(This is a sort-of sequel to another story of mine, Inconvenient. You don't really have to read it to get this, but if you want...)

It wasn't that Diana disliked Amanda O'Neill. On the contrary, there were plenty of days Diana was content, and almost proud, to call her a friend, and as with Akko, she admired how outspoken Amanda could be about her desires and beliefs. It was a trait that Diana found to be envious. Between her duty as the sole heir to her family's estate, her duty as the descendent of one of the Nine Olde Witches, and her duty as one of the top students at Luna Nova, there was simply too many lofty expectations placed upon her shoulders for Diana to let them sag and express herself freely. It really was a wonderful privilege to be able to dictate life on your own terms and say the things you truly desired to say, and it continuously amazed her that for all her skills she might struggle to speak what's on her mind whereas Amanda could do so without a second thought, and it was that admiration that made the backbone of their friendship.

The problem, however, was that Amanda took the privilege to its logical extreme, and absolutely reveled in pushing the buttons of everyone around her simply because she found it amusing in some childish way. Before she had met Amanda, Diana hadn't even been aware she had any buttons to push. She had been called a number of things as she tried to live up to what the Cavendish name implied, and had suffered through quite a bit on her journey to where she was today. Diana had assumed that she had built up enough thick enough skin that nothing anyone could say would affect her. But of course, Amanda, gleefully abusing the power that a lack of societal responsibilities gave her, had managed to find the singular weak point in her defenses.

Namely, that Diana was very composed, confident, and in control of her emotions, when the situation did not involve Akko Kagari.

Ever since she and Akko became…significant to each other (as the case may be) Amanda seemed to make it her life mission to fluster Diana at every turn. And the fact that Diana was wholly unprepared to deal with this type of teasing made it all the more infuriating. It was improper to broadcast ones relationship status to the whole school, so she definitely did not appreciate her waggling her eyebrows while talking about "private tutoring sessions", or commenting that she was late to class because she was busy flirting, or telling others who were romantically interested in Akko that she already had a girlfriend, or saying to her face that she thought her and Akko looked cute together, or wishing her luck on a date, or the many other lewd and unnecessary comments she delighted in making.

Well, today would be the end of it. Diana had never thought of conversations as battles before, but she was nonetheless determined to win. She was much too mature to be stuttering like a fool just because Amanda brought up the fact that she was dating Akko. Today, there would be nothing Amanda could say that could get her flustered or tripping over her words.

"Oh hey, Diana." Amanda greeted her out of the blue one morning, with a friendly wave. "Haven't gotten to see you in a while. Seems like whenever I wanna hang with you, you're out making out with your girlfriend."

"W-what?!" Diana cried, flustered and tripping over her words. "That isn't-! I…I don't know what you're talking about!" Had she been someone else, she might've hid her head in hands. Well, if nothing else, part of the reason her face was red was anger that she tripped right out the gate. What was it about Akko that continuously left her emotional state an absolute mess, and why did everyone seem to think it was so funny?

Case in point, Amanda just snickered at her reaction. "Settle down, Romeo." She didn't even bother to hide her smile. "I was just kidding. All I said was that you two made out. You don't need to freak out on me."

"I…I'm not 'freaking out'." Diana said, despite her flushed expression and stuttering statements arguing otherwise. "Akko and I…we're very good friends, and I don't need you assuming illicit things about our…r-relationship."

"Dude, really?" Diana bristled at Amanda's amusement. She was not a dude, thank you. "You're dating. It's not-" Amanda briefly paused. "Uh, illicit or whatever."

Wanting to at least say a single thing in defense of herself, Diana glared at her. "Not…n-not that it's any of your business, but I've never done anything of the sort with Akko, so p-please! Keep your comments to yourself." She crossed her arms hoping that would be the end of-

Wait.

Why did she just admit that?

To Amanda?

"Wait. Never?" Amanda turned to her, raising a brow. Diana winced, realizing she'd now given her more ammunition. "You haven't even kissed yet?"

"T-that is none of your business, O'Neill." She repeated. Desperately, she failed to fight the blush creeping up her face. Oh, this was not a topic she had any desire to talk about.

