Crazy trouble with love part 9

Secre and Asta

Series: Black Clover

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"WHooohooo! That mission was awesome!" Cheered out Asta pumping his fists into the air. "I feel like I could go again all over again!"

"Asta, we only kicked a small time bandit butt, we could have done it without our magic." Huffed Noelle.

"Oi, then where's the fun in that huh?" Asked Magna with his hands behind his head. "We showed them what we're made of and made it clear you don't fuck with the Black Bulls!"

"Yeah! And we got this totally cool thing from the farmer!" Asta held up some kind of amulet with a rope tied to it, with Noelle shaking her head.

"It doesn't look like anything impressive."

"Well I think it's cool!"

"It kinda looks like junk man." Magna said as he shook his head. "I would have preferred some potatoes at best, especially since Charmy started midnight snacking more!" he yelled while shaking a fist in the air.

"Aw yeah, I'd love some of those!" Asta called before getting an idea. "Oh, I know, I'll give this to Nero, maybe then he'll stop pecking my head!"

"I doubt that'll work. What would a bird want with that?" Deadpanned Noelle.

"I dunno, don't birds like to collect shiny things?" He said as they approached the hideout.

"Nah, that's dogs." Magna waved his hand. "I should know, one tried to take my glasses and I had to wrestle them back. I sure showed it!"

"I think that's because the mutt mistook you for another dog." Noelle said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oi! You wanna say that again?!"

"No, I know you have a hard time understanding words." She remarked as Asta headed towards his room.

"Oi, Nero! Where are you, I got something for you!" He called out before feeling something land on his head, followed by a sudden pecking to the forehead. "Ow ow ow! Stop that, I got you something!"

The small bird stopped while Asta rubbed his forehead.

"Here, I got you an amulet, we got it after our mission, and I thought you might want it." He held the amulet up for the bird to see who tilted it's head looking at it, but promptly turned it's whole body away from it. "Hey, c'mon! Birds like shiny stuff, right?!" Asta called as he held it towards the bird. "C'mon, take it, how about you wear it, huh?"

"Caw." let out the bird without looking at it.

"Come on, take it, consider it a peace offering, ok?" Pleaded Asta nudging it against Nero. "It won't hurt you just to try it on."

"Caw." The bird said as it pecked Asta once more, this time on the hand holding the amulet.

"OW!" he let out, dropping it as Nero flew off his head making him frown and point at it. "You're gonna wear it once! I'll show you it's worth it!"

"Caw."

"This isn't over!" He called as he raced after the bird. "Get back here!"

Nero flew ahead of him and went around in circles as Asta jumped, lunged, and even dropped down to try and get the amulet on the bird.

"Gah! I will get you!" He called as he chased after Nero, right as the bird accidentally flew into a dead end. "Ah ha! Got you now!"

"Caw!" Nero called, showing the faintest hint of emotion as Asta tied the amulet around her.

"See? It fits." He said as the amulet suddenly began to glow along with Nero. "Huh?" he blinked in confusion before a bright light emitted from it, temporarily blinding him as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw a slender woman with black hair in a bob style. She had dark bags under her eyes and she was wearing a black dress with thin straps and a short, ruffled skirt that resembled feathers, and strangely she had two small black horns on either side of her head. On her back was a small pair of black wings that reminded Asta of the bird that had once stood there. "N-Nero?!"

The girl blinked and looked startled as she looked at herself with stunned silence. "I….I'm….human again?"

"Nero?! That you?!" Asta cried out as she kept looking herself over.

'Huh, the horns and wings are new, are they the result of using curse magic and being forcibly turned human again?' She thought before calming herself down and turning to Asta. "Yes, it's me."

"E-EH?! You're a girl?!"

"Yes." replied Nero without changing her expression as Asta's jaw hung open. "It's not that surprising."

"Yes it is!" He cried out as she just stared at him blankly. "As a bird I thought you were a boy!"

"What made you think that?"

"I...I dunno!" he spoke up while flailing his arms. "You just felt like a boy!"

"Rude." She said as he frowned.

"I'm rude?! You're the one who kept pecking my head!" He yelled out while pointing at it with both fingers.

