"Hmmmmmm…."

Issei stared down at his bed, one arm across his torso and propping up the other that was under his chin.

The last 24 hours were mostly a blur, only having flashes of moments throughout the school day. Issei could count the times he'd been that tired on one hand, and they were all brought about from being pushed into a conflict unexpectedly.

That one time he went camping and got attacked by a rabid werewolf. The damn thing was bouncing around the trees so quickly it made his head spin.

Or walking into the mall, which was a bad idea to begin with, looking for a birthday present for Sera only to find a group of radical magicians with no affiliations holding the people in that candle store hostage. That had been a particularly late night from having to cover the supernatural tracks through an entire town and the local news networks.

And then there was that group of strays that had banded together, scattering out over a decent chunk of the Astaroth territory. It would have been easier to deal with, if that one chick hadn't gotten a lucky blow to his knee. Issei honestly thought that magic wouldn't be able to put it back to 100%. He had underestimated Sera's protective nature in that regard. It wasn't only skewed towards Sona.

But for him to have complete blanks in his memory was out of the ordinary. Sure, having to manually regulate your body temperature all night was tedious, but he hadn't really considered how exhausting it would be.

It was worth it.

Now… If only he could remember just how the scene before him had come to be.

That being the dark haired bombshell sleeping peacefully in his bed, wearing what could almost be considered a leather bikini.

Almost, because it just barely covered anything that would have been censored for television.

For the life of him, Issei couldn't remember encountering a woman above high school age yesterday.

[Even after all this time, your ignorance still finds ways to surprise me.]

And a good morning to you too Ddraig.

Issei was pretty surprised that the red dragon was awake, he wasn't much of a morning person. In fact, the last time Issei woke him up before the sun had peaked in the sky, he had nightmares of porn mags getting burned by the hundreds.

Ddraig could be incredibly cruel when he wanted.

[Do you have any idea how lucky you are to still be alive? That the fallen didn't know you were a devil and use her light weapons on you?]

To be honest, the wings kinda got ignored…

Which was probably a bad thing. The minute he saw them, his mind should have gone into the realm of something like "What the fuck is a fallen doing here? KILL IT!" rather than "Holy sweet mother of cleavage! Before me lies the gate to paradise, hidden by thin strips of leather!"

Or something to that effect.

[And you wonder how the Leviathan so easily gets you to do things…] Ddraig sounded well and truly convinced that there was no changing Issei.

Said young man pointedly ignored the comment, in favor of trying to connect the dots of… well, anything from yesterday afternoon, and waking up with a woman sprouting black feathered wings that had cocooned him ever so blissfully.

It's totally unfair that they have what is quite possibly the most comfortable blanket I've ever felt as part of their anatomy. It's warm, cozy, blocks out the light so you can sleep in, just the right amount of weight to not feel smothering… Don't you dare tell Sera any of this.

[Are you going to get to the part where you ask for an account of what happened any time soon?]

Oh yea… Could you fill me in? It's pretty much a big blank. I know I went to school, was tired as fuck all day, and then… nothing.

It was really starting to bug him. Issei might not be a virgin, but that didn't mean he didn't want to have the memories of hooking up with this hottie, it that's what happened. He would completely disregard the whole, natural born enemies thing.

[She approached you on the bridge. You made some stupid comments that were meant to remain thoughts. She asked you to be her boyfriend, and you agreed before passing out and landing in her bosom.]

Oh. Well then, his death was going to be a cold and icy one.

Wait…

How did she know where I live?

[Best guess is that she's been keeping an eye on you. If memory serves, the fallen have two ways of handling sacred gear users. Recruit or kill.]

Ah fuck. This meant he'd have to tell Sera. And then he would die. Cold, icy and painful.

His king/friend/fuck buddy or whatever they were had a violent protective streak ten of miles, wide when it came to her sister. If something similar had happened with the student council president, war would be inevitable. For other people she cared for, it was about half as bad.

If this had just been him reporting a fallen angel monitoring him, said fallen would be the one to feel the Leviathans wrath. Unfortunately for him, he'd agreed to date this woman…supposedly. That automatically made him the guilty party because he wasn't about to turn the blame towards Sera. Yes, she was the reason that he was so fucking tired, but what good would come of that? She was already on edge from something. He didn't need to make it worse.

