hey guys! this will probably the only Rin x Len fanfic you will every see me do. I don't really ship it, but my friend asked me to write one, and so I did! I have to admit that these two are very fun to write, as you can choose any AU and it technically... Won't be an AU?
I listened to take me away and through the ages by Gabrielle Aplin whilst writing this, so feel free to listen to those while reading!
He had experienced it. Despair, that is. And falling into depravity was what many feared in such a society, and those who had fallen from heaven were frowned deeply upon.
However, with such a corrupted world defined as 'heaven', Len didn't care what they thought of him; the whispers which had been hastily concealed, the uneasy murmurs, it was all reflected back by the sturdy wall which he had constructed through the duration of many years. When he was brought to the building of weary brick, his face was obscured by a mask which he had crafted, and no matter how hard one tried, they could not begin to see what was underneath.
The adults were evidently uncomfortable, their faces were like that of an open book, and murmurs rippled through the staff as they led him through the building. Len's arm tenses reflexively as warmth rested upon his shoulder and he throws a glare over to the one who had made contact, turquoise eyes dull, but hostility pools within them. "Don't touch me." he snarls, shrugging the other off roughly, pace quickening noticeably.
He was used to being left alone, and so he taught himself how to be alone. He taught himself how to live without the sensation of another with you, he had experienced life without such an emotion labelled 'love', and he had fared very nicely up until now. Having something forced upon yourself was never welcomed in Len's book. Even if said thing was supposedly good for you.
"You two look alike!" one who's name was of no significance exclaimed, rubbing her hands almost nervously. "I think you two would get along!" My fist would get along with your face, women, Len spits inwardly as he looks to his polished shoes. His hands are placed in his pockets, but it is not warm where he has decided to put them. No where is warm anymore, not to his chilled bones anyway. The girl which seemingly looked somewhat like him smiles shyly, and her fingers twitch towards the edge of her dress, where she fiddles. It's infuriating; the slight movement of the bright fabric irritates his eyes. The lady has slipped away silently, and he's fuming now. How dare she! Leaving him alone at such a moment.
But Len knew this was intended, because their goal was to chip at his wall until it cracked, and to tear open that crack until his wall collapsed. That was everyone's goal. "I'm Rin! Nice to meet you." Her voice is polite; too polite. Her baby blue eyes shine even in the dim light of the suffocating room, and she is too perfect for one such as Len. Her skin looks like that of a porcelain doll, and her neatly arranged blonde hair glows healthily. Even the two clips on the side of her bangs seem to have perfect placement. Len doesn't reply.
He doesn't need to. And he believes he knows what will occurs in the next moment; she will be discouraged by his cold actions and will leave him be, never to bother him again. For the first time in a very long time, he is wrong. She tilts towards him, grabbing at his hand. Her touch is sudden and he jerks backwards, but her grip is surprisingly firm. And he doesn't register it for the first few moments, but her grip on his wrist is warm and Len doesn't want to welcome it, it was unlike him. The warmth spreads like a wildfire, enflaming his arm then the remaining of his body.
"Hello." she tries again, and her lips are curled into a small smile. "My name is Rin."
Len's head spins and he feels slightly nauseous, so he barely reacts when he replies, "My name is Len."
She is irritating, this girl by the name of Rin. Why did she insist on persisting, despite being rejected for weeks? Her constant pestering made his heart ache with annoyance, and he wants to reach out, to cover her ever-moving mouth, to render her speechless. He does not. He would not dare admit it, but it was because, somewhere deep inside, he doesn't want to see that pretty face contort into one of disappointment; he didn't want such a clean person fall into the pits where he currently lay.
But little did he know, she had already chipped his defences away, slowly. By simply being in her presence, his thoughts became muddled and he became uncertain of the path which he strode down. But he never once altered his path. Not when they slept in the same room, or when she taught him chess, or when she made him a flower crown. Not any of these times.
"So, Len!" Her immaculately groomed fingers reach out, but he flinches back just in time so that she cannot make contact. He expects her to look displeased, he expects her eyebrows to furrow, and her forehead to crease with confusion. But this does not happen, and instead, she blinds him with a too-bright smile.
"How old are you?" she resumes, as if ignoring his previous reactions. "I just became ten two days ago."
This comment makes Len turn his head to stare at her in what could be seen as disbelief. Rin's smile is ever present, and she cocks her head to the left, eyes wide with curiosity. "Is there a problem?"
"That is also my birthday. You and I are the exact same age," He is so shocked, he overlooks the fact that this is the first time he has ever spoken to this girl, excluding when he introduced himself weeks earlier.
Len automatically wishes to take back these words, because by now, he knows that he has been changed by this single soul. Under normal circumstances, he would have long broken all connections, and he would have never let one penetrate his barrier. He would never have let a petty girl into his 'world' of darkness and depravity. But he had. And it was too late now.
"What a coincidence!"
But Len is gone from where he had been standing seconds earlier.
He had messed up. It was wrong, everything was wrong. His world twisted and turned in front of his eyes, all due to this newcomer to his 'book'. All due to this emotion which one could define as 'love'. The stars wink at him overhead, and the moon glows, but the darkness of the sky seems to swallow all these lights, engulfing him in darkness. He's running away again, he whole life revolved around running. But his legs had started to ache through the years, and they would soon become unusable and Len would then no longer be able to run.
A small section of him thought, that's ok, it's ok as long as I have someone with me. For the first time in forever, his heart which once may have been non-existent, ached against his chest, and it drew tears which he had held back for so many years, so, so many years. The memories hit him harder than a pavement. They were once unwelcome, but he recalled a comment Rin had murmured days before, and he embraced his past.
It isn't surprising when Rin searches for him and succeeds in a matter of minutes. He is seated under a tree, thin arms hugging his knees which are pressed against his chest. Len is crying, and it doesn't even harm his pride to admit it anymore. Because, although it hurt, although nothing could stop the ache, it was also a nice sensation to let it all out. Again, Len predicts the girl's reactions incorrectly. She drops next to him, and an arm is thrown around his shoulders, cautiously but gently.
The warmth is familiar and Len wants more of it, but he's too scared, he's scared that he will drag her down with him if he accepts her. His darkness would overpower her light, and they will both sink into darkness. As if she can hear what he is thinking, she smiles, and although this emotion on her face is not uncommon, it seems different every time. Her features relax, and the tension in her eyes loosen.
"Don't be scared, Len. I'll be with you! From here on till the ends of the earth."
That was the promise they had made that night, the promise under the stars and the worn-out apple tree.
Rin is not there the next day. He asks the staff, and they are evidently surprised that he is communicating with them, but they answer his queries nevertheless. "She was adopted." they explain. "This means she is gone, Len." And Len's heart drops. It drops from where it was raised to heaven all the way back to hell.