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Asta had a problem, and it wasn’t fixable either. No matter how much he tried not to think of him, it just doesn’t work. His heart beats quickly and his face heats up red whenever he thinks of him. He just couldn’t help it though… He gets this dorky grin on his face.
“Hey Asta, are you doing alright?” Noelle asked, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her.
“Huh? Oh, yeah! I’m doing just great!” He smiled at her, she raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“Mhm… Anyway, Mimosa was wondering if you wanted to join us. We were going to head into town for a bit and buy some jewelry, possibly out to eat to. She told me she’s bringing Yuno with her, so I thought I’d offer.” She explained, however she left out quite a crucial detail to this little hangout… Asta smiled and got up.
“Yeah, that sounds fun! When is it?” He asked her.
“Actually, it’s in about an hour. You were kind of a last minute add-on.” She replied.
“Sounds great!”
Asta and Noelle walked through the bustling streets until they spotted Yuno and Mimosa. Mimosa waved to them and they made their way over.
“Hey Mimosa, hey Yuno! How have you guys been?” Asta greeted them.
“Oh, we’ve been doing great! Thank you for asking! It’s so good to see you two!” Mimosa gave them a sweet smile.
“I still don’t know why I had to come along.” Yuno muttered to himself.
“Isn’t it normal for a girl’s boyfriend to hang out with her?” Noelle questioned him. He sighed and nodded.
“Yeah… I guess I just don’t understand the thrill of shopping.”
“You will eventually!” Mimosa told him.
“Anyways, where should we go first?” Asta asked them, Mimosa tilted her head and glanced at Noelle.
“Huh? Did Noelle not tell you?”
“Tell me what?” He asked.
“We’re still waiting for someone.” She responded. “Ah! Look, there he is!” She pointed. Asta turned and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
It was none other than Leopold Vermillion.
Time seemed to slow for Asta. Leo seemed to be glowing… and his smile was just so adorable… He hadn’t seemed to take notice to them until Mimosa started shouting and waving her arm. When he turned, his smile grew brighter. Asta could’ve died right there in the spot. He shot an accusing glance at Noelle who was just snickering to herself. Yuno seemed to join in after realizing what was happening.
“Your face is so red.” Yuno smirked.
“How do you even know? Noelle!”
She was taken back. “I didn’t tell him! You’re just obvious.”
Asta went to talk back, but…
“Hey Asta! Nice seeing you!” Leopold said. Asta slowly peered behind himself and saw Leo. Oh… He wasn’t ready for this! This was his first time seeing Leo since… He realized how he felt…
About two or three days ago, Asta wanted to discuss the weird feelings he’s been having with Leo. So he got advice from his good friends, Noelle and Secré. They helped him realize what it was.
After Asta realized he was in love with Leo, he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him and it was driving him crazy!
“H-hey, Leo!” He awkwardly waved to him. Leopold tilted his head. He walked up closer to Asta and got up close to his face. It took all of Noelle’s willpower to not burst out laughing at her friend’s distress. Mimosa looked at them with confusion.
She started whispering with Yuno to confirm her suspicions.
“Hey, Asta. Your face is really red! Are you alright? Did you get sunburnt or something?” He asked obliviously.
Asta shook his head, Leo stepped back. “Hm… We should probably go inside and cool your face down just in case. Can’t have my rival get roasted alive!”
Leopold grabbed Asta’s hand and started to drag him. His friends followed behind. ‘OhmygodohmygodohmygodLeo’sholdingmyhandandwe’rewalkingtogether-‘ Asta’s thoughts spiraled.
“Here we are! This is the place you were talking about, right Mimosa.” Leopold turned to Mimosa for confirmation, she nodded and Leo went right back to dragging Asta.
“They’re both such idiots…” Noelle muttered.
“Tell me about it.” Yuno replied.
Leo walked and dragged Asta to the bathroom. He grabbed a paper towel and ran it under water before slowly pressing it against Asta’s face. “There you go… Do you feel better?” He asked.
“Yeah… Thank you Leo.” Asta gave him a soft smile. Yeah… This was Leo… Such a caring and kind person. He really goes the extra mile just to make someone happy. He was such a sweet person, Asta definitely never wanted to lose him. The room was quiet.
‘Well, since I know I have feelings for him, I should confess, right? That’s… How it works?’ Asta thought. He took a deep breath. He placed his hand over Leo’s who held the paper towel against his face. He had this puzzled look.
“Uh… Leo…” He stuttered out.
“Yes…?” Leo responded, his voice was soft.
“I really… I admire you! Yeah, you’re a great rival, and I’m really glad we’re friends. You’re such a nice and caring person! Thank you a lot!” Asta internally beat himself up. That’s not what he meant to say at all…
Leopold smiled at him and nodded. “I appreciate it! You know you’re strong too! You’ve saved my life many times! You’ve saved many lives! You’re a great guy Asta. It’s one of the reasons I chose you as a rival and best friend!” Leopold finished. He took a deep breath and removed his hand. “Well it seems like you’ve cooled off a bit. Let’s get back to the others!” Leopold suggested as he fiddled with his fingers.
“Uh, yeah!” Asta agreed. He’s never been so disappointed in himself in his entire life.
“You seriously did that?” Yuno asked him, unsurprised.
“You’re such an idiot dorksta!” Noelle nudged him, Asta sulked in response.
“I know, I just-… I panicked… I got so nervous and I didn’t say what I meant to say! It’s not my fault he’s so…”
“That sounds like an excuse to me.” Yuno stated.
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Hey Asta! Come here, look at this cool mask I found!” Leopold said, seeming to come out of nowhere.
“A mask? Where!?” Asta asked with excitement. Leopold led the way and Asta followed.
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
Yuno and Noelle just facepalmed. “How long do you think Asta will take?” Noelle questioned.
“I don’t know. Honestly, Leo’s probably gonna get there first.” Yuno said. Noelle looked at him.
“You wanna place a bet?” Noelle asked him. Yuno looked at her. “Winner gets bragging rights.” She proposed.
Yuno smiled. “Deal.”
“This necklace is so pretty!” Leopold said as he walked around, Asta came over to see what Leo was talking about.
