Quick Note: This is a story that takes place in the Hayate x Vivio Files, after "Prerogative of the Brave." Head on over to my profile page for a full chronology of all the stories!

"Love is like pi - natural, irrational, and very important."

-Lisa Hoffman

It Must Be Love

It was official now.

Hayate was crazy.

Crazy in general (not that she had any doubts about that before, amusingly), but also, well…crazy in love.

And how did she know that it was official? Well, Hayate had just filled out the 2-page form for a personal day and sent it off to TSAB headquarters—just so that she could skip work today. Considering that every day was a busy day for the Capital Defense Corps Commander, Hayate really should be feeling more guilt for driving away from the Mid-Childan Main Office rather than towards it. That was not how a twenty-eight-year old Lieutenant-General was supposed to act.

But nope, Hayate didn't really care much right now at all.

Her girlfriend was sick and home alone, since Hayate had checked Nanoha's work schedule to find that her friend was evaluating new recruits, and Fate's logs still showed her stationed off planet for the next week, therefore obviously Hayate was compelled to play hooky to bring Vivio a bowl of soup, a blanket, and a lap-pillow.

Yup, Hayate was crazy.

"Schwertkreuz, write message: Is it okay for me to come over in 15 minutes? End message. Send to Sacred Heart." Her Device glowed, showing that the message was sent.

Hayate would have liked to surprise Vivio and simply show up, but it wouldn't be polite or fair to surprise Vivio like that. Both of them were still tentatively figuring out the whole dating situation after their vacation on Earth, and Hayate didn't want to mess that up by over-stepping her boundaries at this point. Weird, how little things like that kind of crept up on her—Hayate used to happily show up at the Takamachi house with nary a call and feel welcomed, but that was an "old friends" privilege, not a "daughter's girlfriend" privilege. And in truth, Hayate really wanted to make this whole time easier for poor Nanoha, who still seemed a little thrown by the fact that her fifteen-year old daughter was dating a woman who was Nanoha's own age.

Besides, Hayate had a history of being a lousy girlfriend. There was no need to remind anyone (herself included) of that fact by disregarding the proper social rules of the relationship thing.

"Incoming message from Sacred Heart: Sure, let yourself in."

"I keep telling her it's not safe to leave the front door unlocked like that," Hayate sighed as she turned off the highway. Then again, even a rookie GFDC Strike Team intern could flatten a thief with her eyes closed and lying on the couch—which is where Hayate would bet that Vivio currently was—so really, there was nothing Hayate could complain about. Only really stupid criminals would attempt anything on the Takamachi-Harlaown house anyway, since it was common knowledge that poking the White Devil at her place of residence was a guarantee to be Starlight Breaker'ed into the stratosphere…if an Ace Enforcer didn't Trident Smash you into the pavement first. Or, more recently, if a blonde, red-and-green-eyed Ground Forces Defence Corps combat specialist didn't break your jaw with a magic-powered haymaker before her mothers bothered to suit up.

All of which made the neighbourhood one of the safest in Cranagan. Real estate prices were inordinately high here, to Hayate's amusement.

She did a right and then rolled to a stop by the curb in front of the house. Soup, blanket, briefcase—check. Hayate shut the car door and strolled up the path, shifting her items around to free a hand to turn the doorknob.

"Vivio?"

"In here," a hoarse voice called, the cheeriness audible even through the raspy tones. Hayate locked the front door and walked into the living room, leaning over the couch to smile at her girlfriend.

"Morning," she said, dropping her briefcase down by the couch arm and setting the soup pot on the living room table.

"Morning," yawned Vivio, rubbing her reddish and puffy eyes. She was still in her pajamas, although from the dampness of her sleeves and the water beads on her dark blonde hair, messily tied into a ponytail, Hayate could tell that the girl had taken a quick shower before Hayate had arrived.

Hayate shook open the blanket and came around the couch, kneeling on the arm to give Vivio a welcome hug as well as take the chance to bundle the girl up snugly. "Don't want you to catch a chill. How are you feeling?"

"If I tell the truth, will I get more hugs?" Vivio asked, hugging Hayate back with a happy sigh.

"Maybe," Hayate drawled, breathing in the soft scent of soap. She sat down next to Vivio, and the blonde immediately wiggled closer to tuck her head under Hayate's chin. It was slightly awkward because Vivio was much taller than Hayate, but they managed to find a position that didn't cause undue strain on either of their spines through trial and error in the past weeks, knowledge that Vivio enthusiastically used any chance she got.

"It's crummy," Vivio admitted, coughing into her sleeve. "My head feels like the turkey we had for Thanksgiving—stuffed and baked."

