I am, in fact, still alive. December and January just left me a little burnt out and slowed things down, but I'm doing alright now.
Lot's of cute, lewd, and cutely lewd up ahead, so enjoy.
When Yuuji opened his eyes, it was to the rustling of soft fabric and wet, muffled moaning.
Yuuji let his eyes crack open to find Raynare and Kalawarner kneeling with his legs in between them, currently hard at work keeping each other's lips warm.
They must have felt him shift though- without looking his way they slipped a hand each beneath his shoulders and pulled him up into a sitting position, seamlessly including him in the early morning make-out with alternating kisses.
There were some shamelessly wandering hands and plenty of saliva swapped as they indulged in mutual affection and desire, but no further than that.
After all, Yuuji's date with Xenovia was the next day, and the harem had all agreed with each other not to proposition him the day before a date, as he preferred to abstain.
It helped him focus on the girl he was about to go out with, kept the love-related marks to a minimum, and just as importantly; ensured that if the date did end up involving sex that he'd be able to perform well in the bedroom.
They'd been against letting him sleep completely alone in bed though- he was more likely to have nightmares if they left him by himself.
Thankfully though, he had a dog, who could sleep on the end of the bed and drive away nightmares with reassuring presence alone (or bite them to death, if that didn't work).
Though... on a different note, no one had seen fit to enlighten Yuuji as to why his concerns about 'being able to perform in the bedroom' always seemed to induce coughing fits amongst the women he'd already been intimate with, regardless of context.
Come to think of it, JB had always had the same problem for some reason.
After a bit of kiss and cuddle with the Fallen Angels, Yuuji had returned to his own room to fetch his tracksuit for his morning run.
As he was getting dressed, there was a knock on the door, followed by Akeno opening said door just enough to poke her head in to see if he was decent.
Pouting a little when she found that he was, Akeno slipped into the room, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before wandering over to fetch the purse she'd left on his nightstand.
"Heading out today?" Yuuji asked without looking, zipping up his jacket.
"Mhm, Rias and I are taking most of the girls with us, we'll be leaving after breakfast and be back by dinner." Akeno replied back as she dug through her purse.
"If you're wondering what for, well, I'm sure you'll see soon enough." The teasing tone gave him enough of a hint, they'd done the same thing for Asia.
While he didn't feel any need to admit it ahead of time, he was pretty interested to see what Xenovia ended up wearing for the date tomorrow.
It ended up with every girl in the ORC leaving after breakfast, with the inclusion of Grayfia, who looked like she'd swallowed a lemon when Venelana cheerfully instructed her to go along and help Kalawarner chaperone.
The Gremory matriarch had had entirely too much fun 'suggesting' that Grayfia was free to wear something more casual and comfortable than her maid uniform while she was out.
Well, she hadn't been the only one to enjoy that idea, if the bright eyes of Akeno and Rias had been anything to go by.
In the end, Yuuji was quite happy that the outing was women only, but he was also smart enough to keep that thought to himself, even if the risk was low, given the circumstances.
Any risk of being the baggage boy for nine women going clothing shopping was too much of a risk.
Unsurprisingly, a single glance was all it took to reveal that Kiba was of the same opinion.
The question of what he was going to do for the day was quickly answered, though.
"If all the ladies are out, we men will have to take advantage and go fishing." Sirzechs cheerfully declared from his seat at the table, the one he hadn't been sitting at moments prior.
… The maids obviously knew what they were doing, since the Satan had already been served breakfast.
"Indeed, it can't be helped." Zeoticus Gremory agreed with a smile.
Both Gremory's turned their heads to gaze inquiringly at Yuuji, Kiba and Gasper.
Though none of the others could hear it, the first to reply was actually Juno.
|"I'll admit, I'm pretty curious what passes for a fish in the Underworld. Maybe you'll be reeling in a Loch Ness Monster, that'd be one hell of a story."|
One hell of a story indeed. Yuuji wasn't planning to ask any questions though.
Some things were more fun as a surprise.
He'd appreciated the offer, but Gasper didn't really want to deal with wide open spaces right now.
… And not just for the usual reasons.
He'd kept quiet about it to avoid making anyone worry, but from time to time he'd been feeling… off.
Ever since the training camp, where he sampled the blood of everyone in the ORC, plus Ruth and Suu.
… He wasn't sure if Suu counted as having blood, or if he'd just drank a vial full of slime.
Suu had insisted it would be helpful though, and Suu was nice so he hadn't wanted to let her down.
But, it didn't change the fact that now and again when he was alone, Gasper would get the distinct impression that he wasn't where he was supposed to be.
Not in an emotional sense, he'd never felt more surrounded by affection, but in a physical sense- like 'Gasper' and 'Gasper's body' weren't quite in the same place.
Something like an out of body experience, but even that didn't quite feel like the right answer.
It wasn't the only 'weird thing' going on, last night he'd woken up in the middle of the night feeling restless, and snuck out to go for a little walk.
Alone.
Outside.
In the dark.
For literally the first time ever since he'd developed agoraphobia in the first place.
Speaking of weird things, wasn't his room kind of dark right now?
And when had he sunk so low into his seat, which was…
His… bedroom... floor.
Slowly, Gasper directed his gaze downwards, and upon confirming the situation, promptly did what he felt was the most reasonable thing.
Which was scream.
A blood red eye cracked open as a familiar scent drifted past a dark snout.
{"... Oh."} Feeling like he'd summarized his thoughts on the situation adequately, Ruth gave himself a little shake- just enough to lightly jostle the shapely translucent figure currently using him as a bed.
Emerald green eyes formed as Suu stirred.
"... Ruth? What is it?"
{"Gasper's having a little bit of trouble right now, if this scent is anything to go by."}
Suu flowed up into a sitting position, rippling with concern.
"Gasper? Is he alright?"
{"Yeah, nothing to worry about. He's probably just a little scared and confused, but nothing we can't handle between us. I'll do the explaining, you hug the stress out of him and everything will work out."} Ruth assured her as he rose up on his paws, not worried in the least about unbalancing the Slime-Girl sitting on his back.
Suu shifted a bit, condensing into a smaller size so that she fit better on his back.
No more words were necessary- now that she was fully awake, the focal point of Ruth's attention became readily apparent- a hint of magic familiar in nature but not in its source.
One of the little quirks of a household full of supernatural beings once again quietly made itself known- the only responses to a Slime-Girl riding a Church Grim through the manor halls were polite greetings.
As she'd suspected, the 'feeling' got stronger as Ruth padded quietly into the hallway containing Gasper's room.
"This is… 'the dark place', isn't it, Ruth?" Suu murmured as they reached the door. The 'dark place' was her name for the world Ruth slipped in and out of as he willed- the lightless ocean that lay open to him within each and every shadow.
{"Yeah, the scent of shadows always did cling to Gasper, probably because of his Vampire blood."} Ruth explained. {"Actually… blood might be the reason- Gasper did drink mine, after all. Well, that was the reason I gave it to him in the first place. Anyways, you're the only one with hands right now."}
Suu took the hint for what it was, reaching out to knock on the door.
What came out from behind it was a muffled squeak of surprise.
"H-hello?" Gasper's quavery voice drifted past the thick wood of the door. "... Suu? Ruth?"
"Gasper? Are you alright in there?"
"Y-yes!" Gasper yelped. "S-s-sorry, but this maybe isn't… c-can we talk later?"
{"That depends, how far through the floor have you fallen?"} Ruth called out dryly.
"..." Both the Familiars could practically hear the awkward tinge to the silence. "... Please help me."
A hint of copper-scented mana, and the lock on the door clicked.
As Suu opened the unlocked door, Ruth slipped past her to find more or less what he expected- a teary-eyed Gasper sunk past his waist into the darkness of the floor- like an ink blot that had soaked through the page and formed a hole in the paper.
