Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia or any of its characters. They belong to Trigger.

A/N: Update day! Thank you so much for the support my lovelies! I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! X3

Chapter 3: Careless

After having dinner at the bistro, Diana and Akko had decided to return to the park and just roam. The two of them walked for a while until they came across a small bridge overlooking a pond. They simply leaned against the railing and talked most of the evening away. Well, by talking, it's mostly been teasing each other.

Breathless giggles rang out through the night and after a moment the blonde woman composed herself enough to say, "What? You can't be serious."

"I don't know, you would be a pretty cute poodle." Was the self-assured reply she received from her companion.

The young Cavendish laughed, lightly shoving the tomboy after hearing a very bad joke. "Stop~! My hair does not look like that..." She spoke in disapproval, despite her obvious laughter.

"It's not a bad thing! In fact, it's gorgeous!" Akko insisted as she turned to face her date. She then raised her hands up to Diana's hair, only for her to stop at the last second to retract them. "...Um, may I?"

A bit startled from the sudden request, Diana avoided the girl's gaze, all the while doing a slow nod. "S-sure."

Since she received permission, the brunette reached up with her hands and started to trail through Diana's soft mane. The sensation felt absolutely strange for the blonde, and oddly enough, it was comforting all the same.

The only people that pretty much had Diana's permission to touch her hair like this were her family and close friends, otherwise it would feel extremely weird if anyone else was touching her hair like this.

Then again, there were a few daredevils back when she was growing up that actually dared to touch her mane when they thought she wasn't paying attention, when in actuality she was. It may not seem like it to some, but just because the physician has a long fluffy mane doesn't mean that she still won't feel someone touching it, and it happened more times than she can count too.

The most infamous one was when she attended school.

Elementary all the way up to high school has been the same thing with some of her classmates literally playing with her hair while seating behind her in almost every class. In the cafeteria another classmate would play with her hair while waiting in line, others would even touch her hair in passing while walking to class in the hallways, and the possibilities just went on from there.

There would always be some kind of infatuation with her hair that would just draw people in due to how long, soft, and flowy it was.

And every time that Diana had caught them in the act with an annoyed look, they would always reply with, "I'm sorry! Your hair is just so beautiful and soft, and I couldn't help myself." While others would respond with, "Heh, sorry. Got distracted. I promise I won't do it again!" To which she would always smile, thank them for the compliment and say that she understood while begging them not to do it again, only for them to start doing it again out of impulse within a days time...

Honestly, it infuriated Diana to no end at first, but overtime she begrudgingly grew accustomed to it. She knew that they didn't mean any harm, but it was still irritating nonetheless. However, with the brunette, this was actually the first time that someone asked her permission to touch her hair like this.

I wonder what she thinks about it... The blonde wondered.

Funnily enough, Diana didn't have to think too hard about it since Akko seemed to have read her mind...

"Your hair... it reminds me of a cabbage!"

That unexpected comment certainly didn't fail to catch Diana's attention, which actually made her make eye contact with her date. "I-I beg your pardon?" She inquired, obviously dumbfounded.

The red-eyed tomboy just beamed at her, chuckling a bit as she began to explain herself, "I didn't mean it as a bad thing, of course! The colors... they are just good together, you know, like a snack. God, I meant an actual snack like that twirly banana matcha ice cream."

Now, the physician was even more confused. "...Matcha?"

Akko chuckled again when she saw Diana tilt her head with the most adorable perplexed expression she's ever seen. "Um, let's see... Matcha, or matcha aisu as we refer to it in my home country is Japanese ice cream. As for the flavors, well, you could say that the possibilities are almost endless on that front, but out of all of them..." She trailed off, smiling a bit as she gently caught a lock of blonde hair, tenderly grazing through a specific detail. "Green tea ice cream is the most popular one."

A fierce blush took over Diana's face by the storm from hearing such a compliment, trying to look anywhere except meeting the tomboy's gaze, but even she found that it was hard to look away from such a sight. They were bright, they were stunning, they were absolutely captivating. In her humble opinion, Akko's red eyes seemed to be the one feature that Diana liked most from the girl, besides her sweet smile of course. It was then that she realized something else...

T-Too close...! The young Cavendish was officially going through an internal freak out, and it got even worse (or perhaps better?) when the brunette's hands suddenly found themselves cupping Diana's face. Feeling a bit startled from the abrupt action, Diana practically went rigid once she finally met Akko's gaze.

Akko's facial expression was a soft one, looking at the blonde with nothing but pure adoration. "...May I kiss you?"

"I... I-I..." This was all happening too fast for Diana's liking. Is this even what people usually do on the first date?! Merlin, I don't even know anymore! She thought in a slight panic. Diana didn't have a clue on what to do next! "I..."

And just when the tomboy was about to lean in...

She woke up.


Diana awakened with a start, the first thing she sees being her white pillow that obscured a good portion of her vision, and for good reason since she found her own arms wrapped around it.

