What are you talking about?” Vergil pushes Dante back, but Dante charges forward again. The younger twin was relentless in his assault, making it hard for Vergil to get any good swings in.

“You’ve always got your head so far up your own ass that you don’t give a shit about what is happening around you.” Every other word was punctuated by the sharp smacking noise of the bamboo swords hitting against each other, the sound amplified in the quiet clubroom. At least that was when Dante did not successfully connect with Vergil’s body.

“You think I’m blind? Unlike you, I have responsibilities.” Vergil started going on the offensive, making the twins trade blows more evenly. “I am the heir to the family that you have already decided that you will cast aside to start a business with that punk. I have consistently been at the top of my class while you ran off to fool around. I am the captain of the kendo club that you abandoned.” The shinais were not sharp, but the bluntness started to dot their bodies with the beginning of bruises and wearing the two young men down. “What have you done?”

“I’ve been a decent fucking person!” Dante took a few side swings on the same spot, which Vergil blocked, but then Dante suddenly changed his aim, successfully striking the hand holding the other’s sword. Vergil hissed in pain and switched hands, now working with his less coordinated side. “I haven’t made the person I was meant to love feel like he was a fucking nuisance for simply existing.” Dante charged forward, hoping to use Vergil’s weaker stance to his advantage. Vergil, instead of blocking with half his strength, moved to the side, flipped the shinai around in his hand, and drove the butt of the hilt into Dante’s gut, knocking the wind out of the younger twin. When Dante recoiled at the blow, Vergil shoulder-checked him, knocking him to the hardwood floor. As Dante lay there gasping for breath and trying to mentally orient himself, Vergil stood over him panting.

“You think I meant to hurt V?” Vergil questioned as he circled Dante, a display of dominance. “Everyone is pushing me to act like Prince Charming when I did not want to take the stupid F-PUPS in the first place.”

“Then why did you?” Dante asked just before grasping Vergil’s already shaky legs and tripping him. On the way down, Dante returned the hit to his gut by slamming his elbow into Vergil’s stomach. Vergil let out a choked gasp as he hit the floor, immediately turning himself over onto his forearms and knees as he desperately tried to take in air. Dante, starting to feel the painful results of their fight, did not have the strength to do anything more, so fell onto his back and also worked on catching his breath.

 The twins stayed there on the cold ground as they recombobulated and decompressed, letting the last drops of adrenaline seep out of them as they struggled to deal with the onset of pain. The room felt humid now and almost oppressively quiet, with only their ragged breaths to fill the air. Once Vergil gained a bit more control over his breathing, he finally answered.

“Because I had to.”

“Huh?”

“You asked why I took the F-PUPS if I had no interest in finding a mate, the reason is because I felt like I had to.” Vergil’s hands came together, fingers interlocking into one cushion to hold his head that he lowered. “Father always talks about how meeting mother saved him, and your life was practically taken over by Nero. I was the only one left, and though I did not mind that, just seeing you all so happy, hearing about how wonderful and important it was for alphas to have someone to care for, and trying to comfort me for not having one made me feel like I had to get one, if for nothing else then to shut you all up.” There was a pause. “And to not feel like a failure.”

Dante finally took a moment to think, to look at things from Vergil’s point of view.

“I’m sorry.” Dante finally breathed. Vergil did not reply to this, only glancing at Dante before closing his eyes. He did seem to breathe a bit easier, though. “Say… do you find V attractive at all?”

“No,” Vergil admitted, like he had been waiting to be asked such a thing for months. “I can see that he is an attractive man, I appreciate his love for literature, and his animal companions are fascinating. But all the things you talk about in regard to Nero, the desire to hold him, protect him, touch him, even just stare at him and marvel, I don’t understand that. What is so appealing about such actions?”

“Well, it’s…” Dante wanted to explain it, and for a moment, assumed he could since he felt these things all the time. Yet when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t formulate an answer, at least not a satisfactory one. “I don’t know, I just like it. Nero is handsome, he smells good, he makes me laugh, makes me want to protect his happiness.”