{"Suu, don't get too close, but get a good grip on Gasper and keep him from falling."} Ruth instructed as he padded calmly across the supernatural darkness.
"R-Ruth, what's happening?" Gasper sniffled, looking a little less panicked as Suu's arms extended halfway across the room to slip beneath his armpits and wrap twice each around his torso.
{"You just got stuck, that's all. Luckily, every dog worth the name is good at digging."} Ruth casually replied. {"I'm just gonna paw the gap open a little more so that Suu can pull you out."}
When he reached Gasper, Ruth did just that- sinking his claws into the darkness and scratching it open- Gasper dropped about half an inch, and time stumbled beneath Balor's gaze, but then Suu was lifting an unstuck Gasper up into the air and into her embrace.
Ruth turned around, and as if it was one long, living feather duster, brushed his tail back and forth against the ground- brushing the darkness away until the floor was visible once more.
{"There, all better, see?"} Ruth turned his head towards Gasper, regarding him carefully with one eye. The part he hadn't mentioned to Gasper had gone away too- how two Gasper's worth of scent had overlapped but began drifting apart. Suu was back to her normal amount of wiggly, which meant she'd noticed too.
Content that at least the stressful bits were out of the way for both of them, Ruth shifted into human and sat cross-legged on the floor with a purposeful show of casual disregard- right on top of where Gasper had been 'falling through' a moment ago.
The two Familiars didn't say anything, at first- Suu shifted to let Gasper sit more comfortably in her lap- wholly unnecessary for a Slime, just a habit she'd picked up while working to imitate solid form, but keeping her silence otherwise.
She was following Ruth's lead, mostly, but she was somewhat aware that when Ruth went silent like that, he was usually giving someone time to gather their thoughts.
"T-thanks… both of you." Gasper murmured after a while. "That was s-scary." Though he stuttered just a little, he did take the time to meet their eyes in turn as he thanked them.
"B-but… how did you know I needed help?" Gasper asked quietly. "I wasn't t-that noisy, was I?"
"The connection is part of my nature, so I can smell shadows from a long way off." Ruth told him. "Since the only ones with that scent are you and I, it was an easy trail."
"And I 'feel' magic the same way Ruth can smell it." Suu explained, giving the tiny Dhampir a reassuring little squeeze. "So of course I got a little curious."
"I-I see. S-sorry to b-be a bother."
"Don't be. I've been waiting for something like this to happen." Ruth admitted.
"Y-you have!?"
"Not the 'falling through the floor part', but the 'becoming aware of the shadows' bit." Ruth clarified. "I sped things up a little by giving you my blood, but if we leave it like this, what will probably happen is nothing."
Clearly not expecting that answer, Gasper gaped at him in surprise.
"The scent is already a little more faint." Ruth glanced to Suu, who nodded in confirmation. "That means you've used up most of it, and it'll be out of your system soon enough. Things can go back to the way things were with no issues, if you want."
He wasn't going to push- even if he was certain it could help Gasper.
Sometimes healing hurt- and sometimes, the hurt was all you got out of it.
If it was to mean anything, Gasper would have to choose for himself.
"... S-so what you're saying is, t-there's a way to l-learn more… right?"
"Yeah."
"... How?"
"Easy, you drink more of my blood." Ruth stated flatly, not reacting in one way or another as Gasper went pale. "My blood helped wake up yours- we share an affinity to the shadows. But right now your power isn't fully awake, more like it's tossing and turning and trying to go back to sleep."
"... W-well blood is s-s-still kind of scary, but m-maybe in another vial I c-c-could m-maybe…?" Gasper gave his best effort to say.
"Second-hand won't work." Ruth shook his head. "You're going to have to actually bite me and drink from the vein if you want to wake up your own power."
"T-t-that's w-w-well….!"
Suu began to calmly pat the agitated boy on the head, making soothing noises.
"Yeah, I get it. Before you make a decision though, there are two things I want to get out of the way."
Ruth waited until he had Gasper's attention again, smiling as Suu did just what he'd hoped she would; cuddled Gasper's stress back down to a low simmer.
"First off, I've already talked to Rias, and she agreed to leave it to me, as long as you're willing to go through with it. Second, let us show you what lies beneath the shadows." Ruth asked. "If I'm right, the decision will practically make itself at that point."
"... W-will you both be with me?" They were Safe. They made things less scary, so he trusted them.
"Every step of the way." Ruth.
"Promise." Suu joined in.
"I-if I had fallen through… what would have happened to me?"
"Not a whole lot." Gasper froze at the casual certainty in Ruth's voice. "Only guests and intruders are in danger of straying… and you're neither."
"... D-do you m-mean!?" Gasper caught himself, cutting off the words forcefully and dragging the enthusiasm back into its shell. "W-well I mean… do I… m-maybe?" He trailed off weakly.
He was being shown hope, after all. Hope was scary.
… And unsurprisingly, Suu wasn't having any of it.
"That's exactly what Ruth means, Gasper-kun." She firmly declared, her arms tightening around him. "It means the shadows are 'somewhere you belong'- somewhere that it's always been your right to travel to and from whenever you please."
Gasper closed his eyes for what to him, probably seemed like a long while.
He took several long, deep breaths through his nose, and just let the words come out his mouth on their own.
"S-show me then… p-please."
It was funny- he couldn't see it, because she was behind him, but Gasper was totally certain that Suu was smiling as she helped him to his feet, and then gently lifted him into the air.
He opened his eyes again as he found himself seated upon warm, dark fur- Suu shrinking a bit to ride more easily and settling in behind him on Ruth's back.
With silent steps, Ruth padded calmly towards the shadows of the wall, and carried them all right through.
Gasper was used to being speechless, used to never knowing what words he should say.
But… this time, being speechless felt like the most appropriate response- and no words were necessary.
Things like up and down, left and right, near and far lost their meanings.
Cold space without limit that gently embraced him from every direction like a warm hug.
At first, it was only blackness- himself, Suu and Ruth the only things with shape and form.
The first sound Gasper made in that world of shadows was a long, slow gasp- a sound of pure, unadulterated awe.
The darkness hadn't changed at all- he'd just become aware that he had never truly witnessed it, not even once… until this very moment.
Gasper had always been aware of 'things in the dark'- that there was something, somewhere that he couldn't see, waiting, watching- and it had terrified him.
But here, there was himself, Suu, Ruth, and the darkness.
Nothing more, and nothing less.
The only thing above, below, in front, in behind, to the right, to the left- was darkness.
Only the darkness, and the two words with which it had no voice to tell him, but managed to convey, nonetheless.
Welcome home.
The men's fishing trip was a lot less… eventful than he'd expected.
Sure, the lake they were fishing out of was purple (apparently purple lakes had the best fishing, humans had been getting it wrong for millenia), but other than that, it wasn't really all that strange.
Sure, the fishing rods were made from Hanging Tree wood, the lines from Arachne silk, and the hooks from Demonic Iron, but the Gremory's were rich- everything rich people owned was expensive, exotic, or expensively exotic.
Thus, Yuuji was able to write off the cursed fishing rod in his hands as originating from the eccentric nature of old money.
Besides, the curse had an off-switch (the curse was for the target, not the wielder, so just like everyone else he'd disabled it in order to have more fun), and it's material was of an appropriate level for what they were fishing.
Which were fish, for the most part.
Demonic fish that tended to look like fish combined with spare parts from other creatures, and many of which were tossed back into the water because they weren't particularly tasty.
Except the Grindylow. While it was true that Yuuji didn't want to eat a goblin-octopus thing, he didn't toss it back into the water.
It was instead kicked back into the lake using a sizable chunk of the leg-strength he could borrow from the Arsenal- little bastard had tried to punch him in the eye.
Zeoticus and Sirzechs had thought that hilarious, and the grinning Gremory patriarch had cheerfully instructed Yuuji and Kiba that anything with tentacles was an exception to the time-honored rule of thumb that 'the more eyes a water-creature had, the tastier it was'.