It's been a pleasure working together buddy. Maybe your next host will unlock you in time for the funeral. Be sure to give a good eulogy.

[Don't be so dramatic.] Issei could practically feel Ddraig rolling his eyes, and it was weird considering the dragon didn't have an actual body.

[The fact that you are alive likely means that she doesn't know you're a devil. You should have a few days to sort things out.]

Issei's head hung low, already knowing that things were going to be pinned on him no matter what he came up with, whether it be lies or actual results.

I suppose the only good thing about this situation is the door to the underworld being away from any windows, and inaccessible to non-devils.

Which meant that she wouldn't be able to just open it and see into the manor he stayed in occasionally. If the fallen broke it down, all she'd see was a closet with some random things he threw in there for appearances sake. A few board games, a few coats and hoodies, that sort of thing.

Ajuka wasn't a physically imposing character, but damn was his mind the stuff of legend. He took their artificial dimension knowledge and crafted the doorknob that kept him from being found out, while still being able to see Sera and the others in a private setting.

Once a persons hand was on it, the device could be activated if you were a devil. The process of turning the handle activated the magic, and once open you would find yourself at the predetermined and programmed location.

Let's take it from the top.

Pulling himself together, Issei glanced at the fallen woman once more. He needed a game plan.

[How about you take control of ghost walker first? Keeping it active all night has been…arduous.]

Hurrying to comply, Issei felt a little guilty about the state he'd been in. Ddraig was famous for multiple reasons, but magical aptitude wasn't one of them. It was little more than a thought for the control to transfer thanks to how long he'd been using this little trick.

Thanks partner. I know this stuff isn't your forte.

[Yes, well, I had no need for such things. There was no reason for me to remain in the shadows, so to speak.]

Issei imagined that was a nice feeling, never having to worry if someone would pick out what species you were. The whole, big fucking red dragon part, kinda gave away who he was.

Back to the here and now. She probably doesn't know I'm a devil. I can play the clueless normie, or the supernaturally aware twice critical user. Thoughts?

[That all depends on the purpose of her spying on you. Not that she poses a threat to you, seeing that you're actually conscious now. It is safe to assume you would like to continue this façade of being a normal human?]

Not particularly. Issei wasn't a big fan of lying, and hiding the truth wasn't much better.

Orders are orders. We gotta lay low until Sera says otherwise.

It was in that moment, Issei heard some shuffling.

Her wings shifted, stretching out from their curled position that Issei had been lying in when he awoke. At their full length, the very tips were pretty close to touching the wall on either side of his bed. Her face scrunched in a way that had Issei unable to turn away, her arms stretching above her head as her back arched.

"mmmmMMM"

Issei stared, wholly transfixed, the only movements he made were those cause by him breathing.

[Of course..] Ddraig sighed, retreating to his well deserved nap. Also leaving Issei to figure the situation out on his own. It had all worked out before, except for one time, so the odds were in his favor.

-LineBreak-

"Hehehehehehe."

There was no helping the giggles. She shouldn't be this happy about what happened, but again she couldn't help it.

In fact, Serafall should still be furious to the point of crying.

Just like the other night.

Sirzechs, Ajuka, Falbium, and especially Grayfia, they had all been so unfair. They wouldn't even listen to her entire request!

Serafall was fully aware of the position her peerage had undertaken. To be the anonymous eyes and ears around the world that she and Behemoth couldn't. There was no disputing the benefits that had come from that.

Even Issei understood, though his role wasn't as flexible due to his age. This wasn't to say that he was bad at the tasks handed to him, contrary to what Grayfia might say or think.

She did feel guilty about how the night had turned out for two reasons. The first was that her magic had started to affect the room, cooling it to a degree that was just plain dangerous for any sort of life. Issei was forced to warm himself throughout the whole time he'd been comforting her in that moment of unreasonable emotional instability.

The other reason was because she had fully intended on keeping her word and then some. The first time she'd given him a lapdance, it was just a whim. She likes dancing, she likes Issei, and she most definitely likes the way he looked at her.

The theatrics of it all just made the sex more… explosive.

