Work Text:
Yuno knocks once. Twice.
“Maybe… try a bit harder?” Klaus suggests, readjusting his glasses as he straightens formally.
“Everyone is just too loud.” Yuno complains, listening to the racket at the other side of the tall door.
He doesn’t hear the loudest of the lot, though.
Mimosa clears her throat as she walks past his side, “Allow me,” She takes a deep breath, tightens her fists, and knocks loudly, “HEY! The Golden Dawn is here! Open up!”
Klaus snorts, “Is that loudmouth rubbing off on you?”
Mimosa gasps and covers her face to hide her growing blush, “K─Klaus!”
Yuno sighs and rolls his eyes.
The hubbub ebbs the slightest bit before the doors open to reveal the Black Bull’s spatial mage sweating and scratching his neck as a scuffle breaks out behind him.
“Is Asta here?” Yuno asks, voice smooth and low as he looks inside over the mage’s shoulder. He notices the royal girl that’s always with his rival perking up upon hearing his name.
“Uhhh…”
“That sleepy head still hasn’t come down from his room,” A woman with pink hair totters over and locks an arm around the spatial mage’s neck, “I bet all my coins he’s still knocked out.”
“He’s... sleeping?” Yuno pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Utterly irresponsible!”
“M─maybe he’s tired. We should wait for him.” Mimosa stammers as she fidgets.
“We don’t have time.” Says Yuno.
“Well then, head on in and get him up yourself!” Says the witch with a wink, taking a long gulp from the bottle of beer in her hand.
“Fine.”
“Y─Yuno!”
“Wait for me here.”
Yuno storms inside with light steps, weaving through the rowdy Black Bulls and dodging stray fiery and sparky missiles.
“Second floor, third room to the left!”
But Yuno already knows. It was imperative for Asta to share that information, for some reason, and annoying as it was, Yuno remembers. He also remembers his rival mentioning that the castle moves occasionally so Asta makes sure to update the information.
Finding Asta’s room wasn’t difficult.
Finding the boy was, though. His bed was empty.
“Asta?”
Instead, there was a pile of papers all written in Asta’s sloppy, unmistakable handwriting. More accurately, letters , all booked for Hage. Or Sister Lily, specifically.
Sister Lily, this is for your eyes only!
And Yuno rolls his eyes. He knows where this letter is headed to. He’s about to leave it where he found it until he sees his name. Several times.
He didn’t mean to pry, but seeing his name on unsent letters meant only for Lily’s eyes inevitably sparks his curiosity. He reads swiftly:
It’s about Yuno. Don’t worry, though! I don’t mean to worry you or father! This isn’t bad news or anything like that.
Yuno can picture him scratching his neck and smiling in that unique way of his and Yuno mimics it with his own, albeit smaller than his rival’s.
Yuno is more than good, in fact! He’s gotten so strong I wish everyone in Hage could see him! Father and everyone will be so proud!
Hell, I’m proud!
Yuno’s eyes stretch and his lips part slightly as warmth spreads across his cheeks; his heart soars at those words and his feet feel light.
I’m so, so proud I feel like I can fly like he does! I wish you could see him flying, sister. I wish you could see how far he’s gotten. Remember when he used to cry all the time?
Now he’s the best in his squad, totally confident in his skills and it’s so cool!
I’m really, really proud you have no idea.
I know you and father feel the same. I know you guys get me. You always did. Specially you, Lily! You always helped us with… things we didn’t understand so maybe…
Can you help me?
Yuno reached the end of the paper.
“With what?” He wonders aloud, searching for the next letter. When he finds it, he sits down on Asta’s bed and begins reading.
So… about that thing I need help with…
I don’t understand it all and it’s driving me nuts! I asked Vanessa (she’s one of my friends!) and she told me to sit down and write all the things I felt and then organize my thoughts. She said I’ll figure it out myself eventually, but I don’t think so at all.
I don’t know how to do any of that, but at least I know how to write so I’m just gonna write it all down, I guess, and you read it and then help me get it, deal?
Yuno tightens his grip on the paper as he focuses on the next shower of caps: a seemingly endless, bulleted list with Yuno’s name in every sentence. He feels his heart-beats quickening for some reason.
- I keep thinking about going back to Hage to visit everyone back home with Yuno.
