Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Akko woke up suddenly, beads of sweat dripped from her brow. She quickly realized that her bed was actually a bed of leaves and she wasn't in her dorm room. She's wasn't even within the safety of Luna Nova's castle walls. She was out in the forest yet again, absolutely confused as to how she got there. She soon noticed the lack of clothing on her body when the icy morning breeze graced her pale skin. She shivered from the cold, but also from the chilling silence that surrounded her. It was likely four thirty or five in the morning for the sun had barely begun to stretch along the horizon and not even the morning doves were chirping. Akko glanced up at the full moon that shone brightly in the sky, illuminating every silhouette from each tree in the forest.

"Full moon, that's right," she huffed, scratching the side of her neck. She then noticed the dried up blood on her fingers and furiously tried to scrub it off. "By the nine, not again!"

Seeing blood on her hands after a full moon wasn't an unusual sight. Typically on such nights she would claim the life of a poor rabbit, squirrel, or if she was bold enough, a deer. She always feared that someday the blood wouldn't belong to an animal, but instead a human being. This was her number one fear whenever she shifted on those nights. The nights she turned into a monster. That's what she always saw herself as: a monster cursed by the moon. It wasn't like she could control it. Being a werewolf was hereditary, from her father's side as a matter of fact. There are always potions available to keep her from phasing, but unfortunately, Akko is quite forgetful. She forgot to take her potion last night... again. This wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

She tried to recall the events of the night before. Her werewolf memories are always hazy when she first tries to remember them. They sometimes never come to her, but if they do, it always takes a while. All she remembered from last night was sneaking out to the kitchens after curfew for a quick snack and a strong force luring her to the forest. After reaching the treeline realizing she made the mistake of forgetting her potion, she couldn't remember much after that. All she could remember was waking up a few minutes ago. She really needed to be more careful. This was the third time this year she forgot to take her potion. One of her ancestors must have been watching over her since she wasn't seen by anyone. At least, she thinks she wasn't seen by anyone.

She got up, dusted herself off, and started to head back towards the castle. She had to devise a plan that would get her back to her dorm room unseen and unnoticed. That would take a miracle if she was being honest with herself. She thought about who might have the morning shift. It wasn't Hannah's shift that week, nor was it Barbara's since they had the night shifts. She cursed herself once she realized that it was Diana's week for morning shifts. She would have been up by now, likely patrolling Luna Nova's empty halls. If she caught a naked Akko wandering around the halls, well, let's just say it wouldn't end well for a number of reasons. Wandering through the halls past curfew had its own consequences, but wandering the halls naked? Not only would the consequences for Akko be detention for likely the rest of her school career, but also endless embarrassment for her and whoever caught her.

She finally reached one of the halls and was thankful for one of the pillars that hid her from the blonde who happened to appear from what seemed to be out of thin air. Akko couldn't help but stare as the blonde stood in the middle of the hall and the moonlight shone against her. Diana's eyes had a certain sparkle to them in the moonlight that made her even more beautiful, if that was possible. Akko knew she liked Diana, she had since the two were involved with the love bee incident. Ever since Diana confessed her love to Akko, Akko couldn't help but develop romantic feelings for her as each day went by. Of course she knew that Diana was under the effects of the bee's poison and her confession probably didn't mean anything, but she still wondered if Diana really did like her the way she did. Akko knew that sadly she could never belong to Diana and Diana could never belong to her since the two were both too different in every way. Firstly, Diana didn't turn into a viscous monster when the full moon rose, so that's the biggest issue. Second, she was an aristocrat who would eventually become the matriarch of her family and probably be married off to some rich boy. And Akko was... just Akko.

Akko released a soft sigh as Diana started to walk away, but held her breath as soon as Diana stopped dead in her tracks. Diana heard her. Of course she did.

"Who's there?" Diana asked gently but strictly, slowly reaching for her wand. "Reveal yourself now."

Akko's heart started to thump faster and faster with each step Diana took towards her. Very soon she'd be in a situation she very well knew she couldn't sneak her way out of, even if Diana was her friend.

"Don't worry, Diana, it's only me," Professor Chariot said calmly as she steeped out of the shadows.

"Professor, you startled me," Diana said with wide eyes, clearly surprised to see her.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you," Chariot smiled awkwardly. "I do hope you're on patrol and not breaking curfew?"

"Of course, I don't see there to be any other reason for me to be out of bed past curfew. Now if you'll excuse me, Professor, I must continue my patrol before I return to my quarters."

Always so formal, not just with the teachers. Akko liked that about Diana, but it also bothered her a bit. Diana had started to loosen up whenever the two were studying alone, but the same formal tone never left her voice. It has been Akko's goal to get Diana to be herself around her. Hopefully her true self wasn't as formal.

Chariot nodded. "Alright then. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Very well."

And with that, Diana left. Chariot sighed and pushed her glasses up. "Akko, I know you're out here."

Akko felt her face heat up. If Chariot knew she was out here, then she certainly knew that Akko was in her birthday suit as well. She slowly peaked her face around the pillar and jumped slightly to see how close her professor actually was.

Chariot saw Akko hide behind the pillar again and she chuckled. "Here, you might need this."

Akko saw Chariot's hand outstretched, holding an all black cloak. She slowly accepted the cloak and put it on. She finally stepped away from the pillar once she was covered and saw Chariot staring down at her. She didn't look angry or disappointed. She didn't even look surprised.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Akko lamented.

"Akko, you need to be more careful. What happened to taking the potions Croix made for you? Are they not working?" Chariot asked with concern.

Akko shook her head. "It's not that, I just... sometimes forget when it's gonna be a full moon. In this case, I forgot to take my potion."

"That's a pretty important thing to forget," Chariot huffed. "You know the rules, Akko. You can't- is that blood?! Are you hurt?!"

Akko looked down at her hands and noticed she didn't get all of the blood off. "No, no, I'm fine! I must have hunted something last night. Probably a rabbit. Nothing to worry about."

"Let's hope so," Chariot sighed with relief. "As I was saying, you can't keep being neglectful of the rules. The headmistress was very gracious to allow you to stay here after finding out your situation."

It was true. Most of the teachers were against letting Akko stay at Luna Nova after discovering she was a werewolf since she could pose as a danger to the other students. It wasn't unheard of for witches who also happened to be werewolves, it was just extremely rare. And since Akko doesn't know what she does when she shifts, she could easily hurt a student or somebody on campus and not even know it. But Headmistress Holbrooke had dealt with werewolf students in her past, four to be exact, and nothing bad ever happened with those students or any of the other students on campus. As long as they took their potions and kept their secret, they were more than welcome to stay. The same rules applied to Akko.

"I know," Akko sighed as they walked down the hall to Akko's dorm.

The two stopped in front of the door. Chariot looked at Akko and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please try to be more careful. I'd hate to see you get in trouble or get hurt. If you have any issues with the potions, come to me or Croix. We're here for you, you know."

Akko smiled at her teacher and yawned. "I know. Thank you, Professor."

Chapter Text

"Dammit, Akko, wake up!" Sucy hissed one final time before Akko's eyes flew open.

"What, where?! I didn't do it!" Akko replied loudly, sitting upright in her bed.

Usually it was Lotte who'd wake up Akko in the morning. It was like a morning ritual for the two roommates and this happened almost every morning. Akko was surprised when she was woken up (in a rather violent manner) by her other roommate this time; that was a first. She must have fallen asleep when she returned to her room earlier that morning. Originally she had planned to just stay awake and watch the sunrise, but who knew watching the sun rise could be so tiring? Besides, she's always drained after a full moon. Sleep took priority.

"Oh, it's you," Akko groaned tiredly.

"If you're wondering where Lotte is, I think she went up to Barbara's dorm to discuss the release of a new Nightfall novel or something. She left about a half hour ago," Sucy said before Akko could ask.

Akko glanced at her clock which said 7:13. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "What do you want? It's not even time for class yet, and it's a little early for you to be testing some weird experiment on me."

Sucy had a wicked grin plastered on her face. Whenever Sucy wore a smile this wide, it always meant trouble.

"No experiments... yet," Sucy admitted. "I only want to ask you a few questions."

"And this couldn't have waited until breakfast or something?" Akko complained, laying back down in her bed.

"I'm afraid not," Sucy snickered. "First question, where were you last night and what where you up to?"

"Heh, that's two questions," Akko smirks.

Sucy glared at her. "Not funny. Just tell me."

Akko didn't have an answer, really. She hardly remembered anything from the night prior except for getting her hands on one of the kitchens peach pastries that were meant for breakfast in the morning. She knew Sucy wouldn't accept 'I don't know' for an answer, even though it was the truth.

"I went to get a midnight snack and that's about it," Akko said timidly.

"You didn't come back until the crack of dawn. What were you really up to?" Sucy shot back.

"Wait, why were you up? When I came back, you were fast asleep!" Akko spat in defense.

"Does it matter?" Sucy glared, growing more frustrated.

Akko huffed and blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. "I guess not, but I wasn't lying. All I did last night was get a snack."

"I'm sure you did, but I'm more concerned with what you did after that."

For a split second, Akko thought Sucy was genuinely concerned about her even if her voice betrayed that.

"I don't know what happened after that," Akko answered truthfully. "Believe me or not, but I honestly don't remember a thing besides leaving last night, eating a peach tart, and coming back to the dorms this morning. Everything in between is all a blur."

"Well, whatever you did, you got me some valuable information," Sucy smirked, holding up a vial that looked like it contained blood.

Akko stares at the vial for a few seconds. "Do I even wanna know what that is?"

"I scraped some of that dried blood off of your arm when I saw it this morning and decided to see who it belonged to," Sucy explained, pointing at Akko's arm which still had dried blood on it. "It's your blood, but there's something very off about it. First, there were no cuts or gashes anywhere on your body, so that got me questioning about where the blood came from. Then I found hairs, but not just any hairs. They were werewolf hairs."

Akko's face went pale. "Y-yeah? Weird. A-aren't werewolves mythical creatures?"

"Akko, now's not the time to act stupid. I know that must be hard for you, but still."

"Hurtful," Akko pouts.

"Be honest with me, are you a werewolf? Don't try to lie, I placed a truth spell over you before you woke up."

"Why do you wanna know?" Akko asked slowly.

Sucy sighed impatiently. "Because, werewolf blood and werewolf tears sell for a lot on the black market and if I happened to have a friend who was a werewolf, I could gain some major bargains. So are you or are you not? The truth spell will get it out of you one way or another."

She had dealt with Sucy's truth spells over the past couple of years. If you were to try to resist by telling a lie, your mouth would spout out random secrets buried deep in your mind. More often than not, those secrets were incredibly embarrassing.

Akko opened her mouth, but closed it, shaking her head. If she was going to get out of this, she'd have to be clever about it. For her, that would require a lot of thinking. She could say something in Japanese, but she was almost positive that Sucy was somewhat fluent after taking a Japanese language course over the summer, so that idea was out. Perhaps she could figure out a way to answer the question and avoid it at the same time.

"I am most definitely not saying that there isn't a real possibility that one could argue that I may or may not be within the unusual predicament of being such a mythical creature and I do not argue that it would be incredulously amazing, nonetheless," Akko replied with a smile, trying to mimic Diana's tone and ways of wording as best as she could. She felt pretty proud of herself for coming up with that impressively long sentence. It might have been the longest sentence she had ever produced. She knew if Diana were there, she'd be proud too.

Sucy stared at her, trying to process what in the nine just spewed from her mouth. "You've been hanging around Diana too much."

"No way! I hardly talk to her! Heck, I don't even like her!" Akko shook her head in denial. "But when I'm with her, I find her very attractive and I sometimes want to just stop what we're doing so I can make out with her. Not that she'd be down for that, but I've been really tempted recently because damn she's hot."

Akko's hand shot up to her mouth. She resisted the spell without realizing it and in return, a secret did come out. One of her deepest ones, actually. Not even Amanda knew that one and she told Amanda pretty much everything.

Sucy's expression looked disgusted. "Not what I expected to hear, but good to know I guess. Now answer the question!"

Akko looked around the room, desperate to find an escape route. She saw that her alarm clock said it was 7:34 and the lines for breakfast would have just started. That was her way out.

"W-would you look at the time? I'm gonna go eat now, so we can talk about this later! Bye, Sucy!" Akko exclaimed quickly, running out of the room.

"No worries, I'm patient. The truth spell lasts all day!" Sucy shouted after her.

Chapter Text

Akko was relieved to find that her mushroom-loving roommate wasn't following her. She could breathe at last. That is until she reached the courtyard on her way to breakfast. No one was around, surprisingly. No one except for a fox with bright orange fur sitting right in the middle of the path way. The fox wore a mischievous yet innocent expression. It tilted its head to the side as Akko approached it cautiously. She was never really fond of foxes for in Japan, foxes could bring either good or bad luck and knowing Akko's luck, she never tested it when it came to foxes. Yes, she did find the creatures to be quite beautiful, but she also knows of their slyness, so she always admired them from a distance.

"Hey there little buddy," Akko said slowly, not really knowing how she was supposed to talk to a fox.

There was something that seemed so familiar about the fox. Akko couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the eyes. The foxe's eyes were a brilliant green and its fur had the same color as Amanda's hair. As a matter of fact, the fox reminded her of Amanda a lot.

"Watcha doing out here all by yourself?" Akko asked it, not expecting a response.

"I'm not alone if you're out here with me you dunce," The fox sneered.

Akko jumped back several feet. "N-Nani the fuck?! You can talk?!"

"Well duh," the fox said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Can't believe you didn't recognize me. What a shitty friend."

The pieces slowly started to connect.

"Amanda?!" She screeched.

Before her eyes, the fox transformed into her mischievous American friend. Amanda was already in her uniform and her orange hair was untamed as always. She smirked at Akko and placed her hands behind her head.

"I gotta say, that was a pretty impressive spell. You fooled me," Akko said, still breathing heavy from shock.

"It wasn't a spell," Amanda laughed.

"A potion?" Akko asked.

Amanda shook her head. "Nope, not a potion either. I told you I was an animagus, right?"

Akko looked confused. "A what?"

"Oh, looks like I didn't," Amanda mumbled. "Hm, how do I explain this without confusing the hell out of you... okay, you know what werewolves are, right?"

Unfortunately and ironically, she did.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly.

"Well, I'm kind of like that. Animagi are like werewolves because of the hereditary thing, except an animagus can talk and isn't forced to shift when there's a full moon. I mean, I don't know much about werewolves, but I'm pretty sure they can't do that. It's kind of like using the shape shifting spell, except we can do it at will without a wand and we can only shift into one specific animal. Also, we can shift whenever we want and our form is basically our spirit animal. Now you know mine's a fox," Amanda explained as the two started to walk away.

Akko didn't know too much about werewolves herself. Even though werewolves are a part of her ancestry, neither of her parents were werewolves. That made things rather awkward for her when she phased for the first time since neither of her parents knew what to do. Her mom ended up hitting her upside the head with a baseball bat when she found Akko in her room as a large wolf and not her daughter. It was only after Akko's dad explained what was going on when they realized Akko had been "blessed" with werewolf genetics. Thanks to Akko's enhanced healing ability, she woke up the next morning perfectly fine except for a minor headache. Her dad explained her situation and Akko nearly had a heart attack. From that point on, she had to be extremely cautious each month.

The school had to find out eventually too, so she went to Chariot first, of course. Chariot surprisingly had a broad expansion of knowledge on werewolves and so did Croix. The headmistress and other teachers found out within the same week, and that's when Akko was given her first potion to control her phases. The potion tasted ghastly and had a wicked side effect where she couldn't speak or use her voice for a couple days. For her, that was a great challenge, but it gave her peers peace for those two days that it affected her. She hates to admit it, but that was one of the main reasons why she tended to "forget" to take her potion when it was time to. She hated not being able to talk and she hated making up excuses as to why her voice mysteriously disappeared. Croix had eventually perfected the potion. The potion didn't taste nearly as nasty and the side effect was lessened to twelve hours instead of two days. It was better, but even going an hour without talking was a real challenge for Akko.

"So, can I ask why you were randomly phased in the middle of the courtyard?" Akko asked as they got in line for breakfast.

"Oh, about that," Amanda laughed awkwardly. "I was waiting for Hannah. Every morning she walks through the courtyard and I wanted to scare her or surprise her at the very least. I just wanted to see her reaction."

Akko smirked and nudged her with her elbow. "That's not your best flirting plan, Amanda. What if she never showed up and someone else did instead like Diana?"

Amanda's cheeks went red and her brows furrowed. Akko struck a nerve. She knew Amanda had a crush on Hannah. Perhaps her approach was that Hannah would give her more attention as a fluffy, adorable animal instead of her usual rambunctious human self. Amanda would never admit it, but that's exactly what she was going for.

"H-hold on, that's not flirting," Amanda protested. "Besides, I'd never stoop so low as to flirt with her as a fox. That would make me and make her seem like a furry. Although now that you mentioned Diana, I'm actually interested in seeing her reaction considering she's a real furry."

"No she's not," Akko frowned.

"Who knows? A witch that well composed and with a stick that far up her ass, I'm sure she has some kinky secrets she's hiding," Amanda laughed.

Now it was Akko's turn for her face to turn red. Erotic thoughts about Diana entered her mind as soon as Amanda said that sentence. She tried to shake them off and was successful since this wasn't the first time she had thought about such things. Not the first nor the last.

"I don't really care or wanna know about Diana's kinks," Akko said shyly. Her eyes popped open when she realized she lied and remembered the truth spell. "But if I'm being honest, I think about it often and it really turns me on when I think about all the possibilities."

Amanda's eyes flew open at that confession. Then her shocked expression turned sly and she smirked evilly. "Is that so? Shit, Akko, why didn't you tell me you swung that way too? I mean, I kinda always knew, but I guess you just confirmed it for me."

"I-I don't! I'm not," Akko had lied once again. "I mean, I'm totally a lesbian but I'd never admit it!"

Amanda realized that Akko must be under the affects of a truth spell and she was most definitely going to take advantage of it. "Yeah? And just what do you feel for Diana? Because I'm positive she's gay too. What do you think of that?"

"Ugh! It's not fair! Curse you, Sucy!" Akko shouted, dropping her plate and running off before Amanda could assault her with more embarrassing questions.

Akko ran out of the dinning hall and into one of the other halls, passing many students who looked at her like she was a crazy person. She didn't care. She needed to get away from everyone for just a few minutes. Sadly, she couldn't avoid crashing into Croix who was on her way to breakfast herself. The impact knocked only Akko down, but Croix was taken aback a few steps. Her lilac haired professor offered her a hand and Akko stood up.

"Did you hurt anything, Akko?" Croix asked with a brow raised.

"Only my dignity," Akko grumbled. "Sorry, professor."

Croix chuckled. "That's quite alright. As a matter of fact, I was going to look for you after breakfast because I have some good news for you, but it appears you found me first."

"Actually, can I ask you something before you tell me the news?" Akko asked.

"Of course," Croix nods.

"You wouldn't happen to know if there's a counter spell for the truth spell, do you?" Akko smiled with hope.

"The truth spell, eh? I'm afraid not," Croix shook her head. "Although I suppose you could hex yourself where you could only tell lies, but I highly advise against it. Why do you ask?"

"I'd rather not say," Akko grumbled. "So, what's the good news? I could use some good news right now."

Croix smiled widely. "Well, what if I told you I concocted a potion that would allow you to not only control your phasing during a full moon, but also allow you to know what you're doing and instantly remember your experiences in your wolf form?"

Chapter Text

What Croix said sounded like it wasn't possible. She was talking about creating a potion that Werewolves for generations would have killed to get their hands on, or rather, get their paws on. To no longer abide by the moon's curse and be able to freely phase at will? It was a miracle, one so impossible sounding it couldn't possibly be true. Akko almost thought Croix was pulling her leg.

"It sounds great, but it also sounds impossible," Akko frowned.

"I know it may sound impossible now, but I assure you once I perfect it, the effects will be exactly as I told you." Croix smiled proudly.

"Oh, so you haven't actually made it yet?" Akko asked, her tone sounding a bit snooty.

"Well, I haven't finished it yet. I just recently started, so the final potion won't be ready for about a month or a month and a half."

Akko grinned. "A month? So does that mean the next full moon there's a chance I could phase and actually be aware of what I'm doing?"

"It's possible, but don't get your hopes up too high. There's still three ingredients I'm missing. I'm not sure how long it will take me to get them." Croix explained.

"I could do an ingredients run for you when I'm free. I'm sure one of my friends wouldn't mind tagging along." Akko offered.

"Hm, for one of the ingredients maybe, but the other two are much more difficult to retrieve and it could be dangerous."

"What are the ingredients?" Akko asked.

Croix thought for a second. "I could let you retrieve the Wormwood since it has been known to grow near Arcturus forest, but as for the other two, I'm afraid not."

Akko pouted and crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Firstly, real Mistletoe is extremely difficult to find in the UK. Second, Yellow Wolfsbane wilts quickly so you'd have to return with it within a couple of hours. That's also assuming you would find the right species. Yellow Wolfsbane is very rare and looks similar to several other flower species."

One of those ingredients caught Akko's attention immediately. Mistletoe isn't just a plant used to make two unfortunate souls share a kiss when underneath it during Christmas time. No, it is in fact incredibly toxic to Werewolves. It causes severe stomach pains, blindness, and foaming at the mouth; left untreated, a Werewolf could perish. It doesn't matter if they are in their human form or their wolf form, Mistletoe is still extremely dangerous to consume.

"Wait, Sensei, don't you know how dangerous Mistletoe is for a... someone like me?" Akko whispered as a few students passed them by.

"I'm well aware, Akko. In theory, when mixed with certain ingredients, such as the Wolfsbane, the Mistletoe's toxicity wouldn't affect you," Croix assured her.

"In theory?" Akko asked skeptically.

Croix sighed. "Akko, do you really think I would give you something that I knew could possibly cause you harm?"

"I guess not..."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Besides, Chariot would probably make me test it on her first just to be sure!" Croix smiled.

"Wait, what do you mean? She's not a werewolf, so how would you know if the potion would work or not?" Akko asked confused.

Croix started to sweat. Akko wasn't smart, but she wasn't stupid either. Akko could easily take what she said out of context.

"I-I only mean to say that she'd want to make sure it's a hundred percent safe for you to consume," Croix explained awkwardly.

"Okay then," Akko said slowly. "So will you let me get the ingredients?"

"I will only allow you to retrieve the wormwood. The other two ingredients I will gather on my own time." Croix said sternly.

"Come on," Akko groaned. "I've been in so many dangerous situations! A few of them were because of you! I can handle it!"

"That's beside the point, Akko," Croix muttered. "And my final answer is no. I'm sorry, but it's too much of a risk."

"Fine, I guess I could just get the Wormwood," Akko sighed. "I could probably do that alone."

Croix grimaced. "I'd advise against that. Just because Wormwood grows near Arcturus forest, that doesn't mean retrieving it is an easy task. It's always a good idea to have backup in case you may need it. I recommend bringing Diana or Sucy. Both of them have knowledge on Arcturus Forest."

Akko nodded. "I'll ask them and see which one is available when I am, but I'm pretty sure Diana is gonna be the one who's gonna go with me."

Akko certainly wasn't going to bring Sucy with her. She was still mad at her for the truth spell which wouldn't leave her system until the next morning. As for bringing Diana, she wasn't entirely sure if that was a good idea either. Akko already planned to get all three ingredients regardless of what Croix said. If Diana found out that her and Akko were going against a teacher's wishes, she would have none of it and likely never speak to Akko again. Alright, perhaps not that harsh, but she would definitely be angry with Akko. But if Diana was Akko's only other option, then there wasn't much she could do. It wouldn't be so bad either. Spending time alone with Diana was something she'd been wanting for a while.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Croix asked, changing the subject.

Akko suddenly remembered abandoning her breakfast in attempt to escape O'Neill's interrogation. She also felt her stomach growl in protest for not having any food in it yet.

"Nope," she said simply.

"You look hungry, you should go before all of the peach pastries are gone," Croix smiled.

"I'd say the same for you, but you're probably just going to have a cup of ramen," Akko teased.

"Hey, ramen isn't the only food I eat, you know," Croix said defensively. "I'm not that addicted to it."

Akko grunted. "Sure doesn't seem like it."

"Ramen is convenient and doesn't have a terrible taste. Besides, I would take ramen any day over the potatoes they serve here all the time," Croix muttered bitterly. "Anyway, enjoy your breakfast, Akko. Let me know when you plan on retrieving the Wormwood."

The two parted ways as Akko got in line for food. Coincidentally, Diana was in front of her in line. Diana turned around and smiled at her, to which Akko goofily grinned back and stared at her even after she turned back around. Akko didn't realize she was staring until she heard a high pitched whistle from across the room. Akko snapped out of it and turned her head in the direction of where the whistle came from. She saw Amanda leaned back in her chair at a couple tables away, staring directly at her with a wide smirk on her face. Diana heard the whistle too and began to scold Amanda to "refrain from such improper outbursts" in the dinning hall. That wiped Amanda's grin off her face in an instant and replaced it with a scowl. Once Diana finished lecturing Amanda in front of everyone, she returned her attention to getting her food. Amanda looked at Akko one last time and mouthed "what do you see in her?!" and Akko flipped her off.

Akko noticed a peach tart suddenly appear on her plate. She looked at Diana who had a light smile on her face.

"Why'd you do that? Don't you love these?" Akko asked.

"Yes, but it was the last one. I know you're fond of them as well," she replied shyly.

Akko blushed. "O-oh, thanks!"

"You're welcome," Diana said calmly.

Before Diana could walk away, Akko tugged on her sleeve, stopping her in her tracks.

"Could I... sit with you today? I don't really wanna sit with Amanda or my other friends," Akko said softly.

Diana was taken aback by this. Whenever the two would eat a meal together, it was Diana who would initiate it and it was typically dinner after a tutoring session. Akko never asked or willingly tried to sit with Diana at meal time before. Usually it was because Diana was always sitting with her two best friends Hannah and Barbara. Those two weren't exactly friends of Akko. In fact, Akko usually tried to avoid them if she could. Diana knew this, so Akko trying to sit with her and by doing so sitting with Hannah and Barbara, something strange must be going on. That, or Akko wanted something from Diana.

"Of course you can, but may I ask why you all of a sudden want to sit with me?" Diana asked curiously.

"Can't I just sit with you because I want to?" Akko asked carefully, making sure there was no trace of a lie in that sentence.

"I suppose," Diana said slowly. "You are aware that I will be sitting with Hannah and Barbara, correct? I know the three of you aren't on the best of terms."

"Yeah, I know. I don't care if I sit with them." Akko grinned.

Unfortunately, that statement wasn't the truth. Akko would rather sit anywhere else than next to those two. And since she wasn't truthful, the truth spell wouldn't let her get out of it that easily.

"But if I'm being honest, I just want to sit alone with you," Akko confessed.

As soon as the words left her lips, her face was bright red. It wasn't really that bad of a secret, but it was one she didn't necessarily want Diana hearing. Thankfully, it went right over Diana's head and she immediately thought something was wrong and Akko needed to talk to her about something important.

"Do you need to speak with me alone? Is there something going on?" Diana asked with concern.

Akko appreciated her friends concern, but it just made her blush even more. Seeing Diana so concerned for her made Akko's feelings grow a bit stronger.

"Actually, yeah. It's nothing bad, I just have a question for you that I don't want anyone hearing," Akko assured her.

"Alright, perhaps we can eat in the courtyard? No one should be there at this time," Diana suggested.

And so they did. It was a rather cold morning and not a single student was out in the courtyard. Diana shivered a bit from the cold air but Akko didn't seem to mind it. She noticed Diana shivering and placed her cloak around her hoping it would warm her up. Diana blushed from the kind gesture but quickly gained her composure.

"So, what was it that you needed to ask of me?" Diana asked, gripping the cloak.

"Oh right," Akko murmured. "I was gonna ask how down you are for going on a retrieval mission with me."

"What are you retrieving that requires my assistance?" Diana pondered aloud.

"It's kind of a secret."

Diana raised a brow at her. "If I am to join you, you at least need to inform me of what we will be collecting."

"Okay, okay," Akko gave in. "We're going to be collecting three things. The first thing is Wormwood and we'll find that near Arcturus forest. I would go alone, but I'd feel better if I had backup in case I needed it. Also, that place gives me the creeps. I really don't want to be there all by myself."

That sounded reasonable to Diana. "Very well. What about the other two items?"

"Yellow Wolfsbane and Mistletoe," Akko said simply.

Now Diana was suspicious. She knew Mistletoe was a rare plant in the UK, but it wasn't an uncommon ingredient in potions. But anything that involved Wolfsbane had to do with an advanced potion of some sorts. The words "advanced" and "Akko" did not appear in the same sentence. Diana wondered why on Earth Akko needed those two rare and specific plants.

"You happen to be in luck for both of those plants grow on the property of Cavendish Manor," Diana stated frankly. "But why do you need them?"

Akko looked away from her. "It's kind of a secret."

"I see," Diana hummed. "I won't pester you about what you're planning on making since it's none of my business. I warn you though, I will not agree to this if it is something that will get the two of us in any trouble or if you are planning to use these items to create some dangerous potion that could harm yourself or others, Akko."

"No, no, it's nothing dangerous! At least, it shouldn't be."

Diana sighed. "Alright then, I will join you."

"Yes! Thank you, Diana!" Akko crowed, hugging her friend tightly.

Diana didn't hug her back, but merely patted her forearm gently. Physical affection was something Diana wasn't used to. Akko is really the only one who does that and Diana doesn't know how to return such affections. It's not like it isn't welcomed, she actually quite enjoys it. It makes her heart flutter every time Akko gives her physical affection. But more often than not, Akko is always quick about it, leaving Diana dissatisfied and wanting more.

"I suggest we go on a weekend near the end of the month," Diana said as Akko stopped hugging her.

"The end of the month?" Akko repeated nervously, knowing that's when the next full moon was.

"Yes, it is the only time I am truly free and we can collect all three items in a two-day trip. The first day we can collect the wormwood and then travel to my house to get the remaining items. We will likely have to spend the night there since it is quite a ways away from Luna Nova," Diana explained.

"Spending the night, huh? So like a sleepover?" Akko smiled.

"If you wish to consider it as that, then yes," Diana nodded.

"I guess that shouldn't be a problem," Akko agreed.

"Then it's settled."

And it wouldn't be a problem as long as Akko remembered to bring her phasing control potion with her. If she didn't, well, let's just hope it didn't come to that...

Chapter Text

The month seemed to fly by quicker than Amanda riding a broom. It was soon time for the two witches to embark on yet another adventure together. That's what Akko considered it as. Diana saw it as another assignment for her to complete, nothing more to it. For Akko however, everything was an adventure. This one in particular was special since it was only her and Diana, no Amanda or Sucy to tease her. She loved those two to death, but sometimes she just needed a break.

Akko met Diana at the observatory on an early Saturday morning. Diana was wearing thick green trousers and a buttoned up white shirt. Her hair was perfect as always, and there wasn't a trace of sleepiness in her eyes. Akko was pretty much the exact opposite. She was wearing blue sweatpants she stole from Amanda a few weeks prior and a "Shiny Chariot Is My Waifu" sweatshirt with nothing on underneath; not that anyone would know. Akko's hair was untamed and barely held up by a pony-tail and she looked like she had just awoken from death. Unlike Diana, she would never get up this early if she could help it.

"Well don't you look... dashing," Diana said sarcastically with a smirk.

Akko grinned tiredly. "Do my ears deceive me? Did Diana Cavendish just tell a joke?"

"It was more sarcasm than anything," Diana rolled her eyes. "You looked like you didn't sleep last night. Please tell me you got a little bit of rest."

Truth be told, Akko couldn't sleep last night. Two things kept her awake. The first was her excitement. Her mind was swarming with thoughts about the next two days. She was so excited she could hardly contain it. Eventually though, she became too tired to continue dwelling on her thoughts and she dozed off. The second thing is what woke her up and kept her up. It was a nightmare that kept haunting her every time she seemed to shut her eyes. The nightmare was of her, phased in her monstrous form, cornering Diana. She could see the absolute terror in Diana's eyes as Akko bared and gnashed her wolf fangs at her. Diana kept screaming out Akko's name, not in the way Akko would ever want. The nightmare always ended with Akko's jaws latched around Diana's throat. That's when she woke up. After having the same nightmare for the third time that night, she decided it was best to simply stay up.

"Yeah I got... some rest," Akko yawned, looking at the sun that was rising.

"How much?" Diana challenged.

"An hour maybe?" Akko smiled sheepishly.

Diana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Akko, I told you to get enough rest! You'll need your energy today!"

"I couldn't help it! I kept having bad dreams!" Akko complained.

Diana grew concerned now. "Bad dreams? Of what?"

"It doesn't matter, I can't remember them now anyway," Akko waved it off.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all good. Let's go now!" Akko chimed, suddenly gaining a random burst of energy.

Diana nodded and mounted her broom. Akko looked at her confused as Diana awaited her to get on.

"We're taking a broom?" Akko asked curiously.

"It's the fastest mode of transportation to Arcturus forest," Diana replied.

Akko felt stupid. "Oh."

"Well don't just stand there, get on!" Diana smiled, lightening the mood.

She awkwardly climbed on behind the blonde. She wrapped her arms around Diana as soon as the broom was lifted off of the ground. It got much colder once they were in the sky. Cold enough for Akko to start shivering. But the cold wasn't too much of a bother since the two had an incredible view of Luna Nova as sun beams peered behind some solitary grey clouds. The entire campus was consumed by a light mist and only Diana and Akko could see all of it. It gave the old castle a more mystical and magical setting to it, ironically.

The two flew on for a good while and Akko ended up falling asleep unsurprisingly. Diana merely shook her head and smiled as her sleeping passenger began to snore behind her. With Akko's arms wrapped around her and her head resting on her back, Diana couldn't help but to feel a bit selfish. She enjoyed feeling so close to somebody like this and she didn't want it to end. This was a different feeling she felt compared to sharing a friendly embrace with Hannah or Barbara. Having Akko holding onto her like that felt so right, so natural. But she wanted more of Akko's touch. She wanted Akko awake while doing this, gazing into her eyes like they were meant to be doing this. And she loved the warmth she felt inside, the warm fuzzy feeling that engulfed her heart. But the question was, did she love the feeling, or did she love the source of the feeling?

"Diana, I think you missed our landing point. We're right above the forest now," Akko's tired voice broke Diana free from her thoughts.

"You're right," Diana said, her face red from embarrassment. "I apologize, I was lost in thought."

"It's okay," Akko smiled. "We all make mistakes sometimes."

With a quick turn-around, Diana safely landed the two in a nearby meadow filled with thousands of colorful wildflowers. The sweet fragrance filled Akko's senses and helped wake her up a bit. She hopped off of the broom and began to pick a few flowers. Diana was securing the broom and their bags somewhere safe, enacting a spell that ensured that no human or animal would touch their things. She noticed Akko picking the flowers and humming a tune she faintly recognized.

"What are you doing?" Diana giggled.

Akko grinned, handing Diana the flowers she picked. "For you!"

"O-oh. Thank you, Akko," she blushed and accepted the flowers, carefully placing them in her pockets. She knew the flowers would wilt quickly, but it was the thought that counted. "We should start searching for the Wormwood. By the looks of it, we unfortunately aren't going to find it outside of the forest. Thankfully, it isn't an uncommon plant species. I'm certain we'll find some quickly if we search a little for it. We most likely won't need to go too deep in the forest."

Diana was right of course, but Akko still felt uneasy when she stepped foot in the forest. Memories of the giant Cockatrice that almost killed her, Lotte, and Sucy entered her mind. She knew they'd have to go deep within Arcturus Forest if they were to ever encounter the giant beast, but it didn't guarantee that it wasn't lurking somewhere nearby.

"Hey, Diana?" Akko started a conversation to ease her nerves.

Diana was slightly distracted from trying to identify the different plants, but replied anyway. "Yes, Akko?"

"Do you believe in true love or like, soulmates?" Akko asked.

It was a completely random and rather specific question, but it stopped Diana and made her think. She was never one to interfere with the affairs of romance. Sure, she has had plenty of suitors in her life; most of them were rich sons of families dying to gain a share of the Cavendish abundance of wealth and popularity. However, none of them captured her heart, not even invoked a subtle spark of love or adoration. They were all kind and chivalrous young gentleman, every one of them would cause most girls to swoon. But not Diana. Eventually, the young lords gave up on her and were convinced she was incapable of love, that some how a curse must have been placed on her, causing her heart to be cold. She didn't want to be known as the girl incapable of love, the girl with a heart of ice. She knew she wasn't. She couldn't be, because Akko existed and no matter how much she tried to deny it, she was deeply and utterly in love with her. She just couldn't admit it to herself.

Perhaps that was the entire issue, wasn't it? Diana didn't know how to deal with it. For once, she didn't know what to do, and it absolutely terrified her. Never before had she ever felt such feelings towards an individual like she did for Akko. One could argue that she had never even had so much as a crush before. But Akko seemed to somehow cause Diana's heart to beat differently every time the two interacted. The girl was certainly an enigma to Diana in many ways. Akko made Diana want to know every single thing about her, every hidden secret and detail that she would share with her and only her.

"What brought this on? Do you have your eyes set on a handsome boy back home?" Diana asked.

"No, no, of course not!" Akko responded quickly.

"Or perhaps even a girl at Luna Nova?"

Akko blushed furiously, using every ounce of self control she had to not blurt out her feelings for the blonde. If only Diana already knew. If only.

"I'm just curious on your opinion of it, that's all!"

Diana wasn't buying it, but she wasn't going to pressure her for it. "If you must know, I'm not entirely sure. I find the idea of soulmates to be rather whimsical, but I suppose that I have a soulmate. I just wouldn't know since my soulmate hasn't revealed them self to me yet. I may even know them, but it clearly isn't the right time for me or for them to know we are destined to be lovers."

Akko let that sink in. "Oh."

"What do you believe?" Diana asked softly.

"I don't really know," Akko hummed. "I want to believe I have a soulmate, I just... I have a lot of problems. I don't see how anyone can fall in love with me, not with all of the issues and flaws I have."

"Akko," Diana chuckled. "I think you're being too hard on yourself. Everybody has their flaws, everybody has issues. Your soulmate will love you regardless of those flaws because the two of you are destined to be. Besides, they have flaws of their own which I know you'd love them for anyway."

She wasn't wrong, but Akko was thinking about one flaw of hers in particular. She was convinced that her soulmate wouldn't love her because she turned into a monster every month. For who could ever fall in love with a bloodthirsty monster? Certainly not Diana Cavendish, a formal aristocrat. Akko believed there was no way she could ever love someone like her, it just couldn't happen. And Diana may not even be her soulmate, as much as she wished she was.

"Thanks, but you don't know all of my flaws, Diana. You wouldn't understand," Akko lamented.

Diana looked at her sadly. "I do understand."

Akko laughed darkly. "Trust me, you really don't."

Diana reached out and placed a hand on Akko's shoulder. "I might if you would tell me. You don't have to of course, but just know I'll always be ready to listen when and if you're ready to tell me."

Her blue eyes were searching for something from Akko's crimson ones.

"Diana, I-" Akko began to say something but then her eyes locked onto something familiar. "Oh look, Wormwood."

Diana spun around and saw the Wormwood tree, a perfect specimen. Her formal composure returned, remembering they were out here on a mission. Now was the time to collect a plant, not collect each other's feelings.

"Very observant. Well done," Diana smiled proudly.

The two walked over to the tree and began to harvest several leaf samples. Diana made sure to collect bark as well in case it was needed. Akko's attention was set on the tree for approximately eleven seconds before her eyes wandered and saw some glowing mushrooms growing on a log. She recognized them as Luminous Mushrooms, a rare mushroom Sucy wouldn't stop complaining about when she couldn't find it in Luna Nova's green house. Akko decided to pluck a few mushrooms and add it to the ingredients bag.

"What are you doing, Akko? I do believe mushrooms aren't an ingredient you mentioned that we'd be retrieving," Diana pointed out.

"I know, but I bet Sucy wouldn't do her experiments on me for two months if I gave her these. They're super rare!" Akko beamed.

"I swear that friend of yours has a fungi fetish," Diana muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure she does," Akko confirmed.

"I see. Well, we have the Wormwood. Shall we head to the estate now?" Diana smiled.

"Sounds good to me."

Chapter Text

The flight to Diana's estate was going to take up a lot of the day. It was a much longer flight than simply going to Arcturus forest. Akko couldn't fall asleep this time, but that didn't stop her from keeping her arms wrapped around Diana and she was perfectly okay with it. She thought Akko actually had fallen asleep, so she decided to sing softly to herself to conquer her boredom. Akko listened contently as she heard her crush sing a melodic tune of a song she didn't recognize; it sounded like it could be a lullaby. When Diana sang, Akko felt her heart slowly melt with each word sung. Hearing her angelic voice made Akko wonder why she didn't sing more often. Diana usually never sings, at least not in front of people and especially not in front of Akko.

Akko didn't say a word to Diana out of fear that she would stop singing and not start again. So she listened to her sing all the way to the estate. Diana stopped singing once she could see her large home at a distance. She glanced back at Akko, who had shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"Akko, wake up. We're here," Diana said loudly.

Akko merely opened her eyes and faked a yawn. "Already? That was fast."

"It has been about three and a half hours since we left The Forest of Arcturus. I wouldn't consider that as fast," Diana snickered.

"It felt fast. Time always seems to go by fast when I'm with you. Too fast, if I'm honest. I wish it didn't," Akko says gently, her grip around Diana's waist tightened slightly.

Diana didn't catch on.

"Perhaps that's because the two of us are typically in complex situations that eats up our time," she murmured.

Diana stopped in front of the massive house which in reality was a mansion, but she never liked to consider it as that. The two got off of the broom and entered Diana's home. They were greeted by a few of the Cavendish Butlers and Diana's childhood nanny Anna. Anna smiled at the two, but was rather surprised to see Akko accompanying Diana.

"Welcome home, Milady," Anna bowed at Diana respectfully and then looked at Akko. "And you as well, Madam Kagari."

Anna and Akko never truly got along, but her calling Akko "madam" was believe it or not, progress. Before, she always addressed her as "miss", never really addressing her by her name.

"It's a pleasure seeing you once again, Miss. Anna," Akko replied formally, surprising both Anna and Diana.

Anna smiled at her for the first time. "It is a pleasure seeing you as well. Are either of you hungry? I can prepare supper early if you wish."

"That won't be-" Diana started but felt Akko's gaze knowing instantly that her friend was famished. "On second thought, that would be delightful. Thank you, Anna."

"Shall I show madam Kagari to her room first?" Anna asked.

Diana shook her head. "There's no need. I will be responsible for that."

Anna nodded and she and Diana's butlers left their presence. An awkward atmosphere filled the air as Diana and Akko stood next to each other, staring into each others eyes.

"So," Akko said slowly. "What now?"

Diana coughed, looking away from her. "Ah yes. I spaced out for a second, forgive me. Now I'll show you to your room."

"Oh," Akko frowned and sounded disappointed. "I thought we were going to share your room."

Diana blushed heavily and failed to hide it. There were in fact several reasons why sharing her room with Akko was not the best idea. It's not that she didn't want to, by the nine, she really wanted to. However the idea of sharing a bed together, seeing Akko in her nightly attire, watching her sleep, Diana wasn't sure how she would handle that. It didn't feel right. The very thought felt so improper, so inappropriate, so scandalous... and oh so wonderful.

"Why would we do that?" she asked coolly.

"Uh, because this is a sleepover, remember? Have you... never had a real sleepover before?" Akko asked curiously.

"That's preposterous, of course I have!" Diana grumbled.

She hadn't.

"Well, I don't know what sleepovers you've been to, but whenever I spend the night at a friends house, we always share a room," Akko explained.

