Asta watched as his captain swam silently across the water and hoisted himself up onto the ledge. He wondered what Captain Yami was looking at, or rather who he was looking at. He felt a little weird thinking that the captain might be seeing Noelle naked. He told himself it was because the captain was so much older, but something about that explanation didn't sit quite right with him. He couldn't figure out why though. As the captain stayed perched on the ledge, Asta grew bored of watching him. He wondered if maybe he should go peek, out of curiosity, but he didn't want to go alone.

"Hey, Yuno." He scooted over to his friend and rival. Yuno looked as cool and calm as ever. He was sunk down into the water until it was under his chin; his eyes were focused somewhere in the distance.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want to? I mean, aren't you curious?"

"About what? Seeing naked girls? Not especially. I mean I've seen all sorts of drawings and pictures, paintings, but a clod like you who doesn't read, well, I can see the draw."

"But that's not the real thing."

"No, no I'm fine right here."

Asta sat next to him in silence for a while, but he couldn't stop fidgeting. Yuno, however, barely seemed to move. Asta couldn't tell if he was staring at Captain Yami or off into space as he often did when he was thinking.

"Say, Yuno. What's Golden Dawn like?" Asta filled the void of silence between them.

"About the same as the Black Bulls, I would imagine."

"Did you have an initiation too?"

"What?"

"And do they call you things like Shrimpsta? Though I guess that wouldn't fit for you, but you know, a nickname of sorts? Noelle calls me Stupidsta a lot. It's kind of annoying."

"No. On second thought, I guess it's nothing like the Black Bulls."

"And does your captain go on and on about surpassing your limits?"

"No. In fact, I've only rarely seen the captain."

"Oh. Sounds dull."

"I get to read a lot, practice a lot. Go on missions."

"Have you made any friends there?"

Yuno looked at him, wondering if he had.

"Well, Mimosa and Klaus, I guess."

"Anyone else?"

"Not really. You know I don't like being around people much."

Asta smiled.

"True. If we weren't off doing something together, you were always alone, or helping out."

"Which is more that you can say."

"Hey! Who do you think took care of the younger ones when you were sitting up in the tree reading?"

Yuno smiled. He hadn't smiled so much since they had gotten their grimoires. Asta grinned at him before he turned serious once more.

"Do they treat you like crap?"

"Not Mimosa and Klaus, at least not anymore."

They sat in silence for a while before Asta felt the need to fill the void once more.

"Do you think the people will listen to him? To the Wizard King? I mean, about treating people as equal."

"I don't know."

They sat in silence once more for a long time. Asta thought about the time Sister Lily had told them about the different realms where people lived and how that affected their abilities to get ahead. He would end that system when he became Wizard King. He had told Sister Lily that he would, he had promised.

Thinking about the sister he loved dearly made him wonder what she would be doing if she were here. He blushed and sank further into the water as he thought about her. He wondered if she would forgive him if he did go take a peek.

"You're red." Yuno said, after a glance at him.

"What?"

"Your face is red." Asta looked at him but his gaze had returned to whatever it was he was looking at.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, trying to follow Yuno's gaze. Yuno looked back at him with his eyes wide.

"N,Nothing."

"Who's red now?" Asta chuckled, which made Yuno flush further. The usually cool-headed wind mage scooted his way to the edge of the large pool.

"I'm done here."

And like the flip of a switch, Yuno went from Asta's friend and brother to his rival once more.

"Yuno... Yuno, wait!"

Yuno dressed quickly and hurried away from the water. He wanted to be alone, but he could hear Asta's loud, obnoxious voice calling out to him. He knew Asta had been teasing. They had teased each other all the time when they were little. But they weren't little any more, and Yuno didn't know if he could answer Asta's questions. He didn't know if he could explain it to himself.

When he saw the Black Bulls captain hoist himself out of the water, Yuno didn't quite know what to expect. Sure, he knew the man was going to be a muscle head, like a bigger, grown up version of Asta. Yuno was used to Asta, even if it had been years since they had shared a bath together, something that Asta apparently felt he had to bring up at every opportunity. He was not prepared for the likes of the Black Bulls captain. The man was beautiful in a way Yuno could not describe. He could not stop looking at him. He was sure Asta wouldn't understand.

Yuno sat at the edge of the volcano, looking down the slope where the men from the Crimson Lions were hiking naked as penance for their peeping. Yuno was glad he hadn't gone, especially given the view that he got without sneaking a peak. He closed his eyes only to be assaulted by the memory of his body. Yuno didn't exactly feel a desire or attraction—he never really felt that sort of physical response to anyone. It was more of an overwhelming sense of awe-like he experienced the first time he had seen some of the great classical sculptures housed in the capital. The man was perfection itself, physically, at least.

By all other accounts, he was a complete mess.

But Yuno doubted he could explain it to Asta. He didn't know how without making himself seem like he had gone all moon-eyed. And he hadn't; he was certain of that.

Eventually, Asta caught up with him, having only dressed to his waist. Yuno sighed as his brother, his rival sat next to him, bare-chested to the warm night air. Asta, who had no magic. Asta, who tried and tried and never gave up. Asta, who had trained himself physically to make up for his faults in other areas. Yuno looked over at him and felt the same swell of awe he had when the Black Bulls captain stood up out of the water. Asta was beautiful too. Yuno knew how much work Asta had put in to form the muscles that bulged on his arms, shoulders and back. He had not been so defined the last time Yuno had seen him. Yuno hoped one day that an artist would capture Asta's physical perfection in marble.

Yuno smiled at the thought of one day seeing a giant white version of Asta gracing the capital or in a museum. He doubted, however, any sculptor would be able to capture the determination and perseverance that also made him up.

Asta turned grinning to him then. And Yuno, seeing his friend, brother, and rival so open and so free, realized how much he loved and missed the stupid little shorty sitting next to him. He felt himself catching the infectious smile. He missed the camaraderie they had shared as children, and he loved how much Asta cared, about everyone, no matter what. He looked back at the people at the bottom of the volcano and wondered if he had fallen in love with Asta, but he felt none of the desire so often associated with the phrase. He then wondered if there was something wrong with him for not feeling such desire ever, or for anyone.

"Man, am I glad I'm not one of those guys." Asta's voice pulled him out of his contemplation.

"You still wanted to peek."

Asta chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess I did. You can't tell me you didn't."

Yuno thought about it. He had been so shocked by what he saw on his own side of the rocks he had not thought much about what might be on the other side. He wondered what visions of perfection could have been lurking there. He sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe? But not for the same reasons you wanted to."

"I just wanted to see if any of them could hold a candle to Sister Lily." Asta blushed again, kicking his heels against the rocky ledge.

"You've never seen Sister Lily naked."

"But a boy can imagine."

Yuno rolled his eyes.

A/N: In case it's not obvious, I'm operating under the assumption that Yuno is asexual here and is only just realizing it. This is how I'm interpreting the "I'm not that kind of character" bit he kept spewing.

Also, since the hot springs chapter was so short, I feel like there could have been a whole lot more going on during it and immediately after, which is where much of this story is coming from. So expect to see several short vignettes focusing on different characters rather than one continuous story.