Trepidation
A month later, after a week of the couple accomplishing their daily routines with a noticeable bounce in their step, all was well with the Takamachi-Harlaown household. That is until.
Fate jumped from the bed and rushed to the bathroom.
Jarred awake, Nanoha rubbed her eyes. It was still dark out. What could possibly wake Fate up? Leaving the warm bed, she groggily made for the panel of light under the door connecting the bathroom to their bedroom. She sobered quickly upon hearing a dreadful ueeehhhhh- splash… cough cough. Bursting through the door, she found Fate kneeling over the toilet bowl. She went to hold her hair back and rubbed soothing circles along her back, which shook with every heave.
Flushing the toilet, Fate, with Nanoha's steadying support, got to her feet. She flushed her mouth with water and gurgled mint flavored mouthwash cleansing the bad taste in her mouth. After a few splashes of refreshing cool water, she turned to a concerned Nanoha.
"I'm fine." Her hand snaked by her wife to grab the towel hanging on the wall behind her. She pat her face dry while answering a row of questions. "No. I didn't go out drinking with Signum or Hayate. I didn't eat anything funny. And I think we should wait a few days. I just caught a bug going around work." She placed the towel away.
In shocked awe, Nanoha asked, "How did you do that?"
"Do what?" Fate replied confused.
"Know what I was going to say."
"What are you talking about? You clearly asked me." Fate raised an eyebrow, thinking her wife was acting strange.
"No I didn't." Nanoha shook her head, adamant about it.
"Of course you did. I heard you in my head. How else would I know?"
"Fate-honey." Nanoha said gently. "I was only thinking. I didn't broadcast my thoughts."
"Maybe you did. It's late or early," she was confused. "Anyway, we should get some more sleep," she yawned, "while we can." Walking passed her, she went to bed.
Nanoha quietly followed. She wasn't in the mood to argue.
For the next week, Fate would get sick, eat a hearty breakfast as if to prove she was fine, go to work, come home, and repeated the cycle.
Nanoha watched the familiar scene in the bathroom. After Fate freshened up, she shoved a blue box into her chest.
"Don't come out until it's done."
After a glimpse of the picture on the box, Fate grasped the door frame, stopping Nanoha from pushing her back into the bathroom. "Why do I have to take it?"
Nanoha stared. "Because you're the one throwing up each and every morning."
"You had cake for breakfast." Fate quickly retorted.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"What are you saying you never eat cake for breakfast!" Fate passionately objected.
"So I was in the mood for cake."
"See! Cravings. That's a sign."
"Fate-chan." She used a stern motherly tone because she behaved like a kid trying to weasel their way out of something.
"Don't Fate-chan me. I'm not done."
Nanoha folded her arms over her chest, her foot tapping the tiled floor. "Well, continue. I'm listening."
"You ate slouberg." Fate held a smug I-got-you smile.
"So what?" She huffed, growing annoyed at her wife's useless bullheaded remarks.
Fate couldn't believe it. How could she not know? "You hate slouberg."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She heard the same remark a few days ago from Amy when they went grocery shopping.
"Because it's true." Fate stated point blank.
"No its not." She sounded petulant. "I don't like it. But I don't hate it. I just wanted to eat slouberg this week. Is that so bad?"
"Nanoha. That makes no sense. But the point is. I think you should take this." Fate stuck the box into Nanoha's chest.
"Fate-chan I think you're being a baby. Just go take it." Nanoha pushed it back into her chest.
"No. I think I just have a cold. You take it." Fate pushed back.
"No you."
"You."
"You."
"You know what?" The box was held in between them.
"What?" Fate tentatively asked.
"This is ridiculous. How about we both take it?"
"Agreed." Fate stepped back, leaving Nanoha to hold the box.
"Great! I'll run to the store and you take this." She threw the box at Fate.
She fumbled to catch it. When her wife almost reached the bedroom door, Fate said, "Oh no." Ran passed her. Pivoted. "I'll run to the store and you take it." Gave back the box.
Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "Are we really going to start this again."
"Not if you stop first."
She studied her for a moment. "Why are you running away from this?"
"I'm-" She was going to say not. But, Nanoha's make-one-more-excuse-and-no-homemade-cake-for-you look made her gulp it down. "I just don't want to know. Okay!"
Nanoha began to feel uneasy. "Why not? I thought you wanted this." She whispered the last part.
Fate hugged her, which soothed her somewhat. "Of course I do."
