100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: Noelle notices Asta wearing a chain of wildflowers one day and discovers it's a tradition from his village to keep memories of loved ones. As Asta shares the story behind each flower, he hands her one he's never used before—a flower that symbolizes love.

—

"Hey, Asta… what's that?"

"Hmm…?" Asta, who was just about to dig into his breakfast, paused abruptly and turned to the side to see Noelle pointing at him.

Asta and several of the other Black Bulls followed the direction of her finger to his neck, realizing she was pointing at the small necklace-like chain of flowers he wore.

Asta blinked, gently holding the thread tying the flowers together, then looked back up and gave Noelle a blank look.

"It's a flower chain, Noelle… that's kind of obvious, right?" He tried to phrase his response as politely as possible.

Judging by the dark, unamused look Noelle gave him, Asta figured he could've done a better job.

"Haaah…" Noelle let out a tired sigh, rubbing her forehead in exasperation as she suppressed her annoyance. She then spoke as clearly as she could.

"I can see that, Bakasta. I'm more curious about what it's for."

Noelle hadn't cared much when she first noticed Asta wearing it, back when he saved her from drowning in her magic. She'd dismissed it as just another weird fashion choice—typical Asta.

But during their dungeon mission, she noticed his friend and apparent foster brother wore one too, sparking her curiosity. Was this some strange peasant fashion trend she didn't know about?

At first, she kept her questions to herself, but over the past few months, she noticed flowers disappearing from Asta's necklace, which piqued her interest even more.

Yesterday, at the Royal Knights exam, she saw Yuno's necklace had fewer flowers as well, and now she couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer.

B-but only to get everyone's mind off Finral, n-not that I-I'm particularly curious about Asta or anything!

"Oh, yeah, that's been bugging me too, Rasta!"

The two rookies turned to see Magna across the table, combing his mohawk.

"Is that what manly men do these days? Do I gotta get one too—oof!"

Magna didn't get to finish his sentence before Luck appeared out of nowhere, midair, and sent him flying with a roundhouse kick.

"Ha ha ha, let's fight, Magna!"

"You bastard!" Magna shot up from the rubble he was buried in and wordlessly began chasing Luck, who dashed out of the hideout.

They hadn't had a chance to fight during the exams, so Magna was more than willing to humor Luck's whims today.

Noelle blinked, then sighed, wordlessly looking back at Asta. He beamed when he sensed her gaze, causing her heart to race as he clutched his necklace fondly.

"Back in Hage, we have a tradition where we start wearing these chains of seven wildflowers when we come of age. Each flower represents someone important to you, and the goal is that, throughout your life, you find all the people who mean the most to you and give them a flower. That way, you forge an eternal bond!"

Noelle paused. That's… kind of profound… peasants can be weirdly romantic. Wait—seven? I've only ever seen Asta with six… and now he has only two left.

She narrowed her eyes, doing her best to suppress any rising jealousy. Not that I care one bit if I'm not one of Asta's "most special people"… yet… not that I ever want to be. As his friend, I should just show more interest in his life. Yes, that's it.

With a slight cough, she asked as casually as she could, "Why seven? What do they each mean?"

If possible, Asta's smile grew brighter, making her neck flush as he spread his hands wide, catching the attention of the rest of the squad.

"There are seven days in a week, so seven flowers to represent the entire week and our journey through life—or something like that. Yuno could probably explain it better."

"But anyway, you're supposed to give the flower matching each day to that special someone."

"I gave Captain Yami an iris on a Monday because he's my mentor!"

Vanessa nearly spit out her drink. The Captain… accepted a flower from someone? No, there's no way.

Vanessa waved him off. "Bad choice, Asta. The Captain will probably just use it as toilet paper—"

"S-so t-that was w-what t-that was…"

A stammering, nervous voice cut Vanessa off. Everyone turned to see Gray, blushing and hiding her face in her hands.

Noticing their curious stares, she transformed into a cloud of dust and reappeared as a Yami look-alike. Throwing Asta a thumbs up, Gray—now in Yami's voice—said, "Thanks for the flower, kid. I keep it in a nice pot by the window and water it daily. It means the world to me."

