Dia can't believe it.
They won.
Aqours won.
Aqours won Love Live.
The huge screen in front of them is flashing 'AQOURS' over and over again. Confetti is raining down from the ceiling, piling on her head, shoulders, and grazes her skin when the paper flakes slip from their mounds and graze her skin. The crowd is cheering, sounding so clear yet so distant at the same time, chanting various names and phrases. It's such an incomprehensible mess that Dia almost thinks that she's dreaming.
But when she scans the crowd and sees the familiar faces of her mother and father, tears in their eyes and kingblades in their hands, Dia is hit with the realization that she won.
They won.
Aqours won.
Dia is hit with memories—hard. She remembers her first steps into the idol world. She remembers her hopes, her dreams, her aspirations. She remembers the motivation that drove her every action when she finally created her own group with Kanan and Mari. She remembers the heart-wrenching agony when their failures became one too many and their friendship dissolved like seafoam. She remembers the lonely years and the heavy burden on her shoulders. She remembers the rekindling of her dream and relationships because a certain girl refused to give up. She remembers the soreness of training, the disappointment of no praise, and the joy when at least one person shows up to their performances. She remembers the hard work. She remembers the tears and the laughs that were shared.
Then she's crying.
It's as if someone unplugged something inside of her because Dia is sobbing uncontrollably now. Big tears are rolling down her cheeks. Her shaky hands come up to feebly wipe away her tears. Her white gloves are stained with streaks of makeup as she tries to compose herself, but it's so damn hard to do because how can she be calm when she just achieved what she worked so hard for? How can anyone not be overwhelmed?
Pride, humility, and relief is churning inside her chest as her wails pierce the air, her cries just as loud as the voices chanting her name. As she struggles for breath, she thinks to herself how surreal everything feels. A part of her is scared that when she pulls her hands away from her eyes, everything will fade like a mirage.
The thought makes her cry even harder.
Warmth encompasses her, and she feels weights rest on each of her shoulders. Dia takes a wavering breath, the scent of lemon trees by the ocean filling her lungs.
"W-we did it, D-Dia!" It's Mari's cracked voice that's speaking, and God, hearing it makes Dia want to cry even more. "W-we were sh-shiny!"
Dia manages to let out a choked laugh. "Th-that do-doesn't make any sen-sense, M-Mari!"
"Leave her alone, she can't think straight." It's Kanan's voice this time, and Dia can hear her tone wavering as she speaks. Dia's heart lurches in her chest.
The last time she saw Kanan cry so openly was when Mari left.
A new wave of emotion crashes into her, stronger this time. But instead of crying, Dia wraps her arms around Kanan and Mari and pulls them closer. They reciprocate the gesture, burying their faces in the crook of Dia's neck, their tears leaving cold kisses on Dia's skin.
"O-our d-dream ca-came true," is all Dia can choke out. Kanan and Mari laugh, and their hold on her tightens.
Nothing else is said as the rest of Aqours join in the hug, their cheers of joy the only thing Dia can hear in the rowdy arena.
Aqours did it.
They won.
And Dia is beyond ecstatic to share this moment with her beautiful girlfriends and their family.
AN: this was something that i really wanted to get off of my chest for a while now, and i decided to self-insert as dia lmao. recently my band won first place at a local competition, and i could have never been more proud of them. what i felt at that moment was i think dia would have felt if aqours won love live. the feeling that overtakes you in moments like those are indescribable, but i hope i managed to convey them well enough in this small drabble.
and, of course, having dia sobbing onstage calls for kanadiamari.
hope you enjoyed.