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all-the-cliches-lwa · 6 years

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So, I played @musician15painter‘s game to take those 9 Dianakko doodles, order them, and then try to tell the story behind them... and I decided that if I was going to play the game and think up the story I may as well try to write the story... and then it got out of hand and hit almost 9000 words... -cough-

They suggested I make it public, and with the game over (and wow was I off LOL) I decided now was the time to do so.

The numbers are in the sections that have the corresponding piece of fanart. It was honestly a whole lot of fun writing this (considering the whole puzzle game aspect, even given how different it is) and I hope you enjoy reading this.

Should totally check the actual answer here btw ahhhhhhhhh.

I’m not sure about summaries, but if I had to come up with something, it starts with one overnight cram session that would inevitably lead to so much more.

Edit: Fanfic.net link here (note, tweaks have been made to both ff.net and here, nothing major though. just correcting a few typos i noticed upon switching) I made it part of distractions cause oh boy did this distract me LOL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12593389/7/Distractions

"I… I think that's enough studying," Hannah said as she stretched high up into the air, "We should be ready for midterms tomorrow right Barbara?"

"Yeah, probably," Barbara agreed, "We've been in the library for quite some time. I think we'll do just fine."

"And you two are sure you are prepared enough for tomorrow's exam?" Diana asked from across the table. "I would hope that my teammates are in top form."

"We'll be totally fine Diana!" Hannah answered.

"Yeah!" Barbara continued. "After all, who wouldn't be ready after all of the help you were giving us."

Diana smiled seeing Hannah nod in agreement.

"Very well then, I suppose we may retire for the day," Diana said.

With a wave of her wand, Diana quickly returned all of the books the three of them had been using whilst in the library, save for one, which Diana had been reading for leisure towards the end of their study session and was planning to continue reading before bed. Hannah and Barbara had already begun packing up their own belongings, piles of papers shrinking and disappearing into a small pouch.

"Thanks so much for helping us again, Diana!" Barbara said, having already gotten off of her chair and offering a hand to Hannah.

"Yeah! Like, it was such a huge help." Hannah echoed.

The couple walked around to Diana and offered a hand to the heiress, and Diana happily took it.

She then led them out of the library, but not before spotting a familiar brunette topknot drooping sideways, its owner seemingly asleep. Diana also noticed quite a few books had been scattered along the floor around the girl.

It appeared Akko had had a similar idea as they did… though her execution was clearly lacking.

And as they continued to walk towards the exit, Diana's head slowly turned so that her eyes could remain fixated on Akko. Diana even got a glimpse of Akko's adorable face, those round cheeks pressed ever so slightly against the wooden table... the smallest trail of drool dripping from the corner of the girl's mouth leading to a tiny puddle.

Diana couldn't help the way her eyes had focused on the sleeping girl. After all, she had known for years that she was quite infatuated with Akko.

Diana began to feel the faintest blush on her cheeks as she continued to watch the girl sleep. She clutched onto the book she had borrowed ever more tightly against her chest, her heart beginning to tick just a little bit faster.

"Tsk, what does she think she's doing?" Hannah said, her tone clearly unimpressed. "She's never going to pass tomorrow if she just, like, falls asleep."

"… That is certainly true." Diana muttered to herself.

It was around eleven.

Diana could hear the soft snores from her roommates, signaling that they were asleep.

However, just to be sure, Diana slowly inched her head past the corner of her bookshelf. When she saw Hannah and Barbara tucked into their beds, Diana let out a sigh of relief.

Quietly, Diana tiptoed her way across the room and then, very carefully, opened her door. She then closed it with similar caution and cast a spell to lock it.

Diana knew she was breaking curfew doing this. She could, potentially, get into a lot of trouble should she be caught, though she knew she was more likely to be let off with a simple warning, given it would be her first offense.

Still, a blemish on a flawless record.

That being said, there was a much more pressing matter to attend to, that being… Akko.

If Akko was sleeping deeply enough to have drooled so much onto the table… there was a chance that she might still be asleep there now.

And knowing Akko's own tendencies to be caught in compromising circumstances, it was likely more a certainty than a simple chance.

Having memorized the patrol schedule, Diana easily avoided all night patrol members on her way. The moment Diana entered the dark room, she sighed.

Akko was still sleeping, not having moved an inch since she and her team had left hours ago. The witch’s mouth opened and closed as she snored, and the earlier puddle of drool had begun to drip off from the edge of the table.

Diana almost laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she continued to watch drips of drool fall off the table.

… The fact that Diana found that trail of drool more endearing than disgusting worried her.

Diana quickly shook that thought away, the very idea causing heat to rise up her face in embarrassment.

Her helpless crush aside, Diana knew that Akko really shouldn't continue to sleep here. So, she walked up to Akko and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Akko, wake up," Diana called out as she gently shook the girl.

"Five more minuuutes," Akko groaned sleepily.

Diana continued, undeterred, especially when Akko had begun giving her an annoyed pout.

Diana knew if she stopped now, that pout would never let her try again.

Fortunately, Diana's efforts seemed to work. Although it actually took five minutes, Akko seemed to be waking up.

Diana noticed that, as she continued to shake the witch, Akko began to shift on her own, her sleepy groans growing louder and louder until finally.

"Fine! Fine! I'm up. I'm up!" Akko exclaimed as she blinked her eyes open. "Wh-where am I? … And what's…EW! Gross!"

Diana watched in amusement as Akko desperately wiped off the puddle of her drool from the table and off of her face. When Akko fell off of her chair to see her drool had gotten on some of the books, Diana couldn't stop the giggles from escaping her lips.