With stars in his eyes, Asta beamed. "No problem, Captain! Thank you for accepting it, Sir!"

The rest of the Bulls sweatdropped. That's not Captain… you know that, right?

Vanessa blinked. The Captain… taking care of a flower? Her imagination immediately filled with girly fantasies, prompting a nosebleed. She quickly snapped out of it and looked at Asta blankly.

"That'll only stop the flower from wilting for a bit longer… What happens when it wastes away? Does the bond break?"

Asta shook his head, smiling. "The flower is only there to represent the bond. Even if it's destroyed or disappears, it doesn't matter anymore, because that connection is eternal and unbreakable!"

Vanessa parted her lips, speechless. That's… kind of adorable.

Noelle thought so too—not that she had any yearning to be a part of it, of course. She coughed, crossed her arms, and snorted. "Stop getting sidetracked, Bakasta! What about the other six?"

Asta paused before grinning sheepishly. As he fondly caressed one of the remaining flowers, he said, "Tuesday is for this little chicory. You're supposed to give it to your most treasured work colleague or something like that…"

Noelle froze. Isn't that me?! W-wait, n-no, no! W-what am I saying? It's not like I want to be… and how can I know if Asta f-feels that way about me? He would've already given it to me by now if he did. Right?

Desperately holding on to her dignity, she nudged him along. "Next?"

"Oh yeah! Wednesdays are when you're supposed to give a daisy to your most fun friend! I gave that to Miz Charmy!"

Noelle froze again. Why not me?! I'm plenty fun to—

"That he did, la!"

Charmy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaping onto the table with her impish grin and pulling out a little daisy smugly from her side satchel.

"Where there's fun, there's yums, and no one makes better yums than me!"

Noelle couldn't argue with that. Charmy was simple and almost pure, her genuine laughter and joy infectious. Begrudgingly (not begrudgingly! I don't care!), Noelle accepted it.

Charmy did a little dance, tapping her tiny shoes on the table as she smiled and let out a cheery laugh.

"One of these Saturdays, my Beloved Prince of Provisions will give me a rose!"

Noelle cocked her head in confusion and instinctively turned toward Asta, who clutched the remaining flower on his necklace—a red rose—and blushed slightly.

"You're supposed to give this to your lover on a Saturday…"

Noelle froze again, this time not from surprise but from joy and relief. She didn't bother hiding her feelings and laughed softly.

"I for sure thought you'd give that to your precious nun—"

"No."

Asta cut her off, making her pause and raise an eyebrow.

"No, what?"

Asta leaned closer, locking eyes with her, his sudden intensity catching her off guard.

"A-Asta—" She cut herself off, gulping inaudibly as she noticed the somberness in his gaze.

"This isn't for Sister Lily. This is for romantic love. I don't love her that way. Understand?"

Noelle gulped and nodded stiffly. She didn't understand—not one bit—why Asta was suddenly acting so strange.

Ever since she met him, all he ever talked about was romanticizing and marrying his nun. So why was he suddenly saying otherwise? Noelle didn't get it, but she didn't say anything, her stiff posture unchanged as she met his heated gaze.

Gauche, Vanessa, Charmy, Gray, and Gordon watched the two blankly for a moment before sneaking away unnoticed, leaving Asta and Noelle completely focused on each other.

A moment later, Noelle collected herself and tried to move things along.

"W-what about Thursday?"

Asta smiled like nothing had just happened and answered brightly. "Thursday is also for mentors, but a different kind. If Mondays are for life mentors, Thursdays are for more casual mentors or reliable friends and helpers! People you can always count on to have your back, and get through troubled times. Something like that, anyway. I gave Mr. Finral my lavender!"

At the mention of Finral, both of their moods darkened abruptly, remembering how, just yesterday, he had been riddled with spatial holes by his "little brother." Captain Yami was visiting him in the hospital now, leaving the rest of them behind.

They all wanted to be there, too, but Yami had kicked them out, knowing his squad would likely do something stupid, wreck the hospital, or otherwise disturb Finral's recovery.

So here they were—home. A home that felt so much emptier without their reliable senpai, the one they often took for granted and used as a ride.

