#hannako

That's why Hannah and Barbara were here. After noticing their lovely girlfriend struggle the past few months or so with hidden feelings that they could not interpret as anything else than the beginnings of another love, they had decided that it wasn't so bad to help her out and give her the happiness she very clearly deserved.

Okay, and maybe they found Atsuko super cute. After observing her the past few weeks- just to be sure she was good for Diana because scouting was important if they wanted what was best for her- they had come to also adore the honest, bubbly, and incredibly sweet girl who went to the park after school to feed random birds and animals, and gave children sweets after performing rather impressive magic tricks.

Hannah sighed her thoughts away, turning back to her useless girlfriend to confirm that she had made no progress at all in getting to her class. As expected.

Hannah could only watch on helplessly. She was not about to ruin her pretty image by barbarically dragging her girlfriend into the room. Not yet. That was only for desperate times.

Now was... not so desperate.

After what felt like forever congested into the last ten minutes of Diana's- and by extension, Hannah's- struggle, the oaf of a blonde genius finally managed to take a step into the lecture hall.

-only to peek back out at a speed contrasting the time it took to enter the room.

Hannah simply raised a brow, a silent, "What." being expressed.

"She's not here yet!" Diana whisper-shouted in panic. "I should've remembered she'd usually not be early! She's never here early! Hannah!"

Hannah only took another sip from her straw still, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend's rare display of desperate whininess.

Such a baby sometimes. She was definitely going to tell aunt Bernadette when they met up again. Just so they could tease Diana together.

"Calm down, sweet. Just go wait for her inside then or something." Hannah finally responded, sipping the last of her iced coffee before tossing the empty container into a nearby bin. "It's not like she'd skip class to avoid you."

"..."

"No way." Hannah could have laughed as Diana silently confirmed that Kagari Atsuko would definitely do something like that.

Oh great.

Two pains to deal with now.

She should've asked Barbara to come along.

Suddenly she heard a squeak from behind her. Hannah quickly turned around and a grin formed immediately on her face.

'Well, well. How perfect.'

Just the one they had been looking for, who was about to turn around and leave- about to bolt for dear life.

Not like Hannah would let her.

Preparing her sweetest smile and voice, she called the girl's name, skipping in her direction, snaking an arm around her waist before planting a greeting kiss on her cheek.

"Atsuko~"

"EEEEE-!  M-Miss England!"

"Oh, come on. Don't be so cold now! Call me Hannah~. Han-nah. <3"

From the corner of her eye she could see Diana sporting a scowl.

'Oh? Already jealous?'

It only tempted Hannah to mess with the pair even more. This was actually turning out to be quite fun. Maybe patience really was a virtue worth its price.

"Come now, let's get to class." She cheerfully linked arms with Atsuko, dragging her into the biochemistry class, past a Diana whose jaw hung slack.

----

Diana snapped out of her stupor soon enough, marching after the pair into the room.

"Wait a second, Hannah." Diana glared at her girlfriend, noting that Hannah had stolen her seat next to Miss Kagari. She nudged the girl over, the three of them now sat- squeezed together- at one table usually meant for only two. "You don't have this class." She pointed out bitterly, hoping Hannah would take the hint and leave.

Her frown deepened as Hannah simply smirked that one way that Diana knew meant that Hannah would do as she pleased regardless of anything or anyone.

"I do now~."

//

Lunch.

Finally. Thank god, Diana thought.

...or not.

If her morning dedicated to labs was already difficult with Hannah hanging around, Barbara taking a seat next to Miss Kagari at the table doubled her hardships.

Really. Couldn't these two see that they were making her cru- frien... wait. That wasn't it either. Just what... was Kagari Atsuko to her at the moment then?

She glanced at the trio again, her girlfriends taking turns happily feeding the poor girl in the middle who could only smile and nod, afraid of rejecting their advances.

She should really learn to speak up, that Kagari Atsuko.

Then again, she couldn't blame her. This was something she had also experienced back then, when she first started dating Hannah and Barbara.

Diana sighed, not really knowing what to do anymore.

"Yieee-!"

Diana swiftly became alert, already up from her seat and walking over to where Miss Kagari was bright red and apologizing to the people around for disturbing the peaceful lunch hours with her noise.

Diana was toeing a very fine line of patience, having been tested all morning. Hannah and Barbara were going too far with their touchiness and teasing! Hadn't they discussed that they'd go into this gently! Courtship! Kagari Atsuko deserved the best of it!

This wasn't it!

And Hannah slipping her hand onto Akko's thigh was the last straw for Diana.

Quickly, she took that hand off, taking Akko's and leading her out towards the courtyard to get some fresh air. For Akko or for herself? She didn't really know.

In her blind emotion, Diana had failed to realize some things. One was that she had dragged her partner half way across the school building, subconsciously wanting to be as far from her stressors as possible; and two, they were now alone. Something that never happened outside of lab activities.

As soon as it came to her awareness, she whirled around to face the girl she had roughly tugged along behind her, bowing in deep apology. "I'm truly sorry, Miss Kagari!" She hadn't really thought of what to do after that.

Peeking up at Akko, she saw a flustered expression that made her heart flutter in her chest. Everything about her was just so, so enticing. Maybe she'd admit to understanding her girlfriends' desires to act the way they did around the Japanese girl.