The two crimson-haired men were delightedly wearing the most tacky and hideous Hawaiian shirts they could find, proudly comparing the incandescent riot of colors emblazoned across the cheap polyester.
They had ended up declaring it a draw after Sirzechs revealed that his was a clearance item that had apparently sat in a K-Mart long enough to collect dust, whereas Zeoticus had gleefully purchased his monstrosity of a shirt from a genuine Hawaiian tourist shop that had overcharged to an outrageous degree.
Yuuji was convinced that someone, somewhere was screaming 'die handsome' as, well beyond all rationality and common sense, the two men of Gremory somehow still looked well-dressed and stylish.
He was fairly convinced that had never once applied to a man in Crocs.
… Yeah, he was having a lot of fun.
Yuuji seemed to be having a lot of fun.
Sure, it wasn't like he was acting outwardly enthusiastic- and Kiba would have been a little worried if he was, but that intense gaze that Yuuji always seemed to have when he was focused seemed… softer.
It was certainly an encouraging sight.
Since he was fond of relating things to swords, Kiba likened it to a sheathed blade.
Sticking to his metaphor, usually, the 'blade' that was Yuuji was always at least half-drawn, as if Yuuji was constantly 'between' fights.
That every step he took led him one step closer to his next battle.
It had worried him a lot, if he was being honest.
There was no way Yuuji could keep that up forever.
Sooner or later he would snap, and no matter who he lashed out at (even if there was no way it would be any of them), there was a good chance that the people around him would be hurt.
That's what it meant to bond, to care about someone- he himself wouldn't be spared in that regard. He'd never realized how starved he was for friendship with guys his own age until he'd met Yuuji, but it was the girls who cared for him in the more romantic and intimate sense that Kiba was really worried about.
… If he was being honest, he didn't believe the danger had passed, or even lessened, but hopefully, the promise made between the men of the Gremory Peerage would never need to come into effect.
Because if something serious were to happen to Yuuji, they'd be crushed.
Kiba also thought that, just like it had been for him, Yuuji could be put back together, that if Yuuji were to break, they wouldn't let him stay broken.
… Well, Kiba didn't think he'd have all that much to do.
Honestly, he wouldn't be all that surprised if Akeno had gathered up all the pieces before Yuuji even finished falling apart.
And if her arms ended up a little full, Buchou and the other girls would surely be there.
So while he didn't know how much progress had really been made, Kiba was confident that things were moving in the right direction.
Before musing about things like that though, he should probably help out with the latest effects of Yuuji's luck, which no one could quite decide if it was good or bad.
'It' in this case had eight legs, and each of them were almost as long as the school gymnasium.
So how on earth had Yuuji managed to hook a Kraken by the eyelid?
Laughing to himself as he traded fishing-pole for sword, Kiba rose to his feet with a smile on his face.
The sound of happy laughter and excited chattering followed them through the portal as the girls of Gremory returned to the mansion, every single one of them with a bag or two draped off their arm.
Each arm.
They'd spent almost eight hours out shopping, and while at least half of that had been spent on Xenovia as was only right, her poor Knight had never been on a proper shopping trip, and was more or less seeing in lace by the time they'd finished buying her sexy underwear.
She'd felt so proud when Asia had wanted to buy cute underwear as well- Asia's choice of undergarments until that moment had been limited to modest and pure white.
Which Asia could wear better than any other girl that Rias could imagine (objectively, a Seraph like Gabriel probably won on the 'pure white' front, but Rias was unrepentantly biased), but her darling Bishop was starting to catch a glimmer of the power of panties you felt attractive in.
So precious.
Privately, herself and the other sexually active girls of the harem were of the opinion that it wouldn't be long now before Asia wanted to 'advance' things with Yuuji.
Which was wonderful, and on the topic of wonderful, while the short academy skirts were an excellent compliment to her female Knight's toned and shapely legs, Xenovia in a dress should come with a warning!
Rias was aware that just maybe, she'd repeated the scene in her head one too many times, but who could blame her!?
Looking uncomfortable and shy, Xenovia had been herded in front of the mirror, and all that awkwardness had just melted away… to be slowly replaced by an ever-growing sense of awe.
"... I look like a girl." Xenovia had whispered in wonder, and then she'd taken the hem and she'd… and she'd… twirled a little!
So cute!
… It was the contrast, everyone later agreed.
Xenovia was a tomboy in the cutest possible sense of the word, and while the Kuoh uniform had its own appeal, Rias was confident that Yuuji would be all over a Xenovia wearing casual and feminine.
… All over her as much as Xenovia was comfortable with, because being sensitive at the most important times was one of her Yuuji's many good points.
Speaking of things that were cute and wonderful, now that she was home she should check on the others.
She'd confirmed via text that Yuuji and Yuuto were still out with Outo-sama and Onii-sama, which left only Gasper left in the house from the peerage.
After leaving her bags with Grayfia, she'd set off in search of him.
She hoped Gasper would be able to enjoy at least some outings with the rest of the peerage soon… even though he hadn't been left alone per say, the last thing she wanted was for him to feel left out.
Truthfully, Rias still burned with the shame of Gasper being under glorified house arrest on account of her weakness, and hadn't quite convinced herself that she could ever fully make it up to him.
Just like she hadn't quite figured out that her resolve to never stop trying was a point in her favor.
It was a bit disheartening that none of the maids had seen him since breakfast, try as she might to remind herself that Gasper liked spending most of his time in his room.
As she'd expected, his door was closed.
Also not unexpected, he didn't answer the first time she knocked.
Or the second.
She couldn't hear any sounds of the TV or computer, not even from buttons pressed or mouses clicked, and there was no light coming out from under the door.
While it was possible that he just wasn't in his room, Rias decided to make sure- cracking the door open while calling out softly.
Sticking her head into the room as unobtrusively as she could, Rias found a dark, empty room.
"... I wonder where he is?"
Admittedly, Rias hadn't actually spoken aloud with the intention of receiving a reply.
But that was precisely what she got.
"Oh! Hello Buchou, one sec!" Gasper called out cheerfully from…
Somewhere?
"Hm? Gasper, where are you?" The hallway was just as empty as ever.
"Oops, hang on a sec, I'm right heeere!?"
Gasper's excited call turned into a scream as he tumbled down from above-
"G-Gasper!?" -and right into the arms of a very startled Rias.
"Whoops! Sorry Buchou, thanks for catching me!" Gasper replied with a bright smile, wrapping his arms around her neck to hug her back.
"Well hello there, Gasper, just where did you come from?" Rias questioned mildly, returning a fond smile of her own as she gave him a little squeeze in return, before seating herself on one of the hallway benches with him sitting sideways on her lap.
"Up there!" Gasper pointed up towards the corner of the ceiling (his room was right near the corner of the hallway).
Bemusement making her smile just a tiny bit lopsided, Rias followed his pointing finger with her gaze to find that the corner of the ceiling was…
A little dark.
"Up there?"
"Yep! I saw you outside and went to see you but I didn't check where I was so I ended up kind of high off the ground?" Gasper 'clarified'.
"'Where you were'?" Rias repeated, looking down at him. "Forgive me Gasper, but I'm not sure what you mean?"
"Oh, that's right I didn't tell you yet, which makes sense 'cause I did it while you were gone and now you're back!" Gasper said with a rapid nod. "I did it Buchou!"
"Congratulations, Gasper, I'm proud of you." Rias said immediately, and with total sincerity. "... Now what was it that you did?"
Gasper gave her a big, toothy grin.
"A Vampire thing! I drank Ruth's blood during training and the dark got super comfy so I've been keeping the lights off and I even went outside once during night time all on my own… sorry for sneaking out but it was super fun!" Gasper burst out, waving his arms for emphasis.