Both rookies clenched their fists, anger bubbling up as they remembered Langris' crazed rampage. Asta forced a smile, trying to shift the topic back.

"We give our best friend sunflowers on a Friday! Yuno and I naturally gave each other those on the first Friday after receiving our necklaces. Heh heh, just remembering that awkward guy, too embarrassed to hand his over, made me have to wrestle it out of him and force my way through a gust of wind… sure takes me back!"

Noelle looked at Asta blankly. Maybe you weren't his best friend… are you sure you didn't just steal it…?

She kept those thoughts to herself as Asta continued.

"We already talked about Saturday, but for Sunday, we give a lily of the valley to our hero or idol. I gave mine to the Wizard King at the Star Festival!"

"I-I see…" Noelle nodded awkwardly, but her gaze drifted back to the flowers on Asta's neck. She bit her lip before speaking softly.

"You haven't found out who you want to give those to yet—"

"I have."

Asta cut her off, making her blink in confusion. He averted his gaze, narrowing his eyes as he spoke quietly.

"But they seem to be the same person… and I don't know if that's alright. So I need to ask around first if I can give both of these to her…"

He trailed off while Noelle's pupils dilated, her heart pounding wildly. Before she realized it, the words escaped her lips.

"It's Tuesday. I think no matter what, she'd really appreciate that chicory right now—"

She abruptly cut herself off, going rigid. Asta wasn't much better, slowly turning his head toward her with a creak, like a machine in dire need of oiling.

They stared at each other, Noelle's pink irises locked with Asta's greens, an awkward silence stretching between them. Finally, Asta broke it with a low murmur.

"If I'm only allowed to give her one, I want it to be this rose."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Noelle could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to whisper through the rush of emotions.

"You're never one to care about the rules… Why now? Just give her both."

She lowered her head when there was no immediate response. But then she quivered as Asta's equally soft voice brushed against her ears.

"This is very important to me… and I'd like to think it's very important to her. So I'd like to try doing things the right way first. Do you think she'd be okay with waiting just a little longer…?"

Noelle's eyes watered—not with sadness, but something deeper. She raised her head and gave Asta a radiant smile, one so bright it made his breath hitch.

"I think she'd tell you to take as long as you need. She'd wait for you for a lifetime."

Asta's eyes stung, his cheeks flushing as he nodded stiffly.

—

Saturday, Magic Knight Headquarters:

The Royal Magic Knights were gathered in the reception room, snacking on delicacies, chatting idly, and waiting for their superiors to arrive before embarking on their mission to defeat the Eye of the Midnight Sun once and for all.

Noelle wasn't paying attention to the noise. Her focus was entirely on the girl in front of her—her cousin Mimosa.

A red rose was tucked into Mimosa's hair. The exact same kind Asta wore.

Noelle pointed at the rose with a trembling hand, stammering weakly as her lips curled into a shaky, uneasy frown.

"M-Mimosa, w-where did you get that…?"

Kirsch mirrored her gesture, albeit with his usual flair. "I must admit, dear sister, that rose looks simply divine against your stunning figure! Not nearly as stunning as the unparalleled me, of course, but—"

"Yuno."

Mimosa cut her brother off with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, relishing the way he froze comically before pretending to crumble to dust.

Oh, thank goodness! Noelle inwardly screamed, letting out a relieved sigh—only to flush an even deeper red. "W-wait, Yuno?!"

Her voice was a sharp whisper, barely audible, as she tried not to draw attention to their little corner.

Mimosa nodded, confirming Noelle's suspicions. Noelle quickly grabbed her by the shoulder, dragging her out of earshot.

"Yuno? Yuno?! You two are like that?"

Mimosa blushed and nodded again.

Noelle's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "S-since when?!" She waved her hands wildly, stammering. "I-I t-thought you liked D—Asta?!"

Mimosa shook her head, her smile soft and slightly wistful. "No… or yeah, I did. At least, I thought I did. But after the attack on the capital, I did some soul-searching. And then, I guess spending so many missions almost exclusively with Yuno cleared up what I really felt… and for who."

She shrugged casually, not offering any grand explanation. "Asta's a really close friend, but he's not the kind of guy I can see being the best fit for me—or me for him. Especially with Yuno in the picture. So I let go of something I knew wouldn't work out."

