Smile (ch16)

1-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

Back with another Sucy/Diana/Akko reward for Antiqua! This one will focus mainly on Sucy and Diana.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

------------

														Chapter 16.

When Luna Nova's holidays came around, Akko was absolutely thrilled at the possibility of getting to spend some time together with her girlfriends where they didn't have to worry about classes and exams. She wanted to go back to the Cavendish estate with Diana and Sucy this time.

But Akko is surprised to receive a call from her aunt back home, inviting her to come back to Japan for the break, which causes Akko to flail around indecisively at their final lunch block of the week.

"Gaaaah! What am I gonna do?! I wanna spend some time with you guys! But I also haven't seen my aunt in a long time..."

Lotte keeps a neutral stance on the matter.

"You should do whatever you feel is best, Akko."

"Lotte, that doesn't help me! Su, what do you think?"

Sucy takes a bite out of one of the various mushrooms on her plate without even batting an eyelash.

"Go home. I could use a bit of peace and quiet."

"Hgk! Sucy, you're so brutally honest!"

"Can you blame me? Lower your voice."

"Ah, oops..." Akko continues muttering to herself as she eats, but her antics eventually draw the attention of Diana from her nearby table. As she approaches, Akko tries to call out for her and ends up choking.

"Akko!" Lotte chides, hitting her back. "Chew your food properly!"

"S-Sorry! Ah, hi, Diana!"

"Goodness..." Diana sighs and crosses her arms. "Perhaps my presence is not good for your safety. I couldn't help but overhear your dilemma of what to do for the holidays, but perhaps you could do well in visiting your homeland."

"Hmm, you think so, too? Then what about you guys?"

"I will be returning to the estate, of course," Diana replies.

Sucy just shrugs.

"Family is a bit busy. Guess I'll stay here."

"Whaaaa?!" Akko cries. "No way, no way! Sucy, you should go with Diana!"

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"Yeah!" Akko's eyes are alight with excitement in contrast to her girlfriends' confusion. "If I'm going back to Japan, you guys should spend some alone time together! Bonding time!"

Diana blushes and looks away, and Sucy makes a loud gagging sound. Lotte elbows her.

"Sucy!"

"What? Sorry, I'm not into all that crap."

"Well, maybe you should be! You are in a relationship, after all."

Lotte's words actually sink in for her, and Sucy falls silent, thinking. She looks to Akko, who is brimming with gusto, to Diana who is maintaining her composure as best she can. The white-haired witch eventually turns to look at Sucy with an offer.

"Then... if you would like, Sucy, the Cavendish doors are open to you."

Akko squeals.

"Yes! See, Sucy? Go spend some time with Diana! I'll be halfway across the world in Japan so I'll only bug you guys with emails! Promise!"

Sucy looks back and forth between both of them, then ultimately back to Lotte, their wingman. In the end, she can't deny all three of them.

"Fine," she grunts. "I'll go."

"Yeeeeeay!" Akko jumps out of her seat and throws her arms around her teammate. "You two are gonna have so much fun~! Just don't do any weird experiments on Diana when she's sleeping, okay? Swear it, Sucy!"

"Don't worry. That's a role only you can fulfill."

"Awww~ Hey- wait! That's not a compliment!"

As the two of them banter, Diana is admittedly a little surprised. While her offer to house Sucy for the break had been genuine, part of her hadn't expected her to accept. But now that she had, Diana's mind is set into motion for all the things she must prepare.

"Very well, then. Sucy, please pack your necessities tonight and meet me tomorrow at 7am so we may depart the school and catch our train."

Sucy finally manages to get Akko off of her and blinks up at Diana.

"Got it."

And so for the rest of lunch, Akko continues fawning over the idea of her two girlfriends getting some bonding time alone; clearly she's much more excited about it than either of them are.

That evening, Sucy packs a single bag. She leaves out her experimental supplies, knowing she can't pull any of that off on Cavendish property.

Akko is tossing and turning all night in excitement, and at around 6am all three girls rouse themselves and get ready to depart from the school. Lotte heads out first, hugging both of them and wishing them a fun, safe holiday. Akko heads out next, giving Sucy a big squeeze.

"Take care, Sucy! I'm gonna miss you!"

"I might miss you, too."

"Geez, Sucyyyy."

"I'm kidding." Sucy actually cracks a smile and returns the hug with one arm. "Have fun with your aunt."

"I will! And you have fun with Diana!" Akko kisses her cheek goodbye as she heads for the door, yelping in surprise as she opens it. "Diana! You came!"

"Of course I did. I needed to see you off, Akko."

"Yeay! Thanks!" Akko jumps up and throws her arms around Diana without hesitation, making her drop her bag and her broom.

Sucy watches her and tries to picture herself being so lovey-dovey with Diana, and her stomach churns. She likes Diana, but not nearly as much as Akko does. And she assumes Diana is the same way about her.

