Something There
Day 4 - Protection/Working Together.
Akko/Diana (3rd Person)
4/7 Dianakko Week 2017
"Why on earth am I the only one supposed to clean the classroom? Couldn't anyone else have done it? Someone else could've done it faster!"
She was tiptoeing on the platform, her arms trying to reach the corner of the blackboard where there was a little more goo from her own potions mix explosion. She's been levitating the rag for at least fifteen minutes but she couldn't get it any higher. The green stuff on the upper edge of the blackboard was already daunting her but with limited magic, Akko had to find other ways to try to reach it from a lower height.
"The instructions were clear, Akko," Diana said, not even looking up from her book–Advance Alchemy Vol. 4. "The person unable to create all three assigned potions for the full three hours is to clean the room. It was also your little, unstable concoction that created this mess in the first place. I'd say this is more of a clean-up rather than a punishment."
Akko stood there, her grip tightening on her wand as the rag levitating a few feet from her head wavered. "Stupid goop! Why do we even make board 5 times as big as the tallest professor out there? Why couldn't she have used her own magic to wipe everything off?! That's unreasonable! And lazy!"
"Expressing your anger is unreasonable. It provides no help in your current task and will upset you even more." Diana remarked, this time looking up and tilting her head sideways. Akko attempting to climb the board was ridiculous—ridiculously adorable at the back of Diana's mind—causing her to smile a bit. "The sooner you're done, the sooner we'll be on our way."
"Diana," Akko was now looking at her with a furrowed brow and crossed arms—to which Diana's little smirk dropped. "You don't really have to be here. I can do this on my own. Why can't you leave and go have fun studying somewhere else?"
"Ms. Finnelan personally asked me to supervise you. Last time, the outcome of your mischiefs took more than a day and a half to repair."
"Who cares? You don't." She pointed an accusatory finger towards Diana, who continued to pick up reading from where she left off. "You aren't even helping me. You're just in that little corner of the room with your big ol' book. This isn't a library. Go study in the library."
"Supervision, mind you, is different from helping. I'm supposed to be watching over you and not assisting you," she said without pause. "You sound like you're trying to get rid of me. For your info, it's not working at all." Diana turned a page, running her fingers across the first few lines. "Besides, the library's full right now due to our examinations. Keeping my eye on you grants me access to an empty classroom—away from the commotion. It'll be difficult to review with almost every student confined in the same area. Being assigned to look after you was the lesser of two evils.."
"What do you mean lesser of two evils?!" She took a step back, finally understanding what Diana was trying to say. "Hey! I'm not noisy!" Akko sighed. "What makes everyone think that I've got all the time in the world to clean stuff? I've got exams to study for too! I don't want to get kicked out! It's just–"
Something clicked in her head. Maybe if she jumped she'd be able to get to it. She turned around, waving her wand and positioning the rag underneath the green slime.
"It's just–"
She jumped. It didn't work. Try again.
"—I've been trying my best—"
Jump. Still didn't work. Again.
"—but I can't seem—"
Jump. Nope. Needs more force. Again.
"—to get things right!"
She jumped too high, eager to try to wipe the edge. She almost had it, a few more centimeters but she came up short. Instead, her foot landed on an uneven part of the platform. She was on the verge of falling, and she flailed her arms in the air, trying to keep herself upright.
"T—tch—"
It didn't work.
Crap.
She lost balance, accidentally throwing her wand somewhere else and the rag she was levitating fell right on her face. Now, she was anticipating the pain of her mishap.
Although there was a resounding thump that echoed throughout the room, but her behind never hit the floor.
Instead, she was floating a few inches from it, her skirt all rumpled. Underneath her was a thin sheet of air, keeping her afloat. Her wand landed on the teachers table, rolling towards the corner with the end dangling a bit.
She peeked from behind the rag on her face.
Diana's right arm was outstretched, wand pointing towards Akko with its tip lit. In her own panic, Diana had crumpled the page she was reading with her other hand, which propped her full form out for support. She's sighed heavily, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape.
"Thank you," Akko said defeated. She gathered herself before standing up, taking the cloth from her face, taking her wand and proceeded to go the edge of the blackboard again.
"That was frightening," she said.
"I always frighten everyone," she said with a low voice, but still managing to pull a smile despite the embarrassing fall. "Sucy says it's because everything I do is either dumb or toooooo dumb."
Diana let out a chuckle, the light at the end of her wand slowly faded. She retracted it as she tucked it away. "She's definitely correct, but that word seems off." Her fingers straightened out the crumpled page of the book, a small grunt escaping her lips—she should've been a little more careful. "I think, not dumb, but ambitious. Everything you do is ambitious or tooooo ambitious."
"Sounds way better than dumb," Akko chimed.
Diana stood up and made her way to the platform. "You're letting your emotions rule over proper form and damaging your technique. Here, let me help you."
"I'm not taking pointers from you! I can do this on my own!" She took a step back from Diana.
"Could you please set your bullheadedness aside this particular time? You'll get to study as soon as you're finished with cleaning up. Now," She stood behind Akko as she reached out for her hand, holding Akko's grip on her wand. "That's the only thing that's left to be cleaned. Once, it's been cleared, we can leave."