“Yeah, that is pretty! I bet it would look cute on you, of course you’re perfectly cute without it as well, and-“ Asta stopped speaking after he realized what he was saying. It seems his thoughts were coming out of his mouth unannounced. Why was he such a blabbermouth? He looked up to Leo who was looking back at him with a mixed expression. He seemed shocked, curious, and flattered at the same time.
“You think I’m cute?” He asked Asta, he nervously nodded in response.
“I mean, yeah… I guess it makes sense though, you are royalty after all!” He nervously stuttered out. Leopold smiled at him.
“Thanks! You look great yourself! I think I will buy this necklace!” He proudly proclaims before gently picking up the necklace and walking over to the counter.
Asta watched as he walked. ‘Did he buy that because I said it was cute!?’ His thoughts spiraled until he heard giggling behind him. He jerked his head around and saw Mimosa and Noelle staring at him.
“Wow, you really are hopeless. That was so pathetic.” Noelle bluntly stated her thoughts without a care in the world, specifically without a care to Asta’s feelings.
“Now Noelle! No need to be rude!”
Asta sighed.
“You’re asking us?” Magna questioned Asta, completely not expecting Asta’s out of the blue question.
“Well, I mean… yeah. You two are together, and you’re happy. So I figured maybe you’d have good advice?” Asta justified himself. Luck laughed and Magna smirked and wrapped his arm around Asta.
“Well Asta, you’ve come to the right place. Me and Luck have the perfect strategy for you to ask out that royal lion kid!”
“We do?” Luck asked Magna, confused. Magna confidently nodded.
“We do.”
“Alright, so obviously you’ll want to make sure that you have his full undivided attention, right?” Magna asked Asta. Asta was currently watching Magna and Luck do a demonstration on how to ask Leo out. To any sane eye, it’s easy to see it’s not going very well…
“I think the most effective way is to zap him!” Luck suggested, Asta kindly shook his head as a rejection.
“No, that isn’t it!” Magna shot at Luck.
“How do I get his undivided attention?” Questioned Asta. Magna chuckled.
“Watch and learn.” He said. He turned to Luck and slams his hand on the wall, towering over Luck. Luck tilts his head with confusion. “Hey Luck.” He says.
Luck giggles and smiles at Magna. “Yeah?”
“Stop eating my damn pudding!” He shouts, Luck laughs and runs away.
“Sorry! No can do! Actually, I think I’m kinda hungry right about now! I’ll be inside with your pudding!”
Magna let’s put a sigh and turns to Asta. “Well that’s how it’s done! I mean, it’ll be different for you, he’s sure to say yes! Best of luck to you, now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find that little runt.” He waved and ran in the direction Luck ran in.
Asta was left standing there in confusion. ‘Wouldn’t that be too forward though? It seems a little intense… But if Magna and Luck say it’ll work, then there’s no reason to doubt them, right?’
“Hey Asta!” Leopold greeted Asta from behind, Asta automatically had a slight blush on his face. “Thank you for inviting me to this event! I didn’t know this village had such things!”
Asta scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I thought it would be a cool experience for you seeing as you’re not used to these types of things.” That’s when Asta noticed a necklace around Leo’s neck, specifically the one Asta told him was cute on him… Asta’s cheek turned a light shade of pink.
“Have you ever come to this before?” Leopold curiously asked him, Asta nodded.
“Yeah! I’ve come here a few times with my folks from the church. It’s really fun, they have lots of good food! I haven’t been here in a while though! I heard they added a few new games and things since I last came!” Asta explained with excitement.
“Really!? I can’t wait! I wonder what we’ll do first. Lead the way Asta!”
Asta showed Leo around and played a few games with him, they ate some food together. They were having a blast!
“I never knew fries could be good with vanilla ice cream…”
“I know, right!?” Asta cheered.
“Just leave it to my rival to try things others were too scared to! Seriously, you’re so cool Asta!” He praised him. Asta blushed and looked away.
“Well, it really wasn’t that much! I was just hungry!”
They looked ahead and Asta saw two familiar faces. “Oh hey! What are you two doing here?”
“Hi, I wasn’t expecting to see you here! Noelle told me about this event and wanted me to come with her! You told her about this, didn’t you?” Kahono explained while Noelle stood next to her, protectively holding Kahono’s hand.
“Leo, this is Kahono! She’s the one from the Underwater Temple I told you about!” Asta introduced them.
“Oh, with the cool song magic?” Leo asked, Kahono nodded.
“That would be me!” She replied.
They shook hands. “My name is Leopold Vermillion. Asta’s told me about you! I’m not really a good singer myself, so I think it’s pretty cool to meet someone who actually can sing well!”
Kahono smiled. She looked back at Asta and saw a spark of motivation in his eyes, specifically wanting to learn how to sing. Kahono glanced at Noelle and smirked. ‘I see, this is what we’re working with. This will be a piece of cake!’ She thought. “Well, now that we’re all together, how about we stick together?” She proposed.
“Yeah! That sounds like so much fun!” Leo happily agreed.
“How about the haunted house?” She asked.
“There’s a haunted house!? Yeah!” Leopold smiled. It seems the plans were decided.
“Noelle and I walked passed it on our way over here, follow us!” She turned around and walked in front with Noelle.
“Really? A haunted house? That’s what you tried to use for me and Asta, see how that turned out?” Noelle complains, in reality though, she just didn’t wanna go in the haunted house.
“Well that’s just because you weren’t meant for each other. I have a feeling something more interesting will happen with those two!” She snickered.
“But-“
“Who’s the one in the relationship here?” Kahono asked Noelle.
“Uh… We’re in a relationship together, Kahono…”
Kahono chuckles, “I know, I’m just messing with you! I know you’re just making up excuses to not go in.” She confronted Noelle. Noelle turned away and pouted with blush on her cheeks in response.
“Here we are!”
Leopold and Asta looked up at the spooky house, shivers went down their spines. “You ready, Asta?”
Asta gave Leo a thumbs up.
Noelle and Kahono stepped to the side. “After you.” Said Kahono. Asta and Leo walked in side by side. Asta couldn’t help but feel Kahono and Noelle were up to something, (but mostly Kahono).
Asta and Leopold walked through the dark hallway together in silence. “Wow, the people who made this did a great job! This grim atmosphere is sending shivers down my spine!” Leopold smiled, he turned to Asta.
