AN: It's that time again guys: one shot time! Also, it's Valentine's Day a few days ago so I figured it'd be a good thing to come out with a special for it. Sorry it's late, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Fangirls
Nanoha hummed to herself as she moved around the kitchen gathering the things she needed to make her special chocolate. It wasn't very often that she got to bake for her blonde haired wife since their busy schedule always got in the way, but it was a special occasion this time around. It was that time of year again. Back on earth, everyone was probably doing something similar to her or going out and purchasing the sweets they'd need for that special someone. That's right; the day for lovers was approaching: Valentine's Day. She was especially excited for it this time because Fate would actually be home for it. The year before, the blonde Enforcer had been off world for a few months taking care of a particularly difficult case. This year though, Fate was working at the base, taking a break after having completed another long case days before. Nanoha was happy that this year they'd get a chance to celebrate it properly.
"I'm home!" a voice rang out from the front.
"Welcome home!" Nanoha moved from the kitchen to greet her daughter. She was surprised to see that Vivio was not alone. Three other girls accompanied her. "Friends?"
"Yeah, I hope its okay. We're just having a study session before tomorrow's test."
"Not a problem. Let me know if you girls need anything."
"Thank you Takamachi-san!"
Nanoha watched as the girls made themselves comfortable in the living room. She racked her brain to figure out if she'd ever met those girls before. Usually, Vivio would come home with Einhart, Rio, or Corona. Nanoha was sure she'd never seen these particular girls in Vivio's company. Shrugging off the thought, she went into the kitchen to get some snack and drinks for the girls. Regardless of whom they were, Vivio wouldn't bring them home if she didn't like them. Nanoha made sure everything was put onto a tray before heading back towards the living room; she stopped when she heard the girls talking, and it wasn't about studying.
"Thank you so much for giving us this chance!"
"No problem. Just don't get too overly excited when you meet her."
"Eh? Why not?"
"Because then my mom will suspect something."
"Fine, fine. We'll keep our excitement down when we meet Fate-san."
A couple of girlish squeals followed. Nanoha felt her right eye twitch in irritation. Instead of being a good host and taking the snacks and drinks to the girls, she turned around and headed back to the kitchen. Slamming the tray down on a counter she took a moment to compose herself. How could this be happening again? After graduating high school she thought she'd seen the last of those dread fangirls. They'd been the bane of her existence and the only reason she couldn't wait for them to graduate. It had been a relief when they moved to mid. The knowledge that thos girls would stop stalking her then girlfriend had her doing a happy dance. Yet here they were again and Vivio's high school friends of all things! Fate was too old for them! Rubbing her forehead slightly she thought back to the days when they were simple high school students that worked for the TSAB.
Flashback
"Eh? You want me for what?"
So far, it had been a typical day for Fate T. Harlaown. She'd woken up, got ready for school, and said good-bye to her mother and brother as she headed off for another day at school. Classes proceeded as normal and she was now having an enjoyable lunch with her friends when Hayate suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked her something she'd never thought she'd be asked.
"Be my Vice President!"
"…."
"Don't give me that look Fate-chan. You're crushing my hopes!"
"Why me?"
"Because I need the popular vote!"
Fate sighed. This was unexpected but she didn't know if she wanted to be in such a position. She didn't enjoy being the center of attention which is why she was quiet most of the time, but her quiet and serious nature only seemed to make her classmates think she was cool or something. It didn't help that she was posing as a foreigner from Italy. With above average height and long blonde locks and her unusual shade of Burgundy eyes, Fate had captivated the student body without even trying. Personally she didn't understand what the obsession over her was about. Fate looked over to Hayate again.
"Is that the only reason?"
"I do have a list if you want me to read off from it."
"Well, I can see why you'd want Fate-chan as your running mate." Suzuka spoke up. "She is very popular, smart, a hard worker, and very dependable."
"You can't go wrong with qualification like that." Arisa agreed.
"She doesn't like all the attention though." Hayate pointed out. "She gets enough of it from they-who-shall-not-be-name."
They knew exactly who Hayate was talking about. It was an unspoken rule to not mention this certain group of people because Nanoha loathed them. They were, of course, referring to Fate's fangirls. Even before Nanoha and Fate started dating, the fangirls were a thorn in Nanoha's side and continued to be so.
No one was sure when it happened. They supposed it was inevitable seeing as Fate was popular from the moment she set foot inside the school, but one day Arisa happened to notice a flier to recruit members into the Fate T. Harlaown club. The blonde had burst out into laughter and took the flier in order to show the rest of her friends. Most of their reactions were similar to her own. Hayate had no shame in laughing until tears streamed down her face, Suzuka was more polite and giggled off to the side, but Nanoha glared holes into the piece of paper. Hayate had the flier stashed away somewhere for future laughing purposes but ever since then, it was clearly evident that Nanoha hated the fangirls.
