100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: Asta is no saint with some indomitable will. He's just more resilient than most. Leave it to a princess to casually break down the walls around his heart, a heart he dedicated to a single woman.

—

The rainstorm had come out of nowhere.

One moment, the sky was clear, the mission nearly wrapped up, and Asta and Noelle were preparing to head back to the Black Bulls' base. The next, dark clouds rolled in with an ominous rumble, unleashing a torrential downpour so heavy that even Noelle's water magic couldn't shield them from getting drenched.

"Just perfect!" Noelle huffed, pushing her soaked hair out of her face as she trudged through the mud beside Asta.

"Hey, could be worse!" Asta said with a laugh, shaking the water from his arms. "At least we finished the mission before the storm hit!"

Noelle shot him a glare, unimpressed. "Oh, sure. We finished the mission, but now we're completely soaked, miles from home, and stuck in a storm that looks like it won't let up anytime soon. Sounds fantastic, Asta."

He grinned. "Glad you agree!"

She groaned, but before she could launch into another complaint, a gust of wind sent a fresh wave of cold rain slapping against them. Noelle yelped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ugh! We need to find shelter—now."

Asta glanced around, searching through the thick sheets of rain until he spotted something promising. "Over there!" He pointed to a rocky outcrop jutting from the hillside. A small, dark opening lay just beyond the trees. "Looks like a cave! Come on!"

They ran for it, their boots squelching through the mud as they sprinted inside. The moment they crossed the threshold, Noelle exhaled sharply, shaking out her hair and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Finally," she muttered, shivering slightly. "I hate being drenched like this."

Asta rubbed the back of his head, letting out an easy chuckle. "Yeah, this rain is pretty crazy. Guess we'll have to wait it out here for a while."

But just as he was speaking, his words died in his throat.

Because that was when he actually saw her.

Noelle's clothes—her completely soaked clothes—clung to her figure in a way that Asta had never truly noticed before. Her top, usually loose and proper, was molded to her slender waist, the soaked fabric doing little to obscure the curves of her body. The outlines of her form were defined in a way that sent a strange, foreign heat creeping into his chest.

Her long silver hair, normally so composed and regal, was damp and disheveled, clinging to her flushed cheeks. Droplets of rain slid down her exposed arms, catching the dim light of the cave as they traced delicate paths along her pale skin. Her lips, slightly parted as she sighed in frustration, were just a little fuller than he'd ever given himself time to notice.

Asta had always known Noelle was beautiful. That wasn't news to him. He wasn't blind. She was probably the prettiest girl he'd ever met—had thought so from the moment they first met, if he was being honest.

But this—this was something else.

His heart thudded, an unfamiliar tightness gripping his chest.

What…?

He shook his head quickly, forcing himself to look away. Noelle was Noelle. His teammate. His friend. Sure, she blushed around him all the time, but that didn't mean anything. Right? He was still devoted to Sister Lily, wasn't he?

So then why—?

Noelle shivered again, bringing her arms tighter around herself, and before Asta could even think about what he was doing, he shrugged off his cloak and draped it around her shoulders.

She blinked up at him in surprise. "Oh." Her voice was quieter, softer. "Thanks."

Asta forced a grin, stuffing his hands into his pockets to keep them from twitching. "No problem! You looked cold."

Noelle pulled the cloak closer, biting her lip as she shifted under the heavy fabric. "I am cold," she muttered. "But now you're the one without a cloak."

"I'll live." He shrugged, sitting down against the cave wall, his grin still firmly in place. Anything to mask the weird, unwelcome fluttering in his stomach.

Noelle hesitated before sitting down a few feet away from him, her arms still wrapped around herself. For a while, they sat in silence, listening to the rain pounding against the rocks outside.

Asta tried—really tried—not to let his thoughts wander. But the cave was small, the air between them thick with something he couldn't quite name, and he was painfully aware of every movement she made. The way she tucked her damp hair behind her ear. The way her fingers absently traced the edge of his cloak. The way her breathing slowed as the silence stretched on.

"Hey, Asta."

His back stiffened. "Y-yeah?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You've been acting weird."

He nearly choked. "Wh-what?! No, I haven't!"

"You definitely have." She narrowed her eyes. "You keep looking at me weird."

"I do not—!"

"Do you have something to say to me?"

He snapped his mouth shut.

Something to say? Oh, yeah. He had plenty to say. Like how his heart was beating too fast, and how he didn't know why this was happening now, when he'd spent so long thinking of her as just a friend. How he was suddenly realizing—too late, probably—that maybe, maybe he wasn't as devoted to Sister Lily as he thought he was.

But there was no way he was saying any of that.

So instead, he grinned—wide, easy, the same way he always did. "Nope! You're just imagining things, Noelle."

She scowled. "Hmph. Whatever."

But she kept watching him.

And for the first time in his life, Asta couldn't meet her eyes.

The storm outside roared on, lightning flashing in the distance, but all Asta could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

This was going to be a long night.