I never mentioned this before but the amount of typos in this fic bothers me @_@. For some reason the spaces between words aren't consistent and words/phrases randomly disappear. It only happens during publishing and it pisses me off. Hopefully, with this recent update everything is a little better. I'm grateful that it doesn't hinder your enjoyment at least.
Anyways, this is what a lot of people happen to request. Be My Queen part 2. This is definitely one of my favorites as well.
Thanks for the suggestions/reviews I really like some of the ideas you guys come up with. And I plan to incorporate some of them for future fics.
After Noelle's coronation, the Wizard King suggests that they share offices after and she agrees. Fluff and office shenanigans ensue, as weeks pass them by. Asta finds himself falling more and more in love with his queen.
"Is this all of it, my queen?" Asta questions, showing no sign of struggle while his arms carried boxes upon boxes of Noelle's things.
"Yes, thank you. I could've carried them myself you know." A hint of a blush was on her cheeks. Noelle had often complained whenever he called her that but after being crowned she could no longer deny it.
She was officially his queen.
"Think of it as my welcome gift, office mate." The wizard king puts it down and leaves it for her to get settled in. With a glance he can tell that she didn't look very enthusiastic.
"What's on your mind?"
"Wouldn't people see this as wrong?"
"What do you mean? We shared offices so that it's convenient." She grimaces.
"Not everyone sees it that way."
"They'll get over it, I'd rather you save time than having to fly over to me from your base everytime." He reasons and she raises an eyebrow at him.
"You do realize that my old office was nearby too." She rebukes.The arrangement was certainly convenient but also a little suspicious. After all the Silver Eagles was stationed in the capital, right next to the palace. It wouldn't take her more than five minutes to reach his office.
"Again, saves you the trip." It was absolutely not because he wanted to see her for most of the day or anything.
Noelle proceeds to unpack her supplies while he simply observes from the side. He finds a box labeled 'Personal' and it sparks his curiosity.
"What's in this?"
"Just some family pictures I put on my desk." She explains and lets him open it. In the box were frames and books that he assumed to be albums.
"Oh." He sees two picture frames. One was a picture of the Silva family. Like her siblings, Noelle had a reserved expression. She looked regal, sophisticated, the embodiment of royalty. Definitely beautiful but the picture felt oddlycold.
What surprised him though was the other one.
He takes it in his hands and recognizes it to be the last picture they had taken with the Black Bulls Squad. He remembers this day, it was right before they separated. Captain Yami (who retired),even came by to celebrate their promotions.
Unlike the first portrait, she did not restrict herself from expressing her emotions. He can even see the sparkle in her eyes from smiling. Noelle felt so much more alive.
It brings him joy to know that she considered the squad as family even moreso that she worked with these pictures on her desk. It was as if they were still looking over her somehow.
"I miss them." He admits.Noelle stops her organizing to look at the object in his hands and replies with a bittersweet smile on her lips.
"Me too, but that's life." The antimage places the frame on her desk and places his arm around her shoulders. Thankfully she accepts the side hug, probably feeling just as sentimental as he did.
"At least we'll always be together." Asta tells her and he knows it makes her flustered. Not that he was any better, he was definitely just as red.
Growling could be heard echoing against the office walls, the source being an antimage who had his head down on his desk. Asta had a hectic schedule but now that he had a functional royal partner he thought perhaps it would free some time. Fortunately, Noelle's addition freed him a few hours in the morning and he spent it all on working out. He was so absorbed into his training that he hadn't notice the time and had to rush towards their office—without eating breakfast. It wouldn't be as bad if it only happened once but the man kept forgetting to set an alarm. Thus he had to suffer from his appetite until lunch.
In his mind, the sound of the door opening and footsteps were not registered. Instead his nose was lulled by the aroma of sweet syrup and savory meat. Saliva pooled in his mouth. He looks up to find someone offering him a plate of pancakes with sausages and a hashbrown on the side.
Is he hallucinating? Did he die from hunger? Is this an angel welcoming him to heaven?
"I don't know how you possibly survived your own idiocy." The queen grumbles as she puts the plate on his desk. He wastes no time to inhale the food offered to him. Finally, his torment stops and he couldn't be anymore grateful.
She continues to mutter her worry while browsing through her squad's mission reports. It doesn't take long for him to finish eating and he thanks her.
"Take care of yourself better, stupid." She scolds. Noelle's obvious concern causes a warm feeling in his chest.
"Awww, my queen is an angel~" He praises while hugging the watermage frombehind herchair.
"And my king is a dumbass." Asta stops nuzzling her with affection.
"Hey that's slander!"
"Not if it's true." She quips and she sticks her tongue out.
"How cruel." He decides that was enough goofing around. Asta barely gets to his desk before he hears her say.
"That breakfast wasn't free, you owe me dinner."
"You're heartless." Nevermind that he was planning to treat her to dinner anyways.
