#but for now i am posting it to keep the impulsivity devil placated

[ros-sauce]

Being overcaffeinated should only make me Jittery, I don't know why it also makes me Stupid

[sethrine-writes]

Devil-sitter May Cry, Ch. 6

Pairing: Dante x F!Reader, Vergil x F!Reader (Undecided)

Words:  1474

Warning:  Exposition, cuteness

Story Summary: Low on cash and desperate for a job, you reply to a flyer for a babysitting position. Little did you know that the opportunity to watch over two special boys would bring your life so much mayhem and adventure…and, perhaps, a chance at a family of your own.

A/N: Another shorter chapter. Also posting at cryptid hours because I am, myself, a night owl by nature and have no impulse control. Enjoy!

------

Chapter 6 - Last-minute Services

You waited patiently at the front door of Devil May Cry, admiring the streetside that was aglow with twilight. Normally, you arrived during early to mid-morning hours, plenty of time for the sun to rise and brighten everything around it. Sunsets had an interesting way of making things seem so much more ethereal, even a normal city block such as the one you found yourself in.

Huh...that motorbike on the curb was new, wasn't it?

The door opened abruptly and interrupted your train of thought. You turned to greet who you assumed would be Dante only to falter at finding a woman standing there, smile bright and expecting.

"There you are! A bit late, but I take it you took the bus, right?"

You floundered for just a moment, completely caught off-guard at having someone new and unknown beckon you into the establishment.

"Uh, y-yeah, I took the next available bus I could after I got the call," you explained while entering the building behind the dark-haired woman, perplexed and a little wary at her presence.

Dante had been the one to call you in on such short notice, and yet a quick glance told you that neither he nor Vergil -nor their respective weapons- were anywhere to be seen.

"You should seriously invest in your own transportation, you know. It'll cut your travel time almost in half, something to consider in this line of work."

She turned abruptly toward you, stopping you in your tracks as her lovely heterochromatic gaze found yours.

"I'm Lady, by the way," she said, holding out her hand, "we've talked before."

Realization crossed your mind, and a sense of ease washed over you as you took her hand in a more formal greeting.

"Oh, for the babysitting job, yes! I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize...you sound so different over the phone."

"Phones are weird like that," she dismissed easily, pulling back and heading straight for the desk, beckoning you once more to follow her as she began shuffling through the mess of papers and bills scattered about.

"Alright, the boys have already had dinner, so the rest of the night should be pretty easy stuff. They get another hour or so of playtime, then a bath, V's nighttime stretches and meds, and then bedtime - ah!"

She turned quickly to you yet again with a startling flourish, brandishing an envelope she had apparently been searching for. You eyed it curiously as you placed your bag on the floor beside the desk, taking the envelope from her gloved fingers. It felt thick between your own.

"What's this?"

"Your week's pay! Dante did give you last week's, right? I can straighten him out in a heartbeat, if he didn't."

"It's barely the middle of the week," you explained in bewilderment, attempting to give the envelope back, "it's hardly fair!"

"No, no, take it! Think of it as an advanced payment," she explained, "for Dante and Vergil needing your services at such a sudden and late hour. Besides, this current job is paying very well, and it's best to give you your cut before the idiot blows it for something else."

She pushed your hands toward you insistently, her assured smile only slighting your worries minimally.

"Thank you," you said, your words enough to placate the grinning woman before you.

"No problem. Oh! I set out a blanket and an extra pillow for you. It's not much, but I'm sure the guys will remember their manners, next time, and offer you a real bed to take advantage of."

Lady pointed out said blanket and pillow neatly stacked on the worn leather couch with a tilt of her head. She then began moving swiftly towards the door, picking up some sort of massive weapon you hadn't even noticed upon entering the building that was propped up against the wall beside the doors.

How did she manage to carry that thing?

"Alright, I'll leave you to it," she said with a nod, giving a cheery two-fingered salute while walking out the door, clearly in a hurry.

"It was nice to meet you!" you called out just as the door swung shut, and for a moment, you were left in the quiet of the lounge, floating in an odd sort of limbo as to the quick nature of your first meeting with Lady.

An engine roared to life outside, the sound of a motorbike revving and tires squealing briefly against the asphalt almost startling you.

Ah, well...that little mystery made sense.

"Nero, she's here!"

Looking up toward the top of the stairs found an excited looking V waving down at you, of which you were quick to reciprocate with your own smile and wave. Not two seconds later, Nero came running around the corner, nearly knocking into V in his haste.

"Yes! Lady said you'd give us ice cream!"

"Did she, now?" you asked in amusement, moving to stuff your early week's pay into your bag as excited little feet made their way down the stairs.

"Mhm! I want sprinkles on mine!"

"Can I have an ice cream cone?"

"No, wait, I want that, too!"

Nero was practically dragging you towards the kitchen in his excitement, V happy to complete the train by holding your free hand and following along.

You could only hope their energy depleted itself over the next couple of hours, despite loving every minute of their creativity. As rambunctious as they seemed to be, it would be a miracle to get them to bed on time, and the last thing you wanted was Vergil reprimanding you on your terrible timekeeping.

---

Well, an hour past scheduled bedtime wasn't too bad, considering you expected even more trouble than that to get the boys down.

Luckily, it seemed bath time wore out V, for the most part, and it was a matter of calming Nero's high-energy self with relaxing bedtime stories from space-related books to finally get him settled.

They both had their own beds, rather spacious for their age, but it was easy to see why when Nero brought over his own pillow to V's bed and settled in snuggly beside his cousin for stories. It must have been an often occurrence, the boys finding comfort in sleeping next to each other.

You found just as much comfort at watching them both nod off, Nero much slower to do so, but his sweet parting of V's hair and his drooping gaze as he relaxed was such a precious thing to watch happen from your peripheral. By book three, Nero had finally succumbed to his own personal dreamland, no doubt filled with a nighttime sky just waiting to be explored.

For a long moment, you watched the two boys sleep soundly, taking the time to tuck them in further with their respective stuffies and gently brushing the hair from their faces. Your heart ached at the tenderness it brought about, a hand coming up to twiddle with the pendant around your neck almost absentmindedly.

A small sigh escaped you, and with quiet steps, you left their bedroom and slowly shut the door, finding your way back downstairs.

You checked the front door one last time, ensuring you had flicked both locks into place, then made your way over to the couch-

Where you were promptly greeted by Shadow popping up from behind the blanket and pillow set out for you. You'd never pulled your hand over your mouth so fast to stop yourself from screaming, you were sure of it.

"Jesus, you crazy demon cat! You're trying to give me a heart attack, aren't you?" you accused with curious suspicion.

The answer you received was a quaint little meow, one that was deceptively cheerful sounding and not at all representative of the ferocious visage she made when not parading as a house cat.

"Mhm, whatever you say," you groused, reaching out to pet along the length of her dark, shining fur still amazed at the tiny sparks of red that shimmered through after your touch. "So long as I'm off-duty, you got that?"

The following purring was cathartic just as it was playfully ominous, and you couldn't help but smile at the ridiculousness of the moment.

"Glad we could come to an agreement. You gonna keep me company for a while, or are you just here to threaten me with your cuteness?"

Shadow made a soft sound, jumping up gracefully on top of the pillow and settling against it. It was all the invitation you needed to sit on the couch beside her, the worn leather rather comfortable to relax into. Your hand found it's way to Shadow once more, her purring intensifying with each gentle stroke along her back you completed.

Perhaps this would be a good way to waste away your time, at least for a little while.

------

Tag List:  @v-vic, @astridstark13