Smoothing down her gauzy silhouette dress in ocean tones and bold floral prints, Nanoha gave the departing doctor one last stink-eye before retrieving her leather purse and stepping back out into the waiting room. Rein was seated by the door, catching up on messages on her phone, the woman rising once her client made a reappearance.
It had been less than a week since the bodyguards had moved out of the TSAB condo but the Singaporean woman could already see a marked improvement in the woman's countenance. There were less shadows under her eyes, and the pallor that had plagued Nanoha's complexion was beginning to fade a little. Returning to the island nation had been the right choice after all, for both the blonde and the Takamachi heir.
The thin straps holding up the dress did nothing to hide the scars in the woman's shoulder, though Nanoha appeared not to care if it drew attention or not. Accepting Rein's help in getting her arm back into the sling with a murmur of thanks, she crossed her legs and retrieved her own cellphone to scroll through some work of her own.
Her strappy high-heeled sandals complimented the asymmetrical cut of her dress' skirt, its slit rising to mid-thigh and slipping open to the side in her current seating pose. The suit jacket she had added to the look for work had been discarded now that she was out of the office, leaving her torso draped in nothing but opaque gauze and a matching satin slip cut close and contoured to her form. It felt as if someone else was dressing the woman for their own pleasure.
The hand in the sling played absently with the ends of the woman's side plait while she scrolled over to the next message and though the woman showed hints of fatigue around the edges, there was also a sense of peace about her that pricked Rein's curiosity. "How are things with Fate?" She asked without context.
Nanoha had not been entirely oblivious to the weighing look the sharp-eyed head of ESSS was giving her, knowing that the woman missed little as was required in her line of work. Thus, the query did not come entirely out of left-field and she kept her response within the parameters of what she and Fate were trying to portray to the outside world.
"Slowly getting the hang of things in TSAB," she blew out a slow breath, "And her last memory failed to trigger an episode." A hint of sincere wonder crept into her otherwise toneless alto and she cast a begrudgingly grateful look at her guard. "She's incredibly resilient." Knowing that the subject of Fate was still a risky one, she frowned back down at her phone, "I don't know how long her luck will hold out. I'm glad Ginga and Edel can be with her while I'm out."
"Sounds to me like you're taking her safety into your hands again," Rein observed.
That was undeniable and Nanoha simply shrugged her uninjured shoulder, "Circumstances are what they are. Since our work hours coincide, it's the most logical solution." Never mind that Nanoha would be attached at the hip to the blonde if she could help it. Even being apart from the blonde for her doctor's appointment had her missing her favourite body pillow something fierce.
Hearing her name called, Nanoha rose to speak with the nurse. "We're prescribing you a short course of iron tablets. Do keep the cotton over the blood draw site until you are home again." Nodding, the executive proffered her patient card and tapped her watch to the reader for the clinic to deduct her co-pay from the credit card linked to her device.
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"Hey, Haya-chan." Forewarned that her EVP of Operations was dropping by, Hayate was able to hold back her immediate impulse until after the front door closed behind them. Glomping tightly onto the woman, the TSAB CEO bit back a sob as she burrowed into a form that felt less solid than she remembered.
Holding the shorter brunette with the arm not in a sling, Nanoha blinked back tears that Hayate herself was not bothering to hold back. "I'm sorry I worried you," voice thick, she rocked the smaller woman whose face was buried into her chest.
"I want to hurt you SO much!" Trembling in anger and fear, Hayate drew back, the claws of her fingers clasped around her executive's upper arms as she shook her, "How dare you put yourself in so much danger!" Not caring if the bodyguard attached to Nanoha was witness to her breakdown, she sobbed and flung her arms around her friend again.
Nanoha knew that she had worried the CEO, though she clearly had not expected this much of a reaction from her little guardian tanuki. Wholly discombobulated, she awkwardly manoeuvred the two of them to the living room sofa and sat the sniffling woman down with her. With her eyes, she signalled to Rein to please help look for a damp face cloth for the brunette, a message the bodyguard easily received.
