A/N: After a few reviews and PM's asking that I update this story first/faster than the others, I decided I would go ahead and honor those requests. I still have updates coming to my other stories, but it's taking me a lot more time than I thought it would to finalize those chapters. I wasn't happy with the way they were turning out and I feel they need some major work before I release them. I just want to assure the readers of the other stories that I haven't forgotten about them in lieu of this one or anything.
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 5 – Trial and Error
~Day 3~
It was still dark outside when Fate's internal alarm clock woke her up from her restful sleep. She stretched her arms above her head and then glanced down to discover she was still completely undressed from the night before. She looked across the bed and was greeted by the sight of Nanoha's exposed back. The top sheet was draped across her waist, leaving a hint of her buttocks exposed just above the edge of it.
She could hear Nanoha's deep breathing, indicating she was still very much asleep. Fate turned away from the sight of her naked roommate, best friend, and now casual lover and tried to push the image out of her mind. She and Nanoha had not established any ground rules about when and how often they would experiment with their new status together. She wasn't about to risk their arrangement in the beginning by pushing for too much, especially so early in the morning.
She stared at the ceiling and contemplated just how awake she was. She decided the answer was so much so that she couldn't fall back asleep again. Her finger tapped repeatedly on her stomach as she glanced over again and found Nanoha still lying in the same position. She was sore from her jog yesterday, along with the other physical activities she had been involved in, so going for a run that morning was out of the question. She then had an idea she decided she could pursue instead.
She gently pushed the comforter and sheet off of her and walked towards the bathroom in the dark, being careful not to trip over any wayward clothing in her path. She shut the door first and then turned on the overhead light. She eventually reached in to the shower stall and turned on the faucets of the shower, although the handle for the cold water was turned up significantly higher than the hot one.
The somewhat tepid water stung like needles as it washed over her body. She had never had the need to take one of these fabled 'cold showers' before, but the mere sight of Nanoha naked beside her spurred a reaction in her almost instantly.
"Cold, cold, cold," she repeated quietly and danced around a little bit. A few minutes after she had begun the almost painful experience, the bathroom door unexpectedly opened and then shut again. Fate looked through the glass of the shower stall and found bewildered sapphire eyes staring at her.
"Fate-chan... What are you doing up so early?"
"Hey, Nanoha. I couldn't sleep anymore so I thought I would get this out of the way first."
"Oh, okay. Do you mind if I join you?"
Fate glanced down at the cold water faucet first and then back at her. Before she could make any motion to change the temperature, Nanoha walked inside the shower stall and closed the door behind her. Nanoha tested the water under her hand and then immediately pulled it away as if it had stabbed her.
"A cold shower? Are you crazy?!" she scolded. She reached her arm through the water stream and turned the hot water tap up almost fully.
"I thought it might help," Fate replied and shrugged.
"Help with what? Oh, were you...? Well, just wake me up next time. Or take care of yourself in the shower. But you don't have to do strange things like that."
"I can wake you up for that?" she asked with playful suspicion.
"Well, maybe? Actually, I don't want to say yes to that for sure. Give it a shot sometime and see how it goes."
"Alright, we'll see. Are you okay being up this early again?"
Nanoha nodded. "Um-hmm. I feel better today. Oh, and I already started the coffee. It should be ready when we get out."
"Alright, the water is warm enough now." Fate reached for her hand to pull her under the shower head with her. She had turned to the side to retrieve her body wash when she felt Nanoha's hand grasp her on her shoulder. She looked up just as Nanoha began to guide her towards the back wall of the shower. She pressed her lips against hers a second later.
Fate allowed her gentle touch to completely overwhelm her senses. She felt Nanoha's fingertips running across her chest and down stomach as she pressed against her, momentarily taking her breath away. She wrapped arm firmly around her waist and pulled her closer into her.
Nanoha pulled away slightly to catch her breath and to study the woman in front of her. She didn't realize kissing Fate would be so fun and sensual to the point it could almost become addicting. Fate leaned in to kiss her again but paused just before their lips met. She smiled and closed the gap a little further but not completely. Nanoha searched the burgundy eyes that were now only inches away, challenging her. Teasing her. It became a test to see which of the two would succumb to their desires first and close the distance between them again.
The sound of the door bathroom door suddenly opening behind them pulled them both back into reality. The steam from the hot shower had fogged up the glass to the point neither could see out of it.
