Black Clover - The Three Brothers
Blake's eyes crept open, his hand went to protect his eyes from the sunlight's harsh beams hitting through his window. He half-mindedly created a portal to grab onto his curtain and pull it to the side halfway to block it off, then sat up. He stretched his arms out, before dropping them and yawning, but he abruptly stopped upon realizing his hand landed on something that wasn't the sheets.
That's when he remembers there's a woman in his bed, as he feels his knuckles brush against Vanessa's palm. He takes in her slumbering figure with a blank look.
"Hmmm."
Blake lightly slapped himself a couple of times in the face, before doing a moderately hard one. Then he bonked himself on the head. Then, finally, he pinched himself.
"Ow..." So then, this isn't a dream.
Vanessa rustled beneath the blanket in her sleep and Blake mentally chastised himself for being loud. He slowly crept off the side of the bed, not wanting to disturb her again. He paced for a few steps in the open area of his room, reaching into one of the many shopping bags to pull a shirt and sweatpants out to wear, black in color. He had picked out a couple of extra pieces of clothing from that shop Vanessa and Noelle were at, having had a small section for guys' clothing.
I remember...Vanessa and I went on a date, that was fun. Then...we had more fun. And that leads us to now.
He looked back at Vanessa's beauty one more time, before taking a deep breath...and having the biggest smile of his life.
HELL...FUCKING...YES!
Blake jumped ecstatically, bouncing on the balls of his feet so as to not make too much of a stir.
But a certain bird chirping almost makes him fall flat on his ass, scaring him.
"Fucking hell...good morning to you too, Nero. When'd you get here?" A horrifying possibility then enters Blake's mind and he squats down to whisper to the bird on his desk. "H-Hey...you weren't in here last night, were you?"
The bird looks at him blankly before shaking its head.
Blake sighed. "Well, that's a relief. Wouldn't want to scar you for the remainder of your bird life." He said, petting Nero's head. "Actually, how long do you anti-birds live for?"
The bird shrugged and then Blake shrugged.
"Guess you wouldn't know."
"Ah, morning, handsome."
Blake turned his head, hearing Vanessa greet him with a yawn, holding the blanket close to her.
He took another peek out the curtain, trying to judge what point in the day it was. "Hmmm. Looks a bit more like midday." He turned away and walked to the gorgeous lady, sitting with crossed legs across from Vanessa with a smile. "Not that it really matters."
Vanessa hummed. "I guess not." She moved forward, reaching toward Blake for a morning kiss.
"You sure? Morning breath's a bitch, you know." He advised.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and cupped Blake's cheeks. "Just hush and kiss me."
Blake chuckled. "Well, what the lady wants..."
It was a simple kiss, soft and slow. But...goddamn it, between the two of them it would never be just that, there'd always be more. More kisses and increased intensity, morning breath be damned. They couldn't get enough.
"What the lady fucking gets, god damn." Blake spoke, breaking away for breath. He moves her off his lap, not too roughly. "Alright, I'm going to go take a bath before I end up just spending the whole day in my room with you." As much as that sounds absolutely amazing...
"Aww, but that was my whole plan..." Vanessa mockingly pouted.
"It hasn't failed, just saved for later is all."
"I gueeeess I could go for a bath too. I'll need something to wear coming out though." Vanessa dropped the blanket she held, displaying a sight for Blake to behold. "Don't want to be walking around completely naked."
"Even if you're pretty much in just your bra and underwear 24/7?"
"Are you complaining?"
"Absolutely not."
Blake's eyes turn to the garments Vanessa wore last night, torn in two by his handiwork.
...Oh right, I did that. Not thinking much about it, he took off the shirt he just had on and tossed it to her. "Use that, I guess?"
"Ooooooh." Vanessa had no problem putting it on and was enjoying how oversized it was on her, the sleeves covering her upper arms and the shirt itself reaching to her thighs.
That's hot. Blake knocked his knuckles into his temple. Or would cute fit better?
Blake and Vanessa exited his room and walked in a comfortable silence, till the hallways reverberated the echoes of Asta's yelling as he ran through, sliding a large squishy sponge against the floor, layering it in soap and water. The pair moved to the side, getting out of the way.
"Good work, Asta." Blake called out.
"Show this floor who's the boss, kiddo!"
"Will do!" Asta replied, not paying much attention to them.
"If feeding the beasts means not dealing with cleaning, I guess that ain't too bad a deal." Magna said, coming around the corner, dusting off his hands. "Blake, my man! What's u...What the hell?"
Magna's eyes darted between the two. The way they were dressed, the fact that Vanessa was even hanging around the boys' hall to begin with, and the guilty expression and smirk on Blake and Vanessa's faces respectively.
"Whaaa...oh my god." Magna realized and pointed at them. "The two of you did it!"