Diana and Akko share a kiss of their own before Akko waves goodbye to them with both hands, realizes she isn't holding onto her luggage, runs back to grab it, and then hurries off down the hall. The two of them shake their heads at her helplessness and sigh.

"Well then," Diana says. "Shall we be off as well?"

Sucy shrugs as usual.

"Sure."

So the two of them start off down the halls toward the exit, walking in silence all the while. Diana isn't sure if she should try to start up a conversation or if Sucy would prefer to not say anything. But ultimately, she only ends up speaking when it's essential, like when they get outside and have to take a short broom ride to the train station.

"It will only be about a 5-minute flight into town," Diana says as she readies her broom. She slips her bag onto the handle as per usual and gets seated. It's only then that Sucy realizes she never brought along her own broom.

"Oops."

When Diana looks back, she sees the issue.

"It's no problem. You can ride with me if you'd like." She doesn't want to force her. She knows Sucy isn't very forthcoming with physical touch and wants to give her the option to fetch her own broom before they depart.

But Sucy must deem that as being too much trouble, because she merely shrugs again and joins Diana on her broom.

"This is fine, I guess."

Diana nods and quickly turns back around to face front just as she feels Sucy's hands grab onto her clothes. It feels very very different from having Akko clinging and latching onto her. Sucy's presence is different; chaotic and calm at the same time.

Diana shakes her head, and once Sucy's luggage is in place, she takes off.

"Tia Freyre!"

They lift off into the early-morning sky which is still light purple. The sun is just peeking over the far mountains, and as the two witches rise higher into the air, more and more of the golden rays touch them.

Diana marvels quietly at the sight as she flies them off toward town. Sucy doesn't say a word the entire time, and while some people may think it feels awkward or rude, Diana isn't bothered at all. She knows that's simply how Sucy feels most comfortable, and trusts her to speak up if anything is amiss.

They fly quietly over town and toward the station, and Diana can't recall the last time she'd flown so peacefully with a passenger.

Once they're near enough, she gradually brings them down. She hands Sucy her bag, and the other witch nods her thanks. Diana leads the way and takes care of the tickets and conversations, while Sucy slinks along behind her. They manage to beat most of the bustling crowds and get to their seats.

"Here we are," Diana says. Their section has a set of double seats facing one another. But even as they wordlessly put their luggage away, both witches come to the agreement that sitting face to face for such a long train ride might be a bit too awkward. So after Diana sits down beside the window, Sucy sits beside her instead. Diana has to admit she's a little relieved.

"Would you like to be near the window?" she offers.

Sucy blinks and shrugs.

"This is fine. Enjoy the view."

Diana simply nods.

The two of them are quiet, even as the rest of the passengers board and get situated around them. It gets noisier and noisier as the train blows its whistle and eventually lurches forward to begin moving. Diana doesn't want to push her, but she starts off with just a bit of casual conversation.

"Is this your first time on a train?"

Sucy pulls out a book from one of her sleeves and begins reading.

"Nah. Probably been on one at some point or another."

Diana takes the hint and goes to her luggage to pull out a book of her own. Sucy appreciates that Diana can read social cues, unlike some people.

And so the two of them enjoy a quiet, wordless train ride through Brytonberry, with no pressure to talk or make eye contact.

By the time they reach their stop, both witches have finished reading.

"How was your book?" Diana wonders as she hands Sucy her bag.

"Good," Sucy replies. "Yours?"

"Also quite good."

The two of them smile, then head off together.

They walk out of the station and into a quaint little town, and from there it's another broom ride to the Cavendish property.

By now it's about noontime, and the world is almost entirely bright green beneath them.

Sucy normally wouldn't care much for the looks of places she'd never been to before, other than the plants. But she has to admit she'd been a little curious about Diana's house for quite some time now.

The property is vast and well taken care of, and the building itself resembles a small castle. She assumes there must be at least a dozen staff around to maintain the place in Diana's absence.

But as they approach and fly lower to land, Sucy only sees one person standing outside the doors; a thin, older woman all dressed in gray. Unable to keep quiet, Sucy has to ask.

"Is that person the only one who works here?"

Diana shakes her head.

"No. That is Anna, my personal maid. I had asked the rest of them to greet us at a later time. It was my assumption that you wouldn't enjoy a grand introduction and entrance."

Sucy actually smiles a little bit.

"That would be a correct assumption."

They land just in front of Diana's maid, who bows her head politely.

"Welcome home, Young Lady."

"Thank you, Anna." As she dismounts, Diana turns back to introduce her classmate. "As I'd previously mentioned, this is Sucy. She will be joining me for a few days."

"Of course," Anna says, dipping her head again. "It is a pleasure to have you, Miss."

Sucy looks away.

"Thanks."

