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It was one of those weeks where Diana was stuck running around doing errands for professors. In spite of their still-recent accomplishment of defeating the Noire Missile, she couldn’t catch a break. Unlike the other witches, Diana succeeding a spot as one of the nine new witches only seemed to make the professors more inclined to hand off work to her. While proud of her place as a Cavendish and a top student at Luna Nova, she admitted, at least just to herself, that she could use a break.
Of course, running errands also meant not being able to see Akko. The professors still didn’t quite know what to do with that girl, even though she had certainly proved herself to be a worthy witch to all. Diana certainly thought so. And that thought had absolutely nothing to do, not at all, with the fact they had recently started dating as well.
Diana had the strong suspicion that her increase in errands from Finnelan may be related to the fact that they kept her much too busy to see her new girlfriend, and the idea left the worst taste in her mouth. After a few weeks of dating they hadn’t managed to do so much as kiss, what with all the commotion of her friends and the massive amount of tension the group seemed to be receiving now. And even without that, there really was just the occasional hugging and handholding.
While Diana admitted that she had little experience with physical affection, the brief moments she had with Akko were… enchanting. She hadn’t known that a lingering embrace, often after dinner before returning to their respective dorms, could build a fire in her heart so quickly, and she struggled to bank it in favor of sleep every time.
Nevertheless, she was a Cavendish, and she had expectations to fulfill. Regardless of the very little sleep she was now operating on, and the lunch she had missed while working, she was still running errands. Diana was returning from the archives on a wild goose chase for Finnelan when she came upon a curious sight. Her arms laden with tomes, more than exhausted already but knowing she still had work left to complete, she was not expecting to be greeted by a Minotaur at the entrance of the library.
And not one dressed as a nurse. Or waving at her.
It wasn’t that she was on bad terms with the non-human staff of Luna Nova, but she wasn’t the only one who remembered what side she took in the matter of the faerie labor union. They weren’t outwardly hostile with her, likely due to the pass she got with her relationship with Akko… To think a Cavendish would rely on her anarchist-communist girlfriend to mend the relations from her ill-thought faux pas with the working class. But that’s where they were at this point, slowly gaining back their trust in the blue-blood.
Diana hesitantly approached the minotaur. He gave her a grunt, peering down with his bull-like face and motioning to hand her a document. She leaned the books in her arms to one side to haphazardly reach for it. As they almost fell, another faerie, one of the smaller goblin staff, supported the books.
“Ah, thank you,” she said, taking the document. She frowned at it. Summons to the clinic for a physical? Hadn’t they just had one at the beginning of the term? It appears that the appointment was specifically for her, however, and due very shortly. She sighed. There must have been something she missed, or a neglected appointment in her calendar. With how busy things were in this term, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Her attention was drawn back to the faeries in front of her. The goblin reached to take the stack of tomes from her, pointing to the library. She gratefully nodded and thanked him again, allowing him to take the stack from her. The minotaur motioned for her to follow him. She wasn’t sure when a minotaur started working in the clinic, or why it was dressed in the comical dress of a nurse, but one wasn’t to question the desires of faeries. Besides, the likelihood of fitting into a practical pair of scrubs seemed low for a minotaur.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to refresh herself as she followed him. When they reached the door to the academy’s clinic, the minotaur opened the door for her and she was ushered in. He sent her to the exam table and held up a finger to indicate he’d be just a moment. Diana sighed and sat down at the table.
The door across from her leading into the office which typically housed their resident medical witch opened, and out flung a rolling chair. Coming to a stop with the screech of loafers scrambling against the floor, a familiar brunette with a clipboard looked up at her.
“Akko!”
“Hiya, Diana, I’ll be taking care of you today.” The brunette pulled out a pen and clicked it, grinning at her. She had managed to snag herself a white coat, pulled over her messy uniform.
“Akko, I’m not sure I have time for this. And where is the actual nurse?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m a professional.” Akko claimed, looking at her with determined red eyes. Diana normally very much appreciated that look - she couldn’t help but feel things whenever the brunette took initiative. Her believing heart was rather attractive, Diana had to admit. But she couldn’t hide her exasperation with her girlfriend’s antics here. She adored her, she just had so much to do.
“How, exactly, are you a professional?” Diana asked, fighting the urge to shove her face into her palms.
“I’m dating a doctor.” Diana could no longer fight the urge, massaging the bridge of her nose with her hand.
“Akko, unless we already need to discuss infidelity…” Akko gasped.
