Day 3: Cuddles

There was a light knock on Diana's door. It was faint, hardly noticeable. And Diana's sleeping roommates, who weren't accustomed to low sounds and soft murmurs couldn't hear it.

Diana threw her blanket away from her chest and swung her body on the side of the bed. She ambled quietly towards the door, surprised when she saw who visited at the time of the night.

"Akko?"

"H-hey, Diana." Akko hugged her Alcor plushie tighter to her chest. "Can I sleep with you? I brought offerings."

Diana stared at Akko's so-called offerings—a chocolate bar, a box of plum tea and a round shape night light dependent on batteries. "Sure." She allowed the brunette to get in as she softly closed the door.

"I really thought Hannah and Barbara would sleep together in one bed." Akko joked while pointing at the sleeping girls.

"They do so, occasionally," Diana admitted and led Akko towards the far end of the room and behind her bookshelves to her bed. "Akko, I did mention you can sleepover in my place anytime; however, why do you suddenly want to do so now? Preferably, I would like to know if I'd have company on a night like this earlier than spontaneous decisions."

"Ehehehehe, sorry Diana," Akko scratched her nape. "It's a Saturday, tomorrow. We can sleep in late."

"I'm afraid waking up on noon destroys my body clock, Akko."

"You're no fun!" Akko retorted as she turned on the round night light that was running on batteries at the top of Diana's desk beside her diary. Now the room danced in the bluish-green glow, bringing serenity to lidded eyelids.

"Oh, I can be fun. Not on an ungodly hour such as this."

Akko lied down on the right side of the bed with a grumpy face. "You're such a mood killer, Diana."

"Well, I apologize in advance for continuing to kill moods," Diana said, going under the covers.

Akko turned in the bed and wrapped her arms around the blonde. "Whatever," she huffed. "At least my real objective is accomplished, and that is to cuddle the tsundere."

Akko's face was so close to hers, Diana could lean in and their lips would touch that easily. Diana braced a mask. "You and your Japanese terms, and what would you get with that?"

"I don't know," Akko cuddled her tighter, pushing some of Diana's hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, "Something good, maybe?"

Diana's face blushed crimson, huffing. "You're impossible, Akko."

"Diana," Akko's breathing tickled Diana's sensitive ears. "Don't sleep yet. I want to tell you something."

"Would it be so important to tell me in the middle of the night?" Diana asked. She knew that late night conversations bring out another side of people that they don't let others see.

Diana's witnessing Akko's most vulnerable state. And Diana was too curious for her own good.

"Of course it's important! Two am thoughts are honest feelings!"

"Then what is it?"

The brunette hurriedly curled her hand round the back of Diana's neck. Diana's chest hammered by instinct when Akko gazed longingly into her eyes, knowing what's about to happen. Diana knew of her feelings for Akko and she knew it was mutual but neither of them had done anything yet past their friendship.

Akko tilted Diana's head forward as she stretched, capturing Diana's lips, afraid that Diana would push her away, but Diana didn't. She lay there, paralyzed. As fast as it happened, the kiss suddenly ended.

Diana couldn't even properly savor the feelings and the taste the kiss has to offer because of its suddenness. Diana kept her secrets close to her heart, but now it threatened to overflow. It was severely lacking, her kiss with Akko could have been more. Diana knew she wanted more.

For a few minutes of silence, the air around them turned awkward. No one knows what to say or what to do. The only distraction present was the scanty light from the round object entered the room's shadowy atmosphere, dancing with motes of dust in the breeze.

Diana cleared her throat before asking. "What's with the night light?"

"I don't know," Akko said. There was still a hint of embarrassment in her voice and her body language. "But it reminds me of you so now I can't sleep without it."

Diana knew her cheeks were burning from being complimented. Though, Akko said simply as though she had just offered Diana a cup of tea. It made Diana lips curved upwards and she hugged her tightly.

"Since we're talking about honesty, I'm going to be totally honest with you," Akko said.

Diana's eyebrow perched up. "What did you do?"