"And then I almost fell through the floor and it was super scary but kind of exciting and then Ruth and Suu found me and it wasn't scary because it was just my power waking up! You know Vampires like shadows and Grim like Shadows and Ruth showed me the Dark and I really liked it and it liked me and now I can go in and out of shadows just like Ruth can!"
Not used to speaking that much at once, that was about as far as Gasper got before he ran out of breath, gasping but with eyes still bright with excitement and pride.
"Gasper, you…" Rias began slowly, as she finished processing his words. Of course, despite that having been the most words she'd ever heard him speak at once, she hadn't missed any of it, but…
Gasper went still as she paused, staring up at her with a hint of uncertainty.
"You didn't stutter, even once." Rias whispered, soft lips curling into a smile ripe with delight and wonder.
"... Oh… yeah, I guess I didn't." Gasper murmured back, just as surprised.
Then the arms around him tightened and drew him into a tight, loving hug.
"I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of you, Gasper." She whispered thickly. "You've faced a part of who you are, haven't you?"
"Mhm… some of it's still scary but… I like the Dark a lot." Gasper murmured back, blinking strangely wet eyes and patting Rias on the back. "Maybe because it reminds me of you."
Blinking, Rias pulled away slightly, just enough so that she could meet his eyes.
"Like me? What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.
… It made him kind of happy that it wasn't a bad kind of confusion… wait, wasn't this super embarrassing!?
Feeling as if her heart was doing flips in her chest, Rias struggled not to embarrass herself as her cute little Bishop flushed and ducked his head.
"Well it kind of… feels like… hmmm." Gasper murmured. "Being in the Dark kind of feels like I'm getting a big warm hug the whole time, so it reminds me of you?"
Rias had been struggling not to embarrass herself and make a scene at how unreasonably adorable her Gasper was being.
… She failed.
Yuuji had always wondered how she just seemed to know whenever he returned.
When their little fishing trip ended for the day, Akeno was there waiting on the doorstep, hands folded daintily in front of her, her smile polite but her eyes twinkling fondly.
She offered a polite bow to Sirzechs and Zeoticus, and a tiny grin and a wink to Kiba before she slipped up beside him, smoothly wrapping herself around his free arm as he walked.
"How was the men's outing, Yuuji?"
"I think we may have ruined the economy of a small coastal village." Yuuji blandly confessed.
Akeno quirked an eyebrow as the other men laughed, and Yuuji took the hint for what it was.
"No one's gonna want to fish for squid if they can't stand the sight of it anymore." Yuuji continued, not clarifying in the least.
Evidently he wasn't the only one learning, as she immediately picked up on what he meant.
"Well good work anyways, a Kraken that close to shore would have been dangerous." She allowed, aware that they'd been fishing from a dock.
"Yeah, they'll just have to suck up it up and enjoy the free food." Yuuji nodded. "And we still brought a lot of it home."
Yuuji blinked as if remembering something, and turned his head to Kiba.
"By the way, where did you get those harpoons from? Not that I'm complaining that I didn't have to make them all."
Kiba tilted his head in puzzlement, looking like he wasn't sure what Yuuji was asking.
"I made them with Sword Birth?"
"... Isn't a harpoon more of a spear?" Akeno questioned.
"I just made hooked swords with short blades and long handles." Kiba casually replied.
"... I'm pretty sure that's cheating, Kiba." Yuuji interjected without looking his way, frowning thoughtfully. "... Is this what being a proud parent feels like?"
Sirzechs and Zeoticus, listening in to the conversation with no small amount of amusement, burst into laughter.
It was a strange feeling, but a good one.
When Akeno had first met Raynare and Kalawarner, she'd wanted to hate them.
She'd felt like she should hate them.
They were Fallen Angels, after all- they reminded her of that man which was reason enough, even if they weren't already the enemy.
… The problems started when they weren't enemies any more.
Perhaps it would have been more difficult for her to reconcile with her feelings had she had the opportunity to encounter them as such, but they made it difficult by using their bodies to try and shield an innocent human.
She wanted to hate Raynare, especially- she was the one who hurt Yuuji, the one who murdered him in cold blood…
Raynare made that difficult too, with Yuuji being reincarnated, it quickly became clear that the Fallen was left as the only one to suffer from the event.
That had been part of it, and Akeno somewhat wished that she could call that the main reason.
However, if she was being honest, the single greatest deciding factor in her perception of the Fallen duo was when Yuuji held out his hand to them.
It was like a switch had flipped, and suddenly, they were people… and Akeno couldn't find a way to differentiate the scene before her from the one that day, all those years ago, when it had been Rias picking up a scared, lonely stray bird… when Rias had saved her.
Akeno hadn't felt 'deserving' anymore than Raynare and Kalawarner had, though they confessed that to her much, much later.
She was grateful in so many ways- and not just for being a connection to her heritage that she could face honestly, and not just for the way they'd happily taught and embraced that other side of herself.
To Akeno, the lovely duo were a symbol.
A symbol of the first time her hatred had failed her.
Raynare's eyes brightened with delight as Akeno quietly sauntered into the bathing room, towel bunched up in one hand, and it took all her willpower to not let the sudden rush of giddiness show.
After all, she could feel things that no one else in their little family could- and thus Akeno didn't actually need to say anything for Raynare to be able to pick up on the emotions she'd come to terms with.
Even better, the timing was just perfect, and so while she was having her back washed by Kalawarner, Akeno was able to join in and wash Kalawarner's back- meaning that when Kala was done washing hers, it was only common sense that Raynare got to do the same for Akeno!
Kalawarner quirked an eyebrow as Raynare's reflection beamed at her and gave her a big wink, taking advantage of where Kalawarner's body blocked Akeno's view of the mirror.
Kalawarner gave a slow blink, her expression not giving anything away, but they didn't need to say things to communicate to begin with- when Kalawarner's eyes widened minutely, Raynare deliberately blinked twice.
Message received, Kalawarner's soft smile grew briefly into a smirk.
For now though, they weren't going to do anything- they had agreed if (when) Akeno became interested in 'expanding her options', that they would let her take the lead as much as she was comfortable with.
That, and they both thought it was a crime to not enjoy having a gorgeous woman washing your back.
Akeno was glad she had already been wet by the time Raynare had laid hands on her- she didn't want to seem too eager.
She could still feel Raynare's lingering touch against her back, and Kalawarner's silky skin against her fingertips.
Distracted as she was, Akeno didn't notice that she'd been flanked in the short walk from the showerheads to the bath.
Her eyes drifting shut as she slipped into the water, Akeno gave a pleasant sigh as the warmth seeped into her skin, pressing down on her breasts with her arm to allow them to be briefly submerged as well.
Her eyes opened once more at the sensation of something soft brushing either shoulder, and Akeno discovered abruptly that she was seated between Raynare and Kalawarner, and even if they weren't looking her way at the moment, they were very, very close.
The pair of Fallen Angels tried not to smile too much as, out of the corner of their eyes, both noticed that the beautiful Devil between them had cheeks flushed with more than what the bathwater would account for.
Thankfully, Akeno seemed to relax after a moment as they'd both been hoping- while they had wanted to tease her a little bit, they didn't want to make her too uncomfortable.
Even if it was sexy when she squirmed a little.
Or a lot- while it varied from person to person, every woman in the room was sadomasochistic to some degree.
But everything had its time and place, and while they did want to make things easier for Akeno to broach certain topics, they also wanted to enjoy the company, and the bath.
So Raynare started off with a topic that moved in the appropriate direction.
"So, think Xenovia-chan will want to go all the way on the first date?" She asked, not looking at anyone in particular. "She definitely seemed interested in 'who would see' the lingerie she came home with."
"Ara, Xenovia-chan seemed to know what she was looking for, though, didn't she?" Akeno smiled. "It was cute to see her hem and haw about her outfit choices, but her taste in undergarments is just as daring as she is."