If someone had asked her before experiencing it, Sera would have never thought that giving the lapdance would have her just as wound up as the one receiving it. But that's exactly what happened.

It was the looks he gave her, those near copper eyes drinking her in like a man stranded in the desert would drink upon finding an oasis.

It was the way he reacted when she touched him softly, suggestively. A light stroke on the arm made him dig his fingers into the chair viciously, a gentle glide up the thigh made his breath hitch.

Sera thought his lust had been at its peak already, but that was nothing compared to when her bra had come off. She would swear till she was blue in the face that it had turned palpable the moment her lacy garment hit the floor, not that she really had the desire to share the details of those nights with anyone.

Back to the important stuff.

The way the others dismissed her request was insulting.

If they had listened, it would have been obvious that she wasn't trying to go back on unwritten rule/agreement. But they hadn't, the moment the words I would like for Issei to- and then they cut her off. Or rather, Ajuka had, assuming that he knew the rest of what she was about to say.

She had considered telling them about the relationship with Issei a few times. They were her friends, and she wanted to be able to share things with them. Something in her gut had said to keep it a secret, and her gut had proven her right once again.

"If Issei's position and sacred gear were to be found out, it would open us to scrutiny that could have far reaching consequences. He must remain hidden so that she can remain safe."

Sera had been about to say that she understood that, but she wasn't suggesting to openly admit that her queen was the Red Dragon Emperor and safeguarding an original Levithan descendent, and then Falbium spoke.

"Katerea alone would be hard enough to guard against efficiently, to say nothing of Rizevim or the rest. Issei just isn't situationally aware enough to guard her along with Rias and Sona, and moving him would take too much time and resources to do discreetly."

The fact that Falbium was awake surprised her, the length at which he'd spoken even more so. They weren't wrong, but they were speaking as though she were incompetent.

"The families would scream nepotism Sera. I'm sorry, truly, but we can't have our sisters aware of who he is. They would push him out and then we'd be flying blind should anyone try to target us again."

Sirzechs spoke gently, and she suspected that he was aware of at least some feelings having developed between her and Issei. While the Crimson Satan got along well with him, Sirzechs had to be careful about how close they became. All because of the last speaker.

Grayfia.

"Your queen is young, rash, naive, arrogant, and how his tendencies haven't exposed him already is a miracle."

That alone had Sera's heart pounding, partly in rage over this whole misunderstanding, and partly because it hurt to see her friends demean the person she loved.

She'd never said the words to him yet, but was there really a need to? It had been obvious for a while that Issei felt the same.

What Grayfia said next led to the room being covered in frost, her chair breaking from how quickly it was cooled, and everyone looked at Serafall as though it was her saying unbelievably insulting things.

"His desire for a harem will lead to trouble,whether through pursuing someone with an agenda to undermine the current leadership, or from an enemy altogether. This is why he was informed of the futility in trying to court you. The monitoring placed in and around his home only confirms that he must be kept at a certain distance."

Her reaction was probably not the best, but in light of this new information she wouldn't take it back.

As Sera stood, the chair leg broke causing it to fall sideways. Her eyes mirrored the absolute cold that was swiftly taking over the room, the same blue of everlasting ice.

"I thought that out of everyone, Sirzechs, Grayfia, that you two would at least listen. Not only did you prove me wrong there, you even call my judgement into question? No. This ends now."

They said nothing, and while the devil kings kept themselves composed Sera could tell they were surprised about her reaction. Grayfia didn't even bat an eye, feeling no remorse for what she'd said or had done. That would change.

"My peerage will no longer accept orders or requests from anyone but myself. If you have need of them, it will go through me first and I will decide from there. Issei Hyoudou, Ultimate-class devil and the strongest queen, will be given the rest of what he is owed per our mandates. You should be lucky that both he and I would never take out a grievance on anyone uninvolved. Otherwise he would be named the holder of Kuoh and you would have to explain to Rias why that is."

With that off her chest, Serafall moved to leave. Her steps echoed in the silent room as that declaration still sunk in. Once her hand was on the knob, Sera decided to make one last thing clear.

"Since you all seem to doubt him so much, I don't think it wise to have Issei interfere with a certain engagement. She'll have to find her own way out."

