A/N: I almost hated to write part of this chapter, but it was necessary to touch on Fate's issues about trust and self-worth. Sadly, there is no way to address them without it being a little painful due to her god-awful childhood experiences. This chapter took some extra time to get right since I tried to capture the characters' emotions appropriately. I hope you enjoy it!
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 9 – In Place of Pain
~Day 7~
"Fate...cha..."
Faint murmurs beside Fate's ear woke her up in a state of slight confusion. She slowly opened her eyes and found Nanoha still curled up asleep against her shoulder on the couch. She then looked up to the dark ceiling and debated whether she had actually heard Nanoha's voice calling out to her, or if she had just dreamed it. A glance over at the clock on the DVD player beside the television read 4:06AM.
As her eyes focused more, Fate found herself studying the woman still sleeping peacefully next to her. Even with just the moonlight casting down upon them, she could clearly see how flawless and smooth her skin really was. The only mark was a faint scar above her left eyebrow, a result of the drone attack that nearly killed her when they were younger.
She noticed next that her lips were fuller than she had ever recognized before. Their rosy coloring seemed to be spilling onto her cheeks slightly, peppering them with the faintest of blushes. Her deep breaths caused her chest to rise and fall at a steady and soothing pace. Fate found herself slightly mesmerized by the cadence and matched the rhythm with her own. She then placed a gentle kiss on top of her head and wrapped her arms around her a bit tighter.
Just before she dozed back off, Nanoha sucked in a quick breath and then held it. Fate reopened her eyes to find Nanoha's peaceful face now tensed up, as is she might be having a bad dream. Fate was just about to wake her when she heard a soft moan escape past her lips.
"Don't stop...Fate-chan..." she breathed.
The blond's eyebrows raised in shock when she then felt Nanoha's hand move to cup her breast. She had to stifle her own moan when Nanoha found her nipple and began to fondle her.
"Nanoha!" she said in the loudest whisper she could to wake her.
"Hmmm?"
"Nanoha, wake up!"
"Huh? What is it?"
Nanoha's eyes opened to discover her hand firmly grasped around Fate's breast in front of her. She turned her head upwards and froze when she found wide burgundy eyes staring down at her.
"Nanoha, what are you doing?" Fate asked.
"Um..." she replied and searched her hazy memory. Visions of the dream she just had crossed her mind and she suddenly burst into a quiet giggle. "Nyahaha! I think I was having a sex dream about you."
"Oh my god," Fate laughed and relaxed into the couch again. "Now I'm not sure whether I should be happy or jealous."
"That's a good question. You were doing pretty good in my dream, actually."
"Well, there's really no way I can compete with that, is there?"
Nanoha silently propped herself up on an elbow to face her and ran her fingers along her cheek to get her attention. Once Fate had met her steady gaze, she immediately recognized the sincerity currently present in her expressive eyes.
"No one could ever compete with you, Fate-chan," Nanoha said seriously.
Fate's demeanor changed completely. "Nano... ha...?"
The unexpected comment, once it had fully sunk in, momentarily took her breath away. Her eyes searched Nanoha's intently, seeking any hint of playfulness or teasing in them. What she found instead was an earnestness that signaled Nanoha needed her to understand that her words and the feelings behind them were genuine.
Fate leaned forward and brought her lips against Nanoha's first. There was nothing rushed about the kiss shared between the two that early morning, nor was it meant to lead to anything more than what it was at that moment. It was a sincere gesture meant to confirm that Fate understood and accepted Nanoha's intentions. And for Nanoha, it was a captivating and genuine expression that she lost herself in completely.
When Fate pulled away and rested her forehead against hers, she kept her eyes closed and allowed herself to succumb to the gentle afterglow of their intimate exchange. Nanoha soon felt Fate's breathing slow into a deep and steady rhythm, having fallen back asleep in the warmth and comfort of her arms.
Nanoha gave her one last kiss on the forehead and stared at her sleeping face beside hers. "I'm sorry, Fate-chan," she whispered. "But I think I just broke the biggest rule of all between us."
oOOOo
The sound of giggles and snickers nearby was Nanoha's alarm clock early that Saturday morning. "...that's interesting..." she then heard in the void of her semi-conscious state.
