"I wonder if everyone's back yet?" Akko wondered aloud. She turned to Diana. "They're not waiting for us in Arcturus Forest, you think?"
Diana shook her head. "No, I would imagine they've returned to Luna Nova. With the seal on the Grand Triskellion broken, the others would have little reason to stay."
Akko stopped. "Oh…" She trailed off.
So this was the power of flight. How confident and carefree she had been, just minutes before, when the world was whizzing by below them. But now, now that their feet were once again planted firmly on the ground, as that meddling force know as gravity weighed her down, Akko found that all the night's energy had turned to a stone in her stomach.
Diana squeezed her fingers. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well," Akko began hesitantly, "I'm excited of course, everyone must be. I'm sure all of Luna Nova is throwing an impromptu party. Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Hannah and Barbara, Chariot, and all the other teachers and students—"
She looked ahead—she could just discern the outline of the dormitory through the trees. From this distance it still looked rather quiet. Maybe they were all in the cafeteria, or the meeting hall?
"There will be food, of course. And drinks. And music and dancing, I hope."
"It sounds wonderful," said Diana, "if a bit exhausting."
Akko smiled. "But then I realized, I don't want to go, not just yet." She blushed a little and rubbed the back of her head. "I, uh, wanted to spend a bit more time with you."
"Akko—"
"Alone."
Now Diana blushed. "Oh! I see."
Akko fiddled with her fingers. "Did you, er, not want to?"
Diana shook her head and renewed her grip on Akko's hand. "No, I do, I really do," she said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Someplace quiet."
"The Jennifer Memorial Tree, then," said Diana. And she led Akko by the hand towards the greenhouse.
They walked quietly, but quickly, and as they came closer to the school, and began to hear the whoops and hollers of their classmates, Diana turned them onto a smaller, back-path, so their presence would go unnoticed.
Akko chewed her tongue as they walked. There were a million things she wanted to say to Diana. About their 'rivalry', about believing hearts, about the future. She wanted to talk to Diana about Chariot's show, or how she lost her magic and got it back. About flying, about falling, about anything and everything. Yes—she wanted to know everything about Diana, and she wanted Diana to know everything about her.
She felt fit to burst. It was as if the lump in her stomach had transformed itself into a thousand, million butterflies.
And yet, all these thoughts and feelings could not be formed into words; they got stuck in her throat. It burned her up inside. Her face felt hot, her mouth was dry. Perhaps this was for the best, though, Akko reasoned—as she felt the warmth of Diana's hand, the sensation of Diana's fingers intertwined with her own—well, what could words possibly convey that this touch did not?
Sometimes silence was good.
Her swirling thoughts were interrupted by Diana.
"Shh," she said, "stay down." Someone was coming up the path. She pulled Akko down behind a bush with her. "Let's hide here a moment."
Akko peeked over the top of the bush to see who the offending party was.
"Isn't that Hannah?" she asked. "And Barbara? Don't you want to say hi or something? I'm sure they're wondering where you are."
Diana turned to Akko and looked deep into her eyes. "Not tonight," she said with more conviction than Akko had ever heard from her before.
Akko swallowed hard.
"Did you hear someone just now?" she heard Hannah ask Barbara.
"I don't think so."
"Ugh, where are those two?"
"I know, right?"
Diana pulled her lower.
Akko studied Diana as they hid. The girl was trying her hardest to hold her breath, and not make even the slightest of peeps. She was trembling, just a little, and with her free hand she covered her mouth to stifle herself.
How cute, thought Akko. She chanced another glance over the bush. Hannah and Barbara were still talking, but Akko barely even registered their conversation at all. Her focus was now completely captured by the trembling hand that was gripping hers so tightly.
The butterflies in her stomach were threatening to escape.
Surely Diana was feeling everything she was feeling. The fear of getting found out mixing paradoxically with the childlike thrill of hide-and-seek. The tension of staying still and quiet vs. her body's boundless desire for action and movement. The nervousness to let go of Diana's hand vs. the need to hold her closer.
Surely all these sensations were flowing from her mind and from her heart, through her veins and through her hand to Diana, expressed wholly and completely in the simple silent squeeze of her fingers.
Akko shifted her hand slightly so she could rub the top of Diana's thumb with her thumb. This elicited the smallest of squeaks from Diana—and instantly Akko's opinion was changed. Now she loathed silence, hated it, now she wanted to tease Diana, hear her whispers, her squeals, the sweet lullaby of her voice.
It seemed like an eternity before Hannah and Barbara finally walked on, back down the path towards the school, and away from the crouching, hidden pair.
…
The Jennifer greenhouse was thankfully vacant. Akko felt her tongue thaw, her voice return.
She let out a deep breath. "Oh boy."
The silence of their walk had done her good, but now she'd had her fill of silence. Now words didn't seem so bad, or so difficult.
"Are you nervous? How unlike you." laughed Diana. "you're usually so gung-ho." She gave Akko a sympathetic little smile.
"Ha, yeah, that's true," Akko agreed, "but I'm not good at stuff like this. I don't have much confidence in myself."
Diana moved closer. "With kissing?"
"With relationships. And blonde prodigy heiresses. No, you're right—I'm usually reckless."
"Rushing in headlong." Diana inched herself around so she was sitting on Akko's lap.
The butterflies were stirring again. She struggled in vain to bed them down.
"Well, usually I don't have anything to worry about!" Akko tried to explain. "If I mess up, which, let's be honest, I usually do, I'm the only one who gets hurt. And if things get really bad, I know that Lotte or Sucy will bail me out."
"But this… uh… situation," Akko mumbled, realizing for the first time just how close Diana had gotten, "I, um, I think I'll just have to muddle through the best I can."
"I'm a big girl Akko. You don't have to worry about doing anything wrong."
"Oh, I'm not worried about that. It just feels like, ha, flying would be easier."
"Do you want to stop?"
"No," said Akko, "I like flying. Even when I stumble and fall, and get bruises on my legs."
"So do I."
And soon enough they were flying again.
