Author's Notes: How... how is anyone reading -much less following- this? I mean, I know this is the internet and all, but... still.
DuwangChew: ah, yes, I have fallen for a common writing trap: using tropes, memes, and the like as plot devices to further my evil plans. Nyeh he he. But then again, LWA is an anime, so it's not that bad, right? And thank you, I've re-watched some episodes trying to figure out what Sucy's anxieties were and how they'd manifest. I also threw a little personal experience in there. Thanks for the review!
Kaponos: AAAAAAAAAAHHHH! (hides face behind hands) hi. This is pretty much having, like, one's hero look at their work. Cause that's what you are! Anyway, thanks for picking up on my mistake! When I transferred the text I'd written to this site, I didn't see that none of the italics and embolding and underlining were there! I've corrected that now, and will keep watch for more. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DUDE!
Queen Sydon: Aww, thank you! I honestly didn't think anyone would like my writing this much. Also, yeah, I know that was way too short but I was already running out of things to write, and I had also reached a bit of a dilemma (which will be explained at the A/N at the end) for the plot. I sincerely hope that what I came up with makes you happy. Thanks for reviewing!
Anywho, this chapter's gonna be dialogue-heavy. Hope you don't mind. I don't know how to properly add author's notes on either version of this site (app or desktop ver.) so I'm just going to do this...
Chapter 2
"Um, m-may I come in?"
Sucy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ah, it's okay, Lotte, come in."
The door only opened a bit more. Slow, timid feet stepped in, and small hands quickly shut the door. Looking up, Sucy saw Lotte with a rather worried expression on her face.
"Hey. Are... you doing alright? You seemed to be fine up until Akko had fallen on you."
"Um!" Sucy tried desperately to hide the sudden resurgance of the memory and the feelings that came with it by "nonchalantly" looking away and ploping her head in her hand. "I'm okay. I just, uh... felt a bit... sick."
Lovesick, you mean?
"No, shut up," Sucy quietly hissed to herself.
"I'm sorry?"
"No! It's not you, I was just thinking to myself." Sucy wanted to change the subject. "Anyway, where is that klutz?"
Lotte's head nodded to the doorway.
"Oh, Akko? After she got up, she started to rush over to the Green team's dorm room. She said she really wanted to get there as soon as she could. Kind of rude of her to leave you like that, though. Why do you ask?" She pointed a thumb towards the door. "Do you want to..."
"N-No! No." Sucy frowned. "At any rate, you see that I'm perfectly fine, so you can get out now."
Lotte stepped a bit closer, eyes squinting and brimming with suspicion.
I may have ended that a bit too harshly...
"You're... sure you're okay?"
"...Yes..."
As Lotte continued her apprehensive stare, the wheels in her head slowly began to turn.
"You know, you've been acting differently lately," Lotte stepped closer still. "You haven't been quite as mean to everyone, you've been willing to try new things and meet other people. You've become a lot more social."
Sucy backed away in her chair. This wasn't exactly prying, but it made her uncomfortable all the same. "Well, so what? I'm capable of change. I'm not made of stone."
"Not anymore, it seems. But you were before. In fact, you'd always been distant up until just recently... ever since..."
Click.
"Since we thought we lost Akko."
Sucy's eye widened.
No.
YOU ARE NOT IN LOVE!
Sucy finally turned around to face her challenger. "What exactly are you saying here? That I like her?"
"Well, maybe I am," Lotte looked back with a provoking smirk. "You've been willing to do lots of stuff that's out of your comfort zone, but only when she's with you. You don't seem to do much at all, otherwise. I don't even see you testing your potions or playing pranks until she comes into the room."
This wasn't good. Sucy was already being faced with undeniable evidence and had barely even spoken back. "You just don't see me playing pranks. I do plenty of things when you two aren't looking."
"Alright, then, let's say you do. Why don't we see other students suffering?" Lotte stepped close once more.
Sucy tried to back away, but found her chair hitting the desk.
"U-um, I... er..."
Lotte frowned. "And what about all the times you've helped Akko out with her spells and her broom-flying?"