She saw Sirzechs eye flash the same crimson as his hair, a sign that she'd made it clear just how far over the line they had gone. Grayfia finally graced them all with some sort of emotion. The queen of annihilation faltered in place, whether from shock or the spreading ice on the floor she wasn't sure. But the flat footed look on her face was satisfying.

When she transported herself to Issei's apartment, that anger bled away quickly and was replaced with the hurt of having her closest friends betray her like this.

It started small, with a sniffle and a sting in her eyes.

She took the longest strides her short stature allowed and made her way to his room. The second she flopped down onto the bed the sobbing started.

An indeterminate length of time later, she heard a door click and footsteps coming closer, but she couldn't stop crying.

Then he was there, throwing his bag to the side scooping her into his arms.

She clung to the jacket of his uniform, her knuckles crusted over with ice. One hand ran through her hair while the other rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Issei never asked what the problem was, it didn't matter until that agonizing feeling was gone. By the time that happened, she had simply fallen asleep in his lap, wrapped by arms heated with an internal fire that burned everything.

He whispered to her, saying everything would be okay, he would make sure everything would be okay.

That was all she remembered until she woke up just before dawn. Issei had fallen asleep sitting up, arms still tight around her.

Sera glanced around the room, paying careful attention so that she could destroy whatever magic was allowing them to spy on her queen.

Once they were found, all it took was a twitch of a finger and all 6 were destroyed.

She had hardly been able to detect them, which meant that Ajuka must have been the one to design the magic.

Carefully removing herself from his grip, Sera couldn't but smile and feel her heart swelling. It was just like him to comfort her no matter how uncomfortable he might be.

Since his home was now free of prying eyes and ears, Sera decided to head to the manor where all of their nights together had happened.

With a twirl of her staff and a flash of blue she was gone from the human world, and found herself in a dark room with the only light being very dim bulbs along the back side of the room.

It was sparingly decorated, just to have something in here other than the bed and medical equipment and keep it from looking too cold. A few generic pictures of landscapes, a fake tree in the corner just barely within the light.

The beeping was rhythmic and consistent as Sera walked up, looking onto the face of the one lying there.

Purple hair, long shiny and soft to the touch. The illness afflicting this girl was strange, and no one had been able to make much progress with it. The only thing that was really known was that the victim went into a coma. Most died after a number of years, but there had been a number of cases where the individual kept living. Misla Bael for one example.

Her thoughts drifted to the one responsible for checking on her, guarding her from enemy threats. Issei.

The reasoning was simple. He had the most available free time, and his physiology gave him the desire to do it. More so than he already would.

Nyried Kyrie.

A sacred gear that essentially turned someone into the strongest of dragon tamers, while also being able to strengthen them and manipulate the sea to an unknown degree.

The young woman who possessed it also happened to be a Leviathan descendant, giving her a higher level of demonic power and an affinity to water. With this being her queens wing of the manor, he was tied to the wards, and so would be made aware of any break-ins first and foremost.

It would be much easier for him to just hightail it out of school and teleport here.

Seeing that the girl was doing the same as before, Sera decided that it would be best to go and get some work done.

Which brings us to now, with a stupid smile on her face as she spun around the chair of her private office.

-Let me know who upset you yesterday so I can drag him into the alley and give'em the business okay?-

It was dumb little things like the message Issei had sent her yesterday that solidified her thoughts on what role in her life she wanted him to have.

The short answer - all of them.

He was her best friend, her servant and queen, confidant. He kept her grounded to reality when she was up in the clouds. Pulled her up when she fell into a hole. Issei was everything she could ever think she wanted or needed and then some.

So what if he liked to peep on girls with his friends? She knew without a shadow of a doubt that those instances were more for appearances sake now. A sudden shift in personality like that would grab attention. Plus he had never touched a single one of them, otherwise Sona would have had him expelled in a moments notice, and he kept the other two from doing it also.

Sure, he'd never deny wanting to see a new pair of nice breasts. But honestly neither would she.

What? She's a pure-blooded devil, sinful things are kinda their entire deal. And girl on girl? Sinful and hot.

The creme de la creme though… Incestuous girl on girl.

Sera was part of a small group among the devil community that differentiated levels of incest between man and woman, to same sex. Man and woman incest = bad. Same sex incest? Oh yes...

