Skirting Danger

by Gravekeeper

They were nearing the summer months and the weather was certainly reflecting that; Diana understood. 'Still.' Really, she did. Their uniforms and tunics were of a fairly thick fabric, and enchanted on top of that against the everyday wear and tear of magical mishaps; the students were, after all, still in their magically formative years. Accidents happened. 'Still.' Diana got that. Their over-the-knee boots were sturdy, and certainly a bit on the stuffy side, but they were only worn for certain activities. 'Still.' Diana was well aware that their school wear tended to be rather warm, and yet… 'Has she always worn her skirt so short?'

Honestly, it was a such a trivial little thing, especially when one considered the nearly endless list of non-trivial transgressions and affronts against Magic, Luna Nova, Tradition, and Common Decency that Akko willingly and gleefully perpetrated with a cheeky smile on her face and a fire in her eyes.

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose and suppressed a sigh; Akko was a wonderful person with a heart big enough to love all of humanity. She would surely become a splendid witch in her own time; Diana was as sure of that as she was when she first told the shorter girl that she believed in her believing heart. Currently, however, Akko still had a ways to go before she could append such superlatives to her name. 'Perhaps when she's able to perform alchemy indoors without a dedicated fire crew at the ready.'

Diana crossed her arms as her eyes briefly returned to the subject at hand; 'Utterly ridiculous; I really must address this for my own peace of mind.' Diana was becoming somewhat concerned over how often her thoughts strayed to that scandalous skirt and those equally scandalous legs; how Akko managed to eat like she did and still remain so lithe and petite was nothing short of, well, magical. Perhaps Akko hadn't noticed how much leg she showed? Diana knew from first-hand experience how perceptive her friend could be for some things and abysmally unobservant for others; perhaps Akko just never realized that every time she sat down she came so very close to showing off a lot more than just her toned legs.

...Not that Diana wanted to see more than just Akko's toned legs. Or see her legs at all; Diana was just... concerned. Concerned and detail-oriented. It was completely natural to be more aware of Akko's legs, eyes, smiles, everything now that they'd spent so much time together. In the weeks after the Noir Missile Crisis, Diana had found Akko to be an interesting, entertaining companion; their camaraderie had truly blossomed into something that Diana had come to treasure and actively yearn for in the short periods of time they spent apart. The Red, Blue, and Green teams had naturally drifted towards each other after their world-saving collaboration and, despite her initial reservations, Diana found that she fit right in with the large group of misfits despite their differences.

Then again, her and Akko were not so different from each other, were they?

Diana's eyes widened as an expanse of pale, healthy thigh flashed by, bringing her out of her reverie and back down to the present. The weather had been perfect, so The New Nine (with Hannah and Barbara substituting in) had gathered out on the south field to have lunch together under the shade of the surrounding woods. Akko, who'd been sitting on the grass next to Diana, had stood and skipped past the blonde, her skirt once again flying dangerously high as she made her way to where Constanze had pulled out her laptop. Diana swallowed as she schooled her features into her naturally stoic facade. Feeling eyes on her, Diana's gaze drifted to meet Amanda's, who sat a bit further away in their loose circle.

"I know, right?!" Amanda silently mouthed at Diana. Her eyebrows were perched high and her eyes bright and wide with mirth. Diana arched an eyebrow herself; Amanda's happiness was something to be extremely wary of.

Amanda quickly flicked her eyes to her left; Diana followed the redhead's gaze, her eyes landing on Akko's retreating form before meeting Amanda's eyes again. Diana blinked in realization; 'So, she's noticed Akko's distressing manner of dress as well?' Diana felt relief wash over her; It was comforting to know someone else shared her friendly concerns over preserving Akko's virtue; in Amanda, Diana had found an ally.

Amanda wagged her eyebrows at Diana, biting her bottom lip rather salaciously. Diana's heart dropped to her stomach as the reality of it all hit her; 'Is O'Neill... leering at Akko? The very nerve!'

In Amanda, Diana had found a villain.

Well, Diana definitely had a Beatrix-given duty to protect Akko's innocence from wandering eyes! Why, Amanda's conduct often went beyond the pale, but this was something else entirely! Diana rose to her feet, patting her skirt free of grass before resolutely marching towards Akko. She spared Amanda a final, rueful glare as she passed, earning back a "Go get 'em, Tiger!" for her troubles.

"Akko, Constanze," Diana called as she neared the pair sitting on the grass. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but—"

"—Diana!" Akko's face brightened as she hopped to her feet; she reached out and eagerly took Diana's hands in her own, pulling her closer. "Come look at this game Cons has got!"

Diana resisted Akko pulling her down to the grass with her, choosing instead to firmly hold on to the brunette, keeping them both upright. "Actually, Akko, I was wondering if we could perhaps talk for a moment," she said, answering the questioning look on Akko's face.

"Oh!" Akko smiled even wider, "Sure, Diana!" she replied, nodding excitedly. Akko stood there, still grinning at Diana and still holding her hands, patiently waiting for Diana to begin. Conversation around them stopped as the moment dragged on and on. When Sucy started snickering, Diana, cheeks rosy, gingerly took her hands away from Akko's hold.

Diana cleared her throat. "...I meant in private, Akko."

Diana blinked as everyone around her reacted to her simple request. Akko's eyes widened as her cheeks reddened. Lotte, Hannah, and Barbara gasped breathlessly. Jasminka cooed and Sucy gave a hum of approval. "Nice," Amanda commented in a tone Diana didn't particularly care for. Behind Akko, Constanze raised her fist, and Akko's own instinctively swung back, giving the engineer a fist bump.

