Chapter Text
## The Situation ##
Today was a busy day for you. Your part-time job in the DMC World and chores were lined up, plus some changes in plan that you had to accommodate.
Vergil, meanwhile, was working on his current project – learning how to use AI to obtain more power. Yep, the boomer twins were being more and more techy, and the curious Vergil had discovered the vast library at the palm of your hands—rather, at the corner of your internet browser. Well, it was mostly knowledge power that he was obtaining, but it seemed he had also been researching physics these days, something about the angle of collision and the speed of the projectile to deflect. He was using this program that simulates hits, like how a badminton racket would hit a shuttle to the intended direction with the necessary speed. He was already a pro at this in real life, but he might be making this as a coaching material for V.
You liked seeing him engrossed in what he was passionate about. There was something heartwarming in watching his facial expressions change ever so slightly from confused furrowed brows to “I now know what to do” slight widening of the eyes. That was why it was such a conflict whenever little things would annoy you when he would get too wrapped up in his world that he would become oblivious to your needs or would be a tad too impatient out of wanting to be efficient with his time.
A good example would be about the food you just served. You would always make sure that there were a lot of veggies, even though you were fine with just eating cereal or instant ramen when busy. That was because Vergil valued health, more so your health. And you agreed anyway, so you complied and went through extra trouble to prepare healthy food. You would also try to have variety and options. That was just something to keep you two from getting bored of eating the same thing. Although Vergil would always say that he was fine with the same thing everyday as long as it was healthy.
But really, today… It must have been the hormones, or the tiredness, or the overwhelm from tasks. Or all of them combined.
## The Bad Version ##
You (The Clumsy Human): *extra careful in putting two bowls of hot veggie soup into tray, carrying them, then placing them on the dining table* We’re going to eat in a few minutes~
Vergil: Mm. *but still can’t take his eyes from what he was reading*
You: *transporting more food items to the table* Do you need to wash your hands?
Vergil: *pauses a bit to think* Yes. *but resumes typing*
You: 😑 *but is still trying to be understanding. Places the last items on the table.* Game, let’s eat.
Vergil: *stands up, goes to the toilet to both pee and wash hands in one journey* (Every move counts. No time wasted. 😎)
You: 😑💢 *but nice tone* I’m really hungry and I have an online meeting in an hour. I’ll start eating.
Vergil: You can go ahead and eat.
*when Vergil was finally at the dining table*
Vergil: Do we have chopsticks? (He likes using chopsticks than others now. Not weebiness but because they give you more control – can carry, can stab, can scoop, can slice, and you just need one hand to do all that.)
You: *perfectionist mode, didn’t want there to be anything missing from your ‘creation presentation’, so quickly stands up to get chopsticks. Then realizes: He could’ve gotten them himself… Ah but my seat was blocking the way. Grr, foolishness, I forgot the chopsticks, too focused on not forgetting the sauces. Wait, why did he ask if we have chopsticks if we have been eating with chopsticks like forever? Hmm, I guess that was his way of indirectly asking me to do something. Like how he would say “You can…” instead of “You do…” Ahh this guy and his misunderstandable kindness!
You: Drink the soup while it’s hot.
Vergil: What is in it?
You: Just veggie juices and a bit of soy sauce.
Vergil: Hm.
You: It’s good to warm up your stomach before eating.
Vergil: *realizes one weakness of chopsticks* … It’s complicated.
You: I can get you a spoon.
Vergil: You don’t have to. I can– *the bowl is too hot to handle* I can just drink later.
*one anime episode or quarter of a movie later*
You: You didn’t drink the soup. 😑
Vergil: It’s not good to have too much sodium anyway.
You: I didn’t put much sauce in that. Just a little bit. I was even pining on whether I put too much, but nah, it was still bland, and there was more water from the washed veggies so it’s very diluted.
Vergil: I’m fine with just simple food.
You: 😑💢
*After dinner*
You: I’ll clean up later, after my meeting.
Vergil: Mm. *Would prefer the clean-up to be right away but supports you when you need to do something else. Goes back to his project*
You: (No “Thank you for cooking”? No kiss? ☹️ But yeah he’s the single-minded motivated dork after all. I’ll just initiate.) Can I get a recharge kiss before we go separate activities? 😘
Vergil: 😗
*later that night, after the cherry-on-top trigger because you kept all your annoyance to yourself, along with your time-pressure, task overwhelm and hormonally louder self-critic*
You: *lies on the floor by the washing machine, eyes shut tight in frustration* I made a mistake. Ahh, I already planned it, but I forgot.
Vergil: (his version of encouragement against overwhelm and anxiety) What is the one thing you need to do right now?