"Mama?" a small voice echoed across the bathroom walls. Fate drug her hand across the glass to wipe away some of the fog. She found bewildered red and green eyes staring back at her.
Fate turned to face Nanoha. "It's Vivio," she announced.
Nanoha giggled. "Well, of course it's Vivio!"
"What are you guys doing?" their daughter then asked, her voice laced with an accusatory tone.
"Um..." Fate looked to Nanoha for support. She shrugged in return and waited to see what Fate managed to come up with. "We were wrestling, Vivio," she finally told her.
"I though we weren't supposed to do that in the house?" Vivio said sternly. She crossed her arms over her small chest for emphasis.
"You're right, sweetie," Nanoha replied. "We shouldn't be wrestling in the house. Go back to bed and try to get a little more sleep, okay? I'll make waffles for breakfast if you do."
Vivio's face immediately brightened. "From scratch?!"
"Um-hmm. I'll wake you up when they're ready."
"Okay!" Vivio left the bathroom in a flash. Nanoha and Fate both relaxed again.
"I think that counts as Vivio being awake," Fate said.
"Yep." Nanoha kissed her lightly before exiting the shower. "I guess you're on your own this morning after all, Fate-chan."
Fate watched Nanoha leave out of the bathroom door moments later. She sighed when she realized she was now in a worse state than when she had entered the shower initially. She eyed the cold tap again but opted for the other option she had to ease the tension, something she had never attempted before in her life.
oOOOo
"Vivio! Fate-chan! Breakfast is ready!"
Fate was the first to enter into the kitchen to find Nanoha standing in front of the counter. She was busy plating one of her homemade waffles for Vivio and didn't seem to hear her come in. Fate crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around Nanoha's waist as usual and received a playful gasp and giggle in return.
"Those looks good," she said as she eyed the other two waffles already made.
"Thank you. How was your shower after I left?"
"Not as much fun without you, honestly."
Nanoha turned and placed the plate between them. "I think you're already spoiled, Fate-chan."
"Yep. I'm ruined," she replied and took their daughter's breakfast to the other room. Nanoha followed behind shortly after with coffee and their own plates. Vivio's shoes echoed loudly in the hallway as she ran towards the dining room.
"No running in the house, Vivio," Fate reminded her as the little girl starting pulling her chair out.
"Sorry, Fate-mama. I was just excited."
"I know. Make sure you thank Nanoha for doing this, okay?"
"Thank you for the waffles, Mama!" Vivio said happily once Nanoha was able to take her seat at the table as well.
"You're welcome, Vivio. Did you sleep well?"
"Kind of. I heard you guys jumping on the bed a lot last night. I thought we weren't supposed to do that in the house, either?"
Fate's fork clanged loudly onto her plate, having dropped it in complete shock over the sudden statement. Nanoha spit out a bit of her coffee at the same time. She then wiped her mouth slowly and stared blankly at Fate next to her.
"Y-You're right. We shouldn't be jumping on the bed, either," Fate stammered.
Nanoha shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Don't worry, Vivio. Your Fate-mama is going to work on that today so that you won't hear something like that again. Isn't that right, Fate-chan?"
Fate stared wide-eyed and eventually gave her a slow nod in compliance. "Yeah, that's not a problem. I'll get started on it after you guys leave."
Bardiche's alert suddenly chimed to signal to Fate that she had received a message. She soon became lost in thought as she read the contents of the message on the transmitter screen.
"What is it?" Nanoha eventually asked.
"My mother is coming to Mid-Childa. She says she there's a conference at headquarters starting on Monday. She wants to know if it's okay if she and Arf come to visit us this weekend beforehand?"
Nanoha smiled. "Of course it is! We haven't seen Lindy or Arf in quite a while."
"Yay! Grandma's coming!" Vivio cried.
Fate hummed slightly. "Well, I'll have to make sure the air mattress is still okay before they get here. They can have our bed and we will just sleep on it in the living room."
Nanoha's face fell slightly in realization of the full impact of the visit. "Oh... Well, we will just have to make due while they're here, won't we?"
"Seems like it," Fate replied.
"Vivio, hurry up and eat. We don't want to be late," Nanoha added.
Fate and Nanoha kept quiet during the family breakfast together, only occasionally reminding Vivio to chew slower or to not kick her feet under the table. Nanoha was mortified that their daughter had heard them the night before and didn't really feel like talking much. Fate was distracted as she contemplated just how she was going to fix the bed.