Diana felt distinctly out of the loop about something, but it would have to wait: there were pressing matters to be addressed. "Please excuse us," she said to the group before turning to face Akko again; "Come, Akko," she added, grabbing Akko's hand and briskly walking away from the conspiratorial mutterings of their friends.

After her initial surprise, Akko skipped forward to match Diana's pace. She couldn't help the giggles that bubbled forth as she walked hand in hand with the blonde, jovially swinging their arms back and forth. Though bemused by Akko's overabundance of giddiness, Diana didn't mind it one bit; jolly as the brunette had always been, Diana had been noticing that Akko positively glowed nowadays, buoyant and carefree whenever they spent any time together. Diana allowed herself to smile as they walked deeper into the woods, following a worn path that saw infrequent use.

Feeling that they'd traveled enough distance to ensure privacy, Diana slowed to a stop, reluctantly letting go of Akko's hand. Diana remained quiet for a moment as she gathered her thoughts; confusingly, Akko walked up to the nearest tree and began what Diana could only describe as the most awkward dance she'd ever seen. Akko, brimming with some sort of nervous energy, appeared completely unable to find a way to lean naturally against the tree, constantly shifting poses as she struggled with how to rest her arms.

Diana had to admit, Akko always found novel ways to confound and amuse her. "Akko," she called, failing to hide the mirth in her tone.

"Geh!" Akko's eyes widened as she settled on leaning against the tree on her outstretched right hand, one leg crossed in front of the other. "Oh, hey Diana! Um, how you doin'?" she added in an uneven tone, giving the blonde a smiling wince as she alternated between placing her left hand either at her hip or the back of her head. "What's up?"

"Nothing too troubling, I assure you," Diana replied, crossing her arms. "There was something I wished to bring up with you, but I felt it inappropriate to do so in front of everyone; it's a delicate matter."

Akko's cheeks and ears reddened. "Y-yeah?" she asked, leaning forward a bit.

Diana nodded, closing her eyes. "Do not misunderstand, I know our friends wouldn't really have any issue with this, but still; there's a proper way to do things, after all," she continued, opening her eyes and smiling, "You'll have to pardon me if what I am about to say seems a tad forward, but I believe we've grown close enough to be forthright with each other about any feelings we wish to express, have we not?"

Akko's eyes were saucers as she visibly swallowed; she began nodding her head vigorously. "H-hai! Definitely! Yes!"

"I'm glad we understand each other so well," Diana commented, taking a step closer to Akko, "Allow me to get right to the point, then: we should talk about your skirt, Akko."

Akko stood stock still as silence befell them. She blinked owlishly as her brain lurched, failing to restart a number of times. "Eh?"

"It is rather shorter than it should be, is it not?" Diana asked, giving Akko a onceover. "I'm not certain how you've managed to evade Finneran's meticulous scrutiny, but you've definitely modified your uniforms, haven't you?"

"Haaaah?!" Akko's mouth hung open, her arms flailing uselessly. "That's what you wanted to talk about, Diana?!"

Diana brought her hands to her hips. "Indeed, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this troublesome issue before someone brought it up to the teaching staff."

Indignation washed over Akko's face as she reddened further. "'Troublesome'? Diana, it's supposed to look cute!" Akko explained, grabbing either side of her skirt as she twisted her hips from side to side.

It had been a while since Diana had seen her friend so worked up about something; she hoped that Akko's apparent passion for short skirts wouldn't lead to another revolutionary uprising at Luna Nova; she caused enough of those as it was already. "Akko, regardless of its appearance, the student handbook clearly dictates that our skirts should ride no higher than three fingers above the knee." Diana wisely chose to not voice her agreement on the cute part; she knew very well it would only further encourage her.

"Dai-aaaaaaaaa-naaaaa~!" Akko groaned out, her body sagging and folding forward, the tips of her fingers touching the ground, "C'moooooon! Nobody actually reads that dumb handbook!"

Diana's eyebrow twitched. "Well, I most certainly do! How would it reflect on me if I knowingly let you run around flouting the school's rules like that?"

Akko straightened up, giving Diana a quizzical look. "Eh? But Diana, just last night you let me go when you caught me in the kitchen after curfew!"

Diana sighed; she had known she would come to regret her mercifulness sooner or later; she just hadn't expected such regrets to manifest in less than 24 hours. "The only reasons I exercised leniency were because you weren't stealing—this time—and because it had only been ten minutes past the hour."

"And because you love cake!" Akko added, far too smugly for someone who'd resorted to bribing her captor immediately upon being caught.

Diana knew when she was at a disadvantage; she only had herself to blame for taking Akko up on the offer to eat it together with her while watching the stars. "That is neither here nor there, Akko; I suggest you correct your skirt situation before it can cause any more disruption or distraction."

Akko tilted her head, clearly surprised by this new information. "Eeeh? Cause more disruption and distraction…? Who am I distracting, Diana? Did somebody say something?"

Diana tinged slightly as her lips settled into a not-quite-frown. "We should go back; we've kept the girls waiting long enough, don't you think?" she said, turning on her heels before starting her walk back towards the edge of the forest.

Akko watched her go, her shock keeping her rooted to the ground. "W-wait!" she said, the connection between her legs and her brain finally restored, "Diana, who said I was distracting? You're not really gonna tell on me... are you, Diana? Diaaanaaa!"

Hey all! Grave here, hoping to add a little bit of Yay! to this sweet fandom and this fun pairing. I've been writing for this on and off for a few days now, starting as a stream of consciousness snippet involving the clash between Diana's unbending abidance to the rules and Akko's shorter than usual skirt (and I'm definitely not the only writer that's noticed!).

I'm planning for this to be a two-shot, though that depends on how certain after-the-fact scenes play out. We'll see!