Surprisingly, out of all of Akko's friends, it was Manbavaran who approached Diana first, just a week before the sleepover social thrown by Hanna and Barbara.
Diana herself had been studying quietly at a table in the library, in a secluded corner far from the madding crowd. It was a quiet Monday evening, and she was taking notes from a particularly dull tome ("Dichotomies of Meteorite and Comet Dust Usage from the Early Dark Ages" riveting stuff that) for Professor Finnelan's test and debating whether a few more pages was worth the inevitable eye strain when something heavy dropped onto the table with a jarring thump!
Glancing up, Diana saw Manbavaran smile cheerfully back at her, which immediately raised Diana's brows. As far as Diana could recall, the mushroom mistress had two smiles, one that was small but genuine, reserved exclusively for her friends and another smile that was akin to a shark scenting blood in the water. Strangely enough, that smile was also solely reserved for her friends. Whatever the case, the sight of so many canines aimed in her direction immediately put Diana on the alert though she was careful to make no outward show of her suspicion.
"Good evening, Ms. Manbavaran," she said evenly, resuming her previous place in the notes. Whatever had the mad witch so self-satisfied would reveal itself sooner or later. Best to proceed casually in the meantime. "I trust the night has found you well?"
No answer. Diana glanced back up. Manbavaran still had that sinister smile plastered on her countenance, and Diana doubted it had to do with the book she had set down (Fantastic Fungi and Where to Find Them) She cleared her throat. "Was there something you wanted of me?"
At that, Manbavaran's smile turned into the shark-toothed one. Before Diana could voice anything else, however, she finally spoke, aiming straight for the jugular.
"You're in love with Akko, aren't you?"
Diana's eyes widened, but otherwise, she made no other visible reaction. Ah. Well, that certainly wasn't what Diana had been expecting. It explained Manbavaran's smug behavior, though, judging by the barely restrained glee in which Manbavaran had voiced it, the mushroom mistress had only recently come to that conclusion. Perhaps she was hoping to catch Diana flat-footed with an abrupt confrontation.
Well, that wouldn't do at all.
Diana closed her tome before facing to regard the mad witch with her undivided attention, "You are correct," she said, tone still even. She folded her hands together. "What of it?"
A beat of silence. Diana noted, with some small satisfaction, the other witch's grin slowly withered away in the quiet until her expression was somewhat disgruntled.
"That's it?"
The urge to laugh at the disappointment in Manbavaran's tone was powerful, but Diana managed to quash it. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand," she said slowly as if instructing a child stuck on a particularly difficult problem. "You posed to me a query, and I answered it to the best of my ability."
"Best of my ability, my left foot," Sucy grumbled, pulling the chair out and sagging in it like a spent balloon with all the mischievous air leaked out. She fixed Diana with a frustrated glare. "Aren't you supposed to... overreact and deny it and maybe break a window or two?"
"You mean, like how Akko would overreact if she were confronted abruptly in such a manner?" countered Diana.
"Well, yeah, essentially. Is that too much to ask for?"
At the very least, Manbavaran was forthright with her intentions. "It may come as a surprise to you, but I came to terms with my feelings months ago," Diana said dryly. "Once I understood them, I simply made my peace and moved on."
Manbavaran scowled back at her. "Well, maybe I'll tell Akko what you said and get the overreaction I was hoping for."
"You're certainly welcome to try," Diana countered smoothly, looking away to clean up her things. The conversation had run its course if Manbavaran had to resort to threats and particularly weak ones at that. "I believe she would be hard-pressed to take your word for the truth."
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Not quite. Just a schemer with a penchant for crying wolf."
Manbavaran opened her mouth to rejoinder, paused, and the clamped it shut. "Can't even argue that," she muttered, soundly defeated and begrudgingly amazed. "Have you thought of everything?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Diana scoffed, neatly tidying up her notes. "I am simply a Cavendish." She picked up her bag, preparing to head back to the suite, quite pleased with herself for avoiding the mad witch's trap. Perhaps this would teach a lesson in humility to the consummate trickster. "If that is all, then I bid you a good night."
With that, Diana rose from her seat, prepared to put the conversation behind her, sure that she had shown Manbavaran her just desserts. Oh, speaking of desserts, a cherry tart sounded lovely right about now. A reward for her studying and for outsmarting Manbavaran. Yes, as soon as she got back to the suite she would whip up a batch and then-
"If you've thought of everything," Manbavaran's quiet voice cut clear through her thoughts, "then how come you haven't told her yet?"
Diana to stopped dead in her tracks, her former good cheer vaporizing in an instant. Perhaps she had given herself too much credit and too little credit to Manbavaran. She'd been hoping that the mad witch would avoid asking that specific question, out of all them, but it appeared that Manbavaran was more adept than she let on.
"I see no need to," she turned back to the mad witch, hoping that her tone sounded confident enough that she would consider the matter settled. "The relationship we have now is perfectly functional and perfectly acceptable."
Wrong answer. Like a shark smelling blood, Manbavaran's sharp smile reappeared, quick as a flash "Mhmm, is that so," she drew out the word, wholly unconvinced. "Well, if that's what you think. But… if you ask me, it sounds to me like you're maybe, just maybe- oh, but that can't be right." She raised a hand to her mouth, the very picture of exaggerated disbelief. "There's no way you of all people..."
The urge for Diana to roll her eyes was very tempting at the moment. Very. "Out with it," she bit out more curtly than she intended, "I haven't got all day."
Manbavaran chuckled delightedly in response. "Why, if I didn't know you better, Diana," she clapped her hands delightedly, "I'd say it sounds like you're scared."
"Don't be ridiculous," she countered quickly, far too quickly to seem honest. Blast. "What could I possibly be afraid of?"
"Oh, but lots, lots. Let's see." Manbavaran's held out her hand, ticking off the reasons. "You're scared of your feelings because you've never felt this way before about anyone, let alone, Akko of all people" She ploughed on before Diana could get a rebuttal in edgewise. "Or maybe, you're scared of what Akko would say to your feelings, but hmm… there must be something else. Something more that would hold you back." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, but of course!"
Manbavaran pointed a finger directly at Diana's heart. "What scares you the most is that Akko may never, ever, ever, feel the same way that you do for her."
Diana didn't wince, but she came close to, with each barb nailing further into her heart. Because when it boiled down to the bare essentials, the mad witch was right. As much as Diana tried to convince herself otherwise, the feelings of friendship and affection she had nursed for so long regarding Akko had slowly bloomed into something more, right beneath her nose. It had taken Diana entirely unawares, this sudden love and it left her unsure and uncertain of where she stood in Akko's heart. Akko didn't know herself, but the heir to the Shiny Rod held Diana's heart in the very palm of her hands.
And that frightened her more than anything else in the world.
"You are free to believe what you like." A lesser person might have cowered in fear at the ice in Diana's voice. Manbavaran simply grinned wider. She closed her notebook with a sharp snap. "If that is all, I again, bid you goodnight."
She hoped that would be the end of that, but Manbavaran had other plans apparently. "Hold up, don't get your pretty little head in a fritz," the mad witch drawled, unfazed by the glacial glare aimed her way. "As entertaining as it was, I didn't come here just to tease you, though that was a nice bonus." She leaned forward in her seat, lacing her fingers underneath her chin, an eager gleam in her eyes. "I came to make you an offer as well."
Diana paused, narrowing her eyes in response. An offer? Surely, it was another trick to lower her guard further. "What do you mean, offer?"
The gleam in Manbavaran's eyes grew. "What if I said, I know a way for you to overcome your fear?"
That'd be the day when Professor Ursula returned to the public spotlight as Shiny Chariot. Diana scoffed. "I believe any potion or substance you would offer me would be highly illicit."
"Ah but see, that's the beauty of it," the mad witch crowed in her raspy monotone. "I won't even have to use my potions. I just have to tell Akko a lie. One teeny-tiny little white lie and poof!" She made a popping noise with her lips. "And away goes your fear. How does that sound?"
