Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dette always thought of herself as a very determined person!

She was the top student of every class she had, she was the fastest runner and the captain of the ultimate frisbee team, she beat Aunt Barbara at chess (twice!), and just that was a great feat of itself at eleven years old.

But if it came down to it, she would all thank…

Dette face planted onto the dining table in agony. She was full on pouting, trying to rack her brain. “Hold on, okay?! It’s on the tip of my tongue, mother!!”

Diana blinked twice, gingerly holding the flash cards in her hands. “I… didn’t think helping you study would be this… intense.” She placed the cards down and offered her a gentle smile. “Let’s take a break, Dette. This is working you up a little too much and—“

“No!!” Dette rose her head up with new found vigour. Diana tried not to deadpan. “I can do it!!” 

“I just… don’t know how to approach it..”

Diana looked at her overexcitable daughter before adjusting her glasses. “That’s fine, darling. How about… we try to look at it from a different angle?”

She blinked, absentmindedly drawing a few circles with her hands. “Different angle? Different angle…”

Maybe… she was right!! The answer was there, she just needed to… look!! Strategy! Like in chess!

“I’m ready!!” Dette stood from her seat and fist pumped the air...

“What is the job of the temporal lobe?”

...And she collapsed back to her seat with a sad groan.

Diana couldn’t help but reach out and comb through her hair to comfort her. “I know you have this, little one. Think about it, what are the other parts of the brain?”

Dette made a face at her mother. “Other parts of the brain? How does that…” 

She was mulling over it, sure, but you could clearly see the gears turning in her head. She took a deep breath. She can do this, she could feel herself getting closer second by second.

Other parts of the brain? Other parts… “Well… there's the frontal lobe, it controls memory and cognitive stuff. It… also controls how we have emotions and personality…”

Diana nodded, her smile growing larger. “Yes, very good,” She praised. “Go on?”

“...Then there’s the parietal lobe that controls the senses. Then the occipital lobe that controls visuals…” Dette puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. “Everyone else has such nice and memorable names!! What kind of name is temporal anyway?!”

“...Not what we’re focusing on, but I’m inclined to agree nonetheless,” Diana let out a mirthful giggle. “You’re missing two more, I think.”

Two more. Only two more. Dette scrunched up her face and chewed on the inside of her mouth. Frontal, parietal, occipital… temporal! Temporal! Temporal!! What does that word even mean?!

“The brainstem is the brain’s defence system and the cerebellum ,” Dette popped her mouth at the end of that sentence. “Is the one that controls motor movement. I really like that word.”

“It rolls off the tongue,” Diana humoured. “Now you’ve named them, do you notice the pattern?”

Dette raised an eyebrow. “A pattern? There’s a pattern?!”

“There’s patterns to everything, little one.” Diana pulled out pencil and started writing down the parts of the brain and their jobs, leaving a blank spot next to the word temporal lobe. “Now, can you tell me what’s missing?”

“There’s no definition besides temporal lobe?”

“...Other than the obvious.”

Dette looked back at the paper. “Uhh…”

“Parietal and occipital are pretty straightforward, frontal…” Dette blinked before shooting straight up from her chair. It was there! The answer was there right in front of her!!

She just had to go and find it! “I forgot to mention!! The frontal lobe deals with memory and cognitive stuff, sure, but it’s all short term memory!!”

Diana led her down to her seat again. “Wonderful. You see, each part of the brain has information to gather, which means all we’re missing is…?” 

“Which means…” Dette parroted. She scratched her head. Pattern. Pattern. She was close, she was so so close—

Then it clicked. “Since everyone else is gathering information, what we need is storage!!” 

“Very good!” Diana cheered on. If this were a race, Dette was seconds away from the first line. “And that would mean?”

Dette’s lit up. “I remember!! The temporal lobe is where long term memories are born!! Boom! Memory storage!!”

Diana gasped and clapped her hands together. “You did it! You figured it out!!” She placed a small kiss on her forehead. “I knew you could do it!!”

...Truly, If she had anyone to thank for her resiliency, it would be her own mother, Diana Cavendish. There was not one person that believed in her more than she did. It was easy to strive to be the best when you know there was always going to be someone on the sidelines, cheering you on. 

But…

Dette was sitting on the couch next to her mother, cup of cocoa in her hands. They were watching a silly hallmark movie, to get into the holiday spirit. Diana yawned, tentatively putting her hand on her mouth.

Did she always have dark circles around her eyes? “Are you tired, mother?” 

Diana rubbed her eyes from underneath her glasses, she turned to give Dette a gentle smile. Still, she looked exhausted. “A little. Long day at the hospital.”

“I hope they let you have more days off, because of Christmas!” Dette furrowed her eyebrows. “You should rest!! You’re always telling me to take breaks!!”

“I’m taking a break right now, aren’t I?” Diana giggled, tickling her daughter’s sides. Soft laughter filled the air. “Spending time with you is all the break I need!”

It took a while before the laughs subside. Dette crossed her arms, trying to look as serious as possible. “But sleep is important!! Sleep plays an important role for your physical health! For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels and—“

Diana gave her a pensive stare. “I really should stop letting you go through my academic textbooks…” She muttered under her breath.

“Tell you what, how about after we finish this hallmark movie, we both retire for the night. How does that sound?”

Dette has an inkling her mother isn’t really saying the full truth, but she relented anyway. “...Fine, but I’m staying awake to make sure you sleep too!!” 

She ended up falling asleep in the middle of the movie.

Dette groggily opened her eyes to warm blankets and the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. Rubbing her eyes, she climbed out of bed. She yawned as she gingerly opened her door.

“...No, that doesn’t look right.”

A calm, quiet voice floated down all the way to her ears. Dette frowned when she saw the soft light at the end of the hallway, coming directly from her mother’s office. Slowly, she creeped out of her room over to the office, trying to sneak a peek. 

And unfortunately, inside was her own mother sitting at her desk. She was reading papers upon papers, she could even see a few textbooks were open. Diana sighed to herself, writing a few things down.

“I don’t… this is how you do this particular procedure…”

She was working. Even with Christmas around the corner, she was still working. Dette scrunched up her face and clenched her fists. 

It wasn’t fair!! It wasn’t fair!!

“Dette, I know you’re there. Go to bed.”

Dette yelped in shock, jumping from her spot and fell straight through the door.

Diana hummed, turning her chair to her. “I assure you, I’m fine. You should get rest.”

Dette looked up at her with her big brown eyes filled to the brim with tears. “But you’re working!! And it’s almost Christmas!! And—!! And—!!”

Diana gave her guilty look and sighed. She placed her hand on her head, ruffling her hair as hot tears fell from Dette’s face. She leaned down, placing a kiss on her scalp, wrapping her arms around her.

“I promise you, Dette. I’ll try to get some rest before Christmas comes.”

“That’s not enough!!” Dette sobbed angrily. “You— you have to promise you will get some rest before Christmas comes!! You have to!”

Diana frowned, resting her chin on the top of her daughter.

“I’ll try.”

