Their last full day in Japan was greeted with an early morning email from Inoue Agito. Fate cradled her cup of warm matcha tea, eyeing her screen with no little trepidation. Nanoha had been busy transferring what was left of their breakfast to the trolley to leave it outside of their room door for the staff to clear up. "You worked through dinner, I didn't," was the executive's argument when Fate protested.
So the blonde had conceded and instead, made them both drinks before they settled down to start their work day. Nanoha had said she was fine with the capsule coffee the room had to offer, so Fate brewed up a caramel macchiato for the woman. Both their workstations had been charging through the night, thus the blonde could set them up minus their wires at the kotatsu.
This was swiftly becoming Fate's favourite way to work since she got to tuck her legs under the warm futon while having Nanoha just a few feet away doing her own work. Closing the door behind her, Nanoha sensed Fate's disquiet and padded over the tatami to peer over the blonde's shoulder. Sharp eyes made out the name of the sender and the auburn-haired woman gave an eloquent grunt.
Bolstered by the hand on her shoulder, comfort seeping through the material of her yukata, Fate double-clicked the message. The email began with the usual polite platitudes and talk about building a close working relationship with TSAB. It culminated in praise for Fate's work ethics and professionalism, and a ream of attached documents. Contract documents.
The hand on her shoulder squeezed and Fate looked up into sparkling blue eyes that stared down at her with beaming pride. "You did it, Feito-chan." Both women had been harbouring a fear that their actions had somehow tanked the deal for TSAB. To have concrete proof that it wasn't the case made them both feel giddy and Nanoha grabbed Fate up into a bear hug, the blonde yelping and laughing in surprise. Lifting the taller woman up, the executive spun her around, smiling brilliantly up at the laughing angel.
"Aaah! Nanoha! You're going to break something!" Giggling, Fate swatted one of the lean arms spinning her around with little effort until Nanoha finally relented and set her back down on the tatami.
"Gods, exactly how strong are you?" Panting slightly, face framed by hair that had come undone by the activity, Fate looked down at the shorter woman who only grinned. She felt a hand slipping into her hair, pulling her head down, and her heart began to pound, until Nanoha pressed their foreheads together, "You did it," she whispered again. "Forward it to our contract guys and thank Inoue-san for her time. I need to call Haya-chan."
Swallowing her disappointment at the lack of another kiss, Fate jerked a nod and sat back down to do that. Grabbing her phone, Nanoha paced through the living area to step out onto the porch, breathing in the crisp autumn morning with deep pleasure. She had left the shoji door open, figuring the call would not take long anyway.
"Nano-chan, it's fucking 6AM…"
"For you, maybe," the executive drawled teasingly. Fate bit her bottom lip as she shamelessly eavesdropped while tapping out a suitably professional response to the DoCoMo executive. Her hands paused to make fists. Gods, that voice was so sexy…
Fate could hear their CEO mumbling unflattering things about Nanoha and where she could shove her timezone.
"Hayate… Feito-chan did it." Having resumed her typing, Fate blinked and glanced up at the executive who was still out on the porch. The woman had turned and the blonde found herself drowning once more in that brilliant sea of ocean blue.
The sleepy, grumpy tanuki yawned, "Did what? You?"
Jumping, Nanoha almost dropped her phone and performed feats of acrobatics to save it from hitting the hard wood floor. Having lost her cool, Nanoha growled into her phone, face hot, "Hayate! That's not funny! Feito-chan can hear you! Kami, you're such a disgrace of a CEO." Nanoha threw Fate an apologetic look. The blonde was refusing to meet her eyes and her colour was high, dusting her alabaster skin with a deep shade of pink.
'Oh my gods,' Bad enough Agito was assuming crap, they couldn't have that from their own boss. Scrubbing her face, she injected all the disapproval she could muster into her voice, "You're going to apologise to Feito-chan right this instant. You're on speaker phone, so go on."
Realising she'd crossed a line with her Operations executives, Hayate rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, "Sorry, Fate-san, I wasn't thinking."
"I-It's all right, Hayate-san, m-mistakes happen." Wishing she could hide under the futon, Fate buried her hot face into her laptop.
Sighing, Nanoha gave Fate's shoulder an apologetic squeeze and headed back out to the porch.
"Now, if you've gotten your shitty raccoon head out your arse… DoCoMo. Feito-chan closed it."
A giggle came through the line, "I told you Fate-san would ace the dinner. You damned worrywart."
