Mika kept glancing over to the group that had gathered around Inspector Tsunrmori's desk.

It seemed that now they had told her about her senior colleague's condition, everyone was rubbing it in.

"So, have you and Shinya even thought of names?" Karanomori asked, sitting on Akane's desk.

"Well, not really." Akane shook her head. "We don't know what it is yet, and we've been more preoccupied with other things."

"Like midnight sex?" The analyst chuckled, causing Akane's cheeks to become pink.

"Relax, relax. I'm partially kidding."

"No you weren't." Kunizuka said, flipping a page in her magazine.

"You and Ko are always all over each other when you think no one is looking." Kagari snickered.

"Can we please not talk about my sex life?" Akane asked, covering her face with her hands.

"Yes. Do us all a favor." Mika glared. "Don't any of you have any work you can be doing?"

"Asks the one reading Fifty Shades of Gr-" Mika threw a tape dispenser at Kagari. "Hey!"

"Inspector Shimotsuki, can we please try to refrain from damaging Bureau property?… And Kagari?"

"No promises." The younger Inspector grumbled.

"So, where is Kogami at anyway?"

"Ginoza said he needed to borrow him for the day." Akane shrugged.

It wasn't like Ginoza to take an Enforcer out that often on his days off. She had even heard that he took Masaoka along as well. There was no telling what they were doing. At least she didn't worry about them trying to kill each other like she did with Mika and Kagari.

"So you're sure that little missy isn't expecting a thing?" Masaoka asked as the three men walked through the shopping district.

"I'm pretty sure. I just told her that Gino needed me for something, so she said that she'd be fine with just Shimotsuki and Kagari around."

"I almost refused when I realized who she was left with." Ginoza sighed. "Kagari and Inspector Shimotsuki are always ready to kill each other if the opportunity arises."

"I'm sure Akane will handle it better than I could. The rookie seems to have learned her place, I think."

"So where is this place that you had seen on the net?"

"It should be further down this way." Kogami answered. "It's the only place that makes them by hand anymore."

"You're so old fashioned when it comes down to it, aren't ya Ko?" Masaoka chuckled. "And these kind of things aren't so cheap, either. You really do have it bad for the Inspector."

Kogami rubbed the back of his neck and tried to hide his pink cheeks from Gino and the old man.

Masaoka chuckled. "I'm happy for you two, Ko. Once that little one arrives, it will be like falling for her all over again. When Nobuchika came along, I was amazed that humans have the capability of making such amazing beings." He pat Ginoza on his shoulder. "Definitely takes after his mother."

Ginoza shrugged his father's hand off and got on the other side of Kogami.

"Why did you want him to come?"

"Because you know nothing about women, and frankly neither do I."

The Inspector rolled his eyes. The things he did for his best friend.

—-

"So what kind of design do you have in mind?"

Kogami was looking at a bunch of pictures of the handcrafted jewelry the little shop was famous for.

"I don't feel like she's one to be in to extravagant diamonds." He sighed. "These just don't look like something Akane would wear."

"Well, there is one other option." The old man smiled. "My daughter designs things based on what she knows about the recipient. Would you like something custom?"

"I could live with that." Kogami nodded.

"How much is all of this going to cost anyway?" Ginoza asked, looking at the different displays.

The shop owner pushed a paper with a price on it towards the three men. The Inspector looked at it with his eyes wide.

"Is this why you had your mother transfer that much of your money to me? This is way too much for a little piece of metal!"

Kogami glared at his friend. "I happen to have more in my savings, Gino. I'm not an idiot. Plus, she's going to push a whole living being out of her in a few months. I think I should buy her SOMETHING."

"So this is a gift for a first time mother?" A girl around the age of 16 came out from the back.

"Yes." Kogami nodded.

"This is my daughter, Masako." The old man introduced the young girl.

"Hello." She said with a bow. "I will do my best to make you happy with my design."

"Great." Kogami smiled. "So, where do we start?"

"What is her skin like?"

"Her skin?"

