Lotte loved her friends. She did, honestly. Probably more so than words could ever hope to describe.

She saw the best in them. She trusted them. She believed in them. They were a team.

A family.

However, Lotte Yanson was not ignorant enough to turn a complete blind eye to both of her roommates more...cataclysmic habits.

The occasional late night kitchen heists and mushroom overhauls were small in comparison to some of the things she had seen.

Three years of nearly dying could do that too a person, go figure.

Never though, in their entire time spent at Luna Nova, had Lotte EVER felt quite as unnerved as she did at this very moment.

"Sucy, I really dont think-"

"-that this is a good idea. I know. You've already mentioned four times."

Despite her usual monotone, Sucy remained fixated with intense focus on the task at hand.

The herbs in this vial were not glowing like the text said they should be. The last batch mixed hadn't properly recolored at all.

And to top it off, she was running out of time to work. Again. For what felt like the hundredth time this week.

To say that Sucy was annoyed would be an gross understatement at this point.

However, at the sound of Lotte shifting nervously on top of her bed, like she had been the entire last hour while pretending to not watch her work, Sucy finally tore her eyes away from her experiment. Long enough to meet Lotte's eyes and set the equipment in her hands down fully.

Like an unspoken rule of thumb, the gesture was meant to convey giving the other girl her full undivided attention. An action reserved only for Lotte, and sometimes Akko if the circumstances were serious enough.

Lotte squeezed her pillow closer to her chest. Almost uncertain of how to phrase the question that Sucy could already tell was coming.

Again.

"I just don't think this is safe. C-couldn't we try something else?"

Exactly as expected, Sucy pretended to consider Lotte's words for a moment. She stared off to a random corner of the room in "thought", as though she hadn't already spent the past month of her life researching well into the early morning for such possibilities.

As though they literally hadn't just had the exact same argument last night.

"Nothing like this exists. At least nothing that would work like how I want it to."

"B-but using a truth serum to manipulate someone just sounds-"

"-terrible. Yes I know. I get it."

Without another word, Sucy tried to turn back to the equipment scattered along her desk. Only to stop mid way when the, horrendously familiar, feeling of guilt began to wash up over her.

The emotions that made her actually consider other's feelings were the worst parts of friendship. If ever given the chance she was certain she would find a way to physically strangle the chemicals in her brain that made them possible.

"Look, Lotte-"

"What if she isn't ready yet?"

The genuine concern was continuing to grow like an anxious cloud atop of Lotte's bunk. She looked truly upset at the thoughts plaguing her mind from all of this.

Sucy sighed.

Fucking chemicals.

"Listen, this won't even be half as extreme as you're imagining. She won't feel the effects after 24 hours...tops...I think..."

Lotte burrowed deeper into her pillow before moving her head back enough to remove her glasses and massage the bridge of her nose. The headache she could feel coming on was monstrous.

Sucy was one of her best friends, but so was Akko.

She knew Sucy was trying to help, but that only made her worry all the more.

So many things could go wrong.

Plus all of this plotting while the brunette was away set her insides in a nasty place.

Secrets were one thing, but she mine as well be signing her seal of approval on the lies by now.

"What if-what if it does something that makes her blind? Or- or her hair fall out?! Or her tongue explode?"

"Then I guess Akko will get her tenth stamp from the nurse's office again."

"Sucy!"

Even though she intended her reprimand to be more serious, Lotte couldn't help but giggle a bit.

Sucy's constant guinea pig testings meant that Akko had seen/felt the odder ailments while at Luna Nova. While none of the work had seriously harmed Akko, beyond a mushroom for legs or bad taste in her mouth, she was not a fan. Especially after the nurse had taken to making her, and her alone, a frequent visitor's card that collected stamps.

Her pride had been hurt, but not enough to deny a free pudding cup after every ten visits.

Unbeknown to Akko though, and mist likely the nurse too, Sucy truly only tested things that she was sure were harmless. Or at the very least non lethal.

She DID have a soul. Though she'd never admit it.

