Archive of Our Own

Asta ran off with his pay, preparing it to be sent off to his hometown as he did every month.

Vanessa snickered. "You know, Asta, you've been working really hard lately, and I'm sure the people you send that money to would much rather if you delivered it to them in person."

Asta grinned. "Yeah, but it's a loooong hike away. I'd get in trouble for taking a break that long."

Vanessa huffed. "I'm sure it'd be fine by broom. I'd be w–"

"I could take you!"

Asta and Vanessa turned to Noelle, who very much wished she would have thought before speaking. "I-I mean… a trip on a broom would be useful magic control training, and…"

Vanessa smiled. "Well! If you're that confident, I think it's a great idea!"

Asta blinked, then beamed. "Wow – thanks, Noelle! You can try some of Hage's famous tatoes while you're there!"

Noelle squinted. "...I think I'd have heard of it if it were famous…"

. . .

The two of them seated on Noelle's broom, Asta blinked. "You sure you can lift both of us?"

Noelle nodded briskly. "I'm royalty. The problem was never getting off the ground, it was just control."
With that, the broom rocketed into the air.

Asta yelped, grabbing onto Noelle to avoid falling off. Noelle in turn, shrieked, and the broom dropped a few feet before she regained her composure. "W… watch your hands, Bakasta!"

Asta quickly gripped the broom. "Ah, sorry – but we're flying! And we only fell a little bit!"

Noelle nodded clinging to her pride. "Yes, of course. Now, it shouldn't be long til we reach our destination."

. . .

The two young mages landed, short of breath. "I didn't… know you could get seasick from… riding a broom…" Asta grabbed his knees, trying not to hurl.

Noelle pouted, flustered. "I-it wouldn't have been such a bumpy ride if you didn't keep grabbing me!"

Asta waved his fists defensively. "I thought I was gonna fall off!"

"Asta!"

Asta looked over at the church to see his siblings running toward him. "Asta, you're here!"

"Is Yuno here too?!"

Asta shook his head. "Nope, just me and Noelle today."

Nash blinked. "...Noelle?"

Asta nodded, and gestured to Noelle. "Yeah! This is Noelle! She's a fellow Black Bull and a super strong mage!"

Noelle nodded, accepting the introduction. "Noelle Silva, of the Silva royal family. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A royal?!"

Nash cringed. "Sorry Asta dragged you all the way out here…"

Asta scowled. "Don't apologize for me – she volunteered!"

Nash's eyes widened. "Volunteered?! To come out here?"

Noelle blushed. "I… wanted to see what it was like… this far out…"

Asta blinked. "I thought you said it was for broom practice?"

Noelle scowled, blushing harder. "It's both!"

Asta grabbed her hand. "Well anyways – you should come inside! I want you to meet Sister Lily!"

Asta dragged Noelle into the church. "I'M HOOOME!"

"Ah, Asta!"

Asta frowned. "Aww, it's just the Father. Where's Sister Lily?"

Father Orsi scowled. "Don't look so disappointed! --" He paused as he noticed Noelle, hand still caught in Asta's grip. "Asta…!" His eyes became misty. "Asta… have you finally found someone to take care of you?"

Asta blinked. "...Huh? Noelle?"

Noelle's cheeks burned red, drawing in a breath for a heated retort when Asta interrupted. "Oh! Yeah, I guess it's kind of like that! Noelle and the other Black Bulls always have my back… and I do my best to support them back!" He smiled at Noelle.

Father Orsi's expression sobered into a soft smile. "Ahh. I got that feeling from your letters."

Asta's attention was suddenly drawn to a door opening further in the church. "Father, have you seen– ...Asta?"

"SISTER LILY!!!" Asta bolted toward her, leaving Noelle behind. "I'M BACK TO MARRY YOU!!!"

The sister looked over at Noelle, completely ignoring Asta. "Oh, who's this?"

Noelle and Asta remained silent, petrified by sudden heartbreak. Father Orsi spoke up. "Ah, I believe this is Noelle – one of Asta's fellow magic knights."

Asta jumped to his feet. "Yeah! And Noelle, this is Sister Lily! One of the kindest, most beautiful people in the whole world!"

Noelle hesitated. "It's… nice to meet you."

