A/N: What I think makes NanoFate my favorite pairing of all time is their openness and honesty towards each other. I tried to convey that innocent sincerity they share together in this chapter.

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 4 – Count Me In

~Day 2~

Nanoha awoke in a daze and could feel pressure against her abdomen and breast. She reached behind her and noticed that she nearly falling off the edge of her side of the bed. She pulled back the blankets and discovered Vivio curled up next to her, her legs sprawled out and taking up a significant portion of the bed with her tiny body.

It had been another restless night of sleep for her, the third in a row in fact. Nanoha figured she had gotten about two hours of sleep total that night. The lingering memories of the previous day with Fate spilled over into her half-awake dreams, causing her to toss and turn as she worried about what to do next. She sank her head back into her pillow and then looked over at the time on the clock.

5:27AM - - Too early to be awake. Too late to fall back asleep.

She glanced over to the other side of the bed and discovered that Fate was not in it. Her half of the bed had actually been made as if she hadn't slept there at all. Nanoha groaned and placed her hand to her slightly achy head. She tried to remember if Fate had mentioned she needed to be somewhere that day. Nothing came to mind right away.

Ensuring that Vivio was still asleep, she gently exited the bed and put on her house robe that was resting on a nearby chair. She left the bedroom and expected to see Fate in living room on the couch. She was confused to find she was not there either and that all the lights were still off in the house. She had left without a trace, it seemed.

A sinking feeling consumed her as she entered into the kitchen and turned on the overhead light. She came to the realization that Fate may have left in the middle of the night because of what happened between them the previous day. She fought off the urge to burst into tears at the thought as she fumbled with the coffee grounds from the cabinet.

It would devastate her if Fate had left without a word after everything they had been through in their lives. At the same time though, she almost couldn't blame her. They had crossed the line of friendship unexpectedly. It was possible Fate felt there was no turning back and that they couldn't be friends anymore now.

Nanoha had just wiped away a tear that had escaped when she heard the front door suddenly open and then shut. She turned around in time to see Fate entering into the kitchen in a black sports bra and track pants. Her skin glistened from sweat and she was breathing heavily.

"Fate... cha..." Nanoha breathed in relief.

"Morning, Nanoha I just got back from a run. I was having trouble sleeping and thought - "

Fate stopped talking when Nanoha raced across the kitchen and unexpectedly tackled her in a hug. She froze and worried that she was going to get sweat on her house robe. When she felt Nanoha begin to cry softly against her chest, she relaxed instead patted her head to try to soothe her. Nanoha squeezed her tighter in response and sniffled once. Fate moved her hand up to Nanoha's forehead and then ran it along her cheek.

"Nanoha, are you feeling okay today? I think you're a little warm."

Nanoha pulled away slowly and nodded. "I'm fine, Fate-chan. You just went running. That might what you're feeling."

"Maybe so. Are you okay otherwise?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry about that. I was just being silly for no reason." Nanoha returned her attention to the coffee pot to finish pouring the water in. She then double-checked to make sure she had turned it on this time.

Fate was still concerned about Nanoha's uncharacteristic mood but chose not to press the issue at the moment. "Alright. I'm going to take a shower and get ready. Do you want me to wake Vivio up?"

"Yes, please." Nanoha retrieved a box of cereal and the milk from the fridge for Vivio's breakfast as Fate left the room. Usually, she would try to cook her something more nutritious, but today she just wasn't feeling up to it. The cereal box fell over and spilled some of its contents on the counter. Nanoha sighed and cleaned them up.

Nanoha's morning routine to prepare for work passed by in a blur after that. She took a shower, got dressed, and helped get Vivio ready for school on autopilot. She vowed to sleep more that night as she was helping Vivio into the car. Fate offered to drive them and she gratefully accepted the offer.

"Are you sure you're okay, Nanoha? You really don't seem like yourself this morning." Fate glanced towards the passenger seat in concern. Nanoha had been completely zoning out while she looked out the side window.

"Hmmm? Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Nanoha shut her eyes for what felt like a second and then reopened them to find they had already arrived at TSAB headquarters. She turned around to look at the backseat and found Vivio gone, although she didn't remember them stopping at her school. She then looked through the front windshield and saw Fate crossing in front of the car. She leaned back so that she could open her car door for her.

"Are you ready to go inside, Nanoha?" Fate asked and extended her hand to assist her out.

"Yeah, sure."

