AN: This is a late update sorry hehe just got through hell week at school the AKA dreaded finals.

IDK why but ya'll telling me to enjoy my fam trip was so sweet to me, I feel touched T_T.

Ya really think my Lucita is Asta's mom plotline is best described? That's such a huge compliment madz! Thank you, I don't feel like I deserve it XD.

In my stories I have this natural inclination to keep people in character so it's good to know that I keep it consistent for the most part. My readers acknowledging my efforts really help me get through some stuff, especially since I had exams this week _ .

I'm seriously very grateful for your comments guys 3, to the people that have stuck with me from the beginning (Sam, Prack, Rita) and the Spanish peeps, even to my recent readers as well (starleads and montgomery). I swear your words validate my existence hahaha. Writing is my way to vent stress so I feel honored to know others enjoy it.

Also calling me berry could be cute too actually XD, it's tempting me to make cringey ass puns.

Too Late 3

Everything stays right where you left it
Everything stays
But it still changes
Ever so slightly, daily and nightly
In little ways, when everything stays

Everything Stays (Adventure Time) Lyrics by Rebecca Sugar

(I recommend you listen to it)

"I'm home!" The antimage in his excitement broke through the Black bulls' entrance, causing the door to splinter away to random directions along with chunks of debris.

What greets Asta were wide eyed gazes of an older version of the Black Bulls he was familiar with. A moment of silence ensues, a suspension of disbelief that eventually snaps to an explosion of celebration. Various shouts of glee could be heard echo throughout the forest.

"Asta!" The Black Bulls all shouted surrounding him in their embrace, some of them expressing how worried they were and how much they missed him.

"You're back!" Henry now spoke no longer bedridden and without being slowed, his hair was short too.

"What a relief. I'm glad that my best friend Asta has come back, we have all missed you." Gordon mumbles, a little louder than usual.

"G-good to see you s-safe and sound!" Gray spoke without her hands blocking her face.

"Did you bring back any tasty delicacies from Hell? La?" Asta could only chuckle. Should he have expected more concern from Charmy?

"Who cares about food? There's nothing more manly than coming back from Hell without a scratch." Well, that wasn't really accurate Magna -

"Does that mean you're stronger? Let's spar to find out!" Ah of course, Luck the battle maniac would say that.

"Guys I told you to keep it down – Asta?" An exhausted looking Finral states after exiting from one of the rooms, he was currently rocking a baby in his arms snoring peacefully – wait what?

"Why do you have a baby?"

"Of course, it's his kid."

"Finral's a dad now!?" Asta shouts disturbing the sleeping child, the aforementioned flinches and immediately attempts to calm it down, on the brunette's left hand was the unmistakable sight of a wedding ring. Meanwhile the other members start updating him about everyone's current status in life.

"Pshh you know what's more unbelievable? Captain Yami has a girlfriend!" Zora casually announces.

"It's only unbelievable because it's Captain Charlotte –" Vanessa points out. Hah?

"Really? I still think Gauche getting over his obsession for his sister with Gray is crazier."

"Ha? You want to repeat that, punk?" Gauche calls out in indignation.

No way, first Captain Yami with Captain Charlotte and now Gauche is dating Gray? What a crazy combination of personalities.

"You all broke the idiot, look his brain is smoking." Nero gestures to said idiot.

At this point Asta feels as though he entered the wrong dimension, for one everyone looked slightly different – though that was to be expected, he himself didn't look the same as he did back then. And yet even if they slightly changed, they still felt very much the same people that he used to know; even if his brain feels like it was going to combust from all these unexpected revelations. But more than the confusion, he also felt a sense of sadness – these were all things that the antimage would've known and witnessed if he hadn't gone away.

"Three years, huh?" Another familiar voice speaks, the others clear a path to let them through.

"Took you long enough to come back." Asta feels his head getting smacked.

"Ow! Hey what was that for?"