“Yeah…”
Leopold tilted his head in confusion and smirked, “What’s wrong Asta? You scared?” He teases him. Asta shakes his head.
“No! I’ve been in scarier situations than this, so this is a piece of cake!”
“Really? You know it’s fine to be scared, that is the whole point of this thing anyway.” Leo said sarcastically. “How many haunted houses have you been in?”
Asta thought for a second… The only time he could really remember is when he went with Noelle… “Actually, I think it was just once, at the star festival… Why are you picking on me? You’re telling me you aren’t scared one bit?” Asta asked Leo, Leopold confidently denied being scared.
“I’ve been in tons of haunted houses, so nothing can scare me! You can feel free to hold my hand if you get too scared though!” He snickers.
Asta sighs and they continue on. They’ve been walking for a few minutes and nothing has happened yet…
“Hey Asta, check out that creepy painting!” Leo pointed at a framed painting on the wall. He walked up to it to get a good look. ‘Something’s off about this…’ He thought. Asta followed him.
After a few seconds of standing there, Asta noticed some ki… ‘Huh, what’s this? Is there someone behind the painting?’ He thinks. The person behind the painting pops out, Leopold shrieks and Asta grabs Leo’s wrist and pulls him back, causing them both to tumble down.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to almost hit you there. I missed my cue, are you two alright?” The employee in makeup asked them, however, neither could hear him.
What felt like a few seconds felt like a few minutes to them. Asta looked up at Leo, both were shocked and didn’t know what to do. When Leopold realized what happened, he got off of Asta and stood up, dusting himself off. His face had turned red, but you wouldn’t be able to tell in this lighting, which was very lucky for Asta.
“Uh… we’re fine… Sorry Asta, let me help you up.” He offered his hand. Asta sat up and took it.
Asta didn’t know what to say. He just changed the subject, partially. “So… It seems you did get scared!” Asta smirked, Leo pouted and turned his head.
“Yeah, whatever!”
They continued forward. They quickly started to start joking around again, until they started to hear these eerie, disturbing sounds and… possibly screams? Asta felt arms wrap around his arm. He looked down and saw Leo holding on to him like life support.
“Leo? Are you alright?” They stopped walking. Leopold nodded.
“Mhm… Hey, Asta…”
“Yeah?”
“So… I lied… Actually I’ve only been in one haunted house before… It was when I was way younger, I got too scared and never wanted to go back into one… I told you I’ve been in a lot because… I-I wanted to impress you…” He nervously explained. Asta stared at him. Leopold lied to him, because he wanted to impress him?
“It’s fine, Leo. You don’t need to impress me though! I already know how strong and brave you are! That’s why we’re rivals after all… I wouldn’t ask for anything more! There’s no need to be scared when you’re with me though, I’ll always protect you, even if it costs me my life.” Asta reassured Leo. Leo gave Asta a soft smile and felt more reassured.
“Thank you Asta, that means a lot to me…”
“Now, do you wanna hurry and get through this so we can keep walking around? Or I could walk you home if you wanted…” Asta suggested, unsure. Leopold nodded.
“Yeah, I’d like that!”
Asta got this dorky grin and they continued through the haunted house.
“No way that actually worked!” Noelle muttered in shock. Her and Kahono watched from around the corner.
“Of course it did! Oh, they’re so cute together!” Kahono fangirled.
“So, are those two young boys together?” The haunted house employee asked out of curiosity.
“Not yet, but it’ll happen…” Kahono evilly laughed.
“Ah, I see…” The employee replied. ‘Young love… It gets stranger everyday…’
“Hey you two! Leo and I were just getting ready to leave. We know it’s a bit early, but-“
“No, no! It’s fine, you’re completely fine. Goodbye Asta, and Leo! Have fun!” Kahono dismissed Asta’s confusion and nudged them on their way.
“Now everything should play out and come together…” Kahono giggled, Noelle sighed and smiled. Kahono hasn’t changed much since they met, and she was glad. She’s beautiful and kind, two of the many reasons she fell in love with her and her amazing voice.
Asta’s palms felt sweaty, the closer their destination was, the more nervous he got. Was he really going to go through with this? But… Magna and Luck said it would work, so… He should just ignore his worries, right? Asta looked ahead and saw the Crimson Lion headquarters. Ok… He could do it, all he had to do was ask out Leo… He took a deep breath.
Leo stopped and turned back to Asta. “Thank you for walking me back, you didn’t have to, but it was fun! Also, I really think th-“ He was cut off as Asta backed him up to the wall. Asta slammed his hand on the wall next to Leo, just like Magna showed him… However, no words came out…
What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t remember? What should he say? Leopold was frozen, he stared at Asta, surprised. He could feel his cheeks heat up and he started to feel weak in the knees.
Asta? What’s he doing…? Is he gonna do anything? Asta seemed more shocked between the two of them however. His mouth was open as if he was trying to speak, but his voice cracked.
They were so close… Leo looked to the side, avoiding eye contact. They stayed still for an entire minute, Leo was patient. He glanced back at Asta.
What he was supposed to do… Magna said… “Stop… stealing my pudding…” Asta stuttered, what? No, that’s just what Magna said, dummy! You were supposed to say something else!
”Huh…?”
Asta’s face was burning. “Wait, no… That’s not what I… Uh…”
“Uh… Uh, A-Asta? Do you-“
Asta pulled himself back with his hands in the air. “I’M SO SORRY LEO! It was… It was, uh… A DARE! I-IT WAS KAHONO!” And then Asta ran off without another word. Leopold just watched as he vanished from sight without a clue of what happened.
Asta left. He left Leo there. And it was a dare?
“Oh…” Leopold mumbled, he clenched his fist and sighed. He turned around and walked inside. What was this feeling? Leo didn’t like it, it made him feel sad.
‘Does he not think of me that way after all? Maybe I was just getting ahead of myself… And what the hell was that about pudding!?’
“I did it all right, so why did it end up like that…!?” Asta sulked sadly, Gauche rolled his eyes.
“It was a dumb plan in the first place. Do you really think people like Magna and Luck know anything about love?” Gauche said to Asta. Asta took a moment to think about it and nodded.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right… What am I supposed to do now!?” Asta asked him.
