Prompt: Noelle takes the time to ask herself, what is love? And does she really feel it for Asta.
—
The battle was over. The Spade Kingdom was free. The war against Lucifero and the devils had been won at an unbearable cost, many lives were lost, limits were tested again and again, but they had survived. They had emerged victorious.
The celebration roared around her. Laughter, clinking glasses, drunken voices slurring through songs and arguments. In their base the Black Bulls were alive with revelry, bodies swaying, drinks spilling, the warmth of victory sinking into the cracks left by war.
Noelle barely heard any of it.
Her hands curled into fists at her sides, her heart pounding against her ribs. She had spent days preparing for this moment, running through the words over and over in her head until they felt natural, until the idea of speaking them didn't make her want to collapse in on herself.
Her feet carried her forward, one step at a time, toward the person she had fought beside, struggled beside, grown beside.
Toward Asta.
He was sitting at the edge of the courtyard, laughing with Magna and Luck, green eyes bright with the kind of joy that made Noelle's breath catch. He had always been like that. Always full of life, always shining, as if no amount of suffering could dull the fire in his heart.
She wasn't even in front of him yet, and already her stomach was twisting itself into knots.
She inhaled sharply.
Just say it.
Then, a voice slurred from above her.
"Ugh… love's a bitch, huh?"
Noelle turned, startled, to see Vanessa leaning against the railing of the balcony, a half-empty bottle of wine in her hand.
The witch's usual smirk was nowhere to be seen. Her face was flushed from alcohol, her eyes distant, her posture more slack than ever.
Noelle frowned. "Vanessa?"
Vanessa lifted her bottle slightly, as if toasting her. "Look at you. You've got that face."
"What face?"
"The 'I'm about to confess my undying love' face." She took another swig, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Hope it works out better for you than it did for me."
Noelle hesitated. "What… are you talking about?"
Vanessa snorted. "You heard about Charlotte, right?"
The words sent a jolt through her. Of course she had heard. The woman who had spent years struggling with her feelings had finally confessed to Yami… when he was on the brink of death.
Noelle nodded stiffly. "Yeah. What about it?"
Vanessa let out a hollow laugh. "Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?" She turned her gaze to the sky. "Did she love him? Or did she love the idea of him?"
Something in Noelle's chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Vanessa tilted her head, her bangs falling over her eyes. "I mean… sometimes we don't love people for who they are. We love them for what they mean to us." Her fingers tapped absently against the neck of the bottle. "Charlotte spent years wrapped up in her feelings, convinced she was in love. But what if she was just… obsessed with the idea of him? The strong, unshakable man who melted her icy heart, and gave her a shoulder to rely on. The person she tied her whole identity to."
Noelle stared at her, feeling like something inside her was unraveling thread by thread.
"Are you saying Charlotte doesn't really love Captain Yami?"
Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. Maybe it's both. But I do know this—when you spend your whole life looking up to someone, relying on them to keep you steady, to make you feel strong, it's really easy to confuse love with… something else."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "It's easy to fall for the person who saved you."
Vanessa didn't seem to be talking about Charlotte anymore.
Noelle opened her mouth. Then closed it.
Her heart thudded against her ribs.
Wasn't that exactly what Asta had done for her?
He had been the first person to tell her she was strong. The first to believe in her, to encourage her, to stand beside her without ever doubting her worth. He had protected her, defended her, fought for her.
All the things her family had never done.
Vanessa let out a dry chuckle, swirling the wine in her bottle. "So, what about you, Princess?"
Noelle stiffened. "What about me?"
Vanessa turned to look at her fully, her expression unreadable. "Do you love Asta?"
The words struck like lightning.
"I—I—"
Vanessa's gaze sharpened. "Or do you love what he represents?"
The breath left Noelle's lungs.
She took a step back. The noise of the party faded into the background, swallowed by the single, horrifying realization creeping into her mind.
Was she in love with Asta? Or was she in love with the way he made her feel?
The way he had filled the gaps in her heart, soothed the wounds left by her family, made her feel wanted, valued, whole?
