Prompt: Asta and Yuno are brothers, family, and best friends—but above all, they are rivals. They compete with each other in every aspect of life, including romance.
—
Asta and Yuno had been competing since the moment they could walk.
No, even earlier. Since birth itself.
If Asta had been born screaming, Yuno had cried exactly one second later, as if trying to outdo him in sheer lung capacity. If Asta had taken his first step, Yuno had somehow taken two. And from that moment on, their rivalry had been set in stone, an eternal tug-of-war that had only grown stronger over time.
—
At the orphanage, every little thing was a contest.
Chores? A warzone.
"Whoever sweeps the floor faster wins!" Asta would declare, gripping the broom like it was a holy sword.
Yuno, ever the silent schemer, would simply flick his wrist conjuring a gust of wind, already halfway done before Asta even finished his sentence.
It never mattered what the task was. Washing dishes, carrying water from the well, feeding the chickens on their neighbors' farms—somehow, Asta and Yuno turned everything into an intense, sweat-breaking competition. Sister Lily had long since given up trying to stop them. The other children had learned to stay out of their way.
Then there was helping out with the younger kids.
"I'll make Hollo stop crying before you do!" Asta would yell, swooping in like a hero to comfort the smallest orphan.
Yuno would just pick up the child, rock them a few times, and the baby would immediately settle down.
Asta, still mid-dramatic speech, would be left fuming.
Even in generosity, they were competitive.
"Whoever gives Sister Lily the best gift wins!"
Asta had spent all day carving a wooden charm of a four-leaf clover. Yuno? He'd picked a real four-leaf clover on the way back home.
Asta had nearly thrown himself into the river out of frustration.
—
As they grew older, their competitions became even more absurd.
The morning routine alone was a daily war.
Who could wake up earlier?
Who could do more push-ups before breakfast?
Who could chop more firewood?
Who could eat more porridge without looking like they were in pain?
The last one was unfair—Asta had a bottomless stomach, while Yuno had mastered the art of appearing unfazed no matter how full he was.
Then came the races.
Oh, the races.
At first, it was normal—sprints to the river, climbing trees, footraces back to the orphanage. But then they got creative.
"Who can carry the most buckets of water to the house first?"
"Who can run up the hill backwards the fastest?"
"Who can balance an egg on their head while sprinting?"
The villagers would sometimes gather to watch, half in amusement, half in sheer disbelief that two boys could find so many ways to be ridiculous.
Even on quiet days, when Asta wasn't screaming about some new contest, Yuno would simply smirk and say, "Bet I can meditate longer than you."
Asta, despite not understanding the point of meditation, would sit beside him with the most intense, scrunched-up expression imaginable—until he fell asleep and face-planted into the dirt.
—
The ultimate competition had been set in stone the day Asta and Yuno decided they both wanted to be Wizard King.
Neither backed down.
Neither would back down.
Every waking moment was spent training, challenging each other, outdoing each other in whatever way possible. Asta built his muscles like a man possessed, while Yuno refined his mana control with an eerie, effortless grace. They were polar opposites in how they approached things, but that only fueled the rivalry further.
Every time Asta won a battle of endurance, Yuno would crush him in a battle of skill. Every time Asta found a new way to push himself, Yuno would silently one-up him by mastering something else with zero effort.
And yet, neither truly hated the other for it.
They couldn't.
It was too ingrained in them, too much a part of their bond.
Besides, the second some outsider dared to put one of them down, the other would immediately leap to their defense.
(Only they were allowed to insult each other, thank you very much.)
—
But then something unthinkable happened.
Something that shook Asta to his very core.
Something that made every other competition feel like child's play.
One day, he saw Yuno and Mimosa standing together.
Talking.
Laughing.
And—was that a blush?!
Asta nearly dropped his sword in the middle of training.
He rubbed his eyes. Surely, he was hallucinating. Maybe he'd done too many push-ups that morning.
But no.
Yuno and Mimosa were still there, still looking way too friendly for Asta's peace of mind.