With those words, Nanoha was able to listen to the rest of Fate's broken speech without worries.
"I'm just… it's… how do I put this?" She tapped her chin.
"You're afraid." Nanoha voiced, telling her what was in both their hearts. "Because you're scared about how things will change. But, you're still excited and looking forward to it."
"Yeah." She added. "It's comfortable right now and I guess I want to take it slow."
Nanoha understood. Still, she wanted pay back for the aggravation and insecurity she caused her earlier. "You baby." She teased.
Fate pouted, making Nanoha almost pinch her cheeks from how cute she was being.
"Well I'm not like you. Charging and barreling right into things." She grumbled.
"No." Nanoha agreed and told her what she read in her eyes. "You dodge and evade. But," She caressed her cheek. "You're always there when it counts."
They stared into each other's eyes, Fate getting closer and closer. Until, she kissed her over and over while guiding her to the bed.
"What about the test?" Fate whispered as she hovered over her. She felt Nanoha's hand behind her head.
"Later." Nanoha pulled her down.
"Mmm." Fate held an inward smirk as, for now, she got her way.
Sometime later after they returned from the pharmacy with another blue box, Fate stood before the bathroom door.
"Do I really have to go first?" She almost whined.
"What? You want to do this together too." Nanoha giggled as she placed plastic bags on their bed next to the ones Fate brought up. She had taken the opportunity to restock some household items and get some cute things she found with Fate.
"Yeah. That's a great idea." Fate turned to her expectantly.
"I was joking." She said walking passed her, and opening the bathroom door to put bath supplies in the cabinets under the sink and on the wall above the toilet. When she turned around she was met with bright red eyes that cried please be there for me.
She fidgeted. "It's embarrassing." She weakly protested, walking for the bed where more items waited to be put away.
"Nanoha." Fate held her wrist and gazed into her blue eyes with a sense of profoundness. "I've seen you naked plenty of times."
Goodness. She was being ridiculous again. Nanoha thought. "That's different."
"How?... I've done things down there. Like mmmf."
Nanoha covered her mouth with her free hand. "You really don't have to tell me. I know."
"So there's no problem." Her voice sounded muffled.
"Fate-chan." She dropped her hand. She couldn't believe she needed to explain this to an adult. "Going to the bathroom is a private event." With that, she twisted out of Fate's grasp.
Fate watched her go.
"That's actually not true." She said, while Nanoha folded their new bath towels. "In some cultures it's pretty public. Do it where you please kind of thing." She was thinking about her times on foreign worlds where the aliens were intelligent humanoid creatures with a more animalistic behavior.
Nanoha placed their new towels in the dresser drawer. "Well in this house it's private." She pushed the drawer close with a clap of finality.
"Fine. Then you can just watch me go to the bathroom."
Nanoha's steps faltered. "Um… Okay." She honestly couldn't believe how far she was going with this.
Fate smiled brightly.
"Well." Nanoha was impatient.
For the past five minutes she watched Fate sit on the toilet with her pants down and the test between her legs.
"I can't go."
"Why?" She snipped. She was so sure of herself moments ago.
"I feel like your pressuring me."
"Then I'll just leave."
"No! Please stay!" Fate quickly grasped her wrist before Nanoha could even make her first step.
She looked at her wife, begging on the toilet. "Fate-chan this isn't working." She said gently.
"Nanoha. If you go. I won't be able to take the test."
Nanoha grew stern at the implied threat. "Are you trying to run again?"
"No. I just want you here to support me." Fate said sincerely.
"To what? Pee!"
"Just stay. Please."
Looking down at those imploring burgundy eyes, made her feel guilty. She glanced away, mumbling, "Fine."
"Thank you." she said gratefully, letting go of her wrist. "Now just turn to the wall and cover your ears."
"And how will that help." Nanoha huffed.
"Please." Fate pleaded again.
Sighing, Nanoha did as she was told. About five seconds later, despite her hands over her ears she heard Fate go and had to smile from just how funny the whole situation was.
After Nanoha kicked Fate out of the bathroom, much to Fate's disappointment since she wanted to be with her, they waited for the results. The time between the ticks of the hand were long drawn out stillness. Agonizing in the sluggish pace that settled over them, Fate left the bed and walked around the room. Nanoha observed her aimless wandering from the bed. Twenty laps later. The timer rang.
