Chapter 23
Closure
Eyelids slowly fluttered open revealing tired azure eyes behind a mess of blonde hair. Diana inhaled deeply through her nose, reveling in the scent of newly brewed coffee wafting into the bedroom from the kitchen. She furrowed her eyebrows and reached behind her, her hand finding nothing but an empty bed rather than the girl who should be fast asleep next to her. The blonde then woke up entirely, the grogginess slowly dissipating as she began to hear noises of silverware clinking and cupboards and drawers closing. What time was it? Akko usually never woke up before her when they spent the night together, and on the rare occasion that did happen, she would wake Diana up for morning kisses and cuddles. So what was different about this morning?
The CEO sat up slowly and rubbed the remaining tiredness out of her eyes before she forced herself to slide out of bed, shivering slightly at the cooler air on her bare skin, and headed to the bathroom for her morning routine. After combing her hair and brushing her teeth, she slipped on her silk robe and made her way out into the hallway leading to the kitchen. Before she entered, she peeked around the corner to spy on what her girlfriend was up to so early in the morning. What came into to view made her put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle, but she couldn't help but smile adoringly at the sight of Akko standing in front of the stove with her headphones in, dancing to the quick beat that was no doubt blaring in her ears. She wore nothing but her boyshorts underwear and a white tank top, both items of clothing very flatteringly hugging her toned curves. Diana's eyes wandered down Akko's body and paused on her girlfriend's butt, which was shaking now as the song in her ears must have changed. After a moment of unabashed lustful staring, the blonde could feel her cheeks beginning to burn with a blush at the thought of walking over and ripping those boyshorts off at that very moment. She really really wanted to. But instead, Diana shook her head and forced her eyes to stay above Akko's waistline or those thoughts were sure to spiral out of control more than they already had. Akko had clearly gone though the trouble of getting up early to cook breakfast and make coffee for them. She could ignore her libido for now, but if her girlfriend kept dancing like she was, she wasn't sure how long she could hold back.
The blonde walked slowly into the kitchen toward the brunette, stopping just behind her. Akko's shaking hips lightly bumped into Diana's front, making the brunette freeze instantly. The blonde smirked and wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend's waist before she could manage to turn around. Akko took the earbud out of her ear in time to her Diana chuckling as the blonde lowered her chin onto the brunette's shoulder.
"Good morning, love." Diana spoke into Akko's ear, voice sultry and raspy from sleep.
The brunette shivered slightly from the breath ghosting over her sensitive ear and neck. She grinned toothily and leaned her head against the blonde and turned her attention back to the eggs she was currently frying.
"Morning." Akko replied giddily as she flipped the eggs over in the pan.
"It was quite the surprise to find the bed empty when I woke up. What's the occasion for all of this?" Diana kissed her girlfriend's neck, making Akko drop the spatula into the cast iron pan, eliciting a loud clinking noise. The blonde smiled against the brunette's skin, feeling the quickening pulse under her lips.
"I-I woke up an hour ago and couldn't sleep so I thought I'd make breakfast." Akko cleared her throat in an attempt to calm down as she picked up the spatula once more. "I couldn't stop thinking about last night."
"Mm." Diana hummed against the brunette's neck and placed another kiss. "Which part?"
Akko sighed, and once she knew the eggs would be okay left alone for a moment, she turned around to see her girlfriend smirking down at her, eyes still half lidded. She rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement at this rarely seen side of Diana before snaking her arms around the blonde's neck.
"The part where you asked me to live with you." Akko stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to give the blonde a chaste kiss on the lips. "And I thought we could celebrate by having a nice breakfast together. As a preview for the future. I am a pretty good cook if I do say so myself." The brunette flashed a proud smile.
"That is good to know." Diana stared back with a lopsided smile of her own for a moment. "Although I do believe your eggs are burning."
Akko's eyes went wide before she twisted around quickly, moving the pan immediately off of the flame.
"Dianaaa!" The brunette whined. "You're distracting me."
Diana laughed heartily as Akko emptied the contents of the pan into the garbage can.
