A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story! It's been a lot of fun to write so far XD

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

by : ~Nissanity~

Chapter 3 – Playing with Fire

~Day 1~

Fate awoke the next morning to the glare of the morning sunlight beating down on her face. She held her hand up at first to block it from hitting her directly in her eyes. She then groaned and slowly looked around the room, trying to recall where the alarm clock was from her position. Her head hurt and she had no idea what time it was. That was all was she certain of at the moment.

She looked across the bed towards the clock on the nightstand and found it was already 10:23AM. Her vision trailed over to Nanoha's still sleeping face beside her. She narrowed her eyes at first in confusion when she found that she was naked from the waist up. Visions of the night before suddenly came crashing back to her, sending her scrambling to sit up in bed.

"Fate...cha..." Nanoha mumbled when she felt the bed shaking. She squinted her eyes in pain and looked over to find Fate sitting up beside her and looking panicked. She worried she might be feeling sick until she glanced down at her own naked chest. Her head fell back against the pillow and she tried to remember the reason why she had no shirt on. She then buried her face in her hands as she replayed the events from the night before in her head.

"Um..." Fate began and turned her vision towards the bedroom door. "Coffee! I'm going to make some coffee."

"Yeah, sure," Nanoha replied, her voice muffled by her hands still covering her face.

Fate walked out of the bedroom and shut the door quietly behind her. She raised her hand to her forehead as she walked and became lost in thought over what exactly happened between her and Nanoha the previous evening. She shook her head in sheer confusion and then instantly regretted the action with the piercing headache now plaguing her. She took a deep breath and decided to focus on getting rid of her hangover first.

In the kitchen she retrieved the coffee grounds from the cabinet. "So what if you made out with your best friend while you were drunk? And so what if you liked it?" she asked herself as she scooped. She paused afterward and gripped the edges of the kitchen counter, willing herself not to revisit the memory too much.

"You have to add water too, you know?"

"AHH!" Fate turned around and found Nanoha unexpectedly in the kitchen doorway. Nanoha rolled her eyes slightly and made her way across the kitchen to the coffee pot next. Fate noticed she had a different shirt on from the night before and could clearly see she was not wearing a bra.

"Let's not make this weird," Nanoha said. She took the empty coffee pot from the stand and moved to the sink. She turned on the tap and filled it with water while Fate fidgeted beside her.

"Weird? Why would it be weird?" she asked nervously.

"Seriously. No weirdness, Fate-chan."

Fate took another deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "Okay, you're right. Sorry."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really. But I probably should eat anyway."

Nanoha poured the water into the coffee maker and accidentally spilled some of it out of the side. Fate also noticed she neglected to turn it on but opted not to say anything. She figured Nanoha was probably just as hungover as she was and wasn't about to point out trivial things at the moment.

"We should both eat," Nanoha said. "I'll make us something. You can go sit down if you'd like."

"No, that's okay." Fate stood motionless by the counter for a few moments while Nanoha got things out of the fridge. She soon realized she would be in the way if she continued standing in the same spot. She moved away from the counter and crossed to the other side of the kitchen.

"Vivio comes back this afternoon," Nanoha mentioned as she approached the stove.

"Oh, that's right. I can't wait to see her."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, too." Nanoha turned and gave her a genuine smile over her shoulder. Fate finally felt more at ease after seeing the gesture and smiled back at her.

"So, was there anything you wanted to do today?" Fate then asked.

"I'm not sure, actually. It'd be nice to just relax around here for one more day before I have to go back to work tomorrow."

"That sounds good. Mind if I join you?"

"Well, I was hoping you would," Nanoha said with a small laugh. "Maybe we can try watching that movie again?"

Fate's blood pressure immediately shot up again. "Um..."

Nanoha quickly spun around and held her hands out in front of her defensively. "No, wait! I meant the cop one!"

"Right! I forgot about that one. Sorry." Nanoha turned back to the stove and Fate faced her head towards the ceiling in frustration. The awkwardness between the two was becoming unbearable.

"Hey, Nanoha?"

"Yes, Fate-chan?"

Fate crossed the room to stand beside her again. She raised a gentle hand to her arm to get her full attention. Nanoha cautiously turned to face her in return. Fate then looked down at the eggs she was scrambling and shook her head.