She first raised her hand to rub her eyes and to block the bright sunlight filtering in through the living room windows. She could feel lines and creases in her cheek from resting against Fate's now wrinkled pajama top. As she propped herself up onto her elbow, she found Fate still sleeping peacefully on her back underneath her. She then turned her vision upward to find Lindy and Arf both grinning at them.
"Good morning!" Lindy said with a bright smile to her.
"Oh... good morning."
"Problems with the air mattress last night?" Arf asked.
Nanoha eyed the sharp fingernails on the woman's hands as she sat up fully on the couch. "Yes, it had a hole in it."
Arf turned to Lindy. "I don't remember it having a hole when I moved it out of the way yesterday."
Lindy snickered again. "Oh, my... I wonder how that could have happened?"
Nanoha placed the blanket over Fate again so that she could sleep a few more minutes. She then led Arf and Lindy to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee before we get going today?" she asked them.
"We'd love some," Lindy replied. "We were just discussing the trip to Park Road, actually."
Nanoha looked out the window above the sink and noted the clear blue sky. "It's a beautiful day out. I really think we're going to have a lot of fun. Vivio's never been to an amusement park before."
Lindy smiled and looked out the window as well. "Well, since the administration is holding the event there, a lot of people from headquarters should be showing up. I'm looking forward to catching up with some of them."
"I'm just looking forward to the roller coasters!" Arf said excitedly. She even punched the air a few times like a boxer, as if she were getting pumped up for them.
Small feet came plodding down the hallway in their direction. Nanoha was surprised to see Vivio make an entrance into the kitchen doorway in just her bathing suit. "I'm ready! I want to go to the water park there first!" she declared.
The three women shared an amused glance. "Sweetie, you have to put some clothes on over your suit," Nanoha gently told her. "And we'll be going out to breakfast first. Hurry so that we can go eat, okay?"
"Okay," Vivio replied reluctantly. Her shoulders sagged as she walked back out of the kitchen and down the hallway to retrieve some more clothing like she had been instructed to.
Nanoha pressed the power button on the coffee pot and then pointed back towards the living room. "I guess that leaves just one person that needs to be woken up, doesn't it?"
"We'll just leave that up to you, dear," Lindy replied and gave her playful wink.
Nanoha blushed and silently walked out of the kitchen, purposefully avoiding the cheeky grins directed at her. When she entered the living room, she found Fate still very much asleep in the same spot on the couch. She waited until she heard Vivio's door click shut before she attempted to wake her.
"Fate-chan..." she called softly as she knelt beside the couch. No immediate response was given, so she eyed the blanket that was currently covering her instead.
"It's time to wake up, Fate-chan," she continued. She grabbed the corner of the blanket and carefully pulled it off of her. Fate stirred slightly with its loss but soon settled back into the cushions.
Sensing that Fate had no intention of waking up through normal means, Nanoha slowly crawled to lay beside her on the couch like she had done the night before. She began to trail her fingers along Fate's stomach, the trick she used before to get her to wake up a few days prior.
Fate's eyelids fluttered slightly but remained close. "Um-um... Raincheck, Nanoha..." she muttered.
Nanoha's eyebrows raised in complete surprise at the brush off. "Oh, you are in so much trouble now."
The blond had little time to react to the warning before Nanoha had her completely pinned against the couch. Fingers that were normally soft and gentle where now poking and tickling her hard in the sides. Fate laughed and yelled at the over-stimulation being inflicted upon her.
"I-I'm sorry!" she gasped.
"Too late, you 'rainchecked' me! I'm never touching you again!" Nanoha stepped away from the couch and pretended to stomp away, but Fate sat up and grabbed her by the hand before she could get too far away. She pulled her back down into her lap and steadily met the defiant sapphire eyes with her own.
"You really think you could make good on that threat?"
"I could if I tried. Just watch me."