"You talk about distraction when you're the one dancing around in your underwear." The blonde smirked as the brunette's cheeks began taking on a red hue. Akko rubbed the back of her neck and tilted her head back to gaze at the ceiling, looking as if she couldn't come up with a rebuttal. Diana cupped her cheek and pulled her closer for a slow, smoldering kiss before pulling away and gazing lovingly into sparkling crimson irises. "Promise this is what you'll wear to cook when we have our own place."
"I promise." Akko giggled before playfully pushing Diana away. "Now go away so I can focus on the food and not my insanely hot girlfriend."
"I...what?"
"You heard what I said now go." The brunette shoved the protesting blonde completely out of the kitchen. "I'll let you know when you can come back in." She said authoritatively.
"Seriously?" The blonde whispered and stood in complete shock, watching Akko get back to cooking without another word. Not exactly knowing what to do with herself, she stood on the threshold of the kitchen awkwardly, looking awfully like a lost puppy waiting to be called by her owner. Who would have ever imagined that Diana Cavendish, CEO of a multi billion dollar company, would be kicked out of her own kitchen? Definitely not Diana Cavendish.
After the long wait for breakfast, it turned out to be absolutely worth it. With each bite, she grew more impressed by Akko's cooking skills. She honestly had no idea her girlfriend could cook at all. To be fair, the brunette lived with Jasminka, a very impressive chef in her own right, so it it was no wonder why Akko had never cooked anything while Diana was visiting. She finished her food and took her plate to the sink before refilling her cup with coffee. The brunette followed and began running water for the dishes while Diana approached her from behind and wrapped her arms around her waist, and placed a quick kiss to the back of Akko's head.
"Thank you for breakfast, Akko. It was delightful."
"Mmm." The brunette hummed contently and interlocked her fingers with Diana's, which were currently resting on her waste. "You can thank me by doing the dishes?" Akko smiled cheekily until the blonde quickly let go of her and pulled away. She quickly turned around in panic. "Wait."
"I apologize, Akko I really need to get ready for my meeting." Diana smiled apologetically, or what was supposed to look apologetic. Akko could see right through the rouse.
"Your meeting isn't for two hours." The brunette said flatly, slightly glaring at the blonde with suspicion.
"Ah, yes. But I must get to the office right away." Diana waved dismissively over her shoulder as she walked.
"Are you seriously going to work early so you don't have to do the dishes?!" Akko yelled after in exasperation, flailing her arms around for good measure.
"I'm a very busy woman, Akko." The blonde turned and smiled mischievously over her shoulder.
"Wow, you know, maybe I changed my mind about living with you then!" The brunette shouted as Diana disappeared into the hallway.
"Well it was nice while it lasted. But I completely understand." The blonde shouted back and Akko heard the bedroom door open.
"Dianaaaa! That's not fair!" The brunette whined loudly. But when she got no response, she huffed and turned back around to face the sink. "Unbelievable." She mumbled, but any annoyance she was able to muster faded away quickly. A smile broke through her angry facade as she began to clean the first plate. No matter how many dishes she was going to have to do, living with Diana was going to be amazing. Living with the love of her life was going to be the greatest adventure she'll ever have and she couldn't wait for it to start.
Chariot sat on her couch, wrapped up in her blanket and absentmindedly stared at the bright screen of her laptop. The headline in large font at the top of the screen stated that the French team had won the tournament. Although she was doing better, thanks to Akko and Croix being there for her at any moment she needed comfort or someone to talk to, she still had the feelings of guilt, and anger, and hurt looming over her. Gabriel hurt her in a way that was unforgivable. She shut her laptop a little harder than she intended before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Soon she felt the couch sink next her and on instinct she leaned to the side and set her head on her fiance's shoulder.
"She won." Chariot whispered with a sigh.
"I don't see it that way." Croix whispered back as she began to run her fingers through fiery red locks of hair.
"How so?" The red headed woman pushed herself off of Croix's shoulder to be able to look into her eyes. "Her team won, Croix."
"That's right, her team won. A team she inherited right before the tournament. And if I had to guess, it was through nefarious means like everything else she does. Chariot, she didn't win. She proved she still can't accomplish anything without throwing her money around." The lilac haired woman took Chariot's face in her hands and looked at her distressed fiance with concerned eyes. "Please stop reading those articles. They'll only make you feel worse."