It was just a dream... The blonde sighed in disappointment. But, it felt so real... She thought in a slight daze.

And that's because it was real considering that's exactly how their first date ended, well, all except for the close kiss at the end. That part was indeed a dream. Even if that were to happen in real life, Diana still would've freaked out. But what was real is when she finally decided to rise up from her position on the bed and turn her head to the right, only to see her cousin, who's staring at Diana with a huge grin on her face...

"My, oh my~! Someone certainly had a very good date last night!" Merril teased her.

Oh, bloody hell! The physician cursed internally, her face instantly settling on her infamous scowl as she began to interrogate her nosy cousin. "How did you get in here, Merril?"

"Mother, Maril and I all have spare keys to your flat, remember?" Merril answered as if it was no big deal. She then snickered as she jumped back to their previous topic. "Now, are you going to humor me with what happened last night? Or, can we talk about you practically making out with your pillow just now?"

Diana's reaction to such a claim was immediate as her face turned beet red in embarrassment. "W-WHAT?! I did NOT do that!" She exclaimed in denial.

"Ah, is that a rebuttal I hear?" Her cousin teased yet again, her big grin not letting up for a second. "Did you or did you not just wake up hugging your pillow?"

Refusing to acknowledge or humor her cousin any further on the subject, the young Cavendish got straight to the point. "Why. Are. You. Here?"

"Isn't it obvious, Diana dear? You're late."

That certainly caught Diana off guard, blinking rapidly as she said, "...I'm what?"

"You're late. For work."

"T-That's impossible! What time is it?!"

"A quarter past ten." Merril responded, pointing to the clock on Diana's nightstand. "Mother, Maril and I worked downstairs for the past two hours since we opened, but you have yet to show up. They've asked me to come and check up on you since mother can pretty much handle your job and Maril can't exactly leave the front desk, and so I came up here to see that you were still on dreamland."

"...Merlin, why me?" The blonde groaned quietly to herself. From the looks of it, her humiliation truly knows no bounds.

Embarrassment aside, Diana really did have a bad habit to oversleep sometimes, which is no surprise at all considering how much she attended school during her youth. Lots of late night studying to maintain her grades, getting as much practice as she could for her career in the clinic along with keeping up with her friendships on every chance she got. The poor thing would run herself ragged due to working so much.

Even when she was old enough to move out from the manor, Aunt Daryl was kind enough to help Diana make arrangements to remodel the small living space they've kept above the clinic. The room itself was used to spend the night in case of a patient emergency, and now it was officially turned it into a decent flat that the young Cavendish could live in. Despite this effort, Diana would still have her moments with sleeping in every now and then, hence why each of the Cavendishes have their own spare keys to Diana's flat.

"Alright, alright," The physician groaned in defeat, finally getting of her bed. "Go back downstairs while I start getting ready."

A snicker reached her ears as her cousin said, "Yeah. Sure. Take your time, Diana."

"And when you do go downstairs, I expect you to keep what you saw to yourself!" Diana spoke seriously, practically growling as she seethed with rage.

"No promises~!" Was the response she received along with another giggle.

Soon after that, the door to Diana's flat opened and closed to signal Merril's departure. As soon as her cousin left, Diana sighed heavily through her nose. The blonde really loves her aunt and cousins, and she knows that they mean well, but at times they can be infuriating as well as embarrassing, depending on the situation of course. Then again, which family isn't?

Exhaling once again, Diana made her way over to the bathroom to get her morning routine out of the way.

Once she was prepared for the day, Diana finally passed through the glass doors of the clinic and Maril certainly didn't waste time on announcing her arrival. "And, sleeping beauty finally decides to grace us with her presence! What took you so long?! Mother and I were starting to think the worse, or that perhaps you got carried away with your date last night..."

Note to self: There's going to be one less Cavendish today... Diana thought with a vengeance as she walked passed Maril's desk. "It was only our first date! What do you take me for?! An animal?!"

"Geez, I was only kidding DeeDee, relax." Maril said with a smile, returning her eyes down to her computer screen as her fingers typed away on the keyboard.

Sensing that her cousin had a smirk on her face, the physician soon returned to the lobby. "Well, excuse~ me for being on edge! Especially, since a certain someone knows something that they shouldn't know." She stated matter-of-factly.

It was slight, but even so Diana could've sworn that she saw a twitch at the corner of the receptionist's mouth. "W-Whatever do you mean, Diana? I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that. Where is she?" The blonde asked, but it was voiced as a demand.

Not wanting to give up her sister's location, the receptionist played dumb as she inquired, "Where is who?"

"Your twin and my other cousin, that's who!"

"Did someone call me?"

Just then Merril came from the hall as she stopped behind her younger cousin, only for Diana to turn around and grab onto Merril's lab coat with an angry look on her face.

"Hey now, what's with the furious glare?" The nurse questioned.

"You've talked, didn't you?" Diana practically growled at her.