Mimosa glanced at her cousin with a teasing grin. "Don't worry, Noelle. I won't get in the way of your love, so you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings."

Noelle flushed furiously, clenching her fists in indignation. "W-who said I l-love that dork—"

"Noelle?"

She froze at the familiar voice calling her name, her body stiffening as Mimosa raised a hand to her mouth with a dramatic flourish.

Speak of the devil.

Noelle turned slowly, her pink eyes meeting green ones as she looked down at Asta. "Y-yes, Asta?"

Asta fidgeted nervously, his unease written all over his face, making Noelle's eyes widen. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet and uncertain.

"C-can I talk to you… somewhere else?"

"No need. I'll go back to Yuno!" Mimosa chimed in cheerfully, walking past them toward the other side of the hall, where her not-so-secret boyfriend stood blankly at a table. Klaus was at his side, diligently piling vegetables onto Yuno's plate while lecturing him about maintaining proper dietary balance.

Mimosa suppressed a laugh as she joined them, barely registering Asta's look of gratitude. She focused instead on the two people who had become her favorite companions in the Golden Dawn.

Asta turned his attention back to Noelle, who gulped nervously.

"It's Saturday…" he murmured.

Noelle nodded awkwardly. "Y-yes, it is."

"I can give my rose away today," Asta stated plainly.

Noelle's heart raced, her cheeks burning, but she masked her emotions with an indifferent expression. "That you can…"

Her voice trailed off momentarily before she bit her lip, summoning a sliver of courage. She tilted her head, her tone edged with a slight challenge.

"But will you?"

Asta studied her closely, replaying the past few moments in his mind.

—

While Noelle was with Mimosa:

Asta stood on the opposite side of the room, facing Yuno, who regarded him with a near-bored expression. Klaus, always perceptive, gave them respectful space, keeping a thoughtful distance.

"Asta, I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you were this idiotic."

Any other time, Asta would have lunged at Yuno with a loud retort. This time, though, he bit his lip, his tone tinged with frustration and conflict.

"What's stupid about following the rules?!"

Yuno gave him a blank look, running a hand through his hair as if trying to summon patience. "Idiot. Please explain to me how you think you're following the rules."

Asta gritted his teeth. "What do you mean?! Seven flowers for seven people—that's the rule!"

"No, it's not." Yuno cut him off with a shake of his head, his tone almost pitying. "It's seven flowers, yes, but each one is meant to go to the person you believe represents that value the most. It's normal to have overlap. Maybe it's because you spent all your time back home at the orphanage or training in your so-called 'secret training ground' by the skull that you never bother to stop for a second and give our people a second look."

Asta opened his mouth, but Yuno raised a hand to silence him, continuing his explanation.

"Plenty of people have given multiple flowers to the same person. It's normal for lovers to also be best friends. Heck, Father Orsi even told us a story once about a boy who gave all seven flowers to his babysitter. But you were too busy proposing to Sister Lily to notice—"

"Seven flowers to one person?!" Asta interrupted, his expression incredulous. "And she accepted all seven—even the rose?!"

Yuno raised an eyebrow, momentarily caught off guard. "Y-yeah, she did."

Asta suddenly grabbed Yuno by the shoulders, shaking him with urgency. "Please tell me she was arrested! What happened to that poor boy?! Did she—did she put her hands on him?! Did someone save him—"

"That's not the point, Asta!" Yuno barked, grinding his teeth in frustration as he shoved Asta's hands off him.

Asta blinked at him, utterly lost, question marks practically floating over his head.

Yuno sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose before jabbing a finger into Asta's chest, making him flinch.

"Listen, Asta. If anyone is breaking the rules here, it's you—by insisting on following them to the letter!"

Asta's eyes spun, his face contorting with bewilderment. Yuno resisted the urge to groan, deciding to simplify things as much as he could.

"Think, Asta. What is the whole point of Hage's flower-giving tradition?"

Asta repeated the well-rehearsed words of Father Orsi and the Village Chief. "To seek out and forge unbreakable bonds throughout our lives!"