Amanda was, as ever, either oblivious or being deliberately obstinate, not letting a little something like etiquette stop her from talking about mortifying topics. "Wait, you really haven't? How have you guys not kissed yet?" She asked incredulously. "You've been dating for like, a month! I heard you were bad at this, but I thought it was just exaggerating!"

"First of all, lower your voice!" Diana hushed, her eyes frantically scanning the room fearing that someone could overhear. "Second of all, w-we've only confessed twenty six days ago, and we haven't been on a formal date yet, so o-obviously, it would be improper."

"What?!" Amanda looked genuinely shocked. "Yes you have! You two are together, like all the time. I never get to hang out with Akko anymore because she's always hanging all over you."

"Formal date, I said." Diana tried to clarify, her face growing warm as she explained. "We…we spend time together, but it's not like we've done anything like have a fancy dinner or go ballroom dancing. It…it wouldn't be right to just…rush into these things."

Amanda was unconvinced, looking down at her with a wry smile. "Were you born in the 1800s?"

"I wasn't…!" Diana stopped herself. She knew these things well enough to know that if she continued she'd end up saying something inane. "L-look, O'Neill, why do you even care?"

Amanda leaned back, closing her eyes. Diana assumed then, she was just going to drop it, for once. Her not saying anything shameful suited Diana just fine. But after a few seconds, Amanda opened one eye, and looked at her with a confident grin spreading over her cheeks. In Diana's experience, this was never a good thing for her.

"I just think it's a bit hypocritical, is all." Amanda said, as forcibly innocent as she could. "You're always telling me off for making excuses, and yet…you're sittin' here talking about being proper, when you're just too scared to lock lips with your girl."

"Scared?" Diana repeated, narrowing her eyes.

Amanda just shrugged, unaffected as ever. "Scared, shy, socially awkward, take your pick."

"I'm not scared." Diana argued. "This…this is an important moment. I can't just rush into it." The last thing Diana wanted to do was do something that might offend Akko. She cared about her too much to risk losing her. Why was she even arguing about this? She needed to think about something else before she said something regrettable.

"You're making it a way bigger deal than it is, Diana." Amanda shook her head, and then jerked her thumb towards her chest. "I had my first kiss under a slide when I was 7, and I kicked him in the shins like ten minutes later."

Diana just scoffed, not wanting to emulate any of her life experiences. Amanda's smug grin widened. "Eh, what can you do though?" Amanda shrugged. "You're all worked up just talking about it."

The heat crept up Diana's cheeks, and she was sure the smirk on Amanda's face was due to how red her face must've been.

"You'd probably short-circuit if you actually had to do it."

Her fists clenched, and she chanted a mantra in her head. Don't react, don't react. It didn't matter if she was being humiliated. Diana had dealt with it before. It was better than saying something stupid that would just make Amanda laugh.

"You think with all the times you brag about how smart you are, you could do something as easy as one measly little kiss."

So maybe she did have some difficulties with romantic implications. She didn't need to prove anything to anyone. And speaking while she was so out of sorts never went how she expected. Diana just needed to keep her chin up and swallow her damaged pride.

"Shame though. Bet Akko's disappointed."

And that snapped it. "Alright, fine." Diana turned angrily to the other witch, catching her off guard. "I've had enough of this conversation. You think I'm so incapable of dealing with intimacy, don't you? You must think it's so amusing to see me flustered, like I'm just some idiot who can't handle some high school romance."

She was a Cavendish for God's sake. She thrived under adversity. "I'm sick of it. I didn't get where I am today by falling apart under pressure, and I'm not going to get embarrassed and dance around for your entertainment, O'Neill."

Amanda was taken aback at having the table turned on her. After a moment, she let out a sigh. "….Alright, alright." Amanda held her hands up in surrender. "I get it. Took it too far. I'm sorry I call-"

"No," Diana cut her off. "I'm not going to stand here being mocked any longer. I'm not as clueless as you think I am, nor am I too scared or socially awkward. And I've been told I'm attractive."

Amanda's head whipped around, as if hoping that Diana had been talking to someone behind her. "G-good for…you?" Looking back to Diana, she tried to speak clearly. "Look, the truth is I wasn't-" Her explanation was once again interrupted by Diana's barely subdued fury, backing up as Diana intruded into her personal space.