"Hm, perhaps my ideals of sleepovers are different than yours. I've only ever had them with Barbara and Hannah." Diana pondered aloud.

Akko flailed her arms in the air, startling the blonde. "Well there's your problem! You guys are roommates, that doesn't count! I'm talking about a real sleepover!"

Diana giggled. "Do tell what happens at a typical "Akko" sleepover then."

A lot of things that Akko would never admit to. Her sleepovers were typically wild and rambunctious. She had only ever had sleepovers whenever she went to Lotte, Sucy, or Amanda's house. Lotte's sleepovers were relatively tame, and it usually wasn't just her and Akko. Sucy would almost always attend. The same applied to whenever Akko went to Sucy's house, Lotte was almost always there as well. Sucy's sleepovers were a little less tame since something strange always happened, more often than not to Akko. Some ritual of sorts would take place at Sucy's house. Sucy owned a ouiji board and used it every time her two friends came over. Akko almost got possessed the last time, and that's why she hasn't been to Sucy's house since.

Then there was Amanda sleepovers. Those sleepovers were never tame and alcohol was almost always consumed. In fact, Akko had her first kiss at Amanda's and with none other than Amanda herself. The two were both insanely drunk and it was more of a sloppy make out session than anything. It was weird since the two would never see each other as anything more than friends, but they occasionally share a laugh at the memory.

"Um, most of the stuff that happens are things that you'd never agree to doing," Akko said awkwardly, rubbing the side of her arm.

Diana felt a little offended by that. "Oh? Such as?"

"Wellll, like spin the bottle, truth or dare with shots, beer pong, stuff like that."

"So you can't have a sleepover without alcohol," Diana frowned disapprovingly.

"Not necessarily," Akko denied. "I've mainly had sleepovers with Amanda. That's just what we usually do."

Diana scowled and bit her lip. "Of course, I should have known she was involved."

"Yeah, she's pretty wild," Akko laughed.

"Hang on, you mentioned playing spin the bottle. This was with her?"  Diana asked nervously.

"We ended up making out once on a dare. It was kinda my first kiss too."

If it were possible, Diana would be breathing fire. Of all the people Akko could have shared her first kiss with, why did it have to be with Amanda? She's the last person Diana would expect Akko to kiss. Well, she'd prefer Amanda over someone like Andrew Hanbridge, but still. if anyone would be Akko's first kiss, Diana would want it to be herself. There's one dream of hers that's been shattered.

"I never realized you and O'Neill were romantically involved," Diana said with a straight face, but her tone was filled with jealousy.

"No, no, it's nothing like that! Me and Amanda? Blegh!" Akko denied.

That calmed Diana's nerves significantly.

"I see," she muttered. "I for one wouldn't take a first kiss for granted like that, but that's your business."

Akko really didn't consider it as her first kiss even though it was. It was with Amanda and they were both drunk. The kiss meant nothing to both of them. But Diana did have a point. A first kiss is supposed to be something special. Akko would have given anything for Diana to be her first kiss.

"So are you saying you haven't had your first kiss yet?" Akko smirked.

As a matter of fact, Diana had. It was more of someone kissing her than anything else. It was at one of the Hanbridge's parties and a young man who had been trying to court her all night decided to exceed his boundaries after Diana told him she wasn't interested. The kiss was quick, sloppy, and ended with the young lad receiving a hard slap to the face.

"I never said that, but if you must know, I have," Diana said and Akko's expression visibly turned angry.

"I bet it wasn't good. He was probably trash at kissing," Akko grumbled, not trying to hide her jealousy.

"How rude of you to assume that, Akko," Diana smirked. "Yet your assumption is correct. It wasn't a pleasant experience. He forced it on me, actually."

Akko fumed. "Who is this guy? What was his name? I'll be sure to give him a pop in the mouth if I ever meet him!"

Diana chuckled and placed her hand on Akko's shoulder to calm her down. "Nothing to worry about, Akko. Besides, I already did the honors of hitting him."

"Well good. He deserved it," Akko mumbled, calming down a bit.

The rest of the day was spent with the two talking for hours. They spent most of their time in Diana's room talking about past experiences, interests, and just getting to know one another better. This was nice. This was what Akko wanted. She wanted Diana to be able to talk with her about anything other than school or homework. Although, that subject was brought up once or twice. As the day went on, the two didn't know that their feelings for each other were slowly but surely growing stronger. Talking to each other was as easy as breathing. Staring into each others eyes was addicting for them both. Being alone with each other was a luxury they didn't get very often and not a moment wasn't unappreciated.

But as Akko had once mentioned, the time flew by quickly and nightfall soon approached and the sun set. Akko glanced at Diana's balcony and saw the moon start to rise. She would be fine for about another hour before she needed to take her potion, so she put the thought off to the side and continued talking with her friend. She could feel her body heating up, a sure sign that she would phase soon, but she thought it was her body reacting to Diana like it usually did. She always felt warm around Diana.

"And that's how I met the Queen of England," Diana finished another story. "You know, there have been roomers floating around for centuries that the royal family are actually werewolves, as crazy as that sounds."

"That's a cool theory," Akko grinned but then a thought occurred to her. "Speaking of werewolves, what are your thoughts on them?"

"I know they're real creatures and I've always been taught to fear them. I guess I do fear them, I suppose," Diana said.

"Oh," Akko said sadly. Those words stabbed her heart.

"But I can't deny they fascinate me," she continued. "I've done some research on werewolves. I find it interesting how even in their human forms, they have enhanced strength, senses, and healing just like in their wolf form. I also find it interesting that although they are unaware of what goes on in their wolf form, they are said to be just like real wolves: Aggressive, but protective of their own kind. I do pity them to an extent as well. Being forced to turn into a beast once a month, it must be hard for them. Then again, it is the closest thing they have to being in touch with the magical world. They are sort of in between being a muggle and being magical."

"What about if they weren't a muggle? Have you ever heard of a witch or wizard being a werewolf?" Akko asked.

"Indeed," Diana smiled. "That's what has stumped magical historians and muggles for ages. A werewolf who also happens to be a witch or wizard is a rare occurrence, but those werewolves are said to be bigger, stronger, and more clever than their muggle counterparts."

That scared Akko. She hadn't ever seen what she looks like in her wolf form. Now that she knew that being a witch-werewolf made her stronger and bigger, her mental image of her wolf form turned into something much more terrifying.

"Ah, interesting," Akko hummed, feeling her mind starting to go fuzzy. She knew she didn't have much time left before she would phase. That would be a horrible scenario. "Um, I have to take my... medicine. Do you know where my stuff is? It'll be quick."

"Very well. I placed your bag in the restroom," Diana pointed at her bathroom door.

Akko nodded and excused herself. She closed the door to the bathroom and went straight to her bag. She started to panic when she couldn't find the potion, but her mind relaxed once she touched the bottle. She quickly took it out but then noticed something rather off about it. The label's lettering didn't look right at all. Then it hit her. This wasn't her phase control potion. This was one of Sucy's mushroom-growing potions. It looked so similar to Akko's phase control potion, she must have packed that one by mistake. Now she was in full panic mode.

She burst out of Diana's bathroom, looking for the first place she could escape. She knew she couldn't make it downstairs to go outside in time. The last thing she wanted was to put Diana in a dangerous situation and she wasn't going to do that. Diana looked at her, concerned with what Akko looked so frightened about.

"Is something the matter, Akko?" Diana asked hesitantly.

"Is your door to the balcony unlocked?" Akko asked frantically.

"It should be, but why are you-" Diana started to ask but was cut off.

"No time to explain!" Akko yelled, sprinting towards the balcony.

She opened up the sliding glass door and looked over the edge of the balcony. A rather long fall would await her if she tried to jump off, but she would likely escape with a fractured bone or two that would heal within a couple days thanks to her enhanced healing ability. The risk was worth it. She started to climb the railings to jump off. Before she could jump, Diana quickly wrapped her arms around her, preventing her from doing so.

"Atsuko!! What the bloody hell are you doing?!" Diana shrieked, desperately trying to pull her away from the railing.

Diana never used Akko's real name unless she was angry or in great distress. Akko didn't care at that moment. All she cared about was getting as far away from her as possible.

"Diana, you need to trust me! Let me go!" Akko commanded.

"Like hell I will!" Diana shouted.

"Please, trust me!" Akko pleaded.

"No! You'll severely injure yourself, if not even kill yourself! Why are you doing this?!" Diana cried, tears pouring down her face.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but I promise I'll explain everything later," Akko said sincerely and shut her eyes.

She bit Diana's arm gently but enough for Diana to instantly let go. She couldn't reach Akko in time before she jumped. She watched as Akko fell down to the ground and heard the loud thump when her body landed on the grass. She landed on her feet, thankfully, and stumbled to the ground below. Diana was shaking at this point. She sprinted faster than she ever had in her entire life. She ran downstairs and outside to her backyard. She saw Akko on the ground not moving, but she was still breathing. 

"Well that hurt," Akko groaned, not moving from her position.

"I don't know how you're conscious or alive even, but never do that again, Akko!" Diana yelled at her.

Akko's eyes flew open. "Diana?! No, you need to go inside right-"

It was too late. Akko's eyes began to glow bright red, the final sign that she was going to phase. Akko had seconds left before she would phase.

Now Diana knew something was horribly wrong. "W-what's going on?"

Akko couldn't respond. All she could do was moan like she was in great pain. She slammed her fists into the ground, trying to fight it. Diana was confused and terrified.

"Diana, run!" were the last two words that came out of Akko's mouth.

Diana didn't run. She was too frozen with fear to even move. She watched in horror as Akko's body began shaking and then changing. The clothes on her body disintegrated as her body transformed. Her body grew twice, if not three times its length as she phased into her wolf form. Once completely phased, the giant wolf turned to face the terrified girl who now regretted not running like Akko commanded her to do. Diana didn't have her wand to defend herself, she didn't have a broom to escape on. She was completely at the werewolf's mercy.

Chapter Text

Glowing red eyes met fearful blue ones. Diana began sweating bullets as the massive creature in front of her took careful slow steps towards her. She still couldn't move. Would it even do any good? There was no chance of outrunning the beast, she would only get a few steps in before the wolf would catch up to her, so running wasn't an option. To be frank, she didn't have any options at the time. Was this how Diana Cavendish would die? At the hands, well, claws of her friend? The one she loved most dearly? What a tragic way to depart life.

Diana heard a low growl escape from the beast's chest. She closed her eyes shut, ready to face her eminent, painful death. Seconds passed by. Soon minutes passed by. No sounds of screams or sounds of a body being mauled entered the atmosphere. All that could be heard was soft pants coming from the wolf. Diana slowly opened her eyes and what she saw in front of her shocked her. The wolf was at her feet, laying down and looking up at her with curious eyes. She was wagging her fluffy tail, awaiting for Diana to do something, anything.

Diana was amazed. She didn't know what to think. Werewolves are aggressive and shy creatures, always on the search for their own kind. It's in their nature to act aggressive towards anything that isn't another werewolf, humans especially. They aren't supposed to act that way, like a domesticated dog staring up at its master. It's completely unheard of. Even if it's Akko, a caring and gentle soul. That's right, this was Akko in front of her. Even so, Akko wasn't herself at this moment. She was a completely different being, she had no idea what she was doing and she wouldn't remember anything that happened when she turned back to her human self in the morning.

"A-Akko?" Diana stuttered.

The wolf wagged her tail even faster when Diana acknowledged her.

"How is... how is this even possible," Diana looked down at the creature. "Werewolves are supposed to be vicious, bloodthirsty monsters. You're supposed to be doing something awful to me, but... you're not."

The wolf tilted her head to the side, not understanding a word Diana just said.

"It's funny," she chuckled. "Even as a wolf, you're acting just like you always do. Curious and playful. How fascinating."

Diana took a risk and got down on her knees. Now the two were eye-to-eye; the wolf's ears were slightly higher than the top of Diana's head. She reached her hand out and the wolf eagerly began to lick it. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was incredible. Gross because of the slobber, but incredible nonetheless.

"I know you don't understand me, but you can't stay out in the open like this. I can't bring you inside, but perhaps I can hide you in the greenhouse." Diana suggested, glancing towards the greenhouse a hundred feet away.

She stood up and the wolf stood up with her. Now that she was actually looking at the wolf and not cowering in fear, she noticed how gorgeous the wolf really was. The fur was brown with a reddish tint similar to Akko's human hair color, the eyes though they glowed, were the exact color of Akko's human eyes. Standing up tall on all fours, the wolf was easily the size of a small horse. Diana thought she was beautiful, but would Akko would definitely scare anyone in their right mind if they saw her as she was.

And for some reason, it was at this moment when it clicked with Diana. Akko had been giving her signs all along that she was a werewolf. Reacting the way she did when Diana said she was scared of werewolves, dismissing herself to take "medicine", even this recovery mission that required Wolfsbane, an ingredient used in phase control potions. Akko was indirectly trying to tell her this whole time.

She started to walk towards the greenhouse, but heard whimpers coming from the wolf. She turned around, seeing the wolf slowly starting to limp toward her. How had she not noticed this sooner? The wolf's right back paw was crooked. Akko must have broken a bone when she impacted with the ground.

"Please, I need to get you somewhere secluded. The greenhouse isn't far. Come on now," Diana commanded softly.

The wolf continued to whimper, but followed Diana as she walked towards the greenhouse again. Once there, the wolf could barely fit through the door while Diana entered with ease. The greenhouse had no lights, so Diana had to light a candle. She saw that the wolf lay right in the center of the room, breathing heavily and licking her paw. She was in great pain, Diana could easily see that. She would go get her wand and use a spell to help ease the pain, but she didn't want to out of fear that Akko might leave. Thankfully, there was a first aid kit in one of the cupboards. Although she had not the slightest clue on how to treat an animal injury, basic first aid should apply. She found some medical wrap and gently wrapped the injured paw. Akko growled when Diana did this, but sat through the pain.

Once finished, Diana sat down next to Akko and leaned on her. Diana didn't feel scared or threatened anymore, especially when Akko placed her snout in Diana's lap.

"You're going to have much explaining to do in the morning," She giggled.

The wolf sighed contently and shut her eyes.

"I have to admit, this is quite incredible," Diana smiled, stroking Akko's soft yet coarse fur. "You never cease to surprise me, Akko."

There was no response.

"You know, your ideas of sleepovers are rather... wild," Diana joked, hoping to gain something from it but was met with more silence. "The pun was intended."

"I really wish you could talk right now. Oh the tales you could tell me," She said calmly.

She noticed that the wolf was already fast asleep. Sleep didn't sound like such a bad idea, but Diana wanted to stay up just in case Anna or one of the butlers came to the greenhouse for some reason. Not that there would be a reason for anyone to be out at the greenhouse that late. Imagine trying to explain why Diana was alone in a greenhouse with a giant wolf. That would take a fair amount of explaining, so sleep wasn't on Diana's schedule. Besides, she knew that there was a possibility that someone would go there in the morning to collect some herbs for breakfast, so Diana would have to stay awake and wait for Akko to transform to her human form so they can return to the house undetected.

"I'm tired, but I need to stay awake. For you, I must," Diana yawned. "But you're making sleep seem so tempting right now. Perhaps a quick power nap wouldn't do much harm."

She let her eyes shut for what felt like five minutes. But by the time she opened them, it was already morning. Early morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, but she could see the small amount of light growing in the horizon. Well, nobody showed up. That was good. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. When she looked down, she saw Akko laying next to her. But Akko wasn't a wolf anymore. She was very much human now and very much naked. Diana's face heated up, and she yelped from surprise. But Akko didn't wake up, she continued slumbering peacefully.

Diana knew the two couldn't stay here, especially now. Breakfast was soon and that meant someone could be coming to the greenhouse soon as well. Diana for one didn't want to explain to anyone why she was there with her naked friend, even if all of her servants were like family to her. Maybe that made it worse.

She roughly nudged Akko, trying to rouse her from her sleep. Akko grumbled in her sleep, and swatted Diana's hand away.

"Oh good heavens, Akko," Diana whispered to herself.

There was only one thing she could do. She carefully lifted Akko bridal style, now hoping she wouldn't wake up. She didn't, but she snuggled up against her, which made Diana blush even more. She entered the house and didn't bother going upstairs. She went into the nearest empty bedroom she could find and placed Akko under the covers. Akko's top half was revealed and a thousand different erotic scenarios entered Diana's mind. She swore to herself that she wouldn't gawk at Akko, but it was proving to be very difficult not to. If only Akko didn't look so sexy when she was sleeping. If only Akko wasn't so sexy.

Diana felt a growing heat in the lower parts of her body that gave no signs of dying down any time soon. She knew the only cure was a cold shower. So that's exactly what she did. That bedroom in particular had a bathroom with a shower. She made sure to lock the door behind her and also made sure she had a towel. She turned on the water and let the icy-cold drops trickle down her back. Now she tried to concentrate on every turn off in existence. Andrew and Amanda were on the top of her list.

Akko's eyes suddenly flew open.

"Diana!" she shrieked.

Diana was still in the shower and just about slipped as soon as she heard her name. She caught herself in time before she could fall.

"Akko are you alright?" Diana asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... frazzled, that's all," she responded.

There was a pause.

"I'll be out in a moment."

Akko knew then that Diana was in the shower, and that calmed her down a bit. Then she noticed the lack of clothing on her body, and then noticed Diana's clothes on the bed. Her face heated up and her mind thought the worst. Why was she naked in Diana's bed, and why was Diana coincidentally showering in the same room when she could have gone to another room to shower? There was no way they-

"You're awake," Diana stated, exiting the bathroom with a white bathrobe around her body.

"So I am," Akko laughed nervously and pulled the covers up more. "We didn't... do anything last night, right?"

Diana didn't get it.

"Can you elaborate?" she questioned.

"You know what, why don't you tell me what happened last night," Akko suggested.

Diana huffed. "You nearly scared me to death, so let's start with that."

"You mean when I jumped off the balcony?"

"That too," Diana agreed. "That's what scared me the most to be honest."

"Really?"

Diana took a seat on the corner of the bed next to Akko, staring at her in disbelief. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Akko, I was terrified when I saw you try to do that. It looked like you were going to kill yourself or something. I... I felt so helpless."

"That definitely wasn't the plan," Akko chuckled but then frowned. "But you're right. What I did was reckless and dangerous. I'm sorry."

Diana nodded. "Well, I understand why you did it. You truly didn't have much time just as you said. I wish you would have told me about it sooner."

All of the color drained from Akko's face.

"So... you know what I am now? You know I'm... a monster?" she whispered.

Diana smiled. "You're not a monster, Akko. You're far from one."

"Don't lie," Akko disagreed. "You saw me yourself last night. You know what I look like. You saw the fangs, you saw the claws, you saw the blood lust in my eyes! How am I not a monster? I just described the very thing parents would tell their children at night to scare them!"

"Do you want me to be completely honest with you?" Diana deadpanned.

"Yes, the truth is all I want," Akko said desperately.

Diana giggled. "You were more of an oversized puppy than anything else. You were quite adorable, actually."

Akko couldn't believe it. "N-nani?"

"I do admit, I was afraid at first, but then you... well, you sort of, how do I put it? Submitted to me? I wasn't scared after that," Diana tried to explain.

Akko took that the wrong way at first. Not wrong, but in the sexual kind of way. It's Akko, what do you expect?

"O-oh," she stuttered. "How did I submit exactly? Don't spare on the details."

"Well, you started by laying at my feet and then you started to graciously lick my-"

"Don't say it that way!" Akko blushed furiously, hiding her head under the covers in shame.

Diana rolled her eyes. "How else am I supposed to say it then?"

"I don't know! Just not like that!"

"As I was saying, you began to lick my hand and wag your tail. It was honestly rather strange since you weren't behaving like a werewolf at all. Like I said before, I've done quite a fair amount of research on werewolves and the books I've read described very different behaviors and attitudes than what you showed me last night," Diana explained.

"That doesn't sound right," Akko scrunched up her nose. "People have seen me in my wolf form before, not a lot mind you, but they all told me I acted like a cornered animal and tried to run away from them."

"Well, you didn't with me."

This was all too confusing. Akko was confused because as far as she knew, she tried to run away from people and was aggressive. She thought it was maybe because she knew  Diana very well, but that didn't make sense because some of the people who had seen her in her wolf form before were her own parents. She acted the same towards them as she did towards anyone else who saw her in her wolf form. Why was Diana different?

Akko shrugged. "Still doesn't sound right. I guess I'll have to ask Chariot or Croix when I get back."

"They know?"

"Well yeah, it's not exactly a secret I can keep from the school. All of the teachers know, actually. Luna Nova has strict rules, as you know. They can't have a werewolf on campus without knowing about it," Akko explained.

"Of course. That makes sense."

"Also, the whole reason we're on this retrieval mission in the first place is because Croix is working on a potion that will allow me to not only phase when I want, but also know what I'm doing in my wolf form. I'll be myself in my wolf form. That's why we need the Mistletoe, Wormwood, and Yellow Wolfsbane. They're the final ingredients," Akko admitted.

"That sounds an awful lot like Croix is trying to turn you into an animagus, Akko. Although it would be impressive if she could pull it off."

"You know what an animagus is?"

"Indeed, I do," Diana grinned. "The Cavendish family has been known to have a few animagi among our ancestors, typically taking the form of a horse or unicorn. That's partially why the symbol of the Cavendish household is a unicorn."

"Aw man, that's so cool! Wait, are you an animagus?!" Akko asked with excitement.

She shook her head. "Not to my knowledge, no. I would have known by now if I was."

"That's too bad. Amanda probably would hate you less if she knew you were one."

Diana's eyes went wide. "Is she an animagus?"

"You didn't know? Huh, I could have sworn Hannah would have told you. She knows about it. I mean I guess I could see why since they're practically dating."

Diana sighed. "Oh honestly, those two act like they don't know they like each other. They really need to get together soon, it's starting to get unbearable!"

"I know right," Akko groaned. "Amanda's always talking about Hannah. "Hannah" this and "Hannah" that! Even Jasminka and Constanze have told me how obsessive she's getting!"

"I don't know what Hannah sees in Amanda, but she never stops talking about her. She's completely infatuated with her. Barbara and I are starting to wonder if they're ever going to get together. The two of them are so stubborn."

"Gosh, I can't believe how clueless some people are to not know that their crush actually likes them, even when their crush gives them signs that they like them!" Akko grumbled.

"I agree, it gets obnoxious after a while."

Before Akko could say another word, her stomach growled in protest.

"Um, can we eat before we get the other items and need to go?" Akko pouted.

"That was the plan," Diana nodded.

"Okay, great!" Akko grinned, suddenly getting out of bed.

Diana started laughing to herself and blushing hard.

Akko looked confused. "What?"

"Look down," Diana continued to laugh.

Akko forgot she was nude.

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry!" Akko shrieked in embarrassment, diving under the covers once again.

Diana got up and walked towards the exit. "I'll give you some privacy. Meet me downstairs in ten minutes. There are some clothes in the drawer that will fit you."

As soon as Diana left, she placed her hand over her heart feeling how fast it was beating. For a minute, Diana almost lost it. She almost lost all control she had. She was going to blurt out every ounce of love and passion she had for the other girl or just straight up make out with her. She can't let that happen again.

"That girl will be the death of me one day, I swear," she whispered to herself.

Chapter Text

The trip back to Luna Nova was long, but didn't feel like it was for the two girls mindlessly talking to each other the entire ride over. After finding out about Akko's secret, the two became closer somehow. Akko still never wanted Diana to find out, but now that she knew, it lifted a giant weight off of her shoulders. Usually whenever someone found out about Akko's condition, they tended to avoid her. That's why she wanted as little people to know about it as possible, she didn't want anyone to be afraid of her. But Diana was strangely attracted to Akko even more after finding out she was a werewolf, a werewolf who seemed to behave drastically differently around her than around anyone else. That secretly made Diana feel special. Akko had a bond with her unlike any other. If only she knew just how strong the bond was.

It was late evening by the time they arrived to their school. Both were exhausted from the trip, but there was still work yet to be done. Diana had an assignment she hadn't finished and she wanted to finish it before it was due (the next week). Akko also had an assignment that was due, but she wasn't going to worry about that. She was more concerned with getting the items to Croix, especially the Yellow Wolfsbane which Diana warned would wilt soon. After receiving all of the items from her, the two parted ways. Diana headed back to her dorm, and Akko was on her way to Croix's quarters.

On her way, she found herself in a rather familiar situation in the courtyard. Right in the middle of the pathway was a red fox Akko knew all too well. She shook her head and grinned at the fox.

"You know, Amanda, this isn't the best way to get Hannah's attention," Akko laughed.

"Shut up, she's coming!" Amanda grumbled as she saw Hannah walking towards them.

"Akko, you're back," Hannah greeted her.

Akko turned around and gave her a gentle wave.

"Yep, I'm back. At least someone seems happy to see me," she muttered, throwing serious shade at her fox friend. Amanda rolled her eyes in response.

"If you're back, that means Diana is too. Have you seen her?" she asked.

'Annnnd there's the real reason why she's talking to me...' Akko thought bitterly.

"She's heading up to her dorm. I mean, I think she is. She might be heading to the library first. She said she needed a book on Rune Stones or something."

"Alright then," Hannah nodded and then noticed the fluffy creature sitting next to Akko. "Is that... is that you, Amanda?"

Amanda gave her a toothy grin. "Damn, I'm impressed! You're getting good at this!"

"Well, you are the only fox I've seen on campus," Hannah pointed out.

"What? No way! There's tons of foxes out here! You just gotta know where to look for them," Amanda smiled, shifting to her human form. "Maybe you could, I don't know... go with me to look for some? Some time? Maybe?"

"Real smooth," Akko whispered sarcastically in her ear and Amanda roughly elbowed her while still smiling at Hannah.

"Yeah? I'd love to! Let me know when we're going," Hannah smiled and walked away.

Akko stared at the American who's blush could be seen a mile away.

"Remind me to never ask for flirting advice from you," Akko snickered.

"Like you could do better," Amanda retorted. "Speaking of love, how did your little date thingy go with Diana this weekend?"

Akko rolled her eyes. "First, it wasn't a date. It was a school retrieval mission for one of the teachers. There was nothing romantic about it."

"Yeesh, now you're starting to sound like her," Amanda scoffed.

Akko ignored that statement. "Second, I had a really nice time. I kind of wish it wasn't over."

Amanda grinned and threw an arm around her friend. "Come on, Akko. I know you're hiding something. I know something had to have went down between you two!"

"Sadly, nothing went down," Akko muttered.

"Ugh, when is Cavendish gonna make a move?! Or more importantly, when are you gonna make a move? You gotta tell me your game plan ahead of time before you go out and do it and screw something up."

Akko shook her head. "I'm not."

Amanda took a step back and gawked at her. "Excuse me? What do you mean you're not?!"

Akko shrugged. "I'm not gonna make a move because I have no idea what she feels for me. I'm not gonna ruin the friendship we have. We're closer now than ever before, I don't wanna ruin that. Now if by the strange odds that she actually does have feelings for me and makes a move, then I'll tell her my feelings too."

Amanda's eye twitched. "I can't fucking take it with you two anymore, I swear to the nine!"

"What?" Akko frowned.

"Open your eyes, Akko! She likes you way more than a friend! She probably wants to make sweet love to you every single goddamn time you and her are together! Everyone knows it, everyone sees it, so why is it that you're the only one who can't?!"

Akko's jaw dropped. Her face turned red from embarrassment and anger.

"W-well, it's not like you're any different! You're always talking about Hannah and how much you wish you two were together! You've liked each other for who knows how long and both of you act like one doesn't like the other! She likes you, you idiot! Everyone knows it, everyone sees it, so why is it that you're the only one who can't?!" Akko used Amanda's words against her.

"Don't pin this on me!" Amanda snarled.

"Tell me I'm wrong then and I'll take it back!" Akko hissed.

Amanda opened up her mouth but then closed it. Akko was right. They were both right about each other.

"You're not," she sighed. "But I'm not wrong either and you know it."

Akko pouted and crossed her arms. "Yeah, I know."

"I know how much you like her, even though I have no idea why. I... just want to see you happy. You deserve happiness, Akko," Amanda murmured.

She wasn't a very sentimental person and Akko knew that. Amanda was always good when it came to listening, as far-fetched as that may seem. But when it came down to the emotional sentiments, she often found herself not knowing what to do or say.

"I want that for you too," Akko smiled, hugging her friend.

Amanda hugged her back and when they broke free, her face lit up.

"Maybe the two of us don't have to be useless lesbians anymore," she beamed.

"How so?"

"We can be each other's wing-man! Well, wing-woman. With the two of us working together, we'll get with our crushes in no time!" Amanda suggested.

It didn't sound like a bad idea. As long as Amanda didn't cross any boundaries.

"I'll agree to this on one condition: No mentioning any sexual fantasies or sexual anything of mine to Diana."

Amanda groaned loudly. "Aw, come on! I really wanna see how red her face can get! Plus, that might get things heated between you two a lot faster!"

"Amanda," Akko warned.

"Okay, okay, fine! But this might take a little longer than I intended,"  she grumbled.

"That's fine. If anyone's gonna talk to her about my sexual side, it's gonna be me!" Akko proclaimed proudly and then realized she probably shouldn't have said that.

"Yeah, if you ever find the guts to tell her," Amanda snorted.

"Uh, I need to get to Croix's to drop her stuff off," Akko changed the subject.

Amanda placed her arms behind her head. "Cool. Welp, I'm gonna go help Constanze out with a project she's working on, then maybe go harass Diana later."

"Remember what I told you, no mentioning-" Akko yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Amanda cut her off and walked away.

Akko waved goodbye and headed to Croix's quarters. Croix actually lived in the dungeon, not because she was forced to, but because she wanted to. She claimed there was plenty of space for her to perform mechanical experiments from time to time. Plus, there was an underground tunnel Croix made for Constanze whenever the two were working on a mechanical project. They mostly did their projects in Constanze's secret tech room since all of the equipment they could possibly need was there, but occasionally they would do work in Croix's room.

Akko approached the end of the hall and raised her hand to knock at the door. Before she could, she heard strange noises coming from within. She pressed her ear to the door, only to be met with creaking and shuffling sounds. Perhaps Croix was working on a new project? Akko shrugged and knocked on the door loudly three times. She heard Croix say something from inside that she couldn't make out and could have sworn she heard her trip on her way to the door. Slowly opening the door, Akko looked up at her teal-eyed professor who's hair was disheveled and clothes that were wrinkled. Croix looked surprised to see Akko.

"A-Akko? You're back from the mission already?" she asked.

"Yep! Diana had the Mistletoe and Yellow Wolfsbane at her house which saved us a bunch of time and then we found the Wormwood in Arcturus Forest like you said we would," Akko grinned.

"I see," Croix muttered, pressing her lips together. "So I can assume you have the ingredients with you?"

"That's right," Akko nodded. "But uh, what were you doing in there, Professor?"

Croix blinked at her and bit her lip. "I was doing something that required my utmost attention and concentration."

"Oh cool! What is it you're working on?" Akko asked curiously.

"Akko, the ingredients," Croix responded impatiently.

"Oh yeah," Akko said, handing Croix the bag of ingredients.

"Thank you. I will get started on the potion again right away and let you know of the results," Croix said in a hurry and started to shut her door.

Akko stopped her before the door could completely shut. "Hang on a minute, Sensei. There's something I should probably tell you."

Croix nodded.

"Well, when I was with Diana this weekend, um... I kinda forgot to bring my phase control potion."

Croix blinked at her. "You did what?!"

"Gomen, gomen! I thought I grabbed the right potion, but I didn't!" Akko cried.

Croix sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I likely know the answer to this, but does Diana know your secret now?"

"Yeah, she does," Akko lamented.

"Akko, that is very irresponsible of you! I know you hate taking that potion, but it's for your own good. You only have to use it for a little while longer, so please be more responsible next time."

"I understand. I'm sorry, Croix," Akko said sadly.

Croix then gave her a light smile. "I do appreciate your honesty and taking the responsibility to tell me, so I thank you for that. I'm actually surprised Diana hasn't come to me about it yet."

"Well, she did promise not to tell anyone and Diana Cavendish never breaks a promise," Akko grinned.

"I'm aware," Croix chuckled. "However I still think it's unwise for her to know about it. No student here is supposed to know and sadly, that includes Miss. Cavendish. The next time I see her, I'll perform a mind altering spell and she won't remember anything about you being a werewolf."

"No! You can't do that!" Akko shrieked loudly.

"And why is that?" Croix asked, feeling quite startled.

"Because! I don't have anyone to talk to about this except for you and Chariot! I love you both, and I mean no offense, but I need someone my age to talk to about this! It's killing me having to hide this stupid secret from everyone, my friends especially!" Akko exclaimed.

Croix sighed. "I understand, Akko, but you know the rules. When you graduate, you're more than welcome to tell whomever you like, even though that would be a rather foolish decision on your part."

"Well, let Diana be the exception!" Akko demanded.

"You know I can't do that as much as I wish I could," Croix said miserably.

"You have to! She's the only one who's interacted with my wolf form and kept me docile! Please, Croix! I don't have anyone else who can do that!" Akko pleaded.

Croix's eyes went wide. "Explain."

"I... I don't know, she just did! According to her, I didn't want to leave her side and I kept wagging my tail. I guess I was friendly towards her? And that's another thing I wanted to talk to you about! Why is it I'm all calm and puppy Akko around her, but around anyone else who sees me, I'm an aggressive monster?"

Croix looked like she was at a loss for words.

"Who would have thought... I mean you're both young, but certainly old enough. I suppose that it's not impossible, but it's just so unlikely to have happened this soon," Croix murmured.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Akko asked slowly.

Croix scratched her neck. "Would you like to come in, Akko? This might take a while to explain."

"Okay then."

Her teacher moved out of the way so she could enter. Croix's room was much more organized and clean considering it was technically a room in the dungeon. Well, it wasn't organized, but it wasn't exactly messy either. Croix had a lot of things in her room, including several empty ramen noodle cups on her dining table. There were several tools laying around as well, but what caught Akko's attention immediately was Chariot laying on the couch with a giant purple blanket over her body. Chariot awkwardly made eye contact with her and then snapped her head and stared at Croix with an aggravated expression on her face. Croix shrugged and grimaced.

"Professor Chariot! What are you doing here?" Akko asked.

Chariot coughed and looked away. "I was... helping Croix with a project of hers."

"Ah, I see. We all need help sometimes, even Croix," Akko grinned.

"Yes, even Croix," Chariot glared at the lilac-haired witch. "So, what's this all about."

"Chariot, I believe Akko has imprinted on Diana," Croix cut to the chase.

Chariot gasped. "What? How can you be so sure?"

"After what Akko has just told me, I'm almost positive that she imprinted."

"Hold up, time out," Akko chimed in before Croix could say something else. "What in the nine is imprinting and how do you two know about it?"

The two older witches blushed and avoided Akko's gaze.

"Akko, I know I promised to not keep things from you anymore, but there is one last thing I haven't revealed to you and I really hadn't planned on doing so. At least, not this soon," Chariot said shyly.

"What is it?" Akko asked.

"I'm just like you. I'm a werewolf as well," Chariot smiled sheepishly.

The statement hit Akko like a brick. Chariot, her childhood idol and favorite professor, is a werewolf just like her. She was in the presence of another werewolf, another witch werewolf. Akko couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe that it was Chariot of all people. It was amazing, but unbelievable.

"You're a werewolf too?!" Akko asked, her voice raised an octave.

"Yes, Akko. I am," Chariot nodded. "I've kept it a secret from everyone all these years, everyone except for a few select individuals required to know and Croix. The only reason why she knows about it is...Croix, can you explain?"

"Don't make me explain! This is your area of expertise!" Croix defended.

"Oh, don't give me that! You know just as much as I do!" Chariot snapped back.

"I don't care who tells me," Akko raised her voice slightly. "Somebody just do it already!"

"Very well. If Chariot won't, I suppose I will," Croix grumbled irritated. "To put it simply, the reason why I know about Chariot's secret is because she imprinted on me. And before you ask, Akko, I will first explain what imprinting-"

"Actually, maybe I can explain it," Chariot cut her off.

"Oh so now you wanna talk?" Croix smirked.

"Shut your trap, Croix," Chariot blushed. "Anyway, imprinting is, well, basically when a werewolf finds their soulmate. It can only happen once and can happen in either your human or wolf form. It starts off feeling like a crush, but when you meet your soulmate for the first time in your wolf form, you'll instinctively know that they're your soulmate and you'll act very docile and submissive. It creates an unbreakable bond for both sides."

"Well that explains a lot," Akko murmured and then shook her head. "But Diana isn't my soulmate."

"Why not?" Croix questioned.

"She... can't be. Were both so different. She's a Cavendish, everyone's heard of her. And I'm just Akko, I'm a nobody. I would bring nothing but shame to her family name if we turned out to be soulmates," Akko explained sadly.

"Oh, Akko," Chariot frowned.

"Chariot and I are both polar opposites too and yet we're soulmates. It just took a lot of time and pain for us to realize it," Croix said softly.

"Yeah, but you two are obviously meant to be together. Diana and I? We were rivals from the beginning and it's taken this long for us to become friends. I'm happy with what we have right now and even though I'd want nothing more than to be in a relationship with her, I know I can't. I'm not gonna ruin her life like that," Akko said, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Croix placed a hand on Akko's shoulder. "You're not going to ruin her life, Akko. You'll only ruin her life if you push her out of yours. There are dire consequences for werewolves and imprintees alike who push away their soulmate."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, I knew that Chariot had imprinted on me even after we stopped talking to each other. I pushed her away because I was bitter for not being chosen by the Shiny Rod. But by doing so, I grew depressed and angry at everything. Anything and everything set me off. I developed withdrawals of sorts for being away from her for so long and I grew suicidal at one point, never realizing the cause of it. I hadn't realized that I had also deeply hurt her by pushing her away," Croix explained darkly, clearly not wanting to re-open old wounds.

"I was greatly affected when Croix pushed me out of her life," Chariot spoke up. "I almost took my life several times in my wolf form for not being able to be with or near Croix. Some days I would wake up at the bottom of a cliff, barely alive and not knowing how I got there. I came to the conclusion that I had attempted to kill myself in my wolf form for not being able to be with my soulmate. The inner turmoil and sorrow my wolf form felt was too much to bear. Keep in mind, this was years after Croix and I parted ways, so you won't be affected that way any time soon. But don't get me wrong, it's a very serious matter, Akko. You can't push Diana away or it will affect you both severely."

"Oh," is all Akko can say.

"Don't let this scare you though," Chariot smiled warmly. "Imprinting is a wonderful thing and I am very happy that you have found your soulmate. Not a lot of humans or witches can say the same. Even though being a werewolf is a curse, it has its blessings too."

"How am I even supposed to approach her on this? I don't want to freak her out," Akko frowned.

"Neither of us can tell you when the time is right, but we know you'll find a way. If anything, let it happen naturally. That may be for the best. Just be yourself," Croix suggested.

"I can't be myself. Letting things happen naturally for me usually ends up with me blurting something out and then embarrassing the hell out of myself," Akko pouted.

"If that's how it happens, let it be. Diana will understand. She's your soulmate after all," Chariot said with a chuckle.

"I guess I'll figure it out. Thanks for the talk, you guys. I think I should get back to my dorm before I break curfew."

"That would be wise," the two witches responded simultaneously.

"Oh and Akko," Croix said before Akko could leave. "Now that I have the ingredients, expect the potion to be ready before the end of the month."

Akko smiled. "Thank you, Professor Croix."

Chapter Text

Something had awoken Akko from sleep. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She checked her clock which said it was close to midnight. She didn't know why she woke up so suddenly. There were no loud noises or bad dreams that could rouse her, it was simply a random occurrence. She looked around her room. She could hear Lotte snoring softly above her and Sucy seemed to be asleep as well. Something inside her didn't feel quite right. It was a feeling of uncertainty and anxiousness, but what was there to be uncertain or anxious about? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't stay in that bed and try to go back to sleep.

She felt a tug on her heart and spirit, like something or rather someone was yearning for her to leave her dorm. She couldn't ignore this strong feeling, so she got dressed and quietly left her dorm making sure she didn't wake her two sleeping roommates. She didn't know where she was going, she just started walking in a certain direction. It looked like she was heading in the direction of the library. That was odd, considering Akko never willingly went to the library. In this case, she didn't care. She just knew she had to be there for some reason.

And almost instantly, there she was in the center of the library. The candles had been blown out for the night and nobody was around, not even the nightly pixies who made sure no stray students lurked in the library after curfew. The only light that dimly lit up the library came from the almost full moon that shone through the stained glass windows. If it weren't for said light, there was no way Akko could have seen the figure in the distance sitting at one of the tables. The figure was obviously female, for her slender frame and long hair was visible. Akko wanted a closer look, but would be taking a risk by doing so since it could be a teacher or student on their nightly patrol. But what would someone be doing in the library at a time like this? To be fair, the same question would apply to Akko as well since she had no business being there at midnight... or at all.

She slowly walked towards whoever was sitting at the table and she instantly recognized the tea-green and blonde hair as she got closer. Why would Diana be here at such a late time? Although it wasn't uncommon for the British witch to be in the library after it closed for the night, it was practically unheard of for her to be there this late at night. And even more peculiar, she didn't have so much as a book or parchments in front of her on the table as one would expect. She had a calm expression on her face and her eyes looked up to meet Akko's. There was something about the way those practically glowing blue eyes looked at her that seemed... seductive.

She then rose from her seat and started to fast-walk to Akko. Akko noticed the first detail about her that rose a major red flag: Diana was in her pink nightgown, something she would never even consider wearing outside of the privacy of her bedroom or bathroom, let alone in front of Akko.

"Diana, what are you-" she had begun to say but was stopped with an aggressive kiss from the taller girl.

Akko couldn't help but to melt from the inside-out and kiss her back for a split second, because those lips felt oh so magical. But she knew what was happening didn't feel right. She was thrilled that it was happening, make no mistake. She just needed an explanation for it first.

"Woah-hey-slow down-Diana!" Akko whimpered between kisses and finally pushed her off.

Diana stared at her all of three seconds and kissed her again before Akko could get a word in. It took all of Akko's strength to push her off a second time, for it was extremely tempting to just let Diana do what she wanted and transport them both into a state of ecstasy. Diana must have been under a spell or something. Maybe another love bee had escaped and stung her, or maybe they were both the victims of some cruel joke from someone slipping a love (more of a lust) potion in Diana's nightly cup of tea. Whatever the reason, Akko was determined to find the answer before and if they were to continue to do something more scandalous than kissing in the library.

"Is this not what you want?" Diana panted.

"No, not like this!" Akko shook her head.

Diana placed her knee in between Akko's, eliciting an erotic groan from her.  "Hm, but your body says otherwise~"

"I d-don't care what my body says, tell me why your doing it!" Akko pleaded.

Diana placed a gentle yet firm hand under Akko's chin and then bit her lip. "Because I'm madly in love with you. Face the music, Atsuko, we're soulmates. And I know you've been wanting this just as long as I have. Besides, don't you just love the way my knee feels lodged in between your legs like that, beautiful? You can take me for a ride if you wish.~"

Now Akko was certain of a few things. Firstly, she was very aroused and wanted to continue, but she knew something was very wrong with Diana. Secondly, Diana hated the phrase 'face the music' because it was a phrase Akko and Amanda had used way too often, so her saying it made no sense. Thirdly, Akko knew for a fact that Diana didn't talk this way. Hell, the girl would turn red at the slightest sexual suggestion or touch that had any remotely intimate intentions so for her to be saying such things made no sense either. And then it finally hit Akko. This wasn't the real Diana, this was a figment of a fantasy her mind had dreamed up. She was still asleep.

