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"Nero?"
Vergil had come back from the restroom to find his five-year-old son out of his seat, completely entranced by the fish tank in the middle of the restaurant. There were quite a few of them just below the surface of the slightly tinted water, while some took refuge near the various flora, closer to the substrate. Upon closer observation, Nero's bright blue eyes seemed to be glued specifically to the clownfish taking shelter by the round stone in the bottom right corner. The boy's small devil hand reached out to the glass, a bright blue finger poised to tap it.
"Don't do that", he chided gently, startling Nero out of his curiosity. "That scares them."
The child blinked. "Scares them?"
"Sound underwater is much louder than when you're on the surface", the cambion replied. "So something that could seem quiet could actually damage the fish's hearing."
Nero's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. He looked back at the various fish swimming around in the tank. "But...they don't have ears."
"They actually do", Vergil refuted with a fond smile. "They're just inside their heads, as opposed to outside on the sides of your head."
Nero's bright blue eyes widened at this information, shining with the purest childlike wonder. "Really?!", he exclaimed incredulously.
Vergil hushed his boy with an amused smile. "Yes, really. Come now, let's continue this discussion at the table. We still have to order those Chinese doughnuts."
In all honesty, Vergil wasn't keen on feeding his son that much sugar, and the reason for this particular order placement was to get Dante off his back, but it was so very cute to see Nero get excited about things that a child should, the boy practically flying to the table as his father followed him close behind. Perhaps indulgence--even if it was to a pestilential sibling--had some positives.
