A pen swiftly scribbles something, hopefully, coherent across a piece of paper while a page from an old textbook is hastily flipped. Emerald eyes are barely able to stay open as they flick back and forth across the page they can't even begin to see through the blurriness.

A groan leaves dry lips before the green eyes are clenched closed and the head is tilted back. Messy silver hair falls back from the motion, clearing away from pale skin. He can't even register what he just read anymore.

Asta Orfai leans his head forehead and rests it in his hands with another groan–this time of frustration. It's a good idea to listen to his body and go to sleep since there's a test tomorrow... but there's a test tomorrow and he needs to study. He has to, if he wants to pass the class by acing the test.

"Shit." Asta licks his lips before he kicks the wall behind his desk to roll his chair back towards his bed. He lets the chair tip over and doesn't even yelp at the practiced motion. A harsh breath leaves his mouth as his back hits the old bed.

Asta kicks the chair off of his bed and curls onto his side while the chair bangs against the floor. He closes his eyes and buries his face in the fluffy comforter Yuno Orfai–his foster brother, but still his brother in all but blood–forcefully gave him when they first moved to this apartment.

Lilies and old books. Asta curls up into an even tighter ball at his brother's scent. Reading books all the time and always bringing home lilies to make the crappy apartment smell nice; stupid nerd.

Asta ignores how the unusually chilly night air starts to make his body shiver. He also ignores how his stomach turns and twists at the constant reminder that his brother is still on that mysterious business trip... even though it's been three weeks.

"Handsome jerk. You could at least call–or text," Asta mumbles into the comforter before he uncurls his body to turn it. He opens his eyes and stares up at the water-stained ceiling.

It's been almost a year since he and his brother left the practically no name country town of Hage to find better opportunities in Royal Capital City. Asta could barely believe how much had happened since Yuno pushed him to leave all that they had known.

He thought he'd be stuck in some convenience store job while he tried and failed, again and again, to be accepted into Clover University. He never expected to be accepted in the first try, and be able to major in what he loved. And the apartment; it's worse than crap and in a horrible–and stupidly loud, and that's saying something–part of the city, but it's Asta's and Yuno's. Asta's. And. Yuno's.

Their very first private piece of... well... peace that they don't have to share with anyone. Well, Yuno's always been given his privacy whenever he asked for it, but Asta... well he never minded anyway.

They both went and worked a few odd jobs as they adjusted to living in an actual city and it was quite a big struggle, but then Asta managed to somehow snag a job as an intern at a police department and Yuno... well, he brings in a lot of money and it's something that he–well, Asta thinks so anyways–enjoys.

Asta also thinks it's a job that might be involved with... less than legal organizations, but they had this talk before. And Yuno knows not to get involved if he can help it... even though going on at least two business trips a month seems to be pretty involved.

Whatever. It's no use thinking or talking about it. At least, not anymore. As long as Yuno doesn't come home with a gunshot wound, or God forbid in a body bag, Asta won't mention anything. It's not really his place anyway. Right now.

Asta closes his eyes and breathes. He really should get some sleep; he's studied so much that he can't even study anymore. It makes his brain hurt too much‒and his eyes.

Clover, on the surface, is a constantly bustling and always peaceful country of wonder and history. Below that surface is discrimination, classism, and corruption.

House Kira controls everything by having their own little fingers stuck in the Clover Parliament to the black market–including the two other big powerhouses of Clover; House Silva and House Vermillion. If the rumors were to be believed about the "Royals of Clover".

The rest of the rich and powerful cater to House Kira, and in return, they are given power and influence to then cater to themselves. "The Noble Realm of Clover" is as pretentious as it sounds. And the people are just as pretentious too.

Next are those who can live comfortably. They don't do anything; simply bystanders to the problems of Clover and purposefully ignorant to the fact that these problems involve them whether they want to be or not. The "Common Realm of Clover", or simply called "the commoners". Either way, they were sometimes worse than even the nobles and the royals.

The last isn't even considered a class; they aren't even considered human to majority of Clover. Some people don't even call them citizens of Clover with how far out of reach they are. They are nothing to Clover, they do nothing for Clover, and they have nothing in Clover. That is the belief; even some of those inside the class themselves believe it. The "Forsaken Realm". The "Peasants".

