Because I clearly enjoy feeling my heart shrivel up and die, I ended up writing this ficlit about Masamori and Mai during/after the "Of Course You Know My Wife" virus.

Enjoy...

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Outside of their futon the world felt cold. Whether that was from the late November air, or the uncertainty that grew within them, neither could tell. Mai laid awake, eyes opened and staring up at the ceiling. She was lost in a million thoughts, all of them very loud.
She had woken that morning so sure that everything around her was good and true. She shared breakfast with a handsome and kind man; one whom she loved with all her heart. And yet now doubt crept in. Could it really all be a virus? Were those memories of their small but happy wedding really just something created at the community’s whim? She clamped her eyes shut and shook her head. No! It couldn’t be fake. She could remember it all so clearly.

Next to her, Masamori shifted. His eyes had been closed and Mai had thought him asleep already. He opened his eyes too quickly to have really been sleeping, though. “Mai?”

“You were awake?” Mai asked quietly.

“I was thinking.”

Mai nodded slowly. “About…us?”

Masamori glanced away and was quiet for a long while. When he turned back to look at her, he moved closer and searched for her hands under the covers. “Tomorrow is tomorrow. We shouldn’t let that ruin right now.”

Looking rather bashful Mai intertwined her fingers with his and moved closer. She curled up so that her head comfortably rested at the curve of his shoulder. “You’re right. Right now we’re here, virus or no. I’m not going to let it ruin my happiness.”

“And you really are happy?”

“Of course I am!” She glanced upward at his face, with a stubborn expression. “I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you if I thought I would be unhappy. Do you really think I would?”

Masamori chuckled softly. “No, you’re right.”

A comfortable silence settled over them, as it often did. Mai breathed in and out softly. She tried to concentrate on good things, instead of dwelling on the bad. She remembered the first date, the first kiss, the first “I love you”. Those thoughts and Masamori’s closeness made her feel warm again from her head to her toes. She smiled and cuddled even closer to him.

“I love you, Masamori,” she spoke softly. It was amazing how easy those words seem to come now.

“I love you too, Mai.” Masamori leaned his head down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

The night faded on as Mai and Masamori fell asleep in each other’s arms, dreaming of their life together.

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The morning light woke Mai the next day. As her mind cleared from its sleeping fog, she realized she was cold. A shiver ran up her spine, so she clutched at her blankets and pulled them tightly against her body. As the blankets constricted around her, Mai’s thoughts zeroed in on the night before. All she could see in her mind was Masamori’s smiling face, so close to hers. Her breath caught in her throat as a mixed of embarrassment and fear swept over her. She opened her eyes slowly without any confidence of what she might she when she did.

She was alone in her futon. No one was there to cuddle with, say good morning, or kiss her forehead. This was how it had always been. Mai knew that, of course. She and Masamori were friends. They weren’t in love, and they certainly weren’t married.

So why was it that Mai felt like crying?

Viruses were awful sometimes. They really knew how to mess around with all the things in your heart; dragging all of those feelings out and then crushing them. Crushing them until you just wanted to crumple them up and lock them away forever.

Slowly she stretched out her hand as if each little movement made her ache. She stretched out to where Masamori had been lying only a few hours ago in her mind. To her touch, the bed still felt warm.