"I wasn't worried about that," Nanoha grumbled, wishing her yukata had a pocket she could shove her free hand into. A glance told her Fate's face was still as warm as hers and she scrubbed impatiently at it. This autumn wasn't cold enough, it had to be because of climate change.
"Contract guys are going to have a crack at it. I'll update you if they find anything."
"Sure, sure." The sound of a tap being run came through the phone speaker. It was clear the CEO had decided to just get her day started after being so rudely awoken by her EVP of Ops. "You went to see Yuuno?" She asked, splashing her face with water.
Touched that Hayate still remembered the day, Nanoha glanced over to Fate again, blue eyes soft. Fate was industriously typing away, until she felt eyes on her and glanced up over the rim of her glasses to find the auburn-haired woman looking at her. Her own eyes warmed, hearing the subject of the person over the line.
"Yea… Feito-chan got to meet him."
Hayate stared at her phone, and Nanoha could sense the surprise through the silence. "It was good to meet him," Fate stated quietly, and Nanoha gave up, putting Hayate on speaker phone and dropping the device onto the kotatsu's surface. Quirking an amused brow at the blonde, Nanoha nodded at her to repeat herself. Hesitantly, she leaned closer, "It was good to meet Yuuno-san," Fate reiterated for Hayate's benefit.
Hayate was adjusting to the fact that if she spoke to one, she was more than likely to be speaking to both of her Operations execs now. Maybe Vita's cunning plan hadn't gone to a complete waste. That Nanoha was willing to make her lonely trek with someone else was certainly something to take note of. Neither herself nor her cousins had ever been able to persuade the stubborn executive to let them accompany her and the brunette knew it was part personal purgatory, part pride.
"You would have gotten along great," Hayate said warmly, "He'd have appreciated the help keeping Nano-chan out of trouble."
"Hey!"
It was rare that Hayate got to tweak her ex-student council president and it was all thanks to this new AVP of hers that she got to do so. Just for that, she was considering a bonus for Fate. "Anyway, job well done all around, team. Get the worst of the cobwebs out of your hair and take the rest of the trip off, CEO's orders. Oh, and Nano-chan, help me get something for Haruka-chan since you're there? She's in the office creche now and everyone's in love with her."
"Sure," Nanoha's lips tugged into a wistful smile that piqued Fate's curiosity. Office creche?
"I take it Suzu-chan and Ali-chan are back in?"
"Hai, they're very eager to meet your new AVP, or so I've heard," the tanuki sounded sly and Nanoha heaved an internal sigh, wondering what that gang of stooges were up to now. "Well, they'll have a chance when we're back next week, I suppose. If they scare her off they'll answer to me, though. Make sure they know that." Nanoha mock-bared her teeth, causing Fate to giggle.
"Nanoha, you know I don't scare easily." Fate tugged teasingly at the executive's forelock.
"You don't know these yahoos, Feito-chan. They made my life hell in school."
"More old classmates? I'd really like to meet them, then."
"You'll have your chance," The grin in Hayate's voice was obvious. 'My my, listen to that banter.' "They'll be attending the Halloween bash too."
"Oh, right, that was a thing." Nanoha's deadpan voice told everyone how much she was looking forward to it. Her eyes fell on the enchanting princess seated at the kotatsu, "I suppose it won't be too bad with Feito-chan for company. The rest of you just aggravate me."
"Oh, so you'll be attending together?" Ever so innocently, Hayate asked her loaded question.
Caught flat-footed, Nanoha's mouth fell open, "Uh…"
Taking pity on the Japanese woman, Fate cleared her throat, "I will be surrounded by strangers…"
"Mmm, true. That settles it, Nanoha, it's your duty to come with Fate-san so she doesn't feel awkward about attending."
"Er, if she is all right with that, I suppose? I'm not much fun for parties."
Fate shrugged one graceful shoulder, "Neither am I."
The cunning tanuki decided to beat a hasty retreat now that her work was done. "All right, I'll see you gals when you're back. Remember the omiyage for Haruka-chan." Reminding Nanoha about getting souvenirs for the baby in their circle of friends, the CEO ended the call.
Nanoha picked up her cellphone, expression a mix of consternation and caution. "Feito-chan, you don't have to feel pressured by that shitty raccoon…"
"Nanoha," cutting the executive off firmly, Fate threw her boss an understanding look, "People are going to talk regardless. I would much r-rather have them gossiping while I enjoy being with my best friend." Fate was secretly wanting to be the first to see Nanoha in costume, too.
