It was dark out. The sun had set hours ago, the night taking over. In this world of mystery and magic, night time was a whole other world compared to the hours of the day. Creatures of a different kind could roam under the protection of the stars and darkness; allowed to hunt, sing, and dance. Or whatever else they enjoyed.

At these hours, sentries would ensure that Luna Nova was safe from beasts and monsters of the night. At these hours, very few dared to sacrifice sleep for other activities. All knew that a lack of sleep would lead to poor performances on school work and the casting of spells.

But two students at Luna Nova were willing to sacrifice one night of sleep for something much more significant and worthwhile. To each other, their secret hidden with the darkness of the night.

She was late. Always late. She'd think she would've learned by now, but no.

Despite her misfortune with time, she still had to be quiet. Her uneven breaths were kept hushed as she slipped behind corners and hid in the shadows when sentries would fly by. This meeting was secret. Which meant she could not get caught. It was their special night after all, the night that both had been looking forward to since the last.

Finally, she entered another hallway to another wing of the school. This was an off-limits area to most students. Only a select few could enter this wing without punishment from staff.

And only one student was allowed here at these hours.

She slowed as she neared her destination. She knew which door to find, but she could not enter. She could only hope that she was not holding up her partner for too long.

Upon arrival, a shadowy figure was seen, leaning against the door. The figure hid well, but she could just make them out on this dark night.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" She whispered as she stopped before them. The shadow figure said nothing, only turned and took out their wand from their cloak's belt. They whispered a spell she would never be able to begin to comprehend, and the door before them unlocked. Both snuck in quickly before they were discovered.

The figure shut the door behind them, and locked the door with the same spell. She took this moment to catch her breath, as she had been holding it in this whole time. She hadn't even noticed that the figure had quietly moved over to her until arms draped around her shoulders. She had waited a week for this.

"Diana," She whispered, leaning back into her touch. Diana's arms only tightened in their hold.

"Akko," The white blonde breathed, and Akko had missed the softness of that voice. A voice so powerful and smooth in spell-casting also made the brunette weak kneed when it was soft and gentle.

After a few more moments of finally being able to be together, they felt that it was time to remove their cloaks and get ready for bed. A single, large bed sat in the room, accompanied by a nightstand, a desk, and a cabinet next to the door. Across from the door were large curtains, the faint light from outside leaking through. This was a bedroom meant for a staff member. But it had sat empty for years, making it the perfect meeting place.

Akko had already discarded her cloak at the end of the bed, and fell back onto the sheets. She squirmed, and sighed as she relaxed. Both of them had found it easier to wear their pajamas underneath, as they were only doing this at the late hours of the night. Diana took the time to grab both of their cloaks and lay it on the desk chair neatly.

"It was such a long dayyyy," Akko whined from the bed. Diana grinned to herself as she flattened the wrinkles out from their cloaks. Akko was right however; all the students had been testing all day. Akko had to work much harder because she was not accustomed to magic as everyone else was. Though, through vigorous tutoring from Diana, Akko's skills as a witch were improving.

"It's been a long week," Diana muttered, Akko just barely able to hear it. While her voice was strong, it also had that faint sense of fatigue. Diana had to work harder, on top of afterschool responsibilities the teachers would expect from her. This single night out of the week was one that both always looked forward to. A time to relax and be with each other.

"At least we get to be together," Akko noticed how quiet Diana had gotten and tried breaking the silence. It was true though; nobody knew of their relationship. Something that had formed after being forced together to raise a baby dragon. Something that formed after many afternoons and nights of studying and tutoring.

Something that would ruin everything both had for each other; because Diana was the best student of Luna Nova in recent years, and Akko was the school dunce, seen as an all time failure. Their relationship would cause rumors to spread like poison.

Neither wanted that.

So they created a facade. They would still act the same, and treat each other the same in the front of others. But their words and actions would be empty, to hide the truth.

Akko felt the bed shift as Diana sat over her. She was smiling softly. A smile that made Akko's heart flutter.

