All The Days To Come (ch1)

A brand new story for the Sudianakko fic I've been writing for Antiqua! We've skipped forward 5 years and the three witches are now living together~ Takes place after Three's A Charm (which were previously in the compilation Smile).

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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						All The Days To Come

Five years have passed since Luna Nova has seen off what was perhaps its most interesting and influential batch of young witches.

Thanks to the efforts of many of those girls, magic had been restored to the world, and thus the newer generation of magic-wielders had been bountiful.

Rather than facing issues of financial ruin due to a lack of enrollment, as was the case in years prior, Luna Nova soon experienced just the opposite problem. So many young witches-to-be had applied in recent years, to the point where the school had filled to capacity.

However, due to the staff's collaboration with several of its alumni, arrangements had been made to round up donations in order to build an additional wing and dorms for the campus, so that every aspiring witch could join, and no one had to be turned away.

A few of the supporting names came from older generations of witches, such as 'du Nord' and 'Meridies.'

However, even some of Luna Nova's more-recent graduates had become successful enough within such a brief amount of time to be able to help with their cause. The present-day Luna Nova was also proud to list the name of Cavendish on its gratitude plaque at the center of the main hall lobby.

After graduation, the close-knit trio of Atsuko Kagari, Sucy Manbavaran, and Diana Cavendish had stayed close to Bryghtonberry, and the same could be said for many other young witches from the ranks of Luna Nova.

In their years spent together, the three witches had become closer and closer, to the point where it didn't take long for arrangements to be made that they could have their own place together.

It was a humble residence that had recently been constructed as an addition to the Cavendish estate, a place Diana herself had overseen the building of. As such, she had ensured it would be nothing less than the best for her girlfriends' liking. Not only did it have plenty of rooms for private study and plenty of space for practicing magic, as well as the essential household rooms, but it also included a large outdoor greenhouse for Sucy to grow whatever she pleased, as well as a small theatre and stage for Akko to practice her performances.

Diana herself had quickly become quite successful after graduation. Without wasting a single day, she had begun preparations to earn the funds to restore the Cavendish estate in honor of her mother as she had always dreamed to do. After refurbishing the house and property, Diana had then set out to work in the medical field.

And with the help of some charitable donations from her old school - as well as contributions from Akko, Sucy, and many of her old classmates as well - within just a year of graduation, Diana had managed to open up her own highly-respected medical facility under the name of Cavendish. Here, she dedicated herself every day, to helping and healing, to saving lives regardless of backstory, to perpetuating the belief and practice of medical magics as her mother would have wanted.

For Sucy, she had pursued her own interests in the department of potions. Her field involved a bit of freelance work, as well as dedicated practice.

Sometimes she would spend days out hunting ingredients for customers in places that were considered fairly dangerous, but due to her knowledge of the terrain and her. skill in general as a witch, it often ended up feeling more like a solo excursion, where she could collect and experiment at her leisure, and take back whatever she pleased.

Other times she would spend hours toiling away in her lab or in her garden, be it at her own workplace or the greenhouse, experimenting with various plants and mixing various potions.

All in all, Sucy never complained a day in her life, and like Diana, had managed to take the path that best-suited her for success.

And of course the same was true for Akko.

After a bit of a rough start out on her own after graduation taking odd jobs for entertainment, Akko had soon worked her way up to becoming a well-known witch. She didn't want her fame to come from the notion that she had revived the Words in her school days, nor helped restore magic to the world. Even someone as extravagant as Akko was too humble for that.

She wanted to earn her place in the magical world through her own hard work and determination, not because of a grand act she had performed once. The way she saw it, she didn't accomplish that feat alone anyway, and thus she deserved little credit for it, if any.

But even as she started her life in the real world, Akko's friends, teachers, and partners always stood by her side to support her.

When she struggled with finances to obtain a venue for a performance, Diana and Sucy would help her get on her feet financially when necessary, until Akko could manage such things all on her own and pay them back with interest, even if they insisted it wasn't necessary.

Akko traveled the country performing magic as Shiny Chariot had done before her, sometimes touring in faraway places or overseas as well. With her old idol as her very own manager now, she was never lonely, even when she was away from Bryghtonberry. She even made visits to her homeland in Japan to perform and spread the joy of magic further.

All three witches had become independently successful in their respective fields in such a short amount of time.

And yet, at the end of every overseas tour, and the end of every perilous ingredient hunt, and the end of every sleepless night at the medical ward, more often than not the three of them would return to the same building nestled inside the Cavendish property.

For tonight, it's luckily one where all three of them should be returning home together; Akko isn't on-tour anywhere far, Sucy isn't on some several-day hunt, and Diana has no cases that should require an extended stay for her to oversee.

For a trio of witches who were often so busy in drastically different fields of work, it's what could be considered a 'normal' evening.

