Chapter Text
Diana Cavendish is the type of person who’s always very sure of herself. Or, well...who ACTS like she is, at least.
Whenever she finds herself in a situation she doesn't quite know how to handle– encounters a problem she doesn't quite know the answer to– Diana prides herself on being able to find a proper solution quickly and efficiently.
However...nothing and no one ever makes her feel more consistently uncertain than Akko Kagari.
Diana's not oblivious enough about her own feelings to deny that she's somewhat smitten with Akko. It's just what to DO about that fact that consistently plunges her into a torrent of indecision.
Akko had captured Diana’s interest from the very beginning, albeit for far different reasons at first. The girl seemed to be wholly paradoxical, in a way that somewhat baffled Diana– she was a reckless slacker with barely a modicum of proper respect for magic or tradition…and yet, she also managed to do things Diana could not, time and time again.
Of course, much time has passed since then. Akko had nearly singlehandedly turned Diana's worldview on its head multiple times over, and it'd be lying to say that, nowadays, she didn't consider her one of her closest and most treasured friends.
The whole crush thing, though…..well, that's a different matter entirely.
It feels somewhat humiliating, to be frank. This particular type of…romantic affection is one that Diana’s never really experienced before; certainly, not to anywhere NEAR this level of intensity. She's supposed to be a dignified Cavendish, a role model for her peers and a model student at Luna Nova. And yet here she is, childishly pining over one of her classmates.
Hopefully soon…she'll manage to determine what, if anything, she should do about the whole Akko situation.
“DIANAAAA!!!”
Diana feels her heart leap up into her throat as she's jolted out of her thoughts by a familiar voice calling her name from further down the Luna Nova hallway.
(Speak of the devil….)
Akko beams, running over and falling into step by Diana's side.
"Hi!!" she bubbles.
“Hello there. You seem to be in a rather good mood today,” Diana says, returning Akko’s smile with a bemused one of her own.
“Ah heh heh….do I?” Akko rubs the back of her head with a dopey grin on her face. “I guess I was just happy to run into you, is all.”
A tornado of butterflies swoops through Diana's stomach.
“A-ah….”
“It feels like we’ve BARELY gotten to hang lately!! Probably cuz of the stupid midterms….” Akko grumbles.
“Yes….I suppose that they have been taking up a lot of our time lately.”
“A LOT is an understatement!! I’ve barely been studying at all and I've STILL had hardly any free time!!”
Diana levels Akko with a Look– a single eyebrow raised, with her sky-blue eyes cutting right into the other girl. “Akko. Are you really not studying for your midterms?”
Akko winces slightly, apparently realizing what she’d just admitted to.“I-I MEAN….LOOK! IT’S HARD! I TRY to study, but I don't LIKE studying, so I get distracted like, WAY easily!”
Diana’s expression softens; she's been trying to be more understanding of Akko's point of view lately, for reasons ENTIRELY unrelated to her crush, thank you very much.
Regardless, it's led to Diana realizing that just because something comes easily to HER, doesn't necessarily mean the same applies to everyone else.
“I see…" Diana says. "I do wish that there was some way I could help make it less of an ordeal for you….”
Akko sighs. “Agh, it’s fine, it’s fine. By now I’ve accepted that this is just how I am. Gotta just do the best I can in spite of that!”
Diana knits her brow, putting her hand to her chin in thought.
(No, I can't accept that…there has to be a way...)
“Would it…make a difference were I to help you study?” Diana ventures. “True, doing it alone may be difficult for you, but perhaps having someone else there to guide you along would make it easier.”
Akko gasps loudly. “NO WAY!! You'd really do that for me?!” she squeals, leaning in close to Diana, her dark crimson eyes practically sparkling as she does.
“O-of course….”
"Oh my god, THANK YOU Diana, you're an absolute LIFESAVER!!" Akko grabs Diana’s hands with both of her own and begins to shake them profusely, Diana trying to fight back the blush she feels rising up her cheeks as she does.
“Y-yes….”
"Oooh man, what a relief…to be honest, I was getting nervous about a few of these," Akko crosses her arms. "Not to mention that Finnelan and Badcock BOTH have it out for me, so I KNOW they're gonna be as harsh as they possibly can….”