Her mouth felt dry.
Vanessa studied her face, then snorted. "Hah. Thought so."
Noelle's head snapped up. "You don't know anything."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "You're right. I don't. But if you were sure, you wouldn't be standing there looking like your entire world just got shaken."
Noelle clenched her fists.
"Whatever," Vanessa muttered, leaning her head back. "Do whatever you want. Confess. Don't confess. But just ask yourself one thing, Noelle—"
Her crimson eyes gleamed under the lantern light.
"Are you in love with Asta? Or are you just afraid of what you'd be without him?"
Noelle turned on her heel and walked away.
—
That night, Noelle tossed and turned in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Vanessa's words gnawed at her.
Did she love Asta? Or was she just grateful to him?
He had been the first person in her life to never make her feel lesser. When her siblings had mocked her, when the world had doubted her, he had told her she was amazing. He had believed in her when no one else did.
But was that love? Or just desperation for someone to finally care?
Over the following days, the question refused to leave her mind.
And it showed.
Her conversations with Asta became strained. Every time he smiled at her, every time he said her name with that same warm excitement, she found herself analyzing her own emotions.
Was her heart racing because she loved him? Or because she was used to it doing so?
Did she admire his strength, or did she simply cling to it because she had nothing else for so long?
Even worse, Asta noticed.
"Noelle, are you okay?" He had asked her one day after a mission. "You've been acting kinda weird lately."
"I—I'm fine, idiot! Mind your own business!" she had snapped, turning away.
He had laughed, brushing it off. But guilt settled in her chest anyway.
She needed clarity.
—
The days stretched into weeks, and the question Vanessa had left her with refused to leave Noelle's mind.
Was she in love with Asta? Or was she just afraid of what she'd be without him?
Every time she looked at him—his infectious grin, his relentless energy, the way he encouraged everyone around him—doubt curled around her like an unshakable fog. The certainty she once had, the feeling that had burned so intensely in her chest, had dulled into something murky, something unfamiliar.
She needed answers.
And if she couldn't find them on her own, then she would ask.
—
The first person she turned to was Finral.
"You want relationship advice from me?" he asked, blinking in surprise.
Noelle folded her arms. "You have experience."
Finral hesitated before sighing. "Okay, fine. What's the problem?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "How do you know when you're in love?"
Finral hummed in thought. "It's different for everyone, but for me? It's when you think about someone all the time. When their happiness matters as much as your own. When even the smallest things about them make your heart race."
Noelle frowned. "That sounds like a crush."
"Well, yeah, love starts that way," Finral admitted. "But love is also about commitment. About knowing a person's flaws and still wanting to be by their side." His expression softened. "If you're doubting your feelings, maybe ask yourself this—do you see a future with them?"
A future?
Noelle's thoughts flickered to Asta, to his relentless drive to become Wizard King, to the way he threw himself into battle without hesitation.
She wanted to be by his side. But could she see herself always there?
Her heart clenched.
—
Lolopechka was next.
The Heart Queen's face lit up at the question. "Oh, love is a beautiful thing!" she said with a dreamy sigh. "It's like… like a flower that blooms in your heart!"
Noelle resisted the urge to groan. "That's not helpful."
Lolopechka blinked. "Oh! Well, um…" She tapped her chin. "I think love is when you want to give to someone. When making them happy makes you happy. When their pain feels like your pain."
Gadjah confessed to her that he felt his heart tear in two when Vanica cursed her, took her away, and then turned her into a devil.
Whenever she was hurt, he hurt.
Whenever she shed tears, Gadjah felt a growing pit in his stomach.
Wanting to share each other's burdens and pains, that was what love was to Lolopechka and Gadjah.
Noelle's heart wavered.
She did feel those things for Asta. She always had. But was that love?
Or was it just… gratitude?
—
Noelle found Vanessa nursing a hangover at the Black Bulls' hideout.
"So, you're still thinking about it, huh?" the witch muttered, rubbing her temples.