"Don't worry. I'll clean up," Fate assured Nanoha as she and Vivio stood from the table after finishing breakfast.
Nanoha watched Vivio leave the dining room and then leaned over Fate's shoulder. "Do whatever it takes, Fate-chan," she whispered.
Fate nodded earnestly. "I know. It'll be fixed before you get home tonight."
After doing the dishes and seeing Nanoha and Vivio off, Fate returned to the bedroom determined to find a solution. She knelt down beside the bed to try to gauge just where all the squeaking was coming from on the frame. She and Nanoha had owned the bed for almost two years at that point and never noticed it before. Of course, that was when the bed was used for nothing more than sleeping.
A quick trip to the garage was necessary to retrieve the spray lubricant and a few wrenches. She initially tried to oil the nuts and bolts around the edges but found no improvement once she bounced up and down on the bed a few times. She then attempted to tighten the bolts with the same end result. After the better part of an hour, she looked under the bed itself and found the culprits to be the multiple springs supporting the bed itself on the rails.
She remembered that they had bought the frame used to begin with and decided that the worn springs probably weren't worth messing around with. They were attached to the headboard though, so if they went went then it needed to go as well. She eyed their heavy California king-sized bed with the solid oak headboard and knew it would be a task for more than just one person. She pulled her contact list up on her cell phone and found the one person she knew she could trust to assist her in the situation.
"Hey, are you busy right now?" Fate asked her. "Oh, good. Can you stop by my house for a minute? I need your help with something."
oOOOo
"Oy, these recruits are the worst bunch yet!" Vita grumbled.
"You say that every time, Vita," Nanoha replied with a small laugh. She looked across the large practice grounds at the thirty TSAB recruits that had just begun formal Enforcer training that day. They were certainly rough around the edges, but Nanoha had seen much worse during her time as an instructor.
"Helloooo!" a cheerful voice sang from behind them. Nanoha didn't turn around and instead continued to monitor the recruits' statuses on the screen.
"Hello, Hayate," Nanoha greeted in return.
"Good morning, Nanoha. Hello, Vita. How are things going here?"
"It's doing well. We had - "
"Hey! HEY! Are you freakin' crazy?!" Vita shouted at one of the recruits trying to perform an unauthorized attack. "Nanoha, I'll be right back. I've got to deal with an idiot."
Hayate waved goodbye as she stomped off. "Are you feeling better today, Nanoha?"
"Yes, I am. Thank you."
"Good, good. I talked to Shamal this morning to make sure you were cleared for work. Just formalities, really. So, you and Fate have decided to try the whole 'friends with benefits' thing after all?"
Nanoha spun around to glare daggers at her. "What the...? Shamal wasn't supposed to tell you that!"
"She didn't, actually. You just did." Hayate turned to smile smugly at her. Nanoha looked away in frustration at having been caught so easily again.
"Damnit, Hayate..." she muttered.
"Well, you two have a rock solid friendship. I'm sure that it's going to be fine! Even if you guys sleep with other people at the same time, too."
Nanoha looked at her from the corner of her eye. "What are you talking about?" she asked skeptically.
"Huh? Oh, I just know that usually people have that sort of arrangement so that they aren't tied down to just one person. I mean, that's the point right?"
"Yes, that's right..." Nanoha confirmed quietly and turned back to her screen. She distractedly pressed a few buttons to bring up the next training module for the recruits. She was now finding herself trying to push away thoughts of Fate in bed with someone else.
"Hell, Fate could be doing it now for all you know! It sounds like a lot of fun, really," Hayate added.
"Yep, a total blast," Nanoha said sarcastically in return. She knew exactly what Hayate was trying to do to make her jealous. And what was making her the most upset was that she was succeeding.
Hayate's cellphone suddenly rang and interrupted their conversation. She pulled it out of her pocket to check the caller ID and shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, Nanoha. I've got to take this. We'll talk again soon, okay?"
"Sure. I can't wait."
Nanoha watched Hayate walk away feeling frustrated and angry after their conversation, although rationally she knew she shouldn't be feeling that way at all. Vita plodded back to the observation deck after having a few choice words with the recruit in question who had disobeyed instructions.
"Why do you look so pissed off all of a sudden?" Vita asked as she climbed the stairs.
"I'm not," Nanoha growled. "Hayate's just starting something with me again for no good reason." Vita could see Nanoha's jaw clench tightly the longer she thought about it.