“Oh? And whose fault is that, hm?" Diana teases with a smirk. "You haven't exactly stayed out of trouble during your time at Luna Nova. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
Akko pouts at her. “Oh c'mon, Di, we can't ALL be Miss Goody Two-Shoes over here.”
Diana feels her heart leap out of her chest.
(Wh…what did she just say…?)
Akko, famously as dense as a neutron star, is completely oblivious to Diana's reaction at first, simply continuing to walk alongside her; however, she soon takes notice of Diana's stunned silence, and looks over at her to see Diana just blankly staring at her with wide eyes.
“What?" Akko frowns.
"…Di?"
"Huh?”
“You…you called me Di just now."
“OH! Ehehehehe…..” Akko giggles sheepishly. “Yeah, I knew I wouldn't be able to slip that one past you…..sorry.”
“N-no, it's…I like it,” Diana says quietly.
Akko's eyes widen; she turns to look at Diana like she’s grown a second head. “Wait. Really?”
Diana is almost as surprised as Akko is by what she'd just said; she’d blurted that out before she really even had a chance to think about it. That said….she finds that she doesn't really want to walk her statement back. Having Akko call her by a nickname is….well. It's far from unpleasant.
Diana hesitates very slightly before responding: “I…can't say that I've ever been nicknamed before. But…I also can’t say that I… dislike it. C-coming from you, at the very least...”
Akko positively GLOWS, and Diana swears that her heart skips a beat.
Oh, she's really and truly smitten with this girl.
“HECK YEAAAH~!!!!" Akko squeals, triumphantly tossing her fists over her head. "Oh man, I TOTALLY thought you were gonna shut that down, this is amazing!!”
However, Akko’s expression suddenly falls, and she lets out a sharp gasp.
“Oh my god, I TOTALLY forgot why I was even here in the first place," she blanches. "I have not eaten in like, a BILLION hours, I was heading to the cafeteria when I ran into you and got sidetracked.”
Diana frowns at her. “Akko...please take care of yourself. Eating properly is extremely important.”
“I TRY TOOOO! I JUST FORGETTTT!” Akko whines, slumping her entire upper body forwards. “I get distracted and then boom! Like five hours have passed!! It's really inconvenient, if you ask me…..”
“If you were so hungry, then why did you stop to speak with me then?”
“Oh what am I gonna do, see one of my best friends then NOT say hi??”
Diana doesn’t really have a response to that aside from blushing. “R-regardless…! I won't keep you here any longer. In fact, I refuse to.”
Akko sighs. "Yeah, fine, fine, I'll goooo…since you INSIST on getting RID of me…."
Diana rolls her eyes. “You’re utterly ridiculous,” she says, and Akko giggles.
"But hey!!" she chirps, clapping her hands together. "I'm SOOO looking forward to our study sesh! I'm holding you to that, y'know! No backsies!”
Diana laughs. “I wouldn't dream of it.”
“I'll catch you later, okay? Don't be a stranger!! Alright BYEEEEEE!”
And with that, Akko runs off, and Diana finds that she doesn't even care enough to chastise her for running in the halls. She sighs wistfully, staring at Akko until she vanishes from sight.
As nerve-wracking as talking to Akko is while trying to hide her crush on her, there's no denying that it also fills her chest with a truly unconscionable amount of warmth.
This crush of hers has really gotten far more intense than Diana had ever expected it to; there's no denying at this point that Diana is completely and utterly infatuated.
(...I can't help but wonder….is there any chance at all that Akko feels the same way?)
===
(Man….I'm so glad Diana's my platonic friend,) Akko thinks to herself with a dopey smile on her face, humming merrily as she walks down the hallway to grab a snack from the cafeteria.
She still has a bit of a spring in her step as she rides the high of Diana offering to help her study. PLUS, not only had she accepted the nickname Akko impulsively decided to use for her, but she actually seemed to LIKE it! It'd made her heart absolutely SWELL, as basically EVERYTHING Diana did tends to do nowadays.
Talking to Diana, even if it's just completely insignificant small talk, always lifts her spirits way up into the clouds.
She feels constantly excited to hang out with her, in a way that she really isn’t with anyone else. When she isn't around Diana, she finds that she wants to be.
Plus, Diana is on her mind a LOT, even when there's no real reason for that to be the case.
So…. it’s obvious what’s happening.
