Summary:

I found the plot.

Chapter 15: Yuno

Leo sat down at the lunch table with his tray of food from the lunch counter and said, "You're sulking."

"No, I'm worried," said Yuno, staring at his phone that was hidden from view in his lunch bag. Asta hadn't been to school in three days and stopped texting Yuno the day of the game. It was very unnerving to have lost contact with Asta. It was already Tuesday and Yuno had heard nothing but what Leo told him. Yuno had no messages except ones from Dorothy, who had been sending him funny memes as she usually did during the day.

"I told you. Asta will be fine," said Leo, simply. Leo wouldn't say what was wrong out of courtesy for Asta and his privacy, but it grated on Yuno to not know.

"He's communicating with you and not me. Did I do something wrong? Did I offend him? Is he mad at me," Yuno asked.

Leo gaped at Yuno.

"What," Yuno asked, irritated.

Leo took a bite of his chicken sandwich. He chewed slowly and thoughtfully. He swallowed his food and said, "Do you remember when Mimosa and Langris had their first big fight way back in freshman year?"

Yuno glared but nodded. "Yeah, and?"

Putting on his best imitation of Mimosa, Leo said, "Why is Langris so mad at me, Leo? Why won't he talk to me, Yuno? Ugh, this is so frustrating, Noelle. How can I know anything if he doesn't tell me, Klaus?"

"Alright, I get it," snapped Yuno. "What's your point?"

"Are you that oblivious to the fact that your head-over-feet in love with Asta that you didn't hear that I just compared you to Mimosa fussing over Langris like you literally just did about Asta," Leopold asked, a smug look on his face that reminded Yuno of Leo's older sister Mereoleona. Yuno decided he hated that smug look.

"Shhh, what are you saying," Yuno asked, annoyed. Thank goodness, Mimosa and Noelle were at a Student Council meeting planning the Winter Festival event. "I'm not in love with Asta."

"Sure," said Leo, unconvincingly. "You've been smiling more when you come back from hanging out with Asta. You're more attached to your phone than I have ever seen you. And you are learning more sign language to talk to Asta. Not to mention, you, Mr. Stoic, look like a kicked puppy every time Asta is hanging out with his other friends."

Yuno wanted to say something to defend himself. But with the horrifying realization that Leo was correct, Yuno didn't have anything to say.

Leo continued, "I'm just saying that you have to give Asta space right now. This happens with him sometimes. He will pick himself back up."

"Do you think I'll get turned away if I go to his house to check up on him," Yuno asked, ignoring what Leo said.

"Yes. Miss Vanessa wouldn't let you in the door," said Leopold. "Trust me on this. I've been his study and project partner since freshman year. Just wait."

Yuno nodded in understanding. He'd have to leave Asta alone right now. While he didn't understand, Yuno knew that healing in any shape or form took time. "You think Gauche would try to murder me if I ask him about Asta?"

"I give up on you," said Leo, shaking his head. "You need to ask him to the Winter Festival as your date. God, please don't be like Kirsch and not do anything about your crush. I can't take another pining person in my life, especially when it's clear that the feeling is mutual the entire time."

"Asta doesn't like me like that. He's just really kind and sweet," said Yuno, rolling his eyes. "And I'm not as bad as Kirsch."

"Yet, Yuno, yet," said Leo, shaking his head.

"You should be focusing on the upcoming match against the Spade Dark Disciples," said Langris, arriving at their table, probably looking for Mimosa (they got together again). Langris sat down. "Finral told me that Asta is coming back to school next Monday."

"Really," asked Leo. "News to me."

"That's what Gauche told my brother," said Langris. "Anyway, we need to have a plan against the Dark Disciples, Yuno. This is your first game as the Varsity point guard and mine as Captain. We can't lose. Or we will never hear the end of it from Kirsch."

Yuno said, "I hear you. Do you have a plan?"

"I have a plan," said Langris.

"It's weird seeing you two get along as well," said Leo, shaking his head. "Good luck with the plan. Magna, Luck and I are working on teamwork with Kiato and Cesc." The first-string and second-string teams had gotten reorganized with Kirsch's departure. But generally, since William and Zara trained with the thought process that mixing of the teams during practice would prove to give wonderful team dynamics, the transition process went smoothly.

Yuno and Langris launched into some sort of strategy against the Spade Dark Disciples, never noticing that there were people eavesdropping on their conversation.

After lunch, Yuno went to his afternoon classes and entered his chemistry class to find his way impeded by Secre Swallowtail, Asta's best friend since middle school. The normally quiet, stoic girl never spoke to him, except when she translated for Asta.

"Secre?"

"Asta's coming back to school on Monday," said Secre. "He's doing better. He told me to tell you not to worry. When something like this happens, he's not allowed his phone. I can only talk to him on Vanessa's phone for a few minutes."

Yuno sighed in relief. Asta wasn't mad at him. "That's great. Thanks. Is he really alright?"

Secre said, tonelessly, "It's a work-in-progress."

"I see," said Yuno. "Tell him to do his best."

Secre nodded. And then, she said, "Don't press him on what happened. He doesn't like to talk about it unless he brings it up."

"I won't," said Yuno. He was just relieved that Asta was well enough to come back to school

"Good."

