A/N: Today is the first day of school in my country so have a short school fic. Set in 'A's to StrikerS' timeline, somewhere in high school. Mostly pointless fluff, I needed to write to ease my, lately stressed, mind, with a little bit of drama. I guess I also went for a little more detailed writing here.

What to say more... enjoy!

Cherry

By: Caelion

"-And that's another method of solving equations which include trigonometric functions-" A fragment of an old maths teacher's rant reached the certain blonde's ears. She shifted lightly in her seat, crossing her legs and resting her cheek on closed fist. A look at a blackboard made her realise that she was significantly falling behind with her notes. She picked up her pen and started to write down small letters and numbers. After catching up with her teacher, she went back to her old, relaxed position and cast a furtive glance at the brunette sitting on her right, two rows before her.

The girl was carefully studying the blackboard, constantly writing something in her notebook, and nodding her head from time to time as the teacher went on with the lesson. Fate couldn't help any more and just stared at her friend's back, then moving to her brown hair, tied in an off-centred ponytail. Trailing the brunette's long strands with her eyes, she felt a cool wind from an open window, to the blonde's left, blowing lightly on her face, pulling her back from her daydreaming. She looked outside, seeing a few, red and yellow leafs falling from the trees here and there, sun hiding behind light-grey clouds. The autumn was in it's fullness.

Fate truly missed their summer uniforms. Just a few weeks earlier she was able to watch Nanoha's slender arms, not covered by long sleeves of her jacket. Just like the rest of the brunette's creamy skin. And the girl's pretty legs, now hidden beneath longer skirt and knee-length socks. The blonde let out a silent sigh and looked at her desk. Being in love with her first and best friend wasn't easy. Although she wanted to confess her feelings to Nanoha, she couldn't. She feared of the girl's reaction too much to try.

"-And so we're getting to the next task, Harlaown-san, could you solve this one?" Fate stiffened and looked at her teacher, slowly preparing herself to being chided.

"Fate-chan," She heard a whisper behind her. "Page 56, task 3." Hayate murmured as the blonde started to rise from her seat.

Fate opened her book on the said page and read the instructions. She walked up to the blackboard and started to write the correct solution to the problem. Maths was definitely her forte but she didn't like being called by teachers. She felt uncomfortable with the whole class staring at her as she was quickly writing down equations, slowly closing to the end of the task. And on top of that, she felt her stare on her back. After finishing, she put the piece of chalk down and stepped back a little, waiting for her teacher's reaction. When she was praised and motioned to seat, she turned around, immediately meeting her gaze. Ruby eyes met azure ones and a small blush crept on the blonde's cheeks as the brunette waved at her lightly, sending her one of the most beautiful smiles ever. Fate sat down on her place near the window, suddenly feeling considerably hotter. Breathing deeply, she heard Hayate sighing silently behind her.

In her mind, Fate brought back Nanoha's smile.

"Why are you so stubborn, Fate-chan?" Hayate asked with a hint of aggravation, forgetting about a half-eaten sandwich she was holding in her hand for a longer while. "Just go and tell her already." She gave her blonde friend a look and crossed her arms, immediately remembering about the food and wiping butter from her nut-brown uniform. "Really, I can't save your butt every time you get lost in thoughts and don't know what's going on in the class."

"I'm sorry, Hayate-chan..." Fate looked at her lap, resting her back on a windowsill behind her. They were currently on their break before the second hour of maths, being also their last lesson that day. Hayate was right, it wasn't the first time Fate was spacing out during her classes.

"Hayate-chan! Fate-chan!" Nanoha's cheerful voice broke the silence between the two as the girl joined them after a short while, bringing her own chair and sitting at Fate's desk. "Has something happened?" She looked at her blonde friend carefully.

Fate looked at the brunette and felt that she began to blush again as she saw Nanoha's face so close to her own. "Uh, no, nothing happened," She stammered silently, trying to give the girl a small smile.

"That's good," Nanoha answered, her lips forming in a wide grin. "Look, Fate-chan," She opened her notebook and showed Fate her doodles. "I was bored so I drew you," She pointed at a small chibi figure with two long ponytails, holding a scythe twice as big. "And here's Hayate-chan," The said brunette looked above Fate's shoulder, giggling at the picture of her small self sitting on a large book. "And here's Yuuno-kun." Nanoha finished, uncovering another figure, this time wearing oversized glasses.

Fate felt a small but sharp sting of pain in her heart, looking at the last picture.

The last lesson went painfully slow and Fate could swear that it should had ended a long time ago. Finally, the bell of her dreams sounded loudly in the school corridor, signalizing the end of the classes. Fate packed her things into her bag and turned to leave when a warm hand closed on her own.

"Fate-chan," Nanoha's voice rang in the blonde's ears. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked innocently.

They were going back home together anyway, so why was Nanoha asking her this? Fate gave the brunette a questioning look, receiving a sweet smile in return. "I guess I can..." She responded meekly, walking side by side with her friend through the crowdy main hall. She noticed that Nanoha was still holding her hand tightly.

Indeed, instead of taking their everyday route, they turned to the park. In autumn, the scenery was truly beautiful and breathtaking. Yellow and red leafs were covering high trees, falling down with even the slightest blow of the wind. A few birds were singing here and there, some occasional rustles audible from time to time. Days were becoming shorter and, with sun already slowly setting down, lamps inside the almost empty park were shedding faint, yellowish light on the alleys covered with leafs, surrounding the whole place with a mysterious aura of calmness and tranquillity.

