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lampochkaart · 24 hours

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DRV3 Infinity Train AU

Some time ago I finaly watched Infinity Train. Guys it's so good, it's insane. I highly recommend watching it, it's very good, and not too long (you can basically finish it all in one day).

But, to the point of this post, obviously I thought about crossover fusion with DRV3.

I wasn't sure if it would be better to make it a separate AU or if the AU events would take place after the end of drv3. But I was interested in the last option, because I think there would be interesting dynamics in the victim-killer pairs of each chapter. Below I will write a little about my thoughts about this AU (and there are also drawings of each pair)

❗Spoilers for all DRV3 and also a bit for Infinity Train

So, to the AU itself.

The characters get onto the Train after the Killing Game (I don’t know if all simultaneously or by chapter). They come in pairs (or trio in one case) and are linked by the same number. In order to lower their number and get off the Train — perhaps thus getting a second chance at life (that's not how the Train actually works, but I rearranged the concept a little for the sake of this AU. And anyway, it's not like the Train isn't kinda a supernatural phenomenon already, so whatever) — they need to not only solve their personal problems, but also problems with each other. That is why they are paired victim with killer, they have a lot to think about. Different pairs are in different parts of the Train, but they can sometimes cross paths with each other.

They appear looking how they were in the moment of their death. They don't have wounds, but if some parts of their costume is missing or damaged it will stay that way.

I also gave everyone numbers according to their meanings (that I partially found on internet, partialy just made up based on vibes, so I can't promise accuracy). Characters' numbers don't have to have all the listed meanings, usually it's just some of them

Number meanings:

1. Positive: leadership, confidence, ambition. Negative: dominance, overconfidence, self-absorption.

2. Positive: cooperation, attentiveness, support. Negative: duplicity, cunning, cowardice.

3. Positive: optimism, creativity, sociability. Negative: childishness, superficiality, intrusiveness.

4. Positive: stability, calm, caution. Negative: dogmatism, passivity, mistrust.

5. Positive: freedom, sensuality, adventurousness. Negative: impulsiveness, haste, intolerance.

6. Positive: solicitude, responsibility, devotion. Negative: bossiness, overprotection, guilt.

7. Positive: analyticity, intelligence, practicality. Negative: cynicism, coldness, secrecy.

8. Positive: prosperity, independence. Negative: materialism, unwillingness to listen, intolerance.

9. Positive: idealism, benevolence, compassion. Negative: unrealistic, touchiness, selfishness.

0. Positive: integrity, infinity. Negative: isolation, cyclicality.

Now I'll go into detail about each pair

First pair: Rantaro Amami and Kaede Akamatsu.

Quite an unusual pair. Kaede is not actually his killer, so their numbers don't match. However, they appear on the Train together and after discussion decide to travel with together. Kaede blames herself very much for Rantaro's death, so she immediately rushes to apologize. But after comparing and discussing versions of what happened, they both come to the conclusion that someone else is behind Amami's death. Someone who has control over the game. Therefore, Akamatsu will try very hard to find other victims of the Killing Game. She would like to believe that there will be few of them, but Rantaro warns her that they are dealing with a much more dangerous enemy than they previously thought.

To get off the Train, Kaede will need to stop taking responsibility for everything that happens and overloading both herself and those around her. Rantaro will need to learn to share his concerns and problems with others, to become less secretive and distrusting. Both Kaede and Rantaro would need to learn to rely more on others and not hide their worries behind a smile.

Kaede's Number: 391

Rantaro's Number: 407

Second pair: Ryoma Hoshi and Kirumi Tojo.

I kinda think that, compared to other pairs, they don't have that much problems with each other. They, more likely, need to focus more on solving personal problems. Of course, Kirumi will feel guilty towards Ryoma, she is not a heartless monster. But I don’t think Ryoma will reproach her for killing him and trying to get out. He gave her unspoken permission, although he probably expected something quick and painless.

Ryoma's hancuffs and shackle on his leg would probably be removed. I wasn't sure what to do about Kirumi's apperance, but then got idea that she could have been given clothes similar to the one they used to dress passengers in before. Unfortunately I only got this idea after I've already drawn her, so let's just assume that she'll change into it herself after some therapeutic sitting on the edge of the car and reflecting on her life. On the picture this clothes lies next to her.

To get off the Train, Kirumi needs to stop perceiving herself only as a maid. To accept that she does not have to constantly follow orders/requests, to stop taking on the role of an “adult” among others, accept that she is a teenager like the rest. And to admit that she wanted to get out not only because she had to serve an entire country, but also because she really wanted to escape, she wanted to live.

To get off the Train, Ryoma needs to learn to see the reasons to live in the little things, to remember that he has something to fight for. To pay attention to the fact that there are those who care and will grieve for him, and there are much more of them than he thinks. His life is not over yet, he has a chance and time to start again. He would have to admit that dying was very scary. Admit that in the last seconds of his life he regretted his decision.

They both need to stop devaluing their lives.

Their number is 406.

Third group: Angie Yonaga, Tenko Chabashira, Korekiyo Shinguji.

There are very complex relationships here. Everyone has both serious personal problems and conflicts with each other. Tenko is angry at Angie and will also just despise Kiyo. Angie will not be angry, but she may try to start imposing her God again and take position of a leader. Korekiyo will mostly stil be shaken trying to sort out his feelings and will shy away from Angie and Tenko as painful reminders of what happened. This trio will have many conflicts and difficult situations, but the fact that there are three of them will be more of a plus than a minus. This way, no one will be able to impose their opinion or take advantage of the weakness of another, because there is always a third person who will prevent this. Angie won't let Tenko drive Kiyo away; Tenko won't let Angie to take advantage of Kiyo's condition to lure him to her side; Kiyo can act as a mediator in conflicts that arise between Tenko and Angie. This way they can maintain some sort of balance.

To get a way out of the Train, Angie needs to learn to listen to others, not considering her decisions to be the only correct, simply because her God advises her. She'll have to admit that she is not absolutely right. Show yourself not as a prophet who doesn't make mistakes, but as a leader who is open to discussion and change of plans.

Tenko needs to reconsider her beliefs that all men are narcissistic and selfish, always looking to take advantage of others to benefit themselves. Also to recognize that sometimes she can be too pushy, and this can alienate even those she cares about. She needs to learn to be more accepting. Recognize that good and bad actions do not depend on gender, and girls can do terrible things too.

Korekiyo will have to accept that his sister is a bad person. That she used him, that she broke him, changing him forever. That everything he did for her was wrong. Because what she herself did was wrong. She did terrible things and made him do terrible things. And neither her illness, nor even her death is an excuse, and in no way diminishes her guilt. He will have to separate his sister from himself. Separate her from his hobbies, from his tastes and preferences, from his personality, from his speech, from his gestures... Fegure out what belongs to him and win it from her. Decide that she no longer has the right to influence his life. Let her go.

Their number is 348.

Fourth pair: Miu Iruma and Gonta Gokuhara.

Of course, they will have problems and disputes, but mostly only in the beginning. Gonta feel very guilty and will apologize to her a lot, but Miu doesn't hold a grudge against him. They will most likely only argue about Kokichi and his role in this murder, but I don’t think it will be that serious. Miu, although she'll be somewhat angry at Ouma, still feels guilty. She understands that she was the first to betray him by trying to kill him, but even at that moment she was regretting it. She was driven to such an act by desperation and fear. She regrets this, but will still argue with Gonta, saying that Kokichi lied to him and was just using him to save his skin, and Gonta will refuse to believe it.

I think Miu and Gonta have quite an interesting dynamic and the potential for both a lot of funny situations and serious conversations.

Perhaps Miu, at Kaede’s request, will build or repair a device that will allow tracking numbers or even passenges (similar to Simon's and Amelia’s devices) and will help her looking for others.

To get off the Train, Miu will need to stop compensating for her need for attention and approval with overconfidence and loud words. Admit that she tried to sacrifice many lives due to cowardice. Admit how scared and unsure of herself she really is.

Gonta will need to learn to be less gullible and stop believing that everyone around him is always smarter than him, so he needs to listen and comply. He needs to stop belittling his intelligence and knowledge, and also stop blaming himself for everything, especially if he had control over what happened. He needs to learn to stand up for himself.

I think Gonta and Miu's situation at first will be a little like Jesse and MT's, where for a while Gonta will listen to Miu's advice, not always very helpfull, without realizing that this is exactly what he needs to stop doing in order to get an exit.

Their number is 265.

Fifth pair: Kokichi Ouma and Kaito Momota.

The idea for this AU started with them, so, naturally, I have thought out for them the most. These two have so many personal problems and problems with each other, which is a constant source of conflict. This is made worse by the fact that Kaito is trying to impose his usual "I'm helping you, I don't need help myself" dynamic, and Ouma is obviously annoyed both that Momota is forcing his "heroism" and that he's lying in his face. It goes so far that Kaito declares directly to Kokichi’s face that he, Luminary of the Stars, has no problems, he's only here because of Ouma, because Ouma won't be able to deal with his problems on his own. All this even leads to them temporarily separating, Kokichi saying that he would rather stay on this Train than put up with Kaito, and Kaito that it would be easier for him to get a way out without such "companion". Later, they reluctantly return to each other and try to cooperate again, because this is the only way to get a way out.

Their situation is a lot like Ryan and Min-Gi's. In the sense that their number decreases then increases back, then decreases again, then increases once more, at times even becoming higher than it was initially. Because they still can’t figure out how to coexist with each other. They do eventually start getting along and get an exit, but it takes them a long time and a lot of trial and error.

To get a way out of the Train, Kokichi needs to stop treating everyone around him as enemies who are just waiting for the opportunity to take advantage of his weakness. He will have to learn to open up and trust people (and not only in situations where his life hangs by a thread). He'll have to learn to openly admit when he's wrong and to apologize. And to stop running away from the consequences of his actions.

Kaito will have to learn to talk openly about his problems. Not hide them from others, “so that they won't worry”. To recognize that he is not indestructible. Acknowledge that he, too, has worries and doubts. And to stop imposing his help when people refuse it.

They will both have to learn to show their vulnerable and weak sides. Stop trying doing everything alone, putting more on their own shoulders than they can handle. Learn to ask for help. Learn to talk openly about their concerns. Learn to work together and finally, to just understand each other.

Their number is 591.

Sixth pair: Tsumugi Shirogane and K1-B0.

Honestly, I don't really know what their relationship dynamic will be like. Tsumugi will probably be angry at Kiibo for destroying the academy (and even angrier if/when she finds out that the remaining three survived). Kiibo will probably end up on the Train without his antenna, so he won't have any sympathy for Tsumugi. I don't know if he will have a number, but in theory he's not an inhabitant of the Train, so maybe? But if not, then he most likely will leave Tsumugi on her own to decide what to do and go in search of the others. If he will have a number, he might insist on working and getting out together, and then try to arrest her.

I'll probably stick with the "Kiibo doesn't have a number" option. He will of course be upset and offended, once again realizing how robophobic the world is different he is. But, most likely, he will try to help look for other classmates, and also try to help reduce their numbers. Once Miu figures out that Kiibo doesn't have a number, and without a number the way out of the Train is closed, she will do something similar to what Jesse did: to try to make it appear that Kiibo has a number. So most likely he will be allowed to leave with her.

When it comes to Tsumugi in this scenario... Regardless of whether she was trying to replicate Junko's real game or if it was actually a multi-season show, and whether she was an employee of Team Danganronpa or if she was also brainwashed and just made to believe that she was special... Whatever the case, I think that she won't really want to be with her “classmates” and won't try to lower her number. Rather, on the contrary, she might decide to stay on the Train. It reminds her of fictional stories, the ones she loves so much. What's the point of returning to the ordinary world? Especially with those who don’t want to see her. Especially if the consequences of her actions await her there. Therefore, she is more likely to resist if they try to convince her to start working on her mistakes. She might even try to prevent others from getting out or even try to kill them (especially Kaito, Kokichi and Kiibo, since it was their fault that the game ended, and not at all the way she wanted). As a result, her number will go up, and up, and up... I don't think Tsumugi will get off the Train.