"First: for the door, second: just be glad I ain't suing you. What gives you the right to copy my style of dying, huh?" Captain Yami for once doesn't have a cigar in between in his lips.

"Style?" Now that he thought about it, their "deaths" were pretty similar, both being on the brink of entering a portal, even their "last words" had almost been the same as back when Zenon kidnapped the captain.

"That-that wasn't on purpose!" Asta hysterically shouts.

"Geez kid, you're still as loud as ever." Despite the bluntness of his words, the elder man ruffles his ash blonde hair.

"You aren't really any better, Yami." Vice-Captain Nacht comments in a teasing tone beside him. Asta wonders if he ever heard him sound this laidback.

"Vice-captain Nacht! You're here too?" The shadow mage hums a response.

"You find that surprising? The fact that you're alive is just absurd." Ah, a realist as always but did they really think he wouldn't survive?

"Looks like I have to destroy the grave I made." Nacht shrugs. Well that answers Asta's question, 'can't say he wasn't a little bit disappointed. Yami lightly shoves the slender male by the shoulder.

"Don't lie to the kid, you had just as much faith in his return as we did." The vice-captain scoffs but grins with his eyes closed.

"You ruined the joke, Yami."

"Hm, calling you kid doesn't sound right anymore, not with the height anyways." Asta supposes that captain was right, he's 20 now so he'd long outgrown that. Now that he thinks about it, he's been separated for longer than when he stayed with the Black Bulls. It makes him somber.

"Good to have you back, Asta." Captain Yami smiles at him with pride. An unbelievable sense of happiness washes over him, after being away from home, the longing he harbored can finally cease. Yet it doesn't vanish just yet, there was definitely someone still missing, a presence that used to be constant ever since he joined the bulls. Yami must've immediately known because he automatically supplied an answer.

"Noelle isn't here right now."

"She's on a mission?" Talk about bad timing.

"No, she's in Hage Village." The mention of the name reminded him that he should visit the orphanage, but it also begs the question.

"Why would she be in my hometown?" The Bulls only glance at each other as if there was a message conveyed just by eye contact, or perhaps a secret shared that they don't want him to find out.

"Why not ask her yourself?" Finral suggests, his hand outstretched with a portal already prepared.

Every now and again the youngest Silva visited Asta's home village.

The princess couldn't afford to keep crying and waiting around for his return thus her vacations and free days are often spent outside. Staying-in made her more susceptible to dismal thoughts and Noelle forbid herself from breaking down over and over again. She couldn't always stay in the hideout either, the water mage appreciates her brigade's concern but sometimes they could be a little stifling. And as captain Yami reminded, they shouldn't look so pathetically depressed when Asta returns so this was her putting in that effort.

Her first visit (without Asta) she came along with Yuno and Nero (in bird form) to personally apologize for their loss. Even the princess thought that discovering by letter would be too cruel but that also meant having to tell Asta's family face to face. It was a different kind of cruel to inform all of the children that their big brother might never come back. Thankfully, only the adults were there at the time; the kids were still at school. Yet when the time came, she couldn't bring herself to speak at all, the guilt causing her tongue to swell leaving Yuno to the task of explaining.

Noelle didn't exactly know what she expected his family's reaction to be, but her mind immediately assumed they would go through some form of scrutiny, a desperate plea, or a burning question. She was a magic knight, right? Wasn't she supposed to be strong? Wasn't she Asta's squad mate? Then why did she let him get taken away? Why was she safe and sound while their son had to disappear?

She wouldn't blame them for such animosity. It was natural for those grieving to look for someone to blame, and Noelle was prepared to take the brunt of all of that.

But none of that happens.

Instead, the adults were reduced to tears by the time Yuno finished. They embrace their remaining son, finding solace with each other's shared grief. She could only stand still as she observed in the sidelines, feeling a tad bit awkward to be intruding in an intimate moment. When they managed to gain a bit of composure, both Sister Lily and Father Orsi turned to Noelle and bowed their heads.

"Thank you for protecting Asta as much as you could."

