Words: 1379

Rating: K+

I haven't done this yet, so I'd like to express a HUGE thanks to all of you who have been reviewing and liking and following my fics! I don't respond to reviews unless they have questions because I don't really understand the messaging system here on this website? It's confusing and way more complicated than it needs to be- anyway, so I don't respond but I see and read and reread and LOVE every single message you send me. Honestly it makes my week every time I get something as simple as "Cute!" or "loved it!", or get a new story follower/favorite because it shows that people are actually reading the stuff I'm putting out, and even liking it! You can't possibly fathom how grateful I am. I'd probably write for library wars either way because I love this series so so much, but it's you guys who really motivate me and keep me uploading here. Knowing I have an audience is the most incredible feeling of accomplishment❤︎ So thanks again, and I love you!

This fic is pretty plotless and ends a little abruptly; I apologize in advance lolol but it was still fun to write so I want to put it up anyway. I hope it's as fun to read as it was to write!

"Oh, Keisuke…" Ami looked up at him, tears glittering in her big, dewy eyes. "Is that truly how you feel?"

"Of course, Ami!" Keisuke grabbed her hand and held it to his chest, staring passionately back into her eyes. "I love you more than anything in the world. I know your father doesn't approve, and I know things are hard right now, but that doesn't matter!" He cupped her face with his other hand, using his thumb to brush away the tear that was tracking down her cheek. "I would do anything for you, Ami."

Ami couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face at his heartfelt pronouncement. She felt overwhelmed with emotion; hopelessness and desolation at the situation facing them and incredible joy that Keisuke felt the same way as her, at war with each other in Ami's heart. There was one thing Ami knew she could never waver on, and that was the simple fact that she loved Keisuke with everything she had. Choking back a sob, she threw her arms around Keisuke's waist, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Their feelings had met, and although the obstacles ahead of them seemed daunting, she knew she could get through them with Keisuke by her side.

Keisuke put his arms around Ami and held her close, their heartbeats mingling between them. "I love you," she whispered into his shirt, trying in vain to stop the flow of her tears. "I love you too."

Iku sucked in a breath and held it, determined not to cry. She'd been reading a series of romance books on Shibasaki's recommendation, and over the past week became unexpectedly fond of the characters. Since her usual tastes were more fast-paced, she had anticipated that she would grow tired after the first book, but the likeable characters and constant problems they faced created more than enough plot movement to keep Iku interested. Moreover, the slow development of the relationship between Keisuke and Ami had her thinking about her own relationship with Atsushi.

While she'd never expect or prefer for Atsushi to make grand romantic gestures like in romance novels, Iku certainly wouldn't protest against such a display of outward affection. In retrospect, the start of their relationship- "I might give you my cold; do you mind?"- wasn't exactly "I love you", but if she looked at the gesture from a more nuanced perspective, it was somewhat clever of him. They were both people of action, so he used action to express his feelings to her in a way that she could grasp immediately. He always reassured her when she was feeling insecure, and he didn't shy away from physical contact (including but not limited to his fist descending on her crown, unfortunately). She got lost in thought for a minute, remembering how good and safe it felt to have Atsushi's hands on her, or his arms around her holding her tightly…

She pressed her hands to her burning face, now totally distracted from the book. How silly and girlish was it to still be so affected by the person she's married to?! She closed the book in her lap, shaking her head at herself. Maybe it was better that Atsushi didn't make over-the-top romantic gestures. Iku wasn't sure what she'd do if he did.

The noise of the front door to their apartment closing startled her, and she threw the book aside in embarrassment.

"I'm home," Atsushi announced from the doorway, taking off his shoes. Iku's heart sped up happily at his voice, and she went out to meet him.

"Welcome back~!" She watched him shrug off his jacket, noting how exhausted he looked. He seemed to be trying not to give it away, but Iku could see through his fronts by now. Straightening up, he met her eyes and could tell he wasn't fooling her. Iku grinned and spread her arms wide, and he took a few steps to fall into them, tiredly leaning his weight onto her.

"Thanks," he mumbled into her sweater. Iku bit back a laugh.

"Dinner's in the oven. It'll probably be ready soon." They stood still for a moment, soaking in the other's warmth. At length, Atsushi straightened back up and pressed a quick kiss to the underside of her jaw in thanks, then shuffled away to their bedroom. "How was the commander today?" she called after him as she went back into their kitchen to set the table. She could physically feel his frustration emanating from across the apartment before his loud sigh of irritation carried down the small hallway and into the kitchen. The libraries were starting to make small changes to their constitution to accommodate for the slowly changing political climate, as regards the Media Improvement Committee, so select members from different divisions had been in forums and meetings all day. Wherever unruly Commander Genda went, Dojo was preferred to be present- meaning he had been holed up in conference rooms all day long.

"I spent the entire day trying to tame his harebrained suggestions into reasonable ideas! He never knows when to stop talking!" Iku tried desperately not to laugh, picturing Atsushi at constant odds with Genda in a small room full of stuffy people and stuffy air. As he rattled on, venting about every daily infraction and new gray hair Genda gave him, Iku's amusement gave way to sympathy. "I strongly suspect he listens to me less and less, these days," he concluded in resignation.

"On the contrary," Iku laughed, "I think you're the only one he ever listens to. And special advisor Inamine, of course." She could hear Atsushi grumbling in response, and had to suppress another giggle at his expense. As she listened, he went quiet for a prolonged pause, and Iku took the food out of the oven. She was about to ask what the silence was about when he spoke up.

"Since when do you read romance novels?" Iku stiffened. She had completely forgotten about her hastily thrown aside book when Atsushi arrived, and he must have found it as he changed out of his work clothes. She'd been trying to be covert about it, since she knew it wasn't in-character for her to read books of that genre, but it was really only because she wanted to avoid awkward questions. She hadn't tried terribly hard to keep it a secret, but still felt vaguely guilty at having been caught.

"Well… Shibasaki recommended that series, so I was giving it a shot." Atsushi appeared with the book, lingering in the kitchen doorway in a soft long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. "You're right; usually I don't, but this series is unexpectedly good. It's only been a week, and I'm on the third book already." Iku watched as Atsushi began to flip through the pages. "It's a good thing I all but live in the library, since the series is targeted for censorship."

"Really? Why?" he asked without looking up. Iku shifted her weight, uncomfortable.

"Uh, because it's… it's a romance novel." Atsushi raised his eyebrows in a "yeah, so?" gesture. Iku frowned. Had he really never read an adult romance novel before? "So…. it has some scenes… that can get, er-"

Atsushi stopped on a page, giving her a bemused look. "I was teasing you. Those scenes are why-rather, part of the reason why- I wouldn't expect you to like adult romance novels." Iku's frown deepened, feeling a blush steal across her face. What's so unusual about a fully-grown woman enjoying reading about the moments of passion and love shared between two likable characters? Now that he'd mentioned it, she didn't want to admit to it. She waved a hand flippantly, moving to finish setting the table.

"I skim the parts that aren't interesting to me, anyway," she said breezily, trying to ward off further discussion on the topic. She wasn't exactly lying, but it didn't really address his insinuation, either. Atsushi muttered something along the lines of "the parts that aren't interesting to you…"; clearly noticing her dodge around the subject. He let it slide anyway, setting the book aside and coming to help her so they could sit down to eat together. Mentally, Atsushi filed the conversation away to bring up at a more opportune time.