Akko gasped and sat upright in bed. She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heart that was beating faster than it ever had before. She felt hot, but nothing compared to her lower region that was burning as if it were on fire. She quickly glanced at her alarm clock and saw that it was not midnight, but in fact seven in the morning. If that was true, then that meant that Sucy and Lotte-

"Are you okay down there, Akko?" Lotte asked sleepily from her bed above.

"W-who, me?!" Akko stuttered.

"Who else would she be asking, stupid," Sucy sneered from her bed.

"I'm fine! All good! Never better!" Akko exclaimed.

"It seems so. Sounded like you had an interesting dream over there," Sucy snickered. "What did Diana do to you in that dream that made you moan like that?"

"Sucy!" Lotte snapped.

"What? You heard her make those sounds too," Sucy hissed.

"I did what?! And how do you know it was Diana I was dreaming about?!" Akko shrieked.

"Pipe down," Sucy grumbled. "And the reason is because of that one thing you told me when you were under my truth spell."

She knew Sucy would never let her hear the end of that confession. Lotte knew as well, naturally, but she never bothered Akko about it like Sucy did.

"Kuso, I forgot about that," Akko whispered.

"Also, uh, you kept saying her name in a really weird way," Lotte blushed. "But we're not assuming anything Akko! Maybe it was a bad dream!"

"If by bad you mean sexual, then yeah," Sucy muttered, putting on her school clothes.

Akko groaned and plopped back down in bed. "What's wrong with me? I feel so dirty! I've never had a dream like that before!"

"That's oddly surprising," Sucy snickered.

Lotte hopped down from her bed and sat down next to her flustered friend.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Akko. All of us have dreams like that once in a while. Sucy too, I'm sure," Lotte said reassuringly.

"My dreams are nothing like the two of your innocent fantasies just so you know," Sucy deadpanned.

"Yeah, I bet you dream about messing around with mushroom-mutant people or something weird like that," Akko laughed.

"I will neither confirm nor deny that," Sucy rolled her eyes, a small blush appearing on her face. "Well, I'm gonna leave now. Also, thank you for being my test subject before you woke up, Akko. The results were promising."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Akko shouted at her, but it was too late because Sucy had already left.

Akko huffed and crossed her arms.

"Sorry if you're mad. If I had known she was performing an experiment on you while you were sleeping, I wouldn't have let her. You know that, right?" Lotte asked.

"Yeah I know. I'm not mad at her because she did it. I'm mad because she didn't tell me what she did," Akko grumbled.

"I'm sure it was something harmless. Come on, let's get breakfast before the lines get too long," Lotte smiled.

Hash browns and sweet potato hotcakes were on the menu for that morning. While Akko (and everyone really) was tired of potato dishes for almost every meal, she found herself excited for them for once. She craved them that morning for some strange reason. She took a seat at an empty table and began to dig in. The taste was not nearly salty enough in her opinion. She grabbed the table salt and poured a hefty amount before taking another bite. It still wasn't salty enough even though she poured a lot. As an experiment, she placed about a tablespoon of salt right in the palm of her hand and licked it off, but didn't taste even a hint of saltiness. She simply shrugged and continued to eat.

While she was finishing one of her hotcakes, she overheard Diana and surprisingly Amanda arguing over something at a few tables away. Akko whispered the eavesdrop spell 'Sana Augendae' and listened intently to the conversation.

"That is absurd, O'Neill! I don't even know what a-a furling is!" Diana said shrilly.

"Okay, it's not called that. It's called a furry and yes you totally are one. Now you just gotta see if Akko's into that," Amanda laughed.

"Akko?! Why would I... you know what? I don't know why I even came to you about that stupid dream in the first place since you obviously are only interested in other topics," Diana hissed, getting up to move.

"No, no, don't go! Unless you're going to sit with Akko, don't go! We can still talk about the dream!" Amanda tried to get Diana to sit back down.

"Good day, Amanda," Diana grumbled, walking away.

Akko quickly murmured a counter spell and her hearing returned to normal. Diana actually hadn't planned on sitting next to Akko, but when Akko invited her to sit down with her, she couldn't refuse. Especially not after she gave her that bright smile.

"Good morning, Akko. How is your foot? Is it better?" Diana asked formally.

"It's feeling great, especially after that healing spell you performed on it yesterday morning!" Akko grinned.

"That is good to hear," Diana smiled back. "Did Croix receive the ingredients yet? I warned you that the Wolfsbane would wilt if you didn't get it to her soon enough."

"I did," Akko confirmed. "I also have some tea to spill on Chariot and Croix."

Diana looked at her strangely. "Tea?"

"Yeah you know, gossip!" Akko said.

"Right, of course. Then do spill the tea, Akko," Diana said amused.

"Okay, so did you know that Chariot and Croix are together? Like, together-together? Like a couple?" Akko asked, folding her hands.

"It was pretty obvious. Only a dullard would not be able to see that," Diana chuckled.

"Oh yeah, totally! Everyone knew," Akko agreed. "But I also found out something about Chariot. It's a huge secret, so no telling anyone."

"I am a girl of my word, Akko. I won't tell a soul."

Akko beckoned Diana to lean forward and she did.

"Chariot's a werewolf like me," Akko whispered.

Diana's eyes went wide. "Are you certain of that?"

"Positive," Akko nodded. "I didn't believe it at first, but apparently it's true."

"That makes sense. This entire ingredient mission makes sense now as well. Of course Croix wouldn't have you try out a potion that has never been tested before. She would have Chariot test the potion before you in case it wasn't safe," Diana pondered aloud.

"Oh you're right, I didn't think of that."

"Well, I'm glad your not Croix's test bunny," Diana sighed contently.

"Don't you mean guinea pig?" Akko asked confused.

"Is it not bunny? Hm, I'll have to tell Barbara she must have heard that expression wrong," Diana said to herself. "But yes. You already put up enough from that mushroom adoring friend of yours."

"Sucy's experiments aren't that bad... sometimes," Akko admitted.

"It still doesn't make it right."

"So uh, what were you and Amanda fighting about?" Akko asked casually, shoving more food into her mouth.

"Something stupid," Diana sighed. "I just had a rather strange dream last night and thought she might be of help since she had taken a course on dream interpretation."

"A dream, huh," Akko gulped nervously. "You didn't happen to be in the school library in that dream did you?"

Diana stared at her dumbfounded. "As a matter of fact, I was. How did you know?"

It had to be a coincidence. There was no possibility that after only a day of finding out that the two were soulmates, they are now having the same dreams as each other. Akko would definitely question Croix and Chariot on that subject at a later time.

"I-I didn't," Akko panicked. "I just assumed that would be something you would dream about since you constantly go there!"

"I still find it odd that you knew though... did you happen to-" Diana started to say but stopped mid sentence and noticed something off about Akko. "Akko, your mouth."

Akko touched her lips and saw the white foam on her fingers. Her mouth was foaming like she was a rabid dog. She felt her heart skip a beat because she knew exactly what this meant. Somehow, sometime recently, she had consumed Mistletoe. And though she missed it earlier, not being able to taste salt is the very first symptom. How did she not realize it sooner?

"Kuso. Diana, please don't freak out, but I need you to take me to the medical ward right away," Akko instructed calmly, spitting some foam into a napkin.

"Why, what's wrong?" Diana asked, growing concerned.

Akko felt her stomach start to knot and gurgle. That was another symptom that told her she consumed Mistletoe. She knew severe stomach pains were next. She would be in danger soon if she wasn't treated.

"Diana, we need to go now," Akko got up, grabbing her hand.

"You need to tell me what's going on!" Diana exclaimed as they rushed out of the cafeteria.

"I don't know if you know or not, but Mistletoe is extremely toxic to werewolves and I'm pretty sure I consumed some. If I did, then I'm in danger," Akko explained quickly.

"What?" Diana gasped.

Chapter Text

Akko had been to the medical ward more times than she could count. Most of her visits were due to her falling off of her broom mid-flight or on occasion failed to perform a spell properly and it backfired on her. There was even an occasion when her and Amanda had exploded one of the school's toilets and a shard of porcelain had impaled her gut from the blast. She had to receive treatment for at least two weeks. That, and a months worth of detention with Amanda. But this situation was different. For once, this wasn't her fault as far as she knew. And this time, she had Diana with her right by her side.

Madam Wong sighed as she once again saw Akko for the fourth time that month. She wasn't surprised anymore whenever Akko showed up. Out of all the students at Luna Nova, no one attracted danger quite like Akko did, not even Chariot back when she was a student. Akko kept the nurse busy, that's for sure. When Akko came with Diana escorting her this time however, Madam Wong was admittedly surprised. Typically it was Lotte, Amanda, or Jasminka who helped Akko to the medical ward whenever she was injured. Seeing Diana with her instead was rather unusual.

"Tell me what happened this time," Madam Wong huffed.

Akko shrugged. "Well, I uh, consumed Mistletoe somehow. I don't know how."

"Miss. Cavendish? Perhaps you can shed some light as to what happened?"

"I'm afraid I cannot explain it any better than Akko, ma'am," Diana shook her head.

"Alright then. Come dear, I'll take you to your room," Madam Wong said to Akko.

The two followed her to an empty room with a cot already prepared. Akko liked to think it was her own personal cot since no one else used it when they were admitted. The blankets and pillows were slightly softer on this cot than the rest, or at least that's what Akko thought.

Madam Wong excused herself so she could gather her spell book and create a potion to help counter the affects of the Mistletoe. Akko wasn't the first or the last werewolf on campus to be poisoned by Mistletoe, so this wasn't a new situation for the old nurse. Akko lay on the bed and placed her hand on her stomach, hoping that it would some how appease the pain and gurgle sounds her stomach had started to make. Diana took a seat on the edge of the cot and looked at Akko with pity.

"You have your own room here?" Diana asked to hopefully lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I get hurt a lot," Akko scoffed.

"You don't say," Diana chuckled. "I think I've only been admitted here once."

"When was that?"

In reality, Diana had never been admitted into the medical ward; she just wanted Akko to think she related to her in that sense. She was not clumsy or prone to disaster unlike Akko. She also had a relatively strong immune system, so whenever a flu pandemic broke out at the school, she was one of the few students who didn't catch it. She took pride in that to a certain extent, but she also felt a little guilty that everyone else would get sick and hurt and no harm ever really came to her.

"If I can recall, it was my first year and I tripped on a book in my room. I broke my nose."

Akko laughed softly. "I can't see that happening, honestly.

Diana tilted her head to the side slightly. "Why so? I get injured sometimes too, you know."

"You're too careful to mess up like that. The way you walk... you're always so graceful and always look ahead to make sure there's no obstacles in your path. I've noticed that about you for a while now," Akko smiled warmly.

"W-well, how do you know I wasn't in the dark when it happened?"

Akko shook her head and continued to smile. "You're not careless either. Someone like me would make a mistake like that, but you? No, I just can't see it. I also can't see a book being on the floor and not on your bookshelf in that neat and tidy room of yours."

She did have a point there. Diana would almost go so far as to consider it sinful for a book to be carelessly laying around on the floor. Books belonged either on a bookshelf or on a desk. There were no exceptions in her opinion.

"I... never realized how observant you were of me. If only you were this observant in your classes, Akko," Diana grinned.

"Yeah, but my classes don't interest me. You do," Akko countered.

Diana blushed. How could she respond to that?

"I interest you?"

Madam Wong suddenly entered the room. "Akko, I need you to disrobe, and Diana, I need you to step out of the room."

"She can stay," Akko murmured. "Only if she wants to though."

Diana smiled weakly and placed a hand on Akko's arm. "It's alright, Akko. I won't be far."

Once Diana had left the room, Madam Wong began her analysis. Akko had no clue what she was doing with her wand, but her eyes were shut and she was chanting what sounded like nonsense. Akko more or less knew the gist of basic medicine since she had several family members who were nurses or doctors, but magical medical practices were far from her area of knowledge. The chanting went on for about five minutes and Akko felt her stomach pains lessen and lessen. The pain never fully went away, but it became more bearable. After what seemed like hours, Madam Wong finally opened her eyes.

"Oh dear," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Akko asked slowly.

"It appears that a lust potion is in your system, so that is likely where the Mistletoe came from. Mistletoe is always used in small amounts in love or lust potions since it is still toxic to humans if too much enters the body. A small amount wouldn't hurt a human. However for a werewolf such as yourself, even so much as a leaf from Mistletoe can cause great damage."

"A lust potion?! B-but I didn't take one! Aren't they against school rules to create anyway?"

Madam Wong raised a brow at her. "You are correct, Miss. Kagari. Although I know you have a tendency for breaking the rules, so something like a lust potion wouldn't be outside the realm of something you would try to take or produce."

"I didn't do it though! I didn't even know I consumed it! I don't know anyone who would have given me one either," Akko groaned. "Unless... Sucy."

It had dawned upon her that Sucy was the likely culprit. She didn't know for sure, but it was a fair assumption given the history between the two and the suspicious comment she had made earlier that morning.

"Pardon?" Madam Wong asked.

"I don't know who did it, but I think I know someone who does," Akko sighed, almost positive that it was Sucy.

"Who is it then?"

"Sucy. I'm not accusing her, but I'm suggesting you have her come visit me so I can find out who did it," Akko explained.

"Aright, I will fetch Miss. Manbavaran once her class is over. In the mean time, I need you to take this," Madam Wong instructed, handing Akko a vial of purple liquid.

Akko sniffed it and gagged. "Yuck, what is this?"

"It is going to counter the toxins of the Mistletoe in your body. Since that would be a painful process if you were awake, it is also a sedative. You will only be asleep for about an hour so the potion can work its magic. However I warn you, when you awake, you will likely be in pain. It will be bearable, but uncomfortable. You need to inform me right away if it becomes too painful," The nurse explained calmly.

"So I have to take this right now?" Akko complained.

"Preferably, yes," the nurse confirmed.

"How soon will I fall asleep?"

"About thirty seconds after you consume it."

Akko blinked. "Oh yikes, so right away then."

"Indeed. I suggest you do it right away before your symptoms worsen."

"Okay," Akko said uneasily, drinking the entire vial up to the very last drop. The potion was extremely bitter and almost made her spit it out.

"Do you want Miss. Cavendish to remain here with you, or shall I send her to her class?"

"Ask her what she wants. If she decides to stay or go, it's up to her," Akko said, already starting to feel drowsy.

"Very well then. Try to relax, Akko. The hour will be over sooner than you know it," Madam Wong smiled reassuringly.

And Akko did. Just as fast as she fell asleep, her eyes slowly fluttered open and she squinted, blinded by the bright lights from the room. She didn't feel like she was asleep at all. It felt more like she let her eyes rest for a few seconds like she does in most her classes, but the clock on the wall in her room confirmed that it had been exactly an hour since she took the potion. She looked around and was surprised to see Sucy and not Diana sitting in one of the chairs next to the cot. Sucy was reading a book on different Asian Mushrooms.

"Sucy?" Akko whispered.

"Oh hey," Sucy said, looking up from her book. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

Akko felt a sharp pain in her gut and winced. "I wouldn't say that."

"Listen, I'm gonna make this short. You know I'm not good with apologies anyway," Sucy said as nicely as she could. "I'm... sorry about the lust potion. Had I known werewolves were like, deathly allergic to Mistletoe, I never would have used the potion on you since it could have really hurt or even kill you."

Akko frowned. "So now you know I'm a werewolf?"

"Don't act dumb, I always knew," Sucy laughed slyly. "I just didn't know much about werewolves, hence the whole Mistletoe issue."

"Ha, I'm surprised you didn't know, you being a master of potions and all," Akko teased.

Sucy rolled her eyes. "You may be right about that, but cut me some slack. You could have always told me you were a werewolf in the first place and explain what substances not to give to you. Speaking of which, are there any other plants out there that could potentially kill you?"

As far as Akko knew, Mistletoe was the only plant that could put a werewolf in a life-threatening situation. Interestingly, there were a handful of plants that would be harmless for her if she consumed it but could kill a human, such as Nightshade, but Sucy didn't need to know that. It could give her ideas. Akko decided it was best to keep her mouth shut about that information.

 Akko shook her head. "No more plants that I know of."

"I'll do my own research some other time just to be sure. You're not always reliable on information. And it's not like I want you getting hurt like this again," Sucy admitted.

"Why'd you give me the potion in the first place? I'm not really mad, just curious."

"Well, I was testing a new form of dream magic where this potion in particular would cause you and the one you loved to share the same dream. Each of your deepest fears, desires, and fantasies would be revealed in the dream if you let it go on long enough. It could last for hours whereas regular dreams last for a few minutes. I would have tested it on Lotte, but chances are she's in love with one of the characters from Nightfall, so she wouldn't have been a good test subject since her lover isn't real. I already knew you were in love, so you were a perfect candidate." Sucy explained.

"Wow, okay then," Akko grumbled.

"Speaking of, your girlfriend was furious when she found out I was responsible for the Mistletoe poisoning. She looked like she was ready to hex me in a thousand different ways. Actually, she may have. I need to de-hex myself sometime later," Sucy said, clearly still irritated from the hassle.

"Diana's not my girlfriend!" Akko shrieked, her voice cracking slightly.

"You keep telling yourself that," Sucy said sarcastically. "Listen, I need to go back to class. Madam Wong only let me stay until you woke up so I could explain about the potion. She already said you'll be spending the night here, so Lotte will bring you a spare change of clothes."

"Do you know if Diana went back to her class?" Akko asked quietly.

"I dunno, she probably did. Don't be surprised if she shows up later though," Sucy smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow, Akko. Also, I promise you won't be my test subject for at least a month. I owe you that much. Plus, Lotte made me mad about something earlier, so she'll be taking your spot for the next month."

"Nothing against Lotte, but can we make it two months?" Akko grinned.

Sucy pinched Akko's cheek and smiled. "Don't push your luck."

Chapter Text

The rest of the day was pretty miserable for Akko in the medical ward. There weren't any books besides anatomy books that didn't interest her in the slightest or any form of technology to keep her mind occupied while she lay in bed. Madam Wong instructed her to rest for the day and to keep the lights dimly lit since a side affect from the potion caused the eyes to be sensitive to light. To make matters worse, she couldn't eat anything until the next day since it could mess with the potion while it was still in her system. And eating was one of her favorite things. It was absolutely torturous when her sensitive nose caught whiffs of the beef stew they were serving for lunch that afternoon, and it didn't help when Madam Wong entered the ward with a portion of her own, briefly passing by Akko's room and Akko could see the delectable meal her nurse was having and not her. She felt like a dog who hadn't been fed in days, even though she had breakfast a few hours prior. She'd only have to wait twenty four hours till she could eat to her heart's content, but it would feel a lot more like twenty four years knowing how slow the time seemed to pass by.

The late evening took a turn for the better. Amanda was her first visitor, handing her a get well soon note from herself and the rest of the green team. They had a quick chat about how Amanda and Hannah had looked around the campus together for foxes like they had planned to do when they had free time. After a while of searching, they actually ended up finding a den of fox kits. The baby foxes mistook Amanda for their mother for Amanda was in her fox form at the time and wouldn't stop following her until she transformed back into her human form. Hannah found it adorable the way the little foxes followed her around. She also ended up kissing Amanda on the cheek after she got chased away by their actual mother. That was Amanda's favorite part about the whole experience, even though Hannah likely did that out of pity. However, Amanda got a nasty bite to the ankle from the mother fox, so a peck on the cheek was very much deserved.

Her second visitor was Jasminka, surprisingly. Jasminka had brought her a bunch of goodies she stashed away in her snack pile back in her dorm. Sadly for Akko, Jasminka ended up keeping the snacks and taking them back after being scolded by Madam Wong not to feed Akko. It wasn't that big of an issue. Akko would just have to be patient and wait for the next day. Unfortunately, patience was not a good virtue of hers.

Her third visitor was Lotte who brought her another get well soon note as well as her homework and a change of clothes. She nearly tackled Lotte with a hug when she saw that Lotte also brought her a book to read in case she got bored. Lotte had never seen Akko so excited to read a book in her life. It made her smile regardless.

At first glance, Akko didn't seem like the kind of person who read much. She actually did enjoy reading, but it was never on the top of her list of hobbies. Diana was the one who had actually got her into reading. It was one of her favorite things to do, so naturally, Akko wanted to get into it too. She was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining books could be. Especially when she found out that certain books were filled to the brim with sexual scenes and chapters. Though erotica's didn't interest Diana too much, she was ashamed to admit that she owned a few. Akko most certainly discovered her stash and read every single one of them, without Diana knowing of course. Most of the eroticas she found were lesbian ones to Akko's surprise, but she wasn't complaining. Not at all.

Speaking of Diana, Akko wondered why she hadn't received a visit from her yet. Perhaps she had gotten her hopes up for nothing. Diana was a busy person after all, it wasn't like she always had time for Akko. So all Akko could do was just sit there and watch the clock tick by. It was past visitors hours anyway, so whoever was going to show up would have showed up by now.

Akko shifted uncomfortably in bed as Madam Wong checked her vitals for the nth time that night.

"Is something bothering you, Akko?" The nurse had asked as soon as she finished giving Akko a shot of vitamins.

"Nothing really, just bored," Akko lied.

Madam Wong smiled sympathetically and patted Akko's arm. "It's just for a few more hours, dear."

"I know."

"Well, I'm going to go to my office now. Give me a holler if you need anything."

What Madam Wong meant was that she was going to go to her office and likely fall asleep. Akko knew this, so she decided maybe it was best for her to try to fall asleep too. She could tell it was already dark outside and everyone would have been in their dorms preparing for bed. Akko noticed that Lotte brought her nightwear, so she changed into it before finally dosing off.

The issue was, she couldn't fully fall asleep. It was more of her falling in and out of sleep. The best she could do was simply shut her eyes and hope that she'd eventually fall asleep. She got close, but instantly woke up when she heard her door slowly creak open and heard someone walk in. The candles in her room were long burnt out, but the moonlight that shone through the small window provided some light. She couldn't exactly make out who was in the room. It was probably Madam Wong checking her vitals.

"Aren't you gonna check my vitals or something?" Akko quietly asked the figure who stood in the center of the room.

"I do not necessarily qualify to do so, but I don't suppose I can't," the unmistakable hushed voice of Diana said.

Akko sat upright in bed, not believing her ears. "Diana??"

Diana stepped into the light and gave her a small smile that sent a shiver down Akko's spine. It was a good shiver, and not a new sensation for Diana often made Akko shiver with even the slightest glance or smile.

"Good evening, Akko," she greeted.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here? How are you here? It's like midnight!" Akko said loudly, but not loud enough to wake Madam Wong.

"I wanted to see you. I had planned on visiting you earlier, but I never got the chance to. I can't stay here all night, but I'll stay as long as I can," Diana explained briefly.

"It's way past curfew you know. That means you're breaking the rules," Akko pointed out, still astonished to see her.

"I'm well aware," Diana nodded. "And keep in mind, this isn't something I would normally do, but I thought you could use the company."

Diana was correct. That was likely part of the reason why Akko couldn't fall asleep. She had gotten used to sharing and sleeping in the same room with people, so now her sleeping alone without the assurance and security of having someone in the room felt foreign. She had forgotten how lonely it was to sleep alone.

"I appreciate that," Akko grinned. "I'm a little confused though."

"About what?"

"This isn't the first time I've been in here or spent the night here. Why didn't you ever visit me before in those instances?"

Diana felt offended by that. "I-of course I visited you! I never once let you being injured go unnoticed." 

"In what universe, Cavendish? I would have known and remembered if you came to see me!" Akko retorted.

"Well I did... just not when you were ever awake," Diana admitted quietly.

That had caught Akko's attention. That meant this wasn't the first time Diana had visited her. This also meant she had visited her after curfew in those other situations as well. How many times has this happened before and why was this the first Akko had heard of it?

"Why didn't you just visit me when I was awake?" Akko asked.

A fair point, but Diana didn't want to reveal her true motives for she found Akko to be quite cute whenever she was asleep and enjoyed watching her sleep. "I just so happened to visit you when you were asleep and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Hm, how coincidental," Akko teased.

"So it seems," Diana agreed.

An idea popped into Diana's mind. She wasn't entirely sure how Akko would react to it, but what could go wrong? It didn't hurt in asking.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Diana asked shyly, her face starting to blush slightly.

"You mean in bed?" Akko blushed.

"That is what I intended, yes. Think of this as a do-over for that sleepover that didn't exactly turn out so well. So is it alright if I join you?" Diana smiled.

"Sure, climb in. It's getting kinda cold anyway, so you can keep me warm," Akko grinned.

Diana nodded and took off her shoes before climbing into bed next to her. She was slightly alarmed that it was actually extremely warm in the bed, but then remembered reading somewhere that werewolf body temperatures are much higher than that of a human, almost as much as nine degrees higher. It also made her realize that Akko wasn't cold at all, she just wanted her to lay next to her.

"Sucy had mentioned giving you a potion which was the cause of the Mistletoe potion and aside from any potions relating to werewolves, Mistletoe is mainly used in lust or love potions. She didn't need to explain that to me, I had already figured it out," Diana explained.

"So I assume you wanna talk about the dream then?" Akko cringed.

Diana shifted her position in the bed so she could look at Akko better. "Only if you're comfortable with it."

"I think we should talk about it," Akko nodded. She knew it was for the best even if she wasn't comfortable. Having this conversation would be a good way to transition to another topic she needed to discuss with Diana.

"Very well. Would you care to explain, or would you like me to explain what happened in my dream just to be sure it was the same one you had?" Diana asked.

"I don't know about your point of view, but for me, it started off with me waking up and wandering off to the library."

"I was already in the library at the time when my dream started. I was sitting at one of the tables and I eventually saw you." Diana stated.

"Hm, and you were wearing what?" Akko asked.

Diana blushed heavily and looked away. "I was wearing my pink nightgown if I can recall. I saw you and then... well, I walked up to you."

Akko was blushing heavily as well and wanted the conversation to end before either of them had to explain any further. "Okay, I think we know we had the same dream now."

"Agreed," Diana whispered. "But why... why did the dream have to escalate the way it did?"

Both of them knew the answer to that. Diana knew she was in a dream at the time, and she has had many similar dreams, so she did what she always did: let her inner fantasies let loose. Akko was in the same boat, however she seemed to have some common sense as to realize why Diana was acting so flirtatious. The dream seemed so real, and that's why it was difficult for the two of them not to let their inner desires take control. Akko just woke up before anything sexual could happen. Though if given the chance, both were positive the dream would have turned even more steamy then it already was.

Akko shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that's just how the lust potion worked out. Sucy did say it was a knew form of dream magic she was experimenting with."

Diana made a mental note to question Sucy on that later. "I see."

An awkward silence briefly filled the air, but Akko made sure it didn't linger. "Diana?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember when we talked about soulmates on the retrieval mission?" Akko asked softly.

Diana had a feeling she knew where she was going with this. "I do."

"Well, uh, I kind of found something out yesterday."

"What was it?"

Akko was nervous. She wasn't sure how Diana would feel once she told her this. This was a risk she was willing to take, one she needed to take.

"Werewolves do something called imprinting. Have you ever heard of it?"

It sounded familiar and Diana could have sworn she read about it in one of her magical creature books. It was bothering her that she couldn't remember what it was. "I believe I have. Remind me what it means."

"It's like... falling in love at first sight, but way stronger and much more absolute than that. Basically, it's a werewolf's way of finding their soulmate. It can only happen once and at just the right moment," Akko explained.

Diana chuckled softly. "That sounds like something from one of those novels in the Nightfall series."

Akko was concerned Diana wasn't taking this seriously, as odd as that sounded. "I'm serious though."

"Hm," Diana hummed. "Why do you bring it up?"

"Because... I think I imprinted on someone," Akko whispered so quietly Diana almost missed it.

"Who do you think it is?" Diana asked, though she dreaded knowing the answer.

Akko sighed and closed her eyes, not wanting to see Diana's reaction once she said it. "And I think it's you."

Four simple words have never impacted Diana so greatly in her life. Those four words as exciting as they were to hear, were also extremely overwhelming. She could feel her heart skip a beat or two as soon as those words left Akko's lips. It was more as if her heart and stopped entirely. Her brain was trying to process what Akko had said. She thought she imprinted on her, Diana out of all the people in the world. There was a high possibility that Diana was her soulmate. But the odds of that were so slim, they were nearly impossible. Akko must have been mistaken.

"Me?" Diana murmured.

"Uh huh," Akko nodded. "I think I can say I'm sure of it, actually."

"How can you be sure?"

"Well, only the person a werewolf imprinted on can tame them in their wolf form. A werewolf instinctively knows who their soulmate is and they physically cannot harm or act aggressive towards them. And I wasn't aggressive to you when you saw me. I acted a whole lot differently to you then I would to anyone else."

"I... don't know what to say, honestly," Diana said, but instantly regretted doing so when she saw Akko's expression shift into the most somber expression she had ever seen. "It's not anything bad, Akko! I'm just very overwhelmed by it. I don't know what I should say."

Akko felt a little relieved, but was still uncertain of Diana's true emotions. "Are you weirded out at all?"

Diana wasn't particularly feeling weird. But it was perhaps weird that Akko confessed so soon and all of a sudden.

"Not at all."

"Are you mad?"

There was no reason for her to be so. In fact, she felt the exact opposite of anger in that moment. In reality, all she wanted to do was kiss Akko's fears and uncertainty away.

"No, of course not."

"Are you happy?"

The most happy she had ever been in her entire life.

"Again, I'm just overwhelmed. I need a little time to process all of this, that's all," Diana huffed.

"I understand, and I'm sorry. I didn't have any control over it," Akko lamented.

"Why would you be sorry? There's no need for an apology."

"I don't want things to be weird between us now," Akko frowned. "I don't want anything to be weird."

"And it won't be," Diana assured her and glanced at the clock. It was one in the morning. "I hate to do this, but I need to leave, Akko. Barbara and Hannah should be returning from their patrol soon and they will have a fit if they discover I'm not in the dorm."

"No, please don't go," Akko pleaded, gently gripping Diana's arm to prevent her from getting out of bed. "Not yet."

"Akko, I don't want to leave. I need to. I could get you and myself into trouble if those two discover I'm here and not in bed," Diana explained.

"Please don't leave. Stay... for me," Akko pleaded again.

Those crimson eyes tugged at Diana's heart and soul. Every ounce of her being forced her to remain where she was. She couldn't bring herself to leave, not after Akko confessing something like that.

"Alright," she caved in. "I will stay until you fall asleep. And you cannot stall in order to keep me here longer. Deal?"

Akko supposed she could compromise with that. She wanted Diana to stay with her the entire night, but she couldn't ask her of that.

"Deal," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

Diana held her breath as Akko sighed contently and wrapped her gentle yet strong arms around her waist. She was consumed by thoughts, all of which were about Akko. She couldn't believe that she was Akko's soulmate and that she was hers. It had always been a dream of Diana's ever since she developed feelings for her and even now she wondered if this was some incredible dream she would soon wake up from. But Akko's soft snores and gentle grip confirmed that Diana was indeed very much awake. She was a little surprised with how quickly Akko had fallen asleep and was a bit ashamed to admit that she was disappointed that she was asleep now. This meant she had to return to her dorm soon.

She thought about it, but her body still refused her to get up. And if she was being honest with herself, she knew she wasn't going to get up any time soon. She would deal with her roommates later, there was no way she was going to leave now. How could she with Akko snuggling up with her? It was perhaps one of the best moments of her life and she sure as hell wasn't going to make it a short experience. She wanted to hold Akko too, making sure she slept soundly throughout the night, never once fearing that she had left her side. And so she did, placing a gentle kiss upon Akko's forehead before drifting off into a peaceful slumber herself.

Chapter Text

It had been approximately three weeks since Akko told Diana they were soulmates. Just as Akko had feared, things did grow weird between them. But it was a good kind of weird. Every awkward glance given was responded with a blush and eyes darting in the opposite direction. Things had drastically changed between them and both were slowly starting to notice. Akko had noticed Diana losing her train of thought whenever the two were having a conversation. That was typically because she couldn't stop staring into her crimson eyes. Akko enjoyed seeing Diana blush and try to make some random excuse, but it wasn't like she was any better. Akko had developed a bad habit for looking down at Diana's breasts whenever they were with each other. She didn't do that before and she didn't know why Diana's breasts all of a sudden caught her attention. Diana would notice of course and tease Akko on it, and Akko would make up a stupid excuse such as "oh, there was a bug" or "sorry, thought I saw something." Put simply, they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other and neither of them could admit it.

This would soon prove to be a problem when their friends took note of it. All of their friends noticed the two sitting at lunch more and more often. It wasn't a bad thing, it brought everyone to sit with each other, but watching the two interact certainly was a show. Lotte and Barbara paid no attention to it, they didn't care really and were too shy to mention something anyway. Sucy, Constanze, and Jasminka noticed and teased occasionally, but they mainly minded their own business. Amanda and surprisingly Hannah were the ones causing all the trouble, but mainly Amanda. Most of the teasing was crude and immature comments that would cause Akko and Diana to both blush like mad.

Something lingered in Akko's mind though. She wondered why Diana and her hadn't talked about their feelings since she told her. Perhaps she had told her too soon? That was likely the case. Though the teasing never seemed to cease, their interactions together had started to. That terrified Akko. The last thing she wanted was for them to become distant. But she could tell Diana needed some space, so that's what she intended to give her for the time being.

Amanda had noticed a shift in Akko's mood shortly after she made the decision to give Diana space. She was still acting like herself, but she seemed to be quieter than usual. That was extremely strange behavior coming from her. Amanda was surprised she was the only one who noticed. Akko had also started to skip meals and sit out in the courtyard. That also was rather odd behavior coming from her. And Amanda was certainly going to get to the bottom of it.

She was looking for Akko everywhere and eventually found her sitting alone on one of the school benches. So, she casually sat next to her. Akko didn't even notice.

"Alright, that's it," Amanda grumbled.

"Oh, hey Amanda. Didn't see you there," Akko murmured, looking like she was lost in thought.

"You need to tell me what's going on."

Akko gave her a confused look. "Nothing's going on?"

Amanda glared at her. "Why are you acting all weird? Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I'm not acting weird, I just have a lot on my mind," Akko shrugged.

"Okay, lay it on me then."

"I told Diana we were soulmates and about the whole werewolf-imprinting thing. She hasn't really talked to me about it since I told her and recently she's been avoiding conversation with me. Now I'm wondering if I made a mistake telling her," Akko explained.

Amanda had known by now about Akko being a werewolf. She also knew that Diana was aware of it and wasn't weirded out by it. But because Akko told Diana that they were soulmates and she told her when they hadn't developed a romantic relationship yet, she very well may have made a mistake by telling her. If Amanda were in Akko's shoes and had told Hannah that she had some bizarre "wolfy" claim on her, Hannah would likely be weirded out by it. It's not exactly an easy topic to discuss. Especially considering they weren't romantically involved quite yet.

Amanda sighed and shook her head. "Well, I can see why Cavendish might be a little weirded out by it. You guys aren't together yet. I would have a hard time with it too if I were in her position, no offense. So for once, I guess I can see where she's coming from."

Akko sunk in the bench and she groaned. "I regret telling her now."

"I don't think she does though," Amanda pointed out.

"Huh?"

Amanda scoffed. "Have you seen the glances she's been giving you, the way she loses her words when she talks to you? I think if anything, she doesn't know how to handle it. I think you need to talk to her about it."

Akko shook her head. "No, I'm not gonna do that. I'm giving her time to process this."

"Call me impatient, but three weeks is a pretty long time to process that and not at least talk about each others feelings a little bit."

"I don't care. I don't wanna seem pushy," Akko frowned.

"Well, I do. And I will," Amanda snorted and got up.

"What do you mean by that?" Akko asked uneasily.

"I'm just gonna have a little 'chat' with Diana since you've clearly made the choice not to talk to her," Amanda responded, starting to jog away.

She heard Akko yell after her to stop, but she already made up her mind and got away before Akko could follow her. She knew exactly where Diana would be at this time of day. It was around five in the evening, so she would be in one of two places: the library with her nose stuck in a book or in her dorm room enjoying her evening cup of tea. She had a hunch she was in her dorm, so that was the first place she checked. Fortunately, her suspicions were correct. Diana answered the door looking rather disturbed (since Amanda knocked loudly a good dozen times before Diana got up to answer the door).

"O'Neill, to what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?" Diana huffed. "Unless you are here for Hannah, I'm sorry to tell you she's assisting one of the teachers with-"

"Cut the formality crap out, Diana. I'm not here for Hannah. I'm here to talk about Akko," Amanda interrupted.

Diana pressed her lips together. "Very well then. You may come in."

"Thank you."

This was one of the rare times Amanda got to set foot in Diana's dorm, even if Hannah lived there too and that was the only reason Amanda would ever approach that side of the campus. She didn't like going to Diana's dorm and tried to avoid it as much as she could. The entire dorm screamed "wealthy" and "privileged", two things she definitely was not. She did however appreciate that it wasn't completely organized, with a stray sweater or sock laying on the floor. That told her that the three who lived there weren't completely stuck up and neat-freaks.

"Would you like some tea, Amanda?" Diana asked politely.

Amanda shrugged. "Sure why not."

Diana nodded. "I already have some made and was about to have a cup myself before you stopped by. I hope you like Earl Grey."

Amanda snickered at that and Diana raised a brow at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Nah, it's just something I was thinking about earlier. It's nothing to worry about," Amanda waved it off.

After pouring Amanda her cup and herself a cup, she took a seat on the sofa across from where Amanda was sitting. Amanda took a sip of her tea and was ashamed to admit she enjoyed it.

"So, explain why you need to talk to me about Akko," Diana said calmly.

"Well, firstly, you two need to get each other laid, but that's not the main issue we're gonna discuss right now," Amanda deadpanned.

Diana nearly choked on her tea. "T-that is an inappropriate topic to bring up, Amanda!"

"So you agree that you two need to get each other laid?" Amanda smirked.

Diana had no response to that. She simply began to sip her tea once again, clearly failing to hide her growing blush.

"Anyway, Akko thinks you need space from her because she told me you were starting to avoid talking to her. So unless you're upfront and tell her you don't want that, she's gonna start avoiding you so you can have your space or whatever," Amanda explained.

"I...I have been more distant towards her lately," Diana admitted guiltily.

"Why? Aren't you like, madly in love with her?"

"I'm not so sure madly is the right word... but I suppose so."

"And you're acting distant towards her?" Amanda glared at her.

"Yes?"

Amanda chuckled. "By the nine, you two really are soulmates. Both of you are dense as a brick."

Diana tried to process what Amanda said. "So Akko has told you I assume?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Duh, I was gonna find out why she was in a weird mood one way or another. Besides, like it or not, I know her a whole lot better than you do. She was clearly upset by this."

"I apologize, it was never my intention to make her upset. I didn't even know she noticed I had started to avoid conversation with her."

"It's not me who you need to apologize to, princess," Amanda sighed. "But you're more than welcome to tell me why you're avoiding her."

"I'm not avoiding her," Diana corrected her. "I'm just... avoiding conversation for the time being."

"Uh huh, why?"

"Because! I don't know what the bloody hell I'm supposed to do! I'm Akko's soulmate, what does that mean for our future together? What is a soulmate even supposed to do? I don't know a single thing about romantic relationships! For heavens sake, we're still in school! We're both so young!" Diana ranted.

Amanda was taken aback slightly. She hadn't ever seen Diana raise her voice like that.

"Woah, never seen you lose control like that before," she chuckled uneasily.

Diana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You cannot comprehend my frustration, Amanda. I like her a lot, love her even, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do. There's no books or ancient texts that can give accurate information on what I should do in this situation. Believe me, I've been searching for one and so far I've returned empty handed. I don't know what to do or what I should say."

"For starters, you should tell her you like her too. Hell, you could probably even say you love her at this point," Amanda suggested.

"I-" Diana started to say, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Diana are you in there?! If Amanda's in there with you, tell her I'd like to have a little 'chat' with her!" Akko said loudly from outside.

Diana stared at Amanda who merely shrugged in response.

"Now's your time to talk to her," Amanda said quickly.

Diana smirked. "Tsk, it appears she wishes to talk with you, not me."

"Trust me, you have something way more important to talk to her about than me right now. She'll talk with me later. Plus, I already know what she's gonna talk to me about and it's something stupid, so go talk to her!" Amanda instructed.

"Amanda, I swear to the nine! I know you're in there! I can hear your voice! Hannah, if you're in there, kick her ass out!" Akko shouted from outside, continuing to pound on the door.

"And from the looks of it, you'd better hurry before she kicks your door down," Amanda laughed.

"I'll be in the garden with Akko if you need me."

"Ohhh the garden, good choice. It's late, so no one will catch you two making out there!"

Diana sighed and got up to answer the door. Akko turned bright red when she looked up at Diana who's expression she couldn't read. One waited for the other to say something, but both were starting to become lost in each other's eyes.

"D-Diana, is Amanda in there? I need to talk to her," Akko finally said.

Diana snapped out of it. "She is, but I'm afraid you'll have to talk to her later because I need to speak with you right now."

Akko gulped. "Yeah? About what?"

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" Diana smiled.

Chapter Text

The sun had finally set completely which allowed the night to darken the sky. The nearly full moon could be seen rising in the horizon, reminding Akko that the very next night she would transform into a mindless beast yet again. But now wasn't the time to be concerned about that. All of her attention and focus remained on Diana, who slowly guided her to the outskirts of Luna Nova's Castle. Akko saw the garden from a distance and realized that's where Diana intended to take her. She was feeling more and more anxious and the fact that Diana hadn't said a word since they left her dorm didn't help.

She wondered what Diana could possibly need to talk to her about that required absolute privacy. Akko dreaded that Diana was going to tell her that she made a mistake, that she wasn't her soulmate. That would absolutely crush Akko's heart and spirit, but she was prepared for it nonetheless. If Diana truly believed something like that, well, Akko knew she was just going to have to accept it and move on. Little did she know, Diana was preparing to tell her the exact opposite, she was preparing to confess to her.

Diana's heart was beating so loudly she feared Akko could hear it. The butterflies in her stomach felt more like stabbing daggers. She wasn't sure if she could do this. She glanced back at Akko who gave her an awkward grin and in that moment she instantly knew she had to do this. She had to for her. Even if she completely tripped over her words and awkwardly confessed to her, she knew she had too. But she also knew the confession didn't have to be pretty. Akko was her soulmate after all, whatever she would say was fated to come out that way.

Akko nearly ran into Diana when she stopped right in the center of a path surrounded by purple and magenta Lilac flowers. The sweet fragrance in the air seemed to calm both of the girls nerves slightly, but anyone could tell they were still nervous. Diana opened her mouth to say something, but soon closed it when she realized it wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. After a few moments, the atmosphere felt awkward and too quiet. Akko noticed and decided to break the silence first.

"Pretty flowers, huh?"

Diana was lost in thought and simply muttered: "Yes, quite."

Akko sighed. "I know why you brought me here."

"You do?" Diana's breath hitched.

"You're going to tell me you don't believe we're soulmates and then you're going to tell me you just wanna be friends, or worse, you think that all of this is too weird and you don't want to see me ever again," she said painfully.

Diana blinked at her and then started to giggle which eventually evolved into loud, cheerful, laughter. She didn't know why she was laughing, especially after Akko said something rather heavy, she just was and couldn't stop. Akko stared at her dumbfounded, not finding the humor in what she said at all. In fact, she had never seen Diana laugh so hard in her life which made her feel even worse.

"This is a weird way to reject someone, Diana," Akko grumbled.

Diana tried to control herself. "I'm not, you idiot!"

"Huh?" Akko looked even more lost which caused Diana to laugh even more.

Once she calmed herself down, she smiled at Akko and placed a gentle kiss on top of her forehead. Akko blushed furiously and was beyond confused at this point.