"It must be difficult to lose a comrade, we appreciate that you personally came to inform us. Not many people care enough to do that."

Why are they thanking her? Hadn't she failed them? She didn't deserve their gratitude at all! They were supposed to scorn her for even having the audacity to show her face. However, these people had an unbelievable amount of compassion and empathy in their hearts. They understand the difficulty that the war brought, being angry about it wouldn't change a thing. And they were not the only ones currently suffering from losing Asta, he was important to his squad too.

It was no wonder how the anti mage had grown up to be so kind. She was ashamed to have ever thought these people would have the capacity to be hostile. The added weight to her guilt dragged down the tears building at the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry." The princess whimpers into her hands over and over again. Sister Lily didn't even hesitate to pull her into a hug and gently brush away her messy bangs. Noelle was supposed to be a pillar but now she was reduced to bawl her eyes out like a child. It was kind of embarrassing that even Yuno was a witness to her breaking down but she can't find herself to care. Nevertheless, they welcomed her with open arms, joining in their grief, until all she could think of was comfort and a connection formed from a shared feeling of sorrow.

In the last three years, she'd been the one sending them finances in Asta's stead, she never needed the money anyways. Sometimes she was even volunteered to teach in the school regarding magic control. The water mage could only afford to do it sparingly so she took it very seriously when the opportunity arose. In her teachings, Noelle always emphasized the importance of a mages' mindset whenever using magic, she never ridiculed anyone that either possessed too little mana nor lagged behind. After all she herself knew the hardship of maintaining control. During her lessons, she can't help but notice one of her older students frequently going missing. Apparently, Nash (the eldest after Yuno and Asta) had a habit of disappearing to train by himself. Sister Lily didn't seem bothered about it though so Noelle let it slide.

A storm recently came to the area; the reason for her visit this time around. Yuno wanted her to personally check their status since he was unable to do it himself; he's been stationed in Spade stuck to lead as a king since the war ended. The roofing repairs were almost finished by the time she ended her lesson. Being a teacher truly tests a person's patience, she can't imagine doing it everyday.

Currently she was out for a stroll in the forest, to relax her mind. Noelle was used to navigating through a sea of trees being that her base itself was in the middle of one. As she passed by another batch of spindly pine trees, she hears a loud voice counting up from 300. It reminded her of old times, of training for hours on end, of a manaless goofball shouting number after number with every repetition to his intense routines.

"Bakasta?" She whispers. It was stupid of course, there was no way he'd appear out of nowhere and yet she found herself running towards the direction of their voice.

Asta wouldn't be there, her mind repeats, he was either still trapped or dead. She clicks her tongue, Noelle doesn't like thinking of the latter because if he was dead in the Devil's dimension, they would never even know.

"As–" She stops herself when she realized it was in fact the mage missing from her lesson earlier that day.

"Ah, Nash." The boy looks at her in surprise, in the middle of what looked to be his 325th push up. Noelle was familiar with all of Asta's siblings at this point, they knew her as well – some of them being her students. However somehow, she avoided ever meeting the fire mage until today. Wasn't it odd how this would be their first conversation even though she'd periodically gone here in the last three years?

"Yeah. You're Noelle, right? My brother mentioned you a lot in his letters."

"Ah, he – he did?" She heard Sister Lily say the same thing back when she helped Asta travel to Hage via broom that one time but she never got to ask what he exactly wrote.

"I've been wondering actually, everyone else might not have been aware but the family insignia you wear indicates someone from royalty. What's a princess like you got anything to do with us?" Noelle could immediately tell that Nash was suspicious of her and it was natural of him to be, she is an outsider after all. All that he really knew was that she was a magic knight that belonged to the same brigade as his lost brother.

"I just wanted to help – Asta was… we were supposed to save him but – we were, I – I…" was too weak. Years have already passed and she still could never say that with a straight voice. Amidst her mumbling, Nash just scoffs.