“I don’t see the appeal,” Vergil replied. “I held V’s hand once, and I only felt discomfort.”

“Physically or emotionally?” Dante asked, turning his head to look over at his brother.

“Both.”

The two fell quiet yet again, both young men at an impasse as they simply could not comprehend how the other felt or understand why they did not feel the same. After a while of self-reflection and thinking, Dante turned onto his side to face Vergil, one of his arms coming up to act as a pillow for his head since his body was still pretty tired.

“Hey Verg, have you ever considered that you might be ace?”

“Excuse me?” Vergil finally lifted his head to look at Dante like he had just spoken gibberish.

“Ace, as in asexual.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Well, you know how some people are attracted to specifically men or women, or they specifically only like alphas, betas, or omegas? Asexual people don’t like anyone. They don’t feel sexual attraction or all the mushy-feely stuff other people do. At least that’s what I have been told. I’m sure there is a lot more nuance to it if you look into it.” Dante explained, speaking like he was simply throwing out ideas. Vergil went quiet for a moment, his annoyed scowl softening to an actual thoughtful look. Eventually, he moved away from his defensive position and flipped onto his back, one hand down at his side and the other resting on his chest. His eyes stared up blankly at the clubroom ceiling.

“Perhaps.” That was all he said at first, but after a few more seconds, he asked, “Being asexual, is that truly a common thing?”

“I mean, I’m not sure I would say it's common,” Dante said with a shrug. “But lots of people all over the world feel that way.”

There was another pause where Vergil let his eyes slide closed and he cracked a small, relieved smile. It quickly faded, though, and his eyes snapped back open.

“That makes no sense, though. I was officially paired with V.”

“True.” Dante conceded, not knowing what else to say or how to continue. At the moment, though Vergil seemed to have made a self-discovery, it did not deal with the main problem that Dante came here to resolve, that being the mistreatment of V.

“Brother,” Vergil said to grab Dante’s attention.

“Ya?”

“You are attracted to V, aren’t you?”

Dante froze like he had been called out on a crime.

“I mean… he’s…” Dante’s mind initially started to come up with excuses, to rationalize how what he felt with just natural protective instincts and familial affection, but in the end decided that all that was not necessary anymore. “Ya, I am.” Still, Dante looked down at the floor like a guilty dog.

“And Nero too?”

“Most likely.” Dante sighed. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m just drawn to him, his confidence, his quick wit, his style, and the way his size sometimes contradicts his need for protection that makes me find him cute and like I want to protect him even harder. I just want to be there with them both, Nero and V.” Dante sighed in frustration and ran his free hand through his already messed-up hair.

“Maybe you should be,” Vergil said, his words seeming nonchalant but his tone thoughtful. “You all clearly enjoy being together. I’ve seen how V acts around you two, acting unburdened and playful. Perhaps you three are meant for each other.”

“But the F-PUPS.” Dante reminded. “YOU got paired with V.”

“But YOU were never tested,” Vergil added, his eyes opening and head turning to Dante like he was trying to lead his younger brother to an epiphany. “Because you paired with Nero on your first test, our parents never had you tested on a global scale, so you’ve never had your pheromones tested with V’s.”

“You’re right.” Dante’s mind started to follow different leads, his free hand coming up to hold his chin in thought. “And even though who your mate is should be clear just by scent, V’s always has his inhibitors on, so he hasn’t smelled us and we haven’t smelled him. Well, you and he have smelt each other’s pheromones.”

“And felt practically nothing.”

“And the only other person who has gotten to smell V’s natural pheromones and would have had a reaction is...”

“Nero!” The twins said in unison, both sitting up quickly by smacking their free hands on the floor to push up.

“We have to talk to V and Nero about this,” Vergil said as he stood up elegantly.

“Do you know where they are?” Dante asked as he scrambled up.