"Indeed, I imagine Xenovia-san knows exactly how she wants the date to end, but time will tell if she's actually prepared for what she wants." Kalawarner said. "Thankfully, Yuuji is just as stubborn as she is, and he won't let her force herself into something she isn't ready for."
"Ufufu~ that reminds me Kala-san, you don't call him 'Yuuji-sama' anymore."
Kalawarner didn't say anything at first, but she probably could have gotten away with her smile being her only answer, if she'd felt like it.
"In the beginning, it started as a formal expression of loyalty." Kalawarner reminisced, the happiness of the memory interwoven through every word. "When Yuuji made it clear that he wasn't concerned with such things, respect meant that I simply warmed up to the idea even further."
"... And now?" Akeno prompted, her eyes glittering with interest.
"Now, what I wish to convey the most is love, that is all." Kalawarner proudly, warmly declared. "Though, I suppose the earlier sensation hasn't vanished, love without loyalty would mean little, I believe."
… Admittedly, even she was going to get a bit flustered if a beautiful young woman like Akeno stared at her with wonder in her eyes. That they were both naked certainly didn't make things any easier.
She was also a bit curious as to why, when Raynare leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Akeno's expression, the first thing she did was grin smugly, nodding her head as if everything was going exactly the way she expected.
Then, her focus was stolen rather completely as Akeno wrapped her arms around her and embraced her tightly.
"A-Akeno?"
"Oops, silly me." Came the whimsical response, and Akeno promptly released her- with one arm, twisting to draw Raynare into the hug as well.
Raynare was quicker on the draw, water splashing quietly as she flung her arms around the both of them with a happy hum.
That the glistening at the corner of Akeno's lightly shut eyes meant happiness was never in doubt. As she lifted her own arms to complete the group hug, Kalawarner shared a pleased, meaningful smile with Raynare, as they both decided that for the moment, trivial things like words were unnecessary to convey the feelings shared.
… As certain emotions cooled, certain other things began to heat up.
"I'd like to join the two of you tonight, if you don't mind." And yes, she was rather proud of herself for managing to keep her voice level.
A shiver coursed through her body as the naked beauties embracing her from either side whispered in her ears in perfect harmony.
""You're more than welcome to, Akeno.""
Thankfully, they caught up on the last little bit of hesitation within her, and spoke accordingly.
"It can mean as much, or as little as you want it to mean." Kalawarner's husky whisper assured her.
"So don't worry," Raynare's lighter, but no less enticing purr drifted out, "we can be patient, though..."
""Don't keep us waiting for too long, okay?""
Though they kept it to themselves, the two Fallen had a question for Akeno, one she had never been able to ask herself.
How long had it been since she drifted off to sleep, snugly surrounded by black feathered wings?
… And was she even aware how much she'd missed it?
The question came and went, the answer remaining just between the three of them.
In the end though, they got their wish, and when the three of them woke up the next morning, they all felt much, much closer.
This was troubling.
She liked to think she had good taste in underwear- it fit her well, it was easy to move in, and Xenovia had received supporting opinions that it was, in fact, 'sexy'.
And while she didn't doubt the opinions of Irina, Akeno and the other girls… none of them were Yuuji, who was the one she wanted to seduce in the first place.
Despite the fact that Akeno, Rias, Raynare and Kalawarner all had experience with what kind of things Yuuji found attractive, here she was, still second-guessing herself.
How puzzling.
She didn't really understand why the obvious solution had been discouraged- that was, showing Yuuji the panties she was currently wearing.
Wasn't the best way to learn someone's opinion just to ask them?
Xenovia didn't really understand what the others meant by 'surprises'. Kalawarner had made a bit more sense when she likened it to an ambush, who knew you could do that with lingerie?
No, she was distracting herself from the real issue- she wanted Yuuji to see her 'as a woman', and she was second-guessing herself because she couldn't see herself that way.
It was even more silly because she already knew that Yuuji liked women with more 'trained' bodies, Kalawarner was built the same way- though Xenovia was somewhat more the slender of the two, the difference was all in the curves, and no one with eyes could call her Sensei 'unfeminine'.
Maybe it was because Kalawarner had bigger boobs- Xenovia didn't think her own were small though, she couldn't cup them with her hands no matter how she stretched her fingers.
No, she was just being silly.
Yuuji had kissed her and there had been tongue involved, and you only did that with people you were attracted to, right?
One of the things Xenovia had wanted to try for their first date was 'meeting up', which was why Yuuji was waiting for her in the local market square in Kuoh, rather than just leaving together from the Gremory manor.
Rias had been responsible for sending her back to Earth, whereas Akeno had helped him.
The flow of chatter had begun to include compliments to someone who sounded an awful lot like Xenovia, but Yuuji decided to not turn just yet, and allow her to take the initiative.
Also, if Xenovia knew he could hear her muttering reminders to herself under her breath, she might stop doing it prematurely.
Which would be a shame, but regardless-
"Here I am, Yuuji." Xenovia's strong, clear voice came from slightly behind him. "Did I keep you waiting long?"
Yuuji turned with a small smile on his lips to find his date standing there with arms behind her back, and skirt flowing in the light breeze.
"No, I just got here." Turns out things were going exactly as he'd guessed, Xenovia's thinly veiled air of excitement only increasing as she gave a slight shift of her hips-
Even if her first lines had sounded a little rehearsed- probably because they were- the blush was definitely genuine.
"H-how do I look?" She managed. "I tried picking out something I thought you'd like, but I don't think it really suits me."
"No, it definitely does." Yuuji flatly refuted.
While Xenovia was reddening more and making kettle-sounding noises, Yuuji took his time to properly admire and appreciate the sight of Xenovia in a dress.
This of course made recovery even more difficult on her, but Yuuji had told himself that he would go easy on her, not that he would forgo teasing her entirely- that would be weird, and Xenovia was sharp about weird things.
For her very first date, Xenovia had chosen a dazzling white sailor dress that was navy blue at the hem and the collar. The short skirt was wide and ruffled, but everything above the thin blue and white belt fitted her feminine, athletic figure like a glove.
Though Yuuji had his suspicions that the close fit had more to do with how Xenovia was designed, rather than how her dress was designed.
The garment was sleeveless and cut in a halter-top style, the white of the dress disappearing beneath the hem of her collar, leaving shoulders, arms and a healthy swath of sideboob exposed to the summer air.
The dress came paired with a matching beret and gloves, and white stocking covered her long legs, stopping just far enough from the hem of her dress to leave an appealing absolute zone, and disappearing beneath the stylish but sturdy black leather boots she was wearing.
Yuuji had never seen Xenovia wear a purse, and didn't really expect he ever would- but she had a small, cream-colored messenger bag slung across her shoulder and resting on the opposite hip in a way that pressed between her generous assets, and emphasized them further in a delightful fashion.
That, and with the way her dress was cut, Yuuji could tell that there was no way she was wearing an actual bra, but the dress was likely designed with that in mind.
He'd pretend not to notice for now.
It was good that Xenovia had short circuited a little, actually- clearly, the Knight had underestimated the power of a tomgirl pulling off a decidedly feminine outfit like that, and Yuuji could privately admit that he was caught more than a little off-guard.
"No word of a lie." He settled on gently, snapping Xenovia out of her flustered daze. "You really are beautiful, Xenovia."
This time, Xenovia blush was accompanied by a beaming smile that alone would have easily proven his words, had they still needed proving.
"I'll have to apologize to Irina and the others," Xenovia was saying as they walked arm and arm through the bustling public park, "I didn't really believe them about the dress looking good on me, but I wanted something I could at least kick in."
Yuuji went to point out that if she kicked in that dress, she would definitely expose her…
"Yuuji? What is it?" Xenovia asked curiously as Yuuji cut himself off.