"Di-Diana?!" Akko yelped, a red tinge invading her face. "What, What are you doing here?!"

"I am simply making sure that you have woken up," Diana answered through her giggles. "After all, curfew had ended a while ago."

"O-oh," Akko muttered, eyes turning down towards the books on the floor, "I guess that's tr- wait." Akko froze and her eyes began to widen. She looked up towards Diana, and Diana could swear there seemed to be something akin to… fear?

"Akko… is something concerning you?" Diana asked tentatively.

"Y-you said it was past curfew right?"

"That is corre-"

"NO! No no no! It can't be!" Akko yelled, grasping at her head, flailing towards the books on the ground. "No no, I'm soooo in trouble oh no."

Diana's eyes widened as she watched Akko scramble around.

"Akko? What's wro-"

"Oh no, what am I gonna do. There's no time. This makes no sense. How do I do this?!"

Diana tried to get Akko's attention politely. She tried calling her attention nicely.

She tried reaching out, only to be pushed aside by the flailing of Akko's arms desperately turning the pages of four books at once.

However, when she saw the tiniest tear drop from Akko's eyes, Diana knew she had had enough of her gentle approach.

"Akko!" Diana yelled, putting as much authority into her voice as possible.

"E-eh?" Akko flinched, instantly turning towards Diana.

"Would you please just… calm down?" Diana said, placing her hand on Akko's shoulder. When Akko nodded, Diana smiled and sat down beside her. "Now tell me... what is it that is bothering you?"

"I'm not ready!" Akko yelped, her eyes shifting between the books and Diana.

Diana looked towards the table to see the textbooks for… all of their classes. She then looked back towards Akko and saw the downtrodden look on her face. Her lower lip was jutted out, and a small whimper escaped her throat.

"You know…" Diana said with a sigh, "I could help you."

Instantly Akko's eyes brightened, only to darken once again.

Seeing the light leave those red eyes almost physically hurt.

"B-but it's late Diana…" Akko whimpered. "I w-wouldn't want to keep y-"

"Nonsense," Diana interrupted, raising Akko's face so that they were looking eye to eye. "I would not have made the offer had I not wished to help you, and I will always wish to help you Akko."

"B-but."

"No buts Akko," Diana said. "Unless that 'but' is either sitting on this chair and studying or is followed by a declination of my offer."

Diana watched as Akko bit her lip.

Diana sucked in a breath, almost fearing the idea that Akko would leave her offer unaccepted.

Thankfully, the fear was unjustified.

"So… where should we begin?" Akko asked, a soft smile of gratitude on her face.

Diana released her breath and returned the smile. "Perhaps we should begin with Magical Linguistics. Professor Finnelan does appear to be the class you struggle most in."

"Oh thank god!" Akko sighed in relief, "I was scared we'd leave that for last."

Diana reached out for the linguistics book just across the table, ready to help Akko as much as was possible.

"So wait, Diana?"

"Yes Akko?"

"What does this rune mean?" Akko asked, stretching out to reach for the corner of a page. "The one with a dragon."

Diana looked towards Akko's finger and sighed.

"… That is not a dragon Akko. That is a-"

"Are you sure? Cause that looks a lot like a dragon. See! It even has fire coming out of its mouth"

"Akko… that is no-"

"Oh look! It even has wings!"

"AKKO!"

Six hours later, and Diana and Akko had somehow managed to find themselves seated on the lone lounge chair in the library.

Diana had made some excuse about not wasting the energy it took to light up her wand, what with the chair being right next to an already lit candle, but really she just wanted to sit on something more comfortable than the wooden library chairs. Akko quickly followed and sat right beside Diana.

Thanks in equal parts to her determination to aid Akko and to her sleep addled mind failing to register... anything, Diana had managed to stray away from the flustered mess she usually would be in this situation. Being flustered would have meant having to separate, and it really was for the best they be so close together.

After all, this way, if one of them had begun to fall asleep, the other could immediately notice it and wake the other up.

The plan seemed flawless… until they both fell asleep at the same time, their fatigue finally catching up to them.

Luckily, the both of them had managed to study through all of the relevant material, the only thing left being to take practice tests that Diana had been planning to administer.

But alas, sleep had overtaken the both of them.

Akko slumped onto Diana, and in the fog of her weary mind, reached out to hug the softest thing within reach.

Diana, feeling something warm wrap around her waist, raised her left arm to rest it atop whatever was holding onto her and exerted the slightest bit of pressure to hold the warmth closer to her.

When the sun rose up a few short hours later, a singular ray of light shined onto Diana's face.

Diana's face scrunched up, her eyes shut tight, in the futile effort to block out the offending ray of light. When she tried to turn, however, she found herself held firmly in place by something around her waist.

Slowly, Diana blinked awake, and the sight she was met with made her heart race.

It appeared Akko had been hugging her waist… if she were to be so bold, Diana might have also described the gesture as protective.

Diana was frozen, unable to move as she listened to the sounds of Akko's deep breaths. She was entranced by the relaxed smile on Akko's face… and she was nearly overwhelmed by the soft warmth given off from Akko's hold. Everything Akko did was making her face fill with warmth and her heart race so quickly, Diana was afraid it could give out at any moment.

The spell was quickly broken, however, by the indistinct sounds of chattering from outside the library, and now, Diana's heart began to race for an entirely different reason. She quickly turned to the wall on the clock, and her fears were slowly turning into a reality.

They had just twenty minutes to get to class.

"Akko! Akko wake up!" Diana said, shaking Akko awake. In response, Akko shook her head and held tighter onto Diana's waist, as if it was the most precious object in the entire world.