"So if you think for a second that I'm going to get worked up over something as simple as a kiss, you have another thing coming, O'Neill." Diana stepped closer, until she was right in Amanda's face. "I can kiss someone, and I will kiss Akko. So you better think of some other smart-mouthed comment the next time you see me, so that I can prove that wrong as well."

"Uh…" Amanda just gawked at her. "O-okay?"

"So unless you have something else to say," Diana challenged. "I'll be on my way."

Emboldened by the stunned expression on O'Neill's face, Diana smirked and turned away, her hair dramatically flipping behind her. She confidently strode from the classroom, feeling a satisfying burst of vindication that carried her all the way back to her dorm room. Shooting cordial greetings to Hannah and Barbara, Diana gracefully sat at her desk and pushed all distractions from her mind, as she set about creating a plan to…

…wait.

Diana suddenly stood up, holding her head in her hands. Her pulse raced almost as fast as her breath. She blushed profusely as her mind finally caught back up with her.

What in the hell did she just say she was going to do?!

"How about here, Diana?" Akko asked her, pointing to a flat patch of grass under the shade of a tall tree. "Do you think this is a good spot for it?"

"This should be perfect," Diana agreed. "Just give me one moment to set everything up." She took a few minutes to unfurl the blanket, as well as gather her nerves and prepare for the rest of her plan. She still felt skittish, not to mention vaguely nauseous and incredibly angry at allowing herself to be pressured into this, but the evening was off to a good start. Akko was clearly excited, and even better, didn't suspect a thing.

Diana may lack experience in the romantic, but that simply meant she had more to learn, and Diana was nothing if not a quick study. To be frank, her supposed anxiety regarding this topic was greatly exaggerated, as it hardly took Diana long to think of an idea to get…the…thing she told Amanda she could get. From Akko. The…the kiss. That they would do. Together. As it were. Once she got passed her greatly exaggerated embarrassment, it took almost no time at all to get here.

The plan was beautiful in its simplicity, and it would ensure her venture to be a success. Diana had asked Akko out to an evening retreat. To be more specific, a picnic in the privacy of the quiet greenery of the woods. She'd bring a few snacks, make pleasant conversation, build up a romantic atmosphere, and by the time the night was over, she'd be confident and smooth, eventually sweeping Akko off her feet for a truly magical first kiss.

And of course, given that they had been dating for a while, it was a simplistic task to get Akko to agree to come, having only taken three hours of deliberation and four separate attempts at conversation. Suffice to say, Diana was well on her way to conquering her anxiety regarding these sorts of things, and now that the first step in the plan was done and they'd selected a nice spot off campus, the rest would be smooth sailing. It would have to be off campus after all, and the woods were more than an acceptable venue. Not only did she know Akko would appreciate the adventurousness of it, but it also keep away any unwanted distractions from others on their date. And, well, there was the fact that public displays of affection were discouraged on school grounds.

No need to go behaving irrationally, after all.

"I haven't had a picnic in a long time!" Akko turned to her, her eyes brimming with unconstrained excitement. "You got anything special planned?"

"N-not really." Diana said, turning red as she considered what she was lying about. "I…I just thought we'd have a nice meal together." She opened up the small basket to reveal the food she had prepared for their date, and felt a burst of pride when Akko's eyes widened. Diana knew enough about romance to hear how the fastest way to one's heart was through the stomach.

"Aww! You made all that for us?" Much to her surprise, Akko suddenly through her arms around her in a happy embrace. "You're so nice to me, Diana!"

Diana coughed suddenly. She certainly didn't mind the attention, but it was not helping her keep a clear head when all the blood was rushing to it. Not to mention, her brain never seemed to recall what the protocol was for whenever she touched her. "R-right. Um, thank you, Akko."

Diana had spent the afternoon preparing some light snacks and some tarts for the picnic. She wasn't much of a cook, but she had volunteered around the kitchen when they were short-staffed, and her skills were decent enough. The tarts were an experiment she had tried before, back when the seven of them had held gatherings to watch Akko try to fly. They had been overly sweet for Diana's tastes, and she'd have been more than happy to throw out the recipe and begin anew had it not been for one hitch. Akko had liked them, which was of far greater importance.