Fate knew exactly what her misgivings were and Nanoha looked at the blonde in mild exasperation. "When did you get this good at reading me?"
'Since I realised I love you.' Fate answered silently. Removing her glasses, she wiped it on the edge of her yukata, "I just pay attention," she explained, "And remember you always come from a place of concern."
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Her cheek tingled as a calloused hand cupped it warmly, "My reputation is going to hell in a handbasket if this keeps up," the auburn-haired woman murmured huskily. She didn't sound worried at all.
Fate covered Nanoha's hand with her own, pressing softly for emphasis, "If it bothers you, we can keep it just between us. But… I would really like everyone to see Nanoha through my eyes. You are the kindest, most generous person I know."
Nanoha made a soft sound of amusement, "Looks like Feito-chan likes a challenge." Sighing at the blonde's rose-coloured glasses, she tugged at Fate's fringe in teasing retaliation. "Like I said at the start, I can't be like this at work."
"Mmm, Nanoha-chan inspires me. And I know. But you need not be called a devil, either." This slim blonde was matching the Japanese woman in stubbornness and Nanoha found that she lacked the will to fight her on this.
"It… helps get things done faster."
"I won't get in the way of that," Fate promised.
"I know, you've already been an incredible help," the blonde took pride in the fact that her boss actually looked well-rested. Of course, they did wake up tangled up in one another again, though neither had seen fit to mention anything about it. It just seemed to be a natural progression of their closeness as friends.
"It… doesn't bother me," Nanoha admitted, basking in the warm regard the blonde directed at her upon her admission. "Anyway, you heard that shitty raccoon. Let's finish up and get lunch at Akihabara. I think Haruka-chan would like some Ghibli plushies, don't you?"
Floored by the mesmerising smile the blonde sent her way, Nanoha cleared her throat and flipped open her own laptop to look at her screen.
----------------------------------------
"Nanoha!" Fate hissed, "Th-That's the used p-panties machine!"
A low chuckle was Fate's reply, "We're not going there, it just happens to be along the way, Feito-chan." The strong hand wrapped around hers gave Fate a reassuring squeeze.
Clad in a brown contoured lambskin jacket, Nanoha cut a stunning figure as she led the blonde through the milling crowds of Tokyo's anime and electronics district. Her loose white tank was tucked into low-slung jeans of faded blue and the brown of her suede ankle boots were a perfect match for her jacket. The blonde had helped plait the woman's thick auburn locks into a side rope that hung over one shoulder and Fate just shook her head at the executive who still had no clue about all the heads she was turning.
Of course, Nanoha wasn't going to notice anything or anyone else, since Fate was catching everyone's attention in her breezy white blouse and baggy oversized beige cardigan. The blouse was tucked into belted tapered cut-off jeans that were in turn tucked into knee-high black leather boots. A large billowing chequered scarf was wrapped around her neck until where her delicate chin was covered and with her golden fringe held back with a pair of sunglasses propped on her head, she was the very picture of sophisticated chic.
Clearing their morning inboxes by a respectable 1PM, the women had taken Hayate up on her offer of a break and left to find lunch in the infamous otaku capital of the world. Nanoha appeared well-acquainted with the district and led her through the crowds with purpose.
There were a few instances where men with fogged up glasses and expensive cameras tried to stop them. From the rapid exchange of japanese, Fate gathered that they were requesting to take pictures of Nanoha and herself, something the executive firmly turned down each time. Though disappointed, the men didn't press their request and simply wandered away in search of other subjects to capture on film.
Entering one of the larger buildings in the area, Nanoha brought Fate to the entrance of what looked like a French cafe. There was a snaking line outside of the entrance and Fate wondered how long they would need to wait to get in.
"Kaichou-sama," the wait staff was a slim girl in her late teens, dressed in a smart shirt and vest uniform, "Welcome back. Please, this way." Fishing up two sets of menus, the girl led them into an enclosed area within the sprawling cafe. The other tables in the enclosure were empty, and seemed to be reserved for special guests only.
The smartly dressed server left them with their menus and a promise to return shortly to take their orders. Fate glanced around the opulent gold and blue decor, epitomising the Belle Époque era, and realised this was a replica of a famous cafe in France. "Hayate liked the original so much, she obtained the rights to build a copy back home," Nanoha explained as she watched Fate take in the high ceiling decorated with lavish artwork and chandeliers.