Noelle scowled. "Of course I am! How am I supposed to not think about it?!"
Vanessa chuckled. "Relax, princess. Love's not something you need to rush." She stretched, looking at Noelle with half-lidded eyes. "Tell me something—what happens if Asta falls for someone else?"
Noelle's breath hitched.
"If he comes back tomorrow," Vanessa continued, "and tells you he's in love with someone else… what do you feel?"
Noelle's stomach twisted.
She wanted to say I'd be devastated. She wanted to say I'd be heartbroken.
But the truth was—she wasn't sure.
The thought hurt, yes. But was it the pain of lost love? Or just the pain of losing the one person who had always been there for her?
Vanessa smirked at her silence. "Figured as much."
—
"Love is food!" Charmy declared, stuffing her mouth with cake.
Noelle pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not—"
"You know it's love when you'd share your food with them!"
"…I think I'll ask someone else."
—
Charlotte was an unexpected choice, but Noelle knew that if anyone understood struggling with feelings, it was her.
"Love isn't rational," the noblewoman said, arms crossed. "It's… infuriating. But also… inevitable."
Noelle frowned. "What do you mean?"
Charlotte looked away, flustered. "Even when I tried to deny my feelings for Captain Yami, they never went away. No matter how much I tried to ignore them, to reason them away, they always found me again."
Noelle swallowed hard.
She had been doubting herself for weeks, questioning every little emotion. If she had to analyze her feelings this much… did that mean they weren't real?
Or was she just scared?
—
Mimosa was hesitant when Noelle brought it up.
"Well… I think love is…" She looked down, fingers twisting in her dress. "It's wanting to be the first person someone turns to. It's about knowing all their strengths and weaknesses and loving them anyway."
Noelle's lips parted.
That was the thing, wasn't it? She knew Asta's strengths. She admired them, revered them. But… his weaknesses?
She had never thought of Asta as weak. He was always the strong one, always the one lifting others up.
Did she love all of him?
Or just the version of him that had saved her?
The broad back that always stood in front of her, filling her with feelings of calm and safety.
Even when his arms were cursed and broken by Vetto instead of giving into despair he still stood strong and resolute.
Noelle wondered, if his shoulders ever slumped, if he had broken down right then and there, if he lost himself, could she still love him?
Would she still love him?
Or was the Asta she held near and dear to her heart, the unflappable one, not unbeatable or almighty, but forever confident, determined, and resolute.
If Asta's resolve ever wavered, would her affection for him do so as well?
—
Perhaps to clear the seed of doubt planted in her by one witch, she sought out another.
Dorothy's words were the most unexpected.
"You're overthinking it," the dream mage said simply.
Noelle gawked. "Excuse me?"
Dorothy grinned. "Love isn't something you solve, Noelle. You don't figure it out with logic. You feel it." She leaned in, her voice softer. "So, stop thinking. When you look at Asta, when you're with him—what do you feel?"
Noelle opened her mouth. Then closed it.
What did she feel?
Warmth. Comfort. Safety.
Something… more.
Her heart was racing.
Not with fear. Not with doubt.
With something real.
—
Yuno's reaction was predictable.
"Tch. Why are you bothering me with this nonsense?"
Noelle scowled. "Because you're his brother!"
Yuno sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you care about him, then act on it. If not, then don't."
Noelle blinked. "That's… it?"
Yuno crossed his arms. "I don't get why everyone wants to overcomplicate things. Love like anything is simple. Either you want to be with him, or you don't. If you're hesitating, ask yourself—would you be happier without him?"
Noelle's breath caught.
No.
She wouldn't.
She couldn't.
The realization hit her all at once. The months of doubt, of questioning, of wondering—none of it changed the truth.
She did love Asta. Not as an idol. Not as a symbol.
As him.
For his strength. For his weakness. For the way he made her feel alive.
Her chest tightened, her fists clenching at her sides.
She had wasted enough time.
It was time to tell him.