Yuno nodded, his voice firm now. "Exactly. Now, tell me—what are you going to do with the Chicory if you don't give it to Noelle?"

Asta froze, his mind blanking, but Yuno didn't wait for an answer.

"You've already recognized her as your most cherished teammate, but you've been holding off because you've been confused about your other feelings for her for months. That doesn't change the fact that she is your most cherished teammate."

Yuno leaned closer, his tone sharp and pointed. "So, what will you do? Insist on forging seven separate bonds just to fill a quota? Give that flower to someone who isn't actually your most treasured colleague? That wouldn't be a sincere bond. That's just a lie—a very hurtful lie. There's nothing unbreakable about that. Do you understand?"

Asta's eyes comically widened as realization dawned on him. His mouth fell open.

"Ohhhhhh… I get it…"

Yuno let out a sigh of relief, nodding. Finally, some progress.

But then he blinked in surprise as Asta abruptly turned on his heel and marched toward Noelle, who was currently engrossed in a conversation with his definitely-secret-girlfriend Mimosa.

Watching his foster brother's retreating back, Yuno crossed his arms, a small, smug smile tugging at his lips. Heh. I scored before you, Asta. I graduated from boyhood and became a man first. And I'll beat you at becoming Wizard King, too.

—

Back To The Present

Asta looked up at Noelle, his expression soft but determined. He didn't try to say anything grand or poetic—neither of them were the overly dramatic type. They were partners, and that was enough. They understood each other just fine without flowery words.

So, all Asta did was smile sheepishly. He reached up and unclasped his necklace in front of Noelle's comically wide eyes. With careful hands, he untied the knot, sliding the rose off the string and leaving only the Chicory. After retying the knot, he put the necklace back on, now lighter.

Then, with a wry grin and a nervous scratch of his head, he held the rose out to her. "Sorry for being an idiot. I'll give you the Chicory on Tuesday, alright?"

Noelle took the rose with a slight tremble, her fingers brushing his for a moment. Her eyes watered faintly, but she nodded with a soft smile. "Mmm-hmm, I look forward to it."

Asta's grin widened, though his tone turned somber as he added, "But, you know... I've gotta say this—you're really strong, Noelle, but you better come out of this battle in one piece. I don't want to have to wait any longer, alright?"

Noelle blinked, then smiled even brighter. Puffing up her chest, she flicked her pigtails and snorted with a pout. "Speak for yourself, Dorksta. I'm royalty—I'll be just fine. I'm more worried about a little bug like you kicking the bucket."

Asta stared at her for a beat before they both cracked, unable to hold back their grins. Their laughter rang out, loud and uninhibited, drawing curious glances from the rest of the room.

Among the onlookers were Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa. Unlike the others, though, they weren't puzzled.

"Took that idiot long enough," Yuno muttered under his breath.

Klaus nodded in agreement, folding his arms. Having already received a Lavender from Yuno earlier, he was fully in the loop.

Bell, who materialized out of nowhere, mirrored the nod with a smug little smirk. Though she'd been given Yuno's Chicory long ago, she couldn't physically carry it around as a spirit, so Yuno kept it tucked safely in his satchel.

Mimosa, meanwhile, watched the scene with a sly smile. Her gaze flicked up to the flowers still hanging from her boyfriend's neck: a Daisy and a Lily of the Valley.

Suppressing a laugh, she leaned in close and whispered teasingly, "I think you should take your own advice, Yuno."

Yuno raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"

Mimosa's grin widened as she parted her lips slyly. "Those two flowers—they're for Asta too, aren't they?"

Yuno froze, his body stiffening like a statue. It wasn't quite the same reaction as her brother's dramatic breakdowns, but Mimosa enjoyed it all the same. She barely held back her laughter as he suddenly shook his head, his voice defensive.

"Of course not!"

Mimosa giggled, tilting her head. "If you say so."

"I said they're not for him!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you."

"Mimosa!"

"Yuno…"

"Aghhh!"

"So? When are you giving them to him?"

Yuno fell silent, his face betraying nothing.

Author's Note:

[1] I'm always accepting prompt ideas

[2] Feel free to join the Discord! https://discord.gg/s3MME8X8ar