100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: Just a little case study of Asta and Noelle from the other's perspective.

—

The first time Asta meets Noelle, she's standing stiff as a board, her arms crossed, her chin lifted too high—like she's daring someone to challenge her. Her voice is sharp, all angles and edges, but her words don't match the strength in her posture. There's something forced about it. Like a kid trying to fit into an oversized suit of armor.

He doesn't think much of it then. He's too busy getting his head around the fact that he got into a squad at all, and on top of that, it's the infamous Black Bulls. The whole group is a mess, and Noelle? She seems like she doesn't even want to be here.

Then, he sees her training by herself. Late at night. Early in the morning. When she thinks no one's watching.

Her magic is powerful—overwhelming, even—but she can't control it. It doesn't make sense at first. Royals are supposed to be naturally talented, right? That's what everyone says. But the more he watches, the more he realizes she's not lacking in strength. It's something else. Something deeper. The way she grips her hands and fists too tightly, the way she flinches after each spell misfires—like she's waiting for someone to scold her. There's hesitation in her movements, doubt in her stance.

Asta has spent his whole life pushing past limitations, ignoring every person who's ever told him what he couldn't do. But Noelle? It's like she's spent her life listening to them.

It doesn't sit right with him. He doesn't know why, but it doesn't.

Then comes that unexpected battle in Sosshi village, and everything shifts. She stands in front of him, arms spread, defiant, as a giant spell comes crashing down. She protects them—him—with everything she's got, and for the first time, her magic doesn't go wild. It listens to her. Obeys her. And in that moment, she's incredible. A real knight.

After that, he starts noticing things more.

The way her eyes soften when she thinks no one is looking. The way she always seems to step between him and danger, even when it doesn't make sense. The way she yells at him for being reckless, only to be just as reckless herself the next time they fight.

He doesn't understand her at all.

She pushes him away, but she stays close. She calls him names, but she worries about him. She gets this weird look on her face whenever he compliments other girls. She acts like she doesn't care, but her mana flares up, wild and restless, whenever he talks about someone else.

Asta might not be the smartest guy, but he's not stupid either. He knows Noelle is complicated. He knows she's dealing with things she doesn't talk about. And he knows—deep down—that she's stronger than she believes.

So he doesn't say anything when she fumbles through excuses to heal him after a mission. Despite not being a healer, despite Mimosa being right there with them, free and willing. He doesn't question why she's always standing near him, even when there's plenty of space elsewhere. He just lets her be Noelle—flustered, stubborn, brilliant Noelle.

Because he wants to see what kind of person she becomes when she finally stops holding herself back.

—

Noelle doesn't remember the first time she noticed Asta. Not really. It wasn't when they met—he was just another peasant, another loudmouth commoner who didn't understand how the world worked. No, it was later. When he grinned at her, all confidence and determination, and said, I believe in you.

She'd never heard those words before. Not from her family. Not from nobles. Not from anyone.

At first, she convinced herself it didn't matter. That he was just an idiot who said things without thinking. But then, Asta kept saying them. Over and over. And worse—he meant them. He looked at her like she wasn't a failure. Like she wasn't broken.

And Noelle didn't know how to deal with that.

So, she did what she always did—put up walls. Insulted him. Kept her distance. It was safer that way. But Asta was Asta. He never let things be. He wormed his way into her life, into her mind, until she started looking for him in every battle, every mission, every moment.

She doesn't know when admiration turned into something else. It just happened. Asta was supposed to be an idiot, a musclehead who rushed into fights without thinking. But then she started watching him. How he carried people's hopes on his back. How he stood tall no matter how many times he was knocked down. How he laughed in the face of failure and kept moving forward.

And worst of all—how he treated everyone the same.

She was royalty. People were supposed to respect her by default. But Asta never did. Not because he looked down on her, but because he saw her as equal.

That terrified her.

Because if Asta was right—if she really could be more than what people said—then she had no excuse to hide anymore.

So, she trained harder. Pushed herself. Every time she saw him fight, every time she watched him throw himself into danger without hesitation, she felt that fire in her chest burn hotter.

But Asta was clueless. Completely, utterly clueless.

She knew it the first time she caught him blushing over Sister Lily, of all people. The second time, when he was too busy talking about getting stronger to notice the way she lingered after missions, waiting for him to say something.

She didn't know how to handle it. She wasn't like Mimosa, who could just say what she felt. She wasn't like the other girls who fluttered their lashes and giggled at him. She was Noelle Silva, and feelings were complicated.

So she started small. Compliments, hidden under insults. Standing next to him, just a little closer than necessary. Healing his wounds, even when he insisted he was fine. It wasn't enough. He still looked at her with those bright, stupidly honest eyes and didn't see anything.

The worst moment was the mixer. She hadn't planned on following him, not really. But the thought of him talking to other girls, laughing with them—she hated it. So she went. She watched. She regretted everything.

Because for the first time, she saw what it would be like if Asta actually liked someone. And it wasn't her.

He looked so in tune and at peace with that red-haired girl from Nairn. So much so, that it hurt.

It hurt so bad, in a way Noelle had never felt before.

She didn't like that feeling.

That night, she decided something.

Asta was an idiot, but she wasn't going to wait forever. If he didn't realize her feelings on his own, she'd make him see.

Because if there was one thing she learned from him, it was that you had to fight for what you wanted. And she wanted him.