"Ugh, I know!" Chariot stood up suddenly and threw her hands up in the air. "But this is my life, Croix! God I just can't get away from her! What the hell am I supposed to do?" She shouted, making Croix sit back slightly on the couch in surprise as she watched the red haired woman begin to pace back and forth. "What...what can I do?" Her voice cracked as her shoulders slowly slumped in defeat.
"Chariot..." The lilac haired woman started but trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say. She hadn't seen this side of her fiance in a long time and for the first time in a long time, she didn't know how to help. But whether it be by the grace of the gods or just extremely good luck, there came a knock at the door, making Chariot momentarily forget her distress.
The red headed woman wiped her eyes of the few tears that had made their way down her face before walking hesitantly over to the door and checked the peep hole. She then straightened out her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make herself appear less of a mess than she felt internally. Chariot opened the door to the sight of her favorite player's blonde girlfriend.
"Diana. What a surprise!" She greeted the CEO, voice wavering slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde who shuffled on her feet uncomfortably.
"I hope you don't mind me showing up unannounced, Akko and I just arrived home from London and I felt like I needed to speak to you about the results of the investigation. But I can come back if this is a bad-" Diana took a step back as if to leave, she could tell that Chariot was out of sorts about something and she didn't wish to impose, but the woman reached out quickly to grab her wrist and stopped her in her tracks.
"No! No. This isn't a bad time. Please come in, Diana. It's good to see you." The French woman urged with a genuine smile.
"It's good to see you as well, Chariot. Thank you." The blonde smiled and nodded as she passed through the doorway and stopped just inside.
"We can sit over here." Chariot walked past Diana and gestured for her to follow. They approached the couch where Croix was still lounging on. "Would you like some tea before we get started, Diana?"
"That sounds wonderful, thank you." The blonde replied as she gave a curt nod to Croix and sat down to begin digging files out of her bag.
The redhead smiled and nodded before leaving the room. Croix watched Diana closely with an arched brow as the blonde organized the large amount of papers in an orderly fashion before fidgeting quietly when she had nothing left to do with her hands.
"How have you and Chariot been since France?" Diana broke the awkward silence as she crossed one leg over the other and rested her elbow on the arm of the couch.
"We've been well." Croix answered automatically before truly thinking about it. "I've been well. Chariot is...still troubled. Still blaming herself for what happened." She finally said sadly.
Diana stared silently down at the floor for a long moment and nodded slowly. She didn't think the red haired would still be feeling that way after more than a month.
"I hope you have some good news because I don't know how to help her, Diana." The Italian woman said quietly, desperate to finally have an answer to the problem that has been plaguing them for years now.
Before Diana could reply, Chariot entered the room carrying a tray of teacups. She set them down on the table in front of the two women on the couch, and sat herself down in the chair closest to Croix. Diana smiled and murmured a thank you before readying her tea to her liking and taking a sip. Chariot and Croix did the same before setting their cups down, eyes locked onto the blonde CEO.
"I'm not going to get into too many details here." Diana stated as she picked up a stack of papers. "I made you a copy of the report. But in summery, we were able to get a lot more information than I had hoped for. It seems that there is no loyalty among criminals." The blonde let a ghost of a smirk reach her lips as Croix smiled in amusement and relief at that last statement. "The real reason I'm visiting is to ask how you would like to move forward with this."
"...What?" Chariot's surprise was evident. She wasn't expecting to really be involved other than hearing what the investigators had found.
"Chariot, you have been affected by the corruption more than anyone else. I wouldn't feel right going forward without you. I want you to come with me to confront Ms. Moreau with the evidence and to hear what she has to say for herself." Diana spoke with unwavering confidence, causing Chariot to go wide eyed.
