Disclaimer: I don't own MSLN or any of the characters. This takes place in Major Mike's 3TP universe.
She had messed up... Before she had worked up the courage to confess her feelings to Hayate... she had fallen in love with Nanoha, it had started as worry for her well-being, then appreciation for her kindness and friendship, and only then did she realise that her feelings for Nanoha had grown to match the feelings she already held for her master, despair overtook her and she hesitated to pursue either of them... and then she realized how much she had really messed up, because one day, Nanoha, Hayate and Fate had declared to Hayate's little family that they were all dating each other...
Her hesitation had let both women she loved slip away, and get together with each other... and Fate, she was largely irrelevant in this case.
But as always, life went on and she did nothing, it pissed her off, love was all around her, Signum and Shamal had always had a thing for each other, but they almost never acted on those feelings under their previous Masters, one or two of their Masters had permitted and encouraged it, but never to the extent that their current Mast- no, Mother was more like it. Vita smiled as she thought those words.
"Maybe that's what's different?" She thought, she quickly shook that thought from her mind. So those two love birds were annoying, and of course the three Aces were all bubbly and giddy and lovestruck, each time she saw them flirting, it felt like a lump of ice formed in her stomach. and then... not too many days ago, Vivio, Einhart and Miura, the kids she helped raise, also told everyone that they were together. She had known that Vivio and Einhart were fond of each other and were likely to be just like Nanoha and Fate... she hadn't known just how right she was...
Life wasn't fair, but then she knew that already, as she locked down at herself and swore. how could she even begin to compare with Hayate and Nanoha... and she supposed Fate too, ah well whatever. she began to withdraw a little when they were all together, making excuses and be invisible as much as possible... she had to, in order to retain her sanity.
After a particular difficult time when the trio was both flirting and fighting, mainly Nanoha and Hayate flirting and Fate sulking, she seriously needed a drink, she slipped away and went to the bar closest to her. the bouncer had trouble believing her when she told him to step aside, but when she showed him her military ID, which she could not have faked, he reluctantly let her in. She gave the bartender a greeting with the words, "New guy at the door?"
The bartender polished his current glass, held it up to the light, and satisfied, put it in place, then talked back, "Yep, Gave you a hard time?"
"I told him to get bent, honestly pisses me off when people treat me like a kid just because I look like one..." She looked away briefly.
The bartender caught her little slip-up and remarked in a little bemused way, "Love trouble again?"
"Ugh, like you wouldn't believe." She jumped up on the bar stool, "The usual."
"Very well..." The bartender reluctantly served it for her, he knew that this was not healthy, but sometimes it was necessary.
After two or three drinks, Vita herself said stop, she knew her limit and no longer felt the need for more, she just slumped forward and relaxed... That is until a certain blonde woman sat down besides her, "Give me something hard..."
After some time, the two of them had talked about everything, except for their troubles, Vita had no interest in hearing about love troubles invovling Nanoha and Hayate, and Fate hesitated to bring up the subject, but who better to listen to it than Hayate's non-romantic confidante?
"...Lately I just feel like I've been pushed aside, like I'm just a toy for them." Fate's slurred speech revealed that she had had too much to drink, "I can't stand the thought that they don't love me... where did I go wrong? what should I do to fix it?" She was silent for a while, "Sorry, you wouldn't know what it's like."
That flipped Vita's switch, "Oh, you think that's bad? Screw you, At least you're together with the ones you love instead of on the sidelines, for more than a decade."
"Wha-?"
"I envy you, do you know how lucky you are? No, you don't, you've actually gotten to spend a decade with the ones I love, I loved Hayate way before you, you know, and I've loved Nanoha since we moved to Midchilda, and yet somehow, you're the one who gets to live with them, to cuddle with them, to just be with them. I am so done with you." And with those words, Vita jumped down from the stool and began to briskly walk away, if it hadn't been for Fate gripping her shoulder.
"Yeah, but unlike little miss shorty I actually did something instead of just thinking about it." Fate smirked at herself for phrasing it like that.