Given other circumstances… Diana would likely allow her to continue. She couldn't deny that she adored Akko's tight embrace, and in any other circumstance, she would have gladly returned the embrace.

Unfortunately, they had midterms in the next twenty minutes, and Diana was not going to allow her grades to falter, simply because the girl she'd been pining after for years had desired to keep her locked in place with a tight, warm, soft embr-

Okay, she wasn't going to allow Akko's grades to falter even more because the girl insisted on staying like this.

Reluctantly, Diana continued to shake Akko until the girl finally began to wake up.

Just as Diana had, Akko had blinked herself awake, slowly growing aware of her surroundings. And when she realized the soft object she had been holding onto for dear life just so happened to be Diana…

Color invaded Akko’s face, rivaling the red of her sash.

Akko instantly backed away, sputtering dozens of rapid apologies, but Diana stopped her, citing their desperate lack of time.

Akko turned towards the clock, and her eyes widened in fear.

Instantly, Akko jumped off of the chair, grabbed Diana's hand, and, immediately, the both of them were sprinting off towards Professor's Finnelan's class.

One day and four tests later, Akko jumped for joy. The tests were done, and she was pretty sure she had done far better than she had ever done before.

When the results were revealed a week later, Akko's cheer doubled, learning that she had somehow managed to break into the top ten. She was so overjoyed when she learned the results, she had jumped out of her seat in class and tackled Diana in a tight embrace, bumbling her thanks. Diana simply smiled and raised a hand up to brush Akko's hair.

Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last.

There were a few witches who were displeased. One witch, in particular, was absolutely livid, seeing as Akko had knocked her out of her own slot in the top ten. She was in the minority, yes, but it was a fairly powerful one: An heiress of another noble family, a lesser one than the Cavendish, but a noble family all the same, and her cronies.

Throughout the next day, when they were sure Diana was not around, they made life far more difficult for Akko.

During potions, they had snuck in a few extra ingredients into Akko's teams’ mixture, causing an explosion to burst from the cauldron. During flight class, they hexed Akko's broom, causing it to spiral out of control whenever Akko had gotten on top of it.

And while the professors didn't get mad at her, they did have this resigned smile on their face whenever Akko tried to explain that it wasn't her fault. How she didn't even do anything. It was as if they didn't believe her, that it was just something that they accepted would always happen, and that resignation hurt many times more than what their anger would have.

But it didn't stop there.

During lunch, seeing as Diana wouldn’t be around, they had made sure of that, they charmed Akko's tray, causing all the food to splat on her face.

After everything that happened to her throughout the day, Akko just stared dimly at the table, a stinging in her eyes.

She balled her fists atop her lap and clenched her jaw, trying to hold back her tears.

Amanda had immediately stood up and yelled, threatening to go after whoever was doing this. Everyone else took the more subtle approach, making sure Akko was okay.

But Akko had had enough.

She was one moment away from breaking down. And she knew it.

She really didn't want to fall apart in front of the others. Her friends had seen her sad and crying before… but never in the same way she felt now. Well most of them, anyway.

Not knowing where else to turn to, Akko walked towards the one person who had already previously seen her at her lowest point.

Diana leaned back on her chair, tired.

Diana was used to being needed. People always came to ask for her help for many things, both simple and complicated.

Of course, Diana would always do her best to help.

But today? Today she was absolutely swamped with requests. It was as if, at every turn, there was some sort of request to be fulfilled or some crisis that she needed to solve.

Now in her room, Diana was relieved, finally having time to relax to herself.

But that was when she heard a soft knock against her door.

Diana sighed and slowly began to lift off of her chair, wondering just who could it be this ti-

"D-Diana? Are you there?"

When Diana heard the voice call her, she instantly jumped off of her seat and rushed to the door. She knew that was Akko's voice… but it sounded so… so sad.

In an instant, she opened her door, and her heart broke.

Akko stood there, her eyes red and her cheeks damp. The bright light in those eyes were nowhere to be seen, dulled as they stared at the ground.

"A-Akko?" Diana whispered, her arm instantly reaching out towards Akko. "Akko? What happened?"

When Akko didn't answer, Diana felt her stomach coil. It was sickening to see Akko so sad. So nearly broken.

Diana moved forward and reached out to the brunette by her doorstep. She wrapped Akko in a tight embrace and felt relieved when Akko had brought her arms up as well.

So many questions ran through Diana's mind.

What happened?

Who did this to Akko?

Why would someone do this?

How was she going to get back at whoever dared do this to Akko?

The idea that someone might have done this to Akko made Diana feel rage, but that rage quickly dissipated when she felt Akko tremble. Diana began to feel a damp spot on her shoulder, and all of that rage and confusion quickly gave way to Diana's overwhelming desire to comfort Akko and make sure she would be okay.

"Shhh, It's okay," Diana cooed as she rubbed soothing circles on Akko's back, "let it all out."

She held Akko more tightly the more the witch trembled in her arms, and Akko held onto Diana more tightly, as if holding onto her one and only lifeline.

Through the manic sobs, Akko had managed out a single phrase.

"Today was a bad day."

Eventually, Diana had brought Akko to the couch. From there Akko tried to tell Diana everything that happened today, though a lot of it was incomprehensible through her sobs.

Diana didn’t care though, she had heard enough to discern what happened. All she wished to do now was give comfort.

Diana leaned back on the armrest, and she invited Akko to do the same onto her. Akko slowly did so, trying her very best to keep it together. Akko's cheeks were still stained red, and there were still tears forming from the corners of her eyes.

