A/N: This took lot longer to finish than was expected. The sun is fully up. How did it come to this.
In other news the next probably 2 chapters have been planned out! So at least there's that. Perhaps I won't fuckin suck.
Magicantix: I'm glad friend! Its always a pleasure to make people's hearts go doki doki.
Shigiya: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) That's the idea friend, tread as close to that line as possible without going over it. Because its more fun that way. I believe I will return to that competition at a later date so look out for it!
A Potato: I'm glad you enjoyed the ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) friend. And you can be certain Sucy will be ruining that neck for years to come. Thank you!
zealousrean: Oh yeah man, Sucy is dangerous as heck. But the other girls know that, and are keeping their distance. She's made her claim so there's no escape. :)
I hope you enjoy this slightly less fluffy chapter!
If one were to walk into the red team's dormroom at that moment they would be either confused or amused. The entire room was covered wall to wall in Christmas decorations; tinsel, holly berries, baubles, lights, the whole shebang. Pacing in the centre of the room also covered in lights and tinsel was Akko, hand to her chin in thought. A stressful aura jettisoned out from her at high speeds, filling the room with a heavy atmosphere.
"Akko..." Lotte squeaked. "Please just calm down..." She sat on the desk's spinning chair, hands bunching her tights at the knees. The brunette had slowly increased her speed over time, walking faster and faster in a circle, now matching speed with the model train on the floor.
Akko began gnawing at her lip, side-eyeing the girl as she continued to pace. "Calm down? How can I calm down?" Christmas was only a few days away and she had yet to buy a gift for Sucy; the longer she searched for that perfect gift, the further guilt and panic ate through her.
"W-We can go into town again today. I will find it! The greatest gift!" Every chance they could get, whenever Sucy was busy with her alchemy or just needed alone time, they went to as many stores as they could, but it was impossible to come to a concrete decision.
Taking a careful breath and closing her eyes for just a second, the bespeckled girl stood. "Maybe we just need a second or third opinion? We could invite some of the others."
It was a sound plan; a computer with more cores ran faster and ran hotter, hopefully that metaphor transferred over to humans in both ways, it was still snowing after all.
"Yes! Lets go right now!" The brunette made a bolt for the door, but was tugged backwards by the end of the string of lights that was still connected to the wall. Akko tumbled backwards from the sudden jolt, tripping over the model train and crashing down to the floor with a thud.
Lotte could only sigh.
In the end only Jasminka and Constanze could come, as Amanda had detention and was not allowed to leave the school. The small German and stocky Russian were rather enthusiastic about helping her find a gift for Sucy, the former dropping her pen in the middle of sketching blueprints to join in.
"Maybe she would just like some more of those cupcakes?" Jasminka offered, holding her large cup of coco in both gloved hands. "She seemed to really like them!" Though her bright and friendly smile made Akko's frown flip around, she still shook her head.
"No... I wouldn't be able to hide it from her. It needs to be a surprise!" The brown haired witch slammed a fist down into her palm with a determined fire. She was rather adamant on the Christmas tradition of surprising the ones you love with the gift's contents.
Constanze popped her head out from inside the larger girl's fluffy coat, her face serious as always but with a rare sparkle in her eyes. She brought her hands up for Akko to see; her left's finger and thumb holding the ring finger on her right and sliding down to the knuckle.
"Ehh?!" The brunette recoiled with a deep flush. "It's a bit too soon for that don't you think?!"
The little German shook her head, performing the gesture again. Lotte chuckled, politely covering her mouth with her wool covered hand. "I agree with Constanze. Perhaps jewelry of some description would make a good gift. Do you know what would suit her?"
Redness slowly dissipating from her cheeks, Akko looked off to the side in thought. "Nothing too fancy or flashy. Sucy likes the simpler things." It was the best she could say, as Sucy had never brought up jewelry in all the time they had been friends.
"And no rings." She narrowed her eyes at Constanze who seemed a little too excited for comfort, her blush flaring just a bit at the thought of getting a ring for Sucy. "Not this year."
The three other girls seemed to visibly deflate, though still kept their high spirits as walked the length of the town.
In a small corner street Akko had never seen before they found a small antique store, a weather-worn wooden sign spelling out the name in cursive. As soon as the door opened, the girls were assaulted many sights and smells: the must of old books, the sweet aroma of burning wood; many rows of glass cases and shelves filled the room, no persistent theme to their contents.
A small bell chimed as the young witches entered, and a woman in thick robes walked out from the back room to greet them.
"Good afternoon ladies. Are you here to purchase?" Her smile was small but genuine, her eyes drooping in a way reminiscent of the girl they were shopping for.
Lotte bowed slightly to which the shopkeep reciprocated. "Yes Madam. We are hoping to find a gift for our friend."
The woman's almost nonexistent eyebrows raised upon further inspection of the girls uniforms. "Ahh, Luna Nova yes?" She closed her eyes, smile growing. "I remember those days... Such wonder to be found in the branches of Yggdrasil."
Her reminiscence lasted only a short time, opening her eyes and removing her hands from within the billowing sleeves of her robes. "But you didn't come here to listen to an old woman babble. Do you have an idea of what you're looking for?"
Akko nodded, eyes searching the glass cases in front of them. "Um... jewelry of some kind? That's as far as I got." Her fingers tapped anxiously against the glass, always moving her gaze to the next object, never staying on one thing for too long.
"Mmm yes, I should have just the thing." Leading the girls over to one of the farthest cases, the woman lifted its contents up onto the counter.
"What's your sweetheart's style?" She asked, to the brunette's embarrassment. The other girls giggled off to the side, smiling at the shopkeep's perceptiveness.
"She uh..." Akko stuttered, glaring at her friends. "She hates things that stand out, so nothing too glitzy."
There were all manner of broaches, rings, earrings, and necklaces; some ridiculously shiny, others not. The woman explained to the girls that some pieces were enchanted, dropped off by financially challenged witches over the years.
"I wouldn't advise purchasing this one." She warned, picking up a dark metallic ring with her finger and thumb, holding it out and far away from everyone. "It stinks of curses."
"But this..." Her hand hovered over a lovely necklace, silvery with a deep red ruby set in the centre that was reminiscent of the brunette's scarlet gaze. Akko's brain was suddenly filled with sentimental thoughts, sickeningly sweet things she could say, and she knew.
"I want that one." She declared, a burning fire in her expression. "It's perfect."
The shopkeep laughed, picking up the necklace for the girls to get a closer look. "Your friend seems like she would be the sentimental sort. It would be nice for her to have something that reminds her of you."
"One look and she'll think of your eyes..." Lotte swooned, pressing her palms against her face at the romance of it all. Constanze agreed, hopping up next to the brunette to show her support of the decision.
Her face turned serious. "Buy it."
Peer pressure was ultimately the brunette's downfall, blowing most of what she had saved up in the end.
"Wait for me my sweet mint condition figure..." Akko sobbed, holding the necklace box to her chest. "My love life must come first."
Across the city and down a leyline, a certain alchemist sneezed.
A/N: Ahh the stresses of buying gifts for your lover. This is another chapter where I may or may not have injected a bit of myself into the scene. Me and my girlfriend are both incredibly sentimental and gushy and therefore most of my gifts have some sort of meaning behind it.
I believe Sucy would be similar: she has been shown to hold specific things very dear, like the memories of meeting Akko or the relay race. And having a reminder of her love's big beautiful eyes will make that tsundere go doki doki for sure.
I'm gonna die now. Happy holidays.