Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Dad	By : Ash_Gray_Kitsune Category: +A through F > Devil May Cry Views: 1882 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry and I do not make any profit from it.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Dad
Nero yawned in the chilly morning air as he took out the trash, and waved to his equally sleepy father just inside the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively at the bacon and eggs. One thing that his father had learned in ten years of raising a son was that Nero's body demanded more than pizza all day, everyday, and the demon-hunter's cooking prowess had grown far more than even Dante had believed. A large plate heaping with pancakes was shoved into Nero's hands as he tramped back inside, and the boy promptly rolled one up and shoved it into his mouth, not even wincing when a wooden spoon smacked the back of his head.
"Chew your fucking food, you animal." Dante growled, though there was a playful undertone to the older man's voice as he plated up the eggs and pork, and Nero was content to chow down as the second plate was added to the pancakes and big glass of milk. He was allergic to oranges (same as his dad), so they always had a few jugs of milk on hand as substitute. Finally, Nero was getting a little meat on his bones, though he was still wiry and slender. And short for his age, too; Dante suspected it had more to do with Nero's deep love of Thai food than his own inadequacies as a parent. Nonetheless, his kid was bright, strong, and generally pretty affable; the only time he ever grew moody, in fact, was when his scales grew.
And that, to Nero's dismay, was something that wasn't going to go away. Ever. After the second scale appeared, Dante had managed to convince the kid to visit a doctor friend of his, someone who knew a great deal about demonic bloodlines and their effects on human DNA. That someone had, in turn, been very understanding of Nero's plight, and after a few dozen blood tests and examinations, concluded that while he himself didn't know the exact genome responsible for the transformation, it did indeed come from the bloodline of Sparda. The doctor had been very upbeat as he gave Nero all of his educated guess as to what might happen in the future; the scales might cover his whole body, they might stop at his arm...they might even go away as he grew older. But he did stress that while Nero ought to keep it covered to protect them from scarring too much, they were nothing to be ashamed of.
"You are your grandfather's blood, child, and nothing in this world or the next can or will change that. But you have his courage, and his love in you, and with your father's help, I think that you will prove to be a greater warrior than the three that proceeded you. And it all starts, I feel, with your arm. You are a true child of both worlds; it is a harsh burden, but I believe that one day, you will have the strength to carry that burden fully. Until then, know that your father will do so for you." The visit had left both Dante and Nero more than a little nonplussed, but after a few days of talking out strategies, they managed to agree on one that worked for them both. So for the time being, Nero kept the scales neatly bandaged and hidden, protecting them from being bruised or cut. They were, perhaps, more delicate than his own skin, and every night, he'd come to Dante's room and they'd sit and watch TV while the older man cleaned each brownish-black oval, taking care to never press too hard.
So far, no one at school even knew he had them; he simply told the teachers that it was a skin infection from when he was a baby, something that only went away with a lot of antibiotics. They always asked if he needed his pills at school....he was just glad that his old man had agreed, and even had a pill bottle or four stashed in his coat with dyed jelly beans in them. Besides, it wasn't like he showered at school anyway; he'd already had one of the bigger bullies try and fox him into the showers to show him the 'Rope a Dope' the year before, and discovered that learning parkour at the hands of a guy who did it for fun made climbing into the rafters hilarious, if likely to get him suspended. He grinned a little at his record, and still had the resist the urge to salute his father whenever he actually did get caught.
He wasn't so much a class clown as he was....a mental liberator. Yeah, he liked that. Free all the minds, that sort of crap. He seriously did do that, though, from snarking back to the teachers in his homeroom to wowing the science professor with his specially rigged remote-control volcano. That had given him both a week's suspension and a straight A, though, so Dante had simply told the principal to fuck off and asked Nero if he could replicate it to use on Lady...He chuckled softly to himself, earning a raised eyebrow from his father, and started in on the eggs.
"Sorry, I was thinking about all the pranks I pulled this year." Dante sighed and took a quiet bite from his own omelet before answering.
"Uh huh. I'm still in trouble from the last one, buddy. Though, I'll admit, I never once thought of a newt in the water pitcher your English teacher keeps on his desk."
"Came from a movie Lady took me to at the old opera house. You would have liked it, though you might have punched the screen with the way the little girl's parents acted."
"Self-rightous assholes with an addiction to TV dinners? Yeah, I've seen Matilda before. It's a good one, I agree. So, what else is your devious little demonic mind planning on destroying, defacing, or defenestrating next?" Nero stuck out his tongue and started tearing into the bacon.
"I'm not going to chuck anything out a window, Dad. C'mon now."
"That's not nearly as comforting as you meant it to sound."
"Seriously, no plans here. I don't need to get suspended again, and spend my holiday with everyone glaring at me again." His father chuckled a little, and setting the empty plate in the sink, leaned down and ruffled Nero's hair a little.
"Alright then. Hurry up and finish eating while I get the car warmed up and ready out front. We're leaving in ten." With that, Dante threw on his long winter coat and stepped out back, leaving Nero to finish off his milk and bacon, and race upstairs to throw everything into his backpack. He didn't take a lunch anymore, partly because his dad would bring him a freshly cooked one every day unless he was out on a mission, and admittedly, Nero was spoiled on those good meals; he'd sooner starve than eat the school's food.
Besides, they never gave him enough, and Dante always had the right amount. So, he gathered up books, homework, and notebooks, and dug his mp3 player out of his blankets long enough to shove into his pocket. They weren't generally allowed, but he focused better with music, and his study hall teacher never minded, so long as it wasn't so loud they could hear it through the earbuds. Glancing around his bedroom, he gave a deep sigh and headed back down to the shop, stopping to lock up the back and grab his own keys before locking the front as well.
The old convertible was replaced in the winter time with a warm, sturdy old coupe, and Nero dashed down the icy steps to skid into the front seat, melting in the warmth as he shut the door. He did not miss the drafts that plagued his room and Dante's; the little living room under the stairs was the only place in the house that was totally warm.
"Alright. Pack, keys, clean underwear?"
"Dad!"
"Hey, it's useful if you ever end up in a position where you need it."
"Uh huh."
"Anyway, ready to go?"
"Duh, old man."

Three hours later, Nero was wishing he'd just played hooky instead. Recess was canceled due to the winds shearing across the playground, and every class was trying to make do by bringing all the kids together in the large common room, like they did in the mornings. The teachers had mostly all gone to the library while everyone talked; Nero pretended not to notice, and simply did his homework. He did have a few friends here, but two of them were out with the flu, and the third lived out of town, so he hadn't been able to come in for school. He missed Rory, Ben, and Gai, but never more so than now. The school bully, Jimmy Newland, was a beast on the best of days; cooped up in a stinking great room full of loud, obnoxious kids made him an unholy terror. Jimmy was a middle schooler held back because of his abysmal grades, and because Nero had actually skipped a grade ahead, he was oftentimes the main target.
To date, though, he'd never been caught unaware by the huge hulking moron and his fearsome foursome of henchmen...but that was because Rory and Gai usually played look out, and Ben would lead them off elsewhere. Because Nero worked to the music in his ears, and so never saw the heavy hand that slammed his forehead into the table, knocking him senseless long enough to be scooped up and carried away. As he weakly fought back, another hand came up and he saw stars, going completely limp as darkness swooped in.
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dad