Number (K1-B0): —

Tsumugi's initial number: 5300

(5 and 3 numbers are not exactly suitable in terms of meaning, but Tsumugi simply MUST have 53 in her number, and zeros as a symbol of cyclicity and movement in a circle)

Tsumugi number (alternative): 2870

I'm planning to sketch a couple ideas of this AU that I have so far, so stay tuned I guess

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions!

AU tag is #drv3 train au

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g1rld1ary · 2 days

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lifeguard!james x reader 2

wc: 1587

cw: nowhere near as horny as the first one (my period ended), still mentions of sexual feelings, swearing

you went back to the pool the next day. was it for james? no. was it not for james? you weren't answering that. but there he was when you and the girls walked in just after lunchtime, sunglasses on to avoid the reflection from the water. you had to admit you were glad he was working, you'd forgotten your book at home and needed something fun to look at when you were tanning.

you were allowed to observe him shamelessly for a minute and a half whilst he was preoccupied explaining something to hilda, one of the old ladies who possibly spent every day of summer at the public pool (she was big on aqua aerobics). it was even better when he did see you all, though, his face breaking out into a boyish grin as he waved. the girls all waved back and you pulled your sunglasses down past your eyes with one hand, raising one eyebrow with a smile. he responded with a silly exaggeration of his heart beating against his chest with his hands, drawing an unwilling giggle out of you. he looked pleased with the reaction.

james left you all alone for a little, actually doing his job while you soaked up the sun, discussing your summer readings with lily. marlene and mary were filling out magazine quizzes next to you, occasionally asking for opinions. about a half hour later james approached you with an excited "ladies! it's good to see you back again!" mary laughed with a polite greeting in return, twisting in her beach chair to face him. you all followed, and you couldn't resist teasing him.

"hope you don't think it's because of you, baywatch." james shook his head sagely.

"i would never dare. i mean, clearly, this is the place to be." he gestured around the facility, obviously referring to the fact that you and your friends were the only people there aged between 15 and 30. lily laughed then, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair to look at him properly.

"is this your way of asking where people actually hang out?" james shrugged. "to be completely honest, most of our age group sleep through the day to do dumb shit at night, it's the best way to escape the heat," she explained.

"the few that are awake usually hang around the arcade," marlene added, "or the village -- that's the shopping centre. usually our group hang out there if it's horrid weather, there's a decent cinema and a music shop, passable food as well." james nodded, looking genuinely interested in what marlene had to say about it.

"maybe you'll all have to show me around it one time," he said cheekily, and you all made entertained noises at his forwardness.

"desperate for our company, are you?" you teased, but james just shrugged easily.

"i told you yesterday, i literally have zero friends here." there was something charming in his openness about being a complete loser, and you could tell the others felt similarly.

"don't be silly, james, we'll be your friends," lily said kindly, using the same tone she did when talking to the kids she tutored.

"yeah," marlene agreed, "you can't be any worse than the other tossers we're friends with." you all laughed at that, thinking of the boys who refused to accompany you to the pool.

"and they've not come with you?" james asked, catching onto the unsaid easier than he probably should as a relative stranger.

"they wouldn't be caught dead. sirius cares about his hair too much to even be around all these germs, and remus tries not to be in the sun if he can avoid it. poor peter refuses to be the only guy hanging out with us, I think we still scare him a little after all these years," mary joked, and james looked utterly delighted to be hearing about your lives.

he excused himself not long after to get back to the job he should've been doing the whole time, and you admired the way his arse looked in the swim shorts as he left.

"he seems nice," you muttered, and the others agreed. lily raised one perfect red eyebrow.

"are we talking about his personality or the body you can't stop staring at?" you gasped, not offended at her statement but more than willing to pretend.

"are you calling me a whore?" you asked with a hand over your chest.

"you said it," marlene quipped and you cried out in protest, lines of mock outrage spilling from your lips.

you got bored of bickering quickly, the heat taking most of the fight out of you. you sat in relative silence for a while until lily declared it time for more water, taking marlene to go buy you all bottles from the corner shop down the street. the ones at the tragic pool bar were never cold and she wanted ones from the fridge. that left you and a sleeping mary on either side of your line of chairs. you pushed yourself up to a sitting position, leaning over to grab the magazine lying on marlene's towel.

you flipped through it lazily, but couldn't stop your eyes from drifting up to where james sat in his lifeguard's chair, wiping sweat from his brow. there was something about him that interested you (aside from the god-like body). he had an easy openness that you scarcely found in guys your age; he wasn't afraid to be lame or honest and didn't seem to be interested in making himself sound any better than he was to a group of four hot girls -- if you did say so yourself. he was refreshing, and not just visually.

as if he could read your mind james started approaching, and you quickly busied yourself in an article you couldn't care less about.

"hi," he said, standing in front of your chair. you looked up, feigning slight surprise, as if you hadn't been listening to his flip-flops grow closer.

"couldn't stay away?" you asked, closing the magazine in a way you hoped didn't look eager.

"you caught me," he sighed, smile making its way onto his face.

"shouldn't you be working?"

"i'm taking my break. thought i'd come keep you company."

"how generous," you mused, "would've thought you'd gotten enough of a view of me during your shift from up on that seat of yours." james had the decency to look mildly embarrassed for a moment, but it passed quickly and he took it in stride, sitting on the edge of your deck chair, careful not to drip water on your belongings.

"i'm only appreciating the natural beauty of this town. besides, someone's gotta do it if your boyfriend won't bother coming here with you, wouldn't want such a nice bikini to go to waste." you felt hot at the compliment and you knew it wasn't just the sun. you tried to play it off.

"are you asking if i'm single?" james paused for a moment, possibly thinking through his options, then nodded, unashamed. "you don't even know my name."

"you won't tell me."

"touché." you let yourself smile a little, loving the way james' eyes crinkled when he returned it. "done anything to earn it yet?" you could see him genuinely thinking and wondered whether he'd make up a miraculous story about an epic save he made just before you arrived at the pool.

"no, guess not." he settled on, disarming you again. the near-constant earnestness in his way of speaking hadn't stopped catching you by surprise yet, and you wouldn't be shocked if it never did.

"and what, no girlfriend up north to scold you for staring at my tits?" you teased as james' eyes flew back up to yours, only relaxing when he saw you weren't upset.

"free as a bird," he confirmed quietly, "though I'm sure it's of no interest to you." the air felt electric between you, had he always been this close? you were face to face, only a few inches between you. you could feel butterflies erupting not just in your stomach.

"obviously," you answered, similarly quiet. the moment felt inappropriately intimate despite the people around you. you were equal parts glad and furious when lily and marlene returned, unsure of what you might have succumbed to right there on the deck chair if you hadn't been interrupted. james looked equally worked up, hazy look in his eyes making him appear already fucked out. he stood with a start, excusing himself to get back to work.

"see you around, baywatch," you said, strategically reapplying some lipgloss. you didn't miss his glance at your lips.

"hope so, dollface." you were glad james was leaving because the nickname made you falter, going straight to your ovaries. you'd done it to yourself yet were no more prepared, staring dumbly after him.

you tried to play it off quickly, picking the magazine up where you left off and flipping through noncommittally. you could feel your friends' eyes on you and pointedly ignored it, eyes trained down at some 'best-dressed' list you'd found.

"just your luck that you get first dibs on the hot new guy," mary complained, but you could tell she wasn't all that bothered.

"you are going to eat him alive," marlene laughed and lily nodded, the two of them already sharing condolences for james. you didn't say anything, but judging from the coil still wound tight in your lower belly, maybe it wasn't james they had to be worried about.

i need him fr

#giasfics˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀#love #fluff #james potter #james potter x y/n #the marauders #marauders #marauders era #hp marauders #dead gay wizards #james potter fluff #james potter x you #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #lifeguard!james #lifeguard james #lifeguard!james potter #harry potter

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plentyoffandoms · 1 day

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Hello.

Can I please request something for lord Debling. He finds a wife who also wants a practical marriage, she was in love once but had her heart broken so now she's just looking for practicality as she doesn't want to be feel that pain again. Once married they make a deal that once she is definitely pregnant, that he can leave on his 3 year expedition and even add the lost time that it took to get pregnant as he was supposed to leave right after the wedding (like in the show). But he comes back after a month cause he missed her and realized he might be in love. She's still sceptical but with the birth of their son things might change her heart .

Just really fluffy and tooth roting sweet.

Debling really deserves more love I felt so bad for him in the show 😢

I Fell in Love

Lord Debling x f/Reader

Main Masterlist ♡ Bridgerton Masterlist

Just like all my other stories, this has not been proofread, but please enjoy.

Gifs and photos do not belong to me. 1st gif @yeahskam 2nd gif @farosdaughter 3rd gif @orion-lake

Warnings. None

Requested by anonymous. I hope you like it. I agree, he most certainly deserves more love than he got on the show.

WC: 1873

I knew this marriage to Lord Debling was a good match for him and I.

We both were looking for a practical marriage, as he wished to travel and I wished to stay home with the children.

When he proposed to me, I knew that he would be the husband for me, as I was not looking for love.

I thought I found love when I was first looking for a husband. I fell in love with someone whom I grew up with.

Our mothers would talk about our wedding, and how we would have such beautiful babies, and that we were meant to be.

I still remember hearing his mother's words clear as day. "Falling in love is the greatest gift of all."

I completely agreed with her until he came over to tell me that he was breaking off our engagement.

I was left shattered as he told me he had found someone else to marry. By the look on his face and how he talked about her, I knew that he was in love.

He walked out of my home and my life, married her, and now lives not far from me.

I had to watch them be as happy as I thought him and I once were, and the moment I found out she was with child, well, I shut down.

My cousin Penelope is the one who brought my attention to Lord Debling.

At her wedding to Colin Bridgerton, I was sitting at the table by myself, not interested in standing off to the side with the other single woman, or standing there with my mother and her sister, my aunt Portia Featherington as they gossiped.

As Penelope sat down next to me, I gave her a fake smile, but she could always see right through me. She placed a gentle hand atop of mine and squeezed my hand.

"I know of one man, if you are interested." I cut her off, "I am not looking for love right now, Penelope."

"He isn't either. You must have heard of Lord Debling."

"I have."

She told me all about him. How he wanted to travel, and that after his wedding, he will be gone for three years. That his wife will be at home, tending to her duties.

"I will meet him for you, dear cousin."

Penelope smiled and clapped her hands, drawing attention to the two of us. As she basked in the attention, I tried to hide away, as I was sick of the pitying looks I got.

◆

Lord Debling and I met, and he told me what he what he was looking for in a wife.

"By no means am I looking for love. I just wish to have a friend to come home too," and that sealed the deal for me.

He courted me only for a short time, and my marriage to him is happening tomorrow. I am happy that I will not grow old alone and just like he wanted, I am glad to have found a friend along the way.

LORD DEBLINGS POV:

Her and I were dancing, all eyes on the two of us, and she gave me a soft smile as she looked at me. I gave her a soft one back.

"I shall leave once you are with child." I told her.

"But your trip, my Lord."

"Please call me Alfred. We are married now."

"Well, Alfred, your trip."

"I will go once you are with child, and if you do not mind me adding on how many months it will take for you to be child."

"I do not mind at all, but I do not wish for you to hate me because you are postponing your trip."

I stopped the two of us dancing, and I stared her right in her eyes.

"Nothing you could ever do shall make me hate you."

I was very serious about that.

◆

Seven months.

That is how long it took her to be with child.

During that time, we got to know each other better than I thought we would. I leaned her hobbies, her favourite books, what made her happy.

Once I found out what her favourite flower was, I made sure to have a fresh bouquet brought to her bedchamber once a week.

It always warmed my heart to see her smelling the flowers. How her eyes seemed to light up when she would thank me for them.

Even though I have no interest in decorating our Manor, she made sure to include my input in each room. "You live here too, Alfred, even though you will be gone for three years. This is still your home."

I never thought of it like that. I just didn't care how my home was decorated, but she took great pride in it.

As each room was completed, she would show me, and I was stunned at how she did make sure to include what I would mention.

It didn't matter if it was the colour of the furniture, a painting I mentioned I wanted hung up in said room, or just a piece of furniture. It was there.