“What makes you think I know anything about that sappy crap?” Gauche shot at Asta. Asta just looked at Gauche’s arm which happened to be wrapped around Grey, his girlfriend?
“W-well I sup-p-pose you could t-try giving him a g-gift!” Grey suggested. Her stutter had been getting better, so that was nice.
“Yeah, but what kind of gift?”
“You should get him food! I know I’d be overjoyed if my beloved prince Rill gave me food!” Charmy snickered as she walked by.
“You know what? That’s a good idea!” Asta stood up with a newfound confidence. He began to walk away when Gauche spoke up.
“If you love that guy that much you should just tell him already, if you wait too long it’ll be too late.”
Asta turned back and took the words in. He gave Gauche a thumbs up and left.
“I swear, the nerve of him. Bothering my time with my precious Grey!”
Asta made his way through town with a mission. Eventually, he finds them! “Leo! Mimosa! Hi! I love your earrings Mimosa, they’re pretty! And you look fantastic, Leo!”
“Aw really? Thanks!”
Leopold nervously smiled and chuckled while fiddling with his hands.
Asta wanted an excuse to meet up with Leo again, so he called Mimosa. He figured she figured out his feelings for Leo ever since that jewelry shopping trip a month ago. She gladly agreed. So according to her, they were hanging out just to relax from their duties. She already knew the perfect spot to sit in the park.
She was having a great time with this. When she found out Asta had feelings for Leo, she was overjoyed! This is because she was well aware Leo was also in love with Asta! Oh how badly she wants to just tell them so they can hurry up and get together, but somehow she can manage to hold herself back every time… for now at least…
Hurry up and get together!
Leopold knew what this was (or at least the thought he did), this was Mimosa trying to get him to confess to Asta, wasn’t it? Why else would she just invite him?
“Follow me!” She led the way.
“So, I hear we have a mission coming up together.” Leo brought up, Asta nodded.
“Yeah, I can’t wait! I’m gonna be able to see how much stronger you’ve gotten since I last saw you fight!” He excitedly cheered.
“Well it’s nothing too special… Although I’m sure you’ll be stronger too. How many sit-ups do you do each day?” Leopold asked him.
“About 1,000! 2,000 if I’m feeling up to it, and 3,000 if I’m really feeling up to it! Sometimes even 5,000! Then, when I’m pumped, 10,000!” Asta responded. Leopold felt his heart start beating quicker and he felt warmer.
“Wow, that’s a lot! You must be like, the strongest arm-wrestler ever!” He tried to play it cool. ‘Pull it together Leo! Rivals are supposed to be strong! But 10,000? That’s just so much… I so wanna see him fight now… He’ll probably look super cool… He’s so strong…’ Leo realized his thoughts were wandering and slapped himself lightly.
“What was that for?” Asta tilted his head.
“Nothing.” Leo replied.
“Here we are!” Mimosa stated. It was a nice area in the shade of a pretty tree. Mimosa laid down a blanket, then pulled out some tea and cakes. “I figured a picnic would be fun! Us magic knights have to deal with all sorts of things! I think a peaceful picnic would be relaxing.” She sat down, Asta and Leo followed.
Asta took a deep breath and turned to Leo. “Hey Leo.”
Leopold’s head perked up. “Mhm?”
Asta pulled out a box of chocolate-covered strawberries and offered them to Leo. “I thought I’d get these for you…”
Leopold gave Asta a look of gratitude after momentarily being a little surprised.
“How did you know I loved these?” He asked Asta, Asta shrugged.
Asta had learned Leo loves chocolate-covered strawberries from Mimosa. She quoted him saying that it ‘feels like an explosion of sweet and delightful flavors. The embodiment of what joy would taste like.’
Leopold immediately took one out and ate it instantly. He got this expression that absolutely melted Asta’s heart more than the chocolate on those strawberries.
He seemed delighted and content with it. “Thank you so much, Asta!” He spoke, still chewing. He swallowed. “Hey, do you want one?” He offered, Asta gladly accepted.
“I’ve never had a chocolate-covered strawberry before, I’ve eaten them separately though.”
“You haven’t!? They’re so good! C’mon! Try it!” Leo practically shoved it in his mouth.
“Woah! You were right! It is like what the embodiment of joy would taste like!”
Leopold raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Mimosa, she just looked away sipping a cup of tea. ‘Now Mimosa… How would he know about something I only told you when I was eight years old?’ Leopold thought, although he brushed it off quickly. He didn’t really mind Mimosa telling Asta that. Plus, that just shows how much Asta cares about him to go out of his way to ask Mimosa for advice just for him. Leo’s heart skipped a beat.
The wind started to pick up and one of the napkins started to fly away. Leopold stood up. “I’ll get it.”
No littering was going to be happening today!
Leopold chased after the napkin until the wind finally ceased. Finally he had it.
“Is it just me or are you a magnet? Because I can’t help but feel attracted to you.”
Leopold turned in confusion. “Huh?”
“You’re even more attractive up close! I saw you with those other two, but I was too nervous with them around…” The man said. Leopold didn’t know what to say in response, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
“Uh… I’m sorry, but I’m not interested… Have a good day though!” Leopold turned to leave when the guy grabbed his wrist. Leo yanked his hand away. “Excuse you?”
“C’mon! Just give me a chance, you know I’m actually smarter than I look, and I could teach you so many things.” He attempted to reach for Leo again, but he was knocked back. “What?”
“He said he wasn’t interested, leave him alone.” Asta started with a sour expression. The man scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?”
“We may not be on duty right now, but we’re still magic knights and that gives us the right to have you arrested if you try anything, so I wouldn’t recommend it…” Mimosa exclaimed.
The man sighed and stepped back. “Fine whatever, guess I’ll leave you for now…”
“For now? That’s not gonna work, you’re never going to interact with Leo ever again with whatever your intentions are, is that clear?” Asta told him, there was this intimidating aura that came from Asta, yet it was protective as well… It sent shivers down the man’s spine and he ran off.
Asta hadn’t realized it yet, but he had took Leopold’s hand and had been squeezing it for a while, frankly it was all Leo could focus on. Actually, he had already forgotten about that guy.
“Are you ok, Leo?” Mimosa questioned Leo. The question went in one ear and out the other, but Leopold nodded regardless.