"Why would she say anything to me? Diana, I think-"
"Please, Chariot. Let me finish before you say anything." The blonde's tone was not harsh, but one could not deny that the authoritative aura that surrounded her was somewhat intimidating. The red headed woman shut her mouth instantly and nodded her head, allowing Diana to continue. "You inspired countless little girls to follow their dreams, including Akko. She wouldn't be the person she is without you. And I'd bet there are many more young woman just like Akko out there because of your influence." The blonde leaned forward and retrieved a paper from the bottom of the pile of papers in front of her and held it out to a confused Chariot. "I want to give you an opportunity to be that that person again, Chariot."
The redheaded woman took the document and scanned through it quickly before furrowing her eyebrows and setting her gaze back on Diana.
"I don't..." Chariot looked back at the document. "This is..."
"It's a contract. You see, I have been in contact with Commissioner Jones. And under the scrutiny of the recent investigation, he felt it was in his best interest to retire early." The blonde's smirk returned. "Being the CEO of Cavendish Medical, the league's newest and biggest sponsor, he has given me the freedom to find a suitable replacement."
Chariot and Croix looked at each other in disbelief before looking back in Diana's direction. The redhead swallowed thickly and let out a shaky breath.
"You want me to..." She trailed off. She couldn't even say it. It was a ridiculous.
"I want you to replace Commissioner Jones, Chariot. And I want us to take down Moreau together."
Amanda stared back at Akko from across the table in the middle of the kitchen. She had frozen just before taking a bite of her sandwich when the brunette had told her that she would eventually be moving in with Diana. Akko stared back nervously, her leg bouncing up and down underneath the table as she waited for a reply from the redhead.
"...Come again?" Amanda finally asked as she put her sandwich down.
"Diana and I are going to move in together?" The brunette replied hesitantly.
"Are you messing with me?" The redhead's eyebrows rose, but when Akko just shook her head in reply, Amanda chuckled. "Damn, you guys move quick. You do remember you've only known each other for like...three months right? Did you get a concussion that resulted in memory loss without me knowing?"
"Amandaaa." The brunette whined as the redhead laughed at her expense. "I haven't forgotten." She crossed her arms and pushed out her bottom lip in a pout.
"Yeah, yeah. Okay. But...you're sure about this?" The humor in Amanda's expression faded, being replaced with concern.
"Yeah."Akko said confidently and smiled brightly. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but...I can't explain it. It just...it just feels right, Amanda. And Diana feels the same way."
"Mmm." The redhead hummed as she took a bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly, thinking over what her friend had just told her. She finally swallowed and took a drink of her water, all the while Akko held her breath, again waiting for a reply. "I'm happy for you, Akko." Amanda smiled warmly at the brunette. "I'm really going to miss you."
Akko gasped and grinned back before standing up and practically ran around the table. Amanda stood up and held her arms out, allowing the brunette to crash into her for a bone crushing hug.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Amanda."
After a moment, the redhead pulled out of Akko's grasp and chuckled, quickly brushing away a stray tear.
"Geez. Enough with the mushy stuff. I think this calls for a big going away party don't you think? When are you moving out?"
"Um...well I'm not sure yet." The brunette mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck. "But you'll be the first to know."
"I had better be." Amanda smirked. "You'll always have a place here Akko. Never forget that."
"I won't. Thanks, Amanda."
Akko's phone rang out through the kitchen as she was sitting back down at the table to eat her lunch. She pulled it out and saw a text from Diana. When she read the message, her eyes went wide.
"Holy shit." The brunette breathed out in disbelief.
"What?" Amanda asked with a mouthful of food.
"Chariot's going to France to confront Gabriel!"
Diana's and Chariot's heels click clacked down the tiled hall of the luxurious apartment building. Akko trailed behind with Croix, both of them admiring the confident stature of the women leading the way, both proud of their respective partners. Akko might have been admiring Diana a little too much, as she eyed her girlfriend up and down from behind, but who could blame her when the blonde was currently wearing her best power suit. The brunette would never get used to the feelings that arose in her when she saw Diana in a suit. Oh the things it did to her.
Diana and Chariot seemed to be strategizing quietly as they grew closer and closer the their destination, which was the home of Gabriel Moreau. With each step Akko grew more uneasy, hoping that she was the only one feeling that way because they needed someone who wasn't going to be a complete mess. She was not looking forward to seeing the woman responsible for her broken ankle again. The woman had no remorse, didn't care how many people she hurt as long as she got what she wanted in the end. But that was precisely why they were here. It was going to stop today. She would no longer be a threat, and Chariot would no longer be forced to live with guilt that wasn't hers to live with in the first place.