"Is it soft? Rough? Fair? Tan?" She asked, taking out a tablet.

Kogami had a panicked expression as he tried to think about her skin. Her hands were sometimes rough from handling the Dominators, but other than that…

"Soft and fair." Masaoka answered for him.

Kogami and Ginoza turned around and gave the older Enforcer a look.

"Am I wrong?"

"I guess not…"

"Does she have cooler undertones or warmer?"

Kogami looked at her in confusion. What in the hell were undertones?

"Warm." Ginoza answered.

"Do both of you really know more about her body than I do?" He asked, getting embarrassed and frustrated.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" The girl asked, moving along the conversation.

"It's been seven months since she came to the Bureau."

"What are some significant personality traits you can think of?"

"She's a very strong and smart woman." Kogami smirked, thinking of the things he loved about Akane. "She's a brilliant detective. Always puts others before herself. A gentle person when it comes down to it."

—-

"I swear! If you two don't stop, I will kick both of your asses!" Akane was stuck between Kagari and Mika, who were trying to reach around the Inspector to get to each other.

"He's like a child! How do you allow him to work with you?!"

"Me? What about you?!" Kagari shouted. "You're the one who tried to get me and Ko sent away for no real reason!"

"You are so annoying!"

"Hello pot, my name is kettle! I am black, what color are you?!"

"Oh, just like your hue, huh?"

"Don't you go there!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Akane yelled.

"She/He started it!"

—-

Akane drug herself up the stairs to her apartment. She was already planning to have a long hot shower and go to bed early. She didn't understand how her hue still managed to stay powder blue after the day she had.

Kogami had said that he was going to stay at the Bureau because the project that Ginoza had him and Masaoka working on was going to make him be up late.

She reached to put her hand on the doorknob, but the door suddenly opened.

Ginoza walked out, looked at Akane and straitened his tie nervously and cleared his throat.

"Have a good night." He said and quickly walked away, leaving her staring after him.

What in the hell was he doing in her apartment?

She brushed it off and went inside. That definitely wasn't the strangest thing that had happened that day.

The holo decor was turned on to a Victorian hotel setting when she walked in, the lights dimmed low.

She looked down on the ground and gasped when she saw orchid petals scattered on the ground.

The table had two places set with candles lit in the center and she could smell something that was obviously too heavenly for Candy to have cooked.

"Welcome home, Inspector."

Akane covered her mouth when she saw Kogami standing in the doorway of the kitchen with an apron over his white button down shirt and slacks he normally wore for work.

"You're home earlier than I thought you would be."

"Kogami, what is all of this?" She asked, finding her words.

"You know, in all of the amount of time that we have known each other, we haven't had a proper first date."

"This is so out of order." Akane laughed. "But it's so… Us."

Kogami gave her a smile. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll be finished soon."

Akane sat at the table and Kogami came back a few minutes later with a glass of grape juice.

"This is as classy as it can get." He chuckled.

"Gotta love being pregnant." She sarcastically said, taking the glass.

"Like you said. Completely out of order."

He kissed the top of her head and went back to her kitchen to finish cooking and left her there to relax.

This was something new to her. She never thought of Kogami Shinya as a romantic. They had just jumped straight in to sex and got pregnant within the first few months they knew each other, and with their jobs and his restrictions as an Enforcer, they really didn't have a lot of time for romance.

Kogami came out of the kitchen with two plates of food and sat then on the table.

"This looks amazing."

"Good. Kagari helped me with the recipe. I've been working on it in secret for days."

He sat across from her and smiled. "Let's dig in."

They started to eat— well Akane did, anyway. Kogami played with his food nervously, trying to think of something he could say to her.

"So… How was work today?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Akane groaned. "Working with Mika and Kagari together was a nightmare."

"Right. Sorry that I had to leave you alone with them."

She gave him a shy smile. "This makes up for it."

"Good." He smirked. He reached in his pocket without her seeing, hoping that this was a good opening for him to do his main objective. He panicked when he didn't feel the ring he had gotten her earlier that day.