Diana held onto Akko's hand, providing as much support as she could give, to be a sort of anchor for Akko. She also stroked Akko's hair continuously, the act seemingly enough to soothe Akko, successfully lulling her to sleep.

Diana felt an overwhelming pain in her chest.

How could she have let this happen? How could she have been caught so unaware of Akko's plight, for what was probably the entire day?

Looking at Akko, the girl she loved, who had just fallen asleep in tears, Diana knew one thing for certain.

She would never allow such a thing to happen. Ever again.

When Akko woke up, she was feeling a million times better. She smiled at Diana and thanked her so much for being a shoulder to cry on.

Diana told her to think nothing of it, that Akko should always feel free to come to her (or anyone of their friends) for help. When she saw the almost nervous look on Akko's face, Diana reached out, saying no one would think lesser of her for doing so.

If anything, Diana saw strength in Akko's decision to come to her for support. It took strength to acknowledge that something was just too much for oneself to handle… it was a lesson Diana had learned from Akko, after all.

Akko smiled and hugged Diana once again, sharing many thanks. Diana returned the hug and promised that she would make sure that this would never happen again.

And so Diana devised a plan with the rest of the group.

She would spend time in hiding, watching in secret for any sign of curses, hexes, or general wrongdoing done against Akko… and it wasn't long until she found the culprits and discerned their motives.

It had taken only a moment to corner the three. The moment Diana had them alone, the group began to shrink smaller and smaller under Diana’s intimidating presence.

"I swear," Diana growled at the cowering trio, "if you dare to even think about doing anything to Akko, I will ensure that you will wish I had reported you to the Headmistress."

"B-But Diana!"

"No buts." Diana spat. "Your purpose for doing this to Akko is pathetic. It brings shame to both the noble family you belong to and to the prestigious name of Luna Nova itself... And let me tell you one more thing," Diana said, moving closer, her blue eyes cold as a frigid blizzard, "Akko is a greater witch than you will ever be, and she will become a greater witch than I could ever hope to be. So I suggest you take your petty jealousy and envy and direct it towards bettering yourselves, or I will ensure you are never allowed to practice magic ever again."

Diana felt satisfied as she watched the three scamper off.

For good measure, Diana had continued to stay hidden, to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happened to Akko.

To her surprise, the three witches walked up to Akko and apologized… and while Akko was irate and frustrated at first, she quickly forgave them when they said they would never do it ever again.

Diana smiled, watching Akko once again prove why she would grow up to be far greater than anyone could ever hope to become… watching Akko, once again, prove how she had managed to steal her heart.

Ever since that incident, Akko had grown even closer to Diana. She was constantly giving her hugs, stopping by Diana's room to talk about her day and to listen to Diana talk about hers, and even dropped by just to hang around while Diana was doing something else, like homework or reading. She even took time to introduce Diana to the rest of her Shiny Chariot Card game collection and challenge her, in which Diana showed that she had been a master at the card game as a child.

Given all of this, it was only natural that, when Akko agreed to role play a part Lotte and Barbara wanted to see re-enacted from a Nightfall side-story about a mage that Edgar, Arthur, and Belle met in their adventures, she eagerly sought out Diana to play the role of her partner: the tall, imposing, yet kind-hearted mage.

It was a perfect fit!

Akko ran across campus looking for any sign of Diana.

Unsurprisingly, she finally found her sitting in the library, reading some book.

Akko really loved the way Diana looked, focused entirely on what was on the page. She loved the way Diana's face changed ever so slightly while she read: from a tiny raise of her eyebrows to show something surprising happened, to a tiny clench of her jaw to show that something tense was happening. It was adorable to watch.

However, admiration could wait. She needed a partner to help Lotte out after all!

"Dianaaaaa!" Akko called out, running towards her friend.

Diana's head whipped towards Akko, and her eyes widened.

"Akko!" Diana hushed, raising a finger up to her lips. "You are in a library!"

"O-oh right" Akko muttered, slowing down as she approached Diana. "Sorry about that."

Diana sighed, though a smile was on her face.

"So?" Diana asked.

"So?" Akko echoed.

Diana chuckled, placing a bookmark on her page and closing the book she had been reading. "So, why did you come yelling through the library for me?" Diana asked, causing heat to rise up into Akko's face. "I assume you had a reason?"

"O-oh right! … Do you, uh, wanna help me out with something Lotte wanted me to help her out with?" Akko asked, scratching the back of her head.

"Help you out with something?" Diana asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, uhm… Lotte wants me to help re-enact something from Nightfall."

"I see…" Diana said, placing a her hand on her chin in thought. "And how would you wish for me to help?"

"O-oh right! I need a partner for the scene! Uhm…" Akko twiddled with her fingers. Her heart was beating quickly and her face continued to burn bright red. "Would... would you like to be my partner?"

Akko shut her eyes and held her breath, waiting for Diana's answer. A wait that had only lasted a few minutes but felt like an eternity.

Thankfully, just as Akko's lungs felt like they were about to burn, Diana agreed to help, and Akko instantly let out her breath and hugged Diana tight enough to leave the blonde winded.

"So… you wish for me to put on this costume and act?" Diana questioned, staring blankly at the black robe, black suit and pants, bolo tie, and fake horns.

"It's called cosplay Diana," Barbara answered, "and yup! Ahhh, I'm so excited to see this!"

"How would one keep this horn attached to their head?" Diana wondered, struggling to find any sort of way keep it together. Had she been allowed to, she simply would have used magic… but Akko, Lotte, and Barbara all insisted doing so would ruin half the fun of the project.