Blake shrugged. "Guilty as charged?"
"You jealous, delinquent?" Vanessa teased.
"Get over yourself, wino!"
Blake took deep breaths as he settled into the hot water, acting almost as an instant relaxer to his muscles. He sat there, letting himself take it all in.
...He was with Vanessa now. He still had a hard time wrapping his head around it, even after last night. He felt...unsure, not of the thing between them, but of himself. Can he be a good partner? Can he keep her for the long term? Questions were plaguing his mind.
"Baths are for relaxing."
A foot is slammed into the side of Blake's head, sending him flopping into the water for a few seconds, before he emerges from the water in a rage.
"Get out of that head of yours." Yami spoke.
"Asshole!"
Yami stepped forward, his magic aura emanating. "You want to repeat that?"
"Should've figured you were hard of hearing, old man. Ass-hole!" Blake pronunciated the word slowly.
Blake and Yami stood silent for a few moments before a grin cracked on their faces and chuckles escaped them. They sat back down in the water.
"Good to have someone with a backbone. You know, you keep calling me old man, but I'm barely 28."
"No fucking way."
"Shut up." Yami chuckled. "But seriously, I come in here and you look like all that shit in your brain is firing all at once. The hell's up with you?"
Blake sighed. "Just thinking through things."
The captain hummed. "It's got something to do with our resident witch?"
Blake made an undiscerned audible noise.
"Your brother told me when I asked where you were, so I figured something was going to happen between you two." Yami then turned and gave Blake a horrible shit-eating grin. "You got laid, didn't you?"
Blake wasn't sure whether he'd rather turn the water into scorching magma or an ice glacier.
Yami belted out a laugh at Blake's expression. "You practically wear your heart on your sleeve, you'd be horrible at gambling."
"I'd be better than you and Magma at least, neither of you come back with anything." Blake bit back.
"Well, can't deny that." Yami turned partially. "Look, there's no point in overthinking everything. Whatever you got going on with her, a fling or something more, just deal with the now and let the rest come along the way."
Blake nodded, a bit surprised by the rather sound advice his captain had. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, captain."
Yami shrugged. "That's just my philosophy."
...
"And you know if you hurt her, you're dead."
"Obviously."
...
"So, what about you, Captain?"
"Who, little ol me?" Yami smirked, before looking up. "Yeah, I've had plenty of one-night stands in the past, but never anything serious."
"You ever met someone...you'd want to be serious with?"
There was something akin to a flash in Yami's mind, It lasted barely a second if that, of a woman ready for battle in her steel plate armor while draped in blue and a single braid of blonde hair hanging from her face.
"...Yeah right."
Blake shouldn't have been surprised, the captain didn't feel like a guy who'd settle down anyway.
The living room wasn't busy so far, barely anyone was up yet and even Charmy had just woken up from a nap for a quick stuffing. Vanessa had continued her need for sleep on the couch after bathing while Blake had gotten a plate of food from the little miss.
Blake's attention turned to the stomping made by the anti-social sister lover as he made his way to the entrance doors to the base.
"What's up with the oversized backpack?" Blake asked through the chewing of his breakfast, seeing the rather big accessory on Gauche's back.
"Huh? If you're gonna talk to me, eat your damn food first."
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
"But if you must know..." Gauche grumbled, before quickly shoving the picture of his little sister in Blake's face. "Today's the one day out of this month I'm allowed to go see my darling Marie..." He spoke with a proud tone and smile. "And I plan on spoiling her rotten with my earnings."
His mind began to wander, imagining Marie in various dresses he could buy for her. "Oh, Marie. No one matches your absolutely angelic cuteness, I could die from just the thought of it."
He looks like he's about to.
Gauche pulled away, holding a hand to his face as he began to have a profuse...nosebleed?
"...What the fuck..." Blake whispered to himself upon seeing Gauche's...unique display of affection.
"I don't have any more time to waste." Gauche returned to his usual calmness. "Goodbye." He farewelled coldly.
Blake sighed. "Wait." He called out, before creating a spatial portal close to Gauche.
"The hell is this?" Gauche questioned.
"Only one day to spend time with your sister? That really sucks. Figured I could save you time on the trip." Blake made a gesture between him and Gauche. "Big Bro to Big Bro."
Gauche's eye narrowed at Blake, glaring at him pensively, before huffing and going through the portal without a word.
"Mhm, you're welcome." Blake mumbled, a bit ticked that his squadmate couldn't even say thank you. Then, Gauche heading out reminded him of something he was planning for today.
I should go find Asta.
Orfai hummed with a smile as he took in the sunny day, doing his best to tidy up the front of the Hage church after finishing Mass with some of the townsfolk. Not everyone was interested in taking part, but he was not one to judge.