“Man, that guy made me so angry! Why wouldn’t he leave you alone? I can’t believe he touched you like that!” Asta gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. What was this feeling of anger he felt right now?
‘Looks like someone is a bit jealous…’ Mimosa giggled to herself and made her way back to the blanket.
‘What was that just now? I’ve never seen Asta like that before… Did he really get that mad just for me? And the way he did it was so cool. His voice was so cool and demanding… andhe’sholdingmyhandhowthehellamIsupposedtoreact!? Dammit Leo, what are you thinking!?’ Leopold’s face was completely red as Asta was still holding his hand. Asta looked back at Leo.
“I hope that guy didn’t creep you out too much! I know you could’ve handled it in your own, but I just couldn’t help myself… I didn’t like the way he was looking at you…” Asta explained to Leo, oblivious. Leo’s face turned even more red.
Asta was just so honest and kind, and Leo had to admit he loved this new protective side of Asta too.
“Leo!? Are you alright? Your nose is bleeding!” Asta snatched the napkin from Leo’s hand.
“Huh? It is?” Leopold asked. Asta held the napkin to his nose until Leo brought his own hand up to hold the napkin there, then Asta left it to Leo.
“U-uh… Thank you again Asta… Seems you keep saving me again and again, huh? Y-You really didn’t have to!” He stammered, Asta laughed. Leo really did look quite cute when he was flustered…
“I’m not done yet!” Asta yelled at his opponent with a determined glint in his eyes. He was battling with a diamond mage in a dungeon. He was accompanied by Noelle and Leopold, but they had gotten separated by one of the dungeon’s traps and now Asta had to defeat this mage on his own.
“Sorry child, but it’s my job to take down any mages that get in our way, if I had it my way I’d let you go. Unfortunately though, I’m not in charge.” The diamond mage said. He wore dark clothes and seemed very bored. ‘It doesn’t matter what he tries to pull, I can hear any magic spell from a mile away. Although he doesn’t seem to possess any mana… Shouldn’t be too difficult for me though.’
Asta held on tight to his sword, he tried to jump to the mage, but he easily blew Asta right back.
“ Sound Magic: Vibration Jolt ” He chanted his spell.
‘This guy’s tough, how am I supposed to cancel magic like his? How can I dispel sounds?’ Asta analyzed his opponent. This was quite a challenging opponent, he hoped Leo and Noelle were doing well.
“It’s no use, I can hear every magic spell you could possibly make, even if you don’t have magic, you think you can beat a diamond mage?”
Asta smile at that considering he’s not only beaten a diamond mage, but things much more powerful like elves and even devils…
The sound mage got an irritated look from Asta’s ridiculous smile. He chanted a spell of continuous sound waves towards Asta. He used his sword to the best of his abilities, however it only weakened the attack.
The spell was immediately canceled when somebody hit him from behind, knocking him out. Asta looked up and beamed with relief and excitement.
“Just because you can hear magic attacks doesn’t mean you can hear my flawless stealth attack!” Leo proudly cheered.
“Leo! You’re here! And Noelle too!” Asta looked behind Leo and saw Noelle walking in.
“Seriously Asta, could you be any more of an idiot?” She said with a snarky attitude.
“Looks like I finally saved you this time!” Leopold walked up to Asta. “We dealt with the other diamond mages, it was actually pretty easy! This guy was the only one worth worrying about, even just a little bit. Strange though, cause the leader was way weaker! Isn’t that weird?” Leo ranted on and on about the battle, the things that happened, his thoughts and funny comments, and Asta gladly listened to everything he had to say.
Noelle scoffed and smirked. ‘He’s so obvious, how can Leo be so blind?’ She walked over to the mage and put him into a binding spell before he could think about getting up.
After they group had turned the diamond mages in, they were exhausted. “That had me beat… You guys wanna find an inn to stay in for the night? I’m way too tired to walk all the way back to my base.” Leo suggested.
“Yes, although your base is much closer, think about how long our trip is from here to the Black Bulls!” Noelle complained, Leo nodded.
“I guess you’re right, how about I join you on your trip back? That way we all will have gone the same distance!” He proposed, Noelle facepalmed. It didn’t matter what she would reply with, she knew he would end up coming anyways…
“Yeah! That’d be awsome!” Asta looked at Leo, Leo took a deep breath.
“Hey, there it is…!” He tiredly pointed to the inn. Noelle went in ahead of them. Asta and Leo followed behind. Asta could’ve sworn he saw Noelle whispering to the receptionist about something and… Slip her some gold?
“So, are you gonna get your own room, Noelle?” Asta asked Noelle, she flipped her hair.
“Of course I am.” She replied.
“Alright then! One bedroom with one bed for her and then one bedroom with two beds for us!” Asta pointed at Leo and himself.
“Sorry, but I’m afraid we only have singles available.” She informed them. Leo awkwardly glanced at Asta.
“Oh… That’s fine! Two of those! One for her and one for us!” Asta told the lady, she nodded and handed them their keys after Noelle had paid her… again? What did she pay for the first time?
Noelle waved and went inside her room. Asta and Leo did the same. They walked in and stared at the single bed. Asta could feel his heartbeat quicken. Leopold took off his cloak and other equipment along with his shoes and jacket.
“Well, I think I’m gonna sleep on the couch tonight.” Leo told him. Asta grabbed his wrist. Leo looked at him, waiting for Asta to speak.
“Uh.. Well, Well I mean wouldn’t it… Wouldn’t it make sense if we just shared the bed? I mean… We did it back at the church. No reason we can’t just share, right?”
Asta explained to Leo, seemingly to be calm… however… ‘C’mon Asta, just calm down, you’re just sharing a bed, there’s nothing weird about it. You grew up doing it, don’t make it weird just because it’s Leo! That’s what friends are for… Cute, strong, and brave friends… What? No, shut up!’ Asta internally panicked.
