A/N: All I can say is...here goes something.

Vivio sighed and stretched her arms over her head for the sixth time in an hour. She almost wished for some sort of incident like last week's, but in truth the peace was better. Half the papers that sat in front of her had stemmed from that disaster. She gathered them into a pile and dropped them on her boss's desk, grinning at the person behind it.

Hayate Yagami was reclined in her chair, fast asleep. By the looks of things, she'd been halfway through a report, the cursor blinking patiently at her. It wasn't something that happened all that often, but Vivio surmised that her mamas and a local bar had more than a little to do with it. She walked around the desk and gently shook the woman's shoulder.

"Hayate-san, time to get up. Or go home, for once."

Hayate grumbled something incoherent and slowly blinked awake. She stared at Vivio, then the half-finished report, and yawned. "Thank you, Vivio, but I really do need to finish this." She picked up one of the papers that had fallen off, replaced it, then set back to work on the flashing text.

Vivio stepped back and frowned. She was growing more and more concerned about Hayate's work schedule. Lately, she'd been staying late in an effort to help finish earlier, which hadn't been as effective as she'd hoped. Instead, she assigned herself to be the woman's personal bodyguard, to make sure she didn't overwork herself…among other things.

According to Vivio, it was the look her mamas shared when they were together. Its meaning was obvious, but the look itself was somewhat difficult to describe. She'd seen many variations of it throughout school and training, either between others or directed at her. It was something she'd never seen from Hayate, although she doubted the opposite held true.

Her eyes brightened a little as she left to fetch some coffee. Personally, she wasn't a huge fan of the beverage, but it kept them going if they had to. She had learned through experience that it was far safer to be awake if you were anywhere in Hayate's general vicinity.

This time, she set the mugs down on the table with a different purpose.

"Hayate-san, I brought you some coffee," she said, taking a seat on the sofa.

Hayate glanced over at her for a few seconds before giving an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, I get it," she answered with a few demonstrative keystrokes. "If you need one that badly, let's take a break."

"It's not for me and you know it," Vivio shot back as the brunette crossed the room and sat down beside her.

"I know," Hayate replied, raising a cup to her lips with a grin. "You're my little guardian angel."

Vivio tried to hide the burning in her cheeks by taking a sip from her own drink…which failed spectacularly based on the woman's giggling. No matter. Calm down. She had to try. "Hayate-san…"

The brunette stopped chuckling long enough to take another sip. "What?"

Vivio inhaled sharply, composing herself as best she could. "If you want me to be your angel…I can."

Hayate swallowed hard, staring at the girl. She placed her cup on the table before speaking in an even, albeit forced, tone. "I see…I'm sorry, but…"

"Why not?" the blonde interrupted, fixing her with the most serious look she could muster. She didn't expect it to be easy, but she wouldn't lose. She couldn't.

"Vivio…"

"You think you're too old for me?"

"For starters-"

"Worried about me or yourself?"

"You, of course."

"About what? About my future? About what I deserve? About what's best for me?" The words flowed faster, taking her composure with them. "I'm exactly where I want to be! What about you, Hayate-san? If you're always taking care of everyone else, who takes care of you? Maybe it's me, but even with everyone else around you, smiling, you still look sad somehow. I just…I can't stand for that. You're the one that deserves the most." She flicked away a rogue tear. "I love you, Hayate-san, I really do. I just want…for you to be happy, that's all."

She finally ran out of breath, glancing back up at Hayate…who looked completely dumbstruck. She watched the woman for a few moments, then gave a heavy sigh. She'd overdone it. Honestly, she hadn't expected anything, but still…the burning on her face stung a little. Okay, a lot.

"I'm sorry, Hayate-san," she said, standing to leave.

A hand immediately pulled her back down.

"…Hayate-san?"

The woman's bangs covered her eyes. It made Vivio even more nervous. "Vivio…everything you said just now, you really meant it?"

She took a deep breath. "All of it. But if I was wrong at all, I apologize."

Hayate's lips curled upward. "I see. You must be strong to have held that back for so long."

The blonde grinned despite herself. "But I'm not nearly as strong as you, or-"

The brunette snared her in a hug, shocking the girl into silence. "No, what you have…is Takamachi strength, something far more powerful than most of us will ever be. When that becomes truly your own, I don't think anyone can stop you."

She pushed Vivio back to arm's length, giving a clear view of her face. She wore a look not far from the one in Vivio's memory, but different somehow…whatever it was, it made her heart beat twice as fast. "Facing strength like this…" she finished barely above a whisper, "I can't just run away, can I?"

"Then…you mean-"

She was cut off by Hayate's lips pressing against hers – lightly, for just a brief moment, but with paralyzing effect. In that instant, she understood exactly what the second meaning of "falling" was.

"No promises." She barely caught Hayate's words before her body, all but collapsing into Vivio's arms.

The blonde frowned. "H-hey…"

"I'm fine, just…tired," she mumbled, eyes half closed. "Wake me up again in a little bit, okay?"

Vivio thought for a moment, then gave the brunette her most devious smile. "No promises."

Hayate chuckled. "Fair enough. Oh, and if you don't mind…" She shifted around to lay her head in the girl's lap and promptly dozed off.

Vivio's face had just enough time to ignite before her cell went off and scared her to near-death. She retrieved the device and flipped it open. "Hi, Nanoha-mama."

"Hi Vivio," the ace answered, then paused. "Your face is awfully red, are you okay?"

The blonde scratched her cheek. "Just fine…er, why are you whispering?"

"Well…" Nanoha shifted the screen to display a comfortably snoozing Fate sprawled out across the couch and its only other occupant. "Speaking of, where's Hayate?"

Vivio leered at the screen. "Take a guess?"

Nanoha tried and failed to stop from giggling. "Guess we'll have to keep a closer eye on them, huh…take care of her, okay?"

"I will," she finished, pocketing the device again. She brushed a stray hair from Hayate's face and grinned. That was never the question. As long as she had a say in it, it never would be.

Unbidden, a violent yawn escaped her. She raised a hand to rub her eyes, then paused.

"We?" She hadn't even said anything. No matter, she'd deal with it later.