Fandom Black Clover
Character(s)/Pairing(s) Asta, Black Bulls ensemble, Klaus Lunettes, Sylph, William Vangeance, Mimosa Vermillion, Yuno; Asta/Noelle (canon typical Noelle has a crush stuff)
Genre Birthday/Found Family/Friendship/Slice of Life
Rating PG
Word Count 2,661
Disclaimer Black Clover c. Tabata, TV Tokyo, Shueisha, Studio Pierrot
Summary A short filler about Asta and Yuno's sixteenth birthday
Warning(s) nothing bad happens, but food is a theme
Notes I kept telling my friends it would have been fun if we'd gotten a filler episode about Asta and Yuno's birthday, so I finally decided to write a fic based on the prompt

A Good Birthday

It was the darkest moment of the night. Dawn would break in minutes. Asta stared up at his ceiling only just awake. The leaves were changing and the crops were taking their turns for harvest. It was his birthday. He was sixteen. That did not mean he got to slack of course. Asta washed up in the water basin in his room and struck a dramatic pose, he opened his mouth and then paused. Right. Yuno was not here. This was their first birthday apart. "You better have the greatest birthday ever, you jerk," Asta stated firmly but not loud enough to wake the whole base. Asta fixed his headband, checking his reflection in the window behind the basin. He paused and blinked. That window was new. Asta looked to his right where his normal window was and found its shape and placement changed slightly. His room must have become a corner room in his sleep! Pale red highlighted the horizon line. Asta could barely make out the trees surrounding their base. He was up higher than he used to be too. Asta threw on his bolero and hurried to the door. He would thank Henry when he got a chance to visit him.

"Happy birthday!" Luck said when Asta opened the door. His grin was large and his eyes wide. "Fight us!"

Magna waved to Asta from where he stood just behind Luck. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks!" Asta grinned and followed his senpai out to the training area as the sunrise continued to build.

Just before Yuno woke, he heard, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YUNO!" loud and booming. It was so real, so Asta that when Yuno opened his eyes, he startled. The walls were smooth and his bed has posts that rose into the air. A rosy glow began to warm the room from the window. He was at Golden Dawn headquarters not in the church in Hage. He was sixteen. Asta and the other kids were not here.

Yuno sat up and rubbed his face. On the wide windowsill beside his bed, Sylph slumbered in an old music box Yuno found discarded on his travels. He gutted it and stuffed fabric with cotton to make a simple soft bedding.

Yuno brought his knees up and opened the envelope from Hage he saved from the mail yesterday. There were letters from Father Orsi, Sister Lily, and Nash. The younger children wrote him birthday wishes and drew pictures for him. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat. All his birthdays up to this point, he shared with Asta. They would wake before dawn and Father Orsi would remark that they were becoming fine young men. The kids would come up with some sort of surprise to do or show them. Sister Lily would make tatoe pancakes to have with the last of the preserves from the previous harvest. Yuno sighed deeply. He was grateful for his position in the Magic Knights, for the firm bed he slept in, the food the kitchens made, and the money he could send back home, but sometimes he missed his family in Hage so much his heart hurt.

Sylph stirred in her sleep. Yuno watched her a long moment and then went about his morning routine. A birthday did not mean a day off after all.

The hallways were quiet as always in the morning. Various squad members went to breakfast, received their orders, or went to other portions of the base for training or study. Yuno slowed as Vangeance approached and then stood straight, placing his hand to his chest. "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning and happy birthday." Vangeance reached into a pouch at his side. "My mentor said the first birthday away from home is the hardest," he balanced a small sculpted wooden willow tree that looked like it was blowing in the breeze in the palm of his hand, "so I hope today favors you."

Yuno took the sculpture carefully. He could feel a faint pulse of Vangeance's mana running through it, familiar and calming. "Thank you."

They parted and Yuno continued to the dining hall. Sylph sped through the air and joined him, squawking about it being okay to wake her up in the mornings. Yuno slipped the sculpture into his own pouch in a small pocket meant to keep small things safe and let her tug at his hair.

Training with Magna and Luck was part horsing around, part actual training, and part avoiding lightning bolts. Asta showered, changed, and then joined the rest of the Black Bulls at the table. Charmy and her sheep were busy making fluffy crisp tatoe pancakes. There was also gooseberry jam, bacon, and eggs. The potatoes were not dehydrated and held onto the heat. The gooseberries were tart but their sauce a little sweet. The bacon was crispy crunchy, and the eggs fluffy and soft.

"Happy birthday!" Charmy chirped and placed a plate laden with food in Asta's hands.

