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“He hates you.” The voice whispered. “He finds you disgusting.”
Asta couldn’t agree more.
Yuno and him hasn’t spoken since the incidence. This time, Yuno partook in ignoring him.
As days passed, Asta felt like the clump in his throat got larger. He lost appetite, couldn’t sleep and zooned out too much. He felt a large weight in his shoulders, as if he had committed a grave mistake.
Of course, his teammates had notice Asta’s distress. He didn’t carry the same warm smile or interacted with his teammates. Asta was easy to read, he radiated of sadness and pain.
When the night fell and there was finally silence in Black Bulls, Vanessa knocked on the door of Asta. She heard noises but no respond. “I’m coming in.” With a sigh, she entered the room.
Asta was curled into a ball with a blanket over. She took a seat beside the silent boy. He didn’t show any reactions. She gently put a hand on the younger boy and rubbed his back in comfort.
“Asta… I’m, no, we’re are worried about you. We know something happened which is why you’re sad. You don’t need to tell us anything, but know that we,… your family is here for you.”
Silence fell once again in the room. After a few seconds, Asta shifted under the blankets. He slowly removed the blanket to show his face.
Tears were streaming down his cheek, eyes puffy and lips trembling.
“I-I think… I think something is, uh, wrong with me.” Asta said shakily, clutching to the blanket.
“Are you sick?” Vanessa touched his forehead to check his temperature. Asta shook his head.
“No... um, maybe.” He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. “I’m... I think I’m… I like b-boys.” With that, Asta broke down.
Vanessa immediately wrapped her arms around the teary boy. He didn’t make any noises as he was crying, only holding into Vanessa as his life depended on it.
“Y-Yuno- He hates me! Yuno hates me!” Asta cried.
Putting two and two together. Vanessa realized Asta must’ve told his feelings to Yuno, and Yuno reacted negatively. There was nothing she could do, other than holding him as he was breaking down and tell him:
“There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with who you like. Yuno may not accept you, but we will.”
The home of Black Bulls was silent for once, but no one was sleeping.
“Captain! We’re here!” Finral beamed when he saw Yami walk out of the castle. Beside him were the Captain of Golden Dawn walking, along with Mimosa and Yuno shortly behind. Asta face fell when he saw the black-haired boy and he stiffened in return.
“Oh, my personal broom!”
“Why are you so mean, Captain!” Finral whined but stopped when Yami threatened to kill him. Yami noticed Asta sour mood. He stared at him for a few beats and then turned around to put an arm around William.
“Hey, Goldy!” William perked up, he didn’t react to the arm, being used to Yami invading his personal space. With a smirk, Yami said: “How about we go on a date later?”
Mimosa choked on her salvia while Finral screamed out Yami’s name in shock, but the older man ignored them. William jerked his head to side; he had a playful smile on his face.
“Hm, date?”
“You.” Yami deepend his voice. “Me.” Yami inhaled his cigarette before taking it out. He leaned forward to William’s face, hoovering over lips as he breath out the smoke. “Alone.”
Smirking, Yami let go of a flushing captain. He noticed Asta staring at him with awe. He ruffled his hair before slapping a shocking Finral in the head.
“Come, let’s go back home!”
“I think we should talk.”
Days after the incident, Yuno had finally spoken to Asta. They have crossed each other paths several times, but they never spoke to each other.
Asta nodded in agreement, not trusting his voice since he was panicking internal. He clenched his sweaty hands together.
“I don’t care if you like boys.” Yuno spoke, being straightforward as always. “But I can’t return your feelings.”
It hurt; it really did. The pain was thousand times worse than when Vetto crushed his arms. Asta wanted to scream, to cry. He wanted to cry out his feelings, how much it hurt having his feeling rejected. Instead, he took a shaky breath and asked the one question he has pondered for a long time.
“Do… Um, do you hate me?”
“What? No!” Yuno said immediately. He looked offended being ask that question.
A huge weight was lifted up from Asta’s shoulder. His lips perked up. He could bare being rejected, but not being hated by Yuno.
“He doesn’t hate me. Yuno don’t hate me!”
“Do you find me disgusting?” It was easier asking the second question. This time, Asta could look Yuno straight in his eyes.
A mistake.
“…No.” The second answer came slower than the first.
The small smile on Asta’s face fell.
“Asta…” Yuno took a step forward but the other took a step back.
“He finds you disgusting. You demon.”
The air thickened, Yuno shifted the weight of his body in the awkward silence.
“You’re disgusting.”
Asta’s hands were trembling. He was pretty sure the other boy noticed. He took another shaky breath and put a forced smile on his lips.
“We are still rivals, right Yuno? Or did you give up on becoming Wizard King?” Asta joked.
“Never. I will be Wizard King, after all.” Yuno cocked his head to side.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Yuno didn’t hate him.
That was enough.