"I don't think I can eat right now," she announced sadly. "It not you, Nanoha. I just... can't."

"Oh." Nanoha looked down at the half-prepared ingredients on the counter as well. In her distracted daze she hadn't really stopped to consider she was actually handling food. She immediately pushed the bowl of eggs away and fought off her own wave of nausea.

"Sorry," Fate added.

Nanoha turned her back to the counter and stared at the floor. "No, I completely understand. I'll try again later. I think a shower could do me some good right now."

"Yeah, me too. I'll probably take one after you."

"I would suggest we take one together like we always do, but..." Nanoha trailed off in her thought, not quite sure where the statement could or should lead at the moment.

Fate came to stand directly in front of her. "Can we just talk about what happened last night, please?"

"So we got drunk and fooled around. It's no big deal," Nanoha replied and shrugged casually.

"Is that all it was?"

"Yes. Nothing has changed with either of us. We are still the same people today with the same things going on in our lives."

"That may be true. But I'm not going to say I didn't like it." Fate knew she was taking a bolder step than she normally would with the admission, but she didn't feel there was any reason to pretend she felt differently about it.

"I-I liked it too, Fate-chan," Nanoha admitted. "But I still feel the same way as I did yesterday. I'm not really interested in pursuing something romantically with anyone."

"I'm not either. I just wanted you to know that I liked it. And if you're ever wanting to do something like that again, I'm not going to stop you."

Nanoha looked at her a bit skeptically. "I don't want things to change between us. That would be the worst thing that could happen."

"So we won't let it."

"Ugh, this is crazy..." Nanoha crossed her arms looked away to the nearby wall.

Fate sighed and looked away as well. "Yeah, maybe it is a crazy idea. We can just drop it if you want." When Nanoha didn't respond, Fate took it as an admission that the subject was indeed done. She turned to leave the kitchen before she could do any more damage.

Nanoha pulled herself away from the counter and grabbed her by the hand to stop her. "Wait a minute, Fate-chan. I wasn't exactly ready for that suggestion, that's all. I'm just worried about losing you as a friend, okay?"

"I wouldn't do that, Nanoha."

"Um..." Nanoha looked to the floor and considered the proposal carefully. She weighed the potential consequences if one of them wanted more from the other if they went a step further than friendship. She figured she was safe from that on her end. She could only put faith in Fate that she wouldn't push for something serious from her afterward, either. Eventually, her curiosity that carried over from the previous evening was what made the ultimate decision for her.

"One time," she said firmly. "We have sex one time so we both know what it's like. That way we don't have to wonder about it forever."

"I think I can handle that."

Nanoha guided Fate by the hand out of the kitchen and into the living room. Hanging pictures of their lives spent together passed by in a blur as they made their way down the hallway. Nanoha glanced over at Vivio's closed bedroom door and reminded herself that they had limited time before she came home from camp that afternoon.

Once they reached their own bedroom door, Nanoha paused momentarily outside of it. They had crossed that threshold thousands of times together before, but this would be the one time it was different. She rested her hand on the door handle and contemplated whether she could go through with it or not. She glanced back at Fate and was met with a steadfast and reassuring expression. She ultimately pushed open the door and led them both inside.

Nanoha wasted no time with lingering glances or soft embraces. She crashed her lips against Fate's and pushed her backwards, leading them to the bed on the other side of the room. Fate suddenly found herself on her back with Nanoha crawling on top of her. Any reservations and awkwardness they had experienced the night before had been replaced by a completely different atmosphere. Nanoha pulled the hairtie out from her ponytail and let her hair cascade down her back and shoulders.

"I'm going to show you what I think I would like. You can do it to me next, okay?" she said and started pulling clothes off the woman beneath her.

Fate was quick to remove Nanoha's top as well. "Sounds good."

Nanoha captured her lips once more before moving her way downward. She found Fate's breast with her mouth and circled her tongue around its already erect peak.

"I really liked when you did this to me last night," she mentioned between the sucks and gentle pulls on the tip with her teeth. Fate nodded and let out shallow breaths but said nothing back. She was in no position to form intelligible words with what Nanoha was doing to her at the moment.