It sounded preposterous. Not to mention that any offer by the mad witch was sure to be accompanied by some hidden clause that would require Diana's immortal soul in exchange or something just as ridiculous. Preposterous. And yet…Diana had to admit grudgingly, she was intrigued. A way to overcome her fear and without a potion or magic? A deal too good to be true.
As if sensing her guarded interest, Manbavaran continued. "How about this; I'll even throw in an entire evening alone with Akko as well." Diana's head jerked involuntarily. "Think about it, one entire evening alone, uninterrupted, just the two of you and whatever may happen. One entire evening." She gave her what Diana could only assume was her version of a benign smile as she splayed her hand invitingly across the table.
"So… do we have a deal?"
"You have yet to tell me what you stand to gain from this deal," Diana said, stalling, as her mind tried to piece together Manbavaran's ulterior motive (because there had to be one, had to be)
The mad witch retracted her hand, looking surprised, then thoughtful. "Oh, you're right. Give and take." She rubbed her chin. "I am running low on cockatrice feathers," she remarked, almost as an afterthought. "Let me into Arcturus forest again?"
"Absolutely not."
"Drat," said Manbavaran with a well-what-can-you-do sort of shrug, not sounding at all disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to live off of the satisfaction of bringing my two friends closer together." She sighed, ever the martyr. "Oh, the things I do for my friends."
More like the satisfaction of watching Akko tear her hair out in frustration. That was the only way a scheme devised by the mad witch could ever end. "I haven't agreed to anything," Diana protested and then mentally smacked herself. Hardly an outright refusal that. Well done.
That was enough for the mad witch, who merely smiled knowingly. "So you say, but we still have time. Tell you what, you have until the day of Hanna and Barbara's sleepover to make your decision. After that… well, who knows when you'll get another chance." She stood up, making her way to the exit with her tome, giving Diana a cheery wave. "Think about it!" she called back, leaving Diana alone to stew on her thoughts.
The urge to blast something with her magic was worryingly intense at the moment, and Diana had to force herself to close her eyes and count to five. Once that was done, she sat back down and re-opened her notes, intent to burn off the remainder of her ire in dry explanations and convoluted star diagrams. It was unlikely she'd be able to fall asleep after that scintillating conversation.
"There is nothing to think about," Diana muttered viciously, more for her own benefit as she pressed her quill a tad harder than necessary into the page. "Nothing at all."
One week later and Diana had done nothing but the exact opposite.
"Nothing at all!"
Poor Hanna flinched, looking warily back at the tea tray in her hand. "U-uh, are you, like, sure?" she asked carefully. "Because the way you said it sounds like something is wrong with the blend."
And now she was talking (yelling) to herself. Wonderful. Diana schooled her features to relax. "My apologies, I was thinking of something else," she put the cup she had sampled back onto the tray, fixing Hanna with a reassuring smile. Her teammate returned it with an unsure lilt of her head "The alraune leaf blend is excellent. A fine choice."
Hanna, bless her heart, quickly forgot about the odd reaction, preening instead at the compliment. "Oh, you think? I wasn't sure earlier but if you say so."
"Positive." Only when Hanna went off to put the tray on the dining table did Diana let her smile slip back into a scowl. With a frustrated sigh, she turned back to look out the suite's window, surveying the Luna Nova grounds. The entire week, the mad witch's offer had plagued Diana's every waking thought, leaving most of her nerves frayed and restless. There was absolutely no way the mad witch would keep her word and even if she did, she would undoubtedly find some way to twist it as was her customary manner.
...
But on the off chance that she did keep her word...
Diana groaned as her thoughts once again made a circuit. "Devil take me," she cursed under her breath, just as the door to the suite burst open with a bang!
"All right, let's get this party started!"
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear, with temptation in tow.
In the reflection of the window, Diana watched as Hanna berated Akko for the door, and her lips involuntarily raised in a small smile as Akko stuck her tongue back before heading straight for the dining table. Trust the excitable witch to think with her stomach first.
That smile quickly evaporated when Manbavaran suddenly appeared in her field of vision. The mad witch caught her eye and raised her eyebrow, as if to ask, well?
Diana's eyes narrowed in return, prepared to give Manbavaran a piece of her mind, the staunch refusal already on her lips. Failing an entire semester's worth of classes would be more desirable than becoming a victim of Manbavaran's scheme. Diana opened her mouth, intent on putting an end to the farce, once and for all, with a firm and resounding-
Yes.
It took a second, one entire, idiotic second for her mind to catch up to what she had done. And when it did- Bollocks.
Unfortunately, it was too late to change her heart. The mad witch's answering grin and soft cackling were enough to make Diana's own heart sink. With nary a glance back, she went to the dining table, no doubt to set her diabolical plan in motion.
A Cavendish never panicked. Never. It simply wasn't in the Cavendish genes. They could, however, come very, very close. As Diana watched with a sinking heart, she realized that maybe she should've agreed to let Manbavaran into Arcturus Forest after all, if only for a chance at leniency at whatever the mad witch had planned. What was a cockatrice or two compared to dealing with the devil?
A sudden movement in the reflection of the window suddenly broke Diana's thoughts that were-absolutely-not-on-the-verge-of-panic, thank you very much. As Diana peered closer, her frustration gave way to a reluctant amusement as she observed Akko, with a mischievous grin on her countenance, attempt to sneak up on her with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, tip-toeing on her feet like some vaudeville villain.
"Boo!"
Good grief, this girl. "Good evening to you as well, Akko," said Diana, turning around to face her with the small smile still in place.
"Awww," Akko's mischievous grin turned into a pout and she placed her hands on her hips in a rather put-out manner. "How did you know?"
"Forgive my forwardness, but you aren't exactly the most subtle of people, Akko," she said, then gestured to the window. "That and I could see your reflection sneaking up on me."
Akko's pout deepened. "Yeah well, maybe if the window wasn't so freakishly sparkly," she began and then stopped, as her frustration suddenly morphed into childish amazement. "Holy Shiny Rod, your windows are super clean! You can see all the way back into the living room! Bet you could drink one of Sucy's shremedies off of it no problem."
How they had gone from simple greetings to imbibing foreign substances off of absurdly clean windows was beyond Diana's comprehension. "I'm afraid I can't speak from personal experience." Akko opened her mouth, and she added with a smirk, "And before you ask, please do not attempt to make it into a personal experience."
In response, Akko stuck out her tongue. "Haha, funny- don't laugh!" she huffed. "I would never do something as crazy as drinking one of Sucy's shremedies!"
"Oh?" Diana put a hand to her chin, pretending to think. "I seem to recall an incident last spring involving Ms. Manbavaran and a room exploding with mushrooms?" She remembered the incident very well; she'd been in charge of evacuating the entire floor and cleanup efforts afterward.
Akko gaped indignantly. "Willingly!" she quickly amended. "I would never WILLINGLY drink one of her shremedies! Huuuuuge difference!"
And just like that, Diana found herself laughing when just mere minutes ago, she thought her mood was unsalvageable. It was frightening how quickly Akko could make her forget her worries with just a ridiculous idea and infectious smile.
After a second, Akko's pout morphed into giggles as well, and the two shared a laugh, alone in their little corner of the room. "Man, it feels like forever since I heard you laugh like that!" she declared once the mirth had subsided. She sat down next to Diana on the perch, carefully placing the plate and teacup down between them. Diana noted with some small satisfaction that the plate was loaded with the pastries she had baked the night before. The excitable witch popped one in her mouth and swallowed before asking, "So, how are you holding up? School running you ragged yet?"
If school was the only problem, if only. Diana shook her head, willing herself to put her best face forward, or as best as she could attempt. The sleepless nights had taken their toll after all. "Not school, no. Though I do admit, I have been having trouble falling asleep as of late."