Then it all dawned on her, and Merril's face went quite pale, but she played her part well while trying to pry her cousin's hands off of her. "Whatever do you mean, DeeDee? I've told you when I left your flat that my lips were sealed."

The physician narrowed her eyes at her as she retorted, "Well, your mouth wasn't shut enough since you've shared private information with your sister!"

"Maril's your sister too, for what it counts."

"That's not the point, and you know it!"

"What's wrong with sharing things with your fellow sister?" Maril piped up on her end, swirling around in her chair to face them. "There are no secrets between us." She stated innocently, too innocently while batting her eyelashes.

"Exactly!" The nurse agreed with her twin sister. "I mean, it's not like we're running around town and babbling it to complete strangers."

That was all the proof that Diana needed to hear. "So, you DID talk?!"

"Oh, poo..." Merril had also caught on to her major mistake, sighing in defeat. "You just had to agree with me Maril, you've made me dig my own grave."

"Hey, I was just playing along with you to make it sound convincing." The receptionist stated in her defense. She then chided her sister by saying, "You were the one that said something stupid, stupid."

"Don't call me an idiot! Also, remind me next time to not tell you anything ever again!"

"I don't know, calling you an idiot seems warranted. And knowing you, you'll blab it to me anyway since you want someone to gush to."

"How about you don't tell secrets at all?!" The young Cavendish suggested, positively red in the face as she gave a good stomp of her foot.

Thank the heavens that there are no guests in the clinic to witness such a spectacle...


On the other side of town, Auriga's Café was hustling and bustling with customers since the lunch rush began. It didn't matter to Akko one way or another since she was at the top of the world, as it were, and hummed along to her own peppy tune as she worked.

"Hey Akko!"

"Yes, Joey?" The brunette said as she stopped in her tracks, walking toward one of the tables to acknowledge one of their usual patrons. "What can I get for you?"

"Can I please get more of that sweet iced tea?"

"Coming right up! Anything else?"

"Nope. That'll be all, darling."

Resuming to hum her little song to herself, Akko made her way over to the counter to prepare her customer's drink.

Overhearing her, Lotte couldn't help but giggle while she prepared her own drink for her guests. "Someone seems to be in really high spirits today." She commented with a smile.

The tomboy chuckled as she finished pouring out the tea on a cup, securing it with a lid while saying, "Is it that obvious?"

"Very." Was the aloof response she received when Sucy emerged from the kitchen with a dish bin in hand. "I think I prefer you staring out the window like an idiot."

"That isn't very nice, Sucy..." The short-haired blonde chided her friend, obviously looking at her co-worker in disapproval.

"It's alright, Lotte." Akko reassured. "It doesn't bother me. I'm too over the moon to comment."

"Oh? So, you skipped the clouds and went straight to the moon." The dishwasher chuckled while raising a brow in amusement. "Weirdo."

"Sucy!"

"What? She was the one who admitted it."

"I'm not listening~!" The red-eyed tomboy sang out loud, mostly directed at Sucy. She then left behind the counter and called out to the blonde, "Lotte, let's go deliver our drinks!"

And so, the girls continued working from there. When the lunch rush had passed, they settled to cleaning up the restaurant with Akko being near the entrance of the café to clean the windows, Sucy cleared up most of the dishes on the tables and headed straight to the kitchen to wash them, Chariot was in the storage area making a list to keep track of their inventory, and Lotte was about to start sweeping the floors.

"Hey Akko, do you mind manning the register for a bit while I sweep the floors?" The waitress asked her.

"Sure. No problem Lotte, let me just finish cleaning up this window." The brunette responded as she finished passing the last remaining swipes to the glass.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Uh-huh."

Once Akko finished her task, she headed towards the kitchen to wash her hands before returning to the front again. And when she did, a customer had just walked through the doors to the café and made their way over to the register.

"Hi! Welcome to Auriga's Café, what can I get for you today?" Akko had greeted him with the usual business pitch.

"Hello," The young college student said in greeting as his eyes looked over at the menu. After a moment, he finally made his decision. "Can I get a small caffè crema, please?"

"You got it! That'll be 3.50 pounds please."

"Here you go."

"Thank you very much! Can I please get a name for the order?"

"Derek."

"Alright then, Derek. Take a seat anywhere and I'll bring it to you once it's ready."

"Thank you."

When the transaction was completed and the customer left the register, the barista went to set up the espresso machine. Once she prepared the water, Akko turned on the machine and waited for it to heat up. Akko then grabbed the appropriate coffee beans from under the cabinet and proceeded to measure and crush them before she poured it into the portafilter.

As she did so, she made sure to distribute her ground coffee evenly on the portafilter before she started to tamp the coffee dose firmly. Not too gentle, not too hard as she aimed to be as even as possible with the tamper. After she finished, Akko secured it in its designated spot and set the machine up to do its work.

While she waited a couple of minutes, the brunette stayed attentive to the patrons in the restaurant and soon enough she returned to the espresso machine to start doing the finishing touches for the caffè crema. The moment she neared the machine, Akko lifted her head up from what she was doing when she heard the door chime, likely being that someone just came in to the café.