Eager hands helped push her jeans off her hips and down her legs. Fate kicked a foot out of a pant leg while Nanoha continued to work her way down until she reached her navel. She circled it with her tongue and kissed it a few times. Nanoha's breath was soon felt on her thigh and Fate tensed in anticipation.

"I'll go slow," she assured her. She met Fate's eyes from her position below. The two exchanged a look not of passion but of trust between each other. Fate swallowed once and nodded to assure her that she was ready.

When she felt Nanoha's lips and tongue begin to explore and gently caress her, she threw her head back into the pillow and became lost in the pleasure of it all. Every wave of stimulation brought her that much closer to the climax she was not familiar with, but wasn't about to let go of either.

Nanoha's hand soon moved its way up Fate's thigh to ease two fingers inside. Fate's eyes shot open and looked down her body again.

"Is that okay?" Nanoha asked quickly. Sapphire eyes sought permission from above again. Fate slid her fingers into copper strands to ensure her the new stimulation was welcomed. She bit her lips when Nanoha moaned against her in response to the gesture, sending her that much closer to her peak.

Fate's expression only caused Nanoha to want to work harder for her. She continually pushed her closer to experiencing sheer ecstasy for the first time. Fate closed her eyes again and began to groan and shudder.

"God, Nanoha... Don't stop..."

She continued to watch Fate even as she herself trembled from the anticipation for the release. When she saw and felt Fate's body tense up completely, she held on to her and wouldn't let go. She guided her through all her tremors and waves of pleasure. She didn't move away until Fate was still again and breathing heavily on the bed.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She rested her head on her thigh and waited for her response.

"Jesus..." Fate said breathlessly. "What have I been missing out on all this time?"

Nanoha laughed a little. "I know, right?" She crawled back up and laid on her side of the bed. Fate was still staring at the ceiling and trying to recover from the mind-numbing pleasure she had just experienced. She eventually looked over at Nanoha and smiled.

"You know, I'm not sure - "

"Vivio will be arriving in five minutes, Master." Fate and Nanoha both flinched as Raising Heart's mechanical voice interrupted from somewhere between the sheets.

Nanoha turned onto her stomach and fumbled around the pillows to find her device, which had come off when Fate had taken off her shirt. She eventually found it between the top sheet and the comforter. She placed it onto the nightstand and sighed quietly to herself. She then clutched the pillow against her chest and looked back at Fate over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess that's it."

Fate shook her head. "It said five minutes. We can't leave this uneven between us."

Nanoha could help but giggle when Fate tackled her on the bed and began planting wild kisses on her back and between her shoulder blades. "That's not romantic at all, Fate-chan!" she screamed.

"It's not supposed to be, right?!" she yelled back. She eventually stopped teasing and rested her body next to her on the bed. Nanoha felt gentle hands begin to move across her back and sides.

"You'd better hurry up," she warned playfully when Fate tried to kiss her on the back of the neck. She raised up instead and pulled Nanoha's pants down over her hips, causing her to laugh again.

"No problem. I saw this in a movie once," Fate assured her.

"Wait, a movie? No, not that scene - - Ahn! Oh, god!"

Nanoha moaned into the pillow when Fate slid her hand down her stomach and began stroking her. She arched her hips to allow her better access in response. Fate's other hand began to explore as well, eventually easing inside of her from behind.

Nanoha clenched her teeth and concentrated solely on the motions, knowing her time was extremely limited. The notion that she had to hurry or else she would be left unsatisfied herself was exhilarating. The feeling of someone else giving her pleasure consumed her senses unlike anything she experienced before as well.

"M-More..." she whimpered.

The sound of a car passing by outside their window only fueled her passion and desire. She gripped the sheets in her hands and moved to muffle her scream. Fate's thrusts slowed the closer she got to the edge. Nanoha realized she was purposefully drawing out her climax even longer.

"Please, Fate-chan..." she found herself begging. She bit the pillow in anticipation. Fate responded by pushing inside her deeper and slower. Nanoha now knew she had no control over when she was going to be allowed to release.

"Do you want to, Nanoha?" Fate asked quietly beside her ear. Nanoha could feel herself seize tighter with the question.