"Listen, Akko. I absolutely believe we are soulmates, especially after doing some research on werewolves and imprinting. What I discovered definitely confirmed for me that you had indeed imprinted on me. Believe me, I'm ecstatic that we're soulmates, I just... don't know what to do about it. And that scares me." Diana explained sincerely.

Now it was Akko's turn to laugh. She didn't laugh nearly as long as Diana, but she felt the need to since she'd never heard Diana admit she was afraid of something like this.

"What's so funny?" Diana asked.

"Nothing," Akko giggled and wiped a tear away. "I just wasn't expecting you to say you were scared. You, the almighty Cavendish, of all the things to be scared of, you're afraid of this."

Diana rolled her eyes and turned her back to face the moon. "It's true, something like this shouldn't scare me, but it does. I literally cannot fathom what a soulmate is supposed to do and not knowing... scares me. What if I'm not a good soulmate? What if something bad happens? What if my flaws are too much to bear? What if-"

Akko's expression turned serious and she placed a hand on Diana's shoulder to which Diana stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at her.

"No more what-if's. Don't forget, I'm new at this too. Heck, I don't know what a soulmate's supposed to really do either. Up until a little while ago, I wasn't sure I even had one. If I did, I was convinced they wouldn't love me because I'm a werewolf, and anyone in their right mind would consider that as my biggest flaw and stay away from me because of it. But you said it yourself before, your soulmate will love you regardless of your flaws because the two of you are destined to be. Whatever flaws you may have, that won't change the way I feel about you. And I'm sure you feel the same way about me. At least I think you do," she explained.

Diana sighed. "I do, Akko. I really do."

"Look, I know neither of us have ever been in a relationship, but maybe that's a good thing. We can learn about this soulmate thingy together. We can teach and learn from each other, soulmate-to soulmate," Akko explained.

Diana liked the sound of that. A learning environment was most certainly her comfort zone. And if Akko was going to be her teacher for this, by the nine...

"Alright, then what do we do first?" Diana asked.

"Well for starters, we establish what we want," she smiled. "Diana Cavendish, I want you to be my girlfriend. Will you?"

Diana smiled too. "Atsuko Kagari, I will."

"Good! Now that we're girlfriends, we can talk about what couples do."

"What is it that they do?" Diana asked amused.

"Couples do a lot of things together."

"Such as?"

"Well... couples hold hands among other things," Akko said, though she really wanted to say "kiss" but wasn't sure if Diana was ready for that.

Diana looked down at Akko's hands and slowly reached for them, her fingers gently sliding across Akko's. Akko felt a jolt in her body the second Diana's fingers made contact with hers. Before, their hands had accidentally grazed each other while walking, but this was very much intentional and felt right. It felt natural.

Diana raised a brow at her. "Your palms are sweaty."

"I'm sorry! I-" Akko panicked. "Hey wait, yours are too!"

"I'm only teasing you, Akko," Diana laughed and blushed. "This is nice. I like this."

"So, um, do you want me to say what we should do next?" Akko grinned.

"Actually, Akko, I think I'd like to," Diana said in a hushed voice. "Show you I mean, not explain. In order to do so, it would be preferable if you closed your eyes."

"O-okay." Akko gulped and slowly shut her eyes.

"And no peeking," Diana whispered in a playful tone.

Akko nodded and kept her eyes closed. She felt Diana's hands leave her own and she waited a couple seconds for something to happen. She suddenly felt the tip of Diana's nose brush against her own and felt two hands gently placed upon her hips. Akko  allowed a grin to slowly form on her face. She couldn't help but to open her eyes and didn't regret doing so. She could see Diana's beautiful crystal blue eyes as they sparkled in the moonlight.

Diana smirked. "I said no peeking,"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Akko countered.

Both of their eyes fluttered shut and Diana's grip on Akko's hips tightened slightly. She leaned forward and her lips ghosted against Akko's before finally, at long last, pressing them against hers. And instantly, anything and everything else in the world didn't matter. Nothing could ever be as important as Akko kissing her back with a need and desire that was finally being satisfied after yearning for so long. Akko's lips were soft and felt like they belonged against her own, like they were always destined to meet. For a moment it felt as though neither of them could find air, however breathing was perhaps the last thing on both of their minds. Akko slowly wrapped an arm around Diana's neck, her fingers dancing and working wonders that sent shivers down the other girls spine. If time could stop at that very moment just for them, they would surely kiss for as long as they pleased.

For a first kiss between them, it was nothing short of magical. The kiss itself was fairly short, but felt as if a lifetime had passed by. When the two finally broke contact for air and opened their eyes, Diana was shocked to see Akko's eyes glowing like they did before she phased. But the moon wasn't full yet, so this was a rather strange sight to see.

"Your eyes, Akko, they're glowing," Diana stated.

"Yours are too~," Akko winked.

"No, I mean they're literally glowing. They're glowing bright red," Diana said calmly, though she was starting to get nervous.

Akko blushed intensely and looked away from her. "Kuso! I'm sorry, I should have probably mentioned this before. When werewolves feel emotion, like pure, raw emotion, their eyes might start glowing. This happened to me once before and nothing happened so I'm not gonna phase or anything, don't worry. It'll go away soon. Sorry if my eyes are scary."

Diana simply smiled and placed a hand on Akko's cheek. "On the contrary, your eyes are beautiful. Especially now."

Akko didn't know what to say to that. Telling Diana her eyes were beautiful too was an understatement. So instead, she leaned forward fully expecting to meet Diana's lips once more but stopped once she heard footsteps approaching the two of them. Diana noticed too and took several steps back from Akko. Both saw Croix and Chariot in the garden with them.

"Professor Croix, Professor Chariot, is there perhaps a reason you're visiting the garden at such an hour?" Diana asked formally.

"I think we should be the ones asking you that, Miss. Cavendish. Curfew is approaching soon and I know you of all students are very strict about not breaking curfew," Chariot replied with a smile.

Diana blushed and hung her head in shame.

"Relax, neither of you are in trouble," Croix laughed. "Amanda told us you two would be here, though we didn't expect her to actually be correct."

"What exactly did she tell you?" Akko asked suspiciously.

"I don't think you would want the answer to that," Croix smirked.

"Also, Akko, is there a particular reason why your eyes are glowing? It's not quite a full moon yet," Chariot said curiously.

Akko gulped and then chuckled nervously. "U-uh, you should know, Professor! Those random werewolf quirks, am I right?"

"Hm, perhaps," Chariot smirked mischievously like she knew something.

"Anyway, we're mainly here for Akko, but you may listen in as well, Diana," Croix said. "The potion is finally finished and a complete success! Chariot has already tested it so it's ready for you whenever you want to take it."

"Yes, after nearly suffering Mistletoe poisoning from you're initial dosage, Croix," Chariot grumbled.

"I told you I was sorry about that, il mio amore," Croix grimaced at the memory. "But it is now safe to consume, Akko."

Akko smiled wider than she ever had. "For real?! Does this mean I'll know what I'm doing when I phase next? I can phase at will??"

Chariot nodded at her beaming student. "That's right. It's pretty incredible, like nothing you've never experienced."

"This is great! I thought I'd never hear myself say this, but I can't wait till the full moon comes!"

"Well, you could take it sooner if you wish to get a feel for it, but since the full moon is in a day from now, I don't see much of a point in doing so," Croix explained.

"So how long does the potion last?" Akko asked.

"About a week, give or take. So if you would want to phase at all at any time, you'd need to be sure you take the potion religiously once every week. Ingredient runs will no longer be an issue either since the headmistress had the plants required planted in this very garden. They should be growing nicely and that's another reason why we came to the garden tonight, so I could check on them."

"Does this mean Akko won't act the way she did when I first saw her in her wolf form?" Diana asked with slight disappointment to her tone.

Croix snorted and looked at Chariot who pressed her lips together.

"That's up to her, although one of the side affects of the potion is that the animal instincts are stronger than the human ones, so anything like neck scratches and belly rubs will completely cause her to surrender to you. Sorry, Akko, you won't have much control over that. Croix already tried those things on me and I'm ashamed to admit my attempts to not act like an animal were utterly useless," Chariot blushed.

"We will explain more about it once you try the potion for the first time. Which isn't too far away from now," Croix added.

"Thank you, Sensei!" Akko grinned, surprising Croix with a hug.

"O-of course, Akko," Croix laughed. "Now you two head back to your dorms. And I mean to your own dorms, I better not catch either one of you in the wrong one."

Chariot lightly slapped Croix's arm and the two girls blushed furiously.

"Whatever do you mean by that? I don't see why we would be in each other's dorm in the first place, Professor," Diana responded coolly.

Croix smiled wickedly. "Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

"No, we don't, we're leaving!" Akko exclaimed before Diana could respond.

"Very well then. Akko, sometime tomorrow afternoon after you have finished your classes, I will allow you to test the potion in a safe location. Diana is also more than welcome to join you."

"Thank you," the two girls replied simultaneously.

Croix nodded. "Alright, now get to your dorms."

Akko wanted to be the one to walk Diana back to her dorm, but Diana wouldn't allow that since Hannah and Barbara would give her a harder time for it than Lotte or Sucy would for Akko. Akko felt that was fair, even if she knew Sucy definitely would tease her for a good while. They made sure they walked back slowly so they could enjoy the time they had, hands interlaced and their steps in cadence. One or two students noticed them, but thought nothing of it since it wasn't uncommon for two girls to hold hands on campus.

They sadly arrived at Akko's dorm quicker than they intended.

"So, some night, huh?" Akko grinned.

"Yes, indeed. Most certainly one of my most memorable ones," Diana smiled.

Akko laughed softly. "Mine too."

The two stared into each others eyes before Akko surprised Diana with a quick peck on the lips.

Diana blushed and touched her lips. "W-what was that for?"

"Does there need to be a reason?"

"I suppose not," Diana smiled, an idea entering her mind.

Without warning, she fully kissed Akko on the lips for a good eight seconds and if Akko wasn't holding on to Diana's arms, her legs would have failed her and caused her to fall.

"What was that for?" Akko asked looking dazed.

"Does there need to be a reason?" Diana snickered, repeating Akko's words.

"Not at all," Akko grinned. "You can do that whenever you want now."

Diana sighed contently. "I'm glad. I don't think you realize how long I have waited in order to be able to do something like that."

"Not nearly as long as I've had to wait!" Akko laughed.

"Debatable," Diana rolled her eyes. "Now get inside. I need to get back to my dorm too."

"Fine," Akko pouted. "But can't I have one more kiss before you go?"

"If you'd like," Diana hummed before kissing Akko for the last time that night.

Chapter Text

Akko woke up early the next morning, far earlier than Sucy and Lotte for they were still fast asleep and snoring while Akko was getting ready for the day. She had two reasons for waking up at the crack of dawn. The first reason was because Croix had decided it would be easier to test out the potion on Akko early in the morning that way she didn't have to interfere with any of her classes or break curfew. Chariot felt it was for the best too since Akko was starting to slip up with her grades again and she couldn't afford to miss any classes.

The second and more important reason was so she could see Diana who usually woke up that early anyway. Akko was supposed to meet her in the forest where they'd meet Chariot and Croix, but it wouldn't hurt seeing her sooner. Besides, Akko wanted a morning kiss, something she'd dream of receiving from Diana for who knows how long. The sheer thought of that alone helped her get dressed in record time and she practically sprinted out the door on her way to her girlfriends dorm. Girlfriend. She loved the sound of it. Diana, her girlfriend, her soulmate. It sounded so right.

The sun hadn't risen yet, but the moon was still in the sky which gave Akko some visibility in front of her, but sadly not enough for she ran into someone who was walking in the hallway. She knocked herself and the other person down and she prayed to her ancestors she didn't run into a teacher or student on patrol.

"Sorry about that," Akko said quickly to the person who fell down with her.

"Yeah, yeah, just get off me!"

Her crimson eyes met Amanda's green ones and she frowned. Of course she'd run into Amanda.

"Amanda!" She hissed.

Amanda rubbed her hip which made initial contact with the ground. "Akko? Fuck, why are you in such a hurry? It's like five in the morning."

Akko wasn't quite ready for Amanda to find out her and Diana were finally together. It was far too early in the morning for Akko to receive teasing of any sorts. And knowing Amanda, she wouldn't hesitate when it came to teasing her best friend.

"I could ask the same of you," Akko retorted. "Since when are you ever up this early?"

Amanda avoided eye contact. "Constanze was making too much noise working on her Stan-bot this morning and woke me up, so I thought I'd take a walk."

That was a lie and Akko could see right through it. Amanda was in fact one of the heaviest sleepers Akko knew. That girl could literally sleep through just about anything and wake up not knowing what happened.

"What a coincidence, I'm taking a morning walk too! Sucy was working on a potion and I left before I could become her test subject, so I took a walk," Akko lied.

"Hm, more like a morning run if you ask me," Amanda grumbled. "Well, I'll be on my way then. Enjoy your walk or whatever."

"Yeah, you too."

The two began to walk away and noticed they were heading in the same direction. They stared at each other, but continued to walk. After a few more hundred yards of walking in the same direction, Akko finally made the connection they were both going to Diana's dorm. She had almost forgotten that it wasn't just Diana's dorm, but also Hannah's. A small smirk made its way onto her face and she stared at Amanda.

"You can quit following me now," Amanda said with irritation to her tone.

Akko shrugged. "Who said I was following you? I'm just walking. It's a little weird seeing you near this side of campus though. Are you by any chance... visiting Hannah this morning?"

Amanda scoffed and blushed the tiniest bit. "Of course not! As a matter of fact, I'm gonna stop by to visit Diana. I should might as well try to get along with her since the two of you are gonna get together soon and I'm gonna see her ugly mug a whole lot more often."

"She's not ugly! What the fuck? Have you seen her?! Never call her that again!" Akko shrieked defensively.

Amanda winced. "Chill, Akko. People are still asleep."

"Seriously, how would you feel if I called Hannah ugly?" Akko continued.

"Fair point, I wouldn't be thrilled about it," Amanda agreed. "And look, I didn't call Diana ugly. It's a figure of speech. She's actually really pretty. Honestly, if I didn't like Hannah, I might have ended up liking her. I mean aside from the fact she's got a stick up her ass and the two of us are far from compatible, I can't deny she's pretty hot."

"Don't be hitting on her now, Amanda. She's mine," Akko growled.

"Yeesh, I can't win for losing with you today," Amanda shook her head and then smirked. "Also, why are you being all defensive and possessive of her all of a sudden? Please tell me you two finally got together."

Akko could have said anything to try and convince Amanda that they weren't, but the second she started blushing like crazy after remembering the kiss, it was all over.

"No fucking way, you did?! Tell me everything!" Amanda exclaimed.

"We confessed to each other in the garden and maybe sort of made out too," Akko explained quietly. "It was really nice and it lasted way shorter than I wanted it to."

Amanda blinked at her. "Damn, I never thought Cavendish would listen to me about something. Looks like she did. Well, that's great! You two completed step one!"

Akko looked confused. "Uh, step one?"

Amanda nodded. "Yeah, making out for the first time. Now you gotta get passed step two."

"Which is?"

"Getting laid of course!"

Akko choked on her own spit. "I think you skipped several steps there, Amanda."

"For you maybe," Amanda shrugged. "I almost got to step two last night by the way."

Akko stopped walking. "Hang on, then that means... you and Hannah made out?!"

"Yep, we did last night when you and Diana went to make out in the garden," Amanda laughed.

Akko smiled. "Congrats? I mean that's assuming you guys are together now."

Amanda nodded. "Yeah, I finally got my shit together and asked her out. She came by shortly after you and Diana left, so I decided to just ask her then since it was just the two of us there. It ended really well and we went to her room and I kissed her. It kinda evolved to making out even though it would have been nice if it went a little further than that. I don't know if she was down for that or not, but I couldn't find out because Diana came back before I could. That sucked too. I really wanted to see what turns her on."

Akko expected this of Amanda. Her friend was much more open when it came to intimacy. Amanda knew just about everything when it came to anything sexual. Akko couldn't recall how many times she'd heard her talk about kinks or fetishes whenever they were together. Typically she paid no attention to it since half of the stuff Amanda would talk about completely confused her anyway, but now that Diana and her were a couple, Akko decided maybe it would be a good idea to pay attention the next time Amanda started up a conversation on that topic.

"Oh," Akko hummed. "I guess I wanna know how Diana feels about that. We've never talked about that stuff before."

"Really? That's surprising," Amanda smirked. "Actually, no it's not. Both of you are kind of prudes."

Akko frowned. "I'm not."

"You're not nearly as bad as Diana, but you still are. You can't even say or hear the word sex without blushi- see, you're blushing right now!" Amanda roared with laughter.

Even if it was true, that certainly didn't mean Akko didn't think about it (often).

"You know what? Let's move on. We're here anyway," Akko grumbled.

"Whatever, dude. But if you ever wanna talk about that, come to me. No pun intended obviously, unless..." Amanda winked.

Akko snorted and pushed Amanda's arm gently. "You're gross."

Akko softly knocked on the door three times while Amanda casually leaned against the wall. She smoothed her hair in case Diana answered the door. Her suspicions were correct. Diana slowly opened the door and smiled when she saw Akko. Akko started to blush intensely once she noticed Diana wearing a tank top and a short skirt, but also that her hair was wet which meant she likely just got out of the shower. And imagining her in the shower lead to-

"Good morning, Akko," Diana greeted her girlfriend, briefly kissing her lips.

"Do you have one for me too, Cavendish?" Amanda snickered, puckering her lips.

"O-oh, good morning to you too, Amanda," Diana blushed from embarrassment. "And I'm afraid I'm the wrong girl to ask that. Hannah is awake however, I'm sure she'd appreciate giving one to you."

Now Amanda blushed. "What did she tell you last night? She told you everything, didn't she?"

Diana smirked and looked at Akko. "It's not like it isn't fair. I'm certain Atsuko told you every detail about what occurred last night."

Akko looked at a random bug on the wall and quietly hummed to herself, avoiding Diana's gaze at all costs.

"Yeah, I guess so," Amanda shrugged. "Hey, is it cool if we keep our relationships between us? I don't think Hannah's ready for anyone in school to know yet and I'm sure you and Akko aren't ready either."

Diana nodded. "That would be wise, yes. I'd rather not have our private relationships be revealed to the school. After all, having a student as a significant other on campus is very much frowned upon. And since I am an honor student and your friend, I must inform you and advise you to keep your public displays of affection with Hannah to a minimum."

"I will if you follow that too," Amanda smiled.

"Of course I will," Diana responded curtly. "Just because Akko and I are in a relationship doesn't mean I'm about to break school regulations."

"Not even once in a while?" Akko murmured quietly.

"L-let's discuss that later, Akko," Diana whispered.

"Did you say something, Diana?" Amanda smirked.

"Nothing, O'Neill. Akko and I need to go now," Diana grumbled.

"To go make out somewhere?" Amanda challenged.

Diana blushed heavily. "I-even if we were, that's none of your business."

"Okay," Amanda grinned and placed her hands up in defense. "Now if you two love birds will excuse me, I'm gonna say good morning to my girlfriend."

"That's all? I find that unlikely," Diana scoffed. "What else will you be doing?"

"Hm, I could tell you, but that's none of your business," Amanda hummed happily, slowly entering the dorm and shutting the door behind her.

Diana released a long, irritated sigh. She should have seen that response coming. It was too early to get worked up over something stupid, so she let it go. Akko locked an arm around hers and they began to walk in the direction of the forest. Diana noticed Akko was unusually quiet. By now she would have started up a conversation about something or commented on Amanda's snarky remarks. But she remained quiet, looking ahead at the tree line in the distance.

"Is something on your mind?" Diana asked.

"Huh? Yeah actually," Akko smiled weakly. "I'm just a little nervous since this will be my first time being...conscious in my wolf form? I can't really say how I'll react. I know I'm not a monster, but I just can't see myself as anything but that."

Diana nodded. She couldn't really sympathize with her in this situation since her first impression of Akko in her werewolf form was nothing short of a giant puppy and couldn't really imagine the monster Akko so feared she turned into. In fact, Diana was secretly excited to see her phase again. She was definitely going to take advantage of the neck scratches and belly rubs like Chariot had mentioned. The thought alone made her smile.

They didn't have to venture very far into the forest before they found their two professors. Chariot was wearing a black robe and was holding another black robe in her hand, likely for Akko. Croix was wearing her usual outfit except she was missing her cape. It would probably get in the way in the woods.

"Good morning girls," Chariot greeted her students. "Akko I assumed you didn't bring a cloak with you for after you phase, so I brought an extra just in case."

"Thanks," Akko grinned guiltily.

"Now, Akko, I warn you. The potion won't taste very pleasant, but you'll only need to take it once a week," Croix explained. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," Akko nodded. "Let's do this."

Chapter Text

Croix was right about the potion tasting awful. The blue liquid barely touched the tip of Akko's tongue and she nearly gagged. She was going to have to do this every week for the rest of her life, so she might as well had to get used to the ghastly taste. She decided the best option was to just chug the whole potion, that way the taste wouldn't resonate in her mouth as badly as it would if she took smaller sips. She almost couldn't swallow it. If this were any other potion, she would have surely spit it out.

"How was it, Akko?" Diana asked.

"Bitter," Akko coughed. "I hate it."

Chariot laughed. "You'll get used to it."

"I hope so."

"Now that you've taken it, I'm sure you'd like to know the side affects," Croix said.

Akko nodded.

"Well from what I've noticed, the main side affect is sluggishness once you return to your human form. That lasts for about an hour or so. You also cannot speak since your wolf vocal chords aren't capable of doing so. The last thing is that your clothes will still disintegrate when you phase, so you may want to try doing it behind a tree if you don't want to be watched," Chariot explained.

"Um, yeah... how do I phase?" Akko asked.

Chariot pressed her lips together. "Right, I probably should have explained that first. For me, I had to feel a strong desire to phase. I couldn't simply say I wanted to and it would happen. I had to imagine it happening. The same applies to when you want to phase back to your human form except with that, you need to have a desire as to why you wish to return to your human form. I know it sounds a little strange, but it's easy to get the hang of it."

"I think she wants a demonstration," Croix smirked.

Akko grinned. "Yes please!"

"Right now?" Chariot cringed.

"Sure, why not?" Croix grinned.

Chariot sighed. "I'll be back."

The three watched Chariot disappear behind a massive pine tree. They heard some shuffling movements before hearing a low, non-human growl. Almost instantly, a large wolf with red fur and glowing dark red eyes stepped out from behind the tree. Croix smiled, Diana's eyes widened, and Akko... her jaw dropped. This was her first time seeing another werewolf; her first time seeing what one actually looked like. She was shocked that Chariot didn't look like a monster, she didn't have a bloodlust in her eyes. No, she was beautiful. For the first time, Akko wanted to know what she looked like in her wolf form.

Chariot gracefully walked towards them and sat next to Croix. Now that they could see her up close, she was huge. A significant size larger than Akko's wolf form. Even sitting, she exceeded Croix's height and Croix was already fairly tall.

"Would you like to give it a try, Akko?" Croix asked amused.

"Yeah, now I really want to!" Akko exclaimed.

"I can tell. Your eyes are glowing," Croix smiled.

"No way, for real??" Akko asked, turning to Diana.

"Yes, for real," Diana chuckled.

"Oh shoot, I'm gonna go strip. I can't lose another uniform!" Akko said frantically, darting to the same tree Chariot phased behind.

She felt her entire body grow very warm just as it did before she would phase. She figured she'd have to get out of her clothes quickly. She barely had enough time to strip out of her main uniform but sadly not her underwear for they disintegrated as she phased. Her eyes were closed for a while, but then they slowly opened. The first thing she saw was her paws, then looked behind her to see her hind legs and tail. She was nothing like she ever expected she would look like and she was relieved.

She approached the others skittishly and noticed Diana wore a huge grin on her face.

'I bet she thinks I look like a puppy. She did say that before. Eh, oh well. Puppies are cute. I want her to think I'm cute anyway,' Akko thought.

Suddenly, Diana's grin disappeared and her eyes widened in surprise.

"P-Professor Croix, you may find this hard to believe, but I think I can hear her thoughts," Diana stated in disbelief.

'Nani the fuck?? You can hear my thoughts??' Akko screamed mentally in shock.

"Y-yes, Akko, it appears so," Diana said just as shocked.

"Merda," Croix murmured and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm so sorry, girls. I completely forgot about another side affect. It looks like it slipped from Chariots mind too."

Chariot gave a small nod in agreement.

"First, Diana, did Akko talk to you about imprinting and how it works?" Croix asked.

"She did," Diana confirmed.

"Good, so you know about that," Croix sighed with relief. "Well for some reason, the potion also affects whoever a werewolf imprinted on, allowing them to hear their thoughts. I haven't figured out why yet, although Chariot made the brilliant connection that it's perhaps because the imprinting bond is extremely strong. What's strange though, the werewolf can't hear their soulmate's thoughts."

"Fascinating," Diana smiled. "And useful. This means I can translate Akko's thoughts. Do you have anything you want to say, Akko?"

'Not really. I just wanna explore now or maybe freak out some of the students at school,' Akko thought and shook her head. 'Unless Croix has some more werewolf secrets she can share. What else does she know?'

"I forbid you from freaking out our friends, Akko. That won't end well," Diana grumbled and then turned to Croix. "But she wants to know what other secrets you can tell us about, Professor."

Croix smiled widely. "Ah yes! I almost forgot! Watch this..."

She turned to face Chariot who seemed to instantly know what mischief Croix was up to and quickly backed away from her, tucking her fluffy tail between her legs.

Croix glared at her. "Don't look at me like that, bellissima. I'm only- it's not embarrassing, Chariot! Quit whining!"

"What is it you're trying to do?" Diana asked.

Croix sighed in defeat and walked towards her student, whispering something in her ear once she reached her. Diana slowly started to smile.

"Oh my, I want to try that with Akko," Diana said excitingly.

'Wut? Diana what do you wanna try with me?' Akko thought nervously.

"Nothing bad, Akko. In fact, I think you'll enjoy it," Diana grinned innocently, approaching the brown wolf. "Now sit, girl."

'That was hot,' Akko said in her mind and gave a toothy grin when Diana began to blush furiously. Diana definitely wasn't expecting that response.

"S-sit down please," Diana stuttered.

Akko nodded and obliged. Diana placed her hand on Akko's snout, petting downwards gently. She then reached up to Akko's ears and started to lightly scratch behind them, taking note of how soft her fur truly was. Akko's eyes widened and then closed from pleasure and her tail began to wag on its own and her back leg began to kick. Pleased with her reaction, Diana then traveled her hands along Akko's neck, continuing to scratch until she reached Akko's lower belly. Akko instinctively collapsed onto the ground, flipping onto her back waiting for Diana to rub her belly. And she did.

Surprisingly, Akko's belly was the softest part of her body and Diana enjoyed the feeling of rubbing her like that, but not nearly as much as Akko enjoyed it. To Akko, it was the most heavenly feeling she had ever experienced. And the fact that it was Diana doing this to her made it even better.

'Fuck, Diana, do you have experience doing this or something? This feels so good!' Akko thought, still relishing Diana's magical hands on her body.

 "I'm glad you liked it," Diana chuckled, removing her hands from Akko's stomach.

Akko whimpered and barked in protest. 'No, no, no, no, this is heaven! Please don't stop!'

"Well if you insist," Diana smiled, rubbing Akko's belly once more.

"Why don't you react that way, Chariot? I know you like it," Croix grumbled at the red wolf.

Chariot rolled her eyes and licked Croix's face affectionately multiple times. Croix shivered from disgust and pushed Chariot away, wiping the slobber off of her face. She squinted at her in irritation and Chariot simply wagged her tail innocently.

"I love you too, but you know I can't stand it when you lick me!!" Croix exclaimed.

That gave Akko an idea. She looked at Diana who stopped scratching her and she rolled over to get up. She gave her a wicked look and slowly walked towards her.

'Diana~...'

Diana realized what Akko was about to do to her so she didn't hesitate when she backed away from her. "Don't you dare!"

'Come on, just one lick! It's physical affection, I thought you liked that!'

"No! Don't!"

It was too late. Akko took a long slow lick across Diana's face. She blinked and cringed.

'See? it was just one lick! It wasn't that bad! I enjoyed it!'

"Good heavens, Akko. Never lick me again," she said, wiping off the slobber.

'Are you sure? I could lick you in a different way when we're alone if you want...'

"Akko!" Diana blushed furiously.

Akko wagged her tail. 'What? It's not like they can hear me. Besides, I can tell you liked what I said, didn't you?' 

"I... you need to stop hanging around O'Neill. I'm certain she has something to do with this sudden flirtatious behavior of yours," Diana muttered.

'You're avoiding the question, Diana~...' 

"Akko, by the nine, I will greatly embarrass you if you don't stop," Diana threatened.

'Yeah? Try me,' Akko challenged.

"Forgive me for breaking up whatever argument you two are going on about, but I suggest we head back," Croix spoke up.

'No way! I wanna explore the woods and see how fast I can run! You can ride me too, Diana,'  Akko pondered.

Diana blushed again at Akko's suggestive comment but tried to ignore it. "Akko doesn't want to leave yet. She wants to explore."

"She can do that on her own time if she wishes, but the main point of coming out here today was to see how Akko would react to the potion and now that we have our results, we should head back. Breakfast is soon anyway and I don't want either of you two to miss your meal. Chariot is getting hungry as well," Croix stated.

The red wolf snorted and gave a small growl.

"Okay, I'm getting hungry," Croix confessed. "I'm sure you both are also."

Diana nodded. "I think we should head back as well. Is it alright if you two go on ahead of us?"

Chariot and Croix looked at each other.

"Alright then. But I expect to see you both in the dining hall, no making any stops."

'Not even so I can get some underwear from my dorm? I uh, didn't have enough time to take them off earlier so they got destroyed. It's a shame, too. I really liked that bra... So can we, Diana?' Akko looked at the blonde pleadingly.

"I'm sure Croix and Chariot wouldn't have a problem with that," Diana chuckled and then turned to her professors. "It seems as though Akko didn't have enough time to get everything off before she phased. She'd like to stop by her dorm to put on some different clothing."

"Yes, that's fine," Croix nodded and then grabbed her wand. "Pardon me, girls... Accio cloaks!"

Chariot and Akko's black cloaks came flying from behind the giant pine tree and safely landed in Croix's hands. Croix then tossed one to Diana and one on Chariots back.

"Come on, go phase so we can get back. I know Finnelan will snag all of the apple tarts and I want to beat her to it," Croix said to Chariot and then she scoffed. "Are you suggesting that I need to lose weight? How rude, Chariot."

The large red wolf huffed and disappeared into the forest with Croix close behind her. Diana looked at Akko who stared right back at her. Diana couldn't take her eyes off of her. She looked so cute, especially when she tilted her head to the side curiously and one of her ears flopped down. It made Diana wonder how anyone could possibly see her or any other werewolf as a monster. Even though it is considered as a "curse" by the moon, she secretly envied those born with the moon's curse.

'What now?'

"Right," Diana said, breaking free from her thoughts. "Now you phase to your human form so we can return to your dorm."

'Frick... how am I supposed to do that??' Akko panicked.

That was a problem. How was Diana supposed to know? Well, she remembered Chariot mentioning that if Akko would want to return to her human form, she'd need a strong desire or reason to do so, but it wasn't like Akko wanted to change back, so that was the biggest issue.

"Um, do you remember what Chariot said? She said you need to have a desire as to why you wish to return to your human form. Try focusing on that," Diana suggested.

Akko snorted. 'Yeah, but I don't have a desire to change back.'

"Can you try?"

'I guess I can. Lemmie see...'

Akko closed her eyes and held her breath, imagining herself returning to her human form. She didn't feel anything. No quicken beats to her heart, no heavy breathing that could indicate anything; she remained a wolf. She sighed and opened her eyes, blinking at Diana.

'Nothing. Sorry, Diana.'

Diana sighed. "There's no possible reason or desire for you to return to your human form? What about your classes? You know you can't afford to miss them."

'True, but realistically, you know all I'd wanna do right now is just go explore the forest in my wolf form and miss my classes. I can't control wanting that.'

Diana had to think. What could possibly be an incentive for Akko that would make her want to return to her human form? Food may have been an option, but Akko could always eat later. Whatever Diana would come up with, it had to be something Akko would want at that very moment.

Then a thought struck her.

She smirked. "Hm, it's a pity you don't want to return to your human form. I'm afraid there's something I'd like to give you right now, but alas, you are a wolf and cannot receive it."

Akko recognized the way Diana was talking. She knew she was baiting her.

'And what would that be?'

"I all of a sudden had this strong urge to kiss you, but I can't do anything about it since you're not human at the moment," Diana sighed dramatically.

'Stop that.'

"Whatever shall I do? Perhaps O'Neill would be interested in satisfying that need since you obviously aren't interested..."

That got Akko's attention immediately. In fact, she phased back to her human form without even realizing it at first. Diana certainly noticed and failed to look away. She didn't dare look below Akko's neck no matter how tempted she was, but she patiently waited until Akko noticed she phased back which thankfully didn't take too long. She quickly covered herself with her arms, but then realized did she really need to? It was just her and Diana.

"Can you hand me the cloak Diana? It's chilly," Akko asked.

Akko's voice broke her free from her staring and she instantly looked away. "Y-yes, of course."

She held the cloak out for Akko who gladly took it and concealed her body. She watched in amusement as Diana hid her face and was blushing like mad. Akko wanted to make her blush even more.

"So, Diana, about that sudden urge to kiss me?" Akko smirked.

And Diana did blush even more.

"W-what about it?"

"I'm not a wolf anymore..."

Diana smiled lightly. "I can see that."

"Do you still have that urge?" Akko challenged.

"What if I do?" Diana responded curtly.

"Well I might have to do something about that," Akko grinned, stepping closer to her girlfriend.

"Do it then," Diana invited.

Akko gladly leaned into Diana and met her lips, placing her hands on her waist, relishing and savoring the feeling. Just as she was about to pull back, Diana deepened the kiss which took Akko by surprise but it was very much welcomed. Akko parted her lips as an invitation and Diana placed her hands on Akko's shoulders, slowly trailing down. Akko moved her arms around Diana's torso as to pull her closer, but by doing so, it ignited a fire within Diana and she kissed her much hungrier with lust lingering on her lips. She placed a hand on Akko's breast and gave a light squeeze to which Akko quietly moaned. By doing so, Diana realized what she did and she broke free, taking several steps back in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Akko!" Diana panicked.

Akko was panting but pouted. "Why'd you stop? Why are you sorry?"

"I... got carried away."

"I liked it though," Akko smiled. "And I'd love for you to do it again."

"Ahem," Diana tried to maintain her composure. "This is not the proper location for intimate activities. Certainly not in front of all these... these trees. And bushes."

Akko shrugged. "Oh, I don't think they mind. They're all part of nature and what we're doing is pretty natural if you ask me."

A fair point in Akko's defense.

"Be that as it may, I do not want things to escalate in such a manor in the woods of all places," Diana responded.

"So are you saying we shouldn't do it here, but in a proper place then?"

"Yes, exactly," Diana smiled, glad Akko understood.

"Good idea! It's a Friday, so let's go on a date tonight. I'm sure we'll find a proper place to do such activities," Akko beamed.

Diana wasn't expecting that.

"S-sure, Akko. I'd love to," Diana stuttered, her face redder than it had ever been in her life.

"Great! We can go into town tonight and don't worry, I'll fly us!"

"I won't go if that's the case," Diana deadpanned.

"Why? I've been practicing!" Akko whined.

Diana raised a brow at her. "You'll need to show me you can beat Amanda in a broom race and maintain your balance the entire time before I'll be ready to let you fly me."

"That's impossible! I'll never be able to fly you if those are your conditions!" Akko protested.

"Exactly," Diana grinned. "Now come on, we need to get to your dorm so you can get dressed and then we can go get breakfast."

"Fine," Akko grumbled.

Chapter Text

This was the first time Diana had ever been completely distracted during her classes for the entire day. She didn't even realize half of the time she was distracted until one of her friends or teachers called her out on it. It was very out of character for her to act that way, so most simply assumed she wasn't feeling well or she was in a strange mood. In reality, there was only one thing on her mind and that was the fact that she was going to have her first date with Akko that very night. That thought took high priority over everything else.

She had only been out on what most would consider dates with Andrew Hanbridge. They were really more of arranged dates organized by her aunt and his parents. Andrew and Diana never truly got along even though they knew each other since they were young children, but they knew at some point in their lives it was most likely that they were going to be married. The arranged meetings between the two was to hopefully allow them to grow closer and develop feelings for each other. Ironically, both came out to each other as gay during one of those dates, so in a sense, they did grow closer and developed a mutual respect for each other. But those mere "dates" were nothing compared to the date Diana was going to have with Akko.

She was honestly surprised that Akko asked her out on a date considering she did it in such a confidant manor when she would usually lose her composure or not even ask at all. It was wonderful and exciting, make no mistake, but she was a little upset with herself that she hadn't asked Akko on a date herself sooner. She really should have asked Akko before they got together, but there was no point in kicking herself over that now that they were together. Now she had other things to be concerned about. What would she wear? What was too formal or informal? Where would they even go? Would they makeout at some point during this date? Should she buy something for her? All of these questions crossed her mind and it caused her to grow fidgety while trying to pick out something to wear.

Hannah and Barbara must have head her grumbling and shifting through clothes in her closet, so they decided to check up on her.

"Diana, is everything alright in here?" Barbara asked uneasily, slowly entering Diana's room with Hannah close behind.

"Yes, no... yes... I'm not sure," Diana muttered while comparing a pink dress and a blue blouse.

"You need to relax, Diana. It's only a date and it's with Akko," Hannah smiled, hoping to ease her nerves.

Akko, her girlfriend, her soulmate, her everything.

"That's the entire reason why I'm freaking out! It's with Akko!" Diana exclaimed. "She's so spontaneous and wonderful and beautiful and... she told me to wear what I wanted. I want our first date to go perfectly and how am I supposed to make that happen if I can't even make up my mind on what to wear?"

"Okay, first of all, you need to pause your gay panic for a minute and sit down so you can breathe," Hannah said, placing a hand on Diana's shoulder and guided her to a chair. "We'll help you pick out something to wear."

"Also, do you really think Akko will complain with what you wear? This is the same girl who ogles you when you're wearing the school uniform which is probably the least fashionable clothes you could wear," Barbara pointed out.

Diana sighed. "Yes, but even so- wait, she ogles me?"

Her two friends nodded furiously, both surprised Diana hadn't noticed herself.

"Are you serious?" Diana blushed.

"To be fair, you do the same exact thing, so it's not like she doesn't have a right to," Hannah chuckled.

"I don't- I mean, the skirt she wears every day is treacherously short and exposes those gorgeous legs of hers... but that's beside the point!" Diana defended, getting up from her chair. "I still need to find something to wear."

Hannah sat her right back down. "Again, pause your gay panic for a minute and let Barb and I help you."

"Gay panic," Diana scoffed. "You're beginning to sound more and more like Amanda."

Hannah blushed and Barbara giggled.

"W-well I do hang around her a lot, and she is my girlfriend," Hannah murmured and walked to Diana's closet. "A-and hey, this is about you, not me! Let's just get you something to wear so you don't keep Akko waiting."

"What do you think she'll be wearing?" Barbara asked.

Diana had already thought about this more times than she could count. She knew for a fact Akko owned a few formal outfits which included several dresses and a tuxedo. Said tuxedo practically caused Diana to overheat and melt from the inside-out when she first saw Akko in it. She really hoped Akko would wear the same tux for their date. However if she did, Diana was unsure if she could control the urge to straight up make out with her as soon as she laid her eyes on her.

"Come on, Barb, its Akko. I bet she'll probably show up wearing a Shiny Chariot shirt and some ripped jeans," Hannah laughed, taking out a couple dresses from the closet.

Diana frowned. "I really wish she would have told me if this was going to be a casual date or not. Also, have a little faith in my girlfriend. I'm confidant she'll dress up a little nicer than that."

Barbara placed a hand on Diana's arm. "I think you'll be fine, Diana. I wouldn't make assumptions about it being casual or formal though, so wear a cocktail dress or something."

Diana nodded. "Very well, but anything other than that damned-"

"Oh my stars, Diana you should wear this!" Hannah gushed and interrupted her.

Diana rolled her eyes once she saw the dress Hannah picked out, the very dress she dreaded would get picked out.

"-Blue dress I wore when I confessed my love to Akko after the cupid bee had stung me," Diana finished her sentence.

Hannah pouted and placed the dress on Diana's bed. "But it's so pretty and the love bee incident happened over a year ago! I'm sure Akko doesn't remember the dress you wore to that party! She can hardly remember what she had for breakfast most of the time!"

"I don't feel right wearing this to our date. The last time I wore this in front of her, I told her I loved her when I didn't mean it," Diana shook her head.

"Well then you can where this and tell her again tonight and this time you'll mean it!" Barbara grinned.

"We've only been together for a couple days, Barb," Diana laughed. "I think I might kill her if I tell her that. Good heavens, I barely kiss her and she turns bright red."

Hannah and Barbara smirked at each other.

"Speaking of," Hannah spoke up. "I'm going out on a date with Amanda tonight and will probably spend the night at her dorm and Barbara is going to Lotte's dorm to discuss the new Nightfall TV series release and will probably end up spending the night there."

"Okay, and?" Diana asked confused.

"You and Akko have the dorm all to yourself since Hannah and I won't be here," Barbara said.

Diana finally understood what they were suggesting and her face blushed a dark crimson. Her two friends giggled.

"I-I don't see what we would be doing here except for sleep and maybe cuddling," Diana grumbled.

"Yeah, cuddling real hard if you know what I mean," Hannah laughed.

"On the first date? That would make us seem desperate! We can't do something like that on the first date," Diana laughed nervously.

Hannah shrugged. "Why not?"

"What, are you and Amanda planning to have intercourse on your first date or something?" Diana shot back.

"Okay, never say intercourse within my proximity ever again," Hannah cringed. "And I don't know, actually. Amanda's all talk most of the time and a blushing mess when I try to initiate something, and tonight's our first date's tonight, so I really don't know. Also, don't tell her I said that. It'll wound her pride."

Diana smirked. "Hm, we'll see about that."

"Anyway, don't worry about it too much. If Akko pushes any boundaries, Barb and I are always a call away," Hannah assured her.

"Or you could just kick her out," Barbara suggested.

"I would never," Diana laughed. "But thank you, girls. I know it'll be alright. It's just a date."

"Exactly, nothing to worry about," Barbara agreed.

"Alright, now back to clothes. No blue dress?" Hannah asked.

"Absolutely not," Diana shook her head. "I think I'll wear that dress again on a different date. When I'm actually ready to tell her I love her."

"Wait, I thought you do love her," Hannah said.

"Yes I do, but I'm just not ready to tell her that yet," Diana clarified.

"And that's perfectly fine," Hannah smiled, pulling out another dress. "How about this one?"

Diana grinned. "Yes, that's the one."

Akko looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She thought she looked and felt nice, but she knew she wouldn't look nearly as stunning as Diana would. Whatever Diana ended up on deciding to wear, Akko knew her breath would be taken away. Diana always had that affect on her.

"Are you sure you wanna go out looking like that?" Sucy snickered, putting down her book for a second.

Akko frowned and looked at her outfit. "What's wrong with it?"

"This is your first date with Diana, right?" Lotte asked.

Akko nodded.

"Diana will laugh at you if you show up looking like that," Sucy insisted.

"But I like the way I look!" Akko lamented.

"You're wearing an old red jacket, a Shiny Chariot shirt, and yoga pants," Sucy muttered and returned to her book.

"I think what Sucy is trying to say is that maybe you should dress a little more... professionally," Lotte said as nicely as she could.