Leopold avoided eye contact with this nervous expression and soft smile. This did not help Asta’s situation. “I mean, of course we can! I really don’t see any reason not to! Let’s… go…” Leo walked towards the bed and got under the blanket. Asta turned the light off leaving the moonlight from the window as the only way to navigate. Soon enough, Asta joined Leo…
Leo’s heart quickened an obscene amount, his felt himself getting warmer, and not because of the blanket. Him and Asta stared at each other. Their faces were so close… Leo though Asta looked magestic in the moonlight. Asta on the other hand just couldn’t stop thinking about how adorable Leo was when he was sleepy. They got closer… and closer… The distance between them got shorter…
“Ow!” A muffled voice shouted from the next room over. Maybe they dropped something? Whatever it was caused Leo and Asta to jerk away from each other and turn to face the other way.
“Goodnight, Leo.” Asta spoke.
Leopold smiled and responded, “Goodnight, Asta! I’ll see you in the morning.” After a while, they both drifted off to sleep.
The sunlight slipped through the cracks of the curtain and into Asta’s eyes. His eyes slowly opened, he blinked a few times to try and get rid of the morning blurriness. He heard birds chirping and yawned. He felt a weight on his chest. Confused, he looked down and saw a peaceful sleeping figure. Asta’s eyes widened and he was wide awake. Right… The same bed thing…
Asta looked at Leo’s sleeping figure and his heart skipped a beat. His breathing was slow and peaceful, he had been using Asta’s chest as a pillow, and he seemed to be drooling slightly, just slightly though. ‘Aw! He’s just so cute!’ Asta wanted to flail his arms around since he was so happy, but he didn’t wanna risk waking Leo up. He just held still and waited.
Twenty minutes went by. Asta spent the first fifteen staring at the ceiling as to not be creepy, but his eyes couldn’t help but wander back to Leo for the last five. Asta looked at him with a soft smile. Until there was knocking at the door.
“Hey! Wake up you two, we have to get going soon!” Noelle yelled, she could be heard walking away, her footsteps fading.
Leopold’s eyes cracked open and he yawned. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He groaned, how he hated being woken up. However he had learned to live with it thanks to Mereoleona. He looked at Asta and tilted his head. His heart started to beat faster when he realized the position they had previously been in.
“Oh… Sorry…” He muttered. After a few moments he gave Asta a confused look. “Wait, were you watching me sleep?” He asked him. Asta blushed at the feeling that he had been caught.
“Huh? No!” He denied it. Leopold laughed and smirked.
“Am I that hot? I guess I can’t blame you though!” He snickered, Asta turned his head.
“I couldn’t help it! I mean, I couldn’t just wake you up!” Asta tried to justify himself. Leopold flushed.
“I was just joking…” He mumbled, Asta turned to him.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing! That was Noelle, right? Yeah, we should get ready, let’s get ready!” Leopold changed the subject and got out of bed to start getting ready. Asta did the same.
Asta, Noelle, and Leopold walked through the woods. Leopold insisted that he walked them both back to the Black Bulls, and they really couldn’t decline.
“You know, you really don’t have to walk us back… We should be the ones walking you back since you’re alone!” Asta said, Leopold shook his head.
“No need! What kind of rival would I be if I couldn’t walk myself home?” Plus, the last time Asta walked Leo to the Crimson Lions… Leopold didn't want to be reminded of that… Well, it’s not as if he didn’t enjoy it, he just didn’t know what to think of it yet. What was Asta thinking at that moment? Was it really a dare? Did he get embarrassed in the ‘I like you’ way, or the ‘I don’t like you’ way? Leo wished he knew so all these misunderstandings could just stop already.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. You are pretty strong! Hey, you wanna train together soon?” Asta asked him. Noelle’s head perked up. “Maybe I could bring Yuno and Luck with me!” She facepalmed.
“I swear, Asta! Stop being such a baby about it! You too, Leo! You two should just kiss already because you’re giving me a headache.” Noelle shot at both of them. They arrived at the Black Bulls, Noelle went ahead inside leaving Asta and Leo alone.
“Ah… She’s pretty funny, isn’t she?” Asta awkwardly said. Leopold started to awkwardly laugh in agreement.
“Yeah…!” They stood in silence for a couple seconds. “Anyway, about that training session, I would love to!” He smiled, Asta nodded.
“Of course, so should I bring Yuno and Luck?” Asta asked him, Leopold shook his head.
“Actually, I think it’d be nice if it was just the two of us. I feel like we’d be more likely to put our all into it without distractions.” Leopold answered, Asta nodded. “By the way, what was that reaction when Noelle said that?” Leopold raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I just wasn’t expecting her to say something like that.”
“Oh? What if you were expecting it?” Leopold smirked at Asta.
Asta wondered where this conversation was going. “I don’t know…”
“What? Does the thought of kissing me gross you out that much?” Leopold snickered.
“Of course not! Never!” Asta blurted out.
Leopold took a deep breath. This was his chance, he can’t waste this opportunity… “Then do it.” He said, his smile dropped. Asta’s heartbeat started to quicken.
“What?”
Leopold’s cheeks turned pink and he looked to the side, Asta was really gonna make him say it, huh? “Kiss me.”
Asta stared at Leo. Leopold really asked him to… kiss him!? What was he waiting for? Asta’s been waiting to get to this point… He looked at Leo’s lips. They looked soft… What if Leo was just joking though and he just embarrassed himself…? No… Leo looked serious about this… Asta took a step forward. Leopold could feel himself heat up.
Asta closed the distance between them… and leaned closer… They got closer… Two inches apart… Asta… couldn’t do it. He stumbled back. Leopold’s expression turned to be confused.
“I’m sorry! Get home safe!” And Asta ran inside.
“Asta, what the hell was that!?” Leo heard a female voice yell from inside before the door closed.
Leopold clenched his fist and scoffed. “Whatever…” He spat. He turned around and left. “Fucking stupid…”
Leopold walked inside, dejected. Guess that was sort of a rejection, huh? How could he have been so stupid?
“Leo? Are you alright? You look to be a bit down.” His brother spoke. Leopold sat down.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing important.” He replied. Fuegoleon didn’t believe him.
“You know you can talk to me.” Fuegoleon said, Leopold looked up and nodded. He felt his communication device shake. He looked at it, it was Asta. He declined the call and put it away. He only grew more irritated.
“Who was that?” Fuegoleon asked. It wasn’t like Leo to just ignore a call, much less decline it.
“Nobody.”
Fuegoleon knew pushing Leo wouldn’t help. He should probably wait a bit… So he changed the subject. “How was the mission?”