No. No way. This is unacceptable.
Asta could handle losing a race. He could handle Yuno being freakishly good at magic. He could even handle the fact that Yuno somehow always got cooler coats than he did.
But losing in the battlefield of love?!
Not happening.
Absolutely not happening.
Asta's competitive spirit roared to life, an inferno hotter than any spell. If Yuno was on the verge of getting a girlfriend before him, that meant—that meant—Asta had to strike first.
But not just with any girl.
No, this was a competition. It had to be fair. If Yuno was about to date a royal, then Asta had to date a royal.
He needed someone high-class. Someone noble. Someone who would make this an undeniable victory.
…And then his gaze landed on Noelle.
His squadmate. His friend. His silver-haired, mana-royal companion who just so happened to have a very punchable reaction every time he complimented her.
Asta's eyes lit up with determination.
Noelle Silva would be his girlfriend before Yuno could make things official with Mimosa.
—
Asta had a new mission in life.
Not training. Not defeating devils. Not becoming Wizard King.
No.
He had to get a girlfriend before Yuno.
And not just any girlfriend—a royal girlfriend.
That meant only one person would do: Noelle Silva.
The very idea of it sent a lightning bolt of determination through his body. He'd never backed down from a challenge before, and he wasn't about to start now.
The only problem?
He'd never actually tried to flirt before.
—
Asta didn't waste time. The very next day, he walked straight up to Noelle in the Black Bulls' hideout, his usual energy dialed up to an alarming degree.
"Noelle!" he called out, practically vibrating with excitement.
Noelle, who had been peacefully drinking tea, tensed immediately. "What? What is it?"
Asta slammed his hands down on the table, grinning ear to ear.
"Go out with me!"
The teacup in Noelle's hands shattered.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The room seemed to tilt around them.
Then—
Noelle's entire face erupted into flames. "W-WHAT?!"
"Let's date! Be my girlfriend!" Asta repeated, his determination unwavering.
Noelle violently choked on her own breath. "D-did you hit your head or something?!"
"Nope!" Asta puffed out his chest proudly. "I just realized you're amazing and beautiful and super strong and totally worthy of my love, so let's be together!"
Noelle exploded.
Not literally, but her magic flared so hard that the entire room was suddenly filled with swirling torrents of water. The sheer force of it sent Asta flying backward, crashing through two tables and knocking Magna off his chair in the process.
"Wha—what—what are you even saying?!" Noelle shrieked, her entire body trembling. "You—you—IDIOT!"
Asta sat up, coughing up a mouthful of water. "Ow."
Magna, drenched and still trying to figure out what just happened, turned to Luck. "Did… Asta just confess?"
Zora grinned. "This is gonna be fun."
Finral, who had been passing by, immediately abandoned ship, teleporting away before he could get involved in whatever this was.
Meanwhile, Noelle was still standing there, shaking, her face so red she looked like she might spontaneously combust.
This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Asta—Asta was supposed to be oblivious!
And now he was suddenly saying she was beautiful? That she was worthy of his love?!
Her heart was pounding.
And Asta was just sitting there, completely unfazed, smiling at her like a complete fool.
"...I'm not doing this," she muttered, spinning on her heel. "You're crazy."
But as she tried to stomp away, Asta grabbed her wrist.
Her breath hitched.
"Wait!" he said, still beaming. "I'm serious! I wanna be with you, Noelle!"
DEAD. SHE WAS DEAD.
Noelle yanked her hand free so fast she nearly launched herself out of the room. "I—I don't have time for this nonsense!" she sputtered, before running away at inhuman speeds.
Asta watched her go, unfazed. "Huh. That went well!"
Magna stared at him. "How did that go well?"
Asta crossed his arms. "She didn't say no."
Zora whistled. "This is gonna be really fun."
—
Asta quickly realized that direct confessions weren't going to work.
But that was fine.
If Noelle wasn't convinced yet, he just had to seduce her.
(Granted, he wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he was pretty sure it involved compliments and looking cool.)