In an instant, Akko's cheer was replaced with honest concern. "What's up?" she asked, putting down the pastry. The look in her eyes was entirely too eager to assist in any way. "Maybe I can help. Just say the word!"
As touched as she was by Akko's immediate concern for her well-being, involving the excitable witch into her own problems was the last thing Diana wanted, what with whatever Manbavaran had planned. "I appreciate the offer," she said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "but it's nothing you need concern yourself over. I have the situation under control."
Judging by the dubious look on Akko's face, it most likely could use some work. "But-!"
"I'm fine, Akko," she cut her off. "Really."
Akko deflated, and Diana tried not to wince at the hurt expression on Akko's face. It felt like she had accidentally kicked a small woodland creature and lord if that mental image didn't make Diana feel even worse.
Perhaps that was a tad curt. I should apologize, say something to-
"I don't believe you."
Diana blinked, thrown off her mental stride. Akko scowled back at her, arms crossed. "Er…" she began, but before she could say anything else, Akko held up her hand.
"I don't believe you, but I'm not gonna force you into telling me. Instead," here the excitable witch took her own plate of food and placed it on Diana's lap, "I'm going to make you eat this entire plate."
Retribution by excessive pastries, what a novel way to go. "Thank… you?" she said hesitantly picking one up.
Akko nodded briskly. "You're welcome. And you're gonna drink this tea too," she handed the cup to Diana, who took it, too bemused to refuse otherwise. "And then I'm going to get another plate, fill this one with desserts and then we're gonna stuff our pie holes until you feel better." Akko's voice had steadily gained in fervor, and Diana felt compelled to lean a bit back. "Because this is a sleepover! And that's what friends do at sleepovers!"
Diana blinked again. "Gorge ourselves to the point of distension?"
"Eat tons of junk food and cheer each other up, duh." Akko rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. She got up from the seat. "Cherry tarts are your favorite, right?"
Flattered as she was that Akko remembered what her favorite dessert was, Diana still felt that she needed to get in a word edgewise. "Yes. But Akko-!"
"Nuh uh, nope, not another word," the excitable witch plugged her fingers into her ears. "I wanna see that plate sparkling like your window when I get back! Chop, chop, get to it!" With that, she dashed to the dining table, leaving only Diana to blink dumbfounded at the after image.
Well… that could have been handled better in so many ways. Diana sighed and wearily rubbed her face. By the Nine was this difficult. Lying had never been her strong suit and hiding the truth by omission was hardly any better. At the rate tonight was going, she'd be better off exposing her silly crush to the entire Luna Nova Academy. Akko seemed oblivious enough, though Diana wasn't sure how much longer it would last. The excitable witch cared too much for her friends not to notice something amiss, a trait that Diana found both exasperating and endearing.
With another sigh, she lifted the teacup to her lips and took a sip. A sudden thought crossed her mind, and she lowered it with a frown. Had Akko mentioned drinking from the cup? She hadn't, as far as Diana could recall.
But if she had… then… wouldn't this be considered an indirect kis-
Diana groaned and put her face in her hand. What was she thinking? Acting like- like some besotted damsel? Unbelievable.
Before she could mourn the loss of her dignity, however, there was a loud exclamation from somewhere in the room. Curious, Diana raised her head, just in time to see Akko not entirely running in her direction, the earlier frustrated expression replaced with something closer to bare-faced terror.
"Hey, Diana, so we maaaaaaay have a crisis on our hand," the excitable witch said when she neared. "A-teeny-tiny-itty-bitty-bit-of-a crisis."
Crises, by definition, were anything but small, but Diana managed to refrain from making that remark, instead opting to stare back incredulously at Akko. "You were gone for at most five minutes. Five minutes." Honestly, she was more amazed than actually upset. "How on earth did you manage to find a crisis on your way to the dessert bar?"
Despite the situation, Akko paused, taking time to huff indignantly, panic temporarily forgotten. "Wow, okay, first off, only slightly rude and only slightly true. And second, I didn't find the crisis, it found me!" she exclaimed, then amended, "or more like, Sucy found it for me. Like, exclusively for me." Akko's brows furrowed as something occurred to her. "Now that I think about it, Sucy is really good at that."
At the mention of the mad witch, the remainder of Diana's good mood vanished in a puff of smoke. So now the devil decided to show her horns. Grimly, she set her teacup down and gave Akko her full attention. "Akko, focus, please."
At the firm tone of her voice, Akko instantly snapped to attention. "Right. So. Um…" she took a breath to fortify herself. "Okay, before you get mad, this was all Sucy's fault, just so you know, so I don't deserve detention but Sucy does because she managed to spike one of the teacups with LoveLove venom but she lost track of which one and I need your help into making an anti-venom because you're the only one who knows this kinda stuff and we need to do this like, super sneakily so no one panics and I really, really, really need your help."
Akko paused, took another deep breath. "Pretty please?"
There was a brief pause in Diana's mind. The barest hint of a break as she took the words, parsed their meanings and reassembled them to fully understand what Akko had uttered. The briefest of pauses.
Oh. LoveLove venom in the tea was it? So that was Manbavaran had meant when all she had to do was tell Akko a little white lie. Obvious, really. A simple plan, in retrospect. Diana didn't know why she hadn't thought of it firs- that was her plan?!
The beginning of what sounded suspiciously like muffled screaming began ringing through her head. This is Manbavaran's genius plan?! Fake the symptoms of a LoveLove sting and hope for the bloody best?! Not like the first and second times had been humiliating enough. Dimly, she was aware of Akko grabbing her by the hand and leading her out of the room. Overcoming fear my left foot. I do hope Manbavaran enjoys latrine duty for the rest of her life.
Akko was talking again, and Diana forced herself to listen. "...can get us in, no problem, but I'm not sure how we're going to get a cauldron in without making a whole lotta noise." Akko walked a step forward, back to Diana, feet tapping nervously as she tried to plan something out. "Oh, but if a professor does catch us, you can just tell them that you caught me making a late night potluck with stuff I stole from the kitchen. I know what I said earlier, but one more detention..."
As Akko continued to ramble, Diana found herself at a crossroads. A better witch at that moment would've put a stop to all the nonsense. A better witch would've come forth with the truth and put the entire thing to rest, without any more fanfare or upsets. It was the right thing, the correct thing to do. Herself resolved, Diana stepped forward and cleared her throat, intent on being the better witch...
And instead, promptly placed her cheek on the back of Akko's neck.
aaaaaAAAHHHHHHHH, went the muffled screaming in her head.
Apparently, the better witch within her had decided to take an early leave, along with her friend, common sense. Wonderful, well played and wildly inappropriate.
Pure and utter mortification seeped into Diana's skin, and she could physically feel the flush creeping up her neck and coloring her face. Perhaps it would be better now to pray for a quick and painless death, as opposed to dying by pure mortification.
Akko's reaction was much more delayed but much more apparent. Diana could physically feel the moment Akko went from confusion to realization to- "Bwah?!"
"U-uhh, D-Diana," she stuttered. It was novel, hearing the normally brash witch at a complete loss for words. "I, uh-umm…"
Involuntarily, Diana let out an embarrassed whimper that made Akko flinch. "H-how does the expression go?" she mumbled, burying her flaming face further into Akko's back. "T-third time's the charm?"
Akko paused briefly before muttering "Oh, crud," and stepped away from Diana's space. The excitable witch turned around to face her, an expression of worry mixed with a hint of red on her face. "Are you…?" she began before stopping, nervously running a hand through her hair. She let out a breathy laugh. "O-oh man, I don't know if you're like, super lucky or super unlucky."
The next words were out of Diana's mouth before she could even properly form them in her mind.
"If it's you, I would count it as a blessing from the stars," Diana said before she realized what she had said and wonderful, well played, wildly inappropriate.
Akko's countenance, which had already been flushed, turned a bright cherry red. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out, a sentiment that Diana was sharing. "M-my apologies," she muttered, turning away, mentally smacking herself in the head. "That was untoward of me."