"Alright, that's the new rule. Nanoha no longer touches me." Fate moved her out of her lap and stood up, leaving her to sit by herself on the couch. Nanoha rose as well and tried to reach for her hand, but Fate pulled it away before she could grab it. She walked backwards out of the living room and towards the hallway.
"Fate-chan..." Nanoha warned again, although she currently had a huge smile on her face.
"You're not supposed to touch me anymore, remember? You're always breaking the rules, Nanoha."
Nanoha took another swipe and Fate dodged it again, which made her even more determined. "I can break whatever damn rule I want if it's stupid."
"So now the rules are stupid?" Fate teased in return. She started running towards the dining room with Nanoha fast on her heels.
"They are when I don't want to do them anymore!" Nanoha shouted.
Fate turned the corner back into the living room and continued running away from her throughout the house. She avoided the furniture in her path and eventually made it down the hallway. She burst in through their closed bedroom door and let Nanoha catch up with her in the middle of the room. Nanoha's arms wrapped around Fate's waist from behind and tackled her onto the bed.
"You lose, Nanoha!" Fate laughed and tried to crawl away from her.
Nanoha managed to flip her over on the bed and sat herself across her waist. She proceeded to tickle her even harder than before. "Nuh-uh! I'm pretty sure I won this time, Fate-chan!"
Fate's laughs and Nanoha's screams and giggles echoed out of the open bedroom door and down the hallway. Lindy and Arf both smiled at each other in the kitchen when they heard the playful banter coming from the other end of the house.
"Completely casual my ass," Arf muttered between sips of coffee.
Lindy gave her a gentle pat on the arm. "Oh, hush. They'll work it out on their own soon enough."
oOOOo
Screaming from the rides and the smell of fried food filled the air as the group entered their second hour at the amusement park together. Vivio's little legs were already starting to get tired from walking, so she was currently sitting on Fate's shoulders while eating an ice cream cone instead. Fate raised her hand to her hair when she felt a few sticky drops fall onto her head.
"Nyahaha! I'll get that," Nanoha said when she noticed what had happened. She first wiped the melted ice cream away with a napkin from her purse. She then placed the napkin on top of Fate's head as an impromptu bib to catch any more drips that might be in her future.
"How does it look?" Fate asked her. "Pretty sexy?"
Nanoha wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. "Um-hmm! I don't know how I could ever resist."
"This has been such a lovely day!" Lindy commented from beside them. "I have seen so many people here that I haven't spoken to in years."
"Me, too!" Arf added. "I feel a little bad, though. I can't remember everyone's name. That's always embarrassing when they know me but I don't remember them."
"Nanoha! Hey, NANOHA!" a male voice called out from behind their group. They all slowed their pace and turned around to find shaggy blond hair bouncing through the crowd in their direction.
"Yuuno...?" Nanoha whispered when she recognized the figure jogging towards them. She dropped her arms from around Fate's waist and stood completely frozen at the sight.
"Hey, Nanoha!" he said breathlessly. "I didn't know you were here coming today! I would have seen if you wanted to meet up sooner."
Fate's smile fell away completely as she looked back and forth between him and Nanoha. Yuuno then recognized his blunder in not greeting everyone else. "Hey everyone! It's good to see you all again, too."
"Hello, Yuuno," Lindy replied politely with her usual smile. Arf gave him a quick nod in greeting, but Fate said nothing. Vivio suddenly became shy and bent down to speak into Fate's ear.
"I have to go to the bathroom," she tried to whisper, although she said it loud enough for Lindy to hear as well.
"Arf and I will take Vivio to the restroom so you all can catch up," she offered. Fate knelt down so that Vivio could get off of her shoulders. Lindy and Arf guided her over to the long line for the women's restroom, which was currently trailing out the door and down the sidewalk.
"I'm going to get something to drink," Fate said as she stood back up. She abruptly turned and left Nanoha alone to speak with Yuuno in the middle of the park. Unfamiliar and almost dark emotions had made an appearance in Fate the second Yuuno showed up and turned his full attention to Nanoha. She knew it was best to leave before she said something that she didn't really mean to him. Or something she actually did, for that matter.
"So, how's it going?" Nanoha asked him in an attempt to remain casual, even though she now felt completely on edge with the situation she had been left in.