Vita stood still for a few seconds, and when she spoke, her voice was devoid of any emotion, "...It seems I was not as done with you as I thought," she quickly turned around and kicked the back of Fate's knee to force her down to Vita's level. Once Fate was on her knees, Vita grabbed her by the collar, "How's this for doing something about it?" And then she kissed her, it wasn't romantic, it most certainly was not gentle, it was angry and violent, "I'm going to steal all of the kisses Nanoha and Hayate have ever given you, right off of your lips." and she dove back in again.
When they finally parted for air, Fate glared at her menancingly, but then a brillaint thought came to her, "My lips weren't the only thing Hayate and Nanoha kissed." There, she had made a barrier Vita would not overcome.
It was not as brilliant as Fate thought it was however, as Vita smirked, her eyes glaring daggers, "Is that a challenge?" When Fate realized her blunder, she looked away and Vita continued, "You know, you've got nothing else to do sweety, since you got kicked out of the house, I'm gonna take you up on that challenge and steal the kisses from your skin too."
An awkward silence left in the wake of that and Fate hesitated for a few seconds, she knew this was a bad idea in the back of her mind, but right now, her drunken state got in the way of logical thinking... "I'm going to regret this. Barkeep, one, more."
They picked out a neutral 'battlefield', a motel not far from the bar, this was not about love, this was not even about a physical aspect of love, this was about asserting dominance, the moment that door to privacy closed, they tackled each other, this would prove it once and for all...
Just like a real battle, the ebb and flow of action shifted from one side to the other and back again, what one gave, one got in kind, it was intense, it was a mess and it was violent, it was raw emotion let loose. They would push the worries about the pulled muscles, the bruises, the scratch marks & wounds, the hickeys and the dehydration for another day.
The ultimate 'winner' and the one who eventually came out on top was Vita, it was not because of a physical superiority, but through sheer force of will and preserverance, And the last words that left her mouth before she collapsed on top of a delirious Fate, were words of regret, "...If only it could have been different."
When Vita woke up, she really wish she hadn't, she would rather have died than wake up to the pain she felt, She knew how it was to have a hangover, but this was so much worse, she could barely move her limbs because they hurt or didn't respond, her skin was burning like fire, and her eyes felt like glass shards were stuck in them, when she regained control of her sight to the point where she could actually use it, she noticed Fate snug under the covers next to her, and memories began to flood her mind. Now that she was sober, she really regret her actions. Why was she so stupid, She lied still and waited for Fate to wake up, and she couldn't help but smirk when Fate went through the same hell she did, that smirk was another regret, since it made her want to empty her stomach, luckily she held it in and instead addressed Fate, "God morning, feeling peachy?"
"Oh..." Fate's memories flashed before her eyes, "I just had to give in, didn't I!? I'm really screwed now, what will Nanoha and Hayate thin-" Fate began to get cold sweats, "Vita! Please don't tell Nanoha and Hayate, I beg you! Name anything you want!" Fate regret those words the moment they left her mouth, she knew exactly what Vita wanted, and how much power she had over her, this was going to be a living hell.
"...I want what you have..." Vita looked up at the ceiling for a long time, "...Any chance there's room for one more in your relationship?" She closed her eyes, this was a stupid waste of time.
"...If there is, I'll see to it that you get to fill that spot, Vita." At those uttered words, Vita turned quickly, too quickly for her condition, to face Fate once again, her eyes filled with wonder, "I mean, I can't make any guarantees of course, and you'd have to confess to them yourself, nothing will happen unless you're brave, but... if they consider it, I'll help nudge their decision in your favour."
"Y-you'do that? for me?" A lump was stuck in Vita's throat, or so she felt.
"Yeah... during our fight, I realized that, just like you, I haven't done enough actively to give them what they deserve, Maybe that's why they neglected me in the first place, didn't feel I was involved enough." A great sigh escaped Fate's lips.
A thick silence lingered in the air, Vita finally decided to go take a shower and get dressed, but when she did so, she heard Fate gasp, she looked down at herself and saw all of the injuries and love bites she was covered in, "Oh... how are we going to explain 'this' to them without also explaining..." She gestured to the bed they were in, "This."
"...We were 'technically' sparring?" It didn't quite sound as a solution or an answer when she said it out loud with a goofy smile, but it was at least something Fate thought.