The women kicked in short, flowing skirts all the time and no one ever... said... anything-
Yuuji turned his head and stared intently at Xenovia a moment, before settling on an acceptable theory and nodding to himself.
Generally lacking modesty and generally ridiculously attractive… no wonder no one said anything about the high swinging legs.
"Y-Yuuji? Actually, I think I'm a little embarrassed when you stare like that but keep doing it." Xenovia told him, his gaze making her feel a strange mixture of bashfulness and pride.
"I think I might be the weird one here… never mind, we're almost here." Yuuji said, chiding himself for getting distracted.
"I don't really get it, but are we going somewhere in particular?" Xenovia inquired, though in truth, she'd decided that wherever she ended up was fine as long as Yuuji was with her.
"Yeah, here we are."
"... A crepe stand? Umu, it smells kind of good, doesn't it?"
They picked out their orders- unsurprisingly, Xenovia didn't seem as interested in sugar-forged abominations as the other girls, and Xenovia gazed in bemusement at the fruity confection in her hand.
Then she took a dainty nibble, and her confusion melted away in adorable fashion.
"... So that's why Irina likes them so much." She murmured confidently, before taking another, larger bite.
Yuuji chuckled, and was reminded of why, despite his grumblings in the past, he had come to think of crepe stands as marvelous things.
Marvelous things that he would probably never, ever approach without company.
When they came to a stop, it was near the center of the lake, and after having quite literally rowed circles around everything and everyone else upon the waters.
"You know Xenovia, I don't think the 'couples rowboating' was meant to be competitive." Yuuji dryly pointed out as their momentum played out.
"Yeah, it was hardly a challenge at all." Xenovia agreed, plucking at the front of her slightly sweaty dress, her hat and bag stowed beneath her seat.
That wasn't what he'd meant at all, but he guessed it was fine if she was having fun.
The boat rocked a little as Xenovia left her seat, going to her knees and putting her hands upon his.
Wetting her lips, Xenovia smiled and closed the small distance between her face and his.
As their lips met, Yuuji released his oars and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer.
Xenovia deepened the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair.
When she broke the kiss, a thin trail of saliva left their lips connected for a brief instant as Xenovia gasped "everyone can see us like this, can't they?"
Though she said that, she wasn't any more willing to break eye contact to check than he was.
"Do you care?"
A saucy smirk across her glistening lips, Xenovia wrapped her arms around him more firmly, pulling him down on top of her as she laid back onto the lightly swaying deck.
Without a word, she pulled him in for another kiss.
She was happy.
Yuuji liked her.
He liked talking to her, he liked touching her, he liked kissing her, he liked spending time with her as man and woman…
Didn't he?
Why wouldn't her doubt go away?
She was having fun, he was having fun, what else was there supposed to be?
… He'd even said she looked beautiful.
So then…
"Xenovia." Yuuji said softly, by his place at her side, and with fingers to her chin, gently turned her head to face him.
She assumed he wanted to kiss, and she liked that idea, it was harder to think when they-
Yuuji was staring blankly at her, and she wondered what he could be thinking.
… His expression didn't change in the least when he reached up with his other hand- thankfully not the metal one- and flicked her on the nose.
"Don't overthink things." He chided her as she clutched her stinging nose, eyes watering.
"Look, if there's something you're unsure about, you can just tell me, you know? I'm not going to think less of you." Yuuji calmly urged her.
"I…" Xenovia stopped, and began to wonder-
… What was going on with her? Why was she hesitating so much? She knew what she wanted to do, didn't she, so why wasn't she doing it?
"You make me feel weak." Xenovia blurted out.
"... Weak, huh?"
Once she'd said it, it made perfect sense.
"... Huh, yeah, that's exactly it. I keep hesitating and second guessing, my heart is beating all weird and my stomach is fluttery." Xenovia confirmed, nodding with every word as she crossed her arms and frowned towards the unoffending ground. "No, that's not the weird part."
"... Then what is the weird part?" Yuuji prompted.
Without looking his way, Xenovia gave a long hum, thinking hard.
Then she turned and looked him dead in the eyes, and made her declaration in no uncertain terms.
"I like it."
A smile began to creep across Yuuji's face as Xenovia nodded again.
"You make me feel weak and confused and I like it because I feel like I can be weak, like I can be confused… oh." Xenovia trailed off, eyes widening.
Xenovia blinked slowly, her gaze falling and her bangs shielding her eyes.
"Like… like I don't have to be strong all the time." Xenovia whispered.
Yuuji didn't have anything he could say to that, and so he just pulled her against him, quietly marvelling at how Xenovia readily followed the motion, pressing her head against his chest and snuggling in.
"Hmm, your heartbeat is very comforting." Xenovia murmured approvingly. "Now I understand why everyone likes it so much."
"That so?"
"Mhm that's… actually, your shirt is in the way." Xenovia flatly declared. "I've never thought that shirts were an evil thing before now."
"Well, if you want me to take my clothes off, we probably shouldn't do it in public." Yuuji suggested mildly.
Xenovia lifted her head up to meet his smirk with a serious expression of her own.
"You're right, I'm not ready to have sex in public just yet."
"I'm okay if you're never ready for that one." Yuuji admitted.
"I am ready to have sex though, so let's do that." Xenovia told him without a trace of shame. "Also, Akeno wanted me to remember to tell you that I've done all my 'preparation', though that's a strange name for birth control magic."
The long silence that followed was shattered to pieces by Yuuji's laughter.
She wasn't sure what was so funny and she was suddenly feeling dreadfully embarrassed.
… But she'd have to be deaf not to realize that Yuuji's laughter was the happy kind of laughter, so she'd call it a win.
They weren't willing to keep their hands, or mouths off each other long enough to do things the typical way, and so they stumbled through the portal and into the room still entangled with one another, lips locking and hands roaming.
Yuuji lightly shoved Xenovia into the wall and pressed against her, the gasp as her back hit laden with arousal, one of her legs lifting to hitch around his hip and press them even closer together.
Xenovia shuddered against him as his tongue wrestled down hers, but she wasn't one to meekly accept an attack- Yuuji found himself spun around, Xenovia heavy breasts mashing against his chest as she took her turn to pin him against the wall, molding against him as if to completely eliminate any space between them.
Another spin and they were on the bed, Yuuji was on top once more.
On all fours, his dark eyes gleaming as he stared down upon Xenovia, lying on the bed, her eyes glistening with lust and her chest heaving with every breathless gasp.
Tenderly, Yuuji lifted one hand and brushed her bangs back behind one ear, letting him get a better look at the flushed and lovely face of his lover- and, giving her time to recover.
It was easy to get swept up in the moment, but he had no intention of using that as an excuse.
"Y-Yuuji, I…" Xenovia's eyelashes fluttered bashfully, and she wet her lips in a small display of nerves.
"Take your time." He softly urged.
"N-no, it's not that, it's just I… I should tell you…" Yuuji sat back as she hesitated, still on top of her but less demandingly. "Well I've never had sex so I might not be very… good?"
Yuuji gave her a small, but genuine smile.
"Everyone has to start somewhere, it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"But you know what you're doing, so what if I enjoy myself and you don't? Akeno said that it was important to try and make your partner enjoy themselves as well."
"But she also probably said to communicate with your partner in order to do that, right?"
Xenovia paused for a moment.
"Oh yeah, she did, didn't she?"
"Which is what you're doing right now."
"It is, isn't it? Maybe I'm just being silly. Sorry, Yuuji."
"You're being a little silly, yeah, but it's cute so it's fine."
"... A surprise attack?" Xenovia flushed, averting her eyes and covering the lower half of her face with one hand- serving little function but making her look cuter.
Chuckling to himself, Yuuji rose up off the bed and offered her his hand.
Looking up at him curiously, Xenovia took his hand and let herself be pulled to her feet, only for Yuuji to turn them both around and sit down onto the bed, facing her.