"Like, don't worry Diana! I can do it." Barbara offered, taking the horn from Diana's hand and fiddling with some wires. "Just read the script. I promise you'll, like, totally enjoy the part~"

Diana sighed and picked up the script and a cup of tea. She decided to first go through the character list. It appeared she'd be playing someone named Elias.

Akko would be playing someone named Chise who was… a slave? And it appeared Sucy would be playing the role of the slave-trader.

Diana then moved on to the actual script, parsing through the dialogue to get a good idea of the story line. It appeared Akko would be sold off at an auction house, and Diana would be paying an exorbitant amount of money to purchase her.

Already Diana felt fairly uncomfortable. Sure it wasn't her and it wasn't Akko… but the idea of Akko being sold away was rather unsavory. Though the more she read, the more she appreciated Elias's character, providing a home for her to stay in, promising to nurture a talent the girl wasn't even aware she possessed.

Elias even promised to make Chise a mage and his bri-

Diana spit out her tea, nearly choking on the warm beverage.

Barbara quickly rushed to make sure Diana was okay, but when she saw what had caused the reaction, she gave Diana an impish grin.

"So, Diana, what do you think?"

Diana could do nothing but blush, her heart still racing from having read the line she had already agreed to say.

Considering how simple her costume was ― Lotte had quite literally draped an oversized white robe over her uniform ― , Akko had spent quite a while waiting for Diana and Barbara to finish their preparations.

However, when Diana and Barbara finally arrived, the reason they took so long was clear to see.

Diana looked absolutely gorgeous.

Akko's jaw nearly dropped. Her heart started racing as she watched Diana calmly walk up to her in that dark suit. The way the suit jacket hugged Diana curves made Akko's throat feel dry. And the way those pants hugged Diana's waist had to be illegal in some countries. It just had to be.

Akko even found that Diana even managed to make the ridiculously large black robe look cool.

And Akko did not hesitate to let it be known just how cool Diana looked, blurting it out immediately when Diana was standing right next to her, much to both hers and Diana’s chagrin.

The re-enactment had gone pretty much without a hitch. With a few tasteful uses of magic, Lotte and Barbara were able to get a very faithful adaptation to what was probably one of the most famous side stories from the Nightfall series, and the rest of their friends were able to get a fairly entertaining watch.

There was only one scene left: the one where Elias declares that Chise was to be his future bride.

Before Akko and Diana got to that part, however, Barbara paused the entire performance.

Despite how well the entire script had gone, Barbara, having been roommates with Diana for three years now, could see the nervousness in her leader building up. It was subtle, a slight twitch of her eyes, a light tapping of her fingers against her sides, but it was enough for her to notice.

With the next scene truly being the climax of their script, Barbara wanted to make sure that it would be perfect… but even more importantly, Barbara was truly hoping Diana could finally convey her feelings for Akko through this stage show.

And so, Barbara isolated Diana and gave her one final direction:

For this last scene, pretend it was just her and Akko alone. It was just an intimate moment between the both of them. From there, just allow her feelings do the rest.

Diana bit her lip, but agreed to try.

Nervous as she was, once she and Akko got deep into the final scene, with Elias having just protected Chise from the Ariel Fae, Diana found that getting lost in Akko was far easier than she had ever imagined.

With Akko clutching onto her robes, as per directed in the scene, Diana couldn't help but wish Akko had been holding onto her as Akko instead of as Chise.

"Even though you can see them, you're not cautious around them at all… You should be very careful from now on Chise," Diana said, lacing an arm around Akko's back and around the back of Akko's knees.

"G-Gya! What are you doing?!" Akko yelled as Diana picked her up a bridal carry.

"It's easy to get lost on the mountain at night so let's go like this," Diana whispered into Akko's ear, with as much honesty and sincerity as possible. "To our home."

It was surprising to both Diana and Akko how right those words felt. "Our home".

Akko couldn't help the faint blush that slowly began to build on her face.

Diana was looking at her with such affection… those blue eyes were so soft and the smile on Diana's face was so gentle, that Akko's heart began to melt. She wrapped an arm around Diana's neck and leaned closer to hide her face against Diana's shoulder.

"Yes," Akko whispered softly, her heart racing a mile a minute.

She had been very disappointed when Diana put her back down, signaling their return to their "home".

"Hm… we have got to cover up that arm," Diana said, reaching out and softly holding Akko's arm towards her, turning it around and inspecting it. She was fully lost in this performance, taking Barbara's advice and letting her emotions take her where she needed to go. "It would not be good if my future wife were to get a scar."

"I-I see," Akko muttered, before widening her eyes in shock. "Wife? Who… whose wife?!"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Diana muttered as she turned her head. "The obvious reason I bought you was to make you my apprentice… but…"

It was an impulsive decision.

Perhaps all that time spent with Akko recently had influenced her judgment... or perhaps this was a result of fully embracing her feelings.

"Akko."

"Eh?" Akko's eyes widened in shock.

H-Had Diana made a mistake? A slip up?

Akko was too confused to realize Diana had pulled her even closer, now against Diana’s chest. She was too focused on staring up at Diana's face, trying to figure out what just happened. Why Diana had said her name.

If it was a mistake, Diana clearly didn't show it… Diana was looking at her with pure confidence… and those eyes were still looking at her as if she was the most important thing in the world

The only thing in the world.

"Akko," Diana said once again, almost emphasizing that none of this was a mistake on her part. With a smile, Diana finished as softly… as lovingly as possible, never once looking away from Akko's eyes. “but I also hope to make you my bride.”