"I need to..." she moaned desperately. Fate curled her fingers inside and pressed her fingers harder against her nerves in response. Nanoha's eyes flew open at the unexpected stimulation. "Oh, god... Oh god!" she repeated.

Fate's arms burned from the exertion but loved the sensation. She felt the need for Nanoha to release just as much as she did. She pushed harder and faster until Nanoha's body responded and surrendered fully to her.

Nanoha shifted restlessly on the bed until the ripples of ecstasy finally flooded through her. She cried out and lost all shreds of self-control over her body as it seized in a chain of spasms. Several waves came and went, each more intense than the last. Fate didn't stop until she felt her body relax under her completely.

Fate removed her hands slowly and collapsed onto her side of the bed in a daze afterward. Nanoha gasped for breath, not realizing she had been barely breathing the whole time. She clumsily pushed her tangled hair away from her face and came right back to reality.

"We have to get up, Fate-chan." She sat up on her knees and started searching the room for her clothing. It would be less than a minute before Vivio arrived at the house. The last thing she wanted was for their daughter to see her mothers in that sort of disheveled state. She grabbed her shirt from the floor and then threw Fate's onto the bed.

Fate smiled clumsily at first before her face fell dramatically. "Oh, right! Vivio!" she shouted in sudden realization.

Nanoha raced to the vanity mirrors that were around the corner wall in their room. She quickly pulled her shirt back over her head and put her hair up in a ponytail. She glanced around the corner and found Fate still struggling to get dressed on the bed. She looked over at the window when heard the carpool van pull up in front of their house and honk once.

"I'll go. You just pull yourself together," she said. Fate gave her a thumbs up in response. Nanoha raced out of the bedroom and pulled on her shirt ends one last time before pulling open the front door. She was stunned to find Hayate standing on the other side with Vivio in her arms. The van pulled away from the curb behind them.

"H-Hayate?! What are you doing here?"

"Mama!" Vivio yelled happily and extended her arms out. Nanoha took her from Hayate and gave her an excited hug.

"The van stopped by headquarters first. I just hitched a ride with them," Hayate replied.

"Well, come in, of course. Would you like some coffee?" Nanoha spotted Fate enter into the hallway out of the corner of her eye. The blond stopped short when she saw Hayate standing in the entrance way.

"Hayate?!"

"Fate-Mama! You're home!" Vivio screamed when she saw her suddenly appear. Nanoha put her on the ground and she raced across the hallway. Fate bent down so that Vivio could tackle her in a hug.

Hayate walked inside the house and watched the happy scene at first. She then turned her vision back to Nanoha and glanced down at her shirt a few times.

"What?" Nanoha finally asked and looked down as well. It was only then that she noticed she had put it on inside-out. "Oh, right. The other side of it... said something stupid."

"I see. Well, coffee sounds wonderful. Sorry to barge in on you like this."

Nanoha waved her hand quickly and turned towards the kitchen. "Oh, it's fine. Nothing was happening here anyway."

"Right. How could it be?" Hayate glanced back at Fate and Vivio one more time and watched them walk into the living room together.

"So, what brings you by?" Nanoha asked after they made it into the kitchen. She retrieved a few coffee mugs from the cabinet and placed them on the counter. She was dumbfounded when she looked over and saw the coffee pot was sitting empty on the base. She then realized she must have never turned it on that morning.

Hayate watched in curiosity as Nanoha stared at the empty coffee pot as if lost in thought. She finally walked over and pressed the power button to start it. She then grabbed a bowl from beside the stove full of uncooked eggs and threw them in the trash.

"You'd almost think you were interrupted making breakfast or something..." Hayate mused. "So, did you get my message?"

"No? When did you send it?"

"About an hour ago."

"Oh..." Nanoha asked Raising Heart to pull up her notifications. She dismissed the now overdue warning about Vivio's arrival before pulling up Hayate's message in front of her.

"Mandatory staff meeting tomorrow at 8am. Please confirm when you have received this message," she read aloud. She glanced over at her commander nervously.

"As you can imagine, I became concerned when I didn't hear a confirmation from Fate either. You two always respond immediately. I can see now that I had nothing to worry about."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nanoha asked.

"I'm just saying you two were busy and that's understandable. I'm glad I could clear that up."

"No, Hayate. We weren't busy!"