“Would they not just be out on the field dancing?” Vergil asked

“No, based on how Lady was acting, V must have been really hurt, and he doesn't like showing that in front of others. And as soon as Nero finds out, he will definitely track V down to try comforting him.” Dante said, more so thinking out loud than talking directly to his brother. He tried to focus on the task at hand because just remembering how upset Lady was brought back some of Dante’s anger toward Vergil.

“What makes you think that?”

“You tend to notice these things.” Dante wanted to add “when you have sympathy”, but held his tongue. If another argument flared up, then they would never find V.

“Hmm.” Vergil hummed in thought, as if such a thing had never occurred to him. After a moment of thought, Vergil said something shocking for Dante to hear. “If I may ask, what made V so upset?”

“What made V upset?” Dante parroted back. He wasn’t sure what was more surprising: that Vergil was bothering to understand why someone’s feelings were hurt, or that he didn’t have a clue why V was hurt. “The fan? The couple's dance?” Dante’s anger started bubbling up again. Vergil raised a brow as Dante raised his voice.

“I saw the fan he made, though I know nothing of this dance you speak of.”

Dante was about ready to fuckin’ snap! But then Dante thought about his brother's claim, and he had to admit, it made sense. V couldn’t get much information on the tradition despite directly looking and asking for it, so for a man like Vergil, who did not care about romance, it’s no surprise that he had never heard or cared about it.

“I’ll explain it as we look for V and Nero.”

The brothers began their search, first checking the Animal Advocacy Club. Once they noticed Nightmare still sunbathing under the heat lamp, they knew that V was at least still on school grounds. No matter how distraught, V would not leave his pet behind in the school, especially not over the weekend, as it was a Friday. From there, they had a couple of easy bets, that being V’s locker and his classroom. No luck at the locker, so to the classroom they went with Dante leading the way since he knew the directions better, seeing as he often visited it to see both Nero and V.

Speaking of Nero and V, as expected, they were found together. What was unexpected, though, was that when Dante opened the classroom door, he would catch the two in an intimate embrace, lips locked and hands clutching the other as if they never wanted to let go.

The sound of the sliding door slamming into place grabbed the younger two men’s attention. The colour drained from their faces. V pushed Nero back and quickly made his way over to Dante.

“Dante, I’m sorry, Nero offered to dance with me just to lift my spirits, and I repeated your joke and took it too far. It is my fault, do not be mad with Nero.”

“Hell no!” Nero raced over as well, his expression one of determination, though the fire in his eyes was practically snuffed out by the guilt in them. “Dante, I’m the one who kissed V. I grabbed him and pulled him in; it’s my fault.”

“What are you two shouting about now?” Asked Vergil, who had arrived in the doorway just late enough to miss the kiss but soon enough to see the entirety of the kerfuffle afterwards.

“The hell are you doing here jackass?” Nero snapped, fist clenching as an unconscious threat. “Go crawl back to hell where you belong.”

Griffon and Shadow, despite liking Vergil a fair bit, joined in on the threatening atmosphere. Shadow hissed and growled while Griffon made a popping sound and fluffed out his throat hackles.

“Vergil, listen to me, I am a horrible mate, I must apologize.”

“No, you're not.”

“Nero, please.”

“I’m not going to let you bend over backwards for this piece of crap, V”

“Don’t you dare speak that way to me, boy. Know your place and calm down, child.”

“Child!? I’m only 2 years younger than you idiot!”

As Vergil, V, and Nero argued over each other, Dante processes what he had stumbled upon. It made sense why V and Nero would be so panicked, as not only were alpha’s naturally protective and territorial, but infidelity was the easiest way to shatter trust between people. Dante should be furious, should be hurt, and yet his lips twisted up into a soft smile and his inner alpha sang in content.

“Shh, it's okay.” Dante coos, reaching out his hand so each could cup one of the younger men’s cheeks. “I’m not mad, promise. I’m actually… happy.” When Dante admits this, his tone tells of how shocked he was as well.