She turned around slightly to welcome the new customer... "Hi! Welcome to-" Her breath caught in her throat as soon as her red-eyed gaze landed on Diana.

The young doctor looked beautiful as ever, wearing a shy smile that Akko has quickly grown to adore, to the point where it might actually be one of her favorites. It was so cute and it never failed to make the tomboy feel the butterflies in her stomach.

However, that observation quickly came to an end once Diana's expression turned into one of pure horror, and with good reason too. "Akko, the coffee!"

"Huh?" The tomboy looked back to what she was doing, and sure enough, it was a disaster... "Aw, shit! You were supposed to sto-"

Just as she began to say that, the espresso machine kept on going and very soon the coffee had started to overflow out of the carafe onto the grate and... Akko's right hand. The tomboy's first reaction was to instinctively reach out for the pitcher, but she forgot that the machine still kept on going...

What she felt next was almost indescribable, but it wasn't. A sharp, searing pain shot through her hand, which in turn made her limb go momentarily weak as she lost her grip on the pitcher. The carafe had fell and chattered on the floor into a million pieces, scattering glass along with huge amounts of coffee on the floor, and onto Akko's pant legs.

Admittedly, on the parts where her pants got splattered with coffee did briefly stung for a bit, but that was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her right hand. Barely letting out a painful cry, Akko managed to push through the pain as she went to turn off the machine before she moved to the side and hunched herself over the counter, cradling her injury.

Everything after that became a blur for the red-eyed tomboy. She didn't faint, but the sounds around her got drowned out significantly when the customers got startled over the incident that just took place, with most likely Lotte and Sucy being the ones to handle the commotion by reassuring them that everything was going to be alright.

Akko couldn't hear anything except for the insistent pounding of her heart in her ears along with the horrible ache in her hand, which seemed to pulsate with each heartbeat.

It was agonizing, almost unbearable.

All too soon her vision blurred with tears, maintaining her breathing was also becoming a bit of an issue while she tried her best not to succumb to the pain.

The brunette was so distracted by it all to the point where she didn't notice someone come to her side while gently, and hurriedly, ushering her to the back of the restaurant. They quickly passed through the kitchen, where they stopped momentarily before they started moving again, and their brief walk ended as they ascended up the stairs to the living quarters of the establishment.

They went to the rather small kitchen of the living space and the moment that Akko felt cool water on her right hand, it made her hiss and her limb jerked a bit from the suddenness of it. Instinctively, she tried to pull it away, but a firm hold on her forearm kept her still.

After fifteen minutes or so, the water had stopped and they were on the move again, though this time their destination was close since Akko was guided toward the couch in the living room. Sitting down was quite a relieve, even more so when the tomboy felt a cool cloth make contact on her face. She blinked a couple of times, her vision clearing a bit before she closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

"Akko, can you hear me?" The brunette opened her eyes to see Diana looking at her with concern, gently maneuvering the rag around her face in an attempt to cool her off. "You've been quiet on the way up here." She commented worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Akko swallowed rather heavily, giving a slow nod of her head as she responded, "Or, I will be is more like it..."

"Does it hurt?"

"...It burns like hell."

Diana set the rag aside and gently grabbed the girl's forearm, inspecting the delicate injury with keen eyes. Akko's hand was extremely red, the burns probably having damaged more than the top layer of her skin. From the looks of it, there doesn't seem to be any blisters present, which was a good sign. "Can you move your hand?"

The red-eyed tomboy looked rather hesitant, her lips pursing into a thin frown. "...I could try."

There was barely any movement at first, but after a moment Akko tried her best to move her fingers, attempting to make a fist. Unfortunately, her endeavor did not pull through since she was only able to twitch her fingers and curl them about half-way before a hiss left her mouth, stopping the effort altogether.

Diana's lips pursed into a thin frown of her own after making her observation. "Well, for a second-degree burn, it's not as bad as it could've been. However, you'll definitely need to wait about two-to-three weeks for your hand to make a full recovery." She lamented to inform.

"Great, just great..." The red-eyed tomboy grumbled sarcastically, obviously not happy at all over the whole situation.

The physician was at a loss on what to do. She didn't know Akko well enough to find a way to cheer her up, and honestly, she hated to see the brunette like this.

Hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance as someone climbed the stairs, stumbling through the door of the small flat. Both women looked up at the disheveled redhead while she made her way through the living room with a first aid kit in hand.

"...Here's the first aid kit!" The poor woman seemed out of breath, handing over the case to the young Cavendish. She then straightened up her glasses as she said, "Also, if you need more antibiotic cream, there should be some in the bathroom inside the medicine cabinet."

"Thank you Chariot, I appreciate it."

"No, THANK YOU for taking care of my Godchild! I apologize for bothering you with this, I know that you're quite busy..."

"Don't be. I'm just glad that I'm able to help you in some way." Diana reassured with a kind smile, heading back to Akko's side as she was about to rummage through the first aid kit for what she needed.