Turning her attention back to the CEO, she rubbed the woman's back, brows furrowed, "I felt that I was expendable so long as I could get to Fate, get to the fuckers doing kami knows what to her." Eyes distant, she came to a stark realisation and glanced over to her friend, "I still feel that way." The admission was said with quiet conviction; not a plea for understanding, but a simple statement of fact.
"I know that's not what you want to hear…"
Hayate shook her head, hiccoughing and offering Rein a grateful look when the woman returned with a damp cloth. "Gods damn you, Nano-chan," her growl was equal parts frustration and helplessness as she wiped away her tears and snot. "So you DO love her."
Feeling her damnable cheeks warm, Nanoha's gaze dropped. The TSAB CEO was sharper than a razor, she would sniff out a lie as easily as she would a fresh durian at ten paces, "What I feel is irrelevant, it's what she feels that matters." Which was the purest truth to Nanoha, Fate's love was all that mattered to the auburn haired woman.
She found herself being shaken again, and she wondered if those healed bones could withstand the brunette's manhandling. Still, she felt as if she owed the tanuki this much and bore the shakes with quiet grace. "You just told me how you feel you gods' be damned stubborn cow!" Sighing, Hayate scrubbed at her face with the washcloth, "You're gonna be the literal death of me, I swear to the gods…"
Taking pity on the trickster who had been her balm and bane all through most of her life, Nanoha snugged the brunette to her side, "For what it's worth, I doubt her family will try anything that blatant again."
"They better fucking not," Hayate grumbled darkly, "I don't have any Nanohas to spare. And you shut the fuck up. I wish you would care for yourself as much as others did for you." Nanoha had been about to refute the TSAB CEO but the brunette had anticipated what her old seitou kaichou was going to say, cutting her off at the pass before she could spew more infuriating nonsense about being expendable.
Drawing in a long breath, something that was in itself a pleasure after over a month of being in a body cast, Nanoha quietly exhaled, "You're right. I owe it to Yuuno, and the rest of you."
That was more than Hayate had been expecting and it showed in her expression, eyebrows raised to find her stubborn friend actually agreeing with her.
"Things… just got out of hand. I fucked up, and too many had to pay the price for my fuck up." Nanoha acknowledged with a heavy sigh of her own. The guilt would remain with her for a long time more to come, no matter what Fate had told her.
"I'm still not firing you, you know." Nanoha's naked admission was a first for Hayate to witness. There had never, ever, been a time when her friend had felt as if she had failed badly enough to say she had fucked up, and Hayate knew she needed to nudge her EVP off of her one way road to eternal atonement or that messiah complex would give the TSAB CEO a fucking migraine.
"Damn, there goes my plans for an early retirement." Or maybe not. The brunette blinked at her friend, the emergence of that dry humour welcome but unexpected. A faint smile played across her friend's lips and though the pall of guilt hovered around too-thin shoulders, Nanoha still evinced a certain measure of peace with herself. Perhaps it was an acceptance over where things stood with her AVP.
Hmmph. Not if Hayate & Co. could help it. The CEO made a mental note to check in with Suzuka about the christmas party games.
Really looking her friend over, Hayate frowned, "You're taking a nap."
"I'm what now?"
Pointedly eyeing the bruising under the cotton ball that was secured to the inside of her right elbow with surgical tapes, Hayate did not give her friend any space to argue, simply dropping down to begin removing the sandals Nanoha was still wearing. "You just had your blood drawn, and Rein will be a while giving me her report. Take forty winks while you wait."
Not waiting for Nanoha to argue, Hayate went to find some orange juice for her friend.
Brows drawn, Nanoha opened her mouth to protest this nonsense when Rein cut in quietly, "It'll be a long report. You may as well."
"See? Rein agrees." Returning with a bottle of pulpy juice, Hayate popped the cap off and handed it to her EVP who frowned up at the overly solicitous brunette. She was being railroaded and was not the sort to take it lying down.
Unfortunately, the tanuki was simply giving her no options, and Rein appeared disinclined to take her side in all of this. Fluffing up a cushion, Hayate pushed Nanoha over to make her lie down, not liking how easy it was for her to do so.