Fate led them to the headquarters entrance and into the main lobby at a slow pace. Nanoha looked at the clock overhead and noticed that they had about twenty minutes before the staff meeting would start. She used her hand to shield her eyes from the florescent lights that seemed exceptionally bright that day.

"I should probably go to my office and check my messages while I have a chance," she mentioned.

Fate shook her head and kept walking. "Maybe in a minute. I was hoping you could come with me somewhere first. It shouldn't take long."

"Where are we going, Fate-chan?"

"Just here."

Nanoha looked up to find herself now standing in front of Shamal's office, which doubled as the nursing station at headquarters. She stared at Fate in confusion. "What's this all about?" she asked defensively.

Fate knocked on the door and silently waited for a response. She then smiled at Nanoha and squeezed her hand for assurance. Shamal opened the door moments later in her lab coat and with a cup of black coffee in her hand. She waved happily at two of them in greeting at first until she took a good look at Nanoha. Her face immediately fell and she put her hand up to her forehead.

"Wow, you look terrible and you're burning up! Come on inside."

The smell of antiseptic filled Nanoha's senses as she walked in, although she found the fragrance to be somewhat calming for her at the moment. Fate led her to the exam bed and made her sit down on the edge of it. Nanoha tried to resist at first, but the call of the pillow on the end soon overtook her stubbornness. She laid her head down and closed her eyes while Fate brushed her bangs away from her forehead again.

"Do you know why Nanoha might be so exhausted...?" she could hear Shamal ask Fate distantly before she fell into a deep sleep.

oOOOo

A white blur slowly coming back into focus was the only thing her vision could register. Nanoha blinked repeatedly and stared at the ceiling as she woke up again. She looked down and noticed her shoes and uniform jacket had been removed at some point. Over to her left, she found Shamal sitting at her office desk filling out paperwork. Nanoha sat up in the bed and tried to find the time.

"Three hours," Shamal told her without looking up.

"I'm sorry?"

"You've been asleep for three hours. You need to sleep some more, too."

Nanoha swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I can't. I already missed the staff meeting. And I know I'm behind on work after this weekend, too."

Shamal stood up from her desk and held her hands out to stop Nanoha from getting up. "I'm going to have to run a few tests before I can clear you to do that. Just relax, please."

The doctor first reached for the blue arm cuff hanging beside the bed so that she could check her blood pressure. She also placed a heart rate monitor on Nanoha's middle finger and turned on one of the machines nearby. The pace of her heartbeat could now be heard in audible beeps throughout the room.

Nanoha tried to shrug off her exhaustion. "I just haven't been sleeping well. It's my own fault."

"And why haven't you been sleeping well?"

"Um..." Memories of her afternoon experience with Fate soon came crashing back to her again, as well as the stress she felt with the lack of clarity in their situation. The frequency of the beeps increased dramatically.

"Oh, I see. Is something serious weighing on your mind?"

"It shouldn't be..." she mumbled in response.

"And yet it is. Nanoha, I'm not going to pry into your personal life. Hayate already has made that her mission recently, it seems. But I can tell you that you are not cut out for binge drinking and then not sleeping enough. And being stressed out on top of that only made it worse. Your body will always have lingering issues after what happened to you when you were younger. I'm going to highly suggest you don't do that again."

Nanoha rested her chin in her hand and sighed. "I guess having sex was bad too, huh?"

"Oh, I didn't say that. No, that's the one thing you shouldn't be worried about."

"Really? I would have thought that could have made it worse."

Shamal smiled gently and placed her hand on Nanoha's forehead to check her fever again. "Nope. Sex releases a lot of endorphins. That's why it's such a good stress reliever. Well, as long as it's not what's causing the stress to begin with, that is."

"Yeah. I guess I could just relax about the whole thing and let it happen."

"There's nothing wrong with keeping things casual and enjoying each others company, that's for sure."

Nanoha remained quiet and let Shamal finish checking her over while she carefully considered her words and possible options. She almost had to laugh at herself for making the situation so complicated with Fate. They had amazing sex together and they both really enjoyed it. Plus, there was potential to keep doing it together. The only thing needed was for one of them to be brave enough to take the first step and make it happen.

"You're smiling again, Nanoha. You look less tense already," Shamal said. "I'm sending you home for the day, though. Missing one more day of work is a lot better than you really hurting yourself again. Just go and relax for the rest of the day."

Nanoha began putting on her jacket and shoes while Shamal brought up her transmitter screen and pressed a few buttons. A few moments later, a soft knock came to the door. Shamal answered it and let the summoned visitor into the office.