"Nothing bad, really!" Akko hastened her speech. "It's just that..." she faltered. "Have you ever wanted someone so much it hurts?"

"Akko, I never pictured you to be emotional around two am," Diana said but she noticed the shorter girl's lips trembled as she tried to conjure up the words.

"I'm being serious, Diana!" she huffed.

"Then what is it?"

"It's just that. I suddenly went here to check on you because I had a bad dream?"

"What kind of dream?" Diana queried, "The ones where monsters are chasing you?"

"No, Diana." Akko grabbed both of the taller girl's shoulders, holding it tightly as if she's trying to know if Diana was really there or was just an illusion all this time. "It was much worse than that!"

"What is it, Akko?" Diana placed a warm palm on Akko's cheek. "Tell me."

"I dreamed that you were leaving Luna Nova again." Tears crystallized from the corner of her eyes. "That you want to get away from me. That's never going to happen, right? Diana, please tell me."

"Oh Akko," Diana rubbed the tears away with her thumb. "I would never leave you. I'd let go of everything else in my life but not you."

"You promise?" her eyes were full of hope and fear mixed all together.

She grabbed Akko's hand and placed the brunette's palms over her beating chest. "Hear my heartbeat, witness my oath to you." She bent over to reach Akko's lips, drawing her into another sweet kiss. Akko tilted her head back to allow Diana easier access to her mouth.

Akko trembled slightly when Diana's lips took hers.

No, it wasn't Akko, Diana pondered. It was herself.

She was the one who trembled. The Japanese girl was the one wrapping her arms around Diana's neck. Diana was the one whose arm kept insisting on shaking when she encircled Akko's waist. But that was it; it was only a dart and now a warm exhilarating feeling running through her body that was pressed firmly to Akko's.

Diana didn't have any thought to rush it but just take her time and take pleasure from Akko's soft tentative lips. Diana hadn't realized until now that passion wasn't about that mad urge to kiss someone, it wasn't about the hot kisses and fiery embraces, it was about the feelings one has for the person they were with.

All of her feelings for Akko were given through the kiss. Diana wanted her, and she wasn't going to lie about it, she cared about her as well. The soft gentle kisses they shared did more to hit Diana's knees and turn her weak than any amount of her fears combined.

Diana's one hand left Akko's waist, trailing it up the shorter girl's back to entangle her fingers in her brown hair.

Akko wasn't sure what she had expected from Diana but this soft and gentleness had taken her by surprise. Diana's kisses were slow and tender as if she had all the time in the world to hold Akko this way and she was taking her time to enjoy every second of it.

Akko leaned further into the blonde, her fingers drawing an idle pattern on the back of Diana's neck, half of her wishing she could get even much closer to the prodigal witch.

When Diana finally broke away from the kiss, her one hand still cupped her beloved's cheek, dusting her fingertips across Akko's chubby cheeks while trying to calm the beating of her heart and her unsteady breathing.

"I love you, Akko." She whispered. In those words, she made herself stronger. Pressing her lips to the shorter girl's forehead, Diana hugged Akko to her chest and stroking her hair softly, silently marveling at the fact that Akko's hers.

"I love you too, Diana," Akko whispered back.

Diana and Akko were once a duo whose silence together could mean they were in a disagreement, yet right now, they can spend intimate silence with one another. All those countless times they had nestled into a different corner of couches sipping teas, studying together in libraries, books in hand leisurely or studying, or even cuddling together in sleepovers.

"I don't know why but I'm excited when morning comes and Hannah and Barbara see us cuddling together. I wonder how they'd react." Akko snickered.

Diana giggled. "I always found them sleeping together and keep my reactions to myself. Those two are the opposite of my reactive nature. I guess... it's their turn now to see me with you."

"We own the night right now." Akko murmured under the blanket.

As the minutes swiftly and imperceptibly slipped through the striking of the clock, they listened to each other's pulse, making their heartbeat synchronized together as one. In their rhythm, sleep came to them soundly.


A/N

Cuddling is my kink so I'm much satisfied with writing day 3. This one's a little short but I promise the next ones are longer :3