—

Thankfully. Aunt Barbara’s Christmas party was around the corner as well.

Dette fixed her bow on the top of her head, grinned at her reflection. She was wearing a nice blue and white polka dotted dress with a pretty bow on her hair to complete the look. She was beaming, not just because of her pretty dress.

Today, she was going to make her mother have fun!!

Speaking of which, her mother entered through the door. She was wearing a buttoned up blouse, royal blue. (Her mother’s favourite colour!!) She completed it with white slacks and black shoes. She smiled at her, adjusting her glasses. 

“Ready to go?” She held out her hand.

Dette smiled, a determined look on her face. Diana raised her eyebrow. “I’m ready!!” She said, taking her hand.

The car ride to Aunt Barbara’s place was relatively quiet, with Dette piping up every now and then with a few rock facts she knew from the top of her head. She wanted the fun to start as early as possible, and her mother always liked it when she told her random rock facts!!

She was going to make tonight a success!

“Now, I should tell you, a few new people are coming this year,” Diana rested her elbows on the car windowsill. “I’m sure you’ll have fun making new friends, but…”

“‘Always make sure you’re in a safe situation! Don’t let anyone take you to a secondary location!’” Dette stuck her tongue out. “I know mother! You don’t have to remind me!”

Diana sighed in relief as the car rolled to a stop. They were here. “I wanted to make sure, little one.”

They jumped out of the car, Diana was carrying a bottle of champagne. They walked towards the door, stopping right before turning the knob. She turned to Dette, nervousness and worry plaguing her face. 

“A-Are you sure you’re feeling well? Just say the word. We can go straight back home and continue watching Christmas movies.” Diana faked a smile, but it looked crooked.

Dette looked at her with a confused, but over all calm expression. “I’m well mother, I’m super excited!!” She responded. 

“Are you ok?”

Diana looked back to the door, schooling her facial features. “Yeah… we’ll be fine. It’s just a party, Diana…” She took a deep breath. 

“I’m alright, let’s go.”

It was like opening the door to full scale chaos. 

The party was already in full swing when they arrived. Loud Christmas music played over the speakers, bright Christmas lights flickered overhead, different smells of various foods and sweets plagued the air. Dette loved every second of it, and they haven’t even stepped foot inside the house.

Diana on the other hand, felt something akin to sensory overload. 

“Let's… find Aunt Barbara, shall we?”

Eventually, they did find her. She was near the buffet table, sipping wine and laughing at something Aunt Hannah had said. Once they made eye contact, Barbara let out a huge smile.

“Diana!! I’m glad you could make it!!” Barbara wrapped her arms around her. 

“Good to see you, Barbara—!“

Then, in a swift motion, she picked up Dette. Swinging her around before pulling her into a hug. Light laughter filled the air as she came face to face with her aunt. Diana deadpanned, she didn’t even blink.

Barbara grinned, placing her back down the ground. “Dette!! My sweet! You’ve grown so much!!” 

“Aunt Barbara!!” Dette squealed in excitement. “I missed you so much!!” 

Hannah cleared her throat, from behind her. “Um hello?? Aren’t you forgetting someone?!”

Dette turned around, flinging herself into Hannah open arms. “Of course not!!” 

“You better not,” Hannah snickered. “Hey you little rascal.”

Diana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a soft smile. “Ah I see, you invited me so you could see your niece.”

“Of course we did! You can’t keep the little lady away from us!! Unfair!” Barbara snickered. 

“Plus you need to see the outside world, Diana.” Hannah smiled a wide smile. “So how’s the fresh air? Feels nice doesn’t it?”

“Good to see you too, Hannah.”

Her mother and her aunts then proceed to fall into their familiar banter. Dette… couldn’t really keep up honestly. Sure she was a smart kid, but a 11 year old could only understand taxes, work, and mortgages of all things to a certain extent. 

Besides, she made a promise to herself!! She was going to make sure her mother had fun tonight!! And making sure she had fun required her to be by her side no matter what!! She was gonna do just that, no doubt!!

… 

But… the sweets on the table look soooo good.

—

She may or may not have left to go wander.

But could you blame her? The cake and cookies were delicious, the lights and the decoration were nice and pretty to look at, they started playing Mariah Carey on the radio and honestly who couldn’t resist dancing to that?!

She should probably get back to the task at hand through. Dancing her way to the buffet, she grabbed a scone and started looking around for her mother. 

Huh, where are they?

Well… Aunt Barbara and Hannah were together with her, maybe they were hanging out? 

Still… she had to find—

“Hey you. Stop eating all the scones.”

Dette was mid bite through her sixth scone when that voice rang through her ears. Right next to her was a brown hair boy, just about her height. In his hands, he carried a potted plant with a singular large purple polka dotted mushroom. 

He had distinct red eyes.

Dette gulped down her sixth scone before waving hello. “Hiya!! I’m Dette! Nice to meet you!” 

The boy blinked before looking at the platter of scones, which only had four or five scones left. 

“Can I have one of those?”

Dette turned her eyes to the platter, picking up a scone and offering it to the boy. “Of course!! Here you go!”

The boy looked at the scone for a minute before crushing it in his hands. Dette gasped as he sprinkled on the mushroom pot. “Hey!! Plants don’t eat scones!! You just wasted a perfectly good scone!”

The boy looked up at her. “This is not a plant. It’s fungi, very different.”

Dette puffed her cheeks. “No they’re not!! They’re only different by a small margin!!”

“At least… I think they are. I dunno, mother doesn’t really have a lot of books about plant biology.”

“Mine too. But it’s ok, I learn everything I know from Sucy Obasan,” the boy said, watching the mushroom with a dead stare.

And like magic, the scone bits sunk into the dirt and the mushroom began to change in colour. It grew two sizes big, turning fully purple.

“Whoa!!” Dette covered her mouth in shock. “How did you do that?!”

“Scones,” he said, lifting it up to her face. “They were blueberry.”

“Blueberry mushroom…” Dette eyes sparkled. 

It looked… really good.

“Does it... taste like blueberries too?”

The boy held the pot near his chest again. “It's highly poisonous,” he said with a straight face. “I saw a fly take a bite of it once. Boom. Dead.”

Poisonous?! Not a chance!! There was no way such a pretty mushroom would be so dangerous! She’s seen many mushrooms and the poisonous ones never looked this good!! 

And she can speak from experience! “No way! I was a girl scout once and I know a poisonous mushroom when I see one!” Dette puffed out her chest in confidence. “For example: caps are very common poisonous mushrooms! They may be parasol or cup-shaped, conical or round, and it may be mottled, smooth or covered with small nibs—”

“—It may or may not have a skin that is easy to peel off,” he finished for her. 

“—Point is!! I know what poisonous mushrooms look like!” She wore a smug grin, before glancing at the purple mushroom again.

Come on! It looks just like the ones her mother picked out for her on their camping trip!! “They look just like candy caps!” Dette whined. “Can I please have some?! I can help you grow another!!”

The boy shrugged, holding it in front of her. “Sure. But if you drop dead it's not my fault.”

