I don't own Durarara! or it's characters. I'm just a fan of the couple.
Expressions are felt, not seen.
The blaring lights of an arcade reflected off of the sleek bike helmet. Sounds of pinball and air hockey rang through the glass windows, all the way down the bustling street. It had been an uneventful evening at Russia Sushi with Shinra. Now, the two walked the sidewalks like so many others. The evening was young and night had just barely fallen on the lit metropolis.
Shinra strode abreast to Celty, with an unusually emphasized bounce in his steps. A bag swung from his fingertips; a meal for another day. His whimsical smile and overall behavior was that of a five-year-old exiting a store, toy in hand. Occasionally, he'd actually watch where he was going, rather than gazing at the bright helmet, perched atop her headless neck. With each glance, Celty would look over in her usual, confounded look; as if to say, 'what the hell are you doing?' Neon signs glistened off of the yellow helmet as she stared at the peculiar man beside her; no eyes to look at him with acceptance mixed with a small amount of annoyance. As if he could see a face through the black visor, he smiled childishly, before narrowly missing a young man walking in front of him. And just like a small child, he did not learn from his mistake: he continued to gaze at the black-suited woman next to him; blissfully unaware of the people he would narrowly miss. But with each meeting of their visions, Shinra would chuckle a boyish chuckle.
[What's got you in such a good mood], Celty typed, her PDA stuck close to Shinra's face. He smiled before readjusting his glasses, lab coat swaying gently as they continued to walk.
"What's wrong with me being in a good mood? I just had dinner with the girl I love and-". His speech garbled as Celty's fingered pinched his cheek between her black-gloved fingers. Her efforts were of no use, however: he smiled that much more. Celty pulled her fingers away, obviously embarrassed. Had she not worn her helmet, smoke would billow from her neck.
"Awww, Celty. C'mon. You did that. Not me." Shinra held his arms up, crossing them behind his neck. He felt the embarrassment from her like a warm breeze brushed over him. Trying to break the awkwardness of the moment, he gazed off just past her, only to have his face brighten again. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction he'd looked; Celty followed, confused but without disagreement. As Shinra ran, she trailed slowly behind, fingers tightly intertwined between one another. In that moment, she felt, for a split second, the urge to pull her hand away. But as they ran through the crowd of people on the sidewalk, the urge dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Shinra continued to pull the confused Celty behind him, almost racing towards something.
The two approached a metal box on the sidewalk; Celty stood as confused as she had been in the past few seconds. She looked the contraption over: the lights, the decals, the annoying, repeating music. Shinra vigorously dug through his coat pocket. After much fuss, his hand emerged, holding four small coins; his eyes fixed on the coins as he stared at Celty, then the coins, then the machine. Celty wasn't accustomed to seeing Shinra this happy. It was confusing to her, but at the same time, it made her happy.
Shinra pulled the curtain back and exposed a simple, two-person seat. He gestured for Celty to sit down. What the hell is this, she thought. Hesitant, she stood, almost paralyzed, as Shinra sat down in the metal box. He looked back at Celty, still standing where she was. He smiled at her and with his hand, patted the seat next to him. She slowly crept over and popped her head in from behind the curtain. She sat down timidly. Was he up to another one of his schemes? What was this box used for?
"Don't worry Celty, this is just for fun", Shinra said. He inserted each coin into the acceptor. "It's called a photo booth. It takes pictures then you get the pictures back on a glossy piece of paper". Shinra pressed a button just below the screen before having his cheek pinched again. Celty was embarrassed as is, but before she could type out a message, a small flash of light blinked into, and then out of existence. Shinra readjusted his body, lifting his hand behind the helmet. Before the second picture was taken, he sprung up his first two fingers into a peace sign just in sight of the camera. All of a sudden, a rushing feeling through Celty's still veins provoked her to place her hands about Shinra's head, similar to moose antlers. The pictures continued to be taken every few seconds. Fourth, fifth.
Shinra thrust his hands at the helmet sitting atop Celty's neck. The moment was over before Celty realized what had happened. The sixth and final picture was taken, and Shinra sat next to the startled Celty. The pictures began to print out of a small slit in the machine. Before Celty could see the last picture, Shinra grabbed the paper, cutting off the view of it. The second set began to print, only to have Shinra steal it, hiding the sixth picture again.
"Alright, we can go home now" Shinra said, smile still prevalent on his face. /that annoyed feeling had returned to the bottom of Celty's stomach as she typed.
[Why won't you let me see the pictures?] Shinra shook his head playfully, before striding back to the jet-black bike. No matter Celty's prodding, he playfully refused to show her the pictures. Keeping them carefully stored in the inside pocket of his coat, he mounted the still motorcycle, eyes beaming. Celty shot him an annoyed glance that only proved to make him that much more energetic. Celty climbed aboard her bike, closely followed by Shinra. Just as Celty was pulling off into the street, the grip of Shinra's arms squeezed affectionately around her waist. A warm sensation brewed inside the still stomach of the dullahan as they sped home.
The door swung open to the mostly dark living space. Silence. Shinra burst through the door way, with Celty closely on his tail. He raced around the living room, narrowly escaping his love's grasp. Though, the longer he continued this fun game of cat and mouse, the more out-of-breath he became. Finally, the cat caught the mouse, pinning him against the sofa, raiding each pocket his lab coat bore. Finally, she found them: the pictures. She pulled them out and looked long and hard at them.
The last photo, Celty sat facing the camera with the blank expression of visor and helmet. To her side, Shinra had leaned in, planting a small kiss on the side of the helmet. Her gaze wandered up the line of photos, the warm sensation welling more so in the pit of her unmoving stomach. How silly Shinra looked, with his hands and face contorting into expressions filled with ecstasy, bliss, happiness. She looked at herself in the pictures: oh how she wished she could show the expressions she surely would've worn. Annoyed, laughing, smiling, blushing. Gazing again, at that last picture, her still heart seemed to flutter as Shinra began to squirm free from underneath her, feeling that his job as a seat cushion was drawn out. As he lifted himself from the couch to sit next to his silent roommate, her gaze did not alter; still she stared at the single picture.
Shinra held his hand out, asking for the pictures back. Celty only returned one.
"Were you planning on keeping that one" he asked, cocking his head to one side. Celty gazed at the picture, then Shinra. She nodded her helmet.
[I think I'm going to sleep.] Shinra watched as his love strode gracefully to her bedroom. No slam of her door. No loud, pronounced footsteps. As she adorned the evening wear, she couldn't help but stop occasionally, still entranced by the picture. As she crawled into bed, she placed the photo strip on the small table next to her bed. It sat against her phone, light barely seeping through the paper, right where Shinra's lips glanced the bright helmet.
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