Leopold just slammed his head down on the table. ‘Oh, I just saved Asta, slept with Asta, and told him to kiss me that’s all!’ Leopold thought to himself. He felt humiliated.
“Why don’t you get something to eat?” Fuegoleon suggested, Leopold nodded.
Leopold walked into the kitchen. He looked through the fridge.
“What’s got you so pissed off?” Mereoleona questioned him, seemingly coming from nowhere. Today was just not Leo’s day…
“Nothing.” He lied, Mereoleona raised an eyebrow.
“What? You get in a fight with one of your friends?” She asked him. Leopold shook his head, both got more irritated. “Was it that Asta kid?”
“I said it was nothing!” Leopold shot at her. She stood there, Leopold realized what he’d done. He began to run away.
Asta paced around his room. How could he be so stupid!? It was so obvious when Asta thought about it. The scene kept replaying in his head again and again. Leo wanted Asta to kiss him and… Asta just ran away! He needs to try and clear it up… he took out his communication device and dialed Leo… but he didn’t pick up… Not only did he not pick up, he… declined. Leo must be really mad at Asta. Asta tried again… A few days went by…
“He’s still not picking up…” Asta muttered. ‘Is he ok? Is he still mad at me, or did something happen to him?’ Asta grew worried, it wasn’t like Leo to ignore people…
“Weird, he answered me!” Luck said, holding up his communication device. Everyone gave Luck a look, to which he was oblivious to.
So he was still mad at Asta… Luck offered it to Asta, he took it. “Hey Leo, I-“ He hung up.
It had been one week since that whole thing had happened. Asta has been trying to call Leo forever, but he never picked up.
So he tried to visit him, but every time, Leopold wasn’t there… Asta didn’t know if that was true, but regardless he hasn’t been able to get in touch with him.
Leopold on the other hand knows ignoring Asta won’t do him any good, but he just couldn’t deal with it right now. He felt angry, at himself and Asta, and embarrassed. Leopold didn’t know what to think. Asta seemed to be interested in him, but then on the other hand he was always trying to push him away or run away. It made Leo frustrated.
Hopefully, this next mission with Kuyin and Eliah would help take his mind off of Asta…
Asta sat alone on the couch, he was in a trance-like state, similar to when he was waiting for the results to be a part of the Royal Knights.
“Aw, he's sulking again.” Luck said.
“You can’t blame him, after something like that and then being completely ignored, yikes.” Magna said in response.
“This has really got him down, I haven’t seen him do a single sit-up or push-up in a week.” Vanessa intervened from the other couch. At this point Asta had given up on contacting Leo, which was quite a big deal considering his whole thing was about not giving up.
Suddenly, Asta’s communication device started to ring. Asta immediately snapped out of it and pulled it out within a second. He fumbled with it before he was able to answer it. “Hello!? Leo?”
“Asta~!” Asta heard Leopold say excitedly.
“Leo? Are you alright? You sound a bit off…”
“Nah… I’m just really happy! Hey, you know what would be super cool?” Leopold asked.
“What?”
“Leo? What are you doing, you’re supposed to be resting.” Asta heard.
“But brother! I wanna see Asta!”
Asta heard the device being taken away. “Hello? Captain Fuegoleon? Is that you?”
“I’m sorry for Leo, he just got out of surgery and he’s a bit out of it.”
“Surgery? Is he alright!?” Asta questioned with worry.
“Leo’s squad got ambushed in the mission and he was heavily injured. Actually, I think he’d like it if you came to visit when you’re available.” Fuegoleon requested, Asta nodded.
“Yeah, I’ll come over right now!”
Asta approached the door nervously. He took a deep breath, turned the knob, and walked in. Leo’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Asta!” Leopold smiled.
Fuegoleon turned to him. “Hello, thank you for coming, I’m sure Leo really appreciates it. I know you two aren’t on the best terms right now, I’m not sure what happened, but I hope you two can resolve it soon.”
Asta nodded. “Yeah… I’m pretty sure I messed up… I’ll fix it though!” Asta reassured Fuegoleon.
“Asta! Come here!” Leopold said.
“He’s been quite delirious due to the surgery and one of those mage’s spells. So don’t be surprised if he does or says anything weird.”
“Fuegoleon! Leave!” Leopold ordered. Fuegoleon tried his best not to look offended and left. Leopold signaled for Asta to come closer.
“Uh… Hey Leo…” Asta greeted him. Leopold smiled.
“Hey Asta! What’ve you been doin’?” Leo asked him. Asta sighed and didn’t reply. Leopold tilted his head. “Why do you look so sad?”
Asta turned to him. “I’m really sorry Leo…”
“For what?”
“I… I hurt your feelings… You asked me to do something and I was too scared to do it, and you… Must’ve been so confused…” Asta explained. Leopold shook his head and hugged Asta.
“It’s fine!”
“No… It’s not… You’re delirious right now, so you can’t really mean that, plus… You probably won’t even remember this…” Asta muttered.
“Then all you have to do is just do that again!” Leopold said.
“Huh?”
“I really like you, so I’m sure I’ll forgive you!” Leopold came closer to Asta and kissed his cheek before fading off to sleep. Asta blushed, he placed his hand on his cheek.
“I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” He whispered.
Asta walked through the halls, led by a servant. Mimosa had wanted to throw a small little party. She told Asta she had invited Yuno, Noelle, Secré, Kahono, and of course… Leo. Last time Asta saw him was two days ago, and this was the perfect opportunity to finally talk to him.
He walked inside, everyone else was already there. “Aw, I’m the last one here!?” Asta nervously scratched his neck.
“Hey Asta! I’m so glad you made it!” Mimosa greeted him. There were two tables of food and desserts.
“Woah, this room is big for just the seven of us!” Asta said.
“Actually, it seems an eighth has snuck her way in.” Noelle said. Asta tilted his head with confusion. Until he heard the maniacal laughter of Charmy behind him.
“What!? Charmy, you have got to stop doing that!” Asta scolded her, but she didn’t pay attention though.
“When duty calls!” She said before running towards the food. Asta looked up and saw Leo chuckling to himself.
‘He’s still cute.’ Asta thought while his stomachs turned into knots. He walked over.