"This is bullying," Nanoha pointed out without heat though she still took a long pull of the juice before it was already being set on the coffee table and she was supine on the sofa. Truth be told, she was feeling rough around the edges after giving up what had felt like a pint of blood at the clinic.
"You can write me up to Sig-chan another time." Hayate said blithely, grabbing the silver haired woman's hand and pulling her into the office she had set up in the serviced apartment.
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Once inside the simply set-up office, which still consisted of two ultra-widescreen monitors arranged one atop of the other, Hayate swiftly dropped the silver haired woman's hand. "Thanks for backing me up there."
A faint sound of amusement was her reply, the unflappable bodyguard had cottoned on to the TSAB CEO's plot easily. The woman's cooperation was what had sealed the deal though the brunette had a vague sense that there would be little that could coerce Rein into doing anything she did not herself agree to.
"I'm still contracted to see to her well-being when I'm guarding her." The guard's drolly urbane tones made no effort to hide the fact that she was genuinely fond of the stubborn executive and Hayate grinned. "So she's gotten to you too, eh?"
Head tilting, Rein considered the brunette's question. "One would wager there are few in her life who are entirely immune to that unassuming charm."
Snorting lightly, Hayate invited the woman to have a seat in the only other chair in the room, a simple wicker one-seater set in the corner of the room by a matching glass-top wicker table. "Kopi?" She asked, lifting a pot of the butter-roasted brew she had just made before the pair's arrival. The TSAB's CEO was not above flaunting her own information gathering clout by offering the guard what was purported to be her favourite local drink.
"Thank you, no. I stick to just one in the morning." Rein displayed no surprise that the brunette knew what her daily indulgence was, and from the many mugs littering the surface of the woman's work desk, it appeared that the brew was something Hayate enjoyed throughout the day herself.
Settling back into her mesh office chair which she had rolled over to sit at the wicker table with her guest, Hayate took a moment to have a sip of the rich, dark roast. "She was always getting up into people's businesses, whether they asked for it or not. Can't change the leopard for their spots. It's why she's a perfect fit as my EVP of Ops and a constant threat to Sig-chan's job as head of HR."
"You run a tight-knit crew," the silver haired woman observed, the wicker chair creaking as she leaned back and crossed her arms and legs. Hayate took another cautious sip of her sinfully dark coffee to better hide how nice she found the fit of the guard's pants suit uniform, especially how her broad shoulders strained the material across her chest. 'Nanoha certainly knows how to pick them,' Hayate thought ruefully.
"I try to. Not all roles are equally covered by my people."
"Mmm, that explains the mess on your desk," Rein cast a faintly teasing look at the dirty cups scattered around the CEO's desk.
Hayate met the woman's look with an even one of her own, "Whatever was needed to give them the time and space." Her lips twisted into a moue of equal parts worry and frustration, "She's far from a hundred percent."
"Still a whole lot better than when I first saw her." Somehow Rein felt the need to reassure the shockingly young-looking CEO. The woman had sounded her age or older over the phone.
Hesitating a moment, Hayate carefully set her steaming mug onto her desk's surface. "Did you… keep a record of her condition?"
Rein cast the brunette a sharp look, wondering how the woman had found out that this very delicate ESSS policy existed at all. It was important that the state clients were first met in was established, to avoid accusations of dereliction of duty. Nanoha had been unresponsive then, which was why she had had to obtain permission from Takamachi Momoko.
She lowered her lids just enough to indicate an affirmative, "The records are purged once the contract ends."
Eyes dropping to the faint swirls of steam circling up from her drink, Hayate nibbled on her lip, "...Could I?"
Rein weighed the woman's request against her wish to maintain Nanoha's privacy. "The only reason I'm even considering your request is because you're the one who personally contracted us." The lack of an easily discernible accent only seemed to add more gravitas to her words and Hayate appreciated the silver haired woman's morals when it came to her former seitou kaichou.
