Summary: Diana's trying to sort herself out while Akko decides to go for it. (conclusion of the last two chapters)
The beginning part of the third section inspired entirely by an incorrect lwa quote. Still me being silly.
"Suuuucy. How do I know if the potion wore off?" Akko asked as soon as she woke up.
"Akko, what did you dream about?" Sucy groggily questioned.
"Well, I dreamt I was having a picnic with Diana. I don't really remember much, but I do remember laying on her lap staring up at her amazing blue ey- geh."
"It didn't wear off yet. Now go back to sleep. It's only 5 a.m." Sucy deadpanned as she tossed a pillow into Akko's face.
"So Akko, what do you plan to do today?"
"Well, we're walking to the dining hall for breakfast. Then we have classes. After classes, I'll get Diana alone and tell her how I feel."
"Wait?! Already?" Lotte gasped.
"Yeah, not like I could hide it if I tried." Akko shrugged. "Besides, I want to find out as soon as possible if she feels the same way!"
Lotte and Sucy debated asking the obligatory "what if she doesn't?", but both girls knew that was pointless.
After all, Diana obviously did. And even if she didn't, Akko wouldn't give up on her.
Lotte chuckled at the thought.
"Anyway Akko, you should stick with me and Lotte for the day." Sucy suggested.
"Eh, why?"
"I think it'd be best." Lotte answered. "After all, while the potion's still active, you might get yourself into even more trouble."
"Yeah, if you're going to embarrass yourself, I want to be there to watch." Sucy chuckled.
"Yeah right, I know you're worried about me Sucy." Akko smiled at Sucy, causing her to roll her eyes. "But yeah, makes sense. Thanks you two. Now…" Akko smiled. "we have our friends to see."
"Don't you mean you have a Diana to see?" Sucy corrected.
"Yep!" Akko giggled. "That's exactly what I mean."
Given more time to think, Diana decided that "in love" was far too strong… far too profound a feeling to describe how she felt for Akko, at least for now.
However, seeing as her dreams had been haunted, or blessed, by Akko's bewitching red eyes… her melodic laughter… her radiant smile, Diana could not deny that she did possess feelings for Akko different than those of just friendship…
So maybe she liked Akko in a romantic sense.
That did not mean she would have to treat the witch any differently.
Yes. She would just act as she usually does.
At least until she could properly sort out how exactly she felt.
She should be capable of that much.
"Hey everyone!"
Diana felt her heart skip as she heard the sweet voice of the exuberant witch.
By instinct, Diana turned around towards the oncoming witches and immediately found herself captivated by Akko… by the way her smile seemed to light up the room like the sun does the sky… by the jubilant humming that Diana found she was willing to listen to for hours… by the way her hair bounced as she skipped towards them…
Diana's eyes widened.
Towards?
Diana shook her head.
Akko and her team always ate breakfast in the company of mine and Amanda's teams. This was normal.
Despite that, Diana found that the closer Akko got, the louder her heart beat.
"Diana, you're staring." Barbara grinned. A revelation that caused warmth to pool in her cheeks.
… Perhaps Diana had overestimated her own capabilities.
Diana turned back around and pushed her chair backwards.
"Diana?" Hannah pulled on the blonde's sleeve.
"Oi Diana. Where ya going?" Amanda crassly questioned.
"If you would excuse me…" Diana said before turning away from the table.
"Diana, are you going somewhere?"
Diana opened her eyes and found herself face to face with the cause of her unusually disheveled mental state. Diana watched as Akko's brow furrowed and her smile flipped into the most minute frown.
"Is something wrong Diana?" Akko placed her hand on Diana's arm, trying to relax the blonde heiress.
Unbeknownst to her, it was having the complete opposite effect, with Diana bewildered by how such a simple gesture could cause her heart to flutter so wildly.
Attempting to calm herself, Diana began to tap her finger on her side, to the rhythm of her heart. This… failed miserably, seeing as her heartbeat continually increased in pace.
"W-while your concern is a-appreciated, e-everything is fine." Diana managed to stutter out, eliciting a few chuckles from the witches around her table.
"Diana… you're acting weird." Akko looked up at the blonde, her eyes inviting… if not begging Diana to tell her what's wrong.
Diana, however, found herself ill-equipped to do so, unable to communicate, or even process, the feelings running through her. The one moment she tried, the words got caught in her throat.
After all, this was the first time she had ever truly felt like this.
Diana only had one experience similar to this… one experience she could potentially rely on.