Vindication!! Vindication!! Dette let out a huge squeal before carefully taking the mushroom in her hand. Oh gosh… It even smelled like baked blueberries!! This is the best day!

The boy tilted his head as she took a small bite. He was still holding the pot when suddenly, Dette’s face contorted. He shifted in his feet, eyes widened for the first time since they met. 

“Are you dead?”

She turned to him with a pensive expression. “It tastes watery, and it's like… room temperature warm.” She blanched before returning to normal. “But see! Look! I’m fine!!”

He looked at the mushroom, then but at Dette’s smiling face. “Huh. I guess Sucy Obasan was wrong.”

“Hmm.. maybe it’ll taste better if I bite from the—”

Dette proceeded to throw up on her shoes.

—

Diana was trying to keep herself calm.

It wasn’t that she hasn’t been to a Christmas party before. She had done so many times in her youth. Sure, she wasn’t really the type to mingle and socialize, but she likes to think she manages herself well. Being a doctor does come with the expectations of being respectable after all. 

I guess she would say… tonight felt a bit different. 

She noticed Dette wandering off the second she felt her hand slip from her own. She was heading towards the dessert table, oh her daughter’s little sweet tooth. 

Diana looked back between Hannah and Barbara with an apologetic stare. “Excuse me girls, one moment—“

Hannah placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Diana! You can stand being away from her for two seconds right?”

“You do know you’re contradicting statements you made two minutes ago, yes?” Diana said plainly. 

“Come on, we all love Dette with all our heart but,” Hannah paused for effect, pointing straight at Diana with added flair. “ You need to relax and have fun tonight. Little lady said so herself.”

She turned back to her daughter, who was absentmindedly dancing along to holiday tunes. She said… What?

“Look Diana, if it really makes you worried, I’ll watch Dette for you. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get into trouble,” She offered, before blinking twice. “But don’t say I don’t do anything nice for you, I'm blaming it on the Christmas spirit.”

And all she could do was roll her eyes, because god forbid Hannah say anything nice to her. With a sigh, she relented. “...Fine. You better make sure she’s alright.”

Hannah beamed. “Now there’s your Christmas spirit! Look, I’m heading over right now!” She cheered before turning to Barbara. “Barb, make sure the old lady has fun, okay?”

With that, she walked towards the buffet table, taking a glass of wine before settling on the spot next to the fireplace. She leaned against the wall, paying more attention to the wine rather than Dette doing a chicken dance. She noticed Diana and Barbara staring and gave them a toothy grin and a thumbs up.

Diana looked at Barbara. “We’ll check in on her in like, ten minutes right?”

She nodded. “Oh absolutely. Why you trusted her with your child of all things is beyond me,” Barbara said, nonchalantly. 

“But poor decision making aside, let’s get you socializing!!”

If they we’re trying to get her to relax, small talk of all things was not the way to go about it. Visibly grimacing, she let Barbara drag her by the arm, looking for the people she was looking for.  

“I don’t really see how this is all necessary,” she grumbled. “I told you I’m fine . It is a crime to focus on my career?”

“It becomes one when even your own daughter notices it,” Barbara turned to look at her. “You’re stressed out of your mind, Diana. You haven’t relaxed since you stepped through that door.”

Well… she couldn’t argue with that. It had been a long time before she’d let herself settle down without a drop of doubt in her mind. There was always something new to do, something else to fret over. Could you really blame her if she didn’t have time to do anything else?

...Then again, she did have trouble now talking to people who weren’t her daughter, Hannah, Barbara, or her co-workers.

“Ah there they are,” Barbara waved to some people. “Hey Lotte! Everyone!”

It was like an ice cold water fell on her shoulders, along with the bucket. She stiffened her shoulders and hoped her smile didn’t look like she hung up the tinsel wrong. “Good evening to you all. A pleasure to be making your acquaintance.”

They were an interesting bunch, judging by appearance. The one person she did know (simply because Barbara had been talking about her for weeks on end), Lotte, waved hello at her. A purple haired girl stood beside her, giving her a blank stare and a shrug. 

Was it wrong to say this felt a little… weird?

But the weirdest interaction of all was with the orange haired girl, who was staring directly at her. She leaned forward, almost directly into Diana’s personal space, to which Diana instinctively leaned back. Yeah, this was definitely very weird.

“Yo, what’s up with all the formal talk?” The woman snickered, placing a hand on Diana’s shoulder. She tensed up a little more. “Hey there!! I’m Amanda!”

The purple hair woman rolled her eyes. “You’re scaring her, idiot.” She glanced at Diana, who was leaning to the side for balance and support. “Look. She’s practically a statue.”

Lotte looked at her, startled. “Sucy!!”

Diana gulped. She straightened herself and swatted the orange haired girl’s, Amanda’s, hand off her shoulder. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Diana hid her sweaty hands behind her back, hoping the Christmas lights hid her nervous blush. “Again, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

An awkward silence followed between them, waiting for the other to say something, anything . Diana grabbed the sleeves of her buttoned up blouse folded behind her back. Why was this so nerve wrecking? Why was this so nerve wrecking?!

Barbara grimaced between the both of them. “—S-So!! How are you guys enjoying the party?”

Barbara took the reigns in the conversation, thankfully. Her nerves subsided a bit, but she was uncomfortable. Surprisingly, they were actually very nice and interesting people. Lotte was working on a fantasy book, Amanda was apparently the heiress of a housing company. Even Sucy, the purple haired girl, was a biologist specializing in fungi. Barbara interacted with them effortlessly, like she had known them all her life.  

Yet there Diana stood, ever so quiet. They looked so… close. How much did Diana miss, all this time? Had she really been focusing too much on her career, while Hannah and Barbara and everyone else had been living it up? She toyed with the sleeve of her shirt, feeling more like a fly on the wall rather than an active participant. 

So much for parties, huh?

Ever so quietly, much like she’d entered, Diana slipped away from the conversation. She headed towards the buffet table and, taking a page from Hannah’s book, she grabbed a glass of wine. Maybe she just needed to get better social skills, but even that was hard to do on her own. It’s not really something you can wish for, Christmas spirit be damned.

She glanced on her glass. Already empty? She thought. She really shouldn’t, she was driving for god’s sake. But maybe… 

“Hey! Have you tried the scones here? They’re delicious!!”

Diana turned her head towards the voice, only to find herself face to face with a brown haired woman with a brightly colour christmas jumper. She smiled at her and for the first time that night, Diana let her resolve drop and jumped in surprise. 

“Oh my god! Sorry!” She backed away, holding her hands up. “I didn’t mean to scare you!” She smiled warmly at Diana, emphasised by the twinkling of her distinctive red eyes. “Hiya, I’m Akko!”

Diana blinked at the sudden greeting, feeling crackles in her stomach, like New Years’ fireworks.

She was… Beautiful. “Hi.” Diana muttered out eventually.

Akko tilted her head. “Hi?” She said raising her hand.

“Hello?”

“Hello!!” She giggled, the colour of her eyes blending well with the flashy lights around them. How was she so… enchanting? Hadn’t they just met?

