100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: A Noelle struggling to confess to Asta, looks to Clover's resident Mad Scientist for help. Too bad she didn't pay Sally's instructions any heed.

—

The Black Bulls had seen many ridiculous things.

Exploding hideouts. Yami punching nobles. Charmy consuming an entire banquet in seconds. Grey turning into a literal house.

But nothing—nothing—prepared them for this.

Noelle Silva, the once prim, proud, and perpetually flustered noblewoman, had been unleashed.

And Asta was the target.

It all began with an innocent—if insanely desperate—request for help.

Noelle, fed up with her own cowardice and inability to confess her feelings, had sought the help of one of the worst people possible—Sally, the borderline-insane scientist with a penchant for experimenting on people without their consent.

"Ohhh, this is exciting!" Sally had cackled, adjusting her oversized goggles. "You want to make Asta realize his true feelings? No problem! I have just the thing! But you'll need to be careful—"

Noelle barely listened, too caught up in the hope that this nightmare of uncertainty would finally end. She snatched the vial from Sally's hand, assuming it was a truth serum, and downed the entire thing without hesitation.

And that was how, instead of Asta realizing his feelings, Noelle's already overwhelming love for him was cranked up to a hundred.

And the results were—

Disastrous.

—

Hour 1: The Unveiling of a New Noelle

It started small.

Noelle had wandered back into the Black Bulls hideout, her face unnervingly serene, a dreamy smile on her lips.

Asta, as usual, greeted her with his usual exuberance. "Hey, Noelle! Where have you been? Training?"

That was when it happened.

Noelle, with all the grace and confidence of a woman with zero shame, stepped forward, placed both hands on Asta's chest, and—

Straddled his lap.

Nacht swiftly disappeared into his shadows.

The entire room froze.

Asta himself stiffened as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his head.

"N-Noelle?!" he sputtered, his face burning.

"Mmm~" she hummed, trailing a finger up his jawline, eyes half-lidded and dangerously sultry. "You know, Asta… I've been thinking… You look really good in that outfit."

Boom.

Vanessa, halfway through sipping her wine, choked.

Finral nearly fell out of his chair.

Luck, mouth full of food, slowly turned to Magna with a manic grin.

Magna looked at him, horror dawning. "Bro. This is bad."

Luck was thrilled. "No, this is amazing."

Asta, meanwhile, was malfunctioning. "N-Noelle, are you okay?!"

Noelle sighed dramatically, pressing closer. "I've never been better. In fact, I feel… free." She leaned in, her breath tickling his ear. "Say, why don't we sneak off somewhere private?"

The room exploded.

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

—

Hour 5: The Incident in the Kitchen

By now, word had spread.

Gauche had nearly fainted when he witnessed Noelle, in broad daylight, stealing kisses from Asta at every possible moment.

(It was quite strange for Gauche of all people to be concerned about public decency and appearances). 

Charmy was enjoying the show immensely, snacking while commentating like it was the greatest entertainment she'd ever seen.

And Grey? Grey was permanently transformed into a potted plant to avoid witnessing further scandalous acts.

The situation worsened when Asta attempted to hide in the kitchen.

Big mistake.

Noelle followed.

"Come on, Astaaa~" she purred, trapping him against the counter, her hands braced on either side of him. "Stop running from me."

Asta gulped. "I'm not running!"

"Oh?" She leaned closer, their noses almost touching. "Then why are you shaking?"

"I—"

The door slammed open.

Yami strode in, looking supremely annoyed. "Oi, what the hell is goin' on in my squad?"

Asta's expression was a desperate plea for help.

Noelle, meanwhile, grabbed Asta's hand and placed it firmly on her waist.

Yami blinked.

Yami turned around.

Yami left.

"Not my damn problem."

—

Hour 24: The Black Bulls Try to Intervene

"I can't take it anymore!" Finral wailed. "She's corrupting the boy!"

"Corrupting?!" Magna barked. "She's gonna eat him alive!"

"Not if he enjoys it~," Vanessa chimed with a grin.

"GUYS," Asta begged, his voice cracking. "DO SOMETHING!"

But nobody could do anything.

Noelle was too powerful.

Too relentless.

Too feral.

She sat on Asta's lap during meetings, played with his hair absentmindedly, and openly declared him as her man whenever someone tried to tease them.

And worst of all?

Asta was starting to like it.

—

Hour 48: The Aftermath

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun—

It ended.

Noelle woke up feeling groggy, her head pounding. She rubbed her temples and groaned. "Ugh… what happened?"

Silence.

The entire squad stared at her with wide, horrified eyes.

Asta, standing awkwardly across the room, was the color of a ripe tomato.

Noelle blinked. "...Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Vanessa smirked. "You really don't remember?"

"Nope."

Finral exhaled, relieved. "Oh, thank the gods."

Luck cackled. "Ohhh, this is gonna be great."

Yami snorted. "Welp. I'm out. Have fun dealin' with that, brat."

And with that, they all scattered, leaving Asta and Noelle alone.

Asta hesitated. "Uh… Noelle?"

She frowned. "Yeah?"

Asta rubbed the back of his neck, clearly struggling. "I just… I just wanna say…"

Noelle's heart pounded.

Was this it?

Did she actually confess while under the potion's effect? Did Asta… return her feelings?!

He took a deep breath.

"...You have no idea how terrifyingly strong your grip is. My ribs still hurt."

Noelle stared.

Asta stared back.

And then—

She screamed into her hands.

Asta laughed.

And despite her mortification, despite everything—

Noelle didn't regret it.

Because maybe… just maybe…

Asta didn't mind it, either.