Chapter Text
Diana had never been a believer in love at first sight. The prospect of it was nothing short of ridiculous to her. Love was such an intimate emotion that the thought of feeling that way for someone simply by looking at them was preposterous to her. In fact, Diana held no shame in admitting that her first impression of her own significant other was that of indifference, at best.
And yet, the moment Diana laid eyes on the wailing infant in the hands of her family doctor, her heart was filled with so much love that it could have burst. She was exhausted, sweating, and every part of her body ached, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the child being placed in her arms.
Akko had been a blubbering mess of tears at her bedside. Repeated praises of love and utterances of ‘thank you’ and ‘so small’ were the only phrases she could manage in English; everything else was a whirlwind of sputtered Japanese. But the feeling was all the same—Akko was just as over the moon in love as she was.
They had finally welcomed Aya Cavendish to the world, and neither of them had ever fallen in love so hard or so fast before.
Even four days later, as Diana sat in the stillness of night, looking down at the infant cradled in her arms, that feeling had yet to pass. She had experienced more emotions over the four days since Aya came into their lives than she had throughout her entire lifetime. But at the base of it all was the intensely deep-rooted love she felt for her new daughter.
Diana wondered if her own mother felt that way about her after she was born.
She had found herself thinking of Bernadette more than usual lately. While she had always admired her mother, that admiration had only grown after having a child of her own. It consistently amazed Diana to think that Bernadette had gone through all of that pain and exhaustion, despite her health, just to bring her into the world.
She wished she could thank her.
Aya letting out a soft cry brought Diana from her thoughts. Even though she had already finished cleaning and nursing her, Aya still hadn’t totally settled for the night. She squirmed in her mother’s arms, another cry escaping her.
Diana slowly rocked the recliner she was sitting in. She caressed Aya’s brunette hair with a gentle touch of her fingers, hushing her. “It’s all right, darling,” she comforted in a whisper, “I’m here.”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Aya’s cries simmered down into tiny whimpers. She relaxed, leaning into Diana’s touch. Diana smiled, grazing her knuckles against the infant’s cheek.
“Diana? What’re you doing up?”
The voice took Diana by surprise. She hadn’t expected anyone to be awake at that hour. But there Akko stood in the nursery’s doorway—her long hair tousled with bedhead, and her eyes with heavy, black bags beneath them. She held her wand in her hand, using it as a source of light in the otherwise dark hallway.
She yawned, rubbing her eye. “I told you I’d take care of things tonight.”
“She was hungry,” Diana explained simply. “And you needed sleep.”
“Nu-uh. I’m wide awake,” Akko countered with another yawn, dragging her feet over to where Diana sat.
Aya shifted, seeming to have noticed the new voice in the room. Red eyes that could barely be kept open yet searched for the source of the sound, until finally settling on Akko. She let out a small gurgling noise.
“Mame-chan konbanwa,” Akko greeted, reaching over to rub her index finger against Aya’s hand. “Needed a midnight snack, huh? I guess I can relate.” She grinned with pride. “Wait till you try pickled plums. They’re the best snack of all.”
Diana sighed. “I really wish you’d stop eating those things so late at night.”
Akko wiggled her finger as Aya tightened her grip around it. “Really?” she asked, casting Diana a smug look. “‘Cause I remember someone wanting them at 3 AM last week…” She lulled her head from side to side. “And it wasn’t me, so…”
Diana’s face flushed and she closed her eyes, twitching a brow. “That… was entirely different.”
Although Diana usually considered Akko’s favorite pickled plums to be repugnant, she had recently developed a taste for them. She wasn’t especially proud of those particular late night cravings, largely in part because she knew Akko would never let it go, but her body demanded what it demanded at the time. Fortunately for her, her sense of taste had largely returned to normal since Aya was born. She wouldn’t be eating pickled plums again any time soon.
Probably.
“Whatever you say,” Akko snickered, rubbing Diana’s shoulder. “Anyways, why don’t you go back to bed? I can take it from here.”
“It’s fine, Akko,” Diana insisted. “Really. I don’t mind.”
Akko puffed her cheeks in disapproval. “But you should be resting…”
Akko had been working herself ragged since the moment Aya arrived. While Diana was grateful for the much-needed rest she was getting, it was becoming painfully obvious Akko was beginning to experience the side effects of sleep deprivation—if her pouring orange juice into her cereal earlier that day was any indication of such. Diana’s hope had been that Akko could get a few extra hours of sleep in so that she wouldn’t be a walking mess later. However, it seemed as though Akko continued to be too stubborn for her own good.
