tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, el gently petted jello on the head. "oh my love... what did we ever do to deserve this?"
a whimper escaped the rottweiler before snuggling back into el's lap. "baby, i have to go soon, your snuggles might back me stay back with you! we can't have that, the demons must be punished, boop boop," she gently tapped the puppy on the nose with a small laugh.
el stood up and walked to her closet, pulling out a very short black mini skirt and also a matching long sleeve top.
she made sure to wear tights to somewhat cover the cuts and scars on her thighs.
"dante!" she shouted and stomped a feet on the ground with a huff. "dante! dante! i cant find my dolly knife! where is my purple one!? DANTE!"
he didn't rush to walk into her room but he smiled when he did so. "piccolo, calm down. it's outside." he told her gently. "i cleaned it for you, okay? why don't you take the red—"
"NO! THAT'S TOO SMALL!" she shouted, her face forming a frown. "i want the better one... please..."
he smiled and cupped her cheeks when her eyes softened. "i said please. i... i'm a good dolly..." her voice quivered and shook but he shook his head.
"i know, i know... you've been so helpful... she would have loved you so much, okay?" his voice cracked but he then shook it off. "come here," he opened his arms and hugged her tightly. "i love you, el... so much."
she nodded against his chest. "i wish i met her... she deserved so much more. they deserved to die, not her," she whispered as her head shook. "he needs to pay, dante. they all do! THEY ARE EVIL! THEY MUST BE PERISHED WITH MY GREY KNIFE!"
he let out a small chuckle before gently rubbing her back. "i know..." he pulled back a bit and smiled gently at her. "don't worry, she knows. she's in peace."
that made her smile warmly. "i can feel it. she is a good dolly. the best. don't be sad, dante, she is protected now," el gently squished his cheeks. "now come on! we have to go avenge!"
he grinned at how excited she was becoming. "yes yes. run along now, let's head out soon,"
a giggle escaped her and she skipped out of her room with excited squeals.
and he couldn't help but smile at how happy she was.
✿
el laughed behind her hands, hiding behind the door as she watched the man run around the dim and broken house, trying to find a way out within the given time.
when her laugh escaped, her eyes widened and she instantly turned to damien. "oh no!"
he instantly covered her mouth with a cheeky smile. "shh... we need to watch him fail!"
her eyes grew even larger. "right!"
he snickered before chuckling and pulled her into him for a hug, though they were squatting down.
looking up and out, she saw dante walk out of the room across the hall before entering hers, grinning down at her before squatting to her height.
"hey, piccolo. it's time," he softly smiled as she frowned a little, covering her ears with her hands.
he gently moved her hands. "he's lost... let's guide him, yes?"
that made her eyes twinkle. "yes..." she leaned into his shoulder before whispering. "feel sick..." she turned her head a little and looked at damien. "maybe you gave me the flu,"
"i was never sick!"
she shrugged weakly as dante gently rubbed her back. "let's finish up and go home then." he held onto her hands as he stood to help her up and she stumbled a little from how fast they stood.
he held onto her tightly and looked at her with concern. "careful, piccolo... let's get you home right away, we can—"
"no," she protested with a pout. "finish this first,"
he nodded as she handed him her favourite knife, giving it one kiss goodbye first. "downstairs," she murmured and walked out of the room before walking down the creaking stairs.
"he doesn't seem too scared, dante," el turned to him when they found the man trying to climb out of a bolted window.
dante smiled at el. "don't worry, he will be,"
she let out a loud dramatic gasp and that made the man turn back with a flinch. "LET ME OUT!"
dante walked towards him, grabbing him from the back of his neck before slamming him down on the ground. "el, mia piccolo, the rope, please,"
"yesyes!"
she instantly handed the brown rope to him and dante used it to strap the man down on the wooden chair, managing to hold the squirming man even with one hand.
"i... i know you!" the man shouted at dante's face as dante grinned. "I KNOW YOU!"