Eyes that evoked that of polished aquamarine met Rein's unwaveringly, "I understand," was all Hayate said, implying that the bodyguard would understand her request in turn.
Sighing audibly, Rein pulled out her cellphone from her pants pocket. With a few taps, she found what she was looking for and handed the device over to the brunette.
It was a mark of Hayate's boardroom skills that her expression remained unchanged when she picked up the phone to look at the image on its screen. Only the subtle tightening of the skin around her eyes gave any of her distress away.
Blinking overly bright eyes, she handed the phone back to Rein. "It's a bloody miracle she looks as good as she does now," the CEO grated, the urge to rant and rail at the woman resting outside rising once more. Hayate took a moment to dig the heels of her palms into her eyes and Rein could see obvious bags under red-rimmed eyes.
"And she's insisting we say nothing to Fate-san," she muttered, her irritation at her stubborn cow of a friend threading through every word.
"Would you like my honest opinion?"
Those red-rimmed eyes settled onto the silver haired woman, the youthful CEO studying Rein over the rim of her cup of coffee which she was once more sucking on. Rein could tell the woman would probably spike the brew if not for her guests.
"Absolutely," Hayate said, voice still a little rough from what she had just seen. Emotions were secondary to the pursuit of information. The brunette was open to any insights the other woman could offer in her almost two months in close contact with her old friend.
Rein appreciated the brunette's easy acceptance of her offer. A lesser being would have assumed they knew their friend better.
"Fate takes precedence to all else when it comes to your friend. As much as she keeps that hidden, I don't believe Fate doesn't sense it in some way or other." Accepting her phone back from the CEO, she peered down at the fragile form of the executive displayed in stark clarity.
"She can harp on about duty all she wants; it's clear her regard for the princess goes above and beyond any such claims. Your AVP of Operations isn't stupid. Sooner or later, she'll put two and two together. I feel it's only a matter of time, she's a lot more tenacious than most would give her credit for." Her chin dipped meaningfully as her eyes lifted to meet Hayate's once more, "Including Nanoha."
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Considering the woman's words, Hayate's brows scrunched in thought, "And you don't believe your…" A faint dusting of pink finally showed on the Japanese woman's cheeks, "Dalliance with Nanoha has discouraged her?"
Elbow propped on the wicker chair's arm, Rein rested her chin on the back of her knuckles, an air of amusement cloaking the calmly contained woman, "If that were enough to scare the princess off, then she may as well go the way of Ginga. No one who wishes to dance with the White Devil should dare the fires without conviction."
The words were spoken with no rancour, the bodyguard merely pointing out what Hayate had known for a long time. It was just too bad that things hadn't worked out with the Nakajima heir and the CEO felt a twinge of guilt over the girl's ostracisation back then. Not the sort to dally over things, the brunette chose her words carefully, "When the contract ends, please belay re-assigning Ms Nakajima. I would like to meet with her prior to her next job. I'll cover any pay she misses out on."
Silvered brow quirking, Rein pursed her lips, "That can be arranged. If it's about her professionalism…"
Hayate's bob cut swayed with the shake of her head, "It's not. It's to do with what happened when we were in high school. I think everyone could have handled things better, including myself."
Rein sucked in a quiet breath, "The Takamachi heir sends out ripples around her wherever she goes, doesn't she?"
Shoulders dropping in resignation, Hayate laughed despite the gravity of the circumstances that had brought the TSAB CEO in contact with the head of ESSS, "Sometimes, she's the one skipping the pebble, other times, she IS the pebble. It's always been about suggesting a direction rather than ordering her where to go. I'd have an easier time controlling a tsunami."
"That move to have the two of them becoming roommates was masterfully done, I have to say." Hayate felt her cheeks warm from the compliment and she tried to shrug it off, she felt so young next to the sedately mature woman seated across from her, "It was a calculated risk that panned out. I was banking on her being too tired after the flight to go find herself alternate accommodations." Her expression grew dark, "Didn't plan for Fate's place to get trashed like that, though that actually helped."