"Because you annoyed me when you yelled too much when I was right there." She said as she reached out and flicked his forehead.

"Ow!" he covered the spot. "That's 'cause I was excited or angry!"

"It was annoying, you should stop it." She said as she stood up.

"Never!"

"Quiet." She said as she flicked him again.

"OW!" He cried as he clutched his head. "Stop that!"

"I will, after you learn how to lower your voice." She said as she looked down at her body. 'It feels strange to be human again...'

Asta frowned and turned his head with a huff and crossed his arms. "So... what now?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, unwavered.

"I mean, you're not exactly a bird now, so what are you going to do?"

"I'm not going away if that's what you mean." She said as she walked towards him.

"Wait, really? Why?"

"Because it's my duty to stick around."

"Your duty?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes."

"You have a duty? You were a bird that just liked to peck my head!"

"And sit on it, it was very comfortable." She nodded with Asta looking at her, really lost.

"It is?"

"Yes, your hair was soft, it was like a comfortable nest." She said, slightly confused at her own words. 'Why would I think that? Have I been a bird for too long?'

Asta gave his hair a small rub before shaking his head and pointed at her. "Hold it! You didn't explain the duty part yet!"

"I don't have too, you don't need to know." She said as he let out a groan. "What I need to know however is where you got this amulet from. It's magic is something to be wary of if it manages to forcibly change me back to my form."

"Eh, this old farmer gave it to us, he said he found it in his well." Asta said as she nodded.

"I see, it is probably an ancient amulet made by mages to transport prisoners by forcibly disrupting their ability to use magic."

"So this whole time you could change into a girl?"

"No, I was always a girl, even when I was a bird I was a female bird." She remarked without changing her expression. She looked at the amulet and grabbed it before she tried to take it off, but it didn't budge. "Asta, the amulet is stuck, I cannot remove it, probably a feature built in to keep prisoners from removing it."

"Let me try." He said as he reached over and grabbed it and began to lift it up. He gritted his teeth feeling it resist and pulled harder, but it wouldn't budge. "Gah! It won't move!" He cried out as she frowned.

"This could be a problem."

"Wait! Maybe I can cut it." He said as he brought out his grimoire.

"That sounds like a bad idea, what if you behead me?" She pointed out as he pulled out his sword.

"Nah, that won't happen! Trust me."

"No, I want to go back to my special spot now." She said as her wings began to flap and she began to hover off the ground.

"Hold still!" He called as she zoomed towards him. 'Wait, by special spot does she mean my head?!' He tried swinging up, aiming for the amulet, but she miraculously spun around the edge, causing him to yelp when she tackled him and felt her feet on his head.

"Hold still… why is your head so small?" She asked with a frown.

"It's not." he groaned from under her as he dropped his sword.

"I don't like this, it doesn't feel the same." she muttered while trying to get comfy, but that just dug her feet into Asta's face.

"Ow! You're too big." he groaned under her.

"Are you calling me fat?" She asked with a frown. "I demand a new spot."

"How?" he let out while trying to get up from under the extra weight.

"Just do it. Still, I'll try something new." She said as she removed and placed herself on his lap.

Asta sighed and sat up, rubbing his face which had two foot prints on it. Only for Nero to lean back and lightly hit him in the face with her head. "Gah! What the hell?!"

"Hmmm, this spot is decent." She hummed. "You may have to grow out your hair so it is more comfortable and I can rest my head against it like before."

"What?! No! Get off of me!" He spoke trying to stand up, but she just calmly headbutted him again. "OW!"

"Stay still, you must be a good perch." She scolded as he rubbed his nose. "Yes, I do believe this will be a good replacement for my special place."

"My lap?"

"Yes, since I cannot fit on your head I shall rest here from now on." She declared with a small nod.

"...EEEEEHHHH?!" He shouted, making her sigh and headbutt him again.

"Learn to control your voice."

"OW! Stop that!" He frowned before he stood up, causing her to fall off him. "The fact you're a girl won't stop me from treating you any different!"

"How rude, treating me like this after you radically change my life with no warning, how cruel." She stated, making him pause. "And to someone who has been by your side through numerous dangerous situations and moments."