I did not realise it at the time that I was slowly falling in love with the woman whom I had married.

◆

She was standing next to me, as I was leaving in a few moments. I placed my hands on the small bump, wondering what our child would look like.

"You come back to me, Alfred." She softly said.

"Nothing will keep me from you and our little one."

I cupped her cheek, and her head turned to kiss my gloved palm.

I kissed her forehead, and I could see the sadness in her eyes as she closed them. It looked like she was fighting back tears.

"It is time, my Lord." I toon a step away from her, my hands leaving her her body, and her own hands went on her stomach.

I got in the carriage, fighting the urge to look out the window, as I knew I would stop and go back to her, making up some excuse about not wanting to be away from her.

◆

I have been gone for only three weeks, and I wake up every morning thinking about her. If she liked the flowers that are still placed in her room.

If she has enjoyed the gifts that I have sent home, or if she has got them yet.

If she has kept busy without me there.

If she misses me like I miss her.

The last thought made my stomach twist, and I pushed that feeling back, thinking about this trip I am on. This adventure I have waited so long for.

But I knew my heart wasn't in it anymore.

And I fought with myself each and every day until I finally declared that I was going home.

That I needed to be with my wife and unborn child.

I had to tell her that I have fallen in love with her.

◆

My staff were stunned to see me come running up the front steps in the middle of the night. I had a rider go ahead and warn them I was coming.

"Lord Debling, we were not expecting you. Is everything all right?" My friend and butler, Jonathan said to me, as I looked around my front foyer.

"I must see my wife."

"Lady Debling is fast asleep." He said as I ran up the stairs, on my way to her room.

"I must see her." I became almost frantic the closer I got to her door.

Just as I was about to knock on the door, it opened, and there she was, tired and angry at all the commotion. She was about to ask what was going on when she saw me standing in front of her.

She looked me up and down. "Alfred?"

She reached out to touch me to see if I was really here or a figment of her imagination, "I am really here."

"Why are you home? Is everything okay? Did something happen?" The questions were just flying from her lips.

"I would like to be alone with my wife." Our staff left us alone as I walked into her bedchamber, and she closed the door behind her.

"Alfred."

"I am okay, I just needed to come home to you."

"Alfred, I am okay. The baby is okay. I am due any day now." She said as she sat on the edge of her bed, and I sat down next to her.

"I know, but while I was away, I couldn't fight my feelings anymore."

"Feelings?"

"Before I left, I was falling in love with you."

"This is not how this marriage is." She stood up, her hand on her lower back as she walked to be closer to the fire.

"I know, and at first I was happy just to have a friend to come home too, but I got to know you, really know you, and even though I tried to fight it, I fell for you."

"I have been in love before, and he broke my heart, and my soul." I got up and grasped her hands in mine.

"I know, and I promise to never do that to you."

Tag list: @madhatterbri

I placed her hand over my heart. "Do you feel that? My heart only beats for you. I am not asking for you to tell me you love me right now, but I want you to know that I love you, and no other person with ever take me away from you, my Lady Debling."

◆

"Shhhh, my little Theodore. You are safe now." I looked down at our baby, who was cooing at me. She was in labouring far longer than I knew a woman could be in labour for.

She was being tended to by the midwives and the doctor. I refused to leave her side, but when she screamed for me to get out, I listened to her.

When her water broke, I called on her cousin Penelope to come and be with her, knowing she would not want me in the room with her.

Colin came, and him and I have long put aside our animosity towards one another.

Once Penelope came out, carrying little Theodore, Colin congratulated me. "How is she?" I asked Penelope.

"She is doing well. She is being cleaned up, and then you will be called upon."

The both of them left, as I sat there waiting to be allowed in to see my wife.

Once I was allowed in, I placed Theodore on her chest, and she kissed the top of his head, his hair colour matching hers.

"He is just perfect, darling. I am so proud of you." I kissed the top of her forehead, and she looked up at me and gave me a tired smile.

"Alfred, I should have told you this before, but I love you."

I kissed her with as much passion as I could muster.

"I love you forever and always, my darling lady."

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hacked-by-jake · 17 hours

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I'm especially sad about the AI art statement.

No one ever said they can't use AI in general. Nobody said this. As long as they don't let the chats be written by AI they can use it for whatever they want.

Me personally, I'm a little fan of AI in general. ChatGPT took Googles place in many situations for me. It's super easy, super interesting and faster. I use it instead of reading millions of Google sites. (of course I don't trust everything right away, check your sources, lovelies)

But that's not what I want to say.

I saw no one complaining about the usage of AI in general. As long as its not creating the whole game and especially not what the characters say etc.

The critism was about the usage of AI ART, not AI in general, completely missing the point in my eyes.

And yes, they're right. AI became a huge part of our lives now. We find it everywhere and we won't get rid of it again. That won't happen. For me, it's okay as long as it's not used to generate money by letting it write texts and stuff.

And I'm completely fine with them using it. Of course, it's still stealing and I won't deny that, but as I said, we won't get rid of it again.

But the usage of AI generated Art is wrong and should actually be illegal. They, as a small developer studio, they should know and they do know, how it is when your work gets stolen and used by strangers.

And that's exactly what AI does. And that's not okay. It simply isn't. Every generated art is based on hundreds of real arts our there. The smallest artist who posts their work will be a victim of that. Because AI pulls it's knowledge and the ability for art out of every little art source there is. And that's wrong.

And I'm disappointed about their statement with this point.

And the second statement about AI art...

Yes, it's wonderful that you will introduce new actors to us. Great, amazing. And yes, we do remember how it was in Duskwood. And we do remember that actors were introduced after some time. Hannah joined in the last episode, and this was great.

But the huge difference is, you used stock photos. Real photography. Real designs. Created by photographers or whoever. The point here is: Real human. And real work.

I don’t think I'm the only one. But the first second I saw the profile picture of Ash, immediately I was like "Hm, that reminds me straight up of arcane"

Which is logical when you use AI generated art because the AI of course uses at first the most popular references.

Fact is: We don't support the usage of AI Art in Moonvale.

Question is: Why didn't you use stock photos just like you did before?

Everbytes answer: Yes, okay, we can change their profile pictures. (Point done)

And I mean, come on. Violet has a freaking cat as profile picture. Where was the problem with just using a real cat for that? Nothing easier than finding a good picture of cats! 😭

And if you didn't want to use stock photos. Have you seen how many incredibly talented digital artists your fandom has? Have you seen the insanely good work they created for your game?

How about contacting a few of them? How about asking them to draw the characters you wanted to have? I'm 100% sure you wouldn't even have to pay them for. Most of them would do it for free right away.

Plus: Real art created by real people

Plus two: No money spending.

Yeeey.

And if you don’t want that...., ✨STOCK PHOTOS✨

To be honest, they took a crumb of the criticism, twisted it a bit. Used the word AI, twisted a bit more, left their statement and at the end they gave us a small little victory by saying "They get new profile picture, see we're listening to you". They gave us a little "victory" so that we hopefully will be satisfied and not mention it again.

That's it for this topic. For now

#moonvale #moonvale x duskwood #hbj mv x dw talks #hbj mv talks #everbyte studio #everbyte statement #everbyte moonvale statement #moonvale episode 1 #moonvale thoughts

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raina-at · 2 days

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Intuition

The journey through my AUs continues, today it's my kind of Unilock boys from Guess Who's Coming for Christmas Dinner, but this stands very well on its own as well.

----

“Stop fidgeting.”

“I can’t help it. I look ridiculous.”

“You do not,” Sherlock says, indignant, reaching over to adjust John’s tie. “The suit is perfect. Now stop fidgeting and keep your eyes open. One of these people is a cat burglar and a jewel thief.”

“Yeah, and the rest are bankers and brokers,” John mutters, adjusting his cufflinks. “Find the thief in a roomful of thieves. Like looking for a needle in a pile of needles.”

“Careful, your class prejudices are showing. Now look around and try to look like you regularly spend a thousand pounds on a bottle of wine.”

John snorts and takes two flutes of champagne from a tray, handing one to Sherlock. He takes a sip and hums appreciatively. “At least the booze is good.”

They make their rounds, chatting with several people, and for the first time, John is glad for the hours and hours he spent trying to make nice with Sherlock’s posh family, because he now knows how to use summer as a verb, and he’s learned to pronounce chalet correctly.

“What about this chap?” John points at an elegant older man across the room. “He gives me the creeps.”

“What are you basing this deduction on?” Sherlock asks, taking an unobtrusive look at the man John pointed out.

“Dunno. Something about him. Intuition.”

Sherlock huffs an exasperated sigh. “John, there is no such thing as intuition.”

“‘Course there is.”

“No. What you call intuition is your brain making deductions and drawing inferences from a hundred subconscious clues and disseminating the data to you as uneasiness, because you haven’t trained your brain to observe consciously. You need to learn how to separate the context clues and observe them, systematically and consciously.” Sherlock gestures at the man John indicated. “Look at your fellow here. His shoes are bespoke Italian loafers, incredibly expensive, this make and model are only made in Florence, which just happens to be the site of one of our thefts. His watch is British Army issue, meaning he has military training, further fitting our profile. He’s wearing glasses he clearly doesn’t usually wear, given there are no imprints on his nose, and he recently dyed his hair. He fidgets with his tie like you, meaning he’s unused to wearing one, and what banker isn’t used to wearing a tie?”

“So, what you’re saying,” John says, with an amused smile, “is that I’m right?”

Sherlock rolls his eyes. “Yes, John, you are right. But for the wrong reasons.”

“You’re so lucky I love you, you incurable smartarse,” John mutters, depositing his empty champagne glass on a nearby tray.

“If I’m not entirely mistaken,” Sherlock murmurs as he leans closer to speak in John’s ear, “you especially love my smart arse.”

John grins. “Not entirely accurate. I love your smart brain, and I love your spectacular arse.” John leans closer and kisses Sherlock once on the lips, then murmurs, “How about we get out thief and go home, and then I can show you just how much I love your smart arse?”

“You’re right, you know,” Sherlock says, drawing back a little to give John an affectionate smile. “I am lucky.”

John pecks him on the cheek, smiling softly. “So am I. Now let’s get our jewel thief, and go home.” He makes a gesture for Sherlock to precede him and then follows, making no secret out of his appreciation for Sherlock’s truly fine arse.

Lucky indeed, he thinks, as they walk once more into battle.

-----

I think I'm done with my AU journey, I think I hit them all at least once. I'll double-check, and if you can think of one I haven't done, please drop me a line, but I think I've done them all.

Um.... Bingo?

Tags under the cut as usual, please let me know if you want to be tagged or untagged. Also, periodic reminder that I'm posting these on AO3 here.

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @jrow @peanitbear @jolieblack @meetinginsamarra @helloliriels @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @friday411 @givemesherbet-blog-blog @weeesi @thalialunacy @thegildedbee @dapetty @salmonsown

#johnlock #bbc sherlock #may prompts 2024 #my fic #mayprompts2024 #intiution

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forager-m · 2 days

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Songbird [Drabble]

Ship: Dr Ratio/Aventurine (レイチュリ)

Premise: Dr Ratio and Aventurine have been cohabiting after the events of Penacony. The arrangment brings many delightful discoveries; including that Aventurine likes singing to himself while doing chores.

[Aventurine sings to himself. Ratio can't help but to join him.]

🛁🎲

His morning goes like this:

He wakes to the opal sky, as the sun draws its golden chariot across the clouds. From outside, the birds song reaches him faintly, and the whir of civilization slowly stirs; machinery, vehicles, people, all coming to life as he is. His mind awakens first, even as his eyes stay heavy and closed, bursting with plans and reminders of the day ahead: he has to brush his teeth, fix his hair, do his morning workout, get started on breakfast, feed the cat cakes, grade papers, and then...

And then he opens his eyes, turns, and then he wastes the morning staring at the way Aventurine's hair flows and spills over the sheets like a golden waterfall; all soft curls and precious locks. He's nestled in Veritas' arms and stretched luxuriously in the warmth of their home like a spoiled pet. His resting face peers over the blankets, while the rest of him is covered - leaving only suggestions of subtle curves and warm flesh.

