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"No! I won't let you, not this time!" Lotte's frustrated but hushed voice filled the air. Her brain just waking up, Akko's eyes drifted open slowly. She felt numb and very hot, eventually realising Lotte was stood by her bed, blocking Sucy from her.
"Come on, she never even notices," Sucy asserted blankly.
"Lotte? What's going on?" Akko asked quietly, her throat dry and burning. Lotte and Sucy instantly stopped their argument.
"Akko... You've come down with a nasty fever," Lotte explained. "Sucy wanted to test a potion on you while you were asleep but I think it's too risky when you're this unwell..." Sucy shrugged and returned to her station. "We're almost late for breakfast, Akko. You slept in."
Akko's eyes widened as she sat up to glance at the clock, instantly falling back with a groan as her abdomen tightened and burnt under the strain.
"H-hey, Akko, are you okay?" Lotte asked nervously.
"Uuuuuuugggggghhhhhhhh-" she complained into her pillow, waving her hand at Lotte and Sucy. "You two go on without me. This is where I die."
"Kay," Sucy mumbled, standing up.
"Sucy!" Lotte shouted, falling to her knees by Akko's bed. "Do you need me to go and get something? I won't let you die!"
"Don't worry Lotte, this isn't really where I die," Akko said, poking the ginger in the cheek. "No fever can fell Akko!"
"Is that a ch-"
"No Sucy, it wasn't a challenge," Lotte cut off the girl behind her.
"That being said..." Akko began, coughing slightly. "This probably is where I die."
Lotte cast her eyes down in discomfort.
"I would stick around to take care of you but I have a really busy schedule today... And I don't want Sucy taking care of you," she joked.
"I'm hurt," the girl joked back.
"Don't worry about it Lotte, just go have breakfast. Destiny will decide what I do today," she sleepily mumbled.
"What does that even-"
"Don't worry Lotte," Also repeated. "I'll see you around."
The ginger nodded and left the room, followed by Sucy.
Akko sighed, curling up under the covers.
"This sucks."
Now she was awake, she realised Lotte was right - her illness was bad. The sunlight filling the room hurt her eyes and she wanted to close the blinds but couldn't force herself to stand. She could never get to lessons like this. She should probably get up and send a notice of absence to the strict professors of Luna Nova to stop Professor Finnelan from shouting at her until the fever took her life, but she figured Lotte would probably sort it out for her if she stayed in her room.
Her eyes skimmed over her sparse selection of textbooks, thinking she should probably be at least reading them or practising magic, but after her tired brain took at least fifteen minutes to get past the first page, during which she zoned out twice but couldn't get back to sleep, she dropped the book back on the floor and rolled over again.
"Ugh-" she mumbled, her wand just out of arm's reach.
As her arm wandered aimlessly around the floor by her bed, she realised she'd found her orb that she could use to browse the witchnet. She hummed, trying and eventually succeeding to pick it up with one hand and place it on the bed in front of her, leaning against the back wall with her pillow.
"Spell to cure illness..." Akko mumbled, typing hopefully into her orb. After skimming through a few forums and notes, she managed to stretch and reach for her wand despite her shoulders' protests.
"Jarupa kiroppearu..." she mumbled, waving her wand through the air to absolutely no effect. She huffed, scrolling further through the feed.
"Forulata forbanneise..." she tried, staring expectantly at her wand after waving it through the air. While her illness wasn't cured, Akko grinned as Diana suddenly poked her head around the door. They stared at each other in silence. "Ehm... How long have you been there?"
"I've just got here actually," Diana answered with a chuckle. "And Forulata forbanneise isn't going to help you. That spell has roots closer to forgiving a curse than curing one - I think it's used to remove curses by appealing to that which bestowed it and in your case, there isn't a curse. Just a fever," she explained while stepping into the room, shutting the door behind her.
Akko stared.
"Hold on, what are you even doing here? Why are you suddenly talking about my illness?" The brunette asked while shaking her head.
"When Atsuko Kagari doesn't turn up to a lesson, no one is really surprised," Diana began with a grin.
"Hey!"
"But when she's not at breakfast, that raises suspicion." Akko pouted. "When you weren't in our magical languages lesson following your breakfast absence I was wor... curious. I looked you up and, sure enough, you were browsing the witchnet. I cast a quick probing spell and found you in your room."
Akko frowned, a hundred different snarky responses formulating her head, but she had realised that with Diana, it just wasn't worth it.
"Okay, but... What are you doing here?" Akko repeated.
"I-I was..." Diana responded, slightly tensing. "I excused myself from the lesson to check up on you."