“NO!” The brunette exclaimed, slamming the clipboard down in her lap emphatically.
“I’m not even a doctor,” Diana stated dryly.
“Well, you’re basically one so it’s fine. Anyway, I’m fully qualified to make this diagnosis. Let me show you.” Akko stood up with the clipboard, moving faster than Diana could take this in. She put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, keeping her in place on the table.
“I’m very sorry to break this to you… I want you to know there are very effective and affordable treatment options that I can provide, Diana.” Akko took a deep breath, pausing dramatically and staring close into Diana’s eyes. “You have clinical cuddling deficiency.”
“I have… what?” Diana sputtered. Akko nodded firmly, looking down at her clipboard and starting to write.
“I’m afraid it’s quite severe. You are sorely in need of an infusion of cuddles. Like, right away. And multiple times weekly. It’s the only way . You need to make up for years of deficiency. Doctor’s orders.” At that, she looked back up to Diana, a mischievous smile sneaking onto her face despite her very clear attempt at being serious. Diana couldn’t help the wry smile that came to match it.
“I see.” If this was going where Diana thought, perhaps she could take a few minutes before getting back to work to placate her girlfriend. Perhaps she was feeling a little neglected with Diana being so busy.
“But not to worry, I have written out your prescription here.” Akko ripped a piece of paper from the clipboard and handed it to Diana.
“Akko, I can’t read this.” The blonde frowned down at the paper where a paragraph was scribbled in something worse than chicken scratch.
“I know, us doctors have the worst handwriting. Anyway, I need you to take that script to Sucy.” Diana startled, looking back up to Akko who was backing away from her.
“Wait, why? Can’t we just get this sorted here?”
“Diana, your prescription takes time to prepare. Really, I thought you’d be better about this. Treating other doctors is the worst . You need to fill your prescription with the pharmacist.” Akko crossed her arms, tapping a foot at her. Like she was the one who had the right to be frustrated.
“Akko, I am not talking about my… Your diagnosis with Sucy.” Diana’s patience for her girlfriend’s schemes had to have a line drawn somewhere, after all. And talking about intimacy needs with her downright creepy roommate was probably around that line.
“It’s OK, she’s a professional.” Akko said dismissively.
“She is most decidedly not, and she poisons you almost daily.” Akko blanched at the latter argument but waved it off. Diana had no clue how Akko put so much faith into Sucy, or how the mystery of their “friendship” worked.
“I assure you this treatment has been clinically trialed in a double-blind study. It is perfectly safe.” Akko fumbled in the pockets of her doctor’s coat, looking for something.
“I’m surprised you know what that means.” Diana remarked, standing up.
Akko finally found what she was looking for, pulling her wand out from the outer pocket of her coat. With a wave and a mumbled spell, a small green spirit crept out of the paper in Diana’s hand. The spirit, a small humanoid body or a few inches with soulful eyes, wrapped its arms around Diana’s thumb, tugging it and pointing. Diana’s brow furrowed. It seemed that along with the working faeries, Akko had managed to get both of her roommates involved in whatever ploy she had.
“Of course. I’m a professional . I’ve already sent the prescription over for you through our receptionist. Now, Jonathan will escort you out.” With aplomb, Akko sat herself back down in the rolling chair and kicked off, sailing back to the office, which slammed closed behind her.
The minotaur, who had apparently been waiting, opened the door to greet Diana and motioned her out. The little faerie tugged her thumb again, and she walked out, more than a little bemused. Perhaps this was just a waking dream.
It was probably a walking nightmare. Diana stood in Lukic’s classroom, watching Sucy stir a cauldron. Even with advanced magic knowledge, the blonde aristocrat had absolutely no clue what was in the potion, though it bubbled with ichor and smelled faintly of gasoline.
The spirit hung onto her thumb as she hesitantly passed the note over. Sucy gave her an unreadable expression, something that vaguely looked like a glare from the one eye that wasn’t hidden under her thick mauve hair. She set aside the ladle from the cauldron and skulked around it to stand directly in front of Diana. She held the paper out to the side to read from, where the text appeared to morph into a message that was still unreadable to Diana.
Sucy recited from the small slip of paper in a monotone voice. "Now, I am required by law to administer the first treatment myself. Please observe the proper distribution method. If you have any further questions, please do not talk to me." Diana drew her brows together, about to ask Sucy a question, but it was stopped by the girl walking forward and folding her arms around her. She smelled like the cauldron, mushrooms, dirt. But she was also warm.