"That's right!" Nanoha pouted. "Fate-chan gets enough attention as it is. If she ran with you'd be giving them another reason to crowd around her more."
The fangirls tended to follow Fate around wherever she went. Since Fate was so kind and polite, if a club ever needed help they'd go to Fate and ask for assistance. Fate wasn't one to turn down a plea for help so she found herself helping out those clubs and in turn making herself more popular as a result. It was frustrating for Nanoha seeing as it was nearly impossible to get a moment alone with the blonde at school. She was thankful that once they got home though, she had her all to herself.
"It's not like they crowd around her all the time." Hayate rolled her eyes at Nanoha's overprotectiveness.
"That's because Nanoha-chan is at Fate-chan's side constantly." Suzuka smiled at the auburn haired girl.
"Ah, the only deterrent for fangirls: the girlfriend." Arisa acknowledged.
"It only works so much." Nanoha conceded with a sigh. Even if she glared at them all day, they were still there, in the shadows, keeping tabs on Fate's every move. They were nothing more than stalkers in Nanoha's opinion; stalkers that didn't get the hint that Fate was already taken and she wasn't going to be letting go of her. Ever.
"At least they're fairly well behaved. They don't go around stealing her things." Suzuka said.
That was true as well. As annoying as they could be, they didn't do any real harm, just mindless hero worship.
"H-Harlaown-san?" a timid voice called out.
The table's attention was turned to a short brown haired girl. Fate immediately recognized her as one of the basketball team's members. They were one of the more frequent clubs that asked for Fate's help. She'd help them so much that they'd always ask her why she didn't just join the basketball club but Fate always turned them down saying she was already busy with a part-time job. Nanoha recognized the girl as well but not for the same reasons Fate did. This girl was a freshman and she was quite smitten with Fate. The blonde though, seemed oblivious to the girl's affections which relieved the auburn haired girl. Fate would probably worry herself to death trying to figure out a way to break it to the freshman that she already liked someone else without crushing her completely. On some days though, Nanoha wished she'd do just that.
Nanoha shook the thought from her mind. As much as she would love to see them get flat out rejected, it wasn't in the blonde's nature to hurt someone like that. That side of Fate that cared about everyone around her was one of the many things Nanoha loved about her girlfriend. She'd never want Fate to stop caring about those around them even if some of those people happened to annoy her. Nanoha settled for holding the blondes hand under the table; reminding the blonde that she was by her side.
Fate felt Nanoha grip her hand. The blonde was aware that a certain group of girls, which nearly consisted of the entire school, made her girlfriend feel uneasy. Fate thought it was kind of cute that Nanoha was jealous of them, but at the same time, she knew she had to be reassuring to her. Fate squeezed back letting Nanoha know she understood her plight.
"Yes?"
"The captain would like to speak to you if you have a moment."
Fate sighed. She wondered if they needed help with practice again. She was beginning to think it would be a good idea to just join, but Hayate really wanted her to run for student council with her. There was no way she could do both on top of her TSAB duties. As much as she enjoyed helping her fellow students, she'd have to stop in order to take up her role as vice president. She couldn't believe she was actually considering it, but it was for her friend and she'd do what she could to help. First though, she had to take care of whatever the basketball club needed.
"I better go see what she wants."
"Do you want me to come with you Fate-chan?" Nanoha asked.
Fate thought carefully about this seemingly simple question. Now that they were dating, things were a bit more different. Whereas before she could say no and there was no worry that Nanoha would take it the wrong way, now the danger was there. If she said no, Nanoha might feel unwanted since one of her fangirls was going to be walking with her to the gym. The last thing Fate wanted was for Nanoha to somehow think she was picking the fangirl over her because she was sure that's the first thing her auburn haired girlfriend would conclude.
"Want to come with me?" She asked.
The smile that bloomed on Nanoha's face let her know that she made the correct choice. The two girls bid their friends good-bye and followed the basketball team's messenger to the gym.
End Flashback
Fate ended up running with Hayate that year and the two girls won by a landslide. Hayate had been right in predicting that Fate would give her complete dominance over her competition. Nanoha had to chuckle as she remembered how meticulous Hayate had been during the campaign. She was still playful, but their friends were introduced to the serious side of Hayate that they knew all too well now in adulthood. The Student Council election was probably a test Hayate had given herself to see how she could handle the political side of things. It may have only been a school position, but Hayate showed a real knack for it. It was no wonder that their brunette friend was now a Commander. Nanoha though, had been right about one other thing: the fangirls had indeed crowded around Fate even more. Valentine's Day that year had been a nightmare with the nearly wagon full of Valentine's Day presents Fate had received. Nanoha smiled slightly though remembering that even though Fate had received a mountain of chocolate, the only sweet treats she ended up eating were the one's she'd made for her.
"I'm home!"
Nanoha recognized the voice coming from the front and quickly went to greet her wife.
"Welcome home Fate-chan." Nanoha smiled as she kissed her wife.
Fate smiled into the kiss and pulled Nanoha closer.