"You left a lesson?" Akko asked, amazed.
"Yes, Akko, I left a lesson," the blonde responded. "And it was reasonable enough to assume you're unwell from the fact you're still in bed, you're slightly red, your glands are swollen and-" she continued, placing her hand on the brunette's forehead. "You're burning up."
"Well... Thanks, I guess..." Akko said awkwardly as Diana knelt by her bedside.
"You don't mind me being here, do you Akko?" Diana asked, suddenly looking her in the eye with concern.
"N-no! Not at all!" She responded quickly. "I mean no..." She repeated quietly. Dianna nodded.
"You know," the blonde began as she dragged a chair over to Akko's bedside and sat next to her, "as with modern scientific medicine, the common cold is one of the most difficult afflictions to cure with magic due to their unique nature on a case by case basis, as opposed to genetically identical diseases or curses of illness."
Akko stared, grateful that Diana was leading the conversation. She felt exhausted.
"The symptoms are easy enough to deal with," she said as she waved her wand through the air and instantly the ache in Akko's head and chest disappeared along with the ringing in her ears and itch in her nose. "But despite my proficiency in healing magic, doing this requires my constant concentration and doesn't help your body fight the infection."
"Whoa..." Akko mumbled, sitting forwards and stretching out her arms, surprised to find them suddenly much less sore.
"Don't overexert yourself in this state. Your muscles are still weak, you just don't feel it," Diana advised Akko.
"Stop underselling yourself!" Akko complained. "This is awesome, I feel great!" She continued, stretching out her shoulders.
"I said don't overexert yourself," Diana insisted as she placed a hand on Akko's shoulder and gently pushed her until her back met the bed, leaving her hand there. "You'll regret it when I leave and the spell stops."
"O-okay..." Diana paused, focusing on Akko. She would be studying right now but she needed to concentrate on the spell. Akko could only think of the evening before - Luna Nova had hosted a Christmas party, which happened to include mistletoe. Akko vividly remembered the feeling of their kiss and Diana's embarrassed, distressed face as she marched away.
"D-Diana..." She whispered quietly, half hoping the other girl wouldn't hear her.
"Yes?" Diana responded. Akko shut her eyes, exhaling. She didn't know what she was going to say but she wanted to bring up what had happened the night before. Just to ask if it was okay that she kissed Diana under the mistletoe in front of everyone. If it had caused her problems, and that she was sorry. As the picture of flustered Diana powerwalking away from her carved itself into her mind, Akko couldn't find words. "Akko?" Diana asked carefully. "Is there something you wanted to ask?"
"I, ehm..." At this point, Diana would usually figure out what it is she was trying to say but it seemed her varied expertise didn't extend this far. "Yesterday," she managed to say.
Diana's face instantly changed from soothing and calm to slightly troubled, her eyes widening a fraction. Her hand gently caressing Akko's shoulder turned into a grip - not harsh but not too subtle.
"Yesterday," Diana echoed.
"Yesterday I kissed you in front of a crowd," Akko stated plainly. Diana's tense hand grew tenser, her eyes cast down. "Because we were under the mistletoe."
"I remember," she responded feebly.
"And I remember how distressed you looked," Akko spoked slowly, trying to express her thoughts while not even knowing what they were. Diana was looking straight at Akko. She really wanted to know what she was going to say. "I'm sorry," Akko eventually said. She meant it, but it didn't feel right. That didn't help and for some reason, Diana looked disappointed.
Diana paused.
"Akko..."
The brunette watched as Diana stood and shook her head, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking forlornly to the opposite wall.
"Yesterday I kissed you too," the blonde responded eventually. "But there was no crowd and no mistletoe." Akko nodded. "Was that okay?"
"S-sorry, what?" Akko blinked, confused by Diana's question.
"I ran off somewhere and you followed me. There was no one else around and I turned around and kissed you. Did you mind?"
Akko felt herself blushing.
"N-no, I guess not?"
"It was - it was just -" Diana stammered hopelessly. "Wait, you didn't?"
"No?" Akko chuckled. "So you weren't mad at me or something?"
"About the mistletoe?" Diana asked and Akko nodded again. "No, the mistletoe wasn't our fault. Well, we bumped into each other, but..." She trailed off briefly. "I'm not frustrated at you. You gave me the courage to turn around and kiss you," she continued, gradually relaxing into the conversation.
"G-gave you the courage?"
"Akko, you didn't mind, is that correct?"
"Y-yeah?" Akko mouthed, hopelessly lost.
"Did..." Diana began, fiddling with her hair. "Did you enjoy it?"