The cats awaken and begin scratching at the door. The sun has finished its descent, and it slowly pours in through the windows. Then, finally, Aventurine makes a soft little noise, opening his eyes. Blinking once, twice. He leans into Ratio's touch, then yawns. Veritas watches, appreciatively, as Aventurine rises from the sheets. The blankets pool around his waist and thighs. He looks like Aphrodite emerging from the sea; the birth of beauty itself.

"See something you like?"

The noise strangled out of his throat was a mix of a cough and a scoff.

"Nonsense."

"Mmm... so mean, won't you indulge me a little?"

He sits on his thighs and stretches his arms above his head. Ratio notes the new softness padding his belly. A sign of good health and recovery, one part of him says. The other half says something along the lines of that will feel nice in my hands before he violently cuts it off.

"Any more indulgence and not a single productive thing will be done today, Gambler."

Aventurine laughs. His voice is as clear as water running over a spring.

"Ooh, so scary! Don't threaten me with a good time, I know all sorts of indulgences that could keep us preoccupied, doctor~"

"You-!"

Aventurine pecks his cheek loudly, before wiggling out of the sheets and making a run for the kitchen, his giggles echoing behind him.

Ratio holds his head in his hands for a while, trying to will away any strange urges; violent or otherwise.

After a while, a waft of eggs and coffee fills the air. Ratio quickly goes through his morning routine, and by the time he's done, Aventurine is still preparing the food. As usual, he's prepared Ratio's portion first - a much bigger plate packed with scrambled eggs, toast, and a salad consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, and the leftover dressing that they've kept in the fridge. A cup of coffee's already there - sweetened with just a bit of stevia, just the way Ratio prefers it.

Aventurine is a surprisingly competent cook. Sure, he needs to pull up a recipe from his phone, but needing a bit of guidance doesn't detract from one's excellence. Having the freedom to cook what he wants also seems to improve his appetite, something Ratio is pleased to see.

He takes just a brief moment of appreciation; to appreciate the breakfast spread, of course, and certainly not the way that apron is tied perfectly around that slim waist, before he takes out the fruit and seeds from the fridge. Cat cakes, while sharing the name of domestic cats, do not have the same diet as them. Ratio calls out for them, and soon enough, three little cat cakes meow and sprint towards him with all the power in their tiny little paws.

"Make a wish into the well..."

"That's all you have to do..."

"And if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true..."

Ratio feels his breath come short.

This, too, is something he's used to Aventurine doing. But he's not really used to it yet.

Aventurine loves music. Sometimes Ratio watches him as he sways to some soft tune known only to himself, dancing barefoot in their living room. He likes singing to his plants, because even after everything, Aventurine still had so much love to give, and taking care of his 'babies' made him so very happy. He likes to strum his guitar and come up with songs about anything or nothing at all. Once, Ratio caught him singing sweet silly nonsense to their cats, which he recorded and uses as leverage against the gambler whenever he could.

This was a boy made for laughter, song, and dance. Ratio wants to rage at the world for all that's been done to him.

"I'm wishing,"

"For the one I love."

"To find me -"

"Today!"

His voice is so lovely. There has never been a sweeter thing.

"I'm hoping,"

"And I'm dreaming of -"

"The nice things..."

"He'll say!"

Aventurine hums under his breath. Pretty little 'la la la la la's fluttering like bird wings. Quietly, Veritas walks to him, until his hands find his waist and Aventurine's body is plush against his own. He rests his chin on Aventurine's head, and can't help but to echo his song bird's melody.

"Im wishing, "

"... Im wishing..."

"For the one I love -"

"To find me -"

"To find me,"

"Today..."

"Today."

Sorry this is so self indulgent.

The song is I'm Wishing" from Snow White

I think both Ratio and Aventurine are amazing singers. Just imagine the soft duets they could do.

Also yes they deserve to be soft so. They are soft. And married. (They just dont realise it yet.)

#dr ratio x aventurine #ratiorine #レイチュリ #dr ratio #aventurine #hsr #fluff #self indulgent #drabble #honkai star rail

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anonymouscheeses · 2 days

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Exorcist gang! (I'm so sorry it took forever to get to your ask. I kind of dropped the au for a long time and just now got the motivation to pick it up again.)

Right on the money! I just narrowed it down to three because I can't do anymore(lazy ahh). But they can't actually drive motorcycles because none of them have a drivers license so they just try to seem badass by saying they are a biker gang. All christian but they have no idea how it works and do things looked down upon by the christian community. Left Victoria. Middle Stephanie. Right Kamaria. Kamaria got a tattoo of the upside down cross to seem cool but she knows it's St. Peter's cross so it's kind of a double meaning for her. I also gave Kamaria three toned lips because I jst found out that exists and I had to include that in some character. Atleast one.

Maybe one day I'll draw them as angels just to do it.

For context, they are exes 😫

Are there still feelings? Kind of, they just aren't over eachother yet. Right now tho they are mainly enemies. Valerie(Vaggie) is kind of like Blitzø(relationships wise), but less of an asshole. It was mostly her fault they broke up though. She was uninterested and embarrassed by Kamaria almost all the time so ofc Kamaria doesn't stand for shit and ended it before it got worse. Valerie is like that with Charlie in some ways, but of course that's for growth purposes.

Oh also Valerie dated Lute too before she dated Kamaria so it's just this entire problem within the group bro.. Like, Lute is not over Valerie and not in a "I am in love with u still." Way, but in a "I hate the way you walk, the way you talk, I hate the way dress-" ahh way(and in an i am still in luv wit u way but shh). Lute has no idea why Valerie broke up wit her ass and takes it out on Kamaria. Kama takes no shit and bounced out that place quickly. Good for her ig. She still an asshole too, anger issues ahh, everyone except Charlie(until the vee accident 😏)deserves a kick in the ass.

Pretend Charlie is in her human form. I'm still workshopping it right now! 😔 so yeah nobody else except Valerie knows she's a demon jst so you know!

Chaggie aren't dating yet! But they will one day 😈

For now it's kind of just pining. On both sides ofc.

"So it mine el" we say in unison.

PLEASE TELL ME SOMEONE GETS THE REFERENCE?? THIS IS SO AWKWARD NOW...

Helmets and glasses off! I think they look pretty nice but im not great at making my own character designs from ground up. Which is why I havent shown my actual own OC's. Victoria is trans because I said so. Kamaria is probably Lesbian but she doesn't know yet, it's kind of a label she uses until she knows for sure (so me). And Stephanie is Stephanie (she don care. She don kno 💀). I FORGOT THE FLAME ON KAMARIA'S JACKET RAAAA.

They also all have a picture on the back of their jackets that's jst wings and a halo. So do with that what you will.... if u wanna make fanart that is..... pls..... I'm begging..... jk but it would still be cool lmao.

They used to be in a gang with Adam and Lute but after Valerie was beat up real bad by Lute they all decided to just part ways. Not on good terms... So it's just Adam and Lute now who jst act like they are all that when they cant pack a punch at all 😒. I'll show Adam and Lute's designs in the next update (or somewhere) but that's all I have right now. I can't wait to draw the duo ughhhh‼️‼️‼️

(I have also changed a few things from my original idea, so if your a hxd au og from the first like... 3 posts I made abt it then ya... there's major changes. I'll go through them deeper in my next updates on this au!)

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maisartcraft-blog · 16 hours

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hopes for valve to figure out a way to fix everything with the bots, from my understanding a rather big piece of the current player base is bot users?. I mean I feel a bit worried if that is being the case it could harm steam at the long run, I mean both taken how there is an tendensy to more steam games there been added there have a rather lagging amount of quality, as well as not having solutions for some of the games there add value to steam like tf2. I only have a steam cause of tf2 cause I buyed the orange box multiple years ago because of tf2 was on it, cause I heard it was a good game, I mean heck the first pc I had could barly run it and was shared (yes I know basicly a toaster can run tf2 with speaks to how bad that pc was) but I still loved the game the game have always been more than just a game to me, it gotten me though some dark times in my life. I love all from the unic world both the game play and the comics, to how people sometimes just stop figthing in the middle of a match to run around joke taunt and being silly, I never expirenced that in any other game I played and I think that one of the reasons its special. I love the colorful personalitys of the mercs. but also over all the silly world they are in. the game is a diamond. I just hope help comes for it. I image mabye valve will end up suing the bot hosts on the bases on lost revenue than the game makes for them via in game sales. after all whats the value of items in a game if people cant play the games cause of bots kicking real players out ... beond playing war game dress up dolls with the chareckters in the load outs. I choose to draw the tf2 chareckters as chibis as I did that many years ago then I started playing and the first time I drew them all togther on a paper was as chibis. partly cause a A4 paper well ... its not aloth of space for 9 chareckters, ofcourse I dont have thouse limitations with digital now. but it feeld right. also wanted to pay respect for the comic medium as well its why I choose the speach bubbles, and still find it funny then scout use to have crazy legs movements. hope all have a good day and all the best hopes for the future.

#tf2 fanart #tf2 #tf2 engineer #team fortress 2 #savetf2 #fixtf2 #tf2 spy #tf2 pyro #tf2 demoman #tf2 medic #tf2 scout #tf2 sniper #tf2 mercs #team fortress 2 fanart #tf2 heavy #tf2 soldier

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polarisbibliotheque · 2 days

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Can You Hear The Rumble? - Vergil x Reader

Music Inspired Fics (Devil May Music) - Cirice, by Ghost

Pairing: Vergil x Reader

Summary: Everyone knew the kind of demon a hunter should be wary about is the one who plays with their victim's minds. You and Vergil were very proud on the outside - but how would it be when having to save each other on the inside for the first time?

TRIGGER WARNING: A lot of blood, cuts, bruises, scars and suffering on both Vergil and the reader's sides. The reader also struggles with perfection and self-loathing - in a "I'm never going to be a good person" kind of way, because I needed to get more intimate on the reader's part as well - and there are scenes with the reader covered in cuts and bleeding, though not self-imposed, it could be read like that. Those scenes are the reader's and Vergil's internal images of themselves. Reader and Vergil meet each other on their imperfections and the darkest parts of their souls, so BE WARNED. This might not be everyone's cup of tea and there are lots of potential triggers.

Author's Note: @tokkis-shelf asked me if Vergil's part of the Halloween special was inspired by Cirice, and here we are now. It is what kickstarted the song-fic requests! As with a lot of people, I think, Cirice is pretty personal to me.

In the video, it was so comforting to me seeing the black sheep being represented hahahaha and I guess that's why people love it so much. The part where they hold hands? I died, I'd never let go, I cry my soul out upon watching. (I did a very similar drawing to that scene when I was in school around 15 years ago, so it drop-kicked me out of my body xD)

Now, when writing this, I kept in mind that this song has a double meaning and can be quite comforting and quite manipulative at the same time - hence why I use the "can't you see that you're lost without me?" in two different situations, 'cause I think Cirice can be interpreted in so many ways and each person takes what they need from this song. I hope you guys like it!!

Plus, the song the reader and Dante sing at the end is The Power of Love, by Huey Lewis and The News

youtube

Cirice, by Ghost

“Can’t you see that you’re lost…?”

It happened every time Vergil walked in the darkness.

That voice in the back of his head, silently taunting him, the hiss of a quiet viper in the hopes of taking him back to the darkest parts of his soul. Quiet, lurking, whispering… Mundus always there, somewhere in the folds of his consciousness, guiding him back into the void – luring Vergil back into his shackles.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?”

As if Vergil couldn’t belong anywhere else, as if his place was in Hell. After all he had been through, after all the sins he perpetrated, he believed wholeheartedly there was no hope for him at all – only a fool’s hope; only a glimmer of a wish he wasn’t as tainted as he was… A desire to not be such a monster as he was.

Pacing quietly through the empty cathedral, Vergil had already learned not to give in to those thoughts – to keep them at bay, as only a whisper in the darkness, of trickster voices that would always remind him of how inhuman he was.

It was times like this Vergil longed for the faint glimmer of the moon, or the warm ghostly light of a candle. It was easy to get lost in the dark, but a single ray of light could help through the direst of situations. That night, though, it seemed like the moon had fallen asleep behind the curtains of the clouds – Selene hiding her tears for her earthly lover in his eternal sleep.