The small, mostly unknown, so far out of the way, most houses don't even have electricity, town of Hage is in this "Forsaken Realm". Asta and Yuno Orfai-Aquaria were two orphans of Hage. Being orphans, instead of being sent to child protective services to be put into the care system, they were taken in by the two people who found them. Father Orsi Orfai and Sister Lily Aquaria, sole owners of the only church in Hage.

They grew up as the poorest of the poor, but they grew up happy. Even when it became more and more of a struggle to put food on the table when more children were dropped off at the doorstep of the church. Even when Yuno and the rest of the children were treated better than Asta. Even when Asta became the scapegoat for everything that happened in Hage. Even when no one, besides Asta's own foster siblings, believed he would live past 18 years of age.

Despite it all, Asta loved his foster parents–still loves them even if he knows they mistreated him‒but he needed to leave. He had to. Yuno knew he had to first, which is why he pushed him to leave with him the moment they finished high school. Yuno didn't want to lose his brother and best friend and Asta did not want to lose his life, to himself or to anyone in that village.

Moving to Royal Capital City is the best–and the only‒decision Asta could have made. Even if he later realized it might have been a deal with the devil. But, it's not like he hasn't made many deals with the devil before. Fate never treated him kindly, so he had to find alternatives to keeping his family alive and happy. What's one more deal?

Jerk: Did you pass or fail

Shortsta: Aren't you in a completely diffrent time zone? You need to sleep, jerk.

Jerk: Says the one that stayed up too late studying when you dont need to

Shortsta: Just so you no, I went to bed at 4:00 am.

Jerk: Well

Shortsta: Yea I past, asshole. If you stayed home, you would be celibrating with me.

Jerk: A guilt trip I'm surprised someone as dense as you know what that is

Shortsta: I'm eating your ice cream.

Jerk: Don't you

Jerk: fucking

Jerk: dare

Shortsta: :3

Shortsta: Miss you and stay safe!

Asta smiles down at his phone before he tucks it into his hoodie pocket. He glances down at the two pints of ice cream he bought on his trip back home and smiles triumphantly. Well! More for him!

"Handsome jerk. Stuck in Agrabah for this stupid business trip he never tells me anything about." Asta does not pout at the reminder that his brother is still not home. He never pouts.

CLANG!

Asta jumps closer to the street when something loud echoes through the alleyway he walks in front of. He wraps a hand around the pocketknife he keeps hidden in his satchel and stares into the dark alleyway.

There are no footsteps of humans or animals; no other sounds, and no talking.

"I should just leave..." Asta thinks to himself, biting the inside of his cheek. This could easily be a trap... or simply a rodent.

He slowly steps forward while taking out his pocketknife. He keeps his breathing quiet as he walks further to his possible death.

Something scraping against wet stone makes Asta freeze. Oh, his brother is going to kill him. He should just turn around and leave!

"...hello?" Asta calls out instead, like a self-aware idiot. No one answers.

"Leave, you idiot! Leave, you idiot! Leave! Your ice cream will melt!" Asta slowly steps back while squinting through the darkness shrouding the alleyway. "This is clearly some kind of serial killer trap! Even though it's broad daylight–but this is beyond stu–"

Something pale against a torn trash bag catches Asta's eyes. Hair, pale and long, and a hand outstretched.

Asta doesn't even realize he moved towards the body until he hears another clang; him dropping his only form of defense. Asta practically wrenches away the trash bags that had almost blocked the body from view and pales at the sight.

A woman, no older than him, it looks like, was collapsed on top of other trash bags. Most of her pale hair was dark from blood and clearly ripped out of some form of hairstyle. Her blood soaked clothes looked expensive and ripped in a way that indicated a fight. Blood stained the palm of her hand and it continued to flow from her stomach.

Blood continued to flow from her stomach. Blood is still flowing from her stomach!

"Oh shit!" Asta hisses as hurriedly pushes the woman onto her back and sighs in relief when she whines. He bites his lip at the sight of blood pooling on top of the woman's stomach and glances up at her face.

Her eyes danced beneath her eyelids and blood dropped from the corner of her mouth. She just passed out, then. She must have.

"Sorry! Whoever you are..." Asta murmurs with a pang of momentary guilt before he grabs the expensive dress and rips it to reveal the woman's stomach. He ignores the black tattoo spread across her ribs.

