AN: Those last two chapters were rough, huh? Please accept some Akko/Diana fluff to cleanse your palate (with a twist of hurt/comfort). I don't consider myself particularly adept at writing romance, but I tried anyway. If you aren't a fan of this ship, you can skip this chapter (and to be honest, you probably wouldn't have read this far in the first place).
I'm thinking of writing more intermission-styled chapters like this one in the future, where I just write about the cast going about their lives without all the emotional baggage every so often. Don't worry, though, I still plan on writing more angst stuff.

It was the morning after the Guillotine incident.

Lotte and Sucy awoke as usual and reluctantly went about their business, preparing for their classes that day.

"Doesn't it suck that we still have to go to class after all that shit?" Sucy grumbled, her slouched back exacerbated by the bag full of textbooks she had to carry.

"Yeah, but I understand why," Lotte said. "I don't think they have a way to adjust the schedules to give us time off."

"Eh. You never know until you try."

Lotte glanced back at their bedroom door nervously.

"Should we wake her up?" Sucy remarked, but Lotte shook her head.

"No, let her rest. She had a rough day."

Shrugging, Sucy headed out the door, with Lotte not too far behind.

Unbeknownst to them, Akko wasn't asleep at all. How could she even relax after the day she had? Not to mention the uncomfortable pulsating numbness the spirit's curses had left her with, as well as the horrifying imagery seared into her brain every time she shut her eyes.

As her friends shut the door, she wondered if she should even get up and start her own day at all. She was certainly too distracted to focus on course content.

Maybe some water would calm her down.

She slid off of her bed and immediately almost collapsed from a mixture of pain and fatigue. Pushing through it, she clinged to the walls and slowly made her way over to the kitchenette for that miracle elixir. Once she had a glass full of it, she took a slow sip and sighed.

That's a little better, Akko thought.

Clutching the counter, she thought about just missing her classes for the day, but then she'd have to contact her lecturers and let them know. Then she'd have to catch up on all the missing work at some point.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. She stumbled over and opened it, revealing Diana and a bag of groceries she was holding. The sweet smile on Diana's face quickly melted into a look of concern when she saw the state Akko was in.

"Oh, Akko…" she said softly. "Where are Lotte and Sucy?"

"Class…" Akko rasped. Despite the water she drank, her throat still felt incredibly hoarse. "I should go, too."

"Go lie down," Diana commanded her. "I've informed your lecturers of your absence."

"N-No, I gotta go. It's important."

"Go lie down," Diana repeated firmly, pointing at the couch.

"But I-"

Akko's words became trapped in her throat, which felt as if it was twisting, and she doubled over in a coughing fit. Diana shut the door and put an arm around Akko's shoulder, guiding her to the couch and laying her down, before setting the grocery bag on the kitchenette counter.

"Dionno Sorware!" Diana called, pointing her wand at Akko.

"T-Thanks."

The effects wouldn't be instantaneous, but the spell did help with some of the aches Akko was experiencing. Diana began unloading the grocery bag and preparing what appeared to be soup as Akko continued lying down.

The last thing she remembered before passing out was enjoying the gentle sounds of Diana cooking as she hummed softly to herself.

Akko's sleep was troubled.

Despite how relaxed she had been feeling, she kept dreaming about her possessed friends and being chased through burning libraries.

She awoke with a sharp intake of breath, sweating nervously. Diana noticed and rushed over to comfort her.

"D-Diana… I can't… I just…" Akko stammered. Diana pulled Akko close and tenderly stroked her hair, whispering gently to her.

"Shhh, everything's okay. It's all over."

Akko sighed and leaned into Diana, letting her embrace encompass all of her senses.

Some time had passed.

Still on the couch, Akko sat under a blanket as Diana brought her a hot bowl of that delicious-smelling soup. Gratefully, Akko accepted it and began to eat it slowly.

"Diana…"

"Hmm?"

She sat next to Akko and listened patiently.

"Thanks so much. I'm starting to feel way better."

Diana smiled warmly, but Akko continued.

"I'm so sorry for making you wait on me like this. You and everyone else had it really bad, as well, and here I am moping around."

"You almost died, Akko. Twice," Diana remarked. "I'm so grateful that you're here for me to look after right now."

Akko gazed at Diana with her big red eyes, taking a careful sip of soup.

"Besides," Diana continued. "You're always so determined to push through everything. Perhaps this is the world's way of telling you to slow down a little."

Sheepishly, Akko giggled and looked into her bowl.

"Heh. Maybe."

They sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Akko finished her soup and shakily stood up to take her bowl to the kitchenette, but Diana stopped her.

"I'll take that," she said. Left with no choice, Akko handed her the bowl and sat back down.

"Thanks, Diana."

Diana cheerfully placed the bowl in the sink and filled it with water to let it soak. She then turned her attention to the grocery bag sitting on the counter.

"What's this?" she asked aloud, intentionally drawing Akko's attention. "There's something else in here."

Akko lifted her head curiously and looked at Diana. Meeting her gaze, she plunged her hand into the bag and pulled out a familiar-looking jar. Akko smiled immediately upon seeing it.

"You didn't!" she exclaimed, sitting upright. Diana brought the jar over and handed it to Akko, who immediately opened it. The smell of pickled plums was intoxicating, or at least Akko thought so.

"Mmmm… you want one?" she asked, already having started snacking away.

"I'll, um, pass. Thank you."

Akko shrugged and kept eating, and the pair sat in a comfortable silence for a while longer.

