Work Text:
Can I borrow your homework?
It has been about five months since Akko released the Grand Triskellion with her friends' help and even started flying. She had worked very hard, pushing herself to exhaustion many times.
Professor Ursula (well, Professor Chariot, actually) is helping her the best she can, while studying a cure for the Wagandea’s Curse with Croix (we know very well how “deep” this study can go sometimes) but another person was extremely important to Akko’s develop: the great genius of Luna Nova, Diana Cavendish.
Many students and staff don’t understand how Diana had so much patience and dedication with Akko, but there they were, every single day, in the colleges’ backyards, always practicing something: a spell, conjuration, potion and even history. Lotte also helps a lot, bringing them food and water. Sucy helps sometimes too with her own way of pushing Akko forward by teasing her.
Neither the own Diana really understand why the hell she dedicates so much time and effort to help Akko, but she could point somethings down:
- Akko had proved herself a powerful witch, like a diamond that need lapidation;
- Akko herself was always insistent of having the blonde to help her (“You are the best here Diana, and if I want to be the better, I have to learn from you!”);
- There was something that drawn Diana to Akko, her determination, courage, stubbornness, happiness, something;
- Those blood crimson eyes always looking at her with admiration, but not for what she could do, but for who she really was;
- Akko’s smile after accomplish something they’ve been trying was powerful, making Diana’s legs melt, her heart race and her face flush;
Well, maybe Diana does know where she took this determination to help Akko, she only didn’t want to accept the truth: from her crush on the brunette. She couldn’t deny any longer, Diana Cavendish had a huge crush on Atsuko Kagari, and that’s it, there is nothing she could do about it, it’s not like it was reciprocal.
Unless………………………….
There is an episode that Diana felt a string of hope that Akko felt the same for her, that day is still as vivid in her memory as the colors of the drawing:
“I’m soooooooooooooooooooooooo tired! Professor Chariot and I stayed almost the entire night planning the Christmas' event '' - A very exhausted Akko entered the class that morning, almost being dragged by Lotte and Sucy to their seats.
“Akko, I told you to keep track of the time, you and Professor Chariot together are unstoppable!” - Lotte averted, worried about the friend.
“Yeah, I’m very surprised she had the whole night only to you , Akko. hehehehehe” - Sucy teased, making Akko laugh.
“Me too Sucy, me too! I thought that professor Croix would call her last night ehehehehe”
Akko sat already laying the head on the table, almost asleep, when she felt that presence by her side.
“Good morning Akko”
“Oh, ohaio Diana! How are you?”
“I’m good, thank you. I can see that you’ve spent another night without sleep?”
“Ay ay, I was with Professor Chariot, I lost track of the time ehehe”
“I suspected this could happen when I heard your plans, so… I brought you this, to help you wake up, ‘cause…. You know… you need to be wide awake to keep up with the classes” A very suspicious Diana passed to Akko a cup of hot tea, with her name on it.
“Oh, arigato Diana! Green tea is great to keep me awake, you’ll see!”
10 minutes later….
Diana, who was very concentrated in the work, allowed herself to check-up on Akko, only to see the ponytail go up and down with the girls breathing, fast asleep on the table. Lotte and Sucy seemed to have given up trying to awake the girl. Only one cup of green tea wouldn’t be enough.
At the end of the class, Akko woke up with a jolt as Sucy spoked her with a needle. As Diana and her friends were walking by to leave the room, Akko didn’t lost the opportunity:
“Hey Dianaaaa! Can I…. Can I borrow your homework, so I can catch up on today’s class, pleeeease? I really tried to keep awake, gomenasai …”
“That’s ok, Akko. Here it is. I hope you can do this by the end of the day, I’ll need it to study in the night”
“Hai! Thank you very much, Diana!”
So Akko did, she used Diana’s notebook with the much care that she could, like she was holding the most precious and fragile magic stone in the world. By the night, she went to the blue’s team dorm and knocked on the door.
“Hello Diana, I’m here to return your notebook!”
“Oh, hi Akko, thank you very much. Did you get everything you needed?”
“Yes! Your notes are always very accurate, much better than watching the class… A-are you studying?”
“Indeed, do you need something else?”
Akko stopped to think a little, as she was taking courage to ask something.
“Actually I do… I would like to know i-if you have already had dinner!”
“I… I beg your pardon?”
“Well… You look like you have been in your room forever and it’s dinner time and I’m heading there now and y-you gave me tea this morning and I-I think you were trying to take care of me and I wanted to do the same for you because I do care about you b-but I don’t know if I’m crossing a line here-Oh god I am crossing a line here, I shouldn't do this, I’m so sor-”
“No Akko, I hadn’t dinner yet and, in fact, I’m starving. Do you want me to go with you?”
“............................................ yes?”
“Okay than, let me just put the notebook in the table”
Alright, alright, what the hell was that? Diana never saw Akko that nervous and insecure about something and when she started rambling, the blonde thought she heard something about Akko caring about her? But that doesn't need to be anything special right? It’s what friends do.
She was absolutely resolved that this was a friendly request only, until she heard Akko’s cursing “ Oh great Akko, so much practicing for talking to her like this? Baka!” on the door, which took a small smile from Diana’s lips.
At the dinner room, Akko and Diana sat with their food and started talking about nothing in particular, just a light conversation between them alone, a rare thing compared to the amount of time they spend together.
They talked about Daiana’s dogs back in the Cavendish mansion, Akko told her how much she missed her cat that stayed in Japan. They talked about the main differences between their families, about food, Chariot and Croix, their teams, the professors, their progress…. When they finally got up to leave the room, the girls realised they were the last ones there, and that was almost curfew time.
The walk back to their dorms were in a comfortable silence, when they only enjoyed being in each other's presence, feeling safe, not alone, feeling good .
“Hey Diana…”
“Hm?”
“...... Have a good night, and sleep well, ok?”
Diana appreciated the words and Akko kindness, but knew that this was not what she wanted to say.
“You too Akko, please rest tonight, you’re needing it”
The blonde says affectionately, putting her hand on Akko’s shoulder and giving a little squeeze.
The touch seemed to encourage Akko, who held her breath and pulled the blonde to a tight but very very much comfortable hug.
“I will, arigato gozaimasu Diana, for everything”
Diana entered her room so touched by that contat that, for the first time in her life, she gave up on studying, going straight to bed. On her mind, she was reapeating over and over again the feeling of Akko’s hug, somehow this one was different from the other’s, being more caring.
On that night, Daiana let herself believe that there was something else going on.
On the next morning, the blonde had one more confirmation to her suspicions, when she opened the notebook that were with Akko only to find a very dorky and cute draw with the message:
“I don’t need the bigger dipper when I got a shooting star! PS: It’s you, not the broom”.
“Oh well…. I got it bad………..”
The End.