They had just gotten a letter from Asta last night, along with a hefty pouch of Yul from his monthly salary to use for the church and them. The same with Yuno, who had also sent a large amount of his earnings hours before Asta.
Those boys have always had such kind hearts. I do wonder about what Blake used his earnings on...
Though his hearing had been impaired over the years, he could pick up on a rather strange warping sound from overhead and looked up to see some sort of portal.
Oh! More letters from Blake and Asta perhaps? It looks different than before.
"Ayoop!"
"Woo!"
The two boys let out as they dropped out of the portal and landed on their feet.
ASTA AND BLAKE THEMSELVES?!
"That's so disorienting..." Asta noted, making small circles with his head.
"Oh? That's a big word for you, congrats on learning it!"
"Hey...shut up!"
"Asta! Blake! My boys!" Orfai threw the broom off to the side and ran towards the two, smiling.
Blake and Asta returned with their own delighted smiles.
"Pops! Nice seeing you again."
"Hey, Father!" Asta waved.
"Oh, it's great seeing you boys again! It feels like it's been so long!" Orfai spoke, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, and pulling them in for a hug.
Blake chuckled. "Come on, it's only been a week, if that."
"Yes, well...still!" Orfai released the two. "So, what brings you two back here?"
Blake shrugged. "We got kicked out of the Magic Knights."
"YOU WHAT?!"
"What? No, we didn't! Quit lying, Blake!" Asta said, socking Blake in the arm.
It barely registered as Blake had burst into laughter, the sight of his dad's face permanently etched into his brain. "Oh man, you should've seen your face!"
"Sh-Shame on you, Blake! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Orfai reprimanded, hand over his chest.
"Okay, Okay, I'm sorry!" He wasn't really. Once he recollected himself, he continued. "We actually had a free day so I figured we could pay a visit." Blake turned back. "Plus I've got stuff for..."
Blake sporadically looked around him, confusing Orfai.
"Ah shoot, I forgot the backpack."
"You forgot to—How do you forget something like that?!" Asta questioned.
"I don't know...Shaddup!" Blake opened a portal to this room and pulled out the oversized backpack through it. "Didn't even matter, Asta!" Blake stuck his tongue out at his brother, childishly.
"Well, what if you didn't have that space magic?!"
"What ifs are for losers!"
"...Space...magic?" Orfai asked, mind-boggled by both the size of the backpack and the strange magic.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! It's one of the magics I've picked up from one of my teammates! Makes traveling a cinch!" Blake explained, demonstrating it for a moment.
"Saved my butt too!" Asta added.
Orfai nodded with a smile. Blake always became a bit brighter when talking about magic and who doesn't enjoy seeing their child being happy?
"I'm glad to hear it, Blake. So then, what's with the backpack?" Orfai asked.
"Gifts!" Blake answered, digging in and throwing a hefty pouch of Yul toward the Priest. "It's probably not as much as Asta or Yuno, but I hope it helps. Where's everyone else at?"
His dad looked at the pouch with a grateful smile. "Every little bit helps, thank you, all three of you boys. Sister Lily and the children went out to get some groceries a bit ago, they should be back soon.
Orfai then pointed out where the forest surrounding the demon skull was located. "Though Nash is actually back there. If I had to take a guess, he's been inspired by Asta and you."
"Really? That's awesome!" Asta said.
Blake looked back. Now that he thought about it, Nash did have that conversation with Asta before they set off for the exams. He smiles.
"Let's go check in with him then. Back in a bit, pops!" Blake spoke, opening a portal and walking through it with Asta.
"Okay, see you then! Don't be too long!"
Seeing that Blake had left the backpack, Orfai decided to bring it in with him and set it in the dining room. Though the task was easier said than done.
Mother of—What did he buy?!
"Hundred and...twenty-two. Hundred and... twenty-three. Hundred and...twenty-f..." Nash dropped to the ground, not being able to complete the rep. "I feel like I'm dying. How the hell does Asta make it look so easy?" He spoke through labored breaths.
Asta beamed a proud smile as he and Blake stood behind trees, acting as onlookers to Nash's training.
"Maybe I should..." Nash's fingers dig into the dirt before he slams his fist into it. "No! Asta...He wouldn't stop when he couldn't do something, he'd find a way to push past it!"
He got back into the starting position. "Him...Yuno...and Blake. If I want to be a Magic Knight beside them, I need to push past my limits too! I won't give up!"
Rep after rep, it all felt agonizing but Nash wouldn't let himself stop. "150...Reach that amount before you stop, Nash!" He shouted at himself.
"Come on, Nash. I know you have it in you!" Asta encouraged.
"Keep it down, don't break his concentration." Blake whispered.