"I'm home Nanoha."
The two smiled in each other's arms a bit longer before Fate went to take off her shoes. The blonde noticed the extra pairs by their door.
"Company?"
"Vivio has some of her friends over. "
"Again? A few I'd never met were over not too long ago to study if I remember correctly."
Nanoha blinked in surprise. Fate was right. There had been another group the night Fate returned. Vivio had told her that it was for a study session as well. Nanoha turned towards the livings rooms' direction and glared. It seemed her daughter was doing something fishy again. This is what she got for letting Hayate babysit too much. She corrupted her child!
"What's wrong?" Fate immediately sensed something was amiss. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Nanoha's waist. She hoped she hadn't made her wife mad somehow. She'd just walked through the door after all. Nanoha turned into Fate's embrace and pouted at the blonde.
"Mou, this is Fate-chan's fault."
"Eh?" So she had been right in assuming she'd done something but that didn't explain what.
"It's because Fate-chan is so charming and pretty that everyone flocks to her all the time…."
"Umm, Nanoha, I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You're fangirls! I can never escape them!"
Fate blinked in surprise. She hadn't heard Nanoha gripe about any fangirls since they moved to Mid. Why bring them up now. She quickly gathered what little she knew and put two and two together. Vivio's sudden study session with girls she'd never met and the combination of Nanoha glaring at the living room and bemoaning about fangirls. She must've figured out that some of Vivio's high school classmates had joined the club. She sighed and kissed Nanoha's temple.
"I see you figured it out."
"You knew!"
"Well, it was pretty obvious…."
"And you let them into my home!"
"Nanoha, they're just kids."
Nanoha sigh and rested her head on Fate's shoulder. She was right of course. They were just kids.
"I'm sorry, it's just…. You've always had them and it annoys me to think that anyone else would try to get your attention."
Fate chuckled. She always did find Nanoha's possessive side to be rather cute.
"No one could ever grab my attention like you can."
Nanoha smiled at those words.
"Where did you learn that pick up line?"
"Don't know, but the charmer in me seems to come out whenever you're around."
"Let's keep it that way."
Nanoha gave Fate one more peck on the cheek before letting Fate go into the living room and make her appearance for the girls. It wasn't long until the blonde joined her in the kitchen to help her with dinner. They figured Vivio's study buddies wouldn't be staying very long since they'd achieved their goal of meeting Fate so they'd have no real reason to stick around.
"You know," Fate started "Since we were on the subject of fangirls, I wonder if you've noticed the ones you've acquired around the office."
"What? I don't have any of those. I'm not as charming as you."
"Oh, I don't know about that."
Nanoha was caught off guard when Fate suddenly trapped her against the counter.
"That smile of yours should be considered a deadly weapon," Fate's brushed her thumb against Nanoha's lower lip. "So much so that it makes me want to keep others from seeing that smile."
Nanoha blushed at Fate's sudden change in demeanor. Fate wasn't always the aggressive one in their relationship, but it was a treat for Nanoha the few times that her dominant side came out.
"Fate-chan isn't playing fair."
Fate lowered her lips to Nanoha's to the point they were almost touching.
"How am I not playing fair?"
"Nanoha-mama! Fate-mama! Stop flirting already!" Vivio had poked her head into the kitchen to see if dinner was ready yet and instead was met with a sight she was far too familiar with. "Dinner's going to burn if you don't pay attention."
The two women giggled and returned to preparing dinner for themselves and Vivio.
"You'll see I'm right about your fans Nanoha." Fate smiled at her wife as she took a pot to the dining room. "I bet you'll have a desk full of random gifts from your admirers."
"I doubt it Fate-chan."
"Want to make a bet?"
Nanoha thought about it for a moment.
"Alright, what's the prize?"
"Well if I win, you have to dress up in your old high school uniform for me."
"Eh, but I can't fit into that."
Fate's eyes roamed up and down Nanoha's body.
"I think you'll be more than fine."
Nanoha blushed. "Pervert."
Fate simply smiled at her wife's accusation.
"Fine," Nanoha huffed, "But if I win, you have to let me use those handcuffs on you."
This time it was Fate's turn to blush scarlet.
"Alright, I think we have a deal."
The following day made Nanoha wish she hadn't taken the bet if only because she'd been proven wrong. Fate had been right. She found her desk full of cards, chocolates, and flowers. How she'd missed having any fans at all was a mystery, but she supposed it was because she was always busy noticing the fans Fate had to bother with anyone else. The fact that Fate noticed though, made her realize that she wasn't the only one who got jealous in the relationship.
Nanoha may have lost the bet, but it was undeniable that she and Fate won regardless of which outcome happened. The only real loser in all this had been Vivio, who found herself out of business after Fate caught her red handed receiving money from her classmates; at least she got to keep the money. It made getting Einhart a Valentine's Day gift a lot easier.
AN: There you go! Short sweet and simple. Until next time!