"Yes, at least we have that," Diana murmured before leaning down and lightly pressing her lips to Akko's. Such a small act of closeness and intimacy yet it left Akko breathless. It was such an exhilarating feeling, Diana's lips were soft, her kisses softer. They separated for just a moment, allowing Akko enough time to be mischievous.

Reaching up, Akko grabbed Diana by the shoulders and forced her to the side, a surprised noise coming from the white blonde. Seconds later, the brunette threw herself next to Diana, the whole bed shaking. The girl was still excitable as ever, even in these moments.

It didn't take long for Diana to figure out why she had done it, as Akko crawled ontop of her and laid on her stomach.

"You're such a ridiculous girl," Diana sighed as she wrapped her arms around Akko's upper back. The brunette giggled, kicking her feet in the air as she wrapped her arms loosely around Diana's shoulders.

"Yeah, but you still love me,"

"You're lucky I do,"

They shared another kiss, gentle and soft like the last. Their kisses were never rough, never hard or rushed. It was a moment of intimacy neither of them could share any other day of the week. They took every moment and relished in it. Quick pecks to the nose and cheek, every single kiss made their hearts skip a beat. To have found something so simple yet so satisfying, it was truly exhilarating.

Akko laid her head down, her cheek pressed against Diana's chest. The beat of her heart was rhythmic and therapeutic. Diana started running her hand through Akko's silky hair, somewhat tangled at the ends.

"You didn't brush before you came here, did you?" Diana asked as she continued to run her fingers through the brunette's hair. Akko laughed nervously, knowing why she hadn't.

"I was running late again…" She replied sheepishly.

"You're always late, Akko,"

"Ok! But this time, Lotte and Sucy stayed up later than usual! It's frustrating sometimes..." Akko trailed off, and Diana understood. She lifted one hand, cupping Akko's cheek before leaning forward and bumping her nose against hers. Diana had it a bit easier with her own teammates; Hannah and Barbara knew of her responsibilities and never questioned her when she had to leave in the middle of the night. Akko however, had teammates that would start getting suspicious of her random disappearances once a week, and their secret might be discovered.

Akko sighed as she leaned back down, continuing to listen to Diana's heartbeat. She frowned, closing her eyes as it calmed her.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we could be open about this?" She murmured. Diana was quiet for some time, probably thinking about the possibilities in a different light.

"You know that could never happen Akko," Diana's tone of voice sounded sad, and Akko knew she struck a cord. She lifted her head to look at Diana, the white blonde looking hurt. Like she had done minutes before, Akko leaned forward, letting their foreheads touch. Under normal situations, Diana could easily hide her pain under a stoic mask. But, when they were alone, Diana had a bit more freedom to show emotion; because this was Akko, and she was comfortable with the brunette.

"I just wish things were different sometimes," Akko breathed.

"We wouldn't be here if things were different," Diana made a point. These late night hours, they were free to do whatever they pleased in the comfort of each other's arms. Still, it got Akko to think. Suddenly, she got an idea.

"Hey! Why don't we go on a date?" She perked up and Diana blinked at her.

"Akko-"

"No no, just hear me out!" Akko cut her off before she could argue. Diana kept quiet to let her continue.

"The people in the town don't know us very well, right? Why not go out for a date there?" Akko was beaming at this point.

"Akko, if we're not careful of the day we choose to go, a classmate will surely see us,"

"So we choose a day when we're sure they won't send anybody out to the town!" Akko was getting more excited. Diana thought for a moment, surely she could pull some strings to find out…

"Alright, we'll try it," Diana replied and Akko smiled and hugged her tightly, nuzzling her cheek. They held each other close for a while, breathing starting to slow. Akko shifted so her head lay on Diana's chest once more, the white blonde's arms coming up and wrapping around her upper back once more. A date, where both of them could act freely in front of the general public without the curious eye of a classmate or teacher. Their hearts beat faster, thinking of the future.

"Y'know… I haven't seen you smile this much the whole week," Akko murmured groggily, and Diana let out a relaxed sigh. Her arms tightened their hold on Akko, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to the brunettes forehead. Akko only shifted and smiled in her sleepy state.

"Only because I'm with you,"

I haven't written in over a year rip

anyways i'm still trash