"Indeed." Rein shook her head, "Wasn't expecting that much vitriol from Nanoha. She looked ready to commit murder, and I know she can." Weighing crimson eyed the brunette, the woman's lack of a reaction confirming Rein's guess that Hayate knew some, if not all of her EVP's other aspect as the Takamachi clan's heir.
"I should try to expand TSAB into Midchilda, just to see if Fate's family will try anything," Hayate muttered, less a threat and more a still-forming plan. Reaching for the pot of coffee sitting on her desk, the CEO blinked to find an immaculately manicured hand blocking her own. "Excuse me?" She blurted in a distinctly Kansai-accented query.
"You're a client as well," Rein explained quietly, unintimidated by the affronted glare being sent her way, "Too much caffeine isn't good for you. Especially after five in the evening."
Pale blue eyes narrowed, "Some might think it presumptuous of you to assume the contract covers my daily caffeine intake…"
"Some might," Rein conceded, her hand remaining exactly right where it was. Voice dropping, she pinned Hayate where she sat, "But you aren't just anyone. Besides," she smirked, "Think how guilty Nanoha would feel if she hadn't been too tired to notice how tired you were."
Caught dead to rights on that account, Hayate returned the smirk with one of her own, "Why do you think railroaded her into taking a nap?" Uncertain if she liked being pegged that easily by the head of ESSS, she reluctantly set her empty mug aside, leaning back into her chair instead, "I went through your report. If you could clarify a few points for me?"
Taking care not to appear pleased to have won this round, Rein withdrew her hand to settle back more comfortably into her own seat. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she invited the CEO to continue, enjoying the woman's animated expressions that accompanied the insightful questions being directed at her. It was nice to put a face to the voice after all this time and the Singaporean decided the few images of the TSAB CEO she had found on the internet did not do the fiendishly sharp woman any justice.
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Arriving home much later than anticipated, Nanoha found herself greeted at the door by Ginga. Both her and Edel had remained with Fate while the executive was out for her doctor's appointment, followed by her visit to Hayate after. Reading the questioning look sent her way, Ginga gave Nanoha a faint smile to indicate that nothing untoward had occurred to Fate while Nanoha was gone.
Exhaling a breath she had not even realised she was holding, Nanoha supposed the worry would remain with her for however long it would take for the blonde to regain all of her memories. Speaking of her favourite person, azure eyes cast around the apartment that was filled with the heavenly scent of simmering Tonjiru, or pork and vegetable stew in a miso soup base.
Easily finding the blonde, Fate was in the kitchen in her Peeps apron, her hair up in a simple ponytail while she set about preparing dinner. For now, she was slicing up leek flower stems in even, two inch pieces while Edel watched close by.
A quick glance up from the blonde was all the acknowledgement the executive received, though the hint of warmth in crimson eyes was as good as a glomped hug when it came to the icy blonde. Under the apron, Nanoha could see the Gudetama tee she had loaned the other woman months ago and she surmised that it had become a favourite of Fate's once she had learned how she had come into possession of the top.
Nodding a silent thanks to Ginga, Nanoha hung up her business jacket and slipped out of her sling. She felt better after her nap at Hayate's, though her shoulder had stiffened while she was napping on that sofa, not that she would have told anyone but Fate that. She settled onto the back entrance's bench to work on her sandal straps. It gave her a good excuse to duck her head to avoid staring at the vision of her girlfriend. Fate could easily tell why the executive was not looking at her, since she had to drop her eyes back down to the chopping block or risk drowning in those brilliant blue eyes herself.
Fate was behind the asymmetrical, bare-shouldered floral dress that the executive had worn for work today and she knew she had picked correctly the moment she had painstakingly zipped the woman into the outfit. Seeing Nanoha again in the dress had the blonde biting hard on the inside of one cheek and she forced herself to focus on the greens she was cutting before she hurt herself though thoughts of this morning played vividly in her memory.
The way the sheer material moulded to Nanoha's torso and waist before flaring down over her softly rounded hips was literally mouth-watering to see. The side slit that went up to mid-thigh was the icing on the cake and Fate had caught herself slipping her hand past the lightly draping material when she had pulled the willing woman to her for a kiss.