"Your shirt is inside out, Nanoha! I'm not an idiot!"

Nanoha immediately grew frustrated with her commander's prying ways. "I know about Yuuno! He wasn't at the bar the other night!" she hissed.

Hayate puffed her cheeks in response to being caught red-handed in her scheme. "It was for your own good, Nanoha! Look at where you're at now!"

"It's not what you think! We aren't - "

"Mama! Mama!" Vivio suddenly bolted into the kitchen and threw herself against her mother's legs. "I wanna watch T.V., but Fate-mama said I had to ask you if it was okay."

"Sure! Let's all head into the living room. What do you say?" Nanoha scooped her daughter up into her arms and made a quick exit out of the kitchen, grateful for the change in subject. Hayate followed them into the living room as well.

Hayate waved at Fate on the couch. "Hey there."

"Hey, Hayate. So, what brings you by?"

"I sent you both a message that neither of you responded to. I came by to make sure you were okay." Hayate watched in amusement as Fate immediately blushed and stammered for an excuse.

"O-Oh... Well, we decided to have breakfast outside. We must have left our devices in the house."

"Breakfast?!" Hayate cried. "Like eggs and coffee? That sort of thing?"

"Yep, exactly." Vivio escaped from Nanoha's arms and ran back over to the couch. She climbed in Fate's lap and hugged her again. As Nanoha reached for the remote on the couch, she noticed the empty wine and beer bottles still on the coffee table. Hayate was staring at them as well.

"God damnit..." she muttered under her breath. The brunette was catching every clue of their misdeeds and it was really starting to piss her off.

Nanoha turned on the television and gasped reflexively when the adult movie channel she had rented the night before flashed on the screen. She immediately hit the power button again but knew the damage had already been done. She glanced over to the couch first and was grateful that Vivio hadn't seen that, although she knew all the adults in the room had.

Fate's face was frozen in place. She was unwilling to turn her head in any direction but forward now. Nanoha placed the remote in her teeth and waited for the inevitable response from her wise and knowing best friend.

Hayate moved to stand directly in front of her with a smirk on her face. "Glad we could clear this all up. See you two tomorrow, Nanoha." She passed by her to let herself out of the house. "See you later, Vivio! Bye, Fate!" she added at the front doorway.

"Bye!" Vivio yelled back.

"Wait! Don't you need a ride, Hayate?" Nanoha asked.

"Nope, I just had the van circle the block a few times. I knew this wouldn't take long."

Nanoha let her head and shoulders sag in utter defeat. She wasn't about to start trying to explain that the situation with Fate was a one-time thing. It really wasn't any of Hayate's business anyway, as much as she tried to make it that way. Nanoha didn't say anything until the front door was shut again.

"Fate-chan, would you take Vivio into the kitchen for a snack while I put some cartoons on?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Fate stood from the couch and walked Vivio into the other room.

Nanoha turned on the television again and immediately hit the mute button. She kept her eyes away from the preview window in the corner that was still playing the adult channel. She instead focused on trying to find the cartoons in the guide. It was one of the more surreal experiences she had in recent memory, with the words SpongeBob SquarePants highlighted next to a couple of people silently grinding away in the corner of the screen.

Fate and Vivio reentered the living room shortly after they heard the cartoonish voices. Vivio had yogurt in a tube along with some crackers for a snack. Nanoha's stomach growled at the sight and she realized she was finally feeling hungry. Still feeling the effects of the wine from the night before though, she had the rare occasion where she felt absolutely no motivation to cook. She leaned over the back of the couch to speak to Fate and Vivio.

"Hey, are you guys okay with me ordering take-out for lunch instead of cooking?"

Vivio's face brightened at the idea immediately. "Really, Mama?!"

Fate glanced over at Nanoha's face right next to hers. "That's fine with me. Not feeling like cooking today?"

"Not at all. I'll probably get enough food for dinner tonight, too." Nanoha pulled away and started searching her cellphone for local restaurant listings.

"How was training camp, Vivio?" Fate asked while Nanoha busied herself ordering the food.

Vivio beamed. "It was fun! We did these water exercise things where we jumped in and out of it. And then take the water and go whoosh!"