Sucy fidgitted in her seat. "I need to do that. She's a danger to herself."
"You know you don't really have to do that. She already has Chariot and Amanda helping her for each of those things. She's getting better by the day, but I always see you with her anyway." Lotte's face became more irritated by the second.
Sucy was getting frustrated, too. Lotte was calling her bluffs, but she didn't want to admit it. This was starting to piss her off.
It's not true!
Sucy looked up. "Lotte, stop! I... don't love her!" But then she looked away just as quickly. "I'm just her friend..."
"So you care for her?"
"Yes!"
Lotte's eyes widened.
"T-to an extent!"
Lotte glared, the ocean in her eyes taken over by pure fire.
"Then why don't your tests on other people?"
"I don't want to run tests on others!"
"Why not?!"
Sucy stood up and glared back just as intensely.
"Because no one else would've let me if I asked! They're not nearly good enough to being my guinea pig, anyway!"
A smile trickled into Lotte's face, growing wider as the impact of what was said weighed in.
Sucy's face, wraught with horror, quickly turned a bright scarlet as she, too, realized what she had just said and -what's worse- implied.
"So you do! You love her!"
"I... I... that's not t-true..."
Lotte's expression softened. "But isn't it true? Don't you love her?"
Sucy looked off to the side again, red making its way into her cheeks.
"I..."
She began to recall her memories with Akko. All the experiences they shared together, both good and bad. Playing tricks on her and seeing Akko fall or be come over with hives, and being delighted to see her folly, but secretly being even more happy to see her stand up, tall and proud, in spite of what happened. She remembered how happy Akko would get when she saw that she'd helped someone or made them happy. She remembered how courageous Akko was in stopping the Noir Rod missile, how willing she was to help Croix fix her mistakes in spite of not even really needing to.
But most of all, what kept coming back to her mind over and over again was her first meeting with Akko. On that fateful day, on that bridge, was where the most annoying, persistent, hilarious, beautiful little pest she'd ever seen met. Sucy remembered how much she'd wanted her to just go away so she could do her misdeeds in peace, but her guinea pig wouldn't be pushed away easily. Scaring her didn't make her leave her side. Even when she managed to get away from her and was flying in the leyline, it almost seemed that fate itself reunited them. And in spite of leaving her and Lotte to be lunch for the Cockatrice, Akko didn't leave her to be eaten when it was she who was trapped. And after all that... she insisted that they be friends.
"Well?", asked a hopeful Lotte.
Turning back around, Sucy muttered, "Yeah. I guess I do love her." She sighed and looked at Lotte. "Why'd you have to be this pushy?"
"Oh!" Lotte blushed in realization and embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I guess I did go too far... but, ah, I really wanted you to just come out and say it. I've had some suspicions, but I never really put thought into this until... well, now, really."
"Ah."
"But you really frustrated me! I could tell you were lying, but you kept denying it. We're friends, Sucy. We've been through life-and-death situations, so I feel that you should at least tell me these sorts of things."
Sucy groaned. "I only told you now because I was angry and you made me. But..." she let a small smile creep into her face. "I guess I can be a bit more open with you."
Lotte couldn't help but give her friend a hug. "Oh, Sucy! I'm so glad you trust me! Thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Lotte drew away and began to pull Sucy out of the room with her. "Now, let's go to the party..."
"Sounds good-"
"So that you can tell Akko."
"WAIT, WHAT?! NO!"
Author's Notes: ooo wee! So, Sucy confesses, albeit not really to the person we're all hoping for. An interesting note is that I originally intended for Akko to go through the door and get this over with. I also kinda wanted an interaction with the two of them by themselves, but I'm starting to formulate a proper plot with an end and stuff. So I'll be saving those moments for later. Also, yes, I used the story's title here. It's kinda going to be a theme here, I guess. Because I'm a common writer who just started out and uses tropes because they kinda can't think of anything creative. Expect that. Ah, I'm also a bit... unsatisfied with this chapter? There's something about it I don't like. Also, I already have writer's block. I know what to do a few chapters later, but not the very next one. The next update may take even longer. I'll see you then!
