Everlasting (ch4)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE!!

All right things will start to get a little different now bit by bit as it leads into events of the show. This one will follow the canon events of episode 10.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

-----------

												hChapter 4. Little By Little

Throughout the next several weeks, Akko and Diana continue their relationship in secrecy.

They become even more accustomed to acting during the day in front of others, and more desperate to see each other at night in privacy.

They couldn't always see one another alone like that though, perhaps only once or twice a week, whenever Diana's patrols and Akko's assignments allowed. And it wasn't ever for much longer than five minutes at a time.

But sometimes, when Akko was extremely desperate, she'd wait for Diana to excuse herself to the restroom during class, and would do the same a minute later simply so she could meet her in the hallway and steal a few kisses.

There were a number of times when they were very nearly discovered by another student, a professor, or one of Luna Nova's workers. But due to Diana always being on high alert, she'd always be able to sense the approaching person or fairy and warn Akko ahead of time.

The one time Diana let her guard down and focused more on kissing Akko than on listening for others forced her to cloak Akko and herself in a temporary invisibility spell in order to avoid detection.

Akko tries not to get detentions if possible, but when it does inevitably happen, Diana will often stop by when Akko is alone doing laundry or cleaning the bathrooms.

They do whatever they can, whenever they can, if the result could mean seeing one another again.

They improve their acting as well, knowing how far each of them can go in taking or making verbal jabs at one another, and trying to avoid being too mean or skeptical. But they have to antagonize each other to some degree, or else people will suspect something strange is going on.

But of course, just as soon as they begin getting used to seeing one another in secrecy, things get a little more complicated...

. . .

They've just arrived back at Luna Nova a little past midnight, with the hectic events of the Hanbridges' party behind them.

Akko and her teammates have gone back to wearing the uniforms they'd gone into town with, while Diana and her friends are still beautifully dressed in their gowns.

Hannah and Barbara are still clinging to one another, muttering in disbelief about the things they had seen that night. Sucy is still snickering, saying that getting the wrong bee in the mail had been worth it, while Lotte lightly chides her.

As their teammates head back toward their rooms, Akko and Diana catch a very brief glance of one another and come to a mutual silent agreement.

Diana tells Hannah and Barbara that she intends to meet briefly with the Headmistress about something, and promises she will be back at their room within the hour. Akko simply makes up the excuse that she needs to run to the bathroom and leaves Lotte and Sucy none the wiser.

Now, Akko whips around and tears off down the hallway. Diana had headed off before her, but Akko has a good idea of where to find her. There are a few places on campus now that they deem to be 'theirs', places they'll often meet up at without needing to specify which spot to go to.

Tonight, Akko goes to one of their indoor spots, turning a few corners until she finds Diana leaning back against the wall with her gloved hands folded across her chest. Keeping her voice down, Akko hurries over to her.

"Diana!"

Diana jolts for a second until she realizes it is only Akko. Akko pauses a foot or so away from her, still dazzled by the sight of Diana in her marvelous blue dress. Diana cracks a tiny smile, but she can't keep it for long.

"Akko..."

Akko frowns when she notices Diana doing the same. Awkwardly, she scuffs her shoe on the floor.

"Um... s-so tonight sure was crazy, huh?"

"...Indeed."

"B-But it was also kinda fun! W-Well, for me at least. A-And no one got hurt, so that's always good! W-Well, Andrew's dad might have a mark on his face from that fly-swatter for another day or so..."

Diana knows this isn't what they'd come to talk about, however. They have precious little time. Therefore, she draws in a breath and locks her eyes with Akko's directly.

"Akko... I-"

"Y-You don't have to say it," Akko frets, knowing where Diana is about to go with this. "I-I know you only s-said what you said because of that bee, right? A-And it's kinda my fault it stung you. I'm the one who's sorry." She takes a step back, holding her hands together behind her back, her gaze dropping to the floor.

Diana makes a motion to reach for her, but withdraws her hand.

"That... what I said to you... I was not entirely in control of myself or my actions tonight. However... I still must offer my apologies for any additional distress I may have caused you, Akko."

Akko swallows, but still can't look up at her.

When Diana had 'confessed' to her, said she'd loved her, Diana had not been in control of herself. Therefore, Akko had needed to act surprised in front of Sucy, Hannah, and Barbara. She'd played it up externally, but internally, everything had felt stifled and uncomfortable.