"That's it." Diana said loud enough for all of them to hear as she pointed at the next door. The blonde, Akko and Croix all kept walking forward, but upon seeing the door, Chariot stopped hard in her tracks.
"Wait."
The three of them turned to the redhead who now seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. She was taking deep breaths and her hands were balled into shaking fists. Akko's eyes widened at the sight of her coach. Croix rushed over and put both hands on Chariots shoulders, whispering what was most likely comforting words to her fiance. Diana bumped the brunette, shaking her out of her shock before looking over to see the blonde's concerned look. Diana then nodded her head toward the panicking woman, urging Akko to do something. After a deep breath and a determined nod, the brunette slowly walked over to where Chariot and Croix stood, the lilac haired woman moving aside willingly when Akko approached. The brunette took the redhead's shaking hands into her own, making Chariot look up in surprise at the new contact.
"Chariot, you can do this." Akko started, squeezing the older woman's hands in reassurance. "You always taught me to stand strong in the face of adversity, long before you even knew I existed. I got through the darkest period of my life because you inspired me to be strong." The brunette stepped back slightly and held her head high. "I think it's about time you listen to your past self. You are strong and you will not let her control you anymore. Believe in yourself, Chariot du Nord. Because we believe in you, and we will be beside you the whole time."
Akko's talk had worked as the redhead's hands had stopped shaking completely. The woman stared back at the brunette, a proud smile slowly making it's way onto her face.
"Akko, I am honored to be able to take any amount credit for the woman you've become. You have inspired me more than you could ever know, and you continue to amaze me every day with just how strong you are."
Akko began to blush at the praise, looking down at the floor as her face burned.
"Thank you, Akko." Chariot said, before she took one last deep breath and continued her confident walk toward Gabriel's door. "I can do this." She spoke determinedly before stopping and knocking hard three times before she could even think about it.
They stood there for a few moments before the door opened slowly and Gabriel appeared, the smug smile that seemed to be forever glued to her face was present as expected.
"Well well, you are the last person I ever thought I'd see at..." She trailed off as she spotted the other three woman standing around her. "my door." She arched a brow when her gazed paused on Akko's glare before slowly turning back to Chariot. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Silence fell over the group as Gabriel waited for a reply. Diana glanced sideways at the red headed woman, seeing that her jaw was clenched so hard that she was surprised Chariot's teeth hadn't shattered yet. Deciding she needed to get things going, she cleared her throat and turned toward the doorway once more.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Moreau. If we could have just a few minutes of your time, we have some things we'd like to discuss with you."
Gabriel's expressionless gaze never left Chariot's furious one, not even when she was being addressed by Diana. The woman's eyes narrowed slightly before finally turning to the blonde to acknowledge that she had heard her.
"Of course, come in." Gabriel stepped to the side to let the women in before she stuck out her arm before Croix could cross the threshold. "Not you." She glared at the lilac haired woman who glared back in response.
"Still so childish, Gabby. Here I thought we could act like adults and have a civilized conversation." Croix responded sarcastically, not at all offended or surprised by the French woman's actions.
"Pfft. Civilized. Croix the day you can hold a civilized conversation with me will be the day pigs fly. Now stay out." She said the last part through grit teeth before she slammed the door in Croix face.
The French woman turned around and walked by the three startled women as if nothing had happened.
"Please, have a seat." Gabriel gestured to her sitting area as she herself took the biggest chair. After sitting and crossing her legs, she looked expectantly at Chariot. "If we could get this over with as soon as possible, I'd appreciate it. I have far more important things I need to be doing today."
"I really doubt that, Gabriel." The red headed woman spoke for the first time since seeing her ex-friend. Her tone was one of utter annoyance, which really surprised the others in the room. They all looked at her like she was a completely different person. "Let's just get to it then. Diana?"