"Are you feeling better, Nanoha?" Fate asked as she walked inside.

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha smiled brightly and nodded. "I am feeling a lot better, thanks. But Shamal is making me go home."

Shamal shrugged at Nanoha's now sulking expression pointed at her. "I don't mind being the bad guy if it means she'll be safe. Do you mind taking her home now, Fate?"

"No problem." Fate extended her hand for Nanoha to take again and led her out of Shamal's office. She guided them into the main lobby and towards the front entrance at the pace Nanoha was setting behind her.

"How was the meeting?" Nanoha asked once they had exited into the parking lot.

"It was just a benefits meeting. Nothing special. Hayate said she would send your paperwork to Raising Heart later."

"Okay. I'm really sorry about this, Fate-chan. I feel like I'm ruining your day off."

Fate stopped them in their tracks and came to stand in front of her. "Don't ever say something like that, Nanoha. You have always been there for me when I've been injured or have gotten sick. I want to be able to be there for you, too."

"You're sure?"

"Of course. That's what friends are for, right?" Fate began to walk them slowly to the car again. "Besides, I feel a little guilty. I feel like I should have been watching over you more carefully."

Nanoha allowed Fate to open the passenger door for her again and then climbed inside. She waited until Fate had gotten into the driver's seat and started driving away before speaking again.

"I don't regret it," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Fate asked and glanced over at her.

"I don't regret the way things happened, even if I feel sick today. I wouldn't have changed anything about this weekend."

Fate reached over and placed a reassuring hand above her knee. "Alright, if you mean that then I won't feel so bad. Why don't you try sleeping on the way back to the house? I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Okay." Nanoha closed her eyes and rested her head against the passenger door frame. The sound of the tires humming across the pavement was soothing, as was Fate's gentle presence beside her. She could tell Fate was easing into the curves when she turned and stopping slower than usual in consideration for her.

She fell asleep again somewhere along the way home, waking up only when the car had been turned off in their driveway. Fate was just exiting the car when Nanoha reached over and grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't you dare try to spoil me anymore, Fate-chan," she said and opened up her own car door herself. Fate grunted slightly at her stubbornness.

"I'm still making you something to eat while you go lay down. You can't stop me."

"It better not be anything fancy."

Fate puffed out her cheeks. "Just go inside, Nanoha."

"No, not until you agree to make something simple."

An intense staring match started between the two that challenged each others wills. Nanoha made her eyes wider and leaned in close to Fate across the console. Fate held back as long as she could but eventually broke down into a smile first. They both fell into fits of laughter together afterward.

"Ahh, I always win," Nanoha said and exited the car.

"Only because you cheat."

Nanoha followed Fate inside their quiet house and felt relieved to be out of the bright sunlight. She removed her uniform jacket and let down her hair even before Fate had closed and locked the door behind them. Even in those simple motions, Nanoha could tell that her body was much weaker than normal. She started to feel a little panicked when she realized that Vivio would be out of school in a few hours. Her daughter had training practice afterward, which Nanoha usually picked her up from in the late afternoon after work.

"Hey, are you going to be able to pick up Vivio today?"

"Um-hmm. And I'll make dinner for us, too. It's going to be okay, I promise. You aren't going to get any rest if you worry about us too much."

"Okay... I'm really glad you're here, Fate-chan. Thank you."

"No problem. I'll see you in the bedroom in a few minutes."

Nanoha stretched and yawned as she walked through the rear hallway. She had to brace herself against the walls a few times when suddenly stumbled. She was frustrated at the situation because she didn't have any control over it or her body. And the only she could do to fix it was to do absolutely nothing.

When she pulled opened her dresser drawer, she chose her favorite baby tee and yoga pants to nap in versus pajamas since it was still daytime. She crawled into bed as she had been instructed, although once she had placed her head on the pillow she suddenly felt wide awake. She stared above her and found her mind wrapped up in her brief conversation with Shamal earlier.

The doctor had suggested that there was nothing wrong with having something 'casual' with Fate. Now that Nanoha was seriously considering it, she wanted to know what that meant exactly. She sat up and brought Raising Heart's transmitter screen in front of her to begin searching for the definition of 'casual relationship'.

"A casual sexual relationship is a physical and/or emotional relationship between two people who have sex without expecting the extra commitments of a more formal romantic relationship."