"147...! 148...! 149...!" Nash let himself down for the last rep and inch by inch pushed his body back up. "150!" He locked it in before allowing himself to drop to the ground, his body burning.
Blake smiled, proud of Nash. Meanwhile, Asta couldn't stop himself. He ran from the tree towards Nash in excitement.
"Hell yeah, Nash! That was awesome!" Asta congratulated.
"H-Huh?! Asta?! What are you doing here?!" Nash spoke in surprise and a growing embarrassment. Had he heard what he'd been saying?
Asta dove toward Nash, hugging his little brother tightly. "I'm so happy to see you training hard! You're making me proud, Nash!"
"Sh-Shut up! You're being weird! L-Let go!" Nash shouted, trying to kick Asta off him, to little success.
"You gotta hit harder than that!" Asta jumped back and flexed. "I've got a core of steel!"
Nash grumbled. Maybe I should be doing more squats and burpees?
"Good work on your training. Here." Blake threw Nash a nutrient bar pulled out from a small dark blue cloud of cotton.
"What...What is that?" Nash pointed at the strange thing while munching on the bar.
"Cotton Magic! ...I think that's what she calls it. Copied it from a squadmate. You know, the usual." Blake explained.
Nash took a swig of his moguro leaf juice. "Hm, looks kiddy."
"Hey! You will treat this cotton with respect!"
"What are you two even doing here?"
"Quality time! C'mon, we're picking up Sister Lily and the others from their shopping." Blake's grimoire opened once again.
"Oh, check this out, Nash! He's got this magic that lets him make portals to other places and stuff! Super cool!"
"What? No way!" Nash spoke, incredulous.
"Nah, that's not what I'm gonna use." Blake corrected.
"Huh? Why not?"
"I mean, yeah, it's the most convenient, but..."
"[Copy Magic: Swift White Hawk]!"
Gusts of wind appeared and turned black, shaping into a large black Hawk.
"That doesn't make it the most fun, though!" Blake leaped onto the bird and motioned for Asta and Nash to follow.
"Ohhh, yeah! Flying is fun!" Asta agreed.
"But this doesn't give us enough space for everybody else though." Nash noted.
"I already got that covered," Blake assured.
Sure, the bird could only get so big through the spell's own means, but Blake knew he had another option as he placed his hand on the head of the wind hawk and once again felt the string of mana connect him to his spell.
How much should I do? Neven doesn't need to be too big...Let's try...
"[Magic Amplification: 5%]!"
"Are you okay, Recca?" Sister Lily asks, holding the bags of produce and groceries in her hands.
Recca had been carrying Horo on her back since they started walking back, but she didn't mind it, giving the Sister a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay! He isn't all that heavy and he played around a lot before this, should've figured he'd need a nap!" She joked.
Sister Lily giggled. "Yes, I suppose that's true."
Meanwhile, Arlu had become a little pouty. "I want to be carried too..."
Recca turned to reassure her. "Once we get back, okay? I'll carry you for however long you want!"
"Really? Okay!" Arlu lit up with a smile, determined.
Sister Lily had to admire how seamlessly Recca had stepped into the eldest sibling role, though she supposed that made sense, considering the three boys she had to look up to. Quality role models, they were.
But Sister Lily paused, seeing Recca and Arlu had come to a stop. "Recca? Arlu?"
The girls were looking forward to the sky, wonder in their eyes. So, Lily simply followed their gaze and— "Oh!"
"Big Bird! Big Bird!" Arlu pointed out.
"That's...Yeah, that's a big bird. And it's heading straight toward us!"
"Wait." Squinting her eyes to focus her vision, Sister Lily grew a smile. "No need to be scared, girls. It's a friendly bird!"
"Isn't that Yuno's spell? But the wind is darker so...!"
The bird took a dive toward the ground, before quickly pulling back up, heading straight toward Lily and the children, stopping just short of a couple feet. A hand shot up from behind the hawk before Blake appeared to them, smiling.
"Yooooo! Want a ride?"
"Hey, everyone!" Asta popped up as well, waving at them.
"Blake! Asta!" Recca and Arlu ran toward the bird, joyful of seeing their two other older brothers. Sister Lily followed after.
"Please save all questions for when we arrive home!" Blake raised his hand, gathering wind currents to lift them from the ground up to the air and onto the bird. "In approximately," —he looks at the watch that's not on his wrist— "Five minutes!"
Recca giggled, seeing the sleeping Horo snuggle into the bird. "Looks comfortable enough."
"Naaash?" Arlu softly poked her youngest older brother, who laid flat on the bird with a look of queasiness. "Are you okay?"
"Flying is fun...but my stomach doesn't like it."
"Hm, there there." She patted the boy's stomach, hoping to soothe it.
"Thanks, Arlu..."