Sucy arrives home first, as is most typical. Today she hadn't had to go out searching for exotic plants, but had spent the majority of the day in her personal research lab mixing potions and experimenting. She'd made a good amount of sales for her efforts, which were products that were typically used to eradicate infectious species of plants or ward off certain magical beasts or repel curses. Though she sometimes dabbled in darker magics or things that could be considered borderline-illegal, for the most part she stuck to her morals, and ensured that her business partners did too.

After arriving at the estate, Sucy heads for the greenhouse to tend to her many plants, taking notes of their condition and harvesting what she can. She's only just finished gathering everything when the peaceful silence is broken by a familiar loud voice.

"Suuuuuuucyyyy!"

Like clockwork, Akko bursts into the greenhouse as soon as she's finished rushing home, knowing that's where Sucy will be. As she charges along the pathway intent to cripple Sucy in a back-breaking embrace of excitement, Sucy doesn't even flinch as she hears her approaching. She just mumbles under her breath.

"Three, two, one-"

"Gu-wah!"

Sucy turns around slowly, putting the rest of the herbs into her sleeves as she turns to find a familiar scene. Akko had been stopped in her tracks and caught up in the roots of a feisty mandrake. She whines and struggles in frustration.

"Gaahk, not again! Suuuucyyy!"

"I didn't do anything," Sucy says with a snicker. "You just never learn, Akko. You know it's feeding time."

"Well don't feed it me!"

"We've been over this. It won't eat you. You're too sugary."

"Hey! I'd be a perfectly-balanced meal!"

Sucy just shakes her head and slinks over to assist her girlfriend. She taps one of the mandrake's petals and talks to it.

"Hey. Drop her."

The plant grumbles, but does as its told before recoiling its roots. Akko hits the ground with an "oof!"

"Geeeez, why does that always happen…"

"Like I said, because you never learn."

Akko mutters under her breath as she pushes herself back up, and Sucy helps hoist her up by the arm. Akko's mood immediately brightens again as she swoops in to kiss her.

"So! How was your day, Su? Tell me, tell me!"

"Normal," Sucy shrugs.

"Eeeehh? There's gotta be more than that! Tell meeee!"

The usual banter kicks up as Sucy finishes feeding the carnivorous plants, and then the two witches head back to the house together. Sucy tells of her day of potion mixing, and then Akko jumps right in to tell about how the work behind her next performance is going.

"I can't wait!" she beams, twirling around the living room. "Chariot is helping me with some new spells! And Croix-sensei has some really awesome tech to make for some new special effects and visuals! It's gonna be so cool!"

Sucy listens with a leisurely smile as she heads for the kitchen.

"Can't wait. I'll make sure I can be there for it."

"Is Diana not back yet?"

"Have you seen her here?"

"Ahaha, guess not."

"Let's start on dinner."

"Kay!"

Initially, when the two of them had started learning how to cook, it would often be a disastrous mess that would involve a lot of clean-up spells.

But over time, it's become routine that Diana won't be home until very late at night, so Akko and Sucy had honed their skills seriously in order to have a warm meal ready for her.

Diana was the first one up in the mornings, the first one to leave, and the last one home at night, more often than not. And while her girlfriends took pride and comfort in knowing she was doing what she loved, they couldn't help but worry from time to time. As such, they took care of as many chores as they could, to ensure Diana wouldn't have more work to worry about at home as well.

When they've finished making supper, Akko and Sucy go about their nightly routines changing or doing other chores as they wait for Diana.

"How late do you think she'll be tonight?" Akko wonders.

"Dunno. If she hasn't sent us an owl to message otherwise by now, that should mean she's coming home."

It wasn't uncommon for Diana to stay at the hospital overnight, and there were times when she would have to deal with very unfortunate cases, at which times Akko and Sucy would at least go to pick her up and fly her home afterward. But luckily those cases were very very rare, and Diana hadn't told them of anything like that recently.

So the two of them simply get comfortable on the couch together, lazily watching TV for a while. Akko slumps against Sucy's shoulder and dozes off snoring at one point.

But at long last, there's a sound at the door, and Sucy quickly shakes Akko awake just as it opens. A very exhausted, but otherwise fine, Diana pushes her way inside.

"I'm home."

"Dianaaaaaaa~!"

Akko jumps up immediately and torpedos across the room, throwing herself at Diana with such force that the white-haired witch stumbles halfway back out the door, losing her hat in the process. Sucy cushions their inevitable fall with a giant flower spell, then comes over to pluck Akko off of her by the scruff.

"Welcome back."

Diana offers a tired smile.

"Thank you."

Both Akko and Sucy help her up and gather her things for her, and the flower poofs away into a cloud of pink dust.

Sucy takes Diana's wrist and pulls her in to kiss her cheek briefly, and Diana does the same.

"Finally you're home!" Akko pipes. "Sucy and I made dinner! I'll go get it ready!" She speeds off into the kitchen, her energy completely rejuvenated. Sucy and Diana follow more slowly.

"Everything okay?" Sucy asks a bit cautiously.

Diana smiles kindly.

"Yes. All of our current patients are well on their way to recovery."

"So what kept you so late tonight?"

Diana looks down at the floor.