"Yes, thank you so much." Chariot nodded gratefully in her direction before she turned to look at her daughter, or at least she personally considered the brunette as one. "How are you holding up, kiddo?"

Akko merely responded with a low grumble, avoiding her Godmother's gaze as she preferred to stare off into some other part of the flat. The blonde took notice of such behavior, but chose to concentrate on her patient's injury for the time being.

Hardly receiving an answer to her question, the café owner let out a sigh while bringing a hand up to massage the back of her neck, showing a small smile. "...Right, well. If you girls need anything, I'll be downstairs. It was good to see you, Diana. Thanks again."

The doctor politely returned that smile with one of her own. "Likewise."

Soon after their exchange, the red-haired woman took her leave, softly closing the door behind her. And now that they were alone again, Diana looked up at her patient to see that the tomboy had yet to move from her spot in the couch, still staring off at whatever caught attention.

Letting her gaze fall to the injury again, the blonde concentrated on her work by making sure that the wound was clean. The last thing the physician wanted was for the poor girl to get an infection due to her negligence. Thankfully, there was enough antibiotic cream in the case for Akko's injury. After Diana carefully applied it, she began to dress the girl's wound.

At one point, Akko hissed a bit when the young Cavendish accidentally tightened the bandage a bit too hard... "S-sorry...!"

"It's okay."

"Just a little longer and I'll be done."

"Hmm-hmm."

It soon got quiet again, and Diana was at a loss on what to do. Her visit didn't turn out how she wanted it to... It was supposed to be a good surprise. Stopping by to order her usual and maybe brighten Akko's day, but instead this happened... and, in a way, Diana can't help but feel responsible for being the cause of it.

"...I'm sorry."

"What?" The brunette finally turned her head when she heard the sudden apology. "What are you apologizing for?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"I just..." Diana sighed for a bit as she tried to come up with the right words, still applying the roll bandage around Akko's hand while continuing on to say, "...I just feel like you got hurt because of me. That I somehow distracted you from what you were doing and-"

"That's not true."

The physician looked up at her in disbelieve. "But-"

"That's. Not. True." Akko accentuated every word with as much conviction that she could muster, emphasizing how serious she was about all this. "If it's anybody's fault, then it's definitely mine. I was the one who messed up, I was the one who should've been paying attention to what I was doing, I was the one who messed up that customer's order, and I..."

The red-eyed tomboy leaned forward, laying her forehead against Diana's shoulder. She let out a shaky breath, almost letting a out a sob as she said, "I should really apologize to my Godmother..."

The young Cavendish was absolutely stunned with this sudden turn of events, especially with being this close to her crush. While a bit hesitant at first, she slowly mustered up the courage to raise an arm up and she brought the girl close into an embrace. Diana may not have the words to make her feel better, but she could at least lend an ear and provide some kind of comfort if needed. It's the least she could do.

And yet, deep down, she felt the need to say something. How odd... She thought to herself.

The blonde could hardly remember a time where she's actually meddled into someone's problems. It's not that she didn't care, but more of the fact that she didn't want to overstep her bounds in her relationships with people. At most, she would give them advice, should they ask for it. Give them space, if needed. Otherwise, she would pretty much nod and speak up when needed during her interactions. And yet, with Akko... she wanted to do more than that.

"I..." Unsure of what to say, Diana decided to go with her gut, all the while trailing her fingers through the brunette's long straight tresses. If the girl was bothered with the action, she never showed any indication of it. "I think you should apologize to her."

There was an uneasy silence for a bit. After a couple of minutes, Diana was starting to think that Akko wasn't going to say anything at all. Just when she was about to pull away, the tomboy finally spoke, "...Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"I've known Chariot for a few years now. Not personally, mind you, but she always struck me as a kind and understanding individual. I'm sure that she'll understand if you talk to her." The physician gave her honest opinion on the matter.

A low hum was all she received in response. "I also need to apologize to the customer too..." Akko added as an afterthought, burying her head more against the blonde's shoulder.

"Y-yes, you do..." Diana stuttered once she registered how close the two of them were. She actually wouldn't be too surprised if her face was beet red at this very moment.

"Diana?"

"Y-yes?"

A chuckle left the brunette's lips as she nuzzled a bit closer to the young doctor, and Diana just knew that the girl was doing this on purpose by this point. "Are you done bandaging my hand?"

And just like that, it was back to physician mode when Diana pulled away, much to Akko's slight disappointment. In actuality, the young Cavendish didn't have much to do. It was just a couple more wraps and securing the bandage, all the while making sure that she wasn't cutting off the poor girl's circulation while doing so.

"Alright then, that should do it. Be sure to have someone help you change your bandages every couple of hours, you need to keep cleaning that wound constantly so that you won't get an infection." Diana instructed her. "And if you're still in pain, feel free to get some over-the-counter medication if needed." She added.

"Look at you taking charge, I might just get swept off my feet!" Akko commented cheekily, showing her first smile since the incident. "Aw! What the heck? I already am!"