Just as it was now, after three long years of friendship, Sucy would still probably rather tear off her own arm rather then admit the real reason as to why she was even working on a truth serum to begin with.

All to make her friends happy.

"...you know we could just let her do this on her own."

"We also could wait for hell to freeze over, but that's honestly more likely than her confessing before we die at this point."

Lotte smiled a sad, but agreeing smile.

It was unfortunate.

Constantly having to watch their best friend bury her feelings every time the blonde came into view. Everyone else had caught on by now, save for Diana herself of course. Hannah and Barbara had played undercover intel for several weeks before confirming as much.

Diana was oblivious, and Akko was scared.

Whenever any one of them tried to offer any sort of assistance, The brunette refused to admit there was anything to even talk about.

It wasn't hard to imagine why. Diana was DIANA.

Despite how close she had become with them all she was still was as unintentionally "above" them in a way that felt unexplainable, but apparent.

They all saw her as more human now for sure, she was their friend. But nothing stopped something as natural as her mere presence from being overwhelmingly powerful. She was a beacon to the rest of the world, that even Amanda couldn't deny. She commanded respect. She was a golden example of honor and grace. Anyone with half a brain cell could see those thing.

Akko, however, saw so much more.

When she talked about Diana it was as though the usual light in her eyes sparked up with the intensity of a wildfire. When retelling any story that involved the blonde, whether it be of class, sparring matches, their battle against the nuke, races, studying, or even just small unexceptional moments Akko's entire heart moved with her words.

How radiant Diana looked, how beautifully her words were, how compassionate she was, how patient, how amazing, how deeply stunning she was doing the simplest of things.

It was adorable and it would have been even more so if Akko had ever said any of those things to Diana herself.

No, instead the brunette's smile always dimmed a bit once she realized what she was doing by singing the praises of someone she couldn't tell. She always seemed to catch herself, swept up in her own feelings she didn't want to allow herself to express. She would shut down the spark within and smile just enough to hide the sadness that reflected back across her eyes. Across her entire soul.

She was a lovesick girl content to let her feelings burn and wither.

The sight was heartbreaking, and only got worse the longer it went on. Until finally, after witnessing it one too many times, Sucy had decided to take action.

Hence why rather than finish even one of the countless other experiments she had been itching to revisit, she was here. Using all of her free time, effort, ingredients, and attention on texts that spoke of desire. Paragraphs upon paragraphs of passion, feelings, commitment, and honesty. The brewing techniques of "seeing" true love, finding "soulmates", every cliché imaginable.

It was disgusting. Yet she persisted.

Sucy had originally searched with fake disinterest. Given that Lotte already teased her enough about caring daily. But now after so many nights together having the same debate over and over again, Sucy had dropped her casual bored charade and honestly focused.

Tonight Akko had been called to practice flying with Amanda, per Sucy's request, and would be gone until 11. Hopefully, if they didn't get caught past curfew.

This left just the barest amount of time for Sucy to work on the proper biochemical makeup of herbs needed to induce honesty. A touchy subject to apparently all magic users that weren't dealing with treason, theft, or cheating spouses.

A.K.A, there wasn't anything helpful. So every measurement was a guess.

It had to work. If not now, soon. She hated every incorrect sample. It haunted Sucy every time she felt her stupid heart ache from Akko's dumb kicked puppy expression while watching Diana leave a room.

All of this was because stupid Akko refused to do the normal thing and just confess. All because she just HAD to care.

Fucking emotions...

"Do you think Amanda's having any better luck talking with her?"

Sucy shrugged before carefully relining her vials on their proper hooks along the tray and standing up.

"Last I checked, all she's been doing is trying to get a reaction out of her when Diana's around. And vice versa. I doubt that grade A idea has gotten very far."

Says the one making a literal truth elixir for the sake of doing the exact same thing. But Lotte bit her tongue on that remark.

They all were trying. They all wanted to help. Though some just were less willing to say so.

Baby steps.