After all, there were two very important tasks to be done on this informal get-together they shared. Akko needed to enjoy herself and have a good time, and Diana needed to make sure she didn't slip up and let her intentions be revealed. Kissing was very intimate and intimidating activity, so in order to ease Akko into being receptive, Diana had to keep this to her chest. Obviously, it would be inappropriate to just…ask your girlfriend for a kiss, so that was off the table. Not to mention it would be extremely embarrassing, and she had no desire to scare Akko away. Should the plan go well, however, they would both be collected enough to do this with minimal difficulty.

Plus there was the added bonus of proving that Diana did not get as worked up about romance as others assumed she did. All in all, it was a very good plan.

"…L-let's sit, Akko." Diana said, finally pulling out of the hug. "We shouldn't let this food go to waste after all."

Akko happily flopped down on the blanket as Diana took a second to straighten her skirt so she could sit on her knees properly. As soon as she sat, however, Akko scooted closer until she was practically leaning on her arm. Again, while not unwelcome, it was distracting. Especially as Akko's hand drifted closer and closer to her own.

"S-so Akko!" Diana winced as she spoke, wondering if Akko noticed how her voice just squeaked. She pulled her hand back and placed it neatly on her own lap, figuring if she looked the picture of grace, then perhaps she could trick herself into ignoring her anxieties until she was the picture of grace. She had but one chance to do this, and it had to be done properly. "H-how are things with you today?"

Akko furrowed her brows, and Diana was unsure if she was reacting to her voice crack or her taking her hand back. Before she could wonder, Akko quickly shook it off, returning to her typical cheerfulness. She took a sandwich from the basket and began to snack as she happily described her day to Diana.

The two talked mindlessly to each other as they ate, though admittedly, it was more Akko boisterously telling her all about every topic that popped into her head, and Diana listening as attentively as she could, her mind somewhat occupied with attempting to think several steps ahead to ensure the evening was a success. Just sitting here, talking to her…even though Akko was the subject of her plan, it still eased her nerves. Akko was always so sure of herself, and it must've been rubbing off to Diana. As the hour passed by, she felt more and more confident that tonight, she would succeed and show Akko a special time they would not forget.

Granted, her knees were shaking, her stomach felt like it was being flipped, her heart felt as though it was going to smash through her ribcage, and was almost positive that if this night did not go as planned Akko would hate her forever and she'd ruin their wonderful relationship and never be loved again, but these were just the body's natural responses, so it was probably normal.

"Whoa, you even made these little creamy dessert thingies?" Akko said, popping a tart into her mouth with a satisfied noise. "You're really such a great girlfriend!"

It was a bit of a double-edged sword, having Akko flirt with her. On the one hand, praise from Akko was of the highest caliber of praise one could receive, and she knew she'd spend several days feeling giddy as she replayed the words in her head. But on the other, it had a tendency to send her concentration on the fritz, and Diana needed her full focus on the task at hand. Diana was not some love-struck schoolgirl, and it definitely would do no one any good to act as such.

"Akko…" She mulled over words in her head. She needed to say something romantic, something to set the mood. She had no idea how to move the night forward to set themselves up for the kiss, but it would have to be meaningful and impressive, unlike anything she ever said before.

"…You have cream on your chin. Right under your mouth." Diana reprimanded herself in her head. No. Bad. That was not romantic at all. She handed Akko her handkerchief for her to clean her face, which made it marginally more of a gesture of kindness.

"O-oh, um, thanks!" Diana watched as Akko took the cloth to her mouth, her eyes drawn towards her lips. Had she put on lipstick? It was difficult to say, she had never really payed much attention to them, but now that she was staring at her lips as Akko dabbed the handkerchief around them, she wondered if she had somehow missed how pink and soft they looked. Had she not known better, she might've seen them as…inviting. Akko brought the cloth to quickly wipe at her lower lip, interrupting her observing. Diana's muscles tensed as she recalled what her goal was tonight. As Akko handed the cloth back to her, the corners upturned in a bright expression that stirred deep inside Diana. She instantly became aware of her heartbeat as it picked up and hammered inside her chest.

Diana stood suddenly, offering her hand to help her girlfriend to her own feet. "Ah…A-Akko, there's…there's something I'd like to do."