Akko opened and closed her mouth a few more times. "I-it's okay, it's- whatever." She let out another nervous laugh. "You think you'd develop a tolerance to it by now, huh?"
A more perfect excuse couldn't have fallen from the heavens at that moment, and Diana instantly latched onto it. "P-perhaps I am." She forced out a chuckle. "I-I do feel somewhat more composed than the previous times. Though that isn't saying much."
In response, Akko shrugged a little helplessly as if to say what can you do? She glanced back at the door where the sounds of the party could be heard and winced. "I guess you don't want to go back in there?" she asked, no doubt longing to go back to the party herself.
Diana grimaced. She'd rather forfeit all her holdings on the Cavendish estate to Aunt Daryl then going back in there in her current state. "To quote a wise mage, 'I would prefer not to.'"
At that, the two witches descended into an awkward silence, a first for them. As long as Diana had known her, Akko was never one for silences, always finding some novel way to make as much excitement as possible. Yet the current situation had caught them both off guard. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Finally, when it became too much to bear, Diana opened her mouth to speak, at the same time Akko did.
"You can return to the party, if you wish."
"Okay, so I was thinking we skip the party and-"
The two stopped. Akko was the first to react, doing a humorous double take as she realized what Diana had said. "Wait, what are you talking about? There's no way I'm leaving you by yourself to go party!" she said, looking outrageously scandalized by the suggestion. "I'd be a terrible friend."
"I a-assure you that wouldn't be the case," muttered Diana, "I will simply take a repose in the nurse's office and-"
"And nothing!" Akko cut in. She planted herself squarely in front of Diana, stubbornly placing her fists on her hips. "Out of all the things we're going to do, we are not, I repeat, we are not going to let you go to the nurse's office just so you can wallow all by your lonesome," she affirmed, grabbing Diana's shoulders and turning her around. "What we are going to do is go back to my room, watch bad rom-coms on Witchflix, and ride out the LoveLove venom in the comfort and security of friends. Or well, friend," she corrected. "The rest of them probably don't need to know what's going on."
"Most definitely not," Diana immediately agreed. The last thing she wanted to see was Hanna and Barbara finding out and losing their heads. As much as she loved her teammates and confidants, if the Hanbridge's ball was any indication, Diana would be lucky if they only reacted with mild hysteria.
Akko smirked triumphantly, "See? And last I checked, the school nurse ain't nobody's friend. Which sounds mean," she admitted, grin morphing into a small grimace, "but I swear on the Shiny Rod that last time I got a checkup from her, she took one of my livers without telling me! I mean, she put it back after we were done, but still!"
It was somewhat difficult to choose whether to laugh or sigh exasperatedly at Akko's attempt at being facetious. What was truly horrifying was how well it was working. "You only have one liver, Akko," Diana said, biting the inside of her cheek.
"And that's the one she took! I can even show the scar if you don't believe me!" The excitable witch lifted her ponytail and pointed to the back of her neck. A scar that looked to be the remnant of a flying broom accident and decidedly not a surgical scar flashed back at Diana. "See that?"
Do not smile, do NOT smile. You smile, you forfeit. Forfeit what, Diana wasn't exactly sure. It wasn't her dignity seeing as how there was little left of it. "I'm more impressed as to how the school nurse managed to remove your liver from what appears to be the back of your neck."
"I know, right? Witchcraft, lemme tell ya!"
A giggle, unbidden, escaped from her mouth and blast, there went her so-called restraint. "Oh good lord- fine!" Diana threw her arms up, "we will do as you suggested," she relented, watching with exasperated amusement as Akko let out a triumphant whoop and fist pumped. "We will go back to your room and ride out the venom in the safety and comfort of friend, singular."
"Don't forget 'and watch bad rom-coms!' It's like, a friend sleepover rite of passage."
"How could I forget?" Diana remarked before giving into the smile threatening to take over her face. Akko brought out the absolute worst in her. "After you."
She expected Akko to grin widely in response and taking off running down the hallway. Instead, the excitable witch sidled up next to her. "Nearly forgot to do one more thing," Akko said and there was an odd note of forced normalcy in her tone. Before Diana could question it, however, Akko looped her arm around hers and gently slid her hand right into Diana's open palm.
The blush on Diana's cheek, which had all but faded from existence, flared back with a vengeance. "I-I… er- I…" was all she could get out.
Akko cleared her throat loudly. Once. Twice. "Y-you know, ride out the venom and all that?" she explained to the wall, pointedly keeping her gaze away from Diana. "And uh, would totally suck if you l-like ran into a w-wall or something because of the dark."
It was utterly adorable how seriously Akko was taking the LoveLove sting despite it being completely fabricated. She could feel the calluses in Akko's hand, the little nicks and scars that were part of the excitable witch's training. It was rough but pleasantly warm, not unlike the excitable witch herself.
"B-but of course," Diana found herself agreeing, just a trace of a stutter in her voice. "T-that would truly be a tragedy."
There was a brief pause and then Akko let out an explosive sigh that puffed her hair up. "I don't wanna make you feel uncomfortable or anything," she mumbled, seemingly doing away with the nonchalant facade, "so just...let me know the instant you wanna let go, all right?"
"That would be never," Diana remarked, realizing too late that her filter between brain and mouth was woefully missing. I said that out loud didn't I, oh lord, I said that out loud.
The edge of Akko's cheek swiftly turned red, followed by, "O-oh, uh, s-same, I guess!" The excitable witch cleared her throat and tugged at her collar. "Uh, wow, did you know your hand is really soft? I mean…!" Akko's eyes widened as Diana felt her own face mirror her expression. Apparently, Diana wasn't the only one without a filter tonight. "I-I mean, i-i-it's soft as in, you know...soft!"
As far as Akko's explanations went, that was both completely understandable and utterly unfathomable. Akko cleared her throat again. "A-anyway, l-let's go. Those bad rom-coms aren't going to watch themselves!" she declared, setting off in the opposite direction of where she actually lived.
"Er...wrong way, Akko."
"Just let me have this, Diana."
Apart from an unfortunate encounter with a minotaur janitor on the third floor (Diana made a mental note to avoid all minotaur janitors named Herbie for the rest of the school year) the two witches managed to make their way back to Akko's dorm in peace, more or less.
"Here we go!" with a flourish, Akko unlocked the door and gestured grandly. "Welcome to Chateau de Akko-Lotte-and-Sucy. Pull up a seat and make yourself at home!"
A quick cursory glance around the room had Diana tempted to ask just where she could find said seat. To be fair, Akko's dorm wasn't the messiest dorm she had inspected in her time as a Luna Nova prefect, the honor belonging to Albrectsberger because of the underground workshop she had added. But it certainly came close.
Akko seemed to come to the same conclusion because she let out a rather awkward laugh. "Ahaha, right, uhh, hang on," before rushing over to her bed and kicking everything under her desk. Hardly the most efficient way of tidying up but Diana wasn't going to argue. "Sorry about the mess," she mumbled, shoving what looked like a pair of jeans under her bed. "It's usually not this bad. I mean, it can get pretty bad, but not by much more."
"That's…good to hear?" responded Diana as she lowered herself gingerly onto Akko's bed. As she sat down, her fingers brushed against something smooth underneath the pillow. Hm? What's this? Curious, she reached underneath the cover and pulled out a thin, rectangular object and flipped it over and- ah, of course.
She noted with some pleasant surprise that Shiny Chariot's brilliant countenance seemed as bright as ever, beaming from within the card frame. A fond smile materialized on Diana's lips as she turned the card around to inspect it, letting a rare feeling of nostalgia wash over her. It was akin to being reunited with an old friend. Though what that friend was doing hiding in the folds of Akko's covers was a mystery.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Akko," Diana turned around, holding the card outstretched in her hand as a teasing note entered her voice, "but as far as I recall, the tooth fairy accepts payment only in molars as opposed to collector items."