Before Lotte could comment further, the door to their dorm room burst open with, speak of the devil, Amanda.

"Holy shit you two have to hear-"

She had tried to close the door behind her, but a familiar body all but launched itself straight through the opening and onto Amanda's arm.

Akko looked upset-

Wait, rephrase, Akko looked mortified.

The years had certainly been kinder in terms of height for Amanda, who had no issue keeping whatever was in her hand high up out of Akko's reach.

The sight would have been comical had the brunette not looked ready to commit manslaughter.

"AMANDA-"

"Aw come on, it's cute- Mrs. Diana Kagari! Mrs. Akko Cavendish!"

Akko tried to strangle O'Neil into silence, but the taller girl's tie merely came undone with a snap and fell to the ground.

Amanda didn't even move a step as she flipped to another page.

"Do you have the wedding vows written in here too? Can I officiate so I can say you may now use your step stool to kiss the bride?"

Lotte had to cover her mouth to hide her laughter, but Sucy openly gave a soft 'ha' at the blush that sent Akko's face from pink to firehouse red in half a second. Her expression seemed to be unable on whether or not to settle with embarrassed, angry, or homicidal.

"Give it back! It's none of your business!"

"Gotta reach, shortstack. That or just go admit to D that you want her D-"

Before she could finish Akko suddenly launched herself up. Like an slow frame by frame, the brunette managed to propel herself up on Amanda's shoulder and make a grab for her notebook.

The shift of weight, however, immediately threw the redhead back off her feet, and before either one could stop it, the two went crashing directly into Sucy.

Or more so Sucy's tray of vials.

Lotte was off her bunk in a flash and quickly moved to help the three of them up. Depending on what you considered lucky, Sucy and Amanda were completely free of any marks or stains from the spilt herbs.

Akko however was not as fortunate.

"Eww it's in my eyes! UEG- what is this?! I feel sticky and smell lik-"

Akko suddenly went very still.

Her words seemed to trail off as the color in her eyes briefly flickered away.

She was alive? Maybe. Her entire body felt light, then heavy, then cold.

She was too hot.

She was too hot.

Lotte looked extremely concerned and moved to touch Akko's shoulder, only to have Sucy stop her.

"Wait a second...we don't know what those herbs will do when mixed to-"

A blinding light, almost like the sun, began to form just to the left of Akko's chest. The sound of something dropping, then being clicked back into place filled the deafening silence, before a spark ignited and the smell of something burning filled the room.

Then with a loud pop the light vanished.

And in its place there was...A heart?

A comically pink, beating, cartoon shaped heart was floating just besides Akko's frozen form.

Everyone tried their best not to move as the glowing mass of warm energy beat in time like a metronome. After another second of silence, the small heart suddenly wore the same expression as Akko's face and peered around its surroundings much like a newborn spirit.

"Oh my god...OH MY GOD. W-we killed, Akko! OH M Y-"

"-what?"

Akko, who was no longer seemingly set in stone, was conscious enough to notice her friends' expressions. She tilted her head in confusion and the heart seemed to mimic the action.

"What are you guys-"

With a glance to her left, Akko took a moment to take in the tiny matching set of eyes that mirrored her own.

The two stared at one another for a beat.

There was a floating heart beside her. A floating heart that was wearing the exact same face as her.

Akko did the next appropriate thing and screamed.

Amanda had to tackle the brunette to cover her mouth. Her green eyes darted between the struggling Akko and the whatever was floating besides them.

It looked startled. It looked frightened.

"This is bad. Shit- I- oh my god we made a mini Akko, we killed Akko- we- made a mini dead Akko, fuck we- we're so fuc-"

Lotte had her wand at the ready, but didn't even know where to begin.

"C-calm down-"

"Calm down?! THAT THING IS ALIVE!"

"I-im sure theres a logical reason t-to-"

"THERE IS A FLOATING HEART WEARING AKKO'S FACE ONE FOOT AWAY FROM US. NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS LOGICAL-"

Sucy dropped the top of her book onto Amanda's head. Silencing her ramble.

