Chapter Text
The heat of the hot springs wasn’t doing anything to help erase what he had almost seen. Not that he needed to forget or anything or something. He was a royal and doesn’t have uncouth behavior towards women, he wasn’t a commoner.
There was nothing he needed to apologize for! He wasn’t looking at Asta as she felt the need to start stripping right next to him.
If anything, he was blocking the gawking minor nobles and commoners from staring when Asta had ripped her shirt off, revealing her brazier holding up her perfectly-
“So how about it?” Captain Yami asked his questions loudly enough to jolt Noel out of his thoughts.
What was his Captain talking about?
“Ready to prove that you are men?” Yami asked his questions.
By the blazing look in the crimson lion’s eyes, they were in agreement with Captain Yami. Which was nice and all, if Noel knew what was going on.
“Peeking on the womens’ bath is a rite of passage,” his Captain spoke and what?!
“No!” Noel shouted on principle, it was a distasteful thing to even contemplate. Asta was on the other side and defenseless! It was morally wrong, to spy on the bathing females.
It was beneath his status as a royal!
Captain Yami casted a knowing look towards Noel. “Don’t be such a useless whimpering baby,” his Captain leered, “too much of a difficulty for your royalty?” he mockingly asked.
“My brother wouldn’t do such a thing as peeking,” Leopold concluded to himself out loud.
Suddenly, the Crimson Lions were settling down in agreement to what Leopold said. They remembered that their Captain, Fuegoleon Vermillion, would not approve of such untoward actions.
Releasing a sigh of relief, Noel slid back into the heated water. He paid a little more attention to any further conversations now in case his Captain acted on his words and decide to go solo in his adventure.
Which apparently it was to ask an altogether embarrassing question to Yuno of all people.
(It is not that he was jealous of Yuno, who despite being of common birth had abnormal amount of magic for a commoner or his perfect control over said amount of magic. Nor did it relate to the skin ship had between him and Asta. They grew up together so obliviously he and Asta would hug each other and smile knowingly to one another. Yuno and Asta were just friends. No need to read anymore into it! None at all.)
(Noel was lying, he was very much jealous.)
“So pretty boy, you too cool to take a peek?” Yami asked the disinterested Yuno.
Yuno didn’t move a single facial muscle as he opened his mouth to respond-
If it wasn’t for the familiar voice speaking through the rock wall for the wind mage, “Please stop, Captain Yami!”
Noel wanted to drown himself once he heard Asta’s voice.
“Yuno really seriously doesn’t want to see!” She continued.
(Noel swears he wasn’t thinking of Asta being naked, or on how both their naked bodies were in the same water or anything! How the water touching his body was the same touching Asta’s waist and Asta’s- No, nope, Noel wasn’t thinking anything like that at all!)
“After all, ever since he was a child, he’s only ever taken baths with other men!” her voice was clear as if she was right next to Noel.
(Which may be doing certain things to Noel’s body, but nobody would ever know.)
Yuno’s face darkened in irritation, “You seriously picked the worst possible way to word that Asta.”
The response was quiet but Asta’s responding laughter was enough of a sign that Asta had heard.