Black Clover - By My Side (Asta X Noelle)

Chapter 5: By My Side

[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.]

Asta POV:

To be completely honest, it was an accident. I woke up and was trying to sit up, But somehow I end up kissing Noelle. It was just an accident, so why can't I stop kissing her? What is this feeling? I can feel my heart rate accelerate. I want to hold her so badly, but with my arms, it's not possible.

Noelle puts her hands onto my cheeks and kisses me passionately. I start to feel my body get hot, and my heart beats even faster than before. Both her hands and lips are soft. Her touch has got to be the best feeling I've ever felt in my life. Why is it that I'm only now starting to realize how beautiful she is? Have her eyes always sparkled like this? Then, she closes her eyes, and out of nowhere, she starts crying. OH MY, GOD, DID I DO SOMETHING! I try to back away, but Noelle doesn't let me go. Instead, she draws me in closer than before. Her tears settle down, and she opens her eyes. Noelle finally backs away, her hands still on my cheeks. 

Her face red and avoiding eye contact, she says, "I'm sorry."

In little to no time, she gets up and runs away. Without thought, I get up and chase after her. Why is she running away? I must've made her upset. Cycling through the ways I might have hurt her; I finally catch up. 

"Noelle," I say, panting after having to give chase, "what's wrong?" 

Looking at the ground, Noelle responds, "I..." she begins her sentence but hesitates.

I see her clench her fists hard. Something must be wrong. I should apologize to her. "Listen, Noelle, I-"

"I WAS HAPPY," she interrupts me, screaming. Her voice now calm, she begins again, "I was happy, Asta, but I know that you weren't. So that's why I ran. I'm sorry." 

Her words come to me as a shock. I don't know what to think, much less how to respond. "Noe-"

"Just listen, Asta," she interrupts once more. "I love you. And yes, I know, I've been a brat to you. But it's always you who's there for me. Like the time when we first met, and I was awful to you, yet you still saved me and called my magic amazing. Before that, I was used to only being looked down on. You were the first person to acknowledge me. There was also the time when my siblings were making fun of me and called me a failure at the Decoration Ceremony. It was you who stood up for me. And at the underwater temple when we fought against Vetto. I was supposed to die, but you stood up again to protect me. Asta, It's always been you. You're the one who's always been there for me, by my side. I can't lie to myself anymore. I want to be there for you."

Tears begin to roll down Noelle's face. I'm at a loss for words. This is a lot to take in all at once. I stand there as many minutes pass. I just stand there and listen to her cry. I try to gather my words, but for some reason, they make no sense in my head. Noelle is crying right in front of me, and I'm just standing here. What is wrong with me? Why am I so stuck in my head? If I don't say anything soon, this won't end well. 

After even more time passes, Noelle starts to walk away; I can only assume she was tired of waiting for my answer. Who can blame her? I froze. Suddenly, I find myself holding back my tears. I can't let it end this way. 

"Noelle," I begin. Getting her attention, she turns back around to face me. "I'm really flattered that you feel this way. To be honest, I didn't expect it at all, so I'm sorry I stayed quiet for so long while you just cried. That was pathetic of me." Out of nowhere, the words that I lost return to me, "throughout all my time knowing you, you've always been precious to me. When we first met, you were rude, yes, but you were also my teammate. Seeing your incredible power made me happy that I could be working with someone as strong as you. You were never a failure in my eyes. I looked up to you. Whenever you hit a roadblock, you never let it stop you. You are always training to be your best self. Being around someone like that is amazing."

I pause and walk closer to her. She stopped crying, but there are still tears in her eyes. I smile at Noelle, and she gives me a faint smile back. 

I start once again, "what I'm trying to say is that I'd be glad to have you by my side. But only if I can be by yours as well."

The tears that stopped running down Noelle's face begin once more. She pulls me in and hugs me tight. It's quiet, except for the sound of her crying. I wish I could return her embrace. I want to hug her back and let her know that everything is okay now. I would never have thought Noelle thought this way about me if she didn't say anything. Hearing her confession made me happy. Now, it's my turn to make her happy.

"Noelle, I love you." 

 Still crying, she responds, "I love you too, Asta."

I kiss Noelle, and her lips feel even softer than before. Now that the weight of the situation has died down, I feel pure bliss: this sensation, this feeling of being with her, I never want to lose it. I'll do everything in my power to make sure she's happy. I promise to give my everything to Noelle.

[Chapter 5 end]

{Author's notes: So I don't know if I should end it here or continue after this. This feels like a great ending point, but if you want more, make sure to comment to let me know, and I'll get to work on it.}

Slight spoilers in the ending song video if you haven't seen up to ep 120 :)