"It smells delicious!" Asta said and started chowing down as he made his way to his seat.

"This calls for birthday wine!" Vanessa cheered and poured a bit for everyone seated.

"I'm sixteen," Asta reminded with the bottle pointed at his mug.

"Ah, well, more for me," Vanessa murmured. She led the birthday toast, everyone clinking their morning mugs of tea, milk, coffee, and booze together.

"Happy birthday, Asta," Finral said from the other end of the table. "I remember being sixteen. It was…" his voice trailed. "Anyway, I hope there are cute girls in your future."

"Thanks," Asta said.

"Asta –" Noelle said at the same time Grey spoke.

"A – Asta, here!" Grey instantly turned into her rather large form, which made the chair she sat in creak in protest. The box in her hands flew up into the air and landed in Asta's hands.

"You've been such a good friend to us this year. We wanted your birthday to be special," Gordon said, barely audible, "so it's from all three of us."

Grey continued to be big. Gauche was pointedly not paying any attention. Gordon tried to smile but it did not quite work.

"Thanks, guys," Asta said. "Should I open it now?"

"Yes," Grey grunted.

"Yes, my best birthday friend," Gordon murmured.

"Whenever you want," Gauche said.

Asta did so. It was a pair of knitted gloves so his hands could stay warm but he could still use his swords. Asta swallowed a little. Birthdays in Hage meant cobbled shoes to grow into over the course of the next year and sometimes old clothing gifted to the church. This was the nicest piece of clothing Asta ever received. "You guys! They're great!" He put the gloves on and they fit like they were picked just for him. After a long moment, he took them off and tucked them carefully in a pouch where they would stay nice for colder weather.

Noelle flipped a pigtail and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Yami cleared his throat.

"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you're getting out of your duty. You've got a mission." Yami looked at the paper in his hands. "It'll be Finral, Asta, and Noelle. Something about a missing cow."

"Yes, sir!" Asta said. He blinked and then looked over at Noelle. "Were you saying something?"

"N – Nothing! Nothing at all!" Noelle said, turning pink. She turned back to her breakfast to finish it before they had to leave.

Being part of the Golden Dawn meant being the squad nobles called upon for every little thing. Yuno looked at the estate garden around them and kept his face decidedly neutral. The leaves were turning red, gold, and orange. The bushes remained green. The fountains continued to flow, powered by physics and the river nearby. It was opulent and stretched for meters in all directions.

Mimosa frowned at her map of the garden. "There!" she pointed at a red aura on her map. It quickly hopped to another portion of the garden.

"Imps are clever and devious," Klaus said. "We need a solid plan, perhaps a trap too." He pushed his glasses back into place. "Mimosa! Yuno! Let's combine our magic!"

Yuno used his wind to encourage the imp to move to a good position in the garden where Mimosa could ensnare it and Klaus could imprison it in steel. It took a few tries but eventually the imp stewed in its steel cage, gnawing at the bars, and it was time to leave. They released the imp several kilometers away and returned to the capitol to report.

As they left the Magic Knight headquarters, the sun was low in the sky. Yuno closed his eyes briefly and let the wind blow his hair from his face. The market stalls nearby smelled of cinnamon and early cider. The air had a slight edge to it, whispering promises of snow for the solstice still several weeks away.

"YUNO!"

This time the shout was not Yuno's brain playing tricks. Yuno's eyes opened and he looked over his shoulder. Mimosa lit up and Klaus stood straighter.

Asta hurried over to them, both arms fully functioning unlike the rumors Yuno heard recently. Noelle took long strides to keep up with him in a dignified manner. Finral straggled behind, reluctantly leaving a group of Blue Rose members he wanted to flirt with instead of chasing after his squad members.

"Yuno!" Asta grinned. "Happy birthday, you handsome jerk!" He reached into his grimoire bag. "I didn't have time to wrap this." He pulled out a canvas bound journal. He held it out to Yuno.

Instantly, Sylph flew in-between them. "Birthday? Birthday? No one said anything about birthdays!"

"I didn't think it was important," Yuno said.

"Of course it's important!" Sylph said. She tugged on Yuno's cheek. It did not hurt. "You should have told me!" She tugged extra hard, which caused her to let go of his skin and fling herself backwards. Everyone watched her spiral mid-air.

Yuno reached into a pocket and ignored their squadmates talking quietly nearby. "Asta." Once he had Asta's attention, he held out a jar. It was clear with a decorated lid filled with freshly canned apple butter. "Happy birthday."

They exchanged gifts. Asta tried to sniff the apple butter through the lid, but it was sealed too tightly like it should be. The canvas notebook had several dozen blank pages and a small canvas strip Yuno could use to keep his place in it.