"W-Well, I uh… but y-"

"And I even followed you to the wizard trials, I made sure not to leave your side, I was your only companion when you first got here, and now you are throwing me away like a moldy potato, shame."

Asta felt that one hit him in the heart and slumped over. "I didn't mean it like that…"

"And here I am, a vulnerable girl who now has her magic forcibly taken from her because you wanted to show off your latest reward. You won't even fulfill my one request, when did you become so cold Asta?"

Asta nearly fell over from slumping over harder and felt like crawling under a rock with how she phrased all that. "I-I….."

"Maybe I should just leave since I apparently inconvenience you, leave my only home as a poor, defenseless, magicless girl, with no way of protecting herself, is that what you want from me Asta?" She asked looking at him with her expression staying the same, but Asta still felt like his heart was breaking.

"N-No….no, you can stay Nero, I promise!" He said quickly.

"And I can still have my special spot?"

"Sure!"

"And anyth-"

"Yes, yes, anything you want, I swear!" He promised desperately.

"Alright, but one thing. My real name isn't Nero."

"Eh? It isn't? What is it then?"

"Secre. Secre Swallowtail."

"Really? Huh… I like it, do you want me to call you that instead of Nero?"

"It would be silly to call me that if I just gave you my real name."

"I guess so, so, Secre, I guess we better go tell Captain Yami, right?"

"If you tried to keep it from him, you'd suffer." she remarked bluntly.

"Of course I would!" He cried out, imagining the captain tearing him apart.

"Then you already have the answer."

"R-Right, let's goooo!" he proclaimed before running out of the room while she casually walked after him.

(Later)

"So let me get this straight. Nero, that tiny bird you always have with you, turned into a girl? Bullshit." Yami said with a frown. "If you wanna bring a girl over then just do it, don't parade her around."

"It's true I swear!" He cried out while gesturing to her. "She turned into one when I put that amulet on her!"

"What the hell kind of amulet?"

"It's one I got from a farmer from the last mission I was just on!"

Yami let out a puff from his cigarette, closed his eyes with a sigh, and grabbed Asta's head with a dark look over his face. "What kind of prank are you trying to pull on me? Do I look like I'm laughing?"

"It's not a prank, I swear!"

"Then prove it!" He said in annoyance as Secre cleared her throat.

"If you need a demonstration, I can show it."

"Then go ahead, prove it."

She closed her eyes as the amulet started to glow, before her form started to shift back into Nero, making Yami let go of Asta's head who sighed in relief.

"Well shit, guess you were telling the truth." He said as she instantly changed back into her human form.

"Whoa, wait, I thought you said you couldn't use magic!?"

"I fibbed."

"EEEEHHHH?!" He shouted in disbelief. "B-B-B_BUT YOU SAID YOU WERE HELPLESS NOW! I MADE ALL THOSE PROMISES!"

"I know, and I appreciate them all." She said as she moved towards him. "Now move, I want my special spot back now."

"Move? Move how?"

"Sit down so I can sit in my spot."

"Hold up." spoke Yami cutting in as he walked over and looked down at Secre. "So you mean to tell me, this whole time you've been a small bird perching on the kid's head?"

"Yes." She said bluntly. "It was very comfortable."

"And you just managed to turn into a girl now?"

"I've always been one."

"So you're a perv then." Yami said as he took another puff.

"No, I didn't spy on Asta in the nude. Unlike some girl." She remarked bluntly while Noelle sneezed in her room. "I was merely acting like a bird, after being sealed into one for five hundred years my mind began to become a bit muddled."

"500 years?!" Asta went wide eyed. "How is that possible?!"

"I can't say. It's also related to my duty." She said as she shook her head. "Anyway, Asta promised that I could stay here."

Yami raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "So you're over 500 years old, can turn into a bird, and were promised a spot here from the kid?"

"Among other things, yes."

"Tch, you got it all wrong." he scoffed before putting a hand on her head. "Anyone who sticks around here with that kind of backstory would fit right in." he remarked bluntly, catching both off guard. "You should know what the Black Bulls are like. We always got room for one more weirdo."