Fate smiled happily even though she had no idea what her daughter was talking about. "That sounds like fun. You'll have to show me how sometime."

"How long are you going to be home this time, Fate-Mama?"

"Two weeks."

Vivio tackled Fate in a hug again. "We're going to have so much fun! Mama and I missed you!"

"I know. I missed you guys, too."

Nanoha rounded the corner of the couch to find the two in their happy embrace. She jumped onto it to join them. "The food should be here soon. I know I usually cook, but I would rather just spend time with you guys today."

"I was just asking Vivio about her training camp," Fate said.

"It was fun! We learned a lot."

"Anything you wanted to do today?" Nanoha then asked her daughter.

Vivio paused and looked up to the ceiling to think about it. "Um... can we play video games?"

"Hmmm. Well, I don't see why not."

"Yes!" Vivio scrambled across the room to set up her favorite game in the console underneath the television. "Let's play the dancing one."

Nanoha regretted the decision immediately since the game required a lot of physical interaction. The sensor read and scored the player's body movements as they danced along with the character on the screen. She wasn't about to let to Vivio be disappointed based on her own stupid actions, though.

"It sounds like fun!" she said excitedly.

Fate grimaced slightly as well but was equally determined to make sure Vivio was happy. "I'll play too, Vivio. But I'm definitely going to win this time!"

oOOOo

Nanoha reentered the living room shortly before nine o'clock that evening, having just put her exhausted daughter to bed. Fate finished cleaning up the living room after their busy night together at the same time. They both met up in the middle of the room and sat down heavily on the couch.

"Man, I didn't think Vivio was ever going to stop," Fate groaned.

"No kidding. I think she was just really excited to have you back."

"I had a lot of fun today, Nanoha. Thank you for that."

Nanoha could feel a slight blush creep onto her face. She knew part of what Fate was thanking her for had nothing to do with Vivio. "No problem Fate-chan. I had fun, too."

Fate grinned and scratched her cheek. "I, um... I think we were totally busted by Hayate today."

"Yeah, for sure. But that's alright. What's done is done."

"So I guess it's back to work as usual for you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, other than that staff meeting we have to go to. It's funny, though. Now that I've had some real time off, I'm almost not wanting to go back."

Fate hummed a little. "I guess I'll have to find ways to entertain myself while you're at work."

Nanoha looked over at Fate curiously. She wasn't quite sure what she meant by the comment. Thoughts about her spending time with Ginga again immediately sprang to mind. "I guess you can hang out with your friends or something," Nanoha mentioned quietly.

"Maybe so."

"Are you reconsidering dating now?"

"Well, no. Not dating, exactly." Fate turned away to look at the floor and was soon blushing herself. "But you had suggested I could have a casual thing with someone. I wouldn't mind that. Well, if the opportunity came up, that is."

"Oh?"

"Y-Yeah," Fate continued. She smiled and blushed even more as she absently played with the hem on her jeans. "I really liked it. I could see doing it more, now that I know what it's like."

"I see..." Nanoha paused in the conversation and studied Fate flustered demeanor next to her. She hadn't anticipated she would consider the casual relationship idea, at least not so openly or so soon. Nanoha's curiosity finally got the best of her. "So, who are you thinking of - "

"Mama?" a small voice suddenly said from the hallway. Fate and Nanoha both turned to see Vivio standing in the entrance to the living room in her pajamas. She had her stuffed animal hanging down from her hand and was rubbing her eyes.

"What is it, sweetie?" Nanoha replied.

"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

Nanoha looked over at Fate for an answer. She shrugged in response. "I don't see why not," Fate replied.

"Alright. But just for tonight, Vivio," Nanoha told her. "I know you are excited to see Fate-chan again."

"I'll take her," Fate volunteered. She stood up from the couch and passed by Nanoha. Once she reached Vivio across the room, she turned and smiled at her over her shoulder. "Are you coming to bed, Nanoha?"

Nanoha stood silently from the couch and watched Fate pick up their daughter and fling her over her shoulder. Vivio squealed when Fate started tickling her sides. The two disappeared down the hallway, leaving Nanoha standing alone in the living room, lost in her own thoughts.

"Be right there, Fate-chan..." she replied under her breath.

A/N: As usual, I'll update soon. ~Nissanity~