"Whatever you say, Nanoha. Just don't start screwing up here because she got under your skin. I actually want to get out of work on time today."
oOOOo
"Hey, thanks for coming," Fate said as she answered the expected knock on the front door. She opened it wider to let her visitor in.
"Sure. No problem," Teana replied, although she was looking somewhat warily at Fate as she entered into the house. "So, what needs to be done that requires two people?"
Fate began leading Teana to the bedroom after shutting the door. "I have to take apart our bed frame. There's no way I could do it by myself since the bed so big."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Um..." Fate stalled with answering the question until they were in the bedroom. "Well, the springs on the frame are kind of worn out on it. I was just going to get rid of the whole thing."
Teana stared at Fate's face now beginning to glow a bright red after the statement. She then turned her vision to the bed. She finally closed her eyes and faced the ceiling once she put all the pieces together. "Oh, for god sakes..."
"It's not what you think!" Fate said quickly in her defense. "Nanoha and I didn't wear them out. They were already worn out. But we didn't realize that until last night."
"Ugh!" Teana groaned further. "I think we're definitely crossing the line into too much information here."
"Y-Yeah... Sorry about that. I couldn't really do this myself, though. And I know I can trust you with all this."
Teana softened her stance significantly after the statement. "No, it's alright Fate. I'm glad you feel that way. Well, what's the first step then?"
"I think we need to get the mattress and box springs up and off the frame first. We can lean them up against the wall."
"Sounds good." Teana positioned herself on the opposite side of the bed from Fate so that they could lift the oversized mattress together. "So, is this congratulations for you two?"
"No, not really. It's not serious between us or anything."
"Oh, it's not?" Teana asked. She could help but grin to herself at the amount of work Fate was willing to put in for something she considered not serious, but she wasn't about to bring it up to her.
"It kind of just... happened," Fate added. The two worked as a team to get the box springs up off the frame next.
"You know, I was in that situation once," Teana mentioned.
Fate held back her surprise at the open admission. She wasn't used to the reserved woman being so forthright with her personal life. "Oh, yeah? How did that go?"
"Well, it didn't last long. It was one of the more awkward situations I've found myself in."
"I'd ask who, but I'm sure I can figure it out."
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious," Teana replied with a small smile. "There are the people you date, and then there are the ones you marry. What's left are the friends you should never go there with at all."
"Did it affect your friendship?"
"Yeah, it almost ruined it. There were a lot of hurt feelings and crying for a while. I've learned never to cross that line again with someone I couldn't risk losing in my life. Not unless I was absolutely sure about my feelings for them."
Fate smiled and shook her head. "I don't think that could happen with me and Nanoha. We've already promised we would always be friends, even if this whole casual thing didn't work out."
Teana remained silent about the issue as she helped Fate remove the bolts connecting the frame to the headboard. She wasn't surprised in the slightest that the two had discovered an attraction to each other, but how they were approaching it seemed to be a bit risky to her in her own opinion. Especially after what she had gone through with Subaru herself.
Once they had taken apart the bed frame and moved the headboard off to the side, they brought the box springs and mattress back down to the floor and placed them in their original spot. They each turned their head to the side as they assessed the extremely low bed laying on the floor.
"Um, Fate? I hate to break this to you but I don't think that's going to work."
"Hmmm... Should we try sliding the headboard back to the front of the bed, maybe? That way it looks better?"
Teana laughed and shook her head. "I think bed frames exist for a reason. That headboard would probably fall down on you guys while you slept."
Fate looked down at her watch. "Well, it's five hours before Nanoha and Vivio get home. That's more than enough time to buy a new frame and put it together."
"Put it together? Can't you just hire someone to do it or something?"
"It wouldn't happen by today, and that's not going to work. It, um... has to be done before... you know..."
Teana gritted her teeth at her disclosure of too much information again to her. She fished her keys out of her pocket and started walking out of the bedroom door before Fate could finish her thought. "Come on, let's go to the furniture store then. We can take my car. We'll be able to fit more boxes in it if we need to."
oOOOo
Nanoha felt relieved once she turned down the last street of the trip home after her extremely long and stressful day at work. She hadn't had a chance to message Fate to ask her how the bed was coming along due to her hectic day. She was curious to see the resolution she had come up with.
"Mama, whose car is that?" Vivio asked from the back seat as they pulled up into the driveway. Nanoha's heart sank as she eyed the unfamiliar vehicle that she was parking next to in front of their house. She was already on edge after her conversation with Hayate. The last thing she wanted to do was come home and be faced with the possibility of Fate being in bed with someone else. Especially in their own home.
