Black Clover - By My Side (Asta X Noelle)

Chapter 2: Regret And Relief

[It appeared as though humanity would be destroyed by demons. But a single mage saved them all. He was called the wizard king, and he became a legend.]

Later the same night...

Noelle POV:

Why did I have to treat him that way? I shouldn't have hit him! Those were the only thoughts circling through my head. I knew that he was feeling down, but I wasn't able to say anything about it to him. On top of that, I manage to hurt him when he's already injured. I bury my head into my pillow as I wallow in regret. After I roll around in my bed, I finally calm down and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling. Bakasta has done a lot for me, and I'm not even able to help him in his time of need. As his teammate, I should be there for him. Immediately, I feel my face get hot. AHHHHHH! What am I saying? Covering my face with my hands, I roll around the bed once more. It's just Bakasta; he's a commoner, he has no magic, he's an insect. After telling myself this, I'm able to stop rolling around and end up on my back once again. Despite those cruel words, I know Bakasta is a great person. However, I quickly vanquish this thought from my mind. My face gets hot once more, and I feel my chest get tighter. I extend my right hand towards the ceiling and can't help but wonder why I feel this way. After tossing and turning for what feels like hours, I'm finally able to fall asleep.

In the morning...

I am woken up by the sounds of yelling and screaming, which is typical living with the Black Bulls. I get up from my bed, change into my clothes, and head to the common room. Everyone is gathered around the table as Charmy's lamb cooks prepare breakfast for everyone. I see Bakasta sitting at the end of the table. He's smiling as he talks to Finral.  Although, I can tell it's a fake smile. Bakasta turns over and sees me.

"Noelle! There's an open seat by me; you can sit here." 

Bakasta's voice is as loud as ever. I find myself beginning to walk towards him until I realize and come to a halt, "W-Why would I sit next to you? I'm royalty!" I cross my arms and look away from him.

"Come on, Noelle, don't be like that. It's not like you can sit anywhere else. The rest of the seats are taken."

I survey the room, and indeed the only open seat is next to Bakasta. Realizing I have no choice but to sit next to him, my heart begins to beat faster, and I feel my face get hot. I approach the seat and sit down firmly, trying my best to avoid eye contact with him. However, I can feel my mind going numb. He's so close to me. My mind begins to spiral, and I start losing touch with reality.

"Huh? is something wrong, Noelle? Your face is super red!" Bakasta inches closer to me and rests his forehead on mine, "it doesn't seem like you're sick."

Snapped back into reality and overwhelmed with embarrassment, I fly out of my chair, "w-w-what, are you doing B-Bakasta!" I raise my wand to shoot him with water, but I refrain after recalling the guilt I felt last night.

"Noelle, are you okay! Your face just got even redder. You might have a fever!"

The rest of the Black Bulls (except for Gauche because he is infatuated with his picture of Marie) stop what their doing and turn their attention to us. 

"Oh my! Aren't we lively in the morning," Vannessa comments as she takes a sip of her booze.

"Noelle and Asta are always like this. It's pretty fun to watch," Magna adds.

This is most definitely not fun, I think to myself, "be quiet, you insect," I glare at Magna, letting the cold words pierce through his heart.

"Hey! I'm your senior!" Magna retorts.

"Insect."

Magna puts his head on the table and gives up arguing with me. Taking advantage of the situation, Luck sneaks up on Magna and shocks him. Laughing at Magna's pain, Luck begins to run away as Magna gets up to chase him. Charmy then walks up to me and Bakasta then hands me two plates of food. 

"Here you go, laaaa." Charmy turns around and heads back towards her seat.

"Thank you, Charmy," Asta and I manage to respond as we stare at the mountain of food before us. I realize that Charmy handed his plate to me because Bakasta can't eat on his own. Should I feed him? NO! WHAT AM I THINKING!

"Noelle, your face is red again. I really think you should get some rest," Bakasta states.

"I'm fine, Bakasta," I clear my throat, "Anyways... your arms," I say in a low gentle voice avoiding eye contact with him. 

"Huh? What about them?" he questions. 

"I-Idiot," my chest gets tighter, and I begin to choke on my own words, "y-y-you can't eat without y-y-your arms." I somehow manage to finish that sentence. Bakasta stares at me, making the situation feel all the worse. "I can," I hesitate to finish what I was saying. Summoning the rest of the courage I had, I try once more, "I can feed you," I mutter under my breath.  

My face gets hot, and I know for a fact it's red, so I use my hands to cover my embarrassment. Remembering how I felt last night, I thought that I could do something to help him out, but I feel like an idiot for even suggesting the idea. It's not like I even want to feed him or anything. Or do I? My thoughts are jumbled, and my heart begins beating at ten times its average pace. I spread my fingers and peek through the crevice and see Bakasta smile.  Suddenly, I feel a wave of relief. It was the first genuine smile I've seen him give in two days. 

Bakasta finally responds to my offer, "Okay."

He smiles and opens his mouth wide, waiting for a spoonful of food. Reluctantly I pick up the spoon off his plate and begin to lift it towards his mouth. As I do this, I can feel the eyes of the others on me. However, I can't back out now. I put the spoon into Bakasta's mouth, and he closes it. After thoroughly chewing the food and swallowing, he smiles once again. I felt pure bliss and relief. Seeing Bakasta smile puts my heart at ease. Not because I l-l-like him or anything, but because he's been sad lately. Fighting against the urge to slap him, I continue to feed him until he finishes his food. 

"Thank you, Noelle. I really appreciated that." Bakasta says as he stands up.

I feel my heart explode. I look down so he couldn't see me smile. I cant show it to him but hearing those words made me happy. 

After I wipe the smile off my face, I look back at him and respond,  "d-don't think this will ever happen again. I only did it because I felt bad for you. It's not like there was any deeper meaning to it." I pause, but Bakasta only stares at me.

"Well, if you say so," he finally responds. "I'm going to train my legs outside, so I'll catch you later."

With that, Bakasta runs out the door. With him gone, I can't help but stare at the empty seat next to me. After realizing I haven't touched my food, I begin to eat. While I eat, I can't help but think of Bakasta. I still feel fuzzy inside from the words he told me just a minute ago. Overcome with these feelings; I stuff my face with the delicious food on my plate. Suddenly Finral rises from his chair.

"Everyone, I have something important to tell you," Finral states, while looking at all of us. I can tell it must be severe. However, despite what he says, everyone pays him no mind.

"What's this about Finral?" Captain Yami chimes in.

" It's about Asta," he responds.

Suddenly the atmosphere of the room changes, and all eyes and ears are on Finral.

[Chapter 2 end]

{Author's notes: Hey everyone! The last chapter was pretty short so I decided to make this one slightly longer. Hope you enjoy. Also if your prefer longer or shorter chapters let me know. Thanks!}