"I-If you excuse me Akko…"
Her only experience with the prospect of "love" being the one from several months ago in what was likely the most chaotic party the Hanbridge's have ever had to deal with.
"I have somewhere to ga- I mean go." Diana muttered before promptly escaping.
"Diana!" Akko yelled as she began to chase after the blonde witch.
"Akko! What about the truth potion's effect?!"
"Truth potion?" Amanda mumbled curiously.
"Who cares if I'm still under the truth potion, Lotte?! Diana's acting weird, and I need to make sure she's okay!" Akko yelled as she ran off.
Sucy put her hand on Lotte's shoulder, getting her attention.
"Let's follow Akko."
"Sucy?"
"… It'll be more interesting if we follow her."
Lotte smiled. "Sure. Okay, let's go." Lotte turned to the table, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, we needa follow Akko. She's under the effects of a strong truth potion, and who knows what kind of trouble she'll get into." The both of them then immediately chased after Akko.
"Truth potion?" Amanda repeated. "I guess Akko's under some potion's effect… Yo, H & B. What happened with Diana last night?"
"We think we got through to her…though looking at what happened today…" Hannah started.
"We definitely got through to her" Barbara finished.
"Well this is looking interesting… Cons, you're tracking them right?" Amanda turned towards the small mechanic.
Constanze looked down to the floor in thought before checking a variety of watches on her wrists. She then gave the American witch a thumbs up.
"Jas, y'done with breakfast?"
"Mmhm. It was delicious."
"Great, then we're following 'em too." Amanda grinned.
"Shouldn't we, like, give them privacy?" Barbara noted.
"Hm… I guess we could…" Amanda pondered, "So, how're you and H doing?"
"I'm done with breakfast! L-let's follow them!" Barbara nervously shouted, a blush creeping onto her face.
"Y-yeah!" Hannah agreed, pushing out of her seat.
Amanda snickered in her chair.
"Gotcha."
"Ugh, and they say I'm full of energy." Akko panted as she continued sprinting through the halls. "How is she so fast?!"
Akko's vision was placed solely on the blonde locks dancing further ahead of her.
Something was wrong with Diana, and Akko was determined to find out what.
When she saw the girl stop running, Akko smiled. Finally, she could catch up to her.
"Dian-AGH" Caught up in her relief, Akko lost her footing and tripped.
Diana quickly turned around when she heard her name yelled and saw Akko trip face-first onto the ground.
Her heart dropped as she watched Akko slide forward.
"A-Akko!" Diana yelled before quickly running towards the witch sprawled on the floor. All feelings of embarrassment and nerves were quickly replaced by the overriding need to make sure Akko was unharmed. "Akko! Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little pain on my face, nothing I'm not used to." Akko muttered as she began getting back up. "I am a little embarrassed though." Akko shyly admitted.
Diana, relieved that Akko was okay, found herself smiling.
"And why would you be embarrassed Akko?" Diana asked as she offered a hand to help the girl up.
"Well… I came all the way here to make sure you were okay cause you were acting really weird… then I tripped…" Akko turned her attention to the floor, her face beginning to redden. "then you had to make sure I was okay instead… and just… it was so uncool. Agh, this is so embarrassing" Akko muttered again before hiding her face in her hands.
Diana's heart skipped as she watched Akko grow embarrassed herself. It was truly a pleasing sight, one she wished she could savor for a little while longer.
However, now that she was able to think more clearly. Diana realized how ridiculous her actions had been, the sobering thought she had put Akko in this situation keeping her grounded.
"I apologize for worrying you Akko." Diana rested her hand on the shorter witch's shoulder. "I was… not thinking straight."
"It's no problem." Akko smiled. "I always make you worry anyway, so we can call it even." Akko's blunt honesty caused Diana's heart to skip a beat once again.
She really began to question how dangerous this could be for her health.
"E-even so, I should not have acted in that manner."
"It's fine, it's fine…" Akko trailed off. "I'm… a bit more worried about why though." Akko firmly grabbed Diana's hands, effectively preventing another unwanted escape. "Is something bothering you Diana?"
Diana's palms began to sweat as her attention centered on the grip on her hands, just firm enough to keep her stuck here… the brush of Akko's thumb against her knuckles gently coaxing her to answer the question.
A question that she still found herself unprepared to answer.
"W-what makes you think something is bothering me?" Diana deflected.
"Well, I've never seen you run away from something before, so there's that." Akko started. "I also don't think I've ever seen you stutter. You're usually so confident… seeing you nervous in the dining hall was really weird… and it worried me when you wouldn't tell me why."