Asta hisses at the sight and leans back to rip off his own hoodie. Two gunshot wounds to the abdomen. Had to have happened in the past five minutes for her to have passed out.

The woman, fortunately, whines again when Asta carefully lifts her up with one hand. He slides his hoodie underneath as he checks for exit wounds. A small sigh leaves his nose when he doesn't feel any. Okay. Okay, he can handle this. He's done this before.

"Two blocks away from my apartment and ten miles away from the hospital. And it's rush hour. Okay. Okay." Asta quickly wraps his hoodie around the woman's abdomen, right over the gunshot wounds and ties it as tightly as he could. He calms his rapidly beating heart before he tucks his arms underneath the woman's knees and back.

As he stands, Asta does a mental check of what he has in his apartment. Neither he and Yuno have been the recipient of a gun–as far as he knows–for at least three years. He double-checked their stock last month. Is anything expired? Shit.

Asta glances down at the unconscious woman in his arms before he scowls in determination. He races out of the alleyway and sprints as fast as he can to his apartment.

He'll do what he can and hope for the best. It's all he had always done when dressing wounds from gang fights.

This day couldn't have gotten any worse. This day was the worst fucking day Noelle has ever had, and that's saying something after what her sib–what people have made her gone through in the past.

Noelle Silva originally had joined the Black Bulls Gang to break away from her family and make something of her own... and to also spit in her family's face. That had been almost a year ago and in that time, she's gained a family that loves her and trusts her.

That is the reason why she took this stupid job in the first place. Truth be told, it was easy–well, it was meant to be easy. A simple delivery; not necessarily her forte, but Finral wasn't even in the country at the moment and Noelle was going stir crazy at the base.

The entire job leading up to her, actually successful, delivery was good. If a bit boring. Then, she got shot. By the person she was delivering to.

Noelle should have honestly slept in instead of forcing herself to be productive on a day with no jobs for her. She could have even gone to the nail salon for a long awaited manicure.

God, and she's going to die in some disgusting alleyway she managed to drag herself to–on top of trash bags. Trash bags!

She won't even get to tell anyone goodbye. Not even her awful siblings. She really is a failure at everything.

Noelle didn't really put much thought into what would happen after she died‒killed really, because this kind of life doesn't do peaceful deaths‒but opening her eyes to a water-stained and absolutely filthy ceiling is definitely anywhere close to what she had subconsciously expected. The pain that pulses from her abdomen like ocean waves beating against a cliff quickly shuts down the possibility that she was in some kind of afterlife. Also, well, the ceiling is a dead giveaway.

Noelle closes her eyes for a moment to take a deep breath and gather herself before she slowly sits up. A small whimper still escapes her mouth as her abdomen practically screams in pain at the movement.

She releases a shaky breath and slowly opens her eyes to inspect the wound and her surroundings. Immediately, there are three things she picks up on.

One: this room better not be a living room, because this is just sad. The couch is clearly secondhand and on the verge of collapsing, the wallpaper is peeling and hidden by bookshelves, the television‒if it could even be called that‒sat on top of a milk crate of all things and the carpet still looked absolutely revolting despite the clear signs that someone has been cleaning more than regularly.

Two: someone had undressed her. Undressed a woman‒a royal, and kept her in only her bra and dressed her in sweatpants. Sweatpants. To be fair, the sutures in her abdomen were done by someone skilled in patching up gunshot wounds, and Noelle was shot in a place that required her dress out of the way. But. Someone has undressed her and they are in for a world of hurt if she finds out they did anything to her.

Three: despite the abhorrent pain, these sutures were done exceptionally well. She doesn't even think Vanessa's stitching could compare. Noelle may even have to look back on some of Owen's stitching, because she honestly thinks there is a slim chance these might be better.

Noelle almost leaps off the couch when she hears a door open from behind her. She hisses in pain, but pushes past it to turn around. Footsteps walk closer to the living room and a young man comes into view.

The man, around her age it seems, froze mid-step when his eyes immediately latched on to her sitting form. Noelle almost releases an audible gasp as she tenses in her shock.

Beautiful and glimmering eyes of literal emeralds stare at her, wide and surprised at seeing her. A wide smile suddenly stretches across the man's pale face, filled with pure joy and unadulterated relief and framed by messy silver hair, before he finishes his step into the living room.