“Um… good, I guess.” Nero calmed down, though now looked confused. V’s cheeks got a light dusting of pink that was barely visible in the dim classroom. He then glanced at Vergil, stepped back so he was out of Dante’s hold, and hung his head in shame and guilt.

“I’m sorry.” Was all V could muster.

“Don’t be.” Vergil jumped in, which surprised everyone. “We all need to talk.”

Chapter Text

“That all… makes a lot of sense actually,” Nero admitted after hearing Vergil and Dante's explanation of their hypothesis. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor. “I never could picture you being sweet,” Nero said genuinely, though his smirk made the truth more like a jab, as he looked up at Vergil who was leaning against a desk. “And when I smelled V’s pheromones, I felt like how I did with Dante, or at least I felt just as strongly as when I first smelled Dante.” When Nero thought back to what each man’s pheromones made him feel, he could go on and on about the intense and complicated wave of emotions that had hit him. “Dante made me feel safe while V made me protective.” That was as detailed as Nero was willing to go right now out of fear of imploding from embarrassment, especially with Vergil right there, who would ruthlessly judge him.

“Truly?” V asks quietly. V sat a few feet in front of Nero with legs bent and to the side, his shame and lack of certainty in his emotions making him feel the need to have some distance between all others. He had even sent his companions off for now. “You felt just as strongly for me as your own mate?”

“Y-ya.” Nero was trying to avoid embarrassment, but now he had to turn his head away and hide his warm cheeks with his hand as it brushed his nose. “I meant it when I said I wanted to make you happy.”

Despite Nero’s attempt to hide it, V felt flattered all the same. A warmth fizzled inside him at the idea that someone cared for him as much as Nero cared for Dante. V let out an amused chuckle and smiled softly.

“So,” Dante began speaking after giving Nero and V a moment to enjoy some bashful flirting. The joy he felt at seeing the two younger men show affection to each other made Dante even more sure of his and his brother’s theory. “An easy way to test our theory is to share our pheromones. We were thinking that you, V, could take off one of your inhibitors. Verg would be the straight man since he isn’t affected by any of our scents.” Dante explained, pointing a thumb at Vergil, who nodded certainly. Dante sat beside Nero, one leg crossed and the other up. “Only if you are comfortable with that V.”

V wasn’t surprised that Dante would be unsure if V was uncomfortable with such a thing, considering what a mess the first time was. However, he did not feel fear, nor did he back then. At that time, he was more afraid of how Vergil would react and the remorse, or worse betrayal, Nero might feel when snapping back to his senses.

“I would like to try.” V decided. “I believe it would be best for me to remove my intake inhibitor and try smelling one of your two’ scents.” V could see how Nero looked away and slouched back like a student trying to avoid being called on by the teacher. “Dante, may I take in your pheromones?”

“It would be an honour, my poet,” Dante said with a smile that tried to look suave but the sheer amount of excitement he felt peeked through.

The atmosphere was tense as V removed his nose bridge piercing, filled with a hardy mix of caution, fear, excitement, and hope. Though everyone kept a brave face, Nero shifted away as memories of how easily he lost control last time came to him, even if he would not be able to smell V this time. V also showed his nerves as after he slid the piercing out, he covered his nose and mouth like a makeshift mask, subtly pinching his nostrils closed. Because he did not have his specially fitted case for his intake inhibitor, he held out the two pieces of the piercing to Vergil for safekeeping, who took them without hesitation and a nod.

“Alright,” V said out loud like he wanted everyone to be ready for when he pulled a trigger, and everyone tensed like he was about to do just that. They had all heard stories of how intensely an omega and an alpha reacted to smelling their fated mate's pheromones for the first time, Dante and Nero even having experienced it to some extent, so they all had to be on their toes.