None of you knew what that night entailed – you weren’t even certain what you were dealing with. That was the reason why Lady strutted in the Devil May Cry, not too fond of taking a job she didn’t know if it was up to her abilities.

“Well, looks like I have a new one for you to pay your debt, big guy!” Her singsong voice interrupted the ambience of the jukebox; Lady entering the shop with Kalina Ann and all.

“Eh, I’m never gonna be free of my debt, Lady, let’s be honest.” Dante sighed, putting his feet down and throwing his magazine across the table, shooting her a serious glare. “But things have been borin’ lately, so one of your odd jobs’ not gonna hurt. Whaddya have for me?”

“You talk as if I never help you enough to maintain this place.” She lifted one eyebrow, approaching the big desk at the middle of the shop.

“Gotta give the woman credit, Dante. Last month’s bills were on her.” You shrugged as you had finally come out of your shower, happy to see Lady around, still drying your hair with the towel as you went down the stairs.

“See? Someone who has a bit of common sense.” Her smile was nothing short of devilish as she gestured towards you.

“You know where you are, Lady. ‘Common sense’ isn’t much of a thing in this household.” You greeted her by quickly blowing her a kiss while passing by, making your way towards the couch where Vergil was quietly reading.

“Ey, you’re hurtin’ my feelings like that.” Dante put one of his hands over his heart, laughing alongside you as you kept on your way. “But fine. I’ll give ya that, Lady. So, what’s up? What job do you wanna throw at me this time?”

“I am not throwing it at you.” And there it was: you could always see when Dante stroke a nerve when Lady got defensive and with that fiery stare on her multicolored eyes. “If you wanna do it, great, if you don’t, I can deal with it myself just fine. I’m here to be a good friend since you can barely afford all that pizza you keep stuffing yourself with!”

As you sat by Vergil’s side, you both exchanged a telling glare. Just like you, Vergil was used to observing people. Granted, he didn’t know Lady as much as Dante or even you, but he did know her since he was very young. That fiery, easy-to-anger personality had been there since they first met at the Temen-ni-gru – and Vergil argued it was one of Lady’s traits that would never change.

Something he was quite pleased with, if he had to be honest with himself. It was a good trait for a human demon hunter like her. Dante always praised human’s hearts and particularly their love and empathy – Vergil praised their burning anger that made them unconquerable in the direst of circumstances.

“Jeez, alright, alright, don’t shoot me!” Dante raised his hands as if he was at gunpoint, making you wheeze quietly. Vergil side-eyed you for a while – half judging, half holding his own laugh. “It’s not like I have much of a choice, do I?”

“Humpf.” Lady rolled her eyes and took a slice of pizza from the box resting on the desk, pointing at Dante with it right after. “You know I wouldn’t bring you something if it wasn’t important.”

“Actually, you would.” With those words, Dante rested his arms crossed on the table – all the while, you and Vergil watched it all as if it was a show. Who needed a TV when you had those two? “But you’re bein’ too dodgy ‘bout it, babe. What’s goin’ on?”

“I got a call from a priest in a city nearby.” Lady’s answer was uncharacteristically quiet, followed by a bite from the pizza while she seemed pensive and in any hurry to chew it. “I’ve done some jobs there, know the guy, he’s nice. All the times he called me, it was always a quick, good-paying job. He said some weird things have been happening at the cathedral for the last couple of weeks.”

“Not to sound mean, but there’s always somethin’ strange happenin’ at churches.” Dante’s eyes carried a bit of skepticism: ‘weird things’ didn’t always entail a job for the Devil May Cry – and it usually ended with all of you hunting a rogue raccoon or something.

“I know. But this guy, he doesn’t get scared easy, ok? He’s one of those types of priests who’ll try to shoot down a couple of demons with a shotgun and, if that doesn’t work, he gives me a call.” Those words, though, made you and the Spardas raise your eyebrows. Indeed, it was a rare type of priest, but a good one to keep as acquaintance. “He said the cathedral is increasingly quiet, even from noises outside, with occasional distant noises that are not done by any of those who live there. After it all started, the other priests reported having weird nightmares, of being chased by something in the dark, inside the cathedral – this thing whispering things they can’t understand. Alright if it happened to one or two, but soon all of them started waking up in the middle of the night with similar nightmares – and, catch this, the higher ups of the clergy didn’t tell the common priests about it, but they all reported the very same dream.” Those words caught everyone’s attention. Vergil finally closed his book and leaned forward, paying attention to Lady’s retelling of the priest’s misfortunes. “The priest has been trying to figure out what’s going on, but some old books appear to go missing from the library, only to re-appear as if nothing has happened. Some books are missing pages, something that never happened before. He also said the inside of the cathedral has been getting darker and darker as the weeks go by. As if something is approaching – his words, not mine.”

Vergil immediately furrowed his brows and seemed to turn into an ice sculpture right by your side. You risked a glance, finding him with his usual dark aura – pensive, somber and quiet; hunter’s eyes showing themselves in a matter of seconds.

“Rare are the creatures in Hell in search for knowledge…” He muttered loud enough for his brother and Lady to turn their attention to him. “But those who do, are usually among the worst. Haunting noises, torn books, nightmares, dead silence and total darkness…”

“What? You think those Hell Piranhas came out of their pit?” Dante’s question had a bit of fun in the words, but his eyes were serious and he didn’t allow his lips to smile.

“Could be. Could also be a demon trying to mimic them to hide something else.”

“Hell Piranhas?” You and Lady didn’t need a cue to ask at the very same time. Neither of you had ever heard of that – and both of you had heard of a lot.

“This is not their name, but it is how Dante calls them since we were kids.” Vergil almost sighed in response.

“How we both called ‘em. Mister smart-pants over here isn’t that much better than lil’ ol’ me.” Dante winked at both of you, making you giggle quietly in return. “They’re kinda like illusion demons, but they like stayin’ in the darkness and gatherin’ knowledge. Usually work for someone bigger, though.”

“And even if they don’t, they swallow up all their knowledge and that is dangerous in itself. Afterwards, they feed from the victims they have been toying for so long.” Vergil continued Dante’s thought, ignoring his brother’s previous words. The more you didn’t think about what Dante had said about him, the better – for Vergil couldn’t deny it. “They hunt in packs, and the more victims, the more powerful they become. Some call them the Pit Deceivers, others call them the Lie Weavers…”

“You call them Hell Piranhas.” You concluded bluntly, making Vergil stare at the horizon with emptiness in his eyes – he could say all he wanted, flex all his demonic knowledge, you heard the Piranhas and now you’d never forget it.

“I never heard of them.” Lady had her eyebrows furrowed, searching her memory for some story like that.

“They either don’t leave the pit that much or not many humans survive to tell the story. That’s why.” Dante pointed at a great, old book Vergil had left on one of the tables a long time ago and now it was its official resting place. “You can find it only in the likes of the Codex Daemonica.”

“So either we have them around, or it’s something else. Something bigger. Right?” As you asked, Vergil only agreed with his head as the attentions turned to you. “Or something mimicking the Piranhas.” And Vergil had to sigh at your addition. He would never have peace again. “The mimic or the master, what kind of demon would the Piranhas answer to? If they are that obscure, I take it their existence is more of a niche knowledge in Hell rather than a common information.”

“On that, you are correct…” Vergil murmured in response, falling back into his pensive demeanor. You knew he would be lost for a while.

“See? Good thing I brought this for you, then.” Lady waved dismissively at Dante, but you could sense a little edge in her playful voice. Dealing with big things was fine, same as dealing with cruel demons and the ones that played the big-scary-one persona. Unknown demons were another kind of monster – one only Dante and Vergil used to deal with. “Plus, they always pay well.”

“Eh, I won’t be seein’ much of that money, if I know ya well.” Dante scoffed, having a small smile hidden in the corner of his lips; his tone and demeanor, though, were quite somber and you knew the red devil was taking it seriously.

“If you don’t mind, Dante, I would like to take over this one.” Vergil finally declared while getting up from the couch. “I know some of the hellish creatures who might make use of the Weavers or mimic them.”

“Fine for me, I’m needin’ some time to rest.” Dante sighed, but looked right back at you while Vergil rested his book on the big Devil May Cry desk. “But I’m gonna feel a lot better with someone around to keep an eye on ‘im, pretty thing.”

“Well, I didn’t intend on letting you guys deal with this all by yourselves anyway.” You got up from the couch, immediately receiving a glare from Vergil. “I’m going, blue devil, whether you want it or not. I want to get acquainted with these Piranhas.”

Vergil only closed his eyes, letting out the longest and most regretful sigh you ever heard in your life.

And there you were – although Vergil lost track of you quite a while ago. He knew the stirrings rippling through his heart when you were in danger; and being the fierce human you were, Vergil wasn’t worried about having you search for the demons in the cathedral.

There was, though, a slight uneasiness. That voice echoing in the darkest parts of his soul, it always came as an omen – causing nothing but destruction, inside or outside of himself. Vergil never could really say which one would be, but both were devastating.

“Veeeeergil…”

His steps came to a dry halt in the middle of the cathedral. The night outside the colorful stained-glass windows was pitch black, robbing the colors of their warmth and light – the fire on the candles, long dead in that cold night. The whisper that crept to his ears, like stark chalk on a chalkboard, dragged itself through the marble floor and took a hold of his soul in its clutches.

It was a different kind of sound – different from the ones inside himself, calling him to the darkness. It was from the outside… The Lie Weavers. Slowly coming up, finding him as their next victim. He was close to one of the places they were certainly lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for someone they could consume.

Vergil never feared the darkness. Tightening his grip around Yamato, his steps resumed his way, approaching the places in the cathedral the faint light of the night could barely touch. Those demons should have known their end was near, and he was the harbinger of their demise – he expected all kinds of trickery, of resistance, of fight from them.

He did not expect to hear a familiar voice, filled with uncertainty.

“Vergil…?”

Halting his steps once more, this time his silvery eyes lost their predatorial gaze as his heart jumped in his chest – even if for a slight second.

“Mother?”

His answer was but a whisper before he was swallowed by darkness.

When engaging with illusion demons, one should be aware of not falling into their element: when engulfed by it, those demons were more powerful than expected, able to subdue even the strongest of foes. Breaking from their control required mental and emotional discipline rather than brute force.

It was a slight second – a foolish slip from his human soul, disarmed by the trickery of Eva’s voice – and Vergil was surrounded by a sea of darkness and turmoil. His heart stirred with anger towards himself for being such a child, a vulnerable stupid child, tricked by a puppet of something his heart missed so much.

Eva was long dead. There was no demon able to bring her back. And he would never see her again. All that logic was tossed aside in a spark of a second by his stupid human heart, trembling upon hearing her speak his name again. Granted, Vergil only heard his mother in his dreams, barely remembering how her voice sounded in reality, and this time he heard outside himself – but he should have seen it coming. Illusion demons, trickster demons, cruel demons… They all relied on the barely closed scars inside his damned human soul.

Vergil could always count on them to re-open those wounds, making him bleed as much as he did on the floor of that cursed cemetery so many years ago – and he was a fool to fall for it after he had been through so much.

“Vergil… Can you hear me…?”

“I can, you damned deceiver. You can stop these theatrics – mimicking my dead mother will not affect me.” His voice cut through the dark like the sharpest of ice, his predatorial gaze back into his silver eyes.

“I… Don’t understand you, son. I cannot find you.” Her voice had a tinge of sorrow and desperation – but it was exactly like Eva’s voice. Vergil remembered it with a tinge of gold, probably a result of the haze of nostalgia, but today it was grounded and melancholic – perhaps, that was how Eva had always sounded… He just didn’t remember it. “I can’t find you. You aren’t home.”

“I haven’t been home for a long while.” Vergil didn’t even try to hide the growl that raised from his chest as he argued with that creature. He was used to having a puppet of his mother parading in front of him to hurt his human soul even more, but that was already getting on his nerves. Taunting him about the fact his mother ran to find him that fateful night wasn’t part of the usual games those filthy demons played – and to say they were honing his wrath was an understatement. “And I will never be back.”