"Yes, let's. Ms. Moreau, my name is Diana-"
"Cavendish. Yes, of course I know who you are." Gabriel rolled her eyes. "Why don't you skip the pleasantries and tell me why you, of all people, are here."
Diana's hand, which had been holding Akko's since they walked in, tightened around the brunette's almost to the point of pain. Akko glanced sideways to see her girlfriend's terrifyingly calm stare, and worried that this conversation was derail completely before it really even started. It was amazing how quickly this woman had gotten under both Diana's and Chariot's skin. It was then that her knuckle popped in the blonde's vice like grip and she couldn't help but let out a quiet whimper as she tried to pry Diana's fingers away. The blonde finally noticed and released Akko's fingers, flashing an apologetic smile in the process.
"Right to it then. I hired a team to investigate the events that transpired in the match between your team and Luna Nova's field hockey team. And additionally any questionable match before that, including the time when you were teammates with Ms. Du Nord." Diana said as professional as always. This was her business voice, it was cold and disconnected, but it had it's uses when her emotions threatened to get the best of her.
Gabriel narrowed her eyes at the blonde, looking for any sign of a bluff. She shifted in her seat slightly, instantly giving away that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"And?" The woman asked with false confidence.
"And, Ms. Moreau, we've compiled quite the list of damning evidence for your involvement in numerous acts of questionable legality." Diana smirked as Gabriel's uninterested expression faltered.
"Are you planning on taking me to court, Ms. Cavendish?" The French woman's tone turned harsh as she was now seething with anger. Her usual calm facade had come undone completely.
"To be honest I've wasted enough money on you as it is, Ms. Moreau. We all know you have a habit of throwing money at your problems to make them go away but I'm afraid it won't work for you this time." The blonde's icy calm demeanor only seemed to anger the woman more.
"So what is this then?"
"This is a show of our mercy, Gabriel." Chariot finally spoke as she held out a piece of paper for Gabriel to take, which she did after eyeing it warily.
After reading through what was on the letter, Gabriel gasped and looked up at them wide eyed.
"A ban? How dare you even try to do this to me!" The woman shouted and stood up, looming over the other three. "I am on very good terms with the commissioner and he would never allow such-"
"Oh." Diana said loudly and held up a hand to immediately shut the ranting woman up. "Good terms you say? Then you would know that Mr. Jones officially retired earlier this week. I'm afraid he wasn't as loyal as you thought Ms. Moreau. In fact, he was the first to give us his full cooperation during the investigation."
Gabriel stood wide eyed and frozen, finger still up from the attempt to scold them just seconds earlier. She visibly gulped as her eyes began to flit from person to person before Diana continued.
"But feel free to file a complaint against me to the new commissioner, though I doubt it would do you any good." The blonde smiled toothily as Gabriel blinked, still processing all the information.
"Who?" The French woman meekly asked.
"Oh, how rude of me. I thought you two were acquainted." Diana cleared her throat and gestured toward Chariot who sat beside her. "Ms. Moreau, I'd like to introduce you to the new league commissioner, Chariot du Nord."
"What?" Gabriel half shouted in shock. "You? How?"
"Gabriel, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Chariot spoke more softly than before. "You've done this to yourself. You are banned from any type of involvement in the leagues, meaning college level and upward. If we've found that you've violated any of the terms on that document, every single piece of evidence we have will be made public. Your reputation, along with the reputation of anyone who has ever worked for you or played for you will be ruined."
Gabriel's jaw tightened as she backed away slowly and flopped back into her chair. She stared at the floor for a very long time, seeming to have finally accepted that this was real.
"Why didn't you just do that to begin with?" The woman's voice cracked as she asked that, gaze still locked on the floor. "After everything I put you through. And what I did to her." Gabriel finally looked up and locked eyes with Akko for a split second before her gaze landed on Chariot.
"Because, Gabriel. I couldn't do that to you, even if what you did to me is unforgivable. You took away almost everything I held dear in my life. I will not stoop so selfishly low as to destroy someone's life for revenge." Chariot leaned back in her chair and stared at the wall behind Gabriel. "I'm going to change this sport for the better. The girls deserve a sport void of political agenda and corruption. So unfortunately, you no longer have a future within the league."