"Lotte's right."

"She is?"

"I am?"

Sucy nodded before lazily opening her text back up and flipping to a random assortment of symbols.

Some of them spoke of feelings and the manifestation of souls. Others warned of the side effects associated with untested imbalances when it came to witch's biology. Nothing mentioned anything like this.

"As far as I can tell, whatever that is, is Akko too. Part of her at least."

The small heart peered from Sucy to Amanda to Lotte. It's large wine colored eyes uncomprehending any of the words, but fully content to take in the silence before smiling brightly and bouncing in place.

Lotte took a step closer and tried to see if perhaps she could speak with the, whatever it was, like she did with spirits.

However rather than hear any voice respond to her internally, all Lotte could feel was warmth and light. Almost as if happiness had a physical presence. It actually felt as though she were being hugged...though it was eerily similar to Akko's usual hugs, minus the body.

"I-I can't hear anything, but it's definitely giving off strong emotions."

"It looks harmless. Maybe it-"

Feeling an impatient hand swat at her arm repeatedly, Amanda realized that she was still covering Akko's mouth. Upon letting Akko free from her grasp however, the brunette jumped to her feet and ran to stand directly face to face with the small floating version of herself.

The two held another stare off for a moment before the heart began to bounce in place again.

"Okay that's cute, but what exactly happened to me?"

Sucy was going through a few different pages, but at the most she was still left with no clear answer.

"If I had to guess I'd say that it's either a part of your soul, a external version of your internal feelings, or just your 'heart' manifesting in a stupidly cliché way."

No one moved for a while. All processing the sudden bought of possibilities at a slow rate.

Akko brought a hand to her pulse point before sighing in relief.

"Not a zombie, but is there any way you could um- maybe put it back?"

Frowning, Sucy considered her options before shaking her head.

"I don't know any magic that could reverse this. I don't even know what exactly was mixed...so unless you want me to surgically-"

"Nope. Nope. No I'm fine!"

Lotte gently placed a hand against Akko's shoulder. Concern still clear as day in her eyes.

"Are you sure you feel alright?"

"I think? Im pretty sure I'm not dead, and I guess mini me is staying for a little while. But besides her, it? Whatever, I feel exactly the same!"

Sucy smirked before finally putting down her text and moving to start brushing the broken shards of glass off the floor.

"That's a shame. I was hoping to go down in history as the first witch to accidentally cure stupidity."

"HEY!"

The tension melted away from atmosphere as everyone got a laugh from Akko's irritated expression. The pout couldn't last very long though once her heart begin to bounce around Sucy with a cheerful grin. Betrayed by her own inability to ever stay mad.

The little heart danced around Sucy as she continued to clean up, and for a split second Akko swore she saw a small smile on the other girl's face, but it was gone too fast to ever know.

"Im going to get new vials from the supply room."

Lotte carefully stepped around the mess and lit up her wand with a soft glow.

"I'll come too. We'll need more paper towels and gloves to clean all this up."

With the other two gone, Akko was left with Amanda and her emotions.

The heart seemed more than content to float around and play with the red head's curious wand. Amanda was about to speak, but stopped to laugh in stead as the heart tripped over the edge of the bed and fell with a small thud onto the floor.

"Wow, it even has the klutz part down to a tee."

A sudden knock at the door startled Akko before she could retort. The two shared a confused glance.

Had the door gotten locked on their way out?

"Lotte? Suc-"

"It's Diana. May I please come in for a moment?"

Immediately, as though flipping a switch, the heart version of Akko began to beat sporatically out of time. Various shades of reds and pinks lit up its form like a city all at once, with a bright intensity. Amanda looked from the heart, to Akko, back to the heart, before a sly grin began to make it's way onto her face.

"Oh. My. God."

"Hello? Akko?"

Diana sounded concerned as she knocked again.

Akko, who had been paralyzed at the sight of her own feelings betraying her so vividly, made a grab for the overexcited heart.