“I… I cannot see you, Vergil. Where are you…? Why…?” He could hear the weeping in her voice, faint sobbing while the desperation made her words tremble. Vergil raised his head in the darkness, holding his own heart not to quiver: she wasn’t real and it was all a gimmick to affect him. He would not be affected. He was stronger than that. “Why couldn’t I save you? Those demons they… They hurt you, didn’t they? Oh, my child! My son! They hurt you and I could do nothing! I couldn’t be your mother!”

“Enough with this, filthy, hellish creature!” His voice finally exploded from his chest, roaring in the dark and echoing through the void, finding only silence. “You have no right to desecrate my mother’s memory like this! Shut your putrid mouth and stop with your rancid lies!”

The glint of the Yamato being unsheathed made the darkness recoil for a split second, only to envelop the Dark Slayer once more. His grip was tight, his eyes fiercely looking for his first opponent to direct a very well-placed judgement cut that could end all those creatures with just one swing of his hand. Vergil had enough and all the patience he carried in his being wouldn’t be enough to stop him from overkilling those demons – he just had to know where to direct his wrath.

“Don’t say those words, Vergil… You are not… Not like this.” Her voice still trembled, and his hand was still certain around Yamato. Vergil knew quite well at that state he was a weapon of mass destruction, he just had to find his opponent. His soul was screaming for him to do that, to put a stop to all that mockery. “You are good… You are my son.”

Vergil would have sliced that demon into a thousand million pieces without flinching, even if it took the form of his mother – but his eyes widened as a soft, warm hand touched his face. In all those years being taunted by demons, being tricked and mocked, seeing so many puppets of Eva, Sparda and Dante, none of them had touched him… And none of them genuinely felt like them.

It had been so many lost years he hadn’t felt his mother’s touch – last time, she could cup his entire face, thumb lovingly caressing his innocent eyebrows, but now her thumb could only reach his cheekbones. Nevertheless, it felt like her: not like a golden, nostalgic lost memory of how she felt, but exactly like Eva’s hands, even with the slight roughness of her continuous gardening.

“It took me so long to find you… I am so sorry.”

“You are not my mother.”

“Don’t say that.” Her answer was a sorrowful whisper, her thumb now carefully caressing his sharp cheekbone. Vergil closed his eyes, unable to move, convincing himself all of that wasn’t real and not allowing his heart to sway – forcing his arms to remain frozen by his side, fighting the urge to embrace her. Reminding himself: his mother was dead, killed while trying to save him, a long time ago, and nothing could bring her back. “Your heart hasn’t hardened as much as not to recognize me. You…” Her voice once more became soft, as if trying to do the same with his soul. “You are not a monster… You are my son, my Vergil.”

With those words, Eva’s hand was finally met with a tear – melting the ice from those silvery eyes.

There was an impending storm rumbling inside your chest.

Whenever that turmoil took ahold of your heart, you knew Vergil was in trouble. You had just finished checking your side of the cathedral, finding some things out of the ordinary but no demons, when the waves became aggressive in your chest. Your steps were already taking you to meet him, but you found yourself walking even hastier – the sound, though, eaten by the shadows that seemed to only grow around you.

Neither of you had calm seas of feelings: they usually raged like a maelstrom of emotions you could barely get through without some destruction – be it internal or external. But there was a certain note of melancholy and desperation in your heart at that moment that made you know Vergil was hurting – and that hurting, you knew quite well.

It was almost ironic how you apparently despised each other at the beginning, but after a while you came to understand; that aversion was there because you, in a certain way, were a mirror of each other. You could see in him the traits in your soul you disliked the most, and Vergil did see in you the same thing – those traits, however, were the same ones that brought you together, and made both you and Vergil feel seen and understood for the first time in your lives.

He didn’t judge your sins, as you didn’t judge his. To your eyes, he was never a monster, and to his, you could never be as crooked as you thought you were. You found each other in imperfection and, in that, you managed to talk and feel on the same level – after that, every feeling of admiration, care and love was easy to blossom.

You understood that storm, that thunder rumbling inside your chest at that very moment. You could feel it exactly the way he felt – and you knew Vergil needed help… Even if he would never say so himself.

You couldn’t hear or see him, though. You found yourself exactly at his area of patrol in the cathedral, but there was no clue as where your blue devil had gone – and for him to completely disappear, imposing presence and all, was quite an achievement in itself. The air was stiff, heavy as if the windows had never been opened, eating up any sound from the inside and the outside. The darkness was heavier than the one you had previously patrolled, shadows allowing only a few glimpses of the opulent decoration and the path in front of you – although, you couldn’t see more than a few meters beyond your feet.

If you couldn’t trust your sight or your hearing to find him, you could trust your heart: the storm would guide you. Closing your eyes, you allowed your feelings to take over, following with your footsteps in the direction you could hear his soul calling.

Those shadow creatures wouldn’t be able to hide him from you: no matter what happened or where you found yourselves, you would always be able to feel Vergil’s presence and find him in the darkest of hours.

And as the thunder in your chest cracked violently, your feet came to a halt and you opened your eyes.

Right in front of you, there was only darkness. Not like in the shadows that took the cathedral little by little, but pitch-black darkness, that no light could cast aside. To enter it would mean to be completely bare: vulnerable, lost, without guidance, naked – but the screaming in your soul made it very clear Vergil was in there.

Contrary to your lover, you were afraid of the dark. You always preferred to have a little light by your side, for you never knew what could be lurking alongside you, ready to pounce and drag you to certain suffering and death. You protected yourself by being forever vigilant, as you always did – a trait that exhausted you, yes, but luckily, in the last few years, you had Vergil around to keep a light by you when your body started giving out.

For that reason, you would never fear entering the darkness for him.

And with a deep breath, your bold steps took you inside the dark.

Your feet were cold, bare, stumbling over a sticky floor. Even if your eyes could see only darkness, you felt the freezing air of that night slicing your skin: you were shirtless and something was hurting… Oozing. The cold wind mixed with a faint warmness that leaked from the open wounds on your skin.

Blood. You were bleeding.

Your arms immediately wrapped around you – those scars, they were showing. They never showed before.

Running your hands quickly over your body, you could feel the warm blood slipping through your fingers; some wounds barely holding themselves closed while others still poured as in the day they were created.

That was the version of yourself you used to fiercely hide. None of those wounds were physical, none of them could be seen… But whenever you looked in the mirror, you saw them there, under your skin, under your soul, quietly resting until you couldn’t hide them anymore.

“You are lost…”

It was always the same voice, of something dark, something inside you that could break your soul if you didn’t shove it back into the darkness like you always did. That was why you were afraid; that was why Vergil always kept a faint glow by your side whenever you couldn’t hold yourself together. The dark was dangerous to you – to both of you.

“You are lost without me…”

“I can survive quite well without you…!” You growled to the darkness, keeping that part of yourself at bay. The part that gave in to the pain, that bathed in the blood and didn’t want to get up… And the part that would bathe and rise in rage, making you survive at great cost to those around you.

You were past that. And you didn’t need that to survive. You didn’t have to survive, you could live.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost…?”

“Vergil!” Your scream was a roar in the dark, looking for the one you plunged into the darkness to find. You wouldn’t give in to the trickery of those Piranhas – and you would get Vergil out of there.

They would learn they shouldn’t fear only the son of Sparda: they should also fear you.

“You think you can find him…?” After the mischievous ethereal voice questioned, you heard a giggle rippling around your feet as you stumbled on the sticky floor to find your lover. “You think you are that good? You think you aren’t a monster?”

You furrowed your brows, doing your best to ignore the voices. You knew it was that part inside of you that always taunted how broken you were, how imperfect your soul was. For the longest time you believed there was nothing good in you, nothing to save you from a life of loneliness, until you crossed paths with Vergil.

He was broken too – and he would never judge the things you did to survive your lethal wounds.

“Vergil! Can you hear me?! I’m here to find you!”

“How chivalrous, how heroic! What are you trying to accomplish?” The giggles pooled around your feet, threatening to drag you inside that pool of viscous darkness. “Trying to prove yourself? You’re never going to be perfect. You’re a black sheep, an outcast, remember? The likes of you aren’t heroes.”

“Oh, I’m no hero…” You growled back, fighting against the things trying to pull you back; fighting against the pain of the freezing cold and warmness of blood. “I’m a fucking fighter. You’re messing with the wrong kind of monster, fucking Hell Piranhas.”

“Piranhas…?” A faint whisper in the dark broke whatever control those things were trying to have over your body, starting at your feet. It was Vergil’s whisper – followed by a louder speaking tone. “Y/n! I can feel you, where are you?!”

“Trying to find you!” You screamed back, immediately dragging your feet towards Vergil. You couldn’t see him, but you could feel where he was – and there was nothing those demons could do against that.

The darkness seemed to shift for a couple of seconds. You couldn’t understand what was happening, but you saw a faint, ghostly pale glow in the dark – almost imperceptible, but your heart knew, you could finally see Vergil.

And, in return, he could see you. Moving his feet, Vergil dragged heavy shackles through the floor, screeching in a horrid, soul scratching sound as he willed his body to move towards you. You could hear him grunting with the effort, another set of chains being dragged as Vergil moved his arms – slowly, but surely, wearing all of his strength to get to you.

You felt the viscous ripples of the floor creeping up your legs, almost on your knees, doing their best to pull you away – back into the darkness, back to the taunting voices, to the doubt, the hurt, the self-loathing.

“Vergil! Let me hear your voice! You’re still there, right?!”

“Yes. I am always here.” His answer came with grunts of effort, barely above the noise of the chains screeching around him.

The darkness shifted again, and his form became even more visible, as yours did to him – followed by a scream that rumbled in his chest, Vergil managed to get even closer. That made something spark inside yourself, that thundering storm breaking in your soul cracking in a scream that broke the insidious tentacles holding you back and making you lunge forward.

Once again, the glow you diffused only to each other seemed to get stronger as the darkness wavered.

“Y/n…” He growled once more, the shackles screaming on the floor as he reached out to you.

“Vergil…!” You reached out in return, barely making out the form of his fingers in the dark.

As you were almost touching each other’s hands, the heavy, muffling darkness faltered once more. You could finally see one another, as you were in that godforsaken place.

Vergil was shirtless, his body covered in wounds – new and old – bleeding profusely. His silvery eyes were red, sunken in deep shadow, surrounded by a deep purple mist on his dry skin. You could see his bones under his pale skin covered in so many lacerations you wouldn’t even know where to start healing him. His knuckles were battered, showing the flesh underneath, as well as his wrists covered by heavy iron shackles – wounds from fighting against them for so long. His hands were still long and elegant, but bony and covered in bruises.

You had never seen Vergil so hurt, so broken, so… Vulnerable.

In return, his eyes took in shock the vision of you: as shirtless as him, as battered and wounded as he was. Even if not locked in the shackles he wore for so long in Hell, you walked barefoot leaving a trail of blood behind you. Those scars, those wounds, those bruises… He knew they were there, but he had never seen those. You looked weak and tired, bloodshot eyes under dry skin, as if you hadn’t slept in ages… And those things you fought so much to conceal, now crystal clear in front of him.

Those were the scars you carried inside yourselves. The wounds you had to fight against every day – that you had to try to heal, even if sometimes it seemed impossible. The things you would never show, but, somehow, you managed to sense it in each other… Now you could see it, clear as a bright night.

And, even if you wouldn’t admit to yourselves, those were the very same breaking thunders that would keep you moving – fiercely fighting, fiercely surviving.

As you took in each other’s internal selves, Vergil’s silvery eyes finally found yours.

A loud thundering noise shook the floor underneath your feet twice, as your hearts rumbled alongside the devastating sound. You lunged forward, holding Vergil’s hand as if your life depended on it. Never breaking your eye contact, Vergil held your hand with the strength you would expect of the legendary Dark Slayer. You made each other stronger, and there was nothing that could come between you now.

His shackles immediately screeched back, pulling Vergil violently away from you. At the same time, you were grabbed by the viscous darkness – your knees, your legs, your abdomen, your arms. It pulled you back with vicious strength, doing its best to drag you away from him – back into the darkness.

“Don’t let me go!” You screamed back, tightening your grip around his bony hand.

