"Hey, Nanoha..."

"Hm?"

"How do you...ask somebody out? Like...on a date?"

"...Wha?"

A/N: ^ The premise. Sort of. This fell together in a strange fashion, indeed. Anyway, feel free to have an opinion. One note: "speaking" and 'telepathy'. Mkay?

"Tactless."

"I know."

"Stupid."

Fate buried her head in her arms. "I know."

Sitting across from her, Arisa crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, at least we know why she's been like that all day," she stated, looking over at her other two friends. Nanoha's forehead was planted firmly on the desk in front of her. Hayate had spent the last ten minutes trying to rouse her, to no avail.

"Still, why would you ask her something like that?" she asked, rounding on Fate again. "Nanoha's exactly the type of person who would worry about that way too much. She-"

A rather loud crash interrupted her.

'Hayate-chan.'

"Eep!" She'd been an inch from Nanoha's face and the recoil sent her sprawling backwards into a few desks. She waved off the exasperated glare from Arisa and dusted herself off. 'Little punk...answer sooner next time.'

'Sorry...but...what do you think I should do?'

Hayate resumed her previous seat, resting her chin in her hand. 'About what?'

'About Fate-chan, and...'

'Her boyfriend?' Nanoha twitched slightly. The other brunette noted it and moved on. 'Well, I wouldn't be surprised about it. Fate is pretty attractive, after all.'

Nanoha raised her head enough to level a glare at Hayate, who only sighed.

'Okay, let's say she does have one. What are you going to do? Mope around until she leaves you behind? Should I talk to her instead?'

'...No, I'll-'

"Gah, this is intolerable!" Arisa shouted.

"Arisa, please, calm down..." Suzuka mumbled, tugging on her arm.

"But-"

Nanoha rose and walked over to the door, garnering both silence and attention. She stopped halfway out. "Fate-chan...Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Fate tried to answer and failed, so she settled for a nod. She trailed the brunette out the door, leaving the other three alone.

"About time," Arisa huffed. "You'd think they could have done that earlier."

Hayate stood and grinned at them from across the room. "Such are the trials of love, eh?"

The blonde arched an eyebrow at her. "...Whatever. Let's go, Suzu-". She paused, staring at the scarlet spread across her friend's face. "...What's your problem?"

"Okay, Nanoha, I'm here," she said, sliding the door open. "What did you-"

Both her words and motions froze in the doorway. The ace stood a few feet away from her, a sorrowful smile etched on her face. With the sunset illuminating everything behind her, Fate got the brief impression that she had walked into a room with an angel. As clichéd as it sounded, it was still beautiful to see in person.

Nanoha's voice broke her trance. "I just...wanted to apologize for today."

Fate stared at her for a moment. "Is this about what I asked you last night?"

The brunette's gaze shifted to the floor. "I must look pretty silly now, huh? But I figured that if Fate-chan had a boyfriend, she wouldn't be spending as much time with us, so I tried to get used to that." She looked up again with a sheepish grin. "It's harder than it sounds, though. Besides, you shouldn't have to be asking-"

The blonde's patience snapped as she clamped her arms around the other girl. "I've made you worry so much over nothing, haven't I? I'm sorry."

"But still, this guy-"

"It's not a guy, Nanoha," she interrupted again. "It's you."

"...Huh?"

"Even if somebody did ask me, I couldn't accept that," Fate answered, leaning back far enough to let their eyes meet. A small grin crossed her face. "Because the one I've always loved is Nanoha, see?"

A few seconds passed in awkward silence.

'...They're right behind me, aren't they?'

Nanoha chuckled. "No, no, it's just that now I really do feel silly."

The blonde blushed profusely as she felt the brunette's palms against her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because," she stated, her eyes glimmering despite being opposite the sunset, "the one I've always loved...is also Fate-chan." She then leaned in and pressed her lips gently on Fate's as though to prove it. "So don't make me worry like that again, okay?"

"Yeah...sorry," Fate mumbled, doing her best force her skin back to a normal color.

Nanoha smiled and raised a finger. "I'll forgive you...on one condition."

"What's that?"

'Hey!' The pair jumped clear off the ground as Hayate's voice echoed in their minds. 'They're going to lock you in if you don't hurry up.'

'Sorry, sorry,' the aces answered simultaneously, sprinting down the stairs and out the front door. They were greeted by an aura of light hostility.

"So." Arisa scowled as she always did when her patience had long since vanished. "I trust since you took so long, you two are fine now?"

"More or less," Fate said, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry for making you wait."

"Damn right you are."

"But everything turned out okay, right?" Suzuka chimed in. "Let it go."

Arisa turned and frowned at her. "You're too soft, Suzuka."

"And you're too hard-headed. Now come on," she quipped, dragging the other girl off with a smile.

Hayate glanced back and forth between her friends a few times. "Why do I feel like I'm being left out?" She received two stares of confusion in reply. "Ah, never mind." She pointed at the limited space between the two, where their hands had at some point clasped together. "Carry on."

The two instantly jumped away from each other, faces burning, which made Hayate double over laughing. "No, really, go ahead," she managed between giggles. "I really don't mind."

"Hayate-chan...Thank you," Nanoha mumbled, grinning herself. The girl in question continued to chuckle her way out the gate as they started trailing Arisa and Suzuka, who seemed to be in an animated debate a few dozen feet ahead.

'Hey, Nanoha...'

'Hm?'

'What condition?'

The brunette shot her a smug look as she snaked her hand into Fate's again. 'You have to take responsibility for this.'

The blonde sighed audibly. 'You never told me how.'

'Easy. Just ask.'

Fate gathered as much composure as she could and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Then...Nanoha, would you go out with me this weekend?"

Nanoha smiled again, pulling the girl closer. "I'd love to," she whispered back.

"I heard that!"

All four jumped at the sudden declaration, while Hayate just stood in the middle of them, too amused to even get a laugh out.