"Alright, keep ahold of the hawk and hang tight 'cause we're off!" Blake sounded off, making the eagle swerve tightly before it took flight.
"Oh god, here it comes again..."
Hours would pass as Blake and Asta breezed through the day with their family.
They flew around for some more time on the hawk, letting everyone take in the new view of their little village and beyond it. Seeing the large fields of greenery from above gave it a different feeling, they had found it so drab and bland but from above...it was so beautiful.
Not to mention how adorable it was when Recca and Arlu took turns petting little Nero, just as it was seeing the bird allowing it begrudgingly to be rather receptive to it, even if it still looked so blankly.
When they got back home, Blake spent plenty of time showing off his magic to entertain his siblings. He had made quite the spectacle with Lightning Magic and used his Vine Magic to practically juggle the little ones in the air for some time—making use of Cotton Magic to make sure they had a safe landing. Blake also had a fun time messing with them with his Transformation Magic.
Dinner-time preparation would come after some time.
"Ugh, let me guess. A bunch of pot potatoes for dinner again?" Nash groaned as he helped set up the dinner table with everyone else.
"Nash, I've told you once and I'll tell you again! Asta and Blake became big and strong from our famous 'tatoes, there's no need to be greedy!" Orfai slapped a hand on both Asta and Blake's shoulders, who were getting the plates and utensils laid out. "Well...maybe not big in Asta's case but still!" He added on, realizing his words.
"You didn't need to bring that up!" Asta retorted. Blake chuckled at the unintentional tease.
"Nash does have a point, Father. It's hard not to get tired of something you eat 24/7." Sister Lily replied.
"Well, it's just what we have." Orfai said.
"Not tonight, it ain't!" Blake declared, clapping twice to get everyone's attention. "You can save the tatoes for later, I got dinner covered for tonight!" He told his pops, pointing his thumb at himself.
"Hm? What do you mean, Blake?"
Blake smiled, placing a hand out as he used his magic to form another cloud of cotton and began to pull and lay out an assortment of raw meats, side dish ingredients for both savory and sweet food, and plenty of fruits and veggies, all packaged and prepped onto a tray he brought with it.
"A squadmate of ours overheard Asta and me planning to come over and was generous enough to gift us all this for our dinner! Asta, help me out here!"
"How much food did Miss Charmy give you?!" He questioned while pulling out more stuff.
"Is it gonna be any good?" Nash questioned, taking in all of the ingredients that lay on the table.
"Oh yeah! Just you wait, she's the best when it comes to food!" Asta reassured.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've seen some of these ingredients." Sister Lily pointed out to herself, "But I'm not sure I remember all that much for cooking these dishes."
"Don't worry, you won't have to deal with all that work, Sister." Once Blake and Asta had finally gotten everything taken out of the ball of cotton, he opened his grimoire, and from the cotton formed three creatures similar to sheep. Their wool was black, while their faces and trotters were dark blue, ready for cooking.
"[Copy Magic: Sheep Cook]"
Arlu gasped and ran up to the magical creatures that she had taken to be more like oversized stuffed animals, pulling one into a tight hug, and laughing. "They're so soft!"
"C-Cuddly!" Horo declared, doing the same as his slightly older sister.
The two sheep stood blankly, seeming confused, before simply wrapping their arms around the children and patting their backs, holding a...warm expression.
So the sheep have a bit of personality to them? Blake hummed.
"...Back off, I'm not hugging you."
Nash told off the third sheep, who had wished to take part in the pleasant act of hugging, but hung his head low, saddened by the rejection. But the sheep's white eyes brighten being hugged by Recca.
"I got ya, big guy. Don't bother with that meanie."
"Shush it!"
"...Magic is a wonderous thing," Orfai spoke simply.
"Ain't it?" Then, Blake pulled out a piece of paper out of his pocket, handing it to the sheep. "Alright, that's what you'll be making with this stuff. I'm told your cooking skill is built into you, so...make it good! Please!"
The sheep nodded, giving him a salute before hauling off the tray of ingredients to the kitchen, ready to prepare the best cuisine these country bumpkins have ever tasted in their lives. Sister Lily followed the sheep into the kitchen to make sure everything ran smoothly. She never thought she'd be learning recipes from magical sheep but...sure, why not?
"Yeah, that's gonna be a while..." Blake turned to his dad. "Can you show me where you put my backpack?"
As if on cue, "B-Blake, is this yours?", asked Sister Lily, barely managing to drag the backpack that was almost as tall as her but twice her width into view of the kitchen entranceway.
"Ah, there we go! Thanks, Sister." Blake took the backpack out of her hands and easily pulled it away, setting it in front of him, then created a vine to pull a chair over to sit on. "Christmas came early, little ones!"