In one moment, everyone froze.

And in the next…

"EHHHHHHHHH?!" Akko yelled, her face erupting, burning bright hot. Her heart was beating so quickly, it could likely outpace the speed of a giant missle.

In an instant, Akko caved in on herself, suddenly very thankful this white robe around her was so large. Akko crouched onto the ground and hid her face in the collar of the giant robe.

While Akko was dealing with the aftermath of the confession, Diana felt… almost liberated.

While the words were… different, the emotions she relayed were the same. They were the same feelings she had been harboring for years now… and finally being able to express them felt like having the world lifted off of her shoulders… Especially after seeing Akko's reaction.

After all, Diana had already seen what Akko looked like after a confession that she flat out rejected, if that party from years ago was anything to go by.

Had Akko found the idea truly repulsive, she would look faint… her face would be pale and she would have instantly pushed away.

But instead, Akko's face erupted in color, and rather than disgusted, Akko appeared merely overwhelmed.

Diana crouched beside Akko and smiled.

It was actually really adorable.

"Are you okay?" Diana asked sweetly.

"… Just give me a minute," Akko answered, having only barely heard the question over the intense drumming of her heart.

After having let out a few high pitched squeals of joy, Barbara and Lotte immediately turned everyone away and left to give Akko and Diana some time to themselves.

And so Akko and Diana talked with one another about what just happened, how serious Diana was… and what this meant for them.

It wasn't long before the both of them started to date.

Diana, having already come to terms with her feelings for Akko, was definitely the less nervous one in their relationship. Diana was always the one initiating intimate contact with the other.

A gentle brush on the shoulder while they were studying. A finger on Akko's lip to quiet the girl for a kiss. Leaning down to look Akko in the eyes lovingly as Akko rested on her lap.

There were even times Diana would trap Akko between a wall in the corner of the hallway.

And every single thing Diana did made Akko's face blush.

She was embarrassed. This wasn't something she was used to feeling… the flutter in her stomach every time Diana was near her. The way her mind seemed to stop working whenever Diana touched her or hugged her or looked at her. And whenever Diana kissed her, Akko couldn't even move for a few seconds…

But she loved every second of it.

As they got even more comfortable with one another, Akko found herself almost craving Diana's kisses… every bit of Diana's affection becoming a daily part of her life… a part so integral, that it had become almost as important as eating breakfast or practicing magic.

"Akko," Diana said, her voice hoarse, "Like I've said before, until I feel better… there will be no more kissing."

So when Diana got sick and placed a moratorium on all kisses until she felt better, needless to say Akko was less than pleased.

"But Diaaaanaaaaaa" Akko whined against Diana's bed.

"No buts Akko," Diana scolded. "It is bad enough that I am sick… I would not be able to live with myself if I knew I was the cause of you becoming sick as well…"

Akko grumbled for the rest of the day… the lack of Diana being obvious to all people but especially to her. After each class, Akko always held her hand out… only to remember Diana wasn't there to take it. And every moment, Akko felt like she was waiting for a kiss she knew would never come.

By the time she was at lunch with her friends, Akko was feeling very antsy.

"'Not until I feel better', she says." Akko mumbled during lunch as she swirled potatoes around with her spoon.

And that's when an idea struck her.

She pushed back on her chair suddenly, causing it to scrape against the ground.

"I GOT IT!" Akko declared, much to the surprise of most everyone in her table.

"Akko, that's nice." Sucy immediately retorted, having gotten used to the antics ages ago. "Now sit your butt back down. You're causing a scene."

"O-oh woops." Akko mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry everyone!" Akko quickly apologized before sitting back down on her chair to plan.

Akko was just going to have to make Diana feel better.

After classes, Akko met up with Hannah and Barbara and asked them for the key to their dorm.

Key in hand, Akko ran straight into the kitchen and right up to a kitchen goblin. She begged them to let her get some chicken broth for Diana to drink. She also asked if she could have some honey and lemon wedges, and much to her relief the kitchen goblin let her take some.

They poured the soup in a thermos, wrapped a spoon in paper towels, and handed Akko a bottle of honey and a plastic bag full of lemon wedges.

Food in hand, Akko beelined for Diana's room. Once she got there though, Akko stopped to slowly… carefully open the door.

Yes, she wanted to make Diana feel better, but if she was asleep, Akko didn't want to disturb her.

"Hannah? Barbara?"

Though the voice calling out relieved Akko of such worries, it did give her something else to worry about… namely how hoarse Diana's voice sounded.

"Nope, it's Akko!" Akko said as she walked across the room.

"Akko?"

When Diana saw Akko enter her side of the room, she struggled to sit up. She pushed up on her bed and attempted to rest her back on the headrest of her bed.

"Wait Diana, before you sit… lemme just" Akko mumbled as she put the food from the kitchen atop Diana's desk. She then dashed out into the other side of the room and collected all of the pillows from the blue dorm.

Hannah and Barbara wouldn't mind right?

She then rushed to Diana's side and stacked a mound of pillows behind the heiress, providing the perfect backrest for her.

"There! How does that feel?"

Diana smiled, pushing back against the soft cushion of half a dozen pillows.

"It feels wonderful, thank you."

Akko chuckled bashfully, a slight blush on her face.

"Oh right! Diana, have you had anything to eat yet today?"

"Not yet… though I must admit my appetite has been rather lacking."

"That's not good! Here, have some of this!" Akko said as she twisted the cap off of the thermos and poured some of the soup into the cap. She then dipped a spoon into the cap and offered it to Diana. "C'mon Diana! Say ahhhn"

Diana blushed and turned away.