Akko's eyes widened, still unsure exactly how to feel with Diana's chest up against her back. The touch of Diana's hand on her own was electrifying, she tried so hard to keep her thoughts away from it, especially since her cheeks were growing hotter by the minute, her stomach doing flips and knees starting to feel like jelly.
"Akko," she was startled, her shoulders frigid and her neck tickling from Diana's breath. "First, take a deep breath and relax."
How though? Hand on her own, Diana standing inches apart from her back—this was far from a relaxing situation.
"Focus on the rag and move it." Compared to the earlier levitation, the rag was shaking and unstable. "Relax Akko. Now think of the magical energy as an extension of your arm, reaching out and stretching towards that little corner where the slime is."
You try relaxing in this situation! Akko wanted to scream. If this continues, she's sure she was going to faint.
Akko's lips formed a tight line as she tried to apply Diana's advice. But the mere touch of Diana's hand on her own was sending her focus from the rag right back to their grip.
Diana's hands felt so smooth, so light yet steady. Diana was trying to get Akko's hold a little firmer on her own wand, correcting Akko's fingers from an awkward grip to a proper one—like that of a hand shake. "Keep your hand firm on the grip. It's how you're going to control the energy flowing into it so don't keep it loose."
"Tsss—" Akko looked away, she knew that, she just couldn't do it now, not with Diana right there. "That's basic stuff," she murmured. "What makes you think I don't know that?"
"Maybe, if you did then I wouldn't have to correct you on your form?" Diana said matter-of-factly, Akko could feel Diana smirking even though she couldn't see her face. "Now, try to extend your reach—magical reach, not physical. Keep your focus on the rag and let the magic flow through you."
Akko, teeth gritting and brow furrowed, shifted her focus, with extreme difficulty, from Diana's hand to the rag.
Focus. Extend, then reach.
The rag went from shaking to steady in a few seconds. Moments later, the rag floated to the top, Akko's eyes widening as she waved her hand to finally clean that wretched goo on top of the board with ease. Once the board was clean, the rag dropped on the platform as Akko threw her hands up in the air to celebrate.
"Yeah! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Diana!" She turned around to hug Diana tight as she could, burying her face at the crook of Diana's neck.
Diana stood still, eyes wide, muscles stiff, and confused. She felt butterflies in her stomach. Her arms were suspended a few inches away from Akko's form. Where should place her arms? On Akko's waist? Around Akko's waist? On her hip? Across her back? Should she just let her arms dangle there?
"Diana?" Snapping her from her trance, she turned her head towards Akko, whose face was only a breath away. In fact, she was so close that Diana could count her eyelashes, see how her irises were as red and fiery as her own character, dangerously reckless, selflessly compassionate, and stunningly beautiful—something that Diana's observed over the course of her friendship with her. With Akko's cheeks tinted a bit red, the soft rays of sundown was giving her enough light to look as if they were glowing.
Diana's heart skipped a beat.
Akko's close enough that she's sure that her friends lips would feel soft and tender and perfect on her own.
Too close.
Diana jumped back, nearly losing her balance but quickly reaching out to the teacher's table behind them to keep her from falling.
"Diana?" Akko called out, her voice losing its normal tone and replaced with something softer, worried with a hint of disappointment.
"S-sorry," Diana said, stuttering while she leaned against the edge of the teacher's table. Her heart was beating right out of her chest and her lungs felt like the air has been knocked out of them. She tried to wipe her face on her sleeve, her cheeks feeling a familiar heat, one that's only present and never fails to show up every time Akko's nearby. "I-I'm sorry. I'm not used to—"
"Girls?" Ms. Finnelan was at the door, surprised. Although she did expect Akko's detention to run smoothly, she didn't expect that it would've been done quickly. With Diana's supervision, Akko must've straightened out, able to complete tasks without brewing any sort of trouble.
"Wow," she said, placing her hands on her hips and a satisfactory grin spreading across her face. "I wouldn't ever imagine Ms. Kagari's cleaning would be done this fast and without chaos. Well done, Ms. Kagari, Ms. Cavendish. I should group the both of you together more often. You'd make great partners."
Diana, wasting no time, scurried over to her stuff, stacking the books as fast as she could and then fled her way out of the classroom, but not before saying a hurried, "Goodbye, Ms. Finnegan," before she went out.
Akko, on the other hand, walked towards her things slowly, slinging her small pack over her shoulder and ambled to the door.
"Did something happen?" Ms. Finnegan asked, confused with Diana's hasty retreat.
Akko stopped and looked at her. She tried to find the right set of words to answer but settled with a shrug. "No," she mumbled, unsure if the professor's even heard her reply, and went on her way.
Walking out the door, she saw Diana standing near the end of the hallway. She was right in the middle of the soft light through one of Luna Nova's broad windows. Before she turned into the corridor leading to her dorm, she took a small glimpse at Akko with an expression Akko couldn't read.
I guess, Akko thought. Maybe something should've?