Oh. She gives good hugs. Diana thought. She slowly brought her arms around Sucy, dubious, but unable to stop herself. Mindful of the spirit hanging onto her thumb, she gave in. The hug was over before she knew it, and she stood befuddled as Sucy pulled back and checked the slip.
“It appears there was an error with the dosage. I’ll have to send you to the kitchen for a compounded solution.” Sucy handed the slip back to her.
“Ah… Thank you?” Diana took the paper, watching as the text changed again. The spirit tugged her thumb and pointed emphatically at the door. Sucy nodded at her silently and went back to stirring her concoction. Curious and confused, Diana let the spirit guide her back out to the hallway and down to the kitchens.
Diana was greeted by faeries again, the kitchen goblins waiting at the door. While students weren’t typically allowed in aside from dish duty as a punishment, the blonde was more than aware that Akko had some kind of deal going with the kitchen staff. She hadn’t caught her directly in a while, but there was no mistake that Akko hadn’t given up her habit of midnight snacks.
Following two goblins into the kitchen, Diana spotted a familiar face at the large preparation counter. Pulling a tray out of the oven, the girl with pink braids gave her a wave. Jasminka was not one that she talked to often, but they seemed to have gained a quiet closeness at Akko’s flying parties. She always seemed to know that Diana was hungry before the blonde knew it herself, and made a fuss whenever Diana turned down food at their gatherings. Like Pavlov’s dog, Diana’s stomach growled at the sight of the girl on reflex.
“Diana! I’ve just pulled some meat pies out. Take a seat.” She waved at a stool sitting next to the counter.
As Diana took a seat, the doors to the kitchen swung open again, held open by a small robot. Constanze and Amanda waltzed in, in the midst of some conversation involving a dance of hands and furious writing on a signboard by Constanze and more hand waving from Amanda with spoken emphasis on some words. Diana was fairly sure that it was not a standard sign language that they were using, and the school’s translation spells did not seem to give others the ability to speak sign language, and definitely not German Sign Language. What the green team seemed to share was a language they had developed over time and closeness. Diana had to admit to some jealousy at their unique connection. She was startled out of her thoughts when Amanda noticed her at the counter.
“Yo Cavendish! What are you doing here? Done being teacher’s pet?” Amanda collapsed onto the stool next to her. Constanze stood next to her, staring at the spirit attached to Diana’s hand.
“If you must know O’Neill, I was sent here. By Akko, I think. Or Sucy?” Diana answered coolly. She procured the slip of paper to hand to the green team leader. The text shifted again as Amanda read through.
Suddenly, Amanda broke out into a grin and clapped her on the back, making Diana cough as she seized forward.
“Aight! We’ll take care of you. Jasminka?” She gestured to the pink haired girl, who paused in her tasks behind them to peer over the red-head’s shoulder at the note. She shot Diana a shy smile and turned to grab bowls, heading to a pot on the stove. As she scooped a soup into the bowls, Constanze reached up to tug at Amanda’s sleeve, turning the note towards her. She peered at it curiously, then nodded and turned back to Stanbot at her feet, pulling out a device.
“May I ask, what is it that we are doing? I’m terribly busy.” Diana asked, perturbed at the dismissal she seemed to be receiving.
“You’re eating, Diana.” Jasminka answered, bringing a bowl over and plucking a pastry off the tray on the counter to hand to the blonde. “Soup and meat pies.” Diana could hardly say no when her stomach rumbled loudly in front of the girls. Sighing, she took the offered food. The spirit climbed off her hand and onto the table, waiting patiently.
Quieter than she had ever seen her, Amanda dug into her food and let Diana eat her own in peace. She bit into the meat pie, flaky pastry falling apart in her hands. She closed her eyes and relished the flavor. Jasminka’s food was always delicious, but this somehow tasted like home. The stew was a similar experience, and Diana ate far more quickly than would ever be deemed polite. Jasminka hummed quietly as she watched the blonde eat, then handed her another meat pie. There was no way Diana was turning her down, considering her skipped lunch.
After she finished a few of the kitchen faeries came to clear their bowls and the little spirit climbed back to her hand. Amanda stood to stretch and Diana stood as well, smoothing out her uniform. Diana turned to Jasminka.
“Your food was wonderful, as always. Thank you for letting me eat with you.”
Jasminka smiled in response, then came forward to wrap Diana in a crushing hug.