The blonde playfully rolled her eyes, but that still didn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face as she stood up. She raised a single brow as she said, "Confident much?"

"I guess so, but can you blame me? You were so courageous, so beautiful, so sexy..." The brunette gave a bold answer.

Diana abruptly sputtered to the side, almost feeling like her breath was knocked out of her lungs. Well, that's one way to be caught off guard. She chuckled to herself. This girl is really something else...

"I suppose you must be doing alright if you're well enough to get a reaction out of me." The young Cavendish said with a smile, heading toward the door. "If that is indeed the case, then I think I shall take my leave."

"Diana, wait."

"What is it?"

Diana barely managed to turn around in time to see Akko approach her and bring her into a sudden embrace. The blonde went absolutely rigid in the girl's arms, not expecting the hug at all. "...A-Akko?"

The red-eyed tomboy pulled away soon after, looking at Diana with complete adoration. "I just wanted to say thank you. For helping me, for being there. It really means a lot."

"Y-you're welcome." The physician responded, the blush on her cheeks no doubt being obvious by this point. "I couldn't leave things how they were."

"And, it's a good thing you didn't. Otherwise, I would've been suffering with a boo-boo for the rest of my shift..." Akko mumbled with a pout, cradling her bandaged hand.

"...A boo-boo?" Diana repeated. She had to resist the urge not to laugh, but in the end it proved to be futile since a giggle actually managed to slip through her lips. Gathering some form of composure, she raised a brow in amusement while she said, "Really Akko, at your age?"

"Okay, it's a MAJOR boo-boo!" The brunette conceded, but she still kept insisting. "I still stand by my point that I probably would've suffered without your timely intervention. Speaking of which, did you know that there's actually a magic spell that would help aid in the recovery process?" She commented interestingly, having a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

She can't be serious... The young Cavendish thought in disbelieve.

The red-eyed tomboy seemed to be full of surprises, but deep down Diana knows that the girl meant well. There was just a cute child-like quality that Diana liked about Akko, and it seemed to be further enhanced with how the girl's red eyes always seemed to sparkle with excitement, joy, warmth. The blonde would probably do just about anything to maintain that happiness.

"Alright..." Deciding to humor her, Diana gave in and asked, "What would you have to do for this spell?"

What happened next was also unexpected. One moment Akko initiated the question, and the next she suddenly went very quiet. Her posture was absolutely frozen, almost like a deer caught in headlights. Her red eyes have widened significantly. Half in surprise, half in horror. And Diana could've sworn that she saw the brunette's ears turn a bright red, which Diana found to be quite adorable.

Akko's mouth fell open, but no words came out. In fact, what did came out was a nervous squeak as she quickly turned around, facing away from the physician altogether. "U-um, you know what? Forget about what I just said! I mean, who even has time for childish games, huh?" She spoke up with a shaky laugh.

The blonde smiled sympathetically, not that the tomboy could see it. She then rolled up the sleeve of her lab coat, peeking down at her wristwatch. Diana's break was about to end soon, and as it turns out, she'll barely have ten minutes to walk back to the clinic in time, but before she leaves... she will make sure that Akko would see this.

"Akko, could you turn around for me please? I would like to say goodbye properly before I leave."

At hearing that, the brunette's shoulders instantly slumped in disappointment, undoubtedly sad to see Diana go. "Oh, right..." When Akko turned around, the poor girl got startled due to Diana suddenly being a bit too close... "Uh..."

The young Cavendish laid a hand on the girl's shoulder to steady her, leaning up a bit to whisper, "And, for the record, I would've kissed your boo-boo." As soon as she said that, Diana kissed the tomboy's cheek, leaving the recipient with quite a shock. Sadly, as much as the physician would like to see the whole aftermath of her little stunt... she really had to leave. "I'll call you later."

There was an unintelligible, "U-kay." she received as a response, which no doubt made a smile blossom on Diana's face.

I suppose I did brightened her day after all, I'm glad. The blonde mused contently, departing from the flat as she closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Akko is by her lonesome in the living room, still stupefied over what just happened. Once she processed it all however, a huge goofy grin took over her face. Her body finally seemed to respond as her legs managed to take her to the couch, where her knees suddenly buckled from under her and the brunette fell helplessly contented onto the couch cushions.

She soon released a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, laughing breathlessly while taking a deep breath to whisper, "Kamisama Arigatō~!"


Later on in the afternoon, the clinic was in business with patients and Diana felt like she was going to go insane. Her cellphone kept ringing non-stop, annoyingly so, and the physician could hardly concentrate in her patient consultations. Whoever it was, they certainly wanted to get a hold of her...

"Alright Mr. Barnes, please try to relax and take a deep breath." Diana instructed, standing behind her patient as she got into position to set a dislocated shoulder. The bone itself was out of place and the area was quite swollen, and the man had expressed that he could barely move his arm because of it.