She hadn't been done dressing herself, and the press of her lace-covered breasts to Nanoha's thinly-dressed front was all it took to set Fate's body afire. Of course, the executive wasn't helping and she felt calloused fingers tangling themselves in her hair to deepen the kiss, pulling a soft moan from deep within Fate's throat. Slowly curling Fate's heavy fall of free flowing hair into her fist, Nanoha had tugged her head back, baring her neck to a mouth that seemed intent on tracing the line of muscle running down the side to a shoulder already awash with gooseflesh.
Groaning and finding it difficult to remain standing, Fate was reminded why it was dangerous to start anything with her girlfriend when that insatiable hunger surfaced at the slightest provocation from her. All it took was a mere look or like now, a single kiss, and she was undone in moments. The purr that greeted her when her own hand found a taut bottom to grope sent a jolt of delicious sensation to her core and she knew she was close to throwing all caution to the wind.
Imprisoned by the hand fisted in her hair, she felt the woman's free arm snaking around her bare waist, locking their bodies together. The thrill of being at the executive's mercy prompted a soft mewl to emerge from her exposed throat and that novel sound seemed to inflame her girlfriend further. From the corner of her eye Fate could see dark eyes filled with an intent to force more of them out of the blonde.
That sudden blaze of possession had the arm around her tightening, Nanoha's incisors baring to graze lightly at the pulsing jugular Fate was offering so tantalisingly up to her.
"Incoming call, Yagami, H."
Gulping down large mouthfuls of air, Nanoha had blinked eyes made hazy from arousal and carefully unfurled her hand from the depths of the flaxen silk she had balled into a fist. Chest heaving, she removed her arm from around the blonde and took a careful step back.
"Answer."
Missing the heat of Nanoha's body immediately, Fate forced open eyes that had drifted closed from the pleasure her mind had just been soaked in. Gods, that was far from the only thing about her that was soaked. Swallowing hard, she met guilty eyes of dilated blue as the executive visibly wrestled herself back under control.
"Nyano-chan! Don't forget the Christmas party this Saturday."
"Haya-chan," She raked her fringe back with a hand that Fate could see still held a faint tremor, "I remember. Could've just texted me."
Silence, and Fate knew that the CEO was unsure if she was within earshot. Nanoha had deduced the same, and added, "It's safe to speak," throwing Fate a glance that said she had nothing to hide from her. Fate knew she was giving her girlfriend a goopy look because the woman was looking down abashedly.
"...Will you be Fate-san's escort there?"
Now that appeared to have slipped Nanoha's mind and she blinked, looking back up at the blonde. Her glance had morphed into a soft look, "Yea. She probably doesn't remember, so I'll ask again."
Fate's hand had raised of its own volition then, cupping the other woman's cheek as she mouthed, "Yes, yes, yes," to the now faintly blushing executive.
"I, uh, think she'll be okay with it."
"All right then, lemme know if she turns you down, I think Zafira's going stag."
Fate watched her girlfriend's eyes roll and she bit back a giggle of her own. "Suuuure, I'll do that. I need to get ready for work, I'll see you on Sat."
A faint tone sounded to indicate the call had ended and Nanoha had leaned her face into Fate's hand, expression a little guilty.
"None of that," she quietly told her girlfriend, the corners of her lips curling up at the corners, "I should have known better than to start something we cannot finish." A quick glance over her shoulder told her the time, "Especially when they'll be here in less than thirty minutes."
Sighing, Nanoha took the hand on her cheek and lifted the back of it to her lips to brush an apologetic kiss across Fate's knuckles. "I'll go deal with my make-up," she husked, "Don't let me keep you."
Knowing her girlfriend's tendencies all too well, Fate had brushed the pad of her thumb over those same lips she knew she was eternally addicted to, "On the contrary, I expect you to keep me and throw away the key. But yes, go do your make-up." She hugged the woman lightly, "The dress is perfect. You're perfect. I'll help with your hair later."