So he got to work.
Operation: Flirt With Noelle Until She Falls For Me began immediately.
The problem? Asta was absolutely terrible at flirting.
Example #1:
Asta: "Noelle! Your hair is so shiny, I bet I could see my reflection in it!"
Noelle: "What."
Example #2:
Asta: "Your water magic is so beautiful and elegant, just like you!"
Noelle: chokes on her drink and runs away
Example #3:
Asta: "Noelle, I think I just fell for you! No, literally—I tripped."
Noelle: "STOP TALKING."
At first, Noelle assumed he was messing with her.
But it didn't stop.
For days, Asta kept flirting with her at every opportunity. He complimented her magic. He called her cute. He winked at her—Asta actually winked.
Noelle didn't know how to handle it.
Her brain was short-circuiting daily.
—
One afternoon, Noelle was training by the lake when Asta appeared out of nowhere, grinning like an idiot.
"Hey, Noelle!" he called out.
She sighed. "What now?"
Asta placed his hands on his hips, looking way too proud of himself. "You're beautiful!"
SPLASH.
Noelle fell into the lake.
Just collapsed straight into the water.
Asta blinked. "Oh, wow. You really fell for me this time!"
Noelle rose from the lake like a vengeful sea goddess.
"You. Absolute. IDIOT!" she shrieked, her magic exploding around her. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, BUT YOU NEED TO—"
And then, suddenly, Asta grabbed her hand.
Just like before.
But this time, he was serious.
"Noelle," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "I mean it."
Her breath caught.
"I like you. A lot." His voice softened—still confident, but genuine. "I've always thought you were amazing, but I was too dumb to realize it. But now I know. And I wanna be with you. So… give me a chance?"
For the first time since this nonsense started, Noelle was completely, utterly speechless.
She could barely process what was happening.
Asta. Her Asta. Saying he liked her.
And meaning it.
Her face burned. Her heart raced. She desperately wanted to scream.
Instead, she yanked her hand free and covered her face.
"...You're the worst," she muttered.
Asta grinned. "So… is that a yes?"
Noelle flung him into the lake.
But the next time they walked back to the hideout, she didn't run away when he held her hand.
And Asta?
Asta smirked smugly to himself.
Yuno didn't stand a chance.
—
Asta stormed into the Golden Dawn headquarters like a man on a mission.
He found Yuno near the entrance, as cool and composed as ever, talking to Mimosa. They looked annoyingly comfortable together. Too comfortable.
Perfect.
Asta stomped right up to him, hands on his hips, puffing out his chest. "YUNOOOOOOO!" he bellowed, drawing the attention of every single noble in the vicinity.
Yuno sighed. "What now, Asta?"
Asta pointed a dramatic finger at him. "I WIN!"
Yuno blinked. "What?"
"I WIN!" Asta repeated, grinning so wide it should have been illegal. "I got a girlfriend before you! HA! Take that!"
Mimosa tilted her head. "Oh? You and Noelle are together?"
Asta smirked. "Yep! Noelle totally fell for me. It was only a matter of time." He crossed his arms, basking in his victory. "I bet you thought you had me beat, huh? But nope! Asta wins again!"
Yuno stared at him for a long moment. Then, with his usual infuriatingly calm tone, he said, "Mimosa and I started dating yesterday."
Asta froze.
His brain short-circuited.
His entire soul left his body.
"W-wait," he sputtered. "You—you're actually dating dating?"
Mimosa nodded, smiling. "Yes! Officially."
Asta's eye twitched. "Officially?"
Yuno gave him the tiniest smirk. "Unlike you."
Asta's stomach dropped.
He thought back to Noelle's reaction—her blushing, her screaming, her throwing him into lakes.
She had never actually said yes.
His victory?
A LIE.
Asta gasped so hard he nearly inhaled his own soul.
Yuno patted his shoulder. "Looks like you still have work to do."
Mimosa giggled. "I'm rooting for you, Asta!"
Asta screamed.