“I will never let go!” He growled, doing the same, trying to drag his body forward – failing to notice you willed yourself towards him as he pulled you into his arms. Those silvery eyes never moved away from yours.

“You are lost…! Lost…!”

The voices chanted and screeched around you, doing their best to drag you apart. For a moment, your hand slipped and you let out a desperate scream, hurting your lungs as you were almost pulled back into the void. Vergil’s cry resembled a roar as he willed his body to move and tightened his grip in a way he didn’t hold even Yamato.

He hadn’t held his brother’s hand once. This time he wouldn’t make the same mistake. This time, he would hold you even if that damned the both of you to the darkest pits of Hell.

“Can’t you see…? Can’t you see that…?”

“I am lost…!” You barked back to the voices, still staring into Vergil’s eyes, trying to catch your breath while your lungs stung as if you were inhaling a thousand knives.

As Vergil looked into your eyes, though, he knew exactly what you were going to say – and he could safely say it was the very same thing he struggled to find the words to.

“Without you.” His answer came in a dark tone, ragged from the effort he too made to be able to hold your hand.

The thunder rumbled twice again – the voices shrieked and you suddenly found yourselves being launched into each other’s arms as the forces that bind you broke into a million pieces.

Vergil’s arms wrapped around you, one of his hands holding your head close to his chest, as you wrapped yours around his waist, keeping him as close as you could. His head rested on top of yours, and you kept your eyes closed – washing away the blood above his heart with the tears that streamed down your face.

“Don’t ever hide from me.” Vergil’s voice was uncharacteristically shaky, somber but reassuring. You had never been so vulnerable in front of him – and even upon seeing you like that, his reaction was to take you in his arms, to welcome you. “I’m not afraid of the dark.”

“And I’m not afraid of your darkness.” You tightened your arms around his cold, bony body as you felt tears running through your hair. “I can see beyond your glimmer, and I’m not afraid of what’s in the dark.” Your voice shook as you took a deep breath and Vergil’s arms held you even closer – his body shaking with the tears falling from his eyes. “It’s you. And I’m never afraid of you.”

“Neither am I of you.”

His answer was but a whisper – a whisper enough to break the darkness into a memory to be kept away in the deepest pits of Hell.

I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart I can see through the scars inside you

“You killed the Piranhas from Hell with the power of love?”

Vergil wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Or die. Or both.

Probably both.

The whole crew was there as you and Vergil never came back from the job as quickly as expected – and when you did, it looked like you hadn’t slept in days.

The priest was more than happy with the result of your work – even though you never discovered why the Weavers decided to come out of hiding nor what they wanted. The congregation was just happy they were gone and the whole reason behind it would be a long-term thing for the Devil May Cry to work on – or to keep an eye on; maybe something bigger was approaching.

You and Vergil didn’t feel like going back to the shop, though. When you were hurt physically, things were very much ok to deal with, but when the wounds were emotional… You needed time for yourselves.

Unlike his brother, Vergil was a little more responsible with his money – and you, a lot more than the two. You managed to find somewhere to spend a few nights… Which involved the both of you talking out everything you felt and saw. It was harrowing at first, something neither of you were versed in and honestly were terrified of, but it eventually brought you even closer together.

So, to say you had defeated the Lie Weavers with the power of love was something that killed Vergil inside.

And you could almost see his internal self, glaring at you with a ‘really, after all of this you say this kind of foolishness’ look in his sad, silvery eyes, as Lady stared at both of you and made the question everyone was thinking.

“Yep. Power of love, it’s a curious thing.” You shrugged, making Vergil physically groan by your side while Dante slapped his table with a huge grin on his face.

“Make a one man weep, make another man sing! Hell yeah, Back To The Future, babe!” He winked back at you as you smiled in response.

“Of all the people you could end up dating, Vergil…” Trish sat on Dante’s desk, crossing her long legs while sporting a devilish smile on her rosy lips. It was interesting how her voice could never really sound like Eva’s. “It had to be someone who references the same songs as your brother.”

“Alas, fate plays many games…” Vergil rolled his eyes, but as they rested on you, there was a vulnerability you saw only once in that pitch black darkness. “But it is kind enough to give us what we need.”

No one ever really understood what he meant, but Dante was the only one who managed to see something inside his brother’s silvery eyes that could only reflect in yours – and that made him genuinely smile.

Indeed, you would never be the romance of a fairy tale book or a romantic comedy – but you could see what lied beyond each other’s scars; taking a glimpse at the worst of each other without fear and finding whatever light was left inside. You could understand – and that was much more than most lovers in the world would ever have.

#devil may cry #devil may cry imagine #dmc #dmc imagine #vergil x reader #vergil imagine #devil may cry fanfiction #dmc fanfiction #dmc vergil #vergil sparda #devil may music #song fic requests #cirice #cirice ghost #there aaaaare a few references to other things sprinkled here and there #the nostalgia and haziness from secular haze and ghuleh/zombie queen #but the whole Eva thing was the zombie queen nostalgia #never let go? that's from Titanic #the two thundering noises being the thundering drums from the song #the holding hands from the video from the scene that killed me in Matrix and my drawing when I was 15 y/o #seriously it's a recurring imagery in my life and I'm always ??? so it's in here too #I won't suffer alone #for some reason I sometimes sing 'I can see through the stars inside you'#and that's where the reader's 'I can see beyond your glimmer and I don't fear the dark' comes from #and that silly little ending at the shop was just a thing to tie it all together #OH! THE HELL PIRANHAS! Totally inspired by those shadow piranhas from the library planet episode in Doctor Who #the whole concept of those things just creeps me out #if some lost soul from the Ghost fandom fell here by chance or mistake do apologize #I need to tag things properly in this blog to update my masterlist forgotten in the abyss so finding it by cirice will be easier #Youtube

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gayregina · 2 days

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The case of two lovesick fools!Dead boy detectives fanfic by gayregina

When the agency decides to take up on a mysterious case, the boys find themselves in an unfavorable situation and are forced to face the challenges of a very persistent ghost, at the cost of their own feelings.

Enjoy ;)

The case of two lovesick fools

“Please, miss Whistledown describe to us what the evil entity you claim to have take over your home is like.” Charles asked the client seated in front of him while hanging from his usual spot on the desk. He found himself so often perched up on the wooden vintage piece but for the first time he realized the numerous instances in which he had found the space to be perfectly empty, as if it’s waiting for him, in total contrast with the rest of the surface which was stuffed with all kinds of paperwork and books that solely belonged to Edwin. He wondered if his best friend was doing it deliberately, perhaps a sign that Charles would always have a place next to him. Before he could think of an answer, the woman’s voice brought him out of his busy mind.

“I don’t know the exact nature of this creature but I know for sure it is a vicious beast that roams my house and I want it gone as quickly as possible.” Her tone was extremely loud, perhaps in a desperate attempt to cover up her fear but her body gave her away as it trembled and breathed frantically. The poor woman looked like a wounded animal ready to strike and she could very much be. What she certainly was, however, is very much alive and she struck so different in the quiet of their office. Not even Crystal had made such an impact when she had first arrived.

“I will need you to calm yourself madam and then explain to us in detail what supernatural activity you have experienced so we may decide if we will work on your case.” Edwin said facing directly at the client, in a collective and cool tone as he always seem to do.

“Well, it started as a mere problem that all old houses seem to have in common; some creaking and pounding on the floors but never something so crude to draw my attention. Then, the whispers started and the laughter echoing from the walls. I tried to brush it off and started bringing over friends to the house so i wont be alone. But that was when the madness began." The lady took a deep breath and paused for what felt like a century. In the meantime, worried looks were exchanged between the boys and Crystal who stood on the other end of the desk.

“In the middle of a conversation between myself and my two friends, when I dared to turn my gaze away from them, I looked back after a moment of unresponsive silence to find them nowhere in sight. I searched the whole house and there was no sign of them. They didn’t respond when I called their names and their phones were still on the table next to their unfinished cups of tea. Needless to say I was already freaking out when I heard the haunting laughter coming from the attic.” Edwin had sat up fully now, almost hanging from the edge of his chair, the familiar look of intrigue in his eyes and Charles could almost see the wheels turning in his head. The plan was already set in motion and there was no version of him that would deny the adrenaline of a good mystery. Charles’s lips curled up at the sight.

“I checked the attic as well but no one was there either.” She went on. “I was thinking about enrolling myself in a psychiatric institution when suddenly my friends appeared out of thin air on the exact same spot I last saw them, looking exactly the same on the outside but all-together changed on the inside.”

“How do you mean?” Edwin asked in professional curiosity.

“They were acting awkwardly and couldn’t bring themselves to look me-or each other for that matter-in the eye. They both grabbed their belongings and stormed out of the house almost immediately, refusing to answer any of my questions. I haven’t heard a word from them since.” She sank down in the chair, seemingly defeated and temporarily run out of words, and the agency shared a knowing look. They squeezed together in the corner of the room, heads bumping into each other.

“Now this is an odd circumstance.” Charles proclaimed with an unimpressed expression on his face.

“Not gonna lie, at first I thought she was bullshiting like crazy too but I haven’t seen anyone so upset in my life. Maybe she almost scared herself to death or something and that’s why she’s able to see you, guys.” Crystal added in a hashed tone.

“Judging from the fact that she went all the way to search for us alone, makes me think she is being truthful.” Edwin answered and took an unsure pause. Charles watched the boy as he lowered his gaze and his demeanour shifted. “We haven’t taken up on a case for an alive person since-“ He stopped but the devastating scream of the name was ringing still in Charles’s head, the same way he knew it did for Edwin. Niko. He squeezed the other boy’s shoulder sympathetically. “But from the sights of it, the case is a proper supernatural mystery.” he continued, putting on a happy facade.

“Can’t argue with that.” Charles went along with it and at the same time all three looked at each other and nodded. They twirled around and left a breeze in their wake. Or at least, Crystal did.

“We will help you.” Crystal told the woman in distress and she, in return, jumped up due to her excitement.

“Ah yes, thank you so-“

“In exchange for proper payment, of course.” Edwin cut her off. “And I wouldn’t be quick to thank us, if I were you, until the case is closed.”

“Yes, of course.” she replied and offered them a smile for the first time that evening.

“Let’s hope you haven’t forgotten anything important this time, Charles. Although it would not pass off as a surprise, seeing the terrible state of the office which you refuse to tidy and organize as I often had shown you. The latter would prove to be, in fact, very efficient in our case but nobody seems to be listening to me these days.” Edwin complained for the second time that morning concerning the same subject. Charles didn’t think he was being fair on him. It wasn’t like he had forgotten anything vital on the last couple of cases. Only a few books Edwin wanted for some spells and one time, the key of the office had slipped from his pocket on a case and Crystal couldn’t get into their workplace for two days until he found it. But that one wasn’t his fault!

“I don’t understand why you are so fixated on cleaning up my side. It never bothered you and it had been this way since the day we moved in. Even the Night Nurse didn’t seem to mind. Don’t tell me you want personal space all of a sudden.” Charles glanced at him from the side and he looked another level of frustrated under the sunlight.

“You give me more than enough with all the time you spend away doing god knows what with Crystal.” The bitter answer caused his head to turn immediately in order to look at his best friend who was not facing him but whose unpleasantness was visible from ten miles away.

“Oi, that isn’t fair. We weren’t doing any-“

“Sorry to break off your lovely chitchatting but that’s the house.” Crystal cut them off before things could get out of hand and Charles was grateful for it. She was truly an amazing addition to the group, not only because of her psychic abilities but because her fresh energy and perspective daily reminded him and Edwin not to get lost in petty things. Their friendship was stronger thanks to her.

“Right.” Edwin cleared his throat and straightened his bow tie.

The two boys stepped through the door, momentarily forgetting that Crystal couldn’t follow them, and startled miss Whistledown who awaited at the nearby couch. She opened the door for Crystal and welcomed them in her home. She offered to show them around but the agency reassured her that they would find their way around the house.

Surely enough, there they stood in the infamous attic with a reputation for unexplainable activity. Edwin had the magnifier in his hand, inspecting the overflowing boxes, acting as if the ghost was hiding inside one of them.