"Akko… must we do this?" Diana muttered, "I am not feeling particularly hungry at the moment."

"Diana, you need to eat something!" Akko protested. "So just let me…

Try as she might, Diana kept on turning away from the offered spoon.

"H-hey no, Diana stop! Don't turn awa- Mooooou" Akko pouted, before finally having had enough. Diana was too far away for Akko to get a good shot at feeding her.

If Diana was going to keep being stubborn and not eat, then Akko decided she would need to be just as stubborn.

"Akko, I truly appreciate what you are trying to do bu-" Diana froze, her already warm face exploding into a blazing inferno, "A-Akko! What are you doing?!"

Akko continued her actions, undeterred by her girlfriend's surprise. She had put down the cap back onto the table and began to climb onto Diana's bed. Akko then straddled Diana's legs, her knees on either side of the heiress's. All of this while she sported a pout directed at Diana.

While Diana was still frozen, clearly trying to wrap her head around everything that was happening, Akko took this as a opportunity to see just how sick Diana actually was. She leaned forward, resting her hands on Diana's shoulder, and pressed their foreheads together.

It felt like Diana's fever was slowly starting to go away. She didn't feel nearly as warm as she was before.

Akko smiled and sighed in relief. Seemed like Diana would be better in no time!

Her concerns mostly gone, Akko seemed to realize just how close she actually was to Diana's face. Akko stared right into Diana's, still unbelievably wide, blue eyes. She could feel how quickly Diana's pulse was racing.

And… Diana let her get this close. Akko's been looking forward to just one kiss for days now. Maybe if Akko just leaned in, Diana would let her-

"Akko!" Diana scolded, pressing her hand on Akko's lip and lightly pushing her backwards. She then grabbed Akko's hands and interlaced their fingers. She kept their hands between the both of them, acting as some sort of wall or boundary.

Akko's eyes were still closed, her lips pursed. She let out a soft whine, having been soooo close to what would have been paradise.

Diana let out a shaky sigh, in an attempt to still her own racing heart.

"Akko… how many times have I told you no kissing until I feel better?" Diana chided lightly. She couldn't really be all that mad at Akko though. After all… "it's hard for me too, you know?"

"But Dianaaaa!" Akko whined, "you won't let me nurse you until you’re better! And I've been waiting forever for a kiss!"

"As have I Akko, but I do not wish to risk you getting sick on my account."

"At least let me feed you some food," Akko said, sending Diana a pout. "It'll help you!"

Diana closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Very well," Diana relented.

"Ehehe yay!" Akko cheered as she quickly reached out for the earlier abandoned cap and spoon. "Now say aahhhh~"

Diana, ignoring the ever rising heat in her face and up her ears, closed her eyes and listened to Akko's request.

"A-Ahhh"

Thankfully for the both of them, Diana's fever had subsided the next day, and fortunately Akko had not contracted the same sickness.

Unfortunately for them, their time at Luna Nova was quickly drawing to a close. It was their final year after all.

As a result, Akko and Diana spent almost every waking moment together. Naturally, of course, they were with their other friends, and sometimes they did go out with those friends instead of with each other, but for the most part Akko and Diana were inseparable.

Still, they couldn't shake off the worry of their impending separation… with their curriculum at Luna Nova ending, there was nothing concrete tying Akko to England anymore.

And then, it happened, on a certain night, while Diana and Akko were reviewing for their respective elective classes, Diana with Advanced Biology and Magic and Akko with Magic and Early Development.

"I'm really gonna miss this," Akko said as she flipped to the next page of her notes. "Just us being together like this."

"I will too," Diana admitted as she casually bent the corner of page she was currently on. "I… rather enjoy spending all of my time with you."

"Right?!" Akko exclaimed, leaning back against Diana's legs. "It's going to feel really weird having to go back home to Japan. Don't get me wrong, I miss my family, but I think I'll miss you more."

Diana hummed in thought as she leaned back against her chair.

And that's when she said it, a simple passing thought. Perhaps one she never even intended to speak out loud.

"Then perhaps you would not mind staying here in England and living with me after Luna Nova?"

Whatever Akko was doing in that moment was dropped.

Nothing she was reading made any more sense, her mind having suffered some sort of fatal error.

"Wh-What did you just say?"

"Pardon?" Diana asked, her voice raised in confusion.

"Diana, I'm serious. Did you… did you really mean that?"

"Akko," Diana sighed, her eyes still trailing the lines of her book, "you are going to need to be more specific."

Akko groaned when she looked up see Diana still reading her book.

With a flick of her wrist, Akko cast a wind spell to blow the lights out.

"Akko, what are you doing?" Diana asked, concerned.

"Diana I'm serious," Akko said. She climbed atop her girlfriend and placed a hand on her book, pushing it down towards Diana's lap. "Did you really mean it when you said I could stay here in England with you?"

Diana stared up at Akko, looking straight into Akko's moonlit red eyes.

Had she really said that out loud? If she had, she surely never meant to voice such an intimate desire.

However, looking up at Akko, staring at her with such intensity, such hope, such love, Diana couldn't help but feel like, even if she hadn’t meant to say it... it was truly all that she had wanted.

"Yes" Diana said breathlessly, still entranced by the look in Akko's eyes, as they both leaned in for a kiss in the soft light of the full moon.

A few short days after their talk, everything was going perfectly.

Akko had called her parents, and they both happily gave their permission for Akko to stay in England to follow her dreams and stay with Diana, whom they both had the pleasure of meeting beforehand.

They also began to look for a place.