Until now, Akko and Diana have never discussed 'love' with one another. They hadn't really gone so far as to consider such a strong emotion. They'd merely been focused on finding ways to see one another, but haven't really been thinking in-depth about what they felt.

But now it's been put out in the open for both of them to hear, and it happened essentially by accident. It leaves both of them feeling like there's something tangling up their insides, making it harder to breathe and look one another in the eyes.

Akko notices when Diana tries to reach for her again, but stops herself. Akko wants to reach for her too, but she can't bring herself to move. She's a little numb, but part of her believes that's a good thing so she won't end up bolting if it all gets too overwhelming for her. Running away could be a defense mechanism for her, but she knows it will send the wrong message to Diana, and would hurt her very much. So Akko makes sure to keep her feet planted on the floor and attempts to look Diana in the eye again.

"Diana...? Do... Do you really... love me...?"

Her nose begins to sniffle even before she's finished speaking, and her throat suddenly feels like it's closing up. Her heart starts pounding hard, and Akko instantly regrets asking the question for fear of knowing the answer.

/But... if it's Diana's honest answer... it shouldn't hurt me either way.../

Diana is as taken aback by hearing the question as Akko is by asking it. The white-haired witch clutches her chest a little more tightly, refusing to look up as she knows she should.

Her chest hurts more than ever now, and a rush of something stinging rises up behind her eyes. She tries to force the tears back. But when she steels herself enough to finally meet Akko's terrified eyes, Diana's tears slip free anyway.

"I... am not certain..."

Those are her honest feelings.

She knows Akko deserves the truth, not some fabricated, favorable answer.

Akko was afraid it would hurt. But...

But Diana's answer is strangely liberating.

For a moment, neither of them blink or breathe. Tears drip down each of their faces as autumn chestnut locks with sky-blue.

Diana fears Akko might run. She fears she herself might run, and it's all she can do to stand her ground and wait for Akko to react first. She waits, and it feels harder and harder to breathe every second. Until-

"That... That's good..." Akko can barely even comprehend the words tumbling out of her own mouth. But the smile on her face is genuine as she says them.

It certainly isn't the kind of response Diana is expecting.

"Eh...?"

Puzzled, she searches Akko's eyes, trying to detect any hints of deceit. But Akko isn't forcing this answer for Diana's benefit. She, too, is being entirely honest.

"I said... that's good!" she grins. "Th-That's okay, Diana! It's okay if you don't know, b-because I don't know, either!" She says it as though it's something to be proud of, but she's more relieved than anything.

Diana isn't sure how to react. She blinks, freeing two more tears, and looks Akko over again.

"Akko... you... are not upset...?"

"No way! How could I be when you're just telling me your honest feelings? And I feel the same way, Diana! I'm... not really sure... if I love you, either..." Her voice tapers off and her eyes go to the floor again. But her gaze soon travels back up over Diana's ruffled dress, to her nervously-clasped hands and her tear-stained face.

"But like I said," Akko continues. "It's okay. It's okay if we don't know yet. Because... we can still figure it out. We can still learn more about how we feel about each other. We have time. We can figure it out together. Little by little."

Diana isn't sure what it is that makes her start crying first.

Perhaps it is from the relief that Akko hasn't rejected or denied her.

Perhaps it is from the uncertainty about all of this that's inevitably piling up, the fears that they might be discovered, that it might never work out.

Perhaps it is the unbelievability of someone ever learning to love her as Akko believes she can.

Perhaps it is Akko's earnest, honest smile and equally as genuine emotions swirling in her wide chestnut eyes.

Diana longs to believe it is mainly the latter reason.

She can't stop her voice from slipping out in hiccups, and her eyes close with the weight of the tears dripping down.

Akko has to wipe her sleeve over her own face in order to clear her vision, but the smile never falls from her lips. Slowly, she unclasps her hands from behind her back and reaches out.

Gently, she brushes her fingertips over the backs of Diana's gloved hands, where they are still clasped tightly against her chest. Akko coaxes them away, eases them apart, and slips her own hands in between so she may hold both of hers.

She cups Diana's hands in hers, dipping down to kiss them both in turn. The gloves are a thin material, which do not allow Akko to touch her skin directly, but she feels it is an appropriate barrier for where they stand in terms of their relationship now.