Akko, who had been in the middle of balancing a stack of textbooks and notebooks in one hand, and navigating her orb's menu with her other hand, paused and looked up. "What are you- oh crap!" The books went tumbling to the floor with a crash though the orb managed to stay on with a weak, flickering light. "I-I mean- Oh, uh, hahaha is that where it went?" she laughed nervously before knuckling the side of her head. "I've been looking for that darn thing forever, silly me! Ahahaha…"
After a few more awkward seconds of forced laughter, Akko dropped the facade with a suffering groan. "Wait no, that sounded really bad, like I don't take care of your stuff. But it's still in great shape I swear!" she rushed to reassure her, grabbing it out of Diana's hand and pointing to the front. "See? I put a sturdiness charm on it and then I had Lotte add onto it in case I screwed up, so it's still in mint condition!"
Actually, putting any sort of magic charm on the card would effectively ruin the resale value in the collector world, but that was beside the point. Akko could have accidentally folded it in half so long as Diana knew that the Shiny Chariot card was well loved and judging from the excitable witch's reaction, that certainly seemed the case. It was also somewhat apparent that she was hiding something as well.
"So, then…" she drawled, watching with some amusement as Akko squirmed in place, "would you care to enlighten me to as to why you keep it beneath your pillow then?"
Akko's poker face was atrocious. "Oh, uh, you know," she waved her hand far too casually, "I just thought 'where's the best spot that no one would never, ever think about other than the tooth fairy?' Under the pillow, obviously! I mean, the desk is fine an' all but you just sneeze on it, and it falls apart." To illustrate her point, she gave her desk a hard knock, and one of the drawers immediately fell out. "Er, okay, wasn't actually expecting that. Are you kidding me?!"
As amusing as Akko's attempts at deflection were, there was still some truth to be uncovered and with Diana's curiosity peaked, she needed to know. But pressing the issue would be pointless as the excitable with would simply find more excuses to argue the point. Unless…
A wicked idea sprang to her mind, one that she would've immediately quashed had she not already thrown out all pretenses of her shame. Akko wouldn't be willing to share with the usual her, true. But what if a slightly different her pressed the issue? The only problem would be the question of propriety but seeing how splendidly that had gone, Diana quickly arrived at one conclusion.
Oh to hell with propriety.
"As lovely as the desk is," she interrupted Akko's tirade, schooling her features into what she hoped was… there was no better word to describe it, sultry. Never in her imagination did Diana think she would have to attempt a sultry look of all looks. But no longer was she Diana Cavendish, prim and proper witch. No, now she was Diana Cavendish, sorcière fatale oozing with confidence and tantalizing intrigue, with an amorous look in her eyes that could drive lesser people to madness, spur nations to wars of passion!
...Or at the very least, a small village if she was being reasonable. Her come-hither gaze could've looked constipated for all she knew.
"I do believe that you are hiding some of the truth from me, Akko," she continued in a lowered pitch that instantly got Akko's attention. She got up from the bed and leisurely sauntered over to Akko, whose expression was becoming steadily more and more akin to a deer-caught-in-the-headlights.
"Uh, Diana, what are you-?"
Before Akko could get any further, however, Diana put a finger to her lips, effectively silencing the excitable witch. It was a spur of the moment act, brought on by a sudden flash of inspiration of her current persona but it seemed to work; Akko's eyes widened to almost comical proportions before darting around the room in a bid to look anywhere save forward. Diana had to bite back a triumphant smile. Mayhap she was a more convincing actor than she initially thought.
"Honestly, I'm wounded that you don't... trust me, Akko," she crooned, drawing out the last syllable. With her free hand, she placed it underneath Akko's chin and lightly tilted her head up, forcing their gazes to meet. There was an audible gulping noise on Akko's part and Diana silently thanked her genes for the few extra inches she had on Akko. "Does our friendship really mean so little to you?"
Steam was practically pouring out of the poor girl's ears as Akko's mind attempted to right itself. "N-no! That's not- I mean-" she made an adorably flustered noise and took a deep breath to try and steady herself. Strangely, her eyes fluttered a touch after the breath before she managed to regain her bearings. "Diana, i-is this the v-venom talking… or...?"
"Shhh…" Akko immediately fell silent. Without breaking eye contact, Diana moved her free arm until it was resting innocuously on Akko's shoulder and with her other hand, she cupped the back of Akko's head, and leaned ever closer, close enough that she could hear Akko's breath speed up exponentially. Just as well, since Diana's own heart was pounding hard enough to break free of her chest.
"Perhaps it is the venom," she sighed into the excitable witch's ear. Was it her imagination or had Akko just shivered? "Or perhaps, I'm simply being more honest with… myself," she purred, lacing the pause with as much anticipation she could muster.
"But I imagine that's rather unfair, if I'm the only one being honest, wouldn't you agree?" she murmured. Akko nodded slowly, eyes half-lidded. "Perhaps you could be more honest with me as well? It would make me oh so pleased, Akko, if you told me the truth." Slowly, she ghosted a finger down the side of Akko's cheek, tracing a path to her full lips. Oh, so, pleas-ow!"
Biting one's own tongue during a dramatic dialog only happened in trite plays and poorly written novels. Never in real life. Or so she thought. Because that was precisely what Diana had done, bitten down on her own tongue like some besotted nincompoop fumbling over a romantic confession and oh Nine, are you a fool how did you even accomplish that?!.
And just like that, the spell was broken. Akko blinked once, twice and then began to breathe again. "Wha- Diana?" she shook her head as Diana backed away, hand over her mouth and cursing a storm underneath her breath. "O-oh, shoot, Diana are you okay?" Concern overrode all other emotions in her voice as she rushed over, arms outstretched as if to protect Diana from herself. "Hang on, lemme get some ice cubes!"
Diana desperately waved her off. "Please don't," she deadpanned, sitting down on the bed as the last minute's cumulative mortification crashed over her in waves. What had she been thinking? sorcière fatale, hah! Funny how there was still a little more dignity left to lose, just when she thought there was none left. "Just… leave me so that I may die in peace."
Despite Akko's visible concern, the excitable witch still managed to roll her eyes at the statement. "Low key drama queen, who would've known?" she muttered with just a smidge sarcasm. "Dude, Diana, it's okay! I know it's the venom driving you loopy and making you say those- oh c'mon!" she exclaimed as Diana groaned and smooshed the pillow over her own face in an attempt to drown out the outside world. "Seriously? You just gonna walk around with a pillow plastered over your face for the rest of your life?"
"Do not underestimate the Cavendish determination," was her stout reply muffled by the pillow. If only Akko knew, that every action that night had been Diana's own volition. If only she knew.
"More like Cavendish stubbornness," she heard Akko mutter before groaning herself. "Diana, c'mon!"
No answer. A beat of silence stretched out between the two and Diana took the time to try and phase her body through the bed, past the floorboards and into the molten core of the earth itself. It was childish, uncharacteristically so, but the frustration of the night combined with the humiliation she had put herself through was making it hard for her to care. It was Murphy's Law for witches.
Finally, at the point where the silence was about to become oppressive, she heard Akko let out an explosive sigh before feeling the space on the bed next to her dip slightly as the excitable witch sat down.
"Diana, hey." She felt Akko pull gently, but insistently on the pillow. "Look at me? Please?"
It was the rare subdued tone that did her in. After a few more reluctant seconds, Diana reluctantly pulled the pillow off, her vow of isolation easily broken by the excitable witch who had Diana's heart wrapped so firmly around her finger. She hadn't planned on saying anything, but the soft, reassuring smile on Akko's face broke through the remains of her stubborn resistance.
"I apologize," Diana mumbled, looking away, "for the unsightly display. I confess, being so out of my element has left me…" she racked her mind for the appropriate word, "disoriented."