"how lovely," dante replied before taking a step back. "that makes things a lot easier," he turned to face el. "isn't that right, el?"
she nodded and took a step forward, inched closer and inhaled sharply. "smells like evil," she stood up straight before hitting him across the face with the loudest smack, the man shocked to her strength as his nose and lips began to bleed.
"your turn, dante!" she brightened up before smiling and walking into xavier's arms with a giggle.
he hugged her tightly, his touches gentle as he soothed her back with a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
her expressions softened and she rubbed her head closer into his chest, her height just right for her to snuggle up against him.
but her moment was interrupted and her head snapped back to the man tied up with a glare on her face.
"watch your tongue," her tone was as sharp as a dagger and the man gulped and leaned back for a second before his confident built again.
el caught onto the conversation instantly, smiling gently as the man continued his screams. "you... you're gonna get fucking caught! yeah, fucking kill me, man," he tried to act confident but dante just sighed in annoyance and gave el a look.
"what do we do when they get too talkative, el? cut off their tongue first?" he acted stupid and asked as el matched his expression. "hm, i think so! i'm not sure though but we could try!"
the man's eyes widened in shock and fear as words spilled out him fast. "F— FUCK YOU! YOU'RE BOTH FUCKING INSANE! YOU— OH! I FUCKING REMEMBER YOU! YEAH, I FUCKED YOUR SISTER, HUH?" he let out a evil laugh and looked around. "I FUCKED HER REAL GOOD BEFORE SHE DIED. LAST THING SHE REMEMBERS IS ME AND MY FRIENDS FUCKING—"
el slammed the back of her gun right into his temple multiple times before throwing it to the side, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and the other grabbing his face. "i warned you." she dug her nails into his skin. "and her fucking name was alessandra. you will remember that when dante has the honour to skin you alive."
she smiled sweetly before leaning by his ear to whisper. "i fed the bones of your other friends to my dog. let's see if they enjoy you most, my most talkative one..." she bit down hard on his ear, making him let out shrill screams from the pain.
she pulled back when he began to bleed, licking her lips before smiling and trailing her fingers over his cheek.
taking a step back, she accepted the napkin from dante before wiping the corner of her lips. "show him, dante... he deserves to burn,"
a smirk made its way to his lips as he whispered. "yes... yes, that's right, piccolo,"
✿
"waitwaitwait!" el exclaimed, shaking her head as dante hummed, tying her braid for her. "yes?"
she looked at him through her vanity mirror. "maybe it's too much... maybe he won't like it... maybe—"
"he will, el. the braids are beautiful—'cuz i tied them—so he will think you're absolutely beautiful." he took a step back when she turned around to face him.
she frowned and looked down and he bent a little to her height. "what's the matter? is it your hair?"
her head shook when she looked up again. "i really do like him, dante... i really do..." she sighed deeply and he sat down by the edge of her bed, taking her hand to lead her down next to him. "i know you do, my el. the world sucks... i'm sorry. i really am,"
she leaned down to his shoulder. "i hate the world... i like him... i..." she shook her head and stood up. "whatever.. i'm trying to be happy!" she exclaimed and stomped her feet. "hmph! i will go!" she stomped all the way to the entrance of her room before turning. "love you!" she huffed once more before making her way out of the apartment.
he smiled happily at her words and stood to watch her walk out before he turned to the dogs on the ground. "up, up, today is bath day,"
the dogs tilted their head before letting out huge barks and howls, jumping about before running away from him.
"hey! get back here!"
the dogs ran straight to el's room, hiding behind her bed as dante sighed and walked up to them. "bath. time. there is no excuse," he bent to them as they growled a little, stopping when dante gave them a pet.
