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Junpei put the plates on the table, the food. Pulled the chair out for Izumi and Izumi sat down, smiled at her boyfriend. Junpei looked at the tablecloth instead of her. No, not the tablecloth. Izumi frowned. Junpei seemed to be looking through the tablecloth, and the table. Ah. She put a hand against her cheek and smiled. Lost in thoughts, somewhere far away where she couldn’t follow.Junpei sat down, ate the food in an almost mechanical way. Izumi took a bite as well. Not enough garlic, as usual. She still smiled towards Junpei, beamed.”I love it! Did you try something new?”Hoped he would answer answer ’I added more garlic this time’ so she could tell him maybe just a teeny tiny bit more next time. Nothing. He kept looking through the table, chewed his food in that cute way that made his cheeks puff up like a hamster. Izumi took another bite of the food. A minute went by, two minutes. Junpei spilled sauce on the table and Izumi put the fork down.”Alright, I’ll bite”, she said. ”What are you thinking about?”Junpei blinked, looked at her and tilted his head. Almost as if he hadn’t realized she was there. Maybe he hadn’t, it seemed to be a really deep thought.”Would you…” Junpei started. Pushed the food around with his fork. ”Would you still love me if I was a beetle?”Izumi laughed.”You say the silliest thing, Junpei.”She laughed again. Junpei didn’t. Izumi grabbed the fork again.”Where did that question come from?”Junpei’s cheeks turned red. Probably a book or something they sang in school.”Well, would you?” he asked.And he sounded so serious. Izumi blinked. What steps had she taken in life to bring her to this conversation?”I loved you as Beetlemon, didn’t I?”Junpei looked away.”Did you though?”And he was right to ask, Izumi knew. Because they had been young, too young for love even. To know what exactly it meant. But their hearts had been shared, for one brief moment in time, as Susanoomon.”You already know the answer to that”, she said.Junpei swallowed, the red on his cheeks disappeared. Izumi put the fork down again, moved to the chair next to Junpei and put her hand over his. Leaned closer and kissed his cheek.”You know I would”, she said. There was no use trying to figure out why he wanted to know. ”Would you still love me as a beetle?”Junpei gripped her hand with his, put the other on her shoulder. Stared straight into her eyes and Izumi squirmed under his gaze.”I’d build you the best terrarium in the world and catch fresh worms for you every day!””Oh eww”, Izumi pulled away with a laugh. ”I would prefer your tortini.”Junpei smiled, clapped his hands together.”I’ll make you some right now!”Stood up before Izumi could say something and she grabbed the hem of his shirt. Her cheeks hurt from smiling.”Junpei. Dear. You’ve already made us dinner today.”He stopped, turned back towards her with a smile spread across his face. He put her hands against her cheeks – his hands were warm, soft – and then his lips against hers. Fast, filled with laughter. Izumi laughed when he pulled away, leaned her head against his chest.”I love you, Izumi-chan.”His voice vibrated through his chest, filled her with warmth, made her feel home.”I love you more”, she said.”I love you most.””Even as a beetle?” Izumi laughed.Junpei laughed as well, gave her a quick hug before he pulled away. Put a hand under her chin and smiled towards her. He looked so sincere and Izumi rolled her eyes and pulled away.”Even as a beetle”, Junpei admitted.”That is such a silly thing to say, you realize that right?””Am I Izumi’s silly silly beetle?”He was teasing her, she could tell. So she put on the most sincere look she could muster despite the laughter.”You are. You’re my silly, silly little beetle.”And then the laughter broke through. She shook her head and stood up, went back to her seat.”A silly beetle who still doesn’t know how much garlic to add”, she winked.Junpei’s cheeks turned red and he grabbed his fork, took a bite out of the food. Izumi watched as his cheeks puffed up again. Something that cute was nothing like a beetle.Beetlemon crossed her mind and heat spread through her body like wildfire, her cheeks burned and she hurried to return to dinner before Junpei would ask her anything more about her love for beetles.