100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: After the war in Spade, Asta and Noelle start dating (secretly), they could do a better job at hiding it though.

—

The war with the Spade Kingdom was over.

It had left behind scars—both visible and invisible—but the world kept moving forward. With the devils defeated and the Clover Kingdom returning to a semblance of normalcy, things settled down. Rebuilding efforts began, celebrations were had, and most importantly, life moved on.

For Asta and Noelle, however, life had changed forever.

Because sometime in the aftermath—somewhere between healing wounds and picking up the shattered pieces of everything they had fought for—they had fallen together.

It hadn't been some grand, dramatic confession. There were no sweeping declarations or bold proclamations.

Instead, it had been a quiet moment in the ruins of the battlefield, away from the eyes of their friends. Noelle, exhausted and bruised, had muttered something about not being able to keep lying to herself, and Asta—always so straightforward, so simple in his love—had just smiled and said, "Yeah. Me too."

And that was that.

They were together.

Secretly, of course.

Because Noelle was Noelle, and the thought of their loud, chaotic friends discovering their relationship sent her into a spiral of anxiety. Asta, for his part, was perfectly happy to go along with whatever made her comfortable—though he did insist that one day, they wouldn't have to hide.

For now, though? Their relationship existed in stolen moments and hushed whispers.

And for a while, they had managed to keep it that way.

Until, inevitably, their friends began to catch on.

—

The First to Know: Mimosa

Mimosa had always been perceptive.

So, when she started noticing little things—Noelle being a bit too flustered whenever Asta was around, Asta miraculously never getting pummeled whenever he complimented Noelle, and the way they always seemed to disappear at the same time during group gatherings—she began to suspect.

But the moment that confirmed it was during a mission.

The three of them—Asta, Noelle, and Mimosa—had been sent to handle a rogue group of bandits causing trouble at the border. The fight hadn't been particularly difficult, but at one point, Noelle had been thrown back by an explosion.

She was fine. A little bruised, a little scuffed, but otherwise completely unharmed.

Asta, however, had not been fine.

Because the moment he saw her hit the ground, his entire demeanor changed.

His grin vanished. His magic surged. And with a single, furious swing of his sword, he obliterated the remaining enemies in a manner far more aggressive than usual.

Mimosa had healed Noelle without issue, but the way Asta immediately dropped to his knees beside her, his hands hovering just slightly over her arms, his expression tense and genuine with concern—

That was when Mimosa knew.

And the way Noelle softened ever so slightly under his touch? The way she didn't snap at him or call him an idiot for worrying?

That was the final nail in the coffin.

She had said nothing at the time. Had merely smiled, watching as Asta continued fussing while Noelle huffed and begrudgingly let him.

But later, as they were walking back, Mimosa leaned in close to Noelle and whispered, "You two are really cute together."

Noelle choked.

Mimosa giggled.

Noelle proceeded to deny everything, of course, but the deep, furious blush on her face was confirmation enough.

Mimosa promised not to tell.

(But she did have to stop herself from smiling every time she caught Noelle sneaking glances at Asta.)

—

The Next to Know: Luck and Magna

Luck and Magna were not perceptive in the same way Mimosa was.

But they were nosy.

It happened one evening at the Black Bulls hideout. Most of the squad was gathered in the common room, drinking and chatting, when Luck—out of nowhere—casually dropped, "Hey, Noelle, why are you sitting so close to Asta?"

The entire room went dead silent.

Noelle, who had indeed been sitting slightly closer to Asta than usual, stiffened. Asta, ever the one to not think before speaking, nearly said something before she stomped on his foot under the table.

"Wh—What are you talking about?!" she snapped.

Luck tilted his head. "You're always near him. Like, always."

Magna squinted. "You know… now that I think about it, I have noticed that."

"Wha—No I'm not!"

"You so are," Luck grinned. "You've been, like, way nicer to him lately, too."

Asta, sensing imminent disaster, tried to deflect. "Hey, hey, Noelle's nice to everyone!"

Luck and Magna both gave him a look.

"…Okay, yeah, that was a lie."

Noelle grabbed her drink and chugged it out of sheer panic.

"You guys are dating, huh?" Luck asked bluntly.

Noelle choked.

Magna nearly dropped his mug. "No way. No way."

"Wh—WE ARE NOT—"

Luck hummed. "Okay. But, like… you totally are."

Magna crossed his arms. "Yeah. Yeah, I don't believe that you're not."

Noelle wanted to die.

Asta just laughed nervously, scratching his cheek. "Haha… uh… you guys are crazy."

It was not a convincing argument.

Luck and Magna exchanged knowing grins.

Noelle refused to talk to either of them for a week.

(It did not stop them from smirking at her whenever she and Asta were in the same room.)

—

The Final Blow: Yami

The moment Captain Yami found out, it was over.

It wasn't even a matter of if he'd find out—because Yami always seemed to know everything—but rather a matter of when.

The answer?

At breakfast.

Asta had innocently reached over to steal a piece of toast from Noelle's plate.

And Noelle, without thinking, smacked his hand away.

But it wasn't the usual angry smack.

It was an affectionate one.

One that said, "That's mine, idiot."

One that was immediately followed by Asta grinning and bumping his shoulder against hers like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Yami, watching this unfold, raised an eyebrow.

"Huh," he muttered, sipping his coffee. "Didn't think you two had the balls to admit it."

The entire room went silent.

Asta froze. Noelle froze.

"…What?" Asta squeaked.

Yami grunted. "You and the princess. Figured it was bound to happen eventually. About damn time, if you ask me."

Noelle, red-faced and horrified, gawked at him. "Wha—WHO SAID—WE—"

Vanessa smirked. "Oh, this is good."

Finral gasped dramatically. "Wait, wait, for real?!"

Noelle slumped forward, her head hitting the table.

Asta just laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Haha… surprise?"

And that was how their secret relationship was no longer a secret.

Much to Noelle's eternal suffering.