Asta felt like his head was igniting. No matter how many times he read the same sentence he couldn't understand it. Sure he could ask his queen for input but something tells him that wouldn't help.His foot taps repeatedly on the floor as he forces himself to find motivation. It doesn't take long for his officemate to notice yet she ignores it. But then his fingers start drumming onto his desk and the noise was getting annoying.
Just as he feels like he was about to explode, Noelle finally asks him what the problem was.
"Wanna spar?" He eagerly says, it had become a habit of theirs to spontaneously train every now and again. With the endless paperwork that kept them busy, he wanted to make sure they didn't get rusty — the fact that he was bored totally had nothing to do with it.However unlike the usual nod, the queen gives him a disapproving glare.
"Asta this is the fifth time this week, we can't keep slacking off."
"I need to stretch my legs." He excuses and Noelle only rolls her eyes as she groups her own paperwork in a neat stack.
"You always were restless, how did you even deal with this before?"
"I escaped of course."
She facepalms as she mutters. "KingJulius truly left an impression on you."
"I can still do that you know—" A strong feminine hand takes hold of his arm in a firm grip.
"You wouldn't dare leave me to suffer." Her cold tone makes him shiver but he recovers himself.
"Oh I would." He gives her a challenging look as he continues."Unless my queen,with her everlasting mercy takespity upon me." The water mage gives him a deadpan look but relents.No one can beat Asta's stubborness.
"Ugh, fine. Anything to stop your whining."
"All right!"
They fly outside to their usual spot. It was similar to their old training ground back at the Black Bulls base. Trees surrouded the area, grass covered the floor and nobody was near to disturb them.
"You better be prepared because I'm taking out my annoyance on you." Noelle starts to form her sword using water creation.
One of their favorite sparring sessions was simple sword training. No magic or antimagic attacks involved. Ever since she acquired said sword in her Saint Valkyrie dress he helped her practice weilding it.
Obviously Asta had the upperhand simply due to experience but Noelle is a quick learner so she still posed a challenge. And the antimage may be physically stronger but she had speed and flexibility.
They both nod, signaling they were ready.
He dashes to make a strike and she leans to the right as she blocks it.The male counters by pushing their blades farther away and attempts to thrust from the position. She successfully sidesteps his attack and makes her own counter. Thanks to his ki reading, he senses her intention and immediately blocks. She scoffs and tries to perform a thrust but he pushes their blades upwards. Unfortunately, this defense move leaves him open and she knows this.
In response Noelle takes the opportunity and steps forward to kick his groin, effectively pushing him back. Using the momentum, she backflips to increase their distance. Although he was supposed to guard, he gets distracted with admiring her flawless movement. She must've noticed because she calls him out on it.
"Are you even taking this seriously?" She says irritated. He gets embarrassed from getting caught as the watermage rushes towards him. In her annoyance, she unleashes an onslaught of strikes successfully overwhelming her opponent.
"O—of course I am!" Asta stutters, struggling to regain composure.
While avoiding her attacks he doesn't notice the rock behind his foot and trips. With a grunt he falls to the ground. Just as he attempts to sit up, Noelle aims her blade to his neck. A look of disappointment on her face.
"You never lost so easily before. What's gotten into you?"It occurs to him that she was standing with both her feet by his waist. He looks upwards and faints from the sight of her skirt.
After all, Noelle always wore short dresses.
The Wizard King was grateful to have an active monarch help him with the paperwork. Even better is that Noelle personally knew him, thus she was aware of his shortcomings. He practically bombarded her with questions on how to efficiently handle the nobilty. The woman wasn't bothered even though she was juggling with her Captain duties as well.
"I have another question about this report." It seems she finally reached her limit when he receives no response.
"My queen?" Still nothing.
"Noelle?" Asta puts the file down and finds his partner asleep on the desk. The water mage had her arms folded into a makeshift pillow as soft snores escape from her lips.
As much as he'd like to finish this last task he didn't have the heart to wake her up. After all, she was still adjusting to the new job so her exhaustion was understandable. Maybe he could convince Noelle to share her squad duties with her vice captain.
Still, her sleeping position would probably strain her neck if left for too long so he plans to wake her eventually. He hears her whimper. Looking around, he noticed that the window was open and stands to close it.For added measure, he takes off his robe to place it on her shoulders. Although the queen had her own, Noelle often complained of it's weight and only wore it during ceremonies. Once he is sure that the cloth wouldn't slip, he returns to his seat. From his desk, he witnesses the moonlight perfectly illuminate her sleeping form.Asta realizes another good reason to let her rest.
It was the perfect opportunity to admire her without being punished.
"This is the last time Asta. Stay. You need to rest." Noelle sighs as she carries him bridal style to drop him off at his house. Out of nowhere he had gotten sick and kept showing up to work, despite her warnings.
"I can't—cough—let you do all t—the work—achoo." He protests.
"And I can't let you push yourself when you're this sick."
"But—" She slaps her hand on his mouth as her communication device goes off.
"Even when ill, you're still a loudmouth." The woman grumbles, then turns to the device.