"It's going good. It's really great to see you, by the way. You look beautiful."
"Hmmm... Thank you for the compliment."
"By the way, I talked to your mother recently."
Nanoha tried her best to keep her emotions in check. "So I heard in her last video message. How did that go?"
"Well, she really wanted me to ask you out on a date. She was pretty insistent."
"Is that so?" she replied suspiciously. She turned around to ensure Fate was far enough away that she couldn't have heard his last statement. She was relieved to find her paying for a drink at one of the nearby vendor stands, very much out of earshot. The last thing she wanted was for her to have heard the comment and become upset by it.
"Yeah, it's not the first time she's asked me to," Yuuno continued. "I've tried to tell her that you weren't interested in me like that, and that you never would be. I'm not sure if she believes me or not, though."
"Look Yuuno, you're a nice... Wait, what did you just say?"
Yuuno smiled and put his hands up defensively in front of him. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her why I knew you wouldn't be. I just know that I'm not your type. I've known that for a long time now."
"Oh..." Nanoha said and looked away to the ground. "I actually didn't realize that about myself until recently."
"It's not a big deal or anything, of course. But I'm not going to pressure you to do something that isn't true to who you are. I really just want you to be happy."
Nanoha was finally able to smile for the first time in their conversation. "Thank you. You know, I think I am happier now than I've ever been in my whole life."
"Ah, so there is someone, I take it?" he asked and peered over his glasses at her in a playful manner.
"Maybe...?" she said bashfully and tried to shrug it off, although she could feel herself now blushing quite a bit. Her smile grew brighter the more she thought about Fate and their previous week they had spent together.
Several yards away, Fate found herself staring intently at the carvings in the wooden tabletop she was sitting at. She was trying her best to be patient and not stare at Nanoha and Yuuno chatting together, knowing full well that she should be giving her privacy to speak to whoever she wanted to.
"Hey, is that Fate?!"
Fate turned to find Subaru's face suddenly a few feet from hers. Before she could react, the cheerful girl tackled her from behind in a forceful hug. Nove and Dieci Scaglietti were trailing behind her, both sharing a large pink cotton candy between them.
"Subaru! Hey, you scared me a little there."
"Oh, sorry! I was just happy to see you here! I guess everyone's at the park today."
"Yep, seems like it," she replied with a hint of bitterness. Subaru didn't catch the tone and instead patted her a few times on the shoulder.
"By the way, I'm really glad you didn't get mad over those pics of me and Nanoha together the other night."
Fate's eyes darted over to her. "You and Nanoha together...?"
"Yeah! I mean, Teana was really upset when she saw them. But it isn't any of her business what I do anyway, you know what I mean?"
"I see," Fate said under her breath and turned away to face the tabletop again. Her hands clenched against her thighs as she recalled Nanoha asking her if she had received any pictures the night she returned home from Velvet. Now she knew the reason why.
"Well, that's interesting..." a familiar voice mused from nearby. Fate looked up to see Ginga now approaching the table with her eyes locked on Nanoha and Yuuno in the distance.
"What's interesting?" Subaru asked her. She turned around and followed her sister's train of vision. "Oh, no," she groaned when she saw Nanoha's blushing face as she continued to speak to Yuuno.
Ginga made a motion for Subaru to leave so that she could talk to Fate alone, and the younger girl happily obliged the request. She and the two Scaglietti girls walked away in a completely different direction.
"You doing okay?" Ginga asked her.
"Not really," Fate admitted and tried to keep her hands from shaking any further under the table.
"Maybe Nanoha is just really good at this open relationship thing. You didn't do anything wrong, you know?"
Fate shook her head and swallowed hard. "I guess I was reading too much into what was going on between us. It's my fault. I just thought after this morning... Well, I guess it doesn't really matter now."
"I've been in your position before, Fate. You're going to have to decide if this is something you can handle or not, now that you know what's really going on."
"Maybe so..." Fate summoned the courage to look over at Nanoha and Yuuno again. Just as she turned her head, she saw Nanoha raise on her toes to give Yuuno a kiss on the cheek. Fate bristled at the sight, like someone had just knocked the wind out of her.