But in spite of what most other people tend to consider rudeness, Anna doesn't seem to mind one bit. She turns back to Diana with a smile.

"She is much quieter than our previous guest."

"Yes, indeed."

They gather their bags and make their way inside, where a couple of other maids take their luggage for them.

Sucy nonchalantly takes in the sight of the place, appreciating the older architecture and tapestries that more modern buildings don't always have anymore.

Diana lingers as Sucy does, unsure of what she could do to please her guest. She knows this isn't Sucy's ideal holiday, but she wants to make it as enjoyable as possible.

"Would you care to see the gardens?" she offers. "There may be a variety of plants that could interest you."

Sucy actually straightens up her hunched posture a little.

"Sure."

So after a brief walk inside the mansion, Diana leads her back out. She doesn't say much of anything unless Sucy asks a question, which she doesn't ask very many of. Diana had expected things to be this way, more or less. But once they reach the gardens, Sucy becomes particularly talkative.

"Whoa," she mutters. "You've got some pretty rare stuff here."

"It's quite an honor to hear that coming from a plant expert such as yourself. A few of these are samples I've collected within my travels at Luna Nova, and others have been here for centuries. My mother planted quite a few of them. Gardening was one of the few physical demands she could manage."

Sucy hums in understanding as she walks through the plants of various shapes, sizes, scents, and colors. There are plenty she recognizes, but a few that she doesn't.

"Is that Lion's Mane Sage?"

"Yes. We often use it around the house to attract faeries."

"And you've got tons of herbs. Guess that's to be expected since you're a healer."

"Yes," Diana nods. "We've got a few poisonous ones as well, simply because – when mixed with certain others and boiled properly – they can become antidotes."

"That's Rattle-tail Leaf, isn't it? Great for stomachaches."

"For both making them and curing them," Diana smiles. "I'd always found it so curious how the same plant that can make you ill can also be the one to heal you from itself."

Sucy grunts in agreement. "They're pretty amazing."

They walk through the gardens together, making comfortable, idle conversation about the plants and flowers. Sucy has to admit she's impressed with how much Diana knows. She'd always assumed she was more interested in casting the spells rather than caring for the ingredients.

Diana leads her down to the next section of gardens, which contains several plots of mushrooms. Sucy's eye sparkles a little.

"Wow. Dusk Spore Mushrooms, Purple Mushrooms, Ox Horn Mushrooms, Rainbow Mushrooms... I don't think I've ever seen so many different kinds growing so close together."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Diana chuckles. "Though there is one that's been giving us a bit of trouble."

"Where? Show me."

Diana leads her around to the only plot of dirt in the entire garden that's nearly empty. Only a few pitiful mushrooms are poking out of the moldy soil, and they're all tinier than they should be. She sighs.

"These Dewdrop Mushrooms simply haven't been growing. We've made the conditions ideal in terms of temperature and moisture, and all the books say they should be growing just fine. But for some reason we can't get them to sprout like the others."

Sucy flashes her a glance.

"Mind if I take a look?"

Diana tilts her head, then dips it.

"Please do."

Sucy crouches down in front of the little mushrooms to touch one. It feels mushier than it should, and sort of flops over. She touches the soil, which is perfectly warm and moist, as Diana had indicated. The leaves of bigger plants are shading them from sunlight, which should help the fungus flourish. Sucy glances around for any kind of clue, and thinks she finally spots one.

"That's your issue," she declares, pointing. Diana peeks over her shoulder. She's pointing at the bluish mushrooms of the neighboring section. Diana tilts her head again.

"The Ocean Mushrooms?"

Sucy nods. "Ocean Mushrooms got their name because they're said to absorb enough water to fill an ocean. My guess is they're taking all the good moisture from these little guys when they're put so close together. I'd say try relocating the Dewdrops so they have a less greedy neighbor."

Diana's eyes widen.

"That's never crossed our minds. But you're absolutely right! I'll make a note to tell Anna straightaway. Thank you, Sucy."

Sucy gets up and wipes herself off. She looks at Diana directly for the first time since they'd landed here.

"Going by the book is great, but sometimes even those get outdated."

She doesn't say it in a mean way, and Diana takes no offense. Rather, she smiles, as it's the closest she feels she's ever gotten to working together with Sucy on something.

They spend a little more time together in the gardens, but Sucy can tell Diana is doing this for her sake. She's decided she really doesn't mind Diana all that much, which she probably shouldn't anyway, considering the fact that they're dating.

But Sucy wants to do her best to show as much. So she pauses before Diana can bring them to the next part of the garden and taps her shoulder to get her attention.

"Say, think we could actually go inside for a bit? I was kinda curious about some of the paintings in there."

And she has to admit it's actually kind of cute the way Diana's face lights up, though she quickly tries to cover her excitement with a cough.

"Certainly," she says as calmly as possible.

