Prompt: First date. And a second date. And a little bit more. Light inspiration from a request from Rasta_Asta where Asta and Noelle go on a double date with Charlotte and Yami, the only problem is Charlotte doesn't know they're dating. Also inspiration from some fanart.
—
The war was over.
The battlefield that had once been soaked in blood, the sky once dark with despair, was now nothing more than a memory. Lucius was defeated, peace had returned, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Asta could finally breathe.
And so could Noelle.
After everything—the battles, the sacrifices, the near-death experiences—one thing became clear to both of them. Feelings that had once been buried beneath pride, fear, and the chaos of war could no longer be ignored.
So when Asta, the same Asta who had once been an oblivious idiot when it came to romance, stood before Noelle and asked, "Want to go on a date with me?"—she didn't hesitate. She said yes.
Now here they were, standing in front of a cozy café in the heart of the Clover Kingdom, and Noelle was beginning to wonder if she'd made a terrible mistake.
Not because she didn't want to be here. She did. But—
"Asta," she hissed, gripping his sleeve before they could enter. "Are you seriously wearing that?"
Asta blinked at her, then looked down at his clothes. He wasn't in his usual Black Bulls attire but… it wasn't much better. A simple dark shirt that clung to his ridiculously muscular frame, pants that seemed one size too tight thanks to his training, and—were those sandals?
"What's wrong with it?" he asked, tilting his head. "I thought this looked nice!"
Noelle groaned, resisting the urge to bury her face in her hands. She had spent hours—HOURS—getting ready. She had carefully chosen a light blue dress that complemented her silver hair, tied it back with a ribbon, even put on a little makeup (not that she'd ever admit it). Meanwhile, Asta looked like he just rolled out of bed and flexed his way into a shirt.
This is what I get for falling for a musclehead…
"You know what? Never mind," she muttered, shaking her head. "Let's just go inside."
Asta grinned, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, and held the door open for her. "After you, my lady!"
Noelle felt heat rush to her face. "D-Don't say stuff like that so casually, you idiot!" She stomped past him, ignoring his chuckle as he followed her in.
The café was warm and inviting, filled with the scent of freshly baked pastries and brewed coffee. It wasn't overly fancy—just a quiet place tucked away in the kingdom, perfect for two people who had just survived a world-ending war and wanted a moment of peace.
Asta plopped down at their table, scanning the menu with excitement. "Whoa, Noelle, look! They have magic-infused drinks! Maybe I should try the one that boosts mana—"
She snatched the menu from his hands. "You don't have mana."
He pouted. "Yeah, but what if it works? Wouldn't that be cool?"
Noelle sighed, but she couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You're impossible."
Asta just laughed, completely at ease. It was… strange. They had been through hell together, faced death countless times, and yet—this, right here, was what made her nervous. A date.
Realizing she had been staring at him, she quickly turned her attention back to the menu.
They placed their orders, and soon, the conversation flowed naturally. Asta talked about his training plans, about how Yami had given him a very inappropriate pep talk about dating, and how Liebe had threatened to 'haunt' him if he messed this up. Noelle, despite herself, laughed.
Then, somewhere between their drinks arriving and Asta stuffing his face with a massive cinnamon roll, he grew quiet.
Noelle frowned. "What? Do you want my pastry too?"
He shook his head, wiping his mouth before looking at her, more serious than she had ever seen him.
"Noelle," he said, voice softer than usual. "I just wanted to say… thank you."
She blinked. "For what?"
"For everything," he said simply. "For being by my side, for always pushing me to be better, for believing in me when things got tough. I know I can be reckless, and annoying, and—"
"Asta."
He stopped.
Noelle took a deep breath, gripping the edges of her dress. Why is it so hard to say these things out loud?
"You're not the only one who's grateful, you know," she muttered. "I… I wouldn't have made it through everything without you either."
Asta's grin returned, but this time, it was softer.
"Then I guess we're even," he said.
She rolled her eyes, but there was no real bite to it.
As they left the café, Asta stretched, looking up at the clear sky. "Hey, Noelle?"
"Hm?"
"Can we do this again?"
She glanced at him, at his hopeful smile, at the warmth in his eyes.
And for once, she didn't fight the way her heart skipped a beat.
"...Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper. "I'd like that."
And when Asta took her hand—clumsy, warm, and so very him—she didn't pull away.
—
Asta was grinning from ear to ear.
Noelle, on the other hand, was trying very hard to keep a straight face.
Across from them, at a quaint little teahouse in the heart of the capital, sat two captains—one exuding unshakable confidence, the other looking like she wanted to crawl under the table and die.
Charlotte had her arms crossed so tightly it was a miracle they hadn't snapped off. Her usually pale complexion was dusted a deep crimson as she stared at the man sitting beside her. That man, Yami Sukehiro, was currently sipping tea like he hadn't a care in the world, his free arm draped very comfortably along the back of Charlotte's seat.
"So, lemme get this straight," Asta said, barely containing his laughter. "You never actually answered Captain Charlotte's confession, and you just assumed you were dating?"
"Well, yeah," Yami said bluntly, scratching his chin. "She said she loved me. I figured that meant we were a thing."
Noelle snorted into her teacup.
Charlotte, on the other hand, looked like she was about to explode.
"You idiot!" she seethed, slamming her hands on the table. "How could you just assume that?! A proper relationship requires mutual agreement, a conversation, boundaries!"
Yami shrugged. "Eh? I mean, we've been hanging out more, I take you out drinking, we train together—sounds like a relationship to me."
Charlotte stared at him, utterly at a loss for words. Noelle, who had spent years struggling with her own feelings for Asta, felt an unexpected sense of kinship with her.
