A/N: Welcome back to another exciting edition of fluff. I was having issues with deciding on what to write, so this happened instead. But be not afraid my friends I have ideas for the next two chapters.
A Potato: I'm glad you enjoyed my dear friend! Sucy being the responsible one is always my favourite, mainly because she normally doesn't give a shit about anything unless its about her friends. And indeed my friend more schemes are coming, and are here because this chapter is also a Lotte brand scheme. Thank you so much!
Magicantix: Rest in fuckign pieces Constanze, died from fluff overdose. But our lord and saviour Jasminka shall retrieve her soul for us. Thank you Jasminka.
Queen Sydon: Constanze is me. I can't count how many times I've reread my own chapter and other peoples stuff and just died of fluff. Thank you so much my friend, I will cherish it forever.
Erin Tesden: Thank you friend! It's a wonderful intimate gesture that I felt just fit.
ThatFanFicGuy: Hey thats fine my friend! As long as you enjoy yourself! I just enjoy hearing people's reactions to my stuff. Thank you very much for the review! I will write my hardest!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, its a little bit longer than usual!
The fog of unconsciousness parted, blackness melting away to reveal a somewhat familiar landscape of thorns and vines. Akko couldn't remember anything less than a few hours back, the last memory drifting around was a light kiss from Sucy, low loving tone whispering something sweet into her ear.
She stood on a raised platform, the remains of a great tree that must have been choked out long ago by the tangling system of thorns. Following each tendril towards its source, Akko found A large rectangular block of stone, thorns flowing out from its bottom and sides like water from a compressed sponge.
A tiny thing in the back of Akko's head tapped noisily against her brain- there was something important about this block, something soothing and familiar. She pressed her palm softly against the smooth monolith, dragging it left to right across the surface.
It was unexpectedly warm, like the flesh of a living thing.
Boredom got the better of her and she turned, sliding down the stump towards the ground where the bramble began to tangle. Tiny amounts of dirt could be seen inbetween vines where tiny mushrooms grew in peace and quiet, great ferns shooting up to protect them from the harsh sun that shone through the ceiling. Every now and then a beautiful yellow or blue lily sprouted, adding further colour to the mesh of green.
Something inside told her that this place should have been dead and rotten, browns and blacks, but Akko disagreed. This cavern was lovely, surging with life and vigor like the very branches of Yggdrasil, like one of those little pockets of nature, untouched by humanity for thousands of years.
Akko carefully stepped around the spikes, weaving under the more drooping sections; hopping to and from the largest vines that created stable floor beneath her feet. 'Sucy would like this place' She thought, imagining the excitement on her love's face when given a cavern full of new species of fungi.
Eventually lush brambles gave way to modern hardwood flooring, the earthen shades gradually fading to grey and stained mahogany. The door had numerous hardy looking locks and latches attached to it, each of them individually locked from inside the cave.
There was a peephole just above her head, requiring a slight rise of her heels to reach. Taking a quick glace through, Atsuko found a normal hotel or apartment complex, doors lining the walls opposite and presumably parallel to her.
Unlocking each of various devices, Akko quietly opened the door, stepping out into the carpeted hallway. A musty scent hung in the air, similar to that found in libraries, the old burgundy carpet collecting decades of dust and lint.
The entire floor was absolutely silent, only Akko's footsteps and steady breathing broke through the empty soundspace. She didn't call out, not wishing to disturb or anger the other tenants- she had to be respectful.
Rounding the corner and passing by a few potted mushrooms, Akko discovered a set of elevators, neither in use. The doors were covered in a fine brass plating that looked far foggier in some areas, years of acidic fingerprints wearing the polished surface away.
Akko pressed the button firmly and took a step back to admire the details of the hallway, noting how much brass and cream showed up in various pieces, how wild and flashy the designs of the carpet were. It all felt very 80s, like the building her grandmother used to live in.
"Honestly you need to start cutting down on those." Akko's inspection was interrupted by a very familiar voice as the elevator doors opened. "The salt isn't good for you." Two women in their mid 30's stepped out of the elevator with arms full of groceries; their familiar faces made Atsuko's eyes widen.
"But Sucyyy!" The brown haired woman whined, hugging her bag to her chest. "Pickled plums are all I live for! The most beautiful thing in the world!"
An older Sucy rolled her eyes with a smile, chuckling softly. "What am I then? Second fiddle?" Neither of them noticed Akko, phasing right through her body like ghosts.
"You're my wife, that's different than a favourite food." Their voices faded down the hallway, leaving a stunned and blushing brunette, attempting to process the information as she stepped into the elevator.
It all clicked together when Akko entered, a look through the glass back wall of the lift answered just where she was. Endless rolling hills of green, giant mushrooms sprouting up from the ground like trees; the sun sitting high in the clear blue skies, covering the world in a comfortable warmth.
Everything came back to her, the mushrooms, the movies, the dragon.