"No." Gabriel whispered to no one in particular. "No this can't be happening."
"Please read that document over well, Ms. Moreau." Diana stood up, pulling Akko up along with her. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure."
"No, please." The French woman stood up quickly. "You can't do this to me! This sport is my life!"
"I know." Chariot stood up as well and began to walk toward the door, Diana and Akko in tow. "Maybe now you'll finally understand how much you hurt me when you took it away from me." She spoke quietly as she opened the front door of Gabriel's apartment and walk out without looking back. "Goodbye, Gabby."
Diana and Akko followed, the latter looking back over her shoulder to see Gabriel curling up into herself on the large chair she occupied. She almost felt bad for the woman. But she knew that Chariot could have done much worse. A ban was a small price to pay at this point. She was very proud of the older redhead for having mercy on her enemy, even if that enemy deserved much worse. It was at times like these that Akko remembers exactly why Chariot was her idol.
Once the three of them were outside the apartment, the red headed woman sighed in relief when Croix immediately appeared at her side.
"It's finally over, Croix."
The lilac haired woman sighed herself and pulled Chariot in for a tight hug, Croix whispering into the redhead's ear. Meanwhile Akko turned to Diana and flashed a brilliant smile.
"You were so amazing, Diana!" The brunette threw herself at her girlfriend, giggling when Diana squeaked before full contact was made. As they hugged tightly, Chariot approached them, hand in hand with her fiance.
"Thank you, so much. Both of you. I could never repay you enough for everything you've done for me."
"No need, Chariot." Diana stated as she put her arm around Akko's waist and pulled her close. She then turned to the red headed woman and smiled warmly. "I look forward to working with you in the future."
Chariot and Croix smiled fondly at Akko and Diana before they passed the two and continued walking down the hall together. They watched as the redhead wrapped herself around her fiance's arm and kissed her on the cheek before leaning her head Croix's shoulder as they walked slowly down the corridor. Diana smiled at the adorable older women before Akko took her hand. The blonde looked over and saw that her girlfriend had been watching the two women as well, smiling at them adoringly.
"What are you thinking, love?" Diana asked softly as she brought Akko's hand to her lips for a kiss.
"I'm thinking..." The brunette trailed off and turned to face her girlfriend with a thoughtful expression on her face. "That I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world." Akko smiled brightly, making Diana melt in an instant. "Oh. You're like batman!"
"...Pardon?" The words were like ice cold water being dumped on the blonde.
"I was like, Diana could be a super hero! But which one? I've been thinking about it since we were in that lady's apartment. I was bored. Anyway, you're like, a female version of batman! You're rich and powerful and...oh we can be the justice league! Who could I be? I think I'm-mmff."
Diana had been trying to pay attention to the ramblings, but it had been like Akko was speaking another language as usual. Since they started dating, she had found the best way to stop her girlfriend from rambling, and it benefited the both of them. The blonde leaned in and effectively quieted Akko mid sentence with a deep kiss. Smiling into it when the brunette let out a surprised moan. Only when Diana was desperate for the intake of air did she pull away and take a deep breath. Akko did the same, though she seemed to be a little disoriented from what had just happened.
"W-why did you do that?" The brunette held her hands to her chest.
"...I'm batman." Diana said simply and shrugged before she began to walk down the hall. Akko snorted loudly and giggled.
"You're not supposed to say it like that. You have to be like...I'm batman." The last words came out as a low throaty growl as the brunette followed after her girlfriend.
"I think not."
"Come on, Diana! Say it like that!"
"Don't push it."
"Just one more time!"
"No."
"Pleeeease, for me?"
"Absolutely not."
"You don't have to be embarrassed."
"Do you want to walk back to the airport?"
A/N: Hey peoples! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
So I just wanted to give y'all a heads up that the next chapter will be the END OF THE MAIN STORY! After that, we will be jumping ahead to the future for the remaining chapters. They will be like...mini stories covering future events. Or something like that. We'll figure it out.
Thank you to everyone taking the time out of your day to read this crazy fic. I have been blessed with so much much support from this amazing community. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!
See you next week!