Finally, V let go of his nose and took in a slow, tentative breath. He was expecting a suffocating rush of smells and emotions, but as he smelt the air, everything seemed fine… better than fine actually. The smell in the air was woody, like two different species of trees were the building blocks of a cozy cabin, the scent of limeade and vanilla floating out from the kitchen.

“How lovely.” V unconsciously said out loud.

Vergil, Dante, and Nero watched closely as V seemed to go into a daze, his body swaying a bit, his body slouching like he was losing strength, and his eyes fought to stay open.

V could smell these scents, yet they were a bit distant. He wanted to get closer to them, to find the differences in the woods he smelt, to get wrapped up in the warmth these scents seemed to gently carry with them.

“Brother,” Vergil said in a warning tone as V leaned forward and began to crawl closer to Dante. Nero was also in a sort of trans, his body shifting away as V moved closer, yet the pull towards the omega grew ever stronger.

“It’s alright, I’ve got it,” Dante assured. He had spent 2 years now training himself not to lose his control when Nero got high on scents, he knew he would act respectfully. That might be all he can do, though. As V drew closer, Dante knew that he should keep a defensive stance. He should keep some distance in case V, in his intoxicated state, tried to turn things sexual, as was something that often happened when fated mates first met, hence why they were often chaperoned by guardians. Yet with how V looked up at him with those half-lidded, relaxed eyes like he was finally coming home, and after the weeks Dante had spent trying to hold himself back, he could not stop his arms from opening, welcoming V closer.

Upon seeing Dante open his arms, V hesitated, a part of him telling him that he was not worthy of affection. Memories of the times he had been rejected by Vergil flashed through his mind. But stewing in fear and pain would do nothing but make him miserable, V knew that. So he inched closer, bit by bit, until he felt Dante’s strong and warm arms wrap around him. As Dante pulled him into an embrace, lifting his head a bit to offer his scent willingly, rubbing his back soothingly, and whispering “it’s all right, I’ve got you”, V’s body felt light. That oriental woody scent with cloves and an undertone of vanilla surrounded him like a blanket, tucking him in like V imagined it would feel like to be tucked into bed by a parent. He was safe, comfortable, and cared for. Yet the scene was not complete.

Nero watched Dante and V’s interaction longingly. He wanted to be let in as well, to feel V’s warmth, to hold him tight, to show him what a true mate could offer, but he knew he couldn’t. Every time the thought of holding V in this state popped into his head, a shameful memory of how he acted last time beat it back down. Nero wasn’t practiced like Dante. He didn’t have the self-control he should. But then V turned his head, locked eyes with him, and reached out a hand.

“Nero.” V breathed, and that was all it took for Nero to dive forward. He threw his arms around V, sandwiching the omega between him and the alpha.

“V.” Nero hugged V tightly as if he could communicate all his regret and longing through his hold.

One of Dante’s arms moved to hug Nero, turning him a bit so he could hold both men in his arms, both HIS men. His beta and his omega, so different but loved equally. Dante’s inner alpha purred loud enough that it escaped Dante’s throat. This was it, this was what life should be like, Nero and V safe and warm in his embrace. Dante would do anything to keep them like this, happy, healthy, and safe.

Now with the addition of Nero’s mossy wild wood and lime scent, V was encased in warmth like he had transcended to a different place: the sanctuary of a home that V has never truly felt as an orphan or as Vergil’s partner. The feeling of being exactly where he not only wanted to be, not only needed to be, but where he was wanted… it made his throat tighten and his eyes desperately try to blink back oncoming tears.

Chapter Text

Sparda and Eva sat at the dining table enjoying the quiet morning. The breakfast Eva had made was kept warm in pots and warmers like usual since the sleeping schedules of their now 4 children were asynchronous and inconsistent, to say the least. However…

“It is odd that Vergil has not awoken,” Sparda said as he gazed around the room, a wine glass of juice swirling in his hand absentmindedly.