You: *answers it with a sequence of steps that took 3 minutes of sentences without periods to explain. After that, proceeds to do tasks but walks like a zombie* I feel like I’m in a time-loop. I feel like I don’t have enough time for myself and the things I really want to do.
Vergil: *Stops what he was doing to solve your problem.* (This is him giving you time, a precious resource, because you are that important, and him solving your problem so you don’t have to struggle with it any longer.) How long does it take you to do the laundry? *proceeds to finding out where the time was going, if there was anything that can be made efficient*
*But the tired you perceive it as him criticizing your inefficiencies. You just don’t want him to see you as not a good match for him. Especially since you are trying to improve the household systems little by little.*
You: *waterworks have started* 😢 If you wanted us to be efficient, you could have taken your own chopsticks from the drawer yourself. Or wash your hands while I serve the food. *Fluctuating from expressing annoyance to taking the blame because trying to be understanding.* But yeah, from your side, you wouldn’t know if the food is 5-minutes almost-ready or itadakimasu-ready. I know you don’t want to waste minutes waiting when you could use them productively. That’s why I asked if you needed to wash your hands. That was my cue. But I guess that was my fault for being too indirect. That might be my version of your asking me if I want to shower first when in fact you WANT me to shower first so my hair has enough time to dry.
Vergil: *Just staring at you emotionlessly, trying to understand but confused at the jumping from one topic to another. Looking grumpier by the minute the more he can’t recall the main topic, he can’t solve the problem that was supposed to be simple, he doesn’t know what to do while you’re crying, and time was passing that the supposed 2-minute conversation was now 20.* 😑
You: 😢 Now you’re annoyed at me because I’m consuming so much time!~ 😭
## The Foolish Better Version ##
A different night, after a better-managed day by reducing tasks to a more realistically-achievable-within-the-day amount… After playing a mentally-stimulating co-op game together, after a nice midnight snack, after brushing and all, you and Vergil were in bed, hugging in the dark and under the blanket.
You: You know, I like talking with you in bed because we’re more focused and listening. There’s no distractions.
Vergil: *It’s supposed to be bedtime, lights are already off, but lets you keep going because you might have something important you want to say.*
You: Is it okay for you if one day, when I have more part-time workload, I reduce the cooking frequency and we just buy quick food sometimes? Still healthy of course. Like the washed and ready-to-eat veggies we tried today.
Vergil: *silent, thinking*
You: You know, cooking our usual veggie soup takes a lot of extra time. With the washing, cutting, and planning the order of cooking the ingredients. I could just put meat in the oven and wait 40 minutes and it’s done. But for you I cook a lot of veggies! *slaps his arm*
Vergil: *flinches a bit but still lets you playfully slap his arm some more, like the exclamation point to your sentences* Then you can skip the meat. Just eat vegetables.
You: But I like meat. Protein is good! *arm slap*
You: And I make a soup because it’s good for the stomach, to warm it up before eating, then consuming fiber first to prevent glucose spike. Yeah things I learn from Youtube. And that’s the Japanese healthy diet too, starting the meal with miso soup! *arm slap* But you don’t even drink your soup! *arm slap* I even make sure that they are warm enough, then I carefully carry them to the table, place and take them out of the tray, careful because it’s hot. But you don’t drink it! Mm! Mm! Mm! *triple arm slap*
Vergil: *silent*
You: *detects what his silence probably means*
You: Say “sumimasen” in a cute way, then kiss me on the forehead and tell me what you’re going to do next time.
Vergil: *chuckles but obeys quickly* *emotionlessly but softly speaks* Shumimashen. *then tries to locate where your forehead is*
You: It’s right in front of you! 😆
Vergil: *kisses your forehead* I will drink the soup from the bowl. If there’s not too much in the bowl, it’s easier to do.
You: Yeah I’ve been trying to reduce the serving too because it’s difficult to handle.
*silence*
You: *happy because you realized he did follow your instructions, right away at that. Then recalls his “shumimashen”* 🥰
Vergil: Let’s sleep.
*kiss*
You: Good night!~ ^o^
Vergil: Good night.
## The Learnings ##
Don’t bottle up negatives, or they might explode onto the wrong things.
Raise concerns at a time when you are both “emotionally sober” and not-preoccupied enough to listen.
Remember that the goal is to communicate, not to attack or hurt your partner.
If you know what gets you overwhelmed, try not to let yourself reach that limit.
If you know him to be someone who doesn’t know how to react, especially if it’s emotional stuff, you can guide him. Sometimes people might not have had the same ‘training’ or exposure you’ve had, but they can learn from examples and experience. That happens to you too.
Whenever you can, make it fun.