That got the lopsided smile she was looking for, and the lingering traces of self-castigation faded away, replaced by endless pools of love she knew was hers and hers alone. Pleased that she was getting better at reading the other woman's mercurial moods, Fate had gone to look for fresh underwear while simultaneously working to get her heart rate back down to an acceptable rhythm. They were definitely going to have to do laundry this weekend at the pace she was going through her panties, she thought wryly.
"Sorry for the delay in getting back, Ginga, Edel." Nanoha's voice pulled Fate back to the present. The hiss of a large bowl being filled with water filled the quiet confines of the condominium. "Rein's outside waiting for you." Bidding their blonde client a good night, Fate's two bodyguards made their way out the door Nanoha had entered by, where the black Mercedes was idling.
Once the heavy door swung closed and the electric lock was engaged, Nanoha offered the same apology to the blonde, "Sorry, Feito-chan, Hayate made me take a nap. I wanted to help with dinner."
Scraping the pile of chopped vegetables into a bowl of cold water to soak for a while, Fate dried her hands and made her way over to help with the sandals, aware that Nanoha's side still ached whenever she had to bend over at the waist. "It's fine. I'm glad you could still get a nap. Though if you were any later, Edel might have asked to eat your share," the blonde teased.
"Wench," Nanoha accused lightly, leaning over to brush a kiss of greeting across lips she had missed all day, "I'd spank you for feeding anyone else besides me."
"Mmm," Returning the kiss, the kneeling blonde batted thick lashes at her girlfriend, "Promise?"
Nanoha eyed the blonde in quiet surprise, brows arched. The faint smile playing across Fate's lips were equal parts playful and serious, and the executive was reminded that this was all new territory to the woman who was clearly curious and eager to try all the things with Nanoha. Chuckling, she nipped lightly at the blonde's lower lip, "We can make a list together."
Freed from her frankly, far too cumbersome to remove sandals, Nanoha stood and pulled Fate up into a big hug, "'Missed you. Let me change and I'll come help."
"Missed you." An impression of a large bed, and being spooned from behind, sent Fate into a sway and Nanoha's eyes widened, recognising the symptoms. Swiftly turning to seat Fate where the executive had been just seconds before, she sat beside the woman, her good arm firmly around Fate's slim shoulders while she stroked one downy soft cheek, eyes shaded a worried violet studying the pale blonde.
The fading echoes of misery, mingled with a burgeoning hope, chased itself over the taller woman's face, and Nanoha wondered just what was Fate seeing right now. The gentle touch on her cheek pulled the blonde back to the present and she blinked, trying her best to focus on the here and now.
"A-Agito…" Auburn brows scrunched together. "Your dinner with her?"
Licking her lips, Fate shook her head, "In a gym. You were there."
Squinting, Nanoha cast her mind back, and then the squint widened, "You saw that?"
"I… I guess." Fate frowned, staring at Nanoha's shoulder, "She licked you!"
"She did," the auburn haired woman agreed, "I didn't like it."
It wasn't her business but Fate's querying look was still plain to see.
"We had a thing in college. Nothing serious." Taking one of Fate's hands in hers, Nanoha intertwined their fingers together, face pensive while she looked at their linked hands on her lap, "I guess she thought we could pick up where we'd left off. I was there trying to tire myself out," she gave the blonde a wistful little smile, "So I wouldn't think about how much I wanted you." She raised their hands, pressing a kiss to the blonde's knuckles, "The more she tried, the more I was reminded she wasn't you."
Recalling more of the scene, Fate eyed the woman who was being so starkly honest with her, "You came back to me."
"I did. I thought you were asleep."
Cheeks warming, Fate ducked her head, "I learned how to pretend to sleep." Nanoha easily guessed it was because of overbearing guardians and made a small sound of amusement, "Completely fooled me."
"I'm glad I do not have to fool you anymore."
"Me too, Feito-chan…" Nanoha's lips were too close again, and Fate swayed in the other woman's direction, eyes shifting from soft Aegean blue to lush pinkness. Pulled in by the blonde's obvious intent, the auburn haired woman closed the distance between them...