Akko's lips quirked, but her reassuring smile remained, upside down in Diana's vision. "It's fine, seriously. I know it's the venom in you to blame." Untrue, but Diana wasn't going to argue that out loud. "How about this? I'm going to do something super awesome that my mom used to do for me, so that you can relax, alright? Do you promise to relax?" she asked with a hint of teasing in her eyes.
As if she could say no. Reluctantly Diana nodded, and Akko's smile grew. "Great," she exclaimed before carefully grasping the sides of Diana's head. "Now then- up and over!" With that, she lifted Diana's head before plopping it gently in her lap. "There we go. Feeling the chill yet?"
Whatever Diana was feeling was the exact opposite of the chill. In fact, as soon as she realized what Akko had done, Diana felt her own face heat up to solar temperatures making the chill quite impossible. However, she made no discernible reaction other than to nod stiffly. Just how in the world had Akko managed to do it so smoothly?
...Or maybe not. Glancing up, she saw Akko wasn't as immune to the situation as Diana thought, seeing as how the excitable witch was intently studying the spot next to Diana's head. Still, she seemed to be making a visible effort to put at her ease, so Diana kept silent and let Akko continue.
Without any preamble, the excitable witch began to gently massage her head, threading her fingers into the locks of Diana's hair. Slowly, Diana felt the tension in her shoulders begin to seep out of her, simply letting the quiet and Akko's gentle rhythm lull her into letting her guard down. Akko must've sensed it, for when she spoke again, it was in that same subdued tone, a far cry from her usual exuberance.
"Teddy bears."
Another pause. Diana blinked. She could've sworn Akko had just said… "I beg your pardon?"
Akko visibly grimaced, but her fingers kept their gentle ministrations on Diana's scalp. "You were asking why I kept your card underneath my pillow, right? So...teddy bears," she simply said, as though the answer explained everything.
At Diana's confused gaze, she shifted and scratched her cheek sheepishly. "It's like… you know, some people, they keep teddy bears next to them to help them dream happy dreams. And I," she coughed into her free hand, "just so happen to use a premium ultra-rare first edition Shiny Chariot trading card instead."
Another long pause. Akko squirmed. "Say something."
"If you told me that that in the first place, we could've avoided this situation entirely," were the first words out of Diana's mouth.
"Well... yeah, you're right" Akko agreed, before chuckling. "But you gotta admit, it was kinda funny in hindsight."
"Speak for yourself," Diana huffed, but still, she found herself chuckling a little as well. Teddy bears. Diana shook her head. Clearly, Diana was a glutton for punishment for putting herself through the entire debacle just to receive the answer of teddy bears in the end.
But... It made sense, in a sentimental Akko sort of way.
"I imagine Professor Ursula must feel honored," she teased lightly. "Does she know of your 'teddy bear?'"
At that, Akko tilted her head, brows furrowing. "Hm? What does Professor Ursula have to with anything?"
Diana scoffed. "There's no need to play coy, Akko. It is her image on the card after all."
Her brows furrowed further before understanding swept across her face. "Oh, you're talking about Shiny Chariot!" Akko thought about it for a second. "Hmmm, yeah, a little bit, I guess. But, Shiny Chariot is like, just a quarter of the reason why I keep the card so close."
Now that was intriguing. Diana lifted her head slightly to obtain a more favorable position to look Akko in the eye. She wanted to hear this. "Only a quarter? Then what about the other three-fourths?"
As if realizing what she had just admitted, Akko started in her seat. "Oh. Well, umm…" Akko squirmed again, caught between a rock and a hard place. "Aw jeez, promise you won't laugh?"
"But of course."
Her reassurance seemed to calm some of Akko's nerves, for the excitable witch gave her a weak smile, taking a brief second to brush Diana's hair again. "Well um… I keep the card nearby because it, ya know…" and despite being so close, Diana could barely hear what Akko had just uttered.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last part."
In the pale light of the orb, Diana saw the tip of Akko's nose flush a lovely pink. "Isaiditremindsmeofyou."
It took a second to understand the rushed words but once Diana parsed the meaning, she felt compelled to say- just what, exactly? Of all the answers she had expected, that was assuredly not one of them. "I, err…" she fumbled. "Thank you?"
Her unusual tone must've alarmed Akko, because her eye's widened and she quickly shook her head before adding, "W-wait, no! O-oh gosh, that came out wrong. I-I mean, not wrong but weird, I guess. Maybe. I don't knoooooow." She let out a humiliated groan. "Feel free to stop me anytime from putting more of my foot in my mouth, by the way."
"I would, if I knew what on earth you were talking about," she replied, still baffled. When Akko let out another groan, Diana took pity on her and reached up to take Akko's hand. "What did you mean to say, Akko?"
The excitable witch looked at the hand before coming to a conclusion. "Right." Akko scratched furiously at the back of her head. "Okay, okay. So stay with me here," she took a deep breath. "We're both pretty awesome witches, right?" she asked before stopping herself and snorting. "I mean, of course we are, we stopped a freaking magic science missile made of hate and destruction with just the power of believing hearts alone. That's gotta count for something, right?"
"Of course," Diana replied, still unsure where Akko was going with her thought.
Akko nodded again. "Right, so, we're both awesome witches with a bunch of people who believe that we can do anything. Cool." Akko took a breath. "Except when we can't. Or when I can't," she clarified.
What? Where had that notion come from? Diana lifted her head up a fraction, frowning as she tried to understand the meaning of Akko's claim. "What do you mean? Akko, you are a wonderful witch." When Akko gave her a skeptical look, she added, "It's the truth. People believe in magic again because of you. They believe in you."
Akko chuckled, but the noise coming out uncharacteristically belittling. "Let's be real, Diana. People believe in me, sure. But it's not the same as me believing in myself, ya know? I mean, sure, I've got days where all my spells go right, and I feel like I'm riding Shooting Star to the top of the world. Those days are the best." she said, pausing. When she spoke again, there was misgiving in her manner as if all her accomplishments were flukes of fate.
"But then there are days where none of my spells go right no matter how hard I try and I just feel like this… this... big faker, who's letting everyone down. Those days are, I dunno…" she paused, searching for an appropriate word to describe her feelings before just shrugging helplessly. "Those kinds of days, I just… don't feel like I'm a good witch. Or ever will be."
There was a tense stretch of silence. Diana waited with baited breath for Akko to continue. Akko herself seemed to be lost in thought, still idly twirling the lock of hair.
"The day Professor Ursula told me who she really was one of those days," Akko said after the pause. She chuckled again, but this time, there was no emotion in it, not even wryness. "Talk about a crisis of faith. I was actually thinking of dropping out of Luna Nova for a bit afterwards, can you believe it?"
Diana couldn't. Akko was the very spark of what constituted her definition of magic; light and warmth, a shining beacon of potential to all. The very fact that Akko even considered such a prospect seemed so utterly foreign to her that she would be hard-pressed to believe had they not been Akko's own words. "What made you change your mind?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
And here, Akko's empty expression turned into a smile, a soft, genuine smile aimed at Diana so laced with affection that it made Diana's heart stutter and stop.
"I believe as well. I believe in your believing heart."
Like that, the words Diana had uttered to Akko last winter came back to her in a rush of memories. "I… I see," she said, breaking eye contact first with Akko's warm gaze and trying to will her heart to settle. There was nothing inordinately exceptional about her words. Just her honest feelings. Nothing special about that. "You- you give me far too much credit," she said, hoping her voice came out steadier than she actually felt. "I was simply voicing what everyone else thought of you and your beliefs."
"Maybe, sure," Akko admitted, giving her the benefit of the doubt. "I think, if anybody else had told me that, I would've thought they were saying it just for the sake of saying it." Akko swallowed thickly. "But it was different when you said it. When you told me that it was okay to believe in my own heart, all I could think was just- just," Akko sighed breathlessly. "Wow… I'm the luckiest girl in the whole wide world to have you as a friend."