Caught in a moment unaware, her lips loosened, speaking a blaring thought she had believed she'd suppressed at the back of her mind for so long.

"May I formally court you?"

She felt her eyes widen as Akko's did as well.

There. She'd said it. She'd finally said it.

She just hoped that Akko would let her down easy if in case rejection was her choice of answer-

"H-how... How does it work?" Was the tiny voice's response in the form of a question of her own.

"Huh?"

"This... thing. Relationship. Of yours." She wrung her shirt in her hands, twisting nervously. She didn't seem to be asking out of judgment, rather it was out of genuine curiosity. "I mean... if I'm going to-to be a part of it, I'd like to know... y'know?" She grinned this crooked silly grin that made Diana blush.

'Super cute' -as Hannah had put it, Akko was.

"W-well... I... um..." Come now, Diana Cavendish. Where did the valedictorian of her graduating class go? She needed to explain it clearly, and simple as possible at the same time. "It's... we love each other... equally...?"

'Oh, bury me alive.'

"I... see." Atsuko hummed, staring at her shoes for a bit, face scrunched up in deep thought.

Diana needed to do something. Say something to clear up any confusion the other girl might have acquired after her failure of an explanation.

"Y-You don't have to erm... 'love' as all at once. Or force yourself to be in a relationship with us all- um... odd as it may sound... that you'd date only one of us while we date each other. Oh but... That... doesn't sound very fair on your part, does it?" Diana chuckled awkwardly, one of her hands circling the opposite wrist, seeking comfort in the sensation.

Aahhh, she'd definitely messed it up now. Maybe having Hannah and Barbara around was a better game plan when it came to Kagari Atsuko. Diana braced herself for the worst.

The worst... didn't come.

"I want to try."

If anything, it was the best?

"W-whu?" Diana's gaze zoned in on the blushing woman in front of her, shoes scuffing the dirt, hands fidgeting together. She was clearly flustered. Not that Diana was any better. Especially not after the bomb that would drop on her next.

"I actually... like you... Miss Cavendish."

"Well, shit."

"Eh?"

"Oh! Oh no! Shit as in... no, um...not in the bad sense! Shit as in, the good shit- dear lord, what have I been spouting I'll shut up right away, right now, I- I'm..." Shamefully stupid as she was being, she couldn't help the smile that was beginning to make her cheeks hurt by how wide it had spread across her face. "I'm so happy, Mi-Miss Ka... no.... Atsuko. Atsuko... At-canIcallyouthat?” 

She received a dumbfounded nod. One she was most grateful for.

She took a deep breath. “I... I also... I fancy you." She confessed in her own odd way that definitely confused Atsuko.

"Thanks?"

"It means I like you."

"Oh."

"..."

"Oh."

Diana couldn’t quite name all the emotions that had so quickly flashed across Atsuko’s face. She hoped they meant good things?

"Well, shit."

Good things.

"Right?" Diana began chuckling, unable to help herself. She felt over the moon, flying high up like a witch on a broom above the clouds. Or was Atsuko the witch? Casting a spell on her, making her all sorts of weird.

Did it matter now though?

Hardly.

If anything, she liked this love spell that had bewitched her.

"May I... May I walk you home after class later?" She mustered up the courage to ask, patting herself on the back for being rather progressive. She was feeling a bit more confident compared to earlier. Her composure was beginning to return to her, and her calm indicated that she was getting used to interacting with her new potential lover.

And then the girl smiled.

All of that organization of mind flew out the window.

"I'd love to walk home with you, D-Diana."

Ah. The finishing blow.

"Th-th-th-th-that's! Sounds perfect! Ha! Haha! Ha...ha... I, then we should-" Diana should remember how breathing felt. Suddenly, her head was spinning, vision tunneling. She vaguely heard the lunch bell go off somewhere in the background. "Class! Class, time to go back and-"

She missed the way Atsuko's eyes widened in panic, looking behind Diana and reaching for naught.

"Eh? D-Diana, wait! There's a-"

Tree.

Before she could even think of kissing Atsuko, she first kissed a tree.

Progress.

//-//

Extra:

"You think it worked?"

"Obviously. My plans always work."

"Our plans, babe." Barbara giggled, leaning her head against Hannah's shoulder, relishing in its warmth and comfort. It was fun to tease the pair while it lasted, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was all okay. "We didn't... push too far, did we? Make them uncomfortable or anything?"

Hannah nuzzled the top of her head, planting a kiss there. "I'm pretty sure we did." She sighed. "But would it have been as effective if we didn't?"

"I suppose not."

"Mm." Hannah hummed. "We can just apologize when this is all over and laugh it off."

Barbara turned to her, giggling, a teasing glint in her eyes. "You hate apologizing, luv."

"I know." Hannah laughed along. "That's why I'm hoping it goes great and Diana forgets all about it."

Barbara agreed with that one. She knew she was equally in trouble.

They hoped for the best. If all went according to their little scheme, Diana would be coming back with a girl that was already half their girlfriend. Just a little more to go. Then they could get to all the 'fun things'  that came with being in a relationship.

Right.

Still though...

 "They're rather useless."