"You're awake! I was getting worried. How are you feeling?" The man asks brightly as he steps closer. Noelle tries to scoot farther back across the couch, but whimpers when she pulls at her sutures instead.

"A-ah‒please be careful! I had to use up what I had stocked up while dressing your wounds!" The man rushes forward with his hands outstretched. "Oh. You must be in a lot of pain. I didn't think of that... I don't have any kind of pain medicine. Sorry."

"It‒it's fine. Where am I? Who are you?" Noelle asks coldly while she leans away from the man before he could touch her, slowly this time. The silver haired man blinks before he smiles sheepishly and sits on the coffee table.

"This is my brother and I's apartment. He's out of the country right now, though. And I didn't think you would have appreciated going to the hospital... Ah‒I'm Asta!" The man‒Asta answers Noelle's questions easily.

"...how did you know that I don't want to be admitted into a hospital?" Noelle asks, carefully keeping her voice cold and collected as she prepares to make a run for it. She isn't restrained, which means she can either knock this man out and escape, or kill him.

Asta waves his hands rapidly in front of him with wide eyes. "No, no! It's not what you think! I moved here not even a year ago‒I don't know who you are! It's just‒well... your tattoo."

Noelle blinks before glancing down. The black bull tattoo is stark against her pallid skin as it stretches across her lower ribs and the symbol of her family's crest sat just beneath, centered on her diaphragm. Noelle blinks again before her face begins to burn.

"D-don't look, you pervert! Have you no respect?!" Noelle screeches loudly while bringing her arms up to cover her chest.

Asta's ears and neck turn bright red before he snaps his eyes away from Noelle's very vicinity. He quickly takes off the jacket he wore without prompt and holds it towards the silver haired woman.

"I'm so sorry! You‒you were bleeding a lot and I couldn't save your dress‒and it got in the way. You were bleeding out and I had to do something! I'm so sorry!" Asta sputters, sincere and genuine. Noelle rips the jacket out of his hand and quickly pulls it on.

"I suppose I could forgive you. You did save my life after all. But don't think this is any kind of invitation or favor! I detest perverts and I am not afraid to end one," Noelle hisses with a cold glare.

Asta stares at her for a long moment before chuckling softly. "Like anyone like that would deserve any lesser punishment. What's your name by the way?"

Noelle pauses at the question before her eyebrows furrow. She stares at Asta for a long minute before she blinks. What?

"It's impossible for anyone to not know of the Black Bulls. The Black Bulls is one of the sectors of the Clover Knight Syndicate... he can't be serious!" Noelle has never heard of anyone not knowing her gang. They would have to have lived under a rock for their entire lives! And‒does he not recognize her hair? Does he not recognize her family's crest? Impossible!

"Do... do you not recognize the tattoo? Do you not recognize the symbol?" Noelle voices her disbelief with wide eyes. Asta tilts his head in thought before slowly shaking his head. Noelle blinks again, making Asta scrunch up his face in confusion.

"Am I... supposed to? They're both cool tattoos."

Holy shit. He doesn't know.

"I‒no, I-I suppose not..." Noelle clears her throat and averts her gaze. "My name is Noelle Sil‒Noelle. Just Noelle."

"Well, Just Noelle, do you have anyone to call to come pick you up? I don't want you walking when you're clearly in a lot of pain by just sitting," Asta asks with a small smile.

Noelle huffs and stifles her own smile at the, successful, attempt to lighten the mood. She mentally debates calling one of her fellow gang members or just sucking it up and walking back to the base...

"...but I only managed to incapacitate that bastard before I escaped. He might have already sent word to his gang... damn it," Noelle thinks with a growing frown before glancing at Asta.

This part of the city is still neutral ground... as bloody as it is. If she gets caught outside by the gang possibly still hunting her, she'll get Asta caught up in the mess. Noelle bites her lip at the sudden twist in her stomach because of that thought.

"I... don't know any phone numbers besides my own," Noelle lies, carefully picking her words. For some reason, she feels sick at the thought of involving Asta in any way. She looks back up and tries to appear embarrassed.

"I don't suppose you found a phone on my person?" She questions, making Asta beam immediately.