"It's a date, not a job interview! You're supposed to be comfortable on a date!" Akko protested.

"If you're really that hell-bent on going out wearing that, at least ditch the sandals," Sucy suggested.

"I... okay yeah, maybe the sandals weren't a good idea now that I think about it. I'll just wear my tennis shoes. We're gonna be walking anyway."

"Whatever," Sucy rolled her eyes. "Also, if you're planning on bringing her to the dorm, make sure it's hers not ours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akko asked defensively.

"It means, Lotte and I would rather not be present if the two of you end up fucking," Sucy said with disgust.

"Sucy!" Akko and Lotte yelled.

"You know I'm right, Lotte," Sucy hissed. "Plus, isn't Barbara coming to our dorm tonight anyways? We can barely have the three people in here. Having Diana and Akko in here with you, me, and Barbara will make things suffocating. And if that happens, I think I'd prefer to sleep outside."

"We weren't gonna come back here anyway, Sucy. Diana has a TV in her dorm and chances are we're going to go there to watch a movie after the date or something."

"She also has a much larger bed," Sucy smirked. "Be sure to spare on the details tomorrow morning at breakfast if anything happens."

Akko blushed both from irritation and embarrassment. "I wouldn't say anything to you guys to begin with! No one needs to know about that!"

"Hm, I'm glad you don't brag about stuff like that like Amanda does," Sucy hummed. "I can't tell you how many times I've overheard her summer break stories."

"Well that's because she's a player," Akko grumbled.

"I doubt Diana would let you tell your friends about your private affairs either," Lotte smiled.

"Oh yeah, she'd kill me if I ever said anything to anyone. I mean... Amanda's an exception, right? She is my best friend after all," Akko said nervously.

"Akko, tell Amanda whatever the hell you want, but I don't think it's a good idea to give her details about you and Diana whether it be about fucking or just kissing. First, you said it yourself, no one needs to know about that. Second, that stuff is between you and Diana. Not you, Diana, and Amanda. Diana will appreciate it and I know you will too in the long run. I'm telling you this as... your friend," Sucy explained.

"For someone who doesn't feel attracted to people, you sure do give good advice on people stuff," Akko smiled.

Sucy shrugged. "Tis the life of an asexual."

"Hey, don't you have to meet Diana soon?" Lotte asked, glancing at Akko's alarm clock.

"Kuso, you're right! I probably won't be back here tonight, so if you need anything from me, send an owl or something," Akko said, getting ready to leave.

"You make it sound like you're moving in with her," Sucy sneered.

"Could happen some day you know," Akko smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, just get out of here," Sucy grumbled.

"Have fun, Akko!" Lotte grinned.

"I will!"

The original plan was to get to town on one broom, but they both decided it was best to just meet there. Akko left ahead of time so she could grab a quick gift from one of the shops that she would give to Diana later that night. She made the right choice by doing so, because by the time she left the shop, she saw the blonde in the center of the town square where they planned to meet. She fretted once she saw Diana wearing a beautiful lavender cocktail dress. She instantly regretted not taking her friends advice on dressing more formally. Well, she couldn't do anything about it now.

She slowly approached the blonde with a guilty grin on her face. Diana looked up and saw Akko and chuckled to herself. Hannah and Barbara were pretty spot-on when they predicted what Akko would wear. The only difference was that Akko wore yoga pants instead of jeans. Informal, yes, but they were a little tight on her which showed off her legs and Diana couldn't look away.

"Sucy said you would laugh," Akko lamented. "I just wanted to feel comfy."

Diana kissed her cheek. "Never change, Akko."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing," Diana chuckled again. "You look fine."

"You look more than fine, you're freaking beautiful! More beautiful than a goddess!" Akko beamed. "Sorry, my flirting skills suck. But I'm serious though. You really are beautiful."

"Thank you, Akko," Diana chuckled again. "Now where are you taking me?"

Akko grinned. "We're gonna be taking our food to go."

"Is there a reason for that?" Diana asked intrigued.

"Yep! I know this perfect ridge near the outskirts of town that has the best view of the sunset!"

"Wonderful. Shall we get going then?" Diana smiled.

Akko offered her arm which Diana gladly wrapped her own around.

"Yes, let's go."

Chapter Text

Akko guided Diana to the ridge she promised she would take her to. They had to pick up their food which were a few deli sandwiches from one of the restaurants in town. They had also spotted Amanda and Hannah on their way to the ridge and Akko  made sure to avoid them, not wanting their date to possibly turn into a double date. Diana felt the same. That would certainly be an event for another time, but not this night. This night was specifically for the two of them and nothing or no one would ruin that.

Once they reached the ridge, Akko surprised Diana with a spell she had been working on for weeks that set up a picnic complete with a blanket and a basket of bread rolls. Diana was impressed, for food magic was very difficult and definitely not Akko's strength in magic. It made her smile since she knew Akko had probably practiced the spell several times before actually getting it correct.

"I must say I'm quite impressed, Akko," Diana stated, taking another small nibble from her sandwich. "I'm having a wonderful time with you."

"Thank the nine, I thought this might have been too cheesy," Akko sighed with relief.

Diana smiled. "Not at all. I rather enjoy the... cheesiness as you would say."

"That's good. I mainly took you on this date for romantic purposes, but also so you could take a break from all that studying and your aunt breathing down your neck constantly," Akko explained, finishing her sandwich.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Speaking of that snake, did I inform you that I am visiting the manor once again next month?"

"Nope, this is the first I've heard of this. Is there a reason for you going back?"

"Apparently Aunt Daryl wishes to discuss something with me while Andrew Hanbridge is present. I'm afraid I'll be traveling alone for that trip."

That name caught Akko's attention. She hadn't seen Andrew for a while and wasn't really sure if they were even friends at this point. She had heard roomers that he liked Diana and if that were true, she would see him as her threat. Not that she had a reason to since Diana was literally her soulmate and the fact that Andrew was gay, but she didn't know that about him and therefore couldn't stand the thought of Andrew or anyone for that matter flirting with Diana. She knew she had to figure out a way to go with her.

"Um, no you're not," Akko shook her head. "I'm going with you whether you like it or not."

"Please don't be like that, Akko," Diana frowned.

"I'm going. You can't convince me otherwise," Akko pressed. "Besides, Croix and Chariot said werewolves can't be separated from their soulmates for very long."

"I will only be there for two days, not a day longer," Diana assured her.

"Can you at least... think about it?" Akko asked.

"It's not exactly my choice, you know. Aunt Daryl wanted me to come alone."

"Well I should go because I'm your girlfriend and whatever she has to talk to you about with Andrew, it can't be anything good. I don't want you alone with him anyway," Akko grumbled.

Diana smirked. "Oh my, are you jealous, Atsuko?"

"N-no... maybe..."

"If you're this concerned, I suppose I will try to figure out a way to bring you along," Diana huffed, holding Akko's hand and raising it to her lips to place a gentle kiss.

"Really?" Akko's eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes, really, but there's no guarantees. Although, bringing you along may be helpful; I could use the assistance in choosing a gift for Andrew. Perhaps you can be the one to present it to him and say it was from the two of us since he considers you as his friend."

"You need to give him a gift... why?" Akko asked confused.

"His birthday is the week after I visit and I likely won't see him for a while after that. It has been tradition between us to exchange a single gift on each other's birthdays. It's more of an ironic gag than anything since our families would shower us with dozens among dozens of presents on our birthdays," Diana explained. "Tis the life of an aristocrat."

"Oh! Speaking of gifts, I've got something for you," Akko grinned.

"You did? Oh, you didn't need to get me anything," Diana laughed softly.

"Shush, I wanted to," Akko pouted.

Diana watched amused as Akko reached into her pocket and took out the item she bought Diana at one of the shops. She handed the little bag to Diana who didn't hesitate in opening it up. Inside was a charm bracelet with a wooden wolf and a silver moon charm. Diana smiled at it, tracing the charms with her fingers.

"I thought since you already have a wolf looking after you, why not have second one protecting you when I'm not around?" Akko said shyly.

"Thank you, Akko. I love it. I'll never take it off, I promise," Diana gushed, trying not to tear up as she placed the bracelet around her wrist. "Although I hate to tell you, but this isn't the second wolf watching over me, it's the third."

"Oh right. Chariot," Akko laughed.

Diana blinked. "Oh, then I suppose I have four now. Sort of."

"What do you mean?" Akko asked curiously.

"Would you like me to show you?" Diana smirked.

Akko nodded furiously.

"Very well then," Diana huffed, taking out her wand. She looked up at the night sky and inhaled deeply. "Expecto Patronum!"

A blinding bright light emerged from Diana's wand and began to form a very familiar creature. Soon, a beautiful illuminated wolf was formed from the light and happily trotted above and around the two of them. Akko was in awe. She had recently learned about Patronus spells in her Dark Arts class and sadly didn't get the opportunity to see a demonstration or try to perform it herself. Patronus spells were considered very difficult and took years of practice to master, but it didn't surprise her how well Diana performed her Patronus spell. What surprised her was that it was a wolf.

"It's beautiful," Akko said sincerely. 

"It is," Diana nodded, and lowered her wand which caused the illuminated wolf to fade away.

"Interesting how you have a wolf and not something like a unicorn for your patronus," Akko noted.

Diana sighed. "When I was young and attempted the Patronus spell for the first time, I actually always hoped I would have a unicorn Patronus since my mother and many of my relatives had one. Even though unicorns are one of the rarest to cast, I still hoped and almost expected that I would be lucky enough to have one."

"But you didn't," Akko said.

"You're right, I didn't. The first time I successfully produced my Patronus spell, I was confused and disappointed that I hadn't received a unicorn, but a wolf instead. I was teased by my cousins and ridiculed by my aunt that I wasn't a true Cavendish for not having a unicorn as my Patronus since Unicorns are the Cavendish symbol. In a way I felt as though I wasn't a true Cavendish. I felt lesser because of it," Diana explained.

Akko shrugged. "I don't know, Diana, I think wolves are pretty badass."

"Indeed they are," Diana agreed, kissing Akko's cheek.

"I mean, unicorns are nice and all, but I would love to have a wolf as my Patronus even though I kind of already am one," Akko smiled. "Imagine the irony in that! A werewolf with a wolf Patronus!"

Diana looked at her surprised. "Do you not know what your Patronus is yet? You should have learned about it in Dark Arts last year."

Akko rubbed her arm awkwardly. "Actually, I wasn't in Dark Arts last year. There were too many people in that class so they made me take Herbology last year and Dark Arts this year instead, so I just recently learned about it. We never got to demonstrations or attempts though."

Diana felt stupid for not knowing that. "I see. Would you perhaps like to try and find out right now?"

"I don't know," Akko said uneasily. "Knowing my spell casting history, I probably won't get it on the first try... or the hundredth try."

"That's quite alright," Diana chuckled. "It takes much practice regardless, so I'm not expecting you to get it on your first few attempts or at all. I think it's worth a try though, so would you like to try anyway?"

"I do," Akko nodded. "What should I do first, Miss. Cavendish?"

Diana blushed from being called that and it surprised her slightly that it also turned her on. She had to shake impure thoughts aside for now.

"First you take out your wand."

"Duh," Akko rolled her eyes.

"Since the Patronus spell is mainly used to ward off dementors and you know how much dementors despise happiness, think of the happiest memory you can. It has to be specific and incredibly important to you," Diana instructed.

The happiest memory? There were so many happy memories Akko could chose from, many of them involved Diana, but how would she know which one was the happiest? All of them gave her a happy fuzzy feeling whenever she thought about them. Any of them could work, right? Perhaps she could use one of her happiest childhood memories.

"I think I have one," Akko said slowly.

"Alright, now close your eyes. You don't have to, but I recommend doing so since it helps me focus on the memory."

Akko obeyed and her eyes fluttered shut. Diana approached her and placed a hand on the hand Akko was holding her wand. She flinched from that, but relaxed once she realized it was only Diana.

"Now repeat after me and be sure to speak clearly: Expecto Patronum."

"E-Expecto Patronum," Akko stuttered. 

Not even a spark flew out of her wand.

"Try again, Akko. Speak more clearly," Diana said calmly.

Akko cleared her throat. "Expecto Patronum!"

A small ball of light emerged from her wand, but instantly faded and disappeared. Akko sighed from frustration and tried again several times. Diana studied Akko. She was definitely saying the spell correctly and being firm with her wand movements. The memory must have not been strong enough.

"What is the memory you are thinking of, Akko?" Diana asked.

"The first time I saw Shiny Chariot on stage," Akko grumbled, opening her eyes to look at Diana.

Diana thought for a second. "Hm, that would be a strong memory for you, but I don't believe it would be the happiest. Dig deeper."

"What about the first time I successfully rode a broom?" Akko asked before trying once more.

"Again, that is a strong memory, but most likely not the happiest," Diana shook her head.

"Well I don't-" Akko started to say and then suddenly thought of a memory that had to work. "Wait, I think I have it."

"Alright then. Give it another go," Diana smiled.

Akko closed her eyes once again and took a deep breath. "Expecto Patronum!"

A much brighter and larger light than the previous ones emerged from her wand. The light began to take form and Diana gasped and took a couple steps back from shock. She knew instantly what Akko's patronus was even before it completed its form.

"A-Akko, open your eyes," Diana said in a hushed voice.

Akko did so and gasped herself. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"A unicorn," she said breathlessly.

The stunning white unicorn galloped around Akko and stopped in front of Diana. It stared at her for a second with its illuminated bluish-white eyes as if it knew exactly who she was, and then resumed to gallop around the two of them.

"Unbelievable," Diana whispered.

"I-I thought you said a unicorn is a super rare patronus," Akko said, losing focus and the white unicorn faded in the darkness.

"They are," Diana confirmed. "That doesn't mean you aren't capable of possessing one, it's just so unlikely."

"I'll say," Akko nodded. "Kind of funny how I got the unicorn and you got the wolf, huh?"

"Of course... I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner," Diana muttered to herself.

"What now?"

Diana smiled at her and surprised her with a tender kiss to the lips. "We were always destined to be soulmates, Akko, even before you imprinted on me."

"Yeah?" Akko smiled.

"Think about it. How unusual is it that you have a unicorn Patronus and I have a wolf? How coincidental is it that you're a werewolf and I'm a Cavendish whose symbol is a unicorn? Your Patronus is my symbol and mine is yours. What are the odds of that?" Diana asked.

Akko was no mathematician, but she knew those odds were incredibly low.

"Those are some pretty low odds," Akko laughed.

"Agreed," Diana nodded. "Akko, might I ask what your happiest memory was that produced your patronus?"

Akko blushed and looked away from her. "It was when you told me you would be my girlfriend and we had our first kiss in the garden. That was the happiest moment of my life."

Diana also blushed. Ironically, that was also the memory she used to produce her wolf patronus. Her previous memory she used was when she received her acceptance letter to Luna Nova, but kissing Akko was a far happier memory than that one. In fact, it was her happiest moment in her life as well.

"Is that so?" Diana smirked. "My soulmate is such a romantic."

"Oh hush," Akko blushed even more as Diana kissed her cheek multiple times. "I bet that's your happiest memory too, don't even lie."

"I won't. It is," Diana smiled.

"O-oh."

Akko noticed Diana shiver from the cold and realized it was getting pretty late. They didn't have much to do in town since most of the stores were likely closed, so the best option would be to head back to Luna Nova.

"Wanna head back to school? I asked Lotte to drop off my clothes by your dorm cause I kinda assumed I'd be spending the night. Only if you want me to, of course. I'd never intrude," Akko said.

Diana felt her heart stop. She almost forgot her and Akko's date wasn't going to end after dinner. They still had much of the night to spend with each other, alone in Diana's dorm. Alone in her room with no one around.

Diana nodded. "O-of course I want that, Akko. I would love for you to spend the night. Hannah and Barbara won't be there tonight anyway. It will just be the two of us alone together."

"Great," Akko grinned. "Let's go then."

Diana widened her eyes in surprise that Akko didn't question the alone portion Diana mentioned. "Oh, alright then. But can we do something before we leave?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Diana smiled slightly. "I'd love to see your patronus again."

"I'd love to see yours too."

"Alright. Together?" Diana asked.

Akko nodded.

"Expecto Patronum!" they both said in unison.

The light emitted from their wands seemed to be even brighter before. The Patronuses did not run around their castors this time, but instead happily met each other and pranced around each other. It was a spectacular sight watching the wolf interact with the unicorn, wagging it's bright tail and the unicorn bowing it's head and trotting with the wolf. Watching the two illuminated creatures brought tears to the two girls eyes. It was definitely a tender moment shared between them.

"It's like they know," Akko sniffled. "This is amazing."

"Indeed," Diana grinned.

They watched the two illuminated creatures run around each other until they eventually faded away together and their wands stopped producing light. It was at that point when they decided to head back to Luna Nova. Even though they took separate brooms, that didn't mean they couldn't fly back together. And they did, arriving at Diana's dorm fairly quickly.

Diana invited Akko in and they placed their brooms near the entrance. She then guided Akko to her room and Akko awkwardly stepped inside, her heart beginning to quicken its beat.

"Is there something you'd like to do, Akko?" Diana asked in a hushed tone. "We could watch something if you wish. It's up to you."

The room was dimly lit from a couple candles and Diana looked beautiful, especially her sparkling blue eyes. Akko had only one thing on her mind in that moment.

"A-actually, can I kiss you?" she asked shyly.

Diana froze in place. This wasn't the first time Akko requested this of her, but this was completely a different situation. They were alone in a room together with no possible chance of interruptions or distractions. Diana could see the love but also lust in Akko's eyes. Things could escalate rather quickly if she were to say yes. How far would things escalate exactly? Was she even willing for things to escalate?

She decided to throw cation to the wind.

"Yes, you may," she replied calmly.

Akko hummed contently and stood up higher to meet the taller girls lips. She met Diana's lips tenderly in a slow and gentle kiss. Diana carefully wrapped her arms around the shorter girls neck, giving the softest of moans when Akko began to nibble her lip. In response, Diana prodded with her tongue to ask for an entrance and Akko happily obliged and moaned for her as she began to kiss her more roughly. They fell into a steady rhythm until they remembered they needed air, gasping when they finally brolke free.

They stared into each others eyes for a moment, searching for something. The moment was brief before their lips crashed into each other once again and Akko felt bold enough to guide Diana to her bed, gently pushing her down. Akko broke the kiss only to place her lips on Diana's jawline and trail it down to her neck. Diana's breath hitched which only added fuel to the fire lit within Akko. She reached Diana's neck and without warning, she softly bit down on her pulse gaining a low moan from her. She didn't know where that bite came from, her wolf instincts perhaps, but one thing she knew was that it was a massive turn on.

Underneath her, Diana looked up, her cheeks flushed, panting heavily. Akko then placed a hand on her thigh, slowly moving it upwards to which Diana sharply inhaled. However, Akko could tell something was off. Diana had instantly stopped blushing and turned quite pale like she had seen a ghost. That wasn't the reaction Akko was looking for at all.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Diana whispered.

"Do you want to continue?" Akko asked in all seriousness.

Diana hesitated before nodding. "I-I think so."

Akko stopped immediately and got off of her. Diana stared at her in utter confusion.

"Why did you..."

Akko smiled somberly, but affectionately. "You're not ready for this yet, Diana."

"I... you're right. I'm sorry," Diana lamented and shamefully looked away.

"Don't be," Akko chuckled, placing a hand on Diana's arm. "You know what's sexier than sex?"

Diana tilted her head to the side waiting for an answer.

"Consent," Akko responded, kissing her cheek.

"But you've been looking forward to this night and so have I. I'm just... not ready yet." Diana stated.

"And that's okay! You don't have to be ready right now. Heck, you don't have to be ready ever," Akko assured her.

"Let's not be hasty on that, Akko. I assure you I have the desires that will need fulfillment eventually, just not tonight," Diana said more to herself.

"Then we'll do it a different night. And hey, there's plenty of things we can figure out what to do tonight," Akko grinned. "Anything but studying though. I might leave if you make me do that."

Diana laughed. "I wouldn't torture you that severely. Although, now that you mention it, I've noticed your astrology grades have been slipping..."

"Dianaaaa," Akko whined.

"I'm only joking, Akko. Like I said, I would never torture you that severely," Diana smirked.

"Do you wanna just cuddle tonight then? It's kinda getting late anyway," Akko suggested.

"I'm okay with that," Diana nodded.

They both climbed into the bed together, Diana pulling the covers over the two of them. Akko sighed contently and rested her head on Diana's chest, listening to her heart which was beating at a steady rhythm.

"Well don't you look comfortable," Diana chuckled, kissing the top of Akko's head.

Akko smiled. "If you think that I'm not sleeping on your boobs all night, you're wrong."

Diana sighed happily, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend. "I'm okay with that."

Chapter Text

The sun peeked through Diana's window informing her that it was morning. If it weren't for the brunette laying next to her, she would have been convinced that the events of the night prior were all part a wonderful dream. Even seeing Akko in her bed lightly drooling on one of the pillows while sleeping soundly seemed like she was in a dream. But hearing Akko's snores and seeing the rise and fall of her chest causing the bed to move slightly convinced her that this was not a dream. This was real and it was spectacular.

She smiled at her sleeping girlfriend and gently placed a kiss upon her forehead. Akko's eyes slowly fluttered open and she sleepily looked at Diana.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Diana grinned, brushing a strand of hair out of Akko's face.

"Morning," Akko said groggily, opening her eyes widely when she noticed Diana was only wearing her bra and underwear. "Um, what happened to your clothes?"

Diana looked down. "Sleeping with a dress on is rather uncomfortable don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess so. And um, why didn't you put on a shirt or something?" Akko blushed.

"I was too tired to go to my drawer and put one on last night," Diana said simply. "Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, no, of course not! I wasn't complaining or anything, I was just a little surprised."

"Hm," Diana got up and stretched. "It is almost nine, Akko, do you wish to get breakfast before it's all gone?"

Akko closed her eyes and laughed slightly. "No way. Your bed is comfy and it's a Saturday. I'm sleeping in till eleven."

"Very well then. I'm going to take a shower and go get breakfast. If you change your mind, let me know," Diana smiled.

"I might go if you let me shower with you," Akko flirted.

Diana tried to make a straight face but couldn't prevent her blush. "Alright then."

Akko sat upright in bed with a wide grin on her face. "Wait really?"

"No," Diana laughed.

Akko huffed in frustration and fell back in bed. "Geez, way to get a girl's hopes up."

"I was kidding, Akko. There's hardly any space in the shower for one person. There's no way the two of us would fit in that tiny space together," Diana explained.

Akko lifted her head up. "Are you saying you would shower with me if there was space?"

"Perhaps," Diana smiled mischievously. "Now look away, I'm going to strip."

Akko lay her head back down and shut her eyes tightly, trying not to imagine Diana stripping in front of her and desperately trying to stop the heartbeat in between her legs. She waited for what seemed like an eternity until she heard Diana's bathroom door shut which told her she could open her eyes again. At the foot of the bed, she saw Diana's bra and underwear which gave her a full mental image in her mind of what she looked like in that bathroom right now. Her beautiful pale skin being pelted by thousands of water droplets from the shower, her golden hair loosely flowing around her shoulders, the swell of her breasts-

"What is this, some kind of lesbian torture?" Akko squealed and shook her head.

She was very much awake now and the intense heat her body was producing showed no sign of dying down. There was no chance that she could fall back asleep, so she got up instead. Going to breakfast was far better than laying in Diana's bed thinking of all the things she wanted to do with her in that shower or otherwise.

She knocked on Diana's bathroom door. "I changed my mind. I'm gonna go to the dinning hall."

"Alright, I'll meet you there then," Diana said from within.

After changing into some grey sweatpants and a red t-shirt, Akko left Diana's dorm still extremely flustered and tried to focus on the cool air that blew against her body. Her heartbeat hadn't slowed at all. Actually, It had worsened. She stopped walking when she realized how hot her body was getting. She looked down at one of the puddles that was left behind from a light wave of rain that came in the early morning. Her reflection showed her glowing red eyes and she knew that wasn't good. If she didn't calm down, she would phase right then and there with several students around her to watch it happen. Why was this happening here, now? Why couldn't have this happened somewhere with less people?

She suddenly felt an arm wrap around her neck and shoulders, startling her and causing her body to instantly cool down.

"Akko, isn't life just great?" Amanda grinned.

For once, Akko was grateful for Amanda surprising her. Whatever the reason, it caused her to calm down and caused her eyes to stop glowing or in other words, prevented her from phasing.

"I guess," Akko responded awkwardly.

The red head sighed contently. "Life is just so good right now."

"You seem happy," Akko snickered.

Amanda nodded. "Everything is just so beautiful and Hannah... fuck she's amazing."

Akko smirked. "Fuck she's amazing, or she fucks amazing?"

The red head blushed and smiled widely. "Can I say both?"

"Uh, congrats?" Akko smiled.

"I'm in love, Akko. I love that girl, I swear," Amanda laughed. "Last night was the best night of my life. I took her out into town and we had an amazing candle lit dinner. I didn't know I could learn so much about her in just one night, it was incredible. We really got to know each other last night, like I'm serious when I say I'm in love with her. And after dinner, we went back to my dorm and we had the best se-"

"Ew, don't tell me about that part!" Akko cringed and interrupted her.

Amanda shrugged. "Sorry, I just feel like I have to tell someone that Hannah England is the most amazing and perfect and sexy girl alive!"

"I beg to differ but okay," Akko chuckled.

"Oh you mean Diana?" Amanda asked. "She's pretty cute, I won't deny that, but she'll never top Hannah. Anyway, how did your date with her go last night?"

"It was good," Akko said simply.

Amanda smirked. "Just good? Come on, Akko, give me the details!"

"It was romantic, I had a great time, and we cuddled afterwards," Akko explained.

"That's my girl! Oh, oh, who's the top? Hannah and I have a bet," Amanda grinned. "I mean you totally don't have to tell me, but I'm curious ya know? And I honestly can't see Diana being a top."

"What are you talking about?" Akko glared at her.

"You mentioned you cuddled, so," Amanda said confused.

"We did," Akko said just as confused. "Oh wait y-you mean... no! We didn't do that!"

"Oh shit, sorry for assuming," Amanda said wide-eyed. "Did you not want to or something."

Akko sighed. "No, it wasn't me. She just... wasn't ready last night."

Amanda nodded and then gave her a serious look. "You didn't push her for it, right?"

"Of course not!" Akko exclaimed shrilly.

"Good, that's most important," Amanda sighed with relief and then patted Akko's shoulder. "Ah well, I'm sorry mate. Better luck next time I guess?"

"Actually, I'm sort of glad we didn't do anything last night. It's not like I'd know what to do besides kissing and stuff," Akko confessed.

Amanda raised a brow at her. "Really Akko? Should I bring up the events of March fifth of last year?"

Ah, March fifth. Perhaps Akko's best and worst day of her life. She had recently discovered that she was a werewolf and decided to browse the internet on anything and everything that involved werewolves. She also discovered the more risky side of the internet that day regarding werewolves and discovered a lot about herself. Unfortunately, she made the mistake of making such discoveries at a sleepover at Amanda's house. All that can be said is that Amanda walked in on Akko doing something she really should have done in the privacy of her own room.

Akko blushed furiously. "That was one time, Amanda! And you swore never to speak of it again!"

"I'm just saying," Amanda said, raising her hands up in defense. "You don't have experience with someone, but you definitely have information on that stuff... Does Diana know that you have a kinky side?"

"No, and it's gonna stay that way!" Akko grumbled.

"You sure about that? I'm sure you and her could benefit from a leash or dog collar of some sorts. You know, with you being a giant wolf and all."

Akko blushed even more. "That's going a little too far if you ask me. We're never doing that."

"Eh, if you change your mind, let me know. I have connections," Amanda winked.

"Ugh, I'm going to go get breakfast now. I'm supposed to meet Diana anyway," Akko muttered.

"Cool, I'm gonna head back to my dorm. Hannah should be awake by now," Amanda smiled.

The nerve? Suggesting Akko and Diana get a dog collar and leash? It was ludicrous, barbaric, scandalous... yet not the worst idea in Akko's mind. In fact, the very thought of it caused her to heat up again. She made sure to place that thought in the very deepest part of her mind and lock it up for eternity. Or at least until it was needed to be brought up again...

She walked over to the dinning hall not surprised to see that the breakfast rush had died down. She grimaced once she smelled the familiar scent of potatoes. She used to like potatoes actually, but Luna Nova served them so much she lost her desire in eating them all together. She noticed her girlfriend sitting at one of the tables already eating. Her hair was up in a messy bun which was a rare sight to see since she typically never put her hair up, so she made sure to stare for a moment taking in all  of her beautiful features. She was reading a book while she was eating and she seemed to be very focused and wore a concerned expression. Akko decided to skip whatever potatoes dish they were serving and grabbed a ripe pear for breakfast instead.

She sat down across from Diana who didn't even notice her presence.

"You look focused," Akko chuckled.

"Oh, I didn't see you there... Um, Akko, have you heard of something called a blood moon?" Diana asked.

She was familiar with what they were, but had not the slightest idea as to why Diana was bringing it up. It must have been important if she was mentioning it to her.

"Sure, wasn't there one a couple years ago?" Akko asked.

"Yes, but not a super blood moon. Do you have an idea on what a super blood moon does to a werewolf?" Diana asked concerned, shutting her book which seemed to be a book on lycanthropy.

"No? I assume you do."

"It appears that blood moons cause werewolves to be even more aggressive than they already were reported to be and have been the main cause for attacks in the past, but have never been the reason for kills. Super blood moons are what caused werewolves to go on killing sprees throughout the centuries. There were hundreds of cases all across Europe about werewolves deliberately going after humans and killing them for sport in the past hundred years. There is a super blood moon coming up in a few months. I'm a bit concerned about that," Diana explained.

That was a concern, but Akko didn't seem too concerned about it. Did she really have a reason to? One of her professors was a werewolf herself and would likely know exactly what to do.

Akko shrugged. "Eh, I think I'll be fine. I bet Croix and Chariot know about it and have a plan for it."

"You are aware this will be the same date as the end of the year dance, right? This means you cannot go," Diana said.

Now Akko was concerned.

"Aw man, seriously? I was looking forward to that! Now I'm gonna have to miss it," Akko pouted.

"This is serious, Akko!" Diana hissed. "Although the book says nothing about the super blood moons connection to a werewolf's soulmate, I'm not so sure what will happen if I'm around you during that time. According to this book, which I'm going to make you read eventually by the way, it says that werewolves will have enhanced strength, sight, speed, and agility, even more than their wolf form already gives them."

"So what you're saying is that I'm gonna be invincible? I don't know, Diana, that sounds pretty cool. Plus, I have the new potion Croix gave me so I'll be totally aware of what I'm doing," Akko smiled reassuringly.

"I'm not so sure of that either. Since the potion is new, how do you know the blood moon won't be stronger than it, causing you to phase like you once used to?"

Akko didn't have an answer to that. What if Diana was right? What if this blood moon caused Akko to phase into a mindless monster? What if she didn't recognize Diana like she did before? That was an possibility that she didn't want to ever think about.

She reached across the table and gently held Diana's hand. "Look, that's months away from now. It's nothing we can do or stress about right now. And if worse comes to worse, someone can always put me under a super strong sleep spell and I'll sleep through the whole thing. Okay?"

Diana sighed and squeezed Akko's hand. "Alright. I'm just concerned for you, that's all."

"I'll be fine Diana, I know it," Akko smiled. "Now let's talk about something that's actually gonna come up soon."

"What's that?"

"Going back to your house and discussing whatever the hell Andrew and your aunt want," Akko grumbled.

Diana had a relatively good idea on what they would be discussing about and it wasn't something she wanted Akko present for. But Akko was as stubborn as she was caring and kind. Diana knew she would find a way to go with her no matter what, even if it meant going after her if she left without her.

"I'm still not sure how I'm going to bring you with me," Diana muttered.

Akko rolled her eyes. "Duh, we'll just fly to the estate together."

"That's not what I meant. Aunt Daryl will be furious if she discovers I'm bringing someone with me, you especially. The two of you aren't exactly on the best of terms. She might reschedule the meeting to somewhere more private if she finds out you are coming," Diana pursed her lips.

"Then don't tell her," Akko suggested.

Diana shook her head. "That won't end well."

"It's not like she'd throw me out right?" Akko chuckled uneasily. "Right?"

"I can't promise anything, but I'd assume no, because it goes against Cavendish hospitality. However, she won't treat you kindly, that I can promise," Diana warned.

"I don't care. I'm going to go with you and we're gonna have a good time no matter what that snake says about it. Besides, I wanna be there for you in case the conversation is heavy and depressing or something," Akko smiled.

"I think a phone call would have sufficed, but I do appreciate the sentiment," Diana smiled back. "Thank you, Akko."

Chapter Text

The time for Akko and Diana to return to the Manor had arrived rather quickly. Far sooner than Diana had hoped it would. If she could, she surely would have stretched time for as long as she could if it meant avoiding the inevitable discussion between her aunt and the Hanbridges. Mr. Hanbridge would also be accompanying Andrew for this meeting and that complicated things slightly. Even though Akko had practically saved the world from the missile crisis and Mr. Hanbridge had developed a form of respect for her and tolerated her, that certainly didn't mean he liked her. Daryl in general didn't respect nor like her, but Diana didn't really care about her opinion. She was more concerned with how Daryl would treat Akko.

"Now, Akko, please behave yourself. Aunt Daryl will already be displeased that I am bringing a guest after she specifically told me not to," Diana instructed her as they stopped in front of the mansions massive door.

"Isn't it a good thing that she'll be upset? I thought you hate her," Akko said in confusion.

"I do, but I don't want her ruining our next couple of days here," Diana clarified.

"That's fair."

They entered the familiar mansion and were not greeted by any of Diana's butlers or Anna this time, but by Daryl herself. Akko remembered her well. Her blue eyes were not kind and warm like Diana's, they were cold and distant. She still wore the same atrocious green suit she always wore and her lips were painted with the same coral-blue number five lipstick that Akko yet again had to control her laughter upon seeing.

"Diana," Daryl stated as if it were her least favorite word.

"Aunt Daryl," Diana said with just as much venom.

"Were my instructions not clear to you? I strictly informed you to come alone," she said harshly. "And what's more, you dare bring the werewolf back into my home?"

Diana and Akko froze. Daryl was perhaps the last person they would have expected to know that information and yet she said the word werewolf clear as day. Now there was a serious problem.

"I am not aware of how you have gained that information," Diana remained calm but was in fact extremely nervous.

Daryl scoffed. "Tch, did you really expect me not to find out your... friend was a dangerous beast? I have eyes everywhere, Diana."

"Akko is not dangerous, I can assure you," Diana said in a calm tone but was quickly growing angry.

"You can believe whatever nonsense she spouted to you, but she can't deny her aggressive and bloodthirsty behavior when she turns into a monster. It's in her nature," Daryl scowled at Akko.

Akko let out the smallest chuckle and Diana pressed her lips together trying not to smile at the irony which was clearly the wrong move for Daryl fumed with rage.

"You think it's funny, do you?" she hissed. "You're lucky Cavendish's are known for their hospitality, mutt, or else I would have thrown you out like the mongrel you are!"

"That's enough!" Diana raised her voice. "Akko is my honored guest and my very close friend, Aunt Daryl. I expect you to treat her as such."

Daryl's eyes flickered from Diana to Akko. "Very well. Miss. Kagari, I welcome you once again to Cavendish Manor. If there is anything you may need, please hesitate to ask."

"She's not being very hospitable if you ask me," Akko murmured to Diana.

"Akko hush," Diana hissed quietly. "I will take full responsibility for her while she stays with me, don't worry."

"I do hope you keep that promise," Daryl sneered.

Diana nodded. "I will so long as you promise not to tell a soul about Akko's secret."

"And if I don't?" Daryl challenged.

Diana chuckled darkly. "Are you sure you wish to go against me? Do not forget what happened the last time you tried to challenge me."

"I'm aware," Daryl said bitterly. "I expect her to be ready in a more... appropriate attire for tonight's supper. Her unexpected arrival is most unfortunate for Lord Hanbridge and his son will be joining us for supper, as you know, Diana."

"I will have that taken care of, Aunt Daryl," Diana responded.

"Good. Lord Hanbridge and Andrew will arrive in a half hour from now. Diana will show you to your room, Miss. Kagari."

And with that, Daryl left to some other part of the house. Akko let out a frustrated grunt she had been holding in.

"Ugh, that snake is so aggravating!" Akko grumbled. "I don't know how you-"

Diana cut her short with a sudden kiss to the lips.

Akko blushed. "What was that for?"

"I appreciate your patience, darling. I also thank you that you didn't snap back at her after she said those horrible things to you. She may have very well thrown you out if you had," Diana said with a sigh.

"Eh, I've been called way worse things," Akko shrugged.

Diana frowned. "Like what?"

"Straight," Akko giggled.

Diana rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "Very funny, Akko. Now let us go drop off your things in my room. We will find you something nice to wear as well."

"Your room?"

"Well yes, I'm not letting my girlfriend stay in a room all by herself. One of my maids might find you appealing and seduce you," Diana smirked.

Akko gasped. "I would never! I mean, if she's cute though..."

"You know, on second thought, there's a lovely downstairs bedroom I'm sure you'd appreciate staying in without me," Diana deadpanned.

"I'm kidding! Babe, I'm kidding," Akko laughed, kissing Diana's cheek. "I think you'll find that werewolves are very loyal and loving only to their soulmates."

"Hm, is that so?" Diana smirked and leaned forward to whisper in Akko's ear. "Perhaps when we're alone later, you can show me just how loving you can be."

"O-okay," Akko squeaked and blushed furiously.

Diana loved to tease her. It was too easy and hard not to. Akko occasionally got a blush out of Diana when she teased her, but it was mostly Diana who would do all the teasing and Akko who became a blushing mess, even if what Diana said was extremely subtle.

"Let's go to my room then and find you a suitable dress for dinner."

Akko pouted. "Do I have to? I hate those floofy, girly gowns you have in your closet!"

"I apologize, but those are the only clothes I have that can fit you. Everything else would look oversized and expose most of your breasts," Diana stated flatly.

"I mean, not that I really have much to show, but I thought you'd want to see that," Akko grumbled.

Diana smirked again. "Oh, I would very much like to see that I assure you, but that's an affair between the two of us behind closed doors, not at a formal dinner, Akko."

Akko once again blushed furiously. "O-okay."

Akko was satisfied with the dress Diana chose for her. It wasn't the pink dress she was used to Diana lending her, but it was instead a beautiful lilac colored silk dress with a bow. She didn't hate it mind you, but she was a little disappointed that Diana got to wear a dark grey pantsuit and she couldn't. She didn't have too many complaints though since Diana looked... hot in that pantsuit. Although, she would much prefer to see her with it off.

"Akko do you remember what I taught you about table etiquette?" Diana asked, plucking off a stray blonde hair from her pantsuit.

"Uh, yeah of course I do," Akko lied.

"That's a relief," Diana sighed contently. "We should head downstairs. I'm sure Andrew and his father are here or will be shortly."

"So um, how is everyone gonna react when they find out we're dating?" Akko asked. "We are gonna tell them tonight, right? I mean, we don't have to tell Andrew or his dad, but I think Daryl should know about it. Besides, I'd love to see her reaction once she finds out. It'll be really funny!"

The one question Diana had been dreading Akko to ask. She wasn't sure how she would even bring it up. Andrew would have no problem with it of course since he had known about Diana and Akko for weeks thanks to the letters Diana had been sending him, but Mr. Hanbridge and Daryl would most definitely have an issue with it. Diana was more than willing to take the plunge into such dangerous territory for Akko's sake, but it wouldn't be an easy task by any means.

"I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure something out," Diana assured. "Together."

Akko nodded and wrapped her arm around Diana's, leaving the bedroom. Andrew was waiting for the two of them at the bottom of the steps wearing his typical blue suit and his pitch black hair was perfectly swept back. He grinned upon seeing Akko's presence for he hadn't seen her in over a year and wasn't expecting to see her. His friendly grin slowly turned into a sly smirk and he raised his brow at Diana once he noticed that her arm was tightly locked around Akko's.

"My, Diana, that is quite the outfit. I'm sure father would have loved it," Andrew snickered sarcastically.

"Would have?" Diana asked curiously.

"Yes. Unfortunately, father has grown ill and won't be joining us. I suggested we met at another time, but he explained he had already talked to Lady Daryl and she will explain everything to the two of us," Andrew explained.

That took a weight off of Diana's shoulders. She could handle coming out to Daryl, she wasn't exactly someone she loved or was fearful of. Mr. Hanbridge was a different case entirely. She would have some difficulty coming out in front of someone like him, a powerful, conservative aristocrat who she had known and feared for most of her life. Daryl was nothing more than a former guardian who's opinion of her and Akko's relationship did not matter.

"I see," Diana nodded. "Andrew, I do hope you remember Akko. It's been a while."

"Of course I do," Andrew smiled, looking at Akko. "It's lovely to see you again, Miss. Kagari."

"Stop being so formal, Andrew. I deal with Diana's formality enough," Akko groaned, and earned a nudge from her girlfriend.

"I apologize, but as a gentleman, I am to treat young ladies such as Diana and yourself with utmost respect," Andrew smirked. "Oh and if I were you, I wouldn't stand so close to Diana in front Lady Daryl. She might suspect you're Diana's mistress."

Akko rolled her eyes and pulled Diana even closer to her. "I'll do what I want, thank you. And I'm not Diana's mistress by the way."

"She seems quite defensive over you, Diana," Andrew mused. "You two must be very close."

"Yes, I suppose so," Diana blushed.

Andrew looked like he was enjoying himself. "So, Akko, do you have a boyfriend yet? It seems Diana is doing a fine job of filling that position."

Akko blinked at him and then turned to Diana for answers, but the blonde merely pressed her lips together and stared at one of the family portraits on the wall in response.

"Why do you ask? You weren't planning on asking me out, were you?" Akko retorted.

"Oh heavens no! You lack several... features that I look for in a potential partner," Andrew said and winked at Diana, placing a hand in his pocket.

Diana chuckled to herself from the private joke and Akko stared at her in confusion.

"Am I missing something?" Akko asked baffled.

"Nothing, Akko. Let's not keep Daryl waiting for too long now," Diana smiled.

Daryl was already seated at the dinning table, patiently folding her hands, wearing a fake smile upon seeing Andrew. Dinner rolls were placed on the center of the table, Akko studying them as the steam rose off of them. She grabbed one and took small nibbles, making sure she didn't make any munching noises or allow any crumbs to fall on the floor.

Everyone had been seated for a few minutes and nobody had spoken. Akko was fidgeting with her hands, desperate to start up a conversation, but Daryl's stink eye kept her quiet. Andrew noticed the awkward silence and started up a conversation on local politics to which Daryl and Diana instantly joined in adding their own opinions on different political leaders and government decisions. And poor Akko had no idea what any of them were talking about, so she decided to discreetly play with the table cloth like she did when she was a child during boring adult dinner events to keep herself from becoming bored out of her mind.

Her mood shifted once dinner was served. Sirloin steak seasoned to perfection served with creamy scalloped potatoes and sparkling apple-pear cider as the beverage was on the menu for dinner that night and Akko couldn't wait to dig in. However, she hesitated when she noticed the different eating utensils on her place mat. Why in the nine were there three forks, two spoons, and two knives? She was used to eating with just a single fork or chopsticks. The extra utensils confused her. It also didn't help that she had completely forgotten Diana's 'table etiquette 101' she learned a couple nights prior. To be fair, Diana's lesson was incredibly long and boring and Akko kept distracting her, so she eventually quit explaining and just made out with her.

"You know you're allowed to eat, Akko," Andrew chuckled, wiping his lip with a napkin.