"Yeah Diana?" Akko asked her, taking her hand. She pulled herself up, and stood close enough she had to crane her neck back to look up into Diana's eyes. Diana felt her heart leap up to her throat. She almost wanted to cough, to relieve the building pressure inside her, but Akko was so close to her, so near to her mouth, all she could do was gulp. Akko spoke in a hushed voice, almost a whisper. "Um, w-what is it?"

"H-hold…still for a second." Diana murmured back, placing her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders.

Akko let out a small, excited squeal and pinched her eyes shut. She began to lean inward, getting closer and closer. Diana felt her face grow warmer and warmer. Her grip ever so slightly tightened on the shorter girl's shoulder blades. She felt them bob up and down as she breathed. Akko pursed her lips slightly, as much as she really could with the smile on her face.

They were so close now. Their faces were but inches away. Diana felt her stomach flutter as she looked down the bridge of her nose to where Akko stood, waiting, expecting. She gathered all her bravado, and pushed herself past her embarrassment and into action. There was only one thing to do.

Diana dusted off the shoulders of Akko's uniform with a few quick brushes. Akko opened her eyes.

"There." She said, taking an additional moment to straighten out her tie. Diana stepped back to get a better view of her work. "You look very presentable, Akko."

"…Thank you?"

Diana felt a burst of pride in herself. Compliments would be an excellent way to build a romantic atmosphere. This was going very well. It would only be a matter of time before Akko would be willing to...move forward. As it were. She took her seat once more, feeling much surer of herself.

She suddenly realized that Akko was still standing, not having moved since Diana had so tactfully appraised her appearance. "Akko, is everything okay?"

"…It's nothing." Akko said, somewhat hesitantly, before giving her a bright smile. "I'm just feeling impatient is all. Just do what makes you comfortable, Diana."

That was an odd statement to make, but it was nice to see Akko caring about her emotional state. Still, this night wasn't really about her. Diana would have to press the plan onward soon, and find some way to build a pleasant atmosphere. She took a sip of water to calm her nerves as she racked her mind.

"Maybe do it a little faster…" Akko muttered to herself as she sat. Diana looked up.

"What?"

"What? I didn't say anything."

Diana could've sworn she heard Akko say something, but if she said she didn't, then it must've been nothing. Either way, they were still here, enjoying a nice picnic and each other's company. It would only be a matter of time and working past a very small amount of fear to seal the deal. Diana couldn't help but smile.

This was all going according to plan.

This was not going according to plan.

It wasn't that Akko didn't get Diana being nervous. This was a pretty embarrassing thing to do, especially since Akko couldn't even directly ask Diana to kiss her. But Akko thought the plan she made would've helped ease Diana into this. This should've been the easy part, the fun part. Just getting to this point was hard enough.

Trying to find the money for Amanda was way more difficult than it should've been, considering she had no idea where to get American currency, which wasn't even getting into the awkward conversation it took to convince Amanda to even consider goading her girlfriend into this. And now here they were; alone, on a date, she was pretty sure they were both willing, and Akko still couldn't get Diana to kiss her. Why was her luck always like this? Diana was always so confident, and pretty, and nice and smart an-

Well, she was a lot of things, so Akko assumed she would be able to take the lead on this when she was too shy to do it. But it seemed like Diana choked even more than her when it came to this, and she really wanted to get her first kiss tonight. Akko let a quiet sigh, trying to hide her distress from her girlfriend. How much did she respect Diana's comfort zone, and how much did she force this? Because she didn't want Diana do something that made her unhappy. At the same time, though, Akko would like her first kiss before she was, you know, an old lady.

…That was mean. Diana had some trouble with affection, but it's not like she was that bad. She could definitely muster the courage to do this tonight, couldn't she?
…

"Mayenab Dysheebudo, Mayenab Dysheebudo…" Akko whispered to herself.

A.N. I said I'd write this, and I haven't lied to you guys yet as far as you know. Anyway, the last story came out of nowhere because I wanted to write something dramatic. This...is about as disgusting and far from dramatic as you'd expect a first kiss story to be, so do with that as you will. It was meant as a one shot, but I ended up splitting it into two.

I'm back at school now, so I'm not sure when I'll post the rest, but I try to be timely with these. Chapter 2 is the part where we get to the actual attempts at kissing and Akko suffering bodily harm, so there's that to look forward to! Usually write a joke or fish for comments here, but I can't think of anything. Hope you enjoy regardless.