"Oooh, gifts!" Recca sat criss-cross and the rest followed after, they huddled in the bit of open space they had in the dining room, while Father Orfai decided to help in the kitchen alongside the sheep and Lily.
"Hopefully you got some actually cool stuff." Nash remarked.
"You little punk." Blake worked on unlatching the backpack while he narrowed his eyes. "I'm gonna make sure Saint Nick puts your butt on the naughty list."
"I-I was just joking, don't be a jerk!" Nash spoke frantically.
"Hm, yeah yeah. How 'bout these?" Blake displayed the dozen action figures he'd gotten for his younger brother, a mix of Crimson Lion Kings, Green Preying Mantis', and Coral Peacocks.
"Woah." Nash grabbed two of them, inspecting them and looking at the other ones. "Yeah, alright, these are pretty nice." He spoke, keeping it cool.
"There's one more and this one is special!" In a more dramatic manner, Blake showed off one last figure, a man who was looking to command a lion made from fire, who held long vermillion hair and wore the Crimson Lion robe.
"Behold your eyes, Nash! For this figure is designed after the one and only captain of the Crimson Lion Kings...!" And the only other captain I thought was cool...
"He is...! ...Uh..." Fuck, what was his name?! "F-Fidolion Gajillion!"
...
"...That is not his name." Nash wasn't amused.
SHIT!
Sister Lily popped her head out, "You mean Fuegoleon Vermillion?"
"YES!" Blake snapped his fingers at Lily. "That's what it was! Fuegoleon Vermillion!" Blake lightly slammed the figure in front of Nash. "Tada!"
Nash rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, but he had to admit... "The fire lion he has is pretty awesome. So, yeah, thanks Blake."
Blake smiled, "Yup, anytime."
"Nash! Nash! Let's play together, I got some too!" Asta dropped next to Nash, showing off some of his own. "This one's of our Brigade captain, Captain Yami!"
Nash squinted his eyes, looking at the figure. "That guy looks ugly."
"What?! No, he doesn't! He's awesome! I mean yeah he takes more bathroom breaks than he should but he's super strong too!"
"What are you even talking about? I bet my guy's stronger anyway."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yuh-huh!"
"...Who's up next?" Blake ignored the scuffle Asta and Nash was about to get into.
"Me!" Said Arlu and Horo at the same time.
"Alrighty!" Blake gathered an assortment of plushies and poured them in front of the two young ones. "Pick whatever ones you like to be yours!"
Thankfully, the two didn't get into any fights over them, and the ones they both wanted, had been peacefully resolved by them taking turns with them.
Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.
"Also!" Blake slid out a large box, shaking it in his hands to rattle before removing the top, and showing off the colorful Legablocks. "You can use these blocks to build stuff with! Sound fun, Horo?"
"Pu...Puppy?" Horo questioned innocently, causing Blake to chuckle.
"Yeah, kiddo, I'm sure we can make a puppy." They better be able to, for how much he paid for these things. The owner said they'd been discontinued for years.
"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!" Horo clapped his hands excitingly.
"You can use these too, Nash." He called out.
"Quiet, I'm winning!"
"What—No, you're not! You can't even break through my black cocoon!" Asta responded.
"Yeah, I can! My lion can shoot out fireballs that are this big!"
"You just made that up!"
"This whole fight is made up, so what?!"
Blake sighed. "Children."
"Like you wouldn't be doing the same thing, Blake?" Recca retorted with a smile.
"...Ah shoot, you got me there." He pointed towards her with a smile. "Best for last, yeah?"
"I always knew I was your favorite sibling."
"Shhh, don't let them hear that!"
Blake and Recca giggled before he reached into his backpack once again. "I didn't get ya any dolls or stuffed animals and stuff, figured you might've outgrown that. I hope you like these." He pulled 5 clear packages, each holding a thing of clothing in them as he described them, trying to remember how Vanessa described them.
"This black one with the white stripe in the middle is the more casual one, for everyday wear, chores, blah blah. Same thing for the light blue, but it's harder to deal with stuff getting on it so be a little careful. Apparently, this green one is really nice so when you guys go for picnics—" Blake stopped his spiel as he noticed Recca's eyes glued to one dress.
"This one looks...really pretty."
Blake hummed with a small smile. "Yeah, figured."
"Thanks, Blake, for all of it!" Recca gave him a big, bright smile and he returned it.
"Glad you liked them, I had plenty of help from Vanessa." Blake regretted saying that almost immediately after when he saw the glean in the little girl's eyes..
"Who's Vanessa?" She brought a hand to her lips to cover a smile. "Ooooh, does Blake have a girlfrie—?"
"Arlu!" He called out, noticing she had been looking at the dresses with a bright interest. The perfect distraction. "I got you some too!"
She gasped, "Yay!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms up happily.