Akko fell still, the lock of hair she had been twisting coming to a stop. When she spoke next, her voice was strangely shy, as if admitting an embarrassing secret. "Shiny Chariot reminded me that my magic comes from a believing heart. And that day," she took a steadying breath, as if to fortify herself for what she was about to admit. "And that day, when you gave me her card and passed your dream onto me, you reminded me to believe. Believe in my own heart. And that… that meant a lot. It-"
Akko's voice caught, and she looked away for the briefest of seconds. Yet, she seemed to find a fount of bravery within herself for she turned back and looked Diana straight in the eyes when she softly whispered her next words.
"It meant the world to me."
Warmth pooled in Diana's chest, a foreign heat that pooled in her chest and forced its way into her heart, making each beat overwhelming in its intensity. It felt like she was drowning in Akko's warm gaze filled with such adoration. But, good lord, it felt like her heart was fit to burst.
"Likewise," Diana managed to whisper back past the solid lump in her throat. "You mean the world to me as well, Akko."
Silence on Akko's part and for a nerve-wracking second, Diana thought she had said something wrong. But then she heard a sniffle and- oh.
"Oh geez," Akko sniffled again and let out a watery chuckle. "Oh geez, haha. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so worked up like this. It's just, hearing you say that- thanks, Diana. I mean it." She hiccoughed before chuckling again. "You know, you're already super nice, but I guess the LoveLove just cranks it up to ten, huh? Not that I'm complaining."
Her words, innocent as they were, still sent a guilty pang through Diana's chest, yet she found that it didn't cut as much as she had expected. Her feelings for Akko's happiness was a trade she'd make a thousand times willingly. And if her own feelings were stung slightly in the process, then so be it. She was simply reaping what she had sown after all.
Well, that and whatever Manbavaran had thrown into the mix. But the mad witch would get her just desserts, in due time.
Without any thought, Diana reached up and gently thumbed away the tears gathering at the bottom of Akko's eyes. "Perhaps. And you're very welcome, Akko. Just, no more tears on my behalf, alright?" she said with a light smile back at the excitable witch. "This is a sleepover, after all, and to quote your words, we are to eat copious amounts of junk food and watch terrible romantic comedies and judge them accordingly, correct?"
In response, Akko's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously with a mouth-splitting grin. "Awww, there's hope for you yet. And I dunno what you're talking about. My eyes are just super sensitive to emotion, that's all. Freak coincidence," she haughtily huffed, though the effect was ruined by that same grin.
"But of course," Diana responded with a smaller yet similar smile of her own. Bending over, she picked the orb up off the ground and tapped it, letting the display flickering on from its sleep mode. "Now what do you say you to…" she checked the description of the movie she had randomly selected, "An American Necromancer in London: A Love Story in this Life and the Next!"
Akko took the orb from her hands, placing it between the two of them. "Sounds like hot garbage," she said before her grin widened. "Let's do it!"
They spent the rest of the night ripping apart the movie. Akko had a bone to pick with the movies unflattering portrayal of the undead (Captain Holbrook was the sweetest zombie I've ever met! Crazy as a bat but very sweet!) and Diana took particular offense to the principal actor's atrocious English accent (Contrary to popular belief, we DO NOT start every sentence with "Oi, mate!" or "How's it been, guv'nor," or whatever it is- stop laughing, Akko!).
The morning, come what may, but that night was a bright memory for the two of them alone.
When Diana woke the next morning, it was to a warm, comforting weight wrapped around her waist and the sound of soft snoring in her ear
Her first instinct was to jerk back in surprise, but that was impossible. The weight simply grumbled a bit before wrapping even tighter. What on earth- oh.
The night's previous events rushed back to her in a wave like a sick sort of hangover and Diana couldn't help but utter a small groan before putting a hand over her eyes. I can't believe I faked the symptoms of a LoveLove sting for an entire night, she thought disbelievingly. What was I thinking? What on earth could have possibly possessed me to do such a thing?
Her answer made another grumbling noise, muttering something along the line of "teddy bears," and Diana felt her lips move upwards in a wry smile. Carefully, she turned around so that she could look at Akko's face. She had to smile a bit as Akko continued to snore obliviously, drooling slightly as she did so.
Hard to imagine that this is the face of the person who single-handedly saved the country from all-out war. Diana fondly pushed a stray lock out of Akko's face, noting idly how atrocious her bed head was. Atrocious and ridiculously charming.
Then again, surface appearances were hardly telling of what lied underneath, as evidenced by events last night. Akko's heart was much bigger than people gave her credit for. Bigger and braver than Diana's would ever be.
But maybe… she could take the first few steps to being a little braver herself.
"I believe you were mistaken last night," Diana whispered, making sure not wake the slumbering witch. "When you said you were the luckiest person alive to have me as a friend, it was the other way around. I am the truly fortunate one for having known you. You have made my life richer for simply being in it and mere words cannot begin to express my gratitude...but I suppose, a thank you would be a good start," she said, adding a teasing smile to the end of her sentence. A few seconds more of silence in the early morning light, barely peeking through the curtains. Slowly, the smile on her face faded.
"You were very honest with me last night, Akko, and I'm afraid, I cannot say the same for myself." She took Akko's hand in her own, savoring the last few seconds of stolen contact before the world outside forced her to adopt customary mask.
"I hope you can forgive me for that. But I swear to the stars above, I will be a little braver from now on, for your sake as well as mine. Believe in me."
Her whispered confession elicited no reaction from the slumbering witch save for more light snoring. Diana stared for a few seconds more, smiling softly before shaking her head and extracting herself from Akko's embrace.
It was time for her to be Diana Cavendish once again.
She managed to gather all her belongings with a minimal amount of noise, but her uniform was another matter. It was in the suite along with the rest of her clothes so she had no other option but to dress herself with magic. With a flick of her wand, her nightwear turned into a magical replica of her school uniform though the accompanying sparking noise made Diana wince.
Apparently, it was enough to wake Akko, who snorted once before jerking up in surprise. "Whu-whuh, whozzat?" She blinked owlishly, eyes squinted as she fumbled for her wand. "Whoever you are, I sorta, kinda know magic!"
Diana's lips quirked upwards before she forced them down again. No more silly games. She cleared her throat. "Good morning, Akko."
Akko's eyes focused owlishly on her. "Oh. Hey, Diana. Mornin'" she let out a massive yawn, stretching her arms out above her before- "GAHH DIANA!"
Diana winced at the loud thump! as Akko went tumbling head over heels off her bed, but the excitable witch simply rebounded back up, no worse for wear. "I-I mean, uh, g-good morning to you too!" she let out a nervous giggle, rubbing the back of her head. "You, uh, sleep well?"
It had been the best sleep she had in years. Diana dipped her head amiably. "Well enough, thank you. You?"
"Like a log. Sorta. Kinda." Akko nervously cleared her throat. "So...um…" the excitable witch bit her lip. It was painfully evident that the excitable witch wanted to ask about the events of last night, but was unsure of how to tactfully bring it up.
Diana took pity on her and took the initiative. "About last night," she began, straightening her posture to give Akko her full attention. "I must apologize for such an unbecoming display. My behavior was unacceptable and my conduct, even more so." She took a deep breath before bowing low. "That being said, you have my utmost gratitude for the kindness and consideration you showed me. Despite my boorish behavior, I hope you can find it within yourself to look past it, for the sake of our friendship."
When Diana looked up, she could've sworn she saw a flash of what looked to be disappointment on Akko's face before it disappeared into a ready smile. "Aw psh, don't worry about it, Diana. Water under the bridge. Besides," she grinned rakishly and winked, "you're going to have to try harder than that if you wanna get rid of me."
That got a ghost of a smile to flicker across Diana's lips. So much for her proclaimed self-control. "Bother, am I really that transparent?" she remarked dryly, and Akko's smile widened. "In any case, I'll leave you to your rest. I must check in on Hanna and Barbara and the others."
Hearing that, Akko scrambled forward. "O-oh, uh, I'll come with! Lotte's probably worried sick and- oh. Ah, crud." Akko scratched her cheek sheepishly. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare uniform hanging around by any chance?"