They hung out. They spent a long time talking, laughing, and playing lots of silly games. Asta didn’t really know why Mimosa decided to throw this party… Yuno told him that she just did it sometimes. However, something told him she had a reason this time. Throughout the evening though, he and Leo had barely spoken a word to each other despite Kahono and Mimosa’s efforts. Only a greeting, awkward remarks as if they were strangers, and nervous stares… If anything, Leopold seemed more nervous than upset.
Although, he seemed to slip out while Kahono and Charmy were joking around. Asta searched the room for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
Asta went up to Mimosa. “Hey, do you know where Leo went?”
“Yeah, he went outside for some air. You should really go talk to him.” She suggested. Asta thanked her and left.
He wandered around outside, this was a pretty place. The plants were well taken care of and were quiet. It was a good place to take a walk in.
“Are you looking for me?” Asta heard from behind him. He turned around.
“Leo… I’ve been wanting to talk to you for so long…” Asta said.
“I know. If the 32 calls didn’t give me the hint…” he said, Asta looked down. “I heard you came to visit me after I got out of surgery…”
“I did…”
“Thank you… It’s good to know you aren’t mad at me for being mad at you… I don’t have a good reason to be upset…” Leopold explained, Asta came closer to him.
“No, you do… I hurt you. When you asked me to kiss you, I just ran away and… You misunderstood.” Leopold scoffed.
“You think this just because of that moment?” Leopold questioned. Asta tilted his head.
“What…?”
“You’ve been doing it for a while, Asta… You’ve been giving all these mixed signals and I don’t know what to think! Back at the jewelry shop it seemed like you were going to tell me how you felt, but I was wrong… Then when you backed me up against the wall, you just told me it was a dare and left me! Then there was that whole day we had that mission…”
Asta couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could he have gone this long without noticing? How could he do something like this to the one he loves?
“It feels like my heart is being toyed with!” Leopold explained, he shouted at Asta. He held back his urge to cry. “Asta… How do you feel about me? Because I l-“ Asta stepped closer to Leo. He cupped his cheeks and pulled Leo into a long awaited kiss.
Asta wasn’t sure what would happen. Was Leo going to push him away? He just couldn’t think of anything else to do… and he’s been wanting to do this for so long. His doubts vanished when Leo wrapped his arms around Asta. Asta took one of his hands around Leo’s waist and pulled him closer.
They made it last for as long as they could until they had to catch their breath.
“I love you.” Asta told him. Leopold smiled and looked away, his face red.
“Well… I guess now that that’s clear… We’re together now?” He stammered. Asta nodded.
“I would love to! If you would…”
“Yeah…”
Asta let out a breath of relief. “I’m so glad… Honestly, I really didn’t mean to hurt you… I was just so nervous around you that I kept panicking. I couldn’t help it though, you were just so cute!” Asta gave Leo a soft smile. Leopold flushed and covered his face.
“Asta! You can’t just say things like that!” He stuttered out. Asta looked at him, confused for a moment before realizing what happened.
“Oh? Did I fluster you?” Asta laughed.
“Shut up!”
“Now you know how it feels!” Asta proudly said. Asta came closer to Leo and kissed his cheek. “That’s what you did to me when you were delirious.”
Leopold sighed. “That’s embarrassing…”
“No, I thought it was cute! Actually it really cheered me up! You told me that you would forgive me because you really liked me.”
“I said that?”
“Yeah!” Asta replied to Leo.
“I said I just ‘liked’ you?” Leopold questioned him, his expression seemingly worried. Asta nodded. Leo got this look of disappointment.
“What’s wrong? You said you… Oh…” Now it was Asta’s turn to be flustered again.
“Aha! Look who the cute one is now!” Leopold teased him and started to laugh. “Anyway, you wanna get back to the party?” Leo asked him.
“Yeah!”
As they walked back, Leo had taken his hand. Asta felt the most happy he’s been in a while. Leopold Vermillion, the cutest boy he’s ever met is his boyfriend!
“Looks like you two have gotten real close…” Kahono giggled, everyone else was happy for them. Yuno and Noelle looked at each other.
“Who confessed?” Secré asked them. Leopold thought for a second.
“I guess we both kinda did at the same time?” Asta answered. Yuno and Noelle sighed in disappointment.
“You if you weren’t an idiot in the first place-“ Asta cut Noelle off.
“I know! I know! I was an idiot, but we learn from our mistakes.”
Yuno rolled his eyes.
After that, Leopold and Asta were practically attached to each other for the rest of the night. They barely talked to anyone else but each other.
“Look at them, I’m so glad they made up and got together!” Mimosa smiled. Yuno agreed, he was happy for his friends… Only took forever…
Asta walked with Leo through the hall. The party had ended, it was a bit dark for everyone to go home so they were all getting a guest room. Since Asta couldn’t walk Leo home, he figured he’d walk Leo to his room.
“I’m so glad all the misunderstandings are over…” Asta said.
“I still can’t believe you basically pinned me against the wall…” Leopold mentioned, Asta jerked his head towards Leo.
“Hey! That was Luck and Magna’s fault!”
“Mhm… Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it though.” Leopold smirked.
“WHAT!?”
“Oh look, we’re here.” Leopold said as they arrived at his room.
“Already?”
Leopold turned to Asta. “So… I was wondering if, maybe you wanted to…” Leopold mumbled the last part.
“To what?”
“…” He mumbled again.
“Sorry, can you say it again-“
“I SAID I WANTED TO CUDDLE!” He yelled. Asta was taken back for a moment and smiled.
“Of course!”
Asta followed Leo inside. After Leopold changed into something more comfortable to sleep in, he joined Asta who was sitting on his bed.
Leo was nervous, he had never done anything like this before. However, Asta immediately pulled him close… Right, he grew up with a lot of kids, so he’s probably used to stuff like this…
They stayed together for a while until Leo was barely awake. “Hey Asta…” Leopold muttered. Asta looked down. “Love you…” He faded off into sleep. Asta smiled and brought the blanket over them. He didn’t have a choice but to stay with Leo seeing as Leo had fallen asleep on top of him and Asta didn’t want to risk waking him up. So he went to sleep as well.
Asta’s eyes cracked open. He yawned and looked around. He was in Leo’s room. He turned over and saw Leo next to him. He smiled.
“Good morning.” Asta said.
“Morning.”