Hayate laid a hand on Vivio's forehead, feeling the warmth and clamminess of a light fever. "Aw, poor Vivio. I thought you looked a little sick yesterday."

"Wait, it's Tuesday, isn't it?" Vivio started, twisting to look Hayate in the eye in confusion. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I, um, took the day off," Hayate said sheepishly. "I knew that Nanoha-chan was going to be out, and I thought that you might want company."

A bright gleam glowed in Vivio's eyes and she leaned forward before jerking herself to a stop. "Sorry…I probably shouldn't kiss you right now, but I really want to."

They both blushed at Vivio's candid confession.

Hayate recovered first, kissing the top of Vivio's head affectionately and pulling the younger girl in closer, settling the blanket over both their laps. "You'll have to get better quickly then," she teased, rubbing warm circles over Vivio's arm, and she couldn't help tracing the strong curve of the blonde's biceps as she did it.

Vivio grinned, soaking up the attention. "Yes, ma'am!" she replied, then coughed again, her whole chest heaving.

"Don't talk so much, you'll make your throat worse," Hayate urged, most of her humour vanishing as she shifted to stroke Vivio's back instead, soothing the girl as she shook. "Close your eyes and rest. I don't mind if you sleep, you need your rest if you want to get better, so that we can make out on the couch, huh?"

Vivio coughed a brief laugh, then lay her head down on Hayate's shoulder, no longer hiding her exhaustion. "You brought soup?" she rasped out, and Hayate laid a finger on Vivio's lips.

"No talking," she said sternly, then picked up the soup pot and took the lid off, bringing the small insulated container to her mouth. The smell of chicken and spices filled the air, and Hayate blew lightly over the surface to cool it down before easing it over to Vivio. "Drink it right out of the pot—it's okay, I've got it."

Vivio smiled weakly before obeying, sipping at the soup and making a happy sound as she swallowed. She finished half of it before lifting a hand to stop, and Hayate set the pot back on the table and returned to their previous cuddling position.

"Thanks," Vivio mumbled sleepily, nestling into Hayate's hold. "But I feel…bad that you're just sitting here…do you want the remote, or…"

"Shh. Don't worry about me." Hayate nudged her briefcase with a foot. "I've got some work I can do, so you close those pretty eyes and take a nap."

"Okay…" Vivio's breathing slowed, and evened out a few seconds later, her body going entirely limp.

"Good girl," Hayate whispered, leaning her cheek on Vivio's hair. She held onto Vivio's hand and laid her other hand just under the hem of her shirt, the warm contact of skin not so much arousing as comforting at that moment. It was strange, how safe and secure Hayate felt right now, even though she was the one holding Vivio instead of the other way around.

It was oddly relaxing, just sitting there with her dozing girlfriend in her lap, and instead of the constant litany of "to do's" and important report details running through her mind all Hayate was thinking of was…nothing, really. She was just enjoying the moment with far more clarity than she could really remember doing for some time. It was nice.

A few months of dating and hit-and-miss attempts had let them sink into a tentatively comfortable method of interacting, and Hayate smiled just thinking about how awkward some of their earlier missteps had been. It kind of sucked, how even something like holding hands was only okay in some situations and not others due to the fact that they worked together, but those little annoyances always happily faded away whenever Hayate saw Vivio smile at her just so.

Of course, Fate had teased Hayate right back for becoming a pile of goo before the "Takamachi smile" in revenge for all the times Hayate had made fun of her for the same thing. It was truly freaky how Hayate suddenly empathized with Fate every time Nanoha batted her blue eyes at the Enforcer and used her sweet smile to get her way.

Oh boy, the day Vivio felt comfortable enough with Hayate to weaponize that smile was the day that Hayate was in big trouble.

A shiver passed through Hayate's stomach, and she flushed when she couldn't help but also imagine how things would change when that day came.

God, Hayate, she's still a teenager. Stop being such a creeper.

That was one of the more troubling aspects of their relationship, but thankfully Hayate didn't have to get naked with Vivio in order to feel the same butterflies she got in her previous romances. Finding a flower on her desk or feeling Vivio give her a playful glomp from behind made Hayate's heart leap more than when her relationships had been very physical.

She was such a sap now.

The moment Hayate and Vivio came clean to all their friends was the moment they were going to get teased until their deathbeds. Hayate figured she should bask in the privacy that they had while it lasted.

Vivio stirred, snapping Hayate's attention back to the wonderful warmth in her arms. Hayate hummed softly, keeping still to hopefully not wake the sick girl. The gentle reverberations seemed to work as Vivio settled down again, her breathing steadying. Her peacefulness right now meant that it was probably going to get worse for the poor girl later at night when her fever breaks, but at least Hayate could give her some unbroken sleep while she was here.