In thought, Diana found herself looking around the dorm room. Despite all the times she'd been here before, she never really observed it.

The place was generally pretty clean, even though she didn't imagine that Akko or Sucy would be all that tidy. A huge, mural-styled Shiny Chariot poster hung proudly above the television, and the wall to its left was covered in smaller posters pertaining to bands, Night Fall, anime, and video games. The only part of that wall that wasn't touched by posters was where a series of shelves stood, with books, figurines, video games, and CD jewel cases on display. All except for one compartment on the shelf, which held several sealed glass jars with indescribable organisms lying dormant inside.

The opposite wall was where the kitchenette stood, along with the door to the bedroom, which was open. That probably meant the other door next to the television led to the bathroom. Behind the couch was the wall with the front door.

Diana turned her attention to the television again. It wasn't very big, and it sat on top of a desk with a leg that was too short. A thick book tucked under that leg made up the necessary height. Next to the TV was a boxy grey game console, with a mismatched controller resting against it, its cable wrapped around itself.

Akko looked over at Diana and smirked.

"Did we pass the Diana test?"

Diana snapped to attention, looking right back at her.

"O-Oh, I didn't mean to stare, I was just-"

"Relax, I'm kidding!" Akko giggled. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't also get a good look at your place last time I was there."

Unlike Akko's dorm, Diana's wasn't a reflection of who her or her roommates were as people. Her bedroom was the only place that looked remotely like her, but even then she did her best to sanitise it in case anyone saw it while visiting.

"What's your favourite TV show, Diana?"

She looked taken aback by the question.

"I wasn't allowed to watch television. I was told not to waste my time on such mindless entertainment…"

Akko remembered that Diana didn't have a television in her dorm. Where one might have stood, a bookshelf took its place.

"Sometimes it's okay to be mindless," Akko observed. "Everyone needs a break from serious stuff sometimes."

"I suppose so…"

"You wanna watch something?" Akko asked, rooting around the couch for the remote, before realising she was sitting on it.

"Like what?"

"I dunno, let's see what's on!"

She turned on the TV and began to flip through channels.

"These shows suck," Akko complained. "Here, you try."

She handed Diana the remote, but Diana didn't immediately take it.

"I'd, um, rather not," she said.

"Aww, c'mon!" Akko gazed at Diana with big, innocent eyes, and the latter couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my goodness…"

Relenting, Diana hesitantly accepted the remote and began to channel surf. She wasn't used to all of this non-magical entertainment. Even just using these devices instead of pulling up visions with a wand felt foreign to her. Still, she had to realise that since graduating, more and more of her peers were beginning to embrace the co-existence of magic and technology, especially since some of them were raised in non-magical households. If Croix wasn't still in prison, she'd be very proud.

"Wait, stop here, stop here!" Akko called. "I love this show!"

Diana obliged, putting the remote down and watching curiously. It appeared to be some kind of anime featuring magical girls in colourful outfits, and Akko's eyes were transfixed on the television. She leapt up and tried to imitate the poses done by the girls on screen, completely forgetting about the discomfort she was experiencing, and Diana caught her as she fell back onto the couch, groaning.

"You're as magical as they come," Diana teased, and Akko pulled a pouting face.

"This show's way better in Japanese, y'know. The dub didn't get their personalities right at all."

"Is that so? They sound fine to me."

Akko shook her head fervently. "You gotta see the original to know what I mean. I have the whole series on DVD!"

"Oh, did you want to watch those, instead?"

"Uhh… we don't have a DVD player," Akko mumbled.

Diana had to admit that there was something about these colourful, sparkly-eyed characters that seemed to make her troubles melt away, even if only temporarily. As they watched, Akko contentedly leaned her head on Diana's shoulder.

Lotte and Sucy returned to the dorm and saw that the TV was on.

"Oh, Diana, hi!" Lotte said. "Do you guys need a minute?"

"If I move, she's going to wake up," Diana whispered. Akko's head was still on her shoulder, and she was fast asleep again.

"You must have amazing self-restraint," Sucy uttered, slinking over to the couch and looming over Akko. She wanted to flick Akko's small ponytail, but Akko hadn't actually done anything with her hair that day, so Sucy just folded her arms and huffed, instead.

Seemingly noticing the new presences in the room, Akko woke up and slowly sat upright.

"Mmm… hi, guys."

"Hi, Akko! How is everything?" Lotte tilted her head with concern.

Akko giggled. "Would've been a lot worse if this one hadn't shown up," she said, gesturing to Diana.

"It was nothing. I'm happy to help."

"Did you guys hear what happened to Molly?" Lotte asked, and Akko shook her head sleepily.

"Her summoning stunt got her suspended for a week." Sucy mused.

Lotte adjusted her glasses. "Even her roommates were given warnings for letting her go through with it."

"What?! That's not fair!" Akko exclaimed, but Diana closed her eyes.

"You know how serious what Molly did was. We're lucky that things didn't end up worse."

She gazed somberly at Akko, still worried about her. Akko squeezed her hand to reassure her that things were okay.

"Well, it's getting a bit late, isn't it?" Diana observed, a bit worried that she was overstaying her welcome. "Perhaps I should leave you three to it."

Akko wrapped her arms around Diana and pulled her close, making her blush.

"Nope," she said. "You live here now."

Defeated, Diana sank back into the couch and returned the hug. Lotte laughed and Sucy rolled her eyes.

Maybe Diana would go back to her own dorm later.