"Here, maybe it will be easier if you take the initiative." He said, spreading his arms. "Touch me."
"Touch you where?"
"Wherever you feel like. You can do whatever you like, and don't worry about asking for permission every step of the way- I'll say something if I'm uncomfortable."
"Mhm, that's easy to understand." Xenovia nodded seriously, and began sliding off her gloves.
He actually wasn't surprised in the least when she immediately started groping his chest with an expression that looked intensely interested.
"It's just like I noticed back in the park- a man's chest isn't nearly as squishy, is it?"
"Depends on the guy, but yeah, we're generally less soft." Yuuji replied calmly, not minding at all that she was mapping out his pecs with her fingers as they spoke.
"Hmm… can you take off your shirt? Actually, no, I take that back- can I take off your shirt?"
Yuuji nodded. He'd briefly considered pointing out that he'd already given permission, but as long as Xenovia was comfortable then he decided it was fine.
Instead, obediently lifted his arms above his head- his light button-up had been discarded, so all that was left was his v-neck shirt.
He tried not to smirk when Xenovia slipped off his shirt and put it neatly aside, before bringing her attention to his bare upper body.
He failed in trying not to smirk when Xenovia gulped, loudly.
Thankfully, she was too busy staring to notice, but Yuuji noticed something interesting when her eyes began to fall on specific points in particular-
Her cheeks darkened a little more every time her fingers traced the outline of one of his scars.
As her hands finished their journey, a pensive frown crossed Xenovia's face as she straightened back up.
"Huh. Seeing proof of the battles you've fought is a turn-on, but also makes me sad because it's proof of you getting hurt. How vexing." Xenovia groused.
After a few moments of pondering, Xenovia seemed to come to a resolution, nodding firmly to herself.
"Well, I touched your chest so it's only fair you touch mine." She firmly asserted.
"I'm not going to argue." Yuuji said agreeably.
Xenovia clasped him by the wrists and guided his hands up towards her breasts without any sort of preamble- though she blushed the moment his fingers sunk into the soft flesh of her tits.
Yuuji began to give several slow, light squeezes, gauging her reactions- every time he squeezed, Xenovia would shudder, and that made the springy orbs jiggle ever so slightly, enhancing the experience for both of them.
"I-I got to touch you with no clothing in the way- i-it's only fair." Xenovia asserted, this time with a quaver in her voice, sweet sighs leaking out between glossy lips.
"Your dress is kind of in the way." Yuuji pointed out mildly.
"Only a-a little." Xenovia slid his hands along her breasts- hips squirming as she did- and pressed his fingers against the sides of her dress where the fabric didn't cover her boobs.
Taking the cue, Yuuji put a little strength into his fingers and slid them beneath the slightly stretchy fabric- pinning his fingers between breast and cloth.
Xenovia gasped, and her hands left his wrists to place themselves over top of his hands.
"So you really aren't wearing a bra."
"The d-dress is designed- ah~ for it!" Xenovia insisted, eyes clenched shut.
"... Want me to stop?"
When her eyes snapped back open, Yuuji decided the best description for the emotion found there was 'horror', and thus began to slide his fingers a little deeper, shifting to make it less awkward.
Xenovia held her breath, eyes wet with desire- and let it out in a husky cry when his middle fingers- one flesh and one metal- poked the stiff crowns of her breasts, her whole body jolting.
A muffled moan thrummed through her body, and then she was pressing against his hands, throwing her arms around his neck, and closing the distance to crash their lips together in an open-mouthed kiss almost bruising in it's force-
As one, they both decided that that suited them just fine.
Xenovia gasped into his mouth as he continued to play with her breasts, her tongue wildly lashing out against his as if trying to touch everywhere at once.
Yuuji thumbed her nipples, and Xenovia flinched out of the kiss, a trail of saliva connecting them as proximity allowed them to taste one another with every breath.
"What say we get the rest of these clothes out of the way?" Yuuji offered.
"You do it, please." Xenovia demanded eagerly. "Otherwise I'm going to tear it off me, and I like this dress."
"What a coincidence, so do I."
"That's why I like it."
Xenovia first thought she looked like a woman when she dressed her best for no other purpose than for Yuuji to enjoy the sight of her.
Xenovia truly felt like a woman when he peeled those clothes off of her, and embraced her body with not a stitch between them.
Yuuji stretched her out on the bed, crawling up beside her and kissing her softly as his hands caressed the subtle muscle of her stomach.
Xenovia lifted her arms to hug him to her and deepen the kiss- only to find her arms empty and her mouth suddenly unoccupied- she had almost processed the loss of warmth when it returned with a warm breath against her naked breast.
A husky moan spilled from her lips as Yuuji began to kiss and lick her boob, the hand stroking her stomach coming up to fondle the other breast.
Her fists tangled in the sheets as he made love to her tits- lips gasping and back arching as Yuuji explored her bosom and enjoyed every moment of it.
Then a hand was sliding its way down her front again- lower and lower until it reached between her legs.
It was a strange, wonderful feeling- suddenly something was entering her and her senses seemed to skip a beat.
And then a second finger slipped in beside the first, and Xenovia had to give up on trivial things like conscious thought.
For his part, Yuuji was enjoying making Xenovia moan just as much as he was playing with her body- he loved the sound a woman made when she came undone.
He liked being the cause of the unraveling even more.
It had only gotten better when he started learning how to love again.
There was an audible wet sound as Yuuji pulled out the two fingers that had been sloshing back and forth inside Xenovia.
He wanted to make sure she was wet enough, but he was also aware she was a little impatient, and-
The two fingers playing with lewd strands of honey were promptly seized in both of Xenovia's hands, who had sat up on the bed, her quivering legs open and folded beneath her.
Yuuji blinked in surprise as she stared at the dripping digits in wonder, and-
"Ahm~" closed her mouth around them with a blissful, muffled hum.
Yuuji couldn't help but appreciate as Xenovia sucked and licked at his fingers, bobbing her head back and forth with sloppy, happy little moans escaping past the wet sounds of her enthusiasm.
Those sounds grew in volume considerably as Yuuji's other hand made its presence known- slightly warm and deceptively smooth metal drifting across her damp inner thighs but never quite moving as deeply as she wanted.
When her tongue stopped working, Yuuji's fingers lightly clasped and massaged it, before withdrawing both hands with a pair of wet, teasing 'pops' that were surprisingly hard to tell apart.
"Where'd you learn to do something like that?"
Xenovia blinked out of her pleasurable daze, and replied with "Akeno said you liked it when a girl sucked on her fingers."
"She's not wrong."
Xenovia nodded sagely in return. "She gave me a lot of advice for making you 'turned on', is it working?"
Yuuji couldn't quite repress a snicker at being asked so frankly, but Xenovia missed the hint of mischief in his smirk as he looked her dead in the eyes and took one of her hands in both his own.
"Well, what do you think?"
Xenovia stiffened in surprise as she found her hand wrapped around his erection.
"... You are, aren't you?" She murmured in quiet wonder. "You're turned on because of… me?" Her eyes glistened, and this time, it had a lot less to do with lust.
Yuuji swept in suddenly and kissed her full on the lips, murmuring against them as he leaned back "see, you're not the only one enjoying themselves."
It was the lewd kind of cute the way a proud smile bloomed across Xenovia lips- and then it was her turn for mischief as her occupied hand began to slowly, gently move up and down.
"Hm, this is rather enjoyable, isn't it?" Xenovia commented quite seriously, her attention wholly focused on the task at hand. "Yes, I think I could get used to this."
"If you think that's good-" Which it was, no surprise she was good with her hands- "Just imagine how good it will feel inside of you."
The slowly pumping hand stopped.
Next thing he knew, Yuuji was on his back with Xenovia on her knees above him, straddling his waist.
"I want it. How does the sex part work?" Xenovia demanded, before seeming to catch herself and ending with a "... please?"