“I was thinking the same thing. And V usually has his morning tea by this time before caring for his animals.” Eva said as she stood up and made her way to the kitchenette, where the food was now cooked but kept fresh and the drink bars were stocked. “They did all say they had a party to attend at school after we visited them at the festival.” Eva began to go down the line, stirring, flipping, and checking food to make sure it was still of quality.

“That is true. Perhaps they had a late night then?” Sparda theorized. He took a sip of his juice and then returned to swirling it, watching as the bubbles spun and bounced around. “Vergil usually does not partake in such things, but now that he has V, he may have stayed.”

“Oh, I hope so.” There was a tense pause before Eva spoke again. “Dear, I am worried about Vergil and V’s connection.” She turned to look at Sparda, her posture and expression of a worried mother. Sparda looked at her, reflecting the worry but keeping a stoic expression. “Do you think-”

“Mornin’” Greeted Nero, who suddenly appeared through the open doorway. Usually, Nero in the morning was groggy, slow, and quiet. Today, though his head was held high, his senses were alert, and a smile was on his face. He even planted a kiss on Eva’s cheeks. “Thanks for the food.” He said before beginning to load up his plate.

“My, good morning dear,” Eva said with a surprised but happy giggle. “Did you sleep well?”

“I had the best sleep of my life.” Nero breathed, feeling like he was on cloud nine as he thought back to how he woke up this morning, snuggled up in his nest, spooning V and being spooned by Dante. They made a mess of the nest, flattening most walls so they could all get in, but that was fine, Dante and Nero would build a perfect one together soon. “Morning, pops,” Nero said, patting Sparda’s shoulder as he passed behind him to get to his seat. This act got Sparda to raise a brow.

“Do you have to glare at me like that?” Came the sound of Dante speaking, echoing through the hall leading to the dining room.

“I would do worse if I could.” Vergil spat back before a smack, and Dante’s gruff yelp of pain shot out of the hall.

“Verg, remember, I’ve got fresh bruises just like you.”

“Oh, I am well aware.”

“Jerk.”

“If I recall, you’re the one that started the fight, you’re the one that said you could 'handle it’ when V went to take off his inhibitor, and I’m the one that stayed up all night trying to keep everyone under control.”

“I know that, but why do you gotta be so mean about it?” Dante said as he and Vergil finally stepped into the dining room. Sparda had lowered his drink and given his full attention to his sons. Eva rushed over. “Morning, mother.” Dante greeted casually as if he and Vergil were not dotted with purple and yellow splotches.

“Good morning, mother, father.” Vergil greeted politely, giving Eva a kiss on the cheek and a nod to Sparda.

“My goodness, what happened? Are you both alright?” Eva fussed as she checked over her boys.

“Did something go wrong with V’s inhibitor? Was it torn off or damaged?” Sparda asked, body tensing up in a dominating, protective stance.

“It’s complicated pops,” Dante said.

Last night, while Nero and V were intoxicated on pheromones and feelings, before Dante lost control and joined them, he and Vergil had decided to wait until everyone was sober before explaining the situation to their parents. The twins felt it was best for V, who had admitted to being worried about seeming ungrateful or inadequate to Sparda and Eva. Vergil, however, seemed to be the most worried about the reactions he would receive, though he refused to admit that. Dante could simply read his brother.

“We will explain once V joins us.” Vergil declares as he goes straight to the drink section to start his breakfast.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Said V as he emerged from the hallway, having approached as quietly as ever despite the tapping of his cane as he leaned heavily on it. Thankfully, Trish and Lady had handed it to V just as they were being forced into the limo last night by Vergil, the women had hung onto it. Despite being the morning person of the group, waking early and starting the day elegantly as if he had been up for hours, today he was sluggish. The emotions he had felt last night, the highs and the lows, had drained him. He looked just as he felt, tired, weak, but happy. “Good morning, everyone.”

“Hey,” Dante said softly as he reached out a hand to gently support V. In the back of his mind, he knew that he couldn’t act too affectionately as they had not explained the situation to his parents, but his alpha side demanded he care and support his partners. “How are you feeling?” Dante asks in a hushed voice.