Sister Lily smiled. "Likewise! Thank you for putting up with Asta, I know he can be a bit much."

Asta pouted. "Not you too!"

Sister Lily looked back into the church. "I don't know how long you two were planning to stay, but I'm in the middle of preparing supper if you're hungry?"

Asta jumped for joy. "Yes yes yes! I'm always hungry for your cooking, Sister!"

Noelle blinked slowly. "Can… can I help?"

Sister Lily blinked with surprise. "Oh, yes, absolutely!"

Asta raised his hands. "Can I help too??"

Sister Lily smiled warily. "I would love it if you could chop some firewood for us – I've made the mistake of letting you help in the kitchen one too many times…"

Asta nodded eagerly and ran outside, leaving Noelle and Sister Lily to head to the kitchen. "We have a lot of tatoes to wash and peel, so if you could assist me with that…"

Noelle stared at the vegetable Sister Lily pointed out. Being a royal, she had never cooked or cleaned in her life. The only reason she had volunteered to help was the vague hope that she could learn what Asta found so great about Sister Lily, or perhaps that she'd learn how to be more like her.

Sister Lily glanced at Noelle, noticing her hesitation. "Oh! Sorry, you probably don't see many tatoes in the capital, do you?"

The sister quickly demonstrated washing, and a couple of peels before handing the vegetable to Noelle.

Noelle held the knife nervously, taking some of the tato with the skin as she peeled.

Sister Lily smiled softly. "Ah, just a little lighter – It's like magic – if you try to force it, it'll just end up blowing up in your face!"

Noelle trembled, not taking the comment as lightly as Sister Lily had intended.

The sister gently grabbed Noelle's hand, guiding her through the peeling process. "Some people find it hard to learn with just words alone… Asta taught me that. It doesn't make you any less smart or talented – everyone's just different in their own way. Not everyone can see that and slow down to teach those who need a little more attention."

Sister Lily let go of Noelle. "I think that those sorts of people can bloom into something amazing once they figure it out, don't you?"

The two girls could hear Asta yelling from outside, and laughed. Noelle nodded. "Asta… really is amazing…"

Sister Lily resumed her part of the cooking. "Is that why you like him?"

Noelle nearly dropped the knife. "H-huh?!"

The sister smiled knowingly. "There is a very specific expression a girl makes when a boy hits on a nun instead of her, or hails praises of another woman above her; but there's a whole other set of expressions when that girl likes the boy in question."

Noelle began to peel rapidly. "Y-you must be mistaken. A-as a royal, we are trained very young to keep our emotions to ourselves, and therefore our expressions are often confused with ones of anger, or –"

Sister Lily laughed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry." She smiled softly. "I just thought it would be nice if Asta had someone to cherish him like I do – as well as in ways that I can't." She shook her head. "Once that boy finds someone he really likes, he'll be quick to forget about trying to marry a nun."

Noelle sighed. "...Bakasta…"

. . .

After eating, the two Magic Knights said farewell to the church residents, and flew off.

Asta practically bounced the broom as he beamed at Noelle. "So, so, Noelle, did you learn how to cook like Sister Lily?!"

Noelle gripped the broom and huffed. "With a little practice it shouldn't be too hard… though I can't imagine intentionally eating tatoes when we live so close to the capital…"

"And what did you think of her?"

Noelle blushed resignedly. "She was very nice… and observant…"

Asta grinned. "Right?! I thought you'd like her!"

Noelle sighed. "Why, because you think everyone would like her because you love her so much?"

Asta shook his head. "Well yeah, but no. I thought you'd like her because you sometimes remind me of her."

The broom dropped a few feet. "Whaaaat?!"

Regaining balance, Asta clarified. "Yeah! When you're nice, you're supernice like her… and you're both really strong (and water mages…) and sometimes when you smile, it's just as pretty as hers!"

"Then why don't you propose to me?!" Noelle's retort caught even herself off guard. Thinking over it after, not only did she wish Asta hadn't heard the question, but she didn't want to hear his response either.
In that sense, Noelle was glad the rest of the ride back was silent.

. . .

"Finral senpai, how do you know when you're in love?"

Finral squinted warily at Asta. "I uhh… think I'm very much the wrong person to ask this – umm… why, may I ask, are you asking this now?"