"So… I can stay?"

"She can stay?"

"She's a Black Bull, ain't she?" He let go and blew out more smoke. "She just needs a robe to finish it all up."

"Great!" Asta said with a smile.

"Besides, I'm a sucker for young love, now get lost you two."

"Eh?" Asta blinked with Secre non expressive before Asta blushed and stuttered. "W-W-W-W-Wait Captain Yami! It's not like that!"

"Thank you, now go sit down Asta, I need my special spot now." She said as Yami let go of them.

"C-C-Can't it wait till later?"

"No, you promised, now sit.' She said as she headbutted him. 'I miss my beak.'

"Ow! Ok ok!" He said as he moved over to a couch and sat down, having her immediately sit down on his lap. He blushed at the closeness, but closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind on other things. "W-Why do you still want me to do this?! You can just sit on the couch!"

"It doesn't feel the same." She said as she crossed her arms. "I like this more."

"Why?"

"I figured you would have no problem, given you have a girl this close to you." She said as he began to stutter and blush.

"I-I-I-It's not like that!"

"Then would you care to explain it to me?"

"I-I…..no?"

"That's what I thought." She said with a faint smile as she made herself comfortable.

Asta gulped and went still, hoping she wouldn't sit for too long.

(An hour later)

"N-Ner-"

"Secre."

"R-Right, Secre, can you please get off me?"

"Why?"

"I uh… can't feel my legs?"

She raised an eyebrow at him before giving one of his legs a pinch.

"Ow!"

"Seems you can feel them."

"I….need to go to the bathroom!"

"Liar."

"No I swear it's the truth!"

"You suddenly have to go right after lying to me?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes. "Do I look like a fool?"

"N-No, but I really do have to go!"

"If I get up will you run?"

"To the bathroom!"

"So that's a yes."

"Augh! That's it! No more Mr. Nice guy!" He proclaimed before he grabbed her from under the arms and lifted her before he stood up and set her down on her feet and took off running. "See you later!"

"...He will pay for that later." She muttered, narrowing her eyes.

(Later)

"Ah, that feels loads better." He sighed happily as he made his way to his room. "I thought I was gonna explode." He reached his room and opened the door only to pause as his eyes went wide before he quickly closed the door, "Nero?!"

"I saw you." spoke the girl through the door.

"No you didn't!" He called back with a groan. "What's happening in there?"

"I waited until you were done of course. You were going to come back here sooner or later."

"I get that…. But what did you do to my room?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Last I checked there were a lot less blankets, pillows and mattresses last time I was in it."

"Open the door and I'll tell you."

"That seems like a bad idea." He called back.

"Would you rather I come out there and MAKE you open it?"

"...no." he said as he slowly opened the door. He looked at Secre and the mound of blankets, pillows, and mattresses on his bed.

"Good." She said with a smile. "Now come over, you need to get comfortable."

"Secre, what is this? Why did you drag all this stuff to my room?"

"To make a bigger nest for both of us of course."

"Both?" he blinked before blushing. "Uh...you mean….with the two of us in it?"

"Yes, you said I could stay with you." She said matter of factly.

"You do know as a Black Bull you can have your own room, right?"

"Of course."

"Which means way more space for yourself."

"Says the one who always talked about having to share space with his siblings."

"Well, you aren't my sibling, so you don't have to share a room with me if you don't want to, I won't make you."

"Whoever said I don't?"

"Uh…..um….." he trailed off, speechless and realizing he hit a wall on that one.

"I want to stay with you, why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Well…..it's because of….you know." he blushed harder.

"You being skittish on a cute girl sitting on your lap?"

"Y-Yeah! It is! I've never had something like that happen to me before! Besides, my heart belongs to sister Lily!" He declared with his fists in the air which irked the girl. "I know she keeps rejecting me, but I know when I become wizard king things will change!"

"No, it won't, nuns can't get married!" She shouted, showing a bit of anger through her calm facade. "You could be the wizard king for the entire world and it wouldn't be enough to change that!"