"A-Akko I a-am-"
"Oh, your face was also really red. You had this strange look like…" Akko tensed her face up in, what she hoped, was an accurate representation.
"I-I get i-"
"Then you were also tapping your finger earlier… you only do that when something's bothering you and you can't think."
"Wait y-"
"I can also feel your pulse through your hands. It's beating really fas-"
"Akko, you have made your point." Diana finally managed to interrupt the chatty witch. She sighed. "How did you even manage to notice all of that?"
"I'm always paying attention to you." Akko happily admitted.
Had Diana's face not been deep red before, it certainly was now.
"H-How can find it so easy to say something so embarrassing?" Diana whispered almost enviously.
"Huh? That's embarrassing?" Akko asked in surprise. "I don't think it is… besides even if I did think it was embarrassing, I can't really help myself at the moment. I'm kind of under the influence of a potion."
That caught Diana's attention.
"Potion?"
"Well, last night I accidentally broke this glass thing on Sucy's desk while I was dancing alone, and it blew up. It had a truth potion inside it, and I breathed in a lot of it."
"A truth potion?"
"Yeah… it's actually really tiring cause I can't stop myself from talking when someone asks me a question..."
"I see…"
There was silence between the two of them. Not entirely awkward… but not entirely comfortable either. Ignoring Diana, Akko seemed to have a bit of nerves herself, finally noticing that they were actually alone.
Akko took a moment to look in all directions, to make sure no one was actually around.
"Hey Diana, I have something I need to tell you." Akko whispered.
"What is-" Diana stopped herself when she realized she was about to ask Akko a question. "You can tell me anything."
Akko smiled, noticing Diana's change in wording. "Thanks for that. Well first… you're okay right? Like… this isn't bothering you?" Akko questioned, squeezing Diana's hands.
Diana had forgotten their hands were still connected.
"It's… different. But certainly not unpleasant." Diana whispered, finding no desire to pull away.
"And you're not… like super nervous anymore right? You seem calmer than before."
"… I suppose I am calmer." Diana realized, finding that being with Akko like this far was more comforting than the embarrassment she had felt subjected to earlier.
"Okay good. So…" Akko hesitated.
Akko thought this would be easy… or at least easier.
But every time she tried to say what she wanted, the words got caught in her throat.
Diana noticed this, and wished to ease her burden.
After all, she had just gone through that earlier before she ran away.
"Akko… is what you want to tell me something you truly want me to know?"
"Y-yes." Akko muttered.
"Would you like it if I made it easier for you to say?"
"Anything would be nice, yes."
"Can I ask you about it?"
Akko's eyes widened, before nodding.
"Akko, what is it you want to tell me?"
"Diana I like you." Akko quickly answered, causing both witch's face to blush.
"Akko… I-"
"Do you wanna go on a date?" Akko announced aloud. "I'm not sure where… I don't know where would be good enough to take you but do you want to? Just the two of us? Maybe a zoo would be nice, or a garden. Movies seem a little too dull, unless you want to watch one? I'd be fine with that. Just uh mmph-"
Akko's mouth was covered by possibly the softest hands on the face of the earth. Akko looked up and saw Diana overheating.
"A-Akko" Diana could barely hear herself over the sound of her heart throbbing in her ears. "Do you really mean all of that?"
"Yeah. I can't lie right now anyway." Akko muttered shyly.
Of course she couldn't.
Diana knew that.
Why she bothered to ask was beyond her.
In this moment of clarity, Diana found that all of her embarrassment… her earlier nerves and worries had disappeared. The sudden relief left Diana incapable of nothing but laughter. Pure, happy, relieved laughter.
"Mou, Diana!" Akko whined. "I'm being serious!"
"I- I know, I apologize Akko." Diana chuckled.
She no longer felt worried or anxious, just…
She was now fully able to appreciate the slightest touch of Akko's fingers against one of her hands. Truly adore the pout on Akko's face.
Hearing Akko's confession had helped her finally comprehend and feel at ease with how she felt.
And now she was sure she could properly give Akko the response she had been, uncharacteristically, waiting patiently for.
But, Diana had kept her waiting this long… why not let her wait a little longer?
"Is there anything you'd like me to say Akko?"
"I mean, a 'yes' would be nice. An 'I'd love to go on a date with you' would be great too. An 'I like you too' would be amazing. But, I just want to know how you honestly feel." Akko admitted.
"I see…" Diana said, before sending Akko a mirthful grin.
Akko's eyes widened. She knew what that grin meant.
"Diana, you're not going t-"
"Would you like me to give you anything besides just an answer?"