Akko stared blankly. The word yes was bouncing around in her head but she was afraid to say it. She saw Diana wilt visibly at her non-response and broke, letting the word out.
"Yes. I did," she confirmed, realising it was something she needed to admit to herself as well.
"Then it's something that I want to do again," Diana resolved.
"Something you..." Akko whispered, bright red. "Do... Again?"
"I want to kiss you again, Akko."
"D-D... Wa... I..." Akko babbled incoherently as Diana turned her body towards her and leaned forward, one arm either side of her head.
That's what it was. Akko realised what she had been bothered by recently - she just wanted more.
"Okay," she whispered as Diana shuffled onto the bed, lying immediately in front of her. The two were both lying on their sides, facing each other.
Tentatively Diana reached out, one hand placed softly behind Akko's head.and the other resting on the girl's hips. Akko was tense and nervous, her arms latched together behind Diana's neck.
Slowly the two pulled slightly together. Akko's eyes were closed but Diana were open slightly, guiding them together.
Their lips met ever so softly, just grazing each other, but a tingle went down Akko's spine as her eyes suddenly opened wide. Diana lingered there, pulling their bodies together until their chests met, their arms tangled around each other messily.
Diana separated just an inch before kissing Akko again slowly, giving her lots of tiny pecks on the lips. Eventually, Akko's mouth opened slightly as she leaned forwards more, joining in.
Diana hummed softly as her tongue entered Akko's mouth. Akko was struck by shock and tingles again, her stomach fluttering hard. Their legs were intertwined and she realised she'd accidentally curled her leg, bringing her knee up Diana' skirt.
Diana had tilted her head slightly, the skin of her cheek occasionally grazing Akko's as she felt Akko breathing into her mouth. Her hand traced gently down the brunette's jaw as Akko arched her back.
"H-hey, Diana~" Akko whispered, catching her breath. "This isn't your first time kissing someone, is it?"
"Wh-" Diana started, bright red. "S - So what if it is? I've never been much involved in this... kind of activity!"
"That's good," Akko grinned. "It's mine too," she concluded. "But I've read plenty of fanfiction so there are things I want to try," she said in her head as she leaned forward and kissed the underside of Diana's toned jaw, moving slowly down to her neck. She heard the girl softly sigh as she ever so slightly began to suck the pale girl's neck.
"Akko," Diana suddenly spoke. "You'd better not leave a mark."
"I'd never," the girl grinned as she moved down the base of her neck, just by the rim of her uniform and continued to suck gently. She felt Diana's hands curling in her hair, breathing heavily.
"Akko," Diana repeated, grabbing the girl's wrist. "You're going to leave a mark."
"Can't you just magic it away?" Akko whined. Diana sighed, shaking her head as she sat up. Keeping her grip on Akko's wrist, she took the brunette's other wrist and straddled her, pinning her wrists either side of her head.
"H-hey, Diana-" Akko stuttered, embarrassed before the blonde leaned forward and kissed her again. Her arms fought gently against Diana's, with no actual intent to escape their grip but by instinct. Akko was breathing heavily, a soft whimper escaping her lips as Diana continued to make out with her, accidentally letting out a quiet moan.
She met Diana's eye - Akko didn't have to try, Diana was giving her a full course as she instinctively tried to hide, arching her back and pushing her knees inwards.
"You'd make a mess if we do it your way," Diana huffed. Akko giggled.
"Okay, I can get behind this," she smirked as Diana held herself an inch away from Akko, her elegant platinum hair falling messily and tickling Akko's head.
Then they heard footsteps outside.
Lotte opened the door to her room to check on Akko but as she did, she heard a sudden commotion from inside, the boards of the bed creaking. After a brief pause, she carefully pushed open the door. Diana and Akko were sat on opposite sides of the bed, looking conspicuously at the walls and straight away from each other. They were both flushing brightly, their hair messy and their uniform crumpled.
"Hi Lotte," Akko offered meekly with a wave. "You, ehm, finished your lesson?"
"Oh man..." Lotte mumbled. "You're so lucky Sucy isn't with me right now." Akko blinked.
"What do you mea-"
"Is that a hickey?" Lotte whispered, her eyes wide as she pointed at Diana's neck.
The two turned into ice. Lotte stared as Diana, who was turning redder each second, silently raised her wand and waved it subtly through the air, the red mark disappearing.
"Akko..." Lotte whispered, her head suddenly filled with romantic ideas involving Akko and Diana, inspired by Nightfall, starting to grin.
Diana stood.
"You will speak of this to no one," she insisted before straightening out her uniform and leaving the room.
Akko and Lotte both stared at each other.
"What the hell just happened?" They both whispered.