His eyes widened when the thought crossed his mind that he might have gotten it mixed in with their food.

"Wait. Stop eating." He quickly started digging through his food with his hands. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

When he didn't find it, he began going through her food, getting it all over the both of them in the process.

"Shinya! What are you doing?!"

Akane looked down at her lap, that was now covered in noodles. She was enjoying that dinner, too!

"You didn't eat it, did you?!" He ran around to her side of the table and tried to force her mouth open.

She pushed him away and rubbed her jaw. "What is going on?"

"I'll be right back." He quickly ran out of the room and back in to the kitchen.

Akane flinched when she heard the sound of a breaking dish.

She rested her hand on her stomach and looked down at it in defeat. "Your father has gone insane."

A few moments later, Kogami came back in the room.

"Now are you going to tell me what is going on?" The Inspector folded her arms, showing how upset she was that her dinner was now everywhere else but their plates.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He said, kneeling next to her chair and holding her hand. "This isn't how it was supposed to go tonight."

"I would hope not." She said, looking completely unamused. "Start explaining. Now."

"Ginoza agreed to take me to buy you something today, and the old man came along because he is better at this whole being in love thing than we are." Kogami began. "So, we went and got it, and came back after taking Masaoka to the Bureau, so I could set up this perfect dinner."

"Uhuh…?"

"I have been doing a lot of thinking lately…" He said, looking down at their intertwined hands. "What we have… What we are… It's not fair to you, Akane."

"What do you mean?"

He looked in her eyes with a serious expression. "I'm not allowed to marry you. It's not fair because I look at the incredible woman you are and how you are carrying my child, but I can't ever make you mine."

"We talked about this." Akane said, stroking the side of his face and smiling. "I understand our circumstances perfectly, and we don't have to get married. I'm yours, either way, and this baby proves it."

Kogami gave her a smirk. "But that won't stop anyone from trying to hit on you when I'm not around, which is why I got you this."

He took his free hand and reached in his pocket and pulled out the box that the ring had been in the whole time.

"Tsunemori Akane, stay by my side."

Akane covered her mouth in shock at his words. She knew that doing something so vulnerable like this was hard for him to do. He wasn't like this with anyone.

"Okay." She nodded. "I will."

He quickly put the ring on her and kissed her, causing her stomach to flutter and her face to become hot.

She knew that she was madly in love with him. Marriage or not.

Kogami pulled back and frowned at their dirty clothing.

"Well, that work was all a waste." He sighed.

"I was enjoying it, too." Akane pouted.

"I was afraid you were going to choke. I'm sorry." He said, standing to his feet and pulling her with him.

He started to unbutton her shirt.

"S-Shinya, what are you doing?"

He removed her shirt and kissed one of her exposed shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe we should take a shower and clean off?"

Kogami smirked down at her. "I like that idea."

—-

The next day at work, Akane was sitting at her desk doing reports.

Kogami and Kagari had gone to the break room for coffee, which left her and her partner alone.

Akane turned from her computer and admired the ring on her left hand. She wasn't one to normally gush over something like this, but it was a gift from Kogami. She was proud of it.

It was simple, but still beautiful.

"Why do you have that dumb look on your face?"

Akane looked up to see Mika in front of her desk with her hands on her hips.

"He seriously got you a ring?" She snickered.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. I just find it sad that you really think that a piece of expensive metal will change the fact that no one will ever acknowledge you as a normal couple." The young Inspector shrugged. "Try all you want, but that kid is going to be an outcast of society because of you two. You realize that, right?"

Akane looked down. She had a point.

"I'm sorry, but you're an Inspector and he's an Enforcer. Nothing good will ever come out of this. You can't keep playing house forever."

There was an alert of an area stress level warning, so they had to leave before Akane could say something.

Mika's words hurt.

The Inspector shook her head fast.

She shouldn't be this upset over something so trivial.

But… Was this really just them pretending that it could work out between them?