Ginga tsk'ed a little. "It really sucks to find out you weren't good enough, huh?"
Fate sprung to her feet and walked away without another word. Ginga didn't try to stop her and instead continued to sit in the same spot at the table. She traced the carvings in wooden tabletop with her finger while she waited patiently.
"Thanks for being so understanding, Yuuno," Nanoha said after she pulled away from kissing him goodbye on the cheek. "You've been really a good friend."
"It's no problem. You really should tell Fate how you really feel about her, though. She will understand. I'm sure of it."
"I think I will. Thank you." Nanoha turned away from him and began to walk back in the direction where she had last seen Fate. Her pace slowed significantly when she spotted Ginga now sitting at the table instead.
"Hello, Nanoha," Ginga greeted her with a casual wave.
Nanoha's eyes immediately scanned the area around them in a slight panic. "Where's Fate-chan?"
"Fate? Oh, she's gone. Long gone."
"What the hell did you do to her?"
Ginga stood up with a smug smile on her face. "I didn't do anything. You did this to yourself."
"Excuse me?! You know, just because Fate-chan didn't pick you doesn't mean - "
"Pick me?!" Ginga interrupted with her voice raising higher. "It has nothing to do with that, Nanoha! I'm not the bad guy here just because I can see what's she's worth and you can't."
"So you're going to make me out to the bad guy instead? Why?!"
"Don't you know that actions speak louder than words? You don't actually care about her feelings. You're just using her!"
"How dare you make assumptions about how I feel towards her! I should just go and tell her what you really are, Ginga. And that's a manipulative bitch!"
Ginga took a step closer and got in her face. "You're seriously going to call me that? I'm so glad you're getting what you deserve, Nanoha. Fate's too good for you."
Nanoha pushed Ginga hard in the shoulders away from her. Ginga paused for half a second before shoving her back, sending her backwards a few steps. Just as Nanoha had regained her balance and was about to charge Ginga fully, Arf came to stand in front of her to block her path.
"That's enough, Nanoha! She's not worth it!" Arf yelled and physically picked her up to usher her away. Nanoha struggled in her grasp for a few moments before resigning herself. She pulled away angrily and adjusted her clothing that had gotten disheveled in the tussle.
Once she had calmed down significantly and was able to focus more on her surroundings, she was grateful to see Lindy had taken Vivio away to a nearby booth to play a game. Remorse and shame filled her when she realized just how close her daughter had come to seeing her lose control.
"Is everything okay?" Lindy asked once she saw her and Arf approaching. "Where's Fate?"
Nanoha shook her head and held back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I don't know where she went," she said quietly.
"Well, let's split up and check the park to see if she's still here. We'll meet up at the front entrance at three o'clock if we can't find her."
"Sounds like a good plan," Arf replied.
Nanoha bent down on her knee to face Vivio. "We're going to try to find your Fate-mama now. Can you handle walking around a little bit more?"
Vivio nodded seriously. "I'm okay."
"Alright, let's go." Nanoha took her by the hand and started leading them on a path opposite the ones Lindy and Arf were taking.
"Why did Fate-mama leave, Mama?" Vivio asked.
"I don't know, baby... I really don't know."
oOOOo
The sun was still blazing in the afternoon sky when Nanoha pulled the vehicle into the driveway of their home. She looked at her passengers and couldn't contain her sadness over the situation any longer.
"I'm sorry you are having to go through this," she said to Lindy and Arf. "I'll drop you guys off here at the house and go look for her some more."
Lindy put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Nanoha? Fate turned off Bardiche's ability to be located. I don't think she really wants to be found right now."
Nanoha looked back to the steering wheel in resignation. She eventually dropped her head and nodded in reluctant agreement. "You're right. I probably should just wait here for her. She will come home when she is ready to talk."
"Why don't we think about some dinner, hmm?"
"Okay," she replied quietly and nodded again.
As they walked inside the house, it took everyone by complete surprise to hear the television on in the living room. The group rounded the corner to find Fate sitting on the couch with a beer in her hand. She gave them all a timid smile in greeting.