Still, Diana grumbled and turned away. “Are you making fun of me?” She hunched her shoulders, looking off to the side. It didn’t matter if her laugh was quite literally giving her butterflies. 

“No! Not at all!!” Akko replied in record time. “It’s just… you look really nervous.”

“Are you okay?”

Diana allowed herself to look at her. Akko’s face had a gentle worry written on it, like it had always been there. How… How could she show so much concern for a person she’d just met? She hadn’t done anything to warrant kindness, hadn’t she?

But… Since it’s being offered… “I… apologize.” Diana leaned on the table. “I’m not really good at parties.”

Akko threw her hands up and sighed in solidarity. “Tell me about it, right? Everytime I go to one I always forget how to talk to people,” she laughed at herself. “Like, what do we even talk about nowadays? The weather? Mortgages?”

Diana hummed, placing her wine glass at the table. “Honestly, I feel like I can talk about mortgages all day.”

“ Listen, if I hear one more person talk about a down payment they recently got for a two story three bedroom apartment, I’m going to lose it,” Akko said. 

“But house buying is sooo interesting,” Diana said sarcastically, even making Akko let out a hearty laugh.  “Besides, if you don’t talk about mortgages, how can people brag about their beautiful vacation homes?”

“I’d quite literally eat a sock instead of listening to more of that rich person crap.” 

Akko spared another glance at her, a light dust of red on her cheeks like she had been Rudolph herself. 

“I… Didn’t catch your name?” She was a little careful, but it sounded like she had wanted to know this whole time. 

Still, maybe she was imagining things. “Diana, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Akko’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Are you Lotte’s girlfriend’s friend?!” 

“You know each other?” She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “And I don’t recall Barbara and her finally confessing their feelings?”

“Yeah but she talks about her all the time, they're practically already married.” Akko waved off. “And yeah! I remember her talking about you sometimes whenever she talks about Barbara, we’re really close.”

“Ah… I’m guessing you’re friends with Sucy and Amanda as well?”

“Ahah! Yeah,” Akko smiled before it quickly descended into worry. “Have you talked to them?! They didn’t scare you, didn’t they?”

Diana shrugged. “Ah, not really. I mean, they were pretty… um… peculiar… but I can tell they’re good people.”

Akko sighed in relief. “Ah that's good. They’re always so reckless sometimes, I’m getting worried they might be a bad influence on Tatsu.”

That piqued Diana’s interest. “Tatsu…?” Influence? Could that mean…

“Diana!!!”

She turned around to see Hannah holding a very sick Dette. 

No.

Burning hot worry came over Diana as she rushed to carry Dette in her arms. “ Bernadette?! ” She was shaking from anxiety and anger. She shot a glare at Hannah, who looked back guilty. “You said you would watch her.”

Akko blinked twice before looking at the boy. “ Tatsuya! What did you do?! ”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t my fault. She was the one who took the mushroom and ate it in the first place.”

Hannah fidgetted. “Everything happened so fast! I could barely even run over to her before she started vomiting all over the place!!”

“ Vomiting?! ” She was sure she could only see red at that point. “When I get my hands on you—”

She felt something tug her sleeve. “Please don’t blame Aunt Hannah…”

Dette was staring at her with visible pain in her eyes. That expression was just… way too familiar. “Little one? Don’t worry, okay? Mother’s here now. Mother’s here.”

Dette blanched, covering her mouth. “Mother… I feel like I’m gonna throw up all the blueberry scones I ate…”

Diana continued shaking as the world began to spin around her. Not now, oh gods not now. Her daughter was sick in her arms for heaven’s sake!! Her mind can’t choose right now to short circuit.

A warm hand was placed on her shoulder. “Diana? Can you hear me?” Akko spoke beside her. “Come on, let's take her to the hospital okay?” 

Hannah looked at Akko. “Thank you so much, we’ll catch up right behind you. I need to go tell Barbara.”

She nodded at her as she walked away. Akko wore a stern expression as she looked behind her to the boy with brown hair. “ Tatsuya, you and I are gonna talk later . ”

Before she knew it, she was sitting in Akko’s car with Dette in the backseat with Akko’s son. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her daughter. Seeing her in such a state was beginning to drag up some bad memories and—  

Suddenly, a tight grip found its way to her hand. Akko looked at her with such conviction. “She’ll be fine, Diana.” She gave her a reassuring smile, yet her grip didn’t falter. “Take deep breaths for me, okay?”

Deep breaths. 

She could do that… she could do that.

—

“I suggest you shouldn’t worry so much, Dr. Cavendish.” The doctor smiled at her. “At most, it's a stomach bug. Just a mild case of food poisoning, that’s all.”

Oh thank the gods, oh thank the gods.

When they got to the hospital, Akko told Tatsuya to sit in the waiting room while the two of them rushed Dette to the ER. They were sitting just right outside the doors now, waiting for her to come out safe and sound. 

The doctor left shortly after telling them the news. With a heavy sigh, Diana leaned her back against the wall. It's a stomach bug. Thank the gods it’s a stomach bug.

Akko immediately turned to her. “I’m so extremely sorry,” She said. “I know it looks bad but Tatsuya usually isn’t like this!! I knew I shouldn’t’ve let him bring that plant!!”

Akko looked around, trying to find words to say. “I… Uh… But we make a pretty good team don’t we?”

Diana turned to Akko with a glare. “Your child poisoned my child with some mysterious plant you let him bring to a Christmas party. We are not a team.”

Akko grimaced. “Yeah… That’s fair.” She stood up and brushed her pants. “I need to go check on Tatsuya… so…”

When Diana made no further comments, Akko just walked away from the emergency hallway. She watched her walk off, her tired eyes looking for something to focus on. 

So much for parties indeed.

If she had to admit it, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at the way she told Akko off like that. She… did aid in getting Dette to the hospital. She held her hand through her mini panic attack. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that because Diana’s mother instincts we’re kicking in.

She should… 

Diana got up from chair, only to see Akko talking to Tatsuya. She quickly hid herself, not wanting to interrupt.

But still.. She couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

— 

“Is she okay, kaasan ?” 

Akko put an arm over her eyes before turning to him. “Thankfully, it was just a stomach bug,” she said eventually. “ Tatsuya , you gave her food poisoning.”

Tatsuya looked down and pouted. “But… she said she knew mushrooms. She said they looked like candy caps and took a bite.”

“Still, how many times have I told you not to bring the poisonous ones.” Akko sat up and gave him a stern look. “They hurt people, Tatsuya . I know you love experimenting on them but you don't know what can happen if other people get their hands on them.”

Tatsuya looked up at her. His mom didn’t have the usual gusto she had whenever she was scolding him. She looked… sad.

Oh man, he really messed up this time. “I’m sorry, kaasan .” He put his hands on her arm. “Please don’t be sad.”

Akko gave him a gentle smile, she reached up and ruffled his hair. “I’m fine, Tatsu. You know, hospitals always make your Okaasan feel all weird.”

