Disclaimer: Hayate and Carim are not mine.

Sleepless Comfort

Knock Knock Knock

Carim roused from her sleep and groggily looked at the side of her bed to see the time.

3:30 AM

This better be worth waking up for.

Carim frowned. Who in their right mind would be awake at such an ungodly hour? She closed her eyes again, willing herself back to sleep, hoping that whoever it is at her door would just leave.

Knock Knock Knock

The blonde woman let out a sigh and sat up. Whoever it is knocking crazily at her door better have a good excuse. She grabbed her robe from the nearby chair and walked down the long stairs of her home in the Saint Church. Her room was pretty big. Being the director of a known organization has its perks after all. She walked to her door and adjusted her robe to cover up her purple nightgown briefly before opening the door.

"H-Hayate?"

Carim blinked twice and rubbed her eyes to confirm if she's seeing right.

She is.

"Hey Carim." The brunette whispered shyly, glancing at the older woman.

"What are you doing out so late?" She asked before grabbing the brunette by the arm and gently pulling her inside. She closed the door and led the two of them to her living room. She clicked open the lights and looked at Hayate.

Carim frowned. Now that her friend was visible in the light, she noticed the dark circled under her eyes and her tired expression. Her hair was unruly and her clothes of a simple shirt and skirt were a mess.

"... Hayate, are you alright?" She gently questioned, taking Hayate's hands in hers gently.

Hayate timidly nodded. " just... I couldn't sleep and I don't want to wake the children up. Rein too, she's been working hard non-stop, I don't want to bother her. Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan just got back from their missions too so I can't really impose on them so I thought of you..." Hayate looked at Carim and Carim felt the younger girl's hands tremble.

Hayate pulled her hands away and abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry, Carim. You know what, I shouldn't be here either. I know you're busy and you're tired and probably annoyed that I dropped by at this hour so I'm just gonna go. I'm really sorry about this."

It all happened so fast that when Carim processed everything, Hayate was already by her door.

"H-Hayate! Wait, where are you going?" She scrambled to her feet and went after Hayate, grabbing her by the arm again.

"I'm sorry, Carim. I shouldn't be here. I—"

Carim gently cupped Hayate's cheeks and stared at the younger girl worriedly. Hayate was lost and afraid and tired. She could see it all in the brunette's blue eyes. "It's fine, Hayate." She whispered. "It's okay, you can stay here." Carim assured with a smile. She was offended, actually, that Hayate thought of her last but decided to keep that information to herself for now.

"How about something to drink?" Carim offered as she guided Hayate up to her bedroom and made her sit on the bed. "Make yourself comfortable while I get something, okay?"

Hayate nodded quietly and watched Carim's retreating back.

"U-um... Carim?"

Carim stopped and turned. "Hm?"

Hayate grabbed one of the many pillows on Carim's soft bed and hid half of her face timidly before raising her eyes to meet Carim's.

"Thank you."

Carim just smiled at Hayate and suppressed a giggle at the uncharacteristic shyness the other girl is sporting.

Carim handed Hayate a cup of warm milk and positioned herself beside the brunette. They sipped their drinks in relative silence for a long while until Hayate spoke up.

"Are you not going to ask me why I'm here?" She stated in a voice just above a whisper.

"If you want to talk about it then go ahead, I'll listen." Carim shrugged. "If you don't want to then don't. You don't have to force yourself, Hayate. I'm fine either way."

Hayate stayed silent for a few more minutes before lowering down her cup. "Lately, I... I can't sleep properly. I keep on having... dreams."

"And what are these dreams about?" Carim gently questioned as she took Hayate's cup from her hands and placed it beside her own.

"I... I'm not really sure, but they're not pleasing. And whenever I'm awake, I keep on wondering if this is really what I want."

Carim used Hayate's state of utter vulnerability to gently pull the younger girl towards her and tucked Hayate's head under her chin and positioned the brunette's arm across her waist to make her comfortable. "What do you mean?" She asked, her hand rubbing the younger girl's back.

"I trained hard for many, many years. I climbed up the ranks and I even surpassed Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan." Hayate whispered, absentmindedly snuggling closer to the older woman. "I worked hard because I don't want people to suffer and I don't want anyone to go through the hurt we all went through but now... I'm just sitting behind a desk. Filling up forms signing papers." Hayate blinked back the tears that are coming. "I feel useless."

Carim smiled to herself, finally understanding what was bothering Hayate. "Are you saying that you regret creating your own unit?"

"That's not it. I'll never regret creating my unit. Not after all the help you gave me." Hayate answered.

"Then, Hayate," Carim whispered gently. "Do you know why Fate, Nanoha, the wolkenritters and everyone are working so hard? It's to protect your name and the unit you worked so hard to create."

Hayate opened her eyes. "But I don't want to be protected again... I want to protect."

"But you are protecting." Carim lifted Hayate's head so she could look in the other girl's eyes. "Don't you see, Hayate? You are the one protecting them. You lead your own unit and protect every member of it. Why do you work so hard to be recognized by the higher ups anyway? Isn't it because you want them to acknowledge your ability and give their support to your unit?" Carim received a nod and continued on with her speech.

"You are protecting everyone you care about by creating your own unit, Hayate. Just because you're not fighting frontline with your forwards and Fate and Nanoha doesn't mean that you're not helping, okay? Get that thought out of your mind please."

Hayate nodded after a moment and smiled to herself, feeling relieved with Carim's words.

"Thank you, Carim. You're really the best."

Carim smiled, happy that Hayate has regained a bit of her usual happiness. "Although, Hayate, I'm quite offended that I'm the last one on your list."

Hayate's face instantly reddened as she lifted herself up and shook her head vehemently. "T-That's not it! I... I thought of you first, actually."

Carim fought down an oncoming blush at the sudden revelation. She wasn't expecting that at all. "... Really?"

Hayate nodded, bringing her head down on Carim's chest again. "But I really didn't want to disturb you so I tried the other but... I still ended up with you."

Hayate's fingers closed in on Carim's nightgown. "But I'm happy that I ended up with you... I'm really thankful, Carim."

Carim stared at the brunette's hold on her nightgown for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "I'm happy too, Hayate. Now," She placed her other hand over Hayate's. "How about we both try to get some sleep?"

Hayate nodded and snuggled closer to the blonde woman. "Sweet dreams, Carim."

"Sleep well, Hayate." Carim whispered back as she pulled her covers over the both of them.

Carim felt Hayate shift a bit, followed by a soft touch of lips on the top of her hand.

"Thank you again, Carim."

Carim just let out a hum in response and let a smile grace her lips.

This is indeed worth waking up for.

I've always had a soft spot for Carim and I think she and Hayate make a good pair.

Read and review please!