—
Noelle had fought wars. She had faced devils, conquered her fears, and stood against impossible odds. But none of that compared to the sheer terror of standing outside Asta's room, her heart slamming against her ribs like it was trying to escape.
She had spent months questioning herself, searching for answers, peeling apart the layers of her feelings until only the raw truth remained.
She loved him.
And she needed to tell him.
Her hands trembled at her sides. Her throat felt dry.
Get a grip, Noelle Silva.
Steeling herself, she knocked.
"Coming!"
A moment later, the door swung open, and Asta's grin hit her like a punch to the gut. He looked just as he always did—bright, warm, overflowing with energy. The same Asta who had saved her time and time again. The same Asta who had believed in her when no one else had.
"Noelle! What's up?"
Her mouth went dry.
This was a mistake. A huge mistake.
She should turn around. She should—
"Noelle?"
Too late.
Asta blinked, tilting his head. "You okay?"
No. No, she was not okay. But she had come this far. She wasn't running.
"…Can I talk to you?"
Asta blinked again, then nodded, stepping aside. "Of course! Come on in."
Noelle forced her feet to move, stepping into his room. It was messy—because of course it was—but cozy in a way that was so Asta.
He flopped onto his bed, grinning at her. "So, what's up?"
Her hands clenched into fists.
Just say it.
Just—
I love you.
The words sat on her tongue, heavy and unspoken.
Asta, oblivious as always, just smiled at her. "Noelle?"
She exhaled sharply. "Do you remember the first time we met?"
Asta blinked. "Huh? Of course! You were all stuck-up and mean, but then you turned out to be really cool."
Noelle twitched. "I was not stuck-up."
He just laughed. "Sure, sure."
Noelle inhaled, gathering her thoughts. "Back then… I didn't trust anyone. I thought I had to prove myself alone. And then you—you never once made me feel less than. You never looked down on me. You believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."
Asta's expression softened. "Of course I did, Noelle. You're amazing."
Her heart clenched.
That was it. That was why.
She had thought—feared—that her feelings for him had been built on nothing but gratitude. That she had clung to him as a beacon because she had been so desperate for someone to see her.
But it was more than that.
She loved his strength, yes. But she also loved his kindness, his stubbornness, the way he never gave up, the way he made her want to be better.
She loved him.
And if she didn't say it now, she never would.
Her hands curled at her sides. She looked him in the eye.
"I love you."
Silence.
Asta stared at her, eyes wide.
Noelle's heart was going to explode. She had actually said it.
But Asta—he was just staring.
Panic clawed at her chest. What if she had—
"Noelle," Asta said, voice softer than she had ever heard it.
Then—he grinned.
"You finally figured it out, huh?"
Noelle froze.
Wait.
What?
Asta rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I mean, I've kinda known you liked me for a while now."
Her brain stalled. "You—what—since when?!"
Asta laughed. "Honestly? Since, like, the Eye of the Midnight Sun stuff? You always acted super weird around me."
Noelle's face burned. "You—! If you knew, why didn't you say anything?!"
Asta shrugged. "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready. And besides—" His grin softened. "I wanted you to be sure. Not just about liking me, but about why you liked me."
Noelle's breath caught.
He knew.
He had always known.
Asta reached up, rubbing his nose. "And, uh… I like you too, Noelle."
Her heart stopped.
"I mean, you're amazing! You're strong, and determined, and kind, and really, really fun to tease—"
Noelle punched him.
"Ow! Noelle, that hurt!"
Her face was on fire. "Then don't say dumb things!"
Asta just laughed, grinning at her.
Noelle scowled, but… her chest felt light.
The weight of months of doubt, of fear, of hesitation—it was gone.
She knew now.
And more importantly—Asta knew too.
"…Took you long enough," he said, smirking.
Noelle groaned. "Shut up."
Asta just beamed at her, eyes shining with warmth.
Noelle crossed her arms, turning away—but her lips twitched upward.
Maybe it had taken her too long. Maybe she had overthought everything.
But in the end, none of that mattered.
Because Asta was still here.
And so was she.