"Yuno! Hi," screeched Bell, the short blonde-haired cheerleader from the freshman cheerleader team, as soon as Yuno entered the gym for practice.

Today it seemed that the boys' basketball team and the cheerleaders were sharing the gym. There was a gymnastics room that the cheerleaders used, but Yuno recalled that some work was being done on the pipes in that room. Bell was a nice enough, harmless enough girl, Yuno supposed, but she seemed to be his fan. Thankfully, she didn't seem to join those fan club people, who were just pure annoyance.

She said, excitedly, "I just wanted to say congratulations on taking over Kirsch's spot! You're so cool!"

Yuno said, "Thanks." He moved to walk away but Bell grabbed his hand.

Bell shuffled her feet nervously, blushing, "Um, I also heard that um, you got a girlfriend."

"No," said Yuno, looking at Bell confused.

"It's just that, um, Catherine's been saying that you asked her out. I didn't believe her, of course, because ew, why would you date her? Especially after what happened with Kirsch," said Bell, nervously.

"I'm not dating Catherine. Thanks for letting me know, Bell," said Yuno.

Bell nodded and blushed again. "Of course! Let me know if you need anything, Yuno."

Yuno went to the entrance to the boys' locker rooms and sighed to himself. Magna and Luck appeared in the gym and latched onto Yuno.

"Hey, what's wrong, man," Magna asked.

"Asta will be back soon," said Luck, cheerfully.

"No, it's...having you been hearing rumors? Catherine's up to her nonsense again," said Yuno.

Magna and Luck made disgusted faces. Magna said, "What's she spouting now as the Basketball Fan-Club's Self-Proclaimed Number One Fan?"

"That I asked her out," said Yuno.

"Oh, man, it's gonna be a Kirsch situation all over again," said Magna, groaning. "You had better tell Langris and heck, maybe the coaches."

"I mean, the big fight was fun as heck," said Luck.

"You would think that," said Leo, entering behind them. "Kirsch and Mimosa already heard the rumors and they wanted me to tell you that they're on it, because someone used all his phone's battery waiting for a text message from a certain someone."

"Leo, I'm changing my best basketball friend," said Yuno, deadpan. "Langris can be my new best basketball friend. You're demoted to second best basketball friend."

"That's hilarious," said Leo, not taking Yuno seriously. He whispered, "Mimosa's always number one best friend, I see."

As Yuno got dressed, he hoped that Kirsch and Mimosa wouldn't get in trouble on his behalf. It was trouble that no one needed.

Catherine was the "President" of the Basketball Fan Club. She had run the unofficial subset of the club dedicated to Kirsch. In Yuno's freshman year, and Kirsch's sophomore year, Catherine claimed that Kirsch had asked her out and said some other rumors about Kirsch and her "relationship." Kirsch had been upset about it because lo and behold, he wasn't attracted to girls or romantically interested in them. The team knew, as did Kirsch's family and close friends outside the team, but it wasn't widespread knowledge.

At first, Kirsch tried to peacefully ask Catherine to stop the rumors and come clean, but she didn't like that he rejected her weird advances. Then, the real nasty rumors about Kirsch began. Rumors were rumors until it almost risked Kirsch's spot on the JV team and Kirsch had been pulled into the guidance office to have many conversations with Father Orsi and Sister Theresa.

All Yuno knew was that one Friday afternoon after a few weeks of this back and forth between Catherine and Kirsch, there was a big fight in the parking lot between a bunch of people and the fan club. Yuno, Leo, Mimosa, and Noelle had been in the library studying for an upcoming test when they heard the ruckus. It was a big issue that the school had an assembly about rumors, consent, fighting, and such.

Now that Kirsch was retired from basketball, Yuno was Catherine's new target.

"Hey, Leo, you remember the big fight back then, right," asked Yuno. "Did you ever find out what happened?"

Leo grinned. "Catherine and her lackeys in the Kirsch mini-club had been being obnoxious and saying things about Kirsch, like they had been. They just didn't know that there were other students nearby. Zora actually had overheard and he went over to start defending Kirsch. Zora just so happened to be hanging out with Gauche, Finral, Magna, Luck, Grey, Charmy, Henry, Secre and Asta. Things spiraled out of control, when the soccer club got involved and the rugby club. At least, that's what I got from Magna and Luck's weirdly pieced together story."

"Wait, Asta was there!?"

"Yeah, he was. Asta can fight pretty well. Everyone involved with the fight all got suspended. Magna and Luck joined the basketball club after that to "keep them out of trouble"," said Leo. "You didn't pay attention when this all went down, did you?"

"...No."

Leo laughed. "Don't worry. None of us will let anyone mess with you."

"Boys, time to do laps," Zara yelled into the locker room.

Yuno shook his head. He'll talk to William and Dorothy later and get ahead of the situation with Catherine. At the moment, basketball was his priority. They had an upcoming game to win, after all.

I miss Asta… Yuno wanted to communicate with Asta and see him. Asta surely would be a sympathetic ear and he might have a good idea to beat the Spade's Dark Disciples. Feel better soon, Asta.

~to be continued

Notes:

Let me know what you think. Only one chapter next month!