"One of the children was homesick… I wanted to ensure she was fully comfortable before leaving her to the nurses for tonight."

"That's just like you," Sucy nods. "I'll bet you cast all sorts of cute spells and made her laugh so much she forgot she was sad, and then she probably fell asleep with this big smile on her face, right?"

Diana blushes, clutching at her skirt a bit bashfully.

"Something like that…"

"You're too humble, you know that?"

By now, Akko has finished warming up their supper and darts over to sling an arm through each of theirs.

"C'mon, c'mon! Let's eat! Oh! I almost forgot!" Akko turns around to plant a sweet warm kiss on Diana's lips. Diana blushes even harder. Sucy grins and leans in to kiss her cheek. Diana yelps.

"G-Goodness, you two…"

"Ahaha! Diana, you're so cuuuute!"

"Couldn't help myself."

"Honestly…"

The three witches sit together at their kitchen table to eat at last, then proceed to talk about their days.

Once they've finished, Akko and Sucy take care of the cleanup so Diana can get ready for bed.

And although Diana tries her best to seem unaffected by the long workday, her girlfriends can easily see right through her. As she's combing through her hair in the bathroom, Diana's eyes begin to close and she nearly falls, but luckily Akko is right there to catch her.

"Hup! Easy, there!"

"I apologize," Diana yawns.

"No need! Here, I'll brush it for you!"

Akko takes her by the hand and leads Diana to the couch, having her sit down so she can finish her hair for her. In the meantime, Sucy puts together a few plants and ingredients for a small spell, then creates an incense potion that gives off a pleasant, calming aroma around the house. It's a technique Diana herself used at the hospital and had taught to Sucy a while back.

Diana sighs, closing her eyes as she leans back against Akko's touch. Akko hums all the while, gradually using magic to dim the lights. After a moment, she finishes her brushing.

"There! All done!"

"Uh, Akko?" Sucy smirks, motioning to Diana. Akko leans over the couch and peers down at her girlfriend to find Diana is already fast asleep. Akko quiets her voice.

"Ah, well that didn't take long! Let's get her to bed!"

Scurrying around the couch, Akko crouches down to gently scoop Diana up into her arms, cradling her close.

Sucy leads the way upstairs to their shared bedroom, bringing her incense with her to place on the open windowsill. As Akko brings Diana to their bed and lies her down, the white-haired witch stirs, blinking her eyes open sleepily.

"Ah… Did I doze off?"

"It's fine! You worked really hard again today too, Diana! Just take it easy now, okay?"

"The both of you as well," she replies, looking across the room to Sucy. "I know… both of you have been working very hard."

"Maybe," Sucy says. "But making potions and performing at birthday parties isn't as demanding as saving lives."

Diana's eyes harden just a bit.

"I beg to differ. Sucy, you put your life in danger just to collect some of those herbs. And Akko, you give hope to all of those people-"

"Aaaah, Sucy, look what you did! Now she's all worked up!" Akko crawls into bed beside Diana and starts pampering her with kisses. "Okay, it's a draw! We're all amazing and we're all tired, okay?"

Diana giggles softly beneath the barrage of kisses.

"Yes. That is certainly the case."

"So let's sleep," Sucy says, coming over to lay on Diana's other side. "But tonight you should sleep first."

"Eh?"

"I agree with Su!" Akko declares. "Diana, you had the longest day of all of us today, so you should sleep first!"

"But-"

"It's decided! Two-to-one!"

With this declaration Akko pulls the blankets up over all of them, and Sucy assists from her side until all three witches are comfortably covered. Diana has no choice but to accept her fate as each of her girlfriends wrap their arms around her from either side.

Sucy tucks herself into Diana's shoulder, humming contentedly. She runs her hand slowly over Diana's side. Diana relaxes and leans into her a little, breathing more easily.

On her other side, Akko snuggles up, hugging her arm across Diana's stomach, nuzzling her cheek as she kisses her repeatedly. Diana closes her eyes, focusing on their warmth and their touch. In only a moment or so, she feels herself slipping.

"Akko… Sucy…"

Akko chuckles, resting her head on Diana's chest.

"Don't push yourself, Diana. We know you love us~!"

"Goodnight and sweet dreams to you too," Sucy mumbles.

Diana can't even finish what she'd wanted to say, but she smiles, glad to know they already understood anyway. She gives them each a small hug in return before she inevitably drifts off for the night.

Sucy feels the change in her breathing, and Akko hears her heartbeat slow down. They both peek over at one another in triumph.

"Mission accomplished!" Akko whispers.

"Just try not to thrash around in your adventure dreams tonight so you don't wake her up."

"Ahaha~"

Carefully, Akko leans over across Diana to give Sucy a kiss as well, then settles in.

"Night, Su!"

"Night, Akko."

The three witches snuggle up for the night together, all with smiles on their faces.

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A/N: This was meant to be a 'spoiling Diana' chapter, but I feel I spent too much time world-building... Guess I'll have to make it up later and spoil Diana more.