"Oh! Yeah, I did! It got smashed to hell though, but I started charging it after I finished patching you up. I'll go get it for you!" Asta is already walking through another doorway, probably to the kitchen.

Noelle finally notices a grocery bag on the floor, probably having fallen from Asta's rush to set it down. She blinks when she notices melted ice cream filling the bag.

"He must have been walking home then, after buying some ice cream..." Noelle scowls at the guilt festering in her chest. Why is she feeling guilty?

Noelle shoves the confusing thoughts and feelings out of her mind when Asta comes back with her completely shattered phone. She sighs forlornly as she grabs it from the silver haired man. She hadn't even dropped her phone; how did it get smashed this much?

"At least it's working," Noelle thinks as she carefully goes through her contacts. Her finger hovers over her cousin's name before she quickly presses Vanessa's. She won't ask too many questions... at least until Noelle was inebriated from alcohol or high off of pain medicine.

Noelle looks up when the phone barely gets one ring in before it's answered. "Vanessa? I‒"

"Noelle, where the hell are you? It's been eight hours," Vanessa cuts off the young woman, stern and incredibly upset. Eight hours? Shit, they probably think she died. Well, there goes her planning time to figure out how she would tell her boss what happened without involving Asta.

"I'm okay! I had‒" Noelle glances over at Asta, making him smile knowingly before he points back to the kitchen. She smiles in thanks "‒I... I got shot and‒well, long story short, someone helped me. Can you pick me up? I won't be able to walk with how much pain I'm in..."

"...who's with you?" Vanessa asks after a beat of silence. Noelle winces before she cranes her head to look into the kitchen. She faintly hears rummaging.

"Someone who... thinks I was simply shot on a walk," Noelle murmurs, barely wincing at her lie. If Asta doesn't know who she is, she'd like to keep it that way. Both to keep him from being involved, and to make sure her identity stays safe. She's sure the media and the police would kill just for a scrap of information about anything revolving around the Clover Knight Syndicate.

"Text me the location. Me and Yami-san will be there in 20 minutes." Vanessa cuts the call, making Noelle wince. Oh, she is in a lot of trouble...

"Asta? Where are we? In the city," Noelle asks loudly. Asta peeks his head out from the kitchen with a smile.

"Right outside Kikka District. The Border Apartments," He answers before he goes back into the kitchen. "I'm making some celebratory food since my ice cream melted. I passed an important test at University. Do you want some while you wait?"

Noelle blinks at the offer before her cheeks turn red. "Uh... I-I don't want to impose any more than I already have..."

"Nah, it's okay! Besides you must be starving after sleeping for so long!" Noelle has just the slightest feeling that this was more of a demand rather than an offer.

"Um... o-okay. B-but don't expect me to return the favor any time soon! Or ever! This will be the only time we will ever meet!" Noelle exclaims in her embarrassment, making Asta laugh from the kitchen.

"Alright! I wasn't going to ask for anything in return anyway."

"A-as if!"

Hey! Hope you all like the new story! So, first things first, Crime/Mafia/Yakuza AUs are one of my all-time favorites. And I've had this little thought for quite a while. Also, I don't think I've seen anyone make this kind of fic in the Black Clover fandom... as far as I've seen, so that's the other reason why I'm making one.

For some background information: Hage is so far out into the country, that it's just easier to simply adopt randomly abandoned children than to give them to child protective services. And with that, Asta and Yuno (and the other kids from the church) have Father Orsi's and Sister Lily's last name. BUT, only on important/official documents will both last names be present. That will be explained later in the story. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE TOGETHER.

Yes, Father Orsi and Sister Lily mistreat/neglect Asta in this story. I don't have magic in this AU, so Asta can't be mistreated by Hage as a whole for nothing at all. I had to do something to keep most of his personality the same. And I personally think Asta is incredibly intelligent, it's just that he grew up so far away from any kind of structured education that it makes him seem like an idiot. He's still a dumbass though.

This story is going to be a mixture of dark themes and dark humor. So be warned, chapter may go from happy and fluffy to a torture scene in less than 100 words. This is still a Crime AU after all.

Also, Clover Knight Syndicate is a stupid ass name, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else, so I won't be upset if any of you joke about it, lmao.

I hope you all enjoy the first chapter! Bye.

WhovianWhoudini