They could have stayed at the Cavendish manor, but until the next Venusian eclipse, Diana wished to be alone with Akko, taking care of Cavendish business from afar. In about a week's time, they found what seemed to be the perfect little house. It had one bedroom, which was perfectly fine for their purposes. There was also a rather spacious living room, with a large sliding window.

It was also very close to the licensing department for magic, where Diana would be going to quite often to work on her magic medical license.

And the more Diana and Akko looked around, the more apparent it became.

This place was perfect.

In their last weeks, all the time they spent together was spent on the moving preparations. Several boxes full of books and precious mementos from their years at Luna Nova were carried away with them.

Since they both knew that they would be living with each other after they graduated, Diana and Akko tended to spend more time with the rest of their friends, knowing that the time they had with them was, at least for a while, limited. Still, every Sunday, the both of them would spend time together, working on moving boxes upon boxes of their own possessions.

And then graduation came.

Diana was, of course, the Valedictorian. No one else could have matched the consistent perfection of Diana's grades, personal achievements, and contributions to Luna Nova.

It was a bittersweet ceremony, the occasion itself joyous, full of laughter, joy, and, naturally, a ton of chaos.

Sucy gave Akko one last potion, which filled her with so much energy that it was as if she had drunk fifteen shots of espresso at once. Combined with Amanda's need to cause chaos for fun, and Diana had a lot of work cut out in keeping their graduation party from tearing the school apart. Thankfully Lotte, Hannah, and Barbara worked with her to keep the peace.

After a long celebration, and several heartfelt, tear jerking good-byes and farewells between the red, blue, and green teams, filled with promises to keep in touch with each other using Witchbook and WitchApp (something Diana and Akko both agreed Akko would have full reins of from their end, given Diana's relative removal from modern technology growing up, save for her brief stint in Japan), the witches went their separate ways.

Akko and Diana flew off to their new home.

The both of them smiled at one another, holding each other's hand, as they both reached out to turn the doorknob together.

They opened it up together and were met with stacks of unpacked boxes. Akko and Diana both chuckled nervously looking at the daunting task they would have to deal with.

But that could wait until tomorrow. Today had been really tiring, and both girls knew exactly what they wanted to do first in their house.

In their home.

Wordlessly, though they both did giggle with excitement, Akko and Diana ran to the bedroom, got changed out of their graduation gowns, and put on their sleeping clothes. Then they immediately hopped into bed, holding each other close.

It was so nice. So warm. It was perfect.

Akko rested one arm on Diana's side, her other arm trapped snugly underneath Diana.

Diana held tightly onto Akko, holding the both of them closer together.

It was everything Akko had ever dreamt it would be… for how long, she didn't know.

Which got her thinking… and with the reflective mood a huge event like graduation had managed to put her in, Akko just had to know.

"Hey Diana," Akko whispered.

"Yes Akko?" Diana mumbled.

"Did you… ever imagine something like this would happen?"

Diana tightened her hold onto Akko, on the one person in her life who meant more to her than anyone else.

"… At some point, I started hoping it would…" Diana answered softly.

And Akko smiled, moving her arm to hug Diana's side.

"Yeah, me too."

Diana woke up to see Akko still sleeping beside her. There was a trail of drool dripping onto their pillow. It had been several months since they had first moved in together, but this was still a sight she absolutely adored waking up to.

Diana slowly moved forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Akko's nose.

"Hmmm, Diana?" Akko muttered sleepily, voice still gravelly. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to inform you I would be getting up now to watch that show you introduced me to last week…" Diana said, "do you wish to join me?"

Akko hummed sleepily, perhaps debating the options in her head.

"How much longer until then?"

"You have about ten more minutes until the show begins."

"Okaaaay," Akko yawned, "I'll be out in five minutes."

Diana smiled, pressed a soft kiss on Akko's lips, and rolled off of bed.

She walked into the living room and saw the clouds were gray and that there was a light pouring of rain from outside their window.

She sighed. Had Akko not introduced her to that ridiculously addicting cartoon last week, today would have been a perfect day to sleep in.

Oh well.

Diana walked into the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She then lazily walked up to the couch in the middle of their living room, grabbed the television remote, and turned on the television. Thankfully, the channel was already set correctly.

Diana smiled when she heard a soft yawn from behind her.

"Good morning Akko," Diana greeted the moment she saw Akko approach their couch. When Akko pointed at her lap, Diana raised her bowl up in the air, giving Akko enough space to collapse, belly face down, onto it.

Akko stretched out and yawned, slowly waking herself up.

"How much longer Diana?"

"Only a few more minutes."

Akko hummed, before rolling over so that she was face up towards Diana.

"Do we have anything else to do today?" Akko asked.

"Well…" Diana slowly said, turning towards the window, "if the rain clears up, we could maybe visit Hannah and Barbara. They just moved in yesterday."

"Ooh! We should do that!" Akko agreed, "Maybe give them a house-warming gift."

"That would be lovely." Diana said. “I am sure they would appreciate it.”

When the familiar theme song started blaring from the television screen, Akko turned around so that she could face the screen.

Diana put down the remote and rested her hand on the side of Akko's head, using her thumb to rub light circles on Akko's round cheek.

Akko smiled and hummed in contentment, snuggling backwards, closer to Diana's stomach.

"This is nice." Akko said with a grin. "You know, being here with you."

Diana smiled, Akko's simple words making her heart melt.

Diana leaned down to press a kiss on Akko's cheek.

"I could not agree more."

#Dianakko #Diakko #Me Writing #Little Witch Academia #LWA #Diana Cavendish #Akko Kagari

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