"With the amount of injuries we have? There'd be no doubt we went all out, one of the downsides of being around trained war veterans I suppose, Let's just say it as it is, we got drunk, we got angry, we fought with all of our power." Vita shrugged her shoulders, "Anyway, I'll take a bath first, then you can take one, and for now, We'll forget this ever happened."
Fate nodded as Vita left for the shower, "Great plan."
Somehow they managed to fool everyone with their story, but they did get stern lectures about the proper usage of alcohol and proper conduct between combatants.
A few days later Vita slumped down on her bed after a lengthy training sessions with the younglings, she shook her head, they weren't that young anymore, she thought back to the words of Fate, "You'd have to confess to them yourself, nothing will happen unless you're brave."
"...I hate it when she is right." She sat up and collected her thoughts, "... Graf Eisen, contact Raising Heart and Reinforce Zwei, leave message, 'I need to talk to the two of you about something important'."
"Jahwohl, Meister." Her device acknowledged.
"...Now there is no backing down." She rubbed her temples, "Now all I can do is pray."
Within minutes she got replies from the two of them, seemed they had time this evening.
She grabbed a jacket and left to go meet them. On the way her mind was racing, "You can do this Vita, it is just a measly love confession, you've faced much worse."
She closed the door after arriving at the household, she was greeted in the entrance by Vivio, who was on her way out, "Ahh Vita-san, moms are in there, I'm giving you some space, good luck."
"What are you talking about?" How did she know!?
"I eavesdropped on Fate-mama, talking to herself about your shared indiscretions, and after blac-, err, persuading her to raise my allowance and hearing the story behind it, I'm rooting for you, 'Vita-mama' . I'm off to my date with two beautiful ladies, see you."
And thus Vita was left in a state of shock.
She collected her wits, gave a great sigh, and walked to the living room, there sat the two women she loved, drinking cocoa at the dinner table, "ahh, Vita-chan, good to see you.
Vita felt a lump in her throat, "Nanoha, Hayate, it's also good to see you." She walked over to them and hugged them tightly.
...After thirty minutes of small talk, Vita cursed her own lack of courage, she had gotten nowhere. It had mostly been a talk about life. But just as she was about to give up, destiny threw her a bone, "So, Vita-chan, how are the wounds?"
"Hmm? Oh, just fine." Honestly, the wounds were not even on her mind at the moment.
"...Why did the two of you end up fighting in the first place?" Even if it was only a drunken brawl, it concerned Nanoha that her friends would fight in the first place.
"Jealousy. She had something I want and she rubbed it in my face." Vita looked down so her face was obscured.
Hayate raised an eyebrow, "Jealousy? What could possibly make you jealous in regards to Fate-chan?"
"...You..." She looked up, her gaze piercing them both, "Both of you! I've loved Hayate since we became a family all those years ago... A-and I've loved Nanoha since we moved to Midchilda! But... I was never even in consideration it seems..." She looked away to hide the tears coming.
"Vita-chan..." Nanoha gulped, had Vita really just confessed her love to the two of them? There was no way this was real, "I- um..."
Vita stiffened when she heard Nanoha stumble over her words, she got up and turned towards the door, her voice cracking when she spoke, "I-it's okay, I just wanted to get it off my chest, been keeping it in for a literal decade now. I'll... see you at work..." With those final words Vita left the house.
A thick silence was left in her wake as the two women stared at the closed door.
"..." Nanoha bit her lip, "Hayate-chan, why didn't you stop her from leaving?" This was not a good way to resolve this.
"Oh yeah, let me just abuse my privilege as her master in this type of situation." A venom could be felt in her words, "Nanoha-chan, I didn't think you'd allow such a thing..."
"...I'm sorry, I just... I just can't leave it like this." So many conflicting feelings inside of Nanoha made her mind a mess.
That kind of reaction was a bit more interesting, so Hayate asked, "...What would you have replied?"
"Wha-" She looked sharply at Hayate, what kind of question was that from one's lover.
"To her confession, if you were being honest, straight from the heart, what would your reply be?" Hayate looked narrowly at Nanoha.
"..." She struggled to find the words, because of their weight, "...I'd want her... to be happy..." She swallowed, those words could destroy her current life.
But before she could get a reply, the door opened and the last member of the trio walked in, "I'm home."