A shrill ring dragged them out of their little bubble and Fate sat up, "The stew!" Laughing, Nanoha stood and hauled the blonde up with her. "Go on, Honey, I'll change like I said I would gods know how long ago."
"No wait!" Spinning back around, Fate grabbed Nanoha's arms, stopping the executive in her tracks. Blinking, she eyed her girlfriend who seemed almost in a panic, "C-Could you wait until after dinner?"
"Er, I guess?"
"I just… reallylikehowyoulookinthedress." Fate mumbled in a rushed confession.
That got an indulgent chuckle out of her girlfriend, "I'm your Barbie doll now, aren't I?" Before Fate could apologise, she gave the blonde another hug, "I like that." Padding over to the kitchen together, Nanoha dug out her own apron to slip over her head while the blonde turned off fire under the pot of miso stew.
"Could you help with tying this? Shoulder's a little stiff."
"Of course."
Thanking Fate for helping to tie the apron for her, Nanoha shooed her girlfriend off, "Go wear something nice, too. Let's make it a date night."
The little pink apron with bunny decals looked far too adorable on the sexily-dressed goddess and Fate's brain took a moment to reboot. "Uh, sure…" Wandering up the stairs, she blushed when a teasing alto followed after her, "I want some cleavage, Feito-chan!"
"Nanoha-chan is a horn dog!" She called back down, getting nothing more than an unrepentant laugh in return. Knowing she had a stupid grin on her face, Fate walked over to her closet to find something to knock that smug woman off of her feet with.
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Vita stared at the white plush situated in the middle of the work desk. It was a bunny, about two hands tall, ears included. It had soulless pink eyes with no pupils, and a little black bow-tie. The sound of a door opening pulled the redhead's attention away from the incredibly adorable, to her, toy. Rein was at her usual place on the nearby sofa, typing up something using a portable bluetooth keyboard she had linked to her mobile device.
Her boss emerged from her office, one auburn brow cocked to find her E.A. eyeing the plush on her table. Dressed for casual Friday, the woman was out of her sling at the moment. Her simple white tank was tucked messily into skinny jeans, both hanging a little too loosely on the woman's thinner frame and doing nothing to conceal the shoulder scars she had picked up in Tokyo.
"Vita," She greeted, jerking her chin at the toy, "Told you you'd get something to go with your costume." Expression growing foreboding, the executive's alto dropped to a foreboding register, "You did, contact XiaoFang, yes?"
Squirming under the flinty stare being sent her way, Vita's eyes dropped and she nodded reluctantly. "I'm only letting it go because Fate-san…" Nanoha paused, jaw working for a moment, "The Fate-san of then, asked me to. I was ready to yell at you at two in the bloody morning."
Mouth opening to defend herself, Vita looked up to find a surprising lack of anger in the sapphire gaze boring into her. "Fate-san is my AVP, Vita. I'm fine if people think I slept my way here, she doesn't deserve that same assumption being applied to her. Even Agito thought…" She blew out a long breath, "Anyway, I appreciate it, but I don't, either."
Eyes dropping again, Vita nervously twiddled her pen, "I just… after Shari…" Shocked to feel herself being hugged, the redhead squeezed the executive. The woman was oddly demonstrative since returning to the office though Vita secretly felt that was a good thing. The mingled scents of cinnamon and rose tickled at the E.A.'s nostrils and Vita blinked, wondering when her boss had changed perfumes.
"I know you're still pissed over her." The executive's voice was warm, "I'm just glad you get along with Fate-san. She could use more friends here."
"Just not you?" Stiffening, Nanoha dropped her arms and stepped back to head into her own office, "We'll see," she threw flatly over her shoulder and disappeared.
Grumbling about stubborn, stiff-necked Takamachi heirs, Vita picked up the soft toy and gave it a hug, "We've got our work cut out for us, Usa-pyon." The soulless eyes seemed to be agreeing with her. Smiling, she set the bunny into her in-tray and got started with work. It was nice to not be the only one in the Operations office again.