Since they entered the Section Six they've had more free time and freedom to move around, having as your superior someone who has been your friends for years, had its benefits. Despite that, their work was still hard and now, besides working for the Section Six, sometimes they were also required for some type of special work from their old positions, so they had to admit that although they had more freedom they got even more exhausted than before.
Hayate had promised she would try to talk to them, so they would stop "asking favors," as they called it, and they could fully focus on their new jobs, however the Section Six was still a pretty new unit under the command of a really young lieutenant colonel, so they wouldn't take it seriously from one day to another.
Fate stretched lazily. She had just arrived from fulfilling an extra request as the Enforcer of the TSAB and now she was faced with tons of paperwork from the Section Six… Lately they called her every other day and since she had agreed the first time, now she felt she couldn't refuse. The same was with Nanoha who was now teaching a group of new students at the request of her former instructor.
Fate sometimes thought that being so good at their job was not such a good thing.
#04 EGO
"I'm home…" her voice sounded tired. "Please, Fate-chan, kill me."
The blonde laughed at the request as she watched her friend reluctantly walking from the door to the stairs. She stopped reading the report she had in hand and left it aside on the couch to then stand up and follow her friend. She picked up the white and blue jacket that Nanoha had thrown on a step and continued on her way up as she listened to a "ploff" which told her that the girl had just dropped on the bed. Fate smiled when seeing that, indeed, Nanoha's body was lying face down on one side of the big bed.
"Tough day?" she asked getting a groan in response. "You put too much effort on your work."
"The new recruits learn from me, I have to do my best if I want to bring out their full potential," Nanoha explained while moving like a caterpillar to take off her skirt. "And they know it, that's why they call for me."
"You are the Aces of Aces, assume what your efficiency has created," Fate laughed as Nanoha turned around and continued fighting with her skirt, which apparently didn't want to be removed. "Here, let me help."
Nanoha slightly sat up and blushed when noticing the cleavage showing between Fate's opened shirt, as she was leaning on the edge of the bed to grab the skirt and pull it. She blushed even more when seeing how the girl slid the fabric down her legs to remove it. She had to look away.
"And you?" she asked when the blonde went to leave the clothes on a basket. "What were you doing down there?"
"I was reading a report," she went to the bed and dropped next to Nanoha. "I should have had it done by this afternoon, but was called for a meeting… tell me, what do I even have to do in a meeting?"
"You are one of the best enforces, assume what your efficiency has created."
They stayed silent for a moment until they couldn't hold their laugher any longer. Nanoha turned her head to look at the woman beside her, who did the same, then exchange a smile.
"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I'll prepare something."
"You're probably tired also, I'll help."
But despite that, neither moved in the slightest, so after a few seconds of silence they started laughing again. Fate finally got up first and tapped the brunette's leg urging her to do the same.
They got to the kitchen and opened the fridge, carefully looking inside waiting for something edible to magically appear. Just when they had decided to put aside the intent of cooking and to just order something, the doorbell rang.
Nanoha looked at Fate and the latter looked back at her. Noticing the silent request in her eyes and when she realized that the brunette was almost half naked, she decided to be the one to open the door.
And as soon as she opened it a figure sneaked into their house.
"Hello…" Hayate greeted, giving the blonde a couple of boxes and going directly to the couch. "I came to let myself die here."
Fate looked at the boxes of pizza with a raised eyebrow, closed the door and followed the newcomer, Nanoha appeared at her side and looked with surprised as Hayate dropped on the couch.
"A hard day for you too, Hayate-chan?" Nanoha asked with a giggle.
"Seriously, sometimes I hate my job," she turned around on the couch to look at her friends and blinked a few times before mischievously smiling. "Am I interrupting something?"
Fate looked at Hayate not understanding so she turned to see Nanoha who, after looking at her, turned her head away slightly flushed. The blonde finally noticed that her friend only had a shirt on and she herself had hers half unbuttoned… and then she blushed violently.
"Mou Hayate-chan," Nanoha protested. "Stop joking about it. We were going to order something for dinner."
"Then my interruption was in good timing," she smiled sitting on the couch. "I came from talking with the people who exploit you, I think I've finally managed to make them leave you alone."
Both girls let out a gasp of thanks and sighed in relief, there would be no more second jobs.
"You're the best, Hayate," Fate commended.
"Well, I already knew that," she joked.
The three started laughing and headed to the kitchen to get what they needed for dinner. Fate placed the glasses on the little table in front of the couch, Hayate left the soda and napkins aside and Nanoha opened the lid of one box, humming in response to the smell of the pizza and getting ready to cut it.
"Nanoha, you're practically drooling," the blonde said, passing a napkin over her mouth to complete the joke. "We want it with no drool, thank you."