"Hmmm... Yep, sounds about right," she muttered under her breath as she read it over a few times.

"What are you doing?"

"AHH!" Nanoha shouted at Fate's unnoticed entrance into the bedroom. She quickly exited the screen and laid back down on the pillow again.

"That wasn't resting," Fate scolded her. She was currently balancing a food tray in her hands with what looked to be a bowl of soup and some crackers on top, along with a cup of orange juice.

"I promise I wasn't working."

"Are you sure about that?" Fate asked as she placed the tray over her so that she could eat in bed. Nanoha carefully sat up to avoid spilling anything. She was happy to see that Fate had simply warmed up some chicken and rice from a can versus trying to cook anything complex in the situation.

"I'm sure. I was just looking up something. But I'm done now."

Fate crossed to the other side of the bed all while watching Nanoha skeptically. She sat down on her side and leaned her back against the headboard. Even though it appeared she was just there to keep her company, Nanoha knew Fate was really staying to make sure she ate the food on the tray in front of her.

"What were you looking up?" Fate eventually asked.

"Something I wasn't too sure about," Nanoha replied vaguely. She stuffed her mouth with a cracker so she couldn't answer any more questions like that for the time being.

Fate waited for her to finish chewing. "So tell me where I'm supposed to pick up Vivio again? It's been a while since I've had to do it."

The two discussed where Vivio had training practice at and what Fate should make them for dinner. Nanoha was grateful for the temporary distraction from her own thoughts, as well as avoiding Fate's questioning of what she had been looking up. She knew that subject would be dealt with soon enough, but she wanted to be in a better position than her current one before taking that final step.

After she was done eating most of the food, Fate rose again from the bed to take the tray away. Nanoha stopped her from leaving the bedroom by reaching for her hand. Fate stepped back the few feet back to stand next to the bed again.

"Yes?"

Nanoha took a deep breath. "You meant me, right? Last night, you said that you would consider the casual thing with someone. I just wanted to know if you were talking about me or not."

Fate paused and debated whether to disclose the truthful answer to Nanoha or not. She knew the admission may change everything between them, perhaps forever. Sapphire eyes gleaned and searched hers earnestly while she waited for the answer. Fate could see from the expression that Nanoha was sincerely interested in pursuing the option with her just as much as she was.

"Yes, I was talking about you last night, Nanoha," she admitted.

Nanoha closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay, Fate-chan."

"Why don't you get some more rest? That's a discussion for a later time." Fate guided Nanoha to lay back down in the bed. She pushed her bangs away from her forehead one last time and ran her hand along her still flushed cheek.

"Alright. But for sure later, right?" Nanoha replied and got more comfortable in her spot on the bed. Fate picked up the tray from the bed again and began to exit the bedroom.

"Of course. But sleep as much as you can now."

oOOOo

The bedroom was dark when Nanoha finally opened her eyes again. Her sleep had been effortless and deep with no weighted dreams to keep her from getting real rest. She sat up in the bed and felt as if she had her usual amount of energy back. It wasn't until she was fully recovered now did she realize just how poorly she felt earlier. A glance at the clock read half past nine o'clock.

She felt a bit remorseful that she had missed seeing Vivio all day and knew she was most likely already asleep by now. She tossed the covers away and made her way to the vanity mirrors around the corner wall. After sleeping so long, all she wanted to do was wash her face and brush her teeth. She stared back at her reflection in the mirror as she dried her face. She could still see that despite all the restful sleep, she still seemed to be carrying a lot of tension.

She tossed the hand towel onto the counter and breathed deeply a few times to calm her nerves. She was through worrying about what to do anymore. She had made up her mind, and she wasn't going to stop until she did what she felt was necessary.

A quick glance at Vivio's closed bedroom door in the hallway confirmed that she was already asleep for the night. From the living room, Nanoha could hear Fate doing the dishes in the kitchen. She was just turning off the faucet and drying her hands on a towel when she heard Nanoha enter in the doorway.

"Hey, you're up. You look like you feel better, too."

"I do," Nanoha replied and walked directly towards her.

Fate placed the towel back on the counter. "That's good. I was hoping that - "

Nanoha captured Fate's lips with her own and silenced her mid-sentence. Fate stepped back and fell into the counter at the completely unexpected move. She froze against it and Nanoha pushed against her a bit harder.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked against Nanoha's mouth.

"Yes. I want you, Fate-chan," Nanoha replied and pushed into her again.