“We know you always skip lunch, Diana. Glad you could take a moment.” They broke away from the hug, and Amanda quickly slung her arm around Diana’s shoulder, half dragging her over to Constanze.
“Now Cavendish, our lab technician will administer a dose.” The redhead stated, almost managing a clinical tone. She let Diana go, pushing her forward. The smaller German girl held open her arms in an offer. Her little robot stood beside her. When Diana paused, the robot responded.
“Come get your treatment,” the little robot said. Amanda chuckled behind her and pushed forward on Diana’s back again.
Grasping the situation finally, Diana curiously walked forward and leaned down to embrace Constanze. The smaller girl was at a bit of an awkward height to hug, but she responded by standing up on her toes to return it. They broke with an airy smile from Constanze. Amanda trapped her again with an arm around her shoulders after she straightened.
“You know, it’s always best to teach your friends how to administer your dosage, in case you need a backup. Or have an emergency. It’s the proper thing, Cavendish.”
“Is it now? And what do you suggest?” Diana couldn’t help the amusement that leaked out. Really, that Akko was pulling something rather silly. Rather endearing, too.
“I’ve got the perfect solution.” The spirit attached to her hand tugged her thumb, pointing out of the kitchen. She had barely a chance to wave a quick goodbye as Amanda marched her forward, arm slung around her and keeping her close as they walked.
Diana wasn’t expecting to return to her dorm. They walked in to find her roommates sitting on the couch drinking tea.
“Diana? We didn’t think you would be back this early. And what is Amanda doing here?” Hannah asked abruptly, eyes narrowly focused on the cheeky redhead who was draped around the blonde. Amanda extracted herself and sauntered over, pulling out the slip she had kept. She handed it over to the girls as they stood up, then walked back over to Diana. With a lunging hug Diana had no time to avoid, Amanda dismissed herself from the room.
“See ya Cavendish, wicked twins. My job here is done.”
Hannah frowned down at the paper, peering back up at Diana and down again. At this point Diana knew the paper was likely shifting with some sort of individual instructions. Barbara broke into a grin, barely containing a light, rather unladylike squeal. Hannah leaned over to whisper at her roommate, some of their conversation just barely audible from where Diana was standing. The spirit tapped at Diana’s hands squeaking impatiently as the girls debated.
“Why do we have to do this? Akko is so dumb.”
“Look, it’s really sweet. Let’s just go with it, ok? Diana seems OK with it.” Barbara snatched the note from Hannah’s hand. She cleared her throat and approached Diana.
“It appears that we have to help you with your treatment.” Barbara burst into a giggle that she immediately tried to stifle with her hand. Diana crossed her arms, careful to not dislodge the spirit, if it could even be dislodged unwillingly. She gave the girls an impatient look.
“Is there any chance you could just tell me what the note is saying?” Diana asked. The girls looked at each other. A silent shake of the head and they resumed their act.
“It’s OK, your… doctor mentioned it. Diana, we had no idea”
“Yes, we’re very… troubled that you’ve been suffering from this terrible disorder.” Hannah rolled her eyes.
“And we’re here for you. To help you with your, ah, treatment.” The girls slunk closer in unison. Diana prepared herself for the inevitable. It wasn’t that she had never shared hugs with the girls, but it wasn’t that common - typically reserved for goodbyes and greetings around a long break. She uncrossed her arms and held the spirit away from her body.
The girls wrapped her in a tight hug, holding on as Diana first tensed, then relaxed into it. She closed her eyes and patted them back awkwardly at the start. Realizing that they weren’t going to let go, she resigned herself and embraced them genuinely. Diana let out a chuckle as she realized this now counted more hugs in a day than she’d gotten in a year before meeting Akko.
The girls pulled away, and Barbara handed the note back to Diana with a smile.
“This needs to go back to Lotte. Go on now, we have some urgent matters to attend to.” Hannah ushered her away, pushing her towards the door as Barbara rushed over to their beds. Diana wasn’t sure what they could possibly have to do on the weekend, but she let herself be herded away as the spirit prodded at her hand to get her attention. The door slammed shut behind her.
The spirit directed Diana towards the garden, where she quickly found Lotte kneeling among some medicinal plants. The girl looked up at her and rushed to her feet, shooting her shy smile at her. Of Akko’s friends, Lotte was the one that Diana time and again found to be the most pleasant. She was eccentric in some ways like Barbara, and a little more nervous and flighty, but she was always good for quiet conversation while Akko and the group of chaos incorporated kept themselves busy.
“Diana! I’ve been waiting for you.” Lotte brushed some dirt off of her hands.