"I was just heading back, Marx—"
"Actually your majesty, don't bother. I'll handle the work just for today." Her eyebrows raise in surprise.
"There's really no need—"
"No I insist, the Wizard King is absurdly stubborn. He'll just keep coming back, trust me. This has happened before." Asta lets out a sheepish laugh while the queen groans in annoyance. Still, she couldn't leave without being guilty. The man on the other line reassures her.
"I'll be fine, I've covered for Julius plenty of times before." The Queen nods and bids him good bye. Once she gets his door open, she brings him to bed and covers him in blankets.
"Are you warm enough?" He finds himself only possessing enough strength to nod. Now that he was on a comfy mattress, all of his fatigue suddenly became more evident. The sick man sees her eyebrows furrow. A hand is placed on his forehead and to her surprise, his temperature skyrocketed.
"Looks like I'm taking care of you for today." She leaves for a bit and returns with an empty basin.
"Hold still." The watermage places the basin underneath his head. Noelle summons her magic and manipulates the liquid to hold it steady against his forehead. He watches her hands steadily stabilize the liquid. Even during work, he noticed that everytime she concentrated she unconsciously bit her lip. And in every instance it somehow called to his attention.
The refreshing cold sensation relaxes him and he sighs in relief. She releases the water onto the container after holding it for a couple minutes. Again, she leaves the room to dispose it and comes back with warm soup. How'd she cook that so fast?
Asta raises an eyebrow to ask the silent question. Just by the gesture, she understood and answered him.
"We both know I'm not the best cook so I bought food." She starts to slightly blow on the spoon and moves it towards his mouth.
"Here. Open up." He was surprised that she was willing to feed him herself. The antimage could probably do it himself if he tried but he couldn't bring himself to deny her generosity.
He finishes the bowl and she brings him a glass of water. When he finishes everything, he feels his eyelids grow heavy. His queen notices and fixes his blankets around the sick man better. She grabs a chair and places it next to his bed.
"Go ahead and sleep, I'll be right here." She reassures with a book in her hands.
"Read to me?" He requests. The woman shrugs and starts narrating. He slowly falls asleep to the sound of her gentle voice.
Asta wakes up in the middle of the night with no more headaches plaguing his mind. Though he still had a bit of a cold judging by his blocked sinuses. He realizes that it was probably in the middle of the night because the moon and stars were already out.
Noelle probably went home alrea—dy?
His thoughts were immediately proven false when he sees her sitting in the same chair, slumbering away.
The idea that she stayed for him warms his heart.
Still, her sleeping on the chair is probably uncomfortable so he gently carries her in her arms. Careful not to wake her up, he lays her on the bed beside him. Asta faces her peacefully snoring face. Wouldn't it be nice if that was the first thing he saw every morning?
The male slowly drapes his arms across her body and hugs her. He can't help but think she fit perfectly in his embrace. Despite trying to stop himself, he snuggles into her warmth. He enjoys the contact til he hears her suddenly speak, making him flinch.
"Asta stop moving so much." She mumbles and he knows he's a dead man.
Yet her closed eyes, incoherent grumbles and lack of flustered reactions indicate that she was in fact still unconscious. He releases a breath and the tension in his body leaves.
But then Noelle moves her arms and pulls him towards her even further. This was already enough to cause a blush but it gets worse when she hears her whisper to his ear.
"I love you, Dorksta." Then she smiles and he feels as though he would melt from her precious grin.
These days, the more they were together the more he realized he loved her.
He wonders when he should tell her how he feels. Truthfully he'd been aware of her love for years, he just never knew how to talk to her about it. Not to mention, he didn't understand his own feelings at the time so he forgot about it and focused on achieving his ambitions.
When he finally attained the Wizard King position he still proposed to his first love, but not with the intention to actually marry her. His last proposal to Sister Lily had been his attempt to make up his mind. And when the nun expectedly rejected him, he was surprisingly unbothered. However, what did bother him was the separation from his squad—specifically from the watermage with pigtails.
He found himself looking forward to the opportunities that they would meet, granted it was only for work. So when the monarchy position was open he didn't hesitate to suggest Noelle first. Admittedly, a lot of people found it suspicious yet they couldn't deny that she was a good option. Fortunately a lot of important people agreed with him, still the rest were skeptical. He did everything he could to persuade those that doubted her. Not just because he wanted her to get the position but also for the reason that he had faith in her. From then he understood.
Noelle was his perfect match.
After gaining enough courage, he places a kiss on her forehead and whispers back.
"I love you too, my queen."
As much as he enjoyed their hug, they would have to separate if he didn't want her to smack him off the bed in the morning. In fact, he was already at risk of that from placing her next to him on the bed. But no matter how hard he tried, the woman's grip was surprisingly strong. After a few attempts, he concludes that he couldn't possibly break her hold without waking her up.
It's official, Noelle is gonna kill me.
Oh well, at least he got to snuggle with the love of his life before dying.
Chapter is done already? Yes, cuz there's a part 3 :P.