Fate pushed Nanoha back towards the nearby counter and leaned her body against hers. She placed a leg between hers and turned her attention to her neck. "Mmmm..." Nanoha moaned loudly and slid her fingers through her hair. The bottom cabinet banged shut a few times as their legs ran up against it.

Fate moved them away from the counter and back towards the kitchen exit. The two stumbled their way through the living room towards the hallway. They were careful to walk quietly past Vivio's door towards their room.

Nanoha led them into the bedroom first. She removed her shirt from over her head and tossed it away while she walked further inside. Fate took the cue after locking the door and started taking off her clothes as well. Nanoha faced her again once she was in just her bra and underwear. She found Fate in hers as well.

"Did you just buy that?" Nanoha asked. She walked back against the room and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"The bra? I bought it last time I was in town."

"Oh, okay. It looks really good on you." Nanoha pulled Fate's lips down to hers again. She could feel herself being guided towards the bed as they kissed. Nanoha eagerly brought her hands up to Fate's face as she laid down on it. Fate eased herself on top on her.

Nanoha immediately pushed Fate onto her back and sat with her legs around her hips instead. She slowly unhooked her bra and slid it off her shoulders. Fate's hands immediately raised to touch her exposed chest. Nanoha began to rock her hips against her as she relished the feeling of her hands on her skin.

"You didn't want me to be on top?" Fate asked.

Nanoha licked her lips slightly and closed her eyes as she moved. "Um-um. It's my turn, remember?"

Fate smiled up at her. "Okay. Is there anything you want me to do then?"

"I'll tell you what feels good to me, Fate-chan. You do the same, okay?"

"No problem." Nanoha leaned her body over and kissed her again, first gently and carefully. The exchange soon turned more passionate as the two more hungrily explored each other. Nanoha let herself linger there until she was left breathless with Fate's intimate and sincere touch. She pulled away to give her attention to Fate's neck.

"I really like the way that feels, Nanoha." Fate placed her hand on the top of Nanoha's head and watched her adept mouth begin its journey down her chest and abdomen next.

"I like when you run you fingers through my hair," Nanoha mentioned as ran the tip of her tongue along Fate's navel.

Fate slid her fingers through the copper-hued locks and began to guide them through the strands. Nanoha slid her hands up Fate's stomach slowly at the same time until they reached her black bra. She gently pulled it up and out of her way and began to play with Fate's breasts in her hands.

"I liked when you use your mouth on them." Nanoha smiled and pulled her body back up to do as requested. The blonds breath soon became labored the more she licked and sucked at the sensitive tips.

Fate's legs bent at the knees at either side of her. She trailed her foot up and down Nanoha's thigh and shifted her hips restlessly. "What else did you want, Fate-chan?" Nanoha then asked. "You have to tell me."

"Your hand first," she replied with a shortness in her breath. Nanoha's hand trailed down the smooth skin of her toned abdomen until it found Fate's sensitive nerves. She started caressing and stroking gently.

"God, that feels good..." Fate moaned. Her hands clenched the sheets beside her and she dug her heel into the bed. Nanoha returned her mouth's attention to her breasts again. Fate's hands made their way back into her hair and clenched her locks tightly. Nanoha then thought she felt Fate pushing her head downward.

"Nyahaha, is that a request?" she asked playfully. Fate could barely breathe a response.

Nanoha removed the last garment standing in the way of what she wanted. Fate lost herself completely as Nanoha's lips and tongue mastered her body once again. And when Nanoha teased her fingers along her thigh before entering inside of her, she had to cover her loud moans and cries in her hands.

Nanoha's face was flushed as she discovered and explored Fate's nuanced responses. She liked it slow and deep, and Nanoha was more than willing to give her what she wanted. She soon felt Fate's body become silently rigid beneath her gentle and persistent touch. She clutched at Nanoha's shoulders and dug her nails into her skin as she rode out each wave and ripple of intense pleasure.

Nanoha pulled her mouth away once she had relaxed again. She rested her head against her thigh and caught her breath. "Are you okay?"

Fate let her arms fall away from her face and onto the bed. "Y-Yeah..." she replied with a clumsy nod. Nanoha crawled back up the bed to lay on the pillow beside her for a few silent moments. She then raised her hand above her as if she was trying to touch the sky.

"What do you think sex is like when you're flying?"

Fate immediately burst into laughter and looked over at her. "I'm pretty sure that's against all the flight-clearance rules, Nanoha."

"Someone has to have done it at some point, though. I'm sure of it."