"Welcome home Fate-chan, how was your late night jog?" Hayate was quick to greet her returned lover.
"It went- Is something wrong? Both of you seem on edge." Fate had gotten a few pointers from Vita about what was going to go down, so she specifically set up this time to go for a jog, to give them some privacy.
The two of them shared a look, and Nanoha spoke up, "Vita-chan was just here."
"I saw her on the way out, she looked upset, did something happen?" Fate knew what had transpired, but she had to act surprised.
"She...She confessed her love for us." Nanoha almost bit her tongue when speaking because of how nervous she was.
"She what?!" Fate clasped a hand over her mouth to simulate surprise.
"You heard me, Fate-chan!" It was almost a shout that came from Nanoha's mouth.
"What will that change for us?" Putting on a face of concern, Fate knew she had to be convincing.
"..." Nanoha dreaded to look up, and for a few painful seconds, she answered, "I want her to be happy as well as us..." She fell silent again, "I know that's selfish of me, I can't force you or Hayate-chan to go along with this..."
"I-I don't have a problem with it." This had to be the turning point, the chance that would never come again.
Yet it was still premature, She had slipped up and Hayate caught on to it, "you seem unusually comfortable sharing our bed..." It was then that the whole truth lit up for Hayate, "You cheating ass, Fate-chan! So that's what those wounds were all about."
The shout made Nanoha yelp in surprise, "H-huh?"
"Fate and Vita's scuffle, was more of a midnight tryst. Basically Nanoha, she got drunk and bedded Vita." Two glares were directed at Fate, who withered under their stares.
Fate collapsed on the floor and began sobbing, "...It was never meant to happen, I got drunk, we got into a fight, I learned the secret she had kept and I took pity on her... it was a way of releasing her frustrations on the one she hated most of all," She trembled and sighed, "...She wanted to steal every caress and kiss the two of you had ever given me..." A wry smile spread across her face, "I guess in this way, she got what she wanted…"
Nanoha gulped, and Hayate looked stunned, then they looked at each other.
a thick silence hung in the air, and when finally Nanoha spoke, it was with a teary voice, "F-Fate-chan, I had no idea.…"
"Well, neither did I until that moment. and to think how much we flirted right in front of her..." Fate could feel her stomach turn a little.
They both looked at Hayate who had remained silent, she had turned around, and thought a lot. "...Fate, Nanoha, I know what you're thinking... but... as for my decision, it is more complicated than that.
"Because you're her master?" Nanoha said it almost accusingly.
"Because I'm her family! we're so close in so many other ways. almost like a mother and daughter, like sisters and best friends all combined... I just don't know if adding lovers to that list is going to go well..." Hayate gripped the sleeve of her shirt.
A thoughtful expression settled on Fate's face as she thought, "Hayate, are you comfortable with Vita being intimate with you?" A silence was the only answer, but to this kind of question, that was almost certainly a yes, "Are you okay with being intimate with her?" the same kind of silence appeared again, "She is hurting you know…"
A single tear slid down Hayate's face, "I'm sorry, my precious little Vita. sorry for hurting you." She sat down as her legs suddenly felt unsteady.
"...Who's making the call to let her know?" Fate let those words hang in the air for a while.
"...I'll do it, Reinforce, contact Graf Eisen,"
"Yes Hayate." The little girl saluted her master and dialed at once.
it went a long time without picking up, but eventually a coarse voice greeted them, "Hello Hayate..." Vita looked terrible, her eyes were tearstained and the trio could see that she sat in a corner.
"Vita...We have something to tell you, we'd rather tell you in person... but there is no reason for you to suffer until then, We all love you Vita, and we want you to be a part of our relationship," Hayate could feel her eyes misting up, because of all the emotions welling through her.
Nanoha smiled kindly, "If my calender is correct, you're not busy tomorrow at lunchtime, how about a date?"
"A date? S-sure." Vita wiped her eyes, and smiled, she hadn't felt this liberated in what felt like forever.
Nanoha pushed Hayate aside, so she could talk to Vita, "Vita-chan, we really do love you..." and with a nervous smile grazing her features, "See you tomorrow."
VIta left for bed and stared up at the ceiling, and with some final thoughts, she noted, "I look forward to tomorrow." and she closed her eyes for the night.