"Tch. Whatever, I guess." The fifteen-year-old had a look of contemplation as their interaction gets overtaken by silence. Should she leave or add more to this conversation? Maybe ask why he preferred to train by himself instead of attending classes? Or would that be crossing boundaries with someone that is basically a stranger? She doesn't get to ask any of these questions because Nash had one himself.

"Hey princess, do you think someone like me can be a strong magic knight, like him?" Her momentary awkwardness evaporated from the nature of his question.

"Why would you ask me?"

"Now that I have my grimoire, I-I'm going to try out in the Magic Knights Exam this year and you're a magic knight, aren't you? Besides more than anyone, Asta always called you strong so – "

Strong?

Nash sees the Silva's expression and he looks away abashed. " – ne-nevermind, forget I said anything." Her shock morphs to a despondent smile.

How is it possible that even without you here, you still find a way to encourage me?

"You'll definitely get strong, Nash." The watermage starts.

"Just a second ago you reminded me of a certain someone, I can immediately guess which older brother influenced you. Which means you're a hard worker and you don't easily give up. That fact alone means you'll be unstoppable." Noelle attempts to emulate the same confidence Asta constantly displayed for her.

"You'd make a great Black Bull, Asta would be proud!" She grins, definitely not as wide as Asta does but the brightness of her eyes is just as invigorating. Pink dusts the younger boy's freckled cheeks.

"Thank you, princess."

"Of course, I'm royalty so it's only natural of me to know! And since I've acknowledged you, call me Noelle." And really, I should be the one thanking you kid.

"Noelle-ne." The additional honorific kind of throws her off, after all she was the youngest of her siblings and even among her peer group. Never in her 20 years of life did she think that she would ever be referred as such, but she doesn't find herself minding it.

"Th-that will suffice."

"Asta-ni is right." Nash comments to himself but it was loud enough for her to hear. He turns to her with a grin.

"You really are kind."

Noelle was back at the Church, critically observing the additional renovations she recommended, aside from structural problems the place had been a bit plain. The high walls were only a dusty white so she relegated a painter to reapply paint and even add religious scenery, the windows were also replaced with glass-stained ones that depicted the same images. All of these of course were done with permission from Father Orsi and Sister Lily, who were very enthused with her idea. The townsfolk admired the designs as well, some would even argue that they came to the sermons more often just to marvel at the sights.

"Nash seems a lot more motivated lately. I'm sure I have you to thank." Sister Lily states as she takes the seat right next to the princess.

The woman truly was beautiful, Noelle can understand why Asta was smitten by the nun, her cerulean eyes and soft voice reminded her of gentle ocean waves lulling her to sleep. One can immediately tell that she was a kind woman from the look of her eyes alone; a pure soul. Sister tilts her head waiting for the younger woman to reply. Crap she caught me staring!

"I-I didn't do anything. He just asked me a question."

"You're too modest, princess." Wait, she knows too?

"Don't get me wrong Noelle, we truly appreciate your help but you don't have to keep doing this, you know." The Silva disagrees.

"I want to, though."

"It isn't guilt that drives you to look out for us, is it?" Noelle knows that the nun would probably see her efforts as unnecessary but she also knew that choosing to ignore these people would cause her a greater feeling of guilt.

"I'll admit that it was at first. Asta is…. I owe him my life. Everything I am now and the strength I possess wouldn't be possible without him. He is very important to me but I was always embarrassed to admit it. You are the people that helped Asta grow into the person he is, so caring for you all is my way of recompense. And it's not like Yuno could be here to support you as much since he's busy in Spade." The princess starts fidgeting with her fingers.

"But now I just really want to help this village, coming here has helped me more than you think. If I never went, I'd have lost my mind festering. Besides, royalty has only ever focused on improving the capital, but that's only a small fraction of the Kingdom's population. I want to help the people out here as well; it goes without saying that Clover has been neglecting you." The sister contemplates on Noelle's words.