Fate shook her head and tried to block the images of all the magic-users she knew now trying to flood her brain. She instead positioned herself on top and found Nanoha to be a better distraction. She felt legs wrap around her waist, a motion that nearly sent her over the edge again.

Nanoha suddenly looked down. "Wait, take off my underwear. I want to see what that feels like." Fate raised her eyebrows and glanced down as well.

"What it feels like?" she repeated in confusion. She then understood completely what she meant. She linked her thumbs through Nanoha's waistband and slid the garment off her legs. Once they had been tossed away to the floor, she waited for the next instruction from her.

"I guess just lean yourself down against m – Ahh! Oh, god...! Oh... Oh, that feels really good..." Nanoha bit her lips to keep herself quiet as Fate started to move herself against her, although their bed proved to be a lot noisier than she had anticipated.

"I can't believe how good this feels," Fate groaned. Nanoha wrapped her body around Fate's completely and splayed her hands across her toned shoulders. She slid them down her back and then back up, attempting to memorize the feel and definition of the woman above her.

"Wow. You're really sexy, Fate-chan," she mentioned. Fate pulled back to face her but still continued to thrust and move her hips slowly.

"Are we doing that? That's not against any rules or anything?"

"Compliments? No, compliments are fine."

"In that case... You're really good with your mouth, Nanoha."

Nanoha weighed the statement. "Alright. That's a start."

"You're also really pretty."

"That's better," she replied with a laugh. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Nanoha met her eyes. "I want to know what this is like too," she said and ran her fingertips lightly across Fate's lips. The two both paused as she let them linger there without pulling away. Fate bent down and kissed Nanoha softly before guiding herself on a slow path down her body.

"Mmmm..." she moaned at her first gentle stroke. She slid her hands into her blond hair as if to keep her right there. The sensations and pleasure were intense and intimate, unlike anything Nanoha had experienced before in her life. She raised her hips in anticipation and Fate responded with her hand in return.

Nanoha's breath became choppy as her chest quickly rose and fell. "Fate... cha... it feels..." She didn't finish the sentence and instead gave in completely to intensity of her touch. She grasped Fate's free hand in hers and leaned her head back into the pillow.

There was a fulfillment inside of her with each rhythmic thrust of her hand and caress of her tongue. She surrendered to the waves of ecstasy that Fate was willing and able to give to her. They soon flooded into the longest, hottest, most intense releases of her life. When she couldn't handle the sensations anymore, she gently pushed her head away.

The blond fell over onto the bed and recovered near Nanoha's thighs. She then resumed her position on her side of the bed next to her. Nanoha turned her head to the side to face her.

"Where did you learn how to do that so well?"

"I saw it in a movie once."

"A movie, huh? Were you watching naughty movies while I was asleep earlier, Fate-chan?"

"Maybe?" she replied playfully. "Actually, it was a documentary on the mating rituals of lions in Africa."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yep, it really was."

Nanoha turned over onto her side to face away from her. "I'm going to sleep."

"'Cougars on the Prowl' was the title of it," she announced to Nanoha's back.

"What?!" Nanoha exclaimed. She immediately sat up in the bed. "You're into cougars, Fate-chan?"

"Well, not after that... Okay, maybe a little."

Nanoha paused the conversation and studied Fate's expressionless face, trying to gauge whether she was being serious or just joking around. Fate finally winked and smiled at her. Nanoha's head fell back on the pillow.

"There should be a rule about that."

"About what?"

"No joking in bed about sleeping with women our mothers' age. That's too creepy."

Fate laughed and crawled over to the other side of the bed. She kissed Nanoha's pouting lips. "What else are the rules, Nanoha?"

"Hmm... For starters, you and I both know exactly what this is. And we don't try to make it into something more than either of us want."

"That's fine. I completely again."

"No sex when Vivio is awake," Nanoha continued.

"No problem."

"And we don't start calling or messaging each other endlessly. That would be the worst."

"So basically we do what we were doing before, and just have sex on top of that? Nothing changes?"

Nanoha nodded. "Yep. And no matter what happens, we always stay friends." She extended her pinky up in the air, just as they always did as children. Fate laughed and grabbed Nanoha's with her own in return.

"Of course. Friends... always and forever."

A/N: I will be pausing in this story temporarily to update a few of my others, but I will be returning to this shortly. The chapters for the other stories are already written and I just have to proofread and finalize them. See you soon! ~Nissanity~