"T-Then I'll change the laws! I'll make it wo-"

"NO, YOU CAN'T! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO MARRY YOU!" She yelled, making Asta reel back with Secre narrowing her eyes. "Your determination is commendable, but there are some things even YOU can't change."

"No, I-"

"No, you can't! It won't work, if you force her she'll just hate you! She will never love you in the way you want her too!" Spoke Secre while moving up in his face making him press against the door. "Just move on and see what is in front of you, see that someone wants to show you love, love that you want to give that damn nun!"

Asta slid down the door while Secre moved back and took a deep breath, then exhaled.

"Pardon me, I haven't raised my voice like that in a long time."

"I-I see… wait, did you just confess to me?"

"...of course not." She said as she looked away as her face heated up slightly. "Why would I do something like that?"

"But you just said see what's in front of me." He pointed out as she moved back to the nest and began to cover herself in blankets. "Hey, wait, you did confess, and now you're denying it?!"

"Can't hear you, I need some sleep."

"But it's noon…"

"Zzzzzzz."

"You're just saying Z! Come on, talk to me!"

"ZZZZZZZZ."

Asta frowned and opened his mouth, but let out a sigh. "Alright, you're choice, but I'm gonna go grab some lunch." He said as he turned to leave. "Do you want anything?"

"...sunflower seeds."

"Ha! Sleeping people can't talk back!"

"Zzzz…. sleep talking….zzzzz."

"Well I'll still grab some anyway." He said as he opened the door and left. "See you in a bit."

Secre waited till she heard Asta leave and slowly stop making any sounds. 'So… I told him how I feel by accident. This… will complicate things.'

Asta made his way down the hall and to the kitchen while already hearing the sound of a commotion going on. "Guys? What's going on, is Charmy on another rampage?"

"Oi! I was saving that!"

"It was in the kitchen so finders keepers!"

"Fight me you ass!"

Asta reached the kitchen and ducked when several plates flew over his head and saw Charmy zooming away from Magna on her cloud with him wielding his bat as she munched on a cake on a platter. 'Yep, it was Charmy, like usual.'

"You give that back Charmy or I'll send you flying!"

"No way, all the food is mine, mine, MINE!"

"I spent most of my savings on that cake!"

"And it is delicious! You should have eaten it sooner!" She hummed while licking her cheeks with several tick marks showing on Magna's head.

"I'll freaking kill you!" He roared before forming a sphere made of flames in his hand before he took up a throwing stance and hurled it at her. "Choke on that!"

"Thanks for the fire to cook!" She laughed as Asta entered the kitchen.

"Hey Asta, what are you doing here?" asked Vanessa who was sipping from a bottle of alcohol and looking flushed.

"Just here to get some food for me and Secre, she made a nest in my room."

"Secre? Who that?" she asked.

"Nero, she turned into a girl." He said, making the drunk mage spit out her wine.

"What?!" She yelled, catching the attention of the others, right when Magna managed to get his hands on Charmy.

"Ha! Got you ya little imp!"

"W-W-What did you say Asta?" Spoke Noelle with wide eyes.

"Nera's a girl now, and she won't leave my room."

All of them stared at him in silence before Vanessa looked at the bottle.

"And here I thought I was drunk right now. How's that happen?"

"I gave her an amulet and it short circuited her magic I think?" He said with a shrug. "Do we have any sunflower seeds?"

"In the cupboard." Spoke Luck while Noelle shook her heads.

"You mean Nero is now an actual girl now?!" 'Ahhh! I wonder what she looks like! Is she as cute as she was as a bird?'

"Yep, she's short and has horns and wings, and she keeps headbutting me!" He frowned rubbing his head. "I think I preferred it when she had a beak."

"Oh I gotta see this!" Vanessa laughed as she got up.

"Well, you'll see her a lot, Yami made her a Black Bull."

"WHAT?!"

"Can she fight?" asked Luck.

"I think so."

"I wanna see her! To Asta's room!" He cheered before he took off running.

"Let's go!" Vanessa cheered. "I wanna see the new Nero!"

"Wait, I don't think that's a good idea!" called Asta.

"I wonder if she can eat normal food." wondered Charmy.