The middle-aged man let out a shaky breath, asking, "...How much is this going to hurt?"

"You're already in a lot of pain so, in a way, not much." The young Cavendish responded. "Just do as I say and it will be no more than a quick pinch." She reassured, before she realized her own words and so she quickly added, "Of sorts."

"Oh. Joy."

"Rest assured, I'll make it quick and painlessly as I can. You have my word."

An exasperated sigh escaped from the man, more so in pain rather than frustration. "...I'm ready."

"I'll start on the count of three." Diana gave a firm nod, gently laying her hands on the dislocated bone. "One... two... thr-"

On the very last second, the doctor's cellphone decided to ring. The unexpected noise from the device threw Diana off. A loud pop, along with a pained wail, rang out in the room. The blonde had set the bone back in place, which is good, but due to doing it ahead of her own signal... she accidentally caused her patient some discomfort.

"Oh, Merlin!" Diana gasped, looking absolutely guilty over what just happened. "I am so, so sorry, Mr. Barnes! Are you alright?"

The poor fellow was beyond alright, if biting his own lips was any indication of his pain. Surprisingly enough, he still managed to find his voice. "I-I... I will be. Don't you worry, Doc." He mumbled. "T-this is nothing..."

All the while, Diana's phone kept on ringing...

Bloody hell! I can't work under these conditions! The physician thought angrily, taking her cellphone out of her pocket and instantly canceling the call without bothering to look at the caller ID. As soon as she put the device away, she directed her concern toward her patient. "Hang tight Mr. Barnes, I'll be back with an ice pack!"

The middle-aged man gave a slow nod while gently massaging his aching shoulder, replying with, "Thank you, Dr. Cavendish."

When Diana stepped out of the examination room, her cellphone started to ring yet again...

"That does it...!" Growling in frustration, the blonde fished the device out from her pocket, and when she glanced at who the caller was... she let out an exasperated sigh. "...Of course. It just had to be her..."

Diana purposely hung up on the call once again and immediately headed toward the break room. Luckily for her, she found the person she was looking for. "Merril."

"Yes?" The nurse turned around to face her cousin once she finished pouring herself some coffee.

The physician looked apologetic as she began with her plea, "I'm sorry to bother you, I know that you're still on break, but would you mind bringing an ice pack to exam room four for me? I need to take a call in my office."

On cue, Diana's ringtone boomed once again with a vengeance. The doctor groaned in frustration as she took out her cellphone to stare at the caller ID.

Merril couldn't help the small grin that made its way on her face. "Is that your girlfriend~?" She inquired teasingly.

I wish. Diana mused. Instead of answering with a witty remark, she merely brought her phone up, showing her cousin who exactly was calling her. "Monkey see, monkey do."

"Hmm. It's been a while since I've last heard from Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum..." The nurse commented while shaking her head in amusement. After the fifth ring, Diana's cellphone stopped ringing, only for it to start once again, the only difference this time was the caller ID, which showed a different caller. "And, I can see for myself that they're doing well." She added with a small giggle.

"I honestly can't concentrate on my work like this." The young Cavendish stated, shoving her phone inside of her lab coat pocket. "So, can you please do that favor for me? Pretty please?"

"No problemo, Diana dear. I'll cover for you."

"Thank you."

Diana soon left the break room and made her way toward the back of the building, entering her office. Her cellphone began to ring for the umpteenth time today, and she finally accepted the call as soon as she sat down in her office chair...

Once she approved the call, Diana undauntedly replied to it with a dull, irritated, "What?"

"Hey now! Is that any way to talk to your childhood friend?!" Hannah's voice could be heard from the other line, clearly insulted by the rude greeting. "I barely hear from you, for like, a decade, and this is how you greet me!"

"Yes!" The physician remarked with almost no remorse. "You personally know firsthand how much I despise it when my work is hindered by absolute nonsense!"

"So, let me get this straight..." The redhead trailed off a bit before she continued with her statement, "Me, calling you, one of my best friends in the whole wide world, is complete rubbish?"

"Hannah England, you're putting words in my mouth, and I don't appreciate that."

"To be clear, you were the one who started it. I merely wanted to get a confirmation of what you meant."

Diana sighed rather heavily, taking off her glasses and laid them on her desk. She then laid her head back against her chair as she closed her eyes in momentary respite. "All this time, and you still know how to pull your punches..."

"Damn straight!" Was the proud reply she received.

The blonde hummed, asking, "Is Barbara with you?"

"...H-Hi, Diana. How are you?" Barbara's meek voice could be heard from the other line as well. "How did you know I was here?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Diana remarked with a small chuckle, straightening up in her chair. "You and Hannah are practically inseparable. It was obvious to me that the two of you were together, especially since you girls kept interrupting me non-stop at work with your calls...!"

"It's not my fault, Hannah made do it!"

"Rat me out, why don't you? Some friend you are..."

"What? So, you expected me to lie?"

"Not lie, per say, but you could at least learn how to be discreet about it. Nobody likes a tattle-tale."