"I don't know who's here, sweetie," Nanoha replied as she shut off the engine. She eyed the front door of their home with increasing anger. "Can you stay out here in the car for a minute, please? I'm going to see what's going on."
"Okay, Mama."
Fate could hear a car door shut loudly outside the window from the bedroom. She sighed as she looked around at the scattered parts on the floor and the mattresses leaning against the wall. "Damn, I was hoping to have this put together before Nanoha got home."
"Well, it's not like these instructions are all that easy to follow," Teana mentioned as she held the pages out in front of her. She turned one around a few times and wondered if she had it right side up or not.
The front door soon opened and then slammed shut so hard the walls shook. Fate and Teana looked at each other in a panic. "Fate-chan, where the FUCK ARE YOU?!" they then heard Nanoha shout from the other room.
"Oh, shit..." Teana gasped. She stood up from the floor and fumbled for her device to transform if necessary. She wanted to be prepared in case Nanoha decided to use the Starlight Breaker option on her.
Heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway towards the closed bedroom door. Fate reached over and held one of the stray bars of the frame in front of her for protection. The door burst open and Nanoha furiously stormed inside. After a few steps, she stopped dead in her tracks after assessing the situation.
"Oh! Oh..." Nanoha said in surprise and then embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I thought you were... Well, it doesn't matter what I thought, actually."
"Hey, Nanoha," Teana said weakly after remembering to breath again.
"Hi, Teana. I'm sorry about all that. I-I think I might have overreacted just now. I apologize."
"It's okay. I understand."
"Um... thank you for helping Fate-chan with this," she added.
"It's no problem, really."
Fate looked up nervously at Nanoha. "I know it's a mess in here. I thought we could get it done before you got home."
Nanoha relaxed a little more. "It's okay, Fate-chan. I'm really sorry about that... I think I'll just go and start dinner while you work on this. Would you like to stay and join us, Teana?"
Teana smiled at her politely and then handed Fate the instructions. "No, that's alright. I've about had it with this bed frame, honestly. I'll leave it up to you guys. See ya, Fate."
"I'll call you tomorrow, Teana," Fate replied. She turned her attention back to the catastrophe around her as the two left the bedroom. Nanoha followed Teana out of the house and into the driveway so that she could retrieve Vivio from the car. She stopped them a few feet in front of their vehicles.
"I really am sorry about that, Teana. I don't even know what came over me."
"It's okay, Nanoha... You know, I don't think you need to worry about Fate doing whatever it is you thought she was doing. I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but I can tell you she wouldn't do that."
"Yeah, I know," Nanoha said quietly. She nodded her head a few times in embarrassment. "I really don't have a right to act like that anyway."
"Well, yes and no. You do when it involves the home you share together. There are certain things that have to be respected and I know she knows that."
"Thank you, Teana." Nanoha gave her a quick hug goodbye. "I'll make sure to clear it up with her tonight."
"See you later." Teana gave Vivio a wave goodbye through the windshield before climbing into her vehicle and backing out of the driveway.
Vivio began to struggle impatiently to get out of her seatbelt as Nanoha tried to unbuckle her. "Well, just give me a second," she said as she fumbled for the button.
"I want to see Fate-mama! I missed her all day."
"Alright, she's in the bedroom. But be careful in there and don't touch anything."
Vivio was out of the backseat and up the driveway before Nanoha could even shut the car door behind her. Nanoha retrieve her purse from the car and headed inside after her. In the kitchen, she started to automatically pull ingredients out of the pantry and refrigerator to make dinner that evening. She managed to ignore the embarrassment she felt over her jealous reaction earlier for the time being.
oOOOo
"Here, Fate-chan." Nanoha held out a plate of food for Fate, who was sitting on the bedroom floor with her face buried in her hands. She had never seen her so frustrated with something like this task before.
Fate looked up in surprise and gratefully took the plate from her. "Oh. Thank you, Nanoha. I didn't hear you come in just now."
Nanoha sat down on the floor and picked up the instructions that were laying next to her. She then looked around at the random parts that were scattered all around them. "Hmm, it's almost like they made the instructions too simple to where you can't tell which part is which."
"Um-hmm," Fate nodded after taking a bite of food. "Vivio figured out part of it, but then she got bored and left."
"That's kind of funny. Well, maybe we don't need a frame at all?"