Akko kept picking at her food and ignored him.

"Is the meat not rare enough for you?" Daryl raised a brow at her.

Diana shot her a nasty glance. "Actually, she isn't too fond of meat, so she doesn't eat it very often."

On the contrary, Akko adored meat. Especially steak cooked and seasoned to perfection like the fine cut of meat in front of her on her nearly full plate.

Daryl pressed her lips together. "How interesting. I never would have expected her being a vegetarian."

"It's fine," Akko laughed nervously. "I'll eat it."

"Then enjoy your meal," Daryl responded.

Akko gave Diana a desperate look and glanced down at the forks, hoping Diana would get the message. Diana got it and gave Akko a subtle gesture to the right fork and Akko sighed with relief. She picked up the fork and one of the knives and began to eat happily.

Daryl cleared her throat. "Now, I wasn't expecting Miss. Kagari to be present for this conversation, but she can listen in if she so wishes to."

Andrew mouthed something to Diana from across the table and Diana went pale, quickly glancing at Akko next to her who was paying no attention to her surroundings, but very much enjoying the steak.

"Allow me to cut to the chase. Diana, Lord Hanbridge and I have come to the decision for you to be betrothed to Andrew. The two of you shall be married sometime later this year," Daryl explained.

Akko choked on a piece of her steak and nearly spit it out when she heard that. Once she swallowed the piece, (with assistance from Diana gently patting her back) she cleared her throat and put on the straightest face she could.

"That's not gonna happen," she deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" Daryl scoffed. "You of all people are in no authority to say anything on the matter!"

"She is correct, Aunt Daryl," Diana said calmly. "I'm afraid Andrew and I will not nor will we ever be getting married."

"You are in no authority to say anything on the matter either, Diana!" Daryl snapped.

"As a matter of fact, there are a couple reasons why Andrew and I cannot be married. Firstly, consanguineous marriages are against the law in the UK and I do not give my consent for I, no offense Andrew, do not wish to marry him. Secondly, I am already in a serious relationship with someone."

Daryl raised a brow at her. "Oh? And who might that be with? Who is he and most importantly, which family does he dwell from?"

"She is currently sitting next to me," Diana smirked smugly, feeling Akko's hand brush against her own. She rose Akko's hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. "I do believe you're acquainted with Akko. She is not only my very close friend, but she is also my girlfriend."

Daryl flew out of her chair in rage and pointed an accusing finger at Diana. "I do not approve of this! How dare you soil the Cavendish name by entering a relationship with a woman, and a commoner nonetheless! Disgusting!"

"I never asked for your approval nor do I care about it," Diana said, remaining completely calm. "Since I am the heir of this family and you are no longer my guardian, there is nothing you can do to try to separate Akko and I. Like it or not, Aunt Daryl, but I will be marrying her someday."

"R-really?" Akko blushed and whispered.

Diana nodded and gave Akko a look as if to say: 'I was trying to make a point, but yes.'

"I can't deal with this... I need to leave before I do something I might regret. My deepest apologies, Andrew," Daryl grunted.

And with that, Daryl had left with a loud slam from one of the doors. An eerie silence filled the atmosphere. Akko couldn't read Andrews expression, but he was staring directly at Diana. He then grinned and began to laugh softly.

"That certainly was a show you put on Diana," Andrew chuckled. "Also one of my most interesting formal dinners."

"Well, I'm glad my coming out was entertaining for you," Diana smiled and then turned to her girlfriend. "Akko, are you alright?"

Akko was still blushing from when Diana had mentioned marrying her. That's all she could think about at the moment. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"I must say I'm impressed by your boldness. In fact, you've inspired me to tell my father I'm gay," Andrew smiled.

"What? You're not straight?" Akko shrieked. "You're-"

"Yes, Akko. You heard me correctly," Andrew interrupted her. "I'm honestly rather offended you assumed I was straight."

"Will you actually tell him though?" Diana asked curiously.

"Perhaps. He'll need to know eventually and I doubt he'll take it well, but since I have no siblings and I'm the sole heir of the Hanbridge name, there isn't much he can do except for complain much like Daryl did when you told her just now," Andrew explained. "I think I'll tell him when I actually have a partner of my own though."

"Do it when you're ready," Diana added.

"I will. Now if you'll excuse me girls, I'll be retiring to my room for the night. I'm not sure if I'll see either of you tomorrow since I'll be departing at five in the morning."

"You likely won't see Akko since she'll be asleep, but I'll be sure to get up so I can say my goodbyes to you," Diana smiled.

Andrew nodded. "It's nice seeing the two of you once again. Oh and Diana, be sure to keep the volume level to a minimum. I'd rather not be awoken by any strange sounds."

Diana blushed furiously and gave a gentle nod. The comment went right over Akko's head and she just stared at him in confusion.

"What sounds are you talking about? Oh wait, Diana does snore," Akko pondered aloud. "I don't think she can control that though."

Diana scoffed. "I do not snore."

"Yeah you do," Akko said flatly.

"Anyway, goodnight you two," Andrew said.

"Goodnight, Andrew!" Akko beamed and waved at him before he left.

She released a sigh that she had been holding in the entire night. She then smiled at Diana and noticed that her cheeks were still pink. Diana skittishly looked at her and gave a slight smirk.

"Shall we go to our room then?" she asked shyly.

Our room. Those words made Akko's heart flutter. Diana held out her hand and Akko gladly took it into her own. Before she knew it, she was being tugged by Diana and soon arrived outside of the door to her room. Diana had a certain spark in her eye, something that caught Akko off guard.

Akko smiled at Diana. "So do you wanna go to sleep or-"

She was instantly cut off by Diana's lips roughly colliding with hers and she felt herself being pressed her up against the door. Sleep clearly wasn't on the other girls agenda at the moment. Akko quickly melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Diana's neck, pulling her into her body. Her own body was heating up faster by the second and she could feel her heart racing a thousand miles per hour. Her lower half was quickly heating up too. Any more of this and-

Diana broke the kiss, and released a sigh that sent shivers down Akko's spine.

"Kuso that was hot," Akko panted. "I might lose control if you go any further, Diana."

Diana smirked and placed a knee in between Akko's legs. "By all means, lose control."

Akko's eyes went wide and she swallowed hard. "Y-you mean..."

"I do. I want this. I...I want you," Diana confirmed.

Chapter Text

It had all become even more real the second Diana shut the door to her room and secured the lock. The only sounds that could be heard were her soft footsteps as she walked around the room to light a few candles. The room was already lit enough from the moonlight, but the candles added a more intimate tone.

After lighting the fourth and final candle, Diana turned to face Akko who wore a nervous expression. Diana breathed in and slowly removed her coat and loosened her tie, tossing them both to the side of her room. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she started to undo her shirt as well, making sure each button would be undone painfully slow.

That's when the fear had set in for Akko. They were actually going to do this. In Diana's room. It was thrilling, but terrifying. She was ready, make no mistake, she had been waiting for this for quite some time. However, where would she even start? What was acceptable, what was not? She did not know what gave Diana pleasure, but she was determined to learn. So she, too, started to strip. Though, mainly, she just stepped out of her shoes since she couldn't reach the zipper on her dress.

Diana had reached the last button, but didn't remove her shirt. She looked at Akko who seemed as though she might pass out. Akko was, in all honesty, just overheating from watching Diana strip in front of her.

"You seem nervous," Diana stated, pressing her lips together.

"You do too?" Akko asked more than said.

Diana sighed. "Let me rephrase that. You seem unsure. If you aren't sure you're ready, we don't have to do this. I may be ready now, but that doesn't mean you have to be. We have all the time in the world, after all."

"No, no, of course I want to do this! I just... you're so beautiful and I'm... not," Akko looked away.

Akko had many scars all over her body, most of them she had no clue where they came from and thankfully, they were mostly on her back or legs. Scarring happened easily, sadly due to the Moon's curse. Werewolves are no strangers to battles and Akko had faced several in her wolf form but couldn't remember a single one. None of them were caused by humans. Most of her battles were from a bear or a pack of wolves she had stumbled across accidentally.

She knew Diana would likely not care about the scars, but it was her largest source of insecurity. Whenever she looked in a mirror after she showered or changed, all she could ever focus on was her scars. They stood out and she despised that. She wished they could just disappear, but they would always remain on her. And she hated it. It was what she hated most about her body.

She sighed. "I know you've seen me naked before, but you've never been this close to me. I'm revealing a side of me I haven't shown anyone before... and I hate the way I look. My scars make me ugly."

Diana's expression turned blank, but tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. She slowly walked towards Akko and placed a hand on her girlfriends cheek. She softly pressed her lips onto Akko's in a passionate and gentle kiss.

"Atsuko," Diana used her full name to let her know she was absolutely serious. "I find it truly upsetting that you think so downward on your physical appearance because my opinion is drastically different than yours. I won't lie nor will I ever when I say that you are the most stunning and beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes upon. If you need to be reminded of that, I will say it as many times as I need to in order for you to believe it."

Akko sighed with relief. "Thank you, Diana. I needed that."

"Of course, dearest," Diana smiled.

"Do you want me to..." Akko asked, pointing at her dress. "It's hard to reach the zipper but I'll try."

"No," Diana stopped her. "I wish to do the honors, if that's alright?"

Akko nodded and gulped, turning around for her. Diana's hand met the nape of Akko's neck causing her to whimper softly. She took the zipper in between her fingers, slowly opening the dress she herself had zipped up that night. She then went for the straps and gently slid them off. Akko slowly stepped out of the dress, her back still facing Diana. Though Akko was still wearing her underwear, Diana could see several scars but a more prominent large scar along her back. She grimaced for a vivid image of how Akko got that scar entered her mind. She recognized the mark and came to the conclusion that a grizzly bear was likely responsible for the massive scar.

Akko shivered when she felt Diana's fingers delicately trace it. In order to calm her lover’s nerves, Diana gently placed her lips on the scar, kissing it as if she were removing any pain possibly being harbored. Akko's body relaxed significantly as Diana did this, most of her insecurity melting away. Diana noticed and kissed the other smaller scars as well until she was certain Akko was no longer feeling insecure about them.

"I want to see all of you," Diana whispered.

Akko didn't hesitate when she turned to face Diana. She noticed Diana's shirt was absent from her body now. Diana placed her hands on Akko's hips, staring into her eyes. She leaned forward and their lips ghosted over each other. Akko's eyes fluttered shut and she fully pressed her lips onto Diana's, wrapping her arms around her in the process.

Akko had found the clasps to Diana's bra and slowly unclipped them. Diana was aware of this and felt it was only fair to unhook Akko's bra as well and let it slip down along with hers. After a good minute, they needed to break free for air, so they stopped kissing for a brief moment. They took in every part of each other, making sure not a single detail was missed.

Diana was by all means beautiful, but in Akko's eyes, she was nothing short of a goddess. The way her skin glowed from the candle light made her even more beautiful. This was the first time Akko had seen Diana exposed like this. And this was all for her. No one would ever catch so much as a glimpse of the true beauty of Diana Cavendish except for Akko. She was all hers. Her one and only soulmate.

Diana was astonished by the sight in front of her. Seeing Akko's body on full display left her speechless. How could she have gotten so lucky? She wasn't just staring into the eyes of her girlfriend or lover. No, she was staring into the eyes of her soulmate. And she really wasn't lying when she told Akko she was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. She truly meant it. Even if Akko had more scars than anyone would wish to have, Diana found that to be even more beautiful. They made Akko who she was. She wouldn't be the same without them.

“Is...this okay?” Diana asked, her hand hesitating over a long, faded scar across the center of Akko’s chest as she studied her soulmate's crimson eyes for permission.

Akko tilted her chin in the weakest of nods and lightly grabbed Diana’s hand, pressing it to her chest. Diana let her thumb fall to the soft skin, gently tracing the slightly raised scar tissue, her breath hitching in her throat at the sight of Akko bare chested before her.

“Is something wrong?” Akko asked, noticing that Diana had been staring at the scar for a while.

Diana blinked at her. “No, not at all. It’s just… you’re beautiful.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Akko chuckled. “I would be without all these scars.”

Diana shook her head and placed her lips over the scar on Akko’s chest. “They’re a part of you, Akko. These scars don’t affect your beauty. You’re beautiful regardless.”

Akko leaned upwards slightly, the tip of her nose slightly brushing against Diana's. There was a brief pause of anticipation before finally the two couldn't hold back anymore. Lips collided with the most passion and sincerity that could possibly be given and two brilliant hearts beat as one; it was perhaps the most unforgettable and electrifying kiss ever shared between them. They chartered unknown waters, but both were eager to explore each and every crevice of each other with their lips.

Diana's hands were searching, quickly finding one of Akko's breasts. She ran her palm over it with the slightest amount of pressure, causing her to melt from the inside out. She gasped softly as Diana broke the kiss to move downward. Soft lips met Akko's neck and she let out the smallest of whimpers as those lips closed around her pulse and gently sucked, ensuring that there would be a love mark soon after.

"I must say I wasn't expecting you to be this submissive, Akko. I thought werewolves were creatures known for their dominant and aggressive nature~" Diana whispered against Akko's neck.

Akko's eyes flew open. She immediately took that as a challenge and would not back down from it. A low but seductive growl emerged from her chest and she placed her arms under Diana's legs, swiftly picking her up and placing her on the bed. Akko stared at her soulmate with lustful eyes, climbing onto the bed with her. Akko moved so fast, Diana didn't realize her hands were pinned above her head. She was too focused on Akko who had kissed her hard, asserting that she was the one in control.

"What was that about me being a bottom?" Akko smirked, breaking the kiss for a moment.

Akko hadn't realized it, but Diana had baited her to do that. This was what she wanted and was waiting patiently for. She wanted to be at the complete mercy of Akko, she wanted to be the one screaming her name underneath her. She could have simply asked her of this in the first place, but where was the fun in that? Besides, both found it extremely arousing.

"I don't recall using such a word," Diana smirked back. "But if you're so bold, I'm afraid you're going to have to prove it.”

Akko adored this new side of Diana. She adored everything about it. She loved how submissive she was being to her, she loved the way Diana's words were full of lust and love at the same time. But what she loved the most was that this was all exclusively for her. Those gorgeous crystal blue eyes that looked into hers, her pink lips with slightly smudged lipstick from kissing, her stunning pale body which was only reserved for her soulmate. It all belonged to Akko. And It forever would.

She didn’t want to talk. Words were meaningless now. Instead she responded with another kiss, her tongue abruptly slipping into Diana's mouth. She moaned for the first but certainly not the last time that night as their tongues met in a hard, desperate kiss.

Akko curled her fingers and pressed her nails gently against Diana's sternum, dragging down painfully slow over her ribs and abdomen, relishing in the way Diana gasped and arched her back into the touch. She eased her hand down, brushing her palm against Diana's core, feeling the other girl squirm at the contact--or lack thereof. She could tell Diana was growing incredibly impatient.

Akko paused. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes," Diana panted. "Please, touch me."

She happily complied, her right hand slowly trailing up Diana's inner thigh until it met its final destination, feeling just how wet her underwear was... and they were soaked . By now, Diana lost all self control. She bucked her hips, trying to encourage Akko to relieve her throbbing core, to gain any amount of friction she could. Akko, of course, denied her of this.

"A-Akko," she whimpered. "You're b-being cruel. Can you-"

She couldn't even finish her sentence without crying out in pleasure when Akko abruptly placed her mouth over Diana's erect nipple. She licked and sucked a couple of times before finally releasing her breast. Diana didn't notice that she had tangled her legs around Akko, pulling her as physically close as possible, but neither of them minded the closeness. They could feel the body heat radiating off of each other, and that made everything even more hot. Pun intended.

Akko briefly paused to stare at Diana. She couldn't take her eyes off of her, she was that breath-taking. Diana wondered why Akko had stopped. She feared she may have done something wrong. However, all of her concerns melted away the moment she felt Akko's hand start to tug at the hem of her underwear and slowly start to slip it off.

Diana helped strip the final piece of clothing off of her body, to which Akko tossed to some part of her room. She quickly stripped from her underwear as well for she knew they would eventually get in the way. Her fingers gently traced the inside of Diana's thighs yet again, this time slower so she could relish the feeling of her soft skin. She abruptly stopped right at Diana's entrance.

"I-is what I'm about to do okay?" Akko asked skittishly.

"Please do it,"  Diana whimpered desperately. "I'm begging you."

Akko's fingers graced Diana's entrance teasingly. "You're sure?"

Diana sighed, no longer able to produce any more words. Sometimes she needed to be absolutely direct with her. In this case, the only way to do that was to jut herself forward into Akko's hand and gasped from the sudden shock of pleasure that hit her from doing such a lewd thing. Akko gulped, both from arousal and from receiving the message.

She slipped a single finger in, waiting for Diana's response. Diana didn't have much of a response, which completely freaked Akko out. She started to shamefully remove her finger, but Diana stopped her.

"Go higher," she whispered. "Touch me there first."

Akko was a bit confused at first, but then understood what Diana meant. Her thumb searched and soon found Diana's aching nub, applying just the slightest amount of pressure. Diana instantly released a dirty moan, arching her back in the process from the contact she desperately needed. Akko took that as a signal to apply more pressure and did so, slowly circling around Diana's sensitive area. 

She watched as Diana unraveled beneath her. Every touch applied, any amount of pressure her finger provided her clit, even the lewd noises coming from below made Diana want to cry out from the pleasure. 

And Akko wanted to go even further. Though she very much enjoyed watching Diana shut her eyes tightly and the way her hips moved to the pace of her movements, she wanted, no, she craved even more. She wanted to taste her.

She let her eyes trail down from Diana's arching back, from the soft moans slipping through her lips, to find her fingers slipping clumsily over Diana. She inhaled deeply, the scent of her girlfriend making her lower abdomen stir with raw lust. And that's when she felt it--the blazing, overwhelming heat that rushed through her body into her eyes, making her brain fog with desire and her eyes glow their brilliant, bright red. 

She wanted Diana, all of Diana, and she couldn't hold back any longer, even if she wanted to, even if she tried. She pulled her hand away and crashed down, her arms seizing beneath Diana's thighs to pull her in as her lips pressed in a breathless groan of desire against what she wanted most. 

Through the ringing in her ears she could hear Diana's whining gasp of shock, but she didn't stop. Her fingernails dug into the soft skin of Diana's legs as she clamped down hard, her lips and tongue working with wild abandon, licking and sucking until her lips curled back and--

"Ouch!" Diana cried out, hand pressing against the top of Akko's head just as her teeth raked against a sensitive area.

Akko might have murmured an apology, but she couldn't be sure. She was too busy diving back in, careful this time to keep her lips over her teeth, but the ferocity inside didn't disappear. She was intoxicated--the smell and taste of Diana driving her wild, driving her to the edge--and she brought one finger to Diana's entrance and barely hesitated before pushing her finger inside.

Diana's hips bucked in surprise, accompanied with a low cry of a moan. She felt the fingernails of Akko's free hand digging harder against her, her girlfriend pressing her back down hard with a guttural growl that echoed through the room. Diana looked down to find Akko staring back at her, barely focused through the ecstasy of Akko's tongue running hard through and over her, to find the bright glow of red illuminated in the darkness, the candles flickering a pattern of shadows over her face. 

It was too much. The pleasure her body felt was like a hot fire that consumed her entire being. She tried to get Akko’s attention by saying her name, but the only thing escaped were moans and whines. She would be lucky if even a few words slipped from her lips. 

"Akko, you're-" A finger curled against her and she gasped, her tongue clamping down over her bottom lip and cutting off any further words.

Akko's eyes disappeared beneath the shadows as she looked back down, focused, her finger driving hard in a rhythmic stroke, her mouth moving in a desperate mix of tongue and lips and sometimes teeth. She noticed that Diana’s grip around her tightened and her nails began to claw her back. She knew Diana was close. She slipped in another finger with ease and pressed her hips down, going even faster and harder. Diana could feel her orgasm building up, rising as Akko kept going with passion. 

And then it hit her. Hard. It hit her with such force that she cried out and yelled Akko’s name like it was the only word she knew. She didn’t care if Daryl, Andrew, or any of the servants heard her. It was too late to feel any remorse for that for she kept crying out and screaming Akko’s name.

But Akko didn’t stop, even after Diana's orgasm passed. She kept going, hard and fast like it was the last thing she would do.

"Akko-" Diana tried to speak up.

Akko still didn't stop.

"Akko stop!" Diana yelled, physically pushing Akko off of her.

 Akko instantly stopped everything. She looked up at her lover with concern, the vibrant red glow in her eyes instantly fading away and returning to their normal color. She felt a wave of guilt and shame hit her as she watched the heavy rise and fall of Diana's chest.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't... it was like I was in a trance," Akko said breathlessly. "I didn't mean to keep going."

Diana sighed and lay back in bed. "It's alright, Akko."

"No, no it's not," Akko whispered. "I...I should have stopped sooner. I'm so sorry."

Diana chuckled and patted the spot in bed next to her to which Akko shamefully crawled over and plopped down next to her. Diana turned her head slightly to look at Akko who had tears in her eyes and was shaking slightly. She gently kissed her forehead, hoping it would calm her down.

"I really didn't-"

"As I have already said, it's alright. I very much enjoyed it," Diana interrupted her with a warm smile. "You just... need to let me catch my breath before diving back in."

"Oh," Akko blushed heavily.

Diana smirked, brushing her hand on the curve of Akko's hip. "Besides, do you really think I would let you get away with doing all the work?"

Akko was fast-paced and impatient at times. Diana learned first hand that applied to bedroom activities as well. So naturally, she planned to be methodical, slow, and would not let Akko take control. It was her turn to take the lead and let Akko just lay back and feel the pleasure.

Diana's hand slid over Akko's stomach, delicately tracing over her abs and relishing her soft skin. She had thought about this moment for weeks. She planned out exactly what she would do to Akko and experiment a little just to see what she liked and didn't like, what made her squirm and what made her moan. She even did 'research' on the matter. She researched thoroughly and professionally, all for Akko's sake of course.

"Are you sure?" Akko asked skittishly. "You look tired. We could always continue this tomorrow."

No, Diana didn't want to do this tomorrow. Well, she would if given the opportunity, but right now she wanted to. She could also tell Akko needed release desperately. It wasn't like she was going to deny her of that. That would be just downright cruel.

"I want to," Diana confirmed. She pushed herself up and slipped a hand in between Akko's thighs to which she gladly parted to let her move forward. "I'm not as tired as you think I am either. I still have some energy left... surprisingly."

Akko took a sharp intake of a breath in response, feeling Diana's palm press against her core and grinded against her.

Diana bit her lip. The reaction Akko gave her sent a new wave of arousal down to her lower stomach. "You're soaked, Akko."

"You don't say," Akko breathed heavily, letting her eyelids flutter shut.

Diana carefully climbed on top of her and felt cool fingers glide against her hips to keep her steady. Straddling the brunette, she placed a long, lingering kisses onto her soft lips. One of her hands wandered down Akko's sides along her ribs; there was not a single part of her body she didn't want to touch. She wanted all of her.

They kissed harder, hungrier as Diana's hands found Akko's thighs once again. She slowly slide her fingers up and stopped halfway, causing a grunt of disapproval from Akko. She left Akko's lips and placed her own on Akko's collar bone, kissing and sucking down making sure to pay extra attention to where her neck met her shoulder. Akko was already getting impatient and released a subtle, unsatisfied whine as Diana left her hand unmoved and remained working on her neck. Diana took note of that and kissed her way down to Akko's breast, running her tongue over a hard nipple. This time Akko's whine wasn't as subtle and she arched her back slightly.

Diana felt her hand being grabbed and forced right onto Akko's core. Akko started to grind against her knuckles hoping to gain even the smallest ounce of friction, but Diana removed her hand before she could.

"Patience, Atsuko," Diana whispered huskily.

Akko glared at her. "You're killing me, Diana. Please let me..."

Her words trailed off and she didn't finish the sentence.

Diana smiled innocently. "Let you what? You're going to have to be specific."

"You know what I want," Akko blushed and looked away, grabbing Diana's hand again.

"I'm afraid I don't. Tell me what you want," Diana smirked.

The heat in Akko's lower abdomen only increased, a cry of burning desire. She needed relief badly. She didn't care how Diana gave her release, she just needed it immediately.

"I want you to touch me, make love to me, fuck me. Please," Akko replied desperately.

Diana didn't appreciate the curse word too much, but she shook it off. "Of course, beautiful."

She wanted Akko to feel the way she made her feel earlier, no, even better. The best way to do that was to see how she reacted. Diana's body was very different from hers, so naturally Akko would react differently. She kissed the scar on her chest and directly placed her hand on Akko's core and searched for her clit. Once she found it, she rubbed it slowly, softly, not gaining too much of a response from her lover except for a slight gasp. Not exactly the reaction she was looking for, so she decided to experiment a bit. She lowered her hand and pressed a finger inside slick folds; she was almost surprised by how wet Akko was, but considering after everything she endured that night, it wasn't too surprising. This time a guttural moan slipped from Akko's lips and she arched her back.

"Kuso," Akko hissed.

"Is this okay?" Diana asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... well don't just leave it in there, add movement," Akko panted. "Add another finger too."

"R-right," Diana blushed from embarrassment and arousal.

Diana added another finger and began to thrust her hand at a slow pace. Akko's panting became more noticeable and she locked her arms around Diana's shoulders and gently dug into her skin. Her hips bucked as she met the gentle thrusts of Diana's hand. Diana grazed against a sensitive area, causing Akko to choke on a moan, her breasts rising with a heavy breath and her mouth opening slightly.

"More," Akko gasped.

Diana's eyes widened. "More fingers?"

"I meant go faster," Akko corrected.

Diana nodded. She curled her fingers and quickened her movements. Akko cried out in pleasure and Diana watched with lustful eyes, absorbing each and every moan and gasp Akko gave. Akko clawed into Diana's back, her breaths quickening with each thrust. Every sound, either from Akko's lips or from down bellow fueled the passionate flame within Diana and she pressed her fingers deeper, hitting just the right spot she knew would absolutely unravel Akko and drive her to the edge.

Akko released Diana and groped the bed sheets. She was close, so damn close. Every muscle in her body contracted, knowing she would soon orgasm. Diana could tell too, so she thrusted as fast and as hard as she could. Her arm was searing as if it were on fire. She couldn't stop now, not with Akko this close, so she fought against the pain.

"I-I think I'm gonna-"

"Come for me, Akko," Diana whispered in her ear.

Akko's eyes began to glow and she bit her lip trying to fight back a moan, but her efforts were in vain.

"Awooooo!" she howled as her orgasm arrived.

Diana was startled from that, partially because she wasn't sure if she hurt her, but she didn't let the thought dwell because she felt her fingers being clenched as Akko rode out her orgasm. It was so hot, Diana was completely aroused all over again. Just watching Akko almost made her orgasm herself, but she gained her composure and slowed her thrusts.

Akko's eyes stopped glowing, but her panting didn't cease. Diana removed her hand and fell next to her, placing a gentle hand on Akko's arm as her body twitched from the overwhelming aftershock of pleasure.

"Are you doing okay?" Diana asked calmly.

"Yes, fine, amazing... you're amazing," Akko grinned. "That was incredible."

"I'm glad," Diana sighed with relief. "Also, what was that ungodly sound that left your lips as you came?"

Akko blushed and hid her face under the covers. Diana chuckled and lifted the covers up, peering at her very flustered girlfriend who looked like she wanted to die.

"I...don't look at me like that! I don't know what that was or where it came from. Instincts? I don't know," Akko tried to explain. "Can we just pretend it never happened?"

"Of course," Diana lied, knowing she would never let Akko hear the end of it in the future.

"Thanks," Akko smiled. "And... can we do it again please? Please?"

"You want me to," Diana pointed to Akko's lower half and Akko nodded furiously. "Right now?"

Akko nodded again.

"I'm exhausted, Akko," Diana laughed weakly.

"Come on, just one more round," Akko pouted. "Don't leave a girl hanging!"

"Forgive me for not having werewolf energy like you. We can do it again tomorrow if you'd like, but for now, I am in desperate need of sleep. If you really need to and can't wait till tomorrow, do it yourself," Diana explained, turning over in bed and pulling the comforter over her.

Akko grumbled. Diana's suggestion wasn't literal, but she took it that way. She lowered her hand and slowly began to touch herself. She didn't get very far because Diana noticed of course. How could she not? The sounds Akko started to make were extremely noticeable. She wasn't sure if she should be offended, aroused, or both.

She turned back over and glared at her. "Are you serious, Akko? Really?"

"What? You told me to do it if I couldn't wait!" Akko pointed out, removing her hand and glaring right back at her.

"I... I was kidding. But do continue if you must, I'll just go downstairs and sleep in one of the other bedrooms while you knock yourself out," Diana threatened, even starting to leave the bed.

"No, no, no, wait," Akko said quickly, grabbing Diana and pulling her back down. "I'll go to sleep, I promise! Don't leave me!"

Akko looked like a kicked puppy, of course Diana wasn't going to leave her now. She sighed and lay back down, feeling Akko wrap an arm around her and snuggle into the crook of her neck.

"Goodnight," Diana sighed, staring into those crimson eyes she adored. "I love you."

Akko felt her breath hitch. This was the first time Diana said 'I love you' to her. Out of all the wonderful and blissful things that happened between them, those three words are what made her night perfect. Absolutely perfect.

She felt a grin make its way to her face and she shut her eyes, sleep quickly creeping up on her. "I love you too."

Chapter Text

Amanda grumbled as she finished folding sadly not the last article of clothing that day. She was in detention yet again, not that it came as a surprise to anyone. It was almost expected to see Amanda in detention. Though since she had become Hannah's girlfriend, she found herself being in detention far less often. She would never admit to Hannah making her go soft, but that was exactly the case. She couldn't bear seeing her girlfriend grimace or frown whenever she got in trouble. She hated it when Hannah was disappointed in her. So, she tried to be on her best behavior ever since they got together.

However, old habits die hard. And seeing Diana minding her own business reading a book in the courtyard looking so peaceful was too tempting not to pull a prank. The end result was not only a lot of laughs from everyone except Diana throughout the day, but also to spend her weekend in detention washing clothes, sweeping the classroom floors, and cleaning dishes. Not to mention a furious Cavendish swearing to hex her in her sleep if she ever tried to pull a stunt on her like that again. 

Amanda already finished cleaning the dishes and had swept up all of the classroom floors earlier in the afternoon, so she had doing the laundry to look forward to instead of spending her Saturday evening doing something, anything better. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, but it beat cleaning the bathrooms like she had to do the last time she was in detention for exploding a toilet with Akko and at least Diana wouldn't be the one watching over her. Barbara was going to be her 'monitor' this time. She couldn't exactly complain. Barbara never did much while supervising her except for read her Nightfall novel or give the occasional scoff of disgust.

But when the door to the laundry room was opened, it wasn't Barbara who entered, but Hannah instead who didn't look too happy to see her girlfriend. Amanda's green eyes looked into Hannah's hazel ones hoping to gain a smile out of her, but was only met with an irritated scowl.

"You're not Barbara," Amanda stated.

"You don't say," Hannah muttered and sat down on a stool.

"I'm happy to see you though," Amanda added. "So where's Barb? I thought she was gonna be my monitor."

"She needed to tutor Chloe tonight, so I'm here to take her place."

"Hm," Amanda nodded and continued to work.

Hannah sighed. "Amanda, did you really have to go and do that to Diana?"

"What? I thought the cat ears and fluffy tail was a good look on her," Amanda scoffed and looked up. "She's a furry anyway. It's not like she didn't secretly enjoy that."

"She's not a furry. Even if she was, that's not the point," Hannah argued. "The spell won't wear off for another day. She's really embarrassed. She won't leave her room and she's even refusing to let Akko see her."

"I don't see why she needs to do that. Akko has a fluffy tail too you know," Amanda pointed out.

Hannah found out about Akko being a werewolf by accident. Well, more of a purposeful-accident since she snooped through Diana's diary and found what the blonde witch had written down. She almost didn't believe it until she confronted Diana directly about it. Diana never lied or kept secrets from her since they're best friends, so she came clean about it. She later soon discovered that her girlfriend knew about Akko's secret too. She wasn't too thrilled that Amanda kept that from her, but it wasn't that big of a deal to argue over.

Hannah pursed her lips. "That's different. Also, pretty sure Akko likes being a werewolf now that she actually knows what she's doing and can control it. Diana sure gives her a lot of attention when she's a wolf too... or so I've heard."

"You got me there," Amanda chuckled, folding someones shirt. "Still though. Diana should thank me. Akko will probably think she's adorable when she sees her."

"You mean if she lets Akko see her," Hannah corrected her. "She really feels humiliated."

"Tch, she shouldn't. All of the girls who are crushing on her must have been frothing at the mouth when they saw her in her classes earlier," Amanda grumbled.

"Well, you're not wrong about that," Hannah agreed and then frowned. "But still. I think you went a little too far this time."

Amanda looked serious now. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, I mean... I don't know. I'm disappointed that you pulled that childish prank on my best friend, but I'm mainly upset that we're missing our date tonight," Hannah explained.

The date! Amanda had completely forgotten. She planned to take her out for ice cream that Saturday since it was going to be rather hot. But now she couldn't because by the time she was done with the laundry, all of the stores would be closed. And she couldn't make it up to her the next day because she had to go through the same ordeal she did today. She couldn't even make it up to her the next weekend because she had a tournament she had to go to.

"Right, the date," Amanda laughed nervously.

"You forgot didn't you," Hannah deadpanned.

Amanda raised her hands in defense. "I'm sorry! I got detention and I was super busy this week!"

"Yeah, busy plotting on pranking Diana," Hannah hissed. "We would have had such a nice date too. I was really looking forward to cuddling with you afterwards."

Amanda blushed furiously and regretted many decisions in that moment. "W-well shit, why not just do it here? Screw the laundry, if you're in the mood then let's go."

"Nope, this is your punishment. Unfortunately it's mine as well since I'm supervising you," Hannah smirked.

"Fuck detention! Come on, babe! Don't do me like that," Amanda pouted.

"Hm, I suppose you can take a quick break," Hannah pondered.

"Hell yeah! Get over here!" Amanda grinned, opening her arms.

"You sure you don't wanna sit down?" Hannah giggled.

"Why would I... oh. You wanna sit on my lap or something?" Amanda smirked and blushed as Hannah nodded. "I'm good with that."

Amanda walked over and took a seat on a wooden chair. She gently slapped her legs, beckoning Hannah to come over. Hannah rolled her eyes and walked over to the redhead and placed a loving hand on her cheek, lightly caressing it. She tilted her head down and met Amanda's lips, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. Amanda placed her hands on Hannah's rear and Hannah instantly sat in her lap in response. Hannah could feel the heat radiating off her girlfriend, she could feel the pure desire as Amanda's tongue found hers.

A very sudden and present heartbeat found its way in between Amanda's legs, only surging her to keep going. She found the hem of Hannah's shirt and lifted it up and off of her. She tossed it to some other part of the room while Hannah raised a brow at her. Amanda was ogling her breasts, ignoring her girlfriends gaze, but Hannah was a bit more concerned now that her shirt was dirty.

"Couldn't you have thrown my shirt, I don't know, literally anywhere other than the dirty floor?" Hannah scowled.

"What? I'll wash it if you want. That's kinda what I'm here for anyway," Amanda snickered.

Hannah crashed her lips back onto Amanda's and placed a hand on her breast. Amanda wasn't too fond of her breasts being fondled in general, but she of course tolerated it when Hannah did it. Besides, what else was Hannah supposed to grab onto? The only other part of Amanda's body to really grab onto was her ass that was currently glued to the seat.

Hannah broke away only to travel to Amanda's ear. She nibbled the lobe softly which caused Amanda to sigh heavily and release a not so subtle moan. Ear nibbles were her weakness and Hannah knew how to apply just the right amount of pressure that would cause her to melt.

"Relax babe," Hannah whispered over the shell of her ear.

"A-ah, okay," Amanda panted.

Hannah moved downwards to Amanda's neck and placed her lips on her pulse. Amanda's other weakness was her neck; it wasn't as sensitive as her ears, but the affect when nibbled was similar. Hannah kissed the spot before gently biting down and getting to work. Amanda was lucky she didn't bruise easily because Hannah surely would have left a rather noticeable love mark.

While working on her neck, she slipped a hand to Amanda's lower abdomen, her fingers meeting the hem of her jeans. Amanda moaned, feeling Hannah slowly undo the button and unzip her zipper. Hannah placed a hand right on Amanda's core, feeling her wet panties. Amanda began to squirm, desperate for friction, but her actions were meaningless. Hannah was in complete control over her.

"You want this?" Hannah breathed heavily, looking into Amanda's passionate eyes.

"Fuck yes I want this, please," Amanda begged. "Please, Hannah."

Hannah suddenly got off of her and stood up, looking down at a very confused and sexually frustrated Amanda. She picked up her shirt and put it back on, watching Amanda stare at her in irritation.

"Then finish detention and you'll get it later. That's your punishment for humiliating Diana and forgetting about our date," Hannah said coldly.

"Are you seriously blue-balling me right now?" Amanda asked, looking quite offended.

"I can't do that to you since you don't have the reproductive organs required to do so," Hannah stated, walking back to her own stool and taking a seat.

"It's a figure of speech," Amanda grumbled.

Hannah shrugged.

"Well fine, I'll just finish what you started myself," Amanda hissed, lowering her hand and slipped it into pants to relieve her throbbing core.

"If you do that, I will report to Finnelan that you were misbehaving and goofing off," Hannah threatened. "And trust me, you don't want that. She's not too happy with you at the moment."

"You wouldn't dare," Amanda sneered.

"Really? Try me," Hannah said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll finish my work," Amanda caved in, removing her hand instantly.

Hannah smiled victoriously and sat back down. Amanda began to fold clothes once again and did so for a few minutes before letting out what was on her mind.

"I don't know how you're not aroused right now, because I'm dying over here," Amanda pointed out.

"Oh I am. But I'm much more patient than you. I know I'll get what I want later when you make it up to me," Hannah smiled innocently.

"Is that so?" Amanda smirked.

Hannah nodded. "Yes... after dinner though."

"Hm, you know, I think I'd rather skip right to dessert," Amanda said, licking her lips and eyeing Hannah's lower half.

"Then you'd better hurry up," Hannah suggested.

Chapter Text

Diana's eyes fluttered open upon hearing her ear-splitting alarm clock go off. It was four thirty in the morning, she knew Andrew would be departing soon. She sat up in bed and looked down at the sleeping Akko next to her. Her brunette hair was sprawled over her face and her left hand was resting on Diana's thigh. She looked like she belonged there, and Diana knew she would dread going back to Luna Nova and have to sleep alone once again. It wasn't too upsetting of a thought though, for she knew someday they would share a bed every night and neither would wake up and not find the other.

Diana started to get up, but Akko groaned sleepily and held her naked body close to her, preventing her from leaving.

"Turn that damn thing off," Akko grumbled tiredly.

"Good morning to you too," Diana laughed.

"It's loud and annoying, turn it off," Akko groaned, putting her pillow over her face to drown out the noise.

"I can't do that if you're clinging to me like this, love," Diana pointed out, placing a hand on Akko's arm.

"I wanna cuddle though," Akko protested, burring her face in the crook of Diana's neck.

"We will have plenty of time to do that later. For now, I need to get up to turn off the alarm, so I'm afraid you're going to have to let go of me," Diana explained.

Reluctantly, Akko released her grip on her and turned over. Diana got out of bed and turned off the alarm clock before stretching. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it was unusually dark outside. She walked over to her window and pulled back the beige curtains and looked outside only to see dark rain clouds quickly approaching the estate. A storm was brewing, most unfortunate for Andrew who would likely get caught in it on his way back home. Diana sighed, knowing she couldn't take Akko out to a picnic later like she had planned, thanks to the oncoming storm.

It didn't put a damper on her mood, however, since there were plenty of things she could figure out to do with Akko. A rainy day at the estate opened up a door of opportunities to snuggle up together by an open fire or sip on hot tea while they watch and waited for the storm to pass. In fact, Diana couldn't wait.

"Where you going?" Akko mumbled sleepily.

"I'm going to see Andrew off and..." Diana stopped, her cheeks dusted with red. "Apologize for any disturbances that might have awoken him last night,"

"I wanna say bye to him too," Akko yawned, but didn't move from her position. A wide smirk made its way to her face.

"What are you smiling about?" Diana grinned.

"I just... really loved last night," Akko beamed. "And even this morning. Waking up to your scent all around me, waking up to you right next to me... it feels right, Diana. I never want this to end."

Diana sighed contently. "And it won't, my love. I'm yours."

"Hm...oh! Diana!" Akko yelled.

"I'm right here. There's no need to shout," Diana said calmly.

Akko grinned. "I know. I just wanted to say I love you!"

Diana blushed and focused on trying to find something nice to wear for the day. "I-I love you too, Akko."

"Aw, you're so cute when you're flustered," Akko giggled. "Especially last night. Speaking of which, can we do it again tonight...or today? Or now?"

"If you'd like. Well, not right now obviously," Diana murmured as she put on some brown trousers and a white shirt. "But I believe it's going to rain all day, so I have plans for us to stay in and cuddle."

"Cuddles sound nice if you ask me... and also what might come afterwards~" Akko purred.

Diana snorted in amusement and buttoned up her white shirt. "Are you coming? I'll leave without you if you don't get up in the next twelve seconds."

Akko waved her hand in the air sluggishly. "Eh, I'll be down in a little while. Just gimme five more minutes. Your bed's comfy."

Diana rolled her eyes and walked over to Akko. She placed a gentle peck on her forehead before entering her bathroom to check her reflection in the mirror. She noticed her blonde hair was slightly tangled so she brushed it a little to look a bit more presentable. Once she was satisfied, she glanced towards her bed to see Akko didn't move from where she was and then left. She could already see Andrew downstairs with his suitcase and one of the maids ready to guide him outside where his personal chauffeur awaited him.

Andrew looked up and saw Diana. He smirked at her as she began to walk downstairs. "Diana, I'm honestly surprised to see you up so early. It seemed you had a rather... eventful night last night. I'd assume you'd be tired."

Diana blushed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Good heavens. I assure you we tried our... well not our hardest, but we attempted to keep the volume down. What exactly did you hear last night?"

"Nothing in particular," Andrew said innocently. "I fell right asleep as soon as I went to my room last night. I don't recall hearing anything except for my morning alarm that woke me up."

"Thank the nine," Diana sighed with relief and then smirked. "I'd hate to be the one to interrupt your beauty sleep."

"Not that I'd need it. I'm already gorgeous," Andrew responded coolly. "However, I'm not the one you should be worried about. You should really be more concerned about your aunt. She apologized continuously to me this morning about the ruckus you and Akko caused during the night. I do believe she heard most of what went down between the two of you."

Diana was unfazed by this. A little irritated perhaps, since she knew she would have to face the wrath of Daryl at some point that day. That would be quite the interesting discussion, although she could very easily shut Daryl down by stating what happened between her and Akko behind closed doors is no ones business. Which was true of course; Daryl had no business knowing about Akko and Diana's personal affairs.

"Eh, who cares what Daryl thinks?" Akko said sleepily as she came down the stairs, surprising Andrew and Diana.

"Good morning, Akko," Andrew grinned. "Did you sleep well?"

Diana licked her fingers and flattened a stray piece of Akko's hair that was sticking straight up. Akko swatted her hand away but smiled at the gesture.

"I slept great. Diana's bed is so much better than those horrible straw cots at Luna Nova. Plus, it was nice having her next to me," Akko blushed.

"Must have been," Andrew mused. "Well ladies I do wish I could chat more, but I should be on my way."

Andrew shook Diana's hand as if they were nothing more than formal business partners, but Akko ran up to him and gave him a giant hug. She giggled when she felt him stumble back in surprise. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, glancing at Diana as if to ask for permission and Diana gave a gentle nod.