Easily remedied. With a flick of her wand, Diana cast a similar spell that quickly turned Akko's nightwear into a perfect replica of the excitable witch's usual school uniform. Well, near perfect. She had taken some liberties with the absolute territory, if only for the sake of Diana's own sanity. She stowed her wand away and gestured ahead. "After you."
They made their way through the school, back to the suite with Diana taking the lead. The school was quiet, for the most part, save for the odd goblin worker and the sleep-deprived student who had apparently spent the whole night studying in the library. It was only when they neared the suite that Diana felt Akko tug on her sleeve.
"Hey, before we go in," Akko leaned in closer to whisper, despite the relative emptiness of the hallway, "are you sure you're feeling one hundred percent better? We never really did figure out if riding out the venom actually works or not."
Diana paused, quickly considering her options. Seeing as how there wasn't actually a LoveLove involved, the best choice would be feigning ignorance. "For the most part," she admitted slowly, schooling her features to look slightly troubled. A flash of inspiration hit her and she winced, putting her hand to the side of her head. "There are noticeable gaps in my memory. Most of what I can recall of last night are my emotions." She pursed her lips. "I do remember watching the film with you though. That was rather enjoyable."
Looking back at Akko, it took most of Diana's willpower not to wince again at the sad puppy look on her face. But it was quickly replaced with an understanding grin. "Ah, cool, cool. Well, it was mostly me just running my fat mouth for most of the time so no big loss," she said, turning the knob and opening the door. "But if you ever do remember something just lemme- holy crap!"
Diana peered past Akko's frame and- good heavens.
What she had thought earlier, that Albrechtsberger had the messiest dorm, was no longer the case. Diana's suite went above and beyond anything imaginable. Diana could only gape dumbly at the sheer chaos that had torn its way through the suite. Furniture was upturned, food and cream smeared the walls, and an absurdly large hole in the glass window were just a few of the things she could see at a glance. And that was only the living room.
"There goes the security deposit," Akko muttered in a voice filled with awe and just a tinge of reverence at the entropy before her. "What happened here?"
Before Diana could answer, a voice that sounded suspiciously like O'Neill's floated from behind the upturned couch. "Heyyyy, you guys came back!"
Diana and Akko exchanged glances. "Would you mind…?" Diana gestured, a bit helplessly, to the couch. Where to even begin?
Akko, bless her heart, simply nodded in understanding. "I'm on it. You do whatever you need to do, Diana."
Diana returned the nod, relieved and grateful beyond words for the excitable witch's perception. "Thank you, Akko," she said, before picking her way past the debris. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Akko kneel down and gently prod Jansson's sleeping form.
She didn't have to walk far before a giggling noise coming from beneath the dining table caught Diana's attention. Warily, she poked the table cloth with her toe before flipping it over. When she saw who was under the table though, her wariness quickly morphed into ire.
"Hanna! Barbara!"
To their credit, the two guilty witches, wrapped snugly in a blanket draped over their shoulders, jumped a bit before relaxing when they saw who it was. "Oh, Diana!" Barbara giggled in the way of greeting. "Don't scare us like that! Say something next time."
"There won't be a next time, as far as I'm concerned," Diana threatened in a low tone. To her surprise, Barbara merely stuck her tongue out at her before nuzzling into Hanna's neck.
"Party pooper," she pouted and Barbara snickered before nuzzling back. "Like, lighten up a bit, Diana. The suite's still standing, and everyone's in one piece, more or less. Life's too short to worry about the small stuff."
"Besides," Hanna chimed in with a knowing wink. "It's not like you had a little fun with a certain witch yourself last night."
Heat flared up from beneath Diana's collar at her teammate's implications. "I- That has nothing to do with- for the love of the Nine, cease your snuggling at once!" she stammered, scandalized as she watched Hanna nibble at the spot just below Barbara's earlobe, drawing a delighted squeal from the other witch. She put a hand to her brow in a futile attempt to stop the spinning. "Good lord, what on earth happened here?!"
"Don't mind them," drawled Manbavaran, appearing quite literally out of nowhere next to her, and Diana let out a surprised yelp before drawing away. "There just feeling the side effects is all." She let out a cavernous yawn. "You wouldn't happen to have any nibbles on you, would you? I haven't had a solid bite to eat since Amanda tossed the tea tray out the window."
"I- no- what?" Already, Diana could feel the beginnings of a migraine settling in behind her eyes. She pinched her nose, trying to stave it off as her thoughts whirled in her mind. "Why would O'Neill throw the tea tray out the window?" she finally settled on asking. One problem at a time.
Manbavaran shrugged. "Beats me. I guess she freaked out a little when I told everyone that I spiked one of the cups with LoveLove venom."
Ah. That would certainly explain it. "I see," Diana muttered, rubbing distractedly at her brow as she- "You did what?!"
Manbavaran fixed her with a particularly disappointing look. "There was absolutely no case of ambiguity in that sentence, you do know that?" she said dryly, as if that was the problem.
Before Diana could even begin forming a response, Barbara suddenly piped up. "Hey, I know it's none of my business, but like, Diana, you mind having your meltdown somewhere else? Kinda harshing on our parade right now."
Diana numbly dropped the table cloth, leaving her two teammates to- nooooooope, no, not going down that train of thought. Instead, she rounded on Manbavaran, who hadn't even bothered to try and hide her sharp grin. "You said you wouldn't use any illicit substances!" she hissed between clenched teeth. "That wasn't part of the deal!"
Manbavaran held up a finger. "Counterpoint, I said I wouldn't use any illicit substances on Akko or yourself to get you two in the same room. Everyone else was fair game."
"Yes but Hanna and Barbara-!" Diana began, before stopping herself as she realized that the devil was in the details. Oh no.
"Were simply the participants of a little social experiment of mine," Manbavaran cut in. "Unknowing, sure. Unwilling, well…" she shrugged, gesturing to the tablecloth, where giggles were still emanating from beyond. "I think the results speak for themselves."
And blast it, the mad witch was right. She had played into the devil's hands just like that. Diana opened her mouth to rebuttal Manbavaran, to argue the nuances, to do anything.
"Does Akko know?" was what came out instead.
"Hmmm…" the mad witch took out a pocket watch from inside her robes and popped open the lid. "Well, knowing her, she should be finding out right about…"
"Wait, what?!" came a distinctly Akko screech from somewhere in the common area.
"Now." Manbavaran pocketed the watch and gave her an almost pitying look, ruined by the mile-wide grin on her countenance. "If it's any consolation, I think you have about oh, ten seconds tops before her mind starts functioning again."
Diana didn't need to be told twice. She bolted for the door, throwing open the door along with the last dregs of her self-respect aside. She darted out into the hallway and began running, barely hearing the cackles coming from within the suite.
"Diana!" The blonde cursed as a familiar voice called out behind her. Curse Akko and her dogged perseverance. She chanced a glance over her shoulder, seeing Akko hot on her heels, looking a cross between supremely irate and supremely flustered and maybe, just maybe, a tinge thrilled. What a combination.
"Diana, don't you dare run away from me! You've got so so so so so so so so so so SO much explaining to do, buster!"
Without thinking, Diana reached into her robe and pulled out her wand and aimed it at the ceiling, unsure of what she was actually casting, only thinking desperately of a way to put some distance between her and the person of her affections. There was a tremendous bang! followed by indignant spluttering from Akko as dazzling, golden dust began falling from the sky. "For the love of- a pixie bomb, are you serious Diana?! DIANA!"
She couldn't answer. How could she? Her face was aflame. Her whole body was aflame, like a comet blazing in the night sky.
So much for bravery, thought Diana, cutting straight through the stars in her wake.
Me: Okay so the first chapter went a little longer than expected, but the second chapter should be shorter and easier to write, right?
Me, but an additional 13,000 words later: That's where you're wrong kiddo.