"Yeah, honestly, it was getting a little hard to wait." Yuuji admitted.
Xenovia took the time to meet Yuuji's eyes and look, really look.
There was something wild and barely restrained seething in those dark eyes… and the warmth burning within her began to rage out of control as she finally realized that the raging emotion in both him and her was lust.
Immediately she attempted to bring her hips down- a whine of frustration spilled from her lips as all that achieved was pinning Yuuji's hard-on between her body and his.
"Grab it with your hand and guide it in." Yuuji instructed.
With her hand? Yes… yes, that was a good idea, Yuuji was so smart!
Lifting her hips up again, Xenovia reached between her legs and gently but firmly clasped Yuuji's length- lining it up with her womanhood and sinking her hips down- this time, Yuuji clasped her hips to help steady her.
It was a hard-to-describe feeling, something warm and stiff poking into and touching everywhere at once!
Xenovia threw back her head with a startled cry as a rush of warmth flew into and out of her, drowning out Yuuji's startled warning as the heat that had been building steadily within her seemed to melt her body- and then that 'hard thing' was suddenly deeper within her as she felt the euphoric sensation of being filled.
But it could go deeper, couldn't it?
Someone far away said something that was probably a warning, she would listen afterwards.
Xenovia slammed her hips down and the growing inferno stole her senses away entirely, leaving only bliss in its wake.
Okay, so maybe he wasn't prepared for Xenovia's impulsive nature- she'd went from 'just the tip' to 'up to the hilt' in one single motion- losing her virginity in a single thrust and one screaming orgasm that left his ears ringing.
Girl had never heard of a half-way measure.
"Oi, Xenovia, you still with me?"
"H-huh? Y-Yuuji?" Xenovia shook her head slightly to find herself still on top of Yuuji, and-
"... You're still- ah~ inside of me, aren't you?"
"Yeah… you're not a virgin anymore." Yuuji managed to grit out- fuck she was tight.
"T-that felt a lot better than-" Xenovia went red, and cut herself off.
"As interesting as that is, I'm gonna lose it if you stay still like that." Yuuji growled.
"Oh! S-sorry, I… don't know what to do?" Xenovia sheepishly admitted, not realizing that her squirming was both worsening and solving the problem.
"Just start moving your hips- slowly. Just about anything feels good when I'm this turned on."
Nodding shakily, Xenovia began to slowly rock her hips backwards and forwards- it felt good for her, and she could feel Yuuji twitch.
Emboldened, Xenovia put power into her legs and tried moving her hips up and down- this was even better, still sensitive from her orgasm, it sent shocks up and down her spine every time Yuuji's erection slid up and down inside her.
Xenovia decided that yes, she liked having Yuuji inside of her.
And since she would have never known without Yuuji's help, Xenovia concluded that she should do her best to reward him for it.
Being a very physical learner- the basics of the hip movement were easy enough to figure out, and confident in that, Xenovia draped her upper body across Yuuji and claimed his lips without interrupting her rhythm.
… Yes, this was much better.
Yuuji had tried his best though, he really had.
But she'd just kissed through the last of his self-control.
Xenovia moaned helplessly into his mouth as he began thrusting up while she was thrusting down- pushing deeper into her than she was prepared for.
Clinging onto him for dear life, Xenovia gasped and mewled, her tongue weakly shuddering as he took control, dominating her from the bottom with casual ease.
And the way she clenched around his length left no mystery as to how she felt about it.
Xenovia was still sensitive from her orgasm, and Yuuji was closer than he'd expected to be- it didn't take long.
Yuuji growled and Xenovia wailed as they slammed their hips together as hard as they could, gripping each other tightly as they spiralled over the edge.
Slumped on Yuuji's chest, Xenovia revelled in the blissful warmth and the undeniable sense of a 'woman's achievement'.
Akeno had been right yet again, and she'd have to thank Raynare too- she'd been the one to reveal that kissing during sex was great.
The articles she'd read online had lied to her though- Yuuji's erection hadn't gone down at all after he'd come inside of her- which felt very warm and she liked it a lot.
She also liked the way Yuuji was rubbing her back, she felt very safe, warm, and…
"Yuuji I'm still horny, can we do it again?"
Yuuji gave a snort.
"Heh, yeah, I'm good to go if you're good to go. Wanna try a different position?"
"Yes, I do want that." Xenovia answered frankly. "... Does that mean you're going to pull out?"
"Only for a moment, so you don't have to let go, just lift your hips."
Obediently, Xenovia lifted her hips as high as they would go, shivering as he slid out of her folds. Dropping back down and pinning his length between them, she hugged him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her and carefully rolled both of them over.
Pushing up with his arms, Yuuji smiled down at Xenovia, her eyes wet with desire and her sweat-slick breasts jiggling and swaying lightly with her every breath.
"A-actually I'm still really sensitive… be gentle, please?"
"Of course." He whispered.
Taking a hold of her thighs as he sat back, Yuuji repositioned himself to sit comfortably between her legs and slowly entered her.
A moan rippled through her body as that blissful warmth returned- the suddenness of before had felt amazing, but slow like this was good too, and being on the bottom brought with it a sweet sort of vulnerability.
Willingly taking on the weaker position made her instincts as a warrior prickle at first- but the tender way Yuuji treated her eased that away, leaving her with the undeniable sense of being cherished.
Within the confines of her inner self, Xenovia laughed in disbelief as she felt her expression shift into something best described as pleading- opening her arms wide and beckoning Yuuji to lean in.
Just like before, they began to kiss as they made love- and just like Yuuji thrusting into her, it was gentler, softer- and no less wonderful for it.
When she felt the end approaching, though, some of that initial fervor returned, and as her fingernails dug into Yuuji's back, her legs wrapped around his hips as she did her best to embrace him with every part of herself- and pull him in as deep as he could go.
Yuuji tenderly rode her through the rippling shocks coursing through her body as Xenovia willingly surrendered to pleasure, pleasure that only grew all the sweeter as Yuuji followed her into release a few thrusts later.
When his lips left hers and found her neck, she moaned and gasped his name over and over as if it were a prayer, and the blasphemy of whispering a Devil's name like that was a strange, decadent little pleasure in and of itself.
It turned out like he expected, in the end.
He'd been confident in what Xenovia wanted, and when she went for what she'd wanted, he'd been all too willing to give it to her.
Xenovia was a little competitive though, and while Yuuji wasn't quite sure who she was competing with, or if she even knew herself who she was competing with this time, it didn't change how good it felt to be in each other's arms.
And it wouldn't change how sore Xenovia was going to be in the morning- but he'd do his duty as a man doing his best to be a good one and take care of her, even if he was less going to be sympathetic and more going to be smug as to being totally fine in contrast.
And that was a strange, decadent little pleasure in and of itself.
And that's another one for the harem.
For Xenovia's date, I really wanted to highlight the impression I get from her; while she's definitely the tomboy of the peerage, I've always felt like she's more feminine than she thinks she is.
Even when she asked for Yuuji's babies (Issei in canon), it felt more like a proposition than a seduction attempt- she's great at being bluntly assertive.
For future reference, I took her outfit directly from a Mobage card of her- literally Xenovia- Sailor (2016)'.
Moving on, we had another day out with the boys, and meanwhile, Gasper is taking big steps into adulthood himself.
I really wanted to show Gasper's development across multiple levels, and his speech impediment being cured by embracing the darkness within felt like an easily identifiable tie-in of the mystical and the mundane.
I also wanted to make things fluffy as all hell, and I'm confident that that turned out well also. Poor Rias will never be prepared to be on the receiving end of affection like that, she's one of those 'strong on attack, weak on defense' types.
As far as Xenovia and Gasper go, this could really be considered 'their' chapter for summer, but we had some good scenes from other characters too, I felt.
All three of our lovely Fallen Angels had some sexy bonding, expect to see that dialed up in the coming chapters.