"I hope you get a boyfriend soon. I know you will," Akko whispered in his ear.

Andrew blushed and chuckled, hugging her slightly tighter. "Thank you, Akko. I hope so too."

Akko let go and walked over and stood next to Diana, wrapping an arm around her.

"Shall I escort you out, Andrew?" Diana asked politely.

"That wont be necessary, but thank you. I bid you farewell Diana, Akko," Andrew smiled and bowed his head.

Diana bowed her head in response.

"Bye Andrew!" Akko grinned and waved.

Andrew noticed Akko's arm wrapped around Diana and he smiled. "You best treat her kindly, Diana."

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of treating her any differently," Diana responded, kissing the side of Akko's head.

He nodded and smiled one last time before departing.

Akko looked at Diana and smiled. "What now?"

"Well, we could have breakfast or go back to sleep for a little while if you'd like," Diana suggested.

"Hm, before we do that, there's one thing I'd like to have that you haven't given me yet," Akko said shyly.

"Oh, and what's that?" Diana smirked.

"My morning kiss," Akko grinned.

Diana opened up her arms. "Well come here."

Akko happily embraced Diana and was inches away from her lips before the sound of someone clearing their throat startled both of them, causing Akko to yelp and jump several feet back. Diana and Akko turned to see Daryl scowling at them. Akko shyly looked away while Diana rolled her eyes upon seeing her.

"Miss. Kagari, I am surprised to see you up and about this early. Did you have a rough night?" Daryl asked coldly.

"Yeah, something like that," Akko said awkwardly, eyeing Diana.

Daryl turned her attention to Diana. "I'd like to speak with you."

"Alright," Diana nodded, knowing exactly what she wanted to talk about.

"Alone," Daryl added, giving Akko the stink eye.

Akko gulped and looked at Diana. Diana gave her a reassuring smile, gaining a sigh of impatience from Daryl, but it melted Akko's nervousness away.

"Very well," Diana stated, putting on a mask of formality.

Akko watched as her girlfriend and Daryl walked into one of the rooms downstairs. Daryl slammed the door behind her, causing Akko to shutter and also get the message that she wasn't happy. Of course Akko wasn't just going to stand there, she was obviously going to listen in to this conversation. Sure it was rude, but Akko wasn't exactly known for being polite, was she?

She tiptoed her way across to the room and pressed her ear up to the door, making sure she made as little noise as possible in the process. No one was talking yet. Then she heard a sigh.

"You will never bring her to my home ever again, Diana. Never again," Daryl hissed.

"Well I'm afraid that's not your choice to make since this is technically my property that I allow you live on," Diana pointed out.

"Be that as it may, you dared to befoul this house by having such immoral relations with her last night and while we had an honored guest in our home! You are a fallen woman and an absolute disgrace to the Cavendish name!" Daryl bellowed.

Akko winced when she heard this. She could imagine Diana tearing up and all she wanted to do was barge in and scream at Daryl, telling her just how wrong she is. However, Diana was far from crying. In fact, Akko thought she almost heard wrong when she heard Diana begin to laugh.

"How dare you laugh at the seriousness of this matter! Do tell what you find so humorous, young lady," Daryl hissed.

"Listen to you," Diana said loudly. "Acting like you have authority over me, acting like you're my mother! You have no right to snap at me about my personal affairs and you certainly have no right to banish Akko from the premises after she's been nothing but polite and respectful!"

"Fix your tone, Diana, or I will fix it for you," Daryl warned. "You're mother would have been absolutley ashamed of you and slapped you clear across the face had she seen the way you are behaving."

"Don't you dare talk to me about my mother, like you truly loved and cared for her as your sister because I know and you know you didn't," Diana said bitterly.

Daryl pressed her lips together and squinted at Diana, finally showing that she was ready to listen and remain silent so she could speak.

"Like it or not, bloody hell I don't care, but Akko is my soulmate. She imprinted on me which means we are bonded for life," Diana explained.

"You're wrong, just so you know," Daryl muttered. "I did, love Bernadette. You didn't just lose a mother, Diana. You weren't the only one who mourned for her. I lost a sister. It was very hard on me as well."

"You have a rather odd way of showing it," Diana scoffed. "You were eager, more than willing to take her place as head of the Cavendish's. I know that's what you always wanted."

"I won't deny that," Daryl agreed. "I may not have been very fond of her, but she was still my sister and I still loved her very much. Perhaps I got exactly what I deserved. For years I was jealous of Bernadette and wanted desperately to have her position, to have all the honor and glory as the first born child. It looks like I got that wish after all, doesn't it?"

Diana opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't. Words had eluded her in that moment. She knew Daryl was being sincere. She would never admit to something like this unless she felt at her lowest. Diana had struck a nerve, gone too far even. She knew that as soon as she saw a small tear fall from Daryl's face.

"I'm sorry," Diana said with as much emotion she could produce, which truthfully wasn't very much. She had too many emotions being processed in her mind at the moment.

"It doesn't matter now," Daryl said coldly. "And I still don't approve of you being in a relationship with a werewolf. Of all the creatures or people to get involved with."

"Might I ask why you are so against werewolves?" Diana asked. "They truly aren't bad creatures and they are greatly misunderstood."

"You're gravely mistaken," Daryl chuckled darkly.

Diana raised a brow at her. "How so?"

Akko pressed her ear as close to the door as physically possible so she didn't miss a single word. She knew the next few words spoken would be important and she couldn't miss them.

Daryl sighed. "A werewolf killed your mother, Diana."

Diana looked as though she had just seen a ghost. Her face went pale and her blood ran cold. "W-what are you talking about? She died from an illness."

"No," Daryl huffed. "She died from an infection from a werewolf bite to her lower torso. Magic can heal most bites, scratches, and infections, but there is a certain toxin in werewolf saliva that even magic cannot heal. If the bite becomes infected, which it quickly can, the victim will surely perish."

Diana had a thousand thoughts in her mind. This could entirely be possible. Her mother rarely left bed or revealed her lower torso that was always covered by a blanket of some sorts.

"You're... you're wrong! A werewolf can't be responsible. They aren't aggressive, they aren't bad," Diana denied.

Daryl sighed again. "You said Miss. Kagari imprinted on you?"

"She did," Diana nodded.

"I know a fair amount of information on imprinting, Diana. A werewolf imprinted on me," Daryl explained. "Werewolves are only docile towards the one they imprinted on. I know this from experience. He was much like a puppy when I discovered his true form for the first time."

Akko scrunched up her nose in disgust, unable to imagine anyone falling in love or imprinting on that snake.

"I did love him too," Daryl smiled. "Unfortunately, one night he had neglectfully forgotten to take his potion and stumbled across Bernadette while she was on a midnight stroll around the manor. She had drawn her wand out of surprise and aimed it at him. Naturally, he attacked and bit her. She sadly had to kill him or he would have killed her first."

Diana didn't know how to process this, but she let Daryl continue.

"I only found out she killed him after she told me a few hours before she passed. I was devastated, truly," Daryl continued. "Since then I had grown to hate werewolves, but also feel somber. I only knew him for a month and he left my life along with my sister in the same week. It was too much to bear."

Diana only had one question she could let out. "Why tell me now? You could have told me this ages ago."

"Bernadette didn't want you to hate werewolves," Daryl said as if it was the most unbelievable statement she could say. "She said it just as you did: they are misunderstood. She defended him even though he was the cause for her death. She said she could have reacted differently which I don't know if she could have. Your mother always saw the good in people and magical creatures. She wanted you to have the same care and respect. She didn't want you knowing the true cause for her death. It was her dying wish, the one last thing I would do for her as her sister."

"Thank for telling me. I am sorry about your experience," Diana said softly, though she wanted to add: 'but that still never gave you the right to keep such vital information about my mother from me. Regardless of her wishes.'

"I am glad we have an understanding on the matter," Daryl nodded. "Now leave. I need a moment of peace. I have a splitting headache."

Diana nodded back and slowly opened the door to the room, causing Akko to stumble several steps backwards. She casually placed her hand in the pocket of her Shiny Chariot Pajamas and looked at a painting on the wall like she wasn't eavesdropping a few moments ago. Diana took no notice of her and directly headed towards the stairs.

"Diana?" Akko called out, surprised to see her walk right past her.

"Not now, Akko," Diana grumbled.

Akko shook her head and pursued Diana, sprinting up the stairs next to her.

"Are you okay?" Akko asked.

"I said not now," Diana muttered again.

They stopped in front of Diana's room.

Akko placed a hand on Diana's shoulders, staring into her eyes seeing thay they were glassy and full of emotion. "Please... talk to me."

Diana sighed. "Not now. Just go away."

She entered her room and slowly closed the door behind her, leaving Akko to stare at the slightly cracked wood from the door in silence.

Chapter Text

Guilt. Guilt and sorrow. That's exactly how Akko felt in that moment. It was true that she had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Diana's mother, but she felt guilty regardless since a member of her kind was responsible. She had never before felt more hatred towards her own kind and herself in that moment. Why did she have to be born a werewolf? Why couldn't she have been born normal?

Akko did the one thing her instincts called her to do as soon as Diana shut the door. She ran. She didn't know where to and she didn't care. She just ran. She felt her eyes sting from the tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. The wind was howling and the rain was pouring down like tiny shards of glass falling from the sky when she sprinted out of the mansion, but she could care less about that at moment. Usually she enjoyed listening to the rain and the scent it made when it hit the dry earth. However, rain was perhaps the last thing on her mind. 

Akko stopped running for a brief moment to catch her breath. She looked at her reflection in one of the puddles that had formed from the heavy rainfall and couldn't tell that her face was stained with tears. But she saw that her eyes were glowing. Seeing that enraged her. She instantly looked away from her reflection in disgust and wept bitterly, running towards the woods that surrounded the manor.

Akko felt her body heat up and her breaths become uneasy; she couldn't tell if it was from the aching pain in her chest or from physical exertion. Her head throbbed as she ran and her heart was beating into overdrive. Her uneasy breaths were pleas for her to stop running or at the very least slow down, but she couldn't. Before she knew it, she had phased, completely destroying her Shiny Chariot pajamas and turning them into nothing but shreds that landed in the mud. She didn't care.

Running on all fours greatly enhanced her speed and made it far easier on the uneven ground. Her paws slipped a little in the mud while she ran, but she maintained control as she ran deeper into the thicket of trees. Bushes were swept aside as she glided through them not so gracefully. She felt twigs and branches scratch along her sides, but she didn't care. Those scratches would heal within minutes.

'How could Diana even look at me after finding out a werewolf killed her mother? She probably hates me now because of what my kind did. I'm now a constant reminder of the monster that killed her mother. I wish I was born normal. I wish she had a normal soulmate. She could have someone so much better than me,' Akko thought somberly.

Even as a wolf in the pouring rain, she could feel the hot tears start to fall once again. It was relentlessly cold outside, but steam was rising off of her body due to her wolf form and the amount of physical exertion she was putting on her body. She couldn't recall ever running this much. She would have long given up running by now if this were just a leisurely jog or walk around Luna Nova's property as she often did late at night.

This was different. Her emotions were in control and steering her in whichever direction. Though she had strength and her mind told her to keep running, she eventually had to stop for her legs cried out beneath her and nearly caused her to collapse.

The rain never ceased and in fact started to become ruthless. Akko began to pant heavily and knew she needed to lay down somewhere before she blacked out. She knew she had reached her limit. She noticed a damp pile of leaves underneath an old pine tree that she slumped onto and tried to focus on calming her rampant heartbeat. The pine tree provided some protection from the rain, but the icy droplets still fell and soaked her fur. She didn't care. In fact, she welcomed them. Akko felt she deserved to be pelted by each and every one of those raindrops that stung like bullets. Diana's aunt was right. Akko felt like she was nothing more than a mongrel, a beast not deserving of love. Certainly not deserving of Diana's love.

More and more negative thoughts entered her mind; mostly they were self hatred and remorseful thoughts. She couldn't bear it any longer. She choked out a few whimpers followed by long, deep, melancholy howls into the morning air. She doubted anyone could hear her over the storm, but perhaps that was a good thing.

Diana felt horrible for snapping at Akko and shutting her out, but she needed a moment to herself. A moment to breathe. She had been lied to about her mother's death her entire life and felt many different emotions because of it and rightfully so. She definitely felt sadness and felt like she needed to mourn all over again, but she mainly felt anger. And though she was angry with the werewolf who killed her mother, that could not even match the level of anger she felt towards her aunt.

And she felt guilty for being angry towards Daryl. Daryl had only followed her mothers request out of respect for her dying wish. Even so, Diana had a right to know the truth behind her mothers death, didn't she? She was her daughter after all. No one deserved to know the truth more than her. It was a complicated feeling. She couldn't blame Daryl, yet she did. Even though she hated what Daryl did, she understood why Daryl kept that secret from her. It still made her angry, but she understood nonetheless.

Diana felt hot tears pour down her face, but she couldn't tell why she was crying or how. Sure she was upset, but not to the point of breaking down about it. After a few minutes, the anger built up inside of her started to evolve into a dark, dismal feeling. This was an unfamiliar feeling and she knew it definitely wasn't because she was upset about her mother. No, this was something far different. These didn't even feel like her own emotions.

And then she could hear Akko's bitter thoughts echoing in her mind, an unintended cry for help. Akko must have left the mansion and phased; that was the only logical explanation for why she could be hearing her thoughts. Akko leaving the manor was the last thing she wanted or expected. She had completely miscalculated how Akko would react to all of this and was horrified that the severity of her mistake had caused Akko to blame herself and believe Diana didn't love her anymore. 

Akko was wrong, so incredibly wrong, and there was no way for Diana to tell her. She would have been long gone by now, especially since she had phased and was possibly miles away by now. Diana didn't care. She found her nearest rain coat and sprinted out of the mansion to go after her.

The wind and raindrops pelted her face, making visibility difficult. She could barely make out Akko's faded footprints that lead to the tattered remains of pajamas in the middle of a pathway. She ran to the scraps of clothing and noticed the large paw prints slowly starting to become nothing more than mere abrasions to the muddy ground as the rain kept falling. 

The barely visible paw prints lead to the forest and that's exactly where Diana headed.

"Akko!" she shrieked, hoping that somehow Akko would hear her.

The only sound she was met with was from the roar of thunder in the distance and a faint howl from the wind. Wait, that howl sounded different than the wind would. That sounded like it had deep emotion and sadness behind it, definitely not from the wind. Akko was at least somewhere in the area.

She ran in the direction where the howl came from. She found more paw prints; some were deformed which told her Akko likely slipped a little while running. She followed the paw prints and hoped it didn't rain any harder than it was for the prints would disappear within minutes.

Many thoughts were going through her mind, however one certainly wasn't hers: 'I deserve this.' Akko was clearly in a great amount of torment. Just hearing those words caused Diana to run even faster. She didn't know what Akko meant by that exactly. Her worst fear was Akko was going to do something harmful to herself. She wouldn't, right? She didn't want to find out, so she kept running.

Her legs were burning as if they were going to fall off, but she pressed on. She had to. She kept running until her eyes locked on to a dark mass under an old, withering pine tree. She would have assumed it was a rock at first since her vision was blurry from overexertion, but rocks don't have glowing red eyes.

Akko's head rested on her paws and she was panting softly. That is until she heard panting that didn't belong to her. She instantly looked up and saw her drenched girlfriend, staring right at her. A flash of lightning lit up the gloomy sky, also illuminating Diana's glassy blue eyes.

'Diana?'

"Akko! You... you dolt!" Diana half panted-half screeched, running towards the wolf. Akko expected Diana to hit her, but instead Diana threw her arms around her and buried her face into her neck.

'How did you...'

"Never scare me like that again," Diana choked and then looked into Akko's sad eyes. "Akko, I-I love you... so much. Please don't ever think I do not. You being a werewolf does not alter my love for you in the slightest. It never has and it never will."

Akko's red eyes glistened due to her tears. 'Really?'

"Yes really, you dullard," Diana chuckled weakly.

Diana let go of her and stepped back for she felt Akko start to fidget. Within a matter of seconds, Akko phased. Diana looked down to see her no longer as a wolf, but a very naked human hugging her knees, shivering intensely.

"Oh, Akko," Diana sighed, taking off her rain coat and wrapped it around Akko. Akko immediately accepted the jacket and let the warmth from Diana's body heat meet her icy cold skin.

"T-thanks," Akko shivered, feeling the warmth from the rain coat slowly dissipate.

The rain had stopped significantly by now; it had evolved into a light mist. Diana could see Akko was still shivering significantly. The jacket wasn't helping. She hated seeing Akko so cold and she knew the walk back to the manor would be a long one. So she knelt down and opened her arms.

"Come here," she said softly.

"B-but I'm naked," Akko blushed.

"That didn't stop me from cuddling with you last night and you look like you're about to die from hypothermia, so come here," Diana countered.

Akko nodded and snuggled into Diana. Diana wrapped her arms around her, feeling just how cold she actually was. She knew the moment they returned to the mansion, she was going to have Akko take a warm shower or bath. She may be a werewolf and her body temperature may be higher than that of a human, but that didn't mean she couldn't catch a cold. The last thing Diana wanted was her getting sick.

"Y-you're warm," Akko shivered, snuggling closer into her.

"You're freezing," Diana said with concern. "We need to go back now. The rain has stopped thankfully, but you're still at risk of getting sick. And it's a long walk back, sadly."

Akko thought for a second. "It doesn't have to be."

Diana raised a brow at her in confusion.

"I'm much faster in my wolf form," Akko pointed out. "I've never had a passenger before, but I'm sure we'll still get back faster. Plus, my form will keep me warm on the way. I won't be cold anymore."

"Absolutely not," Diana shook her head. "Phasing once already takes up a great amount of your energy. Phasing twice in the same day, the same hour... that can't be healthy, Akko."

Akko shrugged. "Worth a try though?"

Diana sighed. "I suppose... I just don't want you getting sick, that's all."

"I'll be fine, Diana. Here, you might want this back," Akko said, handing Diana her raincoat back.

Diana took the jacket and put it back on. Akko stood up and her eyes began to glow. After a couple minutes passed by, Diana knew she was having difficulty phasing.

"Don't push yourself if you can't do it," Diana said sternly.

"I can!" Akko strained, panting heavily.

And she did. It took much longer than it usually would, but she did it. She looked exhausted. Her tail hung low and her eyes were struggling to remain open. 

Akko knelt down low. 'Climb on.' 

"Are you sure?" Diana asked uneasily.

The wolf gave a tired nod. Hesitantly, Diana mounted on Akko. Akko's legs wobbled and Diana could tell she was struggling with great difficulty to even stand. Diana wasn't that heavy; Akko would typically have no issue carrying her weight and triple that on any other day. However, due to the fact she had significantly strained her body and phased twice in the same day, her energy was zapped. Walking even a short distance would prove to be difficult even if Diana wasn't on her.

Diana huffed and got off of Akko.

'What are you doing?'

"You're not strong enough right now," Diana sighed.

 Akko growled. 'I am too! Let me prove it to you!'

"I don't need you to prove anything to me, Akko. You've already over exerted yourself by phasing a second time," Diana explained. "Though, you did have the right idea. Traveling on all fours isn't a bad idea."

Akko watched as Diana took out her wand. 'Um, Diana?'

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Diana chanted.

Akko watched in awe as Diana transformed into a beautiful wolf. Diana's fur matched her human hair color and appeared to be much like a normal wolf, but anyone could tell it was still Diana. She also looked much smaller compared to Akko, but since Akko was a werewolf, her size was greatly enhanced.

Akko snorted. 'A wolf, huh? Why not something more... you?' 

"My patronus and my soulmate is a wolf, I thought I'd stick to the theme," Diana said curtly. "Besides, I thought it would be interesting to experience what it feels like to be you while you're a wolf."

'Wait a sec, how in the nine can you talk??'

Diana rolled her eyes and gave Akko a toothy grin. "Metamorphosis magic, Akko. Remember?"

Akko thought back to the many times she had used Metamorphosis magic and even thought back to the one encounter where she turned into a field mouse and hid in Amanda's shirt pocket while the two explored Appleton Academy. She had plenty to say when she was a field mouse.

'Oh yeah, I forgot.'

"Shall we go then?" Diana asked.

Akko nodded and followed Diana as she began to trot away. Akko was relieved Diana chose to do this, her legs were killing her and carrying a passenger would have not been very good on her tired body. Diana constantly looked back to make sure Akko was still walking or didn't collapse from exhaustion; though Akko looked like she was close to collapsing.

"How are you holding up, Akko?" Diana asked.

Akko looked up. 'Are we almost there?'

Diana knew the area well. They were probably a quarter of the way there. "Um, I believe so. You can do it, Akko."

The storm had cleared by now and the sun had finally risen, illuminating the forest and allowed Diana to see the manor at a distance. She heard Akko sigh with relief behind her.

"See Akko? It's not too far now..." Diana said.

She couldn't hear Akko's thoughts anymore, but instead she heard a loud thump behind her. She instantly turned around to see Akko in her human form, sprawled across the forest floor.

"Akko!" She yelled, transforming back to her human self.

She sprinted over to her and the first thing she did was check Akko's pulse. Akko was alive, she definitely had a pulse.

"I'm so tired, Diana," Akko murmured, practically on the verge of sleep.

"Don't worry," Diana said softly. "I'll take care of you. You don't need to press on any further. You can rest now, my love."

Diana took off her rain coat and put it on Akko to warm up her body. She then scooped Akko up into her arms and started to walk towards the manor. Akko's eyes fluttered shut and she snuggled into Diana. She wasn't heavy at all, thankfully. Diana wasn't struggling even a little bit.

"I love you," Akko whispered before falling asleep in Diana's arms.

Chapter Text

Akko slowly opened her eyes, letting herself get used to the light shining through the window. She finally noticed she was wearing what appeared to be one of Diana's night gowns and she was in a bed with Diana laying right next to her and snoring softly. Akko couldn't remember how she got here. All she could remember was Diana lifting her off of the ground and falling asleep in her arms.

Diana slowly opened her eyes and noticed Akko had awoken. She instantly sat upright. "Akko, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

Akko felt sore yet strangely... calm. Every muscle in her body ached, but that couldn't even compare to the splitting headache she had. Her throat felt scratchy and sore. Her nose was also stuffed up and burned a bit too. To make matters worse, she had the chills like she had just been dipped in an ice bath. It finally dawned on her why she felt this way and she couldn't believe it. She was sick. The last time she had a cold was when she was about twelve years old. She knew werewolves could catch colds, but she didn't realize she would feel this bad.

Aside from all of that, she still felt calm. Perhaps it was because Diana was with her? She didn't know.

"You're acting like I just woke up from a coma," Akko grumbled, her voice sounding much deeper than usual.

Diana noticed and quickly grew concerned, but didn't let it show. "Well, you have been asleep for, including today now that it's morning, a couple days."

Akko blinked at her in disbelief. The longest she had ever slept was twenty hours and that was after the missile crisis. But two entire days? Diana must have been wrong. No, that couldn't be. Diana wouldn't be wrong about something like this. And if she had been asleep for two days, that meant she was missing school. They should have returned to Luna Nova yesterday. Yet here they are in Diana's room.

"How are you feeling?" Diana asked again.

"Like shit," Akko admitted.

Diana suddenly pressed the back of her hand to Akko's forehead and cheeks, trailing down to the core of her chest and let her hand sit there. She shook her head. "You have a fever, Akko."

Akko scoffed and began to shiver from the chills. "Are you sure about that? Don't you know a werewolf's body temperature is a lot hotter than a humans? Plus, I feel cold. Not hot."

"I do know that, but I can tell you're sick. Not just because of your body temperature," Diana pointed out.

"I'm not sick," Akko denied. She didn't want to concern her.

"I know what a sick person looks like when I see one," Diana stated. "I want you to rest today."

"Rest? I've been asleep for two days!" Akko groaned. "The last thing I wanna do is sleep some more... and that's saying something because I love sleeping!"

"I know, but rest is imperative when you're sick," Diana explained.

"I'm fine, really!" Akko exclaimed, starting to get up but laid right back down once her muscles cried out. "On second thought, maybe rest is a good idea. My muscles are pretty sore."

Diana thought for a moment. "You're muscles are sore, huh?"

Akko nodded.

"How about a warm bath? The heat might help with the pain and may help ease your congestion," Diana suggested.

A bath didn't sound like a bad idea, especially considering she hadn't bathed or showered in a couple days. Perhaps the heat would even make her drowsy and make her want to rest some more.

"Sounds nice," Akko agreed.

Diana smiled. "I'll go get the water running."

Akko watched as Diana went to her bathroom and gently shut the door behind her. Soon she could hear the rushing of water which made her (slowly) get out of bed. She expected Diana to come out, but she didn't yet. Akko shrugged and walked to the bathroom once she heard Diana call out her name.

Akko entered the bathroom and watched as Diana added a lavender scented bath bomb into the large Jacuzzi tub. Akko awkwardly stood in place staring at her.

"You may get undressed if you'd like now, Akko. I'm going to go get some towels," Diana smiled, leaving the bathroom.

Akko could already feel her nose start to open up, but sadly she could barely smell the sweet scent from the bath bomb. She slowly stripped from the night gown and folded it, placing it on the sink. She knew Diana would probably say something if she didn't fold it or toss it on the ground like she usually would. She wasn't wearing anything underneath the gown, so she was ready. She placed her hand in the water. It was just the way she liked it. Not too hot or cold.

Before she stepped into the tub, Diana entered the bathroom again. However this time, she wasn't wearing anything and in her hands were two blue towels. Akko's face heated up for she knew what Diana had planned. She couldn't help but stare at her girlfriend. It wasn't like this was the first time she had seen her naked, but it felt like it. Akko had a feeling it would always feel that way, not that she was complaining.

"Y-you're gonna take a bath with me?" Akko chuckled nervously.

"That is what I had intended, yes," Diana smiled. "Do you not want to?"

"No, no, of course I do! I just don't want to get you sick," Akko explained.

Diana nodded. "And you won't as long as you don't kiss me."

Akko pouted. What kind of suggestion was that? Her girlfriend was naked and taking a bath with her. How is she supposed to not kiss her? To be fair, she didn't want to get Diana sick by any means, so she respected that.

Diana dipped her foot in the water and then lowered herself into the tub, followed by Akko who lowered herself on the opposite side. Diana pressed one of the buttons, starting up the water jets. A smile made its way to Akko's face as she relaxed into the tub. She stretched her legs out and curled her toes against the side of Diana's leg, causing Diana to flinch and then relax.

"I can't believe we haven't done this before," Akko sighed contently.

"We never had a situation to bathe or shower before," Diana pointed out.

"True," Akko hummed. She then looked to the side, a sad thought entering her mind.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Diana asked, bringing her knees close to her body to hug them.

"A couple things, actually," Akko murmured. "I've been meaning to ask this, well I kinda did before, but are you okay? What Daryl told you was pretty heavy."

Diana sighed heavily. "I'm okay now. You were right though. It was very heavy. I was more furious with Daryl than anything. I deserve to know the truth about what happened to my own mother, don't I?"

Akko nodded. "Of course you do. If Okaasan died and I didn't know the truth my whole life... I'd be upset too."

"Just know I was never mad at you," Diana added quickly. "I should have told you that from the start."

"I know. And I'm really sorry about earlier, Diana. I shouldn't have run off."

Diana blinked at her.

"I should be the one apologizing to you, Akko. I'm the one who pushed you away. I... I should have never shut you out. You were only trying to make sure I was okay," she said solemnly, holding Akko tighter. "And because of me, you got sick."

Akko shook her head. "That wasn't your fault. I could have stayed and just gave you space, but of course I overreacted like I do with everything. I'm such an idiot."

Diana gave a slight smile and affectionately touched Akko's foot with her own. "Come here."

Akko tilted her head to the side in confusion, but complied. Diana turned her around and wrapped her arms around her, brushing her hair to the side so she could rest her head on Akko's shoulder.

"I don't deny you're an idiot sometimes," Diana chuckled. "But your my idiot."

She gently placed her lips on the side of Akko's neck and she brushed a hand over her breast. Akko whimpered in response.

"I-I thought you said no kissing," Akko stuttered.

"I said you can't kiss me. That certainly doesn't mean I can't kiss you," Diana smirked, kissing Akko's shoulders next. "But perhaps you're right. I'll stop."

"No, don't!" Akko pleaded desperately. "It's fine!"

Diana chuckled softly. "I'm not going to start something I know I won't be able to finish."

"What does that mean?" Akko grumbled.

"It means, I'm not going to arouse you if I won't be able to do anything. I'd rather not get sick myself," Diana pointed out.

Akko crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine. Then talk about something that you know will turn me off since I'm already turned on."

Diana thought for a moment. "The blood moon is approaching soon, you know."

That instantly ran a chill down Akko's spine and caused her heart to skip a beat. Diana was spot on by saying that for Akko was no longer aroused even in the slightest.

"I know," she shuddered.

"I had briefly spoken to Professor Chariot on what the school plans to do," Diana said, not adding anything else.

"Well?" Akko asked impatiently.

Diana grimaced. "Unfortunately since the Moonlight Masquerade is on the same day and that Luna Nova will also be hosting the Masquerade to the boys from Appleton, they don't want to risk anything. You'll sadly have to spend the night in the dungeons."

"What?" Akko exclaimed. "I'm not only going to miss the best school dance in the history of school dances, but I have to spend the night in the creepy, musty dungeons?"

"It's nothing personal, Akko. Chariot won't be attending the dance either. She'll be in the dungeons as well. Obviously not in the same space where you'll be, but the two of you will be safe down there. You can't harm anyone down there," Diana explained.

"But we don't even know if anything will happen!" Akko complained.

"And that's exactly why the school is taking precautions. What if something does happen? They can't risk that at all," Diana said, holding onto Akko a little tighter.

"Great, so while you're having a good time at the dance I get to spend the night in the dungeons all alone," Akko grumbled.

"Who said you were going to be alone?" Diana smirked.

Akko shifted her position in the tub to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what kind of girlfriend, no, what kind of soulmate would I be if I were to leave you all by your lonesome in a scary place?" Diana smiled.

"You said it yourself that the school is taking precautions in case something happens. What if something does happen and I don't recognize you? What if I-" Akko couldn't even finish her sentence.

Diana placed a hand on her cheek. "I'll be careful. We'll be careful. Now the teachers may not have approved me to be down there with you, but-"

"Wait, Diana Cavendish breaking the rules?" Akko interrupted her.

Diana pressed her lips together. "Rules are meant to be broken in some instances. Besides, I would much rather spend my night alone with you than go to the dance without you."

"In the dungeons though? That's gonna suck and you know it," Akko pouted.

"I'm sure they'll prepare a cot for you down there," Diana chuckled. "Probably not one large enough for the two of us to share, but still I doubt they'd make you sleep on the concrete floor."

Akko snickered. "Tsk, I guess it won't be so bad if you'll be with me. I just... I want to take some precautions of my own if that's okay?"

"Like what?"

Akko had several ideas, though she didn't feel Diana would agree with a single one. However, a certain red-headed American could prove to be useful for one of the ideas in mind. She'd have to have a conversation with her when the time came around for it.

"I dunno right now, but I'll think of something. I want to make sure you're safe at all costs," Akko said sincerely.

"And I will be," Diana assured her.

"Oh, and Diana?"

"Hm?"

Akko held up her hands and wiggled her shriveled fingers. "Can we get out now? My skin is starting to look like raisins and it's really hot."

"Yes, of course," Diana nodded, starting to get up. "Are you starting to feel any better?"

Akko shook her head. "Kind of. I'm feeling tired again, surprisingly."

"Well, you can rest again if you'd like. However, I want you to eat something first," Diana said calmly.

"I'm not hungry though," Akko countered.

"You haven't eaten in two days, Akko. You're eating something," Diana instructed.

"Fine, but no chicken noodle soup! I'm not that sick and I can't stand that stuff," Akko warned.

Diana smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

Chapter Text

A full two weeks had passed since the events at Cavendish Manor. Akko still had the slight sniffles from her cold but had been feeling like her old self again, thanks to Diana who forced her to drink herbal teas every morning and evening. They were perhaps the most bitter and unenjoyable tea to have ever entered her mouth. However, Diana was stubborn and refused cuddles unless Akko drank every drop. Akko of course, drank every drop since cuddles were at stake.

Sucy and Lotte were also dedicated in Akko's revival, for having a sick teammate within their proximity is never a good mix since neither wanted to get sick themselves. Sucy offered several remedies that helped relieve her symptoms and Lotte prepared broth for her dinners as well as make sure everything in their dorm was clean and free from any possible "Akko germs" as Sucy described it. Though they didn't need to worry too much since Akko hardly spent any time in the red team's dorm anymore. She often found herself spending the night in Diana's dorm, well, Diana's room.

After what occurred at the manor, she physically couldn't leave Diana's side. She was, ironically, much like a puppy following her around wherever she went. This wasn't unusual behavior, though it did get obnoxious to watch how Akko was practically fused to the British witch almost every second of the day. Not just when they were sitting next to each other or walking with each other. No, it had gotten to the point where if they weren't in their classrooms, dorms studying, or eating, their lips were constantly locked in what seemed to be an eternal kiss. Any restraint either of them had eventually was lost. It had gotten so bad that they even skipped meals to sneak off to an empty hall or classroom. While encouraged at first by their friends, all of them, including Amanda and Hannah who found the entire thing hysterical, had grown tired of it rather quickly. Although, Amanda and Hannah had little room to protest since they were bad as well, but they were not nearly as bad as Akko and Diana.

Diana did pay the price for being near Akko so much. She had caught Akko's cold soon after they returned to Luna Nova. The cold only lasted a couple days for her, while Akko still felt sick as a dog. It was all a necessary evil. Diana couldn't help being around Akko either. In fact, she adored the way Akko clung to her and the way her crimson eyes sparkled whenever they saw her like they did when they first began dating. It was hard not to enjoy all of the attention.

Diana had noticed that Akko was acting... off today. Perhaps it was because the Blood Moon was later that night and she could already start to feel the affects of it. She acted coy and extremely flustered every time Diana talked to her. Even if it was about something school related. Akko would look away and act awkward like she did in the early stages before they were dating. Diana wasn't sure what she was supposed to take from that, but she shook it off and went about her day.

Akko never revealed to Diana why she was acting so strangely, partially because she didn't fully know why herself. All she knew was that for some bizarre reason, every time she even looked at Diana, a very noticeable heartbeat made its way in between her legs. That typically wasn't unusual, but the fact that it happened every time she was with or nearby Diana was weird. She even had to dismiss herself a couple times during her classes to relieve the ache in her core. Whatever was happening to her definitely wasn't normal. However, she couldn't be too concerned over it since she had other things to be worried about.

Akko needed to visit Amanda at some point that day. She knew for a fact Amanda had something that could come in handy while she was in the dungeons with Diana later. So, she walked across campus to the Green dorm and gave a gentle knock on her door. She wasn't surprised to see Jasminka answer the door.

"Oh, hello Akko!" the Russian witch greeted.

"Hey, Jas. Is Amanda here?" Akko asked awkwardly.

Jasminka smiled and nodded, stepping to the side to let Akko in. Akko first noticed Constanze tinkering with her Stanbot. She looked up, her sea green eyes briefly meeting Akko's crimson ones before turning her attention back to her work. Akko finally noticed Amanda lazily laying on her bed, messing with what seemed to be a blue stress ball out of boredom.

"What do you want, nerd?" Amanda snorted from her bunk.

Akko pouted and approached the redhead, sitting next to her. "I um... I need to ask a favor from you."

Amanda raised her brows curiously. "Is that so? Does this happen to involve Diana in any way?"

"Yes, well no... I mean, sort of?" Akko said quickly.

"Say no more," Amanda chuckled, sitting up. "What do you need? Advice, information, ideas?"

"Uh, none of the above," Akko mumbled. "It's more of a specific item. Also, please don't react weird when I tell you."

Amanda's eyes widened. "Okay, what is it?"

"I need..." Akko leaned to whisper in Amanda's ear. "I need chains. Like a heavy metal chains that can be used to keep me contained and secured."

Amanda stared at her in utter shock for a second before she began laughing like a maniac, falling backwards onto her bed.

"It's not what you think, I swear!" Akko blushed.

"Are you sure of that," Amanda continued cackling. "I always knew Diana must have a kinky side, and I knew you definitely do, but god damn, Akko! A chain?"

"Amanda!" Akko hissed, glancing at Jasminka and Constanze who weren't paying much attention to the conversation, but were listening nonetheless.

"What, you think they care?" Amanda laughed.

"We really don't care, Akko. We live with Amanda after all and she has zero filter. We're used to hearing this kind of talk," Jasminka explained and Constanze nodded in agreement.

"Guilty as charged," Amanda smirked.

'Wow, she won't even try to deny it," Akko thought to herself, truly pitying Jasminka and Constanze in that moment.

"Okay, so if it isn't for what I think it is, then do explain, Kagari," Amanda said playfully.

"I... alright. Jas, Cons, can I at least explain myself? It really isn't what you guys might think it's for," Akko said desperately.

Cons gave her a thumbs up while still working on her Stanbot and Jasminka gave a gentle nod.

"You sure you're allowed to tell them?" Amanda asked.

"Well, the New Nine were bound to find out eventually. You, Diana, Lotte, Sucy and Hannah already know, so Jas and Cons should might as well know too," Akko explained.

"If you say so," Amanda shrugged.

Akko sighed. "Okay so this may sound totally weird, but... I'm a werewolf."

"Makes sense," Jas nodded.

"Wait what? You're gonna believe me just like that?" Akko asked surprised.

"Well, sure. I know werewolves exist. They're actually quite common in Russia," Jasminka smiled. "Constanze knows they exist too, don't you?"

Constanze nodded, no longer listening to the conversation and instead searched for more tools.

"Germans had their fair share of werewolf encounters in their history, especially around World War Two," Jasminka explained. "So we believe you, Akko."

"Okay then cool," Akko hummed. "So I need the chains for tonight. There's gonna be something called a Blood Moon and I have no idea what's gonna happen to me. I obviously have a potion to control my phasing, but I don't know if the Blood Moon will affect it at all. I'll be in the dungeons all night for the safety of the school, but I want to be extra safe," Akko explained.

"Aw man, you're gonna miss the dance?" Amanda frowned.

"Yeah, I am. It's not like I want to," Akko pouted. "I heard this is the best dance Luna Nova will ever have. It really sucks I'm gonna miss it."

"I'm sure Diana will fill you in. I'll be sure to as well," Amanda assured her.

Akko chuckled nervously. "About that... Diana's gonna be in the dungeon with me."

Amanda blinked at her. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of you taking precautions, or are you going to be using the chains for another purpose?"

"Look, she doesn't want me to be lonely and she felt bad that I'm going to miss the dance, okay? Nothing more to it. She's just being a good girlfriend and I would have done the same," Akko grumbled, failing to hide her growing blush.

"Aw, that's sweet," Jasminka commented.

"And so unlike Diana to do," Amanda snickered. "But I won't question it I guess."

"Thanks," Akko sighed.

"Now about those chains," Amanda smirked. "I know Cons probably has something heavy duty in her workshop."

Constanze pointed to a large, clear box under her desk which contained metal chains and thick ropes.

"Or right there," Amanda corrected herself. "I also have something I think will be a good addition."

Akko frowned. "What?"

"Hold on now, hear me out," Amanda started to say, getting up from her bed.

She pulled a black duffel bag from underneath her bed and pulled something out. She placed the item on Akko's lap and Akko nearly shrieked upon seeing it, immediately shoving it back into the duffel bag.

"What? I think it'll give the chains a nice touch," Amanda winked.

"A leather collar? I think the fuck not, Amanda!" Akko growled. "How do you even own this? Have you used this? You know what, don't answer that. I don't wanna know."

"Look, all I'm saying is adding the collar to the chains would make it look like a leash and given your situation... it wouldn't be that bad of an idea. I'm sure Diana would enjoy it," Amanda teased.

"i... ugh, fine. Give me the stupid collar," Akko grumbled.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Miss. Kagari," Amanda smirked. "I'll be sure to find out which part of the dungeons you'll be staying in and drop off the items sometime later before the dance."

"Actually, I think I'll just take them now. Can I borrow that duffel bag of yours?" Akko requested.

"Uhhh, you could, but-" Amanda said before Akko snatched the bag, instantly regretting it once glancing at the horrors within.

"Kuso, never mind," Akko said with disgust.

"I mean you can still take it, just let me empty it out first," Amanda laughed.

Jasminka sighed, handing Akko a bag meant for laundry. "Akko, just take this."

"Thanks, Jas," Akko smiled. "Before I go, does anyone know where Diana is? I don't think she'd be in her dorm right now."

Amanda scoffed. "Shouldn't you know where she is?"

"I don't know where she is or what she's doing every second, jeez... even if I'd like to," Akko admitted.

"I think the blue team is in charge of decorations for the dance so I'd assume she's in the dinning hall setting up for tonight," Jasminka spoke up. "The blue team should be almost done seeing how the dance is in a couple hours."

"Kuso, a couple hours? I need to get going. The teachers might get sus if I'm not in the dungeons before the sun sets," Akko said quickly, gathering the chains and the collar and abruptly shoving them into the bag.

"Have fun tonight, Akko, but not too much fun if you know what I mean," Amanda winked.

Akko rolled her eyes. "I don't see what fun I'm gonna have if I end up phasing. I don't even know what we're going to do if I don't. Play cards maybe?"

"Hm, use your imagination," Amanda chuckled. "I'm sure Diana intends to play with you in a different way."

Akko blushed and looked away from the smirking red head. "I'm more scared than anything. I just want to get this night over with."

"Be sure to tell me if something interesting goes down," Amanda said calmly.

"Hopefully nothing won't," Akko muttered.

Akko originally planned to go to the dinning hall to not only see what she was going to miss out on but find out if Diana was there too, but she ended up just deciding to go to the dungeons since she knew Diana would just meet her there anyway. As the sun began to set, she could feel something deep within her soul start to stir. She couldn't quite explain it. It could be best described as a fluttering sensation she could feel in her chest that eventually traveled downwards. She rolled her eyes, feeling that all too familiar feeling in between her legs and tried to ignore it. Once she reached the entrance of the dungeon, she was surprised to see Chariot and Croix waiting for her.

The two noticed Akko and relief flashed across their faces.

"Thank the nine, I was starting to think you weren't going to show up and someone would have to go looking for you," Chariot sighed.

"I would never break a school rule, Professor. I'm hurt that you think I would," Akko stated sarcastically.

"I would like to firstly apologize that you will be missing the dance, Akko, but this is a necessary precaution that even Chariot has to take," Croix cut to the chase.

"It's fine I guess. As long as I don't have to sleep on the ground, I should be fine," Akko smiled.

"Oh no, of course not! The pixies have prepared a cot for you with extra blankets in case it gets cold," Chariot said.

"Well that's good. So, where will I be staying?" Akko asked.

"You will be on the third floor of the dungeons in the solitary confinement cell," Chariot explained.

"Oh fun, so I'm gonna be a prisoner?" Akko blurted out.

"Please don't see it like that, Akko," Croix cringed. "You're not a prisoner. We just want to ensure your and the school's safety. Chariot doesn't have it any different. In fact, she will be on the fourth floor in one of the strongest cells meant to contain creatures as strong as minotaurs."

"That sucks," Akko winced. "Where will you be, Professor Croix?"

"I will be on the first floor to ensure nobody comes in or comes out tonight," Croix answered.

Akko's heart immediately stopped. If this was true, that meant Diana wouldn't be able to be with her after all. She would have to spend the entire night alone in the dark, creepy dungeon cell. The sheer thought gave her goosebumps. It terrified her. She wasn't sure what would happen tonight, but she did know if she had to spend it alone, that wouldn't have a good affect on her. She could handle being alone, but being alone in a dark, confined space? That was a different matter entirely.