“Fine, thank you.” V smile up at Dante to reassure him and show his appreciation for Dante’s care.

Though the situation was odd, everyone moved about quietly, the teens gathering food and drinks while the parents watched on in concern. Nero was cleaning off his plate, Dante filled his plate with meat, and Vergil and V crafted their respective drinks with an ease that had never been seen before. There was peace among the teens, at least for a couple of minutes.

V made his way to the table and placed his tea and small breakfast down, but when he attempted to take his seat beside Nero, Nero wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into his lap. Eve stopped in her tracks, and Sparda choked a bit on his drink.

“You should eat more,” Nero said mostly as a suggestion but a bit of a command. He buried his face in V’s silky hair, nuzzling him a little like a needy dog wanting attention.

“So very pushy.” V teased, shifting to try to stand up, but when Nero tightened his hold on V’s waist, V knew he wasn’t going to be able to escape. And that was okay with him. “Worry not, my dear Nero, though, for you never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.” V quotes.

“Mmmm, I’ll let it go for today if you call me ‘dear’ again.” Nero turned his head, laying it on its side on V’s shoulder. He looked up at V with a smug smile, eager to hear more affectionate names that he had been denied the past few weeks.

“Alright baby boy, how about you let the cutie down?” Dante said, playing along with the joke mostly because he wanted to but also because he knew he should since they had not explained things to their parents. That already weak reasoning crumbled, though, when V flashed him an alluring smile.

“And where exactly would you rather this 'cutie' seat himself? Because the way you are sitting seems like an invitation,” V said, bringing Dante’s attention to how he had unconsciously made his lap open and inviting.

“I mean,” Dante’s lips quirked up into a smirk, and he leaned back a bit, opening his legs more. “Why choose when I have the room for both of you?”

“Excuse me,” Sparda placed his cup on the table with enough force to get everyone’s attention. “But what is going on here? This is highly inappropriate.” Sparda and Eva look to Vergil, concern etched into their faces.

“Indeed, have some tack,” Vergil responded casually, which made Eva tilt her head in confusion and Sparda raise a brow. Vergil did not look up to see their reactions and simply went right into explaining. Despite taking the lead in telling their tale and keeping his tone steady, Vergil kept his head and eyes cast down. He also tensed up whenever someone else spoke, as if another person getting a word in edgewise would further open the cracks in his confidence and self-esteem when explaining his lack of romantic and sexual attraction to anyone.

“I see…” Sparda nodded slowly once all was said and done.

“To be honest,” Eva began, now sitting between her mate and her eldest with a warm cup of tea in her hands. “I am surprised, yet not all that much. Though I tried to reassure you and myself that when you found your mate, you would come to understand eros love, I think deep down I knew that it was never for you.” Eva took a deep breath and turned to face Vergil fully, letting go of her cup to instead grasp both of Vergil’s in hers. “I am so sorry, my dear, if I ever made you feel broken or less than adequate. Know that I love you and have only ever wished for your happiness, but it was wrong of me to assume that your happiness must come from the same place mine does.”

“Mother,” Vergil breathed out, voice as shaky as Eva’s hands. He finally lifted his head, gazing into his mother's quickly moistening eyes.

“It will be alright,” Sparda reassured, having stood up and placed a hand on Vergil and Eva’s shoulders respectively. “Mistakes have been made and secrets have been kept, but now that we are able to be honest with each other, we can all heal and grow. Our family is strong, all 6 of us.”

Vergil looked up at his father, his expression softening a bit and a sigh of relief escaping him.

“6.” V breathed, his chest tightening at the subtle but clear assurance that Sparda still considered him family, even if his relationship in it had changed. Nero, whose lap V was still in, turned his head to plant a gentle kiss on the side of V’s neck.

“Of course, V, you're ours.” Nero purred, unable and unwilling to contain his affection now that everything was out in the open.