“Lotte, do you know what this is all about?”
“Oh don’t worry, you’ll find out. Where’s the little guy? And the note?” Diana responded by holding out both of her hands, the note in one and the spirit in the other. Lotte quickly peeked at the note, the text morphing quickly for her, and she gave the spirit a soft smile.
“Back you go, then.” Lotte began humming, which the spirit responded to with exuberance. It sank back into the paper with a sigh, now crumpled slightly from its many transactions. The words started to change as it fused together, turning into Akko’s familiar handwriting.
Hi.
I miss you. Can you come hang out for a bit? My dorm. There’s still one more treatment left.
- Love, Akko
Diana looked down at the simple note with adoration. She felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks. It was so silly, but she couldn’t help the soft smile she broke into. She was always trying to hold herself back a bit, but that was never easy when it came to Akko. At this point, the brunette she doted on seemed to have the most curious ways of breaking her out of her little shell.
“Thank you, Lotte. I believe I need to go see Akko now.” Lotte gave her a beatific smile and came forward to give Diana a brief but soft hug.
“Sucy and I will be with the green team, take your time. See you.”
Diana gave her a determined nod, then turned herself back towards the dorms. She didn’t need a spirit guide for this one. She knew exactly where her girlfriend was waiting. She had to admit, the scheme was rather clever in a roundabout way. The blonde wasn’t sure what her aim was exactly, but there was no accounting for the peace she felt. The frustrations and exhaustion from earlier had faded away, and she was energized with the prospect of seeing Akko.
She arrived at the red team’s dorm, slightly out of breath. Her feet had carried her far faster than expected, and she took a moment to collect herself before eagerly knocking on the door. A muffled voice called from inside, inviting her in.
She opened the door to sheets flung across the room. Akko was nowhere in sight, but Diana leaned down to look at what appeared to be a tunnel formed out of the mess. Kneeling down, she crawled forward and into the tunnel, coming out face to face with the mischievous girl, whose arms were flung out in greeting across the expanse of pillows.
“Hello, and welcome to your treatment center!”
“Akko this is a…”
“Pillow fort!” Akko yelled exuberantly.
“This is hardly appropriate for a lady of Luna Nova. Though I suppose I can overlook it just this once.” Diana gently chided, but a grin settled onto her face. Akko patted the spot next to her in a nest of pillows, falling into the mess and into the brunette’s impatient embrace. She settled into her warmth, tucking her chin into Akko’s neck. She breathed in, deep breaths as any lingering anxiety faded.
“Thank you, Akko. This has meant… So much more than I would have expected.” Diana whispered. Akko made a motion that felt like nodding, but Diana didn’t want to extract herself to find out.
“I know you get stressed out too, Diana. And I wanted to let you know it’s not just me that you can count on. I mean, obviously, you can count on me because… g-girlfriend. But we believe in you! All of us!” Akko clung to her, resting a chin on fluffy blonde locks as Diana sighed in the embrace. Diana’s curiosity got the best of her.
“How did you make this mess?”
“Oh, the note asked to borrow pillows and sheets. Lotte taught me how to enchant notes with spirits, and that plus the faeries… Well, everyone helped out.”
“It often… amazes me how you manage to bring everyone together in these little ways.” Akko gave a slightly abashed chuckle at that
“They’re all our friends too, Diana. It’s not that weird.” Diana hummed, considering. “We can just relax and cuddle for a while. I asked Ursula to cover, so we finished up your errands for the professors.” Relief washed over Diana and she sank further into the embrace without a sound.
She truly had no words for the consideration. It hadn’t crossed her mind that while sending her around, Akko might have also been taking care of her leftover tasks. It made more sense that she didn’t just drag her away to this. A thought popped into her head, and she sat back to look at Akko, who gave her an inquisitive look.
“I’m wondering if I can request a special experimental treatment option from my personal physician?” Diana asked slyly.
“Yes! What?” Akko eagerly answered, bright eyes trained on her.
Diana leaned forward, brushing her lips against Akko’s cheek, lingering lightly before pulling away and sinking back down into Akko’s warm embrace, not missing the pretty blush that bloomed in the girl’s cheeks.
“Thank you.” She muttered, nuzzling into the brunette’s neck, relaxing into a half doze. They had time and more for everything else, but there was nothing she wanted more than to stay in Akko’s arms in their silly little pillow fort.
“Y-yes, I’m happy to uh, add that to your treatment plan.”