Work Text:
It’s weird how comfortable the Black Bulls base is.
The building is nothing too special (ignoring the rearranging) and her room is a shitty closet compared to her room back home. It’s gross and small and in the middle of nowhere, nothing is nice and pretty and the lighting is horrible and there’s noways to get things easily. The place is disgusting and its horrible that she has to clean at all. Not to mention the people. Their loud and crazy and don’t make sense. It makes some sense how far out the base is with how insane some of these people are it really is a wonder their all knights. Even still she’s stuck on the state of her room at first since it was so gross with dust and a bed with one leg too short. The blankets smelt weird and weren’t comfortable in the slightest her bed only had two pillows neither of which were comfy either.
Compared to home this place was hell. Back there her room was closer to the common area then her new room yet still cleaner then even there. People cleaned her room and made sure her bedding was what she liked even leaving some things to make the room smell nice. Sure the people weren’t the best company, but it was normal so she can’t quite complain.
Noelle can, however, let herself think some traitorous thoughts about home. Such as she’d never be able to ask for help with her bed.
During the first month with the Black Bulls she found herself complaining to Vanessa. Talking with Vanessa was very quickly becoming a habit she loved though she would never admit it. The witch was easy to talk to somehow, it felt like Noelle could lean on her some even if she was still a crazy woman she shouldn’t be talking to. While complaining though she mentioned the state of her bed as one leg being too short made it not stand right and was driving her mad. Vanessa immediately said they could fix it! Her saying that was a shock that froze Noelle for a second. She hadn’t thought anyone here could fix it, no one knew wood working or anything like that, they were all knights why would they do anything else. Another shock was the witch suggesting Noelle help her! She’s a royal why would she be able to do that let alone want to.
As always Noelle found herself swept along in the chaos of the Knight Squad and ended up laying on the floor of her room- where she found out how bad she is at cleaning floors- with Vanessa holding the corner of her bed up instructing her on putting a wedge of wood under the leg. It fixed the problem flawlessly in just a few minutes. Weeks of annoyance was gone in less then an hour thanks to Vanessa. She didn’t say anything mean about Noelle’s room or that she had been sleeping on a wonky bed or that she didn’t understand what she meant by ‘fix it’ or that she thanked her a few too many times after. She just offered help when Noelle needed it and went on with her day.
Helping her was a casual thing as easy as grabbing a bottle off the shelf or sweeping the common room or fixing up clothes with her magic. Noelle wasn’t in the way or a burden, wasn’t someone she hated for struggling, wasn’t a weak loser not deserving of being here. Noelle was her friend.
Nebra wouldn’t have helped her like that let alone sat and listened to her complain. Noelle wouldn’t have been able to sit near her and complain without her making some comment to shut her up. She’d never expect someone would be willing to help her so easily and even teach her a new skill especially someone living with her. Having someone act like she was someone able to be taught and not worthless enough to sleep on a stupid not level bed was so so weird.
More instances like this happened while being in this stupid gross ugly base. Charmy found out what foods Noelle didn’t like and even got her to try things she now loves instead of making fun of her for being a picky eater. Luck has never looked at her as anything less then a worthy opponent, as someone strong. Magna is willing to explain things- although loud about it and complaining- and help her. Finral is nice to her, she never feels anything but pretty with him. Grey, Gauche, and Gordon while being hard to talk to never make her feel excluded even if ‘feeling included’ is Gauche happily showing her photos of Marie. Captain Yami can be mean but he’s never mean mean not like what shes used to. He can be an asshole but he pushes her to be better and less scared, at the end of the day he wants her to succeed. Asta is a loud, stupid, idiot of a boy. He’s a muscle head and as insane as the rest of the squad, though he’s had the most impact on her. That stupid boy is why Noelle was able to even start pushing through her shell and talk to the rest of the squad. Yami’s pushing to be a better person wouldn’t have worked if Asta hadn’t laid out the framework in her brain for it to work and the boy doesn’t even know it.
Nebra, Solid, and Nozel had never made Noelle feel this welcomed this safe. Her sister has only ever said mean things to her unlike Vanessa and Charmy who were only ever kind. Her brothers have done things that hurt her so deep and these Black Bulls boys had stayed far away from mimicking those. The Bulls didn’t know anything about her siblings either so its not on purpose they were just like that. These people she should never talk to let alone live with and be close to where better then her family.
This crazy base that rearranges itself every night, that is gross with bad lighting, that seemingly only Asta cleans most of is more comfortable then her siblings home. Thinking back on that place the image has become blinding white shockingly clean and put together, and completely devoid of personality.
Noelle has realized that the little marks that make the building look messy compared to back home is what makes this place clearly lived in. Scuff marks and scrapes across the halls tell of people running around having fun. Couches and cushions with fabric patches show how loved they are. Furniture with pieces of wood wedged under one leg tell a story no one in her family would understand. This place is a story in of itself and one that is beautiful and full of love, in a messy dusty gross way.
It’s weird a place she’s lived in for only a few months is better then where she’s lived her whole life, but at least she’s not the only one here who feels that way. At least she’s happy here.