"Fate-mama!" Vivio cried and ran towards her on the couch. "Where were you?!"
"I was right here the whole time, sweetie," she replied and pulled her into her lap. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I just needed to come home first, is all."
Vivio hugged her tightly and refused to let go. Nanoha crossed her arms at the sight and tried to avoid giving Fate too many stern looks over making their daughter worry like she had. She knew there was already enough tension between the two of them as it was.
Lindy came to stand beside her daughter on the couch. She ran her hand along her forehead first and then pinched one of her cheeks. "Never again," she scolded her.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Arf asked in an attempt to break the tension. "I could really go for some pizza right now."
"Pizza?!" Vivio gushed. She was instantly off the couch and distracted from her previous worries by the thought of her favorite food instead.
Lindy held her hand out towards Nanoha for the car keys. "We'll take Vivio out to a movie after dinner. You two work this out while we're gone."
"Okay. Thank you, Lindy." Nanoha didn't move from her spot in the living room until the three had left the house again. Fate leaned forward to grab the remote from the coffee table and muted the television.
Once they were gone, Nanoha sat down on the couch next to her. She grabbed the beer from her hand and took a long drink before handing it back to her. Fate fixated on it and avoided Nanoha's eyes that were now boring holes into her.
"So, do you want to tell me what this was all about?" she finally asked.
Fate shrugged once. "I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. You can do what you want with who you want. That's always been the rule."
Nanoha raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "And who am I doing these things with, might I ask?"
"Subaru and Yuuno," she mumbled in return.
Nanoha sighed heavily and realized the full extent of what Ginga was willing to do to get what she wanted. Thoughts of exposing her true nature to Fate crossed her mind, but she pushed the idea away to focus on mending things between them first. "Fate-chan, you don't really think I'm interested in either of them, do you?"
"I wouldn't blame you if you were. I know that I'm probably not enough for you, after all."
"Not enough for me...?" she repeated and attempted to decipher the underlying meaning behind the words. She immediately recalled their experience when they were younger with her biological mother, Precia. She had made Fate feel like she was never good enough, and even went so far as to say that she hated her for it.
"It's okay, Nanoha. I really do understand," Fate continued.
Nanoha raised her hand to move a few stray strands of Fate's hair away from her cheek. "Fate-chan, will you please look at me?"
Fate glanced over at her briefly. Nanoha continued to stare at her expectantly until she had gotten her full attention. "Yes?" Fate asked once their eyes had met.
"This morning, I meant what I said about no one being able to compete with you. I don't have any desire to be with anyone else."
"Well, yeah but - "
"No buts. It's how I feel about you. I need you to understand that."
Fate searched the bright sapphire eyes in front of her, which were now filled with the same earnestness and sincerity that had been present that morning. She eventually had to look away from them, part of her overwhelmed by Nanoha's feelings for her and part in shame for ever doubting her words in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Nanoha."
Nanoha reached for her hand and entwined their fingers. "It's okay, Fate-chan. Neither of us are going to be perfect at this, remember? And you were patient with me when I got jealous earlier this week. Twice, in fact. So now it's my turn."
Fate nodded solemnly and set the bottle down on the coffee table. She then turned and wrapped her arms around Nanoha, who also held her as tight as she could in return. The simple embrace soon escalated into something far more emotional between them. Each soon found themselves clinging to the other in desperation, both trying to convey that they had no desire for anyone else but the person right in front of them.
"Don't ever do that again, okay?" Nanoha said in a shaky voice.
"I won't."
Nanoha pulled back to face her directly. Her hands ran across her shoulders, along her cheeks, and soon entangled in her hair. "You can always count on me to be there for you. You don't have to feel like you're all alone in this."
"Okay," Fate nodded again.
As Nanoha pulled her lips against hers, Fate felt new and unfamiliar emotions begin to surge through her. They were emotions that she yearned to embrace fully, but ones that also caused significant fear if she were to allow them to flourish inside of her, even an inch. Nanoha felt an unfamiliar desire welling up inside of her as well, a need that only Fate could satisfy. She ran her hands along every inch of Fate that she could reach in front of her.
