[Vergil meets Nero's gaze. He doesn't know if it should or should not be an easy thing to promise, but it certainly feels more complicated than on its surface. To an extent, it's not particularly difficult. He doesn't believe fully sheltering Nero serves him well. That sort of coddling leaves him unprepared and vulnerable should the worst happen. But as Nero's father, Vergil is compelled to protect him regardless of the cost.]
I cannot promise you what will or will not come to pass in the future. The most I can say is that it is not my intention to leave you or be separated from you again so long as it is within my power to prevent it.
[He shakes his head a little.]
Truthfully, Nero, I did not wish to leave you in the human world and return to the Underworld. [Vergil's lips purse as he swallows thick. There was no part of him that wanted to leave Nero with only a promise, and certainly not for the Underworld, which he has had his fill of a long time ago.] But there are...
[He sighs, breaking the gaze with Nero. Shame and guilt creep into the back of his throat, leaving his mouth dry and words unable to be formulated. One would think it would not be so had to acknowledge. After all, V had alluded to Vergil's various sins to Nero just before the end almost akin to a deathbed confessional should the worst come to pass, and he was unable to succeed in his mission to make himself whole again. It's not as though Nero is ignorant of the fact Vergil has a past of choosing his survival above all else, of neglecting his humanity for the sake of power. And it's not as though there was not more than just the simple act of attacking Nero that led him to need to hear Vergil say out loud that he would do nothing to bring harm to Nero. Surely that knowledge played its role as well. But even so, Vergil finds himself stumbling here and now, as he does not even know how to articulate it. Then again, even if he could, would it make a difference to Nero?]
I do not believe it be protecting you by barring you from anything, [he says, looking back up to Nero once more. Whatever he was about to say—and he isn't even sure himself—is dropped.] You are capable of making your own choices, and a stubborn enough fool like your father to make them even when others have placed obstacles to stop you. You would only put yourself in a more vulnerable position in that circumstance than if I did not make decisions like that for you.
But I need you to understand this, Nero: we will always work together to prevent it from reaching that point, but as your father, I will do whatever it takes to protect you. [And that may mean, in those extreme circumstances they would have exhausted every avenue to prevent, there may be no affording Nero a choice, or other choices Nero does not agree with Vergil making will need to be made.] Asking me not to do that would be akin to asking me to stop my own heart from beating.
[Vergil says it in more words than necessary, leaving the possibility for it to be lost even if the message is as simple as it is. Vergil loves Nero. More than anything or anyone. Clumsy as Vergil often is to show it and impossible as it is for him to express it directly by just saying it, Vergil loves Nero with an unmatched fierceness that would have him tearing down the very heavens themselves if that's what it took to keep him safe.]
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I cannot promise you what will or will not come to pass in the future. The most I can say is that it is not my intention to leave you or be separated from you again so long as it is within my power to prevent it.
[He shakes his head a little.]
Truthfully, Nero, I did not wish to leave you in the human world and return to the Underworld. [Vergil's lips purse as he swallows thick. There was no part of him that wanted to leave Nero with only a promise, and certainly not for the Underworld, which he has had his fill of a long time ago.] But there are...
[He sighs, breaking the gaze with Nero. Shame and guilt creep into the back of his throat, leaving his mouth dry and words unable to be formulated. One would think it would not be so had to acknowledge. After all, V had alluded to Vergil's various sins to Nero just before the end almost akin to a deathbed confessional should the worst come to pass, and he was unable to succeed in his mission to make himself whole again. It's not as though Nero is ignorant of the fact Vergil has a past of choosing his survival above all else, of neglecting his humanity for the sake of power. And it's not as though there was not more than just the simple act of attacking Nero that led him to need to hear Vergil say out loud that he would do nothing to bring harm to Nero. Surely that knowledge played its role as well. But even so, Vergil finds himself stumbling here and now, as he does not even know how to articulate it. Then again, even if he could, would it make a difference to Nero?]
I do not believe it be protecting you by barring you from anything, [he says, looking back up to Nero once more. Whatever he was about to say—and he isn't even sure himself—is dropped.] You are capable of making your own choices, and a stubborn enough fool like your father to make them even when others have placed obstacles to stop you. You would only put yourself in a more vulnerable position in that circumstance than if I did not make decisions like that for you.
But I need you to understand this, Nero: we will always work together to prevent it from reaching that point, but as your father, I will do whatever it takes to protect you. [And that may mean, in those extreme circumstances they would have exhausted every avenue to prevent, there may be no affording Nero a choice, or other choices Nero does not agree with Vergil making will need to be made.] Asking me not to do that would be akin to asking me to stop my own heart from beating.
[Vergil says it in more words than necessary, leaving the possibility for it to be lost even if the message is as simple as it is. Vergil loves Nero. More than anything or anyone. Clumsy as Vergil often is to show it and impossible as it is for him to express it directly by just saying it, Vergil loves Nero with an unmatched fierceness that would have him tearing down the very heavens themselves if that's what it took to keep him safe.]