Staying the night at her girlfriend's house probably wasn't appropriate at this point, Hayate thought dejectedly. To be fair, any normal parent would balk at the thought, and it really wasn't fair to always force Nanoha into the villain's role when she was just trying to look out for her daughter. Vivio also had a stubborn streak that would definitely rear its head if she was faced with the possibility of being so weak and helpless in front of anyone, let alone her new girlfriend and boss.

And Hayate really couldn't take another day off work, not with quarterly reviews coming up.

That reminded her—she had reports to review before her meeting with the squad leaders tomorrow. Hayate bit her lip, contemplating and visually judging her course of action. She could try to hook her briefcase handle with a foot, but that might jolt Vivio enough to wake her up. Or she could try to slip out, but Hayate was loathe to move from her very warm and comfortable position.

Another 5 minutes, she decided, moving her hand on Vivio's flank slightly.

It was so nice to be snuggled up like this. Everything about it was perfect—Hayate liked touching Vivio, but it was hard to find a good compromise to keep both her comfort level and her moral standards congruent with each other. Every time the two of them made out, it was hard to keep track of when "wonderful and hot" shifted to "too hot and inappropriate," and yet being hyper-alert all the time wasn't conducive to good kissing. But this was nice.

Hayate loved this.

Vivio twitched and mumbled something, still asleep. God, Hayate could keep watching her and not feel bored at all. Her brain kept blurring pleasantly when she looked at Vivio's face, and there was almost a kind of hypnotic glow around the girl that Hayate knew was a by-product of love.

Kind of like how she could be giving a speech in front of the whole Strike Team division and somehow always know where to look to lock gazes with Vivio, just for a second, both of them delighted and proud of each other.

A clatter in the hall made Hayate jerk, her muscles tensing as she twisted to look around. Vivio lurched, groaning as her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to wake up fully.

"Hayate-chan?" Nanoha asked, surprised as she set her keys down and stepped into the living room. The combat instructor set her jacket on the coat rack and came over, and Hayate panicked for a second as she debated pulling away from Vivio or just continue to sit. They weren't doing anything, but if they looked anything like what Hayate was feeling, then they must be making an awfully cozy image for Nanoha to walk in on. As surreptitiously as possible, Hayate eased her hand out from under Vivio's shirt, glad that the blanket covered her actions well.

Nanoha's eyes flicked up and down the picture they made on the couch together, and a slight furrow appeared in her brow before smoothing over into a relaxed smile. "Thanks for staying with Vivio, Hayate-chan," she said, her voice full of genuine warmth. "Did you stay for the whole morning?"

"Whole morning?" Hayate asked, confused. Wait, if Nanoha was home, then… "Uh, what time is it?"

"Nearly one in the afternoon."

Hayate choked in shock, and Vivio sat up, having caught the last bit of the conversation as well.

"Hayate? Did you…were you sitting here for three hours being my pillow?" Vivio looked mortified.

"Um…I guess I was?" Hayate laughed nervously, still in a bit of a shock herself. Did she really spend three hours doing absolutely nothing?

Nanoha hid a grin behind one hand, then quickly composed herself. "Well…do you want to stay for lunch, Hayate-chan? You two must be starving."

"Thanks for the invitation, Nanoha-chan, but I'd probably better be going," Hayate replied, gently disentangling herself from the suddenly pouting Vivio. She tucked the end of the blanket tenderly back over Vivio's lap, letting one hand linger on Vivio's warm cheek for a moment before dropping away.

Boundaries.

Being responsible really sucked sometimes.

"Get better soon, Vivio. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Vivio said, lookingly slightly happier. "Uh, I hope you get all your work done. I'm sorry for just sleeping on you."

"It was lovely," Hayate smiled, a little pleased at being able to put a blushing grin on Vivio's face with those simple words. She nodded at Nanoha, and picked up her unopened briefcase and the soup pot. "Have a good lunch. I'll see you two tomorrow." When Nanoha's face shifted to amusement again, Hayate quickly stuttered, trying to cover up that overly eager tone, "I meant, tomorrow after work. In the evening…like, normal visiting times. Uh…okay, I'll be going now."

"Bye, Hayate-chan," Nanoha called after her as Hayate walked quickly to let herself out, her blush full on her cheeks now that no one could see.

She had spent three hours doing nothing but be a pillow for her sick girlfriend, during one of the most frantic times of the year.

Hayate had been right, earlier…she was crazy in love.