"I wasn't in the mood to wait in line, so I figured we would drop by and people watch." Bemused, the blonde wondered whether she should be watching the street outside, or the people inside. Various tables were occupied with one or more sets of girls, all who seemed entranced by the handsome female wait staff who glided from table to table, serving and chatting up the clientele with charming ease.
Hayate certainly knew which market her establishment was serving. All the wait staff were female and cut dashing figures in their uniforms, their looks styled to appeal to various demographics and tastes. Still, Fate felt the most princely of them all was the woman seated at the table with her.
"Who's in our VIP section, Hana-chan?" The staff who had seen Nanoha and friend to their table turned to the restaurant manager, a woman with flowing orange hair that fell about her shoulders in soft waves. "Takamachi-sama and her friend are here, Arisugawa-san."
"Sou~?" Curious, the manager peered over the divider, spotting the devilishly gorgeous friend of the restaurant owner with an ethereal angel for a companion. "Maa~ Has our ultimate Ōji-sama finally found her Hime-sama? Haya-chan should have warned us." Tying a black apron about her waist, the manager decided she would just have to serve them personally today.
"Kaichou-sama, it is good to see you."
Glancing up at the familiar voice, Nanoha gave the flame-haired woman an easy nod of greeting, "Arisugawa-san, hisashiburi~," she greeting in japanese, before switching to english, "Please meet Fate Testarossa, my best friend and colleague."
"Sou~?" Bowing to Fate, the manager smiled, "Hajimemashite~ Arisugawa Juri desu, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu~ Nice to meet you, Testarossa-san. Please be welcome."
Fate stood and bowed, murmuring the appropriate response to the woman. The manager's costume was different, cut in a much more princely style complete with buttoned lapels and gold trimmed epaulettes, and her coat-tailed jacket was dyed the same orange as her hair.
Quite a few of the customers were gazing longingly at the manager, tittering behind hands covering their mouths, and the woman seemed entirely used to the attention. It was one of the many reasons why she had been hired. Fate hid her own smile of amusement when the customers began glancing over to Nanoha as well. The executive's powerful presence was impossible to miss, even when all she was doing was reading a menu with one brow cocked.
Placing their orders with the charming manager, they handed back their menus. Nanoha's hands were busy again, idly fiddling with the ornate pepper and salt shakers at their table while they waited. An indulgent little smile played over the blonde's lips. Cheekily, she reached over and shifted the salt shaker out of alignment, just to give Nanoha something extra to do.
"Hey now, a messy table is the sign of a messy mind, I'll have you know." Nanoha prissily set the shaker back in its proper place. "What does it mean if your table is empty, then?" Fate challenged with one pale brow arched.
"It means the owner is keeping an open mind and is ready for anything that might end up on it." Nanoha said with feigned haughtiness, batting away Fate's hand each time the blonde tried to mess with the shakers again.
"Oh? You mean like when the Testarossa account landed on your table? I saw that Granscenic was supposed to be in charge of that."
Nanoha blinked away the image of a specific Testarossa on her office table and coughed, "Yes, well, he's good but…"
"He's not the best," Fate finished confidently, delighting in the slight cast of pink under the executive's mild tan. "Nyahaha… I suppose that's one way to put it." Nanoha was about to scratch the back of her head before remembering Fate had plaited her hair this morning.
Arisugawa observed the occasional hints of actual bashfulness coming from her former seitou kaichou and chuckled. "Will wonders never cease." She had caught a few patrons trying to sneak pictures of the pair on their mobile phones and had instructed her staff to intercept any such instances they found. She knew the intensely private executive wouldn't have appreciated the misplaced hero worship she was recognising in some of the restaurant's regulars.
"Compliments to the chef, Arisugawa-san." Dimpling at the elegant blonde, the manager flourished a princely bow befitting the theme of their establishment, "Miki-chan will be delighted with your praise, o hime-sama. He lives but to serve." Winking at the lovely blushing blonde, Arisugawa took her leave to pass the compliments on.
Was that sly kitsune hitting on Fate? Eyeing the departing manager with no little outrage, Nanoha laughed softly to herself.
"What's so amusing?" Fate asked, slicing gracefully into her seared scallops.
"I think that fox would like to be more than your wait staff, that's all." Nanoha muttered dryly. "Incorrigible skirt-chaser that she is." She took a bite of her crusted sea bass.