“Mate, I don’t think your magnifier is very useful on this case.” Charles explained civilly, not wanting to start yet another argument.

“You’d be surprised, Charles.” He simply answered. “You never know if something important is right under your nose. Most of the times if you are not searching for it, you can’t see it.”

“I think you took this a little too literally, mate.” Charles said and Edwin sighed and lowered the magnifier from his face.

“And what would you have me do, Charles? We have been here for more than an hour, searching all over the house and there hasn’t been a single clue as to what is going on. I am starting to think this is a waste of time.” He was losing his patience but it was obvious the case wasn’t really what bothered him. Neither was the messy nature of Charles.

“Okay, I don’t know what is up with you two today but can you please shut up for a minute?I think I heard something.” Crystal interrupted them and signaled towards the corner of the room. They took a few steps forward and listened in carefully.

And soon enough, there it was. Quiet at first but stronger as time passed; humming. Not any kind of humming either but it had a rhythmical pattern to it as well.

Charles turned his head over to Edwin to check if he was hearing the same thing but the boy was already looking at him with the familiar gentle gaze that Charles could recognise anywhere. And he had recognised him, even in the depths of Hell covered as he was from head to toe with blood, terrified to the bone and running for his life. The sight of him that day had reached a part of Charles that unlocked a whole new wave of emotion and need to protect the boy who meant the most to him. That part was very present now in this very room where it had no reason to be but then again it had stayed with him ever since. Surprisingly enough though, he didn’t mind it. That was the last realisation he made before everything flashed white.

“Edwin?” Charles exclaimed quietly, still recovering from the temporary blindness. “Edwin!” He shouted when he didn’t hear a response and he squeezed his eyes in a desperate attempt to find him. But wherever they were, wasn’t the same place they had been seconds ago.

“I am here.” Edwin’s voice rang back and Charles let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know.” Charles looked around and took in the colourful environment with profound suspicion. He was pretty sure it was supposed to be a ball room but the choice of colour on the walls resembled a child’s room. There was a lot of pink everywhere. His eyes finally fell upon a throne on the other side of the room but what he found weirder than the piece and the placement itself was the person currently sitting on it. “But something tells me we’re about to find out.”

“Well, good evening boys.” Said the lady in the elegant gown and it was no surprise really when he noticed that everything she was wearing represented different shades of pink. Even the edges of her blond hair faded in hot pink! By the looks of his face, Edwin appeared to experience utter shock, perhaps living his personal nightmare and that said a lot, considering he had spent more than 70 years in Hell. Charles rushed over to the other boy, exchanging unsure glances with him the whole way. No sign of Crystal so far.

“Young love!” She sighed blissfully. “How much I adore to witness it.”

“Are you the one that has been harassing the owner of this house?” Edwin asked but the woman only swung her legs on one side of the throne while dipping her head backwards the other side dramatically.

“I am Pandora and I find harassing to be a very barbaric use of language. I was merely trying to help.” The lady pouted as if she was offended and she kicked her legs childishly under the long Victorian dress that was missing its long sleeves. And by missing, he meant ripped off completely.

“And what kind of services would those be?” Edwin went on with the interrogation, trying desperately to find out as much as he could about this unique creature. Was she a ghost? She could have been but then again what kind of ghost have powers or a special place to hide in?

“I specialise in bringing people together and watching as a fruitful relationship grows and inevitably flourishes into a successful marriage.” She smiled to herself, looking all proud, and Charles barely contained his chuckle. They were in for a treat.

“You are a matchmaker!?” The two boys said at the same time. Charles gave up and started laughing but Edwin, on the other hand, seemed repulsed at best. Charles remembered the stories his best friend had shared with him about the failed attempts of society members to find him a young lady to pursue a family with and he also remembered all too well his efforts to avoid anything relevant, as well as their disastrous results. It only caused more erupting laughter from Charles’s side.

“Well, if you must diminish my art so.” She rolled her eyes and stared daggers into Charles who then, admittedly fearful, cleared his throat and straightened his back.

“I am afraid this is a poor excuse for unfinished business and it is essential you move on to your afterlife.” Edwin demanded in a way that seemed to catch Pandora’s attention.

“You cannot force me to leave.”

“No. But if the housekeeper was to state her refusal with authority, then you would be obliged to. No spirit can stay where it’s unwanted.” The words and the seriousness of the situation looked like they finally clicked inside the woman’s brain. She let out a groan and turned her body around to face them properly this time. She rose up from her seat and slowly started to make her way towards them.

“Fine.” Edwin smiled in triumph but Charles had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy. “But on one condition.” Charles signaled her to explain further. “You allow me one last case.” She held her head high with her hands behind her back, smiling cunningly, and Charles could swear he saw her batting her eyelashes at them.

“I suppose there is no harm in that.” Edwin answered and glanced at Charles to see if he was on board. He just shrugged his shoulders. Then Edwin turned to the woman again, simultaneously pulling out his notebook and his pen: “Alright, where can we find them?”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary.” Both of the boys frowned in return. “They are in this very room, after all.” Charles didn’t need to look at Edwin to picture his expression and he was pretty positive it mirrored his own. Pandora smiled sweetly at them and quickly snapped her fingers.

In that moment, the room seemed to come to life. The colorful walls were glistening and the dull pink ground turned into a dance floor painted like a chessboard. Charles even jumped up when he heard violins next to his ear and thought he was going crazy when he couldn’t find the source of the music. When he looked over to Edwin, the boy seemed to be identically lost and confused. So distracted they were that they hadn’t notice that the woman was no longer next to them but sitting on her throne once again. Her attire had changed as well; She was wearing a red glimmering gown and in her hands she was holding a bow. But that wasn’t the strangest part. Leaning on her throne was a case full of heart shaped arrows. Charles had to rub his eyes for the last part, just to make sure.

“Tell me this is a joke.” He whispered to Edwin but his best friend was not having it.

“What is the meaning of this? Do you wish to humiliate us?” He yelled at her and Charles was surprised at the loud display of annoyance.

“Humiliate? No, young child. Just to make you aware of what you so desperately try to deny.” Her tone was serious, perhaps for the first time, and Edwin scoffed in frustration. Charles watched as the other boy clenched his fists against one another. Uh oh. Charles stepped close and took hold of his gloved hands.

“You need to relax, mate.”

“How can I? This is insanity!”

“We’ve been through worse. I am sure we can handle this.” Charles smiled reassuringly, managing even for a split second to break Edwin’s angry facade and have him offering a smile in return.

“Now, now hush lovebirds. May the music be your anchor.” She clapped her hands and bright lights were immediately on them. Not only that, but there was a sparkling path which due to the structure of the floor, looked like a winning formula for a chess game. Something clicked in Charles’s mind. He knew what they had to do.

He hastily removed his gloves and placed them in his pockets. He grabbed Edwin’s waist so fast that the boy jumped at the contact. He widened his eyes and looked at Charles like a madman.

“What on earth do you think you are doing?” Charles ignored him. He took his one hand into his own and placed his other one on his shoulder before he returned his own to its rightful place on the other boy’s lower back.

“Have you lost your mind?” He whispered dangerously to Charles but he chose to let it go this once.

“Follow me and please don’t step on my shoes. They are new.” He offered Edwin’s baffled face one last smile before he started dancing to the tune of the music.

Dancing classes from the 1900s seemed to suffice because Edwin followed gracefully, perhaps because the meaning of their actions had yet to register in his mind. Light feet followed the winning line while their bodies were moving in perfect synchronisation. Something about the way everything felt so natural and easy with Edwin, made Charles slow down the pace. Their eyes, which had been stuck to the magic pathway, found each other instead. A question lingered in Edwin’s blue ones. Charles could almost hear them spelling it out, the same way they had on the staircase in Hell, where once again they were seeking out the ticket for their escape. When the stakes were high and their long since silent hearts could be heard thumping across the different realms. How the threat never stopped Edwin, whose courage served up his heart to Charles on a silver platter, not afraid to be vulnerable and ready to take a hit. In the moment where neither of them was hesitant to reach out and touch because the ghosts of their short-lived existence were still hovering above them, aiming to open the wounds they worked so hard to heal. A moment Charles had replaying in his mind consistently ever since.

“Are you okay?” Edwin asked softly and they weren’t moving anymore. They weren’t running and he had him still in his arms, not a single reason why he shouldn’t. They didn’t need to count the seconds or hide in his backpack again. They could simply stay on the same spot for the rest of time and Death or even Hell wouldn’t bat an eye. But it wasn’t the right question now and it hadn’t been the right answer then.

“I would do it all over again, you know.” Charles didn’t take his eyes off of Edwin because he didn’t want him to reduce the meaning of his words.

“What?” He answered breathlessly and Charles noticed that their faces had never been so close, Edwin’s lips had never seemed so soft. Their bodies were still snapped into place and their chests were connected proudly.

“I would refuse my afterlife again if it meant I’d get to spent one more moment with you.” Edwin looked taken aback by his best friend’s words, an insecure part of him not believing them and another taught to reject them.

“Don’t do this just because it will guarantee us a way out. This isn’t Hell, Charles. I don’t need you to save me and I certainly don’t need you to say things you don’t mean.” Edwin started to pull away from him but Charles couldn’t let him go just yet.

“No, you’re not listening to me, Edwin. I meant everything I said in Hell and everything I am saying right now. I never doubted my love for you and neither should you.” He took Edwin’s face in his hands, gently caressing his skin, the same way he had at the core of his best friend’s nightmare. But Edwin was right; this wasn’t Hell. His eyes weren’t glistening with tears that were threatening to fall, neither was his body trembling with fear for the inevitable. Instead, he was warm and radiant and something familiar sparkled in his eyes. Charles could even dare to name it without fear of jinxing it.

“I just want you to show me how to love you in the way you want me to. I am ready this time.” Charles smiled and Edwin’s lips curled up in return. It was the first time Charles wished the world could see them, could see him. The people didn’t know they were missing out. But this exchange rang out as a secret promise too, just between the two of them, the same way it had been for three decades. “So what do you say, deal?” Edwin chuckled and rested his hands on the other boy’s wrists as they were still on his face.

“Deal.” He agreed and as if almost on cue, the hard lights showering them dimmed. Slow clapping was heard across the room as it started retreating into its previous form.

“Bravo! I knew you were made for each other. My services have once again proven to be most efficient.” Pandora smiled proudly at them, admiring her work. “I didn’t even need to use my arrows!” She exclaimed happily and Charles was reminded of the heart shaped devils. He and Edwin shared a look of relief. They pulled away from each other.

“Now, please let us accompany you out of here and into the afterlife.” Said Edwin and the woman’s smile died down.

“Yes, of course.” She turned around and spoke to the empty room. “I’ll miss you a great deal, miss Diana!” The boys frowned at that.

“Who is she talking to?”

“I think it’s the room.”

“Well, let’s go, you beautiful lovesick fools.” She wiped a single tear from her eye and snapped her fingers. This time, however, the sound transported them back to the dark and quiet attic.

“Oh my god, there you are! You scared the shit out of me! Where have you been?” Crystal yelled the second they appeared in the room but the boys’ attention was elsewhere. Specifically, on each other.

Charles realized for the first time that there was nothing holding him back and judging by the look on Edwin’s face and the smile that he flashed him, he had realized the same.

They were walking before they could let the thought sink in, before the taught hatred could get in the way of the only normal thing in their troublesome existence. Their eyes closed as soon as their lips made contact. Charles’s hands tangled up in the other boy’s hair, holding on for dear life, and Edwin grabbed him by the waist, trying to balance them. Charles would have stayed in this embrace forever, which was possible because they didn’t need the air anyway, but he remembered they weren’t alone. He pulled back slowly and looked over to Crystal to find her holding out her hands in question and to Pandora to find her beaming and jumping because of her excitement.

“Is anyone gonna explain to me what the hell is going on?” Said Crystal on the verge of a mental breakdown but the boys couldn’t help themselves. After a long time, they laughed.

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#dead boy detectives #dead boy detective agency #edwin paine #charles rowland #edwin x charles #charles x edwin #crystal palace #lgbtq #fanfic writing #fanfiction #comfort #funny #light reading #dbd

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