Akko and Diana have managed to unlock an as-of-yet undiscovered tier of friendship, above best friendship and even best friendship forever- ULTRA best friendship forever. (Patent pending)
After all, feelings that transcend that of regular friendship? What other possible explanation is there?
Akko heads into the cafeteria, making a beeline for the food, before being interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Oi, Akko!” Amanda waves her over, sitting at a table a few meters away with Constanze and Jasminka.
“Oh, Amanda!!” Akko chirps, bounding over towards the three of them. "What's up?"
She pulls up a chair and joins the three of them at their table, before reaching over and stealing some food off of Constanze’s plate. She immediately shoots Akko a death glare.
“Hey, help us settle somethin’,” Amanda says, leaning over the table and gesturing at Akko with a fork. “Painting flames on the side of a hover-car. Cool, or nah?”
“Hmmm…." Akko hums as she chews on her pilfered food. “I mean, I think that's pretty cool. It's like. The hovercar’s going SO fast, that it’s on fire.”
“SEE! YOU GET IT!” Amanda yells with a grin, tossing her arms at either side. “I TOLD ya, Conz! Oh, you're WAY outnumbered at this point, that thing’s gettin’ flames on it.”
Constanze crosses her arms with a grumpy pout, her Stanbot perched atop her head mimicking her pose.
“Well, anyway. What’ve you been up to, Akko? Feels like ages since we’ve gotten to just hang without some sorta crisis unfolding,” Amanda says, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on the edge of the table.
“Yeaaahhhh, totally! I’ve missed you guys!!” Akko whines. “Hmmm…I don’t THINK I’ve really been up to anything lately….”
“Agh…you KNOW things are boring around here when even YOU don’t have anything goin' on.” Amanda grouches.
“RIIIIGHHHTT??”
“Boring’s good though! It means that nothing bad is happening!” Jasminka helpfully offers.
“Hmm…I gueeesss…..” Akko hums. “Though if you ask me, studying for tests DEFINITELY counts as something bad happening."
"Don’t tell me YOU’RE studying?” Amanda raises an incredulous eyebrow.
“I’m TRYING to, at least…” Akko groans. “I don't LIKE it, but I ALSO don’t wanna flunk out of Luna Nova…”
“Hrrmph. I think the profs should go easy on ya. You did like, usher in a new age of magic. That’s gotta count for somethin’, right?”
“Try telling that to Finnelan….” Akko grumbles. Suddenly though, her expression brightens up. “Oh! But Diana's gonna help me study this weekend!! So it isn’t ALL bad.”
Amanda looks at Akko incredulously. “Wait, like. DIANA Diana?!”
“I KNOW, I KNOW! I could hardly believe it either!” Akko bubbles. “I think she realized I was having trouble concentrating, and wanted to try helping. She’s the BEST, right?!”
“Haaah…..” Amanda idly drums her fingers against the surface of the table, leaning against her other hand with her brow knit in consternation. “Interestiiinnggg…..”
“Mmrph? What is?” Akko asks through a mouthful of food.
“Oi, Akko. You n’ Diana seem like you’ve been getting closer lately, yeah?”
“Mm-hmm!” Akko chirps. “We’re TOOOOTALLY besties now!!”
“Is there anything else…outta the ordinary that Diana’s done for you recently?”
“Hmmm…I don’t thiiinnnkkk soo- OH, WAIT! She let me nickname her!” Akko effuses.
“Uh. Hang on. She what?” Amanda blinks at her.
“Hehehehe…..I called her Di and she actually seemed to like it!!” Akko giggles. “I was TOTALLY not expecting her to let me get away with that.”
Amanda’s eyes widen. “SHE WHAT?!”
Even Constanze and Jasminka, who’ve up until this point been mostly sitting quietly as Amanda and Akko had their back and forth, seem taken aback by this.
“HOOOOH man, I was NOT expecting this,” Amanda says, an absolutely devilish smirk spreading across her face. “And just when I got done complainin’ ‘bout how boring things've been around here lately…. interesting……”
Amanda tents her fingers in front of her face as she leans forward, scrunching up her brow in concentration.
“You’re devoting more brainpower to this than you are to your midterms,” Jasminka comments.
“Quiet, you.”