She was in Sucy's head. The why could come later, but right now she needed to find the real Sucy and get out, lest something equally as personality threatening occurred.
With a ding, the doors opened into the foyer of the building where multiple Sucies- Sucies? Sucys? -sat around or conversed with eachother. Every single witch continued to ignore her, looking and walking straight through her, save for one.
A younger Sucy poked her head out from behind the front desk, staring straight at her with wide eyes. Alarms in Akko's head went off at memories of a similar child Sucy, memories of turning into a monster and trying to eat the original and most beloved Sucy.
"A-Akko?!" The little girl's face was twisted in confusion as she looked at the brunette, though her eye sparkled with repressed joy: a very similar sparkle Her Sucy shared whenever they were together. "You're not a fantasy. W-What are you doing here? How are you even here?!"
Her sudden talkativeness surprised Akko, the little Sucy she had known barely said a word, yet this one said many all at once, even demanding answers from her.
Everything before the giant stump was fuzzy in her head, perhaps Lotte had performed the same spell to send her into Sucy's dreams, perhaps not. "Uh... The same way I came in last time? I guess?"
"But Sucy isn't asleep! You can't be here!" The tiny Sucy shouted, and Akko blinked twice. Not asleep meant there was no original in here with her, which meant getting out the same as last time was a no go.
"It had to be a similar spell though right? There's only so many spells that get you into someones brain." Surely as a construct of Sucy's psyche, the girl would know how one would escape.
"I don't know." The child admitted, immediately throwing Akko's plan out the window. "I'm not the Sucy who knows spells." The mention of her Sucy designation caused the little girl to clam up, nervously breaking eye contact.
"Then what Sucy are you?" Akko asked, interest piquing. The answer never came up on her last visit and she was honestly quite curious. This seemed a good a time as any to try.
The little girl blushed, fiddling with a strand of her puce purple hair. "I'm one of the more central Sucys..." She explained, the pink of her cheeks spreading throughout her whole face. "I'm the...the Sucy that... L-Loves Akko..." Her stuttered admission ended with a tiny murmur, looking down at the ground and focusing hard on a seam in the tile in her embarrassment.
Akko's eyes shone with warmth, taking in the bashful child's words. This little girl, one of Sucy's most central parts of herself, contained all the love the alchemist felt for her. Every caring touch, every gentle kiss came from this one place.
"Cut it out with all those sickly sweet thoughts about her, I need steady hands for this."
Sucy's voice- the Real Sucy's voice -interrupted the brunette's thoughts. It echoed through the mindscape and caused every lesser Sucy to look up in unison to hear, including the Sucy in front of her.
"It looks like she's kicking you out on her own."
The apartment building fogged around them, shrouding everything in mist. Akko accepted the way out, opening her arms and letting the tendrils of blackness shoot out and grab her. Being within Sucy's head was fun and all, but she would rather be by her side.
"Goodbye little Sucy! Goodbye other Sucies! I love you all!"
The last thing she saw was the little girl waving, her mouth moving but the words just barely reaching Akko's ears.
"We love you too. Always."
Akko suddenly found herself awake in Sucy's bed, the faint smell of exotic herbs tickling her nose. The light coming through the window was a dim white, tiny rays of sun pushing their way through the clouds.
Lotte was sitting at the desk, tapping into her crystal ball, presumably messaging with someone. "Good morning Akko!" Lotte acknowledged the brunette before she even announced her lucid state. "Did you have a good sleep? Dream something nice?"
"Uh..." Well she had a dream absolutely full of Sucy, so nice was underselling it. "Yeah, I did." As she spoke her eyes darted around the room for her love.
Lotte smiled answering the unspoken question that hung in the air. "She said she was going to the greenhouse. Her crop is almost-"
Akko didn't wait for Lotte to finish, leaping out of bed, grabbing a hoodie, and stumbling out the door. If she had waited just a few moments longer, the girl would have seen the sly smile creeping across her ginger friend's lips, her glasses shimmering in the morning light.
A/N: Guys. Domestic married life Sukko made my fuckign heart explode. I should write a longer piece just about that.
Anyway this chapter was quite entertaining to write as Sleeping Sucy was my absolute favourite episode!
There are many differences to the dreamscape coinciding with the personal and emotional changes Sucy herself has gone through over the course of this story. Letting Akko in and allowing herself to love someone else and be loved has done a lot for Sucy's mental well being.
I personally went through a similar change as I rose up from the depths of depression. When you're that far in it feels like you are all alone, but realizing that you really aren't, that there are people who love and care about you, people that you never thought cared about you (Like maybe that person you see every day ingame chopping trees) really helps you work your way out.
Like all of you! I value and care for each and every one of my wonderful readers, and I give to you these fluffy morsels in the hopes it makes you smile when things are down.
That's enough out of me for today my friends! I'm going to go work on A Rose in Winter.