"Thanks." Yuno tucked the notebook beside his grimoire where it would not get damaged.

"Thanks too!" Asta grinned. "This looks great. I can't wait to eat it!"

The sun continued to lower and it was time for all of them to return to their bases. They said goodbye and parted.

The stars scattered across the sky once Asta, Finral, and Noelle returned to the Black Bull's base. There was a slight chill to the air. Asta opened his arms to the breeze. "It's been a great birthday."

"It's going to get even better," Finral said. "Charmy's cakes are other-worldly."

Asta nodded. "She asked me what flavor I wanted, but I couldn't decide. All of them have been amazing."

Noelle's vanilla cake had been so fluffy. Gordon's cake was dark and creamy. Finral's cake had strawberry preserves between layers. Grey's cake was a bunch of crème puffs all stuck together with icing and syrup. Magna's cake had accents of orange and spice. Vanessa's cake was floral and fruity. Charmy's was full of chopped cherries and nuts. Yami's cake had layers of mousse. They all tasted like the best cake Asta ever ate. Luck's birthday was next week. It would be fun to see what kind of cake that might bring.

Finral headed into the base, but Asta put his hands in his pockets and looked back at Noelle. She stood near where Finral's portal once was, her lips in a thin, determined line. Asta put his hands in his pockets and waited.

Noelle took a deep, deep breath and walked up to him. She held out a small box. "H – Happy birthday."

Asta opened the lid and peeked inside. There were four square chocolates each shaped like a different flower. The aroma was very tempting.

"They're my favorites, so they're very good," Noelle said. "Don't read too much into this."

"I won't." Asta was not sure what he was supposed to read into it anyway. Birthday presents were birthday presents and Noelle's ki seemed happy about it. He popped one of the chocolates into his mouth. It was slightly bitter and oozed a sweet caramel. "They're delicious!" Another great present. Asta was so lucky today.

"Of course they are!" Noelle said, her cheeks turning red.

They entered the base, which soon erupted into song. The cake was fluffy with a spiced cider frosting and pecans between layers. Everyone talked and joked. Asta grinned.

When Yuno arrived at the study alcove his detachment held their evening meetings, Klaus and Mimosa were absent. Usually Klaus was already there prepped for the topic they would discuss that night. Sometimes Mimosa was already there or just arriving. Yuno sat where he always did. Minutes passed and still his only company was Sylph. Yuno pulled out the notebook Asta gave him. What should he use it for? He did not want it to go to waste, but he did not want it to sit in his possession untouched either. Yuno watched Sylph interact with the candles and began to sketch her with her hands resting on a candleholder while she peered up at the candle flame as though standing on her tiptoes to do so. He began adding shading marks when voices approached.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Mimosa said. "We aren't that late."

"Yes we are," Klaus said. "Next year we'll plan ahead."

Klaus and Mimosa soon entered the alcove. Klaus carried a pie still in its pie plate and Mimosa cleared her throat. They started to sing with Sylph chiming in before placing the pie in front of Yuno. It was chocolate with a crust that looked absolutely flakey.

"Klaus made the filling and I made the crust," Mimosa said. "We had some help."

Yuno smiled softly. "Thanks." He felt that lump rise in his throat like that morning, but in a good way.

Mimosa set plates and forks on the table. She handed the knife to Yuno. "There wasn't time for a cake."

"Pie is good too." Yuno cut the pieces, giving them generous slices and a made a small Sylph-sized slice from the end of his own piece. It was still slightly warm and oozed from being cut a little too early, but it did not matter. The filling was still rich and deep and the crust was crisp.

Klaus began the meeting and they were careful not to get pie on their work. After the meeting, they returned the leftover pie to the kitchen where it could remain cold for seconds tomorrow.

Yuno retired to his room after bathing. He placed the willow tree carving on his windowsill several centimeters away from Sylph's bed. Yuno knelt on his bed and rested his arms on the empty part of the sill and watched the moon as he unwound. A small smile played on his face. It was a good day.

Asta helped clean up after the party slowed. He took his presents to his room along with mail from Hage that arrived while he was on his mission. Then he headed up to the tallest tower. Asta knocked gently an open door's molding.

"Happy birthday, Asta," Henry called out, his voice as pleasant and slow as always.

"Thank you for the corner room! The view is really amazing now! I brought you some cake!" Asta handed Henry the plate and fork. It was difficult smuggling the slice away after Charmy went on an eating rampage towards the end of the party.

"Thank you," Henry managed. "Was it a good day?"

"It was." Asta grinned. "I had a great birthday."

The End