- I want to do cool stuff with Yuno like Vanessa does with Finral. You know, like going out to eat, drink and have fun somewhere. I heard that stargazing is really neat. I want to stargaze with Yuno.
- I want to go on missions with Yuno.
- I want to train with Yuno like we used to.
- I want to fight Yuno.
- I heard from Vanessa that dancing is like training so I want to dance with Yuno. I don’t know how to dance but I bet he does! He’s good at everything, that jerk.
- The Black Bulls are amazing, but sometimes I wish I was in the same squad as Yuno so I could see him everyday.
- If we were in the same squad, I want to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with Yuno everyday like we used to.
- I want to wake up at the same time Yuno does.
- I want to wake up with Yuno at my side.
- I want to celebrate our birthdays together.
- I want to hug Yuno.
- I want to hold Yuno’s hand.
- I want to tell Yuno how much he means to me.
- I want to tell Yuno that I think he’s really, really handsome.
- I want to tell Yuno his eyes are beautiful.
Yuno reaches the end of the paper, but it wasn’t the end of the list. It continues in the next several papers. With his heart thumping loudly right by his ear, Yuno reads through each of them:
- I miss Yuno all the time and I don’t get why since we’re in the same city.
- I think of Yuno all the time. Like… even when I’m out on a mission, I’m thinking about him.
- I’m always wondering how Yuno would do things.
- I’m always wondering what he’s doing, how he’s doing, what he’s thinking about.
- I worry about Yuno sometimes, even though I know he’s super strong and is probably kicking ass somewhere.
Yuno’s hands shake a little and he feels something wet on his cheek.
- I wish Yuno feels proud of me too.
- I wish Yuno feels the same as I do.
- I wish I could tell Yuno all this.
And then, the last letter, a single sentence.
- I love Yuno.
Yuno’s heart erupts in a flurry of warmth and butterflies he’s never experienced, spreading and fluttering across his whole body. His skin tingles as he presses the letter to his chest, right above where his heart pulses happily, and smiles so much his cheeks ache.
Bell appears from thin air and yawns. Then she gasps and squeals loudly when she sees his face; eyes watery, cheeks tear-stained and the most beautiful smile she has ever seen on him, “Uwaaa! Are you happy and smiley because of me? I knew it, I knew it, I knew─”
But Yuno stands up from Asta’s bed and practically flies out of his room and down the stairs. Even though he couldn’t sense his magic, Yuno knows where to go.
“Y─Yuno, wait for me!”
He returns to the main floor where he left his squadmates.
And there he was.
“Huh? Where’d he go?” Asta asks, head tilted to the side.
“He went looking for you, dummy!” Says the witch with another wink, “And it looks like he found you.”
Asta turns around and beams as Yuno flies down to the floor, “Yuno! Where you’ve been? C’mon, c’mon, we gotta─!”
Led by his emotions, Yuno closes the distance between them in a single stride and seals Asta’s loud mouth with a kiss. The magicless teen gasps and his eyes blow wide.
Meanwhile, the Black Bulls cheer and whistle loudly.
“WHAAAAAAAT?” The royal girl and Bell exclaim.
“O─oh my.” Klaus clears his throat.
“This actually explains a lot of things.” Mimosa comments, stifling a giggle from her mouth.
“Y─Y─YUNOOOO!” Asta screeches with a furious blush after Yuno parts with a start, covering his mouth, “Wh─wh─what got into you?!”
“I…,” Yuno looks at the crumpled paper in his hands and Asta recognizes it. The blush spreads further to his temples and ears and Yuno thinks he looks adorable, “Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
Asta scratches his neck nervously, “I─I─I didn’t think you’d─you knowwww...” He stammers.
“Do I need to kiss you again for you to understand?”
Asta’s mouths shapes into an ‘o’ as his eyes gleam, “Ohhhh, I see! Smooth jerk!”
“Idiot,” Yuno smiles fondly, “I’m really proud of how far you’ve gotten too,” Yuno feels warm under his uniform and looks away, “And I love you more.”
Asta warbles something unintelligible as he drowns in the red of his skin, “N─n─no way! I─I─I love you more!”
Klaus clears his throat again, “Sorry to interrupt this moment, but we are fashionably late as of now.”
Yuno stretches his hand out for Asta, “Let’s go. Together.”
And Asta takes it and squeezes hard, smiling brightly and tearing as they look at each other.
They walk out of the Black Bull’s hand-in-hand. Together.