"She wanted sunflower seeds, but she should be able to eat other stuff too."

"Oooh! I'll bring her tons of tasty food!"

"I don't think she needs anything else, trust me."

In the room, Secre herself was in deep thought and berating herself for her slip up. 'I let myself get ahead of myself, it's not like me to act like that.' She thought as she covered herself with several more blankets. 'This amulet must be part of it. I'm usually able to keep my emotions in check, but it's changed ever since this thing was put on me.' She thought as her wings fluttered. 'It must be a side effect of changing back against my will, I must be unstable.'

That's when she heard the door slam open and rolled her eyes. "If you came here to make me come out, it's not going to work Asta. Did you bring the seeds?"

"Whoa, it is a girl's voice, Asta was right!" Called Vanessa as the door slammed open.

"Come on, let's fight!" Smiled Luck while Magna walked over to the blankets and tried looking under them.

"Oi, are you really Nero?"

"My name is Secre." She called out as Vanessa jumped into the pile. "No, this is my nest…"

"Nest? This is just a bunch of blankets." She said as she began to dig through the blankets. "Come out, I wanna see you!"

"It's mine and Asta's nest…" She muttered in annoyance while trying to kick Vanessa off. "Now get off."

"Your and Asta's? Wait…. Are you two a couple?" She asked as her face lit up.

Secre blushed before finding the light hitting her as Luck got the blanket off her face and looked at her curiously making her close her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, you look so adorable!" Vanessa gushed. "Asta! Get over here with your girlfriend!"

"W-W-W-We're not like that!" he waved his hands in front of himself. "R-Right Secre?"

"I…. that's not quite true." She said as she looked away. "You did promise I could do what I wanted…"

Magna turned to Asta with a glare. "Is that true Asta?"

"Well….yeah, I did…" he admitted rubbing the back of his head while looking away before finding Magna in his face.

"You lucky son of a bitch! How long were you gonna keep this from me, huh?!"

"I-It just happened today though! And it's complicated!" He denied as Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"Asta, s-stop trying to...to weasel out of it and kiss her!" She slurred before taking another gulp from her bottle.

"EH?!" he gaped at her with Secre looking at the witch and suddenly headbutting her, catching him off guard.

"OW!"

"Don't interfere." She said as Vanessa groaned and collapsed.

"Why…."

"Hey, how strong are you?" Asked Luck getting in her face.

"Out of my nest.' She said before headbutting him as well.

Luck reeled back, but smiled at her without dropping down. "Does this mean you wanna fight? Great!"

"No, I only want my Asta, but Magna does want to fight you, said he would call you senpai if you did."

"Oi! I did not!"

"Awesome! I can't wait to beat him!"

"Hey! Who says you're gonna beat me anyway?"

"Take it outside or Yami will be mad." Secre called. 'Just leave me here alone.'

"Aw don't worry about those two." Vanessa waved her hand with a chuckle before frowning. "If anything you should try and liven up with this stuff." She held up her bottle for emphasis.

"I don't drink, it muddles the mind." She said as she shook her head.

"Aw don't be so stiff about it. One sip would probably get you to relax like that." urged the witch poking Secre in the cheek with it.

"No. Please leave." She said as she leaned away.

"Vanessa, if she wants to be on her own, then it's no skin off our nose." spoke up Noelle waving her hand while inside was another story. 'Oh man, I don't know whether I wanna see her get drunk or not! Would she act like Vanessa? Be more shy? Both?!'

"Yeah, she… she needs time." Asta said awkwardly. "Here's your seeds Secre."

"Thank you." she took the bag and started pouring them on the bed before tossing the bag, then leaned down with her head moving up and down, grabbing one seed at a time.

"Um, Secre? You can use your ha-' Asta started, only for Vanessa and Noelle to shush him.

"Now now, let her eat her own way." Vanessa said as Noelle rapidly nodded her head.

Asta looked confused, but just watched with them as Secre chewed the seeds up in her mouth.

'Tasty… why are they watching me? Strange.'

(Later)

Secre's wings twitched as she sat on a couch, trying to ignore Charmy presenting her various dishes.

"C'mon, eat, eat! You need to taste this yummy foooood!"

