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Atsuko Kagari looked in the mirror.
Straightened her tie.
Loosened her tie.
Ran her fingers through her hair to get out another pesky little knot.
Tried not to flop onto her bed and scream into her pillow.
She was going on a date! A first date, to be precise - her first date ever, on top of that, and a date with someone she thought until recently kinda hated her.
She was glad Diana didn’t hate her, though, because that would probably break her heart into a million teeny tiny little pieces, but she had to say she was confused. It hadn’t even been Akko’s intention to ask her out in the first place, but now that the invitation had been extended and accepted, she was committed to taking Diana Cavendish out on a proper date.
“Well, you look like you’re trying not to die.”
Akko whipped around from her desk to see Sucy’s head popping out from the covers of her bed.
“Sucy? How long have you been here?” she demanded. She’d been so sure the room was empty.
“I never left. It’s Saturday,” explained Sucy. “You know I like to test my sleeping draughts on Friday nights.”
Akko hadn’t known any such thing and she was pretty sure Sucy had just overslept. “Uh, yeah,” she agreed, “yeah, I knew that.”
“Last night’s was especially potent. I think it could hit the market next month.”
“Would you really want to sell your potions?”
“Ha, no. The work of a true witch is rarely appreciated in her lifetime,” Sucy scoffed. “Why are you so nervous?”
Akko looked down at the floor. “Diana and I are going on a date today.”
Sucy shook her head. “I knew that, dummy. Why are you nervous about it? It’ll be fine.”
Rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, Akko shrugged. She really had no idea. Well, actually, she was nervous because what if everything went wrong, and Diana really did hate her after that, and never talked to her again, and -
“You really think it’ll go that badly?” Sucy cut her off. Akko didn’t even realize she had been talking. “She said yes, didn’t she? Just don’t do anything too stupid.”
“I guess.” Gathering her resolve, Akko stamped her foot on the ground. “Yeah! It’ll go great! I just have to be myself and things will go awesome!” She grabbed her wand (just in case) and her bag before heading out into the hallway.
“I just told you not to do anything stupid!” Sucy called after her as the door swung shut.
The gardens of the nearby town were really beautiful - blooming hydrangeas, drooping lilies, wildflowers of each and every color imaginable dotting in between larger plants, all contained within ever-shifting hedges taller than Akko thought any person could be. It was secluded. Peaceful. Diana walked next to her, her arms folded behind her back. She looked… really nice, Akko thought. Her outfit was an almost boyish riding getup, button-down shirt and neat tight slacks, and Akko couldn’t help noticing how well she pulled it off. She had almost expected Diana to be hyperfeminine on her days out of uniform - everything about her oozed proper, prim, perfect. This look was just that, and it made Akko’s heart tighten in a way she couldn’t quite describe.
“Oh, look, they have some useful herbs and plants in here too,” commented Diana. “Show plants are lovely, but a garden should have some use to it too.” At Akko’s quizzical look, she continued. “Lady’s smock,” here she pointed out a cluster of delicate white flowers, “is preferred by fairies, and any self-respecting witch would want fairies on her side. Some things no one could do by herself, no matter how great.” A large tree that fanned out like a bush, covered in red flowers. “Rowan laid across your lintels on the solstice will give you good luck for the year.” Small tufts of leaves on the surface of a small pond. “Celery may seem overly simple, but wild celery can be brewed to prevent cramps and pains when flying.” Diana laughed a little bit. “Not that you would need to know that.”
Akko puffed out her cheeks in protest. She wasn’t sure if Diana was poking fun at her or being mean. That had always been pretty consistent - Diana’s jokes landed just the same as insults, cutting and bright as a knife. “I’m getting better!” she objected.
Diana laughed even louder. It was a joke, Akko thought, because of the twinkle in her eyes. She seemed… genuine. It was a good look on her. “I don’t know if O’Neill would agree with you. I see you two practicing in the yard sometimes, it’s honestly dreadful.” One hand came up to push her curls out of her face. “You’ll have to ride with someone else the rest of your life, won’t you.”
“I will get the hang of it!” Akko declared. “And if not, I will just ride with someone else.” She realized how silly she sounded, and she also didn’t want to start bickering with Diana, especially now that she realized maybe she didn’t hate her, but it was a sticking point for her.
Diana nodded in favor of responding (probably for the same reason), so they continued through the gardens in silence for a little bit. Occasionally, she would point out a plant she knew Akko wouldn’t be familiar with, which felt both patronizing and flattering that she cared to make sure Akko knew. Akko found herself hanging on these comments, however brief, and tried to commit them to memory. Wolfsbane. Bloodroot. Evening Primrose. Not all of these were native to the area, Diana explained, but had been brought in for (and sometimes by) students of Luna Nova. Even non-witches could use them for a small benefit.
When their stroll took them to the end of the garden, Akko suggested they get some coffees from the nearby shop and was thrilled when Diana agreed. She debated reaching for her hand, but her fingers twitched away the moment they left her personal sphere and she very quickly pretended she was going for an exaggerated stretch. The coffee burned her throat - she hated coffee, had no idea why she ordered it - and she gagged it down while Diana delicately sipped her espresso. Diana turned to look at her and cocked an eyebrow as if to say, You don’t have to drink it, dummy. Akko gratefully put her cup down and crossed her legs in her chair. Maybe she would get a sandwich later. This shop did have great cucumber sandwiches.
“Why did you ask me to the gardens today?” Diana asked suddenly.
Akko turned beet red. “Um…” A moment of silence while she collected her thoughts. “I thought maybe we could, um, get to know each other better. Because I think, uh, we don’t really, like, know a lot about each other.”
“You’re hoping we can become friends,” Diana helpfully supplied. Akko nodded. “That isn’t a terrible suggestion. You have proved to be a... persistent witch, if not always the most talented.” She sipped her coffee and looked away. “Maybe we could do this more often.”
Akko’s heart almost leapt out of her chest. “Yeah!” she agreed, then winced at how enthusiastic she sounded. “I mean, yeah. Maybe next weekend we could study the plants some more.”
“I’ll make some time for it.” Diana’s lips curled into a self-satisfied smile in a way that reminded Akko just a little too much of Sucy.
“Awesome! It’s a date,” Akko blurted out.
Uh oh. That was gonna ruin things. Her eyes went wide and she struggled to correct herself until Diana cut through her stammers with a cool, “It’s a date.”