But then Akko crossed her arms and turned away with a huff. Tatsuya smiled, she was back to normal at least. “But don’t think you’re off the hook! We need to go back and give them our apologies, okay?” Her eyes lit up. “I can cook them something good! Like… maybe omurice?? Or some Christmas cookies!”

“But kaasan , didn’t I poison her?”

Akko waved him off, taking his hand. “Doesn’t matter!! This is a peace offering!!” She shot a look at him. “Besides, this one won’t contain any mushrooms.”

And they were off.

...She didn’t really know why but Diana let the two of them leave without herself apologizing. Her words to her son… They carried a certain weight to them she didn’t understand. 

You know, hospitals always make your Okaasan feel all weird.

What could that mean?

—

Dette woke up with a groan.

Thankfully, the blueberry scones and all the other mush inside her stomach stayed inside. Still, everything around her felt groggy and moving her limbs felt like she was moving in muck.

“...Dette?”

Dette looked up to see her mother, reading a book on a chair beside where she was resting. She took a look around the pale white walls of this room, eventually settling on the window on the wall. Warm sun rays flew through the curtains.

It was… daybreak?

Wasn’t it just night two minutes ago? “What… happened?”

“You got food poisoning at the Christmas party last night, dear,” Diana said before sighing. “From a mushroom you presumably ate. Voluntarily.”

Dette waved a hand. “Right… that thing…”

Diana stood up, running her hands through her hair. Dette leaned into her mother’s touch. “You okay? Do you need anything at all? I’ll go and get it for you if you’d like?”

She shook her head with a smile. “I’m fine!! I feel a little icky but other than that I’m a-okay!!”

Diana smiled. “Ah. Wonderful.”

She then proceeded to pitch Dette’s cheek.

Dette wailed in surprise. “Ow ow ow ow!! Mother, why?!!”

Diana let go and placed her hands on her hips. She wore the ever so stern expression that mothers wear when they’re about to scold their child. Dette rubbed her cheek and pouted. 

Oh she was really in trouble this time. “The gall of you! I can’t believe you would eat a mysterious mushroom like that!!” Diana said. “It's so—!! It's so—!!”

Her mother looked like she wanted to say a word, but she refused to. She sat back down with a sigh. 

“Dette, you really scared us back there,” she eventually said. “Never do that again.”

Dette visibly deflated. “I’m sorry, mother,” she said. “I ruined the Christmas party.”

Diana’s expression softened a bit, reaching over to run through her hair again. “It’s alright, little one. At least we both learned something last night, hopefully.”

“Did you… have fun?” Dette asked. “You know, before the whole thing?”

Diana chewed the inside of her cheek. Pensively, she let out a smile. “It was a bit… stiff at first. But… it was fun, catching up with your aunts is always nice.”

“Actually… You want to know about the child you… were talking too?” Diana continued. “Before that, I was talking to his mother. She was… a nice lady.”

“I… sort of told her off afterwards. But now that I’m thinking clearly, I should probably apologize.”

Dette forward, as if she could get more information out of her if she got closer.

And boy did she want more. “And?”

Diana blinked, looking straight at her daughter. “And… that’s it. I have nothing else to say.”

Dette looked at her with narrowed eyes before leaning back into her bed. “It’s just… you’ve never talked about anyone else other than Aunt Barbara or Aunt Hannah before!! 

“This is new.”

Diana could feel herself heat up at what her daughter was implying. “I—! Um… well—“

Just before Diana could explain to herself, there was a knock on the door.

Diana cleared her throat. “E-Excuse me, dear. That might be the doctor.”

But it wasn’t. The minute Diana opened the door, she was greeted by a warm smile and the smell of something akin to freshly baked cookies. 

And it all belonged to a woman with brown hair and distinct red eyes.

Diana blinked in surprise. “ Ohayou !!” Akko greeted. “Look, I know you’re kinda mad at us but… we brought a peace offering?”

Akko held out a tupperware container of what looked like Christmas cookies, with some of them shaped like trees and candy canes. On the lid there was a sticky note that said ‘peace offering,’ in a child's writing. Tatsuya hid behind his mother with an unreadable expression. Clearly a little bashful, but he didn’t look unhappy to be there.

Diana didn’t know what to say. “I… um…”

Dette almost jumped out of her bed. “Are those cookies I smell?!” She squealed in delight. “Mother!! Who is it?!”

Unsure, Diana looked back to Akko. “Sure, sure. I… come in.”

—

Tatsuya held the box in front of Dette, who sat there smiling. “For you,” he said. “Sorry for poisoning you.”

Dette happily took the cookies. “Pshh! That’s all in the past,” she opened it quickly. “Christmas cookies!! I love Christmas cookies!!” 

Diana raised her hand in an effort to stop her. “Dear, I think you should—“

Akko placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I made them mostly,” Akko said. “—And I watched him very carefully in the parts where he did help!! No poisonous mushrooms in sight, I swear on my life!”

It didn’t matter, Dette was already devouring the box of cookies. “These are so good!!” She said with her mouth full. “Thank you so much! I… didn’t get your name?”

Tatsuya looked on. With Dette enjoying the cookies, he smiled. “I’m Tatsuya,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, Tatsuya!!” She smiled. “And thank you!! Ms…”

“Just Akko is fine kiddo!” Akko beamed. “I’m glad you enjoyed them!!”

Akko turned to Diana, who still looked… a little unsure at the whole exchange. “Look Diana, I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Akko put a hand behind her neck, giving her a sheepish smile. “Last night wasn’t really the ideal situation I’d like to meet someone.”

Diana shook herself out of her stupor. “Oh absolutely. That was the worst,” she said without tact. “N-Not that you were the worst!! It’s just— I didn’t get a chance to… apologize about…”

Akko seemed to shine a bit brighter. “It’s alright!! Honestly if I was in your situation, I would’ve probably bit someone’s head off,” she laughed before extending her hand. “Let’s start over?”

Akko looked around the hospital room with her hand on her chin. “Wow! This sure is a nice hospital room!!” She said before her eyes landed on Diana, whose face was slowly forming a smile. “Oh! Hello person I’ve never met before! I’m Akko!!”

And Dette saw her mother do something she never did before. She snorted . “Hello there, I’m Diana. Nice to meet you.” A faint blush colored both of their cheeks as she took her hand. “I get the impression you’re a silly one.”

“Oh, I’m the silliest .” Akko smiled. “I’m glad you noticed!!”

And as they stood there, Dette couldn’t believe her eyes. She gulped the last of cookies in her mouth and wiped away the crumbs on her face. She looked at Tatsuya, who looked back in confusion.

Does he even see them?! They were—!! They were—!!

“I need to talk to Tatsuya alone!!” Dette said so suddenly, scaring everyone in the room and Tatsuya himself. “I need to uh… talk about his apology! Privately!”

Diana and Akko both looked at each other then back at their children. “If… that’s what you want, dear.”

“...Yeah kiddos, just knock on the door if you need us again.”

And with that, the both of them left the room. Dette turned to Tatsuya instantly, a sparkle in her eyes. “Did you see them?! They’re in love!!”

