It had been years since Shinra had come that day with the flowers. Since then he'd continued to bring Celty all kinds of things from the outside world. Flowers, fruits (that she couldn't eat), bugs, pretty rocks. They passed the days in that big sun room where Shinra had first spoken to her and he drew complicated pictures of dogs, explaining to her the history of the domestication of Lupis Canis as he lay on his belly, swinging his legs in the air next to where Celty's magnificent black dress pooled on the expensive carpet where she sat. They read books and Shinra held up one sided conversations with Celty, doing his best to respond to her body language before eventually bringing her a notepad and pen for her replies.

After a while, they were always together. Always together in that sun room.

But today was different. When Celty had gotten out of bed, she'd found a simple invitation taped to her door, the handwriting careful and neat, inviting her to visit Shinra's lab that afternoon.

Right now, she was standing outside the clean white door of the room that Shinra's father had gifted to him to use as his own personal space.

Raising a hesitant hand, she knocked softly. The door opened immediately and Shinra's twelve year old face poked into the space, beaming.

"Celty!" The polite 'san' on the end of her name had at some point dropped off and he addressed her intimately. She didn't mind since Ireland hadn't had such things.

Slipping a pen and paper from somewhere inside her sleeve, she penned back:

"Shinra kun, you wanted me to visit you here today?"

The boy straightened up and opened the door wide for Celty, welcoming her with an inward sweep of his arm.

"Yes, I thought it was about time I showed you my lab. It's really quite something if I do say so myself. Father says he approves of my progress too."

Celty wanted to ask what Shinra was supposed to progressing toward at twelve years old but the boy didn't look back to her like he usually did when he knew she wanted to say something, so she assumed it wasn't important.

The boy began to walk the perimeter of the room and Celty obediently followed suit, glad she'd fashioned a shorter black dress for the occasion as she observed the test tubes and flasks that sat on the bottom layer of shelves that lined all walls aside from the farthest, back wall which was occupied by a small, cluttered desk and a large screen like thing that Celty had once seen Kishitani sensei use to look at the structure of her body in a strange black and white photo. In the middle of the room there was a group of small operating tables. One was a station for heavy, scientific looking books, another held what Celty dearly hoped wasn't a human brain.

Shinra was prattling about all of his experiments and projects as they slowly made their way around the room, the boy pausing to lean into certain things, checking their progress while pressing his glasses further up his nose. Celty clicked after him in her simple black heels, listening patiently as he explained the functions and purpose of a variety of things. When they reached Shinra's desk, the boy stopped and turned to Celty who looked down on him and penned:

"Is something wrong?"

Shinra smiled.

"Thank you for coming today Celty."

"Of course, you asked me after all."

A slow shake of the head and Shinra humming 'uun' softly under his breath. When their eyes met again, those dark grey hues were warm and tender as they looked up into Celty's empty head space.

"You're my best friend, Celty." She twitched and stumbled back a little. There was a heat rising up her neck. Her handwriting was a little wobbly when she told him, "I'm sure that's not true. Shinra kun has school friends, ne? Friends from before I came here?"

His small hand reached to pull one of her own from where it lay against the rise of her bell bottomed dress.

"I understand that Celty isn't very interested in science," he began, still smiling. The fairy quickly motioned with her free hand that that wasn't the case but the boy was unfazed when he continued. "Most people, most kids at my school, they don't understand science very well so they don't want to hear about it. So I don't have many friends. Not any who would come outside of school hours anyway. That's why…"

Both of Shinra's hands were holding Celty's now. He rubbed the back of her knuckles with his thumbs in long soothing sweeps.

"…I'm happy you came today. I'm happy you're here, Celty. I know my father did some painful things to you, but I can't be sad that you've come to live here."

Celty watched Shinra carefully. His cheeks were flushed happily and his hands were warm around her fingers. Even if she did have the freedom to write something to him, she didn't think it was necessary. Shinra was already exceptionally talented in reading Celty anyway. She was sure he could hear her unspoken words as they stood together in Shinra's pristine, white lab.

I'm happy to be here too, Shinra kun.