Before Diana had the chance to respond, Aya suddenly cried loudly, taking both of her parents by surprise. Diana blinked, looking down at the now wailing infant who was squirming unhappily in her arms.
Akko frowned. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, I already fed and changed her,” Diana sighed, lifting Aya against her shoulder to rub her back. “I think she’s just being fussy now.”
Akko’s frown deepened as she helplessly watched their daughter cry. “Is there something I can do?”
Diana continued on gently rubbing Aya’s back with a shake of her head. “Like I said, I think she’s just upset,” she explained, hushing their child. “She’s been off-and-on like this for a while.”
Akko furrowed her brows, putting a hand to her chin. She watched on for a moment as Diana continued her attempt at comforting Aya. That was when an idea seemed to strike her, and her face lit up. “Oh, I know!”
Diana raised a brow, glancing at her wife who was now eagerly moving to stand in front of the rocking chair. “What are you doing?”
Akko grinned. “You’ll see! Here! Turn her towards me!” As Diana adjusted her hold on Aya, Akko crouched down to meet her eye level, waving a hand. “Aya! Mite mite!”
Aya continued right on with her crying as Akko straightened herself out and cleared her throat. Diana was left momentarily puzzled, but very quickly put the pieces together on what Akko was about to do when she extended her wand.
With a wave of her wand, Akko said, “Metamorphie Faciesse!”
Just like that, there was a popping sound, followed by a colorful cloud of smoke. Seconds later, Akko emerged from the cloud—except now she was a pink, egg-shaped, cartoonish-looking bird. Letting out a silly ‘caw’ noise, she frantically flapped her short wings until she was flying upside down.
Aya’s crying grew quieter as she watched Akko accidentally bonk her head against the crib below her. She squawked in pain, feigning dizziness in mid-air. Diana cleared her throat, pressing a knuckle to her mouth to suppress the urge to laugh.
Akko flew over to Diana and Aya, flapping around Diana’s head in circles. “Dou omou?” she asked, nesting herself atop Diana’s head and spreading her wings out wide. “Pretty funny, right?”
Aya’s crying finally settled as she stared at Akko in silence. She shifted slightly, but did little more than make a very small cooing sound.
Akko puffed her cheeks, ruffling her feathers. “Tough crowd.”
“She’s only four days old, Akko. It will be a while before she even starts smiling, let alone laughing,” Diana reasoned with a chuckle. When Akko grumbled in dissatisfaction, Diana glanced up at her. “But she stopped crying, didn’t she?”
Akko blinked, taking a moment to think before finally lighting up. “Yeah! I guess you’re right!” she conceded, hopping off of Diana’s head and gliding to the floor.
Seconds later, she poofed back to normal, slipping her wand into the back pocket of her shorts. She beamed, rubbing a finger against Aya’s stomach. “Man, I can’t wait to hear that cute little laugh,” she cooed, leaning in closer. “I’m gonna have you laughing all the time. Yes, I am.”
Aya squirmed in Diana’s arms again. Fortunately, it seemed to be a squirm of delight rather than one of dismay. Akko’s eyes sparkled with joy, positively elated by that reaction.
“It would be just as wonderful if you could get her sleeping,” Diana pointed out as her wife poked Aya’s nose.
Akko stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. “A good performer never puts her audience to sleep!” She winked at Aya. “Sou dayo ne?”
At the very least, thanks to Akko, Aya had stopped her crying. But as her little red eyes continued to search the room, Diana knew that their daughter was likely still a ways off from actually falling to sleep.
She didn’t know what triggered it, but in the back of her mind, Diana could hear a faint and distant melody. She knew there were words, but they were so far-off she couldn’t remember a single one. Though, what Diana did remember were the many nights she would lay in bed, her eyes growing heavy as her mother’s voice carried her off to sleep.
It was something she had nearly forgotten about—a song stored so deep in the back of her mind that it was almost as if it hadn’t existed at all. She wasn’t sure when she had started quietly humming that same melody to the child in her arms, but as soon as she caught herself doing it, she realized that Akko’s amused gaze was on her.
Diana’s cheeks flushed as she glanced at Akko out of the corner of her eye. “What?”
“Nothing.” Akko shrugged with a smile. “I’ve just never heard you sing before. Your voice is kinda pretty.”
Diana’s cheeks burned brighter as she cleared her throat, attempting to shake it off. “It’s a lullaby,” she explained matter-of-factly, looking at Aya, whose eyes kept slowly closing and reopening in an attempt to battle sleep. “My mother used to sing it to me.”
“Well, I think it sounds nice,” Akko complimented, leaning her elbow on the back of the recliner. “And I’ll bet Aya does, too.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure I do my mother’s version justice, though,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t even remember the words.”