Tatsuya blinked. “In love?” He said. “How? I don’t see it…”

“I just know, okay!!” Dette fist bumped the air. “I know love when I see it!!”

“I mean… you did say the same thing about mushrooms…”

“This is different!!” Dette pointed to herself smugly. “I am a love expert!!” 

“You also said that about the mushrooms too…”

“Enough about the mushrooms!!” Dette huffed. “Just trust me on this one, okay?!”

Tatsuya pursed his lips. “Okay… so they’re in love,” he said. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Dette grabbed his hands. “ Obviously!! We’re gonna make them get together and live happily ever after!!”

Duh! What else were they going to do? Her mother deserves someone who loved her as much as she did!! She deserves it!! Aunt Barbara and Hannah were always harping her on going on dates with people, and here’s one (who’s already in love with her, mind you!!), fallen right into their laps!!

And she will do anything to make her mother happy!! “We need to think of a plan together!! To have them spend time with each other!!”

Tatsuya put his hands on his chin. “Well… every Christmas Eve we have a Christmas dinner,” he said. ”It’s not much but it’s kind of tradition to stay up until 12 am to open presents, since it’s Christmas at that point.”

Dette’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like fun!! Whoa!!” She nodded. “You have to invite us!! So they can fall in love further!!”

Tatsuya shook his head. “That’s not enough, you know.” He sighed. “What do your mom and my mom have in common?”

Now that was a really thinker. Dette narrowed her eyes in concentration. “Uh… Does your mom watch… ani-me ?”

She could see him trying not to cringe too much at her pronunciation. “Of course, kaasan watches anime all the time.” 

“Oh my gosh!!” Dette covered her mouth. “Is her favourite anime—”

“—Mahou Shoujo Shiny Chariot?!” They both said at the same time.

Tatsuya shook his head in surprise. “Oh it’s over.” He said. “ Kaasan literally said she’d marry anyone who knew the anime.”

“They’re meant to be, I told you!!” Dette put her thinking cap on. “Now everytime they don’t know what to say to each other, we’ll just mention Shiny Chariot and boom! They can talk about that for hours!!”

Well.. that’s how it works, right? Dette knows she can talk about her interests for hours and hours on end. For example, random bear facts!! Did you know: some species of Asiatic bear build nests in the trees!! They can use these for hiding, eating and— 

“Okay. So we have a plan.” Tatsuya’s gears were clearly turning. “But still… they did just meet last night, Christmas dinner is kind of our own thing. How can we make kaasan invite you and your mom to it?”

Dette slumped in her place before straightening up again. “I know!! I know!!” She giggled into her hands. “Here’s what we do…”

— 

Diana and Akko sat on the bench outside, watching various doctors pass by them. “Any idea what they’re talking about in there?”

She shrugged. “No clue.” She looked at her palm and smiled. “Knowing my daughter, she’s most likely chatting up a storm in there. She can go on for hours about the things she loves.”

“That’s fine, Tatsuya is a great listener. He listens to my rambles all the time.” Akko laughed. “One of the things I love about him.”

They both shared a look with each other, seeming like they didn’t know what to say to each other. And before they knew it they just… started laughing? They probably looked crazy, two adults laughing about seemingly nothing in a hospital hallway.

Akko wiped away a tear. “I’m sorry—! This feels really weird!! Do you… feel weird?”

“The last 12 hours have been so surreal if I’m being honest.” Diana adjusted her glasses. “I would’ve never imagined meeting someone in this kind of circumstance.”

“Yeah, I spent the whole night back at home thinking about it.” Akko grinned. “Just our luck, huh?”

“Yes… just our luck.” Diana looked over to the side. 

A brief silence passed over them again. Akko was fidgeting with her hands, looking like she wanted to say something.

“I wanted to… ask you about last night…” Akko said tentatively. “You were really distraught… I get the motherly instincts because, like, duh . But you looked really worried… I thought you were going to pass out.”

Diana took a deep sigh, toying with her glasses. “I… can’t exactly blame that on just motherly instinct, can I?” She took a deep sigh. “When Dette was a little girl… she wasn’t the healthiest of babies. It seemed like everyday I would go to the hospital with her with some new illness. It was horrifying.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Akko said, placing her hand over Diana’s. “Just by yourself?”

Diana scoffed almost instantly. “My deadbeat of a husband couldn’t even bother to care.” She flipped her hair. “Well, that’s what courtrooms are for.”

Akko giggled and Diana felt a bit of pride for making her laugh. “Fortunately, as Dette grew older, the hospital visits became less and less. I guess letting my daughter eat dirt had a part in it.”

“Still, I would like to further apologize for my actions. You treated me and Dette with absolute kindness and I completely disregarded it. I hope I… can have the chance to do better in the future.”

Akko gently placed her hand on her hand. “Don’t worry too much about it! Honestly I've experienced even worse. Did you know I accidentally spilled coffee on Lotte’s manuscript when I met her?” Akko cringed as she remembered it. “God, now that was so embarrassing.”

Diana covered her mouth and snorted, Akko tried not to think about how cute that looked. “And if you really wanted a chance to do better…”

“Waaa!!! I’m so utterly, unbelievably sad!! ”

Diana blinked in surprise at the hospital room door. “...Dette?”

They shared a look. With a nod, they both entered the room to check in on them. The scene before them was kind of… odd? Diana has a feeling she’d be feeling that more nowadays.

Dette has her hand dramatically draped over her forehead. “Oh I can’t believe you did this to me!!” She had her eyes closed, but she opened one quickly to make sure her mother was watching, then closed it back up. “There to be some sort of way to fix this!! To mend our friendship??”

“Oh yes, I’m very sad too,” Tatsuya said, deadpanned as ever. “If only there was a way to fix this. Like a dinner. Preferably around Christmas time. With both our mothers involved.”

Oh gods, they were trying to set them up. Diana covered her face as a pretty blush encompassed it. Oh these kids, these silly silly kids.

Akko on the other hand, simply laughed to herself. She turned to Diana, sporting a blush of her own. “ Man , if only there was, huh? Like a... little Christmas dinner?” Akko said, tentatively.

“Yes, if only such an event like that existed,” Diana humoured her.

Dette jumped from the hospital bed. “Oh!! But it does!!” She broke character before schooling her features. “I-I mean, does it, Tatsuya?”

He nodded in agreement. Even he looked a little excited at being so close . “Yeah of course!!” He turned to look at his mom with pleading eyes. “Don’t we have something like that, kaasan? ”

“Yeah! We really do huh?” Akko turned to Diana, who was wearing a soft smile. “Diana, would you and Dette like to have Christmas dinner with Tatsu and I?”

Diana nodded from the silliness of it all. “We would love nothing more.”

Dette squealed in joy, grabbing Tatsuya in a tight hug. 

— 

“Well… on second thought…”

Diana stood there on the doorway, holding a present in her arms. Dette crossed her arms with a huff.  “No!! We can’t back out now!! We bought Tatsuya a present and everything!!”

Diana looked at her pensively. “W-We don’t want to impose!! Common courtesy, Dette!!”