That comment seemed to set Barbara off. "Seriously? I thought that we were adults, not middle schoolers."

"Geez..." Hannah sighed irritably, "When did having fun became such a crime?" She wondered aloud, mostly to herself.

The physician merely rolled her eyes at hearing her friends bicker with each other. Just like old times... She thought fondly. "It became a crime the moment that 'fun' caused my patient discomfort, which is mostly your fault, by the way."

"Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know that you were working today?! I barely talked to you over the years, if ever!" The redhead said in her defense. "Not to mention, you're a workaholic!"

"It still doesn't change the fact that you could have taken a hint and call later, you know, like a normal person!" Diana stated matter-of-factly, narrowing her eyes while wearing her infamous scowl, not that her friend could see it. "You're lucky that I was dealing with a dislocated shoulder, and not a more serious injury. I could've made a mistake, one that is not be to taken lightly in my line of work! I could lose my license within a drop of a hat!"

"I think I don't like your tone, Cavendish."

And just like that, the young Cavendish ended the call in spite. Without regret. Barely a minute, and her cellphone ringed once again, showing Hannah's number on the caller ID. Begrudgingly, and out of politeness this time around, Diana accepted the call.

"Did you seriously just hang up on me?!" Hannah said in outrage, almost in disbelieve over what just happened.

"I thought you said that you didn't like my tone." The blonde remarked with a small grin, feeling rather proud of her little mischief.

The auburn-haired girl was seething with rage, if her growls are anything to go by. "Ooh, just you wait until I get my hands on you...!"

"Enough!" The raven-haired girl spoke up, ultimately deciding to be the mediator before things got worse between them. "First of all, Hannah, we should really apologize to Diana for distracting her on her job. And second, don't you think it's time to let Diana know the main reason for our call?" She kindly gave a suggestion.

Sighing in defeat, Hannah conceded to Barbara's demands. "Very well. I'm very sorry Diana, I should've been more patient..."

"And, I owe you both an apology as well. I suppose I could've held my temper better..." The young Cavendish admitted, almost in shame. "My behavior was in no way appropriate to greet my friends, even more so since we haven't talked for so long. I really missed you girls..." She replied honestly.

Barbara sounded close to tears as she said, "Aw! We missed you too, Diana!"

"Yeah, well... I actually missed you too, Diana. Truth be told, the reason we called is because we wanted to hang out with you. Maybe the three of us could go out for drinks sometime next week?" Hannah invited her. She then added, "Only if you're available, of course. We'd understand if you're quite busy."

Diana hummed in contemplation. It indeed has been a while since she last spent time with them, since their college graduation in fact. It was increasingly difficult to find time to hang out when the three of them had settled into their careers, barely speaking to one another over the years because of it. From the looks of it, Hannah and Barbara managed to find some free time to spend the day together today. If they could do it, then surely, the young Cavendish could do so as well.

Diana swirled around in her chair to look at the calendar she hung up on the wall behind her desk. The almanac was littered with tons of scribbles on certain days for the month of March, but if she could handle her work schedule...

I think I might be able to make it. The blonde thought in determination. "I first need to talk it over with my aunt and cousins, to see if it's alright with them. Otherwise, I can make sure that I don't have any priorities on that certain day. No promises though."

"That's more than enough for us. Have you decided on the day, Hannah?"

"How about on March fifteen? That day falls on a Thursday. Is that okay with you, Diana?"

"That sounds perfect." Diana smiled. "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but I really need to go back to work. I'm still in the middle of my shift."

"That's fine Diana, we'll talk more later." Barbara said in understanding. "Just promise us that you won't go overboard, okay?"

"Yeah. Don't be afraid to let us know if something comes up, alright? We can just re-schedule our girls night out some other time for when you're free." Hannah added, her tone sounding serious.

"Yes, I promise. I'll hopefully see you girls soon, take care."

"Bye-bye Diana, don't work too hard!"

"We'll see you later!"

And so, their call session finally ended, and Diana couldn't help but sigh fondly as she thought over the entire conversation. It felt like she was back at school again, back when everything was simple and there wasn't much to fret about at the time. She really did miss those days...

I think I'll be able to make it, I know I can! The physician thought confidently, raising up from her chair once she put on her glasses.

When she secured her phone inside her pocket, Diana left her office to resume her shift.

A/N2: That's it for chapter 3 my lovelies! Both of our favorite girls were distracted, in their own way, lol. Anyways, I want to make something clear: I never worked as a Barista in a coffee shop of any kind. I am a noob, and I tried my best to research some of the terminology when it comes to making coffee. Please let me know if I did something wrong. If so, let me know and I will correct it as soon as I am able!

Next time for chapter 4, Diana will have a reunion/drinking date with Hannah & Barbara! I will try my best to write and edit the chapter as soon as I can, and we'll keep this story going from there! As always, please let me know how I did on your reviews! Faves and follows are also welcome too! Thanks again for the support you guys, it really means a lot to know that people love this story. Until next time! X3