Aya was now fast asleep, the side of her head nestled against the fabric of Diana’s bathrobe. Something twanged in her chest—an old, dull ache. She knew the lyrics to the lullaby were likely forever lost, gone along with her mother. It was another piece of her that Diana wouldn’t be able to get back, and that hurt more than she would have anticipated.
As Diana observed the gentle rise and fall of her daughter’s chest, she wondered if her mother would have sung Aya that same lullaby—words and all. She wondered if her mother would have been awake with her late at night, helping her figure out the hurdles of parenting. She wondered what her mother’s face would have looked like upon holding her grandchild for the first time.
Diana knew those were all things that could never be, but her heart still yearned for them, regardless.
“Is something wrong?”
Akko’s voice pulled Diana from her thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder to see Akko watching her with a tilted head. “No. Not really,” Diana dismissed, looking back to Aya. “I was just thinking about how I wish my mother could have seen her. I’m sure she would have adored her.”
“Based on how much it sounds like she adored you?” Akko started, putting a hand on Diana’s shoulder. “I know she would have.”
Just as much as her mother would have loved Aya, Diana was positive that she would have had those same feelings for Akko, as well. If there was one thing she knew for certain about her mother, it was that she was someone who had all the love in the world to give. So much so that it often resulted in her neglecting to care for herself.
Yet somehow, someway, she always managed to smile for Diana. Even on her worst days, her mother always seemed to know what to do and wouldn’t hesitate to go wherever she was needed. She was remarkable, and Diana could only hope that one day she could become half the person—half the parent—that she was.
“Sometimes I wonder how she did it all,” Diana mused, adjusting the blanket that was swaddled around Aya. “Leading the family, losing my father, managing her health… all while taking care of me.” She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been for her.” She huffed. “Meanwhile, I still feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Akko shrugged. “I don’t think we’re supposed to know. I mean, I definitely don’t know what I’m doing, either,” she assured, crouching down and grasping Diana’s hand in her own. “But you and I make a pretty good team. We’ll figure it out together—one day at a time.” She grinned. “We’re gonna be the best moms in the world. Just watch!”
The way Akko’s eyes were shining made Diana’s heart swell. A reassuring warmth spread throughout her body and she laughed lightly, saying, “You sound so confident.”
“I am confident,” Akko proclaimed, thumping a fist to her chest. “We figured out how to stop some crazy missile from blowing up the country, didn’t we? We can figure out parenting, too.” Her expression grew softer as she squeezed Diana’s hand. “We’d make your mom proud. I believe in us.”
No matter what doubts Diana had, Akko always had a way of making such bold statements using so few words that she couldn’t help but be put at ease. Of course they would be fine. They always were.
Diana reciprocated Akko’s grip. “Me too.”
As much as Diana wished her mother were there to provide her the guidance she felt she needed, she knew that Akko was right. They were a team. Whatever weaknesses she had as a parent, Akko would be there to make up for them with her strengths tenfold—and Diana would do the same for her. They would stumble and make mistakes, but always have each other to pick them up and brush them off after.
Between the two of them, Aya would be in good hands.
“Why don’t we put her to bed?” Diana suggested, rising out of her chair carefully, as to not wake Aya.
Akko placed a hand on Diana’s back, helping her stand up with a smirk. “For now?”
Diana smiled with a roll of her eyes. “For now.”
Aya, who was still knocked out cold, hadn’t so much as flinched at the motion of Diana standing up and making her way over to the crib. However, Diana was almost certain that she would wake with a cry to be reckoned with in an hour (if they were lucky). But, at this point, she was willing to take any amount of sleep she could get.
Diana bent down, delicately laying Aya on her back in the crib. The infant did little more than make a faint cooing sound in her sleep. Diana nearly sighed in relief at how easily she was willing to be put down.
Akko reached into the crib, gently fixing the blanket that was wrapped around their daughter. “Oyasumi.”
Diana watched as Aya let out a content breath, curling and uncurling her hands in her sleep. Just that small motion alone was enough to fill Diana’s heart to the brim with that same overwhelming love she felt upon witnessing her come into the world. And, judging by the look on Akko’s face, she had the suspicion that she felt the same.
Perhaps they wouldn’t be the perfect parents. Perhaps Diana would never get the advice she so desperately wanted from her mother. Perhaps Akko would continue to pour orange juice into her cereal at 7 AM after a night of failing to put their daughter to sleep. But if this overpowering love was something they never stopped feeling, Diana was certain they would conquer any challenge parenting threw their way together.
Diana allowed her fingertips to stroke Aya’s soft tuft of hair one last time as she leaned in and whispered, “Good night, love.”
End.