“Why are you guys freaking out about this so much?” Akko frowns. “It’s not like it’s THAT big a deal, right….?”
“Akko, read between the freakin' lines!” Amanda exclaims. “Don’tcha think it’s a bit weird that Diana seems like she’s always makin’ exceptions for you?”
“We’re friends, though. Friends do that sorta thing for each other!”
“Arright, listen Akko,” Amanda says, pointing towards Akko. “You wanna know my take on things? I’m like, 99 percent sure that Diana like. LIKES you.”
“...Well, of course she does,” Akko says. “We’re friends, after all.”
Amanda rolls her eyes at her. "God, you're hopeless… I mean like, she LIIIIIIIKKESSSS you.”
Akko cocks her head to the side. “I’m not following.”
“She's saying that she thinks Diana has a crush on you, Akko,” Jasminka says merrily.
“A C-C-CRUSH?!” Akko all but shrieks, then quickly wilts upon realizing how loudly he'd just shouted that in the middle of the crowded cafeteria.
Her face feels like someone’s taken a blowtorch to it; she’s almost certain that she’s positively scarlet at this point, but that’s the LEAST of her concerns at the moment.
“Yeah, what she said," Amanda says, before smirking at Akko. "Plus, judgin’ by how you're over here nicknamin’ her and lookin’ like you’re gonna burst with excitement because you two have a study date, it might not just be her."
“N-no, that's not even like–that's not even POSSIBLE!” Akko blanches, more quietly this time. "It doesn’t make SENSE, I mean–!”
Akko scans her brain for all the various reasons why the scenario Amanda’s putting forth doesn’t make a lick of sense. But regrettably, she not ONLY comes up completely empty, she INSTEAD feels a million separate moving parts forcefully clonking into place at once– like ten thousand giant Tetris blocks made of solid iron shifting to the left and in turn causing a massive, earthquake-like chain reaction that leads to everything fitting together flawlessly.
Because Diana is pretty and funny and kind and so amazing in every way and whenever she’s around her she feels so much happiness building up within her that she thinks she’s gonna explode and–
Yeah, alright, Akko’s definitely had a crush on her for a WHILE now.
Come to think of it, ultra super best friendship might not even be a real friendship tier.
(Wait, do I like girls?! I mean. I've literally never thought about it before now but I guess I MUST if I like Diana.)
(WAIT. DIANA MIGHT LIKE ME TOO??? IS AMANDA RIGHT?? IS THAT….EVEN POSSIBLE??)
Attempting to process all of these new revelations simultaneously almost immediately fries Akko’s brain, akin to a senior citizen’s virus-laden laptop attempting to run too many programs at once. If her brain were to make a noise at the moment, it would be that of a car backfiring. Or maybe an ancient dial-up modem, to keep the computer analogy going.
“Oi, Akko….? Y’alright…?” Amanda’s voice comes distantly.
“I think you broke her, Amanda.”
“Aw, geez.”
Akko only barely makes out Amanda and Jasminka's voices before she loses consciousness and faceplants directly into the table in front of her.
===
Vaguely, Akko registers the distant sound of voices – different ones this time.
“She’s been asleep for a long time…”
“Should I get the bucket of water?”
“Sucy, no, that’ll create such a mess in here!”
“We can move her outside.”
“Hm…well…..”
Akko groans as she opens her eyes.
“L…Lotte…Sucy…?” Akko’s two roommates gradually come into focus– they’re standing a few feet away from her bed, back in their dorm.
“Oh! Akko!” Lotte cries, rushing over to her friend. “You’re awake! We were so worried!”
“Darn. I’m never gonna get to use my bucket,” Sucy says dryly.
“Wh-buh…what happened...?” Akko mumbles, sitting up and rubbing her head.
“You passed out while talking with the green team,” Lotte explains, concern apparent in her voice. “They brought you back here so you could rest…”
Akko suddenly remembers her conversation with Amanda, and immediately bolts upright quick as a flash, Lotte jumping slightly in surprise as she does.
“THAT’S RIGHT!!” Akko yells.
“A-Akko….?”
"You guys," Akko says urgently. She slowly turns her head to look at her roommates. "I like girls."
The two of them just stare at her for a moment.
"…Yeah, I'm not getting paid enough to deal with this," Sucy deadpans, walking out of their dorm and shutting the door behind her.