Asta, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
"But Captain Charlotte," he said, propping his elbows on the table. "If you didn't think you were dating, why'd you come when Yami invited you?"
Charlotte stiffened. Her gaze darted to the side. "B-Because I thought it was a simple gathering between fellow squad members! Not a—" she swallowed, her voice dropping to a mortified whisper, "double date."
"Wait," Noelle said, raising an eyebrow. "So you don't want to date him?"
Charlotte's entire body tensed. The redness on her face deepened to an alarming shade.
"I—That's—I never said that!" she sputtered.
"So you do want to date me," Yami mused, smirking.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Asta burst out laughing. Even Noelle, who had planned to stay neutral, was covering her mouth, trying—and failing—to suppress a giggle.
This was so much better than she expected.
Charlotte, taking deep, controlled breaths, finally straightened her posture, trying to regain her usual composure. She glared daggers at Yami. "If you're going to date someone, you ask them properly. None of this… casual assumption nonsense."
Yami took another sip of his tea. Then, with a lazy grin, he leaned closer.
"Alright then. Wanna date me, Charlotte?"
Her breath hitched.
Asta and Noelle leaned forward, watching with wide, excited eyes.
Charlotte opened her mouth—then abruptly stood up, knocking over her chair.
"I—I'm leaving!" she announced, spinning on her heel and marching toward the door.
Yami sighed, shaking his head. "Man, she's so damn stubborn." But despite his words, there was an unmistakable softness in his expression.
"You should go after her," Noelle suggested, still amused but somewhat sympathetic.
"Nah," Yami said, stretching. "She'll come around. I'm patient."
Noelle rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."
"Yep," Yami agreed cheerfully. "But I've got good instincts. You two are actually dating now, right?"
Asta and Noelle exchanged glances. Noelle felt her face heat up, but she refused to look away.
"Y-Yeah," Asta said, rubbing the back of his head. "We are."
Yami smirked. "See? I just cut out the unnecessary steps."
Noelle huffed. "No. You skipped the important steps."
Asta laughed, patting Noelle's hand. "Well, thanks for the entertainment, Captain. This was way more fun than I expected."
Yami chuckled. "Anytime, kid. Anytime."
As the two of them left the teahouse, Asta grinned at Noelle. "So, next date, should we invite them again?"
Noelle snorted. "Not if we want Charlotte to survive."
And with that, they walked off, hand in hand, already looking forward to their next adventure—together.
—
Charlotte had made a mistake.
A terrible, humiliating mistake.
Somewhere between storming out of that ridiculous double date and getting lost in her own flustered thoughts, she had found herself back at the Black Bulls' hideout. Why? She wasn't sure. Maybe because Yami had been so infuriatingly casual about the whole thing, and she needed to—what? Yell at him again? Demand a proper answer?
She didn't know. But what she did know was that this was, without a doubt, the worst decision of her life.
Because here she was.
On Yami's couch.
With his stupidly large, stupidly heavy arm draped over her shoulders.
Charlotte's eye twitched as she stared at the relaxed, completely oblivious man beside her. He had his usual cocky grin, his legs sprawled out, one boot resting on the table like he owned the whole world. His other hand casually nursed a drink. And worst of all, worst of all, was that he seemed to be enjoying her suffering.
"My good men!" Yami bellowed, taking another swig of his drink. "Who does the beauty of the Clover Kingdom love?"
Charlotte stiffened.
Then—
"NOT YOU!!! HAHAHAHA!"
The Black Bulls hollered in laughter, raising their drinks in celebration at their captain's expense.
Charlotte, however, was not laughing.
Not at all.
Her entire face was burning. It was one thing for Yami to be his usual idiotic self in private—but in front of his squad? Like this?
Her fists clenched. She was going to kill him. Actually kill him.
"Oi, oi, no need to look so grumpy, Char," Yami teased, finally turning to her. He smirked, the same smug expression that made her heart both race with affection and boil with rage. "You're gonna scare the rookies."
Charlotte's breath hitched. That nickname.
She gritted her teeth. "Don't call me that."
"Why not? It suits ya."
"It's—It's improper!"
"So is cuddling up with me on the couch, but here we are."
Charlotte froze.
She looked down.
And sure enough—her body was leaning into his side, his stupid, warm, comfortable side. At some point, her arms had folded across her chest in an attempt to make herself smaller, but her shoulders were definitely pressed against him.
Oh, gods.
She wanted to die.
She immediately tried to bolt, but Yami, the insufferable brute, simply chuckled and tightened his arm around her, keeping her in place like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Relax, Charlotte," he said, lowering his voice just a little. "No need to be so stiff all the time."
She swallowed hard.
Her heart was beating too fast.
The Black Bulls were still laughing, rowdy and distracted, but all Charlotte could focus on was the heat of Yami's arm, the casual intimacy of his hold, and the fact that—despite everything—she wasn't pulling away.
This is unfair.
"…Suki," she mumbled under her breath, barely a whisper.
Yami glanced at her, amused. "What was that?"
"N-Nothing!" She practically leapt off the couch, arms rigid, fists clenched. "I— I just remembered I have important—captain duties! Yes, very important ones! I must go!"
Yami smirked, watching her scramble. "You sure? You looked pretty comfy a second ago."
Charlotte whipped around, glaring. "I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE!"
"Coulda fooled me," he said, tipping his drink.
She turned away before her face could combust on the spot. Without another word, she stormed out of the hideout, ignoring the lingering heat on her skin where his arm had been.
Behind her, Yami leaned back into the couch, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Man, she's cute when she's mad."
And if his grin was just a little softer than usual… well.
That was his problem, not hers.
—
Find the fan art inspiration here: https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/249879479316803507/