"Don't worry," Sucy smirks, not unkindly. "You can rant and tell me all about everything. I don't dislike listening."

Diana blushes faintly.

"E-Even so, I know I tend to get carried away. I'll try to restrain myself."

She leads them back inside and begins with the first painting, one of various witches healing in times of war. She explains to Sucy what her ancestors had done, how they had made the Cavendish estate into a secret ward to tend to fighters on both sides.

She tells of Lady Beatrice and her wonders, as well as several other notable names that had come to cross her family's path.

And she tells a little about her mother as well, of all the people she'd helped.

They must walk around for another hour or so, and Sucy listens quietly all the while. There are plenty of things Diana mentions that she had no clue about, and it's all a little humbling in a way.

But once Diana gets into the stories of her mother, Sucy notices when the pride in her voice turns to sadness. So she spares them both the heartache and gently rests her hand on Diana's shoulder, silently telling her it's okay to stop. Diana looks up at her and wipes a tear from her eye that she hadn't noticed had formed during her storytelling. Sucy gives a small smile.

"Your mom sounded like a great witch and an even better person."

Diana sniffles and straightens herself up.

"She was indeed."

They find other ways to spend their time around the place. Since it is only their first day here, Anna insists Diana does no work or cleaning up around the place, and simply rest.

So she shows Sucy more of the property by broom ride, and they take in the tranquil scenery.

Before they know it, dinner is served, and they find themselves heading off to bed.

Diana can't recall if she's ever seen Sucy in her sleepwear robes before, but she has to admit the sleep cap she wears is rather cute.

And Sucy is used to seeing Diana in her sleep robe at 3 in the morning to chide Akko about some thing or another. But tonight she's wearing a blue nightgown, more of a dress than anything, and she thinks it looks really nice on her.

Diana leads her down the halls toward several different doors.

"We have a guest room prepared for you," she's saying. "It hasn't been used in quite some time, but Anna assures there isn't a speck of dust remaining."

Sucy slinks along behind her, glancing at all the doors they pass. She looks up at Diana's back, her tall, straight posture a dire contrast to Sucy's natural hunch. Sucy mumbles something to herself before speaking up.

"Actually..."

iana halts and turns around, already fretting.

"Is something not to your liking?"

Sucy looks down.

"It's not that. But I figured I should stay with you. An old building like this made of stone. Could get pretty cold at night, right?"

Diana can probably list a number of things she never expected to hear from Sucy Manbavaran's lips this weekend. But this had been one she hadn't even been able to fathom. She's at a loss for response for a moment, until she realizes her own rudeness.

"Why... of course, i-if that is what would make you most comfortable. You are more than welcome to stay with me."

Sucy nods. "I think I will, then."

She can see the tiny little spark of happiness in Diana's eyes just before she turns back around.

"Very well. This way, if you please."

And Sucy isn't just doing this because she feels like she has to. She's actually come to learn so much about Diana and her family, and appreciate her so much more.

Of course she isn't about to start leaping onto her like Akko, but getting a little closer certainly won't hurt either of them.

Diana brings Sucy to her bedroom, the most personal place in the world to her. Sucy mumbles an apology for intruding before stepping in.

If not for the bed, she would've thought it was a library. Quaint and old-fashioned, like most of the rest of the mansion. There's only a single teddy bear sitting on a shelf that really catches Sucy's attention, but she doesn't want to be nosy for once and keeps quiet.

Diana invites Sucy to lie down first as she goes about turning off the lights and closing the windows. Sucy finds it a little odd to be lying down on someone else's bed before they do, but she doesn't argue. She knows Diana is one of those people who can't get relaxed until everyone else is taken care of.

So Sucy crawls beneath the covers and lies on her side facing the wall, watching Diana from the corner of her eye as she turns off the final lamp. At last, she makes her way over to the bed and gets settled, slipping herself beneath the blankets.

"Should you need anything, please don't hesitate to wake me."

"Sure."

"...I do hope I didn't push you today, Sucy. I feel as though I might've rambled-"

"The only rambling you did was when you worried about rambling." Sucy half-rolls over to look back at her. "You're fine, Diana."

Diana feels a small flutter in her chest. It's the first time Sucy's called her by name all day, and perhaps the first time in recent weeks. She lets out a breath and finally relaxes.

"Thank you, Sucy."

"I should be saying that," she mumbles, rolling back over. "Let's sleep. I'm sure there'll be plenty more to do tomorrow."

Diana smiles.

"Right... Goodnight, Sucy."

"Night, Diana."

Diana lies down, facing the wall on her side as well, for both hers and Sucy's comfort.

But when the two witches finally settle in and relax, their backs brush together.

And it's just the slightest contact, but it's just warm enough.

----------

A/N: This took a different turn than I initially intended but I really liked what happened much better! I wonder what these two would've done in canon if they'd had an episode together...