Life in the Forsaken realm was adversely different from the capital, it has been that way for the longest time and rarely did anyone do anything to change it. Hearing a young magic knight, a member of the royal family no less - acknowledging that issue and wanting to do something about it, gives the elder woman a strong sense of reassurance. It provides her a vision for a better future, where she no longer has to stomach the guilt of providing an inadequate home, where she can witness the children carelessly laugh without worrying how to get food on the table, where peasants don't have to be ashamed for having little mana.

"It is relieving to hear you say that, princess." The nun's hand clutches near her heart as she adds.

"Asta is lucky to have you." At her odd words, the Silva furrows her brow in confusion.

"I've always been kind of worried, you know? Asta is stubborn so once he decides on doing something he won't stop trying to achieve it but I'm sure a dedicated woman such as yourself can change his mind."

"Change his mind about what, Sister Lily?"

"Marrying a woman who can't make him happy." A melancholic smile settles on the older woman's face.

"I don't understand –"

"Beyond my oath to the cloth, I see Asta as a son. He wants to be loved and I do – just; not in the way he asks of me. You on the other hand would give it to him without a second thought."

"Wha –" Noelle feels a gentle hand tug at her own.

"You love him, don't you?" Blue meets pink and Noelle is entranced by the clarity of the woman's irises. It takes the princess a few seconds to come up with a response.

"Ba-bakasta? Wh-why would I ever – l-love an airhead like him?" The sister only giggles into her hand.

"I'll be rooting for you, Noelle."

The sun was close to setting by the time the repairs are finally done, which finally concludes her visit. Noelle bids goodbye to everyone: the kids, Father Orsi and Sister Lily. With the front door closed she can't help but sigh, during her farewell the nun's knowing smile doesn't escape her sight. There was honestly no denying it at this point. Sister Lily was thoroughly convinced and it wasn't like she was wrong anyways. Noelle had accepted her feelings three years ago so it was a little easier for her to admit to herself. But was she so obvious that even the nun found out? Perhaps it was just motherly instincts or something.

'I'm rooting for you, Noelle.'

Ah geez, why did Sister Lily have to say something like that? Now it will get stuck in her head forever and randomly get her flustered. Still, knowing that the sister approved of her gave her some semblance of accomplishment. Anyways, it was about time she came back to base–

"NOELLE!" Eh? Was she hearing things again? She could've sworn that was Asta's annoyingly loud voice. Gosh, was she starting to miss him so much that her brain was creating auditory hallucinations?

Before she knew it, something collides her with incredible force.

Asta enters the portal immediately and finds someone at their front door and there she was, the water mage that he had missed the most. She hasn't noticed him and appeared to be distracted by her own thoughts. Like everyone back at the base, she looked a little bit different. Her silver hair is no longer styled into pigtails and instead the top half of her hair was tied back with a ribbon. She had lost the minimal baby fat on her cheeks, revealing sharp and slender bone. Noelle looked a bit more mature now but definitely just as beautiful.

"NOELLE!" He can't help but scream as he runs towards her in excitement. He miscalculates his speed to the point that he can no longer stop his momentum and as a result tackles her to the ground with a loud OOOF!

"Who?" Disoriented, Noelle rubs her head from the impact.

"It's me, Asta! I'm back!" She immediately pushes him off of her and he helps her stand on her legs. Vibrant amethyst eyes widen in shock.

"Y-you're taller than me..."

"Right? I finally got my growth spurt going! Haha, maybe a trip to hell was exactly what I needed – ow!" She smacks him on the chest before he could even finish.

"What was that for!?" Asta complains. First captain Yami and now Noelle? Although maybe he deserves that last one, he did tackle her out of nowhere.

"Don't even joke about that." He is met with a familiar scowling expression.

"Stupid." Hit.

"Idiot." Hit.

"Dumbass." Hit.

Her jabs did little to cause him injury but the anguished look on her face felt like thousands of little needles stabbing his chest, especially when he hears her voice crack.

