Archive of Our Own ^beta

“So yer headed out again?” Dante asks, arriving onto the rooftop.

“Yeah,” Trish answers, adjusting her bag.

Dante sighs. “So, what set you off this time?”

“Hey, pass me that can, S—”

Nope.

“Just felt like it,” Trish shrugs.

Dante tuts.

“Ya really shook Pattycakes up,” he informs her, “Getting up and running out like that.”

“Sorry,” Trish dismisses.

She’s a pretty fragile girl.

They’re all fragile creatures.

“Morrison took ‘er home,” he says. “Thought you and I could use a little talk.”

“Not really,” she denies.

Dante sighs again.

“I get it, I hate talkin’ about my shit too.”

“Don’t have any,” she tells him. “Problems are a human thing.” She pulls out her shades and arranges them on her face.

“Trish,” he tries. “I’mma sound like a hypocrite, but you gotta let someone know if you aren’t ready for something.”

“I’m ready for anything.” She claims.

She always is.

Demons can handle anything thrown at them.

Except Dante, as he’s determined to prove yet again.

“So yer fine?” He starts.

“Yup.” She answers.

“You’re just heading out ‘cause you’re bored?”

“Yup.”

“You’ll be back one day?”

“Maybe.”

“Alright,” he shrugs. “Have a fun trip.” He gives her that look that means it’s pointless to fight back.

Don’t say it…

“Sis.”

“…”

Damn it, Dante.

He sighs and walks over to her. “Knew it.”

“Get lost,” she rolls her eyes. She makes to teleport but he sticks his foot over hers.

“Trish…”

“Don’t,” she holds a hand up, hiding his face. “We don’t talk about this stuff.”

“Startin’ ta realize that’s a problem,” he chuckles. “Crap, now I owe the princess fifty bucks.”

“Too bad for you,” Trish tells him, turning away.

He stays silent for a bit, before piping back up. “Ya know, I woulda thought I was the one who had hang-ups about lovin’ other people. Turns out, it’s easier than I thought. Once you get past the self-hatred and realize there’s people in the world that like ya for some reason, it’s kinda hard ta let ‘em go.” He shrugs. “What can I say? Selfishness is just a part of life.”

“It’s weird when you talk about your feelings,” she snorts, crossing her arms.

“Yer always telling me to get ‘em out,” he retorts. “You and the other people that put up with me for some reason.”

“Can I go now?” She moans.

“After I finish my spiel,” Dante denies. The wind blows his bangs around a bit, leaving those piercing blues focused on her. “I get what it’s like thinking that anyone who loves you is an idiot, but that’s not it for you, is it?”

“…”

“What are you afraid of?”

…

“…I tried to kill you,” she offers.

“Everyone I meet does that,” he dismisses. “And I’m not the type ta hold grudges.” He pauses to think. “‘Least…not often.”

“You’re okay with loving someone who screwed with you like I did?” She presses.

“You already know that I am,” Dante says, like it’s obvious. “But that’s not what this is about, and you know it.”

“…”

“My birthday’s next week!” Patty chirps. “Are you gonna come, Trish?”

“You should,” Morrison encourages as he sits up, cursing his knees. “Ain’t like they used to be.” He sighs.

“Yeah you handle her for a few hours,” Dante says. “Last party the little harpy threw had me nostalgic for gettin’ shot.”

Patty smacks his shoulder and sticks her tongue out.

She’s getting older…

“I’ll think about it,” Trish says, not stable enough to give an actual answer at the moment.

“Pleeeeease?” Patty pleads, eyes big and hands clasped together to beg.

“Hey,” Dante pipes up, “Pass me that can, Sis.”

…

…

“…I’m leaving.”

She can’t do this.

“You’re all going to die,” she says. “Humans grow old and die.”

“Oh.” He says, because he finally decided to rub those two braincells he has together and figure it out.

“Even you get older,” she notes. “You age like a human. You’ll die like one. And I’ll still be alive when all of you are gone.”

“Pretty confident in yourself,” he jokes, trying (and failing) to lighten the mood, “Aren’t ya?”

“I don’t want to love other people if they’re just going to die because their bodies have time limits and I’m left alone.” She turns to him. “And I don’t want them to love me either, knowing they’re just a phase in my life.”

She’ll see the end of days unless something kills her, and she’s not planning on anything ever getting that right.

She’ll persist.

She’ll see everyone she cares about wither and die.

And she’ll be the only one left.

“Geez,” Dante cuts into her thoughts. “Well…yer not wrong.”

“I don’t want to be your sister,” she declares. “I don’t want a family if I’m just going to be stuck watching them die one by one.” She balls her fists and tightens them. “It’s not fair.”

He moves his foot off of her. Then swipes a finger over her cheek.

“That’s the second time I’ve seen you cry,” Dante remarks.

“It still didn’t make me human,” she bites.

“You still might feel better,” Dante shrugs.

“Is that all you’ve got?” She gives a watery chuckle.

“Pretty much.”

She shakes her head.

Dante is ridiculous.

She’s gonna miss him when he’s gone.

“We can’t exactly stop loving you,” he tells her. “Sorry, can’t do anything about that. You’re stuck with having people who care about you and all the crappy feelings that come with it.”

“I know,” she agrees. “It sucks.”

“I get it; it’s easier to lose someone if they didn’t care about you. But trust me, one-sided love is even worse.” He places a hand on her shoulder. “And even if you lose the ones who loved you, doesn’t change the fact that they did.”

“I don’t want to just have memories,” she confesses. “I don’t want to be alone. And don’t say you’ll always be in my heart or something.”

“I won’t.”

But they will be.

“But are you really going to deny yourself something you want?” He asks.

She looks over the horizon, people living their little lives knowing they’re going to end one day.

Maybe it’s better that way.

She doesn’t have that luxury.

“No.” She tells him.

She’ll take what she wants, knowing it’ll hurt her in the end.

If she’s a slave to anything, it’s her own desires.

Dante wraps her in his arms.

“Just enjoy us while you got us,” he encourages. “It’s all you can do. We’re not letting you go.”

“You suck,” she returns his embrace.

“I know.”