Blake showed them off, allowing Arlu to pick one before ushering her and Recca away, then pulling Sister Lily away from keeping an eye on the cooking so she could help them dress up.
"You okay, son?" Orfai asked, seeing Blake dragging one of his hands off his face, exasperated.
"Yeah, just fine pops." I'm not gonna get out of that conversation, am I? Least I'll be able to stuff my face before it.
Finally, the food was finished and dinner was served. It was nearly unquantifiable just how much awe was plastered on the kids' faces. Blake would tell them to feast as much as they want but since they just dug in, he probably didn't need to. Recca and Arlu to a lesser extent, didn't want to stain their new clothes so soon.
Recca wore a flowy, burgundy red dress, sleeves ending at her shoulders. While Arlu's was a long-sleeve, blue dress that was designed with night sky stars throughout it that she adored. For the sake of Blake's heart, they shouldn't have been so adorable.
"Horo!" Sister Lily pushed away the big bowl of sweets. "Try to have some of the other food first, please!"
Horo pouted. He just wanted more of the colorful gummies...
"Huh? Ah!" His eyes lit up, seeing that a bowl full of them had appeared on his lap, sparing no time to eat more of them.
"What the—?! Where did that...Blake!" Orfai shouted, looking at his eldest son.
Blake closed the small portal he made underneath the table. "Hey, Horo wants the gummies!"—He changes himself into his pops using Transformation Magic— "And by the will of the lord he will have his gummies!" He declared, standing up and slamming his hand on the table.
"How did you do that?!"
Laughter filled the dining room and Blake took it all in, returning to normal and sitting back down. there was no better gratification than seeing the people he loved happy.
Though there wasn't much conversation, it was Sister Lily who had taken the lead in how Blake and Asta were doing in the Magic Knights. They had gone over a bit of what had happened in their missions and it surprised Blake how passionately Asta spoke of Noelle.
Progress, possibly. Though they were more interested in hearing about Yuno.
"He was here just yesterday?"
"Yes! They had taken a break from their mission to come visit. His teammates were really nice and polite!" Sister Lily told Blake, then turned to Asta.
Nash grumbled. "Yeah, except for the four-eyes who wanted to leave Sister Lily to those kidnappers."
"What?!" Blake and Asta shouted.
Orfai decided to explain. Turns out the noble they were escorting had been the one Yuno defeated back in the exams and was using the journey to the Heart Kingdom as a ruse, hiring mages in an attempt to kill Yuno and they had used Sister Lily as a hostage.
"Wow, what a sore loser. And that teammate of his sounds like a real jerk!" Asta noted, with a trace of bitterness in his words.
"Their team captain, Klaus if I remember correctly, wanted to leave it to the local watch while they took Salim to safety."
Blake almost laughed at hearing that. Yeah, Hage, probably one of the poorest villages in the Forsaken Realm is going to have a local watch.
"Even if we had one, what made him think they'd be able to take care of it? Nobles love lording over the fact that peasants have so little magic and yet they want to leave it to them to take care of a dangerous situation." Blake knew the people here and as much as he hated thinking like that, they weren't strong, not in the slightest. He looked at Sister Lily. "Klaus is lucky none of you got hurt in the middle of it all." Especially with Yuno there, the wind mage's wrath would be one to behold.
"Please don't think too ill of him, Blake. They had helped Yuno in the end and he figured out that it was the noble's fault with Mimosa's help." Sister Lily reasoned.
Mimosa? Is that his other squadmate? God forbid she's a noble too.
Asta could feel something in the mood began to change and tried to pull away from it. "Well, we're just glad you guys are safe! I'll have to tell Yuno thanks for being here for you guys!" Asta voiced.
"And we're gonna have a word with that team captain of his next time we see him, yeah?"
Asta looked at Blake with a smirk, palming his fist. "No doubt about it!"
Sister Lily sighed, before remembering, "Asta, you should've seen him when we told him how much you gave us. He even said he would start giving us all of his pay." She said with a giggle.
Sounded like a challenge to him! "Oh yeah? Well, there ain't no way he's gonna one-up me!" Asta responded. "I'll make sure to get a bigger pay next time and send it all back here!" Asta chuckled proudly. "Top that, Yuno."
"That's probably gonna be difficult, he's with the best squad and they're more likely to get the more important missions, so he probably already earns more than us." Blake pointed out.
"Well, that just means we're gonna work extra hard to take up the top spot, right?!"
Blake chuckled. "Sure, Asta."
"So, Blake, who's Vanessa?" Sister Lily asked.
Blake's eyes immediately darted to Recca, who was holding a mischievous smile.
Snitch!
"Oh, Miss Vanessa? She's a squadmate of ours." Asta replied.
Blake slowly nodded. "That and—"
"Blake's girlfrieeend~" Recca so helpfully added.