"hey, no growling," dante murmured as espresso nuzzled into him for a second. "it's okay, espresso. it's okay... afterwards we can go get treats,"
they straightened up and titled their heads in sync which made dante chuckle.
letting out a whistle, he nodded towards the nonexistent door. "go wait by the door. go,"
they whimpered but slowly walked out of the room, their heads hung low which made dante groan. "el's gonna fucking kill me,"
it was true. el always got mad at him whenever the dogs got sad because dante was the meaner one.
but that just made the dogs like el more.
once dante gathered everything they needed, he put on their collars and the leashes before opening the front door.
as they waited for the elevator, jello jumped and placed her paws on dante's lap, whimpers escaping as she tried to get his attention.
"i know, i know. okay, calm down. it'll be really quick." he gave her a bunch of pets and rubs before holding the elevator door open for them.
with a smile, dante chuckled at the positions they took on the ground and pulled out his phone to take a picture. "stretching?"
they whimpered, stretching their paws before yawning and laying dead on the ground.
"playing dead won't get you out of this,"
banana growled before stopping and looking at him with innocent eyes.
dante narrowed his gaze. "yeah, that's right. that was bad,"
she hid her face away by turning away and he chuckled under his breath before holding the door open for them once they reached the lobby.
jello jumped up and down all the way to the door but banana was dragging her feet with tiny growls, clearly unsatisfied with their schedule.
"stop growling, look at your sister," dante pointed at jello as banana barked at passing strangers, trying to follow them instead but dante pulled them back.
"be nice!" he scolded before taking out his phone and texting el.
dante: i hate the dogs because they hate me
dante: i literally adopted them
el: right! that is so mean!
el: get them pup cups <3
dante: 🙄
when they arrived at the groomer, dante made sure to give them some treats and kisses before leaving them, making sure they were okay before going.
jello whimpered, jumping against the metal gate that kept them in on the other side of the store and placed her paws over the fence.
smiling, dante gave her one last pet. "you will be just fine," he assured. "i'll pick you up and you can see el tonight," he gently rubbed her paws and she rubbed her head against his arm before dropping down with a tiny bark.
"good girl," he nodded at her and her tail began to wag happily, tongue sticking out before running over to her sisters.
✿
"mike," el whispered with desperation when she tried to hold his hand. "gimme! gimme!"
"no," he stepped away and she stopped walking and frowned.
furrowing his brows, he turned and looked at her. "why did you stop?"
she stomped her feet angrily. "because you won't hold my hand! that is mean! you won't hold my hand and you won't—"
he cut her off my slipping his fingers through hers. "can we go now?"
instantly, her entire body softened and she looked up with her eyes wide and cheeks burning red. "yes," her voice was quiet and he held back a snicker before he tugged her along.
"where should we go?" she asked excitingly and he shrugged, looking down at her before gently brushing her hair out of her face.
she gasped happily. "what about your house!? is very cozy!"
"nah, it's a mess right now," his head shook. "what about yours? it's closer anyways,"
she nodded frantically and clutched onto his hand tighter. "yesyes! we can— uhoh," she whispered when her phone began to ring and the spooky ringtone played.
"is a nice ringtone, isn't it?" she asked when she fished her phone out of her purse. "very funny, right?"
"yes, el,"
she giggled and answered it happily. "hihi!"
"el, are you heading home yet?" dante asked and her smile dropped. "i'm about to with mike... what's wrong?"
"nothing, piccolo. i have to head back to the office, it is an emergency. will you be okay?"
her smile came back. "yes! yes, i will!"
"very good. the trio is out because they thought you wouldn't be back till late," he informed and she frowned a bit but responded. "please be careful, el. be safe,"
"i know. i will," she promised. "don't worry... love you though!"
she could hear his smile through the phone. "i love you too, piccolo. bye bye,"
"byeee!" she exclaimed happily before hanging up and turning to mike. "let's go to my house!"
smiling softly, he nodded and looked around them. "which way again?"
she pointed to the right of them. "there! mike, you have to remember," she dragged him along roughly, forgetting about her force. "that is important information,"
he winced and she gasped before instantly letting go. "sorry! im sorry! i can be very rough..." she murmured and he cupped her face with one hand. "that's okay. you are pretty... strong?"
she huffed. "not my fault!" she crossed the road without looking. "you must remember where to go, mike. how else will you find me!? i always find you!"