Suddenly Dante leaned in, disguising the closeness as a hug to whisper into V’s ear, “And besides, no matter who got in our way, Nero and I would have stolen you away eventually.”

A shiver rolled through V as his two mates boxed him in, making him feel weak yet cared for and desired. He had to bite his lip to hold back any indecent noises that might escape him.

“You better get used to this V,” Nero said when he noticed V turn his head as if to hide behind a curtain of inky black hair, “because even with your inhibitors, Dante and I won't be holding back anymore.”

“You will when under my roof.” Said Sparda with a loud clap of his hands. “I may support you all, but we must all respect everyone’s comfort levels when in communal places.”

“Right, sorry.” Dante chuckled as he flopped back into his chair.

“Pardon.” V pulled away from Nero to sit on his own.

“All the better reason to move out ASAP,” Nero mumbled as he crossed his arms in an arguably childish show of grumpiness.

“Excuse me,” V says a bit louder to get Sparda and Eva’s attention. “I am sorry to have to ask you for something after all the stress I have caused, but I require another F-PUPS test to be done.”

“What?” Nero asked.

“Of course, and I know just the person to call,” Eva says as she jumps up to retrieve the wireless landline phone and begins going through her saved numbers on it. “She runs a testing clinic not too far from here, I can get her to put us as a priority.”

“Why? We already know we're mates.” Dante added.

“True,” Just agreeing to that statement made V’s gut flip, but he stayed focused on the new problem at hand. “however I am on a Mate Visa, and if word gets out that I am not with the person the government believes I am supposed to be with, they may write me off as someone trying to abuse the system and deport me back to my country.”

“Shit, I didn’t think of that,” Dante said.

“Hello?” Came a voice over the phone, which Eva had put on speaker. “Eva?”

“Yes, good morning, it is Sparda and I,” Eva said as she made her way back over to Sparda.

“A good morning to you Matier,” Sparda greeted.

“Good morning, you two.” Replied a kind, elderly voice. “Why have you called me? Nothing problematic, I hope.”

“We have a bit of an… odd situation on our hands, my friend,” Sparda says. “We need to have a round of F-PUPS done as soon as possible. We believe we might have a three-person mate bond situation. Does your clinic have the ability to test for such a thing?”

“Of course we do. In fact, not too long ago, a pair of brothers and a young woman by the name of Kat were all paired together. I can have the test results within a couple of weeks. That is, unless the people being tested have had their pheromones tested within the last 5 years, then I can compare those and have a result in just a couple of days.”

“Yes, they have. You’ll need their social security numbers, though, right? I know Vergil and Dante’s off by heart, but did you keep the documents with Nero’s and V’s, dear?” Eva asked Sparda.

“Yes, I have them in my office. Come with me.” Sparda took Eva’s hand in his and led her out of the dining room.

“So if we get officially paired together, you can get your visa changed and not be shipped back to your homeland?” Dante asked V, who nodded.

“Yes.”

“Well, at least this should all be straightened out quickly,” Nero said, leaning back in his chair. “Worst case scenario, you get to have an all-expenses-paid vacation back home while we all retake tests and reapply.”

“And who would pay for this?” Vergil asked, his expression returning to a scowl.

“Who else? Do you really think your parents would let V fend for himself? I can’t even mention that something of mine broke without your folks insisting they buy me a new one.” Nero pointed out, which none at the table could deny.

“It won’t come to that, though, since our F-PUPS will clear everything up,” Dante reassured as he draped his arm over the back of Nero’s chair and gently grasped V’s shoulder, who was on the opposite side of the beta.

“I hope so.” V sighed as he raised his hand to place it over Dante’s. “I can’t help but fear the chance that all this was for naught and the results will return unchanged.”

“Would it matter?” Vergil asked, sitting up straight, squaring his shoulders, and looking to the two across the table from him with confidence and a rare moment of reassurance. “The F-PUPS hold one answer, but the one that truly decides our fates are the ones of the heart.”