"I-I'm going to be alone?" Akko whimpered.

"For your safety and everyone else's, Akko, sadly yes," Chariot answered her. "I know this is unfortunate and hard, but you're brave. And it's only for tonight. Once dawn approaches, Croix and myself will come to get you and we will personally walk you to your dorm."

That made Akko feel slightly better, but she still was not looking forward to spending the night alone without Diana. She honestly felt like crying. This was not how she wanted to spend her night by any means. No one would ever wish to spend the night in the dungeons. Well, perhaps Sucy would, but Akko wasn't Sucy.

"It's time we should be heading up there, Akko," Croix frowned.

"Okay," Akko said sadly.

Her two teachers escorted her up the long stair way until they reached the third floor. Every step Akko took, more and more dread flooded her system. She didn't want to do this, not like she had any other option, but Chariot was right. Akko had to be brave. She was brave.

"Your cell is at the end of the corridor, Akko. It can only be opened from the outside, so once you are inside, you will be locked in," Chariot explained. "Good luck and... what's in that bag of yours?"

Akko looked down at the laundry bag that contained the items she was supposed to use if Diana was with her, though they served no point now. "O-oh, just some spare clothes, a book, and some playing cards in case I got bored."

Chariot smiled. "That was wise of you. You didn't happen to bring something to study with, did you? You're astrology grades are doing better, but they could still use some work."

Akko glared at her. "Hey, it's a Friday night. There's no way you'd catch me dead studying on a Friday night."

"We wouldn't expect anything less, Akko," Croix chuckled. "Well, again, I wish you luck and the two of us will see you tomorrow morning."

Akko swallowed hard and nodded, glancing towards the end of the corridor. The last door at the end of the corridor was made of solid metal that likely has a spell casted around it to ensure no one could use magic from within and try to bust out. She slowly walked down the corridor, each footstep slowly becoming nothing more than a faint sound for a distinct ringing of silence replaced the sound of her feet in her head. She could do this. It was only one night. There would be candle light, she would be entertained, she would have a semi-comfortable bed to keep her warm. It would be like staying in her dorm alone for the night which she has done before.

Except now she was somewhere meant for prisoners or delinquent students who had broken the school rules so harshly they needed to be locked away until the authorities or their guardians came to take them away. And Akko felt exactly like a prisoner, like she had done something wrong. She felt she was being punished for being a werewolf, but she also knew it was necessary. So long as she complied, she wouldn't be in trouble.

Her hand grazed against the cold metal handle and she inhaled deeply. "I can do this."

When she opened the door, not before glancing behind her seeing that Chariot and Croix were no longer there, she took a step inside her cell. What she saw inside certainly came as a shock to her.

Chapter Text

The cell had a single window that allowed the pale moonlight to dimly light up the room with a ray of white and she immediately noticed the figure sitting on the bed in the center of the room. She could recognize those tea green-blonde locks and striking blue eyes anywhere. She had no idea how Diana was here, but she didn't dare question it. She immediately shut the door, locking the two of them inside. Diana looked up and sighed with relief upon seeing Akko.

"You kept me waiting long enough," Diana smirked.

Akko didn't say a single word. Instead she walked up to Diana and placed a firm yet gentle kiss upon her lips. Diana taken aback by this, but kissed back nonetheless. Akko could feel her lower stomach start to stir and the heartbeat in between her legs growing more and more noticeable. However, she ignored it for the time being and broke the kiss.

"I thought I wasn't gonna see you tonight and here you are," Akko grinned, placing a hand on Diana's cheek.

Diana stared at her in confusion. "Wh-"

"Croix and Chariot are making sure no one comes in or out of the dungeons tonight. I don't even know how you're here," Akko interrupted, taking a seat on the cot.

"It was easy enough. I knew which cell you would be in after... well, I did a bit of snooping," Diana admitted. "I wasn't going to leave you here all by your lonesome regardless of what the school wants. You even said yourself before that a werewolf cannot be separated from their soulmate for very long. Besides, I know you can get quite fearful when left alone in a dark enclosed setting."

Akko scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Tsk, I wasn't scared... I just don't like the dungeons. It's spooky in here."

Diana raised a brow in suspicion. "I could practically hear your heart racing as soon as you entered."

Akko knew Diana was being sarcastic, but she wanted to play along. She placed a hand on Diana's thigh and Diana froze, staring at the hand.

"You should know by now that seeing you makes my heart race," Akko smirked. "So maybe I was just excited to see my girlfriend waiting for me in bed."

Diana blushed and faked a cough. "I-I was sitting, so I wasn't exactly in bed, but yes, I was waiting for you."

"I'm just relieved you're here," Akko sighed contently as Diana placed a hand over hers.

Diana smiled back at her and then glanced down at the bag by Akko's feet. "Um, Akko, what's that?"

Akko looked where Diana was looking and picked it up, handing it to Diana. Diana was surprised by the weight of the bag and peeked inside. She saw metal chains which confused her at first, until she noticed the dog collar and she blushed intensely. Akko couldn't possibly-

"W-what do you plan on doing with t-these items?" She stuttered.

Akko chuckled. "I told you I was going to take precautions of my own. I decided I would chain myself to the bed or something in case I phase and something bad happens."

Diana blinked at her. "I don't think that's wise, Akko. Do you even know if your wolf form won't break through these chains? They could definitely restrain a human, but a werewolf I'm not so sure."

"W-well you have your wand, right?" Akko chuckled nervously.

"I do, however seeing as this is a cell that blocks all magic, it is about as useful as a twig from a tree. So if you are suggesting I could somehow restrain you with magic, I would not be able to," Diana pointed out.

Akko hadn't even thought of that; the chains not being strong enough to restrain her or Diana not being able to use magic. If something bad were to happen, Diana would be defenseless. The best she could do to protect herself would be to whip Akko with the chains, but that would do little to help her. Now Akko was truly afraid.

"We shouldn't have done this. Maybe the school wanted me to be alone for a reason. Diana, if something bad happens to you and it's my fault, I'll never forgive myself," Akko said, tears quickly forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing bad will happen to me or to you, Akko," Diana assured her.

"How do you know that?" Akko challenged.

Diana paused and pressed her lips together then gave a slight smile. "Instincts."

Akko squinted at her suspiciously. Diana was acting like she knew something. Perhaps she did, but Akko knew by the way she was acting, she wasn't going to budge in telling her what she knew or at least why she was so confident that nothing bad would happen.

"Well for your sake and mine, let's hope your instincts are right," Akko said sadly, leaning her head on Diana's shoulder.

"Everything will be alright, Akko," Diana said calmly. "Oh and one more thing... why in the nine do you have a dog collar in that bag?"

Akko blushed and giggled. "Oh that. It was kind of a gag from Amanda. You know her."

"Was O'Neill's implication that you were a dog because you happen to be a werewolf? If so, I find that highly rude and offensive," Diana frowned.

"Eh, I don't think that was what she had in mind," Akko muttered.

"I don't even think this would fit around your neck," Diana joked.

"Wanna try?" Akko asked quietly.

"Pardon?"

"N-nothing," Akko said quickly, jolting upright. "So uh, what are our plans for tonight?"

Diana thought for a moment. "Well, I brought a novel to read and pass the time. What about you?"

"I uh... I didn't really bring anything, but I think we could put these chains and the collar to good use," Akko said suggestively.

The comment flew right over Diana's head.

"I don't see what we could do with those right now. I guess if you want to read with me you can. I can slow down my reading speed to your pace if you wish," Diana offered.

Akko sighed in defeat. "Nah, that's okay. I think I'm just gonna go stare outside for a while."

"Do as you wish," Diana commented, opening up her book and started to read.

Akko got up and walked to the window, placing a hand on one of the rusted metal bars that allowed the night draft of air into the cell. The sun had long since set by now and the moon was starting to rise. Akko did not see the red glow from the moon as she was promised. Perhaps it would take a while for it to happen. She glanced back at Diana who now sat comfortable on the cot, swimming in the words from her book. Akko sighed and looked right back at the moon, awaiting for it to glow bright red as it soon would.

Akko began to fidget while standing. Her heart began racing as she watched as the moon slowly started to change color and rise higher in the sky. As promised, the moons typical white glow shifted into a light pinkish-red coloration and lit up the dark sky with its crimson glow. She could feel her body heating up and her heart race like it did whenever she was about to phase in the past. She didn't know what would happen if she did.

"D-Diana?" Akko squeaked.

Diana put down the book she was reading and looked at Akko. "Yes, my love?"

"Chain me up," Akko said hoarsely.

Diana blinked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Akko nodded furiously. "I know I'm gonna phase at some point. I can feel it. I don't think the potion will work tonight."

Diana immediately got up and went straight to the bag to fetch the chains and collar. She chained Akko to one of the sides of the cot, hoping that would hold her wolf form. She placed the collar on Akko last and latched one of the chains onto it, securing her to a small area of space.

"Wow, wasted no time doing that, huh," Akko muttered, tracing one of the chains with her finger. "Also, the collar and chains aren't tight enough. Actually, they're super loose."

"I did that on purpose, Akko. If I were to tighten them now, you might suffocate or lose circulation in your wolf form. It could be possible the chains would simply break and the collar would likely snap during your transformation too," Diana explained.

Akko nodded. "You're smart."

"Well, there is a reason why I'm top of the class and was declared moonlit witch," Diana boasted.

"Hey, I could have become moonlit witch too," Akko pouted. "I almost was."

Diana scoffed and chuckled. "After all the shinanagance you pulled? I think not. You're lucky you weren't expelled by now."

Akko sat down in her small space and stared at the ceiling above. "Isn't it funny how we were enemies not too long ago?"

"I never considered you my enemy. Rival perhaps, though you weren't very threatening to me," Diana snickered and sat down next to Akko. "I honestly liked you and wanted to be your friend. However, I played along with the whole rival thing to humor you since you insisted we were destined to be rivals. In actuality, I was really drawn to you. Those beautiful crimson eyes, your free spirit... I don't recall a single day where I didn't think about you."

"Really? You acted so cold and high-and-mighty towards me though. I thought you saw me as a pest," Akko pointed out.

"I did find you a tad obnoxious and cocky at times," Diana admitted. "But I only acted that way because I thought I had to."

"And then we became friends," Akko added.

"Yes. And then we became friends. Sad how it took the almost end of the world to become closer, isn't it?" Diana sighs.

Akko shook her head. "I think that made us realize how important life is. How important we were to each other... also pretty cool how the power of gay stopped Croix's missile, huh?"

Diana rolled her eyes and laughed. "Neither of us knew we liked each other then, Akko. Besides, the power of gay didn't stop the missile. That was all thanks to magic, your determination, and perseverance. You saved the world, really. I was just there to assist."

"But Dianaaaa," Akko whined. "It sounds so much cooler to say two lesbian witches defeated a great evil using the power of gay with a little help of magic!"

Diana laughed again. "I suppose you have a point there, but don't sell yourself short. If it weren't for your bravery... who knows where we'd be right now."

"I... Well I never told you this, but I don't think I could have done it if you weren't there with me," Akko admitted. "I was terrified. The fate of countless lives rested in my hands and I didn't know I could do it. But when you held my hand and gave me that smile, I knew I had to do it not just for those counting on me, but I had to for you."

"And I knew you could do it," Diana smiled. "Even as your rival at the time. And after everything we've been through together, I must say I like us much better as lovers than rivals."

Akko smiled back. "Me too."

Diana could see fear behind that smile. "You're afraid."

"Yeah, I am," Akko nodded weakly, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears. "I-I don't know what's going to happen. I'm scared. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Diana. What if I hurt you?"

Diana gave her a reassuring look. "Fear of the unknown is perfectly alright, Akko. And I don't know what's going to happen either, but we'll get through this together. Just like we always do. I know we'll be alright."

"You sound so confident, but you don't know either," Akko hissed. "Aren't you even a little afraid?"

"I suppose so. But I'm not afraid of you, Akko," Diana said, placing a hand on Akko's cheek. "I honestly have a feeling this will be like the time when I first saw you in your form."

Akko truly hoped that was the case. Diana was often never wrong, but in this case, anything could happen.

Akko sniffled and kissed Diana's cheek before pushing her away. "I'm gonna phase. You should probably stay back."

Diana nodded and moved several feet away from her. She slid down the side of the dungeon's brick wall and stared into Akko's crimson eyes which began to glow. Akko took a deep breath and began to phase. This time the transformation was much quicker. And as Diana had predicted, the chains and collar were no longer loose on Akko, but were now tight around her. Diana waited to hear Akko's thoughts, for Akko to give any indication that she was still with her. The only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat and the heavy breaths from the creature in front of her.

Chapter Text

Diana heard nothing. She would have heard Akko's thoughts by now, wouldn't she? Akko always had something to say, always had something on her mind. Though now that her thoughts were quiet, Diana was nervous. Something seemed off about what was going on in front of her. The heavy breaths sounded strained and the wolf's eyes were shut tightly. She watched as one of Akko's back paws tried to scratch her neck like she was trying to break free from the collar and chains. Diana didn't know what to think of this.

And then, finally she heard Akko's thoughts clear as day.

'Can't breathe. Help.'

Diana instantly sprinted towards Akko, seeing that the collar was constricting her neck. No wonder Diana didn't hear anything at first. Akko only had one thing on her mind and that was trying to break free so she could breathe. The collar was stuck and Diana was struggling to take it off. Her attempts weren't in vain, though she ended up injuring one of her fingers in the process. She finally unlatched the collar and heard Akko gasping for breath.

Heavy sighs followed soon after as Akko lay her head on Diana's feet.

"A-Akko?" Diana stuttered, looking down at the giant wolf.

'Hey, Diana.'

"Oh praise the nine," Diana sighed with relief. She sat down and slowly ran her hand up and down Akko's snout. "I was beginning to get concerned."

'Me too.'

"Well, I'm glad you're still with me. I'm glad you're alright," Diana smiled.

Akko looked up at her, bright red eyes meeting soft blue ones. 'How... how did you know I'd be okay? This whole time you were so sure nothing would happen and nothing did. How?'

Diana shrugged. "Lucky guess I suppose? Or perhaps I just knew. Call it soulmate instincts."

Akko snorted and noticed Diana's ring finger had a cut on it, likely due to trying to removing the collar. Akko licked the wound, causing the blood to stop flowing from the cut. Diana shivered from the contact of Akko's tongue, but relaxed once she realized what she was doing. That didn't stop her from grimacing though.

"You probably shouldn't do that," Diana snickered. "I don't know where that mouth of yours has been."

Akko gave her a toothy grin. 'It would have been all over yours and your body tonight if it weren't for this stupid blood moon.'

Diana rolled her eyes and blushed. "I doubt that. We would most likely be on the dance floor right about now, and I'd be lecturing both you and O'Neil for your risqué body movements."

'You're probably right about that, but don't think I wouldn't have stolen you away so we could go make out somewhere.'

Diana's blush deepened. "I-I wouldn't have let you during the dance. Perhaps afterward, but most certainly not during since our professors would have been crawling all around the school grounds."

Akko finished licking Diana's finger and lay her head back down on Diana's lap. Diana continued to affectionately stroke Akko's coarse fur.

"I learned something quite interesting earlier," Diana spoke up, smiling down at Akko.

Akko lifted her head slightly. 'What is it?'

"Remember that book on Lycanthropy I've been trying to get you to read?" Diana asked.

Akko gave a gentle nod. 'Yeah, you've mentioned it a couple times.'

"Well, earlier today I was looking for information on the blood moon. I didn't find anything on that, but I did find out how supposedly werewolves came to be," Diana said, peeking Akko's interest.

'Like when the curse happened?'

"That, and why the curse happened," Diana added.

Akko still didn't know too much about her kind. After all, she was still relatively new to this werewolf thing. It wasn't like she had someone to guide her through it. In a way, she wished Chariot had revealed to her that she was a werewolf herself ages ago. It would have answered a lot of Akko's questions a lot sooner and she would have not had to endure her new life alone. However, Akko could have done research on her own if she really wanted to, but of course she didn't since she wouldn't research anything that wasn't school or anime related.

Akko lay her head back down on Diana's lap and slowly wagged her tail. 'I'm interested now.'

"Well, no one's certain when the curse happened, though many theorize it was a good seven centuries ago-" Diana said but her train of thoughts were halted.

Akko whined impatiently. 'No no, just tell me the story!'

Diana's eye twitched in slight irritation. "As I was saying, no one knows for sure when the curse happened, but only a few know how the first werewolf came to be."

Akko's tail wagged faster in anticipation.

"Wolves were mysterious creatures beloved by all the spirits. Their elusive yet playful nature fascinated the spirits, especially the powerful Moon Spirit to which the wolves would sing to at night. But the wolves were feared by man kind, the spirit's most recent creation, for as long as the two co-existed together. However, there was a man who did not fear the wolves and dedicated his life to slay every last one of them. He wanted glory and to be known as a legend who wiped out the beasts who worshiped the moon."

Akko whimpered. 'I think I know where this is going.'

Diana nodded. "And so he did. It's unknown how many wolves he killed in his lifetime, but he did so in broad daylight when the wolves were asleep and their vision was poor. It was a cowardly way to do it, but as long as it got the job done, he did it."

'How horrible,' Akko growled.

"Indeed," Diana nodded in agreement. "One night while he was camping in the woods, he made a discovery. He noticed how many wolves howled at the moon and realized he could kill far more at night if he was careful and clever enough. Encouraged, he grabbed his knife and spear and set out to find the creatures. With his wolf pelts wrapped snugly around his body to keep him warm and trick the wolves' scents, he found several wolves on a mountain ledge, howling proudly to the full moon. He had never taken on so many wolves at one time, but like he had so many times before, he slaughtered them all. He stood on the same mountain ledge the wolves once happily howled upon, his heart swelled with pride, but he had made a fatal error."

Akko looked into Diana's blue eyes, waiting for her to finish.

"The Moon Spirit had witnessed the massacre... and she was furious," Diana said coldly.

Akko squirmed in place. 'Oh man. It's about to get good!' 

"She saw the slain wolves who had sung to her for many years and the skins of their ancestors wrapped around the man with their blood stained not just on his hands, but his soul. She was greatly disturbed and came down to Earth in the form of a pure white wolf, emerging from the shadows to confront the man."

'And she killed him!' Akko thought.

"Not exactly, Akko," Diana corrected her. "She looked up at him with sad eyes as he aimed his spear at her. She saw pride, but also great hatred and pain in his heart; she decided to spare him. When he threw his great spear at her, he missed. She quickly reacted and bit his leg. He yelled in pain and fell to the ground. As he was reaching for his knife to try and kill the white wolf again, he watched in horror as she transformed into a beautiful woman-spirit. She told him that as punishment for slaying her most precious wolves whose blood should never have been spilt, he would turn into a mindless wolf whenever the full moon would rise. He would forever howl at the moon at night to try and seek forgiveness for his horrible acts and be reminded of the lives of the wolves he stole. All of his children and their future generations would also be cursed by this and be a reminder to others that the Moon Spirit and her wolves were not to be trifled with."

Akko's eyes widened. 'Wait a minute, forever forever? Like he's still alive out there somewhere?'

"According to this, yes," Diana confirmed, tapping her book lightly. "Who knows?"

'Man... that means I'm related to that dude. Gosh,' Akko shook her head. 'That really sucks! I was cursed because of him!'

Diana played with the tip of Akko's fluffy ear. "It's a story that's centuries old, my love. A legend. It may not even be the real story."

'I think it is. It makes perfect sense,' Akko thought bitterly. 'Something doesn't exactly make sense though. What about imprinting and a werewolf's soulmate?'

"It doesn't say anything about that, but everyone has a soulmate, Akko," Diana smiled.

'Hm, I bet the Moon Spirit knew that the future werewolves shouldn't be punished so severely that they would never find love. Everyone deserves to find love after all.' Akko pondered.

"I suppose," Diana murmured. "Well, now you know the possible history of your kind... And your kind has come a long way, haven't they? You and Chariot have control over your wolf form after all; everyone before you didn't. Maybe when Croix made that potion, the Moon Spirit took pity on you and the other werewolves of today."

'Maybe,' Akko yawned, exposing her white fangs. 'It'd be pretty cool if that was the case. It'd be even better if Croix came up with a cure, huh?'

"Sadly, I don't think that's possible, Akko," Diana frowned. "But you never know. If Croix was able to create a potion to make you aware of what you were doing, she might be able to take it even further. She'd certainly need the Moon Spirit's guidance for that."

Akko yawned again and her eyes were slowly starting to close. 'It would be nice.'

"Are you tired?" Diana smiled, stroking the fur behind Akko's neck.

'A little bit. I don't think I'll be phasing back to my human form for a while though,' Akko sighed, laying her head back down in Diana's lap.

"Let's go to sleep then. There's not much more we can do tonight anyway," Diana suggested, getting up to climb into the bed.

Akko looked at her curiously as she got into bed and patted the spot next to her. Something close to a laugh erupted from Akko's chest once she realized Diana wanted her to join her.

'You really think I'm gonna fit on that small, rickety thing?'

"Worth a try, isn't it? I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor regardless," Diana chuckled.

Akko rolled her eyes. 'Well if I don't fit, you're not sleeping on the floor just for my sake. Don't dogs sleep on the floor anyway?'

"Just try, Akko," Diana smiled. "And you're not a dog! You're just... a person who turns into an oversized puppy. Come up now. I'm cold and you're warm."

Hesitantly, Akko got up and hopped onto the bed. It shook and creaked from the weight, but surprisingly, she fit just fine. She lay her head on Diana's stomach and placed her tail at Diana's feet, listening to Diana's steady heartbeat. Diana placed a hand on Akko's head and soothingly pet her. She was right about Akko being warm for within seconds, she was no longer cold. Diana felt her eyes grow weak and she closed them, sighing softly before falling asleep with her wolf.

A small beam of light shone through the cell's window and woke a sleeping Diana. Her eyes fluttered open and heard the snores from her naked lover who was sprawled across the bed. A few months ago, a sight like this would have caused Diana to blush like mad. This time, she simply smiled and shifted Akko in a better position before covering her up with blankets. Diana wasn't sure what time it was, most likely very early. It was very cold in the cell and she felt a chill when she got out of bed to look outside the window. She saw the sun stretching above the horizon which confirmed that it was quite early in the morning.

She decided to go back into the bed with Akko since the cold had caused her to shiver. Akko was still warm as a furnace like she always was and Diana happily embraced the warmth. Just as she began to nod off again, she heard a knock at the cell door. Panicked, she bolted up and shook Akko to try and rouse her from her sleep.

"I didn't take your fruit tart, Amanda," Akko muttered, still half asleep.

"Akko, Croix and Chariot!" Diana whisper shouted.

That woke Akko up instantly. "Wait, what?"

"They're here, I-" Diana begun to say but stopped once she heard the creak from the door opening.

"Good morning, Akko. I hope you had an alright ni-" Croix stopped mid sentence as she entered the room and saw that Akko wasn't alone. "D-Diana?"

"Good morning, Professor Croix," Diana smiled sheepishly.

"Diana? What in the nine are you doing in there?" Chariot sputtered from behind Croix.

"A better question, how are you in here? I cleared the floor yesterday before bringing Akko in!" Croix said in shock.

"You didn't check inside the cell, did you?" Chariot turned to her partner.

Croix looked away from her. "I may have just called out to see if anyone was in this portion of the dungeon."

"Oh that was you? I thought that was a pixie, so I remained silent," Diana said.

"I- Miss. Cavendish, are you aware of the danger you could have put yourself in?" Croix retorted furiously. "I'm certain Atsuko made sure to tell you she needed to be in here alone last night, did she not?"

"I did, but nothing happened and that's all that matters right?" Akko chuckled nervously.

"That's not the point!" Croix yelped with rage. "Diana could have been killed or injured last night! We had no idea what was going to happen to Akko."

"Okay, but I'm sure you heard Chariot's thoughts which told you everything was okay, so stop freaking out," Akko countered aggressively.

"Even so," Croix shook her head. "I still didn't enter her cell because I was ordered not to. She wasn't allowed to have anyone with her for the entirety of the night and neither were you, Akko."

"I still don't see what the big deal is!" Akko shouted. "Nothing bad happened, right?"

"Akko, don't argue with them," Diana chimed in. "If you wish to punish someone, punish me. I knew the rules... and I broke them. Don't punish Akko. She didn't do anything wrong."

Croix opened her mouth to protest, but shut it once she felt Chariots hand grab her own.

"Akko isn't wrong Croix. No one got hurt after all. Even though Diana did go against the head mistress' wishes, we shouldn't be too harsh on them. They're soulmates after all; you of all people know it's torturous to be separated from your soulmate... even if it is for just one night," Chariot explained.

Croix sighed. "I suppose you're right, bellissima. If you girls keep this secret, then I guess we will too."

Diana and Akko nodded furiously.

"Good," Chariot smiled. "Now if you'd like to return to your dorms, I suggest we do it now."

Akko grinned and got out of bed, eager to return to her own bed back in her dorm. All eyes were on her, but Diana was staring daggers at her and she was bright red. Akko looked down and realized why she had suddenly become the center of attention. She instantly dropped to the floor beside the bed so no one could see her.

"I suggest you get dressed before returning to your dorm too, Akko," Croix laughed in amusement. "It's a bit... nippy out."

Chariot not-so-gently nudged Croix before they closed the cell door to give the two privacy.

"Seriously, Akko, you need to be more careful," Diana grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, it's not like boys saw me or anything!" Akko protested. "I've got a nice body anyway, it's-"

Diana softly kissed her lips to shut her up. "Yes, but I don't want anyone seeing you like that except me."

Akko smirked, desperately fighting the urge to kiss Diana again. "Possessive much?"

Diana blushed furiously and lightly shoved her. "Whatever, just get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am," Akko grinned.

Chapter Text

Akko had almost forgotten that she was back in her dorm. Returning earlier that morning was a complete blur and she panicked briefly realizing that Diana wasn't with her, but back in her own dorm. She pouted and turned over in her bed, her mind thinking about when she was going to see Diana again. It wasn't even noon yet and Diana was probably napping due to the long night they had. However, it wasn't a school day, so Akko couldn't fret too much, knowing Diana would probably have the two of them do something later on that day.

Her thoughts were halted from feeling someone pluck a hair from her head. Akko sat upright and saw Sucy walking over to her side of the room.

"Hey, what was that for?" Akko growled.

"I needed your DNA," Sucy responded curtly.

Akko got out of bed and walked over to her, staring at a cauldron that had blueish smoke rising out of it. "Do I wanna know why?"

Sucy gave a rare smile. "Actually, yes. This is for you after all."

"It's too soon for another one of your experiments, Sucy," Akko grimaced. "I don't even know why you tested on me last time. You could have easily used that potion on yourself. I had bunny ears for a week."

Admittedly, the experiments had become a lot less painful or stressful ever since Akko got sick from the mistletoe poisoning. However, Sucy is Sucy and she never ceased from doing her experiments on her roommate. They simply became less stressing and more... weird. At least that's how Akko saw it. It became bearable, though sometimes the experiments could become emotionally exhausting especially if Sucy was working on a psychological potion.

"This one you'll actually want to participate in for once," Sucy explained, scooping some of the unknown liquid into a vial before sealing it shut with a cork.

"What is it?" Akko asked as Sucy handed it to her.

"It's a one of a kind potion that took me months of research and weeks to make," Sucy explained, not being as specific as Akko wanted.

Akko raised a brow suspiciously. "Before I ask what it does, what's in this?"

Sucy thought for a moment. "A lot of ingredients you won't recognize, but it has mainly Blood Moon water."

Akko sniffed the contents in the cauldron. "Nope, I'm not taking this. I can smell mistletoe."

"It's not a lethal or dangerous dosage you dimwit," Sucy hissed. "I did my research thoroughly and the potion couldn't be complete without it. It's... a cure."

"A cure for what? Stupidity?" Akko joked.

"There's no cure for that sadly. So you're stuck with that," Sucy snickered. "Basically, this is a cure for werewolves. If I did this correctly, which I'm confident I did, you'll only need to take a batch of this once and live your life as a human. You'd be normal."

Akko's eyes widened. "Holy shit, are you serious?"

"Yes and you're welcome," Sucy nodded. "I had to use one of your phase control potions to get the results I needed and now with your DNA in the mixture, you won't be a werewolf anymore after you drink the entire batch. Of course drinking that small amount won't do anything. You'd need to consume all of it. The only thing I'm not sure of is how soon the results will happen. I'm pretty sure If you took it about a couple weeks before the next full moon, you would not be able to phase anymore."

Akko held the vial in between her fingers, staring at it in shock. It couldn't be that simple. She knew Sucy was practically a master with potions, but considering not even Croix could figure out a cure for it, it was hard to believe.

Sucy squinted at her. "Why do you look like you don't believe me?"

"Look, I'm not saying I don't believe you, I'm just a little unsure," Akko explained. "I don't even know why you did this."

Sucy sighed in annoyance. "Because after complaining to Lotte and I for so long about how you wished you were born normal, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I also... did it to make up for what I did to you with the lust potion."

Akko shook her head in disbelief. "You don't know if this will work."

"Maybe, maybe not," Sucy shrugged. "And even if it doesn't work, the worst it'll do to you is give you some bad heart burn and maybe a slight stomach ache. I'm almost positive that it will work though. I'm hardly ever wrong when it comes to potions."

That much was true and Akko knew this first hand. However if Sucy actually discovered a cure, Akko should be happy. Absolutely thrilled even... but she wasn't. She wasn't sure what to think to be perfectly honest. Sucy was right about Akko wanting to be born normal, but this was who she was. Wouldn't taking the potion practically erase a part of who she is? Then again, the curse would be gone. She'd never have to deal with it again. She would never have to take another one of Croix's disgusting phase potions as long as she lived and that certainly was an intriguing and difficult thought.

"I... thank you, Sucy," Akko smiled sadly. "Just give me a little time to let this sink in. I think I'm gonna go talk to Diana and see what she thinks."

"Take as much time as you need, I don't really care," Sucy shrugged. "And hey, don't let your girlfriend make the decision for you. This is your life this will be affecting after all."

Akko knew that, but she wasn't just going to make a spur of the moment, life-changing decision without her soulmate knowing about it. Besides, Akko really needed advice and no one gave better advice than Diana. She just hoped Diana would tell her something she'd want to hear.

Akko was pretty sure Diana was up and about by now. It was nearly noon and even if Diana got no rest the night before, she would never sleep in later than ten in the morning. Akko never understood that about her since she herself was practically religious about sleep, but to each their own she supposed.

She was mere steps away from turning at the corner to where the Blue team's dorm was, but knocked into none other than the person she was looking for. Diana's hair was neatly tied up in a high pony tail, a truly rare sight to see. Akko made sure not to stare too long, which was easier said than done.

"Good afternoon, love," Diana grinned, pecking Akko on the lips.

Akko's face turned bright red. "What happened to no P.D.A's on campus?"

"Oh hush. There's no one around," Diana waved her off. "Now I must ask if you're free later tonight."

"Why?" Akko asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, nothing important," Diana smirked. "I just want to treat you to a little something since you missed the masquerade ball last night."

"Sounds important to me," Akko teased.

"Think of it like a date, just in a rather unusual location," Diana explained.

"Wow, dates aren't important to you?" Akko faked being offended.

Diana rolled her eyes and then kissed the younger girl's forehead. "Any amount of time I get to spend with you is important to me, Akko."

Akko grinned as she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. "I can't wait."

"We'll meet near the forest before the sun sets," Diana smiled. "Oh, and be sure to wear something nice. I don't mind if it's a suit or a dress, as long as it's a bit formal."

Akko was about to ask her something else until she remembered one of the main reasons for looking for Diana in the first place. She placed her hand in the pocket of her skirt and let her fingers trace the vial inside. She finally took it out and handed it to Diana.

Diana raised a brow at her curiously. "And what's this?"

"That's uh," Akko started, unsure of how she would react. "This is a cure to the curse."

Diana blinked at her. "As in-"

"Yeah. If I take this, well, take the entire batch of this back in my dorm, I won't be a werewolf anymore," Akko interrupted. "I'll be... normal."

It was a lot to take in. Diana always knew Akko hated that part of herself, but she thought that maybe since she was in control of her phasing and wolf form now, she was happier with who she was. If Akko went through with this, how many things would change? That's what concerned her the most. What if taking this potion would break the soulmate connection they had? She knew that was probably not going to happen, especially since neither could imagine a world without the other, but she still didn't know for sure. And that scared her.

Diana sighed and returned the vial to Akko. "Akko I... if this is what you really want and if you think this is the right decision, then I'm all for it."

"Then why do you look so sad?" Akko frowned.

"I'm not sure," Diana shrugged. "Perhaps it's because in a way, I'll be losing a part of you, but please don't let my feelings change whatever decision you may make, Akko. This isn't my decision to make since it's not my body or life it will be affecting, but whatever choice you make, I'll support you."

Akko had kind of hoped Diana gave her a different answer. She was hoping Diana would either say to go through with it or not to since that would make her decision a whole lot easier.

"Do you think I should take it?" Akko asked.

"Again, this isn't my decision to make. I just urge you to think about this a little before you end up doing it or not," Diana replied calmly.

"Oh," Akko murmured.

Diana could tell Akko was upset. Well, what else was she supposed to tell her? She secretly hoped Akko would stay the way she was since she was the girl Diana fell in love with, regardless of the fact that she turned into a giant wolf. In a way, Diana also grew to love Akko's wolf form. It was so uniquely her and was a part of her identity. Besides, Akko was practically a giant puppy; what's not to love? But as Diana said, this wasn't her decision to make and in her mind telling Akko to do it or not was very selfish. She knew Akko would make the right decision in the end. After all, this choice would change Akko's life and in a sense, Diana's forever.

Diana placed a hand on Akko's cheek and soothingly rubbed it with her thumb. "Look on the bright side though."

"Hm?" Akko hummed, leaning into her lover's touch.

"There's now a potential cure available for werewolves," Diana smiled. "I'm sure there are many werewolves out there who want nothing more than to be freed from the curse. Now they have an option to choose a normal life. I'm sure even Professor Chariot would be interested in this potion and may even want to take it herself. Not before Croix runs a few tests on it, I'm sure."

Akko smiled, realizing Diana was right. Even if she herself decided to not take the potion, she knew that somewhere out there, there was a werewolf who would do anything to get a hold of the very thing in her hands. Her kind would finally be able to escape the curse if they wanted to. And with Croix's potion, they had another option in case they wanted to remain they way they were but have control over it. Who knows how many lives Akko could affect in a positive way if she shared the potion with the world.

Even though Diana told her to take time in making the decision, Akko knew what she wanted the moment Diana gave her final stand on the matter. The only question is: Was it the right decision?

Chapter Text

It had been months since she last visited the woods surrounding Luna Nova and in those instances, she was usually naked in the early hours in the morning wondering what the bloody hell occurred the night before. Now she was here to meet Diana for a date; it was a rather unusual location for a date just as Diana had said, but she wasn't going to complain. After all, it wasn't about the location, it was about the person she was spending time with. This forest held a lot of memories for her, some good and bad. Going on this date with Diana in the forest would certainly add to the good memories as long as nothing weird happened. Well, knowing her luck, she had a fifty-fifty chance of everything turning out alright.

She also didn't know what to expect at all, except for the fact that Diana requested her to dress nicely. Considering where she was going to be, a dress didn't exactly feel like it would react well to all the bushes and hidden cobwebs. So she went with a suit, knowing that she would not only be able to move around a lot easier, but also look hot as hell in it as well. She rarely wore suits, but when she did, she practically had Diana wrapped around her finger. There was something about girls in suits that just made Diana melt from the inside out and Akko could relate. The very first time she saw Diana in a suit, her brain nearly short-circuited. Well, seeing Diana in any sort of professional clothing made her brain short circuit, but suits or tuxedos is what really did it for her. And the rare times when Diana did wear a suit, there wasn't a single person or object that would have all of Akko's attention or eyes on since she would solely have her eyes glued on Diana.

Diana had left Akko a note an hour before she needed to get dressed which told her to follow a path illuminated by white roses. Sure enough as she entered the forest, she saw a path with white roses glowing brightly. Akko chuckled to herself, seeing how each and every rose was perfectly aligned with one another, sticking out from the ground and inviting Akko to walk down the path. She recognized the plant magic and knew the flowers weren't real, but an illusion meant to light up one's path or in some cases, one's dining room table. Diana wasn't wasteful, especially when it came to something beautiful like living flowers, so it made sense that she went with the illusion. Though a simple light wisp-trail spell would have sufficed, Akko enjoyed the romantic gesture.

Seeing blue light near the end of the path told Akko she was close. At the end of the path, she knew her beautiful girlfriend was waiting for her. This wasn't their first date or anything celebratory, but it was just as special to Akko in her heart seeing as how Diana put so much effort into this. She unconsciously picked up the pace, eager to see Diana.

When she finally reached the end of the path and into an open circular space, her jaw dropped in amazement. Blue fairy lights hung from the trees and illuminated the space, the forest floor appeared to be swept clean of all the leaves and rocks expected to litter the ground and to top it all off, soft classical music was playing from an old record player. But none of these things even held a candle light to Diana, who wore a dark blue suit that almost shimmered in the moonlight.

The two stared at each other without saying a word for what felt like an eternity. Though admittedly, Akko wouldn't mind spending an eternity staring at Diana especially when she looked like this.

Diana cleared her throat and spoke up. "You look lovely, darling."

"I look lovely," Akko scoffed at the thought. "Have you seen yourself? How are you even real?"

"I should be asking you that," Diana chuckled.

"So what is all this?" Akko asked, gesturing to the grand sight around her.

"I thought... since we both missed the Moonlight Masquerade last night, I'd recreate it just for the two of us. Only there are no masks. I sadly didn't think that far ahead, but I knew how badly you wanted to go to the dance, so I made all of this," Diana explained with a light blush forming in her cheeks.

"How long did this take you to make?" Akko asked in awe.

Diana thought to herself. It actually took her half of the day in total, clearing out the area from all of the dust and insects crawling around. Not to mention taking an extra two hours making light spells and bringing the old record player. She had worked quite hard on this, but humble as she was, she knew Akko didn't need to know every detail.

"Not too long. And for you, it was worth it," Diana grinned, placing a quick kiss onto Akko's lips.

"What are we gonna do at this dance then?" Akko asked curiously.

"Dance the night away and do whatever our hearts please," Diana answered, placing her hands on Akko's hips, gently swaying the two back and fourth.

"That's an idea I can get behind," Akko giggled.

The two swayed together and occasionally Diana twirled Akko around until an old upbeat song started to which Akko began dancing a lot more wildly. Diana didn't know how to dance to anything except for ballroom dancing, so she tried to copy Akko's movements. Though, she much preferred to watch Akko who appeared to be enjoying herself greatly, smiling and laughing while she danced. Seeing Akko smile had to be one of Diana's favorite sights of all time and hearing her laugh was such a godly sound to Diana. Akko's smile was contagious, always making Diana smile in return even if she tried not to. 

When the moon began to rise higher in the sky, Diana was reminded that Akko had a decision to make regarding the potion Sucy gave her. However, she was also reminded of the night prior. The striking words of Croix entered her mind, making her realize that even though everything turned out fine, she was being careless and risked something bad happening. What if Akko was right after all? What if everything didn't go smoothly? She may not have been here with Akko if something did go wrong. Taking such a risk just to be with her girlfriend for one night alone in a tower was incredibly careless on her part.

After watching Akko finish dancing to a song, Diana approached her and suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Oh? What's this for?" Akko blushed, hugging her girlfriend back in confusion.

"Nothing... and everything," Diana whispered sincerely. "I know I was being careless last night and I'm sorry for that. Something bad could have happened and well, the two of us may not be here right now."

"But hey, you said it yourself that you knew everything would be alright in the end and like always, you were right," Akko added. "We'd get through it together, just like we will with everything. And... just like we will with the potion I'm deciding not to take."

Diana let go of her, blinking in surprise. She honestly expected Akko would choose to take the potion after all the pain and trouble the curse had caused her. Akko had mentioned many times how much she wished she were born normal, to live her life as a normal witch without having to worry about the curse plaguing her life. Yet now, her attitude was as if she embraced the curse.

"Y-you aren't?" Diana asked softly.

"No. I thought long and hard about this and realized... I was born this way for a reason. Yes, I hated being a werewolf for the longest time, but it got better to live with and more exciting the more I explored my wolf form. Especially after Croix discovered the potion that made me conscious in my wolf form. I realized the two of us may never have been soulmates had I been born differently. I can't just erase that part of me. That would be too easy and unfair to my ancestors who had to live with the curse their entire lives," Akko explained. "I'm sure there will be plenty of werewolves out there who would fight tooth and claw for the cure, but as for me, I'm fine with staying the way I am."

Diana was ashamed to admit she was more than thrilled with Akko's decision, not just because this meant she got to keep her adorable oversized puppy. She was a bit impressed with her reasoning's behind it as well. Akko wasn't wrong about a single thing she said. Diana was proud to see how much Akko had matured, making such a tough decision on her own and making the right one, in her opinion. This was the girl Diana loved and knew she would love forever.

"I'm so glad you feel that way, Akko," Diana sighed with relief. "I think you made a wise choice indeed."

"You're gonna have to deal with my furry ass forever now, I hope you realize that," Akko snickered.

Diana chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Ah, but imagine all the slobber, all the wolf fur everywhere," Akko groaned sarcastically.

Diana raised a brow at her. "You're free to phase outside, but I better not catch you phasing in our house in the future."

Akko blinked at her. "O-our house?"

"W-well yes, I assume we will be living together some day. I hope we will be," Diana stuttered quickly.

"It's something I've not really thought about, but I can't imagine my future without you, so I guess that means we will be living together," Akko pondered aloud and then gasped. "By the nine, Diana! We're going to be married someday too! We're gonna be wives!"

An entire wedding ceremony between Akko and Diana flashed across Diana's thoughts. She had never blushed so much in her entire life, she was certain of it.

"I-I suppose we will be, Akko," Diana stuttered.

"Oh and just imagine the honeymoon!" Akko exclaimed.

"Okay, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep talking about this, love," Diana choked out, trying to prevent her intrusive thoughts from spilling out of her mouth.

"You're right, we have plenty of time to think about the future," Akko grinned innocently. "But for now, dance with me."

Diana smiled and this time wrapped her arms around Akko's neck while Akko placed her hands on her hips. "I would have thought you'd have been all danced out by now, Akko."

"I'm full of surprises... and sugar! I've got all the stamina I could possibly hope for," Akko laughed.

"Sugar? I made sure to not bring anything sweet since sugar keeps you up late," Diana frowned.

"I may have had a sweet tart... or three, on the way here," Akko admitted guiltily.

Diana glared at her in disapproval.

"What? I was hungry and Lotte made sweet tarts!" Akko said in defense.

"Very well, but I hope you know this means you'll be up all night," Diana sighed, knowing she can't stay angry at Akko.

"I know that and I was hoping you'll stay up with me and... cuddle," Akko smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Diana shook her head and smiled. "If you wish, but right now you want to dance, so we will dance."

Akko pouted, but accepted this seeing how she was the one who requested to dance in the first place. "Alright."

Diana nodded and swayed a bit slower as a slower song began to play. Akko heard Diana start to softly sing to the song and felt her heart began to melt. She loved it when Diana sang and she knew Diana was singing just for her. Right now, dancing in the moonlight while her soulmate sang to her, there was no place Akko would rather be. She glanced up at the moon as it shone brightly in the dark sky and thought about the curse and seeing as it was really more of a blessing than a curse anymore. She didn't realize that until now. Maybe... maybe the moon and her curse wasn't so bad after all.