Fate dropped her fork loudly onto the plate. "Why, so we can do it on the floor like animals, Nanoha?!"
Nanoha burst into laughter at Fate's unusual response. "HA! Ahh... I know you're only saying that because you're frustrated. You should eat. I can try to figure out some of it."
"Well, if you get it after all this time I'm going to - "
"That part is backwards." Nanoha pointed to a bar connected to the headboard that was stuck out at an odd angle. Fate looked over at it for a while and then back at her.
"You're sure?"
"I think so. And then that piece over there attaches to it."
Fate shook her head. "I should have just waited until you got home."
"Maybe so. We always figure out things when we're together anyway. Why would this be any different?" Nanoha smiled at Fate and patted her on the leg. She eventually received a relaxed and heartfelt smile in return from her.
"You're right, Nanoha. You're absolutely right. Let me finish eating and then we'll work on it together."
"Mama! Mama!" Vivio suddenly yelled from hallway. The excited girl ran into their bedroom and tackled her mother from behind. "I finished eating and doing my homework. Can I watch that movie we bought last week?"
"That's fine, baby. Do you know how to start it in the player?"
"Yep! Thanks, Mama!"
Fate and Nanoha watched Vivio fly out of the bedroom as fast as she had entered it. They both chuckled together at their daughter's high energy. Fate eventually put her plate down when she was finished eating.
"Nanoha, would you like to talk about what happened earlier?" she asked carefully.
Sapphire eyes shifted to the floor in embarrassment again. "I guess? I know I shouldn't have reacted that way. You have a right to see whoever you want without me acting all jealous."
Fate couldn't help but laugh a little. "You can't possibly think I'm interested in Teana like that?"
"Well, not her specifically, Fate-chan. I'm talking about generally."
"You really think I would do something like that?"
Nanoha tried to shrug casually. "It's not any of my business if you did."
Fate crawled across the floor and brushed her hand across Nanoha's cheek to try to reassure her. "Hey, I don't have any interest in doing that with anybody else, okay? And I especially wouldn't do something like that in the house. I respect you and our home more than anything."
"Okay, I can accept that. And I promise not to get jealous of you spending time with our friends anymore. That's not fair to you at all."
"It's a deal. Hey, how does that one saying go? Why buy the milk when you have the cow at home?" Fate immediately tensed up after her misstatement.
Nanoha recoiled and then slugged her in the arm. "What the hell, Fate-chan?!"
"Ow! Sorry, that came out all wrong," she replied as she rubbed the now sore spot on her bicep.
"Seriously, don't compare me to any sort of farm animal. That's terrible."
"I swear I won't ever do that again."
Nanoha rose from the floor in a huff while Fate grabbed the instructions to start looking them over again. She thought Nanoha was going to leave the room but was surprised to hear her close and lock the bedroom door instead. She looked up and found Nanoha eyeing her.
"What is it?" Fate asked.
"I don't know..." she replied as she crossed back across the room. She knelt down in front of Fate and slowly pulled the instructions out of her hand. "Something about what you said earlier had me intrigued."
Fate studied Nanoha eyes now just a foot from hers. "And what was that?"
"I think it was the part about doing it on the floor like animals."
"Really? But we'd be breaking a rule? Vivio is still awake."
Nanoha leaned in closer. "I guess we'd have to be extra quiet then. Unless you think you can't handle that?"
"I'm more than willing to try. Although the frame might not get put together tonight if that happens."
"Is that a problem?" Nanoha asked and removed her uniform jacket.
Fate watched silently as Nanoha slowly unbuttoned the top portion of her white shirt in front of her. She then pulled her to sit across her lap and helped her undo the rest. She could feel Nanoha shudder as she trailed her hands across her bare stomach and then along her waist. Her fingers had just found their way to the zipper on her blue skirt when a loud knock came to the door.
"Mama! I can't get the movie to play after all!" Vivio yelled from the other side. Nanoha and Fate both sighed heavily.
"Be right there, Vivio!" Nanoha replied.
"Looks like that rule exists for a reason," Fate mentioned. "I'll go help her. You can get dressed so we can finish putting this frame together. We might have to take a rain check on the other stuff for tonight."
"Okay, I guess..." Nanoha said reluctantly. She crossed her arms over her chest and began to pout.
Fate couldn't help but laugh at her reaction to the news as she stood up from the floor. She bent over and patted her on the head affectionately. "You know, you're just too cute sometimes, Nanoha."
A/N: See you soon with another update! ~Nissanity~