"i know,"
she looked at him sadly because of his response but he only smiled and gently caressed her hair. "fucking hate that sad look you give," he looked up. "come on, let's go in,"
she walked up to the door and typed in the code before entering the lobby, yawning as she pressed on the button for the elevator.
"late night?" he asked, inspecting the dark circles that showed through her light makeup.
she looked at her reflection through the mirror. "no... i just sleep later,"
he chuckled at her response and allowed her to enter the elevator first. "what a lovely response. you just sleep later,"
she nodded proudly. "yesyes! that is right! very smart, mike," she smiled widely at him as she leaned back on the rails on the side.
"i'm always smart," he remarked and her eyes rolled at the comment. "if you were smart, you'd remember me,"
his gaze narrowed and she giggled, gasping as she covered her mouth. "got you,"
"god, you're so fucking annoying," he looked up and waited for the elevator to reach her level.
"i think i forgot the key!" she exclaimed when they walked up to the apartment door.
"you've gotta be shitting me,"
she dug through her purse and frowned, hearing the dogs barking through the door. "i got it, i got it! just shut up!" she pulled out her keys and then unlocked the door.
"i didn't even—"
"SHH!" she looked around the house before smiling when banana jumped right over to her, begging for her attention.
her body relaxed and she threw her bag to the side. "hi! i missed you! you guys are so clean!" she bent to pick the pup up and mike smiled when jello and espresso when to greet him.
"hey there," he gave them some pets as they tried to claw on his lap. "sorry, not strong enough to pick you both up,"
he sat down on the couch and the two rottweilers jumped up next to him to fight to lay on his lap.
"no kidding, i think your dogs love me,"
el huffed and kissed banana on the nose. "they love me more! you just sneak them kisses, that's why!"
his brow raised and he gave a tiny kiss to both jello and espresso whilst looking at her.
her nose scrunched and her cheeks reddened before she placed banana down on him too. "i need to go change. there are drinks in the fridge if you like, no one's home," she smiled sweetly and then skipped to her room.
she grabbed her clean t-shirt and shorts before walking to the bathroom to get changed.
unzipping her dress, she let it fall to the ground before she stopped and stared herself in the mirror for a few seconds.
she traced her fingers over her collarbones, feeling how it jutted out and how the lines over her hips showed.
"scary dolly," she scolded herself and then made a finger gun before placing it to her temple. "bad. evil. bad dolly. naughty! evil, evil. all is evil," she groaned angrily as she put on her shirt and shorts.
she pointed at herself through the mirror. "you are bad. you are bad bad bad," she picked up her red dress and then walked out, furrowing her brows when mike wasn't on the couch.
she threw her dress in the laundry basket and then looked around the apartment.
hearing something in dante's room, she walked down the hall and tilted her head. "what you doing?" she asked and he jumped and turned.
"holy fucking shit, what are you a mouse?" he asked her and she gave an innocent look. "this is dante's room, mike,"
he nodded slowly. "i know," he looked around. "it seemed nice, sorry," his eyes glanced over the paperwork over his desk. "why do you guys live in this shitty apartment anyways?"
she smiled weakly and sat on dante's bed. "we couldn't afford much before... i got comfortable here and i don't love change. dante won't make me move unless needed," her smile wavered. "he probably wants a bigger room though..."
"it's kinda small..."
"hey, your dick is kinda small and i haven't complained once," she remarked and he let out a gasp. "excuse me? i'll have you know, my dick is anything but small,"
she giggled and stood up. "prove it," she sang by his ear before pulling back. "come on, don't mess with his room, he won't like it," she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. "we can go to mine! just as fun!"