"J-just a sec! Im-"

Without warning, the heart dashed forward and began to jump at the door. It's eyes were practically beaming with excitement as it bounced up and down like a puppy waiting to see it's owner after a long work day.

If Akko's cheeks could be any redder she'd probably set a record.

"Is everything alright in there?"

"Hang on- Im- changing!"

Akko looked desperate as her eyes darted across the room.

Amanda moved suddenly and rushed to gently grab the excited heart and place it in Lotte's desk drawer.

Only to immediately hear a series of crashing thuds hit the oak panels. The entire desk shook too and fro, nearly knocking a few of the decorations on top over as the heart tried to get out.

"Shit, Akko you've got it bad-"

Not willing to risk it, Akko ignored Amanda's jab and quickly ran to grab her mini self out of the drawer and shove it into the redhead's arms.

"Amanda, I'm begging you, just- just don't say anything! I- hold it pleaseeee!"

Before she could give an answer, Akko moved away towards the doorway. With no other choice, and without thinking, Amanda tore off her uniform vest and wrapped the struggling heart up.

It struggled at once and all but knocked the redhead over onto the adjacent bed. She had to pull both her arms over top of it before shooting Akko a quick thumbs up.

The brunette took a breath.

She was a strong witch. She was mature now that she was older. She was completely in control of herself.

She opened the door.

Upon seeing Diana, mouth set in a irritated line and a single eyebrow raised with suspicion, Akko's heart fought like the shooting star broom back when it had been chained.

Amanda felt herself nearly fall off the bed and made a mental note to callout Akko about THAT new fact later. If her arm wasn't broken in four different places by then that is.

"Diana! What a surprise! I- actually I mean I know you said it was you but, we werent expecting- I mean- I didn't, not that youre not a great surprise! Youre a surprise! But just- only- yeah so how have you been? It's been...like- um- hours?"

Had she not been in the process of holding down a tidal wave of Akko's feelings, Amanda would have facepalmed.

It was like witnessing a car hit a wall then spiral into a fire. A horribly uncomfortable fire.

However if the blonde had noticed any awkwardness, she was either too distracted to show it, or too polite to mention.

"I'm fine, thank you, Akko. I apologize for intruding so late after curfew, but I had been making rounds and-...O'neil?"

Diana trailed off upon catching sight of Amanda sitting upright on top of Akko's bed.

The first few buttons of her shirt looked like they had been torn open, her tie was on the floor, and her uniform vest was currently being clutched against her midsection in a death grip.

As though she had been caught, or rather THEY had been caught doing something.

A lot of very wrong and very suggestive thoughts were begining to criss cross together in Diana's eyes, but before she could assume anything, Lotte, bless her heart, appeared at the doorway with Sucy in tow.

"Diana?"

"Oh, hello ladies, I was just...um...leaving-"

Diana sounded strained as she spoke, and upon peering inside, Lotte automatically ran a mental diagnosis of damage control. Understanding snapped together at once and she immediately lifted her hands up to display the cleaning supplies she held.

"Oh! Y-you don't have to go! Sucy and I w-were just getting extra towels because our tea spilt!"

She gestured to Akko, who in turn glanced down and noticed that she was still covered in wet blotches of herbs and elixir liquids.

It was the best improvised lie any of them had ever seen. Even Sucy seemed impressed. How on earth Lotte was able to cover so perfectly on the spot was beyond them. It made Akko wonder if, by some magical fate, one of the hundreds of Nightfall books had a similar situation in it.

Asking would have to wait for later though. Amanda had picked up on the hint first and easily fell into place by nodding casually in agreement.

"Yeah, Akko knocked the pot on us so I was just gettin changed. Come by to sneak a peak, Cavendish?"

The taunt set the atmosphere into a familiar setting and Diana rolled her eyes as she always did. Some of the rigidness left her body as well, as her arm found its usual spot on her hip whenever she and Amanda went at it.

"Shockingly, no. I have no desire to watch you crumple your clothes into more of a wrinkled mess than they usually are, O'neil."