"Don't you kn-know? It's rude to make ro-royalty wait?" Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

Although Asta doesn't enjoy hurting her, he can't help but smile fondly at her outburst. The Silva hitting him and scolding him was familiar in a very endearing way. It had always been her method of expressing worry, this was basically her way of saying 'What took you so long?'.

"Sorry." The antimage brings her into a hug, hopefully placating the sobbing princess.

"Don't you e-ever disap-pear like that again, you hear me?" 'Please. Don't ever leave me, again.' She demands and he can't help but chuckle.

"I missed you too, Noelle."

"I NEVER SAID I –" She stills. Then he feels small hands hesitantly wrap around him, returning his embrace.

"I missed you, Asta." She whispers, so softly he could barely hear it. The male pulls away in shock.

"What?"

"You said my name." As if she hadn't realized herself, Noelle flushes in embarrassment.

"Ah, is - is that too weird?" Asta shakes his head.

"No, just different." So different in fact that he swears his heart skipped a beat. And is he going crazy or is the sight of her blushing face very attractive, or is it the new hairstyle? Gah, what's wrong with him? Did – did he eat something weird during his travels?

"Asta-ni!" A voice calls out to them in excitement, and now it was Asta's turn to get tackled to the ground by a bunch of kids. Variations of "You're back!" and "We missed you!" could be heard from the pile of siblings wrestling for a hug. Some of them start to show off their growth in magic, even Nash excitedly presented his grimoire.

Noelle sniffles and laughs as Asta struggles to breathe through the mess of limbs. The kids stop moving to pay her attention, scandalized gasps escaped from the children at the sight of her watery eyes. 'Noelle-ne is crying?', they exclaimed in thought, some of them leaving the pile to offer her comfort, while the rest glare at him.

"What did you say, idiot?" They scold him; it was terrifying how familiar that looks.

"Why do you immediately assume it's my fault?!" Wait they call her, Noelle-ne?

"Of course it's your fault, you're always careless when you speak." Nash points out.

"Three years and you're still an idiot, how disappointing." Recca sighs.

"No wonder she always called you, Bakasta." They all nod to themselves.

"I've been gone for three years and this is how you all talk to me?!" The antimage complains loudly. His sweet innocent siblings have all become just as bratty as Nash, Asta was hoping that their reunion would be a little more endearing than this. He also can't help but think that Noelle somehow influenced them as well.

"Why are you all outs – Asta?" Sister Lily shouts in surprise catching the attention of the other adult inside the Church.

"Asta my boy!" Father Orsi runs to the antimage for a hug, but he only passes by the older man.

"Sister Lily, I missed you! Did you miss me? I haven't proposed in –" A sweat dropped from Noelle's forehead at the sight of a large fist manifested from water magic flattening Asta to the ground. Funny that when Noelle attacks him with water, he ends up soaring to the sky instead. The nun sidesteps the crater on the ground and approaches Noelle to brush away her tears.

"Remember what I said, okay?" Sister Lily tells Noelle, leaving him to wonder what she meant.

"Why don't we all get settled inside? I just finished dinner." The kids jovially enter at the prospect of food.

He hears Noelle call to him right before stepping through the door as he absentmindedly hums, slapping away the dirt gathered on his clothes. "This conversation isn't over." She reminds.

"Got it."

"And Asta?" He turns to her, actively trying to calm his racing pulse; the sound of his name on her lips is definitely going to take some getting used to.

"Welcome home." A warmth spreads throughout his chest, the longing finally ceases.

"Yeah." He smiles with a hand placed near his heart.

'I'm home.'

A/N: Hmmmm I don't know how to feel about this chapter, like does Noelle seem too nice like a Mary Sue? I just really feel like this is what she would've done if Asta legit died; she'd feel indebted to the point that she'd look after his family for him especially since she personally met them that one time. Idk what du u guys think?

Regardless I hope you had a berry good read! 3 (I regret that already; I know it's not very punny [no seriously, I'll stop] XD).