"Touch me back, Fate-chan... Please..."
Fate ran her hands along her back in return, holding on to her as if she couldn't feel her close enough. She was shocked when she felt Nanoha brush away tears from her cheeks that she hadn't even realized had fallen.
"It's okay," Nanoha assured her as a few fell from her own eyes. Fate buried her head in her shoulder and cried softly, even though she didn't exactly understand why she was doing so.
"It still hurts a little," she whispered.
"I know. But no matter what happens, I'll always be here. I promise."
Nanoha held Fate as long as was needed until the tears had passed for both of them. She then guided Fate away gently so that she could retrieve a blanket folded next to them on the couch. After placing it flat on the floor, she laid down and pulled Fate by the hand on top of her.
"I want you to know that you have me, Fate-chan. All of me."
Fate brought her lips against hers again, this time not fighting back any emotions that were poised to crash down on her. Nanoha relished in her tender touch as she moved along the nape of her neck and gave small kisses across her collarbone, all amplified by the notion that Fate was only person she ever wanted to share this experience with.
She soon uttered a low moan when Fate found the curve of her waist with her mouth. Fate recognized Nanoha's desire for her as she arched her hips and begged for her attention between her legs. She touched her with her mouth intimately in return, her tongue tenderly persistent. Her hands continued to explore along the smooth skin under her splayed fingers until they had entered inside of her. She heard Nanoha's cries echoing in her ears, touching her in a way like nothing ever had before.
Every gentle caress pulled at them, dragged them both closer together. Nanoha shivered and shook and clutched at Fate's shoulders for strength as she came closer to her breaking point. Fulfillment shot through her, and Nanoha now truly understood the feeling of being desired and wanted by another person. And it was by the one person she needed the most in the world as well.
When Nanoha finally succumbed to the ecstasy that Fate was so intent to give her, she knew she was changed forever. As she tensed and became flooded with the tidal waves of pleasure, she could feel herself surrender to Fate unconditionally. And as they clung to each other in the aftermath, Fate held on to her as if their world would burst apart if she ever let go.
Nanoha moved Fate's hand to rest on her chest above her still rapidly beating heart. "Fate-chan..." she said breathlessly, "never forget that you are the one who does this to me. That you are the one who makes me feel this way. You're here inside me. It always has been you, and it always will be."
Fate pulled away to face her directly but couldn't find the words to respond. Nanoha recognized her struggle and brought her head down to kiss her instead, knowing that Fate did indeed accept the way she felt about her. She eventually guided her to lay on the blanket beneath her, now fully intent on expressing her own desires for the woman who had captivated her heart completely.
oOOOo
Nanoha heard the soft click of the front door opening in her sleep, although she didn't register who or what may be entering into their home at the moment. She and Fate had fallen asleep completely naked on the living room floor, with only a thin blanket currently covering their bodies.
"Ahem," she heard come from above. Her eyes opened and first looked at the feet standing beside her head. She then trailed her vision upwards until she had reached Lindy's face. She found her with her arms crossed over her chest, peering back down at them. Nanoha pulled the blanket up to her neck and glanced over at Fate beside her. She found her naked lover still very much asleep.
"Wow! Good thing Vivio passed out, huh?" Arf said from behind her. Nanoha looked past Lindy and saw her carrying her sleeping daughter in her arms.
"Well, this has certainly been an interesting day," Lindy announced and abruptly turned to leave the room. "But I think I'm ready for bed."
Arf followed her without hesitation. "Right behind you, Lindy."
Nanoha remained completely silent in sheer embarrassment until they had left the room. After hearing the bedroom door click shut, she turned and snuggled up next to Fate again. As she lightly traced her finger along her stomach in an attempt to wake her, she reminded herself that they needed to establish a new rule about having sex in the middle of the living room floor...
...starting tomorrow, that is.
A/N: I will try to get an update out on this faster next time, but I'm also weary about putting out something sub-par if it doesn't feel right. I thank you all for your patience with the timing of the updates this month!