The redhead stuck her tongue out. Diana sighed before turning to look at Akko again.

Amanda felt a particularly hard hit to her chest and nearly wheezed.

"If that's what happened, then I suppose that explains the scream I heard during rounds. I had come up to check if everything was alright."

"Are ya sure you weren't just comin up to see Akko?"

Diana glanced back to the redhead with a raised brow. Completely unfazed.

"If youre implying I wasn't also concerned for Lotte and Sucy's wellbein-"

"Not at all, I'm just saying-"

Akko suddenly jumped between the two.

"The tea! It was just hot and - I- it was hot-not us- We werent hot- I mean you- youre hot- NOT HOT- I meant the tea! It burned an -yeah. Sorry I scre-"

A kind smile found it's way back onto the blonde's face as she held her hand up to stop Akko mid ramble.

"Akko, settle down, I promise you're not in trouble for breaking curfew."

If that's why she thought Akko was panicking, the brunette was more than content to let that lie save her from shoving more feet into her mouth.

Small blessings.

"I suppose I should be going then if everything is alright. Goodnight to you all."

Lotte called out goodnight in response while Sucy nodded to the blonde as she passed. However before she could make it out to the hallway, Diana stopped and peered down.

Akko's heart metaphorically and quite literally froze.

The notebook from earlier had been dropped during their scuffle.

How could she forget?!

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the blonde moved to pick it up. Akko though was faster. She moved with a speed unseen, nearly blowing Sucy over, just barely grabbing the notebook from Diana's hand and throwing it further into the room.

"Ignore that! Junk mail- damn advertisers- always just- ya know advertising and junk- just psshh trash- I you- you should go since im wet- IM NOT WET! Im - Im in tea- tea the tea's me- im wet with tea- and it's cold now- not hot- so cold- o- yeah you know okay byeDianaHaveANiceNightbye!"

Akko all but shoved Diana to the doorway and remained stiff and unmoving in her failing to be casual position.

Diana's curious eyes held onto the brunette's form for a moment, before she finally relented. There was nothing she could decipher so late in the night that couldn't wait till tomorrow.

With one final goodnight Diana turned back the way she came.

Amanda waited just before Akko was about to close the door, and cupped her hand to her mouth before shouting-

"YO CAVENDISH, WHAT ARE YOU DOIN LEAVIN WITH AKKO'S PANTIES?"

A few lights from the nearby dorm rooms flickered on and the blonde stopped mid step.

Akko physically could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand as stiffly as her spine. An almost pitch black form of rage filtered over Diana's body as she slowly moved to turn back around.

The instinct half of her mind suddenly wanted nothing more then to fully utilize the flight option to a flight or fight response.

Before the blonde could fully commit and come back to hex Amanda into god only knows what universe, Akko slammed the door to their room and locked it. She immediately collapsed against the hard wood and brought her hands up to muffle her own scream of embarrassment.

"Amanda. I. Hate. You."

The redhead shrugged before finally releasing her grip on the overexcited bundle of emotions. She then fell back onto the bed with a groan of exhaustion.

"Not to be dramatic, but your giant lady boner for D basically broke my ribs. Consider what I said collateral payment and a bonus for planting the idea in her head."

The tiny Akko peered around and took in Akko's bent over form before pouting.

Diana was gone now.

The melancholy was short lived between both though as Akko stood up and threw her hands towards the ceiling.

"THERES NOTHING TO PLANT! SHE DOESNT-"

"Feel the same, you say this every single-"

"Because it's TRUE!"

"To you! Have you seen the way she stares at your-"

"AMANDA!"

Lotte sighed in relief and silently moved to finish cleaning up the rest of the mess on the floor.

It was nice to have things semi back to normal. Even if this argument included a mini version of her friend.

Unknown to any of them though, Sucy had used her new vials to scoop up what remained of the spilt elixirs.

They had some VERY interesting results, and the curiosity of what would happen next was enough to make her smile.