"Oh hush!" Blake grabbed a gumdrop and flicked it at her, though she rather easily caught it.
"Don't throw your food, Blake!" Orfai reprimanded.
"I was just passing it to her!"
His father sighed. "Well, is it true?" Orfai asked, regarding this Vanessa girl.
Blake sighed, not understanding why he was getting so embarrassed by it. "Yeah, it is."
"Wow, gross." Nash remarked.
"You little—"
"Don't mind him, that's just an act. He definitely likes this one girl from the village, Sarah." Recca whispered.
Nash almost spat out his food. "N-No! I do not!"
"Ooooooh." Yes, this was good, deflect the attention off Blake!
"Come on, Nash! You're always helping her out!"
"It's just to train and stuff! Nothing else!"
"Okaaaay." Recca wasn't buying it and clearly, the others weren't.
Well, maybe Asta, but that's cause he's Asta. Who, speaking of which, had quite a confused expression on his face.
"Wait, what's a girlfriend?"
"...Seriously, Asta?" This is the...29th time his brother has made him want to slam his head into something. "I just...how...even Recca and Nash..." Blake sighed. "Okay, look, think of it as someone who...you really like and might want to one day spend the rest of your life with. It's like halfway to being a wife, I guess." He tried to explain.
Asta nodded along. "I see, I see. Is that what you think of Vanessa?"
"I would hope so!" Orfai said.
"All these tough questions, we've barely been together for a day..." Blake mumbled. "But...probably, yeah."
Sister Lily hummed and nodded. "As long as you are happy together, that's what matters."
"Agreed." Orfai said. "So then, what is she like?"
Man, where could Blake start?
"Well she walks around the base half-nak—"
"ASTA!"
So, thankfully, that conversation didn't end with Blake regretting his loose lips, mostly.
Everyone was left satisfied with the dinner, the sheep made damn sure of that, and they're was plenty to have as leftovers. There would've been a problem with storing it all, had Blake not "foreseen the future"—AKA a bullshit impulse buy— and picked up a storage container that used Ice Magic to refrigerate food for later eating. He'd have to come around to recharge the thing every once in a while but that was more of a benefit than anything.
Unfortunately, the day could only last for so long and night soon fell, meaning it was time for the brothers to bid farewell.
"Thanks so much for the food Mr. Sheepies!" Arlu and Horo exclaimed, tightly hugging the magical creatures, who held the children just as tightly.
"Be sure to make this "Charmy" aware that we appreciate all she's given to us!" Orfai ordered, patting his stomach happily. "That may be the best meal we've had in ages!"
"Yeah, I'll be sure to," Blake spoke with a laugh, patting the sheep on their heads to return them back to his grimoire, who waved goodbye to the children.
"Not just that, but all that the three of you boys have given to us as well." Sister Lily began, "We've been able to do so much, provide better for the young ones, improve the town, we just..." Sister Lily stopped, her words catching in her breath, and simply smiled. "Thank you."
Blake and Asta merely stood there, not knowing what to say, but then held an embarrassed smile, accidentally mirroring each other as they scratched the back of their heads.
"You're always so kind, Sister Lily." Asta remarked. She could never have a bad bone in her body.
"Ah! One more thing." Blake had pulled one more thing out of the backpack, it was so small it likely had gotten lost within it. He handed it to Sister Lily. "A communication device, so you guys can call whenever you need, especially if Yuno comes around again!"
She nodded. "I'll be sure to keep it safe."
After just a few more goodbyes and one last group hug, Blake's request, a portal was opened, and through it, Blake and Asta went, back to their home away from home.
Black Clover - The Three Brothers
A/N: Sorry for the wait but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback is always appreciated!
Also, Guest, in regards to your comment. I'm glad you're liking the story! However, I just don't feel a want or a reason to really add anyone else into the harem for various reasons.
Noelle - Not the dynamic I'm interested in writing.
Mereoleona - She's been 50/50 but the age gap is kind of an issue. Writing them as fighting buddies would be interesting I think, but "fighting" buddies...eh.
Sol - Lack of possible interactions. Lack an interest to write them.
Sally - At best, a one-sided interest Blake would want to be far away from.
Dorothy - Deadass, I love Dorothy but like...she's asleep 99% of the story what am I supposed to do with that XD
Charmy - If there would be another addition, she'd be the most likely. But I think I'd like writing her and Blake as just best buddies gorging on food together more. Besides, then I could write Blake seeing her interest in his younger brother and that could be interesting.
Princia - I don't even know if I'm gonna include the movie in the story and I mean she just goes back to being dead in like a day so...idk.
Acier - That's just awkward.
Elf Fana - She's a part of something else.
I hope you still enjoy reading the story!
Have a good day everyone!