For their whole way, Fate was casting occasional furtive glances at the brunette, noticing that the girl was somehow happier than usual. But what could be the cause of her friend's mood?

"Ne, Fate-chan," Nanoha started conversationally, leading the blonde to a small bench. "I have always wondered which season is Fate-chan's favourite one." She asked, sitting next to Fate but still keeping a little distance between them.

The blonde pondered on the question. Why would Nanoha want to ask this so suddenly? "Hmm," She voiced out her thoughtfulness. "I guess it's spring." She answered after a while, and seeing her friend's raised eyebrows, she continued. "Days become longer, it's not as hot as summer and not as cold as winter." But there was one thing she loved in spring the most. "And there are cherry blossoms..."

Nanoha giggled cutely at the last remark. Since Fate's first, earthly spring, the blonde was always amazed by that particular element of this season.

"And it's fruits also taste good..." The girl closed her eyes lightly, letting her imagination bring back the taste of fresh cherries.

"Fate-chan, but we eat the fruits at summer," The brunette laughed again, making her friend blush slightly.

"I know..." She responded shyly, playing with the edge of her skirt.

"Fate-chan really likes cherries, doesn't she?" Nanoha asked sweetly, putting her hand into her skirt pocket when the blonde nodded her head. With that, she pulled out a cherry lollipop, unwrapped it and started to eat. "Mmm, tasty!" She giggled, seeing Fate's hopeful expression.

The blonde pouted lightly at her friends action. The brunette had always liked to tease her like that. Then again, if it was Nanoha, then Fate had never complained and, deep down in her heart, this kind of attention was making her happy.

"Close your eyes, Fate-chan," Nanoha instructed, licking the candy.

Fate gave her a surprised look but, after a few seconds of hesitation, she did as she was told. She felt Nanoha's fingers on her chin, parting her lips, and a sweet taste filled her mouth. She opened her eyes, licking the lollipop a few times before her cheeks flushed furiously. "Nanoha!" She exclaimed, blushing even more when her friend burst out laughing. And it was a very cute laugh, on top of that.

Then, the brunette reached out her hand and took the lollipop out of surprised Fate's mouth, giving it a few licks before handing it back. "I'm sorry, I bought only one," Nanoha explained, seeing her friends hesitation. "But I don't mind sharing it with you." She added, smiling lightly.

Still a little uncertainly, Fate returned the gesture and took the candy, placing it on her own tongue again. Nanoha moved closer as the blonde handed her the lollipop back after a while. Now, they were sitting close to each other, their sides touching as they were swapping the candy between themselves. Fate felt her shyness slowly disappearing as the brunette took the sweet out of her mouth again, putting it into her own for a while before returning it.

Slowly, they were moving closer and closer, their arms connected, the brunette's right hand resting on the blonde's knee, her left one holding the candy. Finally, Nanoha leaned her forehead against Fate's, licking the lollipop every once in a while and putting it into the blonde's parted mouth again. Fate felt blood rushing to her face as they gazes met and locked, lost in each other's eyes. With her heart beating faster and faster, she pulled the candy out of her mouth, feeling Nanoha's hot breath on her lips.

A sudden and furious ringing of Fate's phone pulled the two back to reality as they jumped back, their faces getting red immediately. The blonde reached out to her pocket, quickly pulling out and silencing the noisy device. She looked at Nanoha and realised that the mood was definitely ruined. "Sorry," She murmured disappointed. And there she had almost kissed her secret love. But then it hit her that the brunette was also acting a little strange. Could it be... No, impossible. Fate opened her phone, her face fell as she was reading the message. "I need to go," She said, not even bothering to hide her sad tone. "Chrono-niisan and Amy-san are coming for a dinner tonight, mom wanted me to help her and Arf with preparations."

"It's okay, Fate-chan," Nanoha smiled at her friend. "So..." She started thoughtfully. "We'll see tomorrow at school, I guess."

"Um," The blonde nodded her head. If only she had a few seconds more back then... She was just about to turn around, when she remembered about the lollipop she was still holding in her hand. She looked at Nanoha and an idea popped in her head. "Close your eyes." She said, smiling. Nanoha giggled as she did so and parted her mouth slightly. Acting faster than thinking, Fate bended over the brunette and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, almost immediately pulling back and putting the candy into the girl's mouth. Then, she turned back and ran home, leaving her shocked friend.

When Nanoha fully realised what happened a while ago, she leaned back on the bench, looking at the running blonde, and touched her lips with her finger, gently trailing the place Fate kissed. A wide smile appeared on her slightly red face.

"Fate-chan," Fate stiffened as she heard familiar voice behind her. She turned around, scanning the crowdy corridor and looked at the brunette standing before her.

She gave the girl a scarred look. "Um, about yesterday..." She stammered, watching her feet.

"Fate-chan," Nanoha repeated calmly, making the blonde look at her. She gave her an encouraging, honest smile. "Do you want to go for a walk after school?" She asked, waving a cherry lollipop before Fate's eyes.

A/N: Thank you for reading, I guess I'll need to take a break from writing as I need to study for two exams. I'll probably write something in my spare time and post it near the end of September.

So, 'till the next time.