It doesn't beat the feeling of having that thick, hot, long, throbbing-

Sera had to pull herself out of that daydream before it even got going.

If she got enough work done, then she could go and get herself stuffed like a thanksgiving day turkey.

Within the next 48 hours, her queen was going to get so very, very laid.

Luckily with him, it was never just a one time per night thing. Dragons were a little scary with how quickly they recovered.

-LineBreak-

Raynare was torn.

She'd let the moment get to her, the peaceful feeling of having someone wrapped in her arms and be entirely at ease. Then she fell asleep along with him, which in hindsight was a bad idea.

She should have left after getting him home.

But damn if that wasn't the best sleep I've gotten in a long time!

It was just as good as her imagination had made it out to be.

The problem was twofold.

First, she had been in the bed of someone that she had just made first contact with. If sex had been a part of the equation then it wouldn't have been quite as weird, but that hadn't happened. This wasn't an awkward morning after a one night stand.

And second, she was in her true form, if the feeling of stretching wings was anything to go by. That wasn't good. She'd approached him looking to be near his age and without wings…

Shit.

She had noticed him standing a few feet away from the bed, and a small part of her wanted him to come back so they could fall into that deep comfortable slumber again.

Slowly, she looked up, prepared to see any sort of surprised or horrified look on his face.

His eyes were towards her, and maybe open a slight bit more than normal, but there wasn't an expression she'd anticipated.

Lust

Plain as day, written all across his face. Plus his eyes were glued to her chest. Whether the reaction she'd seen just a bit lower than his waist(and a surprising length she had to admit) was from morning wood or from looking at her, she couldn't tell.

"Um…Good morning?"

Only for a moment did his eyes move up to hers. After that, she didn't know what to make of his actions.

Issei peered around the room as though he was waiting for something to jump out at him from some hidden place.

But this was his room.

Glancing around with a fevered pace, Raynare just sat there and tried to put 2 and 2 together, trying to figure out just what in the fuck he was doing.

He went as far as to peek behind the swimsuit posters on his wall before he seemed to calm down and face her again.

"What are you…?" She trailed off, not sure an answer to that was something she wanted.

He was staring at her intently, like he was unravelling some great mystery about who she was, why she was here, and what she intended to do.

Under that strangely intense scrutiny, the same one from the other day, Raynare briefly forgot that he was her observation target.

"Are you part succubus or something?"

Her whirling mind came to a screeching halt at that absurd question. Pride for her species came quickly bubbling to the surface.

"No, I'm a full-fledged fallen-"

"Bullshit."

Thankfully, her brain started cooperating again, and realized that she had his attention. Not only that, but he didn't seem at all confused or frightened by her apparent non-human status.

This was one check in the list of questions she had about him. Which also nearly confirmed her suspicion that he'd already activated his sacred gear, whatever it was.

'Now that I think about it, should I be worried about being this close to him?'

If Azazel was right, then it was a higher tier. Add that to the fact that this unassuming human was able to completely suppress himself, it spoke of technique and power.

"Nothing but a succubus could look and sound that sexy just by waking up."

It was stupid, unfair, completely unexplainable, but Raynare had been caught unprepared by his comments twice now. She was used to being hit on, lusted after, even stalked a time or two. But these completely serious and unintentional compliments were probably just as effective as any pick-up line she'd ever heard.

Then his eyes roamed over her body again, and she was reminded how this guy had remained single.

'Right, mega-perv. I should be okay.'

If it came down to a hasty retreat, she could just flash some tit and get the hell out.

Raynare took a calming breath, that traitorous heat in her cheeks being stubborn and not wanting to fade quickly enough.

"I'm not a succubus, and if I was don't you think I'd be gone by now? They don't stick around after getting theirs. I'm a-"

"Cosplay enthusiast?"

"What?"

Why would he think she was into dressing up as fictional characters?

"Black leather bikini that hardly covers anything other than the important bits, most definitely from a male oriented series. I'm not familiar with the outfit, but I know a costume when I see one. I know a few people that wear theirs almost constantly."

In a weird way, having a completely off the wall conversation like this was nice. She wasn't reporting to a superior, having to be careful about maintaining that line of respect. This had nothing to do with him being the one she was spying on.