"I don't need to eat that much."

"Then at least taste it! Do it! Dooooo it!" She cried as she tried to force a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

Secre kept her expression the same and mouth closed before pushing it away. "No thank you."

"No! You have to try it! What will it take to make you eat?!"

"...Asta has to feed me." she admitted with light pink cheeks and looked down making Charmy perk up.

"Really? You promise?"

"Yes…"

"Great! ASTAAAAAAAAA!" Charmy called, summoning several sheep to go fetch him. They darted off and came back with said boy on their backs looking confused.

"Huh? What's going on?" he asked getting up and noticed Secre looking at him. "Is everything alright?"

"Feed her, feed her now lover boy!"

"Huh?!" He went wide eyed and blushed. "It's not like that!"

"Shut up and feed her, FEED HER!" She yelled while handing him the food and pushed him over to Secre.

"Huh?!"

"Feed me, please… be gentle." She spoke looking away with a blush with him finding it both cute, and something that made the situation a huge whiplash.

"I… I what?" He said as Charmy forced him to hold a spoon.

"Feed her!" She ordered eagerly. "She won't try anything unless it's you!"

"Why?!"

"Because you're Asta… the mashed potatoes first please." She opened her mouth with him looking at the spoon and gulped.

"Alright." he held it out to her and saw her bite into the food and chew it for a bit before swallowing. 'I feel like holding seeds in my hand would make more sense right now.'

"Tasty, more please."

(Later)

"Nope, no way, I'm not sleeping in there!"

"Why not?"

"You covered my bed with pillows, blankets and all other stuff, and you're still in it!"

"So?"

"I-I-It's not that easy to sleep in the same bed as a girl my age!" He stuttered out with a blush. "I-I'll go find a spare room to sleep i- whoa!" He cried as a pillar moved up behind him, forcing him into the room and blocking the way out. "What the heck?!"

"It's easier to just come inside. The others are probably asleep so you'd wake them up." She said as she moved over. "I promise not to cuddle… at least not before I go to sleep."

Asta gaped at her while getting an image of that, and going red with steam. 'C-C-Cuddle!? It's not that different from with my siblings, but with how she's been acting, is that ok?! I mean she's not ugly or bad, far from it! But would it be cheating for Sis?'

"Now come, you need your sleep Asta.' She said as she patted the spot next to her.

He gulped and walked over, sat down, and felt Secre lay her head on his shoulder. "So….is sleeping in a real nest different than this?'

"A bit, this feels a lot softer, yet at the same time colder, I miss my feathers." She admitted while he looked at her confused.

"But you still have those tiny wings."

"Yes, but they're small, and before I had feathers everywhere." She remarked while looking at her hand. "I forgot how much easier it was to get cold with normal skin."

"Oh… well you can still wrap yourself up in some blankets." He said, trying to sound like he wasn't freaking out. He tried to get comfy and closed his eyes while Secre put out the torches.

"Goodnight Asta, sweet dreams."

"Night Ne-Secre." He said as he closed his eyes, trying to pretend that he was alone.

She closed her eyes and smiled.

(Next morning)

"Ah! Yeah, ti- AAAHHHH!" Asta cried as he woke up to find himself being cuddled by Secre. "Nero! You told me you wouldn't cuddle me!"

Said girl didn't stir with Asta's face turning bright red.

'S-S-Stay calm Asta! Stay Calm! Breath in and out!' He thought to himself over and over as he tried to keep his heart calm. 'You can't get too wound up over this. You've fought all sort of people and handled any challenge! You can do this! Just wake her up and act like everything's normal.' He thought as he cleared his throat and began to try and shake her off. "N-Secre, Secre, wake up, you grabbed me."

"Mmm…." She murmured as her eyes began to open. "Asta….shut up."

"Well you have to get up, it's morning."

"I know...now shut up." She growled, looking very annoyed at being woken up.

"But-"

"Asta, shut the fuck up and go back to sleep." She growled as she glared at him.

'She's not a morning person!' He thought before she closed her eyes making him sigh inside. 'Well, sleeping in a bit longer couldn't hurt, right?'