“But they invited us!! That’s the least ‘imposing’ thing I can think of!” Dette said.

Diana felt weird being at this end of a lecture, especially one from her 11 year old daughter. So with a sigh, she turned her head towards the door. “Okay, okay…” She looked at the door. 

Quickly, she knocked at the door. Silently hoping the gods would smite her now before she has the chance to embarrass herself.

Dette, on the other hand, was bubbling with excitement the minute the door opened.

Tatsuya greeted them, he was wearing a Santa hat and everything. “ Ohayou .” He smiled. 

Dette wasted no time, she quickly engulfed him in a huge hug. “Tatsu!! It’s good to see you again!!”

Tatsuya patted her back. “Hi Dette, glad to see you too.”

He looked at Diana, who was watching the whole thing. “Good evening, Tatsuya,” she smiled and waved. 

“Hello.” He ushered for them to come in. “ Kaasan is still working in the kitchen.”

Even just the mere mention of Akko is getting her nervous. Diana cleared her throat and hoped she didn’t look too red. “T-That’s fine.”

Their home was small, but quaint. It was decorated very thoroughly, Christmas lights and tinsel covered every wall and space that wasn’t filled with framed pictures of Akko and Tatsuya. It was cozy. Warm.

As Tatsuya closed the door behind them, Akko entered the living room with a yawn. “Diana!! Dette!! So happy you could make it!!”

Diana waved her off. “Of course, we were invited after all.” she chuckled nervously.

“It’s ah… good to see you.”

Akko blushed and scratched the back of her neck. “It’s good to see you too.”

And they both stared at each for a moment, both rosy cheeked and starry eyed. Dette smiled a smug grin. Honestly!! She and Tatsuya didn’t even have to try!!

But she’d be damned if she didn’t give everything her one hundred and ten percent!! “Tatsu and I are gonna hangout now!!” She said, dragging him by the arm. 

Akko chuckled to herself. “Kids amirite?” She sighed. “I’m almost done but I still need to work in the kitchen…”

Diana’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Do you need any help or…”

Without saying a word, Akko took her hand and led her in.

Meanwhile, Dette and Tatsuya were plotting. 

“Do you have it?!” Dette asked him. 

Tatsuya nodded. “Yup, I have them.”

Tonight, they were going to make sure everything flowed as smoothly as possible. Since their parents were already in love, they just had to make sure the fall was a nice ride. A few healthy nudges here and there and they would be head over heels in no time!!

And right here was their secret weapon!! 

When shopping for Tatsuya’s gift, her mother was really reluctant to buy Akko a gift and vice versa. They both chalked it up to not knowing what to give to each other. Thankfully, with the help of Aunt Barbara and Hannah, they were able to think of something. 

Now two presents sat hidden from the rest of them, one with Akko’s name on it and another with Diana’s.

“Okay… let's go over the plan again…” Dette said. “We’ll make sure the night goes fantastic!! We’ll have both of our mothers have a good time and all that fun stuff!!”

Tatsuya nodded. “Then when gift exchange comes, we’ll pull them out,” he gestured to the presents. “They’ll think they got it for each other and then boom. Love.”

Dette danced in her spot. This was the perfect plan! “I can’t wait!!” She squealed. “I also can’t wait for you to see your gift!! I think you’ll love it!”

Tatsuya hummed and looked at the gifts. He ran his finger across the pretty little bow and let out a soft smile. “Hey Dette?” He said quietly, catching her attention. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”

He looked off to the side before continuing. “I know kaasan likes to… pretend sometimes. That she’s not sad.” He looked down on his knees. “I wanna help kaasan but… I can’t make her happy all the time.”

“So… at the times when I can’t… I hope your mom can.”

Tatsuya blinked twice, schooling his features. But it was already too late, Dette was full-on sobbing happy tears at this point. “ Tatsuuu!!! ” She cried, giving him a big hug.

“I knew you were a secret softie!! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!!” She cried even more, Tatsuya gave her two pats on the back. “I promise my mother will make yours very happy!! And you’re mother will make mine very happy too!! They will, they will!!”

From the corner of his eyes, he could see their two mothers, laughing together about seemingly nothing. Tatsuya returned his attention to Dette, who was still sobbing profusely on his Christmas sweater.

And he let out a smile. “I know.”

—

Akko let out a smug grin. Placing her hand gently down on the table, she gestured to herself. “You’re looking right at her.”

Diana tried not to let her jaw drop, keyword being tried . “You’re that Atsuko Kagari?! Famous actor Atsuko Kagari?!” She adjusted her glasses. 

Akko snickered sheepishly, scratching her temple. “Yeah!! It’s not that big of a deal you know? It’s mostly just a fun job for me!!”

“You’re a part of one of, if not, the biggest superhero franchise in the world,” Diana took another bite of the dinner, which was divine by the way. “Achieving the feat itself is impressive. I admire your talent.”

Akko’s blush caught the tips of her ears. “I-I… Thank you.”

Dette high fived Tatsuya from underneath the table. Mentioning his mother’s super secret acting career (which was really really cool by the way!!) was a good move, nice one Tatsu!! “It’s not just superhero movies kaasan is a part of. She’s been in a few Christmas movies too.”

Akko covered her face in embarrassment. “Noo!! Tatsu!! Those were so embarrassing!!”

“Oh?” Diana turned to Akko in amusement. “Now that you mention it, we have to watch one of them. For Christmas purposes.”

Akko crossed her arms, turning her nose up in triumph. “Ha! Good luck trying to find a good recording online!”

“We have them on DVD.”

“ Tatsu!!”

Dinner was a nice atmosphere. Akko had prepared them a turkey dinner with her own twist on it: a nice earthy curry was served over the rice with slices of turkey stacked on top of each other on the side of the plate. It was absolutely to die for . 

Dinner topics were about everything and nothing at the same time. It wasn’t as awkward as Diana thought it would be, conversing with Akko, Tatsuya and Dette altogether was surprisingly very easy. It was like all her worries went away and they were having a nice family dinner—

…

…Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Cavendish.

Before they knew it, dinner was over. Tatsuya took Dette into the living room, playing a… perplexing racing game on a gaming console. Akko gathered the dishes, washing them all in the sink.

And what kind of person would Diana be if she didn’t help? “Scoot over?” She asked, rolling up her sleeves.

Akko’s eyes soften. “Diana… you don’t have too.”

She picked up a dish. “I want to.”

They fell into a familiar rhythm, the sounds of the sink running and the clink of dishes. Akko began humming a melody, leaning on Diana’s shoulders. 

It was terrifyingly domestic, Diana was sure she was a bright red tomato by now. Her eyes looked around for something, anything , to focus on because gods this woman was making her forget all her motor skills just by existing.

Eventually, her eyes landed on… a picture frame. In it there was Akko herself and a man she’s never seen before. Diana glanced at Akko’s hand, there was no ring in sight.

“Akko…” She started. “If I may ask, who’s that man in that photo?”

Akko lazily glanced at the photo in question. “That’s my ex-husband.”