"It's not a costume."

"Ah! My bad. Your uniform then."

"It's just my clothes! I like it because it makes me feel sexy!"

Seriously, who did this guy hang out with? And what kind of cosplay were these people wearing?

The turn in his expression was weird. From that easy going look she'd seen so frequently from a distance, now there was a look of compassionate pity. She didn't like it. Having a human pity her wasn't something she needed or wanted.

As the annoyance she felt started to color her vision red, Issei let out a breath and shook his head.

"You need to hang out with some better people then."

'Oh hell no! He is not about to start ragging on fallen angels!'

Raynare was fully prepared to take this to a physical altercation in that instance.

"If you wear that because you honestly liked it and there was no other reason, that's fine. Everyone has their own thing they're into. I really doubt that's the case though. My guess is that you were infatuated with someone. Someone who doesn't commit. They have a seemingly endless list of flings and one night stands. I'd put money on it, that you started wearing things like that to get his or her attention."

Who the fuck was this insightful, psychoanalytic person?

"This person you want or wanted, they're of a higher position. And your peers said showing more skin was the answer."

Where did he get off on trying to pick apart her life after only knowing her for a few hours at best.

"The sad part is that it didn't work."

What happened to the pervert who peeped on his female classmates at any given opportunity?

"If I'd been your friend? I would have told you to ignore those people. You're gorgeous. You are beautiful to the point that it's just down right unfair for most other women. I would have told you to go classy. Maybe grab a slimming dress a shade of purple just darker than your eyes."

Raynare turned her head away, unable and unwilling to say anything against what he was saying. And that kinda pissed her off, because he was right.

"Not some skimpy thing that hardly covers your ass, divine as it may be."

The roll of her eyes couldn't be stopped. Though it did have the effect of easing some tension with the lighthearted way he said it.

"An ankle length one with a slit on the side, gives you a chance to show some leg if you want. Pull your hair back into a ponytail. Find an excuse to be around the person you're after. Smile, have a conversation with no immediate goal in mind."

She wanted to leave now.

Where was this advice a decade ago? Where was he a decade ago… Oh right. He was a little kid.

Ugh… relationship advice from a guy that's hated by every girl in his school. Fucking kill me.

But still, it confused her on how he could be so awful with girls around him, and then be able to say things like this to her.

"Bah! What do I know? I'm just some perv that wants to stare at tits all day." Issei waved off his comments as though he delusional and diving into a subject he knew nothing about.

She rose a brow when he turned away from her, catching the fall in his expression just before he'd turned around enough.

"Yea. What do I know…"

He whispered quietly enough that it would have been missed by a human. But a human she was not.

"Fuck!" His sudden yell startled her a little, getting a little jump as a reaction.

Issei ran over to the closet, grabbing a few hangars, then heading over to the dresser in his room and grabbing some socks and underwear.

"I never set my alarm. The President will kill me if I'm late again!"

The quick change and flurry of motion ruined the moment, not that she particularly minded.

'Well no shit you didn't set an alarm. I brought you back here after you passed out.'

There wasn't another word traded between the two, as Issei darted around while slinging clothes on. From one end of the apartment to the other he ran, in search of his coat, his bag, his shoes.

Once he had them all Issei came to a skidding halt at the door, throwing it open and running out, leaving the fallen angel alone in his home.

'He never even asked for my name…'

This entire interaction had been strange and unorthodox, but Raynare wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She was just given silent permission to snoop around and catch a little more sleep in a nice bed.

'Actually… Now that I think about it, this bed is crazy comfy. Way too expensive for a high school student to afford unless he's got rich parents that shipped him off.'

As she laid back down and pulled the covers back up, Raynare never considered any other reasons that Issei may have been in the possession of something that seemed outside his perceived economic status.

The only thing on her mind at the moment, was taking a look around the place when she woke up and then calling Azazel to give a report.

END!

Yo, been a while...again.

What can I say? Work, new house, new puppy yada yada stuff reasons excuses.

Anyways I'm working on pretty much everything (including that one Alt account I have that you're not supposed to realize is me) but I don't know when anything will be posted. I'll probably have to cut the chapter sizes to get stuff up quicker. That's what i'm going to try to do anyway. We'll see if that happens.