Fate coughed and took a sip of her wine to clear her throat. "Th-That is too bad. I have no interest in h-her." From the way Fate answered, it sounded to Nanoha as if she was interested in someone else. Heart heavy, the executive considered who it could be. Alph-san, perhaps? The scientist was smart and beautiful.
Shoving the dread deep down so that it wouldn't affect their time off, Nanoha simply gave the blonde a lopsided smile tinged with wistfulness. The executive shook out her napkin to catch a bit of wine staining those perfectly pink lips and all the other patrons fanned themselves at the scene. "Well, whoever catches your eye will be one lucky son of a bitch." Fate licked the spot Nanoha had wiped, eyeing the woman's precise wielding of her fork and knife, "How is the fish?" Fate asked without any context.
Blinking, Nanoha smiled, "Want a taste?" At Fate's nod, she piled a helping onto her fork and made to pass the cutlery to the blonde. Instead, Fate closed her hand around Nanoha's calloused one and drew the fork closer. Leaning over, and very deliberately ensuring the auburn-haired beauty had a good view down her blouse, she accepted the taste, her strawberry pink tongue flickering out to catch the last flake of fish on the fork. She had doffed her scarf in the warm interior of the restaurant and hadn't bothered to button up any higher than just past her fire engine red lace bra.
It was as if someone else was controlling Fate's behaviour. She had never acted this way with anyone before, and had never wished to. But, she wasn't lying when she told Nanoha that the executive inspired her. The blonde eyed her table-mate from under lowered lashes, wondering if the woman understood exactly which 'son of a bitch' Fate had her eye on.
Nanoha was sat frozen in place, her arm still raised in the position it had been when Fate had leaned over to try the morsel she had offered to the blonde. "It's very nice." Nudged out of her stupor by the blonde's melodic voice, Nanoha blinked and gave a stiff nod. "Yes, ahem, Kaoru Miki-sensei is well-known for his skill with French cuisine." Under the blonde's heavily-lashed gaze, she tugged lightly at the collar of her jacket, wondering when it had gotten so warm inside.
"They should lower the heat in here…" Nanoha muttered, pulling off her jacket to hook it over the back of her chair. Dressed down to her tank, sinewy arms and shoulders bared, she felt much cooler and heaved a sigh of relief, not noticing the sudden rash of nosebleeds inflicting the various other tables around them.
"Kaichou-sama!"
"Hmm?" About to take another bite of her lunch, Nanoha peered up at the manager from under her fringe. The woman had her hands on her hips, brows drawn in some outrage. The prince of their prep school was utterly oblivious and Fate felt a small measure of empathy for the manager. Not even Fate was immune to the effect of that body and she probably saw it the most out of anyone she knew. She shared a commiserating glance with the manager and made further inroads into her main course.
Throwing up her hands, the manager muttered something about stupid sexy Flanders, only to catch sight of another customer suffering a nosebleed.
This time it was Fate's turn to laugh softly to herself.
"What's so funny?" Nanoha asked, echoing the blonde's question from before.
Fate shook her head, refusing the executive the privilege of knowing what was up. Instead, the blonde offered the auburn-haired woman a forkful of her meal to try. Being a tad shorter than Fate, Nanoha had to plant her elbows on the table to lever herself close enough to catch the bite. This did all sorts of interesting things to the woman's sinfully lean form and there was a clatter of cutlery heard in the background. "Kaichou-sama, could you stop whatever it is you are doing?!" The manager yelled in frustration while trying to revive the customer who had fainted.
Blinking, Nanoha licked her Cupid's bow lips, "Thanks. S'good," she told the blonde, looking curiously over to where she'd heard the manager yell from. "What's up with them?" She asked, brow furrowed, to which Fate could only cover her eyes with one hand, body shaking with silent giggles. "Just eat, Nanoha-chan, before they throw us out."
The flame-haired manager saw Nanoha and her friend off with no little relief, mixed with a healthy dose of regret. "By the kami, Hana-chan, can you imagine the kind of business we would have if that pair were regulars here?"
"Miki-san would collapse from the workload." The handsome wait staff observed blandly. The chef and his sous chefs were already at their limit fulfilling orders from the packed to the brim restaurant.
Text and board messages had flooded Akihabara's social media during lunch and the line outside the restaurant had exploded to wrap around the entire mall the establishment was located in. There were murmurs of disappointment when those in line saw the pair leaving and the crowd began to thin out since there would be no 'Prince & Princess' to admire in the premises any longer.