She trails her lips across Diana's knuckles, along her palms, and as far up as the insides of her wrists. She kisses softly, allowing some of her own tears to drip and dissolve into the fabrics of the gloves.

Akko kisses every inch she can reach before she straightens herself up again, coyly stealing a glance at Diana's face. Her eyes are still closed, her cheeks are still pink, and she still hasn't brought herself to smile. Akko does that for her.

"Diana... hey..." Chuckling a little, she nudges Diana's nose with hers to gain her attention. Diana's eyelashes flutter as she lifts them, revealing watery splashes of sky-blue. Seeing Akko's tearful smile makes her heart skip a little. Akko steps in a bit closer. "Don't cry so much, Diana... Your eyes are gonna get all puffy... How are you gonna explain that?"

At the very least, Akko knows they aren't tears of pain or sorrow, but mostly relief. She can tell Diana is trying to get ahold of herself, but the tears keep coming. Akko feels she's crying for a lot more than just their situation tonight.

/She's probably been pushing down these tears for a long time, so now they're spilling out all at once./

Akko is thankful for the late hour now, because there's no one else in the dimly-lit hallways. She slips her hands free of Diana's so she may instead wrap them around her waist and the small of her back. Akko presses herself close, nuzzling her face into Diana's hair, where she can still smell her crisp perfume.

And Diana returns the embrace, though she has to keep it light due to how much her arms are trembling. Akko continues to cry as well, though she has to keep herself as quiet as Diana, and that's a bit difficult for her. She has to stifle the sounds in Diana's shoulder and pray that no one happens to walk by.

Diana wishes she could say how thankful she is for Akko's understanding response. She'd been so scared Akko would leave her or become bitter.

She realizes she's had similar fears about Akko several times in the past few weeks now.

She also realizes they are unprecedented and baseless fears.

These are not things she has to worry about in regards to Atsuko Kagari.

Perhaps they existed with just about every other person in her life until this point, and that is why Diana had been almost expectant of such hurtful responses.

But Akko is nothing like those people Diana grew up with, the people she has to impress and cater to. Akko was never like them, and she never will be.

Diana feels she's beginning to understand this now. She sighs into Akko's hair and draws in another deep breath. Akko waits until Diana's hiccups have quieted down, and her hands have stopped shaking. Only then does she pull herself back a little bit, still smiling.

"Don't let it get to you, Diana. It's okay. We'll figure it out together!"

Akko isn't crying any longer, and her smile truly makes Diana feel at ease. She even dares to let her own lips curl up a little bit.

"Very well."

Diana traces her hands around to Akko's shoulders, then trails them up to either side of her face. Closing her eyes, she leans forward, her breath light and lips even lighter.

Akko rolls her thumbs over Diana's hips as she kisses her – very gently – almost cautiously.

It only lasts a moment, but the kiss says so much they can't put into words.

Akko is right. They can figure out together how they feel about one another. They don't have to know all the answers right now.

Akko wants to stay on Diana's lips a little longer, but Diana eases herself back, and Akko lets her withdraw. It was a crazy night for the both of them, and they need to get some sleep.

/I wish we didn't have to go to different rooms.../

Regrettably, Akko steps away and lets Diana go.

"S-So, I'll maybe see you tomorrow?"

Diana wipes her eyes and face clean, then nods.

"Being it is a weekend, we should have more opportunities to find one another."

"Okay! We'll figure something out!" Akko is about to turn and head off first. But before she does, she pulls Diana into one last, soulful hug. "Night, Diana..."

And Diana returns the embrace, savoring her last few seconds with Akko.

"Sleep well, Akko."

She holds on. Just one second longer.

And then lets her go.

Diana watches as Akko turns away, keeping her eyes locked with Diana's for just a second longer before she scurries off.

Diana watches her go, then follows more slowly.

Despite all that's happened tonight, this evening still finds her feeling the same things as all the previous ones; she can hardly wait to see Akko again tomorrow.

She just needs to know this wasn't all a dream.

-----------

A/N: I did my best to write how they'd react after the party's incidents if they'd secretly been dating during it. I feel Diana would fret and overthink everything, but Akko would do her humble best to ease her mind.

Next we'll get towards the events of the Samhain Festival~