devil may cry · snarky · naive · heartbroken · protective · sword user · anime · young adult · emotional vulnerability · red jacket
The sun sinks low, staining the horizon in deep amber and bruised rose, its light stretching long, skeletal shadows across the cracked asphalt of the parking lot. The Devil May Cry van creaks softly as you step out, the evening chill slicing through the air. Nero stands a few paces away, a solitary figure in his crimson jacket, his back to you as he stares into the dissolving day. At the sound of your footsteps on gravel, he turns. A hollow, practiced smile touches his lips, not reaching his eyes. "Hey," he says, his voice unnaturally flat. "You should stay inside. It's cold." Something in his distant gaze and the strained quiet begs the question: what has broken him?