Fate stopped circling and made her way back to the bed where Nanoha waited. "Ready." She said, gripping the small plastic stick in her hand. She turned to her silent wife: Her head down. Her gaze on the suddenly heavy plastic stick grasped in trembling hands. Fate held them steadying their quivering. Nanoha turned to her, witnessing that small smile that parted when she spoke. "No matter what the result. Know that I'm always here for you. And we'll get through this together."
Nanoha searched her unfaltering burgundy eyes knowing her words to be true. It gave her peace. She nodded. "I'm ready."
Fate smiled, separating their hands, but always remaining close beside her. They read their results and kept rereading. It until it sunk in. They turned to each other and said, "I'm…."
Bonus scene from earlier that week
"The nerve of her!" Nanoha stomped down the aisle while her sister-in-law leisurely rolled the shopping cart beside her. "Can you believe it!" With barely a glance, she grabbed items as she passed and dumped them in the cart.
Much to Amy's surprise and wonder, everything in the shopping cart was on the list. At this rate grocery shopping would end in record time. She decided she'd go shopping with Nanoha more often. "Calm down. She was just busy."
"So what?" She pivoted on her toes, holding a carton of fragile eggs. "She never blew me off before!"
Amy discretely took the eggs from her frantically waving hand before they could break. "She's an enforcer. You know how demanding her job is."
"She was reading! How hard it is to read! I called her in the middle of a street fight and she still paid attention to me."
Amy knew Fate was an apt fighter. Holding light conversation with Nanoha while fighting criminals was no big deal. She was still amazed and even envious since her husband never answered her calls unless he needed something. But, that's just the type of man she married and wouldn't trade him for the world. Although, she did think about arranging training sessions to improve his ability to multitask.
"And to think, I" she emphasized I, "was actually worried about her. I even suggested she take the day off from work. But nnnooo!" her hand went side to side with a smooth sweeping wave, "She insisted she was fine and left. Well you know what! I don't… care any… mooorree." She broke into tears.
While looking for a box of tissues Amy noticed the other shoppers sneak peeks or blatantly stopped to gaze at the balling combat instructor. "What? You never saw a woman cry before! Get moving!" They skedaddled. She grabbed some tissues and held the instructor, who cried into her shoulder.
"I… I… was only…. w-worried… about her. You know."
She gazed at her with big round eyes that reminded Amy of a puppy abandoned by its master.
"Nanoha are you on your period?" She whispered as she gave Nanoha the tissues.
"N-No." she said miserably. "It's running," she blew her nose, "a little late. Why?" She wiped the tears from her sad baby-blues.
"Oh. No reason." Amy couldn't say you're being overly sensitive. With the way things were going, she could bust out her barrier jacket and sock her. She was exaggerating. Nanoha held a certain kind of respect for her that often let her get away with things that others wouldn't. Still, she didn't want Nanoha's anger directed at her. "Hey! You know what you need." She used her enthusiastic voice that always distracted her kids. "Food. I bet you're hungry."
"Yeah." She slowly uttered in a voice just breaking through sadness. "I'm a little hungry."
"Great! I know a place that makes excellent tuna fish sandwiches."
"Actually Amy… Can we go to Martha's Grill? I'm in the mood for slouberg."
"Slouberg?" She said surprised. It was a favorite meat amongst Mid-childan's like chicken to Earth people. "You hate slouberg."
During her first year living on Mid-childa, She and Fate were invited to celebrate her husband's twenty-third birthday at a fancy restaurant reputed for its slouberg. It was delicious. The meat tough chewy, distinct tangy earth flavor, exactly how it was suppose to be. Everyone at the table loved it. Then they noticed the Earth-born girl carried a forced smile while she struggled to chew and swallow, getting less than half-way through the meat before she claimed to be full.
"Oh. I don't hate slouberg. I don't like it. But right now, I want some." She was rather excited.
"Okay." She replied, somewhat unsure. That was the weirdest thing she ever heard her say and she heard plenty. Being from another planet Nanoha often said outlandish things. "Let's go to Martha's." They had the best grilled food in the city, and they grilled any kind of meat imaginable. Maybe once they got there Nanoha would change her mind.
She didn't. Not only did she devour four helpings of slouberg and enjoy it. She even ate a whole chocolate cake that seemed to bring her immense pleasure. Other than portion sizes, her eating behavior was so reminiscent of Fate, Amy thought her eyes played tricks on her. It was only Nanoha's voice and the occasional pinch that proved otherwise.