"i suppose," he grinned as she fell back on the mattress and opened her arms to him. "c'mon! don't be scared of me, please,"
he looked down at her before laying next to her, tracing his fingers over the scars scattered across her skin. "i never said i was scared, little devil," he murmured as she tucked her head into his chest.
"pretty?" she asked and he nodded.
"always,"
she nodded back and then crawled up higher till their faces were inches apart. "hi," she whispered and he smirked, gently cupping her face. "hey,"
she smiled happily and nuzzled closer.
"you're like a kitten," he whispered. "delicate and sweet at times... but also fierce and protective,"
"meow?"
he chuckled and kissed her forehead which made her smile even wider. "am i supposed to laugh, el?"
she nodded. "i am quite funny," she gasped dramatically. "laugh, mike,"
"ha-ha," he let out dryly before holding her better by the waist. "do i have sweet and delicate el right now or will she claw my face off?"
"i'll never claw your pretty face! i'll protect it with my heart! my everything!" she exclaimed with determination. "i am a good—"
"dolly? yeah, i got that,"
an inaudible gasped escaped her and she hugged him tightly. "you get me, mike..."
he gently rubbed her back before whispering by her ear. "yes, i do,"
she delicately kissed his cheek. "thank you," she pulled out her phone and then snickered. "can i show you something?"
she scrolled through her phone and showed him a collage of photos. "boo-boo photos! we play dress up," she shoved the phone into his face. "look how adorable! my lil' baby!"
"he has a fat stomach,"
"HEY! that is so MEAN!" el sat up instantly. "he can't help it! he is a raccoon! don't shame him," she frowned and he instantly reached out. "i was kidding, i was kidding."
she let out a whimper. "he isn't fat,"
"okay, okay, i'm sorry," he laughed quietly and reached out to her. "el, i was kidding. don't cry, oh my god,"
"i'm not crying," she whispered and sniffled which made him chuckle.
her face saddened at his laughter and he sat up to hug her and pull her down for her to lay on top of him. "stop crying,"
"i'm sensitive!"
"oh, like i couldn't tell," he replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes which made her huff and punch his chest.
his eyes widened and he let out a wince. "ow!"
stopping instantly, she went to apologise and leaned closer. "sorry..." she whispered and kissed the spot better but left a lipstick mark on his white button up. "uhoh,"
he looked up and then back up at her. "fuckin' uhoh indeed, el,"
she smirked and let out a playful giggle. "what do you wanna do now? i'm bored,"
his fingers held her by the waist and she sighed loudly before hitting her head down to the crook of his neck.
"what? this isn't fun enough for you? you're itching to stalk somehow, huh? why don't we play hide and seek then," he teased her and she slugged his arm. "you're so mean!"
laughing, he kissed her temple and then her forehead.
she huffed and tapped her lips. "you haven't kissed me here. i miss the kisses here,"
"you do, huh? what'd you do to deserve it?"
"not stalk you!" she gasped and then covered her face. "i mean, find you..."
he raised a brow. "you admit it's stalking now?"
her head shook silently and that made him grin before removing the hands over her face and for him to kiss her lips gently.
her cheeks flushed red and her head tipped down to shield her reddened cheeks.
"let's go out to watch a movie. the puppies would love some cuddles!" she suggested and grabbed some stuffed animals off her bed that she bought herself and dante bought her too.
"they love my rabbit," she murmured and stood up as he followed her. "do they? i think they love me more though,"
she turned and glared with a growl before she skipped out and jumped on the couch, the three puppies jumping on to lay next to her.
"hey, leave some space for me," mike tried to squeeze in and banana moved and went to sit on his lap instead.
he gave her a pet and el went to pick up the remote as she laid her head down on his shoulder.
gently, he threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer and of course, she smiled and accepted the gentle strokes.
she loved these little moments. it felt like when they first met.
she just didn't know how long these moments would last.
they had to be cherished.