"I guess a hug would be nice. A smile too, even though you're smiling now. You have a really nice smile. Maybe even a… ki…" Akko whispered.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard you. What was that?" Diana chuckled.
"A kiss." Akko said louder, much to her own embarrassment.
"Well. Since you were so… honest…" Diana smiled, flustering Akko further. "Yes. I'd love to go on a date with you. I like you too, and this is how I honestly feel."
"Wh-" Akko's voice was cut off as she found herself wrapped in Diana's arms.
"Huh, you really do fit perfectly." Diana muttered to herself.
"W-What?!" Akko squeaked.
Diana then loosened the hug just enough so that the two witches could be face to face. Diana gave Akko the best smile she could muster before placing a kiss upon Akko's forehead.
The feeling of Akko's skin against her lip lit a fire in Diana's chest. The blush on the shorter witch's face made her feel even more daring if not slightly impulsive.
"Was that sufficient?" Diana joked, before her eyes quickly glanced towards Akko's lips.
Akko, incapable of speaking, simply nodded before hiding herself into Diana's shoulder.
Diana took a moment to fully appreciate this moment. The way their vests rustled against each other. The subtle shake Akko made as she laughed. The smile she felt across her shoulders.
Which reminded her of what she wanted to do ne-
"Finally!"
The two girls jumped when they heard a voice from behind the corner.
"A-Amanda?!" Akko yelled.
"Not just me." Amanda smugly grinned. From behind her, Constanze walked forward sending the blushing witches a thumbs up. Jasminka followed happily, as did a nervous Hannah and Barbara.
"W-Where's Sucy and Lott-"
"Boo."
"Eeep!" Akko jumped up before turning around to see her roommates. "Sucy! That wasn't nice!"
"Neither was having to watch you two."
"I'm happy for you." Lotte added in contrast to what Sucy said, smiling softly at the new couple.
"Yeah! Now when's the wedding?!"
"Amanda! That is extremely inappropriate!" Diana pointed her wand directly in front of Amanda's face.
"Oh lighten up Diana, you know I was joking." Amanda swatted Diana's wand away.
Diana sighed. She really didn't want to get so worked up again.
"I suggest we all go to class now." Diana changed the subject entirely. "They will start soon."
"Crap, you're right" Amanda panicked. "If I'm late again, they're going to take away my broom. Let's go!" Amanda sprinted off to class, Constanze and Jasminka in tow. Hannah and Barbara rushed too.
Sure Diana could probably talk her way out of getting in trouble, but they certainly couldn't.
Diana then turned to Akko's roommates. "You two can go before us. I will stay behind and ensure Akko is uninjured."
"You're gonna need a better excuse than that Diana." Sucy sent a knowing grin her way, much to the blonde's own chagrin.
"Sucy, let's leave them alone… You'll keep her from trouble right?"
"Do not fret Lotte. You have my word"
"Okay, we'll see you in class!"
Once alone, Diana looked to Akko.
Their eyes met, and they both succumbed to sudden fits of giggles.
In this moment, nothing else seemed to matter. It was just the two of them, reveling in the melodic harmony of each other's laughter.
Truly, nothing could have made this moment any better.
Well... maybe one thing could.
"Akko, would you be opposed if I were to kiss you?" Diana pondered coyly.
"Of course not! I'd actually really love it if you did" Akko happily answered.
Quickly, Akko stopped giggling and stared at Diana in disbelief. "… Wait?! Diana what did you jus- mmph-"
Akko was cut off as she found herself taken over by the sensation of soft lips, those that had just been on her forehead, pressed against her own lips.
She closed her eyes, leaning into the soft, gentle hands cupping her cheeks… finding her fingers entangled into Diana's fluffy, wavy hair. Her mind blanking, knees beginning to buckle, as she felt the tiniest nibble on her lower lip.
And whining the moment those lips left her own.
"Dianaaa" Akko complained, clearly wishing to continue.
"We shall continue this and discuss the details of our date later." Diana whispered. "We must get to class. Is that okay?"
"Fine." Akko pouted as she followed the blonde witch. "But only if I get to hold your hand."
Diana smiled. "Very well."
Akko interlocked their fingers together, and Diana happily returned the favor as they walked off to class.
And thus that has come to a close lol. Hope the silliness of this and the last two chapters were fine. I'm a bit worried it was rushed but.
I also don't think I can go without making both of these idiots making each other embarrassed in one way or the other.
Also, as per usual with me and writing things that continue, this is longer than the last chapter, which was longer than the one before that.
Hope it was enjoyable and thanks for reading!