“Oh… Is he…?”

Akko nodded somberly. “Car crash, just three days before Tatsuya was born,” Akko laughed dryly. “You have to love the timing of it all sometimes.”

She chewed the inside of her cheeks as she grabbed another plate. “Hospitals make me nervous because of that. It just… It reminds me of the times in my life when I was alone.”

Diana gripped her hand through the soap suds. “I’m extremely sorry that happened to you, you don’t deserve that.”

“Nobody does.” Akko smiled. “It’s okay for the most part, I’ve been through a lot of therapy for it. I don’t think i’ll ever get over it completely but… everyday it gets a little bit easier.”

The grip on their hands felt a bit more tighter and her heart soars. There was a certain fondness that was held in Akko's eyes as she said that while looking at her. 

And maybe the same set of fondness was written in her eyes as well. “Still, you’re an incredibly strong woman to have gone through that. I… I’m really glad we were able to meet.”

“Me too,” Akko said, with a tinges of bittersweet.

“Well… I don’t see a ring on your finger?” She questioned, back to her usual bouncy self. “Unless you took it off…?”

“Oh gods no, what do you take me for?” Diana snickered. “My ex husband was nothing to write home about. He was a lying cheating bastard, I’m glad he’s out of my life.”

Akko gasped. “Cheated?! On you?! ” She couldn’t believe it. “But you’re so kind and sweet!! Not to mention an absolute dreamboat!! Who is this guy?! I’ll punch him!!”

Diana shook her head. “Don’t bother. He’s just a sleazy noble who never cared about Dette and I. He is absolutely not worth your time.”

“Aww man.”

“...Besides, I sued him for a large amount of child support money.”

Akko giggled at that, grabbing another plate from the pile. They fell back into a comfortable silence, cleaning the dishes together.

Sure it was terrifyingly domestic, but maybe it was what they needed.

—

“Open it!!” Dette said. “Come on!! I wanna see your reaction!! Open it!!”

Tatsuya pouted. “Not until you open yours first. I wanna see your reaction too.”

Dette huffed. “No!! You open yours first!!”

Diana and Akko sat on the couch together, watching the two argue back and forth. She wore a pensive expression as she held her cup of earl grey. “Children… how about the two of you open your presents together?”

Akko nodded with her arm around Diana’s shoulder. “Yeah!! That way you can look at each other’s reactions at the same time! Doesn’t that sound better?”

Dette and Tatsuya shared a look. Just like that, they start tearing through the packaging. It was really funny how eager the two of them were.

Unsurprisingly, Dette got to her present first. “ 101 facts about the world?! ” She full-on screamed, already leafing through the pages. “ Did you know the moon has moonquakes?! You lose up to 30 percent of your taste buds during flight!! Chewing gum boosts concentration!! I’m so happy!!”

Tatsuya got to his present next. “...A mushroom plushie?” Eventually, he let out a small smile. “...It’s purple, my favourite colour.”

Akko looked at Diana sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I really wanted to get you a Christmas gift but I really didn’t know what to get you.”

Diana shook her head with a smile. “Same here, it’s no trouble really.” She said as another blush painted her face. “Spending time together was enough for me.”

Dette smiled. “That was really sweet, mother,” she said, before standing up and pointing at her. “If you weren’t such a liar, liar pants on fire!!”

“You too kaasan ,” Tatsuya before pulling out the presents (secret weapon!!) out from under the tree. “If you guys didn’t get each other presents, then whose are these for?!”

They both gave their mothers their respective presents. Diana and Akko both shared a look, and laughed the hardest they had in their whole lives. 

“Oh my god!! Kiddos!! You warm my heart so much!!” Akko said, ruffling both of their heads. She returned to the package. “Shall I open ‘your present’, Diana?”

Diana snorted. “How about this: how about we open them together?”

And then, two of them started ripping at the packaging as well. Akko absolutely screamed.

 “ Mahou Shoujo Shiny Chariot?!” They both said at the same time in shock. In their hands, they were holding specialty made Christmas sweaters. Diana’s sweater said ‘Have a very merry Croix Christmas’ and Akko’s had the words ‘Chariot wishes you a happy holiday!!’

Akko quickly turned to Diana. “No way!! No way!! You know Shiny Chariot?!”

Diana nodded. “It’s my favourite anime of all time,” She said. You could visibly see Akko’s heart swooned. “I’ve seen all four seasons on release. I had even read the cancelled manga.”

“ You’ve read the cancelled manga?! ” Akko placed a hand on her heart. “Oh my god , please don’t say you’ve read the light novels too?!”

Diana smiled. “Of course. I have my Croix and Chariot nendoroids performing the Shiny Arc just like in that one scene in the book.”

Akko was trying her hardest not to marry this woman on the spot.

Dette cheered. Success! Success!! “What are you waiting for?! Put them on!!”

It was a bit silly if you looked at it. Two adults, wearing anime themed Christmas sweaters with their two children high-fiving in the background. 

And as they were winding down with a hallmark Christmas movie (that Akko was acting in, mind you), Diana couldn’t help but feel… content. 

While the kids were both engrossed in the movie, Diana leaned closer to Akko. “I can’t believe they planned all of this,” she whispered.

“Yeah… these past few weeks have just been about seeing what my kid is capable of,” Akko said plainly. “Food poisoning? Planning a Christmas date? My child can do it all.”

Diana raised an eyebrow as a teasing smirk graced her lips. “A date you say? Is this a date, Ms. Kagari?”

“Only if you want it to be, Ms. Cavendish,” Akko said, Diana hoped she wasn’t blushing too hard. 

“But I… think it would be great if we were to go out on a date, with just the two of us,” Akko clasped both on their hands together. “If that’s… ok?”

Diana rubbed her thumb over the inside of Akko’s palm. “I would love nothing more.”

— 

Eventually, after the movie ended, it was time to go home. Dette had fallen asleep in the middle of the movie again with Tatsuya followed straight after, cuddling his mushroom plush. And that was a cue to get home if it was any.

Diana stood outside of Akko’s doorway. “Thanks for coming,” Akko said, seeing them off. “We had a really great time.”

“Thanks for having us. It was really enjoyable as well.” Diana smiled before turning to the side. “I guess… I’ll be seeing you?”

Akko leaned over her doorway and placed a kiss right on Diana’s cheek. If fireworks weren’t already exploding in her stomach they were definitely exploding now.

“You blush really prettily Di,” Akko teased before her eyes softened. “And you will!! Until next time!!”

And with that the door closed on the both of them. If she wasn’t carrying her sleeping daughter right now, she would’ve cheered embarrassingly on her driveway.

Didn’t stop her from cheering embarrassingly in her car, though. She looked at Dette in the passenger seat, still sound asleep. With a soft smile, she combed her fingers through her hair. 

She was a lucky mother, wasn’t she?

She leaned down and gave Dette a kiss on the forehead. “Thank you, little one.”

Diana took one more look at the household. This was the start of something new, wasn’t it? 

Well, what Diana knew for sure was: she couldn’t wait to see them again.