They started eating in between laughs and jokes, the fatigue of the day and the stress of work had begun to disappear at the pleasant atmosphere that had always existed between them. Fate smiled broadly after taking a big bite of a new slice of pizza, she was glad to know that despite the fact that Hayate had become their superior, she was still their same old friend, just as she promised.
"You have some sauce, Fate-chan," the blonde came out of her thoughts to notice Nanoha stretching her hand and removing the food off her face with her finger before eating it herself. "Hmm… tasty."
Hayate laughed aloud when she noticed the look of embarrassment and the blush spread across Fate's face. Nanoha looked at her rather mischievously, clearly it had been in revenge for the joke earlier.
"By the way, Nanoha…" Hayate paused and took a sip of her soda. "Today on my way to the office I saw the training of two recruits and I think they had some potential… Soon there's going to be a placement test, I've asked and there is no restriction for you to examine them yourself, that way you can see their skills and help me decide whether or not to include them in the Section Six. Rein has told me she'll be happy to help you."
"Hm! No problem" Nodded the instructor. "Now that the TSAB will let us focus on our own jobs, I can't wait to see my new team!"
"I also wanted to talk to you about that…" Fate muttered, leaving her piece of pizza on the side. "When you see it appropriate, let me know and I'll start the paperwork to transfer Erio and Caro."
"I'm waiting for the approval of Carim and Chrono, when I have it, I'll let you know." Fate nodded and turned her attention back to the food. "And you Nanoha, I'll give you the report so you prepare the exam." Now it was Nanoha who nodded, even with her mouth full. Hayate let out a long sigh and leaned back on the couch. "Well, shortly the Section Six will be complete and we'll finally start with our work… actually, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but still it has been exhausting."
"You are one of the best, assume what your efficiency had created."
Nanoha and Fate said at the same time, and they both started laughing at the confused look from their friend.
-.-.-.-.-
Hayate opened her eyes and immediately closed them again at the sudden light that filled the room. She ran a hand over her face to clear it and rubbed her sleepy eyes to remove the sleep before looking around. She noticed she was on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, next to a table full of boxes with leftovers of pizza and empty soda cans. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep but she was sure it had been before the end of the movie, since she couldn't remember it.
She sat up and found that indeed, her friends were nowhere to be seen, she put the blanket aside and quietly walked upstairs.
As expected they were both lying in the bed next to each other and leaving too much empty space on that huge mattress, which Hayate thought was being wasted too much. She went to the bed to see the peaceful expression of both women. Nanoha slept with one arm around Fate's waist, while the other cuddled in her chest with her head placed in the space between her friend's neck. The chestnut girl shook her head and sighed before jumping on the bed.
"W-what!"
"OUCH!"
Fate had sat up so fast at the sudden shock in her bed that in the process, she had hit her head with Nanoha's chin, who was now complaining half asleep, not really understanding what had happened. Hayate giggled and rolled over until she was in the middle of her two friends, embracing them both.
"You abandoned me on the couch," she whined. "You came here to sleep so comfortably close together while I was left alone down there…"
"Hayate…" Fate ran a hand over her face and dropped on the bed again. "You really scared me with that."
"Yeah…" Nanoha groaned, still rubbing her chin. "You fell asleep and when the movie ended we felt bad to wake you up."
"That's why we left you there," Fate finished. "Don't be so dramatic."
"Lie. The truth is that you just wanted to spend the night the two of you alone, in this huge bed."
The two let out a groan, it was too early to start bearing the jokes of their friend so neither of them said anything. They stayed in silence for a while, trying to wake up but too sleepy to get up. Fate rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn before turning to one side.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," Hayate muttered.
"Too early," protested Nanoha. "I want to sleep a little longer."
"Wake up, my master."
The three girls let out a tired sigh upon hearing Raising Heart, which could only mean one thing: the hours of rest were over and they had to start preparing for another long day of work.
"Wake up, my master."
Repeated the device and Nanoha jumped up releasing a grunt in the process. It hadn't been a very nice way to wake up, she didn't mind getting up early as long as she woke up seeing the peaceful face of Fate at her side, not with a sudden hit to her chin… her two companions began snickering but ended up laughing. Nanoha crossed her arms and looked at them reproachfully.
"You two can now start getting up as well, you also have to work."
"If we take the day off, do you think they'll notice?" asked Fate.
"Unfortunately the Section Six can't function without its three most important mages," Hayate sighed, sitting up on the bed.
Fate also sat up and the three looked at each other with annoyance.
Sometimes being so good really sucked.
T/N: So this was the fourth chapter, not much NanoFate happening here, but there'll be more later on. So this chapter happens before the begining of Strikes, how much longer do you think is gonna take for them to confess their feelings? well you'll find out if you continue reading, and reviewing, ok? see next time ;)