Asta sat down next to Finral, arms folded tightly. "Well, my whole life I decided my heart was dedicated to Sister Lily, but… Noelle's just as nice (sometimes) and she's pretty too, and she has a bunch of other things that make her amazing that's different than Sister Lily…" He sighed. "I just thought, since you're a 'womanizer' or whatever, you'd be able to help!"

Finral took in a deep breath. "That's um… a lot…" He sighed. "Well, first off, this 'Sister' Lily… she… wouldn't happen to be a nun, would she?"
Asta nodded.
Finral placed a hand on his forehead. "Asta, you can't pursue a nun. She took a vow specifically giving up men. Pursuing her is only a nuisance for her! It's not an endurance thing, it's just rude."

Asta deflated. "But my heart…"

"There are plenty of other girls out there – like… didn't you start this conversation asking if you were in love with Noelle or something?"

Asta nodded.

Finral nodded slowly. "Yes… love specifically is… something I'm not all that… experienced in… but you're just a kid. You'll have a lot of crushes as you go along. It's a part of life."

Asta blinked. "So it's a crush…?"

Finral nodded. "Almost definitely!"

Asta nodded. "Just like I had for Sister Lily…"

"Sure! But this time, it's not taboo to pursue it – go ahead, make Noelle feel like she's wanted, try and make her laugh – girls love that sort of thing. And who knows, maybe something will pan out from it!"

Asta nodded determinedly. "Yes, Senpai!"

. . .

Noelle sat under a tree, staring into space, wishing she hadn't gone to Hage with Asta. She buried her face into her legs, trying to forget about all the embarrassing things she had said.

"Ah! Noelle, there you are!"

Noelle looked up to see Asta running toward her, one hand behind his back. "I was looking all over for you!"

Noelle's brow furrowed. "...Why?"

Asta took a deep breath. "Well, I thought a lot about what you said the other day… and… I did say you were like Sister Lily, but… you're more amazing in all the you ways, and… well, I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Asta slammed down onto one knee, extending a bouquet of wildflowers. "Please marry me!"

Noelle's jaw dropped. "Wh–Whaaaaat?!" She jumped to her feet. "What do you mean marry you?! W-we're 15! B-Bakasta!"

"Please!!!"

Noelle ran back into the base, cheeks scarlet.

"I haven't given up yet!!!"

Noelle yelped, taking shelter behind Vanessa. Vanessa smiled, looking at the bouquet in Asta's hands. "Ohh? What's going on here?"

"A-Asta asked me to… h-he asked me to…"

"Noelle, please marry me!!!"

Vanessa cracked up. "Aww, Asta! You can't pester a girl like that! If she says no, you've gotta accept it."

Asta wilted before springing back up again. "Ah – she… hasn't said no yet."

Noelle's cheeks burned as Vanessa turned to her, amusement scrawled across her face. "No~elle! You can't just leave a proposal unanswered like that!"

Noelle stuttered. "B-but we're too young! I-it's ridiculous to even consider…"

A drunken grin stretched across Vanessa's face. "You wanna say 'yes', don't you?"

Noelle squeaked. "D-don't be ridiculous! Not only is it far too soon, but it'd be a political nightmare for me to m-marry…" Noelle glanced over at Asta, expecting his usual comically determined expression.

After Vanessa pointed out Noelle hadn't said 'no' yet, Asta's eyes widened, his cheeks pinkened with anticipation, and his mouth only slightly ajar with surprise that he hadn't been rejected yet.

Noelle covered her face. "Y-yes…"

Asta jumped, barely hearing her response through her hands. "H-huh?"

Noelle folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air, trying desperately to get the upper hand on the situation. "Until further notice, you may call yourself my fiance."

Asta blinked. "Fian…?"

Noelle pouted and balled her fists at her sides. "I-I'll marry you when we're older unless I change my mind!"

Asta cheered. "Wahoo! She said YES!!!"

Vanessa clapped enthusiastically. "Aaah! You two have gotta invite me to the wedding, okay?"

Noelle huffed, trying to not drown in embarrassment.
Of course this proposal was ridiculous, happening between a pair of children, but at least Noelle had finally acknowledged Asta’s importance to her, and Asta had given up on an infatuation that inconvenienced his loved ones.