Author's Note: Well, Durarara! is officially over. The anime, that is. Thank the heavens that anni_fiesta is translating the novels. I might die otherwise. Oh, and it's getting dubbed! (So is Hetalia. I need to get caught up on Hetalia.) Let's keep our fingers crossed that they don't screw this one up! Why am I talking about things that have nothing to do with my story? Uguu. I'll just shut up now.

Things Best Left Unsaid

As usual, the first thing Celty heard upon walking through the door after work was Shinra's voice saying, "Welcome home!"

He was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of spaghetti. Naturally, he insisted on having dinner together, despite her inability to eat, but today she had been caught in heavy traffic and sent a text message instructing him to begin eating without her. Clearly he had listened, though eating alone was apparently a somewhat difficult task, as shown by the tomato sauce messily displayed all over the general area of his mouth.

Celty gave a sigh of smoke as she sat down across from him and placed her helmet on the table. She took a napkin to his face and wiped away the red abomination, wondering if he would always maintain the mentality of a five-year-old with medical knowledge and sexual desires.

Before she had a chance to pull her hand away from his face, he grabbed a hold of it and bowed his head down to kiss it, smiling childishly.

Yes, she told herself, he probably would always be immature, but she wouldn't complain. She wouldn't deny that she loved him to death.

After he released his grip from her hand, she typed him a greeting.

Hey, how was your day?

Celty didn't exactly want to hear about the gory details of Shinra's profession, and it didn't seem appropriate for dinnertime, but he usually didn't talk too much about the blood-and-guts aspect of it in her presence out of what she assumed was some type of chivalry.

Shinra swallowed a mouthful of pasta (After all these years, it seemed he was finally learning not to talk with his mouth full!) before replying, "Actually, something interesting happened! I stopped at the grocery store on my way home – Yes, I did get the soap you wanted – and when I was checking out, the cashier hit on me!"

Celty's first thought was that the cashier clearly didn't know Shinra very well; if she did she probably wouldn't want to flirt with him. But then she felt something…unpleasant in her gut. She hated to admit it to herself, but she was pretty sure the feeling was jealousy. The knowledge that another woman wanted Shinra was something completely foreign to her, and she instinctively felt possessive of him.

If another Dullahan appears and seduces him, he may have his heart stolen just like that.

No, she wouldn't allow herself to think like that! Shinra was loyal! He would never abandon her, right?

Really?

He nodded. "Yep. She asked me if I wanted to go get a drink with her sometime."

Shinra's eyes narrowed on her, probably reading her thoughts like he did so often, and then his face brightened back to its normal dorky expression.

"But don't you worry, Celty!" he beamed. "I told her, 'No thank you! I already have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world!'"

Flattered, but uninterested in Shinra's bragging, Celty decided to ask for some more details.

So, this cashier, was she pretty?

Oh crap, why did she ask that? Yes, she was curious, but she should have thought before she just asked the question flat out like that!

Shinra rested his chin on his fist and looked up absentmindedly. "Eh…I guess some would say she was, but you know me, I like my women headless!"

His words were obviously meant to be reassuring, but they just made the echo of Izaya's voice even louder.

Just like that.

Okay, screw it, she wasn't going to suffer in silence! It was better that she voice her concerns to Shinra now.

Actually, there's something I've been wondering…

"Oh?" Shinra looked at her, his brown eyes widening with concern behind his glasses. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

Well, it's just that I was thinking…If you met another Dullahan, would you fall in love with her?

At first, Shinra just looked shocked, as if there was nothing more horrifying than loving a woman other than herself, but then he relaxed, moving behind her seat and hugging her from behind.

"Oh, Celty, honey, you don't ever have to worry about that!" His hand somehow found her own and squeezed it. "I'll admit that I was initially attracted to you because you weren't human, but our love is much stronger than that now! I have spent nearly twenty-one years with you! No other Dullahan has that going for her!"

Celty could feel the muscles in her shoulders relaxing in relief.

Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle losing you.

There it was, yet another thing she shouldn't have said so straightforwardly! It was kind of hypocritical of her to constantly ask Shinra to refrain from saying embarrassing things if she wasn't going to follow her own advice.

Naturally, Shinra seemed pretty happy about the way she had just humiliated herself; she could feel him holding on to her more tightly. Directing her sensors to the back of her neck, she could see a stupid grin on his face.

An adorable stupid grin, that is.

Suddenly it made no sense to Celty how no female aside from herself had ever become attracted to Shinra before. He was freaking gorgeous.

Is this really the first time someone other than me has shown interest in you?

"Yeah. Is that surprising?"

Well, yeah. You're good-looking.

It wasn't until she saw Shinra smile mischievously that Celty could tell she had said something against her better judgment yet again. Great. The last thing she needed to do was inflate his ego.

"I'm good-looking?"

And yet for some reason, she genuinely liked seeing that look on his face, and she felt the need to say something else stupid.

I think you are.

Just as she had desired, his smile grew, and he began nuzzling her neck enthusiastically.

"I love you, Celty."

I love you too.

Maybe some things, such as those last four words of hers, were best left unsaid. That didn't, however, mean that she had any intention to stop saying them.